Fierce

Epilogue

T W O M O N T H S L A T E R

"Lincoln, where are you taking me," Georgie demanded.

"Have some faith darl," he tossed the words over his shoulder, and kept walking.

Georgie resumed her muttering at his back, but followed. He took a left off the street, and she followed. He took a right turn into an alley, and she followed. But when he pushed a set of doors open and started down some dingy stairs, Georgie stopped in her tracks. "Lincoln," she propped her hands on her hips. "Is this a drug den? Are you taking a pregnant woman into a drug den?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

She planted her feet. "I am not walking down those stairs mister."

He bounded back up to give her a hasty kiss. "Trust me," he paused just long enough to get the words out, before he was off again, taking the stairs two at a time.

She grumbled the whole way down.

When she reached the entry-way at the bottom of the stairs, Lincoln was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was greeted by the most colourfully dressed young woman she'd ever seen.

George couldn't help but stare, something the girl put a stop to with a sharp cough. "You're Lincoln's guest?" the girl said.

Guest? Georgie floundered in confusion.

The woman began her own stare - which seemed more like a sizing-up exercise. She appraised Georgie more with judgement than with curiosity... and Georgie's rounded stomach was getting the most attention.

Before George could get really shitty and start snapping, Lincoln provided a welcome interruption. "Jenny?" Lincoln's voice floated in from another room. "Can you please bring her through?"

The girl's lip curled. "Please. This way ma'am." Jenny clearly wasn't happy with her task, but led her through anyway.

The duo entered into a larger basement area - with what looked like a makeshift partition built across the middle.

"George," his voice was clearer now, though she still couldn't see him.

"Yeah?" she called back uneasily.

"You there with Jenny?"

"Yeah?" Next thing she knew, he was right there in front of her. But he wasn't looking at her in the steady way he normally did. She took his arm. "What's going on?" Before she could get an answer, there was a crash from the other side of the partition, and Linc swore.

"Gimme a sec," he turned to go, and she clutched his arm tighter - her other hand resting unconsciously on her belly. "George, wait there with Jenny for a bit, please?"

"Okay seriously, this is weirding me out. What's going on? What is this place?"

"It's a restaurant?"

"A restaurant?" She hissed. "Where are the people? There aren't any tables! So I guess she's the waitress?" she laughed nervously.

"Yes," he blinked at her. "That's Jenny." Finally he paused to really look at her, and he must have read her unease, because his pace changed. He cupped her face. "Thirty seconds, I swear."

Even at her most suspicious, she wasn't immune to melting. "Okay." He gave her a quick peck on the lips, and darted off again. "I'm counting!" she called after him.

About twenty seconds later, his head popped around the partition and he flashed Jenny a dazzling grin. "Okay all done. Thank you, Jenny, thanks for helping me out. I couldn't have done all this without you, but we won't take up any more of your time."