Hello everybody!

Happy 11:25 at night! I'm so exhausted I'm going slightly crazy so I'll just keep this intro short and sweet.

Thanks to all reviewers! Ivanneth, thank you very much for your feedback and advice; I thought I was doing the whole speech thing wrong. I'll remember what you said for the rest of this story, even though the end of it is coming soon.

Oh yeah. And the bats under his eyes thing – that was pretty stupid of me, I'm sorry. I'm not at home right now but I'll replace that chapter when I go home to my other documents.

Reviews are nice. Really nice. Ah, reviews…

I just almost fell asleep on my keyboard. Please have some pity and review? =]

…….

The next day was the fourth of May, and Simon Alaverti was dead. He had been given his last chance before this, and as he was not from an important family, the Prince showed no mercy. He was dead by morning, although Tybalt had lead the awful plot.

Tybalt had an advantage – his family. When Mercutio heard he was going to live, he was almost sick. The Prince had warned Tybalt many times about his fighting in the street, and his life was supposed to be over as soon as Simon's was. The other men who had helped him scattered as soon as they learned the Montague's plan – or before. They knew Tybalt would lose, and that Allegra was a good maiden. Anyone with a decent heart knew Tybalt's life was the one that should have ended that day. Giovanni Capulet, as we have learned, did not have a decent heart.

Mercutio waited in another room when Giovanni met with the Prince. Mercutio listened at the door the entire time, hoping, praying, Giovanni would not win. Giovanni, somehow, convinced the Prince to have Tybalt spared. Mercutio kept a civil tongue until Giovanni and Tybalt were excused.

"Peace, good cousin." The Prince raised a hand for silence when Mercutio was halfway done with his furious rant. "He shall harm thy love no more. Dost thou trust me?"

"My lord, I trust thee more than nearly anyone," Mercutio said, "but I pray thee, tell me how thou art sure Tybalt shall no longer harm Allegra, and why he hath been excused for his attempt to murder his cousin!"

"He hath been excused," the Prince said, his booming voice cutting off Mercutio's, "because Allegra is no longer his cousin."

Mercutio stared. "What, my lord?"

"Allegra Capulet is no longer Allegra Capulet," the Prince explained, gesturing for Mercutio to sit down. "Her father thought 'twas best she was disowned."

"Wha –" Mercutio did not know what to say. "Where shall she live? Who shall … what shall happen to her? Who will protect her?"

"Thou hast proven thyself capable of protecting her, cousin," said the Prince, actually smiling. "She shall live with me."

"She shall?" Mercutio asked. The world seemed to spin in front of him. "Disowned, lord in heaven – my Allegra - my lord, dost thou know when she shall be let out of the hospital?"

Allegra had been taken to the hospital after she had been caught in the net and Simon had been arrested. The Prince had thought she needed it.

"To-morrow will be enough, I think. I know thou art eager to see her again," the Prince said calmly.

Mercutio sighed. "Marry. I miss her. My lord, thank thee for thy sympathy for her."

"No thanks are needed, my good cousin," said the Prince. "She is a charming young lady, good at heart, an idiot could tell that. Even a man as idiotic as Tybalt," he added under his breath. Mercutio grinned.

"And she is – if thou dost not mind my saying – a beauty, as well," the Prince nodded.

"'Tis only the truth, my lord," Mercutio said.

"I look forward to invite her the sanctuary of my home," the Prince said. "A very good young lady. I believe she would fit well in this noble family."

These last words were heard over and over again in Mercutio's mind. Mercutio did not object, and this was not because he feared objecting to the Prince. He was a favorite relative of the Prince's, the only joy in the Prince's life. Mercutio kept quiet at this because he thought, perhaps, the Prince was right; Allegra would fit well in the family, and it would take only one simple question to have her… if she would change her mind as well.

. . . . . . . .

Allegra was released from the hospital early. She had heard of Simon's death, and was shaken; she did not believe in ghosts, but this combined with everything else that she had found out that day made her extra fidgety. She could no longer call herself anyone's daughter, she no longer had a surname – it was what she had wanted for a very long time. Now that she had it, though, a large part of her life, her childhood, was gone. It was as though she had been born again that day. She would never speak to her family again, maybe she would not even see them.

On top of these, Allegra had learned something else that day. She did not know how to feel about it. Perhaps it would have been wiser for her to be nervous, but somehow she felt content. In fact, today she looked at her reflection in anything she saw on the street that resembled a mirror. She had never felt as womanly as she did this day, but while she felt very lovely and graceful today, she was as nervous now as she had been when she was almost killed yesterday. She could have confided in Juliet, who, while no longer her legal cousin, was still her best friend. She could have confided in Mercutio, her love, her savior, and her hero – he needed to know this most of all, as it obviously had so much to do with him. She could not tell him. She did not know how he would react. She could not repay him for all he had done for her with this! Still, though, he had to know. She wished she knew how he would respond. Just as she wished this, she thought of the one person she could confide in who knew Mercutio as well as she did, and ran to his house.

Benvolio embraced her when he saw her and let her in. This was the first time Allegra had seen his home. It was lovely, she thought, even though today she thought everything was lovely. Benvolio took her arm and led her to a sitting room, and let her sit down.

"I had thought thee still at the hospital," Benvolio said as he sat in the chair across from her.

"Nay, I was let out," Allegra replied. "How is Mercutio?"

"He is well," Benvolio said. "Here, allow me to send for him. He shall be elated to see thee well." He waved, and a manservant came in.

"Benvolio, I pray thee, wait," Allegra said. "There is something I have yet to tell someone." Benvolio nodded at his servant, who bowed and left.

"Before I tell anyone, even Mercutio, I must tell thee. Of all the men I know, thou art the wisest."

Benvolio blushed. "Oh, nay, I am sure I am not."

Allegra shook her head. "Thou art, I've no doubt. So I must tell thee." She took a deep breath, not sure how to begin.

"Art thou sure thou canst not tell Mercutio now?" Benvolio asked, and Allegra let out her breath through a sigh. "He hath told thee what he doth when he is longeth for thee. He stayeth awake at night, skipeth meals, tends to behave strangely –"

"Benvolio!"

Benvolio stopped.

"Say that again," Allegra said, her heart beating wildly.

Benvolio blinked. "What, Allegra?"

"What doth Mercutio do when he misses me?"

Benvolio looked a bit alarmed. "Erm, he acteth strangely, though one can hardly say he doth not do that normally."

"Nay, not that. Before that," Allegra said.

"He stayeth awake at night?" asked Benvolio.

"Nay." Allegra tried to hold onto her patience. "After that!"

"Ah, he skippeth meals?" Benvolio said.

"Ay!" Allegra yelled. "Yes! That!"

"What of it?" Benvolio asked.

Allegra was on her feet before she realized it. "Skip, Ben. Skip."

"Yes, he doth." Benvolio raised his eyebrows.

"No, no! I have skipped, Ben!"

"Oh, I do apologize," Benvolio said. "I knew not thou did not break thy fast." He gestured to a fruit bowl on the table. "Help thyself."

"Nay!" Allegra cried, and then felt bad when she saw his shocked expression. "Nay, thank thee. Nay. I have skipped something else."

Benvolio froze for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "What hast thou skipped?"

"My –" Allegra realized she could not say the exact word without being thought inappropriate. "Dost thou recall when Mercutio and I met?"

"Six weeks ago?" Benvolio guessed.

Allegra nodded. "Yes. And when did he and I…" her voice trailed off.

"What? Oh! Oh." Benvolio jumped. "That. Yes. I was, ehem, fortunate enough to hear of that night. Thy love always doth insist on putting every detail into every story. Yes. A month ago."

"Well, the good people at the hospital have told me something. Something unbelievable. I am not sick," she added when Benvolio looked worried. "'Tis not awful news, not awful. Well, perhaps 'tis. Oh, I know not!"

"What's this news?" Benvolio asked.

Allegra took two fruit from the bowl. "This is me," she said of one of them. "And this is Mercutio. One day, we met, and the same day, we did…. this…." She hit the two fruit together once. "…and later, this…" She hit them together again, harder. "And now we shall –" Her voice trailed off.

Benvolio looked at his feet, deep in thought. "Mercutio was the peach?"

Allegra almost dropped the fruit. Had she not just said a few minutes ago that Benvolio was the smartest man she knew? She put the fruit down and pointed to her stomach.

"Benvolio, what is this?" she asked.

"Why, thy navel."

"Something doth grow in there."

Benvolio thought about it, then looked at Allegra for a moment. Allegra smiled.

"Allegra…" Benvolio whispered.

"Ay?" Allegra said eagerly.

"You have an ulcer?"

"GAH!" Allegra threw her arms up in the air. "NAY! I DO NOT HAVE AN ULCER! SHALL I WAVE IT IN THY FACE LIKE A FLAG, BENVOLIO? I HAVE NOT AN ULCER! I HAVE A BABY! I AM GOING TO HAVE A BABY!"

Benvolio beamed. "I know," he said, and then ran to embrace her again, this time with such power Allegra thought he would break her.