She did not seem as concerned as he was, which in itself was another point of concern. He continued to stare at her, waiting for anything - an explanation of some sort, probably, but for a moment all she could do was apologize.
And then she said it: they weren't going to be parents.
For the most part, he was relived. The prospect of becoming a parent so soon and what that entailed - a sudden, presumably scandalous elopement; the prospect of losing the Minister's (and the public's) faith in him; the thought of gaining unwanted enemies in the form of his in-laws - were not at all experiences he was looking forward to, so of course he was relieved. There was, however, another, more insecure part of him that was sort of...disappointed.
Between their pondering of what they had to lose, there had been plenty of time to ponder on what he had to gain. A wife. A child. A family of his own, full of affection and, more importantly, commitment. He could see the bubbly little girl with thick brown waves and her mother's blue eyes, puttering around a seaside cottage with a picture book in her hands. It was an image he'd conjured up as a means of coping, and he'd slowly grown fond of it. Of course - the feelings weren't rational. Why mourn a child that never existed? He'd get all of those things, and he'd get to have them on their own time and when they were ready.
That didn't stop him from remaining quiet for a good, long moment. The next moment, though, her obvious glee combined with his own feelings of relief allowed a smile to spread on his lips.
"Don't worry about the sheets - there are always new ones," he chuckled, tempted to pull her into a hug but not wanting to spread the mess any further than her position. He moved off the bed and quickly maneuvered to her end, offering both his hands to help her up. "Come on, lover. We'll get you cleaned up."
And then she said it: they weren't going to be parents.
For the most part, he was relived. The prospect of becoming a parent so soon and what that entailed - a sudden, presumably scandalous elopement; the prospect of losing the Minister's (and the public's) faith in him; the thought of gaining unwanted enemies in the form of his in-laws - were not at all experiences he was looking forward to, so of course he was relieved. There was, however, another, more insecure part of him that was sort of...disappointed.
Between their pondering of what they had to lose, there had been plenty of time to ponder on what he had to gain. A wife. A child. A family of his own, full of affection and, more importantly, commitment. He could see the bubbly little girl with thick brown waves and her mother's blue eyes, puttering around a seaside cottage with a picture book in her hands. It was an image he'd conjured up as a means of coping, and he'd slowly grown fond of it. Of course - the feelings weren't rational. Why mourn a child that never existed? He'd get all of those things, and he'd get to have them on their own time and when they were ready.
That didn't stop him from remaining quiet for a good, long moment. The next moment, though, her obvious glee combined with his own feelings of relief allowed a smile to spread on his lips.
"Don't worry about the sheets - there are always new ones," he chuckled, tempted to pull her into a hug but not wanting to spread the mess any further than her position. He moved off the bed and quickly maneuvered to her end, offering both his hands to help her up. "Come on, lover. We'll get you cleaned up."
— set by MJ! —