A young couple walked hand in hand under fluorescent lights, matching Christian Louboutin sneakers giving an occasional squeak against the white linoleum floor as they leisurely made their way through the maze of hallways to room 301 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
The young man stopped abruptly. "Ah," he said pointing to the sign on the door, "Here it is. Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, piercing blue eyes searching her face. "It's not too late to arrange for a private session."
He was tall with a lean muscular figure and close-cropped dirty blonde hair which made the contours of his sun-kissed, clean-shaven face all the more striking. Though attractive, he exuded an intimidating, protective aura that basically screamed F- off. He ran his fingers absently through his short hair, waiting for her reply.
The young woman met his gaze with an affirming nod, sucked in a deep breath, and leaned into the door, opening it wide enough to allow herself to waddle through, followed closely by her husband.
She was petite, only just touching her husband's shoulders, with cinnamon brown hair reaching down to the small of her back. A pair of alluring, dark brown almond-shaped eyes were widely set above high cheek bones. She was beautiful and hugely pregnant though you couldn't tell from behind unless she turned, offering a side or frontal view of her watermelon belly.
The open door revealed an ordinary rectangular room smelling of day-old coffee. Better than the smell of antiseptic, thought the girl. Motivational and educational posters covered the walls. Two collapsible tables leaned against one wall next to a stack of chairs, some of which had been removed and were currently being used by other members of the small group. A third table was set up against the wall opposite the entrance, providing muffins and juice to guests as well as sharpies and name tags.
The couple walked to the table, grabbing a name tag each. Soon, they were labeled as Brad and Jen. Blue eyes met brown, twinkling with amusement as they allowed themselves private smiles before both faces resumed their masks.
Brad and Jen took seats in the middle of the circle of chairs, facing the entrance with their backs towards the wall. Jen was careful to avoid sitting on her long, meticulously arranged hair.
"How far along are you?" asked a nasally voice to Jen's right. Jen turned, spotting a woman wearing a kindly smile. She was of medium height with short blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a narrow nose that, most unflatteringly, jutted from her face like a unicorn's horn.
"I'm five months along, myself," the woman continued, her long nose moving with every word. "Oh! And where are my manners? I'm Sarah," she stated, extending her hand.
Jen was transfixed by the massive moving thing. It was utterly distracting. Jen took the offered hand with the barest of touch, "I'm seven months and my name is Jen." Jen replied. Then she motioned to her left saying, "This is my husband, Brad."
Sarah leaned around Jen, missing how Jen was cleansing her hand with sanitizer, and offered a wave and a smile to Brad, though her smile faltered when she saw his impassive gaze.
"Such a shame they broke up," Sarah said wistfully, trying to soften the mood a little with a joke, nodding at Jen and Brad's nametags.
Jen shot Sarah a quizzical look.
"Oh, um, you know...Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston...Brad and Jen- the formerly famous Hollywood couple!" Sarah rambled, clearly flustered as her attempts to be friendly were rapidly floating toward the drain.
"You two could easily pass as famous couple yourselves with how attractive you both are, and I'm sure you'll last even longer than they did," the garrulous woman continued, giving a weak chuckle that died on the spot with a grimace once she heard a stone-faced Brad retort, "I should certainly hope so given where we are."
"Oh, uh, of course. Of course," Sarah replied, offering a dubious smile. She leaned over to Jen whispering, "Your husband is extremely handsome, but not a very friendly sort is he?"
Jen flashed the woman a weak, patronizing smile in return and the other woman drew back into her chair with a frown.
At this point Jen was wishing she could Mace the nosy woman in the face. Brad shot her a look, his eyes conveying that precise sentiment. The corner of Jen's mouth twitched.
Mercifully, the lights flickered, signaling the start of the meeting.
The Witch of the Beauty Industry had transformed her favorite famous couple hours prior so they could attend a class. Ten (it's been seven years since they first met and Kyoko still didn't know why she had this nickname) had conveniently been in town on another assignment for Darling and had jumped at the opportunity to make them over. Both were dressed casually, yet fashionably, in designer attire, though in Kyoko's case – maternity style.
Kuon had tried to convince Kyoko to invite a birthing expert to their Beverly Hills home, but once Kyoko had seen how much it was going to cost she had immediately researched alternatives, settling on a class offered by the local hospital. It was also an excuse for them to practice something they loved- transforming their souls while simply being out in public together.
Kuon had transformed into an overprotective, former Navy SEAL husband, while Kyoko had opted for a slightly haughty role, since it had been some time since she'd played anyone with a somewhat wicked attitude. Together, they formed an elitist would-be power couple who thought much too highly of themselves simply because they were somewhat well off, the wife having inherited a pretty penny from dead relatives.
A chubby, middle-aged woman clapped her hands drawing everyone's attention. "Hello, class!" she greeted vivaciously. "Thank you all for joining our class on...Child Birth‼!" she cried, arms raised high in emphasis. "This class is a five-hour, crash course in all things related to getting those little buns out of the oven!"
Jen pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. It's going to be a long day, she thought.