This is, as with the previous releases, based heavily
on events and situations from the preceeding stories,
which are available on my Web Site:

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/9295

As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.
All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.

Please Enjoy!
Coutuva.




The Best Laid Plans - Part 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------


	The clock showed absolutely no mercy.  It continued to
count out the seconds, drawing the fateful hour ever nearer.
Sighing, Elysse rolled herself off of her bed and walked slowly
to the mirror on the outside of her bathroom door.
	"Not beautiful, by any means... " she thought to herself,
her lip turning up in a slight smirk.  "This alone might be enough
to change his mind,"  she grinned, doing up one more button on her
nightgown.
        On her mother's insistance, she was going to the cafeteria
for her meeting with Steve, but wasn't happy about it.  Even just
doing it to please her mother felt like she was betraying Ranma.
	Absently, her hand sought her necklace to find reassurance
from the ring dangling from it.  When she noticed it missing, she
gasped slightly, then remembered she had taken it off so it
wouldn't bother her son.
	Breathing a sigh of relief, she retrieved it from the
bedside table drawer and quickly clasped it about her neck.
Holding the ring up before her eyes, she smiled happily, content
once more that it was back where it belonged.
	Glancing at the wall clock again, her face sobered as she
noted it was time to start for her rendezvous.  The cafeteria was
at the other end of the hospital, and since she had been feeling
sore for the last little while, she knew she had to take her time
getting there.



	Steve wandered aimlessly through the cafeteria, trying to
find ways to kill time.  The place was fairly busy, but still quiet
enough for two people to talk.  He knew from his few years as an
EMT that it was always like this at about six p.m., making for a
good place to break the ice.
	At least, to try to break the ice.
	Inwardly, he wondered why he had come.  For his part, he
had become attracted to Elysse when he first saw her, despite the
circumstances.   However, he was fairly certain that he was wasting
his time, as she had made it clear earlier that she didn't feel
the same way.
	He had to smirk at that thought, finding it odd to be on
the opposite end of the situation.  Normally, he was the one
getting approached and doing the refusing, mainly because he didn't
feel there was room for a woman in his hectic life.  Somehow,
though, this Elysse had changed his mind.  Something about her was
different, he noted, and it made her seem very desirable.  For the
life of him, however, he couldn't pin down what it was.
	After completing one more convoluted lap around the room,
he migrated toward his selected table near the back.  Settling into
a chair, he cast his gaze toward the entry, looking for the head of
long brown hair to appear.
	Finally, upon staring at the door long enough to give
himself a stiff neck, he huffed in disappointment and rose to leave.
Sliding his radio back into its holster, he was about to put on his
coat and head out the back way when he caught sight of a familiar
housecoat.  Smiling, he tossed his coat back over a chair and made
his way toward the entry.
	As he moved closer, the woman wearing the housecoat turned
toward him, and his heart sank.  It wasn't Elysse.
	Stopping in his tracks, he briefly considered going to get
his coat, feeling both disappointed and embarrassed.  Glancing at
his watch, he noted she was only five minutes late, and on a hunch,
went to check the hallway.
	Stepping out the entry doors, he looked up the hall to see
a brown-haired woman some distance away, her back braced against
the wall and her head hanging forward.  Steve felt himself shift
priorities, and he started up the hall toward the woman.  He didn't
care if it was Elysse or not, because whoever it was seemed to be
in distress.  As he approached her, he reached back for his radio,
and started to pull it from its holster.  He didn't have a kit with
him, and wanted to be ready to get one if he had to.
	The woman heard him coming, and slowly raised her gaze to
see who it was.  Steve froze in his tracks.
	"You..." she croaked, breathlessly.
	"Yes, it's me.  Tell me what's wrong," he responded, firmly.
He could tell by her color that it was something serious.
	"Pain... in my gut.  Think I... pulled something," she gasped,
holding her stomach.
	"Hmm... can you stand up?" he asked, again firmly.
	"Try..." she grimaced, slowly rising.
	Steve watched her carefully, his eyes darting about looking
for any clues.  As his eyes moved to her hips and below,  Elysse
heard him draw a fast breath.  "Damn."  he spat, bringing his radio
to his face.  "Dispatch, four-niner.  Got a post-partum hemorrhage,
severe.  I'm just outside the cafeteria of Memorial, in the hallway.
Get an ER crew down here STAT!"  he ordered, then jammed the radio
back into it's holster.
	"Elysse, we have to lay you down.  You're bleeding from
having the baby, and you have to get off your feet.  C'mon," he
instructed, and carefully helped her down to the floor.
	"Why... am I bleeding...?  I just walked down here..." she
asked weakly, her face ghostly pale.
	"It was too soon for you to walk that far.  Your room is
almost the length of the hospital from here, and the strain was
probably too much... I'm sorry, Elysse... this is my fault.  I
should have known better," he explained, his voice softening.
	Before Elysse could respond, the nearby elevator slid open
and a group of ER greens piled out of it, pushing a gurney loaded
with supplies and a backboard.  Steve jumped up and grabbed the
board, and started assisiting.  Within a heartbeat, Elysse was on
the board and transferred to the gurney, with a BP cuff on and a
large wad of gauze between her legs.
	As they worked on her, she was rolled into the elevator and
whisked up to Emergency, with Steve close at her side.
	Two hours later, Elysse was back in her room, complete with
an IV.  She was still a bit zonked from the pain meds she had been
given, and drifted in and out of a fitful sleep.
	At the far end of the room, Steve sat quietly in a chair,
carefully watching her.  He had already booked the rest of the
night, wanting to remain with her until he knew she was going to
be all right.  He felt responsible for her condition, and his
guilt wouldn't let him leave her unattended.
	In the dim light of the room, he could just see her face
from where he sat, and sighed quietly at how pretty she looked,
even in her current state.  Rising, he quietly walked over to her
bed and straightened her blanket, then out of habit checked her
IV site.  Satisfied it was running properly, he looked down at
her face once more and smiled, then brushed some stray hair from
her forehead.
	"I'm sorry, Elysse... "  he whispered, turning to walk
back to his seat.  As he did, his eye caught a flash of gold
around her neck, and he looked back to see what it was.  His
face darkened slightly as he saw the ring, noting it was a man's
wedding band.  That discovery gave him pause to think, as he
recalled that nobody had told him she had been married.  That
didn't leave too many other explanations.
	"No wonder," he said aloud quietly, his brow furrowing.
	Sighing again, he was about to return to his chair when
he heard someone at the door.  Looking over, he smiled politely
when he saw Elysse's mother, who stood worriedly just inside the
doorway.  Raising a finger before his mouth, he motioned her
back into the hall and followed her out.
	"Hello, Steve... how's she doing?" Mavis asked anxiously
once he had joined her outside the room.
	"She'll be fine.  Turns out she took a little damage
during the delivery, and walking down to the cafeteria was too
much for her.  They've got her mildly sedated, and on a clotting
agent.  She'll be up and around in a few days,"  he noted,
glancing back into her room.
	Mavis puffed out a long breath and her shoulders settled
back down.  "Thank you, Steve... I'm so glad you found her,"
she breathed, her relief softening her face.
	Steve only looked back at her quietly, then flashed a
weak smile.  "Are you staying with her now?"  he asked, clinically.
	"Yes... "  she replied, noticing the change in his
demeanor.
	"Good.  I have to go, I left the unit short staffed, so
I'm going back in.  Tell her I'm sorry,"  he stated, then flashed
another small smile and walked away.
	Mavis watched after him for a few seconds, then frowned
disappointedly.  She didn't know why yet, but she knew something
had gone wrong somewhere, aside from what had happened to Elysse.
Shaking her head, she turned and walked into the room, heading
straight to the side of her daughter's bed.  Stopping near the
head, she rested her hand on the chrome siderail.
	Looking her daughter's sleeping form over carefully, she
finally relaxed a bit, as all seemed to be well.  Elysse had a
peaceful experssion on her face, which she found very reassuring.
	As she continued to look down at her, she found herself
wondering what had transpired between her daughter and Steve
that had upset him so much.  Elysse herself didn't seem to be in
any shape to have talked, which only added to the mystery.
	Reaching over the side of the bed, she stroked her
daughter's hair gently, much in the same manner as she had when
Elysse was younger.  Sighing, she then adjusted the collar of
her daughter's nightgown, ensuring it was loose.  As she did,
she noticed the gold ring attached to her necklace, and,
realizing it was a man's ring, frowned disapprovingly.
	She knew Elysse had not married, and she also had only
Elysse's word that the baby's father had passed away.  Suddenly,
some not so pleasant possibilities began to play through her
mind, making her understand what had probably upset Steve.
	"I don't know what possesses you sometimes, girl... "
she whispered, sadly.


	As a result of her hemorrhage, Elysse ended up spending
an extra week in hospital, which made her final release all the
more sweet.  Upon arriving home with her precious son in her arms,
she was ecstatic to discover that her Father had built a nursery
out of the bedroom beside hers, and even opened a doorway between
them.
        As she expected, her father still remained distant, giving
Elysse the impression that the nursery was more her mother's doing.
Bill, still a bit wary of Elysse over what he had caused, said
hello but stayed away for the first while.  He did finally see his
nephew, and seemed genuinely happy to accept him, despite being a
bit surprised by the baby's Asian looks.  As well, Elysse could
tell that he was basically unrepentant for his prank, despite his
eventual apology, which made her realize that nothing had changed.
        Elysse also noticed that her mother, despite trying hard
to keep up appearances, seemed to be preoccupied with something.
It was especially obvious when her mom had nothing going on, as
she would display a thoughtful expression, and that expression
would sometimes be accompanied by a furrowed brow.  She tried to
corner her over it, but her mother would deflect her efforts,
saying that it wasn't the proper time.
	Over the ensuing days, Elysse endured two separate baby
showers, at which she was heartily welcomed back into her
community, at least by the attendees.  She ended up with some
very useful and unexpected gifts, which delighted her to no end.
They meant her savings would go a lot further, giving her more
time to spend with her son.
	Over the course of all of these events, Elysse noted that
Steve hadn't turned up.  She hadn't seen him since the night of
their ill-fated date, and was slightly curious about his absence,
especially given what she thought she had read in his eyes.
Finally, by the end of her first week at home, she stopped
wondering altogether as her son was taking up all of her time.
	The little boy was Elysse's pride and joy, and she
relished every chance to be with him, even spending hours simply
holding him as he slept.  To her, he was a miracle baby in every
sense of the word, and had become the major focus of her life.
It was that same sentiment that produced her choice for his name,
'Takara', which translated loosely as 'treasure'.
	Finally, after a few weeks of being housebound with her
son, Elysse decided it was high time she got out for a walk, and
used the excuse to try out the new stroller she had received at
one of her showers.  Given that it was a present from Toni's
family, she decided that her friend's house should be her first
destination.  Upon packing her baby bag, she bundled up her son
and set off, actually excited to be outside.
	It was a typically pretty day in Phoenix, and Elysse
soaked up the fresh air and sunshine as she embarked on her
leisurely walk toward Toni's house.  Like the others in the area,
Toni's family farm was a 200 acre spread with a 3500 foot frontage,
and the house itself was set back a long way from the road.  Such
things meant that walking to your next door neighbour's house
usually turned into a major excursion.   Elysse didn't mind that
at all, so glad to be able to finally get out for a while.  Being
cooped up with her brother for so long was already becoming
tiresome, and her father's continued silence was deafening.  By
comparison, the sound of balers and combines in neighbouring
fields was like music.
        Takara slept quietly throughout the walk, not even noticing
the noises around them.  When they reached about the halfway point
of their two mile sojurn, Elysse looked in on him and smiled, again
counting herself fortunate that he was such a wonderful baby.  He
was always happy, active and playful, and rarely cried.  He was
already sleeping through the nights, and had managed to charm even
his stone-faced grandfather.  There were, however, indications that
he was going to be a handful, such as his habit of firing his toys
out of his crib or playpen, and Elysse often finding them in the
next room.
	Just about the time Elysse's stamina began to wane, she
arrived at Toni's front door, and was greeted enthusiastically by
her friend's mother.  After a short visit and a tall glass of iced
tea, Elysse headed off toward the main barn behind Toni's house,
where she was told she would find her friend.
	As she walked past the first of several paddocks between
the house and the barn itself, Elysse heard the horses in it
winnying and nickering amoung themselves.  She glanced over when
she heard several of them discussing her, grinning slightly at the
fact that she could understand them.  She got a startling surprise
a few moments later, however, as the roadway brought her close to
the rail of the paddock itself.  The animals noticed her approach,
and made their way specifically toward her.
        As she watched, the 'boss mare' walked right up to her,
nickering a deliberate greeting.  It wasn't until she had already
smiled and acknowledged that she realized what was happening.
	"My God... they can tell!"  she thought to herself, gasping
out loud.  This discovery disturbed her a great deal, as everyone
in the area had horses, and some people, like Toni and her family,
bred and trained them.  If this was any indication of what things
were going to be like, then she wouldn't be able to go anywhere
without causing a commotion.
	As she added it all up, her heart sank to the bottom of
her stomach.  She had hoped to be able to keep her curse a secret,
but it suddenly looked like that was not going to be any simple
undertaking.
        Just as she was about to beat a retreat toward the barn,
she spotted Toni coming down toward her, waving happily.  Elysse
smiled back and waved, then quickly nickered to the now gathered
horses, asking them to excuse her.  They nodded their agreement,
then the crowd began to break up.  Elysse breathed a quick sigh
of relief and started heading toward Toni, glad for the
distraction.
	"Good to see you out!"  Toni called as they approached
each other.
        "Feels great to be out.  Takara here and I decided we
needed to get away from Bill for a while,"  Elysse grinned,
winking.
	"Can't say I blame you.  How's he doing?  He looks
terrific,"  Toni noted, leaning toward him and smiling.
	"He's doing great.  He's picked all his weight back up,
and eats like a horse,"  Elysse beamed, proudly.  "I think he's
going to turn out exactly like his Dad."
	"No doubt.  I wish I'd have met the man that tamed the
mighty Elysse, though... he must have been something else,"
Toni commented, regarding her friend wryly.
        "Oh, he was," Elysse confirmed, wistfully.
	"I'll bet.  Speaking of the mighty one, how're you doing?
I heard you had it kinda rough for a while there."
	"I had a hemmhorage the day after the baby... it's fine
now, though.  Turns out he was a bit harder on me than I thought."
	"Yeesh... you never do anything the easy way, do you?  By
the way, looks like you're not going to have any trouble getting
your figure back, huh?"
	"Yeah... I've almost lost all the weight, now I just have
to get this back under control.  I can see many situps in my
future,"  she smirked, patting her tummy.
	"You should start riding... it's great exercise for the
hips and butt, not to mention the tummy.  You'd be tightened up
in no time,"  Toni urged, excitedly.
	"Hah!  You just want a new riding partner to laugh at.
Nice try, girl... have to give you full points for that one,"
Elysse accused, jokingly.
        "Guilty as charged.  One day, I'll get you on a horse,
Lee... consider that a threat,"  Toni responded, smiling
knowingly.  "Well, I'm heading in for a drink and a sandwich...
coming?"  she continued, gesturing toward the house.
        "Why not?"  Elysse responded, just as Takara began to
fuss.  "Looks like someone else is thinking the same thing.
Hey, Toni... feel like learning to change a diaper?"  she
abruptly asked, regarding her friend with a wide grin.
	"Eeeuuuuuu...."   Toni responded, grabbing her nose.  "No
thanks... I muck out stalls, that's bad enough," she grinned,
shaking her head.
        "No adventure in your soul,"  Elysse commented, tsking.
"Okay, coward... lead the way,"  she gestured, swinging the
stroller around.


	Eddie looked back at Steve sideways.  "You're kidding me,
right?  You ditched her because of that?"
	"Yep... if she's still hung up on her ex-boyfriend, then
it's not worth the heartache,"  Steve confirmed, setting his cup
in the dash-mounted holder.  "And I didn't 'ditch' her... I just
never went back."
	"Two points of order, Buddy... One, she's here and alone.
Two, ring or no ring, she's a looker.  Do you need instructions
here?"  Eddie huffed, shaking his head.
	"I need my 'friends' to stay out of my love life... " Steve
protested, but was cut off by a loud guffaw.
	"Hah!  I knew it... you're full of shit, Stevie-boy!  You
said 'love life'... I haven't heard those two words in the same
*conversation* from you,  let alone in the same phrase!  You still
want her, I can see it.  Quit being an idiot and go see her...
maybe then you'll be yourself again, "  Eddie chastised, wagging a
chubby finger.
	Steve smirked at his friend, realizing he wasn't going to
talk his way out of this one.  "You're not going to quit, are you?"
he asked, to a positive head shake from Eddie.  "Fine... I'll
swing by after the shift.  If I call her she'll likely tell me to
screw off anyway," he acquiesced, shaking his head.   "Will that
make you happy?" he added, overly sarcastically.
	"Yep... and if I get a call to come drag you in, that'll
get me off the subject, deal?"  Eddie smiled, offering his hand to
Steve.  Steve took the handshake with a smug grin, but inwardly
wondered if he wasn't wasting his time.  He was still very taken
with Elysse, but felt that the ring around her neck meant that
anyone else would have an uphill battle on their hands.  As well,
he considered his footing already pretty weak, especially after
the hallway incident.
	Sighing quietly, he put the ambulance in gear and started
back to the station, already nervous about the upcoming events.


        Takara lay sleeping peacefully in his crib as Elysse
carefully folded his clothes, happily humming to herself.  Her
first 'road-trip' had gone well, and she felt good for having been
out, if not slightly tired.  Her mother passed by outside the
bedroom door at that moment, reminding her of how they still had
something to discuss.
	Putting the baby's clothes in the dresser, she dashed
quietly out the door to try to corner her Mom in the kitchen.


	Mavis felt her heart sink as she heard Elysse coming up
the hall, knowing full well what she was going to want.  Squaring
herself, she summoned as much courage as she could, given that she
already knew her thoughts would not be well received.
        "Mom... " Elysse called quietly, walking into the room
with a serious look on her face.
	"Hi, Lee... I take it your walk went well?" Mavis
countered, attempting to stave off the subject for a little longer.
	"It was wonderful... Toni's family adores him, and it felt
really good to get some air.  He was a doll, too... never cried
once," she beamed, glad to be able to brag a little.
	"You're already a lucky girl... you cried at the drop of a
hat.  Your brother used to shriek all the time, then he'd cry.
You two gave me more headaches..."  Mavis smirked, turning to her
sink full of dishes.
	"Well, isn't that what kids are for?"  Elysse replied,
wryly.
	"If it is, then you two lived up to your job.  Then again,
you'll find out soon enough,"  Mavis grinned, knowingly.
	"Is that supposed to be a threat of some kind?"
	"No... more like a promise.  I take it he's sleeping?"
	"Yep... like a baby,"  Elysse grinned, swinging into a seat
at the small table.  "So, are you going to tell me what's been
eating you the last little while?  Ever since I came home, you've
been somewhere else," she redirected, catching Mavis looking.
	Mavis dropped her hands to the edge of the counter and
sighed, resigning herself to the inevitable at last.  "Baby, we
have to talk about that ring of yours," she blurted, turning to
face Elysse with a serious set to her visage.
	Elysse widened her eyes in response as her hand sought the
ring automatically.  "My... ring?  What about it?" she asked,
pulling it from under her blouse and glancing down at it briefly.
        "No man is going to be interested in a girl who's still
pining for a lost love, not to mention the fact that he was a
'married' lost love,"  Mavis replied, levelly.  "I'm just glad
your Father didn't see that,"  she added, shaking her head.
        Elysse stared back at her Mother for several eternally
long seconds, then her eyes narrowed slowly.  "Is *that* what you
think, Mother?"  she began quietly, her voice wavering slightly as
her hand clenched to a fist around the ring.  "Tell me...!  Is
that what you think?!?" she repeated brokenly, her eyes starting
to shimmer.
        Mavis stammered Momentarily, not expecting such an
emotional reaction.  "Well, what do you expect...?" she attempted,
but the look in Elysse's eyes told her it was already too late.
        "He's gone, Mom... and not back to his damned wife, either!
He's dead, and this and our child is all I have left of him!" she
cried bitterly, holding the ring up before her.  "I had to identify
the body..." she added weakly, her words choking off in a heavy sob.
"I can't believe..." she continued, but abruptly stopped in
mid-sentence, sobbed once more, then rose and ran from the room.
	Mavis's heart sank like a lead weight.


	Elysse ran straight to her son's room, tears streaming from
her eyes.  Her mother's words had hurt her more than she expected,
perhaps because they were so close to the truth.
	She knew she had turned it on a bit thick, but, worried
that her mother was beginning to doubt her, she had panicked.  Her
mom was the only member of her family she felt she could still
count on, and she knew that if that changed, she would only have one
choice left.  She would have to leave again, only for good this time.
        Reaching into Takara's crib, she gently lifted the
slumbering child to her, brushing a kiss across his forehead.
Carefully so as not to disturb him, she settled into her
recliner-rocker and lay him on her chest, drawing comfort from his
presence.
	As she began to rock slowly, she closed her eyes and simply
held him, tears still running down her reddened cheeks.
	From her vantage in the hallway, Mavis watched the scene
sadly, hoping she hadn't just ruined everything she had been
planning.


	After supper, which turned out to be an awkwardly silent
affair, the family split into it's customary divisions quickly,
prompting Elysse to take her son for another walk after his
feeding.  She needed some time to think, and knew she'd never
manage in the current atmosphere of the house.
	Once she had her supplies together, she loaded her happily
squirming, squealing son into the stroller and headed off down
the road.  They hadn't gone very far when a new, shiny, Dodge
pickup rolled up toward them and slowed down.  Just as she was
getting nervous, the passenger window disappeared smoothly into
the door to reveal a familiar, smiling face.
	"Need a lift?" Steve called out, hopefully.
	"No... I'm going for a walk,"  she replied, flatly.
	"Well, you picked a nice evening for it... not too many
flies yet, and it's still warm.  Would you... like some company?"
he responded, undaunted but nervous.
	Elysse stopped in her tracks and glared at him through
the open window, about to issue a scathing epithet.  However,
when she got a look at his eyes and the expression on his
face, she bit it back.  "Okay... if you want.  Put your truck
at my place... I'll wait here,"  she responded, resignedly.
She really didn't want to encourage him, but for some reason
the thought of a friendly face to talk to seemed very appealing.
	Steve, meantime, almost face-faulted.  Shaking his head,
he finally smiled broadly.  "I'll be right back."  he quipped,
and accelerated the big truck away.
	Watching him go, Elysse stepped around the stroller and
knelt in front of her son.  "Ano, Takara-chan... what do you
think of this guy?" she asked in babytalkish Japanese, reaching
in and touching her son's nose.  Takara only yawned and smiled
slightly, his deep blue eyes sparkling in the fading sunlight.
	Elysse grinned and nodded.  "Hai!  I think so too... he'll
do for a distraction... but only if he behaves, ne?" she winked,
then tucked her son's blanket up to his chin.
	"What on earth did you just say to him?"  a surprised
voice asked from over the stroller shade.
	"I asked him what he thought of you... he says the jury's
still out,"  she stated, keeping her voice deliberately even.
Steve raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, choosing to let it
slide.
	Glancing down the road toward her house, he jogged a thumb
at it and looked back at her questioningly.  "I take it you just
got started...?"
	"Yeah... about five minutes ago.  Air was getting a bit
thick," she commented, rising and walking to the stroller handles.
"So what brings you here?  You must be off duty..."  she noted,
glancing sideways at him as she stepped off.
	"Well... to be honest, I came to see you," he stated,
casually.  "I was wondering how you were doing, and..."
	Elysse stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.
"Steve... I have to tell you something," she began, levelly.  "I'm
*not* looking for anyone.  The only man my life has room for right
now is this one, and I want to make sure you understand that."
she continued, pointing at her son.  "So, don't get your hopes
up... it just makes for a longer fall,"  she added, firmly.
	Steve's reaction surprised her a bit.  "Understood."  he
replied, speaking as if he was talking into his radio.  "Just to
clarify the situation, I'm not looking for anyone either... but,
I noticed that you seemed like someone who needed a friend.  I'd
like to be that friend, if that's acceptable to you,"  he stated
clinically, then simply clammed up and regarded her expectantly.
	Elysse blinked and looked back at him blankly for a
Moment.  Her eventual response surprised even her.  "Good
answer..." she indicated slowly, a smirk spreading across her
face.
	"It's the only answer," he smiled back, affectedly.
	"Hm," Elysse nodded, turning and resuming her walk.  Steve
fell in beside her, hoping his little tactic would at least buy
him some time.
	The pair walked for the next five minutes without
exchanging a word, the silence becoming almost tangible.  Finally,
Elysse couldn't stand it any longer.  To her, it felt too much
like the atmosphere she sought to escape.
        "I... had a fight with my Mother today," she blurted,
unable to think of anything else to open the floor with.
        "Oh...? About what?  Nothing too major, I hope,"  Steve
responded carefully, not wanting to seem anxious to talk.
	"She found this..."  Elysse began, lifting the chain and
ring from her top.  "And because of it, she thinks I was fooling
around with a married man, and left Toronto because I got
pregnant," she continued, her voice softening.  "She doesn't
believe me... my boyfriend died in an accident on the 401, and
this is all I have of his.  He died not even knowing about his
son... "  she noted, tucking the ring back in her top again.
	"Was he married before?"  Steve asked gently, suddenly
very interested in the story.
	"Hai... he was.  Divorced just over a year.  He'd just
moved to Canada, and was working in Metro.  I met him at a Martial
Arts Conference,"  she sniffed, so caught up in her story that she
didn't notice that she had slipped into Japanese again.
	"Uhh, Elysse...?  I couldn't understand a word you just
said..." Steve pointed out, regarding her curiously.
	"Gom - Sorry.  I speak Chinese, Japanese and English...
my boyfriend was Japanese, and that's all we spoke.  I... slip
into it sometimes."  she explained, sheepishly.  "Especially when
I think about him a lot," she added, clutching the ring through
her top, closing her eyes and lowering her face.
	Steve's face darkened slightly.  "I take it you really
miss him..."  he baited, waiting intently for the answer.
	"I do... very much," she replied, not raising her face.
"We only knew each other for a short time, but... he was..." she
trailed off, biting her lip.  She hadn't figured on her walk being
down memory lane, and could tell by the edge on Steve's voice
that she had hit a nerve.  "Sorry," she blurted, lifting her gaze
high and sniffing loudly.
	"It's... all right,"  Steve puffed, realizing sadly that
his earlier guesstimate was right on the money.  "Tell you the
truth, I knew that already,"  he confessed, glancing at her
slightly shocked reaction.  "That's why I stayed away... I saw
your ring the night you had your problem, and figured that you
were still pretty tight with whoever it belonged to.  I'm... glad
you told me Elysse.  At least now I *know* I'm kidding myself,"
he continued, his voice flat.  "See you around,"  he concluded
with a flip of his hand, and turned to walk back to his truck.
	Elysse couldn't speak.  All she could do was watch Steve's
back getting further and further away, unable to decide whether
to call him back or let him go.  The dull thump of his truck door
in the distance shook her slightly, and she almost yelled for him
to stop.
	After his truck disappeared down the road, Elysse finally
turned back to the stroller, and walked it over to a cluster of
large rocks a short distance away.  Methodically parking it so
she could see her now-sleeping son, she sat down on the rocks,
pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them.
	Glancing quickly at her son, she returned her gaze to the
empty driveway in the distance, blinked once, then buried her face
in her knees and began to cry.
	


===================================================================
END - The Best Laid Plans - Part 2     A Ranma1/2 FanFic by Coutuva


Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com