For a petite human, Genevieve James gave off big person energy.  She paced the length of the hospital waiting room, climbed over furniture, and fidgeted every time she got within reach of the chairs. From his seat, Maximus watched her go, the twins Teddy and Fifi pacing and climbing and fidgeting in her wake. It would have brought him comfort to have Vivi seated beside her, leg tapping away until his whole body jostled, warm side of her body pressed against his side.  He would put an arm around her, and he would tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Comforting his wife would bring him comfort, but Vivi didn’t want comfort.  She wanted to move.  So Max let her move, although he would snag a duckling twin on occasion and cuddle them into submission.

Across the waiting room, his mother knitted tiny Quidditch jerseys while she chatted with his mother-in-law.  Cassandra Rae-Branxton glared at Healers as they passed and watched her daughter pace.

This was going well.

“Go home pease?” Teddy climbed onto the chair beside Max and let his head rest against his arm.

“We can’t go home, bud. We’re waiting for your new sister.”

Teddy gave a quiet huff. His discomfiture drew his twin, and Fifi squeezed into the chair beside him.  Like a good mama duck, Vivi ended her pacing and unpacked snacks and boxes of juice from a satchel.  She was still long enough for Max to snag, and he dragged her into his lap.

“What if…”  He could feel the moment she let herself feel the emotions swirling beneath the nervous energy, her body sagging against his shoulder.

“You know a mother’s heart just gets bigger and bigger, right?  There’s no maximum capacity for love.”  He rested a chin against the top of her head.  It was better not to remind her that she’d been miserable learning that getting pregnant again after the twins wasn’t possible, that she’d bury her face in her nephew Cooper’s hair while everyone pretended not to notice. Better not to point out that this was the only way their family was going to grow, even if she was stretched and white around the edges over the thought that she might not be able to love this new baby the way she loved the twins.

A Healer in billowing robes burst through the doors at the end of the waiting room, a tiny pink bundle in her arms, and Vivi scrambled out of Max’s lap.  She was climbing over furniture again, plucking that bundle right out of the protesting Healer’s arms, but Max couldn’t see her face.

The whole room held its breath as mother took in the face of her child for the first time, and then… “Oh. Hi.”  Vivi’s voice was so soft, so gentle, the whisper of a huge heart that most people never got to see.  She brought the baby to Max and Teddy and Fifi, dropping to a crouch so they could all look at her tiny scrunched features.

“This is your new sister, guys.”

Teddy looked properly awed, but Fifi pushed the baby away.  “No fank you.”  

Episode 5 ~ Ain’t That A Kick In The Head

Phoebe's scream wasn't that of fear, it was the battle screech of gladiator charging. There is always a feeling of anxiousness as you stare down your opponent across the cage and bounce on your toes and size them up. It's whats needed to drive one forward into combat...and while the Killer indulged himself in his fantasy she attacked.

She was trained kickboxer attending a world class camp. So her feet flew at him fast, almost like they were punches, and the Killer had to do a lot just to dodge them. Each one whipped past his face with a force that jammed his ears and he knew at once, just after dodging the first one, that getting hit by one of those kicks would be like taking a hammer to the head.

But they kept coming. He thought she would trip up on the edge of a table or something but he would not get so lucky. She was trained. She did this in her sleep...and soon, because he could only dodge and never press forward himself, a foot would connect.

Phoebe James @fifiinthesky { advocating, devoted, warm-hearted }

Stark Kids First Generation -  Phoebe James @fifiinthesky, Theodore James,  Yolanda Luna,  Octavia Stark @taviestark,  Cecelia Summers @ceceliasummers,  Flynn Whitlock @flynnlock 

Episode 5 ~ Ain’t That A Kick In The Head

"Hello, dear," that creepy man said casually as if he were expected here all along. There was a glint in his eyes as well and a growing smirk on his face. "Usually, I bring a knife, but I thought it would be fun to humble you. Put you in your place. Beat you with my own fists."

She let out a scream, a terrified one, because despite it all...this was the killer. She should have figured that as it would be just like a killer to mention to someone "There's a killer about," like he did the previous night.

He enjoyed her scream, in fact, it made his body shudder with bliss. "Ahh, the feminine screams of fear and pleasure sound just alike!" he exalted. He would enjoy this. He closed his eyes to imagine how much fun he'd have with her pieces and-

Episode 5 ~ Ain’t That A Kick In The Head

Yet, as she dug in her drawer for her pistol (because sometimes you need extra protection) and as she headed back out to kill the man (because scum like him wasted oxygen) she found he was gone. Her foot did ache too, but she was used to that, it cost pain to create pain, law of nature. “Hope you have a concussion at least, cowardly bitch...” 

She couldn't help but laugh. "Should have shot me while I slept, dumbass," she said again, victorious. She would call the cops before going back to sleep (and would sleep like a baby) because she wanted to help put this man behind bars and hey it would help if before her first real fight she could be labeled as the one to end the Domestic Killer, Head Snatcher, whatever they were calling him these days...