New Beginnings

Act 7 ch 2

At the library Victoria, Lane, and Rory are all on the floor each with a pile of books while Tristan sits on the floor next to them feeding the baby.

"Yikes" Victoria says reading a parenting book. "Oh no" Lane reads a what to expect when you're expecting book, because yep, Lane's pregnant.

"Whoa" Rory reads a book about sex. "That's terrible" Victoria says. "No way! No way" Lane freaks out.

"I can't write this stuff to Logan. I can barely read it to myself" Rory says.

"I'm bright red" she adds. "This seven year old would punch her mother in the stomach, what am I supposed to do about that? I can't hit back" Victoria says scared.

"You are so lucky" Lane tells her.

"Why am I lucky?" Victoria asks her. "You had a c-section. Did you notice that no one gives the details about childbirth?" Lane replies.

"It's because the details are gross and scary. And unacceptable" she says. "Like what?" Tristan asks curious. "Well, this isn't about birth specifically but it is another part of pregnancy the mother of your child skipped out on. Apparently, about three months in I can look forward to dark spots on my face because it's not enough to just get fat" Lane tells him.

"Well, it's not far. It's a baby" Rory points out.

"A baby that will shoot out of my body despite the fact that it's obviously much too large" Lane replies. "I didn't think this through when we were dating. I was all into the fact that Zack was big and manly, which means I'm gonna have a big, manly baby, and I'm a small woman" she freaks out.

"I never thought of Zach as big and manly" Victoria picture Zack. "Compared to Henry Lee, remember when my mom wanted me to date Henry Lee? He was like yea high" Lane compares. "I would have had tiny, little, yea-high babies" she says.

"Yeah, but he was your second cousin. I think you would have had other problems with those babies" Rory points out.

"Whatever I'm not doing it, this baby is just gonna have to find another way out or stay in there forever. I really don't care" Lane says. "Don't worry about that part, just keep taking things one step at a time. You're doing great" Victoria tells her.

"How? How am I doing great?" Lane asks. "You told Zach. That was a very significant step" Victoria replies. "Yeah I told him, but I'm pretty sure he forgot" Lane says.

"What do you mean he forgot?" Tristan asks confused.

"I don't know how things get lost in the recesses of Zach's brain, but I think he forgot" Lane insists. "Well maybe he's just taking time to process this. You needed some time" Rory tells her.

"I am growing a human being inside my body. I deserve time" Lane lies down on the floor. "Ugh" she yells. "Okay well, what about this? Where is the chair you sit in?" Rory starts reading from her book.

"Where is your favorite comb, toothbrush, nail file? Trot them out, that I may devour them at one gulp" she continues.

"You want to eat his toothbrush?" Victoria asks. "No, I'm trying to convey that I miss him very much" Rory explains.

"Sounds like you just miss his toiletry kit" Lane tells her. "Well it's supposed to be metaphorical and evocative. It's Henry Miller" Rory replies. "Henry Miller has better stuff than that. Believe me that is not why they banned his books" Tristan says.

"Well, I'm not gonna write, our hands groped frantically for the burning flesh" Rory reads another line.

"Oh, that's better. That's way hotter than the eating-his-comb thing" Lane tells her. "Really?" Rory asks unsure.

"Go for it, why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Victoria asks her. "I'm just worried, you know? I mean we talk to each other on the phone every day, but I just don't think that that's enough to keep this relationship going" Rory replies. "I guess I never realized how important the other stuff was" she says.

"The sеx stuff?" Lane asks.

"And the holding-hands and the falling-asleep- next-to-each-other stuff. I mean that's where the intimacy comes from, and without those options, when they're just taken away from you 'cause someone moves to London...desperate measures" Rory sighs and starts texting Logan.

"Bite the bullet" Tristan tells her. "Okay. Here it goes" Rory presses send. "I think I'm gonna puke" she takes a deep breath.

"Join me. That's all I'll be doing for the next two months" Lane says.

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"So I was thinking" Tristan says clipping the baby's car seat in while Victoria stands leaning against the car.

"Uh oh" she says. "Not uh oh" Tristan shakes his head.

"Then what?" Victoria asks. "We're gonna go out on a date" Tristan tells her. "Oh we are?" Victoria questions.

"Yes" Tristan answers.

"And do I get a say in this?" Victoria asks him. "You can submit a request for what we do, but we are doing something" Tristan replies.

"Tris-" Victoria starts. "Don't use Jamie as an excuse, Rory already told me she would take him for a couple hours" he cuts her off. "This'll be the first time neither of us are in the same building as him. At least one of us has always been there" Victoria points out.

"Victoria" Tristan grabs her hands making her look at him instead of the baby through the backseat window.

"Just give me one night" he says desperate. "We can keep it simple, just a dinner. Straight to the restaurant then straight back to pick up the baby and then straight home" Tristan says.

Victoria takes a deep breath looking at him and then the baby as she considers it. "Okay" she nods. "Okay?" Tristan asks.

"One dinner should be alright" Victoria nods again causing Tristan to smile.

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At dinner Victoria's tapping her finger on the table when Tristan reaches over putting his hand on hers.

"You're stressing out" he tells her. "No, no I'm good" Victoria denies it.

"I uh, I think I'm just gonna make a call real quick" she starts to get up. "Nope" Tristan softly grabs her wrist stopping her. "You're not calling Rory again" he says.

"Why not?" Victoria asks.

"Because you just called ten minutes ago" Tristan reminds her. "A lot can happen in ten minutes" Victoria points out.

"Nothing happened" Tristan tells her. "You don't know that" Victoria says. "If something happened  she would call you" Tristan insists.

"Not if it she couldn't, not if it was both of them that got hurt" Victoria replies.

"Then someone else would call you, either way you'd know" Tristan says. "Right" Victoria says trying to convince herself he was right as she takes a deep breath.

"I'm sorry" she apologizes. "For what?" Tristan asks confused. "I can't even get through one dinner without freaking out" Victoria says disappointed in herself.

"Tori, that's our kid you're worried about. If anything you freaking out is oddly what's keeping me calm" Tristan tells her.

Victoria lightly smiles at him before twiddling with the straw in her drink. "I don't want to worry this much...it's just hard, wanting to protect something so much" she says.

"I know" Tristan nods. Victoria takes another deep breath pushing herself to sit up straighter. "Okay, if we're gonna make it through this I'm gonna need you to distract me. Just keep my mind busy" she says.

"Okay" Tristan laughs.

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I just rewatched the first four scream movies only to not be able to get the fifth one so that kinda ruined the vibe