White Lies

Princess

The sun has long disappeared behind the tall buildings by the time Hunter and Blanche reached their apartment, and the moon's light reflects on the glass panels surrounding them. They've received medical attention, although Hunter has tried to refuse to get checked out, protesting that he was fine and that he'd prefer all the medical team looked after Blanche instead.

Cops are called in, but before they can slap the cuffs on Hunter, Jason states that both Hunter and Blanche have acted on self-defence. They've given their statements, and Hunter's cop friends are able to back him up. The office immediately becomes a mad house as Perry is taken out in a stretcher. His face is virtually indistinguishable. His windpipe is nearly crushed.

Throughout the dealings with the cops and paramedics, Hunter keeps a watchful eye on Blanche, looking for signs of distress and trauma. She seems fine for now, as many traumatized victims can be. He insists that she be taken at the hospital for some tests, telling everyone that she's pregnant and was recently released from hospital. They've checked on the skin on her arm, applying cream on her first degree burns. When she receives an all clear, Hunter still isn't satisfied, but Blanche begs him to take her home.

"I want to rest, Hunter," she informs him, her eyes pleading.

The ride to their apartment in Jason's car is spent in silence. Hunter sits beside her, wrapping her in a warm embrace. She doesn't struggle. She doesn't push him away. She welcomes his kisses and murmurs of affection.

As soon as they step into the living room, Blanche places her hands on Hunter's chest. He holds them in his and pulls her in for another tight embrace. He feels her shoulders tremble, and the wetness on his shirt. In the dark, he cries with her.

After both their tears have dried, he carries her to the bathroom, and fills the tub with water. Silently, he undresses her. Under the bright light, he sees the bruises around her neck forming. With tender hands, he traces her soft skin, studying it with critical eyes, looking for more signs of bruising or swelling. There are a few scratches on the side of her ribs, handprints on her arms and ankle, and the slight tenderness on her right arm. One side of her sweet, soft face has turned red and blotchy. He kisses her, tenderly, pressing his lips around all the battle scars, those that are visible and those that are not.

Hunter's knees give out, and he drops on the floor, hugging Blanche's hips and legs. He plants kisses on her swollen belly, whispering and asking for forgiveness from the life inside that has formed. He vows to be a better man. He vows to love them both with all his heart, and to care for the two of them with all that he can.

Blanche runs her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. She kneels down with him, holding his face in her hands. Her lips find his, tastes him, feels his affection through his kisses. She urges him to lift his arms so that she may remove his shirt. When they both stand, shaky in their feet, she undoes his buttons and he takes off the rest of his clothes.

In the bathtub, they tangle their fingers together. Blanche soothes the cuts on Hunter's knuckles with careful kisses, while he seeks comfort in the curve of her neck, feeling the thrum of her pulse under his lips. He smoothes the tension off her shoulder with light touches. She leans back onto his chest, over the heavy beating of his heart.

They towel off together, again in quiet comfort, then Hunter leads them to their bed. Under the sheets they hold onto each other. She lets him love her. He fills her and moves into her, as she mewls and moans his name. And together they reach their peak. Their hands entangled, their breaths hush in the air, and their hearts beating in harmony.

Before Blanche can let sleep take over, as she lays curved against Hunter's body, she hears him whisper in her ear, "I love you, Blanche." And she believes.

****
The gel is cold on her skin. Blanche wonders why they never warm them up before spreading it on anyone. Hunter is a nervous wreck, sitting beside the bed, shaking his legs. She reaches out to him and smiles in the dimmed room.

"Relax, will you?" she urges him.

He nods too quickly and lifts her hand to his lips. "Yeah, sorry. It's... I'm nervous."

"No shit?" Blanche giggles.

"Okay, we're going to see your baby. Just focus on the screen," the technician tells them. She moves the wand over Blanche's belly.

Hunter moves at the edge of his seat, holding his breath and refusing to blink as he stares at the fussy black and white screen. He sees a quick flickering, then a distinguishable shape forms. His heartbeat speeds.

"There's your baby." The nurse points at the figure, then focuses on the flickering. "There's the heart. Nice and quick."

Hunter jumps off his seat when he sees one of his baby's legs move, followed by a wave of a small hand. "Oh my god. It's my baby. That's my baby," he says excitedly. "Bee, that's... Oh wow."

"Would you like to know the sex of your baby?" The nurse looks at both of them. Hunter seeks Blanche's eyes and waits for her response.

"Yes, please," Bee says and once again, smiles at Hunter, who then grins at her. He remains standing, switching his weight from one foot to the other.

The nurse moves the wand again, and the angle changes on the screen. "Here it is..." Hunter sucks in a breath. "It looks like you're having a little girl."

Hunter sees spots as he's told the news. A little girl. His baby. His princess. He feels Blanche's warm hand, and he holds it, squeezes it. They stare into each other's eyes as the nurse continues to make measurements and screenshots of their baby.

He leans over and kisses Blanche. "I love you, baby." He feels her smile against his lips.

Since the night he's whispered the words to her, he hasn't stopped saying it. He couldn't. He's also tried so many different ways to show her that he means it. Hunter doesn't even care that she hasn't said it back. Not yet at least. He wants her to be sure of her feelings for him, but deep down inside, and with the way she stares into his eyes, or kisses his lips, or holds him at night, he knows her actions speak louder than words. Being with her gives her happiness that he's never experienced. Lying in bed with her gives him peace that he's only dreamed of before. Making love to her is incomparable to anything he has gone through with anyone.

And they will soon have a little girl to love together.

She pulls away slightly and looks him straight in the eye. Tears well up in them. He uses the pads of his thumbs to wipe them away. "I love you too, Hunter," she tells him, and his heart feel like it's about to explode. He kisses her again. His eyes close and his heart open.

****
That night, in bed, while Blanche leans on piled pillows behind her, Hunter presses his lips on her naked stomach. He stretches on the bed beside her, his fingers ghosting over her belly.

"What should we call her?" He stares up at Blanche through his lashes.

"I don't know. Is there a name you like?"

Hunter looks at her belly in wonder once again. "How about... Aria?"

"Aria?"

"Yes, like you know... like in the opera."

"I like Aria." Blanche plays with Hunter's thick hair.

"And maybe you can teach her how to play the piano?" Hunter asks, full of hope.

"I can do that."

"And I'll teach her how to use the iron. She'll be the best tattoo artist in the world."

When Blanche laughs, her belly rises and falls. Hunter spreads his hands over it, and as soon as he does, he feels a nudge under his palm. He pushes up to sitting, his eyes wide.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"That, my love, is your baby." Blanche takes his hands and places them on her again. "I think she's letting you know how she feels about the tattoo thing."

With bated breath, Hunter waits for another nudge, and his heart pounds when he feels another. Then he moves his hands and cups Blanche's face before planting a deep, toe-curling kiss on her lips.

****
A/N: Thanks for reading!

What do you think of their chosen name?