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End Part Six
Three hours later, and no Trudy.
"Ellie, you seen Trudy?" Lex questioned.
"No, I don't keep tabs on everyone, just the ones with information to give," she spoke off-handily as she jotted something down in a notebook.
Lex shook his head and waved her off as he went in search again.
He might be losing his mind for what he was considering.
KC hadn't said anything much to him after Lex mentioned . . . marriage. He actually seemed pretty content with the idea, nodding every once in a while like he was thinking something over and pulling out a couple fishes to flop in front of Lex's face - startling the hell out of him both times. After the second time he decided the tunnel wasn't the best place to slip into deep thought.
After that he'd gone straight to Trudy's room, ready to present her with the idea - and a well thought-out speech on why they should do it. Not that he had a speech, but he was pretty sure he could figure something out when he started talking. She hadn't been there, though, just some clothes thrown on the bed and a wet towel he guessed was from her bath. So went his search. His long search.
So far he'd come up with a few reasons. He could help her raise the baby. She could help raise KC - helping with his worries that he was screwing up with this whole 'parent' thing. But that would sort of cancel out the first option of him being responsible enough to . . . Okay. So he had one reason. Plus she needed him there, he could tell, and what was the big deal? Marriage wasn't what it used to be.
The weird thing was - he wanted to marry Trudy. Maybe he was wrong in some of his reasons; he felt so close to her that he wanted her with him more and more. Wanted to be with her all the time . . . It made him pause his steps for a moment and he blinked. He wanted to help her, but was he seeing this as an opportunity?
He shook his head and started walking with zealous. He wasn't going to dwell on that.
But he still wondered whom Trudy slept with - and obviously didn't peg as 'father material,' but it was fleeting in the light that it was Trudy's baby. Just that detail made it not matter who else was there when it was conceived. Well, damn, if he was going to do this he might as well pretend he was the one there and have a bit of fun in his head.
Then a previous thought busted through, fake, but happy, memories of his part in making a baby.
Was *he* father material? Lex was pretty sure he could handle it, he didn't know how well he had done in the past, but KC was still alive. But did Trudy think that he could do it? She'd told him that he was great with KC, true, but did she mean it?
Almost bumping into the person in front of him, he asked a question instead of ordering them to watch out next time.
"Ryan, have you seen Trudy?"
"We're talking now?" Ryan asked, genuinely curious.
Lex rolled his eyes, answering, "Have you seen her or not?"
"No, haven't seen her all day." He opened his mouth to say something else, but Lex was already walking away as he vainly answered. "I'll tell her you're looking for her."
**
KC was rather proud of his accomplishment in the art of fishing, even waving the considerable amount of bounty under Trudy's nose, making her waver on her feet and drop into a seat. She was already weak from crying, and from the walk she took.
"Nice, huh? Didn't think I'd be able to get that many, it's been a while since I lucked out like that," he grinned putting the fish on the counter. Turning back, he saw Trudy's ill face and his fell. "You okay?"
"Sure," told him. "It's just the smell."
"Oh," he smirked. "That's good then."
Trudy nodded, she'd been hiding the fact that she was getting sick. After KC saw her once he'd worried for days. The rest of the Mallrats seemed too busy to know if anything was wrong with her, and only Lex knew since she spent most of her time with him - some of that time puking.
"I didn't want you getting the flu or anything, specially with Lex getting ready to ask you . . ." He trailed off . . . he probably wasn't supposed to mention that yet.
"Ask me what?" Trudy asked, she felt a flood of emotion crash over her.
What did he want to know? Who it was that got her pregnant? He hadn't asked the last two days - of course he was probably too busy trying to stop her from crying on him.
In one irrational moment, she wondered if he was going to condemn her for getting pregnant from a one-night stand. If he was going to go down that path, though, he would have said it already, right?
Right?
He was her best friend, the only person she even bothered to talk to - hell, the only one she *wanted* to talk too. What if . . .
"Oh, he wasn't going to ask you anything," KC broke into her notions as he tried to - poorly - cover.
"KC," she warned, her brows pinching in anxiety.
"I'm not supposed to tell you yet," he said a little desperately. He wanted to tell her, he liked Trudy, and he was *seven* -- not exactly and age where keeping something quiet was easy. KC looked at her and blinked like he was realizing something. "But I didn't even know you and Lex were together like that. You know, like Salene and Ryan."
"What? We . . ." her eyes widened as she guessed what Lex had said. KC seemed to be assuming they were a couple, and Lex wouldn't have said such a think so he must have let it spill that -- "He told you I'm PREGNANT?!"
"YOU'RE PREGNANT?!?!"
By KC's shocked expression she caught on that that wasn't the issue. "Oh, no, I'm not."
Her defense fell on deaf - and excited - ears.
"So you're . . . Lex didn't tell me that," KC said slowly. "Cool."
"Cool? Cool?" Trudy asked, putting a hand to her forehead she breathed out. "But I thought we were a couple because, wait, so what did Lex tell you . . . KC? KC?"
When she looked up he was already gone. Great. This was great. She had to find Lex *and* KC, big mouths ran in that family!
**
"Was Trudy here?" Lex called to Cloe as she walked past.
The girl turned, almost stumbling backwards as she responded. "No, but she's looking for you too, and I just talked to KC. Congratulations."
"Wait - What?" Lex sputtered.
"Don't worry," Cloe said, not slowing her pace as she turned and waved. "I won't tell anyone yet. Promise, KC said it's a secret."
"Would you just wait a . . ." Lex shook his head as she disappeared, spinning and stalking off. He had to find Trudy AND KC now. And tape his brother's mouth shut. Who else knew he was planning on asking Trudy to marry him?
TBC
End Part Six
Three hours later, and no Trudy.
"Ellie, you seen Trudy?" Lex questioned.
"No, I don't keep tabs on everyone, just the ones with information to give," she spoke off-handily as she jotted something down in a notebook.
Lex shook his head and waved her off as he went in search again.
He might be losing his mind for what he was considering.
KC hadn't said anything much to him after Lex mentioned . . . marriage. He actually seemed pretty content with the idea, nodding every once in a while like he was thinking something over and pulling out a couple fishes to flop in front of Lex's face - startling the hell out of him both times. After the second time he decided the tunnel wasn't the best place to slip into deep thought.
After that he'd gone straight to Trudy's room, ready to present her with the idea - and a well thought-out speech on why they should do it. Not that he had a speech, but he was pretty sure he could figure something out when he started talking. She hadn't been there, though, just some clothes thrown on the bed and a wet towel he guessed was from her bath. So went his search. His long search.
So far he'd come up with a few reasons. He could help her raise the baby. She could help raise KC - helping with his worries that he was screwing up with this whole 'parent' thing. But that would sort of cancel out the first option of him being responsible enough to . . . Okay. So he had one reason. Plus she needed him there, he could tell, and what was the big deal? Marriage wasn't what it used to be.
The weird thing was - he wanted to marry Trudy. Maybe he was wrong in some of his reasons; he felt so close to her that he wanted her with him more and more. Wanted to be with her all the time . . . It made him pause his steps for a moment and he blinked. He wanted to help her, but was he seeing this as an opportunity?
He shook his head and started walking with zealous. He wasn't going to dwell on that.
But he still wondered whom Trudy slept with - and obviously didn't peg as 'father material,' but it was fleeting in the light that it was Trudy's baby. Just that detail made it not matter who else was there when it was conceived. Well, damn, if he was going to do this he might as well pretend he was the one there and have a bit of fun in his head.
Then a previous thought busted through, fake, but happy, memories of his part in making a baby.
Was *he* father material? Lex was pretty sure he could handle it, he didn't know how well he had done in the past, but KC was still alive. But did Trudy think that he could do it? She'd told him that he was great with KC, true, but did she mean it?
Almost bumping into the person in front of him, he asked a question instead of ordering them to watch out next time.
"Ryan, have you seen Trudy?"
"We're talking now?" Ryan asked, genuinely curious.
Lex rolled his eyes, answering, "Have you seen her or not?"
"No, haven't seen her all day." He opened his mouth to say something else, but Lex was already walking away as he vainly answered. "I'll tell her you're looking for her."
**
KC was rather proud of his accomplishment in the art of fishing, even waving the considerable amount of bounty under Trudy's nose, making her waver on her feet and drop into a seat. She was already weak from crying, and from the walk she took.
"Nice, huh? Didn't think I'd be able to get that many, it's been a while since I lucked out like that," he grinned putting the fish on the counter. Turning back, he saw Trudy's ill face and his fell. "You okay?"
"Sure," told him. "It's just the smell."
"Oh," he smirked. "That's good then."
Trudy nodded, she'd been hiding the fact that she was getting sick. After KC saw her once he'd worried for days. The rest of the Mallrats seemed too busy to know if anything was wrong with her, and only Lex knew since she spent most of her time with him - some of that time puking.
"I didn't want you getting the flu or anything, specially with Lex getting ready to ask you . . ." He trailed off . . . he probably wasn't supposed to mention that yet.
"Ask me what?" Trudy asked, she felt a flood of emotion crash over her.
What did he want to know? Who it was that got her pregnant? He hadn't asked the last two days - of course he was probably too busy trying to stop her from crying on him.
In one irrational moment, she wondered if he was going to condemn her for getting pregnant from a one-night stand. If he was going to go down that path, though, he would have said it already, right?
Right?
He was her best friend, the only person she even bothered to talk to - hell, the only one she *wanted* to talk too. What if . . .
"Oh, he wasn't going to ask you anything," KC broke into her notions as he tried to - poorly - cover.
"KC," she warned, her brows pinching in anxiety.
"I'm not supposed to tell you yet," he said a little desperately. He wanted to tell her, he liked Trudy, and he was *seven* -- not exactly and age where keeping something quiet was easy. KC looked at her and blinked like he was realizing something. "But I didn't even know you and Lex were together like that. You know, like Salene and Ryan."
"What? We . . ." her eyes widened as she guessed what Lex had said. KC seemed to be assuming they were a couple, and Lex wouldn't have said such a think so he must have let it spill that -- "He told you I'm PREGNANT?!"
"YOU'RE PREGNANT?!?!"
By KC's shocked expression she caught on that that wasn't the issue. "Oh, no, I'm not."
Her defense fell on deaf - and excited - ears.
"So you're . . . Lex didn't tell me that," KC said slowly. "Cool."
"Cool? Cool?" Trudy asked, putting a hand to her forehead she breathed out. "But I thought we were a couple because, wait, so what did Lex tell you . . . KC? KC?"
When she looked up he was already gone. Great. This was great. She had to find Lex *and* KC, big mouths ran in that family!
**
"Was Trudy here?" Lex called to Cloe as she walked past.
The girl turned, almost stumbling backwards as she responded. "No, but she's looking for you too, and I just talked to KC. Congratulations."
"Wait - What?" Lex sputtered.
"Don't worry," Cloe said, not slowing her pace as she turned and waved. "I won't tell anyone yet. Promise, KC said it's a secret."
"Would you just wait a . . ." Lex shook his head as she disappeared, spinning and stalking off. He had to find Trudy AND KC now. And tape his brother's mouth shut. Who else knew he was planning on asking Trudy to marry him?
TBC