Only plot and original characters belong to me!
"Well, what do you think?" Dorian grinned as Jim opened the door of the limo and both Jeannette and Selina got out with Arthur held tight against Selina's chest, his eyes shielded from the sun by a pair of tiny sunglasses.
She looked at the strong, red brick building, and grinned. "I like it," she said with satisfaction. "It looks great."
"Wonderful," Dorian grinned. "Classes begin in a few weeks." He then took Arthur from Selina's arms and held him so he was facing the brick building. "You see there, son?" He asked six month old Arthur. "That's gonna be the building that teaches kids just like you how to live in this crazy world. Of course you still have some time before you go, but it'll be here before you know it."
"I hope it doesn't go that fast," Selina reached out and played with the brown hair on Arthur's head. "He's already growing up faster than I would like." She eyed Dorian. "Do you know why that is? Is it something you're doing?"
"No," Dorian shook his head. "But remember that our son is part of a new species, something that has never existed before. Anything could happen with him. Anything. We'll just have to wait and see. It's quite exciting, really."
After that, Selina and Dorian both waited with bated breath for Arthur to grow up. He walked quicker than most children, started talking sooner, and that made Dorian smile. "Yep," he said. "He'll grow up any day now."
And he did, while Lily was baby-sitting him. She'd been warned that he was in his cocoon and of course it was when she came to check on him that he emerged, sticky and naked, as she tried to look away. "Hey, baby," he smiled and came toward her. "Look at me. Isn't it amazing?"
"No, you're a guy with guy parts," Lily told him, her eyes narrowed. "That's not special. And if you so much as lay a hand or your lips on me, I'm going to kick you in the guy parts, got me?"
"You're no fun," Arthur replied, pushing a strand of dark hair out of his blue eyes. "I need help using the shower and you're the only one here. You have to help me. My mother and father would get very upset if something happened to me while I was in your care because you weren't paying close enough attention to me."
"Oh, shut up," Lily scoffed. "I grew up fast like you did, so I'm very much aware that you have enough smarts in that tiny brain of yours to be able to work a shower without help. So go do it, all right?"
Arthur narrowed his and headed toward the bathroom, feeling very put out. She was supposed to help him and do what he said. So why wasn't she? What was her problem?
When Arthur got done with his shower and dressed (the grown-up clothes his parents had bought for him were a bit snug but he knew adjustments could be made with his father's magic when they came back, and as for the pants, he didn't really mind) he went out to pester Lily again.
"I'm done with my shower," he announced.
She didn't even look up from her book. "Good for you," she said in a dry tone. "Do you want me to throw you a parade or something?"
"No, I just wanted to tell you that I was done with the shower," Arthur replied. "Why are you in such a bad mood all the time?"
"I'm not in a bad mood all the time," Lily corrected. "Just when you open your stupid mouth and don't close it."
"If you hate me so much, if I make you so mad, why the heck did you agree to watch me?" Arthur questioned.
"Cause your parents pay me well, and I like money," Lily answered matter-of-factly, finally deigning to look up at him. "I can tolerate a lot if I know I'm gonna be well paid for it."
"So I'm just a paycheck to you, is that it?" Arthur questioned.
"Well, yeah," Lily nodded. "What else would you be? The center of my freaking universe? Don't be silly, Arthur."
"You know what, fine!" Arthur shouted. "Be that way. But it's your loss, sweetheart."
"Yeah, I doubt that," Lily told him. "Go to your room until your parents come home. And before you ask, no, I'm not joining you."
Arthur shut his mouth, rolled his eyes, and stomped off to his room, making sure to slam the door loudly behind him so that she would know how upset he was. And his parents would definitely be hearing about her bad attitude when they got home.
"I bet you had a quiet time," Selina remarked to Lily when they returned. "I know it's a bit silly to have you come all the way over here to watch a cocoon, but…he could be emerging any day now and we don't want him to be by himself when that happens.
"Things started out quiet," Lily agreed. "Then it all changed…unfortunately."
"I hear voices," Arthur called from his room, his door open. "Are my parents home? Can I come out now?"
"I'm mystified yet pleased that for once you actually did something I told you," Lily shouted back. "But yes, your parents are home and you can come out and show them your grown up and annoying self."
"Is he annoying?" Selina asked. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry," Lily told her. "It's nothing I can't handle. And by the way, his clothes seem to be a bit snug. He'll need them to be bigger."
"Ah," Dorian nodded. "Okay, I wondered about that."
When Arthur emerged, he was immediately grabbed by his mother and squeezed hard.
"Hi, Mom," he choked out. "I love you too!"
"Let him go, Selina," Dorian urged her. "Or at least loosen your grip a bit. I don't think he can breathe."
"Oh, sorry," Selina apologized and let Arthur go.
He took a deep breath and gave her a grin. "It's okay," he said. "I'll live."
"You're so handsome!" Selina remarked.
"I'd be careful how often you tell him that so his head doesn't swell too much," Lily advised.
"Did anyone invite you into this conversation?" Arthur asked, his eyes becoming demon eyes for a moment as he glared at Lily. "And you accused me of not being able to shut my mouth and always saying annoying and unnecessary things."
Dorian could sense the tension in the air and he quickly asked Lily to come with him so he could pay her for her time and she could be on her way.
"That's a good idea," Lily remarked and followed him out of the living room, hoping that Arthur wasn't staring at her butt. "You guys need time to bond with your son without me being in the way."
"Thank you for that," Dorian told her, giving her a little extra for handling grown up Arthur as well as she did and not harming him. "And for everything you've done to help us with him."
"You're welcome," Lily replied, taking the money and putting it in her pocket. "Have a good rest of the day."
"Yes," Dorian nodded. "You too, Lily."
"So what you're telling me is that the demons have a school now?" John cried, snatching a flyer for it away from Kai, who through an act of deception, had managed to infiltrate a group and see what the school was all about.
"Yes," Kai nodded. "That's what the flyer says."
"Do you think it's all made up?" John questioned after tearing up the flyer and letting the pieces fall to the ground. He and Kai got most of them off the floor, but Lydia and Ingrid still managed to grab a few and stick them in their mouths.
"Oh for god's sake!" John cried and used his fingers to get the paper out. "All these demons are going to be really educated and our girls will still be eating paper and being drooling babies! That's no good!"
"All right, but what will you do about it?" Kai questioned, then grinned. "I can't wait to hear."
"Well, it will be something that I don't think my wife or yours would approve of," John said.
"Naturally," Kai remarked. "Go on."
"We make them grow up with magic," John said. "There are spells for that, you know."
"Will the spells cause the girls any harm?" Kai questioned.
"No," John shook his head. "Of course not!"
"Well, then I don't see why our wives would have any reason to object," Kai shrugged. "Do you?"
"No reason that really holds water," John said and took Ingrid in his arms while Kai grabbed Lydia and they headed to John's office to do that spell that would make their daughters into capable, intelligent, highly functioning young women.
While Kai did his best to keep them still, John went and got the spell book, and when he returned, John quickly said the right spell once he'd found it and then he and Kai stood back and waited.
"Nothing's happening," Kai said when there was no change. "Are you sure you said it right?"
"Of course I said the damn spell right," John told him. "What do you think I am, an idiot?"
"I don't think it's wise for me to truthfully answer that question," Kai answered as John scoffed and rolled his eyes. He repeated the spell, but slower the second time, enunciating the words, and they waited again. This time, it worked, and they found themselves face to face with two young women where their baby daughters had once wiggled.
"All right," Kai got out. "This is going to sound like a stupid question, but…who's Ingrid and who's Lydia?"
"Can you believe them, Ingrid?" Asked the girl with the lighter brown hair and lighter brown eyes as she turned to face the slightly shorter girl with dark brown hair and dark eyes. "Our fathers don't even know which one of us is theirs. I bet our mothers would!"
"Yeah, Lydia," Ingrid agreed and reached out a hand to take Ingrid's. "I bet they would." She then turned to face her. "How mad do you think our mothers will be when they find out that our fathers made us grow up for their own personal gain?"
"Really mad!" Lydia smiled. "Let's go tell 'em!"
They ran out of the room and Kai glared at John. "You know that when they yell at us, I'm selling you out, right? I'm not taking the fall for something that was your idea."
"And I don't mind that," John told him with a smirk. "Because unlike the coward that you are, I don't fear Freya the way you fear Victoria."
"Eh heh heh," Kai gave a mock laugh. "You are so wrong on that one."
"We shall see," John said, totally unashamed. "Won't we?"
"Would you two care to explain to us why we got calls from girls claiming to be our daughters telling us that you used magic to make them grow up?" Victoria asked Kai not long after because the girls had made the call as promised and, as they'd guessed, their mothers were not happy.
"Don't yell at me, Vicky!" Kai cried. "I'm just the lackey! It was John's idea!"
"That's true, actually," Lydia assured her mother. "Don't be so hard on Dad. I mean, you can be a little hard on him if you want to, but…it's more John's fault than his."
"Keep talking," Freya told John, her eyes narrowed.
"I don't see why we're talking as if there's fault involved here," John replied. "Just what have I done wrong?"
"You can't rush making babies grow up!" Freya cried. "It's not natural! You better have a damn good reason for doing it."
"Here," John told her and handed her and Victoria the flyer for the demon school that Kai had brought him. "There is my reason. The demons are starting a school, which means they will be more educated, more dangerous, and more devious. And do you really want our daughter and yours, Victoria, lagging behind when all that is going on? That is my reason. You may apologize now."
Freya and Victoria just stared at each other and sighed. They hated to admit it, but maybe John had a point.
"We'll concede that maybe you did the right thing," Freya said, getting to her feet. "But we're not apologizing." She and Victoria then got up and asked Ingrid and Lydia if they'd like to go somewhere and talk, to get to know each other better now that they were grown.
"Sure," Ingrid nodded. "It'd be better than hanging around here with those two." She looked at her father, gave him a wave, and then the four women left Kai and John alone.
"Is it just me, or do our daughters seem cold and ruthless to you, too?" Kai asked.
"It's not just you," John said. "And when Freya and Victoria realize it, I bet they'll somehow blame us."
"Well, yeah," Kai nodded. "That's practically a given."
"I need your opinion on something," Sophia asked Eric.
"Sure, but can it wait?" Eric questioned as he wrestled with trying to get Nate's diaper on, but the boy was fighting him and wailing like a banshee while Ben lay serenely beside them with a red t-shirt on over his own diaper, grinning and reaching out for his mother. "I need to put all my attention on this."
"Here, let me give it a shot," Sophia suggested. "You look after Ben. That might be better for your blood pressure."
"Yeah, it might," Eric agreed and took Ben. He then watched in amazement as Sophia got Nate's diaper on and took him in her arms. "How the hell did you do that?" He asked.
"It's a secret," Sophia grinned. "Now, how long do you want to keep their nurseries up before we go buy them grown up furniture? Cause we know they won't be babies forever."
"No, they won't," Eric shook his head. "They'll grow up when we least expect it. That's what Dad said happened with Arthur. Poor Lily who babysat him found out first. It's a good thing she's a demon too."
"Yeah, that all would have been hard to explain if she wasn't," Sophia agreed.
As it happened, the change occurred while they were visiting Jill and Christian.
"Cocoons already?" He asked as they brought them inside. "The time really flies, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Eric nodded. "It does. But I have to say, I'm kind of relieved. Babies aren't my best thing."
"You did all right," Sophia praised. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
Jill followed when they went to put the boys in the same room. "You might want to separate them," she said.
"Why?" Sophia questioned. "Are they going to emerge grown up today? Did you see it?"
"I don't know for sure," Jill said. "I just have a feeling."
Though she mostly tried to listen when her mother had 'feelings', Sophia thought that this time, it wouldn't hurt to ignore it, since it wasn't anything certain. The cocoons were put in the same room and everyone was talking when the conversation was interrupted by yelling and a crash.
"Oh, my god! The boys!" Sophia cried and ran for the room where they had been put with her parents and Eric on her heels. They opened the door and found both boys out of their cocoons and beating up on each other.
"Apparently, the friendliness that kept them both alive before they were born is over now," Eric remarked dryly as he and Christian went to separate them. "Boys!" He remonstrated. "You have to stop!"
"Then tell him to get out of my space!" one of them said and shoved the other.
"Okay, first off, which one of you is which?" Eric questioned because both dark-haired and dark-eyed boys looked the same to him, even though they had different haircuts: one had a buzz cut and the other had hair that you could run your fingers through.
"I'm Nathan," said the one with the buzz cut. "And that," he pointed, looking at his brother with distaste, "Is Ben."
"Hi," Ben smiled at his parents. "Sorry about all this."
"What are you apologizing like an idiot for?" Nathan scoffed. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"You're right," Ben agreed. "You're the problem child. Not me."
"All right, all right, enough snapping at each other," Sophia said. "Let's get you two taking showers and dressed, okay?"
"What are we supposed to do about clothes?" Ben asked his mother. "Did you bring any?"
"We didn't," Sophia shook her head and then turned to her mother. "But I bet we can scrounge something up, right?"
"Yes," Jill smiled as the boys got up and covered themselves with blankets before heading to wash off. "As luck would have it, I just went shopping yesterday."