> Tavi and Vi
>  by Master Koschei
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Tavi~”
“Taaa-vii~”
Octavius groaned, hiding his face in his pillow.  He’d had a long night, and the last thing he wanted was to be woken up so early.  He felt a gentle hand on his back shake his body, causing him to look up slowly.  His gaze met a pair of beautiful dark red eyes, barely visible in the darkened room.  He smiled and sat up.
“Good morning, love,” he murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  Vinyl smiled and pecked him on the cheek.
“G’morning, sleepy head,” she giggled.  “Ya sleep alright?”
The man nodded, stretching his arms over his head and taking in a big breath, which he let out in a gust of air when he relaxed again.  He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his bare feet touching the cool wood of their bedroom.  He cast a quick glance over at his calendar.
December 25th.
He stood up and caught the DJ’s lips in a gentle kiss, pulling back and smiling at her.  “Happy anniversary, and merry Christmas, dearest,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“You too, ya big sap,” she replied, though wore a grin the whole time.  Vinyl was too cool to show it, but Octavius knew her heart was beating just a little faster, if the light read tinge on her cheeks was any hint.  “Come downstairs, Dash and Scoots are down there waiting on us.”  She started towards the door, pulling him along behind her.  “Ditzy and David are here, too.”
Octavius smiled but pulled his hand away.  “Love,” he said, gesturing down to his T-shirt and sleeping pants, as well as his messy hair and unshaven face.  “Let me get ready first.  I will meet you all in five minutes.”  Vinyl nodded, stepping out of the room and leaving Octavius to himself.
The man turned back to the waist high wooden dresser, opening it and pulling out a silly sweater that Ditzy had gotten for him to wear, as well as a pair of loose sweat pants.  Everyone downstairs was his friend, so he had no need to dress to impress.
He shut his drawer, then headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.  He stripped down to nothing and stepped into the shower, deciding it best to wash up quickly.  As he grabbed his shaving cream and started to lather it on his face, he thought back to when he’d first met everyone.
It had been nearly three years since he arrived in Central Town and met Vinyl Scratch on an elevator.  He grinned at the memory, wondering how his life might be different if he’d left her alone.
You’d certainly be a lot lonelier.
He rolled his eyes at the thought, though he knew it was true.  Vinyl had changed his life for the better, even if he did end up in the hospital for a week because of it.  He felt a phantom pain tingle in his right arm at the memory, rubbing it gently.  He didn’t blame her for it; it had been a freak accident.
He pushed the painful memory from his mind, thinking back instead to the Christmas party three years ago.  Everyone had been having a great time, laughing and playing games, or just shooting the breeze.  But as the party had wound down, he had called for everyone’s attention.  Then, in front of everyone, he’d told Vinyl he loved her, and that he wanted to be with her.
They’d been together since then, moving out of ‘Dash’s’ about a year and a half ago.  Vinyl’s DJ career had really taken off, and Octavius himself had found a place in the local orchestra as the first cellist.  Of course, the band had quite a few non-local performances, so Octavius spent quite a lot of time away from home.  He knew it made Vinyl sad that he had to leave, but she knew it was necessary.
However, as Octavius’ reminiscing reached present time and he stepped out of the shower, drying himself off, he had noticed Vinyl had been acting a bit strange.  She’d been complaining about feeling exhausted after hardly doing anything, and had been eating all the barbeque potato chips she could get her hands on.  Octavius figured she had been overdoing it with the chips, because she said she felt very bloated most days.
He shrugged and got dressed, staring at the sweater in the mirror.  The shirt was adorned with a very happy looking reindeer.  Ditzy had gotten it for him last year, and had insisted upon him wearing it this year.  He sighed and brushed out his shoulder length hair.  He made a mental note to schedule an appointment with the barber next week.  He brushed his teeth, then walked out of the bathroom, flicking the light off behind him.
He walked down the stairs and into the living room.  In the corner sat a five-foot tall fake tree, underneath which sat quite a few beautifully wrapped presents, as well as a couple not-so-beautiful ones.  Octavius smiled.  He knew Ditzy would insist on wrapping her own presents, even if she wasn’t very good at it.  He greeted everyone, then took his seat on the couch beside Vinyl.
The gift giving didn’t take too long, a thank you here, a hug there.  Eventually, everyone sat with a small pile of gifts beside him or her.  At last, there was only one box under the tree.  Scootaloo, who had volunteered to pass out gifts, picked it up.
She glanced at the tag, and smiled.  “To Octavius, from Vinyl.”  She handed the box to the cellist, who took it with a smile.  He pulled the wrapping paper off of it, then opened up the box.  Inside was a pregnancy test.
A positive pregnancy test.
Octavius felt himself freeze, staring at the little thing sitting so proudly on display.  He looked over at Vinyl; she was smiling from ear to ear, a tear appearing from behind her glasses.
“Congratulations, daddy,” she whispered, eliciting applause and cheers from around the room.  David came up and clapped Octavius on the back while the girls flocked around Vinyl, all tittering about names and the like.  Octavius had to take another look down into the box; just to be sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him.  The contents hadn’t changed, and the realization finally hit him like a truck.
He was going to be a father.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling of his room.  Vinyl had gone out with Dash and Ditzy for a ‘girl’s night’, as they had put it.  David mentioned something about a new movie playing that he wanted to see.  He had invited Octavius, but the cellist had politely declined.  Right now, all he wanted was to be alone with his thoughts.
He still had a hard time accepting the fact that he was going to be a father to a child.  He knew he should feel excited and happy, yet all he felt was afraid.  He hadn’t had a panic attack in months, yet that pregnancy test had nearly thrown him into a bad one.  He had held it together for the most part, but he knew he couldn’t last forever.
He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, relaxing slightly.
Why’re you so afraid?  You’re going to be a father!  You should be out celebrating, not alone pouting.
Octavius groaned, pulling a pillow onto his face.
You’re worried you won’t be good enough.
He rolled onto his side, tossing the defenseless pillow against the wall.
Don’t get your panties in a wad.  You’ll be a great dad!  If Vinyl had any doubt in her mind about this, would she have chosen to tell you in front of everyone?  She’s proud to be having your child.  She’s extremely happy about it, and here you are, moping like a child who can’t have desert.
Octavius rotated onto his back, staring once more at the ceiling.  He knew Vinyl was happy and proud.  She wanted everyone to know that she was pregnant with Octavius’ child.
So why are you so upset?
Octavius groaned again, standing up and walking down to the kitchen.  He pulled out some bread and peanut butter, deciding a sandwich might help him somehow.  He grabbed a knife out of the drawer under the sink, then spread the peanut butter onto a slice of bread.  He took one bite of it, and decided he wasn’t hungry.  He put everything back in its proper place, placing the sandwich on a plate and sticking it in the fridge.
He thought about going upstairs, but knew all that would accomplish was more pillow throwing.  Instead, he flopped out on the couch, grabbing the remote and powering the TV on.  There was some Christmas movie playing, but he really didn’t pay it much attention.  He started to wonder what being a father would be like.  Would the child like him?  Would they be happy?  Cared for and given all they needed?  What if the child hated him?  What if he wasn’t good enough?  What if –
STOP.
Octavius froze, realizing he had been hyperventilating.  He tried to slow down his breathing, closing his eyes.  His heartbeat hammered loudly in his ears, drowning out the movie on the TV.  After a couple of minutes, he had calmed down enough to open his eyes again.
You’ll be fine.  Just relax, and let things happen as they will.
Octavius stared blankly at the TV, finally feeling his exhaustion catching up with him.  However, just before he drifted off, the front door unlocked, and in strode Vinyl.  She turned and waved with a smile out the door, presumably at Dash and Ditzy.  She swung the door shut, turning the lock back into place.  She looked at him on the couch, and her smile fell slightly.
“Hey, you,” she said quietly, walking over to Octavius.  He sat up, allowing her to sit by him.  “How ya holdin’ up?”
Octavius nodded slowly, smiling weakly at her.  “I’m doing alright.  Today’s just been a bit much to fully grasp.”  He took the remote and turned off the TV, then faced the DJ once more.  He slowly reached up and pulled off her sunglasses.  The room was dark, so she wouldn’t be hurt.  He stared deeply into her dark red eyes, losing himself in them momentarily.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to steady himself, then met her gaze once more.  “Violet,” he started.  “This is very unexpected.  We weren’t even planning on having a child for quite some time.  When I saw that pregnancy test, I nearly lost it.  I didn’t know what to do with myself.  I’ve been sitting here since you guys left, freaking out and wondering what I’m going to do now.  I really didn’t think I’d be ready for this.”
Vinyl opened her mouth to speak, but Octavius cut her off by raising his hand.  “But,” he said, his smile broadening.  “I’ve come to a realization; as long as you’re by my side, I can face any challenge.  Even being a father.”
Vinyl sat staring at the man in silence.  At first he thought he might have upset her somehow, but then the DJ pulled him into a rib-crushing hug.  “Oh, Tavi!”  She leaned back and smiled at him.  “I’m so glad to hear you say that!”
Octavius hugged her back tightly, then pulled away.  “So,” he said.  “When is it due?”
“I’d guess sometime in August, September at the latest.”  The woman looked down at her belly, then back up to Octavius.  “I still can’t believe I’m going to be a mother.”
Octavius rolled his eyes.  “Oh, sure, make this all about you,” he mockingly complained.  She pouted her lip out cutely, crossing her arms over her chest.  The cellist laughed quietly.  “Vinyl, the girls were falling all over themselves to spend time with the mommy-to-be.  I heard them suggesting names and guessing the gender.  I swear Scootaloo and Ditzy made a bet on that.”
Vinyl giggled and nodded.  “Ditzy thinks it’ll be a cute little baby girl, but Scootaloo thinks it’ll be a cool baby boy.”  She looked at Octavius questioningly.  “Which would you like, Tavi?  A boy or a girl?”
Octavius sat and thought for a moment, then smiled warmly at Vinyl.  “I’d want a baby girl, so I can spoil her and team up with her against her tyrannical mother.”  He grinned at the evil look that Vinyl shot him.  “Plus, I remember what I was like in my youth, at least before my father decided I was going to be the perfect little cellist he always wanted.  I don’t want to be on the receiving end of that.”  Octavius let a mock shudder run through his body.
Vinyl seemed to ponder this, then grinned at him.  “Yeah, I guess a little girl would be pretty nice.  Though personally, I’d want a boy.”
“Why is that?”  Octavius tilted his head curiously.
“So I can finally have a man around the house!”  Octavius scowled as Vinyl howled with laughter.  “Oh, come on, lighten up, Tavi,” she said when he kept glaring at her.  “It was just a joke.
“But seriously, I’d want a boy,” she continued.  “Ever since I was younger, I knew I wanted a boy first.  That way, if I had a second child and it was a girl, she had a big brother who would always look out for her.  Someone to protect her from the bullies at school who would make fun of her just because she was a little different.”  She smiled sadly and wiped a tear away, then cleared her throat and looked up at Octavius.  “So yeah, boy for me.”
Octavius smiled.  “Alright, well we will see who’s right in a few months, then.”
“I guess we will,” Vinyl returned his smile, then yawned, stretching her arms up high then relaxing again.  “Boy, I’m beat!  Dash and Ditzy gave me no breaks today!  I guess they don’t know pregnant lady’s can’t always move like they used to.”  She turned her gaze to Octavius.  “You comin’ up to bed?’  She slid her glasses onto her face.
Octavius nodded, standing with her.  “Right behind you, dearest.”
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Just knock already, hun,” Vinyl insisted, nudging Octavius closer to the door.  Octavius shuffled forward a couple of steps, but his hand remained firmly by his side.  Vinyl groaned and pushed him a little harder, making the man nearly fall into the door.  “They’re my parents, Tavi,” she whispered.  “They need to know sooner or later, and I think three weeks is long enough.”
Octavius turned nervously to look at her, then glanced back at the door.  “Vinyl,” he hissed quietly.  “This little coat I’m wearing isn’t bulletproof!  And snow doesn’t stop bullets, either!”
“For the last time, dunce,” she groaned.  “He’s not going to shoot you.”
Octavius gulped, not entirely convinced.  He knew his black coat would stand out against the white snow, making him an easy target if he chose to run.  But he also knew Vinyl would kill him anyway if he didn’t do this.  He swallowed once more, took in a big breath, and knocked on the door.
The couple stood out in the falling snow for a few moments, waiting with bated breath.  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door swung open, revealing the familiar dimly lit interior.  Missus Melody stood in the doorframe, smiling when she saw who was on her step.  “Hello, you two,” she greeted them sweetly.  “Come in, come in; it must be freezing out there.”  She stepped aside allowing the two inside the home and closing the door behind them.  Vinyl and Octavius muttered out a thank you, removing their coats and handing them on the pegs by the door.
Vinyl looked at her mother, smiling a bit nervously.  “Mom, where’s dad?”
“He’s in the living room.  Why?”  Her mothers face grew concerned.  “Is something the matter?”
“No no,” Vinyl assured her.  “We just need to talk to the two of you.”
“All right, sweetie,” said missus Scratch.  “Let’s go, then.”
As the couple followed the older woman, Octavius looked down at his clothing.  Perhaps a white shirt hadn’t been a great idea.  Bloodstains were hard to wash out.  He took a deep breath to steady himself as they walked into the living room, seeing mister Scratch sitting on the couch staring at them.  He smiled at their approach and stood, hugging Vinyl and shaking Octavius’s hand firmly.
Once all the greetings were through, everyone took a seat, mister Scratch in his chair, Vinyl, Octavius and missus Scratch on the couch.
“So,” mister Scratch began.  “What brings you two here today?”
Octavius sat still as a log before Vinyl nudged him in the side with her elbow, causing him to clear his throat nervously.  “Well, sir, um,” he stuttered out.  “W-we have something to tell you.”
Mister Scratch leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands together.  “Go on, then,” he said, not taking his eyes off of Octavius.
“Well, uh,” the cellist said, stumbling through his sentence.  “You see… Well, that is to say, um…”
Vinyl sighed and took off her glasses to look her dad in the eyes.  “Dad, I’m pregnant.”
The silence in the room was crushing; the only was sound the ticking of the clock on the wall.  Mister Scratch stared intently at Vinyl, then to Octavius, and back to Vinyl.  He stood up from his chair, stepped in front of the couch, directly in front of the couple…
… And smiled.
“Congratulations, you two!”  He pulled Vinyl up from the couch, hugging her tightly and lifting her up in the air.  Missus Scratch jumped up, tears streaming down her smiling face.  Octavius, meanwhile, was utterly shocked.  Mister Scratch looked down at the cellist with a smirk.  “Octavius, you two have been living together for three years.”  He rolled his eyes.  “I was honestly surprised you hadn’t shown up sooner.”
Octavius smiled, standing up and reaching to shake the older man’s hand, but mister Scratch shook his head.  “Uh uh,” he said, spreading his arms.  “You’re part of the family.  So you’re gonna act like it.”  Before the cellist could protest, the older man had pulled him into a tight bear hug.  When Octavius was released, he was gasping for air.  Mister Scratch simply laughed.  “So am I having a grandson or granddaughter?”
“We don’t know yet,” Vinyl said as her mother hugged her.  “We’ll find out in about a month or so.”
Missus Scratch grinned.  “I’m so happy for you two!”  She giggled.  “Oh, we have to tell the rest of the family!”  She hugged Vinyl again, then turned to Octavius and squeezed him tight, as well.
“So, mister Scratch –“ Octavius started, but was cut off by the older man scoffing.
“Please, you don’t need to be so formal, kid,” he said, waving a hand dismissively.  “Just call me Mike.”
Octavius smiled warmly.  “It’s a pleasure, Mike.”
A short time later, and after a few goodbyes, Octavius and Vinyl left the Scratch house.
“There,” said Vinyl, playfully elbowing Octavius in the ribs.  “Was that so bad, mister grumpy face?”
Octavius rolled his eyes but smirked down at her.  “No,” he said in a very over dramatic voice.  “I suppose it wasn’t.”
“Dad didn’t even pull the gun on you,” Vinyl continued.  “And he said you could call him Mike.  I guess he likes ya, Tavi.”  She grinned up at him, stopping in her tracks.  “And you know what?”
“What?”  Octavius stopped beside her.
She pecked him lightly on the lips.  “I like you, too.”
“Well that’s good,” he grinned evilly.  “Considering I’m paying most of the bills, and the fact that the bank wouldn’t lend you a penny for that house, and the fact that –“
Vinyl slugged him on the arm, glaring at him with a hint of a grin playing on her lips.  “I said I like you, ya dork.”
Octavius laughed and pulled her into a warm hug.  “Well I love you.”
Vinyl snuggled into his chest, wrapping her arms around his body and holding him close.  “I love you too, Tavi.”
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius was awoken by the sound of something falling downstairs.  He sat bolt upright in his bed, instantly awake and alert.  He swung his legs quietly over the edge of his bed and stood, grabbing the pistol that Vinyl had insisted upon when they had gotten their own place.  He loaded it and snuck out of the room, creeping to the top of the stairs.
He carefully peaked his head around the corner and looked down the stairs, trying to see what was happening.  He caught sight of a shadowy figure dashing into the living room.  He practically tiptoed down the stairs, taking a deep breath before stepping into the room, leveling his gun at the intruder.
“Freeze,” the cellist commanded.  “Hands where I can see them!”
The intruder locked up, then slowly raised their hands, turning to face Octavius.  The figure appeared masculine underneath their pitch black clothing, but the low light made it difficult to identify them.  Octavius was about to reach for the light switch when he heard a floorboard creak behind him.  The cellist swiftly turned, sidestepping an incoming ball bat.  Another figure, this one feminine, drew that bat back, readying for another swing.  The first thief reached into their pocket, pulling out a knife.
“You seem a bit outnumbered, pal,” said the one with a knife.  Octavius thought the voice sounded familiar.  “What say you go back up to your cushy little bed and forget you saw us?”
“And why would I do that?”  Octavius kept shifting his aim from one target to the other.
“’Cause if you don’t,” the one with the bat replied.  “We’re gonna have to hurt you.  Badly.”  To emphasize her point, she took a threatening step forward.
Octavius pointed the gun at her.  “I’d love to see you try.”
“Bad choice, pal,” said the first.  He slowly approached Octavius, as did the one with the bat.  Octavius took aim at the woman’s leg and fired.  She jumped, crying out in shock, the bullet hitting the floor between her legs.  The man took the opportunity to jump at Octavius, bringing the knife around to try and stab the cellist in the chest.
Suddenly, as Octavius grappled with the man, a lamp came down hard on the back of the intruder’s head, making him collapse.  The woman, just as shocked as Octavius, turned to see Vinyl, standing there over the man’s body.  She turned to face the mysterious woman with a smirk.
“Now who’s outnumbered, bitch?”  Vinyl flashed a cocky grin as the woman growled in frustration.
Octavius pointed the gun at the woman’s exposed back.  “Now, let’s try this again,” he said calmly.  “Who are you?”
The woman sighed and turned to face the cellist.  “What’s the matter, Tav-Tav?”  Octavius’ blood ran cold as the woman spoke.  “Don’t you recognize me?”
Octavius lowered the gun, his breathing growing shallow.  “Dash,” he whispered.  “Why are you doing this?”
At this point, the man whom Vinyl had knocked out had started to come to, groaning and sitting up slowly.  “Because,” he said in a familiar smooth accent.  “You have the money to pay for all these things.  While her and I have to live paycheck to paycheck to take care of our own families!”
Vinyl put her hands to her mouth.  “David,” she said quietly, tears flowing down her cheeks.  “If you’d asked…”
“Puh-leese,” Dash said, rounding on the DJ.  “You guys were so caught up in your little love fest, you didn’t notice your two best friends were going under!”
“So we took matters into our own hands,” David continued.  “We figured we could come in, swipe a couple things, and get out.  Worst case scenario, you noticed a few missing things, filed a report, and everything blew over in a week or so. “
“But then Octavius had to butt in!”  Dash glared back at the cellist, who’d long since dropped his gun.  “Scootaloo has to worry if she’ll eat, and I run a fucking diner!”
“And Ditzy,” David said.  “Ditzy can’t do for herself.  She needs my help more and more everyday.  And her and I both know the day is coming where I won’t be able to do anything for her, and she’ll have to go to a ‘special home’ as we call it.  She wakes up every morning afraid she’ll have to leave, but by breakfast she’s forgotten all of her worries.  While I have this time with her, I don’t want her to do without, even if it means I have to.”
David stood up and looked at Octavius.  “So I’ll say it again,” he finished.  “What say you go back up to your cushy little bed and forget you saw us?”
Octavius was speechless.  Vinyl stood silently in the doorway.  Dash turned to David.  “Let’s get out of here.”
“Right behind you,” the man said, following her out of the door and into the night.
Vinyl slowly walked into the room, sitting beside Octavius on the couch that he’d sunk into.  He looked over at her.  She looked at him.  “Violet,” he said quietly, but didn’t finish his thought, letting the air grow still between them.  He looked down at his hands folded in his lap.  Vinyl placed her hands on his, making him look up at her.
She didn’t say anything, but instead stared sadly into his eyes.  He pulled her into a hug, which she returned.  She pulled back slowly, staring at him sadly.
“Are we bad people, love?”  She looked down at her lap.
“I don’t know, hun,” he replied.  “I thought we’d been doing quite well, but…”
“I suppose we haven’t,” Vinyl finished with an empty laugh.  She placed a hand on her belly, looking down at it.  “Have we lost sight of what is really important?”
Octavius placed his hand over hers and looked at her.  “That depends,” he said after a moment.  “What do you see as really important?”
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl sat on a hard wooden bench in the park, staring up into the overcast sky.  She figured it was going to start raining soon.  She sighed and looked back down, the world taking on a purple hint through the filter of her glasses.  She stood and stretched her arms over her head, standing on her toes as she did.  She then shoved her hands into the pockets of her white coat and started back towards her house, slipping on the headphones Octavius had gotten her their first Christmas together.  She scrolled through her phone until she found the mix she had made for Octavius while he had been in the hospital.  She smiled at the memory, and pressed play on the song.
As she walked, lightly patting her hand on her thigh in time, she began to remember how things had been three years ago.  She laughed to herself as she thought of the stick in the mud that used to be her boyfriend.  She remembered how uptight he had been at their first breakfast, and how jumpy he had been when she had introduced him to Dash.
The thought of Dash made Vinyl sigh sadly.  She wondered if maybe things could’ve played out differently if she had just ignored Octavius.  She wouldn’t have had to deal with the rest of the Melody family.  She wouldn’t have been in that car accident.
And her best friend wouldn’t have robbed her.
Lost in thought and staring at her feet as she walked, she bumped into something rather hard, knocking it over.  She quickly looked up, bringing her headphones down to her neck as she saw a woman with pink hair on the ground, rubbing her head and wincing in pain.
“Oh, crap,” Vinyl said, offering her hand to the other woman.  The pink haired woman took the outstretched hand, rising to her feet.  “Sorry about that.  Are you ok?”
“I-It’s fine,” she muttered, her voice barely audible.  “I-I should’ve been watching where I was going.  I’m sorry.”
Vinyl raised an eyebrow, confused.  Most people in this city would be giving her an earful of how stupid she was, and how she needed to pay attention to where she was going.  But this girl couldn’t even look the DJ in the eye.
“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Vinyl said casually, smiling at the woman.  “It was my mistake.”
The pink haired woman whimpered quietly, then picked up her bag and tried to walk around Vinyl, but the DJ stopped her, noticing a mark on the woman’s neck.
“What happened?”  Vinyl gently took the other woman’s hand in hers.
The pink haired woman squeaked in fear, squeezing her eyes shut.  “N-nothing,” she whispered.
Vinyl slowly pulled the woman’s long hair off of her neck, revealing what seemed to be a hand shaped bruise.  Vinyl’s heart skipped a beat.
“Hey,” she started, dropping the woman’s hair gently.  “My name is Violet.  Most people call me Vinyl.  Will you tell me your name?”
“… I’m Flutters...” The other woman looked down at the ground.
“Well Flutters,” Vinyl said calmly, gently pulling the woman along with her.  “Why don’t you and I go sit down and have a bite to eat?  It seems I meet people for a reason, so maybe I met you for a reason, too.”  She smiled kindly at Flutters, who still wouldn’t look Vinyl in the eyes.
“N-no, that’s ok,” Flutters protested weakly, attempting to pull her hand away.  “I’ve already taken up too much of your time.”
“I insist,” Vinyl said, leading the woman gently down the street.  Flutters yanked her hand out of Vinyl’s.  “Hey!”  Vinyl looked at the woman in surprise, but was more shocked to see tears flowing down Flutters face and staining her yellow sweater.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, hunching her shoulders defensively.  “I-I shouldn’t have done that…”  Vinyl took a step back.  Flutters kept apologizing, muttering things like, ‘please don’t hurt me’, and ‘I’ll do better’.
“Flutters,” Vinyl started quietly once the pink haired woman had seemed to calm down.  “I’m not gonna hurt you, but I am gonna ask you a question.  Do you have a boyfriend?”
As Flutters collected herself to answer, Vinyl led her to a small restaurant, sitting down at a table by themselves.  “I do,” Flutters finally replied. 
“Alright,” Vinyl continued.  “Can you tell me about him?”
Flutters looked up with a practiced smile, tears still streaming down her face.  “He’s the greatest guy a girl could ever want.”  Vinyl knew that line was a fake as the smile.
“Flutters, sweetie,” Vinyl placed her thumb and forefinger on either side of the bridge of her nose.  “You and I both know that’s not true.”
Flutters held her fake smile for all of two seconds before dropping her head, her tears now staining her bright blue jeans.  “It is the truth,” she sobbed softly.  “H-he said so.”
Vinyl stared sadly at the crying woman, pushing the napkin dispenser closer to Flutters, who grabbed a napkin and wiped her bright blue eyes.  “All right Flutters, I’ll believe you,” Vinyl said.  “But here’s what I’ll do for you.”  She grabbed a napkin and took out a pen from her bag, writing down her phone number and handing it to the pink haired woman.  “Call me any time you need me, ok, hun?”  She smiled sweetly at Flutters, who managed a weak smile in return.
“Ok,” she replied, sniffling and wiping her eyes.  She stood to go, as did Vinyl, albeit a bit slower with her noticeable bump in her belly.  Flutters turned to Vinyl as the pair reached the door.  “Thank you, Violet.”  She gently hugged the DJ, who returned the gesture in kind.  The pink haired woman pulled back, smiling a little wider, then walked down the street, leaving Vinyl alone.
Vinyl started back on her way home, putting on her headphones once more.  She pressed play on Octavius’ song and smiled.
She had no regrets about meeting that dork of a cellist.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius grumbled grumpily as he was awakened by the sound of the phone ringing.  He rolled over and glanced at the clock beside his bed.  It read 1:37 A.M.  He cursed silently as he reached over and took the phone off of its base.
“Hello?”  He wiped sleep from his eyes lazily as he slowly sat up.  However, the sound of crying on the other end made him move a bit quicker.  “Hello?  Who is this?”
“I-is this Vinyl’s house?”  A female voice was trying to talk through loud sobs.
“Yes,” Octavius replied, now wide-awake.  “This is her boyfriend Octavius.  Who is this?”
“It’s Flutters,” she said.  “V-Vinyl said to call if I n-needed her.”  She sniffled loudly.  “I-I need her.”  Suddenly, a man’s voice cut into the background, yelling at her.  She started to cry harder.  “P-please hurry.”
“Ok, but where am I going?”  Octavius swung his legs off the edge of the bed, looking for his shoes.  Vinyl stirred beside him but did not wake up.
Flutters told him the address, and once he had on his shoes and had grabbed his keys, he was on his way to see what was going on.
As Octavius pulled up in the driveway to the house, he could hear shouting and crying and things breaking.  He stepped out of his car, quietly closing the door behind him.  Cautiously he approached the steps, walking up onto the porch and knocking on the wooden door before him.  He heard things go quiet inside, followed by rapid whispering.  Before he could become too impatient, though, the door swung open, and the sight of a pink haired woman wearing a long yellow shirt and some loose green pants greeted him.  She smiled at him.
“Hello,” she said sweetly, placing a fake smile on her face.  “What can I do for you?”
Octavius was dumbfounded momentarily before he found his voice.  “Um, are you Flutters?”
The woman nodded quickly.  “Yes, I am,” she answered.  “And you are?”
“I’m Octavius,” he replied.  “You just called me?”
“Oh yes, that,” Flutters waved a hand dismissively.  “It was nothing.  Just a little disagreement is all.”  Octavius noticed the woman’s eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying a lot recently.  He also saw what appeared to be a bruise on her throat.
Octavius sighed and shook his head before looking into the woman’s eyes once more.  “Listen, Flutters,” he started quietly, dropping his voice to a low murmur.  “I get what’s going on.  I’m here to help you, like you asked.”  He extended a hand towards her, and felt his heart break a little when she flinched away.  “I can’t help you if you don’t let me.”  He offered her his hand once more.  “Come with me.  At least for the night.  I have a spare bed that you can stay in, and you won’t have to cry anymore.”
Flutters looked conflicted.  One the one hand, she seemed like she wanted more than anything to say yes, to take his hand and leave; alternatively, she also seemed very hesitant to trust him, like she thought she would be better to stay.
“Just for the night,” Octavius said again.  “I’ll bring you back first thing in the morning.”
Flutters looked around nervously, as if she were afraid someone might be listening to them.  Finally, she nodded slowly and took Octavius’ outstretched hand.  He smiled kindly at her as he gently led her to the car that was waiting in the driveway.  He helped her into the passenger seat, then he got into the drivers seat.
As he started to back out of the driveway, the woman finally broke down beside him, tears running down her long face as she squeezed her eyes shut.  She sobbed quietly, hugging herself tight.  Octavius cast a glance over to her before looking back at the road.
Octavius opened his mouth as if to say something, but he couldn’t find the words.  He wanted to say anything, to try to cheer her up, but nothing seemed appropriate.  He barely knew her, yet here she was in his car about to be in his house.
“I’m sorry,” Flutters muttered, causing Octavius to look at her quizzically.  “I b-barely know you, yet here I am asking you t-to help me.”  She laughed quietly.  “This h-has to be weird.”
Octavius smiled.  “No, not really,” he said.  “About three years ago I started staying with two women I hardly knew, and that seemed to work out ok.  I was new in town and I ‘needed some friends’, as Vinyl had said.  So she took me to meet her friend Dash, and one thing led to another, and I ended up staying with Dash for a while.  Eventually, after Vinyl and I had gotten together, we moved to our own place outside of town.  We’ve been there about a year and a half.”
Flutters was listening intently to Octavius’ story, but he seemed done talking, so she went back to looking out of the windshield.  Finally Octavius spoke again.  “So what about you, Flutters?  Care to tell me about yourself?”
Flutters looked shyly down at her hands folded in her lap.  “Oh, um,” she said softly.  “I-I’ve lived here for my whole life.  I work at the animal shelter on Main Street; I have for about four years now.  I always liked taking care of animals when I was little, so even though I don’t get paid a whole lot, I still enjoy it there.”
“Sounds like you’re living the dream,” Octavius grinned, before turning serious again.  “So what happened with the idiot who did that to you, then?”  He gestured at her neck, which Flutters instinctively covered.
“I-I’d rather not talk about that,” she mumbled, a fresh batch of tears welling behind her eyes.
Octavius looked at her, mentally kicking himself for making her sad again.  “Then we won’t,” he said sweetly.  “Besides, we’re here.”  He pulled into his driveway, putting the car in park and shutting off the headlights.  He got out and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for Flutters.  She giggled quietly as she stepped out of the car, Octavius shutting the door behind her.  “Follow me,” he said as he led her to his door, unlocking it and stepping inside.  He was surprised to see Vinyl sitting on the couch in the living room.
“Hey, sweetie,” she greeted him with a smile as she stood up carefully, walking towards the two that had just entered the house.  “I see you met my new acquaintance?”
Octavius nodded.  “She called and said she needed help.  Apparently you said she could.  So I went and picked her up.”
Vinyl grinned.  “Good boy,” she praised him as she patted his head, making him grimace.  “Now, for you,” she said as she turned her attention to Flutters.
“Oh, I won’t be any trouble,” she quickly insisted.  “I’ll just stay on the couch and –“
Vinyl shook her head.  “We have an extra room upstairs.”  She pointed over her shoulder to the stairs.  “It’s all yours for as long as you need it.”
Flutters looked from Vinyl to Octavius, smiling warmly before pulling the couple into a tight hug.  “Thank you,” she muttered as she held them close.  She pulled back, a couple of tears on her face.  “I’ll be on my way to bed then.”  With that, she disappeared up the stairs.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius sat on the living room couch, reading over the most recent piece the symphony was going to be practicing.  He had a pencil in hand, making small notes on the sheet as he read.  The sound of feet descending the stairs caught his attention, causing him to look up and see Flutters coming down the stairs.  He smiled at her, placing the sheet on the short wooden table beside the couch.
“Hello,” he greeted her, rising from his seat.
“Oh, hello, Octavius,” she replied, seeming to be surprised to see him.  “You’re up early.”
“Not really,” he told her, looking down at his music.  “I usually get up early to work on my music.  I’m part of the local symphony.”
“Really?”  Flutters smiled wide.  “I love music!  Oh, b-but not loud music.”  She looked down at her bare feet, poking her index fingers together shyly.  “I always liked classical music.”
Octavius thought for a moment, then grinned.  “Wait right here.”  He disappeared upstairs, and a couple minutes later returned carrying his cello case.  He stepped into the dining room and grabbed a chair, then came back to the living room, setting the chair down with the cello right in front of it.  He sat down on the dark wooden chair, opening his case and producing his cello.  It was a light brown color, with a similarly colored bow.  He started to get in tune as Flutters came into the living room and sat on the couch in front of him, watching intently.
Finally ready, Octavius looked to the pink haired woman.  “Do you have any particular favorites?”
Flutters thought for a moment, then shook her head.  “Whatever you wanna play is alright.”
Octavius nodded, then placed the bow on the strings, contemplating what to play, before a smile crossed his face and he started to play.
Flutters was caught off guard by Octavius’ selection of music.  She’d never heard the piece before, but decided to let him play.  As she listened, she also noticed a small smile on the cellist’s otherwise stoic face.  He played, and played, seeming to pour his whole heart into the piece, lost in his own world, a world Flutters didn’t feel she was a part of.  The piece sped up, the piece slowed down, yet Octavius never seemed lost.  No matter where the piece went, Octavius seemed to be in complete control.  Flutters smiled softly as she watched.
Finally, after an eternity but all too soon, the piece came to an end, Octavius rejoining the real world, looking at Flutters.  She stood and clapped lightly so as not to wake Vinyl, who was still sleeping upstairs.  She sat back down as Octavius carefully laid his cello back in its case, alongside the bow.  He clasped the case shut and moved it to the side, then turned his attention to Flutters.
“What did you think?”  He stared expectantly at the woman.
Flutters was at a loss for words for a moment, but at last she said, “I loved that!  What’s it called?”
Octavius’ face turned a light shade of red.  “It’s an original piece by me.  It’s called ‘For Violet’.  I wrote it last year for our anniversary.  I played it for her, and she said she adored it.”
“I also said I wanted to remix it,” called a voice from the stairs, causing the pair in the living room to jump slightly and turn that way.  They saw Vinyl standing on the bottom step, smiling at them.  She walked up to Octavius, standing behind his chair that he still sat in and wrapped her arms around his chest as she leaned down.  “But some jerkface won’t give me to frickin’ sheet music for it!”
“I told you, love,” he said with a smirk.  “This is my piece for you, and I won’t let you get your dirty little wubby dubby hands on it.”
“Aw, c’mon, baby,” she whispered in his ear, her voice low.  “Pretty please?”
Octavius swiftly stood and stepped away from her.  “I don’t think so.”
Vinyl huffed, puffing her cheeks full of air in frustration.  “Party pooper.”
Flutters giggled as she watched the exchange, looking from one to the other as they squabbled back and forth.  Then she sighed sadly, looking down at her hands folded on her lap.  Octavius turned his attention to the pink haired woman.  “What’s wrong, Flutters?”
She looked up quickly, putting on her practiced smile.  “Oh, uh, eh-heh, n-nothing,” she stammered out, glancing sideways as if she were looking for something.  “I-it’s nothing at all.”
“No, what is it?”  Vinyl carefully sat down beside Flutters, placing a hand on her growing baby bump.  “We’re here for you, like I told ya.  I don’t care if we just met, I feel like we met for a reason.  So I think the reason was to help you out.  And that’s just what I’m gonna do.”  She grinned mischievously at the pink haired woman.  “Whether mister stick in the mud over there likes it or not.”  She jerked a thumb at Octavius.
Flutters giggled slightly at the comment, while Octavius pretended to glare at the DJ.  Flutters sighed once more, looking at her hands lying on her green pants.  Then she looked up and met Vinyl’s questioning gaze with a sad smile.  “I promise I’ll open up,” she said quietly.  “You just have to give me some time.  Ok?”
Vinyl nodded with a wide grin.  “Whatever you need, Flutters.  When you’re ready to talk about what’s eatin’ ya, come find me.  I’ll be there with a friendly ear and a box of tissues.”
Flutters giggled again, nodding in agreement.  “It’s a deal.”
Octavius had gone upstairs to put his cello back in his room, so the two women were left alone in the living room for the time being.  Flutters looked down at Vinyl’s belly, then back up to Vinyl.  “Are you, uh,” she started, though she sounded unsure of how to politely ask her question.
Vinyl, however, seemed to pick up on it.  “Yep!  Tavi and I are gonna be mommy and daddy in a few months!”  She grinned excitedly.  “I told him on Christmas.”  She started to laugh.  “Boy, you shoulda seen that dork flip out!  It was adorable!”  She calmed down, wiping her eyes behind her shades.  They had to turn up the lights in the house for Flutters, since she was afraid of the dark.  Vinyl hadn’t minded, deciding she’d do everything she could to make their guest feel welcome as long as she stayed with them.
“So is it a boy or a girl?”  Flutters looked as if she had forgotten her earlier sadness; either that, or she had deliberately chosen to change the subject.
“Well, according to the ultrasound last week, we’re going to be having a baby girl,” Vinyl said.  “When we told my parents that they were having a granddaughter, they lost their minds.  Mom kept making some weird happy squeaking noise, and dad said that he hoped she’d be a better kid than I was.”
Flutters smiled sweetly.  “Well, congratulations, you two,” she said.  “I’m sure you must be quite excited.”
“Oh, definitely,” Vinyl replied, grinning from ear to ear.  “I can’t wait!  I mean, sure, the actual delivery process will suck, but I can’t wait to be handed my baby girl for the first time.”
“Neither can I,” Octavius cut in from the stairs, much like Vinyl had.  While he was upstairs, he had apparently changed from his pajamas into a grey tee shirt and blue jeans, walking in and sitting by Vinyl, whom he noted was still in her long blue shirt with the music note on it with her knee length shorts.  “I may be uncertain as to my own ability as a father, given my rather questionable upbringing, but I shall strive to do the very best I can.”
Vinyl leaned in to Flutters and whispered, “That’s fancy talk for, ‘being a dad will kick ass.’”  The pink haired woman giggled.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius groaned with annoyance as he set down his cello bow.  He had been in the middle of practicing his new piece when the phone had started to ring.  Try as he might to ignore it, he just couldn’t shut the loud tones out of his mind, the grating notes working their way into his melody.  He stood up from his chair and walked over to the phone, looking at the number displayed, not recognizing it.
He’d been expecting it to be Vinyl calling him, since she and Flutters had gone out together after breakfast to get to know each other.  Vinyl had suggested it so as to give Octavius some quiet time.  Octavius sighed and pressed the green ‘answer’ button.
“Hello?”  He started to walk back to his seat.
“Is Flutters there?”  Octavius stiffened upon hearing a gruff male voice on the other end of the line.  He sat calmly down in his chair, coming to a quick decision.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t know anyone by that –“
“Don’t play that with me, buddy,” the caller interjected, cutting off the cellist mid sentence.  “This is the only recent call on the phone, and after this call she up and vanished.  Now I’ll try asking again, is Flutters there?”
“Who is this?”  Octavius waited for a reply, but none came.  “Look, I’m not going to tell some strange man over a phone whether or not some strange woman is with me or not.”
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” the man answered, seeming to grow irritated with Octavius wasting his time.  “What matters is where Flutters went.  You can tell me where she is, or I can charge you with kidnapping her.  It’s up to you.”
Octavius sighed, leaning his head against the back of his chair.  “She’s in town.  Now will you tell me who –“ But the other line went dead almost immediately.  Octavius pressed the ‘end’ button, then quickly dialed Vinyl’s cell phone, tapping his foot impatiently as it rang.
Finally, after what felt like the longest fifteen seconds of his life, Vinyl answered.  “Hey there, sweet stuff.”  She sounded like she was in a good mood, voices talking all around her.  “Couldn’t wait for me to get home, couldja?”
“Vinyl, listen,” Octavius started, ignoring the DJ’s playfulness.  “I got off the phone with who I think is Flutters’ boyfriend.  He made me tell him where she was, or he’d have charged us with kidnapping her.  He knows she’s in town.  I’m sorry, but you have to tell Flutters.  She’ll know what his car will look like.  If he shows up, you take her and leave.”
Vinyl didn’t answer for a moment, but eventually she said, “I understand, Tavi.  We’ll keep a look out, ok?  I’ll let you know if anything comes up.  I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he replied with a smile.  “Stay safe, love.”
“Yeah,” she muttered before hanging up.
Vinyl ended the call, setting her phone down and looking at Flutters, who was anxiously staring out the large window of the restaurant they had gone to.  Her fingers were drumming quietly on the tabletop, and Vinyl noticed that the pink haired woman was bouncing her heel quickly.
Vinyl quietly cleared her throat to catch Flutters’ attention, causing her to turn to the DJ.  “You expecting someone, hun?”  Vinyl smiled at the woman, but Flutters remained silent.  “Look, that guy won’t be bugging you anymore, a’ight?”  She tried once again to lighten the mood, but still Flutters looked scared beyond belief.  She cast a sideways glance out of the window again, then looked back at Vinyl.
“I heard Octavius,” the woman finally said.  “I know that my boyfriend is coming to get me.  I shouldn’t have left, and I definitely shouldn’t have dragged two strangers into this.  I-I’m sorry, Vinyl, I think I should –“
“Please stay.”
Flutters seemed confused, staring at the DJ.
“Flutters, you’re in a rough spot.  I get that.  Trust me, before Tavi, I had my share of bad times.  I won’t be so conceited to say that I know what you’re going through, but believe me when I say that I want to help you.  You seem like a really nice girl, and I hate seeing nice girls sad.”
Flutters gave a small smile.  “You think I’m nice?”
Vinyl smiled back.  “Oh, definitely!  In fact, you’re probably one of the nicest strangers I’ve ever met.  Heck, when I first met Tavi, he had a stick shoved so far up his ass I was surprised he could walk straight.”  Flutters giggled at that.
The bell of the door opening at the front of the restaurant caught the women’s attention, causing them to look at it.  In walked a small family of three, a man, a woman, and a girl.  The hostess smiled and walked them to their seats across the dining room.  The girl seemed to be trying to convince her parents that she should be allowed to get cookies after breakfast, while her parents were telling her that she didn’t need all that sugar.
Vinyl sighed happily at the sight, looking at the family with a slightly dreamy gaze.  Flutters smiled at the DJ.  “That could be you in a few months, right?”
Vinyl nodded.  “Only four more months, then this little monster will get outta here and into the world.  She’s been kicking Tavi whenever he touches her sometimes, or squirming around a little every now and then.  I’ll tell ya, I’ve been so exhausted some days I don’t wanna get out of bed.  Tavi has to bring me a bowl of soup or a sandwich when I’m hungry, at least until it’s dinner time.”  She smiled.  “He tries so hard, but that man cannot cook to save his life.”
Flutters giggled.  “You two sound like you’re so happy together.  And you have a little girl on the way.  Speaking of, have you thought of any names for her?”
Vinyl shook her head.  “We both agreed we wanted to meet the little darling before we started trying to name her.”
Flutters nodded.  “I can see how that could be a good idea.  I think if I ever had a kid –“
But a man entering the restaurant cut off her thought.  Vinyl saw the start of tears behind the woman’s eyes.  She turned her head as well as she could to see a tall man at the door.  He was wearing a black leather coat with a black shirt underneath and a pair of black pants.  He had short cut black hair as well.  He looked around the restaurant, then settled his eyes on Flutters, his gaze hardening.  He quickly approached the table, shrugging off the hostess who tried to stop him.
He pulled up a chair and sat at the table with the two women.  “Hello, ladies,” he said in a voice that reminded Vinyl of David.  “What’re we having for breakfast?”  He scooped a menu, skimming over it.  “Oh, I think I’d love some betrayal with a side of broken trust.”  He set down the menu, locking eyes with Flutters.  “Where the hell did you go?”
“Turner, I –“
“I come downstairs, expecting to find my love waiting on me, but no, instead I’m left all alone.  I was so worried, thinking you’d been kidnapped.”  He folded his hands on the table.  “Then I find out that no, you just ran off with some man.  Do you have any idea how that made me feel?”
“No, I –“
“No, of course you don’t!  You don’t care at all about me, do you?”  He glared hard into her eyes.  “Now tell the nice woman here that you’re leaving, and let’s go.”
Flutters looked at Vinyl, her eyes begging for help.  Vinyl turned to the man.  “Look pal, she’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Oh, and are you gonna stop me from taking her with me?”  He smirked.  “I get up and walk five feet away, I gotcha beat.”
“Just because I’m pregnant, don’t think I can’t beat your ass,” Vinyl growled threateningly, narrowing her eyes behind her shades and clenching her gloved fists.
‘Turner’ leaned in close.  “I’d love to see you try.”
However, before Vinyl could say or do anything else, a hand came down on ‘Turner’s’ shoulder.  “Oh, my dear brother,” came a familiar voice.  “Whatever am I going to do with you?”
Vinyl gasped and looked up to see David standing there, glaring down at the other man, who stood up.
“Well, hello there, David,” ‘Turner’ said, flashing a smile.  “Been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it has,” David replied, glaring at his brother.  “Not long enough, though.  What are you doing harassing these nice women?”
“Harassing?  I don’t know what you’re talking about!  I simply came to pick up my girlfriend is all.  This woman here and her boyfriend are the ones who –“
“Are trying to help another one of your victims.”  David cut his brother off quickly.  “I know Vinyl and Octavius.  They are amazing people, and can do so much more for Flutters than you could hope to do.  Now, I suggest you leave.”  ‘Turner’ tried to stare his brother down, but David didn’t back off.
“Alright, alright,” ‘Turner’ finally said.  “I’m going.  No need to get all protective on me.”
As ‘Turner’ left, he passed Ditzy, who was rolling up to the table in a wheelchair.
The blonde smiled at the DJ.  “H-h-h-hey, V-Vinyl,” she stuttered out, struggling hard with her words.
Vinyl smiled sweetly.  “Hey there, Ditz.  How’s it hangin’?”
Ditzy didn’t reply, seemingly fascinated with the world outside the window.  Vinyl noticed that although the blonde had her trademark gray sweater on, her camera was missing.  She looked up at David.  “Where’s her camera?”
David sighed sadly, sitting in his brother’s vacant seat.  “She doesn’t even remember to use it anymore, and if she does, she forgets that she took a picture almost immediately.  There’s no point to it anymore.  I’m doing everything I can for her, but honestly…”  He leaned in close to Vinyl, so that way only she could hear.  “Honestly, Vinyl… I’d say she has a month, maybe a little more left.  And then that’s it.”
Vinyl felt her heart break.  She leaned away from David, a tear falling down her cheek.  “Really?”
David nodded.  “That’s why I’m here.  I know after what Dash and I tried to do, you probably don’t want to see me.  But before she got this bad, Ditzy made me promise she could see her friends one more time, before she left.  I think she knew she was running out of time.  I called Octavius, and he said I could find you here.”  He cast a smile at Flutters.  “I suppose it’s a good thing I showed up when I did.”
Flutters smiled back at him.  “Yes it was.  Thank you, David.”
“So,” Vinyl said, looking around the table, lingering on Ditzy far off gaze for a moment before continuing.  “I’m assuming that ‘Turner’ is the big bad boyfriend I’ve heard so much about?”
David nodded.  “My brother was always kind of a jerk, but once he discovered girls, it got way worse.  He took out all his aggression on any woman unlucky enough to fall for him.  Flutters here is his latest victim.  I’m glad you found her, Vinyl.  I know how good you are with helping people, and maybe you and Octavius can help her.”
Vinyl grinned.  “Glad you think so highly of me, Davie.  But I gotta ask, a couple months ago, what made you and Dash decide you wanted to rob us?”
David’s face fell, his gaze locking on the table momentarily.  “I told you then, we were desperate.  We knew you and Octavius were well off with your musician jobs, so we decided we’d ‘liberate’ some funding from you.  We didn’t expect you to catch us, and we didn’t want anything to change between us.”  He looked up into Vinyl’s glasses.  “We still don’t want anything to change.  If you won’t do it for me, do it for her.”  He looked over at Ditzy, who was smiling at the light she’d discovered hanging over the table.  “She really wanted to see you guys again.”
Vinyl looked between the two, the man in his suit and trench coat, the woman in her bubble sweater and wheelchair.  Finally she sighed and smiled up at him.  “It might take time for everything to go completely back to normal, but I’m willing to forgive you.  Just don’t expect me to forget.”  She looked over at Ditzy.  “Ditzy?”
The blonde shifted her gaze to the DJ.  “Y-y-yes?”
Vinyl smiled and shifted closer.  She placed Ditzy’s hand on her pregnant belly.  “Remember how you thought I was gonna have a girl?”  Ditzy thought long and hard, her face screwing up with concentration.  Finally, something seemed to click and she smiled, nodding.  “You were right.”  Ditzy’s face lit up with a brilliant smile, and she clapped slowly.  “She’s due in about four months.  Maybe you can be there with us when she’s born?”
Ditzy smiled and nodded.  “I-I’d love t-t-to,” she struggled to say, trying not to stutter too much.
David smiled as well, standing and stepping behind Ditzy’s wheelchair.  “Well, Ditzy, we have plenty of other friends to go say hi to today, don’t we?”  Ditzy nodded in affirmation.  “Then we’d best be on our way.  Say goodbye to Vinyl, ok?”
Ditzy looked at Vinyl, her crossed eyes focusing on Vinyl and a light seeming to come back into their dull gaze.  She smiled sweetly, that smile that Vinyl had seen so many times.  “Goodbye, Violet.”
Vinyl felt her heart shatter again, another tear sneaking out as she smiled.  “Bye, Ditzy.”
David turned Ditzy around, and the two were gone, heading out for Ditzy to make her visits.  Vinyl had noticed that as she was turning, the light behind her eyes had died again, her gaze dull and distant.
Flutters placed a hand on Vinyl’s, causing the DJ to look up.  Flutters was smiling warmly.  “If she had friends half as nice as you, she led a great life.  I’m sorry I couldn’t know her better.  You’re lucky.”
Vinyl looked to where David and Ditzy were walking down the street, and smiled softly.  “Yeah,” she said quietly.  “I guess I am pretty lucky.”
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I look around from my wheelchair, observing everything.  The birds singing in the trees, the clouds slowly drifting across the late Spring sky, and the man pushing me from behind.  He’s always there, that nice man in his long tan coat and his messy brown hair.  He’s very nice.
He comes to a stop, waiting for a walk symbol to cross the street.  As we stand there, alone on this corner, I count seven cars passing us, two blue, two red, and three black ones.  I feel the wind rushing by me as they pass, and then they’re gone, and we’re across the street, continuing on our walk.
We’d just gotten back from seeing my friend with the blue hair.  I’d forgotten her name a while ago, but the man in the coat told me to call her ‘Vinyl’.  It was honestly a very odd name for someone to have.  I assumed it was a stage name or something like that.
“Ditzy,” says the man behind me.  I turned to look at him, squinting my eyes against the bright sun hanging high in the sky.  “Who would you like to see now?”
I think for a moment.  I search my mind for anyone left that I want to visit.  But I can’t remember anyone.  I look to the man and shake my head.  “I’d prefer to have some lunch, please,” I say, though I know it doesn’t come out that clearly.  I cannot stand this infernal impediment of mine.  It frustrates me to no end, yet here I am dying because my brain is too stupid to keep on living.
“We can get lunch,” the man says with a smile.  We continue down the street and arrive at a small diner.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I think someone I like lives here.  We walk inside and meet a woman with rainbow colored hair.  She smiles as she sees us.
“Hey there, you guys!”  She rushes up to the man and hugs him, a gesture that he returns.  A girl with purple hair emerges from the back, walking up to me and patting my leg.
“Hey, Ditzy,” she says.  I’m curious how she knows my name.  I look to the man behind me for help, not knowing what to say.
“Ditzy, don’t you remember Scootaloo?”  The man walks around me and places a hand on the girls shoulder.  I squint in concentration, and somewhere in the remains of my mind, I remember this girl, her cocky smile and brash attitude.  I look up at the man and nod with a smile.
“It’s great to see you,” Scootaloo says.  She pats my leg again, and I take her hand in mine and give it a squeeze.  “How are you feeling?”
I stop and think.  How am I feeling?  Well, I can’t stand not being able to talk; I knew this girl, but for the life of me I can’t remember her name anymore; some strange man who I feel like I’ve known a long time is pushing me around a strange city in a wheelchair I don’t remember sitting in.  I consider her question a bit longer before answering her.
“I feel good.”
She smiles again.  “That’s good!”
The man who’s always with me smiles at her, suggesting she go play with her friends.  She nods and runs out of the diner, leaving me alone with the man and woman.  They exchange a few whispers, but they’re looking at me, so I know what they’re talking about.  I choose to ignore them, looking instead out of the large window.  I count five cars passing by as I wait.  Finally, the man clears his throat.
“Ditzy,” he starts.  “This is Dash.  Do you know her?”
I think for a moment, trying hard to remember.  Finally, flashes of a rainbow tied to a smile come to me, and I nod.  The man smiles with a small sigh of relief.  The woman smiles as well, kneeling in front of me.  “Hey, hun,” she says quietly, taking one of my hands in hers.  “I heard you wanted to see me.  Well, believe it or not I wanted to see you, too.  I got something for ya.”
She disappears into what I assume is a kitchen, and a few moments later returns with a cupcake with a large candle shaped like a twenty on it.
I look at her curiously, then at the man.  “What is this for?”  I look to them once more for an answer.
The man smiles down at me.  “It’s your birthday today, Ditzy.”
It’s not my birthday.  I know that much.  My birthday is in November.  I don’t remember the exact day anymore, but I remember that month always excited me.  But I take the cupcake anyway.  As I carefully peel off the wrapper after blowing out the candle, the rainbow haired woman whose name escapes me tell me someone named ‘Pinkie’ made the treat.  I don’t know who this ‘Pinkie’ woman is, but as I bite into the desert, i immediately wish I did know her.  Whoever she is, she can bake like nobody’s business!
The man and woman exchange a few more words, and then I’m told to say goodbye to ‘Dash’.
“See ya, Ditzy,” she tells me, rubbing my arm sweetly.  I smile at her and wave my free hand, still eating my cupcake.  It’s chocolate.
The man wheels me out, back into the sunlight.  I like to listen to the birds singing in the trees, and I like to feel the wind blow through my hair.  I like to watch the cars pass us by, and I like to look at clouds to try to see shapes.
And I like this man behind me.  This tall man in his long tan coat and his blue suits with the funny shoes.  He’s very nice.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius adjusted his tie in the mirror, then straightened out his jacket.  His cello case lay on the bed behind him, sealed and ready to be taken anywhere.  He turned his back to the mirror and walked over to the bed, sitting down as he pulled on his socks, and then his shoes, tying the laces tight before standing again and grabbing his instrument.  He walked to the door and flicked off the light, stepping out into the hall and closing the door with a quiet click.
He descended the stairs, catching the tail end of a conversation between Vinyl and Flutters.
“… And then the little dork kissed me,” Vinyl was saying, a hand resting on her baby bump, the other holding a glass of water.  Flutters sat beside her, facing the pregnant woman with rapt attention.
“That’s so sweet!”  Flutters clasped her hands together, her face breaking into a huge smile.
“Yeah, well, it left me flustered like no ones business,” Vinyl said with a laugh.  “My face was redder than my eyes are!”
Octavius rolled his eyes as he made his presence known by clearing his throat.  Vinyl turned to him with a smile.  “Speak of the devil,” she said, beaming at the dressed up cellist.  “Look, at you, all dressed up fancy-like.”
“Performance tonight, love, remember?”  Octavius walked over to the two women, leaning his case against the wall before approaching Vinyl.  “I should be home by eight.”  He placed his hand on Vinyl’s growing stomach, smiling warmly as she placed her hand on his.  Octavius’ smile grew wider as he felt a tiny foot kick his hand.  “I’ll see you soon, little girl.”
Vinyl smiled at Octavius as stood up again.  He grabbed his cello, gave Vinyl a quick kiss on the cheek, and headed out the door.  He headed down the porch, pulling out his keys and unlocking his car as he walked.  He opened the back door and carefully laid his cello inside, then got into the front seat.  He put the keys in the ignition, and in a matter of seconds was on his way to the concert hall.
***
Octavius bowed once more, then picked up his cello and walked offstage.  He packed up his beloved instrument, then headed out into the lobby with a grimace.
He still hated large crowds.
He smiled, said his thank yous, and finally managed to escape the mass of people trying to swarm him.  He placed his cello in the backseat once more, then got in himself and sat for a moment.  He gave a slow exhale, then patted his coat pocked where his most recent check was.  He reached into his other pocket and pulled out his phone, powering on the device.  He watched patiently as the device came to life, lighting up and showing he had five missed calls.  He cocked a curious eyebrow, seeing that it had been Vinyl who called him.  They both had a mutual agreement to not call each other unless it was an emergency, so Octavius felt his heart skip a beat.  He dialed her back, put the phone to his ear, and waited.
He didn’t have to wait long.
“Octavius!”  Vinyl’s panicked voice got Octavius’ full attention, especially since she used his full name.  “We need to go to the hospital!  NOW!”
“Is it the child?”  Octavius was already on the road, going as fast as he safely could to try to get to Vinyl.
“No, no, not that,” Vinyl said, her voice starting to choke up.  “It’s Ditzy!”
Octavius felt his blood run cold.  “I’m five minutes out from home.  Be ready in the driveway.  Ask Flutters to help you.”
Octavius ended the call focused entirely on driving.  A normally five minute drive was done in two.  He pulled into the driveway to find Vinyl and Flutters already waiting on him.  Flutters helped Vinyl into the passenger seat, then the pink haired woman got into the seat beside Octavius’ cello.  In a flash, the trio was off.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I hear noises all around me, but I can’t wake up.  They’re all yelling, calling out to each other in the dark.  I try to raise my hand, to open my mouth, to blink my eyes, but I can do nothing.  I know they’re talking about me, but I’m stuck here silent.  I float in an endless abyss, and I think about nothing in particular.
I feel weightless here, weightless and free, no longer confined to my wheelchair.  I float aimlessly, noticing a distinct presence of nothingness starting to engulf me.  I try to stop myself from flying away, but the void pulls me.  I start to panic, wondering if I’m going to die, but just as quickly as it came, the fear dissipates, and I wonder what I was so scared of to begin with.
Suddenly, in the darkness and nothingness that seems to stretch to infinity, I hear a voice, a very familiar voice, talking to me, saying my name, trying to call to me.  I think I smile, but I’m not sure.  I know it’s the nice man in the long coat.  He’s trying to wake me up.  That must be it; I simply fell asleep.
I try to direct myself towards the voice, which, if direction mattered anymore, would be coming from behind me.  I strain against the immense pull of the void, and then I’m free, and I’m scared again, feeling as though I’m falling from so high up that I’ll be nothing once I hit the ground.
So I stop, stuck there suspended in between nothing and everything.  I look both ways, or I think I do.  One feels so scary, so full of uncertainty, and sadness, and pain.  But the other seems free, warm and welcoming.  I float there, pondering my decision.  But then, through the nothing, I swear I hear him again, the man, the one who is always there.  I swear I hear his kind voice, a voice I’ve heard almost everyday I can remember.  Only now, that voice that was once so sweet and warm sounds so sad.
“Please,” he seems to be saying.  “Don’t leave me yet, Ditzy.  Please don’t go.”  I think I blink, curious as to what his words mean.  I recognize the name Ditzy, but it feels like so long since I’d heard it I nearly forgot who I belonged to.  Then I realize that he’s talking to me, whatever I exactly am at this moment.  And I think I start to feel sad, but like the fear, it’s so quickly gone it was almost never there.
“David,” someone says, a girl.  She sounds so familiar, but no matter how hard I think, all I can come up with is blue.  Everything around her was so blue.  “I’m sorry.”  And I hear…
…Crying.
Yes, that’s what that sound was called.  It was crying.  And it sounded so loud, almost deafening.  I want to let them know that everything will be ok, but I still don’t know how to move, or how to get to them.  I try as hard as I can to find the voices, but no matter how far I feel I have moved, in the end, I have gone nowhere.
I feel so small here where I am, and suddenly, I’m afraid again.  But once more, I feel the fear try to ebb away; however, this time, I hold on to it.  I know this is what will set me free from here, what will get me home to them and make them smile again.  I’m not ready for the warm welcome into nothingness yet.  I still think I have some more left to do.  I want to go home.  I want to see the blue girl, and the girl with the rainbow in her hair, and the man that makes the pretty music…
…And I want to see the man in the long coat again.  I want to see David.
I want to see my doctor.
I struggle as hard as I can, feeling the pull to nothingness once more, but it doesn’t bother me anymore.  I know where home is, and where I’m needed, and where I’m wanted.  That’s where I want to be.  So I strain with all my might, and I start to feel again.  I feel the thing against my back, and the pin in my arm, and the clamp on my finger, and the mask on my face, and the monitor emitting its long high note beside me.  I try with all that I’m worth to open my eyes, but they weigh so much.  I feel so cold, as though I just got out of the snow.  But I keep fighting.
And then the note changes, from one annoying note, to a steady rhythm of beep… beep… beep…
And my eyes become lighter, as they flutter open to let in the blinding light above me.  And my head pounds so badly that I want to cry, but I don’t.  I instead look around blearily, noticing the face gathered around me.
I see the blue woman, whose name is Vinyl.  And I see the music man, whose name is Octavius.
And I see David.  Whose name is doctor.
And I smile.
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius grinned at David, who couldn’t keep a massive smile off his own face.  Vinyl had a couple of happy tears running down her cheeks and clutching Flutters’ arm.
Ditzy, meanwhile, lay in her bed, smiling at the group before her.
“How do you feel, hun?”  Vinyl took a step forward, placing a gloved hand on the end of the bed.
Ditzy opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped.  She shut her mouth, then smiled.  “I think I feel great,” she said, very clearly.
Vinyl gasped, taking a step backwards, David’s grin growing wider.  He placed a hand on Ditzy’s.  “What was that?”
“I feel really good, David,” Ditzy replied, turning to face the man and smiling just as widely as him.  “My doctor.”
Octavius wrapped an arm around Vinyl shoulders, who leaned into the cellist with tears falling from her eyes.  “I never believed in miracles,” Octavius muttered, leaning closer to his lover’s ear.  “Yet here we are, witnessing one in the making.”  He smiled as David and Ditzy continued talking together.
“Um, e-excuse me,” Flutters whispered, gently poking Octavius’ arm.  “Um, I hate to interrupt, b-but I think I hear –“
“Where’s my brother?”
Everyone froze in place upon hearing the male voice down the hallway.  Octavius dropped his arm from Vinyl’s shoulders, crossing his arms over his chest.  David rose from his chair, staring at the open door and waiting for the impending arrival.
Turner came around the corner with a grin.  “Hey there, everyone.  Did you miss –“ He stopped as he saw the pink haired woman hiding behind Octavius.  “Oh, hello there, my dearest Flutters!”
The woman in question made a quiet squeak, trying to hide more of herself behind the cellist, who took a protective step forward.  “H-hello, Turner…”
“What exactly do you think you’re doing here?”  David took a step forward, causing Turner to take a step back in response with his hands raised in defense, laughing awkwardly.
“Down boy,” he said.  He dropped his hands, relaxing his stance.  “I didn’t come to start anything.  I just came to see how the retard – uh AHEM AHEM – uh, your friend was doing.”
“She’s fine,” David said shortly.  “Why do you care?”
“Well I can’t have my brother moping all over town if your friend went and died on you,” Turner replied nonchalantly.
David gave the man a very skeptical look.  “Uh huh, now why don’t you tell me a story I’ll actually believe?”
Turner sighed with laugh.  “Alright, you caught me.  I actually don’t give a shit about you and Blondie McDumbass over there.  I actually figured that idiot over there with the whale of a broad would bring back what’s mine.”
“If you want her, you gotta go through us first,” Octavius said, glaring down at the shorter man.
“All of us,” Vinyl added, standing beside Octavius.
Turner sighed, looking at the wall.  He shifted his gaze down to his black shoes.  Then he looked up at the couple with a small smile.  “This isn’t over, you fools.”
He turned on a heel and departed, strolling casually back where he came from.
David sighed and sat back in his chair, looking over at Ditzy with a sad smile.  “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said.
“That’s ok,” Ditzy replied, with a smug grin.  “That guys a jerk.”
Vinyl gave a half-hearted laugh, wrapping an arm around Octavius’ waist.  “You got that right, hun.”
“So, now I’m curious,” Octavius said.  “Ditzy, I don’t want to come off as rude, and please feel free to let me know if I upset you, but, are you able to say everything you want to now?”  Vinyl nudged him roughly in the side, causing him to jump.
Ditzy laughed, smiling at him.  “I don’t know, Tavi, but everything seems to be working fine.  I feel better than I think I ever have in my life.”
“That’s amazing, hun,” Vinyl said, grinning.  “What happened that caused this?”
Ditzy’s smile faltered slightly, her gaze shifting down.  “I… I think I was dying, guys.  Everything got all dark and creepy looking, and it felt like I was floating on nothing.”
David’s face instantly changed to one of concern.  “Wait, you were dying?  The-the machines – the monitors – they-they-they didn’t say anything about your vitals going –“
Ditzy placed a calming hand on the panicking man’s cheek.  “Doctor, please, relax.  I’m fine now, and isn’t that all that’s important?”
David looked anxiously at the blonde, then sighed and relaxed, smiling at his friend.  “You’re right, Ditzy.  All that’s important is that you’re ok.”
Vinyl stepped over to David and whispered in his ear, causing his face to light up bright red.  “I don’t think that would be a good idea…”  Vinyl rolled her eyes and bumped David with her hip, causing him to fall forward halfway onto Ditzy’s bed.  Ditzy squeaked and giggled, covering her mouth with her hands.  Vinyl whistled casually as she walked back over to Octavius and Flutters, grabbing their hands and gently pulling them behind her.
When the room was emptied, David looked up into Ditzy’s bright yellow eyes, which were staring straight back at him for the first time.  She smiled at the man.  “Hey there, Doctor,” she whispered.
“Hey you,” he replied.  “So you feel better?”
“Mm-hmm,” she grinned with a nod.  “I can see very well now, and my words don’t come out all funny.  I can actually say what I think.”  She placed a hand on David’s.  “And I have a lot to say to you, Doc.”  She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead.  “First of all, I wanted to say thank you.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You stayed with me for all these years, through good and bad.  You were there when no one else was, and I owe you so much.”  She smiled warmly at him.
“It was my pleasure, Ditzy,” he said, returning the smile.  “You have been an absolute dream to be around, and an absolute pleasure to help out these past few years I’ve known you.”
“What can I do to show you my gratitude?”  Ditzy giggled cutely, batting her eyelashes over her yellow eyes.
“Just continue to be the cute dork I’ve come to care so much about,” David said, smiling.  “Don’t change, and that’ll be thanks enough.”
Ditzy giggled once again.  “I think I can do that.  For you.”
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octavius sat alone.  He was on the edge of his bed that he had been sharing with his beloved Violet for years.  He smiled as he placed a hand gently on her side of the mattress.  She had gone out earlier with Flutters to the store to get some things for a little party they were planning for Ditzy.
He sighed, laying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling.  Left with his thoughts, he let his eyes slowly close and his mind begin to drift.
He thought ahead.  In just a few short months, his life would change.  His daughter would be born, and he would be a father.  He smiled softly, enjoying the thought of a tiny human in his arms that was his and Vinyl’s.  He rolled onto his side, looking at her empty pillow.
He had only met the wild DJ three years ago, yet he couldn’t imagine life without her.  He hardly believed in fate, instead believing that everyone chose where his or her lives ended up.  But he was glad that whatever power might be had put him on that elevator.  He needed her.
She had changed him in so many ways for the better.  She had forced him out of his shell that he had formed, and showed him that life could be enjoyable.  He had gotten a permanent job at the local theater and was making consistent good money.  He knew where he would be every night, and where he would wake up every day.  He rolled onto his back again, staring at the blank ceiling once more.
Life couldn’t be better.
…
So why are you so sad?
Octavius sat up, running his hands over his face and through his messy hair.  He stood slowly, stretched, and left his room, going downstairs to his kitchen.  He poured himself a cup of sweet tea from a pitcher that Vinyl had prepared the previous day, then sat at the table.  He looked around the room, taking in the various pictures that were hanging on the walls.
One showed Vinyl and Ditzy in front of a waterfall.  He remembered that Ditzy had forced David to use her camera to take a picture as well, so she could always remember.
Another picture showed Octavius on the day he found out he was going to be a father.  Dash had been ‘so kind as to share’ that moment with them, permanently captured on film.  He had a smile on his face as big as the sky.  Vinyl was behind him, crying in happiness.
But one frame in particular caught his attention.  And it was probably the simplest picture of the bunch.
It was a picture of Vinyl.  There was no one else in the shot, and it wasn’t staged.  He had happened to have a camera on him, taking pictures for Ditzy at the park, when he noticed Vinyl by the pond.   He had, on a whim, snapped a picture of her, to show Ditzy what Vinyl had been doing.  But when he looked at the photo, the sun had hit the water just right, and it cast almost a glow around Vinyl, making her look like an angel.
Octavius put a hand on the cold glass that protected the picture and smiled, a single tear landing on it.  He missed those times, when everything made so much sense and was so much simpler.  Back then, his hardest thing to learn was how to interact with another person, and here he was, about to be a father.
He wiped his eyes and hung the picture back upon the wall, looking at his cup of tea.  He picked up the cup and carried it with him to the living room, where he set it upon a table with a soft clink.
He shifted his gaze over to the corner, where his cello sat, always willing and ready to be picked up and played.  He grabbed a chair from the kitchen, grabbed his instrument gently, then sat down in the middle of the living room, carefully tuning the strings.  And when he was ready, he began to play.
At first it was simply triads. 1, 3, 5, 1, 3, 5… But soon he started to deviate from that, moving faster and slower, pulling and pushing as he saw fit, changing from major to minor and back, shifting his intervals, before he paused, realizing he was out of breath.  He looked at the clock.
He had been pouring out his heart into the instrument for fifteen minutes.  He blinked, astonished.  It had only felt like mere seconds.  He looked back down at the cello, at the smooth wood and taut strings.  He dragged his bow across those strings slowly, getting a low hum out of the thing.  He pulled it back across, and this time the instrument buzzed on a higher note.  And then he slowly started to play a song so familiar to him he had tried to play it in his sleep more than once.
He was playing the song Vinyl had remixed for him when they first kissed.  The song that meant so much to everything to him, to them.  The song that had started his future in that little hospital room three years before.
He knew that song by heart, because she was there with him in his heart every time he played it.  He smiled and slowly let his eyes close as the music took him away.  Back to when he had to eat the gross food, and hear the sick men and women around him, and comfort Ditzy when she had her nightmares and would wake up screaming.
Back to when Ditzy had told him about her and David.  When Dash had come in with Scootaloo and told Octavius all about how she was going to adopt the kid.  How he had met the crazy girl named Pinkie.
And how he had kissed Vinyl that day, with the blinds closed, so he could see her lovely eyes.  He remembered everything about that day.  And when he thought long and hard about it…
…He knew for a fact that he wouldn’t trade those days for anything.  And he wasn’t going to give up any of the ones to come.
As the piece concluded, and he set his bow across his lap, the door swung open.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Vinyl?”
“Yeah, Tavi?”
“Are you nervous?”
“’Bout what, silly?”
“About being a parent.”
“Hmm… Nope!”
“No?”
“Nuh uh.  Are you?”
“…”
“Why are you so nervous, man?  Just relax!”
“Violet, it’s not that easy.  What if I don’t do a good enough job?  What if I turn out to be like my dad?”
“Tavi-“
“I can’t make those mistakes with our daughter!”
“Tavi-“
“I don’t know what to do.  I don’t know how to be a good father-“
“TAVI!”
“What!?”
“Just chill out!”
“But Violet-“
“No buts!  Just listen to me, ok?  Just take a breath, shush up, and listen to ol’ Vi, ok?”
“… Ok.”
“Now.  Do you want to be like your father?”
“No, but-“
“Ah!  What did I say?”
“Sorry.”
“Good.  So you don’t want to be like your own father?”
“Right.”
“Then you won’t be.  You need to be your own man, and be the kind of father you wish your own dad would’ve been.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Psh.  No one knows how to be a parent before they are one.  It kinda just happens!”
“… I guess you’re right.”
“I mean, think about it.  Back when he was in college, my dad was a total party animal.  Ran all over town from one club to the next, barely skatin’ by in his classes, getting drunk every weekend…”
“Real stand up guy.”
“But!”
“Sorry.”
“He got his act together when he met my mom.  He started to try harder in his classes and graduated with pretty good grades.  He slowed down on his partying and all but dropped his drinking.  Then, one day, mom came to him and said she was cookin’ me.  He says it was one of the greatest days of his life when he found out.”
“…”
“Basically, everyone needs that kick in the ass to get it into gear.  I know you’ll be a great dad, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be a damn fine mom.”
“… I guess you’re right.  As always.”
“Damn straight.”
“I love you, Violet.  I truly do.”
“And I love you too, ya big dork.”
“Get yourself some sleep, beautiful.”
“You too, handsome.”
“Good night.”
“Good night.”
Octavius smiled over at Vinyl, who returned the smile before slowly turning her back to him, laying on her side and slipping her hand under her pillow.  Octavius placed a gentle hand on her side, smiling wider as he felt the large bump in Vinyl’s stomach.
Suddenly, the bump kicked out at him, making him chuckle lightly.
“Violet?”
“Hm?”  She slowly looked over her shoulder at him.
“I can’t wait to meet our girl.”
“Me either, babe…”  Vinyl smiled wearily as she laid her head back on her pillow.
Octavius slowly rubbed his hand up and down her side until she started to gently snore.  He carefully pulled his hand away, then stood up from the bed, stretching slowly.  He walked to the door, pulling it open and casting one last look at Violet.  With a final smile, he stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind him, then headed down into the kitchen.
He sat at the table, putting his head in his hands and exhaling slowly.
“Um, Octavius?”  A meek voice sounded from the door of the kitchen.
Octavius jumped slightly, looking over to see Flutters peeking in wearing a long T shirt and some light pants..  “Oh, hey there, Flutters,” he said as the woman walked in and sat down beside him.
“Uh, I don’t want to seem rude,” she started, trying hard to look into the cellist’s eyes.  “But, uh, I saw you were upset when you came down here, and, um, I was wondering if there was maybe something I could do to help you?”
“No, no, Flutters, it’s ok, I’m ok,” Octavius lied.  “Don’t worry about it.”
Flutters looked up again at the cellist, but this time with a flat expression.  “Octavius…”
Octavius tried to maintain a fake smile, but finally he cracked, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.  “It’s just… I don’t know, I’m just worried about being a parent.  It’s only four months away now, and I still don’t know if I’m ready.”
“Oh, Octavius,” Flutters said with a slight giggle.  “You’ll do great.  I’ve only known you for a short time, but you seem like a good man to me.”
Octavius looked up at Flutters with a sideways smile.  “You’re assuming too much of me, Flutters.  But I certainly appreciate the reassurance.”
She stood up and walked over behind the man’s chair, wrapping her arms around his body in a warm hug.  “I know you’ll be a great dad.  Trust me.”  She stood up and walked back into the living room, sitting on the couch and flipping on the television.  She pulled her knees up to her chest, hiding her legs under her shirt and pulling her arms into her shirt.
“Flutters?”  Octavius slowly stood up from the table, walking into the living room with her.
“Hm?  What is it, Octavius?”  Flutters looked up at Octavius after muting the television.
“Why are you up, anyway?  Vinyl and I weren’t that loud, and I was quiet on the stairs.  I even avoided the squeaky one.”  Octavius sat down on the couch beside the woman.
Flutters blushed.  “Oh, well, um, you see, uh, there’s this show I like to watch.  It’s all about animals, and, well, I love the cute little dears so much.  It’s basically just a show where every episode is about a new cute animal.  This one is called a pygmy marmoset.”
Octavius looked at the TV, watching a tiny animal staring adorably at the camera as someone droned on about it.  “But why at,” he cast a quick glance at the clock.  “1:30 in the morning?”
Fluttes giggled nervously.  “Well, uh, that’s because at this time, Turner was usually in bed, and he almost always made me sleep on the couch.  Or the floor, if I had been bad that day.  I turned on the TV one night and found it.  So when I would finish everything he asked, and he went to bed without me, I would come out here and watch the show.”
Octavius looked away in embarrassment.  “I didn’t mean to make you think of him.”
“Oh, it’s ok, Octavius,” Flutters said quickly, smiling awkwardly at him.  “I promise, I love it here with you and Vinyl.  You guys are my first friends in a really long time, and you’ve made me feel so welcome.  Plus I got to see David and Ditzy again, and I got to be there when Ditzy recovered like she did.  Turner never would have let me seen that.”
Octavius turned his gaze to the young woman.  He smiled kindly at her, placing a hand on hers briefly.  “Flutters, I know coming with Vinyl can’t have been easy.  But I hope you never regret that decision.”
Flutters smiled back at the man.  “I don’t think so either.”  And the two turned back to watching the show together in silence.
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Hey David?”  I turned my attention to the man across from me at the table.
“Hm?”  He quickly swallowed his spoonful of soup, setting his spoon in his bowl.  I smiled quietly.  I always enjoyed his chicken noodle soup.  “What is it, Ditzy?”
“Did I ever tell you what I’ve always wanted to do in my life?”
David thought for a minute, tapping his finger on his chin.  “No, I don’t think so.  What is it you want to do?”
“I’ve always wanted…” I blushed slightly.  “It’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to fly.”
“We can see if we can get you some money for a plane ride, if you like,” David said, smiling at me.  “It may take a while, but I think we can do it.”
“No, no,” I said quickly, shaking my head and putting my spoon in my bowl.  “I mean, I’ve always wanted to fly on my own.”
David tilted his head sideways slightly.  “I don’t think I follow you, Ditzy.”
“Well,” I averted my gaze, embarrassed at how silly I knew I was going to sound.  “Sometimes, in my dreams, I imagine I grow wings.  I step out under the clear open sky, spread my wings as wide as I can, and take off into the air.  I-I know it’s silly, and I know it’s impossible, but it’s something I’ve always wanted.”
David looked at me, seeming to think for a moment.  “When did these dreams start, Ditzy?  Why didn’t you ever tell me about them before?”
“I think they started when I was put into the wheelchair.  Back when I couldn’t walk, all I wanted was to fly.”  I looked back up at David, a hopeful smile on my face.  “All I still want is to fly.  I want the freedom, and I want to feel the rush of the wind against my face.”
David went back to thinking, then smiled at me.  “Give me just a moment, Ditzy, and I think I can help you with that.”  He stood up and walked into the other room, the swinging door shutting behind him.  I looked down at my now cool soup, the bits of chicken slowly floating in the yellowish liquid.
I knew he must have thought I was crazy, wanting to fly as badly as I did.  Maybe he was on the phone with an insane asylum to get me committed.  Or maybe he was calling Pinkie to come throw me another pity party, or should I call it a ‘Feel Good Party’?  They always called it that.
“Good news, Ditzy,” David said, coming back out of the kitchen.  “I got a hold of Dash, and guess what?”
“What?”  I looked at him, more intrigued by the second.
“She said she can help you with your dream.  All you have to do,” he told me, coming around the table and helping me stand up.  “Is get ready to go with Dash.  She’ll be here soon.”
“Let me go get changed, then,” I said, heading to the back of the house.
“I’ll tell you when she gets here, ok?”
I nodded, closing my door behind me.  I stripped down slowly, then pulled on a tee shirt, some jeans, and a grey hoodie.  As I started to tie my shoes, I heard David knock at my door.  “Dash is here, Ditzy.”
“I’ll be out in a minute, David,” I responded, standing up carefully and stepping out of my room.  I smiled at David, who smiled back and helped me to the front door.  When we opened it, I saw Dash sitting there on a motorcycle, a spare helmet under her arm and a grin on her face.
“Hey there, blondie,” she called to me as David helped me down to meet her.  “I hear you’re looking to fly like an angel?”
I nodded quickly, smiling at her.  Then my smile fell a little.  “But… Why is there a motorcycle?”
“Well,” Dash shyly rubbed the back of her head.  “I think we both know that right now, you can’t exactly fly the way you want to.  BUT!”  She patted the helmet under her arm.  “I figure I can give you an experience that’s pretty close.”
I took the helmet from her and turned it slowly in my hands, looking at the shiny red finish on it.  I smiled and put it on, Dash stepping forward to help adjust it for me.  When it fit comfortably, we both sat on the bike, Dash revved it up, and we sped out onto the street.  I leaned forward and grabbed onto Dash’s waist tightly, tensing up and screaming in fear.
Dash quickly pulled over, stopping and turning to face me.  “Ditzy, are you ok?”  I shivered quietly, still clutching tightly to Dash’s waist.  “We can stop now if you want.”
I took a couple calming breaths, then shook my head slowly.  “Nuh uh.  I w-want to k-k-keep g-going.”
Dash looked me over, an uncertain look on her face, but she finally nodded.  “Ok, then.  But how ‘bout we go just a bit slower?”
I nodded quickly, smiling under my shiny red helmet.  “Th-that would be n-n-nice.”
Dash smiled at me, slowly pulling out of the spot where she had parked.  We headed back down the road, gaining speed at a much steadier pace than last time.  I felt better this time, carefully relaxing my grip on Dash’s waist.
Finally, I carefully sat up, feeling the wind rush around me and blow my hair around my shoulders.  It felt like I had imagined, the wind and the freedom and the joy.
I leaned down and hugged Dash around her waist, smiling under my helmet.  “This is amazing!”
Dash glanced back at me with a smile.  “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
As we rounded the curve that led back to the house, I saw David sitting on the front porch step waiting on us.  We pulled up where Dash had picked me up, and as she stopped the motorcycle, I carefully stepped off, undoing the helmet and taking it off.  I handed Dash her helmet and ran excitedly over to David, throwing my arms around him in a tight hug.
“Thank you so much!” I giggled happily, grinning and pulling back to stare at him.
“It was nothing,” David said with a smile.  “Honestly you should be thanking Dash.”
“Psh,” Dash waved her hand dismissively as she approached us.  “I was just happy to help Ditzy live one of her dreams.”
I smiled happily at one, then the other, still giggling like a maniac.  “I just… I just can’t believe I was able to feel like I was flying!  David you’re a genius!”  I jumped forward and placed a light kiss on his lips, then quickly leapt backwards, blushing hotly.  “Oh, oh g-goodness,” I mumbled, looking around embarrassed.  “I j-j-just, uh, um…”  I ran inside the house, disappearing into my room and quickly shutting my door behind me.  I collapsed onto my bed and pulled my pillow over my head, squealing happily.
I had an amazing day.
> Chapter 16 (Warning: Heavy Subject)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl busted through the front door, seeming to be in a panic.  Octavius looked up from his sheet music, accidentally playing a foul note due to the disturbance.  “Vinyl?”  He stood up quickly, setting down his cello and bow.  “Darling, what’s –“
“Turner showed up at the store where me and Flutters were shopping.  He started some trash about how she hurt him by leaving, and how he missed her so much, and how he would change, and how… And how…”  Vinyl shook her head in frustration.  “I tried to stop her, but she left with the bastard.  Octavius, I’ve been with douchebags like Turner before.  They don’t change.  They manipulate you into coming back, any way they can.”
“Where did they go?”  Octavius pulled on his jacket, slipping on a pair of shoes by the door.  “I think we both know this isn’t going to go well for her if she stays with him.”
“No it won’t.”  Vinyl opened the door, waiting on Octavius anxiously.  They both headed down the stairs, though Vinyl was considerably slower due to her rapidly expanding belly.  “Turner will be mad she left.  He’ll start in on her as soon as they’re alone.  We can’t let that happen.”  Vinyl paused for a moment.  “I won’t let that happen.”  She grimaced and placed a hand on her stomach.
Octavius turned to her in worry.  “What’s wrong?”
Vinyl forced a smile.  “Nothing.  Your daughter is just kickin’ the crap outta me is all.  Must be able to tell momma’s real worried about something.”
Octavius helped her into the passenger seat, then got into the driver’s seat himself.  “So you never told me where he took her.”
“I think he took her to their house.  Try there first.”
“Alright, hold on love,” Octavius said as he back out of the driveway, then headed down the road.
“God dammit, I’m so stupid,” Vinyl muttered under her breath, placing her head in her hands.  “I shoulda stood up to the prick, I shoulda told him to get lost, I shoulda –“
Octavius placed his hand on her thigh comfortingly.  “Love, you’re starting to sound like me.  Relax, ok?  We’ll get her out of there.  Everything will be ok.  It’s not your fault.”
“But, Tavi,” Vinyl started, turning to the cellist and brushing his hand away with her own.  “I just stood by and let it happen.  I watched as he took her away, watched as she cried quietly, trying to hide her tears.  I watched as that sweet girl was walked back into hell.”
Octavius sighed.  “Vinyl, everything will work out, ok?  Let’s just –“
“AND WHAT IF IT DOESN’T, OCTAVIUS!?!”  The woman’s screaming caught Octavius off guard.  He looked at her shocked, tears falling from behind her purple glasses.  “What if we’re too late?  What if they’re not there?  What if she’s hurt?  Octavius, I know your parents sucked, I really do know that.  But this is different.  A man like Turner will do everything he can to take away any control you have over your own life.”  She looked down at her blue jeans, tears staining the denim.  “He’ll start off sweet, acting like he only care about what’s best for you.  He’ll make himself out to be prince Charming, smiling and being polite to you and your family and making you feel like a queen.  He’ll make you happier than you ever were.
“But then, once he knows he has you… Things change…”  She lifted her shades, keeping her eyes closed tight as she wiped the tears off her face, then returned her glasses to their proper resting place.  “He starts to take away your privileges.  Starts to phase out your family and friends.  Eventually all you have left is… Him… Your ‘prince’, your ‘white knight’, your everything…”  She turned to Octavius.  “And then, once you realize you’re not where you want to be, it’s too late.  You’re trapped by the same man who said he would always love you.  The same man who called you his soul mate.  The same man…” Vinyl looked down, tears falling harder now, leaving droplets on her glasses.  “The same man you were gonna marry.”
Octavius stared at her in stunned silence.  “What…?”
Vinyl looked at Octavius sadly.  “Seven years ago, I was with this guy.  His stage name was ‘Neon Lights’.  He was the best thing ever.  Or so I thought.  Everyone around me thought he was a jerk, but not me.  I thought he was the greatest guy in the world.  We dated for about a year before he proposed, saying he didn’t want to go a day without his soul mate.  I believed him.”  She dropped her voice even quieter.  “Turns out all he wanted was a punching bag and a fuck toy.  I’m surprised he didn’t knock me up with how much he used me.
“Eventually, though, I met Dash.  She saw what was going on and did what I never thought anyone would do.  She offered me a way out.  So one night I packed all my things, and I left.  Neon saw the headlights leaving, and watched on the front porch as I ran from him.  I thought it was over, until two months later, when I saw him again.  He said he missed me so much, and that he’d done some self searching and found I truly was all he wanted.  I didn’t have Dash with me at the time, so I bought into it.  And when I got back to his house, the beatings I suffered were twenty times worse than before.  I had to go to the hospital.  I lied and said I had had a bad fall.  They knew I was lying, but they couldn’t do anything about it.  Neon left the room one day, but didn’t come back.
“Instead, Dash came in.  She was escorted by a couple of cops.  They said Dash had reported the abuse, and that Neon already had a history of assault.  They had taken him in, and Dash was going to help me get on my feet.  It was her who got me my first DJ gig, setting me up with the owner of a local club.  Word got out that I was good at what I did, I built a name for myself, and then I met you.”
She looked at Octavius.  She wasn’t crying anymore.  “So I want to save Flutters.  I never want her to have to go back to Turner.  I never want her to be in that situation.  She’s so sweet and kind.  She doesn’t deserve it.  So please, Tavi,” she placed a hand on his arm gently as he continued to drive.  “Help me save her.”
> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“How dare you think you can run away with a fag and his bimbo!”
Flutters cried out in agony as Turner’s hand struck her hard across the face once again, causing her to spit out blood.  She stayed on her hands and knees for a second, staring down at the red drops staining the floor, before rising once again to face her attacker.  “I’m sorry, sir, I –“  But she was cut off by another strike.
“Sorry isn’t good enough, you bitch!”  Turner kicked her in the gut as the poor woman tried to stand, causing her to collapse in a wheezing mess on the floor, clutching at her stomach.  She lay on the ground with tears in her eyes as the man loomed over her.  “You’ve hurt my feelings, and now it seems I’m going to have to hurt you.”  He reached down and grabbed her by the throat, picking her up slowly and pinning her against the wall.
“T-Turner,” she tried to say, but her choked words were stopped with a little more pressure.  All the woman could do now was squeak and gag, trying her hardest to simply catch her breath.  Turner glared mercilessly at her as he choked the very life from her.  She clawed frantically at his hand, but he ignored it, intent on teaching her a valuable lesson.
At last she fell limp, her head lolling to one side, her eyes in the back of her head.  He dropped her to the floor, watching her collapse unconscious.  After a minute, he knelt down and smacked her a couple of times on the face, making her blearily open her eyes.  “We’re not done.”  He picked her up, this time by her arm.  “You’re going to make this up to me, one way or another.”
He tossed her onto the couch, glaring down at her.  “Turner…”  Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and trying to speak threw her into a massive coughing fit.  When she finally regained her composure, she looked up at him with fear in her eyes.  “Turner, please don’t…”
But the man wasn’t listening.  He stripped off his pants, standing there in his boxers.  “I think I’m gonna enjoy this.  You?  Maybe not so much.”  He smirked evilly as he got on top of her, pinning her to the cushions.
“Don’t…”  But the woman had no strength to resist as he started to pull off her pants.
Just then though, the front door busted open, and Octavius ran in, taking in the sight before him of Turner holding down a badly beaten and bloody Flutters.  “What the hell are you doing to her!?”  Octavius glared angrily at the man, who quickly stood up and squared off with the cellist.
“Whatever I feel like, friend,” Turner replied cockily.  “Now I suggest you go, or I’ll call the cops for a breaking and entering!”
“I doubt you do that,” Octavius said coolly, maintaining eye contact.  “You call the cops, they’ll see what you’ve done to that poor woman.”
Turner growled angrily, but didn’t back down.  “You best move along, boy.  Or else your fat whore might not get to see her beau again.”
Octavius kept his composure, staring down the man.  “Try me,” he said, standing his ground.  “You might be surprised.”
And suddenly Turner was on him, faster than Octavius had anticipated he could move, raining blows on his head and chest.  All Octavius could do was raise his hands to try to fend off the strikes.  Turner grinned manically above him as he continued to hit the younger man.  “I warned you, didn’t I?”  Every one of his words were punctuated with another strike.  “Now who will save you?”
Octavius continued to try to defend himself, finding no opening to strike back.  He tasted blood in his mouth, and his right eye felt badly bruised.  In fact, it had already started to swell shut.
“This’ll teach you to meddle,” Turner growled, still hitting Octavius.  “This’ll show –“  Suddenly, the punches stopped, and Turner froze mid sentence.  His eyes were wide with shock.  Then he fell forward onto Octavius, blood slowly oozing from the back of his head.  Above them stood Flutters, who was clutching a heavy looking pan like a weapon.  When the realization of what she’d done finally hit her, she dropped the pan and covered her mouth in shock.
“I-I just…”  But her words were stopped by a sudden coughing fit.  Octavius pushed the unconscious man off of him, standing shakily.  He looked down, then back to Flutters.
“We should go,” Octavius said quietly, reaching for the woman’s hand.  “Before he wakes up again.”  Flutters nodded quickly, taking Octavius’ hand.  They headed to the front door together, stepping out onto the porch and into the bright sunlight.  “It’s a beautiful day today,” Octavius noted, looking up at the sky for a minute.  “Too bad he had to ruin it, eh?”  He turned with a halfhearted smile to Flutters, who nodded with a weak smile herself.
“I always liked the sunshine,” she said as they descended the steps, Octavius being sure to keep a steady eye on the shaky woman.  “The warmth on my skin, and the light breeze across the grass.”  She coughed again, though not nearly as bad as before.  “I love the summer.”  She looked at Octavius.  “What about you?”
“Me?”  Octavius thought a moment, then smiled.  “Well, I really like the winter.”
Flutters tilted her head quizzically as the reached Octavius’ car.  “Why’s that?”
Octavius opened his door and looked in at Vinyl, who had a very concerned look on her face when she saw how beaten up he was.  “That’s the time I met this beautiful girl here, and my life changed forever.”
Flutters smiled kindly as she listened.  “You two seem so happy together,” she said quietly, almost to herself at this point as Vinyl fussed over Octavius’ face.  “I’m almost jealous.  You’re what love should be.”  She looked down at herself.  “I… I want that.  I want love.  I want to love and be loved in return.”  She turned her gaze to the window, looking out at the yard she was once more leaving.  Finally, Octavius started the car, and they were on their way out of there.
Flutters watched the trees quietly zoom by the car window.  She watched a mother bird land at her nest with a worm for her babies, and she watched a butterfly flit around a small patch of flowers.  She slowly reached a hand up and touched her neck tenderly, noting that it was still sore.  She then looked to Octavius and Vinyl, who were discussing the approaching due date of their daughter and potential names.  Quietly, Flutters longed for this.
She wanted someone to be with her, to have a child with her, and to say that they loved her every day.  Instead, all she had was someone who beat her down and called her worthless.  That’s not what she wanted at all, and she hoped that with Octavius and Vinyl’s help, she could have so much more.
> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I woke to the sound of crying.  I sat up in my bed confused.  Ditzy hadn’t cried since she had recovered; she was too happy.  I got up quickly, running down the hallway and knocking on her door.
“Ditzy?”  I knocked again.  “What’s wrong?”
“I had an accident,” she weakly replied, sniffling.  I sighed, but put on a small smile as I pushed the door open.  Ditzy sat on her bed, a large stain in the middle of her blanket.  “I’m sorry, I just don’t know what happened.”
“It’s alright, Ditzy,” I said soothingly, making my way to her and sitting on the edge of the bed.  “These things happen.”
Ditzy sniffled again, wiping her eyes.  “I’m worried,” she muttered, looking up at me sadly.  “This hasn’t happened in so long.  What if I’m getting sick again?”
“Don’t be silly,” I said, placing a hand on her leg gently.  “The doctor said it was a miracle, but you were all better.”
“But that’s just it!”  Ditzy’s eyes burned into me, tears starting to fall once more.  “A ‘miracle’!  No one knows what happened, or why I got better!  For fuck’s sake, no one even knew WHY I was retarded!”  She stood up, starting to pace back and forth.  “And now that I’m all better, and my life seems to be working out, now that I’ve tasted what it’s like to be normal, I feel like I’m slipping!”  She turned to me, glaring angrily.  “I don’t want to go back, David.”  Her hard eyes turned soft and watery.  “I… I just can’t.”
All I was able to do was stare at her outburst, too shocked to respond.  Finally, I looked down at my hands, which rested on my knees.  “I don’t know what to tell you, Ditzy.  You’re right.  You seem to be slipping.  You’re having some trouble walking again, and your memory seems to be failing.”  I stood up, placing a hand on her shoulder.  “I’m not going to lie to you.  You could be relapsing.  You could go back to how you were.”  I squeezed her shoulder, trying to comfort her.  “But never forget that I am your friend.  I’ll always be here for you, just like I always was.”
She slapped my hand away.  “Please,” she scoffed, looking down.  “You only stayed because you felt bad for me.  Because it was your job.”
I took a step back, my hammering heart feeling as if it were breaking.  “Ditzy… Ditzy I stayed because I care about you.  Because I wanted to help you.  Because I –“  I suddenly stopped short.  I glared hard into her eyes, but my tears were betraying me.
“Because you what?”  She took a step closer, staring up at me with tearful eyes.  “Because you what?”
I sighed, gulped, then took a deep breath.  “Because I love you,” I muttered, looking down at her.  “You beautiful amazing kind woman, I love you.  No matter what happened, you never gave up hope.  You were always so happy, always smiling.  You could brighten any day with your laugh.”  I closed my eyes.  I waited for her response, waiting for a slap, or screaming, or more crying, or laughing.
Instead, a small, soft hand took mine.  Looking at her, I saw a smile on her lips.  “I knew it,” she said quietly.  “I love you too, Doc.”

***

I woke up to silence.  That was stranger than waking up to crying.  I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing up.  The house was dark, as was the sky outside my window.  I walked down the hall to Ditzy’s room, listening for her soft snoring.
Silence.
I slowly pushed the door open, peeking inside and seeing an empty bed.  I dashed inside, looking under her bed and in her closet.  She was nowhere to be found.
I looked at her empty bed once more, and was surprised to see a note.  It had the prettiest handwriting at first, but as the note went on, it got shaky; the note was also stained.
I picked it up carefully, and read it slowly.  When I finished, I had to read it again, then once more.  After my third time through it, I dropped the note, then ran from the room as fast as I could.

My Doctor,
I’m not going back.  I just can’t.  I love this life I’ve had here recently, and I’ve loved really getting to know you.  I want to leave as happy as I can.  I want to know you love me, just like you know I love you.  I don’t want to forget that.  I don’t want to forget anything.
I don’t want to lose it all.
I want to know what it’s like to fly.


> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It’s a funny thing, staring death in the face.  Yet here I am, wind whipping my hair into my face as I stand on top of this ten-story building.  I figure this should be far enough to get the job done.  No pain when I land.  Just quick release.  I look down over the edge and felt like I was about to fall; I take a small step back, not quite ready.
I look up into the sky, watching the clouds slowly drift by.  I look down once more and see all the people milling about, unaware of what I am about to do.
Why won’t anyone stop me?
I place a careful foot on the ledge, then the other, slowly standing up. The wind has died down, but I still feel unsteady here.  I look out across the town, looking at all the rooftops.  I silently wonder how many other people have done what I’m about to do.
Please someone stop me
I look to the sky one last time.  I see a bird flying freely through the air.  I smile at it, knowing I can do that too.  All I have to do is take this one step forward and believe.  Then I’ll be free.  And I’ll never forget.
I don’t want to die…
I take a deep breath.
DOCTOR SAVE ME!
And then he’s there.  That wonderful, amazing, stupid man is there.  He’s yelling at me, but I don’t hear him.  He’s slowly getting closer, arms outstretched.  Some part of me wants to go to him, to hold him close and never let go and be ok with forgetting again.
But another part of me wants to smile at him, spread my arms and fall.
Which one will win, I wonder?  Will I simply give up everything to fly away someone I’m not, or will I go home with this person who really loves me and forget everything again?
I want my Doctor back!
He’s on the ledge with me now.
He’s holding my hand in his.
He’s looking directly into my eyes with those gorgeous, intelligent brown ones of his.
“If you’re going,” he says quietly, squeezing my hand.  “Let’s go together.”
He smiles at me, his smile that always made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
And then we’re firmly on the roof, and I’m crying into his chest, and he’s holding me tight, and I can’t stop crying, and he’s shushing me, and he’s running his fingers through my hair.  He’s telling me everything is ok, that he’s always going to be there for me, that it’ll all be fine.
And I believe him.
And I smile.
He smiles back.  “I love you” he tells me.
“I l-love you, t-too,” I stutter.

> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“So Tavi,” Vinyl started, staring up at the ceiling on her back, one arm splayed over the edge of the bed.  “What do you wanna call our baby girl?”
Octavius placed a contemplative hand on his chin, rubbing his non-existent beard.  “Well,” he said, sitting at the foot of the bed.  “I figured we might do something musical, like ‘Carol’, or ‘Harmonia’.”
“Wow, you are such a music dork!”  Vinyl grinned down at the cellist.  “I was thinking something prettier, like ‘Serenity’.”
Octavius rolled his eyes, smirking.  “Yes, love, your name idea is so much better.”
Vinyl stared at the ceiling quietly, then smiled.  “Hey,” she said.
“What is it?”  Octavius turned back to face her.
“What about ‘Key’?  I know it’s weird, but hear me out,” Vinyl said as she struggled to sit up, eventually having Octavius help her.  “Think about it, ‘Key Melody’.  I mean, she would definitely be the thing locking us together as a family, right?  The thing that will always keep us close, no matter what.”  Vinyl smiled more broadly.  “I think that’s the name that I want.  Key Melody.”
Octavius thought about the name, then smiled back at her.  “I like that idea, love.”
Vinyl opened her arms wide, inviting Octavius into a warm hug, which he gladly accepted.  She gave him a light squeeze, then gently separated herself from him.  “So how’s Flutters been doing since she’s been with Dash?”
“She seems to be doing better,” Octavius replied.  “Scootaloo really likes having her around, and Flutters knows Dash won’t let Turner anywhere near her.  For now, things seem to be looking up for Flutters.”
“That’s good,” Vinyl said, leaning back against the headboard.  “God, I feel so swollen today.  It really sucks.”
Octavius placed a hand on her stomach.  “You feel really solid today.”  He gave her a small grin.  “You been doing sit ups?”
She playfully kicked the man, grinning.  “Please, Tavi.  You of all people should know I’m lucky if I can get out of bed on my own right now.”  She gently rubbed her hand around her stomach in circles.  “Any day now, we’re gonna meet this little monster.”
Octavius nodded, looking to Vinyl’s engorged stomach.  “Are you nervous?”
Vinyl shook her head, smiling.  “I’m excited, silly.  I can’t wait to meet her.”
Octavius took Vinyl’s hand in his, smiling back at her.  “I can’t wait either.  I hope she looks just as lovely as her mother.”
“Pfft,” Vinyl scoffed.  “No way.  She needs to be just as good looking as her father, with that sleek black hair, and those sexy dark eyes, and those cute little blushes.”
Octavius rolled his eyes.  “Whatever you say, Vinyl.”
Vinyl stuck her tongue out at him.  “It is whatever I say.  I see you’ve learned over these nine months.”  She grinned.
“I’m definitely not going to miss this time,” Octavius said.  “You were so mean to me some days.”
Vinyl looked down, frowning.  “I’m sorry, love,” she muttered.  “I know I can’t have been easy to deal with.”
Octavius placed a hand on her shin.  “It was all worth it, my dearest.”  He smiled warmly at her, and she smiled back.
Vinyl suddenly jumped, placing a hand on her belly.  “Easy, girl,” she said, looking down to her hand.  “Everything alright in there?”
Octavius watched as another jump racked Vinyl’s body.  “You ok?”
“Yeah,” Vinyl said, trying to sit up once more.  “I think I just –“ But her sentence was cut off by a loud groan.  Octavius noticed a wet spot growing in Vinyl’s light colored pajama pants as Vinyl clutched at her stomach.  “Oh my god, Tavi,” she groaned before suddenly screaming.  “Tavi Tavi Tavi TAVITAVITAVIWEGOTTAGONOW!”
Octavius nodded quickly, picking up their pre packed bags and rushing them out to the car before running back in and grabbing Vinyl, helping her walk slowly to the car.  He got her situated in the front seat, then hopped into the drivers seat, cranking the ignition and taking off down the road.
As he drove, he pulled out his phone, speed-dialing Dash.  She answered on the second ring.
“What’s up, Tav-Tav?”
“Vinyl’s going to the hospital right now.  The baby is coming.”
“I’ll be there asap buddy,” Dash said, sounding like she was already running to get her things.  “Scoots!  Let’s GO!”  Then the line went dead.
Octavius hung up as well, then quickly called David, looking over in concern as Vinyl groaned very loudly beside him, still clutching her stomach.
“Hello?”  David had answered on the fourth ring.
“Vinyl’s in labor,” Octavius informed the other man quickly.  “We’re going to the hospital now.”
“Understood,” David replied, and with no further words, hung up.
Octavius put his phone down, then placed a hand on Vinyl’s stomach.  “You still excited about this?”
Vinyl nodded, trying to take steady breaths.  “You know it, Tavi.”  She cried out again, and Octavius pressed harder on the accelerator.  Before too long, they arrived at the hospital.  Octavius threw the car into park, then jumped out and rushed around to the other side, opening Vinyl’s door and helping her out.
“Second floor, right?”  Octavius looked to Vinyl for confirmation, who nodded hastily.  Octavius helped Vinyl into the lobby, where he spotted a nurse behind the reception desk.  “We need help over here please!”  The nurse quickly ran over, along with a couple other nurses.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Her water broke about ten minutes ago,” Octavius replied.  The nurse nodded and quickly got a wheelchair.  Once they had Vinyl securely in it, they rushed her to an elevator, quickly pressing two and going up.
> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I look around the room I’m in, and wonder why I’m here.  I know the Doctor told me it was very important that I came, but I don’t remember why. I notice a poster hanging on the wall with the picture of a smiling woman on it.  It seems to be advertising something, but I can’t make out the tiny words.
I turn to face Dash, who seems to be very anxious about something.  Scootaloo also seems to be excited, her foot tapping quickly on the floor.  The quiet woman in the yellow sweater with them was gently stroking Scootaloo’s hair to try to soothe the child. There are also a couple of grown ups that I don’t recognize, but they seem vaguely familiar.  A part of me tells me that we’re all here for the same reason.  But I still can’t remember it.
“Should it take this long?”  Scootaloo looks up at Dash with a nervous expression.  Dash simply smiles down at the girl.
“Everything’s ok, bud,” she said, tousling Scootaloo’s hair.  Scootaloo smiles weakly, then goes back to her foot tapping.
I turn to face the Doctor and tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.  When he’s looking at me, I ask him, “Why are w-we here?”
“Vinyl’s about to have her baby, Ditzy,” he tells me.  Part of me knew that.  I feel like I’ve already been told this several times; I know I’ll forget soon enough.
“H-how long has it b-b-been?”
“About six hours,” he says, looking at his watch to be sure.  “Hopefully it won’t be too terribly much longer.”
I nod slowly, smiling.  “I c-can’t wait t-to m-m-meet him!”
The Doctor laughs.  “The baby’s a girl, silly.”
I knew that.  Why did I say him?
I smile wider and slap myself in the forehead.  “I knew that!  I was j-just testing y-y-you.”
He smirks at me.  “Oh really now?  Then what was her name, miss Smartypants?”
I think hard.  And I continue to think.  And I think some more.  “V-Vinyl?”
The Doctor shakes his head.  “Nope.”  He pokes me on the nose.  “Her name is Key, remember?  Vinyl is her mother.”
“That w-was another t-test!”  I try to hide a blush.
However, before the Doctor can say anything else, a man walks in through the door to the room we’re in.  He smiles down at me, then looks at the Doctor.  “Would you and Ditzy like to be the first to meet little Key?”
The Doctor nods as he stands up, unlocking my wheelchair and pushing me behind the tall man.  I look up at the Doctor.  “Who is that a-again?”
The Doctor smiles down at me.  “That’s Tavi.  He’s Key’s father.”
I nod.  “I knew th-that.”
We pass several empty rooms, eventually coming to a closed door.  Tavi pushes the door open and stands to the side, letting the Doctor and me in first before stepping in himself, closing the door behind him.
Vinyl is lying on the bed, tear streaks visible on her face.  “Hey there, guys,” she says, shifting around a little bundle in her arms.  “We want you to meet someone.  C’mere.”
The Doctor wheels me next to the bed, then steps beside me, smiling down at the bundle.  “She’s got her mothers nose.”
Vinyl giggles.  “Thanks, David.  I always wanted to share my nose with a tiny human.”
“Would it be alright if I held her?”  The Doctor tentatively reaches his hands out to the bundle.  Vinyl nods, carefully passing the thing off to him.
“Mind her head,” Vinyl mutters as the baby switches possession.
The Doctor chuckles quietly.  “Already an overprotective mother, are we?”
“Oh, hush,” Vinyl says with a smirk.
The Doctor turns to face me, bending down to show me what is in his arms.  “Look, Ditzy,” he says quietly, carefully pulling back some of the blanket.
I look in his arms and see a face.  She is sleeping soundly, her tiny hands balled up near her mouth and her feet scrunched up against her belly.  I turn my gaze to Vinyl.  “W-why is she s-so balled up?”
“She just came into the world, Ditzy,” Tavi answers.  “That’s the position she was in while she was in Vinyl.”
I look at Tavi and smile.  “R-right.  I knew th-that.”  I look down at the baby again.  “H-hey there, K-Key,” I say softly, reaching a shaky hand out to her.  I gently touch the blanket she’s wrapped up in, noticing her shift slightly.  “I-I’m Ditzy.”  Maybe I imagined it, but I swear I saw the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile for just a second.
The Doctor slowly stands back up with her, carefully handing her off to her mother.  “She’s simply lovely,” he says.  “You must be so happy.”
Vinyl nods, smiling warmly.  “We are,” she replies, taking Tavi’s hand.
“Thank you both for being out here with us,” Tavi continues.  “It means so much to us, and I hope it was worth it.”
“I’m glad you told us,” the Doctor replies, grinning.  “I know Ditzy wanted to be here no matter what, and I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
Tavi smirks at the Doctor.  “We certainly have come a long way from the night we caught you, haven’t we?”  The Doctor laughs nervously, scratching the back of his head.  Tavi laughs as well.  “I’m messing with you, David.  I’m glad we have a good friend like you around.”
I suddenly let out a big yawn, stretching my arms over my head before pulling gently on the Doctor’s jacket sleeve.  “D-Doctor?”
He looks down at me.  “What is it, Ditzy?”
“I’m s-starting to g-get sleepy,” I mumble, rubbing my eyes.  “C-can we g-g-go home?”
He smiles at me kindly, and I smile back.  “Of course we can.  What do you say to Vinyl and Tavi?”
I look to the couple.  “G-goodbye!  I-I’ll see y-y-you later!”  I wave at them, and they wave back.  The Doctor says his own goodbyes, then we turn and head back out into the hall.
As we walk back down the hall, I see Dash and Scootaloo heading back the way we came.  I look up at the Doctor.  “W-where are th-they going?”
“They’re going to see Key, Ditzy,” he tells me, pushing the button for the elevator.
“Who’s that?”
“That’s Vinyl and Tavi’s baby,” he says, pushing me onto the elevator.
“R-right,” I say with a smile.  “I knew th-that.”
> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


FIVE YEARS LATER

“Hey, daddy?”
Octavius looked down at Key, who was walking along beside him in a cute black dress.  Octavius smiled.  “Yes, darling?”
“Where are we going, again?”
Octavius stopped in his tracks, Key stopping beside him.  He smiled, but Key noticed it seemed to be a sad smile.  “We’re going to see a friend, sweetheart.”  Octavius slowly stood back up, taking Key’s little hand in his big one.
“Who?”  Key looked up inquisitively at her father.
“Her name is Ditzy,” Octavius told her, his smile failing him.  “She was one of me and mommy’s best friends.”  He looked down to his daughter.  “She was one of the first people to hold you when you were born.”  Key giggled adorably.  “She was one of the sweetest, most kind hearted, and friendliest people I’ve ever known.”
Key stopped walking, making Octavius stop with her.  “Why haven’t I met her?”
Octavius tried to smile one more time, but couldn’t manage it.  “Well, honey,” he started softly.  “Not too long after you were born, Ditzy got really sick.”  Key thought she saw a tear in her daddy’s eyes.  “She forgot a lot of stuff, she couldn’t talk very well, and she got very sad.”  Octavius pulled gently on Key’s hand, making her walk with him.  “She saw you a few times when you were little, but you were too young to remember.”
Key looked at her daddy’s fancy clothing.  “If we’re going to see your friend, why are we all dressed up?”
Octavius looked down at his own black suit and tie, then at Key’s dress and shiny black shoes.  He took a deep breath, then sighed.  “Key,” he said slowly.  “Last week, Ditzy fell asleep.”  Key definitely saw tears on her daddy’s face now.  “And when she fell asleep… She didn’t wake up.”  He swallowed hard.  “She won’t ever wake up.”  He looked down at his daughter.  “We’re going to say goodbye to a wonderful person that I deeply regret not letting you get to know.”  He placed a gentle hand on Key’s long black hair.  “She would’ve adored you, you know.”
“Really?”  Key took Octavius’ hand in her own.  Octavius nodded.  “I really wish I could’ve met her now.”
Octavius laughed softly.  “When she would come over and see you,” he said, almost to himself.  “She would always get so happy, smiling and laughing and playing with you.  She’d ask how you were doing, how big you were, what you liked…”  He wiped his eyes quickly.  “Then one day, she didn’t.  She just sat in her chair, staring blankly at the wall.  We’d try to talk to her but she didn’t say anything.”  He looked at Key.  “But she adored you.”
The pair arrived at a large brick building with a dark brown wooden door and a few windows along the walls.  Octavius opened up the door and allowed Key to go in front of him, following close behind her.
Key walked to the front row of chairs where Vinyl sat, wearing her own long black dress.  When Vinyl saw Key coming, she quickly wiped her eyes and smiled at her daughter.  “Hey there, sweetie,” she said, picking her daughter up and holding her in a tight hug.  “How are you doing?”
“I’m ok,” Key replied.  “Daddy said we’re saying goodbye to someone special.”
Vinyl nodded.  “Do you see that long box up there?”  Key nodded.  “That’s where she’s gonna sleep from now on.”  When Octavius sat next to Vinyl, she took his hand in hers and squeezed it.  He looked at her and offered a small smile, but they both knew it wasn’t real.
David stood up in front of everyone, looking out over the small crowd.  “Thank you all for coming,” he said loudly enough to be heard.  “It really means a lot to me, and I’m sure it would’ve meant so much to Ditzy.”  He cast a quick glance at the coffin behind him, then turned to face the group once more.  “I’m not good at public speaking, but I need to say this.”  He smiled at the crowd.  “You were all her greatest friends, even at the end.  She said, as she was laying in her bed, that she would miss you all.  Dash, and Scootaloo, and Vinyl, and Octavius, and little Key.”  He looked down at the little girl sitting with her parents.  “She said she wouldn’t ever forget you, no matter what.”
Key smiled sweetly.
David addressed the crowd again.  “If anyone wants to say anything, this is your chance.”
One by one, people stood to say their own goodbyes, to reflect on their memories with Ditzy, or to cry.  Eventually, everyone was seated once again, some in tears, others eerily quiet.  David took the center of attention again.  “If the bearers would come forward, please.”
Octavius stood up, along with a few other men, moving to the front and positioning themselves around the casket.  They counted to three, then lifted it up and slowly carried it past the spectators, some placing a hand on Ditzy’s folded ones while others simply watched her go by.  Octavius noted that Ditzy was wearing her grey dress that she loved so much.  They placed the casket in the waiting hearse, then closed the door.
Vinyl came outside, Key holding on to her mother’s hand.  Vinyl and Octavius embraced each other, Vinyl starting to cry openly.  Octavius slowly stroked her hair, quietly swaying with her.  Finally, Vinyl looked up to Octavius with red eyes.  “I’m gonna miss her so much, Octavius,” she said quietly.
“I know, Vinyl,” he said, pulling her close once more.  “We all will.”
Key looked up at her parents.  “Mommy?”
Vinyl wiped her eyes quickly before looking down to Key.  “Yeah, dear?”
“I wish I could’ve known her,” Key said, looking down shyly.  “You and daddy both say she was a good person, but I didn’t even know her.”
Vinyl laughed and picked up her daughter.  “She knew you, you know,” she said, gently poking Key’s little nose.  “David was right, Ditzy never forgot you.”  She put her daughter on the ground again.  “Even when things got bad for her, she always made sure to come see you on your birthday while she could, even if she forgot why she was there.”  Vinyl laughed again.  “She would look at us and ask why she was there.  We’d tell her it was your birthday, and she would smile so big.  She would say she knew that, and that she’d never forget it.”  She smiled at key. 
Key seemed to be thinking hard for a moment, then looked at Octavius.  “Daddy?”  She motioned him down, and he crouched in front of her.  “When was Ditzy’s birthday?”
Octavius thought for a minute, then answered her.  “It’s November 7th, why?”
“I want to go see her every year on her birthday, too.”  She smiled at her parents.  “That way we never forget each other!”