Chapter 38-Certitude

It had taken a lot of energy, but May convinced Salene not to run away from her problems. Still the other woman refused to tell Bray the truth and she wouldn't leave her room. As May headed to the café for breakfast the next morning she wasn't surprised when Liv suddenly appeared beside her.

"You're beginning to become somewhat of a nuisance."

"What? No thank you?" Liv teased.

"You only confirmed what I already knew."

"But you stopped her in the nick of time?"

"Why would you care? You're just like the kids, sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Gee May, will it kill you to say thank you for my part in helping you out?"

"Will you go away if I say thanks?"

"Nope."

May paused to see if the woman was just joking. It was clear she was stuck with her, "Then yes, it'll kill me. I've already lost my appetite. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"What like date KC the ambitious salesman?"

"Yes!"

Liv wrinkled her nose, "He's not my type."

"Look whatever, go play beauty salon with Gel or something then," May headed back in the direction of her room.

"I wouldn't even wish that on the Guardian."

May half-smiled, "Well go make a friend."

"What do you think I am trying to do?"

"One that's not me."

"I know you're used to being an outcast and all, but at some point you're going to need another friend beside Salene."

"I'd just as soon elect Brady than you."

"Ouch," Liv covered her heart mockingly with her small hand, "as if a four year old is real competition."

May took note of a scar on the other woman's hand. It closely resembled one she had acquired on her right thigh from a brush in with a street gang shortly after the virus.

"Look, "she said feeling sympathetic. Perhaps Liv was just like her. She had been the reject of her family, left alone after the virus fending for herself, and rummaging through recycle bins or stealing just to get by. It was a life of solitude and she hadn't had a friend until Salene came along, pregnant and in need of a voice of reason. Maybe Liv just needed a good friend. "You need a friend, I get it. Why me?"

Liv shrugged, "Because you're not getting married."

"So I'm a Ved replacement in the new best friend's department?"

"Not exactly. It's just probably a good idea to have a friend that's a girl around here, and I identify most with you."

"Right," May rolled her eyes, "Well if we're going to be friends, you must know my rules. One, don't annoy me, two, don't hover, and three no sleepovers."

Liv laughed, "But the sleepover is like essential to friendships. How else will we bond?"

"I think your parent's dropped you on your head one too many times," May began walking away again, shaking her head.

Liv just giggled, but thankfully didn't follow.

~0~

Kai tried not to glare at Dragon as he comforted Éowyn on deck. But it was hard. She had been his first love. He never dreamt he would see her again after she left the island. And then she had come back at the worst time possible and so did the love of her life.

"You never know until you lose it, that it's everything you've been looking for," Blaze clapped him on his back.

Kai looked at him puzzled, "What?"

"Love."

"Too true. I'm truly sorry…I should've paid more attention. Not just this morning when I unknowingly let Niko go, but months ago when Charis just kept getting sicker and sicker."

Blaze drew in a deep breath, "There's no way you could've known they were poisoning her. I shouldn't have asked you to marry her. It was my responsibility to take care of her and Keahi. I just…I let Lani get to my head."

"You always did like a two for one deal," Kai tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah well, are you getting on board or not?"

Kai realized he had been standing frozen in place at the end of the pier. He didn't know if he could bare a two day trip with the Techno crew, but he somehow had to make this right. As the new leader of the Kraits he felt to blame for this new misfortune. And he felt like he owed Blaze for Charis' death and the kidnapping of Keahi. So he drudgingly climbed aboard Kyra's boat.

"They've got about half a day on us, but it seems the medicine man's first stop would be Fleur Isle, a place my sister favored heavily according to her map," Éowyn said handing the map to Blaze who was good at navigating.

"How do we know they'll stop there?" Kai asked.

"Because Lani would feel comfortable there, and it's a part of the series of coordinates Skipper marked out for me when Tai-San's homing device first went off," Kyra said with a definite voice.

Kai appreciated her certitude, "Well then let's get her going."

~0~

Ebony didn't understand Slade at times. As of late he had been distant and moody, and they didn't talk. He seemed genuinely content with her yet sometimes he seemed like he regretted his life with her.

"Slade?" she spoke his name softly, like she was afraid to say it aloud, afraid to start this conversation. But she had to know what was going on inside his head. She didn't want to go any deeper into this relationship if he was just going to break her heart.

He snapped out of whatever daze he was in and looked at her. They were laying face to face on the bed, their son between them.

"Is…is something bothering you? Since Valentine's Day you've seemed kind of distant."

He propped himself up on his elbow, "It's this island Ebony…I just feel so…trapped here, like a hamster on its wheel."

She was silent a moment, flabbergasted. She had waited for this moment to come. She knew there weren't always going to be kisses, hugs, and beautiful words between them, but she expected Slade to last longer. She had truly thought her life complete with him.

Slade kicked himself mentally as he assessed her face. She was angry, she was hurt, and she was speechless. He had clearly chosen poor words to describe how he felt on Fleur Isle.

"Ebony I didn't mean…" he reached out to touch her, but she recoiled, stiffly climbing from the bed.

"If Thunder and I are weighing you down, then go! Be free Slade," she waved her hand at the door.

He too climbed out of bed slowly approaching her, trying to look into her eyes, "I wouldn't go anywhere without you and Thunder. It's just…this is like a permanent vacation."

"And you think it's easy for me sitting around changing dirty diapers all day?"

"I wasn't referring to our life together Ebony. I love you both unconditionally. I love being on a permanent vacation with the love of my life and my son."

"Then why are you so unhappy? You're contradicting yourself here."

"Because I don't have everything I want."

"We aren't enough? What are you missing? Your bike? Mega…what?" her voice was shaking. She was fighting to stay in control.

Slade reached out and took her hand, "You mean the world to me, you and Thunder, you're more than enough, but only if I have all of you."

Ebony was confused, "But you have me. You had me from the first time I met you. You gave me my life back and you gave me a son. We're here together."

"Jay is also here," Slade said sourly, letting go of her hand.

Then relief flooded over Ebony. For so many years she had always been the jealous one in the relationship. Now she knew how ridiculous it seemed to be eaten away by jealously. It drove the other person away. But she wasn't going anywhere unless Slade was going with her.

"Jay is my past."

"He can't seem to let that past go, and I wonder, can you?"

Ebony took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes, "I've already let go. Can't you see? You've got me. The question is do I have all of you?"

Slade furrowed a brow, "How can you ask such a thing?"

"You know almost everything about me Slade. You know about my ex-boyfriends and my more than inglorious past. Yet I don't know nearly as much about you. You keep things locked way inside you, and believe me, I get that because before I met you that was who I was…but you have someone to talk to now. Where did you come from? Should I be jealous of your past?"

Slade laughed, "Jealous? No. I had a relationship with someone, but she ended up just being a friend. My whole life was geared towards finding Carla and Josh. I traveled around the Pacific searching and I lost contact with her. She came to Liberty once, but we said our final goodbyes then."

"And that's it?"

"That's where I came from, all over searching for my family and it led me to you."

She rolled her eyes at his corniness, but a smile found her. "I love you, corny flirtations and all."

"And I love you. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry for not putting a stop to Jay's obsession. It's just he and I, we grew to be friends, and he got caught up in the thrill of what we have. But I don't think he'll be a problem anymore."

"Good because I'm not sharing you," he kissed her.

"I know how to make this up to you," she grinned.

"Oh yeah, how's that?"

She kissed him again, "It's simple really. You want all of me and I want all of you."

He smirked again, "This is all I had to do to make you mine?"

She pinched him, "We can't just rain on Cloe and Mikhail's parade."

"So we'll elope."

"We'll need witnesses."

"What about Ram and Trudy?"

"Not gonna happen."

"Ebony…"

"One changed spot at a time honey."

"Salene?"

"She and Lex will suffice."

He kissed her atop her forehead pulling away and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" she demanded to know.

"I am setting this up with Tai-San before you can change your mind."

She laughed, shaking her head at him as she picked up her son, who was trying desperately to crawl across the bed. She thought about what she had just committed to and she realized she wasn't scared. She truly wanted this.

~0~

Salene kept having the same dream, but she had never understood it until now.

She was resting, lying in a hammock, an infant, face unrevealed, resting in her arms. Bray Jr was playing in the sand not too far off with Bray and Brady. Bray turned to her smiling, his eyes lighting up, and she was at complete peace.

She had never been able to make out the faces of anyone in the dream until now because she first had to let go of Ryan and Pride. Now that she had done so she knew she couldn't run away. Not now, not ever.

When she crawled out of bed she guessed it was near noon. She rushed to get dressed and when she was sure there was no noticeable bulge in her midsection or any sign that she was anything but her ordinary self she headed to the Fleur Café for brunch.

"Well, well, well. Here we thought you shriveled up and died in that room of yours," Trudy welcomed her.

"I just needed some time to myself. There was a lot on my mind."

"Well it's good to see you're all right," Amber slid the chair out next to her as Salene sat down with a plate full of fruit and toast."

"Thanks, where are the kids?"

"Out bonding with Trader and Ram," Amber pointed a long finger out the window to the scene on the beach. It made Salene smile to see those men making an effort to bond with their girlfriend's children building sandcastles.

"You and Trader sure are getting close."

"Close?" Trudy grinned, "They share a room now."

"And you and Ram don't?" Amber snickered.

Trudy blushed changing the subject, "So Cloe and Mikhail's double wedding plans are well underway, you've been missing all the excitement! I'm sure Cloe will just be dying to talk to you today."

Salene put down her toast. It tasted funny all of a sudden, "I heard. I never thought I'd see the day Ved would mature. Dee would die if she were here."

They laughed and the conversation kept evolving until Salene was mostly caught up with all the happenings of Fleur Isle. She learned Darryl and Rayne had finally sealed the deal, KC was his usual self, Thunder and Rylan had both started crawling somewhat, and Lottie had become a woman. That last bit of information made Salene laugh because Lottie had not too long ago been harassing Gel about sanitary napkins.

Salene listened and tried to finish up her brunch as she worked up the courage to ask if they had seen Bray, but the food didn't taste right. The fruit smelled sweet, yet it was tangy to her tongue.

"Sal you look a bit pale, are you all right?"

She waved Trudy's concerns off, "I haven't been getting much sun," she lied. Her stomach was twisting and churning and her mouth was becoming increasingly moist. She stood up abruptly, "I…I just remembered I told May I'd help her with something."

Amber frowned at her, "You hardly touched your food."

"Feed it to the birds," she jogged out of the café. She needed someplace away from watchful eyes as nausea overtook her. She had entered the next stage of her condition; morning sickness.