Wrath and Love
Chapter 21
By the time Marla had dropped Todd back off at the Castevet's, Minnie had already started on dinner, and after washing up, he volunteered to help. He wasn't anywhere near as proficient as Rosemary or Pepito, but leaving Minnie to cook by herself never resulted in anything too appetizing, even after all the extra years of experience she'd apparently had to improve her skills. The rice and salmon were already out of the oven, and he had started cutting red potatoes to go in for garlic roasting when Pepito finally came in.
Both of Pepito's arms wrapped around Todd from behind, his lips landing a quick kiss near his left ear before he spoke in a loud whisper that was meant just as much for Minnie to hear as Todd. “Hello, Todd-honey.”
Todd froze on the outside almost completely even as the touches, joking as they were, seemed to ignite a furnace inside his body that had apparently been put there for the purpose of slow-roasting his ever-flipping stomach. The position was too much like the one from his dream. When Pepito's arms widened before an inevitable hug, he shifted his body to the side, darting out of the way, though the kitchen would only allow him a few feet of escape. “Hi, Pepi.” He waved a hand that still held the potato knife, only to have Pepito catch his wrist to take it from him.
Turning from Todd and the counter to Minnie, who sat at the table, cutting the ends off of freshly washed asparagus, Pepito held up the offending item for her to see. “Why does he have this?”
“What?” Minnie looked up, then back down with a shacking head. “Oh, Adrian, you can see that I'm watching him. Besides, he's been good today, haven't you, Todd? There's no reason to treat him like an infant.”
Pepito sighed, then turned back around to rinse the knife and dig through a drawer. “All the same, I'd rather him have this.” He pulled out a vegetable peeler, then held it out for Todd.
Todd took the peeler with a slight glare, but managed to bite back a smart comment. He always tried his best not to start an argument in front of the others. The last thing he needed was for more of them to question his position there, and, he reminded himself, Pepito was probably provoking him on purpose, trying to embarrass the bad behavior out of him or something. He went back to the potatoes that he was nearly finished with anyway, dumping them all into a washing pan. When they were clean he added oil and seasoning, sharing them with Pepito who had taken over the asparagus duty. “How was your day?”
“Not bad. Boring, like I said earlier, but not too bad. Mostly a lot of paper work.” He considered for a moment. “We finally have a suspect for the breakout of a the prison compound that I mentioned last night. One of the guards for that section failed to come in today. He'd been off work for the two days before. His apartment was searched, but there's no sign of him having returned there after the breakout. His suitcases are still there.”
“Oh?” Todd dropped one of the potatoes back into the bowl, looking around the kitchen to make sure that Minnie had joined her husband in the living room before meeting Pepito's eyes. “Are you going to search for him?”
Pepito nodded. “Only for him. We've got to ascertain whether or not the Resistance is actively attempting to infiltrate our institutions, of course. That guard is probably guilty of treason. But, don't worry. We're still not specifically after your...friends. If they don't get in the way, they'll likely be fine.”
Todd looked straight ahead at a paining that hung on the wall that depicted a great Dionysusian feast. “I see.” In truth, he didn't know if Dib and the others would stay out of harms way, not if that guard was part of the Resistance and Pepito's people were after him. Gretchen was pregnant, so that was insensitive, but he wasn't sure if it would be enough.
“Todd, stop worrying so much. You're going to get a stomach ulcer. Look, I finally got a call from Mother today.” Pepito shot the other a smile that said 'I told you so' when he looked up from the potatoes. “She asked about you.”
“What did you tell her?”
“...the truth.”
“Really?” Uneasily, Todd shifted back and forth on his feet, pretending that he hadn't already finished with his seasoning. “About last night?”
“Not specifically. I just said that you've been having some problems adjusting...and with depression. Of course, she thinks that it's because I've torn a giant, ragged hole in your soul or something.”
“O-oh.”
Pepito paused in his work, his voice dropping slightly lower. “Do you? Is that what it feels like?”
Looking back down at the potatoes, Todd bit the side of his lower lip for a second. He hadn't expected that question, that was for sure. Pepito sounded almost afraid of the answer somewhere beneath the condescending tone that he had used in respect to Rosemary's beliefs. “I don't know.” He forced a small laugh. “It doesn't feel jagged.”
“But it does feel like there's a hole?”
“Shouldn't you know, Pepito? I mean, you've made pacts with a lot of people, right? And aren't you supposed to be able to see that sort of thing?”
“Yes. Of course. But none of them have reacted this way, and with you...no, I'm being silly. There's not a hole. And you're right, I could tell if there was.”
“Are you sure?” Todd swallowed dryly, unnerved by how unsure Pepito sounded.
“Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry, Amigo. It's ridiculous. Don't worry about it, okay?”
“Alright.” He nodded emphatically to himself. There was no point in worrying about it anyway, not if there was nothing that he could do about it.
Pepito patted him on the shoulder before going back to the green stalks, shifting them around with salad tongs in the garlic and oil. He glanced back up every now and then to watch the Todd's face. “So, how was your day? Did Minnie and Roman drive you crazy?”
“No, they were okay.” Todd shrugged, then lifted the bowl of potatoes to pour them into a pan for broiling. “I slept for a while, then Marla came over and said she was sorry for being so mean to me lately.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. You didn't...tell her to, did you?” He snorted. “It's just that you sound distinctly unsurprised.”
“I might have suggested it. But she agreed freely; said she'd been meaning to anyway. Why, what did she say exactly?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just sorry.” Closing the oven, Todd shot Pepito a smile that was hopefully convincing. He didn't know how much Marla had told Pepito about her life and her feelings regarding his policies, and considering that, it probably wouldn't be nice to reveal what he had learned. Despite the past few weeks, he actually did want to be her friend. She had been one of the nicer safe members at the work camp, always letting him stay extra time in the medical ward whenever he was in for a beating and giving him extra rations even though she knew he had a tendency to give his own away.
“That's good. Nice, I mean.”
“She also said that I have an appointment with her for blood work?”
“Oh, yes. I hope you don't mind, not that you have much of a choice in the matter, of course-”
“Of course.”
“I just thought, if it turns out to be something that simple...”
“Yeah. I understand. I don't really like the idea of taking drugs or whatever...but at this point I'd be willing to try almost anything. It's getting...really pathetic, isn't it?”
Pepito smiled sadly. “How about desperate? Lets go with that.”
“I guess that works too.” Todd nudged him with an elbow. “You're getting kind of soft, you know that?”
“Yeah? Maybe your kindness is corrupting me.” Shaking his head, he sighed dramatically. “I guess it's time for a cleansing.”
“You're being corrupted by good?” Todd laughed. “That's gotta be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Well, you know, discounting nearly everything that I heard in the public school system.”
“I'll have you know that this 'good' that you speak of is an infection of the mind, a rather serious one at that. It's called 'bleeding heart syndrome', and it can cause all kinds of suffering.”
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"What?"
"Nothing."
By the time they had gotten into the meal with Minnie and Roman, most of Todd's anxiety had dissipated in regards to Marla and even Pepito, that is until Minnie started in on Pepito with her opinion on both of their stress levels.
“You know what I bet his problem is, dear?” she asked Pepito, “and a good lot of yours too? You work too much. He doesn't get enough attention, and neither of you get out enough.”
“Listen to Minnie, Adrian. You two should take a trip with us. Perhaps to Venice.” Roman smiled. “I haven't had a good vacation there in years.”
Pepito snorted. “Yeah, two years, wasn't it?”
“No, I'm sure it's been longer than that. As I seem to recall-”
“No, no, Roman,” Minnie plowed ahead, “A trip isn't going to help, not in the long run. What he needs is to cut back at the office for good. You know, just work a little less each day. Then him and Todd could get some quality time together. You can't say that Adrian hasn't lost some of that awful tension in the time that Todd's with us.”
“No I can't, dear. But I still think a trip would do them both some good, as long as no business was mixed in, of course.”
Minnie shook her head. “Just think about it, Adrian. You take some time off, I bet you'll both feel one hundred percent better! If you had enough time, you might even want to fill it with some babies of your own.” She stuffed a bite of potato into her mouth, then pointed the fork at Todd. “Do you want babies, honey? I bet you two would make some beautiful babies.”
Nearly chocking on a piece of salmon, Todd raised a cloth napkin from his lap to cough into it roughly as Pepito padded him on the back. By the time his throat was clear, his face was red, not just from lack of air, and he was sure that he had heard her wrong, or misinterpreted what she had meant. At the same time he could tell by his overly reserved smile that Pepito was holding in laughter. Maybe she had finally caught on to the couple joke, and decided that it was time for revenge?
“Aww. Are you okay, Toddy?” Minnie rubbed Todd's lower arm, her voice overly smooth like she was talking to a child that had just had skinned his knee.
“Uh, yeah. I...I'm good.”
“Good!” She clapped her hands together happily. “So what about those babies? You know, Adrian's children will be the closest thing we'll have to grandchildren.”
Todd looked to Pepito helplessly, hoping that somehow something about the words that were still leaving Minnie's mouth would start making sense.
“I'm afraid Todd doesn't know very much about demonic reproduction, do you...heh...darling?” Pepito smiled at the almost comical look that had taken over his friend's face, then looked back at Minnie. “Besides, don't you think that's something that Todd and I should discuss in private?”
“Well, if it's a sore subject!”
“It's not. But it's a big decision. Not everyone wants children.” Sighing, Pepito looked down at his plate. He had tried to choose his words carefully, but it obviously hadn't worked. He probably should have never let them think that he and Todd were together romantically, but then they would have been trying to get them together because according to Minnie they had always been aware of his 'very obvious feelings for Todd'. But either way, what he had said was true. Still, try telling that to people who had lived during a time when reproduction was considered the completion of a family...and who happened to be unable to conceive.
When no one seemed to be saying anything else, Todd took a deep drink of his wine in hopes that it would help take the edge off of the suddenly tense dinner. It didn't seem to help much, though the conversation eventually picked back up toward the end. By the time they left the apartment for their own, Minnie and Roman had both seemed in high spirits again, hugging each of them good night.
They both got dressed quickly, and Todd forced himself to wait until Pepito had closed the door to the limo that would take them to the play before finally saying what he had been thinking the whole time. “What the hell was that all about?”
“What?” Pepito gave him the most innocent look that he could conjure.
“You know what. That...that thing with the babies that Minnie was talking about.” He shook his head as if he could physically dislodge the idea.
“Oh, that. You know how old get people about kids. Well, maybe not your grandparents, but-”
“Pepito, you've got to tell them the truth. This whole thing is getting really freakish, and you're going to have to eventually anyway.” He cringed. “And how is that even supposed to work?”
“There are several ways, actually. First, there's the traditional demonic method, which would basically involve the demon, me in this case, as one of the spiritual parents and a human man and woman as the biological parents. That's the way that I came into being. My science department is also working another method for same sex biological parents. Of course, two women is pretty straight forward. With two men, you still need a third parent, a woman obviously, because of eggs and mitochondrial dna. Plus, it's still proving pretty hard to simulate a uterus, though I expect the great Professor will come up with an exceptable model eventually.”
He smiled as Todd's eyes grew wide. Obviously he hadn't quite caught up with the scientific advances that had taken place under Satanic rule. “Still, I don't have to tell you that most men would have a hard time finding a woman willing to carry a child for them. At least for under a small fortune, which I have to admit they deserve. But, being the Antichrist has it's advantages. If I ever had a desire to procreate using that method, I'm pretty sure I've an adequate number of followers who would consider it an honor.”
“An honor...to be like your...incubation chamber?”
“Todd, must you find fault with everything?” He sighed. “They would be more like a chosen vessel. For many, I am their god, you know. It would afford them a very high status within the ranks. And it's not like I would force anyone, or choose some fourteen year old, unmarried peasant girl with a high likelihood of being stoned to death for it. And in any event, this is all highly hypothetical, as in if we ever wanted that.”
“We?” Todd's arms wrapped around his own body protectively. “As in you and me?”
“Oh, come on, Todd, stop acting so distraught.” Pepito bit back a laugh. “Besides, you know you want my babies.”
“Eww. No.” He scooted over to the opposite end of the limo seat. “I think I like it better over here.”
“What, so I'm gross now? Or you think I'd be a bad father?”
“Pep, I've always thought you were a little gross. This just reinforces it. And if the way you've been treating me lately is any indication, I think you would probably be a pretty good parent, okay? The only problem is that I'm not a little kid.”
“I know that. I just...I worry about you, you know. I thought that after the initiation, you would calm down, accept that you'd done your best and that it's okay now for you to relax and...hell, maybe even enjoy your life a little. But that doesn't seem to be happening, and I honestly don't know what to do about it.”
Looking down at his clasped hands that now rested in his lap, Todd murmured his words softly, “I'm sorry.”
“I know you are.” Pepito shuffled over until he was once again sitting close to Todd, then raised a hesitate hand to drape about his shoulders. “I'm not angry; I just wish I knew how to make you happy.” He laughed a little under his breath because it had always seemed so easy, so natural in his mind. Once he had Todd, things would just fall into place, and neither of them would ever look back.
“I wish I did too.” Leaning back further into the seat cushions and Pepito's arm, Todd let the moment drag on. Apparently neither of them knew what to say because it was a few minutes before Pepito broke the silence when he picked up the conversation anew.
“So, do you want any?”
“Any what?”
“Offspring. Oh, not with me. Just in general.”
Todd let out a deep breath. “We've talked about this before, haven't we?”
“Well, yes, but that was in high school. I've heard that human beings sometimes change their minds over time. Especially considering that the main reason was your parents, right? But you've been away from them for a long time now.”
“Pepito, most people learn parental skills from their parents, usually unconsciously. All that potential for neglect could still be lurking deep inside my brain, and it would be unethical to risk that. Plus, I think that having children, especially when you could adopt, is incredibly greedy. And when the world is in this state...that's pretty unacceptable.”
“What state would that be, Amigo?”
“On the brink of war, you jerk. Supposedly the ultimate war. And you want to have kids before it happens?”
“No. I wouldn't want to give the opposition that kind of potential leverage. Most of my, very tentative, family plans are scheduled for after the war. The war just so happens to be not so far away anymore.”
“So after the war, assuming you win-”
“And I will.”
Todd shrugged. “After the war, when you and the coven are immortal, you're going to just keep on having children? Aren't you trying to decrease the population?”
“Yes, I am. But that's the whole point. There will be room on Earth for new children then, and there will be room for robots and androids to make up the bulk of the service industry. The balance will have to be carefully maintained, of course, with population control and IQ tests for potential parents. The children wouldn't be immortal unless they earned it, most immortal humans will still be able to die by accident, and reincarnation from Hell would balance the population.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” It left Todd wondering what was going to happen to the rest of the population during the war to downsize it that much by the end, but he held that question back. He had to remember that he couldn't change it, and therefore it was probably best if he didn't know to begin with.
“Also-do me a favor and don't mention this to anyone yet-but I think that after the Republic of Hell on Earth has become stable enough, we should start colonizing other planets. It's ridiculous that in all the time people have been thinking about the end of days, they've always seemed to assume that the Earth is the be all and end all of existence. The Christians seem to think that the sun is never going to expand! Of course, that's Christians for you. I know that most of the prophecies were written before we understood such things, but come on. It's high time for an update, don't you think?”
Todd just smiled and nodded. It was a good point, and probably an even better idea if the immortality thing was widely instituted. Even so, he had always hoped that by the time the human race went to space to live that they would be beyond petty religious bickering and other such prejudices...and not because they had some apocalyptic war to solve them. By the time that he had started to worry about what to say next, the limo had saved him, parking in front of the theater to let them out.
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Notes:
-Minnie and Roman are also from Rosemary's Baby. They belong to Ira Levin and Roman Polanski.