Project Motherhood: Cerebella

by Gamer95

Cerebella discovers a small child living alone in the garbage one day and takes him home to raise him with love. Will this boy be the key to her realizing the Medici's true colours? Will contain a surprise second mother later. CoWriter: SkorchNTorch

8. Chapter 8

When the sun rose the next morning, Cerebella yawned, beginning to wake up early as usual, then she remembered she had they day off. She looked over to Harry who was still fast asleep and smiled, lying back down in bed and wrapping her arms around him again.

She let out a small, content hum and rubbed his tiny back gently, feeling him cuddle in closer to her. They and Feng had been up rather late watching a movie, so they were likely to be asleep for the greenette smiled at the sleeping boy and closed her eyes in content. Honestly, what did she ever do to deserve him? They stayed like that for another hour, before Harry finally stirred. "Mmm... Mama...?" He mumbled, to which Cerebella kissed the tip of his nose, smiling tenderly.

"Morning, hun." She cooed.

"Mama..." Harry mumbled happily, snuggling closer to Cerebella, who giggled lightly and slowly sat up, keeping Harry in her arms.

"Sleep well, hun?" She asked, yawning.

"Mmhmm." Harry nodded, tiredly.

"Well..." The tan woman rose out of the bed, hugging her son close. "Ya think you're ready to start the day?" He nodded. Cerebella grinned. "Awesome... Let's get ya dressed then..."

After getting Harry dressed, the two went downstairs to find Feng sitting at the table, sipping from a cup of coffee. "Well, well! I wasn't expecting you until afternoon!"

Cerebella rolled her eyes and seated herself with Harry on her lap and looked to the food on plates for Harry and her. "Thanks Feng." She smirked, taking a forkful of food and feeding it to Harry, who opened wide as his mama fed him.

"Thank you, Auntie Feng." Harry chipped in, causing Feng to giggle and coo to herself as she drank her coffee. After eating breakfast, the three sat in comfortable silence.

"So, what're your plans for the day, Feng?" Cerebella asked. Feng shrugged.

"I'm gonna visit my family. It's been a while since I've seen them..."

"Ah, yeah, the life of the circus is a busy one... Heh... Say hi to your moms for me then, Feng."

"Yep! Can do! You two have fun out in the town, okay?"

"Can do, hopefully." Cerebella replied with a nod, still not entirely sure what else there was for them to do out there. Harry looked up at her.

"We're going to town today, mommy?"

"Yup. Just you and me!" Cerebella smiled, playing with his hair. "And we can get some really good food when were in town, and... Well... There's probably something else to do out there."

Harry leaned into Cerebella's warm embrace and did his best to hug her. She let out a light chuckle and rubbed the back of his head gently, getting an adorable coo from the small boy. He was happy he would get to spend a day having fun with his mother.

"Now open up, buddy." Cerebella grinned. "Auntie Feng made us breakfast, so let's not let it go to waste!" Harry nodded eagerly as Cerebella returned to feeding him, Harry looked up at her with love and adoration in his eyes.

She gave him the same right back. Their bond was like a diamond... Strong, sturdy and not likely to be cracked any time soon. And they both loved it.

After breakfast, Cerebella and Harry went back upstairs to get dressed. Heading downstairs, Feng was already on her way out the door. "Say hi to your moms for me, Feng!" Cerebella called out.

"Have fun, Auntie Feng!" Harry agreed.

Feng giggled and waved in response. "You too!" She called as she left. Cerebella stood, still holding Harry, before adjusting him in her arms and smiling at him.

"Ready to go to town?" She asked.

"Yes mama!"

"All righty then! Let's go!" She raised two fingers in a peace sign, and Vice-Versa did the same. Harry giggled at his mother's theatrics and smiled as she carried him outside. Cerebella had learned her lesson from last time. She refused to take any shortcuts through alleyways, and she was constantly keeping an eye out for any trouble.

She was so busy looking around, that she failed to focus on what was in front of her and bumped into somebody. "Ugh... Watch it, I almost spilled my-" The figure turned around before looking surprised.

"Beatrix?" Cerebella said, equally caught off guard.

"Oh, uh... Hey." Beatirx replied, somewhat awkwardly. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, we didn't have any plans for the day, so I figured I'd bring Harry to town so he could get to know the place." Cerebella replied. "What are you doing here?" Beatrix didn't respond at first, then shrugged.

"Just walking around, the places I'd usually go are either closed for the day or under renovation, so it kinda limited my options."

Cerebella nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I'm not really sure where to go myself... Don't really know any places Harry would like..." The two stayed in an awkward silence.

"Miss Beatrix? D'you wanna come with us?" Harry asked curiously. Beatrix looked at him in surprise. "You look lonely... So maybe you can spend time with us and not be lonely?"

Cerebella smiled. Her son had such a big heart... "Heh... Yeah, I'm with the little guy, Beatrix. Let's look around, find something to do. We got the whole day ahead of us."

Beatrix but her lip, not sure of how to respond, but something in Harry's voice made her desperately want to say yes. Finally she nodded in agreement. "Alright, why not?" She shrugged.

"Yay!" Harry cheered, further warming the cold magician's frigid heart. Cerebella chuckled and nodded, motioning for her rival to follow.

"Well, that's settled then. C'mon, let's start walking." Beatrix followed the mother son duo, feeling oddly touched they wanted to include her on their special day out.

The three walked down the street, Harry was looking around at all the sights and stores, Cerebella smiled and played with his hair. He was too adorable... Beatrix gave him a small smile as well. She had to admit, his wonder really was cute.

Eventually, they stumbled upon a sight they were unfamiliar with. "Huh... When did they build a bowling alley here?" Cerebella asked with a raised brow.

"Well, I saw them doing construction work about three weeks ago. Guess this is what it was for." Beatrix replied with a shrug. "Whattya say? Up for getting destroyed at bowling?"

Cerebella snorted. "You? Destroy ME? Please, who do you think you're talking to here?" The two got into each other's faces, that familiar competitive spark forming between them. Rather than scowling, however, this time they were grinning.

"What's bowling?" Harry suddenly spoke up, making the two women look down at him, briefly having forgot he was there.

"It's a game, hon." Cerebella answered. "You roll a ball down an alley and try to knock pins over."

"Oh. Okay." Harry replied, his tone making it clear he didn't really understand, but was trying to.

Cerebella chuckled and patted his head. "It'll make sense when we go in and get started." She cooed, picking him up so they could enter the building.

The bowling alley was very well kept, perfect for a competitive game. "No worries you two, I got this. I'm paying for my victory, after all." Beatrix teased.

Cerebella have Beatix a flat look that said 'Bring it'. Harry watched the two, slightly confused but smiled again when Cerebella kissed his head. "Ready to beat Beatrix in a game?" Cerebella asked playfully.

"Okay Harry, ready to beat Cerebella in a game?" Beatrix asked, walking back over.

Harry giggled slightly at the competitive glance they sent each other's way, and the trio went to get their names set on one of the alleys.

The two looked to Harry, sitting on the middle of three seats, looking at them. "...Don't even think about it. He's on my team." Cerebella flatly.

"What? You're gonna make his choices for him?" Beatrix smirked.

"I'm his mother!"

"I think he should choose though..." Beatrix smirked.

Harry looked back and forth between the two women, feeling a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Um... Uh...I... I... I'm on Vice-Versa's team!" He blurted out. The hat in question blinked, looked down at Cerebella, then shrugged and hopped down to join his teammate. The two women blinked in surprise.

"Huh. Didn't see that coming." Beatrix commented.

"Okay then." Cerebella simply shrugged, at a loss for words. Cerebella was up first, and she seemed to be constantly shooting glances to Beatrix to make sure she wasn't trying to use magic to mess her up. She bowled the ball, and it seemed to be heading on a bit of a curve, until it went into the gutter.

Cerebella snapped her fingers in disappointment. "Heh... sorry, couldn't resist. Won't happen again." Beatrix chuckled at her co-worker's indignant expreesion.

Cerebella huffed in annoyance and rolled her eyes as she walked back to grab another ball while the others watched, interested to see how it would go. Cerebella threw the ball, with far more force than she intended. Said ball went into the gutter, the hopped out, into the lane next to them, hitting a strike.

Cerebella stared blankly at the ball, then looked over at Beatrix, who looked back at her with a raised brow. "Okay, I swear on my life that one wasn't me."

"She's right, mommy. I didn't feel her magic." Harry verified. Cerebella looked somewhat miffed, then crossed her arms with a huff.

"Pfft, yeah, well... That was a total fluke." She muttered. "Next time I'll get a strike for sure."

Muttering something under her breath, Cerebella sat down as Beatrix got up. She picked up a noticeably lighter ball and focused, trying to find the right trajectory. Right as she was about to throw it, Cerebella coughed. Beatrix fumbled and the ball only hit one pin.

Beatrix frowned and turned to look at her rival with a raised brow. "I suppose you think you're clever, don't you?" Cerebella smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, one doesn't like to toot one's own trumpet." She said in a rather smug fashion. Beatrix huffed and stuck her nose up in the air indignantly.

"If we're going to prove who the best bowler is, sabotage is pretty counterproductive, wouldn't you say?"

"True, but you are the one who started it, so I'd say we're equal now." Cerebella shrugged in response. Beatrix huffed and nodded in slight agreement.

"Okay, that's fair." She said, picking up another ball. She rolled it down the alley and got half the remaining pins. "Well, not a perfect roll, but I'm still ahead of you, so that's all I need." The magician smirked.

Cerebella crossed her arms under her bust and rolled her eyes before turning to Harry with a smile. "Okay, buddy, you know what to do, right?"

"Um... Roll the ball and hit the pins, right?" Harry asked.

"Right. You're aiming to knock all the pins down. If you get them all in one go, it's a strike. If you get them in two, it's a spare." Beatrix explained.

"I... Okay." Harry nodded, still confused as to how the scoring worked, but understood the point of the game. In one hand, Vice-Versa held Harry, and with the other hand, the magical hat helped Harry roll the ball. It went directly down the center and rolled a strike, leaving the two women with their jaws hanging.

"...Okay, he had Vice-Versa helping him, of course he'd roll a strike. Not like we're about to get outdone by a five year old, right?" Beatrix whispered from the corner of her mouth.

"Pfft! No way, Trix, my boy's a bowling champion!" Cerebella declared, grinning proudly at Harry. "He's a natural, and you're totally jealous!"

Beatrix rolled her eyes in bemusement. "Guess I'm gonna have to step up my game then, if I'm up against a professional bowler."

Harry turned to his mother and teacher. "I did good, right?" He asked.

"You did great hon!" Cerebella beamed.

"Eh, lucky first try." Beatrix smirked.

"She's just jealous." Cerebella whispered loudly, Beatrix gave Cerebella a flat look and Harry giggled.

"Well that's like, just your opinion Bella." Beatrix retorted. "And if you're so good, prove it. You're up."

Indeed, Vice-Versa had done its set while they were distracted, having gotten a strike. The hat clasped its hands together and shook them in celebration.

"So, Beatrix, think Vice's strike is a fluke too?" Cerebella asked as she took the ball.

"No, I just think we're playing at a disadvantage because your hat is extremely overpowered." The magician replied with a shrug.

"Says the woman who can open portals to who-knows-where." Cerebella replied evenly. "You could probably open a portal and make the ball get a strike in every lane here!"

"That's not a bad idea..." Beatirx mused.

"No! I was being sarcastic!" Cerebella exclaimed.

"I'm not."

"Ugh... Didn't we just agree not to cheat?"

"No, we agreed not to sabotage each other."

"Well can we agree not to cheat NOW?"

"I might consider taking that into consideration."

"Gimme a break! With Vice-Versa on Harry's team, how am I supposed to keep up?!"

"Just take his points too!"

Vice-Versa pounded the floor once in protest, a tick mark forming above his head. Cerebella chuckled and gave her weapon a pat. "No worries, buddy, your points are all yours." Vice-Versa nodded in content.

Cerebella sighed and picked up another ball, rolling it with a decent amount of strength, and knocking more than half the pins down. She smirked and pumped her fist in celebration. Beatrix watched her rival with a smirk as she got a spare on her second shot. Stepping up go take her turn, she decided not to cheat. Rolling the ball, she watched as it nailed the pins dead center and knocked over all but one. The last pin wobbled a bit, then stayed standing. "Well, quite the stubborn one, isn't it?" Beatrix rolled her second ball... And it missed the final pin by a mere inch. "...Ugh... Hate when that happens..."

Cerebella shot her a 'You did great girl!' Look and Beatrix stifled a laugh, it was just so... dumb. But it also kind of worked.

Harry and Vice-Versa were up again, and this time, they hit half the pins on one side down. Harry seemed happy he had hit the pins, and Vice-Versa handed him the second ball. They didn't get a spare, but Harry was enjoying the game nonetheless.

The women watched with fond smiles as the boy swelled with excitement over every little accomplishment, particulaely Cerebella, who adored seeing her son having fun. However, as they themselves bowled, they found the score always nail-bitingly close. With no magic or Vice-Versa, they were almost pefectly matched.

And then there was Harry. Any time one of them would pass his score, he'd almost immediately bowl a strike or spare. On top of that, both women had to admit they enjoyed seeing how happy he was. And Beatrix was finding it harder and harder to not admit his laugh was adorable.

By the time the little impromptu bowling tournament ended, Harry and Vice-Versa were the very clean cut winners of the game. But that was fine with the girls. All they cared about right now was the score for their own little rivalry. Checking the points, Beatrix was pleased to see she'd won, if only by a few points.

Cerebella huffed in annoyance, her shoulders dropping as she saw the look on Beatrix's face. She shook her head and simply picked up Harry, which immediately lifter her spirits. "Well, good job winning kid." Cerebella laughed, nuzzling the top of his head.

Harry was happy that he won. Vice-Versa reached up with its fist and Harry exchanged a fist bump with it, smiling brightly. "Heh... You two are a good team." Cerebella chuckled, taking her weapon and putting it back on her head.

Beatrix gave Harry a smirk, she half expected them to win, either due to Vice-Versa, or the two of them letting him win. Either way, this felt nice.

As the group stepped outside the alley, Cerebella checked her watch and saw that it was around lunch time. "Huh... All right, who's hungry?"

"I am." Harry said softly, holding his little tummy.

"Yeah, I could go for a bite." Beatrix shrugged.

"All right, let's find a place to eat!" Cerebella exclaimed, raising an index finger.

The group left the bowling alley and continued walking through the town. Both Beatrix and Cerebella occasionally pointing out places to Harry where they frequented, and Harry seemed absolutely fascinated with it all. Eventually, they came to a diner and the two women looked to one another. "Here good?" Cerebella asked.

"Sure." Beatrix shrugged.

The trio took their seats, and they looked over their menus. Cerebella was going over it with Harry, explaining to him just what the various items were and offering her recommendations. Beatrix subtly watched them over her menu, and felt a small twinge in her heart. She couldn't help but wonder what she would have turned out like if someone had taken her and loved her like Cerebella did for Harry...

And what if she found a Harry? She paused, knowing that didn't sound right... whatever. She wondered if she found a child, or even found Harry, would she be able to take care of them? Sure, she and Harry had something of a connection through her training, but did that mean anything outside of it?

She looked back at her menu, her expression hardening ever so slightly. Regardless of whether or not she was cut out for it, she knew she'd be a better parent than her own... Eventually, the group decided on their orders, and they all sat in silence, no one feeling entirely sure what to say.

Cerebella fidgeted then groaned. "Hey, Harry?" She asked, somewhat bashfully. "Would you be okay if Beatrix watches you for a minute? I Uh... I need to go..." she trailed off, trying to think of an excuse. "Fix my hair..."

"Okay." Harry replied shyly. "But your hair looks fine."

"Aww, such a sweetie." Cerebella cooed, kissing his head before leaving to find the washrooms.

Beatrix quirked her brow at Cerebella's excuse. Seriously, why were most women so averse to their natural body functions? If she needed to take a crap, just say it. Shrugging, she calmly looked over at Harry, smirking lightly. "So, pretty good day so far, yeah?" She asked, to which Harry smiled and nodded. Beatrix smiled back, before adding; "You did really well bowling today."

"I think it was Vice-Versa who did most of the bowling." Harry remarked.

"Well, you two made a really good team. And I saw you rolling some of them on your own. You did good kid." Harry smiled slightly at the praise, blushing. "Heh... You're really talented, y'know that? Learning complex spells, getting strikes in bowling... Wonder what else you can do?"

"Well...I like to garden... Flowers are pretty..." Beatrix smiled at that. "And cooking is also pretty fun too." Beatrix's smile quickly faded at those words.

"...Cooking, huh? I see... So uh...how, pray tell, do you know that you like to cook?"

"Oh. Um... my family made me." Harry replied, his tone shifting to one of a mixture of fear and sorrow. "It was okay though, I was really good at it... but I never got to eat what I made."

"What did you get to eat?" Beatrix asked, concern in her voice.

"Oh, uh. Just whatever was left from making it. Sometimes food that was in those black bags."

Beatrix stared blankly at him, feeling her temper flare and trying her best to keep it contained. "...I see." She said calmer than she felt.

"Um... Miss Beatrix? You don't look very happy... Did I do something bad?" Harry asked softly. Beatrix's gaze softened, and she patted his head.

"No, you didn't. Someone else clearly did though..." The magician said with a dark scowl. "Tch... Yelling at you AND starving you... Unacceptable..." Harry looked down, as if he had done something wrong. "Hey, you didn't do anything wrong. The people that 'took care' of you before Cerebella did." Beatrix said reassuringly. "You're just a little kid, it's wrong what they put you through."

Harry looked down at himself, then nodded to show he understood. Beatrix smiled, and Cerebella returned after having relieved herself.

"Ah, that's better," she muttered to herself, sitting down and setting Harry on her lap. "You two seem to be getting along."

"I'll be honest, I'm a bit surprised we are." Beatrix admitted, then immediately questioned why she said that. "I guess... I guess I'm used to entertaining kids, but I've never spent a lot of time around one, let alone trained one."

Cerebella shrugged. "Well, if you've never spent any one on one time with any kids, you'll never be able to tell how you'll be around them till ya do." She smirked down at Harry. "But hey... Nothing wrong with liking kids." She rubbed his head gently as though he were a cat.

Beatrix chuckled slightly at that. "Heh... Guess I can't argue with that..." She replied. Then, their food arrived.

The small group decided to focus on their food, with Cerebella alternating between letting Harry eat on his own, and feeding him herself. Harry was enjoying the food, and he thought Beatrix was really nice as well. She wasn't as scary as when they first met.

Miss Beatrix was a clear sign that one could not judge a book by its cover. She seemed mean and grumpy at first, but as he spent time with her, he found she was patient and gentle with him... Beatrix noticed Harry looking at her, then gave him a small smile and a nod. He smiled back, then focused on his food, content she had gotten his good vibes. Cerebella had to smile slightly at the small exchange of smiles as she focused on eating her lunch. So far, a pretty good day, and Beatrix was surprisingly good company.

Now they focused more on their food, it had been about a week or so since Cerebella had recused Harry and he was still FAR too skinny for her liking. She didn't mind if he wasn't as muscular as Hubrecht, but he was still too skinny. If she could count his bones, that was an issue. Thankfully, Feng's cooking had made something of an improvement, as he seemed to at least have more colour to him.

Cerebella then realized just how quickly things had progressed. Harry had only been a part of her life for about a week now. Yet in that week, she had all but officially adopted him as her son, Feng was his aunt, Beatrix was his teacher... And yet, despite all of this happening in such a short timeframe, it still felt...perfectly natural. As though it were meant to be from the very beginning.

Frankly, she wasn't one to question that. She had never been happier, and didn't think she could be happier either. Harry was still silently eating, slightly leaning into her chest while Cerebella took a drink. Beatrix seemed to be thinking of something, then smirked at Harry. "Hey, Harry." She said. "Wanna try something?"

"Uh, okay." Harry replied, a bit confused. That confusion didn't go away when a fry was lifted into the air and moved towards him. After a few moments, he understood what she was getting at.

Miss Beatrix was suggesting a way to continue practicing on their off days by using his power to eat his food. It was a good idea, and Harry was all too ready to go along with it. Carefully taking the fry, the boy then followed suit and levitated the next one himself, focusing as he brought it to his mouth and ate it.

Cerebella looked from Harry to Beatrix, then back to Harry in confusion, before Beatrix spoke up. "What? He's not playing with his food."

"Did... did you just-" Cerebella groaned.

"Yes. I did." Beatrix smirked proudly.

"Why? Why do you do this?"

"I dunno. Annoying you is just fun."

Cerebella rolled her eyes. "Well, he's eating it normally, and I guess it qualifies as practice, so sure, whatever..." The tanned woman muttered.

"Um... I'll stop if it bothers you, mommy... I'm sorry..." Harry mumbled softly. Cerebella patted his head with a small smile before kissing it.

"Nah... Don't worry, kiddo, it's all good."

The two kept trying to levitate food. It was far easier than apples. Harry seemed to be enjoying it, and it was nice to see Beatrix and Harry getting along. Cerebella felt a little bit guilty about how things had first gone down. Sure, they had mended that to the best of their abilities, but seeing her and her son now, it still stung knowing what she had said.

Well, nothing she could do about it now. She'd already apologized, and now they were...friends...ish... So, really, all she could do was try to form a bond with her former rival.

Beatrix, meanwhile, was having very similar thoughts, remembering how she'd made a total ass of herself when she'd first met her little pupil... Yeah... She'd definitely been in the wrong there...

She had reduced the kid to tears, and then later gotten into a full on smack down with his mom. One she lost pretty horribly. Regardless, things were much better now, and she hadn't expected them to be this good. Harry wasn't just a good student, she had to admit, he was really cute.

And Cerebella? She was...actually not that bad. Sure, she still strived for the woman's spotlight, but she'd learned that her rival wasn't as foolish as she let on. Sure, she was blindly devoted to Vitale, but thinking about it, that made sense due to her upbringing... But she proved that, at the very least, she made a very stellar parent. And that was worthy of respect.

"So, what do you guys want to do after this?" Cerebella suddenly asked, snapping Beatrix out of her thoughts.

"Eh, Whatever you two decide I'll be fine with." Beatrix shrugged. "I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to try and jump us, but maybe we should stay away from the east side of town." Cerebella nodded, not wanting to talk about when she was attacked and nearly got Harry hurt.

"That big guy was totally awesome by the way." Cerebella was surprised at that, looking at the magician with wide eyes. "Yeah, I saw a few things when I taught Harry how to share memories."

"Ah..." Cerebella mumbled, looking down. "Yeah... I was honestly really scared back there... I thought I'd lose my kid..." She kissed Harry's head.

"Really now? Not at all hung up on the fact that you were about to get...y'know?" Beatrix asked.

"Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about that. I was just focusing on keeping Harry safe... And if it meant... that... then I'd take it for him twenty times over."

"Huh." Beatrix said. She had been expecting something along those lines, but to hear just how dedicated Cerebella was... it made her feel off. She had treated Cerebella awfully in the past, they had fought, and she had even tired to kill her a time or two. But looking at her now, she didn't see her rival. She saw someone doing everything in their power to protect a small, little boy who had been on the wrong side of so much hatred.

She studied Harry closely, then looked back at Cerebella. "...You care about him a lot, don't you?" Cerebella gave her a smile... It lacked any of her usual cockiness or amusement, and instead exuded warmth.

"Yeah. I really do... It's weird, I know... I've only known him for a week at this point... But y'know... I just feel like...him and I were always meant to be... It feels like he was just... meant to be a part of my life... He needed someone that would love him... Someone that would actually take care of him... He... He needed a mother, at this point in his life more than anything... And I guess I just sorta...knew that, y'know? Like, my gut was trying to nudge me into seeing it since the second I saw him... Heh... It really was love at first sight... The second I saw him alone in that dumpster, I knew that he needed me... Guess that might sound a bit conceited, but it just felt...right..." Tearing up very slightly, she kissed Harry's head. "I love him. And I'd give it all up for him..."

"I love you too, mommy." Harry replied happily, snuggling closer to his mother. Beatrix couldn't hide the smile that formed on her face.

"Well, I'd say you're doing a good job." She remarked, earning a smile from Cerebella.

"Thanks. You've been doing a great job teaching him how to control his magic." Cerebella replied. "I honestly... I honestly wouldn't have had any idea how to help him train and control it."

"Well, yeah. You don't have much magic of your own. Vice-Versa's pretty much all you got for it. I'm the magician of the group, so it's only natural I'm the one that can teach the spells."

"Eh, I guess." Cerebella shrugged. "Welp, better finish off our food before it gets cold."

After finishing, the trio was walking around town in search of more to do.

Harry was enjoying being with his mama and teacher. He was amazed at how not scary Miss Beatrix was... He was also thankful she was helping him with his fre-no with his magic. Miss Beatrix was right, his magic wasn't freaky. It was a gift.

He enjoyed their magic lessons, and he liked spending time with her just as much as he liked spending time with his auntie Feng. Not as much as his mama though... No one could surpass his mama in his eyes.

Cerebella unconsciously began rubbing his back soothingly, making Harry squirm happily as he got comfortable in his mama's arms. The trio found themselves at a video store, and Cerebella stopped to see what had recently released.

"Hmm... Hey, this looks like something the kid would like watching." Beatrix pulled out a case containing an animated movie.

"Oh hey, it's that new Bisney movie. It's out on DVD already, huh?"

"Yeah, never really watched these myself..." Beatrix admitted.

"Alola and Scratch?" Cerebella said. "Sure, you wanna watch it with us?" Beatrix was taken aback by the offer. She hadn't really expected her and Cerebella to spend a day like this ever, with or without Harry. But now she was asking her to watch a movie with them? Part of her mind was screaming 'No!' But there was a calmer part saying 'Yes'.

She stumbled about for an answer, before deciding on "Uh... Sure, whatever..."

Harry didn't pick up on her hesitation, but seemed happy regardless. They rented the film and kept walking, aimlessly looking at stores as they went, trying to make conversation, but usually this led to awkward silences.

Eventually, they reached the Cirques de Cartes after not being able to find much else to do. "Man... City's not a very good place to entertain a kid, is it?" Cerebella mused.

"Yeah, it's definitely more adult oriented." Beatrix agreed with a shrug. "I don't think we even had the bowling alley until recently." Cerebella shrugged.

"Well, what're you gonna do, right? I'll just have to make the entertainment for him."

Looking down at Harry (who had fallen asleep) Beatrix smirked. "I think you holding him is more than enough." She commented, and cerebella frowned.

"Yeah, it's just... after all he's been through, I want him to be happy." Beatrix groaned, sounding much more like her old self.

"Look. Bella. You need to stop." She said flatly.

"Stop what?" Cerebella demanded, somewhat agitated.

"This self doubt crap!" Beatrix retorted. "You keep talking like you're still not sure if you want a kid! You found him, you took him in, you've fed him, comforted him, even beaten the crap out of a street gang for him! You're probably the best mom this kid, or maybe anyone, could ask for! So this constant 'I wanna make him happy, I wanna make sure he's safe!' crap needs to stop. I get that you want to keep him from getting hurt. But constantly second-guessing yourself isn't going to help."

Cerebella looked at her in surprise. "Second guessing? Who's second guessing?" She asked. "Not really sure how you came to that conclusion, honestly."

"What, so you're saying you're completely confident in yourself already? After you've known him for a week?" Beatrix replied with a raised brow.

"Well... Not entirely. A week's a bit too soon to get that confident... But still... I know I can do the parent thing. I know Harry needs me. And I know there's no going back now that he's calling me mommy. I'm saying these things because I really do love him. And I want people to know that I love him. I want the world to understand that this is my kid." She kissed Harry's cheek. "I really do want him happy and safe... I'm not just saying that to psyche myself up or anything."

Beatirx was silent for a few moments before simply shrugging, not having a full response. "Well, it's safe to say that at least Harry thinks you're doing a good job." The magician finally said. "So, that counts as a reason for people to know you love him." Cerebella hadn't seen Beatirx like this before, she wasn't be aggressive, she wasn't being condescending, even when they talked while she was training Harry, she still kept this air of entitlement to her. But this felt genuine. This felt real.

She gave the magician a small smile. "Heh... I misjudged you, Beatrix. You can be a bit of a snob some...well, most of the time, but you can actually make for pretty good company."

Beatrix quirked her brow. "Yeah? Likewise, except replace snobbishness with gullibility and naivety." She said with a smirk. Cerebella gave her a light punch to the shoulder, and chuckled when she barely reacted.

"Heh... You can take a hit WAY better than Feng. Every time I give her a friendly bump, she always whines about it."

"Hmm... I wonder why that could be." Beatrix said rather sarcastically as she rubbed her shoulder with a small frown. Cerebella laughed as they kept walking. Harry now began to awaken again and looked around groggily.

"M..mama?" He mumbled.

"Hi sweetie, we're almost back." Cerebella cooed.

He snuggled in closer to her embrace with a smile. "Mm'kay..." He mumbled, relishing in his mother's warm, soothing embrace. She smiled and petted his head.

"All right, we're back now." Cerebella opened the door and set her son down on the couch gently. "C'mon in, Bea. Take a seat, make yourself comfy. I'll go get some snacks."

As Cerebella left, the awkward silence from earlier returned. Harry and Beatrix hadn't talked too much outside of training, so now they sat next to one another, both trying to figure out what to say. "Hi Miss Beatrix." Harry finally said.

Beatrix looked over and nodded in his direction. "Hi, kid. So uh... You doing well, I hope?" Harry nodded his head, smiling softly.

"Uh huh! It's been a really good day!" He said happily. Beatrix smirked lightly.

"Yeah, bowling was pretty fun, huh? You demolished us."

Harry looked away, seeming embarrassed, but Beatrix could see the smile on his face. Why was this kid so adorable? Cerebella had returned now, setting a bowl of popcorn down on the couch before putting the movie into the player.

The three sat and watched the movie in silence. Cerebella had to excuse her part at a couple points to 'fix her makeup'. Beatrix didn't know what she'd meant until she returned with her eyes slightly puffy. Well, that surprised her all right. She always saw Cerebella as the cocky showoff that always maintained a cheerful attitude, not someone that gets emotional over an animated children's movie. Then again, she hadn't ever thought Cerebella would adopt a homeless child like one would a stray cat, but here was Harry. Actually, she hadn't noticed that Harry had moved slightly closer to her throughout the movie, and was sitting next to her now.

She looked over at him with a raised brow, silently questioning why that was. Wouldn't he rather be with his mother? She was the most important person in his life... She was just his teacher. Still, she decided not to make a big deal out of it. Reaching over, she gently patted his head, and blinked when he leaned into the touch like a kitten. 'That's...cute.'

Harry was still focused on the movie, and didn't notice as Beatrix slowly placed her arm around him, having seen what Cerebella had done, and timidly trying it herself.

He subconsciously leaned into the magician's side, used to his mama holding him like this. Beatrix noticed, and her face turned slightly red. Cerebella noticed as well. She was surprised to see Beatrix openly showing Harry a display of affection. She felt a slight twinge of something in her gut, as if butterflies were flapping about, but she figured it was nothing to think too hard on. She was just amused at how cute the little scene before her was.

Beatrix's eyes darted back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. She didn't want to tell Harry to move, but she also didn't want him to stay like this. Yet there was something that felt... right. Like that little girl inside her that appeared when Harry first hugged her. This felt like something she never knew she wanted, but now wanted more than anything.

'Well, Beatrix, can't get cold feet now. Ya made your bed, you have to sleep in it.' She thought. She continued to watch the movie, keeping Harry held against her side. The end credits rolled, and she heard Harry's soft breaths. Looking over at him, she saw that he had fallen asleep, cuddled up against her side, sucking his thumb.

'Heh, I can't lie. That's adorable.' She thought, gently patting him. She looked up and her face turned red with embarrassment when she saw Cerebella pridefully smirking at her. "One word and I'll take him and disappear." The magician said threateningly. Cerebella however, just raised a brow with a smirk.

"You'd really risk your own life over that?" She asked cockily.

Beatrix snorted. "Don't say that like our rivalry's one-sided, all right? I've beaten you plenty of times before." Cerebella snickered into her hand.

"Yeah, but didn't I beat you without Vice-Versa just last week?" Beatrix huffed and crossed her arms under her bust, sticking her nose up in the air.

"That was a special case. You were hopped up on mama bear juices." She looked at the boy snuggled into her side and chuckled. "I bet you anything he thinks he's cozied up to you right now..."

Cerebella opened her mouth to respond, then realized Beatrix may be right, but she also wasn't one hundred percent sure that she wasn't... She couldn't tell what Harry was thinking, but either way she found it adorable. "Well, would he be opposed to it going either way?" She asked. Beatrix felt somewhat embarrassed again now.

She gazed at the sleeping child and held him closer to her side, looking somewhat thoughtful. "Penny for your thoughts?" Cerebella asked.

"Hmm? Oh...It's nothing, just wondering what it's like to be a mom..." Cerebella smiled fondly and scooted over closer, gently sandwiching Harry between the two women.

"It's... a really great feeling. I mean... I don't think I've ever felt so loved by anyone in my entire life. It's kinda hard to explain... It's a really special feeling, y'know? I feel like you'd have to experience it firsthand to really get it..." They sat in silence for a moment.

"You never said much about your family. Is there a reason for that?" Cerebella asked, and noticed a sudden, drastic shift in Beatrix's emotions.

"Th...they..." She stammered for a moment then sighed. "I don't really want to talk about it. But needless to say, they were a lot like Harry's family." This took Cerebella aback, her face turning white with shock. She felt horrified to hear that, and felt guilty for all the crap she had put Beatrix through.

She reached over and put a hand on the magician's shoulder. The other woman tensed up slightly, but made no move to stop her. Cerebella rubbed her shoulder didn't really know what to think of the situation. Her former rival, someone she'd hated with every fiber of her being, was touching her... And she was actually enjoying it? Feeling more comfortable and at ease? Feeling relaxed... As if she was finally in the presence of a supportive friend...

This was weird. Borderline inconceivable. But Beatirx didn't react or pull away. She remained quiet, looking down at the sleeping form of Harry every so often, before letting a small smile grow on her face. "Okay, I'll admit it." She finally said. "This kid is way too adorable for his own good."

"I know. But I don't know what to do about it..." Cerebella pouted mockingly.

"Well, only thing to do about it is wait for him to get older. Then he'll stop being cute and start being handsome." Beatrix replied with a shrug.

Cerebella looked down at her son and smiled softly. "Yeah, he'll grow up to be a handsome guy... But really, I don't want him to grow up..."

"I think I have a spell for that." The magician replied, and Cerebella's eyes widened comically.

"Really!?" She exclaimed, her outburst making Harry squirm slightly before nuzzling back down.

"...No." Beatirx replied flatly, deflating Cerebella's energy. "I know spells to reverse certain aspects of aging, but I don't know how to stop a person from aging altogether. Besides, from what I've heard from... contacts... messing with magic to attempt to life forever or de-age yourself is dangerous."

Cerebella winced. "Yeesh... Get my hopes up, only to burn them right down..." She mumbled. Beatrix winced, rubbing her arm sheepishly.

"Yeah...Sorry, force of habit... I guess I'm just kinda used to you and I hating each other, so I said that on reflex essentially." She admitted.

"Yeah, I get it." Cerebella nodded regardless before looking down at Harry again. "Still, I'll take what I can get for as long as I can." As if on cue, Harry yawned and turned over in his sleep. Cerebella gently rubbed his head as he slept, smiling as she listened to his peaceful breathing. The two women watched Harry sleeping peacefully and smiled down at him, Beatrix with amusement and Cerebella with tenderness. Finally, Beatrix spoke up.

"Maybe you should get the kid to your bed so he can nap a bit." Cerebella looked at her and nodded before carefully scooping Harry up and holding him against her shoulder, patting his back gently.

"Hey Beatrix." The magician looked at her. "Wanna stick around? I actually like hanging out with you."

Beatrix was again surprised by how the night was turning out, but didn't feel as awkward about responding this time. "Sure." She nodded. Cerebella smiled and carried her son upstairs. 'This is wrong...' Beatrix thought. 'But also, this feels right.'

She reclined against the couch with a light smirk, crossing one leg over the other. 'Heh... This sure beats spending all night alone in my room with my rabbits.' She thought. She then felt a small weight on her lap, and a long, furry tail tickling her nose. Blinking, she looked down to see Kitty sitting on her lap, staring up at her curiously. "Huh? Oh yeah, that cat Cerebella scooped out of the gutter last year..." The magician mumbled to herself. Kitty mewled, and Beatrix gave him a light scratch behind the ears.

Kitty mewed happily and leaned into the scratch, purring contently. Beatrix keep absentmindedly petting the cat, her mind continuing to wander. "It's weird... seems like everyone Cerebella loves she finds in a gutter..." Beatirx mused. "You, Harry... Sooner or later, she'll find her husband passed out in an alley."

"Husband or wife. Heh, I swing both ways." Beatrix looked up to see Cerebella stepping back into the room, taking a seat on the couch next to her.

"Huh. That right?" She asked with a raised brow. Cerebella grinned and winked in response.

"Doesn't matter to me whatcha got down there, as long as you're cute." Beatrix quirked a brow and smirked lightly.

"Yeah? Where do I fall on the scale?" Cerebella's face turned slightly red, but she didn't notice. "Heh... Don't answer that."

The two sat in awkward silence before Beatrix spoke up again. "So uh... Read any...good books lately?" She asked. Cerebella blinked and chuckled awkwardly.

"Heh... I'm...not much of a reader... Uh... I read Harry a few bedtime stories if that counts... Uh... Bunch of nursery rhymes... Humpty Dumpty's a real read...Heh..."

Beatrix chuckled. "Never quite got into the joys of reading, did you? Guess that explains why your cat is named Kitty. Never had a good book to draw inspiration from."

"Oh yeah? So what did you name your rabbits then?"

"Peter and Hazel."

"...Damn it, those are good..."

Kitty meowed again, as if agreeing with Beatrix, and Cerebella facepalmed.

"Why does no one ever take my side on these things?" She groaned.

"My guess is that they want to be on the winning side." Beatrix smirked.

"Winning side? Then explain just about every fight wee've ever been in." Cerebella countered.

"Simple. You have brute strength, but without it, you wouldn't have anything to define yourself with." Beatrix replied before realizing how harsh that sounded.

"Well yeah, but without your magic you'd still look like an edgy teen desperately trying to 'fight the culture man'." Cerebella shot back, not picking up on the accidental insult.

Beatrix winced and decided to stop before she put her foot in her mouth again. "Uh... Heh... Riiiight..." She said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head.

Cerebella blinked at her reaction. "Wait, were you actually that kind of person when you were a teenager?" Beatrix snorted and gave her a smirk.

"Please, I never stopped being that kind of person. Sticking it to the man is hilarious."

"You never try to stick it to Regina."

"That's different. I swear that woman's some kind of demon." The two went silent again. "Uh... So... About what I said... About your strength being the only thing that defines you? Uh... I mean, I guess you've...got the biggest heart in the circus..." She mumbled awkwardly.

"Whoa, really? Even Hubrecht?"

"Yeah... Hubrecht's never pulled anyone out of the gutter to give them a better life, or gone out of his way to make people feel better about things, or...decided to give me a chance after I spent all that time being a nasty, judgemental bitch..."

"Well, to be fair, I think Hubrecht would do those things, if he wasn't so busy eating all the cotton candy." Cerebella reasoned, earning a small laugh from Beatrix.

"Geez, how much of that stuff does he eat?" The magician shook her head. "Further more, how's he still as muscular as he is?"

"I always assumed you had some steroid spell you kept using on him." Cerebella laughed, shrugging slightly. "Maybe you should,d use it on yourself, then maybe you could beat me."

"Ay, are we STILL on that?" Beatrix rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm not saying I'm CLEARLY the better fighter-"

"Seriously, how many times do you need to be reminded of the times I won our fights?"

"Well, can I help it if you're cute when you're frustrated?"

"Oh?" Beatrix donned a sly smirk. "Why Cerebella, could it be that you're coming on to me?" Cerebella opened her mouth to respond, but realized what was happening, and looked around awkwardly.

"Well... what if I am?" she replied slyly.

"I'd say you're terrible at it." Beatrix replied flatly, earning an annoyed face from Cerebella, which was clearly what she wanted.

"I can still beat you into the ground you know."

Beatrix smirked. "This would go one of two ways, Cerebella. Either I get hammered headfirst into the dirt, or you end up knocked out with that already too revealing dress tattered and torn to shreds."

"Sounds to me like you're looking to have a sparring match." Cerebella said, feeling the same spark that came up during the bowling match.

"Hmm... I suppose I could stand to work off the calories from our lunch. Shall we take this outside then?" Grinning confidently, both women made their way to the door. Cerebella was about to step out, but Beatrix grabbed her shoulder and maneuvered herself in front. "Ah-ah-ah. Ladies first, neanderthals second, hun." She said with a wink.

Cerebella in response, cracked her knuckles aggressively. While it didn't show on her face, Beatirx gulped somewhat. She wasn't scared of Cerebella, but she knew better than to believe she was all muscle and no brain. Following behind her... co-worker, the two walked out to a grassy patch where they wouldn't be seen.

Cerebella smirked and rolled her shoulders to warm up. "Sure you wanna do this? I wouldn't blame ya for wanting to back out now." Beatrix rolled her eyes.

"Y'know, you always end up losing to me when you get cocky like this." She said flatly, quirking a brow. Cerebella chuckled and Vice-Versa lifted his fists.

"Yeah, but this time, you were the one that technically instigated it with that crack about my 'lack of talent', which means I'm probably gonna win."

"Keep telling yourself tha-GAK!" Cerebella began to roll her eyes but was cut off by a show strike from Beatirx, knocking her back a few steps. "Hang on! Did we say we were beginning?!"

"I did." Beatrix smirked. "You were too busy being absorbed by your ego."

"Really now? Heh... Let's see just how absorbent that ego is then!" Vice-Versa reached forward and snatched the other woman off the ground. The arm of Vice-Versa slammed Beatrix into Cerebella's head just as it formed a pair of ram horns, launching the magician into a wall upon impact. Beatrix grunted as she bounced off the wall and flew back towards her rival, who was ready to repeat the move. This time, however, she was ready.

Tapping into her cloak's abilities, Beatrix vanished, then reappeared behind Cerebella, striking her in the back, then disappeared and re-appeared above her, hitting Vice-Versa. This went on for a few more strikes until Cerebella took a good guess where Beatrix would appear, and grabbed the magician the nano-second she appeared.

Beatrix grunted as Cerebella repeatedly slammed her into the ground, alternating between left and right before finally letting go of her. When the onslaught ended, Beatrix flipped back to her feet. With a snap of her fingers, a massive amount of dulled knives appeared behind her. Pointing forward, the non-lethal cutting utensils launched themselves at Cerebella.

Cerebella rolled her eyes, as if saying 'I expected more' before she and Vice-Versa began countering the blades, or outright punching through them. With inhuman strength, Cerebella jumped into the air.

What she didn't realize, however, was that Beatrix had simply used the knives as a distraction. Smirking, the magician snapped her fingers, and the three crackling orbs of fire slammed into Cerebella from behind.

The weightlifter slid across the ground before using it as a sort of springboard and launching herself back up. Now the two women went head-to-head as they ducked and waved in and out of each other's punches.

Despite the ferocity of their strikes, neither woman showed any sign of their previous animosity. In fact, they were grinning widely at one another the entire time they fought.

Eventually, Beatrix broke the cycle of punches by snapping her fingers, causing a bright flash of light that briefly blinded her opponent. As Cerebella reeled back, Beatrix managed to land several strikes against her with one of her knives, taking great care not to draw blood.

However, Vice-Versa was quick to recover from the flash, and it slammed its fist down onto the magician's head, sending her sprawling facefirst to the floor. "PROTEGO!" Beatrix yelled, managing to block another strike with an invisible shield of magic.

The strikes kept coming, and they were actually causing her barrier to shake. Beatrix was shocked by that, she had never seen someone be able to punch through her protection shields before!

Thinking quickly, she apparated with a quick flex of concentration and punched her rival in the back of the head. Vanishing again the second Cerebella turned to counter, she hit her in the ribs.

This continued for several seconds before Cerebella successfully managed to predict where her opponent would appear and snatched her up with Vice-Versa.

The hat's muscular arms twirled her around, then released her foot and sent her flying, causing her to crash into a pile of broken wood.

"Agh... Beatrix groaned, now actually feeling pain as she felt splinters and cuts all over her arms and somewhat down her back. But she wasn't about to give up, she tried forming weapons with her shadows, but decided rather than swords or knives, she went with two spiked fists, deciding to use Cerebella's style against her.

Cerebella saw the two large fists and grinned. "Fighting fire with fire, are ya? Well, fat lot of good that's gonna do ya! I've been honing this style for years!"

"Yep, you sure have. But I have a few surprises to throw into the mix." Beatrix replied. She clapped the fists together, held them behind her for a moment, then launched a series of magical bursts.

Cerebella met this attack head-on, raising one of Vice-Versa's hands to block it. She punched several more away, before grabbing the last one in Vice-Versa's hand and squeezing, compressing it into a diamond, which she threw at Beatrix.

Beatrix smirked and grabbed it with her magic, Cerebella suddenly realizing her mistake of throwing something at the woman teaching her son how to catch things with magic. Thankfully, Vice Versa was able t deter most of the impact of when the diamond returned.

Unfortunately for her, Beatrix had left a little surprise within the diamond... The second Vice-Versa's fist made impact with the diamond, it exploded and launched her back into a concrete wall hard enough to crack it.

Before she had a chance to regain her bearings, Beatrix appeared in front of her, smugly checking her nails as she had the fists she created pummel her opponent.

Cerebella took a few nasty shots, even getting a couple bruises, before Vice-Versa began punching back, the two sets of fists rapidly clashing against each other with enough force to create shockwaves. Cerebella grinned. "This is WAY too freaking fun!"

Beatrix smirked and swung again, but this time hit the ground. The forceful impact caused a small shockwave that made Cerebella stumble back in surprise. Beatrix took the opportunity to launch herself forward.

Cerebella grunted as the tackle knocked the wind out of her lungs, and she was knocked through a brick wall, tumbling slightly before landing in an alleyway.

Beatrix leapt down to greet her, slamming the fists down atop her torso, further disorienting her. She then proceeded to have her fists knock Vice-Versa clean off her head.

Now that her opponent's main form of attack was separated, Beatrix's magical fists grabbed Cerebella around the waist, then turned and slammed her headfirst into the concrete, causing the greenette to get her entire upper body lodged in the ground, buried up to her waist with her legs sticking out.

Beatrix grinned smugly, confident that she had won...but forgot Vice-Versa had a mind of it's own. Yelping when she was abruptly grabbed and hoisted off the ground, she screamed as she was slammed headfirst into the ground next to Cerebella, ending up in the exact same situation and effectively ending their bout.

"Mmmph?"

"Mmmm."

Both women tried to speak up but neither could hear the other from where they were trapped. They both pressed their feet against the ground and pushed up to try and escape, shaking their butts about as they did so.

Eventually, Beatrix grew tired of it and, with a flex of concentration, used her magic to reappear above ground. She clutched her head with a groan, then looked over to see the still trapped Cerebella rotating her posterior in a circular motion in her struggles to escape. The magician smirked.

"My, my, quite a lovely view."

"...Wmm?"

"Heheh... I'm only teasing you." With a snap of her fingers, Cerebella was levitated out of her hole, spitting out some gravel and groaning in disorientation.

"Right... I'll think twice about teasing you next time..." She grumbled. "Hm. So... who won?" Cerebella asked.

"Technically, I got out first so I guess I did." Beatirx smirked with pride.

"But I was the one that put us there in the first place." Cerebella retorted.

"Yeah, you wish. I put YOU there first, remember? Your hat snuck up on me after I won, then plowed me into the ground." Cerebella blinked.

"But...You...I... Uh... Crap... Agh, damn it, fine, you win..." The greenette pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Beatrix smirked and flicked her nose.

"Hmph! You're cute when you're sulking." The magician leaned close to Cerebella's face with a teasing smirk. Cerebella huffed and looked away, not realizing the blush that had formed on her face. The odd feeling from earlier was coming back...

"Well, I think we should head back. If Harry wakes up, he might not want to be left alone." Cerebella commented, and Beatirx nodded wordlessly.

Beatrix noticed Cerebella's demeanour was off and raised a brow in confusion. She seemed very slightly more... bashful? Yes, that summed it up... Then she remembered the woman told her she was bi and smirked ever so slightly. She was showing signs of a crush... Perhaps it would be fun to tease her every now and then.

The two women walked back, and Cerebella seemed to be either looking ahead, or awkwardly looking down at the ground. Eventually the pair returned to where they lived and Beatirx stopped to look at Cerebella.

"Today was fun." She said, somewhat awkwardly.

"Yeah, it was." Cerebella nodded.

Cerebella turned to look at Beatrix. "It doesn't have to end yet y'know. Um... You can stick around for dinner if you want. Uh... Heh... I can't cook to save my life, though, so..."

"I could cook something." Beatrix chipped in immediately. Cerebella blinked at that, clearly surprised. Beatrix quirked a brow at her in response.

"I didn't think you were the type that was into cooking." Cerebella admitted. Beatrix smirked.

"Well, I'm a woman of many talents. Powerful magician, badass fighter, awesome cook, and a real looker to boot."

"Well, you are a magician, and a fighter. Not sure about your cooking, but I wouldn't say-"

"Do you want me to make food for you or not?" Beatrix flatly cut in, sounding more like the Beatrix Cerebella had known for so long.

"Yes." Cerebella said almost immediately. Beatrix huffed, with a roll of her eyes, and entered Cerebella's home.

As Beatrix entered the kitchen, Cerebella took the opportunity to go upstairs and check on Harry. Opening the door to her room, she smiled. Still sleeping... Approaching her sleeping child, she gently took his hand and gave it a squeeze, causing him to subconsciously squeeze back. After a few moments, he began to stir. "M-Mama...?" He mumbled softly. Cerebella pulled him out of bed, cuddled him close to her breast and kissed his cheek gently.

"Hi baby, you sleep well?" She cooed, letting Harry snuggle up to his mother. He closed his eyes and cooed happily, Cerebella took it as a 'Yes'. "Miss Beatrix is making us dinner, want to see if she needs help?"

"Yes please."

Cerebella chuckled and carried her boy downstairs, patting his back gently all the while. She entered the kitchen to find Beatrix already hard at work. She was working with complete and total ease, even moreso than Feng. It was like cooking was second nature to her, as she prepared the meal with minimal effort. Beatrix noticed them enter and turned to meet them. "Heh... Sleeping beauty's awake, I see."

"Hi miss Trix..." Harry mumbled, still waking up.

"Heh, hi to you too little guy." Beatrix replied calmly. "You didn't have a lot to work with, so we're having chicken parm." She then addressed Cerebella.

Cerebella grinned and nodded her head. "Music to my ears! That's good stuff." She said happily. Beatrix nodded.

"It also happens to be my specialty."

"Great!" Cerebella said, setting Harry on the counter and getting him some juice to drink. Beatrix looked over and smiled at Harry, getting a smile in return.

"Smells good?" The magician asked.

"Uh-huh!" Harry replied with a nod. "I made this once! But I... wasn't very good at cooking when I made it, so I burned it up, and..." Harry's smile faded and he looked at his juice with a sad frown.

Beatrix noticed his change in demeanour and put a hand on his shoulder gently. "You're too little to be cooking by yourself anyway. Of course you'd make a mistake like that." Inwardly, however, she was raging. 'Some idiot let this kid near a stove by himself?! What were they thinking?! He could have gotten burned or started a fire!'

'Wait... oh... oh God...' Beatrix blinked briefly freezing as she remembered what she had seen. She hadn't seen Harry being burned, but if he was being forced to cook, it stood to reason that he would have been burned... She quickly shook her head to clear it, turning back to the food. Harry took a sip of his juice, not seeming to notice her silent fury.

Cerebella watched Beatrix interact with her son and smiled softly before stepping up and pulling him into a hug, rubbing his back gently. "It's okay, little guy... That part of your life's over now. They can't hurt you anymore. Not as long as your old lady's still alive and breathing." She said with a wink.

"Thank you..." Harry mumbled shyly, looking away, embarrassed. Cerebella grinned and gave her son a kiss. Beatrix shot them a quick glance and smiled. That kid really was adorable... She felt bad for how she had treated him earlier.

"The food will be ready in a few minutes, you two should grab a seat." Beatirx remarked, not looking back to the pair.

"Great! Can't wait!" Cerebella said with a grin, carrying Harry over to the table.

She set her son down so that he would be seated between her and Beatrix, figuring the magician would appreciate that. Taking her own seat, she waited patiently. Beatrix finished cooking their meal and set their plates down in front of them. "Feel free to tell me how great I am." She said in a haughty manner.

"It looks really good Miss Beatrix." Harry said, his tone so genuine and sweet it caught both women off guard. Beatirx was a bit surprised then smiled.

"Why thank you little one." She cooed playfully, patting his head. Her tone was sickly-sweet and Cerebella knew it was to annoy her, but Harry didn't pick up on that.

Indeed, the tan skinned woman rested her hand on her cheek with an annoyed expression. "Even as friendsish, you still love to get under my skin, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, you do make it pretty easy." Beatrix snickered. "But hey, don't act like you and Feng don't bug each other almost 24/7 either."

"That's true." Cerebella agreed, not even bothering to try and make an excuse. "But if anything, it's proof that we're friends." Beatirx didn't reply right away, taking in what was said last: 'It's proof we're friends'. If she was being honest, the magician would say that maybe, just maybe, she and Cerebella were friends. At least for Harry's sake.

"Yes, friends... Indeed..." Beatrix replied, looking down at her food. She didn'f want to show it, but she was feeling rather...bashful about the idea.

Cerebella noticed her shyness, however, and began thinking. 'Beatrix, shy? That's not like her at all... Guess she's just not used to having friends.'

Thankfully, neither woman brought the subject up further as they all sat down to eat. Cerebella watched as Harry tried to use the utensils, but struggled enough that she decided to help. With a gentle laugh, she cut some of his meal and held the fork up to the tiny boy, who opened his mouth expectantly.

He let his mother feed him with a content smile that warmed her heart. Beatrix watched their interactions and had to hide her smile under her hand. Cerebella decided she would cut the rest of Harry's meat into little bite sized pieces for him to make it easier to eat. He thanked her, then ate the rest of the meal by himself. He was quiet for most of the meal, simply enjoying the food, the two women enjoyed their food and occasionally looked over to Harry enjoying his meal.

Beatrix, for her part, felt a bit warmer than usual as she ate her dinner. Normally she'd just be sitting by herself. Having people around was a bit more gratifying. Yes... Perhaps being friends with Cerebella wasn't so bad at all. Sure, she was incredibly naive to her 'father figure'... But she did have a good heart.

Still, if anything did give her pause, it was the thought of Harry being brought up by the Medici family... She didn't think Harry could be twisted by them, but the thought of it sickened her. She wouldn't put it past them to try something like that...

Still, Cerebella was one of the best they had. If they wanted to keep her on their payroll, they would have to leave Harry alone. She just prayed they would... She also prayed that Vitale would keep the interactions with Harry to a minimum. He probably would... He already barely interacted with Cerebella unless he needed her.

How did Cerebella not see that? Well, Vitale had taken her in, so she never knew her parents. Beatirx's best guess was that to Cerebella, Vitale is what one would expect from a sort of parental figure... She was admittedly thankful she hadn't been more like him when she found Harry.

Perhaps...her interactions and relationship with Harry were a reflection of how she wished her relationship with Vitale was. If so, that was a rather sad thought. Honestly, she kinda wished Cerebella had failed to save Vitale from that knife throw. Sure, she would have been publically gunned down... but he'd be dead too.

Whatever. Beatrix shook her head slightly before looking back over to Harry. "You like it?" She asked.

"It's really good! I never got to try it before..." Harry said before taking another bite. Beatrix forced a smile as did Cerebella, but neither said anything for a moment.

"Well, good to know you like it." Beatrix finally said.

Harry didn't catch on to her concealed anger. He let out a happy little hum and continued to eat his dinner. Cerebella looked at him with a sad smile. 'I really hope he grows okay... Not eating enough isn't good for the little guy's health...' She thought with great concern. 'He's way too small...'

Thankfully, she knew with the amount she had been feeding him, he'd at least put some weight on his little bones. He was far too skinny, and both women knew why, and they were disgusted by it. "I have to admit Trix, this is really good." Cerebella finally admitted before taking another bite of her meal.

Beatrix donned that prideful nose in the air look Cerebella was getting increasingly more familiar with. "What can I say? I just worked my magic."

"Shoulda kept my big mouth shut." Cerebella said with a flat expression, resting her hand on her cheek. "I should know better than to feed the egomaniac."

Beatrix laughed in response. "Oh, I'M the egomaniac! Well then, guess I'll just consider you my own personal Feng!" Cerebella chuckled awkwardly.

"Uh...Heheh... Am I...really that cocky towards her?"

"Well, how many times have you brought up the elephant poop incidents?"

"...okay..." Cerebella tried to respond.

"And HOW many times have you held your strength above her? Hitting her knowing she can't fight back?" Beatrix pressed.

"Okay, well that time-"

"And HOW many times have you accidentally dropped her when you were trying to add to your routine?"

"That wasn't EXACTLY my fault..."

Beatrix sighed. "Uh... Sorry, I just... thought you should be a bit more aware... You two have a good friendship, and I don't think it should get damaged... Verbal teasing can only get her so far, y'know..."

Cerebella looked down at her food with a frown. "Wow, I... never thought about that... I thought I was just having fun with her..." She said softly.

"I know you wouldn't hurt her on purpose. You're too soft hearted for that. But I think you should talk to her. Let her know you appreciate her..."

Cerebella sighed, guilt creeping up her spine. She hadn't meant to hurt Feng... she was her best friend! If she was like that to Feng... Oh geez, what could she have accidentally done to Harry!? She accidentally bit her tongue as she was distracted, yelping in slight pain.

Beatrix looked up at Cerebella, and almost seemed to read her mind. "Cerebella, I doubt you've done anything to hurt Harry." She said. "You've been nothing but gentle and careful with him from day one."

"Y-Yeah, mama..." Harry agreed. "You never hurt me... Not even one time..." Cerebella looked over at him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"If I ever do accidentally hurt you, you just let me know, okay, buddy?" She said softly, stroking his hair like a kitten. "Meanwhile, I need to let your auntie know I care as soon as she gets home tonight..."

Beatrix sighed and shook her head. "Don't sweat it Cere. You and Feng are close, Even if you have hurt her, I think she knows you never intended to. Don't beat yourself up over the past."

Cerebella looked up at the magician and smiled lightly. "Who are you and what have you done with Beatrix?"

"I killed her and ate her liver." Beatrix replied flatly.

"Wh-What?!" Exclaimed a horrified Harry.

"Okay That May have been a bit dark..." The magician admitted. However, her slightly sheepish attitude turned to one of regret when she saw Harry burying his face into Cerebella's chest, shaking uncontrollably.

Cerebella looked at Beatrix with an awkward grin. "Heh... Guess he takes things pretty literally, huh?" Beatrix winced in respons, looking at Harry.

"M-Miss Beatrix is dead, mommy... And the person that killed her's taking her place... I can't believe she's gone... She was my friend..."

"Harry, she was joking." She said gently. "Miss Beatrix is just fine. She's not dead. She's as alive as you or me."

"Yeah, I was just kidding Harry, I didn't mean to upset you." Beatrix added, feeling uncharacteristically guilty when she saw how upset Harry was.

"Honest...?" Harry asked softly. "Y-You're not a scary alien dressed up as Miss Beatrix so that you can trick everyone and then eat their toes...?"

Both women laughed at his rather specific question, and Beatrix shook her head. "Heh... Last time I checked, I'm still a human being. And I definitely have no interest in eating toes."

"So... Is your liver okay...? Did it really get eaten...?" Harry asked timidly. Beatrix smirked and put her hand over where her liver was.

"It's still safely in my body."

"Until you destroy it drinking like that Richard guy..." Cerebella remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, How is he still alive?!" Beatrix asked, then noticed Harry's confused face. "Oh, Richard is someone who works here, he repairs broken things, and he, Uh..."

"Oh... So he's like me. I had to try to fix broken things too... But um... I wasn't very good at it... I think I just made them worse and got in trouble..."

The two women looked to one another, both unsure of how to explain this to Harry, but the agitation over the fact that he was forced to perform potentially extremely dangerous repair work when it looked like he could barely stand on his own was sickening.

Cerebella gently squeezed her adopted son's shoulder. "That won't be happening again." She said gently. "You're just...way too little for that..."

"Thank you..." Harry said, his tiny voice sounding beyond relieved that he wouldn't be forced to do harsh labor like that again. The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, as the trio were mainly focused on the food.

After finishing their meal, Beatrix stretched and rose to her feet. "Well...It's been fun, you guys. But I should probably head back now... Almost time to feed my rabbits."

"All right, Beatrix. It was good getting to know ya. Let's do this again soon, yeah?" Cerebella replied with a light smile. Beatrix turned to acknowledge her.

"Yeah, I'd...I'd like that." She admitted. "See ya later, Harry." She took the time to give the little boy a pat on the head on her way out the door.

"Bye Miss Beatrix." Harry said with a tiny wave. Beatrix stopped and looked over her shoulder, smiling and waving back as she left. Cerebella sighed contently and picked up her son.

"Did you have a good day Harry?" She asked playfully.

"Uh-huh!" Harry nodded happily. "I like spending time with you."

Cerebella chuckled and messed up her son's hair before resting him against her shoulder. "Yeah, I like spending time with you too, bud. Now, we got a couple more hours before you go to bed... How about we give you your bath, then pop in another movie, sound good?"

"Yay!" Harry cheered, throwing his little arms up. Smiling, Cerebella carried her son upstairs to the washroom and filled up the tub until it was just right.

She carefully removed Harry's clothes, then blinked and beamed at the sight of her son's body. "Whoa, Harry, look at you! You've gained a little bit of weight! And those bruises and marks are going away too!"

"Yay!" Harry said happily again. Cerebella giggled at the adorable cheer. Picking her son up, she gently placed him the tub, setting to cleaning her son again. Humming contently, she scrubbed Harry clean and set to washing his hair, which thankfully wasn't grimy and filthy like it used to be.

After rinsing him off, she scrubbed him down with a loofah. Then, she grabbed the rubber duck and an old toy boat she used to play with as a child. Harry eagerly took the duck, and Cerebella knelt by the side of the tub and grabbed the boat. "It's a beautiful day for sailing! Wait... Could it be...? It is! It's the legendary Moby Duck!"

Harry giggled as he watched his mother splash the boat and make fake screaming sounds. "Ahhh! Oh no!" Cerebella mock yelled in terror. "It's so yellow! We're doooomed!" Harry laughed and splashed a little bit with the ducky,, getting some water in his mother's eyes.

"AGH! It's all gone black! We're goin' down!" She pushed the boat under the water. "Glub...Glub...Glub... Another ship sunken and joining Davey Jones' Locker... Moby Duck's truly unstoppable!" Harry squeezed the ducky and made it squeak. "That's his war cry... He's on the prowl for his next prey!" At that exact moment, Kitty came in and jumped onto the rim of the tub. Harry held Moby Duck up to Kitty and squeaked it. Kitty batted at it with his paws, smacking it upside the head. "Uh-oh! Moby Duck just ran into Cat Kong!"

Harry was laughing uncontrollably now, watching his mother yell this story. Kitty looked at the two then seemed to notice there was water. "Meow?" Kitty said quietly.

"Does Kitty want a bath?" Harry asked.

Cerebella snickered and looked at her pet. "Let's check." She lightly splashed some water onto Kitty... and he immediately went into panic mode. Cerebella yelped as Kitty jumped on her and scratched her up in his attempts to escape the hellish wet stuff known as 'water'. The cat ran into the hallway and Cerebella rubbed her messed up hair. "Uh...Heheh... I guess I'll take that as a no." She said sheepishly, wincing slightly. "Ow... Splashing a cat... Really stupid idea..."

"M'sowwy..." Harry mumbled, feeling like he had done something wrong.

"It's fine cutie, I probably should've thought before I did that." Cerebella chuckled. "Well, I think your about clean, let's get you all dried off!"

She grabbed a towel, gently pulled him out of the tub and wrapped him up like a coccoon, gently drying the boy off before carrying him to her room. Setting him down on the bed, she grabbed the blue footed pajamas that she thought looked ridiculously cute on him. Unravelling the towel, she gently helped him into the pajamas. After dressing him, she picked him up, bouncing him up and down in her arms, and smiled as he snuggled into her. "All right, let's go make some popcorn, then we'll watch the movie."

"Okay, mommy." Harry smiled, looking up at Cerebella. The weightlifter grinned and tucked him into one arm as she set to making a snack with her other. Within a few minutes, the smell of popcorn began to waft throughout the small kitchen. Cerebella put the popcorn into a large bowl and carried Harry back to her room.

She looked through her movie shelf, taking care to avoid the horror films, as she didn't want to traumatize her son with Thursday the 13th or Night Terror on Oak Avenue. She found an old classic she'd grown up watching when she was a young child. Toy Tale. The movie that had her trying to get her toys to talk for months after first seeing it.

She sat down with Harry nestled next to her and the movie began. Harry was enthralled by the movie, finding the toys funny, and watching the main two slowly develop respect and friendship for one another, it somewhat reminded him of his mama and Miss Beatrix. They didn't seem to get along at first, but now they seemed like friends.

Cerebella smiled at how enthralled her son seemed with the movie. She cuddled him close to her bust, gently feeding him popcorn and watching his reactions. When the movie ended, Harry let out a soft yawn. "Heh... Okay, buddy... Time for bed." She picked Harry up and carried him to her bed, tucking him in under the covers.

Harry smiled up at his mama and nodded, Cerebella smoothed the blankets out before sitting on the side of the bed. She sang a gentle lullaby to lull him to sleep. Harry seemed to be trying to keep awake, but the song and the warm blankets won out and he fell asleep.

Cerebella gave him a kiss, before hearing the door open. Feng was home, and now was the time to act on the little talk she'd had with Beatrix...

"Hey... Feng?" Cerebella timidly spoke up, getting her friend's attention. The smaller girl turned around and smiled at her friend.

"Hey Cerebella! How was your day with Harry?" Feng asked with a grin.

"Oh, uh. Really good." Cerebella nodded. "We ran into Beatrix and... actually had a nice time." When she heard that, Feng grinned in disbelief.

"Really? You and BEATRIX hung out today? Did she steal Harry or something?"

Cerebella smiled weakly and shook her head. "No, she... She just happened to be out on the town, and we bumped into her and let her join us. We went bowling, got lunch, watched a movie, had a spar, and she stayed for dinner."

Feng smiled at that. "Wow, Harry's really brought you two together, hasn't he? Before, you could barely be in the same room without trying to..." She then noticed Cerebella's demeanour and blinked. "What's wrong?"

Cerebella sighed and took a seat on the couch, rubbing her forehead. "Um... Feng...? Does my teasing ever...y'know...upset you...?" She asked softly.

Feng paused, and the brightness that usually surrounded her faded somewhat. She looked away and rubbed her arm. "Sometimes, but I know you're only joking." She replied, her tone almost monotone. "We're friends, so I know you don't mean it."

"Feng... I'm sorry." Cerebella finally got out.

Feng looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "I...I didn't even realize that I was hurting you... I'm... I'm not as good a friend as I thought I was, huh...?"

Feng frowned at that and pulled her friend into an embrace. "Don't say that. Sure, I don't always appreciate your...jokes, but you're an amazing friend. You support me when I really need it. You're always there for me when I need you... Remember when I had that really bad relationship with that nasty girl that kept putting me down, and calling me names, and slapping me? You totally lost it on her when you found out, and you sent her off with a broken hand, a black eye and a shattered ego?"

"...Then I sat with you all day long and helped you get over it..." Cerebella said with a soft smile before frowning. "But I do the same things, Feng... I'm not much better than her..."

"Yeah, but you don't do it to intentionally hurt me." Feng countered. "Admittedly, yes, you can go a little bit too far sometimes, but it's always clear that you'd never do anything to intentionally hurt me. You're my friend Bella, the things you've done were kinda annoying, but it's your way of joking. So don't beat yourself up over it."

Cerebella smiled at her best friend and pulled her into an embrace. "Heh... Thanks, Feng... I promise I'll try to tone it down from now on..."

"Um... You can start by loosening up the hug... Please...?" Feng croaked out. Chuckling sheepishly, Cerebella complied and Feng sighed in relief before hugging back.

The two girls shared the embrace for several minutes before pulling away. "So, how was your visit with the parents?" Cerebella asked.

"Oh, it was great!" Feng grinned. "They were really surprised when I told them you had adopted a kid, they were wondering if they'd ever get to meet him."

"Yes. They will." Cerebella replied almost immediately.

Feng smiled. "So let's hear more details about your day. You and Beatrix actually getting along like friends? You can't leave me hanging, I want details!"

Cerebella smiled. "Heh... Honestly, Feng, Beatrix is actually pretty good company when you get by her rough edges... Even when Harry went to sleep, she still hung around, and we had some pretty nice conversations."

"You sure it's the Beatirx we've been putting up with for the past few years, and not some inter-dimensional copy of her that's actually nice?" Feng asked questioningly, it did get a laugh from Cerebella though.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She nodded. She looked over in the direction of her room with a warm, tender grin. "Harry's definitely something special... Seriously, I am SO grateful to have him..."

Feng nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he is a pretty big part of Beatrix's transition from nasty bitch to loveable bitch." Cerebella snorted, then regained her tender expression.

"I'm...so glad he let me be his mom..." She said softly.

"Honestly, I think he'd take anyone over the life he seemed to have been living..." Feng sighed, and Cerebella nodded in agreement.

"Regardless, I'm happy I've been able to help him in any way I have. He's starved for affection and love, and I just want him to know that I love him."

"I think he knows." Feng replied with a smile.

Cerebella smiled softly at the thought of her precious son... She loved him, and he loved her right back... It truly was the ideal relationship between parent and child...

Feng, meanwhile, hoped that raising Harry would help her best friend understand how toxic her 'bond' with Vitale was. The bond between her and Harry... THAT is what a bond between parent and child should be, not the absolute bare minimum to get her to do their dirty work, only to scold them when it's not done perfectly to their standards.

Feng had tried a few times to help get Cerebella out of what could almost be described as an abusive relationship, but either Cerebella genuinely couldn't tell what was wrong with Vitale, or she was too afraid to try and stand up for herself... Feng was also worried that Harry may be corrupted by his influence, snd she didn't want to see his sweet innocence ruined by that man.

Shaking her head, she turned on the TV and flipped through the channels for something to watch, the two girls sitting in comfortable silence. They settled on some random cartoon, not really feeling up to watching any big movies that night.

Meanwhile, Beatrix was putting her rabbits in their cages for their bedtime. The small animals seemed to skitter about once they were back in their cages, but quickly settled down, rustling amidst the shavings to get comfortable. Beatrix however... was distracted. A million thoughts were running through her head. What exactly had happened today? She had mostly agreed to hang around with Cerebella more to make Harry happy... but she actually really enjoyed it. Not to mention that Cerebella wasn't as much of a stuck-up, self-centred entitled bitch she had usually thought of her as.

'But after everything you've done to tear her down... she was willing to help you up...' A thought ran through her head, with one question remaining unanswered: Why?

She laid down on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to figure her rival out. After all the fights, the horrible names, the pure, unbridled hatred... Why like her?

She was the type to hold a grudge. No matter what, she would NEVER forgive her mother for walking out on her and leaving her with that monster in human skin...

But with Cerebella... her grudge was slowly fading. She felt little to no hostility towards her anymore... She winced as the memories came back... Cerebella had spent a year trying to befriend her, but she had always just thrown it back in her face until she'd gotten fed up and started biting back... All because she kept outdoing her...

'Am I really that petty?' She thought to herself, grimacing as she began to question why this had gone he way it had. 'Yes.' Seemed to immediately come to mind, and she had a hard time arguing it away.

She groaned in annoyance and looked over at her rabbits sleeping soundly. She smiled. Peter and Hazel never failed to improve her mood...

Honestly, it was kinda sad... For so many years, her pets had been the only thing she'd truly loved. Peter and Hazel were just the latest in a long line of pet rabbits...

But with Harry and Cerebella, she now felt she had someone else that was worth caring about... And it was a very nice feeling...

As she sat on her bed, leaning against the wall and relaxing, simply trying to enjoy the feeling for as long as it could last. Life wasn't easy for most of the people living in the circus, so sometimes you had to find the happiness where you could.

Whether it be through beloved pets, Hubrecht's cotton candy or Talliesin's... sexual harassment... Shaking her head, she pulled out a book, deciding to take her mind off it.