Gravity Rises (S3)

AI: Part One

JANUARY 13, 2013

The alarm went off. Everly Grace Prewitt rolled over with a moan and silenced the device with the press of a button.

"All right, Grace," she muttered to herself. "Another day, another random body pain. Here we go."

Grace sat up, wincing at the pain in her abdomen. This pregnancy was admittedly easier than her first two, it was true, but that didn't mean it wasn't painful in its own right. The baby inside of her was growing, and she felt the pain that accompanied that growth.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, then put a gentle hand on her stomach. "Good morning, baby girl," she said softly to her pregnant belly. Grace was eighteen weeks pregnant, and she'd had the ultrasound last week that told her that the baby was a girl. There wasn't much of a baby bump yet — Grace could easily hide it with flowy tops — but there would be soon. She needed to dig out her maternity clothes and hope they still fit her.

But not right now. Right now, she needed to make breakfast for her two boys. She got dressed, then glanced sadly at the empty bed. Her husband, Edward, was away on a business trip, and she'd slept alone in the king-sized bed for the last few nights. She missed him, like she always did when he had to go out of town. But he'd be home in just a few hours, so she could make it until then.

Grace padded out to the kitchen and started making eggs and toast. Her boys were picky, as many young children were; but eggs and toast, to their parents' relief, was one meal they'd always eat. It was simple fare, for the boys would turn their noses up at anything fancier. Grace liked to experiment with more complicated meals, but for now that was saved for date nights when she and Edward sent the boys to a babysitter's house and then cooked dinner together.

Maybe they could do that soon.

Grace soon heard a soft whining from the living room. She ignored it until she had finished making breakfast, which didn't take long. Then she followed the sound to where Edward's big grey dog lay in his giant dog kennel. "Good morning, Duke," she said. The dog wagged his tail and whined, asking to be let out. "All right, let's get you breakfast, how about that?"

She went and filled Duke's food and water bowls, then returned to let the dog out of his kennel. Duke stretched, then came out and gently butted Grace's chest with his head. Given his size, Duke could easily trample Grace if he wanted to. But the old Great Dane would never harm a fly.

Grace ruffled his ears. "Good morning to you, too. Your food is in the kitchen." She followed him in and made sure the humans' food was safely out of the way of the huge dog.

Duke started eating his food, and Grace went to go wake her boys. She climbed the stairs to their room and opened the blinds. "Good morning, Curtis," she said. "Good morning, Jojo."

Curtis and Joseph Prewitt opened their eyes. Four-year-old Curtis immediately sat up. "Are we going to the zoo today, Mommy?"

Grace smiled. Curtis loved the Oakland zoo. But they weren't going today, not least because it was cloudy outside and would likely rain soon. "No, we're not going to the zoo today," she told Curtis, giving him a hug. "Today, we're going to welcome Daddy home from his trip."

"Daddy's home!" Curtis said excitedly. He climbed out of bed.

"He's not home yet, but he will be soon," Grace said. She turned to two-year-old Joseph and helped him out of bed. He was a quiet, smiley boy, and he smiled one of his sleepy morning smiles at Grace. She hugged him, then helped him get dressed as Curtis dressed himself on the other side of the room.

Once the boys were dressed, Grace sent them down to breakfast. She glanced out the window again and sighed. The rain in Oakland, California seemed so dreary sometimes. It never snowed, either. Summers here were nice, but Grace didn't like the winter climate much at all. She didn't specifically remember a time when she had been in snow, but she somehow knew she liked it. She wished it would snow here at least sometimes.