Author Topic: Playing Adults (Read 7833 times)

pinkroses · « **on:** June 17, 2011, 06:32:32 AM »

((Reserved for Saccharin))

“I only heard about this place a few weeks ago. I wanted to bring you somewhere nice,” Dominik said to Carrie as the pair took their seats in the comfortable armchairs as they waited for their table to be ready in the main section of the restaurant. Dominik probably could have hurried the process along by heavily tipping the maitre d’, but he didn’t have all that much experience in situations like this, and even if he had been practised at it, the shifter had no desire to hurry along this evening.

He was wearing a smart suit, black, fine material, and it was teamed with a dark purple shirt and a matching tie. The beard which had grown over the past few weeks had been tidily trimmed earlier that day. He’d told Carrie where they were going when they’d met up the morning after she’d changed last so that she would know what to wear, but they hadn’t had much chance to discuss it.

He\'d had no clue where to take her, or what to wear, so he\'d asked advice and been recommended this place, and a personal shopper had picked out the suit, which was a better quality than most of the clothes he bought. He usually chose clothes for their durability, not their elegance, although his taste had improved during his time as Oligarch. He\'d spent a lot of his life as a bear, or at least not in this kind of environment, and whenever he dressed up completely in a full suit he felt like he was pretending to be an adult when he wasn\'t quite ready. He put on a good act though.

Most of the time Dom was confident, smooth, when he knew what he was doing and what was expected of him. In his office he was in control. Dealing with work, he was in control. Even around weres who were turned, he could shift, he could handle that. But a nice evening out with his lover when all they had done usually for the past two years was fall into bed together? This was a different matter.

“You’re happy with this place? We could go somewhere else if you preferred?” Dominik asked as the waiter appeared, placing their drinks on the table before them with a nod before disappearing once again. Dom wasn’t used to eating out like this, it all seemed like so much effort, but he had wanted to do something special for Carrie, especially since he had asked so much of her in the past month.

He reached forwards, picking up his tall glass of beer to take a pull as he waited for her response, brushing the bottom of the glass to catch the drips of condensation which gathered there.

Saccharin · « **Reply #1 on:** June 18, 2011, 09:49:51 PM »

"It is nice," she said, turning her head to smile at him. She was surprised by how nice, actually. Of course, she\'d heard about Echelon - it was supposed to be expensive, but worth it. Everyone she\'d talked to claimed the food was delectable, the service impeccable and the atmosphere pleasurable. Actually being there, though, versus having heard about it from a friend of a friend who just so happened to get a reservation would be an entirely different experience.

Even if it didn\'t turn out as well as was rumored, at least it\'d been an excuse to dress up. She\'d slipped into a very simple but elegant black chiffon cocktail dress; it was sleeveless, with a horizontal neckline and deep V cut into the back. She\'d felt the style of the dress absolutely deserving of an up-do, so had curled her hair and then piled the dark strands on the top of her head in a loose bun with a few pieces having already escaped to frame her face. Her heels (which she would come to regret by the time she made it home that night) were of the careful-don\'t-break-your-neck variety, with t-straps that left a majority of her feet exposed.

She was in the process of trying to discretely reach down to adjust said straps when the waiter arrived and she sat back primly, resting her hands in her lap. "I think we\'ll have a great time," she said after he\'d left the water she\'d requested, "but if this isn\'t for you, Dom, just say. We can always take our snazzy selves elsewhere."

pinkroses · « **Reply #2 on:** June 18, 2011, 10:49:55 PM »

“Hey, I’m good at adapting,” Dom said with a smile at Carrie from behind his glass before placing the drink back down on the table.

“You feeling ok?” he asked, nodding towards the glass of water Carrie had ordered. He’d been a little surprised by that considering the extensive cocktail and wine list which the Echelon offered and that Carrie wasn’t usually shy about having a drink to relax. But she also wasn’t shy about saying when she wasn’t feeling good - surely she would have said she didn’t want to go out, not gone to all that effort of dressing up.

She did look stunning tonight, well, every night, but especially tonight. Those heels perfectly highlighted the shape of her body (although Dom wouldn’t have been able to say what it was making her ass look so amazing tonight), and he had already been caught by Carrie admiring the smooth skin of her back which was shown off by the dress.

Saccharin · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2011, 10:51:53 AM »

Shit. Why hadn\'t she thought about that? Of course he\'d notice that she wasn\'t having anything alcoholic when she normally drank like a fish every time they went out. "I-I\'m... "

Can\'t tell him. Not ready. God, will I ever be ready? No, probably not, but not saying isn\'t going to make it go away. I have to tell him. I will. But not now. Later.

"...Hydrating."

She smiled brightly and took a sip of her water.

Fortunately for her, they were directed to their table shortly after, making it so she didn\'t have to elaborate any further on the subject of her drink choice. If she\'d had to, she knew she would\'ve started babbling, and even if Dominik hadn\'t questioned her story before, he\'d question it then.

"Dear Lord, Dom, who\'d you have to bribe to get this table?" she whispered.

They had been taken to a table for two, situated in a private corner with a breathtaking view of the city. At that point, she realized she didn\'t really care if their food was edible or if the waiter saw to their needs in a timely fashion, because the vantage point their table offered was magnificent. She felt like the stars had been stolen from the sky and scattered across the world they looked down upon.

"It\'s beautiful up here," she murmured, lowering her menu to stare out the window, her profile bathed in the flickering light of light of the candles lit between them.

pinkroses · « **Reply #4 on:** June 20, 2011, 03:16:19 AM »

Dom raised an eyebrow slightly at the bright smile, which did look kind of fake. If she didn’t fancy drinking, he wouldn’t mind and he guessed she had a good reason for it. He just wished she would tell him rather than pretending he was an idiot.

“Ok… fine. Well.. If you do want anything, just say. I think I spotted some of those… mocktail things on the menu too,” he said, picking up the menu and glancing over it. If she’d ordered one of those straight off Dom probably wouldn’t have noticed the difference between that and a real cocktail. He never drank them and the names were all meaningless to him.

When they headed for their table Dom smiled at Carrie’s reaction, a hand on her lower back as they walked and he took over from the waiter in getting her seated comfortably, giving her the better view of the two.

“Just a demon I know,” Dominik said with a grin, lightly kissing the back of her neck before moving to sit down opposite her. He looked towards the view for a moment, but then returned his gaze to the gorgeous woman across from him. He didn’t think about it often, but right now he wondered how he had got so lucky. He was happy, she was happy, they both had exactly what they wanted. One day she’d get bored of him, want someone who looked her age (since he knew she would look at him one day and notice that he looked like an old man and she was still in her prime. She would want other things that he could give her. But right now, it was all perfect.

“Shall I order a bottle, or are you still… hydrating?” Dom asked, picking up the wine list and glancing over it before his grey eyes peered over the top of it towards his lover.

Saccharin · « **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2011, 08:17:20 PM »

"I think I\'ll stick to water tonight, but you\'re more than welcome to a bottle if you want. It\'d be better than ordering by the glass," she said, trying to sound nonchalant but failing because there was still tightness in her voice.

She went back to looking over the menu, holding it a bit higher than really necessary because she was trying to calm herself. Dinner wasn\'t supposed to be this difficult. They were supposed to be having a good time, but she was struggling to keep herself together. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths until she felt her face relax, and only then did she close the menu and put it aside.

When the waiter came back around to take their order, she\'d realized with growing anxiety that she hadn\'t even read the menu. There was an awkward moment where the waiter looked from her to Dom and then back again, and she flapped her hand at the shifter, laughing about how silly she was for forgetting what she\'d wanted. While Dom went ahead and ordered, she perused the menu and chose on impulse the first thing she saw that didn\'t have meat in it.

She looked absolutely miserable when the man retreated with their orders, looking down in her lap at her folded hands with her lips pressed into a thin line. She was ruining everything. The nice dinner, the evening. Everything. She\'d looked so scatterbrained and had probably embarrassed Dominik and he wouldn\'t want to take her out again. She wouldn\'t want to take her out again.

"I\'m sorry," she mumbled, though didn\'t clarify what for.

pinkroses · « **Reply #6 on:** June 22, 2011, 05:03:21 AM »

Dominik frowned at her refusal - not that she had refused, he could understand not being in the mood to drink, but at the way she’d done it. Carrie had her stressed moments, everyone did, but they used each other to distress. They left the stress and frustration at the door and just enjoyed each other. Maybe a proper date was a bad idea. Maybe that was the problem.

“No, I’m fine with this for now,” the shifter said, gesturing slightly with his beer which he wasn’t even near finishing. He preferred it to wine anyway, but Carrie was a wine drinker and he liked drinking the same as her. It her more like… like they were actually a couple.

And then came the silence. Dom had no idea what to say to Carrie when she was in a mood like this, she’d never acted like this with him. He leant back a little in his seat, trying to focus on the menu, but he couldn’t seem to take anything in. He barely noticed when the waiter came back and was about to tell him they needed a few more minutes, but Carrie was being all… well… pathetic. He didn’t like her acting like this. It wasn’t her. Was it the place? Was it something he’d done? She wasn’t the kind of person to rush for someone else. She was strong, firm, she knew how to stand her ground. If she hadn’t picked her dish yet, she would have asked for longer.

Dom chose in much the same way as Carrie, ordering the steak as his main course because it was the first thing his eye fell on, and asking for it rare as that was how he liked it. He normally tried to avoid eating things which were too meaty around Carrie even though she said she didn’t care what he had, he didn’t want to put her off. It was too late by the time he thought of it though. Carrie had ordered in that flustered looking way and now she looked miserable.

When she apologised (for what?!) without even looking at him Dom gave a sigh, running a hand through his short hair.

“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong or do I have to guess?” he said, lightly touching the silverware as he gazed across the beautifully expensive table which she was completely ignoring.

Saccharin · « **Reply #7 on:** June 22, 2011, 07:11:48 AM »

"I messed up," she said after another long moment of silence where she contemplated running to the bathroom and hiding there until dinner was served. It wasn\'t the most rational of thoughts, but she hadn\'t been having many of those recently. "I guess I had too much going on, with work and Sable, and I just... I- I forgot..." Like she\'d forgotten her homework. The dog ate it, ma\'am. It was a pitiful excuse. She\'d been stressed to the max, sure - with all the storefronts she had and Sable, then the whole werewolf thing, who wouldn\'t be? But she was better than that. Her mind was solidly business oriented, and she\'d never had an issue juggling everything before. She\'d forgotten.

How? How was it that she\'d not remembered to do the one thing she had every morning for nearly twenty years? Not just once, but several times? She\'d sabotaged herself. Ruined everything. God, she\'d fucked up.

She looked up at Dom, her mouth working soundlessly as she tried to work up the courage to say what she needed to.

Say it. Say it. Just fucking say it. Two words. That\'s all they are. Two little words.

But oh, the weight those words held...

"I\'m pregnant," she finally managed, and smiled weakly. "I\'m going to be hydrating for a while."

pinkroses · « **Reply #8 on:** June 22, 2011, 08:03:23 AM »

Dom frowned as she said she’d messed up, wondering where the Hell this was going to go. What had she done? Shifted? Told someone? Done something to Sable? What on earth could be causing her so much distress.

He found himself leaning forwards, elbows on the table as he waited for her to go on, his grey eyes fixed on hers and the expression he wore in meetings at the Oligarchy, when someone was about to be punished.

When she finally spoke though that expression faded. He blinked in surprise, trying to take in what she had said and process it. Pregnant? He’d never really thought about contraception - his parents had mainly lived as bears and it hadn’t exactly been something they’d brought up. Carrie had come out with all of this information about how she had it under control and he didn’t need to think about it (she’d clearly done enough of that for both of them before getting distracted), so he’d just accepted that.

“As in… you’re going to… we’re going to…” A smile spread over his face as it sank in. Dom had never thought he and Carrie would ever get that serious, because it just wasn’t practical, but now it had happened there was no way he could see that as a bad thing. Of course, it wasn’t going to be easy, but they could think about that later. Without saying another word Dom slipped from his chair and moved to Carrie’s side, kneeling beside her and wrapping his arms around her, taking in a deep breath, savouring her scent, being close to her before kissing her softly.

“This is good, this is amazing. You were so worried… about this? This we can deal with if you’re… Well… you know they’ll be like me, right?” he said quietly, his smile faltering slightly. Was that why she’d been upset? She’d thought about all the things he had, she knew all he did about why it wouldn’t have been a good idea. Her child would probably die before her at the rate they would age. He was overjoyed, but it was slowly dawning on him that she might not be for so many reasons.

Saccharin · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2011, 09:42:39 AM »

In her head, she\'d convinced herself that he\'d be angry with her, that he\'d hate her for tying herself to him in the way she had (unintentional as it\'d been), because what they\'d had was simple and uncomplicated. Now, they would be attached, and there would be emotions involved - deep undeniable emotions - that she wouldn\'t be able to pretend didn\'t exist anymore. She\'d denied them, reasoned away anything more lasting than lust for the sake of their arrangement. But there Dom was, embracing her and reassuring her that it would be okay, that they\'d manage. They. Not her. She wouldn\'t be alone.

Her smile gained strength and she cupped Dominik\'s jaw, brushing her thumb over his bottom lip. "I was scared. I didn\'t know what you\'d think," she admitted. "And I didn\'t know for sure about... If it\'d be like you, but I\'d planned on keeping it regardless." She had purposefully stopped herself from thinking too much about what that would mean for her as a mother, because it was difficult enough thinking about having a human child, much less one with the ability to become a bear.

She felt eyes on her and glanced up to see that several people had started looking over at their table. Private as it was, they could still see Dom kneeling next to her and were waiting expectantly to see what came of it. No doubt they figured there was a proposal involved.

Laughing, she touched Domink\'s shoulder lightly. "You better get back in your chair, people are staring."

pinkroses · « **Reply #10 on:** June 23, 2011, 08:01:02 AM »

Dom was oblivious to everyone around them at that moment. He was usually alert, scanning the area, aware of where everyone was and what they were doing, but for now he only had eyes for the mother of his child. His smile grew as she laughed, pleased that her mood had changed so abruptly. She’d been so miserable - for a moment he’d worried it was the idea of having a baby that was upsetting here - knowing that it was his reaction she’d been fearing was a relief.

The shifter turned his head to kiss her hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to be scared of anything, love,” he murmured, before making himself do as she requested and moving to sit opposite her again, but he kept a hold of her hand, not wanting to let go of her yet. It didn’t quite feel real, like any moment he would wake up.

“You’re sure? I’ll make you an appointment with a doctor at work. There’s one who specialises in our kind. If I can’t answer any questions you have he’ll be able to,” Dom said, his rough fingers running over the smooth skin of her hand as he spoke in a low voice. There wasn’t much detail in what he was saying, but it was still best not to be overheard.

Saccharin · « **Reply #11 on:** July 05, 2011, 08:25:52 PM »

Doctors. Somehow, doctors made everything seem more real. There\'d been the nausea and near constant heartburn, but doctors... They would make things official in a way even her body and a pregnancy stick hadn\'t been able to.

"Okay, yeah," she said, squeezing Dom\'s fingers. "I\'m ah... My schedule is going to be light from now on, so whenever they can see me is good." Which brought her to the other thing she\'d been considering. "I\'m thinking about giving up my shops in Seattle. With a baby..." She shook her head. "I just don\'t know if I\'ll be able to manage it all. I\'d love to, but I don\'t know."

Ideally, she\'d be able to juggle everything, but her track record with Sable had proven that running a business and trying to manage a child (he was technically an adult, but Lord, he behaved enough like a child for her to consider him one) wasn\'t something she could do - not well. "Then there\'s Sable. I\'m probably going to sound horrible for saying this, but I\'d really like a nursery and he\'s taking up my spare room. So... Yeah. Do you have plans for him? Does he have plans for him?"

pinkroses · « **Reply #12 on:** July 06, 2011, 04:55:32 AM »

“You… you haven’t been to a… your doctor yet? Have you?” Dom asked, suddenly wary. He didn’t know whether a human doctor would have been able to tell a difference at this point - but the baby would grow faster, if they ran blood tests… Dom had no idea if that would show anything but he guessed that was something that could show up. And as Oligarch he would have to stop that knowledge from spreading.

He frowned slightly as Carrie mentioned giving up her cafés. She loved her work, why would she give them up?

“But… how much do you have to do with them at the moment? Don’t you have managers? Can’t they handle it without your input every day?” he asked, pausing for her reply before moving on to the issue of the young were.

“That was one of the things I wanted to discuss with you tonight. I had a thought, and I believe it’s been mentioned to him, there are room available at the Oligarchy. And if he’ll be working there then it makes sense. I hear he’s been working nights, the same as Samuel, so that would definitely be handy. But we would have to put it to him. He’s still young, so I wouldn’t be happy with him living by himself without others around to keep an eye on him,” Dom explained, finishing as the waiter appeared with their starters.

The shifter reluctantly drew his hand away from Carrie’s to give the man room to put down the plates, but kept his gaze on her.

“The room Sable’s in… isn’t it in the basement? Is there any natural light in there?” Dom asked. He hadn’t explored down there before, but that didn’t sound ideal for a cub or a baby. As he considered it, it suddenly struck him - the baby would be with Carrie, at her house, where he wasn’t.

Saccharin · « **Reply #13 on:** July 11, 2011, 05:16:25 AM »

No, she hadn\'t been to a regular doctor yet, and she was quick to explain that to Dom because he seemed to be genuinely concerned that she might\'ve. "There are tests you can take at home. That\'s all I\'ve done so far. You\'re the first one to know other than me," she said when he gave her the opportunity. "And yes, I do have managers and yes, they can survive without my constant input, but it\'s still a lot of work. If I give up those locations, then not only will I not have to worry about them, but I won\'t have anything beyond the baby and The Painted Bean to concern myself with. I should stay busy enough between those two things."

By the time Dominik got around to questioning her about the location of the nursery, her patience with him was wearing thin. She understood he was concerned (and it was his right to be, this was his baby too), but she wasn\'t used to having her every move treated as if it wasn\'t a sound one - like she hadn\'t already thought about it. His final inquiry caused her to take in a deep, calming breath before she responded to him.

"Yeeees," she began, drawing out the word, "but my office is upstairs. I will move it downstairs after he moves out. The nursery will then go upstairs." With Sable there, she couldn\'t shift the rooms about like she needed to. "Do you have another suggestion?" she asked cooly, one eyebrow raised above the other. So far she\'d ignored her plate entirely except to unfold her cloth napkin and place it in her lap; she was far too intent on hearing Dominik\'s response to eat.

pinkroses · « **Reply #14 on:** July 11, 2011, 05:32:22 AM »

Dom tilted his head to one side at her hostile tone of voice, not quite understanding it. He was trying to help, why was she acting like this? She was talking to him like an idiot, because he’d asked a question or two about her plans. And that was most definitely not fair. He had every right to be concerned about her and this baby.

Thinking about it, he did have another suggestion - they both sell where they were living and find somewhere bigger together. They were having one, they could have more, they could be perfectly happy together, her with her café, him at work, on the full moon there were plenty of shifters working for the oligarchy who could babysit whilst they were busy.

But jumping straight in with that was most likely not going to be the best way to please Carrie right now. She seemed to be acting like he was attacking her which was not his intention at all.

“No, that sounds like it would work well,” he said peaceably, picking up his silverware to make a start on the appetiser.

“If you did, at some point, want to move somewhere bigger perhaps we could find somewhere together? I would like to be there. You may need me when you have a bear running around,” Dom said, keeping his eyes lowered until he glanced up at her with a smile and he wiggled his fingers at her. “Sharp claws, teeth. I don’t want you getting hurt. Of course, it\'s up to you," he added quickly, in case his words had the wrong affect on her already icy demeanour.

Saccharin · « **Reply #15 on:** July 11, 2011, 06:09:55 AM »

Moments earlier she\'d been grateful to know Dominik was going to be there for her and the baby, but she was beginning to fully realize how much of herself she would be giving up to be a partner - a half, rather than whole.

As she\'d explained to Sable on one of the first nights he\'d stayed at her house, she wasn\'t in a normal relationship. She never had been, not really. Every time she\'d tried, they\'d expected her to make sacrifices on their behalf, and she\'d been unable to do so. Now there was a child that would require that of her and Dominik who wanted to be part of their lives and she was suddenly overwhelmed to the point of tears. Luckily, they pooled up without slipping past her eyelashes and she turned her head to dab at the corner of her eyes.

Damn her hormones. They were not helping.

"I\'m sure I\'ll need you there," she admitted, and smiled weakly. For a woman who normally prided herself on her state of independence, realizing that she would need help in such a large way was very... humbling. "And my house is plenty big now. But maybe it\'d make sense to live closer to a forest or something? I don\'t know. How long-" Her already quiet voice dropped to a level only a notch above a whisper. "-will it spend as a... bear?"

pinkroses · « **Reply #16 on:** July 11, 2011, 06:36:34 AM »

Dom set down his cutlery as he saw he eyes watering, unsure whether it was something he’d done or not. In the Oligarchy, he knew what to say, what was expected of him and those he looked after, but here, with Carrie, he was lost. Nothing he said seemed to be able to make her happy and he wanted to hold her again but she’d told him to sit down.

At her question Dom glanced around to make sure no one was listening in, relieved that this restaurant was exclusive enough to offer well spaced tables, so there was little fear of being overheard accidentally.

“I grew up mainly in the forest, in that form. It all depends, Carrie. It’s tiring to change, so hopefully we won’t have to worry about it shifting in public, but we’ll have to teach it from an early age about those things if we’re going to stay in the city. Where I was, there was no worry of people seeing me change. My parents thought that was the easier option.”

Maybe it would be best to discuss those sorts of things with the person who should know the rules - Tau might be able to advise him on what was expected of shifters with children. He should probably let it be known at the Oligarchy anyway.

He reached out to offer her a hand again, hoping she would take it. “Carrie, perhaps it would be better to talk about this elsewhere? Would you be more comfortable with that. We can grab food on the way home, talk about all this,” he suggested, not wanting her to have to worry about this.

Saccharin · « **Reply #17 on:** July 15, 2011, 09:37:55 AM »

She took his hand again when it was offered, but hardly felt his fingers tighten around hers. He was suggesting they leave? They\'d only just received their appetizer (and she only dimly remembered it being ordered), and their main courses were still on the way. Why would they leave?

Because I\'m freaking out.

"No, no. It\'s fine. I\'m fine. I\'ll be okay," she said, her voice tremulous and betraying the fact that she was still trying to convince herself of those things. "Really," she repeated when she thought she caught Dominik looking at her dubiously. "If it comes down to it, we can ask them to box up our order and then go, but I\'d really like to stay here for now."

It seemed a complete waste to make it into the nicest restaurant in the city and then leave before they even had an opportunity to enjoy it.

"We can talk about everything later," she said, trying on a smile for size and finding it fit just as comfortably as it always did.

pinkroses · « **Reply #18 on:** July 18, 2011, 05:36:02 AM »

As Carrie reassured him she would like to stay Dom paused for a moment and then gave a nod. He wanted to talk to her about all of this openly, but as she said, it did seem a shame to waste the evening. He pulled her hand closer and gently kissed it, giving her a warm smile.

“Well in that case, we’ll stay as long as you want, and celebrate the good news. You’re giving me something I never thought I’d be able to have, just because it seemed too complicated, but now we can do this, and we will make it work,” he said, weaving their fingers together lovingly.

He’d thought that if he wanted a family, he would have to find another bear shifter, just to make things easier, but outside of his parents he’d never met one, even in this city. But she was strong and although it would be difficult he had no doubt Carrie would take it all in her stride.

“Do you have any idea how happy I am right now?” Dom said with a laugh, releasing Carrie to lean back in his chair a little, shaking his head in disbelief.

Saccharin · « **Reply #19 on:** July 24, 2011, 08:13:11 PM »

Carrie finally picked up her fork and prodded at what food there was in front of her after Dominik sat back, still smiling widely. "I\'m glad you\'re happy. I really am. Makes me feel a little silly for not thinking you would be, though."

She\'d, in a long chain of what now seemed to be unreasonable thoughts, had imagined at best that he\'d be upset with her for not taking the proper precautions to prevent pregnancy. But he was happy - delighted even - and it was infectious. He was on board, and she could safely make plans with him included.

"We\'re going to have a baby," she said, her voice teetering on the edge of awe, and her food once again forgotten as she looked at him with her eyes gleaming. "A baby."

There was a moment of silence, then she shook her head.

"I never thought I\'d have one, to be honest. Wasn\'t in the plans, you know? Some more shops, beating Starbucks at their own game, sure. But a baby?"

pinkroses · « **Reply #20 on:** July 27, 2011, 07:45:03 AM »

“Sometimes the best opportunities are the unexpected ones,” Dom said with a grin at his lover. He was used to seeing her so in control, taking everything in her stride - but seeing her like this, it wasn’t a bad thing. It was just different. And feeling like he was needed, that was amazing.

The two enjoyed their dinner, savouring the delights of one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city, and the view before them, of the city and their lives. They came up with crazy ideas, dismissing them straight away, and embracing the better suggestions. Dom wasn’t used to showing his exciting, but tonight he couldn’t hide it and he was more than happy to share that with the woman opposite him.

A few hours later the happy couple were strolling out of the building, their hands clasped and shoulders bumping together. They had driven to the restaurant, but it was a nice night and there were a few nice laces to walk nearby, so Dom lead Carrie along a nearby path, before pulling her close, leaning against a wall as his arm wrapped around her back. His hand rested on her lower back as his other hand moved to rest gently on her belly.

“So what do you think? Boy or girl? Any names in mind yet?” he asked with a smirk, brushing his lips against her gently.

Saccharin · « **Reply #21 on:** July 27, 2011, 05:31:57 PM »

She leaned into him, taking advantage of the vast expanse of his chest by resting her cheek against it. Carrie felt downright diminutive next to him, and it was comforting; she felt protected, safe.

"Hmm. I haven\'t really thought about it. But based on the fact I was an only child, a girl would probably be best. I have absolutely no idea how to handle boys." Not that she thought she\'d do much better raising a little girl, but she at least had a point of reference when it came to someone of her own gender! "And no names yet... I didn\'t want to-"

Jinx it.

She was on the high end of thirty, and she knew enough to realize her pregnancy was likely going to be a difficult one if she was successful in carrying the child through its first few months. Even then, she was at a higher risk of having a child with a multitude of disorders, just because she wasn\'t twenty anymore. She pursed her lips and clutched a little tighter at Dominik, not wanting her thoughts to go down that particular path any farther than they already had. She\'d talk to the doctor Dominik had mentioned about everything, not worry herself silly over all the information she\'d found on the internet already.

"-get set on a name yet." She tilted her head back to look up at him, the space between her eyebrows creased. "Earlier you mentioned living in the forest with your parents. Was it hard to come to the city? Live and work here?"

pinkroses · « **Reply #22 on:** July 29, 2011, 04:35:02 PM »

“I’m sure you’d learn quickly if we did have a boy, but I would be more than happy with either,” Dom said, swaying Carrie from side to side slightly. Although he noticed she still seemed worried about things, he was oblivious to her worries about baring the baby at this age - he didn’t know too much about human physiology, not when it came to details like that. Surely if your body was capable of bearing children then how much could go wrong?

“It took some getting used to. My parents had brought me here on trips, and they’d home schooled me to a point, so it wasn’t like I was grunting and snuffling at people…. Not too much anyway,” Dom said playfully, leaning down to touch the tip of his nose to hers, then straightening up again.

“Finding work was the hardest. I had no experience, and in winter I get… it’s like being on sedatives for months. Which meant I got fired from a couple of jobs in winter for just not showing up on time. I’m used to staying awake and being active now, working at the Oligarchy helped, but you know how I get,” Dominik said with a shrug. He’d explained it briefly to Carrie before, it wasn’t exactly something they could have ignored when they had been together for over two years, but now it would really matter.

Saccharin · « **Reply #23 on:** July 29, 2011, 07:10:48 PM »

"Like a bear not allowed to hibernate," she volunteered with a giggle. "So grumpy." Briefly, she stood on her tiptoes and landed a kiss on his chin. "It\'s okay, though. Don\'t you worry. I still like you."

She pressed her lips together and returned her cheek to his chest, reeling, because she\'d nearly said the other \'l\' word. She did, though. She had for a while. Even given the parameters of their arrangement, she\'d fought off developing feelings for the shifter. And when she had, she\'d labeled the emotional attachment she had to him as something most certainly not beginning with the letter \'l\'.

"So basically what you\'re saying is that the baby will adjust to whatever world we expose it to?" She nodded, and ran her hand over his back. "Makes sense, really. We\'ll raise it in the city, and that\'s what it\'ll know." Carrie lifted her head and smiled beatifically up at him. "I didn\'t think it was possible to be this happy. You are, right? Happy, I mean? You\'re sure?"

pinkroses · « **Reply #24 on:** July 29, 2011, 07:53:58 PM »

“Grumpy, pfft,” Dom said, rolling his eyes with a chuckle as she kissed him. Okay, so maybe he was occasionally snappy, judging more harshly, doing as little as possible at work. He knew his assistant hated him in winter, but Dom was a good boss the rest of the year so he thought it made up for it.

“She’ll adjust, but she’s going to find it hard and in the city… it’s going to be hard to hide what she is if we stay in one place. She’ll age like me, when she’s two she look like she’s, what, about five maybe?” Dom said thoughtfully, “But don’t worry, she’ll mentally fit it, I don’t act like a teenager that much, do I?” he added with a laugh, squeezing her gently.

“But I am happy, and we will make this work. We can swap schools and things like that, we’ll teach her she has to be careful,” he said, slipping a hand to take hers and beginning to walk with Carrie, slipping into calling the baby a she without thinking about it.

Saccharin · « **Reply #25 on:** July 29, 2011, 08:11:37 PM »

Even if Dominik hadn\'t realized he\'d already assigned their child a gender, Carrie had and she fought back a grin. It was still too early to tell what it would be, but she wouldn\'t correct him. There was as much of a chance as it being a girl as a boy, and it wasn\'t worth making him feel sheepish for thinking of it one way or the other. As she walked along with him, she squeezed his hand and reached over with her other arm to clasp at his bicep with her fingers.

"Since I\'m not a shifter, will the baby be the same as you?" The blood would certainly be diluted, and she wondered if a child of mixed heritage would age and grow like one born of two full-blooded shifters.

pinkroses · « **Reply #26 on:** August 01, 2011, 07:28:55 AM »

“Yes, it’ll be a shifter. And it’s children will be too,” Dom explained, gesturing with his free hand. “But there can be issues when that happens, if the blood is diluted too much. It’ll be fine for our little one, because both of my parents were like this. But as the generations go on… it may become more difficult to shift, or to fully shift if they don’t choose a shifter as a mate,” Dom said.

His parents had never told him that he should mate with another shifter, but he had no doubt they would have been happy to see that happen. But his bloodline was strong, it would be an issue for a couple of generations, and hopefully by then there would be another shifter in the mix.

“It can be bad, stopping half way through shifting. And can cause all sorts of issues. You may not be able to change fully to either again. I believe that’s where some of those myths, about centaurs and mermaids come from. Unfortunate accidents,” Dom said to Carrie with a smile, as though telling her an interesting story that he’d heard that day, rather than something which could affect their great grandchildren.