Lady Taevyn: Lol, I'd like to point out in your review that you mentioned doctors looking to further their careers…perhaps you shouldn't speak of chapter contents before said chapter is posted, lol.
Lethia: Well I don't know why reviewing made it go ka-poof…silly site. Anyways, I'm glad we have so many people liking bishop and fishy so very much.
MJ MOD: Thomas was hiding Sonata from sight because, as we'll see when the kids get a bit older, he's very protective of his sister. Yes, the babies are going to be weird. They're Erik's kids after all. Yeah, Bishop is cute. I less than three Bishop. About my Phantom books: Firstly, Deception. Overall, a very good book, wonderful love story there. Second, Into the Light. Another good story. It's a rather thick book, but the chapters are short, and the print is somewhat larger than most books, so it goes pretty quickly. I especially adored the ending. Third, Darkness Brings the Dawn. This third book is based on Gerard Butler's portrayal of Erik, and while it was a fantastic story that never got boring, it was loaded with grammar and spelling errors. So if you don't mind poor spelling and grammar, fine and well. If you absolutely can't stand bad grammar and clearly incorrect spelling, I wouldn't recommend reading it. But if you can tolerate the mistakes, read it.
Artzee: The last chapter was up for quite a while before people started reviewing, but that's cuz fanfic email alerts weren't working…(mutters a severe string of profanities at the incompetence that fanfic displays sometimes) Anyways, I can't wait till you can get to the scanner and send me your pics. Also, you're right, babies can't smile until they're a month old. But, these are special children. We have to keep in mind that these are Erik's kids, and I'm using Susan Kay's Phantom for his background, so…
Black Hole Phoenix: I will rabbit with the story as much as college will allow. Also, I wouldn't growl menacingly at Satan if I were you. He might jam his stiletto heel through your throat…
Jadesy: Don't you dare steal Hiroshi. (brandishes the shocky spork menacingly) Sorry this chapter took awhile to get out, but I couldn't write for a while. My computer tried to crash on me. Thankfully, only my main hard drive containing windows was affected. The second hard drive where I keep this story (and all my pics and music and such) was untouched.
Der Drache Dame: Yeah, it's so utterly cute that Bishop thinks the babies are hairless kittens. And…yay! You finally got the prequel up!!!
Precious: The Precious is caught up! Finally! No, no bunny midwife. Erik may have wanted to use a midwife, but Lenore was determined to have the drugs at her disposal for childbirth, as well as doctors on hand in case something was wrong with the babies. And yeah, I'm done the books I got, lol.
I'm sure you all know the spiel by now, I don't own Phantom, fic takes place about twenty years into the present, blah blah blah, REVIEW…
"Five more minutes?" Lenore begged sleepily when Erik shook her awake that morning.
"No, we should take the twins in," Erik replied. "We need to have them looked over, and we'll need their birth certificates filled out."
"Can you go without me?"
"I can't feed our children, chérie."
"You could just buy some formula and mix it up," Lenore suggested.
"I already told you that formula isn't as beneficial to them as your milk," Erik replied with a sigh.
"But I'm tired, and I look like Hell from giving birth last night," Lenore complained.
"It would seem Hell became much more beautiful then the last time I saw it, if that's the case," Erik remarked. "I know you're tired, ma petite, but this must be done."
"Can I sleep in the car on the way?"
"I won't keep you awake, if that's what you're asking."
"Okay, I'll get some clothes on," Lenore mumbled, dragging herself out of bed. She found an outfit already placed on a chair a few feet from the bed. "Oh, how sweet of you to get my clothes for me! This saves me about twenty steps."
Erik nodded absently, in the process of putting Sonata in one of the sleepers they had purchased. Lenore noted that it was the hunter green sleeper with a pattern of bears. She had particularly avoided buying a lot of pinks and blues, as she didn't want to dress her babies in the stereotypical colors. She saw the dark red sleeper with the black puppies laid out for Thomas.
Ten minutes later, the twins were strapped into their car seats in the back of the vehicle. Lenore was sitting between them (Erik insisted she sit back there with them in case they woke up and wanted attention) and a diaper bag was sitting in the front passenger seat. She was just drifting off to sleep when Thomas opened his eyes and demanded food with that manipulative voice of his.
"You ate for an hour at three this morning," Lenore grumbled as she went through the process of unstrapping him. "Surely you can't be hungry again yet. It should be your sister complaining." Thomas's golden eyes seemed to contain a look of amusement. "You kids are way too smart…" she murmured as she bared a breast and let her son go at it.
Thomas fed for the entire ride to the hospital, which was an hour long trip. Lenore was rather put out that she didn't get a moment to rest at all, but there wasn't much she could do about it.
And then it began. Thousands of questions were being thrown at her while nurses got blood samples and took other tests to make sure everything was alright with her after having given birth in her home without a midwife present.
Lenore could hardly answer the questions posed, though. Sonata and Thomas were fiercely protesting being prodded at by strangers, having blood samples taken, and the like. Using their manipulative abilities, they were trying desperately to get her to intervene. It seemed Erik was suffering from their cries more than she was, for he was visibly shaking from the effort of restraining himself and letting the doctors do what needed to be done.
"What's taking so long?" Lenore muttered worriedly. "It's been almost two hours now."
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Erik tried to reassure her.
"I want my babies back," she replied.
They were currently sitting in a waiting room while the babies had been taken for more examinations and tests. Erik had granted the doctors permission to perform the tests, just to ensure that both children were as perfect as Satan claimed. He would have let Lenore go with them, but when Sonata had shrieked at being separated from her mother, Lenore had snatched the girl back and punched the nurse who'd taken Sonata. Erik would have left Lenore here to wait and gone with them, but he knew Lenore would have murdered anyone in her path to get to her babies unless he stopped her. So he had to wait here with her, forcibly holding her on the couch next to him.
"She didn't want those people to take her," Lenore whimpered, close to tears. "She didn't want them to hold her. She needs me, Erik. She's probably scared half to death back there with those doctors."
"Thomas is with her, she'll be fine," Erik replied consolingly, stroking Lenore's hair as he hugged her close.
"He wasn't happy. He didn't protest like Sonata did, but he didn't want to go either," Lenore complained.
"They'll be alright," Erik said comfortingly.
"No they won't. They'll think we've abandoned them!" Lenore wailed. "I want my babies back, and I want them now!"
Just then a doctor came out into the waiting room, hurrying over to the two of them. "Monsieur Dessler, Madam Dessler, we were wondering if we could perhaps keep your children overnight for observation," the doctor said. His eyes were excited at the prospect.
"Why? Is there something wrong with them?" Lenore inquired.
"Not at all. That's the astounding thing. Your daughter should have Turner's syndrome, but she doesn't. The results of her blood test confirm she has two perfect X chromosomes. And your son has the Y chromosome that he should have dropped. And except for the gender, their genetics are perfectly identical. This is the only case of identical boy/girl twins without the children having dropped a chromosome," the doctor explained. "As far as the medical career is concerned, your children are an impossibility that has somehow miraculously happened. And their eye color is…No one has that color naturally, all newborns have blue eyes as you know. They also seemed to have a greater sense of sight than is common, and they're extremely vocally advanced for newborns. You also said you've seen them smile; infants don't start smiling until they're about a month old. We've never seen anything like this, and we'd be so grateful if you gave us an opportunity to observe these phenomena and see if we can't figure out how it happened."
Lenore slapped the doctor before Erik could stop her. "You're not going to study my babies like lab rats!" she snarled.
"Madam Dessler, please be reasonable," the doctor begged, ignoring the fact that she had struck him. "Your daughter may provide a cure for Turner's syndrome, if you just give us a chance to run some more tests."
"My children are not subjects for study," Lenore snapped. "They're innocent babies who are frightened half to death at having strangers running all these tests on them!"
"Please Madam! These children could provide all sorts of breakthroughs in the medical and scientific fields," the doctor tried to persuade her. "They are invaluable to science. Learning more about your children could bring about so many benefits! We might find a way for mothers to give birth to more advanced infants. If your children can see and smile as they do now, surely they'll prove to be child prodigies, Madam. This could lead to having infants learning to walk and talk at earlier ages, they could be educated sooner"-
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" Lenore shouted, gaining the attention of the few other people sitting around the waiting room who had previously been engrossed in magazines. "Those are my children, and they're human beings, not animals! Studying them is absolutely out of the question!"
"Monsieur Dessler, surely you"-
"The decision is for my wife to make," Erik replied. When it came down to it, he agreed with Lenore. He didn't want his children being gawked at or cut open in the name of science.
"Take a few moments to think about what you're doing," the doctor pleaded. "Your daughter is miraculously healthy. By everything science tells us, that's entirely impossible. She should have Turner's and doesn't! Think about it, Madam Dessler. If your daughter could give us a cure for Turner's syndrome, what right do you have to keep it from humanity? So many girls suffer from Turner's syndrome, but we could put a stop to it if you just give us a chance to examine your daughter in greater detail."
"If you don't stop pestering me and begging to study my children, I'll put you in the emergency room," Lenore threatened. "Now bring me my babies so we can go home or you'll meet Saint Peter tonight, so help me God."
The doctor trudged back from whence he came, looking thoroughly depressed over Lenore's refusal. He returned a few moments later, two nurses trailing behind him with the twins. The twins were wailing relentlessly, still crying out for protection. Lenore rushed forward, taking first Sonata and then Thomas, glaring at the nurses as though she expected the nurses had mistreated the infants.
"In case you change your mind," the doctor muttered, handing Erik a business card.
"The nerve of that doctor!" Lenore growled in the backseat, feeding Sonata while Thomas settled in for a nap.
"I quite agree, chérie," Erik commented while he drove.
"Sonata's not old enough. Maybe in a few years, we'll ask her and see if she wants to undergo that sort of thing. But she's only a newborn infant right now, it would be too psychologically scarring to put her through extensive testing at this age," Lenore reasoned.
"They won't get a cure from her," Erik stated. "Satan told me earlier this morning that he had 'fixed' a few things to make sure both children were perfectly healthy."
"Wait, what? Satan helped our kids?" Lenore exclaimed.
"It seems he had noble intentions for once," Erik mumbled.
"No," Lenore argued. "He doesn't know the meaning of the word noble." She paused for a moment. "There's something in it for him, I assure you."
Once again, Sonata ate for about ten minutes before deciding she was done. This time, however, she did not fall asleep. Instead, she sat in her car seat, eyes wide open and taking in the scenery passing by.
"Erik, I'm going to get some sleep now," Lenore informed him, closing her eyes and shifting a bit to find a more comfortable position.
As Lenore started drifting off, Sonata began to make a myriad of noises, as if she were trying to start a conversation. Erik spoke softly to the child, and Sonata would reply with more noises. Lenore fell asleep listening to the two 'converse' softly.
Lenore awoke when the car stopped, yawning as she stretched. Sonata made a few noises as if asking Lenore if she slept well. "You are gonna be a noisy child, aren't you?" Lenore commented.
"Master Erik, you have a visitor," Gordon whispered to Erik the moment he stepped in the door, obviously not wanting Lenore to hear. "It's Master Khaldun."
Erik groaned inwardly. Khaldun was the second oldest immortal of the Condemned Circle. He'd only ever seen Khaldun a few times, and the man seemed to hate just about anything that wasn't connected to the realm of Hell. Then again, the twins have been touched by Satan. I doubt he'll hate them.
"Where is he?" Erik sighed.
"The parlour, Master," Gordon replied, looking worriedly at Lenore to see if she had overheard. Gordon was well aware of Lenore's hatred for the Condemned Circle.
"Chérie, we have a guest in the parlour," Erik informed his wife.
"A guest? We don't have friends. How can we have a guest?" Lenore pointed out.
"A member of the Circle has dropped by to congratulate us and see the twins," Erik explained.
"Tell him to go to Hell," Lenore growled. "I'm not letting any of those bastards in that Circle touch my babies."
"We'll both be present to make sure nothing happens," Erik reasoned. "It's best if we just let them see the twins when they wish. If we don't, they'll find a way to sneak in and see the children anyway. And if they have to sneak in, they'll find a nasty way to repay us. Let's avoid that, if possible."
"Alright," Lenore conceded. "But he can't see the twins for long, I want to put Sonata down for a nap soon."
Khaldun sat on a sofa in the parlour with a stately elegance. He wore traditional ancient Egyptian garments. Which meant a knee-length kilt and sandals. His head was shaved and covered with tattoos. Heavy eye make up surrounded those large brown orbs, and rings covered his ears and fingers. A box was sitting on the floor at his feet, and Bishop seemed so fascinated with the box that he didn't bother attacking Khaldun.
"How wonderful to see you, Khaldun," Erik lied through his teeth. "I assume you'll be staying for the evening meal?"
"No," Khaldun said flatly. "You know how much I detest the human realm. I merely came by to congratulate you on the birth of your children and give a gift to them."
"It's very nice to meet you too," Lenore muttered softly.
"I have no interest in you, woman, nor do I care even the slightest bit what your impression of me is," Khaldun informed Lenore with brutal honesty. "The only chance you have of ever gaining attention from me is if you insult me, directly or indirectly, or if you mistreat my niece and nephew." He stood, holding out his arms expectantly.
Erik knew from the look Lenore wore that she'd die before handing Sonata over to Khaldun, so Erik handed Thomas over. "If you have no objections, Khaldun, I'll open the gift," he said. It was irritating. He knew enough about the Circle to know that Khaldun was considered Erik's elder by an extremely wide margin and was therefore to be respected accordingly. Even in his own home, Erik would have to ask permission for anything beyond speaking.
"I suppose I have no objections," the immortal said dismissively, too busy holding Thomas to pay Erik much attention.
Erik tried not to be bothered by Khaldun's attitude. He wouldn't have to tolerate the man's presence for very long, so he should be able to keep his temper under control. He crouched down and opened the box Bishop had been staring at, completely spellbound. And immediately understood Bishop's fascination.
An Egyptian Mau poked its head out of the box, looking around curiously. Moments later, the young kitten leapt out of the box. Before it could scamper off, Erik scooped it up and checked its gender. As he had suspected, the cat was a female.
Well, we'll have to be sure to get this young lady fixed before she goes into heat. The last thing we need around here is kittens.
"Ooo, pretty kitty," Lenore remarked, having come over to look at the cat.
"A purebred Egyptian Mau," Erik informed her. "It seems she's going to be Bishop's new best friend."
"Her name is Sanura," Khaldun told Erik, ignoring Lenore completely and studying Thomas with intense scrutiny. "I assume you will have a coming of age ceremony for these two." It was a statement, not a question. And Erik knew precisely what it meant. Khaldun expected a ceremony when the twins reached fifteen, and he expected to be invited. "Make sure Thomas has received proper training to handle a scimitar."
"When he's old enough," Erik agreed. He really didn't have much choice in the matter now. An elder immortal had all but given him an explicit command to have his son trained.
Khaldun nodded and handed Thomas back to Erik, then deigned to look at Lenore so that she would realize he now wished to hold Sonata.
"Not on your life," Lenore muttered, giving Khaldun a glare.
"Chérie, don't be difficult," Erik advised her. The last thing he needed was to have the Condemned Circle come up here and call Lenore to account for not being respectful to an elder.
I don't want him holding her. I have a very strong dislike for this bastard, Lenore replied telepathically.
He's over eight thousand years old, ma petite. Khaldun is the second oldest immortal, which means he is to be highly respected. For both our sakes, just let him have his way. He won't be here much longer, surely you can tolerate him for a few more minutes, Erik responded.
Flashing Erik a brief look that conveyed her irritation, Lenore handed Sonata over to Khaldun.
"She'll be absolutely lovely when she comes of age," Khaldun said thoughtfully. "I think lapis lazuli, green tourmaline, and cornelian would be perfect for her necklace."
"I'm sure that would be lovely," Erik responded absently. Sanura was currently perusing the draperies for climbability. Bishop was trying to get Sanura's attention by rubbing up against her, but she seemed to find the curtains more interesting than Bishop.
"Well, I look forward to seeing the two again in fifteen years," Khaldun finally announced. His tone implicated that he would like nothing more than to stay in Hell rather than be bothered to come to Earth for their coming of age; Erik knew the man would only come because his presence would be expected. Khaldun handed Sonata back to Lenore and promptly disappeared without so much as a 'farewell'.
"There's got to be a way to keep those annoying bastards out of our house," Lenore grumbled the moment Khaldun was gone.
"Well, there is a way to keep immortals out, but I would prefer being allowed in my own home," Erik responded.
"Why did you have to be immortal?" Lenore complained, not really trying to be rude. She was just so annoyed at Khaldun. She didn't even want to contemplate seeing the rest of his 'family' in her home.
"If I wasn't immortal, ma petite, you would've died at the age of eighteen in a car crash," Erik pointed out.
"Well, being dead's a bit better than being plagued by the Condemned Circle," Lenore muttered.
Erik took his eyes off of Sanura to look at her. His blue orbs emanated such icy coldness that Lenore shivered. "Quite a spectacularly cutting insult, Madam," Erik hissed softly. "I just so happen to be a member of that Circle. I apologize; I didn't realize I was plaguing you. If you'd rather be dead, I could certainly arrange it."
"I…you…" Lenore stammered, trying to figure out precisely what it was she intended to say. The murderous look on Erik's face made it impossible to think at all. The only options she could see were to run or else start praying.
Thomas' demand for food at that precise moment drew Lenore's eyes to her son in Erik's arms. Which effectively shattered Erik's intimidating visage. Somehow it was hard to picture a man holding a baby as being capable of murder.
"You're absolutely ridiculous sometimes, Erik," Lenore promptly informed her husband while taking their son from him.
"Ridiculous?" Erik snarled. "You're the one who claimed death would be better than having a member of the Condemned Circle around! And if you lack the brains to remember that your husband happens to be a part of that Circle, and decide to mention such things without even thinking before you speak, then perhaps you are the ridiculous one!"
"It wasn't my idea that you become immortal, thus becoming a member of the Circle. If you ask me, that wasn't exactly a brilliant move," Lenore returned.
Erik seethed silently for a moment, radiating an air of danger once again. "You're a difficult woman," he snapped after a few moments. That said, he turned on his heel and all but stomped out of the room.
"Oh, you're fun to annoy," Lenore chuckled softly when she was sure he was out of hearing. He'd always manage to push her buttons when they lived under the Opera House. But since their marriage, Lenore had begun learning what ticked him off and how to phrase things just so to see his temper boil. It was quite a nice reversal, as far as she was concerned.
Sonata looked at her mother with golden eyes that gave Lenore a sense of disappointment. "Oh, don't look at me like that," Lenore chided. "You haven't known him anywhere near as long as I have. I'm sure when you get to know him better, you'll find it just as amusing as I do."
Bishop couldn't understand why Sanura was ignoring him. He found her quite interesting. He thought her spots were pretty, but he wasn't sure he should tell her that. It might seem too bold to say such a thing. Finally, Sanura decided to talk to him.
Can I climb that big piece of cloth on the wall? Sanura asked curiously.
No, it would make Erik very mad, Bishop informed the younger feline.
Oh. She was silent for a while after that, poking her nose around the room and examining everything. When she reached the doorway, she walked right past it as if it didn't exist. After making a full circuit of the room, she jumped up on the sofa and sat down next to where Bishop had perched while waiting for her to finish her inspection.
Are you too tired to go out and check the rest of the house? Bishop inquired with a yawn. Both of the twins looked fine, and they weren't expressing any concern over being held by one of the bad men.
Khaldun never let me leave the room I lived in before he brought me here. I don't want to go too far, or I'll get in trouble. I know that I'm not supposed to wander.
What do you mean? We're allowed to go anywhere in the house we want.
Oh, no, I'm not. I'm a guest. And Khaldun will be angry if he finds out.
You aren't a guest. You're one of the family now. That evil man left you here to live with us from now on, Bishop explained.
Are you sure? What about my brothers and sisters? Won't they be living here too?
Bishop wasn't sure he knew how to explain to her. He had been the last in his litter to get a family, so he'd come to expect not having his brothers and sisters around. Not that he'd adjusted to his new dwelling very easily. Quite the opposite. He was rather confused that first night with Lenore when he wasn't forced to stay in the cardboard box in the little girl's room. And he'd been frightened half to death when Erik shut him out of the bedroom. He worried that his new family didn't like him and they were leaving him, just as his brothers and sisters had.
Your brothers and sisters will find their own families, Bishop said, hoping that would be of some comfort to the young female.
But…What'll I do without them? Who will I curl up with when I'm sleepy? Who will play with me? And Mommy! I need Mommy! Who will bathe me? Who will protect me from all the scary things in the world?
You can curl up with me, Bishop offered. And we'll play together, with Fishy. Fishy's my friend, you'll like him. You can bathe yourself, you're big enough. And I'll protect you from the scary things. Though there's really not much to be scared of, except when Erik and Lenore get into a fight. That's really the only time to be afraid. I recommend hiding under the bed when that happens.
Well…I guess I won't miss my siblings too badly. They used to push me away from the food bowl. …Are you sure I can't climb the cloth?
"Thomas is doing splendidly," Dr. Blanc informed Lenore and Erik. "He's gaining weight very well. Sonata, on the other hand, isn't gaining much at all. She's barely getting three and a half ounces per week. Is she having a problem feeding or…?"
"She doesn't seem to want to eat all that often," Lenore explained. "I've tried to get her to eat every time her brother does, but she won't eat unless she wants to. And when she does nurse, it's only for ten minutes or so." This was the first visit with the pediatrician, and Lenore had feared he would comment on Sonata's weight gain (or lack thereof).
"Has she been sleeping a great deal of the time?" Dr. Blanc inquired.
"No, she's awake more than Thomas," Lenore replied.
"Have you given Sonata a pacifier at any time?"
"No, never," Lenore answered.
"Is she easily distracted by things? For example, does she pull away if someone walks into the room, or if something makes a sudden noise?"
"No," Lenore said, feeling like a broken record. "She just isn't interested."
"And she hasn't shown any signs of jaundice," the pediatrician mused. "I don't recall ever hearing of anything like this in a newborn. Quite clearly you have an adequate supply, Thomas is proof of that."
Erik glared at the man, most likely because the doctor had mentioned something to do with Lenore's breasts. I swear. Erik acts so jealous sometimes, thinking that the doctor is checking me out merely because we discussed my breasts.
"Perhaps it's hereditary," Erik suggested. "I ate very rarely as an infant."
Dr. Blanc let his eyes take in Erik's extremely thin frame and severe disapproval briefly painted his features. "I suggest you try using formula for Sonata," Dr. Blanc said, his eyes turning back to Lenore. "She's clearly not getting enough calories in the ten minutes that she'll feed."
"Is it really a problem?" Erik all but snarled. "Sonata's perfectly happy right now, and we can't force her to eat."
"It is a problem if she doesn't start gaining weight," Dr. Blanc returned.
"Well, I know before I gave birth, I was severely underweight," Lenore mentioned. "I mean, I'm about five foot five, and weighed about one hundred pounds. Medically defined, I was underweight. But there was nothing wrong with me; I just have a very fast metabolism. Could she maybe have the same metabolic rate that I do and that's causing the problem of her not gaining enough?"
"That really shouldn't show until later," Dr. Blanc replied. "If that were the case, we'd start seeing signs of it around three or more years old."
"Like Erik said, I can't force her to eat," Lenore sighed. "I've tried encouraging her to hang on a bit longer, but when she's done, she stops sucking and that's the end of it."
"Madam Dessler, your daughter is underweight," Dr. Blanc said calmly. "This can cause serious problems in her development. From what you've told me, she has no difficulties latching on or transferring the milk. It simply sounds as though she won't nurse long enough to get the right amount of calories. And the only way to make sure she gets the calories she needs is to give her formula."
"It is entirely out of the question," Erik informed the man, giving the doctor a murderous glare. "I will not have my children digesting that artificial garbage when my wife is clearly quite capable of providing sufficient nourishment."
"It's in the interest of your daughter's well being, monsieur," Dr. Blanc pointed out, his voice trembling with instinctive fear caused by Erik's intimidating glower.
"If her mother's milk is better for her, than how is it in her best interest to receive formula?" Erik argued.
"It ensures the child gets enough calories and nutrients," Dr. Blanc said, still sounding a bit afraid of Erik.
"Are there any other options?" Lenore inquired, trying to get the doctor to focus on her instead of Erik. Stop scaring the man, Erik, she commanded him telepathically.
"Well, you can talk to a lactation consultant," Dr. Blanc suggested. "But the problem seems to be that she's not feeding long enough to get the hindmilk."
"Other than Sonata's weight, our children are healthy, correct?" Erik snarled.
"Well, yes, but"-
"Then this appointment is over. Good day, monsieur," Erik said fiercely, leaving no room for argument. He stood, Thomas in his arms, and then dragged Lenore (who held Sonata) to her feet before pushing her towards the door.
"Erik, how dare you!" Lenore hissed the moment they were out of Dr. Blanc's office. "Scaring that poor man like that. And in front of your children, no less!"
"That man is an incompetent fool," Erik replied heatedly as they made their way down the hall to the waiting room.
"He came highly recommended by Kathleen," Lenore protested. "And he's just trying to be helpful, that's all."
"Helpful? How is it helpful to feed our daughter that man-made rubbish?" Erik snapped.
"Do you want to talk with a lactation consultant?" Lenore sighed.
"No. You're not having any problems, and our children are perfectly healthy and happy," Erik responded.
"Are you always going to be like this?" she inquired tiredly.
"Like what?"
"Always thinking you know better than the doctors," Lenore answered as they made their way through the waiting room to the doors.
"If all doctors are as ignorant as this one, then yes," Erik said vehemently.
Erik opened the doors, and Lenore thought she would go blind. Lights flashed all around her, and a crowd of people began to press forward. It took her a moment to realize the people in question were all reporters.
"What's going on?" Lenore muttered softly.
"It seems the media finds our children interesting," Erik whispered to her.
"But how do they know anything about our children?"
"You were rather loud at the hospital, chérie," he reminded her.
"Well damn," she mumbled.
"Please refrain from using such expletives in front of our children," Erik sighed.
"Like they even know what it means," Lenore retorted. It was at that moment she realized the reporters had been throwing questions at the pair of them, and neither had said a word to these annoying journalists and newsmen.
"Madam Dessler, it's said your daughter might hold the key to creating a cure for Turner's Syndrome. If that's so, why would you refuse to let doctors observe her?" one bold reporter questioned.
Just as Lenore was about to yell at the woman that her child wasn't a lab rat for scientists to be conducting experiments on, Erik spoke.
"My wife and I have no comment. We desire to be left in peace." The words were delivered softly, but every person present heard those words. The moment he finished speaking, Erik took Lenore's elbow and began pulling her through the throng of reporters, who immediately began shooting off more questions and taking more pictures (or footage), attempting to get close-ups of the babies. Both Erik and Lenore shifted the children in their arms so that their faces could not be seen.
"Hey, Uncle Erik's on the news," Olivia commented casually.
Tori looked up from the book she'd been reading. She wasn't quite sure she knew what she was seeing. The reporter at the scene was asking about the niece Tori had yet to meet, saying something about being able to cure Turner's Syndrome.
"My wife and I have no comment. We desire to be left in peace," Erik quietly informed the shameless men and women of the media. Tori knew by his tone that, had he had a Punjab lasso at hand, Erik would've killed the lot of them.
As they made their way through the throng, clutching the children closely and hiding their faces from view, Tori shook her head. What was the world coming to? Didn't the media have any respect for people's privacy anymore? Back when she was young, things had been better. People had respected one another back then. It seemed the world fell into worse states every day.
The anchors of the show began a brief discussion of why a mother wouldn't want to let her daughter be observed if it could produce a cure for Turner's Syndrome, and Tori decided that her book was ten times better than today's news.
If the twins hadn't been in the car, Erik would have let out a severe string of curses. There were a few reporters who were tailing them to find out where the Dessler family resided.
Curse those intrusive bastards to Hell.
"They're still following us," Lenore observed, having twisted around to glance out the rear window. "Do you think they'll ever give up?"
Erik neglected to answer her. He'd taken several detours, going in any direction that led away from their house. But he couldn't keep it up forever. It seemed he had little choice but to finally start heading home.
"Chérie, I'm afraid I'll have to resort to my old ways for the next few weeks," Erik muttered.
"Could you be a bit more specific?" Lenore said, quirking an eyebrow.
"I had a few rooms built that you are unaware of," Erik answered evasively.
"I take it these rooms have mirrors, an iron tree, and a noose," Lenore sighed.
"What home is complete without a torture chamber?" Erik teased.
"I'm sure it's some kind of crime to be without one," Lenore replied dryly.
Erik slowed the car as he approached a stop sign, thoroughly dreading turning on the blinker that would indicate the turn that would begin taking them home. The reporters tailing them braked as well, and Erik could swear that he could see the eager gleam in their eyes if he glanced in the rearview mirror. The car came to a complete stop, and Erik looked both ways. He decided to glare at the reflections of the press in his rearview mirror before he made the turn, but found himself staring at what was approaching the reporters' van from behind them rather than glowering at the media.
"Erik, it's clear, you can make your turn," Lenore pointed out, having no idea what was occurring behind them.
"Turn around," Erik instructed her.
"What? Are you nuts? You want me to turn and look at them, as close as they are now?"
"Turn around," Erik repeated.
Lenore sighed as she complied with his command. But the moment she turned her head, all exasperation vanished. "HOLY HELL!" she shrieked. "There's a fucking six-legged horse breathing fire back there!"
Erik watched in the rearview mirror as the rider of the black hell horse guided it into a rather impressive leap, landing the horse on top of the press van. The reporters leapt out of the vehicle, frightened half out of their wits.
"Bandits!" the rider shouted ferociously, drawing a scimitar out from underneath the long, flowing white robe he wore. "Be gone, before I gut you and leave you for the vultures' supper!"
"Get off our van, you lunatic," one of the reporters demanded.
The man on horseback dismounted, standing on top of the van. He glared at the man who'd spoken, the rider's brown eyes being the only part of his face that was visible beneath the white cloth wrapped around his head and the white veil covering his mouth to protect himself from the harsh conditions of the desert.
"Erik, drive on," Lenore whispered in a wavering voice.
"I'm afraid I can't leave a family member to the mercies of the press," Erik replied tiredly. Gershom was the one immortal he had never met, because Gershom wandered the Arabian Desert. It was said that the man never wandered out of the desert because he had been threatened with death should he ever leave the desert his people had exiled him to. Though Erik had never met Gershom, he had been given a full description of the man, and he knew without a doubt this was Gershom, the third oldest immortal, at the age of seven thousand three hundred and forty six.
"Can you get a new family?" Lenore inquired, shaking her head as this new immortal waved his scimitar around until the reporters ran off into the woods a few feet back down the road.
"As soon as you get a new mother, chérie," Erik retorted.
"Oh, you rotten excuse for a husband," she replied without a speck of sincerity in her voice. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"
"Are you asking for suggestions?" Erik asked, a wicked grin on his face.
"Only if your suggestions will entertain me," Lenore shrugged casually.
"I'm sure I have a few that would be to your liking."
Before Lenore could respond to that, there was a tapping on the window beside Sonata. Lenore closed her eyes and prayed for deliverance from immortals as Erik operated the power windows.
"You must have a great store of water, to have bandits pursuing you," the man exclaimed. "This is a rather odd cart you ride in." He poked the car with his scimitar, and Lenore saw some of the paint chip off.
Just peachy. An immortal who doesn't know what a car is and ruins the paint job.
"I don't believe I've had the privilege of meeting you before," Erik remarked through gritted teeth, having noticed the chip in the paint and having little patience with those who damaged his property.
"I am far from my homeland," the rider admitted. "God granted me a vision, sending me on a quest to find you, stranger. God shows me favor, despite the exile forced upon me by His people. This is not the place to speak. Let us find water so that we may rest and converse in a more pleasant environment."
"Oh, I think we've conversed enough," Lenore said as sweetly as she could manage. "Why don't you go back to wherever you came from? I mean, you obviously fulfilled your quest, now that you've met us."
"We must ride, before the vultures find us," the man replied, casting a wary look at the sky above before dashing back to his six-legged horse and remounting. "Lead the way, stranger, I am not familiar with this desert."
Erik checked to make sure the roads were clear once again before making the turn. They drove in silence for a few minutes, Lenore constantly turning around to see if the immortal was still following them.
"Who is he?" she finally asked Erik, as it seemed he wasn't going to volunteer the information.
"That's Gershom," Erik grumbled, a look of concern crossing his face. "I've been told that Gershom was exiled to the Arabian Desert by his own people. We don't really know what he was exiled for, but Khaldun found him on the brink of death and decided on a whim to give Gershom immortality. Of course, by that point, Gershom was less than sane. The man doesn't even know he's an immortal."
"Wait, there's an immortal who doesn't know he's immortal?" Lenore said skeptically. "No one could possibly forget dying and being denied access to Heaven."
"He believes that God was sending him a vision of what his fate would be if he failed to live a decent life," Erik sighed. "The man isn't right in the head, chérie. Try to keep that in mind."
"If he's mentally gone with the wind, then why are we leading him to our house?" Lenore griped.
"Because he's family," Erik reminded her.
"It's moments like this when I wonder why I married you," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching down in her seat between the twins.
"Should I take that to mean you have no affections for me?" Erik inquired.
"Affection for you, I have in spades. It's affection for your family that I lack," Lenore answered.
"I suppose I can't blame you for that; I'm not that fond of them myself."
The rest of the drive was rather silent. Sonata stared out the window at the scenery and Thomas slept soundly. Lenore looked at her son and shook her head. He never wanted much attention. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was simply shutting everyone out of his life for his own protection. You get that silent, introverted nature from your father, I have no doubt. There's no way you got it from me, I adore attention.
"You could ask for attention a bit more," Lenore informed Thomas when he awoke as they parked the car in the driveway. "It wouldn't kill you."
Gershom was standing beside the car by the time Lenore got out, muttering something about strange carts that moved without horses. After adjusting the position of the diaper bag's strap on her shoulder, she reached back into the car and extricated Thomas and his car seat from the vehicle.
"Stop!" Gershom shouted frantically, grabbing her waist and yanking her back a few feet. "What if a scorpion has taken up residence in your cart, woman?!"
"What would a scorpion being doing in the car?" Lenore argued skeptically.
"Scorpions take shelter in cool, shady areas during the day. Everyone who has an ounce of intelligence knows that," Gershom returned, eyeing her as if he was currently wondering if she was a witless fool. "I'll retrieve the child; I've built up an immunity to scorpions' venom."
"There aren't any scorpions in there, you idiot," Lenore snapped. "If there was one, it would've bit me already!"
Gershom's eyes widened as if this had just occurred to him. With a worried look in his brown eyes, he leapt onto Lenore, knocking her to the ground in his tackle. He pressed his ear to her bosom, listening to her heartbeat and breathing for a few moments.
"What is wrong with you?" she shrieked as she struggled beneath him. Gershom grabbed her jaw and inspected the inside of her mouth, entirely unconcerned by her protestations.
"You show no signs," Gershom sighed with relief after he finished his inspection. "And no vultures circle overhead awaiting your flesh for their supper. This is a good omen."
Lenore shook her head as the man stood and proceeded to retrieve her son from the car. Erik was standing a few feet to Lenore's left, looking rather amused by the whole scenario. "Don't even think of laughing at that," Lenore commanded Erik darkly.
"Isn't Gershom great?" Tammy beamed, thoroughly enjoying this new immortal.
"I forgot how much fun Gershom could be," Hiroshi chuckled, as he had been reading the whole thing over Tammy's shoulder.
"I love Gershom," Tammy giggled.
"Oh, cupcake, that wounds my heart," Hiroshi whined, putting on a sad puppy face.
"Silly Jack, I don't love him like that," Tammy explained. "Besides, even if I did, I have the feeling he wouldn't realize…he's got a few wires loose, if you catch my drift."
"I still feel rather hurt by your words. Perhaps you could make it up to me by letting me sleep with you tonight."
The shocky spork was once more employed in the important task of subduing Hiroshi. "Well, don't forget to review," Tammy reminded her readers. "And, Der Drache Dame has posted the first chapter of the prequel!!! Go read it, people! It's really good!"