Kamilah's presence had been a solid anchor that kept her grounded since the war began. It helped calm her itching hands whenever she sat at home, watching the news give daily reports on the army's defenses. It gave her strength each night she returned home, weary and disillusioned and wanting nothing more than to forget. It gave her hope that they will weather this crisis together, with a child who will grow up safe and strong, free of fear.

But now, Ana was left alone in base while her anchor was at the frontlines – mere minutes away from enemy borders. And with her wife went Ana's ability to take proper care of herself. Anxiety drilled itself into her being, and she was unable to sleep or eat properly anymore. Her appetite had diminished greatly – most of her recent meals consisted of porridge and oatmeal and little else. Sleep was often troubled and restless. When she closed her eyes, all she could think of was the empty space beside her, and wonder how Kamilah was doing in field camp. Many times had she jerked awake, shivering from a fading dream of her wife caught in a bloody circumstance. She had shed a few tears out of utter helplessness, but otherwise managed to trudge on, holding close to her heart what was real.

Ana checked on Camp Badr regularly while on duty – Kamilah had been assigned to the camp established in the city, tending to both wounded soldiers and civilian casualties. The omnics were trying to raze all of Badr's factories to the ground, and many workers had been caught in the crossfire. Though the local hospital had been damaged badly in one of the omnic waves, it was still functioning and able to work with their military counterparts to provide relief. All of this, Ana had to learn by reading reports herself. Communication with Kamilah was spotty at best – if not due to patchy connections, then it was Kamilah's hectic workload. If she didn't receive a text from Kamilah that day, she would have to rely on Badr's personnel roster to assure herself of Kamilah's well-being.

It was the same with the rest of her loved ones. Safiya and Zahra were harder to get in touch with, but their reports so far had been positive. Her old squad was still doing well and making a good name for themselves under Layla's leadership, often the ones to inspire bold maneuvers that got them through battle after battle. Zaid hadn't been assigned to the field just yet, and was coordinating their troops in the north. After learning of Kamilah's deployment, he kept in regular contact with Ana, reminding her to take better care of herself and assuaging her fears about Kamilah. She almost burst into tears during one of their vidcalls, but managed to pull herself together and blame it on the hormones.

Her hormones were an easy scapegoat to blame her discomfort on – even though Ana couldn't tell if her nausea and dizziness were always due to morning sickness. A checkup with her doctor later – who had moved to the civilian hospital on base – and she was given a sound lecture to take care of her body and her baby. She was not responsible for just herself now, but for her own child as well. That was her wake-up call, and she sought to do better. She had to – for her child, and her wife.

Ana sat at her station in the ops room, taking a gulp from her water bottle as Jaida berated a group of soldiers for mixing up her orders. She concentrated on her own screen though, reading the reports relayed by the battalions stationed at the omnium. Ana had been assigned to Jaida's team at the major's request, helping to oversee Cairo's defenses and planning strategic strikes against the omnium, in an effort to render the source of their troubles inert. They had been unsuccessful so far, but they were learning with each attempt.

Jaida had relied heavily on her and the team's 2IC, but Ana relished the responsibility. It gave her purpose and kept her focused, so she didn't have time to worry about much else. The days passed by quicker and more efficiently; Ana had hit her stride and wouldn't let up the pace any time soon.

"Major!" A lieutenant from across the room yelled, standing up so quickly his chair hit the table behind him.

"What," Jaida snapped, pausing in her tirade.

"Camp Badr's under attack, ma'am! It's on the verge of being overrun!"

Ana's blood ran cold, and she froze as Jaida barked orders, sending the soldiers into a frenzy of action. She turned her head towards the major when her name was called, and Jaida paused for a split-second at the stricken look on her face.

"Amari, I want casualty lists and a sitrep on the 24th and 30th battalion. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Her fingers were already flying across the keyboard, heart pounding in her chest as she retrieved the personnel list, and scanned through the updated KIAs. Amari…Amari… She reached the end of the list without spotting 'Kamilah Amari', thank god. Ana took note of the timestamp on the report, then sent it to Jaida's workstation. Then she opened up the scattered reports of troop placements and movements, and managed to establish a connection with Badr's comms officer. She relayed Jaida's orders, raising her voice over the din in the ops room, helping their soldiers to tighten their ranks and push the enemy out of the camp.

It was hours later before the omnics were driven out, scattering amid the burning wreckage of the day's battle, but it was not meant to be. They had taken a huge sigh of relief, only to be greeted with a new and larger offensive the next morning. Their troops, who had been engaged in skirmishes throughout the night, were too worn down to hold their ground. The camp was finally overrun, and they had to escape the camp in trucks and tanks overloaded with soldiers and civilians. They managed to fall back to the next fortified city, where pursuing omnics were cut down before they reached the barricades.

Ana was forced to stay at her station long after the successful retreat, keeping a close eye on Badr's personnel roster to ensure Kamilah was still active. Only after Jaida had laid a hand on her shoulder and told her to go, did she walk to her car with trembling legs. She had to sit in the driver's seat for a while, collecting herself before she was confident enough to drive off. She pulled out her phone the instant she reached home, taking comfort in the missed calls from Kamilah just minutes ago. A few rings later, the call went through and relief washed over her when Kamilah's voice reached her ears. She sounded exhausted, her voice trembling at times, but she was fine.

"I was so scared, Milah," Ana said, sinking down onto the garage's steps leading to the house. "I thought…"

"I'm fine, Ana. Got a few scrapes, but I'm okay. What about you?"

"Better than you, that's for sure." She laughed breathlessly, feeling giddy as the oppressive weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Good," Kamilah said with a weak lilt in her voice.

"So are you coming back soon?"

"Yes, within the week. Then I'll be staying in base for good." She lapsed into abrupt silence. "Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I love you so much, you know that?" Her voice grew thick as she spoke, and Ana heard her trying to sniff quietly at the end.

"I know, Milah. I love you too. And I'll love you more when you come back and say it in person."

"I will. Soon."

"I'll be waiting."

The next week felt the longest, yet the shortest at the same time. Ana found herself tidying up the house before Kamilah arrived, so her wife wouldn't see the messes she hadn't bothered to clean up for the past stressful days. Kamilah was unable to give an exact time and date of her return, so it was a pleasant surprise to find the house already lit upon reaching home. Ana scrambled out of the car, practically running down the hallway with her head on a swivel. Her feet slowed for a moment when she saw Kamilah walking out of the kitchen, before she flew right into her wife's embrace.

Ana clamped her arms tightly around Kamilah, but she heard the pained grunt beside her ear, and uneven breathing as Kamilah asked her to be 'gentle, gentle!'

She let go immediately, noting how Kamilah's face was scrunched up, her jaw clenched. Ana's gaze fell to where Kamilah held a hand to her ribs, and it was with sinking realisation that she reached for the hem of Kamilah's t-shirt. She lifted the top to see the bandages wrapped around Kamilah's abdomen.

"You said it's just 'a few scrapes'."

"I didn't want you to worry," Kamilah said, an apologetic smile on her lips.

"You…" Ana breathed. "You–, you idiot." She pulled Kamilah in again – gentler this time – and hugged her firmly. God, it felt like a lifetime ago since she had last held her wife like this. Too long; they had been apart for too long.

Kamilah chuckled softly. "I'm your idiot."

Ana let out a strained laugh then, her worry fading away the longer she held onto Kamilah. All her hand-wringing seemed so trivial now, as she stood in her wife's arms. Still, she caught Kamilah's lips with her own, letting her know just how much Ana had missed her. And it seemed Kamilah missed her just as much, if not more desperately so.

"I love you," Kamilah murmured against her lips.

"I love you more." Ana smiled, her brightest for the past month.

Kamilah was back, and though she carried a few wounds, she was safe. That was all that mattered to her for now.

She had been on the same extended shift through the two attacks, Kamilah said in a brief retelling of her experience. In the first assault, the omnics had pushed past the base's perimeter, but were stopped before they came within firing range of the hospital and barracks. With the base's command tent destroyed – and their commander with it – they had been preparing for evacuation since the battle ended, despite orders from HQ to stay entrenched. And it seemed their adhoc commander's instincts were right.

Kamilah, with only three hours' rest under her belt, received a full evacuation order while tending to her patients the following morning. The omnics, having learnt and adapted from their first engagement, breached the camp's defenses with terrifying ease. To buy the wounded more time, Kamilah and half of the medics under her command picked up arms, joining the guards' attempt to slow their foes down. They had lost more than half of their company before they retreated – clambering onto the remaining trucks in a mad rush, and speeding away amid a hail of bullets pinging off the reinforced steel of their vehicles.

Kamilah herself was forced to lie down for the bumpy ride, having taken a few bullets and a nasty cut on her side. She admitted a fleeting sense of fear just before she passed out, and was infinitely grateful when she woke up in a secure hospital, far from the thunderous rattle of gunfire. She asked to make a call the moment she could move, and the rest was history.

She stuck to Ana like glue for the few days she spent recovering at home, though Ana had her hands full just forcing Kamilah to sit down instead of fussing over her every ten seconds. It was her way of coping, Ana knew, to keep her mind occupied and in the present. But her wife still needed to take it easy, and Ana found a way to keep her in place by resting Kamilah's hand on her stomach. Its effect was near-miraculous, even though the bump had yet to show. Kamilah would take a moment to calm down, breaths growing slow and steady as she caressed that little spot, mouth twitching in a small smile.

And so, it was under Kamilah's gentle touch that the baby bump seemed to grow. It was a noticeable change through the next two weeks, Kamilah's hand tracing over the contour of her stomach as if charting its subtle growth. She would smile when Ana lamented the imminent loss of her abs, and kiss away her silly little complaints, giving her all the reassurances she wanted. Ana pouted just a little more, playing the pregnancy card so she could lie in her wife's arms longer, feeling her life fall back into place, where it always should've been.

Kamilah was assigned to training cadets in the academy, fast-tracking their progress through the curriculum so they could be sent to the frontlines as soon as possible. A heavy and unpleasant task to be sure, sending fresh-faced recruits right into the fire before they had even grown into their boots. But it was necessary, as was tearing soldiers away from their families to fight in a brutal war against cold, merciless foes.

Ana felt guilty and selfish, yet grateful at the same time. Each day she trawled through casualty reports, tracked their troop movements as they countered the omnics' maneuvers, and sent orders for soldiers to throw themselves into danger. But there she was - safe and protected within the command centre, with a relative peace of mind from knowing that her wife was in base, far from the line of fire. Her father was still holding his command post in Alexandria, and Safiya was down with a broken arm – which meant she wouldn't see much action for a couple of months, at least. Zahra was kept on constant travel at a safe distance away from enemy lines. Ana's old squad was successfully beating back the omnic forces at their post on the outskirts of Cairo.

To have a modicum of stability in this time of crisis was unfair, but Ana was immensely thankful for it. She needed it, if just for the time being…

Ana's hand drifted down to her belly, smoothing over the little bulge as she stared at the news, where a thin reporter stood amid the rubble of yet another attack. Soon, she vowed. Soon, she would enter the fray with rifle in hand, and serve in earnest. But that would have to wait.

Switching the TV off, Ana leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes. She rubbed at her stomach, riding out another bout of mild cramping.

For now, she had another duty to fulfill.

Ana's second trimester had started off smoothly; her nausea ended a while ago, and her aversion to certain foods had diminished through the weeks, though there were still dishes she refused to touch. Like meat dishes slathered with heavy sauces, and anything deep-fried or too greasy for her taste. Though she still had a sweet tooth that she indulged in from time to time, Ana mostly kept to a diet much healthier than before. It was a good thing, she supposed, as her appetite had increased as well. Nothing major, really – Ana just found herself reaching for a little extra during mealtimes.

Her cravings for late night snacks soon arrived, and Ana took just a bit of pleasure in kicking Kamilah off the bed to fetch some food. Her hankering for more unhealthy snacks were usually tempered by Kamilah, though she did let Ana have that scoop of ice cream with her fruits on occasion.

Then, there were those cravings that were actually healthy, but Ana opted to satisfy them herself. On these nights, she would creep down to the kitchen and prepare her snack stealthily, so that Kamilah wouldn't be wise to what she was doing. Ana was successful for a while…until lady luck decided to turn around and laugh in her face.

That was how Ana found herself staring at her wife, who stood by the kitchen's doorway and stared back at her, who had a particularly big piece of kale hanging from her mouth. Ana froze as if she had been caught red-handed, warmth growing in her cheeks as her wife's lips curved in amusement.

"So," Kamilah drawled, gesturing at Ana and her bowl of kale salad. She cocked her head in silent question, even though she knew damn well what was going on.

Ana chewed slowly on the offending piece of vegetable, taking her sweet time to answer. "…I think our baby likes kale."

"Mm-hm," Kamilah hummed that all-knowing note, and Ana felt an urge to shove the rest of the salad into her wife's mouth. But her stomach urged a different course of action, and she ate another forkful of kale with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Still tastes like shit," Ana tried.

"You know why that is, darling?" Kamilah strolled over to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of homemade lemon vinaigrette, placing it by Ana's bowl. "You forgot the dressing."

"Dress up a turd and it's still a turd," she mumbled, as she drizzled a liberal amount of dressing over the salad.

"And yet, you're still eating that turd." Kamilah wore a crooked smile as she sat beside Ana, with a cup of warm water in hand.

"I've had enough practice with you."

Kamilah laughed, smoothing a hand over her own bedraggled hair. She took a sound sip of water and sighed in satisfaction.

"Thought you were asleep," Ana said, taking another bite of her salad – which tasted much better now.

"I woke up," Kamilah said simply. Though she was sleeping better since her return, she still jerked awake at night, breathing hard from her nightmares. She would then go for a walk around the house, or feel about Ana's face and neck before trying to sleep again. Kamilah had confided that the dreams involved her recent deployment, and thankfully showed no qualms about letting Ana in. Walking through her troubles together not only helped Kamilah, but assuaged Ana's concern as well – she didn't want her wife to shoulder any burdens by herself, especially in these times.

Ana smiled, brushing her thumb over Kamilah's cheek. "Bad dream?"

"I'm fine now." She kissed Ana's palm, and entwined their fingers together. "Panicked a little when I saw you weren't in bed."

"Why, scared I'll run off?"

"Scared you'll finish an entire carton of ice cream by yourself, more like." Kamilah chuckled. "But now I know better…"

"Shush." Ana gathered the rest of the kale and cherry tomatoes on her fork, and finished her guilty pleasure for the night.

"We should get some cheese. Maybe feta. And some avocado. I have some recipes for you to try–"

"No."

"Trust me, you'll love kale after–"

"No kale! Or I'll…"

"Or you'll…?" Kamilah smiled smugly, resting her chin in one hand. "You'll try to…kale me?"

Ana's mouth fell open as she stared at her wife with growing horror. "Who the fuck are you?"

Kamilah shrugged and made no more puns that freaked Ana out after that, but she did go on to feed her wife with different combinations of kale salad. Her wife who, despite pouting each time she was presented with a bowl of kale, finished them all with a contented smile on her face.

At 19 weeks of her pregnancy, Kamilah drove Ana to the hospital for yet another appointment, where they got to see their baby through an ultrasound examination.

Ana watched the screen, transfixed as the doctor slid the transducer over her gelled stomach. Kamilah clasped her hand tightly when the baby's form finally coalesced before their eyes, and Ana's breath hitched at the image.

"There's the one who's been causing me all this trouble," Ana laughed giddily.

The doctor smiled. "Yes, and we'll see that it doesn't cause you more trouble, hm? Well," she added, glancing at Ana. "Not any more than a normal pregnancy will give you."

"Let's hope not," Kamilah muttered beside her ear. "Any trouble you have, I'll get it as well."

Ana snorted. "So much for team spirit, huh?"

Kamilah chuckled, and pressed her lips to Ana's temple. Then they turned to the screen as the doctor walked them through the examination, pointing out the baby's head, body and limbs, and explained the importance of each observation she made. Their baby seemed to be developing well, and they found no cause for concern in the scan. They were told what to expect in the following weeks, and advised on how to handle any more changes Ana might experience, before they returned for another appointment the next month.

They left the hospital in a casual stroll, hands still clasped together, with the image of their baby still fresh in their minds. There was something about seeing it with their own eyes that was so…wondrous, and grounding as well. Ana touched her stomach, imagining the baby within her, where it had grown so much over the past few months, and would grow even more over the next few. How would it feel to finally hold the baby in her own arms…

"Why," Kamilah said, noticing Ana feeling about her belly. "Is it kicking?"

"Nope. Just thinking."

"About?"

"The baby."

"Of course."

"What if it's a girl?" Ana said. "Then we can name her–"

"No."

"You didn't let me finish!"

"I already know what you're going to say. So, no." Kamilah unlocked their car.

"Spoilsport."

Soon after, they got a magnetic whiteboard that they attached to the fridge, right beside their grocery list. Instead of foodstuffs and toiletries and whatnot, names were written on this new board. They filled up the two columns whenever they came across a name they liked, or when inspiration struck. Nothing had really jumped out at them yet, and the list grew at a snail's pace, but it was fine. They still had a few more months to decide, after all. In the meantime, just one restriction had been imposed upon the list: no celebrity names.

Ana tried to be cheeky at first, writing down the names of her Queen and her children. Naturally, all of them were struck off by Kamilah one by one, which led to a new addition to their grocery list: 'sense of humour for Milah'. The next morning, Ana nearly choked on her coffee when she saw two more items underneath: 'fucks for Milah' and 'good taste for Ana'. Obviously they were unable to procure these at the supermarket on their next grocery run, but Ana decided to relent…for now. She did have other things to shop for – namely, clothes.

She had been dreading it, truth be told, but her pants were getting tighter. One little comfort was that her waistline hadn't ballooned as she expected just yet. For her civilian wear, Ana had only added a few maternity pants to her wardrobe – very comfortable ones that she didn't mind lounging in for the entire day. To go with the pants, Ana stole Kamilah's oversized tops – which she wagered would last for her entire pregnancy. And though some of her wife's shirts were unflatteringly baggy, they still looked much better than the disaster that was her maternity fatigues.

'It's not that bad,' Kamilah had said, but Ana blanched the first time she looked in the mirror while wearing her uniform. Her pants were all well and good, but the shirt. It flared out below the waistline, and wasn't designed to be tucked in. Not only could Ana not look as smart as she wished in uniform, she also had to walk around looking like a camouflaged lampshade – and it would only get better the larger her belly swelled, no doubt.

She heaved a sigh, fidgeting with the shirt as Kamilah pecked her on the cheek. Oh, this pregnancy would be a blast indeed.

Little did Ana know how accurate her prediction would be, at least for her second trimester. The 'honeymoon period', they called it, and for good reason. With most of the first trimester's discomfort gone and her appetite returning with a vengeance, she felt strong enough to take on the world again, even swing from their pull-up bar at home and earn a scolding from her wife. Ana was quick to desist – she had to, or alone in the guest room it was – but she was quick to find other avenues for release.

Kamilah glanced up at Ana when she walked into the study. "Oh, there you are. I'm just looking at–, what–?" She blinked when Ana pulled her chair away from the desk, and sat in her lap. "Ana–," she tried to say when she was yanked forward, their lips crashing together in a hungry kiss.

"Ana," Kamilah gasped between kisses. "Wait–, look, I'm trying–" She pushed against Ana's chest, forcing her back. "Ana, I'm trying to book birthing classes for–"

"Later." Ana flung her hand back and slapped at the top left corner of the keyboard, until the open window on screen disappeared.

"Ana! What are you doing–," her wife chided exasperatedly as she was pulled in by the collar, groaning when Ana's tongue slipped into her mouth. Kamilah wound her arms around Ana, hugging her close as she met each insistent press of Ana's lips. She was breathing heavier when they finally parted, and sighed, "How am I going to deal with you?"

"With your mouth, preferably," Ana said, hand slipping under the hem of Kamilah's shirt.

"Again?" Kamilah asked incredulously. "Just this morning–"

"It's been hours, Milah."

"What, you've been counting?" Kamilah's smirk was quickly wiped away by another kiss, and her hands started roaming over Ana as well, tracing her curves under the baggy t-shirt she wore. Then Kamilah stood and lifted Ana with a grunt, huffing from the exertion when she set her wife down on the table. "Wow, you're getting heavier–"

"I'm heavy?"

Kamilah paused abruptly upon noticing Ana's pout, and the one foot she had just set into the minefield. Ana had gotten just a teeny, tiny bit more sensitive about her weight, and Kamilah had upset her on accident before. But there were also times when Ana liked pulling her leg about it, and she could tell Kamilah was trying to discern her mood at that moment.

"You're gorgeous, darling," Kamilah tried, a smile growing on her lips to match Ana's when she caught onto the little game.

"Way to avoid the question, babe." Ana hugged around her shoulders, tugging her close.

"You are getting heavier, but you're still the prettiest girl I've ever seen," she crooned, kissing Ana softly. "You'll always be beautiful to me."

Kamilah had repeated those very words many times before, but it never failed to melt Ana's heart on the spot. It must be her hormones, Ana decided; not to mention a strong case of being putty in her wife's hands, swept away by each honeyed word whispered in her ear, and the warm caress on her skin. To put it simply: it was love.

And it was love, that saw Kamilah safely through the minefield yet another day.