Just that quick, and Benjamin had an newborn in his hands. He stared at the babe in a timeless moment that wiped away the panic firmly chained down in his mind, the blood and matter that came with the child's birth, everything.
Everything.
He stared at the new life in a deep wonder that touched to his soul. I know you, he heard his own voice saying in his mind. I have felt you. I have heard you.
The babe squirmed in his hands and let out a lusty yowl of displeasure for being evicted so rudely from her comfortable womb. Benjamin abruptly laughed, almost crying, and stumbled to his feet.
"Look what I found," he grinned to Gemethyst. Her eyes wide and worried until she saw that smile, then her daughter, Gemethyst gulped air and reached for the baby. Jack smiled, quietly flexing his hand to make sure she hadn't crushed it in her laborings.
Babies always came with messes, and Benjamin quietly set about cleaning as Gemethyst rested, bonding with the babe and Jack alike.
Quite a day, Benjamin mused. Gemethyst had come equipped with a lot of squirt guns, intending on an epic sneak attack on Benjamin and Jack, but the joke was on her. Particularly when her water broke.
He'd delivered kittens before. That was mainly just watching the mother cat and not letting her eat all of the afterbirths, something he was fairly sure wasn't an issue with elves. He'd assisted with a few deliveries when he volunteered at the hospital, but that was not the same as being the only person with any amount of knowledge about birthing babies in the general area code.
Benjamin's acting came in handy. He hadn't shown his worry or fear in the slightest, he'd simply prepared the bed and then nipped into the bathroom to call Dr. Lolita Skullbasher for a quick rundown of what to do.
Jack had been divinely confident and calm. Babies were born all the time, and Gemethyst had given birth before. All would be well. Because he insisted upon it. He would not have it any other way.
His daughter would be born in the warm and sunny bedroom among love and peace, and she was. He curled Gemethyst and the babe to him, looking over Gemethyst's head to see the little one.
A poof of downy black hair crowned her head, her eyes were dark and large, her skin gleamed with health. He smiled upon her and her mother fondly.
"Does she have wings?" Benjamin eventually thought to ask. Gemethyst peered at him in confusion a moment before she looked to the baby. She cautiously touched at the baby's back, then beamed. "She does."
"Of course she does," Jack chuckled, shifting as Gemethyst passed their daughter to him. He tucked the little one into his arm and leaned in, gazing into her eyes and murmuring words meant just for her. For a brief moment, he could see three tiny stars on the babe's brow.
Benjamin gently helped Gemethyst clean up and into a clean nightdress before settling her into his bed. He then took the baby to get her comfortably diapered and bundled before returning her to Gemethyst.
"May we call her Nyx...?" Gemethyst asked Jack, her gaze fully within his, a mother's request. Jack nodded with a smile, leaning to kiss her gently.
Nyx. A baby-name. A real name would be years in the making.
By the time Benjamin had finished, Gemethyst and Nyx were sleeping under Jack's watchful eye. He smiled and curled up alongside Jack.
It was a beautiful day.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/Gemethystisme/Jacks%20baby.jpg (Miss Nyx at five months :3)
Everything.
He stared at the new life in a deep wonder that touched to his soul. I know you, he heard his own voice saying in his mind. I have felt you. I have heard you.
The babe squirmed in his hands and let out a lusty yowl of displeasure for being evicted so rudely from her comfortable womb. Benjamin abruptly laughed, almost crying, and stumbled to his feet.
"Look what I found," he grinned to Gemethyst. Her eyes wide and worried until she saw that smile, then her daughter, Gemethyst gulped air and reached for the baby. Jack smiled, quietly flexing his hand to make sure she hadn't crushed it in her laborings.
Babies always came with messes, and Benjamin quietly set about cleaning as Gemethyst rested, bonding with the babe and Jack alike.
Quite a day, Benjamin mused. Gemethyst had come equipped with a lot of squirt guns, intending on an epic sneak attack on Benjamin and Jack, but the joke was on her. Particularly when her water broke.
He'd delivered kittens before. That was mainly just watching the mother cat and not letting her eat all of the afterbirths, something he was fairly sure wasn't an issue with elves. He'd assisted with a few deliveries when he volunteered at the hospital, but that was not the same as being the only person with any amount of knowledge about birthing babies in the general area code.
Benjamin's acting came in handy. He hadn't shown his worry or fear in the slightest, he'd simply prepared the bed and then nipped into the bathroom to call Dr. Lolita Skullbasher for a quick rundown of what to do.
Jack had been divinely confident and calm. Babies were born all the time, and Gemethyst had given birth before. All would be well. Because he insisted upon it. He would not have it any other way.
His daughter would be born in the warm and sunny bedroom among love and peace, and she was. He curled Gemethyst and the babe to him, looking over Gemethyst's head to see the little one.
A poof of downy black hair crowned her head, her eyes were dark and large, her skin gleamed with health. He smiled upon her and her mother fondly.
"Does she have wings?" Benjamin eventually thought to ask. Gemethyst peered at him in confusion a moment before she looked to the baby. She cautiously touched at the baby's back, then beamed. "She does."
"Of course she does," Jack chuckled, shifting as Gemethyst passed their daughter to him. He tucked the little one into his arm and leaned in, gazing into her eyes and murmuring words meant just for her. For a brief moment, he could see three tiny stars on the babe's brow.
Benjamin gently helped Gemethyst clean up and into a clean nightdress before settling her into his bed. He then took the baby to get her comfortably diapered and bundled before returning her to Gemethyst.
"May we call her Nyx...?" Gemethyst asked Jack, her gaze fully within his, a mother's request. Jack nodded with a smile, leaning to kiss her gently.
Nyx. A baby-name. A real name would be years in the making.
By the time Benjamin had finished, Gemethyst and Nyx were sleeping under Jack's watchful eye. He smiled and curled up alongside Jack.
It was a beautiful day.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/Gemethystisme/Jacks%20baby.jpg (Miss Nyx at five months :3)