A/n: Sorry about not updating my other stories, but I want to give special attention to this one this weekend. I had a dream about it and also have a few loose ends from last chapter that I want to tie up, so without further ado, here is Chapter 4!

Tales of the Abyss

Looking to the Future

Chapter 4: Natalia and Nephry's Rescue, Tear's Surprise Shower

The next day, as Guy, Jade, Luke, and Anise made their way to Baticul, Luke took Anise aside and asked, "How do you know that Tear's going to have a baby? We only just found out ourselves and we promised each other that we wouldn't tell until everyone was together."

Anise replied, "Oh...well, I wasn't going to say anything, but Tear wrote me a letter while you were on your way to Daath. I didn't know anything about a promise, but she did say that she didn't want you to know that I found out. Sorry, Luke..." She got a slightly guilty feeling and looked to the floor.

Luke responded, "Oh, no. It's fine that you know. Have you told anyone other than Noelle and Nephry, though?"

Anise shook her head, "No...even Jade doesn't know. I thought it should be something he heard directly from you. Knowing him, he'd probably think I was just being silly." She sighed and twisted the ring on her finger slightly, excited.

Jade, wondering what they were talking about, wandered over and asked, "Why would I think that, Anise?"

Anise blushed, "Oh...Colonel! Umm, no reason at all. What all did you hear?"

Jade told her, "Just that I might think you silly and that whatever Luke has to tell everyone should come from him."

Luke sighed in relief,glad that the older man hadn't heard anything he said about Tear having a baby, "Well, come on. We're almost at the manor. Hopefully, nothing's happened here yet." It was about mid-day, and he was sure that Tear and his mother and father were probably getting worried with how long he had been gone.

When he walked into the manor, Pere greeted him and said, "Oh, welcome back, Master Luke. How was your trip?"

Luke said, "Fine, Pere. Have you seen Tear?"

Pere replied, "She is in your room at the moment, resting. She felt sick earlier and collapsed in the courtyard."

Luke sighed and nodded, "All right, thanks Pere." Although he seemed a little worried, the news that Tear was sick was nothing new. She was still dealing with the symptoms of her pregnancy, and the fact that she was anemic caused him daily stress, but it was something he wouldn't tell Jade or the others. Just telling them she was pregnant would be a chore.

Jade turned to Luke, "...You knew Tear wasn't well and left her here alone? That's not like you, Luke. Tell me, what's wrong with her?" He was being a concerned friend.

Luke looked at the older man and said, "I'll explain to you later. Right now, I have to get ready for the ceremony later to be instated as the new Duke. I'm sorry, Jade, but you'll just have to trust that I know what I'm doing when it comes to her right now, okay?"
Jade, satisfied with Luke's answer, nodded, "All right then, but don't leave me in the dark for too long, Luke. I don't appreciate things like that, you know." He added, "By the way, if you're going to be getting ready for that ceremony, what are the rest of us supposed to do?"
Luke responded, "It's up to you. As long as you don't cause any trouble for me, whatever you want is fine. Make yourselves at home." He went to his bedroom to look in on Tear. He saw her sleeping soundly in the bed and walked over to it, smiling. He knelt down and kissed her on the lips to awaken her.

Startled awake by the feeling of Luke's lips upon hers, Tear smiled into the kiss once she realized it was him, "Good...afternoon, Luke." She yawned and stretched, asking, "What time is it?"

Luke responded, "I'd say it's about 30 minutes past noon. How are you holding up?"

Tear replied, "I'm doing okay for now. The medicine the doctor gave me for the anemia seems to be helping. What are you doing back so soon? I thought you wouldn't be back until tonight."
Luke answered, "I wanted to be back early so I could check on you. By the way, Jade's suspicious of us now. Keeping the pregnancy from him isn't exactly fair. Anise knows."

Tear blushed a little, "Yeah, I'm sorry...I had to have something to do while you were going to Daath, so I write her. She hasn't...said anything to him, has she?"

Luke shook his head, "No, she hasn't. She wanted us to tell him personally. Either way, Jade suspects something and I'm not comfortable keeping it from him much longer. Do we really have to wait...?"

Tear sighed, "Let's at least wait until Natalia is rescued so that she can know too."

Luke added, walking over and taking her hand in both of his, "Actually...she already knows. Anise told her. Apparently, she told Noelle and Nephry too."

Tear looked at the floor, "Oh...well, that's all right. I feel kind of bad that Jade's the only one who doesn't know though. Maybe you should go ahead and tell him."

Luke responded, "Actually, he's trusting me when it comes to you right now. I think that means that he's figured out on his own, but he'll let us tell him when he thinks we're ready to, just to be sure that his theory's right."

Tear smirked and nodded, "That's just like Jade. He's pretty perceptive. Anyway, why did you come by, aside from visiting?"

Luke told her, "Oh, I have to get ready to be instated as the new Duke fon Fabre. The transfer ceremony is tonight, so..."

Tear replied, "Oh, I see. Are you sure you're ready to take on your father's responsibilities?"

Luke nodded, smiling at her and walking closer. Lifting her gently out of the bed and helping her stand, he said, "With you by my side, I can do anything, Tear. And after defeating Van and freeing Lorelei, being a duke will be a cinch."

Tear added, smiling back as she settled into his embrace, "You hope." She kissed him on the lips, then said, "Here, let me help you get ready. What do you have to wear?" She made her way over to his closet, examining each of the garments inside with a curious expression.

Luke told her, "Dad said I should wear what I wore when I first came back to you all. But...I don't know if that's nice enough."

Tear responded, "It'll suit just fine, Luke. Trust me. You looked good in it." She went over to the closet and took out the white-and-black jacket thing, the scarf, the pants, and boots from seven years ago. Biting back tears as she held the garments, she walked over to Luke.

Luke took the clothing from her, set it on the bed, and held her tightly to help her calm down. He also remembered the overwhelming emotions of that night and wiped her tears away with his knuckle. He told her, in as soothing a voice as he could manage at the moment, "Tear, it's okay. I'm here now. I'm not going to disappear on you. All right?" He was also fraught with emotion, feeling bad for having made her cry.

Tear nodded and calmed down, "You're...right. I'm sorry."

Luke shook his head, "You've got nothing to apologize for. That was...an emotional night for me too. I was so sad, scared...and lonely because I thought you had given up on me. I was glad too though...to see you there. To see that you hadn't given up on what we could have." He then whispered in her ear, "And what we do have."

Tear blushed and nodded, not saying much else for the moment.

After a few moment of silence, Luke chimed in, "Well, I'm gonna get changed." He kissed her on the lips and turned around to change, not caring if she saw.

Tear blushed and left the room, not wanting to see Luke change because of the craziness of her hormones. She probably would've jumped him if she had stayed. Seeing Jade outside the room, she blushed, "...Hi, Colonel."

Jade nodded, "Hello, Tear. You're looking...a little pale, and seem weak. Is everything all right?"

Tear answered, "...Well, no, not really. Let's just say...things have gotten a little more complicated around here."

Jade replied, "Yes, so I hear. Luke's taking over for his father. However, that shouldn't impact your health. What is it that you and the others know that I don't?" He asked directly, his arms crossed and scowling lightly. Being the only one who wasn't in the know really didn't sit well with him.

Tear sighed, "...Well, since the others already know, I might as well tell you. No sense keeping you in the dark any longer." She looked nervously at the floor, then said, "...I'm pregnant, Jade."

Jade responded, "...Oh, I see. I kind of figured that out on my own, so it's no surprise. When are you due?"

Tear replied, "..Wait, how did you know? I'm only about a week along, Jade, so a little less than 9 months until the baby's born. I'm sorry you were kept in the dark...we really wanted to tell you, but...we didn't know how."
Jade nodded, "Luke's nervous reaction when I asked about you was my first clue. Your hesitation is understandable. You probably thought I might experiment on your child, yes?"

Tear shook her head, "Not at all, Jade. We both know you're past the days of fooling with fomicry. It's just not easy to know how or when to tell your best friends when you are expecting a baby."

Jade sighed, "Oh, I see. Well, anyway, it was nice talking to you, but..." He was cut off curtly by Anise, who chose that moment to lock lips with him.

Anise, after breaking the kiss with Jade, said, "Oh, hi Tear. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Tear replied, "Oh, no, Anise. You're fine."

Anise smiled, "Good." She whispered something in Jade's ear, that made the elder man blush a light pink. She then said, "See ya later, Tear. The Colonel and I have some...business to attend to. Talk to you then!" She grabbed Jade's hand and led him to one of the guest rooms, shutting and locking the door behind them.

Tear muttered to herself, "I probably don't wanna know what they're gonna do in there..." She went to the courtyard to watch the clouds, as she always found it soothing. And since Luke was busy getting ready for the ceremony, she had no better way to pass the time. She then suddenly felt the urge to sing a Fonic Hymn and did so, as if calling out to Yulia to help her through her pregnancy.

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, and evening fast approached. Luke was finally ready for the ceremony, having memorized what he needed to say and his clothes were pressed and all that. He joined Tear in the courtyard and said, "Hey. How are you doing? I heard you singing."

Tear responded, "I'm feeling pretty good right now, Luke. Are you ready for all this tonight?"

Luke nodded, "Yes, I'm ready for us to take over for my father and Suzanne. I just hope that they agree we're ready."

Tear answered, "Your mother's more perceptive and kind than you think, Luke. She knows you've matured, and that we can handle responsibility. Being an Oracle Knight, I already had a long list of responsibilities. And as a Viscount, you had some duties as well, so it's not anything new to either of us. Just a change in title." She walked a little closer and stood on her tiptoes to kiss her husband passionately on the lips, having missed him while he was getting ready.

Luke smiled and kissed back. Once they broke the kiss, he nodded, "You're right."

After a short time of making out, the couple headed indoors to do the ceremony where Luke would take his father's title and assume the responsibilities that being a Duke entailed. After the ceremony was over, it was pretty late and Tear was obviously exhausted, having to lean on Luke just to stay on her feet.

The former Duke nodded and said, "I now grant my son, Luke fon Fabre, my title and all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges that come with it. Don't disappoint me."

Luke smiled and nodded back, "Don't worry. I won't let you down." He then added, "And I, Luke fon Fabre, accept the title and everything that comes with it. Thank you, father." He bowed respectfully.

Tear watched in silence, her eyes filled with tears of happiness at the sight of Luke shouldering so much responsibility. It was a far cry from the young boy who tried to throw things off on others, and a gesture that showed that he really had changed. She then looked to Suzanne, who was beckoning her up now. Remembering that she was part of it too, she nodded and walked up.

Suzanne asked Tear if she was ready to accept the title of Duchess and accept responsibility and blah blah...and Tear said yes. She would stand behind her husband in all his decisions pertaining to Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, but their personal lives were to remain separate from political matters. After Tear accepted, Suzanne announced, "I now pass on the title of Duchess to Mystearica Grants, descendant of Yulia Jue, and wife of my son, Luke fon Fabre. I grant her all rights, responsibilities, and privileges that the position entails. Take good care of my son, Tear."

Tear replied, "I will, ma'am. Thank you. I, Mystearica Grants, accept everything that comes with the position of Duchess."

The former Duke and Suzanne both said, "We now present to you, the new Duke fon Fabre and his lovely wife, Duchess fon Fabre."

Suzanne added, "And they have an heir on the way."

The Duke announced, "Whether the child is male or female, he or she will be allowed to inherit in the same way that Luke did."

The audience applauded, although there were a few boo's at the announcement.

Luke nodded, "Well put, father. Thank you. My first action as Duke is going to be to appoint a few of the soldiers of Kimlasca to help in the search for Queen Natalia. She's my friend and I'm not about to stand by and let her stay in the hands of that terrorist organization, the Black Score. I am also going to get personally involved with the search. I owe her for helping us fight Van all those years ago."

One audience member spoke up, "But sir, that's too risky! You just assumed the title of Duke! Once the Black Score hears about it, they'll be after you in the same way that they went after Queen Natalia and Emperor Peony!"

Jade spoke for Peony, stating that, "I assure you, Emperor Peony is safe. We just went to visit him and he was quite all right. If there's nothing else, Luke, Guy, Anise, and myself, as well as a few others from both of the powers are going to leave for the Akzeriuth area."

The former Duke said, "I trust you will keep my son safe, Colonel Jade Curtiss. I'd hate for us to have to start a war over the matter of my son's life."

Guy spoke up and said, "Sir, you can count on Jade. He holds Luke's safety among the highest of priorities."

Suzanne nodded, "Thank you for the reassurance, Guy. Well then, everyone is dismissed. The ceremony is over."

Luke breathed a sigh of relief and took off the black scarf/cape thing from when he had returned. It was a little suffocating, truth be told. He kissed Tear full on the lips and muttered, "We'll be back, Tear, with Natalia, Nephry and Leah. Don't you...worry. Huh, what's that?" He noticed a slip of paper near the pedestal where he stood. Kneeling down to pick it up, he read the following:

Jade Curtiss, if you are reading this, your precious Emperor Peony has been taken hostage as well. No harm will come to him, or your sister and niece if you meet us alone where the mine used to be. If you bring anyone with you, we will kill all the hostages we have. Signed, Noion.

He quickly crumpled the piece of paper before Jade could lay eyes on it. Although he knew that Jade wasn't stupid enough to try to do a rescue mission alone, he'd rather not take any chances. He clenched his hand into a tight fist, muttering unintelligible curses. Now they really had to hurry with the rescue mission before Noion carried out his threat.

After they left Baticul, Guy, Jade, Anise, and Luke all headed for the mountain range where Akzeriuth had been.

Noticing that Luke was being a little too quiet and rushing, Jade kept pace with him, although it wasn't easy. He said, "Why in such a hurry, Luke?"

Luke replied, "...It's nothing. I just want to hurry so I can get back to Tear and my job." He really didn't want to disclose the contents of the note he had found. That would only serve to anger the abnormally calm Colonel.

Jade sighed, "That's not all, Luke. There's something else going on, isn't there?" He frowned at the younger man, expressing his displeasure that the redhead wasn't telling him everything.

Luke responded, yelling, "Fine! You want to know! I'll tell you! I found a note on the podium addressed to you from Noion! Apparently they got hold of the Emperor too! He's threatened to kill everyone unless you show up there alone!"

Anise blinked, surprised by Luke's outburst, "Oh...my, that complicates things."

Jade grabbed Luke by the collar, barely-controlled fury causing his red eyes to gain a slightly gold tinge, "Are you sure it was from him? And if they want me to go alone, perhaps I should. There's no sense in risking everyone's lives."

Guy, seeing the fury in his friend's eyes, shoved him away from Luke. "Jade, calm down. This isn't Luke's fault. And if Luke says it's from him, it probably is. There's no way we're letting you go in alone, especially not if they have a lot of guards. We'll just have to hurry a little more."

Anise nodded, "Guy's right, Jade. We're not letting you go alone. ...I could never live with myself if you came back half-dead and I hadn't done anything..." She walked over to him and kissed him full on the lips to make her intention clear.

Jade sighed, "All right, you three can come too. Try to be discreet though...and perhaps the soldiers should wait back in Baticul."

General Frings said, "But...sir, Emperor Peony gave us explicit orders to help you."

Jade turned to him, "It's too risky, Frings. Pull your men back. Kimlascans, the same goes for you. We don't want any of the hostages killed because we have too large a party. Now, go."

Luke added, just to make sure the Kimlascan soldiers would listen, "Do as he says."

The Kimalascan and Malkuthian soldiers pulled back and went to Baticul for now, hoping that Luke, Jade, Anise and Guy would be able to rescue Queen Natalia without any serious incidents.

As they neared the base, Jade whispered quietly to Luke, "It's probably best if we split up into two parties. Luke, who do you want with you?"

Luke said, "I'll take Guy."
Jade nodded, "Good luck in finding Natalia, Nephry, and..." He trailed off, recognizing the painful screams of his friend, Peony. He glared towards the cavern and added, "No time to waste. Let's go."

They got into the base without being noticed, which was a relief.

Once they got past the patrols, they split off into two parties, one to cover each end of the base.

Luke and Guy were the ones to find Natalia, Nephry, and Leah. However, it seemed Emperor Peony was somewhere else in the base. Probably some kind of torture chamber near where Jade and Anise were.

At least, that was what Luke hoped. As he was cutting Natalia free, Guy heard the sound of clinking armor outside of the door into the small storage room. The guard opened the door and spotted Guy and Luke freeing the hostages. He had to stop them! Lunging at Natalia with a spear, he shouted, "For the Black Score!"

Guy shouted, "Noooo!" He threw himself in front of Natalia, keeping her safe from harm. However, he got stabbed right through the gut, and the soldier twisted the spear, eliciting another painful scream from the blonde.

Natalia and Luke both went wide-eyed. Natalia screamed, and Luke shouted, "Guy!" He moved to catch his friend as he was falling and Natalia grabbed Luke's sword. She slashed the guard in the chest, going purely off instinct. She wasn't going to lose another person precious to her!

After getting over the initial shock of seeing Guy so horribly injured, Luke told him, "It's okay, you're gonna be all right, Guy. Just hang in there!"

Natalia went over as well. She broke off the spearhead and was about to remove the spear itself. She turned to Nephry, and was about to ask for her help.

Nephry, noticing more soldiers gathering at the door, told Luke and Natalia, "We don't have time to heal him here! We need to get moving!" She held her young daughter close, not wanting her harmed.

Luke sighed, "Unfortunately, she's right, Natalia. We have to get out of here!" He pulled Natalia to her feet and helped Guy up, putting the blonde's arm around his shoulder and supporting him. They began to make their escape from the base.

Meanwhile, Jade and Anise had found Peony. He was on a stretching torture device, and Jade was fairly sure he had heard several cracking noises coming from in the room where he was being tortured. When they freed him from the rack, his right shoulder was severely dislocated, his collar bone was broken, he had a broken ankle, and a few fractured ribs. Jade told him softly as they went along, "I'm sorry I let this happen, my friend."

Peony shook his head, "It's not your fault, Jade. I should've kept my guard up. This is a rather painful way to learn that lesson, but...at least I'll remember next time." He smiled at his friend good-naturedly. Leave it up to Peony to give Jade an ego-stroking when he needed it.

Anise told Peony, "Oh, by the way, did Jade tell you that we're getting married?" She put her ring in his face, hoping he would be happy for the two of them.

Peony looked at Jade, then Anise, smiling and saying jokingly, "Well, congratulations, Miss Tatlin. I think you're the only person who has ever been able to melt the ice walls around the heart of the Colonel."

Jade sighed, "I didn't expect you to understand, Peony. Anyway, we're almost out of here. Just a few more passages. Are you feeling all right, my friend?"
Peony replied, "I'm feeling okay. I should be at least able to make it out of this mountain. After that...ow! Dammit..." His broken ankle was still hurting quite a bit, despite the fact that he was basically being carried by Jade and Anise.

Anise blinked, "Are you sure, Your Highness? It sounds like you're hurting a lot."

Peony told her, "It's all right. Let's keep going. We have to meet the others outside, right?"

Jade nodded, "Right. Hold on, my friend." He squeezed his friend's shoulder reassuredly with his free hand, then went back to helping him get out.

After everyone was out, Luke sighed in relief, "Well, it looks like we all made it. Geez, Emperor, what happened to you?"

Peony answered, "It's a long story that I'd rather not get into. Can you just drop me off in Grand Chokma?"

Luke nodded, "Of course, Your Excellency."

Natalia spoke up, "But what about Guy? Shouldn't we heal him before we leave?"
Jade told the young Queen, "This area isn't very secure, Natalia. Heal him when we get to the city."

Guy, only half-conscious by this point, muttered, "I'm sorry to be a burden, guys..."

Luke gave him a softer look and said, "Guy, don't be silly. You were great back there! You're not a burden. So stop saying stupid stuff." He helped the man stand and supported him once again, "Come on, we'll get to Grand Chokma and get you fixed up."

The trip to Grand Chokma was uneventful and passed in total silence, everyone worrying over Guy's condition.

Once they got to the city, some doctors took Guy and Peony under their care, with Natalia following and insisting she help them heal her friends.

A few hours later, Natalia came out of the room that Guy and Peony had been taken into and said, "Guy's gonna be just fine. Peony's gonna take a bit longer to heal because of his broken bones, though."

Jade asked, "Is Guy fit to be traveling?"

Natalia answered, "The doctors say if he sleeps well tonight, then yes."

Luke nodded, "Then we'll stay the night, if that's what it takes to get Guy whole again. He's my friend and I'd rather not leave him behind. I doubt he'd appreciate that."

Anise smirked at Jade, "Heh, that gives the Colonel and me a chance to get caught up on other matters."

Jade smirked back, "Yes, it does, doesn't it, Anise?" He walked over to her and put his arms around her, kissing her full on the lips.

Luke told them, "Get a room, you two."

Anise replied, "Really, Luke? This bothers you even though you and Tear have..."

Luke blushed almost as red as his hair, "Yes, it bothers me! Do you think we wanna see you and the Colonel doing the nasty?"

Natalia giggled, "He's right, you two. If you're going to do things like that, you should be by yourselves, not in the company of others."

Jade added, "I don't need you to tell me that, Your Majesty. If you will excuse us." He took Anise's hand and led her to the inn. As Luke had so aptly put it, he and Anise 'got a room'. He closed and locked the door behind Anise and kissed her quite passionately on the lips.

The scene escalated, Jade's hands pulling at Anise's clothing. He eventually removed her clothing and began to rub her nipples, causing the young woman to make interesting noises. He laughed, a bit amused by her sounds. He began to suck on her neck, arousing the young woman even more.

Anise groaned, "Jaaade, please...stop teasing! If we're gonna do this, let's go all the way." She pulled at his Pac-Man belt, annoyed that he hadn't quite removed all his clothing.

Once Anise had his clothes off, the light-brown haired Colonel asked her, "I must know...are you a virgin?"

Anise nodded, "Yes, Colonel." She kissed him full on the lips, then began to rub his soft, pink nipples, eliciting a gasp from the father of fomicry.

Somehow maintaining control of his sanity, Jade responded, his voice husky and laden with lust for the younger woman, "Then I will be gentle." He kissed her fully on the lips again and kissed Anise's thigh, then her maidenhead, as if to prepare her. He then thrust hard into her, silencing her shrill scream with his mouth. He knew he was big and hoped he hadn't hurt her in any way. He asked, "...Anise?"

Anise replied, "...I'm...owww...I'm okay, Colonel. Let's keep going now. I just had to adjust to you." She began to move against him, the friction of their most private places touching causing them both to moan.

Jade began to pick up the pace of his thrusts and pounded harder and harder into Anise as he neared climax. He asked her, breathing heavily "Are you...?"

Anise answered, panting, "Yes, I'm about to, Colonel!"

Jade was glad they were approaching climax together and pounded into Anise one last time with all the strength he could muster. He just hoped he hadn't hurt Anise. He came inside her and rolled down beside the woman, "Well...?"

Anise told him, "That was...awesome, Colonel." She moved to lay her head on his chest, basking in the afterglow of their wonderful evening. She then fell asleep.

Jade smiled at the sleeping young woman and covered them both with the coverlet, glad he had satisfied her. He had been afraid that his aging body would give out while they were doing that, but it hadn't. He took off his glasses and set them on the stand beside the bed, going to sleep.

Luke and Guy had gone to sleep immediately, not having wanted to listen to the sounds of Anise and Jade having sex.

Natalia had also fallen asleep.

The next morning, the party awakened to a beautiful day.

Luke knocked on the door to Jade's room, anxious to get back to Baticul and Tear, "Jade? Are you in there? Hey, hurry up!"

Jade sighed and threw on the bathrobe that he had gotten at the spa in Keterburg, not really ready to get going quite yet. He put on his glasses and went to the door, opening it only slightly so that the redhead wouldn't see Anise. He said, "What is it, Luke?"

Luke replied, "You need to hurry and get dressed so we can go. By the way, where's Anise? I remember seeing her leave with you, but..."

Jade, a little embarrassed, replied, "She's probably asleep somewhere, Luke. I'm sure she's here at the inn. Why not ask the receptionist which room?" He had luckily reserved another room just in case something like this happened. As Luke went downstairs, he carefully put the velvet nightie that came with the room they had stayed in on Anise, moved her while she was still asleep, without waking her, to another room. He then got back to his room and put on his military uniform.

Luke found the room Anise was in and knocked on her door, "Hey, Anise. Wake up! We have to go."

Anise groaned, "Five more minutes, Daddy..."

Luke chuckled, "Anise, I'm not your daddy. Anyway, we don't have five minutes. Let's go." He shook Anise.

Anise opened her eyes, "Fine..." She yawned and stretched, "Wait for me outside, Luke. I'll be there in a minute." She took off the velvet nightgown that Jade had put her in and put on her normal clothes, which was now essentially a pink sports-bra like top and black mini-skirt, with purple bloomers and red thigh-highs. She joined Luke in the hall and soon noticed that Jade was there. She grinned and walked over to him, limping slightly. She hoped no one would notice the slight limp.

Luke noticed, but chose not to comment. He'd rather not know why Anise was limping. He then said, "Let's head back to Baticul." He turned to look at Guy who had also just joined them, "Assuming Guy's feeling up to it..."

Guy nodded, "I'm fine, thanks to the doctors and Natalia."

Natalia also joined in, "Yeah you've been healed, but you're still not quite up to par, Guy. Let's not take any chances. Just let us handle the fighting till we get back to Baticul. Okay?"

Guy sighed, annoyed that she was fretting so much over him, but replied, "All right fine, but only for you." He smiled and gave her a light peck on her cheek.

Natalia blushed, then kissed him back, but on the lips.

Luke cleared his throat, "Hate to interrupt the moment, you two, but we have to go now."

Guy nodded, "Right, Luke. Let's go, everyone."
They reached Baticul about mid-afternoon.

Natalia immediately went back to the castle so that she could resume her responsibilities as Queen. Her subjects were relieved she had made it back in one piece.

They got into the manor about fifteen minutes later, and were received quite warmly.

Once everyone was back where they belonged, Anise received a summons to the castle from Natalia. It was probably about the baby shower for Tear.

After they talked a while, they sent a message to Noelle and Nephry.

After they met for several hours, they agreed that the baby shower would be the next day, but also agreed not to say anything about it. They could discreetly ask Tear what she needed in the way of baby stuff, but there would be no other hints.

After they got everything that Tear seemed to lack, Anise smiled and nodded, "I think we're ready for this. Oh, I'm soooo excited for Luke and Tear!"

Nephry smiled, "Yes...I am too. That child will be spoiled rotten though. I hope you realize that. With Luke as the father..."

Natalia crossed her arms, "Don't insult Luke, Nephry. He'll be a great father. Just you wait and see."

Anise replied, "I agree. Luke's grown up a lot since you knew him Nephry. Give him a chance."

Suzanne came into the room and asked, "What's going on in here?"

Nephry replied, "Oh, Suzanne..."

Natalia responded, "We're planning a surprise baby shower for Tear. Promise me you won't say anything."

Suzanne smiled and nodded, "I won't breathe a word of it to her. This was very nice of you to put together for her, especially as a last-minute thing. I'm glad Luke and Tear have friends like you."

Noelle added, "We're the lucky ones, ma'am."

Suzanne replied, "Maybe...anyway, good luck." She left the room and went back to whatever she had been doing.

The day passed without further incident, Noelle, Natalia, and Nephry went home and Tear and Luke went to bed.

Anise did as well.

The next day, Anise woke up and immediately set to work preparing the dining hall of Fabre manor for Tear's baby shower.

Luke, awakened by the hammering up of the nails that would hold up the yellow streamers, headed into the dining hall and asked, "What's all that racket?"

Anise replied, "Oh...hi, Luke. Sorry, I'm just getting ready for Tear's baby shower."

Luke nodded, "Fine, but what are you doing?"

Anise told him, "I'm hammering in nails to hold up the streamers that are going above the door." She then returned to hammering. Once she was done with that, she got down off the ladder she had gotten and continued decorating. Once she was satisfied with her work, she looked to Luke, "Well, Luke, what do you think?"
Luke smiled and nodded, "It's great, Anise. Good work."

As the day progressed, Tear woke up and noticed Luke sitting beside her on the bed. She smiled and said, "Good morning, love." She kissed him passionately on the lips.

Luke kissed back, then replied, once they had come up to breathe, "Good morning...or should I say, afternoon? Anyway, come into the other room. I have a really good surprise for you and our little girl."

Tear looked confused, but nodded, "Okay." She allowed Luke to lead her there by the hand. She noticed that the dining hall was dark and asked, "Uh...Luke, why are we going to a dark room? There's no one in there."
Luke smirked, knowing a little about it because of the fact that he had caught Anise, "It's dark, but there is someone in there. Come on, you'll love the surprise, I promise." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, then led her into the room. He flicked on the lights and Anise shouted, "SURPRISE! Congratulations, Tear!"

Tear noticed the baby-oriented decorations and blushed a little, thinking in the back of her mind, So cute! She said, "Anise, thank you. When did you plan all of this and get it together?"

Noelle answered, "Oh, pretty recently, actually. Don't worry though, we got you what you needed. Anyway, let's have some food!"

After everyone present pretty much devoured the marble cake with green icing that said, "Congrats, Luke and Tear", Tear was instructed to sit in a chair in the middle of the room to receive her gifts. The first she got was wrapped in yellow tissue paper. When she opened it, she saw that it was a Rappig onesie and replied, "Who...got me this?"
Jade chimed in, "I believe that His Majesty sent that here this morning. I couldn't keep such news to myself, after all."

Tear replied, "Well, tell His Majesty that I said thank you. It's adorable." She set it back in the tissue paper and set it on a nearby table.

Her next present was in a green giftbag that said, "From, Anise." When she opened the gift, Tear found some baby toys inside and a hand-sewn teddy bear. She grinned and told the younger woman, "Thank you, Anise."

Anise smiled and nodded, "Sure." She turned to Luke, who was writing down what each present was so that they would know what to buy and what not to buy when it came closer to time for the baby to be born, "Did you get everything so far, Luke?"

Luke answered her, "Yes, I did, Anise." He said, "Next present."

Tear was handed a gift that was a box wrapped in orange wrapping paper. She unwrapped it and opened the box. Inside the box was a book that said, "My Baby's First Year". She held the book up so Luke could see it and write it down.

After he did so, Noelle asked, "Who's that from?"

Tear noticed a little flap of paper on the top of the box that she hadn't seen before and flipped it open. It said, "From the father of fomicry." She smiled over at Jade and told him, "Thank you, Jade. I promise to use this."

Jade nodded, but said nothing in response.

After they were done with the gifts, the party broke up, with Jade and Anise going off to do their own little thing and Guy and Natalia as well. Noelle went home and Nephry did as well. It was certainly going to be interesting once Tear had her baby.