Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Storks.

Chapter 1,

She looked so beautiful with her red hair in the bright sunshine; looking down at that beautiful little baby. He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder and admired at her skill to make the child squeal in delight. That darling child looked at me and smiled and I chuckled. Diamond Destiny was the first person or thing to make him think of something other then Corner Store or package delivery. And as for Tulip, well, if it wasn't for her, I would have never felt like I was part of a real family. I crossed my eyes and rolled my tongue and Diamond Destiny laughed. Tulip looked at me, and instead of running away like I use to, I licked her cheek.

"Gross." Tulip said as she laughed and Diamond Destiny laughed again.

"I told you that you loved it." Tulip said before laying her head against my chest. She did this in such a loving manner, and I kinda felt like her love and trust was flowing through my body. Tulip was warm and she smelled like apples and lime. The baby squealed and they both turned to her. Actually, they turned to him. The child was no longer Diamond Destiny. The baby had Tulip's blue eyes and my white hair.

"We still need to name him." Tulip said and I nodded.

"That's very true. Do you have any ideas?" I said and Tulip walked away from the window and towards the rocking chair.

"Well, I figured that since I named the last baby, that you could name this baby." Tulip said thoughtfully.

"Although, I hope you do something unique since this baby is unique." Tulip said and as she turned towards me and I smiled when I saw the baby's bright red wings. She carefully sat down and tucked her hand gently behind the child's back and stopping at the area between his wings.

"So, I'm guessing that 'Angel' is out of the question?" I jokingly asked and Tulip asked.

"Hopefully something better." She said and I shrugged.

"Maybe name him after me?" I suggested.

"What? Junior Junior? That's kinda..." She trailed off.

"I know, I know... Still..." I said.

"Well, maybe we could look at the different names of red, or maybe different types of red birds?" Tulip suggested and I thought about this.

"I can think of Crimson and Scarlet." I thought out loud.

"Scarlet would be perfect if he was a girl." Tulip said and I smiled.

"Then will save that name." I said and Tulip smiled back at him.

"Well for red birds, there's a... northern cardinal, scarlet tanager, rosella... of course I could be wrong." Tulip said and I laughed a little. My laugh made our son laugh and he flexed his wings and I smiled lovingly at him.

"You know now that I think about it, I actually like Crimson as a name. And I like Italian culture, and Caryn means The Beloved One. So what do you think about Caryn Crimson?" I asked and Tulip's face lit up.

"I think that's perfect." She said blissfully and I -

My alarm rang in my ears and I wanted to just fall back asleep and reenter my dream. I groaned and I opened my eyes at the stupid metal thing. I have been getting these dreams for a while now.

How can a dream escalate so much? It started with delivering Diamond Destiny to her family, but then over time-

I shook my head and I sat up. I didn't need these thoughts in my mind before I went to work and saw Tulip.

Maybe I shouldn't have made her co-owner of Stork Mountain. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to her suggestion to have a nursery so that we can 'help the parents' by giving them a weird sort of starters pack.

No one at Stork Mountain realized just how many letters were in that box, and after the Baby Boom, they got even more letters then they did before they stopped delivering babies. I looked at my room, as if it was some sort of hotel room. I received a small reward for my one millionth package, and that was on my bedside table. I stood up and walked into the closet and on the back of my door, I saw a picture of Diamond Destiny, and a couple of pictures of me and Tulip together. These pictures were familiar but right now they were heartbreaking. I looked into Tulip's blue eyes and wondered, just for a moment, if we could really could have a future together.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie Storks

Chapter 2,

"Junior, Junior!" Tulip called and he bit his lip when he saw her running towards him.

"What's going on now?" Junior asked staring at his clipboard.

"Don't be such a downer Junior." Tulip said with a giggle and Junior briefly glanced up at her then quickly back at his clipboard.

"Sorry, what did you need?" He asked and Tulip smiled.

"Well, my brother, Jeremy, has a pregnant wife and they were talking about this thing called an ultrasound, and I was asking about it and it's basically this movie of the baby before it's born. I just thought that was the coolest thing ever, but then I realized that there wasn't something like an ultrasound for the babies we deliver at Stork Mountain. So I was thinking that we could make a video for the families. So we could open the letters and read them out loud and then put the letter in the machine and then they can watch the letter turn into an incredible human being." Tulip said with obvious excitement. Junior looked up at her and smiled.

"I like the idea, but how do you expect us to execute this video?" He asked and Tulip shrugged.

"I was thinking one or two camera's and then we edit the film together to create the perfect video." Tulip said and Junior thought about this.

"Well, I think that's a fun idea. But wouldn't that slow down production?" Junior asked and Tulip shrugged.

"Maybe, but those parents have their whole lives to get to know their child, shouldn't they at least see how they were created?" Tulip said and Junior stared deep into her eyes. He saw her passion and knew that her suggestions came from a place of love. Of course, with that in mind, it always made it hard for him to say no to him.

"Well, maybe you could try doing a few videos, then if they do well then maybe we could sell that as part of our services." Junior suggested and Tulip smiled.

"Thanks Junior, You won't regret this." Tulip said and Junior turned back to the clipboard.

"Hey, Junior, are you alright?" Tulip asked and Junior froze.

"What do you mean?" He asked as if he didn't notice the words coming out of his mouth.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything, but I've noticed that lately you seem kinda... I don't know, distracted? Anyways, I wanted to know if everything was alright or if something was bothering you." Tulip said and Junior sighed.

"Tulip-"

"Don't say your fine, because this isn't you being fine. I mean, you know that I'm here for you if you need to talk to me, but..." She trailed off as if what she was saying was one of the most difficult things to say.

"Well... if there is a reason that you don't want to talk to me, then maybe you could talk to someone else. Maybe Jasper, or your parents, or... maybe, even... the new psychiatrist..." Tulip said while stared at the ground. Junior felt as if he had suddenly became a statue. His mind was blank and yet it was rushing with fear as he tried to thing of something to say next.

"What up, Junior. Bra, where is the baby formula? The babies need the baby formula. Not that there is a lot of other formula, but they need the baby one." Pigeon Tony said and Junior immediately turned his back to Tulip and towards Pigeon Tony.

"Don't worry, Pigeon Tony, I will fly up and get one of the boxes for you." Junior said and he placed the clipboard face down on the table beside him and flew up.

"Wow, isn't he a cool boss, Tulip?" Pigeon Tony asked.

"Yeah... he is..." Tulip said and Pigeon Tony walked away. Tulip sighed, and she looked over at the clipboard that Junior was holding. She bit her lip and looked around, and seeing that no one was around, she picked up the clipboard and looked at it. The clipboard had a few profit charts, but underneath, it had several letters.

Dear stork delivery service,
My husband and I have been wanting a child for the longest time. Unfortunately my husband and I are sterile and we can't adopt because we are on the larger side with diabetes and adoption agencies don't have the faith that we will live long enough to raise the child to their eighteenth birthday. But we would still love to have a child. My husband works as the band director for our local high school, and I work at an advertising company. We would like a child that appreciates all forms of music, and is willing to play an instrument with their father. We would like a child that has straight black hair, clear green eyes, a kind heart and has a sensible mind. Someone who can read between the lines of what people say and what their actions say. Someone that won't violate others trust, and refuses to gossip, and will try to help people when they can. Please, help us have our own bundle of pure joy.

Dear stork delivery service,
My wife and I live an extraordinary life, and many people believe that we wouldn't be good parents because of it. My wife enjoys a sort of vampiric style, and I live in the world of steampunk. Our house, might need more things baby-proofed, but we both have large hearts. We want a child that is understanding of other's actions and opinions. As for the appearance of our child, we would prefer a girl, but if you bring us a boy, we will love him just as much. Regardless of gender, we would like a child that has a natural born 'sun touched' tan, grey hair, and dark purple eyes. We understand that this is an odd combination, but we did several of sketches and we both came up with this combination, and we think it's beautiful. It's perfect for a boy or a girl.

Dear stork delivery service,

Our Adult names are Henry and Sarah. We are Adult parents of an absolutely PERFECT son named Nate. He really deserves a baby brother! As Adults it is our Adult belief that it would be irresponsible if this baby did not have ninja skills

Sincerely Adult parents Henry and Sarah Gardner, Adults. (Not Nate)

p.s. He has to have ninja skills.

Tulip rose an eyebrow when she saw the words 'ninja skills'. She instantly remembered Diamond Destiny and how she kept deflecting her bottle. Perhaps this was her letter and the baby machine saved the information.

Why would Junior print these out? Is he simply saving these, or are these printing these out for a reason? Tulip wondered to herself. She looked up and saw Junior holding a heavy box on his back as he slowly flew to the far side of the mountain, where the baby center was. Her heart filled with worry and a little fear. Looking at the clipboard she sighed and pulled out her phone. She took a few pictures of the clipboard and then placed it back down on the table.

I guess I could give him two days or so and then if he is still sulking around then I'll show these to the psychiatrist. It's probably not enough to prove he is sad, but perhaps it's enough to get her to talk to him.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Storks or it's characters.

Chapter 3,

Junior stood inside in his new office, staring out of the window. He saw Tulip talking to several different storks and she held a clipboard in her hands. He smiled when he realized that she was trying to recruit people to be cameramen. She really was a go-getter when it came to a cause that she believed in. Junior sighed and turned around, and that's when he saw Jasper standing in his doorway.

"Oh, hey there, Jasper." He said, embarrassed and Jasper smiled. Junior cleared his throat and walked over to his desk.

"Is there something that I can help you with today?" Junior asked and Jasper nodded.

"I wanted to take a couple of days off, but I can't find the leave paperwork. I was told to tell you so that you can print out some more copies." Jasper said and Junior sat down and started going through his computer.

"Is that really my department?" Junior asked, not noticing that Jasper walked over to the window.

"Well, normally we ask Tulip to do that sort of stuff, because she has been here so long, and now she's co-owner. But she wasn't in her office, so I guess today it is your department." Jasper said and Junior nodded.

"Ah, ok, well, Tulip is busy." Junior said.

"Heh, I see that. What is she doing?" He asked and Junior glanced at him as he hesitated.

"Well, she is interested in creating a video for the babies's parents. She is looking for help." Junior said and Jasper smiled.

"Is that why you were over here?" He asked and Junior tried to keep his movement steady.

"Why else would I be looking out that torturous device." Junior asked and Jasper laughed.

"I don't know, maybe because it's a nice day, or because your trying to come up with an idea for stork con, or maybe you like Tulip." Jasper said and Junior's head shot up above his computer and stared at him.

"Don't you think your jumping the gun a little?" Junior asked and Jasper looked off to the side.

"Junior, do you know why I am taking a couple of days off?" Jasper asked and Junior shook his head.

"Well, there is this very special lady that I care deeply for. I haven't talked to her in a long time because of the incident, but I still cared about her all this time. She has agreed to go on vacation with me, so that she can see me away from this place. I'm hoping that, maybe, just maybe, she can start to love me again. And I know that we have both changed, but I still love her. I use to look in the mirror and see this hopeless romantic, now I see a hopeful romantic. Plus, because I wasn't really allowed in the Corner Store warehouse, I tried to stay as close as I could so that I could deliver my baby. Which I realize is a little odd, but by doing this, I became a good reader of lip and facial expression. You deeply care for Tulip like I deeply care for my Barbie." Jasper said and Junior blinked.

"Barbie?" Junior thought out loud.

"Yeah, why?" Jasper asked and Junior smiled.

"Nothing. It's just that hearing the word Barbie reminds me of my mom. Her sisters use to call her Barbie, but she hates it." Junior said as he returned to his computer.

"Wow, cool. What's your mother's name?" Jasper asked.

"Barbra." Junior said simply and Jasper nodded, getting trailed off in thought.

"You know, Tulip's 19th birthday is about a month away. Did you get her something?" Jasper asked and Junior paused. He had completely forgot about Tulip's birthday.

"I have something in mind." Junior said and Jasper nodded.

"Say, when is your birthday again?" Jasper asked and Junior paused.

"Uh... it's uh... drat, check the calendar." Junior said as he continued to look for the form. Jasper walked over the calendar and searched. Junior's birthday was in eight days, and he was going to turn 21. Jasper blinked at that number.

"You know I thought that you were older." Jasper said and Junior smiled.

"I found the form. And no, I have been here for several years. Corner Store was actually the first job I had, and I started around the time I was 15." Junior said and Jasper nodded.

"So basically one million packages in five years and one million babies in one day?" Jasper asked and Junior laughed as he stood up and walked over to the printer.

"Yeah, something like that. Although, technically we weren't that close to one million babies, more like 3,578 babies, but yeah." Junior said and Jasper rolled his eyes.

"Ok, Junior. But still, do you like Tulip?" Jasper asked and Junior laughed.

"Me, like Tulip, a sloppy human? Pff, no way, man, no way." Junior said and Jasper smiled.

"You know, the world isn't perfect. We deliver children to lots of mix-matched couples, most of which can't have there own children. Not to mention the fact that Tulip has spent her entire life around storks. She may not even like human boys." Jasper said and Junior looked down.

"Uh, here is your leave paperwork, I hope that you have a nice vacation." Junior said and Jasper took the paper. He started to leave but stopped at the doorway.

"Listen kid. I'm just saying that there are some people that you'll spend your whole life wondering if you could have worked out. Do you really want to wait 18 years, to see if there is a chance?" Jasper said before closing the door behind him. Junior looked over at the window, then down at a picture Tulip's parents sent him of their family. It was some sort of picnic or barbecue, but Tulip was wearing a football jersey and had traditional black streaks on her cheeks. She looked so happy and Junior smiled softly.

"No, I don't want to wait for 18 years." Junior whispered. But then he thought about what Jasper said about her lack of human interaction.

"But, I am willing to wait for 18 years." He whispered again, and with that, he picked up the phone and dialed the employment office.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Storks or it's characters.

Chapter 4,

"Yes, thank you." Junior said before hanging up the phone. Junior sighed and wondered if he had done the right thing. Junior needed to take his mind off of Tulip. He stood up and walked down to the delivery dock. A couple of the storks stared at him as he walked. Probably because he has been known to fly quickly and have the perfect landing, but he just wanted to walk. Being with Tulip when his wing was dislocated brought on this knew found respect with walking around. After all Tulip couldn't fly without some sort of device, and she was always happy.

"Hi, boss." A stork said when they passed him. He didn't even see who it was, but he couldn't help but smile. Most times he didn't even feel like he was boss, but he was. After all, after Hunter died, Junior just assumed that he was in charge. Hunter did want to put Junior in charge, but for all he knew, Hunter's bosses could have assigned a new leader.

"Hi, there Junior." Steve said and Junior smiled at him.

"Hey, I thought that it would be good for me to stretch my wings and help deliver. Anything available?" Junior asked and Steve looked at his computer.

"Well, we have been a little behind because Adam called in sick; so I guess you can finish off the deliveries that he was scheduled for." Steve said and Junior smiled.

"Sounds great, how many are left?" Junior asked and Steve looked at his list.

"Today he was scheduled for 8, but half of them were delivered. Here are the cards for the babies in the nursery, they will give you the homing beacon, and the small care-package for the new parents and you can be on your- oh, what am I doing? Explaining the baby delivering system to the guy that helped put it back together. I'm sorry Junior." Steve said and Junior smiled.

"Ah, don't worry about it, I don't come down here that much anymore and it's nice to know that someone knows this area as much as Tulip does." Junior said and Steve's smile was more out of relief then it was of happiness.

"Great, so uh, here are the cards." Steve said Junior took them from him and walked to the nursery. With the Corner Store website, Tulip had lots of space for the nursery. Stork mountain didn't have a real place to care for the children, so she discussed different ideas with her family. Now that Junior thought about it, her family was like a mini-company. He smiled at the thought of all of the whole family wearing suits.

They could wear matching red suits. Suits made out of red silk or polyester, or something else. They would enter a room, no they would fly on jet packs into a room and be dressed from head to toe in red. Except for Louis who only wears pants when his parents force him to wear pants. And the board members would act just like Hunter and stare at the boy and ask 'why is he pant-less?' and Tulip or her cousin Jennifer would be all 'if he doesn't want to wear pants, then he doesn't have to wear pants.' and Tulip's sister would start chasing Louis with a pair of red pants, (most likely with a jam or mustard stain) trying to get her son to put them on.

"Hi, Junior." Van said and Junior gave him a small wave and handed him the cards.

"Hi, Van, how was your vacation?" Junior asked and Van smiled.

"Oh, that cruise was fantastic. It was everything my wife had hoped for. 24-hour buffet, spa, yoga lessons on the deck, they even had a Limbo contest. She was so happy with it. And I loved visiting the island for fun and attending the cultural events, and seeing the sights, and hula dancing. My wife made me hula and it hurt my hips, I guess that's what happens when you get to be my age." Van said and Junior smiled.

"Ah that sounds great." Junior said and Van looked down at the cards.

"Ok, these children are ready to go, they are in the next room." Van said and together they walked over and saw Pigeon Tony vocalizing notes at a baby. Van blinked and froze, which confused Junior at first, but then he noticed why he was acting like that. The baby that Pigeon Tony was playing with was the only child in the room.

"Pigeon Tony." Junior said and Pigeon Tony instantly turned towards them.

"Oh, hey bra. Didn't see you there. I was just playing with the baby." He said, as if they couldn't see what he was doing.

"Well were are the other children?" Van asked and Pigeon Tony pointed at the door.

"They got delivered." He said simply and Van sighed.

"It says that they are still here." Van said to both of them.

"Oh, yeah. I typed it all out on the computer, and I was about to send it when I saw that the baby needed changing. After the diaper was thrown out and stuff, It looked all sad and bored. So being the awesome guy I am, I started playing with it. And now here you are." Pigeon Tony said and Junior stared at him. But then he let out a small chuckle.

"Ah, that's fine. Input the information and I'll go ahead and get this little darling out. Uh... Is this a boy or a girl?" Junior asked as he walked over to the care-package and Tony went over to the computer.

"It is a girl, bra." Pigeon Tony said and Junior nodded.

"You know I think I'll go ahead and use a blanket this time because it's lighter." Junior said. When Van heard this he grabbed and tossed Junior a backpack and then Junior tossed the care-package in the backpack. Pretty soon Junior was out of the door with the tiny princess and was on his way to Norman, Oklahoma. He enjoyed the lukewarm air as it heated his feathers. He looked down and stared at the child. She has a slight tan, green eyes, and pale blue hair. She was looking at all the different clouds and it looked as if she was trying to reach up and grab on.

"Wanna see somethin' little lady?" Junior said through the blanket and she looked at him. When she did, Junior gently dipped down and flew straight thorough a cloud. In his experience, the closest thing to flying through a cloud, was that setting for a hose 'mist'. Except it had a little surface tension (and surface tension always reminded him of relaxed jello). She squealed feeling the cloud against her cheeks and Junior smiled deeply. The flight wasn't long, and it seemed even shorter since Junior kept flying into clouds to hear her giggle. When Junior finally reached the address of the House family Junior was sad to say goodbye and he was slightly afraid of the flash-future that came standard with every delivery.

"There's your home." Junior said and the child giggled. Together they flew down and when he landed Junior gently removed the clipboard and tucked it under his wing. He held the child in his arms and took a deep breath before he rang the doorbell. A woman came to the door and gasped when she saw Junior. The woman had a slight tan, pale blue hair and deep blue eyes. The child was playing with Junior's feathers, almost like she was trying to braid them, and the woman just stared at her.

"Hello madam. I have your bundle of joy from Stork Mountain." Junior said, as he began to hand her the child. When he did this, the child looked at it's mother, smiled, and cooed. The mother backed into her door frame and Junior froze.

"She has her father's eyes." The mother said with a whimper and then the mother started to cry. Junior hadn't experience a reaction this negative before. The mother turned around and the child babbled with disappointment. After about two minutes of awkwardly listening to the woman cry, she took a deep breath and glanced at Junior.

"My husband died in a car accident about three years ago. He was the best man in the world. You know he wrote the letter by himself, and he wanted the child to be a surprise for my birthday. I mean, not the delivery, but... he said that he was going to go out and by a cradle and give it to me for my birthday. He thought that it would be perfect because I was a 'Stork-Baby'. But then Stork Mountain closed down, and so he told me about the letter and everything. Doctors kept telling us that we couldn't get pregnant. Something about his low count and my lack of fertility." She said and from across the house they heard a young child call for their mother and the woman smiled.

"So you can imagine my surprise when I find out that, at his funeral, I learned that I wasn't sick and upset, but hormonal and upset. My son will be three in four months, and he looks so much like his father. He has my eyes though, which I was glad for. He was a child born out of two imperfect people in love. He is part of my husband, and the only part I really have anymore. Blood is thicker than water though." She said and then the woman turned around and faced Junior.

"With my job, it's hard enough to care for my son. And as much as my romantic side would love to love and raise this child as my own... well... I can't afford it. Plain and simple. I'm going to have to ask you to return the child to Stork Mountain." The woman said and Junior's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What... Return... Return... Mrs. House-"

"That was my husband's name. That child doesn't have my last name, my eyes, or anything else that I contributed, and I can't accept her. Now, please leave before the neighbors see you." She said and then she slammed the door in his face. This loud and angry act made the child start crying. Junior started the jiggle and looked around to see if there were any eyewitnesses.

She can't just return a baby, it's not a package. After all, it's not like there is a return policy in the contract, right? Although... we were a package company for 18 years and I don't remember changing the contracts when we started delivering babies again.

Thinking this made Junior remember the clipboard under his wing. He pulled it out and carefully flipped through it. On the last page, he was shocked to see a return policy that was still in effect. Junior shook his head as he saw that he needed to get the woman's signature for the return before he flew back to Stork Mountain. So he begrudgingly knocked on the door again, and it whipped right open. The woman's face was red and she was glaring at him.

"What?" She asked and Junior sighed.

"In order to return the child to Stork Mountain, I need your signature here. And then I will sign that I witnessed you do this and then... I'll be on my way." Junior said and the woman shook her head the entire time that this took place. After she slammed the door shut for the second time, Junior put on his headset and started to fly back to Stork Mountain.

"Hi, Jasper, this is Junior. I got a problem."

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Storks or it's characters.

Chapter 5,

Junior wasn't sure what to do now. After all, the mountain had never received a lot of returns, but to Junior's understanding the products are either resold or discarded. But how on earth will it look if Junior took this precious child to the return office. He couldn't let the child rot there. He stood at the base at the mountain and was thumping his foot to try to figure out what to do. All he wanted to do was call Tulip but he couldn't face her until he at least had some sort of idea of what do to. He sighed and sat down on a nearby wooden bench. It was a little wet but he didn't care right then. He looked down at the child asleep in his arms and smiled. He wondered if Tulip looked this cute when Jasper tried to keep her. Then his eyes widened and he pulled out his phone.

"What was the big emergency?" Jasper asked when he landed next to Junior. Junior had covered the child with his wing just in case someone saw him. He didn't want people asking lots of questions.

"I went to deliver a package and they want to return it." Junior said and at first Jasper blinked.

"A package? Why were you delivering a package when we stopped delivering packages?" Jasper asked and Junior sighed and briefly exposed the child to Jasper. Jasper gawked at it before Junior covered the child up again. Junior thought that he felt her stir but it was just a muscle spasm.

"Someone returned a personalized and specially made child who was crafted for them? How dare they?" Jasper said and Junior hushed him so that he wouldn't shout.

"Apparently her husband ordered her before we closed and he died a few years ago. She says that she can't keep her because she has her fathers eyes and it's too much for her to handle on her own." Junior explained and Jasper sat down on the bench.

"Well, even if that's the case we can't just return a child. Right?" Jasper asked and Junior sighed.

"Apparently our contracts still have return policies from our Corner Store days. It's said, but it's true." Junior said and Jasper thought about this.

"Well, I guess that we could take her to an orphanage. Of course we didn't do that with Twyla, but at least she won't have it as difficult as Twyla did." Jasper said and Junior bit his lip.

"I... don't want to do that. I was actually kinda thinking that maybe I should keep her as my daughter." Junior admitted and Jasper stared at him.

"Your sure about that? You're still young and a child is a big responsibility. Besides, you may not even have enough room for her." Jasper cautioned him and Junior looked down at the angel and smiled.

"I can make it work. I know I can." Junior said and Jasper paused.

"Well, ok. I suppose that I can come over to your apartment tonight and check it out and see what can be done. Of course if it's a regular, shoe box, bachelor pad then you may want to this about moving." Jasper said and Junior was grateful.

"It's not stealing, right?" Junior asked and Jasper thought about it.

"I'm not sure. I know that there are some airports, and people in the lost baggage claim can keep suitcases after a 90 day waiting period. I don't know if that's all airports, but it exists. And we are a company so we would keep the item, and since this item is a human being, it only makes sense to keep it away from those dangerous machines. If I am right, the product is ours until it is delivered to the recipient, so if they return it then the product is legally ours again. So the child belongs to Stork Mountain and being co-owner you can chose and decide to keep the product in safer locations, such as a vault. In this case you would be choosing your apartment, and after a waiting period of 90 days then she can legally be yours." Jasper said and Junior smiled.

"Wow, that makes a lot of sense." He said and Jasper nodded.

"Of course, being co-owner you can't really make any decisions about our return policies without talking to the other co-owner, so you do need to talk to Tulip. And I get the feeling this will be a bigger story than the whole 'me trying to keep baby Tulip' story, so you better be prepared for reporters. After all you don't want this to be seen as a scandal and have them take little... uh... does that little princess have a name?" Jasper asked and Junior remembered the dream he had last night.

"Well, I could name her Scarlet." Junior said and Jasper smiled.

"That is a beautiful name, and kind of original since she has pale blue hair instead of red hair like Tulip's." Jasper said and then he blinked.

"You came up with that name pretty quickly." He noticed and Junior laughed nervously.

"Not really, I was out here for a long time, not to mention the flight back to Stork Mountain." Junior said and Jasper chuckled.

"Ok, fine, I'll bug you about it later." Jasper said and he leaned back.

"So when are you going to tell Tulip?" Jasper asked Junior and Junior sighed.

"I was waiting until I had a plan, but now I have one. I guess the only thing left for me to do is fly up to my office and call her in. Oh, Jasper she will be devastated. She told me about the time you first tried to introduce her to her parents. Granted she ran off to save me and Diamond Destiny, but she told me that you were very sweet to her. You said 'There you're family and their going to love you' or something like that. Well this tiny thing got rejected by her own mother. How can she grow up handling something like that. Made out of the love and just... returned like a water-damaged phone." Junior said in disgust and Jasper gently patted him on the back.

"Listen, Junior. You want to raise her, and love her, and make her a part of your family. And I have no doubt in my mind that she won't ask questions, or hear things. But the thing is that if you love her and she loves you then the rest of that stuff is merely temporary. I mean after all, Tulip knew that she was orphaned and yet when you met her she was still a ray of sunshine. She has met her family and she hasn't changed, other then talking about them. But we all love her, some more then others." Jasper paused as he look at Junior blush through his feathers.

"Will you stop saying stuff like that." Junior said and Jasper rose his hands.

"It's a true statement, you're the one who made it sound like I was talking about you." Jasper said and Junior became annoyed.

"Well earlier today you did accuse me of having a crush on Tulip so forgive me if I thought that you were once again doing that." He said and the baby murmured but stayed asleep.

"Well if you can honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you don't dream of having a future with Tulip then I'll stop making accusations." Jasper said and Junior looked at him.

"Ok, fine... I don't... don't... need to sink down to your level." Junior said looking away and Jasper chuckled a little.

"All I'm saying is that maybe she wants the same thing you do. After all you are her closest friend, and she has spent her whole life here around storks so it's not like they would scare her." Jasper said and Junior sighed.

"Tulip should fall in love with a regular human and have her own children. She deserves to have her crazy family in the waiting room while they wait for the nurse to tell them if she had a boy or a girl. She should get married without the worry that some stupid reporter will accuse her of bestiality. She deserves a normal life because she had such a bad childhood." Junior said and Jasper's eyes softened.

"I'm sure she didn't have a bad childhood." Jasper said and Junior glanced at him.

"A human spending a lifetime away from humans. People in those situations are considered freaks in the human world. I think Tulip is only so civil because the storks are around humans so frequently. But..." Junior trailed off and Jasper thought for a moment.

"Perhaps it would be good for you to talk to Tulip's old caregiver. I believe her name was Vivian. I remember that they let her raise Tulip because she had some sort of psychology degree or training. I think Hunter kept her on as the company therapist." Jasper asked and Junior blinked. He remembered something about Tulip wanting him to have someone to talk to. Maybe that's why she suggested the therapist. Not because she thought Junior was crazy, but because she trusted this Vivian woman.

"I'll think about it. But, I guess, now it's time for me to fly up and face Tulip." Junior said.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Storks or it's characters

Chapter 6,

"I can not believe that this is happening." Tulip said and Junior nodded.

"I know, but she signed the form and everything. What can we do?" Junior said and Tulip groaned.

"I don't know. I mean, I guess she does have the right to... orphan her child." Tulip said and Junior rocked the child in the cradle he brought up to his office.

"I never thought that I would see this day. Not after we had you for so long." Junior said and Tulip looked out his window.

"You know... growing up here wasn't the easiest thing in the world. When I was younger, I actually believed that I was a bird who simply didn't have feathers. I kept examining my body to see if one had sprouted, but never any luck. When I got older, the only thing that helped is the fact that I had a family out there who wanted me. But..." She paused to turn and look at Junior.

"What are we suppose to tell her. After all, if we do tell her that she has a family out there, then she will be shattered when she learns the truth. And she will here the truth. It won't be long until the reporters find out about her, like they found out about me. She will eventually find the stories they wrote, and... And then she will be so disappointed." Tulip said and Junior sighed.

"Well, perhaps-"

"And what if this happens again?" Tulip asked and Junior blinked.

"Well, I highly doubt-"

"If this happened once, then it very well can happen again. That's exactly why Hunter stopped delivering babies, because he didn't want a stork to go crazy and keep a kid. When word gets out that we can a rejected baby, then who is to say that parents can't return their kid if it... if... I don't know, if it cries to much, or something. Things could get really bad." Tulip said and Junior walked over to her.

"Tulip..." He said and Tulip looked at him with glossy eyes.

"No matter what, we are in this together. Stork Mountain looks to us for leadership and guidance. And your right, with this incident, they may be looking to us more then ever, but we need to stay strong." Junior said and Tulip sniffled.

"Ok, so..." Tulip walked over to the cradle.

"What about her?" Tulip asked and Junior took a deep breath.

"I was thinking... that... I could adopt her." Junior said and Tulip tensed up a little, but she didn't look at him.

"Would you be ready for something like that?" Tulip asked and Junior shrugged.

"Maybe not ready, but when I look at her in the eyes, it makes it difficult for me to let her go. I want to be her family." Junior admitted and Tulip tilted her head towards him.

"Can you just keep her?" Tulip said and Junior hesitated.

"I talked to Jasper about it. Since this woman is treating her child like a package, then perhaps we should take the same measures." Junior said and Tulip whipped around to glare at him.

"Treat Her Like A Pack-"
"Calm down." Junior quickly interrupted her so that people wouldn't be snooping by the door to see why people were yelling.

"Fine, continue." Tulip reluctantly said and Junior sighed in relief.

"What I mean by that, is that the child will technically be property to Stork Mountain for 90 days, and then she can be legally mine. I'll have to create some paperwork for all this tomorrow, but tonight I was going to take her home so that she wouldn't get in the way. We don't have the same space without the Corner Store warehouse, so my apartment is probably the best place for her." Junior said and Tulip paused.

"Well... I guess that makes sense. But, isn't your apartment-"

"Small? Yes, it is, but I'll start looking for better places soon." Junior said and Tulip thought about how Junior use to be with Diamond Destiny.

"I just had an idea." Tulip said and Junior walked over and looked in the cradle.

"What's that?" Junior asked and Tulip blushed a little.

"Well, if you really want to get a nice place for the child, then maybe we could be roommates. You know, buy a nicer place and split the rent." Tulip said and Junior stared at her.

"I... I think..." Junior said as he tried to find the best words for how he was feeling.

"I would love that." He finally said with a smile, and she smiled back at him.

"Great." Tulip said as the child stirred and started to cry. Junior reached in and picked up his future daughter and held her close.

"Shh, Shh, It's ok." Junior said in a soothing tone and Tulip smiled again.

"So, what did you name her?" Tulip asked and Junior smiled.

"Scarlet." Junior said and Tulip stared at the child.

"Scarlet... Scarlet... Yep, that's her name." Tulip said and Junior chuckled a little.

"Thanks. It just came to me... As if it was from a dream." Junior said as he remembered his dream about Tulip being his wife with their angelic child.

"Well, wherever it came from, I'm glad." Tulip said and Junior felt his heart smile. Her current approval made his dream seem almost real. Granted, it was not the same, but it was one step closer.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie Storks or it's characters.

Chapter 7,

"Junior, open up." Tulip said and Junior froze. He was warming up a bottle of formula for Scarlet, and he had no idea that Tulip remembered where he lived. After all, she hadn't been over to see his place since he brought home his trophy for millionth package delivered.

"Uh, just a minute." Junior said and he set Scarlet down on the ground with a few toys that he borrowed from work.

"Hey, Tulip. It's Tulip, at the place where I live and eat and sleep in my bed. What are you doing here? And... Why are you holding a sleeping bag?" Junior said, suddenly very nervous.

"Well, I wanted to see the baby, and I figured that I should sleep over and help you get through the night." Tulip said walking into his apartment, and Junior repeated the words 'your ok' in his mind to remain calm.

"Well, there isn't much room, Tulip. Where would you sleep?" Junior asked and Tulip laughed.

"Uh, on the floor, boy." Tulip said, smiling as she tilted her head back to see him. Suddenly there was something about that expression that almost made the world move in slow motion. The light from the kitchen illuminated her face in a bright, romantic way; Tulip's smile was perfectly crooked with all of her to teeth and a thin line of her bottom teeth; Her lips and her eyes both shined with hope and love, that Junior just found himself staring. Her lips moved in such a seductive way and during his slightly hazy state, he literally missed the fact that she was speaking, and that she was talking to him.

"What is with you?" Tulip said annoyed and Junior's eyes blinked as they widened, lifting him out of his odd fantasy.

"I'm sorry, I guess it's been an emotional day." Junior said and Tulip sighed.

"Well, you can't space out like that when you are suppose to be taking care of a precious little angel." Tulip said, lifting the child and for a split second, Junior could have sworn that he saw a pair of wings in Scarlet's back.

"Uh, angel?" He whispered, mostly to himself. There was a good chance that he will have the dream where Tulip is his wife caring for their son, but the scene before him may make the dream a little more believable and therefore torturous.

"Junior, the formula." Tulip said as if she had repeated herself three times already, which she may have done when he was staring at her.

"Right, thanks." Junior said and Tulip sighed as she watched him in the kitchen. Tulip really was worried for Junior, he had been slowly declining for a while and now he wants to be a father. Children will always be a blessing, but Junior seems to be rushing into this situation. Tulip sat on the couch with Scarlet and thought about her younger days, when she met Junior for the first time. Granted, he was always in a different day care group because he was two years older, and a stork, and she was mostly in a group by herself.

But during nap time, when her provider fell asleep, she often waddled over to the glass part of the door and watch the storks play. Junior wasn't always the best when it came to playing basketball or tag, but she loved watching Junior draw. He had the best pictures hanging inside the art room. Tulip even managed to sneak away a few times and snag one of his drawings that was about to be taken down. But Junior never noticed because they moved so quickly with his art classes. Tulip looked around Junior's apartment and wondered why she didn't see any sort of drawings or sketches or paintings. She didn't even see any colorful art supplies, unless he stuck to black, blue, red, and white pictures.

"I was about to feed the baby, but I could make or order something if you are hungry." Junior said and Tulip smiled.

"Maybe, but I want to know where you're going to have Scarlet sleep." Tulip said and Junior shrugged.

"Well, I thought that she could sleep with me. After all, people were nice enough to let me borrow some toys without asking questions, but a whole baby bed could potentially leak this news to the press before we are ready to confront them." Junior said and Tulip rolled her eyes.

"You know, I don't know if that's the best bed for her, after all, she could wake up and try to crawl out of bed and she could seriously get worse." Tulip said and Junior bit his lip.

"You're right, I didn't think about that." Junior said and Tulip looked around.

"Is that a playpen?" She asked and Junior blinked as he followed her gaze.

"Oh, yeah, so she can play without getting into other stuff." Junior said and Tulip continued to stare at it.

"Well, it's probably the safest thing for a bed right now. I can remove the toys when she need to be asleep and sleep on the floor next to the playpen when she nods off." Tulip said and Junior pursed his lips.

"But I want her to sleep with me." Junior muttered and Tulip shrugged.

"Well then we will all sleep under your roof, in your room. Scarlet and I can sleep on the floor and you can sleep on your bed." Tulip smiled and Junior thought about this.

"I should offer you my bed tonight, and I could sleep on the floor instead." Junior said and Tulip waved him off.

"Please, forget that. Part of having a sleepover is to have sleeping bags on the ground and actually sleeping in them. Well, despite regular middle school girls who play the 'let's be the last person to fall asleep' game, but that's why they are called sleeping bags." Tulip said and Junior couldn't shake the uneasy feeling coming across his face and chest.

"Well, whatever is good for you, it's good for me." Junior said and Tulip giggled as she stood up and placed Scarlet in her playpen.

"I'm glad you think so." She said in a cute, slightly teasing way, that made Junior smile.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Storks or it's characters.

Chapter 8,

"Whose a good baby? You are, you are. Oh, a nice tubby baby too; yes you are, yes you are?" Tulip said as the door rang. Junior stood up and answered the door and Tulip watched him leave, and smiled. She had always enjoyed the professional way he carried himself. This mannerism was very humorous to her when he was at social gatherings.

"Ok, pizza time." Junior said with a smile as he placed the pizza on the table as if it were a package. Tulip smiled at the thought of Junior delivering pizza's as if they were pieces of gold sent by god.

"Why are you smiling?" Junior asked and Tulip waved her hand.

"Nothing, I'm starved. And I guess we have good timing because the baby was just getting tired of me playing with her." Tulip said and Junior looked at Scarlet. She was sitting up, against the playpen and holding a stuffed bunny; the way she did this reminded Junior of a diamond merchant and he smiled.

"Well, ok." Junior said, opening the box of pepperoni pizza. Tulip's mouth started to drool the second the smell hit her, but she knew that she couldn't act like a little piggy. She carefully picked up a slice of pizza, dipped it with a napkin, and started to take small bites. Junior then sat next to her, handing her a paper plate and then started on a slice of his own.

"So, what do you do around here when you're by yourself?" Tulip asked and Junior shrugged.

"Oh, lots of little things. I play games, read, watch TV, listen to music, random stuff like that." Junior said and Tulip nodded.

"Well, do you do those things with other people or by yourself?" Tulip asked and Junior stared at his pizza.

"Mostly by myself, but now I have Scarlet, so I can do some stuff with her." Junior said and Tulip smiled.

"My nephew loves going to the park. This time of year, there are lots of butterflies for him to stare at." Tulip said and Junior smiled at her.

"That's sweet, I bet Scarlet would love it." Junior said and Tulip giggled.

"She totally would. Once a butterfly landed right on John's face and flapped it's wings a few times. It was just like that scene in Tarzan." Tulip said and Junior chuckled.

"I bet. Can you imagine when Scarlet gets older and starts playing at the park?" Junior says and Tulip smiled.

"Yeah, I bet that she'll-" They kept talking like this long after Scarlet had dosed off, but once they noticed Tulip took her picture with her phone. The two said good night and went to their respective sleeping areas.

"Oh, Junior isn't this the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen?" Tulip asked and Junior nodded.

"Do you know what I feel like doing right about now?" Junior asked and Tulip looked at him.

"What's that?" she asked and he reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him.

"I think we should dance." Junior said and with a sudden twirl, they were no longer standing in the park, but dancing in a ballroom. Junior was wearing a silky dark blue suit, that made him look as daring as Zorro. Tulip was wearing a floor-length green dress with a blue sash around her waist that matched Junior's suit.

She had her hair down and straightened, the length going down to the middle of her back. And even though she had bright red lip gloss on, which was so shiny he could see his reflection, he couldn't stop staring at her eyes. Tulip had put on baby blue eye-shadow and some kind of sparkle mascara that just made her green eyes pop.

Junior wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and held her hand gently. Tulip had never felt so loved and protected before, and she placed her head lovingly on Junior's shoulder. They danced and swayed and repeated the motions and when Tulip rise her head to tell him how good of a dancer he was, Junior kissed her before she could start speaking.

The kiss was sweet, innocent, and shy. Both of them seemed to want this, and yet scared if the thought to act it out. When they parted Junior saw a wild blush on Tulip's face, and couldn't help but feel like he mirrored her expression.

"I guess we feel the same way." Tulip finally said, breaking the silence.

"We must. You love me and I love you." Junior said and Tulip smiled as her eyes filled with happiness.

"Can you imagine the time we could have spent together if we hadn't acted like such knuckleheads?" Tulip asked and Junior shrugged.

"I don't know if I would change this. Dancing with a beautiful woman who makes my heart go crazy, a romantic setting, and the knowledge that we love each other? Why it's basically a dream come true." Junior said, and his voice echoed throughout the ballroom.

"A dream come true, a dream come true, a dream come true." Junior dipped Tulip suddenly the ballroom melted away.

Tulip woke up sad and annoyed. She loved dreaming, but the interrupted situations were too much for her heart to take. She sat up and hugged her knees, not caring about how cold she was getting.

If Junior is so worried about a rejected baby, then how would he react to finding out that I have had a crush on him since grade school?

Tulip thought and she reaches down and pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. The paper was worn and the edges were starting to fray, but she opened it up anyways. It was a painting of a sunset, the same one from her dream, and in the corner it read: Made by Junior, age 10, Dec 18. Tulip smiled at these familiar words. Sure she still had some of Junior's other pieces of art at home, but this one was the last one she took. Apparently after Christmas, Hunter got rid of art classes for the older kids so they can learn about package delivery. And now, looking around Junior's apartment, Tulip realized that this could have been the last thing that Junior had painted. How sad it would be if Junior's creativity was stifled by such a cruel man and- the baby is awake. Tulip blinked when she looked over at the baby pin and saw Scarlet staring at her.

"Huh, I guess you're not much of a crier? That must have been something your daddy added." Tulip said and the baby babbled. Tulip reached in and picked up the child, Scarlet squealed a little at this action but that only made Tulip smile.

"You know, you are such a good baby and you're so lucky to have a daddy like Junior. I just hope... (Sigh)... I hope your future mother knows how lucky she is."