Been a while since an update, but at least not as long as last time! Thanks for all your reviews from last time...much appreciate, peeps! You guys are seriously a delight to write for.
Inspiration – I've had this idea in my head for a while, but the other day I had some time and I just sat down and wrote it in one go. I love it when I get moments like that. It's practically pure fluff and I hope none of you get diabetes from it...but enjoy nevertheless!
Setting – Skyla and Ratchet are happily married and living in his apartment on Kerwan. And someone's got a bun in the oven...
The sunlight streamed through the panoramic windows of the apartment in Kerwan, eliminating the need for artificial lighting as the place was flooded with light. Ratchet flicked through the latest issue of his favourite magazine 'Top Speed Monthly' as he lounged on the sofa, his feet kicked up and a glass of cold Kerchu beer on the table beside him. He was relaxing after a hard morning's work, appearing on the Kerwan Breakfast Show, holding a small autograph session for the employees, and then giving a practical talk at the Planetary Defence Centre on HALO jumping. He'd earned his rest.
Soft humming was coming from his right and the smell of baking batter wafted through his nostrils. Looking over he saw Skyla, his beloved wife, with her back to him as she baked Googleberry muffins for their tea. She turned to reach for something to add to the batter and he caught sight of her heavily swollen belly. Something within him fluttered every time he saw the large bump, because it always made him think of the little life growing inside her. A life they had created together. He was going to be a father! Him, a father! This child alone would increase the population of Lombaxes in the galaxy by 50%. And this was only their first child, as they both wanted more. He was so excited and terrified at the same time, as he knew very little of Lombax family life, and if he'd even make a good father. Being a hero was one thing, but being a father was another. Still, at least he had Skyla. He was sure she would be the perfect mother, kind but firm, loving but fair. He couldn't have chosen a better mother for his child even he'd a pick of all the females in the galaxy.
Smiling to himself, he returned to his magazine, searching for the new hover-bike he was thinking of getting.
"Ratchet?" came Skyla's voice.
"Hmm?" Ratchet replied, turning a page.
"What happens when a woman's about to give birth?" Skyla asked. Ratchet looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. She knew what happened; they'd both been to the pre-natal classes.
"Their water breaks, don't you remember?" he said to her. Then he registered her expression. She was facing him, standing very still behind the kitchen counter, her face rigid with shock. Ratchet's mouth fell open as realisation struck.
"Oh my God, are you...?" he trailed off. Slowly, Skyla nodded. Ratchet simply gaped, the magazine falling from his lifeless hands as his brain ground to a halt. After a few seconds, Skyla cleared her throat,
"I think we need to get to the hospital," she said quietly. The situation crashed down over Ratchet like a ton of Raritanium. His wife had just gone into labour and he was sitting on the sofa frozen like an idiot.
Leaping to his feet, he ran to Skyla.
"Right, err...don't panic. Don't panic," he told her, hands clamped on her shoulders. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes, full of a mixture of fear and joy.
"Right, err...umm..." Ratchet garbled, glancing down at the tiny pool of water at her feet.
"Aphelion. Hospital," Skyla told him calmly. Ratchet leapt on her words,
"Yes, Aphelion. Hospital. Right. Are you ready?" he asked, his body finally catching up with it all, his heart beginning to pump full of adrenaline. Skyla smiled weakly, her face creasing in pain as she placed a hand on her swollen belly,
"They are."
"Right. Yes. Of course. Umm..." Ratchet's mind whirred furiously as his brain fried. Where was Clank when he needed him?! Skyla put a hand on his arm, smiling at him softly as her breathing became heavier.
"Ratchet, it's going to be ok," she murmured softly. Ratchet relaxed at her touch, forcing him to pull together. He'd saved galaxies, fought hoards of robots, been brought back from the dead...he could take his wife to the hospital. Taking her hand, he began to lead her away slowly,
"Let's go."
Minutes later they were speeding along the airways, going way over the speed limit. And it just so happened to be traffic hour. Ratchet used every one of his piloting skills, and broke nearly every highway code rule as he raced to get Skyla to the hospital. Other ships and hover-cars honked loudly as they whizzed past.
"How are you doing?" Ratchet asked Skyla, his hands gripping the wheel so tight he thought he'd never let go.
"I'm...ok," Skyla answered, panting slightly as her face contorted in pain. She leaned back in her seat, scrunching her eyes closed.
"Skyla?" Ratchet called, performing an illegal dip dive between two vehicles who honked and swore at him.
"It hurts," his wife whined softly, her voice breaking. Ratchet's grimaced as he ran yet another red light, how much was this trip going to cost him in speed tickets?
"I know, I know," he murmured to her, "just...keep breathing. Here, take my hand." Releasing his left hand from the steering wheel he held it out to Skyla. Reaching out, she took it. Immediately Ratchet wished he hadn't as his fingers were crushed in her vice-like grip, not to mention he was now driving one-handed. They darted across an airway, narrowly missing being bulldozed by a lorry. Skyla gave a small cry of pain and gripped Ratchet's hand tighter. Her husband's face paled as he felt like every finger in his hand was being crushed to dust. But he held fast, and they sped on.
Ratchet glanced at the clock for the hundredth time in a minute. He was sure it was slow as it seemed to be positively crawling, the glowing hands moving at a snail's pace around the dial.
The door opened and he shot to his feet. A familiar figure walked in and his heart leapt with relief...and sank with worry.
"Clank!" he exclaimed, wanting nothing more than to rush and hug his old friend. But he didn't. The small silver robot blinked his wide green eyes at him,
"It is good to see you Ratchet. I came as soon as I had heard the news," he said, taking the seat next to his friend. Ratchet sank down with him.
"It's been hours," he moaned into his hands, "I don't know how much longer I can take it!" Clank nodded sympathetically,
"The mammalian childbirth can take many hours, even days." Ratchet gave him a look,
"That's not helping."
"Why are you not with Skyla?" Clank asked. Ratchet shifted uncomfortably,
"Skyla didn't want me to stay...didn't want me seeing her in such a state. I know she's only done it so I don't feel helpless...but I feel helpless anyway!" Clank patted his arm twice in a comforting manner,
"It will be over soon enough."
"It better be...this is awful!" Ratchet cried, "I'd rather face Dreak, Vorselon and Nefarious all at once than go through this. It's torture! I don't even know if she's ok, no-one's told me anything...I can't stand not knowing!" Clank said nothing, letting his friend rant out his frustrations in a great torrent of pent up madness.
The sandy Lombax didn't stop until the door opened again and a Kerwanian nurse walked in. Ratchet reacted as if he'd been zapped by lightning, getting to his feet faster than a blink. His heart thudded hard in his chest, and he was convinced it would bruise his ribs.
"It's a girl," the nurse told them with a bright smile. Ratchet choked and nearly collapsed there and then, but managed to stumble a few steps forward instead.
"Can I see her...them?" he asked. The nurse nodded,
"Of course, right this way."
The hospital went completely unnoticed to Ratchet as he walked along it's corridors, Clank by his side. His mind had entered a state of fevered delirium and he knew he would not get any rest until he'd seen his wife and child. The nurse stopped suddenly and knocked twice on a door. It slid open.
"Your husband's here, Mrs Ratchet," the nurse announced, then smiled at Ratchet and gestured for him to enter. Ratchet walked into the room. The place itself was nothing special. There was a window with the curtain drawn, a bed, a small cabinet and chest of draws. But in the bed sat Skyla, a bundle of cloth in her arms.
Ratchet approached in a daze, his feet barely touching the ground. Skyla looked up at him and smiled, such a simple gesture but one that made his heart burst with joy. She looked absolutely shattered, her hair a mess as it lay plastered against her sweaty forehead, and the hospital gown she was in was anything but flattering. But her whole being was glowing, radiating a pure joy he'd never seen in her before. A maternal joy. She looked down at the bundle in her arms and Ratchet's eyes fell down with hers.
Wrapped in the cloth lay a tiny ball of fur, a Lombax kit. Her eyes were still closed, but her chest was rising and falling delicately like a fluttering moth. One tiny hand clutched at the cloth even as she slept, her nose twitching every other second. Her ears were small a triangle, and a lot like Skyla's in that they were slender and neat...though they looked a little too big for her body. Chocolate brown fur covered her from tip to toe, her stripes not yet developed in her young age. She was small and fuzzy and adorable and...utterly breathtaking. Ratchet's heart sang with elation as he looked down at the child, his daughter. He had never been so happy in his life. The kit yawned in her sleep, revealing a bright pink mouth and tiny tongue. She was perfect, his little chocolate angel.
"She's beautiful," Ratchet whispered, surprised he could speak at all from how out of breath he felt. Skyla simply smiled, a gentle gesture with a knowing, motherly hint to it. This was her daughter, her baby daughter, with her whole life ahead of her.
"What shall we call her?" Ratchet asked, wondering what name could ever fit such a perfect child. Skyla thought for a moment, her eyes trailing over her daughter as her heart hummed blissfully. She needed a name that would fit her, that was worthy of her, a name that she could become...
Then it came to her, the prefect name for her perfect daughter. And as she whispered it softly, she felt something within her stir in content,
"Maia."
Author's Note – Not going to lie...quite pleased with this one. It came out well, I think. But as always, I would love to hear what you guys think! Your reviews make me so happy, no joke.
For those who are wondering, I am not writing these Oneshots in chronological order. So don't worry, you will get to see their wedding! I've planned it as a three-parter, and I shall say no more...
By the way, can I be really cheeky and ask you guys a favour? Do any of you watch Merlin, the BBC TV program? I know most of you are from the States or New Zealand, but I know you can still get it over there. But basically, I'm writing a FanFiction for it, titled 'Light and Dark', and...I could use some more support. The Merlin fandom is a lot bigger than the RaC one (nearly 14,000 fics on this site alone), and I know it is therefore harder to get support for a story...but I was hoping that, if you guys really enjoy my writing...maybe you'll enjoy my other work too...? I do have a decent amount and reviews for it and follows, but I really love getting reviews that are opinionated and critical (within reason) rather than 'more please.' I'd love to know what you think of it as a story...and if you have watched Merlin...would you mind giving the first chapter a read? Obviously you don't have to...but I'd really appreciate it. And if you're someone who hasn't watched Merlin...I really recommend it! It's set in Arthurian times, and it's great fun, with magic and mythological beasts and mystical kingdoms...so if you like that kind of stuff, go watch it! Thank you in advance to any of those who do (and have!) read and review it :)
(Also, if any of you would like me to read your own work and review it...please do PM me and I'll be happy to oblige when I can! It's the least I can do after all the support you've given me)
