Darcy is strolling along through the campus, with not a care in the world. He looks - snuggly. He's dressed in a warm sweater, a scarf, and even has on mittens, warm-looking knitted ones that some aunt or grandmother probably made for him.

Maybe he's on his way to meet one of his many acquaintances to chat, or study, or just plain hang around. It really doesn't matter. What matters is, he's in a good mood right now (isn't he always?), and he ought to enjoy his last few moments of it because it's almost certain it's not going to be lasting much longer.

You might say that.

You might also say that he's about to get a dose of what Teague's been dealing with for the past several months, which comes to the same thing. At least Darcy doesn't have to do everything that Jetta tells him to do, right?

She can't hide her pregnancy these days. The belly is just a bit too obvious. She's finally given into that, and is wearing sensibly maternity clothing, though it's still the height of all fashion. She doesn't believe in looking drab, so if she must wear maternity clothing, it's going to be nice maternity clothing.

The most annoying bit is that she can't manage to look sexy.

"Why, hel-lo, honey. How have you been, Darcy?"

"Eh?"

Blink.

He stares. Who is--? Oh, wait, he recognizes her now.

"Jetta. Hello," he says, with a slightly forced smile. It's plain that it's forced. Darcy's not used to giving smiles that are anything short of genuine. "I've been - alright, I guess. And you?"

Jetta smiles her catsmile and waves a hand vaguely.

"Oh, I've been all right, I suppose. I can't wait to get rid of this." She indicates her belly with an overdramatic sigh.

"How have your finals been, honey?"

It's amazing how casual she is being, isn't it.

Alarming, more like. At least in Darcy's opinion. Isn't a baby supposed to be something to look forward to, not something to treat as a hassle?

"Um,.. they've gone well, I guess. I don' believe I did so well in English, though," he grimaced. "I tried,...and I'm getting better at it,... but I really don' think I did well. At best, I've passed. How about you? How is...everything?"

Well, maybe she's looking forward to having the baby because, let's face it, pregnancy is a singularly awkward state. She wants to be able to seperate the baby from herself, every now and then.

But of course she's looking forward to having the baby.

... no, I don't think so either.

"Oh, I did all right on my exams." She smiles and tucks platinum blond hair behind her ear. "Everything else... well, my social life has been a bit dull, lately."

Pout.

"Ah, yes? That is too bad." He looked somewhat grave - again, forced. He feels awkward around her, considering how things were the last time he saw her. She hurt him, and yet he's never seen her mean streak. It's perplexing to the poor boy. "I can ... see why, I guess. But you are well?

"Mhmm. Really well."

Her face falls a little, out of keeping with her words.

Manipulative bitch. She knows Darcy's a sweetheart--it amuses her--and she's wondering if he'll take the bait and try to comfort her. Not that she needs comfort, but he doesn't know that, does he?

"Qu-"
Pause.
He's never going to get better at English if he doesn't use it, right?
"What's the matter? Something is not going right?" Darcy asks, tilting his head to one side.
He's taken it hook, line, and sinker.

Darcy is adorable, but he's also stupid.

"Oh, nothing." Pause. "It's just... the baby's father left me, a couple months back..."

Well. It's only half a lie? Hunter left her, that's true. And she was certainly upset about that. (Read: utterly furious that he dared pull her own trick on her), but Hunter is not the baby's father.

Thank heaven.

He's too nice and trusting for his own good.

"Really? I'm sorry..." Darcy's eyes widen slightly. "What are you going to do?"
Hopefully his common sense, what little of it there is, will kick in soon and tell him that she really doesn't need his sympathy.

"Oh, I don't know, really."

She sighs. (She should go into the movies. She'd fit right in with all the hollywood backstabbing, don't you think?)

"I guess I'll just figure it out as I go."

"Well..."
And yay for common sense and learning from past experiences.
"I'm sure you will," he says encouragingly. "You'll do fine."
Notice that he doesn't offer his help. He does want to,... and Darcy isn't the sort to hold a grudge, but he knows she really doesn't deserve his help.

She nods and intensifies the helpless act.

"I guess so, but I've never made a mistake like this before... I don't know what to do about things."

The mistake to which she refers is not sleeping with someone while dating someone else, but forgetting to use protection and not having an abortion.

She does not say that, of course.

He cracks an awkward smile, and shrugs.

"I don' know any more than you," he points out. "Did you talk to your parents...?"

"Oh, Mom's ecstatic." She rolls her eyes. "She can't wait to be a grandmother."

Dad is less than thrilled, but she won't mention that. Dad is never particularly thrilled with his daughter. She doesn't actually care these days.

"Then you're alright. She raised you, didn' she?" Darcy grinned. "I'm sure she can help you with whatever problems you have. She'll 'ave done it all before."

Jetta shrugs.

"She'll lose interest when the kid starts being willful and stops being adorable." She did that before, too.

... Goodness. I thought Jetta was completely acting, but she really doesn't know what she'd do with a child.

I suppose it's a good thing that Teague is taking the baby, isn't it.

"Don't worry about it yet. That's a while from now. You 'ave enough on your plate without worrying for later,... I'm sure you will 'ave your footing by then." He smiles. See the nice smile? Everything's going to be fine. Of course it will.

She nods.

"Of course I will." She smiles.

"Hey, any ideas for names? I had an ultrasound; it's a girl."

"That's great. Um,..." he frowns in thought.
Girl names, girl names...
"...Colette?" he offers, smirking apologetically. "I don' know..."

She makes a face.

"Nah. Sounds too much like some character out of Les Miserables."

Actually, that would be Cosette. But anyway.

"And what's wrong with that?" Darcy grins. "...Just kidding. I've never read it, I wouldn't know. Hmm,...how about ...Sarah? Sarah's a nice name..""

She shrugs.

"I was thinking something like Amber or Jade."

That's not surprising. The kind of names she thought of, that is. Stones. The surprising bit is that she thought of them.

He ponders them a moment, then smiles and nods.

"Those are nice too," he agrees, though he doesn't really think so. "Let me know when you decide,... When is she due, by the way?"

"Febuary 14."

Isn't that ironic?

Ironic isn't a strong enough word.

"February 14th,..." It takes him a moment to clue in. "...That's Valentine's, is it not? That's great!"

Jetta shrugs.

"I guess so. It's not my usual way to spend the day."

No kidding. Her schedule on Valentine's is usually something to behold. Breakfast date with one boy, lunch with another, dinner with a third, and a late movie with a fourth.

Then sex. Probably.

That's nothing like Darcy's Valentine's schedule. If he hasn't got someone to share the day with - and half the time, he doesn't - he spends the whole day looking. And has a good time of it, too, even if nothing turns up.

"No, no... of course not. Still,... that's a nice day for a birthday. Much better than, say, halloween. It means something," Darcy smiled amiably, shrugging a shoulder.

She shrugs again.

"Yeah, I guess. I'd rather have been born on Halloween."

"Really?" He looks at her strangely. "Why is that?"

Halloween would be a rather creepy day for a birthday, he thinks.

"Oh, I don't know. Seems like it would be fun to say. Make me mysterious and otherworldly."

I'm pretty sure that last is not possible. Worldly, yes. But not otherwordly.

"Perhaps," Darcy nods, smirking. "I still think Valentine's would be better, though. It's a day for,..well, love and all that, no?"

She shrugs, yet again.

"Love's overrated, babe. Way overrated."

"Ah, don't say that."

He grins.

"Those who do have never been in love."

From any other guy, this would sound sappy. Coming from Darcy, it just sounds factual.

She remembers why she was playing with him in the first place.

"Or maybe they just found out the hard way."

Blink.
...
He looks at her oddly, opens his mouth to reply, closes it,...tries again.
"No. No, I don' think so."

'Why not?" She looks at him with one perfect eyebrow lifted. "You ever been in love, honey?"

She doesn't believe in love, you know. It doesn't exist.

"Mm-hmm," Darcy nods, with an earnest smile. "...I think I have, anyway."

She is skeptical.

"Oh? With whom?"

... the answer to that is going to be painful, isn't it.