Christmas on Venus
Spike's dreaming. In his dream he's falling, falling, shards of glass around him, but there's no pain and there's no fear. There's only falling and just before he reaches the ground, he finds his hand held by an angel with green eyes and yellow hair and a mark of power across her face and together they fly away from the ground, from the glass, to a
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She'd never seen so many kinds of personal pregnancy tests in her life, and she wound up getting three of them.
Can't blame a girl for wanting to be sure about things.
A box of tampons and a Telesto Pop she picked up while waiting in line take up the rest of the space in her bag, which she doubled to be sure it'd be harder to see through the plastic.
"Thinking of moving?"
She grins, her arm going around him, and glances at the page the booklet's open to.
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"Did you know that the bar's the first place I've lived for more than a year since I was old enough to move out of Annie's boarding house, if you don't count the Bebop?" He puts the guide back on the stack with the rest of them and stands, reaching for Beth's hand.
If he were picking a place to live, it wouldn't be Venus, he doesn't think. He kind of likes life on a ship: you can go where you want.
Once they move outside the store, out of earshot of cashiers and shoppers and vacationers, he does stop and ask her the question, though. "Let's say we didn't have to go back to the bar, ever, and we could just stay here together. Where would you want to be?"
He thinks maybe he should have kept that real estate guide: Beth's always liked Venus.
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"Kind of partial to this planet." She shrugs. She hasn't disliked anywhere they've gone so far, really, though she's pretty sure she'd rather not live on Earth out here.
All that water on Ganymede was really pretty.
"But I think I'd try to persuade you to finish giving me the tour of the solar system before I made a decision like that."
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He means it.
"But for now, I'm taking you right back to our room at that place right there overlooking the lake and ordering us breakfast, because I'm kind of starving." He nods toward the Resort and its reflection on Lake Pegasus, hardly a concern in the world. Yeah, he could probably live here if she wanted. After seeing the rest of the solar system together.
"And because there's a hot tub in our future."
They move closer to the hotel.
"And because I love you a hell of a lot."
He's tempted to do a replay on last night's entry into their room.
He just might.
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And she knows he stands a good chance of distracting her before she can shut herself up in the bathroom and do anything.
But that wouldn't be so bad, really.
Wouldn't change a damn thing, either.
If he goes for room service as soon as they get in, she'll head for the bathroom. If he goes for her, well... she won't up a fight.
She takes her hand out of his when they enter the lobby, only to sling her arm low around his waist instead.
Let him be a distraction.
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That's some timing her body's got, but what the hell: they can still enjoy the shower and the tub and the bed. The bed's really, really nice and he would bring it back for them if he could.
He'd do anything for her. Even order lost bread and fresh fruit and mimosas. He sets the heavier bag down on the table, kind of pleased with himself for finding anything at all like chocolate champagne; he gives her a little grin.
He can't leave her be. He can't. So he goes for that one more kiss -- not some innocent little peck on the cheek, either -- before nodding to the bathroom.
"Go on, take care of your stuff. I'll order breakfast. Hope you're hungry."
Okay, so just one more kiss.
One more just like that.
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She read the backs of those little boxes in her bag. She can have this over with in five or ten minutes.
One of those things can have a result for her pretty much instantaneously, but that's not the first one she goes for once she's locked herself in the bathroom and lifted herself up to sit on the edge of the counter.
As if one of the other two could give her a more considered answer. That's not how it works.
But in a matter of minutes, she's got her answer.
Three identical answers, in fact.
And tossing all the tests and their boxes in the little trash can there in the bathroom, she even covers it all with a layer of crumpled tissues, unwilling to have Spike waltz in later and see anything and suspect, and leaves the box of tampons, open, right on the counter.
She hasn't been this sneaky in years.
When she swings the door open and joins Spike again, she gives him a tired smile. "Breakfast isn't here already? I'm starving."
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Unless they're in the shower, and that's a different thing altogether.
"Should be here in a minute or two." He glances at her appreciatively before reaching for her and holding her close. He rubs her back gently.
"You okay?"
She shouldn't be sick. The nanobots should be seeing to that.
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It's an honest answer, and she knows he's probably thinking she's sick or something.
She smiles again, eyes meeting his, and wraps her arms around him. "Hungry as hell, though."
And it doesn't get more honest than that.
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When they got to the spaceport, they barely remembered those pills that kept the helium in the atmosphere from making their voices get high and tiny.
They didn't take these.
She'd laugh right out loud if their room service wasn't being ushered in. She's not coming down with Venus Sickness.
But she downs the pill, swallowing it with a gulp of water from the glass he left beside her.
And she's pretty sure she's not tired enough to need breakfast served to her in bed, but she's not complaining.
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She's not above being secretive and not above telling half-truths and little white lies where she sees fit, but there's no denying that there's something important he should know.
There's no way to really ease into it.
She knows how he feels about kids. He was honorable enough to watch Millie and Wade for Snow, but they aren't his thing at all. He even got that 10-year nanobot shot to make sure he wouldn't have them, for fuck's sake.
But being shy about things isn't her style anyway.
Crunching a curly strip of bacon between her teeth, she finally glances over at him and, shrugging inwardly, goes for it.
"I'm pregnant."
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But he does notice two things besides the food.
First, Beth is really, really beautiful. He's seen beautiful women before, lots of them, and has an appreciation for them but she's... she's more beautiful than any of the rest of them ever were or ever could be, especially surrounded by the background of off-white linen pillowcase against the seafoam green wall behind her. It almost matches her eyes.
Second, he thinks his heart's just stopped.
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"With child," she goes on, "knocked up, eating for two. You know."
She half-smiles because he still hasn't moved yet, to take his eyes off her or otherwise.
"Don't worry. It's not your fault."
On second thought, that doesn't make anything better.
She rolls her eyes. What a fucking soap opera.
"You know what I mean."
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