Witch Hazel Chapter 5 part 1

Witch Hazel 

Chapter 5 part 1

Author's note: here's where I finally got the save set up enough I could begin some legit storytelling. Rebuilding my game took a little time!

Little Rosalinda, apple of her father’s eye. Benita dotes on her daughter too, finding every excuse to go check on her. 

Benita has been struggling to lose the baby weight. Despite her efforts to stay fit during pregnancy she put on some pounds and she’s very self conscious about it. Leonardo actually likes it, insisting she was too skinny before and he likes her new, softer body. What he doesn’t like is the loose fitting clothing she’s been wearing because she’s so ashamed of her cellulite. 

“Who’s mommy’s little girl?”

Despite everything, Benita still finds time for her little garden. She’s got an apple tree, a peach tree, some tomatoes and a handful of herb plants. They’re doing pretty well despite her earlier clumsiness with plants.

Leo spends a good amount of time working on things around the house. It’s been a mad rush to get everything updated before the baby came along and he’s been pulling long hours at the police department to pay for it all.

Benita likes it when he has his tush up for her ready grabby hands.

Don’t let him say he doesn’t get any time to unwind though. The jury is still out on which one is the baby.

“Mom! I didn’t think you’d be able to make it!”

“Don’t be silly dear, as if all the dark energy in the world could keep me from my grandchild.”

“Would you like to come in and see her?”

“Do you have to ask? Lead the way, child, I want to meet my grandbaby!”

“Oh, she’s ADORABLE! Benita, what’s her name, love?”

“Rosalinda,” Benita rocked her baby daughter in her arms. “She’s so precious. Quiet and watchful, she hardly ever cries.”

“Cherish that cute face, they grow so fast.”

“Leo says wolf babies grow faster than human babies anyway… I’m a little worried. I feel so unprepared suddenly.”

“It’s ok, my sweet. It’s ok to be confused and a little scared. It’s your first child, it’s completely understandable. I’ll stay in town and help you with the baby for as long as you need.”

“Oh ma, thank you.” Benita gave the elderly lady a hug with Rosa cradled between them. The baby gurgled and looked up at Brigid with smiling interest. “She loves you already. Look at that smile.”

“Leo tried to explain the differences to me, about wolf children and human ones. I thought I had a decent grasp on it, but now… I don’t know.” She held her other hand up and rolled her eyes. “I think he doesn’t know much about human babies.”

“He’s a man, dear,” Brigid smiled. “A very old one. He’s got what, three or four centuries on you? Birthing and infant care is a woman’s problem, especially from his era. I’m impressed he’s as knowledgeable as he is, given the medieval social constricts of his time.”

“…I suppose you have a point. It’s an adjustment though. I don’t know why I thought he’d know all about it. I just wasn’t thinking, I guess.”

“And then she threw up on him and Leo’s dad hasn’t been back since!” Benita told her mom, laughing about the memory.

“That’s quite an experience,” she was a little shocked to hear such a story, but from what she’d gathered, Jericho was a horrible man who probably deserved baby vomit on his face. “Are you planning on having more children?” Brigid asked her to change the subject, gently stroking little Rosa’s fuzzy head and giving her a finger to nurse on. 

“I’d like to… and I know Leo wants more,” Benita hesitated. “But that’s the thing. Giving birth to Rosa was horrible. So much worse than anything I’ve seen with other women. I was told that… most wolf women don’t have many children because they often die from it.”

“You’re not just a wolf though,” Brigid reminded her quietly. 

“Do you think it will help my odds?” 

“I don’t think it could hurt. Have you tried doing anything with your abilities since you were turned?”

“I…. no,” she admitted a little guiltily. “I sort of assumed they died in me.”

Seeing that Benita was exhausted, her mama sent her to have a nap.

Mama picked up a book and settled in to pass the time on one of their nice chairs. Benita had made a nice home, she decided. She’d done well for herself. She was happy, plump and glowing, which made her all the more certain she’d found her place in the world. Motherhood suited her.

She was mildly concerned about her safety when birthing these oversized wolf babies though. She’d have to consult the oracle about how to protect her daughter.

After a while she went back to little Rosalinda’s crib side and watched the baby sleep. “My poor dear,” she sighed. “I do not have the heart to tell your mother that your future is a sad one.” She rocked the baby gently and watched her sleep, memorizing every wrinkle and tiny pink fingers. 

Leonardo held his daughter close, feeling the protective instincts surge to the surface of his normally mellow personality. He cradled the soft little baby as his wife looked on and wondered at how delicate and perfect she was. He’d never let anything hurt her. 

And the boys had better watch out when she’s a teenager because daddy’s got something worse than a shotgun.

They bought a weight machine and made themselves a little work out nook beneath the stairs. They’d struggled with what to do with the area for some time, as it was too small to furnish as much of a workspace but a home gym seemed like a good idea.

Benita would run on the treadmill like the devil himself is after her, pouring sweat. She hadn’t been eating much either, much to Leo’s dismay. He keeps trying to get to eat bigger portions but she will refuse, saying she’s trying to lose weight. Not seeing what she objects to about her appearance, he’s not been overly cooperative with the effort.

“You’re going to eat before you go to bed, right?” he asked during their late evening work out. He was growing concerned with her apparent obsession to be fit.

“Eat?” huffed Benita. “I’m getting a shower and falling into bed.”

“You need to eat something. Did you even have lunch?” Leo checked his weights and began his shoulder press sets. “Benita?” he prompted when she didn’t answer.

“I snacked a little,” she hedged around the question.

Frowning, Leonardo finished with the shoulder press and moved to the leg press. “You don’t necessarily need to lose weight,” he said. “If you want to work out and tone up I’m fine with that. Please know I think you’re beautiful how you are.”

“Never said I’m not beautiful.” Benita’s tone was getting a little sharp as she got annoyed with his persistence. “I’m fat and my clothes don’t fit. I don’t have the time to go replace my wardrobe, I need to get back into shape.”

Leo fell silent after that but it would be a mistake to think he was letting it go. 

It was a quiet morning in their house. The baby was still sleeping from her last feeding and Benita was using the moment of quiet to read a chapter out of ATTACK OF THE NIPPLEBACKS by her weird brother in law. She’d heard he was on his way out with a sequel so she wanted to finish the first one.

It was a curious read, she’d decided. When Diego named a fantasy creature, he was very literal. These monsters really did have, uh, nipples all over their backs. She hadn’t found any reason for it yet but she did have half the book to read still and she’d heard enough positive things about it to guess that it was worth suspending her belief for a little.

Only three pages into her chapter, she heard the loud banging coming from downstairs. Walking to the top of the stairs, she peered down with concern. “Leo?” she called. 

“I’m fixing the sink!” he called back up to her. At seven in the morning. Because men don’t think about these things.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” he asked as he climbed the stairs.

“No,” she frowned a little but felt bad when she saw that he looked worried. “I was afraid you’d wake the baby though.”

She took his hands in hers. “What are you doing repairing a sink before the sun is even fully awake?” she asked. “In your dirty clothes from yesterday no less.”

“I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to keep you awake by tossing and turning,” he said, just now seeing the oddness of his chosen activity in light of that fact. “I’m sorry, that was dumb of me.”

“It’s alright, no harm done.”

“You’re so damn fine. How’d I get so lucky?”

Benita giggled and leaned into the hand that stroked her cheek. “You needed a fortune teller to give you the ok to sail, I think.”

“And then you told me I’d die at sea and I didn’t listen,” he nodded. “I should have listened. I should have stayed on shore and spent more time trying to woo you.”

“I did exaggerate a bit,” she admitted now. “It’s the job, you know. You probably wouldn’t have been the same when you got back, but that’s not quite the same as horrible death.”

“I’m glad I demanded you go with me.”

That actually earned a laugh from her and she whacked his chest. “You weren’t glad at the time. Your crew was mad and you were relying on me to keep everyone alive with my powers.”

“I was more mad because I was being delayed by a gorgeous woman who was fighting me tooth and nail about it all even after agreeing to be paid for her time. And that I couldn’t bend you over the railing and-” the rest of it was muffled as Benita covered her ears, turning red in embarrassment that he’d been thinking about doing something like that when all their lives were in danger. Leo just smirked at her and waited for her to lower her hands before saying, “Make that luscious ass mine.” He grinned when she squeaked, turning bright shades of pink.

“You’re lucky I love you, you goof.”

“You can’t hate me, I’m too cute,” Leo gave her his best cheesy grin.

Because he was cute even if Benita hated making his ego any bigger, she pulled him over to kiss him.

“I’m glad I went with you though. It would have been a shame if the kraken had eaten you.”

“And thanks to you I’m now good friends with a sea monster. It pays to have a woman on board after all-ow, I’m only joking!” he said as she swatted him. “The sea monster might come in handy, who knows.”

“Leo! I’m getting in the shower if you want to join me.”