Post Paperwork

Tai sighed and put down his quill. After signing documents for the last half an hour, Tai began to hate the idea of paperwork. Looking to his left, he saw a mountain of papers all awaiting his signature. He breathed deeply, and closed his eyes for a moment. He knew that he'd just have to get it done; there was no sense letting it sit there, gathering dust.

Tai opened his eyes again, and dipped his quill into the ink pot, letting the excess drip off lazily. He watched it, not at all motivated to do anything. All he wanted, more than anything, was a distraction.

Erika was exhausted. She'd just gotten back into "teaching mode," having already had her first Herbology lesson, and she was already ready to going back to doing nothing but sitting around and eating pickles all day. Still, it was only about 4 o'clock, and she had left Ben in the care of one of her NEWT students while she was teaching her younger classes, so she needed to retrieve him.

She decided it would be nice to go see Tai, whom she hadn't seen since breakfast when she had essentially told him to bugger off, because she was in a bad mood. After washing her hands to get the dirt out from under her nails, she collected Ben from Mary-Alice, the NEWT she had hired to babysit him while she was in class, then slowly made her way to the third floor. It was slow only because she couldn't walk quickly, not because the halls were crowded. The halls cleared fast for a professor. Even faster for a professor holding a small child. A pregnant professor holding a small child? She might as well have set off a dungbomb, the hallway had emptied so quickly.

She gave the password to the gargoyles that guarded the office, then knocked softly on the door, then poked her head in, just in case Tai was in a meeting with someone. Seeing that he was alone, she carried Ben inside, closing the door behind her. "Hey handsome," she greeted him, stepping around the large, ornate desk for a kiss. "What are you up to?"

Tai wondered if he was gifted with a Third Eye or something of the like, as just as he wanted a distraction, he was alerted that the password to his office was given, and a face was peaking around the doorframe.

He smiled, recognising his wife and son. He returned her kiss. "Hmmm. I can get used to that greeting," Tai said, his smile reaching his eyes.

"Not a lot. I fear I'll never get through all this paperwork though," he remarked, placing his hand on the stack of papers. Tai looked at Ben then, who was smile and gurgling like babies do.
He reached out a hand and ticked the small child lightly.

"How's he doing?" Tai asked, looking back at Erika, "and how are you doing?"

Normally Erika would have settled herself in Tai's lap, as it was easily her favorite seat in the world, but her large belly made it fairly difficult and a bit uncomfortable. Having Ben made it impossible. She handed the child over to Tai and conjured a very large, soft chair for herself, right beside his. "Mary-Alice said he was good with the exception of crying for the first half hour she had him after I left and being too fussy to take a nap. Apparently he's got a bit of a problem with separation anxiety."

It worried Erika that Ben had been so upset. It was exactly what she had been afraid of happening. "Do you think you could bring him with you tomorrow? I think it's best that we ease him into the idea of not having one of us around at all times. I'd take him but my class is going to do Devil's Snare, and I'd rather be safe and not have him there."

Truthfully, Erika didn't know how she was feeling. She'd been relaxed and pleasant during her class, but during the short break between lessons, she'd just sort of sat at her desk and sadly waited for the next round of students, feeling lonely. She shrugged. "Same as every day, I suppose," she replied, patting her stomach. "These two can't really seem to make up their minds."

She knew it would sound crazy, but she was sure that she could tell how the twins were feeling, and it affected her mood too. She settled deeper into her chair. "I'll be glad when these two decide that they're ready to come see the world," she said quietly. Being pregnant definitely took its toll on her, and she would just be happy to have her twins in her arms.

Tai took a hold of Ben when Erika handed him to her. He raised the small child up above his head and laughed when Ben smiled a toothless smile and made a baby laugh down at him. Tai couldn't help but smile back.

"He just likes being with his dad too much, isn't that right, Ben? Hey? You don't want to be babysat by a seventh year, no! You'd much rather be with your dad," Tai said, sitting the boy on his knee and bouncing him slightly.

"Yeah. I can take him tomorrow. I don't have to go anywhere, at least not until I finish all this." He glanced at the paper again, and then looked at Erika, taking note of her appearance. He could tell she was exhausted, and moving around the vast castle wouldn't have helped that in the slightest.

"Take it easy, alright?" he said to her, worried that she'd go into labour on a staircase or something. "Any day now, though."

"Oh, does he now?" Erika reached out to tickle Ben's tummy, smiling when she was rewarded with another gurgling laugh. "I think he only prefers you to Mary-Alice because you remind him of me, and he knows that while Daddy sits up here all day on his lazy bum, Mommy is busy downstairs, educating the youth of tomorrow, and you're the next best thing," she teased.

Any day simply wasn't coming fast enough for her. Erika loved Gwen and Ben dearly, as if they were not merely adopted, but there was still something different about these babies. They were hers. Absolutely, unequivocally hers. She would never have to share their love with another person as long as she lived. Besides Tai, of course.

"Don't worry about me. Cadogan's been following me around the castle no matter where I go. If something happens, you'll be the first to know," Erika assured him. "I think he thinks I'm a damsel in distress."

Ever since the painting had discovered her pregnancy, it's occupant had been "escorting" her (for lack of a better word) all around the school. He even waited inside the painting of a boy playing with his dog right next to the main entrance whenever she went inside, never moving until she came back inside, no matter how many annoying questions the boy asked or how much the dog growled.

Tai mock glared, "Oh!" he stated, placing the biggest sad face he could create on his face. "I don't know about that," he said, "But you're right about not doing all that much. I think I'd rather be teaching again, than be talking with Governors and dealing with all the politics of running a school."

Tai sighed and, holding Ben with one hand, ran a hand through his hair. "I think Hamilton wouldn't object to me taking my old job back." Tai shook his head, knowing that he wouldn't do it. He committed to being Headmaster, and he'd do the job right.

Tai smiled as he listened to Erika tell the tale of Sir Cadogan and his personal endeavor of protecting his wife. "Let him do it. He doesn't have reason to be a chivalrous knight so much anymore. Besides, as you said, if something does happen, he'll alert the other portraits and I'm sure it'll get back to me."

Ben started to fuss in his arms, and he placed him over his shoulder, and patted his back gently. Tai was shocked by his own confidence when handling Ben. He didn't know what to really do with him when they first adopted the boy; not having much to do with infants before, but as time went on, and he observed what Erika did, he soon caught on.

"When did you say he starts to get his teeth in?" he asked her, pulling his son back, to look in his gummy mouth. He replaced him on his shoulder again, and rubbed his small back, smiling slightly. He had an idea, and grinned.

"I can't wait to get him a toy broomstick," he stated, already planning for the future.