Chapter 2

Echo went to check on her eggs, seeing they were safe and warm. "Oh, what am I going to tell him?" She asked herself.

It was the very question she had kept asking herself since she had laid the eggs four days ago. Each day, she would come to check on them and was pleased to see they were alright. She sighed, knowing it would at least be a month before her eggs hatched, but with each day that passed, she was no closer to telling Elliott that he was going to be a father.

She sighed. "I have to keep my eggs a secret until I can tell him," she said before spying Roller Brawl nearby with her four girls. "Hmm. Roller Brawl was a new mother once. Maybe she can give me some advice."

Making sure the eggs were well protected and had plenty of warmth, she walked over to the vampire roller skater, who was watching her three oldest daughter playing while holding her youngest in her arms. "Hey, Roller," Echo said to her.

The vampire smiled. "Hi, Echo," she said in greeting. "How are you doing?"

"Alright," the water Dragon said before taking a deep breath. "Roller, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," the skater said.

Echo took a deep breath. "What was your first reaction when you realized you were pregnant with your then-boyfriend's child?" She asked.

Roller Brawl smiled. "My first reaction?" She asked. "Well, I was stunned when I realized I was pregnant and I was also ecstatic because I wanted to have a baby with my wonderful boyfriend, but was hoping to wait until we were married."

Echo looked curious. "You were pregnant before your wedding?" She asked gently.

"Yeah. One of Pop Fizz's potions and the magic around us worked wonders and I became pregnant as a result," the skater said. "When I realized I would have to tell him he was going to be a father, I was so scared that he would leave me and not want a child." She looked a little embarrassed. "When Magna Charge and Rachel showed me the test results that the Ultron had done and confirmed I was expecting, I begged them not to tell anyone because I was so scared."

She paused. "That night, when we met up and...I blurted out I was pregnant and begged him not to leave me. He was surprised before he took me into his arms and promised he wouldn't leave me and he was ecstatic to be a father. He then proposed to me and I said yes."

Echo smiled. "I doubt he would have left you anyway," she said. "I have seen how he is and he's very protective of those he loves and cares about."

"Yes," Roller Brawl said before looking dreamy. "And he's the best husband and Portal Master I could ask for."

The water Dragon smiled. "What's it like being a mother?" She asked.

"It's a little crazy sometimes, especially when a new baby is born, but it's an amazing thing too," the skater said. "When I first held my first daughter, it was one of the greatest things ever. And when she looked up at me and my husband, it was just the best thing ever knowing that we had a child to love and our child loved us."

"How do you know what to do?"

"You just let your motherly instincts guide you and don't be afraid. It's a wonderful thing to be a mother and my amazing husband is thrilled to be a father."

Echo smiled again. "And now look at you two," she said. "You have four beautiful girls, one that you both adopted at Christmas time and she seems to be thriving."

"She is," Roller Brawl said. "She's so much happier now."

Smiling, the water Dragon nodded and watched at the three girls ran up to their mother and asked for ice cream. Roller Brawl smiled and took her children to the Academy to get some ice cream while Echo headed away, thinking over her friend's words before deciding to speak with someone else.

Taking to the sky on her wings, she flew around until she spotted Nightfall, Chill, Grave Clobber, and the team's newest member, Coco Bandicoot. Crash Bandicoot had been a bit worried about his younger sister and so had brought her to Skylands. The energetic girl had at once taken to Elliott as a friend and he welcomed her to the team warmly. Even Chill, Nightfall, and Grave Clobber liked the girl, finding her energetic ways refreshing.

Coco saw Echo and waved. "Hey, Echo!" She called out.

The dragon landed. "Hey, guys," she said. "Is Elliott around?"

"He's in a meeting with Master Eon and Rachel," Nightfall said. "Something about a mission coming up possibly. What's up?"

"Well," Echo started to say but trailed off, looking nervous.

"Echo, are you okay?" Chill asked worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Coco asked, also worried.

Grave Clobber placed a gentle hand on the water dragon's back. "Something happened, didn't it?" He asked.

She nodded before looking up at him. "How did you know?" She asked.

He blushed. "Golden Queen acted just like you are now before she told me that I'm going to be a father," he said.

They all looked at him in surprise and he nodded. "She's expecting our child," he said.

"Congratulations, big guy," Coco said with a smile. "I was hoping you guys would have a kid soon after you got married."

Echo smiled before looking up at him. "Yes, you're right, G.C.," she said, calling him by his nickname before taking a deep breath. "Elliott doesn't know it yet, but I laid three eggs almost a week ago and he and I are going to be parents."

"Echo, that's wonderful!" Chill said happily. "It'll be nice to have some baby dragons around the Academy again."

"Cool!" Coco said with a grin. "Can I babysit them sometime?"

Nightfall smiled before looking curious. "When are you going to tell Elliott?" She asked.

Echo took a deep breath before smiling. "Thank you, Chill. Yes, Coco, you can babysit them sometime. And I don't know, Nightfall," she replied before looking down. "I...I just don't know how to tell him."

"You should tell him," Grave Clobber said encouragingly. "Elliott will be happy to know he'll be a father."

She looked pensive. "I hope so," she said before smiling. "Thanks, guys."

Near Echo's eggs...

"Alright, we'll be doing a stealth mission, young one," Ambush said to Crystal, who was excited about working with him.

"I can't wait!" She said happily.

He chuckled, knowing Crystal had asked Rachel about doing a mission with the Life Knight Sensei and she had agreed on the condition that the young girl do as Ambush told her and was careful. The young girl had promised and Ambush knew that Crystal would be fine. She had been doing well in her ninja training with Boom Bloom and Starcast, who were proud of her.

"So first off, we need to choose a place to go," the Life Sensei said to the young girl.

Crystal was eager to pull out the map of Skylands that she had with her when something caught her eye. "What's that?" She asked, moving closer to what she saw.

Ambush followed and his eyes widened at what it was. "It's a dragon's nest," he said. "And it's been recently built."

The young girl took a closer look and gasped. "There's eggs here," she said softly. "Three of them."

"The mother must be nearby," the Sensei said. "Dragons never leave their nests unguarded."

Crystal noticed the eggs were a pretty blue color. "I wonder who laid them," she said.

Ambush heard someone coming and looked up to see Echo flying towards them and something told him she was the mother of the three eggs, a theory that proved true when he saw her eyes widen and she landed, looking pensive. Crystal turned when she heard someone land and saw it was Echo.

"Echo," she said softly before looking curious. "Are you going to be a Mommy?"

Cliffhanger! Please leave a review, but no flames!

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