Project Motherhood: Squigly

Chapter 3

As the night went on, Harry subconsciously felt something... wrong. Usually at this point, he would see his uncle, he would see monsters... He'd be terrifed, he'd be hurt, he'd... He felt cozy... Was this a trick? Was this just a nightmare that was taking it's time to begin? The warm feeling didn't subside though. If anything... it was getting stronger. What appeared to be some sort of orange dust trail seemed to be floating near him, slowly wrapping around him. It was warm, it felt so nice... Then he realized it. His mama was holding him. He didn't need to be scared!

His dreams began to shift and change around him. Rather than terror and pain, his dreams were filled with warmth and love. He found himself being rocked back and forth by his adoptive mother, the soothing sound of her beautiful singing voice gracing his eardrums. He felt safe... and happy...

He liked this, he liked this a lot. He shut his eyes in his dream and let himself succumb to a deeper sleep. Feeling safe in his mama's warm embrace, he knew he could sleep without fear.

Squigly was used to sleeping for a long time. Like, a REALLY long time. But whenever she woke up to deal with the Skullgirls, she didn't want to waste a minute, and would be up at the crack of dawn. However, for some reason, she slept soundly for much longer than expected. Maybe it was the cozy bed, or maybe it was the teddy-bear-like boy she held.

Ultimately, it was Squigly who awakened first. She yawned softly, then smiled over at the still sleeping Harry and hugged him close, resting her chin atop his head and just laying with him for several minutes. He's her son... She has a son to call her own... She gets to feel the joy of being a mother... Harry smiled in his sleep and hugged her back, causing her smile to widen. Even in his sleep he was the sweetest little boy she had ever met. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and sat up against her pillow with him wrapped up in her arms.

She loved Harry, that was a fact that couldn't be understated. But she could help but let a sad smile form as she saw once again how tiny he was. He seemed to be six or seven, yet he was the size of a three year old. She sighed slightly and rubbed his back. She had him now! And she'd take good care of him.

Leviathan emerged with a small yawn and nuzzled her cheek. "Good morning, m'lady... I trust you're feeling well now that you're a mother?" Squigly looked over at her parasite with teary eyes and a huge smile. "Oh, Leviathan... I dreamed of the day where I'd have a little one to call my own... But I'd thought..." She trailed off, but Leviathan understood.

"I understand m'lady," Leviathan frowned as he remembered those dark times, "but those times are behind us now." Squigly smiled at him and gently held his head to hers. He was the only remnant of her family, but now her family had grown. She turned her gaze back to Harry as she felt him start to stir.

He let out a very soft groan before yawning adorably and opening his eyes slowly, looking around the room for a few moments before remembering where he was... And what had happened last night. He smiled tiredly up at Squigly and snuggled in closer. "Mommy..." He mumbled out softly.

"Good morning, my sweet." She cooed, kissing his head lovingly. "Did you sleep well? You sure seemed content."

"Mmhmm... I didn't have any bad dreams..." Harry said quietly, still snuggled close. Squigly sighed happily and rocked him in her arms.

"I'm happy to hear that, precious." She smiled down at him. "Are you hungry? Or are you ready to wake up?"

"I wanna stay here with you..." Harry mumbled.

Squigly smiled sadly. It was sweet, but he was so affection starved... At this point, she was completely ready to save up every dime she earned working onstage in order to pay for the boy to speak to a therapist if he really needed it. She hugged Harry close and he let out a humming noise that reminded her of a content kitten. She cooed at him and gently ran her fingers through his hair. A part of herself still couldn't believe that this adorable child was now her son. The moment was interrupted, however, by a pressing need for food. Sighing softly, Squigly rose from the bed and held him close to her shoulder. "Well then... Shall we order breakfast? I believe employees eat for free, after all."