PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. This contains MPREG. From here on in I am not liable for any disturbance and/or permanent scarring. You have been warned.
I have never found a fic in which labour, mpreg or normal, is written properly. If they exist, it must be in some far corner of fandom that I somehow haven't found yet. Contrary to popular belief, labour is not like, 'oh no my waters have broken' and then three intensely painful contractions later the baby's out. The waters generally do not break before the contractions start (it does happen, but it's not common), labour usually takes hours and he second stage, as I understand, tends to be more exhausting than actually painful. It's the third stage that really hurts like a bitch. Obviously I've never had a baby, so I don't have first-hand experience, but I did my research so that I could make this as realistic as possible.
I decided to be deliberately anatomically ambiguous here in regards to where the birth canal is, so that this will cater for everyone, no matter what anatomical flavour of mpreg they prefer.
Timeline: TA 3019, following the destruction of Sauron and the One Ring.
Severely AU, implied Ereinion/Elrond, mpreg.
10am
Glorfindel whistled softly to himself as he opened the door to Elrond's chambers, carrying a mug of tea for the half-elf. He stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and moved into the bedroom, where he found Elrond doubled over with one arm around his midsection and the other holding onto a bedpost for support. The blond elf quickly set the mug down on the nightstand and moved over to help his friend.
"Are you alright?"
Elrond nodded as the sharp pain in his lower abdomen subsided. He straightened up and leant on Glorfindel for a few moments, breathing deeply. "It has started. That was the third one."
"It's still a week too soon!"
"Apparently not," Elrond said with a slight grimace. "I'm glad I had nothing important to do today."
"How far apart are the contractions?" Glorfindel asked as he helped Elrond into the bed.
"About thirty minutes," the half-elf replied. "So far they are consistent: exactly the same time apart, and at the moment they're not getting worse."
Glorfindel nodded and pressed the tea into Elrond's hands. "Drink this. I will fetch Aurellias."
Elrond did as he was told, and a few minutes later the healer entered the room.
"Glorfindel tells me that you're in labour."
Elrond raised his eyebrows at the healer's tone. It was almost like Aurellias was accusing him of pretending to be sick so he could get out of classes.
"That was the conclusion I came to, yes."
"Have your waters broken?"
Elrond shook his head. "No, they haven't."
"How far apart are the contractions?"
"Thirty minutes," Elrond replied, answering Aurellias's rapid-fire questions as fast as they came. Before the next one could be fired Elrond added, "And no, they haven't gotten any worse."
The older healer nodded. "Alright. We'll be here for a while so just get comfortable. I'll fetch some towels and bring up some herbs that will help with the pain, when it starts."
Just as the healer left the room another contraction ripped through the half-elf and he hissed, hands fisting in the sheets. A few seconds later it was over, and Elrond lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes, knowing that they were going to get a lot worse.
"Any worse than before?"
Elrond shook his head. Glorfindel fluffed Elrond's pillow for him, and at the half-elf's request, fetched the book that was sitting open on the desk in the sitting room. While he was in the makeshift study he went to the bookshelf and also selected a book for himself, and then brought them both back into the bedroom.
"You do not have to stay if you have other things to do, Glorfindel," Elrond said softly as he accepted the novel from the Elda. Glorfindel shook his head.
"There is nowhere else I'd rather be."
11:30am
Aurellias had brought the towels and left again, needing to tend to his other charges in the Healing House. With Elrond out of commission the bulk of the work had fallen to him, and though there was not really that much more work than he was used to, it seemed that way because he had to do most of it himself. That meant that he could not be with Elrond all the time, although neither healer was overly worried about that. Elrond was certainly able to detect any potential complications, and Glorfindel was a capable healer in his own right.
Left to their own devices for the time being, Elrond and Glorfindel made a start on getting everything ready for when the moment arrived. Glorfindel had pulled the bedclothes out of the way, laying some of the towels down horizontally underneath Elrond so that the sheets and mattress would be protected. A couple more towels were folded and stacked with some spare cushions on a chair on the other side of the nightstand. The herbs that Aurellias had brought in were neatly lined up on a table next to the fireplace, as well as a few mugs and a kettle. The room was comfortably warm due to the fire, but Glorfindel got a spare blanket and draped it over Elrond to be sure that he did not get cold. Content that they had done all they could do for the moment, the two elves settled in to wait, becoming immersed in their respective books. Glorfindel reached the end of the page he was reading and turned it over, glancing up briefly in time to see Elrond exhale and open his eyes as another contraction ended.
"That was less time than the last one."
Elrond nodded. "Twenty-five minutes, not thirty."
"Do you want me to get Aurellias?"
"No, wait until the next one," Elrond said. "Just to be sure that they are getting quicker."
Twenty-five minutes later another one hit, and Glorfindel went to find Aurellias. A few moments later the blond re-entered the room with the healer, who promptly said the very words Elrond was dreading. "Alright, I have to examine you. Pants off, legs apart."
Elrond sighed in resignation as he sat up straighter. "I'll need some help." He instructed Glorfindel to take a hold of his pants at the ankles, and pull. They had no drawstring and were loose enough that they slid right off, leaving Elrond clad only in a knee-length blue nightshirt. The half-elf manoeuvred himself carefully into a horizontal position, making sure that his nightshirt did not ride up. He grabbed a spare pillow and slid it underneath his hips to make the examination easier. Aurellias washed his hands and sat on the end of the bed, giving Elrond a pointed look. The half-elf reluctantly bent and parted his legs.
"Now, relax."
The half-elf took a deep breath and forced himself to do as the older elf asked. He leant back into the pillow and looked pointedly at the canopy of the bed, gritting his teeth against the indignity of it all. Glorfindel came to stand by his shoulder, and lay a comforting hand on his arm. They exchanged a glance and Glorfindel sympathised silently with Elrond's discomfort. Aurellias had just begun his examination when suddenly Elrond hissed and clutched at the sheets.
"What? What is it?" Aurellias asked, leaning to the side to see Elrond's face.
"Your hands are freezing."
The healer breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's all." He looked pointedly at the half-elf. "Don't scare me like that again!"
"If your hands were warm I wouldn't have to," Elrond shot back.
Aurellias rolled his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Now, now, you've had worse shocks than my cold hands."
Elrond scoffed but said nothing as he relaxed again as much as he could. The sooner Aurellias started the sooner it would be over. A few seconds later the brown-haired healer withdrew his hand and straightened up. "Right, everything looks fine. I think you two can handle yourselves for a little while, and I'll go and man the Healing Houses."
Glorfindel and Elrond nodded in agreement, and Aurellias left the room. Elrond hissed and a pained expression crossed his face as yet another contraction lanced through him. "Were you counting?"
Glorfindel shook his head with a small laugh. "No, I wasn't."
"I don't think they're getting faster yet." Elrond shifted until he was sitting more comfortably against the pillows and picked up his book from where he had tossed it aside. He opened it to the page he had marked and then turned to Glorfindel. "Was there any mention of Ereinion's return this morning?"
The blond shook his sadly. "No, I'm afraid not."
Elrond sighed. "He said he would be here for the birth."
The only thing missing, Glorfindel mused, was for Elrond to cross his arms and look away in a huff. "To be fair, he didn't know it would be today - no one expected this to happen until next week."
"I know," Elrond admitted quietly, his tone wordlessly acknowledging the petulance of his former statement. "I just want him here."
Glorfindel got up from his chair and moved to sit on the bed. He placed an arm around the half-elf and rubbed Elrond's arm soothingly. "I know you do. But I'm here, and I'll do anything I can to make this easier."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Glorfindel pressed a kiss to Elrond's temple. "It's just after midday. Are you hungry?"
Elrond shook his head. "Not at the moment. But I do need to go to the bathroom."
"Need help?"
Elrond laughed. "No, I think I can manage. Just help me stand up."
Glorfindel helped Elrond out of the bed and watched as the half-elf went into the bathroom. Elrond closed the door behind him and Glorfindel went to stand nearer to it, so he would be in earshot if he was needed. A few minutes later Elrond emerged, raising an eyebrow at Glorfindel as he passed, but saying nothing. Elrond got back into bed and let Glorfindel pull the blanket back up over him.
"Anything else I can do for you?"
Elrond considered this, and then nodded. "Yes, can you braid my hair for me?" he ran a hand through it. "I think it will only get in the way later."
"Sure." Glorfindel went to the dresser to get a brush and a hair tie. "How do you want it?"
"Just one braid, so it's all out of the way."
"Okay." Glorfindel brushed Elrond's long hair and then began braiding it, stopping only once as Elrond tensed around another contraction. Glorfindel rubbed Elrond's back with his free hand until he felt the dark-haired elf relax again. They were not getting faster yet and so neither elf made any comment about it. Glorfindel finished the braid and tied it off, and then returned the brush to the dresser.
Elrond ran his hand down the braid and smiled at Glorfindel when the blond returned to his seat. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Glorfindel replied with a smile of his own. Elrond leaned back against the pillows and retrieved his book, seeing Glorfindel pick up his own book out of the corner of his eye.
They both continued reading.
And waiting.
2:30pm
Glorfindel had just finished his book and was in the process of putting it back on the shelf when there was a quiet knock on the door. Aurellias had finished his check-up not long ago, and Glorfindel frowned as he wondered who it would be. He cast a glance to the bed, where Elrond was still soundly sleeping, and went to answer the door. He found Elrond's son on the other side.
"How is he?" Elrohir asked quietly.
"Asleep," Glorfindel replied, opening the door wider to let him in. "At the moment there's not much else for him to do."
"I only just heard," the younger elf said as the pair moved into the bedchamber. "How long has it been?"
"Almost five hours."
The blanket had slipped down off of Elrond's shoulder and Elrohir carefully sat on the bed, so as not to wake his father, and pulled it back up. His gaze travelled to Elrond's stomach and he gently put his hand on it, feeling the child move under his hand. After a few moments Elrond's stomach muscles shifted and tightened suddenly under Elrohir's touch and the younger elf drew his hand away as the sleeping elf stirred, his face twisting slightly in pain. A moment later he relaxed again and he resumed peaceful slumber.
"He does not wake during contractions?" Elrohir asked, looking at Glorfindel in confusion.
Glorfindel shook his head. "No. He is accustomed to them at the moment. I don't think he'll wake up until they get worse."
"How much longer will it be before the baby is born?"
Glorfindel shrugged. "One hour, six hours. Who knows?"
Elrohir hissed in sympathy. "I hope it's not much longer." After a moment he frowned, realising who was missing. "Where is Ereinion?"
"Nanost. At a meeting with Condir Colby," Glorfindel replied with a grimace. "He wouldn't have gone except that apparently there's some urgent diplomatic situation. And Baby's not actually due for another week."
"I hope he gets back in time for the birth," Elrohir said.
"So does your father," Glorfindel replied with a smile. "Is Elladan on border patrol?"
Elrohir nodded. "Until tomorrow morning." He glanced at the clock. "I should get back; I'm supposed to be helping Aurellias."
"How busy is it down there?"
"Not extremely busy," the young half-elf said as he stood up. "It just seems that way because Ada's not there to do a million things at once, and we have to do them all one-by-one."
Glorfindel chuckled. "Do me a favour and make sure Aurellias doesn't get too stressed. We'll need him to be calm - Elbereth knows your father won't be."
"I will," Elrohir replied, smiling. "If you need me, just ask."
Glorfindel nodded and Elrohir left. Glancing again at the sleeping half-elf, Glorfindel closed the door and went to pick out another book from the shelf.
3:15pm
Elrond was woken up by the sound of soft voices in the room. For a while he drifted between sleep and waking, vaguely aware that the female voice was MarÃka's. He wanted to hear what they were saying but was not able to keep a hold of consciousness until he felt his sister-in-law kiss his forehead. He opened his eyes as he heard the door close.
Glorfindel noticed that his charge was awake and crouched by the bed. "Hey there."
"Hi," Elrond replied, his voice gravelly. He cleared his throat and pulled himself into a sitting position. "How long ago was the last contraction?"
"Twenty minutes," Glorfindel replied.
Elrond groaned. "This will take forever."
"You were the one that said you'd rather not have surgery" Glorfindel pointed out.
"If I ever say something like that again, I give you permission to slap me," Elrond replied, bracing himself as he felt another contraction building.
The Elda just smiled. "I'll hold you to that. Do you want any of the healing tea?" he asked when Elrond took a deep breath and rubbed his stomach as the muscle spasms calmed and faded away.
"Yes, please."
Glorfindel nodded and went to the fire, returning a few minutes later with a steaming mug in his hands. Elrond accepted it gratefully.
"If it's any consolation, the contractions are getting faster."
Elrond just nodded and drank his tea.
5pm
"Of all the times for Ereinion to leave, why did it have to be now?" Elrond reached the edge of the carpet and turned, pacing back the way he came. "He promised me he'd be here. 'I wouldn't miss it for the world,' he said. Well, he's obviously decided the world is better, because he's missing it."
"You know he would have stayed if he had known that the child would choose today to be born," Glorfindel pointed out.
"Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I forgive him, and it doesn't make this any...easier..." Elrond grabbed onto a bedpost to steady himself when his knees threatened to buckle from the force of the contraction. They were now only fifteen minutes apart, and getting steadily worse. It would not be much longer now.
"Oh, I'm going to kill him," Elrond moaned when it was over.
"No you aren't." Glorfindel barely looked up.
"Yes I bloody well am. When he gets back I'm going to kill him with my bare hands." Elrond groaned softly and straightened back up, placing his hands on his hips with his fingers supporting his back, which felt like it had been used as a blacksmith's anvil. "My back is killing me."
"Here, let me help." Glorfindel took Elrond's hands and placed them back around the bedpost so that Elrond would have something to steady himself on, and then began to massage the half-elf's lower back, easing the tense muscles. "No wonder it hurts, your muscles are knotted up like macramé."
A noncommittal sound was Elrond's only reply. Glorfindel continued his ministrations, smiling when the half-elf moaned in bliss as a good portion of the pain was alleviated. By the time Glorfindel was finished, Elrond's head had fallen forward and his shoulders had gone slack as he basked in the wonderful respite Glorfindel's magic fingers had afforded him.
"Better?"
"Mmhmm."
The moment did not last long, however, as Elrond felt another contraction approaching. He tightened his hold on the bedpost and held on for dear life until it passed. They were definitely getting more painful.
"Eru Almighty," he breathed, pressing a hand against the side of his distended stomach. "That was not fifteen minutes."
"No, it was only about ten. Was that worse that the last one?"
"Oh, just a bit," Elrond replied sarcastically, smiling ruefully at his friend to take the sting out of his words. He sighed and rested his forehead against the bedpost, one hand still on his stomach. "Why did I let Ereinion do this to me?"
Glorfindel smiled and stepped closer to the dark-haired elf, rubbing his back soothingly. "I daresay you weren't entirely unwilling at the time," he pointed out reasonably.
Elrond glanced at him and rolled his eyes. After a moment he straightened back up. "I hope this doesn't last for much longer."
"We're almost there. Come on, if you keep walking it might speed things up."
Elrond begrudgingly agreed and resumed his pacing as Glorfindel returned to his chair.
5:45pm
Elrond slowly walked to the edge of the rug and, deciding that he had paced enough, turned and headed for the nightstand to pour himself some water. He sat on the edge of the bed to drink it, giving his tired legs a rest. The last few contractions had been closer together and seemed to have doubled in intensity, nearly robbing Elrond of the ability to breathe. Glorfindel had made him another cup of the healing tea, but it had not helped much. He drained the glass and placed it on the nightstand and then leaned back, placing his weight on his hands and closing his eyes. He heard Aurellias enter and was vaguely aware that the other healer had moved to stand in front of him.
"How are you holding up?"
"As well as can be expected." Elrond opened his eyes and sat up straight. "Everything hurts." He grimaced as his abdominal muscles began to tighten again, and leaned forward, grabbing the edge of the bed for support as waves of pain washed over him.
"Seven minutes," Glorfindel said before Aurellias could ask.
Elrond took a deep breath when the pain faded away once more. He looked up and fixed a slightly bleary gaze on Aurellias. "I'm exhausted."
"Oh, I bet you are. And it will only get worse from here on in. Have you been moving around?"
"Yes."
"Drinking plenty of water?"
"Yes."
"Keeping warm?"
"Yes, and I slept for a little bit as well."
"Good. Is there anything you need?"
"Only to go to the bathroom."
Aurellias chuckled and extended a hand to help him up.
"Thank you," said Elrond. "No, I don't need help," he answered before Aurellias could ask. The healer nodded, and the half-elf headed towards the adjoining room, stopping on the threshold and grabbing a hold of the doorframe as he was once again accosted by pain.
Glorfindel, who was closer to him than Aurellias, moved to stand by his side. "Are you okay?"
Elrond waved him off with a small nod and disappeared into the bathroom.
"Have there been any problems?" Aurellias asked Glorfindel as the blond came to stand beside him. The Elda shook his head.
"No, thank the Valar. He wishes that Ereinion was here, but there isn't much we can do about that."
The shorter elf nodded in understanding. He ran a hand through his hair and tipped his head slightly to the left to see the clock in the study. It said six o'clock. He then glanced towards the bathroom and frowned again at the closed door. "I wonder if he's alright in there."
Glorfindel followed his gaze but before he could reply, the door opened and Elrond emerged, an unreadable expression on his face.
Aurellias anxiously stepped forward. "Is something wrong?"
Elrond shook his head. "No." He looked up at his two friends. "My waters just broke."
There will be a second chapter with the actual birth, and quite possibly an additional sequel as well as a prequel, uploaded at some stage. Stay tuned :)
Nanost is a village populated predominantly by humans which is located not far from Rivendell. It falls under their jurisdiction, but it generally runs itself without Elrond's interference. But occasionally the elves are called in to fix some problem or other. The name 'nanost' means, creatively, 'valley-city'. Condir is elvish for mayor.