Stacey paced around the empty classroom with one hand on her hip and the other pressed against the top of her stomach. Everything was just completely against her today. Not only was it ongodly hot outside, but it was humid as well and it was going to start pouring any second. The twins were restless and kept miving around-- mostly moving her organs around so they could get comfy-- and she was just uncomfortable all over. Her knees and shoulders hurt for some reason she couldn`t fathom, and on top of it all her lesson plans were due. Over the past week she had to rewrite most of it to be "more suitable for a young environment" because of "unsafe properties in the lessons".
Alone and without anyone to talk to she had taken to throwing things and yelling aloud when she was in her classroom. It made her feel better and saved her from getting angry at Aiden. Things were stressfull enough without little fights all the time.
"D@mn the Ministry! I should be able to do whatever I want in class as no one gets killed or seriosuly injured!" She yelled to nothing in particular, launching a soft ball at the wall and watching as it bounced back forcefully. "Ugh. Stingy adults."
Phoenxi was walking down the hall with some books stacked in his hands, when he heard yelling coming from one of the classrooms. He paused outside the door and pressed his ear up against it, closing his eyes so he could concentrate on listening. There was a loud sound that made him jump and almost drop his books. He set them down against the wall and then slowly turned the knob of the door, carefully pressing it open to see Stacey walking around with her hands on her hip and stomach. She wasn't happy at all.
"Is-is everything alright?" Phoenix .
Stacey turned around on her heels and saw Pheonix standing uncertainly in the doorway. Gosh, he looked nervous. Maybe he`d never encountered an angry pregnant woman.
"Hello, yes, everything`s just fine. Just... rearranging my classroom." She looked around the floor, were a variety of broken objects lay close to the wall. In reality that was extremely unsafe, but Stacey wasn`t one that fell down easily.
"It doesn't look fine." Phoenix said, entering the room and starting to pick up the broken things. "What's wrong?" He looked up at her and raised a brow when he lifted up a broken vase. Really.
"No no no, let me get it. Really, this has happened before," Stacey said quickly as he picked up the pieces of a smashed vase. She snapped her fingers and there was a sort of hissing sound, then the things on the floor began to move back into their rightfull places. The ball she had just thrown floated back to her and she took it in her hand.
"Uhm, really, everything`s find. There`s just a lot on my plate right now." She gave a small smile and a nod to the man, knowing that the minute she saw him her eyes had flickered to a deep black. Pheonix just annoyed her for some reason. She didn`t know why. He hadn`t done anything legit to piss her off, and he seemed like a nice guy... Still, the fact that he hung around Avalee made her feel weird.
"I see. Well, I just...wanted to make sure everything was, you know, okay." He knew Stacey had suddenly become different around him, though he didn't know why. One day, they had gotten along perfectly. Then the next she was giving him glares with different colored eyes. What exactly did he do? He couldn't help but wonder. Maybe it was just hormones. Who knew? He stood and started for the door.
Stacey chewed the inside of her lip and watched Pheonix start to walk away. Honestly she was being rude to him. He hadn`t actually done anything to her, and he didn`t deserve being treated this way. Even so, just looking at him now and knowing what she knew made her angry.
"Uh, actually, I was wondering if you could stick around for a few minutes. There was something I wanted to talk to you about." She carefully sat on her desk and let her feet dangle in front of her. Really she didn`t have the right to talk to him. He was, like, five years older than her. He had lived through more.... well, maybe. When she thought about it she felt sort of ashamed for asking this. What gave her the authority?
Phoenix sighed as faced the door, dropping his hand to his side and turning around.
"What is it?" He asked. His tone wasn't bitter but it wasn't the most friendly either. He just didn't know how to act around Stacey.
Stacey looked down at her feet, trying to think of what to say.
"I`m sorry for being so rude. I know that I`d never given you an explanation for that, and I apologize. You never did anything to make me angry, I``m just... not ready for being a mom, I suppose, and it`s freaking me out. You wouldn`t understand, you`re a guy, but still. I just wanted to let you know that I`m sorry for acting like I was."
Phoenix gave her a crooked smile, accepting the apology before it was even finished.
"You know, nobody is ever ready to be a parent until the big moment finally happens. Just trust me. You are going to be the best mother, you just got to relax. All of this anger and stress can cause early labor." He winked at her and then grinned.
Stacey-- who had been playing with her fingers-- looked up at the man and returned the smile.
"Well, one can hope. But.... there was something else. Uh.... how do I put this... Avalee and I have a rather odd relationship. Um, I feel sort of... protective of her, if you will, and I`m worries that she`s still too hurt over her previous boyfriend to be around... another guy." She was watching the floor again by the time she finished. This just didn`t feel quite right. She was a lot younger than him, and this was just a weird conversation to be having with an older guy.
Phoenix's head slowly fell, his eyes on the floor. Stacey was right. He knew it himself. Avalee was still stricken by Axel's death.
"I know." He said softly. "You're right. I shouldn't be getting close to her. Its...not the right time." He brought his icy blue eyes to hers. "I'll keep my distance from now on."
Maybe he was too old for her anyway. And he didn't want to be a...a rebound guy, so to speak.
Stacey`s cheeks flushed a bright pink and she looked up into his eyes. She was glad Pheonix hadn`t responded like she thought he would. She figured he would get angry or something, but he seemed to take it pretty well.
"Thank you. I know that it`s not my place, but I`m concerned for her. She doesn`t understand; she`s too young in her heart," she replied softly, her eyes lightening. This was a lot easier than she thought.
Phoenix went to say something, but was stumbling on his words.
"I want to make her happy." He finally said in a hushed voice. "That's all I really want."
He had come to this school with one thought on his mind. And that was to teach Astrology and show students how awesome it could really be. But now he just wanted to make Avalee happy. Astrology wasn't his main focus anymore.
Stacey nodded slowly, feeling her eyes lighten even more to her "natural" brown. Okay, so he wanted to make her happy, but was it from pity or something else.
"I understand completely. I mean, hell, I`m married. I get it. You want to make people happy, I just want you to be carefull. You`re a lot older than her, and she`s fragile."
"Mrs. Gray," Phoenix added, narrowing his eyes. "I'm twenty two. She is eighteen. You do realize she is an adult, don't you? And that there are only four years between us?"
Stacey stood up and instantly her eyes darkened. Uh, duh. Avalee was eighteen, but that meant nothing anymore.
"I`m quite aware of that, Monsieur Pheonix, but age means nothing in our world. What matters is the mind. How old someone is mentally effects everything. I may be eighteen myself, but I`m ready to have a steady life with my husband and children. Avalee, on the other hand, is still learning about the world. She`s never had a good relationship that`s lasted and she gets to attatched to those around her." She crossed her arms over her large stomach and watched the man.
"I know all too well how she connects to those around her. Just after my wedding she ventured to kiss my husband because he was being sweet. You needn`t lecture me about experiencing things. Professor Pheonix, although you may be twenty-two, you might very well be mentally younger than that. I haven`t yet had the liberty to get to know you." Her words were slightly pointed, like she was indeed the older person present and she knew it. Stacey knew that she was young-- God knew she knew it-- but she was pridefull.
Phoenix glared at her for a moment, and then realized something, relaxing his gaze.
"Oh, I get it now." He said with a smirk. "You're still angry over what happened. You're still jealous over that one day. What, are you afraid your husband might have developed a little something for her? Is that it? You think you're so mature but you are being rather juvenile right now. You may think being eighteen means adulthood, but believe me sweetheart, everything changes when you hit those glorious twenties."
She raised an eyebrow and her irises flashed bright red without warning. A few minutes ago she had been wondering why she was out of her place, but who was he to say those things to her now?
"You think that I feel like an adult? You think that I am the one that needs to grow up. Let me tell you something, Pheonix, I am scared to death. You think I want to have two kids-- you`re wrong? You think I enjoy having so much respinsibility to have to worry about all of the time-- you`re way off. I don`t want this. You wouldn`t believe how much I want to be free of everything and be able to run around like you. I used to be active, okay? I ran around all day-- as a human or as an Animagus-- and now I can barely walk from my bed to my kitchen without being short of breath." Her arms fell to her sides, hands clenched tightly. She imagined all of the knives and guns she had at home locked up, then the two knives she had on her. Then she thought about the mental sheild. The doctor had put a weak block on her mind, and she had added to it to make it stronger. Now the only powers she had acess to were her own, unless she took it down.
"I don`t know if you`ve heard about me, Pheonix, but I`m a very troubled person. I have an insane immortal uncle that constantly tried to break my mind in half. I found out that my father was a lie, everything about him. My mom has overworked me since I could count. I have no one except my husband. How do you think all of this feels for me? I`m eighteen, d@mmit! I don`t want kids." Did she have tears in her eyes? Was she really crying in front of this man who was humiliating her.
Yeah, she was. And she couldn`t stop it.
-D@mned hormones.-
Before she could utter another word, Phoenix was at her side, his arms around her as he whispered to her.
"Shhhh." He tried to soothe. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Look at what he had done. She was crying now. He felt like such a jerk. He stroked her hair with careful fingers, doing everything he could to stop the flow of tears.
"I know you don't want kids, but when you see them...when you look into their eyes, your eyes, or even Aiden's, that feeling is going to be replaced with something else. Motherhood. Love. It changes everything. Your whole outlook. It'll all be worthwhile in the end."
Stacey sobbed and sniffed for a moment then took a step away from Pheonix. He was a little too close; her stomach--as large as it was right now-- nearly brushed his, and that felt odd. He was practically a stranger and she just wasn`t comfortable. And she was crying on top of it.
"I`m sorry. I normally wouldn`t be like this," she said through some fresh tears, "it`s the stupid hormones. They`re getting my emotions all messed up." She shook her head back and forth and let her hair fall into her face.
"Yeah...." Phoenix stepped away too, realizing boundaries, and then started for the door again, pulling it open. "Good luck." He said softly, and then he walked through, letting the door close on its own.