The drumming of rain was the only sound that reached Jack's ears as he lay in his rented room staring at the ceiling.
For the passed two weeks he had been moving from city to city, and was currently staying in a small hostel on the outskirts of a city called Mariner Bay. Initially his plan had been to stay in New Tech, but then he realized that most, if not all, of SPD would be out looking for him… especially Sky… hopefully Ani…
He stared at the simple white gold band on his left hand and sighed heavily. He had been stupid. Stupid, stubborn, and too proud to even listen to her. She had done the same thing, and deep down he knew that she understood her part in their separation.
Lightning flashed over the ocean in front of his window and he remembered back to he and Ani's first night together in the clock tower in Silver Hills. It had been raining that night and they had had a fight… all because he didn't trust her judgment… because he didn't listen to the whole story.
Rolling onto his side, he clung to a pillow… the place where his wife should have been. He regretted leaving her the way he did, but not that he left SPD. He knew he could never go back to that life. He hadn't thought about the possibility of he and his wife both living out their dreams without having to be in the situation they were in now.
He had literally kicked himself thousands of times for not clearly thinking things out and talking to her.
He wanted to talk to her desperately…
In New Tech City, Ani had returned to SPD a few days ago. Her family had been wonderful throughout this whole ordeal and after her short vacation, she knew she had to get back to work in her new position as head technician.
Sitting on the couch in her apartment, she couldn't focus on the paperwork in front of her. Everything around reminded her of Jack.
The photos hanging on the walls, his sneakers still sitting near the door… everything around her brought back memories.
Her time away had opened her eyes to what had happened between her and Jack. They had both been wrong… neither one of them had thought things through. They could have had a life together in New Tech City working separate jobs. Now that she thought about it, they could have opened up a mission or a food bank to try and help the homeless, and Ani could have kept her job.
Frustrated, she tossed the papers down on the coffee table and headed to bed, wishing that he were there to hold her…
Four more weeks passed like that, and the others around the base began to see a change in Ani.
She wasn't the same happy go lucky person she used to be. Sky could feel his sister's pain and loneliness and it scared him greatly. She refused to talk to anyone about it, save their mother. She wouldn't even talk to him telepathically.
Z and Syd saw how low Ani was, and decided to take matters into their own hands by treating her to a girls' day out, completely unknown to her.
Bridge entered the lab and saw Ani going over some charts and looking worse for wear. Unknown to her, he waved his hand in front of him and read her aura. Not long after they defeated Grumm, he decided to try life without the gloves, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that he could function just fine. Not to mention it was wonderful to finally feel Z's skin beneath his own…
Ani's aura nearly threw him for a loop when he figured out what was wrong with her. Reading a bit further, he saw that she didn't know what was happening to her… he knew she needed to find out on her own, so he stayed quiet.
Carefully he made his way over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit but relaxed when she saw his smiling eyes.
"Hi Bridge," she said. "What's going on?"
Bridge took the papers out of her hands. "I was sent on a mission to kick you out of here," he said. "You need a break, and I think Z and Syd are going to help you relax."
Ani smirked. "If this is some ploy to get me to go baby shopping with them again," she threatened. The past few weeks had been filled with looking for cribs, clothes, and other assortments for the coming children. Needless to say Ani was over it. Of course she was going to cherish the kids, but she still felt like she was being cheated by not having one of her own.
"They're not taking you shopping again. They just want to get you out of here for a little while."
Ani looked at the figures on her computer screen. She didn't want to admit it, but she hadn't been feeling well lately… maybe this was just what she needed.
"Make sure you shut down everything before you leave… and thanks," she said to Bridge as she grabbed her jacket. Bridge saluted her as she left, smirking to himself.
Once outside the room, Syd and Z immediately grabbed her by her arms and out to the vehicle bay.
Hours later, all three girls were sitting in cushioned chairs in white robes, leaving their newly pampered toes to dry.
"This is heavenly," Syd said as she munched on a few small snacks the spa had to offer. It was her favorite spa in the whole city, and everyone there knew her by name. She had somehow managed to get all three of them in today.
Z grinned and placed a hand over her swollen stomach. "I think they like it too," she said.
Syd nearly choked on her food and Ani's eyes widened in disbelief.
"They?" Syd got out after she swallowed. "What the hell do you mean by they?"
Z grinned sheepishly. She hadn't intended to have her news come out like this.
"Um… well I found out a few days ago that I'm having twins," she said nervously. "Kat explained that because of my powers that it could be a possibility."
Everything was silent. The only thing that could be heard was the soft trickle of a nearby fountain.
"Oh… my… gosh!" Sydney squealed at last. Ani too got over the shock and was congratulating Z.
"Thanks you guys," Z said. "Bridge said he knew right away though… something about my aura. That sneak!" she said laughing.
Ani smiled and laughed with them. "Any clue as to what you're having?" she asked.
"Bridge says a boy and a girl, but the sonogram didn't show yet," Z replied.
"You must have names picked out," Sydney said happily.
Z grinned. "We definitely have the boy's name… Daniel… after my father," she said softly.
Ani saw the pain in Z's eyes. Though she never met her Uncle Danny, she had been told wonderful things about him.
"Have you told anyone else about naming him for your dad?" Ani asked.
Z smiled. "I called Max when I found out I was pregnant… he was so happy I thought he was going to come all the way here from Turtle Cove," she said grinning.
After it had been found that she was Danny and Kendall's daughter, Taylor had arranged for Z to meet with the Wildforce Team. She immediately clicked with all of them, especially Max who was acting every bit the father figure she always wanted.
"Alyssa and your mom want to have a baby shower in Turtle Cove for me."
"I'm sure they do. You'll finally get to meet Shayla," Ani commented.
"Yeah… I guess that's what my middle name is for, huh?"
They all started laughing a bit before Ani began to feel nauseous. Sydney saw her face pale a bit before she bolted out of the chair and into the restroom.
"What was that about?" Z asked. Syd stared at the door before a small smile formed on her face.
"You don't think she could be pregnant do you?" Syd asked softly.
Z sighed and placed her hand on her stomach. "Has she ever talked to you about the whole baby thing?" Syd shook her head. "Well, I talked to Jack… they… they can't get pregnant Syd. Their powers keep clashing. Ani ran some tests and there's no way…"
Ani emerged from the restroom and grabbed her purse. "I'm sorry, but I need to get back and lay down… I haven't been feeling well all week."
"We'll come with you," Syd said as she and Z rose. Ani silently thanked them as they helped her into the changing room. Moments later all three women were at the checkout desk.
Ani saw some of her favorite lotion and bought a few bottles. As they were walking out, she glanced at the date on her receipt and blanched again…
Later that night, Ani sat on the edge of her bathtub biting her fingernails. The minutes ticked by slowly and she couldn't help but feel sick again.
After what seemed like an eternity, she glanced at the small plastic stick on top of the sink.
"No," she breathed as she read the results. "This can't be happening… not now…"