AN- I was going through old files on my computer during lockdown and I discovered this. I wrote it three or four years ago as the ending to a longer Being Human story. Set three years after Season 1. Basically the summary of that story would be that Mitchell and Annie were in a relationship and expecting a halfling baby. I had worked out all of the details and the reasoning behind why Annie and Mitchell were able to get pregnant when she's a ghost and he's a vampire. I've got a few other half-finished chapters for that story before I gave up on it. Throughout the story, I was also going to introduce new characters and bring back old ones from the show and explain things from the show like Mitchell's 'justified' hatred of IKEA, but I lost interest and life just got too busy. Anyway, I wanted to at least post this chapter if nothing else. Let me know if you've got any questions or things don't make sense because this 'one-shot' was supposed to be an end.
"We're home! Hello?" George asked as he opened the front door, Nina following close behind. It was early in the morning but the pink house had never looked this abandoned. They walked cautiously into the front room. The room was nearly dark, just the soft glow of one of the lamps. They were exhausted after the Full Moon the night before, but never had the house seemed so silent…. so empty… so much like a tomb. For the first time in his recollection of living in the big pink house, there was no smell of fresh tea wafting from the kitchen. Annie was always making tea, no matter the hour, no matter the day. Their house had a permanent aroma of tea and the distinct lack of the warm richness was unsettling. There was a smell of old leftover tea and coffee as though some had been made the night before but even that just smelled wrong. George looked up the stairs but didn't head up just yet. He wanted to prepare himself in case of there had been a fight…or in case there would be one. "What? Mitchell? Annie? Where… where are you guys? Hello?! Anyone?" No answer; he sighs. Nina squeezed his hand, just to let him know she wasn't going to leave him alone no matter what happened and for that he was grateful.
George nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Mitchell sitting alone just staring at the blank television screen. It was as though he was trying to watch television, even though it was switched off. It was even more unsettling that Annie wasn't there with him. She was usually not far from him, especially this late in her pregnancy. George hoped she were just in her room or in Mitchell's, but by the somber feeling in the house and the strange way Mitchell was acting, George was afraid to ask. She was always the first to greet the two werewolves after the Full Moon with warm cinnamon tea, but she wasn't waiting now. That thought alone terrified George more than the transformation.
The room wasn't dark but it wasn't well-lit either. It was a dim light. Are the lightbulbs shattered? George had to wonder. Mitchell sitting alone in eerie silence made him nervous. Best friend or no, he was still a vampire… "Everything's fine. Everything's fine." Mitchell spoke softly as though he could read George's thoughts. But the werewolf quickly realized that the vampire didn't even notice the two of them and he was speaking as though he was trying to reassure himself; George and Nina shared a panicked look. Mitchell seemed to just realize they walked in when he turned to smile at George and Nina. At least he wasn't smiling with fangs and his eyes were his usual brown not pitch black. "Oh hey, mate. What no housecoat?" He laughed at his joke, but Nina and George didn't smile. "That dress you wore really brought out your eyes, George. Shame you don't hafta resort to stealin' from the neighbors anymore. Mrs. Perkins still believes there are teenage hooligans after her stuff." Mitchell joked easily from his spot on the couch, the werewolf glared at him as Mitchell continued teasing him and Nina looked around in silent inspection.
Mitchell smiled tiredly at the werewolves, "You missed a lot of fun last night." He seemed to have a private joke with himself and that terrified George. Were they attacked? He sniffed, couldn't smell any other vampires, but there was a strange smell he'd never encountered before. He tensed at the smell but Mitchell didn't react one way or another besides a tired smirk that said 'don't worry about it'. It did little to calm George, though. At least he couldn't smell any blood. "But I guess you two must've had your own fun, huh?" Even in the darkness, George could hear the teasing laughter in his best friend's voice. He knew Mitchell had that smile that made everyone think everything was going to be alright even if the world was caving in all around them. Sometimes he really hated that smile.
George rolled his eyes at the remark about the Full Moon. Yeah, lots of fun. He was about to object to the teasing when Mitchell ordered suddenly "Shower now. Both o' ya." He cringed at the smell of them as it hit his nose. Normally he wouldn't bring it up when they first walk through the door, but this morning he didn't care. They smelled absolutely awful and he was too tired to deal with this today. "Ya both stink." George studied his friend's face. No sign of attack, but he still looked awful. His Irish accent was more pronounced, which meant the vampire was exhausted. While he always had his accent it was more prominent when Mitchell needed sleep or when he was reminiscing about the past. After their transformations, Mitchell said George and Nina smelled worse than normal, smelled more like The Wolf. He said he figured it was something about The Wolf being released. But this was different. George looked around in alarm. He realized most of the lightbulbs had exploded in the room. Annie! His eyes widened in fear for his best friends. George listened but couldn't hear anything. The house was silent. No sign of the tea-making ghost and Mitchell looked terrible. He obviously hadn't slept at all the night before. He looked completely dead on his feet, pardon the expression. His eyes had dark circles from more than just hunger and his dark hair looked even wilder and more unmanageable than normal. George couldn't hide the sinking feeling of dread as he looked over Mitchell once again.
"You look positively dreadful. Don't you think… Nina?" George prompted his love who had been quiet, just taking in the scene. Both werewolves eyed the vampire suspiciously. While they didn't think he was attacked, he was behaving extremely strange this morning. While he was never really completely normal, he was acting much weirder than usual. George doubted Mitchell had done anything, but he couldn't be completely sure
Mitchell actually laughed at that. "You both should look in the mirror then, mate. I mean she's got sticks and leaves in her hair, Nina does, and you—" Mitchell's voice was different than simply over-tired exhaustion. It was mixed with blissful and euphoric almost giddy laughter… It like he was drunk. Oh god, he hated when the vampire got drunk… but he couldn't smell any alcohol on his friend? No alcohol, and even better: no blood. Nina caught his eye as Mitchell watched them carefully. George followed Nina's eyes as she stared at something… Something in the vampire's arms.
"What the fu-what the hell is that?" George demanded, not caring that Mitchell frowned at the interruption. This was much more important, though he knew fully well what 'it' was. A tiny bundle of blankets wrapped up and being held by the vampire as though it was the most delicate thing in the entire world.
"A baby." Mitchell seemed amused by the question as though he can't fathom why his cradling an infant would be any cause for concern. George's mouth fell open. Mitchell half-expected him to make some sort of noise but the werewolf was silent. George couldn't believe this. First, Annie brings home a ghost baby that won't stop crying until the mother claimed it. That was years ago. Now Mitchell's got a baby. What are they a bloody nanny service?
George shook his head, wondering what kind of idiot parents would leave their baby with a vampire who shared a house with two werewolves this close to a full moon. George glanced at Nina to check if she thought he was overreacting. By the look in her eyes, she was even more afraid for the infant than he was. She trusted Mitchell even less than George did, and they all knew it. For the most part, Nina wasn't too worried about Mitchell's vampirism… but on mornings like this she couldn't be too careful, especially when it involved bringing a child into their home.
"Did you feed?" Nina asked, her voice equally suspicious. She glanced around, worried for what they may have walked into. Mitchell had been clean for a long time, but she knew under great pressure and stress even the strongest can snap. She couldn't imagine a more stressful time for the vampire than having a dead pregnant girlfriend. The way he was reacting made her nervous… "Or did you take the baby from—"
"Jesus, Nina! I'm not barbaric." Mitchell nearly growled, doing little to help his case. The vampire knew they only meant well and they were always over-anxious the Morning After their transformations. His eyes immediately darted to the tiny baby he was holding who began wailing softly the moment the mood shifted and the vampire snarled. Nina noticed an incredible transformation before her, between the baby and Mitchell. "Shhh, please. Shhh, it's okay. It's okay, Ciara. That's good, yeah. It's okay. Kiki, shhh. Yeah, good girl. Good girl. There ya go…" He soothed, gently stroking the baby's cheek. She calmed down after a few moments of his quiet whisperings. The smile on his face was one of such reverence normally reserved for the holiest of relics.
"Sorry." Nina murmured an apology, knowing it wasn't fair to interrogate him now, not when their emotions and their senses were working overtime. She couldn't help it, though. The baby was just an innocent human, but Mitchell obviously was being incredibly careful and gentle. She'd never seen him look so… human. She knew George mentioned offhandedly once he was good with kids, but this was different, he was acting far too protective for the baby to be anyone else's. That's it! She smiled for a moment, trying not to seem overeager as everything clicked. "Where's Annie?" She asked quickly. Mitchell didn't seem to hear George's question earlier, so she repeated it. Mitchell nodded, looking like he was already falling asleep. He was fighting a yawn. Her voice softened, "You didn't sleep last night." It wasn't a question. That just about confirmed it for her, but she wanted to hear him say so.
Mitchell looked upstairs as though he could see through the ceiling to where his ghost was. "Long night," Was all he said in response to her final sentence before awkwardly continuing. "As for Annie…Erm…Annie's …She's... upstairs." He glanced at the sleeping bundle in his arms and shifted his weight to better hold the baby. Of course, it all made sense now. He caught Nina's eye and smiled as he saw the recognition cross her face. He had to give her credit, George's brain was always more than a little dazed after the Full Moon, but Nina seemed as sharp as ever. The female's entire face lit up and Mitchell chuckled at George who was still staring at his friend wondering where the hell he got a baby and why Nina was practically squealing.
"How old?" Nina had been home for all of five minutes and she was already in nurse-mode, making the Irishman close his eyes and chuckle softly.
"She's…two hours?" he craned his neck to see the clock in the kitchen, before nodding to himself. "Yeah. About two hours... Two hours old. You wanna hold her?" He smiled, looking at the tiny thing in his arms before seeing Nina's face. Mitchell handed the baby over to Nina as the newborn made tiny pitiful protests. George thought he heard Nina whisper an apology for the smell of the Wolf and Mitchell murmur another half-hearted request for the two of them to shower under his breath. But they knew he really didn't mean it, not yet anyway. The baby squirmed in Nina's arms and both vampire and werewolf soothed her. George only stared dumbstruck. Once the baby was settled, Mitchell glanced over to George. His mouth opened and closed in rapid succession and Mitchell could see the cogs in his best friend's brain working overtime to try and catch up from being a werewolf and put together the new scene. As soon as the realization dawned on him, George started yelling. "Nina, I think he's got it." Mitchell said softly as the werewolf whooped. Nina giggled.
"Oh my god! Mitchell! Annie had the baby! Your baby! Oh my god! You're a dad!" George yelled, unbelievably excited for his friends.
"I'm aware." Mitchell answered, exhausted but smirking. Nina tried to hide her smile at his answer but George was too distracted by the news to be offended by the vampire's snide remarks.
"Oh my God! The baby! Oh my God! Oh my God! Nina, Annie had her baby! Nina! Mitchell! Oh, Mitchell! Oh my God! Annie! This is great! Fantastic!" George shrieked the last bit out when there was a pop behind him and he jumped. Nina flinched and nearly yelped at George's scream, Mitchell glanced over at the two werewolves making sure everything was fine with the baby before smirking at the ghost, an 'I told you so' expression clear as day on his face. Nina nearly smacked George over the commotion in worry over scaring the baby or causing Nina to almost drop her. Annie was trying not to laugh at all of it. To her it was just too funny.
"How are you feeling? What are you doing up? You should be resting…" Annie nearly rolled her eyes at her lover's concern, but was secretly pleased by it. She giggled as his eyes searched hers. He smiled at her. "You know better than to startle him like that when they first come home." Mitchell was trying to be serious as he 'scolded' the ghost who was smiling back at him, but he was failing. She looked like she'd never been happier as did he.
"I'm okay. I wanted to see them. Heard George shouting. I think all of Bristol heard it" the ghost and vampire laugh. "I'm surprised Ciara didn't start with him going off like he did." She shook her head fondly at her best friend's reaction to both the baby and her teleporting downstairs. "Besides ghosts don't need rest…" that was an old argument they must have had dozens of times, but Mitchell still frowned slightly at her insistence. She walked carefully over to Mitchell and sat down next to him, leaning into him. He put an arm around her and kissed the top of her forehead in a long slow kiss. His eyes were closed and she could feel him breathing in her scent. His heartbeat was slow and steady, relaxing her because she desperately needed it then.
She wanted to stay like that forever, being in his arms calmed her and she knew it calmed him as well, but they needed to deal with the elephant in the room: that George and Nina returned from their monthly 'visit to the woods' to find the ghost and vampire had their baby the previous night. Though she didn't move from his arms, even when they broke apart after the kiss. "Well, next time don't 'rentaghost' just after the Full Moon. You know how paranoid and panicked George gets." Mitchell reminded Annie as he smiled, sounding more like the worldly century-old vampire he was instead of the twenty-four year old he pretended to be.
Annie feigned innocence. "Not my fault he's so jumpy. I just wanted to see them." She said before smiling brightly at the werewolf in question who only glared at her. "Besides I learned not to do that the first time when he jumped nearly three feet in the air." Mitchell tried unsuccessfully to disguise his laugh as a cough, earning a glare as well.
"Stop laughing, both of you." George tutted sounding more embarrassed than angry, which only made them laugh harder. They finally managed to calm down despite the fit of giggles at their friend's expense. Nina watched the three, smiling to herself at how comfortable they were despite what the scene might look like to an outsider.
"Yeah, well cos o' that he tackled me." Mitchell returned the mock glare to his best friend, once he stopped laughing.
"Wait what?" Nina asked, looking at her three housemates, the baby in her arms not making a sound as though she was waiting for some explanation too. "You did what? When?"
"Wasn't funny." George mumbled. "Not funny then and not funny now. Ghosts have absolutely no concept of personal space. Annoying little buggers." He shook his head at his housemates, who were trying not to laugh at his evaluation of ghosts. "Just after renting this place and we'd only just met Annie. This was the first time I came back here from the transformation after moving in here and Annie just appeared behind me with a pop and—"
"And you punched me." Mitchell eyed George carefully as though he'd do it again. "Practically tackled me." Turning to Nina, he explained where George fell short. "We'd been here only a few weeks. Known Annie for less than a week and she just wanted to welcome George back when I picked him up from the hospital, but she startled him and he panicked and jumped. That frightened her and she disappeared to who knows where and so he lunged at the only other target around. Me! It hurt." Mitchell complained as though he wasn't immortal and basically indestructible. As though he still held a grudge from it, when he was just giving George a hard time.
"Almost five years ago!" George defended himself, but they could all see the moment had passed when Nina was looking over the baby, cooing softly at the newborn who was making newborn noises back.
"What's her name?" She asked in that special voice nurses reserve especially for babies and difficult patients.
"Ciara." Annie said smiling at her daughter and at Mitchell. She had dark hair just like Mitchell's (Annie hoped it would eventually be just as wavy) and the prettiest brown eyes Annie had ever seen. Her skin was soft and just a bit lighter than Annie's, though it was freezing cold.
"Pretty name for a pretty baby." George said softly to her as he made silly faces, he was about to ask if it meant something when Nina made a small sound of alarm. He glanced at her, mentally trying to figure out if the baby had fangs.
"She's freezing… And she doesn't have a pulse!" Nina turned to the new parents, her concern evident. She should have noticed these things sooner, but the trio was making it difficult to concentrate. No answer, and that worried her. The others seemed completely unconcerned when she knew from her experiences on Labor and Delivery that most first-time parents normally panicked over every little sneeze. "Why doesn't she have a pulse?" Nina demanded, worried for the baby even if she seemed perfectly fine just by looking at her. The newborn's pulse should be easy to find and she couldn't find it no matter where she checked. "Answer me! Where. Is. Her. Pulse?!" Nina was nearly frantic with worry.
Mitchell shook his head. "Kiki's got one. It's just really slow. I counted one beat…" He told her, nodding to himself as he listened again. "Yep. One beat per minute." He added when he saw the look on Nina's face. Nina blinked in shock, about to question his nonchalance when George murmured something to Annie who nodded.
"Hold on!" Nina tried but was ignored by the three housemates who knew each other the longest and they all started talking at once, a habit that they often got into during 'house meetings'. Nina figured it was a residual trait from when the three lived together before she joined the household when Annie had to talk to them or she'd go crazy.
"One beat, hmmm? Like yours, yeah?" George asked and Mitchell nodded. Ghosts don't have a heartbeat, George had to remind himself, of course it would be like Mitchell's if she had a heartbeat at all. Mitchell could hear Nina's heart beat faster as she became more alarmed, just like he heard George's quick one and Ciara's faint pulse.
"Hopefully, she'll be able to control it someday, like you. I mean once she gets older. She'll age, I know she will. After all she grew and was born… that means she'll age, right?" Annie said, looking at Mitchell who didn't know what to tell her, but Nina looked at Mitchell fearfully.
"Hey!" Nina spoke loudly to get the others' attention. The vampire, ghost, and other werewolf all stared at her. "Thank you." Nina said softly, now that she had their attention. She turned to Mitchell and pointed an accusatory glance in his direction. "What do you mean? You only have one beat per minute? I-I've felt your heartbeat…" Nina's mind went back to what George and Mitchell said and the time in the hospital she'd checked his pulse multiple times but his heart-rate was always normal. Although the other nurses told her to keep a close eye on his heart-rate during his unusually short hospital stay years before. She knew they wanted to observe him because the machine was malfunctioning when he was first brought in after some bar fight that she later learned was actually from him being stabbed by Herrick.
"You mean you didn't learn that in nursing school? Calm yourself, Nina. You need to relax. I don't think I've heard your heart beat so quickly." Mitchell teased. "Come on Nina, keep up." He laughed softly for a moment, but when she still looked afraid Mitchell sighed to himself before explaining. "Vampires can increase our pulse when we need to. Like when we're in a situation which requires a human-like heartbeat. Our resting heartrate is one beat per minute because we are technically dead. Don't give me that look. I know for a fact you remember when I was in the hospital and they couldn't find my pulse after I… erm… was stabbed…." Absentmindedly, he touched his chest, where there wouldn't be a wound or a scar. "You were the one who came in just before they released me and tried to explain how the machines malfunctioned. But the machines were right. I should have been dead according to my pulse. I should have died more times than I can count, honestly… But, yeah…Once I had..errr…was… Erm…Coherent enough I was able to raise it to normal human levels. But I guess a stabbing victim gets some leeway if their heartbeat is wonky when they prep 'em for surgery." Mitchell said thinking back to that night and how Annie had had her door and almost walked away from their lives forever. He squeezed Annie's hand lightly and brought her fingers to his lips. She knew another woman he loved from that night was on his mind as well, even if the other two didn't really know about Josie. Annie kissed his cheek and Mitchell smiled at her. "Thanks." He whispered only for her to hear. The ghost returned the smile, taking both his hands in hers.
George got their attention again. "Besides the pulse thing how is the split? Pretty even? I mean there are quite a few differences between ghosts and vampires." George asked, looking at Mitchell and Annie who shrugged. He wondered what she 'inherited' from her parents besides her dark curly hair and her brown eyes. "Can she turn invisible…?"
"George, she's only two and a half hours old!" Nina reminded him with a laugh. "Far too young for 'abilities'." George rolled his eyes and shrugged, muttering about 'stranger things have happened'.
Mitchell and Annie smiled at Nina chiding her lover, before Mitchell nodded when he remembered something. "Yeah, your Star of David." Annie blinked, she hadn't known that. Silently, Mitchell reassured her with a gentle squeeze of his hand.
"What do you mean?" the werewolf asked feeling really guilty. He knew it didn't hurt Mitchell only because George was his best friend.
"I had it in my pocket, like whenever you give it to me to watch while you transform. Anyway, I picked up Ciara to bring her downstairs and she started screaming when it came close to her so I took it off and put in on the table. It didn't touch her so she shouldn't have been burned, just... I don't know" He didn't mention that he wasn't quite sure where it landed when he tossed it in the general direction of the kitchen table.
"I don't want it to hurt her." George said softly, "Do you think…. She'll be okay—?"
"Yes." Mitchell interrupted. "Probably. I don't…I don't know. Just-Just give it time, okay? I know when I first me ya, I made you take it off but eventually it was fine."
George nearly laughed at the memory of how the vampire ordered him to remove his necklace before demanding George come to the hospital to check for broken ribs. George complained the whole time, but Mitchell was having none of it. Mitchell was still just as overbearing but now George knew how to deal with him. "I'd forgotten all about that. How long until it stopped hurting you?" Mitchell shrugged.
"Don't remember. I just know one day it stopped feeling like you had a burning piece of iron and it was just a regular necklace." He said in that tone of voice George knew the conversation was finished.
Annie watched as both werewolves seemed fascinated with the baby. "She's got dark hair." George murmured in quiet awe. Nina raised an eyebrow and the other werewolf elaborated. "I didn't think babies were born with so much hair. Or even if they were, most are blonde, yeah? And then it changes color when they get older?"
"Genetics, love. Both her parents have such brilliant dark curly hair so it makes sense… Ciara…would have it too." She stroked the cheek of the baby as Nina repeats her name to herself to cement it in her mind rather than just 'the baby' as she'd previously been referred to as.
"That's what Ciara means." Annie spoke up. "Little dark haired one." She said proudly. Nina gently places the newborn in Annie's arms so she'd be back with the familiarity of her Mum amid all this chaos.
"It's Irish." Mitchell added quietly, just looking at his hands. He stifles a yawn and George does as well.
"Yeah?" George asked, looking at the vampire who was trying to hide his smirk that let him know Mitchell was just about to mock him. "Whatever you're about to say…. The answer is no." He knew the vampire and could usually handle his barbs but Post-Full Moon George's emotions always ran a little high.
"You're the one who speaks like a dozen languages, mate. You should know the meaning." Mitchell said, and George had no idea if that was what Mitchell was originally going to say because the vampire knew not to push him the day after transformations.
"None is Irish. That's you." George retorts in the same tone. "You're the one who speaks Irish." Though Mitchell would often protest that fact, George knew he was proud that he could still speak Irish and understand when he heard travelers use it. George smiled, "Ciara. Fitting name." he muses, looking at the baby.
"Better than Luna." Mitchell adds, teasing Annie, who only rolled her eyes. She slips her fingers into his hand and he smiled.
"I said I liked it for a middle name. Besides I think Luna is a pretty name. It fits with Ciara." the ghost defended, looking into the eyes of her baby.
Mitchell snorted. "Bit of a cliché for someone who was born during the Full Moon, don't you think? Though I suppose, it'd be even more cliché if she were a werewolf." He laughed.
"But it's for her god-parents." Annie reminded him. Mitchell only laughed. "But you're right, Marie does sound better as a middle name and plus Marie is a family name. Ciara Marie Mitchell." She nods with an air of finality and holds her baby close, gently tickling her chin. Mitchell smiled. Ciara is unaware of the situation she's caused between housemates and her Mum is trying unsuccessfully to get George to hold her. "But you were a natural with Tim." Annie reminds him.
"But he was a ghost…. He couldn't get hurt. What if I drop her? What if she hates me?" George is content to just watch his friends fawn over the baby. It wasn't that he didn't like babies, just the opposite but she was just so delicate and fragile. She was a newborn, he reasoned. He didn't want to break her.
"She's solid; it's not like she'll pass through your fingers. I didn't drop her." Nina answered like he was daft for even suggesting such a thing. She had no idea who or what they were talking about, but assumed it would be easier for a ghost to pass through fingers rather than Ciara.
"You're a nurse. You're good with babies. I already hurt her once, I don't want her to hate me." George reminds her, not wanting to hold the baby. Mitchell knows there is absolutely no chance of that little girl hating George, but he figured it was best to give him some space. The vampire could hear George's heart beating rapidly, the werewolf was stressed. George takes a breath to calm his nerves. He can tell Mitchell's watching him like a hawk. He finds it a bit unsettling, as though he were prey…. The Wolf wouldn't like being prey, but he was in control now, not The Wolf. He wasn't The Wolf.
"Geeeooorrrgggeeee…" Annie whines, looking at him with her big Bambi eyes, pleading. He sighs, knowing this is one argument she'll win every time. Whenever she gives him those big eyes, George knows fighting is pointless. "Take the baby." He nods to her so she places the baby in his arms. He's about to protest though he knows it won't do any good; he's already got the baby in his arms. Only Annie can make 'her boys' do something they don't want to do and actually enjoy it. Ciara smiled at George when he stroked her forehead.
"This is an ambush." George complains to Mitchell who smirked in response.
"Live with it." Mitchell answered and George sighed, knowing he was defeated by the ghost, vampire and werewolf before him, but most of all by the tiny Halfling in his arms. Gorge absently rocked the baby in the same way Mitchell had done earlier. His eyes looked into the dark brown eyes before him and George couldn't help but marvel at the baby. "Only held you for a minute 'Uncle George' already adores you, good job Ciara." Mitchell spoke softly to her with the hint of a laugh. Annie and George are fussing over the baby, much like the last time the trio were in charge of a baby, though they prefer Annie's biological baby over her 'adopted' one.
"Erm, Where's your…. Doctor… friend? I would thought he'd have been here to…er… help." Nina asked looking at Mitchell. He figured doctor was not her first choice of word to use but said nothing. Yes, Annie was already dead and the baby was half vampire and half ghost, but Nina was worried that something could have gone wrong. As a nurse she knew the dangers of childbirth not that she would ever have told her friends; no need to worry them. It was just in the back of her mind. But everything was fine. Annie looked no different than her normal self and the baby… Ciara… Nina mentally chided herself, was fine and looked like the many other newborns Nina had seen in her nursing career, despite her seemingly lack of pulse.
Mitchell looked toward the door as though he could will the other vampire to walk through it just by thinking really hard. "He'll be over as soon as he can. When I called him he was just about to head into a surgery. Bad Car Accident." He sighed softly "Barely Living patients take priority over dead ones." Mitchell answered and she could see looking at his face, he was just as worried as she was if not more.
"I should have been here." Nina said, her voice like a whisper. She was watching Annie, studying her like one of her patients. Mitchell was watching Annie, too, though both tried to be discrete about it.
"What would you have done? It was a Full Moon last night. You wouldn't have been of any use to us." Mitchell said softly. So softly she wouldn't have heard it if she wasn't sitting next to him.
"I'm a nurse." Nina asserted loudly, despite knowing her being here would have been useless last night. That got the attention of George and Annie.
"Safer for you to be with George. You wouldn't have been any good as a werewolf here." Annie said, turning her attention towards their conversation over hers with George. Nina knew with that one sentence she knew exactly what they were discussing. Nina frowned at Annie. Her voice was too bright, too sincere, far too forgiving and it made Nina feel even guiltier.
"For Crist's sake, Annie! You shouldn't have been giving birth alone… with just Mitchell." the nurse added as an afterthought. Mitchell absolutely adored Annie, and he'd likely give up his last breath to protect her. But he wasn't a medical professional, just a cleaner at the hospital. Though maybe he picked up some useful skills in his century since being turned. But he was still a vampire no matter how much he was clean. She knew he was doing his best with his bloodlust but would it have been enough? Nina didn't even know if ghosts bled, but Annie seemed perfectly alright now. Maybe being dead has its perks? She thought bitterly. "Why didn't you ring us last night?" Nina and George had gone out to dinner last night after their shifts at the hospital before leaving for the woods. They hadn't been home since the time they left yesterday morning, but if they knew about the baby… While it was nice to have the time alone with George, Nina could have at least helped in the beginning or gotten someone here like Mitchell's Vampiric Doctor of the Supernatural. "Maybe I could have helped... Or something…"
Mitchell shook his head. They had a healthy ghost-vampire baby and Annie was perfectly fine. The outcome wouldn't have changed no matter who was there, but he was worried about her just the same, "I tried! Annie wouldn't let me. 'Don't ruin their night, they get so few date nights'." Mitchell said simply, almost mockingly. He would have felt better if Nina knew Annie was in labor even if there was nothing she could have done. Ghost mother or not. Annie aimed a sharp kick at his leg and the vampire yelped. "Oi! She kicked me in the shin!" Mitchell complained to Nina, who sighed. "The shin!"
"You deserved it." Annie said before snuggling against him. "After last night, you're lucky if a 'bruised' shin is all you get." But as soon as the words leave her mouth, Annie regrets them. He hated seeing her in pain and she knew if something happened to the baby or to her because it was just the two of them during the birth, Mitchell would never forgive himself. Which was foolish because she was already dead, but she didn't say that. Turning to Nina, she smiled "But as long and you and George enjoyed yourselves…." Annie's voice was smug as she saw the man blush and he tutted about 'inappropriate for an infant's ears', never mind that that infant wouldn't remember anything from this morning anyway.
Mitchell took Ciara back from George because the werewolf looked like he'd pass out from exhaustion right there. The transformations were always tough on the werewolves, last night was no exception. "You both look like you could use some coffee before work." Mitchell observed his friends, knowing they needed a whole lot more than just a cup of coffee.
Nina shook her head. "Could use some coffee… and probably a cigarette, too" She grinned devilishly as Mitchell smirked and George scowls. "but I'm not going in this morning. Called in sick for today. I know it'd be rough after the Full Moon, so I didn't want to take any chances. But I saw your name on the Rota at the hospital…."
"James'll cover for me. Called him just before you came in this morning. I had only just brought Ciara downstairs when I called him. Only had to threaten his life twice." He felt Annie tense beside him, even though his voice was relaxed and she figured he was joking. She hoped he was joking.
"Mitchell!" Annie scolded and the vampire smiled sheepishly. The baby fidgeted at the sound of desperation in her mother's voice.
"Okay, fine," Mitchell sighed dramatically, "He said no problem and he owes me anyway. I covered him his past three callouts. Didn't threaten him at all." Mitchell held up one hand, palm out. "Vampire's honor." He smirked as the two women relaxed just slightly. "I'm on Friday morning though, so…" that only gave him three days. He turned to Annie and smiled. "Oh yeah. Almost forgot, he wanted me to tell you congratulations." She just laughed.
"George has to work today." George told his housemates, grudgingly as he realized. "George has to go to work today." He moaned to himself even if all he wanted to do was stay home and sleep. "Even if you don't have to, I do. I don't want to…. But apparently Nina can't call in sick for both of us." He gave a pointed look to his girlfriend. "God, I need sleep." He mumbled.
"You need coffee. Sleep'll be worse." Mitchell said simply, George only stared at him mouth agape. "Basic biology, mate." Mitchell shrugged. Gently, he rocked the baby in his arms.
"And how do you know that?" Nina asked him, curious.
Mitchell laughed "I don't. I heard it somewhere… Probably made up…. But he doesn't have time for a nap if he's got to get to work." He turned to George and added "Besides, sleeping for half an hour will make you feel more tired. Coffee will keep you awake then when you come home feel free to pass out. Though by looking at you, Donna might send you home anyway." He smirked and George rolled his eyes. Donna would do anything for Mitchell just like a good bunch of the nurses and staff at the hospital. If he asked, she might even consider sending George home despite the good probability of being overcrowded with patients and short-staffed. But George shook his head, with Nina and Mitchell not being there he needed to go. Besides they'd already called in more than their fair share of favors around the Full Moon.
"Coffee" George murmured as though all his hopes and dreams relied on that simple beverage. George stood up and so did Annie. "What are you doing? Go sit." George said to the ghost who grimaced at his overprotectiveness. Both her boys were overprotective of her.
"I make your coffee." Annie told him as though he was a child. It's what she always did for him after a Full Moon. It was her routine. She glanced uneasily towards the kitchen. "Besides the kitchen is a mess…." If ghosts could blush, Annie would have.
"What?! No, no. You. No, no. Annie. No. You. Sit. Down." George shook his head. "You don't need to be making me or anyone else coffee. Annie. Last night… no not even. Less than three hours ago you gave birth. Sit with Mitchell and Nina and your daughter." The vampire and werewolf were just watching, neither daring to say a word. They both knew how stubborn their lovers were, especially with the other one. They watched for a few moments mesmerized by the argument in the doorway, but the spell was broken by Nina laying her tired head on Mitchell's shoulder. He felt just as exhausted as she looked.
"Nina," Mitchell nudged her softly. "Go to bed. Sleep. With a newborn in the house I doubt we'll sleep much tonight. Probably not for a month or even longer. Besides, they'll be like this for a bit yet." Nina only stares blankly at him for a moment and he nearly laughs at her expression. "Change takes some getting used to. Just like living in a house with a ghost. Just like his first transformation, just like you moving in. Just like this will. They're arguing about tea and coffee and God knows what else. They've gone mental. Even more so then they already were." He smirks and she smiled. "Go on. I'll keep an eye on them." He glanced at the baby who looked up at him with big owl eyes and he grinned. "Yeah, we will, won't we, Kiki? Keep 'em from doing anything too daft." Ciara blinked and sneezed in response. Nina nodded and sleepily headed up the stairs after a hushed "g'night".
Mitchell was right, Annie and George kept debating about whether Annie should make George coffee even after Nina went upstairs. Mitchell thought George should let her do it and be done with it all, but they were both too damn stubborn. Their problem was how much they both cared for each other and wanted to make life easier for their friend.
It was part of Annie's nature to nurture her friends and help them in any way she could, George knew, so he wasn't too surprised when Annie showed concern about his night. "What about you? The transformation is multiple organ failures, isn't it? You should rest. I'll make you tea or coffee or..."
"Sit!" George spoke sharply, but softened when he saw her face. "Annie, please just sit. Even if ghosts don't need sleep or to rest, please sit. I know you want to care for me but the best thing for you right now is to be with your baby. She needs her mum more than I need a coffee making ghost." He smiled at her "I'm a grown man. I can make coffee myself. I want to make coffee. By myself, okay? Just let me unwind in solitude, please?" She glanced at Mitchell who nodded toward the empty spot next to him so Annie sat down, snuggling into his arms as she folded herself to sit on his lap. Taking her daughter from Mitchell and began playing absentmindedly with the newborn's hands as she kissed her forehead. The vampire opened his mouth to say something but George cut him off "I am going to make coffee because my shift is in forty-five minutes. I had a long night. I just want one bloody cup of coffee before going upstairs and changing into my scrubs. Is that too much to ask for?" Yes Mitchell thought, but kept quiet because he knew better.
And with that the werewolf went into the kitchen. He hadn't been in the kitchen more than a moment when he shrieked in surprise "What the bloody hell happened in here?!" George stared in horror and Annie winced. Mitchell squeezed her hand.
"Tried to warn ya, mate." Mitchell was trying hard not to laugh at his friend's reaction. He held the ghost's hand protectively and she practically buried her face in Mitchell's chest, she just kept mumbling apologies over and over. Mitchell just kissed her hair before answering George. "Didn't get a chance to clean up in there before you came home." To Annie he whispered, "George is just worried about the poltergeisting. He's not mad, I promise ya. If he is, I'll talk to him. Don't worry about it, okay? It's just smashed mugs and spilled tea and coffee all over the floor with knocked over chairs and an overturned table. He's just tired. He's had a hard night." That they did too was unspoken.
"It looks like all our mugs had a suicide pact." George nearly whines. Mitchell laughed at that, when George was upset he often sounded like a finicky toddler despite his genius-level IQ. "Were they all filled with tea? How much coffee was this? Why? The table is on its side," Mitchell and Annie share a look as they hear George mumbling to himself in the next room, all three heard the shower running from Nina wanting to wash out the leaves and dirt and 'Wolf Smell' before she crawled into bed. "We need more mugs. Of course. And lightbulbs. Too many bloody lightbulbs shattered in this house. I'll get some on my way home then. Always the one to do the shopping. Always the one to do the washing up. I'm one of four adults in this house. Why's it always me who has to do everything? I don't even like Jasmine tea." He's grumbling to himself and definitely exaggerating to make a point. Mitchell chuckles to himself about George's dislike of the sweet flowery tea. Annie rentaghosts with Ciara upstairs to put the baby to bed, though Mitchell knows she won't leave her mother's arms today. Mitchell won't be far behind his love and his daughter.
"George?" Mitchell says sleepily as he stands up and goes in the kitchen doorway. "One more thing before you head off…. If you didn't like what happened in the kitchen….. you definitely won't want to go upstairs for a while. Especially not my room…It looks even worse—" Mitchell's room definitely looked like a tornado had touched down the night before.
"WHAT?!" George stares at the vampire and Mitchell knows that's his cue to leave. The vampire stifles a yawn.
"All I'm going to say about that is… ghosts can be terrifying. Good night, mate." Mitchell follows Annie upstairs, before George has even registered what he said. "See you in the morning"
"It is morning," George moans as much to himself as to Mitchell. He sighed and got ready for work, having cleaned up the shattered mugs and spilled beverages. He'll leave the rest of the mess for one of the others to deal with when they wake up because he wants to quickly rinse off before heading to the hospital. "It is morning."