Prologue: The Cycles of Love and Life

A/N: Hi, me again! I hope you like my sequel to The Cycles of Grief! This story will be a little more lighthearted than the last one! Please enjoy!

I can't believe how far we've come, Charisse von Jikkingen was thinking as she laid in bed with her loving husband.

The girl was very weary from previous activities with her husband. Just thinking about what happened hours prior made her blush in embarrassment. Despite being a dapper gentlemanly cat Creation, Baron Humbert von Jikkingen had a way with his words and hands in bed. In other words, he knew how to seduce her and what buttons to press to turn her on. Honestly, Charisse felt bad for anyone who would hear what was transpiring between her and her husband. Even though they had been home for three months now, they were still in the "honeymoon phase", making love and spending as much time as they could with each other.

However, despite all the love and joy they shared, Charisse wasn't completely satisfied. It had nothing to do with her Humbert but just the fact that there was an empty bedroom and no soul to occupy it. She wanted to have a child, a little kit just like her husband, but she knew sex was messy business. She knew that people could have sex one or ten times and they still wouldn't get pregnant. Now, Charisse wasn't infertile—she had the worst monthly cycles—but it took a lot of stamina and patience to get pregnant.

With a gentle smile, Charisse shifted herself to face her dozing husband and placed a hand to his cheek. Tears of joy burned in her eyes as she realized how lucky she was to have someone like Humbert. Just a few months ago, she was grieving the loss of her parents and he was always there with her, holding her hand along the way. It took her a while but then she realized that she loved him with all of her heart and soul. He made her feel complete and happy and she only had God to thank for that.

"I love you, Anata," she whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead before dozing off herself.

…

Charisse loved mornings with Humbert. He always woke her up with a kiss and made tea while she was still waking. As soon as Charisse sat up in bed, she stretched her limbs and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She smiled at her husband, admiring his body as he got dressed in his normal clothes. Despite being half-human, half-cat, Humbert had a pleasing form; he was medium built and had strong warm arms that could make any woman feel safe.

"Good morning, darling," she whispered as she stretched. "Did you sleep well?"

Humbert, now fully dressed, walked back to the bed he shared with his wife and sat down. He gave a gentle smile to his loving wife and pressed a kiss to her brow. Charisse's heart stirred in her chest because that meant he was happy and that she made him happy.

"Of course I slept well," he said lovingly, "knowing that you were there next to me. Did you sleep well, my love?"

Charisse nodded with a smile. "How could I not when you were there with me," she said, placing a hand on his cheek. "I love you, Humbert. God, I love you so much."

He smiled, pressing another kiss to her brow. "I love you too, Charisse," he whispered gently. "Always have, always will."

Charisse felt her heart almost give out with joy but then she remembered that she and her husband had duties they needed to attend to. As much as it pained her, she lightly smacked her husband on the chest and stood to get dressed. Now that she was married to the Baron, she wore antique-like clothing to match him. She wore dresses and frilly tops and pants to match his style. Her favorite dress was the coral colored one with the long skirt. Baron got it for her when they were on their honeymoon and she just loved it.

After getting dressed and groomed, Charisse and Humbert walked down into their office and sat together as they ate. They chatted gaily over life and how happy they were to be with each other. Then they started swapping jokes and laughing and kissing. Humbert then gave her a kiss that was enough to instigate some…good naps and he knew. He started kissing her with passion and want and she gladly succumbed to it but then the door to the Bureau opened, causing the two to start in alarm.

There as red as a beet stood Muta with a sheepish look on his face. He looked embarrassed like he shouldn't have been there. It was like he walked in on his parents making love and it made him go red in the face. Charisse bit back a giggle when she saw him shuffle in with his eyes to the ground. He sat down on the sofa and silently ate some of the croissants that Baron made, purposely averting his eyes from the two.

"Um, sorry," muttered Muta, looking down to his paws. "I didn't know you two would be…erm, busy."

Humbert was the first one who recovered from shock. "It's all right, Muta," he said cordially. "You wouldn't have known. We're just trying…"

"To get pregnant," finished Muta, causing the couple to stare at him in shock. "What? Toto told me you two have been trying nonstop. Have you pulled a goalie?" This question was directed at Humbert, who flushed considerably.

"Yes…" was Sir Cat's stiff answer, not saying anymore.

"Then you're trying," said Muta, smirking. "Oh, speaking of the Birdbrain, I've got a message from him. He told me to tell you that the next time you have sex, keep the noise down." That caused Muta to lapse into uncontrollable giggles but it only deepened Humbert and Charisse's humiliation.

If blushes were perilous to one's health, the married couple would have been dead on the spot because their faces were as bright as stoplights. Charisse couldn't even speak because of how embarrassed she was but she managed to flip Muta the bird with her right hand. That caused both Humbert and Muta to gasp in shock because Charisse had never, ever flipped any of them off before.

"Get out!" yelled Charisse, clenching her fists. "Get out of here, you fatass!"

Baron's nonexistent eyebrows rose in shock and awe at his wife's fury but said nothing to placate her. In fact, Muta was so afraid of Charisse that he turned tail and booked it out of there as fast as he could. Humbert wanted to laugh but he didn't want to provoke his wife's fury any further so instead he stood, walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Calm down, love," he whispered in her ear tenderly. "You know Muta was only teasing. I probably should have stopped him but don't get too steamed over it."

When Charisse turned to look at him, he saw a fiery glint in her eyes that took him aback. Before he could question her on it, she pressed her mouth to his passionately. All the pent-up fury she felt was released in the kiss she bestowed on him but Humbert actually didn't mind. He actually liked that Charisse was dominating right now. To take it a step further, he led Charisse back into their bedroom to begin their lovemaking again.

…

A few days after Muta visited, Charisse began feeling sick in the mornings. She'd vomit in the toilet and she felt cramps shooting down her back and in her abdomen. She wanted to pass it off as her PMS but then again, she never had symptoms that serious. As Charisse vomited in the toilet, she rested clammy forehead against the seat and closed her eyes, wondering if this was worse than death. To her, barfing felt worse than death because she was still alive while it happened.

I'm gonna die here…she was thinking, bending over the toilet once more.

Fortunately, Humbert came into the bathroom and lifted his wife into his arms. He carried her to their bedroom and placed her comfortably on the bed. He rested a hand on her brow gently.

"Are you okay, honey?" he asked gently, giving her a loving look. "Are you ill?"

Charisse looked at her husband and said weakly, "Humbert, could you get some pregnancy testers from the store? I think I might be…My cycle is late. I usually start at the end of the month; it's the end of the month and I've had no PMS symptoms."

Humbert nodded seriously, giving her a tender look. "I'll go get them as soon as possible. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Are you serious?" Charisse said sarcastically, snuggling into the mattress.

Humbert smiled. "I forgot who I'm dealing with," he stated teasingly, giving her a kiss on the forehead and leaving the room.

Charisse sighed and closed her eyes contently. I love my husband…she thought, drifting off to sleep.

…

A little later, Humbert came back with the testers and gave them to Charisse, who went to the bathroom to use them. Sitting on the toilet with her legs apart, she allowed herself to urinate on the tester to get the results. When she pulled it back to look at it, she saw a red plus sign on the tester and her heart began pounding. At first she thought it was just a misread but then she tried two others and they were the exact same results.

"I'm pregnant…" she gasped, staring at the testers wide-eyed.

She pushed away from the sink and opened the bathroom door to find her husband staring at her. A slow smile spread on her face and she began glowing with joy. Humbert stared at her in wonder until she told him.

"I'm going to be a mother," she announced breathlessly, causing Humbert's mouth to fall open.

"I'm going to be a father," he gasped in awe, blinking spastically.

"A mother!" cried Charisse excitedly, hopping like a schoolgirl.

"I'm going to be a father!" cried Humbert, smiling widely.

"A mother, you know!" Charisse cried loudly, attacking her husband in a tight embrace.

The couple laughed together, feeling more joy than they could contain. Finally, they were going to be parents!

A/N: I hope you like this! R&R~