my throat itches. [Lumi.]

Quinn and Lumi had been out shopping today, and they both decided that a nice coffee would finish the day quite nicely.

They picked a table by the window, and Quinn ordered their usual. With the coffee's in both hands, Quinn set Lumi's iced coffee by her hand, and took a seat across from her. Quinn checked to make sure his star piece was still there, and it was. He had made it a habbit to check it every hour or every thirty minutes rather, to make sure it was still there. Some people would call it obsession, but they didn't experience what him and his fiancee did.

"So," he said to Lumi, looking at her. "Have you figured out what you want to do for your bachelorette party?"

Lumi had been a little zoned out, thinking about Rene and wondering when he was going to come after her again. Though the whole point of going out today had been to try and forget about those things.

She snapped out of it when Quinn asked his question. "What? Oh," she replied. She shrugged. "Go out to eat and get drunk with my friends, probably.

"What about you?" she asked, knowing that Quinn had no appreciation for things like alcohol and strippers. "Got anything exciting planned to do with your...er, friend?"

Poor Quinn only had one guy friend. D=

Quinn would have been blushing from embarassement right now if he ever did blush. Even if he was still friends with Cray, she couldn't have come because she was a girl.

"Well, I don't know, I was thinking...what do you think I should do?" he asked her.

"Hm...you should hire a stripper!" Lumi replied jokingly. She took Quinn's hand under the table. "Aw, don't be embarrassed. The only reason you don't have many friends is because you're always so busy with Overloridian things."

But what could Quinn do at his bachelor party, if he didn't want to celebrate the traditional way and only had one friend?

"You could...play cards," she said lamely, looking away and trying not to look amused.

Quinn was a little, lame. "I'll figure something out," he told her. He sighed, what happened to all the friends he had before he became Overloridian? Maybe he could catch up with them.

Quinn took a sip of his coffee then something came to mind. Lumi and him still hadn't discussed anything about children, maybe today would be a good day?

"So I was thinking," he started. "About babies..."

Lumi's amusement vanished. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Oh...were you?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. She had known his conversation was coming, but she still didn't feel ready for it.

"Yes," Quinn said with a nod. "Have you?"

He was sure that she was, and he wondered if she really did want kids with him.

"I...um...well..." Lumi started, trying to think of what to say. She couldn't avoid this topic forever. She looked down at the table. "Quinn, do you...do you need to have children to be happy?"

Quinn blinked at Lumi's odd question. No, he didn't need children to be happy. But they would make him very happy.

"No," he told her. "I don't need them to make me happy. Just having you makes me happy, but they would make me very happy..."

He drummed his fingers on the table then he asked Lumi, "Do you not want children?"

Lumi didn't lift her head but she looked up at Quinn. She wanted to be able to make him "very happy" but she couldn't. "No, I do, but...it's just..." she looked back down an mumbled, "I...I can't..."

Quinn frowned, and he got a sad look on his face. "Well, why not?" His voice sounded sad, and almost child-like, well as child-like as Quinn's voice could actually get.

He didn't really know why he asked her that question. He already knew. It was from that bastard Rene...

"I mean, it's not physically possible for me to," Lumi explained, since Quinn didn't seem to get it. She looked up at him but he just looked so sad that she had to look away again. "I'm sorry..."

Quinn nodded, to show that he understood. He hated Rene even more now. There's another hundred percent for the hatred of Rene meter.

Quinn stared into his coffee for what seemed like the longest time. Life really sucked sometimes. He sighed quietly, then grabbed Lumi's hand and squeezed. He still loved her unconditionally, it could never change.

Quinn was still very disapointed though, but not in Lumi, never in Lumi.

Quinn forced on a fake smile and said in a cracking voice, "Well, kids are a handfull anyways."

You could tell he was lying.

"I'm really sorry," Lumi said again, looking into Quinn's eyes and seeing the sadness behind them. She felt terrible. Even though she knew it wasn't, she felt like it was her fault because it was her body. "I really, really am. If I could have your kids I would, I swear it."

Life was just so unfair sometimes...! What had they done to deserve this? ...Oh, that's right. Quinn killed somebody and Lumi kept his secret. Maybe this was cosmic retribution.

She sighed. "There's always adoption," she said in a hopeful sort of voice.

Quinn perked up ever so slighty. They could always adopt. It wouldn't be the same, but it still ment children.

"We could," he said with a nod.

He smiled, for real this time.

"Yeah," Lumi said, a little happier since Quinn seemed okay with the idea. "I mean, it'd be great. Those poor kids really need families. I know how lonely it is growing up in an orphanage." She half-smiled at Quinn. Maybe this could be a good thing after all.

Quinn nodded, he was still smiling, "Would we adopt a child, or a baby?"

Lumi blinked. "Geez, Quinn, I dunno," she sighed. "We're not ready for this yet. Ask me again once we're actually married, and we've dealt with some of the...um, issues in our lives."

Quinn nodded, "Alright."

"How are we going to fix our problems?" he asked her.

"I don't know yet, but...I know we're not going to kill our problems," she said firmly. They both knew that when they said "problems" or "issues" they were really talking about Rene.

Quinn actually pouted a little bit, but he got over it fast. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip. He set his mug back down then asked, "Shall we head on home soon?"

Lumi sighed and rested her chin on her hand. She didn't really want to go back to Ughdarras now, but she was finished with her coffee so there wasn't really much more to do at Casa Nova's. "I guess so."

Quinn finished off his coffee, stood up, grabbed their shopping bags, then took Lumi's hand.

Then the couple both left Casa Nova's and headed home.

END