SIMON
The day goes by quickly. Too quickly. I don't want to leave. I miss having Penny around like a hole in my heart, and I don't know whether or not Agatha is going to disappear again after the adoption. But Agatha and Baz both have to get back to work, and Michelle sent me a severely passive aggressive email reminding me that we have a deadline and where the hell are my comments on her sketches. (She was so much easier to work with before Baz and Penny scared the living daylight out of her.)
So the next morning we pack our bags and head back to London.
"We'll see you in a few weeks," I say as we head out. We've decided to all reconvene at Penny's for Agatha's last two weeks of pregnancy. We offered to meet Agatha in California, but she refused.
"You are not coming to visit me in California," she said adamantly. "I'm not letting you lot meet my Normal flatmates. I don't want to have to explain you all."
"We're not that bad," I argued, but Agatha just raised her eyebrow.
"Simon, you have a tail, Baz is a vampire, and Penny is…well, Penny. You're not coming." I thought about pointing out the fact that she hadn't actually seen my tail, and that Baz works with Normals every day without arousing suspicion, but I held my tongue. I didn't want to say anything to upset her.
Penny sends us off with a nonchalant wave of her hand (she still hates goodbyes), and Micah takes us to the airport.
The trip back to England is much more pleasant than the one to America. Baz and I spend the entire time discussing the baby and making plans.
"We can turn Penny's room into a nursery," I say. (We still call the second bedroom in our flat 'Penny's room' even though she moved out a year ago. Old habits die hard.)
"Maybe we should move," Baz says thoughtfully. "We could get a flat with a bit more space. Or we could finally move to the countryside."
"Do you want to move to the countryside?" I ask. I know he does. I know he really wants to be somewhere where it's easier for him to hunt. But I also know how much he loves London. I'll move with him if he wants to. I'd go anywhere with him. But I don't actually think he wants to leave. "Think of your commute. You're not going to want to increase your commute time right after the baby comes." He grins.
"Yeah, that's true. I'm not sure if I trust you alone with the baby."
"Baz!" He laughs and takes my hand.
"I can't believe this is happening," he says, leaning on my shoulder and giving my hand a squeeze. I squeeze back and rest my head against his.
"Me neither."
The next few weeks are a flurry of activity. Baz buys a dozen baby books and buries himself in them every night. We decide to officially make Penny's room a nursery, so we paint it green. (Baz wanted it red, like his childhood bedroom, but I put my foot down. Red! It's too much of a vampire stereotype for me to deal with.) We go shopping. I never knew how much stuff babies needed. Clothes, toys, crib, stroller, car seat, high chair, formula, diapers. The list goes on and on and on.
"Where are going to put all this stuff?" I ask as I drop another armload of bags on the table.
"I told you we should have moved," Baz says, shifting a box that's twice his size so he can get into the kitchen.
"We didn't have time! We barely have time to do all this shopping." Baz grins. He's been doing that almost constantly lately.
"We'll manage," he says. His smile is contagious. I love how excited Baz has been. I love how excited I've been. I know I should probably be at least a little nervous, but every time I start to worry, Baz says or does something that makes me happy all over again. I go over to him and give him a kiss.
"What was that for?" he asks, but he's already sliding his hands around my waist. I shrug and put my arms around his neck.
"For being you. Do I need a reason?" Baz smirks.
"Never," he replies as he leans in to kiss me.
BAZ
Simon and I go out for a nice dinner. We do this sometimes, when we have something to celebrate. Usually it's because Simon released another book, or because the term ended. But everything about these last few weeks have felt celebratory, and seeing as it's our last night alone in London (we leave for Chicago tomorrow), we thought we'd take advantage of the opportunity.
We go to a French restaurant that we like because it has private rooms. I still don't like eating in front of people, (Simon is an exception) and his table manners are still atrocious. (I've tried. I've really tried.)
I pour us some wine and raise my glass.
"To our future," I say.
"To our future," Simon agrees. We clink our glasses and drink. It's good wine. I went all out tonight.
"So, have you told your family yet?" Simon asks. He's asked me that a lot lately.
"No."
"Why not?" I smirk.
"Because I want it to be a surprise." Simon rolls his eyes.
"That's some surprise Baz. Almost worse than bringing me home."
"Nothing could be worse than bringing you home," I say. It's true. The first time I actually brought him home with me, as my boyfriend, my father nearly had a heart attack. He wouldn't speak to me for months. "And anyway, this will be a good surprise. If I tell them about it in advance, they flat out won't believe me. Magicians don't adopt Normal babies, and there just aren't any magickal babies to adopt. This situation doesn't happen."
"It's happening to us," Simon says. I grin.
"I know. That's why we're so lucky." Simon gives me a wide smile and I want to kiss him right there in the restaurant. I've wanted to kiss him all the time lately. Apparently unbridled happiness does that to me. Apparently it does it to Simon too because he's giving me these tantalizing eyes like he knows exactly what I'm thinking and wants the same thing.
Unfortunately, the waiter comes in with our food, so snogging will have to wait.
"So," I say once the waiter leaves. "We should probably actually discuss a name." We've been discussing names constantly, but it's mostly been a joke. My favorites are Trixie (to piss Bunce off), Gampire (same conversation), Bartholomew (because why not?), and Princess (Princess Pitch. I almost like the sound of that.) But we haven't seriously discussed a name. Joking around was just too much fun.
Simon smirks.
"What's wrong with Strawberry?" he asks. Oh yeah. I forgot about Strawberry. I laugh.
"I'm serious Snow. We need a name. We can't just stand there like fools when the doctor asks us." Simon sighs and gives me a gentle smile.
"I thought the name was obvious. I thought that's why we were joking around so much." I raise an eyebrow.
"Obvious? What's obvious?" Simon smiles again.
"Natasha. Obviously." I gape at him. I had thought about naming the baby after my mother. I want to. But I had been reluctant about asking Simon for something so selfish. I was going to suggest it tonight and see how he reacted, but if he thinks it's obvious… I'm so touched, I can feel tears in my eyes.
"Simon," I start to say, but he interrupts me before I can finish.
"Natasha Ebeneza Snow-Grimm-Pitch." I raise an eyebrow and he flashes me a toothy grin. Like he's proud of himself. Like he knows he's messing with me and doesn't care.
"I thought we were being serious here," I say.
"I am being serious," Simon says. "What's wrong with it?"
"First of all, we are not shackling her with a last name like Snow-Grimm-Pitch. Having two last names is bad enough. No one needs a third. And second of all, Ebeneza? Seriously?"
"What's wrong with Ebeneza?" Simon asks. His face falls and he sounds hurt. Like, actually hurt.
"Am I missing something?" I ask. I never meant to hurt him. I thought it was another joke, like Strawberry or Draculetta (also on the list at some point). Simon looks down at his food.
"It was Ebb's full name." I gasp. Ebb. Ebb the goatherd. Ebb who watched over Simon like a mother. Ebb who died so Agatha could live. Ebb who's just as important to Simon as my mother is to me. I feel like a fool.
"Simon, I'm so sorry," I say. "I didn't realize that. Ebeneza sounds perfect." I reach my hand out and he takes it. I squeeze it and he smiles at me.
"Thanks Baz," he says.
"Thank you for Natasha," I say, and I mean it. "But we have to talk about that Snow-Grimm-Pitch thing. That's just cruel."
SIMON
We snog in the car. We snog in the stairwell (we haven't done stuff like this since college). We can't wait to reach the bedroom and make love on the floor of the living room (that still happens sometimes). Then we do reach the bedroom and make love again.
Baz's head is resting on my chest and I pull him close. I'm sweating. He's not (lucky vampire) and his cool skin feels glorious. It's like having my own personal air conditioner.
"What is it about having a baby that makes us so horny?" I ask. Baz laughs into my chest.
"I don't know, but I'm not complaining." I run my hand through his hair and smirk.
"Me neither."
"We're not going to get to do this for a while," Baz says. "We might as well enjoy it."
"Do what? Have sex?" Baz rolls his eyes.
"Of course not. I mean, be alone. Like this. There's always going to be someone else here from now on."
"So no more groping each other on the couch?" Baz chuckles.
"Something like that."
"Well, we'll just have to do it twice as much in here to make up for it." Baz laughs again. I continue playing with his hair and we enjoy the silence and the companionship for a while.
"Baz," I say.
"Hmmm?" he mumbles. He's clearly falling asleep.
"I love you." We don't say that very often. We both know it to be true, so why bother? But it feels right, in this moment, and I want Baz to hear it. I can feel Baz smile against my skin.
"I love you too Simon," he says. "More than you know."