A/N: thanks so much for those reviews! And now, I want to give specific thanks! (I can't believe I'm doing this so late. I should have done this sooner, sorry!)
So thank you do much suzi1811(yes, how typical of Derek to already be growling at Larissa's first heartbreak. I wonder how she's going to introduce her boyfriend to her parents...?) Cheerfully Blue (yes, a very protective Derek as a father ;) but actually, I'm thinking of doing something different with Clarissa's eye color, later, it's going to mean something...) and last but not least, C. K. (actually, I never knew the main character from the Immortal Instruments was named Clarissa! I saw the name Clary and kind of liked it, but I was aiming for a name with nicknames, you know? Wouldn't want people to call her Larry, right?) All three of you have reviewed all of my chapters and have been there from the start! Thank you for reviewing (yeah, I know how clicking that review button and actually typing words can be such a drag ;P) and for those amazingly long reviews that observe everything!
Warning!: I made a huge mistake in my other chapter. Supposedly, Leah was pregnant. But that was a mistake. Leah wasn't pregnant. Only Tori. Sorry about that!
Now, on with the chapters!
Sept 2, 2022 was the day Ethan found he couldn't sleep at all.
He tossed and turned in his bed, unable to shut his eyes. He wasn't tired at all, which came as a surprise seeing how Ethan had woken up at seven to go to the hospital with his parents and Clarissa. No, not because they were hurt or anything. But because he was going to met his first female cousin! Tori and Jackson were in the same positions Ethan's mom and dad were on march 20. And in a bundle of pink blankets was Alexis Elizabeth Simmons. With her red hair barely visible and her black eyes teary, she looked adorable.
And then, five hours later, they were at Simon and Leah's house. For what? To meet Jeremy Peter Bae for the first time. It was really exciting and extremely delayed.
When Ethan met Jeremy, he wasn't a newborn. And unlike Ethan and Clarissa, Jeremy wasn't born in New York. No, he was born in West Virginia.
Why? Because Leah's parents had asked for it. Ethan isn't fully sure, but he did get some details from eavesdropping. "The least you could do is this, seeing how Leah left to New York for you and left us." He had heard Leah's mother say to Simon with a hint of humor. But it wasn't to be taken so lightly.
Ethan had heard of how Leah and Simon met. Leah, who lived all her life with her parents in West Virginia, came on vacation to New York because of a friend. That's when she met Simon and well, you can guess what happened next.
Leah decided to stay with Simon, even though she was really close to her parents. You see, Leah and her parents were practically inseparable. Well, that's just what happens when your daughter is supposedly going to be the sixth miscarriage on your list, but against everything, she is born. Of course, Ethan didn't know this. But he did know of that bond between Leah and her parents.
And even though it hurt her parents to see her leave, they gave her their blessings.
So of course, her parents still wanted their grandson to be born in Pennsylvania. And get this, they requested to keep Jeremy with them for awhile before going back to New York. Ethan was surprised Simon and Leah agreed to this at all. Curious as to why they would do that, Ethan had asked his mother.
"Because you never know when's the last time you'll get to see someone. They don't want to take things for granted." Though it took Ethan awhile to decipher those words, he had finally cracked the code. It was a sad thought that made him wish he hadn't asked anything. Then again, it made him vow to make sure Jeremy won't forget he still had grandpa Kit with him.
Anyway, when Ethan finally met Jeremy, he was already nine months old. It was his first time meeting Ethan and Derek and Chloe. Tori wasn't here, but she had visited him when he was still in West Virginia. Derek and Chloe had never went to visit, and at first, that had upset Ethan. But he figured his father must have had a good reason not to have gone to see his own nephew.
Anyways, Jeremy is not taking after his father's dirty blonde hair, but his mother's brunette hair. But he does, for now anyways, have Simon's small slanted almond eyes. Plus, his mother's Hispanic heritage shows in his light brown skin.
And he smiles a lot and giggles at random moments.
Ethan idly wonders, as he sees Leah and Simon laugh along with their son, if they wish Leah's parents weren't sick, so then they didn't have to have miss so much of Jeremy's life.
Sure, they visited every month or so, but that was their child. And sure, it wasn't Simon's fault Leah was always extremely close to her parents and didn't hesitate when her parents had suggested their plan.
He wondered if Simon had really despised that idea. The idea of not being able to see his own first son for nine consecutive months like a normal family. He wondered why? Simon had every right to decline that.
But as Ethan saw Simon lift his son up to the light, then bend down to kiss his wife, Ethan found his answer.
It was because that was what Leah wanted. Her last debt to her parents before their death.
But for now, all thoughts of Jeremy had vanished as he found a new worry.
He tumbled and tossed in his bed, moving to one position only to reposition in the next minute. His sheets were discarded off to one side, because it made it easier to maneuver on the bed.
Finally, Ethan resorted to staring up at his ceiling, bright eyes looking almost neon in the dim room. His arms and legs were sprawled, as if making a snow angel on his bed.
It's been a long time since Ethan had slept with his parents. They asked him to sleep in his own room for awhile, because of Clarissa. No, it's not because they replaced him.
It's just Clarissa starts crying in the middle of the night sometimes. So Dad decided to place her crib in their bed, waking immediately after she starts crying. And since Ethan's hearing is enhanced, the crying will most definitely wake him up in the middle of the night. Not wanting that, they asked him to sleep in his own room.
Mom and dad had joked he was easier to handle because he never woke up in the middle of the night. In fact, he barely ever cried as a newborn, never having to wake up the parents in the middle of the night. And Derek chuckled as he called Clarissa "abnormal".
But Ethan couldn't help but to wonder if he was the abnormal one of the children? I mean, he's seen shows where it's always the babies crying at the peak of midnight, but Ethan was the opposite.
Anyways, Ethan couldn't take it anymore, and he crept out of his new small bed. Yes, no more cribs for Ethan anymore. His parents decided there was no point to them, since Ethan always found a way to sneak out of every new crib they bought him. So they gave up and just gave him a toddler's bed. Hey, better safe then sorry.
He took his blanket, and opened the slightly closed door of his and walked silently down the hall. He barely even heard his own footsteps, like a hunter in the night, creeping closer and closer to his goal.
Finally, he got to his parents room and he ever so slowly pushed open their door. He could see the silhouettes of their bodies under the sheets, and he made his way over to them.
His father still hasn't heard him, so he pushed himself onto their tall bed and right between their bodies, where there was a small empty space.
That's when Derek woke up. He stir, then got off his side, that was facing Chloe, who was curled into him, and leaned on his elbows, peering down at Ethan, green eyes glimmering in the dark.
"Ethan, what's wrong?" he whispered softly, confused as he son climbed higher up at him.
"I can't sleep." He replied shyly.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Derek asked as he sat up and grabbed Ethan under his arms and carried him to his lap, his bare chest against Ethan's back.
Ethan turned around to face his father and brought his lips closer to his ears, as if ready to tell a big secret.
"I'm scared. Of tomorrow." Ethan informed quietly, before darting his eyes to his still sleeping mother. Derek, understanding the meaning behind Ethan's worried glance to his mother, grabbed Ethan and laid him right between the couple, pulling the covers over him. Sure, Chloe was Ethan's mother and knew just about everything of him. There were no secrets. But, well, showing fear wasn't something he was comfortable, it was a werewolf thing Derek understood perfectly. And so, after settling down, Derek whispered softly only to his son's ears, "You'll do just fine. You're really brave, no need to worry." Before kissing his forehead lightly.
It was a whole weight was lifted off Ethan's shoulder. His dad, his awesome father, telling him he was brave just about made all of his worries disappear. It was like a general telling his solider that he was his favorite, and knew he was going to make it.
And Ethan drifted to sleep quickly, thinking maybe the first day of preschool might actually be fun.
October 12, 2022 is the day Ethan found its actually not that hard to act like a mommy.
Chloe had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs with the tv turned on. About ten minutes ago she had just picked up Ethan from his bus stop, walking like the dead. And twenty minutes ago she had just come back from the office building in which she had a stressful meeting. And two hours ago she had to get dressed, bathed, and cleaned up in under ten minutes because she over slept. Then, after being so careful not to spill the boiling water she needed to feed her daughter(because her eyes kept dropping) she found her daughter fast asleep in the baby seat carrier by the couch.
Needless to say, it was not a good afternoon for her.
So as Ethan turned off the tv, he decided to lay her down on the couch so she could nap more comfortably. She needed the rest, and not wanting to wake her, he dimmed the lighting in the living room. Then, silently, he chucked the remote from her hands before he crept upstairs, destination; his parents' room. Why? Because even though they have hidden his control for the tv in his room, he had figured out that by using the downstairs control, he can control the volume in his tv. Then, while using his parents control, he could actually change channels and stuff. And even though they had also hidden theirs as well, Ethan already knew where it was. He could follow his mother's most recent trail, because she had just hidden that control.
Though, the only reason why Ethan had discovered all of this, was due to the fact his parents always hide theirs. Why would they do that? Ethan had once wondered. And being the observer he was, after, he went to get some answers.
And as he was halfway up, he heard a soft whimper coming from the living room. Curious, Ethan descended the stairs, following the source.
And there, waving her arms languidly as she shut her eyes closed, was Clarissa as she slept in her baby car seat. Slowly, Ethan made his way closer, head cocking as he thought hard. It almost looked as if she was having a nightmare, but, babies can't have nightmares, right?
Bending at the waist, Ethan peered down at her, resting his palms on his kneecaps.
But, what if she was having a nightmare? Should he wake her?
Reaching out tentatively, he touched her cheek with the back of his pointer finger. And as soon as he did, her eyes opened wide, making them looking even more of a luminous green in the dim lighting.
Yup, Clarissa's eyes were capable of changing colors. And though Ethan knew that was normal, he wasn't quite sure if having them change so frequently was normal, almost as if trying to make up their mind. But whatever, even if it wasn't, so what? It's just eye color. Though he had heard his parents discussing it once, he thought they were just overreacting. Still though, it was a wonder how her eyes can be sapphire blue one day, and in two days, be completely green. It was almost like they were acting on their own accord, their own mind.
"Hey Lissa." (A/N: NOT Lisa, but as in the beginning of Lisp.) Ethan greeted quietly as he waved his hand to her. Cocking her head, she stared at the waving control in his hand with such curiosity, it was as if he was holding such a phenomenal item that had the answer to any question in the world.
Wordlessly, she reached for it, green eyes deep with intensity. Ethan handed it over, and she turned it around in her hands, examining.
Ethan heard a soft growl of her stomach, and suddenly, she began to tear up.
Ethan shot up, planning to get his mother when he spotted her laying on the couch, fast asleep. What should he-
A light bulb went off, and grabbing the handle of Clarissa's basket, he hefted her and began wobbling to the kitchen. He set her down, and grabbed a chair by the island and climbed up.
He opened the cupboard, and dogged around. After dropping a few spices and boxes to the floor, he finally found the baby formula.
With prize in hand, he jumped down, avoiding the mess on the floor. And so, he made his way to the top stove, where the already boiling water was cooling off.
By the side of the stove was Clarissa's bottle, so Ethan grabbed it, then grabbed the chair he used earlier and pulled it over the sink.
Standing on the chair, Ethan opened the facet all the way and rinsed the bottle. Sure, the water spilled all over the floor and his shirt and sleeve, but hey, it's just water.
He dried the bottle with a towel, and climbed down the chair, walking back to the stove.
Ethan glanced behind him when he heard a small whimper.
Clarissa was staring at him, head cocked as she watched him grab the handle of the small pot used for boiling water and slowly pour the water in the cup.
Of course, because he wasn't over the sink nor skilled, the water poured all over the floor, splashing around his sneakers.
"Oops." was all he said after he managed to get water in the bottle.
Again, he climbs the chair and looks at the back of the baby formula container.
It had a lot of numbers and units he still didn't quite understand, but it was a good thing he always watched his mommy when she prepared this for Larissa. So, looking at the baby pink top of the bottle, him immediately remembers his mommy puts two ounces in here.
So, he opened the container and scooped up the powder with the small measuring cup already inside. After spilling powder on the counter top, Ethan finally managed to get enough powder in the bottle. He seals it with it's corresponding top, and he shakes.
After he was satisfied, he happily jumped down his chair and ran over to his waiting sister.
She looked at the bottle in Ethan's hands and she waved her hands frantically, reaching for the bottle.
Ethan handed it over, and he bend down to feed her.
Sure, it's not like his back hurt as he bend to her level, but Ethan decided to hold his sister.
It was almost like a weird voice telling him to, and that he had a right as the older brother. Plus, he never really did get to hold his baby sister.
So, setting down the bottle, he very carefully grabbed either side of his sister, as her huge eyes just stared at him, curious since this was the first time he ever tried to grab her.
Ethan lifted her up tentatively as he made sure her head wasn't awkwardly angled. And then, he pressed her against him as he placed a hand on her neck, keeping her head laid on his shoulder while his other hand held her up. And Ethan couldn't help but to smile stupidly as he slowly swayed, like he watches his parents do when trying to calm down Larissa.
She placed a hand on the other side of Ethan's neck and squeezed as Ethan carefully sat down on the floor. He placed Clarissa slowly on the floor between his legs that formed a circle around her, with one hand on her back to keep her sitting up. Then he grabbed the bottle and began to feed her.
Ethan did it! He managed not only to make her bottle, but to hold her up without hurting her! Psh, this mothering thing is easy!
Too deep in his euphoria, Ethan didn't even notice his mother staring incredulously at the mixture of water and powder and cereal all over the kitchen floor. It looked as if some robber ransacked their kitchen!
"Ethan Christopher Souza!" Ethan looked up at his red faced mother, and yet, he couldn't help but to give her a grin from ear to ear.
And Chloe couldn't help but to point out how adorable her son looked as he sat on the floor holding a bottle to his sister's mouth as she sat contently between his legs, her black headed head bobbling happily as she sucked on her bottle.
Damn him and his adorableness.
So, I'm kind of running out of ideas. (actually, no. I do have ideas, but those are for later, to introduce the main plot I'm slowly advancing.) I just need some fillers.
So, if there's anything you want to see(or read) Ethan and Clarissa doing, please don't hesitate to share them. Trust me, they won't be stupid!
Help, you Women of the Otherworld readers!
Okay, so, I'm planning on doing a quick cross-section with the Pack and our characters. Any tips/descriptions/ characteristics you have of Nick and Paige? Or, better yet, who do you think Jeremy (see, I know a little bit,) would most likely send out, oh, I don't know, to check things out? Like a messenger? Specifically, a werewolf and a shaman/witch. If you don't know any, then just pretty please help me with Nick and Paige.
Oh, and if you want to know of Tori's past with her ex-fiancé, well, these songs (in order) will help.
She won't be Lonely Long- Clay Walker (she=Tori; Singer=Jackson)
Halo- Beyonce Knowles (Tori's PoV)
medium auburn brown hair