Chapter Text
It was silent in the office as Larissa sat behind her desk, fingers holding her fountain pen, poised to strike as she poured over the mountain of work before her. She had only been the Principal of Nevermore for a few years, and though she respected the man, her predecessor had left everything a bit of a mess after his retirement. Over the years Weems had been slowly fixing his mistakes, blaming his age as he hadn’t been in the right mind once he passed the torch so to speak. A soft knock at the door caught her attention.
“Come in.” Responding without looking up from the task at hand, she assumed it was a student.
“Rissa!”
Larissa’s head snapped up as she heard the nickname only one woman had ever dared call her. Morticia swept gracefully into the office, a tiny toddler dressed in all black sat on her hip, burying her little face into the crook of her mother’s neck. Her eyes went wide in shock, she had heard through the grapevine that her former friend and roommate had procreated, but she hadn’t met the child nor had she seen the Frump-turned-Addams in years.
“I- well this is quite the surprise Tish.” Larissa said as she stood up, walking around the desk to greet the young mother, “and who is this?”
“This is Wednesday, say hello my little storm cloud.”
Morticia gently tickled her cheek and the tiny pigtailed Addams peeked up at principal Weems statuesque form, staring at her with an almost emotionless gaze. Larissa could see a hint of nervousness behind the girls dark eyes, before she buried her face back into the comfort of her mother’s embrace.
“Don’t mind that, she can be a little shy at first.” Morticia walked further into the room, coming up right to the front of Principal Weems desk with a look in her eyes the blonde knew all too well, “Rissa, I know we haven’t been as…close…as we used to be. But I wanted to drop by and ask you a favor.”
“And what might that be?”
“Could you watch Wednesday for the weekend?”
“Morti-”
“Please! Gomez and I need to go out of town and usually I’d ask my maman to help but we’re not currently on speaking terms, and- and I have nobody else to ask, so please? For old times sake?”
Morticia’s lip quivered slightly as she begged, an act that made Larissa cave every single time, and the brunette knew it.
Weems stumbled over her words for a moment. Partially unsure what to say, partially still processing the fact that she had just been asked to babysit a child she didn’t know for an entire weekend. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose just between her eyes.
“Tish, I don’t know the first thing about taking care of children and I don’t think Nevermore is even baby proofed enough to house a toddler.”
Morticia’s gaze turned more sorrowful, tears starting to prick the corners of her eyes. Larissa felt her chest twinge with sadness. She had never been able to say no to Tish when she begged, it was a weakness of hers.
“I- oh alright. But just for the weekend, alright?”
“Oh thank you Rissa! I knew I could count on you.” Tish said as she passed the now slightly wiggly toddler over to her. Unceremoniously thrusting her into Larissa’s arms as she scrambled to hold her, feeling afraid she might drop her. It had been years since she had held a little one but instinct took over and she moved Wednesday over her hip, one arm tucked underneath her bottom while her hand supported her back. It took her by surprise how quickly the babe settled.
“Here’s her bag, it’s got diapers, wipes, clothes, pretty much everything you’ll need. Wednesday takes a nap after lunch every day, bedtime is at 7pm. Don’t let her skip the nap or stay up later than 7:30 at the most or she’ll get cranky. Also she’s allergic to color, so you’ll have to be cautious not to put her in anything that could trigger a reaction-“
“Allergic to color? How can she be allergic to color, and what do you mean by a reaction?”
“Yes, I know it’s unusual but it runs on Gomez’s side of the family. Poor little thing breaks out in terrible hives if she’s exposed to anything colorful. I made sure to put her medicine in the outside pocket of the bag just in case anything happens, just have her take one of the tablets and she should be right as rain again.”
It was a lot to take in all at once, and the principal found herself scrambling to grab a piece of paper to write everything down. The young girl in her arms started to wiggle once more, turning and reaching for Tish, tiny hands grabbing for her mother.
“Maman!”
“Oh I know mon petite corbeau, I know. But you’re going to have so much fun here with Auntie Rissa I promise. Sois gentil avec moi, d'accord?”
Larissa was stiffened at being called “Auntie Rissa”. She opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it before saying anything at all. Figuring this must be confusing already for such a small child and not wanting to complicate things further. So, at least just for the weekend, “Auntie Rissa” she would be.
Morticia grasped the small hands in her own, kissing her tiny fingers before planting a final kiss on Wednesdays forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it my little one. Mother loves you darling.”
With that, she swept out of the room just as quickly as she had entered. This time leaving a stunned Larissa holding onto an equally shocked little Wednesday.
The toddler gripped the front of Larissa’s suit jacket tightly. She assumed it was probably a lot for her to take in. Thrust into a strangers arms, her mother leaving so quickly, and not realizing it would be two whole days before she saw her once more.
“Maman?”
Larissa’s throat choked up hearing the sorrow in her little voice as she cried out. Gently she started to rub her hand in circles over her back.
“Your Maman will be back soon sweetheart, for now I guess it’s just you and me.”
Seeming to like the feeling of the larger hand soothing her, she loosened her grip and rested her head against Larissa’s chest, a who started to instinctively sway side to side.
Weems sighed and looked down at the paper she had written Wednesdays schedule on.
“So lunch first, then nap afterwards. That doesn’t sound too bad now does it?”
Glancing towards the clock, she noted it was approaching noon. Thinking it would probably be best to get down to the cafeteria before the rest of the students and see if the chef could whip up something a toddler would eat, the statuesque woman made her way down to the dining hall, Wednesday still firmly on her hip.
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The cafeteria tables had been much too large for the toddler to sit at on her own. Her head barely peeked over the top when Larissa had sat her down. Wide brown eyes staring up at her, Wednesday had reached up for her almost immediately.
Weems had resigned herself to being the babes personal high chair. With her large stature, the little one seemed even tinier sitting on her lap as she devoured the buttery pasta and soft steamed carrots the chef had made without hesitation for her.
Alternating between feeding her spoonfuls, Larissa had learned quite quickly that if she didn’t have the next bite ready by the time she opened her mouth with a soft little “ahh”, her pudgy hands would be in one (or both) of the bowls. Eagerly trying to do the job herself.
Thankfully the chef had the foresight to leave the pair with a handful of damp napkins to make cleanup easier. Larissa had cringed at the thought of her messy fingers soiling her expensive blazer, but halfway through the toddlers lunch had given up on trying to avoid it entirely.
The deep gong of the bell had signaled the end of class and the start of lunch, and soon students started pouring into the cafeteria. A handful had gasped when they noticed the gothic toddler sitting on the principals lap and rushed over, fawning over little Wednesday.
“Oh my gods she’s so cute!”
“I didn’t know you had a baby principal Weems!”
“How old is she?”
The barrage of questions had taken the little one by surprise. Nervously, she buried her sticky face in Larissa’s chest, hands gripping the lapels of her jacket and quite possibly ruining the older woman’s silk blouse as she hid.
But the principal didn’t care as she found herself once again rubbing soothing circles into Wednesdays back to calm her. Feeling her body relax against her slightly, though her tiny grip remained steadfast.
“This is Wednesday, she’s just about two and I’m just babysitting her for an old friend.” Weems explained to the flock that had gathered, keeping her tone low so as not to frighten the girl any further.
“Can you say ‘hello’ to everyone, Wednesday?”
In response she buried her face deeper into the warm softness of Larissa’s breast, dark eyes squeezed shut tightly, refusing to move or look at anyone.
“I think this is a bit too much excitement for her, it’s been a big day after all.”
The circling of her hand against Wednesday’s back turned into light scratches as she drug her almond shaped nails up and down. Finally relaxing her grip on the older woman’s jacket, a yawn escaped the little babes mouth. The feeling of being full from lunch and the delightful scratching making her drowsy.
Larissa excused herself from the table, one of the students had offered to clean up Wednesday’s plates, which she was grateful for and said a quick thank you before making the walk back to her office.
By the time they arrived at the large oak doors she could feel the tiny body go fully slack against her. Hands losing their grip as Wednesday succumbed to sleep.
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The office was warm and dark. Larissa had thought to pull the thick blackout curtains shut, the sun far too bright for any napping otherwise.
A small raven haired bundle lay wrapped up in a dark grey blanket on the chaise. Her little fists clutching a fluffy black bat. The moment she had felt her back hit the cushion, her eyes had opened sleepily, mumbling “barn-bus” and pointing to her bag.
Larissa had quickly deduced that the stuffed bat was inside was in fact named “Barnabas”, and handed it over to her. It was a welcome distraction that also allowed her to change Wednesdays diaper and tuck her in comfortably before she drifted back off to sleep.
An occasional light snuffling snore coming from where she lay brought a smile to the principals face. She sat behind her desk once more, trying to pour over Nathaniel Faulkner’s clerical mistakes, but found her eyes constantly drifting back to the little girl on the lounge who was wrapped up like a burrito.
About an hour and a half had passed before Larissa went to wake Wednesday up. Not wanting her to have too long of a nap before bedtime.
She crouched beside the sleeping toddler, gently brushing her bangs away from her forehead with an elegant hand.
“Wednesday? Wednesday sweetheart it’s time to wake up. Rise and shine little bat.”
Her soft tone and motion of her fingers was enough to stir the girl, whose large dark eyes fluttered open. The hand that no longer gripped the stuffie coming up to rub her eye.
“Maman?”
“No sweetheart, it’s Auntie Rissa.”
“Wissa?”
The sound of her name being so sweetly butchered made Larissa’s heart melt. Unable to help the smile she felt spreading across her face as Wednesday reached out to her with grabby hands, sleepily demanding uppies.
She scooped up the girl, holding her tightly as she burrowed snugly into the hollow of her neck.
“I thought we could go for a little walk around the school grounds before dinner time, how does that sound?”
Her voice cooed at the toddler who lifted her head to meet the tall woman’s gaze, nodding in agreement to her proposal.
Larissa beamed and reached to grab Wednesdays pair of small shiny Mary Jane’s. Slipping them on her white stockinged feet before setting her down to stand.
Though Weems had to hunch slightly to hold onto the gothic toddles tiny hand, she found that she didn’t mind it all too much. Content to move at the girls much slower pace and watch as they walked the halls of Nevermore.
At one point Wednesday had broken her grasp on Larissa’s finger in favor of excitedly scurrying ahead to explore. Sometimes just stopping to look at a painting or peek her head into a classroom, an act which had disrupted professor Orloff’s biology class. Earning an eruption of giggles from the students and a profusely apologizing principal as she guided Wednesdays wide eyed gaze away from the professors mechanical life support system.
Their walk led them outside and into the courtyard where Larissa continued to let her little ward explore. Delighting in the curiosity and fearlessness she was starting to see in her the more comfortable that the girl became.
Staying back slightly as Wednesday darted from bush to bush, looking in and under. It didn’t quite register to the older woman that she may actually be looking for something until she turned back around, hands clutching onto something.
“Look! Look Wissa! I find a pwetty spider!”
The blood drained from her face as Wednesday opened her hands, revealing a very large black widow. She stifled the scream that rose up into her throat, though her eyes still went wide with fear, arms reaching out to hover over Wednesdays now outstretched hands.
“Ah! Oh my! Um- Wednesday darling, maybe we should put the pretty spider back in her home, hmm?”
Principal Weems heart tugged as she saw petite girls face fall in sadness.
“Bye bye pwetty spider…” she said glumly, giving the spider a kiss before placing it back on the bush where she found it.
A sigh of relief escaped Larissa, who hadn’t even realized she had sucked in a breath and held it as Wednesday handled the widow. Never had she been more grateful for the Addams family’s affinity for strange and unusual things, realizing that had probably been the reason her little bat hadn’t been bitten.
She scooped up the girl once more into her large arms, holding her tightly. Both for her own sanity and to comfort the upset toddler.
They had been walking around the grounds for quite a while at this point, and the sun was starting to dip low in the sky. So Weems turned to head back inside, making her way once more into the large stone building.
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Dinner had gone over just the same as lunch, Wednesday sitting comfortably upon Larissa’s lap as the latter spoon fed her mashed potatoes and little bites of chicken.
Though the older woman couldn’t help but chuckle when a pair of greedy little fingers started stealing little bits of food off her own plate. Noting that Wednesday seemed to like the tomatoes and olives from her salad as she realized she had eaten every single one.
Once she finally had a full tummy again, Larissa took her little pigtailed upstart into her quarters to get her ready for bed.
She gave her a nice warm bath, cleaning the mess of tomato juice and mashed potatoes off of her face and hands. After she was clean and freshly diapered, she dressed her in the black footed pajama onesie that Morticia had packed for her. It had a fringe of white lace around the collar and cuffs of the sleeves, fitting her gothic aesthetic while at the same time making her look cute as a button.
Larissa gently undid Wednesdays short little pigtail braids. Running her fingers gently through her shoulder length hair before grabbing a brush and gently running it through her pitch black locks until they were perfectly smooth.
She carried the now very sleepy girl to the guest quarters, where she tucked her in for bed. Making sure Barnabas the bat was safely in her grasp, Larissa sang Wednesday a soft lullaby about animals in a meadow that she remembered her nanny singing to her many nights of her own childhood. Quickly, the tired little upstart fell fast asleep, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.
“Goodnight little bat.”
Larissa whispered to her before getting up to get herself ready for bed, keeping the door to both the guest quarters and the master bedroom cracked in case she was needed by her young ward.
After brushing her teeth and taking the pins out of her hair, she felt the adrenaline of the day wear off, suddenly feeling exhausted. Taking care of a toddler had worn her out completely, and yet at the same time, her heart felt so full.
She pulled on her own pajamas, a dark black nightgown that just barely brushed against the floor, before slipping into her own bed and swiftly drifting off to sleep.
What felt like only moments after Larissa had fallen asleep herself, she was awoken by the sound of a soft sniffling cry at her bedside. Quickly she sat up and looked over the edge, finding a crying Wednesday standing there clutching onto her stuffed bat.
“What’s wrong little darling? Why are you out of bed?”
“I want Wissa.” Wednesday sniffled.
That’s all she needed to hear as she scooped up the tiny girl into her arms and laid her down next to her spot on the bed. Gently wiping away the tears that had fallen down her face.
“Here, you can sleep right next to me little bat.”
She laid back down, keeping a slight distance between the two, which Wednesday quickly shuffled across. Choosing instead to snuggle up against Larissa’s soft chest once more, deciding that this was much more comfortable choice than any pillow on the bed.
The soft snuffling snores she heard from the toddler indicated to the blonde that she must have fallen right back asleep, feeling safe in the comfort of her arms.
She stayed awake just a few minutes longer as brushing away Wednesdays bangs from her forehead. It wasn’t very often that Larissa felt needed, but this little storm cloud had rolled in and made her feel like she had a purpose in this world again.
Eventually she drifted back into a peaceful slumber, knowing without a doubt she was well and truly wrapped around the little Addams finger.
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Epilogue:
Monday morning rolled around and Larissa found herself once again sitting behind her desk pouring over documents. In her lap sat her little bat, her own papers in front of her along with a set of monochrome crayons that she colored with contently.
A soft knock rung through the office, but neither Weems nor her young companion lifted their heads at the sound. Too wrapped up in their tasks at hand.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Morticia Addams swept once more Into the room, arms extending outwards as if she could embrace the pair from across the room.
“Mon petite corbeau!”
Little Wednesday looked up from her drawing to see her mother walking towards her. Not bothering to put down the black crayon she held as she twisted a round in Larissa’s lap and tightly gripped the lapels of her thick woolen jacket as she hid from her maman, earning a smirk from the blonde.
“I hope she wasn’t too much trouble, Rissa?”
Morticia had made her way around the desk, kneeling down in front of the Principals chair and placing a hand on her little ravens back. Gently scratching her nails up and down the toddlers back.
“Quite the contrary Tish, she was a little angel the entire time.”
Larissa’s smirk turned into a genuine smile as she looked down at Wednesday. They had bonded quite a bit over the weekend, and it pained her to think about having to send her little bat back home.
“Wednesday darling, let’s go home, your father is waiting in the car and-“
“No.” Came a muffled retort from the tall woman’s chest, and she had to bite back a laugh.
“No? Come now, it’s been the whole weekend and your maman has missed you so. You never act like this when it’s time to leave your grandmama’s.”
A little pout formed on Tish’s face, her eyebrows drawing together slightly.
“No. I wanna stay my Wissa.”
It took a full hour of bribery and negotiations before Wednesday would budge. Finally content when the deal for her to come back one weekend out of every month was struck.