"Well, after their first date, they went on a few more. Around their fifth or so date, Natalya felt comfortable enough bringing Tyson around me, Dean, and Ro; it was also around this time that Natalya felt that we should let Tyson know about what we really are since he had already seen her in action before, and, surprisingly, he was pretty accepting of the fact that we were Gem warriors," Seth said, a slight smile starting to cross his face before it seemed to fade away just as fast. "Then, for the next two years, Natalya and Tyson had grown even closer to each other; if you want an idea, just think of how close your Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Naomi are. And, it was around their second year together that Natalya began wanting something that was largely unheard of for us Gems."
Taking note of the look on Seth's face, Bayley asked "What? What was it, Seth? What was it that Natalya wanted?"
Curious about just what it was that Natalya could've possibly wanted around her and Tyson's second year together? That shall be revealed down below. I hope you enjoy, my loves. =)
Getting a slight idea of just what it was that Natalya wanted around when she and Tyson were in their second year of being together, Sasha stepped in and said "Um, Seth? Maybe this is something that you should hold off on telling Bayley."
"Why, Sasha? Is...is something wrong with this part of the story?" Bayley asked the magenta-haired Gem.
"No, no! There isn't, Bayley. It's just...I'm trying to find a good way to tell you and Sasha," Seth explained while cutting a look over to Sasha.
"Well, don't think too hard on it. I'm sure you'll find a way. Just take your time with it. I've got all day, unless Sami or Becky or Paige or Finn decide to come over," Bayley said.
Seeing the calm look on Bayley's and Sasha giving him a nod to continue, Seth took a breath as he collected his thoughts on the time in question. Feeling as though he could continue now, Seth began telling the story again. "OK. So, around the second year Natalya was dating Tyson..."
...
Fourteen Years Earlier
"'Sana, relax. Me and Nattie got this," Tyson assured the raven-haired woman. "You and Antonio just go enjoy some time out, and we'll look after little Claudio for you."
"If...if you say so, Tyson. Just let me kiss my kūdikis (baby) goodbye," the raven-haired woman, Aksana Cesaro, headed over to where her son was lying in his bassinet. Planting a kiss on the baby's forehead, Aksana said "Be good for your uncle Tyson and aunt Natalya, my dear Claudio. Mommy and Daddy will be back soon."
Watching as his wife kissed their son goodbye, Antonio said "We'll try not to be out for too long."
"Hey, no need to rush back, man," Tyson reassured the taller man. "Me and Nattie can take care of Claudio just fine. You two just enjoy your date night."
"We will, I don't think you have to worry about saying that." Antonio laughed a bit. "Thanks again for doing this for us, Tyson."
"It's no problem. Anything we can do to help our friends out," Tyson said as Aksana came over and joined the three. "Now, you two go on and enjoy your date. We've got things here."
"OK. Take good care of our son. We'll be back as soon as we can," Aksana said, before she and Antonio finally turned and left their home for the first date night they'd had since their son was born.
With Antonio and Aksana gone, Natalya asked "I'm guessing Aksana's always like that when it comes to Claudio?"
Letting out a light laugh, Tyson said "You wouldn't be wrong in guessing that. But, that's how a lot of parents are with their kids. A lot of them just can't seem to bear to be away from their children too much when they're born."
"That must just be a way that other humans show their love for their children," Natalya reasoned as she looked down at Claudio, who was cooing as he played with the stuffed dog that was in his bassinet.
"It really is, when you really think about it. It's how my parents were with me, so it's just something I can see in other parents with their kids. It's no real big deal," Tyson shrugged.
"I see," Natalya nodded. As Tyson had went about getting Claudio's food and his bottle so that he could eat before they put him to sleep, the blonde and pink-streaked Gem looked down at the baby. It still always amazed Natalya seeing how it was that humans developed and grew; from small babies to fully-grown adults, it was all something that seemed mind-boggling and amazing to the Gem. ...And, if she could be totally honest with herself, it was something that she sometimes envied about the beings that she had sworn to protect.
Seeing how Natalya was watching over Claudio had Tyson thinking about something. He and the female Gem had been together for the better part of two years now, and for some time now, the brunette had been thinking that maybe...maybe he and Natalya should try to take the next step in their relationship some time soon. The only thing about this was that...well, he had no experience in that field, so he wasn't sure how to go about bringing the topic up to Natalya. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard Natalya calling him. Managing to snap out of his daze, Tyson said "Huh? What is it, Nattie? You need something?"
"No, no. I don't. At least, not really. I was just seeing if you were okay. I kept calling you, but you didn't really answer me," Natalya said, feeling a bit worried that something might be wrong with Tyson.
"Oh, yeah, yeah! I'm okay. I was just thinking about some stuff. That's all," Tyson assured the Gem as he walked over to where she was with Claudio. Wanting to get his observation out there, Tyson asked "You really like babies, don't you, Nattie?"
"Yes. I really do," Natalya smiled as she tickled Claudio's belly a bit, getting giggles out of the baby. "I've always just found it so fascinating."
"Found what fascinating?" Tyson asked.
"You and other humans," Natalya said, her smile softening. "I've always just found it so fascinating how it is that humans start off as small babies and they grow into people like you and Antonio. You get to make your own choices about your lives and your futures, and that's something that, believe it or not, I'm a bit jealous of when it comes to humans."
"You make it sound almost like Gems don't have control over their lives," Tyson said, his curiosity piqued quite a bit by what Natalya was saying. While he didn't know much about Natalya and the other three Gems that lived with her, it always fascinated Tyson when he could find out bits and pieces of just what these four were.
"Well... I...suppose you could say something like that," Natalya began. "It's like...from the moment Gems are brought into creation, we're usually given a prime directive and have to stick with it, ranging from scouting for new locations to have production grounds to soldiers. ...But, I found my lot to be fairly monotonous, so I wanted to change that. I decided to take my life into my own hands, break free of my position, and make a path for myself and those that decided to join me. It's because of this mindset that we don't have the best standing with others like us."
"Wow. That's actually all pretty impressive," Tyson said, after hearing Natalya's story.
"Not really. It's just all stuff I've picked up from my time around humans before. It's no big deal," Natalya smiled, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
"If you say so, Ms. Cool Gem Warrior," Tyson said with a grin, which got a light laugh out of the Gem.
The rest of their night babysitting went fairly well for the couple, as, after they fed, bathed, and played with Claudio a bit, the baby slept fairly peacefully. The only time they ran into a problem was when Claudio had woken up and started crying because, to Tyson's guessing, he had a nightmare; this was resolved by Natalya summoning an instrument from her Gem that she said was an ocarina and playing a rather soft and beautiful song that helped calm Claudio down and lull him back to sleep. An hour had passed after this, and Antonio and Aksana had come back from their date. Seeing their son asleep in his bassinet, the couple thanked Tyson and Natalya quite a bit for watching their son. After all of this was said and done, Tyson and Natalya took their leave for the evening and headed back to Tyson's apartment. On the walk there, Tyson couldn't help but notice that Natalya seemed particularly in thought about something.
"You okay, Nattie?" Tyson asked, looking over to the Gem.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah! Everything's fine. Just...there's just stuff on my mind," Natalya absently said.
"Stuff like what?" Tyson asked. Taking one of Natalya's hands in his, Tyson said "Come on. Why don't you talk to me about what's on your mind?"
Trying to find the right way to say what she wanted to tell Tyson, Natalya then decided just to let out what she was thinking about. "Tyson. I...I...I want to have a baby. With...you."
Hearing this come from Natalya surprised Tyson, largely because he had been having some of the same thoughts himself for some time now. While he had been thinking at times that he'd like to start a family of his own, he just hadn't met the right person to do so with. However, after having met Natalya, Tyson felt that she was the one to start a family of his own with...he just wanted their relationship to reach a point where it would feel right to do so. Having finally managed to find his words, Tyson asked "Natalya? Are you...are you serious?"
"Well, ...yeah, I am," Natalya answered, with a nod of her head. "Tyson. We've been together for going on two years now, and...I know it's no real secret that I really care about you. ...And that I love you, too. So, I...I was thinking that...maybe we could take our relationship to the next step."
"Natalya? Do you...do you even know what you're t-talking about?" Tyson stammered his way through his question. While he had a fairly good idea of just what Natalya was getting at, it still surprised the brunette that the blonde and pink-streaked Gem even suggested this.
"Yes, I do," Natalya nodded. "I've been around humans long enough to know about them and their processes for things, and...I've learned from humans that I've met over the years and in stuff I've read about just how it is that a baby is made. I know this sounds...strange coming from me, but I want to try...it. With you."
Hearing Natalya sound so certain about wanting to take such a step in their relationship, Tyson swallowed around the lump that seemed to have been forming in the back of his throat as he just nodded his approval to Natalya's request. With Tyson taking hold of Natalya's hand again, the couple continued on their walk to Tyson's apartment, where a new chapter in both of their lives would soon unfold and begin to take shape.
I really hope you all liked the little bits of insight into Natalya as a person/Gem. You can tell that she really cares about the humans that she protects, while also holding a bit of envy towards them because of the sense of free will that they have over their lives (something that she and her fellow Gems do not have).
EEEEEEE, Nattie wants to have a baby! ...But, wait. Could this be a good thing or a bad thing? I mean, it's fairly obvious that Natalya and Tyson'll love their baby (as shown by the love and care they gave to little Claudio (who I may introduce in a future arc...just depends if you guys would want to see him)). But, there's still the matter of the fact that they're two entirely different species (what with Tyson being a human and Natalya being a Gem that's assumed human form). ...But, as the end of the chapter would show, it would appear that motherhood seems to be on Natalya's horizon, so...cautious Yay! In the next chapter, we'll get to see just what a Gem being pregnant is like. So, until then, don't forget to R&R please. =)
(Now, just to clear something up for you guys. Natalya is a female Gem, meaning that she has an anatomy like that of a regular human female. Therefore, ...it can happen between her and Tyson. ...I just hope I didn't scar anyone with this. u_u" )
(One last thing! I was pitched this idea for a future arc by a fellow reader and writer, mikenowlin441: "Bayley falls from a tree and loses her memory so Dean, Roman and Seth go on an adventure inside her mind to return her memories to her". After thinking this idea over, it actually sounds like it would make for a pretty cool and interesting arc in the story. Let me know if you guys would like to see it, too, and I just might turn it into a future arc. =) )
