"Talking"

"Yelling"

"Thinking"

Sally Jackson was very, very unhappy right now. Her day had started out perfectly shitty; first, the washing machines in her apartment building decided to go on strike, and then in her rush to catch her bus some jackass drove through a puddle right next to her and after that a customer at the diner she worked at decided to be a total ass. In short, her day had Not Gone Well. Which lead to her blowing off all of her responsibilities and going to her favorite beach, Montauk, and walking along the shoreline until she felt ready to deal with other people again.

"She sells seashells down by the seashore." A smooth male voice interrupted Sally's walk.

"Tell me, where are your wares?" He was handsome, as in not just good looking but handsome with a capital HOT. The man with beautiful sea green eyes smiled. At her!

"U-um, I don't, um I mean uh, sell a-anything, not, not really." She was stuttering like a middle schooler with a crush, how mortifying! The man with his dreamy green eyes, and tacky aloha print shirt laughed.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" He held out a large, sun-tanned hand and smiled, even bigger than before. Sally slipped her hand into his.

"Yes."

Sally Jackson was very, very happy right now.

3 months later Sally went back to the beach where she met him for the first time and told him she was pregnant. The look of horror that overtook his face made her stomach plummet in despair.

"Wh-what's wrong? I thought you'd be glad! You always look so happy when you play with the kids on the beach! What's wrong!?" Sally was becoming frantic, how could he look so happy playing with other children but horrified at having his own?

"But, but what if he's NOT supposed to have children with ME!" One look into his sorrow filled face and she knew,

"Is there another woman?" the flinch only made her heartbreak faster.

"... I'm the other woman...aren't I?" Sally's knees buckled and she would have fallen if he hadn't caught her and gently lowered her to the sand.

"Please Sally don't, don't think like that, I meant it and I'll mean it until the end of creation when I say; I Love You, but please, please ju-just hear me out." He had finally found his voice, looking her in the eyes to emphasize the truth of his words. Taking her continued silence as permission, he started talking.

"First of all, I never meant for this to happen, I never meant to fall in love with you, and I certainly never meant to get you pregnant, but never, NEVER doubt for even a second I'm not happy about this baby. Okay?" He asked. Sally meekly nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I believe you, but if you never meant to meet me or even have a child, why did you stay? And who's the woman you're really supposed to be having this baby with?" He winced again, a grimace twisting his handsome features.

"Well, that's a little harder to explain. You know how I told you that my name wasn't my real name and that if I told you my real name we'd both get in HUGE trouble?" Sally nodded,

"Well, the thing is I am married, but the marriage is for purely political reasons. She's bossy and such a harpy! I can't stand her constant sour attitude! She's nothing like you Sal, you're wonderful and sweet, and so nice. I'm sure if it was allowed and I took you to meet my family and my brothers, they would all just love you, even my oldest brother! And he's a real dead fish." He rolled his eyes.

"But what in the world could possibly so dangerous about your family that requires you to lie to me?" Sally paused,"... You're not part of the Mafia are you?" She tilted her head, tears forgotten in the face of such a revelation.

He chuckled, "No, angelfish, neither me nor my family are part of the Mafia. It's much worse." He mumbled.

"What was that? Did you say something?"

"Nothing my sweet water-lily." He gave a nervous chuckle, hoping that she didn't hear him properly. To distract her, he shifted their position in the sand, settling against a nearby piece of driftwood. Sally narrowed her eyes at him, letting him readjust them as he wished, she was sure he'd said something.

"Now that we're a little more comfortable. Do you have anything else going on today? Cause this explanation is going to take a while."

New Yorkers everywhere looked on in horrified awe as the worst lighting storm anyone had ever paid witness too raged overhead. The suddenness of the terrible storm baffled experts all over the country, ports were closed and planes grounded. Tonight the sky was, once again, untouchable to mortal beings.

A woman made her way down the street, braving the heavy, cold rain, heading straight towards a taxi stopped on the corner, moving as fast as her pregnant form would allow. Glancing behind her, she accidentally met the gaze of a man clad in a trench coat and full-brimmed fedora, standing at the entrance to an alleyway several buildings away. He only had one eye.

Attention drawn to the sky by a clap of thunder that sounded almost offended, "That man better not get himself hurt because of me."

"What was that Ma'am?"

"Nothing! The closest hospital please, I'm due tomorrow"

"Yes, Ma'am. Is a Children's alright with you?"

"That's perfect."

Sally looked back as the cabbie left the curb for the trench-coated man but there was nothing there. Placing her hands on her swollen belly, she sighed,

"You're gonna be one spectacular little troublemaker, aren't you? Miah"