Generation Two - Chapter Fourteen: Bump in the Road

Beatrice left work one day looking awful pleased.



Apparently she has been rifling through Aria's maternity wear for something to fit her brand new baby bump. By now you might be asking exactly how this happened. That requires a bit of back tracking.



Both Beatrice and Bray were doing well in their life of crime, and had received promotions within the organization. Apparently standing around and looking evil was one of the most important qualities for such a job.



Aria was getting on in years, and finally decided to retire from the music industry. She had built a name for herself as a lyricist, and could retire a happy woman, although not a wealthy one.



Bray was still trying to convince Beatrice they should date by showing her all the crazy faces he could contribute to the legacy. I have to say, it's a pretty convincing argument.



But Bray's chances were dashed, all by a chance meeting at the park. Beatrice was surprised to see Randy, and he clearly found it a bit awkward to bump in to her.



But in a surprising turn of events, he apologized for the way he treated her when they were in high school.



In fact, he was even a bit embarrassed at what a jerk he had been.



Beatrice decided to be a reasonable adult for once, and accepted his apology gracefully. She even proposed that they take a go at being friends.



And nothing says friends like a good BBQ.



However, this was the very first time a member of the Winters family was introduced to any sort of oven or grill, so her foray in to cooking ended in a predictable manner. A giant fire.



And delicious, charred black hot dogs. Somehow even the buns, which weren't even on the grill, were rendered inedible.



At this point Randy began wondering what exactly he had gotten himself in to by agreeing to be Beatrice's friend.



But either because he wanted to prove the sincerity of his apology, or because he has absolutely no taste buds he choked down the "meal" Beatrice had prepared. Even the master chef herself couldn't stomach more than a few bites.



After dinner, Randy took Beatrice's hand and thanked her for the "meal". He admitted that it had been a long time since he had a nice, casual evening. He never said what he did, but his job seemed to take up most of his time.



Beatrice hated to admit it, but even after all the time that had passed, and the way things had ended up between them, she still felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach when he complimented her.



After all, he was a smooth talker from the very beginning.



They spent a little longer talking, catching up, and alright, flirting a bit.



It was getting late though, and Beatrice needed to head home to celebrate Bradford's birthday. Beatrice and Randy shared a quick goodbye hug, and he promised to call her some time to hang out again. Beatrice hurried home with no real expectations, but a smidge of hope that Randy had grown up enough to at least actually call.



Back at the Winters estate Bradford was celebrating his transition in to adulthood.



Bradford was ecstatic to put high school behind him, and become an official adult. Or maybe "mouth so large one could fit an entire cake in it" is just the family trait. Beatrice wasn't impressed though. Or perhaps she was just worried there would be no cake left.



Bradford grew up quite handsome, just like his brothers.



And just like his brothers he decided to leave home to pursue a career and family of his own.



True to his word Randy called the very next night, and almost every night after that. He and Beatrice would often meet in the evenings after work just to chat and de-stress.



One night Randy invited Beatrice out to the beach for their first proper date. He even surprised her with a bouquet of flowers.



Beatrice was thrilled that Randy had put so much though in to their evening, and the date progressed well.



Before long it was already getting late, so after one last kiss Randy offered to give Bea a ride home. She wasn't quite ready for the evening to be over yet though.



This time it was Beatrice who suggested they move the date somewhere a little more private. (Although I'm not sure just how private, or romantic for that matter, a beach changing room actually is.)



Beatrice was on cloud nine when she strutted through the door that evening.



However, not long after their romantic rendezvous in the shower Beatrice started spending her mornings praying to the porcelain god.



And her appetite seemed to grow exponentially.



She could hardly wait for the time it took to get the cake from the fridge to the table to devour it.



So as much as she tried to deny the signs, it really came as no surprise when she discovered she was expecting.



The tough part would be telling her family and Bray. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide it long though, and it would be better they hear it from her before they figure it out themselves.



She decided to start with Bray. He was clearly shocked by the news.



He put on his best smile, and told her that he would be there to support her in anything she needed. It hadn't been so long ago that she had rejected his romantic advances, so she doubted he could be as enthusiastic as he appeared, but she appreciated his support.



She knew her mom would be the truly tough one. Despite her rock star ambitions, Aria had always been pretty traditional. She knew she had to get it over with so Beatrice just blurted it out one evening.



Aria was confused at first.

Aria:So does this mean that you and Bray...

Beatrice:No mom. It's... someone else. Randy. You've never met...



Aria didn't know how to take the news. Beatrice was just glad she had never told her mother about Randy during high school, she had forgiven him for what he did, but she knew that her mother never would have.



Uncomfortable as she may be Aria knew that in the end her daughter was a grown adult who had to make her own choices.

Aria:Well, you know I'll be here for you and the little one.



The only one left to tell was the baby's father himself. Randy had grown up a lot since high school, but Beatrice couldn't help but worry that he'd revert back to his noncommittal ways when he found out.