Aberrant: Stargate Universe - [AU] Handling the Heat [Complete]

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Ok," she said, resting her head on his chest. His heart pounded in her ear, and she smiled. "Just tell me what word offends next time, and I'll avoid it." She still felt sick and shaky, but she pushed gently away from him. "Need to call Dad and set up dinner, and then I think I'm going to take a nap. You can join me, or you can check out a television that has channels in English." She grinned at him.

As he considered his options, Liv called her dad back. "So, you win," she said when her mom answered. "We'll have dinner with you guys."

"Alright!" Delayah's enthusiasm was contagious and Liv found herself grinning. "So, we'll be there at seven o'clock. You and Vinny can choose, so be thinking about what you want. And we'll get Wakiki and Jolena - they want to meet him too."

"So the entire Berkeley branch of the Jenings-Izumi clan, huh?" Liv queried, glancing at Vinny.

"Of course," Delayah replied. "Everyone wants to meet him."

"Be gentle," Liv said, her voice full of mock-warning.

"Oh, honey... I don't know what you mean," her mother laughed. "See you soon."

"'Don't know what you mean' my ass," Liv laughed, hanging up. A thought occurred to her and she looked at her boyfriend/fiance-to-be/father of her child. "Are we telling them tonight, or letting them get to know you first?"

[Forge]

"Oh darlin', tonight would probably be best. After they get my first impression, then we can really scare the shit out of them when they find out you are carrying my child."

Fuckin' see who' gentle to who. Clan my ass.

He got up and walked over to Liv, "Now, how about that nap, still not adjusted to Cali-time and after so many hours of Al-Jazeera, TV holds no fuckin' interest anymore."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Alright then," Liv said, smiling and taking his hand. She led him into the bedroom, half-expecting that 'naptime' would turn into 'sextime'. Instead, he seemed to be truly tired, because he just curled her around him and settled back, falling asleep quickly. She wasn't far behind; she was exhausted from vomiting and building a baby. Her hand slipped to her stomach at the thought; she knew it was real, but it didn't yet feel real. There wasn't proof, beyond the test and the symptoms. She probably wouldn't feel it until she could feel the baby.

Taking his hand, she pressed it where her own had just been. He muttered and held her a little closer, and she pressed her hand to his. It was a wonderfully reassuring way to fall asleep.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Liv dressed up a little for dinner, foregoing the more comfortable jeans and t-shirt for a nice sundress. You should enjoy looking nice while you can, she told herself, because this baby will destroy your body. It was a depressing thought.

Her stomach churned, and as if it had sensed the arrival of her parents, the doorbell rang. She checked her appearance one last time as she stepped out of the bathroom, ready to get the door.

Vinny was already answering it. My man has balls, Liv thought with a bit of pride. Bill would have let her get it. Curious, Liv moved to see the looks on her parents' faces when they caught their first look at him. Both of them blinked as they looked up at him, clearly surprised by his height. Of course, Vinny was a large guy, and they were much closer to average.

Her father was only a couple of inches taller than Liv, and had a kind, smiling face stamped strongly with Japanese heritage. His short hair was just starting to gray, the black peppered lightly, but all his wrinkles looked like smile lines, as if he'd done nothing but smile his entire life. Her mother was the taller than both her husband and her daughter. Her hair was long and glossy, cut in a sophisticated yet professional style that implied an office job. "Vinny?" her mother asked, looking uncertain, then glanced past him and saw her daughter. She relaxed, laughing. "I was worried we'd forgotten your apartment number."

"Harou Izumi," her father said, offering a hand to the man easily half-a-foot taller than him. "Carh me Harhry." His accent was very noticeable, but he didn't seem to mind the difficulty.

"And I'm Delayah," her mother said, releasing her husband's hand to shake Vinny's. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

[Forge]

Having worked the international scene, negotiating with contractors too dumb to read blueprints, he was more than used to putting on the fake smile and playing nice during the meet and greet. So it came as a small surprise to Olivia as Vinny easily met them both and got them inside, though he did seem to keep good posture, excentuating his height and size.

Vinny nodded at Delayah in response to her identity question as he took Harry's hand in greeting, giving it a firm shake before taking his wife's in a similar grip.

"Great to finally meet the parents of such a smart and beautiful daughter. Come on in, though, actually, think we're ready to go...Darlin'?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Uhh, yeah," Liv said, using her hunt for her purse to mask her surprise. Who is this polite guy? As she grabbed her bag and moved next to him, she asked, "Is Wakiki in the van?"

"Yep," Delayah said. "They decided not to swarm you all at once. Let you get in the water slowly." She smiled as Liv took Vinny's arm, her hand sliding down to take his. She let go when they were outside to lock the door, then took it again as they went down to the parking lot.

In the blue van, a Japanese kid about Liv's age lounged in the back seat with a blond woman, his arm around her shoulders. When Vinny got in, Liv said, "This is my brother Wakiki and his fiance, Jolena."

They shook hands and exchanged greetings before settling into the middle seat. Liv sighed happily as she leaned against Vinny, still holding his hand. She was with her family, and at this moment, she felt oddly complete. It was a perfect, golden moment where all was right with the world.

That'd last until she told them about the baby.

"So, you guys know where you wanted to eat?" Delayah asked as Harry backed out of the spot.

"Say Dougie's," Wakiki muttered from the back seat. "Best steak in Berkeley."

[Forge]

"Liv's pregnant."

Two little words that held such power.

Two little words that brought the van to a sudden stop.

Two little words that sent the vehicle into a shocked silence, and all Vinny could do...was smile.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Liv had been leaning against him; after she recovered from her shock, she pulled away, staring at her man. "You..." she said, nearly sputtering, "you're going to be the death of me, if I don't kill you first."

The van exploded. "Olivia Sachi, what's he talking about?" Delayah demanded, right as Harry asked in Japanese, "What did he say?" From the very back, Wakiki started to laugh. "Oh, that was classic. Vinny, you're alright. Dumb, but alright." Jolena immediately said, "Wak, that's not helpful."

"Yeah, he's right," Liv said quietly, hiding a flinch, scowling at him. "Not the way I wanted you to find out."

"What?" Harry asked in Japanese, sounding lost.

"I'm making you a granddad, Dad," Liv said as bravely as she could. Behind them, someone laid on their horn. "Dad, you'd better drive or get off the road."

They lurched into motion, right as the giggling Wakiki added, "And you just had to be the first to give 'em the grandkids, huh?"

"Grandfather?" Harry mumbled, still in Japanese.

Delayah twisted around in her seat. "My baby's going to have a baby?" Her dark eyes were wet with tears.

"Uh, yeah." Liv smiled. "Didn't mean for it to happen, but yeah."

"So what are your plans? I mean now, with school and... everything?" the obviously emotional woman asked.

[Forge]

"First, we eat at Dougie's." Vinny said, clearly happy at the shocked reaction he caused. "Then we discuss, 'everything'. The car is not the place to be going on about such important topics...don't you think Liv?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Liv was still shooting daggers at him with her eyes, which only amused him more. "Oh, I don't know. We'll have more privacy here than in the restaurant." She looked at her mother. "I'm sticking with school. Things will be better if I finish and get my career started, so don't worry about that."

"Are you sure, hon?" Delayah asked. "Babies are a lot of work."

"I'm sure," Liv replied. "You were buy yourself for two years with me - if you can do it, I can."

"See, this is why they shouldn't cut sex education from the schools," Wakiki said, only to get an elbow in the ribs from Jolena. "Ow, what?"

"Wak, shut up," she said.

"Jus' sayin'," he mumbled, rubbing his side.

Delayah frowned but didn't say anything. After a moment, she took her husband's hand, holding it tightly. The van was silent to Dougie's, which looked like a converted house. Harry parked and everyone climbed out and headed in. They didn't have to wait long for a table.

They had their drink orders taken, and the moment the waiter was gone, Delayah said, "I understand that you are looking to my experiences for inspiration on this matter," she said to her daughter, "but I wouldn't have done it alone had I had a choice."

"Mom, I have Vinny," Liv said. "You didn't have that option. And I get that you want to help. But we're fine. I won't turn down babysitting, though."

"You could move home." Harry's suggestion was soft and hesitant. "It would save money; we be right there to herhp."

[Forge]

What am I? Fuckin' pickled ass?

"We'll do just fine, Harry." Conceited asshole, doesn't think I can take care of Liv....fuckin' show him.

He looked over at Wak, trying to exclude himself from the prenatal debate, "So Wak, whaddya do 'round here for entertainment...aside from farming hot chicks?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Dad, really, the last thing I want is to move home," Liv said, quirking an eyebrow. "We're not going to need to do it; I have my job, and Vinny will have one soon. We're going to be fine."

"And when the baby comes?" Harry pressed.

Liv sighed a little. "We'll deal. Wait until we have a problem before you start worrying about us, ok?"

"You know your father wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't worrying about something," Delayah said softly, touching her husband's arm lightly. They were such a mismatched couple, but that casual gesture and their exchanged glance spoke to their affection.

"Oh-kay," Harry said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I find something else to worry about. But you are staying in school?"

"Well, I'll have to skip next spring, I think," Liv admitted. "I did a rough guess, and I'll be having it around midterms. I'll probably just sit out that term and go back after."

Jolena flushed at Vinny's hot chick comment, and Wakiki put his arm around her. Smiling, he answered Vinny with, "In Berk, not that much unless you're fond of seminars on green living and hippy gatherings. But we've got a ton of stuff in the area - Oakland's always got something fun, and then there's San Fran across the bay. It really depends on what you enjoy. Music concerts, off-roading, base-jumping, browsing used book stores... what are you looking for?"

[Forge]

Vin grimaced at the mention of 'green' and 'hippy', but perked back up a little at the mention of more interesting fare.

"Weeelll, like to blow shit up...they got a range 'round here? Maybe a closed base or somethin'?"

He glanced over at Olivia's parents as he took a sip of water, noticing their quiet, and confused looks as he became the center of attention at the table.

"What? Did I fuckin' drool?"

Aww fuck, I swore.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

For a second, her parents looked rather unhappy. Then, Delayah's expression changed, relaxing a bit. "No, no drool," she said, smiling. "I just haven't met anyone who professed an interest in demolitions before," she said, propping a hand on her chin. "And actually, Berkeley has a bomb squad - not the city's police department, but the University. They've had one since about three months before the Unabomber started his attacks."

"Really?" Liv asked, blinking. "I didn't know that."

"Yep, I saw an article in the Daily Californian about it a while back. If you do have demolitions experience, I mean professional experience," Delayah said to Vinny, "you might want to look at employment with them, if that's really what you like doing."

"That's stopping shit from blowing up, Mom," Wakiki pointed out. "Vinny might want to find a local construction company, you know that are experts in bringing down buildings? That might be more interesting for him."

"Or he might like a job away from bombs and things that can kill and maim him," Liv said, intending it to be light-hearted and failing to actually be anything other than worried.

[Forge]

"Liv, driving a taxi is more dangerous that demolition work, no worries darlin', and actually, either of those jobs would start me in the right circles 'round here. Demo work tends to be a tight group of people, highly spec'd stuff ya know?" he answered, maintaining a serene calm with visible effort.

Liv could tell by the look on his face he was trying. But how long could the dam hold before it breached? The inevitable string of loud-mouthed debauchery had to come at some point.

"What about you two?" Vinny said, gesturing with his water at the Patron & Matron, "What keeps you two busy 'round here?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Harry smiled - who doesn't like to have someone take an interest in their work? "I teach Pacific Rim Studies at Berkeley, and I'm assistant director to our department's graduate program," he told Vinny, clearly proud of what he did. "My emphasis in on Japanese culture, naturally. Given Berkeley's proximity to the West Coast, we have many people interested in Asian Studies."

Delayah stepped in as he finished, "I'm a technical writer for a computer company in the Bay Area. I basically write instruction manuals for complex architectural computer programs. The programmers give me the notes and I make them into something that engineers can understand. Most of our clients are just learning what computers can do for them in their field. Or that's my job for a few more months. I'll be on to the next project when this is done. But it's always a case of taking geek-speak and turning it into something legible."

Vinny's potential breaking point came far too soon. Delayah meant only to return the interest that he'd shown them. He'd already told them something of what he did, so Delayah turned to a topic that was near and dear to her. "I bet your family is glad to have you back in the country. Where are they? I hope it's nearby - won't have to worry about you moving my baby far away from us." She gave Vinny a quick wink to show she was kidding.

Liv tried not to tense, but some warning must have flickered across her features, because Delayah's smile slipped a touch. Or maybe it was the look on Vinny's face. Whatever the cause, Liv slid her leg closer to him, so that he could take comfort in physical contact. Not that she expected him to take it; she expected him to pull away from her.

[Forge]

A mixture of anger and hurt flashed across his face at the mention of his family, but it was gone as fast as it appeared as Vinny put forth a stonewall blockade against the torrent of emotion.

Liv's assumption had been correct, as he pulled away instinctively as he felt her leg brush against his.

"Never knew I was fuckin' gone." he said, a familiar grimace on his face as he paused for a moment. "Rather not talk about it...please." he finished, the rare 'magic word' sounding strange on the otherwise gruff demeanored man.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Of course," Delayah said easily, cutting off other responses from her family and making it sound like a normal request. "Oh, look at that, appetizers are here," she added, nodding past Vinny at the approaching waitress. After that, the focus was food and the act of eating restored the good mood at the table for a while. The conversation turned to local news and interests, letting Vinny learn a little about his new home. As Liv had warned him once, he was in hippy hell.

[Forge]

Vinny sat back, a fair bit relaxed at having had his fill of a good meal and wishing he could light up a cigar. Contending with a toothpick instead, he managed to keep thoughts to himself of contrary views to the topics that came up and only to only mildly flirt with Jolena.

An offer was made to stop on the way home for an after-dinner coffee, but Vin politely begged off, claiming that he was still suffering from jet-lag, which was only partly false and the odd couple was dropped off in front of their building with hugs, handshakes and promises of phonecalls.

"So darlin, how'd I do?" Vinny asked, smirking as he looked over at Olivia, under the flickering orange glow of the building's front light.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Eating and being with her family had taken most of the edge off of Liv's earlier anger, but Vinny's request for an assessment brought all of that back. Still, she took a deep breath and managed to look amused as well as irritated when she answered, "Mostly fine," she said, putting her hands on her hips and returning his smirk. "Your style of breaking news needs work - a lot of work - but the please was a nice touch. I'll give you three and a half stars."

She turned and headed for the stairs, wondering how much they would suck later. A sudden thought occurred to her; she waited until she had the key in the door and they were nearly inside before she put voice to it. "But now I get to tell your mother, in a manner of my choosing." She ducked into their apartment and waited for the Vin-plosion.

[Forge]

Not the Hilton, but not a 'pay-by-the-hour' place either. He could deal with that rating, better than he was shooting for anyway.

Vinny's body went tight as every cord of muscle in his body went rigid. He leaned back against the door of the apartment to close it, his face staring down at the small linoleum entry.

His words were quiet and they held a raging heat right under the surface, "Over my fuckin' dead body is that bitch gonna know a damn thing. Don't even fuckin' go there. You know what she did..."

His mouth opened and closed a few more times as he struggled for the words. Not one used to explaining his feelings or giving justification in anything less than a string of cursing, he was finding himself speechless in the face of his child's mother.

Giving up, and hoping the point was made, he pulled off his shoes and shed his jacket onto the couch. In the same quiet voice he announced, "Gonna take a shower." He continued to work on disrobing as he took the short strides to the bathroom. He left a trail of clothing that deep in his subconscious, he wondered if it would lead back to a saner, less confusing time like some twisted Hansel & Gretel metaphor.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

There was, Liv admitted to herself as she watched her boyfriend strip and head off for a lonely shower, some rule in the Big Book of Relationships that said you shouldn't try to force your significant other to tell his mother that she was going to be a grandmother after she'd killed his father. The scars from that were obviously long and deep and not anywhere close to healed.

With a sigh, Liv stripped too, putting on more comfortable clothing. Feeling pent up and anxious, she cleaned up after Vinny for once, not realizing the breadcrumbs thoughts that had tantalized him earlier. But mostly, she thought about what to say to him when he got out.

He seemed to take a long time, which was good. It let her think. When he finally exited the bathroom, she was sitting on the bed, her legs crossed. She looked contrite as she said, "I don't understand why it bothers you so much. I know she killed your dad, but I don't know why, or why you haven't moved past it at all. And I add that, from a purely mean standpoint, letting her know that she's going to be a grandmother and then never letting her see her grandchild would be plenty of torture. Moms flip over grandkids.

"Regardless, this is clearly something I need to understand, so that I can stop hurting you," Liv continued. She swallowed, drew a deep breath and said, "So I'm going to be a bad girlfriend and ask you to share your feelings. Not just 'hate the bitch' but... everything."

[Forge]

The shower had given him time to let the subject drop and to move his mind to other things. He had been a good boy at dinner and with the parents...for the most part. Maybe there was a chance he was gonna get lucky tonight. Maybe he would get really lucky.

Paying particular attention to personal hygiene, he emerged from the steamy bathroom, not seeing his clothes encouraging his previous thoughts of an 'after-dinner chocolate'. The smell of his cologne wafted faintly over Olivia as she sat on the bed and proceeded to beat him with a emotional baseball bat.

Vinny sighed.

His shoulders slumped and he looked defeated as he fell onto the bed groaning, his hands over his face.

"You have got to be kidding. You can't be fuckin' serious." he lamented. "Stop hurting me by stop bringin' the shit up."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Liv just hung her head. That was pretty much the exact opposite of what she'd hoped for, but she already felt like too much of an ass to keep pushing. "Alright," she murmured softly, reaching out and tentatively taking his hand. "I'll stop. I'm sorry, sweetie. I got fixated on something. It's the reason I'm usually a good journalist and sometimes a bad friend, girlfriend, et cetera. Next time, tell me to let it go. I try to."

Vinny grunted in answer; Livy wasn't sure if that was good or not, but she lay down next to him anyway, snuggling close. He grunted again, a more satisfied noise, which gave her the courage to brush her fingers over his stomach. When she eased her fingers under the edge of the towel around his waist, his grunt became an extended rumble of content, and he finally dropped his hands. There was still some hurt in his eyes, but Liv knew just what to do about that. Smiling, she flipped his towel open and leaned over him, and worked to remove that pain from him.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The next several days established their routine. Liv had to return to work the next day, giving Vinny hours and hours alone to kick around and get to know his new home - and go a little stir crazy. Had he not followed Liv to the States, he'd be breaking ground on his next job; he wasn't used to not having the next project waiting for him.

Liv was getting more and more tired. Her arrival at home was usually the signal for an immediate nap. The nausea continued, but her schedule meant that she usually suffered from it at work, rather than in front of Vinny. She still loved the tiny life in her, with the blind, burning love that was the norm for her, but this was wearing her down. She tried to hide her grumpiness, but it was hard.

She tried particularly hard to push it aside on Vinny's seventh day in Berkeley. She had the day off, so he was dealing with her sickness first-hand. "How was your first week in Berkeley?" she asked him, sounding only slightly irritated instead of completely worn out and disgruntled.

[Forge]

Domestication was not suiting this wild and free personality at all. He had already consumed a roll of paper towels in plans and sketches on how better this building could be brought down with nary a stray pebble. He was doubly sure to dispose of them, lest anyone (Liv) find them and get the wrong idea.

"Fuckin' watchin' paint dry sounds like fine fuckin' livin'. Actually watched a goddamn cooking show today. A real, live, honest to fucking God, cooking show. Do you know what a compote is? Well I do! Fuckin' pathetic darlin'. I'm dyin' here. We gotta find something for me to do or the apartment is gonna start getting remodeled."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Liv swallowed her hormone-fueled irritation, remembering why he was here. "Ok," she said, nodding, "then tell me the kind of thing you want to do. Mom suggested some of the demolition teams in the area. Is that what you want to do? Or maybe school?"

She stepped around the corner of the island counter and put her arms around him. It was so comfy that she almost went to sleep right then and there. "Darling," she murmured into his chest, her voice blurred with sleepiness, "whatever you want or need to do to be happy is going to work for us, somehow. We can even... move."

He might be able guess that it had cost her, but he'd never know how hard it had even been to suggest leaving the city her family was in. "Is there a city that has something you're looking for? I mean, we'll have to make sure there's a school there for me, and it's going to be tight to get me into classes for the fall, but we can do it, if that's what you need."

She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Just don't move us somewhere crazy, ok? I demand plumbing, running water, in-house electricity and a real hospital. And somewhere I don't have to eat anything that came from a goat. So... tell me what you want."

[Forge]

Vinny laughed genuinely hard at her discomforting thoughts of eating goat...again. "No darlin'," he started, putting a comforting arm around her, "don't need to move yet. Just having trouble adjusting. Don't think school is a good idea. Can't handle that structured shit. Just need a job. Got an itch in the back of my head that says those demo teams aren't that busy here, no offense, but not a lot of gentrification going on. Much better off shooting for the PD or an Engineering firm. Whaddya think?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"I think," Liv said, her lips curling into a sultry, teasing smile, "that it'd be sexy to be dating a cop or a demolitions expert." That wasn't quite true; it was sexy in the way that a scorpion was all clean lines and a sleek form, but it wasn't the kind of sexy that worked well with a family and impending fatherhood. But they'd work it out, especially if it gave him a job. He'd be happy to be employed, she knew, but if it was work he enjoyed, so much the better.

His happiness really was the important thing. "So I give this plan a hearty yes," she said, slipping her hands up his chest so that her fingers could lace together behind his neck. "Consider it Liv-approved." She gave him a light kiss. "I just want you to be happy, hon, and if this is what will do it, I'm all for it."

Even if it means I'll be terrified for you every day.

[Forge]

"Glad to hear you onboard so quick darlin'. It'll be decent pay either way, even if it takes a year 'fore things are fuckin' decent. Work that's satisfyin' and supports us. Even better if you're cool with it. Moving can wait til you're done with school and you pop. Just as long as we steer clear of Vegas, close enough as it is. Was thinkin' maybe New York, or Chicago, 'less international is on the board?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Ooo," Liv said, getting excited, "I'd love to live overseas, so long as I don't have to eat goat every meal." That was perhaps more emphatic than she'd meant it to be, but she didn't care. London, Paris, Rome - those were the images and possibilities now dancing in her head. She wasn't really considering that it could be another sand-filled shit-hole.

"Well, to be honest, about me getting onboard... We're a family now, you and me and the baby," Liv said, becoming somewhat serious. "Part of that is making each other happy, and if this is gonna make one-third of us happy, then it's something that I have to pay attention to." She smiled again, that beautiful curve of her lips that had caught his heart already. "Besides, this plan has a great chance of making another third happy, and if you and I are happy, then the baby's going to be happy, too."

She pursed her lips. "You know, if we're going to wait for my graduation for the move, I might not take off the spring semester. I was thinking about it, because the baby will come around mid-terms, and that'll be rough, but I think I can swing it."

[Forge]

Vinny was more than happy to go along with her fantasy of old European cities, but those tourist traps had such strict building codes, they weren't lots of fun to work in, too much historical red tape in the way...but close would be okay with him, then they could holiday at the old cities. The amazing architecture was definitely a draw for him as well. Any building that had lasted hundreds of years had inspiration and stories to tell.

The story that her mouth was telling was one that Vinny was getting very interested in, her pursed lips were reaching the climax and he was going to make sure he was involved in the resolution.

He pulled his eyes away from her mouth and looked up at her eyes, "Dunno darlin', if we're both workin' that'll be shitty. Standard time off for a baby is 6 weeks here in the States, more most everywhere else. Seen some nasty shit when mom's had to leave kids for work. Take the time off, don't need any regrets."

Now let's talk about making one third of us happy.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia pouted, just a bit of a playful moue. It still made her lips do enticing things, not that she was really aware of the effect it was having on Vinny yet. Her head was far away from bodily considerations, already half-gone to Europe. "I just want my degree now so that we can go places," she sighed, her lips poking out cutely.

She sighed again, slipping her hands down his chest absently as she mused, "I haven't seen London since I was a kid, and my layover on the way to and from Kuwait doesn't count. I didn't get to see any of the cathedrals or the castles, or the great old buildings..."

Liv stopped as he body slowly clued her into her boyfriend's status, at last. Internally, she sighed to herself. She was tired and wanted a nap, not nookie. But, she reminded herself, she could fall asleep after, and maybe Vinny would nap with her if she wore him out a bit first. "Why Mr. Wright," she purred, her smile becoming knowing and coy, "I didn't know that talk of old buildings turned you on. Is my dirty talk going to have to start including arches and trellis?"

[Forge]

"Ooh darlin'...just so long as you bring sway that fine butt-tress while you do." Vinny said, his voice getting low and gravelly.

He was more than willing to play Architect/Needy Client and wasn't shy about wanting to give her full support in her proposition.

Sometimes he still couldn't believe that he had gone from hauling cinderblocks and yelling at Middle Easteners to sitting in what he would consider comfortable living arrangements in Berkeley with a beautiful woman who was going to have his child. Any moment he wouldn't be surprised if he woke up to the smell of goat fecal matter, Arabic swearing, and the sound of an impending sandstorm beating on whatever shelter he had bogarted. It almost made him laugh at the preposterousness of it.

"What?" Liv asked, smiling.

"Huh?" Vin said, blinking twice.

"You're smirking."

"Just thinkin' 'bout that fine buttress of yours and how it could get better use in the design." he answered, his smirk opening to a smile.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Oh, really?" she asked playfully, sliding her hands down to the front of his pants. "Are you going to use your crane to improve usage?"

"Oh, yeah, darlin'," he told her with a grin. "I think it will be a key component in the design." She was still giggling as he lured her into the bedroom.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

October, 1994

Liv dropped her backpack on the couch, still cursing under her breath. Vinny was still at work, and she took a moment to be messy, kicking off her shoes and leaving them in the middle of the floor.

Her professor was an asshole. The only good thing about him was that he was rude and condescending to everyone; it wasn't like he was favoring one group over another. Male, female, black, white - all were targets by the conservative jackhole.

Sighing, Liv dropped onto the couch, unbuttoning her jeans. She'd never gone in for tight jeans, but now the choice was taken from her as Baby was starting to show his or her presence. In the next month or two, she'd need to start looking at bigger cloths. "Ugh, there goes my figure."

Still... she put her hand on her swelling abdomen, smiling blissfully. She'd warmed up to the idea of motherhood, and was even looking forward to it, within reason. She was looking forward to seeing the new life, but not the diapers. Or the late nights. Or the spitting up.

Stretching, she got to her feet. She wasn't thinking about that right now; she was in her second trimester, the good trimester, and she was going to enjoy it. She'd gotten the whole weekend off; other than some homework, she was free. And given that her hormones were creating tensions that only Vinny could relieve, she knew what her long-term plans were.

Speaking of my darling Vinny... She glanced at the clock and confirmed he'd be home soon. Grinning and humming to herself, she rose to her feet and picked up her things. She should have just enough time to shower before he got home. Hustling, she hurried to wash away the irritations of the day and get her weekend started right.

[Forge]

Liv is a singularly amazing person...

"Man Vin, she's got you fuckin' sayin' "person" and not just "woman." Vinny muttered to himself as he continued writing notes. Glancing around nervously on occasion to make sure that no one was watching him.

She is the most giving, tender, witty, engaging, outgoing, and thoughtful person I have ever known. She treats me like a king, and not because she is subservient. She and I are locked in some kind of epic "Love War," by which I mean that we are always treating each other with love, respect, and mutual devotion.....almost as though we are trying to "out-love" the other. Hence, the "Love War"

I had seen Liv for the first time in Kuwait. She was so beautiful (and still is). I thought there was no way someone like her would be single, and she wasn't. How could she be? A woman as radiant as she ought to have a line of men around the block waiting for the chance to cross paths with her. One day, despite my concerns, I saw my opportunity....and I took it.

I have learned over these months just how incredible she is, and we began to discuss a future together. She is totally unique, with a groovy art-deco/retro style.

"Ah fuckit, that's shit. Just wing it." Vinny said in disgust as he crumpled the paper and tossed it in the wastebasket of his cube.

He swiveled back in his chair to finish his lunch and get back to work, but the small, munched paper boulder was teasing at his anxiety-ridden brain. With an exasperated sigh, he dug it out of the otherwise empty mesh trash bin and shoved it in his pocket, once more glancing about nervously and giving a random co-worker a emotion-fueled glare to make himself feel better.

You see, Vinny had spoken to Olivia's professor, and had conspired with him to arrange a "special guest speaker". He had sent several pictures of her and himself to a friend of hers - places they'd been, things they'd done, memories they'd made. Brenda, (the friend) set it all to music in a presentation, and the wheels were in motion. Several others were enlisted to help him pull it off, and NO ONE revealed a thing to her. Vin was still finding it hard to believe that she hadn't found out ahead of time.

Then the day came.

Friday, November 5, 1994

Class started like any other, and her instructor stood before the class to introduce the "guest speaker". Vin walked in. Fifty people in the room, and better than half of them knew what was coming, but the look on Liv's face was one of complete shock. Vin would later describe it as "happily mortified."

Vin began to tell the assembled how much Olivia meant to him, and was about to begin the presentation... "Someone's missing." He stepped out of the room, and came back in with her Mother and Father. They sat down, and Vin began the presentation. During the show and his speech, read from a crumpled piece of paper, every woman in the room had started to cry. The guys in the room even seemed a little touched (one would later admit that there was a general feeling amongst them that Vin had just blown the curve for the single guys.)

As the presentation wrapped, Vin got on his knee and asked, "Olivia Jenings-Izumi, would you give me, the unmatched privilege of being your husband?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Liv wondered what the hell was up. People were staring at her, or pointing when they didn't think she was looking. What the fuck? Feeling unnecessarily paranoid and a little freaked out, she put a protective hand on her hump. Vinny had convinced her to watch The Thing because it was 'cool'; the ten-year old movie had freaked her out. She'd tried not to show it, and Vinny had been amused by her fear and her attempts to hide it. He was sorry later when she had bad nightmares for a few nights after. She'd played that up a bit, so he'd feel bad about her losing sleep she needed to make their baby. But the movie had stuck with her; when people acted weird, her mind shot back to the memory of the man's skull splitting open into a mouth.

Then Vinny had entered the room and her jaw had dropped. The presentation started and she turned red even through her dark skin. When he paused to get her parents, she'd had her first inkling what this was all about.

As he knelt before her, and she wiped tears from her eyes, she considered making him squirm. Liv just didn't have that kind of meanness in her, no matter how much he deserved it after the way he'd told Mom and Dad about her pregnancy. But she did look at him, counting to ten, without moving or saying anything.

Just as the red started to creep into his cheeks, she said, "Yes." The classroom burst into cheers and applause; everyone loved a happy ending. Grinning widely, Vinny put the ring on her finger, then stood and pulled her to her feet. He engulfed her in a huge hug, coupling it with a deep kiss. When they broke the kiss, she said, "You couldn't just ask, could you?"

"Nope," her betrothed said with the shit-eating grin she'd come to love in the hot desert nights.

"You know, I'm going to have to get you for this," she told him, wiping the last of the tears away.

"Welcome to try, darlin'," he said, his grin softening with love. "Take your best shot."

It was so on.