Chapter 40: Becky's 20th Birthday
This one-shot takes place before the events of HTTYD2, but after her son is born and killed by Drago, and after she's returned to Eret. Takes place during Edge Without A Home.
(Eret's POV)
I wake up and stretch. It's then I remember it's Becky's 20th birthday. I still can't believe she's my wife. I can't believe I get to call her my wife.
I see her asleep next to me, softly breathing.
I decide to let her sleep in, and attempt to get out of bed, but she clings to me.
She's been clinging to me more and more lately, and I don't know why. Whatever Drago did to her, I hope he never does to her again.
I look at my wife, gently rubbing her shoulder and am shocked to see her ribcage poking out. She's gotten thinner and thinner since she was returned to me two months ago. But I'm not the only who's noticed. Our crew has also noticed, and we're all concerned about the wellbeing of Becky.
"Becky…love…"
"Mmmm…what?"
"Happy Birthday, my love."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. What would you like to do today?"
"I don't really feel like celebrating my birthday."
"Are you okay? Are you sick?" I ask. I kiss her forehead, doing the same test my mum did when I got sick.
"You don't have a fever."
"Emotionally, I don't feel like it."
"Okay. I understand. It's still pretty early. Why don't you try to go back to sleep?"
"Stay with me?"
"Forever and ever and always, my love."
We settle back to sleep, Becky encased in my arms.
She begins to sob.
"Honey…baby, what is it? What's wrong?" I ask, rubbing her arm.
"I…I can't tell you. I want to…but I can't…"
"I know…I know. It just breaks my heart to see you cry."
"I'm sorry."
"Shhh. It's not your fault. Whatever that monster did to you, it's not your fault."
Soon, she calms down a bit.
"Are you okay, love?"
Becky nods against me.
"Okay. Let me know if I can do anything, alright?"
Another nod.
When we eventually do get up, I head out alone to tell our crew that Becky doesn't emotionally feel like celebrating her birthday, and to not make a big deal out of it.
I head back inside our cabin to tell her.
"Becky, love, I told our crew that you don't emotionally feel like celebrating your birthday, and to not make a big deal out of it."
"Thank you, Eret."
"You're welcome. So, our crew is pretty busy. Do you want to maybe…have our wedding night?"
Becky's breathing suddenly starts getting ragged and she backs away from me, falling to the floor and getting against the wall.
"Honey, what is it?"
"I…I can't…I can't."
"Shhh. It's alright. It's alright. I promise, we won't do anything you don't want to do. Come here."
Becky starts shaking and tries to put as much distance between herself and me as possible.
"Baby, it's me. It's just me. You're safe, hon. Can I come a little closer?"
She shakes her head "no".
"Okay. I'll leave you alone." I walk out of the cabin, defeated.
"Is she alright?" Teeny asks me.
"I somehow managed to screw our relationship up. She won't come anywhere near me."
"Well, what did you say?"
"I asked her if she wanted to have our wedding night…and that's when she backed away from me and started having trouble breathing."
"Maybe Drago hurt her in a way that you were suggesting to her."
"Maybe that's what she can't tell me. She's so afraid of him, and for good reason, she can't tell me what he did to her. If I see him again, I'll kill him."
"You'd probably lose your life, Eret. And that would kill her. You know how much she loves you, even if she's never said it. Same goes for you loving her."
"You're right."
I hear a wail coming from the cabin, and I wince.
I rush into the cabin, seeing Becky in tears.
(Becky's POV)
"I want him back…I want him back…"
Eret comes closer to me. I bet he thinks I'm talking about him. I'm not. I'm talking about my son. My wonderful, innocent, perfect son.
(Eret's POV)
"I'm here, my love. I'm right here. I promise I'm not leaving you. I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry for suggesting such a thing."
Becky's still shaking, and I get a bit closer to her.
"Can I hold you?"
She nods and I get closer to her and hold her as she sobs. It's breaking my heart seeing her like this.
(Becky's POV)
What Eret doesn't know is that I'm not only suffering from grief from losing both my son and Anthony, but also from postpartum depression.
It breaks my heart to not be able to tell him everything. It's killing me that he doesn't know.
But I can't tell him anything.
My life literally depends on me not telling him.
I wonder if I'll ever be able to tell him.
(Eret's POV)
Soon, Becky's calmed down some.
"Love, our crew and I…we have a surprise for you."
"Eret, I'm really not in the mood."
"I know that. But maybe this will cheer you up a bit."
(Becky's POV)
I doubt it. But I let Eret lead me from our cabin, my eyes still open so I don't get scared (not of the dark, but of…of…of you-know-who possibly being on our ship and Eret possibly tricking me into thinking he loves me but he really doesn't and I'm being sent back to you-know-who to spend the rest of my days as his sex slave and possibly have more of his children).
I get paranoid easily.
"Becky, my darling. Happy Birthday." Eret says, revealing a small chocolate cake.
"Eret, you guys…you didn't have to do this. Really. Thank you."
"You're welcome. You, my love, get to cut yourself a slice of this delicious cake."
I stand there, having a flashback of my son's birth, and me imagining his first birthday…with you-know-who. I'm pregnant again. This time, they're twins. I don't survive. One of you-know-who's crew members delivers the news to Eret that I'm dead. He breaks down, sobbing. He slits his throat. You-know-who only smirks.
"Darling? Are you alright? My love?"
My breathing accelerates and I back away from everyone.
(Eret's POV)
"I can't go back. Don't make me go back. He's going to kill me."
"Shhh. Shhhhh. Love, it's alright. You're okay. You're alright. It's going to be okay. I promise it's going to be okay."
"You can't promise that. No one can. I belong to him. That will never change."
I get a bit closer to her.
"Stay away from me! You'll only get hurt."
I cautiously approach my distraught wife.
"Honey, no one is going to get hurt because of you. And especially not me."
Becky collapses on the deck, sobbing. I keep my distance.
She suddenly goes over to the side of the ship and throws up. I rush over to her, holding her hair back and rubbing her back.
"Oh, darling…" Silent tears slip down my cheeks. Whatever Drago put her through…it must've been worse than Hel. I won't let her know that I know. Drago would kill her if he knew that I know; it wouldn't matter that I figured it out and she didn't tell me. I know he'd kill her.
I can't risk losing her.
So I stay silent as I help her get cleaned up, whispering comforting words to her.
It's all I can do for now.
I want her to know that I know, but I can't. Drago may torture her into telling him that I know.
Her life depends on her not telling anyone.
I can't risk losing her.
