Author's Note: I am currently drowning in overtime... which means TONS of money, so I'm not complaining. But updates will be rather sporadic, sorry!

Rukia stood as the final verdict was read. Grimmjow stood as well and listened intently. Not because he was concerned for himself, she was sure, but for her and the baby.

"We have decided to be merciful." An old voice rumbled from the shadows, which did not comfort Rukia a bit. That could simply mean a quick death. "You and your race will be given a chance, arrancar. You belong to Kenpachi taichou now, and you may take a residence in either the Seireitei or the Rukongai. After a year of good behavior we will consider the matter of your permanent citizenship. This is a great responsibility. You are an ambassador of your race." Rukia had to suppress a hysterical giggle. An ambassador? Grimmjow? That was like expecting a fish to sing. "As for the matter of Kuchiki Rukia's desertion, that is a matter for the Gotei 13. We leave it to them to decide what punishments are merited." Rukia blinked at that. The old Central 46 would not have hesitated to make a ruling that infringed on the Gotei 13.

Rukia looked at Grimmjow, who gave her a toothy grin. The Kuchiki advocate thanked the new Central for their wisdom, but she had eyes only for him. Her mind marveled at the unexpected turn things had taken. Even knowing conditions were favorable, she hadn't really expected it to work.

"Hey girl. So I'm like an honorary shinigami now? That's funny as fuck." Grimmjow purred as the gag and kido bonds were released. He embraced her, nuzzling her neck and Rukia couldn't help but flush. She hugged him tightly, feeling a great lightness in her heart. They were free –

"Rukia." Her heart froze as she heard a familiar voice. Turning she saw her brother. He was expressionless, as befitted a noble delivering bad news. "I am sorry. Despite the ruling of Central, the dictates of our clan are clear. You are no longer a member of the Kuchiki clan." Rukia nodded before bowing to him.

"Thank you, nii-san." She said before smiling and hugging him. He was stiff with surprise for a moment before gently putting a hand on her back. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. No matter what happens, you will always be like a brother to me." They might not officially be siblings any longer but that wouldn't change what was in her heart.

"If you ever hurt her, I will kill you." She heard him say and glanced up, seeing that Byakuya was looking behind her. She followed his gaze to Grimmjow, who was just grinning at the threat.

"That's fine, shinigami. I'd never hurt my mate anyhow." She smiled and pulled away from her former brother before going to him. He gently enfolded her in his arms. "What do we do now, Rukia?" He sounded almost lost. She could imagine why. Grimmjow didn't know anything about the Seireitei or the Rukongai.

"You can stay at the barracks tonight." Yumichika said with a smile. He and Ikkaku were still there, although Kenpachi and Yachiru had vanished. "We'll get you in some proper clothing – that outfit really is very stylish, I love it on you, but it screams 'arrancar, please attack – " Grimmjow grinned wickedly at that. "So let us escort you." Rukia understood why they were doing that. It would take a while for word to get around that Grimmjow was supposed to be here, and they didn't want to chance an incident.

"Thank you." She said gratefully, although they would have absolutely no privacy at the Eleventh. The barracks was meant for young, unmarried men and very uninhibited young women. Rukia made a mental note to tell Grimmjow, quite firmly, that they could not have sex in front of strangers. She was quite sure he'd be willing to try it. He had almost no shame.

Tomorrow, she would have to face the Soutaichou and whatever punishment she would receive for her desertion. Rukia smiled and rested a hand on her belly. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be too bad.

They couldn't throw a pregnant woman in the Mukan.

Grimmjow looked over the room dubiously before scratching his hair.

They were really trying to make a shinigami of him. He was a bit bemused by the whole thing, but willing to go along with it if it was the price of being with Rukia and his child.

He wasn't going to admit it to anyone, but he was worried. Rukia had gotten her punishment and it had been pretty light yet also pretty harsh. She was expelled from the Gotei 13, without pay, for the period of five years. Then she could reapply and they would consider letting her come back, although she probably wouldn't be a fukutaichou anymore. Considering everything else they could have done, that was a light punishment.

But for a pregnant woman, it was tough. Shinigami prized children as much as hollows, and Grimmjow had learned that when a shinigami woman got pregnant – a very rare event – she was usually given fully paid leave for the same five years. That meant he would have to support Rukia and his cub on nothing but his salary. And he wasn't even a seated officer so it wouldn't be good, at least at first. The Eleventh did have some openings for seated officers so he might get one, but fukutaichou was out of the question. Yachiru had that spot all sewn up.

So right now, he and Rukia were house hunting. Staying at the barracks was nice and all, but the lack of privacy really sucked. Fortunately, with all her years of staying with the Kuchiki clan Rukia had amassed a nice chunk of savings. They could make a pretty sweet down payment on a house, then they'd pay the rest off every month. Grimmjow thought it was called a 'mortgage'. His brain was getting a bit overloaded with information so he wasn't entirely sure.

"What do you think?" Rukia asked as she looked over the kitchen. Grimmjow frowned as he looked at the living room.

"I don't like it. Too open, not defensible." He grunted. "The size is good." It was small, which was what he liked. But the large picture window that let light in and gave it an illusion of size was also a weakness. Rukia glanced at the window with a frown.

"The window faces a fenced in area." She pointed out and he nodded dubiously. It wouldn't exactly be difficult for people to climb the fence. She sighed. "Maybe you're right. It's just so hard to explain to a realtor that you're worried about being attacked." She said wryly and Grimmjow grinned.

"I can see that." Most shinigami seemed to take it for granted that the Seireitei would be as orderly as the Rukongai was lawless. Grimmjow wasn't willing to take it for granted and after he'd explained his concerns, Rukia had agreed. She was a bit wary of public sentiment too.

Apparently, part of the reason the new Central had made the ruling they did was the utter hopelessness of eliminating all the arrancar. Even if they tried to exterminate them, the nature of Hueco Mundo practically guaranteed that some would escape. And all the other times something had come to haunt them, it had involved escapees from a massacre. So they'd decided to skip the whole thing and try to welcome this new addition to the cosmos. Grimmjow wasn't sure how it would work out but he was damned well going to give it his best shot.

That didn't mean everyone else was going to. There were plenty of people who crossed the street to avoid walking near him, which didn't bother Grimmjow much. Numeros had gone out of their way to avoid him, too. But he was going to make sure that he could easily defend his family in the event of an attack.

So they left that place, putting the key into the drop box, and went on to the next.

"Huh?" Grimmjow looked at the place very hard as they arrived. "This looks like a store?" He said and Rukia smiled as she glanced it over. It was a candy shop that specialized in the kinds of treats young children would adore.

"It's sort of an odd place. We have to go up the stairs on the side." The realtor had mentioned this property because it was cheap, not because he thought they would like it. The store had a set of metal stairs on the side that led to a door. Rukia used the key to open it, and they stepped inside. "The house is the upper level. The store is owned by someone else." That was what bothered most people about the place. It was worse than a duplex.

"I like this, girl." Grimmjow sounded enthusiastic and she blinked. "Look at the windows!" Rukia looked them over, immediately seeing why her arrancar lover would like them. They were small little things that let in just enough light that candles weren't needed. The rooms felt a bit claustrophobic, but that was the price you paid for defensibility. "And look at this!" He opened a door to a small room. It was in the middle of the house and had no lights at all, probably meant for storage. "If anything happens we could put the cub in here."

"Let's see what the kitchen is like first." She wanted to have at least a half-decent kitchen. They could not possibly eat out on Grimmjow's salary. Fortunately the kitchen was adequate, cheaply furnished but well laid out. Rukia smiled in approval. The place was very small but someone had taken care to use the area to its fullest. "Don't get too excited." She cautioned her mate, who frowned. "We need to find out more about whoever owns the candy shop. We don't want an enemy right under us." That made him scowl and nod.

"Just eager to finally have sex again." He muttered and Rukia laughed. He wasn't taking his enforced abstinence too gratefully, although he was working out his frustrations sparring with Ikkaku and Yumichika. He hadn't sparred with Zaraki yet, mostly because Rukia had demanded they be given a bit of time to settle their lives before Kenpachi put Grimmjow into the Fourth. She was sure he'd end up there. Whether or not Kenpachi would be joining him was the only question. "We should really look into this, Rukia. This place is perfect."

"It's very reasonably priced too." Rukia decided that if they could get along with the candy shop owner, this was the place. Resting a hand on her belly, she hoped it would work out.

It did. The owner of the shop turned out to be a very sweet old man. He was more fascinated than frightened of the Espada, and Grimmjow regarded him with amused tolerance. His daughter was more alarmed about having a hollow so close, but the fact that they were about to have a child soothed her a bit. Rukia's belly was growing hugely, so it wouldn't be very long.

To her disgust and amusement, they were settled into their new home for just one day before Grimmjow had his first duel with Kenpachi. All of the Eleventh had been taking bets for how long Grimmjow would be in the Fourth, with side bets about how long Kenpachi would be there. The answers turned out to be two days and one day, respectively. Ikkaku won quite a bit of money on that one.

"You're both horrible." Rukia went to visit them, of course. Grimmjow gave her a tired grin as she surveyed his injuries. "Did you have fun?" From the looks of it, he'd had quite a lot of fun.

"It was great! He's almost as good as Kurosaki." Grimmjow purred and Rukia wondered what Ichigo would say if he heard that. Although he'd probably be more than willing to pawn his two enemies off on each other. Grimmjow laughed when she said that. "Nah! Kurosaki will always be my favorite enemy."

"I'll make sure to tell him that next time I see him." Rukia said wryly. It seemed that poor Ichigo had a genius for attracting the attentions of men who were obsessed with battle. "What did Kenpachi say?" She asked out of morbid curiosity. She knew he was partly evaluating Grimmjow's skills. The Espada grinned.

"I'm the fourth seat now." He said proudly and Rukia smiled. That would give his income a small boost and she was pleased to hear that he'd been ranked over Yumichika. He probably outranked Ikkaku and the other seats as well, in terms of power, but the pay was all the same. There was no need for a rank shuffle. "Apparently it was open because Yumichika under thought the kanji for fifth was prettier? That guy is weird as hell." He confided and Rukia laughed. "So when are we going to see the baby?" Mayuri had bribed them both into taking an exam with him. Their reward would be an ultrasound of the baby and hopefully a conclusive read of his or her gender.

"As soon as you get out of here." She smiled as he rested a hand on her growing belly. The baby chose that moment to kick and his grin was wide and delighted. "I wouldn't want to do it without you." That would just be wrong and Grimmjow growled at the thought.

"Can't wait to see it. I'll be out of here faster than you can say boo." He promised and Rukia laughed. "Just you wait!"

"We'll see." She gave him a kiss and it got more than a little heated. But there was no privacy and they finally parted, leaving him to rest and recover.

Once he'd been cleared for duty, they went to see Kurotsuchi. He was a bit too thrilled to see them again, but the new parents watched in fascination as he did the ultrasound. Ryuken's equipment had been good but the baby had been far less developed then. This time they could clearly see a little kitty tail, twitching slowly as the cub sucked on her thumb. Rukia smiled as Grimmjow's arm tightened around her shoulders.

"Beautiful, beautiful! You will be having a girl." Mayuri said with a grin as Nemu ran the scanner over her belly, rotating the image. "She is definitely showing some feline features. However, there appears to be no sign of a hollow mask or hole."

"Born hollows never have holes. They're whole souls, just like born shinigami." Grimmjow said and Kurotsuchi gave him a fascinated look. Rukia feared for her mate. Fortunately, he was more than willing to talk. "They're completely stable and don't need to fear regression. Born vasto lorde, most of them, even if the parents are two adjuchas. My girl might be stronger than me." He sounded proud and Rukia smiled, leaning against him. She wasn't sure what kind of father he would make but she was sure her daughter would never doubt that her father loved her.

"And the mask? Are born hollows normally covered in bone like normal ones?" Kurotsuchi asked and Grimmjow nodded.

"Yeah, they are. The look just like normal hollows but without a hole. The no mask fragments might be a shinigami or arrancar thing. Or maybe we're just missing them? Would that scanner get them if they were flat on her body?" He asked and Mayuri turned his attention back to the image before discussing it with Nemu. It went in a technical direction neither of them could follow, but the consensus was that they would see it if there were fragments. "So I was wondering. Did you know that arrancar's appearances are fixed when our masks are broken?" He asked and Rukia blinked at him, surprised.

"No! Please, tell me more." Mayuri looked keenly interested and Rukia frowned. Why was Grimmjow mentioning this?

"Yeah, my hair is all natural. But I've always wanted a beard." He ran a hand over his chin as he looked at Kurotsuchi hopefully. "I was wondering if you could – ow!" Rukia had just punched him in the side.

"No!" She said sharply. He looked crestfallen.

"No?" He said and she glowered at him. "Not even a little beard like Starrk's…?"

"No!" Rukia said again. She loved him just the way he was. She did NOT want a beard.

"It would be a fascinating challenge! I could research – " That was as far as Mayuri got before she glared at him.

"No!" She did not want Kurotsuchi giving her mate a beard. The two men both looked very let down for a moment. Then Grimmjow sighed.

"This vendetta against body hair, I don't get it… well, maybe not. Thanks though." Grimmjow gave in. There was no point in upsetting his woman, although he really did want to know what he'd look like with a beard. "Are we about done?" They were, although Kurotsuchi did want to run a few more tests.

With that out of the way, Grimmjow and Rukia spent the next few days furnishing the nest. Grimmjow had his duties, of course, but whenever he had a moment he ripped open a garganta and went back to Hueco Mundo. The other taichou were inclined to be suspicious… until he started returning with cushions and mattresses. He even got Ikkaku to help and came back with a nice couch. Getting it up into their house was a challenge, but they managed it. Rukia's part in the decorating was deciding where everything would go.

The end result was what Renji had christened 'Aizen castoffs' style. Their couch was mostly white with little black lines, and Rukia said it was the most impractical thing in the world for a cub. But it was free, so it stayed. Their bed was the same it had been in Los Noches, nice mattresses with lots and lots of pillows. Aizen's abandoned fortress had a fully stocked kitchen, so Grimmjow had gotten every kind of cooking implement they could need and plenty they likely didn't. Not to mention more of Aizen's tea biscuits. They had a special container on the counter.

The only real adornment in the place was a picture Grimmjow had stolen from Tosen's old rooms. He had no idea what it was supposed to be and Rukia had no clue either, but it filled up an empty wall. The patterns on it weren't too bad either, dark blue and purple mingled together in wavy lines.

With all that done they got started on making up for lost time. It was one of those nights when something loud and stupid happened.

"You're so beautiful, girl." Grimmjow purred in her ear as he moved against her and Rukia gasped, gripping him tightly with her thighs. The feel of that hard length inside her, tormenting her in all the right ways was just –

"RUKIA!" Grimmjow's head came up at that shout and Rukia groaned before wrapping her legs more firmly around his waist.

"Your favorite enemy… or me. Make the right decision." She growled in his ear and was pleased that he didn't have to think twice.

"Fuck that douchebag. Or rather, not fuck him, I don't swing that way…" He said before kissing her throat, sucking the pale skin before grazing her with his teeth. His thrusts took on an extra urgency, abusing her insides in just the right way –

"Why are your windows so small – oof!" They could faintly hear the voice in the background but neither of them cared. They were far too involved in what they were doing. That changed as the door opened and they both froze. "RUKI… oh."

"Did someone drop you on your head as a baby, soul reaper?" Grimmjow inquired as Kurosaki stared at them with an open mouthed expression. Then he deliberately moved, making Rukia groan.

"GET OUT!" The sound of death approaching galvanized Ichigo and Grimmjow laughed as the door slammed shut. "You. Don't stop." She gasped and Grimmjow wasn't loath at all to obey that order. In fact, Kuroskai's interruption sort of turned him on. It made him feel the need to stake his territory and he did that with massive enthusiasm.

It didn't take much longer before he felt Rukia's insides clenching around him and heard her cry out his name. He followed, growling her name as his orgasm came over him. It was so damned good, the feel of her body, the baby between them, everything about her. He couldn't get enough.

But as they came down from their high, they both remembered the visitor. Grimmjow chuckled as he pulled away and Rukia looked downright pissed.

"I am going to kill him." She muttered as she grabbed a robe and pulled it on. Grimmjow followed suit. His robe was something they'd picked up at a thrift shop, a bit threadbare but bright blue. He loved wearing it after baths and it was good after sex, too. "That idiot! Why couldn't he knock like a normal person?"

"Does Kurosaki even do normal?" Grimmjow asked before he pulled open the door. Ichigo was sitting on the couch and looking at the floor, his cheeks a bit red. "Hey Kurosaki! You owe me a rematch. That last one was just lame." Really, that had all been complete bullshit. Outnumber four to one, whoop-de-doo. Or was it five? Whatever.

"Ichigo!" Then Rukia was going off on him and Grimmjow leaned against the wall, grinning, as the teen turned red. "You baka! How dare you! Are you some kind of perverted voyeur?!"

"Of course not! How was I supposed to know you were doing THAT?" He tried to defend himself but Rukia was unrelenting.

"BAKA! I'm pregnant, living with my boyfriend and we have a house all to ourselves! What did you think we were doing, playing chess?" She demanded and, possibly to take a bit of the pressure off, Ichigo asked a question.

"Yeah, about that. Everyone wants to know when you're getting married." He asked and Rukia almost choked before giving him a scorching glare. She hadn't brought it up to Grimmjow because he hadn't brought it up, and the truth was, that was a wound on her heart. But if he didn't want to she wasn't going to pressure –

"What's married?" The arrancar asked and they both looked at him wide eyed. "What?" He looked baffled and Rukia felt absolute shock for a moment. Then, she was mortified. Of course he didn't know about marriage! It wasn't the sort of thing hollows did, in the sands of Hueco Mundo.

"Marriage is – is how shinigami declare to each other that they are mates." She managed as Ichigo looked back and forth between the two of them. Grimmjow mulled over that a moment before drawing his lips away from one canine tooth in a half-snarl.

"What, can't they tell? My scent is all over you!" He said, clearly very unhappy about the idea that anyone might not know they were mated. Rukia blushed as Ichigo shook his head.

"Shinigami don't have very good noses. They use rings, worn on one particular finger." He explained and Grimmjow nodded.

"Okay. How expensive are these rings and how soon can we – umph!" He was startled when Rukia hugged him, sniffling into his chest. "Oh hey. This meant a lot to you, did it?" His voice was softer as his arms went around her, his favorite enemy almost forgotten. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I thought… you didn't want to. A lot of shinigami men never… and especially in the eleventh." She choked out. This wasn't a romantic proposal, not at all, but the way Grimmjow seemed to take it for granted that they would shout their relationship to the world was deeply touching. Getting herself together a bit, she pulled back and began to explain. "The rings can be almost anything, from simple carved wooden bands to gold. There's a ceremony but it's short for commoners." If she'd still been a noble it would have been an event to remember. "We can get it done by a justicar." That seemed like more the thing to do with an arrancar like Grimmjow. Any religious officiant might refuse to marry them. He nodded.

"We'll get some of the wood ones and upgrade later." Grimmjow said decisively and Rukia smiled. That was practical and very much like him. "I'm guessing those judge guys are busy and we'll have to make an appointment. Hey Kurosaki! Did you want to come?" He asked, surprising them both. But the teen ventured a small smile.

"Yes, of course. Rukia's my best friend." Rukia smiled back at him. That was no doubt why he'd dared Grimmjow to see her again. And that made the blue haired man grin.

"Yeah, I know. If you weren't gay as fuck I'd be jealous." He said teasingly and Rukia's eyes went wide as Ichigo looked completely mortified. Gay? "What? You know I can smell it. That Renji guy is all over you."

"What!" Rukia yelped, her mind almost shutting down. Ichigo and Renji? "Ichigo! Have you really…?" He was turning bright red and grabbed a cushion.

"No! I mean… yes but… agh!" The cushion went over his face in a makeshift attempt at hiding and Grimmjow laughed. "It's not like that." He said feebly as Rukia scowled and punched her mate in the side.

"Well, you can tell me how it is later. For now, we need to make an appointment to get married." Dodging back into her room she grabbed some real clothing, changing out of the robe. Grimmjow followed a moment later, grabbing his new shinigami uniform. Rukia paused to admire him for a moment as he changed, feeling a wave of warmth and pleasure.

They would be married soon. Nothing in the world could be better.