Rosetta’s hazel eyes were wide open and looked directly into his. Paul didn’t have the power to stop time. As far as he knew, he had no magical abilities at all, but at that moment, time did seem to stop. Indeed, Paul had no idea how long they stared at each other. His mind went blank, his hands were heavy, his lips quivered, and a small stream of milk ran down his smooth chin.

Not knowing what else to do, Paul eventually released Rosetta’s nipple. Then, very slowly, he grabbed the open ends of her top and tried futilely to cover her exposed chest. He didn’t even bother with retying the strings. He took a chance and waved one chubby hand from left to right in her face. Still, her eyes never blinked or moved from his.

Alrighty then, he thought and then carefully backed off her lap and dropped to the wooden floor with a small plop echoing in the room. He saw Rosetta was still staring at him when he slid back into his rocker. He grabbed both ends of his safety strap and started to tie them when her mouth opened, and her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Paul glanced at his hands and noticed breast milk sticking to his skin. He sighed, dropped the straps, and then scooted his diapered bottom to the end of his rocker. There he sat, with his hands on his tiny knees while looking up at Rosetta’s unmoving eyes and exposed chest.

Then in his best Valerian, he spoke, “I know you’re probably in shock right now, but if you think it would help, we can both pretend this is all just a dream?”

To her credit, Rosetta did not run from the room screaming or, and for this, Paul was eternally grateful, she did not grab a knife, and attempt to kill the talking demon spawn.

She slowly shook her head no, moved to the edge of the sofa, and said, “I… I fell asleep before feeding you. I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright. I fed myself,” Paul replied and smiled.

“Oh, you can smile. Thank the three gods.” And then she laughed.

Paul laughed too, and they both laughed until tears came to their eyes.

After that, Rosetta grew quiet and a stern expression formed on her usually jovial face. “Are you… really, my baby?” she asked with moisture brimming in her eyes once again.

Paul stared at her and felt the pain within. He wanted to say no, my mother is on my world thinking I’m dead. All I want is to get back to my real family. “Of course, I’m your baby boy. I just seem to remember my past life. That’s all, and I don’t know how this accident happened.”

Then Rosetta cried.

Paul waited a few minutes while she cried, what seemed like tears of joy and relief. When she had finally composed herself, she stood and snatched him up.

A thread of fear shot through Paul’s little body, but when Rosetta pressed him against her bosom and smothered him with kisses, he relaxed and sighed in relief.

Rosetta plopped him on her lap and peppered him with all kinds of questions, and he asked a few of his own. Paul learned more in those few hours than he had in many months on his own. He explained the world he was from and who he was in it. Rosetta told him some things about her. As a somewhat follower of the Church of The Three Gods, the state religion of a neighboring kingdom, the concept of reincarnation was not unknown to her.

“I have heard of reincarnation, but I was not permitted high-level learning. I suppose those higher in the church could give you the answers you want, but…” Rosetta looked away, and her lips trembled slightly.
 
Paul had a feeling of what was going through her mind. “It’s okay, you can say it.”

“You are my child, and I love you, no matter what. I believe you have an old soul and remember your past life, but many commoners and a few nobles widely believe in demon possession. If they saw you as you are now, they would kill you, and then they would have to kill me too, after I burned their houses down.” She tilted her head and grinned. “Of course, then Dominic, the crazy man that he is would kill a dozen of them before they brought him down.”

“Don’t tell me.” Paul smiled. “Then, the three of us would be reincarnated, and the entire saga would begin again.”

They talked on until Paul’s baby stamina eventually gave out. Rosetta took her strange child into her arms and gave him an awkward feeding. Later, she carried him to bed and then prepared the evening meal.  During her cooking, she thought about how to explain Paul to her husband, without him killing her baby or disowning them both.