Author's notes: and here's the last chapter! Well, sort of – there is still the epilogue left now, and I hope it will be ready by next weekend. This one is the longest one I wrote until now, but I really didn't feel like splitting it: there wasn't quite enough stuff for two chapters in my opinion (ugh, everytime I re-read the earlier chapters I feel like smacking myself. What was I thinking when I made them so short?) Or maybe I just couldn't wait to post the second half XD
Enjoy!
Monkey Fist raised his gaze from the paper with an annoyed frown as the doorbell rang – he was finally getting to translate a difficult passage, and it was definitely a bad moment to interrupt his concentration. Who could it be anyway? It had been so much time since he had heard that doorbell ringing that it barely remembered its sound, he mused as he got out of his study. For a moment he wondered if it could be Team Possible again – but since when did they ring the doorbell anyway? The only time they had, it was because they had no idea of what he was up to.
As he walked to the entrance, he was surprised to see his monkey ninjas dragging inside a large box – apparently, the postman had just decided to drop it at the entrance, ring the doorbell and run away. It wasn't like many people liked the idea of having to face him after all, he thought with a grimace – and, he had to admit, a certain amount of amusement.
"What is that?" he asked his monkey ninjas as he approached, looking at the box. One of his monkey ninjas handled him a note, and he shuddered as he recognized the familiar handwriting – how many times had he read sickeningly sugary letters written with that same handwriting?
'I'm sure the baby will love these, they're so cute and cuddly! Drop by to visit us sometimes, you grumpy monkey cutie!'
He made a face. "When hell freezes over," he muttered, turning his attention back to the box – it was all too easy to guess what DNAmy could have sent for the child. He shuddered at the thought of those plushie abominations – he would be blasted if he let his son ever put his hands on one of those!
"Get rid of it," he said, gesturing to the box "put it in some empty room – I don't care as long as it stays away from my sight. And make sure – "
"What is that?"
Monkey Fist froze as Yuki spoke behind him. He turned to face her, promptly hiding the note behind his back. "Nothing," he said quickly. A little too quickly.
She raised an eyebrow. "It looks like something," she pointed out, looking at the box.
"Well…it's a box, indeed," he replied, hoping against hope she would stop questioning.
"I see. What I wonder is what's inside."
"Well, it's…nothing really important."
"Is that why you hid that note as soon as you heard me?"
"Actually, it is…you see…"
"Monty."
Monkey Fist cringed as he saw a brief twinge of fear and doubt in her eyes – it was obvious she would tend to jump to the wrong conclusion, after all. "No, wait. It's not what you think," he quickly reassured her, handling her the note and fervently hoping she wouldn't realize who had sent it – he would never hear the end of it if she did. But after all, nothing compromising was written there. "It's from the genetist – the one who gave me these, you know. I had to tell her about the child when I asked if the monkey DNA would be passed down, and…well, apparently she sent him a gift. Most likely toys."
"Oh," Yuki said, feeling incredibly relieved and utterly stupid for immediately jumping to the worst conclusion…not to mention a tad guilty. She read the note again and smirked. "Grumpy monkey cutie, uhu?" she said with a chuckle "this looks more than a strictly professional relationship."
He swallowed. "Well, she is…a peculiar woman," he said vaguely "and yes, it is a merely professional relationship."
"Hey, I was just kidding – no need to bite. It was nice of her," she shrugged, turning her attention to the box "so, are you going to open it or not?"
Monkey Fist seemed suddenly uncomfortable. "It's…not necessary to do it now, is it?"
Yuki blinked, surprised. "Monty, you're behaving like she sent a bomb or something rather than a bunch of toys."
He sighed – she was probably right, it was just a bunch of plushies: nothing to worry about. After all, DNAmy could have done worse: she could have sent one of her homemade creatures as a gift, for example. That would have been infinitely worse than mere toys. "Alright, fine," he sighed, gesturing to his monkey ninjas to open the box – which was, as he expected, filled to the brim with those disturbing plushies.
Yuki raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback as she grabbed one of them – some mixture between a crocodile and an elephant, it seemed. "Well…these look…odd," she said, though she had to admit some of those did really look cute in some twisted way "it was a really nice thought anyway – I guess we should ring her to thank her," she said, unaware of how he had shuddered at the idea "I think I saw some of these at the baby store a few weeks ago – how are they called?"
Monkey Fist's blood ran cold. "I have no idea," he said quickly "now, how about some tea?" he suggested, trying to drag her away from there.
"Yeah, in a minute," she said, frowning a little as she tried to remember. Could it be Cuddle…something? She remembered reading their name at the store, and it had somewhat stuck her because it sounded familiar for some reason. Her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered when had she heard that name already, and how uneasy Monkey Fist had seemed when she had cracked that joke about the genetist who had sent those toys.
"Wait a minute…" she glanced back to the toys, read the note again…and when she looked back at Monkey Fist she was grinning. "Isn't there something you neglected to tell me about your Number One Fangirl?" she snickered, causing him to groan – and that groan was enough for her to know she was right.
"I knew it was going to end this way," Monkey Fist grumbled as she finally stopped laughing ten full minutes later.
Yuki grinned and pinched his ear. "Hey, no need to be so touchy. I don't mind if you get gifts from your ex, you know," she mocked him, causing him to snarl.
"She's not my ex! We never –" he trailed off as Yuki sealed his lips with a quick kiss.
"I know, I know – don't get angry over this," she smirked, the she turned to look at the toys again "well, it looks like she took it well anyway."
"She did. I doubt she ever was one to hold grudge – she probably the most sugary creature in this world."
"Yeah, I got that impression as well…grumpy monkey cutie."
"You're never going to let me forget this, are you?" he asked with a sigh.
Yuki smirked. "No. Never."
She had to admit that Monty did look kind of cute while he was sleeping – especially when he wasn't snoring, Yuki thought with a grin before turning her attention back to they tray with breakfast that the monkey ninja had just brought in is master's bedroom. He was so tired that he hadn't even woken up when the monkey had knocked: in those last few days he had been so busy with his research about some ancient language he still couldn't translate that he usually fell asleep almost as soon as his head rested on the pillow.
It wasn't like that bothered her. She was always tired herself lately – nobody had ever told her a pregnancy could have such effects – and if felt good just basking in the warmth of his body against hers as she fell in a quiet, undisturbed sleep. Not much had happened between them yet, but now there was none of the awkwardness of the first few nights they had spent together since she had come back: just talking or teasing each other a little before falling asleep in each other's embrace and occasionally sharing a kiss felt once again completely natural, and that was already so much more than she had hoped for when she had decided to come back a few weeks before. She had expected it to take more time, if it ever happened.
Yeah, this is really cute. For a couple of sixty-years-old, maybe.
Oh, shut up.
Whatever. But maybe you should wake him up now.
Yuki shrugged as she sipped some tea before taking another cookie.
I don't see why, he's sleeping so well…he should get some rest.
Yeah, right. You don't want to wake him up so you can have all the breakfast for yourself. You are really eating like a pig lately, you know.
Yuki grinned a little at the thought and reached out to stroke his hair, causing him to stir a little – but he didn't wake up. Oh, well, she thought with a smirk as she took another bite, at least she had tried. But hey, she was leaving his cup of tea untouched – so he had no reason to complain, right? She was reaching for the fruit when she felt his arms wrapping around her.
Ops…
"I see you served yourself," he said in her ear, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the almost empty tray.
Yuki looked up at him with a sheepish grin as he pulled her on his lap. "Uh…yes. I'm eating for two, remember?"
He nodded, his hand resting on her stomach – she was a little past five months expecting now "I see," he just said, a slightly worried expression crossing his features just for an instant before she tilted up her head to kiss his cheek.
"I left you some tea," she said, as if to make up for eating pretty much anything edible on the tray. He nodded, but he didn't let her go to reach for the cup.
"How much have I overslept?"
"Not much, just…about twenty minutes, I think."
Monkey Fist frowned slightly. "I should get going – the training session should have started already," he said, but he seemed unwilling to get up.
"It has started already. I told the monkey that brought breakfast you would join them later, and that they start without you in the meanwhile."
He seemed satisfied by her reply. "Perfect. I don't want them to skip the morning training."
"And what about you?"
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
Yuki reached up to run a hand through his messy hair. "Do you think you could skip training for once?" she asked before briefly pressing her lips on his. Monkey Fist grinned smugly – truth to be told, he wasn't really planning to join his monkey ninjas that soon.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," he said before kissing her back, and his kiss wasn't exactly as brief and innocent as hers had been. For a split of second she was taken aback, then she just closed her eyes and parted her lips, letting him deepen the kiss as he slowly leaned her on he pillows, careful to not put his weight on her.
"No," she gasped as their lips broke apart, wrapping her arms around his shoulders "it wouldn't hurt."
"I'm glad you think this way," he chuckled before kissing her again. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face to look in her eyes, and he suddenly seemed unsure "If you want me to stop –" he began, but he trailed off as Yuki kissed him back.
"Don't you dare," she whispered, her voice trembling a little – it had been so much since the last time he had kissed or held her like that, and she hadn't realized how much she had missed it. His fingers trailed down her cheek, brushing against her lips before cupping her face.
"As you wish," he said with a smirk as he kissed her neck, his lips lingering on her pulse point for a few moments. Yuki was both surprised and amused by how careful and gentle he was being, as if afraid she could break should his touch be too rough. She smiled inwardly, already knowing what question was about to follow.
She didn't have to wait much. "Are you certain it is safe?" Monkey Fiat asked, pulling back to glance worriedly at her stomach. Yuki smiled at his concerned expression.
"According to the doctor, it is. We just have to be careful."
He blinked. "You asked the doctor…?" he said, both surprised and amused.
She shrugged in fake innocence. "I was just curious," she replied, causing him to smirk.
"Of course…" he said sarcastically, and she smacked him lightly.
"Idiot," she muttered, then she turned serious "however, there is one detail – having your weight on me wouldn't be exactly healthy or comfortable…"
Monkey Fist let out a surprised gasp as she suddenly flipped him on his back and sat on his stomach with a grin. "Which mans," she went on, pocking his chest "that I'm getting to top."
"What?" Monkey Fist looked up at her with an almost outraged expression "forget it. You're mistaking if you expect me to just – " he trailed off as Yuki put her fingers on his lips to make him stop rambling.
"Hey, we're not negotiating here," she said a bit mockingly "my way or no way. Now choose."
He blinked. "This is blackmail," he stated, bewildered.
"I wouldn't cal it like that," she shrugged "I'm just saying that if not being the one on top is too insulting to you, we could always quit now..."
Monkey Fist grumbled something and made a half-hearted attempt to get her off him, but she kept him firmly pinned to the bed and he gave up oddly easily. "This is highly unfair," he protested with a slight frown – he suddenly looked a lot like a kid whining 'it's not fair', Yuki mused with a slight grin.
"Oh, don't pout – I'm sure it won't be that bad," she leaned down to kiss him, and as their lips broke apart he didn't seem in the mood for protesting anymore.
"I never realized it was so bad."
Monkey Fist lazily opened his eyes to look up at her. "Excuse me?"
"These," her fingers traced the large scar on his left side, casing him to shudder as she touched the still sensitive flesh. Yuki frowned a little as she observed the fresh scars on his chest as well "I knew you were hurt badly, but I never realized…" she paused, uncomfortable at the thought of the suffering he had gone through "it must have hurt more than I thought."
He shrugged, rising on his elbows. "It doesn't matter now, I simply got what I deserved," he said, his voice suddenly harsh and oddly stern as he glanced down at his scars "if anything, these will always remind me of everything I almost lost for my foolishness."
"You shouldn't speak like that," Yuki almost scolded him, reaching to stoke his cheek. Monkey Fist just nodded and wrapped an arm around her, a little relieved by her answer. Truth to be told, there was a part of him that had almost feared her reaction upon seeing those new scars – not much because of how they looked, but because of what they meant.
His grip around her tightened just a little – he was always careful wherever he held her lately, Yuki mused – then he rested his hand on her belly. "Do you still want to tell him everything that happened?" he asked. He still felt like he wouldn't be able to even look at his son should he know what he had done.
She bit her lower lip. "No," she finally said "he doesn't need to know, after all. What happened…it's not of his concern. It was entirely our responsibility, and we dealt with it, end of the story. I don't want him to have to carry a burden that doesn't belong to him, and I don't want him to think he was an accident. I mean…alright, it wasn't planned and it probably could be considered an accident, but…I want this child," she finally added, sounding mildly surprised by what she had just said "I truly do."
There was a brief silence following her words. "I understand," he finally said, his voice sounding just a little distant.
"You're still worried, aren't you?"
He gave her a weak smile. "Yes."
Yuki sighed. "Monty, just tell me – do you honestly want this child?"
Monkey Fist hesitated just for a second. "Yes."
"And can you guarantee you're going to try to do your best with him?"
"Yes."
She smiled, ruffling his hair. "Then I'm sure everything will be alright. Now, guess who's about to get up from this bed to get me some strawberries?"
"Yes, I do realize it is important, but I just cannot –" Monkey Fist sighed and rolled his eyes as Crandall kept speaking from the other side of the line. He glanced down at the papers on his desk, mildly annoyed by his insistence.
He had been trying to draw a map of the area he had found the cave temple in Libya – Crandall had told him there was some billionaire that was willing to pay for an expedition to dig the whole temple out of the sand, but they needed to know exactly where to look for it – and it had turned out to be more difficult than he had expected. He was used to consult maps, not to draw them: even when he went exploring he always left that duty to someone else. He had eventually given up and offered to just handle them his notes about the temple's whereabouts and let them find it themselves, but of course that wouldn't be enough.
Under other circumstances, he would have been glad upon being asked to join an expedition – there weren't many possibilities or him to get a such chance anytime soon if he didn't get that one. Under other circumstances, indeed.
"Mr. Crandall, I would be truly glad to join the expedition and show and lead Mr. Brenton to the temple personally, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be possible," he said dryly "you see, my –" he hesitated, not exactly knowing how he should refer to Yuki – that was something he was going to have to deal with, he decided "well, my son is to be born at the end of the month, and as you can easily guess I'd rather be here when it happens."
Besides, Yuki would kill me if I don't. Slowly and painfully.
There was a brief, stunned silence. Monkey Fist was rather sure that was the last thing Crandall expected him to say. "Oh," the poor man said numbly after a while "I mean…congratulations," he quickly corrected himself, still sounding rather shocked "I apologize, I had no idea…"
"It doesn't matter," Monkey Fist reassured him, amused by his evident embarrass, then a sudden thought occurred to him.
"Anyway…uhu…what if there were a chance to anticipate the expedition?" he suggested, "or else, you could get there to lead Mr. Brenton to the temple a week before the expedition starts and immediately get back in England. He expressly said he wants you to show him the temple – you know how insistent billionaires can be, they always think no one can refuse them anything."
Yes, Monkey Fist mused, he knew it perfectly. Sometimes private donations were the primary source of money for expeditions and museums, and no one wanted to take the risk of losing someone who was willing to pay by refusing him some privilege most people wouldn't get. He often had to deal with men that were slightly richer and grossly less intelligent than he was because of that, though he usually tried to avoid it.
"It would take a couple of days at most, and he could decide to pay for others expeditions if he finds the temple interesting, maybe even some donations" Crandall was going on "the museum would be grateful for your cooperation," he added.
"Well…" Monkey Fist hesitated – it did sound like a good idea and he wouldn't have minded cleaning up his reputation a bit in the eyes of the academic circle, but he didn't think Yuki would appreciate being left alone in the castle with the monkey ninjas just one week before giving birth, no matter if just for a couple of days "I'll have to speak about it with my…well…I'll let you know tomorrow morning, yes" he said, and he gave a sigh as he hung the phone and got out of his study, heading for the living room.
"Work again?" Yuki asked from the couch as she saw his slight frown. She only went upstairs at evening to sleep by now: before the pregnancy, stairs had never been a problem for her – but now she felt like she could kill for an elevator in the castle. The child in her womb had gotten heavier and heavier with each passing week, and now climbing up the stairs was getting tiring
Stupid as it sounded, there was a part of her that, though scared by the idea of giving birth, just couldn't wait to do so just to be able to move around as freely and easily as before. Besides, she felt like she hadn't trained in years, and her muscles screamed for proper exercise – she was definitely going to need a lot of training to get back like before, and the thought wasn't so alluring.
"Yes," Monkey Fist said, sitting next to her – her slim frame seemed so frail compared to her stomach now, he noticed, "work again," he let out a sigh as she began massaging his shoulders.
"You could take a break, you know," she said, her fingers moving down his spine "you make me feel like a slacker when you keep working like that," she joked, causing him to smile a little.
"Yes, about that…" he cleared his throat "I got an offer – there's some billionaire who's willing to pay for an expedition to dig up a temple in Libya, but I should accompany him to the temple. It would take only a couple of days, and it is a good occasion to regain some credit..."
"Well, sounds great," Yuki's fingers moved up to rub his neck "what's the problem?"
"It would be just a week before…well, the due date," he said, glancing at her stomach "I told Crandall I would discuss it with you before and…ouch!" he yelped as she smacked him "what was that for?"
She shrugged. "For being an idiot. This is an occasion you can't miss, and it's not like I'll die if I stay alone here for a couple of days."
"But you are –"
"Pregnant, right. It's not some illness, and I can deal with it. It's not like I'm going to have to do some awful effort, your monkeys pretty much do everything – and for any trouble, I have the doctor's and the hospital's numbers, remember?"
He nodded. "I guess you're right," he said, relaxing slightly and mentally taking note to tell Crandall that he accepted the job. After all, he only had to baby-sit some billionaire with a thing for archaeology for a couple of days before getting back home, and Yuki would be perfectly fine – what could possibly go wrong?
Yuki had to admit she did feel a little lonely in the castle without him – she wondered how could he stand living there alone all those years. Well, probably his monkeys were a better company to him than they were to her. Yes, she was slowly managing to understand their screeches and they seemed to understand perfectly whatever she told them, but other than that…well, it was just not the best company ever, she mused as she got out of the bathtube with a sigh of relief – the hot water had done miracles for her cramped muscles, she thought as she put Monty's bathrobe on.
Alright, she had bought a bathrobe for her own, but she felt better using Monty's – just until he got back, of course. It probably was just sappy and somewhat childish, but it made her feel better, so why not? She had spent too much time without him already. She reached out to grab a towel to dry her hair, but she froze, her hand lingering in mid-air as she felt something warm running down her leg.
No. Not, it can't be – I still have…well, almost a week left. It's just… a trickle of water running down my leg. It's okay. I mean, I just had a bath after all, so it's normal…right?
A trickle? This is not a just 'trickle', Yuki…besides, did you and Monty forget the small, insignificant detail that women almost never give birth precisely at the due date?
Yuki swallowed, then she took a deep breath and glanced down, her heart skipping a beat as she saw the puddle of water on the ground – and she got the distinct feeling that it didn't come from the bathtube.
Oh, crap.
Alright, fine, don't panic. Now walk to the nearest phone and call to the doctor – you settled for a home birth, right? She said she'd assist you, so don't start acting like a scared child, she'll be here soon. The labor should take a few hours at least anyway.
And what about Monty?
Call the doctor first, then ring him. If he's not there, leave a message for him at his hotel.
I wish he were here.
Oh, don't start – it's not like he could help, he's even more clueless than you are – now call the doctor and stop whining.
Yuki took a deep, shaky breath as she had a sudden contraction – yes, she had to ring the doctor now. Her legs were shaking, but she somehow managed to get downstairs and grabbed the phone with trembling hands, her thoughts terribly confused – she couldn't remember last time she had been so scared.
She blinked as she heard some monkey ninjas squealing, looking at her with concern, and despite the situation she chuckled as one of them whimpered. "Thanks for the offer," she said almost calmly as she dialled the number "but no, I don't think a first aid kit would help."
Tripoli, Libya.
Most people are difficult to fully describe in a few words – human beings are complex creatures after all. Yet, Monkey Fist mused, one word would be enough to describe Arthur Brenton. He was loud.
"I must thank you for your assistance, Lord Fiske," he almost screamed as they got back to the hotel "it would have taken us days to find that, even with all the maps of this world – those dunes look all the same, don't they?" he gave a laugh that shook his whole bulky frame, casing everyone in the hall to look at them.
"Indeed," Monkey Fist said tiredly – Brenton's company would make anyone tired, since he just couldn't keep his mouth shout for longer than five second, he screamed rather than just talking and at least nine things out of ten that he said were either stupid or annoying in his opinion. Now he just wanted to get in his room, take a shower to get rid of the sand and possibly get some silence before he packed up to take his flight that evening.
"Uh…Lord Fiske?" the man at the reception called for him, saving him from whatever idiocy Brenton was about to say "your wife called while you were away. She left a message."
"My wife…?" it took Monkey Fist a few moments to realize the man was referring to Yuki, and the thought made him feel oddly uncomfortable as he thought that he was definitely going to have to think about regularizing their legal status. Alight, nothing would have really changed from a practical point of view, yet…
"Hey, I didn't know you were married!" Brenton laughed and patted his shoulder hard enough to make him grimace.
"Well, actually…"
"Lord Fiske, I think it is quite urgent," the man behind the desk got back his attention, handling a note to him. Monkey Fist frowned, took the note…and he paled.
"When…did she call?" was all he managed to say.
"A little less than one hour ago."
"Are you alright, chap?" without much consideration, Brenton he took the note from Monkey Fist's numb fingers "oh, dear…"
"I must get back in England – immediately," Monkey Fist finally muttered, his head spinning. "Is there any flight for England before this evening?"
"No, I'm sorry – the first flight is the one you already bough a ticked for."
Dar God, Monkey Fist thought as he closed his eyes. Yuki was about to give birth, and he was a thousand and a half miles away. The baby wasn't even born yet, and he was already messing up – why had he come there? Why hadn't he stayed? He gritted his teeth at the thought. "There has to be another way," he almost growled, ready to snap at anyone in his sight.
"Well, there is a way," Mr. Brenton said almost excitedly, turning to the receptionist "my private jet hasn't left the hangar yet, has it?"
"No, sir. You pilot just went to get the jet ready a few minutes ago."
"Perfect!" he exclaimed, grabbing Monkey Fist and literally dragging him outside and towards the hangar near the hotel "you can use my private jet, you'll be back home in no time with that!" he blabbered proudly "my pilot asked the permission to use it today to give a lift back in USA to a couple of friends – and I told him he could, of course, Ernie is such a good boy – and I'm sure it won't take much for him to drop you home before heading for America. Isn't it a lucky coincidence?"
"I…yes, it is," was all Monkey Fist could utter – he felt like there were too many things going on, and everything was just happening too fast "thank you for your offer, Mr. Brenton – I greatly appreciate it," he said, and this time he was honest.
"Oh, don't mention it – it's the first one, isn't it? Ah, I remember I was terribly nervous when my little girl…oh, here we are!" he said as he physically pushed him inside the hangar.
Monkey Fist was about to speak, but words froze on his lips as he saw two terribly familiar figures talking with the pilot, giving him their back. Now that was just rotten luck – how many possibilities could there be for a such thing to happen?
"Thank you for this lift, Ernie – we would be stuck here without you."
"Oh, don't mention it – it's the lest I could do after you saved me from that plane after the ejection button didn't work."
"It, was not big – anyone could have done that," Kim Possible said, dismissively waving her hand. By her side, both Ron and Rufus nodded.
"C'mon dude – I was there too," Ron said hopefully "do you remember me now?"
"Hm…I'm afraid I don't," the man said almost apologetically, causing poor Ron to groan "sorry."
"Hey, Ernie!" Mr. Brenson's powerful voice echoed in the hangar, causing everyone to turn to look at them – and Monkey Fist couldn't help but grin inwardly as he saw the stunned expression Possible and Stoppable's faces as the saw him.
"Would you mind giving him a lift to England while you're at it?" the billionaire went on, completely oblivious of Team Possible's reaction upon seeing Monkey Fist.
The pilot immediately shook his head "Of course not, sir – it would be no problem at all."
For a moment Monkey Fist had dared to hope Brenton would just keep his mouth shut about his personal matters – but it was, of course, a vain hope. "Then you better hurry up, boy," he said cheerfully to the pilot, patting the monkey man's shoulder "we have a brand new father here! And we don't want him to get home too late, do we?"
The can Ron had in his hands fell on the ground, soda splattering on the hangar's floor as his jaw dropped, making him look rather retarded. On the other hand, Kim didn't look much better either. "…what?" was all she managed to say, still gaping at Monkey Fist.
Despite his nervousness for his son's upcoming birth and the awkwardness of the situation, the monkey man couldn't help but grin at their evident confusion. "Thanks again, Mr. Brenton," he said, then he turned to Kim Possible "if you don't mind, I'd rather not share with you any detail of my private life," he sneered a little as he walked past them, ignoring the way they kept gawking at him.
Yes, he mused, it was going to be an awkward ride…but at least he could get some kind of payback after all.
Yuki took a deep breath as she had another contraction. It was not really painful yet, but it was not a nice sensation either. She nervously looked at the doctor. "So…everything is normal," right?" she asked again.
"Why, of course," Dr. Hanson smiled reassuringly down at her "everything is going well, we just have to be patient – it will take a few more hours. It is your first chid, isn't it?"
"Yes. I don't know exactly what I should do."
"You're doing well," she reassured her "just follow my instructions, and there will be no problems. Now simply try to relax."
Yuki nodded and leaned her head back on the pillow. She was more scared than she had dared to tell the doctor, but since she said everything was normal…well, she only could trust her. She closed her eyes, her hands clutching the sheets as she fervently hoped Monty would get the message and be back soon.
Monkey Fist felt his heart skipping a beat as he saw the English Channel below – he was almost home, he thought, and he felt his nervousness grow at the thought. What was happening? Was the baby born already? How was Yuki doing? God, how he loathed being so utterly helpless!
Keep worrying won't serve any purpose now. Yuki said she called the doctor in that message – she's in good hands, and you'll be home soon.
Even though that should have reassured him, it somewhat added to his worry. He had never seen any childbirth, and he didn't know what to expect. Besides, he remembered all to well mother's tales about how her husband had just fainted in the middle on the delivery – and he was a doctor, for goodness sake! That definitely wasn't reassuring.
Oh, now stop it – it can't be much different from a monkey's birth, and you saw dozens of those without even flinch.
This is different.
"So, uhu…"
Monkey Fist snapped from his worried thoughts as Stoppable tried to break the heavy silence that had lingered inside the jet since the beginning. Couldn't he just keep quiet? "What do you want?" he asked dryly as he looked at him – the Monkey Master, he thought with a certain amount of resentment. Why in the world did he have to meet them of all people? Was it some kind of divine punishment? Hadn't he been though enough?
The boy shrugged. "Well, it seems like…you got back to old stuff, uhu?"
"Old stuff?" Monkey Fist repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"I guess he means archaeology," Kim said, speaking for the first time "and I really hope you're being honest this time," she added, causing him to scowl.
"Whatever I do or not is none of your business," he snapped, and she just shrugged.
"You're right, as long as you don't get back to crime it's none of our business – and I really hope things will stay this way," she paused to glance at him – he was nothing like the broken, defeated man they had faced a few months before "anyway, you seem to be doing better than last time we met."
He gritted his teeth at the thought. He had no idea if they knew the part they had in it – the fact they had told the museum he had helped them to retrieve the statue of Hanuman had definitely been a turning point – but the fact he sort of owed them something was almost humiliating. Not to mention that he would rather not talk about what had happened during their last encounter – he disgusted himself everytime he thought of what a pathetic sight he had to be, especially after witnessing Ron's powers. He clenched his jaw at the thought.
"Definitely," he muttered, avoiding to look at her.
There was a brief silence. "And, er…what that guy said about…" Ron shuddered at the thought "is that true?" he said. Now that was wrongsick – even worse than Drakken and Shego being together, he thought.
Monkey Fist gave him an annoyed glance. "Yes, it is. For all I know, my son might just be born in this very instant, and I'm stuck here with you," he grumbled.
"Oh," Ron frowned a little "uh…congratulations?" he said weakly, causing Kim to snicker and Monkey Fist to snarl.
"Thank you so much," he said dryly, glancing outside, and he blinked as he saw London beneath them – Brenson had been right, it truly had taken a short time to get there.
"We'll be landing near your property in a few minutes, Lord Fiske," the pilot said, barely turning to look at him. Kim seemed amused by how much the monkey man had paled upon hearing Ernie's words.
"Nervous?"
"That's none of your business, Possible," he growled, annoyed. Kim and Ron just glanced at each other with an amused grin, saying nothing. Yes, now he definitely sounded much more like the guy they both knew.
"It was…about time," Yuki said with a small smirk, her voice dripping with relief as Monkey Fist walked near the bed and grabbed her hand.
"I couldn't make it earlier," he said, brushing away some hair from her sweaty forehead and squeezing her hand gently before turning to the doctor "how are you feeling?"
She yelped as she had another contraction before replying. "What do you think?"
Monkey Fist swallowed and turned to the doctor. "Is everything alright?"
Dr. Hanson couldn't help but smile inwardly upon seeing how anxious he was – if men were to bear children, she thought, humanity wouldn't survive for long. "Yes, everything is going perfectly fine – it was a long labor, but that's normal. The cervix is almost completely dilated now – the delivering should start in a few minutes. You made it just in time."
"Take notes for when he will ask where do babies come from," Yuki said with a chuckle as she saw him grow paler, then she let out a soft cry as she had another contraction, more painful than the previous ones. Monkey Fist held her hand tighter, and she clung to him, her breathing ragged – she seemed terrified now.
"It is time," the doctor said "now, Yuki – don't panic, everything will be fine. Just keep breathing as I told you, and push when I say to do so."
Yuki nodded, her throat feeling horribly dry. "Yes," she heard herself say, holding Monty's hand tighter – and after twenty minutes her grip on his hand was so strong that he could no longer feel it…but that definitely wasn't on top of his worries after all.
"I…it hurts," she panted, letting her head fall on the pillow again "I can't go on."
"Of course you can – just pause for a moment and take a deep breath."
Yuki did as she had been told, turning up to look at Monkey Fist – he was getting paler and paler with each passing minute, but he was still standing by her side. "This is all your fault," she said, a tad accusingly. Even though she seemed terrified, there was a faint smile on her lips.
For a moment he considered pointing out it wasn't like he hadn't forced her, but he eventually decided against it. He just reached to stroke her hair and gave her a sheepish grin. "I really hope it is."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, it is. And you know, we better start talking about birth control, because I'm not going through this again – ah!"
"Don' get distracted now," the doctor chided her "I know it hurts, but you're almost done – I can see the head already. Just a few more pushes, and the baby will be born. Come one, try again."
Yuki swallowed, clung on Monty's arm and pushed again. The pain felt almost unbearable for a few moments, but she immediately forgot it as she suddenly heard another sound other than her thundering heart and panting breath – the sound of a baby wailing at the top of his lungs. Still panting, she opened her eyes to see Doctor Hanson quickly clamping the umbilical cord and wiping the baby clean with a towel, observing him as he wailed and squirmed.
"A healthy boy – at least seven pounds, I'd say, and about twenty inches long," she smiled as she wrapped another clean towel around the child and handled the bundle to her "and it looks like he wants to meet his mother – here, hold his head up…" she instructed before moving to recollect some of her items to give them some privacy.
Yuki swallowed as looked down at the baby in her arms, unable to think for a few minutes as he slowly began to calm down, comforted by the warmth of his mother's body. "Monty?" she finally called softly, unable to turn her gaze away from the tiny creature in her arms. He had a tuft of black hair on his head, and his skin was the same shade of hers. His eyes were shaped like hers as well, and though they were tightly shut she was sure that they were just as black as his hair. She couldn't help but smile a little as she thought of Monty's disappointment when she had told him the baby would most likely look like her – she had been right, it seemed.
"I told you he would resemble me," she said with a grin as she finally turned to look at him, and the baby squirmed at the sound of his mother's voice.
Monkey Fist opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out – he just looked at the baby in amazement. He just couldn't speak: all he could do was staring down at the tiny life he had helped to create and that he had almost ended months before. It felt both amazing and terrifying at the same time – it was his son, and he knew he was now responsible for that child. Whatever that tiny baby would grow to be, he would have a direct hand in. That thought was almost frightening.
"Yes," he finally said, an odd smile on his lips "you told me."
He tentatively reached for Michio, but he retreated his hand, causing Yuki to frown slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly feeling terribly worried – what if Monty didn't want that child after all?
He shook his head. "Nothing, I suppose. I simply…" he paused, unable to find words, and he blinked as Yuki handled him the child.
"It's not a bomb, your Lordship. It won't hurt," she said with a weak smile – she had never felt so utterly exhausted in her whole life. Monkey Fist hesitated before awkwardly taking the child, and she was mildly surprised to she how he didn't need any help – he just nestled him in the crook of his arm, and the infant seemed to be perfectly comfortable there. She wondered how many times had he done that with infant monkeys.
Michio made a gurgling noise, but he didn't start wailing again. He just opened his eyes, squinting a little – the light seemed to annoy him – and looked up at his father with coal black eyes.
"He still can't see very well, of course," the doctor said from the other side of the room, causing them both to wince – they had completely forgotten about her presence "but from that distance, he can see your face clearly enough."
Monkey Fist barely nodded, biting his lower lip as he looked down at him – now that he could hold his son, the idea he had almost denied him his first breath was even more painful. Yuki seemed to understand his thoughts, for she reached up to put a hand on his forearm.
"It doesn't matter now," she said slowly "he's here now, and that's all that matters."
He nodded. "I guess you're right," he said, his gaze still fixed on Michio. The infant looked up at him as he spoke, looking suddenly interested by his voice.
"I think he likes you," Yuki chuckled, and Monkey Fist smirked.
"Of course he does, what did you expect?" he said, clearly pleased to see how easily he got his full attention. Yuki was about to point out that he was the one who was afraid that the child would be ashamed of him or just despise him, but she decided against it: he seemed so relieved and proud, and she didn't feel like ruining the moment. Yes, there were bound to be some issues later on – raising a child would not be precisely a walk in the park – but she had to admit that, aside for their non-existent experience and the fact he was in another continent when she had gotten into labor, they hadn't started that badly at all.
Yuki couldn't help but feel kind of stupid as she silently got up and went to the door, careful to not wake Monty up – but she couldn't help it. Even though Michio was obviously a healthy child and he always slept peacefully through the nigh, she was always somewhat in apprehension any time she stayed too much without checking how was he doing. She guessed it was just normal, considering that it was her first – and hopefully only – child and that he was barely a few days old. She still had to get used to the idea he could stay a few hours without her, she mused as she got inside Michio's room.
As usual, the child was napping peacefully, wrapped into the baby blanket Sensei had given her before she left. He was sucking his thumb as he slept, and with his other arm he was holding one of those plushies Monty's Former Number One Fangirl – as she usually referred to her – had sent him. It was some mixture between a monkey and a snow leopard, and much to Monty's horror it had quickly became his favourite toy. Yuki grinned a little as she recalled Monty's expression every time he saw that thing in the hands of his son. Well, maybe the fact that thing was indeed part monkey made it a tad better, but he still wasn't glad about it.
She reached to gently rub the baby's back, causing him to stir a little – but he didn't wake up. She smiled, and she was about to tiptoe back in her room when a familiar voice suddenly caused her to freeze.
"I'm glad to see both of you are fine."
"Sensei?" Yuki blinked as she turned to see Sensei's ghost-like figure hovering a little above the crib, looking both at her with a serene smile.
"You look surprised," he said, sounding mildly amused.
"I think anyone would," she said, amused despite the surprise "but I'm glad to see you again."
The old man just nodded and turned his gaze on the baby, who just kept sleeping, completely unaware of what was going on. "I'm glad to see you're doing well – and I'm especially glad I made it in time to see him," he added, an odd melancholy in his voice.
Yuki, however, didn't notice the slight change in his voice. "You're speaking like you'll never get another chance – I already promised I'll bring him with me to visit when he's old enough to travel to Japan."
"I'm afraid I don't have so much time left, Yuki."
Sensei's words caused her to freeze. "What…?" she asked, numbly looking at him. The old man just smiled.
"Now, you shouldn't be so surprised. I'm old, after all, and that moment comes from everyone eventually."
She swallowed, suddenly scared by the thought – she had never thought of Sensei as a human being whose life could eventually end: he had always been the same since when she could remember, never showing any sign of weakness. "You…shouldn't speak like that. I'm sure you still have –"
"No, Yuki. My time has come now."
She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out – she could just stare at his form with wide eyes as the realization slowly sank in. "You're dying, aren't you?" she finally whispered, her voice trembling.
"Yes, I can feel it – it's merely a matter of minutes now," his reply was impossibly calm.
Yuki felt like her legs were suddenly too weak to support her. She staggered back, leaning against the wall for support, her eyes fixed on the old man. "No," she finally said "it's not true."
"Now, there is no need to get sad over it," he scolded her gently as he saw a tear rolling down her cheek "this is how things are meant to be –It wasn't my intention to sadden you, but I simply couldn't go without knowing for certain you're fine."
She swallowed, suddenly feeling horribly guilty for not being in Yamanouchi to assist him. "Sensei, I…" she began, but she paused, unable to go on, trying to hold back the tears that filled her eyes.
"There is no need to cry," Sensei said, sounding a bit sterner now "I had a long life, and it was a good one – I have no reason to complain. Don't waste you time thinking about a life that just ended and take care of the life that has just began," he smiled down at Michio's sleeping form "promise me you won't cry, Yuki."
"I…" she took a deep breath "I won't cry," she finally said, her voice steadier "I promise."
The old man smiled and nodded as is form slowly began to waver – he was getting too weak, and he wouldn't be able to maintain that projection for long. "Good," he said "I wish you good luck – to all of you. Teach your son to always walk on the right path, and tell Monkey Fist…" his voice faded for a moment as his form began to get blurry, and it took him some effort to go on "tell him that helping him through his journey has been one of the my most rewarding tasks. Tell him to never forget what he learned."
"I'm sure he won't."
Sensei smiled once again, just a bit tiredly. "Goodbye, Yuki," he said quietly as his form began to fade.
Yuki bit her lower lip, trying his best to not start crying. "Goodbye – and thank you…" was all she managed to say, and her voice broke as Sensei's form disappeared completely. She stayed still for a long while, leaning against the wall, her eyes fixed on the spot where Sensei's figure had been barely moments earlier – she only got back to reality as Michio finally woke up and began to cry.
Teach your son to always walk on the right path.
I will. I swear I will.
She took a deep breath and took the baby in her arms, trying to calm him down – holding him was oddly comforting, and despite the horrible sense of loss she felt she didn't shed one single tear, just as promised.
"Yuki?" she turned to see Monkey Fist on the doorway – it probably was dawn already, she realized.
"I…" she swallowed "Sensei is gone," she said flatly, looking down at the baby as he clamed down.
Monkey Fist froze. "What does it mean, he's gone?" he finally asked, his voice oddly weak.
"Exactly what I said," Yuki replied, her voice surprisingly calm as she put the child back in the crib "he wanted me to tell you to never forget what you learned," took a deep breath "promise me you won't."
He bit his lower lips before wrapping his arms around her and holding her close – she was trembling, as if it took all her willpower to not cry. "I promise," was all he said, unable to think of anything else he could say. He didn't even know what he was supposed to think – the old man had made him suffer terribly, yet he was grudgingly grateful to him for everything he had done to help him, and now he was feeling a sense of loss that he just shouldn't have felt. If that was the effect Sensei's death had on him, he couldn't even imagine what it could be like for Yuki: he was probably the closest to a parent she ever had. "How are you feeling?"
She sighed. "Better, I guess – he seemed so calm, as if it didn't bothered him at all. And I promised him I wouldn't waste time crying over it, so…I'll be fine, really. I'll just need some time," she said softly, hiding her face in his neck for a few moments "just…hold me, alright?"
He hesitated for a moment, than he just nodded and held her back, not knowing what to say to comfort her: he felt like there were just no words. She was probably right – she would only feel better in time.
Monkey Fist sighed as Yuki sat on the other side of the bed with Michio in her arms. "Yuki, in case you haven't noticed, he has a room for himself to sleep into," he pointed out, looking at the child "is there a reason why you're keeping him here?"
Yuki shrugged innocently, looking down at the baby in her arms. "Because I'm feeding him?" she said, smiling a little as the baby kept suckling, his eyes half-closed, his little hands curled up into fists.
"I see. Is that why his crib is in our room?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She grinned sheepishly. "Just for a few more days," she said almost apologetically – she had eventually decided that keeping the child close to her at night would be easier than getting up every few hours to check if he was alright "then he'll stay in his room. I promise."
"You said that last week as well. And two weeks ago – he's four months already, for heaven's sake."
"Not yet – he'll be four months old next week. He was born the last day of November, in case you forgot."
Monkey Fist frowned a little, as he always did when he was reminded that his son was born the very same day his father had died thirty-five years before. Yes, it was merely a coincidence, but it felt odd thinking about it for some reason. "Alright, nearly four months then – but this doesn't change anything. I'm starting to think you're never going to leave him alone for a whole night," he grumbled a little, causing her to smirk.
"Are you jealous or what?" she mocked him. He hadn't been precisely enthusiast when he had found out some of his monkey ninjas were so excited about the baby's presence that he sometimes had to repeat his orders at least twice before they stopped gawking at the child and finally obeyed.
"Of course not, I was merely saying…well…"he paused as he realized that the child had stopped suckling to look at him – he seemed extremely interested in anything he did or said, and Yuki could have bet Monty wasn't displeased by the attention he got, even though it sometimes seemed to make him feel a tad uneasy.
"As you were saying?" Yuki said innocently, a little amused to see how he had stopped rambling as soon as he had noticed he had gotten the Michio's full attention.
"Alright, fine, he can stay here just one more week, and after that –" he trailed off he suddenly saw his son's face barely a few inches from his "…what?"
"Take him," Yuki simply said, still handling the child to him, causing him to blink.
"Why should I?"
"Why not? You're his father to begin with," she said a bit more sternly "you're behaving as if he had some illness – you can't keep avoiding him by using your incompetence with children as an excuse."
He gave her a nearly outraged look. "Incompetence?"
"Do I really have to remind you the mess you did last time you tried to fold a diaper?"
Monkey Fist scowled. "It's not my fault, it was that blasted thing…"
"Oh, please. It's not like it's rocket science, you know."
"I agree – it's not. Actually, changing a spacecraft's system to manual control was easier."
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I want to know details."
He chuckled. "No, you definitely don't."
"And you still can't get complicated stuff as a diaper."
"Can't you just drop it?"
"Nope. Now, how about holding your son?"
Monkey Fist turned to look at Michio again – he seemed to have followed the small argument with great interest, and now he was staring at him again. "Well…"
"Perfect," Yuki just said with a shrug, carefully placing the child in his arms. Monkey Fist froze for a moment as the baby curled against his chest, then he relaxed slightly. "See? He doesn't bite."
"Of course not, he has no teeth yet."
"Oh, you get what I mean," she smacked him lightly, but her gaze softened as she noticed how careful he was being while holding him "you're not doing that bad, you know."
He sneered a little. "Why, thank you. You're not half bad yourself."
"My, I'm honoured," she joked, a smile spreading on her face as Michio giggled, reaching up for Monty's face. He had begun giggling a few days before, while watching on the of monkey ninjas serving dinner – but that was the first time he laughed while looking at his father. Well, truth to be told it wasn't like Monkey Fist did much to make him laugh – he just wasn't that kind of father, Yuki mused, the smile still on her lips, but that didn't seem to be an issue for now. She just hoped he wouldn't become just some cold, distant figure to Michio in the future. "I told you he likes you," she said, running a hand through his hair.
Monkey Fist's grin widened. "Tell me something I don't know," he said a tad smugly, clearly amused by the child's obvious interest as he held him in front of his face, causing the baby to giggle again and reach out for his nose. "He has a good grip," he said, observing him a little more closely.
Yuki rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're already planning some kind of training routine for him…"
"Of course not," he protested "what's the use when he can't even walk?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you're going to start his training as soon as he can walk?"
Monkey Fist was about to say yes – the sooner, the better – but he abruptly changed his mind as he noticed her expression. "Er…no, not exactly, I merely…well, if we are going to teach him the way of the ninja, we better start soon, right?" ha said.
Yuki sighed. Yes, he did have a point – she had begun training very soon as well, after all. "Alright, we'll see about that," she finally said, taking back the baby and cradling him in her arms once again "just one thing – we won't force him in any way if he doesn't like martial arts. No objections allowed."
He was about to protest, but one glance from her was enough to make him. "Alright, I won't force him," he finally said, sounding much like a kid that had just been forbidden to play with a new toy.
She grinned as reached up to pinch his ear. "Hey, no need to pout," she said "I'm pretty sure he'll love it. Won't you?" she added, looking down a Michio and gently tapping his small nose. The child giggled again, reaching up to grab his mother's finger, then he yawned – it was funny how quickly he got tired, she mused.
"I suppose I should take it as a yes," Monkey Fist said with a slight chuckle as he turned off the light, while Yuki gently wrapped a baby blanked around Michio and carefully placed him in the crib, where he fell asleep in barely a few moments.
"Don't get too sure," she said with a grin, snuggling a little against Monkey Fist "we'll see in time, I guess," she added, closing her eyes and leaning against him while he wrapped his arms around her. Sensei had been right, she thought with a twinge of melancholy as she thought of the old man – sometimes what seemed the easiest was for happiness is nothing but a false trail: some things just have to be earned. Though terribly difficult and painful, each step forward Monkey Fist had made in his inner journey and every decision she had to make had been worth all the effort, and now she felt like she couldn't ask for more.
Just one thing…
"Monty?" Yuki called, opening her eyes.
"Yes?"
"Grumpy monkey cutie," she said, causing him to shudder.
"Did you really have to say that?"
"Hey, it's not my fault if you're so easy to make fun of."
"I suppose you're really never going to drop it…"
Yuki smirked in the dark. "Smart monkey."
