Recap: Irwin introduced Fantine to his alien son Cid, expecting the worst possible outcome. Fantine accepted Cid for who he was, however, so Irwin proposed to her.

Irwin was elated when the day of his wedding arrived. He had saved up enough money for a tiny ceremony in his enormous backyard, as Fantine was Frugal, and she insisted on a cheap event. The weatherman had predicted sunny skies, however, it began raining anyway, practically soaking the grass and ruining the cake.

The rain lasted so long that by the time it let up even a little bit, it was dark outside. Irwin was okay with it, as he is a Night Owl after all, but Fantine was a little disappointed.

Cid was dressed to the nines so as to greet guests and lead them to where the actual ring exchange would take place. He got several funny looks from the townsfolk as he grinned and held out his hand to cordially welcome them, but they didn’t phase him.

“I, Fantine Christenson, vow to honor, respect, love, and cherish you, Irwin Thrones, for all of my days. I promise to stand by your side through any and all hardships, to hold your hand during your darkest days and your longest nights, to keep you in my heart every moment.”

“I, Irwin Thrones, swear my heart to you, dear Fantine. You are the breath that fills my lungs, the sun that warms my skin, the joy that touches my soul. I will never give up on you. I vow to hold you close during times when you feel you cannot stand alone and to shoulder any pain that may ever ail you.”

There were not many guests at Irwin’s wedding. The ones that showed up were co-workers of his, and they hardly even knew him. They seemed touched by the ceremony regardless; Cid was especially touched to see his father so happy and in love.

Irwin leaned forward to kiss his bride when flower petals rained down from the top of the arch. Cid smiled to himself — it was but a little wedding gift he had rigged to surprise his father, and it did not go unnoticed. Fantine laughed as Irwin placed his lips on hers. The crowd cheered for the couple.

The wedding lasted well into the early hours of the morning and everyone had a blast. There was a lot of socializing and hugs were shared, but the best part about the night to Irwin was that he now had a wife to add to his happy family.

Exhausted from the evening, Irwin led his wife to their new bedroom, where they shared their first night together as husband and wife.

Irwin had known a little bit about Fantine’s likes and dislikes before they wed, like, for example, her favorite color was Yellow, she loved eating Mac and Cheese whenever possible, and that she preferred to listen to Indie music. She was a Capricorn who was also vocal about her Frugal tendencies.

He learned after getting married that she had a Green Thumb, was a Supernatural Fan, Artistic, and also a Workaholic. She had shared with him her lifelong desire of becoming a Visionary, so Irwin abandoned his painting easel and let her have at it. She spent day and night improving her painting skills by imagining Irwin in different time periods or envisioning Waffles as a bigger cat species. While she tried to translate her visions to her art, most of her work wasn’t worth framing. She had a long way to go before she could complete her dream.

Knowing she would never buy one for herself, Irwin gave her a camera to get a start on her photography skill.

She loved it so much that before she even had a chance to learn how to use it properly, she ventured to City Hall to register herself as a self-employed photographer. She just knew she would be using it constantly, so why not go ahead and start making a living out of it?

She found the painting skill much easier to learn, but enjoyed practicing photography more often.

She was incredibly eager to go out and start advertising her skills for work, but before she even had a chance to get her name out there, she discovered she was pregnant.

Irwin didn’t find out until he was admiring his wedding ring in the bathroom and Fantine burst in to vomit.

“Did your dad tell you the good news?” Fantine began, stuffing her face with stale wedding cake.

Cid nodded. “Yeah, you’re pregnant!” Fantine smiled, puffing out her cheeks with a mouthful of cake. Cid held up his hand. “You know, you probably shouldn’t be eating that, I can’t imagine it’s good for the baby.”

Fantine shrugged. “I know, you’re probably right… I just have these weird cravings all of the sudden, nothing sounded good except this cake.” She set her fork down. “We have to teach your father how to cook a proper meal. Once this baby gets here, we’ll all have to start eating better.”

“I know what you mean.” Cid stare down at his peanut butter and jelly. “I know Dad is trying his best, but I do agree with you about cooking.”

Cid didn’t want anything special for his birthday, so he simply aged up in the living area. There was no need for him to ask for a giant birthday party with a new little sibling on the way who would need that money more than he did.

As a teenager, Cid discovered he was a Natural Cook, which was good news, as the Thrones family needed some hot meals in their bellies asap.

Cid found himself having odd urges every now and then as a teenager. When he finally unleashed the strange sensation welling up inside of him, he found he could boost the brains of those around him. He was astonished. Having been raised around humans, he had never known of anything like this before. Could other aliens do this as well, or was this just something that Irwin’s psychic genes passed along to him?

When he tried brain-boosting himself, he found he did not need to sleep. This was amazing! Cid could literally stay awake for days at a time as long as he did his little brain trick to himself for a few minutes!

“Do you think you could use your magic on the new baby?” Irwin asked. “You know, learn things about it before it’s born?”

Cid cocked his head. “I don’t think so, and even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. I’d be too concerned I’d hurt it.” He raised an eyebrow at Irwin. “Are you nervous about the baby?”

“Of course I am!” shouted Irwin. “Cid, I hate to tell you this, but when you first came into my life, I had no idea what to do with you. I was a terrible father. I didn’t understand you, so I flat-out abandoned you.”

“That isn’t true, I have vivid memories of you reading me to sleep and helping me walk across the room.”

“Well, eventually I snapped out of it and became the father I am today, but at first…” Irwin sighed and rested his head in his hands.

Cid placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. “Dad,” Cid started, “you’re a wonderful father. I know you love me and that’s what matters most. You will be great to this baby, I just know it.”

The overall vibe in the Thrones household was stressful as everyone prepared themselves for the new arrival. Waffles became protective of Fantine and started following her wherever she went. He wouldn’t sleep unless he knew she would be painting in front of the easel for hours at a time, and even then he was prepared to awake should anything happen.

“Fantine… this baby kicks an awful lot…” Irwin stated, his heart pounding hard against his chest.

Fantine nodded. “I’ve noticed that too! You’d better start thinking of names, I think the day may be approaching fast!”

Irwin gulped. Hopefully, he was ready to be a father again, because it was starting to look like he didn’t have a lot of time left to prepare himself.