Resolving problems - Baby #23

"You... It was you all this time..."

"Of course Destiny. How could it not be me? How could you forget me?"

It was Elliott, of course. Father of babies #14, 15 and 16. My beloved daughters, Kathleen, Kate and Kalia. I knew something was going on with this man the moment he started playing drums in front of my house at 3:00 AM.

"Your just a dumb girl after all. Going off, doing a 100 baby challenge. Trying to fall in love, yet just get get betrayed. Haha. That was a riot, I have to admit. Your reaction was P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S. And then, what do you do? You go off and get drunk! And all the while, not knowing there was a special drug in it..."

"You orchestrated this?! You set up Corbin? The Bot? The club? You drugged me! And you probably drugged me so much that I would go against everything I stand and become a vampire! Your the mysterious E, aren't you?"

Anger raged though me, as I stood hands-on-hips, staring accusingly at Elliott. How could he laugh like that, in my face? What have I done, to make him do this to me?

"Wait, 'lemme think about that..."

He scratched his head comically. He didn't really have to think. It was just to aggravate me further. I knew his answer already.

"Of course it was me! Who else has would have the genius mind I have? The perfect idea, perfect for my revenge."

"What revenge?" I cried. "What have I done to you that was so bad?" 

"You killed my mother..."

Whoa whoa whoa. Back up a bit, I thought. I never killed anyone in my life, and I wasn't going to start soon. So where was he coming from?

"Maybe not exactly you, but your dear beloved grandmother! Jane Rose! The pathetic excuse for a business tycoon, hit my mother with her car, then just left her in the middle of the road to DIE. I remember that day, like it was burned in my mind. September 23. I was eleven. The summer in Twinbrook. The summer we met each other."

"We've met before? I don't remember you... I don't remember much from my visits at my grandma, I'm sorry. I was on a swing once, then I went to high and fell off... I had a concussion, and the rest of the day went blank. I'm sorry if I hurt you, somehow, on that day, Elliott."

"It's not Elliott... It's Elijah. Elijah Baxter. That day, when I met you... I fell in love with you. But you made me angry Destiny. You didn't notice me at all, did you? Just invited me over to be polite. All you cared about was that boy Toby. And even when mum died, I loved you still, with all my heart. And I came to Sunset Valley. I searched for you everywhere, and I found you! I found you...everywhere. But you never took notice of me. You threw away my adoration and true love for some baby challenge. Now...you have to pay.

Did I really know him? I thought back to all the summers, trying to remember something important. Elijah Baxter... He was the boy... That went to the town's garden for his mother... I did meet him there, after all. The newspaper said there was a woman, hit by a car... But she wasn't dead. She was transferred to Bridgeport Hospital, that was all. How could he not know this?

And yet, I hadn't known he loved me. Cared for me, or anything like that. I don't even remember seeing him in Sunset Valley...

"What's all the shouting about?" a new voice said. Daniel, my son. That means all the kids could hear what we were saying. They shouldn't be dragged into this..

"We're disturbing my kids... That's not allowed in my books. Let's go somewhere else, please," I begged him, trying with all my might to hold back any harsh words.

"Forget your kids; think about me for a little while. How you hurt me!"

And with that, I was smacked in my face. Hard.

My anger was too much to bear. I didn't take abuse. So I lunged at him with all my might.

"Oww... Ou-ou-ouch!" I cried out to the night sky as I fell flat on the ground with my backside. I couldn't believe how it had turned out. And I thought I was well trained.

Another person entered the equation; Corbin. Great. Now Elliott or Elijah or E, however you wish to call him, had back-up.

"Now, are you two fighting? That's not very nice..."

If only I could take on two people at the same time. How much I wanted to slap that grin of Corbin's face.

Elliott plucked out something from his back pocket, almost magically. A sharp, shiny object. Oh boy, not good. I realized just how much trouble I was in, at that moment. No time for jokes. It was life or death now.

"Ellio- I mean Elijah. There's no need for that kind of violence... Just put the knife away..."

He didn't say anything; why would he? He was in control, with such a big knife. It edged closer to me, as if in slow motion. I wanted to close my eyes, to just wait for death. But at the same time, I also wanted to scream. I didn't want to die, not now. And what would happen to my kids if I died? Would he kill them too? I couldn't bear the thought of that.

I spared a second to look at Corbin. I regretted it immediately. Of course, he would enjoy this. It was all a job to him.

He too, had a weapon. More dangerous in some ways. A gun. So I was going to be stabbed and shot. Even in the moment of despair, I still had the ability to humor myself.

The shot fired, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain and death I knew that would come. But it never did. Sneaking a view at Elliott, his face was contorted in pain.

Like an old man, he walked forward, past me. I quickly gave way, avoiding the knife at all costs.

With exaggerating slowness, Elliott dropped to the ground

I gasped. He was the one who was shot, not me. 

And then the I realized the worst. He was dead.

Will this night ever end...? I wondered. Will the horror ever pass?

Two hours later

A lot happened after after Elliott was shot. The police arrived shortly after. Of course the neighbors had called, I thought. But it hadn't been them. It had been Corbin. It turned out he was a special agent, working for the police. His cover had been to infiltrate Elliott's, or his codename, E, operation. Rumor had it they were moving against a "group", and he had to find out who. The "group" had turned out to be me, in the end. Me and my family.

Even after the police had come and taken away Elliott's body, Corbin had stayed behind. Apparently he was taking reports from the children. He wanted to hear everyone's vantage point. I didn't know if it was true, anyways.

Now that I knew where he came from, why he did what he did, could I forgive him?

Catherine and Clara sat at the table as if nothing had happened. As if they had much more exciting things in their lives, which, probably, they have.

"Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays!" the kids all yelled, dancing around with happiness. After drama, they just has to be celebration, right?

"What will I wish for, what will I wish for, what will I wish for...? Darn it, I dunno..."

Catherine believed very much in luck. And wishing. So she prepared vigilantly for her turn at the cake and her turn for a wish.

"You know what I wonder? Why mom bought me a cake even after I insisted I didn't want one... So that's what I wish for! No more big birthday bashes! Just a simple life, with a wife and kids!"

Dear Daniel, may all your wishes come true!

Like all his brothers in the house, and those brothers before him that our out leading their lives, Daniel was incredibly handsome. He had talent and ambition. He wishes for the more simple things in life, is happy with anything he gets, and has a great sense of right and wrong. Aw, how we will miss him!

"Oh yeah, haha. Watch me age up into a awesome teen!" Catherine stated with obvious delight. She was incredibly happy with moving on with life and out of the child-stage.

Catherine definitely grew up into a "awesome teen", as she stated before. She had the most hugest eyes I had ever seen. Beautiful, big blue eyes. It suited her red hair to perfection, which she had fixed on the top of her head.

Clara, like her twin, turned out looking like her father, with the big eyes. Unlike in her child-stage, Clara let loose her hair, cut off most of it, then frizzed it all. I wonder sometimes why she did it.

Elijah gave a little dance before he aged up. Adorable! Anyways, Eli was the sweetest boy, even being a vampire. I hope that he wouldn't one day become bloodthirsty and evil, like some vampires.

"You mister, you have a lot to answer for," I pointed accusingly at Corbin. After all, he had broken my heart without as much as a explanation. He had done it for his job, I now knew. That didn't mean I was fine with it.

"Destiny, your safe," he breathed into my neck when he grabbed me in a tight embrace.

Corbin - I'm so sorry. For everything that I put you through. For hitting on Kate, to hurting you. I did it to keep you safe. I had to do everything, in E's eyes, to anger you. It was the only way.
Destiny - It's okay...sorta. I mean, I think it's better now that I know WHY you did it.
Corbin - Because I love you... That's why.

He released me from his grip, though his hand rested softly on my shoulder.

"You don't really believed that was all a cover, do you? Didn't you see just how much I wanted to be with you, knowing I couldn't, because I was undercover, and you had your challenge?"


I didn't respond. Mostly because I couldn't. What could one say to something like that?

I tried to ignore Corbin for the rest of the evening. Daniel was saying his goodbyes to everyone, and I had to hurry to catch him.

"No no no. Where do you think your going? No one leaves this house without a proper goodbye hug from their old mom, okay?"

"Sorry, mom," he laughed, then his face turned sombre. "I will miss you guys. It's nice to have people running around, causing havoc, sometimes. Keeps things alive... Like a family."

After the stress of the day, and the past several weeks, I sneaked out the back door to the hot tub for some personal time. The horror of this? Corbin joined me. Maybe I should be grateful for everything he's done, from saving my life, to protecting my kids. But at the moment, I was just plain irritated.

Corbin - Hey, you look a bit stressed. You okay?

Destiny - I'm fine. No need to worry your head over me. A nice long soak in the tub and I'll be fine.

Corbin - You sure...? Hey, come here...

That's when he tried to put his arms around me, to cuddle with me. 

"No, Corbin, stop it," I said, trying very hard not to sound mean while I stopped his face getting any closer to mine. "Not now..."

I heard him sigh, then he sat back and relaxed, to my delight.

I took my chance, as this may be the last one I have, and escaped the situation by getting out of the tub. I really didn't need things getting any more awkward.

And in the room again, he tried it again. To actually kiss me. I know that he saved me, yet he also broke my heart once.

"Corbin, please, no...," I pleaded.

Corbin - Why not, Dee? Please, I just wanna be there for you. Know that I'm there if you ever need comfort.

Destiny - Comfort is the last thing I need. Corbin, you hurt me. You broke my heart, and that affected the people around me.

Corbin - It was for my job! I did it to save you. I've told you this before. Why won't you just believe me?

When I looked him in the eye, I could see the hurt on his face, in his eyes. Instantly, I felt guilty. I was a sucker for guilt trips. Possibly the most weakest trait.

At around midnight, I was comfortably relaxing on my bed, eyes closed. I was woken from my slumber by another person climbing onto my bed. With all my heart I hoped it was one of the girls who had had a nightmare and needed comfort.

"What are you still doing here?" I complained under my breath. Couldn't he just get the message and leave.

The next thing I knew, his hand was on my hip.

"You owe me," Corbin said in a deep tone. "Let me be father of baby #23. If that's all I could be to you."

"That's against the rules...," my answer came automatically. But some say rules are meant to be broken. Could I do this?

And in the end, I did. The sweet, soft lullaby filled the room. It was like killing two birds with one stone. I would be pregnant in a day, and I have Corbin off my case for a while.

That morning, getting out of bed was hard. I didn't know what to do, where I should go, what was planned. It's a wild ride. Corbin said, before this whole ordeal occurred, I should just go with the flow.

I had a very long and luxurious shower that morning. I could do things at day now, without having to feel threatened. To feel uncertain of what lies ahead. That's a burden off my mind.

When I checked up on the teen twins, I found them both working out heavily on the exercise machines.

"One... Come on... Crap.. Not good.. Can't...get...to...two... Come...on..." Catherine panted the whole morning, while trying to lift weights. Maybe I should install two treadmills instead?

Clara was calmly walking out the treadmill, not so tired as Catherine was. Smart girl!

When I looked in the mirror that morning, getting ready to visit the cemetery. I didn't like what I saw. Time for a mini-makeover.

Red is my most favorite color in the world, next to lilac of course. I found that red hair, with the smallest tinge of pink in between, which I could hardly see, worked for me.

I found out, when I was all done with makeovers and make-up, that Eli and Corbin had similar personalities. Both were very excitable.

So there we were. Five people in black, off to visit the cemetery. I wouldn't dare clothe Matthew in black, the poor little fella. So he stayed in his customary blue blanket.

All of us didn't fit in the car. So we had to get two taxi's, unfortunately. Every minute I would glance behind me, out the window, to see if the kids were okay in the other car.

"Dee, they'll be okay, don't worry," Corbin tried to soothe my anxiety. Which made me more nervous of course.

We all stood in front of Elliott's grave. Yet I didn't know him much, and he would have killed me, I thought he deserved some remorse.

"I wonder what the components of the ground is. How old the soil is and what chemicals must be mixed into it with all these graves and dead people buried here... Just fascinating..."

Catherine was the science lover, so she whipped out her magnifying glass every now and then.

Tears came easily to me. I had lost much in my life. I didn't cry only for Elliott, but for everyone I had lost in my life. My grandfather, Liana and Keira. 

Elijah didn't even know Elliott, yet he cried with me.

And Corbin. He probably cried the most. Or would have. As soon as he saw us looking at him, he dried his eyes and cheeks very quickly.

"It's okay, sweetie... It's over. He's in a better place now..." I tried comforting Elijah, but that brought on even more tears.

"Mom, are you okay? I know I didn't really know Elliott, but... I am sorry. For what happened."

"Thanks, sweetie," I sobbed into my daughter's neck. "It means a lot to me, really. But I'm not just crying about having lost him. No. Kate and Kath and Kalia.. They don't have their dad anymore. That's what made me cry."

When I looked up, I saw Catherine standing by herself, looking very thoughtful. I would give a lot of things to know what goes on in that head of hers.

At home, I immediately washed my hands, cleaning off the dirt and make-up I managed to cry off.

"I have an idea! One word: trampoline!" Clara the genius declared at home. She still retained some of her childishness. And of course we loved that about her. 

I might have to skip that option, I thought to myself, as I really felt nauseated.

"Cath, how about you join you sis? I'm just gonna slip inside for a moment..."

"Sure, mom!" Catherine had answered. Next thing I knew, she was bouncing incredible heights. Much more confident than her sister, Clara.

"Wee!"

"This may have been a bad idea..."

"H-he-help! I'm falling!" Clara shouted with terror as she dropped back to the trampoline.

"Hahaha, your a riot, sis! It's not that bad!"

"Oh, hey bro! Wanna join us on the trampoline?" Catherine yelled across to Eli, who watched from a distance.

"Not today, nope."

Elijah loved nature's things more. With a lot of effort, he managed to finally catch a Monarch butterfly! They must find his hair color fascinating, as many more followed pursuit after him.

"This is so much fun, being one with nature! Thanks for having swings in the backyard, mom!"

"My pleasure, Eli. Anything to keep my crazy kids happy!" I laughed.

I sat with Eli, as he swung the entire afternoon by.

With a smile on my face, I watched how the twins did interesting, and at the same time, crazy, stunts. It did worry me a lot. One degree off and they could be falling on the ground on their heads. That picture did not appeal to me.

"Check this out!" Clara was the next one to yell. Looks like they were experimenting with new tricks.

"Sis, help! I'm falling...!

"Whatever! Back-flip time!

The twins continued doing stunts until 9:30 PM, which was bedtime for them in the week.

Catherine - This is so much fun! Let's do it again tomorrow!

Clara - We can't. We have to study for a test, remember?

Catherine - Oh, right... But still? Afterwards!

Clara - Gotta work on tasks, sorry.

Catherine - Damn!

Our household got together in my room for some family time. Elijah sat next to me, telling me about school and his new friends. All of them human, as far as I know. 

"And there's this big kid, ma. Like, a bully. But when I look at him, he just runs away. I dunno why. Do you?"

The girls had various tests at school for the next couple of days, so they were hard at studying everything they, every minute of the night.

Catherine - When can we take a break?
Clara - When were done!
Catherine - When will we be done?!
Clara - When... Wait, what page are you at?
Catherine - At page six.
Clara - You have got to be kidding me!

I took the chance to study a bit too. But soon my eyes started involuntarily closing, and I had to put the book away and say night to my children.

Destiny - Good night Eli!
Elijah - Good night, ma.
Destiny - Good night, Clara.
Clara - Night, night, mom.
Destiny - ..Good night, Catherine?
Catherine - ...Still can't believe I still have to study 200 pages...

After Cath had studied till the wee hours of the day, she decided to help me around the house, by cleaning up the laundry. Not doing it, just cleaning it up.

"How can a family have this much laundry to be done... And why does it have to stink..."

Where ever Catherine walked, the green stench followed her.

"Will I ever escape it?!"

The next afternoon, Clara and I tackled the video game system. She held a look of concentration...

While I had a more nervous look on my face.

I was so nervous, that the handheld console literally shook in my two hands. Video gaming was a new experience to me.

Clara - Oh my gosh, that wasn't fair! The remote controller just jammed on me! Totally not my fault!

Destiny - Agreed. This thing is glitchy. We need new ones!

One thing Clara and I had in common: we both slap the controller when were angry, and we both blame it for ruining our gameplay.

Elijah - Wow, you guys... That car is going fast... Maybe you wanna slow down?

Clara - Nope!

Destiny - Nu uh!

Elijah - I thought only guys were hopped onto video games?

With the kids already gone early, and me being all alone, I aged up little Matthew.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie..."

Matthew is the cutest boy ever! With plump little cheeks, he is sure to win many hearts over. My blue eyes decided to make an appearance in his face, and I don't know if his father had black hair or not, or if it was just a gene from my end, as I had jet black hair once.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, so I took Matthew down to the beach for some fresh air.

"Come.. Come on, boy. You can do it! It's not that hard!" I cheered Matt on as he took his very first steps across the sand.

"You did! See, it's possible. Not that hard. And when your all grown up, your going to be able to run marathons, and be free..."

Back at home again, I immediately started potty training Matt. He nervously sat on the chair, and looked up at me with the cutest expression that melts my heart.

"And when I was your age, all I ever did was run around! I never wanted to be picked up by my mom or dad. I wonder why I did that sometimes. I also landed in the hospital once. I couldn't breath well. That was a even bigger mystery. And then the next morning, I ran around the hospital as well. People asked my mom, "Was that the girl who had those asthma attacks?" And she said, "Yes!" I know, I was pretty crazy when I was little.."

While teaching Matthew to talk, I had let some things slip about how I was when I was younger. And he was very interested in it, surprisingly. So I told him a little more about myself.

"Ah, contractions!" I croaked. I was on my way to get Matt's bottle when my water broke. It must have been the sudden change in posture.

I groaned and huffed, everything possible to lessen the pain. When I could finally think clear again, I signaled for Catherine to come with me to the hospital. A friendly hand to hold is always nice.

As usual, people freaked out as I walked in.

Corbin even came as well, which was a nice.

It was already early morning, when I got out of the hospital.

"Hospitals are such hassles. Next time have a home birth, mom," Catherine had grumbled.

We all had to cram into a taxi, as I held the new arrival...

Jay Rose
Another boy in the family!

~♥~

Thank you for reading! I appreciate it very much. I apologize that this post might have been long, or to be more precise, longer than the others, but it was very much needed to solve the drama in this one post.

If you have any complaints, criteria, name suggestions or anything like that, I would love it, as I appreciate any type of feedback! All of this can be left in the form of comments, or you can reach me at destiny.rose0701@yahoo.com

Kudos!