Autumn's Child

Slowly, Calvin brought the tip of each of his fingers down upon several different keys on the keyboard of his laptop, which sat before him on the splintering surface of the picnic table he had selected out of several, unoccupied tables scattered about the park- and with each tap of a labeled key he swore he could hear the sweet sound of a piano's notes leaping from his fingers and dancing about his ears. Now, there was magic, there were hallucinations- which Calvin had never actually experienced firsthand, but he had once treated a patient who had been hearing sounds for years that weren’t there- but then there was pure joy, and that was truly incomprehensible. Calvin felt as if he had fallen in love- though he didn’t actually know what falling in love felt like, he felt he had made a pretty good guess at that moment- with the computer before him, which his fingers continued to dance upon the keys of, as if his hands were performing a routine that had been choreographed simply to entertain Calvin, who was watching gleefully from a few inches, having hunched over slightly to get a better look at the keyboard.

The sweet smell of the autumn leaves that were crawling about the dried-out grass, the chilled air, and the rain that had fallen the evening prior, only seemed to enhance the bliss that Calvin was experiencing. The only possible thing that could have made him feel any greater would have been a cup of coffee with “lots, lots, and lots of whipped cream on top- and a cherry!” Oh how greatly Calvin enjoyed his sugary treats, but he had been forced to skip out on that luxury that evening, due to the fact that he had gotten out of work later than he usually did, and the coffee shop that he usually visited on his route to the park, had closed by the time he had stepped outside of the Ministry Building. However, Calvin was not the type of person to let such things bring him down for even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second- which is a very small, tiny piece of a second- for it was his positive, “nothing will ever get me down” outlook that had preserved his childish innocence.

A giddy laugh broke free from Calvin’s lips, which had formed an awkward, crooked smile as he listened to the melody which he had found a way to play upon his “keyboard” with the assistance of his impeccable imagination, because at that moment he was a pianist in a world famous band, who were on tour for the greatest of audiences; dead leaves in an empty park after sunset. The rest of the world ment nothing to the young man child.

Chase was too young for this. Too young to be doing what she was doing. What was she doing anyway? She was to young to even know what she was doing. Physically Chase looked like any other teenager walking the streets of London, staring at a newspaper in her hands, her eyes flicking back and forth over the paper as she read it. It was the daily prophet, in it the pictures moved, and the information was unlike anything else you'd find for sale in London, England. In fact, she had gotten this paper from a place that not many people could even get to, a small pub called the Leaky Cauldron, which was not to far from here. Her friends had told her that she needed to get things in line, and she was here to look at apartments in a Wizarding neighborhood of London.

Chase looked up from her paper to discover a park right in front of her. She grinned and walked into it, not really watching where she was going, just walking in a general direction. Chase had undergone some serious changing in the last few months. First she had been attacked by a murderous female, then her parents had been killed, she had gotten a boyfriend, been attacked by demons, had her boyfriend break up with her, get attacked by more demons, find a new guy, and get pregnant with his baby. Yeah, it was a good year was it not? Chase brought a steaming cup up to her lips and took a sip of the scalding liquid. She loved coffee, and this was the best there was, in her opinion anyway.

Chase looked up from her cup to see a familiar face sitting not to far away from her. Chase had to squint a bit, before she realized where she had seen him before. "Calvin!?" She exclaimed, her hand automatically going to her stomach. In normal clothing she would have had a baby bump, but in her new enchanted clothing, she looked just as she had before. "Calvin Ransom is that really you?" She exclaimed again, going towards him and sitting next to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "Oh how I've missed you!" She said feeling her heart flip over in happiness at seeing her old friend.

His name had been called, he could have sworn so, but when Calvin ran his eyes over the half of the park that was before him, he found no living creatures save the trees that had sprouted from the soil beneath his old, torn sneakers. For a moment he had taken into consideration the idea that he had had too long of a day and it had caused him to have some sort of mental breakdown, but the idea seemed too ridiculous to be true; Calvin had had much longer, more stressful days than the one that had just ended and had had no trouble coping. Despite the sticky situations Calvin found himself in the middle of because of his choice in career, he enjoyed his job at the Ministry; it made him proud to know that he was a part of the system that kept everything working smoothly.

Calvin had shifted his weight on the bench that he had chosen to sit upon and had prepared to readjust his fingers atop the keys to pick up where he had left off with his encore- he had dropped his hands to his lap when he had heard that mysterious voice call his name , in a rather startled manner- but just as he began to apply pressure to the labeled letters, he was once again interrupted by a soft, angelic voice, and the sudden presence of a redheaded female. She had appeared so suddenly that Calvin had to blink twice in order to reassure himself that Chase Moor had, indeed, joined him in the middle of the park. “Chase!” Calvin exclaimed, but his voice had come out awkwardly, as if his throat had forgotten that his usual voice was not squeaky and quiet.

It had been far too long since Calvin had last spent time with the gentle, kind Chase Moor, and he had to admit, as he looked at her face he began to feel an ache within his stomach that suggested he had missed her much more than he had originally realized. Due to the fact that Calvin’s mind had seemed to have stopped processing understandable, English words, he began to laugh, and his joyous laughter danced upon the chilled, autumn air as the notes of his "piano" had done only seconds prior.

She had wrapped her arms around his scrawny shoulders in an excited hug… and Calvin swore his limps had detached themselves from his body, for he found himself incapable of returning her hug due to the initial shock of seeing Chase again, which hadn’t yet worn off. Poor Calvin had been paralyzed- stunned by a stun gun that made his heart flutter beneath his chest rapidly.

“Chase! Chase! Chase! Chase!” Calvin shouted gleefully, unable to contain his emotions, which seemed to be running wild within him, and unable to form within his mind any other word than his friend’s first name. Her presence certainly made up for his lack of sugary coffee; he would have gone years without his favorite sweat treat if he was certain it would allow him to see Chase more often- the genies in their bottles are only offering one wish now-a-days.

Chase laughed when he seemed to be in shock at seeing her. And could do nothing more then said her name over and over. "Oh Calvin! I've missed you horribly! How have you been? What have you been doing? What are you doing? Ohhh I don't see you often enough at all!" She said shaking her head in dismay, her smile growing so wide she could have sworn she was going to tear her lips. "Oh Calvin, so much has happened! You have no idea! So much! I want to tell you everything, but I'm so afraid you'll hate me!" She said her face burning almost as red as her hair. "I mean, I feel so gross for being as I am.. especially around you! I just don't know what to do anymore! I'm actually looking for an apartment today! I mean really! How much worse does it get? I'm thinking of moving away from things!"

"Oh Calvin... you are like a breath of fresh air in a dark room!" She said hugging him again happily. The last time she had seen the man, he had just lost his goldfish, and she had had to take him to St. Mungos because he had cut his hand on the glass. He was the most innocent man she had ever encountered, and every time she saw him, it was like she was getting a breather from life, because he took pleasure in the little things, the things most people would look at and look away, he would stop, and probably stare at it for hours if he felt that he liked it enough. Chase grinned at him again and pushed a strand of hair away form her ear. "Okay Calvin, tell me EVERYTHING! I want to know what you've been doing, how you are! How's Reid? Get any new pets? How's your job doing?" She asked leaning towards him, her eyes alight with happiness.

There had always been something about excitement that Calvin had had difficulty handling; when such an immense explosion of emotions went off within him, he had a great deal of trouble keeping the smoke and the debris from escaping from his mouth. However, at times, attempting to do so create a worse situation than expressing himself would have; Calvin was certain Reid would, if asked, be able to recall several occasions when he had fallen to the ground due to a system overload.

Calvin truly was nothing more than a supercomputer programmed to spread peace, laughter, and love throughout all of London. He was not meant to withhold what made him who he was, and so, after giving it a few seconds of thought, Calvin decided that it would be just fine if he stood quickly from the bench he was occupying, gather Chase Moor up in his arms (his arms were kind enough to allow such movements after having frozen up on him momentarily), and dance as if it would be the last thing he’d ever do. “Chasey, Chasey, Chase!” he sung, his voice surprisingly musical compared to his usually high-pitched tones, “My best friend is here again!” he shouted to the shriveled leaves that clung to the dead branches of the trees within the park. He wore a proud smile, as if he had been given a gold badge to pin to his chest; to Calvin, there was no better thing than Chase being happy to see him.

Calvin danced strangely, his height playing a key role in making him look like a giraffe at a rodeo, his eyes not once leaving Chase’s. This display of joy stopped abruptly, however, at the mention of Calvin possibly hating Chase after her long absence- such a statement felt as awful to Calvin as being a living goalpost in a game of quidditch, something which had happened to him several times in the past. “H-hate you?” the young, raggedy man frowned, standing absolutely, positively still for a moment’s times, “That’s awful; I don’t hate anyone. People hurt me all the time, but I forgive every one of them, because I know that they were hurt to, and that they are just sad. You haven’t hurt me, so there is nothing for me to forgive you for, and no reason for anyone to ever, ever hate you,” he explained, his choice of words consistently childlike.

There was just enough time for Calvin to smile a coy little, lopsided smile before he was stricken with another bolt of lightning, which was released from Chase’s mouth. The difference this time being that he did not know how to respond. Chase was planning on leaving… could the sun leave the sky, leaving Earth cold and lonely? She had continued speaking excitedly, as if she expected such news to simply fly over his head, but after that point Calvin was unable to retain anything else.

“No… no, you can’t. You can’t- I couldn’t…” he stuttered quietly, on the brink of tears.

Chase squealed when she was suddenly spun around, in such a happy dance, she couldn't believe she had lived for so long without seeing Calvin again. He was literally like a breath of fresh air from heaven, sent to greet her here for a moment, so that she may feel happy once again. He was a spread of warmth from her toes to her head, that made her feel all giddy inside, and just want to jump up and shout for joy. But when he got really concerned about not hating her, she had to go to him and hug him. "You really are precious.." She said softly, pressing her cheek against his chest, but suddenly he was nearly crying, and she had to look up at him with fearful eyes. "Calvin! I'm not leaving forever! I may possibly be getting CLOSER to you now! I'm finding a new apartment so that I may live on my own for a while!" She said with a grin.

"Here.. Calvin, let me tell you why I was afraid you'd hate me.. of course just looking at you now.. somehow I can't feel that anymore, but I still worry you know." She said and then sat down on the bench, holding onto his hand with such a light grasp she was sure that if he wanted to, his hand could just drift out of her grasp, but she didn't want to startle him, or hurt him, or make him feel afraid. Of course it could happen that he felt afraid BECAUSE her grip was so loose, she she tightened her hold a bit, and held onto his hand, moving so that she was facing him on the bench, one knee propped up on it, her eyes glued to his hand in hers, watching as she turned it over and over in her grasp.

"So.. you know I'm young right? Haha.. I sure don't feel it, but I am. I'm still a teenager.. and yeah, I've seen those Muggle tv shows.. the ones about teenagers, especially in the Americas... they do some pretty stupid stuff on those shows Calvin.. and right now... I'm pretty sure I've topped a LOT of what they have done.. You see.... I've done something that most people don't even THINK about doing, until they are settled down, and ready... financially, emotionally... realistically. but... I'm not that.. well financially I'm set for life... but.. it still concerns me... that there won't be enough love in the world.." Chase looked up at Calvin, her eyes shining with soft tears. "Oh Calvin, I've done a stupid thing! If only I could take it back.. please don't cry! You are making me cry!" She said and wiped her eyes, trying to force a smile at him, but making it only appear as though she had a bad toothache. "Calvin... love..." She said and took a long, deep breath to gather her courage.

"I'm pregnant.. with a child that was not my boyfriends..."

OOC: What a Doctor Who (Doctor 11) moment this is. =P

Calvin had learned during his childhood- it had been one of those times when he had begged his sister’s nurse to let him play with that shiny, silver stethoscope of his- that there truly was no rhythm like that of a beating heart; it was a beautiful noise. Despite the fact that he had chosen to be a healer of neurological injuries at St. Mungo’s, his fascination with the human heart had never faded; people claimed they could feel with their heart- something which had always been scientifically impossible. He had always wondered what had lead people to believe such a thing; was it really such a silly notion? Certainly not. No notion was silly; everything had a story behind it, everything had a reason, and it was at that moment when Chase rested the side of her face to Calvin’s chest when he was told the story of a heart’s emotion. His heart did not simply skip a beat; rather, it seemed to leap with joy. His heart was joyous, he was sure of it; Chase was not leaving him after all, and that was all it took. “You put Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde to shame just then,” he giggled, his smile returning once more, his Chase close by. “You could stay with us- you know, Reid, and me! I could sleep on the couch so that you could sleep in my room. I have Yoshi slippers! Their may favorite. You can have them though, to keep your feet warm,” he squealed rapidly.

There was, however, a less enjoyable subject to discuss- that much was clear by the way Chase looked up at Calvin with her tear-glazed eyes, which pained Calvin ever so much. Had Chase been hurt? Had Chase hurt someone? No, Chase is a nice person, and nice people don’t hurt others; mother said so, Calvin decided. But that soft grip she held his hands with chilled him to the bone; something was wrong.

Calvin had never been an attentive person- a cheering charm gone wrong hade made sure of that- and yet, he sat absolutely still, his ears belonging to the redhead before him. She spoke of a mistake that she had made, and yet, it wasn’t until her very last sentence when he understood what she had meant- and even then, it took a bit of work for his mind to make sense of what he had heard. Chase was pregnant? He slipped one of the hands that Chase was holding, out of her hand in order to scratch his skull, as if it would help him think. Chase was pregnant. He knew what it meant; he had gone through the standard training to become a healer, after all. However, the idea of pregnancy wasn’t what had stumped Calvin, no, it was the mathematic equation Chase + pregnant that he could not solve.

“Hmmm?” He finally asked.

Chase laughed and shook her head. "No... no, you needn't go to all the trouble, I don't want to force myself on you, and I have plenty of money in order to get a mansion if I so chose, but I'm just looking for an apartment to rent for a small while, so I can get my bearings on the world you know?" She said with a smile. "But thanks so much for the offer, maybe I'll find a good place in your neighborhood, and I could see you more, does that help?" She asked softly, her eyes sparkling. "I do miss you Calvin dearest.." She said softly, her eyes locked on his. "I can't say it enough to make you understand how just you being here has made me so incredibly happy, like I said before... a breath of fresh air." She said shaking her head. She just couldn't believe how clearly she could think about Calvin, and how happy he made her. Even when she was so unhappy to tell him about her... problem.

When he looked at her with such confusion, she realized there was more going on his head then she had originally thought. He seemed like such a child all the time, of course, he was still an adult.. someone she loved dearly, but still.. an adult, who had finished school, had a job.. After a moment, she took a deep breath and then sighed heavily, trying to figure out the right words. Taking his hand in hers, she sighed again and looked around the park for a long moment before she said. "I'm... expecting a baby..." She said carefully, her eyes locked on a tree that had a squirrel on it not to far away. "The boy I was with when I first met you... well he kind of hates me now.. well he doesn't hate me.. but we don't talk anymore.. but.. I'm with a new guy.. and well.. I'm expecting his child.. a baby... in here." She said and patted her stomach lightly. "You can't see it now because of what I'm wearing.. but she's there... inside... kicking and squirming and growing.." She said softly, glancing down at her flat stomach and knowing there was a lot more then she was showing.

"My clothes hide that part... so that I look completely normal from the outside... but once I take off my jacket... well... you'll see me as I really am... hah.. I feel like I have some gross dis-figuration.. and all I'm hiding is a rather large stomach. I feel so gross." She said and leaned forward, putting her face in her hands and resting her elbows on her upper legs, hiding her face from Calvin so that she didn't have to see his reaction when he finally pieced together what she had done, for there were steps one had to take in order to have a baby... and most of the time, it didn't feel like a very good act, well unless you were married and financially stable... but Chase was only 17, 17 and pregnant... rich, but still only a teenager, expecting a child. She kept her face hidden, still afraid of how he would react.

There could have been a light ping noise, what with the way Calvin’s eyes slowly widened; The information Chase had given him had snapped together like the oversized pieces of a child’s pieces, each oddly shaped piece of cardboard outrageously obvious. There was a mini, baby Chase, right there in front of him… sort of. At first, Calvin had been awe-stricken; his favorite person in the world had been duplicated, after all… but then came the shock of being told that Chase was… with someone.

“Oh,” he mumbled quietly, “Oh…”

Calvin had never been the sort of person to experience any form of jealousy, and yet, it seemed that, that evening, Chase was introducing all sorts of new feelings to poor, conflicted Calvin. He wanted to give into his initial feeling of excitement for Chase- sure she was young, but he was certain that the little child that was to be born would make up for any such troubles- his stomach, however, made it quite clear that it would rather imitate the feeling of being punched by someone with an incredibly boney fist…

“There is a little baby in there...” Calvin spoke with a small smile, pointing in the general direction of her stomach. Chase could not see such a gesture, however, for she had hidden her face from him, and for a moment he feared that she had begun to cry. He extended his arm slowly, taking hold of her delicate hand once more, “Why are you hiding?” he asked, his voice sounding quite similar to a child’s.

“I can’t wait to meet the lad,” he added in another attempt to ease whatever unpleasant emotions Chase was experiencing; despite his own tangled thoughts, he was far more concerned with what was going on in her head.

Chase heard his small noises of realization, and felt curiosity burn through her veins. What was he thinking? How did he view her? He was older then her, what was he thinking? Would his feelings change towards her? What if they did? Chase couldn't live without this beautiful angel beside her. She didn't know how he was taking it, he had simply said there was a baby in there, but by that point she had no idea what he was doing, his facial reactions, nothing, because she was hiding her face. Then she felt his hand on hers, and she looked at him, small tears running down her face, when he asked her why she was hiding.

"Oh Calvin.. I just don't know what to do anymore... I never thought It would be like this.." She said and pulled her knees to her chest, resting her heels on the edge of the bench, while she still held onto his hand, staring at it, her eyes glazed over because her thoughts were far away, but she held his hand in hers, pressing it to her cheek after a moment, she sat like that for a while. "I always thought.." She said and finally opened her eyes, looking up at him carefully. "That I would be in a loving home.. a happy place, with my husband... and we would decide... decide to have a kid.. decide we could take time out of work now.. we were financially set... it would work.. but this? I don't know if I call this happiness Calvin.." She said softly, her eyes still watering slightly.

"You see... his name is Elijah Krum.. and if you know.. any of the Krums.. you'd know that they are a less then loving family. Elijah.. well you get tired of hearing all the rumors from him.. rumors about who else he has shagged... who else he is seeing behind my back.. and most of the time I know those rumors.. they are true, because he doesn't know what commitment is.. he doesn't.. and I wish he did, but I couldn't change him... I couldn't do that.. so I just sit here.... pretending to be happy.. pretending that I don't care that he's making out with some other girl in an empty classroom somewhere... Shagging her at the same time as he's dating me.. it does hurt.. and I wish I could just not care.. not care at all.. and not feel so all alone." She said and then flung her arms around Calvin's neck, hugging him hard, tears spilling down her face.