Chapter 17: The Night

Pregnancy was unpleasant in normal terms, but with how big Michelle was now, she felt as if she had never had a more unpleasant time in carrying. The baby was late, as predicted, and the upcoming night was not helping matters.

It was October 1st and Michelle was doing everything she could to prepare for the night ahead. She didn't want anyone's lives to be endangered because of her, so she had decided to barricade everyone in the park house. It was easy enough to do, after slipping a sleeping potion in everyone's breakfast.

By the time they all woke up, the barricades were in place and Michelle was sitting on the couch, polishing the gun. "MICHELLE!" called out Benson. Michelle put the gun strap on her gun and fastened it to her back. She then followed the call to Benson's office, where she had placed him, as well as the rest of the staff, for when they would wake up.

When Michelle entered Benson's office, Skips came to her and asked, "What's going on?"

"The night of the moss is tonight and I must be prepared for it. If it means that we lose business for one day, then I don't see it as a problem, especially considering the fact that it's fall and the amount of visitors isn't as many as in the summer. You could almost count this as a gain," said Michelle.

"That's not what we're concerned about, Michelle," said Pops. "The problem is, we can't get out of the park and some of us had important things to do in town today."

"Yeah, I had a date with CJ today. I'm still in the dog house from the whole Margaret incident and now I'm gonna have to cancel," said Mordecai.

"Not my problem. I'm sorry, guys, but I have to finish this," said Michelle.

"In your condition-" started Skips.

"Stop saying 'in your condition,' I'm not sick. I can handle this." Michelle cocked the gun for emphasis. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make myself some bread and milk with a side of venison." Michelle went for the kitchen and Skips sighed before following her.

That night, Michelle had her gun pointed out of an upper floor window, eyes alert to the horizon. She was finding it hard to get comfortable and stay comfortable in her position. Skips came up behind her and sighed. "Come to bed, Evangeline," he said to her.

"I know he's coming, Walks. It's only a matter of time," she said. Her eyes didn't leave the horizon.

"Evangeline, you're overdue. If this monster comes, it might be too shocking for you... or worse... it may kill you. I don't want to risk that."

"Your concern is appreciated, but unneeded." Michelle's pregnancy had made her emotions shift from intense anger to a weeping sadness to a deep-rooted depression to a giddiness unlike any she normally exhibited. Now, with the baby overdue, she was more than anxious to be free of the weight, making her conversation very cold. Skips bore through it with patience and care, but it was really getting to where one wanted to have the baby born as much as the other. "Walks?"

"Yeah?"

"If the monster comes and I'm in labor, will you help me pull the trigger? It's the only thing that can get rid of it before sunrise."

"I will, Evangeline."

"Thank you." She got up and sat on his lap. He pulled her close and simply held her. "Walks?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever done something you've severely regretted or thought that it was going to end horribly?"

"Of course. Who hasn't? What are you referring to, Evangeline?"

"I... a lot of things. I'd rather not say. My emotions are everywhere. I'll just..." She looked off.

"What is it?"

"Walks, I should tell you that I'm at risk for postpartum depression. I've had it a few times and gotten over it within six months after having the baby, but it's literally torture to go through it. I've gone into my baby's room at night with a pillow in my hands... and every intention of suffocating my baby. Other times I've just held the child and asked myself in my mind, 'Why, oh, why, did I get pregnant?' I hate it, but I can't help it. I just wanted to let you know now before it starts."

"Have you had times where you didn't get it?"

Michelle thought about it. "Yeah, but it was only once or twice that I got that lucky." She looked tired then.

"Hey, we've made it this far, we can make it the rest of the way." Skips offered her an encouraging smile.

"Thanks, Walks." She smiled slightly and chuckled to herself. "You're way too good for me."

"No, you're way too good for me, Evangeline."

"I wouldn't say that." A noise, like an animal cry, sounded in the distance. Any further conversation would have to wait. The moss monster had come. Michelle looked to the window and saw the blur on the horizon. She rose stiffly and Skips supported her. "All right, let's get this show on the road." She picked up her gun and went back to the window.

"What do you want us to do if it gets in? How can I help?"

"Take everyone to the basement if that happens. He is filled with radioactive material and can spit acid. At best, you'd get hospitalized of sickness."

"Guess I'd better put more stuff in front of the door to barricade it then." Michelle and Skips shared a knowing smile between each other. They kissed and he went downstairs. Michelle put her gun back at its perch on the window. The monster was heading within range. There was but one bullet in the gun, one shot at either killing the monster or delaying the nightmare to another year. On normal terms, Michelle was a decent shot. She hoped beyond hope that nothing would happen to compromise the shot. She wouldn't wait another year, not with her baby on the way.

Misfortune struck again. Michelle felt a lurch in her stomach... and she knew what that meant: contractions had begun and the baby was coming. "Oh..." she gripped her stomach with one hand while struggling to keep the gun steady with the other. The moss monster was fast approaching the park house. "Gotta... shoot him." She got back to her perch, but was soon thrown back by another strong contraction. She gave a cry of pain and fell to her back. She gripped the gun strongly in her right hand. "Of all the times you could have come, why now?"

"Evangeline? Is everything all right?" Skips's voice came from the hall.

"Walks!" Michelle cried out. Skips walked in and ran to her side. "Help me up."

"Evangeline... are you... in labor?"

"No- AGH! Yes!"

"I can't let you do this."

"I have to! I'm the only one that can kill him." Screaming was heard from downstairs and Michelle got a determined look in her eye. "Get me downstairs."

"Evangeline..." Skips scolded.

"Just do it! Please!" Skips sighed at that. What was it about her that he felt like he had to listen to her?

Skips carried her downstairs, bridal style, to the chaos below. The moss monster had gotten in. It was spitting acid everywhere and reaching out with tentacles toward the frightened park staff. It was just missing them with its glowing green appendages. Once it laid eyes on Michelle though, it had no other prey in mind. It began oozing forward at high speed toward where Skips had paused on the stairs with Michelle in his arms.

"Aim me at him!" said Michelle while fumbling with the gun. She got it in place and had her finger on the trigger. The contractions made it hard to focus though. "Walks..." Skips set her down and helped her pull the trigger, just in time to shoot the moss monster into goopy oblivion. When it did, Michelle collapsed to her knees. "Walks!"

"Take it easy, Evangeline," said Skips comfortingly. "Pops, call an ambulance. Michelle's going into labor." The room gave a collective gasp of shock before Pops ran off to the phone.

"They better hurry..." said Michelle, her voice containing the strain of pain.

When they finally got to the hospital, Skips went in with Michelle for support while the rest of the park staff remained in the lobby. They were in for a long wait. Luckily, there was a special guest that came into the lobby.

"Thomas!" said Pops in surprise, being the first to notice the newcomer.

"Hey, guys," said Thomas.

"We thought you were gone forever! Where've you been?" asked Mordecai.

"I've been on the run. In the meantime, I've made some connections and I'm now back in the favor of the United States. I hope to become a naturalized American sometime soon," said Thomas.

"That's great!" said Mordecai.

"Wait, how'd you find us?" asked Rigby.

"I figured you were either at the park or the hospital. You know how often a natural or supernatural disaster happens at the park," said Thomas.

"Makes sense," said Muscle Man.

"So, does this mean you're staying for good?" asked High-Five Ghost.

"Of course. I couldn't leave you guys behind like that. You've become like a second family to me," replied Thomas.

"All right!" said Muscle Man. The group surrounded Thomas and gave him a group hug as well as some hand shakes. It was good to have the park staff whole again.

A doctor walked into the room then. "Hey, are you guys from The Park?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Pops.

"Your friend wants you to come in," said the doctor. He led the park crew down the hall to Skips. The yeti was standing in front of a window, an observation window that allowed the parents of newborn children to look at them. Skips was smiling broadly and had tears in his eyes. He quickly shook off the tears when he noticed his friends approach, but they still returned.

"So, what'd you guys get?" asked Mordecai.

"If it's a dude, we are so in for fun!" said Rigby.

"Michelle said that this hasn't happened to her before. She's always had one child. She would have had twins at one point, but one of them died before it was born. This... this is something special," said Skips, putting his attention back into the room beyond the glass.

"What do you mean, Skips?" asked Benson.

Skips gave a short laugh of delight before replying, "We've got quadruplets."

"What?!" was the collective question.

"I guess I should have known. Michelle kept throwing hints that we might wind up having more than one, but I just didn't think it possible until now. Two boys and two girls..." Skips looked proud then, prouder than he ever looked in front of his living friends.

"Congratulations, Skips," said Pops.

"Dude, we should totally have a party after this," said Mordecai.

"Oh, no. If you two throw the party, you're just gonna wind up making a mess," said Benson.

"Aw, but come on, Benson, we throw the best parties!" protested Rigby.

Benson sighed. "What do you want, Skips?" he asked.

Skips shrugged. "I'm up for it, but I want to make sure Michelle wants this too," he said.

"You two have been inseparable lately. Ever since you got married, you haven't made your own decisions," pointed out Rigby.

"Look, guys, this is the first time in my life where I finally get everything I want. I want to keep that for as long as I can and that means keeping my wife as happy as possible because... if she's happy, I'm happy," said Skips.

"Hello, Skips," came a voice. They all turned toward the voice and saw Death making his way toward them. Skips stood in front of his friends and the window defensively.

"What are you doing here, Death?" asked Skips with dislike in his tone.

"Hey, I'm just here to welcome the newborns. I haven't seen one of Michelle's newborns since 1952. There's that and there's someone about to die in the ICU, so I need to collect his soul," replied Death.

"So long as you're not here for any of us, I don't care what you do," said Skips.

"Careful, Skips, I already dislike you for being immortal and for your friends being constant pains in my neck. The only reason you still have a soul is because I don't want to lose favor with Michelle," said Death.

"What do you care? You're not even with her anymore," said Skips.

"True, but that doesn't mean I don't still love her." The others gasped and Skips made another step toward Death. "Easy, mate, I don't intend on taking her from you. I just wanted to let you know how it was."

"Does she still love you?"

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me. Does she still love you?"

Death sighed. "I'm not for sure, but... I think so." Skips's expression was a shattered one. "Don't get me wrong, she still loves you very much, but... we connected and the connections that we made are not ones that easily go away." Death heaved another sigh. "Look, you've got children now. As soon as Michelle gets through her last fits of mood swings, I'm sure she'll forget all about me."

"What exactly is it about you that makes you so special?" asked Skips.

"I could ask the same thing about you," said Death.

"She said she had been waiting for me."

"She was waiting for you, but along the line, she has been with other men, had other children. As her loved ones were taken away from her, she still had you to look forward to. She has told me more than once that you were her first love."

"She didn't even know me."

"She knew you better than you think. You know, I think our appeal is that we're immortal. She can't lose either of us and finds security in that. She's been through too many deaths to risk another relationship with someone who was mortal."

"So, why'd she break up with you?"

"She loves you more, Skips. That and my job grieved her. She didn't like knowing the man behind the deaths of the ones she loved, let alone the deaths of so many around the world." Death paused and cocked his head, as if listening for something. "Well, I gotta run. Tell Michelle I said hello and that I wish her luck." Death vanished as quickly as he had appeared. Skips went back to looking into the window at the newborn babes inside.

"I promise you, I will do everything within my power to keep you with me... even if I have to risk my own life." Skips paused, then looked at his friends. "Like Michelle, I've seen a lot of my friends come and go. No deaths have been more painful to think about than yours. Therefore, I make that same promise to you."

"You don't have to do that, Skips," said Mordecai.

"Somewhere along the line, something's gotta change. We're a family and I intend on keeping us together," said Skips.

Skips walked away and they followed him to Michelle's room. She was looking haggard, but was also sleeping peacefully. Skips gave a gentle and loving smile at his wife and put a hand on her face. Her eyes slowly opened. "Hey, Walks..." she said weakly.

"Hey, I won't be long. We've got visitors," said Skips. The park crew waved at her.

"Hey..." said Michelle. A few nurses wheeled in some carts.

"You should be ready to go sometime tomorrow afternoon, if she's up to it," said one of the nurses, indicating Michelle.

"Are you kidding? I'm up for anything right now... so long as I don't have to move much," said Michelle. Skips laughed softly. "Can I see them?"

"Sure," said Skips. He picked up two of them and put them in Michelle's arms. He picked up the remaining two and held them close enough for Michelle to see. There was a collective "Aw" around the room.

"Have you guys come up with any names yet?" asked Thomas.

Skips and Michelle looked at each other in shock. Michelle laughed. "I knew we were forgetting something," she said with a smile.

"Was that before or after the food cravings?" asked Skips playfully.

"We should have been plotting names from the start, you goof," said Michelle. Skips smiled.

"So, what do you want to call them?" he asked.

"I tell you what, Walks, you name those two and I'll name these two," proposed Michelle.

"Sounds fair enough."

"All right. We'll start with this little guy," Michelle indicated the child in the blue blanket in her left arm. It looked like a yeti, but it had the slightest hint of blue in its fur. "I shall name him Edward, for he shall be a great protector to his younger siblings."

"How do you know who was born first?" asked Rigby.

"The nurses were kind enough to number them. See?" Michelle picked up the tag pinned to the blanket. To Skips, she said, "Your turn."

The next born baby was in Skips's right arm. From the looks of the pink blanket it was wrapped in, it was a baby girl. She was also a yeti, but had the same fur color as Skips. "I'd like to call her Emily... it was one of the only names I thought of these past nine months," he said.

"So, you were plotting names, you sly boy, you," said Michelle playfully. Skips smiled and shrugged softly so as not to wake the children in his arms. "All right. I guess that means we're down to that little one." She indicated the babe in the blue blanket in Skips's left arm. This one was a blue jay with the same feather color as Michelle's brother.

"How about Ethan, meaning strong and wise?" asked Skips.

"I like it," said Michelle.

"You sure are optimistic about your kids here," said Rigby before being punched by Mordecai.

"You two will make good parents," said Mordecai.

"Yeah, I'm sure with you two raising them, they'll more than live up to their names," said Benson in reply.

"All right, so what are you gonna name the last one? Is it gonna be another name that starts with an E?" asked Muscle Man sarcastically.

"It is kind of a popular thing to name twins with either similar sounding names or names that start with the same letter," pointed out Michelle. She looked at the baby in her right arm, a little girl that looked like the spitting image of herself. "Why don't we keep up the pattern and call her-"

"Evangeline." Skips and Michelle said the name at once.

"All right, that's what it'll be then. It's sealed in stone now," said Michelle.

"Won't it be sealed on paper?" asked Pops.

"And paper, yes, of course," said Michelle. She looked at the children happily and gave a sleepy sigh. "Would one of you like to hold one of them?" There was a short period of arguing before Skips decided they would all take turns. In between all the baby coddling and cooing, Michelle drifted off to sleep. Skips looked on at his family. It was going to be difficult, but he'd do everything he could to keep that promise.

I was thinking during the chapter: Who are your favorite Regular Show characters? I would like to know! I know Skips and Mordecai are definitely my favorites and I like how they added some dimensions to Thomas's character and High-Five Ghost when they had their own episodes, but I'd like to see what you guys think. Let me know what you think of the chapter and the answer to my question in the reviews and please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)