SIMON
We stay with Penny and Micah for six weeks. It's summer, so Baz has a break from teaching, and we don't think it's a good idea to fly with Natasha until she's a little bit older. It's also nice to spend some quality time with Penny. I haven't spent this much time with her since she moved to America. But most of our time is spent doting on Natasha. Baz seems physically attached to her. He carries her around everywhere, whether she's awake, crying, or asleep. He gets restless whenever someone else has her, even if it's me. For the first few nights he gets up every time she cries, even though we had agreed in advance to alternate. After a few nights though, I insist that he let me take a turn so he can get a little sleep.
"I know people say vampires don't need to sleep," I say, "but I know better. Go back to bed Baz." He's so exhausted he doesn't argue. Frankly, we're both exhausted. I've never slept so little in my life.
Agatha leaves after a week. She says she's fully recovered from her long labor and she needs to get back to work, but I know she just needs to get away from Natasha. I'm sad to see her go, but I understand.
"I'll call you at Christmas," I tell her as she leaves. She nods.
"I'll talk to you then Simon," she says as she gets in her car. "Good luck with everything."
"You too."
We're having a blast, but eventually, we decide it's finally time to go home. Penny still won't come with us to the airport.
"I'll see you guys soon," she says. "You can't keep me away from my niece."
"Don't you want to come visit me?" I ask. Penny shrugs.
"Meh. I guess."
"Penny!" I whine, and everyone laughs. Then Penny actually gives me a hug.
"I will come visit soon," she whispers in my ear. "I miss you Simon." I hug her back.
"I'm holding you to that," I say. "I miss you too."
BAZ
"Welcome home Natasha," I say as we enter our flat. I walk everywhere with her, showing her every room.
"She's not going to understand what you're doing Baz," Simon says, dropping our suitcase by the door.
"It's still important. I want her to feel comfortable here. It's important that we familiarize her with everything in her environment."
"Does that mean you're going to let me hold her once in a while?" Simon has been whining constantly that I've been hogging Natasha (because I've been hogging Natasha). Very reluctantly, I pass her to him, then take our bag to our bedroom and start to unpack. Simon comes in and sits on the bed, resting Natasha against his shoulder.
"So," he says. "When are you telling your family?"
"Relax Snow. We're having them over for tea tomorrow." Simon raises an eyebrow.
"And when were you planning on telling me this?" I shrug.
"When I felt like it." Simon groans, but he grins at me.
"Your dad's going to flip out." I raise an eyebrow.
"I don't think my father has ever 'flipped out' about anything Snow." Simon laughs.
"Yeah, but there's a first time for everything." I try to picture my father's reaction, but I honestly can't even imagine it.
"I guess we'll see tomorrow, won't we," I say, sitting down next to Simon. He leans against me and I put my arm around him.
"We're a family now Baz," he says, as if he's just now realizing it for the first time. "A real family."
"We've been a family for six weeks Snow," I say. "And you and I were a family long before that."
"I know, but still, it feels different, doesn't it? Having her here. In our home." I think about that for a moment, and realize that Simon's right. The three of us have been alone together, but it was in a borrowed room in a house where Bunce was liable to barge in on us at any moment, and where Wellbelove was right there on the other side of the wall. Now that we have Natasha here, in our flat, the fact that we really have a daughter hits me all over again. I rest my head against Simon's.
"You're right Simon," I say. "It does feel different."
BAZ
The next day is a whirlwind. We've been out of town for six weeks and Simon's not particularly clean at the best of times, but I'll be staked before I let my parents into a messy house. Thank Crowley I have magic. I straighten up the flat with a powerful A place for everything and everything in its place, I Spick and span the kitchen, and I even charm the vacuum cleaner with a Fantasia (a terribly tricky spell that can go disastrously wrong if you don't comprehend the lesson of the sorcerer's apprentice and know the entire symphonic poem by heart). Simon keeps yelling at me to stop wasting magic (he's afraid I'm going to pass out from exhaustion before my family gets here), but I'm not worried. I know my limit, and besides, I'm running on too much nervous energy to pass out.
I'm both excited and horrified about the prospect of telling my family about Natasha. I think they'll be happy about it (I hope they'll be happy about it), but there's always the chance that my father will be furious that I'm choosing to raise a child with Simon, or that I'm passing on the Pitch name to a child of unknown ancestry (Simon and I promised Wellbelove that we wouldn't tell anyone that she was Natasha's birth-mother). My father's already severely put out by the fact that Simon and I are still together. I know he's still hoping that one day I'll come to my senses and find a nice girl from a good family to settle down with. It's the primary reason Simon and I aren't married. We talked about it, years ago, but I'm genuinely afraid that my father would never speak to me again if Simon and I ever took that final step, and Simon said he didn't need to prove anything to anyone and that he didn't need the official ceremony. (I'm still grateful to him for that. I'd love to actually get married, but I don't want to lose my family over it. And it's not like I'll lose Simon if we don't.)
The bell rings, and I buzz my family in. We have a few minutes while they climb the four flights of stairs to our flat, so I cast Hush little baby on Natasha to calm her and keep her from crying. I settle her down in her crib before joining Simon in the living room.
"Are you ready?" Simon asks.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I reply. Simon puts his arms around my shoulders and gives me a quick kiss.
"Everything will be ok," he says. "They'll be happy about this. I know they will be." It's not like Simon to be this supportive when it comes to meeting with my father. Usually he loses all sense of himself when he's around him, but I'm certainly not complaining. The proud, brave Simon Snow who can face any obstacle without hesitation is the one I fell in love with. I want to kiss him again, but there's a knock at the door. I take a deep breath, reluctantly pull away from Simon, and answer it.
My father, stepmother, and all my siblings have come. It's summer vacation, so Mordelia and the twins are home from Watford. I suppose the timing is good, since I can tell them all at once, but it's a bit crowded in our small flat.
"Hello father, mother," I say. "Welcome to our home." My father nods at me and my stepmother kisses me on the cheek.
"Hello Basil," she says. "Thank you for having us today. It was such a pleasant surprise when you invited us." I smile.
"I thought it was about time you saw where we lived." I know by the fact that my father hasn't said a word to me that he did not miss my use of the words "our" and "we." I figured I'd lay it on thick at the beginning, so that Natasha doesn't shock him stupid.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Grimm," Simon says. "Welcome." I suppress a smile. I guess some of my manners lectures are working. Then he looks at the kids.
"Hey Grimmlets," he says. (Simon gets along surprisingly well with my siblings.) The girls all race to give him a hug.
"I want a tour!" Mordelia demands, and the twins both nod fervently. My brother just clings to my stepmother's legs and looks around like a lost puppy.
"Later," I say. I can't let them into the nursery just yet. And I don't want my father to see our bed. I don't need to rub it in quite that thickly. "Let's have tea."
My family all finds places to sit and Simon prepares the tea while I bring out a plate of fruit and biscuits. Once everyone's settled, my father clears his throat.
"So Basilton, I assume you invited us here today for a reason." Crowley, my father's sharp. I thought I got my intuition from my mother, but my father can be a viper when he wants to be. Simon sits up straighter, but I don't flinch.
"I did father. Simon and I have a surprise for you." I give Simon a knowing look. He raises an eyebrow and I nod. Then Simon gets up and goes into Penny's (or I guess Natasha's) room. My father's eyes narrow disapprovingly at our silent conversation, but they open wide in shock when Simon reappears with Natasha in his arms. I rise and stand next to him.
"Everyone," I say, as clearly and with as much pride as I can muster. "I'd like you to meet Natasha Ebeneza Snow-Pitch. Our daughter." There's stunned silence for a moment, then the room erupts. All the kids crowd around Simon, wanting to see and touch and hold Natasha. Simon strategically lifts her up and out of the way. My stepmother has her hand over her mouth, and she has tears of joy in her eyes. But I'm only interested in my father, and I hold his gaze.
"Your daughter?" he says.
"Yes father," I reply.
"Yours and Simon Snow's."
"Yes." His eyes narrow, and it's clear he's contemplating something.
"She has magic." It's a statement, not a question. Everyone in the room (except Simon) can feel it. I nod.
"She does father."
"Where did you find a child with magic?"
"From a mage who wishes to remain anonymous." I decide not to mention the fact that Natasha's birth-father is a Normal. No one would be able to tell anyway. She's too powerful. "But the adoption is legal and binding. Natasha is our daughter."
"Natasha," my father whispers, and his face softens for the first time. "And she will be raised as a Pitch?"
"She will father." Technically, she's a Snow-Pitch, but I decide not to point that out right now. "The house of Pitch is secure for another generation." And then something happens that I couldn't have predicted in a thousand years. My father starts to cry. He cries with more dignity than I could have thought possible, but there is no doubt that silent tears are streaming down his cheeks. My stepmother is openly crying at this point.
"May I hold her?" she asks.
"Of course," Simon says, and passes her Natasha. My stepmother gives her a loving smile.
"She's beautiful," she says. "I can't believe this. Malcom, look at her! She's stunning." I can't help but feel proud.
"I want to see!" Mordelia squeals, and the kids all gather en mass around my stepmother instead of Simon. But I'm still entirely focused on my father. As my father looks at Natasha his whole body relaxes. His shoulders slump ever so slighter and his face looks gentle and relieved. I've never seen him like this before. Ever. Then he looks at Simon; a long, lingering look that I can't interpret.
"So," he says to me. "When are you two getting married?"
Obviously not the end :D