A/N I own nothing but Yuki and now the baby. The song is a version from Kenny Loggins, I don't remember who originally did it.
Ch. 6 Surprises
One month later everything was back to normal. Everything, that is, except Aerith. They had bought a house in the third district and were taking a morning to do whatever they pleased. Leon and Cloud went to a local weapons shop, Tifa and Yuffie went shopping, Cid slept and Aerith was locked in her own room while Yuki read in the downstairs living room.
The house was large and beautiful. When you walked in the door there was a living room to the right and a dining room to the left. Down a hallway further there were stairs. To the left of the stairs was a very large kitchen, to the right was a very sunny day room with large windows and a large fireplace. Behind the stairs was a small guest bathroom. When one went up the stairs there was a long hall way lined with doors on the opposite wall. There were a total of seven rooms, each with their own bathroom. Starting at the end of the hall on the left was Leon's room. Next to his was Yuki's followed by Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud and Tifa, and Cid's at the end. There was an extra room in case they ever found any one else in need or someone just came for a visit.
The day looked very promising, sunny with only a few fluffy white clouds. Soon everyone was home and had presents. Leon presented Yuki with a new quiver full of long slender arrows with green feathers. Yuki couldn't resist hugging Leon then stepping back, both of them blushing. "Aerith!" Yuffie called to their secluded friend. Aerith entered the large living room wearing a large black dress and big purple rings under her now pale green eyes.
"Sweety, are you okay?" Yuki went to her and helped her to a large chair.
"I'm fine." She smiled unconvincingly.
"Well we got this for you." Yuffie and Tifa held out a cute yellow sundress with a yellow bow and white strappy sandals. "For when you go out with your man." They smiled.
Aerith burst into tears and ran back up the stairs slamming her door. They stared after her for a moment before Yuki stood. "I'll go talk to her." She walked up the steps slowly, her flowing green hippie skirt swishing around her feet. Yuki knocked tentatively on Aerith's door. "Aerith? It's Yuki. Can I come in?" There was no noise for a moment. Yuki was just about to sigh heavily and walk away when the door opened to reveal a puffy red eyed Aerith looking very miserable and tired. Yuki followed her into the room, closing the door behind her, then to her big pink four poster bed where they sat facing each other. "Aerith, please tell me what's going on." Yuki allowed her voice to be soft and caring instead of prying.
Tears spilled over Aerith's cheeks and then she let out a strangled sob. She held her head in her hands and Yuki rubbed her back comfortingly. "I-I-I'm….Pregnant!" Yuki's face was shocked but she didn't let her hand stop rubbing Aerith's back. "And he's gone!....He left me!"
"Oh sweety." Yuki moved Aerith to hold her and stroke her hair as Aerith clenched Yuki's black tank top and sobbed her heart out. When Aerith had calmed down slightly Yuk spoke again. "Do you want me to tell the others?" Aerith nodded tiredly and began crying again. "Shh shh shh shh…" Yuki sang a lullaby she remembered her mother singing to her as a child when she was upset. "Hushaby, don't you cry, go to sleepy little baby. When you wake you shall have all the pretty ponies. Blacks and beys, dapples and greys, running in the night. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty ponies." She sang softly and ran her fingers through Aerith's silky hair until she fell asleep.
The door creeked open and Yuki snapped her head up to see the only person she wanted to see, Leon, standing in the door way. "Is she ok?"
"She will be. She had a lot going on." Yuki looked down at Aerith with gentle love. "Help me get her in bed?" Leon nodded and walked to the bed. "Pick her up." He did so and ended up brushing against Yuki's assets, making them both blush profusely. As soon as Aerith was in Leon's arms, Yuki stood and pulled back the covers of the bed. Leon laid Aerith down and Yuki turned the blankets around Aerith snugly.
Yuki stood and turned to find herself very close to Leon. He bent slightly to look her in the eye. "Are you ok?" She nodded but flung herself into a hug. Leon held her and rested his cheek atop her head of white. A few seconds later Yuki pulled back reluctantly, tears welling in her eyes.
"Well, I'd better go let everyone know what's going on." Leon nodded and followed Yuki out of the room, closing the door softly behind them.
When Yuki entered the room expectant worried faces looked at her. "Well, the reason Aerith's been so out of sorts is because she's pregnant." Gasp. "And that man left her." Even bigger gasp followed by everyone promising to do horrid things to the man. IN the midst of all the noise, somehow everyone heard when Yuki gently cleared her throat. "I think what Aerith needs most right now is us. For us to be there for her. She needs to feel like having this baby is a good thing. So here's what we're going to do: Yuffie and Tifa, go see if you can find some cute maternity clothes and clothes for the baby. Make sure the baby clothes are for any sex. Cid and Cloud, go find a crib, changing table and other accessories. If you don't know what to get go with the girls. Leon and I are going to find a doctor and make an appointment. So let's go cuz I don't want her to wake up to an empty house." Leon stared, amazed, everyone listened to her, a natural leader, just like him. Maybe they needed two leaders, one guy, and one girl. Maybe they could….never mind. But as he pushed those thoughts aside he heard Yuffie.
"Geez. She and Leon would be perfect for each other. They're just both so dense."
"You ready Leon?" Her voice was soft. Always so soft, yet somehow he felt that even if he was in a different plain, a different world, he would be able to hear her if she called his name. He nodded and lead her to the second district where, next to the bell tower, there was a doctor's office.
"Excuse me?"
A man with grey hair in a white coat and glasses turned to Yuki. "How may I help you my dear?" He sounded almost exactly like Merlin.
"I need to make an appointment to see about a pregnancy."
The doctor smiled. "How far along are you? Is he the father?" He nodded to Leon. They both blushed profusely and stepped away from each other.
"No, not me. Our friend. I think she's three or four months along, maybe more." Yuki explained hastily.
"Ah." HE smiled like he knew something they didn't. "I do have an opening tomorrow at seven in the morning."
"Alright. Thank you. We'll be here." Yuki left with Leon following closely. When they were outside it was misting slightly. "Lets go to the food store." Leon nodded and an hour later they had many groceries and it was raining steadily. "And today looked like it was going to be so lovely." Yuki sighed. They hastily made their way to their house in the third district.
"Glad you guys are back." Cid and Cloud looked confused as they stared at the disassembled crib. "How do we do this?"
"Read the instructions." Yuki smiled as she heard Cid mumbling about never needing instructions before. She walked back towards the kitchen and saw Tifa and Yuffie in the day room wrapping their gifts for Aerith and the baby.
"Do you think she'll like it?" Yuffie asked needing assurance and approval.
"She'll love it." Yuki again smiled gently, looking at all the tiny clothes as she made her way to the kitchen, Leon trailing her. "Leon I need your help." He looked up and nodded. "I want this to be like a baby shower for her, which is why I bought so much stuff." Yuki took out multicolored streamers. "Alright, you're going to hang this in the living room. Start in one corner and go diagonally to the other, twisting it as you go. When you've hung two strands to the ceiling it should look like an 'x'. Then tape it in the middle, where it crosses, to the ceiling. Ok?" Leon nodded, hoping he wouldn't screw up. "Then come back and I'll see what else I need help with."
While Leon went to hang the streamers as Yuki had instructed, Yuki went about making food. First she set a chicken roasting, then put a pot full of chicken broth to boil on the stove. She pulled out four whole carrots and chopped them expertly, followed by celery, onions, garlic sated in butter, and when the chicken was done roasting, she cut it from the bones, stripped it into chunks and put it in the pot. She then set about chopping up potatoes and putting them in water to boil with some eggs. The pot of broth, veggies and chicken began to boil and she added twisty noodles and turned down the heat and put the lid on.
She took out four large cans of tomato pure and poured them in a pot with the heat on medium. She added onions, milk, basil and hot sauce before letting it simmer. When the potatoes and eggs were done she drained them and pealed the eggs and sliced them. She placed the potatoes and eggs in a large bowl and added mayonnaise and mustard to them. She then added diced dill pickles, olives, bacon and some pepper for a kick.
Leon walked back into the kitchen and thought maybe he'd falled off the ladder and gone to Heaven. There was a beautiful white haired woman wearing a long, flowing green skirt, no shoes and a black tank top pin his kitchen making something that filled his senses with hunger. In that moment all his senses went berserk. His eyes behald the beautiful, competent woman, his skin felt the heat and he longed to touch her. His nose was filled with food and an underlying scent of lilac and his mouth wanted to take all of it in. He watched her for what must have been an hour. She chopped so quickly, knew exactly what she was doing. It was enchanting. He only snapped out of it as he was watching her put something containing potatoes and eggs in the fridge and Yuffie and Tifa entered the kitchen. "Yuki is there something we can do?"
Yuki closed the door to the fridge and turned to see three of her five helpers. She started adding spices to the simmering tomato soup as she spoke. "Tifa can you go check on the boys?" Tifa nodded and took off to the living room. "Yuffie there are some table cloths in that bag by your foot, can you put those on the tables in the day room?" Yuffie nodded and left. "Leon, if you could now take the streamers and line the door way and the windows the same twisty way. Oh and on the windows, at the top it should drape and some up on the sides and middle then just let them fall on the sides going down, like a curtain." Leon nodded and again left Yuki to her cooking.
When Yuki was finished, almost, she had chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, potato salad, green bean casserole, salad, keish, and a chocolate cake in the oven.
Yuki made her way into the day room to see tons of wrapped presents as well as a crib, changing table, baby swing and teddy bear on the floor. There were two tables on the left wall, two couches and a chair on the right wall and all the presents were piled on the back wall in front of the windows. All the boys were sitting on one couch both girls on the other. "Alright." Everyone turned to Yuki. "Yuffie, take this couch cover and cover that couch, Tifa the other couch. Cloud, Cid and Leon move those two tables onto the wall by the door in an 'L' shape in the corner. Yuki took a white and pink chair cover and started to cover the chair. The couch covers were checkered with yellow, blue and pink boxes divided by small white lines. Where the arms of the couch met the base of the couch there were white bows. On the chair covering there was a pink silk bow to be tied in the back. "Alright boys and girls. Lets move the presents to the side walls for a moment." They divided the presents and shoved them up against the walls so the windows were cleared, then placed the chair in front of them. Yuki carefully arranged the presents so that some were in the crib, some in the changing table, the bear was in the swing and she made sure there were some on either side of the chair. "Alright. We'll move the couches up at an angle so they're facing the chair." When they were done Yuki instructed them to fill balloons with helium and tie ribbons to them while she distributed some 'congratulations' confetti on the tables as well as some cute baby things she and Leon found, pacifiers, booties, books, small animals.
Yuki turned to find Yuffie inhaling the helium and talking in a squeakier voice than normal. Every one laughed. "Leon?" She didn't speak very loud but he turned to her, his face set, but his eyes gleaming with humor. "Would you please help me?" He nodded and followed her into the kitchen. "Help me carry these out?" He nodded and grabbed some food. Soon both tables were filled with food, plates, napkins, eating utensils and drinks. The drinks consisted of hot cider, coffee, tea, hot cocoa and hot buttered rum. "Alright., everyone stay here and I'll go get Aerith." Yuki left the room and climbed the stairs to Aerith's room. It was a little past five, they had been working all day. Everyone was tired but happy to help their lonely friend. Yuki knocked softly. "Aerith?" She entered and slowly crossed to the bed where Aerith lay. "Aerith, dinner's ready. Come on, you need to eat something." Aerith nodded and got out of bed slowly. Yuki led the way down the stairs. "we decided to eat in the day room to sit next to the fire." Aerith walked into the living room and her sullen face turned teary eyed and happy. There in that room was all the family she'd ever need. "Congratulations Aerith." Yuki whispered shyly.
"Oh this is so wonderful!" Aerith clapped her hands together in joy.
"Alright, why doesn't everyone grab some food, Aerith you go first and then we'll get started with some presents." Aerith got food and sat in the big high backed chair amidst all the presents and sighed contentedly. "Aerith," Yuki sat on a couch close to Aerith, "Leon and I got you an appointment with a doctor tomorrow." Aerith nodded happily and continued eating.
"Yuki this food is delicious."
"Oh it's the least I could do. Everyone worked so hard today, thank you." Everyone smiled at her approval and Leon found himself impressed once again. Every body, including himself, yearned for her approval and happiness.
Aerith began opening presents, tearing up in happiness at each of them. There were tons of baby clothes, cute maternity clothes, some baby socks and booties, blankets, stuffies, pacifiers and washcloths. The other wrapped gifts were more sensible things like a sling to hold the baby, a milker, special bras so she didn't leak. The bigger presents were a swing that played music, a crib, a changing table that would turn into a play pen when the baby got older, and a bath chair for the baby. Aerith looked so happy. Now she could hardly wait to have the baby. It didn't matter that the father left. Her baby would have three wonderful male role models and three wonderful women besides herself. She didn't need no stinking man. That night was all about her, and it felt wonderful. It was the best she'd felt in a long time. She wasn't worried or sick. Just for one night.