Post by Miss Jack on Mar 27, 2008 20:57:51 GMT -5
ooc; Just a short little fic I did on the birth of Alexander and Armand. It was kind of fun, so I think I'll probably continue later with quick little ficlets of scenes from their childhood. If anyone would like to include any, too, that would be awesome.
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A high-pitched scream pierced the room.
“Just try and breathe, Pia.” The smooth, dulcet tones of Simon’s voice seemed more eerie than usual in the tense atmosphere. Pia, brow shining with perspiration, nodded, her breaths coming in machine-gun gasps.
“I sent for the doctor,” Illie said softly, dabbing Pia’s cheek with a cool cloth. Her brow furrowed in worry. Unfortunately, it seemed like the baby wasn’t in the mood to wait for the doctor.
Suddenly, Pia’s face scrunched with agony again, and a low groan ripped through her. Illie bit her lip and glanced at Simon. The contractions were getting too close.
“What? What happened?” Jack paced went to his feet and then quickly sat back down again. His hair looked worse than usual for all the times he’d yanked his hand through it.
“Oh my goodddd….” Pia moaned.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jack asked, panicked.
Simon glared up at him in exasperation. “She’s having a baby, Jack,” he explained, as slowly as possible.
Jack reached for Pia’s hand and she snarled at him. “You did this to me, you miserable, vile bastard--! You’re never touching me again! I haa-aaargghh!” Her hand shot out and gripped onto his arm with bruising, vampiric force, and Jack wisely chose to bear his pain in silence.
-----------------------------
Meanwhile, on the next floor down…
“I think it will be a girl,” Danny put in quietly.
Johnny nudged his arm pointedly. “Then, my dear man, you must put your money where your mouth is.”
With a sigh, Danny put a bill in the middle of the table. “Vince?” Johnny prodded, both brows arched imploringly.
Vince glared at him a long two seconds and then said, “A boy,” and added his own contribution.
“Sure you wouldn’t like a say, Robspierre?” the werewolf continued, his toothy grin turning to the other side of the room.
Julien gave him a stiff smile. “I will be ‘appy if it iz half-gremlin, as long as it iz ‘ealthy,” he said. “And considering ‘oo ze fozzair iz, well, iz not so hard to imagine…” He trailed off at the triplet set of glares directed at his tired visage. He mentally grimaced. “Only joking, of course.”
Vince rolled his eyes and glanced, yet again, at the clock. While Johnny went back to counting bills, Julien sank a little further into the couch. Pia had better appreciate what he was sacrificing spending over seven hours in one room with the remnants of Cold Shadow…
---------------------------
“It’s a boy,” Illie gushed, and handed the bloody, wrinkly bundle out to Pia.
Exhausted, Pia managed a feeble half smile and held up her arms, but before the baby reached her, she broke off with another cry of pain.
“Another head is crowning,” Simon said after a moment, blinking with disbelief.
Pia nearly collapsed on the bed, half sobbing, half gasping for breath.
Illie gave a teary laugh. “It’s twins!” she said in quiet delight.
”What?” Jack and Pia chorused in unified shock. Pia managed to lift her neck up to glare at Illie. An odd, almost smug, look seeped into Jack’s orange eyes.
“Push, Pia,” Simon said hurriedly, “This one isn’t waiting…”
“Twins…” Jack repeated to himself in awe. “Ha! Am I a man, or what?”
If looks could kill, then Pia would have just sent Jack’s ashes over a sewage tank.
-----------------------------------
The door opened. Four pair of eyes snapped to attention immediately, hopeful and tired at the same time. Jack strode calmly to the center table and glanced down at the small pile of money. He gathered it up, calmly and slowly enough that Johnny had to clench his teeth to keep from snapping. When Jack pocketed the cash, however, he could hold it no longer.
“Odd’s fish! You can’t keep the money-- you didn’t get to bet!”
“You all lose,” Jack told him simply.
There was an awkward pause.
“What do you mean we all lose?”
“Was it a boy or a girl?”
“Neither.”
“Oh no. I waz right…”
Jack held up a hand for silence. He watched them, clearly enjoying their very irritated suspense. “It was….” He held his breath. Vince snarled, and Jack’s face broke into a wide grin. “Two boys.”
A stunned pause, and then relieved grins and murmured jokes all around. Illie and Simon came into the room next, each with a tiny bundle in their arms. Jack looked as if he were going to burst apart with pride.
Johnny took one of the babies from Simon. “Oh no,” he announced with dismay, staring down at the tiny face. “Just like Jack. Don’t worry,” he cooed at the young Nightmare, “maybe you’ll grow out of it.”
Jack attempted to glare, but couldn’t quite manage it. Damn right it looked just like him. Danny peered timidly over Johnny’s shoulder, his bottom lip beneath his teeth. “What’s his name?” he asked softly, not sure he wanted to touch it just yet.
“Alexander,” Jack said. He turned to where Illie was passing the other twin over to Julien. “And that’s Armand.”
Julien took the baby, amazed at how incredibly small it was. He smirked with glee. Armand was a French name. “’allo,” he greeted Armand softly. Armand’s eyes were a wide, crystal blue. He was beautiful. Julien reached down to touch the baby’s hand, which was, incidentally, barely bigger than his fingertips. Julien felt an odd surge of adoration and protectiveness wash over him.
He also became keenly aware that he was very much himself, and he suddenly didn’t trust himself with this precious package. “Here,” he said hastily to Vince, being as gentle as possible as he passed Armand to the mummy, who didn’t look particularly pleased about the exchange. “Iz your turn.”
Vince held Armand a good distance away, extending his arms with distaste, but soon, he too softened, and even managed something like a smile when Armand sneezed.
The twins were passed along and coddled over (despite there being only one girl in the room, though, Johnny promised to haul Henriette over the next day, certain that even she couldn’t resist Armand’s blue eyes, or Alexander’s mischievous little nose wrinkle), until finally Cold Shadow dispersed. Illie left Jack with very specific instructions, and promised to be back in the morning after she’d gotten some rest (at Simon’s insistence). Julien had slipped away to visit Pia, but now he left with the others.
Back in their room, Pia rolled her eyes at Jack. “They’ll still be there if you look away,” she said irritably, but there was a touch of affection to her tone.
Jack, perched on the edge of the bed, chin resting over the bottom of the bassinet, didn’t even blink. “I know,” he said. “I just like to look at them.”
With some effort (still weak from child labor), Pia scooted herself away from her nest of pillows to drape herself over Jack’s back. Her chin nestled into the crook of his shoulder, and she sighed wistfully. “Me too. I knew, of course, that I would have beautiful offspring, but this is different than I thought. They’re…”
“Perfect.”
“Yes.” She kissed his jaw line, too tired to do much else.
He twisted around, pressing Pia against him, lips skirting over her hair. “You should sleep.”
“Probably,” she admitted wryly. “Not everyone can pop out two perfect children in one go.”
He chuckled. “You could have done three.”
“Don’t jinx us.”
He tipped her chin up to kiss her, and she sighed happily. Moments later, she was limp in his arms, and he leaned them both back onto the bed to catch some much needed rest.
One hour later, Alexander started crying.
----------------
A high-pitched scream pierced the room.
“Just try and breathe, Pia.” The smooth, dulcet tones of Simon’s voice seemed more eerie than usual in the tense atmosphere. Pia, brow shining with perspiration, nodded, her breaths coming in machine-gun gasps.
“I sent for the doctor,” Illie said softly, dabbing Pia’s cheek with a cool cloth. Her brow furrowed in worry. Unfortunately, it seemed like the baby wasn’t in the mood to wait for the doctor.
Suddenly, Pia’s face scrunched with agony again, and a low groan ripped through her. Illie bit her lip and glanced at Simon. The contractions were getting too close.
“What? What happened?” Jack paced went to his feet and then quickly sat back down again. His hair looked worse than usual for all the times he’d yanked his hand through it.
“Oh my goodddd….” Pia moaned.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jack asked, panicked.
Simon glared up at him in exasperation. “She’s having a baby, Jack,” he explained, as slowly as possible.
Jack reached for Pia’s hand and she snarled at him. “You did this to me, you miserable, vile bastard--! You’re never touching me again! I haa-aaargghh!” Her hand shot out and gripped onto his arm with bruising, vampiric force, and Jack wisely chose to bear his pain in silence.
-----------------------------
Meanwhile, on the next floor down…
“I think it will be a girl,” Danny put in quietly.
Johnny nudged his arm pointedly. “Then, my dear man, you must put your money where your mouth is.”
With a sigh, Danny put a bill in the middle of the table. “Vince?” Johnny prodded, both brows arched imploringly.
Vince glared at him a long two seconds and then said, “A boy,” and added his own contribution.
“Sure you wouldn’t like a say, Robspierre?” the werewolf continued, his toothy grin turning to the other side of the room.
Julien gave him a stiff smile. “I will be ‘appy if it iz half-gremlin, as long as it iz ‘ealthy,” he said. “And considering ‘oo ze fozzair iz, well, iz not so hard to imagine…” He trailed off at the triplet set of glares directed at his tired visage. He mentally grimaced. “Only joking, of course.”
Vince rolled his eyes and glanced, yet again, at the clock. While Johnny went back to counting bills, Julien sank a little further into the couch. Pia had better appreciate what he was sacrificing spending over seven hours in one room with the remnants of Cold Shadow…
---------------------------
“It’s a boy,” Illie gushed, and handed the bloody, wrinkly bundle out to Pia.
Exhausted, Pia managed a feeble half smile and held up her arms, but before the baby reached her, she broke off with another cry of pain.
“Another head is crowning,” Simon said after a moment, blinking with disbelief.
Pia nearly collapsed on the bed, half sobbing, half gasping for breath.
Illie gave a teary laugh. “It’s twins!” she said in quiet delight.
”What?” Jack and Pia chorused in unified shock. Pia managed to lift her neck up to glare at Illie. An odd, almost smug, look seeped into Jack’s orange eyes.
“Push, Pia,” Simon said hurriedly, “This one isn’t waiting…”
“Twins…” Jack repeated to himself in awe. “Ha! Am I a man, or what?”
If looks could kill, then Pia would have just sent Jack’s ashes over a sewage tank.
-----------------------------------
The door opened. Four pair of eyes snapped to attention immediately, hopeful and tired at the same time. Jack strode calmly to the center table and glanced down at the small pile of money. He gathered it up, calmly and slowly enough that Johnny had to clench his teeth to keep from snapping. When Jack pocketed the cash, however, he could hold it no longer.
“Odd’s fish! You can’t keep the money-- you didn’t get to bet!”
“You all lose,” Jack told him simply.
There was an awkward pause.
“What do you mean we all lose?”
“Was it a boy or a girl?”
“Neither.”
“Oh no. I waz right…”
Jack held up a hand for silence. He watched them, clearly enjoying their very irritated suspense. “It was….” He held his breath. Vince snarled, and Jack’s face broke into a wide grin. “Two boys.”
A stunned pause, and then relieved grins and murmured jokes all around. Illie and Simon came into the room next, each with a tiny bundle in their arms. Jack looked as if he were going to burst apart with pride.
Johnny took one of the babies from Simon. “Oh no,” he announced with dismay, staring down at the tiny face. “Just like Jack. Don’t worry,” he cooed at the young Nightmare, “maybe you’ll grow out of it.”
Jack attempted to glare, but couldn’t quite manage it. Damn right it looked just like him. Danny peered timidly over Johnny’s shoulder, his bottom lip beneath his teeth. “What’s his name?” he asked softly, not sure he wanted to touch it just yet.
“Alexander,” Jack said. He turned to where Illie was passing the other twin over to Julien. “And that’s Armand.”
Julien took the baby, amazed at how incredibly small it was. He smirked with glee. Armand was a French name. “’allo,” he greeted Armand softly. Armand’s eyes were a wide, crystal blue. He was beautiful. Julien reached down to touch the baby’s hand, which was, incidentally, barely bigger than his fingertips. Julien felt an odd surge of adoration and protectiveness wash over him.
He also became keenly aware that he was very much himself, and he suddenly didn’t trust himself with this precious package. “Here,” he said hastily to Vince, being as gentle as possible as he passed Armand to the mummy, who didn’t look particularly pleased about the exchange. “Iz your turn.”
Vince held Armand a good distance away, extending his arms with distaste, but soon, he too softened, and even managed something like a smile when Armand sneezed.
The twins were passed along and coddled over (despite there being only one girl in the room, though, Johnny promised to haul Henriette over the next day, certain that even she couldn’t resist Armand’s blue eyes, or Alexander’s mischievous little nose wrinkle), until finally Cold Shadow dispersed. Illie left Jack with very specific instructions, and promised to be back in the morning after she’d gotten some rest (at Simon’s insistence). Julien had slipped away to visit Pia, but now he left with the others.
Back in their room, Pia rolled her eyes at Jack. “They’ll still be there if you look away,” she said irritably, but there was a touch of affection to her tone.
Jack, perched on the edge of the bed, chin resting over the bottom of the bassinet, didn’t even blink. “I know,” he said. “I just like to look at them.”
With some effort (still weak from child labor), Pia scooted herself away from her nest of pillows to drape herself over Jack’s back. Her chin nestled into the crook of his shoulder, and she sighed wistfully. “Me too. I knew, of course, that I would have beautiful offspring, but this is different than I thought. They’re…”
“Perfect.”
“Yes.” She kissed his jaw line, too tired to do much else.
He twisted around, pressing Pia against him, lips skirting over her hair. “You should sleep.”
“Probably,” she admitted wryly. “Not everyone can pop out two perfect children in one go.”
He chuckled. “You could have done three.”
“Don’t jinx us.”
He tipped her chin up to kiss her, and she sighed happily. Moments later, she was limp in his arms, and he leaned them both back onto the bed to catch some much needed rest.
One hour later, Alexander started crying.