Holding onto big news had never been one of Mataya's strong points. Holding onto the biggest news in the history of forever - at least where she was concerned - was definitely not one of her talents. But somehow she'd been able to hold onto this one for all of one day after sharing it with Max, before realizing she absolutely had to tell someone or she was going to explode. The script that had Jon's name all over it was the perfect opener, and hopefully he'd had a chance to at least skim through it by now. If not, she was just going to have to share it with him before bouncing all over her best friend in excitement. Lunch was never a difficult thing to arrange with Jon, and today, she'd even managed to arrange it for someplace that wasn't within walking distance of the theater. A neat little cafe set inside its own garden, that served a the widest variety of teas and coffees she had ever seen.

Having lunch with Mataya wasn't such an unusual event for Jon. They were best friends, after all, and he felt closer to her than he did to most of his own relatives. What was it about the old saying that you could pick your friends but not your relatives" If that applied to anyone's life, it was Jon's. He and Mataya were about as close as two people could be without being related, and yet, Jon had no idea what news it was Mataya was so excited to share that she'd summoned him to lunch without much explanation as to why. He assumed it must have to do with the script, which he had planned to skim, but had ended up staying up half the night reading. It was a good script, and he thought it would make a good movie, but why it had Mataya so excited, he wasn't quite sure.

She was already there when he arrived, toes bouncing up and down against the patio stones beneath the table she'd chosen to sit at, beneath a beautifully fragrant lilac tree. In fact, 'Taya had gotten there ridiculously early, and was already on her third glass of mango juice, poring over the script where it lay on the table. Or at least, that's what it looked like. She was actually lost in thought, consciously having to make the effort not to smooth her hand against her tiny bump while she waited.

Jon was a little early himself, anxious to find out what it was that Mataya was so eager to share with him. Even dressed down, he couldn't help but look draw a few glances in a stark white shirt and khaki pants, the curls pushed back from his face and gelled to stay in place. They couldn't have asked for a more perfect summer day, and though he had stayed up a bit too late, he was in good spirits.

Mataya was up on her feet almost before he managed to set foot into the cafe's little garden, letting out a happy squeal as she accelerated between the tables - much to the amusement of the few other patrons - and threw herself at Jon. Throwing her arms around his neck, she hugged her best friend to within an inch of his life before letting go, showing him that beaming kilowatt De Luca smile. "Come and sit down, I'm paying, order what you like - isn't this exciting"!"

Enthusiastic hugs from Mataya De Luca weren't all that unusual either, but this one was a little too enthusiastic. Something was definitely going on here to cause her to be so obviously brimming over with excitement, and he wasn't quite sure what it was. It sure as hell couldn't just be due to a movie offer. He laughed as she launched herself at him. If one didn't know better, they might think they were lovers, but the hug that was returned was far more brotherly than amorous. They had tried a romantic relationship briefly a long time ago and had decided they made better friends than lovers. "What is going on' You're wound up tighter than a drum, and don't even try to blame it on the movie offer you're not going to let me say no to."

Dragging him to come and sit down with her, 'Taya was still bouncing as she sat herself down in her chair once again, brimming over with childlike cheerfulness. "Okay, I have really big news, and it kind of affects the movie, but I wanted you to be one of the first to know anyway, and if you do know first, you can back me up when I tell the producer." All this came out in a single breath, followed up by the world's most mischievous smirk. It wasn't often that Mataya babbled, but when she did, it was certainly effusive.

Dragged to a table, Jon took a seat beside her, rather than across from her, arching a brow as she rambled on about some sort of news that would affect a movie neither of them had even agreed to doing yet. "Okay..." he started, with the mystified kind of look on his face men got when they felt befuddled by the women in their lives. "So, what am I backing you up on?" he asked, searching her face for some hint of what was going on in her head.

She twisted to face him, long fingered hands curling into his as her smile deepened. She was practically buzzing with excitement, trepidation, and he knew her well enough to be able to spot nerves the size of Long Island, as well. Sparkling brown eyes found Jon's blues, and for a long moment, 'Taya just sat there, screwing up the courage to say it out loud for only the second time. "Jonny," she began, her smile almost wide enough to make a mess of whatever she was saying. Her hands squeezed his, shaking them up and down for a moment. "I'm pregnant."

To his credit, he waited as quietly and patiently as one could while their best friend worked up the nerve to give you some sort of news she was obviously bursting at the seams to share. He had to hold himself back from grabbing hold of her shoulders, shaking her, and demanding she tell him what was going on. Instead, he only sat there, brows furrowing further as she twined her fingers with his. She was one of only a handful of people who ever referred to him in such a familiar way, and that fact alone proved she was in unusually high spirits, even for the unsinkable Mataya De Luca.

He didn't have to wait too long, however, his lips forming a silent question before she finally blurted her news. His expression changed, brows arching upwards quizzically, obviously surprised, doubtful even. His first worry was that she was mistaken and that she was only setting herself up for disappointment. He knew how much she wanted a baby and how devastated she'd been when she'd found out she couldn't conceive. "'Tay....Are you sure?" he asked, as gently as he could.

She listened, her eyes lighting up once again as she noted what it was he hadn't said. "So ....you're gonna do it?" she asked hopefully. "Because this is a dream role, Jon. He's a dick, but he's a challenge, and I know you're up to it. This could get you back on the AA radar, easily, and that is way overdue." There was barely a beat before she added in her impish manner, "And I really want to do it, too."

He frowned a little as he considered her words. He and Vicki had talked about it briefly, and he knew Vicki would support him no matter what choice he made, but he valued Mataya's judgement as both a fellow actor and friend. "I just don't want to get typecast playing a dick," he admitted his one and only real worry. He knew there were people who would assume he was his character, and he didn't want to get stuck in any one particular kind of role.

"Well, he doesn't stay a dick, that's the whole point," Mataya pointed out, understanding that worry only too well. "It's like a belated coming of age; he grows up after being an *ss for most of his life. How many people get a chance to play a realistic transformation?" She watched him as she spoke, knowing that frown was more thoughtful than an out and out no. "And, yanno, I get to wear a wedding dress. If we do this."

He knew he wasn't going to get any award nominations for Fifty Shades..., unless it was People's Choice, and almost regretted having agreed to the trilogy, but it had served its purpose at the time, putting him back in the public eye, as well as paying off the debt he owed Humphrey for buying out Alain's shares in Lelah's failed film company. "You've got your heart set on this, don't you?" he asked, wondering if her reasons for wanting to do the film had more to do with him than herself.

"Well ....how often do you get a role written with you in mind?" she pointed out curiously. More importantly, when did anyone write anything with her in mind" She'd been off the radar for five years, more than long enough to be utterly forgotten by the industry at large. "I don't know, I ....I'd like to do it. I'd like to support this writer who's writing for obscure actors - and obviously not so obscure actors."

"You're not obscure," Jon pointed out quickly. It was no secret that she had always been his favorite leading lady, and he'd jump at the chance to work with her again, if he wasn't being such a worry wart about his personal life. Then again, with only two weeks set aside for filming, it was going to be a grueling schedule that would leave little time for anything but work, and that brought up another concern. "Are you sure you can handle the schedule in....in your condition?" He'd never forgive himself if they said yes only to have her lose the baby due to overwork.

'Taya nodded, knowing where he was going with that concern almost before he did. "Now, you see, I was talking to Max about it, and he came up with a good suggestion." Laying her hands on the table, mostly to try and keep herself still, she leaned toward Jon as she outlined her fiance's idea. "He said that if I offer to put money in to cover the cost of extending the shoot, then it could feasibly be lengthened to three or four weeks, without the director or the producer losing out. And without, you know, risking anything."

He arched a brow, obviously surprised that she was that adamant about wanting to do this she was willing to put up some of her own hard-earned money to make it happen. "What about the theater" Who's going to take care of it while we're away?" He wasn't really including himself in the running of the theater so much, but with him, Mataya, Max, and Vicki away from Rhy'Din, the responsibility would fall on someone else's shoulders. And there was the whole Nicoletti thing to be concerned with. Mataya was a De Luca, after all. Sometimes it wasn't such a good idea to tell your best friend everything about your personal life, as it might come back to haunt you. Jon wasn't trying to talk himself or Mataya out of the most exciting film offer to come their way probably ever, but he did want to be sure they were making the right decision.

"Charles can handle the theater while I'm gone; Vicki's got Lucas so well trained, he can take over for another few weeks without anyone losing out; and aside from one rep show, it's mostly ballet for the duration, which my brother is all over," she told him. As excited as she was, 'Taya had done a lot of thinking in preparation for this conversation, knowing Jon the way she did. "And I know you're gonna mention the Nicoletti thing, okay' I can sort out security for that. Hell, I could even commute from Rhy'Din if it got that bad. Seriously, I've thought it all through."

She wouldn't be Mataya if she hadn't thought it all out already, trumping his worries with solutions of her own. And she believed in the project so much that she was willing to fund part of it, if she had to. "You really believe in this, don't you?" he asked, needing to know what she really thought about the movie and his part in it, though she'd already told him as much. "What's the rush anyway' Are they trying to squeeze it in before the AA deadline?"

"I think so. Or it could just be that the studio backing the producer isn't prepared to give up funds or schedule more time. You know how executives get." The answer to his question about how she really felt about the project was a little slower in coming, her chin coming to rest on her hand as she studied her best friend while formulating her reply. "I do believe in it, yes," she said finally. "And it isn't just because it was written for us, although that's a huge compliment in itself. It's well written, the characters have a believable arc, and it's not reaching for something it can't attain. What you see is what you get, and what we got is a great script. There's no way to make a bad movie from what?s written here, Jon. How many of those come along in a lifetime?"

In his lifetime" Maybe once before, and though he'd received good reviews for his work in Triple Dark, it was Lelah who had received most of the accolades. He had to admit he'd probably kick himself in the pants if he let this opportunity slip away from him. Both Vicki and 'Taya seemed to think it was a good story and a worthwhile project, and who was he to argue" "Think it will make people take me more seriously as an actor?" he asked, worrying he was going to end up being mostly remembered for his role as Christian Grey in a trilogy of movies he himself had labeled "thinly-veiled porn".

There was no contest where that was concerned. "Yes," Mataya told him completely honestly and without needing to think about her answer. "It's a peach of a role, Jon. Fifty Shades... is a crowd pleaser, and you're awesome in it. This movie ....this gets you back with the heavy hitters. Seriously, there's no way you're gonna be typecast."

"If I say yes, are you going to name your firstborn after me?" he asked, having a hard time hiding the teasing smirk that was tugging at his lips. He'd already mostly made up his mind after reading the script, but he'd wanted to discuss it with her before making a final decision and the news of her pregnancy took him completely by surprise.

"You know, that's a good idea," she teased him back, beaming happily. 'Taya always could tell when she'd won a discussion. "Jonathan De Luca has a good ring to it, dontcha think?" She giggled, curling her arm around his neck to kiss his cheek affectionately. They'd always been good friends, and this was definitely not hurting that friendship. "You're such a dude."

He chuckled, amused by her reaction to his suggestion. He'd only been teasing, but if she wanted to name one of her children after him, who was he to argue with that' "I'm sure Max would love that," he remarked, not to mention how the gossip papers would take it, so long as they didn't think the baby was his. "And you're impossible," he replied, beaming brightly at her display of affection. He was genuinely happy for her and excited to have been offered the opportunity to work with his favorite leading lady and closest friend. This was definitely going to be a labor of love.

((Many thanks to Jon's player!))

'Taya laughed at his concerns over what had made their mother go off on one again, even more amused by the knowledge that this time it was nothing to do with him and Anya. "Oh, I think she probably won't mention that again for a few months," she promised him with a grin. "I think she's probably gonna be focused on me and Max living in sin. And, yanno, Tess'll probably join in." She beamed at him, bouncing a little on her big brother's knee. "Okay, I am stupidly excited, still!"

He studied his sister silently a moment, knowing her better than most anyone, though at least a few people in her life might disagree with that assessment. He had known her since she'd been born, after all, and if he didn't know her, no one did. "What's going on, 'Tay' You're acting like a kid on Christmas morning who can't wait to open her presents. Oh! Did Max propose" Have you finally set a date?"

She was about to answer his initial question when he came out with a couple more, bursting out laughing as the guesses made themselves known. "Well ....I proposed, and that was before you got to Rhy'Din, so I think we can discount us being engaged again as the big exciting news," she giggled, hugging Tony affectionately. "It is exciting, though. No date set for a wedding, but something big's gonna happen in February, and everyone'll be able to see it getting ready to happen before then."

Tony didn't mind the hug from his sister - in fact, he was enjoying seeing her this happy, but was a bit puzzled as to what had put her in such good spirits. He studied her thoughtfully as she dropped a few clues and hints as to what her excitement might be about, before the proverbial light-bulb finally went off in his brain. "'Tay, you're not pregnant," he said doubtfully, followed by a very confused, "Are you?"

He was the first one in her round of visits today to have made the leap so quickly. 'Taya beamed at him happily, nodding despite his confusion. "Yeah, I am," she told him, and let out another delighted squeal as she hugged him again. "I'm gonna have a baby!"

"How is that even possible?" he asked, as he tried to digest what she was telling him. She'd shared her tears with him over the news that she was unable to have children, even if it was over the telephone. He'd always tried to be there for his sister, even while separated by the Nexus. He looked a bit shell-shocked by the news, but then, he was still fairly new to Rhy'Din and didn't really understand how little miracles were everyday occurrences here.

She shrugged, as nonplussed as he was about the actual mechanics. "I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, there's a running joke around here that if you drink the water you'll get pregnant, but I don't know if that's true. If it is, maybe four years of drinking the water fixed me?" Another shrug, and her smile turned a strange mixture of hopeful and hopeless. "I don't really wanna probe too deep. The doc says it's all normal, it's definitely a human baby, and developing like normal, so ....don't look a gift horse in the mouth, you know?"

His frown faded, turning to a warm affectionate smile for his sister. He touched her cheek with the back of a hand, his fingers brushing her face in a gentle caress. He'd been raised Catholic and though he had fallen away from the church years ago, he still believed in miracles and had experienced a few himself. Anya returning to his life, Elena turning her life around, and now the fulfillment of 'Taya's heart's desire. "I'm happy for you, mia sorellina," he told her softly, his heart swelling with joy and pride at the news. "You deserve to be happy."

"I am happy," she promised him. "I mean, I would have been happy without this, but ....I'm out of this world happy now." A quiet giggle erupted from her chest as she grinned, not quite able to wipe the silly expression from her face. "I guess all that wishing did some good, huh' Feel my belly, I dare ya."

Tony knew wishing was just another way of saying praying, whether it was done in church or in private. It had taken a long time, but even the miracle he'd wished for had finally come true. He thought if he could just manage to somehow get Tess to reconcile with Elena, his life would be perfect. He laughed at his sister's dare, unable to resist. "When did you find out' You must have sworn Mama to secrecy or she'd have blabbed the news by now." He hesitated a moment before settling a hand against his sister's middle, touching her so gently it was almost as if he thought she was made of glass.

"For certain" I found out on Friday," she told him, deliberately sucking her slender stomach in to highlight the distinct bulge that would only get bigger as the weeks and months marched on. "Kinda suspected a few weeks ago, but I didn't tell anyone until I was completely sure. I've been wrong before, you know" But I told Max as soon I was sure, and I told Mama today. Hence ....Mama is a little insane, but in a good way."

He rolled his eyes and laughed again. "I'm sure. She's going to drive you crazy before it's over, you know." He thought he felt a small bulge at her belly, but it was so soon it was hard to tell. Still, if the doctors were sure and Mataya was sure, then it must be true. Wishes really did come true in Rhy'Din, it seemed. "When are you due?"

"Well, she's switched her living in sin speech over to me and Max again, if that helps," his sister laughed with him. "Not only are we living in sin, but shock, horror! We're having a baby out of wedlock. How dare we!" As much as she loved Rosita, Mataya knew her Mama inside and out. There was going to be a lot of noise, but so long as everyone was happy and healthy, Mama had given up trying to force anyone into doing the right thing by her religion. "It's gonna be a Valentine's baby, maybe a little sooner. I'm already out of my first trimester, so the whole miscarriage danger is significantly reduced. I can behave myself for six months."

Tony grinned, knowing his sister better than anyone. "You" Behave" You don't know the meaning of the word!" he teased, though he knew this baby meant the world to Mataya and she'd do everything the doctors told her to keep that baby safe and healthy. "So, I'm gonna be an uncle," he beamed a proud and happy smile. "How many people did you tell before you got to me?" he wondered out loud, teasing her further. He could probably count them on one hand - Max, Mama, her friend Jon....He hoped he was somewhere in the top five anyway.