Serender: The Accidental Super Villain

Chapter 5

        Even though Xander could cool the air that he created from the sea water, it was still warm. He started to worry that Aiosha's lungs wouldn't be able to handle the heat.  Hours passed and the baby had calmed down but Aiosha never opened her eyes. He felt the baby's heartbeat but not Aiosha's. 

"What am I supposed to do?" Xander held on tight to her body. He was ready to stay at the bottom of the ocean with the both of them, if he couldn't have them. His tears were hotter than usual against his cheeks but it didn't match the pain he felt in his heart. [Aiosha...]

    As the sun went down and the darkness of the vast open sea embraced them, Xander could feel water moving around them like they were in the eye of a hurricane. All he could do was hold on tight to Aiosha's body. The current soon settled when the moon hit the sky directly above them. 

    The bubble around their heads had shrunk and was about to burst. Xander had never converted water to air this long. He could feel the temperature starting to rise. He would try it one more time before swimming to the surface. He inhaled the sea water and blew it back out. A rush of fire came from his lips, he quickly diverted the flames to avoid hitting Aiosha. 

    He had no choice. He left the small air bubble around Aiosha's head and quickly swam to the surface. When he took a deep breath of air, he felt like his lungs were on fire. He leaned forward in the water grasping his chest. He had never felt pain like this. 

    While he floated in the water trying to quickly recover so he could go back to Aiosha, he heard a melody on the wind. There were no words but the song was familiar.He quickly stuck his head in the water. He could see the ocean water trembling as waves moved outward from where he floated.  The song on the wind got louder and under the ocean sounded like he had his ear to sea shell. [How is this possible?] Xander forced his way back to the depth of the ocean where Aiosha's body was anchored. 

    A bright light surrounded her body, he could see dolphins, sharks, and a multitude of sea creatures circling them. They seemed to be mimicking Aiosha's love song to him.  The light swirled upward around her body then back slowly back down. When it reached her stomach, Aiosha opened her mouth and let out a screech that made Xander's organs shiver. He covered his ears then balled up into the fetal position, trying to protect his body. 

    He quickly opened his eyes when the smell of blood rushed past him. It was coming from Aiosha. He swam to her as the light touched the ground. Her body floated up, she was no longer pregnant. Xander looked around hysterically, there was no baby in sight. He put his ear to Aiosha's chest. Her heart was beating fast, that's all he could ask for. He pulled her onto the dock and checked her vitals. He turned her body on its side and worked to get the water out of her lungs. Once she started coughing and the color in her face came back. He swiftly took a deep breath and jumped back into the water. He needed to find their baby or babies. 

    As he swam around the area where Aiosha's body was, he could see the fish surround something off in the distance. He swam as fast as he could to the location. He was met by a  group of large hammerhead sharks. They didn't seem to want to hurt him but they pushed him back and forth in the water. He was losing time and distance from the anomaly.  

    He pushed through the sharks, he was ready to kill them if necessary. He felt a sense of relief when they did not continue to impede him. Once he got to the anomaly, the fish stopped moving around it, they turned and stared at him. It was like they were trying to communicate with him but he did not know their language. 

Xander reached into the darkness that the fish were so overtly protecting and felt something large and slimy.  It felt like a ball of mucus. He pulled it to his chest and swam to the surface. When he got to the surface the sun was breaking free of the horizon. He looked down at the ball of mucus and it looked back at him. Xander smiled so hard he thought his face would crack. 

    The child reached towards him, pushing its little gray hand out of the ball of slime. Xander placed his finger within its little palm.  He dived back into the water and swam toward the dock. He placed the  baby on the dock next to Aiosha.  Upon closer examination, Xander realized the slime was a large Jellyfish. It had wrapped itself around the baby creating a protective barrier. It flopped open as the baby started to hum the melody to Aiosha's love song.

    Aiosha opened her eyes in the child's direction. Xander watched on as the 2 saw each other for the first time.Their bond was magnetic. The child crawled out of the arms of the jellyfish and onto Aiosha's chest. She cried and held the child close. Xander felt every spark of energy he had, leave him. He couldn't hold his body up anymore. He muttered, "I love you so much." and fell face first onto the dock. Aiosha sat up quickly with the baby in her arms and screamed Xander's name.

    She sat next to him and pulled his head into her lap. She leaned down and checked his breathing.  A tear rolled down his cheek. He was asleep. "Oh dear. The last 24 hours must have been hell for you." Aiosha said to the unconscious Xander. She kissed his forehead and wiped the tears from his face then she looked at the baby siren that had latched on to her chest. 

"What should we name you? Let's figure it out when your daddy wakes up." She said to the baby then kissed her forehead. They were lucky that the day was cloudy. Aiosha was tired. She would need Xander's support just to make it home.

----

    When Xander woke, Aiosha was sleeping next to him with their baby nestled against her bosom. They remained on the dock. He couldn't tell if the sun was going down or coming up.  He pulled Aiosha and the baby into his arms and waited for sun or moon light to cover them. He kissed Aiosha's lips and stroked her hair. The day their child was born was a test of emotional stability. Xander was assuredly traumatized by the events. When the moon's glow showed around them, he sat up. They needed to return to the house. Aiosha's clothes were still wet and there was a chill in the air. 

    "Aiosha! Darling! Wake up!" Xander whispered loudly.

Aiosha opened her eyes then immediately jumped into his arms. She kissed him hard and held him tight. 

"Be careful. You might squish little......Sirene.....der...Serender.." Xander said with certainty.

"I like that name. I love you." Aiosha kissed Xander again. 

"Let's get to the house. We've been sleeping outside for what feels like the past 2 days." Xander smiled and helped Aiosha to her feet.

They walked and steadied each other. Xander's legs felt like jello.  His lungs still burned when he breathed.

Xander stopped in his tracks, "How do I know you didn't have multiple babies?What if I missed one?"

"We would've heard their song by now. Sirens are born in the sea. They sing the song that weighs the heaviest on their parents' hearts. Do you hear a song?" 

"No. I don't."

"Me either. I think we are safe. PLUS since you are human, the chances of having multiple babies was a lot lower, per the book."

"Right. You're right." 

They continued to the house.

Serender had been feeding on Aiosha all day. She was fast asleep. Aiosha laid her in her bed in the nursery they had put together.  Then she started removing her clothes. Xander followed behind her.