Chapter 7
Sunday, two days after Sara's brilliant idea of having a sleepover that had been anything but peaceful, when Lee, Jessica, and Vicky came to pick up their respective children, Sara told them her good news.
"Guys, I'm having another baby!"
They all congratulated her, and Vicky had to hide a grin. Finally, she said, "So am I!"
More congratulations went around. Sara held up a hand to quiet them a few minutes later.
"And, as you all know, I have my own way of finding out the sex, and…" She paused, drawing it out. She had long ago given in and told her close circle of friends about how the bracelet on her wrist was more than just a piece of decorative jewelry. That circle was limited to Danny (who had been suspicious from the start), Lee (who had been surprised, but, having known Sara for so long and being so accustomed to strange things happening when the green-eyed brunette was near, not completely shocked), Jake (who had been, and still was, totally clueless), Jessica (who had been rendered speechless), Gabe (who, obviously, already knew), Vicky (who also had had her suspicions), Captain Joe Siri (who'd merely stared at her, rubbed his chin, and waved her out of his office when she'd told him. Ever since, though, he'd eyed the thing carefully whenever she was near, as if expecting it to explode and come after him), his wife Marie (who, Sara could tell, still didn't quite believe her), and, of course, Sara, Ian, and their children. The other kids knew as well, having been told by both their parents and their Aunt Sara, and all were very good about not saying a word about it to others outside their "family".
"Well, come on, Sara, what is it? I wanna know if I have a niece or a nephew on the way!" Vicky was watching her anxiously, and Sara grinned.
"It's…a girl!"
"AAHHH!!!!!" Vicky screeched, throwing her arms around her friend enthusiastically.
Sara was quickly enveloped in a group hug, surrounded by her happy friends. Gabe, who'd come with his wife, came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"What was that all about?" he asked as Vicky turned her head to kiss him lightly.
Sara still couldn't do anything but shake her head at the odd pair. Though Vicky was a few years older than Gabe, they'd hit it off immediately, and, a year later, POOF! Wedding bells.
Sara said, "I just announced that you'll have another niece soon."
He took a moment to process this news before swooping her up into a great bear hug, grinning like a madman. "Congratulations, Chief. Again. Geez, how many does that make?"
Sara punched his left bicep lightly just as Vicky elbowed him in the side. "OW!!! Spousal and friend abuse!" He ducked another swing from Sara and dodged his wife's other elbow before continuing, "Has Vick told you our news yet?"
Sara feigned ignorance. "No, what've you got up your sleeve, Bowman?"
"We've got another one on the way, too. A boy."
Gabe was quickly herded away as the girls proceeded to congratulate Vicky in much the same way as they had Sara.
"That's great, you two," Lee piped up. "Wonderful."
"Hey," Jessica added. "You know what this means!"
"Name-storming," they all said together, their affectionate name for the baby name brainstorming sessions they held each time one of them was pregnant.
Their happy chattering was silenced in the next second as the Witchblade suddenly decided to activate all on its own—or, rather, with the help of a certain unborn baby girl. In full gauntlet mode, complete with the three-foot-long blade, the sight was more than a little terrifying.
"Ian!!" Sara called over the din of screaming children.
"What?" came his faint reply from somewhere near the stairs.
She raised her gauntleted arm. "A little help here?"
Within moments, he appeared.
From behind, his left hand slipped down and around the rest on her belly, while his right arm aligned with hers, both of their heads dropping forward as he clasped her hand through the armor. Slowly, the metal began to recede back into the bracelet on her wrist, the swirling red gem dimming considerably as it calmed at the soothing touch, returning to its dormant state.
Vicky rolled her eyes. "Well, if that ain't a sign of it being a girl, I don't know what is."
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Are you happy now, Eli? Hope so. I'm rather stuck right now—my muses seem to have gone on an extended vacation, and appear to like wherever they are far more than they like assisting me. Temperamental things, aren't they? Hopefully, they'll return soon, and help me to continue my writing on my Witchblade (and other) stories. I'm inching painfully along on my further work of all of my stories here, so I can't guarantee that I'll be able to post anything anytime soon. Suggestions for a direction to head in from here might help…