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Beautiful green eyes widened with amusement, a huge grin appearing on her face for only a moment before it was covered by her hands. Dora smothered a gigantic laugh, her eyes twinkling. “Fin would die!” she blurted out between laughs. “Just die! Merlin’s beard, if he heard you even suggesting he was anything less than a prized pony, he’d be done.” Dora knew a bit more about Fin’s sexual life than others but it was expected with a friendship as close as theirs. Still, there were certain things one simply had to assume, and based on the disheveled, happy but a wee bit ashamed expression on the faces of the witches who took the walk of shame from his bedroom in the mornings while Dora had lived there, she was fairly certain Fin knew his way around a lady. She was even more certain that Fin was going to get the brunt of the accusations when people tried to figure out who the father of her child was, just as his father assumed, and Clem too. Poor Uncle Fin.

Calming herself and trying to re-enter the serious conversation of her unexpected pregnancy, Dora gave a happy little sigh. “It’s one of the blokes from the island based on the maths, but I confess, there were a few. All respectable purebloods, of course, and most of them wealthy guests, but Clem,” Dora gave a longing whimper, her head falling backwards just enough that her curls fell off her shoulder, “it’s so cliché but if you had seen the cabana boys!” Grabbing her friend’s hand lightly, Dora’s head lulled forward and fell onto her outstretched arm which rested on the table between them. She was being overly dramatic, but her time spent on the island had been phenomenal and thinking on it now, she was feeling the urge to go back and do it all (them all) again.

“Names…” she said into the table, her head still down though she turned her face so that her cheek was pressed against the cool tabletop and she could look at her enormously pregnant friend in the eyes. “Olias something, he was a cabana boy. Real cute. Accent thick as your arm, no bloody clue what he was saying half the time. Then Ricardo – no, Ares was next. Ares Mor…something, Mooor….Moreau!” In her excitement of remembering the wizard’s surname she popped up from her pathetic position on the table. “He had this gorgeous hut down the beach from us, looked pretty pricey, so he had to be loaded. After Ares was Ricardo, the dance instructor. Clem! If you had seen the way this man moved on the dance floor…. I love Lucian, you know I do, but by the Gods, you would have slipped that giant sodding ring off your finger so bloody fast!” Dora continued, listing off the men she could remember from her extensive list of bed buddies while on holiday this past summer, and giving whatever details she could remember about each of them. Some she couldn’t remember their names while others she couldn’t remember how she’d met them and chalked it up to all the fruity liquor-filled drinks she’d consumed while lounging on the beach in one of her skimpy bikinis.

Completely obtuse to any hint of concern or worry Clementine might have shown in the initial moments of the surprise, Dora beamed. They were going to be pregnant at the same time, at least for a short while, and then their children would grow up together. They would always have each other as friends, maybe more one day, and it cemented the notion that Dora wouldn’t be alone forever. She would have her baby who would love her unconditionally and never ever leave her, and now no matter how busy Clementine got with her husband and her own family there would always be a connection to Dora that would naturally be maintained. Of course, the girls would always be best friends but Dora knew from watching her parents when she was younger just how absorbed a married couple could become with themselves and she didn’t want to be forgotten for a second time. Baby besties ensured her a place in Clem’s life for at least the next seventeen years, longer if their children married.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Dora hugged her friend excitedly, pulling away with a little wiggle and a big grin. The questions came almost instantly, firing off rapidly and only adding to the excitement Dora was feeling. At first she’d been apprehensive about coming and about her feelings about the baby but Clem’s excitement affirmed Dora’s feelings. This was going to be amazing. “I don’t think I’ll be needing maternity clothes too soon,” she remarked, brushing her hands down the front of her outfit in a smoothing manner, subconsciously reminding herself that she was still thin and attractive, “but I certainly won’t turn down that generous offer!” Clem’s family had money and that meant her clothes were not only trendy and fashionable, but also there was a very real chance Dora would be gifted some designer pieces that cost more than she paid for her flat.

Dora pulled Clementine into a chair besides hers and then sat, trying to do the maths in her head to answer her friend’s questions. “The healer told me I was…” She turned her eyes up as she tried her best to remember how many weeks along she was but there had been an awful lot of numbers to keep track of and in all honesty Dora sort of went into a fog for a bit after the news was confirmed. Nothing nearly as intense as the night she’d taken the home test and ended up sobbing on Fin’s bed with him pinned to her all night, but certainly not completely present for all the information being thrown at her. “Oh bugger, I can’t remember. It happened on holiday this summer when Fin and I went to Bora Bora and the healer said I’m due ‘round May.”

Waddling. Was that what Dora had to look forward to? Clem was getting gigantic but she still looked lovely. Had the witch been able to remember they had plans today, she might have fixed herself up even more but even very pregnant and comfortable at home, Clementine looked gorgeous. That bode well for Dora, who had determined thus far that the only downside to having a baby was the momentary disruption to her elegantly slender figure, but that would only be for a few months and then she’d be back to her former self and have a new little plaything to cuddle with. Mimi was going to have a little brother or sister and they would be an adorable little family.

Dora waved off the question of a new fella. There had been a fella, a few of them in fact, but their part in Dora’s life was fleeting and the news she had to share was more long-lasting than a new beau. “No, nothing like that. Well, actually...” She wasn’t sure how to segue the conversation smoothly from this point without going into all the details, some of which were still blurry to Dora herself. Folding her hands in her lap to keep the excitement in, Dora beamed at her friend, leaning close as she blurted it out. “I’m pregnant.”

Every year the fanciest of the wealthy pureblooded families would through some event and every year Dora got an invitation, though the means by which that invitation came generally varied. When her father had been alive, she, her brother, and her parents had been guests outright. After it was discovered that her daddy had embezzled his wealthy clients’ money to support his family’s luxurious lifestyle, subsequently leading to his kidnapping and ultimate death, the invitations were no longer addressed to Parkinson. That didn’t matter, however, as Dora had ties to that world and plans to regain her family’s status among the pureblood elite. No concrete plans, really, but more of a general ‘its going to happen’ ideology. Still, Dora was smart enough to know that these events were her ticket in and she happily accepted her friends’ invitations to come as their plus one, Fin’s being the most frequently offered and accepted hand out of them all. They were an attractive couple, and had they not had such a strong bond they might have had a chance as a romantic couple but Dora knew far too many of Fin’s quirks that simply couldn’t be overlooked in the bedroom, she was certain…when she was sober.

Dressed in a gorgeous gown that Clementine had given her when her own baby bump had grown too big, Dora hung on Fin’s arm and basked in all the attention the pair received. She knew there were whispers about who her baby’s father was, but the only bloke she was damn well certain wasn’t the father was the one everyone suspected. Fin would have a child the proper way and make his mum proud, maybe even earn a kind word or glance from his father, but he certainly wasn’t Dora’s baby daddy. That honor belonged to one of the handful of handsome men from her summer holiday in Bora Bora and she had no plans to try and figure out which it had been. She didn’t need a man who felt forced to be with her, not when she would soon have her own little creature who would love her unconditionally and never ever leave her. Fin would get married. Clem and Evie would spend more time with their own families. Lucius would be with his wife. Eventually it would only be these sorts of events where Dora would see her friends, but a baby would be with her forever.

After a few good twirls around the dancefloor, Dora wandered off, leaving Fin to fend for himself as she mingled with some of her father’s former friends. She put on a pleasant face and waved off questions about her mum or her pregnancy, and smiled through her teeth as she listened to people talk about her family’s fall from grace and how “brave” it was that she still managed to show her face. Finding the condescension more than enough, she wandered around once more and made friends with an older witch she’d not met before, Dorcas Something. She was Rodolphus Lestrange’s date for the evening and the talk of the party but really she was a nice enough girl.

A little more flirting with some handsome wizards and before long she was back at Fin’s side, a nursed glass of champagne in her hand. Dora smirked as her eyes followed Fin’s gaze over to her cousin, not needing to look to know who he was talking about. He was completely smitten with Jovi and while it was a shocking revelation that Dora was initially set against, she had had a bit of time to think about it since she’d first heard Fin mention her and now Dora was absolutely for it. “She’d probably adore it,” Dora said truthfully, knowing her cousin had a flare for the dramatics. “But I doubt it would go over well with the Lestranges. Or your father. Perhaps just ask her for a dance?” Dora could play defense with Jovi’s boyfriend, if need be, but she knew well enough that Jovi had no problem dancing with another bloke in front of any of her boyfriends. True to character, she’d probably revel in it and the attention it brought her. That trait definitely ran in the family.

Dora wasn’t certain yet how she was feeling about her pregnancy. It had been only about a month since she’d discovered she was pregnant but already the healer said she was nearly three months along! How could she possibly be nearing her second trimester already? Fin had been wonderful about the shocking news but otherwise she had kept mum about, well, being a mum. She wasn’t showing yet and the only sign you could point to as any visual evidence was the fact that her boobs were starting to get bigger, which Dora wasn’t going to complain about. It wasn’t too noticeable, not like it would be later on, but she was finding herself readjusting her tops more often to make sure things stayed put. It was a pretty brilliant problem to have, all things considered. She knew for certain now that she was going to keep the baby, but she wasn’t sure if that was something to be happy about or not. It was strange, about to become a single mum. Dora had always pictured single mums as the product of divorce or death but to straight out the gate she was going to be raising this baby without a father and that was frightening. At least she had Fin, he was going to make an excellent uncle. A one-man support team, however, wasn’t enough and after the shock and chaos of coming to terms with her condition wore off, she realized the brilliance of her situation; she was pregnant at the same time as one of her best friends!

At Clem’s flat, Dora was accustomed to letting herself in and making herself at home. Clem could do the same when she visited Dora, though Dora’s tiny little place really wasn’t suitable for entertaining most of the time. If given the option, they would go to Clem’s or go out somewhere public. It was happening less and less now that Clem was properly married and expecting her own little one – planned and completely wanted. With Dora now in a similar boat, minus the man and the money and the mental health, this would be just one more thing for the girls to bond over. They were already so close. Clem getting married to hunky Lucian Burke did mean that some things between them had to change. Dora took more care in ensuring her visits were announced, so as not to intrude upon the couple’s private life. Growing up meant developing boundaries, so Dora had sent an owl the day prior to see if Clem was up for a visit and lunch. She was expected as she turned the knob and let herself into the large manor. “Hulloooooo! Where’s my sexy bestie?” she shouted from the entryway.

Auditioning dance instructors for the nightclub would be fun, she thought. Not only would they need to be skilled in their profession, but there would be a certain physical requirement for a place as posh as Starlight. Dora would never let a bunch of cows turn away potential clients, on the contrary, attractive instructors would draw a bigger crowd. It was the same reason all the bartenders were impossibly good looking. Dora and the other staff were not only charged with making drinks, but also flirting and making sure people continued to return to the bar all night long. After a certain number of drinks, you could drink piss and hardly notice but if that pretty raven haired bartender smiled at you, stroked your arm, and laughed at your attempt at a joke, the possibility of getting laid would keep you going back over and over again. It would be the same technique with any staff Fin hired on, and as Dora thought about the additional business opportunity her friend was considering, her eyes drifted over to the handsome instructor on the other side of the room.

“The best time,” she answered truthfully. Were it up to Dora, she’d spend another three weeks on this island taking full advantage of the carefree lifestyle she had once been accustomed to when she was younger. The Parkinson’s holidays were never quite this lavish and Dora had barely seen the world beyond anywhere that Fin had dragged her along to, but a week of spoiled freedom was something she missed. There were no bills to worry about on the island, no catty witches to pretend to be better than, and no stressors to evoke one of her attacks. Not even once while they were on the island had Dora eve thought about cutting herself. Her episodes were fewer and farther between now that she had Mimi, but she still thought about harming herself several times a month. She hadn’t even realized until this very moment, as she sat on the refreshments table and watched the dancing and fumbling bodies on the dance floor, that she’d not had any reason to feel overwhelmed or anxious enough to need to slice her flesh open. “It’s gone too quickly,” she remarked. “I’m going to loathe leaving when the time comes.” And the time was fast approaching.