But I cant be, "Pregnant," Deryn whispered, her hand flying protectively to the flat plains of her stomach. She prodded her abdomen with the tip of her finger, wondering idly if something, or someone, would poke back. But that wasn't possible. How long had it been? Five weeks, six? Her stomach felt the same as ever; flat, hard. And yet she was overdue.
"Barking spiders," she muttered, dropping back onto her bed with a slim hand splayed over her pale face, the other remaining over her belly button. Pregnant, baby, mother. All words she would never have dreamed of including in her future when she'd joined the crew of the leviathan. Lover. Another one she hadn't predicted. Her tummy rumbled and she sat bolt right up. That couldn't have been....No. She was just hungry. Ravenous really. But she couldn't leave. Deryn groaned. Alek would be in the mess, waiting for her. If she didn't show he would desert his duties just as she had done and come looking for her. He would find her easily, and holding her self together in his presence didn't seem the least bit plausible. Was her face pale? Did she look drawn and green?
Deryn thumped her feet onto the floor and reached for her boots moodily. The rubber soles squeaked mournfully as she dragged them to her, reflecting her mood. She slid her feet into the tough leather and laced them up tight, over the hem of her pants. Flipping the small calendar shut, she dropped it into her open bag and drew the draw strings over it. She kicked it back under her bed with a sense of satisfaction, and stomped to the door.
Flinging it open, she jumped and leapt back. Alek stood solemnly in the hall, poised to knock. He dropped his hand and blinked. "Deryn," he said mildly, "You're not wearing a shirt."
Deryn glanced down at her bound chest and saw he was right.
"Aye." Her face reddening alarmingly, she grabbed his hand and dragged him into the room, pushing the door shut behind them with a foot.
"Are you quite alright?" he inquired curiously, "You seem somewhat...Contorted."
She snatched her shirt off her pristinely made bed and yanked it over her head, fumbling with the remaining buttons. "Blasted buttons," she muttered, frustrated.
"Here," Alek stepped forwards and gently removed her hands, replacing them with his own. "Let me."
Deryn shivered when his nimble clanker fingers brushed her skin, sending a shock of electricity though her body. Alek grinned at her. "Better?"
No it was not bloody better. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, feeling the strength of his muscles through his oil slicked, Hapsburg uniform. He staggered back a step, winding his arms around her and squeezing tight.
"Alek," she mumbled into his neck. "something disastrous has happened."
He drew away. "I gathered." he wiped away her tears with his calloused thumb and she sniffled. "Though I have nothing against you throwing yourself at me like a damsel in distress, it doesn't seem like a very Deryn cause of action." She bit back a very unDeryn like giggle and hit him lighlty over the head. Barking princes.
"What is it?" he asked, his endearing green eyes flooding with concern.
She drew in a very deep breath and paused, flexing her fingers against each other. "Alek, I think I'm pregnant."
