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“Dad? Abba?! Where you at?! What was the big emergency?!”
Brielle dropped her bag at the door as she ran through the Spector Manor. Pretty much ran all the way here. Had to ask Lunella for a ride with DD to get here as fast as she could. Both her dads had texted her to get to the manor as soon as possible.
So, here she was.
“DAD?! ABBA?!”
“In the attic!” A muffled voice called.
She would rush up the stairs and saw that the door at the top of the final set was open. She would would hurry up and entered the shrine room that was designated for Khonshu. A place full of Egyptian relics, moonlit fauna, carpets of old, tables of offerings, and a ceiling forever casting moonlight down.
“What’s up? What happened? Is everything ok? What’s-! Oh my god is that a baby coffin?”
She would sit on her knees in front of what Eric and Marc were standing in front of. It was this intricate woven basket, that had this baby sized mummy wrapping. It was as if a child had been ready to join their parents in the pyramids.
“Why do we have a dead baby?”
“Not….sure….” Marc admitted, as he was trying to process why he was seeing this.
“We aren’t even sure if that’s the case at all……We had heard a baby crying from the attic, we came to investigate, the moment we arrived it was silent. All was still, except for this…..Don’t hear a heart beat……Don’t hear breathing. Don’t smell blood pumping. It’s just….here.” Eric explained, as Brielle looked it over. Try and see if she could give insight.
“Why is there this….baby-whatever here…..? Does Khonshu know?” She asked her dads.
“That’s the weirder part. The offerings on the table have been sucked dry. That’s typically a sign that says he’s suffering a fatigue……Steven is theorizing Khonshu might be pulling a rebirth right now…..”
That made the most sense compared to anything else. Can’t exactly kill a God after all. Guess there was a baby Khonshu in a Moses basket. Suppose they just had to keep it dry and safe until he pops out like a butterfly.
“Could have given a heads up. Damn near gave me a heart attack. Ain’t no one wanting to see a dead baby.” Her father complained, as he placed two fingers against the swaddled creatures chest. Try and feel if it was a mummy or solid.
The moment his fingers touched, that’s when the crying started again. The wrappings around its face would suck in and out at the screams of a newborn. Triggered something primal in both men. Something Eric experienced before. Back when Brielle was first born.
“We gotta unwrap it-“
“Are you sure?”
“We are unwrapping it!” Eric firmly said, before doing such. His heart was screaming at him that this was the right choice. This baby needed to get out of this wrapping.
Layer by layer it went, until a newborn was shown. Red and fussy, as if just leaving the womb. A tuff of curly white hair was on their scalp, and the tiniest of ears with the slightest points to them. A little thing it was. With all the wrappings off it was as if a preme.
“Shhhh it’s alright. Shhh-“ Eric cooed, before pulling the infant into his arms. Seemed to be a girl. Why would Khonshu reborn himself as a girl? Maybe he wanted to spice things up. Moons were often seen through a femmine lense.
“Was I that little?” Bri asked, as Eric took his shirt off to offer skin to skin. That seemed to instantly make the baby stop fussing. His cold chest soothed her, like aloe to a burn. She was no longer fussy and red. She calmed down and was breathing steadier now. As she calmed her shade wasn’t so red anymore. There was this deep cool olive tone to the skin. Like copper under the shade of a tree. Perhaps all that red was just the skins natural tone.
“Look at her. She looks like if you two had a baby.” Brielle joked.
Saying it out loud, however, was making them all quiet.
The baby had soft curls, just like Marc. The skin was a deep tone. Deeper than Marc but far lighter than Eric. As if it factored in the white father the Dhampir had. Ears had the smallest point to them, just like Brielle.
“No way this……”
“Khonshu wouldn’t……”
They were all looking at one another now. Did Khonshu…..Make them a child? If so…..why? Sure, the guy was a fertility God so it wasn’t that out of the realm of possibilities that he would have this power. But…..Why? They weren’t prepared for this! They never made plans for a child. They were both with a male sex anyhow! If they wanted a child they would adopt, but that was out of the question. They couldn’t care for a human child. They also had Brielle anyway…..Why would-
“I think I fucked up……”
The two men looked to her, as she held a expression of raw guilt.
“I….I think I know what happened…..”
One Month Earlier
“What’s it like having a grandpa that’s a Moon God?” Lunelle would ask Brielle, as she was getting ready for bed by the Dhampir. The two had spent the whole day together. As much as Lunelle was a super genius she was still a child. Brielle had her father to thank to make sure she herself had a childhood. Call it paying it forward with making sure there were ‘lazy days’ between their training and studies to care for her. Be a big sister and help her feel somewhat normal.
Hard to do when a giant red dinosaur was ninety five percent of the little girls bedroom.
“Well….It’s not as weird as you think. I sure thought it would be. Got that catholic guilt and all, but we can’t really blame my mom for that. I mean….Vampires are real and she had a kid with a Dhampir. He really seemed to warm up to me. The second I moved in he was like a doting mama to me. Worried more about me than Moon Knight.” She explained, as she would brush and oil her hair. Try and style it in her puff balls she loved. Had to really pull. Thank you Dhampir blood.
“I’ve always seen that happened. Grandparents being big spoilers to the grandbabies. That’s really cool! Grandpa that’s a Moon God. Wild…” She would awe, as DD would rest himself in his curled position. Eyes half lidded as he watched the two. Trusted Brielle with his Lunelle. Enough to let himself ease.
“Yeah. One weird family. Normal is over rated anyway-“ She would playfully say, before fixing the bonnet over the little girls head. Let her hair soak in the oil good. She needed that care.
“Do you pray him to him?”
“I guess…..? I’m not sure how to explain it, and what you mean by prayer. Like prayer is when you ‘talk to God’ so I guess any convo is talking-? Or do you mean the whole placing your hands together and offerings?”
“I guess how you do it. Religion is so fascinating. There are so many branches and types and the way so many God’s share the same title but are in different realms. Like how Artemis and Khonshu are both moon Gods but are from different backgrounds.”
“You really have a theme going on, don’t ya?”
“I’m MoonGirl. Duh!”
“Well my dads are both MoonKnights. So…..I win!”
She would steal her into a tight squeeze that made her squeal. Not a distressed yell. No. If that was the case the Dhampir would be swallowed whole by DD. It was as if sister teasing one another and causing a mess. It was nice. She liked it. Being a big sister was nice.
“Guess what I’m saying is I kinda do….? I started to do nightly prayers again, but towards Khonshu. Some habits are hard to break. Even when they traumatized you. It’s not so much as praying as just telling him how my day went, problems I’m having, and telling him good night. Helps me collect my thoughts. Kinda like meditation and self reflection.”
“Can you show me?”
“Show….you?”
“Yeah!”
This suddenly felt awkward. That was kinda something personal. Guess this was different though. He was, funny enough, a more down to earth character compared to just being unseen and only spoken in prayer. She has seen Khonshu. Khonshu has held her. He was tangible. He was her grandpa. Grandpa Shu Shu.
“Uh. Sure, why not?”
Lunelle was eager and got out of the bed to join Brielle by the window. The older of the two would bring the curtains open and sat herself on her knees.
“You don’t really need a certain way to pray, no matter what others say. You do it how you feel is right. Normally I do it with the moonlight on me. Helps me speak to him more clearly-“
“Like being next to a router.”
“Heh, yeah.”
Brielle would clasp her hands together, and Lunelle would mimic her.
“I normally talk out loud, but some things I prefer to keep private.”
“I get ya!”
“So just tap my shoulder when you are done. Ok?”
“Mhm!”
The duo would close their eyes and pray. Well, Lunelle did. Brielle couldn’t help but watch her for a while. Watching her do this reminded her of when she was her age. Listening to her mother and obeying her. Besides that aspect, her life was genuinely really simple and sweet. She genuinely had a normal childhood. She was on sports teams, went to sleepovers, joined field trips, made friends that she still kept in contact with.
Her father gave her something truly worthwhile. She got to be normal. She got to be a kid before it was over. She was thrown into the world when her body was ready. That was more than a luxury.
She was forever grateful.
And mournful……
Watching Lunelle made her wonder…..Was Lunelle what her father saw in her? Still this big eyed child with space buns? She never admitted it, never told a soul, but Eric had this……habit.
He always treated her like she was younger than she actually was. Never when on missions or anything. It wasn’t like he didn’t respect her. She just noticed that…..He saw her as smaller than she actually was. If he saw a plushie at the store he would get it for her. Some of her jewelry was more geared to pre teens over her actual age. Sometimes when he talked to her, or how he would still carry her like she was able to still fit on his hip. Well….Ok, he’s strong enough for that so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
But she noticed.
She noticed he was more traumatized by the separation than she ever would.
Her mother never brought her father up, and she never felt a need to ask. She didn’t feel like she was missing out. She was a very independent child. She just….Didn’t realize she was different until puberty hit. Until things changed.
But every day…..Every Birthday…..He had to keep his distance. Every day he had to suffer. Know that every Monday at seven am she was in school, living her life, while he was sleeping off wounds from the horrors he was protecting her from.
He never got to be a dad.
By the time they were able to meet, she was all grown up. No more ‘big milestones’ to be part of.
He was…..Just a stranger.
As much as they connected now, and happy she was to have him, that bond just……
Wasn’t going to be like it should.
“I don’t know if you can pull something like this off but…..Is there a way you can help my dad? He’s your Moon-Knight. You approved of him marrying your sons. You clearly like him and you definitely like me. Is there just…..A way you can help him with this? I know I’m his daughter, but some days it doesn’t feel like it. Not from him, but me…..I don’t feel like I act like a daughter. His kid. He never got to change a diaper or teach me to ride a bike. He never saw a birthday until I out grew them entirely. If there is a way……Please……I love my dad, and he loves me. I just wish things could have been different. I wish he had a daughter……”
Before the tears could burn at her eye lids she would feel Lunelle poke her shoulder.
“I prayed!”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! I prayed that whatever you prayed about would be a success!”
“Aw…”
“I’m a MoonGirl, so I’ve got to have some kind of bonus stats to make it extra potent.”
“Yeah you do. Now come on. Into bed you go, ya little monster!”
Brielle hoisted her up, and plopped her into bed. She was tucked in, with a kiss to the forehead, before she gave DD a kiss to the snout as well.
“Sweet dreams.”
Present day.
“I-I didn’t think-!”
“Hey hey-“
Eric would hand the infant over to Marc, who struggled to figure out how to even hold a baby. Hopefully the newborn wasn’t that fragile. Better be durable. Especially if it’s made from the two of them.
“I didn’t think he would do this!”
“Bri Bri, it’s alright. It’s alright.” Eric would hug her close, as she felt like this was all her fault. She just brought a child into the world with no prep whatsoever. She had just created a surprise half sister. How was she suppose to know Khonshu would think this would be what solved the problems. They all weren’t prepared at all. This was also a product of a moon god. Did the child still hold vampire traits? Was this a Demi god? A God God?!
Guess now she knew how her father felt when she was born.
“It’s gonna be ok, baby girl. Look at me. Brielle, look at me. This is not your fault. Not a lick. Alright? It’s going to be alright.”
“I just….I just wanted you to have a daughter……”
“You are my daughter-“
“Not really…….”
“Brielle…..”
He would kiss her head before squeezing her tightly.
“When I held you for the first time I was going to make sure you were safe. That’s what dads do. That’s what dads should do. You are my baby. Always. We got to meet now, properly, and I was able to know you got to actually live. There is not a day I would trade to take that away from you. It had to be done, and what is done is done. You got to live and that’s all I ever needed.”
“But-“
“No buts. Knowing you were existing happily was all that I needed to keep myself going. Even if it meant we never saw each other. Knowing I gave you a good life is all I needed.”
“And now that I’m in your life….?”
“Call me selfish….But I’m happy for that to.”
He would kiss her head again, before squeezing her tighter. Let her dry her tears on his shoulder, as Marc would cradle the accidentally acquired child.
“Well…..We need to name her, don’t we?” Marc said, as he would listen to Steven about making sure her head was supported.
“Would Luna be to on the nose?” He asked.
“Actually…..Think we should go with that.” Eric admitted. Lunelle, to some degree most certainly, and Khonshu were responsible for this. Even if she didn’t know it. Why not name her after that?
“Luna, Spector, Brooks…..Got a ring to it, can’t lie…..” Marc pondered, as he would soften his features. Just like Eric did the day he got to hold Brielle for the first time. Something you can’t just teach someone. It’s instinctive. You either have that spark or don’t.
“Luna….Spector….Brooks…..” He repeated, as he brushed the soft white curls out of her chubby face. Big for eyes would look up at him. Instantly she bursted into tears.
“Aw shit-“
“Give me-“ Eric got up and held her, but she was still crying……
“Is she hungry?”
“Not a hungry cry, Marc.”
“Does she need to shit?”
“If she did she would have.”
“Then what does she need?”
“Comfort. I’m trying but it seems I’m not working.”
That’s when he handed the new Spector to Brielle. She gave a awkward grab at her under arms, before being guided how to properly hold her.
Those big brown eyes looked at her own matching shade, and she smiled. Her chubby fingers reached up at her face and she was babbling already. Not even an hour old and it was clear she had a favorite.
“Well hey there, Luna…..I’m Brielle. I’m your big sister. We got a pretty big age gap, but I mean that’s the least of our worries in this family…..Aren’t you a healthy thing? Got those angel perfect curls, huh? Bet that means when you learn to walk you’ll be a total demon. Huh?” Brielle would nuzzle her nose with her sisters, and it made her squeal and clap at her hands.
“Gonna call Tigra. She should know what to do-“ Marc would pull his phone out, as Eric was already making a shopping list for baby supplies they would need. Meanwhile all little Luna needed right now was to be held.
Be held, and told how loved she was.
Brielle was a surprise. A accident honestly.
But that didn’t stop Eric from breaking rules of vampiric blood to fight for her.
And Brielle was just like her daddy in so many ways.
“Welcome to the world, Luna. Imma make sure you love every moment of it. Just like Daddy did for me…..”
Their foreheads touched and all was calm in the world.
No better lullaby to share than the smiles of sisters.
No better house to be loved in then theirs.
No better.
“Your big sissy promises it.”