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 Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 4:10 pm
RP for Frac and Starry.
Not necessarily to fullfil journal/growth requirements, but we like background. Gotta live that story. And helps those till-journal shakes.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:17 pm
Three minutes could take a lifetime when you were waiting on something. Samantha Macalister Calder knew that very well and she sat, skirt rucked up around her waist and panties around her knees, the cold porcelain of the toilet chilling her skin as she waited. Finally the timer beeped and she permitted herself to look down at the stick she held in a trembling hand. Everything hinged on this moment…slowly the words appeared on the stick and she reached for her glasses, just to be sure.
Not pregnant. Disappointment swamped her and she threw the stick onto the counter with the others she’d tried over the last hour. Ten times, just to be sure, and each and every one of them had said the same thing: Not pregnant. Once again she’d gotten her hopes up just to have them dashed. Finishing up, she fixed her clothes and then stared at the neat little row of sticks all lined up before her, mocking her with their results. Angrily she swept them into the trash and sank down against the wall, no longer holding back her tears.
She’d been married to Xearus Calder for five years now and they were both deliriously happy. The first two years of their marriage had been spent in a frenzy between school, work, and the emotional high of being newlyweds. Sam herself, with her husband’s full encouragement, had gone on to specialize as an OBGYN and now spent her days preaching on women’s health, diagnosing problems, and delivering babies. She’d been through more pregnancies than she could count, had held crying moms as they realized their bundles of joy were absolutely perfect and supported fathers who merely looked dazed with the knowledge that this little life had come from them. But with each squirming, squalling baby she’d held in her arms, a longing inside of her grew. She’d talked about it with Xearus and together they’d decided it was time and had begun to try to have children.
At first it was something that they were ready to have happen whenever it happened and went about their lives. She stopped taking birth control and thought that would be enough. She’d been positive it wouldn’t take too long to conceive. After all, she was healthy, went for regular checkups and had always taken good care of herself. There was no reason why she couldn’t conceive a child. But Nature had different plans and a full two years passed with nothing. Xearus was supportive, telling her it would happen when it was time and if it never did that was fine too. She was secure enough in her husband’s love that a child was not required, but wanted. A baby would add something precious to the bond she and her husband shared. She knew he wanted to be a father and she wanted to give him a child, wanted to carry and bear his child, but it didn’t seem possible.
Dejected but not ready to give up she’d pursued other options. Months had been devoted to each alternative method and every fertility specialist she trusted had been consulted. No one could find a problem but conception still wasn’t happening. Frustrated, Sam went another route. She dragged Xearus all over, trying age old remedies and methods from laying in hot springs a certain way to visiting a lagoon that had supposedly been blessed by some goddess of fertility. Nothing worked. Meanwhile Sam had endured the pregnancy and birth of Steffano, Xearus’ youngest sister’s third child and the pain of her own childlessness had intensified.
Pulling off her glasses and wiping her tears, Sam pulled the business card out of her lab coat pocket and ran her finger over the embossed front. Maybe this was it. Perhaps this place could be the answer to her prayers. Just maybe…now she just had to convince Xearus. She'd tucked the card in one of his folders so that he'd come across it at some point tonight while he was teaching. Then he could think about it and let her know...
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:43 pm
Between the hours of six o'clock pm and twelve o'clock am, he was the teacher that everyone both loved and hated at the same time. It was during these six hours that he put his mind solely on his students and that's where his attention had stayed. It was an old habit and technique he had learned when he was working on the force as a clinical/criminal psychologist. He'd seen enough crazies to last him a lifetime. Well, a human's lifetime. But seeing that kind of thing everyday and participating in court trials wared a man down after so long...made him pessimistic and dark minded. Often he'd come home to a wife who didn't exactly know how to comfort him on such things, though she always tried to the best of her abilities. Five years of that and it had been enough.
So now here he was, Professor of Psychology (various sub-veins of that from Intro to Criminal) and his free time was spent grading papers and dealing with life in general. Which while being a vampire was fun as ever...yet lately things had just not been right. The last two years to be specific. Him and Sam weren't unhappy...but they weren't happy either. It was that missing thing that all eternally committed couples longed for, even creatures such as them. It shouldn't be so hard to get pregnant...but it was apparently so. Sam blamed herself, he knew that...after all he was a psychologist by profession, his job was to get into your head even when you didn't want him there.
They were running out of options and their lovemaking was starting to even become a chore. And that was not something that he wanted to happen. That could ruin a marriage...and tonight he knew he would go home and when she would come home she'd have the answer of their latest attempt. That answer would determine the rest of the night...spent in making joyous plans...or sitting on the couch watching the latest B-horror movie with a bucket of chocolate ice cream and a bag of skittles with the purple one's picked out. But right now...it was eleven o'clock pm and he was on his students.
"Okay class, I'm sure you're all on eggshells as you sit there chewing on your erasers and tap your sneakers as you see this folder in my hands. Yes, this is your test from last week," Sitting on the edge of his desk (much to the elation of a few of his female students) he flipped the folder open, "And your grades are....whoa." Several then nervous shifts and noises from his students at the particular 'description'. No, the grades weren't 'whoa'. What was sitting on top of his papers was...eyes scanned over the words before he shoot his head, grabbed the card and pocketed it before clearing his throat. "Your grades were fantastic...and you all whined about not having extra credit." Setting the folder on his desk he gave a grin. "Now, read chapter sixteen for next class and then go play some video games or whatever you all like to do . Just no getting arrested." Watching students file out and pick up papers as he pulled out that little card, reading over it again. Was this what it was going to come to? Was she that tired of failure? A look at the clock...he wouldn't know until about four o'clock am...Sam was almost impossible to get hold of at work.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:55 pm
A shrill buzzing sound filled the kitchen and Sam glanced up from the pile of canned goods on the floor. Shoving her pencil into the loose bun she'd thrown her hair into, she pushed herself to her feet and padded, barefoot, to the ringing buzzer. Slapping it off, she grabbed two potholders and pulled the steaming casserole dish out, then set it on the placemat already in the middle of the table. It was probably wrong the way she used his weakness for Italian Chicken to butter him up when she really wanted something, but this...she really wanted, and she wasn't willing to take chances on it.
Covering the steaming dish with foil, she resettled on the ceramic floor, pushing three cans of green beans off to the side. B for beans, not G for green. Making note of the change on her pad, she set the cans in their rightful spots then continued down her list. It never took her long to organize (or reorganize) her kitchen since she did it so frequently. It was a stress relief though Xearus would call it something vastly different. She hated being diagnosed and he politely kept his thoughts of that sort to himself.
She'd had an early night after the birth she was supposed to be attending had transferred to the OR. Two other appointments cancelled and she'd raced home to find out the same result she'd discovered every other time. With any luck that pattern was going to break and she'd be able to hold that stick telling her proudly that she was harboring life inside her. Everything rested on Xe's response to her little surprise. She surveyed the bottles and pulled one of his favorites, pouring two glasses and sipping nervously on hers. With her luck, he'd be late this morning.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:05 pm
He was out by eleven thirty, seeing as none of his students had booked any appointments with him and didn't have any questions. By twelve fifteen he was on his way home after one of those little impromptu trips to the store...just to make sure they had proper sulking comfort/celebratory foods...funny how chocolate ice cream and skittles could mean one of two things. But what was he going to do until she came home? Had nothing to grade...maybe go hit the gym or something? Call in a blood order? He'd find something.
Pulling into the garage though, he noted her car there as he parked his own next to hers and grabbed bags, heading inside. He was hit with the most desirable scent known to him (besides Sam's own of course) and for the moment he let it wash over him...before reality knocked on his brain. Why would Sam be home early, let alone cook dinner? Or more accurately, his favorite thing to eat in the world that wasn't a candy.
Walking into the kitchen, there she was sitting on the floor and...organizing the kitchen...again...for the third month in a row. Taking a moment to put things away with a glance at the table to confirm that yes, there was that oh so tempting meal, he came to stand next to his wife and looked down at her. "Did I put something away in the wrong place again?" Or at least that's what he always hoped. And then a inclination of his head toward the table, "What's the occasion?" Vauely...he had the feeling it had something to do with the card he was fingering in his pocket.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:15 pm
Pushing herself to her feet, she watched him putting things away and handed him the other glass of wine. So far everything was falling right into line with her plans which she loved. Picking up the last of the cans, she stood on her tiptoes to shove them on the top shelf and shook her head. "Green beans. They get put up by the 'beans' not the 'green.' But that's not why I was re-organizing." Swiping her own glass from the floor, she took a sip and then took the ice cream from him and tucked it away in the freezer. With any luck, she wouldn't be needing that tonight.
"How was school?" It was so strange saying that again...she remembered all too well the days when they'd both come home and dumped books before figuring out what was going on with each other. That phrase had been echoed so many times over those frenzied years...and now she was saying it again. Her lips twitched as she watched his brain connecting things but she merely smirked innocently and gestured to the table. "Hungry?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:29 pm
"Right...B not G. I'll remember that." Apparently he was going to be right that she was organizing for less than pleasant reasons...he was half scared to ask 'how things went'. Taking his glass, he swirled the contents a little before sipping at the liquid and turning his attention back to the table again. "Very hungry, and surprised to see you home. Hospital burn down?" Giving her a grin at their joke...he often said Sam wouldn't leave the hospital unless it burned down.
Another sip at his wine tasting a hint of blood in it. "It was okay. Research paper assignment and test return day and you know how they love that. I let them out early so I don't see why they complain and they all had good grades." Shaking his head lightly and bracing his fangs on the inside rim of the glass for a moment as he debated bringing up the card in his pocket. "Kids these days, you know how they are."
Lacing an arm around her, he pulled her to him and pressed a kiss to her lips before nuzzling her lightly. "How was your day?" Leading her then over to the table and chivalrous as ever, pulled her chair out for her before heading over to his own.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:41 pm
Her eyes flashed briefly with some undefinable emotion...statements like that could slice and dice her, even though it was never intended that way. She did know how kids were...because she worked with them every day and his family had an overabundance of them. But she didn't know personally and that still smarted. Stomping down any hurt that was attempting to show, she shrugged lightly, sipping at her own and then returning the affection. "Cancelled appointments and a natural birth that decided to change plans at the last moment. And so, here I am."
She settled into her chair, pulling the foil off of the casserole dish and plopped some of the tasty meal on his plate, then a spoonful on her own as well. She was jittery and uncertain, half afraid he'd be horrified at the idea and feel like she had given up all hope. "Pretty good, actually. Delivered two healthy babies and no bad news to present to patients. Then since I was able to come home early, I decided to make dinner and test..." Chewing her lower lip a moment, she sighed and studied her plate, her voice quieting. "Negative. All ten. Same routine, same results."
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:50 pm
He could imagine her in the bathroom sitting against the wall on the floor with her head in her hands, crying her eyes out...just like all the other times. Swallowing the disappointment that rose in his own throat he reached out and placed his hand over top of his. "Every routine breaks Sammers. It just takes time." Please don't cry...he hated to see her cry and know that he couldn't really do anything about it. She'd start to cry, and probably cry herself into exhaustion...it had been heading that way recently. Maybe he should bring up that stiff thin piece of cardboard in his pocket.
For the moment all food and drink remained untouched by both of them as some sort of cold seeped into the moment in time just like it always did when they didn't get the result they wanted. Maybe it was the last option...much as he didn't like the idea of it. Would her mind warp to the fact that she was a failure or something in this particular biological aspect? He worried about her...but would trying to protect her make it worse. "We'll try again...or maybe..." Reaching into his pocket and pulling out the card, he slid it across the table to her, "...you had another idea?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:09 pm
Already she felt the tears blurring her eyes and simply swept the tips of her fingers beneath them to keep them from leaking. Flipping her own hand, she squeezed his and nodded, though her mind screamed protests. Hadn't they had enough time? Hadn't they tried and tried and tried and still not gotten the results they wanted? Why was it so much to ask for a child? Every day she saw the results of less than capable parents in the hospital. Children born of parents who drank and smoked during their pregnancies; she'd delivered more crack babies than she liked to think about. She and Xearus had nothing but good things to offer a child and yet it was the one thing that they were denied over and over again.
Fiddling with her wedding ring a moment, she let out a sigh and then glanced up in surprise, her green eyes following the thin card as it made it's way towards her. "I...I think it might be a good thing for us. It's a fairly new fertility clinic but they've had 100% success with all their patients so far. And it's not artificial insemination either, Casanova. It would be our child, made in our bed...just the way we want." Her skin flushed both with excitement and slight embarassment. She could speak on another's sex life without batting an eye but when it came to her own...she was still sensitive. "We don't have to do it...but I think it might be a good thing to at least check out...?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:22 pm
His eyes left hers a moment, maybe studying the card on the table, maybe studying just the table itself. Apparently she had been researching this thing because she was already correcting concerns that he would have with it and one of those options that they had both been trying to avoid. It just...wouldn't be right to do it that way. Her last sentence was both said in statement and in question as she let it trail off...she was trying to be gentle on his emotions to it all...but wasn't she the one who the focus should be on? She was the one beating herself up emotionally in a bathroom every so often.
"Do you think it would even work for us? We're vampires...our bodies like to reject most things. I wouldn't want to put you through anything that may make you uncomfortable just to have it not work." Which was also why their options were limited. But he was quiet a moment longer before he raised his eyes to her. "Would it make you happy to try?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:45 pm
He was raising a very important concern and one she'd researched as well. "Apparently this clinic has had a recent influx of...less than usual couples. I have not been able to find any reported vampiric couples who have applied so I really can't say for sure. But I did a fair amount of research on the doctor," Tapping one lacquered nail on the embossed name. "He seems reputable enough. Andrea went and examined the clinic and it is in the hospital's database as a potential referral for couples."
Her lips curved and she rested her other hand on top of their already joined palms. "It's a simple shot. I receieve it and then we return home and engage in the same thing we do all the time anyway. If this serum works as well as the research touts, conception should occur." Of course an egg would have to be present in order for such a thing to actually take place but she had the answer for that as well. "My next fertile period is in a week and a half, Cansanova. And yes, it would."
Sighing then, "I want a baby so badly it hurts and I know you do too. For some reason God or Fate or Nature has decreed I can't have one. I don't think that's fair or right and I've already tried every other method to no avail. This might be a last ditch effort...but at least we could say we really did try." Crap...she was going to cry.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:58 pm
And as always she had all the answers to the questions he came up with. That should be nothing new to him...Sam loved to research things and she always did them throughly before she had something to mention to him...and truth be told, he had heard crazier ideas about this problem from her. This was pretty mild.
"God has a reputation of pissing on our parades and Fate likes to giggle in the background." Shaking his head lightly before giving her hand and squeeze and then giving a sigh and a nod to her. Letting his eyes hold hers he let a smile cross his features with a hint of fang showing. "Alright we'll give it a try. Go ahead and call and make an appointment or whatever. If we have to go during daylight hours then we'll have to make do." And there it was done, wasn't it? Xearus however kept smiling at her, knowing that if he let her down she was going to cry. "Anything is worth a try...and to think you slaved over a stove to make me something to butter me up, probably burned yourself several times and everything. Though now would be a good idea to ask me for other things too now that you have me all buttered up."
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:09 pm
She returned that smile and made a mental note to call the clinic before she went to bed that morning. They'd be heading that way just about the time it opened. She studied him for a long moment, her eyes bright with unshed tears and she had to restrain herself from leaving her chair and literally throwing herself at him. He needed to eat and so did she. Swiping at her eyes with a napkin for a moment, she rapidly blinked to erase all signs of moisture and then grinned.
"I didn't burn myself even once, thank you very much. And I can make this meal, you can't." Taking a sip of her wine, she picked up her fork and speared a piece of the chicken saturated with cheese. Chewing for a moment, she watched him closely and then nodded, "I rather thought you might think that. And yes, I do have an ulterior motive...." Giving him a grin. "Take me dancing, Casanova. Not tonight or tomorrow night but the night of the appointment. I want it all to work out just like we planned it all those years ago, remember?" The whole shebang.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:22 pm
"Oh you didn't, did you? Well then I'm very proud of you and I can't make this particular meal because I have no patience." Thusly now taking to his meal with all the glee of a three year old eating a piece of cake. Raising an eyebrow at her as he chewed when she spoke on ulterior motives. Hm, he knew it. But he could only swallow and smile...his Sam was almost too sweet to do or ask anything that would be considered wild...it was just how she was.
Though she did have her moments. It was probably evil in her head seeing as well...he couldn't really dance. He could waltz...just not dance other ways. "Dancing, Cielo?" Old nicknames were wonderful things. "Sure, I'll take you dancing before hand, we'll throw a change of clothes in that car, head to this appointment then come back and spend the rest of the time enamored in each other. Quite literally." And he liked to make her blush too.
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