YOU WANNA MAKE ME HAPPY,
AND FILL MY HEART WITH JOY.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

"What's going on?"

The four of us stare at little Kevin by the door, while Priscilla screams her tiny baby lungs out.

"Come here!" Holly's heels clack against the porcelain flooring, pulling Kevin in by his shoulders before pushing him against the wall, making him drop his bag of toys. Both her and Oliver lean down to his eye-level, using their glares of intimidation to scare him. "Were you listening the door?" She asks piercingly.

"N-No!" Stuttering through his fear, Kevin's eyes go back and forth between Holly's dark eyes, and her hands gripping the collar of his coat strongly.

Oliver scoffs, "Then what are you doing here?!"

"Let the child go- oh god!" Maria's sentence gets cuts off by her own sneeze. "Oh bless me!"

"Yeah," I shut the door and roll my eyes at the two threatening the child. "let Kevin go."

"Kevin?" Holly questions with her hands on her hips. "What like, you know this kid?"

I nod. "He's staying here with his dad." I push her and Oliver aside to get a hold of the eight year old.

Kevin wraps his arms around my hips, hugging me while his freezing face warms up against my black slacks. "I came back from the toy store and heard a baby cry, I was only curious!" He tells me with his voice cracking every other word.

I brush my hand through his blond fringe poking out of his pom-pom beanie. "It's okay Kev."

"It's not okay though?!" Holly chimes in, sneakily pointing at Priscilla, who's crying has dimmed due to her being tired. Yet she lets out little sobs here and there.

"Found it!" Maria yells out of nowhere, her stuffed nose making her sound like anyone on Broadway. She holds the baby wipes up in the air with a wide grin.

Holly sighs and takes it out of her hands "Oh thank god!" She clicks her tongue and starts changing Priscilla's diaper, Kevin's face almost turns green.

I hold in my laughter, "Where's your dad now, Kev?"

Kevin looks around, scratching the back of his neck, sighing loudly, picking up his bag of toys, doing anything but answering my question.

"Kev?" I repeat.

He taps his chin with his fingers, like he's carefully searching for the words. "He was here..." he says.

"Mhm...?" I squint my eyes.

"But now he's... he's uhm- he's out Christmas shopping!" Kevin exclaims suddenly.

My frown softens, and I hum, "Now? Don't you think he's a little late? It's Christmas in three days."

Kevin shrugs, "He's very busy, and doesn't get much free time..."

"From all of those meetings, I'm guessing." I raise my brows.

He nods slowly, taking timid steps towards the door.

"Hey, hey!" Oliver points from across the room while holding Priscilla's legs up for Holly to wipe easier. "If you tell anyone about this," he gestures to everything sporadic going on in the room, "you're done for."

Kevin rolls his eyes and reaches for the door handle, nodding at Oliver's -not so- intimidating stance before walking out.

Through the little gap in the door, I see Austin standing by the reception counter. I gasp and immediately duck under the table, making the other three watch in wonder.

"Oh, Ottilie pie, what are you doing?" Maria asks, bending down with her palms on her knees, looking me right in my eyes with her questioning ones.

I sush her with my pointer finger on my lips, "If Austin asks for me, tell him my shift ended." I whisper.

Austin spots Kevin walking out of the employee's room. "What are you doing in there?"

"Uhm, the AC in my room doesn't work, I had to tell the receptionist!" Kevin quickly lies.

"Huh?" Austin hums, "Mine doesn't work either." He then shakes his head, as to shake the cloud of thoughts away. "Speaking of the receptionist, have you seen her?"

Kevin points inside, "She's-"

"Home!" Oliver runs out, shutting the door to the employee's room behind him. "Ottie is home!"

Kevin turns to him with slanted eyes, "She was inside-"

"Her shift's over!" With his stern and insisting tone, Oliver angrily glares at Kevin with wide eyes. "She's not here! Can I be of help instead?"

Austin's eyes bounce back between Kevin's confused face, and Oliver's nervous one. "She always works at this hour..." he says, almost thinking to himself.

Oliver nods, "Y-Yes! But, but she w-wasn't feeling very well. S-so, she went home e-early!" He pulls at his collar, already beginning to sweat around his neck.

Austin nods slowly. "Uhm, okay... The AC in my room-" he points over his shoulder, gesturing up stairs, "it doesn't work. Apparently this little fella has the same problem going on in his room." He then points at Kevin.

Kevin nods, showing all sixteen of his teeth through an artificial grin.

"Oh I'm very sorry, Mister Butler! I'll get that checked as soon as possible." Oliver clears his throat.

Austin nods once again, though he sneakily looks over Oliver's shoulder in hopes to see Ottie in the employee's room, but alas. He returns to the elevator.

Kevin follows him, after Oliver gestures that he's keeping his eyes on the little guy.

As always, Mariah Carey plays softly through the speakers of the elevator, and Kevin bops his head to the rhythm of the beat while hugging his paper bag of action man figures he's bought.

Austin looks down at him, "It's funny that I still haven't seen you with you dad. Are you sure he's staying here with you?" He laughs, but Kevin doesn't.

His little cheeks heat up, "He does! He's just very busy! That's all!"

"Okay," Austin chuckles, "calm down little guy."

Kevin rolls his eyes. "I can't wait to go to my room, eat junk, and watch rubbish." He smiles smugly.

"What are you having?" Austin asks for the sake of conversating.

"A lovely cheese pizza. Just for me." The corner of his lips tuck into a smirk, and his half-lidded eyes sparkle with joy.

His spirit makes Austin jealous. Oh to be a kid and be excited about a cheese pizza, or a bowl of ice cream, or cartoons, books, action figures. He saw himself in Kevin.

"Mhm," he hums, "that sounds delicious."

Kevin nods, "We should eat mac and cheese together, sometime." He looks up at the tall man.

Austin tilts his head to the side, "Mac and cheese?"

"Yeah," Kevin exclaims, "friends eat mac and cheese together."

"Oh, so we're friends?"

"Of course!" Kevin's bag of toys almost slip out of his arms, but he saves it by holding it closer to his chest. "Don't you and the woman at reception eat mac and cheese together?"

The question makes Austin's stomach drop. He looks at the elevator doors in front of him, thinking for a brief moment. "No." He sighs, "We don't."

"Why? Aren't you two friends?" Kevin questions.

"I can't be friends with someone I love."

It was all Austin could think about. He rubbed his temples, let out of breaths of curse words. "We are but-"

"You're in love." Kevin says certainly.

"What?!" Austin turns to him, almost giving himself a whiplash. Just then, the elevator dings, and the doors open.

Kevin steps out and turns to face Austin with adament nods. "You're in love with her. I can tell." He says, and leaves for his room.

The elevator doors close despite passing the floor Austin's supposed to get out at.

He taps his foot, the empty elevator now feeling fuller than ever. The air tenses around his body, squeezing him tight, not letting him breathe. He chews on the inside of his cheek, rubbing his bottom lip with his fingers.

"You're in love with her. I can tell."

"That's ridiculous." Austin whispers to himself, and though doubt is written all over his face, he can't help but wonder.

-

Holly and Oliver have taken Prisicilla back home, and I'm at the reception, like every goddamn night. All I want to do is leave Andromeda and sleep.

My eyes falter around, just in case Austin decides to check if I'm here again, but instead, it's Damian that comes by. He sniffles, coughs, sneezes, walks around holing a crumpled tissue under his running nose.

"Ottilie Crawford." He greets me, his stuffy nose making him sound just like Maria sounded.

"Damian!" I great him back. "Cought the cold, huh?"

"Yeah," he nods sadly. "this damn weather is asscheeks!" He complains, and Maria approaches us.

"My little Ottilie pie!" She opens her arms to hug me, but remembers she's sick. "Darling." She turns to Damian with fluttering lashes and I gawk at their interaction.

"Well, now I now how Damian caught the cold." I smile, and the two look at me with silly smiles on their red faces.

"Oh, yeah darling, I have something to tell you!" Maria tangles her fingers with Damian's longer ones.

"I think I already know." I smirk.

"We're getting married!" She holds her hand out for me to see the diamond ring on her ring finger.

My eyes widen, and my jaw mops the floor. Now, I did not think that! "Married?!" I exclaim.

They nod excitedly.

"Aren't you rushing this a little?!" My jaw still on the floor, I watch the two shake their heads.

"We're soulmates, darling!" Maria wraps her arms around Damian's neck, holding him close to her chest.

I've never seen Damian so... gentle.

"Well," I finally close my gawking mouth, "congratulations!"

"Oh, thank you my Ottilie pie!"

"I guess you could say, in sickness and health!" Damian mumbles through Maria's passionate and tight hug.

-

"You're kidding?!" Hugo yells on the other end of the line, nearly deafening me in my ear.

"I'm not! She's getting married to my boss!" I gossip to him about Maria's desicion to marry Damian, and Hugo finds it hilarious.

Once he's able to breathe normally, "What about dad?!" He asks, chuckling through every other word.

"I guess this time she actually meant it when she said she's divorcing dad." I say, struggling to keep in my own giggles. "They're like, so in love. I mean, Damian even got her a diamond ring the size of my fucking head!"

"No way?!" He continues laughing.

I laugh too. "Anyways, how are you?"

The sound of something tussling is heard through the speaker of the phone. "Hugo?" I ask.

"Oh. Yeah?"

"I asked how you are- what are you doing?" I squint as I'm trying to work out the noises.

"Nothing!" He exclaims, "Just- babe stop!" He laughs, "I'm talking to my sister!"

Babe?

"Oh, are you with Olga?" I ask.

"Yeah! Sorry about that!"

"No, it's okay!" I say. A small, unwanted smile appears on my face. It's nice to hear him laugh like this. "Tell her I said hi!"

"She says hi back!" Hugo chuckles, "She just came out to me as half Dutch!" He keeps laughing.

"What?" I frown.

I hear them laughing together, "Nothing! It's a joke, 'cause she just told me she's half Dutch, can you believe it!"

My heart, it either stops beating, or beats so fast it rips out of my chest, I'm not sure what it's doing. I can't really focus on anything.

"I guess that's why she's so tall!" I hear him say, but only vaguely. It feels like a million ants are walking all over my brain, munching at the meat. Hugo and Olga laugh, "Ottie?"

Their voices echo in my mind. "Yes?" I whisper.

"Are you there?"

"She's half Dutch!"

The note.

Laten.

'It's hard being a single mom.'

The pearl necklace.

The letters. OL.

Of course!

Olga...

But that means-

-

"Why am I here again?" Maria sniffles, bundled up in her faux furr coat, messing up the pillows on Holly and Oliver's couch.

I sigh, "Just listen, alright?"

"We're listening, Ottie. Tell us." Holly sits next to Oliver, on the couch opposite Maria and I. She throws one leg over the other, resting her chin in her palm.

I take in a deep breath. I don't want to believe in anything I'm about to tell them. My heart skips multiple beats. "I think I know who the dad is."

Maria and Oliver gasp, ans Holly sushes them, pointing towards the door Priscilla is sleeping in.

"What do you mean, Ottie?" She asks.

"I just- I found out something, and I don't know if it's a coincidence, but it makes a lot of sense."

"Tell us." Oliver insists.

I nod, but my mouth doesn't want to. I can't believe I'm about to say this. "I think it's Austin."

"AUSTIN?!" Maria sits up straight, holding me by my arm.

Holly and Oliver freeze, their faces say it all. Shock, surprise, sadness, fury, fear, every negative emotion possible. "Ottie?" Holly stands up, "why do you think that?"

"Because, Olga-"

"Who's Olga?!" Maria interrupts loudly.

Holly sushes her, "Priscilla's sleeping! Be quiet!" She whisper yells, and Maria rolls her eyes.

Right, I haven't told them about Olga.

-

"I-" Oliver leans back into the couch. "I have no words."

"Me neither." Maria says before sneezing.

I look down at the carepted floor, having nothing else to tell them.

"So, the letters on the necklace are supposed to spell out Olga?" Holly asks, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "That's so- that's unbelievable!"

"I would've never guessed Mister Butler to be the daddy." Oliver widens his eyes, staring at the ceiling.

"I would've never either." Maria nods.

The more I talk about it, the more it makes sense.

Fuck... Austin has a child.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

➦ IN THE NEXT CHAPTER

Julian's Christmas gift idea.

Kevin and Austin's
mac and cheese evening.

Please don't forget to vote<3