Fury looked at the cradle he, Vane and Fang had built and wrinkled his nose, considering that he was a wolf and so were his brothers and none of them had any experience in anything to do with carpentry, it was a damn good job. Blaze, the twins and Sabine had ambushed him a few weeks ago and told him it was a tradition within their people for the men to make the baby's sleeping place, a symbol of shelter and protection. In an effort to please Charisma he and his brother's had worked on it in secret and now it was finished, granted Sasha had helped with the details like the carving of the wolf cubs but really all the wolf had done was sit back, eating and mocking them as they cursed from splinters and blackened nails.

Fury ran his hand over the cradles smooth hood then down to the intricate carvings of roses and leaves, on the very top her had a carving of a wolf made, the wolf was laying down with its head and front paws hanging over the lip of the hood as if it were watching the baby sleep, Fury felt his lips curl into a smile. He was well and truly going to be a daddy in two days time. Charisma was due in two days and if Fury was honest with himself he was terrified, he hadn't been able to sleep at all thinking about it.

To be safe he had moved them into the house he had bought especially for the pregnancy (even though Charisma had told him she didn't care whether she gave birth outside of in) and given his second in command temporary leadership over the pack, it did occur to him that when it was time to reclaim the pack he may have to fight for it, wolves were very awkward like that, always fighting for the alpha status. However it didn't matter to him, as long as his mate was happy and safe and his pups were well.

Fury thought of this morning when he had awoken to find that Charisma's side of the bed was empty, he'd nearly had a stroke and stumbled downstairs, stubbing his toe and cursing violently to see her and Bride sitting at the table eating and discussing mother type things. The memory of it brought tears of laughter to Charisma's eyes every time it was mentioned. And his brothers, Fury grimaced, they were last thing he needed. Sasha on the other hand had been strangely helpful, cradle issue aside, and Fury supposed it was because he himself was going through the same thing, though Star wasn't due for another week yet.

"What are you doing in here?" Fury froze as he heard Charisma's delighted, suspicious voice travel through the room and over his body. Fury grabbed a sheet and threw it over the cradle and turned, his breath caught in his throat, Charisma stood leaning a shoulder against the door jamb. She wore a flimsy, white dress that fell to her knees and over it a yellow cardigan, her feet and legs were bare, her hair pulled back at the front was let down to furl around her lovely shoulders. She was all honey and golden light, the swell of her belly so visible and round to his gaze. His heart ached and he had to clear his throat to get past the lump there.

"Nothing, my beautiful mate," he muttered moving over to her and laying his big hands on her stomach, she covered them with her own. "Why don't I go upstairs and run a bath for us, then I'll wash your back while you soak."

He kissed her ear then her neck, was about to move to her lips when he felt a firm kick against his palm, Fury laughed loudly along with Charisma, she gazed up at him with her heart in her eyes.

"I think she wants some attention from her daddy," she said with joyous laughter in her voice, Fury felt that lump again in his throat but it was no longer painful, it made his heart swell and over flow. He bent his head and pressed his lips to the distended stomach and whispered to his little girl.

"I'm going to get that bath going," Fury said once he straightened, he ran a hand down Charisma's face. "There are definite benefits to living like a human." And baths were one of them he thought skipping up the stairs with a smile of anticipation on his face.

Charisma laughed to herself as she watched him go and turned to walk further in to the room, did he really think he would make her curiosity go away by throwing a bed sheet over whatever he was hiding. If anything it made her determined to get into the room and find out what it was that kept him so focused in here all the time.

Charisma pulled the sheet away and gasped, her eyes filled with tears as she trailed her hands over the wood, how could he possibly have known. In her world a father is required to give three gifts throughout the child's life, the first and what always seemed the most important to Charisma was the cradle when the child was born, a symbol of protection and shelter, it is a pledge to the child that you would keep it safe while it slept and comfort when it wakes.

She couldn't imagine the lengths Fury must have gone to make such a beautiful thing, she was just so … grateful. For him. Her life. For everything.

She still hadn't told Fury what she had done with Dare but right now she knew he was alone and suffering, she had made sure that he would be rejected by family and clan, she felt harsh and a terrible weight filled her when she thought of him but he deserved punishment, needed it, if the next few years could not cure his soul of hate nothing could.

He was no longer a feature in their lives and for that she was glad, for Fury could now concentrate entirely on his family and he would need to, especially when time came for the next two gifts he was obliged to give their daughter. The second gift was as the child came to the ending of their puberty phase, from the father they would receive a ceremonial weapon, usually a sword if it were boy but seeing as they were having a girl she would be presented with a cross bow, the fathers gift would not only be the weapons but the lesson in how to use them, in short his gift is the ability to protect themselves. The third will be on the day of their child's birth and the father would present them once again with their cradle, to place their own child in. The son or the son-in-law would then add their own carving to the cradle. The last gift pledges loyalty, love and protection to the new generation and is as much a gift to the grandchild as it is the child, it is a start of family tradition and lineage.

Charisma covered her belly with her hand, they were going to have blessed lives, with a sigh Charisma was about to throw the sheet back over the cradle when a cramp had her doubling over.

"Oh God," she whispered breathlessly to herself, fear and joy exploding into her heart, "Oh Gods!"

Another cramp flew fast through her abdomen. "Fury!" she screamed holding on to the cradle for support. "Fury, damn it, get down here! She's coming! I'm having the baby! Zera's here!"