Shrieking and crying echoed through the house, shattering the pre-dawn silence. It was shrill, sure to awaken any and all within the abode, and waken they did. Gold eyes pried themselves open and stared at the ceiling of the master bedroom as the gears in Cinder's mind began processing what exactly was going on. The baby.
A month and a half ago, a considerably less pregnant Cinder Fall had been released from the Vale city hospital with her boyfriend and daughter to return to their shared home. The first few weeks had been grating to say the least: lacking any real knowledge of what to do with a screaming infant, maternal instinct be damned. But Roman somehow had a real knack for childcare. He had been able to show her how to hold Blake just right to get her to stop crying, how to get her settled in for bed, to properly change and swaddle the girl. The rest, he said, would come with time, and for everyone's sakes, she sincerely hoped it did.
Beside her in bed Roman stirred, making to sit up, but she patted his shoulder, quietly telling him she'd care for Blake. Feet hit the cold hardwood, contrasting greatly with the warm silks they just left, a shiver running up the length of her spine as she pulled her bathrobe over her shoulders. She padded out into the hall and down to the nursery, the pitiful wailing growing louder with each step. Light from the moon spilled into the nursery through the window, casting a silver glow on the little girl squirming in the crib.
Cinder reached down and scooped up her daughter, pulling her close to her chest along with a blanket, and turned to leave. Down the stairs she went, a colossal yawn splitting her jaw, and she settled onto the couch, pulling her legs up under herself. Once seated, the robe slid from her shoulders with a strap of her silk nightgown, allowing Blake to latch on to her chest.
The crying ceased as the baby fed, the soft sounds of suckling filling the space wailing once held, and Cinder looked down to contemplate the child in her arms. In the month that she had been home, Blake had proven to be a challenge of her own, yet offered the sweetest rewards. She was a quiet child, but when she wanted something, she made it known quite promptly. Whenever she cried, there was always a reason. Never just senseless crying of confusion.
But as tiring as caring for the newborn was, she wouldn't trade it for anything. The moment she saw her daughter's face, the maternal bond snapped into place within her to banish contempt and fear, replacing it with an unfathomable connection and even deeper devotion. Never in Cinder's dark, twisted life had she ever thought she would value the life of another more than her own, even Roman's, but Blake was different. She would gladly throw herself in front of a truck, take a bullet, or sacrifice a limb if it meant her baby girl would be safe and sound, and the thought surprised her. She was supposed to be an emotionless monster, sired and sculpted by the scum of the earth, so filthy in her heritage and morals that mud ran thick through her veins. Time and time again she silenced lives that groveled at her feet for mercy, not even blinking as she pulled the trigger and blood painted the floor. She was thought to be cruel and heartless, yet here she sat, swooning over a baby; a faunus baby no less, and smiling happily, content with life.
In the span of Cinder's musings, Blake had since finished feeding and fell asleep atop her mother's bosom, face nestled into the soft and spice scented fabric of Cinder's robe. Softly, she ran fingernails over the little girl's back in small circular motions as she herself reclined on the sofa, exhaustion crashing over her form. Making sure Blake was safe and secure resting atop her chest and guarded by a protective arm, Cinder allowed her own eyes to close, delighting in the peacefulness of the moment as the thought slowly crept through her mind that no, she was no longer a monster. She was human. She was a mother.
A small smile graced her lips as consciousness left, allowing the respite of sleep to take it's place.
An hour later, Roman awoke to find the space in bed beside him empty and cold. With a sigh he rose from the bed to make his way downstairs, absolutely sure he knew where his girlfriend was, and the situation she was in. It was all he could do to help her.
Sure enough, just as pre-dawn light began seeping through the blinds, there on the couch lay Cinder, out like a light with Blake sprawled atop her chest, equally dead to the world. Smiling and rolling his eyes, he gently pried the little girl out of her mother's grasp and took her back upstairs, laying her gently in the crib for the rest of the morning until she decided it was time for baby Blake to rise and greet the world.
Down again he went, this time scooping up his girlfriend to bring her back to a more suitable sleeping arrangement. Her stay in the hospital left her weighing next to nothing, form incredibly light in Roman's arms as he hauled her upstairs and to their bedroom.
With Cinder back in bed with him and pressed into his side he was able to rest easy, having already almost lost the woman once, he was occasionally startled to wake alone. Heaving a heavy sigh, he resigned himself to sleep, welcoming it's embrace as all was right and well in the home, when a loud crying rang out, shattering any hopes he had of sleeping. Now, it was his turn to tend to the baby.