Chapter 2: I'm A Spy.
Hours later, after all the well-wishers had left and the party had been cleaned up, Ellie and JLP leave her dads house to go to their apartment for school, sitting on the floor with a bunch of Chinese food scattered on the ground. The party was awkward, and the trip downtown was even more awkward, where there was no buffer of other people to distract them.
“Okay so now that it is just us two, what is it that you think is going to make me not want to marry you?” JLP asks after most of the food has been consumed. They are sitting on the floor because all of their furniture is set to be delivered tomorrow, and they weren’t supposed to move in till next week, but Ellie wanted privacy for this discussion, which makes him nervous.
Ellie takes a deep breathe before she tells him “I’m pregnant.” Ellie looks over at JLP and sees him on the ground, having passed out at her words. Of course he would faint she thinks before crawling over to him and tries to wake him up. “Come on Jay, time to wake up” Ellie continues to murmur at him until he starts to come to.
JLP smiles brightly at her “Are we really pregnant?” JLP knows it wasn’t part of their plan but this is a baby that is part her and part him, and he could not be happier that they will have a baby together. If this is all that she was worried about she was silly to have been worried at all, He loves her and will love anything that comes from her, especially something that was born from their love.
“Yes we are pregnant but babe there is something else... I’m a spy.” Ellie looks over to see JLP faint all over again. “Come on babe, not again, it’s time to wake up.”
(In the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody): Is this my real life? Or is this just my dream? Caught up with Ellie, No escape from Eternity. Open your eyes, look down to her gut and see.. I’m just a father, I need all Sympathy
JLP shakes his head, wondering if he hit his head too hard, he is hearing a song in his head.
JLP looks at Ellie like he does not even know who she is, How could she keep this from him, this is huge and life changing and they have been friends forever, he cannot believe this, how is he supposed to feel now. He knows that he still loves her but this is a serious thing that she kept from him, this wasn’t lying about her favorite food, this was lying about who she was as a person, and this is ridiculous.
“Okay that one will require a little more explanation, I mean I understand how we made a baby, that doesn’t confuse me but a spy? What? How? We have been together since grade 9, friends since long before that, how could you be a spy and I didn’t know about it? This isn’t like lying to me about your favourite colour Ellie, this is your life you are talking about! If this is who you are, what else do I not know about you?” Jason cannot believe that Ellie kept this from him. He understands that spies need to keep their spy life a secret but it isn’t like he would ever tell anyone, he has always loved Ellie, even before they were actually dating.
“Well it all started at my mom’s funeral all those years ago... This was not something I wanted to keep from you, but I had to.” Ellie settles in to tell JLP all about how she became a Legacy, knowing that he deserves to know, that if she wants to marry him and have his child, he needs to know. This was more terrifying than anything that she has ever done before, and she has stopped terrorists by going under cover before, so scary is not new to her, but she is shaking as she starts to tell JLP everything about the House of Legacy, and about her life as a Lady of the Legacy.
(In the tune of the Final Countdown) IT’S A FLASHBACK BABY
Trying to find somewhere to hide is easy when you are ten years old, but not when you are at your moms funeral, everyone wants to come up to you and tell you how sorry they all are for your loss. You just want to get away from it all but you know that you can’t, you know that your dad wants you to be brave and help him deal with all these people. This may be the most difficult thing you have done in your very short life but you know that your dad deserves it, he has done so much for you, it is only fair that you return the favor and be a good child for at least the next few hours, this must be harder on him then it is on you.
“Hey honey here is someone I want you to meet, this is Mackenzie and she was a really good friend on your mom” Ellie’s dad comes up to her with a harsh looking lady.
“Hi Eloise, your mom told me a lot about you, how about we go upstairs, give you a break from all these people?” Lady Mackenzie tries not to come off as too eager, but it was unusual for a legacy to become a legacy so early, usually they are at least teenagers before they have to take up the family business.
“That sounds lovely Miss Mackenzie, daddy may I?” Ellie asks, forever polite, her mother taught her, her manners very early on in her life, it is important a lady always acts like one, she would say, the difference between a girl and a lady is that a lady knows her manners.
“That sounds like a good idea honey” Her dad ushers her and Lady Mackenzie into Ellie’s room before heading back downstairs to deal with all the guests. Ellie does not notice her dad looking at her sadly, knowing that she has every right to become a Lady of the Legacy but sad that his little girl has to leave her childhood behind so early. He has no doubt that Ellie is going to agree to become a Lady, if only as a way to stay close to her mother, her death hit Ellie extremely hard because she knows that there is nothing that will bring her mother back.
“So Eloise, I am here with some very... interesting news for you.” Lady Mackenzie says as she takes a seat in Ellie’s chair, leaving Ellie to sit on her bed.
“Interesting news? I thought you were just here to say goodbye to mom, like everyone else here?” Ellie looked incredibly confused.
“I am here to say goodbye to your mom, she really was a good friend of mine, but her unfortunate passing affects you more than you probably understand, you see your mom was part of a very secret very important organization, called the House of Legacy, and now that she has passed away it is up to you to take up the family seat.”
“Family seat, House of Legacy, this all sounds very strange Miss Mackenzie.”
“Actually Eloise, it is Lady Mackenzie, Lady Mackenzie of Mardine, and you my darling are Lady Eloise of Eldine, which is your family name.”
“Mommy used to say she was the Lady of Eldine, I always just thought she was playing. Girls play princess all the time, I thought it was like that.”
“No darling she really was a lady, and so are you, and now it is time to start your training so that you may take up the family seat.” Lady Mackenzie then hands Ellie a book, one that details her family history, and the history of the House of Legacy, so that Ellie may be prepared and make an educated decision, as educated as one can be at her age that is.
End Flashback
(In the tune of Suddenly I see): Suddenly I see, this is how it’s meant to be, suddenly I see, why the hell she hid so much from me.
Ellie finishes explaining how she found out that she was a spy to JLP and watches his reaction. “So do you see why I couldn’t tell you, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to, it was that I was not allowed, the House of Legacy is kept such a secret the only people who know are the Ladies of the Legacy themselves, and their spouses, not even their children know. So until you proposed I was not allowed to tell you, and it was what stopped me from saying yes right away, I needed you to know before I could say yes with a clear conscious. I know that it isn’t fair to you and that you deserve to know, but I do want to marry you, and I do still love you, I promise.”
“Ellie, calm down, of course I understand why you couldn’t tell me, and we are still going to have a lot of discussions about this, because oh my god you are a fricken spy, but I still love you, and I still want to be your husband so...” JLP sits up so that he is on one knee and pulls out the ring again “Will you please put me out of my misery and agree to become my wife?” JLP knows that he has made the right decision when she brightens like the sun when he asks the question again. JLP knows that Ellie did not want to lie to him, and that if she had the choice she would have told him but she couldn’t, for her safety and the safety of the Ladies, and so there is nothing that is going to stop him from marrying her. Besides she told him, it might have taken awhile but she did tell him and at the end of the day that is really all that matters. She freaks out about everything and he tends to just let things happen, it is who they are and part of what makes them so good together. While he does still have worries and concerns, he knows he still wants Ellie by his side.
Ellie looks at JLP and smiles, crying as she nods yes “Yes of course I will, there is nothing I want more than to become your wife” Ellie smiles brightly as JLP slips the ring onto her finger, kissing him hard. “I know we still have a lot to talk about, but I love you, and I am so happy to be marrying you.” Ellie can’t stop looking at her ring, she is so happy that JLP still wants to marry her.
“You better believe we have a lot to talk about, I need to make sure that you are okay and safe, because it is not just about you anymore, it’s about our family. We have a child to consider now, so yes, we will have a lot of discussions but we will have them together.” JLP knows that he is right in this, even though he is incredibly hurt by the fact that she lied to him, he knows that they will work through it together.
Ellie nods before standing up and holding out her hand “Shall we go sleep in our bedroom?” Ellie looks at him with all the love in the world, she really thought that she was going to lose him after lying for as long as she did, she is just glad he seemed to understand that he didn’t want to keep it a secret but that she had no choice. She looks at their bedroom, already imagining how their family will grow and all the memories that they will create together.
JLP laughs as he looks at the blankets they set out on the floor of what will be their bedroom “Let’s go, you and baby need rest.” JLP looks at Ellie as they curl up on the floor, knowing that he loves her, but unsure how okay he really is with all of this spy stuff. All he wants is to make sure that she is okay and safe, but how can she be safe if she is off trying to save the world, why can’t she just stay home and be with him, where it is safe.
