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Anya be my partner--- no that's too forceful. Anya, will you please consider being my partner—ugh that sounds too much like I'm asking her to a dance...
Ugh, why did Damian wait to tell me he was asking Anya to be his lab partner right before we showed up at the park? I would’ve canceled so they’d be alone. Why didn't he tell me earlier? Why can’t he be normal about this like any other human being? If anything he’s stealing my partner from me. Ugh! It’s so awkward now that I know and he's being so obvious he's overthinking it...
They’re so loud.
Anya tossed the ball and the three dogs all chased after it as the three classmates sat on the bench at the dog park together. It was quiet when they arrived at their somewhat weekly sometimes monthly outing to the dog park with their pets. A bit too quiet for Anya’s liking and it wasn’t until she realized she was the only one paying attention to Bond, Max, and Wiesel did she finally cave and invade their thoughts. (She was getting better at avoiding it though now that she was older, but sometimes she made exceptions.)
“Bond careful, you're gonna knock over Wiesel again,” Anya called out as the gentle giant spun around just as Max caught the ball before the other two and almost hit Wiesel with his butt.
She noticed Becky didn’t even notice, merely continuing to glare at Damian as he anxiously picked at the lint on his pants mumbling under his breath.
She suddenly wished she wasn’t sitting between them.
Yor... Yor...
Anya felt her chest tighten at the voice. Was Papa here? No way, it didn’t sound like his internal thoughts, it sounded like he was right next to her, speaking out loud. But it also sounded different. It was a tone in his voice she had never heard before in her life.
He was crying.
Anya tried to locate the voice and was thrust into the vision. Her mind suddenly left the park as her eyes closed, the vision much more immersive than it used to be when she was a child. She was immediately aware of whose head she was in.
Bond? What’s going on?
Instead, the vision continued.
Bond was seated in the foyer, watching as Papa collapsed onto his knees. Mama’s back facing Anya’s perspective as her father sobbed into her lap.
Never in all these years has she ever heard her father cry.
And just as suddenly as it happened, she was thrust out and found herself back in the park, somehow completely missing the moment Becky and Damian started to whisper and argue over her shoulder.
“Wait Bond, go back!”
Damian and Becky both jumped, shaking the bench as Anya shouted out.
“What’s wrong Forger?”
“Anya? What did Bond do?”
Anya froze. Damnnit...
Bond came over anyway, responding to the call of his name as the other dogs curiously followed.
“Anya?”
Suddenly the same vision returns to her head, not as clear but a loop of the vision keeps nagging at her and repeating over and over.
Okay I know I asked for more but I need more context, not the same 5-second clip assaulting my head like this.
“Umm, we have to go!”
Becky was quick to get up, grabbing Anya’s arm before she was able to run away after getting Bond’s leash back on. “Is everything alright?”
Damian looked panicked, sweat falling from his brow as Anya desperately tried to think of an excuse.
“I’m about to poop my pants!”
Becky grimaced, her hold loosening as Anya raced away, her face getting pink and warm as she screamed internally to herself.
Bond this better be very very important...
Anya sprinted home, her legs taking her there as fast as she could. She bypassed Mr. and Mrs. Authen walking to the candy store. But she didn’t have time to focus on the way they waved so sweetly at her, no she had more important things to worry about.
Did her parents fight? Did the mission fail? Is Mama going to leave Papa? Is the Garden going to make Mama kill Papa? Did Papa forget to replace the flowers in the pot on the coffee table that they wilted and it made Mama so sad she’s going to divorce him???
She’s losing it a bit. But can you blame her? She has never seen her father cry, ever in her life. He rarely shows sad emotions like that ever, so it is terrifying to think about what could’ve happened that caused this.
She thought back to the night before. Her mother had been taking fewer and fewer missions from the Garden. After they revealed their secrets she made a promise she was going to reduce her killings and one day retire from assassin work.
Since then she has, but last night she left for a mission and when she returned, she complained about not feeling well and decided it was bad enough she was going to the doctor. It scared Anya, but her mother assured her she was alright so Anya didn’t stress so much. If anything, her father was the one she had to worry about when it came to work-related injuries.
She finally made it to their building with Bond close behind. He had stopped showing her the vision at her insistence, but the memory of it continued to plague her.
Stairs... don't fall, don’t fall, don't fall...
Anya wasn’t the most agile person by any means, now add on this adrenaline and stress, she feared for herself as she raced up the stairs, skipping some steps along the way. Luckily she made it to the top with no issues, speeding down the hallway until she reached her front door, unlocked, and sounds escaping the doorframe.
“Yor... Yor... I can’t believe—”
It’s happening now? Bond, I can't prevent it from happening if it was happening right now?!?!”
Anya raced inside, dropping her bag and kicking her shoes off, not even realizing she hit Bond with one in the process.
“MAMA! PAPA!”
She caught the sight of them in the living room by Papa’s chair, in the same position as the vision, her father on his knees, his arms holding onto her pants as he quietly cried, he didn’t seem to be aware of Anya’s abrupt presence, but Mama did.
She slowly turned, and when she did Anya saw the stray tears falling from her eyes.
But she was laughing.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, Anya dear...” Mama wiped at her eyes and turned around. Her father continued to hide his face. Holding onto her legs but ultimately collapsing onto his chair as her attention was now on Anya. “I thought you were at the dog park with your friends.”
“Mama, I’m scared. Bond, showed me a vision of Papa crying. So I panicked and came home— am I too late?”
Her mother finally made it to Anya, the smile still gracing her features as she grasped Anya’s cheeks between her hands.
“No sweetie, if anything you’re a bit early...”
“Early?”
“I wanted to tell Loid first, so we could tell you together.”
Anya looked back and spotted her father now on his feet, collecting himself together and rubbing his bloodshot eyes. The sight was a marvel to behold, to see him look so uncharacteristically full of emotion. But he was making his best attempt to pull himself together, now looking more embarrassed than upset.
“Anya, look at me, honey.”
Anya obediently looked back at her mother. Her beautiful mother as she continued to smile at her with such elegance and charm.
She hesitated on her wording, trying to find the right words but failing. And then she smiled, “Read my mind...”
Anya made a promise to her parents after telling them her secret. Something she promised to herself, and given the day that she told them, after seeing what that had done in their memories, well she made a promise to not read their thoughts anymore without their permission or if a situation demanded it.
So after getting Mama’s consent, she delved in.
Anya stared at her mother's beautiful dark eyes. So beautiful, so kind, so soft, and full of love. She knew she had nothing to worry about.
“Mama...” Before she knew it a lone tear fell from her eye. And the corner of her lips upturned into the biggest grin she could muster. “Really?”
Her mother nodded enthusiastically, her arms pulling Anya into her chest. And she laid a kiss on her forehead.
“It’s a bit sooner than we expected, but for some reason your father was shocked.”
“Papa, you were crying!” Anya teased, lifting her head and starting to let the adrenaline of the excitement now take over. “Were you that happy?”
Her father crossed his arms across his chest, looking off to the side with indifference. But the faint blush on his cheeks was all Anya needed. “Well, why wouldn’t I be?” He mumbled.
“Anya’s gonna be a sister!” Anya jumped. “I’m going to be a big sister!”
She let go of her mother who merely chuckled as she ran over to her father.
“Why'd you have to go back to being a tsundere as soon as I came home?” Anya complained as she attempted to unwrap her father's arms.
“I don’t know what that was.”
“You were so happy you cried!”
He eventually gave in, letting her take his hands as she jumped up and down in front of him.
Papa couldn’t keep the act up any longer. And the ghost of a smile appeared on his face as he let Anya swing his arms around.
And then suddenly she stopped moving. Thoughts of the past few months plagued her thoughts.
“All those missions you two would have on the same nights. Encouraging me to go spend weekends at Becky’s vacation home with her. Longer date nights where you’d get home at insane hours. And then you started asking me to call before I came home when Damian was done tutoring me. You were planning on this?”
Her father suddenly stopped smiling, his face more red than before as he looked away from her.
“You don’t have to say that out loud…” He grumbled.
“Shh. She’s a teenager Loid. She’s mature.” Yor suddenly appeared behind Anya, arms on her shoulders
“I would’ve given you more alone time if I knew it was because you wanted a baby!”
“Anya please…” He covered his face avoiding her gaze and ignoring the way her mother encouraged her by giggling.
But Anya didn’t care. This was the greatest news she’d ever heard in her life. Her father was a softy and her mother was radiating so much joy.
They should celebrate.
“Mama call Uncle Yuri and Uncle Franky! Let’s also call the Authen’s over! We should have a party! I can’t wait to tell my friends!
“Slow down honey.” Her mother said softly.
“Why? This is so exciting!”
“I know, I know, I would love to have a party…”
“But—“
“But right now, maybe just for today… I’d like this to just be for us.”
Mama was running her hand through Anya’s hair, soothing her to try to calm down her excitement.
“Just us…” Anya repeated, locking her eyes with her mother as she tried to match her deep breath, giving in and calming down.
“Yeah, just us, 'cause it’s our baby.” Her father said softly, seemingly more like himself as his arms wrapped around his two girls.
Suddenly they heard footsteps approaching and Anya’s name getting called out.
“Anya? Anya? Are you okay?”
“Forger, explain yourself!”
Oh right.
Anya was suddenly reminded of her poop fiasco.
“AHHH WAIT GUYS DON'T COME IN!”
Anya sprinted towards the front door. Stopping her two friends before they passed the threshold with their dogs who chased along with them.
“At least tell us what’s going on…” Becky was huffing and puffing, catching her breath.
“Yeah I’m so— we got so worried.” Damian’s face was red and sweaty as he leaned against the doorframe and cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry… but me and Bond, we had some of my moms cooking and got the runs.”
The two looked at each other before sighing in relief in understanding.
“Oh okay… are you okay then?” Becky tried to step inside, genuine concern on her face. She probably wanted to help take care of her.
“Yeah, all you had to do was give us at least some context Forger.”
“Perfectly fine.” Anya chuckled with a smile. “But you don’t want to go in there. It’s a mess… Poop everywhere. I’m gonna rest up for the rest of the day.” She gently pushed the two out the door and managed to yell out before shutting it. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow!”
With the door shut Anya lingered at the entrance to ensure she heard them walk away before letting out a sigh of relief.
She spun around and spotted her parents in the foyer with raised brows.
“You didn’t have to lie that much,” Papa said, his head hanging low in embarrassment.
“Do they know I’m such a bad cook?” Her mother whined.
Anya just shrugged. “I just ran with it. I can explain more tomorrow. My excuses are more believable the more embarrassing they are.”
“Who taught you that?” Her father asked.
“Uncle Franky…”
Her father mumbled under his breath in frustration.
“Papa you’re going to be a Papa again, we have to celebrate. That's what we should focus on instead. We’re gonna cook Mama a nice big dinner so she can have a nice healthy baby.”
“That sounds lovely, Anya.” Her mother took her hand as they made their way into the kitchen. Anya got ahead of herself as she opened the fridge to inspect what they could make.
“And, then after we can watch Spy Wars so the baby gets accustomed to hearing it, I need them to be familiar with the lore and music…” Anya started taking out eggs, strawberries, and anything she got her hands on. Her mother went to help but was instead shooed away. “No Mama go sit, me and Papa are in charge. You can’t be working around in your condition.”
Her mother was going to argue but after Papa joined Anya in the kitchen, she caught his look. He wanted her to play along and she was more than happy to.
“Anya please stop just taking everything out of the fridge. We don’t need all this.”
“The baby does!”
“It seems like we have everything we need to just do a little stew tonight, you can put away the ice cream and salmon.” Her father started to clean up her mess. “You can start cleaning the vegetables while I can get started on the meat.”
Anya saluted him before instructing her mother to sit at the table, still in view of them as they busied around the kitchen.
Anya’s heart soared as her father joined her at her side as she stood over the sink with celery and carrots in hand. He quietly nudged into her side as he laid the meat on the cutting board next to her.
“Are you happy Anya, about becoming a big sister?”
Anya looked up at him, checking the concern and hesitation on his face. Was he nervous about this? Did he really think she wouldn’t be?
“Of course!”
Her father watched her closely, eyeing her cheerful expression and studying it for any breaks.
“You’ll always be my first child, Anya, you know that? This one isn’t going to change that…” his voice lowered as his head turned towards his meat. His cheeks flushing pink and his volume was just slightly out of earshot from her Mama.
Anya felt her heart stutter against her chest. He was worried she’d be jealous? He’s insecure that this new baby would take attention from her? That this baby, although not related to her at all, would be related to both her parents and not her? Jealous of the adorable baby that was only going to make her family bigger and closer together?!?! She absolutely wouldn’t. She couldn’t.
This was her family too. She was the glue that held them together.
“Don’t be such a sap Papa. I know I’ll always be your first kid. But this is going to be your first baby.”
And suddenly she saw his eyes widen.
She must’ve struck something. Something he didn’t think about since learning he was going to be a dad (again). Was he getting dumber the longer he stayed a Forger or was he just too blinded by the bliss he forgot a crucial fact about the fact that Anya was adopted at a certain age of development?
And so she snuck herself into his thoughts, just an innocent peek.
Fuck. I don’t know how to take care of a baby…
Fuck I really don’t know how to take care of a baby.
Loid stared at the books in front of him. Carefully procured by Franky from the Handler who sat on his couch watching the television with Anya, both of whom were completely oblivious to the meltdown Loid was currently having in his head.
He looked at Anya who laughed along to the program, not Spy Wars this time but some comedy variety show instead. He thought back, he first got her she was 5 (but posing as a 6-year-old). Which meant now she was a newly turned 13-year-old (posing as a 14-year-old). Anya came to him already able to speak, was potty trained, could somewhat read, and already had a fully formed personality and temperament. But she also came with her own traumas…
Sure she was a handful, but she could fend for herself well enough and survived many hardships throughout what she remembered of the research lab and her many foster homes. And she thrived with him in the early years better than he thought given that she was reading his every thought at that time.
But a baby. An infant. A child who can’t speak, can’t fend for themselves, and can’t use the bathroom. A baby is basically a ticking time bomb. One that Loid had zero experience or training in.
“Gonna study up?” Franky asked, side-glancing at him. “You’re just staring at the books, usually you’d be halfway done with all of them by now.”
Loid glared at him without a word.
Your Baby and You
How to Be a Father for Dummies
Diapers, Milk, and Naptime
He cringed at some of the titles. Did Franky think he was an idiot? This was Twilight. A man who mastered any craft he needed to succeed. He can cook, clean, and raise a teenager!
A baby is nothing.
But it’s not. This is his and Yor’s baby. His and Yor’s first baby. She has never been pregnant before, never been a mother…
Wait no she is a mother, she has been a mother for years. She excelled at it. She raised Yuri and she is raising Anya. She is an experienced mother. And he has been a father for years.
Loid rubbed his head. Massaging his temples as he very slowly peeked over his hands and looked at Anya, lounging around without a care in the world. She was healthy, happy, and functional. She started seeing a private therapist, one from WISE that the Handler recommended, ever since she confessed her secret and her past traumas with those scientists. She had overcome so much while in his care. He surely knew what he was doing…
He was already a father so why was he having a breakdown over this?
“I’m going on a walk…” Loid abruptly got to his feet and trudged away, grabbing his coat and slipping his shoes on before heading out the door.
Once outside, he let out a sigh, full of all his frustrations just to ease the stress he was feeling. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and began his walk.
Since that day, when all their secrets came out, Loid did a lot of reflection.
He, Yor, and Anya all lost their parents. All three of them underwent many traumas and were forced into situations that enabled them to pave their own futures, even if it meant doing questionable things along the way. They were all victims of the horrors of war, all three struggled just to get their own slice of happiness and purpose.
But this baby. This baby was going to be born into a family without secrets. Into a normal (as normal as can be) life in a world that is so close to some semblance of peace. They would never know fear, never know the loneliness of losing someone, never know the chilly isolation of keeping secrets from the ones you love.
Will he be the father he always needed? Will he protect this baby from the world? He wasn’t able to protect Anya, all he could do was make up for what she was deprived of. From his own experience and statistics, it seemed the world never spares a child from its evil. The odds of him protecting his own, it was out of his control.
Babies were not predictable. They were sensitive, unable to communicate, and knew nothing of the world. He took pride in how he could read people and predict their actions and way of thinking. But a baby? A baby that was his, that he chose to bring into the world. That he and Yor had chosen to have together…
He made the choice to have a baby, to bring them into the world. He chose to become a father (unlike his first time). He did that knowing exactly how cruel the world could be. That at any moment someone’s happiness and peace could be ripped away.
The world was cruel; he knew that for a fact. If somehow he and Yor were wiped off the planet, leaving Anya and the baby parentless, again…
Anya… Anya… He couldn’t protect Anya. But this baby. This baby will not know of evil. They will only know love and will have a full and loving family… something Anya didn’t have the luxury of having for her first 5 years of life. It’s just not fair to her…
“Loid?”
He didn’t realize how far he walked. He just disassociated and let his body move him. It wasn’t until the soft voice shook him from his spiral did he realize he was about two miles from home, near a park and the train station.
His wife’s voice called out to him again.
“Loid? What are you doing here?”
He looked up, spotting Yor just ahead of him, her footsteps speeding up in worry at how he didn’t look up right away.
She must’ve just gotten off the train. She went out with Camilla to look at baby clothes (since both women were now expecting). Their relationship had improved tremendously over the years and even more so since Camilla found out she was also pregnant shortly after Yor.
“Are you okay?” She asked, finally catching up to him and resting a hand on his shoulder, trying to make eye contact with him as he slowly pulled himself from his thoughts. Her other hand was busy holding some shopping bags, and even though she was only a few weeks along, her hand naturally rested on her middle as she walked.
Even though there wasn’t even a bump, the thought of the baby made his stomach queasy.
“I don’t know…”
Yor hummed softly. Thinking through her approach and trying to hide her concern for her husband and his out-of-character behavior. She very gently took his hand and began to lead him down the road toward the park that was a block over. He let her take the lead. Not really thinking about anything anymore except maybe some relief that he wasn’t just alone with his thoughts anymore.
They didn’t speak on their walk. Yor’s thumb rubbed against his hand as she led him into the park. Kids were playing with a frisbee up ahead of them, jumping around the couple as Loid mindlessly followed. Yor giggled as she dodged their frisbee and helped Loid move out of the way as the kids got lost in their joyful play.
Yor peered back at him and he finally looked up from the pathway, her eyes filled with concern as her smile faded and she pouted at him.
“Let’s sit for a bit…” They turned towards the nearby bench, under the shade of a huge willow tree. She let him sit first before sliding in by his side, her arm wrapping around his as she rested her hand on his thigh, patting it softly. “You know, you're very easy to read, something’s got you all frazzled and we’ll rest here until your head is clear again.” She mumbled on, talking about how she was tired as well and wanted to enjoy this beautiful afternoon weather as the sun began to set around them.
Loid let out a sigh, his mind looking around, naming some of the trees in the park, thinking about the smell of the cigarettes from the old man feeding the squirrels, and listening to the children laugh with each other as they played. His hands felt the little pricks of wood from the aging bench they sat on and then he focused on the feeling of her hand along his thigh. He felt more at ease now.
Yor’s patience was a godsend and it took years of experience for her to learn that when Loid was overthinking like this, when his head was beyond logic, and he was losing a sense of reality… she needed to let him ground himself.
When she felt him finally reach for her hand and his breathing even out, she spoke.“I don’t expect you to be 100% ready and prepared for this baby right now.”
Loid laughed. She was such a smart woman and many times he questioned if Yor was also a telepath.
“I don’t know if it’s just that though…”
Yor nodded, “It surely must be something else too. Because we have talked about your anxieties with raising a baby ‘from scratch’, as you say, we had this discussion many times before we even started trying for a baby.”
They did. Loid was the one who insisted on having very deep conversations about having a child. They spent many nights, tangled in each other, bare skin on bare skin, talking about their anxieties about bringing a baby into a dangerous world.
They talked about their shared anxiety about not being able to protect a baby in this Cold War era. Their fears of continuing their dangerous careers and one day leaving behind a defenseless baby if something were to happen to them. Their inexperience in raising a baby despite being seasoned parents…
It was very therapeutic, their discussions with each other and learning they had the same reservations while also wanting to grow their family.
“We won’t be alone. We have Franky, Yuri, the Authens, Miss. Sylvia, Fiona… we have people we trust, who can protect our kids. We have time to prepare and learn how to take care of a baby. The world isn’t the same as it was when we were children. We’re still trapped in that mindset of a war-torn world.”
Yor continued. She reassured him that he was smart and skilled, that she was patient and strong. They weren’t alone. The world was safer than it was before… All the things they’ve already talked about. But still, Loid did feel better as she reminded him. She has done it quite a few times since that first doctor appointment they attended together.
But still, he was anxious. And now that Yor reassured him of his anxieties he realized there was one specific thing nagging at his anxiety.
“I got all the books from the Handler today.” He softly said.
“Did they make you spiral?”
“I think they triggered it… but I think what’s bothering me now is…” Loid hesitated on saying it. Because as he reflected he realized they hadn’t talked about this yet. “…Anya.”
Yor’s hand stilled, her hold loosening around his own.
“I wish, every day I wish I was Anya’s real father. That I didn’t abandon her or that I would protect her and be there for her during the most vulnerable time of her life.”
Yor listened patiently, staring ahead as the dogs raced around the park.
“We’ve never raised a baby. All our attention is going to be on this baby. To give this baby the life Anya didn’t have the good fortune of having. They’re never going to know what it’s like to be scared and alone. They’re going to have two parents with a healthy relationship, an adoring older sister, and lots of family and friends to dote on them.”
Loid let go of Yor’s hand, his head then burying itself in his hands as he groaned. All his frustration let out as he finally voiced it out loud.
“It’s not fair to her!” It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to her. Anya deserved all the attention. She deserved to have the childhood that this baby was going to have.
He felt Yor’s hand on his back. Gently rubbing circles as she sighed. “I had those thoughts too.”
Loid looked up, not even realizing his hands were now very slightly moist with the stray tears that fell from his frustrations.
“Anya would never let it show, but I’m sure she’s thought about it. She must be aware that she’s gonna lose us for a bit. That things will never be the same after we have this baby.”
Yor nodded her head, validating his concerns as she continued to rub his back.
“We both know Anya isn’t the jealous type. All her time spent around those rich kids at Eden and she has not once complained about the life we’ve given her. If anything, she seems happier than her classmates.”
“But what if this is what makes her realize what she was deprived of? That her traumas could have been avoided. Just how unfair it is that she had to go through that and continues to have to go through so much because of this mission and the stress of keeping secrets from each other.”
“She may come to that realization if she hasn’t already, and it’s okay for her to feel that way.” Yor then shrugged. “But I also think that Anya would fight so hard for this baby to have the most perfect childhood that she lacked. She would want the best for this baby just like we do. She would want them to not have to go through what all three of us went through.”
Loid raised his head and sat back listening nice and closely, her hand raising to massage his neck as he leaned against the bench again.
“Anya isn’t that helpless little girl anymore. She's a teenager Loid. We’ve done all we could to help her. But you know what, she is the happiest a girl could be. And this baby, I promise you, will only make her happier.”
“But it’s not fair…”
“It’s not and that’s a fact.” She said sternly. “You know what, I’m a little jealous of this baby as well. To come into the world with a resourceful and kind father like you. To grow up with your delicious homemade meals. To have a fun and creative sister like Anya who will surely fill this baby’s life with laughter and love…” She paused and looked back at Loid. “I wish I had that. I wish you had that too. I wish Anya had that. But we can’t help it now.”
Loid nodded his head in understanding. It reassured him to know that Yor validated his feelings. That Yor felt what he felt and thought what he thought even though it felt unpleasant to think about.
“It’s going to be okay, Loid. I promise. Anya will always be our first child. The light of our lives that made us parents. But this baby is going to be our first baby. My first baby, your first baby, and Anya’s first baby. It’s going to be special for all three of us and it’s going to be scary for all three of us. As much as we may be jealous of this baby, we are also the ones who are going to work so hard that this baby is going to have the most enviable life imaginable. They are going to be the luckiest baby to live.”
Yor’s free hand enclosed into a fist in front of her and she smiled. She was full of pride but also full of ambition. She was so sure of everything she said. She believed every word. And it was then that Loid realized she must’ve thought about this many, many times before coming to this conclusion and felt so strongly about it.
Yor was undoubtedly right. She always was. She was better at this than him. Always better at this introspection than he was. She was the more emotionally intelligent one. And he was always thankful that his partner was so brilliant in the fields he lacked.
“You're amazing, you know that?”
Yor flushed and suddenly she was back to being that clumsy and shy woman he fell for. All that confidence disappeared as he complimented her so out of the blue.
“What?”
“You’re amazing… You’re a wonderful mother, Yor. I know I tell you this all the time but you really are.”
She looked away all bashfully.
“Well, I’m still terrified about this. Don’t mistake that, I’m just doing a good job at masking it. Don’t forget that despite the fact I am a mother, I still have never been pregnant before nor have I ever birthed a baby. So while I do share some of your reservations about this ‘becoming first-time parents all over again’ thing like you, I’m more focused on the fact I have to birth this baby at some point. And also this morning sickness is not pleasant at all…”
Loid laughed. A full-on belly laugh. All his anxieties washed away as Yor looked away from him all embarrassed as she confessed her true fear.
“Well, if I had the power, I would rather take all this away from you and give it to myself instead. I hope my little meal preps for you have been helping though. I hear smaller, more frequent meals should help…”
Yor, suddenly flustered, turned back to him and waved her hands up. “Oh, they have been helping! I appreciate them so much! You do too much for me already…”
“Well it’s the least I can do… you're carrying my baby and I’m the reason you're going through all this. Spoiling and taking care of you isn’t nearly enough to make up for it. Plus you’ve been the only thing keeping me sane about this ‘becoming a father again’ thing that’s got me so stressed out.”
“Well, I think now it’s less of that and more of you not wanting to have to give Anya less attention than what you and her are used to…”
Loid kept quiet and looked off to the side. She's right. She’s always right. Sure he’s still a bit anxious about the baby, but this worry for Anya was a newer concern. Something that was really bugging him and probably wouldn’t go away so soon.
“Listen Loid…” Yor’s hand squeezed his bicep trying to get his attention. “I think you should talk to Anya.”
He let out a sigh. “I know…”
“You don’t have to do it yet if you’re not ready. But I can guarantee you’ll feel better after talking to her.”
Loid sank back in his seat suddenly thinking about going home at this moment to the pile of parenting books waiting for him and it was not exactly the most thrilling prospect. “Do we have to go home today?” He asked, testing the waters.
“Well yes, it’s almost dinner time and we have some laundry to finish. I want to make sure Anya’s gym shirt juice stain is out before the weekend ends. Oh, and I wanted to finish cleaning up some of our old stuff from the new nursery…”
Loid grumbled. Suddenly acting like an angsty teenager. The thought of chores and responsibilities calling for him at this moment when he was feeling so overwhelmed was not exactly what he wanted. Seeing Anya while knowing how guilty he’s been feeling without really getting his thoughts together and talking to her about his worries… he wanted some time to cool his head.
“…Loid?” Yor was still talking about chores and all the things they had to do when they got home. But he had missed the last few parts of what she said, and she had noticed, looking a little annoyed with him because of it.
“Loid are you listening?”
“Yor honey…”
He saw one of her eyebrows raise in curiosity.
“…can we get a room somewhere else tonight?” He reached for her thigh, his hand gently squeezing it, “We haven’t had a moment to ourselves in a while.
Her cheeks flushed red as he looked up at her, almost pleading with her. She bit her bottom lip, he thought for a second she was holding back from yelling at him. But he caught one cheek turning upwards in amusement and before he knew it, she was shyly avoiding his eyes as she looked around, hoping no one overheard.
“As thrilling as that sounds…” Her eyes darted back to him, “Franky would not be happy about having to watch Anya for the night.”
“If you're not in the mood, we can just go home. But—“
“I want it too… It’s been a while…” Her face reddened even more. And he found it to be so charming that after all this time and how confident she was in the bedroom, in moments like this she still got so embarrassed. “Truthfully I think sex might help me feel a bit better too. I’ve had an itch but the morning sickness has been distracting me.”
“I’m going to pay Franky double then. My wife is in need. And I promised to spoil you during this pregnancy, right? If you want it I must oblige.” Loid had gotten to his feet, getting a little giddy with excitement at the prospect of avoiding some of his responsibilities for the night.
Since their big secret reveal Loid had started to lax a bit on being the perfect father and had become just a little bit more selfish. At the expense of their short list of sitters who could step in when Loid wanted a break from parenting.
“How is that any different from how you spoiled me before?” She chuckled as she took his hand just as he started to lead her down the path and out of the park, in the opposite direction of their home.
“Well, now Franky wouldn’t want to deprive a pregnant woman of her needs.”
“I feel bad,” Yor mumbled however didn’t slow down her pace with any hesitation. “Plus I don’t have anything cute under this…”
“You don’t need to wear anything special… but if you want, it would be fun to pick something up along the way…”
“Loid!” He dragged her further down the road and towards the nearest pay phone, his pace quickening as the excitement filled him and all his worries washed away.
“Forger, you don’t have much left…” Damian sighed.
“Ugh but I’m bored, let’s take Bond out on a walk.”
“We can after you finish.” It was a Saturday after all. She was antsy after being stuck studying all morning.
“Buy me something then. A snack from the candy store around the corner.”
“Maybe… if you get it all right.”
Anya hunkered down, a bit reluctantly, but nevertheless got back to work. It was just another study session. The library this weekend was currently taken by all their upperclassmen for university exams so they decided to come to Anya’s instead of invading the full library with their stressed seniors.
He sat on the floor of her bedroom leaning against her bed, he had finished his own homework and was merely twiddling his pencil between his fingers as he stared around her room.
It was small but it just screamed ‘Anya’. The sweet comforting smells of what a true home was like. Where someone could feel excited to come home and find solace in a bedroom full of all they loved and feel at ease when they go to bed at night.
It still had some semblance of her childhood room when he first came over. Her collection of stuffed animals from her parents she cherished so much, the Spy Wars manga on the shelves, and the childish wallpaper and shelving.
But it also has changed quite a lot. She now had a vanity with lip gloss and a very small makeup collection. Her room was not as messy with toys anymore as it was with dirty clothes and an unmade bed. She now had a bigger collection of Spy Wars figures and merchandise littering her walls. As well as photographs of her family and friends.
His eyes drifted to the few of him. Granted Becky or his two friends were in them too, but he was there nevertheless. He was happy to be included in this safe space where Anya found solace, but it did make him want to have a picture of just the two of them on the walls.
He’d like to have one for his own bedroom…
“All done.”
Damian looked over at Anya, who was lying on her stomach kicking her legs around as she finished her review packet. She had quickly sat herself back up on her knees and handed it to him to review eagerly awaiting his approval with a grin.
She kinda looked like a puppy begging for a treat. It was cute. He almost wanted to just not grade her packet at all and let her off easy… almost wanted to.
But he stayed true to his morals. Investigating each of her answers with care. He wanted her to learn and improve, he was a strict tutor, but his process paid off, he might as well follow through, even though deep down he wanted to.
Just as he finished and prepared himself to commend Anya, he heard a yell from outside Anya’s room.
“The hell was that?”
“My Papa? He’s working on the nursery right now with my Uncle Franky.” Anya slowly rose to her feet to follow the source of the noise.
Damian curiously followed, forgetting the packet and opting to investigate with Anya.
He found that whenever he was over, something was always going on. The dog was being an idiot, her father was fussing over something, her mother was clumsily stumbling around, her weird uncles were in and out of the door… it was always something.
The two opened the bedroom door revealing Anya’s Uncle Franky on the floor with dark green paint all over him and the floor. A step ladder was lying on top of him and Mr. Forger merely held his head in his hand, with his other hand on his hips, letting out a sigh once realizing the kids had walked in.
Anya laughed, choosing to help her Uncle sit up seeing as he was complaining Mr. Forger was not helping him.
“It’s a good thing you have that tarp sir,” Damian uttered as he lifted the step ladder.
“Thankfully…”
“Anya-chan…Help…” her uncle whined. He made a pathetic attempt to get to his feet.
Anya merely giggled as she reached out to his hand and helped him up. “Come Scruffy, let’s find you clothes and an ice pack. Damian, do you think you could help my Papa?”
“Sure.” Damian held his breath as the two walked out and once alone he noticed Mr. Forger, with the exhaustion hidden on his face and the deep breathing he used to collect himself. “How can I help sir?” Damian liked Mr. Forger and understood he was a kind man, but even so, he continued to be intimidated in this man’s presence.
Mr. Forger finally looked up from the mess.
“Sorry Damian, but if you don’t mind…”
And so for the next hour or so, Damian helped Mr. Forger. They replaced the tarp and the teenage boy did his best in trying to help him paint. He had never done a task like this before. They had always hired people for stuff like this. But he kind of enjoyed the painting. He mostly stuck to using the roller to coat the walls while Mr. Forger lined the doorway and edges.
They didn’t speak much, but they didn’t need to. Mr. Forger played some light classical music on the radio as they worked so it helped ease the silence. Damian heard the bathroom faucet turn on at some point and he assumed that was Anya attempting to clean the paint off the clothes.
“Damian, how’s Anya doing?”
Damian paused his painting, looking off to the side where Mr Forger was on the step ladder, carefully crafting the straightest line he had ever seen in his life ensuring none of the green paint touched the white ceiling. He hadn’t lost his concentration at all.
Damian decided to focus back on the wall as he answered. “She’s doing good. Focusing more at school and she hasn’t been needing my help as much as she thinks she does.”
There was a brief silence. Damian suddenly panicked, unsure if this was what Mr. Forger was looking for.
“That’s good. I really appreciate your help.”
Damian was relieved as the silence returned. The only sound being the soft music and the rolling of paint.
“How is she doing, with this whole baby thing?”
Damian paused.
“She’s excited, maybe a bit too excited. She talks about it constantly. So I guess she is doing pretty good.”
“That’s good…”
Damian simmered on his response. Was she not acting the same at home? He assumed she was. Well, it’s obvious she was. Anya’s very happy about having a sibling and he knows for a fact she doesn’t hide it.
So the fact Mr. Forger is asking him about this piqued his curiosity.
“Do you think she’ll be a good sister?”
Damian turned his head and when he did he found that Mr. Forger had actually stopped painting and was looking at him. He felt his face heat up from the sudden serious tone this took.
And because he had his full attention, Damian thought about it carefully.
He didn’t have a good point of reference for what it takes to be a ‘good sibling’. Demetrius was turning more and more into their father as the years went on. More elusive, more cold… and Damian found as he got older, he understood him even less.
He always felt more like an only child if anything. He had no right to judge what made a good sibling. All he could say was that he didn’t really like how his relationship was with his own.
“I don’t know if I’m the best person to answer that question if I’m being honest.” He chuckled nervously. “I don’t think my brother or I are very good at it ourselves.”
Mr. Forger’s face looked downcasted at his answer. And he chuckled softly trying to hide his disappointment. “I guess that’s a good point. I don’t have any siblings myself so I don’t really know. And my wife, she has a brother, but they were orphaned young, so she was always more of a mother to him…”
Damian was surprised at how open he was being. Mr. Forger looked very vulnerable at this moment. He must really be concerned about Anya if he was being this open to a stranger.
“I think Anya’s going to be a great sister though. She’s very thoughtful and empathetic. She’s always looking out for others and she tries her best to brighten everyone’s day. I can only assume she’ll treat her sibling even better than she treats her best friends. So I don’t think you have to worry about her so much.”
He couldn’t control himself from speaking his honest truth.
“That’s just my opinion on her as a friend though…”
Mr. Forger merely smiled, his eyes staring off at the ground in deep thought. “I appreciate it though, so thank you for answering.”
“Yeah, no problem sir.”
“But if I may ask you for one favor over this next year or so...”
Damian held his breath. This man was already intimidating as is. But now he needed something from him?
“If you ever see it bothering Anya or notice her behavior change from the lack of attention or being overwhelmed with more responsibilities... Do you think you could let me know? Or maybe just give Anya some of the attention I am unable to give her? I feel like if a day comes when it does affect her, she might not tell me.”
“Oh... I can do that.” That’s it, that’s all this silly old man wanted? To do exactly what he was doing already? It’s not exactly a favor...
But the man smiled. A smile full of gratitude. So he just went along with it.
—-
An hour or so passed. Not much time but it seemed to fly by as Damian seemingly enjoyed this mindless activity of painting in the quiet room with the father of his friend he happened to have a crush on. Anya checked on them a few times but was busy taking care of her whiny uncle and attempting to clean his clothes.
“Loid honey? Anya? I’m home!!”
Mr. Forger stilled as both he and Damian made eye contact before looking towards the open doorway.
“Mama?!?!”
“Sweet Yor! You’ll never believe what your husband did to me!!”
Anya raced down the hallway. Damian didn’t know what to do or how to react so he watched as Mr. Forger panicked and made his best attempt to tidy himself up as footsteps approached. Damian merely followed Mr. Forger’s actions as he climbed down the step ladder and readied himself by the door.
“What’s going on? What happened to Franky?”
Mrs. Forger stepped into the frame, a smile on her face as she was in the middle of asking Anya a question as the girl held onto her hand.
She was a beautiful woman. Damian couldn’t, not, admit it. He didn’t give it much thought when he was younger but now that he was a teenager, he was very aware that she was a beautiful woman.
“Loid what is this?” She gasped as she finally gazed around the room. Her eyes laid on Damian and her surprised face morphed into a sweet smile. “Oh Damian hello dear!”
“I thought you were going to be gone all weekend with Yuri? Why are you back so soon? I wanted to start setting up the nursery as a surprise for when you came back.”
“Yuri fell down some stairs by the cemetery because he felt the baby kick, so I forced him to take us home a bit early so he could go to the doctor.” She patted her stomach where the 6-month baby bump rested.
“The baby kicked again?”
Damian watched the stoic man brighten up, eyes looking like a child’s on their birthday as he dusted off his hands and approached his wife, hands outstretched.
“The baby has been kicking a lot lately. Very rambunctious as we were visiting my parents' graves.”
“I wanna feel too!” Anya reached over at the same time as her father did to touch her stomach.
“I don’t know if— oof!” The three Forgers' eyes all widened at the same time. “They must be excited to be home—oof. See what I mean!”
Mr. Forger and Anya chuckled together as they felt the kicking.
Mrs. Forger just smiled before looking over at Damian. “Would you like to feel Damian?”
“It’s so cool Damian!” Anya called out beckoning him over.
This isn’t weird for them? For a strange child to interrupt this family moment?
It was odd though. He hasn’t even been around a pregnant woman before. He didn’t have a big family, and didn’t ever really see his extended family. He knew biologically how it worked. He understood there was a baby in there. He didn’t need to feel it to have proof of the life growing inside.
He stepped forward anyway and let Anya grab his wrist to lead him to the right spot to catch the movement.
He felt the slightest little thump . His chest jumped from the surprise. And then another thump.
“Isn't that cool! That’s my baby sibling!” Anya watched his reaction closely. The way his eyes widened before his lips upturned in a soft smile.
It was cool. He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries so he gently let go as movement stopped and Anya continued to go off about her excitement as she observed the progress they made in the nursery. He showed her the spots he finished up that were drying and the spots that still needed work.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Mr. Forger lathered his wife with kisses. His hand was not letting go of her stomach and he couldn’t wipe that uncharacteristic smile off his face.
He couldn’t even fathom his parents acting like this when they were expecting him. Was his father spoiling his mother with attention? Did he put in the time and effort to work on his nursery? Did his brother brag to everyone about how excited he was to be an older sibling? Did the three of them share warm giggles as they felt him kick in his mother's stomach?
There was absolutely no way. No way… They had staff and maids to take care of the chores. They hired the most expensive interior designers to work on the nursery. They had a private chef and nutritionist and private doctors who took care of his mother. His father was far too busy working on ‘perfecting’ this country and training his brother for greatness to pay attention to something that was yet to be alive and prove its promise.
“Yor dear, tell your husband I’m hungry!” Anya’s Uncle called out, deprived of attention.
“What did you do to him?” Mrs. Forger asked.
Mr. Forger just rolled his eyes and mumbled softly to her causing her to giggle.
Mr. Forger turned to Damian, “Sorry for troubling you with this, you were only supposed to come over to tutor Anya. I know you might want to go, but the least I can do is cook you a meal if you don’t mind staying as thanks…”
“Ooo perfect, just in time for Spy Wars!”
Damian didn’t have a choice. Anya dragged him onto the living room floor and snatched the remote from her Uncle who continued to nurse his bruises with an ice pack. After much insistence, Mr. Forger forced his wife to lie down on the couch as he got started on dinner.
Damian seemingly didn’t have a choice in the matter, but he felt staying a bit longer was the right choice anyway.
“Forger wake up!”
Anya felt a thunk against her head.
“Forger!”
Thunk.
“ ANYA!”
Anya lifted her head. The drool on her cheek left a thin line of saliva on her arm and noticed a red mark on her skin from where she was just resting her head.
“What?” She drowsily looked over at Damian who sat next to her, his hand in a mid-flicking motion towards her forehead.
He nudged his head over towards Professor Henderson who stood on the other side of their table in the library.
“Huh? What did I do this time…” She sighed as she rubbed her eyes. School was over so she shouldn’t be getting in trouble for sleeping during her study session with Damian. She asked him for a 15-minute nap before they continued working on their project. And he said it was fine since they were still ahead of schedule and she got her other homework done.
“Miss. Forger, you are not in trouble.”
Anya let out a sigh of relief. Truthfully half the time she did get in trouble she didn’t even remember what it was for. But it was very rare for a teacher to come find her for a reason not related to her almost flunking or accidentally getting herself in some mess.
She rubbed her eyes, still trying to wake up. She was about to try reading his mind to find out what she did wrong once she was more awake, but since she didn’t have to, she just waited.
“Your Uncle is here to pick you up.”
“Huh? Well okay… He’s gotta pick me up now though? I’m not done with my work with Damian?”
“No it’s alright Forger you, you gotta go…”
She looked over at Damian in shock. He was okay with her skipping out? She reached down and laid the top of her hand against his forehead checking for a fever.
“I'm fine, idiot…” He smacked her hand away and motioned for her to look at their Housemaster again.
“Your father requested your presence at the hospital, your mother seems to be in labor.”
Anya booked it.
Beneath their silver shine
and drift to sleep
O sweet Princess and Prince of mine
Drift to the sleep
Dawn was just rising. Slow even breaths filled the room. Warmth encased Yor’s left side, her arm numb as her daughter snuggled against it, her head resting on her shoulder as she sang to her.
It was a long long night and an even longer day. She went into labor early in the morning, but she hid it from Anya until she had left for school. She knew it was a long waiting game ahead, so she ordered Loid to hide it from her until she was done with school so she wouldn’t be worrying all day.
Sure Anya was furious when she discovered they kept it from her and forced her to spend the day at school, but seeing as once she arrived it was still a long way until the arrival of the baby, Anya didn’t seem to care anymore.
It could’ve also been the fact that Yor herself was on the brink of exhaustion all night from the pain and waiting that also wiped the annoyance off Anya’s face.
Yuri was beside himself; he was checking on her almost every day during his lunch breaks and on his way home from work during her last month of pregnancy. It was nice to have company and to be spoiled by her baby brother, but boy did it bug Loid to have him around, constantly.
As soon as Yuri realized she wasn’t home and the baby bag was gone, Yuri made it to the hospital just a few hours after they arrived.
Loid was stressed to begin with. Worrying about Anya, worrying about the baby, and worrying about his wife. She knew Yuri was just the cherry on top of Loid’s blood pressure skyrocketing.
Anya’s arrival did help, she was a good distraction. Plus her emotional intelligence was one of her strengths, so Anya was able to stay by her side, keep her father grounded, and take on dealing with Yuri’s incessant whining.
It was a grueling 20 hours of labor. Yuri started to get frightened the closer and closer she got. Eventually, he opted to wait with Franky in the waiting room after some convincing from herself. She was relieved that Anya stayed with her and Loid. She was her greatest strength throughout this whole experience, plus Yor really wanted the three of them to experience it together.
She was really impressed and filled with pride over Anya’s maturity and motherly instincts. While Loid panicked and stressed, Anya remained calm, held her hand, and ran her fingers through her hair as she endured every contraction. It was the worst pain of her life, one that had her rethink quitting her job because no pain she ever experienced as an assassin compared to what she felt this past night.
And when the time came, her doctor and nurse were ready below her. Anya and Loid held her hands on either side of her. The moment the baby’s head slipped out and cries filled the room, Loid collapsed onto the floor.
Apparently, that wasn’t unusual. Anya seemed to have thought it was funny, but oddly enough she also didn’t seem to be phased by witnessing the birth of her sibling. She instead joyously and calmly praised her mother for enduring it all and delivering a very healthy baby boy. And when the moment came to cut the cord. With Loid on the floor and a nurse tending to him, Yor believed there was no one better at that moment to be bestowed the honor than her sweet daughter:
That was hours ago. Yor had barely slept. Since being awoken not too long ago to feed Dimitri, she was wide awake watching as her daughter drifted in and out of sleep as they snuggled in bed together. All the excitement was finally getting to her. And Yor wanted this moment to last as long as it could. It was quite possibly her last chance to spoil her daughter with attention before their lives were forever changed by the new addition to the family.
“I can’t believe he came out with a full head of hair, I thought babies were bald,” Anya whispered, startling Yor a bit as she leaned her chin on her mother's shoulder to look over at the dark-haired baby.
She really wanted Anya to sleep, but she could guess the same could be said about her, she was the one who did all the work.
“It’s not unusual, but it is a little funny.” She chuckled. “I wonder if your father was hoping for a blonde baby.”
Loid laid on the nearby sofa, his shirt off with a cold (now lukewarm) rag still on his head. Dimitri rested on his chest, sleeping so peacefully as Loid was unwilling to part him since engaging in this skin-to-skin the nurse recommended after Dimitri had finished eating.
“Mama, are you sure it’s okay to let him sleep while holding him?” Anya’s concern was growing, but Yor had been observing them carefully; they had not moved an inch in the past hour.
Yor turned her head to the side to look back at them on the sofa as she was too busy laying kisses on the top of Anya’s head.
“He’s a light sleeper. I’m sure if Dimitri hiccuped, your Papa would wake up.”
Anya hummed in understanding as she leaned in closer to her mother, arm wrapping around her as she snuggled in. Anya started to drift off in minutes. Yor’s hand was now rubbing her back softly as she started humming that silly little lullaby Loid seemed to adore even more than she did again.
Yuri was surely just moments from waking up to wait (not so) patiently outside the door for his beloved sister to let him in so he could meet his nephew. So she wanted to savor this alone time with Anya as long as she could. She was being so clingy with her and she wanted to capitalize on that.
“Mama, why don’t you sleep too, even just for a little bit.”
“It’s okay sweetie. I just want a bit more time spoiling you.”
Anya snuggled deeper, she was aware that her welfare was the biggest concern that plagued her parents for the past 9 months. But soon in just a few hours, that’ll all be a distant memory and the three of them will enter a world that consists of one extra Forger.
There was a soft knock on her door.
“Sorry for intruding…” A soft whisper entered the room. The two women squinted at the dark doorway and waited as the figure approached the view of the lamplight.
“Auntie Sylvia!”
Suddenly Loid jolted awake. Jumping up into a sitting position, startling the newborn that lay so peacefully on his chest.
“Shit…” Little whines escaped the baby’s mouth before the cries came out.
Loid panicked. He was still flustered from being awoken by his heart thumping so aggressively from his boss’ unexpected arrival. And now the baby he was shocked was still on his chest while sleeping was screaming at him.
“Let me take him, Papa.” Anya raced over to take the baby from him as she threw his shirt at him. She returned to Yor’s side as she took Dimitri from her to gently soothe him.
“Yor, why’d you let me sleep while holding him?” He mumbled hurriedly getting dressed and slapping his face around so he could wake up.
“He was alright and I was watching. I just couldn’t bear to interrupt.” Yor whispered as she rocked the child.
“Again I’m sorry for interrupting.” Sylvia approached apologetically. “Your brother out there had left to get you breakfast so I thought this was my best chance to extend my congratulations.”
“So this isn’t about work?” Loid asked. They both knew he had been waiting on edge for this inevitable talk with Sylvia about his future. They’ve talked a bit here and there about it, but there were some big decisions Loid had to make that he had yet to discuss with her.
A spy having a child with someone unrelated to the mission in the middle of a very important mission was dangerous. This baby can’t be taken away for protection. This baby was part of his very public life. If anything were to go wrong with this mission, well that would be all Loid’s fault... a nd a huge liability. Both to Loid’s conscience and to Sylvia’s since she allowed them to get away with it. The higher-ups are not aware that Twilight has been compromised and Sylvia was not aware he was compromised by a now part-time assassin working for an organization that had loads of intel that Sylvia would kill to have her hands on.
In truth, Yor didn’t really have much information to give. While she was also a bit airheaded, she also knew it would be better to stay that way when it regards the organization's secrets and inner workings. The less she knew, the easier it was for her to do her job. And it took a lot for the Gardener to even let her take less work but somehow she managed it. He must’ve been aware by now that she’d leave the organization in the very, very short future anyway.
And because of that, her father has been more sure of the fact that this is going to be his very last mission. Sylvia seemed to be aware of that too. That he was even closer to making the decision she did not want to hear. And he knew that talk between them would be coming.
“I’m just here for a little gift.” She said softly as she extended her hand towards Loid holding out a gift bag.
“I am your boss, but today I am just an Auntie seeing her nephew. I am sure you know I’m not as heartless as your coworkers think. Welcoming a baby is a joyous time and I’m thankful Mrs. Forger here had a safe and healthy delivery.”
“Handler this bag is empty…”
Both Anya and Yor’s eyes widened as they turned towards him as he held loose tissue paper and an empty bag.
“Theatrics.” Sylvia waved her hands around like she was a magician.
“You know I don’t care about gifts. What are you really here for?”
“A gift…”
Her husband was going to argue again but she continued before he could even try.
“I am granting you paternity leave for 6 months—“
“WHAT?!?!”
“—obviously Operation Strix is continuing and will remain your main focus. But no side missions, no surprise or late-night meetings, no work trips, and—OOF!”
Sylvia felt a weight collapse into her middle frame. Arms snaking around her. Yor didn’t even notice until it happened that the warmth at her side was now gone.
Anya looked up at her eyes brimming with joy. Yor could sense the shock in the woman from being embraced so warmly. She was hesitating at first but then she gave in and gently patted the girl's head.
“Handler what—“
“Twilight, when I had my daughter I took only one month off work. I was too ignorant to see how precious that time was. And to this day I regret not spending more time with them.” She looked down at Anya and smiled. “Promise me you’ll savor this time Twilight, it will go by in a flash and I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
“Handler—-are, are you sure?” Loid was still hesitating about this being real.
“Plus, I need to test out how the organization can fare in your absence in the long term.”
Yor quietly clapped as she attempted to not wake the baby who now peacefully rested again. “Oh Loid, how wonderful! That’s twice the amount I’m getting!”
Anya looked back at her parents. Loid was still frozen in disbelief and trying to comprehend how he was going to spend 6 months with 3x less work than he usually got.
Anya finally let go of the woman, “Thank you, Auntie Sylvia.”
The ‘cold’ woman fixed herself up and adjusted her posture as she waved over at Yor and the newborn.
“Well, I’ll be off then. I’ll come by when you're back home for a proper introduction to little Dimitri.”
The woman grabbed the door handle but as soon as she opened it a man stumbled inside with bags in his hands. She sidestepped him with ease before raising a brow over at Loid with a knowing look.
“Nee-san breakfast!!”
Loid groaned.
Yuri raced in throwing the bags of food at his brother-in-law and jumped onto Yor’s bed as she shushed him and warned him to be careful of the baby.
“Papa, you might want to take Dimitri.” Anya helped her father put the food away on the nearby table as Yuri got all his greetings out of him.
“Nee-san did you sleep okay? Are you still tired? Hungry?” Yuri looked down at Dimitri as if first realizing he was there this whole time. “Oh my goodness he doesn’t look like Loidy at all!” He gleefully took the baby from his sister's arms and surprisingly was very gentle as he did so.
And finally, Dimitri opened his eyes, his patience wearing thin as he did his best to stay asleep despite the disruptions. He luckily wasn’t crying from being woken up.
“Oh—- oh no…” Yuri whined as the baby looked up at him with those steely blue-gray eyes.
Yor knew this revelation was inevitable. Sure Dimitri had her dark hair, but boy did that face, the nose, and smile, and especially those eyes, that was all Loid.
“NOOOO!” Yuri began to hold the baby away from him like he was a piece of rancid meat.
Loid made his way over scolding Yuri to be more careful before reaching for his son. Only to have her brother pull the infant back close into his arms.
“Careful please!” Yor’s unease had her pleading as she watched them fight over the baby. “Loid just let Yuri have his turn. He knows how to hold a baby.”
Anya slipped back into bed with her, her arms wrapping around so instinctively as Anya snuggled into her chest, fatigue washing over her from being up all night. She planted kisses along her forehead as she enjoyed having a bit more time with her daughter as the baby was busy entertaining the boys.
“I think your father was getting all worried for no reason.” She whispered as her brother successfully took the baby and began to rock him much to her husband's dismay.
“I agree Mama.”
Loid continued to nag Yuri to ‘be careful ’, ‘ support the head ’, and to ‘ lower your voice just look at him he’s getting annoyed’ .
“He’s already a good Papa and he’s just gonna get better with Dimitri.”
More kisses, more snuggles, the feel of her so close to her heart as she rested on her chest.
Her daughter was amazing. So kind, so gentle, and so beautiful. She was so proud of the person she was becoming and so thankful that the powers that be had brought them together as a family.
Her life was perfect. It was always perfect. And it was about to become even more perfect. She was becoming a mother all over again.