despite how it might have looked to an outsider, finding alexander claire standing in a baby aisle staring blankly at the shelves in front of him was not a peculiar thing. for as long as he could remember he’d been attached to this particular section of the stores he visited, and every visit to any store with this particular department meant a detour regardless of the time restraints or intention of the trip itself. even as a toddler he’d sought the pastel aisles and dreamed about the day when he would be shopping for himself, for his own little bundle of joy.
the dreams had changed little by little as he grew older, the ideas he had as a toddler were different than those he’d had in elementary school, and those plans he’d been sure were concrete in high school were still drastically different than those he concocted on the nights where he couldn’t study anymore as he pursued his degree. despite all the dreaming, and ideas he’d had, nothing prepared him for the real thing. now that the moment was there, and he had lucie to shop for, it wasn’t quite how he’d imagined it. he’d imagined nine months (give or take) of trips to this very spot, buying way too much, returning some things only to replace them with different items as the arrival date of his bundle of joy became closer and closer rethinking every decision, repainting the nursery so many times he was sure anyone would think he was crazy. would the baby prefer animals stenciled onto the walls, or their initials etched onto the wall with cursive lettering? what if they preferred the toy elephant to the giraffe? or a cool green changing table to the bland white one he’d chosen? he’d imagined a million decisions, rethinking it all, and most of all, the build up to the moment when he met his child, and he’d had none of that. he’d had a funeral, a resurrection, and an introduction. no build up, no anticipation, and as much as he worshiped his daughter, he couldn’t help but be envious of her mother for having all of that when he didn’t.
he wondered what lucie’s mother had gone through, how she’d felt about the whole affair. did she visit the aisle and look over the offerings, imagining the possibilities that the child inside of her would bring, or did she distance herself from the scene entirely, already aware of the fact she wouldn’t be around to see her child in anything this aisle had to offer. did she think about what clothes her daughter was wearing now? did she imagine that her daughter’s feet would be small enough to fit in the impossibly small shoes that could fit into the palm of his hand, or that lucie would love the way that the powder blue blanket felt against her face? did she wonder what the nursery looked like, or what toys she preferred? the questions swirled in his brain, all things he had thought about before, and all things he didn’t have answers to. she’d given him his daughter, something he’d be forever grateful for, but still, here he stood, wondering about if she’d used those nine months the way he would have, or if she still had questions of her own she’d never have the answers to.
he was sure that his daughter, a rambunctious newborn with a penchant for staying awake, must have been much the same since the very start. he could just imagine her keeping her mother awake with her antics, much to her disdain, or maybe her delight under the right circumstances. little kicks at all hours of the night, kicks he could only imagine as he let his intertwined hands rest on his stomach as he stared at the shelves in front of him. he couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like, to have a baby kicking underneath his hand, and what it would feel like to see the expression on his partner’s face when they felt the kicks against their own hand. what he wouldn’t have given to trade places with lucie’s mother for just a day, to know what it was like to know his daughter before she entered into this world. a part of his was envious, and now he wondered if he would ever have that opportunity, or it that was stolen away from him just like his magic had been. he looked down at his hands, and simply dreamed about what may never be, letting his eyes linger there rather than the aisles filled with items and the dreams he’d associated with them.
the vampire hadn’t even noticed anyone else was in the same section until it was too late and he was ran into by a stroller. it was jarring, not because of the impact itself but rather the fact that he was pulled so quickly from his thoughts back to reality, leaving the claire dazed and confused for just a few moments as he turned to face the woman who’d bumped into him. “i’m so sorry.” he uttered quickly, still processing whatever she’d said to him as he spoke. even if she’d ran into him, he still felt the need to apologize. if alexander hadn’t been so scatterbrained then he might have moved out of her way and avoided the collision all together, and from the feeling of it, the stroller wasn’t exactly empty, and he was sure the sudden stop hadn’t been too pleasant for it’s occupant either.
it was only a few seconds later when he recognized the woman, and he relaxed a bit and offered her a weak smile. aria, it was aria, that he could work with. “it’s okay, i should have been paying more attention. it’s really my fault.” he argued, removing his hands from their place over his stomach to place them in his pockets as he glanced around to take a peak into her stroller, keeping a safe distance so he could retreat if she wasn’t quite comfortable with his approach. “is she alright?” he asked, looking from the infant to aria, sure that she would know her daughter better to gauge her reactions to things like this than he was qualified to do. “i’m sorry, manners, are you okay?”
the worried expression that taunted her features didn’t fade until she got sights on her daughter, kneeling down in front of the stroller. as the little girl stirred aria sighed in relief, the slight well of anxiety she felt dying down. while it may have been uncomfortable for the baby any reaction was better than none. at least, in her experience. she was quick to check for any injuries. “thank god.” she muttered quietly.
before the wailing could even start aria was undoing the belt and taking her into her arms, finally straightening up to see the second victim to her clumsiness, offering him an apologetic look. “you don’t have to apologise, i don’t think either of us were paying too much attention.” she said sheepishly, just a tad embarrassed she had managed to literally almost run him over. bouncing angel in her arms, she laughed as she whined, pulling her closer, rubbing her back and cooing soothingly letting her lean against her chest. “i think she’s a little shaken.” aria admitted, finally looking towards him again. “but she’ll be okay, look she’s settling down already.” aria said while a smile, angling her body towards alex in such a way that he could get a better look. “as for me i’m fine, i’m more concerned about you, it can’t feel good being rammed into. you’re not hurt ?” she asked with a genuine concern. if she hadn’t had hold of angel she would have done more, instead settling for looking at him sympathetically and getting close enough to look him over.
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