Okay, so before we get started with the chapter, I just wanted to mention that the timeline got a little messy since I forgot that Mousefur and Runningwind were in the nursery when Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit were born. So that's why they're older in this fic than in canon.

Over the next quarter moon, Fireheart kept to her warrior duties as usual. She knew she would need to move into the nursery at some point, but she wanted to savor her last few days of freedom. On top of that, she didn't feel like living in the nursery alone. Mousepaw and Runningpaw were apprentices now, which meant White-eye had gone back to the warriors' den.

One day, however, Fireheart learned that she wouldn't have to be alone in the nursery after all. Bluefur pulled her aside after returning from a training session with Runningpaw and asked to speak to her alone.

"What's wrong?" she asked, following the older warrior out of the camp. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

"No, no," Bluefur answered quickly. She paused for a moment, then added, "Well, technically, yes."

Fireheart frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Bluefur shut her eyes for a moment, then meowed, "I–I'm expecting kits."

For a few moments, all Fireheart could do was stare at her friend as she tried to formulate a response. Of course, the typical response in a situation such as this would be a word of congratulations, but they both knew it wasn't as simple as that. There could be no doubt in either of their minds who the father of Bluefur's kits was and if things went wrong, the rest of the Clan would soon come to know as well.

Finally, unsure what else to say, the flame-colored molly meowed, "You–you went to see Oakheart again?"

"No!" Bluefur exclaimed. "No, I didn't. It must have happened that night I met him at Fourtrees."

Wow, talk about bad luck, Fireheart thought with a wince. What's the chance that you spend one night with a cat from another Clan and just happen to get pregnant? It's not a guaranteed thing that a queen gets pregnant every time–er, never mind.

"Rosetail and Leopardfoot both think Thrushpelt is the father," her former mentor admitted. "And Thrushpelt already agreed to pretend to be the father for me. But I thought I should let you know since you obviously know the truth."

"You're going to have Thrushpelt pretend to be the father of your kits when he's been padding after you for seasons?" Fireheart asked, frowning slightly. "Doesn't that seem a little cruel to you?"

"He offered to do it," Bluefur explained. "Rosetail congratulated him on becoming a father, so that's how he found out. I'm just lucky that he didn't ask any questions."

"Ah, I see," Fireheart meowed, nodding. "Well...it sounds like everything is in order, then. All you've got to do is wait until your kits arrive now, right?"

However, the older warrior shook her head. "Not quite," she meowed. "I still need to tell Oakheart about them. He's their father; he deserves to know." She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "But I don't know when or how I should tell him."

Fireheart stared at the blue-gray warrior for a few heartbeats, then meowed, "Bluefur, I mean this with all the respect in the world, but that is a terrible idea. First of all, you already have a father for your kits. Granted, Thrushpelt isn't their real father, but it's good enough and I'm sure he'll love your kits just as much as Oakheart would. And for another, what exactly do you think you'll accomplish by telling Oakheart about them? He would hardly ever get to see them anyway. It's not like either of you can just up and move to another Clan, especially not with leaf-bare almost here."

"I know," Bluefur admitted. "But I still feel like he deserves to know...I mean, I would if I were in his place."

"Does it really matter, though? Most fathers don't stay too involved with their kits' lives anyway," Fireheart pointed out.

Privately, she wondered if that was the future awaiting her and Tigerclaw's kits. Fireheart knew it wasn't fair of her to doubt her mate when he had been nothing but loving and supportive of her, but it wasn't exactly a secret that most toms grew distant from their kits after a few moons. Sparrowpelt hardly ever interacted with Mousepaw and Runningpaw anymore, and from what she heard, Stormtail hadn't done much to act as a father to Bluefur and Snowfur even when they were only a few days old. Her own father had disappeared before she and her littermates were even born, and Fireheart still had no idea where he was now.

But then again, Tigerclaw had been so happy when he learned that she was going to have his kits. Perhaps he would be different. Besides that, he also knew what it felt like to be abandoned by a parent, so maybe that would prevent him from doing the same.

"Look," Fireheart meowed finally, pushing her thoughts aside. "I assume you are planning to raise your kits as ThunderClan cats, right?"

"Of course," Bluefur replied, nodding.

"So there you have it, then," the flame-colored molly meowed simply. "Your kits can grow up as ThunderClan cats with ThunderClan parents. Nobody has to know the truth except for us. You know that I think the rule against having a mate in another Clan makes about as much sense as decorating the inside of your nest with brambles and trying to see if it will somehow allow you to summon the spirit of Thunderstar to haunt the ShadowClan camp–"

Bluefur snorted with laughter.

"But we both know that the rest of the Clan isn't going to see it the same way," Fireheart finished. "Nobody else is going to see it the same way. I mean, no offense or anything, but forest-born cats are a little too loyal to the warrior code sometimes. If we tell anyone the truth, your kits going to spend their entire lives being judged over the circumstances of their birth no matter what they do. So it's best for everyone that Oakheart doesn't learn about his kits and they're allowed to grow up believing they're pure ThunderClan warriors."

"I suppose you're right," Bluefur agreed, her eyes slightly downcast. "I just wish things could be different."

Fireheart wanted to comfort her friend and tell her that things would be different one day, but she knew better than to make empty promises. If the Clans hadn't realized how ridiculous some of their laws were by now, the warrior code wasn't likely to change anytime soon. Instead, she licked Bluefur's shoulder and felt the blue-gray warrior rest her head against her shoulder.

"Thanks, Fireheart," she murmured.

"It's alright," Fireheart meowed softly. "And hey, look on the bright side. Our kits are going to be denmates!"

"That's true," Bluefur agreed, chuckling as she bounded over a tree stump. "And if your kits are anything like you, we're never going to get a wink of sleep."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Fireheart demanded.

"Nothing, Fireheart, nothing at all."

"You know what, Bluefur? Just for that, I'm going to make sure my kits wake you up at dawn every single day just to spite you."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Challenge accepted."

Later that afternoon, Fireheart and Bluefur returned to the camp with a piece of prey each in their jaws. They hadn't had much success with their hunt, but they knew they had to bring something to show for their disappearance. As they deposited their prey in the fresh-kill pile, Rosetail bounded over to them.

"Bluefur, did you tell her the news?" the tabby warrior asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did," Bluefur meowed, glancing down at her paws.

Rosetail's eyes lit up and she turned to Fireheart. "Isn't it wonderful?" she purred. "More kits for ThunderClan! We're going to have more warriors than any other Clan in the forest soon."

"Perhaps," Fireheart agreed politely. She glanced around the camp for Tigerclaw, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Do you know where Tigerclaw is, by any chance?"

"Oh, Tawnyspots assigned him to a border patrol. But he should be back soon," Rosetail answered. "He told me to make sure you ate something, though. Got to keep up your energy and all that, since you're eating for more than one now. So come on, take a piece of fresh-kill and join me and Leopardfoot."

"Sure, alright," Fireheart meowed, picking up a rabbit. She had been hoping to share a meal with Tigerclaw, but it looked as though that wouldn't be happening. Glancing over her shoulder, she called out, "You can come too, Bluefur."

However, the blue-gray warrior just shook her head. "I think I'm just going to rest for a bit," she meowed. "Thanks anyway, though."

Fireheart nodded and turned to follow Rosetail over to where Leopardfoot was waiting for them. Taking a seat with her friends, she took a bite out of her rabbit and chewed slowly. It was a bit tougher than usual, but it still tasted fairly decent nonetheless.

"I take it you've heard the news, then?" Leopardfoot meowed by way of greeting.

"That Bluefur and Thrushpelt are having kits? Yes, I have," Fireheart answered.

"It's great, isn't it?" the black queen asked, her eyes shining. "Bluefur's going to be a wonderful mother. And you two will be raising your kits together."

"Yeah, it's great," Fireheart agreed, swallowing another bite of rabbit meat.

Privately, she couldn't help thinking that it was strange that everybody assumed Thrushpelt was the father of Bluefur's kits when it was clear to anyone with eyes that the attraction was purely one-sided. It wasn't as though Bluefur had made it a secret that she didn't feel the same way, after all. Perhaps everyone was so desperate for them to get together that they had jumped to conclusions.

Of course, knowing what the alternative was, there was no denying it was for the best.

Bluefur's kits are officially on their way! Well, technically they were on their way before, but the news is out in the open now.

So yes, as far as everyone is concerned, Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit are going to grow up believing they're pure ThunderClan warriors. Let's be honest, it's better this way, especially since they're going to live in ThunderClan their entire lives anyway. Not like the truth makes anything better.

Fireheart's kits will be arriving during the next chapter, which will be posted in a few days, so get your votes in while you can! And remember, even if your favorite doesn't get picked, don't worry. I'll be using all of them at some point during the story.

Responses to a few reviews:

scarlett quagmire: Don't worry, Bluefur's kits will still have the same names. Although, I'm still trying to think of a warrior name for Mosskit. Fortunately, that chapter won't happen for a while.

Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Oh, she definitely is. This is the cat who tried to kick Tigerclaw's ass on her first day in the forest and was starstruck over falling snow. She also just thinks everyone deserves a chance at happiness–well, except for Thistleclaw, that is, but no need to worry about him now.

KrazyKube: Fireheart may be an idiot, but she does have her moments.

draconic skysong: Honestly, I'm not sure how far this will go. I was originally planning to have it continue through the original series, but I've been considering having it end when Bluefur becomes Clan leader. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, though.

Thanks for reading!

-TheShadowedWarrior