Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, the Cliffside Villa ~

May 31

8:27 AM

Aiden entered the study and found Sarah in front of a computer.

Earlier that morning, Sarah joined Aiden for the morning run, and then she went inside for a video chat with Ellie while he stayed on the training grounds to instruct Corey on several fighting moves. Kicks mostly.

Aiden noticed that she is lost in whatever is showing on the screen and he cleared his throat to get her attention. "Done with Ellie?"

Sarah smiled dreamily and gestured to Aiden to come closer so that he can see baby-photos on the screen. "Yes. Amber is the cutest 2 weeks old baby I've ever seen. We should plan for a trip to Chicago to visit them before Melissa kidnaps her. Ellie says that her mother-in-law is ecstatic that she has a granddaughter and since she came from the hospital, Melissa is staying at their place, refusing to leave the baby."

Aiden didn't want to comment on Melissa. She is baby-girl crazy since Ellia and Jasper married. But he approves the idea of a trip. "Chicago sounds good. While on the topic of babies… when will you… do the test?"

Sarah shifted in her seat. "My period is only 2 days late. I want to wait at least 3 more days so that we are confident in results."

"We can go to the hospital and get you tested. Those are very precise."

"I know but… I don't want to go there only to be disappointed. I want to see that it's positive at home before we go to the hospital and risk that someone else finds out."

Sarah bit her lower lip and gave him her best puppy-eyed look. She does not want to tell him that her period is 5 days late, but she didn't get a chance to get the pregnancy test done without him knowing because he is watching her like a hawk. And she really wants to make it a surprise with romance and all the good things he deserves. Sarah has a plan to visit JoAnna in the afternoon when Aiden has meetings with the people from the White foundation; she will use seeing the twins as an excuse and get tested there.

Aiden exhaled in defeat. "Fine. Three days and not a minute longer."

He leaned closer and kissed her on the lips.

Sarah scrunched her nose. "You could use a shower."

"I remember the time when you didn't mind me being sweaty after a workout." Aiden spoke against her lips.

Sarah giggled. How can she mind? The scent of his body mixed with testosterone after a workout is the most potent aphrodisiac.

"I don't mind." Sarah proved her words by licking the edge of his jaw before clarifying: "You should shower before we go for breakfast."

"Let's shower together."

Sarah could see the mischief in his eyes. "I showered before my chat with Ellie."

"I can think of a way to get you sweaty again…"

Aiden kissed her neck and paused to savor the feeling of her heartbeat against his lips. That small pulsating told him that she is alive, and in a way, it made him feel alive as well.

"Love?" He called in a whisper against her neck.

"Yes?" She breathed.

"Don't worry about the test. If it's negative, we will keep on trying."

"Yeah…" She responded and smiled when his lips resumed moving as his hands sneaked under her top.

…

When Sarah and Aiden entered the dining room, it was bustling with activity. Utensils were clinking, people talking, occasional laugher burst through the buzz of everything and it mixed with the scent of eggs and maple syrup.

Sarah and Aiden took their seats at the table with Michael, Oni, Haru, Nala, Zack, and Masika.

They use this breakfast-time to discuss current topics and plans, and anyone who has something to talk about is welcome to join.

"We are on track with preparations for your birthday party." Oni informed Sarah.

Sarah is not into parties where she is the center of attention, but her birthdays are a reason for kids to show off their talents and she will not deny them this excitement. Anyway, even if she tells them not to do anything, they will still do it and make it a surprise party. Her birthday celebration is a fun occasion, and she appreciates all the efforts, but the thing she looks forward to the most is the vanilla cake with fresh strawberries which Aiden makes for her.

Michael shared his status related to manpower from the White foundation. "We have extra people securing crucial points of the White corp. and the White foundation due to the messages Samara received, but so far, there is no unusual activity." 

"If there is nothing, we should consider reverting to normal." Aiden said. "The more time passes, the more I think that someone pranked Samara."

Sarah didn't agree with Aiden. "That would be a lot of effort for a prank. We were unable to find traces of the communication she received and that means whoever did it, knows exactly how to erase traces. We are dealing with an expert or with someone who has enough money to hire an expert."

"Are there chances that she made it up?" Nala asked.

"I don't think so." Sarah responded. "Why would she do that? If this is before she got together with Mathew, I would say that she wants attention, but the man is smothering her with love. I'm quite sure she does not need more. My concern is not if Samara made it up, but if there are more people who were contacted and who accepted the offer. If others are like Samara, it means that they are planning to attack from the inside."

Aiden would like to go back to normal and to re-assign resources to different tasks, but he knows that Sarah will object. This is not a fight he wants to engage in. "How long should we have double security? There are other tasks that are kept aside because of the lack of manpower."

Sarah exhaled. "Security is important. Let's discuss after breakfast those important tasks and if you have something of high priority, we can get the AoC members to help."

"OK." Aiden agreed, even though this was not the outcome he hoped to achieve.

"Happy topics next!" Sarah announced. "Kids are almost done with their exams and we should come up with a schedule for summer. Anyone who is over fifteen years old is eligible for an internship with options of Blanc, White corp., Ceresc Solutions, and Heinelurgy."

"Charlie also said that if anyone is interested, they can come to Smithsonite corp." Aiden added.

Sarah liked this. More options. "Nala, I want you to provide a list with internship options by end of this week. You know about Blanc; talk to Jeff, Mishi, Ron, and Charlie to get information on other companies. If someone is not interested in internship, I want to see a plan what they will do during July and August months. Oni, you are in charge of making sure that everyone has a plan. We should get that sorted out first so that we can plan for the fun stuff. At least three days on the ranch in New Mexico where we can let loose driving and riding horses. And camping. How about we go to an island for a week?"

"Which one?" Aiden asked.

Sarah bobbed her head. "Any. It can be fun camping on the beach, or in the jungle. Those are different environments, perfect for survival skills we didn't cover so far. And we can add a treasure hunt and various fun competitions…"

Sarah chatted excitedly while Oni and Nala took notes.

Masika glanced at Zack who could not hide his surprise. The more time he spends at the Cliffside Villa, the more he finds out about all the awesome things that happen here. Zack is not eligible for internship because he technically has a job at the Army of Chaos. But he wondered if he would be able to go to the ranch in New Mexico and camping on the island. He would like that, with Masika.

Aiden worked on his breakfast while wondering if he will allow Sarah to be exposed to any harsh survival situations after they confirm that she is pregnant. Probably not.

Aiden watched Sarah with the corner of his eye and smiled. Maybe she needs a test, but he doesn't. In the last few days, he noticed that Sarah is more sensitive to his touch, and he thought that he is imagining it, but now that she admitted how her period is late... he knows that she is pregnant. But he will play along... for three more days.

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