Mad Mama

"Ow!" one of the smaller children shrieked.

Corbeau looked up from the papers she was grading with obvious annoyance on her face. They had decided to go the nearby city park for school today at their latest location because everyone was busy setting up the show grounds. She had officially been taken off the roll as a performer since she was six months along and had developed a prominent baby bump that could no longer be hidden by loose costumes. Her lips curled into a smile as the baby kicked as if to remind her of its presence within her body. As if she needed to be reminded. The morning sickness that lasted all day and constant fatigue had been a perpetual reminder until the end of her fourth month. For the last two months a surge of excitement flooded through her with every little movement she felt. Heaven forbid she gasp and alert her husband to the fact the baby moved. His hands would suddenly be on her belly squeezing and poking to feel the movement of his child. It was sweet that he was so interested but pure hell on her bladder. The terrible infection at the beginning of her pregnancy had left her kidneys weak so she had to drink huge amounts of water therefore she constantly had to go to the bathroom. Even more so now that the child within her liked to use her bladder for a trampoline. She already told Renji she planned on camping out in the bathroom by the time she entered her eighth month.

"Ow!" another child squealed rubbing his arm with a pained look on his face.

"What's going on back there?" she asked, standing up from the picnic table she was sitting at.

"Miss Corbeau! Someone keeps throwing rocks at us!" a third child whined, rubbing the back of her head.

Corbeau walked to the edge of the area where the children were spread out on benches, picnic tables, or blankets on the ground busy doing their work. So far three of the children had been hit so she looked around to see where the mysterious projectiles were coming from. A sharp stinging sensation stabbed the middle of her forehead as pain blossomed in her skull. Something wet and warm trickled down her face.

"Hana!" she yelled, sinking to her knees slowly when the dizziness overwhelmed her. What the hell was going on here? Her eyes scanned the area again including the trees looking for someone, something, anything that could be the source of the painful flying objects.

"Oh, my god!" he bellowed, his new deep male voice making her jump.

"Get the kids. Get them out of here," she told him, shoving him away as he bent to help her. She heard a hissing sound as several more rocks flew by her head, one hitting her in the shoulder. Her eyes finally found the source. In a tree about ten yards away, three boys who appeared to be older teenagers were using slingshots to hurl the stones at them. Why do dumbasses always travel in threes? Morons are everywhere and it had been a while since they had ran into this kind of senseless violence directed at their people.

Corbeau turned her back stretching out her wings to protect the children that remained. She put her arms around them as they huddled to her, keeping her wings outstretched to act as a barrier. Tears formed in her eyes from the pain of the rocks pelting her back as she watched Hana take the babies first with the help of some of the older children. He instructed the bigger kids to carry the smaller ones so he could get them out of there faster. She pushed the three clinging to her toward him after he returned for the last few terrified children.

"Corbeau, come on!" Hana yelled, grabbing her by the hand.

"We've got something special for you, damn mutant crow!" a voice rang out across the park.

Corbeau screamed when a blinding pain bit into her shoulder. It was far more than a stabbing pain when an arrow penetrated her shoulder with the arrowhead coming all the way through. She screamed again in terror when she saw Hana get hit in the shoulder as well. These assholes were special. They were intent on inflicting pain and torturing them before they killed them if that was their purpose. She immediately halted her retreat nearly snatching Hana off of his feet. She pulled him behind a tree where they would be safe from any further arrows.

"Grit your teeth, this is gonna hurt like hell. If it makes you feel any better, you get to do it to me next," she snarled through her clenched teeth. She broke off the end of the arrow, taking a deep breath before she jerked with all of her strength and pulled the shaft through the front of his shoulder. "Now heal it quickly so you can do the same to me," she ordered, panting with pain and anger that rushed through her body.

"What are you going to do?" Hana asked, wincing at the burning sensation in his shoulder as he healed the wound. Since he had practiced and gained strength in his abilities, it only took a matter of seconds now for him to administer his powers effectively.

"Just get this damn thing out of me and get the kids out of here. These idiots have messed with the wrong mama," she growled, setting her teeth with determination as he prepared to pull out the arrow. She screamed as the burning, tearing pain radiated from her shoulder making her feel nauseated with the sudden intense agony. She leaned against the tree to recover from the dizziness while he healed her.

"I'll be back for you soon. For god's sake don't get hurt! Renji will kill me!" Hana yelled back as he was running to get the children to safety.

Corbeau grabbed the bloody wooden shafts with the three dimensional arrowheads still intact. She peeked around the tree she was hiding behind to see the three attackers had come out of hiding. They were standing beneath tree from where they had been shooting their innocent victims, laughing. Damn. She only had two arrows. Oh, well, the third would just have to get his ass beat with her wings. When someone started picking on her children that stirred up her ire. Enough was enough with ignorant moronic bumpkins and she was ready to give them an education on what freaks can really do.

"Hey, assholes! You forgot these!" she yelled as she ran toward them. When she was within a few feet of the boys, she raised the arrows to plunge them into the shoulders of the two boys standing on the side of the third. She had a knee to the groin waiting for the one in the middle. When she was right at them, she launched herself into the air, landing her knee in the tender spot beneath the waist of the male in front of her. She thrust the arrows forward, feeling some resistance as they stubbornly penetrated the beefy shoulders of the other two. All three of them fell into a heap on the ground with Corbeau on top.

"There you bastards! Leave us alone! You better get the hell out of here. My friend might have left but he's coming back with more. And they're a hell of a lot bigger and scarier than I am," she threatened, her chest heaving frantically for air. She slapped the stunned teenagers one by one as they lay on the ground. Her voice was shrill as she continued to yell insults and curse at them.

A low growl alerted her that Sajin had arrived on the scene. By the terrified wide eyed look on the boy's faces, they were aware of his presence as well.

"Move, Angel. I've got this. Are you all right?" he asked her as he helped her to her feet.

"Yes. I'm fine," she answered, dusting herself off after dealing with the trash.

"I'm impressed, Mama," he said, looking back at the trembling, crying boys on the ground.

They were just stupid little boys. They weren't the cold blooded killer types like those who got hold of her before. These were just pathetic, mean little kids who enjoyed torturing the small and the weak to make themselves feel better.

"Corbeau!" Renji yelled, literally sweeping her off her feet as he grabbed her and swung her around. "Are you hurt? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, calm down," she assured him, kissing his lips.

Retsu walked up on the scene pushing Renji away so she could check the mother to be. The traveling show now had a resident doctor who had run away with them because she had fallen in love with the one of the headlining freaks. That was another shocking development within their little family. It was for sure no one ever grew bored in the freak show. If they did, it was their own darn fault.

"All right, sweetie, you're fine," Retsu announced, hugging her briefly. Then she went into mama mode as she put her hand on her hips and shook her finger in Corbeau's face. "What in the hell is wrong with you? You're six months pregnant! You can't afford to be running around like some superhero dispensing justice and righting wrongs!"

Corbeau hung her head as the haranguing continued. She kept her head bowed to hide the smile she wore on her face. It was nice to have people who cared and truly loved her. She felt her husband's arms slide around her body and her smile got even bigger.

"You scare me sometimes. I'm glad you like me. I hope I never piss you off," Renji said, hugging her tightly.

"Are all of the children okay?" she inquired, content to be in her husband's arms.

"Thanks to you. Yes, they're fine. Hana too. He's going to be an amazing doctor one day," Retsu answered. She had taken the boy on as an assistant and an apprentice of sorts.

"Let's get you home, baby. I'm sure you're tired after that," he murmured in her ear holding her close.

"No actually after that adrenaline rush, I'd like to…" she whispered the rest in his ear since it was meant for him alone.

Everyone laughed when he picked her up in his arms and made a hasty retreat with her.

Three and half months later…

Corbeau was walking across the newly constructed midway after it had just been set up in another new town for a week long showing as requested by the mayor. So far, people here seemed to be very friendly and accepting of the show folks. She was glad of that because it looked like the name of this town was going to appear on the birth certificate of her child. Mild contractions had woke her before dawn this morning. She had not said anything to Renji because she knew he already had a lot on his mind being the new co-owner of traveling show. There was no sense getting him in a panic when this could take hours or even days. Days. 'Oh, dear god, please have mercy, not days,' she thought to herself as she jammed the heel of her hand into her aching back while she waddled along. A particularly strong contraction seized her making her freeze in her tracks to take a long deep breath to get through the pain. Breathe. Just remember to breathe. As if she could ever forget. These things freaking hurt!

"Angel, is there something you need to tell me?" Sajin inquired when he appeared around the corner.

Corbeau jumped nearly falling over the massive tangle of power cables on the ground. "Don't do that! You'll make me drop this baby right here!" she yelled, holding her stomach as another contraction began creeping around from her back to her tummy. They are coming faster and harder. That is a good sign.

"So it's time huh?" he asked, coming to hold her hand as she struggled through the pain.

"You know if it were anyone else but me you'd scare the hell out of them doing the things you do. It's like you have this weird sixth sense about me," she puffed, gritting her teeth against the misery wracking her body.

"I do. I love you," he said, holding her up in his arms.

"I love you too, Wolfie," she responded, touching his face.

"No, Angel. I love you," he repeated, his golden eyes capturing her black ones.

Corbeau forgot about the contractions while shock set in as his full meaning hit her. "Sajin, darling, do you really think now is the time for this kind of confession? Ow!" she cried out, holding her breath as every muscle in her body stiffened. "What about Retsu?"

"I love her. Just differently. I won't act on these feelings. I-I just wanted you to know," he stammered, pushing her hair back from her face as sweat beaded on her forehead and above her lip. "Relax, calm down. You're going to hurt worse."

'Oh, sure. Say something like that then expect me to stay calm," she thought to herself, unable to say anything because of the intense pain. This labor just got a sudden shift into overdrive.

"Renji, if you ever come near me again, I'll rip you apart!" Corbeau screamed, leaning forward to push as the contraction peaked.

"Shutup Corbeau and push! You'll love him again in no time, I promise!" Retsu yelled at her.

Corbeau had been in labor for twenty four hours; to say she was exhausted would be a gross understatement. Calling her grumpy would be like saying a Tsunami is a little bit of water. She was tired of the pain, and she was ready bring this baby into the world.

"Baby, I love you!" Renji said, afraid to get within her reach. He was sure if he did, she would inflict some kind of pain on him to share hers.

"Then get this thing out of me!" she cried out.

"I see the head! Come on, Corbeau! One more big push," the doctor coached her.

Hana was standing behind Retsu watching everything and was too mesmerized or horrified to speak; it was hard to say which he was feeling by the expression that twisted his face.

"Renji! Help me!" his wife cried, reaching out to him.

Renji went to her, putting his arms around her. He held her as she took a break between pushes. His lips pressed against her sweaty forehead as she sobbed loudly with tears streaming down her face. This will probably be an only child. He could not bear seeing her in this much pain again. Suddenly he felt her arms tighten around him and continue to squeeze. It was like being squeezed by a boa constrictor, and it was getting very hard to breathe. "SOMEBODY HELP ME! SHE'S REALLY GONNA KILL ME!" he bellowed at the top of his voice while his wife's shriek of tortuous agony nearly drowned him out.

And then another kind of cry was added to the noise. The cat like mewling of the infant that had just been born penetrated the air making everyone go silent. Even the pain wracked mother who had been howling with the travails of labor a moment earlier was quiet. Only her sniffing and the occasional gasp for air could be heard.

Corbeau watched as Hana and Retsu both quickly worked on the baby cleaning the child and checking to make sure everything was okay. Her body was trembling as Hana handed her the warm, wriggling bundle wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Way to go, big sis," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "You've got a lovely baby girl."

"Oh, oh, my god!" she murmured staring down at the little pink scrunched up face amid the folds of the blanket. Even though she was wrinkled and crying and looked like an alien, their daughter was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen at that moment.

"She's so pretty. Can I have her?" Renji asked, holding his arms out for her.

Corbeau wanted to keep holding the baby but her husband looked so cute and sweet she could not withhold the baby from his waiting arms. She watched as he nestled the tiny infant expertly in the crook of his arm and began cooing and making promises of all the things he was going to give her including the moon and the stars. She lay back on the bed, allowing the tears to come as long and as hard as they wanted to.

"It will be all right, sweetie," Retsu comforted her in a soothing voice. "What do you want to name her?"

"Allete Corren," Corbeau answered in a barely audible voice. She was slowly giving in to an exhausted sleep.

"That's beautiful. Just like your baby girl. Go on to sleep, sweetie. She's in very good hands," her friend and doctor assured her.

Corbeau stared at her very happy husband and new father as he held his newborn baby daughter. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.