So I thought that double update would give me more than a two-day break between uploading.. haha, haha..
Ha ha.. no? I'm the only one laughing? *awkward silence then clears throat* right. Yes, I am well aware of how long of a break I took, and did I get much done story-wise during said break? No. I did not Px
..hope you all forgive me just the same..
Updates will continue to be regular-ish. I'll let you know ahead of time if they won't be :3
Happy Reading! :)
Summary: It's not that she drew the line at eight, it's that her and Gaston were getting older...
Number of years married: 21
Sons: 5
Daughters: 3
~:~ Some of us have changed ~:~
Her breath hitched and she tried to hide her sickness from the children and Gaston. She couldn't be… they couldn't have another… they were too old to take care of a newborn. Their youngest Amelia was six! She was meant to be the last one.
"Belle?" she heard Gaston's voice call her. He sounded confused and a little worried.
She shook her head, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and pleaded a short, "Leave me alone," as she headed straight for the bedroom. She slammed the door behind her.
The waterworks began and she curled beside the bedpost on the floor. She brought her knees to her chest and continued to sob. She was pushing forty-five for goodness sake! And still Gaston and her managed to have a little accident… Who was she kidding? He was the sort of man spouses couldn't keep their hands off of. It was a wonder all of their children hadn't been surprises.
The door unceremoniously swung open and she started.
Tear-tracks lined her troubled face but she still managed to angrily spit out, "Don't you ever knock!"
She hadn't expected a response from him and she didn't get one.
He ignored her and crossed the room, kneeling before her. He gently took her hands in his despite her protests and half-hearted and half-bitten "get away from me." He brought her knuckles to his lips and softly pressed her skin. Then he pulled her into him where her cries grew louder, thankful that he was not angry about it all.
Her bottom lip trembled and her voice hiccupped as she tried to ask, "H-how did you know?"
"You've been sick all week," he replied. "And the children aren't affected." He shrugged then pulled back. He looked at her - grey eyes uncertain. "I thought you couldn't-"
"So did I," she sighed weakly. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, still trembling. She relished in the feeling of his bulky arms around her… twenty-one years of marriage and Gaston had come around from being less all-about-him to caring.. and dare she say compassionate.
Silence settled between them for several minutes.
Then she shifted, playing with the ruffles of his white shirt under his waistcoat. "You want another son?"
Of course! That was the phrase on the tip of his tongue.
He let out a harsh breath and he remembered what happened before with Cedric and Amelia. He remembered how her face had gone deathly pale and there had been so much blood… It had truly taken him one more child to realize he would be lost without her.
"As long as I have you in the end, I do not care anymore," he grunted.
She hiccupped and her tears started up again. He pressed a kiss into her hair and held her tightly.
