Title: Our Little Angel or Yes, a Baby
Author: AnitaB
Author's Notes: Max and Logan just keep feeding me ideas about the rest of their lives together. As the children's rhyme goes "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage." But before the carriage comes the pregnancy. In this land, who's to say they wouldn't get a jump on awareness. I own nothing and nothing I do own would be worth getting in a lawsuit. Fourth in my "Falling" series.
Chapter 1: The Dream
Two bodies laid intertwined on the large bed with the moonlight filtering through the blinds to add a soft glow to the room. Evening sleeping Logan held Max very close, spooned together they touched from shoulders to feet. It was nothing unusual for them to be sleeping so close or even to be sharing a dream. However the dream they were sharing tonight was unusual.
Instead of soft music and slow dancing, this dream had placed the pair in a hospital room. Max was lying on the bed in a gown that opened in the front. Logan sat at her side with her hand clasped between both of his. The nurse stood by the bed spreading petroleum jelly across Max's abdomen before beginning the sonogram.
"Do you know why we're here?" Max whispered.
"Not a clue. Do you?" Logan replied quietly.
Silently she shook her head and pulled him closer. "I don't like it."
Suddenly the nurse turned to them with a smile. "Here we go." She turned a TV screen towards them. "Here's the head. How cute, it's already found its thumb. Smart baby. There's the spine and hips. Darn, it's turned so we can't tell the sex. It's still early, you'll have plenty of time to try again before picking out the wallpaper for its room." Luckily the nurse didn't look up or she would have seen the complete and total shock on Mr. and Mrs. Cale's faces. But it was their dream so the nurse wasn't real and it didn't matter what she would have thought.
"A baby?" Neither Max or Logan was sure if one of them had actually spoken the words or if they'd just thought them.
The nurse continued pointing out little details without noticing the couple's lack of attention.
"The baby is just the right size for its age. Looks active and healthy. It'll probably be kicking unbearably in a few months.
Max reached out and traced the baby's outline on the screen. /A baby. Logan's baby to hold in my arms. A little person to watch grow. A piece of Logan to carry inside me for 9 months, protected and safe.\\ A soft uncertain smile curved her lips and tears filled her eyes. /We're pregnant. \\
A fierce possessive pride grew inside Logan at the thought of Max carrying his child. /A baby, my child, our child, growing inside my Max. A little life to grow and learn and love. A piece of us, of our love, to outlive us.\\ Logan raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against her palm. "Max, we're pregnant." Logan's hand hovered over her stomach aching to touch where his baby slept inside her.
"I can't believe it, we're pregnant, Logan."
The nurse flipped off the monitor. "Believe it, you're six weeks along and everything looks perfect." She cleaned off the jelly between sentences. "You'll still want to see your doctor about vitamins and future checkups." The nurse turned to leave. "Get dressed and I'll set up your next appointment."
Logan settled a warm hand against her stomach and leaned down to kiss her softly. "A baby, our baby." Max wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him eagerly.
/A baby...\\
000
The dream ended leaving Logan pressed against Max's back with both hands cradling her flat stomach. As they woke up slowly Max's hands covered Logan's. She looked over her should to smile into Logan's eyes.
"Could it be true? Could we be pregnant?"
Logan turned her in his arms and trailed a hand through her hair. "Did Manticore program any psychic abilities into your DNA?" He nuzzled her shoulder with his stubbled cheek, his hand still resting on her stomach. "Our dreams wouldn't have any reason to be wrong. And we know it is possible. Dr. Vertes said Jace's baby was doing fine."
Max smiled seductively, "We shouldn't be surprised, I mean, we haven't taken any precautions and we've been very, very active." She rubbed a hand down his chest feeling his arms tighten around her and his breath catch in his throat.
"What can I say? When I have a gorgeous little sex kitten in my bed every night, it's hard to say no." Pushing her to her back, he rubbed his lips down her throat to nip at her collarbone and the gold necklace resting there.
Max's hand wandered down Logan's body, her fingers gently wrapping around his shaft. He gasped at her touch and Max replied in a teasing, lilted voice. "When I'm in bed with you it's always hard but you've never said no."
Retaliation was fair play. Slipping a hand between her legs, Logan teased her with deft fingertips and a deep voice. "You've never said no either, Max."
Arching into his touch Max purred, "If we're not pregnant yet, we will be soon."
"God I hope so. I can't wait to see my baby in your arms, Max." All space between them disappeared as he moved into her arms.
000
Cuddled against the warmth of Logan's body, Max couldn't sleep. Knowing that her sister Jace's pregnancy had been declared safe by a Manticore doctor didn't quiet Max's fears. Visions and memories of the failed experiments at Manticore paraded through her mind. Genetic anomalies, failed designs created by her own designers.
How would her genetic code, her design mix with Logan's natural DNA? What would her past do to their child? How could they keep the child safe from Lydecker?
Max shivered with a chill that was more emotional than physical and pressed closer to Logan's heat, needing the comfort of his touch.
"What's wrong, Max?" She shook her head against his throat. "Don't even try to lie to me, I can feel it. What's wrong? Is it that you don't want a baby?" The shock of the question forced Max to meet his eyes.
"No, Logan. Of course I want our baby. I'm just scared." She pulled out of his arms and went to stare out the window. "What if something's wrong with the baby because of me? I mean, I have cat DNA, what if our child is born with fur and a tail? What if it has a barcode? What if Lydecker finds out and hurts it? What if "
"Max," Logan moved to the edge of the bed and reached for her. She was too far away to touch, to comfort. "Max, come here."
"Logan, I couldn't stand it if Lydecker or Manticore hurt our baby. I couldn't live with it if my genes did anything to your baby."
"Max!" She jerked away from the window at the force of his call. "Come here, Baby. My Max, my wife, my angel, come here. I need to touch you and my arms aren't long enough to reach you over there." Max turned and walked back into Logan's arms. Curling up in his lap, she buried her face in his neck.
"Max, dear, I want you to listen to me. Are you listening?" She nodded against his shoulder. "It's not my baby. It's our baby. There's nothing I want more than to mix my genes with yours. Our baby will not be born with fur or a barcode." Logan curled a finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. "Jace's baby is perfectly healthy and normal. And ours will be too. If we believe our dream that we're pregnant we should believe everything it showed us: a beautiful, healthy baby growing inside you. Our baby. Not yours or mine."
"Logan, what about Lydecker and Manticore?" The fear in her eyes pierced his heart. He was just as frightened.
"There are no guarantees, Max. We both know that. But nothing will happen to our child, we won't let anyone hurt it."
"We can protect our baby." Saying the words seemed to comfort her and the fear faded from her face.
"To our last breath. Any child of ours will be safe." Deciding to lighten the mood, Logan began to tease her. "Why do you think I fell in love with a kick ass woman?" He smiled and rolled her to lay under him. Trapping her hands against his ribs, Logan leaned down to whisper against her lips, "Strong women are such a turn on."
"Women?" She flipped him over and kneeled over his ribs with a wide smile on her lips. "I better be the only woman in your life and your bed or I'll show you how strong I am."
He smiled at the instant jealousy and laughter in her face. "I don't know, Max. There may be another woman in my life soon." He raised up and caressed her flat stomach with lips and tongue. "A daughter with your eyes might be waiting to be born. Then I'd have two strong women in my life."
She scooted down his body enough to reach his lips. "I think I can bear to share you with our kids, but the warning still stands." She kissed him, nibbling at his lower lip before pulling back.
"You belong to me, Logan." She touched his wedding ring. "Here's my mark."
"Here's mine," Logan caught her hand and kissed her ring. "Here's another," he traced a finger along her necklace. "Here's my strongest mark on you, Max." Logan's hands caressed her stomach.
Max's breath caught in a gasp and her back arched at his touch, heat beginning to flare inside her. She dived for his lips as her hands rubbed heat into the skin of his arms and chest. Savoring her taste, Logan slowly dragged his hands up her ribs to cup her breast. She groaned into his mouth as his thumbs teased her hardening nipples.
"Logan," she arched into his hands, rejoicing in the feel of his hardness cradled between her legs. "I can't wait, Logan. I need to feel you."
He groaned at her words and the eager movements of her body above his. "Max, I want you." His hands stilled her hips hard against his own and he leaned up to suckle at her breast. Gently cupping her in his palm, Logan smiled up into her eyes. "Someday our child will nurse at your breast." Logan pulled her nipple into her mouth and teased the aroused peak with tongue and teeth.
Groaning with pleasure, Max held Logan's head against her and pressed harder against his erection. "Fill me, Logan."
Logan trailed fingers through you liquid heat and slowly pressed his length inside her sheath. Joined intimately, they shared a burning kiss.
"I love you, Logan."
"I love you, Max." He rubbed a hand down her body to her stomach. "I love you, little one."
"Oh, Logan." Her hips moved, beginning a heavy rhythmic stroking. His hands fell to her hips, guiding her as Logan moaned at the feel of her surrounding him.
"Max, love, you feel so good." Clenching his hands around her waist, he pulled her harder against him, stroking deeper inside her. Her head fell back as Max rode him faster. Kissing a line up and down her throat Logan scratched his stubble along her skin. Slipping a hand between her legs he caressed her nub. "Come for me, Max. Come for me."
She tensed above him, climaxing around him. Hearing her cries of pleasure and feeling her muscles clench around him pushed Logan right to the edge. His strong arms lifted her up and down on his shaft and a few more deep thrusts sent his release rushing through him into her.
Collapsing forward onto Logan's chest Max smiled into his eyes. "We might have just conceived our child."
"God I hope so, Max. Stay close." Wrapping his arms around her he silently asked for a baby. Deep inside, he knew Max was doing the same. "Sleep, tomorrow we'll go see Sebastian and take a pregnancy test." Nodding, she settled closer against him. They fell asleep cradled into each other's arms.
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