A/N: I'm sorry this took me so long. Writers block and all that. Hopefully this was wort the wait. I want to send a special thank you, as always, to sweet_potatah_pie who helped me so much with this chapter! I'd still be stuck on the first scene without your help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Naveen held Tiana's hand while they waited.
"It's going to be all right, princess."
"And if it's not?" she whispered.
He moved closer so he could wrap an arm around her shoulder. With his other hand he squeezed hers gently. "Then we'll get through it together, like we always do, yes?"
At this she offered a flash of a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. A brief thought popped into his mind: what if they just left and didn't hear what the doctor had to say? Wouldn't that be much better than seeing his wife trying to hide her apprehension from him? He could rescue her from this horribly empty doctor's office, bring her home and…. and…. Be right back where they were before.
It was Naveen's suggestion that they both see a doctor after he had walked into her office with a question, only to find her slumped at her desk. When she met his gaze he could see fresh tears in her eyes, and he knew immediately that she had gotten her period again. That once again she wasn't pregnant no matter how much they had tried. The only silver lining was that she rose from her seat and fell into his outstretched arms, not even trying to hide her feelings anymore. But there was only so much his hugs and kisses could do to make it better for her. And he didn't know how much more his heart could take.
Tiana leaned into his embrace, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much."
"I love you too," Naveen whispered into her hair, "with all my heart. No matter what happens."
There was a quick rap at the door and then Doctor Samuel came in.
Naveen stood on impulse, then sat back down, only to stand again as Tiana rose from her seat to shake the doctor's hand. He followed in kind. At last they all sat down, and Naveen's arm found its way around his wife once more.
"So sorry to keep you waiting Your Highnesses," Dr. Samuel said, fumbling through the papers and files as he sorted them. Clearly he was nervous, but so was Naveen, and at the moment he didn't care to correct the doctor about their royal status when he held their test results in his hands.
"I wanted to double check everything before speaking with you."
"Thank you for taking the time, Doctor," Tiana said. Naveen was surprised at how steady her voice was, though the way she was gripping his hand gave away her fears. He squeezed back.
"Of course, of course," Dr. Samuel replied with a kind smile. "Though there is no need to thank me just yet."
Naveen wasn't sure what to make of that. His addled brain couldn't seem to translate the words properly. "But you-" his voice squeaked unexpectedly. Embarrassed, Naveen cleared his throat and tried again. "You have the results…. Yes? Are they… Is it….?"
"Yes, yes. Let's get along with it." Dr. Samuel said. "My nurses always tell me that I take too long telling patients what they came to see me about. And that very well might be the case, but I always tell them that a good doctor needs to know their patients and-"
"Dr. Samuel," Tiana interrupted, not unkindly. "The results?"
He cleared his throat and turned a little pink at the ears. "Yes, yes. Of course." He flipped through the papers. "I'm not quite sure how to tell you-"
"Oh no." Naveen's heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. "Is it really that bad?"
"Eh?" Dr. Samuel looked up from the papers at them with a bit of a blank look on his face. "Why no, quite the opposite actually."
Now it was Naveen and Tiana's turn to look blank. They glanced at each other quizzically, then Naveen asked, "Come again?"
Dr. Samuel gestured to the papers in front of him. "All the results are negative. Which is a good thing," he quickly clarified. "You both are quite healthy, and there is no discernible reason you can't have a child."
"Then why hasn't it happened yet?" Tiana asked, perhaps harsher then she meant to. Naveen suspected they were feeling the same things, though. It should have been relief to hear that nothing was wrong, and yet he could practically feel the frustration coming off of his wife. He squeezed her hand once more and rubbed her shoulder.
"Well, there are a few possibilities, but I believe the most plausible is stress related."
Tiana pinched her mouth, and carefully Naveen dared to ask, "Stress related?"
"Why yes. Especially for you, Princess Tiana." Dr. Samuel looked through his notes. "Like many of us in New Orleans, I have frequented your restaurant many times. And I must say that each time is better than the last."
Normally at such a conversation Tiana would beam at the compliment and begin peppering him with questions, curious as to what meals he had eaten, what he liked best about the flavors and textures, and then try to upsell him on something for next time.
Now though, she sat stiffly in her chair. "Thank you," she said flatly. "Though I'm afraid I don't see how that's related to our discussion."
Dr. Samuel continued on. "What I mean is, running a business like that takes its toll."
"You're saying that my restaurant is making me stressed?" Tiana asked incredulously.
"Darling," Naveen cut in, "I think what he is trying to say-"
"Because it's not," Tiana said firmly. "Running this restaurant has been my dream since I was a child. Having your dream come true is not stressful!"
Dr. Samuel held up his hands, "Be that as it may, I still firmly believe that stress is the issue."
"So what do you suggest, doctor?" Naveen asked quickly.
Dr. Samuel took out his prescription pad, scribbled something down and handed it to Tiana, who refused to take it, leaving Naveen to take it instead.
It took a moment to decipher his handwriting, but once he did, Naveen brightened. "A vacation?!"
"What?" Tiana snatched the paper from Naveen's hand and read it herself. "You can't do this," she said to Dr. Samuel.
"Yes I can," he replied. "I just did."
"No, I mean…." Tiana exhaled in frustration, and crumpled up the prescription. "I don't need a vacation."
"Now princess, let's not be too hasty," Naveen rescued the prescription and began straightening it out on his knee.
She turned to fully face him, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"I…" Naveen swallowed. This was obviously making her upset, but he had to say how he felt. "I think it is something we should think about."
"So you like this idea?" she said, not backing down.
"Fine. Yes, I like it."
"Ugh, unbelievable." Tiana crossed her arms and glared at Naveen. "I thought you would be on my side."
"I am on your side," Naveen replied. "I am always on your side."
"Well it certainly doesn't feel like it right now."
"That is because there are no sides here!" Naveen countered.
Dr. Samuel cleared his throat and stood, effectively cutting off their argument for the moment. "Now then, if you don't have any further questions, I do have other patients to see."
Naveen cleared his own throat, flushing slightly. "Yes. Thank you doctor. No questions at this time."
"Wait," Tiana said, and closed her eyes. "Please." She took a few deep breaths, then said softly, "I'd like to apologize. To both of you." Once more, Naveen placed his arm around her, and Tiana gladly took comfort from it. "This has been a difficult time for me. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. Either of you." She turned to look at her husband. "I'm sorry."
Naveen smiled softly, and stroked her cheek. "It is all right, princess. I understand."
Dr. Samuel hummed in approval while nodding solemnly. "Yes, well. Thank you." He began organizing their test results, making sure they were all in order. "It truly is my medical opinion that a vacation would be the best thing for you, Your Highness."
"Thank you," Tiana said. She held out her hand to Naveen for the prescription, and he dutifully placed it in her palm. "I - we, will take this into consideration."
As soon as they were outside, Naveen took Tiana in his arms and held her tight. This was unexpected, but Tiana was grateful, and was surprised to find tears stinging her eyes, and her knees wobbly with fatigue. At first instinct she wanted to scold herself for acting this way over nothing. But then she stopped. Because it wasn't nothing, was it? It was very much something. And wasn't hiding from her emotions what caused her so much heartache before?
It might be one of the hardest things she had ever done, but she needed to go forward through these emotions. Though as Naveen's embrace held tight, Tiana felt that gratitude for him wash over her. She wouldn't be doing it alone.
"Thank you," she whispered into his neck, clutching him as hard as she could. Never mind anyone who was passing by on the street. New Orleans should be used to them embracing and even kissing in public by now.
Naveen shushed her gently, rubbing her back as he did so. "Do you need to sit down? Or some water, perhaps?"
Tiana shook her head, sniffing softly as she did so.
"What do you need?"
"Hold me," she whispered. "Please."
"Always."
After a moment, Naveen began to hum, loud enough that she could hear it over the noise on the street, but not loud enough to share it with them either. It was only for her. Tiana smiled through her tears and pulled back to look him in the eyes. He smiled too when she cupped his face and kissed him softly on the lips.
"Does this mean you are feeling better, my love?" he asked when they parted.
"Yes." She sniffed once more, and wiped her eyes with his handkerchief when he offered it. "Thank you."
"I am glad to hear that," he said, pocketing the handkerchief. Naveen then offered her his arm, and she took it, resting her head on his shoulder while they began to slowly walk home. "Now tell me, princess: what else are you feeling?"
Oh goodness. Where to even start? "I suppose… overwhelmed, disappointed… guilty."
Naveen slowed their already leisurely pace. "I believe it would be best to begin with that last one." Then he stopped so they could look directly at one another. "You know I am not blaming you for anything, yes?"
He rubbed her shoulders tenderly, and Tiana felt his warmth coming through in the gesture. "I know," she said softly. "It's only that it's hard not to blame myself." She put one hand over his, and lowered her gaze. "It still feels like it's all my fault."
Once more, Naveen pulled her into a crushing hug. "It is not your fault. Not now, and not ever."
She clung to him, as tears stung her eyes again. "But-"
"No. No more of this. Please, mi sitara lu'seinn. I love you too much to see you hurt this way. Sometimes things happen… and blaming yourself for those things you have no control over can only make things worse."
"But I do have control over this," Tiana countered. "You heard what Dr. Samuel said. He said I'm… I'm stressed." She stepped away from his embrace and covered her face with her hands, sighing deeply. When she looked back up at him, with her eyes shiny with tears, Naveen wished more than anything that he could take her pain away.
"I've only been doing what needs to be done at The Palace," she continued. "It's my dream, and I love what I do." Softly, she asked, "Is it really making me stressed?"
Naveen's hands cupped her shoulders again, but now he trailed his fingers down her arms, until he found her own hands, and held them. He pressed his forehead to hers. "I think, that you are a woman with many talents, who enjoys sharing those talents with others, and takes well deserved pride in everything she does.
"I also think," Naveen continued, "that you can sometimes take on too much, and are reluctant to say no when something is asked of you. And when that happens it becomes overwhelming for you, but you don't even know it is happening."
Tiana closed her eyes, and took a shaky breath. Damn.
He kissed her forehead gently. "Whether all of that is making you stressed, I do not know. But I do know that you deserve a break, because if I am tired, you must feel it ten times as much."
She nuzzled against him. "I didn't realize you were tired."
Naveen hummed a little. "We haven't taken a break since we met. Not a real break, anyway."
Had they really not taken a break since they met? Being frogs in the bayou certainly didn't count. And then after they married the first time they worked to make sure they could actually be married. That plus saving up more money for the sugar mill. Then getting married a second time… their honeymoon? Well, that had been only one night, then they spent all their time fixing up the sugar mill, and then running The Palace. Even when they went out on date nights, Tiana often found herself busy comparing other restaurants to her own.
"I'm sorry," Tiana said. "I… I never thought about it like that." She stepped back only enough so that she could look him in the eye. "Why didn't bring it up before?"
Naveen brushed his thumb over her skin, and gave her a halfhearted smile. "I… I suppose I am still trying to prove myself to you."
She kissed him. Softly, and sweetly on the lips. "Sweetheart, you don't need to prove yourself to me. You've done it time and time again. I know who you are," she squeezed his hands, "and I love you." Another squeeze. "I want you to be honest with me about how you're feeling. And maybe…" Tiana took a deep breath before continuing. "I need to be more honest with myself about that too."
Naveen brought her hands up to his lips, and kissed her palms. He was afraid to say anything, but too afraid not to. "Go on," he said. "Please."
"It's always been hard for me to admit that I'm tired. Well, you know that."
Naveen nodded.
"I've just always thought that I was kind of above all that, because I had my dream to work towards. So I didn't have time to be tired, and if I took a break, well, then it would somehow prove to all the people trying to stop me that they were right. That I couldn't do it.
"I just kept on pushing past those feelings, thinking I could keep them away. And I still do it now." Tiana swallowed hard. "Sometimes I find myself feeling so…. resentful to our staff when they ask for time off, or the tourists who come in on their vacations. And I thought for so long that I was just angry that they weren't doing any work. But now I realize…. I'm not angry. I'm… I'm envious.
"Because I want that." Tears fell down her cheeks, but she didn't brush them away. "I want to take a break, but I'm afraid."
Naveen brushed the tears from her cheeks, and tenderly kissed her dimples. "What are you afraid of, my darling?"
She stayed silent for a moment, the softly she said, "I don't know who I am without my work."
"You are still you," he said simply. "You are still Tiana, and owner of the best restaurant in the whole world." She laughed at that, and he smiled. "You are still the person I love more than anything else. And you always will be, no matter what."
"Thank you," she said, and took another deep breath. "It's still hard for me."
"I know."
"But I…. I want to try." She gave him a hopeful look. "Will you help me?"
Now it was his turn to kiss her lips. "Gladly." One more kiss, and then another for good measure. His arms found their way around her hips, and he swayed them gently from side to side. "Does this mean what I think it means?"
She laughed again, enveloping her arms around his waist too. "Yeah, it does. Let's start planning that vacation."
With a whoop, Naveen picked up his wife and twirled them around and around, both of them laughing joyously in a way that it felt like they hadn't for a long time. Carefully, he set her back down on the street, and he laughed again fully realizing that they had only made it about five feet from the doctors office before having this conversation.
"Let's go home first, yes?" Naveen said, with a naughty grin. "I have a few ideas on how to begin helping you relax."
"Oh, Tia! This is just so exciting!" Lottie squealed, as she tried on another hat. She frowned at herself in the mirror and tossed the hat aside, but her smile returned once she tried another one on. "A vacation! You're going to need all new clothes, you know."
Tiana and Naveen hadn't told anyone that they were trying to have a baby, but they couldn't really hide the fact that they were going to go on vacation somewhere.
"Now why would I need new clothes?" Tiana asked. She took the discarded hat and tried it on herself, but it wasn't for her either. She handed it over to the frazzled dress assistant who was helping them in the shop. Well, really just helping Charlotte, and, well, truthfully she wasn't helping much at all, though Tiana knew they were used to Charlotte here. They were already anticipating how many items her friend would try and then discard. For every item Lottie tossed aside, two more appeared, and of course they were all pink.
"For the grande descente of course, silly."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Lottie gasped, and turned away from the mirror to face her friend. "The grande descente! You don't know?"
Tiana shook her head, offering a half smile and shrug.
"Picture this," Lottie said, turning back to the mirror. "It's an elegant party, and everyone is having a nice time, but then, a collective gasp around the room, and all eyes are drawn to the top of the stairs. And that's when, you appear." Lottie took a silk scarf from the pile and flung it around her neck. She then opened a paper fan and looked out over the top, mysteriously and sultry, yet also elegantly.
"You are dressed in your finest, the envy of all in the room! And as you descend the stairs, all the women want to be you, and the men want to dance with you. You have become the belle of the ball. For years women will try to copy you, but none will succeed, and your entrance will go down in history!" Lottie sighed happily, and lazed on the nearby chaise lounge.
"That's why, Tia. If you don't have a trunk full of sophisticated evening dresses for the grande descente you'll be a laughing stock in all of society!"
"What makes you think I'll be doing anything like that on this vacation?" Tiana said, stifling a laugh.
"Because you're a princess!"
"But-"
"And don't give me any of that, 'Naveen abdicated', stuff," Lottie said. "Because you broke the spell that had turned you both into frogs, so that makes you a princess now and forever. So there." She stuck her tongue out playfully.
Now Tiana laughed fully. If any of the attendants at the shop heard that, they would be rightfully confused, but it didn't matter. "Okay, okay." Tiana sorted through some of the dresses and handed one to Lottie to try on. "It's only that, I don't know if we're gonna be going to any places where a grande descente is really necessary."
Lottie held up the dress and examined herself in the mirror. "Well, where exactly are you gonna be going, then?"
"That's just the thing, we haven't decided yet," Tiana said. "We thought we'd each come up with a few ideas separately and then narrow it down from there." She took out a rumpled piece of paper and unfolded it. "I only have a few written down here…"
"Let me see that!"
Before Tiana could say anything, Lottie snatched it out of her hand.
"Seriously, Tiana?" Lottie said, once she looked over the list.
"What?"
"Shreveport?!"
"I hear it's nice."
"Baton Rouge?"
"Well, it is the capitol of the state so…."
Lottie huffed. "This last one is a hotel just down the street from your restaurant!"
"It just looks so pretty from the outside," Tiana countered.
"Come on, Tia!" Lottie grabbed Tiana's shoulders. "This is your first vacation in… well, ever! Why would you waste it on staying here?"
Tiana pursed her lips. "It's just… I've never really left New Orleans," she confessed. "And the thought of being far away from it is…. Kind of scary."
"Aw, hun, don't think of it that way," Lottie said. "Think of it like an adventure! Adventures can be scary, sure, but you won't be doing it alone. You'll have your prince charming with you." Lottie nudged Tiana with her elbow playfully until she laughed. "Just think of all the new places to see, and all the new food to try."
Tiana perked up at that. How had she never thought of all the different types of food there was that she had never been able to try before?
Lottie turned to the attendant. "Would you get me a pen, sweetheart?" She turned back to Tiana. "I know just the place for this vacation." With pen in hand, Lottie crossed out Tiana's suggestions, and wrote in big cursive letters.
Tiana gasped. "Paris?!"
"You'll love Paris, Tia! The glamor, the sophistication! And of course the cuisine!"
Tiana couldn't quite stop looking at the word on the paper, while Lottie rattled on about her previous trips to Paris. Tiana hadn't even thought of going abroad, well obviously not. She hadn't even thought about going outside Louisiana. But she and Naveen… they could go practically anywhere in the world. Lottie was right, why would she waste this vacation on staying here? Who knew when the next one would be.
She wanted to go somewhere special with her husband. Somewhere that they could make wonderful memories together.
As she thought about Naveen, one place kept popping up in her head.
"What about Maldonia?" Tiana asked.
Lottie squealed. "Now you're thinking, Tia! That's perfect!" She began to list off all the things that would make the trip worthwhile: she could stay in a castle! All the parties, and balls, and of course she would be treated like a real princess and and and….
But that wasn't really important to Tiana. Instead, she smiled to herself, thinking of how nice it would be to finally see where her husband was from, and to experience it with him. There was a whole side of Naveen that she had only previously had to imagine.
Visiting Maldonia had always been something she had wanted to do, but it was always in the back of her mind. But now there was an opportunity to actually visit his homeland, and Tiana wanted to take it.
She wanted to see Maldonia, all of it: the flowers, the buildings, the castle where he had grown up, the museums, art galleries, and of course the restaurants. It was all a part of him, and now she could experience it too. And also, she could let Maldonia become a part of her, as New Orleans had become for him.
Yes, now more than ever, Tiana knew this was the right choice. She found a blank piece of paper to write down her decision in ink.
"Oh, oh! I know where y'all could go!" Louis grinned wide. The gator's smile was always infectious, and Naveen found himself grinning too. Though truthfully the prince was never far from smiling anyway.
"Oh? And where is that my friend?" Naveen leaned casually on the broom he was using to sweep the front stoop of Tiana's Palace. His ukulele set aside for the moment, but ready should inspiration strike him, as it usually did when Louis was around.
"I know the perfect spot in the bayou that has just the right amount of shade, and there's always a breeze coming through-"
"Wait, wait," Naveen chuckled. "The bayou?"
"Yes! And there's even a spot that's just like a hot spring!"
Naveen considered that for a moment. A hot spring wasn't a bad idea. He pictured a beautiful evening, alone with his beautiful wife. The night air cool on their bare skin, while the water and the steam keeping them warm. And then they would make it hotter of course.
Not particularly something they would want to do with Louis around though.
"Well, perhaps that would work better if we were still frogs," Naveen said, going back to sweeping. "But as humans, not so much. It would take a lot of work for us to be comfortable in the bayou, and the idea is for Tiana to not work. She deserves to be pampered, no?"
"Of course she does!" Louis absentmindedly pressed the valves on his trumpet. "I ain't never seen anyone who works as hard as she does. And all with a smile on her face, too."
"Yeah," Naveen said dreamily, thinking of his wife and how cute she was when she concentrated on something so hard that her dimples showed, or the way her dimples appeared when she presented him with a new recipe she had been working on, or when they caught each other's gazes from across the room and she would smile at him, and even from a distance he could still make out those amazing dimples of hers.
He really loved her dimples.
But this wasn't helping with the matter at hand.
Naveen shook his head, and continued sweeping. "Tiana needs somewhere that she can be waited on hand and foot."
Louis looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure she'd like that?"
"Yes, yes." He waved away those concerns. "She told me so herself."
Well, truthfully she probably wouldn't like being waited on all the time, but hadn't she told him that she needed help relaxing? What better way to experience that than having your every beck and call taken care of with only a simple gesture? It was certainly something he wanted to have her experience on this vacation. And maybe she would even come to enjoy it.
"Well, then I'm all fresh out of ideas," Louis said. "I don't know any places outside of the bayou or New Orleans." The gator perked up. "Oh! What about that hotel that's just down the street? It looks so nice from the outside."
Naveen laughed, not unkindly. "I think we need to get out of the city. But thank you, my friend."
The postman walked down the street, whistling as he did so. "Hello, Naveen. Got some letters for you and the Mrs."
"Thank you, Robert. I'll take them."
Naveen set his broom aside and sorted through the mail, as Louis began to improvise a song based on Robert's whistling. A few letters for Tiana, some bills, and then a letter from his parents. He stopped for a moment, thinking.
Could they…? To Maldonia?
It might be the best place in the world for Tiana to fully relax. All the resources for a relaxing vacation were right there, including a stay in a castle and plenty of servants around. Tiana wouldn't have to lift a finger because she'd be treated like the princess she really was. Anything she wanted to see or do, he would be able to make happen for her there.
He smiled to himself, imagining her reactions to all that Maldonia had to offer. He could show her his favorite places, and even his least favorite places. Spots where he had gotten into trouble as a child, and (he laughed to himself) spots where he had gotten into trouble as an adult.
He hadn't ever really felt an urge to share his culture with her before, but now it was growing exponentially. It really would be fun to show her Maldonia. And truthfully, he wanted Maldonia to see the man he had become too.
It had been two years since he had last been home, and he hadn't ever really left Maldonia in good terms. But now it could be better. It really could be so much better. Because Tiana would be there with him, and that made all the difference in the world.
"So, did you come up with any ideas for a vacation?" Tiana asked later that night.
"I did." Naveen pulled Tiana into his lap and kissed her, lazily lingering against her lips. She sighed and deepened the kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck she played with his hair the way she knew he liked. "Did you?"
"Yes, a few places actually."
This was a surprise. He had thought she would have trouble coming up with anything."Really?"
She kissed along his jaw, nibbling a little on his ear which made him laugh and squirm. He was a little ticklish there. She smiled against his skin. "Mhmm, but I narrowed it down to one."
"Ah, so did I."
Tiana pulled back and smoothed back his hair. "Where did you pick?"
Naveen cupped her cheeks and brought her in for another kiss. "I'm more curious about where you picked, princess."
"Yes, but I asked you first." She poked his nose playfully to emphasize her point.
He caught her hand in his and kissed her palm. "All right, you win," Naveen chuckled. He took a deep breath, surprised to find his nerves bubbling up. "Well, I was thinking… And you see, we received a letter from my parents today, which made me think again… and I know it is far, but I really think you will enjoy it. … and you would be treated like a princess there, and it is quite beautiful, and truly relaxing and … and well, do you like the idea?"
Tiana furrowed her brows, confused. "Wait, are you talking about Maldonia?"
Naveen blinked, and realized he never actually said his suggestion. "Oh. Yes. What do you think?"
But Tiana was already reaching into the pocket of her dress. She pulled out a piece of paper, and laughing, unfolded it and showed it to her husband. She had written Maldonia, in her careful handwriting, clear as day. "I think we had the same idea."
