Author's Note: guys, I'm so sorry about how late this chapter is, but I'm also super excited. I moved into my very first apartment a few months ago! It's awesome! The only drawback was I wasn't able to afford internet until now. I've been so lost without it, but still excited over having my own space. That probably makes no sense to you guys but, you know I'm weird. Lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
The Fallen Sky: Thanks! What a review, huh? ;) Lol. Anyway, to answer your question, no; Casey hasn't had a cycle yet. She's got about two more years to go, but I don't think the Kents are aware of the timeframe thing yet; and they probably won't be for this story 'cause it has no relevance. In "Bring her To Me," I only mentioned it because I needed a reason for Zod to keep his pecker in his pants while holding Lizzy hostage. So yeah, I had that planned from the get-go. Lol.
And thank you for noticing the significant difference in Casey when she's with the child. It's a part of her development. While she may have learned not to hate her sister and her mother in the last story, I feel she's still got other lessons to learn. So in this story I gave her a project of sorts. The little girl is so incredibly undeveloped that it's like Casey has to start from scratch to sort of mold her. That's a big responsibility and I have a feeling Casey likes challenges. But don't worry, EVERYONE is gonna be in this story, and everyone will play a key role in the child's development. And trust me; the poor kid's got a lot of developing to do. You'll see…
Jeremy Shane: Thanks!
Dizzy78: Lol, she surely is.
CrystalYuriKim: Lol. Thanks for the review. And I'll see what I can do as far as Clark and his overprotectiveness;)
Guest: Yeah, you totally got it right And don't worry, I'm not gonna judge you on which Kent is your favorite. I'm just happy you like any of them at all!
HarmonyPotter: Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the stories. And yeah, six kids….OMG.
Thorber Stone: OMG! That was a long ass review! Are you by any chance related to The Fallen Sky? Anyway, you gave me a lot to think about. And can I say when you activated your fangirl mode I nearly died laughing. Thank you for that!
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"Holy shit."
It's the first thing that comes out of Lois Lane's mouth when she sees the little girl. Why she's so stunned is a mystery in itself. It's not like she didn't have any kind of heads up.
When Chloe called to tell her that she needed her husband, Oliver Queen, to come up with some falsified papers, Lois wasn't the least bit surprised. People need new names and identities all the time in their line of work.
But when she was told that the new name would be Isobel Lana Kent, and that the year of birth was to be set at a mere nine years ago, well, there was just no way Lois wasn't getting a detailed explanation. And soon. She arrived just minutes later thanks to her nephew, Andrew; one of the five things Smallville has done right in her opinion. That's an inside joke by the way. As Smallville happens to be Superman, he's indisputably done about a million things right in his lifetime.
Lois looks from the child to her niece, Casey, who hasn't left the kid's side yet. Then she looks to her right, where her cousin is standing right beside her.
"Holy shit." She repeats.
"Kristin said shit is a bad word." The kid says. Her voice is soft, but what's surprising is that it isn't timid in the least. It's very commanding, full of conviction even.
Lois narrows her eyes at her. Apparently the snot nosed brat is going to be just as annoying as Lana was as well.
"Casey…" Chloe warns.
"What?" her daughter scowls at her defensively. She already knows what's coming.
"How'd she know that's a bad word?"
Casey shrugs. "She doesn't know anything. I was just giving her a guide."
"Oh, you were just giving her a guide, huh?"
Casey shrugs again, trying her best to be nonchalant. It wouldn't have worked, it never does, but she's temporarily let off the hook when her mother's cell goes off. Hopefully, it'll be a long conversation; one so long that she forgets what she's done. And what better way to make sure her mom forgets her than to get out of her sight?
She makes to go past her mother and up the stairs, but Chloe tugs on her sleeve just as she passes. "We'll talk when I'm finished speaking with your father."
Casey groans. So much for that idea.
Then she doubles back and snatches the little girl's hand up. "Come on, Isobel."
"Leave her." Chloe commands distractedly.
"Why?" Casey counters.
Chloe's eyes widen just a little, and not just because she's not a big fan of being questioned by her children. She didn't miss the slight look of panic that flitted across her daughter's face when she was told to leave the girl. Or maybe she just imagined it. That's more than likely. More than likely Casey's just giving her a hard time as she so often does.
"Leave her." Chloe commands again, more firmly this time.
"Fine." Casey relents before sitting on the floor and crossing her arms over her chest.
Chloe's eyes widen a little more. So she hadn't imagined it. Casey's refusing to leave the child alone. But why? It's one thing for her to ask to keep the child, but this…This is different. Casey's never enjoyed the company of small children. She either rude to them, civil with them, and tolerant of them; but she's never been like this with one.
"Sit here." Casey commands to Isobel, patting the spot next to here; and the child sits next to her immediately.
Both Chloe and Lois just stare at Casey, eyebrows raised and jaws sitting neatly on the ground. They stare so long that it makes her uncomfortable.
"What?" she snaps at them. Then to her mother she says, "Aren't you still on the phone with Dad?"
Chloe blinks a few times, realizing Casey's right. She is on the phone with her husband, and it's not like he's got a lot of time to chit chat; so she shouldn't be wasting what little time he does have.
She leaves the living room, wanting to talk to Clark privately.
Casey knows that's what this means. She and her siblings all have superhearing, so there have been rules set up to ensure privacy. If someone steps out of the room while on the phone, or even while talking to someone face to face, with someone, that means the person doesn't want to be overheard. That means don't use superhearing to eavesdrop.
But Casey can't help herself. She listens in on her parents anyway.
"Did you find anything yet?"
That was her mother.
"No. Not much yet."
And that was her father.
There's a fairly long pause before her father speaks again.
"She looks just like her?"
"Yes, clone-like."
"And she picked those names herself?"
"That's what Casey said."
"No help? None whatsoever?"
"That's what Casey said." She repeats.
"Chloe, we can't keep her."
"Clark"-
"She could be dangerous."
Casey raises her eyebrows in shock and alarm. Her dad doesn't want to keep Isobel? He's claiming she could be dangerous? That's not what she expected to hear from her father. That's not the attitude she expects from Superman.
"Lana wasn't dangerous, Clark." Her mother tries.
"But Isobel was, Chloe. She was a very dangerous witch. She could hurt me, take away my powers. We don't know what this child is capable of."
"That's exactly the attitude your parents could've had when they found you in that cornfield, or when you started developing new abilities. But they loved you. And they raised you to be good, to have morals and integrity. We could do the same for this little girl. We could teach her to be good, Clark."
"But I was an only child. We have five children to think about, Chloe. Five children we could be putting in harm's way if we keep this child. Are you willing to risk that?"
"Eavesdropping is rude, you know."
Casey blinks a few times and focuses on her aunt who's just squatted down in front of her.
Lois gives Casey a knowing smirk, to which Casey replies with a simple shrug. "Says the reporter. Isn't that like a synonym for eavesdropper?"
Lois chuckles and shakes her head. Not only is Casey practically a younger version of Chloe, but she can be just as snippy.
"It's not the same thing."
Casey scoffs. It is too the same thing.
"And besides," Lois continues while looking directly at Isobel. "I don't need to eaves drop in order to know what's being said up there."
Casey looks at Isobel too. Maybe her aunt's right. Maybe her dad wouldn't have wanted Isobel around anyway. She looks just like Lana, his first girlfriend. That would be kind of weird for him. But it's not like it's the kid's fault. She can't help the way she looks. And the fact that she might be a bit dangerous, well, that's not her fault either. Casey and her brothers and sisters can be dangerous too, but they know how to control themselves. They were taught.
That's all Isobel needs. Is for someone to teach her. Casey believes she can do that; but first, she needs to get the little girl cleaned up a bit more. Her father hasn't seen the child yet and first impressions are important.
As soon as her mother comes back down the stairs, Casey rushes up to her.
"Mom, can I take Isobel to the mall?"
Chloe frowns. It seems Casey's forgotten she's in a bit of trouble for using fowl language around the little girl.
"Mom?" Casey prompts when she doesn't get an immediate answer.
"Why do you want to take the child to the mall?" Chloe asks suspiciously.
"Isobel." Casey corrects forcefully. "Her name's Isobel, not "the child.""
Chloe sighs deeply. She hates the way Casey talks to her, but even more than that, she hates that Casey's right. Calling the little girl 'that child' is not only rude, but it's distancing language. It's much easier to not become attached to a child with no name.
And if she's going to argue to keep the child, Isobel,then it only makes sense for her to try getting attached to her. Something it seems Casey's already done.
"Fine, why do you need to take Isobel to the mall?" Chloe sighs.
"Because she doesn't have anything to wear to the baby shower." Casey answers simply.
Chloe rolls her eyes at the obviousness of the solution to Isobel's lack of clothing problem. "Just give her a pair of Noley's shorts and"-
"But she doesn't like jeans or shorts." Casey cuts in. "They're uncomfortable for her. She only likes skirts and dresses."
Chloe blinks at her.
"What?" Casey frowns.
"Honey I don't think…We don't really have the money to buy a full wardrobe for th-Isobel when she can wear some of Noley's clothes."
Casey bites her lip. It's a good argument. Money's always been a little tight. Well, not too tight. There's always enough to get what's needed, but nothing for excess stuff. Even with her godfather being Oliver Queen, she hasn't had too much extra. Her parents don't want her to be spoiled and she understands that to a certain degree. She's met a few spoiled brats and she'd rather cut off her own leg than to act like one of those prissy bitches. But at the same time, it's not like she's asking for a new car here…
"I'll use my money." She decides after just a few seconds. "Just to get her some skirts. She can wear some of Noley's t-shirts with them." Casey smiles at her mother pleadingly.
She really doesn't want Isobel to have to suffer with any of Noley's gear but that's the best she can do for now. Besides, more than likely Isobel won't care that there's hand drawn stick figures and accidental tie-dies on her shirts.
Again, Chloe blinks at her daughter. She's never, in a million years, going to be able to wrap her head around the idea of Casey wanting to spend her own money on another child.
"What?" Casey frowns some more. She wishes her mother would say something. A yes would be great; and she can argue with a no; but complete silence and staring….she can do nothing but get uneasier and uneasier by the second.
"Casey…" Chloe finally sighs.
Finally! The start of a sentence; and though it sounds like the beginning of a no, it's still something. Casey can work with somethings better than nothings.
"I just want to get the kid some skirts so she can be comfortable. Please, Mom." She begs.
And it's not just the begging, but the look of absolute desperation on her daughter's face that makes her relent.
"Fine."
"Thank you!" Casey grins, running up to give her mother a hug for the second time in one day. Then she commands Isobel to stay put for a few seconds.
Though Chloe's still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Casey just voluntarily hugged her, again, she's still able to be amazed by the fact that Isobel stayed put, just as she was told to do. She doesn't move a muscle. Not one.
Casey comes back down a few seconds later with one of the very few skirts Noley owns, which should really be burned because it's nothing short of a brown hideous mess, and a pair of Noley's sneakers.
"Here, put these on." Casey commands, handing the little girl the shoes and skirt. Isobel puts them on with little difficulty, because honestly, it's not rocket science, but when it comes to tyingthe shoes….
"You don't know how to tie, do you?" Casey realizes.
The child shakes her head. "No."
"Okay." Casey sits Isobel down in front of her. "You do this shoe while I'm doing this shoe, that way you can see what I'm doing while you try to do it at the same time, okay?"
Isobel nods her head.
"First you cross these two strings under each other, like this…."
Lois and Chloe watch Casey patiently, and patiently is the key word here, teach the child how to tie her shoe.
She gets it on her third try and Casey congratulates her, telling her how smart she is.
Isobel says nothing back.
"You're supposed to say thank you when someone gives you a compliment." Casey explains. Maybe her father will have less reservations about keeping Isobel if she's a sweet little thing with the most prestigious of manners.
"Why?" Isobel asks, And Casey knows it's not to be difficult, but because she doesn't know any better.
"It's polite. So do it." She says.
"Thank you, Kristin." Isobel says automatically.
"You're welcome." Casey answers.
"Okay, please tell me I'm not the only one who feels like I've stepped into the twilight zone." Lois says to Chloe. She can't stay quiet any longer; and she's hoping she's not the only one weirded out by her niece's behavior.
Chloe shakes her head. "No, you're not."
"Do you think she's really our Casey?"
"Could be Brainiac all over again, or maybe even the ghost of Tina Greer." Chloe suggests playfully.
"Tina Greer?"
Chloe nods her head again as she explains. "She was a shape shifter from my high school days. She could look like anyone she wanted. She also had a bit of a thing for Lana."
"Haha. Very funny guys." Casey rolls her eyes. She's not acting that strange. "Okay, we're ready to go."
"Be back by 2:30. Baby shower starts at 3."
Casey knows what time the baby shower starts; but because her mother is giving her five hours to shop, she refrains from rolling her eyes again.
Just as she grabs Isobel's hand, freakin' Noley comes out of nowhere.
"Where are you going?" She asks.
Casey nearly tells her it's none of her business, but then she remembers she's supposed to be teaching Isobel manners. She could just imagine how her father, who doesn't want Isobel to stay, would react if he asked her where she was going one day and she told him it was none of his business…all because she heard Casey say it to Noley once.
"I'm going to the mall." Casey answers stiffly, already knowing what's coming next.
"I wanna go!" Noley sings, right on cue.
"No."
"Casey, take Noley with you." Chloe says absently. She can see that Lois wants to talk to her, alone, and that would be much easier to do with Noley out of the house.
Casey covers Isobel's ears and hisses, "But I don't like Noley."
"Kristin!"
"Maybe Lizzy can chaperone her." She presses, more like pleads. If this is punishment, she'll trade for anything else…and that means anything else.
"Or maybe you shouldn't go at all." Chloe counters, eyebrows raised.
"Fine." Casey lets go of Isobel's ears. "Keep up." She says to Noley. "Or not. It won't matter to me if you get lost," And before her mother can yell at her again, she zips off, Noley disappearing right behind her.
It's silent for maybe a half a second before she hears it; the inevitable and concerned sounding "Chloe?"
"I know what you're going to say." Chloe sighs, sitting down on the couch and inviting her cousin to sit beside her. Not that the invite was necessary. Lois pretty much goes and does as she pleases, whether she's invited or not.
"Well cuz, I'm gonna say it anyway." She says firmly, plopping down next to Chloe. "That's not Lana. You don't have to keep her."
Chloe shrugs, a little on the defensive side. Rationally speaking, she knows the little girl isn't Lana; but still… "There's a little of Lana in there somewhere." She explains.
"Well, if you believe that, then you believe there's a little bit of that witch in there too."
"You sound just like Clark."
"And Smallville very well may have a point."
"He may. And he does. But I have a point too. We can teach her to be good."
Lois snorts.
"I can. I'm no Martha Kent, but I'll do my best."
"And if your best isn't good enough? If there's no saving her? If she turns into this super evil witch who"-
"I have to try." Chloe interrupts. "I owe it to Lana to try."
Lois sighs. She gets it. She really does. Lana was Chloe's best friend. She nearly died giving birth to Red and then her body was used as some sort of vessel for Chloe's husband's alien aunt. Yeah, she can see where her cousin might feel she owes Lana but, "How is raising this kid gonna benefit Lana?"
"Like I said, there's a little of Lana in there."
"Alright," Lois grunts. No point arguing with her, she's obviously made up her mind. Time to change the subject. "You need help with anything for the shower?"
"You're offering help?" Chloe scoffs exaggeratedly.
"Hey, I help!"
Chloe smirks.
"I'm tons of useful!" Lois continues to insist….but as the hours fly by all she manages to do by way of helping to prepare for the baby shower is…well, nothing.
Now it's 2:30 and the guests are starting to arrive. As are Chloe's children. Well, Lizzy and Andrew have been home for about an hour now; Casey, Noley, and Isobel aren't back yet, but Jonathan's just walking in through the door.
"Hi Mom." He greets, one hand behind his back.
Chloe smiles at her oldest son and greets him back, then her smile turns into a full out grin when he presents her with a bouquet of wild flowers.
"I know it's Maddie's day, but I saw these and thought you'd like them." He smiles.
Chloe hates it when he does that. Well, no she doesn't. She loves is. She just hates the fact that she always wants to cry like a little ninny because she's got the most wonderful children in the world...most of the time anyway.
How'd she get so lucky?
And of course, true to Lois fashion, she ruins the moment by saying, "Where are my flowers?"
"Hello, Aunt Lois." Jonathan smiles.
"Where are my flowers?" She repeats, holding her hand out. He rolls his eyes and disappears for a split second before reappearing with a second bouquet of flowers; though it's noticeably smaller than its predecessor.
Not that it bothers Lois. She just wanted the gesture. "Thanks, Little Fella." Lois grins.
Jonathan just shakes his head and smiles down at his aunt; yes down. She may call him "Little Fella," but he's much taller than her. Has been for a while, but that's been his nickname since before he can remember. He imagines she just can't let it go, and it doesn't hurt him any, so why not let her continue? Plus she gives nicknames to everybody. Calling his father Smallville rather than Clark, and she calls his twin sister Red instead of Lizzy, and the list goes on and on.
"You're being a big ol' donkey." He hears suddenly, and there's no doubt in his mind that was from Noley to Casey.
His mother and aunt ignore the two girls as this is everyday behavior for his sisters; but today's Maddie's day. Not theirs. They're gonna have to be civil with each other over the next three or four hours.
Jonathan sighs, ready to run interference between his youngest sisters should push come to shove. And push always comes to shove between those two.
"That's not a nice thing to say." Casey answers distractedly while shutting the door behind herself.
Jonathan stops in his tracks, not even ten feet away from them. They don't notice him though he's hard to miss. And he does nothing to make his presence known. He simply watches them interact, waiting for the moment he'll undoubtedly have to come and break up the squabbling.
Casey starts sorting through her shopping bags and handing a few of the lighter ones to a small dark-haired child.
Jonathan's heard about her. Earlier Andrew called to tell him they were getting a new member added onto the family. He was nervous at first. When his mother is pregnant, it's horribly painful for her. Half Kryptonian babies are hard to carry he guesses; but then Andrew explained the new member was about eight or nine and that she's "special" because she has superspeed and Jonathan breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"You're still a big ol' donkey!" Noley exclaims, hands on her hips; and Jonathan is reminded that he's supposed to be settling an argument.
Casey sighs deeply. "Look, I'm sorry, but I did the best with what I had, Noley."
Without another word, Noley turns on her heels and stomps her way upstairs.
Jonathan frowns. That was not normal.
If Noley calls Casey a donkey, Casey always retaliates negatively. Rolling her eyes, cursing under her breath, calling her something along the lines of a twerp or a monkey, or on special occasions she'll even shove her a little. Then the two argue, chase each other, or whatever, until they're stopped by an adult, or someone like an adult, namely him.
Not today. Normally Noley doesn't storm upstairs after a tift between her and older sister. But what else was there for her to do? Casey didn't give Noley an opening to argue back. She just apologized…to Noley…without being forced to. She avoided a fight.
And this alarms Jonathan.
Now, he'd love for his sisters to get along, but he can't ignore it when such a drastic change is made. It just isn't healthy.
He watches Casey a little longer before approaching her, trying to see if he can figure where her head is at.
She squats in front of the dark-haired little girl. "Don't call people out of their names. It's not polite." She instructs. "Do you understand?"
The child nods her head solemnly, no doubt taking everything that's taught to her to heart.
It's almost maternal, the way Casey's got her hands encircling each of the child's arms and is staring her straight in the eyes. It only serves to confuse Jonathan more. Casey's not usually so hands on. So he decides to come out of the shadows because he's getting no answers from simply observing.
"What's wrong with Noley?" Jonathan asks, finally alerting his sister of his presence.
"She wanted me to buy her an outfit too, but I didn't have enough money." Casey answers immediately.
Because she didn't have enough money? Jonathan turns that answer over in his head a few times. That's something Lizzy would say. Casey's normal response would be something along the lines of, "I didn't buy her anything because she's a little twerp," or "She's not my kid, I don't have to buy her a damn thing."
"John. This is Isobel." Casey formally introduces the child. "Isobel, this is my brother, Jonathan. Um, he'll be your brother too once Uncle Ollie comes back with the papers. And if my parents sign them and become your parents too." She says the last bit more to herself, but of course, Jonathan hears her.
"Say hi to him." Casey commands after a bit of silence.
"Hello, Jonathan." The child says softly. Then Casey taps her hand lightly and the little girl, Isobel, holds out her tiny hand for him to take.
And it clicks for Jonathan. He can now see why Casey refused to argue with Noley. She's trying to set a good example for the little girl beside her. She wants her parents to accept her. And suddenly Jonathan finds the child ten times more intriguing. Casey doesn't like kids, but she's going out of her way for this one. There must be something special about her, something that would make his younger sister want her so badly.
He kneels before the child and grabs onto her tiny hand. "Hello Isobel, That's a very pretty name." He answers, staring her straight in the eyes, observing her still. She stares back at him just as intently. The way she looks at him is odd for a girl her age. There is indeed something special about her.
"She picked it herself," Casey chimes in, trying to break the intense silence surrounding the two of them, unaware that the intense silence was uncomfortable for neither one.
"Well, you have very good taste." Jonathan compliments Isobel while offering her a genuine smile. "It's nice to meet you."
Isobel smiles back at him, an involuntary response on her part. She can't help but to instantly feel at peace with this person. She doesn't exactly know why, but she doesn't exactly know to question it either.
Jonathan stands up and pulls Casey into a hug before kissing her on the forehead. He finds himself feeling extremely proud of her for the efforts she's making to ensure this child's safety. Because this home truly is the safest place any child could be. He's also made a decision. He's going to do everything in his power to help Casey with Isobel. Not that he doesn't want to help Isobel, it's just that Casey never asks for anything. She's not even asking for his help now, but he's going to give it. He's her brother, her oldest brother, and he wants her to know she's not alone. That she has his full support; because there's nothing he loves more than his family, and there's nothing he wouldn't do for any one of them.
Casey frowns back at Jonathan, a little confused and weirded out. Sure, she likes him, but he's not usually…they don't usually….well she's not Lizzy. He hugs Lizzy and holds her hands, and she chalks it up to the two of them being twins. Sharing a weird bond or whatever. Then there's Noley, he holds Noley and stuff, but Noley's the youngest, it makes sense to baby the baby sister, and while she loves her brother and she knows he loves her, they just not like that with each other. That's the way it's always been.
"May I?" he asks, cutting in to her thoughts by taking Isobel's hand.
Casey tenses up a little and Jonathan notices straightaway. "She'll be my sister too." He smiles at her, putting her at ease immediately.
Casey feels a huge amount of relief. There aren't many moments when she feels as important to Jonathan as Lizzy and Noley, but when they do come by she feels…good. Special even. This time is a little different. This time, she also feels relief. It's like she's not alone in this and she could really use a break from Isobel, right now. It's not the kid; it's the always having to be nice and polite so that Isobel will know what's expected of her.
"Sure, go ahead." She answers, no longer reluctant to leave Isobel's side. She's in great hands. Jonathan's the most responsible of all the Kent kids. Then she puts Isobel's hand in Jonathan's. "Don't let go of her." She instructs before rushing upstairs to put Isobel's clothes away, only thinking about where to put them for a slight second before clearing out one of her own drawers.
Jonathan watches Casey go, a smile on his face. He really never thought he'd see the day when she actually willingly showedthat she could care for someone other than herself. Then, with Isobel's hand in his, he walks toward the back door.
"Where are we going, Jonathan?" Isobel speaks up.
"I'm gonna show you around the farm. This will be your home now, so you should know what's what, right?" He smiles.
She smiles back up at him. Again, the action is so involuntary she doesn't even realize she's doing it.
Not one to beat around the bush, he asks the first question that came to his mind the second Casey ran upstairs. "Why do I have to hold your hand, Isobel?"
"So I don't run away."
"Are you going to run away?"
Isobel doesn't answer. She doesn't know. She feels okay with these people. She's not afraid of them. Granted, she's not afraid of much.
"Run if you feel you have to." Jonathan says before dropping her hand and holding his breath.
"Will you chase me?"
Jonathan kneels in front of Isobel, staring intently into her eyes once again. "If you're unhappy here, who am I to stop you? But always think before you act, Isobel. Where are you going to go? You're going to have a family soon. You're going to belong here soon. Why not stay here?"
Isobel stares back at Jonathan, her head tilted to the side as she thinks about his words. It doesn't take long for her to realize they make sense.
"No." She answers finally. "I'm not going to run away."
"Good." Jonathan smiles.
The tour shouldn't really last too long, but Jonathan takes his time, wanting to get a feel for the child as well as give Casey a break. It doesn't take him long to realize she's a bit empty. Not stupid or anything, because she's actually very smart, and she speaks very well, but there are a lot of simple things she doesn't know. Moral codes and certain common mannerisms. All things that can be taught; but things she must definitely should have been taught long ago.
The last place he takes her is to the barn, his room. There isn't really a lot of room in the house, so his parents fixed up the barn loft so that it's now a bedroom for him and his brother.
He's met at the door by his twin sister. "Hey Lizzy." He smiles easily as he often does when he sees her.
She smiles back. "Hey Johnny, Whatcha up to?"
"Just taking Isobel for a walk." He shrugs.
Lizzy frowns, nearly asking who Isobel is, but then it comes to her. The little girl. She's found a name. "Isobel. I like it. Hello Isobel." She smiles down at the little girl.
"Hello Moira." Isobel answers politely, the way she's been taught to do.
Lizzy hesitates for a second. It's weird being called Moira when she's not in trouble.
Isobel stares at Lizzy's hair, the fire hair, with her mouth slightly parted. Slowly she reaches up, wanting to touch it again; but she can't quite reach.
Jonathan frowns, slightly confused, but Lizzy knows what the child wants, so she stoops down so the girl can touch her hair.
Jonathan raises an eyebrow at her and Lizzy shrugs back at him. She has no idea why the girl likes her hair so much, but it's not in her to make her feel bad about it either. But after just a few seconds, it gets a bit awkward so Lizzy stands, picks the child up and places her on her hip. That way Isobel can still play with her hair, but it's not as obvious or weird.
"That the new Kent, Red?" she suddenly hears to the side of her and she groans at the sound of Sammy's voice. "Lemme see, lemme see." He insists, ignoring the fact that he'd just been ignored.
Lizzy rolls her eyes and turns a little so her cousin can get a good look at the child.
"She's alright I guess." He concedes. "But she looks even less like a Kent than you do."
Again, Lizzy rolls her eyes. "Do you have to be so"-
"Honest?" Sammy cuts in.
"That's not what I was gonna say." Lizzy tells him, making Jonathan chuckle. Sammy laughs as well. He's an easygoing kid.
"Lizzy! Mom wants…." Noley doesn't finish her sentence. She takes one look at that girl sitting comfortably on her sister's hip and hurls herself at Lizzy.
Lizzy catches her. She always does, but it comes with a scold this time. "Careful Noley!" Lizzy grunts while trying to adjust her sister so that she can comfortably hold both girls. And though Lizzy has the physical strength to hold them, it just isn't comfortable. She sends Jonathan a look, nonverbally asking for help.
He in turn gives her a look as well; a slight nod to the right and to the left, asking which girl to take without words.
It's a tough one. Lizzy wants Isobel to feel like a part of the family, but it's quite obvious that Noley's feeling like she's being replaced. In the end, she nods toward the right, toward Isobel.
Jonathan nods his head and holds his arms out. "Isobel, I'm going to have you go back with Casey, okay?" He says as he places her on the ground.
Isobel nods her head, giving the fire hair one last glance over her shoulder.
It doesn't take long to find Casey. She's in the front room, along with the guest of honor, Maddie. Jonathan quickly gives the mother-to-be a hug before introducing Isobel.
Isobel greets Maddie as she's been taught to do, but she can't seem to take her eyes away from her stomach.
"It's not polite to stare." Casey says beside her, once again resuming her role as Isobel's teacher of manners.
Reluctantly, Isobel drags her eyes away from Maddie's intruding belly. Then she looks up at Casey. Rather than wait for it, Casey just answers. "She's pregnant. There's a baby in there."
"Who put it in there?" Isobel asks immediately.
"Her husband."
"How?"
Jonathan, Maddie, and seemingly everyone else in the house looks to Casey, wondering how she's going to explain that one, and Casey in turn searches out her mother. She is not ready to have the talk about the birds and the bees.
But it seems her mother's stepped out of the room for the moment. "I'll get you a book about it later," is the best Casey can do for now.
Despite being told how impolite it is to stare, Isobel finds herself looking at Maddie's belly again.
Maddie smiles at the little girl. Even though Casey told the girl it's impolite to stare, Maddie doesn't feel the least bit offended. "You wanna feel Isobel?" She asks the child.
Before Isobel can answer, Maddie grabs her hand and places it on her belly. The baby kicks immediately.
"Did you feel that?"
"Yes." Isobel frowns.
"That was the baby kicking!" Maddie exclaims in that over exaggerated voice adults use with children.
"It was?" Isobel's frown deepens. She wants the baby to come out so she can see it.
"Oh my god!" Maddie suddenly gasps and doubles over. "It's too soon. I'm not due for another four weeks." She cries, definitely in full-fledged panic mode.
Immediately there are people hovering over Maddie, trying to make her sit, trying to get her water, trying to get her to breathe, offering to take her to the hospital; And there's blood. There's blood coming out of Maddie, trickling down her legs.
And Casey knows she should get Isobel out of here; that she shouldn't see this, but she can't move.
"It's not time!" Maddie wails again.
"It's not time for what?" Isobel looks up to Casey.
Casey looks down at Isobel, grateful for a distraction, any kind of distraction. "Babies have to stay in their mommy's stomachs for about nine months. If they come out too soon, they can be hurt." She explains.
Abruptly Maddie stops screaming. The pain is gone, as if it never was. She breathes a sigh of relief until she locks eyes with Isobel and her gut wrenches. Her instinct telling her there's something not right about the child. What's even more insane is that she feels like Isobel was the cause for what just happened. But she shakes her head. Her hormones have been off the charts for the last few months.