211 - Nicki's Graduation

211 - Nicki's Graduation
Darkness, Worm, we, that is, Axle and I, would like to ask Nicki to move in with us. We know that she starts Harvard in fall and we’ve applied for an apartment in the same building that Vin is in. - Cobalt

It felt like a lifetime ago since Camille sat on the football field for her own graduation from Theodore Roosevelt High School. Yet it was only five years ago. Four since she sat in the stands and watched her best friend graduate.

So much had happened in those five years.

Her life had changed in ways that she had never even imagined. She had moved to Louisiana for school. Found the man that had stumbled into her reading alcove and told she was beautiful with her glasses. Fell in love. Cashed in her V-cards. Got married. Adopted three kids. The oldest graduated and started college. She graduated. Came home. Moved into their own house. Had a baby. Renewed her vows with a Saint Wedding.

Now, she stood up and cheered as Nicki walked across the stage.

The same stage that she had walked across. The same one that Priscilla, the Musketeers, most of their friends and extended family had crossed. All around her, the stands erupted in cheers and Nicki dipped her head to hide her embarrassment.

Noah objects to the sudden noise that engulfs him and the five-month-old reaches for Mitch. Camille hands her youngest over to his big brother who easily settles the infant. By the end of the ceremony, the baby is asleep in his grandmother’s arms.

Sid covered his ear not against her chest as the fireworks exploded in the sky. The noise startled him awake and he let out a loud wail. The bright colors in the sky caused him to quit crying, he tried to turn his head so that he could see it better. She sat him on her leg with his back to her chest. Trigg placed a small set of noise cancelling headphones on his head.

Camille snapped a few pictures of the look of amazement on his little face. She also snapped pictures of her other sons as they watched the colors explode above them. Vin’s girlfriend sat on the row in front of him and leaned back between his legs, her arms resting on his knees. Mitch leaned into his boyfriend and rested his head on the broad shoulder.

Oma and Opa sat on the other side of the two boys. Turning to look down the other side of the bench seating, Camille snapped pictures of the three musketeers and their partners. Priscilla sat at the end between the musketeers and her husband. Her little girl stood between her father’s legs looking up at the sky.

Aramis and Meagan each held one of their daughters. Their son stood on Porthos’ legs, bouncing excitedly with every explosion. Athos and Michelle sat closest to Darkness and her brothers sat in front of them between Molly and Werewolf.

Nicki was not the only Saint’s kid that was graduating this year. With each name for a Saint that was called the large area cheered. Evie sat a few rows in front of them surrounded by her growing brood.

Camille turned and took pictures of Axle and Cobalt as they sat behind Nicki’s parents. Zydeco sat on one side of the young men, Gator on the other. Next to Zydeco, Spider and Dutch flanked Rosie, who was amused at the nervousness of the two men between the Cajuns.

A few other Cajuns also came up for the graduation. Swamp Thang is sitting a few spots down and leans forward to speak with Porthos. He laughs and then hands the little boy over his shoulder. The preschooler squeals in excitement as he’s tossed lightly into the air.

The fireworks come to an end and Aramis’ oldest little girl, Dakota, cries out for more. Deuce laughs and stands up with the girl on his hip. He turns and motions to Aramis that he’ll meet the parents down at the cars. Even Camille knows that Dakota is going to convince Deuce to take her for a ride on his bike.

Unlike when Camille graduated and she made a quick escape; Nicki slowly made her way to the stands. Along the way, she pauses and hugs friends and their families. Noah is wide awake and fussing again as his big sister meets their parents and scoops the baby out of Oma’s arms.

Happily, he settles against her chest, gripping a handful of microbraids with his little fingers. Camille snaps pictures as Cobalt and Axle move to their woman. Noah pushes Axle away and moves to Cobalt.

Darkness kisses the top of his wife’s hair as he wraps his arms around her. Resting his chin on her head, he laughs as Vin tries to get his youngest brother to go to him. Grinning at his oldest brother, he buries his face in Cobalt’s chest.

“I think our baby is spoiled.”

“No such thing,” Camille told her husband. “He’s just well loved.”

“You sound like your mom,” he chuckles as their youngest moves over to Axle and their oldest makes an exaggerated upset face. “That boy has them all wrapped around his fingers.”

“And where are you?”

Shifting to press another kiss to her hair, he murmured, “Wrapped around you.”

Camille laughed and tipped her head up for a kiss.

“Really mom?” Mitch scoffed. “You don’t need another baby yet.”

“Boy,” she laughed as she turned back to him. “That’s not how you make babies.”

“Yeah, I know,” he grinned. “You mix baby oil and baby powder and bake for nine months.”

“Get the hell out of here!” Darkness barked out with a laugh.

Camille moved to take Noah so that they could head out to the clubhouse so that they could celebrate her graduation. The baby reached for his father and Darkness took him as they made their way out of the stands. Slowly, they made their way out to the parking lot.

As Darkness fastened Noah into his car seat, Nicki stripped off her cap and gown and tossed them into the back of the Jeep. She reached over and took the camera away from her mother and placed it in the case next to her mortar board. Moving between Cobalt and Axle, Nicki tipped her head back to kiss one man and then the other.

Priscilla winked at her best friend as she raised her own camera and snapped pictures of the three. Standing between her two men, Nicki pulled her skirt off and tossed it in the back. Axle straddled his bike before holding a hand out for her.

Camille smiled as she saw Vin putting a helmet on his girlfriend and then spotted Mitch over at Oma’s Jeep. He kissed his boyfriend just before the other boy jogged over to where his own parents were.

She liked the boy but did not think that he was Mitch’s forever. When she mentioned that to Darkness, he just smirked and asked if she was talking with the spirits now. Laughing, Camille told him the same thing that her own mother told him.

“Moms just know.”