Chapter 14

Mark groaned, outside the front yard working on a crib he'd built, busy polishing it up when Steve pulled in the driveway. "Man, don't you got a home of your own?" He demanded, catching the beer Steve tossed him with a smirk on his face.

"Nope." Steve answered, popping his own open, and took a swig before getting out the truck, walking around to the back, and pulling out a bag. "Guess what I bought?"

"Do I even want to know?" Mark asked, raking a hand through his hair, which was pulled back in a low ponytail. Steve grinned as he reached into the bag and pulled out an Austin 3:16 black onesie for the baby.

"Steve…" Mark shook his head, opening his own beer, and drained it in two swallows, wiping the back of his mouth with his hand before going back to work. "You're spoiling the kid and it isn't even here yet!"

Steve snickered. "That's not all I got." He sorted through the bag, pulling out more onesies, finally holding up a little ball cap with 3:16 on it. "Goes with the onesie." He explained at Mark's exasperated look he shot him.

Groaning, Chalice finally managed to stand up from the couch, after taking a nap, not believing how hard it was to maneuver now that she was eight months pregnant. Her stomach looked like a giant balloon was inside of her, getting ready to pop. She was afraid to stick a pin in her for fear all of her organs would explode on the walls and sighed, having more back pain. "I want this kid outta me now!" She shouted, pressing her hand to her back, and waddled into the kitchen, needing a glass of orange juice. After gulping down half the carton, Chalice finally walked over to the cupboard, grunting since nothing appealed to her, and decided to call her dear husband in. "MARK!" She shrieked, standing in the kitchen, and counted to five, waiting for him to arrive to serve her every whim and need. Pregnancy DID have its perks after all.

Mark bolted, appearing at her side just as she hit four. "You GOT to quit doing that!" He gasped, seeing the smirk on her face, leaning against the counter, pressing a hand against his heart.. "You bellowed darlin'?"

"Damn, you got him TRAINED!" Steve laughed, following, not believing how fast Mark had moved when he heard her scream.

"Yes I did, oh hubby of mine." She replied, smirking when Steve arrived at his side, and shook her head. "It never fails. What did you get my child this time, Stevie? Please tell me its not another toy. I'll have to kill you if it is." She stated in a threatening tone of voice and winced as she waddled over to the counter, tossing Mark an orange. "I want an orange shake. The ice cream is in the freezer and the blender is down below in the cabinet by your feet. I ain't bendin' that far and if you make me, I'll rip your balls off." She stated sweetly, a serene smile on her face.

Mark growled, but got to work, huffing dramatically as he did. "You're going to pay for all this torture after you've rested up from having the baby." He promised, smiling wickedly at her, his emerald eyes gleaming with evil intentions.

"Empty threats." Steve snorted, setting the bag down, and proceeded to show his sister what he had bought. Pacifiers, bottles, the onesie and cap along with more onesies. "I got more in my truck." He announced, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh Stevie!" She squealed happily, tears filling her eyes, and held the Austin 3:16 onesie to her huge stomach, grinning from ear to ear. "He or she will LOVE it!" She truly loved it as she started admiring it and laughed when a baseball cap came with it. "You're gonna turn this boy or girl into you, aren't you bro?" She asked, shaking her with a laugh, and turned around, pressing the onesie to her stomach. "Mark, look! Isn't it adorable?"

"Seen it." He grunted in reply, busy getting the shake to the consistency she liked it.

"Hell yes Challie girl, didn't I do a damned good job of turnin' ya into me?" He teasingly retorted, walking over to hug her the best he could.

"You didn't turn me into you. I'm my own person thank you very much…" She gasped, wincing, and held onto her brother for dear life, breathing in and out heavily as his blue eyes instantly widened with worry. "Don't, I'm fine." She whispered out, still holding onto him for leverage. "It's the baby moving. Damn it, I think I have an NFL kicker in there." She ran her hand over her huge beach ball sized stomach and tried to calm the baby down since it was kicking her like crazy.

Steve pressed a hand against her stomach, his blue eyes widening. "Damn kiddo, don't be beatin' up on yer momma now." He said, kneeling down to talk seriously to her stomach, watching as her shirt poked out from what appeared to be a foot. "Ya goin' to be a football player or a wrestler?"

"Your shake, darlin'." Mark chuckled, holding it out to her, and watched Steve amusedly.

Chalice giggled at what her brother was doing, shaking her head, and winced again when the baby kicked. "Damn it!" She groaned, glaring over at Mark, and took the shake he'd made, throwing it against the wall before waddling hastily out of the kitchen. "I'm going to fuckin' rip his dick off if he even THINKS about knocking my ass up again!" She growled, raking a hand through her hair, and plopped down on the couch with a thud. "Come on kiddo, calm down for mommy please." She whispered and cried out in pain when one of the feet got lodged in her ribcage. "OWW!"

Mark winced, staring at the wall where the shake was now sliding down, forming a puddle on the floor, hearing her comment, and crossed his legs as he growled out at his brother-in-law, "If you laugh, I'm killing you."

Steve shook his head, getting out a mop, and handed it to him. "Not laughin', get busy Deadman. When yer done, the toilet needs scrubbed." He winked, walking out in the living room to join his sister. "Not much longer, Challie." He said encouragingly, knowing the kid was giving her a run for her money with these kicks.

"Stevie, this hurts…" She whispered out painfully, tears streaming down her cheeks, and sighed when Steve immediately began to freak out. She was in too much pain to care or stop him as she rubbed her stomach, trying to dislodge the foot. This was almost as painful as the labor would be. "I love this kid, but I swear to god, I want it out of me."

"That's understandable." Steve took over rubbing her stomach for her. "Strong one, ain't he? Or she." He corrected, smiling up at her, looking concerned when he seen her tears. "Aww darlin'…Please don't cry." He begged, his own eyes tearing up, hating to see his baby sister cry for anything.

"I'm fine, Stevie, I promise. This damned kid's foot is lodged in my ribcage." She gasped out, trying to soothe his fears, and grabbed his hand when she felt the foot slowly dislodge from her ribcage, sighing with great relief. "God only three more weeks of this shit." She groaned, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Got my camcorder ready." He grinned, brightening up, offering her a bandana from his pocket, having learned to carry one in the event that she either one, tossed something at him or two, cried. Mark leaned in the doorway, watching them, anxious as his wife for this to all be over. He groaned inwardly, hoping to god she didn't have post partum depression afterwards.

"Thanks." She whispered softly back at her brother and leaned against his arm, blowing her nose and wiping her tears away before handing it back to him. She then looked up at her husband with those narrowed eyes and planted her hands on her wide hips. "Where's my shake, Calaway?"

"You threw it against the damned wall!" Mark retorted, though at her threatening growl, he retreated to the kitchen to make her a new one.

"Mark's gettin' gray hairs isn't he?" Steve asked conversationally, dropping down onto the couch, smiling slightly as he rubbed her arm with his hand.

"He's gonna get a lot more than that if he doesn't start cooperating with me." She threatened, her blue eyes shooting icicles in the direction where her husband had been standing. She crossed her arms in front of her chest in defiance and added, "He's not the one carrying this demon seed, I AM so he better comply with whatever I want or I'll make him pay!"

Steve swallowed hard, leaning back against the couch further, and draped his arm along the back of it. So glad he wasn't in Mark's shoes right now and making a mental note to never ever get a woman pregnant. "Demon seed, Challie? Oh be nice, that's my niece or nephew in there. It's got our blood in there so it can't be all that bad." He argued softly.

"You wanna feel something kick you in the stomach constantly and lodge its foot in your ribcage?" She retorted, raising an eyebrow at her brother. "Because I will GLADLY relinquish this little bundle of Hell into your arms and make you carry it for nine months, oh brother of mine."

"Well Challie, if that were possible, I'd swap places with ya. Though, even ya gotta admit, I'd look pretty damned ridiculous with a basketball sized bundle under my shirt." Steve replied good-naturedly, knowing her bad humor wasn't aimed at him so he didn't take it personally.

"You wouldn't last THREE seconds in my shoes. You and Mr. Puss bags in there." She stated confidently, bouncing her foot up and down, and sighed when the baby started kicking again. "Christ, can't this kid ever just stop for five minutes and give its mother a break?"

Mark walked out of the kitchen, carrying her a freshly made orange shake. "Here you go, darlin'." He held it out to her, keeping some distance away incase she tried to throw it again. "Made just the way you like it."

"Where's mine?" Steve demanded, winking at his brother-in-law.

"On the walls."

Giggling softly back at her husband, Chalice reached out, taking the shake, and groaned when the baby kicked her again. "Mark please, settle your kid down before I reach in there and yank it out myself!" She growled and immediately started sipping her orange shake. "Mmm orange…"

Mark kneeled down before her and immediately started massaging her stomach. He watched as his kid at first kicked out at him before seeing the feet retract and asked softly, "How's that, darlin'?"

"Much better." She whispered out soothingly and smiled as she sipped her shake, not believing how smart their child was. "Why is it every time II/I rub it, it kicks harder, but when you do it, he or she automatically stops?" She demanded softly, feeling really perturbed by the fact and sighed, glad the baby was settling down.

"Bigger hands." Mark answered, holding up his hand against hers, smiling at the huge size difference.

"Well somethin' on him has to be big." Steve piped in with a snort, smirking at the look Mark shot him.

"Austin, please don't be thinking about my dick anymore. It grosses me out."

Chalice actually spewed orange shake out of her nose, causing it to spray everywhere, especially on her husband. "OWW!" She cried out, not believing how much it burned, and felt the tears prick her eyes from what her husband just said.

"Ewww!" Mark exclaimed, jumping back and staring down at himself, not believing he was covered in shake and snot now.

Steve was rolling on the couch, tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. "Damn!" He got a bunch of tissues, holding them out to his sister. "You alright, Challie?" He asked, seeing the tears in her eyes, and knew that had to burn like a bitch.

"Fine, thanks for asking, you jackass!" She spat back at him, yanking the tissues from her brother's hand, and wiped away her tears and nose, groaning since her nostrils were still burning from the citrus.

"Want to sprit some water up there?" Steve asked seriously, concern in his blue eyes. "Maybe clean out that shake?"

Mark grunted, shedding his shirt, and holding it out at arms length. "Darlin', got anything you need washed?" He asked, staring at what was his shirt, now a shake and snot mess.

"Go fuck yourselves!" She snapped, getting off the couch after rolling a few times, and threw the shake against the wall, barely missing Mark's head, and stomped up the stairs slowly to their bedroom. Her wide stomach was rolling in front of her as she finally made it up there, breathing heavily, and dropped to one knee, raking a hand through her hair as she held her stomach. She had to sit down for a minute, becoming out of breath quicker, and plopped down on the step as she leaned her forehead against the cool wall. She couldn't believe how tired she was after only walking up a flight of stairs and wished this baby would come already.

"Well…" Steve grunted, rubbing a hand over his bald head. "That didn't go well."

"No shit Sherlock." Mark snapped, heading to the kitchen to get the mop again, not paying attention to his coated jeans.

Steve followed, getting into his bag again before pulling out a camera and called out, "Say Dairy Deadman!"

"Huh?" Mark turned around and winded up blinking rapidly as the white flash of the camera hit his eyes.

"Gotcha!"

Chalice finally caught her breath and slowly pulled herself up with the railing, groaning a little, and waddled into the bedroom. She walked over to the bed and plopped down on it, looking down, and felt the tears well up in her eyes. "I can't even see my feet anymore!" She cried softly to herself and buried her face in her hands, shaking her head back and forth, and grunted when the baby began kicking her again. "Damn it!"

Mark was busy chasing Steve throughout the house, trying to take back the camera, and bellowed out in an order, "GIVE IT HERE YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Gotta catch me first, Deadman!" Steve shouted back, darting out the front door. "Or is it Snotman now?"

"I'm going to rip off your damned head!" Mark growled back at him, his green eyes spitting venom.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Chalice felt something burst inside of her as the liquid slid down her legs. Her eyes widened in shock as she trembled and pressed a hand to her stomach as she breathed in and out slowly, needing to stay calm. She managed to pull herself up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom, wincing when a contraction hit her, and screamed out in pain. She breathed through it, the tears streaming down her cheeks, and finally felt it subside as she headed down the stairs. "Mark?" She called out fearfully.

Steve froze, letting Mark plow into him, fairly certain he had heard a scream as Mark tackled him to the ground and asked, "Did you hear that?"

Mark's eyes widened, glancing towards the house before taking off, shouting, "CHALICE?"

Now it was Steve who plowed into Mark as he rushed after him, calling out, "Challie?"

She was breathing through another contraction as she gripped the railing, her hand pressed against her stomach as they both ran in, bumping into each other. "My water broke." She announced softly, causing both men to stare at her with confused looks on their faces.