I've been so busy lately with school. Gur, I can't wait till Spring Break...anyways, please forgive me.

WARNINGS: light fluff, mild gore (blood), descrpit medical procedures (birth). Don't like any of this? Sorry, Don't read!

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A knock at the door.

"Babe! Come to dinner, I don't want the food getting cold."

Ashlee sighed, heaving her heavy body up and slowly padding her way into the kitchen. "Hang on a minute, one of our neighbors is at the front door." At the peak of her pregnancy, the she-wolf was expecting any day now. Many in the village came by every day to give her gifts and blessings. That's what she loved about her new home, everyone was family here.

Waddling to the door, with a fussy husband yelling from the kitchen and chiding her about moving around too much, she opened the door to greet the guest.

Surprised to see two familiar faces there.

"N..Naruto?"

The blond fox merely smiled at her gently, while...Sasuke stood slightly behind the other, staring off at nothing, or rather, anything besides the figure in the doorway.

"We," an emphasis on that word, "came by to support you with the baby. I already promised you that. Also..I think.." Naruto turned towards the hound, clearing his throat.

Feeling slightly humiliated and guilty, he stepped forward and bowed his head slightly. "I..ask you to forgive me."

The pregnant mother only stared at them both, one with a soft, questioned look, the other with a firm gaze, unsure of what to make of this.

Then suddenly, a slap was echoed in the air, and the raven found himself holding not only a stinging cheek, but a bleeding one too. Surprised, but not entirely unexpecting the gesture, he glanced up at Ashlee, who now had some blood underneath her nails, but a smile showed on her face nontheless.

"I forgive you. Shall we all sit down to dinner?"

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It was an awkward atmosphere at first, for Ashlee because she was actually serving a meal to the man who threatened her unborn children, and for Sasuke since he was holding guilt for the same reason. But knowing he had not harmed her friend helped the wolf to see the Uchiha wasn't such a bad person, maybe just a little confused. So sparing the details to her mate, she offered both of them warm affection and conversation...which made Sasuke only feel worse.

After dinner, as Cain went to do the dishes, the other three met in the living room to catch up. As they sat down, Ashlee more carefully, it was surprisingly the raven who blurted out, "How are the pups?"

A bit surprised, the blonde smiled, placing a hand over her stomach. "Healthy. They'll be due any day now." The two males seemed content with this.

"Do you know how many?" asked Naruto.

"Ah...we have three coming. Two girls, one boy." She suddenly made a noise, and Naruto tensed, looking worried.

"Oh, sorry about that...they usually kick me nowadays. I think they realize it's time to come out." She smiled gently. "If you want, you're welcome to feel or hear them."

Naruto moved to sit near her, carefully glancing up for a confirmation. Then, he carefully laid his head against her tummy, amazed to hear the three little heartbeats, their mothers thudding above them.

Sasuke sat there quietly, staring softly at his newfound lover and his..well, their friend. It was a heart warming scene, even to someone like an Uchiha. Without thinking, he carefully stood up, feeling a bit awkward and hesitant around her still. But she glanced up and only smiled, which calmed him a bit. Carefully walking over, he leaned down and placed a hand near Naruto's head, waiting as a little foot pressed against it.

And sharing this moment suddenly caused a thought to stir in his head. I want a son.

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Later that night, Naruto and Sasuke laid in bed, naked but not eager to please each other. They were happy to just lay in the other's embrace. Thinking about his earlier thoughts, Sasuke was really torn. There was no one he could love besides who he had now, but...Naruto...he couldn't sire pups. As ok it would be to maybe adopt a child, he probably wouldn't have the connection he might of had if the child was of his own.

Naruto could easily sense his thwonderings were deep. "What are you thinking about?"

Though he might upset Naruto with this, he could at least tell him half of his feelings. "Well...just, seeing Ashlee like that, it just...made me envious of a family life..."

He relaxed when he felt a smile across his skin. "I felt the same way, actually..." He paused, then suddenly sat up, pulling away from the other. The raven frowned, reaching for his lover, but the next words cut him off. "Then...we...why are we together then? I can't give birth..."

Sasuke sighed, rolling over and looping an arm around the tan waist. "As much as I'd love a son of my own family, I would never chose that over you. There are other ways, you know..."

Naruto grinned, but it was a thin smile, one that didn't light up his face like normal. "I just, feel bad. You deserve a son. A real son..."

Before they could delve further into the issue, there was frantic knocks at the door. They both glanced over, having a feeling what was going on, and the voice through the door clarified it.

"Ashlee is going into labour!"

They had no time to think. Scrambling on their clothes, they all had discussed what was to happen. Cain would go get the doctor and the two would help bring in towels, hot water, and anything else needed in preparation.

Naruto had never seen it, and he was sure Sasuke hadn't either, but it was the look on Ashlee's face that told him it wasn't exactly pleasent. Her face was already contorted with pain, and a bit of sweat trickled down from the painful contractions. The blond gently wiped the sweat free with a cool washcloth.

"Do you want us to wait outside when it's going on?" Naruto asked softly, squeezing his friend's hand.

"If you don't want to be in here for that part, I understand, but I'd really appreciate it if you stayed.." she murmured, trying not to ball her fists too tight and cut herself.

Turning to glance at Sasuke, he got a confirmed nod on his behalf. After all, it was the least he could do to make up his foolishness. So they stayed, cooling down her forhead and trying to coax her when she went into a fit of pain.

After what seemed forever, the door came open, and Cain rushed in again, another elderly looking wolf following him. The elder one inspected the room, then turned to Ashlee. "Alright young one, let's see how far along we are."

Having already being prepared for this, all she wore lately were large sleepign shirts at night, so it was easier when the time came. Pulling back the sheets, the doctor gently coaxed her legs apart, inspecting the progress.

"Well, you're dilated enough, so you can start pushing now."

Nodding, she took a deep breath, gaining courage from her husband, who was squeezing her hand, and the two figures who stood near in case they were needed. Though it hurt, and it was hard, she pushed with all her might, trying not to cry out in pain.

"Easy, you're doing great...keep breathing..."

It was a slow process, for all of them. Every second seemed like an hour, and even the individual minutes took their toll on her body. Suddenly, a shrill cry broke the tension, and the doctor murmured, "The first one is out."

Cain eagerly rushed to to take the wailing baby from the doctor cutting the umbilical cord, and Sasuke and Naruto both held their breath at the sight of the tiny baby, shocked at the open air and crying for it's parents. This one was one of the girls, and they could already tell it would have a full head of hair colored the same bleached blonde as her mother. As Cain cleaned the baby up and wrapped it carefully, he moved over to Naruto, smiling sheepishly.

"I don't wanna risk trying to hold all of them, can you guys help?"

Wordlessly nodding, Naruto turned his complete attention to the small, delicate package being handed to him. Minding the baby's head, the fox held her close, almost unsure and amazed at the tiny wonder. He spared a moment to glance up at Sasuke, who was looking at him warmly.

As Naruto cradled the baby and protecting it as if it were his own, they waited quietly and tried to ignore the painful whimpers of the she-wolf on the bed.

"The next one is out."

This one was handed to Sasuke. This one was a boy, also having the soft blond hair of his mother. The hound was just as careful, if not more, than Naruto, checking every few seconds to make sure he was holding the babe properly. Everything was going fine...

Until the doctor suddenly looked concerned. "There seems to be a problem."

All of them focused on the older man, even Ashlee, who seemed like she would pass out soon. "W-what..?" She asked fearfully, her dull, tired eyes sparking a fear.

"The cord is wrapped too tightly around the neck..." Wasting no time, he spoke calmly but firmly, "I can't cut it off yet. Ashlee, you need to push a bit more..." As she did so, he was ready and gently cut at the umbilical, unwinding it from it's neck. Unlike it's screaming siblings, this one was silent, apparently not breathing.

They all stared, mortified as the doctor started to try and coax the baby into breathing again. The attempt seemed futile after a few seconds, and Ashlee sobbed into her hand.

"Sssh, honey, please, don't over-exert yourself," Cain tried to calm her down, but he was obviously worried as well.

"I...don't know about this one," The doctor spoke quietly, still not stopping on his actions though.

There was a heavy sadness and despair in the room, which was covered by the wails of the two healthy babies. Naruto and Sasuke stared miserably at the unmoving child, praying to themselves...

As they all felt their hearts drop lower, suddenly the baby hiccuped, choking on air and breathing heavily, now crying along with the others.

The doctor sighed with relief, gently checking the baby again and then passing her over to Cain. After helping deliver the afterbirth, he went to go wash his hands and leave them alone.

Ashlee reached for her lucky one, glad to see one of them had crimson hair like their father. She snuggled the baby close to her, still crying a bit about her close call. They all could relax, the worst was over for now.

And upon a hill top, many miles away, a dark figure loomed in the night, giving on a cynical smile.

"Just wait..I'm coming for you two."

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Sorry if my birthing scene wasn't accurate, I've never experienced birth, and I mostly have some fanfiction and shows to work from. If you notice some crucial errors that should be fixed, please let me know!

Hopefully this wasnt too much of a non-plot chapter. It'll get good the next one though!

R/R!