It Takes Two

by maramouse

During the rest of Tiana's pregnancy, Naveen frets about dealing with his wife. Will he survive the pregnancy-or will Tiana's hormones get in the way? Sequel to "The Perfect Gift".

Original Author's Note: I actually had this written for quite some time...it's almost completely rewritten from a previous draft. At first, I wasn't completely happy with this one, either, but after rereading it, hence being skeptical about posting it, but upon rereading it today, I realized it was better than I had thought. Sorry for the super long wait! This is the sequel to my other story, "The Perfect Gift"-while it would be helpful to read that one first, all you really have to know is that Tiana is pregnant, and Naveen freaked out when he found out and eventually won a stuffed frog from a game at a carnival for the baby to prove himself. This story takes us through the rest of the pregnancy.

Oh, and I'm a sixteen-year-old girl, so I thoroughly admit that I know nothing about delivering babies and even less about births in the (late, I presume) 1920's. Eudora's midwife comment refers to the fact that I looked it up, and midwives were less common during the 1920's, but feel free to correct me on any detail of the birth.

Title is taken from "It Takes Two" by the genius Stephen Sondheim, from one of my favorite musicals, Into the Woods (someday, I shall play Little Red!).

Enjoy!

4/13: I'm embarrassed by how many factual inaccuracies there are at the end. Perhaps eventually, I will have the chance to rework the ending, but for now, I hope you enjoy it despite the errors.

1: Broken Noses and Mincing Swords

"I really admire you for dealing with her," Charlotte says one day, after Tiana gets huffy when Charlotte does not finish all of her beignets. "Tia is my best friend, but she normally understands that I can't possibly eat all the beignets that come with the order or it'll ruin my figure."

Naveen sighs. Charlotte is all too right. Tiana has been even more short tempered than normal lately. Why, just today, when he asked if there was any way he could help out, she glared at him and retorted that she was not a delicate doll who could break at any minute.

"Do not discuss figures with her," Naveen warns, capitalizing on Charlotte's words. Although Tiana has never been vain about her appearance before, he is not ready to risk that she might start becoming vainer now. "Anything will upset her these days. Just the other day, when I reminded her about the frog after she complained at me for not working enough, she threw the frog in my face! Imagine! Our baby's first toy, thrown like a worthless piece of trash!"

Charlotte, who has been told how Naveen valiantly won a stuffed frog from a carnival game, smiles. "I certainly don't envy you. Why, I can only imagine how she'll get when she's delivering that baby!"

Naveen stares at Charlotte. His heart thuds, all too aware that this is a terrible something he has not even considered. "She will be very temperamental, you mean?"

Charlotte snorts. "More than temperamental! My friend Suzanna gave her husband a broken nose, she was in such pain during labor. The twins are three-years-old, and his nose still looks different to this day! You'll be lucky if you come out unscathed."

Charlotte picks up her purse before Naveen can question her farther. She shoots Naveen a gleaming smile. "Well, I'd better go. I've got another date to go on. This fellow really seems to be biting! Tell Tia I'll tell her how it goes when she's in a better mood."

"I will."

Naveen returns to the kitchen as soon as Charlotte leaves. He gulps when he sees how violently the four month along Tiana is mincing carrots. Her knife gleams like a dagger in her hands. "What's wrong with you?" she asks, when Naveen backs away. The last thing he needs is Tiana mincing him by mistake!

"Uh, nothing," says Naveen quickly, as Tiana puts down her knife. "Listen, my princess, I have a request for you. Lottie was telling me about how her friend's husband had his nose broken during labor by his wife, and I was simply wondering-"

"If your perfect nose will come unscathed, you mean?"

Naveen forces a laugh, as though this is a light matter and that he will not have trouble falling asleep later, imagining the prospect of his beautiful nose being broken. "It was concerning me."

Tiana rolls her eyes. "Don't worry, Naveen. As Lottie told me, her friend Suzanna was having twins, and as far as I know, we're just having one."

"So...if the doctor was wrong, you would break my nose?"

"Naveen..."

"I am simply asking an innocent question! I would like to be at my best appearance when our child arrives, you know."

"How about this? If I do break your nose, you have my full permission for my doctor to wrap it up and to stop tending to me."

She turns away and continues mincing with even more force than ever. Forget "dagger"; that knife in her hand is a full-fledged sword. "Please, Tiana, let me try!" says Naveen desperately.

Ignoring him, Tiana continues mincing. "And what good will that do? You know I'm a quicker mincer than you are."

"It is not about the mincing!" says Naveen, suppressing his urge to remind his wife that mincing is his specialty. "I am simply afraid you will kill those poor carrots!"

"Naveen, I'm pretty sure carrots aren't alive. It's the baby and me you should be worried about, not some orange vegetable."

"But if you keep it up much longer, those carrots are going to be much too small, and you might slip and cut yourself! Stop!"

He grabs the knife from her when she continues to ignore him. Tiana holds on to the knife, but when Naveen is finally able to get it out of her strong grasp, the knife's blade pokes his arm. Tiana bursts out laughing as Naveen yelps in pain.

"It is not funny!" says Naveen, gritting his teeth, as Tiana continues laughing. "It is bleeding, no?"

He shows her his arm, which is still stinging from the pain. "That's not what I was laughing at," says Tiana, smirking. "I was simply thinkin' that it didn't take me breaking your nose to show you who's the boss around here-whether's it in my kitchen or delivering your baby."

Cooing over him as though Naveen is the child she is carrying, Tiana wipes away the blood in a single swipe, sarcasm prevalent in her voice.

2: Motherly Assistance

"Oh, my daughter," says Eudora, sighing, after Naveen explains about the bandage on his arm. "You should know better by now not to interfere with her cooking. Even when she was just a little girl, she nearly had a heart attack when I tried to add too much tabasco."

"But if she is so overprotective about her cooking, how will she be with the baby?"

"Don't worry," says Eudora firmly. "If she doesn't let you or me near your baby, I'll personally make sure I talk to her. She might almost be a mother of her own, but that doesn't excuse her from not listening to her own mama."

Naveen watches as his mother-in-law continues sewing a blue gown for Charlotte. She was pregnant, once-upon-a-time. Is it possible that his mother-in-law could have been just as moody and temperamental as Tiana?

"Eudora?"

"Please, Naveen, you know you can call me 'Mama'."

"Mama Eudora," says Naveen, still not comfortable addressing anyone as his mother besides the woman who biologically is responsible for him. "When you were pregnant with Tiana, did you ever...uh..."

"Get as moody as my daughter, you mean?"

Eudora laughs at the astonishment on his face. "Tiana is a special case, no doubt about it. But if I think back to it"-she gets a far-off look on her face-"I can definitely remember James complaining once or twice."

"But she will not even take off a single day from work!"

"Ah, but Tiana is one determined girl. Even I did not stop sewing completely. Think about if this was you, Naveen. You wouldn't give up jazz music no matter what condition you were in, would you?"

Biting his lip, Naveen has to admit Eudora has a point.

"Just give it some time, Naveen. I know she might not stop being hormonal completely, but I'm sure she'll loosen up eventually. Perhaps you could arrange a romantic night and discuss baby names. That might cheer her up a bit."

"You know what," says Naveen, "I think I will try just that.

3: Romantic Dinners and Interrupting Alligators

"I have minced," Naveen announces to Tiana a few nights later, when all of the staff and customers have disappeared.

"Minced?"

Naveen holds up a plate of minced vegetables. "I made your favorite. Would you care to sit outside and join me?"

"Naveen, it's thirty degrees out. You can't honestly say that you're considering eating outside."

"All right, we can sit inside. What do you say? Will you join me for a late dinner or will I have to eat dinner by myself?"

"Just a minute. I have to finish washin' this last dish."

Naveen smirks to himself as he takes the plate with the minced vegetables to a table. Even when hormonal, it seems his wife can hardly resist his charms.

She joins him a few minutes later, the candlelight illuminating her face. "Thanks for mincin'," she tells him. "I'm so tired, I can barely stand up."

Naveen frowns. Tiana is now five months along, heavily showing, and no doubt even more tired than before. "Are you sure you are not overworking?"

"No, no! I just mean that it's taken some gettin' used to, what with the baby and all. But Mama still worked when she was carryin' me, and so will I."

Naveen groans inwardly, wondering why Eudora had to tell Tiana that she worked while pregnant, too. Isn't Eudora supposed to be on his side?

"I am sure even your mother took off a few days," Naveen says.

"All the same. I need to work or else we'll never be able to afford that fancy crib you wanted. We can't just keep leechin' off of your parents, you know."

She smirks at him, reminding him that she remembers his days as a leech, too.

"This is nice," Tiana says after a few minutes, once she has taken a few bites of vegetables. "It's been so long since we did this."

"If I am not mistaken, the last time we did was when the baby was conceived."

"Well, I hope that's not what you're after now," Tiana says, teasing. "I know you like to try your luck, but tonight, I'm too tired."

Their eyes meet over the candlelight. In spite of all the times this has happened before, Naveen feels his heart speeding up. He leans in, preparing himself for the deliciousness that is sure to follow-

-and finds himself interrupted by a voice saying, "Oh, uh, don't mind me."

They whip around to find Louis standing in the hallway, his big alligator form hunched up in embarrassment. "Louis!" Naveen growls. "What in the world are you doing here?"

Louis hangs his head. "Sorry, Naveen. I just forgot Giselle, and I couldn't bear the thought of not having her for the night."

"I will get her," Naveen mutters, getting up. When he returns to hand Louis the trumpet, the alligator's head is still hanging.

"Sorry, Naveen."

"That's all right," says Naveen, sighing. "But I think you must remember that things are not how they were when we first met. There are times when a husband wants to spend time alone with his wife, no?"

"Oh, I know. And I'll sure not to do it again. I just-"

He glances again at the candles on the table and clasps the trumpet tightly, before leaving.

Naveen forces a grin onto his face as he returns to the table. "Where were we?"

But Tiana is shaking her head. "Naveen the third?"

"What?"

She waves around a name book Naveen set on the table and points to a marked page. "You were seriously thinkin' about naming our baby after you?"

"It is not such a bad idea!" Naveen says defensively. "Lots of royals pass down names! I myself was named after my great-grandfather Naveen, who was known for his contributions to dancing into Maldonian society. I have always dreamed about teaching my son the art of dancing."

"First of all, you're forgetting that it might be a girl, and second of all, I won't be havin' a second Naveen in our family. I'm dealing well enough with one, as it is."

"I do not mind a Tiana the second...as long as this Tiana is not as moody as her mother."

Tiana glares at Naveen, who shrinks backwards in the same fashion as Louis only a few minutes before. The romantic atmosphere has completely changed between them. "Well, you won't have to, cause I already named her."

"You did? What is it?"

"I'm not tellin'. It'll be a surprise. I've talked over it with Louis"-she jabs her head towards the door-"and he's agreed that you're gonna love it."

Knowing how stubborn his wife can be at times, Naveen decides not to press further. "Well, what if it is a boy? Do I have the right to name him, then?"

"I suppose that's only fair, but please no Naveen's the seconds or thirds or whatever it is. I've already heard enough of you tootin' your own horn without being reminded of it every time I call my son's name."

Naveen leans in closer. "Ah, but my name is like the taste of a beignet on your tongue, is it not?"

Tiana turns away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Careful with that or the next cup of gumbo you eat will be so hot you'll no longer be able to taste anything on your tongue."

Naveen leans backwards, disappointed. As much as he wants to kiss his wife, he is not willing to risk it with this mood. It is too bad his wife is so set against naming the baby after him; he would enjoy not being the only Naveen in the family. A boy will be wonderful, but a girl! What will he do with two Tiana's in the family?

"I hope it is not a girl," he says, without thinking. Familiar fire forms in Tiana's eyes, as she reaches out to hit him. "Ow! I simply meant-it was a joke, Tiana! I did not mean anything by it."

But by the look on Tiana's face, Naveen can tell his wife knows exactly what he meant.

4: All Women Like Being Waited On

"I simply don't know what to do with her," Naveen confides to Charlotte a few weeks later. By now, Tiana is eight months along and can no longer disguise her discomfort at having to toddle to serve the customers their food. "She's still not getting any better."

Charlotte shakes her head in sympathy. "Don't I know all too well. Suzanna's husband was a wreck by the last trimester. He could barely even sleep in the same bed with her without her snapping some remark or another. It wasn't until after the twins were born that she finally felt so guilty for breakin' his nose that she started making a real effort."

"Then what can I do?"

"The best thing you can do is to try to be as patient and as tolerant of Tiana as possible. Sooner or later, she'll see what a pain she's been bein' and realize just what a hero you've been for puttin' up with it. All women like men waitin' on them once in a while. Tiana does too, even if she doesn't show it."

"What's this?" Tiana demands the next morning, when he sets a tray of breakfast in front of her.

"It is my gift to you. I thought you would enjoy not making breakfast for a change."

Tiana holds out the burnt toast. "You thought I'd enjoy this?"

"I can toast it again if you like," says Naveen quickly. "It will not take any time."

"And this?" She holds out an egg. "I though I told you that I prefer my eggs over well, not over easy. I've told you before that this is why I prefer to make my own breakfast; it's the most important meal of the day, and you always manage to do something wrong."

"I was only trying to be nice!" says Naveen hotly. "I know that you have said that you prefer to make your own breakfast, but according to Charlotte, all women like being waited on-it is only a matter of whether or not they choose to show it-"

"Wait a minute. What were you doin' talking to Lottie?" As Naveen swallows hard, her face suddenly lights up with understanding. "Naveen! This doesn't have anything to do with you buttering me up because you're worried that I'm gonna break your nose, does it?"

"Well, I-"

"Naveen, Charlotte was exaggerating! I saw Suzanna's husband not two days after the twins were born, and his nose was fine. You know very well how much Charlotte likes to exaggerate; she doesn't mean most of it!"

"Well, if his nose was not broken, then why did you-"

"Because I wanted you to listen to me, Naveen! I don't know if you know this, but sometimes your head is so far up in the clouds of that jazz music that you don't realize a true situation when you see it. I thought that when the time did come you'd be so terrified of your nose bein' broken that you'd realize that you need to take action instead of freezin' over it-just like the time has come apparently come now!"

It takes Naveen a few moments to realize what Tiana has just said. "N-now?" he squeaks.

"I had my first contraction while you were busy makin' breakfast. If you had actually taken the time to listen to what I was yellin' instead of saying, 'Just a minute! Just a minute!', you'd have known that."

"But it is not due for another four weeks!"

"Sometimes babies are early, Naveen. It's not like they know when the doctor predicted they'd come out. Now, if you don't mind, I think it's time we take a deep breath and start counting how often these contractions occur so we can figure out when the best time to get goin' is."

But Naveen is not about to wait and count. He has already rushed over to the phone to call the doctor to inform him what is going on.

5: Dig a Little Deeper

"Tiana, darling, please relax," says Eudora, when they are at the hospital, attempting to hold her daughter's hand. Tiana huffs and puffs, red faced and eyes in slits. "I delivered you, and we both turned out just fine, didn't we?" Muttering under her breath, she says, "This wouldn't have been as mad had you decided on a midwife inside of insisting on going to the hospital.

"It's no use," says Eudora to Naveen, after Tiana turns away from her. "Perhaps you should be the one to cheer her on."

"Me? But she will kill me!"

"It's the job every daddy-to-be has to go through," says Eudora, suppressing a smile. "You won't be a proper daddy until you've gone through this."

Seeing that there is no way he can refuse Eudora, Naveen approaches his wife. Lying on the bed, she glares at him, not yet having forgiven him for the debacle earlier. Her glare is still frozen across her face, as her nurse comments that she is almost dilated.

"Listen, my princess-" Naveen begin.

"Tiana!"

"Waitress," he says, because he knows it will get her attention, and it does. Suddenly, it comes to him. Although he cannot be sure what has placed the thought in him, he now has an idea of exactly what he is going to say.

"What was it Mama Odie said about you needing to dig a little deeper? She thought we could both benefit from that, no?"

"What she meant was that I should have dug a little deeper and realized I never wanted to be in this mess."

Naveen sighs and looks up at the heavens. "Ray, can you make her see sense and help me recap Mama Odie's lesson? Don't matter what you look you, don't matter if you're about to kill your husband-"

"I get your point, froggy prince,"says Tiana, glaring. "So what was it you think Mama Odie would have wanted?"

"What I was going to say is that you are very independent, is it not so? But we are married now, and this baby happens to be both of ours. As Mama Odie would have said, you need to dig a little deeper and realize that you should not do this alone and should not break my nose, either-instead, I should help you get through it."

Tiana looks him over for a long time. Finally, she reaches out for his hand and squeezes it in a deathly crush.

She is still squeezing when it comes for the final push.

For a single moment, all of Naveen's worries resume. What in the world is he supposed to do with a baby? But he knows Tiana is more than ready and that it is his place to help her, so he uses the little feeling in his hand that he had left and squeezed back.

"Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?" the doctor asks.

Naveen glances at Tiana, who still has his hand in a tightly grasp. "No, thank you," he says politely. "I think my mother-in-law will do the honors."

"Cut-the-damn-cord-and-Mama-can-squeeze-my-hand!"

"But, Tiana! I barely have any sense of feeling in this hand from your deathly grasp!"

"Now," she hisses, and Naveen had no choice but to switch places with Eudora, who gives him an amused glance.

6: Birth

The baby blinks when it is positioned in Naveen's arms. Naveen stares at it with a sense of wonder. But before he can observe his new child properly or even ask about the child's gender, a cry echoes throughout the room. Bewildered, Naveen hands the baby to the nurse. "It does not like me!"

Eudora laughs, as Tiana rolls her eyes. "All babies cry when they first enter the world," the doctor explains. "It's how you know that your new daughter is healthy."

"I remember your scream as if it was yesterday," says Eudora, rolling her eyes at Tiana.

But Naveen has fixated on the other part of the doctor's words. "Daughter?"

Everyone breaks into a grin after a glance at his face.

Naveen expected to be disappointed by the baby's gender, but instead he feels exhilarated. "Daughter!" he cries. "I have a little girl-another Tiana! Do you hear that, Tiana? We have a princesca of our very own!"

"I heard him," says Tiana, grinning, as she takes the baby in her arms. She seems so much calmer than before. Although the baby's skin is still slightly blueish and covered with blood, Naveen glows at his child. With her skin, a shade between both of her parents; her dark, curly hair; and her big brown eyes, he thinks she is the most beautiful sight he has ever seen.

"Hello, precious," Tiana murmurs to her daughter. "Think it's about time we told your daddy your name?"

He forgot about that. Smiling, Tiana hands the baby back to her husband. "Her name is Evangela."

"Evangela," Naveen murmurs, as his daughter stared at him with big eyes. "It is perfect."

Something within him begins to melt at that moment. Although he has to give Evangela up for the doctor to clean her off and continue making measurements, he never wants to let go. Behind him, Eudora wipes her eyes.

"I love you," he says to Tiana, as Evangela is measured.

Tiana laughs. "Glad I didn't break your nose, then?"

"Even if you had, I would not have minded. It is clear that Evangela here has inherited my nose, and if it took breaking my nose for you to get her out into the world, I would have been happy."

"Your nose, you say?"

"Nothing against your nose, but Evangela's is clearly Maldonian!"

Tiana suppresses a grin.

A few minutes later, Evangela is placed into Tiana's arms again. Now that she is been cleaned off, her tiny little body shines, and her smile is perfect.

7: First Star I See Tonight

Tiana falls asleep early that night. Naveen sits by her bed, rocking Evangela. His little girl is so alert for her first day in the world. She is completely secure in her father's arms, as she snuggles her stuffed frog.

"Evangela," he says aloud. Evangela blinks back at him.

Naveen gazes at the sleeping Tiana. It has been so long since he saw his wife sleep so deeply. He feels a sense of pride as he looks at her, not just because he knows that he redeemed himself by the way he helped her through the labor and that he did not stay frozen when he first learned the baby was on its way. Instead, he thinks about Evangela. It is amazing what the two have managed to accomplish together. Not only have they been able to make a wonderful life for themselves, but they have also brought an entirely new life into the world.

The starlight glows through the curtains. Opening the curtain, Naveen allows the starlight to stream through the room. "This is Evangeline and Ray," he tells his little daughter, pointing out the window at the two brightest stars in the sky. "Your mother will remind you that hard work is necessary too, but if you wish on these stars, anything can happen. What do you wish for tonight?"

Evangela wiggles, her face pressed to the fur of her stuffed frog's. "The little princesca knows she already has a father who has granted all of her heart's desires," Naveen says fondly. "All right then, Evangela. Any thoughts on what your father should wish for?"

Evangela reaches out to touch Naveen's face. As small as it is, Naveen is startled by its strength. Her eyes glimmer as she looks up at him. He considers this. Her mother's strength and her father's impish gaze.

After another glance at his sleeping wife, Naveen kisses his daughter on her forehead. "Then again," he says, cradling his daughter close, "my princesca should already know that her daddy has everything he could ever wish for."