This chapter is still in between 5 and 6 of A Red and a Blue. All of them will be from here on unless otherwise indicated.

Warning: This chapter contains sensuality and character peril. You have been warned!

Chapter 2: Complications

The first thing I was aware of was how I was feeling. I felt warm, comfortable… content. I didn't want to open my eyes for fear of losing this placidity.

"Are you awake..?"

I sighed and cracked open my eyes to see Petruchio hovering anxiously over me.

"Yes darling." I said, letting myself wake up completely. I leaned up to kiss him but only made it halfway before I found myself unable to move any further.

He chuckled at my attempt and leaned down to meet me with his lips. "How much longer do you think?" He asked with a hint of nervousness as we broke our kiss.

I glanced at my bulging stomach. "The midwife said it could be any day now." I reminded him for the eighth time. I struggled to sit up again and had to be assisted by him to reach a sitting position. I groaned and rubbed my belly. "I do hope it's soon though… she's starting to get rather cumbersome…"

"She?" He sounded shocked. "How do you know it's a girl?"

I laughed at him now. "I don't." I admitted. "But I just have a feeling you'll have a daughter in a few days."

"I don't think you should be making any assumptions…" He began carefully.

I was surprised at this. "You prefer a son?" I asked.
He kissed me again. "Not necessarily." He said as we pulled apart. "I just feel like a boy would handle these rough times better than a girl would."

I raised an eyebrow and felt the corner of my mouth twitch up in a half-smile. "Well that's not sexist at all…" My voice was heavy with sarcasm.

My response made him flustered. "I only meant that I would be more afraid for a daughter than I would for a son! It doesn't mean I would love her any less." He stared happily at my bulge. "I'll always love my child…" I watched him, admiring the way he showed his affection for our unborn child. I remembered how overjoyed he had been when I had told him the news. He had kissed me long and hard and scooped me up into his arms with a joyous laugh. But as the weeks went on and the child grew larger, he had slowly become more and more protective towards us both. So much so that he almost seemed afraid to touch me. As if I might shatter under his caress. It was hard to believe that the charming, passionate man I had married had changed so much in the few weeks that he had known he would be a father. He almost wasn't the same man I married. I missed that man so much.

Gently, I picked up his hand and pulled it towards my stomach. He let me guide him to the highest point of the bump and place his hand on it. I covered his hand with my own.

"Has this child made you love me any less?" I asked abruptly.

He looked up, shocked. "What…?"

I sighed and moved his hand further up, towards my chest. "I miss you Petruchio… I don't want this baby to come between us like this."

He was staring down at his hand as if lost. "I… I…" I knew what he was trying to say; he missed me too. But he didn't want to hurt me… or the baby.

I caught his face between my hands, cutting off his stammering. "I'm stronger than you think…" Softly, I brought our lips closer. "And so is your child…" I whispered, and then kissed him passionately.

After a second's hesitation, he kissed me back. Softly, one of his hands began to explore my body, sliding off my chest down towards my thigh, gently caressing my round stomach on its way. I arched my back at his touch, exposing my neck. I felt him gently brush his lips against my throat the way he used to and a small cry of pleasure escaped me. His hand finally reached my thigh and gave it the smallest of squeezes. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed against him, wanting more, craving the feel of him that had been absent for so long. We were so close now…the baby bump was the only thing keeping us apart. I pressed my forehead against his and took a deep breath of his scent: warm and earthy. I could hear his own breath coming in short, quick gasps.

Our moment was abruptly interrupted as a blue warrior came tearing into our room.

"Reds, My Lord!" He shouted, seeming completely ignorant of how close Petruchio and I were and our position on our bed. "Reds are in the garden!"

Despite the circumstances and my annoyance at this warrior, I still froze in shock at the words. Words very similar to those that haunted my dreams in my mother's voice: Reds! Reds are climbing the wall!

Petruchio sighed quietly but turned to face the warrior urgently.

"I'll be right there."

The warrior ran out.

He gently pushed me off and stood up. "Sorry Katherine. We'll have to come back to this…" He crossed the room and began pulling on his jacket.

"Wait..!" I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, not wanting to let him out of my sight. A sudden fear gripped me that made me feel that if I wasn't with him, I was never going to feel him again. "I'm coming too…" I protested, struggling to stand up.

Petruchio crossed back to the bed and knelt so his beautiful gray-blue eyes were level with mine. Softly, he placed his large, warm hand over my stomach. "Let me handle this. You're too delicate right now." I knew what he meant but it didn't stop me from feeling the tiniest bit offended that he didn't think I was strong, even after our recent conversation. He smiled lovingly at me and stroked my face with his free hand. "I'll be back before you know it." He whispered to me. "Stay here and keep our child safe…" He leaned in and kissed my lips one final time, holding the kiss just long enough that a hint of our interrupted passion was conveyed in it. He then rose and left.

I tried to climb to my feet to follow him but the baby made it difficult. I was getting so large now that simple tasks like standing and crouching were Herculean.

One hand on my stomach to help me balance, I somehow managed to stand and totter over to the door to see what was happening.

The reds were in our garden again. They seemed to enjoy trying to break in of late but we usually chased them out before they did any real damage. As I scanned the crowd of blue and red hats I found myself searching, not for Petruchio's half-bent hat but (to my horror) for a straight hat of a totally different color. Disgusted with myself, I searched from my husband instead.

Finally I saw him; spade in hand, screaming his battle cry as he ran towards the knot of gnomes.

The other blue warriors cheered as their fearless leader joined the fray.

"Blasted reds! Get out of our garden!" Petruchio yelled as he descended on them.

If those red warriors hadn't been my sworn enemies, I would have felt sorry for them. When my husband got worked up like this, it was terrifying. I had heard the nicknames some of our warriors called him behind his back. 'Blue Smash', 'Shovel Warrior' and my personal favorite: 'the Blue Devil'. The reds scattered, heading for a length of rope hanging over the wall. All but one. A muscular gnome with a thin white beard and a broken hat who wielded nothing but a small shovel of his own turned to face Petruchio and fight. I admired his courage; it took a truly tough gnome to face my husband head on. I watched the broken-hat red. He seemed familiar… I stepped outside the shed to get a better look, walking carefully over to the path, my eyes not leaving him as he traded hits with Petruchio.

I wonder what happened to his…. I gasped as it hit me. Suddenly I knew why he was so familiar. I had broken his hat. It was Ulrich, Lord Redbrick's little brother.

"All Reds! All Reds, retreat!"

The voice startled me and my heart leapt as I finally saw him: Cleon Redbrick. My momentary joy was immediately replaced by hatred as I remembered what he had done to me and that he was no longer my friend but my sworn enemy.

He was at the bottom of the rope, covering his troops' escape as he searched for his brother amid the chaos. The rest of his warriors were clambering back up the rope into their garden. Only Ulrich remained, locked in combat with the 'Blue Devil'.

"Ulrich! Retreat! That's an order!" He yelled. When his brother didn't run, he dashed forward instead.

He swung his staff out at my husband as he approached. I gasped as I recalled a similar attack; one that had cost my father his life… only this time Petruchio dodged and there was no red female to hurl a rock at him.

Redbrick grabbed his brother by the arm and began dragging him towards the wall.

"I told you to retreat!" I heard him say to his brother.

My husband took off after them; he wasn't going to let any red escape his garden unscathed. Cleon's back was turned away from Petruchio but Ulrich was still facing his opponent. He struggled in his brother's grip, trying to get back at my husband as he bore down on them.

They were passing a large pile of hardened clay pots, stacked precariously next to the fence by Ms. Montague (our owner) for some unknown reason. As the three reached the narrow bottom of the pile (Cleon single-mindedly dragging Ulrich, Ulrich trying to jerk himself out of Cleon's grip and my husband running flat-out after them) I knew what would happen. No….no…! I started forward, slowed considerably by my enormous baby bulge. I can't lose him… I can't…

I had barely taken three steps when it happened. Ulrich gave a particularly strong jerk and broke free of his brother's restraint. His momentum carried him just a little too far and… he knocked into the unstable pile of pots. The tower began to move, gravity taking it down. Ulrich was on the edge and threw himself out of the way but my eyes were on Petruchio: running too fast, unaware of the danger…

I was screaming but I heard nothing. It was just like that day…. Only this time, instead of my parents… it was my husband I could not save. He looked up and finally saw the danger but it was too late…

With a horrible sound of dozens of pots tumbling over and cracking, death overtook my husband and took him away from me forever.

I shouldn't be here. I thought as I fended off the attack of a blue warrior. I should be with Ophelia…

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what were we doing here again. This certainly wasn't my revenge on Lady Blueberry for her insult a few weeks ago. No, all I knew was I had been at Nell's home with my pregnant wife and Alarbus had dashed in blubbering something about how the blues had somehow found a way to get snails in among our daisies, causing them to wither and die early. While I was trying to calm him down, Ulrich had overheard and urged me to take action.

"We can't just let this go!" He had said to me angrily. "Those blues need to pay for this!"

I really hadn't wanted too (I mean for one, there was no contrite proof and two, I was in the middle of an important midwife check-up for Ophelia who was well into her 10th week) but then Ulrich started organizing a raid and I found myself helping him. After all, I understood his want for revenge. He had once been one of the most versatile warriors in the garden. But thanks to an injury caused by a certain blue… he just wasn't the same. It had made him a bitter blue-hater that they had cost him his skills so young.

And I was, after all his leader. And his older brother. It was my job to unsure that my garden was happy and safe. So here I was. Fighting the blues again.

A sudden, chilling battle-cry broke through my thoughts. Everyone seemed to freeze and turn towards the noise. The blues began to cheer and I felt my heart sink. It was the 'Blue-Devil', Lord Blueberry himself.

"Blasted reds! Get out of our garden!" he yelled, branding his signature weapon: a sharp spade. I knew we couldn't win against him. Apparently my warriors knew it too.

"All Reds! All Reds, retreat!" I yelled as my troops scattered, running for the rope that led to safety.

I scampered after them, coveting their retreat as the blues tried to surround us. I counted the reds as they climbed past me: four… five…six… One was missing. Without even checking, I knew who it was. Ulrich was fighting Lord Blueberry: his shovel blazing in the morning sun as they traded hits.

"Ulrich! Retreat! That's an order!" I yelled to him. He gave no indication that he had heard me; he aimed a hard swing at 'the Devil's' hat which the blue dodged. He's not leaving… I realized, exasperated. Always looking for trouble… I shook my head. Strong and brave warrior he may be, Ulrich had no sense sometimes.

I ran forward to get Ulrich out. I wasn't going to let him die here. I had to kill him myself first.

I made a wide swing with my staff to force Lord Blueberry back. As he jumped out of the way, I grabbed Ulrich by the arm and began pulling him away.

"I told you to retreat!" I hissed at him as I pulled him away. He didn't respond, he was struggling against my hold desperately. I just kept walking, pulling him with me. The only thought on my mind was getting to the rope and getting him up it.

We were halfway there when he finally managed to break my grip.

Behind me, there was a cocoon of smashing sounds. I turned in time to see my brother throw himself out of the way of a cascade of pots and Lord Blueberry disappearing under those same pots. Amid all the other sounds of pottery cracking, I could've sworn I heard ceramics breaking.

"NOOOO!"

The voice was familiar. Too familiar. Why does she have to be here..? I saw Lady Blueberry racing unsteadily for the pile of broken pottery in the middle of the yard, no doubt focusing on the palatable pile of blue ceramic pieces among them; all that remained of her husband. I looked away. Then did a double- take. Oh no… no...no..!

Her belly was full and round, just like she too were carrying a child. I could tell she was further along than Ophelia was… much further along. And now she was alone.

A strange emotion filled me that was difficult to describe (to say the least). It was like… something was wrong… but not with anyone or anything else… with me. I was the thing that was wrong here.

She finally reached what remained of Lord Blueberry and sank to her knees among the pieces. I could see her tears. All my thoughts abandoned me and I took a step towards her. Ulrich grabbed my arm.

"Come on!" I let him pull me towards the escape rope but my heart was still back there with Katherine as she wept. Why did I want to dry her tears? Why did I want to take her in my arms and promise that everything would be okay? She didn't want that from me. She didn't want me anywhere near her. Especially now. The reality I'd once had was impossible, lost in the confusion of life.

I slid down the rope back into my garden, the cheering of the reds about the death of the 'Blue-Devil' muted by my emotions. My brother was being congratulated for his part in the accident. I walked slowly back toward Nell's where my own wife and unborn child were waiting. My red wife. I tried to focus on Ophelia and our child but the sight of a hugely pregnant Katherine had rooted itself in my mind like a weed. I remembered when she had been so innocent, so full of life and I had let myself love her for it. Then I had ruined her. I had stolen away her innocence the day I'd attacked her garden and watched her parents die.

I stopped walking; I was outside Nell's hut now. I stared at the sky for answers. If only we'd never left the Lawrence garden that day… we could've stayed their forever and Kat would…

I shook my head to clear it of the outrageous thought and tried to compose myself before entering Nell's hut. This is my life now… I have responsibilities and I have Ophelia… the best wife I could hope for… no use drawling in the past. The thoughts momentarily squashed the regret in my heart. I walked back inside to join my family.

I couldn't admit even to myself that not so long ago there had been a time when I wished the child Katherine was carrying now would have been mine. I couldn't admit that that wish to be with her was still a desperate hope I clung too.

I crouched down next to the pieces of my husband, unable to hold back my tears. Why…? Why? I wanted to chase after every single one of those reds and break them into pieces. Especially him. He had to pay for this. But even if I could move, I wouldn't have been able to catch them. With the baby weighing me down…

I felt something move. I was so shocked I stood up rather quickly, one hand jumping to my swollen belly. I let out a tiny laugh as I felt it again…. A tiny wiggle inside me, the beginning of a kick.

For one moment, the happiness and awe I felt associated with feeling my child move for the first time overcame the tragedy of the moment. But not for long.

My husband would never meet this child. His child. Our only child.

"My lady?" The midwife was at my side. "Are you alright dearie? Is it time?" I knew she was trying to distract me from the blue pieces of my husband on the ground by making me think about the life inside me.

I shook my head. "No…. no they're just moving…"

I rubbed my stomach carefully as the child moved again. It's alright… I thought to the baby. Calm down… I'll… l miss your father too… but we still have each other…

The midwife was still speaking. "How tragic that the poor child's father should die before they ever met…" She gazed down at the blue pieces on the ground. "We'll tell stories of him for years to come…"

I could feel tears coming again as more gnomes began to crowd around what remained of their fallen hero, offering condolences and whatnot. It was too much like what happened when my parents died and I hated it. I looked away, over to the opposite side of the yard.

My husband, my rock, the father of my child was gone. GONE. I would never see him again, never be touched by him again… Never hold our child with him…

I wanted a shoulder to cry on, someone to support me, someone who cared for me. But there was no one. Not anymore.

Through my tears, I saw a small tree take shape. It was beginning to bloom: small, lilac flowers were bursting into life along the branches of our wisteria. The wisteria I had planted with Petruchio. I had watched him care for that tree night and day… the tree that had been given to me by my former best friend… the day he betrayed my trust.

Cleon Redbrick.

Suddenly, I knew what my revenge would be. I wiped away my tears and stood tall pushing down the emotional pain filling my heart. I was the leader of the blue garden now. I had to be strong for them and command their respect the way Petruchio had. I couldn't rely on anyone else to support me anymore.

"I want the wisteria moved." I said abruptly. Everyone around me fell silent.

"Where to My Lady?" I heard someone ask tentatively.

I looked around, and then smiled haughtily as I thought of the perfect place. Yes… So they can both see it…

"Right there." I said pointing my finger to the spot where it would remain forever.

Sorry if I offended anyone with the momentary sensuality. I just thought they should have one last somewhat passionate moment together before Gnomeo's father dies. And honestly, it wasn't that bad was it?

I feel horrible for killing off Gnomeo's dad so early but I got the impression in the movie that he wasn't that close to him.

Review are welcome! Next chapter: maybe… The birth of Gnomeo? O_O