Here we go again!

On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, Coutuva wrote:

This is, as with the previous releases, based heavily
on events and situations from the preceeding stories,
which are available on my Web Site:

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/9295

And my ranting is often based on the preceding stories, so familiarity 
with them helps...

As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.

Heh.

The Best Laid Plans - Part One
----------------------------------------------------------------

"...of mice and men aft gang agley."--Burns.

        The blind landed with a rattling thump on the sill as
Elysse stared blankly at the now covered window.  Letting the
drawstring fall from her hand, she turned her gaze to the empty
room she had just finished packing, and sighed resignedly.

Ah, we finally catch up with this young lady...

	Resting her hands together on her large tummy, she smiled
as she thought happily about the nascent life growing within it,
and how excited she was that it was almost ready to arrive.  Just
as quickly, however, her mood changed as she thought about her
next task.

Apparently, we've gone backwards in time from the last posted story.  A 
key to how much time passes between stories in this series would be 
helpful.

	As much as she had tried to avoid it, the time had come
to call her family and give them the news.  She hadn't spoken to
them in almost a year, having been too preoccupied with her own
life.

Hiding from them, actually.

	She could picture the reactions, but assured herself that
they would eventually accept her child, and be happy to be
grandparents.  One thing she knew she couldn't ever do was reveal
who the father was, especially since her parents thought so
highly of him for bringing her back to them.

	Don't be too sure about that.

	Reaching up and fishing out her necklace, she toyed with
the ring that dangled from it, wishing that she had it's owner

"its"

	Her smile widening as the images continued to run through
her mind, she finally drifted off to sleep, the gold ring still
firmly in her grasp.

Remind me.  Is this a ring she bought for Ranma/Hitomi, or Ranma's 
wedding ring?  It's an important distinction.

	A few days later, as she drove up the long driveway to her
parent's house, she sturdied herself for the next steps.  When she
had spoken to her mother, the reaction had been predictable... she
had cried, her tears a combination of surprise and happiness, as
she had been worried about her daughter.

I'll bet!  My mom freaks if it's been a week.

stopped on the verandah, leaning against a pillar.  When Elysse
noticed the look on his face, her heart sank.

Hmmm...

	She had always been "Daddy's little girl" to him, and she
could see the disappointment in his weathered features.  It hurt
her to think that she had upset him that much, but she didn't regret
her decision, and nothing he could say or do would make her.  They
would just have to accept the fact that they had a grandchild, and
it was here to stay.

I think it might be more than that...

	Her brother, first to her side, stopped and looked at
her in surprise.  "Whoa, Sis... You're as big as a horse!"  he
blurted, in his typical indelicate manner.

Hmm...

	"Elysse!  Oh, baby, I'm so happy to see you!"  He mother
squealed happily, hugging her as tightly as she could over her
large tummy.  "Let me look at you!  Oh, that's a big one, isn't
it?  I was never that big for either of you."  she commented,
shaking her head.
	"I know... it feels like I'm going to have a six year
old."  Elysse smirked, patting her tummy.

	Jyuusenkyo genetic problem?

	"Has it been okay?  No problems?"  Her mother continued,
concerned.
	"Perfect... I've been to the doctor all along.  He
thinks I'm going to have a boy, and yes, it looks healthy and
big."  she assured, smiling.

	Jyuusenkyo, definitely.

	"Geese, Sis... how did you end up like this?  I thought
you were gonna..."  her brother began, but stopped short as she
shot him a look again.

"Get an abortion."

	Her father sighed and stepped off the verandah, then
strode over toward the gathering.  As he came closer, Elysse
swore she could see a tear in his eye.  That observation made
her nervous, not knowing what it was a result of.

I suspect I know...

	Elysse sighed sadly.  He hadn't yelled at her, but she
knew he was hurting.  She hadn't expected a hero's homecoming,
but her Dad's reaction hurt a lot more than she would have
guessed.

	It'll get worse.

	Later that evening, her Dad sat in his favorite chair
on the verandah, gazing out over the property in his customary
fashion.  Elysse noticed him there, and decided she had best
get to the bottom of things with him, so it wouldn't be
hanging over her head.

Tell him the truth?  A Coutuva character?
sorry.

	"Dad..."  she began, carefully lowering herself to
the old wooden bench near her father's chair.  "I want to talk
to you about this."  she continued, earnestly.

Yes...

        Edward lowered his head for a moment, then drew a breath
and puffed it out as he raised his gaze to Elysse.
	"Y'know, I always had high hopes for you, Lee... I
figured you'd be a Doc or a Lawyer-type.  When we lost you
almost three years ago, it devastated your mother.  Then, by
a miracle, you came back to us.  We thought we were the
luckiest people on this Earth.  Then, you run off to the big
city, and come back again... carrying a child.  I don't know
what to think anymore, girl.  How are you gonna make a life
when you're chasin' a kid all day?  And with no husband...
in my day, that said bad things about a woman."  he responded,
as if reciting a prepared speech.

How old is he?

	"Dad... I don't expect you to understand, but I'm
doing what I want to be doing."  she stated, looking hard at
her father's expressionless eyes.  "I haven't told Mom this
yet, but my baby's father is dead, which is why I'm keeping it.

Sort of...

I loved him, and this way I can still have a part of him with
me."  she explained, lowering her misty eyes.  "I don't care
what anyone wants to say or think... this is our child, and I'm
going to raise it.  Myself."  she insisted, placing  a hand
on her tummy.  "All I ask of you, Daddy, is to accept it as
your grandchild... and love it like you did me.  You don't have
to worry about money... I saved almost every dime I earned to
carry me through until I can get work again."  she added,
sniffing quietly.
	Her father turned his gaze away, and simply resumed
staring at the horizon.

Because he knows she's not quite telling the truth.

	Back out on the verandah, Edward stared stone-faced
at the landscape before him, his etched face unmoving...
until he heard his daughter sob.  The sound hit him as if
he'd been shot, and despite his best efforts, he jumped
involuntarily.
	Listening as she made her way back into the house, he
waited until she was out of range and closed his eyes slowly,
squeezing a single tear from each.

Yep, he knows...

	"Mom... he won't be."  Elysse indicated, sadly.  "He...
died in a car crash before I even knew I was pregnant.  We'd
been seeing each other almost since I moved to the city."

Yes, sort of true...

	Her mother gasped aloud, covering her mouth with her
hand.  "Oh, Baby.. I'm so sorry..."  she breathed, hugging her
daughter tightly.  Elysse accepted the hug, feeling a bit
guilty about her modification of the truth, but she reassured
herself that it was 'almost' accurate.

	Except for the part where you kept him apart from his family and 
lied to him...

watchfulness, all to avoid contact with cold liquids of
any kind.  Her various Doctors were unaware of her curse,
and it had led to some interesting moments during her frequent
examinations.

Hmm...

	Abruptly, a voice from beside her startled her, both
with it's suddenness and it's identity.
        "Wow!  Your Mom wasn't kidding, was she?"  the surprised
female voice blurted, followed by a low whistle.
	"Toni?  Is that you?"  Elysse responded, caught
completely unaware.

New character....

	"You bet, stranger!  I heard you were home, and rushed
right over.  You look different, but good."  her friend noted,
smiling.  "So, how do you feel, 'Mom'?"  she asked excitedly,
swinging down from her horse.

With touch receptors in my skin.

	"I am!  Come on in here, and I'll tell you all about
it!"  Elysse beckoned, extending a hand toward her visitor.

Really, tell the truth?

	"Toni, the hardest part of this so far was losing his
father."  she commented, resting her hands on her tummy.  "He
would have been so proud of the baby.  I really wish he could
have seen it."  she added, her voice softening.

He still can...

	Toni bit her lip, noticing the sadness in Elysses eyes.

"Elysse's"

She could tell that whoever the father had been, Elysse was still
very much in love with him, and that observation worried her
slightly.  Having known Elysse all of her life, she knew how
Elysse could obsess over things, and hoped this wouldn't turn
out to be one of them.  Brightening her expression a bit, she
decided a redirection of topic was in order.

Obsession?  Toni, girl, you haven't a *clue*.

	"So when are you officially due?  Yesterday?"  Toni
smirked, glancing down at her friend's tummy.
	"Actually, a few weeks.  The 30th.  I have a feeling
that I might not make it that long, though." Elysse noted,
puffing out a breath.  "He's big, and hasn't been moving much
lately... I assume that means he's getting ready."

	Or you've actually got a chestburster in there.

	Elysse smiled and watched her friend go, glad for
having had the company.  It helped get her mind off the
situation with her father, which had been in the back of her
mind all morning.  His acceptance had proven to be far more
important to her than she had initially thought, reminding
her of how it had been all of her life.  It was something
that was hard-won, and she knew that for the moment, it was
definitely lost.

And for good reason.

	"So what gives?  I thought you said you were gonna
save your money to go back to Japan and marry that Ranma guy."
he asked, regarding her tauntingly.

Did she tell the family Ranma was married?

	"Oh, sure... you just don't want to admit you screwed
up, right?"  he replied, snarkily.  The look on his face told
Elysse that he was enjoying himself, which aggravated her even
more.

Nope.  She doesn't.

	Taking a deep breath and puffing it out slowly, Elysse
sat back in her chair and turned away from her brother's smug
expression.  "Like I said, Bill... you wouldn't understand,
so there's no point in explaining it."  she stated, reaching
for a magazine.

Oh, wouldn't he?

	Bill, meantime, wasn't about to be dismissed.  "Okay,
so tell me something... now that you're about to calf, do you
still have that curse thingy?"

Uhoh.

	"Yeah... why do you want to know?" she responded,
turning to regard him as if he was from Mars.
	A funny look came over his face as he went to respond,
the sort of expression one gets when they know something big
is about to happen.  Elysse noticed it instantly, and felt
her stomach tighten.
	 "Because if you didn't, then this wouldn't work!"  he
exclaimed, suddenly swinging a bucket out from behind him and
dumping it's contents onto the panic-stricken Elysse.

"its"

	"NOOOO!"  she shrieked in horror, unable to believe what
her idiot brother had just done.

I'm pretty amazed at him too.

	Instantly, everything seemed to go into slow motion as
she watched the bucket upend, it's deadly contents rushing toward
her.  Abject panic took over and tried to make her dive clear,
but her oversized maternity dress got caught on the arm of
her chair, causing her to fall painfully over the side.  When
she realized she was trapped, sheer terror gripped her soul.
The life of her child - the child she had struggled to protect
for over eight months - the child she had sacrificed
everything for was about to be simply swept away, and she was
utterly powerless to stop it.  Her breath stuck in her throat,
and her brain screamed at her to move, but all she could
manage was to shudder, as tears began to flow from her
widened, panicked eyes.

But you turn into a *female* horse, right?  So you'll still be able to 
deliver...*what* you'd deliver is the question.
  > 	She whimpered 
pitifully as she felt the first 
impacts > of the bucket's contents on her head, which proved to be as

much as her sanity could stand.  With a gushing sigh she
passed out cold, her upper body landing on the boards of the
verandah with a dull thud.

Uhoh.  Whap Bill a good one for me...

	"She's awake!" the young man called out, then gently
brushed her hair away from her perspiring face.  "It's okay,
honey... we're almost to the hospital.  Just hang in there."
he soothed, trying to smile.  After a few panicked seconds,
she realized she was in an ambulance, and strapped securely
to a stretcher.  It then suddenly occurred to her that if that
were true, she hadn't transformed.  Now, she was really confused.

You could've been changed back before the ambulance came.

	"What happened... ?" she gasped, wild-eyed.
	"I'm not sure... you were passed out halfway off a deck
chair, and covered with silver confetti when we got there.  Your
mother was in a panic... yelling something about cold water." he
explained, gently.

Bill, you deserve a really good whapping...

	"Good lord boy, don't EVER touch her with cold water!"
Elysse heard her mother snap angrily, much to her relief.
	"Okay, Okay!  No cold water!" the stunned EMT responded,
dropping the cloth.  "What's the problem?"  he added, upon
recovering his wits.
        "Bad... reaction to... cold liquids...."  Elysse growled

true...

through clenched teeth.  The pain was becoming almost constant
now, punctuated with what she assumed were contractions.  She
made a promise to herself that somehow, she would make her evil
little brother pay, and tried to distract herself by thinking
up inventive tortures.

	"Dear Jyuusenkyo Mail Order, please send me 10 packets of Instant 
Slug Water..."

	"Yeah... first... and last."  she gasped, gritting her
teeth at another spasm.
	The young man smiled knowingly.  "I hear that from every
woman I bring in." he responded, finally wiping her face.  "Is
the father coming in, too?" he asked, tossing aside the cloth.
	"Father dead... car accident." she indicated breathlessly,
seeking out her Mother's face.

sorta true.

	"Shhh... I'm here, Baby... I'm here."  her mother 
soothed, catching her hand and giving it a supportive squeeze.  
"You're 10 centimeters already... it looks like he's impatient." 
she stated though her mask.  "You're actually lucky... I was in
labour for 3 days for you."  she added, gently.

Eek.

	Elysse and her mother quickly exchanged nervous
glances, and Elysse felt a reassuring squeeze on her hand.
She just had time to smile weakly before the Doctor's command
intruded on the moment.
	"Okay, Elysse... PUSH!"

PULL!

	Again, Elysse found herself rousing from
unconsciousness, but this time at least, it was for a very
good reason.

She wasn't tired any more.

	"Here you go, Dear... he's absolutely perfect."  the
nurse smiled happily through her mask.  Elysse broke out in
the widest, proudest smile she had ever issued as she took
the 10 pound, six ounce child from the woman.  The nurse
couldn't help but comment on his size, which at 24 inches
was considerably bigger than most.

Whoo, and only eight months...

	He was sleeping peacefully, his pudgy little fingers
clenched in two fists just below his chin.  His mop of wild
black hair looked just like his fathers, and his features left

"father's"

	All the months of avoiding water, the aches in her back,
the pain in her ankles, her brother's stunt, and finally the
agony of delivery all faded from her memory as she gazed into
the child's sweet face, her own decorated with the loving pride
that only a new mother could know.

Aww...

	Only one thing cast a dark shadow over her ecstatic
happiness, that being that Ranma was not celebrating this moment
with her.

I don';t think that would thrill you too much, actually.

	He was real, he was healthy, and he was hers - and she
vowed to herself again that she was going to raise him to be a
proud, powerful man, just like his father.

Used to be...

	In that spirit, she wanted to pick a Japanese name for 
him symbolic of who and what he was, and to do justice to his
lineage.  Since she had a little time before she had to christen
him, she decided to wait and think it over carefully.  The
obvious choice, 'Nouma', somehow just didn't feel right.

Kenichi "Ken" for "Fist" or "Sword", "Ichi" for "first-born", and it has 
the benefit of shortening to Ken or Kenny, so he won't get as much 
teasing about it from the other kids.
	Then again, Pansutotarou would also be appropriate :-)

obligingly opened her gown and placed her left nipple in his
mouth, then grimaced slightly as he began to feed.  She had to
smirk at the power in his suckling, wondering if it was an
indicator of things to come.

Yes.

	A few hours later, Elysse awoke to a room full of
people, all happily congratulating her on her new son.  Notably
absent were her father and brother, and she was afraid to guess
why her father hadn't come.  His absence was particularly
disturbing, especially given his words from their last
conversation.  She was glad her brother had stayed away, since
he was the last person she wanted to see.

	But she wanted herself to be the last person he saw...

	Over the course of the day, her room quickly filled up
with flowers and gifts from friends of the family, as well as from
many of her own friends.  She was encouraged by the outpouring of
support, having been a bit worried about how their friends would
take her being an unwed mother.

	Unless she lives in a *really* conservative part of Canada, not 
so bad.

	Her own mother still stayed close by, carefully watching
for unthinking staff and careless visitors, since even though
the baby was now safe, Elysse was still in jeopardy.  Neither of
them wanted to even think about the consequences of Elysse
transforming in the hospital, especially given her current
weakened state.

Press problems, mostly.

	As she rounded the hallway corner just near the nursery,
she could hear a lot of excited chatter coming from the nursery
itself.  Concerned, she quickened her pace as much as her sore
body would let her, worried that her son might be involved somehow.
	Stepping through the door, she saw the duty nurses racing
from machine to machine, frantically pushing buttons and quieting
alarms.  It resembled a scene from a war zone.

Hmmm,,,,

        Nervously, she scanned the room for her son, and was
relieved to see his bassinet amoung a group of others that were
not connected to any machines.  Sighing heavily, she walked over
to it and carefully lifted him from within it.   She made sure
the head nurse knew she had come, and then happily headed back
to her room.  The baby, meantime, continued to sleep soundly,
oblivious to the confusion and his mother's actions.
	When Elysse and her son left the nursery and started down
the hallway, the machinery abruptly began to settle down on it's

"its"

own, baffling the beleaguered nurses.  Making matters worse,
once Elysse and her son had rounded the nearby corner, everything
returned to normal.  The nurses all looked at each other in 
bewilderment, yet nobody wanted to speak aloud the question that
was on each of their minds.

"Is the kid cursed?"

	"You are a heavy little thing, aren't you?  I just carried
you from the nursery to here, and my arms feel like they want to
fall off." she commented sweetly, reaching over and touching the
child's tiny nose.  "You're going to give me arms like a
weightlifter before too long, ne?" she added, not even noticing
that she had said her last sentence in Japanese.

Suddenly developing an Akane complex.

	Toni grinned at the comment, then leaned a bit closer to
get a look at the child.  Elysse could see her nose wrinkle
slightly, indicating that she was trying to figure out how to ask
her next question.
	"His father was Japanese."  she anticipated, grinning.
	"Oh... Okay.  I wondered.  He's even a different color."
Toni noted, looking back at Elysse.
	"Typical, though."  Elysse smiled, gently brushing aside
his wild black hair.  "He looks just like his Dad... and eats like
him, too."

Big hint...

	"What's wrong, Toni?"  she asked, regarding the woman
questioningly.
	"I... uhh... heard a little about what happened with your
brother.  I wish I would have stayed a bit longer."  Toni
sheepishly responded, lowering her eyes.  Elysse sighed slowly,
her face sobering.

Don't worry, Toni, compared to most of the woimen in this series, you're 
a saint.

	"Don't fret.  He was waiting for you to leave.  That
little... 'shit' and I have never gotten along, you know that.
Torturing me with his dirty little practical jokes is his mission
in life.  Hell, he's the reason I disappeared in China."  Elysse
responded bitterly, suddenly biting her tongue before she let
anything else slip.

Whoops.

	Toni looked back at her aghast.  "He did that?" she
finally blurted, shocked.  To her, Elysse had gone missing after
an outing, but hearing that Bill was responsible put an entirely
new spin on things.
	Elysse swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that she had 
some major damage control to do.  Thinking fast despite her 
painkillers, she nodded casually.  "Yep.  Sent me down a path 
that led into a really dense forest.  That's how I got lost."  
she explained, as casually as she could.  "I thought I told you
this story..."  she added, hoping Toni wouldn't press for more 
details.
	"You never said much about that..." Toni responded 
quietly, shaking her head.  "That's unbelievable... even for 
him."

	Not half of it...Though I wonder if there isn't more to Bill's 
actions than Elysse is letting on, after all, we know she's capable of 
some pretty rotten things herself.

	Toni could see the anger flash in Elysses eyes, and

"Elysse's"

	"Well, at least you two both made it through okay.  Gad,
Elysse... he's an absolute doll!"  she smiled again, reaching
over and moving the blanket from beside his face.  The ploy
worked, and Elysses scowl was instantly replaced by a proud,

"Elysse's"

	"I know... he's beautiful." she breathed, leaning down
to kiss his forehead.  Inwardly, she sighed with relief, knowing
that she had only narrowly dodged the bullet.

And it's only going to get worse...

	"If the Doc says I'm fit, tomorrow.  If not, the weekend.
Frankly, I hope it's the former."  she emphasized, crossing her
fingers.  "I hate having to take him back to that nursery... I
want him here with me."  she pouted, affectedly.

Especially with the monitors about to go wonky again.

	"I will, I promise.  I want to see him, too... and his
Mom.  Well, I gotta go again... life on the family farm, right?
See you tomorrow, I hope." Toni smiled, stepping back from
Elysse's bedside.

Could we have some description of Toni, eventually?

always there for her.  In many ways, she reminded her of Ranma's
new persona, Hitomi.

eech.

	Thinking about that made her begin to wonder how 'Hitomi'
and her girlfriend were doing, and if they were even still in
Canada.  She hadn't had any contact with them since she left
Metro,

wisely.
 and in fact, hadn't even thought about 'them' for several

months.  However, since she had now allowed herself to, she began
to remember why.
	Deep inside, she found she still felt somewhat jealous
of the 'girlfriend', and blamed her for interfering in her
original plan.  She noted however, that there was one good side
to it all.  If Mrs. Saotome ever found him, the 'girlfriend' would
get the blame.  That consolation brought a small smile to her face.

Hah!  You fail to factor in Kikyo's teflon coating which allows her to 
ignore accountability for her actions.

her head down and closed her eyes.  As she settled in, the last
thought on her mind was of how nicely things happened to have
worked out.

Hah!

	"Congratulations.  Well, I'm on duty in fifteen minutes,
so I have to get going... glad it all turned out okay." he said,
walking up and placing the flowers on her table.  "See?  No
water."  he smirked, pointing to the neatly wrapped bouquet.
"You're going to have to explain that to me someday."  he
indicated jovially, starting for the door.
	"I'll put it to you this way... you wouldn't understand.
I barely do." she responded, seriously.  He was a bit surprised
by the tone of her remarks, and took a second to recover.

Aw, quit stalling and show him.

	"Uh... okay.  Well, talk to you later."  he stammered,
and headed out the door.
	Once he was well down the hall, Elysse breathed a huge,
tired sigh, her face becoming grim.  She recognized the look in
the young man's eyes, and didn't like it one bit.  He was taking
a fancy to her, as her Mom would put it, and that was something
she wanted no part of.

What, you don't want a nice guy to be your partner in life, you just want 
to cling to a dead man's ghost?
	(Not that Akane would let you...)

	The card, plain except for a handwritten note, was
addressed to her by name, and contained an invitation for supper
in the hospital cafeteria at six that night.
	"Oh, shit..." she groaned aloud, shaking her head.
"This is the last thing I need right now."  she continued, covering
her eyes with her hand.

Actually, it's the second thing you need, after a little rest.

	"Not well, Ma'am.  I felt like I was talking to a statue."
he sighed, his face downcast.  "I don't think she likes me one
bit."  he added, shaking his head.

Nope.

	"Well, she's probably just tired and sore, and it's
making her grumpy.  Don't get discouraged yet."  Mavis
encouraged, patting his shoulder.  "I'll talk to her some, and
see what she really thinks."  she added, smiling.

Fat chance...

	"If you want... I don't think she'll come, though.  She
was really distant."  he countered, resignedly.  "Well, I have to
get to work.  What do you think I should do?"
	"Show up anyway.  You have to, now."
	"I guess.  Okay, Ma'am... see you later... and thanks for
trying."  he smiled, turning to walk away.
	"No, Steve... thank *you*.  I'm happy that you think so
much of her."  she countered, earnestly.
	"That's the trouble... it seems to be a one-way street."

Now this is *much* more realistic than the Hitomi/Kikyo thing...

	"You silly girl... you can't hold a candle forever.
It's high time to light a new one."  she thought to herself, her
eyes narrowing.  "And I'm going to hand you the match."  she
added, a knowing grin spreading over her face.

Except you might be lighting the wrong fuse...

** Now, before anyone points it out, remember at which point Elysse left
Metro during the "Mysteries" series.  This story is for the moment out 
of synch with the overall continuum, but needs to be told... **

Thought so.

Okay, it's theory time again....

	Dad isn't just being a narrow-minded sourpuss.
	Consider what's happened in the past.  Ranma disappears in a 
vehicle crash in Canada.  That's going to be a *big* news story for a 
couple of weeks.  Dad sees story or hears it, and takes notice because of 
the name.
	Nabiki is calling anyone who might have a lead, so she talks to 
Elysse's father in the hopes Ranma might check in with the one person he 
knows in Canada.  If not before, Dad definitely finds out now that Ranma 
is married with kids who are anxiously waiting for news.  Unfortunately, 
Elysse has gone incommunicado herself, so Dad has no news.  
	It's a bit odd, but he thinks nothing of it, except to worry 
about his daughter getting hurt.
	Several months later, Ranma's spirit returns to the world of the 
living, and Mu Lin lets in his family on what she's been doing.  (Not 
caring a fig about her accountability, of course.)
	Nabiki, after suffering her own backlash for her actions, isn't 
in too good a mood when she phones various people to call off the search. 
	
	N:  Has Elysse checked in with you yet?
	Dad:  No, she hasn't.
	N:  Figures.  Ranma has returned.
	D:  Oh, he's alive then?
	N:  He's back in Nerima.

	Dad thinks there's something funny about that conversation, but 
puts it down to emotion on Nabiki's part.  Now, he finds out about 
Elysse's pregnancy, and realizes when it started, and almost correctly 
puts 2 and 2 together.

	Most likely assumption on his part:  Ranma used the crash to 
deliberately disappear so he could have an affair with Elysse, then 
abandoned her when she became pregnant.  So he's not at all pleased with 
either of them, *especially* when Elysse didn't level with him on the 
porch. 
	So I'm rather understanding of his disapproval...

SKJAM!
"Unusally for a News of the World investigation, there wasn't a dodgy 
tart in sight!"