Danse Macabre 3: Deadly Deception

Surprises

Taking the ring off of my finger was harder than I thought it'd be. I stared at my bare digit haunted by the lack of adornment. We fought the day before in public, the argument wasn't real but hearing him raise his voice to me and say what he said still hurt.

So my mind was everywhere but where it should have been as we folded clothes and set them in a handful of suit cases that lined the bed and the walls of the room. Leslie had a system.

It was nice to know that after all of these years she still did somethings just like before.

"He'll come around," her voice made me jump.

"I'm sure Tristan thought you were bluffing about staying with family until the baby comes." After the words left my lips I paused with a little gasp. Well, look at you being rude and mouthy to your scared heavily pregnant friend. Apologize. "I'm so sorry Leslie, I...I didn't mean it. Just with everything going on I'm a little—"

"Bitchy?" She giggled and then waved her hand dismissively. "Aut, it's okay. We're going through a lot right now. Fuck knows we're both allowed to be bitchy." She dropped an armful of unfolded shirts into a suitcase and zipped it. "And you're right. Tristan probably didn't think I'd leave. Hell... I didn't even think I'd leave at first." She sighed. "I thought this would just be... I'm not sure what I thought. But I can't have my baby here, not with the Sun Cross still being such a big threat."

"They're a threat everywhere, Les. All you're doing is running to a place where no one can protect you."

"That's not entirely true. Tristan asked me not to tell you this because this is supposed to be a huge secret, but I'm essentially going to a town of werewolves. The Sun Cross may be going after vampires but they haven't openly moved against the other communities yet. Maybe I'm being stupid but I just want to be safe." She smiled weakly, knocked one of the suit cases off the bed and plopped down unceremoniously.

"Me too," I added sitting beside her. We stayed silent staring at the sun shafts that lanced into the room from the window. I couldn't help wondering if she was thinking about how much easier everything would have been if Aleksi and I never met that night after Swan Lake. It wasn't quite doubt about the choices I'd made that took my thoughts there, but rather fear of the unknown.

"I always thought you'd end up married before I did. Before Tristan I never wanted any of this shit. I always just wanted to screw around." She shoved another suitcase on to the floor and stretched out on the bed resting her hand over that baby bump which had grown to prominence over the last few fleeting months. "Would you like to trade lives? You can get the gorgeous blonde with pretty curls who wants to settle down and I can get the bad boys who refuse to."

"You think Aleksi's a dick."

"True, but I think I could look past that if he was good enough in bed. And it'd just be for a few months. I'd want Tristan back after the baby was born."

"Thanks, but no thanks." I laughed a little and sighed crossing my ankles. "Not like I really have Aleksi anymore. I mean after yesterday I'm pretty sure we're over." I frowned a little as I said the words, the lie was a painful one. Even though Aleksi told me he'd be at my place later that night I still didn't like it.

"He loves you. As craptastic as his personality is, his one redeeming quality is his love for you." She started rubbing her belly as she stared up at the ceiling. "Not even death could keep him from your side. If he's left you it's for your safety, like me having to go away. I adore Tristan like no other but leaving isfor his safety as well as my own. He'll be able to make decisions with a clear head without having to worry about how me and the baby. How's Niki taking everything?"