"Now no body fully get your hopes up, we have not tested it on a human." I said wiping at my eyes.
"No but with those results sweetling, the odds are high." Lola said coming out of Conner's room settling her dress in place.
I looked at Conner who blushed. "I will explain later." He said holding up his hands.
"Maxwell put Abby on the table please." I said. Lola filled a syringe from a jar and handed it to me.
"You know the drill baby girl." I said smiling at her.
"Think happy thoughts." She said with a smile. I nodded and eased the needle into the vein. I took a deep breath and depress the plunger. Almost instantly I saw the changes begin. The pale skin became peach colored. At first it was slow until it disappear under her dress, then suddenly she took a long deep breath as the color returned to the rest of her. I held my breath, we had gotten this close before. I counted the seconds, then the minutes. I felt Del's hand grab mine and squeeze. I watched her slowly sit up and look at me. There were tears in her eyes.
"Mother...I can feel my legs again." I rushed her her and hugged her hard. After so many years and so many failures, it had finally worked. My children were whole once more.
"Del go get the others." I said before kissing Abby all over her face. I helped her down to the and she took her first steps since the fateful day so long ago. My legs would not hold me any more and I sat down hard tears once more flowing down my cheeks as I laughed.
"Mother..." I looked up to see Maxwell standing above me.
"Oh Max...hold on and I will get you..."
"No Mother, I will stay as I am..."
I stood shocked, "Why Maxwell? We have worked so long to get to this?"
"I have become accustomed to being like this, they are still young and can readjust to their new way of being."
"You can adjust! You did just fine before!" I said grabbing his hands. "You do not deserve to live like this my precious boy."
"It is not that I do not deserve to be this...It is that in this way I can always be their guardian. Never tiring, never sleeping. I will always be by their side guarding them." He said with a rare smile.
"But Max..." I said sadly.
"It is ok Mother, I have thought about it a long time. I have watched them for so long, and I will continue to do so." he said with a soft chuckle.
"Promise me that if you change your mind, you will tell me." I said placing my hand over his heart.
"I swear Mother." He said pulling me into a hug.
I heard the other children and Del coming down the stairs and I wiped my face and eyes. I turned and said, "are you all ready?"
We spent the next hour injecting the children, checking their vitals and making sure they could move correctly.
I felt someone tug at my dress and looked to see Abby. "Mother, why is Max not taking the shot?"
"Well Maxwell has decided to stay the way he is so he can always be all of your guardians." I said with a sad smile. "He said that it would be an honor to do so."
"Is that true?" Abby asked Max and he nodded smiling. The children streamed past me and hugged him around his legs. I smiled at the scene knowing that the children would always be in good hands. Del came hopping down stairs with and arm full of clothes.
"Children! I got you new clothes!" She said dancing around. It was then it hit me, she loved kids. How long had she kept that hidden?
"Alright girls in one room boys in the other ok?" I said as they picked the clothes out. "No fighting, these are just temporary. We will get you all whatever you want later." I said with a smile. As they ran off to the room, I grabbed Del's hand and pulled her to me. "When were you going to tell me you wanted children?"
"I was not...anyway these are our children love." she said pointing to the doors.
"But you want one of your own that is ours." I said looking her in the eyes.
"Yes, but I knew that would not happen Morgs. I am ok with that, as long as I have you that is the best thing in the world." she said cupping my face.
"Conner, make sure they are fed please." I said grabbing Del's hand.
"What should I feed them?" He asked.
"Whatever they want Conner. They deserve that." I said with a smile before I dragged Del up stairs.
"Morgs where are we going?" Del asked laughing. I went into the living room and made the furniture go back in place.
I focused on the ladies and thought, "Come to me." I felt Nyx, Selina, Anna and Gaia appear before I heard the others running. My phone went off and I answered. "Apologies Rachael."
"Do I need to come home?" She asked worried.
"No just listen." I said and put her on speaker handing the phone to Del. As the rest came into the room I walked over and closed the door. "All of you sit." They each took a place with Naona sitting on her sister's lap. "I know all of you are here willingly. I know that each of you love me in your own way at your own level. I was forgetful of the fact that some if not all of you would want children. You gave that up when you bound yourself to me." I saw Serena start to speak and I held up my hand. "Today a miracle happened, my children who have been locked in the bodies of the dead are alive." The ladies gasped and Del smiled at me. "I saw Del interacting with them as if they were hers and it hit me. I have been selfish in my endevours with you all. Serena had said to me that if there was a way she would want to have my children and I told her that I would find a way. Gaia." I said holding out my hand. She smiled at me and walked over placing a bracelet in my hand. "Thank you Gaia. I do not know how this will work, I will get with her on the details, but I swear to every last one of you. That if it is your wish to have children then I will do my very best to fulfill that wish." I said and I felt tears I had not known were building fall down my cheeks.
Serena rushed to me and wrapped me in her arms and I held her tightly. I felt the others come over and hug us. These women had given so much to me and it was time I did the same. Serena leaned back and looked at me smiling with tears in her eyes. "Show us the children love."
"Yes!" Said Sara laughing. "There rest can be decided later." I grabbed Serena's hand and lead them to the kitchen door.
I slowly opened the door and we all heard laughter and talking. We saw them playing and eating and my heart swelled. "My Loves, I present you with our children." I said with a smile. I watched most of them rush in and sit with the children talking with them and laughing. I felt a hand grab mine and I looked to see Anna standing beside me.
"You have done a wonderful thing Baroness." She said with a smile.
"It took a long time." I said with a small smile.
"I remember your prayers. I am happy you succeeded." She said squeezing my hand.
"As am I, now they can live like they should have." I said with a smile.
Conner walked over and turned my free hand palm up. I looked at him confused before he pour bone fragments into my hand. I gasped as I looked that them then to the children then to Conner who nodded. "They are health and happy Lass. As soon as they came out of getting changed they all had one in their hand."
"Their bodies rejected them?" I asked shocked.
"Oh Lass they no longer need them. You gave them life again, so your bone was not needed. They does not change how they feel. They were asking after you the whole time. They call you Mother still." He said closing my hand over the bone. I felt them absorb into my skin and it was as if I could feel the children inside me. Then I saw Abby running full speed towards me and I caught her lifting her into the air before setting her on my hit.
"Why are you not eating baby girl?" I asked touching her nose.
"I wanted to see you Mother." She said, she then spotted Anna and asked. "Who is that?"
"This is Anna, she is a new person in my life...kind of." I said with a smile.
"May we call her momma Anna? The others are allowing us to." she said looking at me.
I covered my mouth as tears filled my eyes, "If Anna allows it then yes baby girl." I said she began to squirm and I set her down. I watched Abby take Anna's hand and drag her to the table.
"You pulled off something no one ever has before Lass." Conner said putting his arm over my shoulders. I turned into him, burying my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around my and gently rocked me as I cried. Suddenly I heard all the children calling for me and running towards me.
"What my precious ones?" I asked squating down to their level.
"Where will we be sleeping?" Frank asked.
"Do we get toys?" Asked Timothy.
"Do we have to go to school?" Asked Abby.
"Your room, yes and yes." They all groaned and I laughed. "You have to learn about the world some how." I said.
"We have a room?" asked Frank.
"You will, how about we go get house to make you one with toys." said with a smile. They cheered and I lifted Abby on my hip and grabbed Timothy's hand. He was still blind, but with help and practice he would be ok. I led them to the entry hall and up the stairs and stopped at the landing. "Now where do you want the door to your room to be?" They all said by mine and I laughed. I walked to the wall by my door and asked, "What color shall we make the door?" they threw colors at me and I shook my head. "How about all the colors." They cheered again. "House one rainbow colored door to a room fit for children with only the best." Slowly the door began to appear. I set Abby down then placed her hand with Timothy's. "I need you to be his eyes Abby, tell him everything you see. Can you do that for me?" She nodded and I ruffled her hair. "Now open the door.
I watched as she turned the handle and pushed. around each bed was things the children had loved when they had been alive before. I watched Abby slowly walk Timothy around the room, letting him measure it his own way. She told him everything she saw in great detail. I heard Maxwell climb the stairs and I saw he was carrying books and I laughed. He walked past me into the room and I saw a shelf, a chair and a table appear in the corner of the room. I took a slow breath wrapping my arms around myself as I watched them talk, play, and get used to their now home.
"They look happy." I heard Gaia say behind me.
"Yes they do." I said flatly.
"I am only hear to tell you about the bracelet then I will go back to my room." She said.
I turned to her and commanded, "No lying. Why did you do that so long ago?" I asked.
"I was afraid, I never knew anyone like you Morganna. You were wild and free and...I was a god tethered to the land. What was I supposed to say?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"The truth Gaia, that is what friends do, or was that a lie to?" I asked.
"Never Morganna, I cherish those days. The days before the world weighed you down. I am so sorry I lied to you and I hate myself every day for it." She said tears sliding down her cheeks. "Now all I can do is try my best to make up for a mistake I never should have made. And I do not think I ever will be able to."