I don't own Ice Age!

I only own Alice, Derek, and any OC's you don't recognize.

Chapter 1

Basking in the sunlight, I yawned, barring my sabers. I stood—with some difficulty—and hopped down off the rock I was napping on to where Crash and Eddie, the possum twins, were involved in a tail-whipping contest.

I nipped at them and caught Crash by the tail, "How do you two expect me to rest with all the racket you two are making? You don't make noise like this around Ellie, do you? No, don't answer that. I know you don't."

Just for some background information, it's been about eleven months since our experiences with the flood. I predict we're going to get a prehistoric visit any time now.

My reasoning? Ellie's pregnant. Her Peaches is almost ready.

Ellie and I have formed a comradeship, of sorts. I don't think we hated each other anymore. Or not as much, anyway. Pain has a way of bringing people together. Especially shared pain.

I'm certain you've guest by now.

I'm pregnant, too.

"Sorry, Alice!" The twins chorused. They hopped towards my swollen belly, "Sorry, baby!"

My mate, Derek, came beside me and nuzzled my shoulder, "How's my favorite shape shifter doing?" He murmured.

"I'd be a lot better if I actually could shift! You don't know how lucky you are!" Once I'd realized my situation, I had stopped shifting. Didn't know what it would do to the baby's development, see.

"It's almost over, Lissy," Derek whispered. He'd called me that for the first time when I'd told him and Diego I was pregnant. I liked it.

All of a sudden, Manny ran passed us, carrying what looked like an overturned turtle shell filled with water, "The baby's coming! I'm having a baby!"

Crash and Eddie joined him, "Code Blue! Code Blue!"

"Or Pink! If it's a girl."

"Manny, calm down!" I cried, "The baby's not coming!"

Manny stopped dead, "But Ellie felt—"

"Only a kick. Doesn't mean the babies here. I get them about three times a day!"

Manny took my word for it. He knew I knew everyone's future. I hadn't told him anything about this, though, and he was pretty upset about it. I was, too, but still.

I'd put off telling my herd about my pregnancy for as long as possible. It was only after I'd pulled one of my weeklong solo 'thinking trips' as I liked to call them. Derek hadn't liked it, but he'd held his tongue. When I returned, though, my stomach was visibly rounder and bigger. I couldn't hide it anymore.

Manny had been furious that I hadn't told him sooner. As he and Sid tied into me, I stood my ground. This was our first major argument since becoming friends. Sure, we'd had our disagreements, but nothing this bad. To my surprise, it was Ellie who had ended the fight.

Flashback~~~~~

"Why didn't I tell you? Why didn't I tell you? You've got enough on your plate without worrying about me, Manny!"

"You can take care of yourself, Alice—"

"Do you really believe that, Manny? I mean, really believe that? I know you. It seems that, even after all this time, you don't know me!"

"Alice—"

"No. Manny, I was scarred! I still am!" Everyone gasped. For me to admit that I was scarred was something unheard of in our herd. With my powers, I could become anything; "This is something bigger than me! Bigger than you!" That was the last time I had shifted. I was going to stay as a saber for the duration of my pregnancy.

To my great surprise, Ellie came and stood at my shoulder, "Manny, you know being scarred leads people to do weird things. I doubt Alice has been truly scarred in her life. These kinds of things are natural, but even I'm scarred out of my mind!"

End Flashback~~~~~

That's when my semi-friendship with Ellie had started.

"Let's go meet up with Ellie." I told them, "You have to show her the playground, Manny. It's perfect for your kid."

"Yours too, Alice. I'm not leaving you out." He left, and a few minutes later I herd, "I don't believe it. You're trying to baby-proof nature. Manny this is the world our baby's going to grow up in. You can't change that."

"Yes I can. I'm the biggest thing on Earth."

"Actually, that position's taken by Alice and Derek. Nice try, big Daddy. I can't wait to see how you handle the teen years."

I had to hand it to Ellie. She had Manny wrapped around her little finger. Or little trunk.

Uh-oh. Di's going to leave soon. Not good.

Okay, I'm going to admit something, and someone's probably going to slap me across the face for abandoning my brother in his time of need.

I fell asleep.

Derek left to hunt for me. I think he caught the scene, though.

"You know," He said when he pushed me awake, "I don't get why Diego left."

"He's jealous. He lives with two expecting couples; two possums that hardly care at all about reproduction, and an idiot of a sloth. He's bound to feel like a fifth wheel."

"You're good at this, Alice. You'll do good for our kid."

"I listen, Derek. You do it, too, and that's one of the main reasons why I agreed to be your mate. Why I agreed to carry your baby," Three eggs and a Sid rolled down the hill beside us, "It's starting. Let's go to Dino world!" I muttered. Abandoning my almost-finished lunch, Derek and me trudged down the hill after the rolling omelet.