The reaper

Awkward

This is the week, were she leaves everything behind. Her baggage finally left behind, she can finally start over. She can start making plans for her future  and start being happy, well as happy as she can get with Jesse and his brother still out there.
"Just sign on the line"
Said the Colby family lawyer, Linda signing away her past. In the eyes of the law it may look like her marriage never existed but she knows the truth, she can annul it all she wants but in her heart, it's still there.
"That's it. I will file it immediately, by the end of today you will be a free woman"
The lawyer said packing his things, Linda nodded grate fully.

"Thanx for handling it for me dad, I don't think I would have been able to" Linda said to her dad while they set in the dinning room eating lunch.
Her dad was the one to arrange for everything, she was just not in a right mind to start even saying his name discussing him and all that, and the wait was what was so scary. Now that she wants to cut tires with him, what if he returns to contest the annulment???
"It's the least I can do" mr Colby said, it was all he could do. I mean he wanted to take the pain away, take away every horrible experience she had at the hands of Jesse, but he couldn't so when she came with this, thee was no way for him to say no.
"So are you ready. Any day now we gonna be welcoming the new member of this family" mr Colby said breaking himself away from the thoughts invading his mind
"Even today I would be grate full"
Linda said giving a light laugh, earning one from her dad as well. She was having difficulty in going up the stairs. And her dad fearing the worse moved her to a room that is downstairs , she was all to glad to do it.
"Well finish your food and go see the doctor, these last minute check ups are very important"
Linda rolling her eyes but still appropriate his sweetness, not saying anything she just nods her head.
***********************************************
Linda just put the kids to have their nap, and she is walking towards the doctors office, painfully slow.
She is so excited to be giving birth, if there is anything she love being is being a mom. It brings joy in her life, and she knows she will love this child no matter what. She felt her heart strings tagging as she imagined holding her baby in her arms, without even thinking her hands were on her stomach and when the baby kicked, a big grin ucampanied by a small giggle, that caught someone's attention.
"You look happy"
He said startling her, had it been months ago she would have had a full blown panic attack but thanx to Ronan she don't have them as much and are not that bad when they come.
"Jesus shadow, you scared the devil out of me"
Holding her chest, shadow just chuckled and put his hands in his pocket.
"Well I'm guessing that you should thank me, I just delivered you " shadow resorted Linda giving a small laugh shaking his head at how random he is.
She starts to walk but when he speaks she had not expected him to follow.
"To the doctor?" Linda nodding and a small hum to answer in return he nods as well.
"Can I join you?" Out of no were he asks, Linda almost chocks on her own spit, her eyes wide open. Shadow seeing her like that he just shrugs.
"Yea" in a whisper, had the hall not been empty shadow would not have heard her.
They walk the rest of the way in quiet, yes it was awkward.

The doctor is expecting the child any day now. Was happy with what he saw, and he was not the only one. At first it was awkward to have shadow then Linda felt a wave of guilt wash over her, tagging at her soul. Then she involved him, and he was interested in what the doctor was saying. Making Linda happy and fool of hope, hope for what?? Even she doesn't know.
He took her all the way to her room all the while they walked in quietness again, when they got to the door, no one knew what to say. Making it awkward again, till Linda cleared her throat, she was still embarrassed to be around shadow, although it's been months.
"Thank you" she said in a small voice. He didn't say anything so she saw it as her cue to leave, as she did he stopped her.
"We still need to talk Linda" as if she should know that. Linda knew that she can't run from this anymore, sighing she nods.
"Let's talk inside" opening the door and closing it after shadow.
He looked around and saw her room is clean, things on their place, nothing out of place or that shouldn't be there.
"How is it your room is so clean, I mean the same kids as mine are yours right, so why mine can't stay neat" thinking of his room sending shivers, remembering when he tripped on one of the toys the kids left so carelessly.
"They know I hate a messy room, so they clean after themselves!!" Said simply with a shrug
"What!!! Wait, you mean to tell me we can make them clean after themselves??" Linda looked at him for a few seconds to see any signs of humor but found non.
"Yes shadow, you can do that. What you have been doing???"
"Well I was scared that you saw them clean up after themselves you will see me unfit or they will think I hate them or something" he said and Linda could see he was so embarrassed about saying that, as his whole face was red and he was rubbing the back of his neck.
"No shadow, they can clean after themselves, if you not sure my door is always open" she gave him a reassuring smile, shadow was grate full for not embarrassing him further.

"About the kiss"
"Shadow do we have to?"
"Yes we do, now just listen to what I have to say"
"Fine,"
"First, I'm so sorry I told Kelly about it, it was not something I planned on doing, we were fighting and it just slipped out. And secondly I didn't tell her you kissed me, I told her we kissed and thirdly I'm sorry for all you had to go through with her, and that it's handled now"
"What do you man handles?"
"We broke up and she left the villa last week"
"That's not what I meant when I said handle it shadow, bring her back and handle thing properly"
Linda said, causing shadows head to spin at her request.
"Bring her back?? Why?"
"Because shadow, I don't want you to break up with her because she is insecurities. That's just plain wrong."
"Linda how can you defend her after everything she did to you?"
"I'm not defending her, I'm just saying shadow. I'm a girl and I understand, she is confused. Things are changing around her without her control, and for a woman that's just a whole level of control she can not let go"
There was silence between them, shadow said nothing and she just looked him in the eye.
Then all of a sudden shadow smiles at her, confused why the mood change, Linda frowned and asked
"What, what's wrong?"
"No nothing is wrong, you just amazing is all"
Shadow knew Linda was a good person, he had never needed validation before. But what she just said, standing up for a girl who was making her life miserable. Yet there she is demanding for the girl to be given a second chance.
"Well I know that, Im just surprised it took you this long to notice"
Cocking her hip on one side and hands on them, now that for shadow was a game changer, she looked breathtaking, he looked at her and he saw his saving grace.
"I'm not gonna ask her back" his voice low, Linda's stomach turned with a swam of butterflies.
"Shadow, just think about before you decide" she said ignoring the feelings she is feeling all of a sudden.
"I'm not bringing her back because she is not the one I want to be with. I want to be with you Linda" he said moving towards her, a small gasp came through her partially parted lips. He can not mean this, she told herself.
"Shadow I don't think that's a good idea"
"Why not, you can not tell me you don't love me any more"
"That's not what I said, and you know it. Shadow, I want to be with you to so bad but I want to be by myself for once. I want to give birth first and not worry how you feel about the birth, I want to bond with my child without worrying how you will complain of the baby taking all my time. I just want to be by myself and just be me, no man but my son to rule my life, I don't think I'm ready and I don't know how long till I am."
Taking a deep breath, she had to get of her chest, he had to know, she still think about him and wants nothing more then to be in his arm, just not now. She wants to give herself fully to him, not pieces of Jesse left behind.
"I wanna give you all of me, not shit pieces he left"
She clarified when he didn't say anything to her after a good minute.
"I hate he still has so much power over you." In a whisper, that just broke Linda's heart.
"Imagine how I feel"
So much bitterness in her voice, but not for what shadow said but towards Jesse.
The way he hates that man words could never be enough.
"How about we have this talk in let's say 3 to 4 months?"
Shadow asked hopeful. Maybe then she would have had the time she needs, shadow hoped.
"Why not in 6 months instead???"
"I don't think I can wait that long" he went close to her, she just frozen on the sport
"I don't think I can wait 6 months to have you in my arms, hear your laugh, see your smile, feel you hands on me. I don't think I can be that patient"
With each word he took a step, now only Linda's stomach stands between them. But that didn't stop shadow from planting a kiss just an inch closer to her lip.
Her eyes closing in their own, his warmness surrounded her. She was so lost in her fantasy of what she wanted shadow to do to her that she didn't feel when he moved away from her, when shadow saw he sight before him, her lips parted, her skin glowing. Her lips looking so plumped, he felt his knees buckle.
How can one human being be so breathtaking, right then and there he made a vow to make her his again before that 6 months. He smirked when he saw what he still does to her, as he moved away from her to the door, looking one last time he smiled and shook his head and left.
Linda is brought out of her day dream by the click of the door which shadow had done on purpose.
Blinking her eyes a couple of times, she could not believe he just left, but she could not believe her raging hormones.

Back in Sophie office, a breakthrough was made. It should bring good news but it would appear it's only gonna bring heart ache in the Colby mansion.
Sipho ran, he ran like the devil was licking his heels, papers in his hands, he didn't care he looked crazy.
He threw himself in the office, every one there stopped what they were doing and looked him.
Keith, Brian,Phil, mr Colby and shadow were there.
"I know who he is and how to find him"