Dancing with Shadows

Epilogue

       They were going through the final paperwork. Jasmine wanted this to finally be over. She didn't have the nerve to go back into the house, and tried to convince Zeke that they should just level it to the ground. He, however didn't think it would be a good idea, considering how much it was worth, and they agreed to sell it instead.

      With the both of them well aware of how dangerous it would be for either one of them to enter, they found a real-estate agent that would do all the grunt work for them without them ever having to set foot in the house again. Now they were sitting in a plush office as they signed over the house and all its possessions to a couple of hollywood starlets.

      Jasmine was as large as a house, but Zeke was still as in love with her as he was when they first met. She crossed the last 'T' and dotted the last 'I', then turned to look at him. The look in her eyes was that of weightlessness despite the human growing within her womb.

      "If ever you need anything, please let me know," the real estate agent, Carla, urged.

      Zeke stood, and held out his hand to help Jasmine up out of her chair. "Thank you, so much. We will," he assured her.

      The two of them stepped out onto the sidewalk. He had one had wrapped around Jasmine and pulled her closer to his side. "Where to, Jazzy?"

      Jasmine took in a deep breath of the crisp morning air. It was the first time she'd been able to really relax, and she couldn't keep the smile from the corner of her mouth. "Anywhere," she declared.

      They started down the sidewalk when she heard more than felt the pop. "Oh no," Jasmine whispered as she looked down. There was a cool feeling to the insides of her thighs as the moisture soaked through the stretchy material of her leggings. Of course she couldn't actually see anything, but she knew that their destination was made for them.

      Zeke didn't understand what happened. Jasmine was looking down at the ground, but he didn't see anything in front of them. "What is it?" he asked.

      Jasmine slowly looked up at him. There was worry in the depths of those eyes. Surely she wasn't having second thoughts. Not about the house. But then it dawned on him that there was something else that a very pregnant woman would worry about.

      "Is is time?" he asked. He didn't wait for the answer. They had a duffle bag full of 'it's time' stuff, and he wanted to whisk her into his arms and rush to the truck, but he also didn't want to jostle her, and maybe break something in the process. "What do I do?"

      The wrinkle between her brows smoothed out. Jasmine knew that he was just as scared as she was, and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Truck, hospital."

      They turned around, and she waddled as he held her steady. There were contractions cramping along her belly as they walked, and Jasmine was thankful for Zeke's arms. She was sure that as soon as he let her go, she would fall to the ground in a ball of agony.

      They were only a few feet away from the truck, but it was like walking a mile for him. He couldn't imagine what Jasmine might be going through, and was all the more anxious to get her into the cab.

*  *  *  *  *  *

      Derick leaned against the banister as the couple made themselves comfortable in his house. So, Jasmine was able to find some poor saps to buy their house. Well, he would be damned if he would just sit around and allow someone else take over. The woman was fairly attractive, she wasn't his type with her wild red hair and the freckles sprayed all over her face, but her body promised some surprises that he would enjoy unwrapping. The man wasn't all too bad looking either. He would enjoy spending time as a solid person again.

      "Let the games begin," he said to himself, and waited for them to come to him.