A/N : Gotcha!

That last chapter was a Halloween prank. That was not the real ending xD. It was hilarious how some of you guys reacted. I even got death threats! Really guys! Death threats! You guys couldn't really believe that was the ending, it was so random and made no sense. I like to joke around alot I hate how every story takes itself so serious. I'm the kind of author that jokes around and likes to make fun of himself. I promise I won't do something like that with this story again. :-)

Anyway here's the real chapter and happy Halloween.

Chapter 9

The next week passed quickly. The only times we were apart was when we were at work. Otherwise, the two of us were out to dinner or home watching TV or in bed. We alternated between her house and my apartment. My place was closer to our jobs but hers was nicer.

I felt comfortable with her. And I think she felt the same way around me. Out in public, I still felt awkward. I couldn't take her hand when walking along the beach or put my arms around her at the mall for fear of attracting all sorts of unwanted attention. On the few occasions when we did so, I discovered that we were either being started at disapprovingly by older people or gawked at by horny young men.

I spent the next Friday night in her bed. We made love all night. It was cool enough to leave the windows open and with the warm ocean breeze and waves crashing on the shore, the atmosphere was perfect for romance.

Waking up in her arms made me realise how lonely I had been for the past few months. I watched her sleep for a long time. She looked so peaceful. So beautiful. That was the morning I vowed to do everything in my power to hold on to her.

We spent a lazy Saturday around her house. After dinner, with the sun setting, we sat on the beach as the clouds streaked with reds and oranges. I leaned back into her arms. This stretch of sand was devoid of tourists; they were further south with the hotels and resorts. Her neighbourhood was gated and the beach fenced off so other people on the beach were few and far between.

Her strong arms were wrapped around me. I turned my head and nuzzled up against her neck. She let out a contented sigh. Her eyes were closed and there was a slight smile on her lips.

"You are a wonderful kisser," she said in my ear.

"So are you," I replied.

"Can I ask you something?" she said after a long pause.

"Anything, sweetheart."

She didn't say anything for while. I sensed that she was building up to something, so I remained silent. My lips nibbled at her neck and the underside of her jaw.

"Did you . . . um, do you wish . . ." Elsa faltered for a second. "Are you happy with the way things are going . . . you know . . . between us?"

"Yes," I replied quickly, not wanting her insecurities and fear of commitment to take over. "Are you?"

She turned and looked me in the eyes. "Yes . . . more than you can know."

"I was worried that I was going to scare you off," I admitted. "That first day I was with you . . . I knew what I wanted . . . I knew I was right in asking you out."

"I'm glad you did," Elsa said. "I wish I had the guts to make a pass at you months ago."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because you weren't sending me any of the usual signals," she replied. "

"And I didn't . . ." her voice trailed off for a moment. "I didn't want to just have a fling with you. I wanted more than just a one night stand."

"Why?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I think it was because I didn't meet you in a bar. You were more than just a girl I could fuck and then leave the next day."

Inwardly, my stomach flipped, and not in the bad way. Elsa was telling me that she felt the same way I did about "us". My pulse began to race.

Elsa's arms tensed around me, pulling me close to her. She took a deep breath. "I've been praying a lot lately. I've been looking for direction. For purpose . . ."

I kissed her gently on the cheek. Her mask of certainty slipped away. My hands closed over hers and I squeezed her reassuringly. It was good to know that she reciprocated the feelings I had for her. I also wanted to take this woman in my arms and hold on to her. Maybe it was some maternal instinct to protect the people we care about.

Or maybe I was falling in love.

Her lips met mine and I melted into her embrace. The two of us stayed like that for a long time. Neither of us said anything else. We didn't have to.

The moon was out before we got up and went inside.

"I have something for you," Elsa said, letting go of my hand and pushing the sliding glass door open. "I'll be right back."

When she returned, she held a box that was wrapped in elegant silver paper with a big bow. It was a lot heavier than I expected. I looked up at her incredulously. She only smiled.

I slipped the paper off the parcel and opened up the box. Inside was a thick, leather-bound book. There was a faux-lock on the cover, like you might see on a wizard's spellbook in a Lord of the Rings movie. The pages were thick and gilded with gold. The volume had been carefully made up to appear as it had come to life from a fantasy world.

My eyes welled up as I read the words on the cover, The Elfstones of Shannara.

"Where did you—?" I gasped.

Elsa smiled—that beautiful, haunting smile that made my heart melt—and pulled me close. "There's this thing . . . it's called the internet . . ."

I was laughing and crying at the same time. I pressed my forehead against hers. Our noses brushed together.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"You're welcome," she replied warmly and we kissed again. "Just one thing, though: You just have to promise that you're not going to turn into a giant tree."

Tears began to roll down my cheeks. It had been years since I had read the story, but I knew the gist of it and how my namesake ended up at the end of the book.

"You read it?" I asked. I set the book down on the kitchen table and took Elsa in my arms.

"Of course," my lover replied. That was a silly question; Elsa read anything and everything she could get her hands on. I bet that she got through the entire book in a few days. "It's a good story."

"You know," I wiped the tears from my eyes. I kissed her playfully. "If I do turn into the tree, I'll protect you and the rest of the elves from the demons."

Elsa pressed against me. Her grasp was firm, almost desperate. I tilted my head back as her lips descended on mine. This kiss was hungry and primal. My arms wrapped around her.

"You're doing that anyway, Anna," her whisper was so soft I almost didn't hear her.

I could hear the blood pounding through my veins. I could feel her heart beating next to mine. Her touch was hot. Her face flush. I looked Elsa in the eyes and saw something there I had never seen before. It was more than lust or desire. It was love.

We stood in the kitchen holding one another for a long time. I never felt rushed around Elsa. I never felt like she was trying to hurry me into bed. I loved that she was just as content to hold my hand as to feel me up. When we were together, we could lay against one another without tickling or groping (not that those didn't have their places, though . . .) and be content just laying next to one another.

"Where did you get the book?" I asked finally.

"There's a store in California that specialises in that sort of thing. One shot collectable type books," she smiled, apparently happy that I liked her gift. "For fantasy geeks."

"It must have cost a fortune," I started. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," Elsa said simply.

"Well, I love it," I told her. The smile I returned to her was a little subdued, a little bitter. "My parents would have liked it, too."

"What were they like?" she asked.

"They were dorks," I didn't mean that in the bad way. "They liked to read almost as much as you do. They used to play dress-up, too, and they'd make us go along. They belonged to a group called SCA: the Society for Creative Anachronism. Ever heard of them?"

"I have," Elsa grinned broadly. "Don't tell me they used to put you in costumes and take you to Renaissance Fairs?"

"They did!"

"Got any pictures?" she asked teasingly.

"Not that I'm going to show you," I retorted playfully.

She leaned in and kissed me again.

"They loved fantasy books and all that stuff." Talking about my parents brought back a flood of happy memories. "When other kids parents belonged to bowling leagues or had poker games, my folks were making my little brother chainmail armour out of paper clips or playing Dungeons & Dragons with their equally dorky friends."

"It's a wonder you turned out as normal as you did," Elsa said and there was something in her voice that sounded like she was about to burst out laughing.

"Well . . ." I started and my voice dropped. "Dad gave all that up right after Mom died. He was never the same. There's a storage building full of their stuff that used to belong to them out at my uncle's place, but I haven't gone out there in years."

Elsa's hand was under my chin. I lifted my gaze to meet her eyes and tried to smile. "Anna . . . my little Elven princess . . . you know what?"

I shook my head.

"I used to belong to SCA," she admitted sheepishly. "I haven't gone to any events in a while . . . but if you'd like me to take you to one . . ."

My eyes got real wide. A thousand things to say raced through my mind, but I couldn't process any of them.

"I'll show you pictures if you want." ELSA was grinning from ear to ear. "We're not all that dorky."

"Not now, my lady," I said, trying to remember how my parents used to talk to each other when at these things. We shared a hungry kiss. I felt her hands reach down, cupping my ass. "Thank you for my book. You don't know how much that means to me."

"You're very welcome, my love." My heart leapt when she said that word. "Now do I have to slay a dragon to win your favour?"

"You have it, Elsa," I whispered. "You had it the first day I met you. Now make me yours."

"With pleasure."

The next two months passed in a blur. We settled into a comfortable domestic routine. For someone who said she didn't have much experience in relationships, Elsa was very easy to live with. We spent most weeknights at my place, the weekends at her house.

The sex was great, but our relationship wasn't about that. Around her, I felt free. She was The One. Being out in public with her was still awkward and I started to notice that I became snippy with the guys at work whenever they'd make an off-hand remark about lesbians or homosexuals.

Even in this day and time, some of the folks I worked with still had old-fashioned, Bible Belt attitudes towards gay people. Except, of course, when it involved some hot girl-on-girl action that inevitably ended up with a guy in the middle.

To me, the worst part about what some of my co-workers believed wasn't that they believed the things they did, but that they were just parroting back what their preachers or their parents had told them. It seemed more of a knee-jerk reaction to gays than anything that was thought-out or deliberate. So I kept my mouth shut as best I could.

I did my best not to give myself away as being in a lesbian relationship, but I'm sure some of the guys figured it out. I didn't know what my boss would do if he found out; would he fire me? He was a good guy and seemed to have a lot of typical guy attitudes about gays, but I didn't want to chance it.

Rapunzel and Ariel knew for sure, and both of them were nothing but happy for us. The four of us continued to go out on a regular basis and Ariel even joked that we were her guy magnets. Rapunzel told us that her boyfriend wanted to go on a double date with us and then wanted to see us try and seduce her. I mischievously told her that might try that anyway, but he couldn't watch.

In the back of my mind, I didn't want to rush Elsa. She gradually became my best friend in addition to being my lover. She handled everything better than I expected. On a couple of occasions, she warned me that sometimes she pushed those around her away, but I never got that feeling from her.

Life was good until one day, our relationship changed.

I got back to my apartment before she did. Even though she worked right next door to me, we often drove separately because she had lots of meetings with clients or had to go to the main branch or had some other reason not to carpool. Plus, riding to work together all the time would have been rather obvious.

Sitting on the couch, I tried to figure out the best way to break the news to her.

A little after 5:00, she came through the door and set her briefcase down on the end table like she usually did.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked, seeing me there fidgeting.

Nearly in tears, I couldn't bring myself to speak. Then she noticed a couple of boxes on the floor next to me. I had put all of her things in the boxes, figuring that she would leave me.

Her face paled, the blood draining out. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"No!" I exclaimed. Breaking up was the last thing I wanted. "No . . . it's not that . . ."

"What is it, sweetie?" she sat down next to me and took my trembling hands.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. "I went to the doctor today. You know where I haven't been feeling well lately . . ."

There was a medical report folded up on my lap. I handed it to her.

My voice was hoarse with fear. "I'm pregnant."

On her face, I could see a range of emotions. Anger. Disbelief. Betrayal. Hurt. Her lip curled up and I saw her bite back a stinging reply. Her fingers clenched around the paper. Her knuckles turned white.

"When?" I expected her to explode and call me every name in the book. It was no less than I deserved.

"Right before my birthday," I had done the math and there was only one occasion when I could have gotten knocked up. "We used a condom, but I guess it broke or something."

She got up and started pacing around my living room. I could see the indecision in her eyes as the gears turned in her head.

"Have you told him?" Elsa asked. Her voice was curt, but I expected that.

I shook my head.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I said quietly. All of this was information overload for me, too. "I missed my period last month. But that's not unusual. When I missed this month, I went out and got one of those home pregnancy tests. It came up positive so I went to the doctor's today. It's too late for the morning after pill. I can either have the baby or get an abortion."

"You can't have an abortion," Elsa said suddenly. Not that it was her decision to make, but I knew that's not something she would not even put into the mix.

"What are you going to do?" I dared to ask, the tears coming to my eyes. I expected her to be pissed off and storm out. That's why I gathered up her things. Our relationship had been going so well, but I couldn't ask her to stay with me. Not like this.

She didn't reply immediately. She chewed on her lip nervously. All I could do was hope for the best.

"So this didn't happen after our first date?"

"it was around that timeline." That was my one hope to keep our relationship alive. "I swear to you . . . I haven't even spoken to him since you and I went out that first time."

It seemed like an eternity before she moved. Elsa surprised me by turning and heading back into my bedroom. I started to get up off the couch.

"Your stuff is all—" I called, but she was ignoring me.

I heard her throwing some things around. Not angrily, but like she was looking for something. A few minutes later, she came back out. Some of my clothes were stuffed into a duffel bag over her shoulder along with a kit of makeup and some other things.

She dropped the bag on the floor next to the boxes I had packed up.

Then she reached for me. I burst into tears as her embrace enveloped me. All the day's emotions came pouring out. Confusion. Helplessness. Bewilderment.

I thought my life had been going pretty well lately. I had a good job, a steady relationship and new friends in a strange town. But now . . . now things were different. I was going to be a mommy. And I wasn't sure how my girlfriend was going to take the news.

It seems I need not have worried.

Elsa's arms steadied me as I sobbed. "I'm sorry, baby . . . I'm so sorry . . . I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know," she whispered over and over in my ear. "It's okay . . . Everything is going to be alright."

Eventually, the crying fit was over. I still struggled for breath, but now that it was done, I began to think a little more clearly. "I can't ask you to . . ."

"To what, Anna?" she said. "Stay? You can't raise a child on your own right now, honey. You're living month to month as it is . . . and then to take six weeks off? You don't have enough vacation time to cover that. And then you'll have daycare and another mouth to feed."

I knew all this already. I didn't need to be lectured by her. I was not in a good position, financially or otherwise, to be a single mother. I could make it work. Somehow.

Couldn't I?

"How good is your insurance?" she said, barraging me with questions. "How much does it pay? What's your deductible? When does your lease end?"

"Why are you asking me this?" I cried out and pulled away from her. "I don't know!"

"Because I love you!" she shouted, sounding just as afraid as I was. There were tears in her eyes, too. "I love you, Anna. And I'm not going to let you get away or kick me out of your life!"

We fell into each other's arms.

For the past two months, I had waited to hear those words from her. Some days it was all I could do not to shout my love for this woman from a hilltop somewhere, but I thought it would only scare her away. To hear her tell me that she loved me was the final piece. It told me she was truly and completely ready for whatever the future held.

"I love you, too, Elsa," I couldn't keep it in any longer.

Burying my head in her shoulder, I started to cry again, but she grabbed me by the hair and brought my mouth to hers. It was a few minutes before she let me up for air.

"Now come on, honey. Let's go home," Elsa pulled me to my feet and picked up the duffel bag. "We'll cancel your lease and get the rest of your stuff moved later."

"You don't have to do all this," I said. She was taking control and for that I was grateful. The past six hours had left me dazed. How Elsa could have been blindsided and keep a cool head was beyond me.

"You're right," she replied. "I don't have to. But I want to. And the first thing we're going to do is move you and that baby of yours out of this apartment and into a clean house that's away from noisy neighbours and moldy cabinets."

She took my hands in hers. "Anna, I don't know what to do. I'm faking it right now. But I know that I want you in my life. These past two months . . . this is as happy as I've ever been, and it's all because of you. We'll . . . we'll figure the rest out later. Together."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Elsa whispered. "As long as you want me, I'm yours. Baby or no baby. I need you."

"I can't ask you to raise my child," I told her.

"I won't," her reply made my blood run cold. For just a second. "I'll raise our child. I've always wanted a baby . . . And I've always wanted that one person in my life who was my soulmate. It looks like now I've got both."

"What about the father?" I asked, hesitant to even say his name. "What if he wants—"

"Don't tell him," Elsa said sharply. "Not unless you want him to know. That's up to you, though."

In truth, what my lover had told me earlier was true. I couldn't afford to raise this child on my own. The guy who got me pregnant has a good job and the child support he could pay would help me out immensely. It would only mean being connected with him for the rest of my life.

Elsa must have seen my brain working on this when she spoke. "If it's only about the money, he doesn't need to know. I'll support you if I have to. I make more than enough for both of us."

"That's asking too much of you," I said softly.

She squeezed my hands. "Everything I have is yours, Princess. All you have to do is ask."

"I can't," I muttered. This was overwhelming. The room started to spin. Elsa sat me down on the couch again.

"Here's what we're going to do right now," she said once the dizziness passed. "We're going to my house. I'm going to draw you a nice hot bath and fix you something good to eat. Then we're both going to call off work tomorrow, move some of your stuff and get everything straightened out on my insurance."

"Your insurance?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Yes, I'm sure it's better than yours," Elsa replied. It probably was.

"Don't you have to be . . . um, you know?" I stammered.

She smiled, as if to let me in on a secret. "Our company covers same-sex partners."

"But do they cover pre-existing conditions?" My head was swimming. "After all, this baby isn't exactly—"

"I had you added to my insurance last month," she said as my jaw dropped. "I, um . . . didn't want to tell you because I thought it might scare you . . . I've been waiting for the right time . . ."

"Elsa . ." That was all I could get out before the words failed me.

"I love hearing you say my name." She kissed me tenderly.

"I love saying it," I told her. "And I love you."

"Let's go home," my lover—my soulmate—said. Then she took my hand and led me to my new life.

A/N : Please review! Enjoy your Halloween, eat candy, get drunk, do what ever. See you guys next week.