Title: The Hardest Part (2/2)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (including Maria. She's made it quite clear that she owns her own damn self, thank you very much.) I'm just borrowing them and will return them when I've had my fun, somewhat dazed and disheveled, but otherwise in their original condition. Also, Maria and I have decided to keep Eric for a while, and we're sending Tim to Yana...
Rating: Uh...I dunno...there's some language...PG-13, I guess...
Pairings: Eric/Maria
Summary: "We have to tell them eventually. Might as well get it over with."
Feedback: Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you! You're reading this, right? Well then review it! Come on, pretty pleeeeeease? It only takes a minute or two, and it makes my day. Besides, we both know you've got the time. What else are you going to do, work?
Dedication: Yana, for, as always, putting up with my crazy self. Jackie, Tina, Mel, Annie, Dorothy, Nonnie, and all my other loyal reviewers, what would I do without ya'll? I'll tell ya what; I'd stop writing! And that would suck. So, thanks!
Note: A few people have asked me about the stories that removed. (muttermuttergrumble) They aren't currently posted anywhere, but if you're interested in reading them (which I'd recommend since they are part of a series) my email can be found in my profile. Do keep in mind, they do contain graphic sex scenes, so let me know if you'd prefer to read an "edited" version.
Other Note: This fic is a detour from my series, but still a part of it, since I couldn't fit these scenes into "Cause and Effect," or into the next story, "Whoever Fights Monsters." It takes place about a month after the end of "Cause and Effect."
Eric was awake early the next morning, before the sun was up. As usual, Maria was unaffected by the alarm clock, and she barely stirred when he kissed her on the cheek before getting out of the bed. He showered and got dressed quickly, wrote a note for Maria, and left the apartment within thirty minutes.
It didn't take him long to drive to the small cafe that his sister, Rosa, owned with her husband. Rosa was the youngest of Eric's three sisters, only older than him by twenty-two months, and as a result they had been close as children. The lights were on, and Eric knew that Rosa and her husband, Miguel, would already be hard at work, preparing for the morning rush hour.
"Hey there, little brother." Sure enough, Rosa was behind the counter, looking unnaturally cheerful for such an ungodly hour. "You're up and about pretty early.
"Yeah, I wanted to get here before you guys got too busy." Eric replied, sitting down at in a booth. "I need to talk to you about something."
"Sounds serious." Rosa observed, bring a pot of coffee and two cups over to the table.
"It's about Maria." Eric began, taking the cup that his sister offered.
"Oh my God. What did you do now?" Rosa groaned. She had met Maria several times, and they got along well. "You gotta learn, Eric, Maria is a smart, gorgeous, classy woman. You can only screw up so many times before she realizes she's too damn good for you and dumps your ass."
"Relax." Eric told her. "I didn't do anything."
Rosa's face changed immediately. "Oh no, did that slut break your heart again? Eric, I swear, just tell me where the little bitch is and I'll-"
"Am I even a part of this conversation?" Eric interrupted. "She's pregnant."
That stopped Rosa dead in her tracks. "Wow." She managed to say after a moment.
Eric nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I said..."
"So, wait, your parents-"
"Yeah, Tim, that's right." Maria sighed. "They never tied the knot. I'm a friggin' love child. But, you know something? I'm okay with it. Eric and I talked it out, and he helped me put things in perspective."
"And then he comforted you." Calleigh guessed, elbowing Maria playfully.
"Oh yeah, he comforted my brains out." Maria laughed.
"Okay, that part I didn't need to hear." Tim stated, shaking his head at the two women.
"So, where's Eric now?" Calleigh asked.
"He was gone when I got up, he left a note saying he had something to take care of before we talk to his folks later." Maria replied. She glanced past her friends and smiled. "Well, speak of the handsome devil."
Eric wrapped his arms around Maria's waist and greeted her with a soft kiss. "Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Same shit, different day." Maria sighed. "Can't even keep water down. But, now that I'm into the second trimester, that should clear up. Anyway, where have you been?"
"I went to talk to Rosa." Eric said. "She pretty much confirmed what I was already thinking, my parents are going to freak out completely. Catholics, you know?"
"Yeah, but on the plus side, it's not too likely that they're going to tell you that you're a bastard." Maria pointed out.
"Yeah, that's what Maria's family is for." Calleigh laughed. Maria just rolled her eyes. "Already heard that one, huh?"
"She didn't think it was funny when I said it, either." Eric told her. His cell phone rang at that moment, and he stepped away from the others to answer it.
"Hey, it's me." Rosa said as soon as she heard her brother's voice. "Are you at work?"
"Yeah." Eric replied. "What's going on?"
"I just wanted to give you a heads-up, mom's going to be stopping by to see you and Maria." Rosa said casually, and then, a little more sheepishly, "She wants to meet the mother of her future grandchild."
"Okay...wait, what?!" Eric said. "Fuck, Rosa, you told her? You swore you weren't going to tell anyone."
"It came up in conversation!" Rosa said defensively.
"How did it come up in conversation?" Eric asked.
"Mom stopped by for coffee, she said 'good morning,' I said 'guess who got his girlfriend in trouble.'" Rosa admitted.
"I am going to kill you." Eric seethed. "No, actually, I'm not, since I'd go to jail, and I'm not going to do that to Maria and my kid."
"Look, Eric, I know you're pissed." Rosa interrupted.
"No, I was 'pissed' when you showed those buck-naked baby pictures of me to my prom date." Eric corrected her. "I was 'pissed' all those times you ratted me out when I broke curfew...damn it, why did I trust you with this in the first place?"
"Hey, quit blaming me." Rosa snapped. "You're the one who knocked up your girlfriend."
"You're judging us?" Eric said. "You and Miguel were married for seven months when Cris was born."
"He was premature!" Rosa gasped. "It was a miracle that he didn't die!"
"He weighed almost eleven pounds, you lunatic." Eric scoffed. "The only miracle was that you didn't split in half."
"Um, Eric?" Maria said, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Just a second, babe." Eric said.
"Eric." A new voice cut in.
"Mom, I'm on the..." Eric turned around and saw his mother standing beside Maria. "Rosa? I gotta go." He closed his cell phone and took a deep breath. "Hi, Mom."
Tim cleared his throat. "Uh, hey, Cal, didn't we have to...?"
"Go do...something...yeah." Calleigh agreed. The two of them were out of sight in a second.
"So..." Maria began. "It's very nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Delko."
Clorinda Delko turned to the younger woman and studied her for a moment. "Maria, is it?" She finally said. "I always liked that name."
Maria smiled and visibly relaxed. "Thank you."
"And as for you." Clorinda said to her son. "What is wrong with you, not telling me that I'm going to have another grandchild? Maria, do me a favor, don't give him any for a few weeks."
"Deal." Maria laughed.
"So, how have you been feeling so far, Maria?" Clorinda asked.
"The morning sickness has been pretty bad." Maria sighed. "And not just morning, either."
"I had the same problem with all three of my girls." Clorinda said. She smiled at Eric. "This one, on the other hand, never gave me much trouble. Until after he was born, that is."
"Does Dad know about this yet?" Eric asked, unable to conceal his anxiety.
"No, Rosa only told me." Clorinda replied. "Well, and your grandmother. And Marisol and Daniela. And the young man with the lazy eye who works in the bodega next to the cafe."
"Great." Eric groaned.
"Eric, you underestimate us, especially your father." Clorinda assured him. "Your situation is less than ideal, and your father will be surprised, but he'll come around. He loves all of his grandchildren, we both do. We will love this one every bit as much. And I can already tell that we're going to love this young lady."
Maria smiled and blushed, but Eric was still skeptical. "Will you love the baby even if Maria and I aren't married yet when it's born? Because we might not be."
An uncomfortable silence engulfed the room, until Eric finally stood up and placed his hand on Maria's shoulder.
"Come on, Maria, let's get back to work." He said. Maria stood and left the room silently.
"Eric-" Clorinda said sternly.
"No, Mom, it's okay." Eric interrupted. "I understand. That's why we were nervous about telling you guys."
"She looked so..." Maria struggled to find the right word. "Disappointed." Hours had passed without hearing anything from Eric's family, but they both knew that would change sooner or later. "What's going to happen when your dad finds out?"
"Hard to say." Eric admitted. "He's barely spoken to me ever since I told him I wanted to be a cop. Said it was 'beneath me.' Eventually, I guess he just decided I was a screw-up. Who knows, maybe he won't even be surprised."
Maria felt sick to her stomach. She got up from the couch. "I'll be right back."
"Are you okay?" Eric asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Maria said quickly, bolting for the bathroom. For the first few weeks, Eric had tried to follow her, thinking she would want him to hold her hair for her and rub her back. He'd quickly learned just how wrong that assumption was.
When Maria returned to the living room a few minutes later, Eric was on the phone. From the look on his face, and the way he was pacing around, she could tell he was talking to his father.
"Because, like I said, she's not ready to get married yet, and I'm not going to push her to do something she's not ready for." He said impatiently. "Because I love her." He paused for a minute, and Maria could hear shouting on the other end of the line, although she couldn't make out any words. "She was married before, it didn't work out." Eric said, obviously responding to a question. He paused again, and this time, as he listened to whatever his father was saying, his entire face changed, darkened. "How can you say that? Even think it? You don't know her at all, and I guess you don't really know me, either." With that, he hung up the phone. He moved like he was going to pitch the cordless receiver across the room, then stopped and tossed it into a chair as he sat down on the couch.
"What did he say?" Maria asked, stepping fully into the room. She sat down beside Eric and took his hand. "Eric? What did your father say?"
Eric closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "He asked me how I can be sure that it's my baby." Maria tensed, and he pulled her close. "Maria, he's an idiot, he doesn't know what he's talking about."
"Obviously." Maria said. "Like you said, he doesn't know me. I just wish he knew you better. I've really messed things up for you with your family, huh?"
"You two are my family." Eric corrected her. "My folks will come around eventually, and if they don't, that's their loss."
Maria wasn't convinced. "Admit it, being with me has totally screwed up your life."
Eric kissed her deeply, tangling his fingers in her long hair. "You will never know," He said as he pulled away, "Just how much being with you has saved my life. If that's screwed up, I don't want to be normal." He kissed her again, until he felt her finally relax against him.
After a few minutes of just lying there, wrapped up in each other, Eric spoke again. "So, are you going to call your parents?"
"No." Maria sighed. "I know I shouldn't be so mad at them, but..."
"You just need some time." Eric finished for her. He slid his hand under her shirt and rubbed the spot where their baby was growing. "Looks like it's just the three of us."
"Yeah." Maria said sleepily, placing her hand over his. "Just the three of us."