Everything I Am - Orm Marius/Ocean Master

Chapter Six - Motherhood

Opal didn't sleep. Like at all. And Aurelia thought she was restless.

The baby princess mostly stayed at the lighthouse with her grandparents and uncle, but of course they wanted to give her some Atlantean exposure as it was a part of her as well. After all, she was of the land and sea, just like her mother.

And boy did she have a set of lungs on her, again, just like her mother. And a lot to say. Guess where she got that from too?

Aurelia awoke in the dark, at some ungodly hour, but not because of any crying, strangely enough. No, it was oddly silent. Too silent. That, and Orm's side of the bed was empty and cold. He'd clearly been gone a while. 

Getting up, she heard a soft, melodic hum and followed it to the nursery where she came upon a sight that instantly melted her whole self into a mushy puddle.

"Everything you are
Is everything I need
You're everything to me
Baby, every single part
Is who you're meant to be
'Cause you were meant for me
And you're everything I need..."

Orm was standing over Opal's crib - that which he had crafted himself of Atlantean steel, as promised, cause 'only the best for our prince or princess'. He was holding their - miraculously - sleeping daughter in his arms and was softly singing to her, the lullaby his mother Opal used to sing to him. And clearly it was working wonders. 

"Everything you are
Is everything I need
You're everything to me
Baby, every single part
Is who you're meant to be
'Cause you were meant for me
And you're everything I need..."

She came up, wrapping her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. He leaned back into her, her Disney Prince (ah hem, Disney King, now) of a husband with the voice of pure light. It completely melted her.

"Cause baby, everything you are
Is everything I need..."

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Tom, eager to continue adding to the family album, snapped a photo of the three of them, Orm Aurelia and Opal. Father, mother and daughter, just like he had with himself, Atlanna and Arurelia after her own birth. There was also one of him, Atlanna and Aurelia with baby Atlas after his birth. Again, thank goodness Tom took so many photos.

Her parents had gifted her with a motor bike as a wedding present, and Aurelia, eager to show off to her daughter, went rip roaring up and down the driveway, howling with laughter, while Tom stood holding Opal, watching, and Orm clung to her from behind, not enjoying it near as much as she was.

She had spent so long being ashamed of who she was growing up, and she was proud of how far she had come, and wasn't about to shy away from showing her daughter as much. 

"And HA! In I jumped!" Opal sat in her highchair, watching wide-eyed as her mother regaled her with battle stories. "Mama took down all the mean pirates!" She held two random figurines to demonstrate and smashed them together. "Those chum lickers didn't stand a chance! Mama kicked their asses - butts, sorry - and took their names!" Then she kicked backwards - but accidently hit the chair in which Tom was reading. The chair went sliding across the room. Aurelia chased after it, horrified.  "Sorry Pops, my bad." Tom just gave her a look and she slunk back to her show with Opal. "Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, and then - hey, Babe, get in here! You were there too!" Orm came over, curious about what all her shouting was for.   "And then your dad went 'AHHHHHH!'" She gestured to him.

"Ahhhhh," Orm repeated, but with much less oomph.

"Oh come on, you can do better than that! And then we both went-"