Best Friends Forever, Chappie Twelve


Nadia took roll silently as her class hunched over their papers, the walls covered with a collage of past paintings and drawings. Someone had made a sculpture out of rubber bands, someone else had painted someone painting a painting of someone painting a painting etc etc. Nadia smiled carefully as a few of her fifth hour students gazed up over finished tests to her, eyes wondering as she placed her left hand on her lower back and pursed her lips. The seven month mark had reached its glory, and she sat shifting in misery as she stretched her aching muscles. Frank Alejandro, absent. Nadia Idle's brain, moved to another school.

They'd picked out names only three days ago? She felt like it had been ages, years maybe. As an ode to her brother, they'd decided a Nathaniel Joseph would be proper enough, and a tiny Lorena Abell if the gender suited her. The more Nadia went through the awful ordeal, the more she was certain a tiny boxing boy was nestled there, impudent frown on his face, like he wasn't happy he was there either. Every now and then, particularly when Nadia had a frown on her face or a hand on her stomach, Eric would put his ear to her stomach and grin up at her like he could hear the baby talking. "It says lay off the salads, babe." Either she cracked a smile or she would become the moody giant she was and want to burst into tears, not always sucessfully.

Sixth hour was nothing but seniors, easy-going seniors. They presented their projects, took their tests, and were allowed to see how well their grades went. Nadia wasn't failing anyone at that point and congratulated them. It was probably the last good news she'd hear or give for about six months. Her eyes ached as she locked the door of the building, her swollen frame making her feet hurt with a grumbling passion. As she walked across the street, a squealing car managed to skid around her, but Nadia's racing heart still made her lean up against her car with fear. Shaking off the encounter, she shook a fist at the car and shouted a quick curse word before turning into her car. It felt like a bad omen to Nadia and she paused as she stared at the interior of her vehicle; she didn't have a good feeling about this. Normally she'd listen to her intuition and back away until the feeling subsided, but she had that urge to see Eric's face and to smile at him, to cause his eyes to dance and alight with relief and happiness. She climbed in and buckled herself half-heartedly. The wheel pressed a bit on her stomach but she ignored it and started the engine. Turning in the same direction the ruly driver had gone in, she sped off with a bad feeling in her mind.

Eric crunched himself behind Terry Gilliam in the shopping cart, and, looking both ways, shoved off from the lamp post. They soared around a mother of four and around a stack of shopping carts before a wild-eyed clerk rushed outside and chased them and the boys with the cameras off the property. They lingered menacingly just off the parking lot's grounds until a sudden feeling hit Eric square in the stomach. He doubled over with an inarticulate look of horror.

"Something's wrong!" He managed to choke out.

John gave him a soured look. "You lose your baby?"

Eric gave him a wild-eyed look, one that showed horror and anger. "Don't say that! I just know-Nadia, something's wrong with Nadia!"

He turned, all thoughts of creeping back into McNoughtan's for another joyride in a shopping cart gone. Gray had enough heart to follow him and crept in behind Eric as he bolted into his house. She wasn't home yet, a strange occurence. This did not necessarily mean she was laying somewhere bleeding to death, but today it did.

The blue car had swerved out of nowhere and Nadia had, for the briefest moment, thought: "There's that ass with the driver's liscense again," before the steering wheel crushed her already smushed stomach and she felt blood trickle from her nose. A resounding fear in her head kept sobbing out that she wanted her baby to live, she needed it, and she'd always known it though she'd been so afraid at first. God's punishing me, she mused as the paramedics tried to fit her face under a plastic mask. I didn't want this child and now he's taking it from me.

As Eric turned to pick up Nimue and Merlin, the phone rang. He stared at the shaking set until his brain reclaimed him; he snatched it up. "Hello?"

"Mr. Idle? This is Doctor Gerald Beamer in Cambridge Hospital. I regret to inform you-" The rest didn't matter. Eric's heart felt far too big to be in his body as it thudded, and all he heard was "car accident" before he and Gray took off for the door. His hands were shaking too badly to even get a key in the door of his car, let alone drive an hour. He was so terrified he allowed Gray to take his arm and shove him into the backseat of his car. For a moment he lay there, whole body in tremors, and then it tired him and he felt a black swallow him. Pity, he thought as he came to, it can't last forever.

He stumbled from the car to the pavement, which he stared at in awe for a good minute before managing to walk and fumble his way to the nurse's station. All he had to do was mention her name and the nurse had a regretful look on her face.

"She's in the O.R. right now, if you'll just take a seat on those benches over there." She pointed carefully.

Eric cleared his throat, knowing how ashen he must look. "Why's she being operated on?"

"Why," the nurse gave him another sympathetic look, "they have to-" And the rest didn't matter, Eric's heart had blown out of proportion again.

He sat heavily on the bench with his hands in his lap, wondering just what he planned to do. Gray put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, yet angry as he was, he couldn't bring himself to smack the limb away, to discard the comfort. The hollow between his lungs ached dully and before he could figure if it was his heart breaking or the fact he wasn't breathing, the operating room doors clattered open and a scantily clad Nadia with many tubes and wires in her mouth and body glided out. She was deathly ill and a good amount of blood and I.V. was strapped to her. Gray shoved him to his feet and they walked behind the somber nurses and doctors until she was situated in the room. Eric sat by her side and took her hand, glad she was alive though his body ached. Some nurse handed him her glasses which he put on her face; it helped him believe she'd open her eyes any second, like she'd just closed them in annoyance and would be perfectly fine any second now.

Hours passed like nothing as Eric stared heatedly at Nadia. He felt like he was being impatient and crude when he stared at her, but he couldn't relent the feeling; didn't she know what had happened? How could she sleep on when he need consoling? He wanted dearly to hold her and see her eyes again, her vibrant green eyes.

They flicked open and blinked a few times, and without a word between them, a knowledge took them both.

Nadia stared at her side where stitches were, to her wrist with the blood and I.V. She looked up to Eric, and felt a panic and sickness in her. The heartbeat, the second heartbeat which she'd grown accustomed to the last few months, the constant kicks, the hiccups, they were gone. Raw fury and panic took hold of her and a strangled cry escaped her.

"Eric!" She turned to him and touched her stitches. What little courage he had left had fled his body and he fell onto her lap, a cry of his own stampeding from his throat. Nadia wept over him, holding him for her own comfort and for his; his very soul ached it seemed, and he hadn't realized how much he'd loved the tiny person he'd never met. His daughter, they said. My little girl, he mused gently and thought about how much trouble he'd gone to make sure she'd be happy. He and Nadia had fought, had cried, and had worked hard to make sure they would love and care for this child, and now she was taken from them.

"Christ, Nadia, I didn't realize how much I wanted her until they said we couldn't have her!" Choked Eric and Nadia's back bristled.

"Her?" She looked him in the eye.

He nodded and felt a tear on his face, not sure whether it was his or hers. "They say she was a girl. I told them to put Lorena Abell on the death certificate." He felt surprisingly calm.

Nadia coughed and let out another little sob. "Unreal,"

He felt his face start to scrunch up. "I wish,"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The four walls were driving her insane. Flowers, cards, a few visits from nosy students, the works. Nadia had never felt more dead inside in her entire life. When her mother had been inches from death she had been able to smile, to make her family laugh and believe they'd all be fine if the worst did occur. They had been prepared for the death of the keystone of their lives, and when it didn't happen, the tears and laughter flowed freely. Nadia couldn't force a smile, it looked like she was bearing her teeth, and her eyes only shot daggers. Eric was afraid of that smile, the one that said the cold truth, the truth that the second he'd left on the first day she'd tried to take her life from herself, she'd tried to do it and almost did. A bandage was wound tight around her left wrist; it itched. She scratched at the coarse fabric and rubbed her tired eyes.

She was dead inside. The reality was that! Something that had been living, had only been two months from life had died because of her ignorance! Her daughter, Eric's little girl, the only thing she could give him and she'd let it slip through her fingers all because of her first reaction to the prospect of having her. She would sell her soul to hold her little Lorena in her arms just once, the baby she'd never seen the face of. They'd offered for her to see the body, but her chest-shaking sobs had skewed her words so that she could only managed to say she didn't think she could bear it. Eric had seen her, and her dark hair had been scant but so alike to Nadia's he'd felt an insurmountable urge to smile.

Good news had yet to knock on their door.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Idle." Doctor Gerald Beamer took his seat on the revolving stool in the center of the room at the foot of Nadia's bed.

Nadia stared at him with an uncontained hatred. He'd been the one that had taken from her the only thing that mattered. It didn't matter it was to save her own life, or that Lorena Abell had been dead before they arrived. If a doctor tried to play God, he should be able to avoid things like that.

Eric stared at the doctor as well, nothing inside him. He felt empty, sort of like an autumn leaf that had crunched under a toddler's foot and was about to blow away. The reference to a toddler made Eric's head spin. He'd never know that feeling, to watch a toddler growing up. Not from the news that Beamer brought.

"In order for us to avoid a sensitive bruise to remove your daughter, Mrs. Idle, we had to make a deep incision on the Fallopian tube, and since the healing has begun, it looks like we feared." He cast somber eyes on the couple.

"What does that mean?" Eric asked in a tired voice, fingering his wedding band. He'd lost weight, watches, rings, anything of the sort tended to spin right around on his lanky limbs. Now it was to the point where he was afraid to lose his wedding band; it was all he had left. She hadn't spoken in three days now.

"It means that the scar tissue will shred and therefore miscarry all future impregnated eggs. Therefore, you are unable to conceive now or ever again." He pocketed a pen and stared at Nadia's murderous eyes. "I'm really very sorry."

Thoughts rampaged Nadia's head. "He killed my baby, he took her from me! Now he has the audacity to tell me that I can't ever have children! In one hour my life has changed so dramatically that I almost wish I didn't have a brain, I was nothing at all or didn't know enough to know what I could have. Oh, what it'd be like to have an empty head, to not know what's going on, to forget all that's happened. How could I do this to Eric? Why does he look at me so?"

And, truth be told, Eric did stare at her strangely. Balefully, if anything. Like he wished he could shake her until she was well, but it was a sad anger. Like he was sorry he was so impatient with her devastation. Though, he thought, I'd kill her if she recovered from this and was just as buoyant as ever. This is the one thing that could really tear us apart. With that, Eric's mind his overdrive; that had been Lexi's intent all along. She'd done all the bad so far, done all the damage, struck almost every blow. Was it inconceivable to think she'd been the reckless driver?

The next day she was home. It was strange to be home, and the second day she sat there, her feet tucked under her skinny body, someone had come and taken Nimue away. It seemed they'd heard there were still kittens in the house, and had offered a good price. Nadia stared at Merlin. He mewled weakly, like he'd lost something and needed very badly to find it. Stumbling around without a direction, the kitten searched, meowing and crooning, searching all of Nimue's previous hiding places. He flopped down on Nadia and let out a cat-cry, of pain and anguish. Nadia stared at the cat. Eric watched the always-silent Nadia stare at Merlin until the unthinkable happened.

"I know how you feel," Nadia croaked, her voice having to get itself used to talking again. "To lose something dear to you, to have it taken away without your consent. I know exactly how you feel. Misery loves company."

Eric tightened his jaw and scooped Nadia, who was frail feeling to the touch, into his lap and held her tight, comforting her silent eyes. At least she had spoken. It had been an unthinkable thing never to hear her rough and ready voice, deeper than most women's. He nuzzled her gently, surprised to feel her hug him back.

Nadia didn't want to come off as needy, nor did she want to give a whole lot of anything to anyone. Still, with him there cradling her, she felt glad he knew her so well. It was probably best. Guilt plagued Eric; throughout the entire ordeal he'd been sitting and staring, knowing he accounted for nearly 100% percent of it. She'd been careful about her pills, he hadn't done a thing to insure anything. She'd worried and fretted about the baby when her discomfort subsided, he'd stared thoughtfully and opened doors for her. She'd cried herself to sleep fearing the pain and the life their child would live with two working parents (and such eccentric parents at that), he'd held her as tight as she'd allow and tried to keep lustful thoughts from him. Indeed, it had been months since anything had happened between them, and he'd been sort of easily irritated outside of the house; everything reflected in his social life. Straight to work, straight home, nothing in between.

The guilt only tripled with this new development.

"First," he thought, forcing his eyes from hers, brimming with unshed tears, "she finds out the one thing she wasn't ready for has happened, half of it my fault in the first place. Then she finds out that her best friend did it to win me back even though it'll never happen. Then we decide that the baby will be a piece of joy and happiness in our lives and start to get over the shock and terror of having a baby. Then she loses her and discovers she can't ever have children now that it's what she wants. I can't give her what she wants!" He felt a panic inside him. Not to be able to give the woman he loved the only thing she wanted then, which was the knowledge that someday she could have children, because now she wasn't ready. Just someday, never was not a word Nadia liked to hear.

She stared at him. There was no word to describe the chaos in her eyes, the utter pandemonium that showed what was going on so deep in her mind behind the intelligent and kicky frames.

"I'll take care of you," infamous words, Nadia mused as Eric spoke them.

They'd moved in together and she'd taken a new job, unsure if she'd be able to split the rent evenly with him at first. He'd only said : "I'll take care of you," and she'd been filled with an unidentifiable security. She was invincible and gradually worked her way from a thirty-seventy split to a fifty-fifty split.

She felt her chin tip up and down carefully, agreeing, thanking, everything all at once. Though Eric felt necessary to touch her, to hold her to know she was there and to know she was real, he still felt tentative about anything more than a friendly embrace, nothing more than friends again. Her pouted lips were tightened in a thin line, as if she was trying to smile normally but didn't remember how. Finally she turned to him and the corners of her eyes crinkled an almost forgotten way. She smiled a genuine smile and put her head down under his chin, listening for the beat of his heart.

"We'll be okay, I know you'll take care of me, Eric." He took his left hand in her own and stared at the gold band. "I'm so lucky."

He laughed. "You! Ha!"

Instead of refusing his compliment she looked at him with a beaming pride and kissed him shyly on the cheek, unsure if he'd accept the affection. He only beamed right back at her like she'd aced a test of some kind and then an imaginary curtain closed the scene as they curled together on the couch with the tiny, exhausted kitten between them and slept.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"But why July?" Nadia asked, staring at Tanja Wiltjer with a furrowed brow.

Tanja only shrugged. "The entire system was designed by people who could have the most time off in July, I guess. Can you make it?"

Checking her watch, Nadia nodded. July thirty-first, a college reunion! Like, yay! She felt a dead weight in her chest; they'd seeked her out because she taught at the school, but what about Eric? Would he be getting a formal invite at the house? After all, her invitation still said "Nadia A. Smart" on it like she was a young lady and nothing at all like she was now. The name itself sounded like a little girl's.

"Looking forward to seeing Eric, are you?" Tanja teased, smiling at Nadia's seemingly nostalgic personality.

Nadia smiled coyly. "Maybe,"

"He's on telly, maybe he'll be your buddy again-"

"Oh, I've bumped into him a few times over the past few years, we're all caught up." She barely suppressed her smile as she carefully slid her left hand into pocket of her jeans.

Tanja shrugged. "Suit yourself; I'm off to deliver the rest of these to the others around campus. Ta!"

So, three days and she'd be sitting in a banquet hall surrounded by her friends and classmates, and no one knew she was married, least of all to Eric! Despite her initial worry they'd be ridiculed, it occured to her that it's what they all wanted in the first place. A few taunting "I told you so's" were bearable. A small titter of excitement exploded into her; oh, to see their faces when-!

She snapped into her brain and folded her documents drearily. Class lists as early as July; it was a nightmare. She had to get home, to see if Eric's invite had arrived yet. Her lip curled into a smile as she slid into the car and tried to take off without a squeal of rubber on pavement. She didn't succeed. And yet, as she pulled into her driveway, she didn't squeak her brakes. Eric had a bemused look on his face as he spread out on the lush grass of their tiny front yard. He folded his hands behind his back and smiled up at her as she knelt next to him.

"We got a party to go to, Naddy."

She smiled. "I know! Tanja Wiltjer cornered me in the administration building of Cambridge while I was getting my class rosters; isn't it unreal?"

"Surreal," he replied with a smirk.

Nadia folded herself into the crook of his arm and hugged him tight, remembering vaguely a time when she'd been reluctant to have him touch her, to cradle her so close in case he felt the growth of stomach against his side and knew what was going on. Au contraire! He'd normally force a buoyant smile and tell her he felt kicking, or complain that she was too athletic because she was hardly gaining any weight. Sweet Eric, she thought now and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Shall we plan our entrance, Mr. Idle?"

He smirked heavily at her. "I think we should appear separately and then make a long, dramatic, cinematic run towards each other towards the front of the building and snog heavily in front of everyone."

"I was thinking more along the lines of in a clown car, but your idea works." Quipped Nadia and Eric laughed gently, not wanting to disturb her peaceful perch on his chest.

"Well, separately certainly adds to the surprise, but we've never really been ones to make a big deal out of relationships, have we?" Eric pressed on, more serious now.

Nadia shrugged one shoulder. "You're a huge deal to me, Eric. I'm showing you off one way or another."

"Thanks!" He chirped in a bright voice.

She smiled and pulled the folds of his shirt tight around her head to shield her face from the sun. "Tanja mentioned something about having me help set up on Friday since I work at Cambridge, but I know she'd probably make a huge deal out of us; you know her. 'YOU'RE WHAT?!'"

Eric snorted. "So don't tell her! She can't find out if you don't."

"You're no fun anymore." She pouted.

Preparation was slow and tedious. Eric did little or no thinking about the upcoming event, citing the best things were spontaneous and then pretending that he was being spontaneous when he "spontaneously" made dinner. Nadia would only roll her eyes and agree to save herself a tiresome argument. Deciding the dress the same as she would have if she'd been going to some sort of event for school, Nadia dressed Friday afternoon in a set of black jeans with a black tank top, a white dress shirt of Eric's over that. Hair was styled with liberal amounts of gel, and then her makeup. With a pout she changed her nose stud to a green gem and checked her bared navel. Everything was matched, almost scary. A pair of purple flip flops and she was all set. It seemed that they would be making separate entrances.

Nadia walked into the auditorium and felt a yawn on her mind as Tanja bounded up.

"Great, you're here! Where can we find tables? And a slide projector for the photo presentation-" Tanja's fingers wrung together anxiously.

"Just make a list of the things you need and I'll get them before five, 'kay?" Nadia relented under the yawn.

A bouncy looking girl, one that Nadia couldn't place a name on, bounded up much like Tanja had. "Can I fill out a questionaire while you're not busy, Naddy? We're giving them to everyone tonight, but you might have more time now-"

"Sure, what do you need to know?" It was clear the woman wasn't handing over the sheet when she could orally obtain the information as well. The face was a familiar round shape.

"I've got occupation-"

"Kelly Wright! Oh, God, I didn't recognize you!" Nadia exploded. Next to Lexi, this girl had been her absolute best friend. In fact, now that Lexi was the living Satan to Nadia, this girl WAS her closest female friend.

The woman beamed. "Stopped dying my hair; almost no one recognizes me! You haven't changed much in five years-"

"Not much," she admitted, grinning happily.

"So, what's your full name? I never remember middle names."

Nadia smiled with a bit of apprehension. "Nadia Abell Smart Idle."

There was an ominous silence as Kelly looked over the clipboard. "Not as in...Eric Idle, Naddy?"

"You could say that."

A smile erupted over Kelly's face and Nadia was yanked into a tight hug with a girlish shout. Someone was excited for her, and not with that leering face accompanied by the shouting taunts of "I told you so" or, "We knew it and you didn't, you dolt!"

"This is going to be so much fun tonight; so many people are going to find that hilarious!" Kelly cried, smiling happily at Nadia.

Nadia giggled. "I was a bit worried, honestly; how many of them are going to laugh at Eric for marrying the artsy foreign chick?"

"Hey, your accent's gone; who'll remember you that way?"

Short, stubby-fingered Zac Gregory walked in and removed his coke-bottle lenses, smiling carefully at Nadia. "Bonjour, Madame! It's been ages, hasn't it?"

Nadia smiled and cast a wry look at Kelly, who had been defeated with this quick greeting. "Too long, Zac. So, what have you been up to?"

There was some catch-up, stuff that Nadia liked to hear about. It seemed no one had really drowned in despair after College, even Lexi, who had taken three of the five years to go to Law School, seemed to have surpassed all expectations. Two of their professors would make grand appearances. Philosophy and the art/music director. The tables were set up, the chairs put out, name-tags set up with all the maiden names of married girls left. A short program had been devised for the evening, and just before five, Nadia was allowed a glimpse.

5:00 Arrival/Questionaire Fill-out

5:30-6:30 Free Mingling

6:30-7:00 Announcements of greatest expectations and success

7:00-8:00 Slide Show

8:00-9:00 Prepared Speeches

9:00-11:00 More Mingling


Nadia frowned. It sounded a little hokey to her, maybe a bit too nostalgic for her taste. Christ, they'd only been out of college for five years, most of them were still in their twenties, still going to school, maybe! It was just a catch-up, to see who was doing what, who had jobs, who'd married whom, who was dead already, stuff like that. But what a shock it would be when Eric made his appearance and they sought each other out! She was looking forward to it with a passion. The only other highlight would be when Tanja sadly announced Lexi Bishop wouldn't be joining them because she had been submitted into a rehablitation ward to cure her of a cocaine addiction. Nadia had to fight hard not dance and laugh, to outright leap in jubilation at Lexi's hell.

Five o' clock approached and a few people walked in right on time. Mostly the punctual kids Nadia remembered, one who was working at Cambridge. Tony Donell had been working there for a little over seven months, and she'd seen him a few times. Once at a reunion of any kind, though, it was instant friendship again. They promised to get together at some point, and then it was when Tony noticed her wedding band.

"You tie the knot, Nadia? Sheesh, no offense, but I never expected that!"

She only smiled and shrugged. "I didn't expect it out of him, either, but we all amaze ourselves, don't we?"

"So, this guy, do I know him?"

"Intimately," she retorted and smiled lavishly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? I heard some rumors from the students, but it was mostly around a miscarriage or something like that."

Nadia put her chin down a bit and nodded, smile faltering. "Yeah, I had a miscarriage a few months ago. It must have been for the best though, I'm far too busy to have the stress of a child added to it."

"I'm sorry to bring it up, come on, let's go tease Becky Shanahan for old times' sake, eh?" He helped her up and gave her an apologetic smile. Nadia allowed him to lead her over to Becky Shanahan's table, and they sat next to her, talking along with Tanja and Kelly, noting her wedding band, her swollen stomach, and her cute wardrobe. She was selling television advertising in America and happened to be in town for the week on business. She bragged about canceling two appointments to make the event and was immediately scolded. She had always been notorious for not quite being able to sort out her priorities.

It had been a small graduating class, about eighty-seven, maybe ninety. In any case, the auditorium was huge, and nearly no one sat in their assigned seats or wore nametags, which Tanja and Zac had labored over for hours. Kelly and Nadia sat at the foot of the stage while newcomers filled out their questionaires and tried to keep conversations going, frowning as Tanja eagerly scooped up finished papers and giggled, pointing and asking a lot of nosy questions. For a minute Nadia fretted. It was almost time for the next "activity" began (two years of teaching at that elementary school had tainted her vocabulary).

Finally, just as she was excusing herself to go look for him, he walked in and caught her eye, pointing exuberantly to his nametag, which now read "Harold Frankenwerter," for what reason Nadia didn't know. It might as well have said "Engleburt Humperdinck!" She smiled proudly as he edged around a few people, saying polite hellos and such until a comfy hush fell over the nearest of the people, smiling as, to them, old friends were reunited. They hugged and Eric kissed her on the cheek, but then they were talking about daily things, things that people that haven't seen each other in years don't really say. It was puzzling. A microphone blared that everyone please take their ASSIGNED seats so they could begin the taunting of those with jobs and those without. The most interesting ("Geoffrey Dorsey is working for a cigarette company in London after pledging his life to making cigarettes illegal because of the toxic waste they put in the air...") jobs were read aloud, and then it was made clear that the key point of focus was going to be the last year of their schooling. The yearbook was pulled out, and the corny but laughable awards were given out.

"Most likely to become the dictator of a small, foreign country...Jonie Carson!"

All the funniest things were given out first, then the "most likely to be married in five years" was given out, and oddly enough, the marriage of the two college sweethearts had ended a few months prior. They stared at each other from across the table like dogs ready to tear each other's throats out, and lucky Nadia was next to Claudia, the wife of the marriage from Hell.

"I can't believe you, of all people, tied the knot, Nadia! It only makes you vulnerable to be stepped on. Cheated on me, the limey bastard!" She shook her fist with a curled lip.

Nadia smiled weakly. "I took a risk and I know it."

There was an odd silence as Kelly approached the microphone and she clutched a strange looking man to her side. "As you all know, we have a few of our lovely Cambridge grads that couldn't pull themselves away. Tony Donell works in the accounting part of Cambridge, dealing with the budget, and has been kind enough to let us poke a bit of fun at him and his wife, Hailey-"

A loud, thunderous applause burst up and Tony was physically shoved to his feet, laughter in his friends' eyes as he walked with a sad sigh to the front of the stage. As he started to mount the stairs, he paused and shot an evil smile to Nadia. She tried to duck his grasp, but was shoved from her seat as well and tugged into the hot lights to be shown to everyone, to be ridiculed by those who had always laughed at her. She was yanked roughly to the stairs, and there was pulled up, where a few shouts greeted her.

Kelly seemed to be possessed by the devil in seconds as her devilish smile descended on Nadia and Tony. "So, Nadia teaches the Surrealism In the Arts class here at Cambridge, and has also been so lucky as to tie the knot. Why don't we have her husband come up as well? Eric, don't you want to-?" She cut herself off as a startled silence enveloped the audience.

Nadia winced. "Thanks a LOT, Kelly!"

Laughter steadily started, and Nadia wasn't sure if they thought it was a joke or found it funny she was married to him, and they'd known it! In any case, the laughter stopped and applause started as Eric nimbly took his position by Nadia's side, grinning at her impishly.

"How are you, luv?" He asked in a very perverted voice, striking up gales of laughter. A loud "I told you so!" resounded and more laughter commenced.

The echoing chant of "kiss!" seemed infantile to Nadia, but she felt that giddy college-aged happiness swallow her in the moment and obliged the crowd, planting a kiss on Eric's lips, a thing which had been very rare the past few weeks. She felt like Nadia Smart again, only Eric's hands were on her and she loved the feel of his callused fingers on her sensitive hips, and especially loved his lips on hers. And, if she was asked in an all-telling sort of mood, she may have confessed that the only interaction she cherished more than his kiss, was when she had him all alone in a dark room. This thought often reminded her that it had been ages since she'd engaged any sexual activity with him, or he with her, his only excuse being polite for her healing, hers only that she was sure she'd feel ugly and tainted when her clothes were shed. If her mood continued the way it was, she'd be able to go on making love to him for days straight, and the best part was, she was certain he'd have no problem at all with that predicament.

When the short presentation ended and the slide show began, Nadia and Eric were allowed to sit next to each other, though the second chair was fully ignored as Nadia sat on Eric's lap and cuddled him. As the photos rolled along and laughter came, Eric leaned into Nadia's ear.

"What's going on? You coming out of your shell at last?" He kissed her neck once to show her what he meant.

She shifted her hips twice in quick succession, smiling evilly as he gasped and pushed her away from him for a split second. "I feel normal again!"

"I love it," he admitted and kissed her again. A few people giggled at them, and Nadia reasoned it was the reason that it was such an odd sight to see them together.

Claudia, AKA the woman straight from the marriage from Hell, caught Nadia's eye as Eric turned to converse with Jake, who'd made it late.

"You're making a mistake, one flaw and you two will never be friends again! You can't turn back now! Imagine that! Nadia and Eric never friends again just because they tried to date!" She sipped her champagne. "What a tragedy."

Eric snorted and kissed Nadia's cheek as she stared angrily at Claudia. "Don't let it get to you, baby, she's just jealous that we've got what she wanted."

This knowledge made Nadia pity Claudia, but feel happy in some way. "Shall we skip out early? I don't need to stick around for two more hours of mingling."

"Of course, Madame. Let's leave now, while it's dark. No more taunts or dirty looks!" He laughed. "Or teacher's dirty looks, for that matter. My philosophy prof thought I was daft for getting married, he's the one that taught me everything I know about not succumbing to a woman's wiles."

"I'll show you a woman's wiles, Idle, now drive me home! I'll pick up my car tomorrow."

"Why's that?" He asked playfully, grateful to have this Nadia back, rid of the mopey, depressed thing that had been slinking around their home.

"You'll have to get in the car to find out." She replied in a singsong voice.

Ducking from their seats, Nadia and Eric escaped the confines of the five year reunion, laughing to themselves as they got into the car. Eric stared expectantly at Nadia, a thing which caused her to raise her eyebrows. With a hefty sigh, he started the car and started the engine, mumbling to himself about empty promises and something which caused Nadia to laugh aloud.

"Did you just call me a cocktease? Honestly, Eric, you're pushing it!"

He laughed at her and put and arm around her shoulders, loving her flippant feelings. "Ah, I was just kidding."

Still, Nadia felt the corners of her mouth turn up in an impish smile, and when he stopped at the darkened alley to turn onto the main road home, she pulled a dating stunt and shifted onto his lap. His reaction was a little on the extreme side, but it wasn't unappreciated; he kissed her in such a way she knew what she was doing was pushing him over the edge, but she gave the same signals back, holding him close, letting his hands wander under and over clothing without much moving away from his touch, even if only to tease him. For a good fifteen minutes they sat in the street, bodies glued to one another's, thoughts flying, hormones raging; it was like they'd just become teenagers for Christ's sake! Eric finally pulled away as a car squealed around them.

"Let's get home, Nadia, we can pick up when we're there." He tried hard to smooth his hair, a ploy used to help him feel more dignified when he was in an undignified position.

"Drive fast, loverboy." She smirked at his wide and shocked eyes, leaving her hands on his legs as if a silent reminder. And it was silent, the only sounds were the tires on the pavement and the occasional gasp from Eric as he started to slow down and Nadia chastised him. She was sure he would start doing it on purpose if he discovered why she was doing what she was doing, but he only seemed to think that he had to keep some semblence of a laid-back appearance until they got home, and as a result, did keep a good pace most of the way, unfortunately they lived in a residential area, and stop signs weren't counted as reasons to stop or even slow, as he quickly found out.

"Christ, you want me to run over a little kid?" Eric shrieked, slapping her hand and flipping the turn signal simultaneously.

"Right, Eric, they'll be out at nine thirty! Now, faster!" She slid up next to him. He shot her a dirty look and slammed on the brakes, the second the car came to a full stop, she unleashed the "fury" and moved back to his lap. He made a strangled sound of annoyance before squirming away from her and punching the gas.

He shot her an alarmed look. "Please, Christ, please!" He wiped his forehead with a bare forearm and shot her another scared look. "Stop staring at me!"

"Can't handle the pressure?" She teased, smiling defiantly.

He made a face at her. "No, I can't have you staring at me all sultry-like, or some little children that are looking out their windows will be asking their parents why there was a car in their front lawn low-riding like a mofo-"

Nadia laughed and lifted her hands in defeat. "Fine, but I feel sort of tired-" She shrieked as he punched the gas again, swerving around a mailbox to screech into their driveway.

"No more games, Naddy," he growned, leaning over to kiss her quickly. "Inside, no clothes, right now."

She smiled. "After you, Monsieur."

He scrambled from the car, a wild look of hunger on his face, and carried Nadia into the house, jaw set in a determined way. As if she'd hold out on him now! Ha! Nadia groped as she passed by the floor lamp and managed to shut the light off just before Eric deposited her on the bed and eagerly began to pull her shirt off, pausing for a moment to kiss her bare stomach, running gentle fingers over her navel, a habit by now. When his eyes locked on hers again, she was surprised to see they'd softened considerably. Instead of the hungry, deprived look she expected, she saw a soft and loving smile in his eyes she'd neglected for a long time.

"I can't decide whether to ravage you or to do things nice and easy for you. See my dilemmas? And you think that being a man is easy!" He pouted his lip and pulled her jeans off, pausing to strip his shirt off over his head.

Nadia smiled. "Aww, as long as it's you I don't care what the hell you do!"

"Ooh, I love you!" He laughed and kissed her quick on the mouth, pulling the covers back for her. Underthings still on, Nadia slipped between the cool cotton sheets and awaited her prince charming eagerly, discarding her glasses both to eat up time and to make sure the frames didn't hinder the closeness of their faces. A quick morning kiss could often times skew the frames, so it was best that when the passion sent them reeling to rid her face of all glass. Eric kissed her again and again, pausing all frantic movements just to hold her close now and again. For a moment Nadia remembered her pregnancy and how supportive and loving Eric had been; he'd never doubted her, he'd been just as scared as he was and yet he hadn't reacted so...brashly. There was no death on his mind, no sorrow, just fright and determination. She admired him so much for that, for being able to look on the bright side of things when all she could see was shadows and tears. He was the yin to her yang in a sense, and yet he felt the same way about her. Whenever he got in a twist she was there and never failed to bring a smile to his face.

"So, what'll it be?" He asked, pausing once again to catch her deep green eyes in his vision. She stared at him with wide eyes, shoulders back in a dignified way though she was scrunched down in a frightened way, like a brand had been laid across her hide and left a dirty scar. She managed a smile, and that weak resemblence of a grin reminded him how fragile she was. Some internal part of him wailed in disappointment as he decided that a nice and easy go for Nadia would be best, to make her feel beautiful again. As if she needed reminding! The way he looked at her, he thought she could see the flames shooting from his eyes, licking at her skin, burning brightly at her face. Once she decided to stop wearing shapeless clothes over her form-fitting tank tops again, he'd be absolutely helpless all over again; sad, but he looked forward to it. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he lowered his body to hers and held her shoulders tight to him. A weak hug went around him and he sighed softly into her soft skin, trying to memorize her smell, unaware she was doing the same thing. Something about him always smelled like security to Nadia, and ever since she'd first experienced the comforting hug from Eric's arms, she'd been addicted to his smell. It was a secret fetish of sorts; she couldn't help but inhale deeply whenever she was deep in his embrace, and as a result could probably identify him from twenty other men if giving a sample smell from each. His hands, which had abandoned their post at her shoulders, were lighting pleasant little fires all over her back and legs, leaving her aching for more contact, but he refrained, biting his lip. She could see his teeth against his lip, biting hard as he resisted her, his eyes narrowed on the task at hand. Now and again he'd kiss her and bite his lip again, as if that released tension. His arms hurt a bit, crushed under double the normal weight. With this added to the mix of her sexy behavior earlier, and the fact he'd been deprived of even a glimpse at her for over six months, well, it added up! He felt like he couldn't wait a second longer, and yet he wanted to wait and draw it out for her benefit. It was so hard to think only of her when he could close his eyes and float away without another thought. No, he'd have to really concentrate in order to make this worthwhile. A small whimper issued from Nadia's slightly parted lips, and he darted to her, kissing her quickly to hush her whine, assure her he was almost ready, that she was almost ready. The moment felt right, but he waited for her eyes to open, to see him, and then he felt his entire body sort of tense up and their eye contact remained as he gently took her again. A few seconds, however, and his eyes shut in an ecstasy, leaving Nadia to her own, holding his shoulders with rigid hands, a small cry escaping her.

Had she FORGOTTEN what it was like? He whimpered much like a puppy and kissed her face and neck as many times as he could before unintelligble words stole his lips from her and made him groan in a pleasant agony. A few "Jesus fucking Christ's" and a variation or two of "I love you" were almost understandable, but Nadia was somewhat busy keeping her mind on sounds when all she could feel when she closed her eyes was the union of she and Eric, a jubilee of a friendship turned for the better. Christ, if she'd miscarried with any other man on the planet she wouldn't have been able to live another second, but he was ready to give up all his dignity just to let her know he loved her, to let her know he needed her there and was nothing without her. It made her feel, despite her flaws, like she was something.

The movement was slow, but Nadia didn't whine or moan in agony, she only accepted this as his way of making it better for her, though it only felt like torture. She was helpless to do anything, too! Her head lolled back and forth until the inevitable happened and Eric began to draw back, hitching his breath in a worried way. The sweet release that awaited Nadia started to draw back and she arched her back to keep him from moving away. He only breathed deeper and seemed to give up on getting away. Pounds and tons of pressure settled on her chest, her stomach, her legs, her fingertips. She felt like at any moment she'd implode and all that would be left was a small pancake of a body, but a drifting, dreamy feeling took her and she opened her eyes to catch Eric's _expression.

He too opened his eyes and grit his teeth, as if it was keeping him from screaming aloud. A heavy rasping breath came from one of them, possibly both and then the millions, no, billions of pressure on Nadia's head and fingertips burst from her and she shouted, mind giving up on the prospect of leaving her eyes open to see the world at the second of her bliss, and Eric could only watch as she flailed in perfection and ecstasy. A few seconds of this private show and he too leaned over, exhausted, a happy sigh in his lungs.

"Remind me again why we stop doing that, ever." Nadia's voice crept up from under him, muffled.

Eric laughed, tired and yet hungry for more. "Your legs, my back, our jobs."

"Fuck them all," she muttered and he felt his back fall back into a damp spot on the sheets. His eyes stayed closed until her body warmed up to his and all fatigue left him in a cartoonish POOF. As quickly as it had come, it took flight and he was awake, hungry, and she was staring back at him without a hint of exhaustion.

"It's Friday!" Eric exclaimed with a grin.

"What's it to ya?" She asked, pulling the sheets up to her shoulders.

"That means that, if we counted tonight, we have three days of utter sex."

Nadia's face pulled into an awfully impish grin. "I hope it's not a problem-"

"Shut up," he insisted and kissed her.

"Oh, now we're talking about shutting up!" She teased, lowering her knee. He made a strangled noise and narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, you get a penis and we'll fucking talk!"

If Nadia didn't know better she'd say he was a little cross, but seconds later he was perfectly normal again, if not helpless and weak. It would be a wonder if he could wake up at all for the final day of editing on Monday before the season break.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a wonder that he'd gotten up at all on Monday. The alarm had sounded like a pleasant bird until the drilling noise finally awoke him, and when he pulled into the car park, he felt dread. Given five seconds without some busywork, he had a feeling he'd be daydreaming or possibly asleep, down for the count, out for the day. His back hurt, and he smiled at it blandly; Nadia's legs were becoming tolerant, but not him. She never ceased to amaze him.

Another thing that amazed Eric, was how subtle the change could be in him and the others would instantly notice and be glad for him. When he walked in and sat down, lit up, and grinned at the other five, smiles spread on their faces.

"Good weekend, mate?" Gray asked and brushed the knee of his pants off a bit more.

Eric felt his face light up more. "Yeah. And why couldn't you make the grand appearance, John? I think there were three or four girls asking after you at the reunion. Doesn't matter you're older..."

"Quit rubbing it in, Idle, or I'll knock you into next week!"

"Ooh, sorry, but I'd still be younger than you!" He teased and took a drag on his cigarette.

John growled something fierce, but the peace-keeping Python (Mikey-boy) managed to get a word in before total verbal warfare broke loose. "Eric, did you remember those scripts? For the movie we were working on?"

Eric's heart sunk. As if getting out of bed this morning hadn't been enough, he was supposed to remember the scripts? What more did they expect from him? He started to groan and turn right back out the door, the only thing he knew they'd make him do if anything all day, surprised to see Nadia standing there, eyes bright like a college student's.

"Forget something?" She gestured elaborately at the black folder tucked under her left arm.

Nadia's mother was right; red was a gorgeous color on her, a color she seldom wore. Now she stood in a bright red tank, her black capris form-fitting, showing off her summer-tanned legs and tattooed foot. Her ankles started to buckle in a cutesy sort of unsure way.

"Eric?"

He snapped his head up. "Yes, I forgot those. Thanks." He groped for the folder and managed to grab most of it before yanking it away. Nadia made a pouty face at him, placing her hands on her hips, which only led the other boys to notice a winking zirconium chip in her navel.

"Wow, when'd you get that done?" Terry asked, pointing plainly.

She glanced down. "Some student did it for me last year, I forget when."

A paper fluttered from the folder Eric held, and he noted it was numbered. Thirty-seven. Either the order had been mussed during transport, or Nadia had rifled through it. He bent to pick up the paper and felt his stiff back immediately give him his retribution. He stifled the groan that had seeped from him and startled Nadia, but then it caused a sly smile to creep up over her face.

"You okay?" She asked in a gentle voice.

"No thanks to you!" He hissed and felt his defensive tactics start to act up. People, in room, could find out, put up brick wall!

"Oh, sit down!" She snapped and his shoulders were yanked down as a soft couch met his back. He grunted again and settled back, eyes closing with tiredness. He muttered a few ill-given death threats, swiping at Nadia, moaning as she flipped him over, and then the other began to giggle at him. He didn't care how corny it looked, him sprawled out on a couch with Nadia pushing her knowing hands onto his back, it was releasing tons of tension. He bit his lip against the pain, splitting open a scab that had been mostly hidden on the inside of his lip, but now it bled again. A few pops and knots worked out and he felt almost awake.

"All set? Want me to go now?" She asked, patting his shoulder in a finito sort of way.

He sat up and smiled at her genially. "Naw, don't go."

Gray smiled as Eric's hands went around Nadia's waist and he hugged her close; he'd seen this once before when at their house. Newlywed-itis, as he called it, only it had faded and they'd suffered a ghastly trauma, one hard to recover from. With each other, though, they'd come out the winners, and now Nadia seemed almost herself again, maybe a little nicer than she'd been before, maybe more conservative, but definitely herself. And Eric, whatever changes had reformed him, he was a new person. This was the welcome back sex stage. They'd be newlyweds for another two months, he wagered, and then it'd be the comfortable living together status they'd dealt with already, only they had the luxury of each other's romance when it was wanted or needed. He'd seen the same thing happen with Terry and Mike, mostly with Mike. John had seen even more or Mike's escapades, since he'd had to leave a rehearsal/writing session early in order to make his honeymoon, and in the weeks following, had been in an odd state-of-mind. Sort of happy-go-lucky with a twist. In any case, Eric's bright and cheery face said more than any sentence could.

"I'm going to go get-"

"I'll go with you." Eric interrupted with a quick look to his shoes. Mike snorted outright, as if he'd used the ploy himself, or at least knew it well. In any case, Nadia quickly exited the room and Eric followed, paying almost no mind to the funny looks surrounding them. As soon as the door closed behind her, Nadia turned and Eric pushed her in a firm but gentle way right to the rough brick of the building. She giggled and sunk into his arm, letting his thankful and pecking little kisses lay over her face, returning a few when he stayed long enough to give her a chance. When the amusement of their chicken-pecks died, the slow and graceful reincarnation of the same kiss was there, drawing out all sorts of non-work related thoughts.

"Oh, I'll call this a sick day, for Chrissake-"

"Eric, no!" Nadia tried to frown, but he covered it when he bent and kissed her neck, pouting his face as she tried to push him away. "I should go anyway."

"Where?" He asked, eyes narrowing.

She grinned. "To get my car. Classes start in ten days, I should probably get my car, eh?"

"I'll go with you!" He retorted brightly.

She shook her head and led him back inside. "No, I'll go and you get work done. Maybe I'll come back up for your lunch hour."

She kept her promise, though it pained her to leave Eric there, clawing at the window pathetically as she walked away, fighting a smile at his pitiful and amusing antics. Oh, they'd have fun at lunch, yes indeedy.