Hm . . . So. Does anyone remember me? Since I've never submitted anything to the 10th Kingdom community, that's not really likely. But, I've had two or three pretty successful stories here, under another pen name. One under Fruits Basket, one LONG one under Inuyasha, and a short under Naruto. My pen name was My Nymphetamine Girl. See, what happened was my comp decided that it hated me, and would quit whenever it felt like it, which is still does, by the way. The laptop I'm working on is through the courtesy of a friend who wants me to continue my stories. Which I will be doing, eventually. I'm going to go over my old stories, and edit them, and make them even better! I've improved a lot in two years! So, be looking forward to that, very, very soon!

Chapter 1

A New Start in the 10th Kingdom

Virginia huddle deeper under the covers, resisting the warm sunshine pouring through the window. Distantly, she could hear Wolf clattering the pots and pans in the kitchen of their tiny apartment. The television was set low, and the scent of warm bacon filtered through the half-open door.

Wolf was humming to himself, broken by excited mutters and the splash of dishes in the sink.

Half-sighing and smiling, she slid from beneath the sheets and onto the work rug. With the first step she took, her belly lurched. Groaning, she bounded toward the bathroom.

Bent over the toilet, Virginia didn't hear the door creak open. Wiping her mouth on a washcloth -which Wolf had more than likely put there for such an occasion- Virginia glanced up.

Wolf peered around the door, his expression shy and gleeful. "Good morning, my sweet!" he sang, throwing out his arms. Virginia smiled, and slid one arm around his trim waste. Damn him and his sill trim waste … She rested her other hand on her own bulging belly.

Virginia supported her head on Wolf's warm shoulder. He always smelled like food and grass and wild things. His fingers toyed with her hair. "I made you breakfast, muffin." She leaned up her head to look into his smiling gold-green eyes.

Life in New York had been good to him. His smiles were real and warm, and he'd lost the hungry, fearful look around his eyes. His hair had grown longer, still black and coal and brushed straight back from his forehead. He still needed a shave.

Wolf grinned down at her. "Oh, oh, Virginia! This morning, I watched Emeril, and he made this wonderful roasted lamb! Oh, it was it fantastic, Virginia!" He went on, describing whatever cooking show he had watched.

He sounded so excited she couldn't help but smile as he led her to the table. Her plate was lovely, with a fluffy omelet and huge sides of bacon, garnished with a sprig of rosemary. It was beautiful, but he kitchen was a mess.

"This looks wonderful, Wolf." She smiled as he helped to seat her, placing her napkin in her lap with a flourish. "You could serve this at the restaurant-"

"Oh, Virginia, you really think so?! I've had so many ideas that would help enrich our clientele! Make their taste bud dance with prrrrrrrrrrofound pleasure!"

Wolf spun about the kitchen, blissfully listing all manner of recipes he'd concocted to add to their menu at the restaurant. Their apartment was still along the edge of the forest- Central park. It was little better than what she and her father had been living in only a few months before, but it had a big window in the bedroom, and French doors that led to a tiny metal balcony. The portico was hardly big enough to hold the minuscule patio chair she'd stuck there along with Wolf's spice garden, but it was beautiful and it was hers.

Just like the restaurant.

The 10th Kingdom -not particularly clever on her part, she supposed, but certainly fitting- was slowly but steadily climbing in popularity with the richer crowd. Wolf, her new husband, was head chef, having studied cooking in "France" and "Italy". She ran the restaurant with him, and soon, with their baby.

Wolf continued to dance around the kitchen, scrubbing at the pans he had dirtied and taking moments to brush her cheek, her hair, anything. At first, it had unsettled her. Having her mother leave her, and Tony never being particularly affectionate, she'd never really been touched much. Wolf touched her all the time, never clingy, just small brushes, a kiss to the temple. Much to her surprise, she'd found she liked it.

Though, at first, the sniffing had been an issue.

A spell hit her then, a sense of nausea rising up from her belly. Clasping a hand over her mouth, she made a mad dash to the bathroom.

--

Wolf winced when he heard the refuse hit the bowl. Virginia sounded positively awful! He had known the cub would make her sick, like his mother had gotten sick when with his younger siblings.

He started to head to the bathroom to scoop her up and deposit her back into the bed where she cold laze about all day while he waited on her hand in foot, catering to her every need, bravely facing her morning sickness--

Wolf's thoughts stopped short when he heard the shower turn on.

Shower. Wolf turned a slow circle, taking pleasure in his surroundings. Television. Radio. Refrigerator. He'd grown up in a cottage in the 2nd kingdom, a tiny house built into a hillside, with dirt and thatch for a roof, bathing in the stream, and cooking beside his mother in an open fire pit.

Now, now he lived in a fine house in a city, with Virginia as his lovvvvely wife, a little wolf on the way, and the restaurant they shared. He was a wolf hero in his homeland, and a respected chef within the 1oth kingdom. His tail bristled with pleasure at the thought.

Wolf skittered into the parlor -or living room, as Virginia called it. Virginia called it tiny, but it was more than likely bigger than his entire cottage back at home. It had a small, fat loveseat, a squat television, a plump chair, and pictures.

He thought that maybe pictures were his favorite thing. There was a framed one of Virginia and himself on their wedding day. It had been small. Wendell had given them a substantial amount of gold, but Virginia said that you couldn't just use gold as currency here, and if you sold a lot of gold at one time, it would be very suspicious. So, Virginia had sold as much as was safe at a time at shops all over the city, where no questions would be asked. They had slept in Central Park that night, close to the mirror. The next morning, they had woken up to find many papers in Wolf's pockets, an identification card and records of his parents, -along with his last name, since he had never had one in his homeland- his birth, as well as of his schooling, and then, a pink rose in full bloom.

His lovely wife had smiled and twirled it in her fingers, then placed it on the grass in front of the mirror. Almost immediately, it had taken root and curled into a lovely vine full of pink blossoms.

Wolf had looked at Virginia, who had only shrugged, and told him that they were from a friend. Within hours, Virginia had found a rentable apartment -a miracle, she'd said to him. They had moved in that day, and watched as the house magically furnished itself with pale crèmes, rich blues, and soft golds.

Wolf had grinned. "Another gift?" he had asked as he scratched his temple. She'd only smiled, closed the front door, and drew him by his sleeve into their bedroom.

After that, all of their money had been sunk into buying and furnishing their own restaurant, hiring staff, some of which where some of Virginia's friends from her previous position at the eatery where he had met her.

Wolf fell onto the loveseat, and flicked on the television, watching as Rachael Ray took some sort of roast out of the oven. He snatched the notebook that Virginia had bought for him and scribbled down her words like gospel, then tossed it aside when he heard Virginia step into the room.

"My love, my blossom, my heart!" He spread his arms wide. "How lovely, succulent, and fresh you look! You take my breath away!"

Virginia smiled faintly; she looked pale around the eyes, but otherwise, content. Wolf beamed at her, his heart swelling with pride and love for his beautiful Virginia. She was everything that he'd ever dreamed and more.

"C'mon, Wolf. We have to head out to work." She slid her coat over her shoulders, a new one that she'd splurged on to replace the one that had become so battered during her travels.

Wolf bounced to his feet, slipping into his black long cloak, and snatching his keys. "Ginny, my love …"

She paused in the doorway, knowing what he was going to ask. Virginia took into consideration how tired her feet would be after the long trek to the bistro, and how much the baby would protect, and how many times she would throw up along the way. She gritted her teeth. "Fine."

Wolf howled his pleasure, and yanked her out of the door.

The lock slid into place with a glimmer, as if by magic.