"That's impossible," I say as I struggle to pick my jaw of the floor. Figuratively. I look over at Barnabas and see him smiling so wide I'm surprised the doctor hadn't seen his fangs as he closed the door behind him.
"Not impossible, my love. Only unheard of."
"I….can't…"
"You can't have children?"
"No-o," I stammer. "I can't bear children, as a vampire."
"You still wish for me to bite you."
"Of course. But I'd be unable to have your child."
"After he or she is born, angel."
"You want our human baby to be raised by two vampires?"
"I suppose not.
I can feel the tears streaming down my face as I look at my stomach. I'd always wanted a child, but I fell in love with Barnabas, and reproduction just didn't seem that important anymore. I knew he couldn't have children, or at least, I thought he couldn't. I was content just to spend the rest of eternity with him. Just the two of us. But now there's be three.
I run my hand across the top of my stomach and absently flip through the program the doctor had handed me, "The Greatest, and Grotesque, of Pregnancy!" trying to shield my face from my husband's. Barnabas has his eyes on me, running his fingers through my hair and trying to see the emotion on my face.
"Love?"
"What?"
"Are you angry with me?"
I looked at Barnabas and the tears gently falling down my cheeks thickened into a constant flow. How could I be so selfish? I was carrying a miniature Barnabas, our DNA intertwined to create new life! I'd finally gotten the child I had always wanted, and here I was worried about becoming a vampire? Why couldn't I look past that and be elated as my husband? I took Barnabas's hand, and smiled.
"No, sweetheart. I'm overjoyed."
"It's been a terribly long day. We should go home."
"Home?"
"Yes. Once we're off that ghastly contraption you call transportation we'll immediately start decoration of the nursery."
"Nursery?"
"Yes. I want it next to our room."
"Barnabas?"
"Yes my love."
"Do you ever think that….well…that this baby might be…a little different?"
"It has crossed my mind."
"Will he or she eat, baby food, or drink blood?"
"Maybe both. I suppose we'll have to wait and see."
"Yes I suppose."
And so construction began. The minute we arrived home Barnabas was off to every 24 hour baby store in a 20,000 mile radius, buying everything he thought we could possibly need for a baby: diapers, a crib, car seat, formula, bottles, toys, onesies, and pacifiers. Barnabas was baby crazy.
When we told Willie the news, he'd simply rolled his eyes, lifted his shoulders and said, "Yay. A baby. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Collins."
The next few weeks were calming. Barnabas always made sure I had my feet up, even though it was early in my pregnancy. I was reading tons of new baby books, bought by Barnabas, and spent a fair bit of my time eating, healthy foods, of course. Barnabas even hired a doctor to be on call, all hours of the night, to come examine me any time.
When I was five months into my pregnancy, Barnabas laid his hand on my stomach and sighed.
"You never believed you would be a father, did you?"
"Not since I was cursed."
Our sex from the moment we found out I was pregnant was still wonderful, but Barnabas was very cautious. Even so, afterwards I fell asleep peacefully and happy in my vampire's arms.
