CHAPTER 10: THE MONTHS AFTER PART 1

It was just like any other morning; the Sun peaking out from the horizon, the birds singing happily, and of course…

Bluuurgh~

..morning sickness.

With her head resting on the toilet seat, she couldn't stop herself from releasing out all of last night's dinner into the latrine. Really, she'd gotten used to it by this point, but it didn't mean that she hated it any less. Each morning was always a gamble on whether or not she'd feel that horrible sensation in her head that would inevitably force her to make a dash to the toilet.

Poor Lightning. She honestly had expected the first few months to be at least a cake walk, but she was so far from the truth. As the weeks had gone by, the 'symptoms' of her pregnancy had begun to creep up on her, revealing themselves to the rosette all at once. The morning sicknesses were annoying at the very least and absolutely dreadful at worst, but she'd faced worse before - at least that's what she kept telling herself. Sometimes, on those very bad days, it almost felt like her time fighting against gods was more of a walk in the park than this.

Beside her, Hope was on his knees with a bundle of the rosette's pink hair in his hands, making sure that none of the vomit could get on her hair. With each purge of her stomach, the silverine could only stroke her back softly in reassurance, trying to comfort her through this dreadful part of their day.

Bluuurgh~

That feels like the last one. She honestly felt like her entire stomach was empty at this point, with nothing left to release out into the now-vomit covered toilet bowl. The rosette lifted her head out from the toilet bowl, her entire body falling weakly onto Hope's. The silverine caught her in his arms, pulling her gently to rest on his chest.

With a gentle stroke of her hair, he asked, "You feeling okay, Light?"

"I've faced worse before," she shrugged, her body still feeling like crap.

Hope wasn't really convinced, but he'd thought he'd just let it slide. What his wife really needed right now was a place to rest, somewhere more elegant than the toilet.

"You feeling okay enough to walk?" the silverine asked.

The rosette groaned slightly, her body still somewhat aching from the whole ordeal. "Nrgh.. yeah. Just.. give me a sec."

"Take all the time in the world, honey. Today's a pretty relaxed day anyway," the silverine said as he gave a sweet smile to his wife, kissing the top of her head.

The rosette seemed to press herself deeper into Hope's chest, feeling her eyes become much heavier as the fatigue was starting to set in.

Hope sighed in relief. To be honest, today was much easier than some other days with the fact that Lightning hadn't experienced any mood swings yet. He loved the woman to bits, but the days when those mood swings came in full force were the days he dreaded the most. But either good or bad, delightful or dreadful, he'd take it in stride. Because he made a promise, a promise to go through this with her no matter what.

He could feel the rosette rising up from him, feeling her hand push down on him as she struggled to get up. The silverine immediately helped her, gently lifting her up to her feet. As soon as her feet made contact with the floor, she felt herself losing balance, her entire body swaying back and forth in a tipsy. It felt as if the ground beneath her was starting to slip away. A gasp released from her lips.

"I got you, Light," the silverine behind her said as he took hold of her shoulders, holding her and making sure she wouldn't fall.

It was as if by instinct that she wrapped her arms around him, almost as if her life depended on it. The thoughts were starting to flood her mind. That.. that was too close for comfort. If I'd fallen then-

"Don't worry, Light," the silverine spoke up once he noticed the worried look on his wife's face. "I'll be by your side. Let's do this one step at a time."

With each step she took out of the bathroom with Hope supporting her, she could feel the nausea that had been plaguing her the entire morning begin to disappear. Before she knew it, they had already made their way to the living room, the couch looking especially comfortable to plop down onto right about then.

The silverine gently brought her down to the sofa, a sigh of relief escaping his lips once he was sure that Lightning was safe and comfortable for now.

"You want anything from the kitchen, Light?," the silverine asked as he sat beside her.

"Hmm.. some tea would be good."

Hope got up from the sofa, going to make his way towards the kitchen. "Alright, you just sit back and try to relax," he said as he went in to give the rosette a kiss.

The silverine disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Lightning all alone in the living room. The rosette let out a deep sigh of exhaustion. And it's only 9 AM….

How long had it been? 3 months? 4 months? Lightning was starting to lose track. But what she definitely was sure about was that her little baby was growing inside her. Her stomach had basically inflated ever since the past month and with it came all the usual symptoms - the cravings, the sicknesses, the gradual back pains. But she'd expected this, and perhaps to an extent she was prepared.

Gurgle~

The rosette suddenly felt the bellows of her stomach letting out a fierce growl. With last night's dinner down the toilet bowl, now her stomach craved for something to fill itself up. But Lightning had a feeling that it wasn't her stomach that was demanding sustenance.. no, it was something - someone - else.

Her hand instinctively hovered over her baby bump, stroking it softly. Oh she could feel it, the little person growing inside her was definitely hungry - heck, starving even. A small smile crept up to her lips.

"Alright honey, I hear you. I'll get daddy to fix something up for us," she whispered, feeling her heart flutter at the mere act of talking to the person growing inside her belly. There was an unbridled joy that she felt from just imagining talking to her child. Imagine what it would feel like once her baby was born!

"And fix you two something I will."

The rosette felt her heart jump out of her chest for a split second. She looked to her side, Hope already there with a cup of tea in his hands. When the heck did he get here?! A mad blush formed on the rosette's cheeks. He was not supposed to hear that…

A cheeky smile formed on the silverine's lips as he passed the cup of tea to his wife. "So, the little one's already starting to get hungry, or is it just you?"

Lightning playfully flicked Hope's nose as she brought the cup of tea up to her lips. "Shut up.. I'm absolutely starving right now. Doesn't help with the fact that I've got to keep someone else full and happy," she said as her eyes went down to look at her belly.

Hope couldn't help but smile giddily. "Okay, I'll get you two something to eat," he said before going down to place a big smooch on his wife's baby bump. "What would you like?"

"Hmm.. steak. Wait, hold that, make that two steaks."

"S-steak? At 9 AM?," the silverine said in surprise.

"Yea, one for me and one for this one," Lightning replied, gesturing towards her stomach again.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, alright. I'll go prepare you two some juicy steaks. You just sit right here," he said as he went in to kiss Lightning. "And you sit tight with mommy," the silverine cooed as he went to place another big kiss on Lightning's belly.

To his utter surprise, Lightning had downed two entire slabs of steaks without even breaking a sweat. The woman must've had one hell of an appetite. Now, with his wife full and satisfied, he could rest for a short while.

The rosette ran her fingers through his silver locks as he lied down on her lap, his face facing towards his wife's baby bump. He gently brushed his fingers along her belly, his eyes encapsulating the sheer joy and wonder that he was feeling at the moment. Right there, beneath his fingers, was his own flesh and blood.

"Light.. you ever just wonder how we got so lucky?," he asked as he rose up from Lightning's lap and sat himself down beside her on the sofa.

"You don't even know.."

There was a pure sense of joy radiating from the smile on the rosette's lips and Hope couldn't stop himself from leaning in and placing a big smooch on them. Their fingers interlaced as they savoured the taste of each other's lips, just like they'd always have thousands of times before. But this kiss felt almost different to Lightning, as though the old sensation of butterflies in her stomach sparked within her. Whatever it was, the love that was pouring out from her heart at the moment was absolutely undeniable.

All of a sudden, Lightning jerked away from the kiss, her hand going down to her stomach in a flash.

Hope instantly felt a pang of worry overwhelm him at the sight of his wife wincing in pain for a second. "Light! Is there something wrong-"

"N-no. Nothing's wrong, Hope. I just..," the rosette spoke up before Hope could even finish his sentence. "I think I just felt it."

"Wait, felt it? You mean.." His green eyes shone with wonder and amazement at the realisation.

The rosette nodded in response, a small smile starting to form on her lips. She took the silverine's hand in her own and guided it to her stomach, letting him feel the sensation that she had just experienced.

"I felt the baby kicking." Just as she said that, the silverine almost jumped in shock when he felt something move under his palm. Holy crap...

"It's.. it's.."

"She's a lively one right now."

Hope's stunned look was immediately replaced with one of curiosity. "Wait, she? How do you know it's a girl?"

"I don't know.. it's just a gut feeling I guess," she said before she felt another kick from the little person inside her stomach - and this time it felt harder than the last. Oomph.. that actually hurt a little. "And by the feel of that kick, I can bet that it's a girl."

Wow, the silverine mouthed in amazement. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't even wondered what gender the baby would be. But if Lightning was right, that they were going to have a girl, then..

"If it's a girl, then I hope she'll be as beautiful as you," he said. "I bet she'll have your eyes, your lips, your-"

"Alright, Hope. I get it," she chuckled. She really didn't need to hear him go on and on about her looks anymore.

"Come on.. you didn't even let me finish," the silverine sulked playfully.

The silverine's answer had sparked some curiosity within the rosette. "Alright, Hope. What else do you hope the baby will have just like me?," she teased jokingly in return.

Just before he continued on with his answer, he inched closer to her until their faces were mere inches apart. Then, he said with a sweet and warm tone to his voice, "I hope she'll have the same loving and caring heart that you have."

His words didn't elicit any response from her, but what he did get was a mad blush on the rosette's cheeks - her face being as red as cherry tomatoes. She was flattered to hear those words, and Hope knew all too well judging by the smirk on his lips.

With their faces so close to each other, Lightning thought she'd just close the gap between them. She captured his lips into a passionate kiss, feeling the silverine press deeper into the kiss. She felt herself being drawn in, unable to pull herself away from her husband's soft lips. Heck, if she could she would've stayed like that forever.

Ding dong~

The rosette noticeably groaned when she heard the doorbell ring. With her entire might and will, she reluctantly pulled away from Hope's lips, her attention going towards to whoever was at the door.

"Ugh.. this better be good," she huffed as she rose up from her seat. Hope followed suit, trailing behind her towards the front door.

Ding dong ding dong~

The incessant spamming of the doorbell was starting to drive her mad. Who on earth had shown up to their humble abode? This had better been worth interrupting her intimate moment with her husband.

She flung the door open just as she had undone the locks, and lo and behold, the people that had been bugging her were no other than Fang and Vanille.

"Heya Lightning, Hope-"

Fang's greeting was cut short by Vanille's high pitched squeal. "Oh my god! Your tummy is so biiig!" she squealed as she basically ogled at the size of Lightning's baby bump. "I mean I knew you were pregnant, but now that I see it in person it's so huge!"

"Yea, now that you mention it Vanille, it does look much bigger than I thought," the raven-haired vixen said as she slung her arm around the petite woman's shoulder.

Lightning could only smile sheepishly at them. "Uhh.."

"So, anyway," the silverine spoke up as he cleared his throat. "Why are you two here?" the silverine asked. As he glanced for a second to the rosette, he could see her mouth a thank you to him. A small smirk formed on his lips. Well, awkward situation averted.

"Oh well~," Fang said in a sing song voice. "We thought we'd just drop by to give our congratulations to you two on your pregnancy."

"Yea, we're so happy for you two!," Vanille exclaimed full of glee and joy, her face beaming with happiness.

"But we're not just here for that. We also came along with some..," she said before rummaging through the bag that she had been carrying the entire time, "..gifts!"

The raven-haired vixen took out a smaller bag full of all sorts of items. There was a large toy sticking out from the bag, it's shape and colour looking almost too familiar for Lightning, as if she'd seen it somewhere before.

"We got you some blankets, diapers, and even some baby clothes!" Vanille beamed excitedly as she pulled out a white baby onesie with Moogle prints all over it.

"And don't worry, we made sure to get 'em in unisex colours," Fang said with a wink.

"Wow." Hope couldn't believe that they'd gone through the effort of actually getting some baby items for them. Heck, he hadn't even begun to buy any of that stuff yet.

Lightning honestly felt touched. She hadn't been expecting this at all when they appeared at her front door, but this was a delightful surprise nonetheless. Perhaps this was kinda worth interrupting her sweet time with Hope.

"And we also made you something else!," Vanille said with the eagerness of an excited child. This had definitely caught the attention of the silverine and the rosette. With what they'd given to them already, there was more?

Vanille reached into the bag, pulling out the large toy that had been sticking out like a sore thumb the entire time. "I stitched together this Carbuncle doll for you! It's been ages since I went to Nautilus, so i tried to recreate it from memory. It isn't much, but I hope you like it," she said as she handed the doll to Hope.

Ah, so that's what it is! Lightning's mind basically lit up like a light bulb. It had been literal ages since she'd last seen that iconic doll from the grand amusement parks of Nautilus. Ah.. the good times those were when she'd rush there excitedly with her little sister beside her. Such innocent times...

"Vanille.. that's.. that's so nice of you. It looks just like how I remembered it." Those big green ears, that little red ruby on its forehead, the little black and white outfit that it wore along with its orange pants - it looked just like the one he had when he was a child. "Thank you, Vanille!," he said as he shook Vanille's hand profusely, before enveloping her in a short but sweet hug.

"Aww, don't mention it Hope!," the petite woman replied gleefully.

The rosette felt an arm press on her shoulder. "Think of this as some sort of baby starter pack, eh?" Fang said as she rested her arm on Lightning's shoulder.

"Real thoughtful of you, Fang. But why go through the effort just to get all this though?," the rosette asked curiously.

"Hey, I take good care of my friends alright. And besides..," her voice had taken on a serious tone now, "..it's the least I can do after what you did for me. Stopping Vanille from carrying out that stupid Soulsong.. that's something I don't think I can ever repay you for in the slightest."

"You don't have to."

"What? No I-" Fang said as she turned towards the rosette beside her. Before she could refute anything else, she felt Lightning's hand pressed firmly on her shoulder.

"I take good care of my friends too, Fang. I don't expect anything from you in return for what I did. And besides," the rosette smirked, "..it was a team effort, remember?"

"I.." Shit.. she's kinda right. "Alright Lightning..," Fang said with a light chuckle escaping her lips, "I guess you've got me there. But that doesn't change the fact that I still owe you."

Lightning sighed with a small smile on her lips. "Whatever you say Fang."

"Now..," the raven-haired Vixen said with a stretch of her arms. "..do you mind if we come in? My legs are killin' me."

Lightning mentally slapped herself. How long had she been holding them up at the door? She should've let them in sooner. "Ahh.. right," she said as she rubbed the back of her neck in slight embarrassment. "Come on in then. Uh.. sorry for keeping you two outside like this for so long."

"Hey, don't worry about it. As long as you let me raid your liquor cabinet," Fang replied with a devious and cheeky smirk on her lips. The look that she'd earned from the rosette was anything but an approval for her request. "Come ooon, didn't someone just say that they take good care of their friends?"

The rosette could only sigh as she shook her head. "Don't push it Fang."

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter! There'll be more pregnancy fluff and shenanigans coming soon, so keep tuned to more new chapters. And a big thank you to those who have been continuing to review this story, your reviews honestly make my day! :D