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The Dreamer17: Thank you! :D
This takes place three years after Lani graduates from Forks High.
"Thanks for these cookies. They're to die for" Cris, the other Nursing Assistant on her floor, took a generous bite as Lani finished up her charting. "What are they exactly? Coconut flakes?"
"Yesir. They're my Mom's special recipe," Lani took a sip of her cold coffee, making sure the vitals on her last patient were inputted correctly.
"They're just so tasty, mumph." Cris started on another cookie, brown eyes rolling back in delight.
"Please do not develop a sugar rush," Lani advised with a giggle.
"That's the goal," she replied.
Cris was her practical twin down to their matched hairstyles. They met Freshmen year in probably the most murderous class in their study schedule, and bonded over their aspirations for a career in nursing. Both had a parent from the Caribbean, and collected some form of dated relic from the last century. Lani had her records, Cris had her comic books.
It was quiet in the rehabilitation unit, besides the quiet echo of holiday music coming from above, and the low murmur of the weather channel on their break room television. Christmas was only a few weeks away and they both had just completed their first grueling semester of nursing school.
"Are you doing anything special for the holidays?" Lani asked, closing out the computer.
"Not really. My dad wanted us to spend Christmas in Victoria, but he can't drive and I'm most likely working, so," Cris shrugged, taking another cookie.
"I could take you," Lani suggested. "I'm sure there might still be time to take it off too? Amber shouldn't give you a hard time about it either."
"That's the thing, Lani. I don't want to ask." There was a moment she thought maybe it was something to do with the incident, but Cris quickly quelled that idea. "I know what you're thinking, and stop it."
Lani put her hands up in surrender, "I wasn't thinking about anything." Slurping up coffee occupied her mouth.
"I thought so," Cris clutched her scrub jacket. "What are you doing? Visiting your Mom and her fiancé?"
Lani was in fact making her annual winter trip back to her hometown. Anytime she was able to see her Mom sent a wave of excitement though her, that was part of the reason she decided to make the coconetes in the first place. Talking on the phone was one thing, but actually seeing her would cure the homesick feeling that carried with her while in Bellingham.
"It's not only my Mom I'm seeing. My boyfriend is finally able to spend a Christmas over here."
"Aww! I know you're happy," Cris gushed.
Lani could feel her face beginning to hurt, "I don't know if I'm more happy or my Mom is. I think she loves him more than me."
"That can't be true," Cris shook her head.
"You've met him. And even you like him more than me."
"Well, what can I say? He's sort of an unabashed casanova," she teased.
They giggled quietly between each other. It was nearly six-thirty in the morning, and the last task on her agenda was preparing one of her patients for their consultation at eight.
Mr. Henson was her last patient. He was always the most lively human being each morning, and too shameless for his own good.
"Morning Lani!"
"Good morning, Mr. Henson."
His young face fell, "Do I have to beg for you to call me Alex?"
While gently using her strength to maneuver him out of his covers and into his wheelchair, she paid extra care to not accidentally bang his unresponsive legs against any hard surface.
"How about this, if we do happen to see each other at the park one of these days, I will gladly call you by your first name, but until then—"
"Mr. Henson. As you've said the couple of times. I understand." Lani smiled, knowing what would come next, "Doesn't mean a guy can't dream, right?" He coughed.
Lani was older than Mr. Henson by less than a year, and in the last month, she had been his CNA nearly every shift.
"Who's going to wake me up every morning for my skinny dip?" They rolled to the restroom.
"Until January, another aid will."
"Lani, my darling, I'm going to miss you!"
"Oh no, I didn't realize I had that effect on people."
Mr. Henson huffed, "Just admit it. You love—" a harsh breath left him.
"Everything alright?"
He waved a hand, "I'm—" he heaved, "I can't…can't breathe."
"Mr. Henson?" Panic flashed through her once his head slumped, "Alex?" She didn't hesitate and pushed the emergency call light. Protocol mandated she not move him, however his unresponsiveness and lack of breathing required CPR, and Lani refused to not do anything. Summoning her strength that surfaced from a deep panic, Lani transferred Alex back to his bed and immediately began administering CPR to his chest. "I don't think so, Mr. Henson. You can't up and leave me now, you haven't even taken your washing yet." She had a steady finger on his neck, his pulse was weak, but she refused to give up.
"Leave it to us Lani, you can go."
"I—" Her charge-nurse, Trey, took over with another RN, lifting Lani away from his bed. All she could do was watch until someone escorted her out.
Psychology was the first class they scheduled for you in nursing school, but it wasn't designed for any self-analysis, only the patient. Handing over the report to the next aid, Lani swallowed while Trey approached her in the hallway with a neutral expression.
"Mr. Henson is stable." Lani let out a breath of relief. "Your quick intervention played a large role in that."
"I was just doing my job—"
"You broke protocol, which is not your job," he scorned.
"He was in cardiac arrest. Was I supposed to do nothing?" Lani asked him in disbelief.
"You're not a nurse, Kalani. Not yet. Keep breaking the rules that are set in place for a reason, and you never will be," Trey shook his head, lowering his voice. "The only reason you're not on suspension right now is because of your vacation. When you come back, make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Do you understand?"
It was in her instinct to argue, defend herself from this foolishness. A man was alive right now because she didn't hesitate, and that was seen as a bad thing?
"I understand," Lani confirmed.
"You're one of the good ones Parrish. I want to see you on the floor eventually, just don't screw it up before you get there."
"Understood."
Shrugging on her leather jacket, Lani glanced at herself in the tiny mirror attached to her locker. The reflection which starred back was lifeless. An exhausted, gaunt face, with chapped lips, and dull brown skin. Dark uncontrollable ringlets brushed above her ears, at least her hair looked moisturized.
Grabbed one of her own cookies, Lani exited Bellingham General Hospital. With the sun just breaking past the horizon. That concluded another eventful night at work, and her last night too considering she had two whole weeks off. At twenty past the hour, on the dot, her cell began ringing the moment she parked her car.
"Kalani is currently asleep! Please Leave your message after the tone."
"Well, don't you sound oddly cheerful while being unconscious." Putting her phone on mute, Lani only smiled, yawned, and waited. "Hello? Oh my. Did I fall for it again? No...cursed voice message," Aro grumbled before clearing his throat. "Kalani, whenever you receive this correspondence. Be aware that our agreement outlines a phone call every morning unless stated otherwise beforehand with reason. When this is not met you understand the consequences are—"
"Are you going to punish me?" There was a pause, she could hear him sigh in relief across the line.
"I just might, taking into account that you have been very naughty," he chuckled.
"If you weren't so anti-video-chat I could show you just how naughty I can be."
Grabbing her lunch bag and backpack, the soles of her sneakers squeaked as Lani made her way up to her apartment as quickly as possible. December shoehorned with snow along with it, and the chill was a killer. There had been word on the news of a coming snow storm tonight which Cris seemed genuinely concerned about in the break room. It was understandable considering bad weather mixed with driving in Bellingham was a complete disaster for drivers like herself; one of the few teenage habits she couldn't shrug.
"You know why I'm happy. That pharmacology final was like wrestling with a grizzly bear for honey!"
"Who came out victorious? Was it you or the bear?"
"Thankfully, it wasn't the bear." Jingling with her keys she pushed open her front door, immediately taking her shoes off. There was enough time for her to take a quick shower before the caffeine wore off, hopefully not with her in the bath this time. "It should be worth noting, I'm also ecstatic because I get to see my favorite person again, finally!" One week. Only less than a week until Aro would return to Washington after nearly half a year of not seeing his pretty face.
"You and I both, amore mio," came a voice from beside her.
"Oh my god."
Lani dropped her bags and ran into his awaiting arms, immediately melting into his chest. "Oh my god, Aro!" After a second thought she cringed and broke away from their embrace, "Sorry. I'm pretty sure I have vomit on me, along with other unknown bodily fluids." Self-consciously she tugged at her blemished scrub pants.
Aro smiled warmly down at her with his breathtaking gold eyes, "You're so beautiful."
"Nah, you're just a softie...who came early!" Lani gushed.
"I am nothing but cobalt, no match for your magnetism."
Aro just being his poetic self, she was far from a beacon. Victoria made sure of that.
"I thought you weren't coming until Friday?"
No reply cane, his bright eyes trapped her and she couldn't help but look away. It was something that she could never get used to, his intensity.
A strong hand was placed behind her neck, their lips connected with a sigh. Lani felt herself being lifted up off the ground, her bathroom door was promptly kicked open, and stained scrubs discarded to the floor.
PAGE BREAK
"Not that I'm not ecstatic about you coming here early, it's just, I thought you were dealing with an existential crisis?"
Their legs were overlapped underneath the bubbles. Her back connected with his cool chest in her tiny tub.
"I became worried about the lack of sleep you were receiving. How are you even awake right now?" That was not the answer that first came to mind. "You've lost significant weight as well. Why are you not eating three meals a day?"
"Renata's a snitch."
Aro kissed her shoulder. "You're working yourself too hard, my love."
"And you're deflecting."
The conversations they had over the phone were interesting to say the least. While her biggest problems were nine paged lab reports and oversleeping after twelve hour night shifts, his were much more eventful. Like listening to a supernatural audiobook with the knowledge that one day she would be transported into the pages. The water swished around the tub, Lani maneuvered herself to straddle his waist. To be fair, the bags underneath his eyes were worse than hers, probably because one of them was actually capable of getting some shut eye. The water sprang up once she hit the surface.
"I only just finished the semester. Cut me some slack."
"You promised you would take care of yourself," he spoke softly.
"And you promised we would go to college together."
That morning in the Washington wilderness, hanging from a branch scared out of her life. That was such an exciting prospect, college guy Aro. It never happened.
"Though you were still able to attend. This is what you initially desired, was it not?" It was, but him being here would have made it even better. A hand cradled her cheek.
"I'm guessing whatever happened in Romania wasn't as complicated as you thought it would be?"
Aro didn't answer, he turned so that the water touched her back and he was on top of her.
He wouldn't clue her in on exactly why he decided to visit early, but she was so happy that he was here and she didn't pry after that. Outside, flurries were falling from the sky. Figuring out the mini Christmas tree that had been dusting away in a box for the last month was harder than she thought.
"Leoncino?" Lani squinted at the helpless directions. "Kalani...my dear?" Finally she looked up and immediately her face began to hurt.
"Where did you find that?" She stood slowly while Aro languidly twirled two distinctly shaped objects in his hands.
"There was something incredibly riveting in your memories which took me by surprise, I'll admit." He smiled sweetly at her while tilting his head to the side. "What exactly are these used for?" He was genuinely curious about the violet and pink arrows in his hand.
"Give them back."
As she stepped forward, Aro backed away, a playful glint in his eye. "Aro—" he clicked the buttons towards the bases and suddenly vibrations filled the room.
"No, I don't think I will," he giggled then took off.
"Give me back my dildos Aro!"
Safe to say she received no help whatsoever in setting up the Christmas tree. Tony Bennett bounced against the walls while Aro worked the kitchen.
"This is impossible!" Lani fell on her couch, giving up. "We're not even spending Christmas here so why is this tree even necessary?"
"You insisted on participating in the Christmas spirit. That tree was your idea, not mine."
A steaming plate was set in front of her, delicious shrimp fettuccine. It made her smile even more.
"Remember when you used to make this for me? For my lunch?"
"Oh yes. Constantly you referred to it as better than sex," he mused.
"Yeah, well. Now everything is better than sex." Sleeping being the highest in the list. God, she really under appreciated a good night's rest as a kid.
"That was not what you were thinking this past afternoon."
She nearly spat out her noodles, looking at her boyfriend in shock. After they bathed she passed out, then once waking around noon to find Aro softly cradling her to his chest, passion took over. While it had been months since they ravished each other, Lani never remembered it as being so desperately raw. At times she was positive he would completely let himself go, which would be terrific and all, if she wasn't still a regular old human.
"Wipe that shitgrin off your face. Oh my god!" He began kissing her cheek, "Let me eat in peace, you're so annoying."
"As promised, I completed my homework, and came to the conclusion that The Nightmare Before Christmas is the superior Christmas film."
"No!" Lani couldn't wait until finishing her chewing, "It's not even a Christmas movie!"
"Yes, and now we shall watch it."
"No...we're going to watch Elf, because that's the best Christmas movie."
"I don't think so."
"It is!"
"It's not."
Lani nearly had Elf in her DVD player, but unfortunately Aro cheated and shoved in the Tim Burton movie instead. His hands lied underneath his chin while watching and singing along, the brightest smile on his face. Secretly, she knew he was only able to act like this whenever they spent time together, this happened less than she wanted. All it would take is two words for that to change, but she wasn't ready.
Her pasta was just about done, and they were intertwined on the couch. "When I told my Mom you were coming this year, she practically burst into tears."
"Tears? For me? Marleen is far too sweet." His main focus remained on Jack serenading Sally.
"Yeah, because she loves her son-in-law more than her own daughter."
"I'm only delighted to finally spend a proper Christmas with you," he squeezed her, "One that does not take place over the phone."
"Me too," she whispered. "You have no Christmas at Parrish Residence was full of warmth and a shameless love for the holiday. Marleen was more than happy they came a week early, which she displayed by quickly putting them to work. While inside had a tree already set up, courtesy of Charlie Swan, outside hadn't been touched. When a row of lights weren't working, Aro stepped up and offered to stop by the store...alone. He insisted, so she saw no reason to stop him.
A fire was started. Their favorite meteorologist was predicting the coming blizzard which would happen in a few days. Marleen and Charlie sat together, a blanket over their shoulders. In the couch beside them, Lani had her nose in one of the used nursing books she rented early from her bookstore, better to be early than behind.
"You know, Lani. If you decide to rejoin the small towners again, I heard our hospital is in desperate need of help," Charlie gruffed.
"I don't know, the city isn't so bad," Lani glanced up from her reading, "Anonymity, sidewalks, diversity," she trailed off. "Vegan restaurants! Oh yes, those bean burgers are pretty good!"
"Beans and burgers do not belong in the same sentence—just, no."
Charlie's reactions whenever they compared Forks to Bellingham were hilarious. Despite her indifference towards the two, he was a staunch small town advocate, it just made for great debates at this time of year.
"Where's the privacy with everyone having their eyes on you?" He challenged.
"Technically, the same could be said for small towns."
"Hardly."
"Everyone is in each other's business. You can't deny it!" Charlie shook his head, her nursing book was long closed by now. "You could probably name every one of your neighbors, and their parents, along with some fun fact about at least one of their family members."
He scratched his cheek, "Well…"
"Exactly."
"You both argue about the same thing every year. It's beaten half to death by now," Her Mom said with a smile.
"Charlie starts it."
"Untrue."
Lani continued her reading, occasionally re-reading if something wasn't sticking well enough as it should.
"Small towns eventually grew on Bella." She didn't break away from her reading. "I'm sure she would've defended my side, if she were here."
The atmosphere shifted from a playful banter to something more solemn. Lani replied in agreement, but couldn't look him in the eye as she did so. For all intents and purposes, Bella Swan died three years ago in a fatal car wreck. The rusty behemoth survived just like the dinosaurs did, that was the story at least. It wasn't long before another thorny topic came up; where did she plan to settle after nursing school. It was a topic she never took seriously, outwardly at least, but in actuality she thought about it more now than ever. There was one last Christmas left before she joined or died, Forks or Bellingham was not an option, but it's not like she can say Volterra.
"Travel nursing? Isn't that dangerous?" Charlie pressed
"It's a very lucrative sector in the profession right now," Lani added.
"Lucrative...and dangerous…"
"I think it's exciting!" Her Mom beamed, "There's so much out there to see, and Kalani will be healing others along the way." Lani sent a thank you to her Mom for understanding. "I remember considering teaching abroad when I was your age. The pay is phenomenal, only thing is I would become homesick."
"Well, if you say so. I still feel like there's nowhere safer than here, but that's just me," Charlie surrendered.
Travel nursing? More like regency. "Would you guys like some hot chocolate?" Lani wanted to concentrate on other things at this point.
"That would be wonderful, baby."
"I'll just have a beer, if you don't mind." Lani opened her mouth. "And no. None for you."
"C'mon, I'm twenty. Practically twenty-one," she laughed.
"Sounds like underage to me, kid."
In the kitchen every ingredient was available for the hot chocolate. Making it from scratch was far better than any packet nonsense, that's what her dad taught her. While mixing the coco, her cell went off in her pocket.
"Don't tell me you got lost in the store."
"And if I said I did?"
"Then I'd say, if only you had an amazing girlfriend who would have offered to come along."
"Ha ha ha, unfortunately you don't have to. My question is whether or not I should purchase the multicolored box or the white variety?"
"Multicolored, it should match with the rest of them." Pouring the milk in with the melted chocolate, "Make sure it's the string."
"I shall. Oh, my dear. I happened to run into one of your school friends, they wished to say hello."
"Really?" Lani had already contacted everyone in her circle, "Who could that be?"
"It just so happened to be Ben Chaney."
"Oh...I thought he and Angela were staying in Seattle this year."
"Apparently not. He invited us to an outing. I assumed you would be willing to accept."
Lani held her cell with her shoulder while straining the hot chocolate into the mugs, "You made the right assumption. I can't believe she never said anything—ouch!"
"What is the matter? Are you hurt?"
She rinsed her aflamed hand underneath the sink, "I'm okay, it's fine. Multitasking gone wrong, you could say."
He sighed in relief, "I'm looking forward to the day where nothing can harm you." He had a year until that happened.
"I know you are."
PAGE BREAK
Christmas was officially going to be snowed in this year, they were a day out from the storm, and Lani was running around like a chicken who lost her head. Gifts, food, flashlights, and firewood—Charlie and Aro dealt with that in their own unique friendship way. Aro cheated with his tactical telaphy, of course, but considering how the older man blamed Aro's former classmate for disappearing when he needed them most, Lani cut him some slack.
"So you're an Astros fan now?" They entered the diner where she used to work and were given a bar seat. "Do they have baseball in Italy, or is it cricket?"
Aro smoothly removed his jacket, leaving himself in a dark sweater and dress pants. "We do have cricket, yes. And to answer your first question, I have grown a slight appreciation for the sport."
"The Astros though? You couldn't have picked a relevant team?"
"Charlie rather enjoys a good banter, there is no harm in claiming support for the team which happens to be his least favorite."
"Biggest cheater on the planet." Aro laughed while she continued to scold him. "That's why I don't play cards with you. Cheater, cheater, chater. And Renata agrees."
"Very mature, piccola."
Hot chocolate was ordered for the both of them and more for appearances on his end. Talking about Charlie made her mind wander. "He really misses her," Lani said. "He's still openly grieving for her and I can't even say anything."
"Imagine witnessing those thoughts as if they were your own." Aro reached over and cradled her left hand, rubbing his thumb over the modest ruby on her ring finger. "Imagine witnessing a stark Marleen perform cartwheels as—"
"God no. Zip it. No," Lani cringed, not at all interested in the details of her Mom's sex life. "You're insane."
"Am I really?"
"Lani! Aro! Hi!" Angela and Ben arrived, both in the most thick of coats it practically engulfed them. Hugging them both, the two men shook hands. It was almost as if they had swapped looks since high school.
Ben has grown his dark hair past his ears, he combed it neatly backwards away from his face, however there were wavy strands that did not listen. On the other hand, his fiancée took on a shorter look, not the single inches like Lani, but considerably shorter than their senior year. Angela no longer wore her vintage glasses and embraced her height with pride. This was all unsurprising to her, but what did come as a surprise was the distinct bump of her belly once taking off her jacket.
"Ang?" Lani gasps, "Are you…"
A loving hand smoothed over her stomach, Angela smiled and nodded, "It's certainly not a food baby, but with all the white chocolate I've eaten today alone I'm not sure."
"Oh my god!" Lani hugged her again, "You too, daddy in training!" Ben was embraced next.
"Congratulations on creating this new life." Aro was tackled by Angela as well, who now seemed to have tears in her eyes which made Lani force everyone into a giant group hug. Other attendants in the diner stared at them curiously, those who overheard smiled.
Once they settled down and ordered she fired off questions."Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Well, as you know. The first trimester is unpredictable," she began.
"We wanted to wait until after, before letting anyone know," Ben finished.
"How far along are you exactly?" Aro wondered.
"Almost eighteen weeks, we found out at the beginning of the semester-ish," Angela tucked her hair behind her ear, "I would have preferred to finish med school first but, God had other plans."
"You're literally glowing, Ang. Ah! Is our baby a little Kalani or Keni?"
"Neither," Ben smiled. "We're waiting to see when they decide to pop on out."
"Please don't refer to their birth so casually, I'm literally terrified."
"Oh yeah, I'm sorry," he winced. "I keep forgetting…"
"Of course you do, it's not like a foot sized head is coming out of your vagina or anything," Angela hissed.
"Yes, munchkin, I know." Ben remained patient the whole time, he didn't even seem fazed.
From the way Angela would subconsciously rub her stomach, Lani already knew she would do anything for little Keni. It was beautiful, seeing her friends so happy to start a family, take one of the many milestones which lay ahead of them in their human life. In that moment, she glanced beside her to see her boyfriend. He was settled on Angela's stomach in wonder, then once he noticed her looking, Aro returned her gaze.
Eventually they began eating, talking about possible names and school districts. Angela wanted to stay in Forks while Ben was more willing to branch out. Filled with excitement, Lani suggested they come to Bellingham where Ang could start her residency at the hospital, and Ben could start up his media store, but then that deflated. Lani realized none of that would matter after a year. From the way Aro was looking at her, he knew the reason for her change of mood, but she tried to play it off as best as she could. Especially when Homer came over to talk to them.
It was towards the end of their get together that the expecting couple proposed something to her.
"Lani, we wanted to ask for you to be their godmother," Angela said.
"Me?" She was speechless.
"Who else? I couldn't think of anyone else."
"I—I would be," Lani stuttered, a yes being at the tip of her tongue. Then she realized how wrong it would be of her to say yes. Little Keni would never grow up knowing her, it would be cruel to accept. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you both, but I have to say no."
Though they tried to hide it, disappointment was obvious in both of their faces, and it probably could be seen in hers too. Imagine their disappointment when the godmother of their child dropped off the face of the earth. That would be unfair to them.
"Oh okay, we just assumed you would want to," Angela tried. "We understand, though. I'm sure it would feel overwhelming to have that responsibility."
God, she was being so nice about it too. Lani wanted to disappear.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"It's fine, Lani. Really," Ben reassured.
What a shame on her part to deny them like that! That's all that plagued her, shame. The weather channel on the flatscreen took the role of stealing her attention, but all she could think about was what just happened. Lani ignored when Aro took her hand, she didn't look up when his eyes burned the side of her face, or the subtle tugs on her hand, because in that moment he pissed her , the best thing that ever happened to her, was the reason she had to say no to something so precious.
Was it really worth it?
Snow fell freely from above, but the damp roads refused to let them stick just yet; the blizzard would be here any day now. On their way back to her mother's house, Aro insisted on driving. Lani kept her gaze outside the passenger window, watching her hometown pass them by.
"Kalani," Aro tried, but she ignored him. When he persisted she turned the orchestral music that played in the background up in a petty attempt to down him out. Aro grabbed her hand before she could turn it up even more.
Lani yanked her hand away from him, "Leave me alone." It was just her luck, her mother and Charlie were at his house, so this conversation was inevitable. "Just, leave me be. Please."
Aro wouldn't listen, he stubbornly followed her around the house while she occupied herself with cleaning any little nook and cranny she could find. From polishing the cupboards in the kitchen to sweeping dust away in the attic, anything to keep her hands occupied. While pointedly rearranging a stack of boxes, the hem of her long pants hooked onto a nail wedged in the wooden floorboards sending the boxes and her face first to the ground. Swiftly Aro pulled her into his arms before she could kiss the floor, saving her but not the box. Lani pulled herself away and clenched her fists.
"I just cleaned that up!" She grumbled. Immediately the spilled contents began to find their way back into the box, but she stopped him. "Leave it. I'll clean it myself."
"Kalani you're—"
"Stop." Lani froze, noticing that whatever spilled out the box was numerous tiny blue onesies. Baby clothes. Why was there baby clothes up here? She didn't dwell.
The annoying part was that she shouldn't have to explain herself while he already knew what bothered her. Aro didn't like when her approach to his gift justified a lack of verbal communication between the both of them. He wanted them to talk, she did not. She was stubborn, but he was worse.
"Go away!" Aro effortlessly caught the duster she flung towards him, "What in that does not resonate with you?"
"Enough," he exacted.
"You can enough out that door."
Lani turned her back to him, kneeling down to start up the fireplace in the living room. The match wouldn't light, frustrating her even more, but after a moment of silence a cool hand gently took the match box away from her before carefully lighting the fireplace up in brilliant flames. Lani slumped, her eyes stung, and chest hurt.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. His arms wrapped around her middle, pulling her into him.
"No, I am," he murmured. "I never forget about the life you're giving up for me." Gusts of wind were crashing against the windows. "Let us discuss this, holding in your thoughts will do your mind no good, amore."
It was only a small moment, a quick second where everything she felt that was already figured out had unravelled to show a glimpse of a very sweet what if, a what if she knew they couldn't have.
"My Mom is holding off her wedding until after I graduate. After. And she won't listen to me whenever she suggests an earlier date," Lani's lip quivered, "I won't be there to see my Mom get married."
"What else?" He encouraged her.
"And she won't be able to see me get married."
"And today?"
"And today, when I saw my friends I thought, wow...what if that was us?" She sat up and turned around, the reflecting from the fire created an orange hue over his alabaster skin. "What if we were having a—a kid? What if we were planning our lives around this tiny thing we created?" Aro was watching her intently, letting whatever nonsense thought she had freely come out without any interruption. "I mean, can you imagine yourself as a dad? Me as a mom?" She laughed, "Can you imagine their bring your parents to school day? It would be like, my Mom works at the hospital and my Dad is the overlord for an entire supernatural race!" While uncontrollably laughing at the imagine in her head, she pressed her palm to his cheek. The corners of his mouth turned up while tears freely fell from her eyes, the both of them shook with laughter at the absurd vision.
"I never thought of having children of my own."
"Never?"
"Never," He repeated. "Such things have been an attribute of the living, comparable to the ability of sleeping and eating. A function we have evolved from." Did he mean having children was a disadvantage that vampire natural selection decided to take away? "I mean no offense. You must understand, cara mia," he took her hands into his, kissing them before explaining, "My younger sister was an infant during the final quarter of my human life. A very naughty, disobedient little thing. She drove me half mad!" Lani felt her shoulders shake from the dramatic whirling of his eyes. "As a human, I never desired to pass on my seed, therefore when I was granted immortality that yearning did not follow." He kissed her hands again once noticing her down expression. "There is also the reality that no dead man poses an ability to create life. I cannot have children even if I wished for it."
"But, I'm not dead…" She wasn't sure where she was going with that, but Aro understood.
"Kalani, you know for certain that we have made love an innumerable amount of times over these last few years. Completely contraceptive free in the last year alone," he sighed. "If by some miracle my seed was not in fact dead, and a child was possible between us. We would not be having this conversation, right now."
The windows behind him showcased a heavy dump of snow coming down from the sky, and it was sticking now. "Looks like the Nutcracker Blizzard came early," she observed.
"Charlie and Marleen may not return for the rest of the night," he added. Their eyes met.
Aro disappeared from his spot for a few seconds before returning. There was a soft flute resonating from somewhere in the house accompanied by a feminine hum.
"What's that?" She asked.
"There was a flea market on the way to the airport."
Lani released a breath she didn't even realize she was holding, freeing the tension away from her chest. "You bought a record?" Aro slowly unravelled the knit scarf from around her neck.
"I did," he hummed
"Sounds vintage." His slender hands grasped her waist while humming again. "Sounds Italian." Her body was lifted to straddle his hips. "Is it Jazz?"
"Jazz had its own moment in Italy during the last century."
"Sounds good," she sighed when he lifted her apricot sweater over her head. "How much was it?" Aro kissed her throat, then collarbone.
"I do not remember," he mumbled against her skin.
"Untrue. You remember everything."
"Oh yes," he purred, "Such as how you will appreciate this."
