Jamie held the orb close.
"Yeah, but I was thinking that maybe we should save most of that for when we know the gender for sure. Which we should know in a few months I think." Jack nodded.
"Yes, of course."
"I think we'll have plenty of time to decorate and plan for it." Jack nodded.
"Yes, yes we do." He snuggled Jamie and the orb but felt absolutely exhausted.
"I'm tired."
"Time for a nap then." Jamie said softly, pressing a kiss to Jack's forehead. Jack tiredly made his way to bed, falling asleep as soon as he hit the mattress... so to speak. Jamie chuckled softly, he stayed in the nursery with the orb; Jack smiled in his sleep, his dreams happy and full of ideas and fun times with the growing child. When Jack woke up, Jamie had moved into the main cavern with the orb and was eating a sandwich. Jack smiled when he saw him.
"What you eating there?"
"Baloney."
"Yummy, I'm gonna make grilled cheese." Jamie smiled as he finished his sandwich. Jack snickered, getting the pans ready and started talking to the orb.
"And how is our little sunshine from above doing?" He said gently rubbing it affectionately before he moved to start cooking. As if to respond, the orb glowed slightly which made Jamie smile. Jack felt all warm inside from that.
"I wonder if he can tell what we're eating." Jack said, working on finishing the grilled cheese.
"Donno. Wouldn't think so since, you know, there's no way he could know what any given thing is 'cause... you know... no prior experience or anything." Jack nodded.
"Well I just wonder." He said, taking a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich and seeing if any reaction came from the little orb. The little orb didn't react to what Jack's eating anymore than it had to what Jamie had eaten. Jack looked curiously.
"Guess it doesn't have a connection like that, huh Jamie?" He then baby talked the orb.
"No you don't, no you don't mmm..."
"Guess not." The orb twitched slightly on it's own. Jamie raised an eyebrow at this in surprise. Jack wondered what was up with the orb.
"It moved on it's own."
"Yeah... i-it did. I didn't know it could do that!" Suddenly it just jumped and latched onto Jack.
"AHH! JAMIE WHAT THE HECK! GET IT OFF!" Jamie grabs the orb which glows a soft blue.
"Easy now, I think you just startled him. Not used to you moving about. No one told us that you could." Jack sighed.
"I'm sorry, that scared me a lot." The orb wiggled a little, snuggling against Jamie. Jack snuggled next to Jamie and the orb, kissing it gently before kissing Jamie.
"This is still amazing."
"I agree." The orb glowed a faint pink for a moment. Jack smiled.
"Why don't we read it a story?" He said, still thinking of a baby name, but they wouldn't know its gender for a little bit.
"That's a good idea. What should we read first?"
"How about 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'?"
"I know that story, it's an old one; that's a good idea." Jack nodded and took the orb and Jamie to the bed, he brought out said story book from the book shelf. Jack snuggled in and cushioned the orb and Jamie so it was as comfortable as Jamie. Jamie shifted so that the orb was safely, and comfortably, cocooned between the two of them. Jack smiled and started to tell the thrilling tale of the boy who cried wolf. Jamie listened intently as Jack read the story.
"And you know what happened to the boy then?" He looked at the orb as if expecting it to answer, but there was a hum like 'what daddy, what?' Jack smiled.
"The wolf ate him and nobody ever found out what happened to the boy accept his poor parents." The orb trembled, frightened.
"But he was saved by the axe men and the wolf was dead." He added that, forgetting how adult this book was, the the orb glowed a light blue, happy. Jamie didn't contradict the changed ending of the story, understanding too well that Jack probably didn't want to scare their young child. Perhaps when they were older Jamie would tell them the story again... with the right ending.
"Maybe the next story you should read is Goldilocks. That's a good story." Jamie suggested; Jack nodded.
"Of course." He pulled out the book and slowly told the story. Jamie smiled as the orb glowed a slight blue in happiness as it listened to Jack read the book; after finishing the story Jack fell asleep. Jamie just smiled, his mind wandered a while before eventually he fell asleep. Jack was awoken by a the orb, it bounced on his stomach like 'wake up, wake up!' The orb glowed blue with happiness once Jack was up, though Jamie was still asleep. Jack groaned.
"What's up little one? Why you wake daddy up and not pops?" The orb snuggled against Jack, alternately glowing blue and pink. Jack smiled and snuggled the orb.
"Ok, ok I'm up." He held the orb and started to make a simple breakfast. The orb glowed a bright pink now, happy. Jack smiled.
"Alright, wanna surprise daddy?" He indicated Jamie, having the ability to make a mental picture for the unborn infant as he picked up the orb and set it down on the bed, holding a tray. The orb glowed a faint blue in response. Jack smiled, shaking Jamie lightly.
"Jamie. Hey Jamie, wake up." Jamie yawned, slowly waking up and rubbing his eyes. Jack set the orb closer to Jamie as he set the tray on him.
"Good morning." Jamie shifted to sit up.
"Good morning." He turned his attention to the orb, lightly running his hand over it affectionately.
"Good morning to you too snowball." He smiled. Jack smiled.
"I was thinking it's more of a blueberry when it's blue." He said after sitting on the edge of the bed, Tooth had given that to them a week ago; leaving only a note with it. Jamie chuckled.
"I have to agree." Jack smiled and hugging the orb close to his chest where his heart beat in time of it's own.
"I think maybe we should read 'em another story. Maybe that's why they're up now, and thanks for breakfast sweetheart." Jamie gives Jack a peck on the nose before eating. Jack looked at the orb.
"Yeah, maybe; depends."
"On what?" Jamie asked after a bite.
"Depends on what book it wants read." He said after cuddling the orb, it looked as if it were giggling; pink flashing briefly.
"I was thinking either one of the dinosaur books or curious george for today."
"How about curious george, huh?" Jack petted the orb affectionately; the orb glowed a soft pink. He smiled and picked out the very first curious george book. Jamie smiled, hugging the orb a little when Jack came back to settle back to read. Jack set the orb between Jamie and himself before he started the story of how the man in the yellow hat met george. Jamie remembered this story from his own childhood. One of the few books that he'd had as a kid and had been handed down to his sister. Jack smile and at the ending said.
"I love you george." He looked at the orb.
"And they lived happily ever after." The orb glowed happily, Jamie chuckled.
"That's a good book. Hmm... what else..."
"I do have the story of red riding hood."
"Hmmm... I donno about that one yet."
"How about Jack and the Beanstalk?"
"Hmmm... that one might be a better choice."
"Alright then you tell it." He held the orb between Jamie and himself.
"Alright." Jamie thought for a moment before beginning to tell the story about the poor boy named Jack and how he was tricked into selling his cow for beans due to the destitute of the land because a magical harp had been stolen. How enraged his mother had been about it and how the beans had ended up being magical, which was the beginning of Jack's journey that ended with him being rich, ending the giant that had stolen the harp and returning the harp back to its rightful place so that the land could prosper once again and Jack and his mother need not worry about food ever again due to the goose that laid golden eggs. The orb glowed bright pink and Jack smiled.
"Good thing we didn't watch the new version of Jack and the Beanstalk in the movie."
"I saw it, but I ain't telling the orb that version." Jamie murmured quietly. Jack nodded.
"Terrifying enough." He rubbed the orb and smiled as he slowly felt exhaustion take him.
"Too tir- zzz..." Jamie chuckled and wrapped his arms around the orb, taking it to the nursery to read it some of the other books. Jack dreamt of the family they were going to be, of what the baby may look like, but it was all wrong to him. Jamie quietly read 'Sleeping Beauty' to the orb; Jack awoke around night dinner time. Jamie had fixed some fish sticks and some 'dipping sauce' for them made from ketchup and mayonnaise; a strange combination but he loved it and he was quietly telling the orb about how he first met Jack between bites. Jack yawned groggily, rubbing his eyes.
"Hello all." He said in a funny-kind-of voice but was too tired to really make his voice all that funny.
"Hey, hungry?" Jack nodded, squinting his eyes.
"Hey Jamie, when did you get so fuzzy?" Jamie chuckled.
"You need to clear your vision a little more." He tried his best.
"Uh J-jamie..." He started to panic, it wasn't clearing up.
"I CAN'T SEE!"
"Don't panic." Jamie moved from the orb and went over to Jack's side. Jack squirmed a little, not able to see he flipped out.
"LET GO!" He kicked Jamie so hard there was a loud crunch.
"OW... Shit... calm down!" Jamie sat down now more because he had to than because he wanted to. Jack panted.
"J-jamie, is that you?" He didn't like being blind and helpless, it was a horrible feeling.
"Yeah... damn it... I won't be walking any time soon."
"W-Whys that? I can't see... I'm scared." The orb suddenly attached to Jack, scaring the shit out of him; only did the humming of the orb let him know it was the baby. He hugged the orb.
"I can't see..."
"I noticed... and you kinda smacked me pretty hard." Jamie had iced over the leg, he was pretty sure it was fractured, if not right out broken from the blow. Jack shuddered in guilt.
"J-Jamie, I'm sorry." He shrank back from Jamie, crying.
"I can't see, I want to see!"
"I know, I know Jack. Calm down, I'm going to try and help okay? Just... don't lash out again." Jack nodded, cautiously afraid. What happened... why couldn't he see? Jamie moved close to Jack again, careful not to jar his leg. Once close he examined Jack to see if he could see what the problem was before he actually attempted anything. It appeared this entire time Jack's eyes were deteriorating to blindness and finally had deteriorated fully.
"Hmmmm... Don't know that there's much I can do. I'm not exactly a surgeon and it looks like there's something wrong... something I can't do anything about, but... maybe one of the others can do something. I'm not sure which..." Jamie trailed off thoughtfully. Jack panicked, then the orb glowed and Jack held it tightly to his chest.
"S-SO YOU'RE S-SAYING I'M BLIND!" He shouted.
"Temporarily, at least." Jack was scared and his panicked heart was scaring the unborn infant.
"Calm down Jack. You're going to scare the baby." He jolted at that and slowly, slowly calmed down his heart; he felt the steady hum of the baby's own heart as it glowed pink and all but snuggled into his chest.
"I'm going to take you to Bunny. He might be able to help." Jack nodded in the direction he thought Jamie was in actually, but he was nodding at the fridge. Jamie carefully picked Jack up and walked out of the cavern, flying through the air, gripping Jack securely as he headed off to the Warren. Jack squealed in fright, not expecting to be picked up so suddenly and the orb hummed, calming him. Jack suddenly fell asleep in Jamie's arms as the orb managed to put him to sleep, it hummed in satisfaction. Jamie wasn't sure what he should feel more... surprise that the orb seemed able to do that or relieved that Jack was asleep for the rest of the trip.
"Back again mate?" Bunny asked when he saw them.
"Something's up with Jack, he woke up and said he can't see, but there's nothing I can do."
"Seems odd." Jamie nods.
"Let me have a look see." Bunny carefully examined Jack, who awoke during the examination; he screamed, flailing and kicked Bunny in the crotch.
"Jack, calm down. It's okay, you're alright." Jamie murmured soothingly as Bunny fell back a little, backing up even as he hissed with pain. Jack whined, unseeingly he apologized to Bunny but was looking at the great tree instead...
"Geez... you pack a helluva punch there mate... G... give me a moment..." Bunny muttered. Jack really felt bad then, his eyes looked dead blue, the kind that meant you were dead; they didn't even move to see things, only erratically, meaning Jack was trying hard to see something.
"Hold your gaze still frostbite." Bunny said gently after a moment, he moved to finish the examination he'd begun. He couldn't hold it.
"B-Bunny I c-can't." Suddenly his eyes flashed like twin beacons of light, blinding Bunny and literally projecting something; it appeared to be some kind of memory projection of MiM, himself. Bunny flinched back from the blinding light and Jamie shut his eyes in reaction as well.
"Wha' the..." It appeared to be some old memory, a message.
"Jack, my son, I am sorry this happened to you but you must know I love you and it is this that I tell you... and apologize that I had not payed attention much, but you must go to the moon immediately. I should have told you, maybe you Guardians can find a cure but your body is deteriorating, you can't stay on Earth much longer." There appeared to be tears in MiM's eyes. Jamie blinked at the voice, though he can't really see he heard the message.
"Well... dang. I guess we're going to the moon for now..."
"Long trip mate... I'll see if I can't figure out something while you're there." Jamie nodded, recovering from the flash of light. At the end of the message it said 'wish you all the love in my heart Jack.' It was then that Jack collapsed, the orb floated over him, panicking literally in worry like 'dada, wake up dada! wake up!' Jamie could hear the child's quiet cries and wants. Jamie gently touched the orb.
"Calm down little one. Everything will be okay, promise. Just settle onto him okay?" He waited for the orb to do so before turning to Bunny.
"Good luck Bunny."
"Same ta you." Jamie nodded and flew out of the Warren, he knew that Bunny was right; a trip to the moon would indeed take a while... There was no gravity in space, which meant of course that Jamie would have to pick up as much speed as he could while he was still in the Earth's atmosphere... The orb stuck to Jack like glue as well as glowing, wondering where the heck Jamie was taking it and Jack. Jack groaned in his sleep at the effects of changes in the air.
"We're going to see your grandfather." Jamie murmured. He flew across the globe to pick up speed before heading out into space straight towards the moon. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but he didn't really have time to figure out any better way. Jack groaned in pain, the effects that MiM spoken were taking effect; his body looked thinner, skin paler than before, and it looked like MiM had been expecting Jack for some time now...