An anon on Tumblr asked me to write some preggo!Wanda, seeing as I know a buttload about pregnancies (aspiring midwife, here). I'd been thinking about it, and I decided to go ahead and write it since someone had requested it. It took a little while to get edited, but here's the first chapter. I'm thinking this will only be about two or three chapters long. Enjoy!

Every raid was risky. Granted, they were less risky now that Wanda did most of the shopping, but driving around in plain sight of the Souls and sleeping in hotels was still just as dangerous as ever. Usually, six people went on the raids. Ian and Wanda, Jared and Melanie, and two interchangeable aids – Aaron, Brandt, Burns, Nate – and sometimes Kyle, when Sunny was able to calm down enough to let him go, which wasn't often.

Six lives on the line.

The night that Ian learned that there were seven lives on the line changed everything.

Wanda came padding out of the bathroom, her head down and her hands clasped tightly around something small. Her golden hair fell in curls around her face, and she momentarily distracted Ian from the dull television show he was watching at a low volume. Without a word, she crawled into the bed in their hotel room, tucking up against his side and pressing her face into his shirt. Ian's arm wrapped around her, holding her in place.

It was a few moments later when Ian heard her quiet sniffing and let go of the remote to reach up and stroke her hair. "What's with the sniffles, Wanda?" he questioned gently, a smile in his voice and on his lips.

Ian continued to run his fingers through her soft hair as she opened and closed her mouth for the next few minutes, small huffs of breath escaping when words failed her. Finally, she whimpered quietly.

"Oh, Ian," Wanda whispered, her voice breaking. "Ian, I'm so sorry."

His hand stilled in her hair, cradling her head. "Sorry for what, honey?" he murmured, glancing down at her.

Another long minute passed before she shifted, propping herself up with one elbow. Her expression was mortified when she looked up at him, but more than that, she seemed to be fragile. Breaking. Scared.

She sniffed again, and Ian watched as her eyes lined with tears. His dark black brows pulled together, and his blue eyes filled with concern. "Wanda," he murmured, "tell me."

Silently, she reached for his hand, and his fingers wove in-between hers. Wanda shook her head and pulled her hand free before grabbing his again, turning it palm-up. With shaking hands, she placed the small item in his palm and folded his fingers over it. "I'm sorry," she cried again, reaching up to wipe her eyes.

Ian sat up, pulling her up with him, and tucked her into his side again before he opened his hand and looked down at what she'd given him. The white stick lay in his palm, face-up, and prominently displayed one word: pregnant.

The room was quiet for a long moment before Wanda let out another whimper and raised her hands to her face.

"Wanda," Ian whispered, placing the pregnancy test down on the sheets beside them. His silence had obviously hurt her, but he hadn't meant for it to. A small smile crept onto his lips as he took in what he'd just been told in little to no words at all – he was going to be a father.

She turned her face into his chest and began to cry, her arms snaking around his torso.

"Wanda," Ian repeated, laughing quietly. "Why are you so upset? Are you scared? You don't need to be scared, sweetheart."

"Please don't be mad at me. Everyone is going to be so mad at me. I'm so sorry, Ian. I know that we can't raise a child."

Ian was taken aback by her words, and he moved to pull her arms from around him, which caused her to cry harder. He grimaced, hating the fact that she was taking his gestures the wrong way, but moved to re-adjust her so that she was lying face-up on the bed, her head on one of the soft down pillows. Ian settled down onto his side next to her and touched her cheek gently, his fingers stroking in an attempt at calming her. "Wanderer. Why on Earth would we not be able to raise a child?" His tone was soft, almost a coo.

"The caves aren't any place to have a baby, Ian. And Jared will be so angry. He hates the idea of anyone raising a child in this world. He'll think that we're absolutely irresponsible," Wanda cried.

Ian pursed his lips. "Freedom was born in the caves. He's good and strong and healthy. You know that. And I think it doesn't matter what Jared thinks. This is our baby. We'll take responsibility for it. Just because the world has changed doesn't mean that becoming a mother and father has. I would treat this baby just the same."

At those words, Wanda's eyes flickered open again. She stared up at Ian, and her tears slowed. One of her hands lifted and rested lightly on his cheek. "Y-You want to keep the baby? You want to have a baby? We didn't even plan this. We weren't expecting this."

He nodded. The answer came easily to him. He would not take away another person's chance to live because he didn't deem the world they would be born into satisfactory. "Absolutely, Wanda. I would love to have a family with you." His hand moved and rested lightly over her abdomen. It looked exactly the same as it always had, but the knowledge that his child was growing there, starting his or her life, made the touch even more electric than usual for Ian.

Wanda pulled in a shaky breath and let her hand fall from his cheek, placing it over top of his on her abdomen so that he wouldn't move it. "I love you, Ian," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears again.

Ian moved, lowering himself slightly so that he could find her lips with his. Her lips were soft and gentle, and her breath was warm against his mouth as he pulled away. "I love you, Wanderer."

Gently, he shifted their bodies so that he curled protectively around her, and began to stroke her hair again.

"Wanda?"

"Yes, Ian?"

"I will protect you and our baby from anything and everything you need protecting from. I promise. You don't need to be scared of anything."

It was silent for a long moment, and when Wanda finally spoke again, her voice was thick with tears.

"Thank you, Ian."