**I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. Those belong to Hiro Mashima.

So here's chapter 8 of Fiery Jade. I'm thinking this won't go much more than 12 chapters total, so we're getting to the end of this one. I'm going to try to update "The Size of His Heart" next since I haven't updated that one for a long time, and it's also getting close to the end.

I'll also be writing a "Natsu gets sent back in time" story after I finish at least 2 of my current stories. That story was a request from Natsu2105.

The last story I have planned, once I finish up all besides the lengthy, ongoing stories, is a NatsuxIrene story, but that's still a ways in the future. I need to finish at least one or two of the stories I have going right now before then.

Thanks for the reviews and suggestions. Happy reading! Don't forget to drop a review if you like!**

Wendy sighed, resting her head in her hands as she sat at the empty table. After Natsu first left to live at the palace, the others had done their best to fill the void left by her surrogate big brother's absence. But after a couple weeks, things were back to normal. Well, with a few exceptions.

The first major exception was that Team Natsu was disbanded. Other than the one quest they'd been able to go on with Natsu, the wizards that formerly made up Team Natsu had either formed new teams or, in Erza's case, gone back to solo jobs. Gray, Juvia, Lucy, and Cana formed a team. Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman had also formed a team, and it was without doubt one of the strongest in Fiore. The Raijinshuu continued to form their own team in support of Laxus, who didn't really need any support but accepted it anyway.

So most days Wendy was alone with Carla. There was small talk between her and other members, but her usual smile and timid manner seemed to prevent people from realizing that she was beginning to feel lonely. Funny how you could feel lonely in such a large guild…

But then, Natsu Dragneel, the reason she was in the guild in the first place, and the reason she came back from Lamia, was gone. She knew he didn't have a choice in the matter, but she couldn't help feeling a little abandoned.

So today was another normal day for Wendy, sitting alone at her table. Well, not quite alone. Carla, her best friend and possibly the only one who could actually see that she was still suffering from the pink-haired dragon slayer's absence.

"I know you miss him child, but you have to move on with your life sometime." Carla was saying. "Any team in the guild would be glad to have you join."

"I know," Wendy said with a smile. "But it's hard. I just don't feel as confident as I did when I knew Natsu-nii would always be there for me… And I honestly don't really want to join any of the other teams. I wouldn't mind going with Erza-san, but she prefers to go alone."

Wendy was pretty sure that Erza's reversion to taking jobs as a solo mage was also a result of Natsu's departure. From the time she spent with the guild, Wendy saw that the pink-haired boy had been instrumental in Erza's ability to become more open with her teammates. And his departure hit the scarlet-haired mage hard, though you almost couldn't tell. Wendy could, because as somebody else who was deeply affected by her big brother's absence she felt many of the same things and hid them under the pretense of her regular cheerful, but timid, demeanor. The knight was much the same, returning to her disciplinarian methods and distancing herself from the rest of the guild again. She would only check in between jobs to see if they heard anything from Natsu yet.

"We're back!" Lucy's voice interrupted Wendy's thoughts as Team Gray came in through the doors (A/N Yes, I just did that).

"That's right," the ice mage's voice echoed through the door. "Fairy Tail's most awesome team has returned!"

"Oh please," Romeo spoke up, voicing what Wendy and most of the rest of the guild would only dare think at this juncture. "Just because you used to be part of the most awesome team doesn't mean your new team is just as awesome. We all know Team Strauss is the current most awesome team in Fairy Tail."

"Pff – Team Gray is way cooler than Team Natsu ever was," Gray said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to announce my successful mission to Kinana."

"Maybe you should put some clothes on first," Macao commented.

"Gah!" Gray instantly started looking for his clothes while the rest of the team went to talk to Kinana about the job request. Wendy sighed as she looked down at her table. Gray was another reason she didn't talk to most of the former Team Natsu much. Even though she knew the ice mage was dealing with the fire mage's absence in his own way, she didn't really like the way he constantly had to try to make up for Natsu's absence by trying (and failing) to be more like the dragon slayer.

"Wendy," Wendy looked up to see Porlyusica calling to her from the infirmary. "Can you come here? I could use your help."

"Coming, Porlyusica-san." Wendy smiled a little as she got up. Even though Porlyusica was still as grumpy as ever, she enjoyed the times she would call her back to help with injured guild members. Mostly because it made her feel really useful, a feeling she didn't get much now that she wasn't out on missions with Team Natsu anymore. She came back to the infirmary, with Carla right behind her, to find Jet and Droy, both badly beaten. Gajeel was nearby, looking in bad shape for the dragon slayer, though not nearly as bad as Jet and Droy. Levy was also there, and she was the least injured of the group.

"What happened?" Wendy asked, staring at the group with wide eyes.

"Jet and Droy tailed Levy and Gajeel on an S-class mission again," Porlyusica replied with a sigh. "They're still obsessed with proving their strong enough to be part of Team Shadow Gear. And it appears the dark mages Gajeel and Levy were fighting discovered they were there and decided to use it against them."

Wendy sighed as she set about healing Droy, who seemed to have gotten the worst of it, first. He had several internal injuries that could've been life threatening if they'd gone untreated much longer. Jet wasn't in much better shape.

She was just finishing healing Jet when her sharp dragon ears caught her name, and she tuned in quickly.

"Tell him thank you for his offer, but I'm sure Wendy would rather stay right here with Fairy Tail." Gray's voice.

"I'd rather hear it from Wendy herself," an unknown male voice said firmly. "She would still be part of the guild if she wanted to anyway."

"Wendy's busy right now, but I can tell you she doesn't want to leave her family." Gray answered. "That's your answer."

Wendy was curious. Who was this man and what exactly was he offering that he apparently thought would entice her away from Fairy Tail? There was only one thing that might sway her to move away from the guild she'd come to call home…

"If Wendy is unavailable, I will wait till she returns." The unfamiliar voice spoke again.

"I told you there's no need for that. You can go back and tell his high and mightiness that Wendy would rather stay right here with her family. And he of all people should know that."

"I'm sorry, but the prince specifically instructed me to come back with an answer directly from Wendy. I have no desire to disobey the prince by returning without speaking to the girl directly."

The prince? Did this mean the conversation had something to do with Natsu-nii? Wendy's heart fluttered as she finished healing Gajeel's injuries. "Excuse me, Porlyusica-san, but I have to go." She turned and headed out of the infirmary toward the bar. She saw Gray, actually clothed for once, talking to two men in the rune knight uniform. She offered them a smile as she approached. "Hello, Gray-san, is there a problem?"

"No," Gray said, glaring at the knights. "These two were just leaving."

The knights ignored him, turning to Wendy. The one on her right spoke, his voice identifying him as the same one who was speaking to Gray earlier. "Ah. You must be miss Wendy. I have a message or you from Prince Natsu Dragneel."

"Natsu-nii?" Wendy couldn't hold back her excitement. "What did he say?"

"The prince invites you and Carla to come live at the palace with the royal family. If you accept his offer, you will remain a part of Fairy Tail and will be free to come and go as you choose, but the Palace will become your home and you will be given a room close to the Prince and the Princess. The conditions, which the prince requested that I inform you are not his idea, are that you sign this paper officially making the prince your guardian. Of course, should you accept, you will also be granted a certain allowance from the Royal treasuries, not to exceed 500,000 jewels a month up to your 18th birthday."

He then turned to Carla. "I was also instructed by the prince's talking cat to bring you this." He opened his bag and pulled out a fresh-looking fish nearly 3 feet long.

"I keep telling that he-cat I don't want fish!" Carla exclaimed in annoyance as everyone around burst out laughing. Despite her annoyed tone, the white exceed's cheeks were tinted pink.

"I…" Wendy looked around, lost for words. She'd wished many times as she lay alone in Fairy Hills that she could be with her big brother again, but now that the opportunity was presented to her she didn't know what to say. This was the only family she had after all, well, minus Natsu-nii, of course. But could she really just pack up and go live in the palace? Was being with Natsu-nii important enough to leave the rest of the guild behind?

"Wendy, don't tell me you're actually considering this ridiculous invitation," Gray said in an irritated manner from the bar.

Wendy blushed and tried to stutter out a response, unable to answer the question since she hadn't made a decision yet. But she knew despite her efforts, nothing coherent came out.

"If Wendy is considering the invitation, that's none of your concern." Thank the gods for Carla. Other people might've been embarrassed to always have the exceed looking out for them, but Wendy was grateful to Carla. She couldn't count the number of times the white exceed said something that she didn't have the courage to tell people.

"But you can't go live at the palace," Gray said, slamming his beer down on the bar. "Your family is here!"

"Natsu-nii is family too…" She muttered, knowing that of everything she said Natsu's name was probably the only thing anyone else could hear.

"Going off to pursue your crush little girl?" This came from Katya, a fairly new addition to Fairy Tail. "In case you've forgotten, he's married. And I'm pretty sure the princess won't be too willing to share him."

Wendy felt her hands ball up into fists at her side as tears came to her eyes. She didn't see Natsu-nii like that. Maybe she did once, but now he was just a brother. Someone to look up to. To share life with as a sibling.

"I don't like how she said it, but Katya's right you know," Gray said with a slight frown.

"I know I can't be Natsu-nii's mate!" Wendy didn't know how her voice escaped or where it found the power to come out so loud and firm. "I just want to be his little sister! Just let me think, everyone!"

"Think all you want, but remember we need you here at Fairy Tail. Natsu has all the guards and mages he'll ever need at the palace. He doesn't need you there."

Wendy looked down at the ground. He was right. Natsu-nii probably wouldn't even notice her if she lived at the palace. He would be too busy with his princess and his duties as prince. He was a prince now. Why would a prince want someone as weak and timid as her as a sister?

"If Natsu didn't want her there, why would he invite her to come?" Carla's voice snapped Wendy's mind back to reality, and she started thinking about it. Natsu had showed a lot of interest in her over the past few months, making sure to keep in regular contact despite his busy life.

"He probably just pities her," Katya's voice again. Wendy really didn't like the black-haired girl. From the time she first came to the guild, she seemed to have some kind of vendetta against Wendy. "He feels sorry for her because he know she's a weakling who will never make a real contribution to the guild."

Wendy felt tears come to her eyes unbidden, even as she heard Lucy reprimand Katya for her statement. But with the tears came her anger, and a firm resolve. She picked up her head, her voice once again finding strength to make itself heard despite opposition.

"If you guys needed me so much, why is it that none of you even make time to talk to me most of the time?" Her mind went to her top drawer in Fairy Hills, already filled with handwritten letters. "Natsu-nii takes the time to talk to me every night," she said, a small smile coming to her face at the thought and her mood calming almost instantly. "I have an entire drawer filled with letters he's written to me over the past few months about life in the castle. Even though he's far away, he's still thinking about me every day. I think…" She felt tears come to her eyes again as she spoke the words. "I think Natsu-nii somehow knew I would be lonely, and that's why he sent so many letters."

Wendy's smile widened. Her guildmates just gave her some great reasons to follow what her heart was telling her. "But I need to thank you, both Gray-san and Katya-san. You made me realize there's no need for me to feel guilty about what I'm going to choose."

Gray smiled, completely misinterpreting her statement. "That's right Wendy, you know fire prick will understand."

Wendy turned to the rune knights, ignoring Gray's comment. "Please tell Natsu-nii I would be happy to live in the palace with him. I'll leave on the first train tomorrow. I would just like today to say goodbye to my other friends at the guild and pack up my things." She quickly took the legal document brought by the rune knights and signed it with the quill at the bar.

"His highness will be most pleased," the rune knight replied with a smile. He then turned and headed out of the guild, closely followed by his partner.

Wendy realized everyone at the guild was staring at her. She tried to shrink into the bar as her old timid self returned.

"I'm surprised at you Wendy," Gray said. "Just leaving like this after everything we've done for you."

"I-I'm still part of Fairy Tail," Wendy muttered, staring at the ground.

"Speak up Wendy," Katya said. "We can't hear you when you mumble like a little bitch."

"She said she's still part of Fairy Tail and she'll still come and see you all frequently," Carla said, her face as stern as ever. She started heading for the door. "I'm gonna' get a head start on packing, Wendy." She said. "And don't worry about everyone else. They're just jealous."

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous of someone going to live in the castle with that flame-brained prick?" Gray's question fell on deaf ears as Carla calmly headed out the doors to the guild.

"What's this about going to live with the future king, who I'm certain I couldn't have just heard someone refer to as a 'flame brained prick?'" A stern female voice caused Wendy to smile again, but Gray just shivered in fear.

"Oh Erza, when did you get back?" Gray asked, a tense smile on his face.

"Just now, and you're lucky my mission went so well or I would have to punish you right now." Erza replied, looking around the guild. "Now I haven't heard an answer to my question yet."

"Natsu-nii offered to let me live in the castle with him, Erza-san." Wendy answered the red-haired mage. "So Carla and I are going to pack today."

"I see," a slight shadow passed over Erza's face, but she smiled at the blue-haired dragon slayer. "We'll miss you at the guild, Wendy."

Wendy returned the smile. "I'll miss you all too. Especially you, Erza." During the short time between her jobs, Erza surprised Wendy by seeing through her smiling and nonchalance and talking to her a lot about her loneliness for her big brother figure. Because of this, Erza also knew that Wendy received a letter from Natsu and wrote one back on an almost daily basis.

Erza gave the girl a hug, remembering to requip to a softer outfit than her armor this time. Wendy returned the hug, shedding a few tears as she held the older girl for a few mintues. "I will miss living here at the guild," she said quietly. "But not as much as I miss Natsu-nii…"

"I understand, Wendy." Erza smiled at the girl as she released her from the hug. "And don't let the others make you feel bad about this. Many of them would jump at the chance to live in the palace if it were offered. Just promise to come by and visit sometimes ok?"

Wendy giggled a little. "Only if you'll come visit me at the palace." She replied. "Natsu-nii told me in his letters he was a little sad that nobody ever came to visit."

"But it's the palace," Erza said, her eyes shining a little at the thought. "It doesn't feel right to just casually visit a palace…"

"You're Erza Scarlet. I'm sure you'll figure it out," she replied with a grin.

"Alright," Erza said. "But when I come I'll probably drag at least a couple others with me."

"I think Natsu-nii would like that. He does miss life at the guild, you know."

"I don't doubt it. Take care, Wendy."

"You too, Erza-san."

Wendy went on to say a brief farewell to all the other members of the guild, even the ones she didn't get along with that well. Namely Katya. When she was done saying her goodbyes, she headed off to Fairy Hills to help Carla pack. They didn't really need the whole day to pack up their belongings, but they'd agreed to spend one more night enjoying Magnolia before Crocus became their new home.

~~~The next day at the palace~~~

When Wendy and Carla stepped off the train in Crocus there were two familiar people – and one familiar blue exceed – waiting for their arrival. Wendy quickly dropped into a curtsy. "Your highness," she said, addressing Hisui.

"Call me Hisui," she said with a giggle. "There's no need for such formalities."

"But… you're the princess!" Wendy stuttered, unable to believe the princess was so casual with her.

"So are you," Hisui replied, starting to giggle again. "You just signed a document making the crown prince your official guardian. That makes you a princess, your highness," she added, giving a little curtsey of her own.

Wendy turned crimson at seeing the princess curtsey to her and call her 'your highness.' She couldn't even think, her heart was pounding so hard. She might even be forgetting to breathe…

"Don't tease her, Hisui." Natsu-nii's voice broke in, snapping Wendy back to reality.

"NATSU-NII!" She tackled him in a hug, much the same way she had when she'd done that first mission with him against the Oracion Seis. "I missed you Natsu-nii!"

"I missed you too, Wendy." Natsu said, ruffling her hair a bit with one hand while the other hugged her back. "I'm glad you decided to come."

"Of course I came!" She said, releasing Natsu from her hug and getting up slowly. "I always want to be with my big brother."

Natsu chuckled as he got to his feet as well. "Well I'm still glad you came, and you too Carla." He glanced over to the white exceed, who was currently busy fending off a certain blue exceed's amorous advances. "I wasn't sure if you'd accept my offer."

Wendy smiled at Natsu. "It wasn't an easy decision for my mind, but it was for my heart."

Natsu chuckled again and ruffled her hair. "Well, Hisui is right about one thing. You are a princess now, and while Hisui and I aren't big on the whole formality stuff, the guards at the palace act like their lives depend on it. So you better get used to being called 'your highness' and treated like royalty."

Wendy blushed again, unable to imagine being addressed in such a manner or having people bow or curtsey just because of her presence.

"It takes a while to get used to," Natsu-nii's voice whispered in her ear. "But believe me, you'll eventually become accustomed to it."

"Thanks Natsu-nii… Thanks your high—Hisui nee-chan."

The princess looked surprised at her new choice of honorific, but accepted it gracefully with a bow. "Don't mention it Wendy. We're happy to have you at the palace."

As the trio, plus 2 exceeds, left the train station, they were flanked by a platoon of rune knights.

"Guys, I keep telling you this escort isn't necessary," Natsu-nii said, sounding annoying.

"I'm sorry your highness, but if we didn't escort you and the princess Arcadios would have our heads." The tall man in the front, presumably the platoon leader, answered without turning his head.

"Pfff. The old man should know by now I can take care of myself," Natsu-nii muttered.

Wendy couldn't help giggling. She'd only been back with Natsu-nii for a few moments, and already she felt more confident and carefree than she had in months. I guess I didn't even realize how much I missed him…

Even though she'd been there before, Wendy couldn't help but be impressed by the size of the castle gates. As they approached the doors, the rune knights guarding bowed before them. Wendy blushed, even though she was in the company of Natsu-nii and the princess. It still felt weird having people bow when she walked by.

They continued down a long stone corridor and eventually came to a staircase. They went up the stairs to the second floor, and soon stopped in front of a room.

"This is your room, Wendy," Natsu-nii said with a smile. He opened the doors and had the rune knights who were carrying her luggage deposit it inside the room.

Wendy stepped inside and immediately gasped. The bedroom itself was easily as big as Lucy's entire apartment. In one corner was a king-sized bed with an ornate marble headboard that had a reasonable facsimile of Grandeeny carved into it. The footboard was also marble, and was unadorned save for a large Fairy Tail symbol centered on it. There was also a dresser next to the bed, as well as a wardrobe close to the other side. There was a desk in one corner with a chair next to it, and a few bookshelves on the wall opposite the bed. On the far side of the room from the bed, a door opened into a large bathroom with a tiled shower, a huge vanity that had plenty of space for all her toiletries, and of course the toilet area.

The rune knights left as soon as they set her luggage down, and Wendy continued to stare around the room. "It's amazing!" She said, her eyes as wide as saucers. The ceilings were so high too. She couldn't believe she was actually going to be living here!

"I'm glad you like it," Natsu said in a warm voice. He then turned to Carla. "Carla, if you like you can stay in this room with Wendy, or you can take the room next door to hers."

"Or you can stay in my room!" Happy volunteered. "I saved some fish from our breakfast for you!"

Carla harrumphed, but her cheeks were dusted a faint pink. "Get rid of the leftover fish and I might consider it…"

Wendy's mouth dropped open. She knew the exceed secretly was attracted to Happy, but she was certain she'd never do anything that would so much as hint of that attraction to anyone else. She heard Natsu chuckle next to her as Happy raced to his room. "I'm getting rid of the fish now!" He yelled.

"So Happy doesn't stay with you anymore?" Wendy asked Natsu, looking up at him.

Natsu's cheeks turned red and he stammered. "It… It would be a little awkward for us…"

Hisui giggled as Wendy put a hand over her mouth, realizing how silly the question had been. "Oh, I'm sorry Natsu-nii!" She said, her cheeks turning bright red.

"No need to apologize Wendy," Natsu replied, his grin returning to his face. "Why don't you go ahead and get unpacked. As soon as you're done we can go to lunch."

It didn't take long for Wendy to unpack her humble belongings, and soon they were at the dining hall. She was formally introduced to King Toma and Arcadios, who both happened to be there as well. There was also someone named Darton there who didn't seem to think very highly of her big brother, which caused her to develop an instant dislike for him. Natsu seemed to shrug his comments off, though, so Wendy figured it must not be a problem.

After the lunch, which was one of the most amazing meals she'd ever eaten, Natsu and Hisui had to go to some kind of commerce meeting, leaving Wendy to explore the castle with Carla and Happy.

"Wow, this place is amazing," Wendy said as they walked through an enormous courtyard. Large green shrubs lined the path through the courtyard, while behind them large trees with pink, red, and white flowers blossomed majestically. In the center of the courtyard was an enormous stone fountain, cut out of a rock that was darker than obsidian and shinier than onyx. The fountain was in the shape of the legendary creature Kraken, or Leviathan as some called it, and its tentacles wrapped around the 15 foot circumference bowl that was spilling over into the drainage system below.

"Yeah," Happy said with a grin. "But it's so much better now that you guys are here! Before whenever Natsu and Hisui were in a meeting, I was pretty much by myself…"

"Sorry to hear that. I can only imagine what it must've been like to be alone with yourself for that long, since I know you're not the best company," Carla said with a bit of a smirk.

"Hey!" Happy said. "The company wasn't the problem. They wouldn't give me any fish between meals." He cried.

Then his face returned to a big grin. "Which is why I started sneaking some extras in my pack. Nobody noticed it, and it was easy to do since they'll always bring as much fish as I want while I'm eating regular meals."

Wendy smiled, content to listen to the exceeds tease each other. She didn't mind the little jabs they threw at each other because she knew it was their way of communicating. She couldn't help wonder how the meeting was going with Natsu…

They'd been strolling for about an hour before they came back to the area they started from. Apparently the meeting was over, because Wendy could hear Natsu and Hisui approaching them.

"You're getting really good at these meetings, 'your highness.'" Hisui was saying with a giggle. "I think you're actually starting to enjoy yourself."

"There's no way I could enjoy those stuffy meetings." Wendy was surprised at the restraint in the dragon slayer's voice. When he left Fairy Tail, his retort would've been boisterous and over the top, probably alerting half the guards in the palace to the fact that his wife was teasing him.

"Oh really? Because I'm pretty sure half the table fell asleep while you were monologuing about the blocking of free trade routes by Alfingham."

"Oh, you're so gonna' get it now."

"Now, now dragon boy – save it for tonight. You wouldn't want a guard to catch us in the hallway would you?"

"Maybe I would…" Natsu's voice turned sultry and there was a surprised yelp and a soft moan.

Wendy's face turned bright red and she squeaked in embarrassment. She quickly turned to slip away, noticing Happy and Carla already split, but was stopped by the princess's giggle behind her.

"Natsu-kun, you're embarrassing your little sister," Hisui said with a smile.

"Sorry Wendy," Natsu had a cheeky grin on his face. "Didn't mean for you to hear that. I thought you were out exploring the castle."

"We were," Wendy said, still blushing. "But we just came back here, and I heard you coming…"

"Well why don't we take you to some of our favorite places in the castle?" Natsu asked after sharing a glance with Hisui. "We've got some time."

"Wouldn't you rather go to your room?..." Wendy asked as her blush deepened.

Both of them laughed, and it was Natsu who answered. "No way, we've got another meeting in an hour. If we're in our room, there's a good chance our activities would make us late."

"Oh…" Wendy blushed deeper as Hisui smacked Natsu on the arm.

"Behave yourself," she told her husband. "The girl's 14…"

"Ok, ok. So where do we go first, your highness?"

Hisui smacked him on the arm again. "I told you before you'd better not call me that."

"But you do it to me…." Natsu whined. "I don't see why you get to do it and I can't."

"Because I'm prettier." She stuck her tongue out.

"…Can't really argue with that," Natsu pouted.

Wendy quickly found herself laughing again. Even as the prince of the realm, Natsu managed to bring out the child in everyone around him. It was one of his most endearing qualities. Humming quietly to herself as she strolled through the palace with Natsu and Hisui, Wendy knew she made the right choice in coming to the castle.

~~~Time skip: 5 months later~~~

"Natsu, come on! We'll be late for the train!" Wendy called from the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Natsu called out. Hisui smiled at her husband, knowing he'd been looking forward to another opportunity to test his magic in battle. She felt like they'd grown very close over the time they'd been married, and she was pretty certain that Natsu's love for her had developed into the husband-wife love.

Which was why she had decided a few months ago that she was going to do her best to give him an extra reason to think about her while he was off on her mission. And oh, had she done it.

With a soft smile, she pulled him close and whispered in his ear. "I thought you should know… I've been off my birth control for 3 months now… and my period is 3 weeks late."

She could practically see his brain working as he digested the information. His expression going from confusion, slowly to piecing things together. Then…

"No!" He stared at her, his hands gripping her arms tightly as his face twisted into shock and horror. "That can't happen yet! I'm not ready yet!"

Tears flooded her eyes as she jerked herself away from his grasp. How could he be so cruel and insensitive? She thought he would be happy to discover he was going to be a father. But even if he wasn't, did he have to react so badly to it? She slapped him hard across the face before turning and running down the hall. "Maybe I made a mistake marrying you!" She called out, not knowing or caring at the moment if he heard.

She barely held her tears back till she got to the bedroom, racing inside and letting the door slam behind her. Then she threw herself on the bed and wept.