The Lovell Residence, South Pasture, Colorado.....
Rae took a brief look around as Charles held open the door for both her and Duke to enter the house without much fuss. It was a quiet and oddly homey place from the sheer aspect of looking over the rows of photographs in dust covered frames, the clutter of old knick knacks on shelves and tables, the homely pillows that no doubt had been the result of a woman's touch as Charles didn't at all strike Rae as the kind of man to care for that sort of thing. The gruff older man bearing the surname Lovell had been something of a wonder himself, his aged face with lines of worry and sadness evident behind his dark brown eyes as he moved back toward the kitchen where he spent most of his time staring at a small television set that lined the table formerly used for eating and covered with old newspapers and magazines from ages ago.
Duke seemed to have been quite keen on sticking to her side, as she felt his hand on her waist as he pulled her close to him kissing her lips as she returned his kiss in the wake of the deep growl that rumbled from beneath his throat. Charles didn't seem to notice as he headed back toward the kitchen his ears and mind already on his television program.
"You're home is nice." said Rae making conversation once Duke allowed her a moment to breathe.
"If you say so." he replied not at all caring about their surroundings. "You want me to show you around?"
"Actually, I would like to know where the nearest bathroom is." said Rae with something of a small smile. "I've kind of needed to pee ever since we left the motel this morning."
Duke treated her to a small smile and lead her via the hand toward the narrow hallway where the bathroom had been located when last memory served him. It had been awhile since he'd been home after all. Along the way, Duke showed her the end of the hall where his childhood bedroom had been and was impressed that his father kept the door closed and everything inside the way it was. He set to work putting their bags, especially the duffle bag full of money beneath his bed and her backpack on the nearby desk he used for homework purposes as a kid.
Rae quickly did some digging into her backpack while Duke was busy inspecting his old room before she moved into the hall and toward the room he'd previously shown her to be the bathroom. Charles Lovell was busy watching his regularly scheduled programs and popping peanuts in the kitchen.
She closed the door and locked it behind her as she quickly did a refresher in reading the instructions and resolved herself to having to urinate on a stick in order to get the information that her body had already been attempting to send her way. She wanted to be sure of course before she informed her new husband although she couldn't see how he'd been surprised.
Of course it had been due to the fact that from the moment they wed he'd been unable to keep his hands off her. Rae was trembling as she gently set the stick down on the countertop and attempted to make sense of the past few weeks. She'd run away from home, been rescued via a strange naked man with beastly urges and married him only to find out that he'd been a werewolf of some kind and it didn't seem to bother her. Now here she was in her father in-law's house and awaiting the moment she'd have to tell a man she just met that she'd been pregnant with his son's child.
The churning within her stomach returned and she found herself unable to hold back as she reached the toilet for a second time in one visit to the bathroom and vomited the contents of her stomach. She had not been privy to the fact that Charles had passed by in a bid to locate Duko and question him about his sudden marriage to a girl so young when the sounds of her vomiting reached his ears and he felt he had already had his answer.
It might have been years since his now full grown only son was born, but Charles Lovell knew all too well the tell tale signs of a woman undergoing the natural order of pregnancy. He simply turned and headed back toward the kitchen where he settled back into his usual flat yellow chair and watched his regular programing.
Duko seemed comfortable enough being back at home despite the inherent issues he and his father still had to work through, but he was quite proud to have his wife along with him. He ventured out of his bedroom and toward the bathroom where he knocked on the door in a bid to get Rae's attention.
"I'll be out soon." she said. "Just give me a few minutes."
Duko sighed and headed toward the kitchen where he knew his father was waiting now that they had been alone with Rae preoccupied.
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The Kitchen, The Lovell Residence, South Pasture, Colorado.....
Charles Lovell turned from the small yellow television on the end of his table to give his newly arrived son his undivided attention. He had already come to the conclusion that his son had gotten the girl pregnant and that was possibly the reason why she was married to him, still he found it odd that she'd been so young and out of sorts. Duke seemed to be happier with the young lass at his side and less of a mind of bitterness since last he saw him. Him being back home after years of wandering aimlessly and looking for trouble had been a sign of the changes the little lady had apparently brought into his boy's often troubled life.
"That's some woman you got there Channon." said Charles attempting to make conversation. "A little young for my taste but I'm guessing she'd legal by now."
Duko snorted and walked toward the kitchen sink, which use to look so much larger when he'd been a boy. So much so that he couldn't even see over it during that time and often hated to be reminded of how short he'd been.
Charles seemed to recall as much as he looked over his grown son. Channon had been a scrawny clueless teenager when he threw him out at the age of sixteen and now he'd been a decorated war veteran like himself and he had the medals and uniform to prove it. It was the only thing his son had left behind for him to find before taking off for a few years, this time of his own accord despite forgiving him when they last ran into each other at a dive bar.
"How you feeling old man?" asked Duke with an arched brow.
"About as well as anyone given what I went through." replied Charles. "How you holding up?"
"Fine." replied Duko making conversation despite not being much good at it.
It seemed that was yet another thing he'd inherited from Charles.
The two of them were silent for a few moments unsure of what to say to one another before Charles finally broke the tension.
"You staying this time or just passing through?" he asked.
"Passing through." replied Duko knowing that his father had not wished to hear this. "We were on route to New York and figured it was high time I stopped by."
Charles nodded as he turned his attention to eating from a pack of sunflower seeds that laid open on the top of the already heavily cluttered table.
"Well, I wish you two luck." he said chewing. "In any case, better luck than me and your mother had anyway....maybe you'll be the one to get it right."
"Pop..." began Duko only to find himself interrupted when his attention had shifted to Rae whom had motioned for him to join her.
Charles watched the scene knowing all too well what she was in such a hurry to tell him.
The two of them stepped into the living room where Rae presented her werewolf husband with a pregnancy test and he looked at her with a brow arched in confusion.
"It's positive." said Rae attempting to make sense of the lines on the test for him. "I'm pregnant."
Duke had not known what to say, and simply stared at his young wife in shock. All that time she'd been sick, he never even considered that she might have been carrying his child. Charles stepped out into the living room and leaned against the nearby wall with his arms folded across his chest.
"Well don't just stand there dumbfounded boy, you're gonna be a father yourself it seems." he said with something of a sad smile filed across his aged face.
Rae turned her attention to him surprised that he'd known.
"Don't look so surprised, my ears do more than frame my face you know." he said before turning back to his son. "Congratulations you two.... if you don't mind an old man being sentimental, I think I'm going to go get some rest...got a big day in the pasture come morning."
"Good night." said Rae politely as Charles passed.
"Night Pop." replied Duke after finally finding his will to speak before turning his attention back to Rae. "You're pregnant..."
Rae nodded.
"It's what the test says at least, of course I could visit a doctor in the morning to find out for sure." she added.
"Alright." said Duke as he pulled his expecting wife into his arms and kissed her softly on the top of the head unsure what to feel aside from euphoria and a longing to be close to his young wife after hearing the news. "I think we should be getting some rest then, if you're going to make a trip to the doctor."
Rae had been in agreement. She didn't know what else the future held for her and Duke, but she was glad she took the chance she did and stopped off for that pregnancy test.
Soon they would be expecting a little one if the doctors confirmed what the test had to say.