Chapter 1: Cousins

It was about a month after Austin had been born that Brandy had worked up the nerve to call Stripe. While she knew her almost brother-in-law, and had no reason to believe anything other than he was a perfectly normal dog, she was still a bit stressed about the prospect of reaching out. They weren't exactly close relatives, and she'd effectively isolated herself in her work for the last 20 years, which had made her relationships with those around her suffer. She'd also never met Trixie, as she'd come into the picture after Chilli and Bandit's wedding. Brandy exhaled, Okay Brandy, you can do this… Austin needs to have some connections with other kids, and even if they aren't technically his cousins, what Bluey and Bingo said had some merit, it makes sense to build some bridges… Even if it is fucking terrifying to reach out after all these years.

She exhaled as she punched in the number Chilli had given her, listening to the phone ring briefly before it picked up.

"Hello, this is Stripe Heeler."

"Hi, Stripe, it's Brandy, your almost sister-in-law. Chilli's older sister?"

Stripe blinked, "Brandy? Wow! I haven't heard from you in forever. How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks." She exhaled briefly, "Um, well…" She hesitated, How do I explain all of this? "Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Yeah, I'm done with my work for the day, unless I get an emergency call from my boss I'm pretty much set for the next hour until I can punch out."

"You work from home I take it?"

"Yeah, I switched when Muffin was born, that way I could keep an eye on her while Trixie worked at the hospital."

Brandy frowned, vaguely remembering that Chilli had mentioned that Trixie was somehow involved in healthcare, but she didn't remember enough details to want to try and guess. "I guess you're wondering why I called…"

"Well, I am, but in any case it's nice to hear from you, it's been a while."

"Yeah, it has." Brandy noted, looking at Austin asleep in his cot. "I don't know if Chilli or Bandit mentioned, but I just had a son about a month ago."

"You did? Congratulations! I knew you and Dirk had been trying when you two were together. Did you meet someone new?"

"Um, no, I had a sperm donor." Brandy noted, not wanting to explain how Stripe's older brother was also her child's father.

"No shame in that! Trixie's sister and her wife used a sperm donor for their daughter." Stripe paused, thinking of his niece, "You said you had a boy, what's his name?"

"Austin."

"Nice. I like it!"

"Thank you, it took me a lot of time to pick it out."

"We had a tough time with Socks, but when we saw her we knew it was perfect."

"How old are your girls now? I don't think I've ever seen them."

"Well, Muffin's turning six in a few months and Socks is four." Stripe paused, "Maybe you could stop by some time and get a chance to introduce yourself. I'm sure the girls would like a chance to meet their Aunt Brandy."

Brandy rubbed her arm, "You sure? I'm not even really their aunt…"

"Nonsense! You're Chilli's sister, and she's basically my sister. Come on over this Saturday, we can have a cookout, you can bring Austin, it'll be a nice time."

"Okay, if you're sure. Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Just bring yourself and your little one! Trixie's been going a bit baby crazy the last few months so I think Austin could help a bit with that."

"Okay, Saturday around noon?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Stripe said, "Oh, I gotta go, I'm getting another call. See ya Brandy!"

***MH***

Brandy pulled up to the address Stripe had texted her and paused. It was an impressive home. Beyond the modern lines and impressive landscaping she noticed the in-ground pool and pavilion in the back. Wow, Stripe's certainly done well for himself. She unbuckled Austin from his carseat and transferred him into his stroller before grabbing the diaper bag and play-pen and walking to the front door. She rang the bell and was greeted a moment later by a young grey heeler.

"Hi!" She said, her tail wagging.

"Hi." Brandy smiled, "My name's Brandy, I'm sort-of your aunt." Brandy motioned down to the stroller where Austin was sitting. "And this is your cousin Austin."

"I know! My mum and dad told me all about you!" She turned and shouted into the house, "Dad! Aunt Brandy's here! And she has Austin!"

"Muffin, I'm right here." Stripe replied, stepping out from a hallway near the front door. "Remember, we use inside voices inside."

"Sorry dad!"

Stripe raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, 'Sorry dad.'" Muffin repeated, a bit quieter. The grey heeler had mellowed a bit with age, but was still the resident Heeler family personality.

"Come on in Brandy, Trix and Socks are out back." Stripe led Brandy through the house into the backyard. This part was separate from the pool, instead being a fairly typical yard with a few trees and a tidy lawn. Trixie and Socks were playing in a sandpit near the sliding door when the others arrived. Trixie looked up as the door opened and smiled.

"Hello! You must be Brandy!" She stood up and wiped the sand off her paws. She extended a paw and pulled Brandy into a hug. Brandy was surprised, but didn't mind, it had been a long time since she'd been hugged and it felt nice. After a moment they broke apart and Trixie bent down to look in the stroller. "And you must be Austin! Hello!" She cooed sticking her finger near the pup's paws. He reached out and grabbed it on instinct.

"Would you mind if I got his playpen set up? He loves fresh air." Brandy asked, motioning to a shaded corner of the patio near the house next to a few chairs.

"Of course, go right ahead. You want any help setting it up?" Trixie asked.

"I'm okay, thanks though."

About ten minutes later Austin was in the playpen happily enjoying the breeze on his fur as Muffin and Socks watched their new baby cousin closely. Brandy sat nearby with the couple in a few Adirondack chairs.

"So, Austin's your first I take it?" Trixie asked.

"He is, my first and probably only." Brandy stated, "I love him, but I don't think I have it in me to do that again, especially at my age."

Brandy nodded in understanding, placing a paw on Brandy's. "I completely understand. I was 36 when I had Muffin, and 38 with Socks. While I wouldn't mind the idea of a third, at this point I think we'll just stick with our two."

Stripe sighed with relief.

"So how's the first month been? You exhausted yet?"

"Constantly." Brandy replied. "I took three months off for maternity leave, and I hope by that time he's on a sleep schedule. The daycare I signed up for requested that he be on one around that time, but so far he's all over."

"Don't worry, it'll happen." Stripe replied, "And even if it is a little later, that's not a big deal. Some kids are a bit different in their timing. It's totally normal if your kid doesn't hit every benchmark exactly when they're supposed to. After all, Socks went through a puppy phase but Muffin never did."

"How do you know if they're going to have a puppy phase? I looked online and there wasn't really any helpful advice to tell."

"By six months you can usually tell, that's when they start using all fours pretty regularly. By a year and a half they're back on track like everyone else though." Stripe said, motioning to his younger daughter.

Brandy nodded.

"So are you doing formula or breastfeeding? It doesn't matter which you do, personally I don't really care, but if you are doing breastfeeding I have some old equipment that's been sitting around that I'd be happy to give you-all cleaned and sterilized, of course." Trixie asked.

Brandy frowned, "I tried breastfeeding, but he doesn't seem to latch well. That and I don't really produce a lot of milk. I talked with my doctor about it and she said its fine, but I don't know… I feel kinda guilty using formula. My mom breastfed me and my sister and it just, well, it seems like what I ought to do, you know?"

Trixie shook her head and patted Brandy's paw, "There's no reason to feel guilty, if it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't work. It's clear that Austin is happy and healthy."

"Thanks, it still just feels like I'm barely staying afloat." Brandy admitted. "There's so much I have no idea about, and everywhere I look it has different advice. I want to be a good mum, but… I don't know, I'm worried I'm making mistakes and that I'm going to mess him up."

"Hey, you're trying. The fact that you're worried is a sign that you care. And yes, there's a ton of different advice out there-God knows how many mommy blogs there are…" Stripe started.

"…But you're doing a great job." Trixie concluded. "You are a good mum, and you will make mistakes. All parents do."

"You think we didn't make mistakes with Muffin or Socks? We learned a lot about setting boundaries and managing behaviors between those two." Stripe said, eyeing Muffin.

"If you ever need anyone to talk to, just call us." Trixie offered.

"We aren't infallible, but we can try to help our best." Stripe said with a smile. "And if it turns out that our advice is shit, feel free to call Bandit and Chilli; they've usually got their act together."

Brandy was amazed at the kind offer. "Thank you, I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything, we're family. We're here for each other." Trixie grinned. She looked over at the girls still playing with Austin. "Girls, let's leave your baby cousin alone for a little bit, he needs his rest! Why don't you come over and talk a bit with your Aunt Brandy?"

"Okay mum!"

"Here, I'll go get some wine." Stripe said, taking Brandy's glass from her hand. "You're going to need it." He whispered.

Three hours later Brandy was driving home with Austin resting in his car seat in the back. It had been a pleasant visit. She was in good spirits as she drove home. She glanced in the rearview mirror a moment and looked at Austin sleeping peacefully in his seat. We had a big day today, Austin. Thanks for being there. She smiled as she continued driving home, glad to have made some new friends.

***Author's Note***

Hello! Hope you liked our first chapter of Motherhood. We're going to continue looking at moment in Brandy and Austin's first year together throughout this series. If all goes well I may include a few flash forwards to later years, but that depends on response from you guys. In any case, I hope you enjoyed!