#spacedogs week

Beth and the man slide into the cab, and Eve follows after, squeezed in. Beth tells the driver their address, and Eve watches as Ella fades into the distance, replaced by the blur of city streets.

They were both silent for several moments, aside from Cecilia's singing to her dragon (or maybe he was singing, who knows?), when there was another knock on the door. "I'm busy!" Nigel barked. "Boss?" That idiot barkeep peeked his head in again and had Nigel's arms not been filled with 19-month-old toddler, he would've thrown something at his stupid head. "That woman keeps insisting to see you." "What woman? She looking for a job, tell her we're not hiring." "No, she says—" "And tell her I'm in the middle of a phone call." "Ring ring!" Cecilia chirped. "That's right, little girl, the phone goes ring ring." "Yeah, but—" "Just throw her out on her ass. I'm busy here." "Okay, just—" "Where is he? Is he back here?" Nigel froze. He wondered vaguely if his synapses were broken and he had finally lost his mind. Then he realized Abby would probably tell him synapses can't break or something and it wasn't until he heard Cecilia going, "Ow, Dada!" did he realize he was holding her too tightly. "I'm sorry, baby, I—" "Nigel?" Oh fuck. He turned in the chair, his arms protectively encircled around his daughter, and tried to steady his breathing. She was right there. Right fucking there. "Gabi," he gasped. She was still beautiful, pale and with long hair, flaming red. Her eyes were wide and Nigel knew they must've looked comical, staring at one another silently, with only a toddler between them. "It is you," she breathed. "I can't believe I found you." Nigel stood up slowly, his grip on Cecilia tight. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "How—" Gabi took a small step and then hesitated, her hands falling to her sides. A tentative smile crossed her lips and Nigel realized he couldn't remember what they tasted like. He swallowed. She shook her head and huffed a laugh. "Whose baby is that?" Nigel gripped Cecilia even tighter and she whined in response. "Mine." Gabi raised an eyebrow. "Who—" "What are you doing here, Gabi?" he repeated. "Where's that cock- where's what's-his-name?" Gabi smiled tightly and shook her head. "Gone." "Dead?" "No!" Gabi sighed. "It wasn't meant to be. It was just..." "A way to escape me." "To escape Romania," Gabi said. "You did, too." "And how exactly did we both wind up here?" "I got a job," Gabi said. "A pit orchestra I met up with in Germany. We're going cross-country." "But how did you find me?" Gabi smiled again. "Darko," she said and Nigel growled again. He would have to have a conversation with him soon. "Said you were in New York and owned a bar but didn't give me much to go on. But there aren't many Romanian bar owners with a shit tattoo on his neck and a bad attitude." Nigel felt his face heat up, looked down, and pressed his lips to Cecilia's hair. She giggled and he closed his eyes. "And what are you doing here in my shithole bar?" Nigel asked. Gabi reached into her torn shoulder bag and for a wild second, Nigel panicked that she had finally come to kill him. Then she pulled out sheets of paper. "Here," she said, handing them to him. "A gift." Nigel shifted Cecilia to his hip and grabbed them. "The fuck is this?" he mumbled. "Divorce papers." Nigel looked up in shock. "It seems about time, don't you think?" Gabi said, sighing and running a hand through her hair. "Unless we are still death to us part. Though," she nodded towards Cecilia who smiled widely in response, "I doubt that." "Gabi, I...what..." "Where's her mama?" Gabi asked abruptly. Nigel looked up and blinked rapidly. "She's at class right now." "She's a student?" Gabi asked, wrinkling her nose. "Yeah, I mean, no, I mean she's thirty-three-years-old. Getting her Master's degree." "And is she...do you love her?" Nigel found himself smiling and he nodded. "Yes," he said softly. Gabi smiled. "I am glad," she said. "But it is time to move on, yes?" "Yeah," Nigel said, clearing his throat. "What do I have to do?" "Sign and I will get it filed." "Really?" "Yes. You can trust me." "I know but—" "You'll be notified when it goes through. I promise." Nigel nodded and looked back down at the paperwork, already bearing several of Gabi's signatures. "There wasn't much to divide between us," she said, "after you gave the club to Darko." He nodded. "You can take whatever is left," he said. "I already did," she grinned. Nigel quirked an eyebrow at her and then put it on his desk. "How long are you going to be in New York?" "Until Tuesday." "Let me read it over. Then I'll get it all to you." "You promise to sign it though?" she asked. "Yeah, I will. I promise." He grinned. "Anxious to get rid of me?" "I think you should be, too," she said, motioning to Cecilia. "You love her Mama, don't you?" Nigel nodded. "Now you can marry her. You always liked being a husband." Nigel swallowed and nodded. "I'll get this back to you by Monday. I promise. I'm here by noon." "Fine," Gabi said. "But don't fuck with me." "Fuck!" Cecilia sang. Gabi grinned as Nigel growled at her. "Hush, Cecilia, you know that's a bad word," he said. Gabi laughed as Cecilia nodded solemnly and then she leaned up to kiss Nigel on his check. He blinked. "Never thought I'd see you as a papa," she said. "Enjoy it." She turned and walked out of his office. From the open doorway, Nigel was able to see a young man waiting for her at the end of the hall. He reached out his hand to take hers and together, they left the empty bar. Nigel swallowed and looked down at the papers on his desk. "This is our secret, alright, Cecilia?" he said. Cecilia nodded. Abby was typing feverishly on her laptop when he and Cecilia arrived home. "MAMA! MAMA!" Cecilia shrieked directly in Nigel's ear. Abby looked up and grinned, standing to take Cecilia in her arms. "Hello, my love, but we mustn't shout in Daddy's ear," she said, kissing their daughter gently. "That's alright, wasn't using it anyway," Nigel sighed. "Where is dinner?" Abby said, watching Nigel slowly take off his jacket and hang it up. "What?" "Dinner. You said you were going to pick up dinner from that new Italian restaurant down the street." "Fuck, I forgot." "Nigel, you know not to swear." Nigel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tightly. "I forgot about dinner," he repeated quietly. "Well, it's alright, I can make us macaroni." "Fine," he huffed. "I'm gonna take a shower." "Are you alright?" Nigel turned to look at Abby. She was staring up at him with wide, concerned eyes as Cecilia played with the necklace he had given her three years ago on her birthday, humming happily. "I'm fine," he said. "Just tired. Headache." "Take some aspirin." "I will." "Maybe a cup of tea?" "Fine." "Nigel?" He stopped on his way down the hall to turn back to Abby. "You didn't kiss me hello," she said. Nigel frowned and nodded. "I'm sorry," he whispered and leaned in to kiss her gently on her lips. "I love you." "I love you, too." "Love you!" Cecilia repeated happily. Nigel smiled and headed into the bathroom. Abby was asleep beside him. Cecilia slept quietly in her room, her tiny sighs coming in over the baby monitor. Nigel suspected she was too old to have one but he was still afraid of not being able to hear her as she slept. He sighed and sat up. He managed to get out of bed with very little noise but of course, Abby always knew what he was doing. "Nigel?" she whispered, her voice thick with sleep. "Where are you going?" "Just to the kitchen for a bit. Go back to sleep." "Are you hungry?" "Headache again," he lied. "Again? I'm worried about you." Nigel bit his tongue and looked back at Abby—she was staring up at him a brow furrowed in concern. God, he hated himself. "I'm fine," he repeated. "Allergies. Go back to sleep." "But—" "Abby, please." "Are you upset with me about something?" "No! No, darling, not at all." In two long steps he was beside the bed and leaned down to kiss her firmly. "I'm not upset with you. This is all me." "Then you are upset with something." "No, not exactly just...confused." "Perhaps we should talk it out," Abby suggested. "I just need some alone time. Alright, sparrow?" Abby swallowed and nodded. "Promise you're not upset?" she whispered. "I promise. Now go to bed. You've got studying to do tomorrow." She nodded and laid back down, watching him leave the bedroom. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to steady her rapid heart rate and quell the sudden rising tide of nausea. Three days later, Nigel had read and re-read the paperwork from Gabi. One of the less shady lawyers he had dealt with when he got the bar went through it and they agreed everything was in order. He signed it and handed it over. It was filed. It was done. Gabi smiled stiffly. Nigel stared at her and realized with a start than he had long stopped thinking of her as his wife. How odd. He hadn't noticed it before. "Now you can marry your daughter's mama," she said. "Yes." "Are you going to?" "I don't know." Gabi cocked her head to one side. "You ought to," she said after a few moments regarding him. "You are calmer now. Better. She has done a good job with you." He looked away. "What about him?" Nigel asked after a few moments, nodding towards the man waiting for her at the bar, the same man who walked her out last time. Gabi glanced over her shoulder. "Ah, Dietrich," she said. "He is in the orchestra, too. A good man." "Yeah?" Gabi nodded. "Well, I'm glad. For you." She smiled and nodded. "Where is your baby today?" "At home with her mom." "She is very cute." Nigel smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. All her mom's doing. Looks nothing like me." "I would not say that," Gabi said. "I saw your eyes in her." "She has blue eyes." "Yes but deeper. They reminded me of you, even without the color." Nigel swallowed and felt his heart constrict with a sudden intense desire to see Cecilia and hold her. "Goodbye, Nigel," Gabi said. She leaned up to kiss him again and he sighed against her lips. "Will I see you again?" he asked. Gabi shrugged and stepped back. "Dietrich and I may return to Germany. We may not. You are lucky; you can marry a US citizen now and get a green card." Nigel started. He hadn't thought of that. "Go home, Nigel, to your baby and her mama. You look sad." Nigel quirked a half smile and kissed her again. "La revedere, Gabi," he whispered. With a parting smile, she was gone. "DADA!" Tiny feet scampered to him before he had a chance to take off his jacket. "Hello, little bird," Nigel greeted, picking Cecilia up effortlessly and kissing her repeatedly on her chubby cheeks. "I missed you all day." "Missed you, too!" she repeated, rubbing her nose along his scruffy jaw. "And where's Mama?" he asked. "I'm right here," Abby said, appearing in the hallway. "Cecilia and I were just studying the properties of dark matter." "Sounds fun," Nigel grinned, leaning down to kiss Abby. "Now, can you hold her for a minute, I'll be right back." "Where are you going?" Abby asked, taking Cecilia back in her arms. "Bathroom." "Are you alright?" "Yeah, yeah, I'll be right back." Abby held Cecilia close and watched Nigel disappear down the hall. "Your dad has been acting very strange, lately," Abby observed to her daughter. "Come on, we've got massive particles to study." Cecilia clapped her hands as her mother carried her back into the living room. Nigel splashed cold water on his face and looked up at his reflection in the mirror. "Fuck," he gasped. "Fucking fuck. Just get it together, old man." He scrubbed a hand over his face and winced when he realized he desperately needed a shave. He was about to reach for his razor when he determined he would just be procrastinating even more. Besides, Abby and Cecilia loved his scruffy face. Nigel leaned his head down on the sink and steadied his breathing. It's okay, he thought, you've got this. Of course she'll say yes. She's yours and your hers. Right? Nigel closed his eyes and reached down into his pocket and felt for the tiny velvet box. With one more deep breath, he stood up and pulled it out, opening it to triple check that the black opal ring was still there. Fuck, he hoped it was the right size. He snapped it shut and placed it back into his pocket and wiped his face with a towel. Okay, he thought, time to do this. He willed his feet to move out of the bathroom into the living room, where Abby was sitting on the couch, Cecilia sprawled in her lap, and the coffee table littered with papers, textbooks, and her laptop. Before he gave himself a chance to think, Nigel went down onto one knee in front of her and locked eyes with Abby. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Does your leg hurt?" "No, my leg doesn't hurt, sparrow," he said. "I'm kneeling because I have to ask you something." "Nigel, you have bad knees, you shouldn't be kneeling on a hardwood floor." "I can for a minute or two." "But—" "Just let me finish, alright?" Abby nodded, her eyes still concerned. "Abby, I have loved you since the moment you opened your mouth and started telling me about stars and constellations and black holes and black matter—" "Dark matter." "Dark matter and these last few years together have been the best of my fucking life." "Nigel!" "Sorry. But it's the truth. You not only gave me love and a purpose; you gave me our daughter and I never thought someone like me deserved so many miracles but I'm so grateful that everyday I get to wake up next to you, with Cecilia across the hall." Abby blushed. "I'm grateful, too," she said. "There's just one thing that's missing." Abby cocked her head and stared at him, questioningly. Nigel swallowed and reached into his pocket, retrieving the little box. With shaking hands, he opened it and presented the ring to Abby, suddenly nervous that she would be offended at not receiving a diamond. "Will you marry me?" he whispered. Abby gazed down at the ring, wide-eyed. "Nigel," she gasped, "it looks like a planet!" "I know, that's why I picked it out," he said. "Would you rather have a diamond ring? I'll get you one." "No, no! It's just..." and Abby suddenly looked sad. Nigel's stomach dropped. "We can't get married. You are still married to Gabi." Nigel grinned and shook his head. "No, we just filed the divorce papers. I saw her this week. Just a couple months and we'll be able to get married, you and me." "Really?" Abby breathed. "Really. I'll show you the paperwork and everything. Abby, we can do this now." Abby stared at him and then a wide grin broke over her face "Is that a yes, sparrow?" "Yes, Nigel, I'll marry you." Nigel's grin widened as he took out the ring. "Lemme have your hand, love." "Wait, I can't." "What? Why not?" Abby nodded down to Cecilia and Nigel blinked, suddenly realizing that Cecilia was not resting in her mother's arms, but nursing, being supported by Abby's left arm. He barked a laugh. Abby frowned. "Christ, I was so nervous, I didn't notice," he said, still laughing. "First time I ever didn't realize a woman's tit was out." Abby pursed her lips and tried valiantly not to smile, but failed. "It isn't out," she stated. "Not completely, anyway." "Well, when you're done, the ring is yours," Nigel said, and wondered if he would ever stop grinning. "But Nigel, I..." Abby trailed off and bit her lip nervously. "I don't know if I should take it yet." "Why the hell not? You don't like it?" "I love it! It's just... well, you remember how my fingers swelled up when I was pregnant with Cecilia," Abby said. Cecilia, at the mention of her name, looked up from her mother's breast and sang, "Mama!" "Yes, I'm your mama," Abby said and caught Cecilia's flaying hand with her own free one and kissed it. "You remember, right, Nigel?" "Well, yeah, but what does that—" Nigel stopped short and forgot, momentarily, how to breathe. He stared at Abby, beautiful, perfect Abby, and abruptly dropped the ring in his hand. "Nigel!" "Abby," he said and grabbed her by the shoulders, his hands shaking. "What are you saying?" "You dropped the ring." "No, before. About your fingers." "My fingers swell up when I'm pregnant." "Does that mean," Nigel said slowly, his heart racing, "that you're pregnant again. Now?" Abby smiled and nodded. "I was waiting to tell you for your birthday next week but..." she shrugged and Cecilia giggled. "Surprise." A strange sound escaped Nigel—he wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a sob—before he launched himself at her and kissed her firmly, causing Cecilia to erupt in shrieks of laughter as she found herself squished between her two parents. "Dada!" she cried. "Dada!" "Oh, Christ, I'm sorry, little bird," Nigel gasped, pulling back from the still smiling Abby. He leaned down and kissed Cecilia, running his hand through her hair. "My little bird is going to be a big sister." "Yes, she is," Abby agreed. Nigel sniffed and gazed back up, blinking away the tears in his eyes. "Abby," he whispered, cupping her face in his hand. "I fucking love you." "Nigel, you know better!" He laughed and kissed her again. "Forgive me?" he whispered. "Always," Abby smiled.