Not Happening (OPEN)

Alise tucked her hands into her coat pockets and trudgd through the streets. She had been living at Sacha's house for a week or so with little contact with the man, but that didn't bother her. She was used to being alone.

What really bothered her was her positive pregnancy spell. Thinking about it made her even more bitter than before. Great, just freaking great. How was she supposed the take care of a child when she could barely afford herself.

Caught up in her thoughts, she walked directly into another person. She grumbled, instintively protecting her stomach.

Sacha moved briskly along the streets. He'd just concluded a bit of business he'd been working diligently on for the past several weeks. The man was pleased with the results. Lady Bronya was a shrewd business woman. He held a significant amount of respect for her. In fact, in many respects, she reminded him of his mother.

Breathing in the cool air, Sacha glanced at a shop he passed... just in time to collide with someone.

"My apologies," he said, gently taking the woman's shoulders to steady her. "I fear I wasn't - Alise? Well, what a pleasant surprise. I've been meaning to check in with you."

Alise looked up at the man with sheer horror reflected in her eyes. Out of all the places and people, why did he have to be here? She pulled away harsher than needed, hands still on her stomach.

"Yeah! Hello, Sacha! What a surprise!" she agreed, a false tone ringing in her voice, "How have you been? Good?"

She looked away from his gaze, moving her hands to thumb over her necklace again. He'd find out sooner or later, she knew, but how the hell was she supposed to tell someone that a one night stand didn't end well.

"We should talk more, hm?"

Sacha noted the woman's response intently; her actions, her tone, her eyes.

"I have been well, thank you," he replied. "And yourself? I trust accommodations are satisfactory? The supplies ought to be restocked regularly."

He watched her a moment. "We should," the man agreed, then asked after a moment. "Is there something wrong with your stomach? Are you ill?"

Alise nodded, waving the mere idea of anything wrong away with a wave of the hand. "The house is awesome. Couldn't be better! I'm so grateful to be living here,"

Until he kicked her out, of course.

Alise turned back to meet his gaze, smiling. Her green eyes were sparkling regretfully.

"Something wrong with my stomach? You could say that," she looked across the street again, to a small coffee shop.

"Would you like to sit down with me? I need to speak to you about something,"

Sacha's head inclined slightly, gaze following her across the street before returning to her face.

"Certainly," he agreed. He gestured towards the shop, and fell in step beside her when she moved, gray eyes glancing back and forth to check for traffic. Sacha reached for the door, holding it open as he waited for Alise to go in, first.

Alise strode across the street, stepping quickly to avoid those muggle cars. They were scary; she didn't understand why muggles liked them so much. She had seen one crash into another before- it was so dangerous.

Walking into the coffee house, she gave a shaky sigh. Sacha, stupid Sacha. He shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be here. For a second, she considered just dropping off the face of the earth, then decided against it.

"I'm going to order something, okay?" she asked softly, fingers trailing down his arm. Without waiting for an answer, she pulled away and headed towards the counter, hoping for some time to thing.

Sacha nodded, giving a small smile, then moved over to a table in the corner to wait. Clearly, something was on the woman's mind. The probable answer was eluding him, however; or perhaps, he was eluding it.

Rather than watch Alise, Sacha turned his gaze out the window, watching the traffic instead. He'd been told his attention could be unnerving. The man supposed it was true; it was what happened when one was used to studying the world around them.

He waited patiently for Alise to join him.

A few minutes later, Alise walked over with two coffees. She slipped one in front of Sacha and sat down with the other, smiling at him.

"I don't know how you liked you coffee, so I just added a little cream and sugar," she explained, twirling her own chai. She let a paused fall in between her words, swallowing the tar that seemed to be forming in her throat.

"I gotta tell you something, but you can't freak out, okay?" she said, a bit louder than needed, "I haven't thought it through yet, but I will, and it'll all be okay. I promise."

Sacha took a sip of the coffee and gave a genuine smile. "It's perfect, thank you," he told her. The man preferred tea, really, as Ketty had never served coffee as he was growing up. He had long learned to graciously accept gestures, however, so he had meant what he'd said.

The man regarded her calmly, listening as she spoke.

"Well, I can't say I am generally one to 'freak out', but I shall try to keep my demeanor calm," Sacha replied, teasing lightly. "Do proceed whenever you are ready."

Alise gave a small, crooked smile. Twirling the cup in her hands, she watched the cream mix and dance. Her words were stuck in her throat, unable to find their way up to her mouth,

"Sacha," she whispered, "I'm... I'm... pregnant,"

She flinched at her own words, avoiding his grey gaze. Her fingers weaved themselves into the chain of her necklace, working wearisomely at the links. "You don't have to worry about it though, I guess,"

Sacha very nearly dropped his coffee cup. He gazed intently at the woman across from him, studying her actions, the way she had flinched at the words crossing her lips, her avoidance of his gaze, her fingers worrying her ever-present necklace. Either she was a very good actress, or...

He very quietly put down his drink, eyes momentarily fluttering shut as he pinched at the bridge of his nose. Bringing his hand down to rest against his chin, he gazed at her, once more.

"I take that to mean that..." Sacha had to pause, despite himself, as his heart was beating an odd tattoo against his ribcage even while conflicting thoughts warred for precedence within his mind. "... that I am the father?"

Alise nodded, looking back at him.

"Unless alien comes and impregnate me during the night," she joked weakly. Shaking her head, she gave a loud sigh, annoyed with herself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't joke. Yeah, it's definitely you. I haven't... you know... with anyone else lately."

She tore her hand away from her necklace to feel the warmth of her coffee cup. "I can disappear, if that's what you want. Get out of the country or something. You're rich and stuff, I wouldn't want to ruin your reputation."

She paused and placed her head on her arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, voice cracking, "I didn't mean to... I .. It just..."

Sacha gave a small laugh; it was rough, bearing nothing of his usual calm.

Clearly, she's trying to get something from you! the distrustful part of him declared.

Such as what? retorted his pragmatic side, She already has a house and anything else she might need which goes with it. What else could she possibly want?

It was about then that he abruptly recalled what he'd forgotten that night: contraception.

He was drawn from his thoughts again as her words permeated the fog that had formed in his mind. Sacha let out a shaky breath. If she - then, that would...

"Nonsense," Sacha whispered, tone intent, yet a bit hoarse. He reached out a hand to gently stroke her hair. "You'll do no such thing. I... no. I care little for my reputation. No child of mine shall be without a father if I have any say in the matter."

Alise sniffed, brushing away a tear from the corner if her eye. He was shaken too, of course, but she hadn't expected him to actually accept her condition.

"I didn't wanna tell you," she murmured, "I wanted to just disappear, you know? So you wouldn't be affected or anything. I didn't want to force you into anything,"

She raised her head to look at him, eyes yearning so comfort. "Merlin, I promised myself I wouldn't do this! I promised I wouldn't have a bastard child! I wanted to have a husband, I really did!" she put a hand over his, closing her eyes, "I wanted to be different than my mom. "

Sacha caressed her cheek with one hand, gaze fixed on her face. Never had his expression been so open.

"You did the right thing," he told her.

The man regarded her quietly. He still felt off-balance, stricken. And yet... He was a father again. Sacha loved his son, more than anything, but he often regretted all the moments that had been robbed of him, his chance to watch Matthew grow up. Now he had a chance to be there from the beginning. He would not be denied.

"Marry me."

Sacha had long steered clear of impetuous behavior. Nearly everything that he did was carefully planned and calculated, thought out and perfected. So the words were just as shocking to him as they likely were to Alise. Maybe even moreso.

Still, he had said it, and Sacha never said things he didn't mean.

Alise put a hand over his, gazing down at the cup of coffee. She didn't care about it anymore, of course, but it distracted her from the situation. She picked it up and took a long sip...

Then promptly spit it back out when Sacha proposed. She stared, flabbergast, at him, the table behind her (whom were probably listening the whole time) having more reaction than her.

"I don't even know your last name," she whispered, aware of the listeners, "I don't want another marriage to end in divorce. I don't..."

She reached for his hand, nodding to herself. This wasn't about them, it was about a child. Their child.

"Okay," she agreed, "I will,"

For a moment, Sacha was eighteen years old again, and his hopes and dreams were crashing down around him.

'Marry you, Sacha?' Lydia had sneered derisively, trampling all over his heart. 'You're pretty enough to look at, and charming, but you're a fool if you think I would throw away my life to marry the likes of you!'

He blinked. 'Another marriage'? Well, it appeared that they both had things in their past they needed to discuss.

Sacha let out a breath, only then realizing that he'd been holding his breath, at all. A small smile tugged at his lips. Keeping a hold on her hand, he stood, pulling her up with him. The curious eyes that kept turning their direction were beginning to annoy him.

"We should continue this conversation somewhere more private," he murmured quietly in her ear. "There are... things you should probably know about me first. Your house?"

Alise allowed him to guide her up, giving a soft smile. She left the coffee on the table, thinking someone else would pick it up.

"Really, it's your house," she stated, leading them outside. Her gaze swept the streets, looking for a place to properly apparate.

"My last name is Nurse, by the by," she added, "My grandfather was English. Just thought you should know,"

He followed her out, her hand still in his. The man guided her to the nearest alley stepping within it and twirling her about so that she came to a stop with her back against his chest.

"Mine is Rusnak," he murmured in her ear. "Sacha Rusnak." Turning, he apparated them to the entryway of the townhouse.

"Alise Rusnak," She murmured, appearing in the living room of the townhouse. She pulled away from his touch, heading towards the couch. The house had little changes since Sacha had last been there; little feminine touches that most men wouldn't think of. Alise was just beginning to feel home there.

Flopping on the couch, Alise kicked off her shoes and sighed, "What do you want to say? I believe we're running out of surprises,"

"I think I like the sound of that," Sacha remarked, watching her cross to the sofa. He leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms casually over his chest. The man ducked his head slightly, studying her quietly a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

"I have a thirteen-year-old son."

Alise blinked, only a little surprised by this confession. She knew he was older, but not that much older. 13 was half her age! But, he had handled her surprise well, so she put on a smile.

"I bet he's sweet," she decided. SHe bit her lip, then asked, "Do I get to meet him? Or... not?"

A marriage wouldn't be an easy secret, but she didn't know the twos relationship.

Sacha's lips curved into a smile, his grey eyes warming fondly. "He is," the man confirmed. He pulled out his wallet, drawing a photo from within it and handing it over to her. It showed his son, ducking his head shyly from the camera, shaggy hair falling into his eyes.

"His name is Matthew," Sacha told her, frowning at her inquiry. "Of course, you will meet him. You will be marrying me; it'd be impractical and hurtful to keep it from him. As it is..." The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I am uncertain how he will respond to this, but he's an intelligent boy. He'll come around."

Alise took the picture, chuckling. She traced the boy's jawline, studying for features of his father. Green eyes, just like hers. Must be his mothers, since Sacha had those sharp, grays.

"He has your round jaw. And your nose. Sorta." she passed it back, "You must love him very much,"

She refrained from asking about his mother, of course. She didn't really want to know anyway.

"He's not going to take it well. Most kids don't," she decided, hand traveling to her stomach in thought, "It's cool though, I won't try to be something I'm not. If he doesn't like me or want me around, I'll try to comply,"