2. What would your children look like?
"So let's talk about kids," Dr Love started, settling himself across from the lonesome Ruby.
If looks could kill… "We can't have kids. So clearly talking about them is like talking about absolutely nothing but wisps of air and worthless thoughts of what isn't and what never will be. Oh, yes I did just tweak Led Zeppelin to suit my own needs, bite me."
She paused for a breath and Dr Love opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. As per usual.
"Why yes, Dr Love, this is a sensitive subject, thank you for noticing." Another pause. "This is stupid. And no offense, but you're sucking with the therapizing."
Dr Love gave her a look that was an unfortunate combination of disbelief, umbrage and confusion. "Therapizing is not a word."
"…Yes it is," she told him with an annoyed glare, tapping her nails agitatedly against the leather arm of the love seat. Psychologists always seemed to have leather chairs. Probably because they over charged for something that could easily been found by watching Dr Phil. "And seriously? Is that all you gained from this? That I broke the English language to tell you that you suck?"
Dr Love was saved by the bell. Which in this case wasn't a bell at all but Alec bursting through the door, peeling his jacket and driving gloves off as he crossed the carpet to sit on the love seat (how fitting) next to his wife.
"Sorry I'm late," he said apologetically, more to Ruby than to the doctor. But why would he apologize to the doctor that got paid whether they showed up or not when his wife was the one looking, shall we say, displeased.
"It's quite alright," Dr Love said, with one of this ingratiating smiles that begged to be slapped right off. "Ruby and I were just discussing children."
"She looks kinda pissed at you, dude," Alec said bluntly.
Dr Love smiled again, less appeasing, more resigned. "That seems to be her usual attitude towards me."
"Yeah, and it's something different each time."
This couple was more trouble than they were worth, which was quite a lot mind you. "As I said," Dr Love continued, nodding in acceptance. "We were talking about children."
"In general? They can be real cute," Alec quipped easily.
Ruby however, was not as light, probably because she'd been stuck in the room with him all by herself before he'd showed up. Late. "No. He was asking about our children."
"Oh." Alec glanced at her and his face went blank. "Right."
"Ruby told me that the two of you couldn't have any," Dr Love said, clear sympathy on his tone.
"That about sums it up."
"How do you feel about that? As newlyweds."
The glare Ruby shot him could have killed a lesser man. Dr Love didn't even bat an eyelash. Ruby was vaguely impressed. Annoyed, but still vaguely impressed.
"Well I gotta say," Alec said with a cocky smile, trying for the humorous approach. "Getting her knocked up wasn't first on my list of wants."
Dr Love looked interested, pen poised above his yellow pad of lined legal paper. "Oh? What was?"
Alec answered easily, "Sex. What was first on your mind after your wedding?"
"Getting out of it."
"Pity," Ruby said, giving him a smile that didn't exactly look piteous. "We have great sex."
"We really do," Alec agreed. "So you married a chick you didn't want to marry? This day and age in America?"
"That's not what I mean," Dr Love muttered. "And that's really not the point. We're here to discuss your relationship. Children are the inevitable 'next step' in a marriage, especially in young couples that are not as career minded as others."
"We can't have kids. Regardless of if we want them or not." Ruby's lips turned down in a frown. If she could vote for a topic of discussion it would not be this.
Again, Alec agreed. "So we're pretty much screwed."
"Because you want them?" Dr Love prompted, hoping to get them to talk to each other rather than to him.
"Well it would be nice to have the option," Alec answered. "Adopting isn't the same when you're two people from rather unique species you know?"
"But you would like them?"
"Doesn't matter," Alec said shortly. He was growing a bit cranky with this line of questioning. "I can't have them."
Ruby looked up from where she was drawing little stars on her jeans with one of those pens that were at the bank. The kind with the little chain attached so people couldn't steal them. A tiny piece of it was still dangling off the end. "Well you could," she said quietly. "In theory."
Alec gave her a questioning look. "You know something I don't? Unless you're talking magic."
Ruby's expression was almost patronizing. "Kitten, I know a lot of stuff you don't. I've been around the block a few hundred times. But yeah, I was talking magic."
"And what would it cost?" Alec asked, looking down and away. "And maybe I shouldn't anyway."
Ruby just shrugged. "Blood, sweat, tears, my perfect figure, college tuition, maybe a pony..."
Alec cracked a little smile. "You just want a pony."
"Kinda, but that's not the point."
Maybe it was an X5 trait, but they seemed to lack hope. Or refuse to acknowledge it. Either way, right then Alec was refusing to build any hope up. "Renfro made damned sure I don't have anything to offer. Sterile, I think, is the word I'm after."
"Renfro's a whore who got toasted by her own freaks, her opinion doesn't really weigh that much with me," Ruby said bluntly.
"Maybe she had the right idea. What if... I'm more like Ben than any of us want to think about? What if any kid I had a part in making was exactly what they were afraid it would be?"
"Uh maybe she didn't," Ruby correct. Because Renfro was wrong, clearly. "She's dead, and since I highly doubt she got a proper funeral, she's definitely fertilizer. And what if any kid you had a part in making was exactly what they wanted it to be, hmm?"
"Then we'd have perfect little freak X5 Demon babies?" Alec supplied.
"Well yeah."
"With pigtails?"
Ruby looked confused for a second, biting her lip. "Why with pigtails? ... Oh. You want a little girl?"
"Maybe," Alec said, looking sheepish.
Ruby smiled, looking happy, as she scooted closer. All the annoyance from his lack of promptness disappear and she moved closer still until she was right next to him. "I think you'd make a good Dad," she said as she leaned up to kiss his cheek.
Alec put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. "Yeah? I'm not sure I have the patience."
"And I do?" Ruby asked with a snort, sliding one leg over his knee.
"Sometimes you do." Alec leaned down and rested his head against hers.
Sometimes they were so cute it was nauseating.
"Sometimes is good enough for now," Ruby conceded.
Dr Love cleared his throat, looking rather self-satisfied. "I'm afraid times up. I'll see you two next week."
If looks could kill… "We can't have kids. So clearly talking about them is like talking about absolutely nothing but wisps of air and worthless thoughts of what isn't and what never will be. Oh, yes I did just tweak Led Zeppelin to suit my own needs, bite me."
She paused for a breath and Dr Love opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. As per usual.
"Why yes, Dr Love, this is a sensitive subject, thank you for noticing." Another pause. "This is stupid. And no offense, but you're sucking with the therapizing."
Dr Love gave her a look that was an unfortunate combination of disbelief, umbrage and confusion. "Therapizing is not a word."
"…Yes it is," she told him with an annoyed glare, tapping her nails agitatedly against the leather arm of the love seat. Psychologists always seemed to have leather chairs. Probably because they over charged for something that could easily been found by watching Dr Phil. "And seriously? Is that all you gained from this? That I broke the English language to tell you that you suck?"
Dr Love was saved by the bell. Which in this case wasn't a bell at all but Alec bursting through the door, peeling his jacket and driving gloves off as he crossed the carpet to sit on the love seat (how fitting) next to his wife.
"Sorry I'm late," he said apologetically, more to Ruby than to the doctor. But why would he apologize to the doctor that got paid whether they showed up or not when his wife was the one looking, shall we say, displeased.
"It's quite alright," Dr Love said, with one of this ingratiating smiles that begged to be slapped right off. "Ruby and I were just discussing children."
"She looks kinda pissed at you, dude," Alec said bluntly.
Dr Love smiled again, less appeasing, more resigned. "That seems to be her usual attitude towards me."
"Yeah, and it's something different each time."
This couple was more trouble than they were worth, which was quite a lot mind you. "As I said," Dr Love continued, nodding in acceptance. "We were talking about children."
"In general? They can be real cute," Alec quipped easily.
Ruby however, was not as light, probably because she'd been stuck in the room with him all by herself before he'd showed up. Late. "No. He was asking about our children."
"Oh." Alec glanced at her and his face went blank. "Right."
"Ruby told me that the two of you couldn't have any," Dr Love said, clear sympathy on his tone.
"That about sums it up."
"How do you feel about that? As newlyweds."
The glare Ruby shot him could have killed a lesser man. Dr Love didn't even bat an eyelash. Ruby was vaguely impressed. Annoyed, but still vaguely impressed.
"Well I gotta say," Alec said with a cocky smile, trying for the humorous approach. "Getting her knocked up wasn't first on my list of wants."
Dr Love looked interested, pen poised above his yellow pad of lined legal paper. "Oh? What was?"
Alec answered easily, "Sex. What was first on your mind after your wedding?"
"Getting out of it."
"Pity," Ruby said, giving him a smile that didn't exactly look piteous. "We have great sex."
"We really do," Alec agreed. "So you married a chick you didn't want to marry? This day and age in America?"
"That's not what I mean," Dr Love muttered. "And that's really not the point. We're here to discuss your relationship. Children are the inevitable 'next step' in a marriage, especially in young couples that are not as career minded as others."
"We can't have kids. Regardless of if we want them or not." Ruby's lips turned down in a frown. If she could vote for a topic of discussion it would not be this.
Again, Alec agreed. "So we're pretty much screwed."
"Because you want them?" Dr Love prompted, hoping to get them to talk to each other rather than to him.
"Well it would be nice to have the option," Alec answered. "Adopting isn't the same when you're two people from rather unique species you know?"
"But you would like them?"
"Doesn't matter," Alec said shortly. He was growing a bit cranky with this line of questioning. "I can't have them."
Ruby looked up from where she was drawing little stars on her jeans with one of those pens that were at the bank. The kind with the little chain attached so people couldn't steal them. A tiny piece of it was still dangling off the end. "Well you could," she said quietly. "In theory."
Alec gave her a questioning look. "You know something I don't? Unless you're talking magic."
Ruby's expression was almost patronizing. "Kitten, I know a lot of stuff you don't. I've been around the block a few hundred times. But yeah, I was talking magic."
"And what would it cost?" Alec asked, looking down and away. "And maybe I shouldn't anyway."
Ruby just shrugged. "Blood, sweat, tears, my perfect figure, college tuition, maybe a pony..."
Alec cracked a little smile. "You just want a pony."
"Kinda, but that's not the point."
Maybe it was an X5 trait, but they seemed to lack hope. Or refuse to acknowledge it. Either way, right then Alec was refusing to build any hope up. "Renfro made damned sure I don't have anything to offer. Sterile, I think, is the word I'm after."
"Renfro's a whore who got toasted by her own freaks, her opinion doesn't really weigh that much with me," Ruby said bluntly.
"Maybe she had the right idea. What if... I'm more like Ben than any of us want to think about? What if any kid I had a part in making was exactly what they were afraid it would be?"
"Uh maybe she didn't," Ruby correct. Because Renfro was wrong, clearly. "She's dead, and since I highly doubt she got a proper funeral, she's definitely fertilizer. And what if any kid you had a part in making was exactly what they wanted it to be, hmm?"
"Then we'd have perfect little freak X5 Demon babies?" Alec supplied.
"Well yeah."
"With pigtails?"
Ruby looked confused for a second, biting her lip. "Why with pigtails? ... Oh. You want a little girl?"
"Maybe," Alec said, looking sheepish.
Ruby smiled, looking happy, as she scooted closer. All the annoyance from his lack of promptness disappear and she moved closer still until she was right next to him. "I think you'd make a good Dad," she said as she leaned up to kiss his cheek.
Alec put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. "Yeah? I'm not sure I have the patience."
"And I do?" Ruby asked with a snort, sliding one leg over his knee.
"Sometimes you do." Alec leaned down and rested his head against hers.
Sometimes they were so cute it was nauseating.
"Sometimes is good enough for now," Ruby conceded.
Dr Love cleared his throat, looking rather self-satisfied. "I'm afraid times up. I'll see you two next week."