Once Upon A Lie 2

Twenty-six:

They got up early the next morning. They had breakfast at their dining room table. Alina tried to cook, and burned scrambled eggs. Aleksander made impressive French toast and orange juice for them both.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Alina asked. "Out of all of the things I didn't know about you, I never expected cooking skills to be on that list. We both grew up with servants."

"Yes," said Aleksander, "but I was an athlete. I constantly had to stay fit. Diet was important. Sometimes, I cooked for myself."

"They're good," said Alina, "um...so I think, after we go shopping for baby stuff, I'm going to go visit my dad at work and talk to him about working at the company."

"Yeah?" Aleksander said.

She nodded. "I want to work with him in creative. I think I'd be good at that. I'd like to help him with that Saint Juris movie he's obsessed with making. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Aleksander nodded. "It's okay. I know I'm not the best person for the company right now. Even though I was cleared, there's still too much scandal. If Zoya were to appear, maybe that would make things easier."

"Or more difficult," Alina answered, "do you think that she had anything to do with Nikolai? I know that she can be pretty volatile when she wants to be but I hate to think that she would do something like that. Especially since I think the two of them might have been in love with each other."

"I think so too," Aleksander said, "I don't...I don't know what happened between those two. I just wish I could remember something. But every time I do, I keep on getting blanks."

"Maybe you should try hypnotherapy."

"What? Like quack like a duck when I snap my fingers?"

Alina shook her head. "It's not like that. It helps you remember things. It could be worth a shot, if it helps figure out who killed Nikolai, right?"

Aleksander nodded. "Alina...."

"What?"

"Do you think that it could have been Mal?" he said. "I'm not asking because I'm jealous. I know that you love me. But they do have a history."

"No!" Alina blurted. "No. I mean, I know Mal's had a bad past, but it doesn't mean that he's capable of murder."

"But Vasily...."

"Vasily was attacking his sister. There's no reason for Mal to kill anyone. There's something else that we're missing, and we're going to find out what that is. Maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe we should go back to The Starless Saint cathedral," Alina said, "that's the last place that you remember being in, right?"

"Yes." He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Marrying you is the last thing that I remember, and then it's just months and months of darkness."

"Then, we'll take a trip down memory lane. We'll figure out what happened during those months. Maybe we can help find out what went on with Zoya and Nikolai too."

"I like the sound of that," said Aleksander.

"But first, we're going to look at cribs. I got up early and I printed out two pages of possible options."

"Two pages of possible options?"

"Well, I don't want our baby to have a subpar crib! I want our baby to have the best crib. And the best stroller, and the best...well, I want our baby to have the best of everything. Sun Spot is going to want for nothing."

"Sun Spot?" Aleksander said with a raised eyebrow.

Alina nodded. "It's what Genya called our baby. She's declared herself the Godmother."

"Do I get to approve of that?"

"No," said Alina, "just like I didn't get any say when you arranged this whole marriage for us."

Aleksander scowled. "How long are you going to continually mock me about that?"

"Until the end of all time." She patted him on the shoulder. "But only because I love you, and I want the world to know how ridiculously in love with me you are."

He frowned. "I suppose that I can deal with that. Show me that list."

"Really?" Alina said.

Aleksander nodded. "I will go to all of the stores with you and look at all of the things and then when we get home, I will try to put the furniture together myself, because that is what adults do."

"Are we adults now?"

"We're married. We're having a baby now. I would say that's pretty adult."

"Weird."

"Weird indeed." Aleksander leaned over and kissed her.