by Bianca D'Arc
“Alvia? So then your race would be called Alvian?” Mick asked.
Mara nodded. “Yes. Is that significant?”
The brothers looked at each other and grinned. It was Jane who took pity on the aliens to explain.
“We had legends of a race called elves who looked a lot like your people. Tall, blond, pointy ears, musical voices.” The scientists nodded, that inquisitive look back on their faces. “They were also believed to have magical abilities. I imagine your technology would have looked like magic to the less advanced people of this planet centuries ago and if your people bred with humans and psychic abilities were the result, well, you can see how the legends now seem to have some basis in fact. It’s not a far leap in our language from Alvian to elven, is it?”
Mara nodded again. “Fascinating,” she said, turning to Helas Prime. “I believe this observation merits further study.” The old man nodded in agreement and they asked a few questions about Earth’s legends which the O’Haras answered as best they could.
Mara and Prime headed for the silver ship not long after, the giant, silent warrior at their back. The O’Haras went to see them off, but Caleb and Mick hung back with Jane while Justin said goodbye to the alien woman who was having his child.
“Thank you for coming here, Mara. I appreciate the opportunity to see you this way and share in my child’s development.” He placed a hand on her tummy, sending his thoughts to the baby, saying goodbye for now and telling him to be strong and to remember that his father loved him, always. Mara placed her hand over his.
“I have learned much here today. I wish to reassure you that our bargain holds firm. Your ranch will remain unchanged by my people’s presence in the Waste and your family will not be taken for study or removed from here.”
“I thank you for that.”
“The debt is mine and it is an honorable one. You have fulfilled your part, now I fulfill mine.” She made a gesture with her hands that seemed ritualistic. “I will try to return after the child is born so that we may compare him with Jane’s baby.”
Justin noted she wasn’t coming back so he could meet his son. No, it was for the sake of her damned experiment that she would return. Again it amazed him how little feeling this woman had and how little she understood human sentiments. Perhaps his boy would be the one to teach her. Perhaps their son would show her the damage she’d done to human lives with her experiments, and help stop them.
But he was getting ahead of himself. The boy had to be born first, and Justin was just glad Mara had a reason to return so Justin could meet his son.
“We’ll look forward to your visit,” he said formally, leaning forward to kiss her cheek in farewell. She seemed surprised by the gesture, but returned it.
As the scientists turned to go, Justin nodded to the huge warrior who had observed all, a shadow who’d followed them around all day. Grady nodded back as Justin stepped away from the craft and joined his family. They moved well back from the ship, unsure how much clearance it would need to take off, but watched carefully as it lifted almost soundlessly into the sky and flew quickly out of sight.
Mara and his precious baby boy were gone.
For now.
Chapter Twelve
When Jane’s baby finally made her appearance, all three men gathered to help and watch the miracle. Mick’s sure hands caught the baby and took care of the necessary medical steps, then handed her off to continue his work with Jane.
It was Caleb who Mick handed her to, concentrating more on his patient who still needed his care than the symbolism of what he’d done. Though Justin was the biological father of this baby girl, Caleb was the leader of their strange little family, Justin thought later, realizing it was only fitting Caleb be the first to hold the newest member of their family when Mick had finished tending her.
Regardless, Justin got to hold her soon enough, Caleb handing her off to him with his big, surprisingly gentle hands and a look that told Justin he’d done good. Caleb had been giving his younger brothers that look since they were kids for various reasons, and it always made Justin proud, but this by far was the best feeling he’d ever had. Jane and he had made a precious baby girl and she was spectacularly beautiful to him.
The silver craft reappeared and landed in the home pasture about eight weeks later. Justin was glad he was nearby when he spotted the silver bird. Mara must have delivered her child by now, so perhaps she was coming to show him his son. Or perhaps the aliens were coming to take them all away. He had no real way of knowing except to trust in Caleb’s vision. Surely Caleb would have warned them if something really bad were about to happen, but then, their gifts weren’t always one hundred percent reliable.
So it was a cautious Justin who approached the craft from a distance, signaling Mick with a quick telepathic burst as to what was going on. He knew Mick could contact Caleb and marshal the meager forces of the O’Haras, should it become necessary.
The hatch opened and the old man he knew as Prime stepped out, followed closely by Mara, holding a squirming baby. Justin felt the region around his heart clench as he realized he was about to meet his firstborn son. Mara smiled and he was pleased to see it was a genuine smile that lit her eyes in a way she hadn’t been capable of when he’d first met her. His son had done that. His son had brought at least a smidgen of true emotion to the otherwise cold woman.
She walked right up to him, passing Prime, who observed in his curious way.
“This is your son.” Mara handed the baby over to him.
Justin was surprised, but caught the baby boy gently to his chest. He had experience with newborns now that Callie had come into the world and stolen his heart, but he still did the usual inspection, counting fingers and toes and smiling down at his little man with tears in his eyes. He was absolutely perfect, but Justin noted the slightly pointed ears that betrayed his mixed parentage.
“He’s so beautiful.” Justin’s voice caught. “What have you named him?”
“He is called Hara, though I have not yet determined how to designate him. He is only partly Hara, but your bloodline is the stronger of our two. Mara is a lesser line given to scientists and questioners. Hara is a more dominant, honored bloodline.”
Justin was a bit put off by her answer. “You said Hara was an explorer, right?”
She nodded eagerly. “One of our most famous, and a savior to our people when the Homeworld was on the verge of destruction. He and a few others brought hope to our people and planned for our evacuation into the far reaches of the galaxy. It is a proud heritage we thought lost until I met you. We’ve done detailed analysis of your DNA and compared it with historical records. We determined the Hara influence is very strong in you, even with all the human fluctuations.”
“Well, he’s an O’Hara, so I guess the name works, but I’ll call him Harry.” He looked down into the infant’s sparkling blue eyes. Justin bent to kiss the boy’s forehead. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Harry O’Hara. I’m your daddy.”
Justin walked off a short distance, wanting some private space with his son and his almost overwhelming emotions. He knew Mara watched and studied his reactions, but she kept back, which was good enough for the moment. He needed time with his boy before she took him away again. A pang ripped at his heart when he thought he might never see the boy again. He’d only just met him, but already he loved this small bundle squirming happily in his arms. The boy looked at him with clear, sparkling blue eyes that reminded him strongly of the sainted woman who’d raised the O’Hara brothers.
Jane felt the emotional storm and decided she needed to help. She went outside cautiously, leaving Callie sleeping in the wooden carrier Caleb had lovingly carved for her near the door so she could hear her if she cried. Jane took in the varying levels of emotion with interest, noting the slight increase in emotion coming from Mara.
Prime was still basically a blank slate to Jane’s empathic senses, but Mara had indeed changed, at least a tiny bit. Jane was glad of it. Perhaps the
changes would continue and Justin’s boy wouldn’t be raised without any kind of love at all. She knew babies could die without affection and she feared for the boy.
She guessed she should be jealous of the other woman, and probably would have been of any woman who bore Justin a child in the old dayseven if they’d never become lovers. Jane loved him. She always had. It was just that simple.
But that was also the reason she couldn’t wait to meet Justin’s son. Mara didn’t matter to Justin, except as a means to keep them all safe from the alien threat. She knew that with utter certainty. Jane was secure in the knowledge Justin loved her. She knew for certain he felt nothing for Mara personally, other than disdain at her utter lack of emotion.
Jane was ultra-sensitive now to the waves of love and longing coming off him as he cradled his son in his arms for the first time. He’d felt the same sense of wonder and boundless love as he’d held Callie, she recalled fondly, and his heart was as open as she’d ever known it. She was happy for him.
As she studied Justin, she felt the decided curiosity of another presence. The boy himself. His emotional strength was amazing for such a young child and she found herself moving toward him slowly, wanting to strengthen the empathic connection that was beginning to form.
Mara sidetracked her with a greeting and Jane stopped, realizing she could help give Justin this time alone with his boy. None of them knew what Mara’s plans would be for the child. For all they knew, Justin would never see him again. Jane vowed to give him whatever time she could.
She drew the other woman into conversation after exchanging polite greetings. “Can you stay for lunch?”
Mara smiled and closer now, Jane was amazed to feel the increase in emotion coming from the alien woman. It still wasn’t much, but it was a lot more than the last time they’d met.
“We would like to see your baby, as well,” Prime reminded them as he joined the women.
Jane suppressed the pang of fear. These aliens held power over all their lives. She didn’t think they’d harm her child, but she was a new mother with all those protective instincts surfacing for the first time. She had no choice but to allow them to see Callie, of course, but still she worried.
“She’s in the kitchen.” Jane led the way toward the house.
The Alvians followed her inside, leaving Justin alone with his boy. By the time they had finished looking at Callie and asking questions about her delivery and habits, Jane was glad to sense the other two O’Hara men outside bonding with their nephew.
“He remembers us, Mick,” Justin marveled, his shining gaze meeting his brother’s. “From before he was born. He remembers us all.”
Mick’s surprise was clear. “He’s amazing, Justin. Just amazing.”
“He’s all I foresaw and more, Justin. He’ll do great things for humanity, if he is well nurtured.” Caleb touched the baby’s soft cheek, squinting as he received impressions from the child.
“If we have anything to say about it at all, he will be. But it all depends on Mara.” Justin knew the amazingly sentient baby was picking up on all their emotions and thoughts, though he was still developing his mental capacity. The rate at which he was developing was faster than a normal child, and the strength of his gifts greater. “God, he’s special.” Justin pressed another kiss to the boy’s forehead.
“We have to get Mara to leave him with us sometimes, or at least to visit,” Caleb said with determination that was answered in his brothers’ eyes.
As it turned out, they didn’t have to try hard at all to get Mara to let the boy visit.
“Do you have adequate milk for your baby?” Mara asked Jane bluntly, making Justin nearly choke as he entered the big kitchen with his son still in his arms. The other men followed close behind.
Jane was surprised, especially now that everyone was looking at her swollen breasts. But she was game to answer any question Mara might ask if it would help in some small way.
“Actually, it feels like I may have too much.” She squirmed under their scrutiny.
Mick stepped forward, trying to help with the medical turn of the conversation.
“From what I’ve read, Jane’s unusually productive, but it should subside as her body becomes accustomed to Callie’s needs.”
“Could she feed two infants?” Mara asked, surprising them all. But Jane stepped forward, hoping the question meant what she thought it did.
“Yes, I could do so easily.”
“Then I will leave Hara with you for the time being.” The pulse of joy that rushed through Jane from all the males in the room was lost on the aliens. “We have studied him all we can for now and my breasts do not have enough to sustain him. It is beneficial to have mother’s milk, to pass along immunities, so if you have no objection, I believe he would be healthier if he fed from you for the next few months.”
“I have no objection.” What an understatement! A pang of joy sang through her. She’d do anything for Justin to have his son near for even a few short months. She knew from Caleb’s visions that the boy would need to learn about humanity before he could become their champion. This was a small start in teaching him what the Earth had been before the aliens came. “I would be pleased to help him grow and be strong.”
“We’ll return in six months then to check his progress,” Mara said, as if she’d expected no other answer, and stood to leave.
The men saw her out and Jane noted sadly that she didn’t even stop to say goodbye to her newborn son. She was gaining some emotion, but she was still a long way from being anything even close to human.
After Mara and the alien contingent took off in their ship, Justin returned. He looked solemnly at Jane, the love shining in his eyes.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I know this can’t be easy for you, but thank you.”
His voice caught on the last word, bringing tears to her eyes. She felt the waves of emotion from him as she stepped forward to cup his cheek.
“I love you, Justin, and he’s a part of you. I could do no less for either of you. It hurt me to think of that cold woman not understanding his emotional needs. At least I know while he’s here, he’ll feel all the love we have to give him.”
Justin bent and kissed her lips sweetly, the baby held between them.
“You have such a big and pure heart, it constantly amazes me, Jane.”
She turned to look down at the baby who was waving his arms to get their attention.
“We haven’t been properly introduced yet, have we, Mr. O’Hara?”
“His name is Harry.” Justin smiled at them both, handing her the infant.
“Harry O’Hara?” She smiled at the boy, touching his cheek and his cute elfin ears as she began to feel his intense emotions. “Oh, Jus,” she whispered in discovery, “he’s so much more self-aware than Callie is. He’s amazing.”
And as if mentioning her name woke the sleeping girl, a whimper came from the wooden basinet on the table.
“That’s right.” Justin picked up the pink bundle. “He hasn’t met his sister yet.” He kissed the rosy cheek of the girl and held her up so the two infants could look at each other.
Callie wasn’t quite so curious yet, but Harry’s laser blue eyes studied the girl and his little arms flailed toward her. Jane read the emotions coming from the boy, a mix of curiosity, love and a touching protectiveness.
Callie started to cry in earnest and Justin took her to change her diaper. Afterward, he found Jane and Harry in the room they’d set up as a nursery, Jane balancing the baby on her lap, contemplating him.
“What?” Justin could see the wheels turning in her mind.
She smiled self-consciously. “It’s just going to be weird is all. I’ve barely gotten used to Callie and now I’ve got this strange baby to get intimate with in a matter of moments.”
Justin sat on a bench next to her rocker, shifting Callie to one arm while he cupped the nape of Jane’s neck with his other hand. He drew her forward, into his kiss, and she melted as she always
did when he touched her.
“This is a noble thing you’re doing, Jane. And if there’s any way I can make this easier for you, I’ll do it.”
“For now, just stay with me. I need you with me. We both need you.” She turned back to the baby on her lap.
Justin had watched her nurse Callie, but aside from some initial self-consciousness as she learned how to handle their daughter, she’d been calm. Now she seemed self-conscious all over again as she opened her blouse, letting her incredibly ripe breasts spill free.
“He’s hungry.” She chuckled nervously. “I can feel his hunger. Callie is too, but she’s not quite as desperate as Harry is.” She frowned. “I wonder what they’ve been feeding him.”
Horror at the thought of his deprivation written plainly on her face, Jane settled the baby in the crook of her arm as she’d learned to do with Callie. Harry was already bigger than his sister, but his mother was a giant compared to Jane, so Justin figured that was to be expected.
When Harry latched onto Jane’s swollen, distended nipple and began to suck, Justin caught his breath. It was such a beautiful thing to witness. It humbled him. Jane giggled as the baby slurped happily.
“He takes after his father, wouldn’t you say?”
“That’s my boy. He knows a good thing when he sees it and appreciates the finer points of a woman’s body.” Justin caressed Jane’s other nipple with one gentle finger, enchanted by the dampness that signified sustenance to his children.
“You’re beautiful, Jane. Have I told you that today?”
