Surviving in Harmony

Chapter Six | Ivy House, September 1998

Chapter Six

Ivy House, September 1998

 

                    The quiet tap-tapping of an owls beak again the window was what woke Andrew on the eve of a quiet evening. Well, not so quiet – the neighbours had stomped up and down their hall (either in spite or warning, Andrew and Amara neither knew nor cared)

“Wazzat?” mumbled Amara from her side of the bed, cinnamon hair tumbling into Andrew’s mouth as he yawned.

“S’owl.” He garbled, pulling the curls out and swinging his legs over one side. The tiny ‘master bedroom’ of their apartment was anything but master – hardly holding the bed and dresser comfortably. However, it was their first home alone and first home together, so space didn’t matter much.

Pulling up the window let in a quick September breeze, and Amara shivered. An owl sat on the fire escape, letting out a low coo at the sight of Andrew. “It’s Sonia’s bird.” He said over his shoulder, but Amara had turned over and appeared to have fallen back asleep.

“Gimme that.” tearing open the letter, Andrew skimmed it and sighed.

“Drew?” rubbing her eyes sleepily, Amara sat up.

Sighing, he started searching the dark floor for his pants, hastily thrown in his eagerness earlier. “I’ll see you later, ‘kay?”

“What’s going on? It’s fucking two in the morning.”

“Sonia’s having a crisis, I gotta go.”

Huffing, Amara flopped back onto the pillows “She has a two month old, of course she’s having a crisis. Her life is going to be a crisis for the next five years.”

“C’mon Mara, leave her alone. I’ll back soon.”

“Sure.”

The darkness had never been so heavy in the new little apartment.

                    Andrew almost fell asleep waiting for Sonia to answer the door.

“What is it?” he asked groggily as she threw it open, teary and holding a nearly naked Max in her arms.

“He won’t sleep.” She cried “Merlin Andy I am so tired and Charlie had to do an all nighter and I said I’d be okay, but Andrew – Mamma was supposed to be here.”

Sighing, Andrew stepped into the house and closed the door, taking a whimpering Max and kissing Sonia’s cheek. “C’mon sis, let’s go upstairs.”

They went to the nursery, collapsing on the love seat in the corner. “Why didn’t you just ask him to stay?” he asked, unbuttoning his shirt so Max could lie on his bare skin. He grabbed a blanket and threw it over them, and Max’s curly red head nestled into the crook of his neck.

“Because I’m capable.” Said Sonia reasonably “Or I thought I was.”

“You are capable.” He reassured her, seeing the tremble in her lips. “But Max is fussy, you’re tired – Charlie isn’t here. It’s an un-fun situation.”

Sonia let out a low sigh and leaned her head on his shoulder, eye to eye with Max’s dark orbs. “I love him so much, Andy.” She whispered, letting her son grab hold of her finger “I love him so much it hurts, and I wonder how I could ever have thought I couldn’t love anyone besides you and Mamma. And then I practically tripped into loving Charlie, and now Max – and I never knew I could love so much.”

“You’re more than capable of loving people Sunny,” he said softly, breathe shifting the bright curls on Max’s head. “If you can love this lad as fully as you do I’m sure you could love five more.”

Scoffing, Sonia stroked Max’s soft head “Oh no, no way. I’m done. One is enough – Max is enough.” She watched Andrew with her son then, really noticed how he was gentle and loving and so careful with the fragile body. “Does Amara want kids?”

“Yeah.” Andrew’s stomach dropped a little, but he focused on the feeling of Max’s warm skin on his.

“That’s good then. You can get your little gaggle of mini-me’s and do that whole shebang.”

“Sort of,” he said “She wants to wait though.”

“How long?”

“Ten or twelve years.” He sighed.

“What? No way.”

“Yup.”

Sonia sat up, eye her twin seriously “You can’t wait that long.”

“I can wait for Mara.” He said sensibly.

She gave him a stern look, the same one Hazel used to use – it was erie, to see their mother shine so strongly through Sonia.

“Andrew, you’ve been waiting our whole lives to have kids.”

“You’re waiting to have adventures.” He pointed out defensively.

“Yeah, but I’m happy.” She stopped “Well, mostly. Sort of. Some days not so much.”

Andrew sighed again and grabbed the book he’d gotten Sonia and Max that day with Amara “Let’s drop it, ‘kay? Here, read.”

Taking the book, Sonia began to read begrudgingly, but soon got into the lull.

“All children, except one, grow up.” Read Sonia, her voice melting into the same tone as Hazel’s.

Holding his nephew, breathing in his baby smell, Andrew almost thought he was little again. Sonia must be curled up beside him, dark hair getting in his mouth and constantly interrupting to ask questions.

It was early morning when Charlie arrived home, smiling at the sight of brother and sister asleep on the couch, Peter Pan open in Sonia’s lap and Max contently lying on his uncle’s chest.

“You’re Mamma’s such a sucker for faerie tales.” Charlie told his son, who yawned at him in greeting. “You’re gonna love her so much, you have no idea.”

Maxwell merely yawned again and demanded attention, as all babies do. He truly was Sonia’s son.

A/N: Awww, Maxxie.

Question: This is quite a break-through for our Sonia, eh? What do you think of that? As well as Andrew and Amara at the beiginning.

Rose<3