The third in the Cross/Lisa series! If you haven't read Just a Dream and Memories Past, better read those two before this one! It gives you a better understanding of Lisa and Cross. Hope you all like it!
I DO NOT own D-Gray Man. I DO own my OCs.
"I hate you." Lisa grumbled from her spot on the couch.
Cross rolled his eye as he fixed a cup of specially decaffeinated tea. That makes number 63 of that phrase. Looking over his shoulder, Cross trailed his eye over her form. The very noticeable bump the size of a giant watermelon sticking out of her belly was what she was blaming him for. She was just a week or so shy of her delivery date, and she looked ready to pop.
And apparently it was his entire fault.
"I fail to see how this is my fault."
Lisa glared at him. "It because of you, I have a mini you inside of me and its making me go to the bathroom every five minutes, my boobs are so damn tender it hurts to put on a bra, I feel swore all over and I can't see my feet."
Cross walked over with the mug and sat next to her on the couch. "While I appreciate you lacking a bra and when you jumped me for sex every few hours at the beginning of the pregnancy, its sure as hell not my fault that you're going through all this. You needed an heir, so I gave you an heir. Plus, I thought we agreed until birth, we would call the little brat Peanut."
"You wanted to call it Peanut. I wanted to call it Squirt." Lisa snorted, taking the mug and taking a sip, basking in the warmth as the hot beverage trailed down her throat. With a pleased hum, she melted into the plush cushions and closed her eyes.
Glancing over at the dozing woman, Cross looked down at the large bump that was his child. The thought made him suddenly freeze once more. The sheer thought of being a father got to him every time he gazed at Lisa's swollen belly. His child. He helped create that tiny little being inside his lover. Reaching out, Cross ran his large hand over her belly, feeling his child shift under his palm. He kept his hand there for a few minutes, just sitting there with his red eye glued to his hand on her belly. Never had he ever pictured himself being a father, let alone having such a strong and tight bond with a single woman. Seriously, Marian Cross, a father? He wondered what Peanut would look like. Would he have his red hair and his mother's eyes? Or will he take after his mother in looks? Or was he a she? The possibilities were endless.
Grabbing the hem of her maternity top and lifting it, Cross ignored her noise of protest and pressed his cheek against her belly and closed his eye. Rubbing his smooth cheek against her warm and soft skin, Cross pressed a kiss to the bump. Not even bothering to put him in his place, Lisa sighed under him, basking in brief moment of peace and not having little legs kick her bladder.
"What do you think?" He whispered softly against her skin.
"Hm?" She hummed lazily.
"Is Peanut a boy or girl?" Cross said with a slight hint of exasperation.
Cracking one hazel eye open, Lisa frowned at him. "How the hell would I know?"
Cross ran both his hands over her the baby bump. "Don't mothers have some intuition on what their kids are?"
A loud slap and a curse of pain echoed in the room. He glared at Lisa while nursing a bruise head. She glared back.
"That's complete crap, Cross." She snapped. "Besides, I don't want to know what Squirt is!"
A sudden kick from the baby made the woman squirm slightly. "Great, now he's awake." She grumbled. "Nice job, Red."
"You were the one who yelled."
"And who was the one that caused the said yelling?"
Cross opened his mouth to reply but the sudden grimace on his lover's face made him pause. "Lisa?"
The woman reached out a hand towards him, silently asking for assist. Taking the tea from her and putting it on a nearby table, Cross stood up and pulled the younger woman up from her reclining position on the couch. She let a low groan, placing a hand on the bump. Cross's frown grew deeper.
"Lisa," his voice was sharp. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "Its nothing. Braxton hicks again, I think. Remember? I had them last week?"
Ah, yes. She and Cross had a slight scare when Lisa started to feel what she thought was labors pains. Immediately, Cross called for the midwife, one of Lisa's oldest friends and someone happy to keep the secret of the baby and the identity of the father. The woman calmly informed the soon to be parents that the baby was not coming anytime soon. Lisa had groaned in annoyance at the thought of carrying her baby within her a while longer while Cross inwardly sighed with relief. Peanut still had a little while before coming into the world. Speaking of coming into the world...
Cross's one eye flicked towards the stairs that led up to the master bedroom (now his and Lisa's) and Lisa's former room (now the nursery). Giving the walls a fresh coat of paint, being a mint green instead of the original blue, a few of Lisa's very close and loyal sources went out to buy baby things. A crib, a changing station, clothing, diapers, bottles, a few stuff animals, etc. All of which were arranged in the nursery, the crib currently filled with the stuffed toys and warm blankets.
Rocking back and forth a times, Lisa heaved herself up onto her own two feet with low groan. Numbness spread throughout her swollen feet, causing her shuffle around the smooth wood. With one hand supporting her lower back and the other on her belly, Lisa began to waddle around the living room, a somewhat pained grimace on her face. Long blonde hair was tied back into a messy braid; the tips brushing mid back. Cross had to smirk with delight at the sight. It had taken him weeks to get her to stop dying the pale locks purple, declaring that the purple look was getting old. So with much reluctance, the Creator of Equipment Type Innocence allowed the purple to fade and the blonde to stay. So every night, as several pillows cushioned Lisa, Cross would lie next to her and run his fingers through the silky strands as she dozed off into the deep oblivion of sleep.
"Now what the hell are you doing?" Questioned the redhead, an eyebrow raised as she continued to waddle back and forth.
Lisa sent him a scowl. "I feel restless-gah!" She yelped, curling up in pain.
Cross shot up and strode over to Lisa, grabbing her upper arms. "Lisa? What-?"
Wide, pain filled hazel eyes stared up at his before both pairs looked down to see a large rapidly growing wet spot between her legs.
Cross's eye widened even further. "Please tell me you just peed your pants."
She groaned. "Screw what I said. I think he wants out. Now."
"...Now? Like, now, now?"
Lisa glared at him. "No, Cross," she said, drawling out the 'no'. "He wants to come out last week. YES, NOW!"
And that's when the chaos began.
Rowan let an out yowl of distress as Cross shot across the room to the phone as Lisa hunched over in pain.
Grabbing the phone and asking the operator for the line of the midwife, Cross impatiently tapped his foot as he watched his lover grit her teeth in pain and made whimpering noises.
"Hello?" A cheerful woman's voice chimed over the line.
"It's time," Cross snapped into the phone, his eye never leaving Lisa.
"Cross? Time for what?"
"THE BABY."
"Oh. OH! Ok, Cross. Take Lisa upstairs and get her as comfortable as possible. Get towels, lots of towels, hot water, and alcohol for disinfection. I'll be over soon."
Hanging up the phone, Cross darted back over to Lisa who was sitting back on the couch, leaning back with her legs spread to ease the unnerving pressure. Tucking his one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulder, lifting her with a soft groan. "All right beautiful. Let's get you upstairs," he murmured gently.
Cradling her carefully, Cross made his way up the steps into the bedroom, placing Lisa onto the bed gingerly.
Lisa groaned in pain, her eyes squeezed tight. Dropping his head to press a kiss to her cheek, Cross hurried off to grab several towels from the bathroom. Dropping the towels on a small table, Cross scrambled downstairs to heat up water.
As the Exorcist ran around downstairs, Lisa threw her head back onto the pillow, grinding her teeth. Pain radiated throughout her body, pain she had never felt before. A strong pressure pushed down within her, making her want to push the baby out already. No, no. Too early to push.
Lisa choked back a cry as another jolt of pain shot out. "Shit," she hissed in pain.
Taking in a shaky breath, Lisa fisted the blankets beneath her. "You sure as heck could of picked a better time to come out into the world, kiddo."
"What the hell took you so long?" Cross demanded as he opened the door to reveal a woman standing there. Her graying brown hair was tied back into a severe bun but her brown eyes sparkled with life and laughter. In her arms was a large basket, covered by a piece of cloth.
She beamed at him as she walked past him. "It takes time for a baby to be born and it's been 12 minutes since you called, dear."
He grunted but refused to comment. "She's upstairs, master bedroom."
The midwife hurried upstairs as Cross returned to the heating water. As he poured the boiling water into a large pan, Cross could hear the midwife speaking to Lisa.
"Alrightly, dear. Let's get th-dear, you can't give birth with pants on. C'mon, take them off. Panties too."
"Never, say that word again."
"What? Panties?"
"Gah!"
"I hate you," she snarled, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. "So much."
Cross would normally be ready to deliver a snarky comment, however, he was too busy keeping in the yelps of pain as his lover was currently crushing his hand as she gave birth. It had been hours since her water had broken and the midwife had arrived. After hours of contractions, it was time to push.
Lisa curled into herself as she pushed, grinding her teeth in pain. Cross squatted down by the bed, his one hand held captive by Lisa. The tall red head had a pained grimace on his face, his one visible eye twitching as Lisa tightened her grip on his hand.
"Ah, shit." Lisa cried, slamming her head back onto the pillow. Tears were blurring her vision and trailing down her flushed cheeks. This was agonizing. She didn't think there was a word to describe how painful this was.
"Push!" The midwife commanded.
Gritting her teeth, Lisa screwed her eyes shut and pushed. This is how it was for hours. Cry, push, breathe and start the cycle all over again.
"I see the head!"
That delighted shout made the soon to be father look over at her surprise but the sudden sound of his hand being squeezed to the breaking point made him yelp.
But his cry was drowned out by the sobbing cry of the tiny form that the midwife cradled in her arms. Lisa stared up at the ceiling of her room in a daze, her chest heaving up and down as she listened to the cries.
"Cross?" she croaked, closing her eyes.
He said nothing, eye focused on the midwife who was bustling around the room with the crying newborn. She finally approached them, a swaddled bundle in her arms, soft coos coming from the cloth. Cross helped Lisa sit up, both of their eyes zeroed in on the bundle.
The midwife held out the baby to the new mother, her eyes tearing up with pride. "Congratulations, dear one. You have a little boy."
Lisa stared down at the red-faced infant in her arms, a mop of red hair on his head. "A boy," she whispered, tightening her hold on her son. "We have a boy, Cross."
Glancing over at the man, her lips switched at the sight of the frozen Cross, his wide eye focused on the tiny figure in his lover's arms. Reaching out, Lisa poked his arm to get his attention. "Hey Red. Want to hold your son?" She asked softly, a smile on her flushed face.
He blinked and looked up at her in surprise. Glancing down at the baby, Cross swallowed and opened his arms. Slowly, Lisa deposited the baby into his arms. Awkwardly, he held the baby to his chest and stared down at his child. It was hard to tell what features the baby had inherited from his parents but there was no doubt that his son had gotten his fiery hair. Raising a hand, Cross gently ran his finger along his son's tiny arm, taking in the sight. Lisa watched the two with a weak smile as the midwife removed the dirtied sheets and pan of water.
"He needs a name," she pointed out softly.
The General stared down at baby quietly, rocking his arms back and forth. "…Nicholas. Nicholas Carson."
Lisa watched the two with a lazy smile. "That's a nice name," she hummed. "Nic for short."
Cross was memorized by the tiny bundle, ignoring the woman in the bed. Nicholas wasn't very attractive at the moment, his skin red and wrinkly and his hair was wispy. But the pair of baby blue eyes squinted up at him, his pouty little mouth opening to let out a soft whine. The man jumped in a panic at the noise, whipping his arm around towards Lisa, who was sitting up with the help of the midwife.
"Nicky needs to feed," Lisa grunted, shifting her weight on the bed. Stretching out her arms towards her lover, the woman gestured for her newborn. Cross glanced over at her, looked down at Nic before handing him over to Lisa. Adjusting Nic in her arms, Lisa pulled her top done to offer her son a breast to nurse. The red head watched with slight fascination as Nic greedily ate from his mother.
"Alright dearie, I'll let you three get to know each other better," the midwife beamed. "I'll be downstairs for some tea so if you need me, give a holler."
"Thank you," Cross called out, making the midwife look over at him with a smile.
She chuckled. "No problem, dear." And she hobbled downstairs, leaving the new family alone.
"Its weird," Lisa remarked, watching her son feed.
Cross's eye didn't leave his son. "What?"
"This," Lisa said. "Having a kid and being a mother. Its not like there is a guidebook for this sort of thing. I don't know the first thing about being a mom."
"You make it sound like you're on your own on this." Cross remarked, reaching out to trail a gloved finger along Nic's small arm.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean you're not going to up and out like the last time?"
He shook his head. "I'm a dead man, remember beautiful? Besides, I did a good job with my idiot apprentice so I can't be that be at parenting. Besides, there's even more to keep me here," he hummed, his one eye flicking up towards her with a slight smirk on his face.
Lisa smirked back at him. "Is there now? Well guess what Daddy? You get early morning duty."
With a roll of the eye, Cross sat down on the bed to lean over and kissed Lisa deeply. "If it means that I can have you every night and kiss you whenever I want, than that's by me."
Lisa snorted. "Oh really? Don't you remember that one chapter in that baby book? When couples can 'have relations' after giving birth?"
"No. Why?" Cross questioned, eyeing her suspiciously.
The smirk on her face back wicked. "It said no intercourse for six weeks, Red."
"Wait, what?!"
Welcome Baby Nicky!
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