Pitch couldn't help himself but check the news online to see how the world is adjusting to the public knowledge of Cryptids or Yokai depending on where one lives. It was basically what Pitch expected. People were demanding a registry, the people in charge were taking their sweet time making a decision, and everything was chaos. Accusations were being tossed around, anyone that seemed slightly weird were being called Doppelgangers and some people on the far right were saying homosexuality and transgender people were the result of Doppelganger influence to say the least or outright saying all homosexuals and transgender were in fact Doppelgangers.

  Pitch shook his head, knowing that if a Doppelganger wanted to change gender they could just do that without the hormone treatment or the surgery and simply take on a new identity. The new identity thing was the hard part as it was now being debated if one could be considered a fraud just by being a Doppelganger simply because their identity was in some way false if for no other reason than the fact they claim to be human or that some have taken on witness protection level false identities out of necessity.

  Some people didn't seem to care why it was done, they just wanted an excuse. This was how humans worked, they feared what they didn't understand and lashed out at it. It was a classic us versus them mentality, as humans established this new minority as the “other” fairly quickly. The fact these people weren't technically human definitely didn't help. Pitch sighed and shook his head as he scolded through story after story. “I wish they could see the world as I do. That these “monsters” are just like them. Some are capable of great evil, but that's hardly a reason to condemn the whole.”

  Pitch closed the phone and set it down. “That's enough doom scrolling for today. Things will settle down eventually. However, I doubt they'll ever be the same. I mean it'll be similar with Cryptids being a new minority I guess.” Pitch let himself sink into the couch with a sigh. “The hell is Marrie thinking? He's a Cryptid too.” Pitch couldn't figure out the core motivation, he just couldn't put himself in Marrow’s shoes or figure him out. “It just doesn't make sense for him to violate the Doppelganger secrecy like this. What's his angle?”

  Pitch paced for a while in the living room, unsure of what to do with himself. The world was changing, but his job didn't. He was still a civilian consultant to Black Eagle, even if they were under the direct control of the President now. The same man who once owned the company behind the tech and the labs. The company now run by a son Pitch thinks might not actually exist. That this is somehow a part of the same plan that had the creation of Umbrian power plants fed by death row inmates.

  That was the problem though, Pitch couldn't figure out the end goal. Why was Marrow doing all these things? Pitch decided to shake the thoughts off for now. “The why isn't important right now, the fact is he's doing things and I might eventually have to step in somehow.” Kathryn finally woke up and Pitch started on breakfast for her. Kathryn rubbed her eyes and spoke with a sleepy voice. “Morning. How'd you sleep?” Pitch groaned. “Not well. I only need a few hours here and there but I still dream. I still have nightmares.” Kathryn nodded. “You've been sleeping more lately.”

  Pitch sighed as he handed her breakfast. I haven't been drinking enough holy water. I'll be back to normal once I get back into rhythm with my intake.” Kathryn nodded then started to eat. “So it's because you're not eating enough? Is that why you started sleeping more often when you stopped eating people and switched to holy water?” Pitch shrugged. “Maybe. I am getting less energy from the water than I did from people. Especially when I farmed their fear first.” Kathryn chuckled. “By that you mean haunting them and scaring them for several days before you eat them.”

  Pitch nodded. “I mean… it's weird you find that funny though. What I did… was technically premeditated murder. Even if they were the scum of the earth.” Kathryn stopped eating for a moment and sighed. “Yeah, I know. It's just… I don't know. Your entire situation is weird. I'm still not sure how we're going to handle this.” She rubbed the baby bump. “I mean… it's a lot all at once. This child is happening, and for some reason the MRI has it looking human. So I have no idea what is going on or what to expect.”

  Pitch grabbed her hand gently. “We'll get through this together. Okay? I married you and I'm not going anywhere. Whatever the child is, it'll be ours. I'll love it unconditionally.” Kathryn smiled and held his hand as she ate. “Together.” She echoed the word. It was comforting to know no matter how chaotic things got, they had one another. They also had friends they could rely on if needed. Kasa, Hammer, Anderson, Ishwada. Together they would help wherever they could with the world and even the family they were starting together. The two enjoyed each other’s company as they started the day, confident they could tackle whatever came next.

  Once breakfast was finished it was time to look at schedules and plan out the rest of the day. Both of them still had to work despite everything going on and for the most part the day to say life didn't change much. The only difference was people knew now so Kathryn had to deal with open government and civilian oversight on all the projects the lab had going on. Even though Pitch was a civilian consultant and everyone in Black Eagle knew he was a Cryptid, Pitch was now required to wear full gear any time there was a chance of public eyes being in a case.

  One huge benefit to the new arrangement was the fact that they didn't need an entire team just to come up with and establish cover stories anymore. Not having to sneak around, make excuses, or convince people to be quiet made some things smoother. It also led to people going out of their way to encounter Cryptids or Black Eagle. Pitch wasn't allowed to use his true form unless they were positive he wouldn't be seen, or at the least seen transforming. They could always wave off one Cryptid fighting another.

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  Because of New Arkham being a hotbed for activity and the local sheriffs and deputies usually being in on the secret this lead the the entire police force in the town often helping with crowd control during cases just like they used to but now that the fact there helping in a Cryptid case being fully open knowledge. Since Black Eagle already worked with the local police department there wasn't much reason to stop. It seemed that although many things changed a lot also stayed the same, especially with day to day operation.

  The cases themselves went smoothly, despite complications for Pitch specifically as cases rarely needed him in his true form and the group could probably do just fine without him. He was solid at investigating and detecting Cryptids, but that had others who were more than skilled enough to do the job in his absence. This meant Pitch was more than welcome to take leave if and when he wanted too with minimal worries about getting interrupted during personal time. This meant Pitch could more easily have time at home with Kathryn whenever he wanted. All he had to do was put in a request for time off.

  This realization came with another, outside of time for the wedding, Pitch hadn't taken much time off from work since this whole thing started. He's been so mission focused that he hadn't given himself much time outside of that. So only a week or two into the new arrangement, Pitch did just that and requested time off with it being approved with little hesitation. Pitch didn't have any specific plans for the time off, just to spend it with his wife and future mother of his child. When he got home, Kathryn was looking at some sort of pictures with a magnifying glass.

  Pitch tilted his head at the sight. “What are you doing Kat?” Kathryn looked up at him. “Oh, these are the MRI scans we took. I'm trying to find any abnormalities or maybe even a clear sign of gender. I know it's still early in the pregnancy, but we should be able to tell by now if it develops close enough to a normal pregnancy. Since it looks human I'm thinking that's the case. But the fact it has the shape of a human baby just leads to more questions.”

  Pitch nodded as Kathryn returned to her close examination. Suddenly she exclaimed extremely loudly. “Aha! I found you!” Pitch jumped slightly, started by the sudden outburst. “What did you find?” Kathryn hands him the magnifying glass and points. “Right here, you see that lump? I think it's a boy!” Pitch grabbed the magnifying glass and looked. “That does look like it could be a scrotum. It's not full proof, but I guess this is the closest we'll get to knowing. Maybe we should talk about names. I mean… we're going to have to, sooner rather than later. Because this…” he gestured to the baby numb and MRI images. “This is happening.”

  Kathryn nodded. “Should we… come up with two? On his birth certificate he'll be the child of James Holden but you go by Pitch Black now.” Pitch rubbed his chin in thought. “That's a good question. Before the Cryptid stuff I always wanted to name my first son after my grandfather.” Kathryn chuckled. “You want to name our kid, Bartholomew Holden? Isn't Anderson also a Bartholomew?” Pitch blinked a few times. “Right, and like Grampa did, he goes by Berry instead. I forgot about that.” He grumbled lightly at the realization.

  Pitch rubbed his chin more. “Well we definitely can't name him after one of your grandparents. Finnigan or Oisín? And I'm definitely not acknowledging my mother's father.” Kathryn rubbed her chin. Oisín Holden isn't that bad actually. Since the name means “little deer” and all.” Pitch hummed. “Maybe. But it's far from common. I mean Bartholomew isn't exactly common these days either but still.” The two continued to rub their chins in thought. Kathryn tilted her head. “What if we leaned into the Cryptid aspect but also picked something human? A name with a meaning that hints at his true nature as the son of an Umbrian.”

  Pitch perks up a bit. “What about… Adrian? It means dark water if I remember correctly.” Kathryn hummed. “Adrian Holden or Adrian Black… Isn't Adrian Black the name of a character from a TV show?” Pitch laughed a bit. “I think it's the name of the vampire in the American version of Being Human.” Kathryn shakes her head. “No, his name was Aiden.” Pitch looked it up on his phone. “L.A. Noir, one off villain. I was way off. Well at least I highly doubt anyone will point out the fact that they share a name with a fictional character. Especially not years from now.”

  Kathryn nodded. “So is that the name we're going with? Adrian Holden? What about a middle name?” Pitch rubbed his chin in thought. “John? Adrian John Holden, AJH. Could call him AJ for short. Like how I was called JD for a bit in high-school.” Kathryn chuckled. “Oh yeah, because your middle name was Derrick. James Derrick Holden. If I remember correctly it was after your great-grandfather on your mom's side.” Pitch nodded. “Yeah, something like that. Not that it's important. So we both settled on Adrian John Holden?”

  Kathryn took a moment to think before nodding and rubbing her belly. “Little AJ.” She smiled afterwards. Pich put his hand on hers on the belly bump and smiled as well. The two, now settled on a name for their unborn child, sat on the couch and cuddled together while watching the television. A perfect quiet moment despite the recent chaos of the world being turned upside down. It was just them, some snacks, and the television. This was what they were fighting for, not just for them, but for everyone. Cryptid and human alike. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

  After several hours of just being together and enjoying personal time with the occasional intrusion from Kasa who only comes through the area to get something she needs and does her best not to interrupt, it started to get dark. Kathryn stretched and yawned before once again wrapping her arm around Pitch. “I'm ready for bed. Will you lay with me while I sleep?” Pitch nodded before getting up first. He then extended his hand to help her get up off the couch so they could retire to their room. He leads her by the hand and takes her to their bed, shutting the door behind them.

  Pitch helped Kathryn into their king sized coffin bed they had custom made to accommodate Pitch's true form. Once Kathryn was in, Pitch climbed in and cuddled her under a blanket, making his body simulate heat despite him normally not giving off any so that he could keep her warm. As Kathryn settled into the bed, Pitch ran his hand on the modest but noticeable baby bump with a smile. “I can't wait to meet him, our child. I know we'll be raising him in a chaotic world that doesn't truly understand him, but we'll do our best.”

  Kathryn smiled as she placed her hand on Pitch's hand, the one that rested on her belly. “Yes, and regardless of anything, Adrian will be loved unconditionally by us. Even if no one else understands him, we'll be there every step of the way.” As the two continued to cuddle on the blanket, Kathryn slowly fixed off in Pitch's arms, feeling safe and protected. She knew that Pitch would do anything for their child, the unborn Adrian that was growing inside her. Once asleep, she started to dream peacefully as Out h stayed awake as sentinel over her.

  Pitch continued to playfully run his fingers on the baby bump as Kathryn slept, he knew it was too early, but he started to imagine it kicking and moving inside her enough for him to feel it. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, despite everything going on and everything that has happened, he was going to be a father. He was nervous, scared, excited, and proud all at the same time. A bundle of emotions that threatened to burst as the anticipation for this new life grew. Adrian couldn't come soon enough, but Pitch would have to be patient.