A/N: I am truly sorry for the delay in posting. This is the only week that I'm having a stable internet connection. This chapter was actually finished weeks ago but I couldn't post it sooner. I am really sorry for not having permanent internet!
"Why don't you simply forgive Roderich? He's your husband, and you admitted it; you love him, so why can't you just accept that your situation is part of being married to him?"
Ludwig sighed in exasperation at the blank stare he was receiving from Gillian. "Don't you think it would be more painful if you got pregnant with someone else's child? How would Roderich feel? At least he does his best and cares too much for your sake."
"What's with all this wisdom spouting out of your mouth? Did you actually research all this beforehand? West, sometimes you say the most unawesome things," Gillian replied, a childish pout on her lips as she playfully punched Ludwig's arm.
"But then, maybe you're right. The awesome me shouldn't blame the unawesome Roderich for poor timing. That's why I tell you, West, plan ahead!"
"Why am I suddenly being dragged into this?"
When morning finally came, Gillian was up and about in a far lighter mood than the previous day. Ludwig was quite surprised when she volunteered to make breakfast. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes and a devilish grin that warned him that Gillian was plotting. Something insane and immature, possibly.
This sudden change in behavior, from downright depressing to eerily normal plagued Ludwig's mind until he could hold it in no longer. In between bites, he managed to bring it up to Gillian. "I don't like that look on your face, schwester. I hope you're not going to do something stupid. Remember what I said-"
"I remember what you said. And no, I'm just fucking happy today, okay? What I'm planning will be the epitome of awesome!" came Gillian's cheery reply.
As the elder glanced at the younger, she noticed the doubt in the other and cackled in delight, "I'm going back to Roddy. I'm forgiving the priss for the crime he unintentionally committed. I've finally come to the conclusion that it's not worth feeling so unawesome all this time. What's happened has happened, and the awesome me has to adapt to change! So don't look at me like that, West."
Ludwig visibly relaxed at those words and forced a tiny smile. "Well now, that's the Gillian I know. Then, I'm glad you're back to your 'awesome' self."
"Yeah, I'm going to hold on to my awesomeness no matter what!"
"I'm glad you've decided to come back home." "And I'm glad to see you haven't changed one bit. It's like you've been partying in my absence."
"That's not true! I-"
"Don't say it! I won't have you getting mushy on me. I had fun with West, but I think it would be really unawesome of me to leave you indefinitely, so I just had to come back."
"I'm sorry if I annoyed you or offended you in any way."
"And I forgive you for being the only annoying, offensive person I can stand to live with. Even if it feels a bit unawesome to say this, Roderich, I don't hate you. If I did, I wouldn't have married you in the first place."
Gillian paused, looking straight into her husband's eyes as she tried to read his reaction. A kind smile slowly formed on Roderich's lips as he closed the distance between them and embraced her.
"I love you too, Gillian." came the softest of whispers as Roderich's lips brushed against Gillian's ear.
The pianist stumbled back in surprise when Gillian gave a gentle shove. "Didn't I tell you to stop being so mushy?" she muttered, though there was no trace of hostility in her voice, and her eyes betrayed whatever mischief she was planning.
"Would you rather I be the snobbish, arrogant bastard when we first met?" "Hmm, perhaps. I'd rather much appreciate it if you remain simply as Roderich Edelstein. I married such a man after all, not some poor sap who thinks being too clingy and overprotective of his wife is a virtue. I ask you as well," Gillian murmured as she tugged Roderich back to her side. "Would you take me and love me as I am, the awesome Gillian Maria Beilschmidt? Would you accept the awesome me no matter what?"
Roderich stared deeply into her eyes, and she waited. "I love you for who you are, Gillian. Awesome or not." he leaned down to catch her lips in a brief kiss before pulling away, a little cautious in case she rejected him with a punch. He was surprised when she didn't react.
"Wow, that's one awkward way to renew vows or something!" Gillian exclaimed as Roderich fumbled beside her, a blush staining his cheeks. "Ugh, forget it! I encouraged the mushiness to happen. Do you have some mushroom soup? I'm kinda in the mood for one!"
Without waiting for her a response, she promptly made her way towards the kitchen, but not before taking hold of her husband and half-dragging him along with her. "Come, come, Roddy! We don't have all day, and I want some awesome mushroom soup!"
"I am so sorry! I never meant to poison you with the soup! I-I-" Roderich stuttered as he wrung his hands with worry. The anxious look he sent Gillian's way was becoming really unnerving. The latter lay on her bed with the blankets up to her chin as she groaned weakly.
"Don't be sorry. The soup was delicious, Roddy. This headache isn't your fault though. I do recall the doctor saying a headache or two is bound to happen. I'll worry about it if it occurs in late pregnancy or something. Anyway," she struggled to sit up despite the pounding in her head and forced a reassuring smile on her lips. "Don't beat yourself up over this headache. Just make me more of that soup and I'll be happy."
Roderich cast her a doubtful stare but immediately left to do as she requested. If making her some more of that soup would make her feel better, and if she was truly telling the truth about her condition, then he might as well just acquiesce to her request.
Now alone in the room, Gillian sighed as she tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position. Why did it turn out like this all of a sudden? She was about to enjoy the moment and a decent meal with Roderich when her headache decided to settle in. Roderich overreacting to her condition spoiled the rest of what little contentment she had. She wondered if she could trade places with her husband for a day; he would certainly fit the role of a pregnant wife better than she ever could!
Gillian was mildly surprised when he came back a few minutes later with a steaming bowl of mushroom soup. She propped herself up on her elbows with a curious expression as he rushed to her bedside. "Here, it's still hot." "Roderich, stop worrying. You're making me feel like I'm dying. The awesome me just has a really bad headache not some terminal illness. Don't look at me with eyes like that," she muttered sulkily just as her husband was lifting the spoon to her mouth. "And don't baby me. I can take care of myself." she added; taking hold of the bowl and wrestling the spoon out of Roderich's grip.
As an afterthought she leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'd rather have a haughty and prissy snob than the self-pitying cry-baby I'm speaking to right now. Cheer up Roddy, my headache will pass, and if it means so much to you, I'll give you a worthy headache when I'm better."
Her words seemed to have triggered a reaction deep within the pianist, and he jerked back with a look of horror etched upon his face. "I'd rather not, Gillian Maria! I'm very sure my headache might as well be ten times worse than yours if you're going to be inducing them." he exclaimed, scooting away from his wife. Gillian flashed him a victorious grin although it was a bit shaken by the pain in her head. "That only makes me want to mess with you more."
"Come now, look! The soup's getting cold." Roderich exclaimed hurriedly, wanting to draw away from the current subject as it was growing more uncomfortably against his favor. If he did not distract his wife, she would surely exact havoc later on. Gillian readily turned her attention back to the bowl of unfinished soup, a contented smirk on her lips as Roderich steadied her into a better sitting position.
"After this I want you to rest. You've had enough excitement for today and I don't want you to tire yourself out."
"One more word from you, Roderich Edelstein and I'm going to dump the rest of this soup on your head. I'm not a child, I'm pregnant and a lot of weird stuff happens during pregnancy which you should consider normal by now. If there's anything wrong I would know, and I'd give you fair warning so don't nag or whine at me!"
"Where are you going?" Gillian queried as she noticed Roderich put on a coat. He only flashed her a smile. Curiosity increasing tenfold, Gillian shot up from her place on the couch, leaving the book she was perusing.
It had been a while since her headache had mellowed down into nothing, so she had moved around the house searching for things to do until she settled down reading books. She was mildly surprised to find her husband all dressed up in what she believed were formal clothes. Was he playing in a concert this afternoon? Quickly closing the distance between them, she tugged at his sleeve until he whirled around to face her.
"Oh, I'm going to buy some groceries. I think we need to stock up again. If you're feeling up to it, you can accompany me to the store. Maybe we can do a little bit of shopping for our little bundle of joy's things too." Roderich explained simply, hoping the glare she was aiming at him would dissipate.
"What 'bundle of joy' are you talking about? Try spending a few weeks feeling really crappy, then I'll show you joy," came the sarcastic reply.
"I bet you just want me to be around you so you can keep an eye on me. Leaving me alone in the house poses a lot of risks for you right now, eh? Or better yet, you want me to keep an eye on you so you won't get lost. Again. Let's face it, Roderich, you believe I'm accident-prone, I believe you have no sense of direction. Anyway, I'm feeling kind today so I'll come with you only for grocery-shopping. I think it's too early to be buying baby stuff; you're being over-excited."
"But aren't you excited? We're going to be parents soon so we need to prepare for the baby's arrival. Time flies by really quick, so we better be ready!"
"What I'm only going to be excited preparing about is the fact that after my pregnancy, I'm going to drink nine months' worth of beer! How many kegs do you think that would be?"
Roderich frowned at his wife as she finished tying her hair up in a ponytail. "Gillian, even after you've delivered the child, you still cannot drink any alcohol." Gillian froze on the front step as he locked the door. "What are you saying?"
"Babies need breast milk for up to two years. Formula won't help their immune system, and it is a crucial time for them to grow so they absolutely need all the breast milk they can get."
He stifled a gasp as Gillian forcefully yanked him by the collar and drew him close. "So you're saying that I need to wait for another two years? Want me to die an early death? Or would you rather die before I do, because I sure as hell am getting my beer after I deliver this baby! I'm not waiting for another fucking two years! Nine months already feels like a fucking decade! Find a wet nurse for the baby; I understand what you're saying about the entire 'alcohol may kill the baby' but I'm still having my beer. "
She let him go and stomped off, leaving Roderich stunned speechless. "You can go shopping by yourself for all I care! And if you get lost I still won't care! I'm taking a walk far away from you!"
Gillian had long since disappeared from view the moment Roderich finally regained his composure. Snapping out of his long train of thought he scanned the area and hoped his wife was just hiding in some corner sulking like a child.
The idea seemed to grow more preposterous with each step he took though, and it wasn't long before the pianist found himself in front of his car. With a sigh he could only hope that his wife would cool down and return home before dark.
"It's so hard dealing with her mood swings nowadays. I wonder how her brother handles it. She's such a child!" he muttered to himself as he drove away in the direction of the nearest shopping center. He'd go and buy the baby's stuff by himself before buying the groceries they needed.
The sky had grown dark and the stars were twinkling overhead. Gillian trudged down the path and saw a payphone. 'Stupid Roddy can get lost for all I care!' She stopped in front of the payphone and thrust her hands into the pockets of her jeans in the vain hope of having some spare change.
'Stupid Roddy. Not only does he limit my freedom, he even limits my money! Idiot. Stupid priss even had the nerve to call my boss and demand that I be given pregnancy leave. And I was about to receive a raise the following week too! Damn you, priss, I really hope you get lost and never be found!' With a pout on her lips she huffed sulkily, a small wave of relief washing over her as she counted some coins. It was indeed a good thing to leave change in pants pockets. Who knew they'd be quite useful during emergencies like these?
A lazy grin replaced the pout as she heard the satisfying clink of the coins going in the machine. If she was lucky someone would pick up the damn phone. 'You better be home, jerk because I'm crashing your place tonight, like it or not.'
She screamed a delighted greeting the moment someone picked up the phone on the other end. "Can I order a vegetarian paella? I'll pay you with my awesomeness! I'm coming over to brighten your empty house with my awesome glory. Oh yeah, call Frenchie, he needs to bask in my awesomeness too!"
And somewhere far away, Roderich suppressed a shiver. 'Why do I feel like something terrible is going to happen? And come to think of it, this looks like the same building I passed by ten minutes ago…'
A/N: There! I hope you guys liked it. I'll post the next chapter soon enough although I have to warn you that probably after this week updates will be few and far between. Stupid internet. Thank you to all those who have put up with me. I'm sorry for the wait. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Thank you to all those who added thsi story to their favorite/story alert list. I hope I don't disappoint.