"Ram, we're having a party to celebrate, you know." Trudy entered Ram's workroom after knocking.
He jerked around from his keyboard, pulling down the cover of his laptop.
Thanks but no thanks, Trudy; we've still got a lot of work to do, cleaning up after…" He smiled apologetically.
"Oh, okay then." She exited the room, closing the door gently behind her.
Ram re-opened his laptop, typing in a couple of commands. "She's a cute one, isn't she Zootie? But you already know that—or at least your namesake did."
"Namesake?" The mechanical voice echoed.
"Yes, Zootie You are a computer program, a modern scientific marvel to be certain, but a program nonetheless, that I created, and named for the second greatest leader this city has known. The first being me, of course. Check your databases, you will find all that you need to know."
He began typing again until he was interrupted by the computer.
"This Trudy, former partner of Zoot and mother of his offspring,--she is cute?"
Ram sighed. "Yes, Zootie. She's cute. Now, please stop interrupting me, I'm trying to work."
There was silence except for the click-clacking of keys.
"Creator."
"Yes, Zoot?" Ram threw up his hands in defeat.
"What is cute?"
"Ram pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning. "How do I explain cute? I'm not exactly certain. You just know it when you see it. Salene, Amber and May are cute, Brady is cute. Ebony is not. She can be called many things, sensual or sultry maybe, but definitely not cute. Trudy is cute, actually more than cute; I would say she's beautiful It's difficult to define."
The door opened and a dark head peeked in for the second time that evening.
"Were you talking to someone? I thought that I heard voices. I can come back…" She began to close the door.
"No, no, I was just speaking aloud to myself." He closed the laptop. "Evil genius occupational hazard, you know?"
Trudy's smile faded.
"A joke. I was making a joke, Trudy. Not a very good one, but really a joke."
Trudy chuckled politely. "Well then, the reason I came back" The smile came back, brighter than ever, her cheeks glowing and her eyes shining. "I've decided that I'm not going to take no for an answer. You're coming to this party. Surely even evil geniuses get a day off for fun?"
Ram glanced down at his laptop and returned his gaze to her. "But there's still so much to do and I have this project I'm working on…"
"Amber and Jay will understand, you can miss one afternoon." She replied, misunderstanding his meaning. "Besides, they will both be at the party, so I know they won't mind. And between you and me, they will probably be happier to know where you are." She winked at him.
"But, but."
She pouted prettily enough to have made Gel jealous. "If the next words out of your mouth aren't 'Yes Trudy, of course I'll go to the party AND be your date', you are going to seriously hurt my feelings. You don't want to hurt my feelings, do you Ram?"
She added eyelash fluttering to the pout. He didn't stand a chance.
"You really want me to be your date? But what about, surely—" He mentally searched for a more conventional alternative to himself.
"What? Lex, Jay, Slade and Jack? All spoken for, I'm afraid, or in Lex's case, just not desirable as a partner. I've never felt the need to be a notch on a post. Mega's out as well, for clearly obvious reasons and I'm not going to take one of his former flunkies. I'd rather dance with the devil I know, so to speak."
"Is that how you see me, a devil?"
"You know that's not what I meant, it's just a figure of speech. C'mon, I don't want to be the pitied girl who doesn't ever have a date and only gets obligation dances from her friends. Please?" She laid the puppy dog eyes on thick and Ram melted like an ice cream cone in the ninth gate.
"I'll do it. I think you'll probably come to regret it, what with your friends being who they are and me being who I am, but what the heck? What's the worse thing that could happen?"
oo00(O)00oo
"Me and my big mouth, Zootie. I should have known this couldn't have worked out. Guys like me just don't get girls like that. Not out here in the real world anyway. VR, that's where I belong, then I could have them all back, Trudy, Siva…Javie." He made to run a hand through his hair, but was thwarted by the horns of Ram as they were known as. "Dammit! Can't anything work right? He shoved both hands into his hair, completely destroying his infamous 'do. He yanked at his hair until moisture leaked from the corners of his eyes until they were streaming and having nothing to do with his hair.
He pushed back his chair violently, rising, only to collapse in a corner of the room. He didn't hear the door open and a voice calling his name softly. Trudy came 'round the desk, stopping her mouth slightly agape as she saw Ram crouched on the floor, facing the wall as his shoulders shook violently. She shook his arm, but got no response. Then she shook harder.
"Ram, stop it, you'll make yourself sick." She reached down to brush his disheveled hair away from his face and he exploded out of his ball like a mousetrap going off. His arm swung wide, catching her and knocking her down as he yelled.
"No! Get 'way! Only get hurt, like them, like her! You'll die, like my parents died, like Java died. Everyone I love dies!"
Trudy froze as the ramifications of Ram's words struck her. She marveled at the sensation. He loved her. Not Amber, not Ebony, but her. But as much as she would like to take a moment or ten to immerse herself in this wonderful knowledge, more pressing matters called. She rose, dusting off shaking hands on her thighs.
"Ram! You have to listen to me. You didn't cause them to die. There was nothing you could have done, for any of them. You didn't create the virus and you didn't force Ebony, Siva and Java to face off." He hissed loudly when he heard their names. "Stop it! Are you so damned arrogant that you have to take responsibility for things you had nothing to do with? I thought you were past this."
He raised bloodshot eyes to her, sniffing before saying, "You don't understand, you don't know—"
"Don't give me that! I know just as much if not more about loss than you! I lost my parents, just like you. My daughter will never know her father, neither will my nephew, thanks to you. Almost half of my tribe is gone, wiped out by either you or your predecessor, so don't tell me I don't understand loss. I've had more than my fair share!" She dashed away angry tears as memories began to assail her and she sat down hard, mouth quivering, but no sound coming out as liquid sorrow flowed from her eyes.
Ram jerked to his knees scrambling over to kneel in front of her. "Don't cry; I didn't mean it, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorryI'msorryI'msorrysorrysorrysorry…" His words fell into a meaningless litany as he gathered her into his arms, holding her as her body shuddered, releasing her grief. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, followed by another to her forehead, then each or her eyelids, nose, then ever so softly he kissed her lips, tasting the salty remains of her grief.
He pulled back from her, and she mewled softly following him and sealing her lips with his, her mouth opening over his as she pushed until he fell backwards, his arms splayed. She chased him down, never losing contact as her hands began to roam. Ram raised his arms, holding them away as if uncertain where to put them. Trudy solved the problem handily, so to speak, pressing his hands to her chest, closing her hands over his, squeezing the soft flesh. She moaned, biting her lip, then moaned louder when he applied pressure again, flattening his palms and circling his large hands over her breasts. She lowered her head onto his shoulder, whispering breathily into his ear.
"Don't stop. Don't you ever stop."
oo00(O)00oo
Trudy crept softly towards the bathroom, her bare toes curling on the cold tile. She heard the water running and she smiled softly to herself. She knew who was inside, they had drawn up a schedule ages ago and pretty much everyone stuck to it. Ram was inside, preparing to take a bath; she could hear the water running. She grinned. He was like a girl the way he loved to take baths. Of course baths have their uses, upon occasion. She pushed the door open and couldn't believe her eyes.
Creating a path into the room and decorating half the surfaces were candles: fat pillars, slender tapers, little votives, even what seemed like hundreds of tiny dancing flames from tea lights. As she stutter-stepped over to the tub she first smelled the heady fragrance of the rose petals before seeing them floating on an ever-expanding bed of bubbles as the tub filled. She spun around slowly and whistled.
"Ram, I know you like to wallow in your baths, but this is ridiculous."
"If it was for me, it would be, but it's not."
Trudy yelped and jumped with fright, clutching her chest as she faced Ram, punching him in the arm. "You startled me."
He gathered her close chuckling in that way that men do when it comes to women, and Trudy wanted to hit him, but she couldn't, enjoying the feel of her cheek against his rumbling chest too much. After a few moments his words triggered her curiosity, and she leaned away from his chest.
"Who IS the bath for?" She eyed him suspiciously.
He laughed again. "Who would it be for? You, of course." He kissed her on the nose. "Happy Anniversary, Trude."
She smiled at him, "It's not our anniversary. It's not for another three days."
He grinned back. "It depends on how you count, doesn't it? You're counting from when we decided to tell everyone, I'm counting from the first time we—ooph!" His breath came out in a rush as she hit him in the stomach.
"We are so not marking our anniversary by the first time we…oophed."
"You remember your way, and I'll remember mine."
oo00(O)00oo
"C'mon Trudy, just one more big push, you're almost there," Amber encouraged her exhausted friend to bring her unborn child into the world.
Trudy's head lolled against Ram's shoulder, clearly sapped of energy, her dark purple hair plastered to her face. She drifted in and out of consciousness, marginally aware of Ram's murmured praises and pleas for her to push just once more. Then she had a moment of clarity, where her world was just pain and pressure and exhaustion. She heard Ram's and Amber's requests, but she couldn't, she didn't have it within her.
"I can't—I can't, I-I…"
"Dammit, Trudy! You bloody well can! You've had enough coddling from all of us. You've done this before, no reason why you can't now."
A spark of anger ignited in Trudy and pushing on Ram's hands to sit up, she fired back. "Yeah, and look how well that turned out; I almost died!"
"Exactly! And if you don't want a repeat performance, push NOW!"
Shooting fire from her eyes at her long-time friend, Trudy did just that, clenching Ram's hands, causing him to bite his lip to not groan out loud. Gritting her teeth and digging in her heels, Trudy bore down in one energy-draining effort, collapsing back against her husband as she felt the warm, sticky mass rush from her body. She didn't see the stricken look on Amber's face as she rushed from the room with the small bundle, leaving Salene to provide after-care to Trudy.
She returned a few minutes later, sorrow marring her visage, tears streaming from her eyes. She met Ram's eyes briefly and then shook her head, mouthing the words 'I'm sorry.' His head bowed, he blinked rapidly, trying to hold back his tears. Finally, Trudy began to stir, sitting up. She craned her neck weakly.
"What did I have? Where's my baby?" She asked, smiling tiredly. When she got no immediate response, her voice rose, as she panicked. "Amber, where's my baby? Bring me my baby now!"
She twisted as best she could, looking behind her to see Ram's hands covering his face, his shoulders and his mouth quivering. She turned back to the also crying Amber.
"No! If this is a joke, it's sick and cruel! Now, bring me my baby! I want to see my baby!" She demanded, her hands fisting the sheets, her knuckles white.
Amber walked briskly from the room, returning moments later with a small bundle in her hands. She walked slowly, reluctantly over to the bed, leaning over. The moment she did this, Trudy snatched the bundle from her hands, needing to see for herself. She whimpered as she looked down on the perfect little person in her arms. A little girl with plump cheeks, petal-soft skin, downy dark hair, and a periwinkle complexion. The china doll in her hands was tinged a delicate blue, from her forehead to her fingers, to her ten little toes. The dark purple marks around the fragile neck told the tale. She had strangled on her own birth cord.
Trudy bent her head over her little girl, a keening cry emitting from her very depths, soon to be followed by great shuddering sobs and then just out and out bawling. Enjoining his grief with hers, Ram moved closer, hugging them both to him. When Brady ran into the room, having escaped from her minder and jumped onto the bed, he pulled her into his arms as well, allowing them all to grieve together, as a family.
oo00(O)00oo
Ram peered out of the bedroom window, viewing the enthusiastic hug and kiss Brady gave to her boyfriend. Boyfriend. Surely his little girl wasn't old enough to have boyfriends. Wasn't it just this morning that he had taught her how to drive? Yesterday when he had taught her how to read? She wasn't ready. HE wasn't ready. How could she do this to him? She was his little girl, how dare this, this… His fist struck the glass in front of him when he saw Kevin's hands apply a gentle squeeze to Brady's butt. How dare he! Next he'll be swelling her belly and making me
"You're not going to be a grandfather, Ram." Trudy came up behind him, pressing a kiss to his nape and bringing her arms around him, her slight protrusion pressing into his back. "You've still got a ton of fathering to do. Besides, Brady and I have talked about it and she's not ready to do any of those things with Kevin, she—"
He lifted her hands from his body, lifting them overhead and turning around. He then lowered her arms, kissing each of her knuckles. "Trudy, I love you. I love each or our children and this one that's not here yet." He rubbed the hand he still held over her belly. "However, I can go the rest of my life and each of theirs, without ever, ever knowing the details of their love lives, okay?"
Biting her lip not to smile, Trudy simply nodded silently. She managed to hold it together only until Ram exited the room, her laughter following him as she heard him muttering, "Now to go introduce that punk to my laser collection."
oo00(O)00oo
"Grandpa, Grandpa, read me a bedtime story, please?" Little Kayla tugged on her grandfather's leg, holding her favorite book in her hand. Ram scooped her up into his arms, settling on his hip.
"The 'Three Little Pigs', again? Don't you get tired of hearing this story?" The darling moppet stuck her thumb in her mouth and shook her head in the negative.
"I like it when you do the voices."
"You like the voices? You mean this voice?" Ram lowered the pitch of his voice to a low growl. "And this voice?" He raised the pitch to higher than his normal range, reciting, "Not by the hair of my chinny chin, chin."
Kayla giggled, dimples forming in her cheek, looking so much like her mother at that age. She continued to laugh, clutching the now salt and pepper waves on his head as her grandfather kept up the voices, carrying her into his bedroom. He had permanently lost the horns that fateful day in his workroom. As Ram lowered her to the bed, the little girl quickly scrambled over to her grandmother, presenting her with the book.
"Grandpa's going to read to us."
"Oh he is?" Trudy asked, winking at Ram as he took off his shirt before going into the bathroom to change for bed.
"Uh huh." Kayla nodded, popping her thumb into her mouth again.
"Well then, we better get ready, shouldn't we?" Trudy said, hugging the little girl.
"Yeah!" Kayla crawled beneath the covers, laying down in the middle of Ram's pillow. Trudy giggled when he saw his side of the bed.
"Kayla, that's Grandpa's pillow." He crossed his arms.
"But I like it here." She pouted.
"Kayla."
"Yes, Grandpa?" She opened her eyes wide.
"I'll tell you a new bedtime story if you get off my pillow right now."
"Really?"
"I promise. Now scoot."
She scooted, snuggling up to Trudy, who put an arm around her, squeezing. Kayla rested her head on Trudy's bosom, sucking on her thumb again. Meanwhile, Ram slid in under the covers, pulling them both close, dropping a kiss on Trudy's lips.
"No more kissy-face, Grandpa, tell me a story!"
Ram raised his head, smiling ruefully at Trudy. She grinned, mouthing to him, 'Remind you of anyone?" He shook his head and sat up against the headboard, beginning his story. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful lady who had a gorgeous little girl. They had a lot of friends and family, but no matter what, they were sad. They were sad because they were locked up by a mean, nasty wizard with big chunky glasses who never, ever smiled. He didn't like how happy the lady and her friends were because he didn't know how to be happy, he only knew how to be mean and alone. But then some of the lady's friends escaped and found another place, a wondrous place far from the wizard. There they found another wizard, even more powerful and stronger and braver than the wizard where they were from."
He ignored Trudy's gasps and chuckles and continued with his tale. "This new wizard went back with the lady's friends and defeated the mean, nasty wizard. Then he fell in love with the lady and her little girl. Her friends didn't like it because they were all jealous that they could be so in love, but the wizard and the lady ignored them because they were so happy, the happiest they had ever been. So the lady and the wizard and the little girl all got married and had a two little boys and two little girls, only one of the little girls was too perfect so she had to go live with the angels."
His breath caught for a moment and Trudy curled her fingers around the nape of his neck, drawing them through the dark waves. Making eye contact with her he started speaking again. "Then they all grew up and had families of their own, the no-so-little anymore girl growing into a beautiful lady, just like her mother, having an adorable little girl of her own, and…"
Trudy silenced him with a finger to the lips, nodding her head towards the slumbering Kayla. She was a darling little cherub, rosy cheeks and long dark lashes, with her thumb in her mouth. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, then Trudy, before easing down under the covers, pulling them over Kayla and himself. He turned on his side, his hand reaching out for the hand he knew was there, like it had been each night before and that he knew would always be.