Brooklyn hoped he wouldn't have any more such encounters while he was still pregnant. He just wanted to have a peaceful pregnancy the rest of the time. The more the weeks passed, the more it was getting a little scarier that the babies were going to be here before he knew it.
The red male knew he needed to start thinking seriously about names for the little ones. In his ancient clan's past, gargoyles just simply didn't have names unless humans named them. But names had become the new norm in this modern era of technology and book terms.
One night at breakfast, Brooklyn spoke up. "Everyone, I am grateful for all the support you've been showing me since I got back for letting me have my twins, but I need a favor from the rest of you now." He explained.
"Anything, Brooklyn." Goliath replied.
"I have been having trouble thinking of names for them. Since I do everything for them right now with them inside me, this is something that you all can do for me. Please help me find names for them." Brooklyn asked of them. "There's just so many out there."
"We'd be happy to do that for you, Brooklyn." Angela smiled.
"It would be an honor." Broadway said.
"We could also do it like a game too." Lex suggested.
"How so?" Brook asked.
"We could all come up with two names and put them on pieces of paper and put them in a hat or a jar or something." Lex explained.
"That should help to keep them from getting lost." Brook chuckled. "Yeah, let's do that."
"Is there a certain way you want to name your babies, lad? Like after towns or people?" Hudson asked.
"It doesn't matter. You can come up with what you want, but only I will decide what I come up with for them." The red male replied. "But also, please don't use b names. Our clan is so full of them already."
"It does sound intriguing, Brooklyn." Goliath declared. "And we will do as you instructed."
"Thanks. Now I'm craving some pickles, sour cream and onions on rye bread." Brooklyn said.
The gargoyles liked many things, but what the red male just said just about made the others gag. The things that Brook craved these days.
Broadway bravely went to the kitchen to dispatch what his brother wanted to eat. The smell nearly made him gag for sure, but he fixed it and gave it to him.
Brooklyn bit into the food. "Hmm. This is so good!"
The other males and Angela couldn't believe that Brooklyn had the cravings of a pregnant female. But Sato had told him that it was better to give into the cravings because it must have some sort of nutrition in it for him and the babies. They hoped Brooklyn's tastes would get normal again after the twins were born.
Hudson and Goliath still recalled when their mates in the past had very weird cravings just being pregnant with their eggs. It was nearly the same. But Brooklyn was carrying live babies. His offspring were going to be here a lot sooner than eggs to hatch.
After breakfast, the clan all save for Hudson and Bronx went out on patrol. The older male and the gar dog went to the tv room.
Brooklyn still longed to go patrolling again but he was going nowhere in his condition. It had been over three weeks since his capture by Fang. He had recovered well. But he was feeling more cramps in his back to stand up if he stood for long periods. His ankles could swell from fluid. He would always find a little time to walk around the castle for exercise or glide around outside the battlements to make sure that his wings didn't get cramped up. He had to keep using the muscles.
He knew that the muscles in his stomach were sure getting stretched out carrying his babies. He was also feeling it in his pelvis and back too, even though he wouldn't give birth like how a female would.
Brooklyn had made it into his seventh month by now. His stomach was getting huge. He was often spending a good deal of the night relaxing. He would retreat to his room or the library to read more on his pregnancy, the similarities anyway. But there were times he still enjoyed hanging out with the clan members that stayed behind with him.
One night, he got an idea in his head that he needed to start getting child experience. He knew where he could get it. Brooklyn headed to the nursery to see young Alexander. He opened the door just a bit to see what was going on inside the room.
Owen was doing some business work tonight. Fox was in the room playing with and holding her son.
Brooklyn marveled at how the redheaded woman handled her baby boy. It made him put a hand to his belly and rub it. Then he knocked with the other hand. He heard "Come in." He opened the door then and walked into the nursery.
"Hi." He greeted.
"Hi, Brooklyn. What brings you here tonight?" Fox asked.
"Since Lex is out on duty tonight and I know I'm getting closer all the time to be becoming a father soon, I was wanting to know if I could babysit Alex sometimes, get some childcare experience?" Brook explained and asked.
"Sure, of course. That'll be wonderful, Brooklyn." Fox replied. "How are you feeling though in your condition?"
"I feel like I'm ready to have them but can't help but feel a little scared too. They are really taking a toll on my body. My back and hips the most." Brook held his side.
Fox laughed. "That's normal for sure at that stage. How long do you think you are?"
"Seventh month. If it was an egg, it would have been due a month ago." He stated. "But it's not."
"Well, how about you hold Alex for a moment." Fox suggested. "He just fell asleep."
"Sure."
Fox handed the toddler to the red gargoyle. He had seen how parents held small kids. His left arm cradled the baby's head, and his right arm supported the body. Alex wasn't a newborn anymore but could still be held. Brook tried to keep the weight off his stomach though.
Fox watched how the red male held her son carefully and gently in a loving manner. Brooklyn had a most adoring smile on his face as he gazed down at the sleeping child. He began to gently rock the boy in his arms. He held him until he felt a cramp in his back.
Brooklyn winced. "Could I sit down to hold him?"
"There's the chair right over there." Fox directed him.
"Oh, right." Brooklyn replied. He walked to the chair and slowly sat down on the rocking chair. It would take the pressure off his back for a time.
He stayed in the room a good few hours learning about how to handle a baby from Fox, in the physical sense; even changing his diaper. Childcare was a lot of work. But at least Brook was getting some childcare under his belt. There might even be some nights ahead that he and Lexington babysat together.
"Well, thanks for the lessons, Fox." Brooklyn thanked her before he walked out.
"You're welcome. You're welcome to watch my son anytime." Fox said.
"Thanks." Then he left the nursery to go to his room. He was losing his energy again. Brooklyn needed a nap every night due to this.
He got into bed and covered up. He laid on his left side. His right hand rested on his belly. There was some movement in there as he fell asleep. He felt at peace right now, but that was short lived.
While he was sleeping, waiting for the clan to return, Brooklyn had a not so pleasant dream. He dreamt that the Illuminati men had recaptured him again and this time, he saw himself strapped down in hard bonds that he couldn't break. His belly was huge at the time, and he saw one of the doctors pick up the knife that he thought they would use.
Brooklyn screamed bloody murder as the evil men held him still to cut the babies out of his belly. It scared him so bad that it made him wake up screaming too. Then he felt movement from his stomach. He moved the blanket down. His belly was still swollen. He was relieved.
"Oh! Whew! I'm so glad I'm not in that evil man's presence anymore. I hope to have a safe birth when the time is right." Brooklyn declared. "But then, will I go into labor at all? Or does Dr. Sato think I will?"
Brooklyn was still scared about giving birth to his twins. He knew they were part human. He knew that they would need some human experiences despite being mostly gargoyle. But it would be tricky overtime.
...
The heavier the babies got inside Brooklyn's belly, the harder it got to walk around. He would often walk around holding his back from the weight he had on his front. Brook couldn't help but let out groans of pain.
Fox knew all too well what he was going through and wanted to offer some assistance as she noticed his breathing was heavier anymore. And the red male was carrying one more baby than she had.
Fox approached Brooklyn after lunch one night. He was now in his 27th week. He was on the verge of going into the 3rd trimester soon. The twins were only going to get heavier.
"Hi, Brooklyn." She greeted him.
"Hi. What's up?" he asked solemnly.
"I have noticed lately that you seem to be breathing harder than you normally do, Brooklyn. I would like to offer you some techniques to help you breathe easier." Fox explained.
"Really? How?" he asked.
"Come with me." Fox instructed.
He found it odd for her to ask him to come with her, but he did as he was told. He followed her to the nursery. Alex was being fed by Owen at the moment.
"So, what's going on?" Brook asked, holding his back.
"I know you won't have your babies like how a woman can, but I'm sure some breathing techniques I learned in my Lamaze classes could surely help you more." Fox explained.
"What's Lamaze?" Brooklyn asked curiously.
"It was a special technique invented to help pregnant women start to feel more at ease before labor and doing some breathing that can help you relax and not feel so anxious. And to also practice for labor. But of course, I know you're not a woman and having your babies by c-section, but the breathing could really help you out so you're not stressing so much." Fox explained.
"Okay." Brook replied. "So, how do we get started?"
"There are also certain ways you might be able to move your body to help ease discomforts too. It's better to move through them rather than being sedentary, well, at least some of them."
Brooklyn was ever so curious about what she was saying. He had read something about it in his pregnancy book too. At least he had someone to really confide in who had gone through this experience before.
Fox showed him ways to relax and breathe. There were also some yoga techniques that she showed him for some light exercise and breathing too.
"Thanks for all the help, Fox." Brook stated.
"You're welcome. You can come to me about anything. I know you've been reading about pregnancy but there's only so much you can learn from a book. It doesn't always teach you about what it's like personally." Fox declared.
"True."
He was currently laying on his back after completing a yoga exercise with her. Fox then eyed his belly. "May I?" she asked.
"Okay." He answered.
Fox took that chance to be able to feel around on the red gargoyle's stomach. It was getting quite big and round due to the precious bundles it carried. As she rubbed her hand on his belly, she felt some movements from inside him. One rolled and the other kicked out. Brook winced.
"I felt them move. That's neat. Have you thought of names yet?" Fox asked.
"No. I still haven't had the clan come up with their names yet. I need to do that." Brook replied.
"I'm sure you'll come up with some nice names." Fox complimented him.
"I definitely want to come up with good ones. I didn't get my name until this century because names just weren't useful to us, with just basic words to describe one another." Brook explained. "Like friend, my love, or mentor, or leader."
"It's understandable. Thinking of names is a hard task. You want the child to have the right name. Meanings also affect the personality and such."
"Yeah, I definitely want names with good meanings too." Brook said.
"Do you think you'll want to name them after towns or cities too, or more like real names?" She asked.
"Probably more people names, and definitely not B names. Me, Bronx, and Broadway all have the same starting letters to our names. I want them to start with different letters." Brooklyn explained.
"Can't wait to find out what they are."
"Me too."
Brooklyn had been glad to learn some techniques from Fox about Lamaze breathing and exercises. They would come in handy at times throughout the rest of his pregnancy. He hoped he wouldn't have any more attacks on him while he carried the twins. His babies were ultimately prized for sure, considering they were half human and half gargoyle. Despite the human half, he still accepted them for what they were. He was their father.
The twins looked like him on ultrasounds. One baby had five fingers on their hands while the other had the usual four of a gargoyle. It also had an extra toe on its foot. One had horns and the other didn't, but both had beaks. It was still a guess what their body coloring would be. One was sure to be red like him.
Fox also thought about giving Brooklyn some stuff to help him out with supplies. Perhaps a baby shower would be a good thing for him.
By now, Maggie had had her baby, and it was a girl. Maggie had no idea of what Brooklyn was going through at this time. But then, when Fox told Angela about the idea, the lavender female come down to the Labyrinth to tell Maggie. Angela knew that Brooklyn was crazy about her, or was at one time, but they were still friends.
"Would you be willing to come to a baby shower for Brooklyn?" Angela asked her.
"You mean his girl?" Maggie asked.
"No, I mean Brooklyn himself. It's strange but he is really pregnant." Angela explained. "Some scientists did it to him. And congratulations on your daughter."
"Thank you. Her name is Allison." Maggie smiled down at her daughter. She looked a lot like her mom.
"You can bring her to the shower. Fox is planning it as a surprise. Within a few weeks." Angela stated.
"Alright. I'll be there. So, when is Brooklyn supposed to have his baby?" Maggie asked.
"According to Dr. Sato, in about two more months. November to be exact." Angela replied. "And he's actually carrying twins. We think one of each."
"Wow. He'll be busy."
"He'll have us to help him out." Angela said. "But it seems strange that he's pregnant and doesn't yet have a girl to call his own. I've noticed that even though he's looking forward to his fatherhood, but he just seems lonely all the more."
"I'm sure he will find that special girl out there somewhere." Maggie declared. "I wish him luck."
"Well, I'm off now." Angela stated and left.
Maggie was surprised that a male creature was actually carrying babies, let alone a gargoyle. But why Brooklyn? They must have been some messed up humans to impregnate a male gargoyle. But she would be at the baby shower. She just needed to think on what she would get him.
Maggie also went to the female clone of the cloned gargoyles and asked Delilah if she wanted to go with her. Delilah was happy she asked her to go. She had given Maggie a special gift for her baby while pregnant. Now for a real gargoyle. But to her also, it was also strange to hear a male of her kind was expecting.
They would prepare together.