We all Love Surprises

Kallie sighed in her sleep, a small smile play across her face as her unconscious brought up happy images across her mind. Making the sound again, she rolled over, pulling the blankets closer to her, and snuggling into the mattress.

Only... there it wasn't a mattress that she had rolled into, it was...

Opening her eyes, slowly drawing herself back from sleep, she blinked her eyes a couple of times and saw... Eli.

"aamu," she greet with a blush, before her still half asleep brain realized the man wouldn't have understood her Finnish jargon, "Err, Morning - Sorry, brain does not work as well, when I wake up, yes?"

Eli blinked a couple of times, trying to shake off the sleepy feeling. He gave Kallie a surprised, sleepy smile, "Aamu." He laughed softly and leaned in to kiss her on the lips, pecking her again on the forehead.

Sitting up, he looked at the window. The sun shone brightly through the curtains, projecting squares of light on the floorboards and walls. He yawned, "Are you hungry? I hope we didn't sleep through breakfast." Not that Eli was especially fond of breakfast, but he was one of those people who needed coffee before noon in order to function.

He crawled out of bed, mechanically grabbing some clothes from his tiny dresser and putting them on.

Kallie smiled, crawling away slightly reluctantly as he got up, pulling the blankets around herself. She glanced at the light shinning through the window as he went about getting dressed.

"The sun does not look high enough for it to be too late," she said slowly, yawning a bit, and running a hand through her hair, which was probably more impossibly knotted now.

She turned back to smile at him; it was true this was a change to her routine - and Kallie liked routine very much - but... she was starting think she might like this not walking up alone - walking up with him - a little bit better.

"I suppose," she gave a very soft laugh, her face colour just slightly as she scanned the floor for her clothes, "I should get dressed before I attempt to get food. I shall cause a pieni scandal if I don't."

Eli returned her laugh, "Yes, that's probably a good idea." He was about to linger when he remembered he had some training in how to behave, "I'll leave you to do that." He started to head out the door, pausing just before he left, "Any requests for breakfast?"

He headed down the stairs, surrounded by a happy, warm glow. They could have been in the middle of the desert, and he'd be just as happy as long as Kallie was there.

I could marry this girl, he thought with a smile as he poured coffee into small mugs, the steam swirling in a peaceful spiral. Why don't I? That thought appeared over the sizzling of the eggs. It was crazy, but... he'd never met anyone like her. He'd never felt like this around anyone else.

When he was with Kallie, Eli could forget about... everything else.

"Okay," she smiled slightly as she watched him leave. Shaking her head as he turned back, "No, I do not care."

She stayed sitting on the bed after a long moment as he left, just looking around her. She had never been alone in someone else's room. Humming to herself, she pulled her self out of the bed, still holding the blankets to herself, feel self conscious for reasons she couldn't understand, she padded around the room picking up her clothes, more than a little wrinkled from an evening on the floor.

Humming, she tilted her head searching through her pocket for her wand. Once she found it she mutter a spell and straightened out the wrinkles before donning the clothes once more.

Yawning once more, she paddled out into the hall, running a finger through her hair - attempting to get it into some order - as she entered the kitchen.

"Smells delicious," she smiled slightly as she hovered in the door frame, not quite sure where to go next.

"Really?" Eli said with a small laugh, "Cause most of my customers can't stand my cooking." He flipped the eggs onto two plates along with some sausages and toast. Loading the plates and coffee onto a tray, Eli brought it to one of the tables, unloading the tray and placing it over on the counter.

He pulled out a chair from the table with a little bow, "You're meal milady." Taking a seat himself, he took the mug in one hand, holding it up high with a wide smile, "A toast, to... to food!" He laughed and sipped the steaming hot coffee.

Lainey had been standing outside, pacing like a bloody idiot for what felt like hours, waiting for someone - anyone - to come out of that stupid magical inn so she could borrow their magic so she could see the damn place and go inside. Honestly, how late did wizards sleep in? Didn't they have jobs? Things to accomplish? Reasons to get out of blood bed at a decent hour?!??

When someone finally did exit, the redhead practically charged at them and smacked their arm as she passed at the last moment. "Sorry!" she called back over her shoulder.

Not panicking. Not panicking. Not panicking... she chanted silently.

Lainey looked very much on the verge of panic.

Once across the threshold, she glanced anxiously around, relief surging through her when she spotted her brother at one of the tables. She made a beeline for the man.

"Eli, I'm -"

And that was about the point the smell of the breakfast hit her. Putting a hand to her mouth, she ran for the kitchen where she promptly dry-heaved into the sink.

"Well, I think it looks perfectly fine," she smiled. "Your customers are always to drunk to know what they are talking about anyway ."

Following the young man, and sat down, taking a cup of coffee. She was about to take a sip of coffee when a young girl looking rather distressed walked in.

Again she was going to point the girl out, feeling like perhaps she could use some help when she was surprised when the girl came straight to them and addressed Eli.

She was ... what?

Letting out an exclamation in Finnish, the young woman looked wide-eyed after the girl as she ran away.

Eli turned his head as the door opened, still sipping the drink in his hand. The instant he saw Lainey, he tried to gasp, but ended up breathing in liquid, bringing on a harsh fit of coughing. He stood up quickly, covering his mouth with his sleeve, "Lainey! What are you-"

Trying to give Kallie an apologetic look, he dashed off into the kitchen. Eli was once again completely unsure about how he should deal with this, and the sounds coming from his sister almost made him sick, as well. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her long hair out of her face, "What the hell happened to you?"

Lainey gripped the edge of the sink tightly, knuckles white. She let out a rather choked sound. The redhead stepped back a bit, bending so her forehead could rest against the cool steel at the edge of the sink.

A terrified sob caught in her throat. "I'm pregnant."

Kallie blinked some more. She wanted to... but Eli was already gone after the girl. It wasn't her place. She should just stay...

But to hell with that. Kallie want to know what was going on, and she was going to find out.

Pushing back her chair she hurried after them, arriving just to hear the last words. She leaned heavily against the wall.

"raskaana," she repeated in a soft voice, staring at the young girl, feeling an odd sort of feeling began to claw at her heart as she stared at the girl. "Kuka sinä..."

She swallowed, her eyes staring blankly at the girl.

"Eli," her voice was soft, devoid of most emotion, "I know its may not be my place, or the time, but I think I might deserve to know... who is this?"

"You- you're what?" Eli breathed. This couldn't happen, not now. She- they, were just getting their lives back together. How on earth could they do that if Lainey was having a baby?

Then the real gravity of the situation hit him. She was so young, and her having a normal life after this wasn't just going to be hard. It was going to be impossible.

"I'm so sorry. I promise, I'll help in any way I can," He heard a string of unfamiliar sounding words behind him. Kallie.

"Oh, no.." Noticing the deliberate blankness in her voice, Eli walked over to Kallie, "I'm sorry. This must look horrible to you. This is my sister, Elai- sorry. Lainey."

"Oh, and uh... Lainey?" he added, a little frazzled, "This is my girlfriend Kallie." He forgot for a moment what he had been panicking about. He wanted to scream, but it would probably wake up any other guests that were staying here. That is, if there were any.

"I didn't try to get knocked up," Lainey groaned. "I was drunk - I'm not exactly smart when I'm drunk, y'know. God, I don't even remember the bloke!" She groaned again in response to his reassurances. They weren't wholly getting through to her, at the moment.

The redhead turned her head to look at the woman in question. "Oh," she mumbled, "I was starting to think your guests were nosy. Hi." The last was added as a rather bleak afterthought.

Sinking to the floor, Lainey leaned against the counter, letting her head fall back against it. "What am I gonna do?" she asked plaintively. "I can't do th-this." Her breathing had quickened as her waning nausea allowed her to focus on panicking (well, not panicking) again.

"It'll be the last time all over again! I just... can't. I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I... can't! Oh, god - how am I so stupid?!" Putting both hands over her face, she burst into tears.

Kallie blinked at Eli for a moment before, nodding her head. Sister, not.... well she wasn't sure what she had been thinking.

"Hello, I certainly wish we could be meeting under ... different curcumstances."

She inclinde her head, before feeling out of place.

"I am sorry; I do not belong here - I shall leave," she nodded and took a step back, "If you need anything... I am willing to help however I can. If you wish. This is not the kind of thing you should have a stranger listening in for though. I am sorry for intruding."

Eli rushed over to Kallie, grabbing her hand before she managed to leave. She was right, as much as he wanted to deny it, but he still didn't want her to go. After a short pause of trying to find something to say, he gave her a reassuring smile and a peck on the cheek.

With a sigh, he slid down the counter next to Lainey, "You're not stupid at all. You just have some shitty luck." Eli smiled wryly and grabbed a surplus sausage from the counter above him. "But at least you've got my excellent cooking," he said, tearing off a piece and offering it to her.

Lainey shifted to lean against her brother, something between a sob and a laugh escaping her lips. She sniffled, scrubbing the tears from her face with one hand.

"I get wasted and sleep with some guy I don't even remember the next day, and you call it shitty luck." She gave another part-sob, part-laugh, working to bring her breathing back to normal.

Accepting the bit of sausage, she managed to scoff. "One would hope you'd learned to cook a bit since you were eleven. Otherwise, it's just sad." Lainey brought the morsel towards her mouth, only to quickly move it away again, handing it back to them with an insistent shake of her head.

"I can't, it..." More head shaking. "The smell is turning my stomach something awful." Lainey let out a worried whimper and buried her face against her brother's shoulder.

"Eli, I'm scared," she murmured plaintively. "Last time... Last time, I..." Her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "My baby died, last time. Eli, I - I can't go through that, again. I can't."

Eli tried to give her an earnest scoff, but didn't quite have the energy, so he ended up returning her weak, half-laugh, "What, so you're saying that your luck's been good lately?"

He shook his head. "Damn," he said, taking the sausage, "I really thought I'd improved. Maybe the magic makes the food taste weird."

He'd meant it as a joke, but once he said it, it sort of made sense. Maybe her powers made her sense the magical traces in the food... or... something.

"Last time, you were starving," he muttered, the words reluctant to leave his throat, "And scared, and alone, and homeless, and... and you were fifteen."

He looked down, picking at a speck on his shoe, "But... but if you really can't do it..." He looked back at her, "No one will blame you if you choose not to have it."

The sound Lainey made actually sounded a bit like a laugh, this time. "I'm sure it tastes fine," she said. "The smell of everything makes me nauseous."

Lainey pressed her face more firmly against Eli's shoulder, as though to hide from the memories conjured by the words leaving his mouth. Her hand clenched tightly about his forearm and after a moment she shook her head.

"I would," she murmured, drawing in a shaky breath. "And... that would almost be worse."