Winter Legacy -33-

"Heya!" Snowie shouted as she slammed her hand down on the boards, she released a contented breath when they shattered beneath her. Jaylee had gotten her started in martial arts, her intentions had been to teach Snowie to calm herself but the girl was more interested in hitting things.

Around the front of the house, Claus and his brand new brother in law were having some male bonding time...or at least what was supposed to be male bonding time. "Claus, I'm freaking out man! Your sister is pregnant! We just got married, I know we were planning on getting pregnant for a while now, but I was kind of hoping to have some time with my wife....alone..."

"Relax man, you're gonna be an awesome dad, and if you're not I'm sure mine will be willing to teach you."

"I'm sorry are you trying to be funny? I'm having a crisis."

"I'm just kind of confused at what you're afraid of. You were so ready before."

"Claus, I've already given up, and now it's happening, of course I'm freaking out."

"You'll be fine, now come inside and have a drink with me...Jaylee could be pregnant and Mom grounded me, no more adventures until I've got teenagers to argue with." He rolled his eyes.

Jaylee had spent most of the morning locked in the bathroom with her head in the toilet. Claus had come in with a cup of tea earlier, she threw that up. Agnes brought her some soup, but she vomited after only taking two spoonfuls.

Jaylee could not remember a time in her life when she was so miserable. The heartbeat was faint and swift, she was definitely pregnant, no test needed. The same as she'd heard the hammering in her sister's abdomen a few weeks earlier.

"Wow, you're almost ready to pop. I can't way for Jay to start showing." Claus said a few months later as he rubbed his sister's stomach, the baby kicked him gently. "Oh my God, I'm so excited!"

"Don't start squealing like a little girl Claus, control yourself."

"So what are you having? Did it finally open its legs? How big is it?"

"I came to tell Jaylee." She grinned at her brother's enthusiasm. 

"Wow Jay, you're a stick." Erika laughed. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Jaylee grabbed her sister's hand, "I'll put thirty dollars on girl." She looked over her shoulder at Claus who had been scolded by their older sister and told to stay back. 

"Well Sis, whoever you were betting against lost."

"You're not sarcastic at all, I have no idea what people are talking about."

"Touche." Erika peeked over Jaylee's shoulder. "I think your husband is going to explode."

"He'll be fine." Jaylee leaned in and began cooing at her sister's plump stomach.

The girls spent some quality time together, and even had one of their childhood moments when they stole pillows from Agnes' and Jack's room and began slamming each other with them giggling the entire time. After being scolded by Agnes and Jack they settled down and started  visualizing their future with their kids.

"I want a girl too." Jaylee finally sighed as she leaned against her older sister.

"We can go clothes shopping, and to the hair dressers'...it'll be great." Erika smiled, Jaylee had fallen asleep against her. Jack called Claus to take his wife to bed, then he pulled Erika up from the chair.

"Jay had a rough day, she spent it with her head in the toilet."

"My pregnancy was pretty easy, I was able to hide it for four months after all."

"Mmm, you're weird."

"Don't you start with me old man." Erika laughed. "Do you think Claus will actually stay home?"

"I can't tell if he's more excited that he's going to be an uncle or a father. I don't think he'll be leaving anytime soon. Come, I'll take you home."

Jaylee jumped up in the middle of the night and bolted for the bathroom. She gave up on enjoying her pregnancy.

Claus still had to wait two months before he could meet his niece. He had started working at the hospital, and his hours were long. Jaylee forced herself to wait a week to give Frederick and Erika time to adjust to being new parents.

"Can I see the baby?" Jaylee asked immediately.

"Well hello to you too." Erika smirked. "I just put Maranda down, but she'll be up soon. That baby hardly sleeps." 

"Wow, your stomach is so flat." Erika mused as she ran her hand up and down her sister's belly. "Are you sure you're pregnant?"

"I'm pretty sure I didn't have a stomach flu for more than a month for nothing. Where's Frederick?"

"Oh my gosh! His mother was over here since we brought Maranda home, that woman is driving me crazy so I sent Freddy to take her home before I committed a homicide. She fusses more than the baby!"

Just as Erika said that a tiny cry came from upstairs. "I've got her!" Jaylee shouted excitedly and raced upstairs.

"Hello baby." She cooed when she picked up the tiny pink bundle. "Oh wow, you look like your daddy now don't you? Are you going to look like Mommy later?" 

Maranda who was just contented to be held gurgled up at her aunt and grabbed a fistful of Jaylee's silky hair. Jaylee adjusted her hold on the baby and flung her ponytail over her shoulder.

Erika brought up a bottle and left her sister with the baby. Again Jaylee adjusted the baby's position in her arms and plugged the bottle into the infant's mouth. She wondered what he baby would be like. She didn't drink blood, only plasma juice and ate plasma fruits so perhaps there was a chance that her baby would not need blood. Then again maybe she'll get lucky and won't have to explain to her in-laws about her being a vampire and she would give birth to a completely normal human baby.

Maranda fell asleep in her aunt's arms, Jaylee smiled at the baby, she was ready to be a mother, she was just unsure about raising a hybrid. Suddenly she realized that she needed her mother.