The nearer her due date came, the more anxious and needy Ava began to feel. Eli's companionship was all she had when away from the Manor, but these days he seemed more uneasy than her, frequently shutting the door to his office while he made important phone calls and tried to keep his voice low. They still spent lunch together, but his interest in sex seemed low compared to his previously voracious appetite ever since he had trapped her in here with him. Without anyone else to talk to, Ava began to look at herself and wonder if his interest in her was waning. Every part of her was bigger, either through swelling or weight gain. Her belly jutted out like a bowling ball that blocked her feet from view. Her breasts had almost doubled in size, bloated and sensitive to the touch. Sometimes when Eli touched or suckled them, she almost wept with relief.

At long last he arranged for a midwife to come visit them. Ava had practically begged him to let her meet the woman in charge of delivering this baby. It took several tearful conversations, but he finally relented.

The woman was older, mid-50s with short-cropped gray hair and soft hands. Her name was Phyllis, and she had a reassuring vibe to her that Ava liked.

By now, Ava was well-rehearsed in how to appear a happy young couple with Eli. Whatever questions Phyllis asked Ava directly, she answered, but if any question seemed directed to both of them Eli was the one who replied.

The skin around her torso felt uncomfortably taut now. Small stretch marks had appeared along her hips and belly. Rising from bed to pee several times a night took every ounce of willpower she possessed sometimes. When she would manage to get back to sleep, often the baby would wake her with fervent kicks and rolls throughout the night.

Phyllis measured her during the visit and said Ava was right on track for growth.

"Won't be long now," she promised, "You're almost full-term."

"How much longer?" Ava winced at a sharp pain in her groin, a new development that Google revealed to be termed 'lightning crotch'.

"You're 34 weeks, most first-time mothers go to 40 or sometimes 41. You're not dilated at all yet, no contractions, but baby is head down and could come any time after 37 weeks with little to no complications."

Ava nodded, squeezing Eli's hand as her mind raced with more questions and tried to calm herself from the fear of how everything would transpire.

Phyllis seemed to sense this and patted Ava's knee on the settee in the library where they had gathered to listen to the baby on the doppler she brought with her.

"Don't worry dear. Every first-time mother has anxiety about the birth, but you're young and healthy, and baby isn't measuring too large. You'll be just fine. Remember to practice your breathing exercises I showed you though, that will help with the time comes. Dad, make sure she does."

It felt surreal to hear her refer to Eli as Dad, and then remember that she was the one responsible for that shift. Of course, remembering that always triggered the type of memories she didn't want to ruminate on while preparing to birth a child.

"I'll make sure she does," he promised with a cheeky smile in Ava's direction.

Occasionally, she would receive emails from Maisie. They would send each other pictures back and forth of their respective art projects, and it spurred Ava into finishing many of her pieces that had taken a backseat due to her tired state and frequent traveling. Stacks of paintings and drawings covered the area designated for her art on the 3rd floor. The desk, the floor, a dozen or so were leaning against the wall in a line. She had ordered fewer supplies now as she gradually accepted the pregnancy and began ordering things for the baby instead. Often, she pulled out old art pieces she had made months ago and tried finding things she could add or improve. Eli was always quick to praise her work, but she never managed to feel quite satisfied with it.

As April waned and May approached, she felt more and more antsy, roaming the house in search of things that needed doing. Eli always handled whatever she charged him with, promising the housekeeper would come and do a thorough cleaning on their next trip to the Manor, so she could come home and give birth in a spotless home.

Home. What a bizarre thought that she had resigned herself to. Almost 9 months ago she would have never even thought the word much less uttered it, but when Eli turned on the charm and she ignored the constant surveillance as well as the fact she had no freedom to leave, the memories of her apartment and other former residences began to feel much more distant. He was all she had here, and this place was the sanctuary he had made for them, and their son. For better or for worse, she knew now that Eli had been right. The baby was the catalyst for her coming around to the idea of being his captive, and now she couldn't bear the thought of being separated from him even if escape were an option. The only thing she wished for was the 3 of them to move up to Lockwood Manor and widen her social circle on a permanent rather than intermittent basis.

The last week of April, she saw Phyllis again the night before they were due to leave for Lockwood Manor. It was to be a very short trip, Eli warned, and his countenance when telling her so suggested that he was very leery of allowing her to come at all. She watched the way his eyes gravitated to her belly as he said it, the nervous swallow as he mentally tallied how far along she was and how little time there was left to go.

"Can it wait?" she asked him. The idea of being left here and going into labor alone was even less appealing to her than Eli's fear of taking her north and going into labor at the Manor.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"It can't," he told her, mildly frustrated, "I left important documents the last time I was there and I need to retrieve them. I could be there and back in the same day, no need for you to come and wear yourself out on the long drive."

Ava rolled her eyes, "I want to come, Eli. You know that. It's my last chance to see the Lockwoods before he gets here," she gestured to her enormous belly, "And since you won't concede moving up there permanently and I haven't been for 2 weeks I'm not letting you go without me. Besides, the stress of being alone here will probably send me into premature labor, and how will I get to a hospital or call for Phyllis if you're gone?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I know, I know, but the timing is just too close. You could go into labor here and I would call Phyllis and have her come immediately while I drove back."

"Phyllis said herself most first-time mothers don't deliver until their due date or past it. I'm almost 37 weeks, so I still have plenty of time," she groaned for emphasis, "Your giant baby will probably park himself in here another month with my luck."

Eli grinned at that, catching the hem of her shirt and using it to pull her closer to where he sat at his desk. She had just walked up with lunch when he relayed the news.

His hand caressed her bump, pulling her into his lap and nuzzling the side of her neck. "I just want to keep both of you safe," he murmured.

As if keeping here against my will and forcing me to have a natural birth would be anyone's idea of 'safe' except yours.

She bit her lip. The snarky comments still came to mind from time to time, but she ignored them to the best of her ability.

"I know," she said, kissing his forehead as she wiggled on his lap to get comfortable. Her hips ached from their perch on his bony thighs, "Just take us with you. It's too lonely here when you're gone."

That seemed to stroke his ego. He squeezed her waist gently, thumb rubbing circles around her navel, "Alright," he conceded, "But the first sign of labor and we're coming straight back."

"Deal."

On the drive up, Ava felt almost giddy with excitement. It was to be their shortest trip in months, only 3-4 days, but the sun was out and the weather was warm. All the way there, she rubbed her tummy and took Eli's hand when the baby kicked, holding it over the spot to feel their son's movements.

Eli seemed less reserved too, probably feeding off her uncharacteristically cheerful demeanor. If he found it odd, he said nothing. They rode up making sporadic conversation interspersed with long bouts of companionable silence. Ava dozed off a couple of times, woken by Eli's gentle nudging to ask if she needed the bathroom when he stopped for gas, or the baby's hiccups.

There was a feeling of finality to this trip somehow, and although it should have concerned her, she chalked it up to late pregnancy jitters. What reason could there be for this being their last visit here?

Per usual, Eli stopped in their familiar little seaside town. They brunched at the same diner as their first visit here, browsed the same boutiques and found a new, even more overtly grannyish sweater which Ava held up for Eli with excitement.

"It's got little embroidered roses," she enthused, flicking through the hangers to find the largest size. "Phew, they've still got an XL."

Gone was the time she would have felt awkward about spending his money. Now she handed him the sweater without another word, leaning her head on his shoulder as he smiled indulgently and steered them toward the cash register.

"Ah," the same woman from their first trip was always here working the counter, "A young woman with classic, refined taste," she looked down at Ava's belly, "How much longer to go?"

"About a month," Eli replied, and Ava nodded, rubbing her belly.

"Wonderful, just wonderful. I hope you bring her in to let me meet her when she comes."

Eli stiffened, but Ava quickly interjected, "Actually, it's a boy."

"Oh? I could have sworn you told me you were having a girl one of the other times I saw you. Anyway, no matter. I love all babies. Bring him in for some cuddles."

"Ah," Eli started to object, but Ava spoke first.

"Sounds great," she smiled, squeezing Eli's waist and willing him to drop it.

Thankfully, for once, he listened to her.

Outside again, they strolled down the promenade, buying gelato from a cart down on the boardwalk and sitting on the same bench from their first visit, enjoying the sunshine and sound of the waves below.

"Ooh," Ava remarked after a particularly strong kick, "I'm not sure if that means he likes the mango gelato or not."

Eli leaned forward, placing his ear against her stomach, "Hmm? Mmhmm. Ok, yes, I will tell her."

He sat up again, his face a mask of mock seriousness, "He says he prefers the pistachio, so I suppose we will need to buy some more before we leave."

Ava giggled at the joke like a teenager and let herself be wooed by his playful disposition today. It wasn't often he showed this side of himself, and she wanted to believe, even if just for a while, that he was really as sweet as he pretended to be.

When they finally left to head back to the car, she linked her fingers with his as they walked, imagining a little boy holding their hands and swinging between them instead.

Back in the car, they fastened seatbelts and as Eli was pulling out of the gravel lot back onto the main road, she thought of something she kept meaning to bring up.

"We still need to decide on his name."

Eli was busy looking both ways for any cars that might come flying around the corner, clearly distracted, "Uh huh."

"Well," she said as he finally pulled back onto the road, deciding that now was a good time to try and take advantage of this moment, "I was thinking we could name him Ben, after Mr. Lockwood."

No answer.

He took the turn heading north, and she knew Lockwood Manor was only 20 or so minutes away. She also knew he must have heard her, but it was hard to sit there waiting for an answer when she wasn't confident he was planning to give one.

"I…I'm not sure," he said finally, and she breathed a soft sigh of relief just to hear him respond in a calm voice, allaying her fears that she had somehow made him angry.

"Okay… what names do you like?"

"The name Ben is fine, but under the circumstances, it feels a little too personal."

"I mean, my grandfathers are both gone, you don't seem interested in maintaining a relationship with your family so that leaves Mr. Lockwood as the main 'grandfatherly' figure in his life."

Eli seemed to be thinking of it, "Yes, but he's my employer."

"And? He's asked us to move in with him, Eli. I think he's a little more than just your employer."

"While that is true, I don't want to be beholden to him forever if I live under his roof. I may want to branch out someday, use my money and try something different."

"Like what? I thought you enjoyed your job."

He rolled his eyes, "I enjoy making money. I enjoy using my skills to do it. But if the opportunity came up for me to do something else, to do something on my own… well, I want to be able to take it."

"And you don't think you could if we lived with the Lockwoods? You think he would stop you?"

"No, but he's not going to live forever. We could move in and he might die tomorrow, or a month from now. He's old and frail, and if we move in you'll probably be roped into being his caretaker and Maisie's too. That's not what I want for you. You should be concentrating on our son and our family, not worrying about anyone else's."

"Did you think to ask what I want?"

"No, because if what you want is to move into Lockwood Manor, it's not happening right now. If Lockwood died and we inherited part of his estate or something, it would be a different story."

"Why would we inherit? I assume everything would be left to Maisie. She's his only living family, yes?"

He scoffed, "If you can call her that."

Ava stiffened, her neck felt suddenly hot as she felt them about to readdress this subject of Maisie's humanity.

"That child is-"

"To be protected or you can't guarantee our son's safety. Yes, you told me."

"Do you think I'm bluffing?"

"Honestly? Yes. I doubt you would do anything to him. I don't think you have it in you to kill anyone."

"And do you?"

"Me?" he snorted, "I'll let you decide that for yourself. Anyway, rest assured, if the time comes that Maisie is in danger, I will do whatever I can to save her, but for love of you, not her."

Her stomach churned anxiously, not happy with the sour note this conversation had taken. It was easy to believe there was good in him when they avoided stressful topics and took leisurely strolls on a bright sunny day. When she sat down and really spoke to him though, almost every time she was left with the unsettling feeling that part of him, maybe even all of him, was devoid of a conscience - utterly evil – and that the longer she stayed, the more likely her son would grow up to be too.

At dinner, Iris served Ava and Eli first at Mr. Lockwood's behest.

"You need your strength," he reminded her with a wink and a smile.

Ava smiled nervously at the food on her plate, remembering the monumental task still before her. This weekend was supposed to be her last escape from thinking about the approaching birth, but of course, it was all anyone else wanted to talk about.

Maisie practically bounced in her seat, eager to finish the meal and drag Ava upstairs to view her paintings.

"I made another one for the baby's nursery," she told the table, "I wanted to bring it down for dinner but Iris told me it has to wait."

"And so it must," Iris answered, spooning dinner onto Mr. Lockwood's plate, "You'll have plenty of time to spend with Ms. Chambers after she's eaten. The baby needs her rested and strong."

Maisie looked down at her glass, then at the pitcher in the middle of the table.

"Could you pass the water?" she asked Eli, who could reach it the easiest.

Iris gasped, "Did you hear her? Waw-terr. No child, it's wot-er."

The girl rolled her eyes as Eli passed the pitcher her way.

"In England it would be wot-er, but here it's—"

"Now Maisie, allow your elders some say in this, please," Mr. Lockwood reached for his fork as Iris made her way to serve her, looking very stern as she did.

"Have you picked a name yet?" Mr. Lockwood asked.

Ava and Eli looked at each other. She felt his hand under the table squeeze her knee as if in warning.

"Not yet," she answered, ignoring Eli's gaze.

"Have you prepared everything?" Iris queried them as she finally sat down next to Maisie in the seat directly across from Ava.

"I think so," Eli replied, "Although I'm sure there will be things we've missed along the way."

Mr. Lockwood spoke up, "Is everything upstairs ready?"

Embarrassed, Ava remained deliberately quiet, not wanting Mr. Lockwood to be offended that many of his generous gifts were still in their original boxes. Every time they came to visit Eli was so busy he had only managed to put together the diaper changing table and a baby swing. The crib, stroller, and several other items were still waiting to be unpacked.

"Not entirely, but I'll try to work on it while I'm here."

"And how are you feeling about everything, Ava?" Mr. Lockwood asked her, "Are you ready to be a mother?"

No.

She forced a smile and looked at him, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"I told Mills he should have taken you on holiday somewhere before the big arrival. Our family estate in England is woefully empty most of the year."

Well, that was something Eli had never relayed to her.

"It's a bit late for that now," Eli said, sounding conciliatory, "I've been so busy with work and getting things ready for the baby at home."

He looked at Ava, "We'll take one soon. As a family." His eyes held hers as he squeezed her leg under the table.

"We should all go together!" Maisie chimed in, "What if we went to the park?"

Eli's brows furrowed, "Like the same park we took you to last year?" he asked.

"No, THE park. To see the dinosaurs."

It got quiet. Mr. Lockwood and Iris seemed very uncomfortable. Maisie looked uncertain why her suggestion was not being embraced, and Ava felt keenly aware of how everyone was trying to decide what to say next until the silence was broken by Eli's low chuckle.

"You mean Isla Nublar? Maisie, that would be horribly unsafe. I wouldn't take you or Ava there for all the money in the world."

"But I saw how they used to let humans interact with the dinosaurs. In the plastic rolling bubbles."

Iris spoke, "Yes, but only amongst the herbivores, dear, never with the carnivorous ones."

"And they're all intermingled now ever since the incident" Eli reminded her.

Maisie sputtered, "B-b-but how will I ever see them if we don't go there?"

"Now now, Maisie, calm down," Mr. Lockwood said, but he seemed strained, as if her distress was physically hurting him.

Trying to think of something to diffuse the situation, Ava finally entered the conversation.

"Maisie, why don't we go for a walk tomorrow? You and I can plan a fun holiday trip for us when the baby is big enough to go. Please, I need the exercise."

"Okay," the poor girl still looked dejected, but slightly less so at the prospect of spending time outside with Ava.

Eli gave Maisie one of his haughty smiles as he took another bite of dinner, completely indifferent to her feelings on the matter, but no one seemed to notice except Ava.