Author's Notes: Lol, either one. Though I did play a pretty nutty game of Life the other day (and lost, phht, but oh well.) Only two more chapters to go! Eee!
Here's the next chapter! This chapter's a bit short, but I like it. The next one will be a lot longer. Enjoy...
The evening breeze was rather chilly, but that didn't stop Elaine from standing out on the balcony and looking at the stars. She'd always loved the cold weather, even during the days of living in the Stella, when it wasn't too much warmer inside than outside. When they had lived in Venice, she hadn't seen a single snowflake all winter long, and she was looking forward to the snow London had around this time.
Elaine heard the sliding door from behind her open and didn't turn around, knowing that it was probably Scipio. Indeed, a moment later he was standing beside her and asking, "What're you doing?"
"Just looking at the stars. And thinking about stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" He propped his elbows on the railing and looked up at the sky with her.
"How it never snowed in Venice. Apparently it snows like crazy here every winter, which I'm actually pretty excited about. I haven't seen snow too much in my life."
"Well, you should be excited. You'll be able to throw snowballs at Riccio and laugh at him."
Elaine smiled at him, but her smile faded after a few seconds and she looked back at the stars. Scipio knew there was something on her mind that was bothering her, and tried to get her to say what it was.
"Are you thinking about anything else? Is something wrong?"
"No, it's just..." She sighed. "Nothing. Nevermind."
"Come on, Elaine, you can tell me what it is."
"I...well...I'm just worried about when the baby comes. It's not just the fact that it's gonna hurt like hell, I'm just scared that something will go wrong. I've heard all sorts of bad stories about women giving birth where they or the baby die or they have all these medical problems for years to come...I'm really nervous about the whole thing."
"Everything will be fine," said Scipio. "I promise."
"I know, it's just..." Elaine decided to agree with him, or pretend to, anyway, because he always got upset when she was feeling down, and she didn't want that to happen. Besides, this was one thing that no amount of reassurance from anyone allowed her mind to allay her fears. This was something she would have to go through alone. "It's nothing, Scip. I'm sure it'll all be okay."
"Yes, it will be."
Nobody spoke. After a moment, Scipio moved his hand so that it was around Elaine's, and she smiled at him. They gazed at the sky; a few clouds dotted it, but otherwise it was a very clear night.
"You know, I've been thinking," he said finally. "About the wedding and stuff. We haven't really decided on a date yet, have we?"
"No," said Elaine, looking down at her hand, watching the moonlight glint off of the diamond ring. "But I want it to be soon, before I get any bigger. I don't want to look like an elephant on my wedding day." She was exactly seven months pregnant today, and her stomach was rather large; she'd have to go shopping for more maternity clothes soon, as her clothes barely fit her.
"You won't be---" Scipio protested.
"No, really, I will. I feel self-conscious as hell every day, so how do you expect me to feel any different on my wedding day? I'd prefer it sooner than later."
"Whatever you want. Just don't stress over the whole thing, because it's not---"
"---good for the baby, I know," finished Elaine for him. "Believe me, Madalyn and Hornet have already practically driven themselves to tears with all the crazy planning they've been doing for it lately. They'd do the whole thing if we asked them to. It's already taken care of, Scip, don't worry about me."
"Oh, okay. Well, that's good."
"Mmm-hmm. And speaking of not really deciding on things...what are we going to name the baby?"
"Well, we did decide on Ellen as the middle name, didn't we?" asked Scipio.
"Yeah, we did, but what about a first name?"
Scipio shrugged. "I don't know."
"Well, you're a lot of help," said Elaine sarcastically, grinning at him.
"I know I am."
"But, anyway, I think I've come up with a good name. I mean, you may or not agree with me on it, and if so, that's okay, but I'd really like to name her this..."
"And what would that name be?" Scipio asked her.
"Elaine, you have to get over here right now," said Madalyn's forceful voice over the phone. Elaine sleepily rubbed her eyes; she hated being woken up at 7:00 in the morning by a ringing phone, especially when she was so far along in her pregnancy.
"W-Why?" yawned Elaine.
"Remy's parents are flying in about right this second. And your mom."
"Wait...what?"
"Remy's parents are coming to London, Elaine. Right now. With your mom."
"Why?" Elaine asked again.
"Didn't you read the newspaper this morning?"
"Well, no, because I was too busy sleeping---"
"She's been caught, Millian, about twenty minutes away from my house. Apparently it's not only Remy she's...murdered."
Elaine's mind suddenly went blank and everything else seemed to fade away but one thought: They've got here, they've finally got her..."Oh, my God..."
"Yeah, and apparently friends and family of Remy are supposed to go to this court somewhere a few days from now for the trial---"
"But that's...I can't believe it. Why's my mom coming?"
"Because she wanted to see you," said Madalyn, and she hesistated for a bit before continuing on: "...and be there for your wedding."
"Wait up a second. What the hell are you talking about, Madalyn? My mom doesn't give a shit about me---"
"Well, she does now," Madalyn responded.
"But...It's 7 in the morning, Madalyn. I'm tired and pregnant. I can't---"
"Elaine, you know that you're just making this up because you don't want to see her," Madalyn told her. It was as though she'd read her mind. "Listen, they'll all be at the airport soon, and if you don't want to see your mom then that's okay, but I just wanted to call you if you did," she went on, voice now gentler, softer.
"I---" Elaine stopped herself from continuing that sentence. "Are you going to meet Remy's parents there?"
"Yes. You're welcome to go with me, but you have to come really soon."
"Well..." But Elaine was already walking up the stairs to she and Scipio's bedroom, ready to get dressed, brush her hair, and leave. "I'll be over at your house in about ten minutes, okay, Maddi?"
"I'll see you then, Elaine..."