Multiply Me | Chapter 35 | Finale
Synopsis: Ella Sommers decides her biggest mission is also her last. Despite wanting to correct the Reestablishment’s mistakes, there are bigger things at stake now. Things not even her friends can know about.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading everyone! I really had a blast writing this - and it was supposed to be just a self-indulgent thing for myself, but I’m glad someone else could enjoy it. Final reminder that I only post Multiply Me in this account and my actual writeblr is @beanenigma. Also, I might post some other warnette stories in the universe of this fanfic, so keep an eye on my AO3 account! Bye-bye for now!
AO3 link | First Chapter | Index
AARON
Our front yard has never looked so busy. Not that there are that many people here. Today is family only.
In a very sunny evening, everyone is sitting around the tables Connor and I put together from old wood and barrels. We had even gone to extremes of hanging up colorful little paper flags Ella and Pyp made. I don’t have a lot of experience with parties, but this is all very festive.
Pyp is showing her Unky around, pulling him by the hand, making sure everyone knows it’s his birthday - despite them having come all this way especially for the occasion. She made him a paper crown to make sure no one could miss him in the small crowd.
Connor is showing up his speed by running next to some cans to make them fall. Kenji and Nazeera seem pretty impressed - or at least, they’re pretending very well.
I barely notice Kent until he pops a can next to me. I turn to him, accepting his offer. These are not my preferred beverages, but I could make an effort in the name of brotherhood.
“Thanks for the party, man”, he says, leaning against the porch next to me.
“I’m just the muscle behind the operation. It was all Connor’s idea.”
“So I’ve heard”, we both smile when Connor takes a bow after dropping one more tower of cans. Everyone around claps. In that moment, I can almost feel the invisible bond the two of us share. Despite it being the ghost of a man none of us wanted to remember… It could be something else. “You have something really precious here.”
I nod. “I know.”
“I hope I can have something half this nice one day.”
“Well, it’s not as easy as I make it seem.” I try to make a joke. I’m unable to tell if I failed or not.
He hardly registers my comment, taking a big gulp. His eyes are one his wife, who has Pyp in her arms. My daughter is presenting her uncle to her (even though he is her brother-in-law and they live in the same house).
“We’re expecting”, he confesses, lowering his voice like he’s telling me war secrets. I blink, surprised, though I’m not sure why.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you”, Kent says, but it sounds like a mere reflex.
We both sip on our cans. I frown at the taste and decide to not do it anymore. I feel like he’s waiting for me to say something. So I tell him what I wish someone had told me when we first got to this house, alone and afraid.
“I’m going to save you some time and tell you that you are not our father. And neither am I.” Despite my hunch, he is surprised that I said something. Or, rather, he is surprised by what I said. His shoulders tense up, but his eyes remain on me, rigid. I look at Connor, who’s asking for help to put his cans back in position. “You’ll be afraid, sure. It’s terrifying. Every day. When will I go back to my old instincts? How long until I become just like him? But that’s not all. You’ll be scared for her, and you’ll be scared for the baby. Labor beats any battle I’ve been in. And if you think that’s terrible, wait until you get the little thing in your hands and it needs you for everything…”
My eyes travel to Pyp, who transports to the table when Ella tells her she can’t have cake yet. I watch with a smile as Ella tries to save the cake and Sonya tries to stop the toddler to stomp on the rest of the food, while Ian laughs at the whole scene.
“You’ll learn to be scared of things you never imagined. Water, furniture corners, electric plugs. You’ll be so scared of making afraid. But at the end of the day… Children need love. They don’t need a specific kind of parent. They need their parent.”
Adam seems shook. I touch his shoulder, allowing myself to smile at him.
“Also, good luck making kids as cute as mine.”
I see a glint of fun in his eyes as I walk away.
When the last car disappears in the horizon, Pyp is already fast asleep in my arms. Finding out she had a second Unky and soon a cousin was too much for her. I give her to Ella so she can take her to bed. Connor helps me clean up. He does most of the work with the plates, cups and cutlery - despite me telling him not to run with breakables and/or knives. He doesn’t listen to me, as per usual. I take down the tables, but leave the colorful flags. There’s nothing wrong with keeping the colors up a little longer.
When we are done, I take Connor upstairs. He’s saying he’s not tired mid-yawn. I set up a shower for him and he tells me he can do it by himself. I wait out in the hallway. Ella closes the door to Pyp’s room.
“She was so tired she didn’t even ask to sleep with us…” Ella wraps her arms around my waist. I hug her shoulders, touching my chin to the top of her head.
“She did have a lot of fun.”
“That she did”, Ella nods, closing her own eyes. “I’m glad we did this.”
“Me too.”
She raises her face to me and smiles. I can’t help but smile back. I kiss her briefly and her eyes flutter closed. She lets out a satisfied sigh.
“You know what this whole thing made me realise?”
“Hm?”
“I don’t want to go back. Not really. We can keep in touch and visit and they can come a any time… But I would never give up what we built here.”
I nod.
“Me either, love.” I touch her face, smiling. “I love you. I love you every day and every night. And even a day without you and the kids was torture.”
Ella holds my hand and kisses my palm.
“Let me make it up to you?”
I look back at the bathroom door.
“If I throw some toys at him, he’ll be entertained for a couple of hours.”
Ella laughs and shakes her head, opening the doors and rushing Connor to finish up. I watch from the door was she wraps him up in a towel and carries him to his room. He’s barely awake when she puts him in pajamas, but he still asks us to hang around a little longer.
I tuck him in and kiss his forehead. Ella kisses it too. Connor smiles at her and at me and yawns, closing his eyes. Safe. Warm. Secure. Loved. All I’d always dream to be as a child. He falls asleep, knowing he’ll wake up tomorrow and have another bright day.
I take Ella’s hand. She smiles at me and we stand up carefully. We leave Connor’s bedside lamp on just in case he needs it. But he doesn’t. He knows where to find us.