Note: Okay, so, last chapter, I featured some grown up stuff. As such, I have decided to do something much more wholesome for this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Owen's Birthday

Months went by since Lexi and Baloo visited their respective families, and things were rather busy for them. For Lexi, she had gotten promoted at The Daily Post, becoming an editor. As for Baloo, he was still in the position he was when he got hired. However, he was quick to make a few friends at the office. With that in mind, the bear found a way to manage his position. Nonetheless, he and Lexi kept in touch while they were at work.

As hard as they were working, Baloo and Lexi didn't forget about Owen. Throughout each month, the bear and the rabbit would bring their son to work with them. On the days that they were unable to, they would leave the cub-bunny with either Bagheera or Louie. However, during the first week of June, Rama and Raksha had a turn in watching over the little one. The two wolves managed to keep Owen safe, even trusting their children to watch over him.

Now that it was September, Lexi and Baloo were quick to gather packages that they received in the mail. While there weren't any reports of package theft in the neighborhood, they just wanted to be safe. The moment they got the packages, the bear and the rabbit would wrap their contents in wrapping paper. Each of them would have a gift tag put on them, saying that they were for Owen. Once they were all together, Lexi put them in the closet. From there, she and Baloo would rest easy for a bit.

When it was nighttime, Lexi was laying in bed, waiting for Baloo to come in. She was simply relaxing, knowing that Owen was sleeping in his crib. Once Baloo climbed into bed, the rabbit lie her head on his shoulder. The bear kissed his wife, letting her fall asleep on him. He drifted off as well, knowing that all was well. The two slept throughout the night, letting nothing bother them.

The morning sun shined its light upon Baloo's face, which bothered him. Before he opened his eyes, the bear sat up, hoping to get the sun out of his face. Upon opening his eyes, the ursine saw that Lexi wasn't in bed. However, he overheard her speaking to someone. This was followed by baby talk, meaning that she was with Owen.

"I wonder if they're in the living room." Baloo said to himself.

Getting up from bed, Baloo walked into the living room. To his surprise, Lexi and Owen weren't in the room. However, the bear could still hear their voices. Turning his head, the ursine could hear his wife and son down the hallway.

"Okay, she's either in Owen's room, the kitchen, or the bathroom." Baloo surmised.

Walking down the hallway, Baloo heard Lexi and Owen's voices get louder. It was more noticeable on the right, which was where Owen's room was. Not wanting to be rude, Baloo carefully knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Lexi's voice came out of the room, having a singsong tone to it.

Baloo stepped into Owen's room, where he saw Lexi holding Owen. She was speaking with the cub-bunny, making him happy. The doe held her child close to her, letting him hug her. As he saw this, Baloo couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He almost felt like hugging his wife and child, but he decided to let them be. After all, Lexi was better at getting Owen excited for certain things.

Upon seeing Baloo, Lexi smiled at him. Owen let out a giggle when he saw his father, even waving his hand at him. The cub-bunny raised his hands in the air, being excited. Both of his parents smiled back at him, feeling adored by him. Lexi rubbed her son's head, letting out a chuckle. As for Baloo, he looked Owen in the eyes, giving a goofy smile.

"Are you excited for your party, birthday boy?" Baloo playfully asked.

Owen babbled in baby talk, being unable to say a word. The fact that he hadn't said his first word was something that Baloo and Lexi found odd. The two of them said their first words when they were only a few months old each, much younger than how the cub-bunny was at the moment. Nonetheless, the bear and the rabbit understood that their son had years to grow, so they put that thought aside. They walked into the dining room, deciding to eat breakfast before the party began. Lexi sat Owen in his high chair, securing it so that he would be safe.

Walking into the kitchen, Lexi got out the eggs. Baloo followed her into the room, deciding to help her out. As the doe scrambled some eggs, he put some bread in the toaster. The bear then got out bacon and sausage links, handing them to his wife. As the eggs cooked, Lexi put the breakfast meats in the skillet. While she did that, Baloo made coffee, finding it necessary for the morning.

Once everything was done, Lexi and Baloo brought the food in and ate. As Owen was still too young to eat anything solid, Lexi fed him strained peas with beef chunks. Nonetheless, the cub-bunny ate what was given to him. When breakfast was out of the way, Baloo took his son to the bathroom to get him cleaned up. As he did that, Lexi went over to a small table that was near the back wall. On the table was a dish that was covered in aluminum foil.

Pulling the foil off the dish, Lexi revealed its contents underneath. It was a cake with blue frosting and white icing. There were letters on it that read "Happy Birthday, Owen", being made of fondant. The cake itself was just a simple chocolate cake, albeit with a big recipe. Baloo was the one to bake the cake, while Lexi got the decorations together, even making the icing. While it was hard to make, the bear and the rabbit managed to get it together.

Setting the cake on the table, Lexi hoped that Owen would like it. He might have still been a baby, but something told her that he would react to the cake in an odd way. Before she could do anything else, the doe heard a knock on the door. Wanting to be quick, she walked as fast as she could. The lepus opened the door, deciding to let whoever was at it in. She closed her eyes, secretly hoping that this wouldn't turn out to be a home invasion.

"What are you playin' peek-a-boo for, Lex? I'm not Owen!"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Lexi opened her eyes. The visitor turned out to be Louie. Seeing as he had been invited, Lexi let the orangutan in. Now that he was inside, he sat down at the table. The primate whistled to himself, waiting for the party to start. While he did that, Lexi stood by the door, so that she would be able to answer it when someone else knocked on it.

"So, where's Owen at?" Louie asked.

"Baloo took him into the bathroom to get him clean." Lexi said.

"Gee, the little guy's getting messy on his first birthday?" The orangutan giggled. "You've got yourself a crazy boy!"

"He just got messy from eating breakfast." The doe said. "If he proves to be crazy, we'll let him hang out with you."

"You really mean that?" The primate asked, sounding excited.

"Well, how could we refuse an offer to babysit?" The lepus stated. "We just need to put our trust in the right person."

Another knock came on the door. Lexi answered it, pulling the door open. Standing in the doorway were Rama, Raksha, and Akela. Seeing them was a surprise for the doe, as they hadn't spoken to her as much as they did prior. Nonetheless, they had been invited to Owen's birthday. Raksha had even brought a small present with her.

"Hey guys!" Lexi greeted.

"Good morning, Lexi." Rama spoke.

"I hope that we're not late." Raksha said.

"No, you're right on time!" Lexi said. "Come in!"

Knowing that it was okay, Akela entered the house, followed by Rama and Raksha. The three wolves took their seats at the table, sitting at the opposite end of Louie. Much like him, they waited for Baloo to bring Owen out. They were even waiting for the other guests to arrive. Lexi was still standing by the door, intent on opening it for the other guests. However, her friends weren't going to let her get too hung up on it.

"Lexi, why don't you come sit down?" Rama asked.

"Someone has to let the guests in, right?" Lexi stated.

"There's no need to be jumpy, L!" Louie said. "Come sit down!"

Lexi was reluctant to sit down, but she wound up doing so. She knew that the others didn't want her to get too wound up, but she wanted them to see that it was for the right reasons. Once the doe was seated, she wound up speaking to everyone. Baloo had yet to come back with Owen, so she wanted to take her mind off that.

"So, Rama, Raksha, where are your kids?" Lexi asked.

"They're at school, so they couldn't come to the party." Rama said.

"Kind of a shame, really." Akela said. "If they were here, this would feel more like a birthday party."

"Oh, Akela, it's still a party!" Louie said. "Even if Owen's the only little one here, we can still enjoy it!"

"I guess you're right." The wolf said.

All of a sudden, there was the sound of a door opening and closing. Knowing who it was, everyone smiled. While Rama, Raksha, and Akela couldn't see who was approaching the room, they knew who it was. Lexi and Louie, on the other hand, were able to see the person in question. They felt happy, knowing that he had the birthday boy with him. All that was left was for him to enter the room.

"Sorry about that, guys!" Baloo spoke. "I had to change Owen while we were in there!"

"It's okay, we're just happy to be here!" Louie said.

Baloo entered the dining room, carrying Owen in his arms. The cub-bunny let out an excited squeal when he saw everyone in the room. Everyone gushed at his reaction, with Raksha wiping a tear from her eye. Sitting his son in a high chair, Baloo went over to Lexi. The rabbit smiled at her husband, knowing that everything was going off without a hitch. As they did that, the others watched over Owen.

A knock came on the door, which surprised Baloo. However, Lexi went over and opened it. By doing so, the rabbit revealed who knocked on the door: Bagheera. The panther was well-dressed, albeit having a sweatshirt on. He didn't have anything with him, but neither Baloo or Lexi minded. What was important was that he was here.

"About time you got here, buddy!" Baloo spoke.

"Give me a break, I keep forgetting how long it is from my place to your house!" Bagheera said.

"Don't worry, you're not late!" Lexi said.

The couple let Bagheera in the house. Once he stepped inside, the panther sat down at the table. Lexi and Baloo took their seats soon after, knowing that all of the guests were at the party. Wanting to get it over with, Lexi lit the candle on Owen's cake, intent on having him blow it out. Baloo got out a camera and made sure that it was functional. After checking, the bear got it ready for use.

Despite not fully grasping the idea of it at his young age, Owen blew out the candle on his cake. This allowed Baloo to take a picture, managing to capture the cub-bunny's excited face. Everyone sang to him, wishing him a happy birthday. Lexi got in on the singing, feeling left out. Baloo couldn't help but feel wowed by his wife's singing voice. To him, she sounded like an angel.

Moving on to the gifts, Owen was given one at a time. Knowing that he couldn't open them by himself, Lexi helped him. For every gift that the cub-bunny opened, he let out a happy squeal. Lexi and Baloo both smiled, happy to see that their son was excited. The couple gushed, feeling overwhelmed by how cute he was. No matter what happened, they wanted to treasure a moment like this forever.

For a few minutes, Baloo and Lexi decided to let everyone play with Owen. This allowed the couple to have a small conversation.

"Didn't you invite any of your friends, honey?" Baloo asked.

"Yes, but they declined." Lexi said.

"Oh, Lex, I'm sorry to hear about that!" The bear said.

"It's okay." The rabbit said. "It's a shame that Kaa couldn't come either."

"We can invite him to the next one, don't worry about it." He reassured her.

By night, the party had ended. Everyone had left earlier, having to go to work on the following day. Rama and Raksha left first, as they had to pick up their children from school. Akela followed them, having something personal to do. Louie stayed for a bit longer, promising to call every now and then. As for Bagheera, he promised to watch after Owen whenever he had the time, even on days off from work.

Now that they were alone again, Lexi and Baloo cleaned up after the party. There wasn't much to clean, so it didn't take them long to get it out of the way. Once they were done, Lexi went to get Owen ready for bed. As she did that, Baloo got in the shower, wanting to get clean for the night. The bear had work the following day, as did Lexi.

Getting out of the shower, Baloo dried himself off and got dressed for bed. He walked out of the bathroom, letting Lexi into it. The rabbit took her shower, wanting to wash herself. As that happened, the bear overheard Owen letting out whimpers. He went to his son, secretly hoping that he wasn't in danger. If the cub-bunny was, then Baloo wanted to be there as fast as he could.

Upon entering the room, Baloo saw that Owen was in his crib, squirming. Seeing as the cub-bunny was just having a nightmare, he took him out of the crib. The bear kissed his son, hoping that it would help him calm down. The infant stopped squirming, but kept on making noise. Baloo held his son close to him, trying to get him to go to sleep. This caught the attention of a familiar voice.

"Nightmares, eh?"

Turning around, Baloo saw Lexi standing in the doorway. The rabbit was wearing her bathrobe, with the ribbon tied so that it wouldn't open by accident. She approached her husband and son, gently rubbing the latter's head. As such, Owen stopped whimpering and calmed down. Now that their son was asleep, the bear and his doe put him back in his crib. The cub-bunny smiled as he slept, feeling at peace.

"I'm going to head to bed." Baloo said.

"Go ahead, I'll see you in a minute." Lexi said.

As Baloo walked out of the room, Lexi kissed Owen on his forehead. She was ready to walk out herself, but stopped to say something to her son.

"Happy birthday, Owen." The rabbit said. "Mommy and daddy love you no matter what."

Lexi then walked out of the room, letting her son get rest for the night.

Note: I try not to make every story match up with reality, but I make exceptions for certain ones. Anyway, Owen's turned one, and he's still got his whole life ahead of him. What will happen next in his life? How will Baloo and Lexi react to their son's growth? Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!