*****

PART TWO

"Honey? Wake up, love, it's time for breakfast."

Renee tried to roll over onto her back, but found herself stopped by something.

"Renee, hon. C'mon, wakey wakey!"

Frowning, the blonde again tried to turn over, but was halted by something that felt oddly like a bowling ball attached to her stomach. Opening her eyes, she looked down and discovered that she was VERY pregnant, not that she had simply forgotten to take off a pregnancy suit or anything.

She sat up in surprise, as quickly as she could without tipping over, and threw off her covers. Steve, hearing the rustles from the kitchen, rushed in to aid her in standing.

"And how's our soon-to-be mum this mornin'?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Yes...what was your first clue?"

The blonde shot daggers out of her eyes as she accepted his help in getting off the bed.

"I'm sorry... How're you feelin'?"

She stood up straight, gently working the kinks out of her back. "I feel good, I guess."

"Good, cuz you've got looping today, y'know."

Renee clenched her jaw. "Really? Shit..."

"I thought you didn't mind looping," Steve said as he followed her into the living room.

"I don't...I just forgot about it.br>"What time?"

"You've got two and a half hours. That's enough time to eat some breakfast and take a shower."

Renee smiled as Steve pulled out her chair and helped her sit, then served her silver dollar pancakes and orange juice - no coffee, no tea.

*****

Lucy woke up alone and with a headache. She looked around for a note from Rob, but didn't see one, assuming that he was already up and going.

Cursing as she stumbled into the bathroom, the light nearly blinding her, she grabbed some aspirin from the medicine chest and dry swallowed them. She stood there, her hands braced on her sink, and listened to the noise in the house. She didn't hear any one up.

It was then that she remembered that Rob left her months ago. *This must be a dream.*

She ran her fingers through her hair and stepped out of the bathroom to get some clothes for the day's work. *I've got looping today...gotta get some groceries...gotta fix the computer...*

Lucy took her clothes into the bathroom and got ready for the day, turning on the stereo in her bedroom for some background noise.

*****

"Shit, I'm sorry, hon...lemme move the seat back."

Renee found that she had a hard time negotiating the obstacle course that had become her house and knocked things over with her stomach. Now, she had to have Steve drive her to the Pacific Renaissance Pictures sound studios. She looked at Steve and smiled her thanks, aware of a dull pain in her heart when she looked at him.

"Is everything alright, Ren?" he asked, concerned by her behaviour.

"Yeah, everything's okay...I had a weird dream, that's all."

"Oh..." Not wishing to pursue the subject any further, he lapsed into silence.

"Mind if I turned on the radio?"

"No...go ahead."

Renee reached over and, again, hit random on the CD player. *Damn thing...it's almost as if it knows my moods or something.*

"For you there'll be no more cryin'
For you, the sun will be shinin'
And I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right.

To you, I'll give the world
To you, I'll never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right."

Renee could feel the tears run unbidden down her cheeks and tried to wipe them away before Steve could see them, unfortunately, she was too late.

"Are you sure you're okay, hon?"

"What? Uh, yeah...this song always makes me cry, you know that."

"And the songbirds are singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before.

And I wish you all the love in the world
But most of all, I wish it from myself.

And the song birds are singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before."

Renee felt awful. It wasn't just the song that made her cry, it was also thoughts about her beautiful co-star, the woman that she loved.

It was then that Renee realized why she ran out of Lucy's house like she did...it was jealousy and a form of self-pity at the fact that Rob gave her something she couldn't - a child.

Steve slowed down as he pulled into the RenPics parking lot.

"I'll come back around five. Is that enough time?"

"I hope so," she replied, knowing he wouldn't get the double meaning.

*****

In the dream, Lucy stepped out of the shower and started to dry herself when she heard the song that floated into the bathroom.

"Love I get so lost sometimes
Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
When I want to run away
I drive off in my car
But whichever way I go
I come back to the place you are.

All my instincts, they return
And the grand facade so soon will burn.
Without a noise.
Without my pride.
I reach out from the inside."

Lucy slumped down onto her bed, half dressed, as the song reminded her of a few of the reasons why she loved Renee so much.

"In your eyes
The light the heat.
I am complete.
In your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches.
In your eyes
The resolution of all the fruitless searches.
In your eyes
I see the light and the heat
Oh I want to be that complete.
I want to touch the light
The heat I see in your eyes."

Her heart hurt when she realized that she unwittingly broke Renee's heart by giving in to Rob's advances. Truth be told, she didn't know what to do.

Lucy turned off the stereo and hurriedly finished dressing. She knew that Renee wasn't entirely blameless in this rift, but with the knowledge of what was running through Renee's head, they could work it out.

---

Continued HERE.

Table of Contents