TtCiTtW-23

A/N:

Thank You.

OoOoOoO

*Jazzmatazz*

Chloe sits quietly after her announcement, waiting for the door leading to her baby to appear. There is a sense of barely contained excitement, and everyone smiles at the Mai in the wheelchair. They travel through the hallways towards Alekzander, a happy chatter filling up the passage. Chloe looks radiant, glowing as she and Alek gaze lovingly, engrossed in each other. I smile, enjoying the sight, even as a twinge of jealousy rushes through me. The instinctual need to have a mate, to be loved, to adore someone the way Chloe adored Alek, to be looked at the way he looked at her...

I shake my head. I'm too young! Even for the Mai, where the average mating age is 20, I feel I am far too young. Besides, after—I feel myself shiver unconsciously—him, I need some time. A little voice in the back of my mind reminds me that it's been almost a year, but I push it away. 17 was too young. The thought of age brings up memories of Chloe's birthday, and the craziness the girl had brought with her age-turning.

Alek and Kayla had spent weeks tittering over different ideas and arrangements. Kayla had wanted a surprise party, but Alek had argued that a shock might not be good for the Mai's pregnant self. I had settled the argument with pointing out the fact that Chloe was confined to the apartment, making it impossible to even organize such an event. Then, the two had wanted to bring in Mai entertainers, and invite lots of important people. Mother had shot that one down with a scolding. How could they possibly bring in such people when the point of the birthday girl's seclusion was to hide her away from them? The two had grudgingly agreed that that would undermine their group's overall objective. But the resolution didn't last for long, the childhood friends going at the planning with increased fervor and imaginations. On one visit from Amy, the group had explored the idea of a mixed baby shower and birthday celebration, but Chloe herself had come in and told them to knock it off.

"Stop fussing so much! All I want is a cake, and my friends, and a quiet night," she had scolded. Alek and Kayla had quickly shuffled all of their complex plans off the table and into the trash, smiling innocently at the Uniter.

"Of course. What else would you have wanted?" She had eyed them suspiciously, before leaving to work in the Nursery. They had watched her go, waiting until she was out of earshot, before—

"What kind of cake should we get?" The discussions continued. Following different flavors of cake, types of frosting, decorations and presentation before I'd finally given up on them and left.

The day of her turning, Chloe and Alek did not appear from their room until after 11, waltzing into the living room with their arms wrapped around one another's waists, looking lovingly into each other's eyes. The two were met with a small smile, and a hearty "Happy Birthday," before a large feast was presented. No one had been able to decide on what to eat, so we'd ordered a bit of everything, from orange chicken, to pad thai, to macaroni and cheese, to sushi. It was a large collection of food and drinks, and somehow the eclectic mix made everything superbly delicious.

Chloe's face had started to glow as warm wishes were passed around, and little wrapped boxes appeared around her seat, colored paper and ribbon adding to the cheerfulness of the day.

Amy and Paul presented the blonde with children's clothing, most centered around cute kitten motifs, and with gender-neutral colors. One onesie, however, definitely from Paul, was designed to look like Superman's uniform, complete with detachable cape. Chloe had laughed and thanked them, handed the articles to Alek, who had folded them carefully, and hugged them. The couple smiled at their blonde friend, assuring her it was the least they could do. Alek's gift had come next, accompanied by a card that Chloe refused to let anyone see, and had made her blush. She'd allowed him to hug her as she opened the first, larger box, finding a new set of throwing knives, as well as a retractable staff. The second held a certificate for a month of a Mai night-nurse, and a small box from a jeweler. As she'd opened the velvet box, she began to cry, holding her hand over her mouth as Alek got down on one knee. He hadn't even been able to open his mouth before Chloe had wrapped her arms around him, saying, "Yes, yes, my sweet. Oh! You didn't even need to ask."

Amy had started to hyperventilate, ecstatic, and it was all Paul could do to keep her from squealing. Kayla'd clapped her hands happily, a grin wide on her face, while I'd looked lovingly at my two best friends, happy in their joy, as they shared a passionate kiss. After the excitement had finally faded, Kayla presented her gift of maternity clothes, and a set of binkies to the blonde Mai, muttering that nothing could ever stand up to a gift such as Alek's.

"Happy Seventeenth Birthday," Valentina had said, handing the two a small box, wrapped in nondescript blue paper. "From Jasmine and me. This is for the both of you, for after the little one comes. It seems very appropriate with today's turn of events." Chloe, leaning on Alek's shoulder with a happy smile, had allowed her fiance to open the box. His skilled fingers, lithe from years of training, quickly removed the paper to reveal a plain gray box. He glanced inside, before quickly shutting it, mouth dropping in shock. Chloe startled.

"What? What is it?"

"This is too much, Aunt Val," Alek breathed. "This is too much." Valentina had just smiled, and I'd hid a grin.

"The pride is more than happy to put forward such an offer." When Alek had once again opened his mouth to argue, she'd put a finger over his mouth. "Prides all over the world pitched in. They want to see you two happy." It'd seemed to pacify him, and he'd reopened the box and shown a confused, but eager Chloe. Her mouth had dropped as well, shocked at what she found.

"A house? For us?" She'd whispered. Mother had nodded, and the girl had engulfed her in a tight hug, almost crying into her shoulder. "First Alek's proposal, now this. It must be the best birthday a girl could ask for!"

"What's that?" Amy had snatched the box, pulling out a business card for a Real Estate company. In flowing green writing, Valentina had written the message, This one's on Us. She put the card down. "You're really getting a house for your birthday. Paul, why didn't your aunt give us a house for my birthday?"

"We're neither expecting or engaged," he'd quickly responded, almost paling as his girlfriend narrowed her eyes in his face. "Also, we're just the sidekicks. Only the heroes get the big perks."

"I should change that."

"Change what now?" Paul had stood, and retreated behind his chair. A mischievous light had fallen into Amy's eyes. "You don't mean the expecting or engaged."

"And if I did?" Swallow. She'd smiled, pulling back. "This is why I love you. Chloe, what kind of —"

She'd stopped as she realized the rosy-blonde was distracted. Alek was playing with the ring around his fiance's fourth finger, stroking it and the back of her hand with his thumb as the two nuzzled noses; Mother had served cake and ice cream, and was walking out of the room, a smile sneaking off her face. Paul and Amy had quickly become distracted by the dessert, managing to make their way out of the room with Kayla when she complained she needed someone to put Super Bagel Man on for her. I'd been the last one out of the room, sneaking out the side hallway as little bits of sappy sentences started sailing between them, their eyes dancing and cheeks flushing in their love.

A loud laugh brings me back to the present. Alek has seemingly whispered something to Chloe and they're enjoying whatever the punchline was. Another smile graces my lips. It's good to see her laughing. Amy quickens her pace and I find her next to me, tapping my shoulder in her little way. I give her an answering look, questioning her actions. She tilts her head, and bites her lip, as if unsure of what to say, quickly glancing towards Chloe's chair ahead of us. I immediately understand. She's wondering if her best friend will be okay holding Alekzander. To be honest, the same question is beginning to bug me too. Would the touch of one of her children bring echoes of memories of her other? Chloe was technically dead when Sofia had been delivered, and though she'd been returned to us without loss of one of her lives, the damage of that time must still be there. A mother doesn't so easily forget, does she? Doubt digs it's class deeper. If Chloe really did have more than just hazy half-memories inside her then Alekzander could spark something terrifying for the lot of them. Amy is still eying me with her question and I can only grimace in my uncertainty back. She frowns, but I get the feeling she understands why we really have no idea. This meeting with the newest member of our pride could lead either to our greatest hope's healing or destruction, just by the sight of his face. All our hopes, pinned on one small infant.

The door of the nursery finally comes up before us, the short walk through the halls having seemingly lengthened to an hour in the tension and excitement of the situation. Alek, releasing the wheelchair in a gentle stop, knocks on the wood quietly, asking the nurse inside for permission to enter. We wait in palatable silence for the answer, and when the nurse pokes his head out and gives a welcoming smile, I can't help but release the breath I hadn't know I was holding. Why I'd feared just that moment so much is a mystery to me, but the next breath-catching seems all too logical. The nurse, Phil if I remember correctly, opens the door fully for us, allowing Chloe to enter and see her child, sleeping quietly in an incubator.

Hands fly to cover her mouth as Chloe begins to cry. Nerves on edge, I try to figure out exactly why. Was she happy? Upset? Did she remember? Phil moves to the child, lifting him carefully before expertly swaddling the tiny babe and turning to the wheelchair, fully revealing Alekzander.

For such a small child, Alek Jr. has a lot of hair, a dirty blonde that accents his pale skin tone. He has his father's nose, his mother's mouth, and two tiny, adorable ears that stick out to frame his small face. His eyes are closed, so I can't see who they take after, but his eyes would make any girl jealous, long and dark and gently curled. They shift against his cheeks as Chloe takes him into her arms, as if sensing his mother's touch. The way she looked at him could only be described as try adoratio. Her eyes had softened, and an easy smile lay on her face. Big Alek had moved a hand to her shoulder, but Chloe could only focus on Jr., her fingers weaving through his hair, gently letting her new son know she was there, she cared, that he was perfect. She stops playing with his hair and gently traces his chin, then nose, and smiles as he blinks open his eyes, wide brown orbs that sparkled like sri lanka zircon, with a mix of so many caramels and chocolates that you could get lost. Beautiful eyes, beautiful baby.

Amy grabs my arm as she see's the boys eyes, almost jumping in excitement and happiness, and I return her a smile. It is a lovely sight, the three of them. Inside, my smile fades as I picture Sofia with them, in her father's arms, even though I keep it steady for everyone else. It's a gentle though sad blessing that Chloe has no recollection of the fourth member of their family. Alek's eyes are pained as he looks at Jr., as if even all the happiness he felt couldn't heal the still gaping hole in his heart, a hole that for once his mate couldn't help him with. He would have to move forward and support them all, and I would help him with the hurts Chloe couldn't, and shouldn't. The loss of Sofie would weigh on us for a long time, yes, but the blessing of Jr would allow us to move forward, towards what we can only hope is a brighter happier future.

OoOoOoO

*Simone*

The small form behind the glass looks at me with wide eyes, so trusting, so young. She must have no idea what's happened. Zane seems entranced by her, as if suddenly she was his own sister, or child even. The similarities are astonishing, after all. The flick of hair that graces her head curls a delicate brown, and their noses are perfectly the same. A family nose, it seems. She inherited her mother's mouth and ears, though, and her eyes had been lightened by the mix of genes, now a caramelish chocolate, like crystal come alive.

"You seem oddly fascinated in your brother's child." He scowls again, accentuating the scars that mar his face, and pulls away from the incubator.

"She'll never know, though," He justifies. "She'll just think I am her brother. Besides, she will kill the bastard, so it is forgivable."

"Is it now?"

"Very. For what he's done, I am willing to use any means against him. His own child is especially sweet." I smile at his reply. We'd done nicely with him, molding the Mai into a valuable tool for our own means. Though it is unfortunate his pretty faced is now so marked, his skill and usefulness was still boundless, and his connection to the Uniter's family was priceless.

"Well, soon we will be able to begin, won't we."

"Indeed."

OoOoOoo

*Alek*

Jr. looks just like his mother, just with my nose. It's a good combination, in my opinion, seeing as she's the most beautiful person I've ever met. In the two weeks since his birth, Jr. has fattened up significantly, and his cheeks glow with a rosy dusting, chubby in his babyhood. His hair has grown some, and now curls lightly at the edges, visions of Chloe's own soft curls.

At first, I'd been unsure how to approach the child, especially as we were not allowed to hold him for more than a few minutes at first. Slowly, the time had extended, and now the incubator had been removed, and replaced with the white cradle Chloe had picked out. Though, actually, Jr. sleeps with us in our room, in his bassinet or swaddled in our warmth. Well, my warmth. Chloe is absolutely incapable of producing her own body heat, never has, and she still relies on me to defrost the icicles she called feet. SOmetimes Chloe calls me the family stove, the bed heater, the man-blanket, but she's the ice queen, or maybe mama icicle. EIther way, no body heat on that side of our equation.

But what she doesn't put out in heat, she gives in love. Jr. is never alone nowadays, always being coddled or whispered to. He has to be the happiest, most loved baby in the whole city. Two week had Jr. focusing his eyes, and grabbing at fingers, mewling when hungry and never sleeping. Ever. He wakes hourly in his bassinet to cry and mewl for a bit, for food, for nappy, for love. Most of the time when the night nurse in on duty, she will sneak in and take care of it, sometimes taking him out to the nursery to change or rock him, but on her days off Chloe usually brings him into our bed to lie between us. It works so well that sometimes Jr. never graces the bassinet with his presence. Luckily, little though he is, he inherited my genes heat-wise—no icicle feet!

But now, as both he and his mother nap in the rocker, I can't help but smile. Chloe hold Jr. loosely, and he leans against her, swaddled gently in a cornflower blue blanket. As I approach, he blinks awake and opens his mouth to cry, and i quickly snatch him up and bob him, trying to calm him before he wakes Chloe. But it seems my plan is flawed as the absence of his weight causes her to stir. Thinking quickly, I grab the teddy bear the NY pride leader grave us, wrap it in the blanket its sitting on, and slide it in her arms. She quiets and resumes her well-earned rest, while Jr. looks up to me with his wide brown eyes. Not for the first time, I wonder if Sofia had had the same eyes. Maybe they'd been these caramel gems or maybe sapphires liker her mother. Had she had my nose? The family nose is a very strong set of genes. My smile turns sad at the thought.

I bring Jr. into the family room, settling him on Kayla's lap as she watches her precious Super Bagel Man. She gently wraps her arms around him and they watch together, entranced by the images. Since her shocking premonition and the events that followed, Kayla'd been feeling extremely guilty about Sofia, though Jaz and I assure her she'd nowhere near at fault. She had little idea in her trance state, and we'd not stopped and taken note for thought—if anything it was our fault. But she'd just smile and dote on Jr.; he would be her retribution, her way out of the guilt and grief.

While Jr. and Kayla watch the animated foods go about their business, I pull up a chair next to Jaz, who'd taken my chair when I'd left to check on Chloe. She's going through my tabs, looking at what I have open.

"This has security issues." She's pointing at the apartment I had open, a little two-story in part of old town. "And it's much too small."

"It fits our list, and 'small' is not a word I would use to describe it. Besides, I think its cute." I hadn't gone through security measures yet. Just basics and needs through various searches, trying to find ideas and listing that fit the bill. "We don't need anything special, anyway." I Try to take the laptop back, but she swats my hand and scoots farther away, opening a new window before turning the screen and typing furiously.

"Bastet ya don't. You're a growing family Alek, a growing Mai family, and the Uniter's growing family to boot. You need something safe and livable. That," she minimizes her window and turns the computer to show the little apartment and its cute shutters again. "Is not save or livable."

I sigh as she turns the screen back and types anew. "Well, she wants something with character."

"Got that, Alek. Your tabs are still open, and you actually were smart and wrote it all down." She's stopped typing and is just clicking now, flicking her eyes over what must be house descriptions. "Really, you should be looking at something like this."

The listing her shows me fits all of the parameters—side street, decent schools, away from Market while still close to the penthouse, at least three bedrooms, two and a half baths (an easy parameter to budge on; San Francisco is a hard city to buy in), except it's huge—and expensive. "Jaz no, this is huge, and so pricey. We don't—"

"Too bad, Alek. Mum likes this one too."

"You're deciding our house?"

"Well, Chloe found it. We just convinced her it was alright."

"Chloe told me to look at houses."

"To keep you busy, C.B." Kayla's joined the conversation now.

"C.B.?"

"Cocky Bastard. Chloe's favorite nickname for you."

"She doesn't—Wait. What? Keep me busy?"

"Until escrow is through." She looked at her watch. "In about half an hour?"

"Half an—" Jaz shoves something in my mouth. It's cold, sweet... ice cream. Sighing around the dessert, I take hold of the spoon and take it out of my mouth. "I suppose it's what Chloe wants... But the price?"

"Less than what we were expecting for such a suitable place. Besides, we'll be visiting often enough."

I shake my head and look at the listing again. It's marked as sold—a detail I should probably have noticed first—but the price still shouts its large numbers. They continue, listing five bedrooms, six baths, 6,000 square feet, a mansion by Francisco standards. Too big. But the last thing catches my eye. A yard. That's probably what finally sold her to Aunt Val's convincing. We didn't need something like this, but the house is literally perfect. I look at the clock on the mantle.

"Half an hour, you said? Better wake up Chloe then."

Jaz smiles, victorious.

OoOoOoO

See you soon, with promises. The next chapter is already written.