Well, we finally made it. Sorry for such a long wait. I've had some problems come up that have gotten in the way of my writing, but I don't want to leave my stuff just sitting, so I'm going to move ahead. I'm not going to promise a lot, just that I'll update when I can. I've got some chapters ready to go, and hopefully the rest will come. I'm also going to publish a side collection of one-shots, if you want to keep an eye out for that. Just pure family love, ridiculously sweet fluff and some angst. Anyway, if you guys have any feedback, I'd really appreciate it. It helps keep me motivated. :)
Bumi was pacing the halls outside their room muttering to himself when Anna showed up. "You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm great."
She tilted her head. "Really?"
He sighed. "I don't know. I don't know about any of this." He chuckled dryly and shook his head. "When I woke up this morning, I was not expecting to receive news that I'm gonna be a dad."
Anna went to stand beside him. "Aren't you excited at all?"
A real smile. "Of course I am. I just...I don't know. I wasn't expecting it."
"You're the one who put her in this position."
"I know! And I'm happy, I really am! I'm just worried about her."
She nodded. "Right. Elsa."
"We talked about it a little bit before this, and she never really seemed...comfortable with the idea. Like she knew it had to happen, but she wasn't thrilled. At one point she hinted that she might want a baby, but I dunno."
"Yeah, that's what I got from it. But I think she'll come around."
"You think so?"
"I do. Right after the Thaw, she was terrified of being around kids. She was so worried that she would hurt them, because of what happened to me. Eventually she got used to it, and you've seen how she is with them. They absolutely adore her."
He nodded. "Yeah. We both know she'll be a great mother. If only we could get her to see that."
xxx
Elsa heard a soft knock on the door and knew it was Anna. "Come in."
Anna slipped in and went to sit beside her on the bed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "How are you?"
"I don't know," she whispered. She looked up at her helplessly. She didn't have to say anything, Anna just knew. She sat beside her and rubbed her shoulder. She watched Elsa's hand hesitate before it settled on her stomach and she gripped the fabric, frost crawling across. She gently pried her hand away and rested her hand in its place. For a moment, Anna focused on that, the little tiny human that was right under her fingertips. Tiny, but alive. Her little niece or nephew. It was enough to almost bring tears to her eyes.
Elsa watched her sister, how she focused so intently on her hand. Her hand was warm, even through the dress. Part of her flinched when she did it, she felt really self-conscious right now, but she left it, let her sister have her moment.
'She's more excited about this baby than I am.' Guilty tears filled her eyes and leaked out. Only when her breath hitched did Anna look at her.
"Oh, Elsa." She laid down and hugged her. "It's okay."
Elsa just shook her head. "I can't, I...I'm not fit to raise a child."
"Yes, you are. You handled me, and that says a lot."
"I nearly killed you!"
Anna cringed; not the best example. "But we were kids! And you have much more control now."
"No, my control's getting worse."
"Not really. And even if it is, it's just because you're nervous. You'll get used to the idea and you'll settle down. And love will help control it."
More guilt washed over her, but she still couldn't bring herself to confess the truth. Instead she just nodded and prayed that Anna was right.
xxx
Bumi was startled awake when Elsa sprung from the bed and took off to the bathroom. He sighed and ran his hand over his face. Morning sickness. This had been going on for some time. He was tempted to get up and follow her, but he knew that she would just send him back. Instead, he sought Gerda and had her fetch her some tea to help with the nausea. She patted his arm reassuringly. "It will pass, Your Highness. Queen Idun was the same way."
"How long?"
"A few months, then it will ease a bit. Just be patient." With that, she went down to the kitchen. He ruffled his hair and went back to their room. He was exhausted and knew he had to leave in two days (he was trying to negotiate with his superiors so that he could stay in Arendelle when it came close to the baby being born), but it didn't feel right for him to sleep while she stayed up trying to fight off the morning sickness.
When she came back in, he noted she looked absolutely exhausted, and was even more pale than usual. She gingerly sat on the bed.
"I had Gerda make you some tea, she should be up in a moment."
Elsa merely nodded in response, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them.
"Are you alright?"
She shot him a glare. "I'm feeling absolutely fantastic." Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
Bumi grimaced. "Right. Stupid question. Sorry."
Her shoulders slumped as she sighed, spreading her legs back out. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't snap at you. Thank you for helping me."
"It's alright." He timidly reached out and brushed her arm with the back of his hand. When she didn't pull away, he scooted closer so they were shoulder to shoulder, but didn't put his arm around her. If she wanted to cuddle, she'd let him know. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Why is this so hard?" she whispered. He knew she wasn't just talking about the morning sickness.
"I don't know, dove," he murmured back, turning his head to kiss her temple. "I'd take it for you if I could."
That earned a small smile. She nuzzled his shoulder. The door then opened and Gerda walked in. She approached Elsa and handed her the cup. "Here you go, dear. This should fight off the nausea and help you sleep."
"Thank you, Gerda," she murmured softly, carefully taking the cup from her. "I don't know what we'd do without you."
Gerda smiled warmly and fondly caressed her cheek. "Sleep well. I'll check on you later." She gave Bumi a smile as she left, carefully closing the door behind her.
It didn't take long for the tea to work its magic. Elsa laid back down next to him and began to doze off. He smiled when she shuffled closer and gripped his arm. "I wish you didn't have to go tomorrow," she slurred. He gently brushed her bangs out of her face.
"I know. I wish I didn't, either. But I have to if I'm going to take time off when the baby comes." His hand rested over hers when she brought it up to rest on his chest, over his heart. That was a new thing she had begun to do.
She merely nodded sleepily, too drowsy to respond. He briefly brought her hand to his lips so he could kiss it.
"Goodnight, Elsa."
xxx
The next evening, when they were all in the library, the ever-innocent Olaf, who they had not yet told about the baby, brought about the question. He was at Elsa's side on the couch, while Anna and Kristoff were across from them on the other. As usual, he wasted no time getting to the point. "Elsa?"
Elsa, who was about asleep on Bumi, forced herself to be more awake. "Hmm?"
"Are you pregnant?"
The room grew dead silent as four heads snapped to him. Elsa was suddenly very much awake. She sat up slowly. "Y-yes, I am."
"Oh." A pause. "What does that mean?"
Noticing her growing discomfort, Bumi stepped in. "It means she's having a baby."
Olaf gasped happily, lifting his head off his shoulders. He knew what a baby was, and he loved babies. "A baby?! Wow! Where is it?"
"It's not here yet, Olaf," Anna said, getting up and walking over to kneel in front of him. "It won't be here for some time."
"Oh." He pouted for a moment, but then immediately perked back up. "When will it be here?"
"This winter, around Elsa's birthday, actually," Bumi said, squeezing her hand.
"Oh, that's so exciting!" Another pause. "Okay, two questions."
"Okay?"
"One, where did it come from, and two, how is it getting here?"
All four of them groaned.
xxx
"So, Elsa, when do you plan on telling everyone about the baby?"
Elsa's gaze immediately went down to her stomach. She was starting to show, but she had managed to cover it so far. It would only be a matter of time before she wouldn't be able to hide it anymore. "Soon. I'm not going to be able to hide it much longer." She hesitantly placed a hand over the small bump. "I just wanted to be more certain that I'd be able to carry it before I say anything."
Anna nodded. "I get it. I was just wondering. But look at it this way, everyone will leave you alone once they find out."
She fought back a snort. They had been harassing her for some time, and thanks to her mood swings, it was now Anna and Bumi that had to step in to prevent her from losing her temper.
When she was finished eating (thankfully the morning sickness had eased off a bit), she stood. "I have to go, I have a meeting."
And like she predicted, Bumi stood. "Are you sure?"
She smiled reassuringly. "Yes. I feel better now, I'll be fine."
"Really? You don't feel too tired?"
"Or sick to your stomach?" Anna added.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm fine! I'm not helpless, I'm pregnant." She ignored the wide smiles the two shared at the reminder. "And I wish you two would quit teaming up against me."
"We're just worried about you," Anna said softly while Bumi nodded in agreement.
"I know." Her voice softened and she smiled. "And I appreciate that, but I'll be fine."
"Will you stop if it gets difficult?" Bumi asked, raising a brow (already he had picked up some of her habits).
"Sure."
"I'll send Anna and Gerda in if you don't."
"Bumi!"
He merely shrugged in response. She shook her head and turned to leave, but added quietly, "Yes, I'll stop if it gets to be too much."
Elsa tried to focus on her work, but it was difficult. Not because she felt too sick (though she was rather tired), but she was distracted. She wasn't experiencing the crippling fear that came and went, the panic over whether or not the child would inherit her magic, or if she'd hurt it. But now, she was pondering and trying to process. She was in her second trimester now, but she was still struggling to come to terms with the reality that she would be having a baby.
Her hand unconsciously settled on her stomach. If she was being honest, it had spooked her a bit when she noticed she was starting to show. It was one of the times reality hit her, hard. And not in a good way.
But she also had moments when it didn't seem so terrible. However, she felt guilty that she didn't feel attached to the baby growing inside her, not like her husband and sister. Anna and Bumi were more excited than she was at the moment. It made her feel terrible, and she felt too embarrassed and guilty to talk about it.
With a weary sigh, she ran a hand through her hair. It was obvious she wasn't going to get anything done, so she decided to just go to bed.
xxx
It was a few weeks later when Bumi was gone, hopefully for the last time until the baby was born, that it happened. Despite having a full day of wedding planning with Anna, she still could not go to sleep. She lay on her side, staring outside at the moon. She bit her lip as her hand timidly crawled under her nightdress to her stomach. It was still so strange...all of it.
Her thought process was cut short when she felt it. Her hand froze and she gasped, ice leaking out of her hands where she gripped the blankets. It was small, the lightest nudge, but it was there. If she wasn't so accustomed to zoning in on any changes in her body, she might've missed it, but no. She felt it. She struggled to breathe, eyes wide, as she struggled to comprehend what just happened.
And just like that, her whole world shifted. The little thing inside her was alive. She knew that logically, of course she did, but there was the pure evidence, movement...that she could feel. Right under her hand. Tears welled up in her eyes (all hormones...totally) and she choked on a sob. She curled in on herself more and began to rub circles, almost affectionately. Her heart began to warm as she felt another nudge. 'Everything's okay...we'll be okay.'
xxx
The next day, Anna could tell something was different. Elsa was more distracted and she noticed her hand rested on her stomach more often.
"Elsa...Elsa...ELSA!"
Her sister's head snapped up. "Huh? What?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeesh, what's gotten into you? You've been acting weird all day. What's wrong?"
Elsa bit her lip. "Well, nothing's wrong exactly. It just..." she sucked in a breath and looked at her. "Anna...it moved. I could feel it."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Anna raced over and sat beside her. "It moved?"
"Yes. Last night, I could feel it. It was...oh!" Her hand dropped to her stomach. "There it is again."
Anna timidly reached out a hand. "Can I...?"
Elsa took her hand and placed it over her stomach. Anna closed her eyes and focused hard, and was rewarded with a small nudge. Her eyes shot open and she gasped, then looked at her sister. "Whoa...this is amazing!" She became concerned when saw tears well up in her eyes. "Elsa, what's wrong?"
Elsa collapsed into her and leaned her head on her shoulder. "I don't know. I've been so afraid...I haven't really grown attached like you and Bumi have."
Anna squeezed her gently. "It's alright. We know this has been hard for you. But how do you feel now?"
She managed a tearful laugh. "This...it changes everything. I feel like it's finally starting to click, so to speak. Maybe I'm not broken."
"Elsa, you've never been broken. Never. Hurt, yes, but never broken."
xxx
When Bumi got home later, he was absolutely ecstatic when he felt it, later at night when they were in bed. After he kissed her, he ducked his head down to her belly. "Hey, there, kid. We've been wondering when you'd make your presence known. You're gonna be a prince or princess, you know. It's kind of important."
Elsa rolled her eyes but affectionately placed her hand on the back of his head. "I don't think it can understand you."
"You never know." He winked at her and pushed himself back up. He stroked her cheek. "How are you feeling about all of this?"
"Better, I think. It's hard to explain."
"I get it." He kissed her forehead. "I'm proud of you, you know?"
"For what? I haven't done anything."
"You're still pushing forward, even though it's hard."
She smiled. "I have you and Anna. That's all the support I need."
