A/N: The next installment in Daine and Numair, Parents? Enjoy, and R/R please!
Summary: Daine has to face a few of the many challenges of being pregnant. This takes place several months after the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the places, they belong to Tamora Pierce.
Daine looked down at her rotund stomach, missing the times when she could see her feet. She had never thought it was a remarkable thing until she was pregnant. Then seeing her feet was something that she wanted.
That, and cravings for random foods, was driving her crazy. At least the days of morning sickness were over—and she definitely could wish those times good riddance!
Numair had been so worried, seeing her throw up every morning. He had held her when she told him to leave, and he had pulled her hair away from her face when she was doubled over once more.
He was more and more caring and loyal than Daine could ever have imagined. And perhaps it was the hormones, but she loved him erratically more than ever before—which she had never believed to be possible.
And the hormones had certainly had a factor in her mood swings. Daine had yelled at random people for insignificant things and burst into tears at moments that weren't sad at all. That was definitely something she was sick of, though, unlike the sickness, it wasn't over yet.
Daine waddled down to the stables. Numair had told her that she should spend as much of her time as possible not walking, because it hurt her feet and back, but she couldn't stand staying in their rooms for more than a couple of hours at a time. And once she was down the stairs, she didn't have to go back up for a while. It was logical, at least to her.
Numair was sharing less and less of her opinions lately. Daine suspected that, were she in her normal mind, she would more often than not agree with him.
Daine made it to Cloud's stall before she sat down, gasping from the effort of lugging herself that far. I used to be able to run that path like it was nothing, Daine thought despairingly. Cloud nudged her cheek, and Daine realized she was crying again.
"You know," she told Cloud conversationally, despite the tone of her voice wavering. "I've never cried as much in my life as I have while I've been pregnant."
-That's because you're usually too proud to cry—Cloud told her, chewing on a carrot Daine offered.
"Most people would describe it as being strong," Daine sniffled ironically.
-Most people aren't as blunt as I am—Cloud responded haughtily. Daine laughed.
Just then, she heard footsteps in the aisle, and hushed voices. Wanting more undisturbed time with Cloud, Daine stayed sitting against the front wall. No one could see her there unless they walked up to the stall and looked directly down at her, making her safe from intruders.
"Have you seen her lately? It's shocking, how large that slut's gotten, " one voice said.
"Finally got what was coming to her, what with all that sleeping around," another added.
Daine rolled her eyes. It sounded like they were talking about her. Not a very bright group, to do such gossiping here, of all places, Daine thought to herself. Sure enough, Cloud snorted, and the horses up and down the aisles came to the front of their stalls and glared at the humans, as though daring them to come close enough to bite.
Before Daine could call them off, the first human noticed the animals' strange behavior. "It's that mage!" he cried out, staggering away from one side of the aisle and nearing dangerously close to a stallion reaching out toward the stranger.
Daine listened to their footsteps as they fled down the aisle.
"Thank you," she told the horses in her mind. "But I really didn't need your help."
They seemed to shrug off her claim, and Daine sighed. Horses could be very stubborn when they wanted to.
That night, she met Numair back in their rooms. She took her shoes off her swollen feet—she wasn't able to wear boots anymore—and sat down heavily on one of the armchairs in his study.
Numair sat next to her in another chair after starting a fire in the hearth. He told her about the classes he was teaching the pages, and she told him about Cloud, leaving out the two people in the stables. He didn't need to know everything about her day, especially if it would hurt him.
Suddenly, pain gripped Daine's stomach. She gasped, crying out in pain. It was as though her child was moving, but not in the way it had before. It was like the baby was trying to stand, kicking her stomach as hard as she could.
"Daine? What's wrong, love?" Numair asked, panicking. He knelt before her as she gripped the arms of the chair as tightly as she could. "Are you in labor?"
"No!" Daine managed. "Get. Alanna!"
Numair didn't leave her side. She was about to yell again when she saw him open a speaking spell in his hand. She couldn't hear what he said, however, because the baby moved again, and she screamed as it kicked her even harder than before.
A few agonizing minutes later, Alanna appeared at the door to the study. She let herself in, moving quickly to Daine's side.
Daine felt the Lioness's magic wash over her, then disappear as though it had never touched her.
Alanna sat back, a shocked expression temporarily stunning her.
"What? What is it?" Numair pestered her, becoming more and more alarmed.
"It's not labor, Numair. Relax." Alanna finally regained her composure. Daine gasped for air as the baby finally stopped kicking, for the moment.
"Relax? How can I relax? What's happening?" Numair exploded. Daine reached out toward him, taking his hand to reassure him.
"It seems as though the baby is…" Alana trailed off, as though uncertain.
"Is what?" Numair demanded urgently.
"Shape shifting," Alanna finished, meeting his eyes as another eruption of pain caused Daine to grip Numair's hand so tightly it hurt.
"That's impossible," Numair whispered, but Alanna could tell that he was already figuring it out in his mind.
"It does make sense, Numair," Alanna reminded him.
"And what can I do to help with the pain?" was Numair's next question, his concerned eyes on Daine once more.
Alanna let herself experience a moment of panic behind the man's back before she regained her composure and her calm tone.
"You don't have healing magic, Numair," Alanna reminded him as a lesser change made Daine wince uncomfortably. "But I do. I can help her with the pain a little, though each transformation will bring its own challenges. Daine, if you focus on the baby and not the pain, you can probably tell what shape it is."
As Daine concentrated, an idea—that, in retrospect seemed obvious—came to Alanna. "Daine, try shape shifting with the baby. That way, it won't hurt you too badly."
Daine nodded, sweat shining on her forehead. A moment later, a dog, well rounded with pregnancy, struggled free from Daine's baggy clothes and hopped down from the chair.
"Did that help?" Alanna asked the dog, as though nothing were unusual about the state of her patient.
The dog barked in response, before suddenly transforming into a small tabby cat. Alanna blinked, almost amused by the opposite shapes the child had chosen.
"She's going to be stubborn," she murmured to herself.
"What?" Numair asked, not looking away from Daine.
"Nothing," Alanna responded. "I'll stay for a little while to make sure that all goes well, and there aren't any problems. The babe should relax a little when you sleep, Daine, so you'll get some rest, though not as much as you'd probably like." The knight chuckled wryly, a scarce amount of humor in her voice as she continued. "I guess you could consider it a crash course in parenthood."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you all liked it! Review, please! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can