A/N: So I've been sitting on this one for a while now. I planned to sit on it a little longer, until all the chapters were done, but I felt bad for not putting anything out this week (sorry, Fear of Infinity, and even more sorry, For the Sake of Science - I promise I'll get around to you soon!) and the first chapter fits pretty well with Mother's Day.

Title: Left Turn

Author: liketolaugh

Rating: T

Pairings: Yuu/Alma

Genre: Family/Angst

Warnings: Character death

Summary: What the DGM universe might have looked like if it had taken a left turn somewhere. Or a lot of left turns. Features original!Yuu, original!Alma, exorcist!Mana, and a few more things.

Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.

Alma was throwing up again.

Yuu frowned to himself, carefully holding her long black hair out of her face as she panted over the toilet, slightly sweaty and eyes shut. This was the third day running, and he was getting concerned - Alma was almost never sick.

When no more came up, he asked her, "Done?"

Alma blew out a breath and sat back, glancing up at him with dark brown eyes and a weary smile. "Yeah, I think so."

Yuu and Alma Kaneshiro had been exorcists for three years now, and married for just the last one of those. Yuu had to admit that he was slightly surprised that Chief Leverrier had permitted it, and more than a little suspicious of his motives.

Then again, the moments of happiness they could snatch from beneath the coldhearted man's nose were more than worth anything he could throw at them.

Yuu nodded and stood up, holding out a hand to haul her to her feet.

"Right," he said decisively, pulling her toward the door, and never mind the lack of day clothes. "You're going to the infirmary."

Alma laughed a little and pulled her wrist out of his grip. "All right, Yuu. But let's get dressed first." She smirked slightly. "Unless you want everyone to see you in nothing but your sweatpants?"

Yuu looked down at himself and scowled.

"Fine. We'll get dressed first."

The Head Nurse, Yuu mused, seemed to be getting more agitated the longer she bustled around, performing tests that didn't mean anything to either exorcist. It would be funny, if it weren't so concerning.

Finally, though, she sat both Yuu and Alma down, sat in front of them, and announced, face slightly grim, "Alma is pregnant."

Yuu's jaw dropped. Alma blinked rapidly for a moment, and then a wide, beaming smile broke over her face, and she jumped to her feet, pulling Yuu with her and spinning him around.

"Yuu!" she exclaimed, joy saturating her voice. "We're having a baby!"

Yuu stared dumbly for a moment, barely managing to keep up, dark brown hair threatening to tangle into Alma's black and navy eyes wide - and then he, too, grinned.

"We're having a baby," he repeated, voice low and awed.

It was like he'd spent the last three years sitting in a cave, lit but dark and damp, and suddenly he held a geode in his hands, colorful and glittering and beautiful.

Alma laughed, delighted, eyes sparkling. Yuu thought that she had never looked so beautiful.

Head Nurse watched them with a small smile for a long moment as they shared their moment of joy, for just a moment lost in their own world. Then she finally, apologetically, cleared her throat.

Alma slowly spun to a stop, looking at her expectantly.

"Are you going to keep it?" Head Nurse asked quietly, hating to shatter the moment but knowing she must.

Yuu scowled, and Alma started to look offended before it hit them.

Of course. They were being stupid. Reality wasn't beautiful or wonderful or glorious. Not here in the Order, at least. No, it was pain and despair, death and grief. They would probably die before the child was half grown. They might die before it was born.

And then, growing up - there weren't any children here, for a good reason, at that, and they wouldn't have anyone their age. Adult friends would vanish without warning, and besides… Well, Yuu had a sudden insight as to why he and Alma had been allowed to stay together. The child would almost certainly grow to be an exorcist.

But fresh in their minds was that one glowing moment. Alma was pregnant. They were having a child.

Yuu looked down at Alma, who smiled gently back up, patted his cheek, and said to Head Nurse,

"Of course we will."

"Your mission," Chief Leverrier said curtly, watching coldly as the three of them opened their mission folders, "is to retrieve an accommodator located on the eastern side of Moscow." A sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Kindly recall that the Black Order is a secret organization, and you therefore may not use you less discreet abilities - Edeline."

Edeline tossed her ball-bomb in the air and rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Got it. No firestorms this time. Ice storms okay?"

"No," Leverrier replied flatly, absolutely void of humor. She sighed and Alfons chuckled.

The twenty-two year old woman looked at Yuu and gave him a tired smirk, slightly sympathetic.

"Well, let's get this done quickly so you can get back to your wife, alright?"

Edeline and Alfons had joined the Order at the same time, just a few months after Yuu and Alma had, and the four of them were good friends, and worked well together to boot. Yuu was grateful for their support, more than he'd tell them.

Yuu, tense and annoyed, grunted and nodded.

Alma would have been with them - even heavily pregnant, she was a damn good fighter - but she was now nine months since and due any day. Prudently, Chief Leverrier had temporarily taken her off missions.

Which he should have done at least two months ago, Yuu thought irritably. He'd been worried sick about Alma whenever she so much as stepped out the bedroom door, let alone when she fought akuma or, god forbid, went on a mission without him.

She'd been very careful to remind him that she could take care of herself. Usually with a kick in the face or a knife at his neck.

A hand landed on his arm, and he jerked his head up with a budding snarl to meet Alfons' reassuring look.

"Don't worry, Yuu," the twenty-one year old said quietly. "Alma will be fine. Head Nurse is looking after her, remember?"

"Che!" Yuu scowled and stepped away, but, after a moment, he nodded grudgingly. "I suppose you're right." He took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. "Let's just get this over with."

"Now, if you will?" Leverrier raised an imperious eyebrow, unimpressed by the byplay. Yuu tensed again, gritting his teeth, but looked away in favor of leaving the room - he couldn't stand Leverrier.

Yuu was stormy as they headed for the entrance, but Edeline and Alfons were unbothered.

No sooner were they there, however, than they heard,

"Wait, wait, wait! Mr. Kaneshiro! Mr. Kaneshiro!"

All three of them turned around and Yuu raised his eyebrow, looking at the frantic finder expectantly.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Mrs. Kaneshiro!" the finder gasped out, skidding to a stop and panting. "Mrs. Kaneshiro is having the baby!"

Yuu took a moment to process that, and then his eyes widened and he stiffened. His eyes darted to land on Edeline and Alfons.

Edeline smiled at him confidently and clapped a hand on Alfons' shoulder. "Go ahead, Yuu. Alfons and I can take care of this, right, Alfons?"

"Of course," Alfons agreed readily, smiling at Yuu. "Go ahead, Yuu - and congratulations."

Yuu smiled at them briefly.

"Thank you," he said, and then took off running.

Ten hours later, he and Alma were both smiling at little Aya Kaneshiro.

One week later, they discovered that everyone on the Moscow retrieval mission had been wiped out.

Why, yes, that was Al and a fem!Ed making a guest appearance. *chuckle* I couldn't be bothered to come up with anyone new, so I plopped them in there. *shrug* Anyway. I hope you liked this, thanks for reading, and please review!

Aya will make another major appearance, but only in one more chapter, and then peripheral or semi-peripheral roles in some others.