Ninovan (Hypernaturals 10)

I Am Thinking an Army

We settled back in quickly. To the house and the family. I played on the floor with Rachel, Diana talked Jessica's ear off about all the things they have done while we were gone. Morgan is working with Laura on the floor next to me, showing our youngest genius how to build a little car out of a STEM kit she bought. Laura is her usual attentive self, looking at every part, and watching her mother show her how things go together. Laura is scary good at taking things apart. Morgan, in concert with my Dad, made it their mission to show her how things went back together.

Nakoma sat with them as well, watching Laura with interest, and telling her what a smart girl she is every time she assembled something. Laura would show both Morgan and Nakoma proudly her new device, even if it is two random objects that happened to fit together.

Each of my girls has unique needs. As the middle child of the girls, and the daughter of a curmudgeon, I am determined Rachel Helena is going to get all her angry, rough edges loved off her. Angel is really good with her too, because she can read, understand, and anticipate.

Vera sat near us, cross-legged, and watching. She is not a mother to these little ones. I can see her taking it all in and thinking about it. Vera is trying to absorb all the changes she can, and I am glad Angel is in her life to anchor her.

Diana seemed to understand Vera's situation, because she dropped off Jessica's lap, and sat next to Vera. "You and my daddy are going to be at work together, my mommy said."

Vera has not really spent enough time with Diana to understand exactly how verbally advanced Diana is. The daughter of Jessica, she has her mother's ability to jump right to the center of things, and she can talk about them.

Vera gauged her response with a quick visual check over to Angel. "Yes. I have known your daddy for a very long time, but this is the first time we are going to work together like this. We have tried to help each other a lot over the years, and I am very happy we are going to be able to help everyone together in my new job."

Diana absorbed that. "My daddy is smart." Diana informed Vera.

"Oh, Diana. You know it! Smartest man I have ever met." Vera agreed, and they gave each other knowing smiles.

Lori and Danny came home, hugs and kisses were exchanged all around again.

When I was kissing Lori 'hello', she whispered in my ear: "You are squeezing my ass."

"I know. I was there. Nice ass. Thought you should know, if you want to try to start a baby, tonight is a good night. Your body has everything set up." I whispered back. This ability to scent fertility is handy.

"Oh." Lori looked down, then up. "Time to try again!"

Lori and Danny have been trying to have a child for a while, but so far no luck. Jessica has checked Lori out medically, and I have scanned her in IR, and we see no reason she should not be able to get pregnant.

Danny needs to give Jessica a sperm sample but has resisted that procedure so far.

Lori made a beeline over to Danny, and I heard her tell him what I told her. She added her own technical thinking on the matter of baby-making. "All night. Every time you can get it up. If we do not catch this time, I am collecting that sample and giving it to Jessica myself, mister."

"Ok, but..." Danny started

Lori cut that off. "No but's, darling. You either get me pregnant tonight, or we find out what the hell is wrong because I want a baby. End of story. If you don't like it, I know other places I can get some sperm. I work in a hospital, you know. I'm medically checked out. You are not."

Danny gave me a sort of helpless look.

I went over to them and whispered to him "Look, man. Time to figure this out. You want a kid., She wants a kid. You need to know if there is something wrong, or if it has only been terrible luck. You are surrounded by the best medical team there is. My mom and Jessica, with Morgan and I as the medical scanning gear. We can fix this. Just do it. OK?"

Danny is swallowing a lot of macho pride. "Yeah. OK, Dude. Dudette. Let's grab some food, and go get an early start, Lori."

I waved that off. "I'll make up a pile of food and put it in your kitchen. I promise I won't listen very much when I am in your house. Go. Get started. Then eat and repeat. I'll put some fresh milk and fresh cold brew there too. I smell that Helen made some. Do not sleep tonight. Make love in every conceivable way and be tired as hell at work tomorrow."

"Ok, Dude. Thanks. That will be awesome." Danny said.

Lori kissed me again and whispered, "Thanks Adrain. Squeeze my ass any time."

I shrugged. "You will be sorry you said that. I love squeezing your tush."

Lori gave me a look. "Any time. Mister. Any time. I mean it."

As they left out the kitchen door to go to their place, I thought about all the things we saw and heard in Ninovan. How all the unique versions of humanity are getting together, getting new and different and wonderful children, and yet my two very human friends cannot have a child for all their trying. I went to the kitchen where Jessica is working on building a food basket.

"I heard. I agree. We need to get that fixed for them." She told me.

"It's not fair that in Ninovan a boy Vampire can have children with a girl Siren, but they can't." I complained.

"They can't YET. The keyword there is 'yet'. We'll figure it out." Jessica was smelling various carafes of cold brew, I assumed to figure out which is the most caffeinated. I patted her on the rear end and started making big Po-boys with lots of protein. I need to make a tapenade to keep in the fridge for things like this. Time to add some cajun to my standard stock.

"It's not easy to talk about this, but Adrain? Alexander has fathered children with humans, Sirens, Astrals, and a Vampire. I ... Smelled him. Damn near had to taste him, which is disgusting, but my point for tearing the bandaid off that raw wound is this. That fucking asshole is a fertile male Vampire. You are far more fertile, I think, based on scent and... You know. Point being, you have been right all along, but also, you are a mutant: Fertile and Hyper. You are a key to making the interspecies dream of Ninovan ever more of a reality. You will not only have many children and grandchildren, you will enable many others. I think I can use your scent and your blood to increase cross fertility.  I think we can use Ninovan techniques to help Danny and Lori if that is their issue." Jessica told me.

There has not been time to bring that entire situation up. Helen did not miss Jessica's references as she is sitting at the table in easy earshot. The opening salvo has been fired in Jessica's required confession to Helen. I saw Helen perk up at 'smelled' and 'taste'. React to 'Raw Wound'. Helen is not stupid and has been around the block for centuries.

Jessica finished with a determined "If that literal mother fucker can do it, you can do it better. As we well know."

I had to wonder if that is a professional opinion. Jessica knew I thought that. "I know what that sounded like, Adrian. I am not being a fawning and grateful wife. I am both of those things, but that is not what this is. I am not kidding. I am currently the world's leading expert on fertile male Vampires, as the only Vampire Doctor who has been with both known individuals. You always talk about how things have scents. Some scents and related things do not need a Hyper. I know what I am talking about. Further, and I DO say this as your wife: If Alexander has hundreds of offspring, then you need to have more. I know I am biased about that, but it's true."

Helen really understood that reference. Said nothing.

"How many will be yours and mine, then?" I asked, holding her to me.

"Originally, I was thinking a few. Now I am thinking an army." Jessica said.

"You know that makes no genetic sense, right?" I asked. "You are still a little pissed off. I get it. You and I are going to have more babies. Many more, over time. Whenever you want one. I look forward to making each and every one of them and raising them with you. I love you, you know."

"I so do know that." Jessica said and kissed me in such a way as to make me think she would like to start a baby right here in the kitchen.