Well, it's been a fun trip. But it's finally time for Mai to have her baby. So without further adieu, here's the last chapter. Enjoy!

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

Chapter Eleven: A Long-Awaited Delivery

December 3rd, 2001

A light snow was falling outside the dojo, but Mai Shiranui-Bogard was quite warm as she sat in the rocking chair of the nursery, dressed in a red kimono with a haori draped over her shoulders. Her sewing needles were out, and she was putting the finishing touches on a soft baby blanket made of lavender felt.

The kunoichi paused in her work to glance around the nursery, admiring how homey the room looked now. After the initial yellow coat of paint had gone onto the walls, Mai had spent the next month stenciling in and painting smaller designs: clouds, cherry blossoms, smiling ladybugs and caterpillars, and other things to add to the soft, relaxing ambience of the room. The rocking chair Mai sat in was by the window, with the bookcase to her immediate left. It was less than half-full of books at the moment, but they would likely get more. Most of the books currently on the shelves were gifts from the baby shower guests, though Andy had bought one or two of them. He'd shown actual excitement (a rare thing for him) when he'd found a Japanese print version of some book called "Go, Dog, Go." Mai had never read it, but Andy insisted that no child should be without it. Mai found that extremely amusing, seeing as how Andy didn't like dogs in real life, but she kept that to herself.

Along the wall to Mai's right, closest to the door, was the crib that she herself had slept in as a baby. She'd managed to locate it in one of the dojo's storage sheds, and after it had been vigorously scrubbed down by her and Andy, it was now ready for Mai's own little one. Above the crib hung a mobile that Andy had attached to the ceiling. The designs on it were black and white, and after the baby was five months old, Mai would put up a new mobile with colored designs.

Against the wall opposite where she sat was the changing table, genie, and the dresser. On top of the dresser sat the gift Mai had received from her sisters the day after her shower, along with an oversized plush maneki-neko, or "lucky cat," which had been a present from Jubei Yamada on his most recent visit.

This room is so cozy now, Mai thought as she resumed her work on the blanket. She sat by the window, where outside the white flakes drifted lazily to the ground, which only added to the warm feeling inside. It's only missing one thing. As if in response to this, Mai felt a kick against her stomach. She exhaled sharply and paused again to place a hand on her huge, bulbous gut, which now stuck out like a watermelon against the loose fabric of her kimono. A large pair of fetal headphones were attached to her belly, and the music being piped into her womb was Beethoven's sixth symphony.

Not what I would have chosen, but Andy is afraid that the music I like will traumatize the kid. "Don't like this, baby?" Mai spoke softly to her stomach. "Well, someday I'll play you some real music." She smiled as she reached over to the glass of wine resting on the bookcase, took a small sip, and then got back to sewing.

"Mai?" She heard her husband's voice a few minutes later.

"I'm in the nursery, honey!" She called out. A short time after that, Andy appeared in the doorway, dressed in his fighting costume with a towel draped over his shoulders.

For a moment, Mai seemed confused by what her husband was wearing. "Was there class today?" She asked him. After her stomach had grown to the point where it made moving around much harder, Mai had stopped watching the classes from the sidelines, so she hadn't been keeping up with the schedule as much as she should have been.

"Yup," said Andy. "It just got out."

"Ah, how'd it go?"

"It went well. Hachiro-san is almost ready to move to the next grade in his Taijutsu forms. I think a lot of students are missing you, though."

Mai laughed. "Are they missing me? Or just something about me?"

"Um..." Andy faltered, unsure of how to answer that.

She laughed louder. "It's okay, Andy. I know what guys like. But honestly, I'm really starting to miss being a sensei. I can't wait until I can get more active again."

Andy moved over to her chair, placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Me neither. It's tough teaching by myself. I can do it, but I'd rather have a partner."

Mai laid her sewing tools down on the top of the bookcase and put her hands over Andy's. "Well, you know, Andy," she said, turning her gaze up so her rich brown eyes met his blue. "You'll still be flying solo for a few months after this baby comes out. I'll need to get back into shape before I feel comfortable putting my kunoichi uniform back on."

"You know that I think you look beautiful right now, Mai. As beautiful as you looked that night when we shared our first kiss."

Mai gave him a sad smile and patted his hand. She used to think she was rocking the pregnant look, but lately it had gotten a lot harder to feel sexy. Mainly because Mai's confidence was a little shaken, due to how limited her activities had gotten in this trimester. Even the simple acts of standing up, walking, and sitting down were hard to do without feeling pain. "I know you think that, Andy, and I know you mean it. But it's hard for me to feel beautiful right now. I mean, I used to be able to jump up onto the roof of the dojo in one leap, without using a stepladder. I miss little things like that, or being able to execute my Deadly Ninja Bee attack. Even low impact exercise has gotten harder for me to do. And I know, deep down, it's all worth it, but it still annoys me at times." She shook her head and resumed working. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling..."

"It's okay. Ramble all you want." Andy leaned down and planted a kiss on her scalp. Then he asked her: "How's the blanket coming?"

"It should be almost ready in another hour," Mai said, happy to find something baby-related to discuss. "Almost, because I'll still need to embroider the baby's name into one of the corners, after they're born." She paused to take another sip of wine.

Andy scowled at seeing that. "Mai... should you be drinking?"

She shrugged. "Andy, this kid is coming out sometime in the next few weeks. At this point, it's safe to have an occasional glass of wine. The doctor even told me so."

At hearing that, Andy let himself relax. It was then that his eyes fell upon all the boxes of diapers stacked against the far wall, between the changing table and the bookcase. The stack reached almost to the ceiling. "You really think we'll need that many?" Andy asked his wife.

"Couldn't hurt to be ready," Mai answered. "You remember Chikako-san?"

"Your old friend from high school? She came to the shower, right?"

"Yup. She's a mother of two, and she assured me you can never have too many diapers. So we'll use what we need, and as the baby outgrows them, we'll donate whatever's left."

"Okay," said Andy. His blue eyes then moved to the bookcase, in particular the bottle of wine which Mai had poured from. He made a face when he saw the familiar figure on its label. "You know, I still can't believe you buy Laurence Blood's wine."

Mai laughed. "I guess you could call it Stockholm Syndrome. Yeah, he defeated me, tied me up, interrogated me, knocked me out, and used me as bait, but I have to admit: he's a VERY good winemaker."

Andy laughed with her. "I'll take your word, Mai. I'll never drink that stuff."

Mai shrugged, took another sip. "Okay, more for me." She then gave a small shudder, leaned forward slightly in the chair. "The baby is really kicking today," the ninja girl explained to her husband. "I don't think they like the music I'm playing. Maybe I should put on some Rob Zombie, or early Metallica..."

"Um... really?" Andy made another face, this one even deeper than the the first.

His wife laughed even louder. "No, Andy, I'm kidding."

"Oh, okay." He breathed a sigh of relief. "You know, Mai, speaking of kicking: at what age do we want to start our kid's training?"

"Well, Ojisama and Tou-chan started training me when I was old enough to walk," said Mai. "But it's interesting. That first year, pretty much all we did was play games: hopscotch, hide and seek, and other kid's stuff. But looking back, they kept putting unique spins on them."

Andy raised his brow curiously. "In what way?"

"Well, for example, when we played hide and seek, every time Ojisama was 'it' he would never count out loud. Or announce when he was coming. And then when he found me, I'd tell him he was cheating, and he would say that your enemy will almost never announce themselves. And I feel like he and my dad put that spin on a lot of the games we played, to better prepare my mind and body for when we started to work on beginner's katas. I'll have to look in his books to see if he wrote anything about that, because I think I want to start training our kid that same way, when they can walk."

"That's interesting," Andy said. "I don't think you've ever told me this before, but it sounds like a fun way to ease a young mind into training. I hope we can do that."

Mai gave him a smile. "I do, too."

Andy then took the towel draped around his shoulders and dabbed his face with it. "Well, I'm gonna go shower and change. Is there anything I can get you first?"

"Hmmmm," Mai thought for a moment, then gave her stomach another pat. "Nope, I think I have everything I need."

"Okay." Andy started to leave the room, got halfway when Mai said his name again. He turned back towards her.

"Actually, Andy, can you help me up? I think I need to pee." Mai placed her sewing equipment and the blanket on top of the bookcase next to her wine, and held her hands out to Andy.

Andy smiled as he took Mai's hand on his own, wrapping his other arm around her lower back. After she was standing, Mai took a few deep breaths, and then kissed her husband on the cheek. "Thanks, baby!"

"Of course," Andy replied. "Call if you need anything else."

"I will," Mai said over her shoulder, as she was already walking towards the door, moving as fast as her belly would let her towards the closest bathroom.

December 18th, 2001

"Andy, I think it's time."

Andy looked up from the dish of rice and natto he had heated for himself to see his wife standing in the kitchen, both hands clutching the bulge of her belly. "You... don't think this could be a false alarm?" He asked her.

Mai shook her head. "I've been timing the contractions, like the doctor said. For the past hour and a half, they've been lasting about a minute, and they're happening every four to five minutes. I... I think this baby is coming."

Andy sat up suddenly, dropping his chopsticks to the tiled floor with a clatter. "Oh, God... Mai, we're having a baby, aren't we?" He rushed to his wife's side, and started to move her to the chair he'd just vacated. "Okay, just stay calm. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm..."

"I am calm, Andy," Mai said softly.

"I know, I'm talking to myself." He helped Mai into the chair, and then began to pace the kitchen while speaking in a rapid tone. "Okay, I need to get the travel bag that we put together. I need to call the doctor, then a cab, then I need to call Terry. I hope I'm not forgetting anything. Am I forgetting something?"

"Andy, look at me!"

Andy paused in his pacing to look at Mai, who sat there with her hands in her lap, taking deep breaths and radiating control. "Everything will be fine," the kunoichi told her husband. "Just breathe, okay? Keep taking deep, slow breaths, and make those phone calls. I feel good right now, so there's no need to worry. We'll make it to the hospital."

As Andy reached for the phone that hung on the kitchen wall, he couldn't help but laugh. "It's ironic. I'm supposed to be the one telling you to relax."

Mai gave him a sly smile. "Well, I was prepared to step up. I had a feeling you might need some help."

"Thanks, Mai."

"Of course. We're a team. Now call the doctor, honey."

Andy laughed again, and started to dial. A short time later, the couple were making their way across the courtyard, Andy with one arm around Mai, while his other hand clutched a travel bag containing clean clothes and some personal items for them both. Mai was dressed comfortably in baggy maternity clothes (which would be easier for her to remove at the hospital), a parka and earmuffs.

"So, I only called my brother," Andy told her. "I've asked him to pass the word along to everyone else. Though maybe I should call Joe after we get there. Should I call him, too? Or do you think Terry already did?"

"You're rambling, Andy," Mai said calmly. "Slow, steady breaths, okay? Everything will be fine."

Andy took in a deep breath, blew it out sharply after holding it for a few seconds. "Okay, Mai, you're right. You and I have faced a lot worse than this."

Mai giggled. "Easy for you to say, Andy. I'm the one popping the baby out."

Andy took another deep breath. "And you think that might be worse than some of the evil entities we've faced at King of Fighters?"

Mai took a breath, as well, feeling another contraction. "I'll let you know soon enough."

When they got to the top of the long stone stairway, Andy shouldered the bag, then picked up his wife and began to carry her bridal-style down towards the waiting cab.

Mai giggled and threw her arms around his neck. "Ooh, look at you, my sweet, noble warrior." As they were racing against time, however, the ninja girl had decided it would be best to hold her pride in check and let Andy carry her down, since it was faster.

Andy laughed, gazing into his wife's eyes as he descended the stairs. "I love you, Mai."

Mai kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, too, baby. I can't believe this is happening. Soon, we're finally going to meet our baby. We'll be parents!"

At the mention of that, Andy found himself taking deep, relaxing breaths again as he carried Mai down to the cab that would take them to the hospital.

Thirty-six hours later...

"Rise and shine, you two!" Joe Higashi shouted at the couple dozing on the couch in front of him. Terry Bogard and Mary Ryan were seated back to back, leaning against each other for support as they slept. Terry's cap was pulled down over his eyes, while his wife had her jacket draped over her face like a blanket.

They were on the delivery and maternity floor of Mino's hospital, in the waiting room, and the other couches were occupied by Ryo and Yuri Sakazaki, King, Robert Garcia and Jubei Yamada. Both Joe and Jubei, who were in Japan, looked the hardiest of them all. Everyone else had gotten on whatever flight they could grab at the last minute, and out of all the couples, Terry and Mary had been the latest. Joe had waited in Tokyo for their flight to land at Haneda Airport, so he could drive them down to Mino. Everyone else had arrived at the hospital in time for Andy to tell them when Mai had just started to go into labor. Most of them had already found time for naps.

Now they were all waiting. And doing their best to stay awake. Both Terry and Mary started at the sound of Joe's voice. The kick-boxer smiled and held out a cardboard tray, which had three cups of coffee on it. He took one of the cups and offered the other two to his friends. "You can sleep when you're back at your hotel. After you've met the new addition to the family."

Terry stretched slightly and took one of the offered coffee cups. "Thanks, dude," he said to his brother-in-arms, and drank deep from the paper cup. Mary offered similar gratitude and accepted the other coffee.

"That's so sweet!" Yuri said, as she snapped a picture with the digital camera around her neck. "Uncle Terry and Aunt Mary sharing coffee together!" Robert had given his girlfriend the camera as a birthday present a week and a half ago, and ever since they'd arrived at the hospital, Yuri had been taking pictures almost non-stop.

"Do you need to get pictures of everything?" Ryo chided his sister.

"Hey, this is an important moment," Yuri said. "Andy and Mai's first child coming into the world! I'm sure they'll be glad someone recorded everything for posterity!"

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Sure. Like that picture you took of the vending machines in the hospital waiting room. I'm sure they'll be glad someone remembered to record those."

Yuri sat up a little straighter. "Hey, those vending machines were awesome! Way cooler than American vending machines. Why don't we have machines that cool back home?"

"Those were pretty cool," King said. "I've never seen machines that advanced back in the States."

"Me neither," Robert added. "Besides, why discourage her?" He put an arm around Yuri. "My sweetheart is a shutterbug."

Yuri giggled at the mention of that. "You think I should go pro, baby?"

Robert shrugged. "Couldn't hurt to try."

Yuri giggled again. "Aw, Robbie... You gave me the best birthday present ever!" The two of them then started making out, much to the disgust of Ryo.

"Aw, come on, wait until you're back in your own hotel room!" He shouted at them.

"Now, now, it's always nice to see young love!" Jubei Yamada said as he watched the shameless public display of affection.

Ryo was not amused by the look in Jubei's eyes. "That's my sister, old man!" He snapped, his expression suggesting that he was this close to unleashing a Haoh Shou Kou Ken on the judo master.

King put a hand on Ryo's arm. "Ryo, we're in a hospital."

"Yeah, meaning that if I do hurt him, help is right around the corner."

Jubei was sitting on the chair next to the couch King and Ryo sat on. He moved the bouquet of flowers that he was holding over to his left arm and offered his right hand to King in greeting. "You look familiar, young lady. Didn't we meet at Mai's wedding?"

Ryo looked ready to jump out of his seat, but King put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "I've got this," she whispered to her boyfriend. She then accepted Jubei's handshake, and while slowly applying pressure to his hand, told him: "Yes. I remember you. I also remember you're a very old friend of Mai's family. She said she's known you her whole life. So she was sure to tell me all about your reputation." By now, she was squeezing Jubei's hand so hard that he was starting to squirm uncomfortably. "Which I hope, for your sake, will not present a problem while we're here. Are we good?"

"Um... yes, of course we are," Jubei said, trying to pull his hand back. After another few moments, during which her blue eyes were locked firmly with Jubei's dark brown, King let go, and the old master took his hand back, rubbing it while muttering: "Damn this new century. This used to be so much easier for me..."

King turned back to her boyfriend and gave Ryo a pat on the wrist. "See, Ryo? Problem solved. And with a minimum of force."

Ryo laughed and kissed her forehead. "God, that's hot."

After everyone shared a good laugh over that, Mary yawned and took a swig of her coffee. "Have we heard anything else, since Mai went into labor?" She asked.

Robert shook his head. "Nope. Andy hasn't been back out since he told us that."

"I'm sure everything is fine," Joe said. "Mai's been doing the low-impact exercises her doctor recommended, at least that's what Andy told me. I'm sure that kid'll have no problems coming out."

"We can only hope," Terry remarked. A few minutes after he said this, the swinging double doors leading out to the waiting room suddenly opened, and Andy Bogard emerged, dressed in a pair of green scrubs, his long blond hair tucked under a hospital cap. His blue eyes had an almost dreamy look in them as he approached those assembled, a look that none of them had ever seen on him before.

"I'm... I'm a dad," he told them when he got close. "It's a boy. Seven pounds, three ounces, and healthy. Mai and the baby are both doing fine."

For the next several minutes, Andy was the subject of several handshakes and back-slaps from the men assembled, as well as King and Mary. Yuri laughed as she gave Andy a hug. "Congratulations, Andy!" She said. "Can we see them?"

"Yup," Andy answered her. "They just finished cleaning up the baby, and they moved him and Mai to a quieter room. Follow me." Andy led the group through the double doors and down several hallways. Eventually, they came to an open door that a nurse was exiting from.

"Mrs. Bogard is expecting you," the nurse told them. "But please, keep your voices down." Then she motioned to the flowers Jubei was holding: "Would you like me to find a vase for those, sir?"

Jubei nodded, and gave a small bow as he handed her the bouquet. "Domo, my dear. Such a helpful young lady..."

"Not the time, sensei," Andy cut him off, and then he led the group inside the room. At first, the room's only other occupant did not seem to notice them, as she was too preoccupied. Mai looked like she'd been through a wringer: her large brown eyes were bloodshot, with heavy dark circles under them, and her auburn bangs were plastered to her forehead with sweat. Her ponytail was just barely holding together, with frizzled ends sticking out all over it.

Yet despite her disheveled appearance, Mai Shiranui-Bogard... was positively glowing. Even through the fatigue clouding her eyes, the light of love shone brightly as she gazed down at the swaddled newborn in her arms. The look on her face was that of someone who had realized the totality of complete happiness. Mai's lip quivered as she softly caressed the baby's cheek with her fingertips.

After a moment, all the eyes in the room turned from Mai to Andy, who was smiling at his wife and son. Andy gently cleared his throat to get Mai's attention. "I've brought them, Mai," he said, and then moved over to her side at the bed.

Mai looked up at those assembled, and her tired eyes shone even brighter. "Welcome, everyone," she said softly. "I'm so happy you all could make it. Come closer, and say hello to little Jeffrey."

As they all approached the bed, Terry glanced at his brother, who was also gazing down at the baby. "You... named him Jeffrey?" He asked Andy.

"Of course," Andy said with a nod. "Me and Mai both agreed from the beginning that if the baby was a boy, we'd name him that. We couldn't name him anything else."

Mai nodded, as well. "Jeffrey Tadatsugu Shiranui-Bogard. In honor of his grandfathers."

"It's a good name," Ryo said.

Terry shook his head. "No, it's a great name." He gave Mai a friendly peck on her forehead, then reached over and clapped Andy on the shoulder. "Dad... would be very proud if he were here."

"I know," said Andy. "And he'd be spoiling the kid rotten."

For the next few minutes, all the focus was on the baby in Mai's arms. The child was asleep, swaddled in a soft blanket. His face was still bright red, a bit wrinkled from his nine-month immersion in the womb, and his hair had yet to start growing. But Mai gazed down at him like his was the most beautiful face she'd ever seen. Everyone else couldn't help but gaze, as well.

Jubei reached over and gently tickled the baby's chin. "He looks just like his mommy and daddy," the old master said with a chuckle.

"He's so cute, Mai!" Yuri squealed as she gazed down at him. "Isn't he adorable, Robbie?"

"He is," Robert said with a smile, and put his arm around Yuri's waist.

"He is a cute kid," Joe said, and reached over to give his friend a handshake. "You done good, Andy!"

Andy laughed. "Tell that to Mai. She did all the hard work. My part in this was easy!" Andy then moved his gaze over to his wife and son, blue eyes shining with pride.

"You look good, Mai," King told her friend. "I'm really happy for you. How are you feeling?"

Mai gave a loud sigh. "Like I've just been through ten fighting tournaments, back to back. I'm exhausted, hungry, sweaty, and everything below the waist hurts like hell." A smile spread across her lips, then, and she gently caressed her baby's smooth scalp. "But I've never been happier. He was worth every minute of it! I'd go through it again, twice as long if I had to, for this moment."

"I can tell," King said with a nod. The last time she'd seen Mai looking so happy was at her wedding.

"I think Master Jubei is right," Robert said to the new parents. "He does look like you guys."

"You're gonna be a badass ninja someday, aren't you, little guy?" Terry said, and also gave Jeffrey a small chin-tickle.

Mary had been strangely silent the whole time, looking down at Jeffrey with some slight unease on her face. Mai noticed this and held the baby in Mary's direction. "Here, Mary, say hi to your nephew!"

Mary sputtered as the baby was gently pushed into her arms. "Um, no, Mai, that's okay. I... I don't need to..."

"It's all right, Mary, honey," Mai cut her off. "I trust you with him. Just remember to support his head. The rest is easy."

"Mai, I'm fine, really!" Mary went on, but it was too late. A few seconds later, the detective had the baby tucked in her arms, his head resting on the crook of her left elbow. Mary looked down at him with her eyes wide, like she was holding a priceless six-hundred year-old Ming dynasty vase, and was terrified of dropping it.

After a few moments, Mary cleared her throat. "Um... hi there," she said to the sleeping infant. "I'm... your Aunt Mary. You're... pretty tiny, aren't you?"

Several people in the room were trying to control their laughter. Yuri's camera was out, and the karate girl was snapping several pictures. "Um, I want veto power over those pictures!" Mary said to Yuri.

"What's wrong, Mary?" Yuri said with a giggle. "Afraid to let the world see your soft side?"

"No!" Mary said defensively. "I just... wanna be sure I'm not making any funny faces in them."

Mai was now giggling, as well. "You're a natural with him, Mary," the kunoichi said to her sister-in-law.

"I'm glad you think so, Mai," Mary said. "Now, can someone else please take him?"

"Ooh, gimme, gimme, gimme!" Yuri quickly put the camera away and held out her arms to Mary. A few moments later, Jeffrey was being held by his godmother.

"Oh, you are just so cute!" Yuri cooed at the newborn. "I could eat you alive, you're just too precious! Yes you are! You're so cute, your Auntie Yuri could eat you alive!"

Just then, the baby stirred a little in Yuri's arms, and started to emit a high-pitched wail, stopping only to take breaths in.

"Smooth move, sis!" Ryo chided her. "You already broke it!"

Mai laughed and held her arms out to her friend. "Here, Yuri, give him to me. He's just hungry!"

As the baby was being placed back in Mai's arms, the nurse appeared in the doorway. She was holding a vase that she'd placed Jubei's flowers in, and she set it down on the table by the door before addressing the group. "All right, everyone. It's time for Mrs. Bogard to try and nurse him. Please give the parents some privacy. You can come back to see them later."

"Aw, we can't stay and watch?" Jubei asked with a sad shake of his head.

"Don't push me, master," Mai growled menacingly at him. "I'm still packing a fan on me."

"Trust me, she is," said Andy. "I don't know where, but she's got it. She hit one of the doctors with it when she was in labor."

Everyone laughed over that, and after saying congratulations to the new parents (and promising to check back later, after they'd gotten some sleep), they filed out into the hallway and headed back towards the waiting room.

"He was cute, wasn't he?" Ryo remarked to King.

"Yeah, he was," King answered, knowing where Ryo was going with this. "I just... I've got a few years of fighting and competing left in me first. Maybe when I hit thirty-five, I'll be ready to settle down..."

"You did look like a natural holding Jeffrey," Terry said to his wife.

"I fooled everyone pretty good, then" Mary said with a nervous laugh. "I was sure I was gonna drop him. I mean, we're both jet-lagged..."

Terry laughed and put an arm around her as they walked. After a few moments, Mary remarked: "But... maybe someday, if we both feel like it... we can adopt one who's past the baby phase. So I don't have to worry about giving them brain damage."

Terry laughed louder. "Yeah, maybe."

The only ones who weren't having an awkward conversation were Yuri and Robert. "Someday... right, Robbie?" Yuri asked him as they walked arm in arm.

"Absolutely, babe," Robert answered her. "Just as soon as I think it's safe to ask your dad for his blessing."

"I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures of Jeffrey while we're here. Maybe those will help convince him."

Robert laughed. "Couldn't hurt to try."

"I should talk to Lilly when her flight gets in," Joe said, half to himself.

"Are you actually ready to rethink kids?" Terry chided him.

Joe shrugged. "Well, it would be nice for JT to have some cousins."

"JT?" Ryo asked him.

"The nickname I gave him," Joe explained. "That other name is too much of a mouthful."

"You may not want to use that around Mai," Terry warned.

"I think it's a cute nickname," Jubei remarked as the group continued down the hallway.

A short time later, after Jeffrey had finished eating, Mai used one hand to pull her hospital gown back into place. She then smiled down at her son as she used a cloth to gently dab at his mouth. Not even the pre-natal classes had really prepared Mai for the odd sensation of nursing her baby. It had felt a little strange, but the entire time, Mai had watched him with an almost rapt fascination. A part of her still couldn't believe this was real, that she was finally holding her child, feeding him at her breast, and that his father was Mai's Prince Charming, the only man Mai had ever loved.

"You know, Andy," Mai said out loud to her husband, who was seated next to the bed. "If I were to go back in time ten years, and tell my past self that by the end of this year, she'd be married to the man of her dreams, and they'd have a son together, I don't think I would have believed myself. I mean, my past self wouldn't believe the present me. I... does that make sense?"

Andy smiled and placed a hand on Mai's shoulder. "It makes sense, Mai."

"That's good," Mai said, and gazed lovingly down at her son once again. "He's so perfect, isn't he, Andy?" The ninja girl stifled a yawn as she spoke.

Andy leaned forward a little more. "Do you want me to take him, Mai? I can finish burping him. You look like you're gonna pass out."

Mai yawned again. "I hate to stop holding him, but... I am tired. I should probably rest." She kissed her son on his forehead and whispered: "Mommy loves you very much, Jeffrey-chan." Then she passed the child over to Andy. "Thanks, Andy."

"Of course," Andy told her. "We're a team." He moved the baby into a different position on his lap, keeping the neck supported with one hand while he used the other to pat Jeffrey on the back, just like he'd been shown in the classes.

Mai turned slightly in the bed and smiled as she watched him, her brown eyes shining. Andy hadn't cried the first time he'd held Jeffrey, like Mai had, but the ninja girl had seen a small glint in the corner of one of his eyes. And she'd remembered the look on his face as he gazed down at his child, a look she'd seen many times on it over the years. Her husband did not always say what he felt out loud, but that look told Mai everything she'd needed to know about his feelings at that moment: that Andy loved his son, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for the boy.

A short time later, the baby emitted a small burp. Andy wiped his mouth and settled Jeffrey back down against his arm. "That's good, buddy," he whispered to his son.

Mai giggled, even though she was rapidly losing consciousness. "You look so relaxed with him, Andy, honey. I told you you had nothing to be afraid of."

Andy laughed nervously. "I don't know about that. I haven't tried giving him a bath yet."

"You'll be fine, Andy," Mai said, her voice becoming inaudible as she sank back in her pillow. "I'll be there to help. Like you said, we're a team. We'll always be there... to help each other out."

Andy leaned forward and kissed Mai gently on her soft, red lips. "I love you, Mai," he whispered.

"I love you, Andy," Mai whispered back. "You've made me so happy. We're parents now..." Mai's voice trailed off as her fatigue finally overwhelmed her, and she drifted into dreamland.

As Andy watched her doze peacefully, he realized that he was fading himself. "Excuse me, Mr. Bogard." Andy looked up to see the nurse standing over his chair. "Why don't you let me take him for you? I'll bed him down in the nursery so you and your wife can rest. I'll bring him back when it's time for him to nurse again."

"Domo," Andy said to her with a small bow of his head. He kissed Jeffrey on the forehead, and then handed him to the nurse, who nodded politely and then left them. After she was gone, Andy stayed awake for a few more minutes, watching his wife. Even after all this time, he still thought Mai looked like an angel when she slept.

As he admired her, Andy found himself thinking of the last thing she'd said. We're parents now... There was a time when that would have frightened him. But now, with Mai at his side, he felt like it was a challenge that he was ready to face.

I love you so much, Mai, he thought as he gazed at her. I'll die before I ever see you or Jeffrey come to harm. He kissed her tenderly on the forehead, then rested his head against her shoulder, and drifted off to sleep as well. The new parents slept soundly, both of them realizing that such a sleep would likely be a rare thing, once they left the hospital...

THE END... AND THE BEGINNING.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

So, I've read different schools of thought on drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Some of what I've read says that no alcohol is best, while some studies show that light drinking (no more than two glasses per week) at eight or nine months doesn't hurt the baby. Mai's doctor is a bit older in my fic (I implied that he also delivered Mai), so I like to think his school of thought would be that a glass of wine in the ninth month is safe. But in case any pregnant women are reading this: use your own judgment.

According to the SNK wiki, Yuri's birthday is December 7th. And it looks like in my own ficverse, Jeffrey Tadatsugu's birthday is either the 19th or the 20th of December. No significance to the date, simply that December was the ninth month for Mai. But I think it's kind of cool that her son's birthday is only about ten days before hers. I guess I was thinking of my own mother, whose birthday is only ten days before mine.

I knew when I started writing this that I wasn't going to show the actual childbirth, only the aftermath. I watched a childbirth in one of my student film classes, and it was disgusting. No offense to any moms reading this, but the actual birth of a baby is gross. So I only showed the aftermath.

Also, a newborn baby can't use its neck muscles for the first few months, so if you hold them, you have to support their head.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Thank you for your patience in waiting for this final chapter. As always, feel free to review. I'll see you next fic!