𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚛 {Bruce Banner}

Engaged to Be

Some Time Much Later

Plopping down on her sofa in her living room, Kimberly Garcia sighs heavily, leaning her head back on the furniture. She brushes some of her curls that have fallen out of her hair tie. She glances over at Tesla, who smiles warmly.

"That kid is going to promise me an early death." Kimberly yawns, stifling it a second later.

"He's all tucked in then?" wonders Tesla. The kids movie Kimberly, Tesla, and the baby were watching on the TV has been paused. Kimberly nods. Tesla adds, "I can't believe he's already six months old."

"Feels like a lifetime," the mother admits. Kimberly gestures between the two of them. She's already on her feet, heading toward the kitchen. "Do you want a glass of wine?"

Shaking her head, Tesla looks down for a moment. She realizes that Kimberly can no longer see her and she replies with a no. Kimberly peeks back into the living room, raising an eyebrow at Tesla. Laughing, Tesla asks her, "What?"

Shrugging, Kimberly moves back toward the kitchen. She uncorks a bottle of red wine and pours herself a glass. She comes into the living room again, taking a sip of the wine. Kimberly gives Tesla a pointed look. "I'm not suggesting that you have a drinking problem, because you don't, but I'm sure you've never turned down red wine when I've offered."

"Maybe you don't offer it to me very often," teases Tesla.

Kimberly gently folds her arms, still gripping her wine glass between gentle fingers. She purses her lips. "You seemed very keen on holding Davis all day. You offered to change him and feed him."

Tesla laughs at Kimberly's hints. She's not at all nervous. "Should I just not offer to help the mother of a baby when I stop by? I am his legal guardian if anything happens to you and Dan, and his favorite Aunt Tessie."

"Are you pregnant?" Kimberly asks flatly. The subtle and distant voice in her head told her to ask, so she did, without thinking much about it. Kimberly stares at her friend.

A smile flutters across Tesla's face. She nods. Kimberly squeals, nearly spilling her wine. She sets it down on the coffee table, pulling Tesla up into a giant hug. Tesla hugs her in return, relief flooding through her body. Kimberly holds Tesla at arms length, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Are you sure...?"

Tesla bobs her head. "I'm well into my second trimester."

Daniel appears behind Kimberly, having come from upstairs. "I heard some squeals. Is everything all right?"

Kimberly nods eagerly, looking back at Tesla. "Can I tell him?" she wonders. With Tesla's approval, Kimberly blurts the news out to Dan, who congratulates Tesla, giving her a hug. Picking up her wine again, Kimberly calls out, "Cheers! I'll drink for the two of us." She takes another small sip. Dan wanders to the kitchen to grab his own glass of wine as the women settle into the sofa again.

"So, does this mean you and Bruce will be getting married soon?"

Tesla shakes her head. "I don't want a shotgun wedding."

Kimberly frowns suddenly at this. "You don't want a winter wedding, you don't want a destination wedding...You've been engaged for four years. Are you just going to stay engaged to be married forever?"

Dan comes back into the room, putting a hand on Kimberly's shoulder. She looks up at him, reeling her thoughts back in. She sighs as Dan sits in the armchair across from them. Tesla looks thoughtful. She says, "I like the idea of having the baby in the wedding."

Leaning back in his chair, Dan gives Tesla an encouraging smile. "Do what's best for you and Bruce and the baby, of course. It's an exciting time."

"Thank you, Dan."