Author's Note: Sorry if the characters are a bit OOC… I have only seen one episode in at least 6 six years and I only saw it a couple days ago. I know VERY LITTLE about Gaia's personality as a result! Please bear with me and point out any minor disparities. Thank you!

And there will be a sequel following this, a short one, maybe three chapters IF I'M LUCKY! If not, it will be one or two, most likely two. POSSIBLY this will become a trilogy. This story will be at least 10 chapters, but preferably 15 and POSSIBLY 20, again if I'm lucky. Also, watch for my Captain Planet Fanfiction tribute to Steve Irwin, A Hero Lost. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: The First Twinge

Captain Planet and Gaia watched the Planeteers as they engaged in a friendly game of volleyball. Cap smiled as he watched the five children who had become like sons and daughters to him. Then a sudden wave of sadness passed over him. He knew that his work saving the planet was important to him, but just the same, he wanted to have real sons and daughters. He could picture himself looking down into the face of the little azure-skinned girl tugging on his leg, looking up at him with her little green hair tied up in little bows, and picking up the little blue-skinned, green-haired boy and swinging him through the air.

Gaia noticed his suddenly pensive state and laid a hand on his arm, jostling him out of his thoughts. "My friend, something troubles you. What is it?" He looked up at her and smiled slightly.

"Oh, it's nothing, Gaia," he lied. Gaia shook her head slightly at him and pursed her lips a little.

"Now, now, Planet," she said, clicking her tongue, "you should know better than to lie to me!" She put an arm across his shoulders, ignoring the slight jolt that ran up her arm as it did every time she touched him. She had always dismissed this jolt, as she knew that it could very well have been caused by the immense amounts of power he possessed. Yet something in the back of her mind insisted that it was something deeper than that…

Cap sighed slightly, smiling sadly. "I can't hide anything from you, can I," he said, more as a statement than a question. Gaia shook her head a little, smiling widely. "Well…" he began in an attempt to tell her what was wrong, but found he couldn't. After all, how does a guy, even a superhero, go about telling his greatest friend, even though she is his dearest confidante, that all he wants is to settle down and raise a family? He reached out to her telepathically. Gaia suddenly understood what her dear friend was going through, as she too sometimes had thoughts like these. Even though all of the people of Earth were like sons and daughters to her, she wanted to have the experience of truly becoming a mother, an experience that she didn't think she'd ever get to have.

Brushing these thoughts aside, Gaia returned her attention to comforting her friend. "Planet, everything will be all right. I'm confident that you'll have the chance to be a father someday, and you'll be a good one, too!"

Cap smiled at her, laying his free hand on the hand resting on his arm. "Thank you, Gaia," he replied gratefully. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that from you." At that, the two friends realized that the volleyball game had taken a sudden pause. Then Cap suddenly heard Ma-Ti's voice in his mind.

"Captain, are you all right? I am sensing feelings of great anguish from you." The unmistakable concern in the young Kayapo's voice made the superhero smile.

"Yes, Ma-Ti, if not now, I will be soon," he reassured the youngest of the Planeteers. Ma-Ti seemed satisfied with that answer and Cap and Gaia watched the screen in front of them as he seemed to tell the other Planeteers what Cap had told him. They nodded in acceptance and continued the game. Gaia turned back to look at Cap and continued the little conversation they had begun.

"You know, Planet, I feel the same way on occasion," she admitted. Cap looked surprised.

"You do?" he inquired. He would have never guessed that the spirit in front of him would have the same feelings of longing for a real child, one she could call her own. She smiled brightly, nodding.

"Yes," she replied. "You may think it strange, since, in a way, I am already the mother of every living thing on me," she continued, making reference to the planet she represented. "All I'm saying is that it's perfectly natural to want to have a biological child. It's the desire of most living things on this planet, and just because you're a superhero doesn't mean you should be an exception.

Cap smiled and hugged her. "Thank you, Gaia," he thanked her. But while she was in his hug, she suddenly cried out in pain. Cap withdrew from the hug. "Gaia, are you all right?"

She shook her head. "There's an eco-emergency, Planet, and it's bad this time." She prepared herself to alert the Planeteers, but as an afterthought, she turned to Cap and warned him, "Planet, this mission will be extremely difficult for you. Looten Plunder has started an illegal mining operation in Alaska. His mine is producing large amounts of smog and toxic wastes. I'm going to tell the Planeteers to wait to call you until it becomes absolutely necessary. You won't be able to do much good for us if you're dead!" Cap smiled for the sixth time in ten minutes and gave her a mock military salute.

"Sir, yes, sir!" he cried jokingly in military fashion, earning a glare from Gaia. Gaia's concentration grew then, and she sent a telepathic message to the Heart Planeteer. "Ma-Ti! Tell the others to go to PlanetVision! We have an eco-emergency! I'll be there in a moment." She saw the Planeteers stop the game and the group ran to PlanetVision. She waved goodbye to Cap and faded out of sight.

As soon as she was gone, Cap felt a sudden small pain near his heart. This pain surprised him, since he never felt pain like that until he was exposed to pollution after being summoned by the Planeteers. However, he shook it off and "slept", letting himself recharge fully before he was to be needed.

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Please R&R! Tis my first CP fanfiction, I need reviews if I am to get better! Second chapter should be up this weekend!