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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 25, 2011 23:10:28 GMT -5
When Scarlet turned to him, eyes red from the tears, but not yanking her hand away from him, he wasn't sure what to expect. She stopped walking and he took an extra step before realizing it and halting next to her.
"Well, if you think it's a mistake, I won't have it."
His mouth twisted to one side, brows pulling together slightly. Jon shifted uncomfortably, feeling a stab of guilt at the underlying threat and accusation. He was preventing this, and yet he couldn't get it out of his head that they weren't able to see the bigger picture. There were so many things that could go wrong.
"This is 2011, Jonathan."
He sighed, shoulders sagging. "I know." He murmured, again and again, trying to not really interrupt, but at least show he understood what she was saying. And he did get her point- he just didn't understand how she could be so sure of it all. She painted a picture of their...family so clearly, with so much conviction, and he could only stare, asking himself if that was what he saw too. When she squeezed his hand, tears starting to well up again, he sighed, rubbing his free hand against the side of his face, glancing away. "No...no, I..." He started quietly, suddenly vulnerable, more worried than ever. "It's just, I never...not never wanted, but I never saw this sort of thing in the near future. And I feel like it's come on too fast, and I don't know what to do-" He was speaking rather quickly, and took a deep breath to calm down again, eyes finding her once more while he just shook his head despairingly. "I would never make you do something you didn't want to, that you felt was wrong..." He let out a low, humorless laugh, still frowning. "And...it's not a curse on our relationship, but I doubt you'd let me push you around anyway." He rolled his eyes, slowly reaching out to hug her, almost hesitant as if he expected her to back away. This conversation was far from over, but he didn't want it to be in a fit of rage or built on some sort of shouting match.
"I'm sorry." He murmured into her hair, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He was tensed again, debating whether to go on or not. "I'm sorry I hurt you...but don't ever think I don't love you too. Because I do, and I just need time..." He paused, trying to think of how best to put it. He couldn't say he had ever had a specific plan in mind, for how his life was going to go, where he would end up, but her certainly hadn't ever counted Scarlet out of it. "I need time to figure out how to make this work, how...we can make this work." He was a little confused by what he was saying. Maybe he couldn't yet feel the attachment she did to the idea of a child, if that child indeed existed, but he wouldn't destroy what they had just because he was feeling like a coward. Sure, it terrified him that maybe that sort of love would never come, and the sheer fact that he couldn't even find it in himself to pretend that things were going to be just fine made him feel sick, he wasn't going to watch his relationship with her crumble to pieces by not listening to her gut instinct. He had to trust her, because being with her didn't feel like a mistake. Not at all.
He stood there with her, almost swaying in the dark, his eyes on the pavement, the warm orange glow from the nearest streetlamp just out of reach. He said nothing more for a long time, feeling his heart rate slow, the night catching up with him. Things didn't seem quite so bad in the near-silence, surrounded as they were by crickets in the field, and the soft whooshing of the wind through the trees that dotted the roadside. "So, if you're...if you really are pregnant..." He didn't say it unpleasantly, just a bit hesitantly, like he was no longer sure how he was supposed to feel about it. He paused again, sighing softly, rearranging his thoughts. "Then you should know that I don't regret-" He almost smiled; he was trying hard to say the right thing, and it still somehow came out negatively. "What I mean is, honestly I didn't know if this was ever going to be a part of my life." He leaned back from her to see her face again. "I never pictured a baby, or having a family, or...whatever in the future, but I know that you were always a part of it. I would have taken time-a lot of it-but I don't know..." His face had gone a bit red again. "Maybe down the road I would have...I don't know...maybe proposed-" Now that he really did seem weirded out by saying, mostly because it seemed like such a foreign concept given the way both of them usually acted- which was immature, and a bit reckless. Actually getting married, and starting a family was even further beyond the boundary of weird things, so he had to assume that what he was experiencing, with the lack of feeling toward this whole pregnancy dilemma was shock. He didn't know if he wanted that to wear off just yet, and what it would mean when it did.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 28, 2011 22:09:20 GMT -5
Scarlet sighed softly as Jonathan's arms wound around her, before closing her eyes and resting her face on his chest as he spoke, going on and on. He fumbled over his words, and Scarlet couldn't help but laugh at him. He was so adorable when he was scared shit-less. She wished the circumstances were better... But it was what it was, and right now they had to face the crisis of figuring out how to fit a baby into their lives. She sighed and waited for him to stop talking, though her breath halted in her lungs at the last few things he said. She blinked repeatedly, eyes bright as she stared off at the pavement, and when he pushed her away to get a better look at her, her eyes found his, and she tilted her head, blinking at him. His words just kept echoing in her mind, tickling that little spontaneous spot that he always managed to hit. But this was serious...
"Maybe down the road I would have...I don't know...maybe proposed-"
Scarlet repeated the words over in her head, mouthing he word proposed to herself before putting her hands to his face. "You don't have to propose to me just because I'm pregnant, you know. If that's what you're thinking or whatever. Plus the stress of planning a wedding... Not exactly the greatest thing to do when you're about to have a baby..." She spoke slowly. Part of her really wanted him to. But the other part was screaming, "NO!" much, much louder. She bit her lip and stared up at him, before kissing him softly on the lips. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel like he couldn't... Leave, if he wanted to. She bit her lip at the thought and pressed her face into his chest again. Just because they were having a baby... He didn't have to stay. He didn't have to marry her. He didn't even have to be a part of the baby's life. They could give it up for adoption, or something... She sighed into his shirt and pulled away, taking his hand.
"Here, let's go back to that lake and talk. Just. Talk." She made the emphasis on the just, because even though her baby hormones were off the wall, they needed to get the talking out of the way.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 28, 2011 23:50:11 GMT -5
Not seeing her expression had been working so well- now as the silence stretched out, he only grew more worried that he had said the wrong thing, watching her mouth the words back to herself.
"You don't have to propose to me just because I'm pregnant, you know. If that's what you're thinking or whatever. Plus the stress of planning a wedding... Not exactly the greatest thing to do when you're about to have a baby..."
"Whoa, no, uh..." Jon shook his head awkwardly, eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to decipher if she saw this as a bad thing or not. It wasn't as if he was going to make a snap decision based on how she felt, but this seemed like a delicate subject. Marriage was a huge deal to some people...and others, well, they hardly thought about it. "I know I don't have to, I just...I-" What was wrong with him? He was stuttering like a little kid, trying to backtrack without hurting her feelings. He didn't feel obligated to get married exactly- but since she brought up that question, did that mean she expected that from him? Oh god. Wait, why did he even bring it up? She took his hand, asking to go back to the lake, and he nodded absently, turning so they could make their way back to the bike.
"Is it bad," He asked hesitantly, eyes straining in the dark stretching before them. The ride had passed in silence, and they were completely alone out by the rocks. With Scarlet glowing softly next to him, and the moon rising, it wouldn't be long before his eyes adjusted, but for some reason he could only seem to look to the shadows. Jon himself could have faded into the darkness, and not only because he was an Erebos Unnatural. Only his face, weirdly pale really stood out from his dark hair, clothing, and dull brown eyes. "that I agree? I mean, about getting married." He laughed nervously again, squeezing her hand lightly. "I was just, you know, thinking about how things might have gone. Not that we can't ever get married, unless someone insists on a shot gun wedding, but I don't think we need to rush-" He carried on quickly, dark eyes widening- honestly, if he didn't manage to catch himself before he really started rambling, he figured he would have just carried on and done serious damage. He had to get a grip.
"Do you...do you want to?"
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 29, 2011 13:00:01 GMT -5
Scarlet removed her shoes as Jonathan talked, setting them on a rock as she dipped her feet into the water, flicking it up and away from here with her toes. She smiled and tilted her head before looking up at him as he rambled on and on. Finally, she put her finger to his lips and shook her head, laughing a bit when he asked her if she actually wanted to get married. "No, Jonathan. I don't want to marry you. Not right now, at least." She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing softly. No, she wouldn't have wanted a shotgun wedding. Not now, not in a long time... "Three years." She looked up at him, blinking. "Three years, and then you can ask me." Scarlet looked up at him, blinking. "Deal?" She smiled brightly and tilted her head, squeezing his hand gently.
After a couple of seconds, she stood up in the water and took a couple of steps into the lake, looking back at him. "I'm okay with this, you know..." She shrugged and looked down at her toes in the water. "I think I have been for a while..." With a laughed, Scarlet flicked some water towards her boyfriend and shrugged a bit. "I have a new job, by the way." She tucked her arms together, looking at him seriously. "Maybe that's why I'm not as worried... I got a job as the track coach at the school." She mumbled, shrugging. "Pays well enough." She smiled weakly and slipped off her shorts, tossing them onto the rock. Next went her shirt, and she sat down in the water, holding her knees. "We're going to be alright, Jon. We'll get by."
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Sept 1, 2011 11:14:29 GMT -5
Time was good. Time meant there was ample space to make mistakes, test the waters, whatever else he felt needed to be done. So the pressure was off for that, at least for now.
"Deal." The relief was evident in his voice, and he smiled in that slightly-confused-but-mostly-wary sort of way, watching as Scarlet stepped into the water.
"I'm okay with this, you know..."
He nodded slowly, not quite meeting her eyes as he lowered himself onto one of the dry rocks, knees drawn up and arms outstretched, elbows resting on his legs. There were still a hundred different things to ask himself, and worry over, but he still managed to look vaguely pleased.
"Well...that's a start." He muttered, involuntarily flinching when she flicked water at him. He did seem to gain a bit more enthusiasm when she mentioned her new job, forcing a bright grin. "That's great. We'll be in close quarters then..." Slowly his expression seemed to pucker up a bit, smile slipping off again as his eyes dropped back down away from her face. "You might not be working there very long though." He pointed out sullenly. "And I guess you won't be going to school this year?" He paused for a second, before holding up both hands to stop any retort, apparently realizing he was just coming back to the same topic over and over. "I know, I know. Plenty of people have kids and go to school at the same time. I was only wondering." He shrugged. Earlier she had said that she felt like she had ruined his life- how, he couldn't see. He felt the same way toward her- she was the one who (likely) had a child growing inside of her, and would have to give everything up. He just went on as he always had. He still had his apartment, had no career plan beyond working at Thadeus so far, and had no pressure to attend university. It was hard to get excited about this, when he was pretty sure she actually possessed dreams and goals, and he didn't, but she still payed the higher price.
"We're going to be alright, Jon. We'll get by."
She was taking off everything but her underwear, going to sit in the water, and Jon's eyes followed her while he frowned. He stared intently at her flat stomach for a few seconds before realizing it, and sighed, reclining on his rock, slowly closing his eyes.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Sept 6, 2011 20:25:45 GMT -5
Scarlet sighed and laid back in the water, feeling her body float upwards, and swirl a bit in the tide, smiling at the stars. Jonathan was a big worrier, which made her worry even more about things she normally wouldn’t bother herself over. Life was life, and sometimes shit got in the way. Shit like jobs, school, and babies. She closed her eyes and listened to him speak, tuning in the crickets and the breeze moving through the trees. It was peaceful out here, even though she had been so stressed earlier. Her eyes opened when he mentioned school, and she turned her head so she could see his face, studying it with slightly narrowed eyes, so she could see his reaction.
“No. I will be. I’ll be going to school, even when I’m all swollen and cranky.” She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair, before laughing. Honestly, keeping a half-Chinese woman away from school? He must not have looked very hard into her study habits before he left. She was diligent, and thorough. Her answers were rarely wrong, and she had a 4.0 GPA, even with the months she missed because of emotional... issues. Not going to school was not an option at this point. “Me not going to school is like trying to stop a polar bear from beating the shit out of a man for shooting her cub. It’s impossible. I’m going.” Her head nodded firmly, and her voice was stern. This is what she was going to do, no matter what.
She paused, thinking it over. What had he said about work? That she wouldn’t be there for too long? She blinked. “I don’t plan on taking maternity leave.” She looked at him and tilted her head, feeling the breeze as it brushed the water droplets off her chest, smiling a bit at the ripples it made. “The university has a daycare, and I have no reason to not go anymore. It’s only 1 1/2 hours after school, three days a week.” She shrugged and sat up, ficking her hair around a bit. He really needed to stop thinking that he had ruined her life. Smiling, she stood up and flicked some water in his direction. “You should come swim with me.” She flopped back and floated out further into the water. It was warm enough, and the breeze made it even warmer on the surface. It was a good medium temperature, which she could definitely deal with. Plus, they were leaving tomorrow, and he hadn’t taken her swimming. And with this girls-day happening tomorrow, they wouldn’t have much opening to before she went on her flight with him.
She was a little nervous about the flight, if she was being honest. The last meeting with her father had went well, but she was scared for Jonathan to learn more about her family, and even more worried about talking to her father about her mother when they got there. She’d probably do it while Jonathan took a shower at some point. It seemed easier to talk about that stuff without him listening; it’d only worry him about her even more. And she didn’t really need that... Especially not now, with the looming fact that there most definitely was a baby growing inside of her. Finally, it dawned on her. “Wait. What do you mean, we’ll be working in close quarters?” She stared, blinking at him.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Sept 7, 2011 0:39:23 GMT -5
He shifted on his rock as she sank back into the water, frowning when she brushed off his questions with vague reassurances. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?" He cocked a brow, still looking rather serious. "I mean, don't give up on your education, but this isn't something that's going to take care of itself." Jon slid off the rock, hands in his pockets as he slowly walked toward her along the shore.
"Like it or not, but you won't be doing much with a newborn on the way." He sighed, though his expression softened, more sympathetic than anything else. He was going to help, all he could, but she had to understand that she wasn't going to be her usual active self- she'd have something holding her back now. She was calling to him to join her in the water, but he just shook his head, looking down with a grin. He didn't really want to, but it seemed their serious discussion would be held off for some time. He stalled, sweeping his arms out with a sigh, before muttering 'fine', still shaking his head.
Jon kicked off his shoes, undoing his belt and pulling off his shirt and shorts. As he walked into the lake, his back was illuminated, all the little crosses etched into his back standing in even greater relief. Not that he cared- him, self conscious around Scarlet? He hadn't worried about that for a long time. At first he walked right by where she was floating, ignoring her question, and dunked his whole head beneath the water, reemerging with his hair dripping into his eyes. He crouched there, head and shoulders only above the waterline, looking over at her, serious again. "The plane tickets- I was only able to get them because I got a new job, one that pays better." He didn't mind sharing this with her, but somehow he felt like he should have revealed it with a little more finesse. "Your buddy Mackenzie helped me out, actually." His mouth twisted to the side, and he looked away, thinking of that first encounter on the roof- funny how that had come in handy with finding contacts. His dark eyes flicked back to her. "I got a job at the school- archery teaching assistant. Back where I belong." He laughed quietly, rolling his eyes. He was actually a little worried about it, worried that he was out of practice, that he couldn't fit the role properly. "But that will all be waiting when we get home, just like the...other things we need to talk about." He swam over to her, half cradling her in the water. "So I get it. We can leave all that stuff until we're done with this trip." He was misunderstanding the worry in her expression, thinking she was tired of responding to his constant worrying, and not thinking about the looming meeting with her father.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Sept 13, 2011 12:06:37 GMT -5
Scarlet was about to reply to his assumption that she didn't want to talk about it. Truth was, she didn't care if they talked about it or not. She had other things to worry about. The little nagging feeling in her head and stomach was just part of the wondrous chaos inside her mind right now. Without really speaking, she swam over to Jonathan and stood on the sandy bottom of the lake, sliding her hands up his chest and into his hair, playing with it with her forefinger and thumb. He was the most amazing man that had ever entered her life. Why did she always want to argue with him? It felt like they were married already.
Laughing a bit at the thought, she pulled herself up against him, kissing him gently on the lips, just barely snagging his bottom one, considering that she was standing on a lower part of the incline into the lake. "I don't care if you ask questions, Jonathan. You're worried, I get that. I'm worried too. But I have other things to worry about." She nodded slowly, trying to find the right words, before shrugging a bit. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, when we get to Vancouver, okay?" She bit her lip and pulled away from him slightly, running her hands down his arms and into the water to take his hand, smiling weakly as water rushed away from the space in between them when she clasped her fingers into his. "Let's just enjoy the last night here, alright?" She pulled him further into the water and stood on her tip-toes, before grinning coyly. "You do remember how we enjoy ourselves, right?"
~*~*~*~
The next morning, Scarlet awoke on the couch with Jon, curled up in his arms. She smiled weakly and remembered the night before, and how Jonathan had asked her if she wanted to watch some TV before bed, knowing fully in his mind that they'd probably fall asleep together. It was easy for her to fall asleep with him.
"Jonathan?" Scarlet whispered, looking up at him. No reply. She smiled and kissed his jaw softly before getting up out of his arms, and going to take a shower. It was a long one for once, and she cleaned every inch of her skin free from the lake water and some leaves that had stuck in her hair. Once she was done and smelling like her pink grapefruit body wash, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself, heading back to her room. She ran into Paul on her way, but dismissed his comments about her being in a towel with a couple of laughs at him, before settling in her room to get dressed.
Without really knowing what to wear on a girl's-day-out, Scarlet threw on some white shorts and a black tank-top, exiting her room to find Mandy coming down the stairs, smiling at her. "Good morning." Scarlet smiled happily, tucking her arms behind her back and clasping her hands together with an excited body-wiggle. "Are we off to the city now?"
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Sept 15, 2011 13:41:03 GMT -5
Jon was out like a light, sprawled on the couch, oblivious to the absence of Scarlet's warmth once she got up to take a shower. Paul, on the other hand, was patrolling the kitchen, searching out food and piling anything acceptable he could find into a bowl to be drowned in milk. He had finished his food and gone in search of one of his sweaters that he assumed had been left in the basement, when he froze at the sound of a door opening when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Scarlet walked out in a towel, and he gave her the cheesy finger-guns with a wink, covering up the fact that he had gone a bit red, saying something about her not being that hard on the eyes for someone from Thaedeus, before departing with his things.
Mandy made her quiet way down the stairs, having left Mike still asleep. She caught a glimpse of Paul leaving the house with his usual easy-going smile, a bag slung over his shoulder- probably off to get a head start on whatever he was up to today with his friends. As she hit the landing and stepped into the hall, Scarlet was right there, looking excited to start the day, positively glowing with enthusiasm. Mandy seemed unable to hold back a smile in return, and nodded, a little taken by surprise, though she was ready to set off. "Sure thing hon, but I hope you don't mind if I pick up a coffee on the way." She smiled again, stifling a yawn. She was just as eager to be off as Scarlet, just less of a morning person than she used to be. From the hall she could see her other son stretched out on the couch, and her smile faded a little- that reminded her...
Picking her car keys off of the little shelf at the front door, she picked up her purse, rifled around it to make sure she had everything she needed, giving Scarlet a chance to bring anything else she needed. Then they headed out to the car sitting in the driveway, a little silver sedan. Mandy waited until they were on the road to speak up, keeping her blue eyes fixed on the road ahead, mainly to keep from seeming too overwhelmingly nosy. "Now, I know it's none of my business," She started slowly, giving the impression that she was choosing her words carefully. "But you seemed pretty upset last night." She immediately held up a hand, shaking her head a little. "You don't have to give me details if you don't want to, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. That you and Jon are fine." She glanced over, smiling a little.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Sept 27, 2011 10:50:47 GMT -5
The drive to the city was a bit quiet, and Scarlet made use of the down-time to stare out the window at all the things they passed, smiling a bit when they drove past the field she had been laying in last night. It had just been one huge fuss over something that would work it's way out, just like the lives of everyone else in the world. She needed to stop being so self-centered and think about bigger pictures. What if this baby grew up to be the next president, or a famous architect, or something really, really important. Maybe the man or woman that killed one of the most horrible dictators in the world? Who really knew that none of that was possible? Aside from the fates, and maybe some other gods... Scarlet blinked. What if there were other gods? Like Egyptian, Norse... Maybe the Christian God was real, too. Did all the other gods serve under him? Scarlet's eyes went a little wide. Her thought process was so sporadic.
She was shaken from her thoughts by Mandy's voice, a bit probing as usual, questioning her about last night. Scarlet blinked and glanced over at her, before smiling. "Oh, that." She laughed awkwardly. "Jonathan said something really stupid, without thinking about how much it'd mean to me. It kind of set me off... It was a bit of an over-reaction. I knew he didn't mean it the way I thought, but I wanted to prove my point that he was being unfair and quite the idiot." She shrugged and laughed softly, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I think he got the point. I don't even know how long we were gone. But we had a pretty intense talk about everything..." She ran her fingers through her hair and blushed a bit, looking out the window. "I told him I didn't want to talk about things that made me angry while we were away. Or at least until we're away from his family. If we're around my dad, I don't really care... But you're new in my life, and I didn't want to make a bad impression..." She blushed more and looked down at her hands, which were laying in her lap, while she picked at her nails anxiously.
Talking to Mandy was a little weird; she hadn't had a mum to talk to before, so she didn't know how much was too much, or too little. What would Mandy be satisfied with? She could probably tell that she wasn't giving the whole story, but she also didn't want Mandy to think she was some sort of huge slut... "I just didn't want you to look at me like some sort of... Freak." She looked up and stared hard out the window, before breaking into a half-heartened smile. "Although, I suppose that would make sense, all things considered..." She shrugged nonchalantly and shook her head before Mandy could really protest. "I'll tell you when it blows over with Jon. He needs to accept that things happen whether he likes them or not." She nodded firmly. "What are we doing today, anyway?" Her face brightened instantly.
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