~Blood Rose~
Yes I'm having a baby
I can feel him grow everyday
Yes he sits inside me
I can tell he is on his way
When I lay awake a night
I can feel him move about
I'm hoping everything is alright
Sometimes he makes me want to shout
I am filled with so much fear
(From Melchiore, Kelly: Yes, I'm Having a Baby)
Chapter 18:
While Jax wordlessly cleaned up the kitchen Antoinette retreated to her bedroom to retrieve the novel she was currently reading. As she headed back down the hall, novel in hand, she paused in front of the ominous door. She stared at it for a long time, so many of her nightmares centered around that door and more importantly what it held for her memories. She had considered covering the door, make it appear as nothing more than part of the wall, but it wouldn't matter. She would never forget anything that had happened in this house on that stormy day so many years ago.
Breaking her gaze from the painted rose it bore, she crossed the living room and stretched out on the couch. She tried to concentrate on her novel, staring at the printed words before her as she processed them. She hadn't gotten very far when a sudden unexpected, slightly painful kick emanated from within her. She gave a startled cry, dropping her novel and putting a hand to her middle.
A loud crashing sound came from the kitchen and in mere moments Jax had dashed out to her, kneeling beside her, blasting her with questions about her well-being. Her heart broke at the painfully sweet worry she could see in his eyes, broke for everything she'd caused him to feel. With all of her being she wished she could have had the strength long ago to push him away, she had known from the beginning she would cause him pain, that was after all what she did. Cause pain.
Jax looked up at her, seeing that her mind was elsewhere, thinking about something that obviously worried her.
"Skye, what happened, are you ok?" he asked desperately, trying to get her attention.
She focused on him briefly before looking away, reaching for her novel.
"Fine, just a little startled, the baby kicked me."
"Oh."
Jax looked away from her, down to her middle. Without even really thinking about what he was doing he moved closer to her middle and lowered his head, lying it lightly on top of the bulge and felt his child's movements for the first time.
He closed his eyes, smiling as he listened to and felt the movements of the life with in her, the life he had helped to create, the life that he was apart of, and had already become apart of him.
He opened his eyes slowly, looking into the large brown ones across from him. She stared at him as he stared at her, there were no expressions on her face that he could read and her eyes held that same mixture of emotions he had yet been able to decipher from when he'd first happened upon her at the beach.
Seconds ticked by slowly, the link between their eyes never being broken till at last she turned her head, looking down to her novel. He closed his own eyes again, concentrating on the motions of the unborn life. They stayed like that for a long time, her reading, him listening, neither one of them betraying that the act was anything but usual.
It was getting late and Antoinette's eyes were getting tired. Jax had gotten up and left presumably to finish cleaning up in the kitchen though she thought she had heard the back door open so she assumed he was down by the beach, he did that a lot at night.
Pushing herself up, she headed down to her room and proceeded to get ready for bed. She was about to crawl into bed when she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye. Jax was standing in the open doorway to her room, she usually closed it but she didn't think it seemed necessary this time. The boundaries between her and Jax had been established, at least as much as they could be with such unclear and confusing invisible lines.
She looked at him standing there, leaning against the doorframe with arms folded, watching her. Suddenly he crossed the threshold of her doorway, closing the distance between them. He bent down and kissed her on the check while at the same moment pressing a warm hand to her middle.
She flinched.
Pulling back he tried to hide the sadness in his eyes from her reaction. With a quiet 'goodnight,' he silently left her room, closing her door behind him. She stood frozen in place, staring after the door. Slowly she raised one hand to her check and another to him middle, a single tear cascading from her eye. She didn't deserve his tender care, not when she brought such pain to his eyes.
Sighing, she laid down on her bed, drifting away to an uneasy sleep…
~Dreamland~
A lone figure ran through the darkness, her bare feet pounding the searing sand. Above her dark black clouds had gathered, blocking all light from view, she didn't need it. She knew the path before her by instinct, beside her great roaring waves fought against each other, reaching out towards as if calling to her, trying to claim her for the sea. She ran on.
To her left, out of the darkness a well lit home loomed, but there was no comfort in the red glow, she ran towards it. Up splintery steps she ran, climbing closer to her goal. Her chest heaving, heart pounding, she threw herself through a screen door, coming to a sudden halt.
Before her shards of shattered glass crossed her intended path, she couldn't stop, there was no going back, she forced herself forward, as screams of pain were called out, but not by her. The screams rose higher and higher speaking of pain and terror and she called out to the other voice, pleading with it to stop, she couldn't take it, couldn't take the pain she felt as the sound echoed through her own soul. She knew that scream.
In front of her a white door came into view, white and red with a rose. She grabbed at the handle only to jump back as her skin sizzled and burned, she couldn't bear to touch it. She pounded at the door, willing it to break, screaming great heavy cries to let her in, to give her a chance.
A sensation of dampness traveled up from her feet. Thick red blood was seeping out from under the door frame, spreading over the hardwood floors around her. Sobbing she backed up until she was caught against a wall, no where to go but through the spreading blood before her. She looked up at the door through her tears, more blood was seeping along the cracks and the door bulged out ward as if a flood was threatening to break through, a flood of blood.
Falling to her knees she covered her ears, trying to shut out the throbbing sound of screams reaching her from the other side, calling out to her. Her entire body racked as great waves of shock flowed through her, searing pain flowing out through her body. With her last bought of energy she emitted a final horrific savage scream of her own, throwing herself at the door, clawing at it, tearing at it with her fingers till they bled.
Everything was getting blurrier, the deafening sounds of screams duller, she was being pulled back, being dragged away from the door but she couldn't allow it, she had to get through. She couldn't
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Antoinette opened her eyes, choking back her sobs, blindly reaching out through her tears to grab hold of the figure before her, latching on as if for her life.
Jax immediately responded, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close and rocking her back and forth. After some time had passes he felt her entire body go limp in exhaustion, and once again she was asleep.
Yes I'm having a baby
I can feel him grow everyday
Yes he sits inside me
I can tell he is on his way
When I lay awake a night
I can feel him move about
I'm hoping everything is alright
Sometimes he makes me want to shout
I am filled with so much fear
(From Melchiore, Kelly: Yes, I'm Having a Baby)
Chapter 18:
While Jax wordlessly cleaned up the kitchen Antoinette retreated to her bedroom to retrieve the novel she was currently reading. As she headed back down the hall, novel in hand, she paused in front of the ominous door. She stared at it for a long time, so many of her nightmares centered around that door and more importantly what it held for her memories. She had considered covering the door, make it appear as nothing more than part of the wall, but it wouldn't matter. She would never forget anything that had happened in this house on that stormy day so many years ago.
Breaking her gaze from the painted rose it bore, she crossed the living room and stretched out on the couch. She tried to concentrate on her novel, staring at the printed words before her as she processed them. She hadn't gotten very far when a sudden unexpected, slightly painful kick emanated from within her. She gave a startled cry, dropping her novel and putting a hand to her middle.
A loud crashing sound came from the kitchen and in mere moments Jax had dashed out to her, kneeling beside her, blasting her with questions about her well-being. Her heart broke at the painfully sweet worry she could see in his eyes, broke for everything she'd caused him to feel. With all of her being she wished she could have had the strength long ago to push him away, she had known from the beginning she would cause him pain, that was after all what she did. Cause pain.
Jax looked up at her, seeing that her mind was elsewhere, thinking about something that obviously worried her.
"Skye, what happened, are you ok?" he asked desperately, trying to get her attention.
She focused on him briefly before looking away, reaching for her novel.
"Fine, just a little startled, the baby kicked me."
"Oh."
Jax looked away from her, down to her middle. Without even really thinking about what he was doing he moved closer to her middle and lowered his head, lying it lightly on top of the bulge and felt his child's movements for the first time.
He closed his eyes, smiling as he listened to and felt the movements of the life with in her, the life he had helped to create, the life that he was apart of, and had already become apart of him.
He opened his eyes slowly, looking into the large brown ones across from him. She stared at him as he stared at her, there were no expressions on her face that he could read and her eyes held that same mixture of emotions he had yet been able to decipher from when he'd first happened upon her at the beach.
Seconds ticked by slowly, the link between their eyes never being broken till at last she turned her head, looking down to her novel. He closed his own eyes again, concentrating on the motions of the unborn life. They stayed like that for a long time, her reading, him listening, neither one of them betraying that the act was anything but usual.
It was getting late and Antoinette's eyes were getting tired. Jax had gotten up and left presumably to finish cleaning up in the kitchen though she thought she had heard the back door open so she assumed he was down by the beach, he did that a lot at night.
Pushing herself up, she headed down to her room and proceeded to get ready for bed. She was about to crawl into bed when she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye. Jax was standing in the open doorway to her room, she usually closed it but she didn't think it seemed necessary this time. The boundaries between her and Jax had been established, at least as much as they could be with such unclear and confusing invisible lines.
She looked at him standing there, leaning against the doorframe with arms folded, watching her. Suddenly he crossed the threshold of her doorway, closing the distance between them. He bent down and kissed her on the check while at the same moment pressing a warm hand to her middle.
She flinched.
Pulling back he tried to hide the sadness in his eyes from her reaction. With a quiet 'goodnight,' he silently left her room, closing her door behind him. She stood frozen in place, staring after the door. Slowly she raised one hand to her check and another to him middle, a single tear cascading from her eye. She didn't deserve his tender care, not when she brought such pain to his eyes.
Sighing, she laid down on her bed, drifting away to an uneasy sleep…
~Dreamland~
A lone figure ran through the darkness, her bare feet pounding the searing sand. Above her dark black clouds had gathered, blocking all light from view, she didn't need it. She knew the path before her by instinct, beside her great roaring waves fought against each other, reaching out towards as if calling to her, trying to claim her for the sea. She ran on.
To her left, out of the darkness a well lit home loomed, but there was no comfort in the red glow, she ran towards it. Up splintery steps she ran, climbing closer to her goal. Her chest heaving, heart pounding, she threw herself through a screen door, coming to a sudden halt.
Before her shards of shattered glass crossed her intended path, she couldn't stop, there was no going back, she forced herself forward, as screams of pain were called out, but not by her. The screams rose higher and higher speaking of pain and terror and she called out to the other voice, pleading with it to stop, she couldn't take it, couldn't take the pain she felt as the sound echoed through her own soul. She knew that scream.
In front of her a white door came into view, white and red with a rose. She grabbed at the handle only to jump back as her skin sizzled and burned, she couldn't bear to touch it. She pounded at the door, willing it to break, screaming great heavy cries to let her in, to give her a chance.
A sensation of dampness traveled up from her feet. Thick red blood was seeping out from under the door frame, spreading over the hardwood floors around her. Sobbing she backed up until she was caught against a wall, no where to go but through the spreading blood before her. She looked up at the door through her tears, more blood was seeping along the cracks and the door bulged out ward as if a flood was threatening to break through, a flood of blood.
Falling to her knees she covered her ears, trying to shut out the throbbing sound of screams reaching her from the other side, calling out to her. Her entire body racked as great waves of shock flowed through her, searing pain flowing out through her body. With her last bought of energy she emitted a final horrific savage scream of her own, throwing herself at the door, clawing at it, tearing at it with her fingers till they bled.
Everything was getting blurrier, the deafening sounds of screams duller, she was being pulled back, being dragged away from the door but she couldn't allow it, she had to get through. She couldn't
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Antoinette opened her eyes, choking back her sobs, blindly reaching out through her tears to grab hold of the figure before her, latching on as if for her life.
Jax immediately responded, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close and rocking her back and forth. After some time had passes he felt her entire body go limp in exhaustion, and once again she was asleep.