Dark and Anti both sat on their couch while Annalise was on the floor, playing with a Barbie and a toy car. She was happily giggling as she sat the doll on the car and rolled it around. She had a pair of earphones on so she wouldn't be able to hear Dark and Anti talk.
"Anti, is she..." Dark let the question hang in the air.
"She can't be mine. She's three, I've been with you for four years." Anti stated.
"The beginning of our relationship was a little rocky. If you-"
"She's not mine." Anti placed a hand on Dark's leg. "I swear to you that I have not been with any other person since we first got together."
"Then, how?" Dark asked. "I thought you said virus' take over a body, use their form and detach into their own beings?"
"We do. That's how I'm here. We're made when there's a fracture in the universe and we get absorbed into an electrical current." Anti stated.
"By the sounds of it, Annalise has been with Jolene her whole life. That...what?" Dark rubbed his temple, very confused and hating that he didn't have an answer.
"The only way that's possible is if when Annalise was coming through the device, she took the form of the fetus inside of Jolene." Anti stated. "She would become the fetus like how I became a full-grown man when I used Jack's form."
"Annalise doesn't have any siblings. What happened to the one she based herself off of?"
"They must have died. It takes a lot to use someone's body to make your own. I had to slit Jack's throat in order to free myself. Ann must have killed...Annalise." Anti plopped back, covering his face with his hands. "My daughter was a murderer before she was even fully processed."
"She clearly didn't do it on purpose, but still." Dark took a deep breath. "It's a good thing we have her, others wouldn't know what to do."
"She killed her own mother...she killed her and doesn't know that she killed her." Anti groaned. "She thinks mommy's in time-out." Anti started to laugh in disbelief. "What are we going to do when she learns that's not true? How do we tell her that she killed her own mother? How-" Anti stopped when Dark was suddenly straddling him.
"She's three, she has no idea what's going on. What she needs to worry about is learning new words and colors and animals." Dark took Anti's hands and put them on his hips while his went to Anti's shoulders. "Annalise is now calmed down, she's no longer glitching and the pixels are gone. I'm going to make a few phone calls and then we can finally call it a day." Dark moved his hands so he was holding Anti's face. "We got her back." He whispered before pulling Anti into a kiss.
"I still wanted to be the one to end her." Anti slightly pouted when they parted.
"We'll kill someone else later." Dark said with a wink.
"We are fucked up." Anti chuckled.
"And I wouldn't want us any other way." Dark gave Anti another quick kiss before getting up. "I shouldn't be long." He added before going into his office.
"Papa?" Annalise asked as she awkwardly removed the earphones, getting her hands tangled up.
"Papa's talking to a few people and then he'll be right out." Anti explained as he joined Annalise on the ground, helping her get out of the mess she made. "We'll have a nice dinner and then I'll read you a bedtime story, how does that sound?"
"Train that could?" Annalise asked as she watched her hands be freed.
"Of course." Anti wrapped the earphones into a ball and set them aside, he looked over at the office door and let out a sigh. "Ann?"
"Yeah?" Anti felt his heart warm up a little when Annalise looked at him with wide eyes, tilting her head and showing that she was ready.
"Do you know what happened today?" Annalise rocked her head around a little.
"Mommy was mean." Annalise said, nodding her head before continuing. "Mommy in time-out."
"Are you able to take mommy out of time-out?" Anti chewed his lip when Annalise shook her head.
"Forever time-out." Annalise explained. "Mommy really bad."
"Yeah, mommy really bad." Anti repeated with a sigh. "I love you, Ann."
"Love you, Daddy." Annalise smiled.
x~x~x
"So if Annie's a virus like you, does that mean there's more of ya." Wilford asked after a long sip of his eggnog.
"There's probably a shit ton of virus' and we don't know them." Anti shrugged, his sweater jingling as he did.
"Is that why there's so many people that have doubles on the other side of the world?" Chase asked.
"I want a glitchy clone." Bim chuckled.
"One Bim Trimmer is enough for this universe." Dark lightly teased, giving the show host a pat on the shoulder.
"You two should have adopted years ago, Dark is less of a stiff because of Annie." Wilford joked.
"Look, Jim, it's the offspring." Reporter Jim said as Cameraman Jim got a better view of Annalise.
"Tim!" Annalise cheered, clapping her hands.
"No, I'm Jim and this is Jim." Reporter Jim corrected, getting a giggle from Annalise.
"Kim!"
"No, I'm Jim and this is Jim." Reporter Jim corrected again.
"Bim!"
"No, that's Bim." The show host turned his head when he heard his name. "I'm Jim and this is Jim."
"Mim!"
"Now, is that even a name?" The Jims looked at Anti when he started laughing.
"Ann, quit teasing the Jims." Anti chuckled as he scooped Annalise up.
"Teasing? She's not teasing. She's clearly trying to avoid the questions. We'll get the answers from her." Reporter Jim held the microphone in front of Annalise's face while Cameraman Jim got closer as well. "Tell us. Are you the offspring?"
"Are you suggesting that my child is the offspring that Host has been talking about?" Dark said, his voice harsh.
"Jim, it's the demon!" The Jim twins both yelped and ran off, heading straight for dining table which had an endless supply of treats.
"Don't you just love Christmas?" Anti chuckled.
"Merry Chrysler!" Annalise shouted happily, giggling as Dark glared at Anti.
"Where did she learn that?" Dark asked in a growl.
"Time for presents!" Anti announced.
"Anti!"
"Presents!" The Jim twins and Annalise cheered.
"The married couple have to open mine first!" Wilford stated as he grabbed three boxes while everyone sat down around the living room. "Here you go." The madman had a large smile as he handed Anti and Dark a box each.
"It's squishy." Anti commented, tearing off the wrapping paper. "Yes!" Anti started laughing as he held up the t-shirt, an image of Dark glaring up was on it. "I love it!"
"You have to be kidding me." Dark sighed as he held up his shirt, Anti's face with a black bar across his eyes was printed on it.
"How could I not? All couples have cute shirt of their significant other." Wilford chuckled, watching as Annalise opened her present.
"Shooty!" Reporter Jim shouted when Annalise pulled out a bright pink gun.
"Wilford!" Dark reached to take the gun, but Annalise already pulled the trigger, a large stream of bubbles came out of the barrel and the little girl laughed happily as it did.
"She'll work her way up to the real thing." Wilford said with a nod.
"You alright there?" Anti asked Dark, who was groaning.
"My husband is obsessed with knives, my best friend is obsessed with guns and I have a small child, I'm doing great." Dark huffed.
"Love you." Anti sang while the others began opening their gifts.
"How did you know?" Wilford said as he held up a brand new bowtie, a grinning Bim next to him.
"Dope!" Bing and Chase both shouted as the machine put on sunglasses and the 'bro' put on a hat. The two high-fived each other and laughed.
"Oh!" Dr. Schneeplestein said in awe, pulling out several new scalpels.
"We have the same mind." Dr. Iplier chuckled as he took out the same scalpels.
"I gift!" Annalise announced, standing in the center of the group.
"What did you make, Annalise?" Dark asked. Everyone was waiting for a piece of paper to be pulled out or something like that.
"I make daddy and papa." Annalise closed her hands and opened them back up, holographic images of Anti and Dark appeared on her palms. The group went into a stunned silence.
"Did you show her how to do that?" Dark finally asked.
"I have not." Anti softly shook his head.
"You like?" Annalise smiled.
"Yes, yes, of course!" Anti held his hands and Annalise handed him the image. "I think it's time for our little princess to go to bed, it's getting late."
"But, daddy!" Annalise protested as she was scooped up.
"Goodnight, Annie." Wilford said with a wave.
"Night-night, Stache." Annalise waved back.
"Your child is such a doll." Wilford chuckled when Annalise and Anti were gone.
"She's also a virus." Marvin stated.
"She's still a child, that doesn't mean anything." Dark said.
"Are all virus' the same? Do they all have murderous tendencies like your husband?" Google asked. "I have no databases to look into for that."
"What are you implying?" Dark asked.
"Would you allow your child to go into your field of work if she ends up like you guys?" Chase asked.
"Alright guys, I still have to give Dark my present and I'm pretty sure none of you want to see it." Anti chuckled as he walked back in, preventing Dark from answering the question.
"Is it some kind of ritual?" Reporter Jim asked as Cameraman Jim aimed his camera at Anti. Anti smirked and leaned over, making sure his face was close to the camera.
"Yes, the ritual of me sucking Dark's dick while he's tied up to the bed." The Jims looked at him with confusion while the other egos started saying random excuses for why they needed to leave. The twins were still confused as Wilford urged them to their feet and towards the front door.
"You two have your fun. We'll see you for the new year." Wilford said while ushering the stragglers.
"Papa!" Annalise giggled as she ran out of her bedroom and into Dark's arms.
"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Dark asked with a chuckle.
"An offspring will cause pain to us all." Host said quietly as Wilford shut the door.