One

Nine months later...

Zander and Helena sat snuggled into each other on the couch of her apartment discussing baby names. They still couldn’t settle on one but they had already bought plenty of blue baby clothes and all the amenities that Alina should need to start with. They even redecorated her office to be a baby bedroom. Light blue with clouds, a few animals and a smiley face sun.

“I think he should have your last name baby,” Zander suggested, as he stroked her hair. Helena ran her hand over her distended stomach.

“Why’s that?” She asked looking back at him with her beautiful green eyes.

“Well, I think it’s traditional, it holds power.” Helena gave him an inquisitive look. “Well it holds more power than Fantis.” He said with a laugh.

“Oh honey I love your name, are you sure you want it to be my last name? You don’t think he’ll get teased for having a Greek last name?” She asked him.

“Are you kidding? He’s an incubus; they’ll adore him too much to make fun of him. Now, what do you think for a first name?”

“I was thinking we could name him after your middle name, James.” She suggested dragging her fingers through his hair.

“Hmm, seems a bit plain given his nature. We can make that his middle name. What about Victor? I always liked that name.” Helena pondered his thought for a moment.

“No, I knew a Victor once, I really didn’t like him. Which is probably why I killed him, or was it because he mocked my outfit? I don’t remember, but I know he was a dick.” Zander laughed at that. He believed her. He’d seen her kill people for less. Then it hit him.

“I think we should name him after your father.” She turned back to him with a questionable look.

“Zander, my father lived thousands of years ago in ancient Greece, his name isn’t exactly popular these days.” He smiled and considered that, but his mind was made up and she could see that. After all, he could always shorten it up in a nickname or something.

“Very well, his name will be Adomus. Adomus James Damocles.” No sooner had she spoken his full name, the baby began squirming inside her and her water broke. The baby was coming and he was coming now. “Zander! We have to go, now!” She grabbed his arm tight.

Zander immediately manifested them into the middle of Alina’s kitchen and lifted Helena onto the kitchen table. Hearing the noise, a group of women led by Alina entered the kitchen to see what was going on. Alina’s eyes went wide as she froze all the other women in place.

“Oh, hell no! You are not having a baby on my kitchen table, especially not in front of my book club, frozen or not!” She shouted.

“Have you bought a hospital bed in the last nine months?” Helena shouted back. Alina scowled. “Then shut up and grab towels!” Alina ran off to do as Helena asked.

“Zander, get the book club back in the living room!” Zander nodded and grabbed as many as he could at a time and positioned them back in their seats on the other side of the wall. Alina placed some towels underneath Helena’s arched legs.

“Zander, could you remove her clothes? I’m going to place this bed sheet over her to make her more comfortable and so the baby won’t have to pass through denim.” Zander Held out one finger and using his telekinesis, cut her clothes from the side and peeled them off and Alina placed the sheet over top of her. “Alright now let me take a look.” She said poking her head under the sheet. “Oh no, no, no, this doesn’t look good sweetie, I don’t think you’re fully dilated.”

“Which means?” Zander knew nothing about birthing even though he was three thousand years old.

“Which means we have to wait longer.” Alina said with a frown. Helena’s eyes went wide in disbelief at what she’d just heard.

“No, Zander, we are getting him out, now! You cut him out!” Helena ordered him by grabbing his collar.

“Baby, we don’t have any medicine, you’ll lose too much blood.”

“Zander! I am a demon! I will heal! Now you cut him the f**k out or so help me you will be singing soprano when I’m done with you!” Zander swallowed nervously.

“Ok, Alina, let me in there. We’ll do it her way.” He held his finger up like he did when he cut her clothes.

“I don’t think we should do this yet.” Alina said grabbing his wrist.

“For ball’s sakes, Alina, if we don’t do this now, she’ll destroy this whole block. And she’s right, she will heal.” Alina thought about it for a moment.

“Fine, you get ready to cut and I’ll try to hold back the blood as best I can. Sweetie?” Helena looked up at her, her breathing ragged, and sweat beading down her face and hair. “This is really going to hurt.” Helena nodded in acknowledgement and braced herself. Alina looked at Zander and nodded. The moment Zander started cutting, Helena let out a blood curdling scream that made him start slowing down.
          “No, don’t slow down, keep your pace!” She encouraged him. He picked back up, doing his best to block out his love’s screams while Alina tried to keep her best friend’s blood contained.

“I think that’s it. Alina, reach in and get him out.” Zander said taking over to keep his love from losing more blood. Alina braced herself and reached her hands in. She could feel the baby writhing around and did her best to find his back and pulled him out. The baby boy squealed as his first breath filled his lungs.

Zander cut the umbilical cord and sealed Helena’s open stomach as her cries turned to ragged breathing. Zander looked back to see Helena’s skin pale from blood loss.

“Baby are you ok?” Helena lolled her eyes to him and faintly nodded. “You need to eat, here.” Zander pulled back his shirt collar and lowered his neck to her mouth. Helena’s teeth sharpened as she weakly bit into him, letting his blood slowly revitalize her.

Alina took the baby upstairs, wasting no time in sealing his essence. Stepping into the baby’s soon to be bedroom, she wrapped him in a light towel and placed him in the center of an ash lain pentagram. The baby cried on still as she prepared the rite.

“Hush little one, you will be returned to your mother soon.” She reassured him. He silenced his cries as if he understood her. Alina smiled at the little boy who still hadn’t opened his tiny eyes. Soon it would be up to her to keep him safe and raise him in secret. True to her word, she tickled the little boy’s toes as he looked up to her, his face as innocent as anything that ever has existed.

Alina’s eyes turned pure black as she chanted in Romanian. The ashes began to glow a faint orange as tendrils of light reached towards the child’s chest. He made no sound as they danced about his body, chaining most of his magic until the day of his maturation. The light died down as she finished her spell. She couldn’t believe her eyes, he was sleeping! She smiled as he scooped him up him her arms and wiped the blood from his forehead and dark fuzzy hair.

Helena’s eyes lit up as she saw Alina come through the kitchen with her new baby boy. Zander was sitting in a kitchen chair after he switched skin pigmentations with Helena when she’d drank her fill to recuperate.

“You alright, Zander?” Alina asked with a laugh. He nodded meekly.

“Women, blood suckers, the lot of you.” He answered rubbing his neck where he’d just been fed on.

“After what you just put me through, you’re lucky I didn’t take it all! Now bring me my baby.” Helena requested, her smile beaming as she took him into her arms. Only then did he open his eyes, revealing two blue crystals with flecks of green riddled in them. “My goodness, you are just the most beautiful thing in the world. Aren’t you?” She asked poking his stomach. The baby smiled at his mother as he reached out for her face.

“Congratulations mommy, what’s his name?” Alina asked, standing at Helena’s side.

“Adomus James Damocles.” She answered with a smile. Alina pulled out a blank sheet of paper and put her finger to it. The moment she touched it, the paper turned into a birth certificate for the boy. Alina tucked it into a folder that would become his identity until he was old enough to make his own. She ran upstairs to her room to grab Helena some clothes, knowing they couldn’t stay long. She returned and handed them to her as Zander did his best to help Helena off the table and to her feet. Her incision was sealed but still stung like a violent hellfire.

“Zander, do you want me to get you some orange juice or something? You look like you could use some nourishment of your own.” Alina pulled out the jug from the fridge and handed it to him as Helena held her baby close. “So how is this going to work, will we have shared custody?”

Helena’s eyes seemed lonely now. With a pang in her heart as she watched her beautiful son fall asleep, she sighed.

“We’ll check in on him every six months. If he ever asks, and he will, you’re his aunt and we died in an accident.” Alina’s face was a mixture of confused and mortified.

“Yes, and if he tries to pursue us, and finds us, every one of us is in a danger we can scarcely fathom.” Zander’s tone was dead serious. Alina could agree with that. Adrian was over ten thousand years old and he loved to lord his supremacy over any and all who questioned him. More often than not he would kill demons that entered his palace purely for smudging the door handle. He literally had nothing better to do than make other people’s lives a living hell and that was more than ironic seeing as most of the people he did it to were demons who already lived in hell.

Helena handed Adomus over to Zander, who was eager to meet his son.

“Hello, little one. So you’re the one who made mommy the grouchy monster for nine months.” He said cradling the boy close while Helena gave him a look that said, you’re lucky you’re holding my baby or I’d hurt you. He winked at her letting her know he was only kidding. But he was truly glad he no longer had to run to the store for cookie dough ice cream at two in morning. “You’re sure his essence is sealed?” He asked turning to Alina who made an insulted scoff.

“Please, witches don’t make mistakes.” She said folding her arms over her chest and holding her head high.

“Oh, really? How do you explain the bubonic plague?” Helena asked raising an accusatory eyebrow. Alina’s face immediately shone red.

“One misprint in the spell, one! And I never get to live it down!” Zander and Helena laughed together as Alina returned to her usual tan skin tone, no longer blushing. They spent the remainder of the night taking turns holding the baby and coddling him until it was time for Helena and Zander to leave.

      Helena immediately began tearing up in the doorway when she saw Alina holding her baby. She hated the fact she wouldn’t be able to raise him herself like she should. But deep down she knew this was for the best. He would be safe, happy, and most importantly of all he would be loved. She gave one last wave as she wiped away a stray tear and vanished with Zander at her side.

Only six months left until their next visit…