Something Strange...

[prof_stargazer]

Date: Friday May 23, 2002
Time: around 5:00pm
Location: the Moore house
Characters Involved: Stella and Caleb Moore
Rating: PG to start?

Stella was extremely happy to arrive home on Friday afternoon, stepping out of the Floo and wanting to just collapse on the bed.

It had started out on Tuesday, when she had started feeling nauseous after Flooing to

Comments

[prof_stargazer]

Stella liked the idea of keeping it between themselves for a bit, and leaned up to kiss him.

"I love that idea," she said once she'd pulled back. "How about we go down there next Saturday and surprise them? Oh, but-" Stella bit her lip, thinking. She still wasn't sure if it was ok to apparate while she was pregnant, and she certainly wasn't about to take the ferry over to Calais. "Or, we can invite them up here next Saturday. Mum will know something is up, but we can cover by saying we want them to see what we've done to the house."

She grinned again, squeezing Caleb's hand that still lay over her stomach. "We're going to have a baby!" She laughed, the idea still somewhat amazing her.

[wolf_caleb]

The thought of the Sinistra's coming to the house and seeing all of the changes made Caleb nervous. What if they didn't like the things he'd done? They could decide not to sell them the house after all. Then he'd have a wife, child and no real home.

Knowing that he was over-reacting, Caleb took a deep breath, nodding. "Yeah, we should invite them over. I don't want you traveling any more than you have to."

If he had his choice, she wouldn't even be flooing to school.

At her excited exclamation, Caleb laughed. "We are," he agreed, turning his hand to grasp Stella's. "You're going to be the most amazing mother," he added softly.

[prof_stargazer]

"And you are going to be a completely wonderful dad," Stella replied, smiling softly up at Caleb. "I can already see it. Dad will be the fun one who lets them eat ice cream for breakfast, but as soon as they skin their knee they'll be running to their Mum," she smiled again, imagining it in her mind.

"And, as much as you worry about it, they won't care what you are," Stella assured him, recalling their many conversations on this very topic. "You will be their dad, and that will be enough."

[wolf_caleb]

Caleb sat upright, eyes going wide. "You've got to go to school, or your mum's during the Full. I don't want to risk hurting you or the baby."

What if Stella being pregnant made him act differently? What if he got too protective and something happened, what if he did something?

[prof_stargazer]

She was startled by Caleb's sudden jerking to sit up, falling back on the pillows and staring at him as he spoke.

"Absolutely not." Stella's reply was clear, her voice unwavering as her eyes stayed locked on Caleb's. "I will not leave you here by yourself. You can lock yourself in the basement if you think you need to, but I am not leaving."

Stella sat up, leaning forward to take Caleb's hand.

"Just knowing that you're down there and can't get out is going to kill me. Please don't make me leave you-" the last pleading words were said as a whisper, Stella's eyes tearing up again at the idea.

[wolf_caleb]

"Don't cry," Caleb begged, pulling Stella against his chest and laying back down again. He didn't even know how to begin to explain the fear he felt.

What were they going to do when the kids grew older? Send them out for a walk every Full so they didn't have to hear their father screaming? Make them go stay with their gran so there was no chance he would scare them? Or hurt them?

"I don't know what to do," he finally admitted, burying his face in Stella's hair. "What are we going to do?"

He knew that had talked about this once in general terms, but the specifics were still up in the air. But now they were having a baby and he had know what they were going to do. How was he going to keep everyone safe?

[prof_stargazer]

Stella choked back the sob that had been threatening to escape, settling herself on Caleb's chest as he laid them down.

"We'll get through it like we've always done, love," Stella replied softly, thinking he was still only talking about the upcoming Full. "I'll stay upstairs during the transformation, and I'll warn you when I'm going to open the door. If you don't want me to, just howl and I won't. I'll hate it, but I won't open the door."

Over the past few months, they had gotten into a routine on Full nights- they'd wait until about an hour after the transformation, and Stella would open the basement door. They'd sit together for a while, until Caleb let her know that he wanted to go outside. Stella was still nervous about this, but obliged anyway, and Caleb seemed to enjoy the freedom that running around their yard provided him.

[wolf_caleb]

"But what about the baby?" he asked. "No baby, no child, should have to hear their father screaming," he said softly, the very idea causing a knot in his stomach. "Promise me you'll take them away when I transform. Or we'll send them to your mum's or something. I can't...just promise they'll never have to hear it happening."

He knew how badly it hurt Stella, knew that she cried each and every time. Caleb couldn't put a child through that.

[prof_stargazer]

Stella was confused for a moment- the baby was barely anything, certainly not grown enough to hear Caleb's screams in a few days. She quickly realized, however, that he was talking about all the Full moons that would lay ahead of them.

She tilted her head up, kissing Caleb softly as she tried to straighten out her thoughts.

"Well, silencing charms will work well enough while the baby is still small," she said, loath at the idea of sending a newborn away, even for one night. "But yes, when they get older, I think sending them to stay with Mum and Dad for the night would be a good idea." That way, she could still focus on taking care of Caleb, and not worry about the baby.

"And whenever we think they're old enough to understand, maybe then they can stay."

[wolf_caleb]

Realizing that Stella wasn't going to fight him on this, Caleb relaxed. He didn't want to ruin their night, their amazing good news, by panicking about the future. There would be plenty of time for panic in the next nine months.

"We need to celebrate," he said, changing the subject before he made Stella cry again. "After we see a Healer tomorrow, we should do something."

He knew Saint Mungos was going to be hell on his senses tomorrow, and he couldn't stand the idea of being out amongst people any longer than they had to. But they needed to do something to mark the occassion. "Any ideas?"

[prof_stargazer]

Her answer seemed to have calmed Caleb down, for which Stella was very grateful. At his suggestion of celebrating, she grinned, shrugging a little.

"I'm not sure, love," she said, still thinking. "We could go out to dinner or something-" she trailed off, remembering that it was only two days before the Full and Caleb's senses would be on overdrive.

"Or just do something special here. Oh-!" Stella cried, an idea suddenly coming to her. "How about we go pick up lunch at the Leaky and go have a picnic, like our first date?" That had certainly been a memorable day for both of them.

[wolf_caleb]

"That sounds brilliant," Caleb said, grinning. They would be out of doors, and wouldn't have to be pressed in upon by people. In short, it was perfect.

"Our first date the most amazing date I had ever been on. I think I fell in love with you that day," he admitted. holding Stella close. "I'd never met anyone like you. I had almost convinced myself that I had built it up in my mind, but then we had our second date, and I knew you were as brilliant as I had first thought. I can't believe you didn't run screaming for the hills. Blimey, I hadn't even known for more than a couple of hours and I was telling you everything. You must have thought I was daft."

[prof_stargazer]

Stella giggled, thinking back to that day- it had been an amazing day for her, as well, and a warm feeling of happiness flooded through her as she snuggled against Caleb's chest.

"No more daft than I was- asking out some strange bloke I'd only just met and chatted with over lunch!" Stella laughed, recalling exactly how that first date had come about. "You'd charmed me already, just in that hour of conversation. I was crushed when you thought you would have to back out," she admitted. "But then you came, and I remember my heart started pounding when your hand brushed against mine-" she lightly trailed her fingers over the back of Caleb's hand, then clasped it in her own as she spoke. "And then you actually held my hand, and I thought I was going to burst from happiness."

[wolf_caleb]

Caleb chuckled. "I was terrified. Felt like a bloody fourth year." He shifted, rolling onto his side to face Stella, throwing a leg over her thighs and an arm across her waist. "I'd never felt anything like how I felt with you and it scared me to death."

He knew he wasn't telling her anything new, but the memories were at the forefront of his mind now. "I thought for sure as soon as I told you what I was, you'd be gone. Made me sick just thinking about it." He smiled, sliding a hand up to cup her face. "And now we're married and having a baby. I don't deserve you, but I love you, Stella," he said softly.

[prof_stargazer]

Stella knew exactly what Caleb was describing, because she had felt it too- the feeling of knowing someone forever, when really it had only been several hours. But that was the way it had always been with them.

"I would never have done that to you," Stella said quietly, stroking her hand through Caleb's hair. "Even if you hadn't wanted a relationship, I still would have been your friend." She'd fallen hard and fast for Caleb, and even his revelation of being a werewolf hadn't been enough to scare her away.

"And of course you deserve me, love. You deserve all the happiness you can find. And besides, we're soulmates- we would have found each other eventually."

"I love you so much, Caleb."