I've written this chapter long time ago. When I decided to make Eloise pregnant. And I guess now is the time to share it with you. I hope you like it.

Eloise lied in the bed next to Red who was reading a book. He smiled at her when she joined him, then closed the book and put it on the bedside table. He pulled her closer to him, and she nuzzled into his warm body. He caressed her lower abdomen with his fingers, "You're starting to show."

She smiled, and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I'm starting my fifth month."

He kept massaging her small belly and sighed, "I still remember the day you were born."

She stared at him, "You were there?"

He nodded, so she shook her head, "You never talked to me about my parents and your relationship with them."

He had a deep breath, and rested his head to the headboard, "We were neighbours. Carla and Jessi became friends a few days after your parents had come to live in our neighbourhood. When you decided to come out, Carla was busy with Jennifer in her first day of school. Mike called me, he was very anxious and worried about you and Jessi. I joined him in the hospital few minutes before you come out of the operation room. He was very happy and excited. When Jessie came out, he gave you to me so he can check on her."

He turned to look at her smiling, "And I saw you for the first time. The most beautiful baby I've ever seen."

She blushed, and he touched her cheek with his index as he went on, "And when I touched your soft cheek with my finger, I saw you looking into my eyes and smiling at me an angelic smile I would never forget."

She smiled and leaned her face to his hand. He scanned her face, "Your eyes were staring at me, as if you were really seeing me. Your gold threads were covering your ears and forehead. I couldn't help but kissing your forehead as you were my own daughter."

He kissed her forehead, then leaned to kiss her abdomen. She caressed his trimmed hair as he got back, "Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?"

He tilted his head and asked amused, "You say first, what do you wish?"

She chuckled, and put her hand on his cheek caressing his lips with her thumb, "I want a boy. A handsome and smart boy like his father. To care for me, and love me same as you. I want two Reddingtons in my life."

He laughed, "You're greedy."

She laughed, and pressed his hand to her belly more, "And you? You want a boy or a girl?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked into her eyes, "I want a girl. A pretty girl like you. Having my eyes and your hair."

She chuckled, "And you call me greedy?!"

He laughed, and pulled her more to his chest. She moved her fingers over his chest, "Tell me more about my childhood and my parents."

He sighed, "I didn't stay much to see you grow up. You were months when I had to..."

He paused to swallow, then continued, "When I had to go. But in those few months, we got friends. Your mum was tired and weak in the first few days. I used to visit you everyday after I come back from work, to see Mike wandering the house, carrying you, trying to feed you and make you stop crying. He loved you so much, but he didn't know how to deal with a newborn baby. He always told me you were crying all the day."

She chuckled, "I was a stubborn baby."

He smiled, and touched her hair, "No, you weren't. You would stop crying once I carry you and hold you close to my heart. Your tears would immediately turn into smiles and sometimes giggles."

She watched the smile on his face and murmured, "I guess I fell into your love since the first moment of my life then?"

His smile vanished, and he stared into her blue eyes, "I believe so."

They kept silent for moments, then he sighed and went on, "You were crying all the day till I come to you. You refused to eat too, unless it was me holding the bottle for you. You belonged to me from the very first moment of your life."

She twisted her mouth, "Then you left."

He had a deep breath and rested his head back to the headboard, "Then I left. And haven't seen you for years. I met Mike ten years later when I was in Germany, while he was in a business trip, and he needed my help in his job. I helped him, and he owed me. I used to contact him later, till he joined my team with Jessi. The only obstacle was you."

She wondered, "Me?"

He nodded, "Yeah, they hated to leave you alone. So I had to bring them Sophie to take care of you while they're away."

She laughed, "And I kicked her out before they come back."

He chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, her and every housekeeper came after her."

He turned his face to her, "When I met Mike in Berlin after all these years, the first thing I asked about was you."

She frowned, "And? What happened to me when you left?"

He sighed and wiped her hair, "You turned their life into hell. You were crying all the time. You spent days without feeding. You refused breastfeeding and the bottle. You were dying. They had to take you to the hospital. Till you recovered and accepted my..."

He closed his eyes in pain, so she held his arm, "Raymond, I'm sorry, I didn't know that will bring bad memories for you."

He opened his eyes, and gave her a pale smile shaking his head, "We're together now, Eloise. And..."

He swallowed, so she asked, "But all the time my mum and dad worked with you, you never thought of seeing me?"

He shook his head, "I spent most of the time out of the States. I always asked them about you, and sometimes I sent you gifts, but never tried to see you. Although I saw your pictures. And you were more pretty than I thought. I always had that feeling that your eyes in the picture were looking at me, talking to me."

She nodded, "Till they died."

His eyes glowed with tears and he had a deep breath, "And that was... it broke my heart to lose them together, lose my old friends and assets. That wasn't supposed to happen. It was me who should have died there."

She put her hand on his mouth, "Red, it's over. Luli told me everything about that."

He held her hand and shook his head, "What hurt me more than their loss was you. You losing your family and being alone. That killed me. I wanted to come to you but I couldn't. And later, you refused to see me, refused my help and my care in many occasions. "

She kissed his hand, "But that didn't prevent you from taking care of me and my study."

He nodded, "I owed your parents my life. And I owed you. I must have paid my debts. I kept an eye on you all the time. I watched you getting involved with bad guys. I tried to take you away, but my trials were met by refusal as usual. I watched you addicting, having freaking relationships. But you never listened to my messengers. Till I decided to interfere myself. Even if I had to drag you out of that world, I would never let you do that to the little angel I carried in my arms years ago. Dembe drove us to the club you used to spend your time in with your twisted friends. When I walked out of the car and headed to the club, I saw my angel collapsing in rabble in front of my eyes. You were messy and covered with blood and..."

He closed his eyes tightly in pain unable to go on. She rested her head back and stared at the chandelier, "They used to travel much. I never asked why. They just said it was job. Dad used to travel when he worked for that construction company, so I never asked why mum joined him. I thought she had a job in the company too. They used to come back with presents for me, I was so excited, so I never asked. There was always that one gift, a separate one wrapped in glowing gift wrap. They always told me their boss sent it to me. It was always different and special. Each time I liked it, but hated it in the same moment. I felt it was a price, for taking them away from me."

He shook his head, "I never thought of it this way. I always wished to come and give it myself to this little precious girl of them."

When she went on, her voice started to break, "When they died, I got so angry. When Dembe and told me they died because of their job, I hated that boss. He used to take them from me every couple of weeks, sending them back with that damned present. Now he took them forever. I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands."

She paused to have a deep breath, then said, "I had no one left. I drowned in my relationship with Richard and his friends. He taught me everything wrong. I wasn't thinking, I didn't care of anything or anyone. Or even myself."

Red's hand touched her forearm massaging it lightly, and she continued, "I lost my virginity with him. Lost my innocence with him and his group. He teached me sex, drinking, drugs. We made everything you can imagine together. Anywhere and everywhere."

His breath began to get ragged, but she didn't notice as she said, "Till that night, we were in the club drinking, and having drugs. He was very high. He put a bid, on me. Who can make me scream louder?"

Red's hand stilled on her forearm, but she didn't feel that or feel it getting cold, she was sinking in her memories, "I refused, and faught with him for the silly idea. I did everything for him. But being shared with others, that was unacceptable. He didn't care. And his friends, our friends liked the idea so much. They used to switch partners, and I was the only exclusive girl."

Her breathing turned into gasping, and he tried to stop her calling her name, but she didn't hear him. Her mind was there at the club, "Two of them held me from behind, and he raised my dress, showing me to them, offering me to them. I tried to get out of their hold, but they were high and drunk. I didn't know what happened next, but I remember me lying on the couch, with one of them beneath me, plunging into my... rectum. While another one was kneeling between my legs fucking me brutally. I screamed, but the music was high, and there was no one in the club but us. They shut up my screams with another one of them giving me his cumming into my throat."

He closed his eyes, "Eloise, that's enough."

Her tears ran, "They were all around me, stroking themselves over my body. One empties himself inside me, then moves so another one tears me before he comes inside of me. I couldn't count how many of them ravished me. But when I think about it, I can feel them inside me. I can feel the same pain, the same, humiliation, as if it happened a few minutes ago."

She heard his choking voice, "Please, Eli. Stop it. I don't want to hear anymore."

She closed her eyes and had a deep breath trying to collect herself, "When they're done with me, they kept yelling and bragging. I took myself out of there shaking, crying and covered with their filth. But they didn't let me go, some of them came after me. I had to run, but I was weak. I fell down in the street and they reached me."

She eventually turned her face to him to meet his tearful eyes, "And you came for me."

He shook his head talking with a husky voice, "I should have come earlier. I should have killed them for what they've done to you. But all I cared about, that moment, was to save you."

She rested her head to his shoulder and whispered, "No one ever knew what really happened that night in there, except me and them. I was afraid to tell anyone the truth. I was ashamed of what happened to me, and how I let them do it."

He embraced her body with his arm, "You could do nothing to prevent them. You were alone and they were many. They were strong, and you were scared and weak. Although I could guess what happened. The way you looked that night. The way you smelled. I knew something horrible happened to you in there. I knew you had multiple partners that night, otherwise you wouldn't get infected with STD. You were asleep for days till we treated you from it and the addiction. You had many nightmares. You said much during your sleep. But no one has ever imagined it was that horrible."

She raised her eyes to him and whispered, "Do you hate me now? For not telling you the truth all these years. For knowing that I was raped and many men had..."

He cut her off, "No, of course I don't hate you. Not for that, and not for anything. You were young. It was long time ago. Now you're with me. You're mine. And I'll kill anyone who just thinks about touching my wife or my baby."

She rested her head to his shoulder, "I'm lucky I have you, Raymond. I'll never leave you, whatever happened."

Red sighed and rested his cheek to her head thinking of Dembe whom he thought wouldn't have left him either, but he eventually did.

I hope you like it. Tell me if you do, or don't.