Author's Note: Naturally we all know that I have no ownership whatsoever of Harry Potter and his fellow wizarding mates, or of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Original characters are mine.

Thank you Trickster32 for your review.

Chapter Nineteen

Moving Forward

Oh how the media went into frenzy over the scandal over what had happened at the Horizons School of Performing and Fine Arts.

While certain people were able to be remained anonymous; predominantly the family that was the target of the hate crime, for they declined to be interviewed, and Ms Vetrova refused to give any names of those who were innocent and didn't want to be named.

Unfortunately, some took this opportunity to try and use it to their own agendas, cover up what had happened... that was until a certain things started happening that scared the people straight into the belief that if they didn't speak the truth, they would face the wrath of some vengeful demon or whatever it was that found them and explained that they were the protective guards of the people they were targeting, including the school and if they didn't stop, they'd regret it.

The Fields family were foolish to not believe that anything would happen. No harm came to them, certainly not the 8 year old daughter of the old time famous beauty queen Delilah Fields, (nee Colbert) and millionaire tycoon Curtis Fields. But, after complimentary wine for the parents of the little girl... oh how the beans spilled on what they had done... without naming who they were targeting, (a small touch of Severus Snape's ability to not just brew the truth potion, but tweak it with his own special magic of old).

Disgraced and found out... in more than just the hate crime and animal cruelty, but so, so much more...

It wasn't as though Remus and Severus hadn't gone back and forth over the actions they had done, they ensured no true harm came from their own hand, but done enough to blow the entire attention away from them, and on to the people who should have known better than to mess with a pair of mutated wizarding gods, and their children. Not that the Muggles had any clue whatsoever that is what they were even dealing with.

Helping Freya and Athena come to terms over what had even happened, getting through the process of seeing those rabbits the way they had, that did take a good amount of work. Roping in the help of everyone, from Splinter and his family to McGonagall and Pomfrey, in order to get them to cope.

Both of them were now in belief that someone was going to kill their fathers and do nasty things to them... and hurt them in order to suffer. If only they knew what their fathers had been through, in time they would, making the visual of the rabbits tame compared to what Remus and Severus dealt with, but they weren't going to tell them that; they were both extremely disgusted by the way the animals were treated, and this coming from a werewolf and a man who deals with different animal parts for potions, but even then, there was a strong difference between cruelty and humane.

It put a small delay in starting their new roles they had successfully received, but Ms Vetrova ensured that they weren't to worry.

"The focus is the girls and their mindset. Putting them into such an environment that may not be helpful for them isn't a good idea. I'd rather the show not go ahead than for them to have a breakdown," she tells them.

It was perhaps a full month before Freya and Athena were able to step into the change room, they weren't the only ones, for many of the girls just didn't want to go in there. So it got to where remodelling and revamping was perhaps the way to go, including the girls in the process to decide what could be changed and added, within reason. It worked.

Recovery from the experience did take its time, the positive was that, even with having to change the layout of the girls' change room and a number of other changes, such as making sure policies and rules were met and understood and followed to ensure something like that would never happen again, students that were going to the school continued to attend. The ones who were in support of Yulia Vetrova's support that was. She did lose a few of the students, seemed that their parents apparently either agreed with the Fields had to say, but were discreet about it, or they just couldn't bring themselves to continue after the event. Whatever the reasons, the negative was perhaps shorter lived that first thought.

Soon, Remus and Severus were able to convince their daughters, after long talks and whatever was needed, to start the process of their roles within the new show they were to be in.

Once they were in the studio and shown around and so on, even spoken to about the possibility of them ever needing to talk and have a mental break, as they were still dealing with what they had seen and introduced to, they were welcome to it.

"No one is forced to hide their feelings on this set," said the Director.

This certainly placed many minds at ease.

###

Remus heard the shower being turned on when he entered his and Severus's room. It was now nearing the end of October, things had calmed down significantly since the whole homophobic issue and what had transpired, plus the girls were doing very, very well with what they were doing. Adapting very well to it.

Severus had come home because he felt he had to be home, away from the stresses of Hogwarts. Remus had a feeling that it went deeper than just that, but knew not to press it, he knew the situation that was going on, had since the beginning and the anxiety that was building around it.

Right now, because of strict conditions that had been drawn up in regarding Freya and Athena and how the handling of their time was to be issued, the girls were given a few days off from the set, this allowed them to be with Splinter, Morrigan and the rest in New York, allowing the two fathers to have some much needed quality time.

Severus and Remus do it for Splinter and Morrigan, as well, so it was a matter of taking turns, plus keeping in mind of certain periods where it was important that either set took the other's children, including Kimika at least twice.

Deciding to let Severus enjoy the solitude, Remus just slips on to the bed, curling his arms around the pillow and resting his head on it. He was completely relaxed, that was until he heard a rather suppressed grunt, as though trying to not be too loud; with instinct, Remus quietly moves off the bed and goes to the opened bathroom door – they rarely ever close it anyway when it came to showers, sort of like a message that they were welcome to join the other if they wanted to... or in this case needed to.

Remus entered and saw his partner stuck on the floor, with tears rolling quietly down.

"Sev?"

When he moved closer, he saw straight away, the blood seeping slightly, Remus didn't hesitate in grabbing a towel and kneeling down in front of Severus.

"Am I allowed to check to see how far along?" he asks sensitively.

Severus just nods, before gritting his teeth with pain.

Remus carefully and cautiously brings his hands closer and shifts Severus's scrotum just enough to see that his opening had started to open up and was letting out a mix of blood and amniotic fluid coming out of it.

"Why didn't you call out?"

Severus did his best to speak between the pain; "I thought it was nothing at first, at least I hoped it was nothing, just a small twinge. That's why I came here... needing to be with water... then... this happened. It's been a long time since I've gotten this far in a pregnancy, and keeping it hidden on top of that. I didn't want to alarm you, I was just hoping it would stop."

Exhaling a heavy sigh, Remus leans over, placing a hand on the back of his partner's head and plants a deep firm kiss on his forehead.

"I have a feeling that this is the real deal, Mon Cheri. Remember what Serket and Porthos had told us, that your normal gestation period is likely to be between six to seven months, significantly different to a normal human's nine month period. You got to being two weeks shy from when you were with the girls, even I will admit it's a lot further than we had counted on," he says.

"I'm worried, Remus," said Severus, before gritting his teeth, trying his best to not be loud with the rolling feeling of intense tightening that was coming and going in waves. "Especially after the last few times."

Remus looked at Severus dead in the eye. "Whatever happens, you know we will get through. I am here. But I am going to need to get in touch with Serket, Porthos and see if Pomfrey is available, as agreed."

Severus knew what had to be done.

"I'm just going to wait here," he says, trying to be a little witty.

Remus was fast in getting word to where it was needed and grabbing the extra things that was needed, before returning to Severus, who was just coming out of another contraction, and shifting a little to get comfortable, and bring some gravity to help 'ease' the babies out.

While there had been some potions and changes to help Severus be able to cap how many catch and grow, especially after the ordeal of having those eight at once in those varying stages never forgotten, it didn't really stop the eggs from splitting into multiples. It was how Freya and Athena and their two lost sisters came to be. Though their eyes and hair colours became different over time, they were still from the exact same egg, as were Brigid and Kali, four babies, same egg. Even that had Serket and the others who've been working close with the family to keep the girls healthy and informing them of what may come along at each stage of their lives. But whatever the explanation, it didn't seem to fully matter on how they came to be, only that they are, indeed, growing up as normal as possible.

In this case, even with the capped of four maximum, seeing that seems to be the 'comfortable' number Severus was able to carry, even though that was his first pregnancy, they were only expecting the one.

Ever since the start of this ordeal, the men had done everything they could to keep a lid on what was happening. Only allowing a certain number to know. They only let their own daughters find out because of the stuff that had happened back in late August, and they figured that their daughters had the right to know that they were expecting a little sibling; adding as to why Daddy didn't 'look' like he was pregnant, but it explained why he was extra careful all the time for the past number of months, and why they couldn't really tell anyone.

"Would you like me to check?" Remus asks.

Severus just nods, unable to verbally speak, stuck on his knees, with his hands clinging to the railing that had been installed in the shower a couple of years back.

Not caring about his already wet clothing, Remus moved in a way so he had a better view and carefully, delicately checked just the outer, he wasn't going to place any fingers in there. He didn't need to.

"Okay, um... Severus, you're going to need to slow down the breathing, and ease into the exhales to help guide the baby down, I can just see a slither of a head starting to appear," he was calm. Just like he was when he helped Serket guide their first four out, exactly the same when he couldn't get Serket and Porthos in time, when Severus delivered much too early during their second attempt in trying for another, the other two, (that happened on either side ended not long after they started, just as Severus was getting the hang of the pregnancy to be devastated by the loss).

This was their fourth attempt and so far seemed all promising. But, Remus still didn't blame Severus from being anxious.

It was hard for Severus to suppress the sounds he was making, until he felt the burning feeling coursing through, he sort of stopped in them, but made this nearly choked like sound, as he concentrated on what he was naturally able to do.

"That's it, just do what you're doing, but easy as can go," Severus heard the composed tones of tenderness his husband was speaking.

Remus ignored that his shoulder was starting to ache from the angle he had to place himself in, his eyes on this truffle of hair upon the tiny head that was being pushed on through the widening slit, until he saw the head just pop right out.

"Head is out, nearly there, Severus."

Once the shoulders were out, the rest of the newborn just slide out, right into Remus's awaiting guiding hands. A sudden squawk rang from the newborn's lungs. Remus could see his partner's body go into a relief upon hearing what he wanted to hear. Carefully, Remus moved and guided their newborn through Severus's legs, so Severus could see for himself.

"We have a son, Severus," Remus's soft tone was laced with instant joy and relief.

Severus looks down and sees this small bluish whitish grey, slowly starting to go pink, newborn. Tentatively at first, unsure whether to believe this was real, Severus reached down to gently touch him, stroking his little head, before, (with help from Remus), easing to sit upon the tiled floor, leaning against the wall, and taking the babe into his arms; expecting him like any new parent did as soon as their offspring came out of them, wanting to be sure.

Ten tiny fingers, ten just as teeny toes, evidence that this brand new boy was of both him and of Remus, with the mix of light to dark hair, very similar to that of Freya and Athena, his nose was straight, no hint of a hook, but when Severus saw, just for a moment, the eyes opening to 'see', that he would have dark eyes, like him. He didn't have Severus's gills, however, but Severus didn't mind, he knew Remus wouldn't either, to him he sensed that he was strong, something he should have listened when it came to his own body, but with so many failed pregnancies, he thought it was simply a false sense of security that he could ever possibly pull off another successful pregnancy and birth.

Remus shut off the shower, wrapping a warmed up towel around Severus and another around their new son, and sat with them, one arm around his partner, the other around his partner's arms to embrace the precious bundle.

"You did splendidly, Mon Cheri," Remus says, kissing Severus's temple and cheek three times, before Severus just places his head on his shoulder.

"Remus?" a voice calls.

"In here, Serket!" Remus replies.

Serket finds them quickly enough, followed by Porthos and Madam Pomfrey.

"Looks like someone wasn't going to wait for us to make their entry," says Madam Pomfrey with adoring amusement at this teeny little baby boy in Severus's protective arms.

"Has the cord been cut yet?" Serket asks, going over and setting her kit down and getting on with what needed to be done.

"No, not yet," said Remus.

"And I see that you hadn't passed the placenta yet?"

Severus shakes his head.

"Okay, first the cord," said Serket, not wasting time.

Once the cord was cut, Severus was given a potion to help the placenta out of him and prevent heavy blood loss, especially if there is a risk of haemorrhaging; which is something Severus experienced when they lost their baby at nineteen weeks, (female equivalent to twenty-two to twenty-three weeks, give or take).

Remus was given their new son, so Severus was able to cooperate with Serket better, and Remus was able to oversee Porthos and Madam Pomfrey with examining the newborn.

It felt like a little time warp by the time Severus was dressed and in bed, cradling his new baby once more. Remus helped by filling in the paperwork for the birth certificate and the same documents they used upon their daughters, to bring him into the same protection binding spells and so on.

"Have you got a name picked out?" Madam Pomfrey asks.

"Honestly hadn't put much thought into names," Severus admits, not taking his eyes off of his son, guzzling down his first feed from the bottle of specially made formula that was instinctually made before he was born, much like the same way Severus was before the birth of their daughters, he knew he wasn't going to be able to lactate, even with the ability to bear children, so via some sense of knowing, he started brewing the much needed nutrients required. This one, seemed to be a little different to the one Freya and Athena needed, sheer luck they were able to sustain on the goat's milk Splinter had to give them, once upon a time, years ago, to keep them alive.

"Well, these don't need to be finalised until tomorrow, as not all parents can think of names straight away, or agree. So long as it is within the twenty-four hours of starting the process of signing and documenting," Madam Pomfrey tells them, understandably.

"In the meantime, we will leave you three alone to settle," said Serket, after she made sure everything she bought – well that was able to be – was packed and sorted.

"Thank you," said Remus.

"We can see ourselves out," said Porthos.

The three medics left the room, as Remus went over and placed himself beside Severus, a gentle hand upon the newborn's head, peering upon him, a look of smitten upon his face.

"I think Freya's request on having a little brother just got fulfilled," he says.

Severus lets out a small laugh, as he takes the bottle away from the babe's mouth and sets it on the bedside table.

"How you feeling?" Remus asks.

"Probably more sore than Merlin with a cactus right now," said Severus.

"You and your strange affiliation with cacti," Remus laughs.

"Well, it's better than a chainsaw."

"Brutal."

"Here," Severus then said, gently passing their son to his husband.

Just like it was yesterday with their daughters, Remus felt the wave again, holding this precious little bundle to him, able to have a better acquaintance.

The babe made a small gurgle like sound and whimpered, before settling, opening his tiny eyes, looking up at Remus before closing them again. Remus took his teeny hand, holding it delicately between his thumb and forefinger.

"Shall we go through lists of name to find his?" he then says to Severus.

Severus's gaze was still on the newborn. "There have only been four names I've ever truly liked if ever a son came into my life. Though back then, the thought of fatherhood wasn't something I wanted to really venture into. Obviously circumstances changed all of that."

"What would those names be?"

"Xavier, Daniel, Christian and Julian," Severus replies. "The idea of using at least one of those if the girls had of been boys was there. But obviously with only girls, they weren't going to be used. Even the female versions, they weren't going to flow. What of you?"

"Me? Shaun and Connor seemed to be more to my taste, along with Riley."

"Irish names, huh?"

Remus nods and smiles a little; "Mostly. Plus Shaun is the Irish variation to John, so... nice little bias I guess, being John is a family name on my mother's side, but having that nice twist draw me toward it."

"Guess I am not the only one with desired name outcomes for sons."

Remus shakes his head. "No. Difference I guess was that I actually did dream of children, but, didn't believe it was going to happen, for obvious reasons."

"Funny how things work out," says Severus.

"True to that."

After a few moments of silence, Remus then said; "I believe Christian Shaun would be a nice fit. What say you, Daddy?"

Severus gave his nod of approval.

Christian Shaun Lupin-Snape, born 12:43pm, 29 October.

Yes, this may seem to have come right out of nowhere, but I can assure that this was actually very well planned. The whole idea was to make sure that no-one, except for the very tight few, knew what was actually going on, until that very moment within this chapter as you have just read. The idea was that not even you, the audience was to be aware of the new addition, because of the secrecy that Remus and Severus had surrounded themselves with.