H geocities.com /lashapadfootofgondor916/Dynasties8 geocities.com/lashapadfootofgondor916/Dynasties8.html elayed x 5WJ o ! OK text/html / ! b.H Tue, 06 Jan 2004 19:35:53 GMT Mozilla/4.5 (compatible; HTTrack 3.0x; Windows 98) en, * 3WJ !
"Cassidy?"
The kids were gone. And Cassidy had agreed to have one last
baby. Baby
"Am I allowed to come downstairs now?" Cassidy
called back.
"Yes."
"Well... about time." She bit back a smile.
"What on earth is going on?"
Cassidy smiled. For a moment she considered telling him the
news... no, best to wait a bit. Tell him tomorrow morning... wouldn't that be a
nice way to wake him up? Tell him now and she'd ruin all his plans.
"Now...come on, we're going all out
tonight...dinner...everything."
"Dinner?" She asked with a teasing smile.
"Yes dinner, did you think I was going to make you
starve?"
"Well I doubted that..." She kissed him softly.
"Come on, if we start with that, we'll never get to the
food part. Not that I'd be one to complain."
Cassidy laughed.
"None of that or we'll never get to the food
part," Cassidy said with a slightly mocking tone.
"Food can be reheated." He pointed out.
"Now you say this," Cassidy teased. "But your
baby's hungry." She halted suddenly; she'd just let slip that which she
had decided not to tell him now. Oh, well done.
"My...my baby?"
She simply nodded.
"Are you...?"
She nodded again.
"Really? When?"
"I found out today. Remember a few weeks ago when I
said I thought I might be? I was."
"Really? Wow."
She smiled. "So a sort of celebration, instead of an
attempt?"
She kissed him.
Cassidy wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Better?" He asked. "We still have the house
to ourselves..."
"Good."
"And we can do whatever we want."
Cassidy grinned. "Excellent."
"So
"Oh, I have to say I do. After dinner."
"I have to wait?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... well maybe, if you're going to fight like
that..."
"That's it, *now* you're waiting."
"Cassidy...come on." He pouted, "It'll be
fun."
"You're gonna have to wait for your fun now, young
man."
"I'm a very impatient man."
"I know."
"So if you're going to make me wait, I'm going to make
it a very difficult one for you."
"Well then so be it."
"Oh will you?"
"You know I will."
"I know..."
"We could always take the food into our room..."
"We could... but that could get messy."
"Ham and cheese sandwiches are kind of hard to get
messy."
She laughed. "Agreed. There are strawberries, you
know."
"There is also shrimp and ice cream left over from
something."
I knew about the shrimp but I have no idea what the ice
cream is from."
"Maybe one of us bought it for the kids..."
"Maybe."
"And there's whipped cream in there too."
"I know about that." She grinned widely.
"And chocolate syrup too..."
"Mm-hmm."
"But fun."
"Very fun."
"So..."
"So...wanna watch a movie?"
"Like we're gonna watch it."
"I bet there's several kinds."
"I think so."
"Go pick a kind."
She smiled at him.
"Let's go."
She followed.
"I think maybe he does."
"You think it's a boy?"
"I think it's a boy."
"Maybe we should think it's a girl until it's born."
"Maybe."
"Then we will have a boy."
Cassidy laughed a bit at that.
"I love you more."
"Nah."
She smiled.
~*~*~*~
"Umm... Mom? You want to help me pick my dress? I've
got it down to three and then I decided it'd be fun for you to pick,"
Cassidy said as
"Alright, dear. Let's see what you've gotten."
Cassidy did so, first opting for the black sparkly one
"Well, I'd say the last one. It's respectable, but not
too conservative. You're the wife of a highly respected man now. And we
wouldn't want you traipsing around like a two-bit tramp."
Cassidy nodded. "That's why I asked. You're more used
to this than I am." And that was true... it worried Cassidy a little bit,
the entire concept of keeping a perfect public image. She was supposed to be
"I just... I feel like I don't know what I'm
doing,"
"I know the feeling. I remember the first party like
this I attended, I was so nervous, I almost set
"But... you always seem like you know just what you're
doing, and all I know about kids is you're not supposed to beat them up."
"You adjust and ease into the role. Just give it a
little time. And I'll be here to give you whatever help or advice you might
need."
"Thank you," Cassidy said, honestly meaning it.
Cassidy nodded and did just that, slipping back into the
dress once more.
"
"They're sleeping as if they've been drugged, and I am
completely ready to be shown off on my amazingly handsome husband's arm."
"You look....amazing." He pulled her in for a
lasting kiss.
She kissed back eagerly, but eventually they had to break
it. "Thank you."
"We'd better get down, before I change my mind about
going to this party."
"I think that would be bad." She smiled.
"It would be frowned upon, but I assure you, you and I
would have fun."
"Oh I know we would... and I don't object to a little
private celebration later."
"Hmmm...sounds like a very good idea you have
there."
"Come on, before we don't make it down there,"
She smiled, quite content for once to be guided around.
Normally she'd have put up a fuss over it... but with the nervousness, she
decided it was best for the image and for her to stick close to him.
"Relax. Have some wine."
"I don't think me drinking would be a good idea right
now."
"You need to loosen up."
"It'd do worse if I drink. Once I down one I'll be a
regular barfly, and we *do not* want that."
"Then at least get something to eat."
She sighed. "I suppose."
"We wouldn't want you passing out in the middle of the
party either."
"I'm honestly not hungry."
"Have you eaten anything today?"
"Yes!"
"Okay, I was just asking."
"I know. And I appreciate it."
"Just...look like you're having fun."
"I'm trying. I feel safe at least around
"Yeah...but you look so nervous."
"I feel nervous. This is important for him."
"I know. It's very important for him. And if everyone
sees you this nervous, they're gonna think something's going on."
"I already talked to
"Then take a deep breath and smile."
"Shush. Don't give me orders."
Gavin seemed to have appeared from nowhere. He probably
should have stopped drinking, he thought to himself with a sigh. But one more
person giving him that pitying look and he was going to go crazy...
"Gavin?"
"Yup?"
"Having fun mingling?"
"Can I have that glass please?"
"Mm-hmm. Was visited by my sister, too."
"Sure, I can grab another..."
"No...the whole idea was you'd give this to me and not
have any more to drink tonight..."
Gavin sighed. "I'm sick of being stared at. And I know
I sure as hell can't leave."
"Yeah? No one hitting on you I hope."
"Of course not, everyone's afraid of my husband. Even
though they stare."
"I know, baby...do you want to find someplace to sit
for a little while?"
"Well as long as they're afraid of me, that means I'm
going to do my job well."
"I guess."
"You're going to do your job wonderfully,
"Yeah... air might be good."
"Well with a beautiful woman on my arm, how could I
not?"
"Okay, let's go get some air."
She smiled. "Better look out, I might get jealous of
this woman you're parading around."
"Not much but there's less people."
"Nah...no one can even hold a candle to you."
"Good." She was still smiling.
"You shouldn't let them get to you like that."
"I know... but they do."
"Why?"
"Because... I feel like something's wrong with me
because I *didn't* want the organization."
Cassidy nodded and let him guide her to a group.
"But there is nothing wrong with you. You're....you're
just not into running the organization. You wanted something else...to do
something else."
"I know."
"Don't you?"
"Don't I what, want to do something else? Absolutely...
but it's hard."
"Yeah...but if it's something you really want...then
you should have to work hard for it...otherwise, is it really worth
having?"
"You don't get what I mean. I'm sure I could get out
there and have a little business or whatever tomorrow... the hard part is not
getting kicked out of my family because of it. I know too much to be going
respectable."
"It's not like your father or brother would have you
killed if you decided you didn't want to do it anymore."
"Not my brother, maybe. And probably not my
father...."
"Well...what *do* you want to do?"
"I... don't know. I'm mostly concerned with out, first,
before I worry about in to something else."
"You're serious about getting out, aren't you? Like
really serious."
"I'm dead serious. I don't want anything to do with it.
I don't want madmen trying to kill our kids. Honest to God, I want a nine to
five job and a paycheck once a week."
"I get you and the kids, right?"
"You have us. I think I like the idea of not having to
worry about whether you're going to come home for dinner or coming back in a
body bag."
"Ah, I imagine they'd find something a bit more elegant
to put me in."
"Either way. I wouldn't want you coming back like
that."
"I know."
"Very weird."
"No more secret missions....hopefully no more ambushes
anyplace we go...we might have to move too."
"Probably be smart."
"We'll get the hang of it, though..."
"It's funny that we have to work at being normal."
"Well...this life has been normal for us."
"I know..."
"And we want to change everything, it'll be different,
exciting maybe."
"Nine to five job... exciting..." Gavin laughed.
"Agreed."
"Besides...there are probably some very interesting
"I could sell cars," Gavin laughed.
"That I could do. I actually *did* study for it, you
know."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I wanted to go to law school. Mommy and
"You should."
"I could, I've got the undergrad requirements."
Thengo. Im certainly not going to stop you.
You know something, beautiful? I think I just might.