Dragon's Fury
Chapter 21: Ymera
Mandy hummed pleasantly as strong hands gently glided along her baby bump, caressing it through the fabric of her shirt, sending calm, delightful sensations to her brain. She never ceased to be amazed at how euphoric a simple belly rub could be, although she supposed that when pregnant it was a more intimate experience.
They were sat on Mandy's bed, sitting close to each other, although perhaps not as close as they might have before. Sitting beside her, Billy conducted himself with great care, feeling the little life they'd made together with a mix of awe and anxiety. Now it all seemed more real with the baby showing herself now, radiating warmth from Mandy's body. His touches were very delicate, afraid to cause any harm to the little one inside or to her host. It irked Mandy slightly that he was being so overly cautious, but she knew that part of it was due to being apart for so long, so the situation, while intimate, was slightly awkward because of that. From Billy's point of view, despite the video chat calls over the internet, she'd gone from a fit and trim young girl to a well endowed woman fat with child, making her almost a stranger.
"Are you alright Billy?"
Billy blinked and looked up into her eyes. "Uh, yeah sure I am. It's just... been a long time since I've seen you and well... you're different now than you were."
Billy had of course been overjoyed at seeing his love again, but it was obvious he was a bit jarred by the change that had taken over her. Mandy felt it in the way he held her, the way he touched her, like he wasn't sure where to put himself anymore. It created a kind of illusory barrier between them, and Mandy didn't like it, even if she understood why.
"Well I'm sure by the end of the week you'll get used to it. To me again." Mandy hadn't intended it but there was a slight tone of sadness in her voice. She noticed it and hoped she wasn't on the verge of another mood swing.
Billy also noticed it and a regret showed on his face. "Um... look Mandy I'm sorry it's just... it's been so long and you've changed so much and I haven't... been here. You know?"
Mandy took a deep breath to keep herself calm. She didn't blame Billy for anything, but after being apart for so long she'd expected them to be unable to let each other go, to be trapped in each others embrace and expressing their love and how much they missed each other; instead there was this awkwardness, a sense of disconnect between them that they didn't seem to have before.
"Do you feel... left out or something?" She asked him.
Billy rested his head in his hands, looking less dour and more thoughtful. "Maybe a little I guess. Maybe I just feel like I'm not doing... what I should be doing you know? I want to be there for you and be responsible but... I know it's not possible right now."
Mandy understood. As the father Billy surely felt responsible for taking care of and providing for her and the baby. What's more with them separated he probably felt like he wasn't taking part in the development of their child. He probably felt guilty.
"You know Billy, maybe we haven't been doing enough together. Even though we're apart we need to try and interact more with each other. Vidchatting is clearly not enough."
Billy looked at her puzzled. "But, what else could we do at long distance? I can't go to the parenting classes with you or anything."
"No, but you can watch some of them with me right? You and I can look at things together online, research what we need for the baby, decide what colour we want for her clothes, things like that. While you're here though we need to stop acting all weird around each other and stop wasting our time together. We've waited months to be together again so there's no way in hell I'm gonna let us waste it!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him up off the bed. "Come on, I have something I need to show you."
Mandy half-led, half-dragged Billy out of the room, down the stairs and then to the basement. Billy wished she would be more careful and move around less recklessly. Turning on the lights the determined blonde went over to the corner of the room and pulled out a large box, showing it to him.
At a glace it looked like any other brown cardboard box, but as Billy read the large black type on the side he realized what it was and it filled him with dread.
"A...a crib assembly kit?"
Mandy turned to look at him with stern eyes, one hand placed on her maternal hips. "Yes, a crib assembly kit. These things are a nightmare to put together as I'm sure you're aware, but it's also an important project for an expecting couple to work on together and if it's not completed before you leave Billy, I'll make sure you know an entirely different kind of nightmare that you'll never want to experience again." Mandy's tone wasn't particularly malevolent but it was very stern and direct.
Billy quivered a bit. This was a lot like the old Mandy he grew up with, if a bit less hostile. Of course he loved Mandy and the baby so he would do this for her even without being threatened.
"I... I understand. I-I guess it'll give us something to talk or argue about." He scratched his head nervously, now kicking himself for being so awkward earlier. It had led to this.
Mandy patted the box and then started to walk back upstairs and Billy couldn't resist a peek at her more padded rear compared to the last time he laid eyes on it.
Grunting he picked up the heavy box and followed his beloved blonde back up to her room, setting it down in the middle and managing to tear the packing tape despite Mandy's insistence that he go find a knife.
The kit was a handful of large pieces and the assortment of fasteners and Allen keys that they would use to put it together. However, that was not the real threat that came from this Pandora's box of home furnishings.
Billy tentatively reached in and pulled out the white, map-folded document, as if lifting a poisonous snake from the tail. He flinched when Mandy snatched the paper from his hands and started to unfold it.
"Since I'm the woman in this relationship I'll handle the instructions and I expect you to follow them."
Billy sighed. He should have of course known from the beginning that Mandy would be 'supervising'. Well, with the baby, perhaps that was best.
"Okay start by organizing all the pieces, that way we can keep inventory and find things easier."
Billy obeyed and began to organize the bolts, nuts and other fasteners, making sure to put the Allen keys in a particularly obvious place. He looked over at Mandy, awaiting the next instruction but she had a puzzled look on her face. She looked like she was trying to make sense of the instructions to try and figure out what the next step was.
"Need some help?"
"No." Mandy grumbled, but she looked like she was really struggling to make sense of it all.
Billy got up from his spot on the floor and carefully sat beside her, gazing at the piece of paper she was scratching her head over and it wasn't hard to see why.
The instructions, rather than being broken into easy, simple steps, was simply splashed onto the paper in a single big image that tried to show all the assembly instructions at once.
Grimacing slightly Billy tentatively put a hand on her arm. "Um, should I look on the internet for better instructions?"
The edges of Mandy's mouth pulled back slightly, betraying her reluctance. She probably didn't want to admit defeat to the poorly designed instructions.
"I can figure this out." She insisted. "After all I- Ah!"
Mandy's sudden cry startled Billy, causing him to jump. "What's wrong? Mandy what's wrong?"
Wide eyed and suddenly breathing rapidly Mandy grasped her belly in her hands. "Th-the baby! I-I think the baby's kicking!"
Billy gasped and looked down at her stomach in shock. "It, it is?"
"I-I can feel it. I can feel her moving!" Mandy was transforming from shocked and frightened to happy and excited. "Billy you have to feel this, you have to!" She grabbed his hand and put it on her belly, holding it there so he could feel their daughter practicing moving her little limbs.
Billy didn't feel it immediately but after a moment a little lump pressed against his hand and were it not for Mandy's hand pinning his in place he would have pulled it away in fright, but once the surprise was over he was able to relax and start to absorb the magic of the moment, feeling the little life that he had helped create move and show that it was alive and kicking, literally.
Billy lifted up Mandy's shirt and gave her belly a gentle loving kiss eliciting a happy hum from her.
"C'mon Mandy, let's get this thing built so we don't look bad in front of our daughter."
Mandy smiled. "Yeah, let's do it. Just... give me a bit."
Billy sat back down on the floor ready to begin the arduous task of building the crib for his child but looking back at Mandy it vanished from his mind as he bore witness to one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.
Billy had often heard that pregnant women glowed but this was his first time really seeing it. Gone from Mandy was the stern expression she'd been wearing before, replaced by a blissful smile as she gently rubbed her belly, feeling the child move around inside her, beaming like a sunrise.
"Feeling a baby's kicking really is magical isn't it?"
Mandy smiled, her eyes glistening and warm. "Yes. It's the most amazing thing I've ever felt in my life."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Augh! Calm down already, you can't be that restless!"
Buttercup growled in irritation as she sat on the couch, still in her bikini and bathrobe as Will arrived with some ice-cream.
"Heh, I see our kids have gotten active since I've been gone."
"Augh, too active all of a sudden. Geez, c'mon kids please calm down. You're really making it hard on Mommy."
Will smiled and handed her the large bowl of ice-cream and then leaned his head against her belly.
"Dawww they've got their mother's fighting spirit."
His wife huffed. "Well they're taking after their daddy when it comes to bugging me." She shoved a chocolate lathered spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth and seemed to relax a bit with a treat in her belly.
Will just shrugged and continued to try and feel his children, moving around her bulging bump to make sure he felt them both. "Hmmm our little girl feels like the more sedate one."
"She's just tired" Buttercup insisted. "She's not even born yet so she won't have much endurance.
Will chuckled. "Awww don't worry about it honey, I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with her." He kissed her exposed belly, essentially giving his baby girl an affectionate smooch.
Buttercup just shook her head. "You're going to spoil her rotten aren't you?"
Will looked up at her with a sheepish grin. "Well is it not a father's duty to dote on his daughters?"
She just shook her head. "Just so long as you do a good job raising the boys too."
"Oh of course darling. I'll make sure to teach them everything I know."
Sighing she said made no remark. She simply went back to her ice-cream.
Will puased for a moment, and then got up to sit on the couch beside her, looking at her slightly concerned. "What's wrong Buttercup?"
His raven haired wife swallowed and then reached over to lightly grasp his hand.
"I'm just a little scared. I mean... not so much scared as not knowing how things will end up. I just... I mean I'm excited to become a mom now but I wonder if I'm just overconfident. I... I know I need the help of everyone so don't get me wrong I'm not confident because of what I can do myself, cause I'm not but.. I'm just not really worried. I wonder if I'm ignorant of something."
Will let out a small snort of laughter. "Oh Buttercup if there were something you were ignorant about regarding motherhood I'm positive my mother and grandmothers would have told you." He leaned in and planted a loving kiss on her chocolate covered lips. "Come on, what's really bothering you."
Buttercup sighed heavily. "I know you're doing everything you can to make sure you're here for the birth of the kids and I know you're doing this job so we can have a nice big family and protect the world and all that good stuff so I understand and I support you, really I do!"
"But you wish I was around more often." Will finished for her. Buttercup's gaze fell, feeling a little ashamed.
Will stroked her head. "I understand honey. Believe me I'm doing everything I can to try and be around you as often as I can. I wish there was another way but there isn't."
Buttercup lay her head on his shoulder. "I know I know, believe me. But I just can't help it. I feel lonely and the kids keep growing and I just want you to be a part of everything, so that you don't miss anything. I wanted you here when they first started kicking and I want you to see their first steps when they start learning how to walk and all that stuff!"
Will held her tightly and nuzzled her cheek. "I'm sorry honey. Really I am." She sniffled and then nuzzled him back.
"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll be strong. I won't be the weak link in our family."
Will chuckled softly. "Sweetie, you couldn't be the weak link in anything."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Whew, it's good to be done." Billy sighed. He and Mandy were both sitting on the couch in the living room enjoying fresh mugs of hot chocolate. They had finished assembling the crib after a long and frustrating struggle. It was almost dinner time now and Krystal was in the kitchen preparing it, her daughters helping while the boys played upstairs.
"Yeah it is." Mandy was drinking her cocoa with one hand while idly rubbing the side of her belly with the other. "Now we have a place to put our baby when she's born."
Billy smiled and chuckled to himself.
"What's so funny?" Mandy asked him.
"Oh I was just thinking about how maternal you look. You seem so confident at being a mother now."
Mandy smirked. "Trust me, inside I'm terrified. Well, when I'm loving the feeling of our little girl growing inside me."
Billy took a sip of his hot chocolate. "What's it feel like?"
Mandy put her own mug on the end table and put both hands on her belly. "It's odd, I really don't know how to describe it. I feel her inside me, moving, and feeling something moving inside you is so unbelievably weird and feeling her move inside me with my hands feeling on the outside to just makes my brain confused." Mandy started to rub the sides of her belly again, sighing contently as she felt their child calm down. "Feels like she's going to sleep."
"You can feel that too?"
"Yeah. I don't know how to describe that but... I just feel her when she's asleep and I can feel when she wakes up too. It's amazing."
Billy reached over behind her and pulled her close to him. "You're amazing."
Mandy chuckled and nuzzled him. "I know. By the way, I seem to recall that I have you an assignment to complete before we saw each other again. Something about you finding a name for our beloved baby?"
Billy winced. "Uh... yeah I remember that. I have been thinking about it a lot."
"Oh? So did you come up with one?"
"Y-yeah I did."
Mandy raised an eyebrow. Why was Billy acting so hesitant all of a sudden? "So then? Tell me what you came up with."
Billy took a deep breath. "Well... I wanna call her Ymera."
Mandy looked at him puzzled. "Why-meera? As in like, chimera?"
Billy rubbed the back of his head. "Well sorta yeah. But I didn't think Chimera sounded good cause then the other kids might make fun of her so I changed it a little."
"You changed half a syllable."
"Well it makes a difference doesn't it?"
Mandy rolled her eyes and sighed, patting the top of her belly as she felt their little girl start to drift off to sleep. "I like it."
Billy blinked, not sure if he heard correctly at first. "You like it?"
"It's unique" Mandy admitted. "It's certainly more creative than some common names out there and the fact that it's so unique means it will stick in people's minds. Our children will never be the type that fits in Billy so we might as well give them some uniqueness and identity from birth."
Billy took another sip of hot chocolate. "Wow, I didn't expect you to like it. I had backup's that were a little more normal like Persephone and Penelope-"
"I would never name my daughter Penelope", Mandy said flatly.
"Why? What's wrong with Penelope?"
"I don't like it. That's all the reason you need." Mandy lightly began rubbing the top of her belly and Billy brought his hand over to join hers, working together as father and mother to soothe their baby girl into a deep slumber.
"Sleep tight Ymera" They said softly.
Finally the next chapter is up and only 1-2 chapter to go before it's finished. I hope to get this done within the next couple of months but life happens. I hope you enjoy this rather short chapter and I plead for your patience until the final one or two chapters is uploaded and this series, my very first fan-fic is finally laid to rest.