(384) Let's thank our lucky stars because I have both of our posts for this entire thread ;u;

The days passed quickly, going through their normal routine, though things were different in some ways. That afternoon he had been thinking. Not reading, not writing, doing nothing but sitting in his room and just thinking. He had been told by his mother the other week or so that she was carrying children, what would someday be his little brothers and sisters. He thought about being a big brother, and the thought appalled him more than Skye's pregnancy, having always the thought of be the youngest child. He wondered what they would look like, how they would act, how they would anything. The idea of puppies just struck his curiosity, having not really thought about them before.

He also thought about a few others things, like the upcoming fall, how the pack was doing in general, and Eclipse. While he did not quite consciously know it, he thought of her often when doing his daily things, and sometimes found himself thinking about the night they fell asleep on the roof. Ever since then, he had tried to understand her, as if she was a puzzle. She confused him even more than Erzulie did with her future tellings and her talk of spirits and overall interest in the strange. He thought about it, and always came out without an answer. While it did not bother him that he could not predict her well, it made him all the more stubborn just to figure her out.

The inevitable came and the woman finally rose to mind as he sat in a chair, legs propped up on his bed. While the usual thoughts rolled around, he noticed that he hadn't seen her for a couple of days. He mulled it over for a couple of minutes, looking over at his desk as he thought about it. Landing on a conclusion, he stepped up from his seat and looked down at the things he had been staring at. After reviewing it, he placed it in his bag and left the house moments later.

It was only a couple of yards until he reached her house, and stepped to the door and cracked it open slowly while knocking softly. "Eclipse? You in here?" he called out, poking his nose into the house to see if she was even home.

Whatever smile he held on his face disappeared as he heard her answer back. "Eclipse?" he called again as he stepped into the house, shutting the door behind him as he hurried to where she was. While he heard her, the sound of her voice worried him intensely; he had not heard her sound like that since when they first met, when she was scared from the darkness she had dreamed about and then the items she had lacked at the time. He did not read emotions as well as others, but he knew before he saw her that something was wrong.

He rounded the corner that led into the living room and kitchen, and immediately walked forward to where the woman sat and settled near her. "You're crying. Why are you crying?" he stated, obviously, and then questioned. She looked like a mess, with everything about her in a disarray than from their usual state and face wet. While the tears disturbed him greatly, he made himself look over her enter body, as if expecting to see blood or something. He didn't know what was wrong, and didn't know how to help, and it made him anxious to no end.

"Eclipse, what's wrong? Tell me, please," he half-pleaded quickly before she had enough time to even answer his first question. Realizing his chattiness was causing him delayed responses, he made himself quiet, but stared at the woman straight in the eye, not even trying to hide the distress he felt for her.

Despite her rejections, it did not waver the fact that he wanted, which he determined as that he, in fact, needed, to know why she was crying and close to doing so once again. His mind raced through so many conclusions, and while a lot seem reasonable, he wanted to hear from her own voice what was wrong. It was almost as if not knowing had laid out a pressure on his chest and it was not until he knew would it be relieved.

Finally, she stopped with her refusals to tell him anything, and he waited all so impatiently for her to say something. When she spoke about being a bad mother, he was extremely confused, and again his mind buzzed with a million options. Was she talking about her horse's offspring? Did she adopt another animal under her wing and was in denial over it? He was still calculating over the first statement when she continued to speak.

He was motionless at first. Another moment passed, and he was still sitting there silently, mind blank besides the resonating thought that echoed through it. It took him another second to consciously realize what it was saying, and one more to have any sort of outward reaction to it. It was subtle, only the widening of eyes that stared right back at Eclipse. They were not fearful, or hateful, just stunned. The frost-colored gaze then flicked down to the woman's abdomen, and he expected to see some sort of change he did not notice before.

"Babies?" he repeated softly, still watching her stomach.

(396)

He was still shocked into silence, and could not think of anything to say. What could he say? He never imagined her having puppies--well, perhaps that was not the whole truth. He was able to picture her with children, but imagining her being pregnant seemed to be a whole other story despite their relevance. Maybe it was believable if it was a different situation; had he just came over for a friendly visit and ended up instead hearing this? If it had been expected, he may have reacted differently. But, he wasn't expecting it and now faced with the news left him unsure how to act.

Even when Eclipse moved from her spot, he continued to stare where she had once sat, unable to think, really. It was not until she started to speak did something click within him and brought his mind back to the real world. He watched her as she paced the room, and opened his mouth occassionally as if to add something, but it closed before anything could be said. When she mentioned that she knew how they came to be... well. He had not been thinking about it, but now that it was brought to mind he went into another silent spurt and stared at the floor as if it could get rid of the embarrasment he felt. He knew about reproduction, and knew that it was how pups and other creatures were made, but...

He quickly shook his head roughly, and finally stammered, "I-its okay! It happens, i-it just does!" He looked away from the floor and noticed how angery she was, and stood up from his seat. He approached her, though kept a short distance from her with arms slightly raised from his side, in case she got a little too mad and had to punch at the nearest thing, which was him, but he hoped that she wouldn't. "Eclipse, calm down, please," Robert said in a pledding tone. "Its alright, don't get mad! Its okay, please don't get angry." He realized he was being a little repeative with his words, but it was all he could muster and think of, just trying to convey that he wanted her to settle down.

(447) hmm who sucks. oh yeah, i do. /flails in any matter, this is now my favorite Rob/Ec thread.

If it had been anyone else, Robert would have probably excused himself and left in an unexplained hurry. He would probably try to forget about the event and go on about his business. But, it wasn't anyone else; it was Eclipse. Despite the situation's overwhelmingness, he felt no urge to leave her. In fact, he felt that his presence was needed, and would only exit the house unless the woman would request.

He sighed in relief as his words seemed to register with her and slid down onto the couch. He was soon to follow her, and leaned back as he moved his fingers through his mane in a gesture to calm himself down as well; while he barely showed it for Eclipse's sake, the news and her mood had stressed him out a bit. It was much for him to suddenly swallow, and he was taking it the best he could without getting too emotional like his friend did. He moved his hands away from his hair and onto his face for a moment, and settled them at his side.

The momentary silence was broken by her with a remark about how he must have felt about her then, which he plainly blinked at as he turned back to her. She did not meet his gaze, but he could tell that was very near to crying once more. "Of course not!" he stated as if it was a matter of fact. "Eclipse, how can I think of you like that? You're not an 'idiot cry baby'." He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he held back, unsure if it was right to do so. Instead, he moved closer to her and leaned over to try to catch her eyes.

"Look, you're not an idiot. I understand..." He trailed off for a moment, and added, "Actually, I don't." He was understating things; he was not in her situation, and it was hard for him to imagine how she must have felt. "But, what I do understand, is that no matter what, you are not in any way foolish." After getting that point across, he leaned back against the couch, and looked up at the ceiling. "In any case... What happened happen, and its okay." He didn't want to get personal with her, not when she seemed so distressed by it. Also, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know anyway... He wasn't too sure how he felt about all of this. But, he was certain that was wasn't going to think less of Eclipse.

Another silence spanned between them, and he reached up with a hand to ruffle his hair again, eyes narrowed in thought.

(566)

Her lack of response paired with her still-teary eyes added to his concern, and yet felt stumped and couldn't think of anything to tell her. It seemed that his words didn't reach her as much as he wanted them to at that moment, and sighed too quietly for her to hear as he tried to think of something--anything--to say. But, he did not have much time to think of something as Eclipse closed what little distance he had put between them, and stiffen a bit at the unexpected motion like he had at the rooftop. Unlike that night, though, he was quicker to relax and allowed her to rest her head there without showing any sign that he didn't want her there. In fact, if it made her feel better, he was glad that she did so.

As she spoke, the words that came out made him uncomfortable. He definitely did not want to listen to what she was saying. But, his ears were opened anyway, and without complainant he listened to her silently, deciding to stop searching for her gaze as she leaned against him. "Don't apologize," he stated simply as she began to excuse herself for something he found that didn't need to be apologized for. "You'll figure them out. I'll help." The last statement was a bit more shyly spoken. He wasn't sure if she wanted his help or not on the matter, and he wasn't sure himself how to. But, he'd figured it out if it would help the woman.

At the mention of leaving Cercatori, and became worried again--but, this time, for himself. It didn't occur to him that maybe she'd want to be with the father, and after a second's thought, it made sense. But yet... He didn't want that to happen. He wanted her to stay in Thornbury, stay near him. But, he began to think he was being a bit selfish, and thought about an answer for a moment. "I... don't know. I guess it just depends..." He didn't know how to answer without it coming out as a biased "stay here", since he wanted the best for her despite his wants, and decided leave it vague.

The more he thought about her leaving, the more desperate he felt as the depressing thoughts swam through his brain. He slipped his arm around her, but kept his touch light as to not to disturb her. But, he began to feel that if he didn't have a hold on her, no matter how soft, she would slip off and disappear from his life as soon as she came. Just like his brother, his father. This was different than them, though; they didn't seem to mean as much to him as Eclipse did at that moment. Thinking of which, how much did she mean to him? She was a definite friend, yes, but... He was felt as if there was more than just that. But, his mind was as jumbled as her's in a sense, and had no idea what to think of.

He was quiet for a couple of moments, and the question that had been burning in his mind finally reached his lips. "Do you like him?" It was clear he was talking about the father of her children, though despite the subject, he didn't seem uncomfortable with asking about him. He just felt like he needed to know.

(536) /feels spill everywhere

He looked down at her when she seemed surpried by his words, and met her gaze. He smiled faintly, though crooked, that she was able to look him in the eye. That at least told him that she was beginning to feel a little bit better, if only a little. "Of course," he assured her, leaning his head against her's for a moment to encourage his words. "I'll help in any way I can, all you need to do is tell me what you need." Once the promise was made, he felt more sure that he would be able to aid her through that situation. He'd doubt it would be easy, but he did not hold any regrets for what he said.

His brows furrowed a bit as she pressed further for an answer that he not have. Before he could think more on the situation, though, she continued to say that she did not want to be like her parents. It made him remembered the time where they first met, and how she was almost in tears because of a dream. She had said then that she did not want to be like her grandfather. "Then don't be like your parents," he said softly. "Don't abandon them. Like I said... I'll help. And, I'm sure my mother will, too, and everyone else in the pack. Its okay if you don't know what to do--I don't think anyone does at first. But, we'll figure it out, I am positive." While he managed to avoid the first question, he hoped that he calmed Eclipse's thoughts about being a bad mother.

He began to feel a little better as she moved closer to him. But, when he spoke the question, he watched her move away from him, and started to regret what he had said. After a moment, she moved back to the spot that she had left, and felt a flutter of relief mingled with the anxiety for what her answer would be. When she mentioned her attraction for him, he already felt dread lining his heart. But, he listened as she further explained herself, and had to quietly sigh in relief that it seemed she did not feel for the man like the way he had thought. He leaned his head over her once again, but he lingered there instead of pulling away.

He sat there quietly, just thinking, and by an off chance he remembered what laid in his bag. Quietly, he shifted the arm that was not holding Eclipse and into his bag that was placed on his side. After moving things around it for a second he pulled out what he had made. He lightly gripped the somewhat large paper, and slowly brought it to the other's view. "I made you a star map--I'd thought you would like to look at the stars even when you can't. Its not as good as the real thing, but I tried my best." He had spent a good few nights working on it; and then making sure it was as perfect as possible in hopes for gaining Eclipse's approval. But, now all he was worried about if it would make her happy at all.

(366) these two, my heart can't take it

He was silent once more as Eclipse went further and said why she would leave her own children. He could barely wrap his conscience over her words, having both parents throughout most of his life and being in the same place since he was born. But, he listened with an opened mind, and hugged her a bit tighter when she finished what she said. He now knew there weren't many words he could say to comfort her with those thoughts, but he hoped that him being there now would make her realize that he would be there whenever they were born, that he will help her when that as well even when she had doubt.

He pictured for a moment a puppy that looked like Eclipse, and smiled faintly at the thought. But, he felt a small drop land on him, and his eyes widened when he realized that she was crying, though it seemed different from earlier. Nevertheless, he held her even closer as the tears went down her face, and did not say a word as she calmed herself down, looking away for a moment as to not to pressure her.

Again he smiled, but it was more evident as she took the map away from him and held it between her hands. While her praise was welcomed, what made him satisfied was the smile upon her face, something that seemed so foreign, so precious despite her wet eyes. Distracted by her face, though, he did not see the hug coming, and was a bit surprised as she grip him, and only barely managed to hold them up with his free arm from crashing into the couch.

He lightly laughed at her words, only because he was so relieved to hear that she was happy. "Yeah, down to every last star. I had a little help from the books you gave me, but the view from the rooftop gave the best help," he murmured between his grin as she sat up, and added, "I am glad you like it, Eclipse." With a content sigh, he laid back on the couch while his legs stayed over the side, and repeated, "I'm glad you like it."