Voltron Next Generation
Chapter Six
"Bundles of Joy"
By: Cindra
Notes: I put colons between conversations noting silent thought between two characters.
' Is what I call the Heartlink or private communication between two characters usually a couple. Or rarely parent to sibling. (This is usually the way that soul mates talk to each other when they don't want anyone to know what they are saying.)
( )Twin link can't be heard by anyone but the other twin…or only if someone is extremely strong in his or her mental abilities.
** or italics That represents thoughts of the characters.
(Arus)
Andy stared at Alex in surprise, "What did you say! You and Chris did what!" She was so shell-shocked about Alex's news that she was gaping at her with her mouth wide open.
"We eloped in a nice little mountain chapel on his planet." Alex smiled at her sister from the Tele-monitor screen. "Isn't it great? Chris and I are married!"
"Do Mom and Daddy know?" Andy reached for something to munch on, from the tray in front of her. "Do Uncle Haz and Aunt Merla know about this?" She couldn't believe that her sister would do something this impulsive.
"Not yet, but we're going to tell all of them when we get back to Arus. His parents are there on Arus aren't they?" Alex thought that her sister would be proud of her for doing this. "I thought that you would support my decision to do this on my own." She frowned at her.
"It's not that simple! Momma and Daddy aren't going to be all smiles about this! You're the oldest child and that makes you the more responsible one! Look how they reacted when Ariel and Nate tried to get married without them present! Oh, my gosh, Alex, are you pregnant?!" Andy was pacing her room.
"Andy! You are supposed to be in bed napping!" Eric stalked into their room.
"I'm talking to my big sister, Eric!" Andy glared at him in annoyance. "Do you mind? We're having a private conversation."
"You're almost nine months pregnant! Ashley said that you aren't supposed to be under any stress and here I come home and you're nearly screaming at the top of your lungs at your sister." Eric scooped her up in his arms and carried her back over to their bed.
"Nine months! You told me that you and Ari were due in the same month!" Alex snarled at her sister. "I'll be home as soon as I can find Chris!"
"No! I don't wanna ruin your honeymoon!" Andy didn't want yet another family member hovering over her.
"Honeymoon?" Eric gaped at Alex in surprise. "You mean the two of you eloped?"
"That's right, Eric. She and Chris eloped without our parents or us and that means that she's in for major parental meltdown." Andy winced when the twins kicked her at the same time. "Ouch! That one actually hurt a little."
"Andy!" Alex and Eric both saw her wincing in pain and panicked.
"Will you both relax? They kicked me at the same time! I'm not in labor!" She snarled at them.
"I'll see you in a few hours, baby sister. Eric, make sure that she stays in that bed." Alex had her mind made up and was also back into I-am-the-oldest-sister-and-you-will-do-as-I-say mode.
"Alex, you don't..." Andy tried to stop her from cutting her honeymoon short, but she had ended the call.
"Alex and Chris are gonna have to handle your parents without your help and you're not gonna let this bother you." Eric had her cradled in his arms.
"Look, Eric! I know that I'm as big as a baby whale, but that doesn't mean that I'm just gonna hide out under our protective dome, surrounded by bodyguards, until the twins are born. I happen to like fresh air every once in a while!" Andy was on the verge of tears.
"And let them try to kidnap you again? I don't think so! They've tried ten times so far and I'm not going to give them the chance to succeed!"
"I can't help it if I'm a target! I just wanna go to the castle and see mom! Ariel can go wherever she wants to! This isn't fair! I wanna see Daddy or Uncle Darien without them having to come see me!" She wailed in misery and frustration, as big fat tears dropped onto her cheeks.
"I'm here, baby." Allura ran into the room followed by Keith hot on her heels.
Eric eyed the two of them in surprise. "That was quick. How did you manage to get here without accessing the security grid?"
"The tunnel that links your little haven to the castle is finished. We wanted to make sure that it was working properly, when Allura and I both felt our baby's misery." Keith glared at Eric. "What happened? She was fine an hour ago."
"She just got finished talking to Alex..." Was all that he managed to say before Keith cut him off in mid-explanation.
"Alex? We were all wondering if the two of them were still breathing. Well, are they enjoying their honeymoon? Is that what upset Andy?" Keith frowned at his son-in-law.
"You know about that?" Andy looked up at her parents.
"We know all." Allura smiled at her daughter.
"It's a parent thing and the two of you will understand exactly what we mean after the twins are born. Is she on her way back home?" Keith sat down next to his daughter.
"Andy told her a little white lie about the actual due date of the twins and Alex was not pleased with the news that Andy is due any day now." Eric winced when Andy elbowed him in the ribs.
"Yes and now she's heading here as fast as she possibly can." Andy glared at Eric, "Thanks to your big mouth!"
"You shouldn't have lied to her in the first place, Andromeda." Allura scolded her child. "Alex will want to be here when you have the twins."
"No offense, Mother, but I've enough family members hovering over me already, not to mention my guards. Eric won't let me out of his sight and I can't even leave my own home anymore! The last thing that I needed was Alex as my taskmaster until the twins are born!" Andy hissed at them.
Her frustration, however, was not pleasing the twins and they let her know by really moving around in their mother's womb. "Ow!" Andy clutched at her middle, wincing in pain.
"Andy!" Keith, Eric, and Allura sprang into action.
Keith scooped her up and raced out of the room.
Allura paged Ashley and Eric tried not to panic.
"Eric!" Allura dragged him with her out the door.
*She isn't due for three weeks this is too soon! Something is wrong with the babies! Something is wrong with Andy!* Eric sat down in the backseat of the Air car and Andy was set onto his lap. "It's going to be okay, love." Eric tried to keep her from seeing just how terrified he was.
"Will you people stop panicking for five minutes and ask me if I'm going into labor, before you rush me to the castle!" Andy winced when the twins moved even more.
"You're in pain and that's a good enough reason for us to get you to Ashley, so she can check you over." Keith raced them to the castle.
"I'm upset and that upset the babies. You see how you feel when they move around inside you at the same time and see if you don't wince in pain." Andy snarled at her father. "Okay! I'll calm down, girls! Just please, cut out the gymnastics will ya." Andy rubbed her middle to soothe her unborn children.
They arrived at the castle in minutes and were met by Ashley and Darian.
"Ashley! Andy is in pain!" Eric barked at her.
"Darian says that you were upset with Alex? Is this true?" Ashley used her med-scanner to scan her vitals. "Didn't I say no stress?" She glared at Eric.
"Will you please tell them that I'm fine and that I'm not having labor pains?"
"I would if I knew that for certain, but I won't know that until I check you over." Ashley didn't like it that she was spiking a fever and her blood pressure was extremely high. "Let's get her to the med-wing so I can examine her."
:Easy, little blossom. You have to calm down or they aren't going to go back to sleep and then you will find yourself in labor.: Darian placed his palm on her tummy and concentrated on the tiny lives inside her.
:It's not my fault that all of you are smothering me!: Andy wailed back.
:We are not smothering you! We happen to love you and are worried about you!: Darian frowned at her.
:I'm fine! I won't break if I go for a walk or try to enjoy some fresh air!: Andy growled back.
Eric was too worried out of his mind to even bother listening in on her conversation with Darian. "Andromeda! Answer Ashley's question! Where does it hurt and how much pain are you in!" Eric's frantic growl made her look at him in confusion.
"Lion, I'm not in labor. The babies were moving at the same time and that tends to pinch a muscle now and then. This was all for nothing and I would love it if all of you would try to not treat me like I'm gonna break! I hate that!" She grabbed hold of his t-shirt, pulling him down, so they were looking into each others eyes, and snarled those words at him.
"Hey, I'm new at this, sweetheart, so cut me a little slack, okay? Those pains were warning you to calm down and were not caused by the babies movements. Now as for me treating you like glass. You happen to be the most priceless treasure in the entire universe to me. I can't help it if I want to cherish and pamper you. You're carrying our two little miracles within you and I'm floored by this entire experience." Eric knelt down in front of her and laid his head on her belly to listen to the strong heartbeats of their twins.
"Eric? I hate to break up this incredibly heart melting moment, but I do need to make sure that she's fine. We have to make sure that those weren't pre-labor pains and to do that you're going to have to let me near Andy." Ashley whispered into his ear.
"Sorry, Ash." Eric got up and went to leave the room to wait outside with the others.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Andy frowned at him.
"Who me…absolutely nowhere. I'm going to stay in here while Ash checks you over." Eric obediently sat down on one of the stools.
"That's more like it." Andy laid back down on the exam table and let Ash check her over.
(Thirty minutes later)
"You are to stay off your feet. I want you to make sure that she gets complete bed rest until the babies are born and absolutely no stress." Ashley laid down the law, "Starting now."
"I think I can manage to do that." Eric walked over and scooped Andy up into his arms. 'No arguments.'
"Alex's gonna flip out when she hears this." Andy pouted at them.
"Alex can visit you as long as she doesn't upset you." Ashley frowned.
"Christophe and Lexi eloped and that startled her into having a stress attack." Eric explained.
"Alex and Chris, actually broke the rules?" Ashley gaped at her two friends.
"Yeah, but Daddy already knows all about it. If you ask me they should let them suffer for a while." Andy yawned sleepily. "Hey! What did you give me?"
"Something that will make you relax and stay stress free for awhile." Ashley winked at her.
"Not… fair… Ash..." Andy was snoozing in Eric's arms.
"I owe you big for that one."
"I know and one day I'm going to collect." Ashley winked at him.
"So are you enjoying Arus so far?" Eric asked.
"Yes, it's a beautiful planet and I needed the change." Ashley smiled at him. "I envy what you and Andy have. I only hope that I can have that someday."
"I thought you and Max were serious about each other?" Eric frowned at her.
"Chalk it up to my luck with the male species." Ashley sighed.
"Not possible, Ash. He was head over heals in love with you when you were dating that sorry excuse for and officer. What was his name again? Oh yeah, Dylan Kane. Why would he do anything to hurt you now?" Eric knew that he was pushing the subject, but he wanted to see her as happy as he was with Andy.
"Look, Eric, whatever I had with Maximilian Sinclair is over and I don't want to talk about him anymore! Take Andy home and let me take care of my own life!" Ashley ran from the room in tears.
"Ashley! I didn't mean to make you so upset." Eric knew that he'd touched on a major nerve.
"I'm gonna give Max a call and find out what happened." Eric wanted to know why Max would want to break Ashley's heart.
"But I need to get you back home and settled in bed before I do anything." He kissed Andy on the forehead and carried her out of Ashley's office.
"Is she okay?" Keith, Allura, Darian, and Allana all asked at the same time.
"She's fine, but Ash says that she needs complete bed rest until after the babies are born." Eric filled them in on Andy's condition.
"Why was Ash so upset? Did Andy snarl at her?" Keith was curious about why Ashley had run out of her office in tears.
"Something happened back on Earth. I asked her about it and struck a nerve." Eric answered him. "I need to get Andy back home and tucked into bed."
Alex and Chris arrived a few hours later and were greeted by both sets of their parents.
"Welcome home, Alex." Allura hugged her daughter.
"It's good to be home, Momma. Is Andy okay?" Alex returned the hug.
"She's resting right now and Ashley has ordered complete bed rest for her until the babies are born." Allura waited for Alex to react to the news.
"I have to see her." Alex let go of her mother, but her father stopped her before she could leave the castle.
"Not so fast, Alexandra. Andy is sleeping right now and isn't going anywhere. I want to know why we haven't heard anything from the two of you for the last few weeks." Keith frowned down at his daughter.
"Yes, Christophe Alexander, where were you?" Haz frowned at his son.
:We are waiting for an answer, Chris?: Merla frowned at him as well.
"You didn't do anything rash, like say skipping your wedding to elope?" Allura asked softly.
"Why would we do something like that?" Alex fingered her wedding ring, which was dangling from the finely crafted gold chain around her neck.
"Alex, something you said clearly upset your sister and almost caused her to go into early labor. Now be honest with us and tell us what it was or Ash isn't going to let you within two feet of Andy until the babies are born." Allura told her child in a regal tone of voice.
"You told me that she was okay!" Alex glared at her parents, trying like mad not to ditch them so she could check on Andy herself. "Early labor is not what I call being okay!"
"Easy, love. She almost went into labor and that's a lot better than them saying that she's in labor or had the twins prematurely." Chris pulled her into his arms and Alex burst into tears.
"I didn't mean to hurt her or the babies! I just wanted to confide something to her!"
"Alexandra, no one is angry with you or blaming you for anything. We just want to know what you said that startled her so much."
Alex buried her face against Chris's chest. 'I can't tell them now! I feel too guilty about Dromi!'
'That's not going to be a problem, because I believe they already know and are just trying to make us squirm.' Chris growled back.
:That's right, son. Since the two of you did skip your wedding and didn't even invite any of us to your private ceremony.: Merla interrupted their thoughts.
"Fine, you win! We will tell you what Alex said to her sister!" Chris shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
"We're waiting for an answer, son." Haz arched a brow at him.
"I was showing her the mountainside and the two of us came across this little mountain village. Alex took one look at the little church deciding that she wanted to be married there. We both knew that none of our family would approve of that, but when Alex has her heart set on something, its hard as hell not to give in and give her what she wants. So we went ahead and got married in the little church and have been deliriously happy since." Chris began to kiss away the tears that had streaked Alex's cheeks.
"The only thing that matters is your happiness, but next time tell us when you're going to do something that rash. We might surprise you and say that we want to attend the wedding." They found themselves being hugged by their parents.
"How long have all of you known about us?!" Alex glared at their parents.
"We've known about this since it happened, sweetie. We just let you think that you were doing something behind our backs." Keith winked at his daughter.
"That's right, sweetheart, we only want the two of you to be happy. You aren't by any chance with child, like the rest of your sisters, are you?" Allura waited for an answer.
Alex blushed crimson. "No mother. I'm not pregnant. Now, if all of you will excuse us, we're going to go see my baby sister and her husband."
"Alex!" Ariel raced into the sunroom and hugged her sister.
"Ari!" Alex hugged her back. "Wow, you look great." She eyed her sister's very pregnant middle.
"What I am is huge, but it's worth it." Ariel tenderly patted her belly and winked at her sister.
"Ariel! Why did you take off like that?" Nate growled then eyed all the people in the room. "Chris! Alex! Welcome back." He grinned at his friends.
"Lexi!" Lilly raced into the room to greet her sister.
"Lilly!" Alex found herself being tackled by her baby sister. "What happened to your arm?" She saw that Lilly was wearing a cast on her arm and then looked over at her parents.
"I hurt it climbin the 'edge." Lilly chattered at her.
"Huh?" Alex didn't quite understand.
"She hurt her arm when she tried to climb one of the hedges in the garden maze." Keith translated for her.
"What was she doing climbing the hedge?" Alex had her cuddled in her arms.
"She was chasing after Shawn." Nate chuckled.
"I like Shawn, he friend." Lilly babbled.
"She chased him up the hedge and then tried to follow him up it." Allura sighed.
"Poor Shawn. Lilly tends to cling to whomever she likes." Chris chuckled.
"Exactly and that's what drove him up onto the hedge. That and she cheats when she plays hide-and-seek." Nate grinned.
"Shawn cheats too!" Lilly pouted.
"Shawn may be little, but he sure knows how to vanish like his father and tends to do that quite a bit when he and Lilly are playing." Keith grinned.
"Lilly? Do you want to come with me? I'm going to go and pay Dromi a little visit." Alex smiled down at her sister.
"Dromi no feel good. I cheer her up." She nodded her cap of blonde curls.
"You didn't tell her did you?" Ariel frowned at Alex.
"She did and yes it almost made Andy go into labor." Allura waited for the two of them to go at it.
"Alex! I told you not to do that! Ashley said no stress!"
"I thought that she was going to like the news! I didn't know that she was going to flip out like that! This is nothing compared to what she's done!"
"Yes, but you've always been the sensible one out of the three of us! Your news even floored me!"
"Enough! Andy is fine and so are the twins!" Allura stood between her daughters.
"No one is getting near her, unless the two of you calm down!" Ashley stomped into the room. "Do I make myself clear!?"
"She needs me, Ashley!" Alex cried in protest.
"She needs to be stress free and it seems that all of our constant TLC is causing more harm than good." Ashley shot back.
"I just want to see for myself that she's okay. I promise not to upset her." Alex pleaded for permission to go check on her sister.
"I will make sure that she doesn't upset, Andy." Chris growled.
"Very well, Alex, but only for a little while," Ashley smiled at Alex.
"Thanks!" Alex, dragged Chris with her out of the room.
Eric was making that call to Max and was surprised when a woman answered the call.
"Hi! Max is in the shower. Do you want to leave a message?" A tall raven haired beauty smiled at him.
"I just wanted to ask him something. I'll call back. Sorry, if I interrupted the two of you." Eric frowned at her.
"You didn't. He just got home from the hospital and he's beat. I gotta run! I'm late for patrol! Are you sure you don't want me to leave a message?" The young woman frowned at him.
"Just tell him that an old friend called and that a certain red head is doing fine here on Arus. He'll understand what it means. I don't mean to pry, but how long have you been living with Max?" Eric had to know what was going on.
"I've been crashing here for almost six months. He needed the company and its closer to the base." The girl replied. "Wait a minute! Eric? Is that you?"
"Do I know you?"
"It's me Angelica! You look great! How's married life to the brat. I meant the royal pain." Angel smiled at him.
"Angel? I didn't even recognize you!"
*So you're the reason that Ashley hightailed it to Arus!* Eric thought, as he grinned at Max's little sister.
"Well, I had to grow up sometime." She winked at him.
"Andy's fine and we're expecting twins in a little more than three weeks." Eric told her.
"Twins! That's great news! Now maybe Andy will stay out of trouble."
"Yes, well, one can hope. Tell Max that I called and wanna talk to him about why Ashley hightailed it here to Arus. It was great talking to you again." Eric didn't want Andy to wake up and find him talking to her arch rival from her academy days.
"Ashley is on Arus!?" Max, having just finished his shower, overheard the last part of their conversation.
"She's been here for the almost half a year now." Eric eyed Max's furious face. "Hello, Max, it's good to see you again."
"So that's where the little coward vanished to!" Max snarled darkly. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine and loves it here on Arus. She's the head doctor at the Castle of Lions." Eric filled him in.
"So how are Andy and the little ones she's carrying?" Max frowned.
"Andy and the babies are fine. What happened between you and Ashley?" Eric growled.
"She left without even saying good-bye! So I don't have a clue what happened between the two of us!" Max snarled, raking his fingers through his wet jet-black hair in frustration.
"She told me that you were just like, Dylan." Eric narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Care to tell me why she would say something like that?"
"Dylan! She compared me to that bastard! I treated Ashley like a princess and never once treated her the way Dylan did! Why the hell would she call me that!?" Max roared.
"She may have misunderstood why Angel was in your apartment." Eric watched Max frown at him in confusion.
"She thinks that I cheated on her?! That's why she ditched our entire relationship!?"
"Keep your voice down! I don't want you to wake up Andy!" Eric snarled at Max.
"Sorry." Max growled, lowering his tone. "I don't get a break here until I'm done here with my residency and that's basically forever! Fine, she can wallow in her own self-pity for now or until I get my transfer approved and join all of you on Arus." Max's wrist-com went off. "Damn! Duty calls! Take care of her for me and hurt anyone that tries to date her." Max ended the call.
"And I thought that Andy drove me crazy." Eric chuckled.
"Who's worse than my baby sister?" Alex breezed into Eric and Andy's home.
"Alex! When did you get back?" Eric smiled at his sister-in-law.
"A little over an hour ago," Chris stood behind her. "So is Andy driving you crazy or are you just terrified about becoming a parent."
"Both." Eric grinned, "So how's married life treating you?" Turn about was fair play.
"Wonderfully," Alex was pulled against Chris for a long kiss.
"I can see that." Eric chuckled when they still hadn't broken off their kiss after ten minutes. "So what brings you both to my humble abode?"
No answer
:Or shall I just show you to one of the guestrooms so you can continue what you're doing in private: Eric growled in Chris's mind.
"Sorry about that." Chris grinned sheepishly at Eric and Alex blushed crimson.
"No need to be sorry, buddy, I've been there." Eric chuckled. "Now what brings you to my home? Does it have anything to do with the little munchkin hugging Bella over there on the sofa or did you forget that you brought Lilly with you?"
"I want to see my sister." Alex frowned at him. "And no, I didn't forget that I had Lilly with me."
"Easy, Lexi. I was just kidding around with you." Eric chuckled. "You can go look in on her, but don't wake her if she's still sleeping."
"I may just crawl in next to her and nap with her for a while." Alex yawned heading up the stairs to check on her baby sister. "Space travel is very draining."
"Can I see Dromi?" Lilly walked over and yanked on Eric's pant leg.
Eric looked down at the little munchkin and scooped her up into his arms. "Why don't you go nap with Dromi for a while?"
Lilly kissed him on the cheek, "I love you, Eric." She giggled when he began to tickle her.
"Back at ya, angel face," Eric kissed her on the cheek and then set her down. "Now go keep Dromi safe for me, while I visit with Chris."
"Okay! I protect Dromi!" Lilly raced down the hallway.
Alex looked in on her sister and was surprised to see just how vulnerable she looked lying there asleep with her hands protectively on her middle.
"My poor baby sister. You look so drained from everything that's been happening to you." Alex went around to the other side of the bed and sat down next to her sleeping sister.
"Don't worry, Dromi. I'm here and I'm going to make everything better again. I promise you that." She reached out and placed her hand over Andy's and the babies kicked in response to her touch.
"Huh…" Andy yawned sleepily.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
Andy blinked owlishly at her sister, "Lexi?" She yawned not believing that she was there.
"Is it okay if I give you a hug?" Alex nodded.
"Lexi!" Andy awkwardly sat up and all but launched herself at her sister, "You're home!"
"Wow! You've got quite a load there, baby sister." Alex hugged her back. "Does that hurt?" Alex eyed her sister's belly when the twins kicked her.
"No, it just pinches a little." Andy winked at her. "So did mom and dad make you squirm?"
"Yes and no." Alex frowned at her sister. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Yes, I'm fine and no you did not hurt me." Andy rolled her eyes at her sister.
"Well, it looks like Lilly's decided to nap with me." Andy glanced down and saw that Lilly had crawled between the two of them and was curled up sound asleep on one of the king-sized pillows.
"Are you okay?" Andy yawned settling back against the pillows.
"I'm fine, just a little space lagged that's all." Alex yawned.
"Then nap with me for a while. Eric won't be happy unless I nap for at least three more hours." Andy patted the pillow next to her.
"That's an idea that way I can make sure that you're okay and get some sleep at the same time." Alex laid her head on one of the pillows and was out like a light.
(A few weeks later)
Andy blew her bangs from her face and shot Eric a lethal look. "Go away! Eric!"
Eric glared down at her. "Not a chance, Andromeda, you're stuck with me."
Andy gave her husband a desperate look, "You are driving me insane! Please go fly Blacky or go check on the team! I don't need you constantly hovering by me!" She snarled in frustration.
Eric merely smiled down at her and replied, "You're beautiful when you're angry."
"That does it!" She threw her ice cold glass of lemon-aid at him.
"Feel better now, luv?" Eric shook lemon-aid from his hair.
"No! Go away!" She screamed, throwing two pillows at him.
"Stop this at once, Andromeda!" Eric had run out of patience with her when she threw a star at him that grazed his cheek.
"Or you'll do what!" She screamed back at him.
Eric scooped her up out of the chair, carried her back to their bed, and pinned her beneath him. "Are you finished?!"
Eric rarely lost his temper, but with his mane of red gold hair and unusual lion gold eyes he reminded her of an angry lion whenever he really lost it. "Eric, you're mad at me!" She whimpered.
"You are acting like a two-year-old. I know that you're frustrated, but your due date is days away, and I'm not letting you out of my sight!"
"Stop yelling at me!" She wailed.
"Then start acting like an adult instead of a spoiled brat!" He growled down at her.
"Well! Excuse me! If I feel like I happen to be suffocating! Seeing 24hr guards everywhere I look outside our home, living in a shielded domed area only accessible by a handful of people is making me a little crazy!" She hissed at him.
"Do you want anything to happen to you or our twins?!" Eric snarled at her.
Andy started to cry.
"Don't cry, Dromi. I'm sorry, sweetheart, please stop crying." He groaned, as big wet teardrops fell down her cheeks.
"You don't care about me! You only care about the babies!" She wailed at him, tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
"I love you more than anything! You are my life. If anything happened to you I'd be dead by the next day, because I can't survive without you in my life." He growled hoarsely, he too now had tears shining in his eyes. "I couldn't live without you, even if heaven forbid something happened, and you died giving birth to our babies. I don't think that I could go on without you."
"I'm terrified, Eric! Just look at me! What kind of mother am I going to be?" She buried her face against his chest.
"You are going to be a wonderful mother, just look at how you handle Lilly. " Eric kissed away her tears.
"She's four! We're going to be raising newborn babies!"
"What else is bothering you?" Eric sensed that she was hiding something from him.
"I don't wanna experience the joys of labor."
"Are you telling me that you're afraid of labor?" He arched a brow at her. "You're a trained ninja, have been hurt more times that I can count on both hands, all of which were extremely painful injuries, and you didn't even whimper. Now you're telling me that you're afraid of labor."
"Yes!" She hissed at him.
"Why? What haven't you been telling me?" Eric placed his hands on her belly and was relieved to feel the babies' kick.
"My back just aches." She moved another pillow under her back. "Now get off me! I feel like going for a swim."
"Good. I'll go with you." He helped her off the bed.
"Whatever!" She went to go put on her suit.
"I have an even better idea." Eric gave her a playful look.
"No way! That can induce labor and I want them to choose the time, not you."
"Actually, would that be so awful, after all what a way to induce labor." He pulled her into his arms.
"Call all the guards away, for a few hours, so we can be completely alone."
"Done." He left for a few seconds to make the call then immediately returned.
"Are we alone?" She slinked against him.
"Completely and we're also perfectly safe. I just changed the code and only I know it." He growled against her neck.
"Shall we go take that swim?" She laughed when he scooped her up in his arms.
"By all means," He grinned.
Chris and Alex had decided to picnic by the fabled Love Bridge.
Chris was barely listening to his wife, as she confided to him how she felt about becoming an Aunt. He had other things on his mind like exploring her creamy shoulders with his mouth.
"I'm going to be an Aunt any day now, this is so strange. I feel sorry for Eric. Dromi must be driving him insane." Alex sighed.
"Actually, I think all of us constantly hovering over her is driving her crazy." Chris chuckled, glancing up into her endless blue eyes. "You know what else that I think?" He winked at her.
"What?" She lost herself in the indigo pools of his eyes.
"I think that you can't wait till Andy has the girls, so you can spoil those little angels rotten."
"That's not true...well, maybe it is a little bit true..." She gasped when he began to tickle her.
"You also like that all the focus is on Andy and not on any of us. Therefore, we aren't in the spotlight and can revel in all the privacy and freedom that this allows us." He pulled her with him down onto the soft blanket.
"Well, maybe that too." She sighed.
"I say that we take full advantage of that privacy, while we still have it." He growled.
"I agree." Alex purred back.
Ariel and Nathan were relaxing in their beachfront home enjoying the afternoon breeze.
"This is so peaceful, unlike Andy's fortress." Nathan smiled at her.
"I don't mind that she has all the attention, it's given me time to bond with our son." Ariel patted her ripening belly.
"A son." Nate loved the sound of that.
"Yes, Nathan." Ariel giggled, "A son, a little boy just like his Daddy."
"Well, a guy can be proud that he's having a son can't he."
"What's so bad about having a girl? Just think of Andy's twins, little versions of her." Ariel sighed.
"Don't remind me." Nate groaned in terror.
"That's not a nice thing to say, Nathan Scott! Those little darlings will be the apple of your eye when they're born and don't even try to deny it." Ariel glared at him.
"I had to buy those two stuffed lions! Eric and Andy hadn't gotten them and there was only two left! Can I help it if I intend to spoil my nieces rotten and started a little early?" Nate dodged the throw pillow that she threw at him.
"Between the four of us we've given them an entire Zoo of stuffed toys." Ariel grinned.
"It's not like they haven't returned the favor. Have you looked at the nursery shelves lately?" Nate grinned.
Keith was not happy that Eric had sent the guards back to the castle. "He did what!?"
"Relax, darling. He just needed time alone with Andy." Allura smiled at him. "They need this time alone."
"Well, at least they kept the dome up around their little sanctuary." Keith tried to calm down.
"She's perfectly safe. Eric is with her and he won't let anyone hurt her." Allura placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I know that but I still worry, after all of those failed attempts that our enemies have already made to get her and the twins she's carrying. I'm not about to let another one come and succeed." Keith growled.
"Just think, Keith, we're about to become grandparents." Allura sighed.
"I know, Allura, I know." He was still getting used to the idea.
A few hours later Eric cradled Andy in his arms, as they floated on the surface of the crystal clear water. "We needed this, to be alone." He sighed.
"I'm glad that you're comfortable, but my backache is getting worse." She groaned.
"What?!" Eric panicked, losing his hold on her, causing her to sink under the water.
"Nice going, Lion!" She sputtered when she came back up to the surface.
"Have the babies moved in the last hour or so?" Eric swam them to shore.
"No."
"Let's get into some dry clothes." He carried her out of the water.
"I feel so calm, Eric." She smiled up at him.
"That's good, remain calm, there's no reason whatsoever to start panicking." Eric added a little too hastily.
Andy started to laugh at him. "You're so silly, Eric! The only one who seems to be panicking is you." She laughed, as he toweled her off, and then dressed her in her kimono.
"Now remember to breathe like Ashley taught us." Eric coached her.
"Why? I'm not having any labor pains, just a nasty backache." She rubbed at the small of her back.
"Just checking," He swept her up into his arms and carried her inside.
"Listen, he-man, I can walk you know."
"You heard what Ash told you, bed rest, so I'm taking you back to bed."
"I'm way too energized to sleep." She protested.
"Well then, you can rest in my arms while I hold you." He carefully set her down onto their king-size four-poster bed.
"If I'm going to be giving birth within the next few yours, then I at least want to look my best. You rest for a while and I'll go take a shower." She crawled back out of bed and headed for the master bath.
He reached over to the Tele-com and punched in a few numbers, first to Ashley who confirmed his suspicions, and then to Keith and Allura explaining that they would be returning to the castle shortly.
"Andromeda? Are you all right in there?" He called out to his wife.
"Yes, darling, I'm perfectly fine. I just took a quick shower to wash my hair." She didn't tell him that her belly felt really hard, because that was one of the signs of pre-labor and her backache was growing worse.
"Will you please try to relax, I'm not...Oh my..." She gasped, as her water broke and a warm liquid ran down her legs. "Um, Lion…" She called out again.
This time Eric was off the bed and into the bathroom in seconds.
"My water just broke." She winced, as she felt her first contraction, and automatically started her breathing exercises; while Eric dried her off and held her until the pain had subsided.
"That's it we're out of here." Eric had her dressed and ready to go in minutes.
"That might be a good idea." She sighed they were off using the tunnel to the castle and another contraction hit her.
Alex sat up and reached for her clothes. "We have to get back to the castle and I mean now!" She exclaimed, as she felt yet another twinge of pain.
"Why what's wrong, Lexi?" He frowned at her.
"Andy's in labor and she needs me!" Alex zipped up her sundress and pulled on her riding boots. "Don't just lay there gaping at me get dressed!" She snapped at him.
"You're sure about this?" Chris reluctantly pulled on his clothes.
"I'm a triplet, Christophe. My strongest connection to either of my sisters has always been Dromi!" She snarled at him, wincing when another twinge of pain struck her.
"Alex!" Chris saw the pain in her eyes and knew that this was the real deal. "Isn't sharing the joys of labor going a bit too far?" He grinned at her, as he pulled on his riding boots.
"Ha! Ha! Very funny!" She stuck her tongue at him and he picked her up in his arms. "Hey, put me down!" She frowned when he set her up onto his horse. "I can ride my own horse!"
"Go back to the stables, Silky!" Chris slapped Alex's horse on her rump and the horse headed back to the stables. "You are riding with me." He mounted his horse and headed in a full gallop back to the castle.
Nate found Ariel waiting for him after finishing his evening swim in the ocean. "What's wrong?"
"Andy is having the babies!"
"That's great! Let me go shower and then we'll go to the castle." He grinned at her.
"You can meet me at the castle. I have to go! Andy needs me!" Ariel waddled back towards the house.
"I will say this one more time. We will go to the castle after I shower." He carried her into the house and set her back down onto her feet.
"I have a better idea! You'll shower at the castle!" She snapped at him, as she activated their tunnel to the castle.
Nate grabbed some clothes and followed her to the air car. "Like I said, I'll shower at the castle." He gave in and they were off to the castle.
Andromeda and Eric arrived and were instantly greeted by their family and friends.
"Hello everyone, good news sure does travel fast." She smiled at her family and friends.
"Are you okay?" Allura ran over and gave her daughter a hug.
"I'm fine except for a sharp pain every ten minutes or so." Andy rolled her eyes at her mother.
"Word of warning stay out of her reach during those few minutes of pain." Eric rubbed at his sore arm.
"Did I hurt you, Eric? I guess, I don't know my own strength." She blinked at him with innocent eyes.
"Be afraid, Eric, be very afraid." Keith gave him a friendly warning.
"I'd listen to him very carefully if I were you."
"It's been nice knowing you, kid." Darian patted him on the back.
"You two give Eric a pep talk while we get Andy settled into her room." Ashley led Andy down the corridor.
Four more family members arrived at the castle, Nate, Ariel, Chris, and Alex. The girls ran to be with their sister and the guys went to see how Eric was holding up.
"Guys, do me a favor and go get me my fencing armor." Eric hissed at them.
"Why fencing armor, Eric?" Chris frowned at him.
"For protection against Andy?" Nate arched a brow at him.
"Exactly! I'll wear it under a surgical gown and she'll never know that I even have it on." Eric grinned at him.
"No problem, we'll be right back." Nate and Chris ran to get the armor.
"Very smart move, son," Keith held his own sleeping angel in his arms. "I was in full battle gear when the girls were born."
"Eric is a dead man!" Andy blew her sweat soaked bangs out of her eyes as the contraction ended.
"Come on, Dromi. Just think of the two babies that will be born in the next few hours." Ariel patted her sister's hand.
"Ariel! She happens to be in extreme pain!" Alex snarled at Ariel. "Leave her alone!"
"Lexi, are you okay?" Andy frowned at her sister.
"Does the phrase knock me out answer your question!?" She snapped at her sister.
"Why didn't you say something?" Ashley frowned at her. "I can sedate you until this is over, that way you don't have to feel what she's going through."
"Yes please give me something!" Alex begged. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Lexi. I don't want you two to go through this with me. I know that you're with me in spirit." Andy smiled weakly at her sister.
"I'll be right back, Andy." Ashley led Alex out of the room.
"I'm here now, Ariel." Eric entered the room in surgical scrubs, his face mask was dangling around his neck.
"Good luck, baby sister." Ariel kissed her on the cheek and left them alone.
"Andy?" Eric frowned at her when her nails dug into the mattress and her eyes focused on the view of Black Lion from the window of her room as another contraction hit her.
"If you ever touch me again I will tear you apart!" She hissed at him through teeth gritted in pain.
"That's it, baby, breathe and focus on our lion." Eric coached her, getting behind her so he could support her back and trying to stay out of harms way.
"I'm thirsty." She groaned, as the contraction ended.
"Here, angel, have some ice chips." Eric handed her the cup of ice chips.
"Thanks." She popped a few chips into her mouth, and then dumped the rest over his head.
"Feel better?" He growled down at her, as ice chips streamed down his face.
"Yes much." She looked up at him and he kissed her.
'You are the strongest willed female on this whole planet. This shouldn't even faze you, so quit letting this get to you, and focus on bringing our babies into the world' He growled down at her.
'You're right! I'm a trained ninja! I can handle this!' She smiled up at him.
'That's my girl' He smiled back.
She was rocked by an even more intense contraction that knocked the wind out of her before the pain had ended. "Eric! I can't handle this!"
"That's it, baby, pant." He coached her.
"You pant!" She glared murderously up at him. "I need to push!"
"No, sweetness, just continue with your breathing and we'll get through this one together." He mopped her forehead with a cool cloth.
"We!" She seethed at him.
"We! Are not in extreme pain!" She screamed in fury at him.
"Calm down, angel, and just grab onto my hand when it hurts too much." He winced when she clamped onto his hand.
"I hate you for doing this to me!" She snarled at him between pants. "I'll kill you if you ever do this to me again!" She reached up grabbed fistfuls of his surgical gown with both hands and pulled him down to her so he could look at her in her eyes. "Do I make myself clear!"
"Yes, darling, crystal clear." Eric found himself instantly released and then his hand was once again clamped in a death grip.
"Ashley! How much longer is this going to last!?" He barked at Ashley.
"Not very much longer," She glanced up at Eric and Andy. "Andy, I know that you want to push, but try to refrain from pushing until I say so, okay?"
"I'll try." Andy whimpered.
"You're doing great, sweetie, and it won't be much longer, I promise." He almost yelped in agony when she began to squeeze his hand again.
"Not again!" Andy cried out in pain and began to pant.
"That's it, honey, do your breathing and don't push." Eric coached her.
"Ashley, please say that I can push!"
"Okay here we go, guys, now I want you to bear down and push until I tell you to stop." Ashley directed her and Andy did as she was told. "You're doing great, Andy, now just a few more pushes and baby number one will be here."
"Hear that, champ? We're almost parents, now push." Eric grinned at her.
"I am pushing, Eric!" She snarled at him.
"I can see the head, now one more time and you'll be parents." Ashley grinned at them.
"I'm trying!" She whimpered, pushing until she was blue in the face, and then fell back against Eric.
"Congratulations, guys! It's a baby girl!" Ashley cried in delight, as the infant let out her first cry.
"She's beautiful, Andy!" He kissed his wife.
"We're not out of this yet, you two." Ashley reminded them. "Now push again just like before."
"One more time, baby, and then you can rest." He promised.
'Are you kidding? Nothing could stop me.' She did as she was told and in a few minutes baby number two was born.
"Congrat's, guys, identical twin baby girls." Ashley handed the screaming baby to her nurse, who tended to her, and swaddled her into a soft pink blanket before she handed the baby to her father. The other baby girl was sleeping in the arms of her Grandfather, who for once was speechless.
"Here you go, Mommy." Eric settled the baby into Andy's arms.
"Hello there, little one. I'm your Momma." She touched the baby's tiny hand with her finger. The little newborn had downy black hair and eyes like her father.
"Andy, look at your father." Eric grinned.
"Daddy, she won't break." Andy smiled at him. "Well, did we do good, Grandpa?"
Keith walked over to his daughter and set his identical bundle of joy in her arms. "You did great, kiddo, now I'll give you two some time alone and spread the news." He kissed Andy on her forehead and all but floated out of the room.
"You did wonderful, Andy. I'm so proud of you." Eric kissed her then looked down at the two babies who were happily enjoying their first meal.
"They sure know what they want." Ashley laughed at the two content newborns.
"Food." Andy giggled, as they nuzzled her.
"So, Mommy, what are we going to name these two?" He was baffled over what to name them.
"They're completely identical, so their names have to match somehow." Andy frowned.
"Look at their hair; it's as black as a raven's wing." Eric smiled.
"Raven I like that name, now what would go with Raven?" Andy yawned.
"Jasmine? I like that name and you love the flowers." Eric offered a solution.
"Raven and Jasmine… I like those names." She smiled down at the dosing infants, covered herself back up with her kimono, and fell asleep.
"Andy?" Eric looked down at her, but she was sound asleep, so he kissed her forehead and quietly left his family to their slumber.
"Can I see her and the twins?" Ariel asked him.
"You can all poke you heads in there, but don't wake them." He was a very proud papa.
"Have you decided on names yet?" Someone asked.
"Yes, their names are Raven and Jasmine." Eric said their new names with pride in his voice.
"Jasmine is a lovely name, but Raven is not a proper name for a princess." Allura shot him a look before entering her daughter's room.
"All right, maybe Raven is a bit much." Eric felt as if Allura had slapped him.
Allura entered Andy's room and looked down at her daughter and her newborn twins.
Andy sensed that her mother was in her room and opened her eyes to smile up at her.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" She brushed the bangs from her daughter's face.
"Wonderful, yet extremely sore, but it was worth all the pain." She looked down at her babies and smiled.
"Andy, would you do me a favor?" Allura asked her softly.
"Sure, if I can." She yawned.
"Rethink one of their names." She sighed.
"Raven or Jasmine?" Andy frowned at her.
"Jasmine is a wonderful name, but Raven is a bit strange for a baby girl."
"Okay, Mom. I'm open for suggestions." She was just too tired to argue.
"Well, how about Jessica after my mother and your grandmother. You take after her more than you know." Allura smiled at her.
"Okay, Mom, I would be honored and one will be named Jessica Raven and the other Jasmine Elizabeth."
"Which one is which?" Allura smiled down at her Grandchildren.
"Now that may be a slight problem." Andy frowned.
"They're so identical," Allura touched the cheek of one of the babies.
"Well, look at this." One of the twins had awakened and was kicking her bottom foot, on it was a tiny birthmark shaped like a crown." A birthmark," Andy pointed to Jessica's foot.
"Does the other one have the same mark?" Allura carefully lifted the blanket from Jasmine's feet. "No she hasn't got the same mark." Allura sighed in relief.
"Jessica has a mark and Jasmine doesn't." Andy smiled at Jessie, who stared up at her and then fell back to sleep.
"You need your rest, Andy. I'll take them to the nursery while you get some sleep." Allura took a baby in each arm and left Andy to her nap.
Everyone gathered around, as Allura came out with the twins.
"They're so cute." Ariel cooed down at them.
"They're so identical. How are we going to tell them apart?" Nate grinned.
"One has a tiny birthmark on her foot." Allura smiled.
"I will take my daughters now." Eric glared at her and carefully took them from her.
"Eric?" Allura didn't know why he was so angry with her.
"You and I are going to talk, as soon as I get my daughters settled in the nursery." Eric growled at her.
Jenna followed him into the nursery, to find out what was going on. "Eric? Did I miss something back there?"
"I will not be told how to raise my kids or what to name them." Eric finally answered her, after he left his girls safe and sound in the nursery.
"Who said that to you?" Jenna asked.
"Her mother flat-out ordered us not to name our daughter Raven!"
"Well, Eric! Explain yourself!" Allura snapped at him.
"You explain to me what gives you the right to dictate what to name my girls!"
"One I'm the Queen and two you don't want them to be in anymore of a spotlight than they already are." Allura hissed at him.
"So what did the two of you decide?" Eric sighed in defeat. She had a point.
"Jessica Raven and Jasmine Elizabeth." Allura was surprised to see tears instantly shining in his eyes.
"Why Jessica?" Eric asked hoarsely.
"That was my mother's name." Allura frowned at him, "Is something wrong?"
"My mother's name was Jessica and my baby sister's name was Elizabeth, so I'm honored and apologize for my actions." He growled hoarsely.
"Oh, Eric." Allura sniffled and gave him a hug.
"That was so great." Jenna sniffled.
Next Chapter Seven
I in no way own any of the original characters in this story and Voltron. The new characters on the other hand are mine and under no circumstances are they to be used without my permission.
Cindra©1998-2015