Baby Mine

By TerraBM

Story takes place, many, many years ago on Mars.

"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Stoker Black Ruby all about jumped out of his fur at the wailing sounds the baby in the other room was making. His heart pounded wildly and his eyes widened in fear as he scrambled out of the chair he had been napping in and ran into the nursery, heart pounding in his ears.

"Cherry! It's okay, daddy's coming!" he gasped. But as soon as he got to the crib he realized that the little baby that was screaming so loud was not his daughter, but rather his best friend Axle's little boy, Throttle. Stoker rubbed his head and sighed. It was still to early for this…why had he agreed to baby-sit for Axle and Jewel? Bad memories haunted him and racked his body as the memory of his own little child that had been taken from him as he listened to the little boy cry.

"Hey, hey, Shhh! Shh!" He hushed, reaching down and picking up the squirming and crying infant from his bed and cradling him. "Calm down little fella! Calm down! It's okay!" he gasped, holding him and patting his back soothingly.

Baby Throttle continued to wail and scream, great big tears in his large blue eyes. "What do you want? Goodness, you've got a set of lungs, boy!" Stoker nearly had to shout to be heard over the child's wailing sobs. "What, do you want your bottle?" he asked, picking up a discarded one from inside the crib which had giving him before bed. He held it to the infants mouth, who looked at it in surprise, big blue eyes sparking with tears as his little mouth quivered before knocking the bottle from Stoker's hands and continuing to scream. "Okay, you're not hungry. Don't tell me you need changed…" The chocolate furred Martian sighed, checking him quickly. "Nope, clean and dry. Hmmm…" He tried to think of what else he could to when he noticed the little boy over his shoulder, tiny hands out stretched towards the door. "Oh. I see. You miss mama and daddy, do you?" Stoker said, petted his little mess of baby fine wheat colored hair.

Baby Throttle whimpered and looked about ready to scream again, but Stoker hurriedly sat down in the rocking chair and rocked him back and forth in his arms. "Hey, now, little one, you've gotta be braver than that. They'll be home soon." Stoker assured the babe. The little boy looked up at him with wide, wondering eyes until they suddenly spotted the silver medal that hung on a thing chain around the older mouse's neck. "Oooooooh. Hee hee!" Baby Throttle cooed, getting his little fingers around it and trying very hard to get it into his mouth, choking Stoker a bit in the process. "Goodness! A strong grip you got there, little bro!" he gasped, quickly unfastening the clasp and letting the child play with it.

He entertained him this way for a moment or two, until the young future Biker Mouse found a better toy; namely Stoker's long brown hair and began to chew on it tangle his tiny fingers in it. Stoker giggled and winced as the baby tugged and pulled on his precious locks and he in turned tickled his little tummy, earning a couple of squeals. "Heh heh, you like that do you?" he asked smiling down at him. The baby giggled and squealed, quite pleased with his new playmate until his little eyes widened a bit and he got a rather shocked look on his face that was absolutely adorable. Stoker cocked an eyebrow, wondering what had caught the little one's sudden attention.

"What do you see little bro?" he asked. Throttle's tiny hands went up at once and he began to gurgle and squirm as Stoker followed his gaze over to his backpack and the shinny chrome handle bars of a toy Harley Davidson motorcycle sticking out of one of the pockets. "Uh oh." Stoker said, a smile spreading across his face as the little boy continued to, in his own little way, insist on seeing the bike. Stoker chuckled and carried him into the living room and carefully pulled out the tiny bike as he sat the little boy down on his lap as he sat on the couch and held the bike up for the baby to see, who stared at it with wide, sparkling eyes. "Now, little bro, this is not a toy. Well, actually it is, but it's a very…um…well…you see this was Cherry's…" Stoker's voice broke suddenly at the mention of his little girl's name. It still hurt to talk about it. She was only four years old…

" Bike!" came a tiny little squeak suddenly. Stoker's eyes stared down at the most innocent little smile he'd ever seen on a child as Throttle gently ran his tiny little fingers across the bike's seat. His mouth fell open a bit as he sat the bike down on the table and picked the child up under both arms and held him up to him. "Throttle! You just said you're first word!" he gasped. Throttle grinned a toothless little grin and rubbed his nose against Stoker's affectionately. "B…Br…Bro!" he squeaked out then, getting a hold of Stoker's whiskers.

Stoker's heart melted right then and there as he brought the little boy against him in a warm hug and caressed the back of his head. "Yeah…bros." He whispered, rocking him. The child yawned adorably and got a tiny fist full of Stoker's long hair and snuggled up to him, begging for affection. The older mouse, who was then in his early twenties, nuzzled the infant who was clinging to him. Very carefully he scooped him up, and the toy motorcycle, and carried him back to his nursery and laid him back into his crib, covering him over with his blanket as Stoker leaned against the railing and gazed down at him. "You know, I promised myself I wouldn't get attached to you little bro…." He paused and sighed, watching the little boy who was gazing up at him with tranquil innocence. "You may not be my little Cherry, but if God had granted me a son…" He reached down to tickle his tummy, and little Throttle grabbed hold of his index finger and held on, cooing softly. Stoker was melted by his cuteness.

Suddenly the little infant let out a giant yawn and rubbed his little eyes, squirming as he fought sleep. Stoker smiled and bent down inside the crib and placed a tiny kiss on the little boy's forehead and twirled his index finger in the soft fluffy hair that had formed on his head. " I love you little bro." He whispered.

Baby mine don't you cry

Baby mine dry your eyes

Rest your head close to my heart

Never to part

Baby of mine

Little one when you play

Don't you mind what they say

Let those eyes sparkle and shine

Never a tear

Baby of mine

If they knew sweet little you

They'd end up loving you too

All those who say

People will scold you

What they'd give

Just for the right to hold you

From your head to your toes

You're not much

Goodness knows

But you're so precious to me

Sweet as can be

Baby of mine

If they knew sweet little you

They'd end up loving you too

All those who say

People will scold you

What they'd give

Just for the right to hold you

From your head down to your toes

You're not much

Goodness knows

But you're so precious to me

Sweet as can be

Baby of mine