Mother of Two

Lina always wanted to be a mom. When she was a little girl still in pig tails she always had a baby doll in her arms. She'd feed her baby, dress it, and play with it like she would if the little baby was real. Even when she grew her love for children didn't die. She babysat whenever she could; loving the feeling of caring for somebody else and she wanted that somebody to one day be her own baby. That dream almost when crumbling down though.

Lina realized something new about herself one day in her freshman year of high school. On a bulletin board outside the school councilor's office was a long list of different sexualities. Her eyes skimmed down the list, eyes falling on one that she couldn't help but relate to. It was that moment that Lina learned that she was Asexual and it was also the moment she began to fear that her dream of having kids was over. At the time, she thought sex was the only way to have a baby. She had never been more upset in her life that day, but as time passed she realized how silly she was in thinking that her chance was over. There were several ways she could still have kids hardly any of them involved sex. At twenty eight years old Lina decided to try for a baby and started her search for a surrogate mother. It had taken some searching, but Lina eventually found a woman by the name of Alaina. The two talked back and forth about the process and paper work that needed to be done, but in the end Lina got what she wanted. She got her surrogate mother and not long after that Alaina visited Lina's home with a picture of a little baby as it grew in Alaina's womb.

That was months ago. Now, Lina stood in a hospital with a newborn baby tucked in her arms. His skin was a few shades darker than hers and he had dark little curls atop his head. He stared up at her with his big brown eyes and Lina never felt more complete. He was beautiful and he was all hers.

"Hello, Leo," she whispered, smiling at the baby boy. Leo made a little noise, eyes slowly closing as sleep started to chase him. Lina leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to her son's forehead.

"He's beautiful," Alaina said as she walked up from behind. Lina turned finding her surrogate already out of her hospital gown and back into her regular clothing.

"Thank you," Lina said softly. "Thank you for everything." Alaina nodded and then stepped forward, gently brushing a hand down Leo's face. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and then pulled away, saying one last goodbye before leaving the hospital. Lina left shortly after with Leo tucked away in the warm clothes she'd gotten a few months ago. She couldn't hold back her tears as she left the hospital with Leo in her arms. Her dream was finally coming true. She was a mom and Leo was her beautiful little boy.

Lina and Leo didn't get to go home right away. Lina had to stop by her parents' home and introduce them to their grandson. She took pictures of her mother and father holding a sleepy Leo and then her parents took one of her with her son. After visiting her parents and taking a few pictures to print out and hang on her walls at home it was time to go home. Leo slept all the way, but he woke up as they pulled into the driveway of Lina's home. He cooed as Lina lifted him from his car seat and held him in her arms. She carried him to the front door of their home, freezing when she noticed a basket on the front step.

"What's this?" she questioned, looking around herself. The streets were empty so it couldn't have been too resent that the basket was dropped off. Lina's gaze fixed back onto the basket and the gears in her brain started to spin. Maybe a friend or family member had left it? Was it a late nursery shower gift? Her aunt did say she sent something in the mail.

Shrugging, Lina stepped up to the basket. She picked it up with her one free hand and struggled with the door to her home. Eventually, she managed to pop it open and Lina made a dash for the living room. She first took care of Leo by setting him down on the blanket she had sprawled out on the floor. With her baby boy safely resting on the soft blanket, Lina turned to the basket. There was a card taped to the handle and Lina pulled it off. She read it, finding only one word on the white paper.

"Nathaniel," she read. A frown creased her brows and she reached for the cream, teddy bear blanket from the top of the basket. She yanked it and the blanket fell to the side. Lina gasped, hand flying to her mouth. A little boy slept in the basket. He had messy brown hair and wore a pair of Pooh Bear footie pajamas. Stretching out from his back was a set of glorious bird-like wings. She'd seen wings similar from watching 'Animal Atlas' when she was growing up. The boy's feathers were an iridescent golden-green along the wing coverts while the secondary and primary feathers were a slightly darker shade of green. The wings fluttered as Lina pulled the rest of the blanket back and the memory of watching a brightly colored Quetzal fly through the trees on her TV screen fluttered through her mind. "What are you?" she whispered while hesitantly petting one of the green wings the angel was snuggled under. Blue eyes flashed open as Lina's hand made contact with the wing and the boy flinched away from her. He looked around in confusion and Lina felt her heart squeeze. The poor thing didn't know what was going on either.

Lina reached out for the child, but that only seemed to worsen the moment.

"No," the angel hissed, pulling back again. Lina stilled her hand and turned it over so her palm was face up.

"It's okay," she whispered softly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Natty." Nathaniel grimaced at the nickname and Lina quickly corrected herself. "Nathaniel," she amended. "That's your name, right? It's a very nice name." Nathaniel's wings puffed slightly and Lina felt her lips quirk up in a smile. "My name is Lina."

"Lee-nah," Nathaniel sounded out slowly. His eyes drifted to Leo napping nearby and he tilted his head a little to the left. "Who he?" Lina followed his gaze and slowly shifted back until she was hovering over Leo's sleeping form. She waved at Nathaniel to come over and then slowly picked Leo up into her arms. Nathaniel hesitantly crawled over to Lina and Leo and sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor of Lina's living room. Lina held Leo out then and Nathaniel's eyes widened as she carefully placed her son in Nathaniel's arms.

"There you go," Lina praised as she helped Nathaniel hold Leo's tiny body. "This is my son Leo," she introduced. Nathaniel moved his hand, taking Leo's tiny fist in his.

"Hi," Nathaniel whispered to the little baby. Leo let out a little hum and wiggled in Nathaniel's arms before slowly opening his tired brown eyes. Leo stared up at Nathaniel for a moment before reaching out and brushing his pudgy fingers through the wings that now enveloped them both. Leo tugged lightly at a long green feather and Lina tensed, expecting Nathaniel to pull back like he had when she tried touching him, but Nathaniel sat still, eyes fixed on the tiny baby in front of him. There was fondness in his blue eyes and the tension Lina had originally felt drained away.

"Nathaniel?" Lina questioned as she took Leo back into her arms. "Can you tell me what happened to you?" Nathaniel looked down at his now empty hands and shrugged.

"No," he sighed sadly. "I just…here." Lina nodded slowly and reached out, offering her hand to Nathaniel.

"You can stay with Leo and I if you want?" she offered. "I'm new to this whole mom thing, but…I always wanted a big family." Nathaniel stared at her hand and Lina wiggled her fingers. "Let me take care of you, Nathaniel." Nathaniel swallowed and slowly looked to his wings.

"But I…"

"What? You're different?" Lina asked gently. "I am too and so is Leo, but that's not a bad thing, Nathaniel. Differences make you who you are, sweetie." She wiggled her fingers again. "Now, what do you say about being different with me and Leo?" A miracle happened then. A tiny smile ghosted over Nathaniel's lips and his hand took Lina's lightly.

"Okay."

Thanks, xxXkmiXxx, for the request!