CATHERINE

Alexa was cutting some bok choy when someone appeared behind her and held her gently by the waist.

She felt his warm breath on her neck then took a deep breath as Curtis said,"Hello sweetie."

He then turned over and kissed her on the lips then walked to her side and asked,"So, what's cooking, good looking?"

"Some news, actually."She said.

He ate an apple slice and asked,"What kind of news?"

"... I'm pregnant."She said.

He choked on air and she asked if he was okay.

He then said,"No no I'm fine, what?"

She smiled then said,"Curtis, we're expecting a baby."

Everything went blank for him and she asked if something was wrong, but as he heard, and saw, it was as if his head was under water, he could barely breathe.

She walked closer to him and the moment she tapped him, he snapped back into reality.

She then asked,"Is that some new skill or is something wrong?"

He just said,"Oh, it's nothing, sorry for what happened but I just remembered, I have to go somewhere."

"Really? Where?"She asked.

"... it's a family matter and you know my parents, all or nothing, but, see you later."

He crashed into the door post then stumbled backwards and cussed.

Alexa walked closer to him but he roughly pushed her off then walked away.

She was confused, and hurt, why was he acting like this?

Alexa also realized Curtis started avoiding her, she wouldn't see him at the camp or anywhere else or hear from him for days on end, then when she caught up to him he'd make some lame excuse about his family and his own stress, it started to get to her.

My mom came for a visit once then saw Alexa, not as she expected, she looked dull and grey, like she'd just been crying.

My mom became concerned and asked her what was wrong, Alexa burst into tears then said,"I'm having a baby."

My mom gasped and squealed,"Really?! Are you serious?!"

Alexa nodded slowly then when my mom started to get a gist of the situation, she asked,"But what's wrong? Aren't you happy?"

"I am, more than anything, but Curtis isn't."

My mom let herself in then sat with Alexa on the couch and asked for more information, Alexa told her everything about how weirdly he'd been acting then my mom looked into her eyes, brushed some of her long and messy hair off her face then asked,"Have you asked him about it?"

"Yes, several times but he always brushes the topic aside like our baby isn't important to him, like he doesn't even want it."

"I mean really, have you asked him about it? Your father acted in a similar way when I first got pregnant because he knew Principal Blythe of Bright Academy might have targeted my children's gifts, but I didn't know that was his reason, I was miserable for days, until I got really sick and he took, the best care of me, I then begged him, with tears, for him to tell me why he was acting so strangely, then he told me and I felt like I understood him a whole lot more."

Alexa looked down to her feet then my mom cupped her cheek, lifted her face and wiped her tears while saying,"This is a crucial step in your relationship and will show you his true colours, your first test, if he is the right one for you, he'll pass."

Alexa smiled then said,"Thank you."

Then she hugged her.

Curtis passed by a curve then went into an alleyway, expecting to see his dog, but was surprised and stunned when he saw Alexa, standing there, with a sorrowful and loving expression on her beautiful face.

He took a deep breath and was about to leave when she ran and held his hand then said,"Curtis, please, talk to me, what is going on with you?"

"Alexa, let me go."

"No I won't! Why are you acting so strangely?! I am expecting your own baby and you're trying to dump me?! I thought you changed!"

A crowd was beginning to gather and Curtis didn't like this, one bit, he then said,"Alexa, please, stop."

"Then tell me why you hate your child!"

He then hugged her tightly and she hugged him back as he said,"I could never hate my child, or you."

He pulled back and looked into her warm, brown eyes then said she should follow him.

He took her to another alley then opened a portal, but it led into a colourful place, into the Space between spaces, she was confused as he walked forward but she pulled back.

He looked at her, with tears in his eyes as he asked,"Alexa, do you trust me?"

She hesitated, then nodded and he walked with her into the inter dimensional realm which cut across different stages of reality.

They were there, floating in no dimensions yet all of them, as he told her to close her eyes.

His deep and smooth voice echoed in the endless void as she closed her eyes, then saw, deeper than she saw before, it was everything, yet nothing, unexplainable.

She saw through him and in him, seeing all his pain, agony and fears, he feared what his family might do to their child, how they might decide to give the child the life that he had gotten, a cold, painful one, full of suffering and devoid of love, she saw how he feared the fact that he didn't know how to be a father as he had never had one.

Alexa opened her eyes then kissed him, as he was floating upsidedown, or she was upsidedown, but they remained in each other's arms as they slowly spun.

She pulled back then hugged him and said,"You will never be like them, you will be a wonderful father, and a wonderful husband."

He straightened himself then they heard a light thump, then there were two successive ones, then four, overlapping, before sixteen, then they were uncountable.

He looked down to see a faint white, blue and black glow pulsating from her belly, with thin ribbon like phases of light, floating off of it.

He smiled then looked at her, then immediately, some of the endless colour solidified to support him and her as he went on one knee then listened to their child's heartbeat.

He then smiled at her and said,"Catherine is the best thing that ever happened to me."

He then gently took her hand and placed it on the glow then she saw, everything in Catherine's life, from the day she was born, till the day she activated her first light, teleportation, then water.

She looked exactly like her father, but had the spirit of her mother, she was so beautiful and Alexa burst into tears as Curtis carried her between his arms then said,"I love you, Alexa, and will not let any of the other possibilities happen."

Immediately, they appeared right next to Micky, Nikki and Ricky, the triplets, as they slept soundly.

They didn't only see the good future of Catherine, they saw all the possibilities that could happen, all the realities where she got different names, where she got a different name which was eventually changed to Cathy, where Curtis died, where Alexa died in childbirth, where Catherine was kidnapped at birth, where Catherine had a birth defect, birth defects, where Catherine activated her water light first, everything, in one moment.

Alexa immediately hugged Curtis and he hugged her back then she said,"We're going to be the best family for her...for all of them."