Monsters in the Closet (Epilogue)

Prompt 027: Parents

Epilogue

Two Months Later

"Veronica wants a baby." There was no greeting or anything just… Balthazar blurted the words out as he entered the room, sounding too scared of himself to even consider discussing the rest of the subject. Dave had been in the middle of a very important decision in his entire existence; white or blue tiles for the bathroom, so he was quite taken aback when the words hit him. So he frowned, squeezed the bottle of Mountain Dew, and turned to his master with the most quizzical stare he could muster. Balthazar was taking off his coat, attempting to set it calmly on the rack, and failing miserably. Both sorcerers watched the item fall to the floor, Balthazar leaned tried to place it two more times and he couldn't he just left it there. The hat followed suit.

"What?" Repeated Dave, aware that Balthazar had not heard his first surprised question, while Balthazar just dropped across from him, on the broken down sofa they had been able to salvage and were supposed to be loading in the Phantom (or whatever cargo vehicle the old master decided to use) to take it to the weir guys who had offered to refurnished for the lowest price. Balthazar sighed, remembering the sofa was broken only because something within it snapped and needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Veronica wants a child. A baby. A precious little thing that comes from her womb and my loins."

"I know what a baby is." Said Dave, recoiling in disgust at the excessive information Balthazar was giving. "And that's too much information thank you." So hopefully it wouldn't happen again, Dave said the last, but he knew his master something like that would slip between them because after all Balthazar was… well Balthazar. "So?"

"I'm not parenting material Dave." Dave had to disagree, there were many, many, many times he could count and tell on how Balthazar's parenting skills had helped him with different situation in life, so he smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes. Remember that time we first met?" Now that Balthazar mentioned there was that little time, and all those others in which he didn't seem to have patience and plasma bolted Dave into unconsciousness. No that was a lie, that time he did deserved it… But if Balthazar could not have some patience with an apprentice that lasted only a couple years, thank God, how would he treat his child that would be a link for the rest of his life?

"You are right. You are an awful store owner, but you didn't know who I was so it was normal you were slightly… acidic."

"Slightly acidic. Thank you." Balthazar gave him an annoyed stare and took a deep breath. "I can't be a father…" Dave lifted his hand interrupting Balthazar who arched an eyebrow.

"Don't give me the I'm too young thing because I know how old you are." And with that he returned to the catalogue to make his crucial tile decision.

"I mean I can't be a father because I have no patience, David." Oh, so the old man was serious here, he had to be Balthazar was using full names. He never called him David. "I've lived too long to actually sit down and stand a child. Veronica hasn't gone through all I went through! And even if I try I know she will find a way to get herself pregnant."

"So Becky told her about artificial insemination?"

"I meant natural way, with me."

"I know with you, who else?"

"I just mention it because you were taking a pretty daring road mentioning the whole artificial insemination thing." A moment of silence. "Why did Becky want to tell Veronica about artificial inseminations?"

"Female thing, so…"

"What?"

"You don't want a child?"

"Not now."

"When then?"

"In a couple of years."

"Are you aware that you guys might not have a couple of years?"

"Why?"

"Well at Veronica's age…"

"Veronica's age what?"

"… women tent to have difficulties conceiving. Why are you so defensive?"

"I'm not defensive. And Veronica would have no problems, she is still young and healthy. Why are you attacking her age? Or mine?"

"I haven't even spoken about you. But not that you mention it…"

"Ok, enough, stop. Don't go there or I will show you defensive."

"Touchy, what's with you? Are you in your period?"

A moment of silence. "Not funny Dave." An exasperated sigh. "Why am I telling you this? You are just my apprentice."

Dave, who had learned not to be offended by such comments, smiled. "Because I'm the only one who dares approach you without fear of been burned by your acidity!" Balthazar stood to leave while Dave laughed and dropping the catalogue over the broken table hurried after Balthazar. "Come on man it's a joke, come on."

"My future it's not laughing matter Dave."

"Alright, I get it. Sorry. Just come on, you have to admit it's rare we talk of your stuff." Balthazar took another calming breath and turned, his shoulders were quite tense and even Dave who had barely started his physical training could notice such thing. "Come on, let's talk."

"We should practice first."

"Would that make you feel better?"

"Slightly, yes."

"Then let's practice." Of course Dave understood that when he asked for training it would mean he would be hammered down to the ground, but he was so used to it every day it was done it hurt less and he felt magic closer to his skin and heart, closer to home. Balthazar's muscles seemed to relax only when he was casting an apparently familiar spell, something as natural as breathing, and relaxed even further when the halfway through built Tesla coils came alive with purple and blue plasma that danced, as usual, from one side to the room and towards Dave. By now the apprentice had learned to create shields to prevent the pain, and Balthazar could only laugh when he failed to surprise his apprentice.

It was ten o'clock when practiced finished, and they were sweating profusely because Balthazar was adamant they mixed magic and physical attacks. It was good for Dave, after all there were Morganians out there for his blood; that little trip to the market had proved it. Balthazar was panting, sitting over the broken down sofa, where another piece within had snapped, and Dave sat across from him in the small chairs, downing a bottle of water. Their evening were like this, usually, but lately because of the summer's heat they were coming to the lab more often and just sharing silence after practice and enjoying the little breeze that dared slid through the broken down walls of the old lab.

"My twenty-first birthday's coming up."

"I know. I plan to take you out for something special that night."

"Really? I'll have to check my calendar."

"It's free, trust me."

"Where to?"

"Well, I'm not really sure but there's going to be alcohol involved." Dave frowned and turned to Balthazar who was leaning back on the sofa and smirking.

"You are taking me out to go drinking?"

"We've got to celebrate your coming of age, don't we?"

"Huh. I like the idea."

And they both smiled; it was Balthazar's time to drink his bottle of water and then reach for another one; Dave had brought a small cooler with several bottles and some snacks aware Balthazar had done it the last time. They were quiet for a while and then Balthazar caressed his neck. "I always wanted to have a child with Veronica." The voice echoed in the quiet lab, making Dave turn with surprise to Balthazar, who was staring down at his bottle, where little slits of water were been moved with soft movements. "I've seen the horrors of this world, and wondered over there and back again. I've seen children murdered, children orphaned, children abused and denied… I don't have security in my life because if Morganians are after the Prime Merlinian they are also after the great Balthazar Blake." The last he said with a scoff, Dave observed his master, shaking his bottle of water suddenly and it became a thousand plastic butterflies that flew around for a while, and then made their way towards the trash bag, gathering to create the empty bottle again. "How can I offer safety to Veronica and my child, if we ever have one…"

"No one can." It was the truth, Dave knew, but he knew he should have at least waited for Balthazar to finish this statement before blurting things out like that. Balthazar turned to him, surprised, blue eyes staring at him as if he'd gone nuts. So Dave had two options; he could apologize and let his master go on, or he could improvise and speak his mind. "Listen Balthazar who can tell us what's going to happen in the next couple of years? Sure we could go to a seer and find out things but we both know those are scarce in this world and that things are not as accurate as we think. So, I think you should find happiness with Veronica and forget what the world might bright in a couple of years. Whatever happens we can deal with, and trust me you won't be taking care of that child alone because I'll be there, and so will Becky (god willing). Just let things flow and enjoy them; why suffer with things of the past? We've got to move on."

Balthazar stared at him, the words sinking in faster than Dave thought possible; the man could be impossible because of his stubbornness but there he was accepting the words his apprentice had said.

"We could go to a seer and find things out? Really Dave has anyone told you your advice giving skills need a lot of practice?"

"Hey! You were the one who started blurting out things without thinking."

"I keep forgetting who I was talking to. Forgive me." And Balthazar stood, frowning and murmuring as to why his coat and hat were on the floor, and picked them up. "I was considering a small field trip to the wild part of England, it would help you build some muscle and learn to come with any situation while lost in the woods."

"Why would I get lost in the woods?"

"Why indeed."

Dave frowned while Balthazar fixed his hat over his head, and took a deep breath. The heavy weight that seemed to be resting over his shoulders had lifted and he seemed absolutely lighter than air. "Before you go; blue or white?"

"Blue or white what?"

"Tile, for the bathroom."

A moment of silence.

"Both of them are disgusting. Why not green?"

"Because I won't find the mold when I'm cleaning it."

"Then consider not making a bathroom. Too bad too, Veronica chose this lovely gray set that might have worked wonders in the apartment's bathroom."

"Veronica bought my bathroom's tile?"

"I'll see you tomorrow Dave."

"No wait, Veronica really picked up my bathroom's tile?"

"Go home and rest, you've got to work on your Tesla coils tomorrow remember?" and Balthazar hurried up the improvised stairs, while Dave watched him go with questions in his mind that were unanswered.

"Why would Veronica do that? And why gray?" was the first of them all, frowning Dave shook his head and picked up the cooler, his catalogs and the sweater he usually brought just in case, and decided to call it a night. "He worries as if he were my father. I don't envy that child, I really don't." With parents like Veronica and Balthazar the child would have lots of frustrations and many things would be denied, but there would also be a lot of love. The child would want for nothing, it would lack nothing and even when Balthazar said he couldn't the future parents would be understanding, wise and… there.

Always there.

Dave smiled, closed the door to his new apartment/laboratory and shaking his head walked towards the general direction of his current apartment. What silly fears for such an old silly man.

Monsters in the Closet: The End