Chasing Freedom {Book 3: Chasing Butterflies}

Chapter 25: Parenthood

Hi guys! It seems weird for me to say this, but here's a new chapter! Only two days after the last chapter I posted. It's been a VERY long time since that has happened, so I am incredibly happy about that. Hope you all enjoy!

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"Never pictured myself singing lullabies, sitting in a rocking chair in the middle of the night, in the quiet, in the dark. You're stealing every bit of my heart with your daddy's eyes... What a sweet surprise." ~What I Never Knew I Always Wanted, Carrie Underwood

                As it turned out, Artemis was right about her going into labor soon.

Later that afternoon, while they were walking through the garden, Audrey's water broke. Honestly, the rest seemed like a blur to her. She was rushed to the hospital, and went through ten long hours of labor before she was holding her son in her arms. There was no doubt about it; she was exhausted, and rightfully so. But all the pain was worth it. She finally had her son, and that alone made her the happiest woman on the planet.

She stared down at the small boy, and knew she had never loved another human as much as she loved her son. All the turmoil and hell she had been through the last nine months had been worth it. Scorpius was perfect, and everything she had imagined he would be- and then some.

But she would be lying if she said that everything was perfect.

Standing next to her through the delivery had been Artemis to her left, and both her mother and Draco's to her right. It seemed so wrong that Draco wasn't there. It hurt that he had been robbed of sharing this moment with her. So while there was a smile on her face as she stared down at the beautiful baby in her arms, she was sad too.

Even more so because the small tuft of hair on Scorpius' head was just as blond as his father's. That alone was almost too much to bear. Audrey thought that their son would've taken after her somehow, given her physical traits were supposed to be more dominant, but thus far she was wrong in thinking that. Scorpius hadn't really opened his eyes yet, and Audrey knew regardless to what they were now, they could change. With the pale blond hair, she wouldn't be surprised if her son had inherited his father's eyes too.

Audrey was finally shaken from her thoughts when her mother spoke.

"Who are you going to let hold him first?" she inquired curiously.

The young mother hesitated, not having a great answer for that. If circumstances had been different, she would've given Scorpius to his father before anyone else, no questions asked. But that wasn't to be, and she was left to make a choice, one she was hoping the others would be okay with.

"Artemis," she decided, turning to look at her best friend just in time to see the surprised look on his face.

"Me?" he questioned, eyes wide. "Are... are you sure? I mean, they're his grandmothers. I thought they would have some leverage over me."

Audrey was going to respond, but Narcissa stepped in. "I see her reasoning. You've been the one to step in to take care of her in Draco's absence. You have done everything he would've this past month. I think Draco would approve of you holding his son in his place," she replied.

Fianna nodded, seemingly agreeing with Narcissa. "I suppose that's a fair choice, all things considered," she stated.

Audrey raised her arms slowly, as to not disturb the sleeping baby as she offered him to her best friend. Artemis hesitated slightly, obviously still shocked the honor of holding Scorpius first was going to him, but carefully took Scorpius from his mother. A small smile formed on his face as he stared at the infant.

"Draco couldn't deny him if he wanted to," he said quietly.

Before anyone else could say anything, the room's door swung open, and Nicole and Ron rushed into the room. The two of them looked out of breath, probably from running up the stairs to get to them. As Ron leaned against the wall trying to catch his breath, Nicole spoke up.

"We got here as fast as we could!" she announced, a little louder than she should have. She caught the annoyed look on her friend's face, and added in a softer voice, "Oops. Sorry."

Audrey glanced up at her son in Artemis' arms, glad he hadn't stirred. "It's fine. He's still sleeping, so you're off the hook for now."

"We wanted to get here soon, but we also didn't want to get here while you were still delivering little Scorpius. Kind of thought that was a more... private matter," Nicole explained, rushing up to the side of her friend's bed. "So as soon as we got the word things were good, we left home. How're you feeling, and how is the baby?"

"I'm great. Tired, but great. I can see my feet again," Audrey replied, adding a small joke to try to show she truly was fine. "Scorpius is good too. Completely healthy."

Nicole looked to Artemis, and then down at the baby in his arms. "He is the cutest baby I have ever seen," she decided, a huge smile on her face. "Draco would be so happy."

Audrey's shoulders sank, once again remembering Draco's absence. The last month of her pregnancy had been hard enough without him. Now she faced the task of raising their son alone, and that terrified her to no end. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but somehow, she was determined to make it work. "I know he would be," she answered quietly. "So far his little heir looks just like him."

By this point, Ron had joined them, and was looking at the baby too. "He is really cute," he said. He looked back to Artemis. "Welcome to fatherhood, mate."

That comment caught Audrey and Artemis both off guard, but it was Artemis who addressed it. "But I'm not-"

"-biologically, no. But you're the one who's closest to Audrey. That's no secret. You're the one who has taken care of her throughout this last month- and I think I speak for all of us when I say we appreciate all you did to help her," Ron cut him off. "Plus, she lives with you. You're going to be the fatherliest figure this little guy has, and I know you'll do right by Draco through it all."

Ron had made a good point, and Artemis knew that. Hell, everyone in the room knew that. Honestly, Audrey didn't want to put the burden of raising Scorpius on anyone, and she already felt bad enough for living with Artemis and his family. But, on the other hand, she felt relieved to know that the people in the room with her right now weren't going to let her do this all alone.

Audrey watched the expression on Artemis' face soften, and a smile replaced the confused look he once had. He shifted, suddenly standing taller and looking as proud as ever. "I suppose you're right," he decided. "Scorpius is in safe hands, I assure you. I'll do my best to assist where I can."

Nicole smiled as she gently ran her hand across the top of Scorpius' head. "You better. I know where you live," she pretended to threaten. "But in all seriousness, despite everything, I know you guys are going to be fine, Aud. You have amazing people to help you if you need it, and I know between all of us, you won't have to worry about anything."

That was true. The events of the last year had really weeded out the negative people in her life. Who she had left wasn't going anywhere, and Audrey knew they were going to be there for her no matter what. Audrey, without a doubt, knew the people in the room with her were going to be in her son's life and help tremendously in filling in the gap caused by Draco's passing. While none of them would be able to replace him, they would be crucial in Scorpius' development through the years. Audrey was sure her friends and family would help her keep Draco's memory alive.

As Audrey looked up to her best friend holding her son, suddenly life felt pretty complete. Even though she lost Draco, she had finally gained their son and she was going to spend the rest of her life loving Scorpius, and assuring he always knew how much he was loved by his father. Being a single parent wasn't how Audrey imagined any of this to play out, but she was positive now that things were going to be okay.