It was a cool summer night in the city of Magnolia. The Fairy Tail guild had just winded down after another crazy night of laughing, drinking and hanging out with their fellow comrades. But it wasn't all fun and games for the guild's latest member and newlywed—and soon-to-be mother.

Sloane let out a low groan as she settled herself on the master bed, leaning her head back onto a pillow that she had just propped up. It may had been three months since their wedding, but she was eight months pregnant now and she was desperate for their child to enter the world anytime soon. Her pale blue eyes gazed downward at her swollen bump; it was as large as an overinflated ball and it was tight around her periwinkle Heart Kreuz sweatshirt dress and black leggings. She also dreaded the stretch marks that were on both sides of her belly and had to hide them due to how horrid they were on her. By the time the ninth month would arrive, she would be heavily pregnant and her naval would bulge outward—all of which wasn't going to be very pleasing to her.

Oh, how I miss having my slim stomach! she thought to herself, placing her right hand on top of her bump. She recalled past memories of the days when she was rocking her slender body anywhere she went, putting her curves and flat stomach on display for her former guild members of Blue Pegasus and those of her new guild, Fairy Tail, to see. Alas, it all went away in her sixth month of pregnancy and she would have a long way to go if she wanted to get back in that shape.

Her husband, Laxus, emerged from the open doorway to the bathroom and the mirror was completely foggy by the shower's steam. He had always preferred warm showers over cold ones and they were stress-relievers to him besides Sloane's soothing rose petal or lavender-scented bubble baths. Dressed in a pair of navy sweats and a black t-shirt, Laxus noticed Sloane in her discomforting state and he knelt by her bedside. Seeing her in this condition raised a sense of concern from him and he would rather see her relaxed than complaining about the pain.

"What seems to be bothering you?" he asked her.

"I can't stand this any longer…," she grimaced with a sigh. "I've had to go through the excruciating mood swings, nausea and morning sickness, but putting on the pounds is just as bothersome. And with the way that the baby is growing, it's left me barely able to walk. I can't see my legs and feet, and I've recently been having back pain when I stand up."

"Well, our child isn't so little anymore," Laxus assumed, placing his left hand on her bump. "But that doesn't mean that we can't call it our little one."

"Maybe the next time, I'll conceive a midget," Sloane said ironically.

She could hear a short laugh coming from her husband in reaction to her sarcasm, and his humorous response to her was:

"Really? You want our next child to be the size of a newborn puppy?"

"You take sarcasm too seriously, dear. I would rather have an average-sized baby than a petite… or a baby that's as large as the one I'm carrying."

And as if her pregnancy wasn't the only thing she couldn't stand, being teased about her appearance by Natsu Dragneel was another bothersome annoyance to Sloane. He would make jokes about her having to go on a diet after she would have the baby; at times, however, he would make embarrassing comments about the size of her bump and laugh at her in front of the Fairy Tail members. As a result, Laxus would stand up for her by zapping Natsu to a crisp with his Lightning Magic and they would hear Natsu's fiancée, Lucy Heartfilia, chastising him for picking on her rival-turned-ally.

"Natsu should know better than to tease you for your appearance," he said to her. "I've fried him with my magic before and he has to cut it out. Otherwise, the next time I shock him will be much worse than the last."

"Yes, it would… This troublesome Salamander needs to learn to show respect to me when I'm in this condition. I'm growing tired of it, but I'm just as fed up with the aches and the weight gain I've been experiencing as being around him."

"I understand, Sloane. It'll be all over soon enough, when we get to meet our child," he said to her.

With another groan, Sloane threw her head back and placed her hands on her forehead as she grimaced:

"I know, but I'll be so swollen by the time I'm due. I can't fit in any of the clothes that I wore before you knocked me up, so I'm forced to wear looser tops and dresses instead. The doctor said that my due date is July 27, but my patience will not last any longer at this rate. Ugh, this child needs to come out soon!"

Hearing her dismayed groaning and seeing her toss her body to the left made Laxus feel sympathetic for her. As much as he was looking forward to being a father, he understood his wife's irritability and he was doing all he can to be there for her and their soon-to-be-born baby. The only thing he did regret, however, was getting her pregnant by accident not long after they announced their engagement in front of the entire guild.

There's got to be a way to help ease Sloane's stress, he thought. It's not good for her or the baby to freak out over her appearance.

"Sloane…," he finally spoke up a moment later.

His wife slowly turned to him with irritated eyes, and he could tell instantly that she was still miserable.

"Would it make you feel a little better if I talk to the baby for you?"

Sloane hesitated for a moment, as she assumed that it would only leave her with more embarrassment. Then again, she knew that he was always supportive to her in any way—especially when dealing with an unintentional pregnancy.

"Ohh, alright. But before you do that, will you please do me a favor and help me up?" she asked him, as she sat herself up on the edge of the bed. "I can't do it myself with a belly this swollen…"

"For a lady who can show some class even when she's got a bun in the oven, I can do that."

With his hands clasping onto hers, Laxus carefully hoisted Sloane upward from the bed and they paused in front of an empty white bassinet that they got from Sloane's parents Russell and Cecilia. It would soon be where their baby will sleep, as because it'll make it easier for Sloane to get up in the middle of the night and come to the baby's side when the crying would disrupt their slumber. The baby's nursery was located across the hall from their master bedroom and it would be where the parents-to-be would place it down for naps or go on diaper duty. All of the furniture was given to them as gifts from some of the guild members, and they consisted of a white wooden crib; a matching changing table; a rocking chair for Sloane to relax in; and a shelf where she stored books that she would read to her little one. But the most special gift of them all was from Makarov, Fairy Tail's elderly guild master and Laxus's grandfather. It was a golden plaque of the Fairy Tail guild mark, which was hanging directly above the baby's crib for the couple to display.

The moment Laxus placed both of his hands on Sloane's rounding belly, the baby stirred and began to wriggle around in response to its father's touch. It was quite excited to interact with its parents, albeit Sloane wasn't feeling the same way due to the strong kicks that she felt. To her, they were rather uncomfortable.

As she tried her hardest to relax, she observed her husband kneeling down to her bump's level and leaning his head against it to hear their baby's heartbeat. In reaction, a light pink blush tinted on her face and her eyes lit up in surprise.

"Hello in there, little one. It's us, your mommy and daddy," he said to it.

A small smile formed on Sloane's face and her eyelids were partially covering her pale blue eyes as they gazed downward at him. She could sense her irritability starting to fade away, and she was beginning to adjust to the baby's movements as her hands were placed on her lower back. It was how she was maintaining herself with a growing child within her, even though she couldn't stand the pain she experienced throughout her pregnancy.

Laxus dear, she thought of him. You really do care about me and this baby in spite of this rollercoaster we've been through. We'll surely make it by our first wedding anniversary… I hope.

As her eyelids were about to droop further, Sloane's eyes fluttered open unexpectedly when she heard her husband's voice say:

"What's that? You want your mommy to feel you, too?"

Sloane gave him a small nod and moved her hands south to her bump, signaling Laxus to move his out of the way for her. Once she placed them there, Sloane felt her husband's hands grasping them in a gentle manner and her eyelids covered half of her eyes. The baby continued kicking against its parents' hands whilst wriggling around, and Laxus added:

"Please don't give your mommy a hard time, alright? You're quite the strong one like Daddy is."

"Oh, please, dear," Sloane replied, shaking her head. "I highly doubt that it'll become power-obsessed like you were years ago."

"I'm not gonna make our child go down that route," Laxus grumbled. "My father was the one who made me favor the strong over the weak, besides implanting me with the lacrima that made me the Lightning Dragon Slayer I am. I'll teach our child not only my magic, but also the two essential things needed to become Fairy Tail's guild master when I earn that title: conviction and heart. Grandpa told me about it."

"Then we will raise it with all our love, even though it was accidental."

"Absolutely," Laxus answered with a nod. "And we'll also show him or her that it's not about which is the strongest mage of Fairy Tail. Every member in it should be treated like family."

"Indeed, dear. Now I feel much better thanks to you."

A smile of content formed on Laxus's face in response to his wife's satisfaction; however, his grey eyes were still fixated on her swollen belly and his hands were still holding onto hers.

"We'll be looking forward to your arrival, so be gentle to her," he said, as he planted a kiss on her bump.

Hopefully the baby will, she mused mentally. I've had enough of the back pain and the strong kicks anyway.

Once he rose back up from the floor, Laxus leaned in toward Sloane's face and locked his lips onto hers, immersing themselves into an amorous kiss. Her left hand was firmly grasping his right, as they were done connecting with the baby for the night and they would do it again the next day. After a minute, they released their lips and turned to see their silver clock that was hung up on their wall. It read ten o'clock, reminding them that it was time for bed.

"We should get some sleep. I have to meet with my Thunder God Tribe tomorrow morning for an S-Class mission."

"And I have to run some errands in town with my sisters," Sloane added, propping herself back on the bed. "I'm still holding off from going on jobs until after the baby is born."

"You would have to wait a couple months before you do get back into the wizard work, Sloane. The baby should be your number one priority."

"You're right, dear. I would have to find a sitter for the little one then."

"There's always Bickslow," Laxus suggested, as he settled himself on the bed.

"Yes, but both Ariella and Juno would also love to help," Sloane said to him. "They wouldn't mind using some of their leisure time to watch the baby for us."

"Either of these three don't matter as long as they would make great helpers for us. Right now, let's just settle down and sleep."

He reached for the silver lamp that was standing on the bedside drawer and turned it off, making the room dimly bright. Once Laxus pulled the covers up to his torso and drifted off to sleep, Sloane looked down at her bump and stroked it gingerly. The baby was starting to settle down, much to her relief.

"You sleep well tonight, little one," she said to her baby. "And don't move around too much. Mommy needs her slumber as much as you and Daddy do."

With that said, Sloane shut off the other silver lamp on her bedside drawer and laid on her left side. It was strongly recommended to her by Team Natsu's young healer Wendy Marvell, the Sky Dragon Slayer who was responsible for keeping the entire guild in perfect health. She was also selected to be her midwife when it would be time for Sloane to deliver the baby. The reason why Wendy advised the position to her because it would help prevent a stillbirth from occurring.

Once she was comfortable enough, Sloane let out a tired yawn and pulled the covers up to her upper torso just before she closed her eyes. Sleep had taken over her, and deep in her mind she was optimistic that she would be complaining less about her pregnancy and enjoy the next day coming at Mr. and Mrs. Dreyar.

The End


Do you believe Sloane and Laxus will make great parents to their first baby? I'm sure they will! ^^

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