Crossroads [IC]

[Electra]

On the other end of the phone, Stesha was quiet for a few seconds, trying to think of a thing to say. She rubbed her face, forgetting for a moment that she'd been up to her elbows in potting soil before diving for the phone, and left a broad black streak across her nose and cheeks. "Well, congratulations," she said, doing her level best to inject some sincerity into it. "That's really something. You'll have to be really careful." For a long time, it seemed. Maybe forever, and that was in what could be charitably called a best-case scenario. "Is there anything I can do to help out?"

[alderwitch]

"If you feel up for it - and only if you feel up for it - I could probably use some moral support when we start announcing it to other people." Taylor admitted. "I think Elena and Derrick will be fine, as will the Midnighters but most everyone else in our small community is up in the air... Also, you have to protect me from any Moira shopping trips. The last thing I want to do is try on small tents standing next to the local goddess."

The last, true as it was, Taylor partially added to lighten the mood.

[Electra]

"Sure, of course," Stesha said automatically. "I'm an excellent moral supporter." She hesitated for a second. "Ah, about Derrick, he already knows, actually. There was sort of a comedy of misunderstandings, and he wound up seeing the test you left on my table and jumping to the wrong conclusion. I had to tell him who it actually belonged to. He's really happy for you," she hastened to add. Derrick, at least, could be counted on to look steadfastly at the sunny side of even the worst situation. Though sunny might not be the appropriate term for it in this case. "We've both kept it under our hat since then, nobody else knows from us."

[alderwitch]

Taylor was surprised into a laugh at that, her eyes crinkling in amusement as she pictured that scene. "Of all the times for Derrick to put everything together."

She shook her head with another chuckle, "What a comedy of errors. If you're not busy tonight, why don't you swing by and maybe you can help me come up with a plan of attack. I have to find a way to explain things to my folks, and then there's school and work to deal with of the non supernatural variety. Then there's coverage for my guardianship duties which will take a bit to set up."

[Electra]

"Sure, just let me wash up and I'll drop by," Stesha replied, looking over at her plants. Immediately one of the ferns sprouted a new frond, wrapping it around a nearby whisk broom and beginning to sweep up the mess she'd made of the propagation table when she'd gone diving for the phone. A pot formed around the lonely seedling she hadn't yet transplanted, ensconcing it securely, if a bit crookedly.

"I can grab takeout on the way if you want, what are you in the mood for?" She'd noticed on previous visits that Taylor and Jack didn't keep much food in their house, though that was probably going to have to change, with as hungry as Taylor had been lately. Maybe that was a good sign, meant that the baby would eat food, regular food, as well. Stesha was about dying of curiosity to hear what they'd learned from the doctor, but it wasn't the sort of question you could just come out and ask over the phone.

[alderwitch]

"That would be great. Does Chinese work for you? Get whatever sounds good to you, I'm really not picky." Taylor agreed with a smile. "You coming the normal way or should I stick a houseplant in the library?"

Taylor didn't bother to ask Jack. It wasn't like he'd be eating any of it, after all. "We'll see you then."

[Electra]

"Chinese it is," Stesha agreed. "I know just the place. I'll come by plant so everything stays hot." She paused thoughtfully for a second. "And because when I think about it, I don't think I know how to get to your house any other way. See you in a few minutes!" Stesha hung up and went to get the takeout menu off her fridge, shaking her head a little. She wanted to support her friend in this hour of need, would support her friend, but she had no idea what the right thing was to say or do right now. What did you say to someone who was accidentally pregnant with a vampire baby, anyway?

She still hadn't quite worked out that thorny problem by the time she teleported through Taylor's one sickly houseplant and into the library, but at least she came bearing gifts. The bag of Chinese food she had in one hand smelled great, and the vase of pink and blue daisies bobbed their heads cheerfully as Stesha looked around. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I got a sampler platter," she reported.

[Avenger Assembled]

Jack watched silently from his overstuffed leather chair, invisible for the moment as Taylor greeted Stesha by the houseplant he'd nearly discarded once he'd become aware of Fleur de Joie's more disquieting plant-related abilities. Another reminder of his sins past? It seemed the world was doing its best to remind him of all of those in these terrible days. "Come in," he said suddenly, rising to his feet and trying to be cheerful. "Glad you could make it. How was your trip?"

[Electra]

Stesha gave Jack the coolly polite look she reserved for her most obnoxious customers. "It was fine," she told him, "very quick." Being moral support for Taylor would inevitably mean dealing with Jack, but he was breaking their unspoken agreement to stay as distant as circumstances permitted. This whole hideous situation had happened because of him, and it certainly didn't change her opinion of him as a selfish bastard with no concern for anyone he might hurt. But fighting with him would cause more stress for Taylor, and that was the last thing Stesha wanted to do.

She walked past Jack instead, setting the flowers down on the slightly-gnawed coffee table. "How are you feeling?" she asked Taylor. "Any more morning sickness? Any dizziness or headaches? Are you eating well?"

[alderwitch]

"Not so much anymore on the morning sickness, no real dizziness or headaches. I feel like I'm napping an awful lot but I don't know if that's because I'm actually sleeping a lot or because I was sleeping too little before." Taylor said with a smile as she perched on the edge of Jack's abandoned arm chair. She'd kept the jeans and sweatshirt look from earlier because it was comfortable and she didn't think Stesha would mind the shlumpy casual look. With her hair drawn up into a sleek, shiny knot, it made her look very much like the young college student she spent a good portion of her time as. "Pretty well, I think, its weird to get back in the habit of. I think I still have long stretches that I forget and go without.

[Avenger Assembled]

Jack sat down again, perching on the edge of his seat as he neatly suppressed the irritation he felt at Stesha's evident attitude towards him. This afternoon wasn't supposed to be about her, but then again, he reflected, it wasn't about him either. "We've been shopping a lot for things to eat. If either of you are hungry, there's food in the black refrigerator." He'd just been back there when Taylor had sought him out for this conversation. Summoning up some common decency, he added, "I can get out of here for a while, if you'd like," he said to Taylor.

[alderwitch]

Taylor looked between the two of them noting the usual crackling tension and sighed. She reached for Jack's hand, threading her fingers through his and squeezing slightly. "Whatever you have to do."

She'd rather, of course, have both of them there. If wishes were horses, though... Taylor shook her head and reluctantly unlaced her hand from Jack's. "It was either start shopping or a rotating diet of pizza and chinese take out. But I do like take out."

[Electra]

"I think that's a decision that every city dweller eventually has to make, usually sometime in college," Stesha joked, spreading out the food on the low table and trying to dispel some of the tension in the room. "But hey, it doesn't matter so much what you eat, as long as you're eating regularly. Try the egg rolls, they're amazing." She passed one over to Taylor, then took one herself. "So, what did you find out from the doctor?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Call if you need me." When Taylor released Jack's hand, he simply disappeared. He didn't go far, though, instead lurking in a corner in case Taylor needed him. Wait, is this inappropriate? he wondered. What if they start talking about me? He debated with himself the moral proprieties of spying on one's wife talking to her girlfriend, a debate that happened to stretch out while he continued to lurk.

[alderwitch]

"That the baby is a bioligical impobability and that Archevielle is creepier than I thought which is saying something." Disappointment flickered across Taylor's face with Jack's vanishing act but no surprise. She turned shadowed eyes to Stesha and collected a carton and a pair of chopsticks.

"It was an entirely unpleasant process but informative. Its a boy. Best guess is due in the summer if I spent all my time in this dimension. He has a heartbeat which is a relief for everyone."

[Electra]

"Well, that's a good sign," Stesha replied, trying to be optimistic. "Maybe it'll just be like, hmm, like using cryogenically frozen sperm, or something like that. The sperm was obviously still alive, even though he definitely isn't, so maybe it's an artifact from when he was, and the baby will just be a normal kid." She nudged another spring roll in Taylor's direction, even as she picked up her own chopsticks. "And a summertime baby is good timing. You'll want to stay inside all through August, but at least you won't have to worry about school. And you've got the pool," she added with a smile. "Have you started thinking about names yet?"

[alderwitch]

"Jack had a lot of unprotected sex between when he became a vampire and when he met me. There was no 'hold over' sperm and if there was, it was used up long, long ago." Taylor said wryly, mingled amusement and distaste on her face at her husband's past history. She finished off one of the potstickers and gestured with the chopsticks, "And considering the baby was living off my blood supply before I started eating regularly, its not a real positive sign. Physiologically, he'll be a halfbreed but I really don't know what that means for Jack's bloodline. Some legends say all the daywalkers are halfbreeds and others say that they're the original vampiric line and the others are the mutations. Mostly in the middle of vampire pissing contests.."

Taylor scrunched up her nose at that and shrugged, "No names yet. We only ended the 'no one talks about the baby' silence treaty today. My family does English name, Chinese name, last name. I'm not sure if Jack has any family traditions from his parents he'll want to incorperate."

[Electra]

Stesha was quiet a moment, concentrating assiduously on picking the mushrooms out of her palace chicken. She probably could've made a few more half-hearted arguments about the baby's humanity, but Taylor didn't seem in a very optimistic mood at the moment. And she wasn't even going to go anywhere near the subject of Jack's sordid sex life. Not that there wasn't plenty she could say. "Does you family know?" she finally asked instead.

[alderwitch]

"No," Taylor said quietly, her shoulders curling in a quiet despair, "I can't think of how to tell them in a way that doesn't bring Jack's nature to light and I won't do that to Jack. I just won't. My folks, my brothers and sister, are Jack's family now too and I won't have that taken from him. He can't help what he is. Jack's torturing himself quietly over how his vampiric nature may or may not affect me and the baby. I'll do whatever I can to minimize that. Which means figuring out some other way to explain it to my folks than your son in law is a vampire and the baby may or may not require an O positive diet when he's born any time between now and August."

[Electra]

Stesha pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Well," she suggested tentatively, "if you want to keep Jack's secret, you may have to come clean about your own then. If you tell them that you're a superhero and you have powers, maybe you won't have to bring him in on it at all. Any... quirks that the baby ends up having, if you have to explain them at all, you could explain them as being a result of your powers, not as a result of anything that he brought to the table. You still have plenty of time to let them get used to it, August is still eight months away."

[alderwitch]

Taylor ducked her head in agreement at the first and said with a faint smile. "That's if I stay on Prime. We really can't afford to have me pregnant that long, there's too much a risk of the pregnancy getting recognized for what it is. So I'll side step to places where time moves faster."

She shifted, drawing her legs up under her, "You saw what they sent for the wedding, can you imagine the attack force for this? Not to mention there are witch hunters out there who'd be just as quick to try and take me out. At my peak, that would make me pause. Now? I already feel more vulnerable. What if someone like that Zealot nabbed me again. Sure, I regenerate, but would the baby? Its not something I ever want to test."

[Electra]

"Nothing's going to happen to you," Stesha replied staunchly, setting down her food. "Or to the baby. There are too many people watching your back to let that happen. Look at the wedding. Half the heroes in the city turned out to see you get married, and every single one of them was willing to fight on your behalf. You'll just have to be careful. Very careful," she admitted. "And maybe for quite awhile after he's born, too. But I can't think of a better place for a hero to raise a child than in Freedom City. You won't have nearly as much trouble finding a babysitter as you would in, say, Omaha."

Smiling at her own attempt at a joke, Stesha reached out and put a hand on Taylor's shoulder, telegraphing the move broadly in advance. "Really, even when you're pregnant, you're one of the most formidable heroes I know. And one of the most knowledgeable. You'll figure out the right thing to do, whether that's to stay here or to try and speed things along, or even to move out of the dimension for awhile."

[alderwitch]

Taylor reached up to cover her hand, her eyes tearing up suspiciously. She blinked a few times before muttering, "Darn these hormones. Thank you, Stesha. I'm so very lucky to have you as a friend."

She stood up, scooting around the table to grab a kleenex and blotted her eyes dry again, "You're right, you're right. I just hate feeling off kilter and unprepared. And the big worries are so big I feel petty when the little ones cross my brain. Like the fact that I can't fit into anything but my fat jeans now. Or that eating all the time is a hassle. Or that the baby is going to be born a few months after the wedding. Or that I'm going to end up as huge as a barn and not be able to go out bouncing on rooftops and Jack will be out there without me."

She huffed and chucked the kleenex in waste bin. Taylor didn't mention the whole no feeding thing to Stesha but that wasn't far from her thoughts either. She knew he had to eat but it didn't make her happy as she rather doubted he was using any supplement. Which most likely meant donors. Taylor scowled down at the Chinese food darkly.

[Electra]

"Well, you might as well worry about the things you can do something about, instead of going crazy over the big stuff," Stesha pointed out pragmatically. "I can lend you some pants and you can roll the cuffs, at least until you can get out and go shopping. They're doing cute things in maternity clothes these days, it's not just mumus and A-line dresses anymore. And there's good things about eating too," she suggested with a grin. "Stuff like ice cream, and hot apple pie, and tiramisu, and really cheesy pizza, and excellent Chinese takeout..." She gestured with her chopsticks to the spread in front of them.

"And really, Jack's been watching his own butt for a long time. He's better off with you out there with him most of the time, but right now, you'd probably just throw him off his game, because he'd be trying to protect, you right?" Stesha made a game effort to keep any skepticism at that idea out of her tone. "Think about it, Taylor. Sure, they're worries, and they're hassles, but they're kind of cool, too, aren't they? You're going to have a baby. It's a happy thing, even if there's a lot to be concerned about."

[alderwitch]

Taylor's expression softened and she let out a soft sigh, "I think I've just been to scared to attach to that. I mean, it was so far off the table for our life that it might has well have been in Africa. I didn't think I could have kids, I knew Jack couldn't but, yes, it is amazing and more than a little terrifying. Not just because he could have our powers but because he might not. Barring violence, Jack and I will live forever."

Her fingertips brushed her still flat stomach, almost tenatively, "We have no way of knowing what this little guy will be able to do. I hope he gets Jack's eyes though. My mom has blue eyes so its at least possible."

She smiled then, her cheeks dimpling at Stesha.