Unexpected - Ellery

It was easy for him to just accept the fact that he had impregnated his brother’s girlfriend. It had been a rather unfortunate situation, but something they could deal with, nonetheless. Therefore, as she acknowledged that she was freaking out too, he gently placed a hand om her thigh, closer to the knee than her hip. ‘’Please don’t compare this to Jean,’’ he said in a low voice. Even if he ever would have a family of his own, it wouldn’t be a replacement for the son he never knew. Maybe, one day, Jean would be old enough to seek Nathaniel out and get to know his real father. Nathaniel doubted the possibility, but he hoped, nonetheless.

As she started to explain, his head turned sharply as she mentioned an accident. His eyes asked before his mouth even could be bothered to say the words; ‘’Are you okay?’’. An accident, and in her condition? He felt his heart race and he struggled to breathe steady. ‘’Sounds like an extreme case of empathy right there,’’ he said with a slight joke in his voice; trying to keep the feelings at bay. Today was indeed a roller coaster of emotions. He would need to talk to Tidus about all of this, when he had the chance. He needed someone to confine in, and Tidus was the only one he trusted enough for that. Tidus, and Remington.

‘’Baby clothes?’’ he asked, his brow furrowing a bit as he tried to figure out if that was a job for him or his brother. ‘’Are you sure that’s something you want me to join you in, and not my brother? I mean, after all, he’s going to be the ‘daddy’ in all of this,’’ he said, with a slight dissatisfaction in his voice. It couldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that he wasn’t pleased with the outcome of all this; his brother once again claiming what should have been Nathaniel’s; just like the leadership of the circle. Of course, no one ever mentions the human-born older brother, when it comes to sirens. If you aren’t a siren, you aren’t important, as he had been told numerous times now. ‘’Let’s get some food, and then let’s go look at some cute little socks or something,’’ he said, trying to maintain a positive attitude, though he was dying a bit on the inside from all of this.

Kenna was not as affected by everything like she thought she was going to be. Maybe because she hadn’t spoken with Ellery. She hadn’t lied to him yet. She had not meant to offend him. ”No, you’re right. I’m sorry,” she said with an apologetic smile. She just wanted what was best for him, and she hoped her child, their child, could be a cause of joy in his life. In whatever way that might be.

Was she okay? Yes, now she was. At first it had been hard to deal with. Mostly because she felt responsible for what had happened to the werewolf driving behind them. She walked away safe, he didn’t. She had even visited him at the hospital. ”Physically, yes.” It was obvious she had been pregnant during the accident. Luckily nothing had happened to the child. ”Empathy and then some. I can’t control it yet, but I think I can induce emotions in people as well. How it exactly works I don’t know for sure.” She just knew she had made someone very angry by accident. The man had already been angry, but she made it worse, when all she did was trying to calm him down.

She tried to hold her façade when he seemed to take the suggestion serious. It had all been meant as a joke. Maybe she had not expressed that clearly enough. ”Nathaniel, I’m just kidding.” She did value his opinion though, and might ask him either before or after buying something, depending on Ellery and what he wanted. She couldn’t exactly tell him she didn’t want to go shopping before having asked Nathaniel. Not without a good reason, and she would suck at coming up with those. ”Sure, let’s go eat. And maybe you can tell me what I’ve missed about you, in the period we haven’t spoken.” She was curious what he had been up to. She hadn’t been able to hide that much from him, as most of her time had been spent with Ellery.

He understood the thought process behind her suggestions and hopes. He didn’t mind them; this child just couldn’t replace his first - and for now - only son. It wouldn’t be possible. He just needed to cope with the fact that he now had been foolish enough to bring yet another child into this world. ‘’Don’t be sorry,’’ he said, as he tried to assure her that she had not done anything wrong. ‘’I’m just being a bit sensitive at the moment,’’ he said, winking at her. He didn’t want her to feel bad for him; he would manage. She was the one with a life growing inside her. Whatever she wanted; she should have.

Nathaniel had instinctively wanted to place his hands on her stomach, but he refrained from doing so; it wasn’t proper. It was his brother’s girlfriend - Nathaniel needed to be hands-off. ‘’Physically? How long ago was this? Have you seen a physician? I’m calling our doctor-,’’ the questions flew out of him, as he with a slight panic in his voice rummaged in his pockets to find his phone and call the physician that had been stitching Nathaniel up every time he had been severely beaten. He stopped himself in the middle of the motion; almost as he froze in place. ‘’I’m being a complete dingus, aren’t I?’’ he asked, as he allowed his shoulders to fall back in place, since they had been pulled up close to his ears in sheer stress. He shook his head with a slight chuckle - a chuckle that in no way matched his brother’s. Nathaniel’s chuckle was hoarse and with almost warm tones in it. He rubbed his face, before he looked at her, as she told him she was kidding.

‘’Listen up, my princess;’’ he said, with a dead serious face. ‘’I’ve just agreed to go buy cute little socks for our baby - and you are going to live with it!’’ he winked at her, showing her that he meant it in a good way. ‘’Don’t you know? Gays love to shop for cute little socks!’’ he joked, flaunting his wrist in a very feminine manner, to emphasize that he was kidding as well.
‘’No, but seriously…’’ he then said, biting his lip shortly. ‘’Food - my treat, and don’t you dare argue on that - and then we’re going to look at baby clothes. I get to enjoy being the only one knowing this for a moment!’’ he demanded, before he got up. ‘’And trust me, what I’ve been doing is nothing for your - or our child’s - precious little ears,’’ he said, winked at her and glanced shortly back at the table; his name scattered in blood-stained dices. ‘’Ready to go?’’

Kenna was more relaxed when he assured her, she didn’t have to feel sorry. His explanation made sense. Neither of them had expected this, and sitting here, knowing what they did, it was not easy. ”You and me both.” A small smile laid on her lips. She was maybe being selfish by trying to make him feel better. It was a way for her to feel better as well. Perhaps she was just like every other mortal being; only thinking about themselves. She tried to tell herself she didn’t, but the truth was, she often just did nice things because it made her feel good as well.

She thought he was being very sweet. She shook her head and let a weak chuckle escape her lips. ”No,” she told him and reached for his hand, wrapping both of hers around it. ”You’re being sweet. But I’m okay. I have some things to work out, but nothing that can’t be solved,” she assured him and let go of his hand. She was happy to have someone like Nathaniel in this with her. They might not have gotten off on the right foot, but in her eyes, it seemed they cared for each other. No matter how much she loved her sister and nephew, she had always worried she would have a child with someone who didn’t care like her sister. That she would be left to do everything by herself. Now she had Nathaniel, and she was so grateful for that.

Kenna raised her hands as if she was giving up. ”I had no idea socks were so important to you,” she told him with a smile. She scoffed at his next work. ”Don’t live up to that stupid stereotype,” she almost ordered him. She couldn’t help but laugh at his feminine movements.
”Okay, that sounds good.” She knew she had to tell Ellery soon, and then Marcus at some point as well. She stood up with him. His words just made her more curious as to what he had been up to, but maybe he was right. Maybe knowing was too much for her. ”Yes, please. Let’s get out of here.” She folded her arms around his, not thinking about how it would look. Being a political person was still new to her. She had no idea how to act or behave. She just went on like she always had.

Had anyone tried to tell him that he would be a father just twenty years ago, he would have laughed it off and carried on with his life. Now, in less than a decade, he was about to father no one - but two children. His eldest son, Jean, however, wasn’t in the picture, and left the child between him and his brother’s girlfriend as the only focus for now. It had been a while since he had been able to focus on a pregnant woman and care for her; today, he would have that opportunity once more, before Kenna would have to tell Ellery what was happening. ‘’At least we aren’t crying, screaming and fighting for custody,’’ he chuckled at her as she acknowledged that she also was a bit sensitive at the moment.

Her hands found his, as she tried to calm him. ‘’I’m not worried for your head,’’ he said quite calmly. ‘’I’m worried for the life inside you that just might have been hurt in some way from that crash.’’ He said, looking at her with a decisive gaze. He wasn’t going to argue; she needed to see a physician and a gynecologist. He knew that he couldn’t join; that would Ellery’s pleasure. But he would lurk in the back of hiss brother’s mind; seeing everything, hearing everything. He wouldn’t miss out on this child being formed too.

‘’I wasn’t allowed to do anything, back when Jean was about to be brought into this world. I want to do everything possible, before Ellery decides on if I’m allowed close to either you or the child..’’ he admitted, with an apologetic smile. As soon as Ellery had learned of Jean, he had banned Nathaniel from even being out at all. Forced in exile in his brother’s own mind… Torture on a whole new level. ‘’I’m no stereotype, sweetheart. I’m a gay guy, forced to live in my brother’s head. Let me have my fun!’’ he chuckled, and as they both got up, he allowed her to fold her arms on his as was it the most natural thing in the world. He smiled a crooked smile, as she agreed to leave, without even questioning the things he had done in the time they haven’t been on good terms. He had done nothing even mildly inappropriate besides drinking and smoking, but he wasn’t keen on sharing his loneliness with her. After all, she shouldn’t be the one feeling sorry; she was pregnant and should be both happy and terrified. That was the cards they were dealt.

He guided her out the door to the shop once more - stopping shortly to look at the potions, herbs and jars. He sighed at himself for even considering asking the witch for anything, as he left the store with her. Out on the Main Street, he quickly moved them to a rather small café a few meters from the shop they had been in. His treat, his choice. And he craved something fried, oddly enough. ‘’I hope you don’t mind me being a bit demanding,’’ he warned her, as he held the door for her to guide her inside the café. ‘’I really crave fries,’’ he said with a crooked smile, looking at with a slight glimmer in his eyes.

Kenna had always thought she would become mother when the time was right. When she and her husband had a steady job, when they had a house with enough room for at least one child. Now, it was nothing like she planned. However, she knew she would love the child to death. She was lucky enough to have two men who would love their child like it was their own. And in a way it was. Although Nathaniel was the father in mind, the body would have been the same whether it was Nathaniel or Ellery. It was a strange situation, and she would understand if other women would not be able to handle it. To Kenna, it was already too late. She loved Ellery and cared a great deal for Nathaniel. She simply wasn’t able to turn her back on either of them. ”The day is young,” she added. A smile arrived on her lips to let him know she was just kidding. She didn’t want to fight with Nathaniel again. It had ended badly last time they did.

Of course. How could she be so stupid to not think of the child. ”I’ll go to a doctor.” There was a lot of things she had to think about now. She was no longer just living for herself. She wanted more than anything for Nathaniel to be a part of her life as well as the baby’s. However, she knew it would not be the way she wanted it to be. So she was going to take however she could. If he could be the fun uncle, that would be better than nothing at all. She was just afraid he wasn’t satisfied with that.

”Then let’s do anything you want to today.” She was not going to bring it up, but there was no way Ellery would get to make the sole decision if the child was going to be around Nathaniel or not. She was in this too, and she was going to have a say in it as well. Of course, Ellery had more control over when or if Nathaniel had a chance to get out, but she was not going to be happy if he chose to limit Nathaniel in any way. She chuckled as his talk about his reality. She shouldn’t have laughed, as it was actually quite sad. ”Okay, okay, I concede. You go girl,” she snapped her fingers fiercely, although it was very out of character to her. She was just playing along. It was nice when they could be like that, fun and careless in a way. After what they had just learned, you would think they should be more serious. But no, not them. They both seemed to not be too put down by the things that happened in their lives.

She followed him out of the store and towards the café close to the store. She shook her head when he spoke. ”No of course not. Demand away.” She walked into the café and heard what he wanted. She nodded approving. ”Fries is just what I need.” A wondering expression appeared in her eyes. ”Can I eat fried food?” It would be some long months if she couldn’t. She would not be able to survive long without her fries or fried chicken.

It had been quite a while since he had been able to just live in the present, without fearing for when he had to return to the prison that was his brother’s mind. No one understood what it was like, and the few times he had tried to explain it to someone, they had deemed him crazy. Today wasn’t any different. He couldn’t explain to her that he feared his brother; she might just end up doing the same. He wasn’t going to let that happen; the only reason to fear Ellery was if he was vexed with someone. When he didn’t get his way, he turned into a brat; a brat with way too much money.
‘’Indeed, it is, but I know I would lose the fight if it were to happen; I could never be victorious in a battle against someone as fierce as you,’’ he said, with a glimmer in his eyes. He didn’t try to flirt with her; he didn’t care to. After all, she was Ellery’s girlfriend, and the future mother to their child. He wasn’t going to mess things up. When she agreed to pay a doctor a visit he nodded calmly. ‘’Good,’’ he just said, stating that he felt it for the best.
As she agreed to do anything he wanted today, he felt somewhat relieved. He wasn’t going to demand anything from her; he needed to make sure she didn’t exhaust herself, just to be safe. Still, being able to go baby-shopping was… new, to him. He could barely wait. The snapping of her fingers made him chuckle slightly. ‘’It suits you,’’ he teased, before they left the shop and went over to the café to grab something to eat.
Quite calm, he smiled at her as she allowed him to be demanding. He was that anyway, but her permission meant that he could do so without feeling guilty. He didn’t hesitate to order two rather large portion of fries, and water for both of them. Normally he could have some soda - either Pepsi or Sprite, but he felt it necessary to stay hydrated, and water was a clear winner there. Her question made him shake his head slightly. ‘’I assume it isn’t a problem. I’ve seen loads of women crave and devour fried food when pregnant.’’ He stated with a crooked smile.
‘’So, big question; do you want a boy or a girl?’’ he asked, a teasing glimmer in his eyes.

Kenna wanted to listen anytime if he wanted to talk, but he might still hold back after their fight. Hopefully, this would help their relationship. He was right about a secret connecting people. She did know about the problems he had with his brother, but it was mostly Ellery’s side she had heard. She tried to not judge their relationship from that information. It wasn’t fair when Nathaniel hadn’t gotten the chance to tell his side of it. But she knew enough to know neither brother had treated the other with the respect they deserved. ”I would take it easy on you.” She smiled at him.
At some point, she might have thought Nathaniel had an interest in her, but now she was more certain they were just friends. And that might be for the best. Although she was pregnant with his child, so that might complicate things. It most likely would. She knew going to a doctor would be important no matter what, but it was also scary to her. What if something had happened?

She shook her head when he stated her finger snap suited her. She knew it didn’t, which was probably why he was teasing her. She wished the day could continue on forever. It seemed so carefree and easy. She knew everything would change when she told Ellery. Then Nathaniel would no longer be the father. She wanted him to be able to be that for a little while longer. She felt relieved when he responded to her question. A boy or a girl? She hadn’t even thought about that. ”I’m not sure,” she said looking thoughtfully at him. She was considering it very hard. ”Depends of the race I think. Female werewolves can be a pain,” she stated. Especially around the time they transformed the first time, young female wolves were difficult to deal with. ”Honestly, I wouldn’t care either way.” She smiled at him before looking towards the staff in the midst of preparing their food. ”What about you? What would you prefer?”

The talk had remained on genders, and he felt quite comfortable about that. Truth be told, he had always wished for a little girl, but he had never thought it possible until he learned that he was to father yet another child. ‘’To be honest,’’ he said, as he leaned in across the table. ‘’I would give my left arm for a baby girl,’’ he admitted with a crooked smile and a glimmer in his eyes. It was clear that there was no doubt in his mind. ‘’So, you’re admitting that you were a pain?’’ he asked with a teasing smile. He wasn’t really the one to talk about being a pain during their upbringing; he had not really felt his parent’s presence. They had been to busy with his brother. Of course, Nathaniel had been a bit of a rascal, just to make his old folks react just a bit - mostly with a beating or a scold. He had few fond memories of his childhood. He closed his eyes for a moment, as he felt the hard slap across his face as his father had figured out that he had been skipping his chores to go fishing with the older boys. He sighed slightly, as he opened his eyes again; feeling the lingering pain on his cheek.
‘’I… I guess I wasn’t the easiest child myself,’’ he then said with a crooked yet melancholic smile. He wasn’t about to admit that he had done most of it for attention; he didn’t want Ellery to be put in a bad light. ‘’So, has my brother ever mentioned the time we almost got killed because he was asked to join the Russian tsarina Marija Fjodorovna in her chambers on the night of her wedding?’’ he asked with a cheeky smile. He had a great deal of stories about them almost getting killed; it was their specialty.

//beklager længden xD

Kenna smiled when he admitted he wanted a girl. She could see the pros having a girl. There were some cons too, but that was the case with both genders, wasn’t it? ”No need for maiming,” she said with a smirk. ”You’ll need it for changing diapers,” her smirk turned into a chuckle. She was laughing, but truth was, she had no idea how to be a mother. Even though she had time to figure it out, it was still so scary. She scoffed at his question. ”No not me. I was an angel, basically.” It was not wrong. She always did her work, she always came home when she was supposed to and she was always respectful to everyone. That last part had changed slightly after moving here, but she liked to think she was respectful for the most part, at least until she knew someone well enough, so she didn’t need to. She had never completely known what it was with Nathaniel that made her feel safe. He was so different from Ellery but also very different from Nate. He didn’t remind her of either of them. No, he reminded her of herself. She saw so much of herself in him sometimes.

She could see something was happening with him when he closed his eyes. What exactly she wasn’t sure, but she felt like something bad had happened. ”Children are not supposed to be easy. They’re supposed to be children.” She felt how the mood changed when he began speaking of some Russian political figure. She wasn’t completely sure what a tsarina was, but it probably had something to do with the tsar. ”No, he hasn’t. Please tell me.” She wanted to know more about both Nathaniel and Ellery. She had hear a few stories from Ellery, but it was not all those funny anecdotes.

//No problem <3

He couldn’t help but smile at her, as she spoke of changing diapers. ‘’They’re called nappies in Britain, sweetheart,’’ he chuckled slightly. ‘’And if I know my brother, he won’t even let me change a nappy,’’. The sentence wasn’t negative - he didn’t want to let her feel how torn he truly was inside. He had a chance to be in the child’s life, but never as it’s father. It wasn’t really the dream scenario that he had in mind. But telling her that wouldn’t help; it would only cause her to feel bad for him even more. ‘’Oh?’’ he exclaimed, playing surprised by the notion that she was an angel. ‘’I can’t imagine!’’ he chuckled, teasingly. ‘’Children of this age are meant to be children,’’ he agreed. ‘’Children of the dark ages were meant to survive long enough to pass on their genes and see their parents be put six feet under,’’ he then said, quite calm. He didn’t mind telling her about his upbringing another time, but for now he found it best to leave it be.

‘’it doesn’t surprise me that he didn’t tell you,’’ he then said, regarding the tsarina. He winked at her. ‘’We were at a formal with the French court. The tsarina and the tsar were yet to marry; she was engaged to the brother of the tsar, as a matter of fact.’’ He said, but he silenced himself as their food was delivered to them. As soon as the waiter had left them alone, to picked up a fry and took a bite. He then spoke again; ‘’The tsarina was a Danish princess before she married. She frequently visited the court in France, where we met her for the first time. Of course, being nothing more than a man with wealth doesn’t allow us to speak to nobility. However, she asked us to join her in a dance. Elly was terrified!’’ he chuckled with a cheeky smile.

‘’For a few weeks, we met her regularly. Keeping a princess’ virtue was a bit deal back then; taking it was punishable by death. Such a thrill it was, seeing her in her chambers, silencing her with a pillow if she got too loud,’’ he said, but as he remembered that it was a woman - and his brother’s girlfriend - in front of him, he shook his head. ‘’Pardon,’’ he chuckled, as he scratched his stubble. ‘’Anyway, she returned to Denmark to ready herself for the wedding, when her fiancé died. She married his brother instead; the new tsar of Russia. She changed her name to Marija Fjodorovna, as the protector of the tsar’s was a being called Fjodor,’’ he said, before he took another fry. ‘’We were invited to join the tsar for the wedding, only to be greeted by the newly crowned tsarina herself, in her chambers, naked. The tsar found out, and I don’t think we have been running so fast ever since!’’ he laughed, as he smiled to himself.

”I will never call them that.” Nappies sounded to much like something you would call a nap. Perhaps she should learn the English slang, since her child would most likely have a British accent. ”Well you can teach me to do it. I am clueless about how you even approach any of that.” By ‘any of that’ she meant parenting in general. She scoffed at his tease. ”We can call my mom right now if you want proof?” She smiled teasingly, but truth was she would do it. She was quite competitive in that way. When she spoke the truth, she would go a long way to prove that she was. Her expression grew darker when he spoke of his truth. She could never imagine growing up in a time like that, or almost worse, raising a child in such a world. ”I can’t imagine how that must have been.” She looked away a moment, more affected by his words than she cared to show.

Her gaze moved back to him when he began to tell another story, a more uplifting one, she hoped. He had her full attention as he spoke in a way that drew her in. She leaned back in the chair when the food was delivered. She picked up a fry and continued to do so throughout his story. She didn’t care if his explanation was graphic in his description. It wasn’t that bad, so she didn’t take notice until he apologized. She just shook her head to let him know it wasn’t something he needed to apologize for. He then continued the story. It was different than when Ellery spoke. Ellery was very poetic and careful in a way, when he spoke. It was like every word was a chord and the whole story was a melody. When Nathaniel spoke, it was more similar to that of a comedian keeping his audience entertained. Ellery could be funny too, but not in the same way Nathaniel was.

She could imagine every single one of the aspects he told of, the tsarina, the angry tsar, the wedding. Everything was clear in her mind, as if she had been there herself. Perhaps that was a part of her new ability. ”I wish I had stories like that.” In comparison to everything she had heard about their lives, hers had been nothing but boring obligations and bad choices. Now everything had changed, and she would be a part of stories like that. Or maybe not exactly like that. But she would meet important people, someone that could really change the lives. She might even be able to change some lives herself. It was scary to think about. ”Do you have a lot of stories like that?” She was curious to hear more about his life.

‘’Until you learn to call them that, you’ll be changing all of them yourself!’’ he chuckled at her, winking. Of course she wouldn’t - Ellery would never accept her to do anything on her own if they shared a child. He was, when it came to it, more or less a gentleman. ‘’Teach you? I thought you knew; I’ve never even held my son. How should I be able to teach you to do something that runs in your blood, when I’ve never even been close to it myself?’’ he asked. There was no sadness, blame or guilt in his voice; it was a simple and calm question. He had never been asked to help with a child - he didn’t even know how the birth itself would take place in this modern world he had grown tired of so fast.

‘’Sure! Call your mum! While you’re at it, tell her that you’re pregnant with your boyfriend’s brother’s child!’’ he said, low in voice - almost a whisper - but teasingly. He wasn’t going to be gloomy about the fact any more than if it had been the other way around. What if Ellery had impregnated Nathaniel’s girlfriend? He would have killed the bastard… She answered on his upbringing, and he shook his head. ‘’There’s a reason why we send children to school now,’’ he said with a little smile, assuring her that he was okay. ‘’They need to have a life of their own, instead of being slaves of their parents until they marry,’’ he said. He wasn’t going to comment further on that matter.

The story seemed to entertain her, since she leaned back in her chair an allowed him to submerge her completely in the tale. He kept details hidden in the story; she didn’t need to know that it was mostly Ellery having an affair, while Nathaniel enjoyed the company of the future tsar. She didn’t need to know that there might have been a love-child involved; he didn’t know for sure himself.
‘’Stories like that?’’ he chuckled at her with a gentle smile. ‘’Let’s see… I have one. It involves a formal, a she-wolf and the future leader of one of the largest circles of sirens known. How they indulged in each other, pledging their love to each other while almost ruining the desk we worked so hard on building,’’ he said, winking at her. He took a fry more, quite calm, before he looked back at her. ‘’Ellery likes to draw such scenes from memory. He never seems to catch your beauty just right,’’ he then said in a teasing manner. ‘’And yes, I do have quite the few stories - Ellery has a lot more, of course. He doesn’t care to share them, I think. He isn’t proud of that part of his past.’’ He then said, picking up another fry; studying it between his fingers.

”You are being so mean,” she said with a glimmer of tease in her eye. She rubbed her neck when he said he had never held his son. It was not something she wanted him, or anyone, to go through. Being denied something like that was just so cruel, she had no idea how to ever forgive Ellery for doing that to him. She was trying to understand, but she really couldn’t. ”Yeah, I guess youtube will have to be my guide then,” she tried to act like it didn’t affect her, but it did. It always had. Hell, it even made her cry once. It wasn’t because it took a lot, but that just went straight into her heart.

She narrowed his eyes when he joked back. She could not explain that to her mother. She would be too disappointed in and demand to know everything that had happened. She grunted in an annoyed defeat. ”You are infuriating,” she told him in a calm voice. ”Why I care about you is a mystery,” she was of course just joking. She knew exactly why she cared, and why he was able to make her so angry. ”Yes, that is very true. Just the thought of ever living any other way it makes me angry and sad.” She knew what life would have been for her, if she had been born in the same time as Nathaniel and Ellery. She would never have been a viable choice for either of them.

She touched her neck again when Nathaniel accurately explained what she and Ellery had done not that long ago. She felt a warmth spread in her cheeks. She wasn’t embarrassed about it, she just didn’t like to share it with the whole world, or her boyfriend’s brother. ”I don’t…” She turned her gaze away, looking down, not sure what she was even trying to say. She was flustered. ”Sorry,” she said just before he collected herself enough to keep a straight face. ”He should be proud. Our pasts define us,” she managed to say without losing face. She did however avoid looking him in the eye, and instead focused on the fries, looking for every detail she could. She then picked one up and popped it in her mouth. She had no idea how to control these strong emotions raging inside her. ”He shouldn’t have drawn that,” she said in a near whispering tone. She couldn’t help but think what would happen if someone else found it, what would they do with it? Wasn’t that how people blackmailed the rich and powerful? She could just imagine what would happen if someone got their hands on it. Maybe she was overthinking it, but it was a very scary possibility.

‘’Mean? You want to talk mean? Mean is expressing that you care for someone and trust them yet accusing them of trying to manipulate you and use you against their brother. That, my dear, is mean.’’ He said. It struck a nerve; clearly. He had been cool about it ever since Ellery had tried to explain the to him what Kenna had meant. Now, when the were forced to endure each other’s company, he better tell her what he thought of the matter. He sighed. ‘’I’m sorry,’’ he then said, shaking his head. ‘’It’s just… thinking that I’m as bad as my brother in those situations, it makes me… frustrated.’’ He said. He wasn’t pointing fingers. He had been like that, once. But Ellery kept on doing it; enjoying the façade of being the gentleman everyone saw him as, whilst Nathaniel was thought to be the bastard. In truth; Ellery was a manipulative fucker, that needed someone to beat him into shape. Unfortunately, Nathaniel wasn’t able to do that himself.

‘’Or, you could ask your boyfriend to teach you? He has changed a fair share of nappies,’’ he then said. He then froze, quite literally, as he realized what he had just said. ‘’I mean… Uh…’’ he mumbled, before he picked up yet another fry. ‘’Do you ever just get the feeling that you ought to shut up before you ruin everything? Because I sure do!’’ he mumbled, before eating yet another fry. He felt like an idiot. It had been undisclosed if they had other children; Ellery and Nathaniel. Kenna couldn’t know, unless one of them told her. Ellery wasn’t going to, and Nathaniel had no right to.

‘’Our past doesn’t define us, Kenna. If it did, would Hitler be a nazi? Or would McCarthy be anti-communistic? No, the people around us defines us. The people we share our lives with. And to be honest, that’s scary. Who knows, perhaps you’re the only one keeping Ellery for committing public execution on that stupid Mable for insulting you.’’ He sighed. Things turned dark and gloomy with him. He needed to stop thinking such thoughts. ‘’And his drawings, by the way, aren’t available for anyone… He usually burns them or keeps them in the beach-house.’’ He said. He felt stupid. He had said too much, and he kept on rambling. ‘’Please, hit me with something before I say anymore stupid things!’’.

//Sorry, dark and gloomy over here! xD

Kenna was not sure if she was going to respond like he had just defended her, or just shrug it off. The last option was definitely the best, but it still bugged her that he brought it up. At first she didn’t say anything. Then he apologized and the mood shifted away from jokes into a more serious area. ”Neither of you are bad. Not like the bad I was used to. You’re not perfect, but who the hell is?” She wasn’t, that much was clear. Especially not with Nathaniel. He brought something forward in her, something untamable. She was working hard to not blow her top with him again. ”I mean, someone who would accuse you of manipulating surely isn’t. Only an idiot would do that.” She was done apologizing, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t call herself out for having been a jerk.

”I don’t know him at all, do I?” The mood shifted again into something awkward. He too didn’t seem to know what to say. ”No, not really. I never say anything wrong.” She was trying to lift the mood again. He knew better than anyone, she didn’t know when to shut up. It was becoming more clear to her, she had no idea who she slept beside most nights. Ellery had so much life-experience she knew nothing of. She wanted to know. She wanted to know everything, even if it would take a whole night to hear. Even if it would take seven nights. She didn’t care. She just wanted to know who it was she loved.

”Sure, the people we surround us with has something to say, but so does what happens to us. Some things are out of your control and you just have to learn how to handle it.” She didn’t completely agree with him. ”I didn’t have anything to do with that. I don’t have that kind of power.” She liked to think Ellery wouldn’t have considered killing Mable. She felt more at ease when Nathaniel mentioned the drawings weren’t accessible for anyone. ”I am laying of the violence,” she just said with a smile. ”I think you owe me a slap actually.” She was certain he would never do it, but now he had a chance if he felt the need to. She would probably be okay.

‘’I’m a dick,’’ he sighed, as he noticed that what he had said did bother her. ‘’Bad is a relative term,’’ he said, with a tiny smile. The smile, however, was far from those he had shared with her earlier. It was tame and mild, showing nothing but a sincere apology. ‘’And no one is perfect, that I can agree on,’’ he admitted. It did, however, take a lot to become what they were. Two twins stuck in one body, one her girlfriend and the other one father to her child. It was a mess. ‘’Hmm, I wouldn’t call you an idiot, to be honest… But then again, I’ve called you things that wasn’t completely true either,’’. As her, he was too done with apologizing for that event. He knew that someday; they might just end up forgiving each other completely. until then, they had a card up their sleeves to pull out whenever they needed something to fight over.

‘’To be honest… No one does. I could tell you long tales of him, and you would still only know what I’ve told and not a single thing more. Just know, that he cares deeply for you, and that he will do anything to honor you, protect you and be with you,’’ he said. He wasn’t lying; every bit of what he said was the utter truth. Ellery did love her, so deeply that it had rubbed off on Nathaniel. It bothered Nathaniel quite a bit, to be honest. Feeling his brother’s feelings every time, he looked at the she-wolf was exhausting. He wasn’t allowed to hold her or kiss her. He needed to understand that his feelings weren’t true; they were his brother’s

‘’Agree to disagree,’’ he said, acknowledging the fact that they wouldn’t reach a settlement on the matter any time soon. However, regarding her power over Ellery, she was wrong - and she needed to know that. ‘’I’ve followed him for centuries… I’ve never seen him exile someone because of something as silly as calling someone the equivalent of a mud-blood. You have a power over him, that neither of you seems to recognize. He loves you…’’ he said, quite seriously, before he took yet another fry and studied it closely. ‘’He would probably kill for you, if you asked him to,’’.

He was right, not about being a dick - or maybe he was right about that as well? No, he was right about bad being relative. ”I know. My bad is not you.” Sure, they had shared their amount of conflicts, but he had never done anything to hurt her deliberately, at least she hoped he hadn’t. For her at least, she had said things in the heat of the moment, done things in the heat of the moment. ”Good, cause everything I say is right,” she sent him a cheeky smile. She didn’t mean it, of course. She was wrong way too often. ”And now we agree again.” She leaned over the table just a little. ”So listen. I might say some things sometimes, say something in the heat of the moment. You already know this. But in case it happens again, I want you to know I don’t mean it.”

Kenna could imagine he was right. That Ellery was this great mystery, she would never be able to solve. But she would gladly spend her life trying. What Nathaniel mentioned was the most important things though. To know that she would never be alone, that she would always have someone to go to. She looked at Nathaniel and felt a wave of something rush over her. An emotion. His emotion. She might have preferred him being angry with her than this. These strong feelings, so intense she could barely breathe. She had felt something with Nathaniel before, she had never done anything about it, as she thought it had just been because of Ellery she felt what she did. It was impossible to not feel an attraction towards Nathaniel. He did look like her boyfriend. Once in while when he made a movement similar to one Ellery would, when he said something Ellery could have said, she felt breathless and forgot it wasn’t Ellery for a short moment. But she had never imagined that feeling would be returned from Nathaniel, not to this magnitude. She leaned away from him, falling against the back of the chair.

She took in a deep breath to try and understand what was happening. She was not going to confront him about it. It was probably just in her head. She was so desperate to be loved she would take it from wherever she could. The only thing was, Nathaniel didn’t love her. She knew that, at least she thought she did. Now she wasn’t so sure. ”That might be true, but he has never said that.” She hadn’t either, but he had expressed he thought it would be better to wait, so she respected it. But she knew she loved him, however saying that out loud was more difficult than admitting it to yourself. ”I would never ask that of anyone.” Kenna was behaving slightly different, like she was holding back. She was afraid her ability was right, and he really did love her. She would never want to lead him on, but how she was supposed to tackle this was difficult to know. She might just have to take the conversation at some point.

He wouldn’t want to argue further with her. After all, he had said some shitty things to her. He deserved the slap she had presented him with earlier. ‘’Yeah, and everything I say is wrong?’’ he asked, jokingly. It wasn’t because he was trying to be funny, but it seemed like she needed the laugh. And so did he.
‘’I would like to think that you meant some of the things you say when you’re angry.’’ He admitted with a teasing smile. ‘’You sound so sexy when mad,’’ he joked, winking at her. That probably didn’t help much on the fact that his brother’s emotions rushed over him lift waves at the beach. He noticed how she changed from calm and teasing, to rather reserved once more. Had he done something wrong? Had his teasing been crossing some line he did not know about?
Her deep breath made him wonder if he had hit yet another nerve. ‘’He doesn’t tell such things… He shows them… I guess we are pretty much the same in that department,’’ he sighed, as he felt how she seemed to pull away from him slightly. ‘’Kenna,’’ he said, looking at her, but he stopped. How come the only thing he could think of saying would sound like he had the same feelings for her as she did for his brother? It wasn’t fair. He drew a big breath himself, releasing the air in his lungs with a sigh.
‘’Listen up, loup…’’ he then said, looking directly at her. Something in his eyes had changed slightly, revealing that he was dead serious. ‘’Keep yourself out of my head. You’ll only get confused,’’. He sounded almost threatening, but it was a mere warning. He wasn’t angry or mad, he was merely warning her of the risk that came with sensing other’s emotions. ‘’It’s hard enough to keep them straight myself. I don’t want to have to explain them to you as well, okay?’’. His tone had softened a bit, only because he didn’t want to scare her.

She chuckled at his comment. ”You said that, not me.” He probably knew her well enough by now to know she didn’t agree. She did agree with him on some things and then not at others. Of course, that was just how any relationship would be. Finding someone who agreed with you all the time was impossible.
”Maybe some of them. I just phrase them the wrong way.” She could have avoided many arguments, if she had said things a different way. She smiled when he talked about her being sexy. Only he would think that. She thought she turned more into the wolf she was hiding inside. ”I’m always sexy,” she chuckled, playing a role someone different from her. Truth was, she hadn’t viewed herself as beautiful or sexy in a long time.

Kenna enjoyed that Ellery would show his love for her, but she wanted to hear it to. She needed to. She was still trying to fix herself - those three words could help her more than you would think. She should maybe just tell Ellery how she felt. She could be the brave one, or at least try to be. ”And different from me,” she added. Her gaze fell on him when he said her name. She just kept looking, waiting for him to say what he needed to say. She avoided his gaze when his words sounded harsh, perhaps harsher than meant to. ”Trust me, if I could stay out of your head, I would.” She had no way of controlling her ability yet. Not that she had tried to learn. A lot of things had happened in the meanwhile and she had no idea what to start. ”It’s not because I go searching you head for something. Whatever you feel is your business, but sometimes it just happens.” She sighed and looked at him again. ”Let’s just forget it.” She picked up a fry and felt that it was now cold. Maybe they should just get out here. ”Should we go?”

//tidsspring, efter aftale!

A few hours had passed, yet his brother’s feelings still lingered in the back of his mind. Every time she moved a certain way, or her lips spelled a certain word, he felt compelled to draw her in and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Maybe he should have - she was pregnant with his child. Yet, the social construct of not kissing your brother’s girlfriend made him cling to his sanity as well as he could. They had been to several stores, all of them eager to sell them something quite meaningless, as a small pair of adorable socks or shoes. It wasn’t hard to convince him, as he gladly would spend their whole fortune on cute little shoes that the child would grow out of within the month.
As they stood there, in what felt like the tenth shop, he pulled out a tiny onesie. Melancholy fell upon him once more, as he thought of how he never had the chance to do this with Jean - and he wouldn’t get the chance to do it again when Ellery would find out that Kenna was pregnant. He tried not to show it though - instead, he studied the onesie with a crooked smile. ‘’So, I guess we shouldn’t by anything gender-related?’’ he mumbled, as he thought of the fact that he surely would by anything pink and pretty if he had the chance. ‘’What do you think?’’ he asked, as he held out the onesie. It was off-white, and with the text saying; ‘Diaper loading 75%’ on it. The humor in it might not be for everyone, but he adored it for the lack of taste.

Kenna tried to let go of whatever it was she had picked up on. She had tried to rationalize it, which was a horrible idea, as it all lead to one conclusion; Nathaniel loved her. She couldn’t see what else it could have been. Especially not when he was not interested in talking about it. So she had just stopped thinking about it – or so she tried to convince herself.
It would be a lie if being around Nathaniel didn’t tempt her. He did look exactly like her boyfriend after all. She had to stop herself from reaching for his hand, amongst other things. Although even before she became official with Ellery, she had felt something similar around him. She couldn’t determine if it was because he looked like Ellery, or if it was because of who he was. The easy choice would be the first, but she wasn’t sure.


She had her back turned to Nathaniel, as she was moving her hand over a rack of small baby shirts. She was still understanding that one day, this foster in her stomach would one day be able to fit one of those shirts. She looked at Nathaniel over the shoulder at his question. ”Never assume gender. It’s 2019, after all,” she said with a smile matching his crooked one. She turned all the way around, looking at him as he was looking through the clothes.
It seemed like he enjoyed himself. She was barely able to contain a full-blown laugh when he showed the onesie. It was not every day you would hear her laugh, not a real laugh. It was mostly chuckles and something minor like that. She walked closer and took hold of the legs of the onesie. ”You know what this would be perfect for?” She looked up into his eyes. ”Embarrassing the shit out of our child.” Our, she would have to stop saying that soon. Soon the child would be hers and Ellery’s. She was still not a fan of having to lie to two people in her life, but she could understand why Nathaniel wished it so.
She let go of the onesie and turned around to pick up a onesie she had seen. It was white with black letters on it, writing out: ‘I’m great in bed’, and then some more in a smaller size and different more cursive font: ‘I can sleep for days’. She held it up so he can see. ”Just like daddy – at least the first part,” she smiled cheekily at him, putting it back on the rack. ”I saw some socks down here, I need to get.” She walked further into the stores looking for those socks, she of course had lost track off now.

‘’I was born almost a thousand years ago… If I want to assume a gender - even if it’s almost 2020 - Imma do it!’’ he chuckled at her, as she stated never to assume a gender. ‘’No matter what, I hope it’s a girl,’’ he then said, quite low in voice as he muttered it to himself. He smiled at she then turned around to look at what he had shown her, and quite clearly couldn’t keep a laugh contained. ‘’Easy now love, breath,’’ he chuckled - not thinking about the words he had used for even a second. It seemed so natural in this situation. As she took hold of the legs of the onesie, and then decided what it would be perfect for, he couldn’t help but nod just a bit. ‘’What else are parents for?’’ he chuckled, but her words echoed in his mind. Their child, which soon enough wouldn’t be his but his brother’s.
As she then picked out another onesie to show it to him, he glanced down at his feet for a moment. Should he admit that he didn’t want her to lie? Would Ellery even forgive either of them if he knew the truth? No - he couldn’t be selfish in this. He couldn’t demand that right once more - he knew that he would be denied it regardless of what Kenna had to say on the matter.
He looked up at the onesie she had picked out, at tried to suppress a slight chuckle once more by the text on it. However, her words had a simple message hidden in them; a message he had a tendency to misinterpret. Was she talking about him, or his brother? Who was the child’s daddy, in this situation? He decided not to ask her; he didn’t want her to feel poorly or to sympathize with him in this matter. He had messed up; he had to deal with it. She mentioned socks - the very thing he had exclaimed that he indeed wanted to get before Ellery go to know about the child - and followed her deeper into the store, silent. Why couldn’t he shake the feeling of this being the most natural thing in the world - besides the lies, of course…?

Kenna rose her hands in defeat. She was not going to pick up that discussion – of course she knew it was all in good fun, but there was no reason to tempt fate. ”Assume away then,” she said with a smile. She heard his words, but wasn’t sure they were meant for her, as much as they were meant for himself. She already felt like she was invading some privacy when she could feel what he did. She couldn’t control that, she could control if he left his thoughts, even the ones said out loud, to himself. She did as he said and eventually managed to calm herself down from the full-on laugh attack that was about to occur. She didn’t pick up on his words. They just seemed natural in a way, that it didn’t feel like something she needed to respond to or overthink. ”Very good point,” she agreed with a chuckle.
She noticed how something seemed to change in him. It felt so natural to reach out and try to understand, but she was afraid it would activate her ability. She really just wanted him to have his emotions to himself. Even though it was hard for her to stop. She had not tried to seem agreeable to Nathaniel’s wishes. She didn’t agree, but it was his wishes after all. If he ever said he wanted otherwise, she would accept that as well.
Kenna liked to make jokes, but she always wanted to be straight forward about everything. That she wasn’t, was another matter. She was indeed talking of Nathaniel. They had only been together for a short while, but it had definitely been satisfying. She walked to the place she had seen the socks. There was a lot with all kinds of tv show characters on them. She didn’t want them. It was just something made to earn money. She wanted something that was personal and not created for a profit – not in the same way at least. She picked up a pair. They were grey with white stripes. On the edge where the toes went, an elephant head grew forward. ”Is this not the cutest thing ever?” A smile grew forward on her lips, a smile so genuine and true it reached her eyes, making them glimmer underneath the lights in the store. She was happy she got to share this with him. She was going to enjoy every part of it and worry about everything else later. For now, she was just happy to be here with him. He might not agree, or maybe he did, but he would always be the real father. She would know it, and so would Nathaniel. Everyone else would not. A lump appeared in her throat. No, she wasn’t going to let anything ruin this.

He smiled gently as she acknowledged his right to assume. It was nice - just to be accepted in that way. Normally, he would have been in the need to explain, but right now it seemed obvious. They were, regardless of the situation, about to be connected by a child. Either as parents or as in-laws. Of course, he hoped for a peaceful solution, but he feared his brother’s wrath would be turned towards him once he found out the truth.

‘’May I suggest that we pretend that you meant my brother, just to keep things clean?’’ he joked at her, when he almost could tell from the look on her face that she had spoken of Nathaniel and not his brother. He followed her, only to be met by grey and striped pair of socks, with some sort of animal on them. he tilted his head slightly, not even interested in the socks. To be honest, it was her smile that he sought; the joy she showed by such a simply act as looking at cute little socks made him feel warm inside. Though she tried to hide the lump in her throat, he could sense it. The glimmer in her eyes dulled slightly, and made him walk closer to her. ‘’I know you don’t agree in this… But what other choice do we have, honestly? If you intend on keeping it, and want Ellery in your life, you have no choice… he knew how displeased she was about the lie - he saw no other way. Should he try to explain to his brother? Would he ever understand?