Chapter Text
“Oh, Bea is going to kill me.”
Ava is very well known around town for losing things by now - their house keys, her key to The Cat’s Cradle for when Suzanne gets her to close up at the end of her shift, her purse full of her earnings for the day. She’s even left Bea behind before.
Normally when she loses things, her wife gives her a fond but bemused smile and then helps locate whatever it is. She’s not a naturally angry person - in all of their years together, Ava has only heard Bea yell a handful of times. She wonders if this might just be one of those rare occasions though.
Ava has somehow managed to lose their daughter.
She had put the deeply sleeping Amelia in her crib and gone to gather the laundry, only to return and find the crib empty. Given that Amelia is only six months old and not yet able to crawl or climb, Ava had assumed this would be safe. Apparently not.
Ava is on the verge of a breakdown by the time she hears Bea open the front door.
“Hey honey, I’m home,” Bea calls as she strides into the living room, but her steps falter as she sees Ava frantically pacing and chewing her thumbnail. “Darling? What’s wrong?”
Ava throws herself into Bea’s arms and sobs, “I can’t find her.”
“I’m sorry?” Bea asks, tilting her head slightly.
“You’re gonna hate me,” Ava whines. She sniffs and lifts her head up so she can at least look Bea in the eye as she delivers the news. “I put Millie down for a nap while I did laundry and now I can’t find her.”
Ava feels Bea’s shoulders tense, but her expression just goes from confusion to concern. “Well, that’s definitely not ideal, but she can’t have gone very far. We’ll find her.”
Not for the first time, Ava is glad Bea has the ability to remain calm under the most stressful circumstances. In the nearly six years that they’ve been together, Ava has enjoyed pulling out all the different sides of Beatrice - from the cocky side she first met, to the more vulnerable, sensitive side she fell in love with. Throughout it all, Bea has been the calm voice of reason to Ava’s chaos.
“You said you put her in bed?” Bea confirms, already moving towards the nursery. Ava follows as Bea heads straight for the crib, which Ava had checked just minutes before and was empty save for a rumpled blanket. Desperate, Ava kneels down to check under the dresser, as if her daughter was somehow going to sandwich herself under it.
Bea picks up the blanket and makes a strangled noise. “Ava?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t suppose you put a bat in bed with Amelia, did you?”
“A what now?” Ava pulls herself to her feet and rushes to Bea’s side.
Sure enough, lying in the crib where the blanket was is a tiny, baby bat. It wriggles and makes a little squealing noise, before there is a shimmer around it and suddenly they’re looking at Amelia instead.
Ava bites back a scream.
Bea somehow looks torn between shock and amusement, and she rubs Ava’s back soothingly. “Well, that answers that question.”
-
When they had begun discussing growing their family, they had come across Jillian Salvius. Jillian came from a very old, magical bloodline and had developed a way to fuse magic and science to create biological children for two people of any gender.
Ava had been absolutely delighted at the prospect of a mini Bea running around, but Bea was more hesitant. Bea had confided in her that while her family had always flaunted their magic, they hadn’t really taught her how to control it and she had often felt lonely, separate from her peers. Bea knew that she and Ava would be different, but was still wary of passing her powers onto a child who had no say in the matter.
After many heartfelt, vulnerable discussions, they had finally agreed that Jillian’s solution was best after all. They talked through all of the what ifs, and came up with plans for each one that satisfied Bea’s anxiety and just made Ava excited for the possibilities.
Ava had originally wanted to be the one to carry their child, but Jillian had ruled this out. Her back was too fragile, even after all these years, and carrying would risk paralysis - or worse.
Normally so calm and collected, Bea did not handle the pregnancy well and had become the kind of clingy that is usually more Ava’s vibe. Ava delighted in every weird food combo - of course she also tried them all and liked more than a few - and every foot rub or back massage.
Amelia was born with chubby cheeks, Bea’s tanned skin and dark hair, and Ava’s deep brown eyes. She generally regarded the world quietly, a curious look on her little face that was entirely from Bea. But when she was unhappy she was loud , and that was purely Ava.
Bea spent a lot of time watching her closely for any sign of her magic, but Ava was more content to wait and see what happened. For six months, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Until.
-
“We knew this was a possibility,” Bea tries to soothe Ava as she pulls Amelia into her arms, holding her close.
“I know, I know,” she says quickly, pressing a kiss to Amelia’s head. “I guess I just thought that if something happened it would be while we were watching so we’d know. I really thought I’d lost her.”
Bea envelops them both in a hug, and Ava feels the relief seep through her. It doesn’t last long however, as Amelia’s weight suddenly disappears and she looks down to see the little bat bundled up in her arms.
Although still processing her shock, Ava just sighs. “Do you think it’s considered inhumane to put a net over the top of her crib?”
Bea gently scoops Amelia’s bat form up and tickles her tummy, watching as she wiggles at the touch. “A net?”
“Well the bat is definitely cute and all, but is she going to start flying when she learns to crawl? Because I am so not prepared for that.”
“You could always get one of the nets that Hans sells to the kids to catch butterflies.”
“I am not catching our daughter with a butterfly net!” Ava gasps. A new thought seems to strike her and she wails. “Oh my god! What if she turns into a butterfly and gets out the window and flies away and we never see her again!”
Bea scratches Amelia’s chin and chuckles, earning a glower from Ava. “Darling, we’ve been over this one. We have screens on all of the windows and doors, and if we don’t have her with us we’ll just have to be careful.”
She moves up to just behind Amelia’s little ear and has to juggle the human that suddenly appears in her arms. After peppering her face in kisses Bea puts her back in the crib, being careful to keep the blanket in a spot that wouldn’t cover her if she changes again.
“Come on, I think you need a cup of tea,” Bea says as she takes Ava’s hand and leads her back out into the kitchen.
Over the next week, they learn that for now Amelia seems to be restricted to the bat form when she shifts. They also figure out that the ear scratch works like a button that transforms her back instantly.
It is definitely a handy discovery for them, as there isn’t a discernable pattern to when she will transform. However, Ava begins to wonder if the kid is messing with them when she starts to switch while they are out and someone comes to see her.
On three separate occasions during their most recent outing, someone from town had wanted to come over and say hello only for Ava to have to make excuses after finding her in bat form in the pram. Bea seems almost proud of the deflections.
In general, the town remains none the wiser about Bea’s ploy with Lilith all those years ago. She still kept her powers to herself, trusting only a few people with the truth.
Of course Suzanne had known from the start. She likes to gloat at every possible moment that she knew they would end up together from the moment Ava said that the cat led her into The Cat’s Cradle .
“Hey Supes!” Ava calls out as she opens Suzanne’s door for their usual Sunday dinner, a small bundle of blankets in one hand. “I have a surprise for you.”
Suzanne sticks her head out of the kitchen and beckons them inside. She frowns when she notices that neither of them are holding Amelia. “Where’s your gorgeous girl?”
Ava proudly holds out the blankets and shows Suzanne the bat nestled inside, blinking up at them slowly. Suzanne raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything, long past being surprised by Ava’s antics.
Ava nods at Bea, who steps forward with a twinkle in her eye and scratches behind the bat’s ear. Suzanne’s jaw goes slack and her eyes wide as the air shimmers and Amelia reappears, giggling and reaching out with chubby fingers.
Then, Suzanne tips her head back and lets out a deep, loud laugh. “Well, this is going to be interesting.”