Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is a disclaimer and warning for the content featured in this story. Like the tags said, this story is going to have miscarriages and infant loss. This is a serious topic, one that I don’t take lightly. This story has bits and pieces from my real life experiences with infant loss as a sibling. You can have your opinions and I love to hear them but please be mindful of what you say and how you phrase it. This is a sensitive topic, and I will try to be as delicate as possible but I plan on going into detail based on my experiences and feelings. 

I’m not an expert on child loss or pregnancy so please pardon any misinformation. Please remember that this is realistic fiction, so while this story is fictional, it contains real situations. That being said, while I don’t mind you sharing stories of understanding, please don’t trauma dump in the comments, I am not a therapist.

Like most, if not all my stories, this story does have a happy ending, but if it becomes too much, I implore you to stop reading. I will always put content and trigger warnings in the beginning notes so please be sure to read those as well. While I mentioned miscarriages and infant loss as warnings, smut with plot is also something I’ll put in here but fair warning, this is my first time writing it so it won’t be the best. 

I've also posted some information and art regarding the appearances of Clem and Vi for this fic on my Tumblr, bigbisickle, which the link should take you to.

https://www.tumblr.com/bigbisickle/783487670458384384/baby-mine-clemvi?source=share

With that being said, thank you, take care, and like always, I hope you enjoy 

Chapter Text

Clementine is sick and she has been for weeks. Her head feels like it’s on a merry-go-round, the faintest of smells make her nauseous and there hasn’t been a day this week where she’s not spent the morning with her head in the toilet, throwing up what little she had managed to keep down the night prior. Despite her gagging, the burning in the back of her throat and the disgusting taste of acid on her tongue, she’s smiling. Because all of this means her body is changing for the better. It's making room for the life inside and she couldn't be happier, though she tries to hide it. Clementine knows not to get her hopes up, especially this early on. Pregnancy is a fickle thing; she knows from experience. Though it wasn't her body, it was her baby. Correction: babies. Three to be exact. 

“Hey, Vi. I think I’m done.” Her head lifted from the toilet, “Could you make me some tea?”

Violet stopped stroking the head full of curls and kinks to ask, “You sure?”

Clementine nodded, “Yeah, it’s about the only thing I could stomach right now.”

To repeat the words of her doctor, her eggs would serve better use for an omelet than they do for making babies. It was a harsh truth that was even harder to swallow but it was something she would have to live with. This didn’t mean she could never have kids, it just meant they would never be biologically hers but that doesn’t bother her too much. Turns out blood isn’t always thicker than water. She found that out the day she had confronted her parents about her partner.

Violet and Clementine had met while in high school, and although Violet was a few years older and a grade ahead of her, the two were in a mutual friend group and grew closer as time went on. They graduated and had separated without them ever becoming official, with Clementine heading to University and Violet going into the workforce. Despite their distance, the love they shared only grew stronger and they eventually ended up on the date that would result in their union. It was something Violet’s parents were against but then again, they didn’t really approve of anything the blonde did. Luckily, she wasn’t looking for their blessing anyways.

Clementine, on the other hand, had thought her parents were different. They invited Violet out, welcomed her in their home and treated her kindly. Unknown to the lovers, it was an act. The Marsh’s didn’t accept her; they tolerated her. They believed the girls’ relationship to be puppy love, a fling or their daughter just experimenting. In short, they didn’t believe it was going to last.

Despite constant rejection, Violet was persistent in asking for their daughter’s hand, per the brunette’s request. It wasn’t until the fourth time of going back to Clementine’s hometown, that Violet confessed to her partner that the reason her proposal was taking so long, was due to Mr.Marsh’s unwavering answer, which was always a resounding no. Shocked and broken-hearted to find out that her parents had never truly accepted her pairing with Violet, she packed her things, moved in with the blonde and the two eventually got married.

Their wedding was by no means huge or extravagant, but it was full of love and that was all they needed. For Clementine, Lee, who was her godfather since birth, and his husband, Kenny, would be the ones that gave her away. Her childhood family friend and Kenny’s son, Duck, was her man of honor, while her younger cousin, Aj, was the ring bearer. Sarah, Mariana, Gabe and Becca were also a part of her wedding party while Violet’s consisted of all her Ericson friends, with Brody being her maid of honor. Louis was their master of ceremonies and along with Sophie would help plan the wedding. 

Clementine reached over the counter for her tea and took a sip. She then returned it to its spot so she could continue to apply her makeup but before she could steady the brush, she felt slim arms wrap around her and warm hands affectionately rub her stomach. A rounded chin found its way into the crook of her neck and the girl looked into the mirror at prasiolite eyes.

Violet smiled, “How’s Peanut doing?”

The brunette chuckled at the absurd nickname, “ Peanut ?”

“You know, cuz she’s so small.”

“She?” Clementine asked and Violet answered with a shrug. It was too early to know the gender, which is why Violet’s assumption caught her off guard, “Is that your guess?”

Violet let go to allow her wife to get ready for work, but not before planting a kiss on her cheek, “Nah, it was just the first thing out my mouth.”

“Is that what you want? A girl?”

“I don't really care. I just want a healthy baby.”

“Ok, l know that but just humor me.” Clementine briefly looked out the corner of her eye before going back to applying her blush. “Which do you prefer? I wouldn’t mind a little girl.”

“Does it matter? I’ll love them regardless.”

“I know, I know but I found that dreaming of the gender makes it feel more real… Does that make sense?”

Violet hesitated, not wanting her answer to ruin her wife's mood with her true feelings. After some time, she offers a weak, “Maybe a boy.”

Clementine, as observant as ever, took notice of the hesitation with the answer but decided not to bring it up. There was no point in further upsetting the blonde, especially when she already knew what was going on in her mind. When planning out their family, it was decided they wanted at least two, one with Violet’s eggs and the other with Clementine’s. During the first round of IVF, Violet had volunteered her body to be the first to carry after finding out that her wife’s job would snub her promotion if they found out about her pregnancy. But after years of constant loss and draining their bank accounts, they found that Clementine’s eggs, was what was stopping them from fulfilling their wish of becoming parents. 

This time around, Clementine would try with Violet’s eggs and so far, she’s been doing well. They’ve almost made it through their first trimester, which is the furthest they’ve gotten. It was all so new and exciting, but Violet made sure to keep her expectations low; excited yet prepared for the worst. 

When talks of having a family started during their engagement, at first, Violet couldn't care less if they had a kid. She was completely content with just the two of them, but it was something Clementine so desperately wanted, and Violet would do just about anything to make her wife happy. But after some time of trying, she could feel the excitement from the prospect of motherhood rub off of Clementine and on to her. With every pregnancy, her hopes were raised. With every loss, they faltered.

The brunette had since abandoned her brushes and had stopped her attempts of getting ready altogether. She took a few steps to the toilet where her wife sat and held her close while she stroked her hair.

“As long as you’re healthy,” Violet speaks up, having found her voice. She then caresses Clementine’s stomach, gives it a kiss, then whispers to the little bean, “I don’t care what you are.”

Chapter Text

They hadn’t told many people about their attempts to start a family. It was actually the suggestion of the clinic to keep things secret until they reached a certain point in the pregnancy and the chances of fetal death declined. But with Clementine’s bump starting to form and her symptoms becoming more apparent, they figured now was the time to reveal the surprise. Due to conflicting schedules, and most of their friends living out of town, they opted to tell the people who lived closest first; those being Lee and Kenny. 

“Babe, are you almost ready? We should’ve left ten minutes ago.” Violet called out as she looked in the hall mirror, checking for anything out of place. When she received no answer, she walked back into the bedroom and found Clementine sitting on their bed, seemingly in a trance, holding something in her hand. Upon closer inspection, she could see the object her lover held so tightly: her sonogram.

“Clem? Hey, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I just…” She paused, “I’m thinking.”

Violet sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, “What about?”

“I…I don’t know if we should tell them.” She sighed, “I know what the doctors said but I just…after so long, I’m afraid that if I say something, it makes it real and if it’s real…what do I do if it’s not?”

“You can’t think like that.”

“I know, I know. Stress isn’t good for me or the baby, but I can’t help but think about it. I mean, what makes this one different from the others?”

Violet tried to think of something that would calm her wife but there’s not much that comes to mind and anything she can think to say, might do more harm than good. With some thought, she managed to muster, “My eggs are what’s different. Doctors said they were more viable so that means they’re more likely to be successful.”

“They also said anything could happen, especially if this was the first time getting pregnant and especially during the first trimester.” Clementine bit down on her nails nervously.

“Ok, I know all this is very scary,” Violet wrapped her wife in a hug, “but we’ve been through the worst of it, right?”

“I don’t want to get used to that feeling, Vi. And just because we’ve lost before, doesn’t make it hurt less. I can’t believe you’d say that.”

Violet cringed, and her grip on the hug loosened, “I-I’m sorry. I was just trying to make you feel better.”

“What you said was basically, “if we lose this one, we can always try again”. Do you know how wickedly insensitive that sounds?” The brunette softly slapped Violet away, wanting to be as far as possible. With her arms crossed and body turned, she spoke in a low, quiet voice, “It makes me wonder if any of the others meant anything to you.”

Violet scoffed, “Of course they did.” Her tone was stern, and it was clear she had been offended. The arm that was once wrapped around her wife, went to hold herself. “Every one of them killed me but I kept going to give you what you wanted.”

“You make it sound like I was forcing you. Like you didn't want this.” Clementine looked at her partner. There was a hint of fear in her eyes, “You wanted this too…didn't you?”

There was silence between them for a moment as Violet thought of what to say. Her brain had basically turned to mush. Being with Clementine lately has been like walking on thin ice. No matter what Violet says or does, nothing can seem to please her. So here the blonde sat, completely unprepared and ill-equipped on how to deal with her wife’s rollercoaster of emotions. 

Violet’s body language of tiredly leaning on her hands and letting out a deep sigh, didn't help comfort the already distraught mother-to-be. In fact, it made it worse, and Clementine could feel the tears threatening to ruin her makeup. She stood up abruptly, grabbed her purse and was making a beeline for the door when a pale hand wrapped around her forearm, effectively stopping her in her tracks. 

“Hey, what are you-”

“I'm texting Lee to let him know we’re not gonna make it.” Clementine didn't face her. 

“Come on, Clem don't do that.” When the brunette continued to pull at her wrist in hopes for freedom, Violet spoke again, “Just calm down and listen to me.”

“Your silence said it all.”

“Clementine, please, just let me- shit, can I explain?”

The brunette was furious but at who, she didn't know. Was she mad at herself for staying ignorant to the obvious fact that Violet had no intentions or want to be a mother, or mad at Violet for never clearly voicing her discomfort for motherhood? Along with her anger, she felt a profound sadness. She knew about Violet and her people-pleaser tendencies for those she loved. Did she push this dream onto her? Would Violet ever admit that, even if she asked? The idea of making her wife, someone she cherished so dearly, suffer miscarriage after miscarriage for the small chance at a baby, made the tears she’d been holding back, swell over. Her makeup was ruined.

Violet stood and tried to hug her once more, but the other woman pulled away and continued to cry in her hands. “Clementine,” The blonde tried again. This time, Clementine collapsed into her and sobbed into her shoulder, “hey, listen to me. You didn't force anything on me, ok? I wanted this, I still do.” Violet stroked her hair, “What I said, came out wrong. I just meant that I knew how much having a family meant to you. I wanted to give you that.”

When Clementine had split from her parents, they had warned her about her life choices. They told her she would struggle and worried she wouldn't be fulfilled but Violet was determined to prove them wrong. She'd give Clementine the family she wanted, one that would be untouched by the Marshs’ ignorance and homophobia. 

“S-sorry, I know you do. I don’t know what came over me.” Clementine remembers when she had to hold Violet like this. It was after they’d lost the third baby, and it was determined that Violet’s heart couldn’t take another loss. It had taken them years to start again. Clementine sniffled, “I was f-fine and then I got hit with all t-these feelings. I’m sorry, babe. I know t-that’s not an excuse.”

“This is nothing. You remember who my parents are, right?”

Clementine, having not appreciated the joke, grimaced. 

“Bad joke, noted.” Violet gave her partner a crooked smile as she wiped her tears and attempted to salvage some of the makeup that was left over. “But in all seriousness, if you're that upset, we can cancel. I know you had a tough week.”

“No, no. Just uh, give me a minute to fix my makeup.” She planted a kiss on the blonde’s lips before heading towards their shared bathroom. Her voice still wobbled as she spoke, “I bet they’re not even there yet. It takes them forever to get ready.”

“Clem,” Violet grabbed her hand, “I mean it when I say I want this. Don't ever doubt that.”

While both girls had grown up as an only child, Violet was the only one of the two to have lived in an abusive household. She didn’t grow up dreaming of motherhood, rather, she grew up dreaming of parental attention and affection. Her fucked-up childhood made her terrified of a lot of things. Being loved and loving someone were a few fears but becoming a mother was more dormant that the rest. Though she knew she couldn't be worse than her parents, she still worried she'd find a way to mess the kid up, one way or another. But once she met Clementine and their relationship got serious, her ideas changed. She told all this to her wife to help ease her concerns.

“I know you're scared. I am too. But as long as we have each other, we can get through anything.”

Clementine’s smile was genuine, and her heart blossomed after hearing Violet’s words. She drew the blonde in and placed a warm kiss on her lips, “I love you, Violet.”

“I love you more.”

“That's impossible.”

With a devious smirk spread across her face, Violet leaned into the brunette’s ear and seductively whispered, “How’s about we ditch the dinner, and I show you how much I love you.”

“Violet, we don’t have time,” Clementine playfully pushed herself away and made her way to the bathroom, hoping to hide the blush that covered her face, “Besides, I look like a mess.”

“You’re gonna look like a wreck when I’m done with you.” The blonde pulled her wife in tight, then she began trailing kisses along Clementine’s jaw line and down to her neck. Pale hands began to roam and ended up palming a round behind.

Clementine felt her eyes shutter close and she practically melted into Violet’s touch. Steamy thoughts fogged her mind, momentarily replacing the dinner plan. As she took a whiff of Violet’s perfume, she felt her wife’s hands slide up her dress. It slowly snaked to its target, but Clementine would stop it and ended up pushing the blonde away entirely.

“Violet, please! We’re already running behind and fooling up with you is gonna make us so late.” She turned around and began to fix her makeup, “You know how pissy Kenny gets when we’re not on time.”

Never one to give up so easily, Violet wrapped her arms around her partner’s torso and buried her face into dark brown curls. “We wouldn’t be late if it hadn't taken you so long to pick a dress.” 

Clementine looked around the room at the crumpled clothes and discarded outfits that she had haphazardly thrown on to the floor in a rush to find the perfect fit. She ended up settling on a lilac-colored spaghetti strapped, maxi dress with a cream cropped cardigan, accompanied by her favorite accessory; the gold ‘V’ pendant necklace Violet gifted her on their first anniversary. Violet, on the other hand, hadn't taken as long when picking her outfit and was ready within fifteen minutes of getting home. She wore a simple white collared shirt under her open deep purple blazer with dark slacks and a few pieces of jewelry to match.

“The whole point of tonight is to surprise them with the big news but with how tight all my clothes were fitting, there would be no surprise.” The brunette grumbled, “That is unless they just thought I was getting fat.”

“In all the right places.” Violet retorted with a grin as she playfully attacked her wife’s bountiful chest with her slender hands. Her voice dipped down seductively, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. My favorite girls got an upgrade.”

“Violet,” The younger woman dragged out the blonde’s name and grabbed onto the hands that continued to fondle her chest. She fought, though not with her heart, to untangle herself from the blonde’s latch. With a huff, she whined, “Stop. They're super sensitive right now.”

“Oh really? Is there anywhere else that’s…super sensitive?”

Feeling the heat not only raise in her face but also on her lower half, Clementine bit her lip and looked into the mirror at those fiery seafoam green eyes that stared at her so intensely. Though she knew they should be on the road, she couldn’t deny the lustful sensation that ran through her body as Violet continued to toy with her. They were going to be late and if Violet kept treating her right, they would have to cancel.

She huffed in defeat as she turned to the blonde, “Let's make it quick.” She then removed and threw her cardigan onto the pile of clothes that resided on their bed.

Violet, so eager for the green light, crashed into makeup covered lips, giving her a short yet hot sloppy kiss. Her tongue played in Clementine's mouth as her hands fumbled with the zipper on her dress, pulling it down just enough for Clementine to pull her arms out, exposing her chest. The dress and bra were discarded promptly, and the bountiful breasts were immediately attacked by the greedy blonde, who took one in her mouth and the other in her hand. Tender breasts caused small whimpers to blossom from Clementine’s throat as Violet continued to play with puckered nipples. The slight bucking of the brunette’s hips caught the green eyes, causing them to sparkle. Getting the hint, Violet lifted up, secured another kiss, then wasted no time dipping her hand into the other woman’s soaked panties.

She chuckled darkly, “Somebody missed me.”

Gold met prasiolite, “I missed you so much.” Clementine admitted with a grin as she grinded her hips against slender fingers. “You and your hand.”

The first trimester had been rough, with Clementine spending most of her time with her head in the toilet. Because most smells caused her stomach to do nauseating backflips, romance was tossed out the window. This was the first time they'd been physically intimate in a while and they both found themselves feeling like crazy teenagers again. Their hands roamed wildly, and they just couldn't seem to get enough of each other. 

With a smile spread across her face, Violet suckled the crock of Clementine's neck and listened to the sweet sounds of soft moans she collected with every stroke of her hand. One of Clementine's legs opened, giving the blonde more access, which she happily took. A pale finger dipped into velvet and began to gently massage wet walls but before she could get much of a rhythm, she was stopped by a plea for more.

Violet obliged, putting another finger into the quivering entrance. She waited for the brunette to adjust before slowly pumping in and out, each drag of her fingers inviting new and enticing sounds. Violet felt as hands tugged at her shirt and pulled her closer. She also felt as slick walls started to pulsate and loosen around her fingers. She analyzed the woman’s face, pleased to see thick eyebrows furrowed upward in pleasure. Through parted lashes, Clementine dared a peek at her hard-working lover and paid her with a hot kiss, which served to be another stimulant to further her along, but she'd soon have to come up for air. Hot and flustered, the brunette broke the kiss with a shuddering breath and broken moan.

Violet noticed the signs of Clementine nearing her end but wasn't ready for the party to stop. Pulling her fingers out earned her a whine from the other woman but she just smiled and gave another kiss before taking a knee. Violet sat for a minute, marveling at her wife’s altar.

Growing impatient, Clementine grabbed Violet’s head, pulling her in for a taste but Violet pulled back, “Hey, don't be rude. Use your words.”

“Vi, please.” Clementine begged as her body twitched with anticipation.

“Please what?” She pulled away slightly to see over Clementine’s small bump. They locked eyes for a moment before Violet looked back at the slick box that awaited her engagement. She kissed it, then gave it a taste test just to tease her wife more. Her hands now rested on wide hips. She rubbed them encouragingly, “Tell me what you want, babe.” Most times, it was the brunette who was in control, and it was Violet that begged herself into a puddle but tonight, the tables had turned. Violet felt emboldened, “We’re never gonna make it to dinner if you don't tell me what you want.”

“Please, Vi.” Her blush spread, “I…I want you.”

“Want me to what?” The blonde played coy, knowing it was hard for Clementine to be verbally explicit.

Crimson covered her face as she muttered through her hands, “I want you to…fuck me, please.”

“Anything for you, hot mama.” She flashed a shit eating- or rather, a pussy eating grin before claiming her prize. Clementine’s hands snaked through blonde hair, and she continued to pull or soothe based on Violet's actions. The blonde’s fingers returned, as did the blush to Clementine's face. With every stroke of her thick masterful tongue, Clementine could feel herself reaching her breaking point. Her breath became less controlled, and her cries pitched a little higher, like a symphony to Violet’s ears. Then the music stopped when an all too familiar ringtone interrupted. 

Clementine didn't need to check the caller id to know who it was. She debated on answering, but knew the ignored call would only prompt another. The woman then checked the id, seeing her expectant dinner guest’s name then began to take deep breaths to calm herself. Now leaning on the sink’s counter, she cleared her throat before answering with an airy, “Hey Lee, what's up?”

Violet could hear the man’s voice on the other end, asking about their whereabouts and if everything was alright. After some hesitation, Clementine came up with a poor excuse and claimed they were nearly ready in a pitchy voice. The blonde felt a slight pop on her head after a certain tongue movement caused her lover to yelp. 

“Nothing, nothing.” The brunette lied, “I thought I saw a spider, but it was just a hairball.” The man grumbled another question. “Our orders? Yeah, sure um...”

Violet chuckled as she continued to listen to her wife struggle to maintain composure. Evilly, she started to build up the pressure. After putting one of Clementine's legs on her shoulder, she pulled her fingers out, replacing them with her tongue and pushing it deeper, tasting every sweet nectary morsel she could get. Violet's nose worked with her tongue and would occasionally tap onto the sensitive bundle of nerves, causing more jolts for the woman above. She relished in hearing the brunette slip up once more but after receiving another pop, she decided to tone it down and let Clementine ride her face at her own pace.

“Thanks, Lee.” She said in a more relaxed tone, “We should be on the way in the next 15 minutes.” Another grumbled response. “Love you too. Bye.”

Once the end dial tone alerted Violet that Lee was no longer with them, she began to amp up the intensity, causing Clementine's grip on her hair to tighten once more. She doubled over the best she could with her bump in the way. She scolded, “You’re s-sUCh an a-AsShoLe.”

Violet only responded with another chuckle, then a hum once she latched on to Clementine's throbbing clit. Her fingers pumped deeper, hitting the spot she knew would drive her lover over the edge. Amongst the moans and muttered curses, she waited for one powerful word: her name. The name Vi was used in and out of bed but when her full name was called- 

“Fuck, Violet!”

Jackpot.

“OooOoOOohh, Violet! I-I'm gonNa, uhhh-!” She moaned loudly with fluttering eyes, now screwing shut, “M-mess! Gon-na m-make a m-meeesss!”

“Making a mess” was a safe word of sorts. It was her way of telling Violet that she was sitting in the splash zone. Squirting was a rare occurrence. To Violet, it was like finding that extra fry in the bottom of the fast-food bag. Unexpected but welcomed and oh so delicious. Instead of moving to save her outfit from possible sprinkling, Violet doubled down, adding more pressure to the dam that was fated to burst. 

“Say my name,” Violet internally demanded. 

As if she could hear her wife's thoughts, Clementine answered with, “F-fUck, Violet!”

“Who do you love?”

“V-Violet!”

Though Clementine’s grinding stopped, Violet continued to ride out the orgasm and made sure to lap up all juice that the tired fruit provided. Curses, the names of other worldly gods and most importantly, Violet’s name were all called as the waterfall continued to gush. Stars floated around unfocused eyes, her body slightly convulsed, and when her vision finally came to, she had a concerned blonde stroking her cheeks and holding her up. 

“Breathe for me, beautiful, breathe.” After a moment Violet asked, “You ok?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Clementine swallowed thickly, “I'm fine. Fuck.” She tiredly leaned on her wife as she continued to attempt to catch her breath. She looked back at her phone then at her wife before depositing a long kiss, tasting herself on Violet’s lips. 

“Still frisky?” Violet asked after the kiss was broken.

“If they weren't already there, I would've cancelled dinner and gave you your dessert.”

“When you were on the phone, I was trying to tell you to cancel but my mouth was a little full.” 

“Mhmm, well do you think you can wait until after dinner?”

Violet sighed playfully, “If I must.” Then a smirk appeared, “Better be the best damn dessert I've ever gotten.”

The brunette grabbed the blonde by her collar, pulling her in closer. She whispered seductively, “Oh baby, I'll have you begging for more.” 

“Fuck, you should've canceled.” Violet said as her eyes fluttered shut and she leaned in to chase plum lips. Though she was expecting a kiss, her lips were met with a finger. When she opened her eyes, she found Clementine with a smile. 

“I've heard that the longer the wait, the sweeter the reward.” 

“Tease.” Violet sent Clementine a mild love tap on her behind when she turned to start the shower. The giggle the tap made caused the other woman to smile, “Make room. I've gotta rinse.”

The brunette checked the temperature and pulled up her hair before speaking again, “I warned you, silly. Why didn't you move?”

“The citrus spritz is a rare delicacy, ok? I didn't want to miss a thing.” Violet answered as she began to strip. 

“You're so gross!” Clementine chuckled as she failed to avoid her wife’s lips.

“You love it.” She ushered Clemetine into the shower, “Now, hurry up. You know how pissy Kenny gets when we're late.”

It took them another thirty minutes to leave the house and by the time they got to the restaurant, Lee and Kenny had been waiting for a good twenty minutes. The girls had given quick apologies for their tardiness, awkward hugs and had shifty eyes after they were seated. Their shady behavior and heavy use of perfume was clocked by the men immediately and Kenny was about to speak on it when a hand reached over and clasped his own. Lee smiled as he listened to the girls’ clearly fabricated excuse on why they were late while he secretly squeezed Kenny’s hand, basically telling him to let it go.

“Well I’m just glad y’all made it here safely,” Lee spoke, “And you both look lovely. Clementine, you’re practically glowing.”

“Aw, thanks Lee.” The girl smiled brightly at Lee’s compliment, “It took forever to fix my makeup.”

“Oh? What happened?” The man innocently asked.

Kenny chose to ignore the mumbled comment about a strenuous workout made by Violet and the hard elbow the blonde received from his niece. He cleared his throat, “Well it looks lovely, darlin.”

“Thanks, Kenny.” She said before looking around for their waitress, “I know y’all already put the orders in but did y’all order any appetizers? I’m starving.”

Lee answered, “We did but had the kitchen hold them after you called saying you’d be late. They were supposed to bring them out when you got here but the kitchen must’ve forgotten.”

“I was surprised to hear your order, Clementine.” Kenny added, “That was a lot of food.”

“Yeah, like I said, I stupidly worked out before coming here, and didn’t grab a snack. Now that I think about it, the last time I ate was during my lunch.”

“Clem, your lunch ends at twelve. It’s nearly eight o’clock.” Violet’s tone was laced with worry, “If I’d known you hadn’t eaten, I wouldn’t have let you workout before coming here.”

“Hey, you were the one that encouraged that workout, remember? You said it’s been a while since I exercised.”

It had been painfully obvious that they weren’t and never were talking about an actual workout and it disgusted Kenny to know that the couple had become comfortable enough to casually talk about it in the presence of him and his husband. As he watched them go back and forth, completely forgetting the company they had in front of them, Kenny felt his anger rise. He wanted to hold back and save them the embarrassment, but he knew he couldn’t.

“If y’all could stop yapping about y’er sex life that would be great.”

The girls’ bickering had come to a screeching stop upon hearing the old Floridian man’s words. Violet blushed, “What? That’s not-”

“Oh really? So I guess that bruise on Clem’s neck is just a wound sustained from her “strenuous workout?”

“Ken.” Lee warned. He knew their conversation was all but innocent, but he would've rather have not acknowledged it. Luckily for him and the girls, the food had just arrived, and the staff didn’t hear Kenny’s words, “Oh, look! The food is here!”

The two girls didn’t protest and gratefully went to enjoy their meals. Conversation was kept at a minimum now that the food was out but there were a few questions here and there. The men asked about the girls’ jobs and how life was in general. Kenny mentioned their recent plans on going on a vacation, and Lee talked about his parents down in Macon. The girls didn’t seem to have anything new happening, but the men could tell there was something they weren’t saying. With his curiosity getting the better of him, Lee asked about their excitement.  

Clementine looked over to Violet and while nothing was said, there was a conversation that happened in that short exchange of their eyes locking. Clementine, now beaming brightly with a blinding smile, began to dig through her purse and pulled out her precious sonogram. “Ta-da!”

Lee cautiously looked at the picture, and was embarrassed to admit, he didn't know exactly what he was looking at, but Kenny was quick to understand. He’d known from the moment they requested the dinner that something was up. They lived less than an hour away from Clementine and Violet and hung out as often as life would allow them, so it was suspicious to him when their visits started becoming less frequent. This, coupled with Clementine’s noticeable weight gain and appetite increase explained a lot.

“Oh, wow, way to make an old man feel even older.” He chuckled, then elbowed the man that was still sat gobsmacked next to him, “What does that make us? Couple of honorary granddaddies?”

After a few moments of no acknowledgment from Lee, Clementine began to get nervous. Deep down she knew that Lee loved her, but his lack of words frightened her. Here she was, making the biggest announcement of her life to the man she admired and held so closely to her heart, yet he was silent, still staring at the sonogram in her hands. “Lee,” She asked with big brown eyes, “you are happy, right?”

Again, there was no reaction until another elbow from Kenny got him to blink, “Sorry, Sweetpea, I just got lost for a moment. I just can’t believe how grown up you are. Sometimes I look at you and still see that little girl.” 

Lee wasn’t Clementine’s father and this fact had shocked most people that had come across this discovery. Mr.Everret was the Marshs’ college friend who later became Clementine’s godfather and eventual university history professor. Clementine’s actual father, Ed Marsh, was an engineer who had fallen ill within a few months of her starting middle school. During the time of harsh treatments, long hospital stays and the girl’s mother, Diana Marsh, taking care of her husband, Lee would watch over her. He’d take her to appointments, take her to and from school and even attend her games and practices when needed. Though he knew she much rather have spent time with her parents, he tried to make the best out of the depressing situation.

Thankfully, her father would win his battle with the illness and things would return back to normal for the Marshs- or at least they did for a while. Lee reluctantly tried to relinquish his role as caregiver for the girl once she’d gone back under the care of her parents, but he had become someone she would often run to with her problems. For a while, he played the middleman and tried to appease both sides but, in the end, he had to choose his sweetpea. This choice, along with Clementine’s later rebellion against her parents’ homophobia, stranded them. With this in mind, Lee wasn’t too shocked when he heard Violet claim that he, along with Kenny, were the first to know about the pregnancy.

“While I’m honored to be one of the firsts to know, I was wondering if you’re planning on telling your folks?” Lee asked cautiously, “I know you guys don’t really talk but, I’m sure they'd like to know.”

“Yeah, Lee. I tell them everything major that’s happened to me.” She muttered, “They just choose not to respond.”

“Well hey, Clem, don’t get long in the face. I’m sure they’ll come around eventually.” Kenny tried to cheer her up, “But until then, let’s celebrate! Hoo! You folks are fixin’ to have a little terror running around. How far are ya, darlin?”

Clementine giggled at his antics, “About 14 Weeks.”

Lee counted on his fingers, “Clementine, that’s almost four months.”

“Yeah, I know it's just,” The brunette reached beside her and held Violet’s hand under the table, and with her other, played with the food leftover on her dish. Her eyes avoided the ones that stared at her in disbelief as she started, “we’ve had some trouble in the past and didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up until we were sure.”

The younger woman felt Violet’s thumb rub against the back of her hand for support. When green met light brown, they already knew what they were going to say next. Since their arrival, Violet had been a woman of few words, only speaking when spoken to. Though she knew the men liked her to a certain extent, sometimes it was hard to feel welcomed when she knew they were infatuated with their babygirl. Sad to admit, but sometimes she felt left out, even when in the same room. Still, not wanting her wife to be the only one to explain why they waited so long to tell the world of their joyous news, she cleared her throat and prepared to join the conversation.

“Between us,” She looked to her wife for courage, then looked to the two men, “this pregnancy thing is a lot harder than we thought. We told you guys first because you two are all we have in terms of parental support. We’re not asking for much, but we’d appreciate any help you can give.”

“Of course.” Lee said, “We’re here; for both of you.”

“Me and the boys can help y’all on a nursery if you haven't started on that yet.” Kenny suggested, “I’m sure they’d love an excuse to come see y’all.”

Again, as the conversation started back up, Violet faded into the background, though this time, she didn’t mind. Sometimes, she liked the quiet and moments of peace that came with being a wallflower. She liked to see how animated the conversation could get, the expressive body movements, widened eyes and big smiles. It was a massive change of pace in comparison to her childhood homelife. 

In moments like this, it made her happy to have met Clementine. While Violet had always planned on getting from under her parents’ oppressive thumb, she never imagined her life would turn out like this. She had a beautiful, amazing, kindhearted wife and even with her in-laws out of the picture, Violet still gained family with the special men in her wife’s life: Aj, Duck, Kenny and Lee. She also still had her Ericson friends, and had maintained a close relationship with Brody, Sophie and Louis, despite the years and distance. Now, came the cherry on top; the eventual mini version of her that would be running around soon.

“Violet…Violet…” 

God, how she loved the way Clementine called her name. It was so dreamy.

“Earth to Violet.”

The blonde jolted, “W-What?” She looked around the room in a daze. When did they get back home? She looked down to see that she was still in the clothes from their outing, as was Clementine. “What’d you say?”

The brunette stifled a laugh, “I said you’re gonna set me on fire if you rub my stomach any longer.”

“Oh, sorry.” She laid back down, and gently rested her head on Clementine’s stomach, “I guess I just got lost in thought.”

“Mm,” Clementine hummed as she began to play with fallen blonde strands, “What are you thinking about?”

“You,” She answered truthfully, “and how truly lucky I am to have you.”

When she felt the movement in her hair stop, she looked up at her wife, slightly afraid she’d said something to upset her, but when she looked, she was greeted with a wicked smile. 

“You know, Vi. That was so sweet, it made me remember something.”

“What?”

“I owe you some desert.” Clementine then grabbed the bottom of Violet’s chin with her finger, bringing her closer, “Now come and get some sugar, baby.”

Again, she was a lucky girl.

Chapter Text

Being pregnant was not as joyous as the advertisements would make it out to seem. If Clementine wasn’t leaving the house for work, it was for an appointment. She was off to see yet another doctor that would spread her legs and jam something up her womanhood or off to stand in a long line to get another medication. She couldn’t eat the things she wanted without fighting her stomach to keep it down. She struggled to control her emotions, and they went berserk at the slightest inconvenience. Her homeostasis was knocked off balance and throughout the night she would repeatedly flip from hot to cold, confusing her partner and the thermostat. Everything ached from her head to her toe. Her back screamed, her feet throbbed, her clothes were getting tighter and tighter seemingly with each passing day. Even worse, she almost lost her job due to the most absurd of reasons.

“The button of your top popped off in the middle of a presentation and it hit one of your investors in the face?!” Violet paused her belly rubbing and jolted up, cutting off her wife’s story.

“I thought they were gonna send me packing but it turns out that the investor…likes big girls.”

“First of all, you’re not big, you’re pregnant. Secondly, it sounds like your company is pimping you out to some nasty ass geezer that gets his rocks off looking at pregnant women.”

“And normally, I’d totally agree with you, but this incident got me a raise and I’m working with a bigger client. That means mo’ money for the baby, baby.”

Not humored by the joke, Violet’s expression flattened, “Babe, you can’t be serious.”

“It’s not ideal but it’s just for a little bit. That extra cash means money for a nice breast pump, diapers; we could even save and pay off the hospital bills-”

“If extra cash is all we need then I’ll work longer hours at the shop. I’ll even pick up weekend shifts if I have to.” The blonde protested.

“Violet, you already work so much, and I need you here.” Clementine grabbed her wife’s face and stole a kiss, “Besides, who else will rub my feet and tell me I’m pretty.”

Pregnancy was hard and there were a lot of times where Clementine doubted her abilities to continue, questioned her worth and beauty but Violet was always there to pick her back up. Whether it was foot or back rubs, constant affirmations and encouragement or simply making dinner, Violet was a godsend that made pregnancy bearable. All those sweet gestures reignited Clementine’s belief in something she had once believed was only true in fairytales and her dreams: true love. It was the type of love that never faded and was basically unconditional and non-transactional. It was one she thought was unrealistic but then she found Violet. From the beginning, she knew the blonde was special and that they were destined to be. Any mention of Violet would make Clementine giddy; her heart swell and she'd be moved into gushing about her partner. She found herself blabbing more and more about her amazing spouse as the months went on.

She’d brag to the ladies at the office about how sweet her wife was, how considerate and how gentle she’d been. Violet would call during the workday to make sure Clementine had eaten, called just to say she loved her and to check on the baby. Every night when the two would cuddle after a long day, Violet would lower down, caress her stomach and sing to their baby. Before leaving for work, she’d kiss both Clementine and the baby goodbye. She never missed an appointment and made it her mission to do everything within her power to ease the expectant mother. Every little moment and little show of affection had Clementine ready to burst with love.

“I just don't like the idea of you being objectified for some extra cash or working more hours.” Violet said in a huff as she slunk back down. This time, she laid her head on Clementine’s chest and listened to her heartbeat before continuing, “I just feel like I’m not doing enough for you two- money wise, I mean. Like, I’ve been at the shop for so long but have nothing to show for it.”

“You do plenty for us, ya goober.”

“Still, I know I can do more, which is why I've been looking around. Actually, what I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it.” Violet then sat up and leapt off the bed. She later returned with the household laptop and pulled up some pages she’d saved. “So I’ve been thinking about it for a while and there’s this new mechanic company coming into town that’ll be hiring soon. I figured with my engineering degree and experience that I’d be a good shoe-in.”

Clementine’s eyes enlarged at the sight of the salary, “Wow, those are the starting rates? Maybe I should quit corporate and join you in electrical.”

“I actually need to get that certification renewed but after that, what do you think? About the job, I mean.”

Clementine grabbed the laptop and scrolled a little. She scanned the information before forming an opinion, “I think it’s a good job opportunity and that given your skill set, it should be relatively easy for you to get it…”

“But?”

“ But , I’m concerned about a few things. One being how far it is. At the shop, you’re only twenty minutes away versus the near hour away this job is. Sure, forty-five minutes isn’t crazy but that leads into my second and biggest concern which is the baby. How quickly can you get here if there’s an emergency? Will they give you the time considering you’re a new hire? Let’s not forget this job field is male dominated and if they find out your taking leave so soon after hiring, it doesn’t look good.”

“So I thought about that, and I think I found a workaround. Sweet Potato isn’t due for another what- four to five months? If I sent the application and got a response within two weeks, I could possibly be on the job up until he’s born. By that time, I’ve established myself enough to get maternity leave.” She answered matter-of-factly. “Plus, the shop was only offering one month in unpaid maternity leave, but I checked, and this new company would give me three months with docked paid. Outside of that, I’d have weekends off, except the occasional mandatory weekend out of the month, so that we can have family time. Plus, they have great benefits and better healthcare insurance, all of which will come in handy for Sweet Potato.”

Clementine, slightly baffled yet amazed at how much effort and research Violet had put into researching the new job, gave her wife a smile. She playfully crossed her arms, “Well it sounds like you’ve already made up your mind. Why even ask me?”

“Happy wife, happy life.” Violet responded before giving her wife a kiss on the forehead, “Seriously though, what do you think?”

“Well, babe. I think it’s a great opportunity for you and we should definitely start working on that application, Mrs.Big Bucks.”

Violet’s grin rivaled the Cheshire Cat’s as she then grabbed the laptop and gleefully tapped away, “I’ll start and have you look over it later. Until then do you mind starting dinner?”

“Sure thing, babe. I was just thinking about-” A ring from her phone cut her off. Seeing the caller id startled her, and for a moment, she hesitated on responding but her curiosity got the better of her. She answered with a shaky, “Hello?”

Violet hadn’t gotten far into the application, only her name, when she heard the phone ring. She questioned her wife’s hesitation to answer and paused her typing to listen in on the conversation. Clementine answered a few questions with most of her responses being short. Her tone and posture screamed anxiety but at the same time, her eyes read hopeful. Before she could decipher further, the brief conversation ended, and Clementine turned to her. 

Still in a daze, she reached for the blonde’s hand, “That…that was my mom.” Her eyes darted from her phone to her stomach before landing and focusing on her lover. “She wants us to come over for dinner tomorrow…”

Anxiously, Violet tapped her foot before taking another big swig from her water bottle. All day she'd been distracted by the vomit inducing thought of having to face her in-laws after so many years of near radio silence. The woman had practically been green in the gills since Clementine had received the phone call and all the joy she’d felt about the new job opportunity got flushed down the toilet. She had thought that a good night’s sleep and a morning’s hot cup of joe would help soothe her, but neither had worked it’s magic, leaving Violet an anxious jittery mess. Changing oil, fixing carburetors and performing alignments did nothing to ease her frazzled mind as time ticked on to her impending doom. 

Roman, a gruff middle-aged man with a receding hairline, swung an old oil covered rag over his shoulder as he watched through the office window, along with Shel, as their employee shook with anticipation. “What’s up with her?”

“I don’t know. I heard her mutter something about her in-laws when she first came in and she’s looked like that ever since.” Without saying another word, Shel rose from her seat and headed out to the garage. Once she got in front of the dazed blonde, she waved, “Hey, Violet. I know your shift doesn’t end for another ten minutes but we don’t mind if you clock out early.”

Roman appeared beside Shel, “Yeah, kid. I can finish the rest of your appointments.” 

Green eyes blinked slowly before finally focusing on the two that showed her such concern. They then traveled to the clock behind them. Seeing her shift was nearly over, she cursed under her breath before responding to her bosses. Sitting up, she slowly spoke, “Yeah sorry I wasn’t the best today. There’s just a lot on my mind.” 

“Anything we can help with?” Shel asked. 

Violet looked between them and the clock, debating on her next move. Going back home meant getting closer to the cursed and inevitable event, and she much rather stay to collect herself before she was forced to smile and wave at the assholes that abandoned their daughter. While she had a near two hour drive to the in-laws, she knew the drive would be all but calming. With that in mind, she figured there would be no harm in talking to her bosses about her woes. Well, Roman was more of a boss while Shel was more of a friend. Regardless, they’ve come to her aid before and have given some solid advice. If not advice, they’re just good listeners. So, Violet slouched back in her chair and released a deep breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

Grabbing her cheeks with her grime covered hands, she pulled them down as she groaned, “I’ve got dinner with my in-laws.” 

Shel, noticing how the girl mistakenly dirtied her face, grabbed a clean rag and offered it to her. “Free dinner sounds nice, but something tells me it’s more than that.” 

“Let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye.” Seeing this didn’t answer her bosses' questions and had only made more, Violet changed her answer from vague to straight forward, “They’re homophobic.”

“How are they homo…aren’t they gay?” Utterly confused, Shel scratched her head and looked to Violet for answers. “Becca told me-”

“That was her godfather and his husband at the wedding. Her real parents didn’t show, despite getting an invitation. We haven’t seen them in years.” 

“You said Clem sent them the pregnancy announcement. Think that’s what they want to talk about?” Shel asked, tucking a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear.

“No doubt in my mind.”

Roman came and gave the blonde a hard slap on her back, nearly knocking her over, before grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back up, “Look kid, this could be a good thing, eh? New life brings family together.”

“Yeah, Violet, don’t be such a pessimist. This could be good.” Chel stood in agreement with Roman, “This pregnancy could’ve been a wakeup call for them and maybe they’re reaching out to make amends.”

“Again, no doubt, but I don’t trust them.” Violet explained, “They welcomed me with open arms when we were dating but then completely blindsided us by not supporting our marriage. Her parents are religious, and they never hid that but looking back they were ridiculously passive aggressive once things between me and Clem got serious.” She sighed, “I knew they were Christians, I just didn’t think they were bigots.” 

Roman grunted, “Fuck it, Vi. Just don’t go.”

“I don’t want to, but I can’t leave Clem to go alone.”

“If you ask me, she shouldn’t go either.” Shel explained, “She should be standing by you. Telling them she won’t come until they apologize to you.” 

“Yeah, that would've been nice but sad to say, they’ve got a spell on her and she won’t break it for me.” Violet laid it out for them, “I’m not saying Clem doesn’t love me but that bond with her parents is really strong. I mean it took me forever to convince her that her parents were actually homophobic. Even now she holds out hope that they can be a family again. You should’ve seen the look in her eyes when she heard her mom’s voice. She’s so excited for this. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t want to go.”

“You shouldn’t have to tell her, Vi. She should see it in your body language and your eyes.”

“Love is about sacrifices, Shel. Sometimes you do things for your partner that you don’t want to and vice versa.” Violet shrugged, trying to let it roll off her back but deep down, she knew Shel had a point.

“I know, I just want you to make sure it’s equal. I don’t want you getting lost in trying to please her.” Shel gave the woman a smile and a soft pat on the back. Before she could say more, a worker called for her and Roman. So with limited time, Shel left her friend with some courage, “Try not to worry about the dinner. Clem’s got a good head on her shoulders. If she picked you before, she’ll do it again.”

Roman stepped in once more, speaking as he walked backwards behind Shel, “Head home, ok? We’re not paying you overtime just because you’re entertaining us with your drama.” He sent her a wink, then disappeared behind the door.

While Shel’s advice had been insightful, Violet’s anxiety and doubts still whizzed around her like an annoying mosquito. She never doubted Clementine’s love, yet she found herself questioning her priorities and after letting Shel's words sink in, she believes that's the thing that had been bothering her all day. That night after the phone call, despite asking Violet about her thoughts on the matter, it felt as if Clementine's mind was already made up- that she was going to see her parents, with or without her wife in tow. While this might not seem like a form of betrayal to Clementine, it devastated the blonde. Would Clementine outwardly correct her parents when they were being patronizing or would she just awkwardly laugh and give Violet a sympathetic look, apologizing for them in privacy. Would Clementine actively include Violet in the conversations, or would she let her fade into obscurity? Would she ignore the bigotry for the sake of keeping peace with her family? But Violet was her family now, right? 

She provided a stable loving home and was there in place of absentee parents. She’d wiped every tear, cheered for every achievement, held her hand when scared. It was all Violet, not them and having knocked a lens out of Clementine’s rose-colored glasses, surely, she’d be able to see that. To top it off, like Shel mentioned, Clementine had picked Violet over her parents before, leaving not only them but finical support behind as well. The brunette traded in her comfortable life for an old small townhouse, a barely visible zirconium ring and the risk of societal rejection for Violet- for love. Encouraged by her own inner thoughts, Violet held her head high as she exited the garage. She’d dress nice and be well behaved for the dinner with the intention of holding on to their love. Just like all those years ago, she’d stand up to the hate and fight for their relationship. She just prayed Clementine did the same.

Chapter Text

It was only a two-hour drive, but God was Violet dreading every second of their sudden trip. It wasn’t so much the ride as much as it was what she’d have to be faced with when it ended: her in-laws. Nearly five years had passed since they’d heard from the Marshs and while Violet was content and used to the parental silence, her partner was not.

Though she was an only child, Clementine had to fight for her parent’s attention due to her father’s illness. It wasn’t in a selfish bratty way, more like a sad, desperate cry to spend as much time with her parents as much as she could. Her father’s illness had made her aware of their mortality at a young age. This made her younger self strive to be the best daughter she could be and for the longest time, she would break herself to please them. Straight A’s, tidy, a sense of initiative and leadership, financially cautious and socially safe, made her the perfect daughter. 

Once in college, free to discover and reunite with the rebellious blonde, Clementine had her world rocked and eyes opened once more. Her tightwad attitude and stickler behavior eroded as she continued her college experience. She started experimenting with weed and exploring her sexuality by drunkenly kissing pretty girls at crazy parties. And while everything she participated in wasn’t some wild adventure, it was enough to give her the taste of excitement and freedom she was missing while trying to satisfy her parents. The girl was smart enough to know college wasn’t forever and that she couldn’t keep her alter-ego hidden away from her family for long. 

Her parents, in an odd way, politely denied her and her newfound changes. To them, taking a lesbian lover was nearly a phase; a bold flame that would soon fizzle out. Various tattoos and numerous piercings would be removed and be explained off as a college fad. They believed this random need to be different would eventually tire itself out and she would return to the daughter they loved. Their daughter had been uptight, and college had relaxed her, allowing her to be the child she had shut out. But like any real child, she would grow up and leave her fantasies behind. Or so they hoped.

Clementine stood by the passenger door as she looked at her childhood home and gulped under its intimidating stature. Nerves built up as she then leaned down to peer into the passenger side mirror to check her appearance. Like the dinner with Kenny and Lee, Clementine had torn through her closet like a hurricane to find the perfect outfit. Luckily for her, she and Violet had updated her closet with maternity clothes, so the storm didn’t last long. Still, she checked for flaws.

Her hair, which was pulled back in a half up-half down style, thankfully kept its definition and bounce, despite having to ride with the windows down for the last five minutes of the ride, due to a deadly nervous fart she had released. She ironed out her lavender gown with her hands and straightened her ‘V’ pendant necklace before meeting with Violet. She fixed her wife’s blazer, then her hands traveled to a blonde head. She raked her fingers through to tame the flyaway bangs and simultaneously tucked blonde locks behind pierced ears, before her hands finally rested on rosy cheeks. 

Clementine rubbed her thumbs against the soft skin, hoping it’s feeling would settle her frayed nerves. Her eyes didn’t meet with Violet’s and she bit her lip nervously, too afraid to voice the worries that plagued her mind. Her mother’s invite was most unexpected, and she was vague about her intentions during her call. It caused Clementine to toss and turn in her sleep due to the overwhelming anxiety the call had stirred. This in turn worried Violet, for she knew how Clementine could be when it came to her parents. 

For some reason that Violet couldn’t quite wrap her head around, the Marshs still held a strong control over their daughter. During the separation, Clementine had been the one reaching out, trying to keep in contact and check in on the welfare of her father and his ailments. Despite this, not once was the same kindness returned to her. Phone calls were brief and brushed off, mail was left unanswered and cookout and Christmas invitations left unsent. It wasn’t until they announced their pregnancy, that the Marshs had reached out to their estranged daughter. Being the pessimist that she was, Violet doubted it was for the genuine reconciliation that Clementine was hoping for. Seeing how anxious her wife was about the meeting, this was something she’d keep to herself. 

“Hey, you got this.” Violet encouraged. 

Clementine returned the favor, “We got this.”

With a deep calming breath taken by both girls, they walked hand and hand to the door, with Clementine ringing the doorbell. Seconds dragged on as she heard the clicking of sharp heeled shoes steadily approach the door. The twist of the knob caused her to tighten her grip on her wife’s hand. The door opened with a whine, brown eyes locked with another and suddenly the safety of Violet’s hand was switched for batwinged arms that enveloped her wholly, with another that followed shortly after.

As Violet watched the family reunite, and how Clementine practically melted into their arms, she couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling that set in. She watched as their hands traveled along her wife’s body as they distracted her with their abundance of comments and questions. They caressed her face and pinched her cheeks, gently and sweetly, as if she were made of porcelain. They rubbed her back, squeezed her shoulders and entangled themselves in her thick head of kinks and coils. Eventually, they reached their final destination; her stomach, which housed their future grandchild, and rubbed lovingly.  

Violet looked at Clementine, who clearly loved the attention, as she sat, soaking it up like a sponge. Her fears seemingly melted away after the loving embrace gifted to her by her parents. It actually pained Violet to see her wife was nourished by the touch of the people who hadn’t bothered to check on her wellbeing since her declaration of love. These people that were meant to love her unconditionally, left her crying at her wedding, not happy tears, but ones of despair. Violet remembers the night before their wedding, when Clementine confessed to having cold feet. She whispered to her soon to be wife, hiding under a blanket of darkness, “I always worried I wouldn’t have my dad to walk me down the aisle. I never thought this would be the reason why.”

The clearing of Clementine’s throat would bring Violet back from the flashback and she was transported to the current situation at hand. Clementine had her arm and when she looked up to her in-laws, she was greeted with a look of utter shock. Apparently, they only had eyes for their daughter and hadn’t seen the blonde beside her. Diana looked at Clementine’s stomach, then back to the couple.

“Oh, we just thought…nevermind.” She fumbled for only a second before she gracefully recovered with, “Welcome Violet. How good to see you.”

Despite the warm smiles on their faces, Violet still received an icy reception with painfully awkward handshakes and forced how-do-you-dos. She chose to spare her wife’s feelings when it came to how she truly felt towards her in-laws but if she could speak truthfully, she'd admit she didn't like the Marshs for this very particular reason. Everything with them was staged. Their kindness was an act, all to keep up the facade of good god-fearing people but she saw through it. Deep down she knew they hated her guts for turning their princess into a punk. Regardless, she still treated them with respect and kept it cordial.

The dinner began awkwardly, and it was noted by the couple that the Marshs were treading lightly. 

“So, how was the drive?” Mr.Marsh started, “I hope it wasn't too much trouble to get here. Especially since this was so last minute.”

“It wasn’t too bad. I think we made good time, all things considered,” Clementine answered. 

“That's good. That's good,” Her father mused.

Forks scrapped against ceramic plates to fill the void of the silence as the conversation took a brief pause.

“So, Mr. and Mrs.Marsh, how have you been?” Violet tried. “It's been a while.”

“We're doing well. We've taken a couple of mission trips and raised money for the church with a bake sale but other than that there's not much to report.” Diana answered. 

“Are you sure?” Clementine cautiously asked, “I don't mean to pry but dad, since when do you use a cane?”

“Oh, this? Workplace accident. I'm fine.” He brushed off her concerns with a dismissive wave of his hand. Not wanting to worry her, he opted to change the subject, “What about you, sweetness? How have you been?”

Her eyes still lingered on the cane. “I'm ok, just a little tired.”

“Didn't sleep well?”

“Well it's hard to sleep when you get an ominous call from your mom.” The girl picked around her plate as she gathered courage to face her parents. After a moment she looked up at them, “Seriously are you guys ok? It's just…it's been so long and you kinda called out of the blue.”

The Marshs looked at one another before letting out a small chuckle. Diana lightheartedly answered, “You're expecting, Clementine. We just wanted to check up on you.”

“Speaking of, when's the little guy due?” Her dad asked.

“Oh, uh, well.” Clementine's nerves suddenly reappeared, knowing they wouldn't be too excited by her answer. Still, she replied with, “January. Late January.”

Her mother nearly choked on her water, “Goodness Clementine, you're nearly halfway done. Why are we just now hearing about this?”

Violet noticed as Clementine shifted uncomfortably in her seat, so she answered for her. “Well, we had some previous, uh, issues so the doctors recommended we keep the news to ourselves for a while.” Under the table she grabbed Clementine’s hand and when she felt how loose her wife’s grip was, she gave it a tight squeeze. 

The brunette's eyes remained empty as she joked, “Didn't see the point of getting your hopes up.” 

“Oh. We’re so sorry to hear that,” lulled her mother. Diana reached over the table and grabbed the hand that her daughter used to absentmindedly push around her food. “Are you ok, Clem?”

Her daughter blinked once, waking up from her foggy state and gave her a quick and forced smile, “We're fine, mom. Just happy to have another chance.” 

Diana sat for a while, reading her daughter's face. She knew everything wasn't as she was making it seem, but she didn't want to pry and cause further damage. She sat back down and resumed her dinner. Her husband tested the waters by reopening the conversation.

“Have you told anyone else? About you expecting, I mean.”

Clementine hesitated again, knowing her answer would do all but please them. She took a breath and answered truthfully, “We told Lee.”

They flinched at the mention of the man's name. It was one they hadn't heard in a long time, and they would've liked it to stay that way. To the Marshs, Lee undoubtedly played a crucial role in Clementine's defection to the other side. It pained them to know that the man they had once trusted and felt kin to, would fill their daughter’s head with certain ideologies that their faith disagreed with. It killed them to know that she had, yet again, run to him in their absence.

“Figures. You two were always so close.” Ed said with a false smile and a chuckle that sounded all but genuine. After getting a soft kick from his wife under the table, he changed the subject, “Anyways, do you know the gender of the baby?”

“Not yet,” Clementine explained, “We want to do a gender reveal at the baby shower so it's better if we don't know until later.” 

After her mother-in-law asked about the event’s time, Violet answered, “We’re shooting for early December. Don’t want to interrupt peoples’ holidays.”

“Well if you don't have a venue, you can have it here.” Diana suggested. 

“That's a great idea,” her husband added, “we just got the fire pit installed so it wouldn't be too bad to have it outside. Even then the house is big enough to hold the family.”

“Keep in mind that Annette is going to bring all her kids and you know how Jonah is. We should rent a port-a-potty. I don't want the guest bath to become a revolving door.”

“We’re going to have to get some greens and field peas from the farmer's market. Oh and tell Tanisha to make some cornbread. What else am I missing?”

“Red rice, macaroni, snap peas, potato salad and yams-”

"Sounds like we're having Thanksgiving again."

The excited expectant grandparents completely forgot about their guests as they concocted a plan for the blessed event. Upon hearing the plans her in-laws were making for her child, her already finicky appetite was killed and Violet stopped eating altogether. She nudged her wife, effectively getting her attention. With her eyes, she pleaded for her to end the madness that was parental takeover but all she received was an apologetic shrug.

The blonde sighed tiredly and rolled her eyes. Apparently, this was a battle she was going to have to fight alone. She forced herself to smile, “Thanks for the offer; we really appreciate it but I think we’re going to do our own thing.”

“Oh it's really no problem.” Diana politely fought back, “since it's close to the holidays, the family should be in town. We’ll host it here and Clem, I know the family is dying to see you again.”

“You’ll be down here for Christmas anyways, right?” Ed asked his daughter.

“We have plans.” Violet answered before Clementine could even fix her mouth to speak.

Ed turned to Violet, “Are you spending it with your parents?”

“No, we always spend the holidays with Lee’s family.”

Diana turned back to her daughter. She posed the question, “You still haven’t met them?” When Clementine shook her head, the mother sent her a look of disappointment, “First marriage and now this? Clementine, how are you pregnant without knowing your partner’s parents? Do they even know about the baby?”

Violet, slightly annoyed at both her in-laws and her wife, chimed in, “No, they don’t and it’s going to stay that way. ” She then said rather sternly, "They're out of my life for a reason."

“Even still-” Diana went to argue back but was stopped by her husband. She sighed and let it go. “Anyways, I still think you should come down for the holidays. I’m sure Lee wouldn’t mind.”

Again, Violet voiced her opinion, “Thanks, but we’d need to talk before making any major decisions.”

“I was talking to my daughter.” Diana said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Disbelief took over her face as Clementine shook off her mother's sudden snappy attitude, “Whoa, Mom, don’t do that.”

“What? She’s been talking for you this entire time. You have a voice, Clementine. Use it.”

“Look it was a very generous offer but she’s right, we need to talk about it. We have traditions and other commitments; friends that already volunteered to help with the shower. You just sprung this on us. We need to think about it first.”

“And there’s plenty of time to, sweetness.” Ed shot his wife a glare. His eyes softened when he looked back at the girls, “We apologize if that seemed rude. We’re just really excited.”

“There was no “seemed” rude, it was. This whole night you’ve barely acknowledged her, when she’s been nothing but respectful to you. She's always been.” Clementine, having found her voice, began to rise from the table and Violet shortly followed suit, “Thanks for the dinner but it’s getting late; I think we should go.”

“Wait, Clementine, don’t go! We want you here- b-both of you.” Her mother stood hastily, panic flashing through her eyes as she pleaded, “I apologize for my rude behavior, Violet. Please forgive me.”

Ed stood as well and placed his hand on his wife’s back for support, “Forgive us , Violet. For how we’ve treated you in the past and for having offended you tonight.”

“I…It’s fine….Thank you.” Violet eeked out, surprised by the sudden change in behavior. 

“Come, sit. Let’s finish dinner.”

Violet hesitantly took her seat along with her in-laws and waited for wife to do the same, but she still stood. Clementine grimaced as she looked between her parents. Brown eyes looked to Ed’s cane before asking with a heavy sigh, “You’re sick again, aren’t you?”

“W-what? No, course not, sweetness-”

“Please don’t lie to me. Those pills-” 

“He’s not lying, Clementine.” Diana pacified her with her words, “He had a workplace accident. Those pills you saw in the kitchen were for his pain. Now would you please sit down?”

Ed started as he watched his daughter slowly take her seat, “Like your mother said, it was a workplace accident, but it was a very bad one. I was in the hospital for a while and when I was there, I couldn’t stop thinking about my little girl and how much I’ve missed. When we got your letter, we jumped at the opportunity.”

“A phone call wasn’t enough. We needed to see you- to apologize in person.” Diana looked between the girls, “Violet, again, we’re truly sorry for our treatment of you in the past, and even tonight. You took care of our daughter in our absence, and we thank you for that.”

“We still don’t quite understand it, but we’re willing to learn and better ourselves when it comes to our ignorance. We just want to be a part of this family you’re creating. If you’ll have us.” Ed looked between the girls, looking for their response after somewhat spilling his heart out onto the table.

Clementine ultimately knew they were looking for her answer. It’d been made clear all night that her parents still only see Clementine and not the two of them as a couple. To her, their apologies were only given in hopes of pleasing her, not because they were genuine in their guilt for hurting Violet. Still, there was something about the desperation in their pleading eyes and strained voices that made Clementine second-guess her suspicions. This dinner wasn’t just from out of the blue and they weren’t groveling and recanting their homophobia for nothing. They needed something from her or at least, there was something going on that they were hiding. So despite their abhorrent behavior, Clementine reluctantly agreed. 

She sat as she forced a complacent smile on her face, “Right…of course dad.”

Chapter Text

It became very apparent as the night went on that the couple would not be returning to their home that night. Despite their protests, they were persuaded by Ed to spend the night. He made sure to provide them with his old shirts to sleep in and offered to wash their clothes so he could treat them to breakfast in the morning. Violet, who had been wary of visiting, was now concerned if there would be trouble when it came to the sleeping arrangements.

While dating, the Marshs wouldn’t allow her to stay in the same bed as their daughter. They claimed it was because they were unwed but in reality it was because they didn't want their daughter to share such an intimate space with a woman. Violet figured this night would be no different but she was extremely surprised when Ed bypassed his wife and allowed the two to sleep together. So after taking a hot shower and brushing her teeth, she laid in the tight full sized bed with her pregnant wife, looking at the stars through her sheer yellow curtains. The two hadn’t spoken much after the dinner, too wrapped up in their own thoughts to speak to each other. Violet knew the silence wouldn’t last for long, and eventually, Clementine would speak but until then, she closed her eyes and listened to her wife’s soft breathing while she played in a head of thick coils.

“He's sick.” The brunette spoke into Violet’s chest, “They're hiding it and I don't know why.”

“I’m sure they just don't want you to worry.”

“It must be bad. Like worse than before.”

“Clem-”

“What if he doesn't make it?” Clementine sat up and absentmindedly rubbed her stomach with one hand, while the other went for her mouth, ready to nervously bite at her nails. The woman’s mind raced. “What if he doesn't see them before he…”

Knowing they weren’t going to get rest any time soon, Violet joined Clementine and grabbed the hand that provided fingers for the brunette’s mouth to nibble on. Violet then pulled Clementine in for a side hug and tried her best to ease her wife’s troubled mind. “Hey, come on now, don't think like that. He beat it before. He could do it again.”

“You didn't see him before, how frail he was, how harsh his treatments were. There were times when I couldn’t see him without the risk of him getting sicker.” She cuddled up with her lover and held her close, “He barely survived his first fight and now with his age…Violet, I don’t want to lose my dad again.”

“I know you’re not hopeful, but you’ve got to hold on to something positive. Maybe you’re wrong, and it really is just an accident. But if your gut is telling you it’s not, then listen. Take this as an opportunity to spend as much time as you have with him.”

After a moment, Clementine asked, “Would that bother you? If I spent more time with them?”

“No? Why would you think that?”

“When they mentioned the baby shower, you were very quick to shut it down.”

“I didn't. I just said we needed to talk about it.”

“Well can we talk about it now?” Violet nodded, prompting Clementine to continue, “I think that maybe we should hear them out about having the party here. I mean the date is still far so we have time but if my dad really is sick, it might be easier to have it close to them. Regardless, I think they should be invited, granted everything goes well tomorrow… What do you think?”

“Well, like you said, we have time before making a decision but if I could choose, I’d want us to have the final say of what happens in terms of the shower. I get they’re excited and want to be involved but their reaction scared me. It felt like they were already taking over our plans.” Violet rubbed Clementine’s stomach as she recalled earlier events, “From the second they hugged you, I could tell they were going to be those grandparents, ya know? The ones that call their grandkids their baby and actually mean it. Depending on how things go, I don’t mind them being in the picture; I just want boundaries, babe. This is our baby.”

“Yeah I get it. They can be a little much but I’m sure it’s just from the excitement of it all. Maybe we can talk to them about it tomorrow.” Clementine stifled a yawn, “Speaking of, are you ok with them? I know they apologized, and you accepted it but, I know you. You didn’t actually believe them, did you?”

“Did you?”

“...I don’t know.” She paused. Her answer started taking longer to vocalize, seeing as her eyelids suddenly became unbearably heavy. The relaxing cadence of Violet’s heart beat against ear and the cozy heat radiating off her body wasn’t helping. Despite this, Clementine managed to answer, “I want to but I think they were just saying whatever they could to keep us here. And words mean nothing without actions to back them up”

“Yeah…right.”

Her eyes now closed, Clementine replayed the conversations from the night. She spoke her mind before she forgot with morning light, “Hey, Violet. Sorry if I wasn’t really present during dinner. I just kept looking at my dad and… Anyways, I didn’t mean to leave you to fend for yourself tonight, especially since I know you only came for me. I appreciate that.”

Violet didn’t answer at first, too busy internally debating on continuing the conversation. On one hand, she could tell her wife was tired and the contents of their talk might be forgotten come morning. On the other hand, she much rather get this off her chest now, instead of fighting the anxieties the thoughts caused that would disrupt her sleep.

“Clem, I'm not trying to start something, especially this late at night but if we’re going to bring your parents back into our lives, we can't have a repeat of tonight. I can’t have them undermine me and ignore my existence. I need you to have my back. Not just for the big, in your face things, but for the small discreet things too. And I don’t want them weaseling in our decisions about the baby.” She sighed, “I say all this because I know how you can get when it comes to them. You love them so much Clem and that’s sweet, but I don’t want that to get in the way of our family.”

“Yeah, you’re right, babe.” she yawned, then apologized for it, “I’m so sorry, I promise I hear what you’re saying. I’m just exhausted and cuddling with you makes me extremely sleepy. Anyways, we can talk about boundaries and respect tomorrow at breakfast. Does that sound good to you?”

“Yeah, it does.” Having felt heard, Violet loosened up and kissed the girl on the forehead, “Thanks, babe. You go on and rest.”

Violet was unaware if Clementine had heard her full answer, as all she got in response was a soft hum. It didn't bother her much as they could always talk about it later. They both had long days that night, having come straight to the Marshs’ after work. The only thing that kept them awake during the drive was their anticipation. As the anxiety died down, as did their energy. Sleep was something she couldn’t wait to reunite with but just as Violet started to doze off, she felt hairs tickling her nose. She moved it away but yet again it found itself entangled within her nostrils. 

“Cleeeemmmm.” She whined, “Your mom didn't have a spare bonnet?”

Clementine, whose slumber had been disturbed, grimaced as she groggily answered, “Their light was off so I figured they were sleeping. Didn't want to bother them.” 

“Well it's bothering me. Can you braid it back or something?” 

The brunette sat up with a heavy sigh and began braiding her hair with Violet's help. Together, they haphazardly parted curly hair down the middle and sloppily attempted at twin dutch braids. Like most people being rudely awoken from their sleep, Clementine was crabby but after an idea crossed her mind, she smiled.

“Getting your practice in, I see.”

Violet, whose brain was too tired and lazy to put in the effort to understand, questioned her. “What are you talking about?”

“For when we have a little girl.”

The bed-headed blonde grabbed the hair ties that her wife had previously put on the nightstand and handed one to her. She too smiled while she tied down a braid, “Guess you could say that.”

Once finished, Clementine turned around and deposited a soft kiss on her partner’s cheek. Finally she turned over and rested her head on the fluffy pillow. “Goodnight, Vi.” She whispered.

“Night, babe. Night, Sweet Potato.” Violet kissed them both before she too surrendered to the sandman.

However, down the hall, another couple laid stirring with a conflict that had yet to be resolved. To Ed, the dinner didn’t go as planned but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. On the contrary, Diana’s rage was set to a low simmer. Despite the clear signs on the pregnancy announcement and the brief conversation she had with her daughter prior to the dinner, Diana was upset to find the queer couples’ bond was as strong as ever. She was angered by the fact she had to feign politeness yet again, to pacify her daughter. Even more upsetting to the mother, was that her husband was complicit in the unholy alliance and was allowing the two to sleep together. 

“You should’ve told her, Ed.” An annoyed voice called from the bathroom.

“And what good would that do? It’d probably stress her out even more.” He argued back but waited to continue until his wife was fully done in the bathroom. Once she emerged, he spoke, “I didn’t want her to come back out of pity. I wanted her to come back because she can see I’ve genuinely accepted her and Violet. I want to be a part of my grandchild’s life, for as long as I have.”

“I understand that Ed but this isn’t going to get better with time. You want to do all these things with her but what happens when your symptoms start showing? What happens when you’re too weak to contribute? How are you going to explain those to her?”

The man swatted his hand dismissively, as he removed his slippers, “I’ll figure it out.”

“You mean you’ll lie. I’m not going to be a part of that. I’m not going to lie to her about this.” Diana said with her back turned as she continued her nightly routine.

“Why not? You lie about everything else.”

“What are you on about?” She snapped her head back at him.

“You mean to tell me that everything you said at dinner tonight was genuine? You’re ok with her relationship?” When the woman didn’t answer, he huffed with entitled satisfaction as he turned to get under the covers, “Hm, then I guess we’re in the same boat.” 

With hands on her hips, she asked, “And I'm supposed to believe you're ok with this marriage? That you've turned a new leaf.”

“Diana, I'm dying. Everyday I find myself getting close to Him, getting closer to home. The more scripture I read, the more I pray and worship, the more I realize we were wrong. I can still have faith and love my gay daughter.”

Diana, in a softer tone, spoke as she turned over to him and cupped his ever slimming cheeks. She looked into her husband’s eyes, “And because of your faith, you will be saved. When you leave, I'll cry only because I miss you. And when it's my turn, I know I'll see you again but I worry about Clementine. Her relationship isn't recognized under His eyes. How can you be at peace knowing she won’t join you? What about our grandchild?”

He pulled away, sucking his teeth, “Diana-”

“It's unnatural Ed. It's unholy and it's our job as her parents to show her the right way.”

“The girl is old enough to make her own decisions, Diana. She doesn’t have to follow our faith but if she wants to, it won’t be because of my persuasion or coercion.”

“I just don’t know where we went wrong. I thought we raised her right.”

“We did. She’s a college graduate, can financially stand on her own, and isn’t a criminal. She’s grown to be an independent, well-adjusted and an opinioned strong woman. You should be proud of how she turned out.”

“It’s not that I’m not proud, Ed. I’m just worried.”

“About the wrong things.”

“It’s not love, Ed, it’s confusion. It’s unnatural, perverted and depraved and once upon a time, you would’ve agreed.” 

“Even so, I’m on borrowed time and I’m not going to waste it or any more of my energy on hating something I don’t understand. I refuse to let my faith interfere with my relationship with my daughter. I refuse to let it take any more time away from us.”

Since his diagnosis, her husband had begun to splitter from the one she used to know. He was still patient, loving and as caring as ever, but his strength began to dwindle before her very eyes. His will to fight the illnesses that plagued him and oppose his daughter's decisions faded as time went on. He no longer wished to punish Clementine for her crimes against Christianity and instead opted to change his view. Long before the pregnancy announcement was even sent, Ed had plans of reuniting with their estranged daughter, despite Diana’s protests to stay righteously strong.

She spat, “You've changed.”

“Yeah, and I wish you did too.”

After a night of well needed rest, the couples awoke in the morning and decided to refuel at one of Ed’s favorite restaurants. Cracker Barrel was a well known southern restaurant and while they sold lunch and dinner, they were mainly associated with their breakfast and famous syrup. The store had a unique design that not many establishments had, with a gift shop in the front, dining in the back and a wide variety of purchasable rocking chairs on the front porch. So while the family of four- five if you count the baby, waited to be seated, Clementine decided to take a load off and relax in one of the chairs.

She was enjoying the small breeze when her father appeared in front of her. The man leaned on his cane with a smile, “You look comfortable. Maybe you should get one for the nursery.”

“That would be nice.” The girl agreed as she imagined herself rocking her baby to sleep.

“Clementine, dear.” Her mother called from across the walkway as she rocked in a chair of her own, “I meant to ask at dinner last night but are you guys planning to make a nursery?”

“Yeah, we're going to convert the office.”

“When is that going to get done? If you're not finding out the gender until the baby shower then how are you going to have it decorated in time?”

Violet finally joined the conversation, “It's just going to be gender neutral. We don't know the theme yet but we're thinking of making it sky themed. Like the sun, moon and stars.”

“That sounds heavenly,” Mrs.Marsh smiled.

“Would you like some help?” Ed eagerly asked, “I’m great with a paintbrush. Remember Clem, I painted your old room.”

“Actually an old friend from high school is coming down with her brother to help paint.” Violet explained, “Normally we wouldn’t mind the extra company but the room is pretty small.”

“Sorry, dad, Vi’s right. Besides, I’d hate to have you guys come all the way down there for that. Our place is small in general so we’d have to put you on the pull-out if you wanted to stay the night and I’d hate to have you spend money for a hotel.”

The man tried to hide his disappointment but it could be seen in his eyes. Luckily for him, they didn’t dwell on the conversation much longer as their name was announced over the intercom. Without another word, the family began to pile into the vintage restaurant, following their server to the four person table. After passing out silverware and menus, the server left, leaving the family to conversate.

“Do you have a crib yet,” asked Ed. “If not, we can go shopping and get you one today.”

“Actually, dad…Um, Kenny and the boys are making us one.”

Diana put down her menu enough so she could send her daughter a puzzled look, “Kenny?”

“Lee’s husband.”

“Oh, I didn't know they were still together. They were always so colorful with their banter.”

There was a pause mid conversation as the waitress came to collect orders and menus. As she went around the table, Clementine thought back on her mother’s statement. Previously, Kenny and Lee had a tumultuous relationship, with them both being divorcees; Kenny’s being the most recent of the two. Like any other couple, the two had their issues, mainly that stemmed from past relationships, but after years of hard work and dedication, they became better and helped one another buff out the worst parts of themselves. Lee tamed the more abrasive side of Kenny and helped him mend his strained relationship with his son, while Kenny brought Lee out of his shell. The two shared many adventures of traveling cross country on a hog to visit historical sights, and more calmer activities like taking the boat sailing or going fishing. 

“They're doing much better now. Last we checked, they’re planning a vacation,” explained Clementine. “Anyways, he, his son, Duck and Aj are supposed to help. They said they'd have it done in time for the shower.”

Ed nursed his newly acquired coffee, “Alvin Jr? How is he doing? We haven't talked to that side of the family in a while.”

“Oh, he’s grown up so fast. He’s seventeen now,” Clementine gushed over her no-longer-a-baby baby cousin, “He’s working part time at the pizzeria and almost has enough to get his first car.”

“Don’t forget his secret girlfriend.” Violet added.

“Oh yeah, the sheriff’s daughter? They’re definitely a thing.”

“Well it’s nice to see that y’all are still close.” Diana said as she buttered her biscuit.

“Yeah and Kenny has done wonders with him. He’s really shaping up to be a great man. Alvin would be proud.”

A few years after Aj’s arrival, the boy’s father and Ed’s cousin, Alvin, was murdered in an argument regarding Aj’s real paternity. Since then, his mother, Rebecca, has moved from Maryland to Georgia to be closer to family. Despite that, she’d been mostly on her own in raising him and had been struggling to control his explosive behavior. It wasn’t until recent years of Clementine introducing her to Lee and Kenny, that the rambunctious Aj began to settle. After a few years, he and Kenny formed a father-son bond due to them both being the thing they were lacking in their lives. With Aj, despite how much his mother cared, he had no father or positive male role model to look up to and there was no one to quench the male validation he craved. For Kenny who’s divorce left him with partial custody of their teenaged son, he gained another chance at fatherhood with Aj, this time, promising to do better and be more emotionally available.

“Speaking of Juniors, have you thought of any names? I’ve heard that retro names like Edward and Eddia are making a comeback.” Ed joked as he cut into his pancakes. He then began to list off names, “Edna, Edwin, Edwina, Edgar, Edmond-”

Diana playfully smacked his arm, “Oh hush up, Ed.” 

“I can settle for a middle name.” He retorted.

“Ignore your father and his rambling.” Diana spoke to the women across the table, “I’d love to hear your ideas.”

Clementine chuckled, “I have a few I really liked but somebody isn’t a fan.”

Once it was clear that their dream was coming true, the girls stayed up all night thinking of names. Clementine had suggested they go for an Earthy vibe, considering they were both named after nature. For girls, she wanted a flower themed name like Lily, Daliah, Rose, Hazel or Delphine. All of which were turned down by Violet, though she could compromise if they were made into middle names. The flower themed names were basic to Violet, which she knew their child would be anything but. Besides, she wanted something unusual, something that would make people notice how special their kid was. She suggested Orion, Star, Astrid, Aurora and Phoenix but Clementine felt it too fantastical and cosmic. 

Violet reached over and lovingly rubbed her wife's stomach, “Until we can decide, we call them Sweet Potato.” 

Ed smiled, “I bet it’s because sweet potato pie is your favorite. Has that been one of your cravings because I can whip one up for you when I get back home.”

“No,” Clementine laughed once more, having been tickled by the guess, “The doctor said we have a lazy couch potato for a baby so Vi changed their nickname from Peanut to Sweet Potato.”

As time went on, the conversations flowed onto other aspects of the pregnancy. The parents inquired about cravings, doctor’s appointments and other celebratory events that they wanted to be a part of. They learned that Sarah, one of Clementine’s college friends, was going to be their photographer for their maternity shoot. They also learned that the women were planning for an at home water birth, which Diana took heavy interest in. Just as she was about to ask permission to be a part of the process, she was interrupted by a late middle aged woman wearing business casual clothes.

“Hey, Diana. How you doing, Ed? Funny running into y’all here.”

Diana rose from her chair to greet the woman with a hug, “Well good morning, Sister BeBe. How’s Brother CeCe?”

“Oh, he’s doing much better. Just in time for Sunday’s service. Speaking of which, I hope you and your guests plan on attending.”

“These aren’t guests, BeBe; this is my daughter Clementine and her friend, Violet.”

“Actually, this is my wife, Violet.” The brunette boldly corrected while shaking the woman’s hand.

The woman’s smile grew disgustingly large as she forced it to grow, “In that case, I fully expect to see you two at the sermon tomorrow.” BeBe then waved goodbye, “Well, I won’t trouble you further, I just came to give a short hello. It was nice seeing you two, and nice meeting you two,” she said, referring to the female couple before taking her leave. 

The once relaxed mood disappeared, now replaced by a tense atmosphere.

Clementine joylessly chuckled, “Wow, that was rich.”

Diana defended, “It was just a slip of the tongue, honestly, Clementine. I didn’t mean any harm.”

Ed joined after seeing the unconvinced look on his daughter’s face, “Sweetness, we just need a little more time to adjust-”

“Time? You’re joking, right?”

Diana’s eyes darted around the restaurant, searching for anyone that might have interest in their conversation. With her hands up, she begged, “Clementine, please don't make a scene. We can talk about this later.”

“Actually, I think it's better to talk about it now. We’ve been meaning to clarify some things.” Violet chose her next words carefully and tried to speak to her in-laws respectively, “While we are very happy to see your excitement about the baby, we feel as if we still need time and space to sort out our feelings.”

“Which means?” Ed asked.

“It means we need space. You guys kinda pushed all these ideas on us and like I said, we know you're excited but we just need space to…collect our thoughts and find out where you fit in.”

“Where we fit in?” Diana repeated. She looked between the women with bewildered eyes, “W-what's that supposed to mean?”

“Did you really think that you would call us up after all these years and expect us to roll out the red carpet for you? Especially after that.” Clementine gestured to the woman that started exiting with her family. “That interaction right there, proved you still aren’t ready to accept our relationship. If you still can't accept us, then you can't be a part of our family.”

“But we are accepting,” Diana protested, “It was just a slip up, Clementine. There’s no need to be so sensitive.”

A flash of fury could be seen in her ember eyes at her mother’s insensitive words as they hung in the air, none daring to touch it. Before her father could come in to rectify the situation, Clementine waved her hand, alerting the waitress. She then politely asked for the check, making sure to have the bill split from her parents’, but Ed intervened, making sure the bill stayed under one name. The confused waitress had lingered a little longer until she was reassured by Ed that one bill would suffice. With her gone, he looked at his daughter with a slight panic in his eyes.

“Clementine, please. You’re blowing this way out of proportion.” Ed tried, “Sister BeBe is a church gossip and I’m sure your mother just didn’t want you to be badmouthed.”

“So that gives her the excuse to disrespect me and Violet’s relationship?” Clementine clapped back, unmoved by his reasoning. She argued, “I made promises to her, just like you guys. Our marriage is real and has been for years. Without her, you wouldn't even be getting a grandkid.”

The grandparents exchanged puzzled looks before returning their gazes to the couple, hoping for answers. 

“Aren't you the one that's pregnant?” Her father asked. 

“Yes but I had fertility issues so Violet stepped up. This baby is genetically hers and when they're born, they’re going to look like her, not me.” Clementine explained, “I know that might not be important to you but it is to me. I don’t want you to look at our kid, who has the same face as Violet and show them love, but not her. That’s not right.” She pressed, “I need you two to acknowledge and respect our relationship for what it is. And you need to do it fast because I’m not having our child around your bigotry.”

Diana was not pleased and was practically red in the face. “I will not be made into the enemy here. My faith doesn’t make me a bigot.”

Violet readjusted, trying to keep a cool head. “That’s not what we’re saying. Your religion isn't the problem; it's the way you treat us.”

The older woman scoffed, “I've treated you well. I've been polite, I welcomed you into my home and I'm cordial. Please share how my treatment of you has been negative?”

“This right here. Acting like you're some saint for doing the bare minimum.” Violet took out her heart and read it like a book, “You don't treat me like family, even though I am and have been for years. Like it or not, I am your daughter-in-law and I don't need your love but I'd like it. If I'm going to be bringing the kids around you guys, I don't want to feel like I'm walking on eggshells or faking it. I don't want the kids to feel animosity and I genuinely would like to have a good, honest relationship with you guys, I’ve always had.”

“A-and we want that too, Violet. That's why we're here, right dear? To apologize and heal- to start again.” Ed nudged his wife, “Diana, tell them.”

At first, the woman didn’t budge but one could see how her eyes narrowed in focus, as if she was thinking of her next words carefully. After a painfully quiet moment, she spoke, “I can’t. I can’t pretend.”

“Diana-”

“No, Ed, this isn’t right. She made our daughter into a human incubator. Why am I the only one that sees a problem with this?”

“Fuck this.” Violet muttered before rising from her chair. 

Clementine went to grab her, not to stop her but just to try to calm her. No matter her reason, Violet didn’t care and shook her off. For most of her life, Violet had been loud, opinionated and never once showed shame for who she was. She never let anyone walk over her or treat her with disrespect without them getting some form of verbal, sometimes physical, lashing. The girl knew her worth, knew who she was and wouldn’t change for other’s comforts but when it came to her in-laws, she’d shown a lot of restraint out of respect and the want to improve their strained relationship. Even now, she tried to flee the conversation, rather than embarrass them by making a scene.

“I never begged my parents for acceptance, I’m not going to beg you,” The blonde said strongly before taking her exit.

Clementine looked at her parents with a tight lip. There were so many things she wanted to say, so many things she wanted to do. She wanted to correct her mom on her disgusting behavior and call them both out for their lies. Part of her wanted to cry and air out all the grievances and pain she’s been through the past few years without their presences or guidance. She wanted to express her disappointment and her rage, her deep sorrow but she couldn’t find the words, nor a reason that they deserved any more of her time. So she got up, grabbed her and Violet’s things and left, ignoring the cries and pleads of her father.

Chapter Text

It had been roughly two weeks since the girl’s meeting with the Marshs and the women seemed oddly at peace. Their ride home was calm with Clementine waving off the whole interaction as fluke and hadn’t mentioned it since. Thing was, Violet knew her wife, and while she herself didn’t have much skin in the game when it came to the Marshs, she knew Clementine was more affected by the incident than she let on. One of those indications being Clementine’s silence. Lately, the woman had been lost in thought, snacking on her finger nails as she did. Biting her nails was another thing Violet had noticed, as she really only does it when stressed or anxious. Lastly and the biggest thing, was that Clementine’s phone had been nonstop buzzing ever since their return. 

There’s not a lot of secrets kept between them and Violet has the password to Clementine’s phone and vice versa, but Violet didn’t even need to snoop to know who was blowing up her wife’s line. Ed had been calling his daughter nearly everyday. When he didn’t call and leave a voicemail, he’d leave a lengthy text. Violet didn’t know the contents of the messages but after talking to Clementine about it, it appeared she hadn’t either. She never once listened to or read anything the man had sent. Whether it was out of spite or anxiety, Violet couldn’t tell and she wasn’t sure she was going to find out anytime soon, as even Clementine couldn’t explain her reasoning for ignoring him.

The problem with Clementine is that she has a tendency to ignore the problem, rather than acknowledge it and work through it. Though this mainly only happens when it’s her personal problems, Clementine has the habit of letting her issues fester. They sit in the back of her mind, never in the forefront, yet always silently looming. It’s only when it’s all consuming and threatening to affect her work life, that she starts to unpack them. Even then, she does it begrudgingly, alone and only with motivation from people whose opinions she truly values. In short, Clementine is stubborn.

 But today, she won’t focus on the parents that broke her heart for the millionth time within the past decade. No, she’d much rather give her energy to something that matters, like painting the nursery. Though the couple had originally planned on painting it later, they decided they needed a little pick me up. So after some time of figuring out and adjusting schedules, the expectant mothers hosted a few helpful friends as they worked to bring the nursery to life.

“Whoa, Clem you’ve gotten so big!” Aj exclaimed as he greeted the pregnant woman at the door. He went to pull her in for a hug but received a smack on the forehead for his comment. “Hey, I was kidding…mostly.”

Despite Violet’s loving affirmations, sometimes Clementine felt disgusted by her obvious weight gain. It was less hatred from the weight itself and more that she felt as if she didn’t have control of the way her body looked. As her pregnancy went on, fitness was harder to manage, and her increased appetite reflected that with larger love handles and the beginnings of a double chin. She thought to balance this with a little movement but per doctor’s orders, prolonged endurance and heavy lifting was out of the question. So while she still tried to get her exercise wherever she could, it wasn’t enough to keep the weight off, leaving her feeling uncomfortably heavy. While she still had to adjust her outlook on her new body, she was thankful Violet still loved her all the same, often going around their small house singing the Bigger the Figure. 

Violet, who was previously in the kitchen, placed down her water before joining. She opened her arms, welcoming the teen into her home, “Hey little man, how have you been?”

“I’m doing good. Excited for Halloween. Me and Judith are going as Coraline and Wybie.”

“Nice! I love Coraline.”

Halloween was considered a devil’s holiday in Violet’s household growing up. Anything remotely spooky was seen as demonic and strictly off limits in their sad little trailer. That meant no jack-o-lanterns, no trick or treating, no scary movies and absolutely no costumes. It wasn’t until she was shipped off to Ericson that all her parents' restrictions were thrown happily out the window. Thanks to the resident horror fanatic, Mitch, Violet was introduced to the world of horror movies with all the genres, from thrillers to suspense and slashers. While Mitch taught her well, she still had love for some classics that he deemed basic, like The Halloween and Chucky franchises. In terms of more kiddy horror, she loved the stop-motion movies, with Coraline being her all-time favorite. Her old therapist speculated it was because she wanted her own other world, where everyone was better. Violet promptly denied it, despite it having some truth at the time. 

“You know, me and Louis went as them one year too.” She sighed happily while she reminisced, “Yeah, that was a good year.”

“I thought you were a lesbian?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Oh, it’s just, I thought they were a couple.”

“OH!” It was now Clementine’s turn to tease, “So you admit you two are a couple!”

Aj sputtered, his face turning a deep crimson, “W-what?! I never said that!”

The teen went to close the door as he walked in the house, embarrassed by the girls’ giggles when he heard another car pull up. Before the car was fully in park, Tenn rushed out and ran to greet his friend. The boys dapped each other up with their secret handshake, chest bumping before colliding into each other for a tight hug. 

“Aj, it’s been too long! When is your mom gonna let you come up to Virginia?” 

“Not until I’m old enough to have a senior citizen’s discount. She barely lets me take the car to see Clem.”

Tenn ushered the younger teen to the back of the car to help unload the supplies. As they did they casually chatted about life. Aj mentioned the few colleges he’d been looking into while Tenn talked about the success of his and Sophie’s art studio, offering his friend a job if he wanted. With boxes full of floor covers, paint rollers, bushes and paint buckets, the two then walked to the house, where they were directed into the small soon-to-be nursery. Tenn dropped the boxes to then greet his honorary older sister. He held out his arms, receiving a hug from Violet. 

“Hey, buddy, I’ve missed you. What took you so long to come back down?”

“Sorry, Vi.” Sophie answered for her brother as she swung an arm over his shoulder, “The studio’s been busy, plus someone’s been working on a new solo project. It practically takes up all his free time.”

“A solo project?” Clementine inquired.

“I can’t say much but I’ve kinda sorta been hired to work on the revival of the Disco Broccoli cartoon.”

The room went silent aside from Sophie’s snickers at her friends’ reaction. Aj pushed through the girls to reach his friend. He grabbed the unsuspecting boy by the shoulders and shook viciously, “WHAT THE HECK MAN?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!”

“Whoa, Aj! It’s still in its development phase and these things get cancelled all the time. I didn’t want to get your hopes up for nothing.”

“Still dude, that's fucking huge!”

“Swear.” Clementine teased her cousin with a nudge before opening her arms up to the young artist, “Anyways, that’s great, Tenn. We’re so happy for you.”  

As he went to hug Clementine, he stopped and sent a nervous smile towards her belly. “Wow, you’re– I mean, uh, how far along are you?”

“Nice save.” Sophie muttered sarcastically as she began to pull up her hair and take out their much needed materials.

The brunette let out a deep sigh, “23 weeks.”

Sophie whistled, “Wow, time sure does fly.” Upon seeing her unamused friend’s face, she grimaced, “I mean, I’m sure it’s a lot harder for you but you’re doing a great job, Clem! Uh, anyways, have you done your maternity shoot yet?”

“Nope but it’ll be within the next month. I wanted to do it myself to save some cash but we ended up booking with Sarah to save us the trouble. And since it's so close to the holiday season, we wanted to do it sooner rather than later. I also have the dress if you want to see.”

“Yes! Ooh, I bet it’s cute!” Sophie started following the pregnant woman to the back but stopped to pop her head back into the room, “Just in case this takes a minute, can you guys start? The baseboards, the window and door frames need taping, lightswitch covers need to be removed and the floor needs a blanket.”

The boys saluted then immediately got to work with Violet’s help. As they worked, Tenn looked around the bare room. It wasn’t that large with the bump out closet taking up a considerable amount of space. There was one large window, with a recently removed curtain rod, that gave a view of the front yard. From the size of the room, to how many hands were helping, it looked like they could easily knock this out within a few hours. The girls hadn’t requested much of the room in terms of painting, just the base color and soft clouds on the walls and stars on the ceiling. Originally, they wanted the baby’s name painted on the wall above where they’d put the crib but decided they would hang it up with wood lettering after they finally settled on a name. 

Tenn asked as he continued taping a corner, “Who picked the color?”

“Clem,” Violet answered.

“That’s sweet. Super gay but really sweet.”

This caused Aj to snort, “Why's that?”

“Well it's a shade of purple, but more specifically, it’s lilac, which is just a pale violet. So it’s very poetic to make the room the color that's a variation of her.” His connection caused the blonde to smile but it quickly faded once he joked, “It’s also really funny because I didn't think there could be a paler version of you, Violet. All this time in the Georgia sun did nothing for your complexion.”

“Not all of us can be gifted with melanin,” Aj laughed as he high fived Tenn, “but hopefully their baby is.”

The bare room made the laughter bounce off the walls and the deep voices of the young men didn’t help lower the sound, so it was like their teasing was magnified. Intrigued by the laughter, Clementine and Sophie made their way back to the room. Clementine, having heard the joke, reentered the room, smacking both boys on the shoulder with a rag before heading back to her wife. Violet pouted, playing upset to gain more sympathy as Clementine held on and caressed her lovingly. “Oh hush. Violet's paleness rivals that of the moon and stars and they're constantly admired. Don't hate cuz my wife's beauty ethereal.”

The couple shared a kiss, much to the boys’ disgust. Once satisfied with grossing them out, the kiss broke. With Clementine’s head turned, now interested in taping of the wall, Violet turned her attention to the younger boys and immaturely stuck out her tongue. 

“Aw, that’s sweet. Hella gay, but sweet nonetheless.” Sophie clapped, “Couple lovey-dovey cuteness aside, lets get this room started!”

With the room fully taped, the floor covered and soft music playing in the background, the group nodded and began getting to work. Tenn helped open the paint cans while Sophie divided up the brushes and directed people on where and how to start. Because of how small the room was and the amount of people, it’d be harder to control the longer rollers, so Sophie handed Clementine and Aj the smaller rollers to start on the walls. She then gave Violet a brush so she could begin work on the edges and tight corners along with her and Tenn. 

“So Tenn, how long are you going to be in town? I’ve got a game tomorrow if you wanna come to that.”

“Plane takes off at five tomorrow. When's the game?”

“Man, it’s an hour long game at three. That’s kinda cutting it close.” 

“Yeah, it is. I’ll have to leave the game early but we can still hang out tonight.”

Sophie butted in, “Way to ditch me, Tenn. But whatever, you guys have boy night.” She turned to Aj, “If your mom says it’s ok, you can take Tenn to Minnie’s and grab his stuff once we’re done. Then he'll be able to spend the night, and we can meet up at your game, which I'm assuming Clem and Vi are going too.”

“Yep, they never miss any of my games."

"Cool, then it's settled. Tenn will go with Aj and I'll go back to Minnie's."

"We’ve got nothing else planned if you wanna chill with us tonight, Soph,” Violet offered after getting a nod in agreement from her wife. “It’s been a while. We can just chat, order a pizza and catch up.”

“Yeah, it’s been so long since you’ve told us about some of your Louis and Sophie adventures,” Clementine added. "Louis sent some pictures from your time in Italy but no one ever told us about it."

“Oh, right,” Sophie chuckled, “It was fun, until Louis accidentally insulted a guy with this bad Italian. He got a busted lip and some stitches but he's alright.” The artist put down her brush and walked toward the pregnant woman. She waited for the nod that allowed her to rub her stomach. "But who cares about that goof; he's old news. But this, this is new. I wanna know everything!"

Clementine grunted as she stretched, "What do you wanna know first? The constipation, the insomnia and fatigue, the nausea, the swollen ankles or the back pain?"

"What? No, tell me something good like the gender! The room is purple and that leans towards girl but maybe you're trying to break gender norms? I remember you saying purple was your dad's favorite color at some point."

"Yeah, you never told us what you're having." Aj paused his painting to say. "I'll be an amazing cousin either way but I kinda want a boy."

"Well you can place your bets at the shower," Clementine said. "We're not revealing the gender til then."

Violet added, "Couldn't even if we wanted to because we still don't know it. A trusted friend, not saying any names, will go with us to the appointment and the technician will tell them the gender. That way, all of us can be surprised at the party."

"Besides, the gender doesn't matter to us. We just want a healthy baby."

Most of the day had continued on like this; they blabbed about baby stuff before it eventually moved on to other topics. They told stories about the current events in their lives and shared a few much-needed laughs while they worked. It didn’t take them long to finish the first coat, then the second. After only a few hours, the only thing left was the clouds, which was Sophie’s job, so she relieved the boys of their duties. Tenn helped pack up the tools she didn’t need before hugging the women and getting into Aj’s car but before the driver could reach his door, a pair of strong arms wrapped around him.

“Be careful, goofball.”

“Clemm–”

“Wear seatbelts, do the speed limit, and no texting and driving. Do text me when you get home, though.” She looked over to Tenn, who had downed his window. “You too. Make sure this knuckle head is obeying traffic laws and text your sister when you get there.”

Aj playfully rolled his eyes, “You’re such a mom.”

“I’m trying to be.” She smiled, then planted a kiss on his forehead. “Anyways, we’ll see you at the game tomorrow.”

It didn’t take long for the boys to roll out of the driveway, music blaring and heads bobbing. Clementine couldn't help but shake her head at the tomfoolery, but it was all in good fun. It was nice to see that even after all this time and distance, that the two boys were good friends. She was glad she took that chance and allowed five-year-old Aj to attend the surprise party they threw for Louis. That one decision gave him a friend he could have for life.

“I think I’m going to order a pizza. Any suggestions?” 

Clementine heard Violet ask as walked back into the house. She answered, “Anything stuffed crust.” 

She then walked back into the nursery and quietly watched as Sophie melodically painted clouds that vaguely resembled those from Andy’s room. Despite it’s lack of furniture, the room was nearly complete. After the painting was done, the girls would rehang the sheer curtains, place the shag rug in the center and change the light switch covers to star templates. The expectant mother smiled with her hand on her stomach, rubbing it as she imagined Violet rocking their baby to sleep. And though she didn’t expect to spend forever in the townhouse, especially if they planned on expanding their family, she could see them measuring their kid’s growth and documenting it on the wall. She can see the handmade crib lined with baby blue ribbons and the little mobile attached playing little melodies.

Sophie spoke, pulling Clementine from her daydreaming, “I can’t wait til you guys help me paint my nursery.” She nonchalantly climbed off the ladder, unfazed by the jaws that slammed loudly on the floor.

Violet spoke first with eyes still wide, “Soph, are you–?”

The redhead brushed off their shock with an effortless shrug, “Maybe. I don’t know but we’re trying.”

“Really? That’s great!” Clementine clasped her hands together in excitement. With her smile wide she complimented the girl, “You two are going to be amazing parents.”

Violet questioned, “What made you guys change your minds? I thought y’all wanted to be child-free until your thirties?”

“Well, actually, it was you guys. Louis kept saying he had dreams of our kids being best friends. He’s even writing lullabies and when we go shopping, he’s constantly in the baby section. I thought it was really cute and so here we are!” She readjusted the ladder to the other side then climbed up and began painting once more. “That and my parents keep asking. They doubt Minnie’s ever going to have any and they said Tenn is too young so it’s up to me to keep the bloodline going.”

The brunette rolled her eyes, “Don’t even get me started on parents but, hey that’s really sweet.”

“Oh yeah, Louis told me about that. How was that? Seeing your parents again.”

“Nerve wracking to say the least but it’s over with, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”  Clementine swallowed thickly as she blinked back the tears that sporadically clouded her vision. She then cleared her throat, “Uh, anyways, have y’all thought of any names yet?”

“Well since twins run in my family, Louis wants us to have at least six names. A pair for two girls, a pair for two boys and a pair for a boy and a girl. One of the first names he suggested was Luis and Luisa. Then said something about their nicknames both being Lou.”

“Typical self-centered Louis.” Violet playfully rolled her eyes. “What a goof.”

“Geez I don’t know how I forgot you were a twin. How high is the percentage of you having twins yourself?”

“It’s pretty high but who knows with pregnancy. I could have them and then only end up with one…”

The couple spoke robotically, repeating the words they’d heard many times before, “Pregnancy is a fickle thing.”

“Right. Despite how normalized it is, it’s still really scary. Some twins eat the other in the womb, more babies equal more risks of complications and don’t get me started on delivery. And they say it takes a village but I’m going to need the whole state of Virginia to help me with two babies.” The woman’s painting stopped as she jumped down the rabbit hole, “Is it bad that I’m hoping for one? I mean I know I'd love them equally but being a twin can be hard. It can be hard to be yourself when you’ve got someone with your same face walking close beside you, people constantly confusing you with the other. You’re not your own person, you’ll be forever associated with your twin but at the same time, you’ve got a friend for life and someone that understands… Sorry, I didn’t mean to squirrel so hard.”

“It’s fine, Soph. Seems like something you needed to get off your chest. Besides, everything you said was completely valid,” said Violet.

“I’m just scared. I know this is something Louis wants, and I want it too but it’s different for the guys. Even though I know he’ll be there, in a way I’m still alone. Not to mention that if I mess up, it all falls on me. You know how the world treats women. Any little fuck up can label me a bad mom. If I want to go back to work; bad mom. I want time to myself; selfish mom. If I'm not spending every waking moment living and breathing for my kid; uncaring mom.”

Violet walked over to her friend, placing a strong hand on her shoulder. “Aren’t you an artist? When has any dumbass’ opinion made you give up doing something you love? Kids, art, they’re the same thing. You give it time, love and attention and because you’re so passionate about it, people's words won’t matter.”

“Yeah but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt or make me doubt myself.”

“Don’t you still pick yourself back up?” Violet asked.

The red head softly nodded but upon seeing the woman would need further encouragement, Clementine asked, “Have you told Louis any of this?”

Sophie glanced off to the side, and rubbed her arm before shaking her head.

“You really should, especially since y’all are in this together. I’m sure he’ll understand. You’ve got a great guy, Soph.”

“Thanks guys. That makes me feel a little better.” Finally, the ginger smiled, “Anyways, I wish y’all told us you were trying. We could’ve been pregnant together and our kids would’ve been best friends.”

Clementine waved off the concern, “Nothing a few months or years would change. I mean look at Tenn and Aj, best buds despite the age gap.”

“Speaking of Aj, how does he feel about not being your baby anymore, Clem.” Sophie teased.

“What are you talking about? He was never my baby?”

Sophie snorted, “Oh please, he definitely was. When you first introduced him to the group, I thought he was your baby brother, not your little cousin.”

“You two were glued to the hip and you still are. And weren’t you just crying the other day because he was “growing up too fast?” Violet added, “Plus after that stunt in the driveway, I’m afraid you don’t have a leg to stand on.”

The curly haired woman conceded. They were right, Aj was her first baby, a practice baby if you will. She remembers riding her bike to babysit him on the nights Rebecca worked. She was there at all his games, saw almost all his major milestones and now, he was dating, driving and thinking about college. Her little goofball wasn't so little anymore. It was almost enough to make her cry and was now something that sat on the back burner of her mind for the rest of the night. Aj had grown up so fast and she prayed that their baby didn’t do the same.

It didn't take long for the paint to dry and once it was, Sophie, being the kind friend she was, offered to hang the curtains back up and replace the light switch covers. The redhead kicked the mothers out as she did, saying something about wanting to see the shock in their eyes. Violet protested, mentioning how they lack too much furniture for the "surprise" to make much of a difference, but Sophie insisted. So the couple sat in the hall until the artist beckoned them over. Through the closed door, Sophie yelled, "Close your eyes!"

The women did as they were told and after a moment, the door creaked open. First Sophie grabbed Clementine's hands, ushering her into the room, then she grabbed Violet. With the two women standing shoulder to shoulder in the tight space, she squealed for them to open their eyes.

"Oh, Sophie...it's..."

Becoming a mother wasn't something Violet had necessarily dreamed of. Once upon a time, she would've been perfectly content with her family just being her and Clementine but as she looked at their half-baked nursey, it made her tear up. Throughout the pregnancy, Clementine had been doing little things to amp Violet up, to help her see that their dream was really happening and this confirmed it for her. Pretty soon, the room would be complete with a crib, rocking chair and changing table. They'll settle on a name, and before their baby returns from the hospital, their name will be hung on the wall above their crib. 

Clementine came up beside her, grabbing her by her waist and pulling her close as they both stared in awe at their nearly finished room. The blonde sniffled as she failed to hide her tears. There wasn't much she could say that her actions didn't. Still, she expressed her gratitude for both her and her wife, "Thanks, Soph. It's beautiful." 

"No thanks needed." Sophie closed up the ladder and began cleaning up her paints and brushes, "And thanks for the pep talk. I don't know if I've ever said this but y'all are going to make great moms too."

"Thanks, Soph." Clementine nudged Violet, "Some of us needed to hear that."

Violet hadn't completely divulged in all of her past traumas but once talk about starting a family had become more serious, the blonde had voiced her concerns about her parenting skills. She didn't have the best role models growing up and had worried that her messed up upbringing would fuck up any future kid they had. Clementine had reassured her on multiple occasions that she wasn't her parents; she was a product of them, but she didn't have to be defined by them or their past mistreatments. She's come a long way since dropping the last name Aldon and since she moved away from that toxic environment, she grew into a strong adult who was more than capable to tackle parenthood. She still had her fears like most new parents do but with Clementine, she feels she could at least do better than their parents.

"Aw, Vi-" Sophie started but was promptly cut off.

Violet waved her away, "Alright, alright. Enough mushy stuff, the pizza should be here soon."

Once the conversation got rolling, time had passed pretty quickly, and before they knew it, it was dark. Gleefully, Sophie made her way back to her twin, leaving the couple alone. The girls retreated back to their room, where Clementine practically fell into the bed. Violet wasn't far behind her, laying down beside her and resuming her usual position. It was something they did almost every night. They cuddled with the soft hum of the tv in the background, while Violet rubbed Clementine's stomach and the two talked excitedly about their new addition. But after talking for so long with Sophie, neither really had the energy for a late-night chat, so they just laid quietly, with Violet laying her head on the baby, hoping to catch movement. Like the doctor had said, their Sweet Potatoe was a lazy one and despite all this time, Violet hasn't felt a kick, up until now. The first kick made violet's smile drop as she questioned herself on whether the feeling was real or a figment of her imagination. But when the next kick confirmed her suspicions, she nearly jumped out of the bed.

"Holy shit, Clem did you feel that?!"

The tired mother, who had recently dozed off, jumped up with a hand over her chest. She looked around frantically, "What? What is it? What happened?"

"She kicked! She kicked me twice, babe!" Violet leaned back down and listened in, "Did you feel that?"

Despite her drowsiness and the jump-scare that made her heart beat out of her chest, Clementine couldn't help but smile at Violet's joy. To make the baby more accessible, the brunette moved herself onto her back and lifted her shirt. Violet rubbed her hands around Clementine's stomach as if it were a crystal ball, trying desperately to find her baby. Another bump tapped Violet's passing hand, making them cease their roaming. The couple smiled at each other.

"Three times, Clem. She kicked me three times. Man, she's really moving tonight."

"Must be excited for their new room. It much more spacious than what they have now." Clementine chuckled, causing the baby to get a little shaken. They shifted again and the parents' eyes followed their movement. Clementine, knowing where they baby had rested, grabbed Violet's hand and directed her to the spot. Whatever they were touching, it was small, round and could fit in the palm of their hands. "I think that's their butt."

"It's small."

"Just like yours."

Violet just rolled her eyes at her wife's laughter and went back to the baby. Her smile was so big and shone so brightly it was borderline creepy as she continued to think of the new life they were about to welcome. Just four more months and she could hold the baby in her hands and cradle her in her arms. Just 16 weeks before she can kiss her baby's cheeks and count her fingers and toes. Just 112 days until she could sing to her baby and tell her she loved her to her little face. It was all so close and yet so far. The new mother felt like she didn't have enough time to prepare yet felt as if the due date was so far, she'd wrinkle up like a raisin before she finally got to see her kid. The stress was killing her, as was the anticipation but she knew one thing was for sure. In the end, she'd meet someone new, someone she'd love forever.

"You keep saying she." Clementine spoke, interrupting Violet's thoughts, "Do you want a girl?"

Violet kissed her baby then her wife as she snuggled them both, "As long as they're healthy, I don't care what they are."

Chapter Text

The day started off normally with Violet meeting Clementine in the bathroom as they both readied themselves for work. As Clementine worked on her hair, Violet brushed her teeth and after about fifteen minutes, the two grabbed breakfast and their prepacked lunches, gave each other a quick kiss (one for Sweet potato too) before getting into their cars and heading into work. For Violet, it’d be another long day of working under misogynistic managers and lazy coworkers at her new job. Despite her less than cheerful attitude, she actually really enjoyed her work. She worked with her hands and at the end of most days, felt accomplished. It was really the idiots that surrounded her that ruined her mood but her paycheck always put a smile on her face. Given how driven and competent she’s proved herself to be, even in the short amount of time being hired, she could see the paycheck getting bigger in her near future. And even though she misses Shel and Roman at the garage, she’ll wipe her tears with money. It was highly unsanitary and would definitely give her some kind of pink eye or infection but since she was speaking figuratively, she was sure she was safe to flaunt her newfound wealth.

As for Clementine, she’d spend a boring day in back to back meetings. She spent her time giving presentations, pitching ideas and taking notes. Though it was a very sedentary job, she was always drained by time she got off. Her face hurt from the fake smiling as she tried to hide her annoyance at office lunacy, or the headache she got when people who thought too highly of themselves finally got the floor. Most people in her office also know of her pregnancy and she’s starting to feel the shift. 

People no longer consider her reliable, the women are touching her stomach without asking and most conversations, outside of work, are all about her baby. To top it off, they’re never fun questions like the name or gender, rather they’re invasive, ignorant and honestly self explanatory questions. Those that aren't brave enough to face her, whisper their inquiries but they always end up floating through the office and landing at her desk. Who is the father if she’s in a lesbian relationship? How is the kid going to have a positive male role model if they only have mothers? How does she and her wife have sex and which one of them will take maternity leave? How is she going to juggle climbing the corporate ladder as well as motherhood?

Her office wasn’t the friendliest of places and it’s one that Violet had been begging Clementine to leave but the girl was too stubborn and didn’t want to look like a quitter. So for nearly six years, despite the worthless people at HR that sit on their asses all day, the rumors that she was a diversity hire and questionable ethics, she’s been loyal to the company. Before Violet had gotten her new job, Clementine was the breadwinner and it was this horrible job that was keeping the lights on. Leaving meant giving up the luxuries she wanted Violet to have and less money to help them start their family. 

After receiving her first check, Violet insisted Clementine quit after maternity leave and use the time to focus on their family. She wasn’t suggesting Clementine to be a stay at home mom; she knew better than to even think that. Focusing on their family really meant focusing on their future and to Violet, that involved getting another job that didn’t make Clementine so stressed. They underappreciated her, she was underutilized and in the same breath overworked. They also didn’t reward or acknowledge all her sacrifices. Violet never liked Clementine’s workplace and when they had first made moves to start a family, and Clementine’s boss, Joan, had threatened to withhold her promotion if she’d gotten pregnant, sent her blood boiling over. Now that Violet has a little pocket change, Clementine knew she would try to convince her to leave her job again, and this time, she’d be inclined to listen.

She wished she would’ve listened earlier as it’d be harder to get hired with a new baby, per the struggle of a mother trying to keep her career. She wasn’t worried that she wouldn’t interview well or that her resume would be lackluster but it was the personal questions she’d fear would trip her up. It was a near guarantee that they would question her loyalty upon finding she was a new mother. They’d assume she would drop everything for her child, call out when they’re sick or anytime there was an appointment and they’d have to accommodate time for her to pump. While she can understand people are looking to hire committed and dedicated workers, she wished they could be more empathetic or had the same energy for new fathers as they did new mothers. Just because she had a kid, didn’t make her unreliable and she could be committed to more than one thing at a time. Still, she began looking for jobs, hoping her resume was impressive enough to look past her new baby.

The day that seemed to drone on forever was finally coming to a close. Clementine was on her way home, turning her way into the neighborhood and even though she was tired, there was a smile on her face. She’d made it home in enough time to get a warm shower and make Violet’s favorite; baked ziti, which should be done by time Violet finished her shower. They’d unwind on the couch or maybe their bed as they talked about their days. Violet would rub her feet- or back, depending on which one hurt the most. Then, once their eyes grew heavy, they’d snuggle up. Violet would sing to her and the baby and she’d fall asleep in her lover’s arms. Or that was her plan at least.

Her vision of a peaceful night quickly deteriorated as she drove closer to her house and caught sight of a car in her driveway. As she pulled in and looked to her right, she could see her neighbor, an elderly woman named Ms.Parker, sitting and chatting with a woman on her front porch. The women wore warm coats and there was steam flowing from the mugs they held in their hands. If she hadn’t recognized the woman that sat with Ms.Parker, she would’ve smiled at her neighbor’s generosity and kindness. But as she watched them chat from her car, her frown deepened, knowing that her sweet neighbor was being duped by her cruel mother. She wondered if Diana had simply given her name or explained who she was and her business for being there. 

Knowing Ms. Parker, she would have believed Diana’s word on the plain fact that Clementine and Diana practically share a face. Therefore, she was unsuspecting, unaware that the woman she shared tea with, was the same woman that abandoned her child due to their sexuality. When in turn, Ms.Parker, was the opposite. She was the kind of woman that made the couple rainbow cookies when she found out about pride month. The kind of woman that stood with them in solidarity, picking up the trash that was thrown on their lawn and wiping the slurs that had cruelly been written on their door. The kind of woman she wished her own mother could’ve been. 

When she opened the car door, the chatter and laughter stopped and mother and daughter locked eyes. It took everything for Clementine to break the hold her mother had on her in that moment, tear her eyes away and make her way to the safety of her house. 

Diana quickly rose from her seat and hopped over the small flowerbed that divided the townhouses. She stood near the door, ready to block it if needed. Her words rushed out, “Clementine, please, I came all this way. I need to talk to you. I-I wanted to apologize-”

“You must think I’m an idiot.” The girl spat. “As if I’d listen to more lies from you.”

“They’re not lies– not this time. I’m serious, Clementine. Please, just hear me out.” Diana released a deep sigh. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she waited with anticipation for Clementine’s next move.

Ember eyes looked to her neighbor, who was quietly observing, unaware of what to do. Ms.Parker had wanted to stay for support and possibly as a safety precaution but Clementine gave her a small nod, letting her know it was ok to step away. Hesitantly, Ms.Parker went back into her house, giving them privacy, but making sure she was close enough to keep an ear out for trouble. 

Clementine looked back to her mother, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyebrows furrowed tightly downward. “Say your piece, I want you gone before Violet gets home.”

Knowing she was at her daughter’s mercy, Diana decided not to waste it. “I talked to your father and he opened my eyes when it came to us, our relationship. I don’t want this; to be cold and separate. I want us to be a family again. I know last we spoke, I wasn’t kind to either of you and used my faith to guise my ignorance but not anymore.”

The younger brunette scoffed and rolled her eyes, “And I’m just supposed to believe that because you’re here now? You proved at the restaurant that your word means nothing. I was naive once but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. I’m not falling for that again.” Clementine turned, apparently done with the conversation but her mother stopped her and grabbed hold of her arm.

“Clementine, wait!” Diana loosened her grip, “Be angry at me if you must but please don’t punish your father because of me. He was just devastated when you left…he cried that night.”

Arms crossed back over her chest as she muttered a petty response, “Just a drop in the oceans I’ve cried over the years.”

“Clementine, please I’m trying to fix this–”

“No, Mom. You don’t get to just say sorry and then presto, we’re a family again! You hurt me– you and dad. You left me for years, made me question my relationship and double my insecurities. Had me begging for your attention like a child. How many letters do you have from me just laying in the trash? Missed calls and ignored invites. I’ve lived here for years, and this is the first time you’ve seen it.” She hated how emotional she was getting, how even after all this time, her mom could still make her cry so easily. But she wouldn’t let her have the satisfaction today. Clementine wiped the tears that threatened to fall and tried to keep her wobbly voice steady, “So thanks for the apology but I’m good, I’m done.”

She waved her hand dismissively and was going for the door but again, Diana blocked it.

“What can I do to make this right?”

“Get out of my way.”

“Clementine, please!”

“MOVE!” 

Clementine’s voice boomed, causing both her mother and Ms.Parker, who’d been keeping an eye out through her window, to flinch. Diana shrunk under her daughter’s harsh glare, but she eventually and meekly stepped to the side. With watery wide eyes, shocked by her own actions, Clementine bit her lip and tried to keep it together as she inserted the key. Diana sat quietly on the sidelines as she thought of a way to salvage the situation, anything that could make her daughter listen to her. Not long after scouring her mind for a solution, her brain handed her a sure fix, something that could guarantee her daughter’s return to the family.

Clementine had moved faster than the woman’s brain, and she slammed the door in her mother’s face. Determined, Diana knocked on the door. She whispered, “Clementine, please…” There was a pause as she debated her next words. Finding she had no other choice, Diana betrayed her husband, “...he’s sick…”

At first, there was no movement on the other side, but after a minute, she heard someone choking on a sob. A voice that failed at holding it’s confidence cried out, “I asked! I asked and you lied to my face! Both of you lied!”

“I know, baby but he didn’t want you to know. He didn’t want you to worry.” Diana leaned on the door, hoping to hear a response but all she heard were cries. She tried to hold back the lump forming in her own throat, “Baby, I know you’re upset but please listen to me. Your father and I are far from perfect, we made mistakes but we love you.”

 Love. 

That small four letter word carried so much weight. It was astonishing something so small could be so heavy, so loaded. But when she heard it leave her mother’s mouth, she felt anything but. How could she say that- that she was loved? Actually, how dare she imply she loved her. People that were loved, parents that loved their children, didn’t treat them the way the Marshs’ had treated her. Leave them to fend for themselves, make them feel like an abomination, make them cry, simply because of the gender of the person she loved.

Love.

Still, it was something she felt for the same people that hurt her, her parents. Her parents that she grieved for when they first disowned her, parents that she grieved for again once the reconciliation proved to be fake, the same parents she will grieve when their time on Earth comes to an end. One of which was soon, as she would discover. 

Love.

It was a beautiful thing, but boy did it hurt. People misused it often, abused it’s power and manipulated others with it’s meaning. It was the reason her parents still had a strong hold over her, why despite her anger and unrelenting pain, she still cared. Still wanted to make them proud, for them to see her, for them to hug her, to accept her.

Diana stayed with her head leaned against the door for another ten minutes, the whole time trying to soothe her daughter from behind the door. But as the tears continued to fall, she found herself replaying their conversation.

But a drop in the ocean I’ve cried.  

How many times did she make her cry? After every missed call? Every ignored invite? Maybe it was because they’d rush her off the phone or make excuses on why they couldn’t be around. Was it their words, their actions or all of the above?

She wanted the tears to stop, but seeing as she was the cause of them, she found it best to take her leave. Her lips nearly kissed the door as she spoke through it, “We love you, Clementine and we want to fix things but…we won’t force you. Please just…think about what I’ve said today.”

And with that, she left.

Violet pulled into her driveway, and the mere sight of her home made her breathe a sigh of relief. She was tired and the only thing on her mind was her beautiful wife and hopefully a hot meal. A grin grew as she got closer to the door, eyes locked straight ahead, ready to greet her woman when she heard her neighbor calling out for her. Ms.Parker hailed her. She was the type of neighbor to water your flowers, invite you in for a cup of coffee or strike up a pleasant conversation at the mail box. So even though she had derailed Violet from her mission of acquiring warm cuddles, Violet gracefully took on the side quest.

“Hey, Ms.Parker. How have you been?”

“I’m fine dear and I don’t want to take up too much of your time but can you give these to Clementine?” 

The woman held out a green glass star plater which held some kind of baked goods. If Violet had to guess, it was probably chewy bars, Clemenetine’s childhood favorite dessert. Violet then thanked the woman and wasn’t going to ask anything of it, considering gift giving wasn’t something out of character for her neighbor, rather she was going to start up some small talk. But oddly, Ms.Parker shooed her off, more concerned about the wellbeing of Clementine. Violet wanted to inquire more, to grasp a better understanding of what she was walking into when she entered her home, but the elderly woman just shook her head and headed back into her house. Figuring there was no point in chasing her down, as she would more than likely receive her answer once she went inside, Violet shrugged and mentally prepared for what was to come. 

When she entered, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, at least not at first. She smelt food cooking, heard the laundry going and found Clementine in the kitchen manning the stove. Once she caught a glimpse of her wife, however, she could immediately tell something was off. Clementine had washed her hair, something she mainly reserved for the weekends. When she does it outside of this time slot, it’s normally because she’s stressed and needed to feel in control of something. Her curls were braided back into two damp twin braids that dripped onto her shirt. Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy and swollen with irritation. Her face was devoid of emotion as she mindlessly stirred the contents of the pan. She was lost in thought, and wasn’t even aware Violet had returned home until a kiss was planted on her cheek and a hand rested on her hip.

“Hey, babe.”

There was a delayed response. She flatly answered, “Hey.”

“You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m just tired.”

“Let me finish dinner then. I’m sure you want to get off your feet.”

“No, I’m fine. It’s almost done anyways.” She tried to give a convincing smile but Violet didn’t buy it. Thankfully, she left it alone for now.

Violet placed down the plate of sweets on the counter, “Ms.Parker baked these for you. I think they’re those pecan chewy bars you like.”

Clementine paused in her stirring and looked over her shoulder as if there was something she had just remembered but then, her expression flattened again and she went back to stirring, “That was sweet of her.” The brunette knew her mood was off, knew that her partner would want to talk about it, but she wasn’t ready, so she changed the conversation. She grabbed some plates and started dishing out dinner when she asked, “How was your day, honey? Anything worth mentioning?”

“Nope, just the usual. How about you?”

“Nothing much, just meetings. Pointless meetings.” She placed a plate in front of Violet, “But I’m glad that it’s over and I can be home with you.”

Violet smiled and the two started eating– or at least she did. Clementine just picked at her plate as if she was dissatisfied with the meal. It wasn’t anything grand or homemade per say. It was just a skillet meal with the sauce already made, veggies already cut and seasoning already added. Though it had only taken ten minutes to heat up, she was glad it was nearly done by time Violet had arrived home. Since Violet had been hired, her hours were different and it took longer for her to get home, so most nights, it was Clementine's job to make sure they had dinner. Violet tried to make a meal plan or prep meals on the weekend so it didn’t all fall on her wife but even then, not everything always went according to plan, much like it had tonight. Instead of there being a physical reason for the delay, it was a mental one as Clementine had been stuck in her mind since her mother showed up on her doorstep.

“Not hungry?” Violet called from above. She was standing beside her, with her empty plate in hand, while the other reached for her lover’s full plate. Clementine answered with the shake of her head, mumbling a lie about having a heavy lunch when in reality, she couldn’t stomach anything right now. Violet saw through it but didn’t speak on it and quietly removed the untouched plate. “Why don’t you go lay down and I’ll clean up.” Though it was phrased like a question, the tone suggested it was a friendly demand, so Clementine didn’t argue and went in the back to have a rest.

It didn’t take long to clean considering only a pan and spatula was used in the cooking so Violet was in the bedroom soon after sending Clementine. When she peeked in, the girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back facing the door, looking down at her stomach. The bed sank beside her as Violet took a seat and pulled Clementine’s hand away from her mouth. This caused the brunette slight irritation and she got up, making distance between herself and her wife. As much as she appreciates Violet looking out for the wellbeing of her nails, every time Violet takes her hand from her mouth, it makes her feel like a baby– it makes her feel small. Given everything that’s going on right now, the last thing she wants is to be babied.

“My mom came over today,” She said dryly, her back turned to her wife. “She was chatting it up with Ms.Parker when I pulled in.”

Violet asked from the bed, “What did she want?”

“To apologize.” Clementine held up her hand as she cautiously checked the damage she’d done to her nails. They were bleeding. “When that didn’t work she tried to guilt-trip me…. It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

Violet was the less optimistic one out of the two, so when Clementine first suspected her dad’s illness, it was very out of character for her to try to see the bright side and deny it. In truth, she just wanted to calm down Clementine as she didn’t see the need to give the woman something else to stress about but given his frantic calling, there was no point in playing ignorant.

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” Violet’s voice was dripping in genuine sorrow as rose from the bed, her arms outstretched and ready to give love. A hand stopped her in her tracks.

“Please Vi, I can’t. You’re gonna hug me and kiss me and that’s just going to make me start crying again. I can’t keep crying today, I’ll die of dehydration. But thanks.”

The blonde took a step back, and sat on the foot of the bed. “I knew you were upset but this is…this is a lot. What, uh… what are you gonna do?” Violet asked, though she partially knew the answer.

Arms crossed over her chest and she looked off to the side. “Well I don’t have much of a choice. I can either ignore him out of anger and let nature do its thing or…or I can try to spend as much time with him as I can.”

 “And you’re struggling with that choice.” Violet grimaced as she watched Clementine’s hand go back into her mouth.

“Is that shitty of me?” She asked rhetorically. “He’s my dad and I love him but he hurt me and now because he’s sick, I have to act like nothing happened? That just because he’s dying I can’t be petty, I just have to suck it up, be a good daughter and set aside my feelings because he’s on borrowed time?” She sighed as she continued to verbalize her thoughts, “Even if I go and we talk it out, there's still going to be that pain of knowing these are our last moments– that his grandkid isn’t going to know him. That he wasted so much time. That no matter how many times he apologies, it will still feel fake.”

“They feel fake because his apologies are selfish. He apologized for his own benefit but it can still help you get closure.” Violet hopped up, grabbing the hand that autonomously went for Clementine’s mouth once more. Pale and brown hands held on to each other and warmth sparked between them. “When you go, look him in the eyes and tell him everything, Clementine. Don’t sugarcoat or hold back. Let him know all the shit he put you through. This goes for both of them.” The sense of urgency faltered and was replaced with something softer, yet the words were still heavy. “I know it sounds petty, harsh even, but as kids, it’s hard to speak our minds when it comes to our parents. It’s hard to face them and tell them how we really feel because we’re afraid of losing that love. But with your dad, time is no longer a luxury. Like you said, you guys are on borrowed time and it’s better to tell him now and work through it, than to yell at a headstone with a million unanswered questions and unresolved emotions.”

“Vi,” Clementine paused, “it’s great advice and I think I might take it but… it sounds like we’re not talking about my dad anymore.”

The blonde let out a deep sigh, then let go of Clementine’s hands as she sheepishly looked away. “My parents aren’t dead but they might as well be. When I left, I snuck off when they were sleeping because I didn’t want to risk getting hurt but now I wish I would’ve stayed just to tell them to fuck off. It wouldn’t solve anything, wasn’t gonna get them to change and I’d probably get my ass beat but it’d feel good.” She returned to her spot on the foot of the bed as she reflected on her words, “Maybe I’m biased but that’s what I’d do. If I saw those mother fuckers again, I’d tear them a new one.”

“You’ve got a lot of resentment towards them.” Clementine said quietly, taking a seat next to her lover. 

She didn’t really know why she said it. It had just fallen out her mouth. Maybe she hoped that her partner would speak on her statement. Clementine didn’t know much of her in-laws. She’d only known them through vague stories and passing mentions of abuse but the information she received was so surface level that at some point, she had doubted them. Not because she thought Violet would lie, but because it was hard to fathom such hellish parents and that Violet was remotely ok after such a horrid upbringing. But people from Violet’s past, like Louis and Brody, confirmed the stories and recalled times at Ericson in which Violet would return from holiday breaks littered in bruises. 

“They’re abusive, Clementine.”

“I…I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Clem, my parents suck. They’re never going to apologize to me, let alone acknowledge half the shit they did but your parents are different. They’re actually putting in some kind of effort and… I think you should hear them out one more time. I think you should talk to your dad, air everything out and decide what role they’re going to play in your life, in Sweet potato’s life. Whatever you decide, I got your back.”

And just like that, the conversation was over with there not being much else for Clementine to add. Violet had gone to go shower and Clementine curled up in bed, with her father still on her mind. Despite their past treatment, she loved her parents dearly and finding out her father would no longer be with her, naturally upset her. She always thought she’d have more time. So as she cuddled up with Violet that night, she made a decision. She’d take her wife’s advice, head to her parents and let everything out.