Bedtime Stories

[Danielle Vida]

Danielle sat in her kitchen with Pascale in her high chair, going through her phonebook of people she was supposed to be calling to invite to she and Riese's four year anniversery party. She skipped over a name briefly, subconsciously almost, and then stopped with her pencil, and moved back up to it.

"I can't believe I almost forgot him," she said to herself, not before getting pelted in the head with a Cheerio. She glanced up. "Pascale, no. No throwing." The small child wiggled in the seat and laughed, grey eyes lighting up as mommy scolded her.

She picked up her cordless and began to dial out Ash's number. It rang.

[Ash Leone]

It was early in the morning, and Ash had been up late the night before trying to chase vampires out of the bar.  They didn't close until after sunrise, considering who the crowd tended to be, and they wouldn't be opening until around 11 that morning.  Of course, Ash wouldn't be tending bar himself, since he'd closed.  Leander would probably have that shift, or maybe even Dave.  Either way, he'd passed out the night before, not even bothering to go to his tiger form to sleep.  He wanted to try without it, to see if he'd actually be okay.  And he was dead tired, so why not?

When the phone rang, it was still only about two hours after he'd gone to sleep, so it wasn't a great wake up call.  He answered though, sounding sleepy and a little out of sorts.  It was probably the only time someone would catch him like that.  He hated it when the phone woke him up.  "Hello?"

[Danielle Vida]

Danielle had just been about to hang up when he answered. She could never explain why every time she spoke to Ash she felt flustered or tongue-tied. She'd had a crush on him as a girl, but when Marcus introduced her to Riese, that had been it. She was social and outgoing, and Riese was, too - they got along. They... worked. Obviously well, because baby Pascale Vida-Smoke sat in the chair right now, flinging Cheerios at everything in sight, and baby number two (who was either going to be Rafael or Violette) was two months along in her stomach right now.

"Ash?" she asked, sitting up in her chair for a moment. "Hey, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She sounded so serene and calm, on the verge of laughter with every word. A hushed, "Pascale, stop it," could be heard over the phone.

Riese chose that time to come through the kitchen door, and swung down to give Danielle a peck on the cheek before scooping the little girl from her chair and flipping her over to run around the house with her.

"I swear to God, I live in a zoo," she muttered to herself, though even then in her irritation it was there - the light in her voice.

[Ash Leone]

Ash frowned as he heard Danielle's voice on the other line.  It wasn't that he was so shocked that Danielle had called him, but by her voice.  It sounded so...happy.  Danielle didn't exactly go with the 'happy' sort of sound.  Ever.  And who was she talking to, this Pascale?  And what she said about living in a zoo, even that sounded pleased.  Irritated Danielle was dangerous, so why was she so light in everything she said right then?

"Yes, but it's alright," he said, trying to clear his sleep-muddled mind.  This didn't make sense.  Was he dreaming?  No, he couldn't possibly be.  "Is everything okay, Dani?"

[Danielle Vida]

"Dani? Wow, nobody's called me that in ages, Ash," she said with a laugh. "Ah, you make me feel seventeen again." Well, she was only twenty-four now, but after being married for four years and already having one kid, besides Marcus, that was, and Riese from time to time, she felt so very much older.

"I was calling because Marcus is trying to help organize my anniversary party with Riese and he's too stupid to remember to send out half the invitations I gave him. Now it's too late and I have to resort to running up my phone bill." She chuckled.

Riese came back into the room with a laughing Pascale and nodded to Danielle. "That Ash? Tell him I said hey. Oh, and Marcus will be here in like.. fifteen minutes. We're taking Pascale to see Happy Feet. Again."

"PENGUINS!!!" the little girl screamed.

"Y'hear that? That is the fearsome cry of the heir of all that is mine, Ash." She laughed again.

[Ash Leone]

He'd merely blinked when she said she hadn't heard anyone call her that in years, considering the fact that he'd ALWAYS called her that, and he'd just talked to her the day before.  What was going on?  The rest positively floored him, though.  

Marcus.  Riese.  Anniversary.  Heir.

Dave must have felt a sudden power spike or something, because he sprinted up the stairs to bust into the room, proving who was there to check the books that morning.  Dave didn't leave Ash completely alone often, considering what had happened with Morfeus, but it still almost caused the triste to drop the phone.

"What's wrong?  What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry," Ash told him, wincing.  He really did look as though nothing was wrong, so the werewolf had to head back downstairs after a quick look around.  The room was still orderly and neat, so he really didn't see the issue.  Ash had to return to the conversation at hand, still not sure what was going on.

"Well, that's good to hear.  Not him forgetting the invitations, but..."  Yeah.  His brain was still catching up to the fact that nothing was right.  "When is it?"

[Danielle Vida]

She cleared her throat. "It's actually tonight. At six. We're going out to that huge ritzy restaurant on the dock - Marcus also forgot the reservations, but between a Vida and a Smoke, we got strings pulled. I know it's a bad use for our influence but I'd say we deserve it after making it through what we did."

That being Tamara and Celeste's deaths, respectively, not shortly after their 18th and 20th birthdays, respectively, but she didn't want to go in to any of it. One Vida dies, another arises. Pascale wiggled in her father's arms as Marcus beeped from outside in the driveway.

"Tell mommy you love her," Riese commanded as he helped the little girl with her shoes.

"Love you moooommmyyyyy," she said, looking extra cute in her mop of wheat-blonde curls. Danielle waved a small wave at her and Riese and continued her conversation.

"It's warm enough that we can take the party outside, and I know everyone will be drinking - well, except me. Again. But you didn't hear that from me... Riese wants it to be a surprise. Can you come? I'd really love to have you."

[Ash Leone]

He would have found the fact that Marcus had also forgotten the reservations to be mildly amusing if he wasn't still in shock over the boy being alive in the first place.  And the little girl yelling to her mommy from the background.  And...AGAIN?!  Was she talking about being pregnant?  His Dani, having a child?  A SECOND child?!

She was asking him a question.  And expecting an answer.

"Well, uh, of course I'll come.  You said six?"  Yes, she'd said six.  He had to be dreaming.  Or he'd gone insane.  Maybe someone was messing with his head?  That's it!  He'd slept in his human form, and this is what he got.  That shadow thing had come for him, and it was weaving some fancy story in his head, driving him nuts.  Wonderful.  He wouldn't snap, he refused.

[Danielle Vida]

"Yeah, six. It's sort of a dressy place, too. I hate to do this so last minute, but I'm just pressed for time lately. Anyways, I need to run at the moment, but I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Danielle excused herself for the time being, and set to calling everyone else that she'd found had not yet gotten their invitations. Hours later, she was stepping out of the Porsche Cayenne S, the dark blue dress she wore not yet betraying what lies beneath, per se. She took the hand of Pascale, whose blonde hair was left to hang freely, and had found a dress of blue that matched the perfect shade of midnight Danielle wore.

"Wow," Riese said. "You know, you are more beautiful every time I see you." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, and then ran ahead to tell everyone they were there. She and Pascale took their time, stopping so that she could examine her shoes several instances.

[Ash Leone]

Ash arrived at the location Dani had specified at 6pm sharp, and merely waited outside of his vehicle.  He wasn't really a fan of 'dressy' occasions, but he suffered them when it was necessary.  He'd ended up wearing a very dark blue dress shirt open collared (since he couldn't stand the feel of a bowtie for the time being, thinking only of the collar Morfeus had made him wear), with black dress slacks.  The dark blue complemented his pale, icy look rather nicely and was in fact his favorite color, so it came as a bit of a surprise when he saw Dani approaching in a nearly perfectly matched color.

With the most adorable child he'd ever seen holding her hand.

"Mon dieu," he murmured to himself as they approached.  He'd parked as close as he could, and where they'd have to pass him as they walked.  He could have just as easily met her inside, but he didn't quite want to catch her with her...husband.

[Danielle Vida]

The sound of soft singing was now coming from the two blondes as they walked, swinging hands casually.

"S'en allait tout simplement
Routier pauvre et chantant
En tous chemins, en tous lieux
Il ne parle que du bon Dieu
Il ne parle que du bon Dieu"

It was some odd French song Danielle had heard, and though she had no idea what it meant - she knew it said God - she bet it was something morbid, but Pascale seemed to like it enough. For some reason there had been a sort of influence from the language in many things recently - including her daughter's name.

She almost didn't see Ash, busy tending to her daughter, but it was the small witch who paused and pointed at him, grey eyes wide with wonderment. She had never met him. "Eh?" she asked her mom, looking back and forth.

Danielle glanced up, and smiled warmly. "Ash, it's so good to see you," she exclaimed, though she did not let go of the small one's hand for fear the child would take off into the parking lot. "You look wonderful." She purred practically, lifting Pascale up in her arms. The child was dilligent in her efforts not to kick dust on mommy's dress as she -stared- at the Triste.

"Eh?" she asked again. She wasn't shy at all, though, and reached out with a small hand to poke at him.

[Ash Leone]

It wasn't morbid at all, just....an odd choice.  He cocked his head to the side in a rather feline manner, not even thinking about it, and looked at her curiously.  "You...have interesting taste in music anymore, mon coeur," he told her, trying not to react at all oddly as his eyes met with the child's.  She was beautiful, and it made his heart ache just to see her.  Danielle's child...with someone else.  It reminded him of the fact that he had once upon a time intended to have children of his own, before his entire life had been stolen from him.

"It's good to see you as well, and you absolutely look lovely.  Both of you," he added, once again looking at the child, though this time he raised his hand so that the child could grab it if she'd like.  He didn't quite know why she was reacting that way to him, but he didn't really mind.

[Danielle Vida]

Well, it wasn't like -he- could have kids. Danielle smiled at Pascale as she reached for him and took hold, yanking his hand around for a moment, before she leaned forward and buried her face at the crease of Danielle's shoulder.

"Aw, what's wrong, love? Is he a stranger?" she asked, voice soft, as she rubbed the child on the back. She looked at Ash, and raised her brows.

"Riese and I are starting to think she can pick up on people's auras through.. touch. Whatever genetics we had, we had good ones, 'cos they're already saying she's going to be amazing. I guess it just depends on what side she chooses to respond to.." she trailed off. "I hope mine appeals to her senses." Ah, a proud Vida woman would not see her firstborn daughter reduced to a simple healer so easily. With both magics, she would be remarkable on the field.

She blinked, and realized she hadn't even introduced her. "Sorry, Ash. This is Pascale Am?lie. Pascale," she said, using the 'tone' that made her daughter un-bury herself and look back at Ash. "This is Ash Leone, someone very important to mommy, and maybe some day important to you as well."

"...Hi," she said finally, a small smile on those cherub cheeks.

The irony of the French name was almost painful. The fact that child number two was brewing in there somewhere too was equally bad, although Danielle didn't show at all - in fact, she didn't look like she'd had number one, either.  

[Ash Leone]

It didn't quite make sense to him that Danielle had used an entirely french name for the child, but he thought it was beautiful.  She was beautiful, and Dani was right.  She'd be powerful.  "She has a strong aura already, chere.  Whatever she chooses, she'll do well," he promised, also already deciding that if he wasn't crazy, if this was really happening for some crazy reason, he'd keep that little girl safe.

"Hello, ma petite belle," he told her, hoping that if she could really read auras at such a young age, his hadn't been so bad as to scare her.  He needed to figure out what the hell was going on here, though.

[Danielle Vida]

"Mm, I only wish mom was around to see it. After that close call with Marcus when we were kids... I don't know, things changed around the house. She suddenly started acting like a mom - before it was too late, I guess." She sighed wistfully and leaned back as Pascale tried to pull at strands of her hair. "Stop," she said.

Pascale stopped. One word commands were amazing, and Danielle didn't tend to use them so often that the child became a zombie - just enough for when she irritated her.

"Oh well, no reason to dig up the past now, is there?" She looked at him, grey eyes not so expressive as they had been once - where they had gone from shades of hematite to watery grey, to even a pale moon silver - now they were just a clear, smokey grey. No flecks of silver or white, like snow across a wintery sky. Nothing. Just.. a nice shade of grey.