The sun shone brightly through our purple and gold curtains the very next morning. I had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV the night before, so Connor dressed me in one of his t-shirts and carried me to bed, but something was off. Usually this time of morning, I felt Connor's morning wood against my lower back, but I didn't feel anything…
I groaned loudly. I sat up slowly, my body aching from all the dancing the night before. My hair was messy, sticking up in all directions. My eyes were blood-shot and bleary, no doubt from the brightness of the lights. I yawned, stretching my arms above my head before throwing the covers off and heading towards the bathroom. I opened the door, blindly groping for the light switch. I growled.
'Fucking light switch…' I mumbled.
After a few more seconds of blind groping, I found the switch. I hissed as the bright light burned my eyes. I blinked furiously, rubbing my eyes to regain my eyesight. And when I finally did, I got the shock of a lifetime.
'AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!'
I was screaming so loud and so long I barely heard the sound of my sister running up behind me. I grunted when I felt her full weight slam into my back, but I managed to keep my balance. Emily recovered, panting like a dog in a sauna.
'What's…wrong…?' she wheezed, 'why…are you…screaming…?'
I shook my head. I slowly raised my arm, my entire hand shaking as I pointed to the thing that made me scream. Emily looked over my shoulder to where I was pointing, her eyes sparkling with curiousity. Then she gasped.
'Oh, no…'
There, sitting in the middle of the bathroom, was a baby. The baby was fat - about nine or ten pounds. It had short, wispy, dirty-blond hair and big, round, crystal blue eyes. It was sitting in the middle of a pile of torn-up toilet paper, giggling as it took the fabrics in its tiny hands. Emily and I stared at it in wonder, a mirrored look of shock painted on our faces. Emily swallowed, checking her tone before she spoke.
'How did a baby end up in your bathroom?' she squeaked.
'I have no idea…' I mumbled, 'we told people not to bring their babies to the show because we didn't want the loud noise to damage their ears…'
Emily gulped. We continued to stare at the laughing baby, the wheels in our heads trying to unravel the mystery of how it got here. Just then Murphy walked in, yawning and stretching.
'Wha' tha 'ell is goin' on?' he mumbled as he walked up behind his girlfriend, 'why is Rebecca screamin'?'
'Come see for yourself…' whimpered Emily.
Murphy sighed. Emily and I moved aside so he could see, waiting with batted breath as he looked inside. He laughed.
"ow in da 'ell did a baby get in 'ere?!' he guffawed.
'That's the thing…' I said quietly, 'we don't know…'
The baby squealed in delight as it threw the torn toilet paper in the air like it was a pile of leaves in the fall. The rest of the gang came piling into the room, all of them wondering why I screamed.
'What's going on?!' asked Michael, sounding very alarmed, 'why is Becca screaming?!'
Murphy chuckled.
'Ye gotta come see dis, Mike,' he said, 'yer gonna be amazed.'
Michael frowned. He slowly walked over to where we were, his dark eyes full of curiosity. He peeked over Murphy's shoulder, laughing at the sight.
'Well, I'll be damned!' he said, 'there's a baby in here, y'all!'
Everyone gasped. They all came running up behind us, their faces full of wonder as they peeked in at the mysterious child.
'Aww…' cooed Ashley, 'he's so cute…'
'How did he manage to get in here?!' asked Emma, 'we advised people not to bring their babies to the show last night.'
I laughed.
'We don't know how he got in here,' I said, 'he gave me quite a shock.'
Emma chortled.
'Oh, I know he did,' she teased, 'your shriek caused Henry to fall out of bed!'
Dolly flushed a deep shade of red at Emma's words. Greenly chuckled.
'I think you embarrassed your boyfriend there, Emma,' he teased, 'he's redder than James!'
Dolly mumbled under his breath. Hayley peeked over Duffy's shoulder, her crystal blue eyes wide as she stared at the giggling baby.
'Oh, is he ever cute!' she mused, 'honey, can we adopt him?'
Duffy chuckled.
'We should find out if he belongs to anyone first, Honey Bear,' he said, 'if he doesn't, we can adopt him.'
'Aww…' groaned Hayley.
'Though the question is…' said Dolly thoughtfully, 'how would the parent or parents know this is their baby?'
'The physical description for one…' said Emma, 'and that weird birth mark…'
I frowned.
'Birth mark?' I said softly, 'what birth mark?'
Emma laughed.
'The cross-shaped thing on the back of his neck,' she said, 'do you not see it?'
I looked in at the baby again. My eyebrows furrowed together as I studied him, staring at the birth mark. I was so deep in thought I barely heard the sound of Paul's voice.
'Wait a minute…' he said thoughtfully, 'where's Connor?'
I gasped. That baby. That birth mark. That missing fiancé. It all came together. Connor.
'That's a good question, Paul,' said Michael, 'where did Connor go?'
'I think I know where he went…' I squeaked.
Michael frowned.
'What do you mean, Becca?' he asked, 'wasn't he with you the whole night?'
'Pretty sure 'e was…' grumbled Murphy, 'those two kept me up until three wit' their screamin'…'
I shook my head.
'He was with me all night…' I whispered, 'I remember falling asleep in his arms after we finished having sex…'
'Then where is he, Becca?' asked Jane.
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. I slowly walked towards the baby, my knees wobbling violently. Everyone watched as I reached down and scooped the baby into my arms, their eyes full of curiosity. I looked down at the baby for a brief moment before turning towards my family and friends. I sighed.
'Our mystery baby isn't a mystery anymore…' I said softly, 'this mystery baby is my fiancé.'
Everyone gasped.
'There's no way…' said Emily, 'that baby can't be…'
I nodded.
'There's only one person I know that has a cross-shaped birth mark on the back of his neck,' I said as I cradled the child in my arms, 'and that person isn't standing here looking at the baby. This baby is Connor.'
Well…everyone didn't know what to think at that point. The baby looked up at me, his blue eyes full of curiosity as he studied my face. I grinned.
'Good morning, Connor…' I cooed softly, 'I bet you're just as shocked as we are, aren't you?'
Connor gurgled. He raised one of his tiny arms, resting his hand on my cheek. I gently took his hand in mine, placing a soft kiss on his palm to soothe him. Everyone breathed a collective breath of wonder as they watched me.
'That is unbelievable…' whispered Paul, 'unbelievable…'
'Annabelle is gonna pitch a fucking fit when she finds out one of her sons is a baby…' said Emily grimly, 'she is not pleasant when she has her moments…'
'I know wha' ye mean, love…' said Murphy, 'try growin' up wit' 'er…'
Emily nodded. She took Murphy's hand, swallowing back her tears as she continued to watch me.
Connor cooed as I slowly began to bounce him in my arms. I knew that we had to prepare in case this strange curse lasted more than a day. I turned my attention back to everyone, keeping the same pace as I bounced Connor.
'We're gonna need supplies in case this lasts longer than a day,' I said, 'I don't wanna be un-prepared.'
'What kind of supplies do you need, Becca?' asked Duffy.
I sighed.
'Diapers, toys, clothes, wipes, stuff like that,' I said, 'he's fussy enough as an adult.'
'I can go get the supplies,' said Emily, 'how much of each thing should I get?'
'I'd get plenty to be on the safe side, Em,' I said thoughtfully, 'I do have a few toys he likes for when he's drunk and acting like a baby.'
'I'll get him more toys in case,' said Emily.
I nodded. I looked down at Connor again, swallowing back my tears. How could this have happened to him?
'Don't you worry your cute little head, Connor Adam…' I said gently, 'we'll get you back to normal in no time…I promise…'
A Few Hours Later
Emily returned a few hours later with the supplies. I gave Connor a bath after I cleaned up the mess in the bathroom. He gurgled and cooed as I washed his hair, making sure I didn't get any soap in his eyes as I rinsed. He raised his little arms in the air, grunting as he reached for me. I laughed.
'What is it, Cutie Pie?' I cooed, 'why are you making such a fuss?'
Connor frowned. He raised his arms again, whining and bouncing. I sighed.
'I can't give you what you want unless you tell me in some way, Silly Boy,' I teased, 'what do you want, Honey Bear?'
Connor squealed. He raised his arms higher, his grunts slowly beginning to turn into screams. That's when I clued in.
'Ohh…' I breathed, 'you want out, don't you?'
Connor grunted. I grabbed the towel, taking the plug out of the tub before wrapping him in the towel and taking him out of the tub. I sang to myself as I dried him off, his diaper and clothes ready for him when he was ready.
Connor gurgled and squirmed as I dried him off. I gently put the diaper on before the blue footie pajamas that Emily picked out for him. I gently scooped him up in my arms, cradling his head against my chest. Connor cooed, snuggling himself into my cleavage. I laughed.
'Even as a baby you still love my boobs…' I teased, 'not much has changed, has it?'
Connor cooed contently. I took a deep breath, slowly descending the stairs with his head still in my cleavage. Greenly looked up as I walked into the living room, laughing as I came into view.
'Is he comfortable?' he teased.
I laughed softly.
'He seems to be,' I said, 'he practically purred when I snuggled him into my chest.'
Greenly chuckled.
'I guess not much has changed, has it?' he said.
I giggled.
'I guess not, David,' I said, 'though I wish I knew why he got turned into a baby…'
Greenly shrugged.
'Well, the Irish do believe in magic and shit like that,' he said, grabbing a beer from the fridge, 'Ashley has a Leprechaun theory.'
I chuckled.
'Ashley and her fucking Leprechauns…' I teased, 'that girl's smart, but I don't know why she's so fascinated by Leprechauns.'
Greenly laughed softly.
'Leprechaun obsession or not, she's gorgeous,' he said as he cracked open his beer, 'I swear that girl's got moved on-stage and off-stage…'
I shook my head. Connor moved his head, his blue eyes locking on Greenly. I smiled warmly.
'You know who that is, Con-Con,' I cooed, 'that's David. He's a friend.'
Connor watched Greenly with interest. Obviously he couldn't really talk, but the look in his eyes meant that he recognized and knew who Greenly was. Just then, Michael walked in, a can of Pepsi Max in hand.
'What's up, y'all?' he said.
I sighed.
'Trying to figure out what the fuck happened to my fiancé…' I said softly, 'we still don't know who - or what - caused this…'
'That's a good question, Becca,' said Michael, 'I don't know what happened, either.'
I growled.
'Whoever did this picked the shittiest time to do it,' I said, 'we have a show to put on.'
'They deserve to be shot…' growled Michael.
'It's too bad we don't know who they are,' said Emily gravely.
Michael sighed.
'True…' he said softly.
I sighed deeply.
'I really wish we knew how to break this…OUCH!'
Connor giggled. When I wasn't paying attention, he ended up pinching my breast. Michael chuckled.
'Looks like someone's still got a boob fetish,' he teased.
I laughed lightly.
'Yup,' I said, 'even as a baby, he's still got all his adult habits.'
Connor cooed softly. Ashley giggled.
'He's really cute, Becca,' she said, 'but what would happen if he stayed like that?'
I frowned.
'What do you mean, Ashley?' I asked, sounding very puzzled.
Ashley sighed.
'I mean, what's gonna happen if the curse doesn't break and he stays like that forever?' she said, 'how are we gonna explain it to Annabelle and Noah?'
I gasped. I never even thought about the possibility of the curse being permanent.
'I never even thought about that…' I muttered.
'What are we gonna do if it is permanent?' asked Hayley, 'you can't marry a baby, Rebecca.'
'I know I can't, Hayls,' I said, 'but we need to think on the bright side here. Curses always break somehow. We just gotta figure out how to break this one.'
'It's gonna take a lot of team work…' said Jane thoughtfully, 'considering how he ended up this way is still a mystery.'
I chewed my lower lip. My head swam as I thought and worried about what would happen to Connor if he stayed in this form for the rest of his life. My thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of Connor's breath hitching in his throat, his face contorting. I knew what that meant.
'Oh, no…' I said frantically, 'don't cry…please, don't cry…'
Too late. Connor opened his mouth, letting out the mother of all cries. I groaned.
'Oh, no…' I mumbled, 'no…'
Connor continued to cry. I carried him over to the rocking chair that Noah had made for us, fighting back my own tears. I sat down, gently rocking to try and soothe the crying baby, but it was no use. He still cried.
'What's wrong with him?' asked Emma.
'I don't know…' I whimpered, 'he just started crying…'
'Does he need his diaper changed?' asked Emily.
I shook my head.
'No…' I said, 'I just changed him not too long ago…'
'Maybe he's gassy,' said Rocco.
'I don't think he's gassy, honey…' said Isabelle softly.
I sighed.
'Well, it's a good thing I bought that breast pump…' I said, 'I'm lactating. There's only one other thing I can think of…'
Everyone frowned. I sighed.
'He's hungry,' I said, 'and I'd suggest if you don't wanna see my bare breasts, leave the room now.'
'I'm fine…' said Emily, 'you and I have walked around naked before so I'm used to it.'
I sighed. I gently pulled down the top of my gown, revealing my right breast. A few people covered their eyes, some of them watching with interest as I gently tilted Connor's head, coaxing him in Gaelic as he latched his tiny mouth around my nipple. I sighed.
'You guys can look now,' I said, 'it's okay.'
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. I supported Connor's head in my hand, watching him as he sucked. I smiled.
'There…' I cooed, 'is that better?'
Duffy chuckled.
'You are way too smart sometimes, Becca,' he said, 'how did you know he was hungry?'
I shrugged.
'Instincts, I guess,' I said, 'I would have known if he was gassy or needed to be changed. When it comes to babies, you need to use a process of elimination.'
'So, when you rule out a dirty diaper or gas, it tends to be hunger,' said Emma.
I nodded.
'That or they're tired,' I said, 'and I think he sleeps enough as an adult.'
Emma chuckled. I looked down at Connor again, watching him as he sucked. I had to admit that he was cute as a button, but I wanted to figure out what happened more than anything - along with how to get him back to his normal self.
'So, how are we gonna break this to Annabelle?' asked Dolly.
'Gently, obviously,' said Murphy, ''m sure she's gonna 'ave a stroke either way.'
I sighed.
'We need to solve this mystery before we take any action,' I said, 'though it's gonna take a lot of work…'
'It will be, Mamacita,' said Romeo, 'but in the end, it'll be worth it. For Connor.'
I nodded. I gently stroked Connor's hair as he continued to suck, my eyes shining with un-shed tears as I watched him. Then Emily spoke up.
'I'd suggest calling an expert before we tell Annabelle,' she said thoughtfully, 'get the facts straight so she gets a straight answer rather than her being worked up and worried.'
'I'd be more than happy to call an expert,' said Michael, 'I just need a phone book.'
I gently pulled Connor off my nipple, pulling the top of my gown up before placing him over my shoulder to burp him.
'I really appreciate it, Michael,' I said as I gently patted Connor's back, 'I need to know what happened to him and the outcome.'
Michael nodded. He left the room, going to the kitchen to search for the phonebook. Connor belched loudly over my shoulder, causing everyone to snigger. I laughed, wrinkling my nose.
'That was beautiful…' I said.
Connor giggled. Michael returned a short time later, his phone in hand.
'I just called the Bean Town Paranormal Society,' he said, 'they're sending over an investigator that specializes in curses and physic phenomena.'
I nodded. I cupped Connor's head in my hand, cradling it to my chest. Ashley bounced on the balls of her feet, her eyes wide with wonder. I laughed.
'Yes, Ashley?' I said.
Ashley squeaked.
'Can I hold him?!' she said excitedly, 'please?!'
I laughed.
'Of course you can!' I said.
Ashley beamed. She ran over to the chair, gently taking Connor into her arms. She cradled his head to her shoulder, bouncing him gently. Connor didn't like that. He grunted, his face contorting, signalling he was about to cry. Ashley frowned.
'What's going on?' she asked, 'why is he grunting?'
Connor whined. He twisted himself in Ashley's arms, turning his head. He locked his gaze on mine, reaching his tiny arms out.
'Becca…' he cooed, 'Becca…'
I giggled.
'Well…' I said, 'I'm guessing the only person he wants to hold him is me…'
Ashley pouted. I got up from the chair, gently taking Connor in my arms again. I bounced him gently, cooing to him in French when the doorbell rang. Michael sighed.
'That'll be the paranormal expert…' he said.
I chewed my lip as Michael walked towards the front door. I cradled Connor to my chest, praying to God that this curse will be lifted. Michael returned a short time later with a tall man. The man sighed.
'I'm Harry Angel,' he said, 'what seems to be the issue here?'
I sighed.
'It's my fiancé,' I said, 'he got turned into a baby.'
Harry frowned. He slowly walked over to me, studying Connor through his thick glasses.
'Hmm…' he said softly, 'interesting…of my 13-plus years of research in this specific field, I've never heard of a curse that turns adults into babies…'
Connor grunted softly as Harry studied him. I stroked his hair, holding him closer to me.
'Tá sé leanbh siúcra ceart go leor…' I cooed softly, 'tá sé anseo le cuidiú leat…'
Harry chuckled. He pulled his iPad out of his bag, getting ready to do some research.
'Little tyke seems nervous,' he teased.
I snorted.
'No shit, Sherlock…' I mumbled to myself.
Everyone watched anxiously as Harry feverishly looked through his iPad for information. I bit my lip, bouncing anxiously as I waited. Connor cooed softly, placing his hand on my cheek. I laughed.
'Mo aingeal beag…' I said softly.
Connor giggled. I took his hand in mine, gently kissing his palm. I knew that if he was still in his adult body, he'd tell me:
Ye need ta learn 'ow ta relax, woman. Yer gonna 'ave a fuckin' stroke!
The gang watched with interest as I bounced the cooing baby in my arms. Emily grinned.
'That is so cute…' she said softly.
'Do you think Harry will find an answer?' whispered Paul.
'Oh, I hope so…' said Eunice, 'I really, really hope so…'
Harry sighed. I looked up at him, my eyes widening.
'What's the verdict?' I asked, 'is he gonna be okay?'
Harry shook his head.
'I'm sorry, Ms. Ouellet…' he said sombrely, 'I'm afraid the curse is…permanent…'
'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'