Capturing Ella

(Releasing Joe) Chapter 65 - Joe

'Ella, hang on,' I tried to stop her by grabbing her wrist but missed her slightly as she stormed off through the side kitchen door. I had to watch her walk straight out of the gate in the garden, crossing her arm as the wooden gate smashed shut again. All her brothers bar two, her parents, Sky, Crystal and Phee all stood in the kitchen awkwardly.

'Is she being serious?' Karla asked, confused. I frowned slightly, dipping into her mind and just saw that she didn't understand or comprehend that her daughter was pregnant. It wasn't meant to be menacing, or even cruel or mocking like it may have seemed, she was just completely shocked. She was amazed that she could be so far along when we were only together for a month or two.

'Yeah, she is. I'll – er – I'll go and get her,' I said, jumping off the counter where I had hovered to hold Ella's hand. I walked through the kitchen to the door, opening it as I heard the murmuring behind me.

'What have I done?' Karla whispered as the door closed behind me. I quickly walked to the gate, the mountain looking stunning but I had no idea where to find Ella on the side of the mountain. Leaning forward I pulled the gate opened, walking through and letting the gate shut behind me. I had barely turned around again to view the mountain before Ella came straight over to hug me, her hands wrapping around my waist as I put my arm around her waist. Before I could say anything, Ella broke down crying into my chest.

'Ella, come here baby, calm down,' I whispered pulling her tight. 'It's not what it seems,' I said and she broke the hug off and started to run into the mountain. 'Ella!' I called, running up the mountain following her. The mountain was steep (duh) but looked absolutely beautiful. The canapé of green leaves on the aspen and oaks that soared into the sky, the ground littered with tiny spots of sunlight where it can get through the leaves. Ella kept running through the mountains, skilfully dodging pot holes and fallen branches with the skill that one would gain if they've done this for years. I copied her footing, not wanting to fall and loose her in the mountain.

Eventually she stopped suddenly in a clearing, sitting down on a fallen tree which was half rotted. I quickly spun around in the clearing, amazed at how beautiful and secluded it was.

'Ella, really, she didn't believe you and she thought you were pranking her,' I told her, putting my arm around her shoulders.

'She hates me,' Ella whispered and I shook my head.

'She doesn't,'

'All she cares about is the fact we're not married,' Ella protested and I held her hand.

'Then we'll get married sooner, before baby makes a show. If it'll make your parents happy.'

'That's defying the whole point of marriage – we're meant to get married because we love each other and wanna spend forever together and not because my Mum is pissed off because I'm pregnant.' Ella protested.

'Well, I dunno about you but I love you and I already want to spend forever together with you and our daughter.' I gently whispered to her, holding her hand, and she squeezed it back.

'And I want to stay with you forever, but it wouldn't feel right, you know?' Ella explained.

'I get you; Karla will come around on the idea. She's probably coming to find us now,' I whispered and Ella closed her eyes to lean against me. I knew she was using her gift to find where her Mum was at the moment

'Yeah, she's coming up here.' Ella said, 'She looks like she's cried,' I could tell she felt guilty.

'So have you,'

'I always cry,' Ella pointed out.

'Look, I took a dip in your Mum's mind – she's just so surprised this has happened to you and you're so far along when we've only been together, what, six weeks? I'm guessing what you – well, what we did at the party never made it to her?' I asked and she shook her head, 'So of course she'll be surprised, then she'll question if it's mine, then she'll be over the moon. My parents will do the exact same thing,' I assured her.

'I forget you haven't told your parents yet,'

'Yeah, and my brothers – apart from Jake.'

'You have to do this all when you get back,' Ella laughed gently as I groaned.

'Uh, I don't want too,' I laughed before placing my hand on her abdomen. 'It'll be worth it in the end when she makes an appearance.'

'Only nineteen weeks to go,' She whispered, putting her hand next to mine, feeling the faint flutters of the baby. 'Well according to Google she can hear us now,'

'Then she knows how much we love her, yeah?' I asked back, amazed that she kicked again.

'I'll take that as a yes,' Ella grinned, pulling her shirt back down again.

'You're actually getting bigger, guessing she's dropping slightly.' I said, noticing the small bump she had gained. I probably only managed to notice it because her leggings were falling down slightly and was sitting on her lower hips than waist, exposing her plain stomach. That, and she sleeps with practically no clothes on so I can see the bump go from non-existent, to what look like a bit of chubby fat, to what is now actually looking like a baby bump. The bump didn't really correspond to how many weeks she was, but the midwife had already warned because of the way the baby was sitting when she dropped, there would be a bump but it wouldn't be a big one. Also, because Ella was so small at five foot nothing, and was tiny in both weight and frame and muscular as well from Maui, the bump would be small. No one's fault. Just the way the baby grew.

'Yeah, I think so too,' Ella muttered slightly.

'What's this, you're admitting you have a bump?' I laughed, knowing she's declined any form me saying she has a bump.

'I'm gunna have to admit it sometime,' Ella laughed and I pulled her to sit on my lap. 'We're so not prepared,'

'Well we fly back tomorrow, day after we have the twenty week anomaly scan then after that why don't we hit Reading and get prepared?' I offered, holding her waist as she sat on my knee.

'Could we?'

'Of course we can,' I whispered, kissing her gently on the lips.

'Thanks,'

'Ella, there you are! I am so sorry; I didn't mean to come across like that. Congratulations my darling girl, both of you in fact,' Karla came out of nowhere, and just embraced Ella. Sure enough, Ella started crying into her chest and I smiled at them both, relieved that after the start this happened to work out. 'How far along are you?' Karla asked but didn't let go of Ella.

'Twenty one weeks, isn't it Joe?' Ella asked.

'Twenty one weeks today, yeah.' I added on for her, smiling as Karla beamed at me.

'How are you so far along? You and Joe have only been together for a month or so?' Karla asked as Ella eventually managed to break away from the hug and coming back over to me, arms wrapped around my waist as I put my hand on her shoulder.

'I kinda... met him when the girls and I went down to Cornwall and you said I could only drink one night? Yeah... I drunk a bit too much and well, lets just say there is a baby to show for what we did,' Ella joked and the shock was palpable on Karla's face.

'I'll pretend I didn't hear that because you are actually doing something about it,' Karla said but I grinned down at Ella, gently kissing her as we knew now all her family were okay with the baby and we were out of the woods this side of the pond.