Alexandros was barely six months old, but already it seemed as if he ran the palace. Everyone, even his parents, went by his schedule. Every night, he would wake at least once in hunger and Briseis was right there to comfort and feed him. She loved the quiet of the house during this time when it was just her and the baby. As he fed, she would sing softly to him the lullaby that her cousin, Andromache, would sing to her own son. Rocking back and forth in rhythm with the words would soothe the fussy Alexandros back to sleep.
One night, Alexandros refused to be calmed down and kept crying. Though, Briseis rocked him, it was to no avail. She was at her wits end. Everything that would have usually worked did not and her tiny son kept wailing. As she was pacing the floor with the baby in her arms, Achilles walked into the nursery.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
"I don't know what's wrong with him. I have fed him, rocked him, sung to him, and nothing seems to work," she cried in desperation.
"Let me take him," Achilles offered.
Briseis gave in and handed over their son gently to Achilles. Once he was in Achilles's arms, he stopped crying and looked quizzically at his father. Recognizing him in an instant, Alexandros curled up and fell asleep against Achilles's chest. Briseis was dumbfounded, but content that her son was sleeping. She walked over and embraced Achilles.
"Thank you," she said. "I think he just wanted you."
"Perhaps," he said gazing down at his son in one arm and the other wrapped around his wife.
Softly, he planted a kiss on top of his son's forehead as he placed him in the cradle and pulled the blanket to his chin. Then he stepped back and stood with Briseis, watching their son sleep quietly in the cradle. Once they were content that their child would stay asleep, they slipped back into their own room. Briseis walked out to the balcony to watch the ocean tides in the moonlight. Achilles shut their bedroom door and followed her out to the balcony. Lovingly, he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. She responded by laying her head back onto his shoulder.
"It's beautiful out here," she said quietly.
"Not as beautiful as you are," he replied.
"You make me blush," she said.
"I enjoy every moment of it," he said, smiling.
"Alex is growing so fast. Pretty soon he will be walking and talking," Briseis said after a few moments of silence.
"I can already tell he is going to be very opinionated like you and he is going to have a big mouth," Achilles replied.
"Hey," she said, slapping his arm lightly, "I resent…" Achilles cut her words off with a kiss. Almost instantly, she melted in his arms against his touch and caresses. She broke the kiss and asked, "Have you ever thought of having another child? I mean Alex surely needs a brother or sister to go through life with."
"Briseis, you had such a difficult time with Alex. I almost lost you when you overdid things while pregnant with him. Do you really think we should risk that again?" he asked in reply, kissing her neck.
"I don't know. It's just that I want a little girl so much and I want Alex to have a little sister to love and care for," Briseis said with pleading eyes.
"We will talk about it later," Achilles said, continuing his parade of kisses on Briseis's neck.
In one swoop, he had her in his arms and carried her back into their room. For the remainder of the night, she remained wrapped in his touch. Slowly, she drifted into a serene sleep and dreamed of the day her son would walk and talk.
The next day, Briseis sat out on the balcony with Alexandros in her lap, bouncing him up and down to keep him occupied. The baby giggled and smiled at his mother. Briseis's heart warmed to see her son smile.
"Do you like that?" she asked softly as she kissed his stomach.
Alexandros kicked his legs in joy. Briseis kept bouncing him in her lap until Achilles walked out onto the balcony and startled her for a moment. Realizing that he had scared her, he apologized.
"I didn't mean to startle you. Keep bouncing him, he seems to like it," Achilles said as he sat next to her.
"He does like it. When I bounce him, he smiles and laughs the whole time," she said, before turning back to the baby and cooing, "Don't you sweetie?"
"Would you mind if I try something?" Achilles asked.
"Certainly, he is your son too. You should spend time with him," Briseis replied and handed Alexandros to his father.
Achilles took his son in his arms. In one fluid motion, he spun the baby around the room. Alexandros squealed in laughter. Briseis could not help but smile at seeing father and son together. Achilles spun around again in the other direction and Alexandros laughed just as much as the first time.
"He likes that just as much as when I bounce him on my lap," Briseis said as Achilles walked over, dizzy from spinning around, and handed Alexandros over to her.
"My mother used to do the same thing with me and said that I loved it. I figured that he might like it as well," Achilles said.
"You are an absolutely wonderful father," she said and began to kiss him on the lips.
He kissed back. They began kissing more, in a desperate need for one another. His kiss was like liquid fire to her lips; it brought out something in her that nothing ever had before. It always made her come alive. Unfortunately, their kiss was interrupted by their son's cries and whimpers.
"What is it baby?" Briseis cooed in an attempt to comfort the crying child.
Alexandros continued to cry and buried his head into his mother's dress. As Briseis continued trying to comfort their wailing child, Achilles turned his attention to the ocean in front of their home. Suddenly, he spotted something.
"Briseis, I think I know what's wrong with Alex," he said.
"What?" she asked, standing up beside Achilles, cradling Alexandros in her arms.
"I think he's afraid," Achilles replied.
"Of what?" she asked, confused.
"Look out there," he said and pointed to the sea.
Briseis looked out into the sea and found what her husband was referring to. Four ships were sailing towards Phtia. Their sails were black and bore the mark of the Trojans.
A/N: Dun dun dun. Yet another of my famous cliffhangers. Well, you know what to do. Review and make me happy or I shall send my minions out to hunt you down and force you to review. Seriously, I do appreciate reviews though. :)