So the beginning of this chapter was 100% inspired by a certain scene in "The Light Between Oceans" (a film that Fassy was in)

Enjoy! :D

When Daniels woke up, she was briefly aware of lips pressing kisses to her forehead, strong but gentle hands drifting over her bare body. She smiled widely, tilting her head and opening her eyes to look at her lover.

"Good morning to you too," She murmured, rather content.

Walter grinned, somewhat shyly, and pressed the palm of his hand flat on her back. "How are you feeling? Do you feel nauseous at all?"

"No, I'm fine. I feel…wonderful," She exhaled blissfully. "I'm so happy, Walter... I think it's the happiest I've ever been."

"I feel the same," He informed her, and his voice was soft. "This is…more than I thought I would ever be able to have in my existence. And – though this seems implausible – I believe I feel more love for you than I have before." He paused. "I'm aware that sounds-"

"Cheesey?" She chuckled, and he nodded. "Yeah, maybe a little – but I think that kinda makes sense."

For a few minutes, they simply lay there together as the morning light streamed through the window, enjoying this closeness and intimacy with the knowledge of what was to come, of all the future possibilities. Walter's touch remained gentle as his fingers traced a path over her skin, from her back to her hip, and then to the flat surface of her stomach. Her smile became even brighter when she felt this, and she linked her fingers with his.

"I love you," Daniels said quietly. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Danny," He stated sincerely.

He wasn't surprised when she pressed a kiss to his mouth, her hand moving to cup his face and draw him in closer; he could only shut his eyes and enjoy it, enjoy the feel of her. Her body seemed to come to life as he ran his hand over her side, lingering over the soft skin of her hip as she explored his body in return. Once, he had thought that the uncontrollable reaction to her touches – to be more specific, the stiffening of a certain body part – to be a sign of a malfunction, something to be worried about: now he allowed himself to appreciate the effect she had on him, how pleasant it was to be with her like this.

Gasping out a small laugh against his mouth, she wriggled before sitting up and straddling him; Walter found himself gazing up at her, fingers still skimming over the bones of her hips, the toned muscles of her thighs – and he was suddenly struck by the sight of her. Her dark hair was ruffled and untidy from sleep (and perhaps their activities overnight too), eyes bright and full of excitement; her skin seemed to glow in the early morning light that streamed through the window, though he also mused that he could have been seeing her this way merely because he knew of the life she was carrying. Without thinking, he found himself pressing his hand to the flat expanse of her lower stomach, eyes wide as they gazed at her navel.

It seemed almost impossible, and yet…here they were. They both knew that there was something there, something small and precious and growing, even if it wasn't visible yet – it was still there. Wordlessly, she laid a hand over his, watching his face carefully.

To her surprise, Walter suddenly raised himself slightly, closing his eyes and pressing his mouth to her abdomen; Daniels could only watch him, awed by the sight as she cupped his face, running her fingers through his hair and holding him close. The kisses he pressed to her belly were soft and tender, even more so than he'd ever been before; his hands, gripping her hips, were gentle. He didn't need to say the words – she knew what his actions meant.

"I'm not even showing yet," She said quietly.

Walter didn't pull away, lips still tracing her abdomen – where he knew their child was growing. "I know, but they are still here…they are alive. I already love them so much."

"Yeah?" Daniels whispered, taking his face in her hands and leaning down to kiss him.

He just smiled, moving to reciprocate. "Yes. I love them almost as much as I love you."

"You look happy."

Daniels laughed quietly. "Oh yeah?"

"You both do," Tennessee insisted, looking between her and Walter. "And you invited me over here for a beer, so I'm wondering what the special occasion is."

"Maybe we just felt like inviting you over," She teased, and he noticed that she was sliding an arm around the synthetic's waist. "Just 'cause we wanted to see you."

"Nah, I'm calling bullshit," He scoffed, shaking his head at them. "Something's up with you two, I know it. You gonna tell me or do I have to spend all night guessing?"

His friends looked at each other, and he realized they were smiling – it was a soft kind of smile, a tender one that was borne of them knowing something no one else did. When Daniels looked back at him, she was grinning widely.

"We did want to tell you something," She admitted as he went to take a swig; Walter shifted closer to her, suddenly looking rather proud – an expression he never seemed to wear. "Tee…we're having a baby."

Tennessee choked on his beer, hurriedly reaching to put it down. "Holy shit!" He coughed. "You two? Having a baby? Right now?"

"Not right this second," Walter informed him seriously. "Gestation will take between eight and nine months, if all goes as it is supposed to. But, yes, Danny is pregnant." He seemed to straighten up as he said this, his smile growing bigger.

"Well, fuck me," Tennessee chuckled, moving to wrap his friends in a bear hug. "Congrats to you both! Yeah, get here, Walter, you're getting a hug too!"

The synthetic was somewhat bemused by this, but he accepted the burly man's embrace with no qualms. Daniels was laughing quietly, clearly thrilled. "I know this is kinda dumb to ask…we've had this talk before…but would you still be okay with being 'Uncle Tee'?"

"You're right, that is a dumb question," He joked. "Nah, of course I still wanna be an uncle…you know I'm here for you guys, no matter what."

"We knew we could count on you, Tee," She said fondly.

It was only once she had left the room to get more drinks that Walter approached him one-on-one, looking somewhat anxious. "Tennessee," He began seriously. "Daniels and I have decided that we do not want people knowing just yet…given what happened before." He paused, trying to remove the memory from the forefront of his mind. "We would prefer it if no one else was aware until we can be sure that the baby is healthy and the pregnancy is progressing as it should."

"Don't worry, man," Tennessee assured him, clapping a large hand to his shoulder. "I ain't gonna tell a soul – that's for you and Danny to decide, not me. I'm honoured you guys trust me to know before anyone else though."

"You are Daniels' best friend," The synthetic stated. "And, if you do not mind me saying so, I consider you to be a friend to myself as well. I hope that is not too forward of me to assume-"

"I'm your friend too, Walter," He interrupted firmly. "I mean, I don't always get what's going on in that computer brain of yours, but you're a good guy. And, you know…" His voice grew slightly softer. "You make Danny happy – given all the shit that went down…well, that's enough in my book."

Walter was touched by his words, blinking as he processed this new information. "Thank you, Tennessee – I am glad to be you friend."

As Daniels returned, laughing and bantering once more with the burly man, he couldn't help but muse that his life really was better than he had ever anticipated it being: a friend, a lover and the knowledge that in several months they'd be a family. It was perhaps more than he deserved, but he couldn't bring himself to mind – all he could do was feel content and enjoy it all.

It took just under a week for the symptoms to start, the final sign that this was all real and not just some dream (or a possibility that Walter had allowed himself to get far too invested in, rather).

"Morning sickness," Daniels muttered, leaning over the toilet and retching. Her lover was behind her, holding her shoulders and waiting for her to finish. "Of course I end up getting it-"

She was cut off by a sudden wave of nausea and the need to gag; Walter merely brushed the hair from her forehead and hummed quietly, hoping it would calm her somewhat.

"Fuck," She huffed weakly as she sat back, resting her weight on him. "I fucking hate morning sickness."

"I believe it's a good sign," The synthetic mused. "It means that your hormones are adapting and preparing you for pregnancy and motherhood – hopefully it's a sign that your body has accepted the embryo and will nurture it."

"I know that," She said grudgingly. "And that is good…but it doesn't mean I like vomiting every day."

Walter helped her up from the floor, flushing the toilet before gently urging her back to the bedroom. "It is only temporary, Danny; it won't last the entire pregnancy, only the first trimester."

"It better not," She grumbled – but he saw the small smile on her face as she dressed and got ready for the day, saw the way she glanced down at her still-flat stomach with a mixture of fondness and curiosity.

Cravings soon started to appear, and this was a slightly less unpleasant symptom; they started relatively normal, with things such as a piece of chocolate or an exotic fruit from the greenhouses. Some of the things she wanted, however, were slightly less conventional.

"Jesus Christ, Danny," Tennessee muttered during one lunch break soon after, eying her food in disgust. "Who the fuck puts olives and wasabi in a sandwich with chicken? That's nasty as shit."

Daniels shrugged, grinning at him as she swallowed her mouthful of food. "It's delicious – don't knock it 'til you've tried it."

"The baby's totally fucked your taste-buds up," He mused, sitting back in his seat. "I just can't believe Walter's letting you eat that shit – even he's gotta know that that's awful."

"He looked a little surprised," She admitted, rather amused. "But he's kinda just letting me eat what I want – if I want it, I get it."

"Guy's pussy-whipped," Her friend deadpanned good-naturedly; he was still chortling as he dodged the grape she proceeded to throw at his head, much to her dismay.

As the weeks started to go by, there were other changes that Walter started to notice; for one, his lover was extremely exhausted after a day's work, staying awake long enough for a meal and a shower before collapsing into bed. He had read that this was normal within the first twelve weeks, and that it was due to hormones – still, he made a note to himself to keep an eye on her energy levels, just to be safe.

Having said that, when she wasn't tired, she was initiating sex more and more; he didn't mind it, of course – in fact, he was rather pleased by this particular development. On one side of things, it allowed him to map her body, to examine and observe it as it came to change in the future; on the other, he found that he just enjoyed being intimate with her, finding that it was satisfying for both of them.

One evening, as his hands roamed her body, however, she gave a small wince of discomfort; immediately he withdrew his hands, watching her face worriedly.

"Danny? Have I hurt you? Is something wrong with the baby-?"

"No, it's just…" Daniels hesitated, carefully placing her own hands on her chest; she winced again. "My tits are sore."

"Your breasts are…ah."

"This sounds stupid, but I think they're bigger too," She mused, only somewhat uncertain. "I know they were never very big to begin with, but they kinda feel more swollen – just like before I start a period or whatever."

Walter nodded understandingly. "Several pregnancy books have mentioned sore breasts as being a symptom, so there is nothing to be particularly concerned about. And, just so we are clear on the matter, I think that your breasts are perfectly acceptable the way they are."

"Of course," She laughed quietly, trying not to roll her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck again. "Anyway…we were in the middle of something, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I do not mind," He said seriously, leaning forward to kiss her.

As it turned out, having sensitive breasts wasn't a complete hinderance – in fact, it made the whole experience all the more pleasurable.

Despite the fact that everything seemed to be going well, there was still some nervousness at the next check-up appointment; Daniels had taken Walter's hand as the equipment was set up, gnawing on her lip and trying to calm her breathing. He had merely squeezed back, trying to contain the sudden flood of strange emotion running through his systems.

"Alright," The doctor said brightly, pointing to the screen. "That's your baby – you're about twelve weeks along, and everything seems to be going as it should."

"It is?" Walter asked seriously, though he was relieved.

The young man nodded. "Indeed. It's already starting to look more like a human instead of a blob, as you can see… There's the head, that part there…and the arms and legs are just here… So far, so good. Would you like to hear the heartbeat?"

Daniels was already nodding eagerly, and the synthetic noticed the glaze in her eyes. He smiled to himself, focusing his eyes on the monitor and memorising it; he knew that it was common practice to be given a physical picture, but he was determined to document all of the stages to his own memory – it was far more efficient than a photograph, after all.

For a few moments, there was silent as the doctor toggled with a few switches – and then a loud beat filled the room, a quick but steady rhythm.

"Perfect," Walter managed softly.

"You're right, it is," The doctor agreed with a large smile. "Baby's got a nice strong heartbeat, which is good, and it's growing at the expected rate; you're quite right, it really is perfect."

Daniels was beaming at the image on the screen in front of them, eyes wide and bright. "They're so beautiful… Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

"Not quite yet, I'm afraid," He chuckled good-naturedly. "Their sexual organs are developing, of course, but they're not developed enough to see what sex the baby is just yet. We'll have another look during your next scan – I take it neither of you have a preference either way?"

"No preference," Walter said, unable to formulate a proper response for once.

"Either is wonderful," Daniels echoed sincerely, rather speechless herself.

Before they left, Walter was certain to save the memory of this trip to his core hard-drive, determined not to lose or forget it: not just the image of their baby and their heartbeat, but also the way his lover's face had lit up, the way she had held his hand and been in awe. It was too monumental to just let go of – this was something precious, something important.

When he told Daniels that he'd done this later that evening, she laughed tearfully and embraced him; he wasn't quite sure why this made her so happy, but he was glad it had anyway.

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