Thwarted Dreams -- Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Colonel Lydecker, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Caroline, etc.).

“We’re both off duty tonight, we can just relax and have the night to ourselves,” Caroline said to Patrick as they sat in the living room of their house. The doorbell rang and Caroline rolled her eyes and got up. “Well, us and the trick-or-treaters.”

“Don’t you just love Halloween?” Patrick said. He watched as Caroline handed out some candy to the kids at the door.

“Oh yeah,” Caroline said as she shut the door and walked back to the couch and sat next to Patrick. “Seriously, I’ve always liked Halloween. I loved to put on a costume and get as much candy as I could and I remember how we’d bring some of our candy to school the next day to show people what we got and then we’d argue over who got the most candy and the best candy the night before.”

“My Halloweens were pretty similar to yours,” Patrick said. “I remember one year I dressed up as Batman and I thought that I had this really cool costume and my friends were going to be really jealous and then I get to school that day and all of my friends and it seemed like most of the rest of the boys in my grade were dressed as Batman! That dragged my mood down. Did that ever happen to you?”

“No, it never personally happened to me,” Caroline said. “It happened to one of my friends one year when she and most of the other girls in fourth grade came dressed as fairy princesses.”

Patrick pretended to look annoyed. “What is it with girls and being fairy princesses?”

Caroline smirked and moved closer to him on the couch. “What is it with boys and dressing up as Batman?” They both laughed and sat together quietly. “I can’t wait until we have a boy or a girl of our own.” She saw the look on Patrick’s face out of the corner of her eye and sighed.

“Caroline,” Patrick said. “Give me some time, okay? We’re still both in our twenties. We’ve both still got years for us to have children.”

“That’s what you said when we got married and it’s been more than three years now,” Caroline said.

“I know that’s what I said when we were married and I still mean it,” Patrick said. “Caroline, please. Let’s not have this argument tonight. I promise, one day when both of us are ready, we will have children. I’m sorry that I’m not ready right now and you are, but I can’t help it. Please don’t be mad at me? Please?”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Caroline said. “I’ll try not to be so impatient with you about having children.”

“Thank you,” Patrick said. “TV?”

“Yeah,” Caroline said. They sat back on the couch and Patrick turned on the TV. “There’s nothing on but dumb Halloween cartoons and specials.”

“Thank goodness for cable,” Patrick said as he flipped through the channels. He finally found a movie that was on that they both liked and they watched it, only interrupted by the trick-or-treaters. Patrick squinted at the TV. “Okay, that is really weird. I never understood this part.”

“Patrick, it’s 2002. People can do whatever they want these days,” Caroline teased.

“This movie came out in 2000,” Patrick teased back. They laughed. “Seriously, do you understand this shit?”

“Nah, not really,” Caroline admitted. The doorbell rang again and she got up again and handed the kids at the door some candy and sat back down next to Patrick. “Two little boys. Guess what they were dressed up as?”

“Batman?” Patrick guessed.

“Yep,” Caroline said. They both laughed. “I think those two might have been twins, though.” She shook her head. “I never liked the idea of dressing twins in identical clothing. Doesn’t that take their individual identities away from them? Even if they’re genetically identical, they’re still two separate people with two separate identities.”

“I don’t think it takes their individual identities from them,” Patrick said. Caroline noticed an odd look in his eyes, but it was gone a moment later. “I think it’s cute.”

“I know it is, but…” Caroline sighed and shook her head. “I don’t want to spend our night arguing. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, babe,” Patrick said. “I guess it’s just one of those nights.”

“Yeah,” Caroline agreed. “Do you want some popcorn? I think we have a box of some of the microwave stuff in the kitchen.”

“Sure,” Patrick said.

“I’ll be right back,” Caroline promised. She got up and went inside the kitchen and found the popcorn and took out a bag and stuck it in the microwave. “Do you want me to get you something to drink while I’m in here?”

“No. I’m good for now,” Patrick said.

“Gotcha,” Caroline said. She took out the popcorn when it was finally done and poured it into a bowl and carried the bowl back into the living room and set it down on the coffee table in front of the couch and sat back down next to Patrick.

“Thanks. You’re the best,” Patrick said. He immediately reached for a handful of popcorn.

“Be careful, you’ll—“ Caroline watched, partly concerned and partly amused as Patrick spit out the popcorn that he’d just shoved in his mouth. “—burn your mouth again.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that one,” Patrick said. He turned to Caroline and smirked. “Hey, why do you want kids? You’ve got me.”

Caroline laughed. “Very true, Patrick. Very true. I’ll get you some water to cool your mouth off.”

“You really are the best,” Patrick said. He grinned.

“Don’t forget it,” Caroline said, grinning back.

TBC