It all started when Carlos was nine. It had been long since Cruella had died, and Carlos had long since learned to survive on his own. He had been in the marketplace when a woman he didn't recognize came up to him. His hand was already in his pocket, where he had his switchblade, but the woman wasn't looking to hurt him. ¨My daughter,¨ she said. ¨Can you hold her, just for a while, please?¨
Carlos had always had a soft spot for little children. Anyone under the age of eight was precious, and needed to be protected in Carlos's eyes. So he took the girl in his arms and assured the woman that her daughter would be fine when she came back.
She didn't come back.
Carlos genuinely didn't know what to do at first. He know what he should do: dump the toddler in the middle of the street and walk away. Pretend she never existed. Laugh, if he so desired.
Carlos did none of that. Instead, he held the baby tighter and walked back to his home, shushing her every time she made noises. When he reached his Hell Hall, he noticed a tag on her blanket. Dizzy Tremaine. ¨It's you and me now, Dizzy,¨ Carlos murmured, pressing her tighter to his chest. ¨We'll be perfectly fine.¨
oOo
That did not last very long. It took a week for Carlos to learn how to handle a toddler, what with all the crying, feeding, diapers, but eventually he figured it out. The worst part of adjusting were the nights where Dizzy would weep for the comfort of someone who wasn't coming for her. Carlos would hold her and soothe her until she fell into a fitful sleep.
Eventually, Dizzy seemed to accept that her mother wasn't coming back, and warmed up little by little to Carlos. Good thing that happened when it did, because not even a week later, six more babies turned up on his doorstep.
He had no idea how word spread that he had taken in a baby that quickly, but he couldn't do anything about it. He picked them all up and put them in his house. Hell Hall was far from the VK territory and the Pirate's coast that no one would bother them. He set each baby on the big bed in his mother's room, where Dizzy lay fast asleep. There were three boys, Cameron, Harris and Fletcher, and three girls, Rosie, Mia, and Olivia. The majority of them were asleep, thank god, but Cameron was crawling over to a snoozing Dizzy, smiling. Carlos grabbed him and placed the boy on his hip before he could wake Dizzy up.
Only then did Carlos realize how screwed he was. He could barely feed himself and Dizzy. How was he supposed to feed five babies? Just then, the doorbell rang, saving Carlos from throwing himself into a panic. He went to the entrance, still holding Cameron on his hip and opened it to reveal his cousin, Diego de Vil. Carlos positioned himself so he was half hiding behind the door, so Diego wouldn't notice Cameron still perched on his hip. ¨So I heard this rumor when I was in town,¨ Diego started, crossing his arms and glaring at Carlos. ¨That Cruella de Vil's son was taking in babies, and that if you didn't want your brat you could leave them at the doorsteps of Hell Hall. Now, my Dad said to tell you that if any of that had even the semblance of truth to it, he'd come down and kill you himself. Now, please tell tell me this is just a rumor.¨
¨Of course it's a rumor,¨ said Carlos, realizing he needed Diego to leave, now. ¨No idea where they got that idea. Okay, cool, bye.¨
Carlos tried slamming the door shut, but Diego jammed his foot in right when the door was closed.¨Why are you hiding behind the door?¨
¨I'm naked,¨ Carlos blurted out. Not the best excuse, but it was the only one he could think of on the spot.
¨Sure, now let me in.¨ Diego snickered at the horrified expression on Carlos's face. ¨I changed your diapers when you were a kid, 'Los, it's nothing I haven't already seen.¨
Diego pushed back, and froze at the sight of Cameron grabbing a lock of Carlos's hair and shoving it in his mouth. ¨Is that what I think it is?¨
¨No,¨ Carlos tried.
Diego looked furious ¨I should go tell my Dad to save himself the trouble, because I'm gonna throttle you myself!¨ Diego took a deep breath before screaming at Carlos. ¨Have you lost your mind? What the hell are you thinking, taking in babies? How the hell do you think you're going to handle them?¨
¨Diego, I -¨ Carlos tried to explain, but Diego interrupted.
¨How many?¨ He sounded like he was contemplating how painful Carlos's death would be, so Carlos decided to get the worst out of the way.
¨Seven. Six babies were left here this morning.¨
Diego looked at Carlos incredulously. ¨How the hell are you gonna look after six babies?¨
¨I don't know, D,¨ Carlos finally managed to get out. He bounces a little, making little Cameron giggle. ¨I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I won't be able to live with myself if I do nothing.¨
Diego looked at Carlos for a very long time. ¨Fine,¨ he finally said. ¨But if I get the impression that you're biting off more than you can chew, I will put an end to all this. Clear?¨
Carlos nodded frantically. ¨Crystal.¨
Diego sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¨If you're doing this because you think you're alone,¨ he started, his voice significantly softer. ¨Then we can go hunt down parents. Because you have me, and my Dad.¨
Carlos smiled. ¨I know, D. But I'm doing this because no one else is, not because I want company. Don't you think I'd pick older kids if I want company?¨
Diego huffed out a small laugh. ¨Yeah, that's true, I guess.¨ He started to walk out the door, but paused and turned around. ¨I'm still telling my Dad.¨
Carlos groaned, Diego laughed and Cameron fell asleep on Carlos's shoulder.
oOo
Taking care of the babies hadn't been too bad once Carlos lost his need to sleep. The babies slept on the master bed, while Carlos slept on the ground. When one woke up crying, Carlos was immediately up and at the them, quieting them down before they could wake up the rest. It was bad enough with just Dizzy. Now, Carlos was lucky to clock in for an hour.
True to his word, Cecil de Vil had came in and gave Carlos the most terrifying scolding he'd ever gotten, and he lived with Cruella de Vil for six years. Diego stood behind, looking at Carlos smugly. Cecil, like Diego, tried to make Carlos get rid of the babies, but Carlos refused. As scared as he was of his uncle, he'd be damned if he let the kids out alone on the street. In the end, they'd made a deal. Diego would come in at least once a week to see how the place was. If he thought Carlos was doing too much, they'd both put a stop to it. Carlos agreed, for no reason except he knew how to cover up overworking.
Cecil had also made it clear that he would not be funding Carlos's ¨project¨ at all.
He found himself in Jafar's Junk Shop that evening, Diego and Cecil agreeing to look after the babies for an hour while Carlos went out to grab some things he might need. His mother had an abundance of jewelry, and Carlos grabbed a diamond necklace and a gold bracelet to trade that evening. It was the first conversation he had with Jafar and his son, Jay. He walked in and went right for anything that could work as something a baby might need. He felt a pair of eyes on him, but didn't have the patience to turn around and address them. He didn't get a choice, however, when he went to the counter and had to talk with Jay.
Jay smirked when he saw everything that Carlos was holding. ¨The rumors are true, huh?¨
Carlos looked Jay in the eye. ¨I have no idea what you're talking about.¨
Jay laughed loudly. ¨Hey, Pops,¨ he yelled, still chortling. ¨The rumors are true! de Vil's opening up an orphanage¨
¨You're kidding,¨ another male voice answered, and Carlos found himself face-to-face with Jafar. He was smiling coldly, cruel amusement dancing in his eyes. Jay mirrored that smile, down to the unpleasant curl on his lips. ¨You're really trying to open a - what's it called? Orphanage? - here?¨
Carlos took a deep breath. Losing his temper would lead to nothing but a black eye. He took out the diamond necklace. ¨Is this enough?¨
Jay snatched up the necklace, but Jafar, still snickering, went to the back and came out with a box full of baby supplies. ¨Take all this. It's not like anyone else will buy it.¨
Carlos, knowing better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, grabbed the box and made his leave. He stopped when he heard Jafar call his last name. ¨Oh, sabi bari', this place will eat you alive.¨ Jafar handed Carlos a bottle of concealer. ¨You'll need that, too, won't he, Jay?¨ They both laughed.
Carlos didn't dignify either with a response. He turned on his heel and walked out, the box full of baby supplies clutched protectively to his chest, the bottle of concealer hid in his pocket, right next to the dagger. He made his way to the marketplace, where he looked for anything that a toddler to eat. He bumped into Mal and Evie, who were also as amused as Jay was. ¨Oh, dear God, M, can you believe it?¨ Evie snickered.
Mal smirked. ¨What I can't believe is that he's still alive.¨ Both girls laughed. Carlos ignored them and went along his way. Villains sure did love their gossip, apparently. He found a stand with fruits and white powder which he hoped was baby formula. Carlos saw Harry and Uma walking over, and braced himself for mockery. ¨You hear?¨ Uma drawled. ¨de Vil here is trying to be a good Samaritan boy.¨ Harry snickered.
Carlos, once again, didn't grace them with a response, and instead chose to pay for the fruit and milk with half the price of the bracelet. He used the other half to buy a gently used poster board and a marker. He wouldn't be able to provide for every child alone.
When Carlos got home, all the toddlers were fast asleep. So were the other occupants of the room. Carlos smiled when he saw Harris blink his eyes open blearily. Harris held his hands out to Carlos, who scooped him up without hesitation.
Diego and Cecil started awake and Harris's excited squeal. Then they both groaned and got up. ¨We're gonna close this down by the end of the week.¨ Diego said as they started to leave. ¨Sorry, 'Los, but no one can handle that.¨
Carlos rolled his eyes and bid them farewell. He picked up each baby and gently set them back on the bed. Mia snuffled a little, but otherwise they remained fast asleep. Once he was sure that no one would wake up any time soon, he started making a sign.
It was at the door of Hell Hall the next day. Only it was no longer Hell Hall. The sign read Carlos's Home for Lost Boys and Girls. If you are dropping a child for a day, that will be a can of food, or anything else I can use to feed the children with that value. If it's forever, it's six. Remember who my Mother is. - Carlos de Vil. PS. We are not part of any gang. And we only take kids under the age of 9. If you're over, you will need to help me, or give me something in exchange for letting you stay.
This would either end with a fully functioning orphanage, or with Carlos, once again, as good as alone.
Time would only tell.