HuniePop Space Adventures
Epilogue: Aftermath
I could feel that things were a bit calmer than they were before. I don't know why, but I felt that I could sleep a lot better than I usually did. Of course, when I opened my eyes, I saw exactly why that was and it was pretty obvious. It was the sight of my girlfriend Nikki's adorable face sleeping right next to me. But she soon wasn't going to be my girlfriend anymore. 5 days from now, she would become my wife. Only three days after I proposed to Nikki, we both broke the news to the rest of our friends and our parents. Of course, my mom was freaking out about it once I told her and she offered to pay for the whole thing, which I told her wasn't necessary, but she insisted anyway. As to be expected, our parents were a bit upset that Nikki was 4 months pregnant now, but they weren't as angry as I thought that they would be, and Mom was delighted to find out that she would become a grandma soon. I just sat in bed and looked at Nikki's sleeping face before I kissed her tenderly on the forehead and got out of bed before heading into the kitchen, where Zero Two was noisily snoring as her body was sprawled out across the couch, while Hiro was sleeping peacefully in a sleeping bag that we gave him. I just smiled at the two of them before I put the blanket back over Zero Two's body and then made myself a cup of coffee before I then stepped out onto my balcony and enjoyed the fresh spring air and the sound of the birds chirping as the wind rustled against my hair.
"…Never a dull moment," I said as I took a sip of my coffee.
Hiro's perspective, an hour later
The morning was a bit wild due to both Max and Nikki rushing around as they got ready for work, while I was busy eating some breakfast that they made for me and Zero Two, who was still sleeping on the couch. Just as Max and Nikki were about to head out, Max handed me a list of directions that I quickly looked over.
"What's this?" I asked.
"It's just a list of how things work in the house. That list will tell you everything that you need to know, so if you want to play a game or watch a movie, follow those directions and enjoy. And PLEASE, don't make a mess of the place while we're gone. Not that I think you will, but I'm just asking nicely. Me and Nikki will be back around 5 o'clock," Max explained.
"Take care, guys," Nikki added before they both exited the apartment and me and Zero Two were left alone. For the first hour, there wasn't really a lot that we could do and Zero Two was just lying on the couch in every awkward position possible until she finally spoke up.
"I'm bored. Can't we just go and help pick out a gift for the wedding?" she asked.
"They want us to stay here," I replied as I looked over the list that Max gave me.
"OK, well, it's boring here. So, what can we do?"
"…We could watch a movie. They must have something that sounds interesting," I said before I crawled over to the TV's cabinet and opened it, revealing a bunch of boxes inside with different titles. Avengers: Endgame, Godzilla, Star Trek, Jurassic Park, Ready Player One. There was definitely a large range to choose from. But, when Zero Two came over and looked at the choices, she pulled out a box with the title, Titanic, on it and looked at it with curiosity.
"This looks interesting. How 'bout this one?" Zero Two asked. I just nodded and put the disc into the player before we began to watch it together. For the first few minutes, both me and Zero Two didn't exactly know what to make of it at first, but it soon became apparent that this was some kind of romance movie. But it was a pretty good romance movie at that, depicting the love between two people that didn't seem like they were perfect for each other based on their status in society. However, as we continued watching the movie, it quickly turned into a disaster film that tested the two lover's relationship with each other amidst the crisis that they were facing. Zero Two seemed to be really into the movie as we continued to watch, and she cuddled up next to me the more we watched it. However, when the whole thing ended, she sat there for a while with a confused expression on her face before she finally spoke up.
"What the hell happened? Seriously, this was probably one of the most romantical things I ever saw, and it just ends like that? Is she alive or not?" Zero Two asked. I just sat there in silence, not knowing exactly what to say to her. But just as I had come up with an answer that I thought Zero Two would be OK with, she pressed the play button on the remote and the movie began to play again.
"We need to watch it again. I need to figure out what I missed," Zero Two said before we began to watch the movie again. After the first hour and a half of the movie passed, I made some lunch for the two of us, which Zero Two ate up before she went back to watching the movie. After I had done a bit of laundry, cleaned up a bit, and fed Max's cats, Momo and Quill, I sat back down on the couch just as the movie ended again.
"Did you figure out what happened?" I asked. But Zero Two didn't answer me and just started the movie up again, making me groan in exhaustion. Once we were halfway through watching it the third time, I fell asleep and let Zero Two watch the rest of the movie until Max and Nikki finally got home.
"Hey guys. So, how was your day?" Nikki asked.
"Can you explain something for me? What the hell happens to this woman at the end of the movie? I'm confused as to what happened," Zero Two said, pointing to the screen as the ending of the movie was playing
"Oh… Titanic? Well, see, the ending is supposed to be ambiguous. You don't know if Rose is just dreaming or if she passed away. All you know is that she fell in love with a man who was in a lower social status than her and that she misses him very much… I think. God, I haven't seen that movie in so long," Nikki replied, sitting on the couch beside Zero Two.
"…Should we watch it again?" she asked, making me cringe a bit at the thought of going through the movie a fourth time in a single day.
"Eh… I think that we should watch it another time. Besides, I think that Hiro has probably watched that movie enough times for today," Max said. I just smiled and hugged Zero Two tightly before Max went into the kitchen to make us some dinner and Nikki began to talk about the movie with us.
3rd person perspective, Friday, April 24th
The big day had finally come. Friends and family of both Max and Nikki had come to see the two start their new lives together and the church where it was all happening was bustling with excitement. In her fitting room, Nikki was wearing her wedding dress while both her mother and Max's mother were busy making sure that she was ready for the occasion while Zero Two, Ichigo, Mikayla, Maggie, and Amy were busy putting on their bridesmaid dresses.
"Mom! Seriously, the dress is fine now!" Nikki said as her mother kept examining the dress for any faults.
"You can never be too sure, Nikki! Nothing is going to ruin my daughter's big day and I'm going to make sure that everything is PERFECT!" Mrs. Ann-Marie replied, making Nikki roll her eyes.
"So… Zoe, was it? Maggie tells me that you and your husband are from Japan. Is that true?" Mrs. Smith asked as she helped with Nikki's bridal headband.
"Actually, me and my parents moved to Japan when I was still a little girl. When I was in my twenties, Darling and I met, fell in love, and we got married before we decided to move here and start a new life together. So far, I'd say that we're getting along just fine," Zero Two replied as Maggie was braiding her hair.
"I heard that Japan is very lovely during the spring. They hold cherry blossom festivals all across the country and you just sit underneath the trees and enjoy a wonderful lunch as the blossoms fall. Mitchell said he would take me and Ai there next year to enjoy one of the festivals," Amy said as she did Mikayla's hair.
"Well, while you're at it, why don't we plan a wedding for Ichigo?"
"W-WHAT?!" Ichigo yelled in confusion, her face turning bright red.
"Oh, come on. I've seen the way that you and Ryan look at each other. The two of you make a cute couple," Zero Two replied with a smug smile before Ichigo just turned away in embarrassment and began fumbling through her jewelry box. As everyone continued with preparations, a couple of familiar faces walked into the dressing room, making Nikki beam.
"Tiffany! Jessie! How are you doing?" Nikki asked as she hugged Tiffany.
"Pretty good! We came here with Beli and Kyanna. There outside taking with some of the other guests right now, but they're really excited to see you!" Tiffany replied as Nikki's mother tried to tie the waist a bit.
"I'm really happy for the both of you. I really hope that you guys have a bright future ahead of you," Jessie said as she gave Nikki a kiss on the cheek. As Nikki's mother continued to help Nikki with her dress, Mrs. Smith walked over to Jessie and Tiffany and extended a hand to them, which they both shook.
"Nice to finally meet you. I'm Diana Smith, Max's mother. He's told me a lot about you," Mrs. Smith said.
"Oh… he has?" Jessie replied, looking a bit concerned.
"Yeah. He says that you've done a few feature films over the past 3 years."
"Oh! Yeah, I have, but… I gave that up to spend more time with my daughter. I work in a part time office job now. Also, may I just say that you look VERY stunning."
"Oh… well, thank you."
"So, where's the groom now?" Tiffany asked.
"No doubt making sure that he's ready at the altar…" Mrs. Ann-Marie replied before Jessie began to talk with Mrs. Smith and Tiffany began to speak to the rest of Nikki's friends. Meanwhile, Max and the rest of the groomsmen were busy getting their tuxedos and their ties on, safe for Justin, who was busy putting gel on his hair so it would look slick.
"Do you think that you've used enough gel, Justin?" Mitch asked.
"Just wanna look good for when I'm up there. Never know if there's a pretty girl who would be interested in talkin' to a groomsman as fine looking as me," Justin said with a smug smile.
"Well, who knows? Maybe you will find someone who's interested in you. But today is supposed to be about Max and Nikki, not you. So, show a little bit of respect, OK?" Hiro said before the door opened and Tom stepped in.
"Hey, uh… Max? There's a girl out here who says that she wants to talk to you… alone," he said. Max just looked at him with a raised eyebrow before a girl with short brown hair, green eyes, and a lacey red dress walked in, ushering the rest of the groomsmen outside until both she and Max were all alone in the room.
"So… what up, playa? Long time no see," the girl said with a cheeky and laid-back tone.
"Kyu?" Max asked, completely stunned.
"Yeah, it's me, homie! Come here and give me a hug!" Kyu replied before she walked over to Max and hugged him tightly.
"It's… nice to see you too, Kyu. So… uh… how have you been as of late?"
"Oh, y'know, the usual love fairy stuff. Flying around. Making other guys become walking babe magnets. Thinking about you and Nikki. And now look at you! You're actually marrying the girl of your dreams! I am SO proud of you!" Kyu said, giving Max a playful noogie.
"Yeah… So, did you come here alone, or did you bring your friends from Sky Garden?" Max asked as he straightened his tuxedo out.
"Well, yeah… but there's also a certain someone who would also like to congratulate you," Kyu replied. As if on cue, a voluptuous blonde woman wearing a gleaming gold gown dress walked in, a smile on her face as she walked over to the groom.
"Hello, Maxwell. It's wonderful to see you again," the woman said with a familiar tone that Max knew all too well.
"…Venus?" Max asked, completely stunned that the Goddess of Love was standing here in front of him, attending his own wedding.
"Yes, it is I. When we caught wind of you and Nicole being wed to each other, we only saw fit to join in on the festivities. I am truly happy that you two will enjoy the rest of your lives together and I wish the best for the both of you," Venus said, placing a hand on the side of Max's face before she then kissed his forehead, making Max blush a bit.
"Well… it's because of you two that I'm with her now. I was practically in at a low point in my life before I met her, and you both led me into her world. If it wasn't for the both of you, I probably would've been stuck at that bar for a lot longer," Max replied, making the Kyu and the Goddess of Love smile in reply before Kyu began to usher him out the door.
"Well, I think we've wasted enough of your time here. You got a wonderful babe to marry! So get your fine ass up to that altar, say your vows, and marry her already! Go on, get!" she said, making Venus giggle a bit before Max walked out the door and came face-to-face with the groomsmen, who all had confused looks on their faces.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's not keep everyone waiting!" Max ordered as he walked alongside the rest of the groomsmen all the way to the altar where the bridesmaids already were, talking amongst themselves until Max and the groomsmen got there.
"Hi Darling," Zero Two said, giving a wave to Hiro.
"Hi Honey," Hiro replied as Justin did his hair and made sure it was laying down, drawing an upset look from Mikayla.
"Seriously, Justin? Did you have to use THAT MUCH hair gel?!" she asked.
"Knock it off, you two. Straighten yourselves out, be on your best behavior, and smile. The wedding's about to start," Ichigo said as the guests began to take their seats and the pastor stood at the altar. As they waited on Nikki to make her entrance, Max took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off of his brow before he then put it away and tried to straighten his tie out.
"Hey, are you OK, man?" Ryan asked, putting a hand on Max's shoulder.
"Dude, are you kidding? I'm about to marry my girlfriend in front of our family and friends! I've never been so nervous in my entire life!" Max replied.
"Hey, just relax. Take a deep breath. Today is your day. The next chapter in you and Nikki's lives. So, there's nothing that you need to be nervous about. You got this," Zero Two stated, giving Max a thumbs-up. Max did as Zero Two asked and took a deep breath before he looked back at the crowd. His parents, Nikki's parents, Kyu, Venus, Jessie, Tiffany, Aiko, Beli, Kyanna, Nora, Lola, Lailani, Brooke, Sarah, Candace, Ashley, Abia, Polly, Karma, Sutra, Q-Piddy, Pamu- there were all there to see Max and Nikki take the next step into their relationship. Max couldn't help but feel happy that this was all happening, and he felt even more happy as the music started and Nikki walked with her father down the aisle until he handed her off to Max. As the pastor was talking, both Max and Nikki looked into each other's eyes and smiled, both of them happy that this was finally happening.
"Now, for the vows. Max, do you take Nicole to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?" the pastor asked.
"I do," Max answered.
"Nicole, do you take Max to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?" the pastor asked Nikki.
"I do," she replied.
"And now, the rings please," the pastor said. Both Ryan and Ichigo stepped forward and gave the rings to Max and Nikki respectively before Max put Nikki's ring on her finger and Nikki put Max's ring on his finger.
"I now pronounce Max and Nicole, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!" the pastor concluded before both Max and Nikki finally sealed their vows with a kiss and the entire church became filled with applause before Max picked up Nikki and carried her out the door.
Zero Two's perspective, 2 days after the wedding
I must admit, the party after the wedding was pretty tiring by the time we left. And then yesterday, we had to help them open some gifts that they received from the wedding. There was a large number of things, from a new dress that had been made for Nikki to a 5-thousand-dollar check. I was honestly exhausted from the whole wedding reception afterwards that I had to miss out on opening most of those gifts just to get some sleep. Today, I didn't feel as tired, but that was because I had something important to tell Darling once he got back with Max. The two of them were out doing driving lessons because we had never even heard of a "car" before we got here and would soon have to learn how to drive once we struck out on our own. As I was thinking of how to say what I had to say to Darling, both he and Max suddenly entered the apartment talking amongst each other.
"Well, that wasn't too bad for a first time. We keep this up, you can start driving without me," Max said.
"Yeah, but I seriously hate that some people drive so STUPID. I mean, I had the right of way and that guy cut me off!" Darling complained.
"Well, that's Glenberry for you. Believe me, I understand what that feels like."
"Well, I think I'm gonna just lay back and relax for now. What about you?"
"I'm gonna see how Nikki is doing and then I'm gonna just rest for a while too. Hey, great job out there, man," Max said before he disappeared into his room, leaving me and Darling alone.
"So… what else happened while you were driving?" I asked as Darling sat down on the bed beside me.
"Not much. Max just showed me a bunch of interesting places in town and showed me some important steps in driving," Darling replied as he looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Just… thinking about how our Squad is doing. I wonder if they miss us."
"I bet they do. I bet they think about us all the time. Anyway, Darling, I need to tell you something."
"What?" Darling asked before I took out a plastic strip and showed it to him. But he just looked at me funny.
"What's that?" he asked.
"It's a pregnancy test. It's supposed to tell me if I'm pregnant or not… and I think that you'll be pleased by the results," I said before I gave him the pregnancy test and he closely inspected it. After a few seconds, he looked back up at me with a shocked expression before a smile came over both my face and Darling's face.
"You're…?" Darling started to ask.
"Yes, I am!" I responded before Darling suddenly stood up, grabbed me and spun me around, laughing happily.
"I'm gonna be a dad?!" he asked happily.
"You're gonna be a dad and I'm gonna be a mom!" I replied, making both Max and Nikki come out of their room before we broke the good news to them.
Max's perspective, June 15th
The warm summer air rustled against my hair as me, Nikki, Zero Two, and Hiro walked on the sidewalk, talking amongst each other. Nikki was nearing the end of her second trimester and her belly was almost the size of a cantaloupe while Zero Two was at the start of the second trimester, her belly starting to get fatter while she was also showing signs that the side effects of her being pregnant were in full effect.
"I can see why exercising while being pregnant is a bad idea. My ankles are killing me," Zero Two said as we continued to walk.
"And yet, I was able to fight a whole bunch of monsters back when we fought against the Overlord," Nikki replied.
"You were only in your first trimester, Nik. I don't think it's that big of a problem until you get later into your pregnancy," Hiro replied, making us laugh a bit.
"Well, still, I wouldn't have been surprised if…" I started to say before my Soul Sense suddenly went off, making me just stand there for a hot minute before I came to and held my head in pain.
"Max? What's wrong?" Nikki asked as I looked forward, an angry look coming across my face.
"Wait here," I replied before I kept walking forward, leaving the others behind as they had worried expressions on their faces. I don't know what it was that was setting off my Soul Sense, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. As I kept walking, I suddenly noticed a man packing up his things, while the door to his house was left wide open. I cautiously approached the man as he was busy fumbling with one of his bags, but he stopped once I had gotten close enough. I wasn't sure if he actually did know if it was me, but we both knew each other pretty well. And he wasn't the least bit happy about it.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Philip asked, not even turning to face me.
"I was just in the neighborhood. So, where exactly are you going?" I asked politely. Philip just turned to me with an enraged look on his face.
"Why does it matter to you where I go?"
"Just curious, I guess. Seems like you're in a hurry to get out of here."
"Did you come here just to gloat? Just to taunt me about how your life has gotten better, and I'm stuck with this shit show?!" Philip yelled. I just looked to the side at his house and saw that his girlfriend was sitting inside, crying.
"Philip, I get that you're upset with me because of what happened, but you need to let all of that go now. What's done is done."
"DON'T. Don't give me your pity. You should have just killed me when you had the chance!"
"And what would that have proved? What exactly did you hope to gain from joining the Overlord? Was it because of what I did all those years ago back in high school when I actually fought back?" I asked.
"Do you think I'm that pathetic? Did you honestly think that I would join the Overlord for that reason alone? After Yoon's plan to take over the company of his rival failed, me and my mom had to move back to New York and start over again. But people soon began to learn about who we were and that made us targets for some of the more powerful gangs that were in New York. We had to move to Glenberry just to get away from them. My mom had to get protection just so we wouldn't have to live in fear of our lives. But my mother had to resort to prostitution, drug dealing and stealing just to get money for protection and she later got caught. I couldn't afford to get her out because of all the charges she racked up. I had to live with my girlfriend, while my mom was rotting away in jail because I couldn't bail her out! Me joining the Overlord was the only way that I would be able to get her out of jail and we wouldn't have to live in fear of our lives anymore!" Philip yelled, gritting his teeth in rage.
"You joined a tyrant just because you wanted to break your mother out of jail? That's both careless and stupid," I said.
"But do you wanna know what the worst part is? He showed me that your life was on the up-and-up while my life went to hell. From that point on, I wanted to make you feel the pain that I felt when my life was ripped apart."
"Philip, the Overlord was just USING you. He didn't care what happened if you helped him. Look, I'm sorry for what happened to your mother, but you both got involved with bad people and this is the price that was paid."
"WHAT ROOM DO YOU HAVE TO TALK?! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN YOUR LIFE FALLS APART!" Philip roared, probably loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
"…Yes, I do. My life fell apart when Generica died. But I didn't let that hold me down forever. I moved on. Look, yes, I understand that you feel like everyone and everything's working against you, but I'm not to blame for that and neither are you. You're a good man on the inside. And we both need to move on from the bitter rivalry that we've had for so long. It's time to set aside our differences," I said before I extended a hand to him in a gesture of trust. But Philip just looked down at my hand for a minute before he looked up at me and gave me a halfhearted scoff.
"Did you really expect that it was gonna be that easy? That we were just going to shake hands and become friends just like that? You were NEVER my friend. We will NEVER be friends. And I want nothing to do with you. Just pray that I show your family the same mercy that you showed me…" Philip replied before he got into the car and drove off without another word. As I watched him leave, Nikki came up to me and took ahold of my hand.
"Is everything all right with him?" she asked as Zero Two and Hiro joined us, staring into the distance with us.
"No. He's not all right," I replied.
Nikki's perspective, July 20th
Well, we finally did it. We finally managed to leave our apartment and get a house in the suburbs that wasn't that far from Nutmeg Café. Me and Max got a really good deal on it and it was AMAZING. The house was two stories with a wonderful living room, a very nice kitchen, a huge master bedroom with a large bathroom, a guest room, a game room upstairs, a garage that had enough room for a car and a bunch of other stuff, an extra room which would be where the baby's crib was, and a very exquisite backdoor patio as well as a forest out in our new backyard. Of course, there was still a matter of painting some of the rooms and our friends had come over to help us do just that. Me, Zero Two, Ichigo, Ryan, Justin, and Amy were busy painting the living room downstairs and setting up the TV set while Max, Hiro, Tom, Mikayla, Maggie, and Mitch were busy handling a few of the rooms upstairs, making sure everything was in place before they got to painting the baby's room. I was at the start of my third trimester, and I could feel the baby kicking inside of me, eager to finally get out and come into the world. Zero Two, on the other hand, was still in the middle of her second trimester, her belly growing bigger as the weeks went by. Both me and Max were really happy that Zero Two and Hiro were going to become parents, but we were also concerned that their baby would be born with horns due to their genetics as half-alien, half-human hybrids.
"So, Nikki… have you had an ultrasound recently to see what gender the baby will be?" Amy asked as I got finished with painting one of the walls.
"No. Max and I decided to keep it a surprise until the baby is born. Plus, those ultrasounds are crazy expensive," I replied as I sat down on the couch and practiced some more of my breathing exercises.
"That's a wise choice. Both me and Mitch wanted to let it be a surprise too, but the anticipation was too much, and we just wanted to see our little Ai moving around inside of me."
"You know, I'm really jealous that you guys got a house that was as nice as this. Ryan and I are STILL looking for somewhere for us to settle down," Ichigo said. Both she and Ryan had gotten married about two and a half weeks back, almost one week before Max and I bought the house we were in now. At the moment, both Ryan and Ichigo had to live with Ryan's parents until they found the right house, but they still did what they could to help out others.
"Well, what can I say? It's hard finding the right house," Ryan replied, making Ichigo turn to him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Another thing: How in in the hell did Max get a life-size Praetor suit replica that he could wear?!" Justin asked.
"Way to change the subject, Justin…" Ichigo replied.
"I'm serious! That thing looks like something you win in a contest!" Justin replied. As everyone was talking amongst themselves, I suddenly felt another kick and squealed a bit.
"Um… I'm gonna go see how Max and the others are doing… I'll be right back," I said as I headed for the stairs.
"Don't be goofin' off up there! It's not fair if you guys are fooling around while we're working!" Zero Two joked, making me laugh a bit. However, when I reached the top of the stairs, I only saw Hiro working on setting up some of the pictures that we had brought along with us while Maggie and Mikayla were painting the baby's room and Tom and Mitch were setting up the baby crib.
"Hey, Hiro… where's Max?" I asked.
"He's in the master bedroom. He said that he just had to lay down for a few minutes before coming back to help us," Hiro replied. I gave him a nod and headed straight for the master bedroom, where I found Max laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"You know, it isn't fair to everyone else if you're just lying here while they work. What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing much… Just… thinking about what Philip said the last time we saw him. I can't stop thinking about it," Max replied as I laid down on the bed beside him.
"Max, I'm pretty sure that all he said were just empty threats. You shouldn't have to worry so much about it. Besides, it's been almost a month since we last saw him, right?"
"Nik, I have every reason to worry about you and the baby. If he was that serious about it, then I can't let my guard down."
"OK, look… I understand that you're concerned for our safety and all that and I appreciate that you're trying to be a good husband, but you're a lot stronger than he'll ever be and you don't need to build a wall around me and the baby just to keep us safe from him," I said before I felt the baby kicking again, making me yelp in surprise.
"Oh… I think it agrees with me," I said as I held my belly. Max just smiled and put his face up to the side of my belly, placing a hand on it.
"Hey in there. Your mom and I are really excited to see you too. We can't wait for you to come out, sweetie," Max said to it, making me smile in reply.
"We should get back to work. We shouldn't keep the others waiting for us," I said. Max just nodded in reply and we went back to working on the house's interior.
Max's perspective, September 23rd
Nutmeg Café was bustling with excitement as people were served coffee or any pastries that we had on the rack. I was busy working there with another employee who was filling in for Nikki, due to the fact that she was taking a day off as she was in early labor and was resting at home with Zero Two and Hiro. I will admit, I was a bit concerned for Nikki's safety, but I trusted that both Hiro and Zero Two would keep her safe, no matter what happened. Right as I had started my break time, my phone went off and I answered it.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hey, Max. How are you doing?" Zero Two's voice replied.
"I'm fine. I just got to go on my break. So, how's everything at home?"
"Oh, it's… going fine. Or at least it was until Nikki peed herself."
"What?"
"Yeah… but it's OK, because we left soon after when she said that she was in pain."
"Wait… did her water break?!"
"Uhhh… is that what that's called? I don't really know that much about having a baby. But Nikki says not to panic. Darling's taking us to the hospital as fast as he can and Nikki's breathing a lot," Zero Two said before I grabbed my coat and left the café.
"OK… OK. Listen, what hospital are you guys heading to?" I asked as I began to run through the streets, brushing past people as I ran.
"Well, we're downtown now, so…"
"OK, thanks! I know where it is!" I said before I hung up and began to run at breakneck speed, trying my best not to trip and fall. Every second counted. The lucky thing about the hospital that was downtown was it was the biggest hospital in the city, which meant it was hard to miss. After about 10 minutes of running, I had finally gotten to the hospital and I immediately went to the main desk and stopped in front of it, panting heavily.
"Can I help you with something, sir?" the woman at the desk asked.
"Yes… my wife… she's pregnant and she went into labor not long ago. Was she checked in already?" I replied as I tried to catch my breath.
"Name?"
"Nikki Smith. With two K's in 'Nikki'," I said before the woman began to type on the computer for a few minutes until she finally answered.
"She came in just a few minutes ago. She's in the delivery room right now. We'll need you to wait in the waiting room until the doctor says you can come see her," the woman said, pointing to the waiting area where I saw Zero Two and Hiro were sitting at. I thanked the woman and walked over to Hiro and Zero Two, who got up from their seats and hugged me tightly before we sat back down and began to wait. Over the next 8 hours, my parents, Nikki's parents, Ryan, Ichigo, Amy, and Mitch arrived as soon as they had gotten the news, followed by Justin, Mikayla, Maggie, and Tom just a few hours after that. The next few hours of us waiting were just us trying to past the time by finding anything that we could do. When lunch came around, my parents went out and bought us some food to keep us sated while we waited. But I was too worried about Nikki to eat much of anything. At around 6:00, a doctor finally came out into the waiting room with a checklist in his hand.
"Max Smith?" he asked, making me immediately get up from my chair in response.
"Yes?" I asked.
"You can see your wife now. Her room's just down the hall and the first door on the left," the doctor replied. I shook his hand and then hurried to Nikki's room before I calmly entered and saw Nikki in the bed, smiling joyfully with our baby in her arms. My eyes began to suddenly well up with tears as I walked over to the side of her hospital bed and dropped to my knees to get a better look at our newborn child. The baby was literally the cutest thing that I had ever seen with its cute little cheeks, its little nose and its brown hair. The baby cooed a little before it opened its eyes, revealing the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen in my life. I began to cry a little as I rested my head on Nikki's forehead before I then kissed her.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Nikki asked as I extended a finger to our baby and she reached out and wrapped her fingers around mine, cooing happily as she gave us a smile. The rest of our family and friends gathered around the hospital bed and smiled as they stared at our daughter.
"She's precious…" Mom said as the tears came to her eyes.
"So… what are you going to name her?" Maggie asked before Nikki took a moment to think it over as Mom gave her finger to the baby, which she grabbed instantly.
"Max, what was a name that Generica always thought was a beautiful name for a daughter?" Nikki asked me. I was a bit confused by the sudden question, but I took a minute to think it over before I smiled and looked back at the baby.
"Lara. She always loved the name Lara," I replied, making Nikki smile as well.
"Then that's her name. Lara Sonya Smith," Nikki said as the baby happily cooed some more while the others began to say hi to her.
2 weeks later…
I think it was inevitable that I would be up all night worrying about Lara and Nikki's safety. Then again, I remember having a project where we had to take care of a fake baby over the weekend that we needed to rock to sleep occasionally. And it often did so at night once I had drifted off to sleep. I was a nervous wreck by the time that I was finished with the project. But Lara wasn't a doll that you had to rock to sleep every now and then. She was a real baby that needed actual attention from both me and Nikki. But we both knew that this was the responsibility that would come with our daughter. However, I still couldn't get my mind off of Philip's last words to me. Even though it had been almost four months since I last saw him, I couldn't shake the thought that he would one day show up again to threaten everything that I loved. As I was lying in bed, deep in thought, I heard Lara crying again and got up to go and comfort her. But, as I was on my way to her room, I suddenly noticed that there was a bright light coming from her room and her crying had suddenly stopped. Worried, I ran into her room and my breath was taken away when I saw a middle-aged woman standing there, holding Lara in her arms. The woman was wearing a white tunic with a white cape that had golden shoulder pads and a golden brim while her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, accompanied by a golden tiara that surrounded her head. But what stood out about her was the fact that she was glowing with such intensity that I couldn't look at her for too long without the risk of being blinded. After she tenderly kissed Lara's forehead and put her back into her crib, the intense light died down and she looked at me with her mystical purple eyes.
"Do not be afraid, Maxwell Smith. I mean you no harm," the woman said with a smile.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Adora, Goddess of the Sun and the protector of realms. I am a friend of both Kyu Sugardust and Theiatena Venus, whom I believe you are familiarly acquainted with."
"Funny, 'cause I don't think that they've ever mentioned you before. So, what are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"I am here to warn you. I have been watching you through all the events of your life and I have seen the great victories that you have achieved. But your battles have not only echoed across the universe, but also the multiverse. There are forces that are out there beyond your understanding that threaten the multiverse with their presence, waiting for the perfect time to strike. There will come a time in the near future where I will require your assistance. But, for now, I must take my leave. I wish you the best in your life and I look forward to fighting alongside you when the time comes," Adora said before she turned to leave.
"Hey, wait!" I started to say. But before I could ask her what she was talking about, she disappeared in a bright flash of light and I was left alone with Lara. As I picked her up and held her tightly, Nikki suddenly came in the door in her robe with a worried look on her face.
"What's wrong?!" she asked as I sat down in the rocking chair.
"Nothing. I thought I saw something. Everything's fine," I replied. Nikki just let out a sigh of relief and came over and sat down beside the rocking chair as I began to rock Lara to sleep. I don't know exactly what was going on, but whatever it was, I could only imagine how bad it could be.
And we would have to be ready when the time came.
The End…?