Arcos noticed Eliza's straightening up of her clothes as she caught sight of him, and wondered briefly what she'd been doing that she felt the need to do so. That type of behavior was usually left to those who had been engaging in a physical activity too close within the confines of the cargo bay where others could easily find them.

She kept turning to the window at the sound of the car, an almost desperate look on her face. Perhaps she was scared for his mother's safety, and her comment about Phoenix's remembering the bread confirmed it for him. "She will remember," he said. "She told me that if you wanted, I was to help bake bread."

Eliza began to prattle on about finding and not finding items, and Arcos couldn't help but smile. It never occurred to him that one could not find an item in its obvious place in his family's kitchen. The way it was organized made perfect sense to all of them. He fetched what she asked for, and was again surprised at her lack of familiarity with the fresh herbs. She seemed to be superbly confident in the kitchen, confident in a way that his mother was with her medical practice, or that Aries was with his whittling. A confidence that did not have an air of superiority to it, but rather the simple truth that one was very good at something. Once she obtained the fresh herbs and spices, however, she had no hesitation as what to do with them, he noticed it was simply and identification issue. Perhaps she did not garden much, though how would she get herbs and spices if she didn't?

He liked the way she moved about the kitchen, she was fluid and confident at the same time, a mixture he didn't come across often. Or he did, it was dripping with sexuality, the confidence coming from something else rather than the activity at hand, at least in his presence. It was refreshing to have someone other than his mother and sister who could emit one without the other.

She looked at him like he was crazy when he began fetching food for her. "Isn't this a bit much?" she asked.

He looked down at the ingredients and then back up at her, "How much are you making?" he asked.

"Enough for dinner," she said slowly.

"Dinner for Medusa and Aries, too?" he asked genuinely. Perhaps she wasn't expecting them to come home for dinner.

"Yes," she drawled.

"Then no," he shook his head, "I wouldn't think this is too much."

The ferret looked at the cans, and then back up at the bear. "We'll have a lot of left overs."

Arcos chuckled, "I don't think so." Her being confident in the kitchen had obviously shielded her from the eating habits of those who were not so. While he loved his family dearly, and each was superbly good at something, usually more than one thing, good cooks none of them were.

Eliza was gazing at him doubtfully, and he had the strong urge to ask her "What?" with a big smile on his face, and his hands in the air. But he resisted, Be polite, he told himself, you're the host. "Alright," she said finally, going back to the cutting board.

He tried to converse with her, asking simple questions like, "Where did you learn to do this?" But the answers he received were just as simple, "I've always had a knack for it," until she became so absorbed in her task, that she finally did not hear his questions when he asked.

He had a hard time holding in a chuckle. Do not disturb an artist at their work, he knew. He had just never considered cooking an art. Apparently Eliza felt very differently. And while she was indulging in her art, he saw no reason why he should not indulge in his. Gathering his materials, he sat down a little way out of the kitchen, and began to sketch.

He had to wait until Eliza was in a certain position to draw her, with her not being a still model, and not being familiar with her figure, he had trouble surmising. Not that he minded waiting for her return to a similar pose, she was not unpleasant to watch whatsoever. But as his artist's mind began to take over, his thoughts became much more clinical. The length of her spine held her body in a certain position. He could guess the combination of human legs and ferret attributes by the way she walked and stood. He could surmise her musculature by the way she move such as swiveling her long neck without moving the rest of her body. So, with light strokes, he pulled the pencil over the paper when she was in a favorable position, filling in the background of the picture when she was not.

She did not seem to notice anything other than what was happening in the kitchen, so when she looked up to ask him a question, she seemed rather surprised to find him with his sketch pad in his lap and his eyes on her.

The sauce was still a bit thin but she was happy with flavor of the warming mixture, now it needed only time and the occasional adjustment to reach it's full potential. With a final stir and taste Eliza left the stove top to return to her cutting board station to clean-up, setting the excess herbs to one side should she need them again. With the counter-top clean and dinner set in motion Eliza turned her mind to desert, she had not come across much in the way of sweet staples during her rummaging.

"So Acros, about dessert, do you have some fruit around?" She didn't look up at first, sweeping a few stray leavings into her palm to deposit in the the trash. "I can make a cobbler pret…" Finally raising her head she found the large bear seated just outside the kitchen staring directly at her. In his lap was a sketch pad, a pencil nearly engulfed by his large paw but somehow with a sense of precision in the grip. She locked gazes with him and while she felt like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car, his manner was easy and relaxed, an almost cocky smile greeting her.

After what seemed an eternity to her, but was perhaps no more than few seconds, the ferret tore her gaze away. Suddenly feeling self conscious, she wiped at imaginary debris on her clothing, while she collected her thoughts. She had no qualms about Acros spending his time sketching, since she had obviously been ignoring his efforts at small talk in favor of losing herself in the process of preparing the meal. It was the intensity of his attention on her that she found unnerving. She always worked best when left to her own devices or when actively teaching someone, as she often did with Gwyn. The idea of someone silently observing and judging her movements set her on edge.

"So ummm… Yeah… where's the canned fruit?" She asked, trying press on though the nervousness crept into her voice. Acros flipped his pencil in his hand, using it to point to a cabinet behind her. "Thanks" She soon found a few cans of peaches and started to gather the items she would need to make a simple cobbler.

Though she tried to recapture the zone she had been in before, she was now aware of her surroundings. Every time she heard the graze of lead on paper her ear twitched to hone in on the sound, regardless of where she was in the kitchen. Whenever she was at the counter she could feel his eyes on her. She had tried to pretend that he may have just been doing some random art but it was now undeniable that Eliza herself was his subject matter. It filled her with a strange mix of flattery, nerves and embarrassment, somehow melding together to settle into plain curiosity. However from her own experience with her mother she knew how rude it was to request seeing someone's unfinished work.

As Eliza finished preparing the pan of desert, to be put aside and baked later so it could be served warm, she looked up to find that Acros was not looking at her for a change. She followed his gaze to the landing just as she heard the sound of footfalls on the staircase.

Phoenix puffed up the stairs to the top floor, swinging a grocery bag next to her. The smell of spaghetti sauce greeted her long before she reached the landing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With the still cool evenings, something hearty to eat for dinner would be nice. Upon entering, she smiled brightly as both Eliza and Acros were looking in her direction. It appeared that his son had shirked his duties as helper and had taken on the role of artist, she guessed without Eliza's permission by the look on her face.

"Sorry it took me so long," she apologized, bringing the bag into the kitchen. "The car broke, and I had to walk part of the way home."

"Ooo," Arcos sang, "Aries is going to be mad you broke the car."

"If Aries would have the car in proper working order, then it wouldn't have broken in the first place," Phoenix clucked. "It's about a mile from here. Go get your brother and sister and bring it back."

Arcos put the pad and pencil on the chair as he stood up. "I'm being thrown out now?" he asked playfully.

"Yes," his mother assured him.

"Don't need me to babysit anymore, now that you're back?" he asked, sneaking a glance at Eliza and flashing her an easy smile.

"You were never a babysitter," his mother walked passed him and patted him on the arm. "You are a lackey."

Arcos grabbed his chest in mock pain. "A lackey! That's a low blow, Mama."

Phoenix waved her hand toward the kitchen window to usher him out, "The truth hurts, Teddy Bear."

He laughed, his rumbly, deep laugh, and made his way out of the warehouse through the window in the kitchen, swinging with practiced ease to the roof above their heads..

Once she was sure he was out of earshot, she took the bread out of the bag and handed the bag with the rest of the contents to Eliza. "The price of a loaf of bread has gone up substantially since I last bought one," she winked. She was feeling alright about it now, but when she'd been in the convenient store, and taken a look at how much everything cost, she saw why Eliza had given her so much money. It wasn't so much money anymore. Bread was not a regular item in their house, finding it edible in the dumpster was rare, and they needed yeast in order to make it. They had a better chance at finding yeast they could use to make bread than the actual bread itself. To see everything cost so much more than she remembered made her feel very old, and very out of the touch. She was already nervous using money in the first place, but now to feel as if she were in a foreign country using money she didn't understand only made the nervousness turn into annoyance.

She had been quite sure that she'd have no problem finding more than one pregnancy test at the convenient store. With the population that inhabited that part of the city, it was very likely that they sold more of tests than they did of bread. Sure enough, they had three brands, albeit one was in a machine in the bathroom next to the condoms. She'd gotten the bread, all three tests, and driven most of the way home before the car 'broke'. She simply failed to mention that she broke it on purpose by pulling one of the wires out of the battery connector. It would be quite a while before any of the kids were back with it.

"Your medical equipment," she gestured to the bag, "and your change." She took the change out of her pocket, and then took Eliza's free hand and physically placed it in her palm. "The ball is in your court. You can do this whenever you want," her voice was soft and compassionate, not at all matching the determination which had only a moment ago been gripping Eliza's wrist. "Or not at all, if you don't want."

Eliza was glad to see the Phoenix's return and welcomed her with a smile, but at the same time she could not ignore the crinkle of plastic as the grocery sack swung with the healer's movements, causing her stomach to do flip flops. As mother and son indulged in playful banter Eliza checked on the sauce, giving it a taste and then turning the burner down to maintain a minimal simmer, ensuring it would not suffer as she was elsewise occupied. She crossed to the sink to place her tasting spoon in the basin, returning Acros' smile with a small one of her own though she did not feel particularly joyful. The happy teasing exchange behind her was a stark contrast to her own frantic mental landscape.

Over the past week she had spent a good deal of time thinking and praying about today. What this very moment would mean in her life. She had time to logically consider the options, though she could not bring herself to examine some of them more than fleetingly. The possibilities were endless and limited all at the same time and the many variables buzzed around in head like angry hive. Strangely, despite her frantic mind a peace fell over her body. She watched with detachment as Acros left via the window, an unusual choice but she didn't have the extra mental space to worry about it.

Turning she leaned on the counter and regarded the Phoenix as she took the bread out of the plastic bag then held the sack out for her to take. Eliza crossed the distance between them mechanically. When the light weight of the remaining items settled in her palm, the pull that transferred through the bunched plastic handles may as well have been a load of bricks. She didn't have time to dwell on the feeling before the small healer grasped her other wrist with unexpected force and firmly deposited the money left over from the errand run.

It was this gesture more than Phoenix's words that settled her nerves and made her feel like she could think again. It was as if her new friend sensed that Eliza had meant for Phoenix to keep the change and was firmly rejecting the notion before an argument could be started about it. Inwardly the ferret smiled and accepted her defeat, vowing to take up the challenge another day.

"There is nothing to be gained from not knowing, except more sleepless nights." Eliza retorted. She took a breath to steady herself. "Besides without you I never would have even considered the possibility of a pregnancy. Don't you want to find out if your theory is correct?" She tried to be light and downplay the moment, not really fooling anyone.

The ferret gently extracted her wrist from the healer's grip and walked over to the couch, where her backpack was still resting on the floor next to it. She dropped the money in the open main compartment without bothering to count it and retrieved a slim black mobile phone from a smaller front pouch. Straightening she looked back at the older woman and gave her a small grateful but sad smile. "Don't let the sauce burn." Eliza said, then strode to the bathroom without looking back, the door shutting behind her, the audible sound of the lock being engaged echoing back down the hall.

The look of sadness on Eliza's face pulled her heartstrings. It reminded her of one of her teammates in high school that had gotten pregnant accidentally. What should have been a reason for celebration, the creation of a new life, was a horrible occasion, It has 'ruined' everyone's lives, the girl and boy were eternally shamed by their social circle. Her teammate's career ended a few years before it had to. The parents of both teenagers were ashamed of their children, for their perceived lack of restraint and self control. She, herself, had judged them poorly, though her sympathy had been with her friend and teammate.

Now, so many years older, and an entire universe away from that life, she was ashamed of her own feelings as teenager, of condemnation, of self-righteousness, of despair that her two friends had ruined their lives so young. She should have seen the miracle of a pregnancy for it was, a miracle. She was too young to know, then, of the miracle that it was, of the miracle that anyone of them was born, the miracle that any one of them lived to adulthood to create a life inside of them.

But she knew it now. A human pregnancy was something that was frought with peril, for both the mother and the unborn child. She knew that 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and up to 80% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, as the mother didn't know she was pregnant yet. She had never met a pregnant mutant, so for all she knew, even if there were pregnancies, there was a 100% miscarriage rate. She also knew that a third of all full term pregnancies resulted in a birth defect of the child. She surmised it was much more than that before the use of an ultrasound machine. And they did not have access to an ultrasound machine, and she could see no way they could get one, despite Eliza's assurances that she could. How do you go into a hospital and steal an ultrasound machine? She knew, too, that 6% of all people did not make it to adulthood, despite being born healthy.

With such odds against someone, the fact that any of them even existed was a miracle. The fact that a new life would come into the world was even more than a miracle, whatever that word might be. Knowing that Eliza might be pregnant, and that she might play a role in that pregnancy and maybe even the birth filled Phoenix with joy. Even the prospect of a tiny chance of a life growing inside of this mutant, was a providential stroke of luck that was replete with bursting of happiness.

Eliza was not seeing it that way. She seemed to be seeing the same way as her teammate did all those years ago. While it was a life alternating event, even for those who wanted their children, as she had, Eliza seemed to be seeing it as an awful one.

The time ticked by, and Eliza did not emerge from the bathroom. Phoenix got up to start the kettle to fix herself a cup of tea. She would use the honey that Eliza had brought her, and leave it out so she could see she was keeping her promise. She made it, sat down and drank the sweet beverage, which would have only been made better by some milk to go in it. She finished it, and still Eliza did not emerge from the bathroom.

Phoenix began to get worried. She had read the directions on the pregnancy tests, and seen that the longest one took up to 20 minutes to make a result. Perhaps Eliza had not taken the tests right away, her nervousness making her hesitate. She got up, and went to the bathroom, and pressed her face to the door. "Eliza?" she asked. "Do you need help?" She waited for an answer, and didn't get one, nor could she hear anything from the small water closet. She tried the door knob, and it was still locked. "Eliza," she said again. Again, she got no answer. "I am giving you ten more minutes," she said gently, as one tells a toddler that they have ten more minutes before they must go home from their playdate.

She went back to the kitchen and made herself another cup of tea. That took eight minutes. In that eight minutes, her mind was a whizz. While she might veiw a pregnancy with joy, she did not view someone else's pain as such. Eliza had taken her mobile phone in the bathroom with her. She couldn't hurt herself with it, could she? There wasn't anything sharp enough to cut herself on the inside, was there? She didn't know diddly squat about the insides of mobile phones.

She blew on the tea to cool it for another two minutes, getting antsy as the time ticked by. Then, feeling almost frantic, she got up to get a screwdriver to take the door off of the hinges.

Eliza turned and leaned heavily on the locked door, taking deep measured breaths to stave off the anxiety she could feel constantly trying to bubble up inside her. Pushing away from the entry she took the few steps to sit on the closed lid of the commode. Placing the plastic shopping bag in her lap she started to shift through the supplies that Phoenix had procured for her.

The ferret found that she actually had four tests as one of the boxes had two sticks in the package. After taking her time to read through all the literature, making sure that she understood what to do and how to read the results, she decided on her course. Though all the directions said that it was best to use a sample from first thing in the morning, when the hormones that produced a positive result were more concentrated, she was determined to have answers before she left this room again. She would use two tests now and save the other two for the morning if the outcomes were inconclusive. She would use the brand-name digital test, since it claimed to have higher sensitivity along with one from the double pack. That way she would have a type of control to compare with should she need it later.

Eliza was actually impressed that she was thinking so clearly and had calmed down significantly since entering the bathroom. But at the moment she had a task to perform, that alone helped her to step back and focus on the deed at hand instead of dwelling on its results. Though now that everything was ready, she was struck with a type of performance anxiety. For several minutes she sat impotent, unable to produce a sample. Rolling her eyes at the irony she gave an exasperated sigh at herself as she reached over to turn the faucet of the hand sink on. The sound of running water was an effective prompt and the ferret was soon successful in completing the first phase of the pregnancy test. She set the sticks on the flat surface of the toilet's tank and washed her hands.

There was nothing left to do but to wait. Eliza set the timer on her phone, prepared to wait out the next 15 minutes. She started to pace, but the space was so small that it was ultimately a futile endeavor. Lacking any other way to pass the time she sat down and started to play with her phone. Unfortunately, while she could get a signal, it was only a couple of bars, not enough to run her internet features. After loosing three games of minesweeper she was bored and frustrated. She checked the clock and only six minutes had passed. She rolled her shoulders in exasperation. This was going to take forever!

Turning back to her phone, best option for distraction, she noticed that her memory was 70% full. Good a time as any to do some maintenance. Turning to her txt messages, she had a horrible habit of not deleting them on a regular basis, and started to systematically clear out old threads. She noted that there were tons from the night she had meet Phoenix, most likely the frantic attempts of the Gwyn and the boys to reach her. She hadn't even taken the time to look at them, since it was probably the same message over and over again. As she was scrolling down her finger paused in it's task and her heart clenched. There among the unread messages was a name she thought she would not see again. 'Xang Lee'. She was powerless to stop herself from opening the thread.

"I was angry. I still am. I know that you were lying. How could I marry a woman who kept secrets from me?"

"I has been weeks now and I have tried to forget you. To put you in the past. This should have been an easy thing."

"It is not. How can I forget all our words? How can I ignore what my heart tells me?"

"I dont know why you lied. I dont understand why I could not see you. Am I a man you could not trust? Did I betray you?"

"I am sorry for my words. I know I hurt you. I am hurt too. I am sad without your words. I am sad outside your arms."

"Please share your words me. Let us try again."

Eliza read and reread the txts. So engrossed she didn't hear the soft tapping at the door. Tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't do this. Her heart was breaking all over again. She had shed so many tears over Lee that she thought them all exhausted. Oh how wrong she was. Just then the phone vibrated and blared in her hand, she fumbled to turn off the alarm. Once it was silent she was shocked still, her hackles rising. The ferret twisted her neck slowly, her enhanced flexibility and the eerie quiet of the room, punctuated only by the pounding of her heart, made the scene worthy of any horror movie.

The two solid lines and the digital plus sign that greeted her were impossible to misinterpret. The phone slid from her grasp, clinking loudly on the polished concrete. She rose up and started towards the door. Suddenly the room was too small, the walls too constricting, she couldn't breath. She reached for the lock, but everything swayed and her vision double. The ferret-woman couldn't make her fingers obey her and the door seemed to travel away from her, the more she reached the farther away the handle fled. The last thing she was aware of was the cold floor pressed against her cheek before the world went dark.