FALLEN | The Devil of Caracas

Chapter 10 | Mother

Caracas, Venezuela | 09:33 hours

Lexi's eyes flutter open. This time there's no panic. She's calm. It's the first time in several days she hasn't dealt with the terrifying nightmares.

The warm Venezuelan sun creeps into the room, under the window's curtain. She hears the subtle sound of the street, as the people begin their day.

Then the peace subsides. Her stomach clenches and her mouth tastes foul. 'dammit,' she thinks to herself. She slips out from under the sheets and wanders into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

She feels gut tightening inside her body. Flipping the light on, she suddenly lunges for the toilet, spewing out last night's dinner.

"Ugh," she gasps. Lexi flushes the toilet and pulls herself to her feet. She then grabs a water bottle and leans over the sink to wash out her mouth and brush her teeth.

There's a knock at the bathroom door before it opens. Sam steps inside, furrowing his eyebrows as he examines his wife.

"You okay? Did you throw up again?" he asks.

Lexi faces away from him, watching his reflection in the mirror. She says nothing as she continues to scrub her teeth. She leans forward, spits, rinses out her mouth, and then stands up straight again, still facing his reflection. "Yeah," she finally says.

"What's going on?" Sam asks.

He watches her carefully as she takes in a long, deep breath.

Lexi finally turns to face him and leans against the sink. She looks at the floor and then back at him, unsure of what to say. She's stalling. If she tells him, she's afraid of what he'll say. But she doesn't feel right keeping this from him.

He slowly moves toward his wife, with his eyes fixed on her.

"You-" he starts, "did you take a test?"

She looks up at him. Her heart flutters. 'He'll be a good father.'

She nods.

"And?" he asks.

'He'll be the best father.'

She nods.

Sam's eyes ignite with excitement. His uncontainable smile slowly spreads across his face,  unveiling his perfectly white teeth. "Yes!" He exclaims. The sudden outburst shocks Lexi, making her jump. Sam leans down, wrapping his arms around her and lifts her upward.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he chants, spinning around, holding her tightly.

She laughs. All her anxieties suddenly melt away and are replaced with a new found sense of excitement and joy. She wraps her arms around him and squeezes him closer to her, feeling his warmth and comfort. Hope rapidly fills her body. 'This is the one,' she thinks to herself. 'This one will make it. This one will change our lives. This baby will be our new beginning.' She squeezes Sam tightly. She doesn't want to let go. She refuses to let go.

---

"Wait, what?!" exclaims Jason, excitedly.

"We're pregnant," repeats Lexi. She's glowing.

"Well, technically you are. Sam's not," says Dietrich.

"Congratulations!" says Anatoly.

They all sit around a single table, enjoying breakfast at a small local restaurant. The crowd is minimal, as most people have already started their day and the lunch rush has yet to happen.

"It's still pretty early, so we really shouldn't be saying anything," says Lexi. "You're not supposed to tell people until the second trimester."

"Well I'm glad you told us," says Dietrich as he sips on his mimosa. He plays along as if he knew nothing of the pregnancy. 

Lexi smiles at him. "Me too."

"So, we've got a team of six now," jokes Jason. "Increasing our numbers."

"Well, obviously Lexi's got to be a little more careful, now that she's got someone else to look after," says Sam, as he takes a bite from his Arepa.

Lexi turns to face him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The team goes quiet, watching the interaction.

Sam swallows and then looks at Lexi. "It means you can't go storming this dude's house, if we have to," he replies.

Lexi feels the euphoria sucked from her body. "Are we really going to do this again?" she asks.

Sam leans back in his chair and rolls his eyes. "Oh my god," he says.

"We already talked about this," she says. "I'm a part of this thing and I will do my job. This changes nothing. I'm perfectly capable."

"Lexi," starts Sam, "I know you're capable. You're just as qualified as the rest of us. I've seen you in action." He chooses his words carefully.

"Then don't be such a misogynistic asshole, alright?" Lexi fires back.

"Oh... my... God." says Sam, drawing out each word.

The group remains quiet, holding perfectly still. The silence grows thicker, while Lexi stares her husband down. Sam avoids her gaze, trying to figure out a way to express himself without setting her off.

He takes a deep breath. "Okay," he says, looking up at her. "You're right."

Lexi's surprised by this sudden change. "Damn right I am," she says, folding her arms across her chest.

"It's not a question of whether or not you can do it," says Sam. "I know you. I know perfectly well what you can do." He pauses for a moment. "We've just defeated the impossible. There's a new life inside you that we never thought would ever be there again. I just want to be careful. I just want to protect it."

Something clicks in her mind; she guards herself, thinking Sam is trying to protect her when in reality he is trying to protect their future - their child.

"I know," she says finally.

"So... we good?" asks Jason. "I don't really want to get involved here, but we can't be worrying about who's doing what, while it's all going down."

"He makes good point," says Anatoly.

Sam sighs. Lexi looks over at him. He knows he can't control her. He doesn't want to control her. He just wants her to understand. Sam looks up to meet her gaze.

"Yeah, we're good," he says.

"I'll be on standby," says Lexi.

"What?" asks Sam.

"I'll be on standby," she repeats. "If we have to go in, you, Jason, and Dietrich will go and I'll keep an eye on the family." She looks over at the others. "I'm the only one here who speaks Spanish. If we're going to gag and hogtie some poor family, so we can use their house as a base to kill their neighbor, maybe I can at least help keep them calm."

"Makes sense," says Dietrich. The others nod.

"And then when you guys screw it up, I'll come over to clean up your mess," adds Lexi. They all laugh.

Sam reaches over and grabs her hand. "Thank you," he says quietly.

"Ain't doing it for you," says Lexi as she reaches for her bottled water. She smiles at Sam and he smiles back.