Welcome Back Crows

Chapter 5

Again, the plot is mine! Also, Kaz can touch Inej and Jordie, but can't really touch anyone else. He's getting better though!

Kaz's POV:

Light-filled the room. I rolled over, trying to turn away from it and fall back asleep. I had maybe gotten an hour of sleep since my talk with Jesper. It felt good to be able to tell someone, and yet he didn't want to force anyone else to hold his burden. Inej did, but Kaz didn't get a say in the matter. Whenever she was around, Kaz's secrets seemed to find their way to her. Not that he minded. Kaz loved her more than anything, and with Jordie, he felt complete.

 I opened my eyes, finally ready to face the chaos the crows would bring, and smiled at what I found. Inej was laying with her face to me, Jordie curled up in her arms. She curled around him as if trying to protect him from the dangers of the barrel, sleeping soundly. I wrapped my arm around them, pulling them in closer. Smiling slightly as they both seemed to lean in at the touch. No matter how much Jordie looked like me, he would always be his moms. I leaned over slightly, kissing Inej's forehead.

"Morning," I whispered. Normally, Inej would be up at six and ready to work, but on days where Jordie couldn't sleep, she would sleep in. Having spent the night singing quietly until Jordie was fast asleep. He had woken up again by the time I came upstairs. I couldn't help smiling again as I remember finding them hugging on the bed, Jordie wrapped up in our blankets.

"fhnbss nsanjsk," whatever she had said was undecipherable. I tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"They're going to be here soon and we need to get up," I whisper back, hoping that Inej would realize the importance of today for Jordie. She did. Sitting up slowly, she untangled herself from Jordie and got up. Smiling faintly as she went to get changed. I followed in getting up and was grabbing my usual attire when Jordie woke up.

"Morning Jordie," I said, making my way to the side of the bed, crouching down so I could see his face. "You ready for today?" 

His face lit up. "Yeah!" He shoved the blankets off and raced to his room, no doubt to find the perfect outfit. I stood back up and finished getting dressed, buttoning up my vest as Inej came back in. She wore her usual outfit of black with knives peaking out from the cloth folds. 

My breath caught.

She smiled as if she heard it. I opened my mouth to say something when Jordie walked in showing us his attire for the day. Inej let out a surprised snort, covering her mouth as fast as possible. My smile only grew bigger. Jordie stood proudly in the doorway to his room, dressed in a suit (similar to mine). The buttons on his vest were done up a bit wrong but other than that, he pulled it off. Inej knelt down, beckoning him to her. He stumbled forward and let his mom fix the buttons before turning to me.

Sheepishly he whispered, "Is it okay if I wear this?"

I came forward before picking him up and spinning once. 

"Absolutely," I replied. Inej stood back and looked at the two of us. smiling as she stated,

"My two boys and their clothes. What am I to do."

Jordie giggled, I set him down and let him run around the room in excitement. The suit was one of the only ones that Jordie owned. It was supposed to be for fancy meetings and such, but Jordie had deemed it his favorite. A knock came from the door, followed by Rotty poking his head in.

"Their downstairs," He said before slipping away.

Inej smiled and moved to the door, "you'll get him?" Jordie had run back to his room.

"I'll bring him down," I replied. Inej disappeared behind the door and down the stairs.

"Jordie, you ready?"I called. This, followed by him running back out.

"ah uh," he said and grabbed my hand pulling me towards the stairs. I close the door behind me, leaning on my cane as we made our way down.

"Do you think they'll like me?" Jordie whispered as we hit the second landing. I squeezed his hand and smiled.

"They'll love you."

Nina's POV:

We had gotten up early this morning, quickly making our way to the Slat in our excitement to meet Jordie. Inej had greeted us shortly after Rotty went to get them and we quietly shared a hug. I couldn't hold it any longer.

"So-where is the lucky kid?" I know I was pushing, but after losing Matthias and everything, I was desperate to see what brought Kaz and Inej so much joy. Inej smiled patiently. 

"He'll be down in a minute," she smiled. As if on cue, the sound of a cane hitting the floor was heard on the stairs. All attention shot to the stairway as Kaz stepped down, a child clinging to his hand and tucked behind his leg. 

He was adorable. He looked exactly like Kaz, or at least how he would have looked like when he was a child. They were right about his eyes and nose, just like Inej, and quiet on his feet. He was perfect.

"Oh, Inej! Kaz!" I exclaimed. "He's perfect." Inej beamed and Kaz shone with pride. I wanted to hug him but it was impossible with the way he clung to his dad. However, Jesper beat me as he crouched down.

"Hello, it's really nice to meet you, I'm Jesper, this is Wylan and that is Nina," Jesper said, introducing us. Jordie peaked his head out from behind his dad's leg, eyes widening before cutting a glance at his dad. Kaz nodded, confirming whatever Jordie had silently asked. After the nod Jordie spoke in a soft whisper, surprising us all with the soft edge his voice carried.

"But-but they can't be mine," wonder laced his words. "They're from your stories. They're real? They're mine?!" he cut a quick glance to Inej. Who smiled at his surprise. Jesper looked up.

"Stories?"

"Yes," Jordie answered, still holding Kaz's hand, standing out a little more than before. "The stories about a brave warrior who could stop an army with a flick of her hands. About the boy who-who could create anything and always stopped the bad guys. And the sharpshooter, who never missed and could always be counted on. Dad and mom always told them to me before bed!" His eyes held wonder as he recounted the tales of our past. Tears were fighting their way to my eyes, and looking around, everyone else felt the same. They had told Jordie all about us. I beamed at the small boy.

"We're real," I started. "And we're all yours!"

Jordie smiled widely at this. He still didn't seem eager to come close, but growing up with Kaz meant he was cautious. As he should be. Wylan smiled and asked,

"You ready to spend a day with your Aunt and Uncles?"

Jordie took one last look at his mom and dad before nodding his head.

"Yes!"

Hello! I know the story is rushed and I'm sorry! I hope that the story is okay and that it's moving in the right direction. If you see mistakes or have ideas don't forget to comment them! Hope you liked the chapter! I plan on writing whenever I can, so updates will be random. Thanks so much for your input and for reading! Have a great day!

Sugi