Chance Encounter
An alternate reality romance
Part 1
by Time Guardian

The rain was coming down in buckets, and Chiba Mamoru was grateful to be on his way home. He had taken four exams that day, and didn't have much to show for it except for a cramped writing hand and a better understanding of how long he would be stuck in medical school.

Luckily he had a helmet to keep him dry, but unfortunately the rest of him was soaked to the bone, and the puddles he was slamming through on his motor bike were only serving to obscure his vision.

Mamoru was heading towards his favorite restaurant to eat. He was just reaching the intersection when he had to slam on the brakes to avoid a young woman who staggered into the crosswalk against the light.

A woman who was very pregnant.

It took a lot of skill and concentration, but he was able to stop just mere inches away from her.

Tsukino Usagi kept one hand on her burgeoning belly while trying to cross the road to get to the pharmacist. The rain hampered her efforts and only served to plaster her long blonde hair against her pale skin. She needed to pick up the medication for Mrs. Chen's daughter who was running a bad fever, and she promised the little girl that she would be back in time to read her a story.

That is, until she was scared spitless by the creepy motorcycle driver.

"Hey you jerk! Watch where you are going!" she shouted.

She saw the indignant rider pull his bike over to the side of the road and then take off his helmet. Leaving it on the bike, he rushed over and grabbed her by the arm.

"I'm a jerk? Lady, you were the one who stepped into the crosswalk against the light,"
he shouted, pointing to the crosswalk light.

Following his gaze, Usagi saw that the no crossing light was indeed lit. Eyes wide, she looked back at him. "I'm sorry, my mind was very preoccupied."

She didn't know whether it was the near death experience or the rain, but Usagi began to tremble uncontrollably. She also felt a stabbing pain near the small of her back, but since she had been having them off and on for most of the day, she didn't think much about it.

Usagi saw worry spring to life in his eyes.

"C'mon. There's a restaurant on the next corner that serves great Italian food. We need to get you out of the rain."

He took her hand, and led her quickly away.

After a few moments, they found themselves standing in front of a large building that looked like an Italian Villa, surrounded by beautiful plants.

"Let's get out of the rain."

Mamoru ushered her inside, and they were soon seated. After the waiter brought their menus, Usagi looked around the place in some interest.

"This place is beautiful. Reminds me of the pictures in the travel agency I used to work for."

"My friend Taka runs the place," he told her with a grin. "He went to Italy on vacation, loved the food and the scenery, and decided to bring back both."

She giggled in reply as she looked around again, noting the numerous plants, marble floors, and beautiful detail in the carvings and paintings.

She turned back to him, and he pointed at the menu in front of her.

"Order anything on the menu, it's on me."

Usagi's eyes widened in protest. "But Mrs. Chen is waiting for me at home. I cannot possibly-"

"I insist. I scared you badly; please consider this meal as an apology."

An hour later, they finished their meal. Mamoru smiled as he saw her finish the last of her spaghetti. She pushed back a strand of blond hair that had fallen into her face and smiled at him.

"This was very delicious. Your friend Taka should be pleased."

Mamoru recognized his friend walking up to their table. "Oh, I can assure you he is.
Hello Taka, I was just telling my lady friend here about you."

"And I hope he hasn't been telling you bad things about me," Taka joked as he reached the table.

"Nah, I just told her how you went ga-ga for the pasta." he replied in kind.

They spoke for a few moments about old times, when Mamoru heard a sharp gasp from her. Turning, he saw her panting and nearly doubled over in pain.

He realized that he had seen this in his medical texts. -She's having a contraction-
Mamoru watched her intently as the contraction passed and she began to breathe again.
He started quizzing her quickly:

"Did your water break? How long have you been having these pains?"

"I don't know, I had been sick and on the toilet for most of the morning. I have been in pain for most of the day. It had been pretty spaced apart and not as bad, but now-" she started to moan, then gasped and clutched her abdomen. He saw that she seemed to be in the throes of another contraction.

"Most of the day?" Mamoru echoed.

Alarm bells went off in his head. If she's been having contractions for most of the day, then she was most likely in the first stages of labor, or worse.

He quickly threw some money on the table for the bill, and reached for her.

"Come on. We need to get you to the hospital."

Usagi waved away his efforts. She panted heavily to try and help the pain to pass, but it wasn't going away. She had been feeling small pains during dinner, but this one was serious.

She had not been too concerned, because she read pregnancy books that indicated that women with first pregnancies experienced false labor from time to time. However, when she felt the extreme pressure build in her abdomen that she began to whimper and panic.

"I can feel it, the baby is coming now, oooooh."

Shutting her eyes tightly to avoid the pain, Usagi was only dimly aware that someone gently picked her up out of her seat, cradling her like a child.

When Usagi heard the voice though, she knew it was him.

"Taka, quickly! She's in active labor! We need to use your office, now!"

Her heart leapt into her throat. She had read the cases where some women have a quick labor. It was the one case she had been afraid of, because Mrs. Chen had told her about her own experience being quick and extremely painful.

She felt him rush her quickly into another room. Opening her eyes, Usagi noticed that he had moved her into what looked like a well furnished office. As he gently lowered her to the only sofa in the room, the pressure inside of her increased, making her moan in agony.

Mamoru washed his hands in the bathroom and was just about ready to panic. He was only a second year medical student, and what he knew about childbirth came from the textbooks, which added up to very little.

He came out of the bathroom, and went to check on her. She was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and continued to moan. Mamoru felt her abdomen just as another contraction started.

Quickly, he grabbed her hand as she sobbed and moaned.

Mamoru talked to her as soothingly as possible.

"You're ok...you'll make it. I need you to pant for me, can you do that for me?"

He smiled slightly as he heard her do as he asked, and soon she sighed. The contraction was over.

Mamoru knew she was scared, so he kept his voice light and even.

"You know, you still haven't told me your name."

He saw her face grimace into one of concentration, but after a few moments she finally whimpered. "Tsukino Usagi."

"Usagi, that is a beautiful name. My name is Chiba Mamoru," he replied, positioning her to where her head rested on one of the armrests, and her legs were braced against the other armrest.

He heard Taka peek in. "Yo, Mamoru-kun, need anything?"

"Bring me as many clean towels you can spare, and call an ambulance," Mamoru replied tersely. When he heard Taka leave, he turned back to her, quickly recalling the material he had read on childbirth.

"Usagi, I need you to listen very carefully to me. I need to check you to see how far the baby has come down the birth canal, ok?"

Getting an incoherent mumble in reply, Mamoru went to feel for her cervix, and was shocked to discover that the baby's head was already halfway delivered.

Taka brought in an armload of towels, and Mamoru grabbed at them eagerly.

"Taka, hold her hand. Usagi, looks like your baby doesn't want to wait on anyone.
I need you to bear down and push this baby out."

Finally, the words she had been waiting to hear. Usagi leaned up with Taka's help and bore down with what little strength she had left. Precious seconds ticked by until the pain made her back off, falling back into Taka's arms.

"I can't do this, it hurts."

She heard Mamoru's voice grow harsh, "Where's the girl who called me a jerk a few hours ago huh? The baby needs your help Usagi, now push!"

Taka propped her up again.

Reluctantly, Usagi did as she was instructed. The pain returned in full force, but she could hear him encouraging her.

"That's it, you are doing it, just a little more."

She continued her efforts, and a few seconds later much of the pressure she was feeling below was released.

Mamoru's voice became more energetic. "Ok, the head's out. Stop pushing, I need to do a little work and your baby will be born."

She fell back into Taka's arms and waited in anticipation. Usagi soon felt a wave of pain, then intense relief as she saw Mamoru pulling up her baby into an awaiting towel, He then cleaned the baby and cleared the mucous from her mouth. When Usagi heard her baby's cry, it made the whole picture complete.

It was all over. After months of waiting, her baby was finally here. She smiled, wiping away tears of joy from her eyes.

Mamoru washed his hands in the bathroom, and thought about Usagi. She had done well, delivering a beautiful baby girl. The paramedics came soon after Mamoru had cut the cord,
and had commended him for a job well done. He decided not to mention to them that he was too busy to be scared.
They had some trouble when Usagi lost consciousness soon after the placenta was delivered, but they told him that Usagi seemed to be anemic, accounting for what happened.

He wanted to go see Usagi, make sure she was ok, and check in on the baby. Smiling, Mamoru thought about how she would be the perfect wife and mother, and how he would like to be in that picture- but then he realized Usagi might have ties to someone special, and he couldn't interfere with that.

With a sigh, he pushed his conflicted emotions aside and went to hunt for a phonebook.

She didn't want to wake up, but Mrs. Chen would be leaving for work soon,
and she would need some help with her daughter and-

Usagi opened her eyes and almost panicked. This wasn't her room at the Chen's. She tried to stretch and get out of bed, but her body protested with aches and pains that she never remembered having before. -What the?-

"Good to see you awake."

The distinctive male voice nabbed at her. Turning her head, she recognized the man sitting in the nearby chair as the one who helped her deliver her baby.

"You're Chiba Mamoru..."

His smile seemed to light up the room. "We worried about you when you lost consciousness, but everything seems to check out. You tested anemic and blood sugar count was low, but the doctors have got you balanced out. Oh, and Taka sends his regards and will give you a free meal if you will visit his restaurant again."

She laughed and looked around. "Poor Taka, I thought I was going to break his hand when he was helping me through the pain. So when can I see my baby?"

Mamoru got to his feet, and stood beside her bed. "The staff was just waiting for you to wake up. I can go have them bring her to you now if you like."

She felt a smile creep over her face. Everything was going to be ok, and she had a new baby daughter to take care of. Usagi started to relax, until he spoke again.

"I almost forgot, I called Mrs. Chen, and she can't wait to see her new godchild. Is there anyone else you need me to contact: husband, boyfriend?"

Mamoru noticed a change come over her almost instantly. Gone was the smile that had come so easily a few moments ago, and her countenance took on an icy stare.

Usagi's tone also shared the same iciness. "I have no one. Mamoru-san, could you ask them to go ahead and bring my baby in please?"

"Of course."

He quickly exited the room and closed the door. It was odd, but it was almost as if it got cold as Antarctica in there.

Mamoru stopped by the nurse's desk to make the request, and then went to the waiting room to meet up with Mrs. Chen.

He found her playing with blocks in the corner of the room with her daughter. Her daughter seemed to share the same dark-jet black hair and the same eye color with her mother. They both looked happy together as she placed blocks into a tower and her mischievous daughter knocked them down.

When he approached them, the daughter took one look at him, and dived behind her mother.
Mrs. Chen looked around, and noticing Mamoru, smiled warmly.

"Hello Mamoru-san how is our Usagi-Chan?"

"She's awake and ready to see her baby," he replied with an uneasy smile.

"I'm glad for her. I want to thank you for being there when she needed you. I told her not to go out in her condition, but she insisted on helping my dear Keiko." She looked down at her hiding daughter warmly. "Usagi-Chan loves her as much as I do."

Mamoru shifted uncomfortably. If anyone knew why Usagi was acting weird, it would be her.
"Mrs. Chen, there's something I wanted to ask you about. When I asked Usagi if there was a husband or a boyfriend that I should contact, she shut me out. Do you know what that is all about?"

This time it was Mrs. Chen's features that locked into an icy stare.

"Mamoru-san, I wish you hadn't asked her that. What did she tell you?"

"She told me that she had no one, why?" Mamoru asked.

Mrs. Chen thought about something at great length before she answered.

"It's not my story to tell, Mamoru-san. She came to my house to be Keiko's nanny about seven months ago, and she only just told me the whole story about two months ago. If you want to find out what's going on, I'd suggest you ask her. Take heed, she doesn't trust a lot of people, but considering the circumstances, I think she will open up to you."

She stood up, and took her daughter in hand.

"Well, I am afraid I can't stay for now. The doctor wanted to see Keiko and make sure the medicine that she has been taking is helping her beat this flu that's going around. Goodbye Mamoru-san, and I hope we will meet again."

Keiko waved goodbye to him, as she and her mother left the waiting room.

The nurses brought Usagi's daughter in, and left them to have some time alone.

Usagi held her tiny daughter close. It was quite an effort, but it had been worth it.
She nuzzled her close, allowing her to drink in the smell of her daughter.

The only other thing she hadn't decided on was a name. There hadn't been that much time, what with taking care of Keiko and helping Mrs. Chen, along with handling her own troubles.

-My own troubles-

Nine months ago she had been on top of the world and deeply in love. Little changed,
except now she had someone new to love.

"I love you, my little bundle of joy," she cooed, stroking her baby's face tenderly.

Usagi sighed deeply as her daughter closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

-I can't stay here.-

Laying her daughter carefully on the bed, she slowly slipped out of bed, and went to get the clothes from the nearby closet.

It was a painfully slow process, but she managed to finish dressing and picked her daughter up in her arms. With luck, she could sneak out and-

"Where do you think you are going?"

I must be crazy. I have a Jonny Quest fic and a Sailor Moon fic going on at the same time,
plus I signed up for National Novel writing month, plus my work schedule.

Why are muses sadists anyhow -sigh-?

Part two coming soon.

Till later,

Time Guardian