-PatB-

We're in costume as we walk down to the beach, the bag of cheeseburgers for Alphonse in my hand, Pinky carrying the picnic basket, and Tattletale walking ahead, "For eye candy."

I watch her hips sway down to the waterline, glancing up occasionally to augment what I know from my bugs.

She plops down, her feet and calves over the edge of wet sand, and the next wave washes over her heels, bringing a dog-sized tadpole with it. He is mostly green, with orange and purple, broad strong shoulders and hips, articulated more like a cat than a dog or salamander, long, thick, vertically flattened tail behind, round protrusions a little like horn buds on the back of his head, broad, clawless feet. He gambols up, nuzzles Lisa, then looks to me for a cheeseburger.

I pull the first one out, and he bolts it, smiling at me with big, limpid, hungry tadpole eyes.

Pinky feeds him the second one, while Tattletale gives him pets and cuddles.

-PatB-

*Taylor!* My commbeetle tells me inaudibly, *Lisa's picking on me,* Amy's distress comes through loud and clear, a squeezing panic in my chest.

I tap both her and Lisa's commbeetles, fast forwarding over the last few minutes, *I'll be there in a few minutes. Sit on her, tell her to shut up every time she opens her mouth, tell her why her behavior bothers you, if she'll shut up long enough to listen.*

"Gotta run, cancel the four o'clock, reschedule them as early as possible, I'll see you tomorrow," I tell Mary.

"Cancel the four o'clock, reschedule early as possible. Got it," she tells me, smiles, waves me toward the door.

"Thank you!" I tell her through the closing door.

"Shut up!" I hear Amy's voice as I rush up the stairs to our room.

Inside, Amy's missing her shirt, and her bra is unhooked, but she does not look like she's having fun.

Lisa's grinning.

I plant a hand on her forehead, and make her look up at me, "Amy isn't enjoying this," she says.

She blinks, and her eyes get wide.

"Yeah. I let you get away with this when you pulled it on me earlier because it was a tiny bit funny," I tell her.

"I don't think it's funny," Amy says, half-sobbing, harsh, frustrated anger in her voice, "I don't think it's cute, and I don't like it," she takes a deep, shuddery breath, reaches behind herself to re-fasten her bra.

I startle at the sight of her tummy, just starting to visibly round, "May I?" I ask, reaching.

She takes my hand and holds it to her tummy. "You lay there and watch. And listen," she tells Lisa, "I don't care if you can see what I want to say before I say it. Unless it's life or death combat? Let. Me. Say. It."

"But," Lisa starts, then goes quiet when I put my knee on her eye socket. I've been really impressed with how tough she is now. She doesn't flinch, or squirm, but she does shut up.

"We love you, idiot, not just your power," I tell her, "And we need to get Lisa a better nickname than "Idiot"," I tell Amy.

"Fuu-chan?" Amy asks.

"What?" Lisa replies.

Amy and I stare at her, "Magic Knight Reiearth?" I ask.

Lisa stares back blankly.

"Later," Amy says, "I'm good at putting up with crap, so when I tell you to stop, fucking stop! Listen to my words, and talk to me, not at me. Do you understand?"

Lisa tries to nod, so I move my knee off her face, "Yes, I understand. I don't get to play with people like that, there's no one else I can trust with it, and it gets so tempting."

Amy looks down at her, twines the finger of her free hand through Lisa's, and puts it on her tummy next to mine, "I don't think you can feel them yet, but I can."

Lisa's grin comes back.

"Write us a transcript for the Senate hearing later this month," Amy tells her, "We can bench race the proper balance between sweet and terrible."

"My powers like that plan," Lisa's caressing Amy's tummy.

"When will we feel them move?" I ask her.

"This one," she pats her own tummy, "Three weeks. These two," she smiles, patting Amy's tummy.

Amy's tummy shifts under my hand, a tiny poke against my palm.

"Wow."

The room brightens, Amy smiling as she tilts her head back, leaning forward into my kiss.

-PatB-

A/N: You already knew Amy and Taylor were new-school anime fen, right? (Macross to Evangelion, basically, with a couple of later series that match stylistic or thematically)