47 - Rhymes and Reasons

Maia knew it wasn’t a full moon night, so it was unlikely that there were any zombies in her yard.  But if not that, what could be making that noise?  She went to her window to investigate.

Once the light to Maia’s bedroom came back on, Alexander dropped the rest of the pebbles he’d been tossing at her windowpane from his left hand and clutched the neck of his guitar more tightly with his right.  He had a lot riding on this.  Alex hoped Maia wouldn’t be mad at him for disturbing her and he hoped she would forgive him for the night at the park. But mostly, right now he was just hoping she wouldn’t laugh at him, since music was the only other way he could think to apologize and express himself to her.

Maia peeked through the curtains of one of her windows. As soon as he saw her, Alex began to play the song he’d written her.

There are things I’d like to forget

About the night that I once met

A lovely witch, so kind and strong

But all the words I said were wrong

I thought that she’d be mine that night

Underneath the stars so bright

But now she doesn’t want me around

‘Cuz I messed up and I let her down

I didn’t mean to make her run away

All I wanted was for her to stay

So I stand before her again

Hoping she’ll invite me in

Praying that today she’ll say

She wants me to stay

I wish I could turn back the clock

So we could sit a spell and talk

But I don’t have any magic powers

To rewind those lost, mistaken hours

I didn’t mean to make her run away

All I wanted was for her to stay

So I stand before her again

Hoping she’ll invite me in

Praying that today she’ll say

She wants me to stay

Now I stand before you again

Hoping you’ll invite me in

Praying that today you’ll say

You want me to stay...

After he finished, Alexander looked back up at the window.  Maia was still standing there, but now she had a hint of a smile on her face.

Maia walked away from the window, and Alex heard the back door opening.  Her voice called out softly into the darkness, “Alex, you’re invited.”

Alexander didn’t need to be asked twice. “Thanks for being willing to hear me out, Maia,” he said gratefully.

“I suppose it’s the least I could do. I know what it’s like to pin your hopes on something and then have it all fall apart,” Maia admitted, remembering her brief happiness with her genie love Aashif. “But I need you to be honest with me, Alex.  You have to realize, for the safety of myself, my children and this challenge... I need to understand your reasons for doing what you did what you did at the park.”

“I’m so sorry about that, Maia. I guess I was desperate for you to have a vampire child for me, and I didn’t know what to do when you turned me down, so I tried to compel you. I feel truly awful about it, and I’d do anything to get you to trust me again.”

“Trust is earned,” Maia said slowly.  “But it would help to know why you want me to have a vampire child for you, and why Braeden wanted the same. He kept saying he needed a vampire heir for the Delling family, but he wouldn’t say why.”

“I... I don’t know if I should tell you if Brae didn’t explain. He doesn't share much with anyone other than me, and with good reason. He’s been shunned for most of his life, and he doesn't give his trust away easily. He keeps his secrets close; always has.”

“But this isn’t between you and Braeden.  It’s between us, and I deserve to know what I’m getting into.  It’s not like anything you tell me is going to go further than the two of us,” Maia promised.  “Besides, do you always only do what Braeden says?”

Alexander laughed unexpectedly.  “Haha, no! When I was working on my song for you, he told me I should personalize it more by including your name in the lyrics. I tried, but I didn’t get very far.  There isn’t much that rhymes with Maia.”  Alex chuckled again.

“You wrote another song for me? Will you play it?”

“Eh, it’s actually pretty horrible...”

“I’d still love to hear it.” Maia grinned.

Alex sighed. “Alright...”  He pulled out his guitar and started to serenade Maia again.

Oh, dearest MAAAAiiiaaaa

My sweet paPAAAAAyyaaa    

Without your LOOOO-oove

I’m a paRIIIIIIaaahhhh........

Maia burst out laughing; she couldn’t help it. She tried to stop, but thinking of herself as a papaya only made her howl all the harder.

“Bahahahhahahahahahaha!  Oh, oh, oh, omigosh! Hahahahahahahahahahahaahaaaaaaaa! Oh, teehee, you were right,” she said, grabbing her belly.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped as she stifled the last of her giggles. “Those rhymes were just...”

“I warned you it was bad,” Alex said with a smirk.

h

“But all your chortling is ruining my big seduction!” he said with a self-deprecating laugh as he waggled his eyebrows comically. “Let’s get this back on track, shall we?”  He pulled out some flowers from behind his back and offered them to Maia.  “Uh, bouquet?”

But after all her laughter and the atrocious lyrics in Alex’s last song, Maia, as overtired as she still was, couldn’t stop her mischievous side from peeking out, even though the flowers secretly pleased her. “Bouquet?” she questioned in mock disapproval. “How cliché!” she rhymed back.

Alex played along with the game, and put on a pouting face, as though she had wounded his feelings. “Cliché, you say? Oh, the dismay!”

Maia snorted. “No dismay today, okay?” And she paused a moment to inhale the sweet aroma of her lovely flowers.

“Yay!” Alex cheered enthusiastically.

Maia chuckled at Alexander’s clowning exuberance.  “Alright, enough of the rhymes for now,” she said, turning serious once again.  “I agree having one of your children would be beneficial to me in my baby challenge, but I really need to know more before I decide. Doing this baby challenge isn’t something I would’ve willingly chosen under normal circumstances, but there is no real alternative, so deciding who the fathers of my children will be is the only control I have. Let’s go discuss it in the kitchen, though.  I need to get an energy drink to help me stay awake, or I’m going to fall asleep before we get anything resolved.”

They went into the kitchen, and Maia mixed up some drinks at the bar.

“So let’s get to it,” she said without preamble. “Why do you and Braeden want a vampire heir so desperately?”

Alex sighed.  “You’re probably going to think it’s a terrible reason to have a baby, but knowing there is a new vampire in the family is the only way we can get to Tessa.  Our stepmother hasn’t left her home in decades, and won’t allow us in. But she wants a vampire heir to raise, and...”

“Unthinkable!”  Maia interrupted him fiercely. “I would never give up a child to such a horrid woman, even if my challenge allowed it, which it doesn’t! How could you and Braeden believe I’d agree to such a thing?” Maia glared at Alex.

“But we wouldn’t ever think of actually taking a child from you, Maia,” Alex protested. “It would just be a way to lure her out; by using the only thing she cares about. She wants a vampire child as a companion, and she'd do anything to get one; kidnapping someone else's baby wouldn't be beyond her. So once a vampire is born, we’d let Tessa know indirectly, and as soon as she left the property we could get to her.”

“That’s an awfully big risk,” Maia chided. “How could you guarantee my family’s safety from her?  And what could be so important that you need to confront Tessa personally anyway?”

“Braeden and I would keep your home under our surveillance, but we’d intercept her long before she ever showed up here. As for our reasons, well, Braeden must’ve told you some of our history, and that we believe Tessa is the cause of our parents’ deaths, right?”  At Maia’s nod, Alex continued. “We just want justice for them.  We want everyone to know what Tessa has done and for her to be punished for it. We want to know where their bodies are buried and for our parents to be properly laid to rest.  We want to say our goodbyes to them.  It’s been hard growing up not having the people who actually cared about us around; never knowing where they are... can you understand something like that?”

Maia thought she could understand that easily.  She had felt the same way growing up without her own parents around, and not having any answers or closure.  But through her own perseverance, she had gotten the chance to finally meet them and her unknown sisters.  How could she deny Alex and Braeden the same comfort she now knew? 

Yes, it was risky, but just living life everyday was itself a risk, especially for Maia due to the challenge she’d undertaken and the enemies she made because of it. But having more children would further her challenge progress as well as assisting the Delling brothers, and eliminating Tessa as a child-thieving threat would benefit everyone.  Maia would feel dreadful if someone else had their baby stolen and raised by that evil woman when she could’ve done something to help. So yes, though it was a risk, Maia at least had knowledge of it while none of those other mothers did. Nor were any of them under the ever-watchful eye of the Delling brothers like she was.

“I do understand,” Maia finally said quietly. “And I will help you, despite the dangers.  However, there is a flaw in your plan. What if, like with Braeden and Rowan, I bear you a witch child instead of a vampire? I can’t try with you again because of the challenge rules being only one pregnancy per father. If we aren’t successful, then what will you do?”

“I honestly don’t know what we’ll do if it doesn’t work, so we have to ensure that it does.  But as a witch, you know alchemy, right?”  Alex asked slyly. “Well, I was thinking you could make a procreation elixir to ensure pregnancy and increase the odds of a multiple birth, and by doing that, give us better odds that at least one child will be a vampire.”

“Yes, I suppose we could do that.  I still can’t guarantee a vampire child, but I will do what I can to at least try.”

“Thank you,” Alexander breathed with relief. “You have no idea how grateful I am to you.”

And with that, Maia and Alex went into the basement magic room so Maia could craft some fertility elixirs. 

Red toadstools and wolfsbane flower

Combine and give me magic power

To increase my fertility

And the birth of multiples guaranteed!

Maia wasn’t sure if it would be more helpful if they both drank a procreation elixir or not, but she figured it couldn’t hurt.

After they chugged their potions, Maia felt a bit tense.  She was used to spontaneous child-making, and this felt so deliberate; so.... planned. So awkward.

But Alex, with his powers of vampiric mind reading, was able to pick up on what she was feeling.  He offered her a relaxing massage.

Alexander was quite good with his hands, and as he kneaded her shoulders, Maia began to feel more at ease. She suggested he finish it on the massage table in the gym, and Alexander readily agreed.

After a wonderful massage, Maia and Alex went into the steam room to enjoy the sauna.

Maia found the billowing steam soothing as she cuddled against Alex’s shoulder, and then next thing she knew, they were kissing.

And soon, Maia didn’t need the vampire to tell her that she was pregnant once again.

Afterwards, the days flowed on like normal. Sebastian and Isabelle bought their IF’s Scribbles and Whisper to life with the potions Maia gifted them.

Maia taught all the teens to drive.

And soon, she began to show.

Rowan started practicing how to ride a training broom and learning witch history from books, while Isabelle began casting spells with her new wand.

Wulfric Sekemoto, the werewolf from the winning relay race team and reformed biker kid, visited the house a few times a week to teach Sebastian more of his werewolf abilities.  Bas learned the techniques of pack hunting, and he and Wulfric had mock battles.

And even though she was very pregnant, Maia couldn’t help but occasionally flirt with Wulfric, whom she found quite attractive.

It was harder to keep up with her toddlers now, but luckily the fairy triplets were sweet-natured babies and usually easy to please.

Of course, they wouldn’t be her youngest babies for much longer, and Maia encouraged them in their habit of sleeping in their fairy house, since there was only one spare crib in the nursery otherwise. And as big as she was, Maia was fairly certain she was having more than one baby as had been hoped for.

And she was having them now!

Welcome Blake!

Welcome Bronwyn!

Welcome Corbin!

And welcome Christopher!

Quadruplets! Maia was exhausted after having so many babies. And when all four started wailing at once to be fed, Maia decided she’d never use another fertility potion again. 

Ever!!!