Trembling With the Strings

I, unfortunately, did wake up eventually. And, unfortunately, I wasn’t alone. Marcy saw I was awake and grabbed my hand, pulling me across the hall.

“Before you hate him forever, please look in there,” she begged me, silently easing the door open. I glanced in, but I was immediately taken back.

Darius was lying in the middle of his floor. His body was trembling as he held a pillow tightly to him. He was crying. Dante was right beside him, telling him that everything would be okay. Darius mumbled something to him, his voice cracking with every word. Cameron, who was beside Dante, excused herself from the room. As she walked past me, she put her hand on my shoulder and told me to “be gentle”.

I sighed inwardly, stepping in.

“Darius,” I whispered, my voice cracking as much as his had. He slowly turned to face me.

His eyes widened and a sharp breath of air escaped from his mouth. He pulled himself up so he was sitting and wiped his eyes, throwing on an emotionless mask. I stepped farther in, closing the door softly behind me.

“I thought you left,” he mumbled, looking down.

“I didn’t plan on coming back. I left my things,” I lied. Dante gave me a look. “Fine: that’s not true. I need to talk to you, or so I was told.”

“Oh.”

Darius stared at his hands as he pulled them into his lap. He glanced up to me, but only got to my stomach before he looked back down again.

“Grace, I’ll never be ready to be a father,” he told me quietly, glancing up to my ring finger. He took in a deep breath and his eyes were soon locked with mine.

“I know. I don’t expect you to be. But I don’t want to marry a man that doesn’t want me,” I told him, crossing my arms. “You told me you can’t do this, so—”

“Wait. Please,” he begged, forcing himself to his feet. He stepped closer to me, but didn’t pull me to him. I thanked him mentally. “I was stupid to say that, okay? I just... How am I supposed to feel, you know? It’s kind of a big bomb that you dropped on me. I didn’t plan on saying that to you... I shouldn’t have. I just got so fucking scared, Gracie.” He stepped closer. “I’m not used to being so scared. I’ve never been scared of anything ever since I became a vampire!” Closer still. “And a little kid frightens me beyond belief.” He was right in front of me. “But I still want to be with you.” His lips were only a centimeter from mine. “I love you.”

I backed away, shaking my head furiously. “Don’t do this!” I begged. “I’ll forgive you because you’re being sweet, but then you’ll turn around and be a total ass!”

He frowned. “You’re right. I think. It’d be an ass-like thing to tell you that I still want you to get rid of that thing, wouldn’t it?”

I scowled, but then I started crying. I fell to the floor, bawling my eyes out. He looked caught off guard, but he crouched down beside me. “I can’t do this alone, Darius!”

“I know, but what am I supposed to do? I can’t do this! I’d beat the kid black and blue! And that would hurt you... I’ll just be a fuck-up parent!” he told me, his voice begging me to stop this. I couldn’t.

“But I can’t get an abortion! And I don’t want to give my baby to some stranger!”

Darius started sobbing then, pulling me into his arms as we cried into each other’s shoulder. I held him tightly, wanting things to just be like they used to.

I kind of felt like we were in a soap opera. Only I didn't know just how well this plot would work out in the end.

“Darius, Gracie...” Dante’s voice trailed off until we looked to him. “Cameron and I... We could adopt it.” I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing. “We already talked it over. We decided that if it’s going to drive you two apart, then we can’t just sit back and watch.” He smiled gently.

Darius looked to me with a new-found hope in his eyes. I forced a smile.

How could he be so happy to give up his own child?