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When Carmen was a small girl growing up on the isle of VILE, she had never been sung a lullaby.
Sure, her vast variety of nannies and teachers taught her about songs in their native languages, and sometimes even sung them, but Carmen had never heard a lullaby.
The soft cries of Sydney woke her from a deep dreamless sleep. Gray was beside her, dead asleep. He has his arm slung over her waist, and his chin was tucked into the crook of her neck.
He had been taking all the late night baby calls ever since they had gotten home from the hospital. Carmen thought it was time for him to finally get a good night's rest.
Carmen slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Gray. She stepped out into the hallway and turned towards where the nursery was.
Along the wall was a mass of pictures. Carmen had wanted her home to feel like home by having all of her family in it. There was a picture of Gray and her on their wedding day, a picture of Carmen and her mother relaxing on a beach, another of Zack and Ivy in their ACME suits, and the newly hung one of their daughter.
Carmen stepped into the nursery and looked towards the crib situated in the corner of the room. Tiny cries were sprouting from the crib.
Sydney cried and cried as Carmen lifted her out of her crib and into her arms, where she continuously patted her back.
“Shh, shhh baby. I know, I know.” Carmen shushed her, patting between her small shoulder blades. Carmen walked over to the rocking chair situated in the corner of the room before sitting down.
Sydney’s sobs turned into small hiccups as she looked up into her mother’s eyes. Carmen smiled down at her, stroking her soft hair.
“Do you want to hear a story?” Carmen whispered to her daughter, lifting her so that she was sitting on Carmens lap. Sydney looked at her with curiosity shining through her eyes.
“Back when I was still a thief,” Carmen started, “I met your father on a caper in Sydney, his home city.” Carmen smiled, memories flashing through her head.
Sydney babbled quietly, and Carmen waited until she quieted down to continue the story. “I had broken into the opera house he had worked in, and later on in the night he asked me on a date.” Sydney quietly cooed in her arms. “I may have stood him up, but I made up for it after another caper, and finally met him up for that date. One of the best decisions in my life.”
Sydney babbled in her arms, reaching up towards Carmen’s face. She settled for the few strands of hair that dangled down the sides of her face, and gently pulled on them.
“Ah ah, play nice little one.” Carmen whispered as she took her daughter's hands off her hair. “What can I do for you to go down again, hmm?”
Sydney looked up at her, before going “Ahhhh,” and grabbing onto her mother’s hands.
“What about a lullaby?” That caught Sydney's attention, since she had never even heard the word. Carmen smiled softly, before standing up and cradling her daughter in her arms.
“Los pollitos dicen pio, pio, pio. Cuando tienen hambre, cuando tienen frío.” Carmen sang softly, looking into her daughters slowly drooping eyes.
“La gallina busca el maíz y el trigo, Les da la comida y les presta abrigo” Her tiny daughter yawned, stretching her arms out before settling into her mothers chest, finally closing her eyes.
“Bajo sus dos alas, se están quietecitos, Y hasta el otro día, duermen calentitos” She paused to take a breath, and then quietly continued. “Los pollitos dicen pio, pio, pio. Cuando tienen hambre, cuando tienen frío.”
Carmen looked up towards the window, looking at the full moon as she sang to her daughter. “La gallina busca el maíz y el trigo, Les da la comida y les presta abrigo” She looked down at her sleeping daughter, finishing off the lullaby as quietly as she could as to not wake her. “Bajo sus dos alas, se están quietecitos, Y hasta el otro día, duermen calentitos”
She put Sydney down into the crib, pulling the blanket her mother had knitted for her over her small body. “Goodnight, mi dulce hija.” Carmen stood, peering down at her daughter.
Suddenly, a pair of arms enclosed around her waist, seizing her close to the perpetrators body.
“I didn’t know you could sing like that,” Her husband's voice rasped in her ear, still laced with sleep. Carmen blushed deeply.
“How much of that did you hear?”
“Just the last part.”
Gray turned her, and kissed her softly.
“Why don’t you ever sing for me?” he asked softly, not wanting to disturb their daughter
“I could if you want me to?” Carmen replied, smiling brightly at him.
“Definitely.” And with that, Gray grasped her hand and led her back to their room. He climbed into bed beside her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“I love you so much. Thank you for being such a great mother to our child.”
Carmen smiled, closing her eyes and grasping one of the hands wrapped around her waist.
“I love you too.”