"Thanks," Cassie said. "I usually have the wood set up before I go to bed, make it easier to start it up when he's like this, but..."
Michael opened his eyes and stared up at Alec. He started moving, wriggling free of her grip.
"Do you think he—" Cassie fumbled for the words. "Is he like you?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. We can find out." He reached out for the baby, looking to Cassie for permission.
She hesitated, her mother's heart aching. But she nodded and passed him over.
"Don't worry—I'm not going to throw him in the river." His smile smoothed over her nerves. "Not in this weather. Maybe if it were warmer..."
The joke fell flat as she scowled at him.
"Sorry," Alec said, cradling the baby.
Michael cooed and laughed as Alec held him, reaching up to tangle his tiny baby fingers in Alec's long hair. A twist of his hand, and Michael had a firm grip, allowing him to tug and pull at the dark strands.
"Ow." Alec winced as he tried to disentangle the baby's fingers.
"Good luck. I've lost more hair to him than I care to remember." Cassie stood up and stretched, her arms going up over her head as she reached for the ceiling in a familiar routine to ease the stiffness out of her muscles. Her black robe fell open, the thin belt dropping to the floor.
Alec leaned in for a kiss, holding the baby in one arm as he caressed her bare skin with the other. Cupping her breast, he ran his thumb over the nipple.
She gasped at the flash of heat running through her at the touch—it was as if they'd never been apart.
Michael let out an annoyed shout, forcing Alec to release her and step back.
"Oh, you're going to have to learn how to share," Alec said as he rocked the baby. "You want your momma all to yourself, but I need her too." He looked into Cassie's eyes. "I love her."
A lump rose in her throat as she put her hand on his shoulder, relishing the simple touch. "So how do we... do you..."
"Go get my pelt, please?" Alec headed for the bathroom, cooing at Michael. "I've got an idea." He looked over his shoulder. "And don't worry—it's safe."
She went into the bedroom where the two furred squares sat. It was easy to tell hers from his, the one he'd arrived with was a little less soft to the touch—hers felt like it was brand-new.
Which it was, she reminded herself as she headed for the bathroom.
She didn't want to begin to imagine what sort of magic, what sort of strange science created the pelt. What Alec had gone through to get it for her...
As she walked into the small room, Alec was still holding Michael, babbling to him in the same sort of baby talk Cassie had become fluent in over the past few months. He tilted his head toward the tub.
"Put some water in. Not too much—just like you did for me when you first brought me in." He settled on the edge of the ceramic tub, balancing the baby on his knee. "Barely enough to cover the bottom."
"I remember." She did so, instinctively checking the water temperature to make sure it wasn't too hot.
Michael burbled and burped, right in Alec's face. A small trickle of formula escaped out of the side of his mouth, running down into the front of his pajamas.
He laughed and handed him back to Cassie. "Take everything off him—including his diaper. Give him to me in a minute." He stood up and stripped off his underwear, folding and placing it on the nearby shelf.
Alec blew them both a kiss and pressed the otter pelt to his chest.
In less than a minute, it was finished.
Alec rose to stand on his back feet, whiskers twitching. The small tail slapped against the tiled floor as he raised his paws and waved at the pair.
Michael let out a peal of delight, reaching for the furry animal. His tiny chubby fingers wriggled as he tried to kick his way free from her grasp.
Alec scampered up onto the toilet and into the tub, swimming around in the lukewarm water. After a few circuits, he settled himself at the end and lay on his back, arms outstretched.
Cassie paused, staring at the otter.
He tilted his head to one side.
Chapter Seven
Michael let out a laugh and flailed around, reaching toward the tub.
"You always did like your baths." She undressed the baby, undoing the snaps to pull him out of his outfit and stripping off his diaper.
She leaned over and sat him down in the inch-high water, keeping a firm grip on his waist.
If he fell over—
Alec came closer, sniffing at Michael's face. The baby reached out and for a fast, horrible second, Cassie feared he was going to grab and strangle his father.
But he didn't.
Instead, the baby stroked the otter's fur, burbling happily to himself as Alec curled around the tiny body.
It happened in an instant—she was holding a baby one second, the next... a tiny otter splashed happily in the water, holding onto the larger one for support. He slipped out of her hands with ease, embracing Alec.
"Oh, shit." Cassie fell back, onto her butt. The hardness of the tiled floor helped make it real, make it all real.
Her chest tightened, a small degree of panic slipping in past her amazement.
He can... he is...
The excited squeaks brought her back to the edge of the tub, where the baby otter continued to play in the shallow water, gently guided by the larger animal.
She couldn't help laughing as Michael let out a chirp of glee, splashing away. He stayed close to Alec, tiny paws moving up and down as he became accustomed to his new form.
The two otters swam around the tub, at times walking more than swimming—Alec always keeping close to Michael, even pulling him onto his belly to move him out of the water when the baby seemed tired.
She couldn't stop watching them. It was hypnotizing, Alec's gentleness with the eager youngster tamping down her fear. The nervous knot in her chest began to untangle as they continued to play.
Still, Cassie remained vigilant—one hand on the side of the tub, the other in the cool water, in case Michael gave any sign of distress. She wasn't sure what she could do, but she wasn't going to leave him.
After about a half hour, Alec propped himself up at one end of the tub, staring at the baby. He lifted his hands, prompting Michael to do the same. The tiny otter moved up onto Alec's lap, keeping eye contact as he mimicked his father and raised his paws.
Alec touched his forehead, his nose, then his heart—his son following suit, never breaking eye contact.
She gasped and fell back again on the floor as the pair began to shift and change, regaining their human shapes. A few seconds later, Alec carefully climbed out of the tub with Michael in his arms. The otter pelt hung around his hips, as she'd first seen him so many years ago.
Michael was no longer fully naked, but also had the same furry accessory hanging from his tiny, chubby hips, his fur a slightly lighter shade of brown than his father's.
She reached out for him, relief washing over her. "I was afraid—" She shook her head as she cradled Michael in her arms.
For his part, Michael laughed and gurgled, trying to grab her long, loose blond curls. There was no sign of anything different about him, nothing other than his new clothing.
Alec picked up his underwear and started putting it on. "That he wouldn't change back? I thought about that, believe me. Then I went back through my memories—to my earliest recollections about shifting."