Josie

At midnight on a solemn night in late February, the Yuy house was dead silent. All of its occupants were in their beds sleeping the night away and preparing unconsciously for another day.

At one a.m., Shannon, the resident teenager, woke up to use the bathroom.

Two a.m. found Angel, the other teenager, prowling the halls for a glass of water.

At three, however, the sound of a baby crying pierced the once quiet and serene night and broke the silence.

Heero Yuy’s eyes opened sharply, sensing with the keen instinct of a new father that his little baby was awake. Beside him, his wife, who had been in a very light sleep wearing one of Heero’s old T-shirts and a very messy ponytail, snapped back into a dizzy consciousness, large eyes rimmed with fatigue and exhaustion. She sighed, lifted her head despite the fact that it felt as heavy as a double D breast implant, and headed to the newborn’s nursery to play the part of ‘Mommy Dearest’ again.

Heero, meanwhile, noticed the fatigue of his wife. His once vibrant wife was a distant facsimile of what she had been. Taking care of a newborn obviously had taken a lot out of her. Her long hair hung limply, her skin pale and sallow, and eyes weary. Heero sighed and grabbed her arm before she could leave the bed.

“Danie,” he began simply. “Stay here. I’ll take care of the baby.”

Daniella Thomas-Yuy stared incredulously at her husband for a second. Then her face relaxed into a smile, and she caressed his face lovingly.

“You’re so sweet,” she told him. She rested her head on the pillow again, hoping to find sleep in its silky depths. Before leaving, Heero placed a light kiss on his wife’s cheek and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

“Get some sleep, Danie. I don’t need you wasting away.”

Danie snorted with amusement, eyes still closed. “Aye, aye, Captain Yuy. Mission accepted.”

Heero rose from the bed, slightly amused from Danie’s little joke. He glanced back at Danie, who was now snoring softly in a motherly bliss. He walked purposefully to his daughter’s room, listening to her cries for someone.

He flicked on the light. The nursery, in all of its pink, teddy-beared, baby-powdered glory, came into full view. The baby’s cries dampened somewhat. Heero walked over to the wooden crib and peeked over the edge.

She was a smallish kind of baby. As her mouth was giving the world the air from her lungs and the power from her small vocal cords, her little limbs flailed about like a little bug turned on its back. She had little hair, but from what was there on her head, it had been determined that her hair was going to turn out like her father’s. Her skin was still new, soft, and pinkish. Her eyes, her cobalt blue eyes, were squeezed shut as tears oozed out from them.

Heero reached into the crib and gently picked up the flailing creature. She still cried as Heero lifted her into his arms. Cradling her carefully, Heero took a seat in the rocking chair that Danie had insisted that they buy.

“Shh…” he whispered to her. “Don’t cry. Daddy’s here.”

The baby’s cries abated a little. Heero rocked in the chair idly. He stared down at her little face, suddenly realizing his happiness once again.
“Sometimes I think about
What life was like before
Was it full of old remedies
That kept me reaching for the door?”
Heero looked up, kind of startled. An angelic voice had filled the room with soft, lulling cadences. His eyes found his once-sleeping wife. He smiled at her as the baby’s attention was attracted to her mother. As Danie Yuy came gliding over with her lovely voice, Heero shifted in the large chair so his wife could sit with him.

 

“I’m gonna sing you a lullaby
a thousand times or more
You’re as sweet as a butterfly
Baby all I need and more
I’m gonna sing you my song
Cuz I think the world about you
You’re the only one that matters now
Since the day you were born…”

 

Danie caressed the newborn’s head just as she did her husband’s cheek. Heero took one arm and wrapped it around his wife’s shoulders. He began to sing along softly.

 
“But I know this love is unconditional
Deep inside, you’re my living joy
I’m gonna sing you a lullaby
a thousand times or more
You’re as sweet as a butterfly
Baby all I need and more
I’m gonna sing you my song
Cuz I think the world about you
You’re the only one that matters now
Since the day you were born…”

 

The baby, watching her parents sing her to sleep with heavy-lidded blue eyes, closed her eyes and yawned. Danie sighed contentedly and continued to rub the baby’s downy head.

“She’s such a beautiful baby,” she commented. “Almost makes me want to go in there and make another one.”

“Oh you do, do you?” Heero asked, eyebrow raised.

“Well, I think we should wait on the next one, Yuy,” she told him in a joking tone of voice. “Besides, I don’t think Gracia Memorial wants to go through yet another Yuy family special delivery.”

Heero chuckled, thinking about the night this had all began. The night their daughter was born had been dotted with catastrophe after catastrophe. Not only had California been hit with a monster storm front and half of Gracia’s electricity been cut, but poor Heero Yuy couldn’t handle the Major Event of his first child being born. Luckily, they had gotten through it without killing any of the hospital staff and had even gotten away with a really cute baby.

“But even if we didn’t, I know that she makes you happy,” Danie pointed out. She looked into his eyes, smart cunning, omniscient Danie. She knew who he was now; not only was he her husband but the father of her children. She had watched him in the delivery room when Jessica had presented their child (after he had recovered from fainting that is), and she watched the happiness grow in his eyes. She saw hope for the future and knowledge from the past. Danie was happy that their first child had been a girl and she knew that Heero was secretly happy, although he had never said it aloud. She remembered him telling her the destiny befalling the Angel of Death, that his first child was to be a boy and that he must train him to be Death. As their newborn went off to sleep, she became thankful that she was to be normal, and she knew, as the baby grew up, Heero was going to love her.

“Of course she does. She’s my Josie.”

Danie gave him a look. “Hey–she’s my Josie too. It takes two to make a baby, you know.”

Heero’s lips formed a trademark mischievous grin that looked devilish–but in a very sexy Heero-Yuy-type way. “I would never forget that–believe me.”

Danie giggled. She’d never forget it either…

As the night became light and the people awakened from their slumber, Danie and Heero Yuy rocked in the chair with ‘their’ Josie. They communicated without words, talking in a language only they knew. As time wore on, it was obvious that this was a moment that neither of them would forget.

“Josephine Midori Yuy,” Heero said suddenly.

Danie, who had her head on his chest, lifted her head to gaze at him. “Huh?”

Heero half-shrugged. “Nothing.”

Danie rested her head again, smiling. She knew what he was doing. He was saying her name–which meant that he was thinking about her and that he loved her.

“This little one is going to be the end of us, I fear,” Danie said idly, not really meaning it seriously.

Heero shook his head. “No. Josie is just the beginning.”

Danie stared at him for a long while, content. Sensing Danie’s stare, he then turned to look at her. Much to her surprise but bringing much pleasure, Heero kissed her softly on the lips. The sun rose over the horizon and gleamed through the window. When it reached the nursery of Josephine Midori Yuy, the light shined down on Heero and Daniella Yuy sleeping, holding a pertinent part of their future in their arms.

 

Josephine Midori Yuy
Date of Birth: January 19
Weight: 5 lbs. 8 oz.
Parents: Heero and Daniella Yuy

Get prepared, world. Better duck and cover because here comes Josie Yuy.