A/N: I know there are lots of these out there, but here's another one for you to (hopefully) enjoy!

Summary: Daine and Numair are about to become parents. How will Daine tell him?

Disclaimer: the setting and characters belong to Tamora Pierce.

Daine stared at Alanna, dumbfounded. "W-what?" she managed. The Lioness smiled.

"You're pregnant," she repeated.

"Are you sure?" was all Daine could think to say. She was frozen, clutching the edge of the bed in Alanna's room. She had come to the knight complaining of illness, not even thinking of the possibility of what her morning sickness could mean.

Alanna gave her a look that read clearly, "Are you kidding?" Daine blushed, staring down at her hands resting in her lap.

She lightly touched her stomach, awe in her eyes. Then she jerked away, a thought occurring to her.

"How am I going to tell Numair?" she asked the Lioness.

Alanna smiled sympathetically. "You just have to blurt it out," she advised. "It's easier that way. And don't expect him to react immediately. You, too, needed time to process it."

"But what if he doesn't want to have a child?" Daine worried.

"Of course he does, Daine. He's going to be thrilled, you'll see. Numair loves you more than anything." Alanna gently put a hand on the young woman's shoulder. Daine tried not to cry.

"Why do I feel so…" Daine trailed off, as though trying to find the emotion that described her mood.

"Hormones," Alanna answered bluntly.

Daine turned red again. "Okay, I'll tell him," she said quickly, standing and walking to the door. She turned back, smiling. "Thank you, Alanna," she told her quietly.

"It's my pleasure," she replied, smiling to herself. She wished she could see the expression on Numair's face when Daine told him. Alanna would pay to see that—he was going to be shocked speechless, and that only happened every once in a while.

Meanwhile, Daine walked to the stable. She slid into Cloud's stall, knowing that the pony usually made her feel better. Although this time, it was going to take a lot more than grooming her mare to make her torn emotions remedied.

She's right, and you know it, Cloud informed her immediately. Daine rolled her eyes.

"I can't tell him, Cloud! I just can't!" with a broken feeling in her chest, she started to cry.

"Magelet?" a familiar voice asked from outside the stall.

Daine froze, her choked breath shuddering through her. "Numair?" she called out hoarsely, not turning around. She didn't want him to see her tear-streaked face and the hysteria quickly growing in her heart. That, and she wasn't ready to tell him. Not yet.

She was terrified. What if he rejected her? She wasn't used to feeling so weak; something like that would break her in her current emotional state. What if he blamed her? She was supposed to be wearing the charm around her neck, but she had taken it off a few weeks ago, and she must have forgotten to put it back on until it was too late. Touching her neck now, she felt the charm. It wouldn't do anything to her pregnancy now, but she carefully unclasped it and dropped it among the straw on the floor of Cloud's stall.

"Are you crying?" Numair demanded, opening the door to the stall. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? And what can't you tell me?" He sounded more than concerned.

"Don't come in!" Daine cried. "I just need to think for a while!"

She knew that Numair was hurt. She didn't have to turn to see it in his eyes, or listen to hear it in her voice. Because the pain her words must have caused him hurt her, too.

Numair stopped moving, but he didn't leave for several long moments. Finally, he stepped away from the door, saying, "Okay. You know where to find me if you want to talk."

Daine turned around as he left. He didn't look back, and Daine hated herself for what she had done. What if he didn't forgive her for snapping at him? That seemed harsh, but he knew that she was keeping something from him. If she were in his place, she would avoid him as much as she was now.

"I've made it worse, Cloud," Daine whimpered, the tears coming back.

This is getting ridiculous. You are blubbering over nothing. Go apologize and make things up with him, and then tell him. He'll be happy, I know he'll be.

"You're right," Daine acknowledged. Cloud snorted, as if to say, "I'm always right."

Daine chuckled wetly, then opened the stall door. If she hurried, she could catch up to Numair. Despite his long legs, he shouldn't be too far ahead. As she rushed out of the stable and down a cobblestone path, she searched around wildly for her man.

At last, when she was about to give up and scold herself for being too much of a coward to tell him in the stable, Daine spotted him.

He was crouching next to a young boy, helping him up. It looked like the child had fallen, judging by his scraped knee. Daine stopped walking, watching with wide eyes. Under her scrutiny, Numair said something, and the boy stopped crying. Numair flicked his fingers, and a small black animal danced across his hand. The toddler laughed, clapping his small fingers together excitedly, completely forgetting his pain.

Daine sighed, the anxiety of her upcoming conversation mostly leaving her. She knew it could be awkward, and Numair might be angry at her for forgetting her charm. But she had no doubt whatsoever that he would be a perfect father.

She went back to the rooms they shared, deciding to wait for him rather than corner him somewhere public. At least, that was what she told herself. The truth probably had something to do with the nervous bubbles in her stomach.

She sat on a chair by Numair's desk, clasping her hands in her lap to keep them from fluttering anxiously.

Her heart stopped when she heard the sound of a key in the door. Her mind made her see the movement as slow when the door opened and Numair stepped inside.

She stood, too nervous even to sit. Numair noticed her after she moved, and he stopped warily.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked. Daine blinked back tears as she heard all the emotions behind his words: hurt, betrayal, frustration, confusion, resignation, and a brokenness that made her think he had assumed the worst about her actions earlier.

She crossed the room, stopping a few feet from him. What do I normally do with my hands? She wondered, wringing them in front of her.

"Numair, I'm sorry. For everything," Daine started. Numair looked a little surprised, which hurt Daine, but she ignored her feelings and plunged on. She needed to finish the speech she had planned in her mind. "I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just…" she stopped for a moment, then pushed on. This is it, she thought before she spoke. "I found out something today, and I needed to think about it. You startled me, and I wasn't…" she trailed off again, then started over. "I have to tell you something."

Numair moved closer, taking her hands in his. Oh, Daine thought. That's what I do with them.

It always felt so right to be touching Numair. She let the strength he always gave her help her spit out the words he needed to hear.

"I-I'm p-pregnant," Daine stuttered, looking away. She waited for his reaction, trying desperately to recall the advice Alanna had given her. Give him time. It was hard, though.

Numair seemed frozen. Daine gathered the courage to meet his eyes, trying to gauge his feelings. But she couldn't tell what he was thinking, and that made her heart beat faster and faster.

She knew it was only seconds, but it felt like hours. Finally Numair blinked, shocked. "H-how?" he managed.

Daine blushed. "I forgot to put my charm on once…" she couldn't finish. Numair nodded slowly, still processing her words.

Then he grinned, picking her up and spinning her around before kissing her deeply. "I love you, Magelet," he whispered when they broke apart. Joy filled her, and she blinked back her tears. "We're going to have a baby!" he exclaimed, happiness in his eyes.

Daine could hear what Cloud would have said if she was there clearly in her mind: I told you so.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed… I might add more chapters later. R/R!