Chapter Four: Antonio's Angels
This week had been a tedious one for Antonio; He was doing anything and everything he possibly could to make his wife's dream come true. He had even bought decor for a child's room, complete with multicolored bedspread, stuffed animals, and toys. He was so sure everything was going to work that he wanted to be thoroughly prepared. He was more than ready to take on the role of "Dad." He paced back and forth in his lab in frustration. The locks of her beautiful hair lie on the large, steel table as he caressed them gently with his fingers. He smiled gently as it warmed his heart to know that soon, Vanessa would live on in a darling little boy or girl. He had dedicated this entire past week to brushing up on his knowledge of how to artificially create children in a lab, despite mourning the death of his wife. But Vanessa wouldn't want him to wallow and sulk. He had to do this for her, no matter how delicate or risky the task may be. Throughout his whole scientific career, Antonio knew artificially creating humans in a lab could be done, and with his demonic powers, it would surely be much easier for him to carry out the task than a mortal. But the last thing he wanted was to pass any of his demonic traits down to his child, especially since they were most recessive in him. He couldn't bear to see uncontrollable evil live on in another.
This is what frustrated the man, and was thwarting the creative process. He wanted to be a father, more than anything, but he did not want his child to be of his spawn...the child had to be pure and good, like Vanessa. Sure, Antonio's mortal side was good as gold, but the demonic strength and urges to do evil deeds were even too strong for Antonio to fight. If he were to see this exhibited in a child, his heart would be broken. He couldn't possibly reach his full potential as a father if he was raising a child whose purpose was to cause harm to humanity.
The other question that tumbled over and over in the scientist's mind was, as trivial as it seemed, was which gender he wanted the child to be. He could only create one child with Vanessa's DNA, to his knowledge, and he couldn't decide whether the child should be a boy or a girl. Vanessa never specified. However, she did say "children", so he was in a jam here. He was unsure of how to do this as safely and as according to her wishes as possible. Antonio thought it over, which was the best way to keep Vanessa's spirit alive? He thought about the beautiful, gentle, kindhearted person his wife was and smiled once again. In his head, he pictured a younger version of Vanessa. A little girl with ebony curls and green eyes just like her mother's. That was it, the scientist thought to himself, he would create a little girl, a mini Vanessa he could raise as his daughter and love all over again, just in a different way.
It was simple, Antonio knew the old saying, little girls were created out of sugar, spice, and everything nice. And with his scientific abilities, he could bring them to life in no time. His hands shook with excitement as he went into his storage room and found a large black mixing container made of metal. "This will do," he said as he set the container down on the lab table, and went into the kitchen to grab some sugar and fresh spices. (Whole nutmeg with a grinder, dried lavender, and thyme.) He mixed the sugar and spices into the pot with a wooden spoon and thought to himself that the "everything nice" part would be a challenge. This is where his demonic powers would have to come in handy...he would have to conjure the thoughts of nice things from his mind and make them into something tangible. Antonio thought of the nicest things possible; cute baby animals, rainbows, shooting stars, and the sound of children's laughter. Of course, what would "everything nice" be without the locks of his late wife's hair? Antonio carefully dropped the soft ebony curls into the pot and reached for a larger tool to mix everything together, as the small wooden spoon surely couldn't mix "everything nice" and the locks of Vanessa's hair into the sugar and spices thoroughly. He saw a large, heavy cauldron spoon to the right on the top of a high shelf. Antonio reached for it carefully when he felt his wrist bump something, a beaker full of "chemical x", something he was saving for a possible future experiment. The liquid was thick and black, almost like tar without the toxic fumes. The beaker had tipped over, though not breaking glass, as the substance poured into the pot. "Oh, no..." Antonio thought to himself, feeling his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He was suddenly blown back by a chemical blast, knocked to the other end of the room, rendering him nearly unconscious.
Antonio had no idea how long he was out for, but as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw...three little girls floating above the large metal container. He figured the floating had to do with the Chemical X, he made an effort to not put his own DNA into the mixture. The scientist was instantly frightened as he stayed frozen in his position, shaking as he stared in awe at the children before him. They were, despite being frightening because of floating in the middle of the air and having that strange chemical glow, darling little girls. They were all the same size, about the size a 5 or 6 year old child would be. The same age as the children in Vanessa's class, Antonio thought to himself. The middle little girl had ginger hair down her back, tied back with a red ribbon that was in a bow on top of her head. Her eyes were pink, the color of tourmaline. She wore a simple, light pink dress with a black band around the middle, white stockings, and black Mary Janes. The little girl to the left had wheat blonde hair pulled up in pigtails, and clear blue eyes, the color of aquamarine. She wore the same dress and stockings as the middle girl, only in powder blue. The little girl on the right had short, straight black hair in a bob, and her eyes were the same emerald color as Vanessa's. She was dressed like her sisters, and her dress was the same color as her eyes. Antonio smiled. These little girls, strange as they may be, were adorable, and he'd love them the same as he'd love any "normal" children.
The scientist brushed himself off and walked over to his new daughters, not quite sure how to introduce himself. "Well...hello there." he said, laughing nervously and touching the back of his neck, "Who might you three little angels be?" "I'm Blossom." The ginger-haired girl said, "I love reading, science, and want to create world peace someday." "Oh, cram it," the black haired little girl said, and Antonio was surprised at her brash personality and lack of manners, "I'm Buttercup." she said, shaking the Professor's hand, quite aggressively, "And I love playing rough and kicking butt!" Antonio laughed, and said "Well aren't you something! And who might you be?" He looked at the blonde haired little girl, who was looking towards the ground, not saying a word. "I'm Bubbles," she squeaked, "I'm shy." "Well, that's okay, Bubbles." Antonio said, affectionately patting her head. "Well girls," he said, introducing himself to his new daughters, "I'm Professor Utonium, and I'm going to be your new dad." "Yay!" the girls exclaimed, hugging the Professor. "Okay girls," he said, "Go get settled in your new bedroom, it's upstairs and straight ahead." "Thanks Professor!" the girls said, and as they turned to go to their room, they didn't walk, but rather flew, without using their legs, straight up the stairs, leaving a colored laserbeam (each girl with their own individual color) behind them. Antonio was puzzled, but nonetheless overjoyed. He sat alone in his lab, wiping a tear from his eye as he looked affectionately at the picture of his wife he kept on his desk. "I did it, honey." he said, kissing the picture, "I hope you're proud."
A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates lately! I've been so busy with my summer plans. Thanks to my loyal readers for sticking with me. (: I'll try to post a new chapter every 2 weeks or so, hopefully sooner!