Our , MY Child
A Vaughn X Chelsea One Shot
Description: Will and Chelsea are expecting their first child. But when Will steps to the side, leaving Chelsea alone during her labor, who'll step in to save the day?
Author's Note: I came up with this while reading another fanfic about how Chelsea gets pregnant with another guy and then he leaves… or rather, she kicked him out for cheating on her. But to tell you the truth, I needed to write something remotely similar. So here you go my one-shot.
Reader's Note: Will MAY seem a bit OOC in this fic. But he's still the same old, my love, our angel, isn't Lilly this and Lilly is that, kind of stuck up prince we all know him as. Vaughn, is in love with the "princess" he HATES Will for stealing her, and there might be some serious conflict… resulting in the "T" rating. Oh yeah, and the baby's birth… that might uhm help with the rating too… ha-ha. Or not, I don't know. Judge that for yourselves.
Notice! I don't own Harvest Moon or any of its characters. Natsume, Nintendo, and whoever created this wonderful, amazing, series of games is to be credited.
EDIT NOTICE (December 7, 2010): Due to bad reviews of my previous version of this story, I have rewritten the ending. Hopefully this clears things up a bit, and makes it better. Oh and please stop using profane language in your reviews, not only does it hurt my feelings, but I CAN report you. So thanks for understanding. If you MUST use profane language (which I think you never need to), bleep it out. Thanks!
Final Note before the Story Begins: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASSSSEEEEEE Review and favorite. I love the popularity of my Katniss/Peeta fanfic, and I'd like some reviewers for this one as well! Thanks So Much.
Our MY Child
"How about… Amelie?"
"No, Will… I don't like that name," I mutter, scanning the page.
"Annette?" Will asks, pointing to another name. I sigh.
"No Will! No British names!" I cry. Will wraps his arm around my shoulder and plants a kiss on my cheek.
"Please? For your prince?" he begs.
"No…" I say sternly. "We are going to actually AGREE on a name." Will lets out a disappointed groan and continued to look at the list we had received from his parents.
"How about… Savannah?" he asks hopefully.
"Cute… but no," I tell him.
"You know we are probably going to end up using a good chunk of these names… it's a tradition in my family," Will points out.
"Can't our baby be a NORMAL princess?" I plead. Will sets the list on the coffee table and gets up.
"There are no normal people in my family," Will says. "For my name isn't William Terry Louis Andrew Kerreck Jonathon Dredge Hams…" and he sets off on the list of names his parents gave him.
"I'm assuming they couldn't decide what to name you just like we can't," I joke. Will gives me a look.
"If I didn't love you, I could have you hung," Will says. I shrink back in fake fear.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" I laugh. Will makes his way over and sits down again.
"I'll try once more…" he says, picking up the list. "How about, Saffron?" he asks. I look down at my belly, then into Will's blue eyes.
"Saffron… I love it," I tell him. Will's eyes brighten when I say this.
"Saffron Abbey Carla Phoebe Rena…" I put my hand over his mouth before he can continue. When I remove my hand he gasps for air, and then sighs.
"Saffron Phoebe Regison IV… Is that okay with you love?" he asks. I nod.
"I think that's perfect…" I tell him. "It's absolutely wonderful."
-0o0-
I walk into the familiar smelling animal shop, with Will right behind me. Vaughn is standing in his usual place in the corner, Mirabelle and Julia in the kitchen.
"Oh! Good Morning Chelsea!" Mirabelle says as soon as she sees me. "What can I do for you today?"
"I just need some fodder," I tell her. I watch as Will wanders over to Vaughn. As Mirabelle walks into the back to get my order, I overhear Vaughn and Will.
"Good Morning, cowboy," Will tells him in his accent. Vaughn harrumphs.
"What do you want?" he growls, pulling his hat over his eyes. Will looks offended.
"Why, all I want is just a civil conversation my good man!" Will exclaims, trying to act innocent. I stifle a laugh right before Vaughn jumps up and walks into the back. Will stares at him, but then makes his way over to me.
"What did you ever see in him?" Will whispers in my ear as I hand over the gold for my fodder.
"Why do you constantly tease him?" I retort, collecting my fodder.
"I don't consider it 'teasing' exactly," Will points out. "He just, overreacts." I roll my eyes.
"Just don't talk to him then," I say. Will gives a pout but nods anyway.
"For you and you only," he mutters as Vaughn makes his way back into the room. I watch him groan and go into the back once more.
-0o0-
Later that evening, I walk into the house after feeding the animals, Will is on the phone with someone, and so I sneak past, setting my bags on the table as I do so. I can't help but overhear Will talking, he sounds distressed, as if something is wrong. I approach him from behind and begin listening.
"Yes, I understand… well, no… Mother, she's due any day now… Well can't he wait? Mother, please? Alright, I'll be there in the morning, goodbye…" he hangs up the phone and turns around.
"What was all that about?" I ask. Will sighs and runs his fingers through his hair.
"My mother is requesting that I return home for a few days. My father is very ill and he wishes to speak with me," he says. I look into his blue eyes, searching for sincerity. He seems truthful, but I cannot be sure. As soon as his eyes are locked in mine, I can tell he's not telling the truth. It's all a lie.
"How long will you be gone?" I ask quietly.
"A week at most my love," he replies. Now it is my turn to let out a sigh before I begin to rant… I try to keep my temper under control, but I should have learned to expect this from Will.
"Alright… but you need to come home as soon as you can," I tell him. Will kisses my cheek.
"Thank you Chelsea. This means a lot to me," he says.
-0o0-
Will leaves bright and early the next morning. I see him off on the ferry to the mainland. After a long, tearful goodbye, he boards and goes below deck almost immediately. I look down at my swollen stomach; hopefully he'd be back in time for Saffron to be born. Vaughn stands by the pier, staring out at the ocean. I approach him slowly.
"Hey Vaughn?" I ask. He turns to face me.
"Yeah?" he responds.
"Why do you resent Will so much?" Vaughn doesn't answer right away. His face displays the expression of confusion, sadness, and a hint of jealousy.
"You picked him," Vaughn responds simply. His voice sounds choked, as if he is trying to hold in tears.
"Vaughn…" I begin. But he quickly approaches me.
"Chelsea, I was in love with you. I was ready to give myself to you. But you obviously didn't feel the same way. You left me for Will. He gave you that child. And I won't ever stop hating him, just like I'll never stop loving you," he says. "I should go." And he swiftly makes his way into town.
-0o0-
A day passes, then three days… I only wait for Will's return. Soon enough, the week is up, and I go to the dock to wait for the boat to appear over the horizon.
My feet dangle over the side of the dock as I wait for what feels like hours. Not one boat is seen. I get up and begin to walk into town, my head hanging down. My walk falls short when I bump into someone; I only see a pair of brown cowboy boots.
"Move, Vaughn," I say sadly. The boots stay planted firmly in the ground. I raise my head to meet his amethyst eyes. I sense sadness, and a bit of jealousy, but mostly, I sense his anger.
"He didn't come home?" Vaughn asks simply. I nod. "Typical… I saw it coming." I lower my head again.
"I told you to move didn't I?" I tell him a little louder than before.
"Chelsea, he's cheating on you…" Vaughn says. "Wherever he is, it isn't where he said he'd be." I shake my head.
"He'd never do that!" I yell at Vaughn. "Not Will! He's too loyal to see someone behind my back!"
"Fine, don't believe me… I'll wait till the truth hits you in the face," Vaughn says, stepping to the side. "'Your highness' may pass." He says angrily with air quotes. I storm past him… proving him wrong was all that occupied my mind now.
But I already knew that he was right…
-0o0-
My memory of that one evening is vivid in my mind… The evening I discovered what was really going on.
FLASHBACK!
I made my way into my farm house, turning on the lights as I did so. I threw my purse on the table and sitting down in a dining room chair. Will had taken off for the city to buy some baby furniture, and I had decided against going with him. I picked up the phone on the table and dialed the number of his hotel in the city.
"Hello, Hotel 5, May I help you?" a peppy voice asked.
"Yes can you ring room 491?" I asked eagerly. I wanted to hear my husband's voice.
"Sure, just a moment," the voice on the other end said. Faint elevator music played into my ear as I waited for a voice, hopefully Will's, to fill the phone.
"Miss?" the voice asked.
"Yeah?" I responded.
"I can't seem to reach them. Would you like to leave a message? Or have them call you back?"
"Yeah, can you have them give me a call?" I asked.
"Sure, can I get a name and number?" the voice asked. I rattled off my name and number, hanging up the phone after doing so. Why wasn't Will answering the phone? I sat patiently by the phone, only getting up to get some dinner and go to the bathroom. I didn't know what to expect.
An hour, then two passed. Finally, the phone rang and I was quick to pick it up. I listened, ready to say hello. It was Will alright, but he wasn't holding the phone to his ear. I listen in sadness as a door slams, and I hear him saying something to someone. I can't tell who he is speaking to… but all I know is that it is a woman.
"We have the night to ourselves, babe," Will's voice says. I hear a thump, and smacking sounds… no doubt, he is kissing someone. I don't hang up the phone… I wonder what in his right mind convinced him that he could cheat on me… but he was doing it. Eventually I hang up the phone, scared to hear what he would do next.
I put my top teeth on my fist, and thought… he was cheating on me, while his unborn child was in my stomach… Should I tell him that I know? Should I leave it be? Should I act dumb? I didn't know what to do.
END OF FLASHBACK!
Maybe Vaughn was right. He wasn't going to see his father; he was going to see his other girl. I could feel it. I look sadly at the note that he left on the refrigerator... A number where he would be if I wanted to call was scrawled in his almost illegible calligraphy. I take down the note and crumple it in my palm. The next thing I know is that I'm leaving the house.
-0o0-
I begin to run towards the animal shop, but I am easily tired out, and I walk. In the inky darkness, I see a pair of amethyst eyes shining in the moonlight, and they are pointed right towards the source of the light. His arms are crossed, and I can see that he is thinking intently about something.
"Vaughn?" I call out into the darkness. The pair of eyes turns right towards me; they blink a couple of times, and then return to the moon. "Vaughn?" I call again. They don't turn this time.
"What do you want?" he asks rudely. I gulp and approach him. "Well? What do you want?" he repeats.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" I ask sadly. Vaughn moves in my direction.
"A walk?" he asks.
"Yeah… I think I just need someone to talk to right now," I tell him in a choked tone of voice. I see Vaughn nod his head, and I smile a little bit.
"So, what's on your mind?" he asks as we walk along the forest path towards the goddess spring.
"You know how much I hate to admit that I'm wrong… but I was wrong to say that Will would never cheat on me… in fact, I've been onto it for a few months now…" I tell him. Vaughn looks at me.
"You're admitting that I was right?" he asks, confused. I nod.
"Yes, I am saying it right here, right now," I begin, stopping and staring at him. "I, Chelsea… was wrong." Vaughn looks at the ground and then at me.
We begin to walk again. We walk in silence for a while before he looks up at the moon.
"Do you know why we broke up?" he asks. I stare at my feet, and then at him.
"I don't… remember exactly," I tell him, feeling sad. He starts to respond until the sound of rushing water cuts him off. We approach the goddess spring and stare at the moonlit waterfall leading into the pond. We sit down by the edge of the spring.
"I remember why…" Vaughn says after a few minutes.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because of my anger issues…" Vaughn responds.
"Because of… your anger?" I mutter.
"It was my fault… the fight with Mark… that was my doing. I shot him in the shoulder... I ran from it...I just wanted to stay yours… but I let my anger get the best of me…" he says, pulling his hat over his eyes. I feel tears rolling down my face. I don't know how to respond… after another few minutes I respond.
"I wish we hadn't broken up you know…" I tell him. My eyes widen as I feel his arm against my back and his gloved hand on my shoulder. His lips touch mine eagerly, and we live in the moment, but it is cut shorter than I'd like when he breaks away.
"You have no idea how long I've dreamt of you saying that…" Vaughn whispered. Tears begin to pour out of my eyes.
"Vaughn…" I mutter with a hiccup. He stares at me.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asks. "If I did, tell me, Chelsea." I shake my head.
"No… no you didn't, it just caught me by surprise…" I tell him. Vaughn turns to face the moonlit waterfall. We sit in silence once again, unable to speak. The rush of the waterfall is all we hear.
"Do you remember our first date?" he asks. I nod with a laugh.
"What a day…" I tell him.
-0o0-
The rest of the night is a blur; I remember that Vaughn and I talk for hours about the past. My heart hurts, knowing we can never have those moments again… because I am married to another man.
-0o0-
I wake up still at the goddess spring, my head on Vaughn's chest, his arm around my body. I turn so my head is facing his, and I lean down, kissing him. His eyes flutter open, and we look lovingly into each other's eyes. He lets out a laugh.
"What's so funny?" I ask.
"We stayed out here all night," he responds. I laugh in return.
"We did, didn't we?" Vaughn stares at me, and then his lips are on mine again.
"I love you, Chelsea…" He says. I want to respond, but I can't because a sudden shock of pain rushes through my body. "Chelsea? What's wrong?" he cries.
"I… I think my water… broke," I tell him. His eyes widen.
"You mean… you're in labor?" he cries. I nod and clutch my stomach. "I'll go get help!" he cries, grabbing his hat from the ground and getting up. I grab his sleeve.
"Vaughn, no… it's too late," I mutter. His amethyst eyes glisten in the morning sunlight.
"Well what can I do?" he asks with fear in his voice. I look at the ground, then at Vaughn.
"You're going to have to do it…" I tell him. A look of confusion crosses his face. "You're going to have to…" I let out a scream and fall to the ground. Then the world goes black.
-0o0-
My eyes flutter open, the pain is gone, and I am still at the spring. I try to sit up, but I am pushed back down.
"Shh, Chelsea, it's okay now." Vaughn's voice tells me. I look at him; the sun glows on his sweat soaked forehead, his vest and scarf are missing. "You have a baby, Chelsea… a beautiful little girl…" he says.
"I do?" I ask, confused as to what's going on. Vaughn reaches behind his back and pulls out a wailing baby wrapped in his vest.
"You have no idea how hard it was… but the baby seemed to know what to do…" Vaughn said with a laugh. I sit up to see the child. Vaughn hands her to me. The baby stops wailing almost immediately. Vaughn laughs.
"Seems she knows who her mother is…" Vaughn says.
"My little Saffron…" I say, kissing her forehead. Vaughn helps me up and puts his arm around my waist.
"Shall we take you home?" he asks. I nod with a smile.
"Yeah… take me home please…" I tell him. I look on the ground and see Vaughn's white scarf, now soaked in red. I hand him the baby and go pick it up. "I'm going to wash this…" I tell him.
"You don't have to," Vaughn says. "I have a spare at my apartment."
"No, I'm going to wash this," I insist. "It's the least I can do."
-0o0-
Vaughn and I walk out of the forest and he kisses my cheek before disappearing into town, leaving me with the baby. I slowly make my way into town. Before I can get to the bridge leading to my house, I am stopped by Natalie.
"Chelsea! Where have you…" she stops when she sees the baby in my arms. "Is that?" she asks. I nod. "But how? When?" she asks.
"Vaughn," I reply simply. Natalie's hand claps over her mouth.
"I thought I recognized that vest," she told me.
"I fainted shortly after my water broke…" I tell her. "Vaughn was the one who… who…" I can't seem to continue.
"Don't say any more," Natalie says. "I know what you're trying to say."
"What am I going to tell Will?" I ask. Natalie shrugs.
"Tell him the truth," Natalie says. I shake my head.
"I can't do that!" I cry.
"Why not?"
"Because… well… I suppose I have to," I say. Natalie puts her hand on my shoulder. I give her a smile and make my home.
-0o0-
I get home and flick on the lights once again. The house is silent, the piece of paper I had crumpled two nights before was still in the same place as where I'd dropped it. Saffron begins to wail.
"Shh, it's okay Saffron," I whisper, bouncing her up and down. She calms down and I go put her in the crib that Will bought. As soon as my hands leave her back, the phone begins to ring. I rush over and take it from the cradle.
"H-hello?" I ask.
"Chelsea?" Will's voice responds. I breathe deeply before responding.
"Hey sweetie," I say into the phone.
"I just wanted you to know that I'm coming home on the 5:00 ferry tonight. I can't wait to see you!" he says cheerfully.
"And I can't wait to see you either…" I say not as cheerfully. It is silent for a minute. "Will? Are you still there?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm still here," he says.
"I have something to tell you when you get home," I say.
"Well I can't wait to hear it," Will responds on the other end of the line. "I love you, Chelsea. I hope you know that."
"I love you too, Will," I tell him. "See you when you get home."
"I'll see you." And then the line dies. I put the phone back on the cradle and sink down in a chair. I look over at my rucksack and notice the red scarf sticking out of it. Then I see the brown vest that is wrapping my baby. I get up and replace the vest with a blanket, Saffron takes no notice, she just goes back to sleep. I go over to the sink and take great care in washing the scarf until there is no more red. The vest is a little easier to wash. I take the wet items outside and hang them out to dry. Then I go inside, take off my orange over shirt and red boots, sit down in a chair and slowly doze off.
-0o0-
"Chelsea? Chelsea?" a familiar voice calls out. I open my eyes to find Vaughn standing over me, holding Saffron.
"Vaughn? What are you doing here?" I ask sleepily.
"I came to check on you, when I heard a baby crying; I knocked and knocked, eventually I just used the spare key you keep in the plant outside your door." I laughed. Then I looked at the clock, it read 4:55. I took Saffron from Vaughn, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"I need to go pick up Will from the docks." I tell him.
"Wait, he's coming home?" Vaughn asks. I slip on my boots.
"He called around 1:00, told me he was coming home on the 5:00 ferry."
"I can't believe he'd have the nerve to return here…" Vaughn mutters.
"Vaughn, he's my husband."
"But he's not loyal. I'd be loyal," Vaughn says.
"But Vaughn, I can't do anything about it…" I tell him. "I'm sorry, I have to go…" and with that I leave the house.
-0o0-
I search eagerly for Will at the docks as the ferry unloads. I see his blonde mop of hair leave the ramp.
"Will! Will!" I cry out. Will looks eagerly for the source of my voice. We lock eyes and he drops his bag, running to hug me. His arms wrap around my body.
"I missed you, my princess," he says. Saffron wails from between our embrace. He steps back and looks at the child. "Is that… Saffron?" he asks. I nod, holding her out to her father.
"Look Saffron," I tell her, "It's your daddy!" she wails even louder when Will takes her from me.
"What's wrong Saffron?" he asks. She doesn't seize her wails. I take her back and her wails turn to whimpers. Will puts his hand behind his head and gives me a confused expression.
"Does she not like me?" he asks.
"I don't know," I respond. "Saffron, that's your daddy!" I hiss at her.
"Well now I have two women to love forever." He says, picking up his bag and taking my free hand. "Shall we go home?"
"Yeah, let's go home…" I tell him.
-0o0-
Will enters the house and sets his suitcase against the wall.
"It feels good to be home," he tells me. I don't respond. "What's wrong Chelsea?" he asks.
"Nothing, I have laundry to finish," I tell him simply.
"Okay, I'll be here…" he says in a confused tone.
-0o0-
I take Saffron and go outside to where Vaughn's vest and scarf are drying. I take them down and bury my face in the vest. The soap didn't rid it of Vaughn's smell.
"What are you doing?" Will asks out of nowhere. I turn to face him, the vest lands on Saffron's chest. She coos and uses her little hand to grab it.
"What do you mean?" I ask. Will walks over and takes the vest from Saffron. She begins to wail.
"Who's is THIS?" he yells. I gulp.
"Why do you care?" I cry. "Give it back!"
"Not until you tell me who it belongs to!" Will cries angrily. I reach for the vest. "Well? Whose is it?" he asks. I hang my head.
"Fine… it belongs to Vaughn…" I mutter quietly, almost unintelligibly.
"Who?" Will reiterates.
"VAUGHN!" I scream. "IT BELONGS TO VAUGHN! NOW GIVE IT BACK!" Will throws the vest back to me. A look of betrayal crosses his face.
"Why do you have Vaughn's vest?" he asks, getting closer to me. I gulp.
"He… helped me give birth to Saffron…"
"Why weren't you with Dr. Trent? Why were you with that cowboy?" he yells.
"Does that matter?" I cry.
"It matters to me!" Will cries.
"Well it isn't like you aren't 100% loyal to me you hypocrite!" I yell. "I know all about your affair!"
"I'm not having an affair!" Will screams. I shake my head.
"Don't deny it, Will. I know all about your city sweetheart… I know all about her…" I tell him. "Her ashy black hair, her big eyes… her treasure hunting obsession! Everything!" Will's eyes widen. He drops to the ground, shaking his head.
"Chelsea, forgive me!" he yells. "I couldn't help myself!" I grind my teeth together. I shake my head as he looks up at me.
"Will… How can I forgive you?" I ask.
"I'll never cheat again… my relationship with Lily is over!" he cries. I growl.
"Lily? You mean the treasure hunter from the Western City?" I cry feeling stupid that I didn't realize it was her before now.
"Chelsea… please!" Will cries while crawling towards me. He grovels at my feet for a few minutes. "Please forgive me!" he says over and over.
"I believe the lady said that she couldn't forgive you," Vaughn's voice rings out. Will's head jerks up, and he gets to his feet, facing Vaughn.
"Vaughn! What are you doing here?" I ask.
"I came to retrieve my stuff…" he says. "Now back off!" Will shakes his head.
"And what are you going to do about it? She's my wife!"
"I'm going to marry her!" Vaughn says. I clap my hand over my mouth.
"You can't do that! That's polygamy!" Will yells.
"It's not if she isn't married!" Vaughn says, pulling out a pistol.
"VAUGHN!NO!" I yell, running over to him and grabbing him around the waist and closing my eyes, while holding Saffron close with my other arm. "Why would you even resort to something like that?"
"Chelsea, I love you! He obviously doesn't!" Vaughn says, holding the gun tighter, his finger brushes the trigger. I try to knock the gun from his hand.
"Vaughn, don't let this happen. Don't let your anger get the best of you! Remember what happened to Mark!" Will is trembling against the clothes. Vaughn's anger doesn't cease. I do the first thing that comes to mind and I lean forward, kissing him full on the lips. "This is exactly what tore us apart…" I tell him. Vaughn's eyes widen, the gun drops to the ground and his head lands in the crook of my neck. I let it linger for a bit, I'm surprised that Saffron isn't crying.
"So that's it?" Will asks. "Our years of marriage are over?" I turn to face him. "Well if I leave, you just remember that, that is MY flesh and blood you are holding in your arms, that is OUR child!" I take a step forward.
"No Will, this is MY child. She doesn't even know you, because you were too busy with another girl to be here for her birth!" I cry.
"That doesn't matter! She wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me!" Will yells. I look at the little baby in my arms, then at Will.
"That may be true… but it doesn't matter. Now this is my property. And I suggest you get off it," I tell him. Will begins to leave.
"Fine, but humor me for two seconds," Will says, smashing his face against mine, giving me a kiss. He breaks away.
"Goodbye, Chelsea." He says. "I just want you to know how much I regret my decision, and if you ever change your mind, I'll be there…" I shake my head.
"Just leave…" I tell him. Will hunches over and leaves. Vaughn watches him leave. Saffron reaches out for Vaughn, who takes her. I cross my arms and stare at the setting sun.
"Were you serious?" I ask him, turning to face him. Vaughn looks up at me from Saffron.
"About what?" he asks.
"Wanting to marry me…" I say simply. Vaughn nods.
"You made me realize how much I really love you… And I think Saffron has taken a liking to me as well…" he responds. I let out a laugh.
"You didn't answer the question, Vaughn." He took one of his hands and reached into his pants pocket.
"You really don't think I came to retrieve my laundry do you?" he asks, holding out a blue feather. Tears roll down my face as I take the blue feather. I can feel the goosebumps forming on my skin.
"Vaughn…" I tell him.
"Please, Chelsea… be my wife… I'll help you raise Saffron to be the best little girl ever."
"You don't need to convince me Vaughn…" I tell him.
"Does that mean yes?" Vaughn asks. I kiss him.
"Is the sky blue?" I say.
Hopefully, this was better than the old version. I know, lame ending but I can't think, I'm sick (like, sore throat runny nose the whole shebang.) I think it's better. So review review review! Cuz I need a big self-esteem boost… ACHOO! *sniff* see you next time!