On Fri, 8 May 1998, Coutuva wrote:

Elysse's story continues!  As mentioned last go-round, this still a bit out
of synch with the MotM series, but it will catch up by part three.  The next
segment of the MotM Universe is also due soon, and all I can say about it is
"Brace Yourself...", for the time has come to tie up some loose ends...!

	Oh dear.  Although I have to wonder if you mean the same ones I'm 
thinking of.

	The clock showed absolutely no mercy.  It continued to
count out the seconds, drawing the fateful hour ever nearer.
Sighing, Elysse rolled herself off of her bed and walked slowly
to the mirror on the outside of her bathroom door.
	"Not beautiful, by any means... " she thought to herself,
her lip turning up in a slight smirk.  "This alone might be enough
to change his mind,"  she grinned, doing up one more button on her
nightgown.

Hmm.,..

        On her Mother's insistance, she was going to the cafeteria
for her meeting with Steve, but wasn't happy about it.  Even just
doing it to please her Mother felt like she was betraying Ranma.

You already betrayed Ranma.  Get over it.

	Absently, her hand sought her necklace to find reassurance
from the ring dangling from it.  When she noticed it missing, she
gasped slightly, then remembered she had taken it off so it
wouldn't bother her son.
	Breathing a sigh of relief, she retrieved it from the
bedside table drawer and quickly clasped it about her neck.
Holding the ring up before her eyes, she smiled happily, content
once more that it was back where it belonged.

No it isn't.

	Glancing at the wall clock again, her face sobered as she
noted it was time to start for her rendezvous.  The Cafeteria was
at the other end of the Hospital, and since she had been feeling

no caps on either "cafeteria" or "hospital".

	Steve wandered aimlessly through the cafeteria, trying to
find ways to kill time.  The place was fairly busy, but still quiet
enough for two people to talk.  He knew from his few years as an
EMT that it was always like this at about six p.m., making for a
good place to break the ice.
	At least, to try to break the ice.
	Inwardly, he wondered why he had come.  For his part, he
had become attracted to Elysse when he first saw her, despite the
circumstances.   However, he was fairly certain that he was wasting
his time, as she had made it clear earlier that she didn't feel
the same way.

Well, she *was* in pain at the time.
 

	He had to smirk at that thought, finding it odd to be on
the opposite end of the situation.  Normally, he was the one
getting approached and doing the refusing, mainly because he didn't
feel there was room for a woman in his hectic life.  Somehow,
though, this Elysse had changed his mind.  Something about her was
different, he noted, and it made her seem very desirable.  For the
life of him, however, he couldn't pin down what it was.

	As we see later, it could be her "horsy" aura.

	Finally, upon staring at the door long enough to give
himself a stiff neck, he huffed in disappointment and rose to leave.
Sliding his radio back into its holster, he was about to put on his
coat and head out the back way when he caught sight of a familiar
housecoat.  Smiling, he tossed his coat back over a chair and made
his way toward the entry.
	As he moved closer, the woman wearing the housecoat turned
toward him, and his heart sank.  It wasn't Elysse.

	It was a thief who'd taken her coat.

	Stopping in his tracks, he briefly considered going to get
his coat, feeling both disappointed and embarrassed.  Glancing at
his watch, he noted she was only five minutes late, and on a hunch,
went to check the hallway.
	Stepping out the entry doors, he looked up the hall to see
a brown-haired woman some distance away, her back braced against
the wall and her head hanging forward.  Steve felt himself shift
priorities, and he started up the hall toward the woman.  He didn't
care if it was Elysse or not, because whoever it was seemed to be
in distress.  As he approached her, he reached back for his radio,
and started to pull it from its holster.  He didn't have a kit with
him, and wanted to be ready to get one if he had to.
	The woman heard him coming, and slowly raised her gaze to
see who it was.  Steve froze in his tracks.
	"You..." she croaked, breathlessly.

"...did this to me..."

	"Yes, it's me.  Tell me what's wrong," he responded, firmly.
He could tell by her color that it was something serious.
	"Pain... in my gut.  Think I... pulled something," she gasped,
holding her stomach.
	"Hmm... can you stand up?" he asked, again firmly.
	"Try..." she grimaced, slowly rising.
	Steve watched her carefully, his eyes darting about looking
for any clues.  As his eyes moved to her hips and below,  Elysse
heard him draw a fast breath.  "Damn."  he spat, bringing his radio
to his face.  "Dispatch, four-niner.  Got a post-partum hemorrhage,
severe.  I'm just outside the cafeteria of Memorial, in the hallway.
Get an ER crew down here STAT!"  he ordered, then jammed the radio
back into it's holster.

Owie owie owie...

	"Why... am I bleeding...?  I just walked down here..." she
asked weakly, her face ghostly pale.
	"It was too soon for you to walk that far.  Your room is
almost the length of the hospital from here, and the strain was
probably too much... I'm sorry, Elysse... this is my fault.  I
should have known better," he explained, his voice softening.

	Hmm, a character that actually takes responsibility for the 
results of his actions.  That's new in this series...I like him already. 

	At the far end of the room, Steve sat quietly in a chair,
carefully watching her.  He had already booked the rest of the
night, wanting to remain with her until he knew she was going to
be all right.  He felt responsible for her condition, and his
guilt wouldn't let him leave her unattended.

Yep, definitely a nicer person than most we've seen.

	"I'm sorry, Elysse... "  he whispered, turning to walk
back to his seat.  As he did, his eye caught a flash of gold
around her neck, and he looked back to see what it was.  His
face darkened slightly as he saw the ring, noting it was a man's
wedding band.  That discovery gave him pause to think, as he
recalled that nobody had told him she had been married.  That
didn't leave too many other explanations.

	Well, how did you *think* she got pregnant?

	"No wonder," he said aloud quietly, his brow furrowing.
	Sighing again, he was about to return to his chair when
he heard someone at the door.  Looking over, he smiled politely
when he saw Elysse's Mother, who stood worriedly just inside the

"mother" doesn't have caps except when used as a proper name.

	Mavis puffed out a long breath and her shoulders settled
back down.  "Thank you, Steve... I'm so glad you found her,"
she breathed, her relief softening her face.

"Instead of that awful Ryouga person..."

	Mavis watched after him for a few seconds, then frowned
disappointedly.  She didn't know why yet, but she knew something
had gone wrong somewhere, aside from what had happened to Elysse.

	It's been wrong for a long long time.

	As she continued to look down at her, she found herself
wondering what had transpired between her daughter and Steve
that had upset him so much.  Elysse herself didn't seem to be in
any shape to have talked, which only added to the mystery.

of the mind...

	Reaching over the side of the bed, she stroked her
daughter's hair gently, much in the same manner as she had when
Elysse was younger.  Sighing, she then adjusted the collar of
her daughter's nightgown, ensuring it was loose.  As she did,
she noticed the gold ring attached to her necklace, and,
realizing it was a man's ring, frowned disapprovingly.
	She knew Elysse had not married, and she also had only
Elysse's word that the baby's Father had passed away.  Suddenly,

same with "father".

some not so pleasant possibilities began to play through her
mind, making her understand what had probably upset Steve.
	"I don't know what possesses you sometimes, girl... "
she whispered, sadly.

	Well, it's not Mu Lin, that much we know.

        As she expected, her Father still remained distant, giving
Elysse the impression that the nursery was more her Mother's doing.

Well, she still hasn't owned up about Ranma.

Bill, still a bit wary of Elysse over what he had caused, said
hello but stayed away for the first while.  He did finally see his
nephew, and seemed genuinely happy to accept him, despite being a
bit surprised by the baby's Asian looks.  As well, Elysse could
tell that he was basically unrepentant for his prank, despite his
eventual apology, which made her realize that nothing had changed.

	One does wonder what she did to him to make Bill that 
vindictive... 

        Elysse also noticed that her Mother, despite trying hard
to keep up appearances, seemed to be preoccupied with something.
It was especially obvious when her Mom had nothing going on, as
she would display a thoughtful expression, and that expression
would sometimes be accompanied by a furrowed brow.  She tried to
corner her over it, but her Mother would deflect her efforts,
saying that it wasn't the proper time.

	"The thumbscrews haven't arrived yet."

	Over the ensuing days, Elysse endured two separate baby
showers, at which she was heartily welcomed back into her
community, at least by the attendees.  She ended up with some
very useful and unexpected gifts, which delighted her to no end.

	A silver bucket with a curious ladle which would be perfect for 
taking baths with....\

They meant her savings would go a lot further, 

giving her more > time to spend with her son.

	Over the course of all of these events, Elysse noted that
Steve hadn't turned up.  She hadn't seen him since the night of
their ill-fated date, and was slightly curious about his absence,
especially given what she thought she had read in his eyes.
Finally, by the end of her first week at home, she stopped
wondering altogether as her son was taking up all of her time.
	The little boy was Elysse's pride and joy, and she
relished every chance to be with him, even spending hours simply
holding him as he slept.  To her, he was a miracle baby in every
sense of the word, and had become the major focus of her life.
It was that same sentiment that produced her choice for his name,
'Takara', which translated loosely as 'treasure'.

Hmm..."Tacky".  Not a good nickname...

	It was a typically pretty day in Phoenix, and Elysse
soaked up the fresh air and sunshine as she embarked on her
leisurely walk toward Toni's house.  Like the others in the area,
Toni's family farm was a 200 acre spread with a 3500 foot frontage,
and the house itself was set back a long way from the road.  Such
things meant that walking to your next door neighbour's house
usually turned into a major excursion.   Elysse didn't mind that
at all, so glad to be able to finally get out for a while.  Being
cooped up with her brother for so long was already becoming
tiresome, and her Father's continued silence was deafening.  By
comparison, the sound of balers and combines in neighbouring
feilds was like music.

"fields"
	Oh, so we're in the US?  Okay, maybe the community *might* not 
have heard of Ranma's disappearance then...But still, I'm betting that 
Nabiki would have checked in with Elysse's family just in case.

his stone-faced GrandFather.  There were, however, indications that

"grandfather"

	As she walked past the first of several paddocks between
the house and the barn itself, Elysse heard the horses in it
winnying and nickering amoung themselves.  She glanced over when
she heard several of them discussing her, grinning slightly at the
fact that she could understand them.  She got a startling surprise
a few Moments later, however, as the roadway brought her close to

"moments"

the rail of the paddock itself.  The animals noticed her approach,
and made their way specifically toward her.
        As she watched, the 'boss mare' walked right up to her,
nickering a deliberate greeting.  It wasn't until she had already
smiled and acknowledged that she realized what was happening.
	"My God... they can tell!"  she thought to herself, gasping
out loud.  This discovery disturbed her a great deal, as everyone
in the area had horses, and some people, like Toni and her family,
bred and trained them.  If this was any indication of what things
were going to be like, then she wouldn't be able to go anywhere
without causing a commotion.

	Hmm...must be due to her extended stay in cursed form, as none of 
the other Jyuusenkyo survivors have had this problem.

	As she added it all 

up, her heart sank to the bottom of

her stomach.  She had hoped to be able to keep her curse a secret,
but it suddenly looked like that was not going to be any simple
undertaking.

	Just be thankful Phoenix is in a dry climate.

        "Feels great to be out.  Takara here and I decided we
needed to get away from Bill for a while,"  Elysse grinned,
winking.

	Even though Bill hasn't made a single hostile move towrds the 
baby. 

	"He's doing great.  He's picked all his weight back up,
and eats like a horse,"  Elysse beamed, proudly.  "I think he's
going to turn out exactly like his Dad."

"Turning into a woman and abandoning me."

	"No doubt.  I wish I'd have met the man that tamed the
mighty Elysse, though... he must have been something else,"
Toni commented, regarding her friend wryly.

You bet.

	"You should start riding... it's great exercise for the
hips and butt, not to mention the tummy.  You'd be tightened up
in no time,"  Toni urged, excitedly.
	"Hah!  You just want a new riding partner to laugh at.
Nice try, girl... have to give you full points for that one,"
Elysse accused, jokingly.
	"Gulity as charged.  One day, I'll get you on a horse,

"guilty"  and that day won;t be quite what you think, Toni...

Lee... consider that a threat,"  Toni responded, smiling
knowingly.  "Well, I'm heading in for a drink and a sandwich...
coming?"  she continued, gesturing toward the house.

	How about some physical description of Toni?

	Eddie looked back at Steve sideways.  "You're kidding me,
right?  You ditched her because of that?"
	"Yep... if she's still hung up on her ex-boyfriend, then
it's not worth the heartache,"  Steve confirmed, setting his cup
in the dash-mounted holder.  "And I didn't 'ditch' her... I just
never went back."

"Because she's the kind of person who steals rings off amnesia victims, 
and I don't want to deal with that."

	"Yep... and if I get a call to come drag you in, that'll
get me off the subject, deal?"  Eddie smiled, offering his hand to
Steve.  Steve took the handshake with a smug grin, but inwardly
wondered if he wasn't wasting his time.  He was still very taken
with Elysse, but felt that the ring around her neck meant that
anyone else would have an uphill battle on their hands.  As well,
he considered his footing already pretty weak, especially after
the hallway incident.
	Sighing quietly, he put the ambulance in gear and started
back to the station, already nervous about the upcoming events.

As well you should be...

        Takara lay sleeping peacefully in his crib as Elysse
carefully folded his clothes, happily humming to herself.  Her
first 'road-trip' had gone well, and she felt good for having been
out, if not slightly tired.  Her Mother passed by outside the
bedroom door at that Moment, reminding her of how they still had

never capitalize "moment" unless you really, really mean it.

	Mavis felt her heart sink as she heard Elysse coming up
the hall, knowing full well what she was going to want.  Squaring
herself, she summoned as much courage as she could, given that she
already knew her thoughts would not be well received.

Elysse being lousy at telepathy.

	"Yep... like a baby,"  Elysse grinned, swinging into a seat
at the small table.  "So, are you going to tell me what's been
eating you the last little while?  Ever since I came home, you've
been somewhere else," she redirected, catching Mavis looking.
	Mavis dropped her hands to the edge of the counter and
sighed, resigning herself to the inevitable at last.  "Baby, we
have to talk about that ring of yours," she blurted, turning to
face Elysse with a serious set to her visage.
	Elysse widened her eyes in response as her hand sought the
ring automatically.  "My... ring?  What about it?" she asked,
pulling it from under her blouse and glancing down at it breifly.

"briefly."

        "No man is going to be interested in a girl who's still
pining for a lost love,

No sensible man, anyway.
 not to mention the fact that he was a

'married' lost love,"  Mavis replied, levelly.  "I'm just glad
your Father didn't see that,"  she added, shaking her head.

	Father already knows, I think.

        Elysse stared back at her Mother for several eternally
long seconds, then her eyes narrowed slowly.  "Is *that* what you
think, Mother?"  she began quietly, her voice wavering slightly as
her hand clenched to a fist around the ring.  "Tell me...!  Is
that what you think?!?" she repeated brokenly, her eyes starting
to shimmer.

And she's right, too.

        Mavis stammered Momentarily, not expecting such an
emotional reaction.  "Well, what do you expect...?" she attempted,
but the look in Elysse's eyes told her it was already too late.
        "He's gone, Mom... and not back to his damned wife, either!

Yes he is.

He's dead, and this and our child is all I have left of him!" she
cried bitterly, holding the ring up before her.  "I had to identify
the body...

Whoo. Lie city.
" she added weakly, her words choking off in a heavy sob.

"I can't believe..." she continued, but abruptly stopped in
mid-sentence, sobbed once more, then rose and ran from the room.
	Mavis's heart sank like a lead weight.

Knowing that her daughter was lying like a rug.

	Elysse ran straight to her son's room, tears streaming from
her eyes.  Her Mother's words had hurt her more than she expected,
perhaps because they were so close to the truth.

Exactly on, actually.

	She knew she had turned it on a bit thick, but, worried
that her Mother was beginning to doubt her, she had panicked.  Her
Mom was the only member of her family she felt she could still
count on,

Oh, you can count on your parents, but they can't count on you.  You're 
the one whose behavior is unreliable.
 and she knew that if that changed, she would only have one

choice left.  She would have to leave again, only this time, for
good.

Probably don't need that last comma.

	As she began to rock slowly, she closed her eyes and simply
held him, tears still running down her reddened cheeks.
	From her vantage in the hallway, Mavis watched the scene
sadly, hoping she hadn't just ruined everything she had been
planning.

Trust me, fixing Elysse up with Steve would be a bad idea until she 
learns some accountability.

	After supper, which turned out to be an awkwardly silent
affair, the family split into it's customary divisions quickly,

"its"

	Elysse stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.
"Steve... I have to tell you something," she began, levelly.  "I'm
*not* looking for anyone.  The only man my life has room for right
now is this one, and I want to make sure you understand that."
she continued, pointing at her son.  "So, don't get your hopes
up... it just makes for a longer fall,"  she added, firmly.

Like yours...

        "Oh...? About what?  Nothing too major, I hope,"  Steve
responded carefully, not wanting to seem anxious to talk.
	"She found this..."  Elysse began, lifting the chain and
ring from her top.  "And because of it, she thinks I was fooling
around with a married man,

True
 and left Toronto because I got

pregnant,"

False
 she continued, her voice softening.  "She doesn't

believe me... my boyfriend died in an accident on the 401, and
this is all I have of his.  He died not even knowing about his
son... "

Sort of...
  she noted, tucking the ring back in her top again.

	"Was he married before?"  Steve asked gently, suddenly
very interested in the story.
	"Hai... he was.  Divorced just over a year. 

*BIG* lie.

 He'd just

moved to Canada, and was working in Metro.  I met him at a Martial
Arts Conference,"  she sniffed, so caught up in her story that she
didn't notice that she had slipped into Japanese again.

	Lying comes easier to her in Japanese?

	"Uhh, Elysse...?  I couldn't understand a word you just
said..." Steve pointed out, regarding her curiously.
	"Gom - Sorry.  I speak Chinese, Japanese and English...
my boyfriend was Japanese, and that's all we spoke.  I... slip
into it sometimes."  she explained, sheepishly.  "Especially when
I think about him a lot," she added, clutching the ring through
her top, closing her eyes and lowering her face.

	This is worrisome, and not just from an ethical standpoint...

	Steve's face darkened slightly.  "I take it you really
miss him..."  he baited, waiting intently for the answer.
	"I do... very much," she replied, not raising her face.
"We only knew each other for a short time, but... he was..." she

married to another woman, and I raped him to get this baby.

	"It's... all right,"  Steve puffed, realizing sadly that
his earlier gestimate was right on the money.  "Tell you the truth,

"guesstimate"

the night you had your problem, and figured that you were still
pretty tight with whoever it belonged to.  I'm... glad you told
me Elysse.  At least now I *know* I'm kidding myself,"  he
continued, his voice flat.  "See you around,"  he concluded with
a flip of his hand, and turned to walk back to his truck.

	"I'm not Godai.  I have a spine."

	Elysse's face fell.  All she could do was watch Steve's
back getting further and further away, for some unknown reason 
unable to decide whether to call him back or let him go.  The 
dull thump of his truck door in the distance shook her slightly, 
and she almost yelled for him to stop.

And tell him the *truth*?

	Glancing quickly at her son, she returned her gaze to the
empty driveway in the distance, blinked once, then buried her face
in her knees and began to cry.
	

	Well, this is hard on Elysse, but she did set it all in motion 
herself.  And in a way, what she did is actually *worse* that her mother 
suspects, (and I think her father believes.)  And it's her recent 
behavior which leads me to suspect that her past behavior towards Bill 
may not have been all the innocent victim she claims.
	Oh, and there's also the long hand of Nabiki to consider.  Even 
if by some direct intervention of fate she didn't contact Elysse's father 
before, she knows now what Elysse did, and isn't likely to be too happy 
about it.  A "truth bomb" may arrive at any moment...

	And there's still the curse/supernatural aura stuff lurking 
about... 

SKJAM!