Till Death Do Us Part... (Private. Natsu. Mature)

Claire roamed around the shop, looking at all kinds of beautifully designed dresses but she had her eyes on this one particular dress that was a short, strapless black peplum. It was the only peplum dress that did not look weird to her and she quickly fell in love with it as she checked out the price for it. 84.99 thats not too bad…  she thought as she continued to look around, she found some cute white dresses that she could probably wear outside during warm weather and also found some black dresses that could be used for weddings, or going out to clubs. Her eyes flickered over to her husband, she knew that prices were not an issue so she decided to go with it. “Yes please” she said softly as she picked out five dresses, three blacks and two whites. All of the dresses were either to her knees or just an inch or two above. Two of the black had sex appeal going on for clubs, the other black was for a wedding or at least a formal night out for dinner. The white ones were more for outside activities, most likely to wear for summer time or spring. “What do you think?” she asked Nicolaus as she showed him the dresses that she picked out, hoping that he would enjoy her picks. If I’m going to enjoy this situation than I might as well wear something that makes me feel good about myself…

"You used to insist on doing this part yourself, since I'm a boy shopping for girls' clothes. Is that still true?" Nicolaus asked. "I don't care as much now." Layla said, then they went to the formal clothing store. They didn't take long to buy suits and dresses for Mei, and as Nicolaus paid for them, he glanced at Claire. "You want any dresses from here? I don't know what occasions they'd be for, though. Price isn't an issue." He reminded as he held the bags of clothes he'd paid for, as Layla refused to do so.

Claire blinked softly as she listened to Nicolaus explain what was going to be happening, her eyes flickered down to the puppy when she felt him twitch as the puppy dreams rolled over him.  “that sounds good to me, I’m sure that it won’t take us long to come to an agreement for a name” she said softly wondering what would happen if they were having children and trying to come up with names. She was not sure if she should leave the puppy in the car with the driver or if she should bring him with her, so she decided to leave the puppy in the car to sleep. She carefully put the puppy on the seat next to her before getting up and following Layla and Nicolaus out of the car when it came to a stop, it was nice to hear Layla trying to make this less boring for her. “I would love those things, maybe you can help me find something Layla” she said softly knowing that Layla probably had better taste or at least, some knowledge of what would look good.

"We're going to high-end places to buy clothes and uniforms for Mei, since she came unexpectedly with just the suitcase. I know paperwork is important, Layla, but at least one change of clothes would've been nice. That, and advance notice. Now we have to get dog supplies too. I was considering doing that after the clothes shopping, since if we know his name when we're choosing his things, then we can engrave his name on the collar, along with my cell phone number. After the shopping, we can get ice cream, since the first part was uncomfortable for Layla, and the clothes shopping may seem boring for you, so I want to reward your patience." Nicolaus explained in the car.

Soon the car stopped in the parking lot of a shopping center, and Nicolaus got out first, opening the door for the girls again. "Claire, do you want to get a bathing suit, beach towel and pajamas, things like that? Nico bought them already, but your tastes my differ from his, so maybe that'll make this part less boring for you." Layla suggested.

Claire grinned as she watched Nicolaus go pay for the puppy, she relaxed and carried the puppy out of the store; following Nicolaus to the car and of course she let Layla go first into the car before she stepped into it and took her seat. She set the puppy on her lap and watched as he began to fall asleep, it was almost as if the puppy had a long day or something but she continued to pet the puppy lightly not wanting to disturb him from his sleep. Her eyes flickered over to her husband as she tried to think of some names that would suit the puppy, though she was sure that it would not take too long before they named him. “So, where are we going now?” she asked him wondering what kind of store they were thinking about, she was very curious but at the same time she was cautious of what they were thinking about.

Nicolaus laughed. "You don't need to say that much to convince me. We'll take him." He said, then went to pay for the puppy. "Looks like we have another stop on our trip, then. Time to get supplies for him. Also, what to name him. Our parents used song references, but I'm not sure where to get our inspiration from. Let's go to the more luxurious part of town, where Layla and I are more used to." He said, leading the girls back to the car and opening the door for them.

Claire blinked when she noticed the employee; she smiled softly as she looked down at the puppy she was holding. She carefully looked the puppy over and realized that it was a male, she then showed Nicolaus the puppy again. “All the more reason to get a male then” she said with a cute smirk on her face as she then gave him the ‘puppy eyes’ look and then laughed softly as she could not hold the look anymore. “He’ll be a great dog” she whispered as she then planted a small kiss on his cheek wondering if he had any objections to having a male puppy in the house. She would rather have a male in the house than a female just because she had not really seen any males around expect for her husband and the driver of the limo. “He’ll be protective over our children and property, he’ll be a great companion and he’ll be obedient” she said softly to her husband.

Right after Nicolaus stated that he thought the dog was cute, he spotted a store employee approach them. "Hello, I see you've found our new arrivals. There's this one and the siblings. They're twelve-week-old German-Aussie Shepherd mixes, they have the folded ears of the Aussie, but the coat of the German, so you don't have to groom it too often." She said. "I don't see any prices listed." Nicolaus noted. "That's because it depends on the breed, whether they need more shots, things like that. These puppies have already been covered, but they haven't been snipped down there. If people want that, there's an extra charge." The employee said, then told him the price without that part. Nicolaus frowned for a second at the thought of what she said. "The price is nice, the puppy's friendly...I like it. Claire, you want a boy or girl puppy? I gotta admit, it'd feel a bit odd to hear 'good boy!'" He said, and Layla laughed.

Claire giggled as she was very glad that she could convince Nicolaus to go look for a puppy. “Alright, so no little dogs and no huge dogs” she whispered mostly to herself as she followed her husband into the store wanting to get closer to the puppies so they could decide which one would suit them and their kids; when they started to have kids that is. She took interest quickly with a German Sheppard that had blue eyes with black and white fur but she turned her attention to her husband when he mentioned a sign.  “That’s great” she chimed softly as she carefully picked up the German Sheppard and gracefully moved over to where Nicolaus was “What do you think of this one?” she asked him as she showed him the puppy wondering what his thoughts were but she did not want to push him too far knowing that she was already lucky to get this far.

Nicolaus laughed. "You're like a kid with that reaction. Let's go inside. I think something not too small, but not gigantic, but one that's protective, friendly, follows directions, and good with kids." He said as he lead the girls inside the pet store. Layla wasn't interested in looking, but she followed the couple as they looked at the puppies. He interacted with the dogs from behind the glass, then he saw a sign saying something he thought Claire would enjoy. "Look, it says they'll let you hold the puppy to see how it responds to you." He said, pointing at the sign, curious about what kind Claire may be looking for, and excited at doing something new.

Claire thought it was nice that Julian had animals to take care of but a part of her just did not understand what was coming from Layla’s mouth.  She frowned slightly “It’s a shame you would not have the room for a pet Layla, animals are great companions” she muttered softly but then she blinked when she heard Nicolaus, her face light up like the fourth of July when she realized that Nicolaus was thinking about getting a puppy. She nuzzled into him hoping that they would get a puppy, her hands gripped his shirt as she looked up at him “Could we please get one? I promise I’ll take care of it. And just think, when we do start having kids… the kids will be able to have that companion to play with outside and the butler will be able to have some company from the puppy too. It’ll be a win-win situation for everyone” she whispered to him with an adorable smile.

"Our younger brother Julian was raised by our parents, but he wasn't expected to follow tradition like we were. He had a goldfish as a child, now he has two young dogs, one male and one female Boxer, and he says that since he watched how Nico and Dad were treated growing up, that's the closest he'll get to following tradition. I have way more staff than Nico, so I wouldn't have room, and Nico would be focused on you and the others. Our mother considered our father her dog, and occasionally treated and had him act like one. This is the same man that's the president of the company and appears in commercials in major cities looking professional." Layla explained.

Nicolaus noticed Claire's behavior and heard his name. "Is something wrong? Did you want one? Maybe the butler could use a companion.." He thought aloud. Layla disliked the idea, but she stayed quiet.

Claire was not sure what she just agreed to but she was not going to fight anyone on this. Her eyes studied the way that Nicolaus tried to move his body to the beat of the music and she could not help but to smile at how goofy he looked right now, she had never seen this side of him but she really liked it so far. When they went to pass the dancers, something caught her attention as she stopped to watch them closely. When she noticed that Layla and Nicolaus were still walking, she caught up with them easily and looked at the puppy that was on the other side of the glass for one store. “It’s so cute” she whispered and frowned when she heard Layla’s warning.  No pets? Well aren’t slaves technically ‘pets’?  she thought but she sighed softly “Nicolaus…” she said softly as she ran her fingers through his hair carefully “the puppy is so cute though, look at that adorable face” she muttered and looked at Layla “So no one in your family has any pets? No fishes, cats, dogs?” she asked softly wondering what the big deal was but she did not want to push her luck either. She was really curious about everyone in the family now, and even more so about how they lived their lives.

Nicolaus wasn't expecting such a neutral answer, but Layla found her reaction amusing. "I guess that's the plan then. We can stay here, since she seems to like the music, perhaps look around a bit, then go to our kind of shops, and ice cream after that. You deserve something for you patience too." Nicolaus decided, and Layla agreed after hearing she'd get a reward. "That dance looks nice, almost hypnotic, like you'd get lost in it without realizing it. I don't believe I've seen it before." He said, trying to imitate the movements, mostly to show Claire that he can be goofy. They passed by the dancers and the siblings looked at the shop windows, one of them a pet shop. Nicolaus pressed his finger against a window, and a puppy began licking the glass near his finger on the other side. "No pets." Layla warned. "I know. We're busy enough without them, and they wouldn't be able to walk around much where you live. Doesn't hurt to look." He said.

Claire knew her mother always thought of her as a natural mother figure, and it was nice to know but she was actually a bit scared to become a mother at some point. She watched Layla go first then she quietly thanked Nicolaus as she followed Layla outside. She loved to watch the people wandering through and around the side walk sale, she was more keen on watching the people dance though; taking an interest on how they moved their bodies. Soon she snapped out of it and looked at her husband as she came half way through his and Layla’s conversation about clothes and something in the guest house which she was not really on what they were talking about but she tried to get every detail now. She bit her bottom lip when Nicolaus asked her what she thought, she did not know so she shrugged lightly not exactly sure what to say about this. “Doesn’t matter?” she muttered softly as she ran her fingers through her hair.

'Both of my guesses were correct?' Nicolaus thought, feeling proud of himself as he listened to Claire. He thought five years old was a bit young to volunteer, but he considered what he did at that age, so he didn't say anything. As they waited for the nun, he continued to watch Claire with a smile as she held the baby. He wondered if her experience with babies came from this place or from caring for her brother years ago.

When Claire suggested they should leave, Layla nodded, and she left first, then Nicolaus held the door open for Claire. Nicolaus glanced at Layla, knowing she was completely disinterested in something she and himself weren't used to seeing. He sighed, remembering that he was once like that before he met Claire. He still didn't see how a sale like this was so interesting. He thought about the items he had at home to consider if he needed to buy anything. "We could look, but I'm not sure we need anything. Does Mei prefer the men's uniform? I only have that in my butler's size." He asked. "She's fine with both. Where was he?" "In the guest house, handling the business and financial things I'm allowed to handle. I haven't given Claire a tour of either house, so she hasn't met him. Sounds like we have another stop then. I buy the uniforms, and usually other clothes from more upscale areas. The female clothes I recently bought were specifically fro Claire. You should tell me Mei's size, since you never told me she was coming. Then, since that has nothing to do with Claire, we can reward her patience with ice cream or something. What do you think, Claire?" Nicolaus asked.

Claire glanced at her husband before she slowly walked over to him so he could get a better look at the baby she was holding. “I volunteered here starting at age five. I loved it here,. I made lots of friends, but some of them I don’t stay in contact with. Though that’s okay, school with them was enough” she joked lightly as her eyes went to Layla “The nun should not be much longer, she usually never is too long” she muttered softly as she turned her attention back to the baby when it tried to talk again but all it made was noise.


 “Oh I know, you’re so cute” she whispered to the baby and the baby smiled in response. And just like that, the back door swung open and four young children came running into the house and upstairs to join the others. The nun slowly walked in and closed the door behind her before heading over to where Claire was “I see you’re bonding with the baby” the woman nodded before giving Claire a smile. The woman carefully took the baby from Claire when Claire suggested that it was time for them to leave. “well thanks for the help Claire, you’re so wonderful” the woman muttered softly as she went into the kitchen to clean the baby .


Claire wished that she could have stayed longer but she knew that they should get going  “Oh it’s no problem, I like being here” she said softly before she glanced at Nicolaus then she quickly turned her attention to Layla and smirked lightly “Shall we go looking around now? The side walk sale looks really good” she asked softly. She already knew the answer to that but since Layla was close to the door, she thought that the woman could go first.

The closer they got to the building, the more Layla frowned. One look inside the building, and the realization of where they were struck her. "I don't like this." She whispered to Nicolaus. "Noted, but this is her reward." He reminded quietly. She watched the children, the nun, and especially Claire. He loved the sight of the baby in her arms, and his frustration over being there vanished from his mind. When the nun left, he spoke up, hoping Layla wouldn't complain much. "So...what's your connection to this place? Does an old friend from school live here? Did you volunteer here before?" He asked.

Claire did not bother to listen in to Nicolaus’s and Layla’s conversation as she thought it was none of her business. She glanced at her husband and shrugged lightly before heading over to the white large building that stood out from the rest. At the front, was a small gate that needed to be opened and around the front door was a small garden that looked like it needed a bit more water.  Carefully she opened the gate and headed the stairs before turning to look at Nicolaus and Layla, she was not sure how long they wanted to stay in here for the fact that it was a home for young orphans that was ran by an older nun that seemed to be more laid back. “I’m not sure if you’ll want to stay in here for very long “ she muttered as she opened the door and stepped into the building. The place was a mess, clothes everywhere and it looked like it had been abandoned for ten years or so with toys laying scattered across the floor too. Foot steps could be heard that came from the upper level and the sounds of laughter filled the house as the group of kids ages 2 to 13 years old came running or walking down the stairs. She could hear the nun in the kitchen area trying to calm down the newborn but before she could get too far, she was tackled to the ground by the group of kids as they declared her name in joy. It was as if they had not seen her in forever and they really felt like that too. “Claire! There you are! We’ve missed you so much!” a young girl with pig tails said as she hugged onto Claire’s left leg like she was afraid that she was going to vanish into thin air or something. The kids stuck to her like glue till the nun came in and called them off.
The older woman smiled, holding a month old baby in her arms as she watched Claire stand to her feet and the children clean up the room. “It’s nice to see you, do you mind watching them for a second while I go get the other children that are supposed to be joining us here?” she asked softly as she handed the baby over to Claire when the young girl nodded, she then told the children to behave before she vanished through the back door with a jacket.
Claire held the baby carefully in her arms as she seemed very content around the children, she seemed to be in her own little dreams till she realized that the baby was now making noises at her, as if it was trying to talk to her. She smiled softly and lightly brushed the baby’s hair back a bit, even though the hair it did have was very little. The children laughed and played, running upstairs and back downstairs then upstairs again, then they began to play hide and seek; at first the children begged Claire to play but she politely declined the offer.

Nicolaus looked out the window curiously as they approached their destination, then opened and closed the door for Layla after Claire had already gotten out. He and Layla caught up to Claire, Layla feeling increasingly impressed by her sister-in-law's behavior. "Are you thinking of moving so she doesn't know where she is, like we did with Ava?" Layla asked. "No, I don't work as quickly as you do. I'm letting her get used to the news, that's hard enough for now." He answered, then turned his attention to Claire. "Since you're doing so well so far, I'll let you lead us on where to go in town. Layla and I don't know this area like you do, and occasionally have others shop for us anyway. If you want to buy something, I'll consider it and buy it if I want to. In your case, Layla, you're visiting, so I think I should pay for you as well." Nicolaus decided, which Layla agreed to.

Claire was glad that she was giving this a chance, it was not like she really had much of a choice but she brushed that off as she ran her fingers through her hair carefully. “I really want to check out this one spot that I saw over a month ago” she muttered softly as she became more excited when the limo came to a stop finally when they got there. She unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, poking her head out before stepping out and checking out her surroundings. She noticed that there seemed to be a side walk sale going on but her eyes locked on a certain building, she mostly just wanted out of the house for a fun day but she was very interested in getting into a large white building as she slowly made her way towards it but she stopped and glanced back to see where Nicolaus was as she had taken at least ten steps from the limo. Claire did not want to go too far without him nearby, not wanting to cause trouble or make things harder on her… or him. She put her hands in the pockets of her shorts and scanned the crowd, there was a lot of people and lots of music with dancing of all sorts.

Layla smiled, liking the progress they were making. "Going to town was your idea. I don't know if you have something you consider important you want to do, or if you want a fun break from the dramatic day. Uptown it is." Nicolaus said. "Yes, Master." The driver said, then drove there. "Anywhere you want to go in particular, and have you guys eaten?" Layla asked. "We had breakfast, oh, and Claire wasn't the only one drugged earlier." Nicolaus noted, and Layla smiled. "With her natural ability and how you are under the drug, I would love to have seen that." Layla said. "Despite your position over me, I don't plan on recreating that just so you can see it." Nicolaus said, and Layla seemed mildly upset, but quickly got over it.

Claire let Nicolaus lead her out of the house and over to the limo, where she got in when the door was opened for them. She took a seat and stared out the window wondering how many fun activities there was to do in town but she knew that she would soon find out. She made sure that her seat belt was on as she played with her hair but she glanced at Nicolaus “Can we go to the upper part of town first?” she asked softly, wanting to run it through him and make sure that it would be fine with him not sure on if he wanted to check out a place in the down part of town first before heading to the upper part. She did not want to upset him, that was the last thing she wanted to do right now as she was still getting to know him and with this whole slave situation, it made things a bit more complex than she liked but she would deal with it.

Layla went to the living room to put her clothes back on, and Nicolaus followed her. "Any idea what she wants to do out there?" She asked, and Nicolaus shook his head. "Good thing I'm coming, then. Let's go." Layla said, then Nicolaus lead Claire out the door as Layla ordered her driver to stand by Nicolaus' limo before he unlocked it and opened the door for the girls and entered it after them. The driver closed his door after him, started the car, then rolled it to the gate keypad, hiding his hand as he unlocked the gate. As the gate opened, he looked at his rear view mirror. "Where to?" He asked.

Claire was not even sure if she had forgiven him yet, maybe not completely but she would get there eventually. Though she was very pleased that Nicolaus agreed to go into town, she nodded lightly as she let go of his arms and placed a kiss on one of his cheeks. “yay! I can’t wait” she said as she got off of him and brushed herself off before sliding the back door open. She poked her head out before running outside and grabbing her sock and shoes, she then ran back into the house and shut the back door behind her. Slipping her shoes and then her running shoes on knowing that it would probably look a lot better than flip flops with her shorts, she was looking forward to going into town and checking everything out as she was barely let out to go into town not knowing of the dangers if there was any but now she had Nicolaus and Layla for some company. She had this childish grin on her face as she fixed her shirt when it began to hike up on her body, she felt like she was on energy drinks or even drugs.