Guest: Barbara and "Unkee Gabby" really do have something special, and we get to see more of that in this chapter
don'ttouchmepeasent: Yay, you liked the chapter! This one is more centered around Gabriel and Cecily, but I felt it was the best way to show how Gabriel was reacting to Cecily being pregnant. We do cut back to Gideon when the cousins meet for the first time. The relationship between the cousins will continue to develop in future chapters!
I hope everyone likes this chapter! Let me know if there is anything you like or if there is anything people want to see!
I own nothing but the plot.
***Gabriel P.O.V***
Seeing how precious my brother's family was made me want one for myself. I'd developed a really good relationship with Barbara after she had been born. I would often go round to visit Gideon just to get a cuddle with her. I fell in love with her the moment Gideon had first walked out with her from the infirmary and had placed her in my arms, as we all did. My relationship with Cecily had been going from strength to strength. When Will had found out that I was courting his younger sister, he seemed to try anything and everything to break us up, but after a conversation with Sophie and Tessa, who pointed out that he was causing Cecily more hurt by trying to break us up, that her being in the relationship in the first place, and by courting his sister, he had a good reason to hurt me if I hurt her, he seemed to accept us. He'd watch us like a hawk, but soon realised that Cecily seemed genuinely happy when she was with me, so relaxed a lot. I know this, because he had told me. Shortly after Barbara's first birthday, and Cecily's eighteenth, I proposed to her, and she had accepted. I'd asked Will's permission beforehand and thankfully he had agreed wholeheartedly. He'd hurt Cecily once by leaving her when they were children, he didn't want to hurt her again by depriving her of the man she loved, he'd told me. We'd been in the training room, and had just finished a training session when I had gotten down on one knee and had asked her to be my wife. Her accepting was one of the best things I had heard.
We'd gotten married six months later. Like my brother before me, and Will and Tessa for that matter, we'd had a small wedding. As Cecily's parents weren't able to come because of the law (she'd cried when Charlotte had told her. I'd held her close, feeling her body shake with the sobs) so Henry had taken her down the aisle as he had done for Sophie and Tessa. Cecily had looked beautiful, as she always did. Just before the wedding, Sophie had graced Gideon with another beautiful daughter they had called Eugenia. I'd fallen in love with her, just as I had done with Barbara. A few months into my marriage to Cecily, she'd fallen pregnant. I'd charged round to Gideon's house to tell him the news, and he was excited at the prospect of my becoming a father, and his becoming an uncle. I'd then joked "If I'm Unkee Gabby, does that mean your Unkee Giddy?" Gideon had double up laughing at that, so I took that as a yes. Barbara was like that, constantly giving us reason to laugh.
During the pregnancy I felt myself turning into my brother, as I had increased my protection of Cecily out of my love for her and our unborn child. She'd liked it at first, but soon got irritated. She wanted to carry on as normal as much as she could, I didn't let her. I remember Gideon telling me how amazing it had been to feel both the girls kick for the first time. I thought it was a bit weird, but when Cecily had taken my hand and had placed it on her stomach, only to feel a kick, I completely understood what my brother had said, it really did feel amazing. A small child, that was part of me, was growing in my wife and I had just felt it move. This of course had increased the protection yet again, which didn't impress Cecily in the slightest.
Following in the footsteps of my brother, we returned to the institute in preparation for Cecily to have our child. This meant that Cecily had both Will and I being incredibly protective of her. When she finally went into labour, I panicked. How did everyone know what to do? The fact that Cecily kept crying out in pain didn't help. Apparently it has happening too quickly. Cecily ended up screaming at me "Rwy'n cael ein plentyn rydych idiot wneud rhywbeth". Realising she had spoken in welsh, she translated into English "I'm having our child you idiot do something". Something in me changed, and I calmed down and seemed to know what to do. I picked her up and carried her to the infirmary, then went charging off to get help. Tessa and Charlotte went to help Cecily, and Henry offered to send word to Gideon and Sophie. That left me and Will pacing the corridor outside the infirmary. I was about to ask him what he was doing when I realized: it wasn't just my wife in there having my child, it was his sister, having either his niece or nephew. We could hear every one of Cecily's screams, and each one killed me on the inside. I had done that to her and I hated myself for it.
One of her screams had been louder than the others, causing me to punch a wall. I was about to punch it again when a hand grab my wrist. I turned to see who it was: Gideon. Rather than scolding me, he just looked at me with understanding eyes. He'd gone through this twice, he knew what I was thinking and feeling. I took Barbara from him and held her close. She always made me feel calm. The screaming then stopped a baby's cry could be heard. I didn't wait to be given the go ahead, I just returned Barbara to Gideon and went charging in. Cecily was lying on a bed, her hair sticking to her neck and temples with sweat. On her chest was a tiny little baby. I slowly walked over to her, not taking my eyes off her. Cecily looked up at me, and smiled "We have a daughter Gabriel" she whispered. She'd inherited my eyes and her mother's hair. I don't think I have ever loved someone so much in my entire life. "Onid yw hi'n hardd?" (Isn't she beautiful?) Cecily whispered. We had talked about names, choosing one girl name and one boy name. "Hello Anna" I said. It had been the first time I'd spoken since I had entered.
***Gideon P.O.V***
Sometime after Gabriel had gone charging in, he remerged from the infirmary, announcing that Will and I had gained a niece called Anna. When he asked if we would like to meet her, there was no real option, of course we did! Will and I followed Gabriel in. As Barbara had just mastered walking, she wanted to walk about as much as possible to show of her new talent. As I had carried her here, I decided to hold her hand, and allow her to walk in and meet her cousin. She took one look at Anna, then turned to look at me exclaiming "Daddy baby!" which made everyone laugh. I knelt down in front of her, making sure that everyone had enough room to come in, held her hands and looked her in the eyes that matched mine so much "Aunty Cecily and Uncle Gabriel have just had a baby. She's your cousin and she's called Anna" I informed her. Barbara seemed to have understood what I had said. She'd also developed a habit of slipping into Spanish without realizing it. Once she had marched over to Cecily and realized she couldn't actually see Anna, she looked at me saying "Sostener" which meant hold. I joined her and picked her up. She took one look at her and said proudly "hello baby Anna" which caused a few laughs. Eugenia had been waving at Anna from the moment Sophie had taken her to meet her cousin, and it seemed to have taken it out of her as she had fallen asleep in her mother's arms.
Cecily had allowed Gabriel to hold Anna, and he was going round the group, introducing the newest member of the family to everyone. I was so proud of him in that moment. When he got to Will, he passed his daughter over, so Will could have a cuddle with his niece. Will didn't take his eyes off her once, and I'm sure I saw a tear fall down his cheek, but I wasn't going to say anything. There was a sense of peace in the room, which seemed like a magic spell no one wanted to break it. Our Institute family had gained a new member, and I had a feeling it would continue to keep growing. But for now, we were just going to celebrate the arrival of Cecily and Gabriel's first child.
