Brianna: Actually, I re-do every chapter ;) But yeah, I did change it from Guinna to Baloo testifying b/c I realized that it would be more effective if Baloo or Rebecca testified and Baloo seemed the better.

superstar: lol, I'm not sure how to explain Guinna not getting pregnant in the five years of marriage. I don't know what I was thinking four years ago, but I never actually paid much mind anyway to that fact.

***

March 24, 1949

Kit didn't suspect a thing. Guinna had surprised him with a birthday breakfast for two that morning, and promised a dinner with the family that night. The rest of the day Baloo made sure he kept Kit busy with deliveries in Barlow.

"Hey Britches, how 'bout a quick stop at Louie's?" Baloo asked nonchalantly, as they flew home.

Kit shook his head, knowing matter-a-factly that a quick stop at Louie's usually turned into hours of wild dessert concoctions, pina coladas, and wobbly dancing. "I don't think so, Papa Bear. I really want to get home to Guinna."

"Awww…c'mon Kit." Baloo playfully punched him in the shoulder. "We've had a hard day. We need a coolin' off time before gettin' home. Besides, it's your birthday! I'm sure that Girly-girl is just fine. Give her a ring when we get to Louie's since you can't pick her up on the radio."

A minute passed, and Kit nodded in decision. "All right. I guess we could cool off for a while. But no pina coladas."

"You got a deal." Baloo grinned. It was easier than he thought it'd be.

They traveled a couple more miles until Louie's Cabana was in sight. Kit landed. Father and son stepped out the Stargazer to find the dock empty save for two planes tied to the dock. One was of a neighbor's down the harbor in Cape Suzette and the other was a plane Kit never seen in that area. It was a beautiful plane to any pilot's eyes; shiny navy blue in color and yellow trim on the wings and tail. It looked absolutely brand new. Kit knew the build: a Sharpshooter X-25. The model was used mostly as a warplane, but some civilians owned one. No one Kit knew in Cape Suzette did though. As they passed in front of it, Kit looked back and noticed in gray the words 'War Hero'.

"Whoever owns that plane must be very important."

A smile tugged at Baloo's lip, but he suppressed a full-blown smile. "Must be."

They strolled through the open front door to find it dark and deserted inside. Worry automatically flooded through Kit's head. "What's going…???"

Before he could finish the question, the lights flicked on suddenly and a roar of "Surprise!" rang through the joint. Kit blinked, frozen for several seconds. He watched as everyone there came out from their hiding places. All his family was there.

Guinna sauntered up to him as best she could being seven months pregnant. "How do you like?"

"What is it?" Kit asked puzzled, though he knew exactly what it was.

"A surprise party, silly!" Guinna planted a wet kiss on his cheek.

Kit raised an amused eyebrow. "I'm guessing this is the birthday dinner with the family?"

"You bet it is!" Baloo answered, slapping him on the back. "Happy birthday, Kit-boy!"

"Happy birthday, Kit" Rebecca said, kissing on the opposite cheek. "Did you suspect anything?"

Kit shrugged a shoulder. "Honestly, I didn't."

"Happy birthday, Kit!" Molly ambushed her brother with a bear hug. She pulled back from him, a strange look on her face. "You look so ancient."

"And you'll regret saying that." She knew that tricksy tone. Before Molly could get away, Kit wet his finger and landed it in her ear.

"EWW!" Molly wiped her inner ear with her sleeve. She heard her mother mumble 'only my daughter', but ignored the comment. "I meant ancient in a good way."

"Sure you did!" Kit laughed then added in mock-sternness. "Don't mess with your older brother."

"Molly, I think I'll rescue you before Kit makes good on his threat" Shawn said as he walked up. He shook Kit's hand. "Happy birthday, sir."

"Thanks, Shawn."

The two teens made off for the bar to grab a coconut ice cup.

"Kit" Wildcat said, coming up from behind. "Did you figure it out yet?"

"What, Wildcat?"

"Did you figure out what the surprise is?" Wildcat scratched his head. "'Cause I know I'd still be wondering what it was, man?"

Kit smiled. "Yeah, Wildcat, I did."

"Good, 'cause I wouldn't be able to figure it out if I was in your shoes."

Wildcat walked off. Not even a minute later, a pair of hands lovingly wrapped around Kit's neck. He felt the warm belly of his wife against his back, and smiled at the reminder of their coming child. The aching fear of hurting their child had faded in the past months watching Guinna's belly grow larger and feeling almost everyday the baby kicking. From that, Guinna had dubbed the baby 'Little Kicker'.

"Is this your doing?"

Guinna moved to the front of him, hands still around his neck. Kit slid his arms around her waist. "Okay, I admit" Guinna started, a shamed look on her face. "I'm guilty as charged."

Kit took inventory of the room for the first. He hadn't even noticed the painted banner hanging above the bar. He thumbed a finger toward it. "Did it all yourself?"

"No, Rebecca and Molly helped, but I planned the whole thing." Guinna was smiling, and he could see the 'glow' spoken about radiating from her. He leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "I love you, Gigi. Thank you for this."

"Your most welcome" she whispered back as they drew closer, touching foreheads. It never failed. Just as Kit drew in for a kiss, someone shouted his name over the scat music that just began blaring from the stage. It seemed Scatcat and his band, The Crazy Spinners, had arrived and started playing their swingin' music.

Kit sighed, pulling away. "Papa Bear beckons me away."

"I'll be over there with Wildcat. I need to take a seat; my feet are killing me."

"I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"When do you not?"

With that, Kit watched Guinna walk away then headed over to the bar.

"Hey fuzzy, how old are ya today?" Louie asked as Kit took a seat on the stool beside Baloo.

Kit hesitated for a moment as if afraid to answer. "Twenty-five, Louie."

"Whoa, you're gettin' up there! Man, I must be ancient then."

"Count me in as being ancient too, Louie" Baloo put in.

"Baloo, even when you were young, you acted ancient." Louie remarked, receiving a laugh from Kit and scowl from Baloo.

"Hey! I ain't that lazy, am I?"

"Is that a trick question?" Rebecca asked, innocently.

Baloo slumped on his stool, shifting his weight to lean heavily on the bar. "Har, har, har. Let's make me the center of jokes tonight."

Rebecca felt a hand touch her back. She turned to find O'Malley behind her. A delighted gleam lit up in her eyes. Seeing O'Malley was always a highlight. "Thomas, you made it!"

"Of course, I did" he said, moving beside her. "It's ole' Kit's birthday, and I wouldn't want to miss an evening with you. Hey Kit, happy birthday."

"Thanks, O'Malley."

O'Malley led Rebecca off to dance. "Hey Fuzzy." Kit turned his attention back to Louie. "Since ya lady informed me you hate the whole birthday-song-blowing-out-candles-thing, this is yours…specially made." Louie reached under the bar and pulled out a deep glass bowl with half a dozen scoops of various flavors of ice cream atop a chocolate cake. Cherries formed in a twenty-five atop whip cream finished off the dessert. "Wow…"

Baloo's eyes bugged out at the sight of such an amazingly, scrumptious looking dessert. "How come you never given me one of those for my birthday?"

"Why should I when you get everything else free!"

"Baloo, I think I'll need help eating this anyway" Kit said, handing him a spoon.

"How beautiful, Louie!" Guinna exclaimed, grabbing a spoon. Kit held back a laugh at the sight of his wife almost drooling over the gigantic ice cream concoction.

The cabana boomed with swing music. Though there weren't many guests, most everyone was up dancing. Baloo and Louie were fighting over who was going to dance with Rebecca while O'Malley was playing his string bass with the band. Molly stepped in for Guinna on the dance floor with Kit. After an hour of partying, Guinna climbed on stage (with Scatcat's help) and was given the microphone.

"Excuse me everyone! As you know, it's Kit's twenty-fifth birthday." Even though the guest list only consisted of family and close friends, an embarrassed Kit tried to hide behind Baloo. "I'm thankful we could all be here to celebrate it. I've waited months for this moment, and I can't wait any longer! I want to give Kit his first present from Wildcat, Baloo, and me. Please step outside, but come get me first!"

Kit hurried over to Guinna's outstretched arms, and supported her by the waist as she stepped off the stage. They made their way outside, everyone else following behind. Guinna glanced back to make sure Rebecca had the camera. She stopped him right before the dock started.

"See that plane right there?" Guinna pointed at the navy blue plane docked a dozen feet in front of them.

"Yeah, that's a Sharpshooter X-25. They used that model in the Second Great War; one of the fastest planes in the world. Why?"

Guinna smiled broadly. "It's yours."

For a moment, Kit remained silent in utter shock from her words. He'd always dreamed of owning a plane ever since he was just a little boy, a plane that was -his- only. All the money he had saved as a teenager had gone to buying their new cargo plane, one that he placed in Guinna's name as a surprise birthday present five years ago. But now he stared in awe at the Sharpshooter X-25 as overwhelming joy flooded his brain. He didn't even notice Rebecca snapping pictures.

Kit stepped forward a few feet then turned to face Guinna. "How'd you keep this from me?"

"Mr. Turnbottom down the harbor let Wildcat and Baloo use his covered hanger to refurbish it."

"Yeah, it's not new" Wildcat added. "We found it in a scrape pile and bought it for almost nothing!"

"Do you like it, Kit?" Baloo asked.

All Kit could do was nod vigorously. Guinna could see the tears gathering in his eyes. She stepped to him, cupping his cheek with her hand. That was everyone's cue to head back inside. The two needed a moment alone.

"Why did you name it 'War Hero'?"

"Because that's what you are."

"I never claimed to be a hero."

"Well, I do. You served in the air force, rescued a fellow pilot, received the Purple Heart, and came home to me. You are my hero."

Kit stared clear into her eyes, finding only love and respect. Not once had he found fear or grudge inside her, not even when he hurt her. He never understood why he was given such an amazing woman, but was thankful for the fact that she was his. Guinna let herself be pulled into a close embrace, into a hold that fit her perfectly, like it was made just for her. They'd been through heaven and hell, and had been able to look back.

***

May 1, 1949

The stillness of the night was interrupted as a hollowing scream pierced the air. Kit jolted out of a dreamless sleep, flipping on the bedside lamp. Guinna lay beside him, holding her stomach and wincing in pain.

"Guinna, what's wrong?!" Kit touched her forehead, smoothing back the sweaty strands of hair that had fallen in her face.

"It hurts." She swallowed deeply. "It's hard to breath. I think the baby is coming."

"But, it's a month early!!!" he yelled, not realizing the volume of his voice growing as his anxiety rose.

"Well, it's happening NOW!" she screamed, trying to turn on her side.

The bedroom door flung open, and Rebecca rushed in. Baloo and Molly following behind seconds later. "What's going on?"

"The baby is coming!" Kit shouted. He slipped his arms under Guinna, lifting her off the bed. Her added weight didn't once make him falter as adrenaline and fear swept through his body. "Get Wildcat to crank up his jalopie! We don't have time to wait for a cab!"

Molly was gone in an instant. She ran, blinded by the dark, tripping occasionally on random obstacles. Finally outside, she hurried to Wildcat's houseboat and banged on the rickety door with the side of her clinched fist. She kept banging until a light snapped on.

"Mollycat!" Wildcat said, surprised. "I thought my door was walking away!"

Molly threw her hands on his shoulder, and pulled him out the houseboat. "Wildcat, Guinna is in labor! You need to get the jalopie started quick!"

Before he could ask how Guinna could be in labor when the city of Labor was halfway across the ocean, Molly had drug him to the back of H&H. His rusted jalopie, that had once been green but had faded over several years of use, sat drooping and forlorn. Wildcat went to work right away, opening the hood and fiddling with the engine. He called to Molly to connect the wires inside the cab. The engine sputtered and stalled.

"Come on, ole girl" Wildcat muttered. He grabbed his trusty wrench from his pocket and smacked the engine with it. The engine roared on. Wildcat shut the hood, proudly. "Just needed to give her a little encouragement." He walked around to the driver's side of the truck to find Kit gently setting Guinna inside the passenger side. The old truck wasn't necessarily fit for emergencies. The tattered, leather seat crackled and the springs groaned underneath the weight of the pregnant woman. Guinna was oblivious of almost everything around her. The birth pangs came every five minutes and lasted for a whole sixty seconds.

Kit ran to the driver's side pushing aside Wildcat, shouting a frantic, "I'm driving!" He jumped into the driver's seat.

"I'm the mother, I ride in the front!" Rebecca announced, barely being able to squeeze in beside Guinna. Molly, Baloo, and Wildcat hopped into the bed of the truck. Tthe old jalopie reared off, Kit's foot pressing the accelerator to the truck floor. The vehicle took off so fast Molly flew into Baloo. Kit sped down the street like a maniac, trying to keep the jalopie under control. Thankfully the streets of Cape Suzette were empty during the nighttime hours. He swerved around a curve, nearly on two wheels.

Guinna smacked his shoulder, and yelled, "Slow down or you'll get us all killed!"

The rest of the ride there was similar to that. The ride to the Cape Suzette General Hospital usually took about fifteen minutes from the bay. It only took five minutes with Kit's erratic driving. He leapt from the trunk, and in the blink of an eye had Guinna inside the hospital. The next couple hours were a blur. Doctors, nurses, and gurneys all mixed with a comforting pat on the shoulder from whoever was around all collided together. Kit found himself on the hospital floor, knees drawn up and elbows leaning on his knees. His head and shoulders were bent in worry and despair. The nurse at the front desk told him he couldn't be with his wife. It had been over two hours. He had to know what was happening! He climbed to his feet, and approached the front desk.

"I want to be with my wife" Kit demanded.

The young nurse - no more an eighteen - raised her view from the paperwork under her elbow to the man standing anxiously before her. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go in surgery. I'm sure you'll have news of your wife soon."

"But I want news now!" Kit slammed his palm on the desk, making the nurse flinch. Just then, a large hand firmly gripped his shoulder and pulled him away.

"Kit, you better calm down or you'll get thrown out" Baloo hissed at him.

Kit's eyes burned in aggravation. "They won't let me see my wife."

"You're not the only one worried about Girly-girl and the baby," Baloo was inches from his face trying to hammer the sense back into his boy. "but just because you're her husband doesn't qualify you to attack the hospital staff."

"I can understand how easy it is to burst right now" Rebecca's voice came up from behind. Her arms were folded tightly to her chest, tension radiating from her. "I'm about to blow up myself. Why won't they tell us anything?"

Another hour passed, then another. Kit was pacing absurdly near the surgery room. Baloo and Rebecca were quiet, but anxiously waiting in the in the hall. The sun was just making an appearance in the sky as Molly and Wildcat had gone to the cafeteria to get breakfast. The surgery door opened to reveal that doctor who'd taken Guinna. It only took two steps for Kit to meet him.

"Doctor, what's going on? Is Guinna all right? Did she have the baby? Why couldn't I go in there?"

The doctor raised a hand to quiet him. "Mr. Cloudkicker, calm down. Your wife is doing fine. At first she had complications with an internal air pocket, which caused her to go into premature labor, but I broke the pocket and her delivery went well after that. Even though the babies are premature, they're healthy and not as under developed as I feared. So, I'm happy to say you are the father of a healthy baby boy…and girl."

It took more than a minute or two for Kit to digest the information that was given to him. But as he did, his eyes bulged and he stumbled back in shock. "A boy and girl?" he said, slowly.

"That's right. Your wife had twins."

Kit recovered quickly. "When can I see them?"

"Right now. Follow me."

He followed the doctor through the surgery door, which lead to a long recovery room. Guinna was in the bed closest to the surgery room. She appeared asleep, but was only resting. Her hair was sweaty and clumped on her shoulder. Her face looked worn, dark circles ringed under her eyes. Kit silently went to her, and sat at her bedside.

Guinna stirred and opened her eyes. "Kit." A tired smile graced her lips.

"Hey, babe." He kissed her forehead. "I was so worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"I hurt, but I'll heal. Did the doctor give you the news?"

"Yes, he did." The most content smile crossed Kit's face. "I can't believe we had twins. A boy AND a girl."

"They're over there if you want to see them."

Kit looked to his left, and for the first time noticed a small, oval crib. He stepped up to it, carefully reaching a hand in to touch the twins. They both looked exactly alike in size and appearance. You could even tell how very small they were under the blue wooly blanket that covered them. The girl adorned a red bonnet, and the boy a blue. "They're so tiny. Can I hold one?"

Guinna nodded. "The doctor said it was all right. Just be very gentle."

"Hello" a soft voice said. Guinna turned to see Rebecca and Baloo walk in. Rebecca made a beeline for Guinna, and gave her a soothing embrace. "How are you feeling?"

"I hurt, but I'm all right. We have some little people who'd like to meet you."

"Look, Becky" Baloo said, peering over Kit's shoulder where the baby girl lay. "Our grandkid." He cupped the baby's head in his hand, which fit perfectly.

"Why don't you hold the other baby" Guinna suggested.

Rebecca and Baloo straightened. "You had two?"

Kit lightly chuckled. "I'm guessing the doctor didn't tell you we had twins?"

"No" Rebecca said, dumbfounded. She peeked in the crib to find the boy baby asleep there. She gently scooped him up. "I haven't held a baby in so long. What do you plan to name them?"

"The same names we were going to give them if we had a girl or boy" Guinna replied.

"What would that be? You always kept it a secret."

"This," Guinna reached out for the boy, letting Rebecca lay him in her arms. ", is Aaron Elias Cloudkicker."

"And this," Kit finished. ", is Miranda Sabrina Cloudkicker."