Nine Months
Chapter 34

The desert, he thinks, is not a good place for a pregnant woman to be. But Rikku had insisted on helping Nhadala for at least one more week before stopping her trips down to the dig sites once and for all.

Behind him, the workers are preparing the ramp to load the machines, the shouting and noise lost to the desert winds. Vast dunes and golden sands almost makes him miss the bundle of familiar blond hair running toward him from below. Rikku slows down and poses in front of him once she makes it all the way up the sand dune, and smiles.

"Man, have we got somethin' special for you!" With a laugh, she happily points behind her where a few more men are joining the long line of workers with parts waiting to be loaded. "Buddy and some of the other guys found an airship power cell in the Eastern Expanse this morning!"

He raises his eyebrow. "Oh really?" Reaching out, he pulls her close toward him as they make their way back down. "And what did you do all day, beautiful?"

She smiles innocently. "I uhm... helped them with the fiends while they uh... dug it... out?"

He smirks. "In that case, I'm guessing you guys got attacked quite often this morning." He waves at the group as they get closer, his hand tightening around his girlfriend's waist as he puts on his best smile. "So Rikku tells me you've found something interesting."

Buddy nods, clapping his hands together to rid of the dirt on his gloves. "It's waiting in the site whenever you're ready."

She grins excitedly up at Gippal. "It flickers when you kick it! I tried! It still works!" With a sigh, she kicks at the dirt. "It took forever to get it out, didn't it Buddy?"

Buddy nods, chuckling suddenly. "We even had Rikku sort of stuck underneath it at one point." He glances at her. "That took forever to get her out too."

Gippal stiffens slightly. This past week, he's been overly concerned about everything that involved Rikku. But he knows it's just because he doesn't want anything happening to her and the baby – not again. So he allows himself to be a little worried, even if she doesn't want him to. "Were you alright?" he asks her.

She feels him stiffen, and she immediately understands it. Especially since Buddy made it sound like the thing was crushing her. She turns to him and looks him in the eye, squeezing his shoulder softly. "It was just my scarf, I promise," she says softly. "I barely got near the thing, but to kick it, and then they dropped it and my scarf got stuck, and then they had to pick it back up because I'm stupid and I had to kick it..." she realizes she's rambling and stops. With a tiny smile, she squeezes again. "We're fine."

"Hey!" Buddy suddenly calls, standing a few meters away. He looks at Gippal. "Are you two going to be staying for the night?"

Gippal shakes his head, pointing back in the direction of the airship. "We've got to get this stuff back to Djose."

Buddy shrugs, walking toward a nearby hover where the rest of the men are waiting. "Well, it's been a while since you've come down here. Me and the guys don't see you anymore. Maybe you should stick around for a while."

"Nah... I..." He pauses momentarily to glance at Rikku. "...I'm just -- I've been busy."

She feels a little guilty, because really... he hasn't left her side in months. And she thinks he needs a little break from her, every once in awhile. "We could stay. It's just one night. And they're still working on last week's stuff at the temple." She shrugs. "And it would give me more time to talk to Vydran."

The thought of the man's face makes him cringe. They had agreed that they would tell Cid about the baby soon, but that didn't mean he didn't dread it. Even though he and Cid are on comfortable terms for the moment, it's only because Cid thinks the only thing going on between him and Rikku is dating. Something that Cid's kept fairly quiet. A baby is something he can't keep quiet about. A baby proves more than 'just dating'. A baby gives Cid a reason to disapprove of Gippal all over again.

"I should... be with you for that then," he tells her. "I'll stay behind with you, and we'll... talk to him."

"But I'll talk to him first. Just in case." She looks over at Buddy and smiles. "Go have a drink with the guys. It'll make you feel better when you have to talk to Cid." With a laugh, she pulls herself away from his hold, brushing some sand off her gloves.

He waits for a moment, watching her expression carefully. She has a point. He thinks a drink or two will make it much easier for him to deal with Cid. "You're sure?"

She nods, grinning. She thinks she'd rather tell her father alone first, anyways. And she thinks it would be nice for Gippal to have a little fun. "Positive!"

He smiles, giving her a swift kiss as Buddy's voice calls them to hurry so they can get back to the site. Cupping her face, he leans his nose against hers. "Hopefully you can get him calm by the time I come back."

"Of course I can. I'm his princess, remember?" She kisses him softly again before pushing lightly on his chest. "C'mon. Let's go before Buddy has a shit fit." And she walks back down the sand dune toward the hovers.

She sits inside the mess tent, drinking a blended fruit drink that's very satisfying in the intense afternoon heat of the desert. When she'd discovered that the cook liked her enough to make them for her, she'd been a happy worker. Since she was leaving indefinitely after today, the cook had made it extra sweet. It's times like this that she likes being the camp director's daughter.

But as he comes in, already all huffy, she isn't sure how much longer she'll like it.

"Hey, Daddy." She smiles up at him, though her smile is a little frazzled.

"This has been a horrible day, Rikku. Horrible! Your damn brother broke three sentries! Three! And now we've got a new sandworm infestation in the middle of the Expanse. They like eatin' rust, didja know that? Now I've gotta spend money on gettin' those stupid things exterminated... all because of that boy, bless his stupid head..." Cid sits next to her, and she smiles, a little bit nervously.

She thinks that maybe now isn't the right time to talk to him. But she knows she doesn't have much of a choice. He'll notice that she's a little bit fatter than normal sooner or later. She knows that he'll approve a little bit more because Gippal is a responsible Al Bhed. Knows that she'll feel guilty for telling him about this baby and not acknowledging Pimka.

"I uh... yeah, those sandworms..." She chuckles a little and then taps her fingers lightly on the flimsy mess hall table, suddenly glad that no one else is around to see his reaction. Because she doesn't think it'll be pretty. Even if Gippal is a responsible Al Bhed.

"You think he woulda grown up a little by now... I raised him better than that! No son of mine should be breakin' machina and making me look like a damn fool. Look at you, you turned out just fine, always doin' right... he's the bad egg in this family. But don't tell him that, he might cry. And that'll make me look like an even bigger fool!" Cid stomps to the front of the tent and knocks on the counter, asking the cook for a tankard of ale. Her face pales a bit.

She was always doing right? She stares out the tent flap, watching as people go about their business outside. None of them hiding from their family, covering the truth with lies. None of them doing the things she had done. And yet, in her father's eyes, she was always doing right.

And suddenly, she feels a little miserable. A little bit more than guilty. "I don't mind when Brother cries. That's just him, y'know? It's not bad, Daddy..."

"It's annoyin', that's what it is!" He takes a long swig of his ale. "Needs to be a little more manly!"

"Manly is kinda subjective, Vydran..." she says softly, sipping her fruit drink.

He glances down at her. "Something wrong, Princess?"

"No... No, not wrong." She stares at the table top, tapping her fingers on it lightly.

Gippal doesn't like losing. He's not a loser. But tonight he is. Tonight his wallet is kinda empty, and Buddy's and Brother's and the rest of them, a little fuller. It's not something he's very used to, although it's happened once or twice in the past. But that was it. It always used to be Brother that lost all his money at the table. And then next was Buddy because Brother always used to borrow gil off Buddy until he went broke. Hardly ever was it Gippal. Hardly ever did the guys shake their heads at him and laugh and wave the chips in his face mockingly. And Brother was doing it an awful lot tonight.

"Maybe you play Go Fish, Gippal!" Brother hollers, setting down the cards, revealing another full house.

Gippal tosses his double threes aside, trying to keep Brother's comments from getting to him. From putting a frown on his face. Because even though it's been a while since he's hung out with the boys, he knows it's never cool to look emotionally upset. So he smirks instead. "Don't have time for that tonight, Bro. I gotta Go Fix some of the sentries you messed up earlier," he says as he starts to stand up from the table.

"Oh, c'mon, Gippal," Buddy says, pointing to Brother. "The man's just drunk; it's the only reason why he's making the ridiculous bets he is…" He sighs. "…and actually winning."

Gippal smiles slightly as Brother throws up his hands in protest at that statement. Yelling wildly at Buddy for taking his side. But Gippal knows he's done for the night. Really. He's had a few drinks, he's lost quite a large sum of money, and he wants to see his Rikku.

He hates that he's become this. Hates that he can't just enjoy a simple poker game without getting frustrated that he's thrown all his money away – frustrated that Cid might find out and call him too irresponsible for his daughter. Hates that he can't just relax with the guys without caring about being a loser. That he can't just laugh the evening away instead of worrying about Rikku. Worrying about Rikku and her conversation with Cid at this very moment.

"Miss your girlfriend already?"

And he hates that everyone can tell.

"Are you done for the day?" she asks, looking up at Cid with a sigh. Glancing out the tent flap again. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Well, I was in the middle of fixin' your brother's stupid mess. But I can take a little break from that. 'Specially since this brew is really good..." He laughs gruffly and signals to the cook to refill his tankard, and she sighs. She nods to the cook, who is looking at her as if he's asking her permission to fill it up. She thinks that maybe it's a good thing if he drinks all he can before she tells him. Especially since he's already ranting about his screw-up of a son. Because if he's a little drunk he might not rant too loud about his screw-up of a daughter when she's done with him.

"Did you make that pie for me again? It was real good, y'know, real fillin'. And I'm a fat guy, Rikku... I've tasted everything, not much tastes good anymore. Actually, too much tastes good, otherwise I wouldn't be fat." He laughs, a loud, full laugh that reminds her of the times before the pilgrimage when he'd be happy among his hidden people in the sands of Bikanel. Happy because his son and his daughter weren't old enough to do anything that wasn't considered cute when all was said and done.

"No, Vydran, but I will. If you want me to."

"Well, I want you to."

"Okay. But not now."

"Well, why not? You're done for the day, and the cook's done, too! Make your old man some pie! Make him proud!" He holds his hand to his chest and shakes his head. "Try to get your brother to make him proud, too..."

"Daddy, I wanted to talk to you..." She's quiet, more quiet than usual. And she doesn't want to admit that she's a little scared and a little ashamed that she never did this before.

"Talk then, girl! We haven't got all night! You need to get cookin'!"

"Daddy... well..." She scratches the back of her head, looking straight at him. "I uhm... you're not gonna like this, I don't think, but... don't yell too loud, okay?"

"Oh no, you didn't break sentries, too, didja?"

"No! It's not that." She sighs and takes a calming sip from her fruit drink, sort of wishing it was a pina colada. "It's... well... Gippal and I. We're... well, I... we're having a baby, Vydran."

She watches as his face goes blank, as he sips from his beer and blinks rather rapidly. Waits for the yelling and anger. But he doesn't yell. He just laughs.

"Vydran? Say something!"

But he shakes his head and laughs some more.

"At least I have a girlfriend," Gippal replies to the speaker. He tries to keep the anger out of his voice – the emotion – but he can't really and it comes out all cracked.

"Hud vun muhk frah E ryja ymm ouin suhao (Not for long when I have all your money)…" says the speaker again, counting his chips and flashing them in front of Gippal's gaze. Gippal swears he can feel his nostrils flare.

Brother bounces a chip off the speaker's head, his eyes narrowing. "Hey, shut up Mister No Girlfriend. Rikku's no gil-digger."

Gippal glances at Brother, partly thankful for supporting him. For somewhat approving of his relationship with Rikku. But at the same time, it feels a bit awkward to be grateful toward Brother. Grateful for his approval. The idea makes Gippal cringe a little. He's not used to feeling inferior to Brother. It's not something one likes to feel.

Then again, he can only hope that he'll get the same reaction out of Brother when he learns about the baby. If his child is going to have Brother as its uncle, Gippal doesn't want to have conflicts with him. He doesn't want Rikku's two-person family to both disapprove of the baby. 'Cause despite how irrational and loud and somewhat insane both Cid and Brother are, they're the closest thing he and the baby have to family. And he doesn't want to ruin that chance.

"Well, I'm out," he tells them, sliding his 4 chips toward Brother's pile. "Keep it."

Buddy raises his eyebrow. "Hey, man. Don't leave already."

Gippal drums his fingers against the chair's headrest, glancing at the table of beer and cards and smoke. A table he's not supposed to sit at. A table that a father's not supposed to sit at, even if his girlfriend lets him.

"Can't help it," he says, pushing himself off the chair, and turning to leave. He smiles. "I miss my baby."

Hey everyone, Jezzi here. Sorry this is taking so long. There should be another update soon... this chapter was originally much larger than this, but we felt that we were about to present too much information in one big chunk, so we're updating the second half ASAP. We're also adjusting it a little bit, so... hopefully by Wednesday. As for the authors... crazy stuff going on right now... I'm finishing my first year of college and am currently immersed in all the homework I never did during the quarter for finals with the added element of moving out of a dorm. oneFrickengirl is also studying for exams. We're so sorry we've been putting updates off, we just haven't had the time in the past few weeks!

Please continue to leave us those wonderful reviews! We adore reading them, and we always like to know what about the writing style, characterization, etc. you like or don't like. Thanks guys!!! Happy Reading!