Izzy was making her way back to the village after a quick hunting trip with Leyla when the duo came across a small pond. Leyla nodded towards the pond and nudged Izzy towards it.
"We should stop. Refill our drinks," she said softly. Izzy nodded in agreement and unscrewed the lid of her water bottle. After refilling their water, the girls sat on the ground to rest. Izzy felt Leyla's eyes on her, but decided not to mention it. She glanced towards Leyla briefly before she spoke.
"You keep staring at me," she commented.
"Sorry."
"If you have a question, just ask," Izzy replied.
"You remember when we were talking the other day? About… About being misunderstood?"
"Yeah, why?
"Have you ever thought about… I don't know. You know how guys and girls fall in love and get married and shit?"
"Yeah," Izzy said softly. "Wanna go for a swim?"
"Sure," Leyla muttered. She began removing her top as she spoke again. "Have you ever thought about what would happen if there was a girl that liked other girls that way?"
"I mean, it's not that big of a deal in 2021. At least where I lived, everyone was pretty chill about it. Why are you asking?"
"Um, no reason."
"It seems like there's a reason," Izzy said, folding her clothes before stepping into the water. Leyla followed her in, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.
"Fine. Don't tell anyone," Leyla mumbled, paddling towards a tiny island in the middle of the pond. "I… Like girls. But if you tell anyone-"
"Hey, hey, I won't, I promise," Izzy whispered, quickly grabbing her hand. She hoisted herself onto the island and motioned for Leyla to join her. "Come here," she whispered, pulling the older girl onto the island next to her. "I'm bi. I like girls and guys," she said softly. Leyla smiled softly as Izzy sat up. Suddenly the air was filled with unfamiliar vibes. "I'm not gonna lie to you," she began, "It was pretty hot when you pushed me to the ground the other day." She hopped back into the water and swam under the water for a few moments, then came up for air only to see Leyla next to her.
"Come here," she whispered. Their lips met, slowly at first but they quickly found their sweet spot. Leyla grinned and pulled Izzy back to where they'd left their clothes.
The duo moved their belongings to an area with more sun, hoping to dry quickly before their hike back home. They shared several soft kisses before Leyla looked up in alarm. Her hands trembled as they listened to branches move around. Seconds later, Paara appeared from the brush. Leyla grabbed her fur top and sprinted in the opposite direction without a word. Paara looked at Izzy and raised an eyebrow.
"What was that about?" she asked. "Where are your clothes?"
Izzy was frozen in place. Ruth, Leyla's mother, was second in line to the fort's leadership position. She didn't know what kind of trouble she could get into for being with her, or even for being with another woman, for that matter.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Go get dressed. Don't run off," Paara said softly. Izzy awkwardly grabbed her clothes and shuffled into the forest. When she returned a few minutes later, she instinctively avoided eye contact.
"It wasn't anything." She spoke softly but firmly.
"Izzy, you're not in trouble," Paara responded softly. "I promise, you're not in trouble for liking women and you're not in trouble for kissing Leyla."
"Ruth is gonna kill me. I wasn't thinking-"
"Love isn't logical, Izzy. I don't know if that's what you two have, but love is messy, and complicated, and ugly, and as long as you're living with us, at our fort, you'll never be in trouble for who you love." Paara pulled Izzy against her and stroked her hair. "I mean, me of all people, I would know how fucked up love is," she whispered. "I mean, I fell in love with a Sky Person. All my life, people warned me not to trust Sky People, but I took a chance… And Ty is the most amazing person I could have ever asked for."
"Have you, um, been home yet?" Izzy asked nervously.
"No, why?"
"Um… This is a really bad time, but… There's something you should know."
"What? Izzy-"
"Ty may have kind of accidentally went through an aurora," Izzy blurted out.
"No," Paara said quietly. She was in denial. She didn't want to believe that her husband wouldn't be waiting for her at home.
"He didn't mean to," Izzy said awkwardly.
"Find Leyla and head home. I'll be there later," Paara whispered.
"Okay," Izzy whispered, understanding Paara's desire to be alone with her thoughts. "Hey. Every time a portal here opens to a new time, a sinkhole opens that leads back here. If there's a way for him to get home to you, he'll take it. He loves you." With that, Izzy made her way out in the same direction Leyla had gone.
"Leyla?" she asked softly. "Leyla?"
After about fifteen minutes of wandering, Izzy heard the sound of fire crackling. She made her way inside a cave, unsurprised to see Leyla sitting by a small fire.
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing. I told her that it was nothing, and she believed me. She promised me that we aren't in trouble, and she promised she wouldn't tell your mom. I believe her," Izzy whispered. Leyla shrugged and hugged herself nervously. "We should head home. Hey, we didn't do anything wrong. We went hunting, we got some kill, and we went for a swim to cool off."
Leyla remained silent. She shook her head.
"I'm not going back there. I can't," she whispered.
"Leyla, what are you scared of? Are you scared that your mom will be mad? That Paara will?"
"I- I don't know. It's just, like, this feeling of dread. I don't want to look Paara in the eye after that," she whispered.
"We are not in trouble, okay? Paara looked me in the eye and promised me that she had no intention of telling anyone what she saw. Plus, she has some of her own problems right now. She's not gonna tell anyone," Izzy whispered. She sat next to Leyla and kissed her cheek softly. Leyla's hands trembled and nodded softly.
"I'm not embarrassed by you, Izzy," she whispered. "I'm scared."
"I know," Izzy whispered back. "I know. Let's get going, okay? Nothing bad will happen."
Soon enough, the girls arrived at the fort. Leyla's breath was shaky as Ruth approached.
"You're both soaking wet," she commented.
"We went for a swim," Izzy explained quietly.
"That's fine. Take your kill to Joseph, he's handling that today. Make sure you put your bows up."
"Okay," Leyla replied softly.
Later that night, as the fort gathered around the tables to eat dinner, Izzy noticed that Paara's chair was empty. She hesitated as she contemplated her next move. On one hand, she understood wanting space while processing bad news, but on the other hand, she was worried. She made her way to Paara's hut and knocked softly.
"Come in," Paara said quietly.
"Hey," Izzy said, opening the curtain slowly. She noted that Paara was curled up on the bed, holding Ty's shirt to her chest. "We're eating. Do you want me to bring you some? I can eat in here, so you're not alone," she offered.
"I'll eat later. I can't deal with everyone looking at me right now," Paara whispered.
"Hey, I get it. I don't mind bringing you a bowl. I'll take care of it, don't worry," Izzy said, sitting on the bed next to her.
"Alright," Paara agreed quietly. Izzy rubbed her hand softly before making her way to the serving table.
"Let me get one for Paara too?" Izzy asked. The server nodded and passed her two bowls. "Thank you." She made her way back to the hut and set the bowl on the small table next to the bed, then sat next to Paara and smiled softly. "Do you want to eat here or at the table?" she asked softly.
"Here," Paara whispered. "I don't want to talk about it."
"That's fine. Is there something that you do want to talk about? It can be anything," Izzy replied, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
"Tell me about you and Leyla," Paara said, grinning. "Her and Ruth are both eating with everyone else."
"Fine. She taught me to use a bow and arrow while you were gone. We went on our first hunting trip today, and… Things just kind of happened. We talked about how parents don't get us sometimes, and then we talked about liking girls. Then, things just kind of happened. I… I don't know if it would happen again," Izzy said softly.
"How did Veronica find out she was pregnant?" Paara blurted out.
"She took a pregnancy test that came down with us in the sinkhole. Why?" Izzy asked.
"Please don't repeat this to anyone," Paara said quietly.
"Hey, I won't," Izzy reassured her.
"Do you have any more?"
"Probably. They're in the long house with the rest of our stuff. In the first aid kit. Do you, um, need one?"
"Can you get one without anyone asking questions? Normally I would just wait it out and see, but…"
"I get it. I can probably get one if I go now, while everyone is eating," Izzy said softly.
"Please," Paara said quietly. She closed her eyes and slowly set the bowl on the small table. Izzy nodded and hurried out of the hut. She snuck around into the back of the longhouse and opened the first aid kid, shuffling around for a pregnancy test. She grabbed two and shoved them into her hoodie when a familiar voice spoke.
"Izzy, what the hell do you need that for?" Gavin asked. Izzy's eyes widened and she bit her lip.
"Dad, I need you to trust me when I say they're not for me. I swear. Please, please don't ask any questions, I already promised I wouldn't tell," Izzy said quietly.
"Izzy, you realize what this is making me think, right? I already heard from Ruth that you got caught making out with someone-"
"What did Ruth tell you, exactly?" Izzy asked. She felt as if her throat was closing up.
"Just that you got caught half naked with someone by the pond. She didn't know who. Izzy, look, honey, you have got to just be honest with me. Please, I've had enough of my family lying to me," Gavin whispered, sitting next to her.
"Fine. I did kiss someone today, okay? I kissed Leyla. I kissed Ruth's daughter, okay?" Izzy hissed. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I swear, Dad, the tests aren't for me. I swear to God, I'm grabbing them for a friend, and she wants me to stay quiet about it until she's ready to tell. Can you please just respect that?"
"Come here," Gavin whispered. He wrapped his daughter in a hug and kissed her forehead softly. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," Issy whispered back. "Please don't tell Ruth. Leyla wants to tell her on her own terms,"
"Don't worry. I've got your back, kid. Go take care of your friend," he whispered. Izzy nodded and snuck back to Paara's hut.
"Sorry," she whispered when she got back, "I got caught up with my dad. I didn't tell him anything, don't worry. But, we might want to sneak out of here for you to use these."
Four hours later, they had both pregnancy tests sitting on Paara's bed. Paara eyed the tests nervously. She was absolutely terrified of the thought of being pregnant, and even more so without Ty there.
"I can't do this," she whispered.
"Yes you can," Izzy reassured her.
"Can you tell me what it says? I, um, don't know how to read them."
"I've got it," Izzy reassured her. She picked up the first test, feeling her heart sink when she saw the result. She picked up the other one and immediately gulped. She glanced around the room, selfishly desperate for something to interrupt the moment. "Um," she said nervously.
"What is it? Please just tell me," Paara whispered, suddenly knowing exactly what the result was.
"I'm sorry," Izzy whispered. "You, um, you're pregnant."
Paara felt as if her stomach was twisted into a million knots. Her lip trembled as she nodded.
"I can't do this," she whispered. "I- I can't be a mom without Ty." A small sob escaped her lips as she crawled onto the bed. She held her stomach and began to sob. "I want Ty back."
Izzy rubbed her back for a long time. She didn't know how long it had been when the sound of bells ringing startled them both.
"It's already morning?" Paara whispered. Izzy nodded.
"It's okay. Stay here as long as you need to," she whispered back.
Three Weeks Later
Izzy and Leyla had decided to go for a walk outside of the fort to discuss their next steps, but it had proven to be easier said than done. The duo had talked about pretty much everything except for the elephant in the room.
"So, um, us," Izzy said awkwardly.
"Yeah," she muttered. "Iz, I like you. A lot. But I'm scared."
"I know. Leyla, hey," Izzy began slowly, "I think you should tell your mom. I think she would be cool with it."
"I know. I know she would, but I can't make myself tell her."
Just then, a small aurora began to open in the sky. Izzy gasped and nudged Leyla. The aurora widened and the girls saw something unidentified falling from the aurora. Or was it someone?
"Let's go investigate. That could be Ty," Izzy said softly. They took off sprinting towards where the aurora had opened. About 30 minutes later, they arrived back at the old clearing.
...
Ty was in a hospital room, surrounded by nurses and lights. So many bright lights. He looked around, trying to figure out what had happened, when all of a sudden he realized that Paara was in the hospital bed. He couldn't figure out why, but it was clear that she was in pain. She was also wearing a modern hospital gown, an obvious opposite of the traditional Tongva clothing she normally wore.
"Paara," he whispered. He put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead softly. "What's the matter, my love?"
"Ty," she whimpered desperately. "Ty, we're having a baby."
Just then, Ty sat up weakly. He saw Izzy and Leyla hurrying towards him and grinned.
"Izzy," he said softly.
"Ty!" Izzy exclaimed, wrapping him in a gentle hug. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No, no, I'm alright. Where's Paara? Is she okay?"
"She's at home. We were out walking, I wanted to come see if it was you," Izzy explained. "She misses you. We should get you two reunited."
"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Ty agreed. "I brought supplies," he added helpfully, holding up a black backpack.
"That's great," Izzy said, laughing from pure relief. She helped Ty to his feet, then walked behind him with Leyla as they made their way back to the fort.
"I had the craziest dream just as you were getting here. Paara, she was in a hospital gown. She told me that we were having a baby," Ty said to Izzy. Izzy bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say.
"Um, is that something the two of you talked about?" she asked.
"No," Ty admitted, "We never discussed it. But, if I'm being honest, I'd be open to it if she was. She'd make an amazing mother." Izzy grinned, knowing the secret that Paara was keeping from the village. "What's that smile for?" he asked softly.
"Nothing. I'm just, I'm glad you're back. I know Paara will be too," Izzy said softly. Ty narrowed his eyes. Before he could speak, Leyla did.
"We should stop and get some water." Ty and Izzy nodded and they approached the small stream. Leyla yanked Izzy away from Ty and grinned.
"I think Paara is pregnant," she whispered.
"Why would you think that?" Izzy asked.
"Because. My mom's been in charge in the mornings a lot. Plus, I found pregnancy tests in the woods. That, plus Ty having that dream… I don't know for sure, but I think she is." Izzy bit her lip and checked to see where Ty was.
"Look, don't tell him, or anyone else, but you're right. You're right, okay? It's not your place to tell anyone," Izzy whispered. Leyla's eyes widened and she grinned and nodded.
"I won't say a word. I want him to hear it from her," Leyla agreed.
Soon, they were back to walking, and the girls did their best to tell Ty what he had missed during his trip.
"Hey, just a heads up," Izzy whispered to Ty as they were about to go back into the fort. Ty turned to face her and raised an eyebrow. "She's been struggling. She doesn't blame you, but she's been completely devastated without you. She's barely been eating, but I think she'll be okay now that you're home. I've been taking care of her, for the most part."
"Poor thing. I feel so bad. I never meant to leave," Ty whispered.
"She knows. And she isn't upset with you, at all," Izzy reassured him. She walked with Ty to the hut he shared with Paara and opened the curtain softly. "Hey," she whispered. "Can I come in?"
"Give me a second," Paara croaked. "I just threw up." Ty looked at Izzy in alarm, but Izzy avoided eye contact and slipped inside. "Wait here," she mouthed to Ty.
"Hey, hey, you're okay, You're okay. I've got you. Let's get you cleaned up, okay?" Izzy murmured, grabbing a cloth from the table and passing it to Paara. "An aurora just opened. There's someone waiting to see you when you're ready," she whispered. Paara jumped up and immediately tried to rinse out her mouth with water, before settling on a lump of gum to chew on.
"Help," she said, trying to pull on the skirt that she knew Ty liked. Izzy helped her tie the skirt, then ran her fingers through Paara's hair and smiled.
"You look beautiful. But I think we both know Ty doesn't care what you look like, he just wants to see you." Izzy squeezed her hand quickly, then spoke again. "I'll give you two some space," she said softly, before exiting through the back of the hut. Paara grinned, then forced herself to swallow the gum and opened the curtain. She buried herself in Ty's arms, then pulled apart and kissed him passionately.
"I love you," she whispered. Ty cupped her face and kissed her again, then again and again until he felt her pulling him into the hut.
"Paara," he whispered, "I'm so sorry, love,"
"You're forgiven. It was an accident. All that matters now is that you're here and you're safe," Paara whispered.
"My love," Ty whispered. "I heard you say you threw up. Are you ill?" he whispered, stroking her hand. Paara smiled softly.
"No," she reassured him. "Tell me about your trip."
"There wasn't much to talk about. I was able to help Sam and Gavin by getting some clues to the 2021 version of themselves. We found Maya Schmidt and they talked to her," he began. He kicked his shoes off and laid on the bed, pulling Paara on top of him. They kissed softly, then Paara snuggled against him. "I had a crazy dream when I landed back here," he whispered.
"Oh yeah? What about?" Paara whispered back.
"We were in a hospital from my world. You were wearing a hospital gown, and I asked what was wrong. You, um, you told me that you had our baby. God, you looked so beautiful. Then it was like I blinked, and I saw her," he whispered. Paara froze.
"Ty," she whispered. "Let me up. I have to show you something," she said quietly. Ty moved his arm, allowing for her to sit up. She reached over and pulled out a small, thin pouch from her nightstand drawer, then passed it to Ty. He raised an eyebrow but untied the package.
"Paara, is this what I think it is?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'm pregnant," she said sheepishly.
"Come here," Ty whispered. He pulled her against him and kissed her passionately, slowly letting his hand wander down to her stomach. "I love you," he said quietly. He laid her on the bed, then lifted her shirt and kissed her stomach softly.