AN: Hey! I'm back! How was the first New Year's for you guys?! Mine was great! All though on Wednesday I watched "Holmes and Watson" and it was so bad that I was depressed for a half-hour…honestly, I've never face-palmed and whispered, "oh my god" under my breath more than in this movie at its "HuMoR". It's sad because the last time I went to the movies I was watching "Into the Spider-verse" which was FANTASTIC. At least I appreciate it a lot more thanks to that atrocious movie :D
ANYWAY! A big thank you to skiethemuse, Ilovebooks1234, Angelwings2002, Ms. Cipher 16, PlanetOblivion, Darth Jay, ponystoriesandothers, SolSunFanfics, Ghostaloo, Straightjacketed, Fester Drummond, and THE VILLAIN for your review! Also, thank you to all who favourited and followed! I was NOT expecting so much.
To those of you who have questions, I'll answer them!
Straightjacketed: You can read both the original and the rewrite if you like, they're quite the interesting experiences and it'll be cool to see how the plot points will change :3
THE VLLAIN: Yes, Matthew will have different powers!
Now here we go, without further ado, let us read chapter two!
Chapter Two: Day Blank of Motherhood
Ellie powered on the video camera, stepping back and smiling a dazzling supermodel smile.
"April 7th, 1995, day 2 of motherhood!" She took the camera and backed up towards Matthew's crib. "My baby's sleeping right now, but he'll probably wake up soon—oh, speak of the devil!"
She turned the camera away from herself, instead zooming onto her gorgeous baby.
"Hey, Matthew!"
Matthew screeched in rage and began wailing at the top if his lungs.
"Oh god—uh—!"
The power went off.
On the power went again, Ellie stepping back and smiling with another bright smile on her face.
"April 8th, 1995, day 3 of motherhood! Matthew is currently bonding with his Papa!" Ellie turned the camera to Matthew being hugged by Emmett, he was dancing around and singing along to "Catch a Falling Star."
Matthew seemed peaceful listening to the song, yawning cutely and eyeing everything with what could only be described as cool neutrality.
"Not my style of music, but my baby boy seemed to like it too—I couldn't just say no to him!"
"Hey, El come join us!" Emmett called.
Ellie laughed and turned the camera off again.
"May 21st, 1995, day 45 of motherhood!" Ellie said, attempting to balance the camera atop the sink rim. Behind her, Matthew smacked the water and gurgled. "Okay!" She said, stepping back and turning to the bath. "Matthew's first ever bath! How you like it, sweetie?"
Matthew blinked twice before sinking into the water and blowing bubbles. "AGH! You are so cute! I'm going to die! AHHH!"
Matthew looked up with wide eyes at his mother's outburst.
Ellie laughed in response and leaned against the sink, causing the camera to shift and crash to the ground.
"Oh, crud!" She yelled, as it shuts off.
"October 31st, day 208 of motherhood," Ellie whispered, hiding in the closet. "I'm here because me and Emmie just bought Matthew his Halloween Costume and I'm going to surprise him while he crawls passed the door…"
Ellie moved out of frame for a few seconds before coming back with a grin. "He fell for the trap, fantastic. Okay, 3…2…1…"
The woman picked up the camera and kicked open the closet door, brandishing the Winnie the Pooh costume in one hand.
"Surprise!" She cried happily as Matthew shrieked in shock, the teether that Ellie had left as bait fell out of his moth. The baby looked up at the brunette with a gaped mouth, before his blue eyes found the outfit.
"You like?" Ellie asked.
Matthew's face scrunched into a rebellious scowl before crawling away as fast as possible.
"Matthew, YOU CAN'T RUN FROM THE CUTENESS!" Ellie yelled, the camera bobbing as she ran after her son. As the shrieking child rounded a corner, Ellie stopped and put the camera back on herself. "I'm going to catch him now, bye!" The camera went off.
When the camera went on this time, there was a party behind the smiling face of Ellie. "December 25th, 1995, day 263 of motherhood!"
As she went around directing the camera at random guests, Bill sat under the Christmas Tree with a Christmas ornament in his hands and a Santa hat on his head. He hadn't realized the Pines family was this immense, he had counted five cousins three aunts two uncles and apparently there were more to come
I wonder, Bill thought, slowly licking the ornament—figuring out it wasn't made out of gingerbread. Will Stanley show up? Bill didn't think it'd matter either way. His flames where only flashy—granted he hadn't attempted to light his fist up—due to his obnoxious paranoia—since his day of birth, but it was probably still not lethal.
Behind him, the tree rustled and in popped the face of a brunette, Emmett's niece and Bill's cousin, ten-year-old Angelina.
She was not an angel.
"I found him!" She squealed happily. Bill cried out in revulsion, tossing the ornament at her dumb face and crawling away as fast he possible.
Angelina crawled after him and Bill picked up the speed, but his miniscule body wasn't very swift.
No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NONONONONNONONO!
"I got you!" She yelled, grabbing Bill's abdominal and hoisting him up, knocking over the tree in the process. There were a series of yelps as people jumped out of the way of the falling green mountain.
Bill screeched in horror, trying to squirm out of his cousin's grip to no avail.
"Angelina!" A voice cried. Bill was filled with relief as Ellie quickly placed her camera on the nearby coffee table and took him away from the sadistic little child.
"I'm sorry, dear. He's very picky on who he lets carry him," Ellie said, rocking Bill gently. The demon buried his chubby face in the soft fabric of Ellie's thin shirt, inhaling the rose scented perfume she wore. Behind him, a vigorously apologizing Emmett picked up the fallen tree.
"Aww," Angelina said sadly, slumping her shoulders and pouting. Bill turned his face and blew Devilina a raspberry. The baby had just added her on his People I Hate with a Burning Passion list, right underneath Mabel Pines.
"You okay, Sweetie?" Ellie whispered, kissing Bill on the cheek. The demon cringed and pulled his face away from the woman's mouth with an angry wail.
"No kisses? Honey you have to get used to it!" Ellie grinned down at him. Bill pressed his small palms against the brunette's chest to allow him to glare up at her. Why should I? He demanded in his head.
Ellie smiled and tapped Bill on the nose. "You're going to be Prom King when you're old enough," she said. "And ladies will be fighting to claim your lips—so you can't hate it, m'kay?"
Bill rolled his eyes and pressed his face back in Ellie's chest, feeling the sound of her amused laughter reverberate. Another damp kiss was planted to his head of blonde hair and Bill shuddered in discomfort.
Patience. He told himself mentally. This will all be worth it once I can get to the Pines Twins…
The doorbell rang then, and Ellie let out a little, "ooh!" as she walked briskly to the door. Bill rose his head curiously. Hopefully whatever relative showed up, they'd be less infuriating than Devilina.
The energetic woman flung open the door with a grin. "You came…!" her voice trailed off as she saw the person before them covered in the nighttime shadows. Bill wasn't able to see who it was, but he could practically hear Ellie's heart sinking in disappointment, even before he looked up and saw her grin become forced.
Beside her, Emmett strode forward in a hideous red and green reindeer sweater with flashing lights on it, a real grin adoring his face. "Uncle Stan!" He exclaimed happily.
Bill's eyes dilated, and his head swiveled back around to face the figure has the man walked into the orange glow of the household, a large grin on his face. "Emmett, Ellie! Good to see yeah!"
Bill's vision flickered, the flames. Stan mocking him, heat…
Suddenly, the warmth of the house caused by the merrily cooking in the kitchen became too warm and claustrophobic and, and—
Stan crouched in front of the quivering form of Bill clinging to his mother, grin still in place as he held out his hand. "So, you're the man of the hour? Nice to meet you, Matthew Pines!"
The demon locked eyes with the elder man before him, memories of his defeat getting louder and hotter and—more real…
The baby shrieked loudly, causing Stan to step back in surprise and Ellie to hold the demon close in comfort.
Make him go away, make him go away, make him go away!
"Sorry, Stan; Matthew doesn't take well to strangers," Bill heard Ellie say through his panicked screams.
"No worries!" Stan said jovially. "I'm sure we'll be best friends soon!"
Bill's fear was momentarily replaced with rage and annoyance. Friends? Friends? After what he did?! The baby turned around, his blue eyes watery and angry as he gave the most enraged glare he could muster.
Stan paused, his smile lowering as the two stared at each other. Curiously, Stan's brown eyes became blank, staring into nothingness.
"U-Uncle Stan?" Emmett asked, glancing at his wife for some sort of explanation.
Bill was also confused, looking away from Stan and up at his mother who looked equally worried. The demon tugged at the brunette's shirt and made a noise to get her attention.
Ellie looked down at him and smiled, rubbing his strands of blonde hair.
"Stan?" She asked, looking back up, waving a hand over his face.
What in Axolotl's name is going on here?! Bill mentally demanded when Stan made no indication that he could hear anyone.
"Will someone close the goddamn door!?" A voice snapped from the party.
Stan was snapped out of his strange trance, shaking his head vigorously and blinking in confusion as Emmett shut the door.
"What the heck has gotten into you?" Emmett demanded, turning back with a frown. "You look like you've been under the Imperius Curse or something!"
Stan chuckled nervously, glancing at Bill before looking away. "I—I dunno its kind of felt like…" the old man trailed off and moved to remove his coat with another light chuckle. "Forget about it, it's nothin'."
Emmett blinked twice in confusion and Bill was right along with him. What exactly had gone down?
"Anyway, got any pudding? I've been craving it all year but it's too expensive to buy."
"Uh—wha—yeah!" Emmett muttered awkwardly. "You…you're sure you're alright?"
Stan grinned and patted his nephew on the shoulder. "'Course! Now, pudding. Don't think you're going to distract me!"
As the two men walked towards the kitchen Ellie tilted her head to the side and sighed. "I wonder if his age is catching up to him—I've been telling Emmie he's too old to live alone."
Bill shuddered. Stanley living here? No, no, no, no. The baby growled and tightened his grip on Ellie's shirt. The woman chuckled. "You two really don't get along, do you?"
At that moment, her back pocket vibrated. Ellie made a noise in surprise before slipping her cellphone from her caprice pocket. She squinted at the screen before her blue eyes widened. The moment of shock was slowly replaced with an angry scowl.
"Emmett!" Ellie called.
The man poked his head out of the kitchen. "El? What's up?" He asked as his wife placed Bill in his arms.
"I'll be right back." She smiled lightly. "Don't go watching any of the movies without me, m'kay?" Ellie kissed Emmett on the lips, Bill on the forehead, and walked out of the room, pressing the call button.
"Why are you calling me?!" Bill heard her yell as she stormed up the stairs. He had never known the cheerful woman to be so angry—and judging by the worried look on Emmett's face, neither had he.
…A-X-O-L-O-T-L…
This was annoying.
Honestly, Bill had been looking very forward to a good night's sleep, but instead at 10:00 p.m. on a Sunday night he was sitting in a wide lukewarm field that stank of hotdogs and cigarettes and shivering in the light drizzle—unable to sleep due to the obnoxious chatter of the many, many humans around him and his parents.
From within his stroller and the bundles of blankets he was draped in, Bill saw Ellie switch on her beloved camcorder and point it at herself. Emmett had his arm wrapped around her waist and the couple swayed side to side like drunk idiots.
"December 31, 1995 Day—"
"Technically night," Emmett cut her off.
Ellie hit him with her hip teasingly. "Shut up, Show-Off!"
"It's a correction, honey. People who can't take correction become narcissists!"
The brunette rolled her eyes with a smirk and concentrated back on the camera. "Day 268 of motherhood! We're having our annual new year's celebration, but this time we're including our new bundle of joy!"
Ellie crouched next to Bill's stroller and kept the two of them in frame. "What's your new year resolution, Mattie Bear?"
Bill furrowed his brow. He was a baby! How was he supposed to make a resolution? Would it make sense for him to hope they never did this again? He hated the fact that they were going to be here 'till midnight. Good Cipher.
The demon huffed and rolled in his blanket's, covering his face from the drizzle. First, Christmas with the maddening relatives, and now New Year's with the park and the rain and the COMEPLETE WASTE OF TIME. I hate humans' traditions!
Bill didn't know how long he'd been hiding himself when he heard a pop, and a crackle.
Curious, the demon peeked his face out of the blankets to see colors light up the sky. Pink, blue, red, purple. Exploding in a cascade of multicolored raindrops that peppered the sky with stunning light.
The baby's eyes widened as he sat up in his stroller, staring in awe at the delightful spectacle before him.
"You like them?" Ellie asked in a soft voice. Bill had just noticed that his parents where in front of him, mere silhouettes against the colorful sky. The brunette's head was turned to him and she was smiling. "I love them too."
The lights began taking shape, a red flower, a green star—and so on and so forth.
"I like to pretend that fireworks are spells sent up by simultaneously celebrating wizards rather then fuses and gun powder," Emmett said wistfully.
Bill tensed. Fireworks?
The next one that shot up exploded was an electric blue crown. Then it separated, falling from the sky like glitter.
"Let me out of here! LET. ME OUT!"
Bill screeched as memories came flooding back. The Pines' smiles faded into worried frowns as they ran forward and tried to shush him. Many people looked their way, some pitying some annoyed.
"Okay, ladies and gents! Let us welcome 1996!" A voice boomed from a microphone.
Cheers filled the air, but even that couldn't drown out Bill's screeches in the ears of his parents.
"10…9…8…7…6…!"
"I'll give you anything! Money, fame, your own galaxy—please!"
"5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
More fireworks than before exploded into the sky 'till everything was bathed in light.
Fiery light.
Ellie held the screeching demon close, to her chest bouncing him up and down.
"Don't cry, don't cry! Ooh, uh…" The brunette sucked in a deep breath and began singing a familiar song.
"I've got a damn ukulele
That I really can't play
It just won't work for me
Although I've practiced for many days
I hope I won't be playing, for far too long
Because even after all this time, I still can't find a song."
The memories faded, and Bill began to calm down, eyes becoming heavy as his breathing slowed and his tears dried against his vivid red face.
"There we go, there we go!" She whispered as Bill slipped from consciousness.
…A-X-O-L-O-T-L…
When Bill woke up, he was not in his crib.
Instead he recognized the fancy lace pillows of his parents' shared bed. Turning his head, he saw Ellie. Her brown hair was partially covering her face, but he could still see the fond gaze she stared at him with.
"Are you okay now?" She asked gently, poking Bill's cheek.
Bill glared and rolled onto his back.
"Oh, come on! I'm sorry; I won't take you out to see fireworks again. Better?"
The demon thought for a bit. He supposed there was nothing wrong with that, at least the woman was taking initiative.
"Won't you forgive me, Mattie Bear?"
Bill blinked twice at the ceiling. If he had his magic, he would have disassembled Ellie's molecules for her offence. Of course, he was 80% sure that wasn't possible as of now and besides, if she died who would give birth to the Pines Twins? He couldn't give retribution for their regicide if they weren't the exact same in both personality and genetics—that wouldn't be fun or satisfying. And it wasn't like he gained anything from being mad at Ellie anyway.
The demon turned around and faced his mother again with a gurgle.
The woman beamed. "Aw! Mattie!" She gushed, hugging him to her chest. "I'm so glad you're my friend again!"
Friend?
Bill scoffed. Why did people keep throwing that word around willy-nilly?
Still, the demon couldn't stop the warmth and security he felt from the hug—and the word.
AN: The ending theme for this chapter has no lyrics: It's called "Gift of Life" by Michael Mass—gorgeous soundtrack!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed, bye!
Fantasy Fan OUT!