Author's Notes: I have got so much to say, it's insane.
First of all, this is the last chapter. I'm all teary-eyed right now. It's sad, I know, but I made this chapter as best as I could, and, if I do say so myself, I think it's my best one. Ever. Besides, I'll put the sequel up in a few days. So while Elaine and Scipio's story is now over, their daughter's is just beginning. Thanks to everyone who sent in messages and left reviews with your opinion.
I would like to thank all of my reviewers for being so nice. You guys are the only ones who kept me going. InkySubstance, this is for you: Thank you for being my very first reviewer and for leaving comments for every chapter. I really appreciated it...and still do.
Evanescence, My Chemical Romance, Flyleaf, Avril Lavigne, and all of the other bands and artists who I love, even though I know you'll never read this, thank you so much for being my main inspiration. Your music got me out of the dumps of writer's block and led me to where this story is today. Emmy, Corina, and you, Jake, I love you! (Even though I barely know you, Corina, but mah biceps are still lolliful - If anyone else is reading this and you're confused, it's an inside joke.) Thanks for everything! And Seb, "your girlfriend" is still taken, you stinkin' loser. Haha, just kidding, of course. Keep rockin' on! Here we go! Happy Holidays, everyone, and thanks for reading!
Each snowflake independently cartwheeled through the air, twisting and turning before landing on the ground, the bare trees, or the houses. A lopsided snowman sat on the front lawn with coals on where its mouth would be curved upward in a smile and a familiar black mask shaped like a bird's beak covering the rest of its face. The street was silent, each house full of the Christmas spirit and family, gifts and friends, food and decorations.
The Massimos' house was very busy and warm, with the fireplace merrily crackling in the corner, flames dancing on the wood. Everyone was making some sort of noise; Bo was running around with his new toy airplane and kept falling onto the couch, Riccio, Mosca, and Prosper were sitting in a corner talking together and drinking hot chocolate, Mosca reaching over to change the radio stations, which were full of Christmas tunes, every now and then, and Elaine was on the floor with The Nutcracker in her hands, reading to her enormous stomach, with Scipio and Hornet listening in. The smell of sugar cookies wafted through the air from where they were cooling off in the kitchen, fresh out of the oven.
The doorbell rang, barely heard above the noise, and Elaine stood up to answer it, wondering if it was Madalyn, who'd said that she would be staying with them for the day and night. Indeed, when she turned the knob and pulled the door open, Madalyn, in a dark blue coat, flew into her arms.
"Merry Christmas, Elaine!" she said, cheeks pink from the cold. She was holding a number of wrapped boxes in her hands, presumably presents.
"Merry Christmas, Maddi! Come on in, we let Bo open one of his presents but you're just in time...And I made cookies, do you want any?"
"Of course I do, they smell good. And look at who I brought along with me?" Madalyn stepped to the side, beaming, and Elaine saw her mother standing there, also with presents in her hands, who grinned at her.
"Hey, sweetie!" she said, giving Elaine a hug as well. "Merry Christmas! How are you?"
"Fat," responded Elaine with a smile. "I'm so glad to see you! Come in, you two must be freezing!" She moved out of the way and they walked inside of the house. Elaine shut the door before a flurry of snowflakes could get inside and followed them into the living room.
"Hi, Madalyn," said Hornet, and, after noticing Elaine's mother, added politely, "Hello, Miss Vieri." Her name was not legally still Vieri, but she insisted that they call her that. "Merry Christmas!"
Greetings went around the room, and Madalyn and Miss Vieri set their gifts under the Christmas tree, then walked behind Elaine into the kitchen. Elaine took a plate out of the dishwasher and put the cookies on it, spraying green sprinkles on them.
"Those look great!" said Miss Vieri. "I didn't know you were a cook."
"I didn't either," said Elaine, grinning at her.
Riccio immediately took a handful of cookies off of the plate when Elaine came back in and shoved them all into his mouth at once, choking a few seconds later. Elaine laughed at him and he shot her a glare.
"Now can we open presents? Pleeeeeease?" Bo begged Elaine; she'd said to let it wait until everyone was there. She nodded and he was suddenly at the bottom of the tree, gift wrapping flying into the air.
"Well, he sure didn't waste any time, did he?" said Madalyn, watching him.
"No, he didn't," agreed Elaine. "But hey, we all did that at that age, so you can't blame him." She sat down next to Bo and picked up a present addressed to her, from Hornet, and started unwrapping it. Soon, everyone was opening presents, and the sound of wrapping paper coming off of gifts filled the air.
"Oh, Hornet, thank you!" Elaine said, holding up her new CD. "When did I tell you I like Ray Charles?"
"You didn't," replied Hornet. "Scipio did."
Once everyone was done opening their Christmas gifts, it was time for lunch. Miss Vieri, Hornet, Elaine, and Madalyn set to work making lasagna in the kitchen, in the mood for an Italian meal, something Elaine hadn't had in a while. About half an hour or so later, they all sat around at the table, eating, talking about Christmas and listening to the radio from the next room. Elaine sat back in her chair, feeling sleepy and full, when the baby's frantic kicking made her feel a little uneasy. It actually hurt a little.
"What's wrong?" asked Bo after giving a detailed description of his toy cars to Mosca, the only one to notice her worried expression.
"Nothing, it's just...the baby's acting kind of funny."
There was a sudden silence, and everyone stared at Elaine. "Elaine, are you okay?" asked Scipio nervously.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's---" The kicking suddenly stopped. "I'm okay."
"If you say so," said Scipio, going back to his conversation with his mother-in-law. Bo got out of his chair, walked over to Elaine, and started to talk to her stomach.
"Baby," he said, "it's Christmas! You don't know what it is, but it's where you get a lot of toys. It's really fun! And I got you a toy, too, so I hope you're okay." Indeed, he'd handed Elaine his old stuffed duck before they'd sat down to eat, saying it was for the baby. Elaine smiled down at him.
"Thank you, Bo. We both feel a lot better now."
The day passed in much the same manner, and night soon fell. Bo went to bed earlier than anyone else, exhausted after playing with his toys nonstop for a good few hours, and Mosca, Prosper, and Riccio soon followed suit. Miss Vieri, Elaine, Scipio, Madalyn, and Hornet stayed in the living room watching Christmas movies on the television, with Miss Vieri on one of couches, Madalyn and Hornet on two others, and Scipio and Elaine on a mattress on the floor. They'd decided to sleep in the living room tonight just for fun, like a kind of campout.
At around eleven o'clock, Scipio finally fell asleep during the movie Elf, leaving Elaine as the only one awake. She was exhausted, but the baby was keeping her up with her kicking and moving around. What seemed like several hours later, her eyes shut, but it was only a few minutes later that she was awoken by a sudden, sharp pain in her stomach. That's when she really started to worry.
Elaine sat up and put her hands over her stomach when another wave of pain shot through her body. "Scip..." she groaned, feeling worse than she'd ever felt in her life. He did not wake up. "Scip!" she said a little louder, and still he slept on. And suddenly, gasping for breath, she knew what was happening:
She was in labour.
"SCIP!" she practically screamed, and, thinking of nothing else to do, hit him as hard on the shoulder as possible. He jerked awake and sat up too as more movement sounded from around the room; Elaine's loud voice had woken everyone up.
"What?" he said. "What is it, Elaine?"
"The...baby's..." She inhaled sharply, feeling as though she were about to die. "The baby's coming!"
Madalyn's voice came from somewhere nearby: "What?!" There was more movement, and the sound of the couch's springs as she got up. Someone turned on the light, and suddenly Hornet, Madalyn, and Miss Vieri were gathered around the scene, looking at Elaine with worried eyes.
"Elaine, honey, are you sure?" asked Miss Vieri. "There's always a chance that it could be false---"
"OF COURSE I'M SURE!" shrieked Elaine. "If you all don't get me to the hospital right NOW, I swear I will---"
"Okay, can someone get the overnight bag?" asked Scipio, putting his hand around Elaine's, and Madalyn stood up. "It's in our bedroom on top of the dresser, it's brown and kind of hard to miss---" Madalyn nodded and darted up the stairs before he could finish the sentence.
"And Hornet, go wake up Mosca so he can help me get her out to the car." Hornet crossed the room and opened the door to Riccio and Mosca's bedroom, and a moment later, they heard her shaking him awake and his grumbling.
"It--Oh, God, Scip, it hurts," whimpered Elaine as the pain increased, promptly bursting into tears. He kissed her forehead and reassuringly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
"I know, I know," he said. "We'll be out of here in no time. Everything will go okay, I promise."
"You'll be fine, Elaine," said Miss Vieri. "I know it's painful as heck, but when we get there, just focus on getting the baby into this world and it'll go smoothly. It'll all be over before you know it."
"What's going on?" asked Mosca sleepily, coming into the room with Hornet and Madalyn behind him, Madalyn with the overnight bag slung over her back.
"The baby's on her way," answered Hornet. "You need to help Scipio get Elaine into the car." Mosca walked over to Elaine, and he and Scipio picked her up and went towards the front door. Madalyn went ahead of them and opened it, while Miss Vieri picked up the blanket from the couch she'd been sleeping on, knowing it was cold outside. When they all went to the front lawn, Elaine was already in the backseat and Scipio was getting the car started.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Hornet asked Elaine, shutting the car door behind her so that the cold wouldn't get inside. Elaine nodded, biting down so hard on her bottom lip that a few drops of blood appeared. Madalyn sat down in the passenger's seat next to Scipio and Hornet and Miss Vieri stayed in the backseat with Elaine.
"Mom, is it supposed to hurt this---?" began Elaine, stopping in mid-sentence as contraction number three hit. She suddenly felt liquid on her knees and moaned. "Oh, God, my water just broke. This nightgown is done for." There was no going back now...
"Okay, um, Elaine, let's work on the breathing excercises," said Hornet, smoothing the hair away from her friend's sweaty face. "Deep breath in...now let it out."
Elaine followed her instructions, but was soon a hysterical, sobbing mess again. "I can't do this!" she wailed. "I can't---"
"Yes you can," objected Miss Vieri, draping the blanket over her daughter. "Think of things that make you happy. Like chocolate and decorating the nursery and Scipio and things like that..."
"Remember that time it was your birthday at the Stella?" asked Hornet. "And Riccio ate over half the cake and then we all threw a bunch of pillows at him..."
"Yeah," said Elaine, smiling even through the pain. She remembered that day very well, as though it were yesterday...
"Riccio! You idiot!" Elaine laughed, as another pillow soared through the air and narrowly missed her head. "I now declare a pillow war because you're not smart enough to give up yet," she stated, standing up on a faded chair and ducking again as a pillow wizzed by her ear.
"Now, what's this I hear about pillow wars?" a deep, familiar voice asked, and every eye in the room turned to Scipio, who was standing at the front of the stairway and grinning.
"How'd you get in?" asked Mosca.
"That is for me to know and you to bother me about for the next two weeks," responded Scipio suddenly, stepping into the light. He placed his burlap bag on the stage and said, holding his hands behind his back, "Happy birthday, Elaine. The big eighteen, huh?"
"Yep," she replied. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing." He turned so that his back was against the stage and grinned at Elaine, who hopped down from the chair and walked towards him. She tried to get his hands out from behind his back, but he just held one up, fist clenched around something, still grinning.
"Hey! That's not fair!" said Elaine, trying to get his hand down; he kept it out of her reach. Annoyed, she looked at a spot behind him and said, trying to sound genuine, "Holy crap! It's the cops! Run!"
Scipio and everyone else in the room turned around, Scipio dropping his hand, and at last Elaine got whatever it was out of his hand. It was a very expensive-looking bracelet, and, like so many times before, she wondered how he'd managed to steal it without getting caught.
"Hey!" said Scipio, turning around to face her again. "You tricked---"
"Oh, wow, Scipio," she breathed, not listening to him, watching the light glint off of the bracelet. "It's beautiful."
"Think about, uh, beaches," Hornet said. "Beaches with crystal-clear water and white sand with palm trees blowing around in the breeze..."
"Hornet," said Elaine, "I am not thinking about any beaches. I feel like I'm about to fucking die. When are we going to get there?" Another pain shot through her body and she bit down on the blanket to stop from screaming.
"We're about five blocks away," said Scipio from the front. "We're almost there, Elaine, just hold on."
"Okay," said Elaine, nodding, as fresh tears sprung into her eyes, voice muffled slightly by the blanket. "Okay."
"That was amazing!" cheered Elaine, clapping her tired, but happy friend on the back. "You sounded great!"
"Thanks," said Remy. "I can't believe it! Last year when I tried out for Show Choir, I didn't make it, but I guess I somehow got better..."
"Of course you did!" said Elaine as they headed down the school's empty hallway. The dismissal bell had rung half an hour ago, and the only people left were those at the Show Choir auditions. "Man, that was fantastic, just fantastic..."
Elaine inhaled sharply as tears spilled down her cheeks once more. She could see the hospital coming up through the windows, and was relieved. Finally, they were there.
"...and we will become the Harry Potter Dorks of the Year and name a beetle colony 'George.' They will carry spears and attack Millian Baxter's feet," Remy said, face remarkably straight.
"I think you've had too much candy, Remy," giggled Elaine.
"So? It's Halloween."
"And we have school tomorrow. When you come in with a candy hangover, the teachers will wonder if the end of the world is nearer than they think."
Remy seemed to find this hilarious. "Candy hangover!" she howled, clutching her stomach and rolling around on the bed. Elaine just shook her head at her.
"Yep, too much candy."
Elaine was placed in a wheelchair and rolled towards a birthing suite the second they entered the double doors, everyone else right behind her (Madalyn and Hornet had been forced to say they were Elaine's sisters, as friends weren't allowed in the room during birth.) A nurse helped her into a blue hospital gown with flowers all over it and laid her down on the bed, where she waited for the doctor to come in.
"Are you okay?" asked Scipio, grabbing a hold of her hand once more.
"No, not at all. If that doctor doesn't get her ass in here right now, I'll..." Elaine left her threat unfinished and nearly crushed Scipio's bones as another contraction hit.
"Hello," said the doctor when she finally came in, and, after a quick glance at her clipboard, added, "Elaine. Now, let's see how much longer you've got to go." She poked and prodded, and Elaine squeezed the life out of Scipio's hand.
"Well, you're pretty far along," chirped the doctor when her examination was done. "Would you like some medicine to help?"
"Yes, of course I do."
"I'll be right back with it, then," said the doctor, and she exited the room.
"What the hell was that all about?" fumed Elaine. "That bitch knows that I'm already in enough fucking pain as it is, there's no need for that--"
"I know, honey, I know," said Miss Vieri, sitting in the chair on the side of Elaine that Scipio wasn't standing by. Hornet and Madalyn pulled up two chairs as well and looked into her tired face, telling her words of comfort and encouragement.
The doctors told Elaine, about two hours later, that it was time for the real pushing to go underway as the contractions came closer and closer together. As if she had enough energy left to push! However, she followed her mother's advice and concentrated on nothing but getting the baby out of her. Every time a contraction hit, she'd push with all the energy she had at the moment. Eventually, the doctors, Hornet, Madalyn, Miss Vieri, and even Scipio all faded away, and she was suddenly alone, determined and exhausted.
It was about 1:00 in the morning when it happened. Elaine's attention was so focused on having the baby that she didn't notice everyone start to leave. When she became suddenly aware of it, terrified, she looked around, trying to find them. The doctors were gone, Scipio was gone, nobody was in the room.
Nobody besides one person.
Elaine's heart slowed dramatically and nearly stopped beating altogether when she heard that voice. She hadn't heard it in so long, and she'd thought she'd never hear it again. But it was there, it was real, that was for sure.
"Elaine?"
Remy strode towards her in a long white dress, wavy blonde hair flowing down her back, cherry lips smiling. She looked almost like...
Like an angel.
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you're okay," Remy told her. "You're doing great, just keep going. The baby's almost here!"
Elaine took a long look at her friend and began to sob out of shock. The overwhelming desire to hold her, to be in her arms again, completely overtook her, and she sat up as best as she could and held her arms out. Remy smiled and hugged her friend tightly.
"Remy! But how did - what?- Oh my God...How is it possible?"
Remy smiled again. "You're not dead, if that's what you're thinking. I just thought I'd come by and say hello while my best friend's daughter was being born."
"But...Remy...why?...Oh my God, I can't believe it...I love you, Remy, I love you so much!" The tears were flowing like a river now, falling down her cheeks, neck, chest. Elaine was numb with shock. There was nothing to say, nothing to do. Nothing but feel whole again for the first time in a long while.
"I love you too, Elaine. More than anything." Remy held her even closer.
"Don't leave me, please," begged Elaine. "Please, Remy, I love you. And I'm so sorry about Millian - that bitch - I..."
"Sorry?" said Remy, still smiling, and, to Elaine's horror, she let go of her and walked around the room, more silently than a ghost. "For what? Setting me free?"
"I...I didn't...I miss you, Remy. Oh my God, I love you so much...Please don't leave me..."
"I won't," said Remy. "I never did. I've always been right here, even if you haven't noticed it. I always will be."
The room was starting to fade, lights turning brighter, and Elaine pleaded, "Remy! Don't leave! Please, don't---!"
"I'm right here," said Remy, and she was, right next to Elaine. She kissed her cheek and stepped away, though her voice was still soft, still closer than ever, as she said, "I'm right here..."
"Elaine! Come on, we're almost there, keep going! Just a few more pushes!" the excited doctor was saying from the end of the bed, nearly jumping around like a small child. Elaine looked around the room, confused; Remy was gone, but everyone else was still there.
"Scip? What just happened?" she asked him, voice many octaves higher than normal. His expression turned into a confused one.
"What do you mean?"
"With Remy! It just---!"
"Elaine, what are you talking about? You've just been giving birth for the past few hours. Nothing else has happened."
"I---" Elaine shut up abruptly, mind racing, heart full of wonder. Everyone else was looking confused too. Had it only happened to her? What was going on?
"Come on, Elaine, now push," the doctor said, and Elaine pushed harder than she had all night long, suddenly filled with energy unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Suddenly, everything didn't hurt so much. She was still wondering what had happened with Remy, but her heart was growing full of curiosity and love, the best feeling of happiness she'd ever achieved. Elaine felt another prescence in the room, and Remy's words echoed in her ears: I've always been right here. I always will be...
"Oh! I see a head!" said the doctor. "Another push, Elaine, just a few more! We're almost here!" Elaine pushed again, thinking only of Remy. Since her death, she'd felt nothing but emptiness, her heart frozen cold with grief. But now, that hole had been filled, filled with a love burning so strong words could not describe it. It was all over now, the numbness, emptiness, sadness that occured whenever thoughts of Remy filled her head. It had been replaced by something much, much better.
"One more!" the doctor practically shouted. "One more big one, Elaine, and the baby's here!" Elaine looked into Scipio's eyes and, to both of their surprise, grinned as another contraction hit and she pushed for the last time. The doctor was reaching down, and suddenly holding a small, slimy little baby, which was wailing into the noise. The nurses cleaned her off, put a blanket around her, and carefully placed her into her mother's arms.
"It's a girl," one of the nurses said softly.
Elaine looked down at this perfect, beautiful little being, and starting to cry along with the new baby. She had ten fingers and ten toes, just the right amount. Her eyes were shut, though tears were streaming down them. She had her father's pale skin, Elaine's blue-green eyes (from what she could tell), and, judging from the dark brown fuzz on her head, Elaine's hair.
"She's beautiful," said Elaine, still crying, as she handed the baby to Scipio. He looked down at her with wonder, and, for the first time Elaine could remember, started to cry. It was an amazing thing, a father with his newborn little girl. Eventually, he handed her back to Elaine, who gave the baby to Miss Vieri.
"I'm a grandmother!" she gasped. "I can't believe it! She's beautiful, you two...Oh my God...I can't believe it...I'm a grandmother!"
The baby was then handed to Madalyn, who started to cry. "She's the most perfect little baby I've ever seen," she said. "I can't believe it...Hello, little baby," she said to the baby. "I'm Madalyn. You're so beautiful...I love her already, you guys."
"What do you say about being godmother, Maddi?" Elaine asked her. Madalyn's eyes, brimming over with tears, widened even more.
"Godmother? Of course! Oh my God...She's so beautiful..."
The baby was passed to Hornet, who cooed over her for what seemed like several minutes, and then handed back to her still sobbing mother. The baby was so fragile in Elaine's arms that she was kind of scared to hold her, but she couldn't let go once her perfect little daughter was with her again.
"Born seven pounds, sixth ounces, December 26, 2:58 A.M.," the doctor said to Elaine. She looked up at the clock.
"It's the twenty sixth? It's not Christmas any more?" she asked.
"Yep," replied Scipio.
"So, what are you going to name her?" asked Hornet. Elaine looked down at the baby in her arms again, and then at Scipio once more. She grinned at him again, remembering the name they'd picked out two months ago.
"Well, her middle name's Ellen," said Scipio.
"That's a beautiful middle name," said Miss Vieri. "And her first?"
Elaine looked at the baby, and was overwhelmed. She was tired, and her eyes and body begged her for sleep, but she wanted to make this moment last as long as possible. This baby was her Spring, Summer, Fall, and now Winter, her life already. This baby was the reason she and Scipio had gotten so close, the reason she and her mother got along now. This baby was perfect.
And Elaine loved her more than she thought possible.
"Well," she began...
The baby suddenly fell asleep, a warm, breathing little lump next to her mother. "Her name is..." she traced the baby's nose with her finger, feeling like a giant next to this perfect little being. Elaine looked up at her husband, Scipio, and grinned again.
"Remy."
THE END