Treasure for All

1. Nightmares

The bedroom door flew open, and Mrs. Wilcox raced in, still dressed in her nightgown. She shook her youngest daughter awake.

"Celestia," she called.

The young woman immediately woke up and rubbed her tired eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked while noticing San, her husband rush in.

"You two need to hurry," Mrs. Wilcox replied as she grabbed Celestia's bag and started tossing clothes and other personal items in it.

"What's happening?"

"The house has been broken into," San explained as he helped Celestia out of bed, putting her rain boots on her feet.

"Can't we just call the police?"

"This isn't just a robbery, sweetheart," her mother replied as she threw one last pair of socks into Celestia's bag. "They're planning to kill us all."

"Why? What did we do?"

San led his wife to the window, which led out to her balcony. "I can't explain now, angel," he said. "Just now that no matter what happens or where we go, I'm always going to protect you."

"Take this." Mrs. Wilcox handed her daughter a large envelope. "There's over $800,000 in there. I know it's a lot, but it's enough to get you going. Keep it safe."

"You're not coming?" Celestia asked, taking the envelope.

Kissing her daughter's head, Mrs. Wilcox whispered with a tear filling her eye, "I'm afraid not, dear."

"Please, come with us, mom," the young woman begged as she felt her heart beginning to break.

"Celestia, listen to me." Her mother held her face in her hands. "Although you're still my baby, you're grown up. You're old enough to make your own choices, and you have an amazing and loving husband who's going to take care of you. Right now, you two need to run away from here as fast as possible."

"Where is she?!" a voice boomed.

"Come on, angel," San pulled Celestia out of window.

"I love you, mom," she called.

"I love you, sweetheart," Mrs. Wilcox shouted.

San was the first one to climb down the ladder by the balcony, and he held it in place for his wife to climb down after tossing her bag and the envelope down to him. After knocking over the ladder, he grabbed Celestia's hand and dashed away towards the back entrance. Neither of them had a vehicle to get away in, so they would have to travel on foot until they could find a car or truck suitable for them to drive in.

Gunshots could be heard from the house, and the two immediately stopped in their tracks as they began to smell smoke. Turning around, the home they both grew up in was now engulfed in flames. The couple could only hold each other, knowing they were the only family they had now. Them against the world.

...

Celestia's eyes shot open as she gasped. Taking in her surroundings, she realized everything had all been dream. Well, it had actually happened, but it was a recurring nightmare ever since that fateful night. She had been having these nightmares more than crazy pregnancy dreams, which she wished would happen more often. Her heart was still racing from the sudden jolt awake but breathed a sigh of relief knowing she was safe in her and San's bedchambers.

Choi San.

Celestia's beloved husband.

She loved him more than anything, and he was all she had left other than their child growing inside of her. The day they confessed to each other was also the day they knew they wanted to be together for eternity. With the money he earned from working for her father, San was able to buy her the diamond she wore on her left hand. True, they married quite young, but she wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. It was their decision.

Celestia glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

4:00 AM.

It was another two and half hours before it was time for everyone to wake up and start the day, but Celestia couldn't go back to sleep.

Taking one look at her sleeping husband, she slowly rose from her side of the bed and crept out of the room. San and Celestia's bedchambers were the last door at the end of the hallway at the bottom of the ship. She hated how dark it was during the night, but she was thankful Hongjoong kept at least one light on in the middle of the ceiling during bedtime hours. She crept down the hall as quietly as she could towards the staircase that led to the deck. Her fellow crew mate Phoebe was a light sleeper, so she was extra careful when passing her door. Successfully, she made it to the base of the steps without so much as a creak in the floorboards.

Climbing the steps seemed to be more and more challenging as her pregnancy progressed. She was about eight and a half months along, the staircase was only twelve steps high; but she was already out of breath by the time she was on the deck. As excited as she was to be a mother soon, there were things about pregnancy that she could live without. The hormones made her emotionally unstable at times, the smell of San's cologne was making her nauseous, and she hated the way she looked some days. The only good things coming from it was the fetus's movements she felt and the love she was feeling for her future child.

Once she had caught her breath, Celestia made her way over to the starboard. Looking over the wooden railing, she could see the ship was in flight. There was nothing but the moon, stars, and a few clouds covering the night sky.

Peaceful was all she could describe it as.

A pair of strong arms suddenly snaked around her waist, hands gently resting on her basketball-sized baby bump. She recognized the wedding band on the left ring finger. San was up.

"What are you doing up so early, baby?" he asked in a tired voice, placing a kiss on her earlobe.

She relaxed into his embrace, taking note of his warm bare chest. "Nightmares."

"Again?" he asked.

"Yeah." She turned to face him, his dark locks messy from his pillow. "I just came out here to clear my head. I couldn't go back to sleep."

"I was wondering why the bed suddenly got cold," San chuckled.

"I didn't want to wake you."

He kissed her lovingly. "No matter what time of day or night it is, snuggles are always available."

"Thanks."

His hand made its way to her stomach, the baby moving as if to respond to her father's touch.

"Can we all go back to bed now?" San asked.

"Will you carry me at least?" Celestia begged as she threw her arms around San's neck. "Climbing the staircase is such a chore for me now."

San happily scooped up his pregnant wife and began walking back quietly to their bedchambers.

"I love you so much," he smiled as they made it into the door.

"I love you, too," she replied as she was placed on her side of the bed. Celestia grabbed her hairbrush from her nightstand and began to comb through her now tangled red locks.

San couldn't help but stare as he adjusted himself under the blankets. His wife was the most beautiful woman in the world to him. Even when she claimed she felt ugly sometimes, he could never find one flaw on her.

"What is it?" She caught him.

"You're just so beautiful, Celestia," he sighed. "I just can never figure out how I was so blessed to be married to such an angel."

She blushed. No matter how many times he talked so sweetly or flirted with her, she always found herself head over heels in love with him.

"I guess it's true what they say about pregnancy," her husband added.

"And what might that be?" She placed her brush back on her nightstand and snuggled into San's chest, his arms wrapping around her tightly.

"It makes the mother glow." He kissed her forehead. "The moonlight just adds to it."