John Winchester (daddywinchester) wrote in parabolical, @ 2009-07-21 02:11:00 |
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Mary changed her clothes several times before finally settling on a loose t-shirt and pair dark drawstring pants. They were a little more casual than what she had been hoping to wear for the announcement, but nothing else in her closet would downplay the new roundness of her abdomen enough to make the announcement any sort of a surprise. Still, she couldn't stop smiling. Somehow, everything was falling in place. She was really going to have a baby, they were past the most dangerous part of the pregnancy, everyone was coming, and Sam said 'I love you.' Though there were so many things still left to figure out, particularly with her youngest son, Mary couldn't help but feel a little hopeful...something that hadn't happened in some time. "It's almost time." She said, turning to John and resting her head against his chest. "You ready for this?" She knew that things between John and Sam were tense at best, but she was hoping with all of her might that Sam would, for this one day, manage to be happy with both of them. John stroked her hair one more time, his response to her question noncommittal before he moved them both toward the door and out of the bedroom. The truth was, he wasn't ready for this but he needed to be anyhow. Yes, there were a number of people in the family he'd been ready to tell for a time now, but not all of them - specifically, Sam. Added to that was John's own personal desire to not inhabit the same room as his younger son, as he was still unable to think about what Sam had done without anger and a chaotic mess of emotions twisting low in his gut, sharpening his temper and increasing his hands-tied feelings about the situation. That avoidance had been easy - too easy, really - in the near month since that night when everything had changed, but it couldn't go on forever. People would notice, if they hadn't begun to already with Mary at her fifteenth week, and she deserved to be able to tell everyone now that the first trimester had passed. It wasn't just about his own feelings, though. He'd seen how just a few message board responses from Sam last night had turned the weeks peppered with Mary's bouts of quiet near-depression over Sam's treatment of her and his actions with the blood into this brief period of smiles and hope. He didn't want to see that torn down again and this situation about to happen was one that John couldn't predict. The reactions of the others were a concern to John too, but he didn't even have a guess as to how Sam would react. Feeling like he did still about his son, he knew his reactions to any negative reaction of Sam's would be explosive and would only hurt Mary more now that Sam had dangled those small phrases in front of her. Not everyone was in the upstairs living room when they entered, so John moved to get a seat for Mary, futile gesture or not. Mary knew John had to be concerned about this, but she couldn't shake the feeling that everything would be ok. They had planned to expand their family before...and though she assumed--they likely had all assumed--that those dreams were gone for good, some unknown miracle was granting her and John another child. That miracle wouldn't hurt the already tumultuous relationship she and John had with their son...at least she hoped it wouldn't. As they neared the upstairs living room, Mary felt a wave of fresh butterflies start in her stomach. Despite her belief that the time was right, that this was right, she was concerned that someone would feel hurt or replaced or resentful. She knew such feelings were common with new children, but with all they had been through with Sam, the last thing she wanted to do was upset anyone. Though John moved to get her a seat, Mary was determined to stand. Not everyone was here yet, and she knew if she sat down now she'd be fidgeting and nervous even before everyone arrived. Instead she went to straighten things up around the living room. Nothing too large, just picking up some of Dean's car magazines or scooting tables closer to chairs or slightly farther from them. It was nervous work and she knew it, but it helped and she didn't care. The tidying that Mary was doing quickly got to John, so he crossed the room to put himself between her and the next chair she was about to move. It was light lifting - more like nudging than lifting, really - but he'd grown more and more protective of her since learning she was pregnant, something that had its outlet both in even harsher edges to his reactions over anything that could be inflicted on her to hurt her or make her unhappy and in her doing anything that might be a strain. "Mary. Stop." Though said quietly, for her ears only, there was that tone of command to it. Things like this - stopping her from moving furniture around, however innocuous the moving - were something he could control and there was often overcompensation because of that fact. Mary loved John's protectiveness, but sometimes it got in the way of her doing something that felt good. Right now, her nervous fidgeting was distracting her, at least minutely, from waiting. "I'm alright." She said, giving John a small smile. The chair was out of place. It looked better when it was positioned at a slight angle to the wall rather than parallel to it, and if Sam and Faith and everyone was coming, Mary wanted everything to be perfect. Not that Mary was naive enough to think that a well put together house would make her son want to stay, or make him any less likely to do something foolish like go back to blood sucking, but it was one small thing she could do--the only real thing she could do. "Really. It's just that that chair goes more that way, and that..." Mary listed a few more of the things that had to be moved or straightened, hoping the nervousness didn't sound as clear to John as it did to her own ears. Having listened to her list, John stepped away from her, not vocally addressing what she said; instead, acting specifically on it with the same attention to detail he'd give any hunt. Each thing mentioned was quickly corrected with that single-minded Winchester determination, then he moved back to her side. It wasn't that he didn't know she needed the outlet, it was that he didn't approve of said outlet and that disapproval led to the mildly drill sergeant order-or-do. There were times he was certain everyone forgot they hadn't been married for years, because there were times John forgot that, that in the scheme of things he was still relatively 'newly' married in the single-digit years and thus still learning how to be a husband - especially as the man he was today. "There. That all?" He waited expectantly for her answer, still unwilling to let her keep moving furniture around. If the exchange and his actions were drawing attention, he didn't notice, as the reasons would be coming out in a few minutes. The room was now spotless, at least, as spotless as Mary could hope to have it with the amount of males she had living in the house. It was only a short time after supper, but when she considered the guests she had coming, as well as the boys she already had living in the house, she started thinking about snacks. It was just another 'busy' task one she used to pass the time the same way John might use pacing or Dean might use eating. Watching her husband accomplish the task was of little use to assuage Mary's own nervous energy. "What about some pie? I have a fresh coconut cream pie in the fridge. There are also some cookies and chips in the pantry..." and just like that, Mary was headed off toward the kitchen for something else to do. She knew everyone would manage to come in and find a seat on their own. Hot on her heels, John was fully ready to divert her from that task too, thinking it unnecessary, when the arrival of the last person gave him reason to stop her. Reaching out, he caught her easily, but gently, and pulled her to him. Of all the things to happen in this place, then have to be shared, this one was one of the furthest from dark and dangerous. It might not be an announcement that came with fluffiness and light, exactly, and it might result in varied reactions, but in the end, it was something that still gave John hope, something that encouraged life in the lighter parts of his soul and it was nothing to be ashamed about, this gift. "Mary, it's time," he said, voice soft, and then released her, certain she wouldn't still head for the kitchen now. With them all in the room, there was no reason to delay any longer, so he took Mary's hand in both of his and faced the family. There was something in the soft, firm way that John said it was time that made Mary's desire to flee to the kitchen fade away. Everyone was here. Not everyone she cared about, by any means, but her most immediate family was here, and they deserved to know. This child deserved to be surrounded by the most caring, welcoming family imaginable, and a big step toward that was letting them know. She took John's hand and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming." Mary paused, looking at everyone a little nervously. It had been so much easier to announce Sam's impending arrival to Dean all those years ago. This was infinitely harder, and she was a little worried that she was doing it all wrong. Should she explain why they were only just finding out? Should she explain where the baby was in its development? Should she just announce that they would be adding to their number shortly and run for the hills? Stop being foolish, Mary she chastised herself. This is going to be just fine. Just tell them already. Voice a little unsteady, but smile firm, Mary continued. "John and I just wanted to announce that we are going to have a baby early next year, likely around the 11th of January." The act of just saying the words was freeing, and the nerves were already fading as she turned to John, giving him a chance to add to the announcement. Right to the point, the way John usually liked it, but he found this time that he really wasn't entirely ready for it to be out there. Hearing her say the words in front of someone other than just him felt a little jarring, like hearing it for the first time all over again, but he recovered quickly. Taking a breath, he began to add to what Mary had just revealed, looking to cover the biggest questions right off. "The doctor said this pregnancy seems to be a normal one, not sped up like others in the city have been," he explained, squeezing her hand lightly, supportively. "We don't really know why, other than speculating that Mary being brought here by Castiel, not one of the powers, made her situation different. The baby's healthy, everything as it should be in there." He cleared his throat briefly before covering the other part. "We've known for awhile, but we decided to wait to tell all of you until after Mary and the baby were past the first trimester risk." It was simple enough, an explanation without highlighting any of the additional influences on them waiting so long, like dealing with Sam's secret being revealed and the resulting detox, then not wanting to rock the boat so soon after those events. Detangling one hand from their clasp, he slid it around her and pulled her closer to his side, a gesture of mingled support and protectiveness. Now it was out there, said in full, leaving only the reactions of the others. |