Disclaimer: I don't own She Ra!

Title: We'll Name Them Adventure!

Summary: Mermista's having a baby. If you ask her, that's no reason to go shouting from the rooftops. But, hey. Whatever floats Sea Hawk's boat.

…

"I hate you," Mermista gets out between the random jumps her stomach does in an attempt to make her puke again, leaning ever-so-elegantly over a toilet bowl. "You and your stupid mustache and that ugly bandanna and your arson obsession."

Sea Hawk holds her hair back. He doesn't show as much discretion to his laughter. "I love you too, sweetie."

"I swear, if this kid starts lighting shit on fire-"

"Adventure runs in their blood! It's only natural they might have an affinity to the lure of flames." Sea Hawk snaps his fingers. "That's what we'll name them! Adventure! We'll be calling their name every time we go charging into battle! A fitting honor, don't you think?"

"I am not naming an infant 'Adventure'. That's cruel and unusual punishment."

"Fair enough. Maybe it'll be a nickname, then."

There's a hesitant rap on the bathroom door, heralding Adora's voice. "Uh, guys? The entourage is here to take us to Mystacor."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh," Mermista says eloquently. "I don't need to go to Mystacor. I'm barely even showing. I can still do stuff."

"And you will!" Sea Hawk rubbed soothing circles into her shoulders. "You're still very necessary, dearest. You have an entire kingdom to run, and there's plenty of natural disasters that could use some tough love and ocean water. But it'll be safest for the Alliance and us if we move to Mystacor until the baby comes."

He has a point. Mermista hates when he has a point. If Hordak knew she was pregnant, there was no way they wouldn't set upon her to destroy the next in the line of water Princesses. If she really wants this baby, it only makes sense that she should retire to Mystacor when she wasn't doing this or that.

That didn't mean she had to like it.

She pursed her lips and said, "Knock it off with the pet names."

"Absolutely not," Sea Hawk replied, helping her to her feet. "Someone in this family is going to get a cutsy nickname and I will do everything in my power to make it not me."

"Sure thing, Hawkeye."

"Damnit."

"Fine, I'm here or whatever. Let's just..." Mermista stopped, eyebrows raising. "Why does Perfuma have a cabbage?"

"It's a celebratory thing!" she chirps, holding the head out for her to take. She doesn't. "In Plumeria, it's good luck and well wishes to pick a cabbage out of the patch. Of course, it's normally the parent's job, but I'm sure the Universe will understand that you've been busy." Perfuma gleefully wiggled the lettuce, as if trying to entice Mermista with it. "The parents each eat a leaf a day, and the last one to eat the leaf is what the birth gender will be."

"Won't it get, like, old before that?"

She shrugged. "That part is mostly just for background. No one really does it these days."

Sea Hawk took the cabbage, smiling ear to ear. His eyes were wet. "Many thanks. We'll be sure to water it."

"My turn," Frosta said, sounding for all the world like she was waiting in line at a water fountain. She grimly stepped up and held a tiny ice crystal between her three fingers. "This is a defense mechanism. Put it over the baby's crib and anyone who tries to touch them will be frozen in agony until you shut it off."

Mermista stared it down like it would bite her. "Uhhhh, no offense, but what about me and Sea Hawk?"

"Wear it around your neck for the rest of your pregnancy. It will recognize you." She turned it over in her hand, scowling. "Probably."

"I... think it'll be plenty safe in Mystacor." Mermista gingerly took the shard, sticking it directly in the center of her cabbage. "Thanks, though."

Bow cleared his throat and nudged Glimmer. She nudged him back.

"Did everyone bring us stuff?" she asked, exasperated.

The short girl held her hands up. "I got nothin'. I just wanted to say- you know. If things go screwy in the future, or your kid is left with nowhere to go..." Glimmer hesitated, nibbling on the bottom of her lip. None of them liked to consider their mortality, Mermista included. They'd somehow stumbled into some very important places in this war, and none of them wanted to hinder the others. "There's always a place for them at Bright Moon."

"Are you asking me to be the godmother?"

"Absolutely not-" Glimmer started, only for Bow to elbow her again, harder this time. She glowered at him. "I'm just saying that we got a big ol' castle, and my mom is, y'know, the Queen. So it wouldn't be any trouble."

Sea Hawk let out a laugh that was half a sob and pulled them both in for a tight hug. "Oooh, what did old Sea Hawk do to deserve a crew half as great as you guys?"

Adora awkwardly cleared her throat as she came up on Mermista's side. She'd taken the news rather well, though Bow had pulled her aside after breakfast to set some notions straight. Turns out there's some kind of baby draft among soldiers in the Horde, as punishment for any pregnancies. It's pretty fucked up. They'd all about had a heart attack when she'd asked when the kid would be sent off for training. "I, uh, I have no idea why we're all giving gifts right now."

Mermista shrugged nonchalantly. "I think it's supposed to be some early baby shower?"

"I... dunno what that is, either." Adora patted her pockets, searching, and eventually came up with a dagger. "Here. I took it off a Horde soldier the other day- we, uh, used them a lot for cutting electrical tape and stuff. It should still be pretty sharp."

She found herself smiling just a little as she tested the tip. "I love it."

Mermista's been to Mystacor before- most people with the money and means to travel have. It's almost a form of pilgrimage in the rebellion; to be surrounded by so much magic and wonder, have your hearts tested in its healing springs, that kind of thing. Still. That doesn't make getting bear-hugged by someone she only knows through reputation and maybe a few glimpses any more fun.

Glimmer seems to recognize that, thankfully, tugging on the woman's arm. "Aunt Casta, you're gonna crush her."

Mermista's voice was muffled. "I regret everything."

"Oh! Yes, yes, sorry." Castaspella pulled back, far too chipper after getting what must've been a pungent whiff of sea salt and fish. "I'm just so happy. I never thought I'd see the day Glimmer had so many friends, let alone a godchild-"

"Aunt Casta," Glimmer groaned, cutting her off. "I'm not the godmother."

"You kind of are," Bow chipped in. Castaspella perked up even more at the sound of his voice, going over to give him an even tighter hug. Sea Hawk put a steadying hand on her elbow as she got her bearings, a little ill from the jostling.

"Are you okay?" he said quietly.

Mermista gave a shake of her head. "I'm just peachy. Got morning sickness and hugs from strangers. Goody."

Frosta tugged valiantly at her furs as she approached, no doubt hotter than hell in a land of springs and saunas, but she bowed and greeted Castaspella without any indication of discomfort. Perfuma seemed to blossom in the humidity, her flowing hair growing wild and frizzy with it as he hugged the mage back with great excitement. Adora had her shoulders stiff and hands behind her back as she followed at the rear, giving the odd suspicious glance over her shoulder.

"Ma'am," she prompted once the hugging went on long enough. "Maybe we should get Mermista to a room? She doesn't look so good."

"Morning sickness is a bitch."

"Right, right! Almost done." Castaspella gave Adora a quick squeeze before stepping back to give her space. "Follow me!"

The bed is almost large enough to make Mermista feel like she's at home. Almost. She sprawls out with a groan, hating that her friends felt the need to go so far for her. War losses and battle wounds were one thing, but it was hard to see warriors standing around because she was starting to show.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Mermista mused.

"Maybe," Sea Hawk agreed, flopping down across from her. His jacket just brushed her fingertips. "Adventure is just bad ideas gone fun."

"Is this fun, though?"

"It's not not fun."

She ran a hand across her face. The beginnings of a headache was coming on. "I miss the sea already. I mean, how stupid is that? There's serious things going on and we're doing war or whatever and I'm worried about some cold water with salt in it."

"I know what you mean," he said. "I can't give you the sea, but I can give you Sea Hawk. I'm basically second-best, right?"

"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuure."

"What's really on your mind?"

Mermista sighed. "I'm overthinking everything and it's pissing me off."

"Ah." Sea Hawk laced his fingers together across his stomach. "Well, between your overthinking and my underthinking, together we could just... think. If you wanted."

The Princess made another irritated noise, but mostly at herself this time. "There's the usual stuff- war and shit- but, like... what if we do end up dead? All of us? And the castle isn't an option? What if... what if they take our baby into the Horde and raise it, like they did Adora?" The notion makes her sick to her stomach. Adora is a valuable friend and ally, but there was no denying the trauma she'd endured in her life. "I don't want that for anyone, let alone the kid."

Sea Hawk let out a quiet huh. "I... hadn't considered that."

"God, we're having a baby. A baby we both want. Why can't we just be happy about that?" Mermista smacked the mattress, scowling. She refused to acknowledge the wetness in her eyes. "Why does the Horde have to ruin everything?"

"I suppose we have no choice, then." He rolled over so his head was hovering above hers, eyes twinkling. "We'll just have to end the war before our child sees the light of day!"

Mermista blinks up at him. "What."

"The Horde can't hurt any of us if it's destroyed."

"I mean, yeah, but you realize the war has been going on for forever, right? It's not going to end in eight months."

"Why not?"

"I-" she started, then realized she didn't really have an answer to that. "You really think we could?"

"I think it'd be a great ADVENTURE!" Sea Hawk seems to realize he should back up if he wants Mermista to keep her hearing and does so, sitting with his back against the wall. "This war has been going on for far too long. It's not even interesting anymore. It's time the world moved on to newer, better things. Like love."

Mermista snorts. "That's so cheesy."

"In a good way, I hope."

"Yeah." She leans on his side. It's a change of pace- normally she's the one lugging him around or holding his weight. It's kind of nice to just slump into his side like this, even if the buttons on his jacket dig into her arm. Mermista tilted her head and kissed him. "It's good."

"Wanna share some lettuce?"

"Only if we cut it with that neat knife."

"I think Frosta's crystal froze it solid."

"Even better; I like my pregnancy snacks cold enough to glue my tongue to them."

Author's Note: I guess I had more to tell on this than I originally thought lol. This MIGHT get a part three, but I seriously doubt it. =)

-Mandaree1