in the darkness the baby comes

[slayers_desire]

It is after midnight when April awakens suddenly in her bed. Her eyes glow red, as she surveys around the quiet bedroom. It is quiet outside ... the sound of crickets, the occasional howl of a coyote, the sorrowful call of the cows in the barn.

But none of those sounds grab her attention as the one right beside her ... the beating sound of Clark's heart as he sleeps.

She turns slightly to watch him sleep for a moment. April can feel her vampiric side taking control. The dark desires of her thirst swirling in her mind. Her attention directed to the pulsing vein at Clark's jugular. A hunger inside her that she has never felt before.

"Clark..." She manages to whisper his name. "Wake up..."

Comments

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark is used to listening for calls for help, even while he's asleep. He rouses, frowning before he opens his eyes, trying to figure out what woke him. "April?" he says quietly, then he feels that ravenous hunger over the bond and wakes up fully.

[slayers_desire]

"I feel... weird." April rests her hand on his shoulder. Her nails digging a little harder than normal -- good thing it won't hurt him.

"I just want to bite you."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

For anyone else, news like that might make them scared. Clark is just concerned. "The baby?"

[slayers_desire]

"Yes. Tonight is the night." It is two weeks before her due date. But the way the hunger clings to her... she knows that the baby is coming.

"I think... these are hunger contractions..."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"It's too early..." They'd worried about this, and now it seems it's happening. He just hopes that it's been long enough.

[slayers_desire]

"I know. But the baby is coming..." Again, that thirst washes over her. She had hunger pains in her first two pregnancies -- but this was much more intense.

"Is someone here to safeguard the children?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

The fact that she said 'safeguard,' not 'watch,' has him even more concerned. He can feel the depth of her hunger, and just the implication that she might turn on their kids is a horrifying one. "I'll get someone." He grabs his Justice League comm off the nightstand and immediately calls to Watchtower.

[slayers_desire]

April turns to cling to a pillow a little desperately. She doesn't like this part of herself. This must have been the hunger that drove her mother to the edge -- to give her newly born child to a demon.

And what is worse -- she is fighting every impulse to bite Clark right now.

"I hate this..." She hisses.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

He isn't sure if he should try to hold her, if that would make the temptation worse... or if they should trust this instinct and use blue kryptonite so she can bite him. Under normal circumstances he'd survive, but... this is so far beyond what they've experienced before.

"Connor's on his way. He'll look after the kids." Clark is confident that Connor's own durability, strength, and speed will be enough to keep anyone from hurting the children. Even if that threat is April.

[slayers_desire]

April nods slightly. "What about you? What about the doctor?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"I'll make sure you don't hurt the doctor," he says, although he's not sure how to answer the other question. "Spike and Shasta will be there too."

[slayers_desire]

It helps ease her mind that Spike and Shasta will be there. She knows that both will do everything they can to protect the new child coming into the world. And both have experience handling vampiric children.

"I'm... so scared." Of herself.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

He takes a chance and tries to hold her in his arms. "We'll get through this. You'll be okay."

[slayers_desire]

April is glad that he is embracing her right now. The worst thing would be scaring him too.

And even though the temptation is great ... she keeps the oak tree as the focus in her mind to keep her controlled.

"I just don't want to be like my mother."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"You won't be," he says firmly, as he too focuses on the tree, their long-standing symbol of love and stability. "I promise."

Connor's approach to the farm is not as quiet as Clark's usually is, bringing a loud whoosh of wind, enough to possibly wake the other vampires living on the farm. He knocks once, before opening the door and heading upstairs. "Clark?" he calls through the bedroom door.

"Go to the kids' room," Clark says, raising his voice a little, though hopefully not enough to wake the children. "Stay in there, and don't let anyone else in until I tell you."

[slayers_desire]

Spike had been camping out on the couch... so he wakens immediately when Connor whooshes right past him ... and upstairs. He sends a message to Shasta back at the Vampire Village, before heading upstairs to see what the fuss is about.

He hears Clark tell Connor to stay with the kids and to not let anyone in. And frowns deeply.

"Pet?" He knocks on the door next.

April nods to Clark, that it will okay to let Spike inside the bedroom.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark doesn't want to let go of her, but he has to, for a moment at least. He goes to open the door so Spike can come in. "The baby's coming. April is... very hungry."

[slayers_desire]

Spike comes in, frowning deeply. "We aren't going to be able to move her to somewhere else... are we?"

He gently touches April's forehead... and she snarls at him. He takes a breath and then glances at Clark behind him. "You got a knife?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"Pocketknife," Clark says with a nod. He keeps a few personal items on the nightstand, like his wallet and glasses, and the pocketknife is among them. He hands it to Spike. "I should call the doctor."

[slayers_desire]

"It would be good to have a doctor here." Spike agrees. He uses the pocket knife to pierce his wrist -- offering it up for April.

The smell of blood is too much for her to resist -- and she attacks his wrist with a dark thirst. Spike growls in reaction. And after a few moments has to literally force April off him.

"That's not good." He hisses.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Though they'd planned to have the birth in an actual medical facility, it's clear from April's behavior that it's not going to happen, not without risking her and the baby. Clark quickly sends a second message to Watchtower to send a doctor as soon as possible.

He's unsure of whether or not to intervene, and settles for grabbing April's arm to pull her back away from Spike.

[slayers_desire]

April hisses, and instinctively tries to attack Clark next. But Spike returns Clark's favor ... and holds her back.

"Damn. I don't think we could restrain her... but what can we do?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"I don't know," Clark has to admit. "She's never been like this before..." And though he doesn't say it, he suspects that she'd drink them both dry if they let her, lost to the hunger.

[slayers_desire]

He doesn't have to say it for Spike to understand that there is a risk involved here. "The baby must be demanding more from her system this time around..."

"We have to be careful not to let her lose herself... she would never forgive herself if anything happened."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"Connor's guarding the kids. We just need to worry about her." The raging hunger he feels over the bond is frighteningly strong, and he tries to keep the old oak tree centered in her mind as best he can. "We have to get her blood somehow."