Tempting Torment [Lugia]

[Lahja Morgan]

“Yes, love, I know... okay yes... yes, I'll put them in the mail tomorrow. I promise... Yes, okay... Okay. Bye Jeff, love y-.”
The line went dead before Lahja could finish and she looked at the phone in her hand for a long moment before closing it with a soft snap and a sigh, tucking the little device back into her bag as she continued to walk down the street. It had been the first time Jeff had called her, rather than the other way around, in over two weeks, and it turned out it was only because he wanted her to send over a few of his old school trophies so he could show them off to his new city friends. She could understand his enthusiasm, of course, and he had only been in LA a few months and was still settling in to life away from Pilot Ridge. Still, it was always a little difficult to face.

Lahja's schedule left her very little time for hobbies that were in no way work-related, which in many ways was a good thing. Most of her life had been spent constantly active and doing something and she had little want to slow down now; too much time alone with her thoughts was a worrying concept. With winter looming on the horizon the hours of daylight were already getting shorter but the workload on the farm was increasing, with stores being built up for the cold months ahead and the staff working harder to keep the horses at peak condition despite the dwindling quality of the grass and the ever-increasing energy needs. It was only going to get tougher, and so Lahja was making the most of these quieter daytime moments while she still had the chance.

Stepping into the bookstore Lahja felt a wave of peace and tranquillity wash over her. She had always enjoyed to read but never really had the time; she couldn't remember the last fiction book she had finished cover to cover. However she did spend several hours a day working her horses in the arenas at the farm, and in those arenas were CD players for when she was practising dressage tests set to music. She might not have the time to sit and read, but she had plenty of time to drive or ride and listen.

Dark eyes browsed over the books-on-disk, quickly taking in a disregarding titles as she tried to find something that instantly appealed. Very little was catching her eye until she came across one... Slowly sliding the case out from the shelf, Lahja stared at it with a mixture of fascination and mild horror. She had hated the Twilight saga more than she had hated anything else in her entire life... and yet she had heard from reputable sources that the Fifty Shades saga was even worse. Dare she subject herself (and her poor horses) to that level of revulsion? Lahja was reading the back of the case when she felt something bump into her back and she turned quickly, stepping in close to the shelves. “I'm so sorry, am I in your way?”

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri was exhausted. Meg was in the teething phase, or something like that, and caring for her required a lot of work. In addition, she still wasn’t sleeping, and she was doing her best not to disturb Dean, because he didn’t deserve to be bothered with it, and he’d already been too patient as it was. Instead, she’d called up her mother and begged for advice.

Well, the woman had said. First, pick up a copy of a book that she’d recommend to everyone who had just had a child—okay, that wasn’t too difficult, and Kateri could do that. The next was a book on tape. Kateri didn’t particularly like those. She enjoyed reading to a certain extent, but she’d rather do math problems than pick up a book, and if you were going to listen to something, why not just turn on some American television and listen to it for background noise? Much easier.

So she’d called up the bookstores in town and determined that only one had the book she was looking for. She’d put Meg into the stroller and headed to downtown to look for the store, and there it was. She glanced up at it, tying her hair back as she looked around, then shrugged. Well. It was worth a shot. She rolled the stroller into the store and began browsing. Meg was actually sleeping, so she wasn’t worried about anything causing a fuss. She liked that. She was perusing the books on tape, looking for something kid-appropriate, when she realized she had just walked into Lahja.

Oops.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “No, you’re not, you’re fine.” She smiled at her. “I was just looking at books. By the way…” Kateri wasn’t normally the kind of person to say this, but she hadn’t spent a lot of time with other women lately, and she couldn’t help it. “I love your hair.”

[Lahja Morgan]

Lahja very rarely got the chance to socialise with women that were not in her employ. Sure she was on very good terms with her staff members and she classed several of them as good friends, but it was always hard to be especially ‘chatty’ with them without some risk of breaking down that wall of boss-employee. It was a fine line to tread and even though Lahja liked to think she was very good at walking it, she did sometimes miss having a girl-friend that she could sit and gossip with over a coffee.

The lady was quick to apologise and Lahja dismissed it with a soft smile and a wave of her hand. “No harm done, don’t worry yourself about it.” At the compliment to her hair Lahja smiled brightly, subconsciously flicking a long lock over her shoulder. She took great pride in her hair and the fact that, even though she was hardly in her youth any more, it was still its natural shade without one spec of dye on it. “Thank you so much, darling. Yours is glorious too; such a vibrant and beautiful blend of shades that you could never get out of a bottle.” She chuckled softly. “If the little one inherits your hair she’ll have all the suitors clamouring for her attention.”

Lahja could all too easily understand the tiredness on the Irish ladies face and she felt true sympathy for her. It didn’t seem that long ago since she had been in the exact same boat with Jeffrey. Peeking into the stroller, Lahja smiled down at the tiny bundle. “She’s such an angel. What is her name?”

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri had had a lot of girlfriends over the years. Janice was a prime example. She’d enjoyed talking and chatting with the woman, but Dean had been right: Janice wasn’t really prepared to deal with a baby in the house. Dean was better prepared, but he still needed a break. And Kateri needed out of the house, which was why she was here. Buying books. Not her best trait or skill, but her mother had recommended it and so she was determined to do this.

She laughed, realized she was being a little too loud for a bookstore, then offered a grin instead. “It’s the Irish in me, I suppose. My father’s hair is just the same.” Her mother had always joked that it was the way she knew it was him in a crowd. Even now, when his hair was more grey than red, her father stood out in a crowd. She smiled as she looked down at Meg and lightly ran her hand over her head. “She already seems to be getting it, the sweetheart. She was born with red hair. I keep hoping she’ll keep it. The family tradition, you know.” She settled back on the stroller’s handle and folded her arms on it, propping her chin up on her hands to smile at her.

“Meg,” she said. “Are you a mother? You have the look, if you don’t mind me saying.” She hoped it didn’t bother her. The woman didn’t LOOK like a mother physically, but the nurturing look was full of reminiscence, and that Kateri recognized. Her mother had looked exactly the same when playing with Meg.

[Lahja Morgan]

The tiny little life inside the stroller was an absolute sweetheart, and Lahja couldn't help but feel that quite little bubbling warmth in her chest. It was a feeling she supposed all mothers felt when meeting an infant, whether it was their own or not. That feeling of just wanting to scoop them up and cuddle them and keep them safe from the big scary world. They were so small and precious, so innocent. And then they grow up and break your heart.

“She is such a tiny angel. I'm sure she'll keep that colour, and it will be glorious.” Lahja could easily understand the woman's gaze; that loving, protective smile and want to show off her precious bundle to the world. As the lady introduced her child Lahja smiled softly, giving a little wave of her fingers. “Hello Meg, it is lovely to meet you.”

Lahja looked back towards the woman, offering her a smile and her hand. “And it's lovely to meet you too. I'm Lahja.” At the lady's question Lahja laughed softly, shaking her head. “Please, I don't mind at all. I class it as a compliment. Yes, I have a son but he's all grown up now.” Indeed he was; eighteen years passed so very quickly. “His name is Jeffrey; he went to school here but he lives in LA with his father now.”

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I always found it to be a bit irritating. Your scalp burns something terrible at time.” But she couldn’t help reaching a hand in to lightly stroke her daughter’s head, and that silly smile was on her face again. No matter how it had come about, Kateri had no regrets when it came to her daughter. “Oh, she’s an angel now,” she joked, “But you should see her when she’s hungry. Or at night.”

The baby was staring at Lahja curiously, and flexed her hand, as if thinking of trying to copy the wave. Then she lost interest as she saw the edge of the blanket and promptly stuck it into her mouth to suck on. Kateri sighed. She’d stopped bothering to try to stop Meg from doing that. If she liked it, then who was she to argue?

“Nice to meet you, Lahja.” Her smile turned wistful and sympathetic at the next statement. “Oh. I’m sorry. That must be hard. You and your husband are separated?” She sighed. “I know that feeling. This little one’s father and I aren’t together, either. But you do what you can. No other children?”

[Lahja Morgan]

Lahja smiled warmly, her gaze alternating between Meg and the girl's mother. “They're all little terrors when they are hungry. Jeff could be the quietest, most angelic little thing in the world; but when he wanted feeding he made sure half the state knew about it.” She chuckled softly, placing the audiobook back on the shelf. Perhaps not this time. “It is a good thing we have no close neighbours; I'd have spent so much time apologising.”

Giving a small nod of her head, a sympathetic look crossed Lahja's features. “Yes, Joshua and I divorced a few years ago. He wanted to take Jeff with him, but Jeff was at a... special school here and couldn't be transferred, thank God.” Lahja would have fought tooth and nail for custody of her son, but thankfully she had Hammel vastly in her favour for that one. He couldn't be transferred to another school in LA because there simply wasn't one there, and Lahja had never been more thankful for her sons gift. “When he graduated we gave him the choice... and he chose to go to LA.”

Lahja gave a vague shrug of her shoulders but the shadow of the hurt crossed her face. She was still grieving over his decision, even though she still fully supported his right to have made it. “I can't imagine how difficult it must be to raise a child alone; I have all the respect in the world for you, Kateri.” Lahja shook her head slightly. “No, just the one. Is Meg your first?”

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri’s lips curved up. “Yes,” she admitted, “I’ve noticed something similar about them, to tell the truth.” She nudged the stroller with her foot and laughed softly. “But nonetheless, I love her anyways. She’s not too bad, but my poor roommate has quite the challenge sometimes. I just have to remember he volunteered for it.”

“Oh.” Kateri offered her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I know what single parenting can be like, and it’s never much fun. I hope you stay in touch. And even if you don’t, don’t worry. You probably will soon. I was a brat when I was eighteen. I got over it eventually, and realized my parents had been right all along.” She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, it was a little slow going there, but it DID go, so there.” She could tell it was still bothering Lahja, though.

She nodded. “Yes, probably my first and last, but we’ll see. And I’m not alone. You know, I have my parents, my roommate…” She shrugged. “It isn’t so bad anymore. But thank you. Tell you what.” She tilted her head. “I have to go soon, but you want to grab a drink sometime? Or lunch? I could use some parenting tips.”