“I’m so sorry, Alex. I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been.”
“Turns out she wasn’t abducted at all. She just followed her heart.” The anxiety Alex was feeling started to melt into anger. “I can’t believe they hid that note from us. Her family was looking for answers for years. Her poor brother became so depressed and paranoid, he dropped out of school and started drinking.”
Charlie was quite a moment.
“You know, Teddy is friends with her and her husband,” he said.
“Husband?”
“Yeah, they got married a few years back. It was a massive event –– the first human-weare wedding most of us had ever been to.”
“Human? But I thought she had been turned?” Alex recalled the day she thought she saw Hera in the woods and how different she’d looked, even in human form, when she walked on stage the previous night.
“She was turned, yes. But not on purpose.”
“What do you mean? How does someone get turned accidently? Did another weare attack her?”
“No!” Charlie said, his tone becoming a bit defensive. “Nothing like that. It happened a year or so after they got married. She got pregnant and the baby did it.”
“What?” The statement struck Alex as so absurd she couldn’t help but laugh a little. “The baby turned her?”
“Apparently it can happen. It’s extremely rare, but there have been some cases in which being pregnant with a weare baby somehow turns the human mom.”
Alex was silent. She didn’t know what to say.
“If it makes you feel any better, I think she’s happy. Like I said, Teddy is friends with them. Their kid is adorable. I could arrange to have you see her again, if you want?”
Alex thought about it for a moment. Hera had a completely new life, a husband and a baby, which is all she’d ever wanted. Alex wasn’t sure exactly where she would fit in to all that. Seeing her would probably just bring back a lot of painful memories, for the both of them.
“I don’t think that’s such a great idea.” She checked the clock on her bedside table. “It’s getting late, I think I’m going to turn in.”
“Okay. Well, I guess then it’s about time I get to the reason I called you in the first place. The newsletter.”
“The what?” It took Alex a second to remember. “Oh, right. The newsletter. When should I come get it?”
“Tomorrow?” Charlie asked, sounding a little too eager. “Unless you’re busy.”
“Tomorrow works. Six o clock?”
“Perfect! Then you can stay for dinner.”
“Oh, um––”
“And I won’t take no for an answer.” Charlie paused then added nervously, “That’s not true. You can totally say no and I would absolutely respect your decision.”
Alex grinned. “Dinner sounds great.”
“Awesome. I’ll see you then. Sweet dreams, beautiful.” He hung up.
Alex clutched the phone to her chest and beamed. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone outside of her family had ever called her beautiful, and for the first time in her whole life, she actually believed it.
The Armstrong mansion was nothing short of breathtaking. Alex could hardly contain her excitement as the town car was ushered through the front gates and the house came into view. Charlie had insisted on sending a car to pick Alex up, although she gave a different address from her own so that her mother wouldn’t get suspicious. She’d told Uma she was going to be working late that night and not to wait up.
The driveway, which was longer than most streets in Alex’s neighborhood, was lined with massive, gnarled oak trees that looked like they were ripped right from a painting. The grounds surrounding the mansion were immaculately kept, not a weed in sight nor a flower out of place. Charlie was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps which led to an enormous wooden door. He opened the car door for her and helped her out.
“Welcome,” he said. “I hope the ride over was pleasant.” He was wearing a pair of black, neatly pressed slacks and a simple white button down. The top few buttons, Alex noticed, were left undone, showing a bit of Charlie’s curly brown chest hair.
“It was great!” Alex ran her hands down the front of her dress. It was dark blue, basic. She’d found it in the back of her mother’s closet and was pretty sure it was what Uma wore to her wedding ceremony with Pete, or maybe it was her ceremony with Adam. Either way, she knew the cut was probably outdated, and it hugged her body in the wrong places, but in that moment, she was glad she’d worn it.
“You look amazing,” Charlie said and Alex could tell he meant it. “That dress...”
“Oh it’s nothing. I just, well, I wasn’t sure how fancy dinner was going to be.”
Charlie waved his hand in the air as if to swat her concerns away. “We’re just having a casual dinner. Four courses max.”
Alex laughed but then realized he was serious. Her face became flushed as she followed him into the house. The inside was even more spectacular than the outside. The vaulted ceiling of the entryway was decorated with a gorgeous, hand-painted golden leaf pattern, and the grand staircase was made out of the shiny, slick, pure black marble, which contrasted wonderfully with the white and gold banisters.
“Your house is... amazing.” Alex felt the urge to touch everything, to make sure it was real and that this wasn’t some intensely detailed dream, but she fought it off and kept her bare arms pinned to her sides.
“Thanks. Our mom finally finished designing it just before she died.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
Charlie shrugged. “That’s alright. It happened a long time ago.” He clapped his hands together. “So, everybody is out back by the pool. Are you ready to meet them?”
“Everybody?” Alex peered over Charlie’s shoulder, trying to see out the windows of the back wall of the house. “I thought it was just going to be your brothers and your dad.”
“Yeah, that’s basically it. Give or take a few.”
“Charlie...” Alex did not like the eager smile he was wearing. “What’s going on?”
“Okay, don’t hate me. I know you said you didn’t think it would be a good idea but––”
“Alex?”
A woman’s voice came from behind Charlie, but Alex couldn’t see over his large frame. His shoulders dropped as if a weight had been lifted and he stepped aside.
“Alex?” Hera stepped into the entryway, then suddenly reached her arms out and pulled Alex into a tight hug. “I can’t believe it’s really you!”
A Casual Dinner
Bartholomew was upstairs, Teddy said, having an emergency phone meeting with the council. Everyone else was seated around a copper fire pit, drinks in hand, talking and laughing. Hera, her eyes still wet with tears, introduced Alex to her husband, a stocky weare named Eli, and their daughter, three-year-old Winnie.
There was an open seat in between where Hera sat and Xavier. Alex took it while Charlie went to fetch her a drink.
“So, what do you think of Charlie’s little stunt?” Xavier asked. “We told him he should have warned you ahead of time that Hera was going to be here, but he wanted it to be a surprise.”
“I didn’t know either,” Hera added. “Teddy didn’t say anything when he invited us over for dinner.”
“It was very sneaky of him, that’s for sure.” Alex pushed her hair out of her face. She hadn’t put any gel in that morning –– she thought it made her look more feminine this way, but that meant her bangs hung annoyingly over her eyes.
“It’s so good to see you!” Hera reached out and squeezed Alex’s hand. “It’s been way too long. You have to tell me everything that’s been going on. How are you? How’s your family?”
“I’m fine. Family is fine. I’ve been working at the library to bring in some more money. Mom married her fifth husband, Joel. He’s cool.” Alex saw that Hera was hanging on the edge of her seat, ready to hear more, but Alex didn’t have anything else to offer. “That’s
about all that’s been going on. What can I say? I’m boring.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” said Xavier. He was smiling at her, with, if Alex wasn’t mistaken, a bit of flirtatious curiosity.
Alex, unsure of how she felt about this new development, turned back to Hera. “But what about you? Tell me what’s been going on with you! How did you meet Eli? How has it been living on this side of the border?”
Hera opened her mouth to speak when Charlie appeared next to them. “Your drink, my dear.” He handed Alex a tall glass filled to the brim with a light pink liquid.
“What’s in it?” Alex asked.
“Oh, a little of this, little of that.” Charlie winked at her. “Just try it. You’ll like it.”
Alex did as she was told. It was delicious. Without realizing it, she accidently took nearly half the glass back in the first sip. She’d had alcoholic drinks before, but nothing like this. The few times her family splurged and purchased alcohol, it was always the cheapest stuff, and they couldn’t afford to buy anything good to mix it with, so Alex was used to sipping it straight.
Thirty minutes and two drinks later, Bartholomew finally joined them. He was wearing a maroon smoking jacket and pants to match. He looked tired, but that didn’t stop him from giving a lively welcome to his guests.
“Hello, everyone!” he said as he came through the back door. His hands were clasped together in front of his chest. “I’m sorry for the interruption. It is very rude to run off when company is over, but I’m afraid the council was having a bit of an emergency.”
“Is everything okay?” Xavier asked, frowning.
“Yes, yes, everything is quite alright. Now, enough about work.” He looked around at the different faces in the group, pausing once he spotted Alex. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. My name is Bartholomew Armstrong. Welcome to my humble abode. And you are...”
“It’s nice to officially meet you. My name is Alex. Alex Greenford. I was at your gathering last night.”
“That’s wonderful!” He smiled at her and she noticed he was missing one of his incisors. “I think I remember seeing you speaking to my strapping sons last night.”
“They were very welcoming, yes.” Alex avoided making eye contact with any of the Armstrong brothers, but she could feel their eyes on her. “I’m sorry the meeting didn’t go as well as you’d hoped. I think everyone was just a little... surprised by your allegations against the sheriff. I know I was.” She glanced at Hera, who still had some tears streaming down her face. “Hera and I used to be friends and we all had no idea what happened to her.”
“I understand.” Bartholomew took her hand in his. “The good news is, Hera is happy now, and you’re here, which marks a huge step forward in our march towards a peaceful coexistence.” He laughed. “You know, I believe you are the first human who’s ever been here not on official business.”
“I’m honored.” Without thinking, Alex bowed. She felt silly the second she stood back up. Everyone was looking her and Teddy was stifling a laugh. “Sorry. I don’t really know the proper weare etiquette here... Also, I think I’m a little tipsy.”
Bartholomew chuckled. “There is no reason to apologize, Alex. Not when you are a guest in my house. Now let’s eat, shall we?” He motioned for Alex to go ahead of him through the door. “I’m famished.”
The main course was roasted deer, sautéed veggies, and fresh bread. Alex ate three helpings of everything, and still managed to answer yes when the chef asked if anyone had room leftover for dessert.
“For a human, you can really put it away, can’t you?” Teddy, who was sitting on Alex’s left, said as she finished off the last bite of her chocolate cake.
“I’m just not used to meals like this one...” Alex wiped her mouth with her napkin and took a long sip from her third mystery drink. “I have to take advantage of it. Never know when I’ll get to eat something this delicious again.”
“Who knows?” Teddy picked up his beer bottle and held it out to cheers. “You could soon be eating like this for every meal.”
Alex’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Charlie cleared his throat and gave his brother a nasty look across the table.
Teddy nodded. “I forgot. We were waiting to ask her after dinner.”
“Ask me what?”
Teddy grinned and looked towards the head of the table where Bartholomew was seated. “Dad’s done eating. I say we break the news.” His father had leaned in and was listening intently. He appeared just as confused as Alex was. “Father, my brothers and I have been thinking. About our ceremony coming up.”
Hera sat back in her seat and eyed Alex nervously.
“What about the ceremony?” said Bartholomew.
“We know that you’ve been carefully vetting all the viable female weares in the community, and rumor has it you’ve found us quite the match. But––”
“We want Alex,” Charlie said, interrupting his brother. “We want Alex to be the female in our ritual.”
Bartholomew started to cough, violently. He pounded a fist to his chest, as if he was choking. Xavier stood up to help him, but his father waved him off. After a few more coughs and a large gulp of water, Bartholomew regained his composure. “You want her?” He pointed a malicious finger at Alex. “A human?”
“We’ve discussed it at length, father,” said Teddy. “And we think she’d make a great pick.”
“Absolutely not.” Bartholomew stood up from his chair. “I won’t hear anything of the sort. My sons having their ceremony with a human woman? That is out of the question.”
“But dad,” said Charlie. “You’ve been preaching the importance of bringing humans and weares together our entire lives! You’ve been a supporter of inter-species breeding with other community members.”
Now it was Alex’s turn to choke. She had been too confused, too stunned before to say anything, but at the mention of breeding, all the air flew out of Alex’s lungs and she couldn’t breathe. Charlie rushed to her side and frantically asked if she was okay. Alex shook her head and went to stand up, but fainted instead. Hera’s scream was the last thing she heard before slipping out of consciousness.
“A Modest Proposal”
“So, let me get this straight.” They were sitting in the Armstrong’s living room, gathered around a roaring fireplace. Alex had just come to a few minutes ago, and after accepting some water and a blanket, she insisted everyone sit down and start answering her questions. “You want to... breed with me? All three of you?” She looked at the three brothers, who were sitting on the couch across from her. Bartholomew had stormed upstairs and locked himself in his office after Alex had fainted. Hera and her family left soon after that.
It was just the four of them now.
“Yes,” Xavier said. His hands were folded in his lap. He appeared to be the most stressed, second only to Alex herself. “After talking with you last night, we think you would be our best option. Because of the epidemic with our female population, there are only a few weares who are currently of age for the ceremony.”
“Why don’t you... you know... with one of them?” said Alex.
“Two of them have outwardly declined our father’s offer,” said Teddy. “And their word is law. We are not interested in pressuring anyone to do anything they don’t want to around here. Unlike humans.” He said the last bit under his breath, but Alex still caught the words. She chose to ignore the comment.
“The third woman,” Teddy continued, “is frankly just too old. We don’t know if she can still even have children, and needless to say, none of us are exactly attracted to her.”
“Not that that matters here,” said Xavier. “This isn’t about attraction at all. Your obligation would be purely physical. We’d do the ceremony and then go from there.”
“Which is not to say we don’t find you attractive,” Charlie said, his face flushed. “Because we, uh, or I... You’re obviously very... I’m sure anyone would feel lucky
to breed with you. Is what I mean.”
Teddy slapped a brotherly hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Smooth.” He looked to Alex. “What my brother is trying to say is that we want you, if you’re willing.”
Alex chewed on a piece of ice. “What’s in it for me?” she said after a while. “I mean, who says I even want to be a mom?”
“You wouldn’t have to be,” said Xavier. “If you got pregnant, you’d move in here, with us. You’d have access to the best medical care, and of course we’d provide you with anything else you may need or want. After the baby is born, you can be as involved or uninvolved as you’d like. It’s all very clinical, you see. We aren’t starting a family here. We are just trying to keep our bloodline going.”
“How romantic,” said Alex. “What about your dad?”
“He’ll come around,” said Charlie. “We’ll convince him. And even if he doesn’t, it isn’t his decision. Right guys?”
Teddy and Xavier exchanged looks.
Xavier sighed. “No, it’s not. Not technically. Although, things would go a lot smoother if he was onboard.”
“You saw him earlier. There’s no way he’s just going to magically come around.” Teddy sighed. “If we do this, we’ll have to do it behind his back.”
Xavier stared down at his hands. “Maybe we should think about this a little more.”
“There’s no time,” said Teddy. “Our ceremony is in three days.”
“Maybe we could have Alex talk to him,” offered Charlie. “Or maybe––”
“Hang on just a second,” said Alex. “I haven’t agreed yet.”
The three brothers were silent. They waited patiently for Alex to continue, but she had no idea what to say. There were so many thoughts racing through her mind, each one fighting to find their way to the tip of her tongue, but none of them quite able to make it.
“I... I need some time.”
The BabyMakers’ Shared Property Page 5