When You Were Young

[Astoria Vyhnal]

Astoria was having the complete opposite of a good morning. It all started when she woke up out of a dead with severe nausea. Despite the hour she took trying to fight it off, Astoria will wound up getting sick to her stomach. She had gotten sick so many times this morning, she was almost sure that she had woken someone up in the process of it all. Astoria hated getting sick more than she hated a lot of things in this world, and when she continued to get sick like she was, one had to wonder if something was wrong. "I can't believe I'm doing this." When Astoria questioned her relatives on it, the first thing they all suggested was pregnancy. Some time before this that wouldn't haven been the solution at all, but when Astoria remembered what had happened between her and Jarrett, she wasn't so sure anymore. Astoria glanced out of her eye at the white stick sitting on the corner of the sink. She had yet to look at it and actually see what the results were. Mostly because she felt like she was going to throw up again from all the nerves she was feeling. Astoria had considered kids in the future, but she had fully expected them to be with the man she married, and not from someone who could barely stand her. Tristane thought she only had the flu, what was she going to tell him if she actually was going to have a baby? She had never been with anyone but Jarrett, and Tristane would figure that out quickly. Astoria sighed and figured it was now or never. Astoria's small fingers reached over and grabbed the test so she could pull it close and read the results, even if she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sob.

"Positive." Astoria immediately clapped a hand to her mouth to keep a sob from escaping, along with the returning feeling of nausea sweeping over her. Astoria was pregnant with Jarrett's baby. Of all the possible things that could have happened to her this close to her wedding day, this had to be the worst. There was no way she could keep it from either Tristane or Jarrett. There were a couple of things they were bound to notice once time passed. Astoria was also pretty sure that Jarrett hated her, so how was he going to take the news. "I hope he doesn't yell." Whether he cared or not she fully intended to have the baby and raise it. But what was she going to do? How was she going to tell people? How on earth was she going to become the mother she had always hoped she would be when she knew nothing about parenting. Astoria banished the box away so no one could see it until she was ready and stared down at the test again. Astoria jumped when she heard a loud knock at the bathroom door. Because of what happened that day, Astoria was still living with Jarrett and Valera. Jarrett didn't seem happy about it, but oddly enough he didn't throw her out like she had expected. Astoria shoved the test into her pocket to hide it for the time being and opened the door. "What?" Astoria forced herself to remain composed when she discovered that Jarrett was the one who knocked. Astoria had been in there awhile, but she was hoping that Jarrett wasn't able to hear her getting sick, or noticed the awkward facial expressions she displaying. Astoria wanted to tell him, but she needed to find the perfect time to do so.​

 

[Jarrett Vyhnal]

It had been a good month since Astoria and Jarrett slept together, and she was still living under the same roof. Why? Jarrett had no idea. He thought that Astoria would have packed her things and left by now to go live with her perfect fiance, Tristane Matthias. Jarrett Vyhnal had stopped his binge drinking for the time being, and was back to drinking regularly, not getting plastered like he used to. Jarrett had very little hope in his life though, that it would ever improve. His own thoughts of Astoria had seriously went downhill since she had cheated on her fiance, and was still marrying him. All of the other guys did the same thing, and she left them. Why did she not feel guilty or something? Jarrett just did not see it. There were times when he wished that there was some sort of punishment for her, to know how much it hurt him just to look at her. He didn't even want to talk to her anymore. He mostly stayed in his room, watching TV and having a cold one. Although there were some times when he came out to talk to Valera, while she was going to be searching for her own place to live. Jarrett was not exactly comfortable with that, but he would have to get over it. She wanted to go travel some in Europe, since that was where their family was originally from, and he could not keep her from that. Hell if he tried, she would just rebel even more against him. Valera only wanted to go to England, and that was all. Although he did hear her speak of New Zealand to visit with their sister, Taralynn, and her boyfriend, Azerail. He would rather not think about that though. Taralynn was heavily pregnant, and Jarrett was just now thinking of accepting it. He was looking forward to becoming an uncle.

The man looked at the time and noticed that Astoria was taking an awful long time in the bathroom, and he needed to go shower before flooing off to go to practice with his team. He needed to get into his uniform, and he needed to get into the bathroom, since that had all of his gear in there, ready to be worn. Jarrett finished off his beer and crushed the can. He tossed it into the waste bin in his bedroom before getting off of his bed and opening up the bedroom door. He walked down to the bathroom door, finding it closed. Just as he was about to knock, he could have sworn he heard something weird, but he could not place it for the life of him. Rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses, he brought his hand up to knock on it, and he waited for the woman to get out of the bathroom. Once the door was open, he looked down at her, and she seemed to be upset or something. However she did look composed so he did not ask right away. "You done? I need to get ready." His voice was not the same as he had used toward her before the whole sleeping affair. He had changed it. It was monotone, uncaring. It was his way of concealing and bottling things up until he exploded. It was the only way he could deal with what was going on. Jarrett waited for her to move to get out of the bathroom, and his eyes washed around the room. He thought that there was something off, but he just did not know. He looked back down at Astoria, and waited for her to let him into the bathroom, so he could leave to go practice with the team, which was in several hours. He just wanted to be early.​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

Astoria stood in the doorway, feeling completely vulnerable and weak. All she wanted to do was run into Jarrett's arms, explain what was going on and then beg him to make it all better. After today, Astoria knew that nothing was going to be the same. Jarrett wouldn't look at her the same, Tristane wouldn't look at her the same, no one would look at her the way they once did. Astoria had long since decided that she must speak to Tristane. There was no way she could still marry him if she was going to have another man's baby, even if she knew it was going to hurt to let him go when he was so good to her. It took Astoria a moment to find her voice, but eventually she found herself able to say something back to Jarrett. "Yeah, sorry." Ever since the day they had hooked up, he wasn't the same towards her and Astoria didn't blame him one bit. However, he did somewhat use her as a way to hurt Tristane, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Jarrett had won the war because Tristane and Astoria weren't going to be getting the happy ending she had been praying for. Astoria moved out of the way and let him into the bathroom so he could do his business. Meanwhile, Astoria wondered into the kitchen, hoping to find some water so she could get the taste of vomit from her mouth, and fight back the nausea she was feeling. Once she had her bottle of water and a wet rag, Astoria wandered into the living room and collapsed onto the couch, her body worn from a morning of hanging over the toilet. This really sucked, why did this happen to her of all people?

"I need to find the perfect time to tell Jarrett, and then find a way to tell Tristane. This sucks. I was so ready to get married, I thought for sure that this would be it. I guess that's what I get counting my chickens before they hatch." A sighed escaped Astoria's lips as she took off the cap and gulped some water. She still felt like she was going to be sick, but she fought it. A large amount of time went by, before she heard the door to the bathroom finally open up. Jarrett must have been done. The moment he entered the living room, Astoria sat up. Should she tell him now? It was probably pretty easy for him to see that something was up, he was good at reading her. "Jarrett-" Astoria began, but as luck would have it, an enormous wave of nausea overcame Astoria. The brunette immediately clapped a hand to her mouth and bolted to the bathroom where she promptly retched into the toilet several times. "There's nothing else in my stomach to throw up, so you might want to chill in there." Astoria thought to herself, mentally wondering if her baby even realized that. Pretty soon she'd probably be hungry too. Astoria emerged from the bathroom, clearly moping at the condition she was in at the moment. Astoria went to the kitchen this time, and found a stool so that she could sit and rest her face on the counter, which was cool to the touch. Astoria wondered what Jarrett was thinking after that, or if he even cared. Chances were that he went back to his room to hang out before work. Astoria needed to figure out what she was going to do and how, she only had so much time before people began to notice her gaining weight. ​

 

[Jarrett Vyhnal]

Jarrett looked down at her and wondered if she was ever going to move. He hoped so, since standing in her presence was making him want to pick her up and tell her that he was sorry about the things he said, but he remembered that she was engaged to another man, that man was not him. He had to remember that, and there was no way he could talk to her normally. She was getting married, and he would back off and no longer intervene. He could not for the sake of his sanity, what little he had left. However her hesitation was a bit suspicious. He was not able to think of any reason why other than perhaps her guilt weighing her down. Whatever it was, he did not care. He just wanted to be at practice, several hours early so he can get away from this house and her. It was temporary, but he wanted it. He needed a break from everything and Quidditch was just the way to do it. She had apologized, and moved out of the way so that he could go into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him, and he got ready for Quidditch with a quick shower since his hair needed it. He would take two showers today but other than that, he did not mind. He got dressed in his Quidditch attire and he hoped that he would not get into a fight with Ozias. They were not exactly enemies but they were not exactly friends either. Well, actually he would call Ozias his enemy after all the pain that the Zhefarovich had caused him. It was bad enough that Taralynn was having that brother of Ozias’ kid. But in a way he also looked forward to it. Sighing, he looked into the mirror and thought that he was good enough to go.

The Quidditch player opened the door and he walked out of the bathroom. With slow steps, he walked into the living room to see that Astoria sat up at the sight of him. Was she appalled or something? Surely she had seen him in his uniform multiple times. There was something up since he had never seen her act like that before in his life. What was going on? She was just acting so very strange. He was about to ask what was going on, but she said his name, and then she clapped a hand to her mouth and bolted to the bathroom. Jarrett looked back and wondered if just talking to him made her sick to her stomach. He shrugged and thought that it might be a bug or something. What else could it be? She went into the kitchen and he could see her within it, and followed her in. Astoria was sitting on a stool, and resting her face on the counter. He leaned on the fridge before he asked, "What is up with you today? If I knew any better, with how many times you have been sick, I would say that you were pregnant or something." Jarrett opened the fridge up and he got out a soda, which was different from the bottles of beer that he would normally be drinking. He opened the can up and he brought the drink to his lips. He had no idea that Astoria was actually pregnant. It was just the morning sickness that she was enduring that made him think that since he heard complaints countless times from teammates. He waited in the kitchen for her to explain what is going on with her. He knew what was wrong with him, but not he needed to see what her deal was. "Are you sick or something?"​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

Astoria wanted to cry once she heard Jarrett’s voice come into the kitchen, asking her what was wrong. She had been hoping for more time to plan out when and how she was going to tell him, but apparently planning wasn’t going to be an option for her. Astoria even heard Jarrett suggest pregnancy, but she doubted he had any idea that she really was. After a couple of long moments passed, Jarrett questioned Astoria by asking if she was sick or something. Face still pressed against the chilled tile of the countertop, Astoria shook her head softly. Technically she wasn’t sick. The little baby growing inside of her was the one causing all of this morning sickness, and apparently the awful sickness would eventually cease. But Astoria couldn’t lie and say that she was sick when she truly wasn’t. "I might as well just break the news to him now" Head still pressed up against the countertop, Astoria brought a hand down into her pockets and felt around. Eventually she found the familiar feeling of the pregnancy test and pulled it out of her pocket to set down on the counter. Astoria pushed the positive test towards Jarrett so he could see for himself just what was wrong with her. "I’ve taken three. All the same." Astoria lifted her head and rested it on the palm of her hand, taking in Jarrett’s actions carefully. How was he going to react to this? So long as he didn’t start to yell, Astoria was pretty sure that she was prepared for anything. Now she needed to tell him that she and Tristane were officially done for in her books. There was no way she could marry him after this, it would be too cruel. Perhaps she and Tristane weren’t meant to be together after all.

"I’m ending things with Tristane. I can’t-…..I can’t marry him if I’m some other man’s baby. " Astoria sighed and used her fingers from the opposite hand to slide the engagement ring Tristane had given her off of her finger. The brunette lifted it up so her amber orbs could inspect it one more time before she scoffed and set it aside. Astoria had every intention of giving it back to Tristane when she officially broke things off with him. A million and one things were running through Astoria’s mind right now, so much that she actually had forgotten Jarrett was there for a brief moment. How on earth could she be a mom? Astoria had no parenting skills whatsoever. What was she going to do about her job? There was no way she could play Quidditch and be pregnant! But if she took a leave, what would she do about money? Astoria suddenly began to feel sick again. Perhaps this was her punishment for being such a bad person? Not the baby of course because Astoria already loved him or her unconditionally, but the god awful morning sickness she was suffering through right now. Astoria waited for a moment, and thankfully the nausea subsided. But her mind was still running rampant. Why hadn’t she and Jarrett used something the night they spent together? Astoria knew he had some stuff, but why didn’t they think to use it? "What am I going to do? I have no idea what I’m doing anymore." Astoria didn’t want to use the term ‘we’ when she question about what she was going to do. The last thing she wanted to do was force Jarrett into an equation he likely didn’t want to be into. After all, he must still hate her for what she had done. ​

 

[Jarrett Vyhnal]

Jarrett continued to wait for an explanation, and wondered if she was just hung over, really bad. He did not remember her drinking, so there was that thing. He honestly did not know what in the world was wrong with her. He continued to drink his soda until he raised an eyebrow when she brought her hand down to her pocket. He wondered what in the world she was doing before he figured that it was not important. He turned back to the counter, before he heard something clatter on the counter. His eyes went to the tabletop and he noticed something that looked like a stick. He approached the counter before he looked down at it. It was a pregnancy test. He knew what it looked like, and at first he thought it might have been Valera's. But she wasn't seeing anyone, was she? Jarrett started to think over it, and then Astoria spoke that she had taken three, and all three were the same. Positive. Did that mean that she was positive that she was pregnant, or that she was positive that she was not pregnant? Sometimes those things could mean something really weird. Like he knew. Then it dawned on him. Astoria was pregnant. With his child. He slowly set his drink on the counter and he murmured, "We are going to be parents?" At first he was shocked and there wasn't much going on when it came down to expressions before he managed to smile ever so softly. He liked that idea, and thought that since she is apparently pregnant with his baby, that meant that her and Tristane were through. But would she see it that way? What if she wanted an abortion? Then he would lose his only child, or fetus, and then she was off to marry fairy boy.

The Quidditch player could have leaped with joy when she said that she was ending things with Tristane, since she was carrying another man's baby. That was just further evidence that she was having his baby. Jarrett could not have been happier, but he was hiding his smile. She was just devastated right now. She even took the engagement ring off. "Well, it is fair, I guess. I'm sorry for ruining things between you guys. I was just really jealous, and well..." He faded off, since he was not about to say that he really liked her. It was a given anyway. It seemed obvious that he liked her, and maybe even more than that. Jarrett knew that he could not handle jealousy very well anyway. He sighed and wondered what was going on and whatnot. What was she could to do other than leave Tristane? Would she even consider giving them another chance? After all, they did create life. She asked what she was going to do, and that she had no idea what she was going to do anymore. Jarrett noticed that she was not including him in it, but he didn't know if she wanted him to be included or not. That was the thing. How was he supposed to tell? Jarrett sighed and he spoke, "Well, for one, you are going to get advice from my sister on how to deal with pregnancy since this morning sickness is knocking you off of your ass. I'll call your coach and explain things. You'll have to take a leave, since I don't want a bludger to kill our blood." He softly placed his hand on her shoulder, and wondered why he was suddenly being nice to her after everything she did. Well, it could be worse. For now, she really needed some help.​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

Astoria held her breath as she patiently waited for Jarrett to say something to her. She wasn't even fully sure if he understand what was going on since he hadn't said a single word to her yet. Even when he was in a good mood, Jarrett had the tendency to be loud and vocal about things. The longer he was quiet, the more nervous Astoria became too. What was he thinking right now? Then he murmured something about the two of them being parents, and it ended as if he was asking her if that was the case. "Looks to be that way." Astoria replied nervously. He wasn't going to yell at her? He didn't look mad at all actually. In fact, Astoria thought she could even see the faintest of smiles forming onto his face. Astoria wasn't used to him being so calm about anything. A moment passed by before Astoria finally heard Jarrett say something about Tristane. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was going to be happy about that one. Astoria listened to him explain about him being jealous and how he thought that he was the one who ruined things between them. Astoria furrowed her eyebrows and snorted softly. "Jealous of what? Anyways, don't worry about it. I was waiting for things to fall apart on me, they always do. It was only a matter time of time before this one did too." Astoria softly rolled her eyes. She had no idea what Jarrett was jealous about, but it couldn't have been that good. Tristane was far from perfect, why was that so hard for Jarrett to see for himself? Astoria glanced at the ring sitting on the counter woefully. At some point or another she planned to bring the ring back to Tristane and that was when she would end it with him. A ring as pretty as that deserved to be given to somewhat who wasn't going to cheat on him or hurt him like Astoria had done plenty of times within the past couple of months while being with Jarrett like she was.

"I already planned to take leave in the first place, so I guess that's a definite. As for talking to Taralynn, not just yet. We need to figure out what we're going to do before we say anything to anyone." Astoria explained, as she felt Jarrett place a hand on her shoulder. Were they going to keep the baby, give it up for adoption, would Jarrett want to be involved in the child's life, etc. All that sort of stuff needed to be discussed before anything happened. Basically, Astoria was giving Jarrett the option to back out now if he wanted to. He didn't seem like the type, but she wanted to at least give him the option so he didn't feel like he was being forced into anything. Being a parent was going to be a lot of work, and since Astoria and Jarrett fought over even the littlest of things, she could only imagine how worse it might get with them being stressed over a baby all the time. "I'll need to find a doctor too....god I still feel sick. This sucks." Astoria sighed. Across the counter she could see the coffee pot still turned on and brewing away, and suddenly a soothing cup of coffee sounded wonderful right now. The brunette was blissfully unaware that caffeine wasn't recommended for pregnant women. Just as Astoria was about to reach across and grab the pot of coffee, she felt someone smack her hand. Out of shock, Astoria's mouth fell open and she stared at Jarrett, the only one who could have done it. "Dude, what was that for?" Astoria sort of wondered if Jarrett had just done it just to be a pain in her butt, since he had yet to do that today. To her, she figured it would be like a daily goal for him. ​

 

[Jarrett Vyhnal]

Jarrett at first did not know what to say to Astoria. Just the fact that they were going to be parents was enough of a shock for him. But it was a good shock at the same time. He wanted to be a father. He just did not expect to be one anytime soon, and not while he was still angry over so much. He just did not want to leave behind his unborn child, or once it was born, like his parents had left him. He remembered how nice they were, but why did they have to go and get themselves killed? Why did they not think of them? "Well, um, that is some good news for once." Jarrett shrugged his shoulders, trying to hide that smile but it was impossible for him to hide it. He was getting giddy. The shock was wearing off and he realized just how much he wanted to be a father, and it was a bonus that he managed to knock up Astoria too. No one would have guessed that they would ever have children together. The issue was, she was with another man. And he was with no one. Even the flings with Freya were long since over. Jarrett let out a sigh and wondered if she even remembered the lake thing, when they kissed after she was engaged. Everything that was said there. He sighed and he explained, "Remember back at the lake? I know you overheard that speech. Just think about it and it will come to you as to why I was so jealous. Things fall apart when it is not meant to be. You can’t think that everything will." Jarrett hoped that she would not lose hope at all. He hoped that she might actually consider the two of them one day, and this time he would not mess it up. He would have to ask around on how to be a boyfriend though since he had no idea how to do it. But that was pushing it a fair bit. After all, she was still with that one man anyway. Chances were, he would still be as perfect as ever.

"Well, if you want to have an abortion, I cannot really tell you what you want to do with your body, you know? I would prefer the baby being kept since I do not want to abandon it like what our parents did." They both had really bad parents (or at least Jarrett labeled his parents as bad). That was mostly the reason why he wanted to keep the baby, but it was overall Astoria’s choice. He would not tell her what she would have to do. He just hoped that she would not do that. It was weird to think that his sister was having a baby and now Astoria was. If Valera turned out pregnant, he would flip out. There would be too many Vyhnals born around the same time! The moment that she said that she needed a doctor, he nodded in agreeance since she did need one. Didn’t all pregnant women need to have doctors check up on their bodies and something like that? Jarrett was not sure, but he knew what pregnant women could and could not have. And then she even reached for some coffee! Shaking his head, he reached over and smacked her hand. He thought that she knew better than that! Pregnant women were not supposed to have caffeine! She should have known better! And then she asked him what was that for. He sighed and he said, "Pregnant women are supposed to stay away from caffeine. No coffee for you. If you need something that will wake you up, try some tea without caffeine." He smirked a bit since he knew that Astoria would not be happy over that. However she did not have a lot to be happy over right now. Ending things with Tristane and then raising a baby if she chose to have it.​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

Astoria still couldn't deny that she was surprised. Jarrett was showing her a new side of himself that he wasn't used to. It was good thing to see that Jarrett was capable of softness though. "You look really happy about this. I'm not going to lie, it's nice to see you smiling every once and awhile." Did that mean he had wanted kids someday or was it because it was Astoria having them? Astoria had a big feeling that it had to do with him knowing that Astoria and Tristane were about to call their relationship a quits because of the baby. But it could easily be something else too. Jarrett wasn't that bad of a guy, even if he had some of the worst anger problems Astoria had ever seen. Astoria heard Jarrett sighed, and quickly she readied herself for something she might not want to hear. He reminded her at the night of the camping trip, and how he had given a speech that he knew she heard. That was the key to knowing what Jarrett was jealous about apparently. Astoria thought back to that day carefully, but the only thing she could honestly remember was the kiss the had shared. A thought rushed over her. Maybe it was because Jarrett liked her? "Is it because you have feelings for me or because you don't like feeling inferior to Tristane all of the time?" Astoria wanted to know. What was more real for him, the fact that he liked her or the fact that he felt so threatened by Tristane that he couldn't stand it? Astoria would like to think that it was possible feelings for her, but it wasn't it a perfect world and Astoria knew she couldn't always get what she wanted and when she wanted it.

"I definitely plan on keeping the baby. I would never-well you get the point. I don't think I'm going to be all that good of a mom, but I can figure that I can learn." Astoria could never even keep her fish alive, so how on earth could she could on herself to keep a child alive and healthy? Astoria had already planned to buy as many books as she could so she would know everything she needed to know. But there was still so much she didn't know. Like what she needed to buy, what kind of doctor she needed to see. Or even how Jarrett could be involved. Did he need to come with her to the doctor's and stuff like that? Or should he help her buy stuff and pick out names? Astoria wondered if he would prefer to have a boy or a girl. Astoria didn't care either way. Astoria glared at Jarrett when he told her that she wasn't allowed to have coffee. "Are you serious? Jarrett, I need caffeine! I'm so tired! Don't make me suffer like this for nine whole months." Could anyone really be that cruel as to deny a tired person a chance to wake up and feel less like passing out every waking minute? Didn't Jarrett have an ounce or remorse for her? Surely a little bit of caffeine couldn't be too bad for the baby? Astoria didn't know if she could handle feeling sick all the time and not having coffee to keep her awake and less groggy. The look on his face revealed it all and Astoria groaned tiredly. The nausea was beginning to go away though, so at least she had that to appreciate. Hopefully it didn't come back for awhile though so she could enjoy some food. ​

 

[Jarrett Vyhnal]

Jarrett looked over at her when she said that he looked really happy, and how it was nice to see him smiling every once and a while. Well, this could be the start of a bunch of smiles for all that she knew. He wanted babies, and he wanted a lot of them one day. Then again a lot was like, three to him. "I kind of always wanted to be a dad. So yes, I am going to be smiling a bit more. About time something around here goes in a good direction." Knocking up an engaged woman was not the best thing, but it was still something in his favor and he really enjoyed it. Jarrett really wanted to tell Astoria that he and her were just meant to be even over their large disputes even after they were consumed with the agony of their past. It was something that they could both grow and learn from. It was something that he was willing to conquer for her. Jarrett then wondered why he would care that much. Oh yeah, she was pregnant with his kid, and he would have to grow up and get over things to be a good father. Astoria hit the nail on the head with the question, and Jarrett wondered if he would spill now or let her think over it. Well, he might as well tell her if she could not remember. "Yes it is because I have feelings for you. And I feel a little inferior to Tristane, but the feelings are much stronger. I feel like we could get along if it was not for my feelings, you know? He does seem like a nice guy." Jarrett had to force the last part but he was being honest with her. And it was feeling better to being honest.

"Thanks for not being heartless and all. Well, if you want me to be around and stuff, I can help you learn. I raised my siblings, so raising a kid should not be that difficult. But if you want to go through it alone, I can understand that too. After all, my temper cannot be good for the kid." Jarrett never referred to it as a fetus, but an actual child. With the label of kid, he would not get the gender confused once he learned what it was. He would want to go with her to see the doctors, to hear the heartbeat for the first time, everything seemed to be exciting but terrifying at the same time. He wondered if this was how Azerail was feeling with Taralynn and his baby. From what he had heard, they were having a boy. Astoria started to whine a bit about not having caffeine, and how she was so tired. She did not even see how cute she was when she was like this. Jarrett shook his head and he replied with a soft smirk, "I am serious, and you will find other ways to wake up. Ice water might help, milk, something healthy." He wondered if he had anything healthy in the house. Probably not. So he would have to go shopping for preggo woman stuff. That seemed like fun. As long as he could go get something to eat before going to practice. In fact he wanted her to come to practice with him. "Hey, um, want to join me for my practice? You can sit on the bleachers and watch. Unless you want to go see Tristane today about what happened."​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

It had been some hours since Astoria had revealed her pregnancy to Jarrett, and now she needed to talk to Tristane. There was no way she could stay with him if she was going to be having some other man's baby. It wasn't fair to either of them. Astoria brushed aside some of her hair and stared down at her stomach for a brief moment. Although there was barely a sign that there was a baby in there, Astoria knew that she needed to give this baby the best life that she possibly could, and that meant that she needed to let Tristane go. It was going to hurt, especially to see the look on his face, but maybe if she was honest with him and apologized for everything she had done, he might hurt less than if she lied about it. Astoria had been in Tristane's house a number of times, but this happened to be the first time that she had realized just how many people he had lurking about in it. Astoria had spent most of the afternoon with Jarrett, so maybe she did remember that there was a lot of people in Tristane's house, but she was just so frazzled by the earlier events of the day that she had forgotten what it was like here.

Astoria thought she heard Tristane's voice from around the corner, and headed in that direction. As she rounded it, she saw his familiar form. He looked a bit different today, but nothing was too out of the ordinary. Maybe just a deeper voice or something. Astoria wasn't stood in the hallway, observing the man she had grown to care for during the past couple of months. He didn't seem to notice her, but that was fine. He could finish talking to whomever he was talking to. The news she had would be something he would need to sit down for. Astoria kind of wondered what he was talking about, but was it really any of her business? Astoria needed to think of what she should say to him once she had his attention. This wasn't just something she could blurt out. Astoria needed to lay it out as gently as she could. Astoria felt her stomach lurch painfully, and suddenly Astoria brought her hand to her mouth. Luckily, the nausea faded not even a minute or two later. The last thing she needed was to vomit all over ​

 

[Tylien Matthias]

After recently coming home from Russia, Tylien Matthias was not pleased with the way everything was running. Troxa was gone over to Arman's house because he had knocked up a girl, and Sethos was back and running the brothers. Tylien did not agree with that, and often, Tylien put Sethos in his place. There was so much more to Tylien. His brother, Tristane, might have been an angel, but Tylien was everything but an angel. Tylien was looking to move out and have his own life, while remaining in control of his brothers even though Sethos would have to disagree with him. Tylien could hear some chatting, and he lifted his bottle of firewhiskey to his lips as he could hear Tristane and Terence talk. He could hear Tristane somewhat distraught, and then hear those words that almost made Tylien choke on his drink, "I can't believe I did something like that, Terence. I ended up giving up my virginity to Liliana, not Astoria. I cheated and I feel so horrible. I love Astoria so much, but I think I fell in love with Liliana." Tylien then heard Terence say which made him roll his eyes, "Well, it must have been an accident. Astoria and you might not have meant to be. You should tell her before you two tie the knot. Maybe she'll understand."

Tylien stepped into the hallway and he noticed a figure down the hall. Taking another drink from the bottle, he narrowed his eyes upon the amber eyed girl. She was definitely not one of Matthias' at all. First of all, the only girls were either young and blonde, or Nadine and Nina who rarely came around. So this had to be Astoria. As someone that studied in the medical field, he could somewhat tell that she was sick, and wondered if there was something wrong with her. "Morning sickness?" Tylien raised an eyebrow and he smirked. "By the way, it is exceedingly rude to eavesdrop." Tylien was pretty positive that this was Astoria. Although he could be wrong, but he was positive right now from the description since once Tristane could not stop talking about her in his obnoxious letters. Tristane was a lovesick moron who managed to screw up with some half-breed, as he had once heard something from another brother mumbling about. He knew that Tristane once liked Liliana, but never would have guessed to do what he did while engaged. However, he had a feeling that both parties were not as into each other as they were all led on to believe.​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

Astoria was still unable to tell that the man before her wasn't Tristane. He looked just like him! So as far as she was aware, this was her Tristane and she needed to speak to him before she lost the courage to do so. Astoria was about to open her mouth and say something to him, but he wound up speaking first. He asked if she had morning sickness, and Astoria froze. So he did know. Might as well come out with it now. "H-how did you know?" Astoria wasn't going to bear around the bush anymore. She was indeed pregnant and by asking how he knew she was pretty agreeing to the fact that she had morning sickness affecting her. But how did Tristane find out so quickly? Astoria and Jarrett had told no one about her condition. Plus, he wasn't a doctor or anything. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I was waiting for you to notice me so we could talk. Sorry." Astoria apologized. Though she sort of lied, because she wasn't sorry. Astoria wasn't even fully sure that she was was eavesdropping since she had heard none of the conversation going on. Her mind was running too rampant for her to hear anything juicy. But now she had a bit of juicy news of her own to spill before she chickened out and he found out some other way.

"Look, we need to talk. I know you're probably going to hate me for this, but I feel like I should tell you. It's the right thing to do." Still not realizing that this wasn't Tristane she even pulled out the ring he had given her and showed it to him. The fact that it wasn't on her finger right should be a good sign that this engagement of theirs was about to come to a sudden end. Astoria wanted to wait for him to react before she went on. He might be able to get the idea without her giving him the entire story, and if that was the case he probably didn't want to hear whatever it was she had to say. A part of Astoria wish that Jarrett were here, because she was sure that he would be able to explain this better than Astoria. Then again he might also pick a fight with Tristane so maybe it was the best thing that he wasn't here. Astoria held the ring out, wanting Tristane to take it from her so he could give it to someone that wouldn't go out and do this to him. Astoria and Tristane apparently just weren't meant to be. ​

 

[Tylien Matthias]

Astoria asked how he knew, and he raised an eyebrow. So, morning sickness was pregnancy in this case. Well, it was called morning sickness for pregnant women but he was simply going by if she felt bad. Well, that confirmed that theory. And the baby was definitely not Tristane's. "I just know these things," mused Tylien as he wondered if Astoria thought that this was Tristane, his slightly younger twin brother. Then the amber eyed woman said that she was not eavesdropping and how she waited for him to notice her so that she could talk. And she apologized. Tylien raised an eyebrow and lifted a bottle of firewhiskey to his lips and took a drink of it. Once he knew that he had no more of the liquid in his mouth, he said, "You were waiting for me? Sorry to keep you waiting, Astoria." This could be fun, since now he was positive that she thought that he was the other twin. This could really be fun for him. He could pretend to be Tristane for a limited amount of time. After all, he was buzzed enough to play the kind card game before losing his patience and tolerance.

His golden eyes looked to the ring as she said that he might hate her for this. Knowing what was happening, Tylien could not resist thinking, 'I don't hate you. Tristane might, but he doesn't have any room for that hate for all this love going on between two girls, does he?' The engagement was over, and Tristane was not even here to see it happening. "So, you cheated, got pregnant and now you are returning the engagement ring. I assume this is all over, and I could never hate a precious being like yourself. I think that we can have at least one last kiss, can't we?" Tylien reached out and took the ring as he stepped forward. Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers, knowingly that if she kissed Tristane enough, she would know that this was definitely not her once beloved. He gripped the engagement ring into his fist, and knew that this might end up with a slap, but that was hot too. Once Tylien pulled away, there was a cold smirk on his face. One that definitely belong on the face of his angelic twin brother. After all, if she really loved Tristane, wouldn't she have noticed that this was just not him?​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

A lot of people probably figured Astoria to be sort of dumb. She wasn't quite sure why some got that impression of her, but it would seem as if she had the reputation of being a bratty princess who had no brains of her own. Sadly, they were very incorrect. Astoria might have been a brute in most cases, but she wasn't in the least bit stupid. In fact, she was able to pick up 'Tristane's odd behavior almost instantly. But sadly she couldn't quite place why he was acting in such a way. He didn't seem mad about the pregnancy at all. He might have been sweetheart, but Astoria had been sure that he would have reacted badly towards it. "Something is definitely not right." Astoria was tempted to ask Tristane what his deal was, but then he mentioned something about one last kiss. After taking the ring, Astoria was both shocked and horrified to find his lips crashing roughly onto her own. It was the kiss itself that brought Astoria to realize that the man in front of her was not the man she had become engaged to. Now she just needed to figure out who this was and why on earth they looked exactly like Tristane.

All of a sudden, Astoria's hand flew out to roughly slap the man across the face. Hopefully the force was enough to cause some sort of pain too. "Who the f*ck are you?! Give me my damn ring back too! You're not Tristane, so I'd like to know who you are, and why you seem so amused and giddy about this? Obviously I cheated on someone you must know or hold dear since you look like him, so shouldn't you be mad as well?" The fact that this guy didn't seem alarmed at all that Tristane had been cheated on was alarming all by itself. Astoria wanted her ring back though. It belonged to Tristane, and no one else but him was going to get it in the end. Astoria was worried, if she hadn't told her former fiance about the whole baby and Jarrett thing, then who on earth did she just tell? Was he a friend or was he someone that she couldn't trust? She did slap him, so chances were high that he wasn't going to be as friendly to her as he was a couple of moments ago. ​

 

[Tylien Matthias]

The slap to the face managed to bring Tylien into the fact that Astoria realized just who he was, or rather, who he was not. He was definitely not the man that she was engaged to. He was not one of those sweethearts. He looked to the side and then held his hand to his face where the slap had landed. Wow, that woman had a hand on her. That was one mighty slap, and it was quite hot if he could say so himself. She probably would not appreciate that much though. Tylien held the ring in his hand before he gripped it, an evil smirk crawling its way to his lips. “I am Tristane’s brother, Tylien. His older twin actually. I am surprised that he did not tell you that he looked just like me. Though, his mind does seem to be preoccupied with his own issues as of the moment.” The act was definitely gone now. Good, he did not know just how long he could have kept that up. Tristane was hard to act as because he did not know how to be good all of the time. It was plain exhausting. He did not know how Tristane was naturally that way.

“Sure you might have cheated, but Tristane is not an angel either. Although, I think it would be best that you two sort these things out now before you two have one really bad marriage. Well, assuming that this is in my possession, you were going to call it off anyway.” Tylien was anxious to see this unfold in front of him. So he turned his head back and he yelled in the direction of where Tristane and Terence were speaking, “Tristane! Astoria is here to see you!” Laughing, he stepped to the side of the hall to see Tristane emerge from the room and Terence as well, before the latter left without saying a word to Tylien but waving in Astoria’s direction. Once Tristane was in front of his soon to be ex-fiancee, Tylien held out the engagement ring to Tristane before he said, “Here. She wanted to give this to you. By the way, she is a damn good kisser. Her slap, on the other hand, was better.” He rubbed his cheek before he left the hallway to let the drama unfold. He knew that this was going to blow up in Tristane’s face, so he was quite satisfied with what he had done.
​

 

[Astoria Vyhnal]

Astoria suddenly found herself before her fiance, and anger began to boil within her body. Her heart ached at the very thought of him being disloyal was well. Astoria knew she wasn't perfect, and she was planning to admit to him what she had done. But the part that made her feel the most sick, was the fact that Tristane made himself seem so angelic and true, and in the end he was just as bad as the rest of them. Astoria flipped Tylien one last time before he left, and then turned again so she could look at Tristane. "Please tell me it's not true." Astoria practically begged Tristane. The ring that was his hands, would definitely not be returning to her finger ever. The whole era of he and Tristane had ended the moment she and Jarrett had kissed. Chances were high that it never belonged to her in the first place. The brunette managed to fight back tears for a few seconds, before they began to build up within her eyes. The look in his face said it all. Astoria wanted to slap Tristane, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything but cry. Why was this breaking her heart so much? Oh yes, because not even the most pure of angels could love her.

"I was stupid to believe someone even as pure hearted as you could love me. I must be cursed. I came to tell you about Jarrett and I-but I'm sure you already know. I bet you've known for awhile." Astoria brushed some of her hair away from her face, and wiped away the tears that had begun to fall. It was probably the pregnancy hormones that were making her a crying mess like this, but she wad determined to try and pull herself together. "I can't believe that you'd.....never mind. I'm giving your ring back. I hope you give it to her.....and be happy. Goodbye Tristane. Have a nice life, jerk." Astoria knew she was just as bad as she was, and she was a jerk too. That was why she wished him happiness. They had both done wrong, so they both needed to move on and fix their lives. Tristane could be with the girl he loved, and Astoria would try to make a perfect life for her baby. Now she just needed to set her affairs in order. Turning away from Tristane, she entered through the door and exited without another glance. She feared that if she did, she would want to stay. ​

 

[Tristane Matthias]

Tristane seemed utterly confused, but when he looked down at her stomach when she begged him to tell her that it was not true. He looked down at the engagement ring in his hand, and wondered why she had come here in the first place, to give him the ring back. He would have expected it after what he had done, but for her to do that... This made him wonder something. It was just apparent that the two just did not work. But as soon as she went on about Jarrett and her, he narrowed his eyes. 'Jarrett? Wait, she has been cheating on me with him this whole time?' Someone as naive as him finally understood why she waited so long to move in with him. "I wouldn't really be talking. The whole time... Perhaps we were both just as bad as the other." Tristane pocketed the ring. He did love Astoria, but it was not enough. Just knowing that she had cheated on him, probably from the moment they were an item, it was heartbreaking. Perhaps he knew about it subconsciously. A part of him had been suspicious about Jarrett and Astoria, how they were still living together during his former engagement. However, that was long gone now. It drove him to someone that he really wanted to be with. Someone he might just be in love with. Sighing, he walked from the hallway, tossing the engagement ring into the trash. If he ever proposed to Liliana, it would not be with the ring that was once on the finger of someone who destroyed his trust completely. Perhaps, not everyone as as good as he thought they were. Even he failed that test.​

---

Fin​