Ficlet: Been Known to Cause a Few Births (GH, Nikolas/Elizabeth)
Title: Been Known to Cause a Few Births
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 9 - Under the Influence
Pairing/Character(s): Elizabeth/Nikolas
Rating: Teen
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 1508
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the extended Lana!Au.
Summary: "I'm pregnant."
Author's Notes: This is that backstory I promised you, leobrat. Written for theeechochorus.
March 1, 2011
Nikolas looked up from his desk to see Elizabeth barreling into his study. “Elizabeth, how nice to see you.”
She halted when she was standing directly in front of him, and blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”
Nikolas dropped the pen he was holding. “Excuse me?”
“I’m pregnant,” she enunciated slowly. “You know, with child?”
Nikolas rubbed his hands across his face. “I understand what it means, thank you.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “How exactly did this happen? I mean, I know, and I assume it’s mine, but we used protection.”
She shrugged. “Protection fails. And thank you so much for not assuming I’m slutty enough to have slept with someone else right after you. That makes me so happy,” she said with a sneer. “Look, I’m not really any happier about this than you are. Do you really think I want to have children by three different fathers, not to mention my fourth unplanned pregnancy?”
He sighed. “So you’re definitely going to go ahead with the pregnancy?”
Elizabeth stared at him aghast. Forcefully she said, “Of course I am I’m not asking you for anything, you know, but I figured you deserved a heads up.” She spun on her heel and headed for the door.
“Elizabeth, wait!” Nikolas called after her, as he pushed himself back from the desk and hurried across the room to catch her. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “We are not done here.”
She stumbled, falling into his chest. As she looked up at him, she laughed sardonically. “You know, this seems awfully familiar,” she drawled bitingly.
Nikolas’ jaw tightened as he remembered…
January 15, 2011
Nikolas held Elizabeth upright as he helped her walk down the hall to her Penthouse.
As they reached the door, he asked, “Where are your keys?”
A confused expression crossed her face, and then with a moment of clarity, began digging through her purse. When she found them, she held them up triumphantly. “Aha!”
Nikolas grabbed them and after a few attempts managed to fit the key inside the lock. They stumbled inside together and the door swung shut behind them with a band.
Elizabeth flinched slightly at the sound. She dropped her purse to the ground and kicked off her shoes as she wove her way over to the couch, flopping down on it bonelessly.
Nikolas just watched her for a moment. He might have been slightly drunk himself, but he had nothing on his ex-sister-in-law. The alcohol had lowered some of the walls that had built up since her marriage to the mob and its collapse, letting the Elizabeth he’d once known so well shine through. In the moonlight that illuminated the room, the pale gold of the dress she’d worn to the wedding seemed to glow.
He shook his head to shake away those kinds of idle thoughts. Too much champagne, he thought to himself as he crossed the room to pick up a blanket to cover her with. She’d been quiet for so long that he was certain she’d fallen asleep.
As he spread the blanket over her, she suddenly opened her eyes and slurred, “Today sucked.”
“Mmhm,” he agreed, assuming she was about to fall back asleep.
But to his surprise, she pushed herself upright and kicked the blanket off. “No, I mean it. Today sucked. To sit there and watch Lucky marry that child, as if what they have is real, and to have to pretend to be happy for them for the boy’s sakes… it just really sucked.”
Nikolas frowned. “You sound like you’re still a little bit in love with him, Elizabeth.”
She pushed at the hair that had fallen into her face. “I’m not, well, not much anyway. I don’t love Lucky, haven’t loved him for years, really. But I always thought he’d be there if I needed him, and now he won’t be.”
Nikolas seated himself next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You know he’d still be there for you and the boys if something went wrong. And Elizabeth, you have me. I’m always going to look out for you.”
She sniffled a little, and burrowed into his side, dropping her head to his shoulder. “I know. I just wish sometimes we hadn’t all grown up.” She tilted her head up to look at him. “Don’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know, there are some things about being grown up I really like,” Nikolas said as lightly as he could, while he tried desperately to not stare at how kissable and soft her mouth looked at that moment. Suddenly he snatched his arm off her shoulders and stood. “I should go.”
He headed for the door.
“Wait,” Elizabeth pleaded, as she tried to get up from the couch. Once she managed, she walked as quickly as she could towards him. She reached her hand out for his wrist as he was about to open the door, when she suddenly tripped over her feet, stumbling into his chest. “Ooph.” She looked up at him, confusion written on her face. “Why are you going?”
With her still clutched against his chest, Nikolas inwardly cursed, and tried to control himself. But her body felt too right against his and the alcohol was telling him that doing the right thing was really very overrated.
“Nikolas?” she prompted.
“Because of this,” he bit out, as he lowered his head to hers and kissed her frantically. She froze for a moment, but began pouring herself into the kiss. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and her hands wove their way into his hair. Their tongues tangled as Nikolas pressed her ever closer into his body, as his hands roamed over her back and up her sides. He boosted her into his arms and instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Blindly he walked them forwards to the couch. When he bumped into it, he dropped Elizabeth onto it. She laid there, sprawled out, looking wanton, and he wanted nothing more than to dive on top of her and finish what they’d started. But he had to be sure she wanted this.
“Elizabeth, are you sure?”
She didn’t answer, but grabbed his hand, tugging him down on top of her. She leaned up to capture his lips with hers, and began shoving his jacket off his shoulders frantically.
March 1, 2011
Nikolas let go at once. “You’re right.” He sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face. “I’m sorry, you know. You didn’t deserve that reaction.”
“No, I didn’t,” Elizabeth said bitterly. “I wasn’t the only one there, hell, I wasn’t the one who started it. We had an equal share in what’s happened.”
“You’re right,” Nikolas acknowledged. He sat down on the settee, and gestured towards the nearest chair. “Please, sit.”
Cautiously she did so, choosing the chair farthest away from him.
When he noticed what she’d done, Nikolas sighed again. “Elizabeth, please, I’m not going to maul you.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “Are you certain of that? Because lately, you’ve either wanted to rip my clothes off or throw me from your home when I deliver news that you don’t want to hear.”
Nikolas ignored her. “We’ll have to get married, of course.”
Elizabeth stared. “Excuse me?”
“Married,” Nikolas repeated. “It’s really the only thing we can do, you know. Our family dynamics are already awkward and this makes them more so, but things would be infinitely more complicated if we didn’t get married.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m not marrying you, and even if I were going to, I wouldn’t say yes after you’ve ordered me too.”
“It’s not an order.”
Elizabeth shot him an incredulous look.
“It’s really not,” he insisted. “I have a son. You have two children with my brother. How exactly do you envision a scenario working where we don’t get married?”
She shrugged. “I’m less than two months pregnant, Nikolas. There’s plenty of time to work all that out.”
“We wouldn’t need to work it out if you’d agree to marry me,” he countered. “Is it the way I asked?” he questioned. “Because I can fix that.” Nikolas stood and crossed to where Elizabeth sat. He knelt down on the floor in front of her.
“Don’t do that!” Elizabeth begged, trying to tug him to his feet.
“Elizabeth, will you marry me?” he asked determinedly. When she didn’t answer, he said “I’m not going anywhere till you give me the answer that I want.”
She sighed loudly. “Nikolas, if I agree to marry you, it’s going to be a marriage of convenience only.”
“For now,” he agreed. “Was that an answer?”
“Fine!” she spat out. “I’ll marry you. Happy now?”
He rose. “No, but I think I will be.” He tugged her to her feet and laid a hand possessively over her stomach.
Marriages had been built on less, Nikolas thought to himself. There was no reason to think this one wouldn’t work.
And every reason to think it would.
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 9 - Under the Influence
Pairing/Character(s): Elizabeth/Nikolas
Rating: Teen
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 1508
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the extended Lana!Au.
Summary: "I'm pregnant."
Author's Notes: This is that backstory I promised you, leobrat. Written for theeechochorus.
March 1, 2011
Nikolas looked up from his desk to see Elizabeth barreling into his study. “Elizabeth, how nice to see you.”
She halted when she was standing directly in front of him, and blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”
Nikolas dropped the pen he was holding. “Excuse me?”
“I’m pregnant,” she enunciated slowly. “You know, with child?”
Nikolas rubbed his hands across his face. “I understand what it means, thank you.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “How exactly did this happen? I mean, I know, and I assume it’s mine, but we used protection.”
She shrugged. “Protection fails. And thank you so much for not assuming I’m slutty enough to have slept with someone else right after you. That makes me so happy,” she said with a sneer. “Look, I’m not really any happier about this than you are. Do you really think I want to have children by three different fathers, not to mention my fourth unplanned pregnancy?”
He sighed. “So you’re definitely going to go ahead with the pregnancy?”
Elizabeth stared at him aghast. Forcefully she said, “Of course I am I’m not asking you for anything, you know, but I figured you deserved a heads up.” She spun on her heel and headed for the door.
“Elizabeth, wait!” Nikolas called after her, as he pushed himself back from the desk and hurried across the room to catch her. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “We are not done here.”
She stumbled, falling into his chest. As she looked up at him, she laughed sardonically. “You know, this seems awfully familiar,” she drawled bitingly.
Nikolas’ jaw tightened as he remembered…
January 15, 2011
Nikolas held Elizabeth upright as he helped her walk down the hall to her Penthouse.
As they reached the door, he asked, “Where are your keys?”
A confused expression crossed her face, and then with a moment of clarity, began digging through her purse. When she found them, she held them up triumphantly. “Aha!”
Nikolas grabbed them and after a few attempts managed to fit the key inside the lock. They stumbled inside together and the door swung shut behind them with a band.
Elizabeth flinched slightly at the sound. She dropped her purse to the ground and kicked off her shoes as she wove her way over to the couch, flopping down on it bonelessly.
Nikolas just watched her for a moment. He might have been slightly drunk himself, but he had nothing on his ex-sister-in-law. The alcohol had lowered some of the walls that had built up since her marriage to the mob and its collapse, letting the Elizabeth he’d once known so well shine through. In the moonlight that illuminated the room, the pale gold of the dress she’d worn to the wedding seemed to glow.
He shook his head to shake away those kinds of idle thoughts. Too much champagne, he thought to himself as he crossed the room to pick up a blanket to cover her with. She’d been quiet for so long that he was certain she’d fallen asleep.
As he spread the blanket over her, she suddenly opened her eyes and slurred, “Today sucked.”
“Mmhm,” he agreed, assuming she was about to fall back asleep.
But to his surprise, she pushed herself upright and kicked the blanket off. “No, I mean it. Today sucked. To sit there and watch Lucky marry that child, as if what they have is real, and to have to pretend to be happy for them for the boy’s sakes… it just really sucked.”
Nikolas frowned. “You sound like you’re still a little bit in love with him, Elizabeth.”
She pushed at the hair that had fallen into her face. “I’m not, well, not much anyway. I don’t love Lucky, haven’t loved him for years, really. But I always thought he’d be there if I needed him, and now he won’t be.”
Nikolas seated himself next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You know he’d still be there for you and the boys if something went wrong. And Elizabeth, you have me. I’m always going to look out for you.”
She sniffled a little, and burrowed into his side, dropping her head to his shoulder. “I know. I just wish sometimes we hadn’t all grown up.” She tilted her head up to look at him. “Don’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know, there are some things about being grown up I really like,” Nikolas said as lightly as he could, while he tried desperately to not stare at how kissable and soft her mouth looked at that moment. Suddenly he snatched his arm off her shoulders and stood. “I should go.”
He headed for the door.
“Wait,” Elizabeth pleaded, as she tried to get up from the couch. Once she managed, she walked as quickly as she could towards him. She reached her hand out for his wrist as he was about to open the door, when she suddenly tripped over her feet, stumbling into his chest. “Ooph.” She looked up at him, confusion written on her face. “Why are you going?”
With her still clutched against his chest, Nikolas inwardly cursed, and tried to control himself. But her body felt too right against his and the alcohol was telling him that doing the right thing was really very overrated.
“Nikolas?” she prompted.
“Because of this,” he bit out, as he lowered his head to hers and kissed her frantically. She froze for a moment, but began pouring herself into the kiss. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and her hands wove their way into his hair. Their tongues tangled as Nikolas pressed her ever closer into his body, as his hands roamed over her back and up her sides. He boosted her into his arms and instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Blindly he walked them forwards to the couch. When he bumped into it, he dropped Elizabeth onto it. She laid there, sprawled out, looking wanton, and he wanted nothing more than to dive on top of her and finish what they’d started. But he had to be sure she wanted this.
“Elizabeth, are you sure?”
She didn’t answer, but grabbed his hand, tugging him down on top of her. She leaned up to capture his lips with hers, and began shoving his jacket off his shoulders frantically.
March 1, 2011
Nikolas let go at once. “You’re right.” He sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face. “I’m sorry, you know. You didn’t deserve that reaction.”
“No, I didn’t,” Elizabeth said bitterly. “I wasn’t the only one there, hell, I wasn’t the one who started it. We had an equal share in what’s happened.”
“You’re right,” Nikolas acknowledged. He sat down on the settee, and gestured towards the nearest chair. “Please, sit.”
Cautiously she did so, choosing the chair farthest away from him.
When he noticed what she’d done, Nikolas sighed again. “Elizabeth, please, I’m not going to maul you.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “Are you certain of that? Because lately, you’ve either wanted to rip my clothes off or throw me from your home when I deliver news that you don’t want to hear.”
Nikolas ignored her. “We’ll have to get married, of course.”
Elizabeth stared. “Excuse me?”
“Married,” Nikolas repeated. “It’s really the only thing we can do, you know. Our family dynamics are already awkward and this makes them more so, but things would be infinitely more complicated if we didn’t get married.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m not marrying you, and even if I were going to, I wouldn’t say yes after you’ve ordered me too.”
“It’s not an order.”
Elizabeth shot him an incredulous look.
“It’s really not,” he insisted. “I have a son. You have two children with my brother. How exactly do you envision a scenario working where we don’t get married?”
She shrugged. “I’m less than two months pregnant, Nikolas. There’s plenty of time to work all that out.”
“We wouldn’t need to work it out if you’d agree to marry me,” he countered. “Is it the way I asked?” he questioned. “Because I can fix that.” Nikolas stood and crossed to where Elizabeth sat. He knelt down on the floor in front of her.
“Don’t do that!” Elizabeth begged, trying to tug him to his feet.
“Elizabeth, will you marry me?” he asked determinedly. When she didn’t answer, he said “I’m not going anywhere till you give me the answer that I want.”
She sighed loudly. “Nikolas, if I agree to marry you, it’s going to be a marriage of convenience only.”
“For now,” he agreed. “Was that an answer?”
“Fine!” she spat out. “I’ll marry you. Happy now?”
He rose. “No, but I think I will be.” He tugged her to her feet and laid a hand possessively over her stomach.
Marriages had been built on less, Nikolas thought to himself. There was no reason to think this one wouldn’t work.
And every reason to think it would.