Hey, it's Skippy! I haven't written in a bit, but inspiration suddenly hit me and I decided to write something. I'm a little rusty, but I hope it's alright. Enjoy!

"Our Lady will not be happy with this."

"Be quiet, will you? Do you want to alert the mortals to our presence?"

"I'm sorry…"

Two women, one blonde and one brunette, walked quietly down a cracked, frosty sidewalk. They both wore large coats and boots that made outlines in the thin layer of snow on the ground. With the brunette was something wrapped in a thick, red blanket that contrasted against the white snow falling. The blonde one shivered and pulled her coat closer to her, watching her solidified breath spiral upwards.

"Are we almost there?" she asked timidly. "It's very cold…"

The brunette sighed in exasperation. She didn't answer, instead rounding the corner and walking up a driveway. The smaller woman without the blanket scurried after her up to the door of a rundown house, its blue paint peeling off and a bed sheet in place of the glass in a window. The brunette knocked on the door with a gloved hand and waited for a response.

A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a large woman with something clenched in her hand. After seeing the two women at the door, she quickly placed the object in the pocket of her dirty apron, but not before the blonde saw the flash of something sharp. She edged closer to her companion.

"Um… h-hi," she stuttered.

"Hello," the woman who answered the door replied with surprising softness. The blonde noticed she was missing a few teeth. "Who are you two?"

"Eilet- ow!"

The brunette smacked her friend on the arm and glared at her icily. She turned back to the woman to reply. "I'm Erin and this is… Ellie. We're looking for Nathanial. He lives here, yes?"

The large woman nodded. "Yes, he does. I'm his sister, Rachel. Does he know you…?"

"Yes, he does."

"Would you like me to get him for you?"

"That won't be necessary." Erin shifted the blanket in her arms and held it out to Rachel.

Rachel took it, confused. "What is it?"

"It's Nathanial's. Tell him it's from me. Or don't. I don't care."

Rachel unwrapped the blanket a bit and gasped when she saw what was inside. It was a sleeping baby, no more than a week old, with thin, strawberry-blonde hair on its head. It wore no clothes, except for a diaper and the blanket that was around it. It wasn't moving, and at first, she thought it was dead, until she saw its tiny chest rise and fall.

"Is this your baby? Why did you give it to m-?"

She stopped when she looked up and saw that the two women had vanished. She stepped onto the porch and looked around for the girls or possible footsteps, but strangely found none. Not even ones leading up to the porch. It was like their traces, along with themselves, just disappeared. The baby shifted in her arms, causing her attention to go back to it.

"Goodness, it's cold. Let's get you inside…"

Rachel looked around one more time before going back into the house and shutting the door, locking it behind her. She carried the baby into the kitchen and laid it down on the counter with the blanket around it. She took the kitchen knife out of her apron and put it back where she grabbed it.

"Nathanial, come in here!" she shouted, going back over to the baby.

A man with shaggy black hair, a scruffy beard, a torn t-shirt, and a slight beer belly looked over from where he was sitting in front of a TV, drinking. "What is it?"

"Just come in here!"

Nathanial grunted and set his beer on a stool, standing up. He stumbled over towards the kitchen. "Was it a package?"

"No, it was two girls."

He appeared to be more interested. "Were they here for me?"

Rachel nodded. "Actually, they were."

"Who were they?"

"They told me they were Erin and Ellie. I didn't recognize either of them, but they said they kn-"

"Wait. Did you say Erin?"

Rachel nodded. "Mhm. Dark hair, dark eyes. Kinda tall. Said she knew ya."

Nathanial quickly rushed over to the door, unlocking it and flinging it open. "Is she still here?" he asked frantically, his eyes wide.

"No, she and her friend left. Didn't see them go."

The scruffy man darted out into the snow with bare feet and ran down the driveway, looking for her. "Erin! Erin, it's me! Where are you?" he called out.

Rachel lumbered after him and stood in the doorway. "Nathanial, get your ass back in here before you freeze to death!"

That seemed to snap him out of his stupor and he slowly turned around, returning back to the house. Rachel had her eyes narrowed. "That Erin girl. You got her pregnant, didn't you?"

"What?"

"You got her pregnant and left her, didn't you?"

"No I didn't! I saw her at Toni's, drunk as hell, and like the nice guy I am I brought her back here to sleep it off."

"And what happened when you brought her back?"

"Nothin' happened! I just talked to her and gave her something to eat. She slept it off."

"The truth, Nathanial. Tell me it. Now."

Nathanial hesitated. "I brought her home and… Well, she asked for it!" he suddenly exclaimed. "She told me she was fine with it! She told me! She said it was the best night of her life! I swear it! And I didn't get her pregnant. She left sometime after I fell asleep. No note, no nothing. Just a trashed house. And damn, she was pretty. Pissed me off when she left. And now she's telling everyone I got her pregnant?"

"She was pregnant! She handed me a baby! Said it was yours. Nathanial, I swear-"

"Wait. She what?"

"Gave me your baby!" Rachel roughly grabbed his wrist and dragged him inside the house, slamming the door behind them. She pointed a finger at the blanket on the counter. "Look for yourself!"

Nathanial went over to the blanket and peeled back the red wool, staring at what he uncovered. The baby looked up at him with bright, blue eyes in wonder. It made a small noise and he looked away from it. "This? She says this is mine? It doesn't even look like me! It doesn't even look like her! She probably went around and had someone else's baby! That tramp…"

"Well, there's nothing we can do now. She's gone, and now we got this baby. You're taking care of it."

"Am not! I'm not taking care of a damn baby! It's not even mine!"

"I can't take care of it!"

"Then throw it out! The dogs'll eat it. I don't need this in my house, reminding me of the tramp who dropped it off."

Rachel barred her teeth and lumbered over to the baby, shoving her brother off. "I am not letting you throw it out."

"Then do whatever, I don't give a shit! Just as long as I don't see it again." He spat in the direction of the baby and went back over to his seat in front of the TV, grabbing his beer and taking a swig of it.

The large woman sighed and pushed back some of her black hair. She looked down at the baby and noticed that she seemed healthy and well-fed, even with only appearing to be a week old. She pulled the diaper up a little. "She's a girl," she announced. "What should we call her?"

"To hell if I care!"

Rachel couldn't help but growl at that. She looked down at the baby again, trying to think of a name, when one suddenly pushed its way into her mind. "… Josephine. We'll call her Josephine." As she said that, the baby made another small noise and Rachel smiled. She picked up the blanket with the baby in it and cradled her to her chest. "Don't worry, Josephine. I may not be able to do much, but I'll do everything in my power to protect you. I promise."

Up in the clouds, two women clothed in pure white, Greek tunics sat at the edge of a small pool, watching the image it showed. The smaller of the two looked over at the other. "Josephine? Why did you choose that?"

"I've always liked the name," the other one replied. She looked over. "Have you heard of many others named the same?"

The woman nodded. "Not many, though. Most name their children after ancient heroes, in the hope that they become heroes as well, I imagine."

The other one nodded and looked down at the water again. "I do not wish for my daughter to be a hero. I wish for her to be a normal mortal, but I already know this will not happen…"

She looked on for a few more moments before sighing softly and standing up. She walked away without another word. Her companion watched her leave before looking down at the water. She sighed as well and bowed her head. "My Lady, please forgive me," she murmured, standing up and leaving pool. The image shimmered before disappearing altogether, leaving the crystal waters clear again.