Six parts down, only one more to go...

Part 6: Time

Vector didn't think life could get any better. Everything had come together two months ago, starting with his and Chloe's wedding. Neither of them were picky and neither of them wanted anything big, so it'd only taken them about a week to choose their outfits and pick a location for the ceremony, and naturally they had the reception at Slingshot's. Vector knew the story of how his parents had skipped a traditional ceremony and instead went, plain-clothes, to a courthouse in Chicago and signed some papers. When he told them about his and Chloe's plans, his mother and future bride ended up bonding while shopping for a wedding gown, while his dad got all misty when he took his only son out to buy his own attire - which he adamantly denied when Vector teased him about it later.

The whole thing stayed small, with only their immediate family and closest friends on the guest list. Since both he and Chloe liked Earth customs, their wedding ended up being something more like what his mother might have done if she'd had an actual ceremony instead of something traditionally seen on Mars. Though they didn't practice marriage themselves, Imeerans were familiar with many different forms of wedding ceremonies from various planets, so Chloe didn't have very many questions before the big day. And when it arrived, while there was still a hint of tension in the air between him and certain members of Chloe's family, most of the negative feelings had been smoothed over. His love and devotion to Chloe wasn't in doubt anymore.

They'd settled happily into their new life together since then, and now they were anxiously waiting for their baby to arrive. In their ten months apart Chloe had accumulated her own collection of things for their pending bundle of joy, and the two of them kept busy incorporating them into his own collection of baby supplies. They needed to find a place for Chloe's personal things, too, but somehow his average-sized home made room for everything.

It was all in place now - ready and waiting for their son to join them. Vector already knew the little guy was extra special; he'd broken the tradition set by Imeerans and half-Imeerans before him and never stopped kicking, not even when he was supposed to be in his still phase. He'd gotten a lot less energetic recently, though, thanks to his living space being so tight now.

As Chloe's due date got closer and closer, Vector felt like he was literally counting the seconds. His mom (being the great mom that she was) had given him time off work, so he could not only be with their baby once he was born but also keep an eye on Chloe until then. She didn't have much energy right now and wasn't in the mood to leave home, instead shuffling between their bedroom, the kitchen, or the rec room.

When Chloe's due date arrived, Vector had everything planned and ready. Her bag was packed and by the front door, their ride was ready and waiting at all times, and he'd taken to sleeping in his clothes, just in case her water broke during the night. There'd be no panicked surprises here. On the day she was due he never took her eyes off her, waiting for the impending, "It's time!" But the day came and went and nothing happened.

Nothing happened the next day either, or the day after that. Chloe had already been cranky for the last week or so, and when their son didn't arrive when he was scheduled to, and they decided to go to the hospital on the second day she was overdue and a nurse told them all they could do was wait, she got downright unhappy. Vector couldn't blame her; she'd been pregnant for over a year now and that was enough for anybody.

She looked like she was in pain, too, wincing and grimacing whenever she had to get up, and wincing some more whenever she sat down. Their emotional bond had started strengthening again as soon as they were back together, but their physical bond was still stagnant (there'd be plenty of time to change that later) so all he could really sense from her lately was the feeling of 'I want to have this kid now.'

"Wanna cookie?" he asked one afternoon, almost five days after her due date. The two of them were lounging on the rec room sofa munching snacks...or he was, at least. Chloe was slumped against the arm looking sullen.

She wrinkled her nose at the chocolate-and-vanilla swirl cookie he was waggling at her. "No."

"You sure? It's from that yummy place you like to work at."

"Then I definitely don't want it."

"Why not?" Vector asked seriously.

Scowling, Chloe folded her arms and slumped further into the sofa. "I just don't want sweets," she groused.

Vector gave up with a shrug and finished off the rest of the cookies himself. He'd come to accept that what Chloe did and didn't want changed from day to day - sometimes hour to hour. But even with the mood swings and flip-flopping tastes, Vector loved being with her. They'd only had a short time together before they were split apart and he still had a lot to learn about what made her who she was.

He'd learned in the last two months that she liked to read fiction from other planets more than anything published locally, with fantasy being her favorite genre. And she preferred listening to music while sitting alone in the park with her headphones on because she was one of the only Imeerans alive who wasn't really into technopop or an electronic sound. Most Imeerans liked birds and they were a popular pet since Malteria didn't have any, but Chloe got nervous around them. Something about getting creeped out by things that could attack from above.

And she actually wasn't all that crazy about bikes - a fact that had hugely disappointed him when he first found out, until he realized she didn't mind at all when he rode off to mess around with his buds and left her behind, and didn't complain when he didn't come back for hours. And she consented to going for rides when it was just the two of them, closing her eyes and holding him tight and not saying a word. It was these rides he ended up liking best.

He knew better than to suggest anything remotely resembling a ride these days, even if he did miss tearing around like the wind with her. Come to think of it, he hadn't gone for a ride or gone anywhere at all since they came back from their uneventful trip to the hospital the other day, and the lack of excitement was starting to get to him. So, even though he knew she'd rather be left alone right now, he found himself scooting closer to his new wife and putting his arms around her playfully. "You sure you don't wanna blow this joint for a few hours?" he asked, rocking her coaxingly.

"No," Chloe muttered grumpily. "Because that'll be just when my water breaks."

"Sounds like a good idea to go out to me."

The petite Imeeran gave him a sour look...then paused to consider this. "All right," she decided, "I'm pretty sick of being cooped up here anyway."

"Great," said Vector eagerly, "and don't worry, we'll travel the lazy way."

The transport operator didn't fail to mention this when he grabbed his wrist communicator and let him know he wanted a same-planet transport. "Are all forms of travel on Mars down right now?"

"No, but I've got an overly pregnant wife who needs a smooth ride."

Less than a minute later the two of them were standing outside the door to Saber and Joy's apartment. Saber had already finished his workload for the week, and Joy was busy in the kitchen - baking sweets from the smell of it. "Hey, Chloe," his little sister greeted as the two of them came in, "feel like a fudge square?"

"Yes, please," Chloe said eagerly.

Vector merely smirked, kissed her cheek, then went off with Saber to enjoy a couple of hours in the game room. He kept tabs on Chloe through their bond, noting that her mood stayed fairly even throughout the fun afternoon, with Joy keeping her distracted and entertained. Around sunset she commented that she needed to pick up a few things for dinner and invited Chloe to go on a quick shopping trip with her; Chloe declined and wandered into the game room as soon as she was gone.

"Need anything, Chlo-bug?" asked Vector.

"Labor," she answered promptly.

Chuckling, Saber got up and helped her take a seat on the sofa. "I'm going to go grab some more snacks," he said, as he started for the door. "Any requests?"

"No more fudge," said Chloe, clutching her round belly with a grimace.

"As many chips as my poor stomach can stand, and more root beer. C'mon, keep it coming."

Chuckling again, Saber headed for the kitchen. Chloe sank back into the sofa with a heavy sigh. "Something I can get for you, Chlo-bug?" asked Vector, sitting beside her gently and smoothing her hair back. "Besides labor, that is."

Still grimacing, his petite wife shook her head. Shrugging, Vector got up and went to rifle through the nearby game cabinet. He was debating what he should try to humiliate his best bud with next when Chloe suddenly let out a squawk. The white rodent spun around so fast he almost knocked the cabinet over. "What?" he cried.

Chloe's pink face had gone pale. "Either I just had an accident," she said weakly, "or my water just broke."

Vector felt his own face go pale - not that anyone would be able to tell. "Oh," he squeaked.

A second later Saber came back into the room, a bowl of chips in one hand, a bottle of root beer in the other and an energy drink tucked under his arm. He stopped with a frown. "What's up?"

Chloe let out a strange sound. "I think I ruined your sofa," she whimpered.

His bud, best bud that he was, put two and two together in a hurry. "Forget about it," he said calmly as he put what he was carrying down. "I just got a raise, I'll buy a new one later. Let's just take care of you, okay?"

Not wanting his best bud to show him up on the day his own son arrived, Vector recovered his wits in a hurry. "I can teleport us to the hospital," he suggested, doubting she wanted to hop on Saber's bike right now.

To his surprise, Chloe shook her head. "No teleports," she said. "Teleporting while in labor sounds like a bad idea to me."

Vector didn't see how it'd make a difference from all the other times she'd teleported while pregnant, but he knew better than to argue with her. He shrugged and looked at Saber. "I'm open to suggestions."

His best bud was busy grabbing his boots from where he'd kicked them off earlier. "Already on it," he said. "I'll be back in a minute."

Before Vector could protest, Saber had run out the door, leaving the two of them alone. Swallowing his nerves down, he went over and knelt beside the sofa. "Just take deep breaths," he told Chloe, taking her hand. "Everything'll be okay."

Despite his words, he knew Chloe could sense how nervous he was - which was even more nervous than she was. But he'd done plenty of studying in the last two months and had read how it was normal for an Imeeran to start crowning exceptionally fast after first going into labor. On the upside those extra strong muscles meant Chloe shouldn't be in much pain, but on the downside it meant the baby could be here long before Saber got back. And while he'd never admit it out loud, the thought of being here alone when Chloe delivered actually made him feel faint.

Not that he needed to admit it out loud. "If you faint while I'm giving birth," his wife warned, "I'll never speak to you again."

"I'm fine," Vector insisted, giving himself a shake. "We're both fine. You're fine, right? No pain yet?"

"No," said Chloe, her smile warm. "I may be small, but I'm tough."

Vector was glad to hear it, and glad that he had studied up on how strong Imeeran females inner muscles were, making labor easier for them than it was for most. But knowing that didn't stop him from worrying and fussing over her until Saber got back. And he didn't come back alone; Ashlin came trotting at his heels, with a medical bag in her hand and everything.

The two of them spent the next few minutes getting Chloe comfortable (with Saber again assuring her that he wasn't worried about the sofa) while Ashlin got all her tools ready. "And now," said Saber, as the golden-furred rodent positioned Chloe's feet, "we come full circle."

"We do?" asked Vector.

Ashlin merely smiled and continued positioning Chloe's feet before smoothing her skirt over her upturned knees. "Once upon a time this little lady helped deliver me," his best bud reminded him with a grin, "and now I get to help her deliver someone else."

"Uh-huh," Vector mumbled.

You wouldn't think dropping through an unfinished floor and then going through agonizing labor thanks to your baby putting his foot through your womb would be much to brag about, but Carbine never got tired of talking about when Saber was born. His own mother, on the other hand, preferred talking about the day she had Joy over bringing up when she delivered him alone on the bathroom floor.

He quickly pushed the thought out of his head and made himself comfortable next to the sofa, where he took Chloe's hand and didn't budge for the next hour or so. He spoke encouragingly to her, he stroked her forehead, he squeezed her hand whenever she had a contraction. Ashlin monitored her closely the whole time and said she was doing just fine.

Saber was monitoring her closely, too - a little too closely. "Is that blood?" he suddenly asked, leaning closer.

"Just a little," said Ashlin. "It's normal."

Vector hastily snagged the back of his best friend's vest and jerked him away. "No looking where my wife's baby is coming from," he scolded.

"Okay," Saber said dryly, "you look."

"Um..."

Just then Joy came back. "What's going on?" she asked as she joined them all in the game room.

"Chloe's getting ready to mess up the sofa," Saber told her, "but don't worry, I already said I'd buy a new one."

For a second Joy looked shocked - but then she came closer and socked her older brother in the arm. "Ouch! What are you hitting me for?"

"Because that sounds like something you would say. You're a bad influence on him."

The joking moment passed and Joy knelt beside her brother with a face lined in concern. "Is she okay? Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"

"She's doing great," Ashlin reported. "And she doesn't want to go to the hospital."

"Sounds like somebody's stubbornness is rubbing off on her. Way to share your most endearing qualities, big brother."

"Hey, I'm about to become a daddy. Quit picking on me."

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Ashlin asked, forever patient.

Vector fidgeted, his eyes on Chloe as she winced in pain. "Yes, but we weren't going to tell anyone until after he's born."

"I wouldn't worry about it," his petite wife grunted. "From the feel of it this kid is going to be born any second."

The thought made his stomach turn over, even though Chloe felt more excited than scared. Smiling softly, she gave his hand a squeeze. "We decided to call him Ratchet," she said.

"Nice," said Joy. "Whaddya gonna call your next kid? Pipe wrench?"

Vector elbowed her with a scowl - but he could tell her wisecracks were to cover up how nervous she was. He felt grateful that she was here, especially when Ashlin announced it was time for Chloe to start pushing and his little sister scooted to where she could easily lend a hand without being asked. In turn Saber backed out of the way, though still staying close enough just in case he was needed for something, while Vector stayed right where he was - at his wife's side.

He was almost afraid Chloe would send him downward - and embarrassed that she could feel that he was feeling that way, because no doubt she could also feel that he didn't think he had the guts to do it. But she merely flashed him a grateful smile, and he could sense that she was glad he was here with her for this. And then he felt what was probably the strongest thing he'd ever sensed from her - the feeling of, 'it's time, now everyone leave me alone!'

As if she had also sensed that her patient didn't want to be bugged while she labored, Ashlin didn't start yelling 'push, push, push!' like doctors on TV did. Instead she gently coaxed her along with things like 'that's it' and 'almost there.'

All at once Chloe sank back and panted for breath, the rigidness evaporating from her body. The hand holding his went slack. Vector frowned; it was like she'd finished delivering, but it was so...quiet.

"Is that it?" he asked anxiously. "Is he here?"

Ashlin was bent over the opposite end of the sofa. "Yes," she said quietly.

"Why isn't he crying?"

The half-rat hesitated a moment. "He isn't breathing."

Chloe sat up with a start, her other hand shooting out to grab her husband's. Vector clung to her just as tightly as his heart sped up with a burst of worried fear. But Ashlin was already on it. "It's just a little fluid," she assured them. "Give me a second."

Vector couldn't quite see what she was doing, but he heard her huff air a couple of times. And then he saw a pair of tiny feet kicking as a small - but strong - cry rang out. "Awww, he has your lungs," Joy cracked.

Vector could only laugh in response, and so did Saber as he hugged his wife, who had tears in her eyes. Ashlin looked a little tired, but she was beaming as she finished wrapping the newest member of their family in a baby blanket before passing him to Vector. She didn't say anything, and neither did he - he couldn't. There were no words to describe how he felt when he saw his son for the first time.

The little guy was smaller than he imagined, and a little on the bony side. He had downy light brown fur with a yellowish undertone, and ears kind of like a...cat? Dog? Vector was having trouble coming up with something to compare them to, but they were kind of big, were triangle-shaped, and they flopped back from his broad forehead. His little face wasn't quite like a mouse, but close enough as far as Vector was concerned. He had a round head, a little black nose, and the large eyes that blinked opened and gazed at him were a deep blue-green.

For the longest time Vector just sat there, looking at him. Looking and feeling so grateful that everything had turned out so well. That his son was healthy and felt strong and sound. He was still drinking in the sight of him when a sharp feeling of hopeful anxiety made him look up. Chloe was watching them with a bright smile and eyes dewy with tears. "Your turn?" her husband asked with a grin.

"Yes, please," she said sweetly.

Still grinning, Vector scooted closer and carefully placed their tiny son in her waiting arms. As Ratchet fidgeted before settling in his mother's embrace, Vector saw something poking out from the blanket; a small, thin tail, with a yellow tuft of fur at the tip.

Chloe let out a joyous laugh. "He's adorable," she said. "He's just perfect."

"Of course he is," said Vector. "He's ours."

"If you ever need a babysitter, just let us know," Saber put in.

Vector looked over at his best friend and sister, and at their matching expressions. They were so happy for them but still couldn't quite hide the sadness they were both feeling. Knowing where it was coming from, Vector gave them an understanding smile. "You got it."

He turned to Ashlin, who was busy packing her tools away. "Thanks for everything," he told her. "You're the best."

"I've been telling you that for years," said Saber.

Ashlin chuckled as she got to her feet. "Don't mention it. When you're ready, stop by the hospital so we can give him a quick checkup, just to be safe."

Vector thanked her again before turning back to his wife, who was happily snuggling their new baby. "It's official," she said suddenly.

"What is?"

"Fatherhood," she replied with a grin. "You sure you're up to it?"

Vector grinned and put his arm around her. "More sure than ever."