Work Text:
The old Victrola in the corner played a familiar Mexican ballad interrupted only by the faint howling somewhere on the Addams grounds and the steady typing from the woman seated at a desk facing the tall open glass doors. Moon hanging bright in a clear sky, Wednesday remained focused, eyes following the words across the page as she hammered out a conversation between enemies, tense and filled with sharp barbs back and forth. Their words lifted her lips ever so slightly as she envisioned it in her head. The investigative prowess traded for a moment for sharp wit before the clashing of fencing swords… and a set of tiny pale fingers slowly working their way over the edge of her desk to grip at it.
Wednesday glanced at the nails, an array of pastel colors, and she stopped her typing as they slipped back away, hiding, she knew, from her. “Vivienne,” Wednesday called sternly, seeing those little fingers come up and curl over the desk again, this time followed by the slow reveal of a shaggy bob of strawberry blonde hair streaked with pink, and oversized dark brown eyes that stared up at her curiously. “You’re supposed to be playing quietly in the library.”
“Got bored,” the child told her, voice high and timid. “Is mommy back yet?”
“Your mother is still enjoying her wilds,” Wednesday offered, nodding her head to the window. “Go on.”
The girl turned and stood at her full height, which was not very tall at all at just five, and walked towards the open window to stand on the balcony and look out at the moon hovering in the sky, illuminating the trees and the graveyard below. Wednesday sat back to admire her – black jean overalls patched randomly with rainbows and skulls over a purple hoodie, Wednesday’s old Marie Antoinette doll clutched against her, the head of which sat in the chest pocket.
Free hand coming out to grip at the iron gate that edged the balcony, Vivienne howled out, a trail of water vapor floating away from her lips into the cold night. She waited and Wednesday stood, slowly approaching her to stand at her side to wait with her, because she knew Enid would answer her daughter’s call, and when it came from deep in those woods, she heard the little girl giggle and looked to see her bounce as she looked up at her, bright smile revealing a missing front tooth. Her first, Wednesday knew.
“How long will mommy be out?” Vivienne asked in the exasperation of an impatient child, peering up at Wednesday with hopeful eyes she stared down into.
Hand coming out to curl underneath the girl’s chin, to regard the faint splatter of freckles across the pale skin of her nose and cheeks, Wednesday sighed, “Not much longer, and then you understand it’s time for bed.” Wednesday glanced at her watch to check the time.
“Are you making a new book?” Vivienne questioned curiously, twisting and quickly rushing towards the desk to hop up in Wednesday’s chair, twisting around in it energetically as she glanced at the words on the page. “Viper!” She called excitedly, leaning forward, “Where’s mommy?”
“Evelyn isn’t in this particular scene,” Wednesday informed her honestly, “She’s not a fan of fights.”
Chuckling, Vivienne stated, “Not good with blood.” Her legs pumped underneath her and Wednesday watched them a moment, heard her little noise of realization as she brought them to a stop. “Too hyper,” she stated.
Kneeling in front of her, Wednesday looked up into her small round face, framed by that unruly hair, so much like her mother, and she sighed, “Vivienne, it’s ok to be too hyper – I’ve grown fond of it, actually.”
Nodding, Vivienne remained still anyways and she leaned forward into Wednesday, dropping off the chair to fall against her, arms around her shoulders, head laid against her left. “I’m sorry for the fond,” she told her quietly.
“Do you know what that word means, fond?” Wednesday questioned, standing to feel those thin legs hug at the sides of her waist as she wrapped her arms securely around the child, turning to sit and pry her up and look into her eyes and see the way her lips drooped. “Vivienne, what’s wrong?”
The girl played with Wednesday’s single braid, fingers trailing along the overlaps in her hair. “I don’t know what fond means.”
Reaching up to clear her hair from her face, Wednesday offered a small smile the girl mirrored and she whispered, “To be fond of something is to love it.”
“You love my hyper?” Vivienne questioned shyly.
Exhaling, Wednesday nodded. “I knew a girl once who never stopped moving. It was as though every molecule in her body vibrated with energy and for a very short while it irritated me greatly – I thought my stillness would make it impossible for me to be around her because being around her was like being on a boat in the ocean churning in a storm, turning my stomach.” She poked at Vivienne’s and watched her giggle. “And then one day she was gone and I realized her chaos had become so intrinsic to my existence that I felt lost in a void without her.”
Eyes widening, Vivienne asked, “Is that when mommy got stuck in her wolf?”
Wednesday tapped her nose, “Clever girl.” Lips pressing together, Vivienne lifted her chin proudly. “When I found your mother again, I realized I was very fond of all of her motion and when she had you, I was quite relieved to find you’d inherited that same proclivity for movement.”
Arms at her sides, she offered Wednesday a mischievous look, face scrunched, arms swinging slightly as she growled, “My hyper!”
“I am quite fond of it,” Wednesday admitted, sighing when the girl dropped back down on her, head laid at her chest to listen to her heartbeat. “As I am quite fond of you.”
“And mommy?” Vivienne asked.
Hands at the girl’s back, she sighed, seeing the claws that came up silently over the railing, “Yes, and mommy,” Wednesday breathed, seeing Enid land softly onto the balcony. She chuffed and Vivienne raised her head to smile warmly at her. “Get your mother’s cloak, Vivienne,” Wednesday instructed, standing and letting the girl drop down to rush towards the garment laid on the bed as Wednesday approached, arms crossed as she stated, “You’re late.”
Enid’s transformation was slow and she reached with a half-furred arm to retrieve the item her daughter held, swinging it over her shoulders just before she straightened and took a breath, smiling at Wednesday as she held a hand out to the child who latched onto her side. “Was she bothering you?” Enid teased, looking down at the giggle Vivienne hid in the folds of that cloak.
“She’s never a bother,” Wednesday stated firmly. “But she is avoiding a bath.”
“Vivi,” Enid sighed, looking down at the girl who gasped and then rushed out of the room. Enid stepped forward on shaky legs, huffing a laugh when Wednesday’s arm came around her to help her walk towards the hallway where the little girl’s footsteps stomped towards the stairs. “She’s going to get your mom’s help.”
“Mother will talk her into a bath,” Wednesday told her confidently. “You should rest.”
Enid turned with her to sit at the edge of the bed, looking up at her when Wednesday backed away and remained, looking down at her with concern. “Hey, I’m fine,” Enid assured. “It was like this the last time too, remember? Being pregnant just saps my energy a little.”
Hands fidgeting nervously, Wednesday nodded, watching Enid touch at the small bump of her belly. “I’ll warm you up a broth, it’ll help.”
Nodding, Enid sighed, then reached to stop Wednesday, holding her hand and telling her, “Thanks for watching Vivi while I went out, I know that ate into your writing time.”
Wednesday closed her eyes and shook her head. Leaning forward, she pressed a light kiss into Enid’s forehead and sighed, “There’s no need to thank me, Enid, she’s my daughter too.”