Dahlia's Dream

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter One
     Can Dahlia Price make it big in Hollywood? Or will she fall flat on her face and be forced to run back to her parents?
 
 
 

Nineteen year old Dahlia Price was like most small town girls, she had big dreams. Smart, talented, and beautiful Dahlia could be just about anything she wanted. She wanted to act, but her uptight parents were thinking more along the lines of medicine or law. Dahlia had no major her freshman year of college which infuriated her paretns. She decided to major in Drama her sophmore year until her parents informed her if she did they would no longer pay for college. It took Dahlia two hours to decide what she was going to do. She sold just about everything she owned, emptied her bank account, and took the first bus to Hollywood.
 
 

Dahlia knew there was no way she could afford an apartment so she opted to stay in a cheap motel until she could earn enough money for a decent apartment. It was pink, a color Dahlia wasn't fond of and there was a cemetary right outside her window, but she couldn't afford to be picky. Three weeks went by and Dahlia went to every audition she read about but she had no call backs. Her money was starting to run low. She needed to find a job fast. She even applied for waitressing and maid jobs. Still no luck.
 
 

Dahlia finally lucked out. She applied for a job posing for a magazine ad for some cheap wine and somehow she got the job. She was so excited she got to the photoshoot early. When she saw the outfit they wanted her to wear she almost ran out the door. She sucked it up since she needed the money. After her hair and make-up were done and her skimpy outfit was on she stood on her mark. The photographer was a complete sleaze of course. He kept "posing" Dahlia but it seemed more like he was groping her.
 
 

Dahlia's next job was a chick flick movie, "Dilema". A young abused woman, "Natalie" shoots her supposedly abusive husband. The twist is did she do it to escape the abuse or to cash in on his $1 million life insurance policy? And was it really her husband beating her or was it her boyfriend beating her to exlpain why she shot him? The only real problem Dahlia had was the part where she had to learn to shoot the gun. She was terrified of them so whenever she had to hold the gun she shook with fear. She knew she had to get over her fear if she was going to be able to finish filming. It took a few extra days but once Dahlia got over her fear she became a fairly good shot.
 
 

Dahlia took a month off before she took another job. A horror movie "Black Hearts"about a college girl "Elaine" who becomes involved in a secret society, The Black Hearts. At first they seem to be typical college girls pretending to be witches. But then she finds out the hard way when they sacrifice her roommate they really are witches and so is she. They need her to complete the Black Heart ritual. If she doesn't they threatened to kill her. If she does the ritual she risks unleashing horrible plagues into the world. Elaine finds out a way to stop them but it ends up making her insane. Filming the movie gave Dahlia the creeps and she couldn't wait until it finished filming.
 
 

Dahlia auditioned for a Sci-Fi movie "Serenity Valley". She got the job but she wasn't sure she wanted it. Fairie Princess Serene and her clan are at war with evil gnomes. Serene's clan gets almost wiped out by the gnomes. Serene is captured and forced into slavery. After years of abuse and torture Serene escapes and uses a vine from her valley as her clothes. Everyday for three months Dahlia showed up for filming. She had flowers painfully stuck into her hair, a mask glued to her face, and the extremely uncomfortable vine glued to her body. She thought that was the worst part until they harnessed her for her flying/levitating scenes. The men hoisting her up dropped her on her but three times. Dahlia almost gave up acting.
 
 

Suprisingly "Serenity Valley" was a hit among the Sci-Fi crowd. Dahlia decided it was time to hire an agent. It took less then two weeks for her agent to find an absolute dream movie for Dahlia. "Her Beautiful Lie", a black and white movie about Marinda, the daughter of a maid rising to stardom as a lounge singer. Rich and powerful men romanced her thinking she was rich. She fell in love with a senator's son and thats when everything comes crashing down. Dahlia watched some of the actors and actressed and she felt like an amatuer. She worked hard to try and be as good as them. When it came time to perform the songs Dahlia blew everyone away with her voice.
 
 

Dahlia decided to take a couple months off to relax since filming "Her Beautiful Lie" took a lot out of her. Only a week went by and her agent was calling her with a movie offer.
"Dahlia, I have an incredible movie for you."
"Joanie, I appreciate it but I'm wiped. I need some time off."
"I think you might reconsider when you hear about it. Its called "Hawaiian Ginger" You'll play Ginger, a college girl who goes to Hawaii to study. While there Ginger meets and falls in love with Petie, a surfer boy. You'll fly out to Hawaii in the next couple days and relax in style for the next two weeks until they cast Petie."
"Ok you talked me into it. Book a flight for me and call me with the details."
Two days later Dahlia was watching the sunrise in Hawaii in her hotel suite waiting to see who they cast as Petie.
 
 

Dahlia was expecting Joanie to call her when she found out who was playing Petie. She got a phone call the next day and she almost fainted.
"Is this Dahlia Price?"
"Yes it is. Who exactly is this?"
"I'm Elijah Wood. I figured I'd call and get to know my co-star. The director is a friend and he asked if I'd play Petie. He said we'd be good together."
Dahlia was quiet for a moment. "Wow. I was expecting Joanie to call me with this news."
"I asked if I could do it. I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Same here."

[cari4003]

Great beginning.  I'll be reading....he's hot.  Hope she gets rich and famous.
Great pix too.

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter Two
Dahlia is in Hawaii filming a movie with Elijah Wood.



Three days after Elijah's first call he called Dahlia again. He was in Hawaii and he wanted to meet her at the Cliffside Terrace Cafe in an hour. She rushed to do her hair and make-up, grabbed her sunglasses and purse and ran out the door. When she arrived Elijah was already waiting with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He had gotten a table by the window with a fantastic view.
"Hi Elijah. I'm Dahlia." Dahlia sat down trying to look calm even though her heart was racing.
"Hey there. Its great to finally meet you. I hope you don't mind. I got sparkling cider since I know you're too young to drink. Legally ay least."
Dahli was surprised Elijah knew her age. "Thanks. Thats really sweet of you."
Elijah poured them each a glass and they toasted the movie. Once Dahlia loosened up they ended up talking for hours.
"Is getting kind of late. I better get going. I have to be up early so I can get fitted for my clothes. And have my hair dyed."
"Ok. See you on set in a couple days. Night Dahlia."



Dahlia couldn't believe she had blonde hair. It felt so strange but it was what the movie called for. Their first scene was filmed by a waterfall. Ginger comes upon Petie who had a romantic picnic planned for him and his girl but she ended up dumping him. The roar of the waterfall made filming the scene a little difficult. Dahlia and Elijah would do the scene only to repeat it because the waterfall was drownimg out their voices. After eight takes the sound man managed to figure out what he needed to do and they got Dahlia and Elijah's voices with the waterfall in the backround.



Their next scene was Ginger and Petie's first date. And Dahlia and Elijah's first kiss. Petie takes Ginger surfing and surprisingly she likes it. Dahlia on the other hand was having a hard time standing on the board. She wanted it to look authentic. Elijah was a pretty good surfer so it was only Dahlia holding them back. She was frustrated because she couldn't get the hang of surfing and nervous because she had to kiss Elijah. The director told her to take a break.
"Hey Dahl. You okay? You seem a little out of it." Elijah commented as he walked up behind her.
"I am. I know this might seem stupid but I'm nervous about the kiss scene. I've kissed other guys in movies but you're a famous actor."
Elijah laughed good naturedly. "Just remember I'm an ordinary guy. Besides in a couple years you'll be giving some new actor butterflies."
"Thanks Eli."
They resumed filming and even though she wasn't very good it, it was good enough to keep. The kissing scene was easy to film and not surprisingly it was not as romantic as it looked.



Dahlia was looking forward to the underwater scene. On Petie and Ginger's second date Petie takes her deep into the woods to a cliff that over looks a cove. It takes some convincing but Ginger finally climbs down with Petie and they go swimming in the cove. It was hot and buggy, and the crew was complaining more than Dahlia and Elijah. With the equipment set up, and the clear harnesses on Dahlia and Elijah began the climb down. When the reached the bottom Dahlia saw how beautiful it really was. The director wanted to film Dahlia and Elijah underwater in the cove. He was inspired by Dahlia's surfing. He wanted to make the scene look more authentic. The camera crew was not happy but even they couldn't complain when they saw how beautiful the scene turned out.



The last scene was supposed to be the goodbye scene. Ginger's parents are forcing her to go back to the states to finish college. Petie agrees to drive her to the airport and see her off. Afterwards he goes back home and lays in the hammock to mope since it still smells like Ginger. Less then an hour later he's joined by Ginger. She's decided to stay with Petie. While they were filming Dahlia realized two things, one; the ending was a typical chessy romantic ending and two; it made her realize how bad she wanted one of those cheesy endings.



Elijah invited Dahlia out to a club to celebrate the end of filming. She was a little nervous at first. She wasn't sure if it was a cast member being friendly towards another or if it was a guy/girl date sort of thing. She decided to wear jeans in case it was a friend thing and a pink lowcut shirt in case it was a date thing. When she first arrived she noticed a lot of other cast members so she assumed it was a friend thing. But two hours later after almost everyone else had left Dahlia realized Elijah was flirting with her. She wasn't quite sure how it happened but she was in Elijah's cabin. He led her to the bedroom where he proceeded to kiss her senseless.



Elijah showed her his hot tub and she jumped in without an invite. She figured she was allowed. The sensible part of her kept her away from Elijah in the hot tub. She wasn't sure it was a good idea to get involved with him. They'd stick to talking.
"So how do you think the movie's going to do?" Dahlia asked quietly.
Elijah shrugged. "I don't know. It was a blast to film though. I really enjoyed how some of the crew seemed to be more pampered than us."
Dahlia giggled at the thought. "Yeah that was pretty funny. A part of me's glad its over. I so need some time off. Even filming in Hawaii is stressful."
"Its a sad but true reality."
Dahlia noticed that Elijah was respectfully giving her space and it was annoying her. She thought he'd be trying to inch his way closer by now.



Fifteen more minutes of lame small talk was all Dahlia could handle. She moved closer to Elijah, climbed on his lap and it was her turn to kiss him senseless. She finished and noticed Elijah had a goofy grin on his face.
"What?"
"Wow!"
"Wow?!. Thats all you've got to say for yourself? You ask me out, bring me back to your cabin, kiss me stupid, and then pretend none of it happened once we're in the hot tub and all you can say is wow?"
"Hey you're the one who kept your distance from me. I was just respecting you by giving you space."
Dahlia rolled her eyes. "Oh aren't you the gentleman?"
Elijah waggled his eyebrows. "Fine. How bout we make our way to the bedroom?"



Dahlia followed Elijah into his bedroom and she stripped down to her underwear. She noticed Elijah was still in his clothes and watching her with interest. She stared at him until he finally realized she was undressing so he followed suit. Dahlia climbed on the bed and felt the butterflies returning. She watched him undress hoping the nervous feeling would go away. Elijah gave her a dazzling smile as he climbed on the bed next to her.
"Nervous?"
"No. Not at all." Dahlia lied.
"Let's take it slow then."
They talked until Dahlia decided it was time to move on. Then he kissed her and when he did Dahlia realized she had to have him now. And she did. It was better than she had imagined.



When they were done Dahlia looked at Elijah dreamily and he gave her a lazy smile.
"It was so incredible I was half expecting fireworks" Dahlia joked.
"You mean there weren't any? I could have sworn I saw some. Or maybe it was stars from when you banged my head into the headboard."
Dahlia blushed. "Sorry about that.'
"No its okay. I like a girl whose enthusiastic about things."
"Not to be a downer but is this a one night stand?"
"I honestly don't know. Let's just see where things go from here."
Dahlia sighed and rolled over. Like she had a choice.

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter 3
 Dahlia head's back to Hollywood.



Before she left Hawaii Dahlia asked Joanie to find her an apartment. Dahlia knew her well enough to trust her taste and that she wouldn't get anything Dahlia couldn't afford. She stepped off the plane and was surprised to see a driver holding a name card for her. He led to to a black limo, where he opened the door for her then loaded her bags into the trunk.
"Don't worry miss. Mrs Carlisle told me where to bring you. Those keys on the mini fridge are to your new apartment." The driver told her.
Dahlia sat back and relaxed, trusting the driver. She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew the driver was gently nudging her. She climbed out of the limo and looked at the keys in her hand and then up at the building. It wasn't an apartment, it was a small cottage. She unlocked the frontdoor and the driver brought her suitcases in, tipped his hat, and left. Dahlia wandered around, exploring the cottage. She brought her suitcases into her bedroom and let out a cheer at her view of the famous Hollywood sign.




After unpacking her suitcases, changing her clothes, and rearranging some furniture Dahlia decided to call Joanie.
"Joanie Carlisle. Talk to me."
"Joanie its absolutely amazing. Can I afford it?"
Joanie laughed. "Of course you can. I wouldn't go over your budget. I like getting paid."
"Well I'm going to go relax. Send me some good scripts to read over. Although I'm not planning on doing any movies for another couple of months."
"You got it kid. Enjoy your place."
Dahlia hung up and went into the kitchen. She made some coffee and brought it into the livingroom. She got comfortable on the chaise lounge and enjoyed the view of the small pond on the side of her house.



After hiding out inside her cottage for a week Dahlia decided to go out. She got dressed, put on her shades, and hopeed into her white Audi convertable. She drove around for hours enjoying the wind in her hair. She stopped off at Cheery Cafe to get some coffee. She was almost inside when her cell rang. She sighed and flipped it open.
"Hello?"
"Dahl, Its Eli. How's it going?"
Dahlia was a little surprised to hear from him. "I'm good thanks. I got a great new place and I'm enjoying my time off. So how are you?"
"Pretty good. I'm in London visiting a friend right now. I'll be flying back to the states in a couple weeks. I was thinking when I got back we could hit the town."
"Sounds good to me."
"Great. Listen I gotta run. I'll give you a call later on tonight. Bye Dahl."
"Bye Eli."
Dahlia hung up and got her coffee. While she drank it she wondered if Elijah was actually changing his mind. Maybe he wanted to be exclusive after all.



Dahlia went home and waited by the phone but Elijah didn't call that night, or the next night, or the next seven nights. Dahlia got up feeling foul. It had been nine days and he still hadn't called. She took a bath, threw on some clothes, and trudged into the kitchen. She wasn't really hungry but she made some oatmeal with strawberries and honey. She stared out the window at the beautiful view without really noticing it as she ate, thinking about Elijah. The oatmeal tasted like wallpaper paste with honey. She couldn't even taste the strawberries. She managed to eat it all and wash it down with orange juice. She just finished rinsing out the bowl and glass when the nausous feeling she'd had for the past week returned. She barely made it to the bathroom in time.



The next morning Dahlia decided she was done moping. She got up, put on her workout clothes and went for a long jog. She ran through two different parks enjoying the cool morning air. And she'd only gotten sick once and that was in a trashcan with no witnesses. She saw a jogging trail that led into the woods and she figured she'd see where it went. It ending up going deep into the woods until it reached a large elm tree and the path wound around it and continued back. When Dahlia got back to the park she practiced some kickboxing moves. She smiled to herself as she imagined kicking the crap out of Elijah. She knew it wasn't totally his fault but it made her feel better to blame him.



After her run Dahlia sat on her livingroom floor doing some stretches and her cooldown. She looked over and finally noticed how pretty her extremely large fishtank was. She sat there and stared at it for almost an hour. While she was watching them she named every fish and noticed they all seemed to have different personalities. Freddie was friendly, always at the front of the tank in view, Charlotte was shy, hiding in the rocks whenever someone moved, Ghengis was a bully, he beat up the others every chance he got, and Winnie was just lazy, she barely moved even for food. Dahlia sighed as she got up off the floor. She fed the fish, then went to take a long bubble bath.



Dahlia had given up on Elijah and went about her life. She didn't have a routine yet, but she was getting close. And thats when Elijah called. He apologized for not calling and then he invited her to B&W, an exclusive night club. Dahlia reluctantly agreed to meet him there at 8:30. She put on a gold gown, put on some make-up, and left her hair down. When she arrived she noticed he had his hair back to its natural red and how handsome he looked in his casual suit. He led her to the VIP room. It had a fountain in the middle, champagne on one table, candles on the other, and an incredible view.
"Its great to see you again, Dahl. I didn't realize how much I missed you until now."
Dahlia smiled shyly. "I missed you too. So how was London?"
Elijah shrugged. "It was alright. I was visiting Sam and his fiancee Lori. She's kind of an uptight snob so it was kind of a tense visit."
"Thats too bad. I always wanted to see London and tour Europe. Maybe I will after I become famous."
"Your famous now. Hey would you like to dance?"
Dahlia's face lit up. "I'd love to."



Dahlia was a little nervous when they first started dancing. This was the first time she'd seen him in months. She relaxed after a few minutes and Elijah pulled her closer. He grinned as he dipped her and Dahlia giggled. He raised his eyebrows and watched her intently as he moved his hands down to her bum and Dahlia just smiled playfully. Then he kissed her like he did the first time and Dahlia felt all the feeling she had for him come rushing back.
"You're an incredible dancer. Well once you relax."
"Thanks. I was just a little nervous. And its not because your famous."
Elijah widened his eyes. "Are you saying I'm not famous anymore?"
Dahlia laughed. "Thats not what I'm saying. You know what I mean."
"Yeah. I just had to give you a hard time."
Midnight came way to fast. Dahlia tried to hide her yawn but Elijah caught it.
"This had been an incredible evening but it must come to an end. You're exhausted, I'm exhausted. I'll call you in the morning."
Elijah walked her to her car and gave a goodnight kiss that belonged in a movie.



Dahlia drove around for a while just thinking. When she got home she sat down in front of her vanity to remove her make-up. She looked at herself long and hard in the mirror. It was hard to believe that just eighteen months ago she was a small town girl trying to make it big in Hollywood. She wasn't A list famous, but she was famous enough to get noticed. And Elijah Wood was her....her what? Boyfriend? No they weren't exclusive. One night stand? No because they occasionally went out together. The only word she could think of was lover. That was somewhere in between boyfriend and one night stand at least in Dahlia's book. She wiped away a couple stray tears. She missed her parents and her friends. And just last week she had an appointment with Dr King, OBGYN to the stars. She was afraid her nausousness was because she was pregnant. Dr King was going to call her tomorrow morning with the test results, but Dahlia already knew the answer.



Dahlia went for her morning jog and stopped off at a cafe for a coffee and some muffins for home when a tabloid magazine caught her eye. She picked up and stared at it. This couldn't be happening. She didn't think she was famous enough for a tabloid to recognize her. But there she was plastered across the cover of the Daily Gossip. She paid for the coffee, muffins, and the magazine before she hurried home. The Gossip might be a tabloid but the writer Becca Lane hardly ever got her stories wrong. Thoughts just kept running through her head and she couldn't stop them. Had Joanie seen this? What would it do to her career? Then an even more terrifying thought crept into her head. What if Elijah had seen it. She wanted to wait until Dr King called and confirmed what she already knew before she told Elijah.

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter Four



After showering and getting dressed Dahlia went into kitchen to make breakfast. She decided she'd call Joanie after she ate. Her phone started ringing and her stomach sank.
"Hello," she said, her voice shaking.
"Dahl, its Joanie. Have you seen the Daily Gossip?"
"Yeah. I saw it when I was getting coffee after my morning jog. I can't believe I'm famous enough to be on a tabloid."
"Forget about that. Is there any truth to what Becca wrote? Are you pregnant? Is Elijah the dad?"
Dahlia sighed and sat down. "I don't know. Yet. Dr King hasn't called back with the results. But if I am, Eli is the dad."
"Okay. Listen you call me and let me know the results. Bye Dahl."



Dahlia was feeling so nausous after Joanie's call that she put her pajamas on and sat on her chaise lounge with a glass of juice. She stared out at the pond for hours just thinking. She was almost positive she was pregnant. And she was terrified. She had babysat when she was younger but those kids were toddlers and older. She knew nothing about being a mom. Could she really handle this? What if Elijah wanted nothing to do with the baby? She felt so stupid panicing for no reason, but she couldn't help it. She sat in the chair all day except for a couple trips to the bathroom. She managed to choke down a sandwich for supper before going to bed.



Dahlia spent the next three days in her room in her pajamas, moping. She bought new furniture for the room and she didn't even get dressed when the men brought the new bedroom set. She knew by the smiles on their faces they recognized her. The room was finally set up the way she wanted it and the men left. Her cell phone rang and her heart raced.
"Hello. Is this Dahlia Price?"
"Yes it is."
"Hi. This is Tasha from Dr King's office. Hold for Dr King."
Five seconds later Dr King was on the line. "Dahlia, how have you been?"
"Nervous. Anxious. Nausous."
"I got your test results back. I'm sure you already know the results came back positive. You are pregnant."
"Thanks Dr King. I think I've known since the first time I got sick."
"Most woman do know before they take the test. I'd like to see you on the 9th next month at 10:30."
"Alright. See you then."



Dahlia called Elijah and asked him to meet her at Kim Lee's at 7. She spent the whole day getting ready. She was so nervous. She had to tell Elijah she was pregnant. She arrived first and got seated at a table near the window. She was deep in thought when Elijah sat down next to her.
"Hey there gorgeous. I hope you were thinking about me."
Dahlia smiled. "Of course I was. How have you been?"
"Good. I'm thinking about doing a new movie. If I take I'll have to go to China for 4 or 5 months to film."
"Wow. Thats great."
The waitress brought their sushi and the two of them started to eat in silence. Dahlia knew she had to tell him but maybe now wasn't the right time.
"So Dahl is there something you needed to tell me? You sounded so anxious over the phone."
"No. I just wanted to see you."
They spent the rest of the night talking about Elijah's new movie and other small talk.



Dahlia went home, angry with herself. She couldn't believe she didn't tell him. She invited him out with every intention of telling him, but she chickened out. She drew herself a hot bubblebath and climbed in. She leaned back and cried herself out of tears.
'I am such a coward,' she thought bitterly.
She had the perfect oppotunity to tell Elijah about the baby. She had no idea why she didn't. He had a right to know she was pregnant. She had to tell him.
'I'll call and tell him tomorrow,' she told herself.



Two days later and Dahlia hadn't told Elijah. Not that she hadn't tried, she just couldn't get ahold of him. On her morning jog she saw her picture on the Daily Gossip again. She groaned and picked up the tabloid.
'Is this woman stalking me? Are there no other celebrities for her to follow around,' Dahlia thought angrily.
She bought the tabloid and went home. She read the article twice while she had her morning coffee.
'How does she know so much?' Dahlia wondered as she threw the tabloid into the trash.
It seemed everyone knew she was pregnant. Well everyone, but Elijah.
"I've really got to tell him now," Dahlia said out loud as she went to take a shower.



Dahlia got dressed and made some breakfast. She was about to sit down when her cell phone rang. She took a deep breath and answered.
"Dahl, its Eli. I was getting on the plane to Hong Kong and I noticed an old copy of Daily Gossip. I picked it up to get a closer look and I saw the Daily Gossip for today. So is it true?"
Dahlia had never heard him sound so angry. "Yeah it is. I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure. I knew the night we went to Kim Lee's but I couldn't tell you. I don't know why."
"So when were you going to tell me? Or were you just planning on sending me a baby picture?"
Dahlia's eyes filled with tears and she wiped at them. She knew he had every right to be angry with her.
"Eli I am so sorry."
"I'm going to do my best to be there for the birth. And I want to be a part of the baby's life. As for us I guess we'll have to figure that out when I get back."




Dahlia changed her clothes and called Joanie.
"Joanie Carlisle. Talk to me."
"Joanie, its me. Eli knows about the baby."
"Thats great. So you finally told him."
"Not exactly. He saw the Daily Gossips and called me. He's really ticked. Not that I can blame him."
"Uh oh. So how does he feel about the baby?"
"He wants to be here for the birth. He's going to be part of the baby's life, but I don't think there's an us in the future."
"Does that mean the rumors about him and Kitina Yugarov is true?"
"I honestly don't know. Listen I want to come by the office. I have an idea that I want to run by you."



When Dahlia got to Joanie's office she told Joanie her idea. She wanted to do an article for Truth and Lies magazine. It gave celebs the oppotuniy to tell the public in their own words whether a rumor was the Truth or Lies.
"Thats a wonderful idea, Dahl. You can tell people your side of the story."
"I called Eli on my way over to run it by him. He's more than okay with it."
"Great. I'll call the editor and get it set up."
Later that day Dahlia was on her way to do a photoshoot for Truth and Lies. They were even putting her on the cover.



Dahlia enjoyed every minute of the photoshoot. The woman from hair and make-up and the fashoin consultant were fawning over her. They were so nice and friendly that Dahlia offered to send them baby pictures. The first picture they took was by cherry blossoms and it was so relaxing. Dahlia loved the smell of the flowers and almost didn't want to leave. The second picture they took had her at the beach laying on a couch like hammock. She loved her outfit so much that the fashion consultant agreed to give it to her. The editor told her they would send her a copy of the magazine so she could approve before they printed it. Dahlia took a deep breath and signed the paperwork.

[rebelmozzerella]

This is so good!! Please get more!!

[cari4003]

Like the story....love your pictures.  Waiting for update.

[Lil Reaper]

Sorry there hasn't been an update lately but I'm in a few contests.
I have the pics taken and hope to have the next chapter up soon.

[Lil Reaper]

Dahlia prepares for birth of her baby.


Dahlia woke up with a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Today she was going to Dr King for her first ultrasound. She showered, threw on a loose fitting dress, and choked down some toast before heading to the clinic. The receptionist was cheerful, the nurse was very friendly and Dr King looked more handsome than she remembered.
'Must be the facial hair,' Dahlia thought as he read over her file.
"So you're all finished with morning sickness?"
"Thankfully yes. Is it possible for me to find out what I'm having," Dahlia asked excitedly.
"Of course. Providing the baby cooperates. Lets take your baby's first picture."
Dahlia tried not to shiver as Dr King put the cold gel on her belly. He ran the tranducer over her belly as he stared at the computer screen. Finally he tapped a few keys and wiped the gel off.
"Well I got a good picture that Theresa will make copies of, but unfortuantely the baby's back was turned so I have no idea what you're having."
Dahlia shrugged. "I guess it'll be a nice surprise."



After a couple weeks Dahlia called up Joanie and invited her shopping. Joanie sounded a little surprised but agreed to meet Dahlia at "Mommies are Golden." Joanie was extremely shocked when a pregnant woman with white blonde hair approached her with a smile.
"Can I help you," Joanie asked her.
The girl lowered her sunglasses and giggled. "Joanie, is me. Dahlia. I saw this wig and couldn't resist wearing it. I'm incognito."
"Right. Well let's get shopping. Where to first?"
"Maternity. I need some new clothes. My belly is getting huge."
Dahlia couldn't believe the selection of maternity clothes thay had. She tried on about twenty different outifts. She decided on two sundresses, a formal gown, and some underwear.
"This place is amazing," Dahlia told Joanie.
"Wait until we go to the toy section. And the furniture section. I bought all my kids things here."



Dahlia and Joanie wandered around the toy section looking at teddy bears, dolls, games, rattles, binkies, nightlights, baby monitors, and potty chairs.
"I wish I knew what I was having. It would make shopping a whole lot easier."
Joanie nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it. When I was pregnant with Michael I didn't know what I was having so we bought alot of green and yellow everything. Of course with Bonnie we knew we were having a girl so I let other people buy her pretty dresses. I was fine in dressing her in Michael's green and yellow outfits."
"Were you nervous when you were pregnant with Michael?"
"I was nervous with Michael. I was nervous with Bonnie. And even though they're 13 and 10 I'm still nervous. Its part of motherhood."
"Glad to know I'm not a freak," Dahlia said as she selceted a few toys for the baby.
Joanie laughed. "Every expectant mother feels like there's something wrong with them. It'll pass. Now lets go see about the baby furniture. Furniture's my favorite right after clothes."
"Lead the way."



Dahlia was in awe at all the furniture selections. Modern nursery sets, old fashioned nursery sets, girl nursery sets, boy nursery sets.
"See anything you like," Joanie inquired after their third time around.
"Yeah. Everything. I'm actually torn between the white old fashioned set and the brown set with the cute little basinet. This is going to be harder than I thought."
"You don't have to buy anything now. You've got a couple of months to decide. Shop around. Look online. Flip through magazines."
"I'm glad I have you to help me. I'd be an even bigger nervous wreck if I had to do this alone."
"Glad I can help my favorite client. So have you heard from Elijah lately?"
"Nope. Not since I called him about the photoshoot. I figured I'd give him some time. He didn't exactly find out about the baby the way he should have. I screwed up bigtime."
"We all make mistakes. Thats how we learn. Next time you won't make the same mistake."
"Next time? I haven't even had this one yet. Can we hold off on the next time."
"Deal. Okay I think its time we get you home so you can rest."
Dahlia stiffled a yawn. "Good idea."



Since she couldn't jog anymore Dahlia opted for early morning pregnant powerwalks. She walked through the same park every morning to get to her favorite bakery.She couldn't have coffee anymore so she got hot chocolate and a couple almond poppyseed muffins to take home. She glanced at the Daily Gossip like she did every morning. It had become a habit. Lately since she'd come clean Becca Lane hadn't written much about her. But this mornings issue caused her to tear up. She thought the talk of Elijah and Kitina had been just rumors, but there they were plastered on the Daily Gossip having lunch and sharing a heated kiss.
"Guess that explains why he hasn't called," Dahlia mumbled to herself.
'What if Kitina convinces him he doesn't need to be there for our baby,' Dahlia thought as she rubbed her belly.
Was she really ready to raise this baby on her own if she had to? Not that she'd have much of a choice. She paid and left the bakery. She went home and took her food into the bedroom to sulk.



Dahlia had just gotten back from her morning walk when her cell phone rang. She flipped it open with a sigh.
"Hey. Its Dahl. Please let this be good news."
"Hi Beautiful. Its good to hear your voice."
"Is it really now," Dahlia asked him coldly.
"That answers my next question. Guess its my turn to come clean."
"No need. You made it clear that we're not together."
"Dahl, please listen. Yeah I asked Kitina to Hong Kong. Yeah we had lunch and we spent the night together. But we are not dating. She's too cold. And she wasn't shy about telling me how she felt about our baby. I meant what I said before I left. I intend to be there for the baby."
"I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this news."
"Listen I'm flying home tomorrow. Meet me at Mariella's at 8. Please."
It sounded to Dahlia like he was begging. "Sure. See you at 8."



Dahlia decided to wear the new purple silk dress she'd bought when she went shopping with Joanie. She's made a 7 PM appointment with Miss Nina to have her hair and make-up done. And just like she'd planned she arrived fashionably late. Elijah helped her into her chair with a smile.
"Wow you look amazing. I forgot to ask you yesterday, did you go for your ultrasound?"
Dahlia felt a little guilty that she hadn't thought to tell him about it.
"Yeah. A few weeks ago actually. Dr King says everything looks normal. But the baby had its back turned so its going to be a surprise."
Elijah smiled. "Thats ok. I like surprises. I ordered sparking cider," he explained as the waiter set down a bottle and two glasses.
He poured some into each glass before leaving.
"To you, our baby, and our strange little family," Eli said raising his glass.
"To us and everyone helping me through this," Dahlia toasted.



When they had finished eatting and all the dishes had been cleared away, Dahlia noticed Elijah was acting strange.
"Eli is there something wrong?"
"I'm a little nervous. I know I messed up with the whole Kitina thing. I'm not even sure why I was so into her. I look at her now and I feel nothing."
"We all make mistakes. Thats how we learn."
"Yeah I guess you're right."
"Joanie's right. She told me the other day when I was freaking out about how you found out about the baby."
"Dahlia, I've been thinking about this for a while now. I realize that I love you. A lot. I want us to be together. I want us to be a family."
"Eli what exactly are trying to say?"
Eli took a deep breath. "Dahlia will you marry me?"
Dahlia let out a squeak and started to cry.
"Uh oh. Did I say something bad?"
Dahlia shook her head no.
"No?"
"YES! Yes I'll marry you."
Elijah grinned. "Come on. I 'm dying to see your cottage."



Dahlia showed Elijah around her cottage, ending the tour in her bedroom.
"I like it. Big enough for a family but not so big you look like your showing off."
"Why don't you relax on the bed. I'll be right back," Dahlia told him as she walked into the bathroom.
She put on the new lingerie she had bought. She didn't think she'd get a chance to wear it so she was excited to see what Elijah thought. It took a little longer to put on than she planned.
"You okay in there," Elijah called from the bedroom.
"Fine. I'll be out in a minute."
She finally managed to get everything on and she took a deep breath.
"Close your eyes!"
"Okay. They're closed."
Dahlia walked out and stood next to the bed and struck her best sexy pose.
"Okay. Open them."
Elijah opened his eyes and stared at her. Dahlia struck a couple more poses but Elijah didn't say a word.
"Will you please say something?"
"I'm speechless. There's no words to describe how gorgeous you look. Now come here. I want to show my finace how much I love her."



They fell asleep after making love but Dahlia woke up a couple hours later with slight stomach cramps. She got up and put her pajamas on, then went to make herself some tea. She drank the tea, paced around, and made some toast. Finally the cramps went away and she went to bed. She tossed and turned, then got up before she woke Eli up. When the cramps came back she decided to call Joanie.
"Hello," Joanie answered sleepily after 4 rings.
"Joanie. I'm sorry to bother you but I have to ask you something."
"At 3 AM. It must be pretty important."
"Yeah sorry about the time. Is it normal to have cramps?"
"Define cramps. Excrutiating pain? Time of the month cramps? Is the pain constant?"
"A little worse than time of the month cramps and it comes and goes."
"If it doesn't go away by morning I'd call you doctor."
"Okay. Thanks Joanie."
Dahlia hung up and headed back to bed. That was when the excrutiating pain hit. Dahlia tried not to panic. The baby wasn't due for another two months. Then pain subsided and she relaxed. Then the pain hit again and she screamed.
Eli sat up. "What's wrong, Dahl?"
"There's something wrong with the baby. I need to go to the hospital."

[rebelmozzerella]

OMG!! Why the heck did you do this to me??? How could you leave it on a cliffhanger like THIS...all I have to say is there better be an update soon that satisfies my craving for Dahila...

[Fercho]

wooooo, your pics are gorgeous!!

[Lil Reaper]

Elijah rushed Dahlia to the hospital keeping himself calm for Dahlia's sake. Dahlia on the other hand was panicing, she couldn't believe that after all she went through she might lose the baby. Elijah called Dr King who would be waiting for them at the hospital. Dahlia was rushed into a private room where a nurse took her vitals. Moments later Dr King came into the room.
"Dahlia I know you're scared right now but I need you to calm down. Its probaby prelabor cramping. Some women get them if they overexert themselves. We'll know more in a few minutes."
Dahlia tried hard to calm herself down. She didn't want to hurt the baby because she couldn't stop freaking out. She closed her eyes and began humming, trying to pretend she was anywhere except the ER. Elijah was sitting quietly in the chair looking half terrified half confused.
"When will we get the test result," Elijah asked a little more angry than he meant.
Dr King gave him a reassuring smile. "In the next 30 minutes, I put a rush on the tests. I don't think you need to worry though. Dahlia hasn't experience any pains in the last 15 minutes."
20 minutes later a frazzled looking lab tech entered and handed Dr King two sheets of paper and scurried out of the room again."
"Mmhmm. Just what I thought. It was prelabor cramping. You're going to have to take it easy for the next couple of months. I'm not going to put you on complete bed rest because I trust this has scared you enough. Now go home and get some sleep. I'll see you in two weeks."



After arriving at home Elijah made Dahlia some tea and brought it into her while she sat sulking on the bed after her second trip to the bathroom.
"Come on, Dahl you know this is what's best for the baby and you. Dr King said you're not on complete bed rest so you can still do things. Just not everything."
"I know. Its just what am I going to do when you fly back to Hong Kong? I'm going to be here all by myself. Its going to be kind of hard not to do everything."
Elijah took Dahlia's hand. "Do you want me to stay here until you have the baby? I will if that's what you want. They can either wait until the baby's born or find someone else."
Dahlia felt her eyes tearing up. "Eli, I can't ask you to do that. I'm just scared thats all. We'll figure something out. Let's just enjoy the time we have together."
"If you're sure. Now its time for you to go to bed."
Elijah took the cup to the kitchen while Dahlia made yet another trip to the bathroom.
"Mommy's bladder is not a squeeze toy," Dahlia said as she rubbed her belly.
Elijah came back in and smiled at the closed bathroom door.
"Again," he called to her.
"Yes. You child has the mistaken idea that I should live on the toilet," Dahlia yelled back.
Elijah laughed and got into bed as Dahlia came out of the bathroom and waddled over to the bed.



The ten days seemed to fly by. Dahlia and Elijah had an arguement on the day of his flight about her seeing him off.
"Dahl, you are not going to drive me and thats final."
"But I want to see you off. Its good luck."
"Lets comprimise. You can see me off if you let me hire a limo to drive us to the airport and bring you home."
Dahlia groaned and pouted. "Fine. Make the call."
They got to the airport two hours later and Dahlia was still in a slightly foul mood.
"Promise me you're going to take it easy, Dahl. And don't forget to call Joanie. She said she'd keep an eye on you for me."
Dahlia narrowed her eyes. "Keep an eye on me? I'm not a little kid you know?"
"Of course not. But you are stubborn and you refuse to listen to the doctor unless there's someone around to make you."
"I promise I'm going to take it easy and I'll call Joanie on the way home and remind her to look after me."
"Thanks baby. I know how hard that was for you. I love you."
"I love you too. Now get going or you'll miss your flight."
Elijah grabbed her and kissed her. "Lou hired the jet to fly me to Hong Kong. If the pilot leaves without me he's going to have some explaining to do."
Dahlia watched as Elijah walked down the ramp and boarded the plane. She didn't leave until she watched his plane take off then she waddled back to the limo.



Dahlia had the driver stop at "Sweet Sticky Goodness" her favorite bakery. As usual Mariah was behind the counter. She smiled as Dahlia came in.
"Well hey there. I've missed you the past couple weeks. By looking at your outfit I'm going to guess you weren't out for your morning stroll."
Dahlia smiled. "No. I was seeing Eli off. He's flying back to Hong Kong to finish the movie. Everything looks so good. I'm going to get 4 almond poppyseed, 4 cranberry orange, and 4 double chocolate."
"Coming up. Speaking of you and Eli I see congratulations are in order."
Dahlia looked at her in confusion. "For what? You've known for months I was pregnant. Plus the belly kind of gives it away."
"Not about that," Mariah said as she pointed to the magazine rack."
Dahlia turned around and spotted the Daily Gossip, but there was nothing about her and Eli on the cover. The she saw the latest issue of "Forever Diamond"
"Oh my," Dahlia said grabbing the magazine, "I didn't even know anyone was taking our picture."
Mariah boxed the muffins and rang them up. "Must have been some kiss."
Dahlia paid and took the box with a lovesick smile. "It was."



When the limo pulled up in front of her house Dahlia saw Joanie's car. Joanie was nowhere to be seen so Dahlia figured she let herself in. She could smell the hot chocolate when she opened the front door and headed into the kitchen.
Joanie grabbed a mug and poured some hot chocolate. "Took your sweet time saying goodbye to him," she grumbled as she handed Dahlia the mug.
Dahlia laughed and sat down. "I come in peace. I stopped at the bakery to get some muffins. While I was there I noticed something pretty interesting."
Joanie never could resist good gossip. She sat down next to Dahlia. "Okay lets hear this interesting news."
"Guess whose on the cover of "Forever Diamond" magazine this month."
Joanie thought for a moment then glanced at the grin on Dahlia's face. "You and Elijah?! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know myself until this morning. They snapped a shot of us outside Mariella's after he proposed. I didn't even realize it. I called Eli on the way here and he said he didn't know either."
"That boy must be quite the kisser. Is everything else as amazing?"
Dahlia nearly choked on her hot chocolate. "Yeah actually. I know this will probably sound cheesy but Eli is like the perfect guy. Okay the almost perfect guy."
"Uh oh. I recognize that look. I used to have the same look in my eyes when I talked about Barry."
"And?"
"Fifteen years and two kids later we're still going strong."
Dahlia grinned. "That doesn't sound so bad."



It took Dahlia a couple weeks but she finally convinced Joanie to help her set up the nursery. Joanie tried every arguement and reason you could think off.
"I promised I'd make you take it easy. This doesn't sound like taking it easy."
"I had some guys in last week who did the wall paper and carpeting. All the furniture has been delivered. All we have to do is figure out where its going and then put it together. Its going to be more stressful on our minds than our bodies."
"Okay fine, but if Eli asks tell him I put up one heck of a fight."
"Deal. Now lets go. I'm dying to see how this nursery is going to look."
Three hours later and Dahlia realized this was a lot harder than it sounded. She knew where she wanted everything to go but they couldn't quite get anything together right."
"Thats it. I'm calling Barry," Joanie said with a frustrated sigh. She flipped open her cell. "Barry, I need you to come over to Dahlia's. No she's fine but there's some nursery furniture that has an unclear future. See you in fifteen."
"He was laughing at us, wasn't he?"
Barry made it in record time and strolled into the nursery. "Having trouble, ladies?"
"Wipe that smirk off your face and put this furniture together."
It took Barry a little over an hour to put all the furniture together while Joanie and Dahlia watched him.
"Show off, Joanie said as he finished. She playfully swatted his arm then kissed him, "I'll see you at home in a hour or so. Thanks."
Barry did a mock bow. "My pleasure ladies." He left before Joanie could take a swing at him.
Dahlia looked around the nursery. "Time to move the furniture."
It took a half an hour and six different set up before Dahlia was satisfied. She stared at the nursery as she rubbed her belly. Joanie just watched and gave her a knowing smile.



Joanie was busy at work for the next week and when she was finally able to stop by she found Dahlia in the laundry room knee deep in clothes.
"Just what are you doing? This isn't taking it easy," Joanie scolded her.
"I'm doing laundry. I'm washing baby clothes, my bedding, some towels, and most importantly my clothes. I've gotten a bit behind. I was following doctors," Dahlia told her sheepishly.
"I see. You know you do have quite a bit of money saved. You can hire a maid."
"I know but I figured I'd see if I could handle being domestic. I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed the rugs, and now I'm doing laundry. I'm also exhausted."
"Please tell me that you've at least eatten and you've taken a break."
"Yeah I've eatten. And I took a break after I finished vacuuming. Two hours ago."
"Dahlia! You better get yourself into the livingroom and sit down. And don't you dare argue or I'll get Eli on the phone. Move."
"Okay just help me finish this last load so I can have some blankets tonight."
"I don't know whether to laugh or throttle you. You go sit. I'll finish this load," Joanie told Dahlia with a smile, "Oh and by the way you're coming over to my house for supper Friday night. Be there by 6."



Dinner at Joanie's sounded normal but it was anything but. Dahlia showed up at 6 like Joanie asked and the house was chaos. Michael was running around teasing Bonnie with her diary, Barry was running late, the dog Rocky was finishing up destroying one of Joanie's shoes, and Joanie was in the kitchen using some colorful words.
"Need some help," Dahlia asked as she skirted into the kitchen after dodging the dog and the kids.
"You're early," Joanie said as she glanced at her watch, "No you're not. You're right on time. Hang a second. Michael Thomas give Bonnie her diary and take your dog outside for a walk!"
"Are things always so....." Dahlia hesitated.
"Hectic. Chaotic," Joanie filled in, "No but we're having company so of course no one is on their best behavior."
Dahlia laughed and gave Joanie a hand finished supper. Barry walked in just as they were bringing the food from the kitchen into the diningroom and a calm settled over the house. Dahlia and Joanie exchanged a look and smiled.
After supper Barry took the kids for ice cream giving Dahlia and Joanie some peace and quiet. They went out and sat on Joanie's sun porch.
"My son has a crush on you," Joanie told Dahlia with a smile.
"How in the world do you know," Dahlia asked, surprised.
"I'm his mother. We know just about everything," Joanie told her.
"Guess I've got a lot to look forward too."



Since it had been awhile since she'd taken her morning walk Dahlia decided that she'd go on Saturday morning. Joanie reluctantly agreed to go with her. They walked through the park and Dahlia took Joanie to "Sweet Sticky Goodness" for a muffin and hot chocolate. Joanie left when they got home and Dahlia headed for the livingroom to feed the fish. She was just rounding the corner when someone jumped out in front of her. She clutched her heart and jumped back with a scream.
"Eli," she said in shock when she finally recognized him.
"Surprise baby. We finished shooting my scenes so I could come home and be here for the birth."
Dahlia squealed excitedly and hugged him. "You did that for me? That's so sweet. You're timing is perfect. I'm due in two weeks."
"I know. So how have things been? Did you take it easy?"
Dahlia looked away guiltily. "Kind of. Joanie and I tried to set up the nursery but Barry had to come help. And I was trying to be domestic since I got behind on everything. You'll be happy to know Joanie gave me hell. Oh and Joanie's son has a crush on me. Isn't that the cutest thing you've heard?"
"Oh yeah. I love hearing about another guy's crush on my girl, "Elijah said sarcastically.
Dahlia rolled her eyes. "He's 13, Eli. His voice is just starting to change."
"Oh well thats different."



A week after the due date Dahlia was feeling pretty mean. She just wanted the baby out. Her and Eli had a long talk with Dr King and they decided to induce labor. Joanie accompanied them to the hospital at Dahlia's request.
"Are you sure you want me there," Joanie asked for the 10th time.
"Yes Joanie. I'm sure. You've been through this twice. I need someone with some experience to help me. Dr King's only delivered them, he hasn't given birth."
Dr King came in to check on Dahlia. "How's everything going? You ready to have this baby."
Dahlia glared at him as he checked her vitals and ran his hand over her stomach.
"Ive been ready to have this baby for the past three weeks," Dahlia replied shortly.
"Somebody's in a good mood,' Dr King said cheerfully.
"Well that somebody's not me," Dahlia shot back.
"She's been like this for the past two weeks," Elijah told Dr King.
Dr King laughed and looked at Dahlia. "Oh I'm sure she hasn't been that bad."
"I'm in fear for my life," Elijah told him with a straight face.
Joanie laughed, Dr King smiled and Dahlia glared.
"Right. What do you say we get this baby out," Dr King suggested.
"Hooray," Dahlia said with no excitement in her voice.



It was 23 hours of hard labor before Dahlia delivered a 7lb 9 oz baby boy. Dahlia cried as they set him on her chest and smiled up at Elijah. Elijah grinned back with tears in his eyes. It didn't take long until Joanie was crying with them. The nurse took him away to clean him up and his crying was music to Dahlia's ears.
"He's so beautiful, Dahl. He looks just like you, Eli," Joanie said as she tried to control her tears.
"So have you two decided on what your naming him," Dr King asked as he handed the baby back to Dahlia.
Dahlia laughed as she looked at the baby. "I worried about everything except names. I had a couple in mind but nothing set in stone. Do you have any names picked out, Eli?"
"I've got a couple. I really like Colin and I was thinking of giving him the middle name Ames after my grandfather."
"I like it. Okay little man. You're name is Colin Ames. Welcome to world, Colin."
Dr King smiled. "Alright I'll tell the nurses his name is Colin Ames Wood. Right?"
Dahlia shook her head. "Yes."
Joanie left an hour later after agreeing to bring her family back to see the baby. Dahlia put Colin in the basinet and Elijah pulled it over in between the bed and his chair.
"Joanie's right you know. He does look like you. He's going to be a heart breaker," Dahlia told Elijah with a grin.
"I can't believe I'm a dad. This is incredible. I've never been so happy or more terrified in my life," Elijah told her.
"Me either."

[-Little-CJ-]

Great Story... Will there be a story about the baby?
CJ x

[auntiejokisses]

i loved the story you write good stories.. i wish that i could write that good. more stories please.
now after reading this story i have to go over to modthesims2.com to get you know who.

[purpleshoes]

Where'd you get all that laundry room stuff?