Chapter Two

"Well hello," Eskel smirked when they walked into the hall.

"Morning," Jaskier beamed, not caring at all.

"Morning," Vesemir looked a little uncomfortable and unsure what to do with himself.

"Did you two have to be so fucking loud!" Lambert complained.

"I was in heat, nothing we could do about it when the passion takes hold of your heart and body," Jaskier beamed even brighter as he sat at the table, Geralt following behind like a content puppy.

"Heart?" Vesemir blinked looking up from his breakfast.

"Jaskier agreed to allow me to be his Alpha," Geralt said, and Jaskier turned round with a soft smile at his phrasing.

"And he agreed to let me be his Omega,"

"Oh, dear Melitele!" Lambert made gagging noises.

"You're in a relationship?" Eskel brightened. "This wasn't a one-off heat?"

"I am in this for good," Jaskier nodded knowing what they were really asking. Geraly grumbled low in his chest next to him, their instincts still running high even though Jaskier's heat was over now.

"You both stink, and you stink differently to normal!" Lambert grumbled.

"You spent the first two weeks complaining about his perfumes!" Geralt growled lowly as Jaskier put together their food for them.

"Well, I am complaining about how he stinks of the two of you now," Lambert glared.

"They're mated, of course, they smell of each other," Eskel rolled his eyes slapping Lambert around the back of his head.

"I bet you and Aiden smell fairly similar when you have spent some time together," Jaskier said casually as he poured finished plating up his and Geralt's breakfast, Geralt pouring their tea. However, at Jaskier's words, all four Witchers froze and stared at him wide-eyed as he started eating his breakfast nonchalantly, just blinking at Lambert who was opening and closing his mouth like he was a fish.

Then Vesemir burst out into loud guffs, slamming his hand onto the table with one hand, clutching his side with the other.

"You knew?!" Lambert squeaked looking at his mentor, and then questioningly at Eskel and Geralt with wide eyes as well.

"Of course I knew, you think I am an idiot pup? You arrive stinking of him. I was waiting for you to finally feel comfortable enough to bring him here, I was actually hoping Geralt bringing Jaskier this winter would encourage you to bring him next winter, even if you wanted to pretend you were friends," Vesemir huffed.

"I knew," Eskel shrugged.

"Jaskier told me," Geralt shrugged.

"How did...how did…" Lambert stammered.

"It is obvious in the way that you talk about him, even though are trying to hide it, it is obvious how you talk about him. I would love to meet him, and so would Geralt," Jaskier smiled warmly at the wolf, all signs of teasing gone.

"But…"

"You think we care that he is a Cat?" Vesemir realised with a huff. "Fucking hell Lambert, if you trust him then we will, all we care about is that he is someone important to you,"

"But…"

"You're our brother, all that matters is that you have found someone to care for," Eskel nodded.

"I found a human bard," Geralt shrugged around his mouthfuls, not even blinking when Jaskier hit his arm.

"I am not sure which one is meant to be worse the human or the bard part!" Jaskier narrowed his eyes.

"No comment," Geralt smirked.

"You realise that I can withhold sex now right?" Jaskier glared. The others watched amused as Geralt blinked before actually blanching, clearly not having realised that yet. "I am off to the hot springs," Jaskier called over his shoulder pleasantly.

"Jaskier, wait!" Geralt quickly jumped to his feet and hurried after his chuckling mate.

"Seriously, bring that boy here next year, I want to meet him!" Vesemir pointed at Lambert before grabbing his plate and wandering off. Lambert looked to Eskel who chuckled at the expression on his face, patting his back consolingly, while mentally thinking that the Bard was like a breath of fresh air going through the fortress, freshening and brightening things up, and clearing away the cobwebs and dust.

"What is the matter?" Jaskier asked concerned as Geralt snuffled into him.

"You smell good," Geralt muttered, nosing further into Jaskier's neck who chuckled and just shifted his book so he was resting it on Geralt's back and could carry on reading while Geralt huffed and sniffled into his neck.

"I always smell nice," He teased.

"You smell really good now, even better," Geralt hummed, nibbling gently on Jaskier's throat.

"I smell of you and me," Jaskier chuckled turning his page.

"Yes, but there is something else as well, something I can't put my finger on," Geralt huffed placing a gentle kiss onto Jaskier's throat.

"Anything I need to be worried about?" Jaskier asked lifting his book slightly.

"No, it isn't something bad, it is just something that I can't put my finger on," Geralt kissed his throat again, stroking his hands over Jaskier's sides.

"Ok," Jaskier settled down right away, trusting his Witcher.

"We should move your things into my room, if you wanted?" Geralt said a few moments later, cat's eyes at half-mast in relaxation from Jaskier combing his fingers through his hair.

"I wasn't sure if that was something that you wanted," Jaskier said softly putting his book to the side.

"I am...you're sleeping in here every night, and I don't want to be separated from you," Geralt said slowly, carefully. "I haven't shared space like this before. I want to share it with you,"

"Shall we do this in the morning then?" Jaskier asked, his scent spiking happily, filling the Alpha's senses.

"I will move your things before we go down for breakfast, it won't take long," Geralt said pleased.

"Good," Jaskier said before letting out a jaw-breaking yawn. "Melitele, I have been so tired since my heat, you well and truly tired me out,"

"Come on," Geralt tried not to sound too smug as he leant over to blow out the candle, turning Jaskier carefully onto his side and snuggling up behind him, protecting his sweet, clever Omega between the wall and his body, spooning up behind him.

"Love this," Jaskier sighed happily, snuggling into the hold.

"Me too," Geralt pressed his nose into the back of Jaskier's neck, breathing in that scent that was driving his Alpha mad with being unable to pin down what it was.

"You smell," Lambert said bluntly making Jaskier glare at him affronted.

"That is why I am getting into the baths!" The Bard squawked.

"Why is Jaskier ranting?" Eskel asked ten minutes later walking into the hot springs to find Jaskier soaping himself up and still ranting at a bemused looking Lambert.

"I just told him that he smelled different," Lambert said quickly.

"No! You said I smell!" Jaskier glared.

"He had no clue how to phrase things, you do smell different, not in a bad way, just different. You have the scent that you have just mated, as does Geralt, but there is another smell there," Eskel explained as he sank into the water.

"Geralt has been saying that as well, he won't stop sniffing me," Jaskier calmed down turning his attention to Eskel as Lambert sank down nearly fully under the water of the hot spring in relief at being released from the Bard's wrath.

""It isn't anything bad, there is just something different there. I wonder if it has to do with mating to a Witcher. I have never been around a human Omega that is mated to an Alpha Witcher, or the other way around for that matter. You are the first Omega that I have been in the same area as that has been in heat," Eskel shrugged.

"Could be, especially with the extra mutations that forced on Geralt," Lambert risked speaking up from the corner he had slunk into.

"I wonder...it is strange," Jaskier pouted a little trying to sniff at himself, but not able to smell what they were talking about, he could only smell himself and Geralt.

"Don't worry too much about it, as I said, it isn't a bad smell, just different," Eskel patted him on the shoulder.

"Why are you sniffing around my kitchen, Wolf?" Vesemir asked tiredly as he walked into the room, yawning widely and stretching, heading for the kettle as the most important thing to the start of the day. He narrowed his amber eyes with a glare when he found Geralt in the way sniffing at their eggs. "What are you doing? You're normally still wrapped in your bard's sweet embrace,"

"That is the problem, Jaskier has been throwing up the last couple of days, I am worried that something is off in here that we have not noticed because of our stronger stomachs," Geralt frowned sniffing around.

"We're more likely to smell it though because of our stronger noses, nothing is off in here," Vesemir narrowed his eyes in offence, before concern took over. "He is ill?"

"He threw up three times yesterday and he woke up early to throw up this morning," Geralt was fretting Vesemir realised, along with the Alpha in him wanting to destroy the threat to his newly mated Omega of only two months, but it was an unseen enemy.

"Here, have him eat these, I will boil him up some ginger tea, and I will check him out when you come down," Vesemir handed Geralt a couple of ginger biscuits.

"Thank you," Geralt said relieved. Vesemir frowned concernedly as he watched Geralt hurrying from the room back to the bedroom that he was sharing with Jaskier. He was worried, if the Bard was sick they could be in trouble stuck up on the top of the mountain for the winter, they were stocked for Witchers, not for humans.

When the two of them had mated Vesemir had been excited for them, but he had been worried as well, Jaskier was a human, and with that came a limited life span, he knew that at some point in the near future as far as being a Witcher went he was going to have to be there for Geralt when the human passed away. He had not imagined in that worry that it was going to be from illness, he had imagined old age. If Jaskier was ill and there was nothing that they could do...Vesemir was worried that he might lose Geralt with him.

He moved around the kitchen automatically putting together their breakfast while desperately going over in his mind what he could do for the Bard if he was ill, and trying to think what he could do if it was something that he could not heal.

Aside from the grief that it would give to Geralt, he was not sure that the rest of them would find it easy to come back from the brightness that the Bard had given them in just the last few months of knowing them. Eskel was more confident and comfortable with himself than he had been in years, the fact that Jaskier reached out for him eagerly, hugged the bear of a man without wincing, looked him in the eyes and didn't flinch away from his scars. Lambert loved having someone other than his brothers who would bite back at him, but where Geralt would use his fists, and Eskel normally found the diplomatic route Jaskier would fight back with words and banter and bicker with Vesemir's youngest pup, beating him down on most occasions which Lambert secretly loved, because it meant that Jaskier wasn't scared of him.

He was more than concerned about what was up with the Bard.

"I can't find anything," Vesemir frowned confused looking through the vials set out in front of him and the various different medical tests that he had performed. Turning he was met with three pairs of golden cat eyes and pair of blue human eyes looking back at him.

"But there has to be something, he hasn't been well," Lambert scowled.

"Maybe you should check again," Eskel nodded.

"I have checked four times boys, there is nothing," Vesemir shook his head.

"It could just be a bug, I don't feel seriously ill, just a little light-headed and I am struggling to keep food or water down every now and then," Jaskier shrugged from where he was sitting on the bed in the room holding Geralt's hand, surrounded by the three Witchers.

"But it has been going on for a little longer than I am comfortable with for it to be a bug," Vesemir rubbed his chin.

"I don't think there is anything to worry about, remember I am human, bugs take longer to make their way through me than they do for you guys," Jaskier smiled only to be met with four mutinous looking Witchers. Sighing he dropped back onto the bed and waved Vesemir on to perform a check on him, another one.

An hour later he was finally allowed to leave the healing rooms as he, Geralt and Vesemir made their way to the kitchen to start supper, Lambert and Eskel being convinced to leave to finish up sealing up the wall in the North Tower that they had been working on.

Jaskier got seated at the fire, Vesemir pressing some bread and butter into his hands for him to eat, Geralt some of the dried berries before the two of them moved to get supper cooked. Normally he would have protested at this despite the fact that he disliked cooking and often swapped cooking duties for sewing duties with Geralt when they were on the road, but he was feeling a little ill still, and so settled into the rocking chair by the fire that Vesemir had placed in here for him.

He threw a blanket over his lap and started rocking the chair gently as he nibbled on the food before dropping his head back onto the chair and humming to himself as he worked on the new song that he was putting together for Eskel, going over the words in his head for the tune that had come to him for the gentle giant.

Unconsciously his hand drifted down to his stomach as he rocked in the chair, lost in his own little world of music as he listened to the sound of the other two moving around the kitchen together with practised ease.

At least until there was a loud crash that had him startling and Vesemir spinning around to Geralt, knife in hand and eyes scanning the kitchen for danger. Finding none he looked at Geralt confused, but the Witcher was looking at Jaskier intently, more importantly where Jaskier's hands were resting.

"You're pregnant," Geralt said the words softly, but he might as well have dropped a bomb.

Jaskier and Vesemir's eyes widened as the pieces slipped into place and everything that had been happening made sense, the scent that had been coming off of Jaskier, the sickness, the lightheadedness, everything.

"I can't be," Jaskier shook his head, but deep down he knew that it was true.

"You are, that is why none of the tests showed anything wrong, all those tests are to look for illness or something wrong with you, pregnancy isn't something wrong," Vesemir threw up his hands. "You're pregnant!" He said firmly, unable to believe that a Witcher his age had missed it, the Omega was giving off the scent of pregnancy now he was looking for it.

"I…" Jaskier said, and then to Geralt and Vesemir's horror, his eyes filled up. "Geralt...I swear...Geralt don't be...I swear...I know...but I don't...it isn't...you…" The Omega babbled shaking his head as tears fell from his eyes.

The two witchers stood there horrified, unsure what to do. Geralt had only seen Jaskier cry once in the ten years that they had known each other, and he wasn't sure what to do when faced with it, especially when faced with the babbling so that he was unsure what the problem was.

"Geralt, please...please don't...I didn't...I swear I...please," Jaskier sobbed rubbing at his eyes.

"Jaskier, you didn't want, I don't understand," Geralt edged carefully over to Jaskier, kneeling at his feet.

"I swear I haven't...haven't, you are...I don't...I didn't...I…" Jaskier babbled, talking over himself.

"Jaskier, please take a breath and talk clearly," Geralt tried to be stern to calm Jaskier down, but felt horrid when the scent of fear and grief filled the room as Jaskier flinched back.

"I..I...I…" seemed to be all Jaskier could manage to get out now.

"What the hell happened?" Lambert and Eskel seemed as horrified to be faced with a weeping Omega as Geralt and Vesemir were.

"Jaskier!" Geralt tried but Jaskier just sobbed even harder, scrubbing at his face.

"Jaskier, can you tell us what is happening? Are you upset about the baby?" Vesemir tried, also kneeling down at Jaskier's feet.

"Oh fuck!" Eskel spluttered as he clicked on.

"Baby?" Lambert blinked.

"I didn't...I didn't…"

"Jaskier, what didn't you do?" Vesemir took his hand gently, patting it carefully.

"I...I didn't...I didn't….I haven't been with...anyone else," Jaskier wheezed through his tears.

"Jaskier...I know the baby is mine!" Geralt said quickly, gripping Jaskier's knees as he realised with horror the conclusion that Jaskier thought they would jump to.

"Baby?!" Lambert asked confused.

"B...b...but," Jaskier's lip wobbled as he looked cautiously at Geralt.

"I know that I should be sterile, but I don't think that you have slept with anyone else, Jaskier, it would have been when I was wounded and I know you wouldn't have done that, you were working too hard to keep us safe and a roof over our head, and you wouldn't have gone into heat for me if you were already pregnant. More than that I trust you, and I can smell it, Melitele I can smell it Jaskier, it is us, I can smell it," Geralt groaned pressed his nose gently to Jaskier's belly, closing his eyes as he breathed in the sweet scent that had been driving him mad trying to pin down, the scent that had been emanating from Jaskier for weeks now.

"You can smell it?" Jaskier sniffed wiping his face.

"I can smell it, our baby," Geralt hummed as clever fingers tangled with his hair.

"What baby?!"

"If anyone would manage to break the norm of course it would be Geralt," Eskel snorted amused.

"You're not mad?" Jaskier asked nervously.

"How can I be mad Jaskier. This is scary and completely unexpected, but this is something made of you and me, how can I be mad about that. This is going to mean changes, but it is something that we will work out, together," Geralt promised, nosing into Jaskier's neck.

"Come on boys," Vesemir urged Eskey and Lambert out the kitchen.

"What baby?!"

"You're an idiot," Eskel sighed at Lambert.

"But...we're sterile!" Lambert squawked.

"He isn't wrong though, you are meant to be sterile," Jaskier opened watery blue eyes to look into glowing golden eyes. "I swear Geralt…"

"Don't, please," Geralt shook his head before pressing their foreheads together, cupping the back of Jaskier's head. "Even if I wasn't able to smell that the baby is ours, I would trust you if you told me once that that baby was mine and you hadn't been with anyone else. I trust you and your word as much as I trust Vesemir, Eskel and Lambert's words,"

"But how," Jaskier's bottom lip wobbled at the declaration but he pushed on.

"I don't know, Vesemir will look into it no doubt and work out how the hell we managed it," Geralt smiled slightly.

"You sound like you don't care," Jaskier tilted his head a little.

"I don't, not really. As long as the baby is healthy, and safe, as long as the baby and you aren't in danger because of how they came to exist, I don't care. I am utterly terrified, and I have no idea how we are going to do this, it will change our lives massively, but… it's a baby, our baby...we're having a baby," Geralt said with awe in his voice.

"Our baby," Jaskier repeated with a growing smile. "I...I need to...just in case, it is...I wished for it, I wanted it, dreamt of it, having your baby, our baby,"

"Vesemir will look into it, there is no smell of magic, or Djinn in particular around you though," Geralt comforted pressing their noses together, before leaning down and pressing his nose to Jaskier's stomach again, a low growl forming in the back of his throat that Jaskier thought was more of a purr, he had never heard an Alpha make that noise before, he reckoned it was something purely Alpha Witcher. "I wished for it as well. I hadn't allowed myself to, ever, I ignored that part of me. I have been told for so long, and known for so long that this wasn't something that I was allowed. I pushed it to the back of my mind. But your heat...I wished too,"

"We'll be alright," Jaskier said combing his fingers through Geralt's white hair as he tilted his own head back. Geralt smiled into his stomach, starting his growl again. This was part of what he loved about Jaskier so much, his certainty and positivity, the good and brightness that he found in life, it was like Jaskier saw in neon-bright colour where everyone else saw in greyscale.

"You realise I am not going to give birth right now?" Jaskier said into the silence of the room, not looking up from his book as Lambert started.

"I don't...I didn't…" Lambert growled out, spluttering as he was broken from his anxious staring.

"I think it is adorable, it is wonderful to know that he or she will have such a protective uncle," Jaskier smiled turning the page of his book.

"Un...uncle?" Lambert stammered, sounding so shocked that Jaskier finally lowered his book to meet wide eyes that were so similar but so different to those that he loved.

"Of course, you and Eskel will be their uncles, Vesemir their grandfather, you're their family," Jaskier said, and then figured he might as well go all in and strike the killing blow. "It is a relief to know that if anything happens to me or Geralt or Melitele forgive both of us, that the baby will have you three,"

"What happened?" Vesemir asked confused as he walked in moments later, no doubt having met Lambert in his fleeing the room.

"Just making sure that Lambert knows where he fits in," Jaskier said buried back into his book.

"You're determined to have both those boys in love with you before they leave for spring aren't you," Vesemir chuckled.

"Who says they're leaving for spring? They're going to be right here for the birth," Jaskier shrugged.

"You're a…" Vesemir cut off and Jaskier lowered his book to see the older Witcher watching him with a fondness and warmth that brought a heat to his cheeks.

"I want family around when the baby is born," Jaskier said disappearing back behind his book. "You realise I am not going to give birth right now?" He said amused five minutes later.

"Are you on Jaskier duty?" The bard asked Eskel who grinned unrepentantly at him, settled at Jaskier's feet in front of the fire.

"Yup, making clothes?" Eskel asked curiously.

"Yeah, Geralt and Vesemir have been knitting blankets and clothes for the baby, I have absolutely no skill with a knitting needle but I can sew like no one else," Jaskier smiled.

"Are you sure you like the cradle me and Lambert made?" Eskel frowned.

"I love it!" Jaskier said firmly, nudging Eskel with his foot.

"Can I…" Eskel started to say before his face burned bright red and he looked away.

"What is it?" Jaskier asked gently.

"No sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"What is it?" Jaskier pressed.

"Could I smell...could I…" Eskel glanced to the bump of Jaskier's growing stomach anxiously.

"Of course," Jaskier moved his sewing to the side.

"What...but…"

"Eskel, I trust you as much as I trust Geralt with the baby, you, Lambert and Vesemir, of course, you can scent the baby," Jaskier smiled.

Eskel leant forward cautiously, clearly waiting for Jaskier to change his mind, when he didn't he pressed his nose carefully to the gentle swell of his stomach, breathing in the sweet scent of the baby and Jaskier.

"Jaskier, Eskel…" Geralt said walking into the room half an hour later. He paused in the doorway as Eskel yanked himself back quickly looking guilty and worriedly at his brother, Jaskier only just managing to get his sewing out the way in time to avoid poking Eskel's eye out. "Don't be stupid," Geralt grunted rolling his eyes.

He shoved gently at Eskel's head before leaning down to kiss Jaskier, tenderly pressing his hand to Jaskier's stomach with a soft smile that warmed Jaskier from the inside out every single time that he saw it.

Jaskier hummed softly, one of the lullabies that he had made up for the baby as combed his fingers through Geralt's hair where he was resting his head on Jaskier's chest, his nose pressed to his stomach as he so often did, that soft rumble accompanying Jaskier's humming. They lay like this often now, and Jaskier loved it.

He had his eyes closed as he started drifting to sleep, content and happy with where they were and how his life had changed so much since that moment Geralt had left with the other three to go hunting and Jaskier had been alarmed to feel the telltale tingle in his stomach.

"Geralt?" He murmured tiredly aware that the growling had stopped and Geralt had shifted his position. "Geralt?" He opened his eyes, waking more when he got no answer. Looking down he saw Geralt looking alarmingly alert and concentrated as he pressed his ear to Jaskier's stomach.

"I.." Geralt frowned deeper.

"Geralt!" Jaskier said more alarmed.

"There is nothing wrong!" Geralt said quickly as the scent of Jaskier's panic filled the room.

"Then why do you look like that?!" Jaskier leant up on his elbows, his heart thundering in his chest.

"I can hear the heartbeat," Geralt said even as he hurried off the bed and to the door. "Vesemir!"

"Geralt!" Jaskier's voice broke.

"I just need Vesemir to confirm something for me, that is all," Geralt hurried back over, half-listening to the feet thundering down the corridor towards their room as he took Jaskier's hand, the other half of his hearing listening to the soft whoosh whoosh he could hear coming from Jaskier's stomach.

"What is wrong?!" Vesemir flew in the room, eyes wide, Lambert and Eskel only half a step behind him, nearly crashing into him as he stopped.

"There is nothing wrong, I can hear the heartbeat but...listen and tell me what you think, please," Geralt said with a firm calmness.

Vesemir glanced at Jaskier, who despite the panic he was feeling rolled his eyes at him. He leant over and pressed his ear gently to Jaskier's stomach, frowning in concentration before his eyes widened as he heard the whoosh whoosh that Geralt had heard, a bright smile lighting up his face, before he frowned in confusion, clearly concentrating again.

Before Jaskier could demand an answer Vesemir tugged back with wide eyes...before bursting into bright, booming laughter.

"What the hell is going on?!" Lambert growled, teeth exposed not sure what the hell was going on, all protective instincts on high and not sure where to turn them.

"The heartbeat is good, strong and steady...but there are two of them," Geralt said gently to Jaskier, lifting their joined hands to kiss the back of it.

"Two but...you're sure it isn't mine you're hearing as well?" Jaskier asked faintly.

"Two...are you sure?" Eskel shoved past Vesemir who was still laughing and crawled onto the bed, pressing his ear to Jaskier's stomach.

"It is definitely not your heartbeat, I would be able to find your heartbeat standing in the middle of Hierarch Square," Geralt smiled.

"If you're listening, I am listening too!" Lambert shoved past Vesemir who was wiping his eyes now and also crawled onto the bed, carefully shoving at Eskel's head to make space to press his own ear to his stomach as well.

"Technically there are three heartbeats in there. Yours and two others,"

"But that means that we are…" Jaskier blinked rapidly, but there was a growing smile on his face, Eskel and Lambert started grinning at each other as their hearing locked onto what the other two Witchers had heard.

"Twins. We are having twins!" Vesemir said excitedly, the biggest, beaming grin that any of the others had ever seen on his face.