Closed To Make a Home

[Etienne Monet]

Etienne had been hard at work for the past several hours. After taking his leave of Sophie, he had gone straight to the store, buying everything he could think of. A crib, a rocker, a changing table, organizers for the closet, diapers, wipes, dozens of baby clothes, bottles, pillows, blankets, a music box, baby monitors, stuffed animals, a mobile. When he was sure he had everything, he went back to the apartment. He moved to the second room, taking the time to enchant the ceiling of the nursery. During the day it would be a cloudy, beautiful blue sky, at night it would shine with a thousand stars.

The walls he took a bit more time on. Two of the walls were a rainforest, rain drizzling down in a calming storm over the green trees. The other walls were an underwater aquarium, filled with fish and flora. The charmwork was difficult and required almost an hour of full concentration. The walls and ceiling all stayed still, until you started to watch them, and they would come to life. When he was done, he filled the room with everything he had bought. He even had a small bookshelf set next to the rocker, filled with childrens books. He wasn't sure if Sophie would want to read to Brianna, but if she allowed him to he knew he would.

He spent another two hours on Brianna's room, putting the same enchantment on the ceiling, though he left the walls a pleasant shade of her favorite color. The double bed was plush, comfortable, with beautiful bedding and plenty of pillows. He set an easel in one corner of the room, next to a shelf filled with the best paints and brushes. Against the wall was a desk with a comfortable chair, set up for an artist with sketchpads and a good supply of high end art supplies. There was a dresser in the closet and room for her to move her things in.

When he was finally pleased with what he'd done, Etienne grabbed the diaper bag and went to pick his girls up. He brought them back to the apartment after only an hour. Smiling, he set the diaper bag on the table and led Sophie to the door of the nursery. "Are you ready?" He asked her, one hand on the doorknob and the other hovering over the small of her back. "Remember, please be honest, if you don't like anything please tell me and I'll change it for you," He reassured her with a shy smile.

 

[Sophie Elliston]

Sophie was a little nervous to be finally leaving the hospital with her baby girl. She felt a little anxious for what was ahead, but she also knew Etienne would look after them and try his best to make them feel comfortable. She couldn't be more thankful to be heading to a brand new home with Brianna. After all, she was sure her mother would soon enough kick her out if she tried to raise Brianna in their small family home. It would have definitely been a challenge, and she was always more than happy to accept Etienne's offer.

Sophie held Etienne's hand as he led her to the nursery he had set up, leaving Brianna sleeping soundly in the bassinet. Sophie nodded as he asked if she was ready. "I'm sure I'll like all of it." she assured him with a smile, expecting nothing more than a room with a crib in it, and maybe a chair. She hoped he didn't put too much effort into a room that the baby may only be interested in for a couple of years.

 

[Etienne Monet]

Etienne smiled widely, opening the door and stepping inside. "See, the crib is there, and there's a rocking chair there, you mentioned breastfeeding so there are some comfy pillows and a blanket you can drape over the two of you, and there's a bookshelf so you can set bottles or a drink for you on top and maybe I can read to her, if you don't mind." Etienne chattered on. "It took a bit of charm work, but the walls and ceiling are animated if you stare at them," he told her, running a hand through his hair and moving to the changing table. "You have everything stocked here, plenty of bottles and wipes and diapers, with spit up rags and extra clothes and blankets, pretty much everything I could think of,"

Etienne walked over and opened the closet. "I bought some clothes, and they're mostly folded into these organizers I got, they're open and easy to get into. I was thinking I could take you shopping in a few days to get more clothes and toys, I know I got a lot to start with, but I really want you to be involved in getting everything set up just the way you like it," he turned back to Sophie, smiling shyly and looking like a nervous boy.

 

[Sophie Elliston]

Sophie's jaw dropped as she entered the nursery that Etienne had prepared for Brianna. She wondered how he managed to prepare it so quickly. There was everything she could ask for in there, and she felt more butterflies as she realised just how much Etienne really cared. After all, he wouldn't have put the effort in if he didn't. "Of course you can read to her. I had always planned on reading. Apparently it's known to help with your child's ability to learn." she told him, having seen it written in one of those books about parenting that her mother bought her. She wanted Brianna to be intelligent, and so reading to her whilst she was young was a good place to start.

At the sight of Brianna's wardrobe, her eyes widened. "Oh Etienne you shoutidn't have!" she exclaimed, looking around at all of the different outfits. "Children grow out of clothes so quickly. When we go shopping, we should buy some larger sizes that she could grow into." Sophie couldn't help but look forward to going shopping now, especially since she was no longer pregnant and could avoid all of those stares from strangers. "Also, Etienne..." she said, turning to him as she realised that something was missing. "Where's my bed going to fit? It's no issue if you forgot. I could just sleep on the lounge for a little until we get one." She smiled at him, happy for an easier alternative.

 

[Etienne Monet]

Etienne relaxed, relieved when she agreed. That was good, he was eager to read through the stories he'd found with baby Bree. He chuckled as Sophie talked about babies growing out of clothes. "Oh, it's alright, we can always donate them." Or set them aside for later, he added, but brushed the thought aside. He nodded as she talked about getting bigger clothes. That sounded like a good plan.

His brow furrowed as she mentioned her bed. "I absolutely did not forget, and you are most definitely not sleeping on the lounge," he told her, turning and walking out of the room. "You still need a space of your own, mon cher, there is absolutely no way I would let you sleep on the lounge," He had meant to wait, but he needed Sophie to see this immediately. He opened the door to her room and motioned inside, stepping aside to let her see everything he had done. "I'll sleep on the lounge, cherie, it's really rather comfortable. And I'll be closer to Brianna, and you can sleep. I'll take the night shifts. You need your rest," he tried to tell her.