Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter's shortness, but it was all I had time for. You guys should be thankful I update so often. ^_~ Anyway, this is rated pg-13 because of one swear word in the end. Hopefully, no one will be offended.
*Disclaimer*: Xenogears belongs to Squaresoft yada, yada, yada...
Chapter Three
It was nearing sunset by the time Margie and Billy finally found Elly. She was sitting on a rock close to the edge of the lake that surrounded Nisan and had the same dreamy look on her face Margie had seen before.
"What's up with her?" Billy whispered as they watched her from behind a tree.
"She's happy," Margie whispered back.
"Hey, who're you guys hiding from?"
Margie jumped up in surprise and turned to see Dan and Midori had sneaked up on them. Dan grinned at her reaction.
"We're not hiding from anyone,"Margie protested.
"Yeah right."
Billy glanced at Margie and saw the look she pointedly gave him. Loosely translated, it meant that she really needed to talk to Elly without these young eavesdroppers nearby. He sighed dejectedly.
"Alright, look, I'll get rid of the twerps but you owe me an explanation and a favor," he whispered to her with a frown.
Margie grinned. "You're a sweet one."
Billy snorted at her comment before turning to the kids. "Okay, come on guys, let's go ask the Sisters if you can take a swim in the lake."
Margie looked on as they walked away and suddenly thought of something. "Billy, can I ask you one more favor? Call everyone and tell them we're having dinner at my house. I need to talk to them."
He gave her a puzzled look, but nodded.
Margie turned back to Elly and saw that Elly had noticed they had been hiding behind the tree. She was smiling.
"So you saw us?" Margie asked sheepishly, walking over to where Elly was sitting on a small boulder.
"Yeah, I heard you whispering," Elly said. "I've got pretty sharp ears." Then suddenly, there were tears in her cerulean eyes. "Oh Margie. I'm gonna be a mom!"
"Yeah, I know! Citan told me!"
"Oh God, how is Fei going to take this?"
"He'll be really happy! He'll love the baby as much as he loves you!"
Elly nodded and took a deep breath. "You're right."
"Of course I'm right! Now come on, you gotta tell Fei. We'll have dinner at my place with the whole gang."
Elly looked horrified. "I can't tell him in front of everyone!"
"You don't have to. Just tell him first and when he faints, you can explain to everyone _why_ he fainted."
Elly laughed and took Margie's hand, pulling her down to sit on the grass beside her. "Now what happened with you? I heard Bart was back and I would think you'd be with him."
Margie groaned. "I would be. If he hadn't put his fat foot in his mouth."
"What happened?"
Margie sighed and pulled her knees up to her chin. "When he came, I was in the Council Hall with Kahr."
"Oh yes, I heard he came too. I haven't even seen him because of... well, the news."
"Yeah, well Bart found us talking and made a big deal because I was there alone with the guy! Like if I don't know how to take care of myself," she grumbled sullenly.
"He was just worried, Margie."
"Yeah, I'm sure. But I didn't like the way he handled what he considered a problem. Like if I was some kind of kid. Geez, I'm sixteen! When will he start looking at me that way?!"
"I don't know, Margie. Maybe you should tell him how you feel."
"Oh, dont worry. I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind. He'll certainly know how I feel," Margie growled menacingly.
Elly laughed again. "Well, let's go eat, okay? I'm starving."
"And you need to eat for two now."
They stood up and and slowly walked to Margie's house, enjoying the silence. Margie noticed that most people had stopped their work for today to go eat dinner with their families. But as they got closer to her house, they heard the ruckus coming from inside. When the whole gang got together, it got noisy.
They went in through the door to see everyone around the long table, helping with setting out the plates and serving the food Yui lovingly made. Maria and Primera were her assistants in cooking, both girls wearing food-stained aprons. Primera looked like she especially enjoyed the chore. She had been young when her mother had been murdered and she seemed to enjoy the maternal attention Yui gave her. Hard, cold Jessie watched his daughter work with a fond smile...
Fei greeted them as soon as they stepped in and Elly smiled at him adoringly, luring a smile out of him in return.
Margie smiled and looked away just in time to see Sigurd coming toward her. She couldn't help grinning happily as she saw him. She walked forward to wrap her arms around him tightly.
"Oh Sig, you don't know how much I missed you," she whispered into his ear, the commotion around them going on, unabated.
"And I you, Miss Marguerite," he murmured back, giving her a tight squeeze.
"Hey, how come I didn't get a hug?"
Margie looked up from Sigurd's shoulder and frowned at Bart, who was standing close by with his arms crossed.
"You didn't deserve one. Not the way you barged in like that and started taking over without asking me."
"Oh, well excuse me if I decided to worry myself about your safety," he retorted and Margie was about to answer back when Sigurd intervened.
"Come on, you two. This is supposed to be a happy reunion."
"Yeah, well Bart should learn to think before he opens his mouth."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Again Margie was interrupted from a sharp answer when she saw Elly pulling Fei into the room they shared when they stayed in Nisan. Elly looked up right before she went in and Margie gave her a thumbs up sign for encouragement.
Bart muttered darkly under his breath and suddenly grabbed Margie's hand, pulling her upstairs, making Margie blink in surprise.
"Where are we going?"
"To your room. You're too distracted down here and we need to talk."
"About what, exactly?" Margie queried as Bart opened the door to her room and pulled her in, closing it behind them.
He didn't answer. Instead he frowned and began pacing restlessly in the small space of her room.
Margie studied him and then crossed her arms, a seious expression on her normally cheerful face. Something was obviously bothering him big-time. Choosing to be her usual blunt self, she asked, "What do we need to talk about?"
"About the fact that you're leaving Nisan with Ramsus and going God knows where without even consulting me," he finally accused.
"And since when do I need to ask you're permission?!"
"I didn't say that. I just wish you had talked to me before making that decision."
"Bart, I know what I'm doing. I'm not a child anymore."
"Obviously," he muttered, glancing up to give her an intense look, before turning back to study her rug. She was forced to swallow. "It's just that... I... I don't like Ramsus much."
Margie stared at him as he fumbled, as he tried to find the right words, and her eyes softened. Like Elly had told her, he'd been worried, and this was the best way he could express his feelings. So she decided to do what she had been aching to do the whole day. She went over and sank into his arms. And sighed happily when he hugged her back.
"You're so stupid, I chose to take pity on you," she teased, but her heart was pounding painfully in her chest. God, she had missed him. His voice, his smile, his sense of humor, the way he made her more angry than anyone else could. "I missed you," she whispered as his arms tighened around her.
"Yeah, me too."
"Well you sure didn't act like it earlier."
"Are we going back to that," he groaned.
"No," she said, pulling away to smile up at him. "You're off the hook. But next time you decide to pay a visit, talk to me before you start yelling at my guests."
"Scout's honor," he promised. "I hereby swear never to yell at your guests again without at least saying hi to you first."
She frowned at him and he grinned before they were both surprised by a loud, happy yell coming from downstairs.
"What's up with Fei?" Bart wondered, and mentally kicked himself for asking (without really knowing the reason why) as Margie pulled away from him to open the door and stare down at the commotion downstairs. He sighed and followed her, peeking over her shoulder to see.
Fei and Elly were surrounded. Elly was crying as she was hugged by everyone and Fei had this stupid, dazed grin on his face. He didn't even notice people were patting him on the back. Bart frowned, wondering what was up.
"So she told him," Margie whispered, smiling happily.
"What's going on? Why's Elly crying? She told him what, Margie?" Bart asked, heading downstairs. But Margie only laughed and ran ahead of him to join the group around Elly, wo had stopped crying and was now smiling.
Bart shook his head and decided to go ask Fei what the commotion was all about. When he was close enough, Fei seemed to suddenly come out of his daze and began laughing. "I'm gonna be a dad!"
That stopped Bart right in his tracks and he stared at Fei, then turned to stare at Elly.
"Well, no shit." And he began laughing, too.
To be continued...
*Sorry about the one cuss word, but I think it was the only thing Bart could say in the situation. Hope you guys didn't mind. ;) Don't forget to review!*
*Disclaimer*: Xenogears belongs to Squaresoft yada, yada, yada...
Chapter Three
It was nearing sunset by the time Margie and Billy finally found Elly. She was sitting on a rock close to the edge of the lake that surrounded Nisan and had the same dreamy look on her face Margie had seen before.
"What's up with her?" Billy whispered as they watched her from behind a tree.
"She's happy," Margie whispered back.
"Hey, who're you guys hiding from?"
Margie jumped up in surprise and turned to see Dan and Midori had sneaked up on them. Dan grinned at her reaction.
"We're not hiding from anyone,"Margie protested.
"Yeah right."
Billy glanced at Margie and saw the look she pointedly gave him. Loosely translated, it meant that she really needed to talk to Elly without these young eavesdroppers nearby. He sighed dejectedly.
"Alright, look, I'll get rid of the twerps but you owe me an explanation and a favor," he whispered to her with a frown.
Margie grinned. "You're a sweet one."
Billy snorted at her comment before turning to the kids. "Okay, come on guys, let's go ask the Sisters if you can take a swim in the lake."
Margie looked on as they walked away and suddenly thought of something. "Billy, can I ask you one more favor? Call everyone and tell them we're having dinner at my house. I need to talk to them."
He gave her a puzzled look, but nodded.
Margie turned back to Elly and saw that Elly had noticed they had been hiding behind the tree. She was smiling.
"So you saw us?" Margie asked sheepishly, walking over to where Elly was sitting on a small boulder.
"Yeah, I heard you whispering," Elly said. "I've got pretty sharp ears." Then suddenly, there were tears in her cerulean eyes. "Oh Margie. I'm gonna be a mom!"
"Yeah, I know! Citan told me!"
"Oh God, how is Fei going to take this?"
"He'll be really happy! He'll love the baby as much as he loves you!"
Elly nodded and took a deep breath. "You're right."
"Of course I'm right! Now come on, you gotta tell Fei. We'll have dinner at my place with the whole gang."
Elly looked horrified. "I can't tell him in front of everyone!"
"You don't have to. Just tell him first and when he faints, you can explain to everyone _why_ he fainted."
Elly laughed and took Margie's hand, pulling her down to sit on the grass beside her. "Now what happened with you? I heard Bart was back and I would think you'd be with him."
Margie groaned. "I would be. If he hadn't put his fat foot in his mouth."
"What happened?"
Margie sighed and pulled her knees up to her chin. "When he came, I was in the Council Hall with Kahr."
"Oh yes, I heard he came too. I haven't even seen him because of... well, the news."
"Yeah, well Bart found us talking and made a big deal because I was there alone with the guy! Like if I don't know how to take care of myself," she grumbled sullenly.
"He was just worried, Margie."
"Yeah, I'm sure. But I didn't like the way he handled what he considered a problem. Like if I was some kind of kid. Geez, I'm sixteen! When will he start looking at me that way?!"
"I don't know, Margie. Maybe you should tell him how you feel."
"Oh, dont worry. I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind. He'll certainly know how I feel," Margie growled menacingly.
Elly laughed again. "Well, let's go eat, okay? I'm starving."
"And you need to eat for two now."
They stood up and and slowly walked to Margie's house, enjoying the silence. Margie noticed that most people had stopped their work for today to go eat dinner with their families. But as they got closer to her house, they heard the ruckus coming from inside. When the whole gang got together, it got noisy.
They went in through the door to see everyone around the long table, helping with setting out the plates and serving the food Yui lovingly made. Maria and Primera were her assistants in cooking, both girls wearing food-stained aprons. Primera looked like she especially enjoyed the chore. She had been young when her mother had been murdered and she seemed to enjoy the maternal attention Yui gave her. Hard, cold Jessie watched his daughter work with a fond smile...
Fei greeted them as soon as they stepped in and Elly smiled at him adoringly, luring a smile out of him in return.
Margie smiled and looked away just in time to see Sigurd coming toward her. She couldn't help grinning happily as she saw him. She walked forward to wrap her arms around him tightly.
"Oh Sig, you don't know how much I missed you," she whispered into his ear, the commotion around them going on, unabated.
"And I you, Miss Marguerite," he murmured back, giving her a tight squeeze.
"Hey, how come I didn't get a hug?"
Margie looked up from Sigurd's shoulder and frowned at Bart, who was standing close by with his arms crossed.
"You didn't deserve one. Not the way you barged in like that and started taking over without asking me."
"Oh, well excuse me if I decided to worry myself about your safety," he retorted and Margie was about to answer back when Sigurd intervened.
"Come on, you two. This is supposed to be a happy reunion."
"Yeah, well Bart should learn to think before he opens his mouth."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Again Margie was interrupted from a sharp answer when she saw Elly pulling Fei into the room they shared when they stayed in Nisan. Elly looked up right before she went in and Margie gave her a thumbs up sign for encouragement.
Bart muttered darkly under his breath and suddenly grabbed Margie's hand, pulling her upstairs, making Margie blink in surprise.
"Where are we going?"
"To your room. You're too distracted down here and we need to talk."
"About what, exactly?" Margie queried as Bart opened the door to her room and pulled her in, closing it behind them.
He didn't answer. Instead he frowned and began pacing restlessly in the small space of her room.
Margie studied him and then crossed her arms, a seious expression on her normally cheerful face. Something was obviously bothering him big-time. Choosing to be her usual blunt self, she asked, "What do we need to talk about?"
"About the fact that you're leaving Nisan with Ramsus and going God knows where without even consulting me," he finally accused.
"And since when do I need to ask you're permission?!"
"I didn't say that. I just wish you had talked to me before making that decision."
"Bart, I know what I'm doing. I'm not a child anymore."
"Obviously," he muttered, glancing up to give her an intense look, before turning back to study her rug. She was forced to swallow. "It's just that... I... I don't like Ramsus much."
Margie stared at him as he fumbled, as he tried to find the right words, and her eyes softened. Like Elly had told her, he'd been worried, and this was the best way he could express his feelings. So she decided to do what she had been aching to do the whole day. She went over and sank into his arms. And sighed happily when he hugged her back.
"You're so stupid, I chose to take pity on you," she teased, but her heart was pounding painfully in her chest. God, she had missed him. His voice, his smile, his sense of humor, the way he made her more angry than anyone else could. "I missed you," she whispered as his arms tighened around her.
"Yeah, me too."
"Well you sure didn't act like it earlier."
"Are we going back to that," he groaned.
"No," she said, pulling away to smile up at him. "You're off the hook. But next time you decide to pay a visit, talk to me before you start yelling at my guests."
"Scout's honor," he promised. "I hereby swear never to yell at your guests again without at least saying hi to you first."
She frowned at him and he grinned before they were both surprised by a loud, happy yell coming from downstairs.
"What's up with Fei?" Bart wondered, and mentally kicked himself for asking (without really knowing the reason why) as Margie pulled away from him to open the door and stare down at the commotion downstairs. He sighed and followed her, peeking over her shoulder to see.
Fei and Elly were surrounded. Elly was crying as she was hugged by everyone and Fei had this stupid, dazed grin on his face. He didn't even notice people were patting him on the back. Bart frowned, wondering what was up.
"So she told him," Margie whispered, smiling happily.
"What's going on? Why's Elly crying? She told him what, Margie?" Bart asked, heading downstairs. But Margie only laughed and ran ahead of him to join the group around Elly, wo had stopped crying and was now smiling.
Bart shook his head and decided to go ask Fei what the commotion was all about. When he was close enough, Fei seemed to suddenly come out of his daze and began laughing. "I'm gonna be a dad!"
That stopped Bart right in his tracks and he stared at Fei, then turned to stare at Elly.
"Well, no shit." And he began laughing, too.
To be continued...
*Sorry about the one cuss word, but I think it was the only thing Bart could say in the situation. Hope you guys didn't mind. ;) Don't forget to review!*