AN: Yeah, this chapter deals with birth, and the paradox of how it is both extremely ugly and extremely beautiful, in all its unfiltered glory. You have been warned.

"If you're not a contraction I don't want to see you!" Amelia screamed from her room as Lina and Gourry walked past in the hallway.

They looked in horror at each other and Lina muttered, "Oh no!"

And then the door opened and Zelgadis ran out looking terrified as Lina felt her contraction start to build and she gripped Gourry's arm. Phil and Sylphiel followed him out, and Sylphiel took one look at her and Lina realized just how poorly she had done with masking the pain as Sylphiel said, "It looks like it's started."

"Oh no!" Zelgadis said as he started to tear out his hair, "Oh no, oh no! Amelia's going to kill me!"

"Leia, you'd better get out here." Phil said gruffly.

"What is it? What's going on?" Amelia asked as she came to the doorway with Leia, and Lina started kicking herself for not taking the time to change her gown as she struggled to make it through the contraction.

"Oh, honey!" Leia said as she rushed to Lina's other side as the contraction finally released its grip on her and she took a deep breath.

Amelia, meanwhile, turned flaming red as she slammed the door shut and from inside she yelled, "I meant me! Contractions for me!"

"Is she going to be all right?" Luna asked as she came into the hallway with Han.

"Is she going to be all right? Am I going to be all right!" Zelgadis said as he started to pace, "She's going to kill me!"

"Oh for the love of, you'll be all right, Amelia will snap out of it, my daughter is the one in labor right now and if we don't get her to her room soon I'm going to wonder if she's going to be all right!" Han snapped.

"Come on." Sylphiel said gently as she led the way. "How far apart are the contractions?"

"I've not timed them." Lina said as she wondered if she was prepared at all for this, "I just woke up and my water broke."

"We'll time the next ones." Sylphiel said gently.

Lina turned and looked at Han, "Dad, start waking the kids and get the bombs ready."

"I know, honey. We've got everything taken care of, all you need to worry about is getting that baby out safely."

"Tell Maeve to think through her enunciation carefully."

"I know, Lina." Han said as they reached the door, and Lina handed Sylphiel the key.

"And tell Cuchulain not be so stupidly heroic!"

"Lina, we know what needs to be done." Han said as Sylphiel unlocked the door, and Han reached over to kiss Lina on the forehead, "I look forward to seeing my grandbaby."

"Take care of my students until you do. And don't get blown up!"

"I always manage to pull through." He said as he turned around, "Phil, Zel, let's wake the others."

"Lina," Zelgadis said, having calmed down a bit, "I know Amelia can pull herself together if you want her to go down…"

"For goodness sake's Zel! If she's that stressed then a battlefield is the last place she needs to be! Let her get some sleep." Lina said.

"Right. Good luck."

"You, too."

"Let's get you inside." Leia said as she gently guided Lina to the door, and then to the bed.

Sylphiel filled a basin with water and started washing her hands as Leia walked over to the cabinet and pulled out some towels. "I do believe I thought of everything when I heard you would be using this room." Leia said as she set a fresh nightgown on the bed, "I even grabbed two."

Lina smiled as Gourry stood beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks. I didn't even think to get anything before I walked out."

Leia looked him over and noticed the wet spot on his shirt and said, "Okay, perhaps I didn't think of everything. I don't have a change of clothes for Gourry."

Gourry shrugged, "I've been covered in worse."

"Sylphiel, here it comes!" Lina said as she grasped Gourry's arm to brace herself, and Sylphiel got out her stop watch and looked at it.

"Can you give her something for the pain?" Gourry asked desperately.

"I will." Sylphiel said evenly, "I just need to make sure everything looks good first."

"Well this definitely looks like the real deal." Leia said as she put a hand on Lina's knee, and to Lina's relief it was as though she was drawing the pain away with her touch. "It won't be long now."

Lina exhaled in relief when it ended, and Sylphiel quietly instructed, "Go ahead and lay down."

Lina did as asked and followed her directions. Sylphiel smiled, "It looks like that stitch was the only thing keeping him in. Everything looks good and this baby has a good head of chestnut colored hair."

"So that means he'll be out soon?" Lina asked.

"I don't think he'll make us wait too long." Sylphiel replied as she handed Lina a rag, "Here, this will help with the pains."

"Thanks." Lina said as she took it as Gourry put a hand on her shoulder. For now it truly didn't feel like anything that she couldn't handle and she was a bit hesitant to use it. She wanted her head to be as clear as possible. Still, that it was there if it got too bad was comforting. Especially as the person who was best at comforting her would have to leave. She looked up at him and smiled, "I wish you could stay."

He ran a hand through her hair and then leaned over to kiss her. The decision to have him outside had been a strategic rather than emotional one. One that got harder as the next contraction built and she grasped his arm. Gourry froze, feeling over his head as Lina crouched over the bed as Leia and Luna started talking her through it.

"Four minutes apart. You're more than half way there." Sylphiel said as she put her stopwatch down.

Gourry grabbed the rag and put it in Lina's line of sight, but she waved him away. He was confused but set it on the bedside table as she finally relaxed. "So how much longer?" she asked.

"Only a few hours." Sylphiel said.

"Thank goodness." Lina said as she leaned back on the pillows, and Gourry knew that he should move to the hallway but was reluctant to leave.

And then, with a gentleness that one seldom saw from Luna, she said to Gourry, "We'll take good care of her."

Lina looked at him and smiled, "I'll be fine. This is nothing I can't handle!"

"I know." He said as he reached down to stroke her hair and started to remind himself of all of the things that they had survived to fortify himself. He then put a hand on her stomach, and felt that the baby was kicking. "When we see each other again, we'll be a family."

"So you better keep an eye out for anyone who will threaten us." She said.

He leaned down to kiss her, "I will." He whispered. "Love you."

"Love you."

He turned around and walked out, making sure to lock the door behind him when he left. An extra layer of protection. He scanned the hallway. If there was anyone or anything there that shouldn't have been, he could not detect it. He felt as though he had just gotten into the zone when he heard the women start to talk Lina through another contraction and lost it. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Quite possibly the most powerful woman in the room was in there with Lina, as well as a skilled healer. Lina would be fine. So long as he kept his attention on the hallway. He refocused his senses once more, doing his best to ignore what was happening in the room behind him.

There was an excitement in the air, from both the terrestrial plane and the astral one. Albeit for different reasons. Xellos watched as Greater Beast surveyed their team, and was thankful for the fact that finally, finally they would be acting instead of observing. Sure, the end result would involve raising a human child. But Mazoku other than him would be tasked with that.

"Xellos." Greater Beast said, and he snapped to attention. "They are waking the children and moving to defense positions."

"They had a box of Zanaffar bombs. I have removed them and replaced them with fakes. I have also ensured that I have easy access in and out of the room where the child is expected to arrive."

"Perfect. We will attack the moment the child is safely in our possession. How much longer until he arrives?"

"I will check on how things are progressing." Xellos said as he went to leave to watch the room Lina had chosen to turn into her fortress from the astral plane. Only to find, to his horror, that he was blocked from doing so!

How? He had removed the crystals himself and replaced them with fakes! There was no way Lina could have known, and how could she have secured replacements? He tried again, but once more found himself blocked. He spent a few agonized moments with the knowledge that Greater Beast would be furious. But he hadn't lived as long as he had without knowing to always have a backup plan. While it made getting in and out of the room more difficult, Xellos was sure it would work. Now all he had to do was present it to Greater Beast in such a manner that it wouldn't seem like a screw up on his part.

Lina relaxed against her mother, who put a cold rag to her forehead. Her concerns about being clear headed vanished as soon as the contractions became two minutes apart and she couldn't even so much as catch her breath between them. The reality set in that even if someone did attack, she wouldn't have been able to defend herself. The pain was so intense she felt as though her rib cage would shatter. She barely felt as though she could get the air into her lungs that she needed to stay alive, forget being able to chant a spell! Trusting that the people she had surrounded herself with would protect her child, she brought the rag to her face and couldn't inhale fast enough! It had borne her through to the part where she needed to push.

Time was behaving in a strange way, though Lina wasn't quite sure how to describe it. It didn't seem linear. It seemed to be looping and cascading back into itself with each command to push. At first Lina was concerned it was the potion, so she'd put it aside. But the feeling hadn't cleared and Lina had started to suspect it was something about the hormone bath her mind was undergoing. She couldn't give it too much thought though. Her focus had narrowed down to getting the baby out. Nothing else mattered.

"Just one or two more good pushes," Sylphiel said encouragingly, "You're almost there."

"You might want the potion for the next one." Luna said as she looked over Sylphiel's shoulder, "Crowning is no picnic."

"Huh?" Lina said hazily as her mother put the drenched rag into her hands again, just in time for the next contraction to build as she started to push.

"The head is out." Sylphiel said as the contraction died.

Lina just giggled as she put the rag down, and Luna said, "Hard part's over. Unless you're having twins that is."

"What?" Lina and Leia both said, but then Lina felt the pressure again and all she could do was hope that Luna was throwing a sick joke out there as she pushed for what she hoped was the last time.

There followed a cacophony of sensations. She felt as though her insides were being ripped, even as a pure hormonal rush like nothing she had ever felt washed through her, an intense mix of both pleasure and pain. Then Sylphiel lifted the baby up where she could see, and the child turned to look at Lina, locking eyes with her, and Lina was stunned to see the look of recognition in the young face. It struck like lightning the certainty that he somehow recognized her and knew who she was as Sylphiel announced, "It's a boy."

And then Sylphiel placed him on her chest, and Lina reached her arms up to hold him and wondered if she would ever be able to let go.

Waiting outside was hard. Tuning out the sounds of what was happening in the room and focusing on potential enemies had been hard. Not knowing for sure what was happening was hard. Occasionally Gourry would take the time to assure himself. Sylphiel sounded encouraging when he heard her speak. No one sounded panicked. Everything seemed to be going as it should. But when the pushing started it got harder to stand outside and not know. And then when he heard the sound of an infant wail…

He was relieved that it sounded as though both Lina and the baby were okay. But he was also desperate to see his child. Waiting outside was painfully agonizing!

He took a deep breath and focused. If there was anything or anyone who shouldn't be there, he couldn't sense them. He unlocked the door and opened it a crack, just to see what was happening, to see if he could get a glimpse of Lina and the baby. He relaxed as he saw Lina sitting up on the bed, looking exuberant as she held a baby to her chest. Luna looked up as she noticed him, and quickly walked up to him and said, "Let's trade posts."

Gourry didn't trust himself to speak as he moved inside while Luna moved outside to stand guard. Lina looked up at him as he walked over to her and smiled as she said, "We have a son."

"A son!" he repeated as he reached her bed and peered down at him, red faced and squalling, but somehow the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He gently put a hand on his back and felt a charge go through him. They had a child now. He had his own family. One he would do everything in his power to make a happy one. He took a moment to brush away the tears, and then he looked at Lina and asked, "Are you okay?"

Lina couldn't seem to take her eyes off the baby as she nodded, "That was nothing I can't handle!"

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head as Leia said, "I know you have a wet nurse, but still, go ahead and try to feed him. It will help both of you recover and calm him down a bit."

"How do I do that?" Lina asked.

Gourry's eyes were drawn to the baby like a magnet as Leia walked Lina through the steps of feeding him. His eyes were golden, an unusual color, likely related to his unique nature. His coloring was similar to Lina's, though his head was too misshapen for Gourry to decide who he took after. Neither of them noticed Sylphiel's frown as she palpitated Lina's stomach until Lina had gotten him contentedly quiet and nursing as Sylphiel announced, "I hear another heartbeat."

"Huh?" Lina said distractedly, her gaze still on her son.

"I think Luna may be right about twins." Sylphiel said as she continued to feel along Lina's stomach.

That tore everyone's attention from the baby as they looked at Sylphiel. "You're joking!" Lina exclaimed.

"I'm not." Sylphiel replied, her voice tinged with awe. "It's amazing, though. Usually with twins one is breech, but this one appears head down. Now we just have to wait for the contractions to start again."

"Again!?" Lina exclaimed, "No! I'm done! I already did this once today!"

Meanwhile, Leia's eyes narrowed as she yelled, "Luna!"

Then she got up and walked to the door and yelled, "How did you know?"

Unsure what to do, Gourry looked at Lina, who was still looking at Sylphiel in disbelief, "No, no, this is a joke! Tell me I don't have to do this again today!"

"By tomorrow it will all be a memory." Sylphiel said as she put a hand on her knee, "Here's what we're going to do…"

The sleep that Amelia had cried herself into was rudely interrupted by an intense, gripping pain. She screamed, but quickly found that her lungs had run out of air as it felt as though her body was collapsing in on itself. She clawed at the sheets and contorted as she tried in vain to find some solace. Was labor supposed to be this intense when it started?

It let up for a moment, and Amelia tried to get out of bed to get help, her ribs still sore. It was then she'd noticed that the bed was soaked. But before she could get far the pain built again, and she grasped the bed as she moved into a squatting position beside it. It barely nicked the pain but it was better than lying in bed. Somehow she managed to find the breath to shout, "Help!"

But who would hear her? Sylphiel was likely still busy with Lina, and everyone else was downstairs preparing for a potential attack! But it hurt so much! And it had come on so fast, she didn't think she could survive it! Did this mean that something was wrong? For it to have come on so suddenly? It had to have meant something was wrong! Amelia could come to no other conclusion as panic consumed her, and as the contraction died she tried to catch her breath. She had to get help. But before she could another one hit her.

Tears fell down her face as she felt helpless. "Help!" she managed to cry again, but she felt it was useless. There was no one to hear, and the pain was too intense to walk through. She was going to be doing this alone!

But then someone tall appeared in the doorway. "Amelia?"

Amelia couldn't believe it! Her heart swelled! She wouldn't be doing this alone! Even better, her sister would be there! Who better to see her through this trial? It was justice's way of letting her know she had not been abandoned! "Sis? What are you doing here?"

"Lina invited me." Naga explained as the contraction died. "She wanted me to hide and spy on the Mazoku who was spying on her and foil his plans."

"Oh!" Amelia cried as the pain built again, along with a strong urge to push.

Naga's eyes went wide as she watched her and she said, "And now I shall fetch help!"

Amelia groaned as the urge to push became more incessant and powerful. "Oh no! Don't leave me! There's no time! She's coming out NOW!"

"You don't understand! That Mazoku will make a move to kidnap Lina's baby at any moment!"

"She has like ten strong people with her and I have no one!" Amelia shot back as her grip on the sheets tightened as her tears fell on them. "Please, Sis, I need you!"

"But I've never delivered a baby before!" Naga said as she looked pale, but nevertheless moved closer to Amelia, eventually lining up behind her.

"You've never delivered a baby before, I've never given birth before!" Amelia said tiredly as the contraction finally faded and she tried not to feel resentful that she was having to comfort Naga, "We're both stretching our skills."

Naga's eyes widened as she got a good eyeful of what was happening, "Literally in your case."

"SHUT UP!" Amelia yelled as she suddenly wished that someone else, anyone else, was with her as the contraction built again. "Get ready to catch!"

"There's blood." Naga said, sounding woozy.

Amelia wondered how her sister dealt with her period, but all she could manage to say was, "Oh, she's coming!"

"Oh my gosh! Oh no! Oh hell no! I am never doing this!" Naga yelled, "Oh, that looks like that hurts!"

Amelia felt more tears come as she decided ring of fire was not an accurate term. Ring of sheering, piercing molten lava was more like it! "I know! There was supposed to be a potion that helped!"

"Eeeee! The head is out!" Naga shrieked. "There's blood in its hair! That does not look right!"

I am going to kill you! Amelia thought as she rested her head against the bed, too tired to say anything anymore. All she could focus on was that it was almost over if the head was out. She actually welcomed the next contraction when it hit.

"Oh, I got her!" Naga said, her voice elated for a moment.

"Nothing about this was like it should be! Oh, I am never having sex again!" Amelia vented as she collapsed face forward onto the bed for a moment.

"Oh, it's a girl!" Naga announced, "And she's slimey and gross and…"

Naga's voice trailed off ominously, and Amelia's heart raced as she felt in her bones that something wasn't right. "What?" Amelia asked as she turned around to look, and then she felt a lance of ice form in her heart as she saw the look on Naga's face and the scary truth that the baby wasn't crying, and the implications of it, hit her. She tried to see the baby, but couldn't get a good look from her position, "Sis, what is it?"

"Is the cord supposed to be wrapped around her neck?" Naga asked.

"How could you not have known?" Lina yelled at Sylphiel.

"Twins are hard to diagnose." Sylphiel said calmly.

Lina shook her head, "No, no! There has to be a mistake!"

Gourry gently squeezed her shoulder, "It'll be over soon. And then we'll have another beautiful baby."

"Well I'm glad this is working out well for you!" Lina snapped as she redirected her anger to him.

From the hallway, the sounds of Leia and Luna arguing filtered through as Amelia walked in, looking much more composed than the last time they had seen her. Before Lina could give much thought to it she felt herself being squeezed again, along with an exhilarating urge to push. She cried out as she awkwardly held the baby, and when Amelia reached her arms out to hold him Lina didn't give a second thought to handing him over.

Lina hadn't even realized that Amelia was walking towards the door until she heard Luna ask Amelia, "Now where are you taking him?"

Fear washed over Lina, and she wondered how she could have forgotten. The contraction died away, and she looked to her right to see Luna blocking the doorway as Amelia stared at her but said nothing. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Luna asked.

"Move aside." Amelia said, only it wasn't Amelia's voice that sounded. It was Xellos's!

AN: Honestly I think if it was a choice between Naga and no one delivering me I'd take a chance with no one like hunter gatherer women do.