Author's Note: Written for…
Daily Weird Prompt Challenge. Prompt: Bellatrix is a terrible mother.
Decision
Tom was more exhausted than he thought possible.
It had been about twelve hours since the birth of his daughters and he hadn't had a moment's peace since then. Sleep was far from his mind.
The babies had initially been left in Jemma's care in the nursery while he dealt with other matters. It took him about five minutes of stumbling over his words while bossing a recruit around before Avery pulled him away and pushed him in the nursery's direction.
It was chaos inside; Jemma was rushing back and forth between the bassinet and a large basket she'd found to hold the second baby for now. Both girls were wailing.
Tom looked lost for a moment as he watched the commotion. Then all at once he came to his senses and picked up one of the infants, waiting until both were quiet before questioning the elf.
"I'm sorry, sir! Jemma isn't used to caring for two babies."
"It's … fine," he answered quietly.
He stayed for a while, helping to care for his daughters. It surprised him, how quickly he took to cradling and rocking them. It was the most calm he'd felt in decades – quite possibly in his entire life.
Tom very nearly killed Avery when he came to fetch him.
"I'm so sorry," Avery whispered. "There's been an incident. I'd handle it but … you really need to see for yourself."
"It's alright, sir. Jemma is going to look in on Mistress," the elf told him, taking the eldest child from his arms. "The babies need feeding."
Tom nodded, begrudgingly allowing himself to be dragged away.
:-:
"I hate them, get them out of here!"
Tom returned less than an hour later with Avery right behind. He had hoped to find a quiet room where he might be able to fall asleep in the rocking chair for a few hours. Stumbling in on Bellatrix flinging books and knickknacks at the twins while Jemma worked to shield them was not something Tom could've ever anticipated.
The men sprang into action immediately; Avery rushing to help the elf while Tom dealt with Bellatrix.
He clasped her wrists tightly and she dropped the figurine she was about to throw, seemingly realizing how much trouble she was in as she stared in his eyes. He pushed her back, forcing her into a chair. In one swift move, his hands shifted. One wrapped itself around her neck while the other held a wand to her chest.
"Please, no," she gasped out.
"Tom," Avery said warningly.
"Get the children out of here," he ordered, waiting until the room was cleared before releasing Bellatrix and stepping away. He kept the wand trained on her. "Explain."
"I was trying to rest and I was dragged in here to look after those things. If this is how it's going to be, then I want them gone. They're loud and useless and –"
"My children," he interrupted, glaring. "And you tried to harm them. Do you have any idea how fortunate you are that I haven't killed you yet?"
"Yes, my lord."
His hand twitched. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to get it over with, but he had a different idea.
"If you ever touch my daughters again, I will not hesitate to kill you in the most painful way you can imagine. Do I make myself clear, Ms. Black?" he threatened coldly.
"Yes, my lord."
:-:
He found Avery and Jemma huddled in his private room. Upon close inspection, the twins appeared to be unharmed.
"Is she gone?" Avery asked quietly, knowing all too well his friend's temper.
"No. She believes I am giving her a second chance," Tom muttered, accepting one of the infants.
"What do you mean?"
Tom allowed himself a small smile. "I think it's time to change our objective."