Big kisses and much thanks to all readers who stopped by to wish me happy birthday and send a little Bun-Head love! Astraearose-silvermoon, kera69love, sm fan 27, FloraOne, jessielee14, CassieRaven, Godloverk, xSmallLadySerenity13, BrownB, eskalations, jazzie1122 and Nebelflecke - You made my week!

It was hard to keep this chapter short. There was just so much going on in this one interaction between Usagi and our surprise visitor. I'm sure none of you will complain about the extended length! :P

The Bun-Head in the Oven

Prompt: "Offspring"

Usagi ran a gentle thumb over the sonogram picture clutched in her hand. It was well-worn; unsurprising, given that it lived outside of Usagi's purse more than in. The blonde smiled softly, closing her eyes to ward against the chill of the breeze. It was January now; a cold, damp mess of a day, and Usagi was spending her lunch break outside at the park. It might not have been the best weather for such outings, but it sure beat hanging at the office, getting sick off the smell of other peoples' bentos. At thirteen weeks, the unpleasant side effects of being pregnant were coming in a deluge now. It would seem sensitivity to any form of malodor, potent or no, was the latest in her long list of grievances against this kid and the havoc she was wreaking upon Usagi's body.

Not that the benign twenty-one year old regretted a thing. She would gladly suffer all nine months if it came to that, to see this child born into good health. Usagi rubbed her belly; the minute swell of flesh beneath her fingers proof of the life inside.

It would be so cool when she could finally feel Chibi-Usa kick and move.

"I imagine it's rather a strange sensation," an amicable voice said, from above Usagi. The expectant blonde jumped, startled.

"Setsuna-san!"

The aforementioned guardian of space and time quirked her lips into a genial expression of greeting. She looked lovely today; her juniper peacoat and maroon ascot pleasing accentuation to her long, dark violet colored locks. Usagi had to shake herself from staring embarrassingly, always having been a bit besotted by this woman who wore enigma like a cloak. She patted the seat beside her on the bench.

"Please, sit down! I didn't know I was thinking out loud again... I've been doing that a lot lately," Usagi giggled, sheepishly knocking her knuckles against the hard of her head.

"Pregnancy brain," Setsuna mused. "Ami-san would have a field day on the subject."

"Rei-chan would probably say I was always like this," Usagi grumbled, complete with a playful grimace at mention of her priestess friend's name. Of course, anyone who actually knew Usagi and Rei knew their bickering was simply a poor cover hiding deep affection for the other.

"I'm not sure I wouldn't agree with her, today," Setsuna said, with the merest suggestion of light scolding lurking in the depths of her comment.

Usagi looked over, surprised.

"Isn't it a touch nippy for the future queen and her heir to be out and about?" Setsuna elucidated, gesturing to the steam undulating from her mouth with one perfectly arched brow.

The bun-headed woman beside Setsuna shrugged, demeanor gone bashful as she ducked her head and twiddled her thumbs. "I get sick of being cooped up. And the office is smelly. Everything's smelly."

A little girl whooped in the distance, drawing the attention of the pair on the bench. For a few moments, they just watched her, her and her doting mother, the only other two foolish - or brave enough, depending on who you asked - to withstand the afternoon's biting zephyr. The sight sparked a fuse inside Usagi's mind, and before she knew it, all the fears that had been keeping her up at night came tumbling out of her mouth at dizzying speed.

"You said 'future queen and her heir' - does that mean Crystal Tokyo is still coming? Is that why we haven't seen or heard from any of the Outers since my wedding? Are you preparing? Do they know what's going on? And is - is my heir still Chibi-Usa, or am I supposed to have other children first? Will I have her at all?" Usagi's brilliantly expressive blue eyes widened as an unnameable terror gripped hold of her heart. "I know the future's never certain, but couldn't - please, Setsuna-san, couldn't you give me just a - a hint?"

Setsuna regarded her royal charge with unmitigated patience, her soulful burgundy eyes aged like a fine wine as she seemed to mull Usagi's panicked queries over in her almost-but-not-quite omniscient mind. "I don't know everything myself. Crystal Tokyo may be or it may not be - but as yet all signs indicate that we are still on the correct trajectory."

"And Chibi-Usa?" Usagi pressed, inching closer to her companion. She hardly noticed that she had gathered up a fistful of Setsuna's scarf, and was kneading the fibers with compulsive abandon.

"I can confirm that the baby is indeed Small Lady," Setsuna smiled warmly, patting Usagi's agitated fingers. The twenty-one year old relaxed at that. It had been a constant concern, niggling in the back of her mind, ever since those two lines materialized into being. The possibility that what if she were wrong? What if she wasn't carrying her darling little pink-haired spore, and it was another child, the one Usagi grew up alongside and came to love more than her life itself now lost to the fickle machinations of time?

"Oh thank God. I hadn't planned for any color besides pink. Maybe next time!" the reincarnated moon princess tittered in relieved jest. Setsuna hesitated then, just visibly enough for Usagi to catch wind. "Setsuna-san. What? What aren't you telling me?"

The revolution warrior had the grace to look chagrined at her slip-up. "You are far more perceptive than others give you credit, Usagi-sama."

Usagi threw Setsuna a funny look; it was the first time the older woman had ever added the "-sama" honorific onto her name, and it was the slightest bit unsettling. One generally only did so in distinguished company, and Usagi had never truly considered herself that... even though the day was soon coming.

"There will be no others," Setsuna said, quietly. She tilted her head and endowed upon Usagi a most sorrow-laden gaze; one that Usagi felt penetrating into her very core. She swallowed tightly.

"You're saying - I won't ever bear another child?"

Setsuna averted her eyes then, voice heavy. "It is the burden of your lunar lineage. The Silver Crystal is a sentient being; self-serving. It will ensure that it is only ever passed to one child, a daughter, born of the female rulers of the Silver Millennium. As soon as you ascend to the throne as Neo-Queen Serenity, you will be rendered infertile. After that, it will be Small Lady's duty to continue the line when she too comes of age."

Usagi felt cold all over. The knowledge that had just been bestowed upon her was something she had indeed pondered, but until now always brushed aside as mere superstition. To have confirmation... it was painful. She was only ever going to experience pregnancy once?

Usagi closed her eyes and squeezed her bump tight. She felt Setsuna's hand come down to encompass her shoulder.

"It's not fair," Usagi whispered. "What if I wanted brothers and sisters for her?"

"The Silver Crystal is a wonderful force of light, life, and love, Usagi-sama, there is no denying. But for all the miracles it grants, one must always remember that nature demands balance, and all power comes at a price. As the wielder of this stone, unfortunately, it is you who must pay the price, so that others may continue to benefit from its healing properties. It is both blessing... and curse."

Usagi was silent for many interminable moments, drowning in the cavalcade of emotions this revelation evoked. There was definitely grief, swirling dark and repugnant in the hollow pit of her stomach. But even now, Usagi's internal brightness shone through like a lighthouse's beacon in foggy night. She could feel burgeoning within her a reluctant acceptance; understanding of her role and the Crystal's necessity in society. She resolved then and there to appreciate every second of this pregnancy to its fullest extent; if Chibi-Usa was going to be her only offspring, then Usagi would lavish her with all the love, all the attention, her enormous heart was capable of providing. Her daughter was never going to want for anything, she swore it on her honor as a Serenity.

Setsuna reached over and chucked the younger woman under her chin, shaking her from the dregs of reverie. "I'm sorry for the shock. I do so very despise always having to be the bearer of bad news. Regarding the other Outers - I do know where they are, and what they're up to. Due to the clandestine nature of their current... mission, it may not be right away, but would you like me to set up a meeting with them? Would that help cheer you up, my princess?"

Usagi's azures lit up like a child's at Christmas. "Oh yes! Would you, please? I've missed them so much! Ohhh, thank you, Setsuna-san!"

She flung her arms around her much taller companion, and grinned happily as Setsuna followed suit, hoping her friend knew there weren't any hard feelings. The Senshi of Pluto had a difficult lot in life, and Usagi could only imagine how terrible it must be, to possess forewarning of future events but no clarity as to which would actually come to pass. She certainly didn't envy Setsuna's position, nor did she feel inclined to "shoot the messenger", when it was obvious said messenger felt absolutely awful delivering her sad tidings. Usagi pulled back out of their embrace.

"Do they... you know... know?" she asked, pointing at her mid-drift in such a way that made Setsuna chuckle.

"I think it's safe to say your being 'in the family way' will be a very pleasant homecoming surprise," the genteel guardian of time quipped coyly, prompting a new burst of excitement from Usagi. She loved seeing the joy on her friends' faces when they learned the news!

"I can't wait to tell Mamo-chan," Usagi enthused. Suddenly, she gasped, gaze on her wristwatch. "Oh crap! I gotta get back. Setsuna-san, it was lovely to see you. Please, come visit me - us - again soon!"

"You are too kind," Setsuna demurred, with a bowed head. No doubt remembering how their conversation had devolved... Usagi would have none of it.

"I mean it. Anytime," she insisted, and this time it was her who gently clasped the other woman under the chin. Usagi beamed when Setsuna finally made eye contact. "Mamo-chan and I would be thrilled to have your company."

Setsuna smiled, a pink blush settling over her nose and cheeks. "Thank you, Usagi-sama."

Usagi bopped her bunned head in a vivacious display of both approval and farewell. She turned to leave, hurry back to the office up the road, when Setsuna's gloved hand caught the sleeve of her jacket. Usagi looked back, perplexed.

There was a strange glint in Setsuna's mauve eyes; one that Usagi couldn't quite decipher, but it was intensely disquieting all the same.

"Hold on to him. When things gets hard, and all seems bleak... hold on to him."

Setsuna dropped Usagi's arm. The blonde gulped, nodded brusquely, and braced herself for the wind as she made a hasty departure - trying not to show how very shaken she felt.

She noticed Setsuna said "when" not "if".

Next Prompt: "Scrumptious"