Oops!

[Hazel Butler]

The streets were frantic with activity on that warm November afternoon. It was a beautiful spring day and everyone seemed to be out and about. Amongst the cloud of people was one heavily pregnant Hazel Butler. She had just finished her lesson plans for the week at the Muggle Secondary School where she worked and realized she still had a few errands to do around the city. At this realization she groaned and looked over to the large comfortable bed she had been looking forward to taking a nap in. Her life was hectic enough as is, but having to prepare for two babies solo on top of her job at the school and the second job she had taken to help scrape up cash for the soon to be family of three, all with an ever expanding stomach. Hazel had never felt more tired in her life than these past few months, at least there wasn’t a full moon around the corner, even though the potions had kept her from changing the effects were still a b!tch.

She got up from her chair and changed out of the clothes she had worn to work that day, instead opting for something a bit more casual . The shorts were more than a bit short for her taste and she had no idea what had possessed her to buy them at the time but anything of a decent length in the maternity stores she went to was just horrid looking. Locking the door behind her she walked out of her house out into the town. Quickly melding into the crowd, people quickly moving out of her way, not wishing to be hit by a distracted pregnant woman as Hazel was trying to pinpoint which grocery store was the closest to her home. But unfortunately she had lost too much focus and ran into someone, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” She said, not really looking at who she ran into as she began to walk again.

[I totally didn't make that set. I know I switched from present to past to present again but hopefully it was easy enough to follow ]

 

[James Dalton]

So, James was in New Zealand again. He had been looking at properties for him, Antoinette, Pippin and the new baby to all settle down in.. But so far he had had no luck. Sulking a little, James wandered the streets of the city, pausing only to look at the occasional estate agents and peering in at the various homes for sale. James was beginning to get tired and hungry. He wanted to sit down and have a bite to eat so he began on his journey across the city, in the direction of a small and often deserted cafe.

Whatever surprises James had prepared himself for today, such as the disappointment of not finding a home, he had not prepared himself for the one to follow. As James hurried through the streams of people, he managed to collide with someone. James stumbled, muttering apologies. It was then that he realized how big this woman's waist was. And James had seen a waste like that before- This woman was pregnant. But the surprise could only get worse as James looked up to the woman's face, his eyes widened.
Desperately, James tried to speak but all he could think was that Hazel was pregnant and it might be his baby.
Fear getting the better of him, James's feet took control, spinning him round and causing him to race away, round a corner and into an alleyway. He stood there, chest rising and falling, his breathing heavy.
"No.. no.. no.." He swore under his breath.

 

[Hazel Butler]

Hazel hadn't taken a single step in the direction she had been headed when her eyes locked in on the mans face standing before her. She watched as his eyes slowly made their way from her stomach, which was his doing though he didn't know that yet, up to her own brown orbs. They connected and she could feel her own eyes widen to about the size his looked at the moment as he seemed to put to put the pieces together. But before she could open her mouth to speak the boy spun on his heels and ran in the opposite direction. Hazel watched after him with a raised brow, sure she hadn't exactly expected him to come swooping in to be a father to their children. They both had lives that they lived in, aside from one night the the two little girls nestled in Hazels womb those lives weren't supposed to cross. But she hadn't thought he'd flat out turn around and run away either.

Against her better judgment Hazel found her feet moving not towards the nearby grocery store as she had originally intended, but in the path James had taken. Her hand quickly made it's way to her wand holder. She got it out and gripped it firmly at her side as she made her way towards the Alley she had seen him disappear into, she stopped at the edge, unsure about going in. What is something happened that caused harm to her or the babies? Sure this pregnancy and the obvious result of it, children, was the last thing Hazel wanted or needed but she was stuck with it now and she was going to make damn sure her children were healthy and happy even if they did have a social pariah for a mother and an absent crackpot father. Deciding she would risk apparition if worse came to worse and lit her wand and headed in. She soon found him half hunched over panting like he has just ran a marathon, oh he was going to be in bad shape once he found out. If he did, she would give him the choice. "So I see you noticed..." she trailed off, Damn this is going to be so bad. she thought, laying a hand on her stomach.

 

[James Dalton]

James looked up and flinched a little at the sight of her stomach. He pulled his wand out, aiming it at her, his eyes focused-
But he put it away again. He couldn't harm her. He couldn't harm a pregnant woman. James may have been many things but he was not a baby killer. His eyes locked onto hers and he nodded. James winced again as he looked at the bump- Responsibility was the curse of his existence and he would run from it whenever possible.. Except with Antoinette.

"You're.." Many thoughts raced through James's mind and immediately he tried to think of ways out. Loopholes. "You're huge," he said, desperate to save his own skin, "You.. You must have been pregnant before then. Before that night in the alley." As he said this, James realized that they were in an alley once more. He swore. Any woman in Hazel's situation would probably have slapped James for his thoughtless and less than kind words. So he prepared himself for the worst.

 

[Hazel Butler]

It seemed every time the two of them crossed paths in an alley she found herself at wand point. Her eyes flashed in warning as she lifted her own wand, if anyone tried to harm her in her current state she would have no hesitations about blowing their ass to Kingdom Come. Her arm snaking around her stomach entirely, as if that would really shield them from anything that happened to her. She relaxed when he put it down, lowering her own and slowly moving her arm to her side, before resting it on her stomach again out of what was now reflex.

She watched and listened as he stumbled over his words, his eyes darting all around the alley, looking for a way out. Not out of the alleyway itself, but out of this new found possibility of responsibility. He was only eighteen, or somewhere around there. The last thing he could possibly want is a child, let alone two. Possibly more, she didn't know about his past and didn't particularly care to find out. She heard the conclusion James had came up with and it took everything in her not to let out a sad laugh, to most people she did look like she was about to pop, it only made sense to anyone who didn't know she was carrying two. She let out a small sigh and shook her head, "I know this is where you want me to nod my head and tell you there's nothing to worry about. But I'm only Six months along." she said, before letting the bomb drop. "The reason I'm so big... I'm having twins." one bomb down, one to go. Come on, it's like ripping off band aid... a really big ass band aid with poisonous needles in it. "And yes... They are yours." she ended, waiting to let the news sink in.

 

[James Dalton]

James did not want to hear what he was hearing. It was terrifying. Of course Hazel would be having a worse time but only now did James consider what he had done. What he hadn't done. How many more illegitimate children he could have. He felt sick to the stomach.
"A-and you're going to keep them?" he stuttered, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. Of all the things he didn't want to hear, he had just discovered he now had at least three children on the way.

He stepped towards Hazel suddenly, his eyes shimmering as fear coated them, his hand reached out to her stomach, resting on the bump.
James was going to be a father of twins. Had it been Antoinette, he would have jumped for joy, but this was some woman, a woman he had only met once before and had ended up spending the night with. And, of course, James knew he had finally gotten his comeuppance.
He knew he deserved this after what he had done. But he just had to ask, had to know.. "Are you going to raise them alone?"

 

[Hazel Butler]

When he asked if she was going to keep them Hazel nodded, biting back a sharp remark about how it was too late to abort now. Though he could have easily meant adoption, which he probably did. Either way her answer was a silent conformation, he did have atleast two children on the way. Probably more... she thought, if he slept with her then chances are he had slept with quite a few others. She had considered this when she went to get checked for the pregnancy and luckily for both of them they were clean, or at the very least it was good she hadn't caught anything he had if we was infected.

As he took a step towards her she had to keep herself from flinching, still on wand wielding mode. But quickly moved her hand aside as she realized what he wanted to do. She had had several people rest their hands on her stomach these past few months, but with James it was different. He had helped create these children forming inside of her and was seeing 'them' for the first time. When he asked if she was going to raise them alone she nodded. "I don't expect you to uproot your life or anything. But I'm not going to shut you out either if you want to see them, I think I'll be a capable mother. But I couldn't keep my girls away from their father." she said softly, and now he knew. He had two daughters at the least. It was about that time when one of them decided to give a good hard kick that always made Hazel smile. They were moving around a lot now.

 

[James Dalton]

James could feel the movement inside Hazel's stomach and slowly, he pulled his hand away. It was strange knowing that there were four of them in the alley. Even stranger that he had caused the existence of these two life-forms. He would feel guilty if he just abandoned Hazel completely, left her to fend for herself and their children. He simply would not have it.
"I will try to visit when I can," he said, his heart stopping for a moment as he said this. It was another responsibility and he would have to avoid Antoinette finding out. "I want to be a part of their lives- That is.. if that's ok?"

James was not always the smartest of people but his heart was in the right place. He had grown up without his parents and it had sent him insane. The least he could do was give these babies a chance at life, a chance to have both parents around even if it was far more complicated than it appeared at first glance. James wanted to watch them grow up but he knew that if anything ever happened to Hazel, even if it caused trouble between he and Antoinette, James would raise the children. Even if it was all by himself.

 

[Hazel Butler]

That kick seemed to be the glue that bound his words to a certain sense of honesty. She saw something different in his eyes when he felt it, it reminded her a lot of how she must have looked the first time she felt kicking. Amazed that there were two lives, two people in there. Growing, changing, and becoming the daughters she knew she would protect with her life. She didn't know if they would have the Lycthanropy gene yet, that would be a grievous full moon to find out. If they did things would get a whole lot more complicated but she knew she wouldn't care either way. They could be born with fur and webbed feet and she would still love them.

When he said he would try to visit them she nodded, James and Hazel may not have met under the best circumstances or had the best past but their lives were intertwined forever now, by the shared love for two people. When he asked if he could be in their lives Hazel quickly nodded, "Definitely." she replied, her father had ran out on her and her mother when she was young and while she turned out just fine all things considered, she always felt like she was missing out on something. Definitely wanted to avoid that with her children. My children... the thought still sounded so strange to Hazel, who had always thought she was infertile. "Would you like a letter or anything when they're born? Things like names, birthdates, weight. That kind of stuff?" she offered, if he wanted to be a part of their lives that would be a good start, knowing when they actually existed as separate human beings on earth.

 

[James Dalton]

"I.." James thought of Antoinette. So long as she never knew about his children then he could do this. "I would like that." He said finally.
But James knew he would have to tell Hazel the truth. He knew that at least she would need to know about his 'other life'.
"Hazel, I really do want to be a part of their lives but there's something I have to tell you," This was it. James was finally going to come clean with at least one woman. Though he may not love Hazel, feel the same way about her as he did for Antoinette, James couldn't help but want to look after her. She was, after all, the mother of two of his children.

And now James took a deep breath, finally ready to speak. It was time the truth came out. "I'm engaged." he said, wasting no more time, "I'm engaged to a girl called Antoinette. We've been engaged for a couple of months now. I love her and she doesn't need to know about.." His eyes immediately fell to Hazel's bump. "About what happened. I will support you and the children but" and then his last words hung in the air, "Antoinette must never know."
This was the only rule James had. If Hazel agreed then James would always be there to support his children. But he had a daughter on the way as well and she was just as important.

 

[Hazel Butler]

When James said he would indeed like to know when his daughters were born and whatnot she nodded. Sure this whole situation wasn't favorable but there were ways to make it work that gave them both their freedom, they were slowly carving out their own way. Hazel had no idea of the curve ball that he was about to throw, though she really should have expected something like it. But when he said he had to tell her something she tensed up, "Okay..." she trailed off, waiting to hear whatever it was he had to say to make this thing more complicated than what it already was. The eeriness of the moment was interrupted by another sharp kick from inside of her womb.

When she heard the words fall out of his mouth she blinked, her eyes darkening in... well Hazel didn't really know how to react. She wasn't exactly angry, she had known it was a possibility. Definitely not jealous, had it not been for the pregnancy she wouldn't care if she ever saw him again. Disgust would probably be the right word, she was disgusted at both of them. Him for the way he betrayed this unknown woman, and herself for allowing herself to be 'the other woman'. Even if she hadn't known at the time it was still wrong. But what was done was done now. She listened to his request, if you could even call it that. She stood there silently, pondering it in her mind.

On one hand it would be wrong, the poor girl deserved to know exactly who she was marrying, if he would so willingly hop into bed with a random stranger. But on the other hand Hazel would likely never have contact with this woman, if she was meant to know the fates would do it eventually whether James liked it or not. In the end it came down to what was best for her children, she wanted them to at least have the option to see their father if they so chose, something she herself had been robbed of. "Well, I can't say I like this situation. But whats done is done and there's not much else either of us can do about it. For the sake of my daughters I will keep your deceit a secret." she said, her voice low. "But be warned, even with my cooperation these things have a tendency to come out. If you've been with any other women they may not be as willing to negotiate if they're in... a similar situation." she finished. He may have brought this on himself but she had had a part too and couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the guy. Had she been eighteen with even one kid on the way she would have buckled under the pressure. She was barely ready at Thirty.

 

[James Dalton]

James had already spent a lot of time in this alleyway with Hazel, a woman he has attempted to run from. And he knew that he needed to find a home for Antoinette, Pippin and the baby. He needed to get moving. He had told Antoinette he'd only be four hours at most and now he had been gone for nearly three and a half hours. But he'd promised to get them a home that day.

James smiled weakly at Hazel. "Thank you so much for.." For.. ? Come on, James, speak. He had a lump in his throat. He could only think about the three living beings before him. "For.. For doing this for me." He wasn't sure as to why this had stressed him so much. "Listen, I have to go - I'm house hunting. But I would like to see you-- the babies again." The night he had met her, James had been attracted to Hazel, and now he found himself pleased to see her again. His face turned red. "Right.. well.. Bye."

James began to walk down the alleyway but stopped. He found himself looking back at Hazel and knew what he was doing, what he had done was wrong. However, it was one thing sleeping with another woman but sleeping with any he met was a completely different thing.
He walked back to Hazel but just for a moment. His hand stroked the bump and his eyes seemed to twinkle for a moment. James almost slapped himself for this but instead turned on his heel and walked away, trying to seem casual.
Though he may have been unlucky so far that day, his luck was about to change as he disapparated to a house for sale.. The perfect home.

 

[Hazel Butler]

Hazel offered a weak smile in return, this may not have been the most conventional situation, and in the eyes of many what they were doing was probably immoral, not their actions. But their silence to his soon to be wife, who Hazel would probably never meet. But they were trying to give their children the best life they could considering the circumstances, most of that responsibility falling right upon Hazels shoulders. When he thanked her she could only nod slowly, having to keep her head from looking like a bobble head as her neck felt like it was about to snap from the sudden weight of the days events.

"Just remember what I said..." she said softly, she didn't know quite why but Hazel got a strong sense of foreboding about what was to come for this man. She felt she wasn't the only woman he had gotten pregnant and lord only knew what someone else would do in this situation. When he said he wanted to see the babies again she gave one final nod, short and sharp. "And so you will." she promised not for him, but for her children. "Bye" was all she had to say as she watched him walk away, making her own way towards the exit of the alleyway but he stopped, and came back over to him. Laying his hand on her stomach once more.

It was an oddly tender moment between the four, the two parents who barely knew each other and the only ties they had to each other in this world, which seemed to have settled down for the time being. She felt two tiny kicks, both girls seemed to know just who's hand was resting over their home. Her eyes met his only for a moment, "Until we meet again." she said at a near whisper, before walking out ahead of him and melding into the hectic crowd once more.

---

END OF THREAD