Chapter 48- Lost Hearts:

Erin

Towards the end of July (with August beginning in just a day), I figured that it I should enjoy the beach while I still could. I needed this time to relax- relax my body, my mind, just relax everything. The pregnancy had been taking a lot of me and I was overly worried and stressed about the pregnancy and the future. All of the stress led to me throwing up again, even if I was supposed to be over the morning sickness. Though still, I thought I had done a good job at hiding how stressed and worried the pregnancy was making me. It helped that I had things to distract me.

The whole summer I had been busy at the café and doing things with Lysander with no time for me to go to the beach (as Lysander wasn't a big fan of it). School would start in a few weeks and I desperately wanted to just relax on the sunny sand before then. My wonderful boyfriend had suggested for me to go without him so he could work at the café, but he insisted on me taking someone. Violette and Iris had yet to return. Rosayla was busy with a date with Leigh. Nathaniel and Melody were off being all honeymoon-couple stage of their relationship. That left me one choice. Castiel.

"Why do I have to be here," Captain Jackass complained, "It's hot. It's disgusting and you didn't even let me bring Ace because you said he wouldn't be allowed on the boardwalk."

I rolled my eyes at him. He was in swim trunks while I was in a sundress (a pregnant belly wasn't exactly the best thing to show off in a bikini). The flowing fabric of the dress hid the belly well while the small string tied under my breasts made my chest look bigger (not that it wasn't big already- pregnancy had few perks and bigger breasts were one of them). I gently touched the necklace I wore- Lysander's necklace. I only took it off when I showered or slept because how much it meant to me.

"Lysander insisted I bring someone along and everyone else is busy," I explained, "So just chill, okay?"

Castiel gave a huff as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, fine, whatever."

Castiel liked to act real tough, but I knew he cared somewhere deep inside him. If he didn't care at all then he wouldn't be even put up with me. My mind wondered briefly to the thought of pairing him up with someone, but no one came to mind. Though when I do find someone, I will hook them up if it killed me and I will make sure that he doesn't screw it up.

I sit down on the towel and stretch. Castiel stood beside me as if he was on look out for something- probably beach girls. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to have found it as he started to grin.

"Well, if I am going to be stuck here, I may as well make the most of it. You like vanilla, right?"

I looked up at him a bit confused before I followed where he was looking at. An ice cream stand was set up way in the distance and Castiel's eyes were focused on it. His eyes seemed to have a childlike gleam in them. I bit back a laugh at his childlike love for ice cream.

"Used to," I answered with a wince, "Pregnancy kind of screwed everything up. Can you get me a strawberry cone? Please."

"Yeah, sure," he said simply before heading towards the ice cream stand.

Sometimes he was very tough and reminded me of his dog. Other times, like this, he reminded me of a little kid. I watched him as he left with a small laugh before I started to close my eyes and just enjoy the sun beating down on me. Thanks to Lysander, I was already covered in several layers of sunscreen- he was sure to cover every inch of visible skin before I left. Safe from the harsh rays of the sun, I started to relax.

I opened my eyes when I felt that the sun wasn't hitting me anymore. There was a shadow over me that belonged to a sadly familiar face. Dake. He hadn't changed much since I last saw him- he still had the tattoos, the tanned skin and the same handsome face. By the grin on said handsome face, it was obvious he still had that charm that made me fall for him. We dated before I had even considered transferring to Sweet Amoris, but we broke up when we agreed we both wanted to see other people. Meeting ex-boyfriends were never pleasant, but Dake didn't seem to mind as he continued to grin.

"Hey kitten," he greeted, using the nickname he called me when we were together.

I forced a grin on my face as I sat up,

"Hey Dake."

I choose not to use the nickname I used to call him. I hoped he got the hint. He didn't seem to as he continued to grin. He held out a hand to help me stand up. I eyed him cautiously, but being pregnant getting up sometimes felt like climbing Mt. Everest. I took his hand and got up to my feet. He didn't once look at my stomach which meant he probably couldn't tell I was pregnant- he always was a bit dense. Instead, his eyes were went back and forth between my face and my breasts (which were certainly bigger than the last time I saw him).

"You grew a bit, huh kitten," he teased, "Still as beautiful as ever."

And you're still as dense as ever, I thought dryly. He stood up a bit straighter and looked at me a bit concerned. He brought his face close to mine, causing me to take a step back to add some distance between us.

"What's wrong, kitty cat? You're never this quiet."

"Dakota," I said firmly, but calmly, emphasizing that I used his full name, "I'm here with someone else. Please step back."

I couldn't risk getting angry for various reasons- one being the fact that every time I got angry so far in the pregnancy I either got so pissed I wanted to throw something or throw up. Not wanting to throw up over the nice sun dress, I tried to remain as calm as I could.

Dake got a gleam in his eyes. I recognized that gleam- it was his possessive, jealous gleam. He covered it with a smile as he put his arm around me.

"Too bad I'll be stealing you away from them," he said in a joking tone, but I knew he was being serious.

His grip on my shoulders tightened a bit, causing me to wince and try to get free from his grasp.

"Dake, I'm serious," I tried to protest, but he just gave me a puppy dog look.

Well crap, I thought a bit irritated. The puppy dog look, when given from Dake when we were together, was something I couldn't resist. However, looking at it now all I saw was a clingy ex-boyfriend- it was nothing compared to Lysander's puppy dog look. Dake stopped with the look when he realized it wasn't having an affect on me. He turned serious as he looked at me and gently put his hands on my shoulders.

"Kitten.. Erin… I'm sorry. I just… I miss you, a lot, kitty cat. Will you take me back? It will be just like old times."

He got seductive look in his eyes that made me uncomfortable.

"The cuddling under the covers," he said as he bit his lip slightly, "The dates, the sex, the kisses…"

I take a step back, causing him to let go of me. Before I can answer him, Castiel came running up to us. He put his arm around my shoulder with a cocky grin.

"Is he bothering you, Erin," he asked me, barely sparing Dake a glance.

I bit my lip, unsure how to answer. Yes, Dake was bothering me. Yet if I told Castiel that then he would be sure to beat the shit out of Dakota. Dake quickly put his hands up in defense,

"Woah, I'm sorry, I didn't realize she was taken."

He took a step back and gave us an apologetic look, but his eyes lingered on me heavily. Castiel huffed,

"Better be sorry."

Dake was quick to leave, though he did keep looking back at me longingly. If he wasn't so persistent, I would almost feel sorry for him. But I was in a happy relationship and Dake suddenly wanting me back was not going to change the fact that I loved Lysander. Castiel huffed,

"What a douche… Did you know that guy?"

"Ex-boyfriend," I answered simply, "He's a bit…"

"Douchy? Clingly? Jerky? Take your pick."

I rolled my eyes at Castiel, but I smiled as I playfully nudged Castiel.

"Let's just head to the boardwalk."


The boardwalk was just as fun as I thought it would be. The games and the mirror mazes. I made sure to even win a panda bear from one of the games that I planned on putting in the baby room. The baby room already had a lot of stuffed animals in it- some won from the games from the festival and some bought. But this panda bear was high quality for a boardwalk game. Something about it seemed special to me. I saw it and all I could picture was my beautiful baby- their features a bit blurred in my mind since I don't know if the child will be a girl or a boy- cuddling with the panda.

Well, it was all fun to me. I wasn't sure Castiel was enjoying becoming my pack mule and helper. He was holding the stuff I won and he was helping me walk up any steps we came across. He didn't seem too happy, but like I thought before, if he didn't care then he wouldn't bother. The fact that he was doing these things for me, even if he was complaining about it, meant that he obviously did care about me as a little sister. I did care about him like a big brother- an annoying, jackass big brother, but still a big brother.

It wasn't until we started to leave that I noticed it. I brought my hand up to my neck and my eyes widened. It was gone- the necklace was gone. Panic set in as I clenched my hands into fists. I needed to find it! That necklace was special and I could never buy a replacement as a replacement wouldn't hold all the same memories. I stopped walking and hit Castiel hard in the chest, causing him to let out an OOMPH.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"My necklace," I screeched, "My necklace! Castiel, my necklace is missing!"

He furrowed his brows,

"Wait, you meant that necklace that Lys gave you?"

He looked at my now bared neck as if to see if I was telling the truth.

"Yes," I said quickly as I grab his arm.

I start to drag him back to the boardwalk,

"Come on! We have to find it!"

He resisted my tugging at first, but I was pregnant and persistent so he just sighed and started to drag me to the boardwalk himself. He grumbled a bit with a few curses under his breath, but for the most part he seemed to understand.

"We'll find it," he swore to me.


We didn't find it. We searched every place we went on the boardwalk, the lost and found, and even the places on the beach we went to. We still haven't found and as dark started to fall across the sky, my hopes diminished like the daylight. Castiel looked at me with a sympathetic look as we started to leave the boardwalk and beach all together- it was late after all and we did have to get back to Lysander at some point.

I walked with a bit of a slouch and tears were bristling at my eyes. I can't believe I lost it- our necklace, the necklace. I was hiccupping a bit as I tried to hold back tears. Castiel rubbed circles on my back in a comforting, but slightly awkward motion.

"I lost it," I cried softly, "I actually lost it…"

I brought Castiel close to me and cried into his shoulder. He looked a bit a bit unsure what to do. He still had all our winning stuffed animals so it was hard for him to hug me back.

"If I get you an ice cream will you not cry into my shoulder?"

I sniffled and tore away from him.

"…Maybe."

He left me so quickly that I almost expected to see a trail of fire behind him as he ran towards the ice cream stand. I wiped at my tears with a small smile. Though the smile quickly disappeared. Ice cream would not find my necklace. I touch the space where the necklace used to occupy. What would Lysander say when I tell him that I lost it? Would he be angry? Disappointed? Saddened?

"Excuse me, kitten."

I turned to see Dake standing there with a big grin on his face. I hold back any more tears. I wasn't going to cry in front of him. He continued to smile as he stepped towards me,

"I don't see your… escort… anywhere. Don't tell me he left you here all alone?"

He took a closer look at me and seemed to notice that I was crying. I wipe at my eyes in an effort to clear away any tears that were staining my cheeks.

"Kitten, did he make your cry?"

His fists clenched and for a moment, I was worried that Dake might fight Castiel. I shook my head and gave him a weak smile,

"No, no. He didn't… I just lost something that's kind of important to me."

I touched the spot on my neck again as I looked away. Dake visibly relaxed as he smiled.

"Good. If he made you cry, I'd be sure to fight for you, kitty cat. Now, do you want to tell your lover what's wrong?"

I took a step back,

"You're not my lover Dake, not anymore. I have a boyfriend named Lysander and he's the love of my life. I love him and I'm not interested in getting back together… But if you must know… I lost my necklace," I sniffled again, "It was a gift from him and… I lost it."

"Lysander? That redhead?"

"No, that's Castiel. One of my closest friends," I sniffled, "He's here because Lysander's working, and now he's helping me find the necklace."

He nodded slightly. I started to cry again and Dake took a step forward. He put his hand on my shoulder in a comforting manor and for once, I didn't seem to mind because when I looked into his eyes I saw only a bit of sorrow and kindness. It wasn't the persistent, loving look he used to give.

"Do you mean this one?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out my necklace. I looked at him shocked as he just smiled at me.

"I found it in the sand shortly after we departed and I recognized it as the one you were wearing so I picked it up. I was actually coming over here to give it back to you."

I smiled gratefully at him and I allowed him to help me put it back on. When it was on, I touched it gently and gave Dake a thankful look.

"Thank you, Dake," I said sincerely.

He gave me a small smile,

"Hey, not a problem and I… I'm sorry I was so pushy before. I really do still care about you, Erin, but if you found someone else, that's cool. I hope he makes you happy. Friends?"

He stuck out his hand. The one thing I liked about Dakota was this. Yes, he did chase after girls a lot and if they didn't bluntly say that they were taken, he would go after them, but as soon as you told him that you were taken, he backed off. His eyes showed that he was obviously a bit sad, but he was smiling. I hesitantly shook his hand,

"Friends."

"Thanks, kitt- I mean, Erin," he said, though the change from my nickname to my actual name seemed to be a bit hard on him, "Text me, I know you still have my number. And if you and Lys-dude ever break up, be sure to let me know."

He gave me a wink and started to leave. I laughed a bit amused and I didn't want to admit that I did still have his number in my phone under Dake, but Lysander's number was under Kind Sir and I hoped that it would stay that way… On an unrelated note, Castiel's number will always be under the contact name Captain Jackass. Speaking of the jackass, he finally came back to me with ice cream in his hands.

"Erin? Your necklace…? How did you-"

"-A friend ended up finding it and gave it to me."