Lucretia awoke in the middle of the night. She rolled over to put her arms around her lover but found that Zechs wasn't there. Fear washed over Noin. Zechs should have been there. She looked at the digital bed side clock. The glowing green numbers read 12:49 AM.
"It's after midnight," Noin said aloud, "Where could he have gone?"
A possibility occurred to her. Perhaps Valkyrie had woken up, and Zechs took the baby out for a drive to soothe her back to sleep. Or maybe Zechs had fallen asleep on the couch. Noin rolled out of bed and groped around in the darkness for her robe. She found Zechs' first, and that would do. Lucretia slipped her fiancé's grey robe on over her nightie and crept out of the room.
Zechs was not sleeping on the couch. And Valkyrie was still in her crib. Noin walked back into living room. She sat on the couch and reached for the phone, about to call Zechs' cell phone. She stopped there was a note on the coffee table.
"Lu, I'm sorry I'm not here. Duo Maxwell called. He sounded to be in bad shape. I went to comfort him. I'll be back as soon as I can. Love, Zechs."
"At least he left a note," She said quietly to herself. Noin set the note back on the table. Lucretia leaned back on the couch, relaxing for a few minutes. But then... It started with a little noises, then grew into a few broken grunts and moans. Before Noin could even get up, Valkyrie was crying. Noin wondered outloud if Zechs was an "up-all-night-crying" baby when he was little.
"Mommy's coming, Valkyrie," Noin cooed, walking into her daughter's nursery. As she picked up the baby she heard the phone ring. Lucretia muttered about the timing, and some one calling so late at night. She let the machine get it.
"You've reached the home of Zechs Marquise and Lucretia Noin. We are not available to receive your call right now. Please leave your message after the tone," The voice recording said in a slightly distorted version of Noin's voice. Lucretia heard the tone and waited for the message while she changed Valkyrie's diaper.
"I figured I'd get the machine. Lu, I'm still at Duo's. If you haven't seen it yet, there's a note on the table. I'm sorry about leaving abruptly. I will try to be home as soon as I can. I love you." Zechs always left long winded messages. Noin glanced at the answering machine as she walked into the kitchen. The new message light blinked the number one. She didn't bother playing the message since she heard it anyway. Noin searched the cabinets with one hand, holding Valkyrie, with the other. She pulled down a can of baby formula. Noin prepared the baby's midnight snack, talking incoherantly to Valkyrie. Noin looked over at the front door. She thought she heard it unlocking. But no one was there. Lucretia sighed.
"C'mon honey," Noin said to Valkyrie, "Let's sit down."
Noin sat on the couch with her daughter, feeding her the ambiguious brand of baby formula. She fed the baby some, burped her, fed her again, burped her. Noin yawned and looked at the clock. Now it was nearly two-thirty in the morning. Where was Zechs?
"It's after midnight," Noin said aloud, "Where could he have gone?"
A possibility occurred to her. Perhaps Valkyrie had woken up, and Zechs took the baby out for a drive to soothe her back to sleep. Or maybe Zechs had fallen asleep on the couch. Noin rolled out of bed and groped around in the darkness for her robe. She found Zechs' first, and that would do. Lucretia slipped her fiancé's grey robe on over her nightie and crept out of the room.
Zechs was not sleeping on the couch. And Valkyrie was still in her crib. Noin walked back into living room. She sat on the couch and reached for the phone, about to call Zechs' cell phone. She stopped there was a note on the coffee table.
"Lu, I'm sorry I'm not here. Duo Maxwell called. He sounded to be in bad shape. I went to comfort him. I'll be back as soon as I can. Love, Zechs."
"At least he left a note," She said quietly to herself. Noin set the note back on the table. Lucretia leaned back on the couch, relaxing for a few minutes. But then... It started with a little noises, then grew into a few broken grunts and moans. Before Noin could even get up, Valkyrie was crying. Noin wondered outloud if Zechs was an "up-all-night-crying" baby when he was little.
"Mommy's coming, Valkyrie," Noin cooed, walking into her daughter's nursery. As she picked up the baby she heard the phone ring. Lucretia muttered about the timing, and some one calling so late at night. She let the machine get it.
"You've reached the home of Zechs Marquise and Lucretia Noin. We are not available to receive your call right now. Please leave your message after the tone," The voice recording said in a slightly distorted version of Noin's voice. Lucretia heard the tone and waited for the message while she changed Valkyrie's diaper.
"I figured I'd get the machine. Lu, I'm still at Duo's. If you haven't seen it yet, there's a note on the table. I'm sorry about leaving abruptly. I will try to be home as soon as I can. I love you." Zechs always left long winded messages. Noin glanced at the answering machine as she walked into the kitchen. The new message light blinked the number one. She didn't bother playing the message since she heard it anyway. Noin searched the cabinets with one hand, holding Valkyrie, with the other. She pulled down a can of baby formula. Noin prepared the baby's midnight snack, talking incoherantly to Valkyrie. Noin looked over at the front door. She thought she heard it unlocking. But no one was there. Lucretia sighed.
"C'mon honey," Noin said to Valkyrie, "Let's sit down."
Noin sat on the couch with her daughter, feeding her the ambiguious brand of baby formula. She fed the baby some, burped her, fed her again, burped her. Noin yawned and looked at the clock. Now it was nearly two-thirty in the morning. Where was Zechs?
