"It's...it's lovely Aveline." Hawke said, as she unwrapped the gift in her hands. She held up what had to be the ugliest outfit Anders had ever seen. It looked much like a burlap sack. Hawke was a much better actor than he was, and he snickered.

"Something wrong with my gift, Anders?"

"No no...nothing at all." he chuckled.

"The gift is just fine." Hawke said, shooting him a dirty look.

Aveline, Merrill, and Isabela had come, showering Hawke with gifts for her child. She was due any day now, and by Anders' judgement, it wouldn't be long. The baby had dropped and was already in position. Anders decided to stay, as he might have some rare alone time with Hawke when the women left. Fenris was out doing a job with Varric and Sebastian, and there was no way the mage would let the possible opportunity go to waste. In the past few months, he began to feel left out. It was no one's fault but his own, he knew that much. He'd been diving deeper into the mage underground as the outlook for Kirkwall's mages became more and more grim. Hawke was the light of his life, and he already loved this baby more than he knew he could possibly love anything. Justice would not relent, however. So he stayed late at his clinic, hunched over his desk, working at his manifesto. Some nights he didn't even have the energy to return home. He was beginning to feel negligent, and it tugged at his conscience. He once caught Fenris rubbing Hawke's belly, and the damned elf said "This is how I know you're mine." Anders seethed in anger, but said nothing. The area he did put forth all of his efforts, however, was the bedroom. He felt it was a constant competition, trying to one up Fenris. Before the elf came into the equation, their lovemaking had often been tender and slow, passionate and gentle. Now it was as if he had become aggressive to drive a point home. It was a feeling Anders didn't like, he hated feeling possessive.

He sat in his chair across from the women, observing Hawke. Her belly was round with his child but the rest of her was unchanged.. She was the same, albeit a more moody version. He didn't love her any less. Hawke pulled out a book from a parcel Merrill gave to her, her eyes set on the gift.

"It's a book of spells for young mages." the elf explained.

"Merrill, we don't know that the baby will be a mage." Hawke said.

"Oh, I know that. It's just with your genetics, as well of Anders'..."

"Sweet thing, we've been over this. It's not really Anders' child." The pirate said, sweeping a strand of hair off of Merrill's face.

"Only biologically." Anders snapped.

"Let's change the subject, shall we?" Aveline interjected.

"Here, open mine." Isabela said, plopping a bag into Hawke's lap. Hawke pulled out the gift, her eyes wide and cheeks blushing. She was holding a see through night shift in her hands, that looked like something the workers at the Blooming Rose would wear.

"It's for after the baby comes. Seeing as you have two gorgeous men in your home, I figured it would not go to waste with you." Isabela said with a chuckle to her voice.

Anders grinned as he saw the negligee in Hawke's hands. Maker, she would look stunning in that, he thought to himself as he pictured the way it would cling to her body. When he saw the look on her face, however, he became worried. Her eyes were downcast, even as she smiled and thanked Isabela. He knew Hawke like the back of his hand, and knew when she was putting on a charade for everyone else.

Soon after, her friends left, leaving the two of them alone at last. Hawke was tidying up when Anders approached her. He ran his hand down her face, and her eyes met his.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong. Why would you think that?"

"Hawke," he said firmly, but not unkind. "You think I can't see through you? Something's bothering you. What is it?"

She let out an exasperated sigh, and lowered herself to the couch. "Isabela's gift."

"What about it?" He sat beside her and took her hand in his.

"I'll never be able to wear something like that again."

"Why do you say that?"

"Okay, I know this is going to sound incredibly self-centered, but there is no way I am going to feel confident after this. I mean, I'm going to be a mother. My stomach will be completely stretched out and marked up and I know it's selfish of me to be worried about such trivial things but...how could you possibly be attracted to me? I'm going to look nothing like I did before, and this gift only reminds me of that."

Anders kissed her forehead. "Is that what this is all about? You know I think you're beautiful. The female body is a wonderful thing, don't I know it." He grinned, and began to rub her swollen belly. "If you think for a second that mother's can't be desirable too, you are mistaken, love."

Anders nudged his lips against hers. Her mouth opened instantly, inviting his tongue inside. He ran his hands down her sides, stroking and caressing her body gently. Hawke moaned into his mouth as Anders cupped her large breasts.

"You want to...right now?" she asked as she pulled away.

"Is there a problem with that? We are alone after all."

"This is true," she smiled at him. "You're going to have to help me up the stairs though."

"But of course." Anders shot her a charming grin as he stood to his feet and stretched his arms out to Hawke. She took his hands, allowing him to hoist her to her feet. He assisted her up the stairs which proved to be more challenging for her each passing day. When they reached the bedroom, Hawke flopped herself down on the bed.

"How is it that a set of stairs is workout for me now?" She groaned, rubbing her hand over her stomach. "You hear that child? You will be the end of your mother before you're even born!"

Anders chuckled as he came to her side. "I'm not sure I'd want to come out if I had such a comfortable home, myself."

"Can't you just...I don't know...force it out?"

"Sorry, love. These things have to happen on their own."

She flopped her head on the pillow, letting out a deep breath. Anders pulled one of her legs into his lap and started to massage her swollen feet.

"Oh...that's good." she groaned.

"Massage has been known to induce labor in some cases." He said as he pressed his thumbs into the sole of her foot.

"Well then, massage away."

Anders cast a small grease spell, adding moisture to his hands so he could better work at her sore muscles. His fingers kneaded up her calf, rubbing and soothing the aches she had been feeling over the last few months. Hawke groaned, similar to the sounds she often made during lovemaking. It was a joy to hear them. Anders took her other leg, repeating the process all over again.

"That feels so nice."

"I am glad to hear it." he laughed, enjoying the tender moment they were sharing.

"Is there anything else you can do to speed things up?"

"There is perhaps, one more thing," Anders replied, a sly grin coming to his face. "Sex has been known to induce labor, in many circumstances."

Hawke let out a short laugh. "Is that an actual fact, or an 'I'll say anything to have you now' fact?"

He climbed up beside her and took her into his arms. "An actual fact. Although, the second one sounds pretty close to how I feel right now."

"Alright, alright. You've convinced me. Just help me out of these clothes, will you? I'm comfortable and it's hard to sit up."

Anders smiled, as he unlaced her robes. He kissed her collar bone as it became exposed, and ran his hands over her stomach. He could feel the little one responding to his touch, which made him grin even wider. Anders reached around her back, undoing her breast band and pulling it away. Her breasts were swollen, and he made extra care to be gentle when he caressed them. Hawke moaned softly, her cheeks now flushed. He ran his hands down the length of her body, peeling away her smallclothes when he reached them. Anders kissed her thighs, gently nipping and sucking at her tender flesh.

"Maker, Anders! Get on with it!" she complained.

"Patience, love." he said, his voice low and needy. He placed two fingers at her opening, slowly pushing them inside. Hawke cried out as he curled them, stroking the sensitive spot within her that always granted him those delicious noises from Hawke. Anders kissed her outer lips, teasing her before he took her swollen nub into his mouth and sucked. She tasted tangy and sweet. He flicked his tongue over the bead as he sucked, causing her to buck her hips forward. His fingers continued to move within her, spreading and preparing her for him. It had been a month since Hawke had been taken, and even longer since it was Anders. She had been sore and moody and just generally not in the mood, but now she pulled his hair and screamed his name, as she came undone from his mouth and fingers. He continued to lap at her until her fingers pushed his head back, signalling that she had enough.

"How was that?" Anders asked, confident in himself.

"Do you even need to ask?" she laughed. "Now, are you going to make love to me, or what?"

"I thought you'd never ask." he groaned. Anders divested himself of his clothing. He got into a kneeling position in between her legs, cautious not to place any pressure on her belly. He shifted his hips forward, entering her slowly. They both moaned at the connection, and Anders shut his eyes, reveling at the feeling of being engulfed in her heat once again. He moved in and out of her with ease as she was well lubricated from his earlier efforts. His hands grabbed onto her thighs as he surged in and out of her tight sheath.

"You look so good opened like this for me."

"I love you, Anders."

"I love you, too."

Anders felt his heart swell, his emotions taking over in the moment. The intimacy between them was overwhelming. He felt so much love for her and their child. He gazed at her body, watching her breasts bounce up and down as he pumped into her.

"Let me see you touch yourself, love."

She ran a hand down her body, teasingly slow, giving him a show. Her finger found her pearl, and she began to circle it with a practised ease.

"Oh Maker, keep doing that." he moaned, feeling his end nearing. The sight of her pleasuring herself as he made love to her was almost too much. "Help me take you there."

Her eyes snapped shut as her breathing grew more ragged. Anders knew she was close now, just as he was.

"Anders, I'm going to…" the rest of her sentence was cut off as she let out a loud wail of completion. Her muscles clamped around his member, squeezing and tightening around him. He thrust into her a few more times before releasing inside of her. Wave after wave of pleasure consumed him as he filled her with his seed. Slowly he slipped out, and lay across the foot of the bed idly staring up at the ceiling as he caught his breath.

"I keep forgetting how good you are at that." Hawke said after a minute of silence.

Anders laughed and rolled onto his side to face her. "Which part?"

"All of it." she said with a grin, meeting his eyes with hers. Anders sat up and began to dress himself. He helped Hawke get back into her robes. She stood from the bed as Anders wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll make us something to eat. You relax, love."

"If you insist." She said, kissing him once more. Anders turned around and began to exit the room when he heard a yelp coming from Hawke. He turned to see her bent forward staring at the ground. He noticed immediately that the front of her robes were wet and her face was red.

"I...I don't know what happened...did I just...?"

He came close to her, examining her briefly, even as she tried to cover herself up.

"I do believe your water just broke." he answered, half amused and half in disbelief.

"Oh, so long as I didn't just wet would have been embarrassing." She said with relief. Anders couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, looks like there will be a baby soon." Anders put a new set of sheets on the bed, and a handed Hawke a fresh set of robes to wear. He arranged the pillows on the bed so that she would be more comfortable. She laid back as he gathered a few things from various drawers that he brought over from the clinic in case this very scenario happened in their home. Hawke had a sense of calm on her face, which pleased Anders to see. He however was feeling a bit panicked now that the time had come. He had delivered dozens of babies before, but now that it was Hawke, the woman he loved, the dangers of the situation sobered him. Childbirth, however natural it was, did have its risks. It was not uncommon for a woman or child to die during the birthing process. He was a skilled healer, he knew that much, but it did not stop the fear that gripped his heart. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning down to kiss Hawke.

"I love you. So much."

"I know," she said gently. "I love you too, Anders." Not a moment later she hissed out in pain, experiencing the first of many contractions to come. The baby was well on it's way, and Anders hoped he was prepared for whatever was to come.