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The phone ringing from the living room of their home made Joe groan. Beside him, Maddie wasn’t moving, but he knew it wasn’t from a lack of hearing it. No. She was expecting him to go answer the phone and then go take care of the baby who was no doubt being awoken by the incessant noise.
“Maybe if we don’t answer the person will remember we have a newborn.”
His wife rolled over so she could pull his pillow up and glare at him. “Joe, it could be Lyall and something is wrong with Ellie. What if she’s having the baby early or worse and he needs us to watch Remus and Artemis?”
Cocking a brow at her, Joe asked, “Then why don’t you answer it?”
“Because in forty minutes I am feeding your child again with my body that needs rest,” she said as she shoved him towards the edge of their bed. “So I suggest going and answering the phone. Then praying it only wakes up Tia. If Alex gets up then we are screwed for any hope of sleep for the rest of the night.”
Groaning again, Joe rolled out of bed and made his way to the living room, somehow only bumping into the wall once. Which might have been a new record. But he couldn’t pat himself on the back because the phone was still ringing. With an annoyed, “Scamander residence” he answered the phone only to be shocked by who was on the other line.
“Joe, it’s Jack. I need you at St. Ruperts now.”
Panic immediately set in as he looked at the clock to see it was 2:45 AM. “Are you alright? Is Park alright? Merlin, is it Mom or Dad?” A hand was now resting on his shoulder and he looked to see Maddie rocking a crying Tia behind him.
On the other end of the line, he heard muffled cursing. “Shit, I woke the baby up didn’t I?”
“Maddie and I will worry about that, but Jackal why do you need me-”
“There was a raid, Joe. A raid on a foster house and only two kids and they were clearly being abused. Park and Pete have gotten MACUSA to issue an immediate order of removal.” His heart cleaved at the words and Joseph Alexander Scamander found himself turning to wrap his wife and daughter in his arms. Maddie didn’t fight him, but his brother was also talking again. “Joe, Park and I, we’ve gotten our approval to be their emergency foster home, but, but no one will let them leave with us without approval from you or Walt. And Walt-”
“Is out on vacation and I’ve been working reduced hours because I’m on semi-paternity` leave.” Maddie was looking at him with a raised brow, but he shook his head, mouthing a promise to explain in a bit. Creaking boards gave away that the fourth member of their family was awake and Joe glanced to the darkened hallway leading to their bedrooms to find Alex rubbing his eyes. Sighing softly, Joe asked, “And they won’t call in Sadie?”
“They did. Legal team for MACUSA says she doesn’t rank high enough. I’m sorry to call you, but well,-”
“I’m your brother. Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”
“Thanks, Joey.”
“Of course, Jackal.”
Then he was setting the phone down and pressing a kiss to his wife’s forehead. His wife who followed him as he lifted up their eight year old son and carried him into their bedroom. “Dad, I’m tired. What did Uncle Jack want?”
Joe sat Alex on his side of the bed, already tucking him in there, as he said, “Uncle Jack needs me to run into the hospital.”
“Are he and Parker alright?” Maddie hissed from the other side of the room. Her blue eyes were wide with panic so Joe nodded, stepping over to kiss her head again before dropping a kiss to Tia’s head.
As he moved toward his dresser, Joe shook his head. “They are fine. Mom and Dad are fine. So are Ellie, Ly, the kids, and Ollie and Stella. Apparently there was a raid that occurred at a foster home, only two kids there and apparently there is an order of removal. But because MACUSA being MACUSA most likely because Jack and Parker are going to take custody of them for now and they like to make it difficult for gay men and women to care for children, claims that there has to be approval either from the Chief Healer or the highest ranked healer that works with the Pediatric Trauma Unit following policy, but Sadie, who is covering for me right now, apparently doesn’t rank high enough.” His wife’s eyes softened immediately. “And Walt is on vacation with Rory on the other side of the country and I am the closest option. So Jack called. I’m going to head in, do my exam, clear Park and Jack to take them home, then I’ll be back to help with the next feeding.”
Maddie nodded in understanding before looking around the room for a minute. Tia had fallen back asleep, but Alex was still sitting up, watching them intently. Finally his wife whispered, “How about I drop Alex and Tia off at Lyall and Ellie’s and come along to help the boys with whatever they’ll need?” It was a wonderful offer, but Joe was already shaking his head. “Joey, we don’t know how old these kiddos are and I know Jack and Park are great with Alex, Remy, and Mis, but they are going to need help.”
“And I will make sure they get it, but Tia is going to wake up screaming again sooner because she’d hungry and you know the moment you walk onto the pediatric floor, your body is going to kick into mama bear mode and want to make sure everyone is safe and sound. That’s not even mentioning if there is a crying baby you might start lactating just because your hormones think-”
“Joseph Alexander, what have I told you about talking about my ‘lactating?’”
Blinking, Joe had to make his brain reset as he remembered that not everyone wanted to openly talk about what a body went through during breastfeeding. “I’m sorry, love.” He shook his head as he changed into jeans and a short sleeve button up. “I’m so exhausted that my brain forgets sometimes that I don’t need to-”
“I know, babe.” She stepped across the room, her hand going to caress his face before she looked at the bed. “Alex, baby, Tia and I are going with Daddy to help Uncle Jack and Uncle Park. But I’ll take you to Grandma and Grandpa Bennett’s first, okay? You can-”
“I want to help.” Joe saw his son stand up in the bed, clearly determined to go with them. Which he feared would end with a screaming eight year old. And he already knew he wasn’t going to talk Maddie out of going so getting Alex to understand was his top priority at the moment.
So he stepped over to the bed, pressing a kiss to Alex’s forehead before gently setting the boy on the ground. “No can do, buddy. Right now, Mommy and I have to go make sure that Uncle Parker and Uncle Jack are going to be all set to help our new friends. We need you to-”
“I’ll be extra good and quiet at St. Ruperts, but I want to go!” He chanced a look at Maddie to see his wife shrug.
“I’ll take care of him and Tia. Worst case scenario I call Stella in. She’s young. She can handle it.”
He nodded, knowing this was a losing battle. Part of him prayed Jack had called in reinforcements other than just him.
As he stepped toward their bedroom door, he felt Maddie close her hand around his wrist and leaned down to catch her lips as he turned. She pulled back enough to whisper, “Well, this wasn’t how I planned to say it, but Happy Birthday, babe.”
“Thanks, love.” Joe kissed her again, ignoring Alex’s groan from beside them. When he pulled away this time, determination set in. “Let’s go get my brother the best birthday gift ever.”
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As he stepped onto the Pediatric floor of St. Rupert’s, Joe felt part of him sigh in relief at the sight of his parents, Stella, Ollie, Lyall, and his and Ellie’s kids. So Maddie would have back up with Alex and Tia. Perfect. Unfortunately, the one person that he really thought they needed to have an eye on at 3 o’clock in the morning was missing.
He turned to tell Maddie she could use his office to feed Tia when she needed, but he saw her and his mother already heading toward the stairs. His wife winked at him, shushing Tia as she let out a quiet cry while his mother smiled that knowing smile. So she’d be with Maddie while she fed their daughter and then take Tia so his wife could inevitably go yell at whoever Ellie was probably yelling at.
Alex taking off toward his father forced Joe to look away from the stairwell door. His son curled up in his father’s lap while Newt Scamander hefted both Alex and Remus, who had also crawled in his lap, so the boys would be more comfortable. The other Scamander cousin was currently asleep on her father’s shoulder while Lyall desperately pointed down the hall. His best friend said, “She’s pregnant, cranky, and mad as hell they are doing this. Please go stop her. I would, but well-”
“She blocked you from following right?”
“Yep.” Stella called with a grin. His baby sister remained in her chair, but he had a strong feeling it was because she’d already watched Lyall chase after their sister only to be met by a forcefield.
Lucky for him, there was no such barrier so he marched down the very empty hallway. There was loud shouting that made him want to groan, but Joe forced himself to stand tall as he rounded the corner and found his older sister standing with her pregnant belly sticking out, a hand resting on the bump as she yelled at an auror that no doubt was the cause of the delay. “WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?”
“Auror Lupin-”
“WHEN THE HELL HAVE I EVER ANSWERED TO AUROR LUPIN?”
The young auror gulped as he stared at his boss so Joe decided to put everyone out of their misery. “Deputy Chief Scamander, is there a problem?”
Ellie looked at him immediately and pointed at the room behind her. “Go in there and clear it for Jack and Parker to take those poor babies home. Now. Or I swear, Joseph Alexander, I will make your birthday a living hell.” Instead of striding forward, Joe crossed his arms, cocking a brow at her to make it clear she needed to ask him a little bit nicer. “Joe, I’m sorry you got called down here. I’m sorry we all got called down here, but please for love of Morrigan, will you go and look at those boys? They haven’t let anyone but Parker, Jack, or Sadie near them and now there is a social worker trying to say that Jack’s home is unfit to be considered for their foster home because he’s a homosexual with a long term partner living with him. On his birthday. So please-”
“I’m on it, Elle.” He stepped forward, pressing a kiss to her head as he whispered, “But please calm down. Stress isn’t good for the baby. It can cause labor early and you are barely in the third trimester. Which means the baby is still developing. Hell right now, the lungs are still developing and-”
“Joe, you’re tired. You are info-”
“Fuck, I did it again.” His body slammed to a stop outside of the door of the examination room as Ellie squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry. Between the lack of sleep from helping Maddie with Tia and still doing a couple hours here, I think my brain is so fried and social cues-”
“You’re fine, Joe.” He looked at his sister to see her smiling brightly at him. “It’s endearing really, but, and I say this with love, I really don’t want to think about what my baby is developing right now because I’m exhausted too. So why don’t you go check out the troops?”
Nodding, he knocked on the door before slipping inside, plastering a smile on his face.
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Jack didn’t think he’d ever been so relieved to see his twin brother in all his life. Well, okay, that was a lie. Nurmengard, that had been when Jack had never been more relieved to see Joe. But this, this was a close second. Especially when the little four year old who’d immediately clung to him once he’d introduced himself, tried to hide himself behind Jack more. As if scared there would be more upheaval than there had already been tonight.
Parker was stone faced in the corner as he held the one year old. His partner had been trying to remain calm every since the social worker came in claiming that they needed to send them back to that foster home since only the foster father had been arrested and the foster mother was still free. But Jack had seen the bruises on the boys and Parker, well, Park had been the one on the raid with Pete. Pete who was still at the house running point on the investigation. Apparently, the two boys had stuck to Parker and that was why he’d come to the hospital with them and then offered their home as a safe place for them to stay since he’d gotten cleared to be a foster parent. No one had called on him though. He knew why, knew what they thought about him and his “living situation.” But Jack didn’t care what people thought of him. He cared about the kids that were suffering that no one seemed concerned with saving.
So he’d fought tonight, fought the judge that had been called in for the emergency hearing, fought this stupid social worker who was trying to nullify the court order. He fought all of it. Because it didn’t matter that he was gay. He just wanted to make sure these boys were safe. At least for tonight. If not forever.
That was why he’d called Joe when the social worker mentioned the policy regarding who had to approve the boys leaving with him and Park. The woman had thought she’d outsmarted him only to be reminded who the hell was the second-in-command of St. Rupert’s and who happened to be his womb buddy.
Joe looked from him to Parker to Sadie who had remained in the room to help keep the peace even if she too was fuming. “What do we have, Mrs. Bennett?”
“Well, Joe,” Sadie stepped over to take the one year old boy from Parker, who was reluctantly let go. “We’ve got little Elliot here. According to the records, he was born here at St. Rupert’s last May, his birthday was last month on 1st actually. According to Miss Niles,” there was a dismissive hand being waved at young social worker. “He was placed in the house Auror Roland was a part of raiding tonight last December when he and his brother were abandoned by their parents. We have no contact information and have been informed after we checkout Elliot and his brother, David, we are to release them to the custody of Mr. Scamander.”
Jack watched his brother nod as he looked little Elliot over, seeing the small smile on Joe’s face at the realization that the boy had their grandfather’s name. “Well, lets get Elliot checked out then.” As Joe worked, Jack held his breath, not quite ready to hear the injuries again. A little hand slipped into his and had Jack squatting down immediately.
David was watching the entire scene with horror in his eyes, but Jack squeezed his hand. “It’s okay, buddy. Joe and Sadie are two of the best healers on the planet. They are going to make sure your brother is okay.” The little boy kept his eyes wide though, watching intently. As the examination got underway, he saw a little frown settle in on Joe’s face as he looked at Elliot’s back and the floor felt like it was being ripped out from under him. “Joe? What’s-”
“Parker, were these bruises here when you first saw the boys?” Parker was nodding, giving Joe a detailed description of the house and what the husband had admitted he and his wife did to their foster children under veritaserum. It seemed they were not in it out of the goodness of their hearts. The frown on Joe’s face deepened as he finished with Elliot and came over to where he and David were. His brother stuck his hand out to the little boy and said, “Hi, there, bud. My name is Joe.”
Tentatively, David looked up at him, clearly not sure if he could trust the healer in front of him so Jack nodded, squeezing his hand tight. “I’m Davey.” That was how the boy had introduced himself, even as the adults around him called him David as his records indicated was his name. So Jack made a mental note to make sure the boy liked being called David or Davey.
“It’s nice to meet you, Davey. Would it be alright if I gave you a quick exam like I did Elliot just now?”
“Do we really have time for-” Joe shot a glare at the social worker who quickly shut her mouth while his brother turned back to David.
The boy at his side hesitated again so Jack whispered, “If you want, Joe can take a look at me first. Just so you can see what he’s going to do.” David looked at the younger Scamander twin who nodded before nodding for Jack to sit down on the table. Sadie had swept the baby up into her arms while Parker stepped forward from the corner, offering to lift David up so he could watch. The four year old was happy to accept the offer while Joe moved over to him, take his wand out and running a spell over his body before taking the stethoscope Sadie offered him. As his brother check his breathing and heart rate, Jack slyly said, “Thank you. For coming in. I know life’s been crazy for you and Mads right now.”
“No problem, Jackal. What are womb buddies for?” He had to fight the laugh that bubbled up as Joe finished the “exam” and looked up at David. “See, just like that. It’ll be over before you know it.”
There was a lot of caution in David’s eyes, but he still nodded, pointing for Parker to set him down where Jack had just been. Refusing to leave his side, Jack shifted out of Joe’s way when he needed to, always making sure David could see him, making sure he knew they weren’t going to abandon him. After several silent minutes, David whispered, “You look kinda like Mr. Jack.”
His brother looked up at the boy before looking over his shoulder where Jack stood, leaning into Parker who now stood at his side. “Well, Jackal, that’s what I call him you see, he’s my big brother.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah.” Joe winked at the boy as he stood tall and grabbed David’s chart to jot down some notes. “He’s older by about, oh, five minutes, but I let him feel special and call him big brother sometimes.” The laugh David let out was probably the most wonderful sound Jack had ever heard. Only then Joe’s expression turned serious as he pointed at the bruises he could see on David’s arms and legs. “Davey, can you tell me who did this to you?”
“Healer Scamander, this seems highly inappropriate. The aurors can get these kinds of statements and you clearly have a conflict of interest.”
Watching Joe rise to his full height, Jack was 99.99% confident he’d never seen the unadulterated rage that was on Joe’s face before. Even when men had the audacity to flirt with Maddie after she’d made it very clear to those men that she wasn’t interested and they kept trying. But there was little surprise when a response that was 100% their mother came from his brother. “Ma’am, YOU requested myself or the Head Healer being called in because you claimed Jack’s household is unfit for these two boys to stay there and that the foster home they were removed from by aurors fearing for their safety was a safer place for them to be. Why? Because there are two men who will ensure these boys are loved and well cared for there rather than a man and a woman? Why don’t you tell the Head Healer that when he comes home from his vacation with his husband.” The young woman gulped and let her eyes travel to the floor as his brother kept going. “I was called in as the second in command of this hospital after you willfully ignored not just Healer Bennett’s recommendation, but also every other healer and judge’s recommendation since the boys arrived here in the evening. So I was called in to complete an exam and given the nature of the bruises and the story I have heard from Mr. Roland, yes, this question is necessary. So either you can be quiet while I conduct this examination or you can go sit in the waiting room where I’m sure my 6 month pregnant sister would love to have you as company.”
The social worker paled immediately and Jack almost felt sorry for her as she nodded for Joe to go back to the exam. His brother turned back to David, who looked shocked at how the healer had just stood up to the woman, and asked again, “Davey, can you tell me who gave you those bruises?”
“The man and woman we were staying with. When I didn’t quiet Leo down quick enough, they’d get mad. But he can’t help it! He’s just a baby and-”
Jack felt his heart breaking as he and Joe both stepped forward. His brother telling Sadie, “Tell Ellie to get word to Pete. My recommendation is that they do not go back to that house. The order for custody to be granted to Jack should be granted and I am not letting them leave this hospital with anyone other than who the court has said they go with.”
David was watching them in confusion while Jack brushed his messy dark red hair from his face. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again, David. I promise.”
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By the time they’d all left the hospital, it was 5 o’clock in the morning and his parents had convinced everyone to go the brownstone so the adults could get some sleep with plenty of people able to jump in and help once kids began to wake up. Of course, Joe and Maddie weren’t that lucky as they tried to sleep in the guest bedroom on the second floor. Tia had woke up sobbing the moment they’d gotten inside the room so Maddie had stayed up to feed her and all too quickly was waking him up to get her to fall asleep. Only she wouldn’t fall asleep anyway he tried to hold her as he sat in the bed or rocking chair in the room.
Moaning as he stood up from bed, Joe stole a kiss from Maddie right before she collapsed into the pillow then he stepped across the hall toward his mother’s study/office space. Only to find his brother and father trying to calm a now crying baby Elliot. “Room for two more?” Joe called, earning two sharp eyed hazel glares that quickly softened at the sight of him and his daughter. His father waved him in and transfigured one of the plush armchairs into a gliding rocking chair like the one in Tia’s room in his and Maddie’s apartment. “Thanks, Dad.” There was a happy grin thrown his way as he sat down. When he looked down, Tia was still wailing, her face scrunched up and so red as he murmured, “Shhh, shhhh, mooncalf, we are okay. It’s just Daddy, Grandad, and Uncle Jackal. We’re okay.”
Jack shot him an understanding look as he too tried to get the baby in his arms to sleep. The sight of Jack holding the one year old was a lovely one actually. His brother and Parker had been such great uncles to his son and Ellie’s children. They’d already been great with Tia despite her not being quite two months old yet. And now, with this journey, he knew they’d go on to be great fathers. Because there was something in him that just knew based on how Davey had looked at Jack and how Jack had looked at him not to mention Parker’s immediate reaction to anytime Elliot had fussed during his exam, he knew these two little boys hadn’t come into their lives last night by a fluke. These were going to be Jack and Parker’s boys and his brother and friend were going to love them as their sons for the rest of their lives.
So, to help them both, Joe started to sing, “ Unforgettable, that’s what you are. Unforgettable, though near or far, like a song of love that clings to me. How the thought of you does things to me. Never before has someone been more. Unforgettable.” Tia slowly stopped her crying, moving to a weak whimper before his daughter was watching him with fascination. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jack standing, moving to sit in the chair beside him while Joe continued singing along. Their father joined in for most of the song, but at the very end as Tia let out a big yawn and turned to burrow into his chest, it was just Joe singing, “ That’s why, darling, it’s incredible, that someone so unforgettable thinks that I am unforgettable too. ”
Those words settled his daughter to sleep as he moved on to hum the next song of his list that always seemed to get the newborn to bed. Looking at Jack, he found his brother rocking a sleeping Elliot and felt himself smile. After several quiet minutes of ensuring the two babies were asleep, Joe rose, finding his father already opening the door and nodding toward the third room on the second story that had been restored to a playroom now that he and Ellie each had begun having children. With Jack and Parker fostering the boys now, he suspected the playroom would be getting even more use. Crossing the hall, he saw the door was open and two cribs were set up already.
“We’ll need to get a third now that you’ve got Elliot, Jackal, but we got a second one set up last week when your sister paced for hours and your mother was relatively confident she was going to induce a much too early labor.”
The cribs had been purchased by their parents after Ellie and Lyall had Remus in March of 1960 and then he and Maddie had Alex in October and they all discovered there wasn’t a suitable place for those two to take naps at the brownstone. Especially with the amount of time they all spent here. So Newt and Tina Scamander had bit the bullet and bought two cribs, in case their children kept having children at the same time. It had only happened with the boys, Ellie and Lyall having Artemis and no new cousin being born then. But then last year he and Maddie had gotten pregnant, only for at the beginning of this year Ellie and Lyall announced they were having one more child too. Both pregnancies hadn’t been exactly planned, but he knew he and Maddie were overjoyed by their newest little diva and suspected Ellie and Lyall were anxious to meet their next child too. So with the double pregnancy, his parents had been ready to haul out the cribs again, especially with his father taking on the role of watching their children throughout the day or after school depending on the ages. But now, with Davey and Leo entering the picture, it seemed his father was right. They’d need to invest in one more crib for the house.
“But, if you want to set them down in here, I’ll listen for them while you two get some sleep.” His father’s words made him sag in relief. Joe loved his little girl, she was already the light of his life, but if he could get just two hours of uninterrupted sleep, Merlin, he could die a happy man. Carefully, he slid Tia into the crib before thanking his father, Jack waving off the offer to watch the boy in his arms a little longer. “Jackal, you need to-”
“I don’t want him to wake up and think we abandoned him. We just entered his life, I don’t want to cause him any distress.”
Those words had him freezing at the door. Is that what he was doing to Tia by leaving her alone in here and possibly not being the one to rush to her when she cries?
A strong hand on his shoulder made Joe look away from the crib his daughter now slept in. Newt Scamander had a knowing look in his eyes as he said, “Joey, you aren’t abandoning her. Go, get some sleep laying next to your wife. Merlin knows your mother and I took these opportunities when we could when you all were little. If she won’t settle for me or for your mother, I’ll come wake you and Maddie up.” Nodding he stepped toward the door, but still he waited, not wanting to leave without Jack. Who arguably looked as exhausted as him just from the pure emotional distress he’d been in all night. “Jackal, I know why you don’t want to leave him. But I’m willing to bet Parker could use some help with David. I’ll watch Elliot. He’ll be okay.”
His brother hesitantly placed the slumbering baby in their father’s hands and said, “Leo. David said to call him Leo. Not because it’s what those people or their parents called him, but because that’s what David calls his little brother.”
“Leo.” Their father whispered with a smile. “Oh, your grandfather is going to love this.”
Before either of them could agree or disagree on Pops’ behalf, they were ushered from the room. Trailing toward the bedroom next door, Joe shot his brother a grin. “Happy Birthday, Jackal.”
Jack looked up, grinning at him too. “Happy Birthday, Joey.”
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As he stepped into the guest bedroom on the third floor of his childhood home, Jack was surprised to find it empty. No Parker, no David. So he stepped back into the hall and debated who’s door to knock on when he heard a little voice talking from Ellie’s old room. When he knocked on the door, there was a quiet ‘Come in’ that could have only come from his niece.
Once he’d opened the door, Jack found Ellie and Lyall sitting in the chairs in the old reading nook while Parker was asleep on his sister’s old bed. But Remus, Alex, Artemis, and David were sprawled on the floor. Mis was the first one up, happily running to him. “Uncle Jack!” The four year old called much louder than she had meant to which garnered a reprimand from her mother.
“Artemis Marie, Uncle Parker is sleeping. So are Nan, Aunt Stella, and Uncle Oll- Actually, you know what, you can wake up Uncle Ollie if you want.”
“Sorry, Mama.” His niece said as he lifted her up. Immediately, Artemis rested her head on his shoulder and pointed toward the stars that covered Ellie’s childhood bedroom walls. “We were showing Davey Mama’s stars from Nan and Grandad.”
“That was very nice of you, kneazle.” He said her creature nickname and punctuated it with a kiss on her cheek. The little girl blushed as she returned the kiss. “What was that for, love?”
“Happy Birthday, Uncle Jackal.”
Her arms were around his neck, hugging him so tight, Jack was confident she almost had the breath knocked out of him. But he still accepted the very tight hug before whispering, “Thank you, Mis.”
Then he set her back down and let her run back over to her spot next to David. Who was watching him in fascination, but still didn’t say a word. Remus did though. “Happy birthday, Uncle Jack!”
“Thank you, Rem.”
“Happy Birthday, Uncle Jack.” Alex said next, grinning as widely as his father had, minutes ago. His younger nephew seemed to realize what it meant if it was Jack’s birthday about that time and a look of panic flashed across his face.
So Jack merely ruffled his hair as he strode toward his sister. “Thank you, Al. Your father is asleep downstairs, but I know he’ll be excited for you to tell him happy birthday when he wakes up.” There was an immediate sigh of relief from his nephew and Jack only huffed a laugh before collapsing onto the arm of Ellie’s chair. His sister didn’t say anything for a long moment while the kids began pointing at the ceiling again, but David kept looking back at him, watching him intently. Finally, he leaned down to ask Ellie, “So are they all refusing to sleep or-”
“Slept most of the time at the hospital. At least ours and Alex did. Lyall tried to get Artemis to lay down in the bed with him or even go sleep with Mom for a bit and she is already wired for the day.”
“She’s wired to crash by 9 am.” Lyall said with a chuckle causing the Scamander siblings to look at him. His brother-in-law winked at him and nodded toward his daughter. “She’ll be fine until I’m guessing breakfast where she’ll refuse to eat, Eleanor will get frustrated, and I will be either back up here or out on Long Island with a napping four year old.”
“Oh, I will not get frustrated.” Even Jack shot a disbelieving look at her, but Ellie shook her head and nodded at her children. “I know I have a short temper, I know I can get upset with them sometimes, but for those two and this one?” Her hand settled onto her belly. “For them, I can be patient. Especially after she was so good about going to the hospital. We didn’t want you and Park to be missing any support. Plus my worst case scenario was to send Mis in with her big mooncalf eyes to distract the social worker while I got those boys out of St. Rupert’s.”
“Ellie!”
“No, Jack, it was a solid plan. Mis has the best mooncalf eyes.”
He looked between the two parents in horror, but they were both grinning. Of course he knew it was a joke, but Merlin, he was never prepared for Lyall to play along with Ellie’s jokes. So he went to turn back to his nephews, niece, and his new charge only to find David had made his way to him, hand on his pant leg getting ready to tug. “What’s wrong, Davey?” He whispered, but the boy crinkled his nose.
“Can I be David and not Davey anymore?”
Nodding, Jack scooped the boy up, letting him sit on his lap while Ellie reached out to squeeze the boy’s leg. The movement made the boy genuinely smile at her, but Jack focused on the four year old in his arms. “Of course. Do you not like being called Davey?”
“No. I like David.”
“Then David it is.” His niece and nephews all nodded in agreement from where they now watched on the floor, but David still chewed at his lip, clearly the issue of his name wasn’t what was bothering him. “David, what’s wrong, buddy?”
“It’s your birthday?”
Smiling softly, Jack nodded. “It is.”
“And Leo and I ruined it because we-”
“You and Leo have made this birthday the best birthday in the history of birthdays.” His words didn’t seem to calm the boy so Jack took his hand and squeezed. “David, for a long time, I knew something was missing on my birthday, that we were missing two very important guests. And now I know. We never truly could celebrate until our newest family members were with us. And that’s you and Leo. Right, Mis?” His glance at his niece did the trick.
Because Artemis came barreling over, nodding happily. “Yeah! And, David! It’s not just Uncle Jack’s birthday! It’s Uncle Joe’s too! So that makes it extra special! And now we get to have you and Leo here for it so it’ll be better.” The little girl kept going, talking a mile a minute and both her parents were smiling at her, but Jack watched David slightly calm as Mis told him all about how important birthdays were in this family.
Only after a few minutes, he frowned, whispering, “But, Leo and I aren’t your family. We-”
“You and Leo are our family.” The gruff voice from the bed forced Jack’s eyes to look there. His partner was sitting up, lifting Artemis up as she skipped to him, murmuring about how David was her new cousin, right, Uncle Park? Then Parker was at his side, kissing David’s forehead. “Jack and I are going to fight for you everyday, David. You and Leo both. We are your family now. A part of us always has been.”
Tears were springing in the little boy’s eyes. That was Jack’s sign that they needed to have him at least take a little bit of a nap. So he stood up, throwing Ellie a glance that his sister clearly knew the meaning of because she was sweeping Artemis into her own arms. “Alright, missy, you and I are going to at least take a catnap. Remus, you and Al can go sleep in Uncle Ollie’s old room.”
“But Mom, it smells in-”
“Come on, Rem,” Lyall said, cutting off the nine and eight year olds from their protests, ushering them for the door. “We’ll go down and sleep in the basement. I’m sure Grandad still has a few of the hammocks up from last weekend.”
The boys were zooming off, Lyall behind them as he and Parker stepped out, calling good nights to Ellie and a pouting Artemis. In the hall, Jack led the way to the guest room, letting his partner open the door and transfigure the dresser into a small cot for David. But the little boy shook his head, staring at the bed. “Can I sweep with you?” A part of his heart fractured at the timid question. Jack knew that meant he’d been denied the comfort of being able to crawl into his parents’ or foster parents’ bed when he was scared before.
“Of course, buddy.” It was Parker who answered, taking the boy from his arms and placing him in the bed as they both carefully climbed in beside him. There was a look of confusion on David’s face that made Jack smile a bit. He knew exactly what was wrong this time. But still, Parker prompted him. “Something to ask us, bub? Jack and I are happy to answer what we can.”
The four year old was sitting straight up while they laid on either side of him. David kept looking from him to Park and then back again before he said, “You two sleep in the same bed?”
Well, it was night one and they had to explain the intricacies of being a gay man to their son. Awesome.
Clearing his throat, Jack took David’s hand and explained, “Well, David, you know how a mommy and a daddy can be in love?”
“Yeah.”
“Parker and I are in love. So we sleep in the same bed just like a mommy and daddy might.”
“So I don’t have a mommy and a daddy. I have two daddies now?”
Blinking, Jack didn’t know how to respond. Because technically they didn’t know how long this would last, no matter how much he wanted to go to the judge and tell them he would adopt both boys now. His heart knew they were the missing part of his and Parker’s family, a part they never thought they’d find. But they had. And he wasn’t going to let them go.
Unsurprisingly, due to his pause, Parker responded. “If it’s okay with you, yes.”
David sat there for a minute before he plopped down between them and nestled into Parker’s side while dragging Jack’s arm across him as if it was a protective barrier. “I have the best daddies in the world.”
“What do you mean, buddy?”
“You saved me and Leo. No one ever saved us before. So best daddies in the world.”
They couldn’t ask any other questions because David was already asleep, as if having the reassurance that they weren’t going anywhere was all he needed to be able to let his guard down and sleep. Jack looked up, staring into Parker’s eyes as his partner smirked, letting a hand brushing back his curly hair while their four year old slept between them. “Well, this is new.”
“Yeah,” Jack agreed, glancing down again at that mop of red-brown hair. They’d need to wash it again, the dirt and grime they’d tried to get out still clinging to the boy’s scalp. It made him want to hunt all the people down who’d hurt him and destroy them. Looking back at Parker, he knew his love was thinking the same thing. “I’m not mad about it though.”
Parker closed the distance between them to give him a quick kiss. When they pulled apart, he heard a murmured, “Neither am I, Jackie. Neither am I.” For a long while they laid there, gazing at their son as he slept, letting the reality that they’d finally been blessed with this seep in. Eventually, Parker whispered, “Happy Birthday, Jackie. I hope this is the best one yet.”
*************************************************************************************************************
Joe’s day was starting to end just as it had begun. With the phone ringing while they prayed Tia didn’t wake up. This time though, Maddie was answering the phone while he and Alex laid on the floor playing with his son’s model train. Both Scamander men were quiet as Maddie began talking to whoever was on the other line, bracing themselves for Tia’s inevitable whimper.
Luckily, the baby remained sleep and beside him, Alex sighed in relief. “Ya know, Dad, I love Tia but all she does is scream, cry, poop, sleep, and eat.”
Chuckling, Joe shifted to lay on his side. “Well, Al, you used to be exactly like her when you were little. You ate, you slept, you pooped, sometimes you threw up-”
“No I didn’t!”
Reaching over to tickle Alex’s ribs, Joe grinned, “Yes, you did. And let me tell you about all the dirty diapers I used to change. It was like you waited just for me before you had a stinky one. Mom got one’s that smelled like roses and I got all the yucky ones.”
“Really?”
“No, he didn’t, Al.” Maddie pressed a kiss to their son’s head before she settled down beside him, accepting it when he laid his head on her thigh.
Her hands were immediately combing through his hair as he asked, “Who was that?”
“Mom and Dad. They said Happy Birthday and said they are sorry they didn’t get to see you today, but promised they’ll be over for dinner when they get back next week.”
“Mom, did Grandma and Grandpa leave for North Carolina already?”
Joe watched his wife smile at their son before she whispered, “They leave in the morning with Uncle Evan, Aunt Sadie, and the girls.”
“Why can’t we go too?”
“Because your father has to go back to work tomorrow since Aunt Sadie is going on vacation and Mr. Walt is gone too. It’s Daddy’s turn to be in charge of St. Rupert’s.” Maddie was wiggling her brows, causing Alex to laugh, but Joe just kept staring at her. Falling more and more in love with her as he rested there. When she looked down, there was an amused arch to her brow. “What are you thinking about, Joey?”
“About how lucky I am.” His hand traveled to the necklace she wore, the same one he’d given her after that fateful day in MACUSA in 1953 when he’d needed to grovel after believing she’d betray them. But she didn’t, she never would. Because like the necklace said, she was all in. On them, on their family, on the life they’d been building together since they barely knew what love was. “I love you. I love the way the light catches your hair, love the way you smile. I love when you are so tired that you can barely keep your eyes open and you shake your limbs out. I love when you know that I’m being ridiculous and probably a smidge overdramatic, but you still listen and talk me through it as if I’m not. I love how wonderful you are with Alex and Tia, how wonderful of a mother you are to them. I can’t wait for them to be so much like you. I love your kindness and your strength. I love that you love me at my weakest, that you are my biggest supporter and champion. I love that you were so willing and ready to go to the hospital today, just to make sure Park and Jack had as much support as possible. I just love you.”
Her eyes softened, tears starting to pool in those clear blue orbs he always found himself getting lost in. Hands stopped moving in his hair as she leaned down and kissed him. When she pulled away, her voice was light as she whispered, “I love you too. Happy Birthday, Joey.” She leaned down for another kiss only to be blocked by a force slamming into Joe.
Letting out a painful groan, he saw Alex had come to lay on top of him, grinning as he said, "Happy Birthday, Daddy. I love you too!"
His hand fell to Alex's dark black hair, brushing it from the boy's eyes. "Thank you, Al. I love you too."