It's nearing Christmas and the baby would be due in three months, March 12, or so the doctor estimated. It had taken Thorn eight visits to the doctors office to finally stop freaking out every time someone touched her. But she still doubted just about everything they had to say to her. Honestly, how can they tell the exact day that a baby will be born?

So anyways, Christmas, and the baby's due date in three months. The Mall is the place to be. She was starting to feel the aches that so many woman complained about, such as in her knees and her lower back but she refused to start complaining. Something felt as though if she complained about the aches of pregnancy she would be complaining about the baby itself. And about the rape somehow. That little bastard of a child couldn't make her complain in any way about it, not even through aches and pains six months later. Not extremly logical but it was working for her.

She was moving slowly through the halls, looking for anything she could possibly get Gattling for Christmas. She had one bag in her hand containing three toys and a dipper bag. She'd not asked what the baby's gender was so everything they purchased so far, including curtians and a changing table for the baby's room, were pale yellow and useing the theme of Peter Rabbit. Girls and boys could cope with that. Right? She was suposed to be meeting Gattling in the food court after he got off work to find a crib and maybe a stroller.

Her long hair was pulled up into a ponytail, curly as ever. She'd invested in blue jeans and skirts from a maternity store a while back but continued to wear her old sweaters from the college, even though she'd never attended the school. Blue jeans under a baggy black sweater from Keaton kept her warm enough from the winter for now. Amazingly, she was so small and the baby seemed so small that for six months, she didn't look very big. She felt big, however, when she dropped herself slowly into one of the chairs at the food court. The smells made her feel sick.

Gattling was running late. He'd had to load quite a few heavy things up at the time he'd normally be closing the gallery, it seemed everyone decided to show up and get stuff last minute lately as the holidays crept closer. Bah humbug he thought as he made his way in the food court entrance hoping Thorn wouldn't be too mad at his tardiness.

He hated Christmas time he really did. It had never been a good time fo year for him. He fleetingly wondered how Viv was holding up, it tended to be a bad time for her too.

He unzipped his ratty green field jacket and his sneakers squeaked on the tile floor, wet from melted snow. He'd been wearing jeans to work the last week or so, Len had been staying up front and he'd been doing a ton of loading and unloading so Len had excused him from wearing good clothes he might tear up.

He spotted Thorn sitting not too far from the entrance with a few shopping bags.

"Hey." he said softly sitting down across from her once he'd threaded his way through shoppers to the table.

She'd been watching a group of nearby girls, thirteen year olds dressed like twenty-year old two-dollar whores who had just come into the mall smelling like cigerettes. A frown had creased her eyebrows and her attintion was almost completly gone do she actually jumped just a little when someone said 'hey' and Gattling was just suddenly sitting across the table from her.

She smiled just a little, then it widened a little more. "Hi. Look," she pushed the bag across the floor under the table with the toe of her boot. She'd finally given up the boots with the rediculous platform, afraid of falling, and traded them in for flat-bottomed boots that reaches up just over the ankle. More sensible.

In the bag was a pale blue dipper bag with various pockets and pouches, a yellow rattle, and a pack of pacifiers.

"What took so long?" Shes not angry. Is he crazy, when has she ever honestly been angry with him?

He is crazy, just a little. " He looked over her purchases with a small childlike grin.

"I thought I'd never get out of there had to keep loading big stuff in people's cars, I'd get back inside and Len would have something else sold. She finally walked over and locked the doors. Locked a few people in the gallery with us while we sorted them all out, but if she hadn't I think we'd still be there." he said. Sometimes Len was just too nice.

"She was going to run in since she dropped me off, and say hi to you, but I think she was running late for something so she changed her mind." he added.

"How was your day?" he asked her. even though they were surrounded by throngs of shoppers he still didn't speak very loudly, and he talked to her like she was the only other person in the world. Though must of the time to Gattling she is.

She watched him look over the items as if she were anticipating his approval, everything needed approved by Gatt, everything needed to be perfect. So far, it was. She smiled upon hearing the reason that he was late. Len was just such a kind hearted woman. And somehow, Thorn always found herself trying to find ways to make things easier on Len, like making dinner and inviting her, probably because she knew Len had been through what she had...with the same person.

"So business must be really spiking. How is she?" See there, that little almost unnoticable note of concern.

"Long. This young gay couple hired Perri to work their injury claims case and it's been nothing but paper work."

"She seems fine, been busy with her boy. She's been doing some portraits on commision too." He commented about his boss. Gatt found Len's resiliance rather amazing.

He didn't ever notice that Thorn was after his approval, he was much too worried over having hers. Such a strange situation. He tried not to think about what had happened to Len and Thorn, tried not to think about Raven, because he wanted to find the kid, and kill him. He wanted to make sure the little shit would never ever hurt his Thorn again, or any one else for that matter.

He reached across the table and took her hand to gently give it a squeeze. "I'm sorry you had a long day, anything I can do to make it better?" he asked still in the same soft voice.

"Busy girl. How is her son, is he still working around the gallery too?"

Thorn tried not to think about Raven too, but dreams kept haunting her, and the biggest fear that she's yet to have voiced to Gattling, that her baby, their baby, will look like Raven. That would be awful.

She returned the squeeze before weaving her fingers through his. "You already have." That voice, the one meant just for her, the one that made her the only person that mattered, the only person he in the world at the moment, that made most things better. It always improved her day. " it was just a long day, not rough at all."

He blushed a little at being told that. "You want something for supper or should we look at cribs now?" he asked her. He hoped the baby was as beautiful as she was, he'd love it anyway though, it was part of her. His fingers gently rubbed hers.

"And yeah he still helps around the gallery. He's with Len in back a lot painting too." he said.

"He;s a good boy," she said absently, looking at his fingers rubbing her hand, smiled gently at them and sighed. "Lets go look at cribs. I can't handle the food here, let alone the smell of it," besides that, since the day he'd met her she'd never really eaten fast foods of any kind. "And the minute I'm home i am not going back out."

She laughed. "Good luck getting me from the living room to the bedroom tonight." It was an effort just to get up now. Which she was now doing, working her way to her feet. And she was going to get bigger before the baby was born? She already had to work to move, she couldn't possibly get bigger! And to think, she's considerably smaller then most women six months pregnant.

He helped her to her feet. "what do you want to eat when we get home?" he asked her. "And why wouldn't I be able to get you out of the living room? I'm perfectly capable of picking you up you know." he teased gently. He'd carry her around the mall if she asked him to, as long as it made her happy.

"Should we look in the baby store first, the toy and baby place, or the department stores? Do you have any ideas about cribs yet?" he asked softly leaning close to speak to her as they walked. Most men might not make a big deal over baby shopping, not Gatt though, he wanted everything to be perfect for Thorn and the baby too.

She paused, waited, grinned. "For once, I'm not craving anything." She was tired though, and did not want to cook, and even though she knew he would, she also knew he must be tired from work. "Lets just call in for chinese." They both seemed to like it anyways.

She actually laughed, "I'm fatter then I used to be you know," her tone was equally teasing. She knew she wasn't fat, not really, she was just carrying around a baby. Besides, it was already hard enough for him to carry her with his bad leg, and that had been when she weighed a mere 115 pounds. but now?

"I think the baby store is closest." And she slipped her hand in his. "Anything not plastic or metal?" She suggested, meaning wood. They were spending a lot on the baby, it deserved the best.

"Okay let's see what the baby store has then." he said squeezing her hand.

She wasn't fat, but he was pretty sure she wasn't serious. He didn't say anything about it just held her hand and stayed close to her. He was glad a few months back he'd gotten that random inheritance, most of the money that had been spent from it so far had been spent on the baby.

He walked at a leisurely pace with her ignoring the hustle and bustle of those around them. He wasn't in any hurry, he didn't want to get Thorn tired needlessly.

Most people just poured around them, they were in no hurry and once people realized she was pregnant most of them stopped complaining about how slow they were moving. One little girl with her pregnant mother stopped to point at her. 'Look mommy, she hasa new little sister too!' Thorn smiled and tried not to let it fade. That reminded her about the potential other little girl that might be joining their family. She didn't mind have another child around she was just afraid. It was enough she was scared she wouldn't be a good enough mom to one child. And then she was afraid that Gatt might love his girl more then her baby.

"She's cute," she mumbled, entering the baby's store.

Gatt noticed her mumbling. "Everything okay?" he asked softly only sparing a faint nod to acknowledge teh girl's cuteness.

He put his arm around Thorn's shoulders. "If this is too tiring, we can do it another time." he told her. He worried about her even more lately, pregnancy had the potential to take a lot ouf of a woman, he worried about her working too much among other things.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled and everything looked fine. Most everything felt fine too. It wouldn't be as if she wouldn't love his child, if it was his, but still.

She curled her body against his side, comfortable because right there she felt safe. Even with his bad leg, she was safe. "I'm a little tired. I told Perrie I was going to stop working next month," she hadn't discussed the decision with him prior to making it because she knew that's what he wanted. She'd only waited right up to the last moment to stop working because she was worried about them finacially. She always worried about money because before they'd met, she'd always been tight for it. And he'd had a gambling problem.

THough with his recent inheratance things were easier.

"Tell me if we need to stop and take a breather then." He told her softly as she curled more against him. It made his heart flutter everytime she did something like that, because he knew how hard it was for her to trust and feel safe. It was somehow thrilling to know she felt so comfortable with him.

They moved into the furniture section of the store. "Hey what do you think about his one?" He asked walking her into the middle of a nursery furniture suite, it was all mahoghony, varnished in warm tones. There was a matching crib, changing table, dresser, and night stand. The crib converted to a toddler bed. Little alphabet blocks in multi-colors embellished the furniture.

She smiled and didn't hesitate, "perfect." Mostly she'd thought of the child's gender. Her baby girl would get a white crib but her baby boy would have gotten a light brown crib. But this dark woord was perfect and there was no denying it. She'd been like that with everything else. They looked, and looked, and looked but the minute she found something she liked, they didn't save it and look for anything better. It's what she wanted.

She lifted her head and glanced around the store a few times, put her eyes back to this crib, then to Gattling. "Do you want to look at anything else?"

She moved forward and pressed her hand down onto the thin padded matress, ran fingers up the side of the crib, feeling the wood, makeing sure it was smooth, then curled her hand around his.

"I like this one. You like this one, I think we should get it." he told her simply as he laced his fingers through hers and smiled at her.

She liked how simple he could be. How simple and easy his decisions were. Loving and living with him was so much easier then anything else, even being alone.

She curled back into his arm again, closer. "Ok. I like it all matches," she added, tipping her head just a little bit.

"Great, lemme pay for it and arrange for delivery, or is there anything else I'm forgetting to consider while we're in here. Should we look at those mobiles for over the crib? " he asked still holding her hand with his left hand and picking up a stuffed plushie bear that made womb noises with his right hand and activating it. He did not set the plushie bear back down.

She smiled at the bear. “Um, sure. I think they’re over there,” she guestured and then reached out to rub her hand through the fur of the bear. Soft. It met her approval too. She smiled and put one arm around his waist and picked up the shopping bag with another to lead him towards the crib accessories. “Might want to find a sheet cover for it too,” she mumbled thoughtfully.

"Maybe so." he said softly. He was mulling over something his sister had said to him about all the baby shopping. Viv had been strangely lucid lately, and broguht up the topic of a baby shower, if only he knew how to brooch the subject with Thorn though.....

Baby shower? For Thorn? Riiiight.

That would be one depressing baby shower. Who was he intending to invite? Dan? Vivenne? Jayme? Lyn? Considering a baby shower is technically suposed to be for women, that would make three people. Two slim women and a basketball. And if he did throw a baby shower, if he invited Perrie, she'd shoot him. She gets coddled at work often enough.

Thorn would not be happy. The thought was nice but it would only do to remind her that she had no life until Gatt came along, and even now, there's very few people that care about her, or that she cares about at all.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" He was distracted, she could tell that much.

For the reasons already mentioned he won't bring it up. He doesn't want to make a misstep here. Though he is afraid Viv might take it upon herself to do something. "just thinking about Viv." he said. It wasn't a lie and his sister was just such a strange person it would explain his preoccupation.