Hey guys! I must warn you: don't read this chapter if you have a heart disease! Also, there are some graphic descriptions ahead. Beware.
Hint #2 for my next fic: It'll be based on a Beyoncé song. I'll let you guess which one.
Six months later...
"Oh my God, Ali, stop with that hairspray!" - Aria took the tin out of the bride's hands. Today was the awaited day when Emily and Alison were tying the knot. Once Alison proposed to her, Emily was eager to settle a wedding date. As they only wanted a civil celebration, not a religious one, it was easy to set a date… but it didn't make things easier for the brides.
"I just want everything to be perfect" - Ali reapplied her red lipstick for the hundredth time.
"You know Emily would marry you even if you wore dirty underwear" - Aria teased and then Ali became apprehensive.
"Is my lingerie appropriate?" - The blonde freaked out and tried to look under her dress.
"Ali, this is not the time!" - Aria snapped. Really, being a bridesmaid was a really tough job - "You'll ruin your dress, your nails, and your makeup!"
They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door - "Hey, how's it going?" - Spencer popped her head in.
"Ali won't stop putting her makeup on!" - Aria whined.
"I just want to look perfect for my Mermaid!" - Ali replied in an almost childish tone.
"You already look perfect, Ali" - Spencer tried to convince her.
"God, this is unnerving" - The blonde hid her face in her hands - "What was I thinking when I proposed to her?"
"Are you having second thoughts, Ali?" - Spencer defied.
"You were thinking that having Emily as your wife would be breathtaking" - Aria remembered her exact words from six months ago - "Think about how beautiful Emily will be when you meet her at the altar. Think about your son inside her womb. Think about how much these vows mean to you"
Ali breathed softly at the mention of her son. Two months ago, she and Emily found out that there was a baby boy growing inside Emily's womb. As they'd always imagined parenting a baby girl, they had no name ideas for the boy. All they knew is that his middle name would be Wayne, in honor of Em's father, and his surname would be Fields, as Alison would give up being a DiLaurentis after their marriage (and who wouldn't want to dissociate from that family?).
After many discussions, they settled on a rather pompous name: Maximilian, coming from Massimiliano, Ali's long lost uncle from Italy. While Spencer and Aria held curious gazes when they first heard the name, Hanna was worried that she wouldn't even be able to pronounce her godson's name. Therefore, everyone settled on calling the little boy by Max.
"You're right. I have to do this" - Ali sighed.
Spencer just rolled her eyes - "I'll check on your bride"
Emily's situation wasn't much different. She was beyond agitated, trying to hear any piece of news from Ali. Old fears stirred inside the brunette and she was scared that Alison was going to leave her on the altar, that everything was just another of the blonde's game and that she was going to be left alone with a baby to look after.
"Emily, be still!" - Hanna hissed while she was trying to do the vet's hair.
"What if Ali decides she doesn't want to go through a marriage?" - Emily anxiously muttered, feeling Max as agitated as her inside her womb.
There was a soft knock on the door and Spencer came in - "Hey Em, how are you doing?"
"She's freaking out!" - Hanna answered for her - "She thinks that Ali is gonna leave her on the altar!"
"You know how Ali is, Hanna" - Emily replied.
"Ok, Emily, stop it!" - Spencer ordered, tired of her friends' pre-wedding crisis - "Alison is freaking out as much as you"
"Please tell me how Aria managed that" - Hanna begged.
"Keep babbling about little Max and you'll do the trick" - The attorney advised and went out to check on the wedding's last details. She had just given birth four months ago, but she couldn't stay out of action… at least not when her friends needed her, of course!
After that, Hanna continued to comb Emily's hair until Emily hissed and the blonde accidentally pulled her hair.
"Ouch!"
"I told you to keep still!" - The blonde reprehended.
"It was not you, Hanna!" - Emily cried and put her hand on her bump - "It was Max. He's never kicked this hard before"
"Then try to calm down for him! He's agitated because you're agitated!"
"I'll try, okay?" - She whined - "Only Ali can calm him down when he's like this" - Emily says and remembers how Alison sang softly to them when Max kicked her during the night, how her voice always seemed to put him at ease and, mostly, Emily remembers her girlfriend's (soon-to-be wife's) kisses on her belly and that makes her heart desperate.
"Tell him to wait until the marriage… and after the honeymoon, preferably" - Hanna smirks.
"Hanna!" - She scolds and receives another kick from Max not so long after.
A few hours later, Alison is already waiting for her bride-to-be on the altar. Before the ceremony, it had been decided that the blonde would be the who would be waiting mainly because Emily is pregnant and shouldn't be standing anxiously for too long.
"What's taking her so long?!" - Ali hisses in anxiety and almost lets her bouquet fall onto the ground.
"Brides are always late" - Toby smirked at Spencer.
"Hey!" - The brunette whined - "I was not that late!"
"Yes, you were" - Alison vividly recalled standing up for half an hour in high heels while she waited for Spencer to arrive in the last minute.
They were interrupted by Hanna rushing into the room - "The bride is coming!" - And she went to her place on the altar.
Then, Alison looked at the threshold and watched the most heavenly scene in her entire life: her Emily walking down the aisle arm in arm with her father in a military suit. Her mermaid was astonishingly beautiful: her lacy white wedding dress hugged each curve of her pregnant body and a few strands of her black hair were graciously tied together behind her back with flowers adorning it. She carried in hands another bouquet, strikingly similar as Alison's.
When Emily spotted Alison, her whole world stopped. She could've seen her friends' faces twirling into wide smiles. She could've noticed her father's proud grin. She could've heard little Chloe and Tina squealing "Look, auntie Emmy is finally gonna marry auntie Ali!". Emily could've noticed all those little things around her, but it was as if she was hypnotized by something superior as if just one thing mattered in the world and that was Alison.
Alison. The way her azure eyes sparkled in joy when their glances met across the room. Her champagne dress shining like diamonds. Her angelical blonde curls. Emily knew that this was one of the happiest moments in her entire life as she walked slowly, never wanting it to the end. It was her fifteen-year-old-self dream come true. Had she known she would eventually find her happy ending, she would've never let A or any of her insecurities get in the way between her and Ali. Some things were just meant to be, like she and her wife (she'd better get used to saying this). They were soulmates.
Then, Max kicked her hard on the rib, clearly still agitated, and made her stumble.
"Emmy, are you okay?" - Her father asked with concern.
"Yes, I'm fine, it's just..." - Max kicked her harder this time and she fell to the floor. Suddenly, she felt a huge amount of liquid drip between her legs. Panic rushed through her as everybody in the room eyed her with worry - "I think that my water broke"
Alison had to hold onto Aria to prevent from fainting. However, there was no time for shock, as Wayne carried Emily to his car and people began to prepare for a possible, yet unexpected, delivery.
Once chaos took place, the wedding was immediately interrupted. Alison rushed to join Wayne and Pam as they were going to take her to the hospital. Spencer, Toby, Jason, and Cece stayed behind to deal with the practical details of the end of the wedding. Ashley and Ella took James Cavanaugh, Chloe and Tina to Hanna's house, with Spencer joining them not so long after so she could take care of her four-months-old son. Hanna, Aria, Caleb and Ezra all went to the Fitz house to change clothes before going to Emily and Ali's house to pick up stuff for them and for Max. Once it was done, they ran to the hospital.
As soon as Emily arrived there, she was informed that she was going to have a labor, as her condition could make it easier for Max to catch an infection and, therefore, put both of their lives at stake. As Emily endured some contractions (the worst pain she's ever had in her entire life), Hanna and the rest of the crew arrived there and gave Alison a bag with more casual clothes. Not that it was extremely comforting at the moment, but being in a jeans and a T-Shirt was slightly more functional than being in a wedding dress.
Then, Emily was charged into the delivery room and Alison wondered how the happiest moment of her life had so quickly shifted into one of the tensest. Emily was only seven months, which meant that Max was going to be premature. What would be the consequences of this to him? What about Emily? Nevertheless, she stood by the brunette's side and held her hand, suppressing a hiss when Emily crushed her hand on her first push. Nothing happened.
"Come on, baby, you can do it" - She encouraged.
"This is a lot worse than I thought it would be" - Emily cried on her second push. Still, nothing happened.
Emily kept trying, but the baby wasn't coming out. That was when her doctor made a decision – "We might need to have an assisted birth" - She told Emily to stop pushing and put her hand on her bump to examine the baby's position - "It's possible, but we won't proceed unless we have your permission" - The doctor looked at Emily and Alison.
Ali shifted her gaze to Emily. Of course, she'd rather a natural birth, but she didn't want Emily or Max to be in pain. Still, it was Emily's body, and Alison would stand by each and every decision she'd make. On the other hand, Emily was more concerned about her baby than anything else. All she wanted to do was cradle her baby boy in her arms and feel his soft skin against hers - "You can do this"
The doctor nodded and picked up one metallic instrument - "As your baby is less than 34 weeks old, it won't be possible for us to use a ventouse. We'll go for a forceps, is that okay?"
"Yes" - Emily and Alison nodded at the same time and the brunette hissed one second later due to another contraction.
"You'll be given pain relief and we'll need to carry out an episiotomy, which is a cut in your perineum to enlarge your vagina" - Ali's blood ran cold when she heard that word and her heart winced at the thought of Emily being mutilated like this. She knew it was for the greater good and that the brunette wouldn't feel a thing (at the moment at least), but it still broke her.
"Okay" - Emily only nodded.
"Also, the forceps might leave some red marks on your baby's face, but they will disappear in a week or so" - The doctor informed and Emily just nodded. She just wanted this procedure to end - "If your baby isn't born after three pushes, we'll have to carry out a caesarean.
The procedures were carried out and the doctor put the forceps delicately around Max's skull. Emily was allowed to resume pushing. One push. Nothing. Another push. Nothing. Emily knew she only had one last shot before a caesarean and she didn't want to be cut again. She looked at Ali, her face exhausted with trying, and the blonde held her hand tightly and gave her a confident look.
"I love you, Em" - She said those magical words and then Emily's strength gathered together with all of her being as she prepared for her last push. She knew she would do it. She just knew. So, she clung tightly to Ali's hand and pushed one last time, breathing out the very last oxygen of her lungs. Then, she heard a soft cry and a joyful smile crept on her face.
"It's born!" - Alison squealed and Emily was now sure she wasn't dreaming. Her baby boy was there already. But then she saw no more as she fainted from exhaustion.
Emily woke up to the sound of a scribbling pen. She opened her eyes slowly, pouring more strength in that gesture than she thought she need. Then, she heard the sound of footsteps towards her bed and the blurry image of golden locks approaching her.
"Emily! You woke up!" - Suddenly, Alison was by her side holding her hand and, from the way she sounded, her girlfriend sounded more than worried.
"Ali..." - Then she remembered her labor, her baby, the episiotomy and the forceps and, God, where is her son? - "Please, tell me Max's alright!"
"Your baby is fine, Ms. Fields" - The doctor chimed in - "As he was premature, he's at the neonatal unit right now. He was only 30 weeks old, which means that not all organs are totally functional. He needs to bulk up before you're able to touch him, but I assure you that it will be possible in two days or so"
"I see..." - Emily didn't know if she was relieved that Max was okay or unnerved because she couldn't hold her newborn baby.
"Why did it happen so early? I mean… the labor?" - Alison asked, brushing the back of Emily's hands with her thumb.
"It could be because any number of reasons or it could have no reason at all" - The doctor explained - "You have Asian ancestry, right, Emily?"
"Yes" - Emily answered - "Filipino in both sides"
"This could be a factor" - The doctor murmured pensively - "There's not a reason for this, but Filipinos are more prone to having premature babies than women from other nationalities. It's genetic"
Emily felt her heart crack at those words. It was her fault that Max was born prematurely. It was her womb. Her body. Her genes. Had she known this before, she would've suggested they adopted a baby instead of having one. She wouldn't force Alison to carry an egg when the blonde said that she wasn't ready for it. But it was too late now: she'd have to endure a painful healing whereas Max was going to stay far away from her until he was strong enough to only bear the touch of human skin.
"Well, you are allowed to see your baby from the glass any time you want" The doctor headed for the door - "You can always call if you need anything" - And she left Emily to mourn all alone in her own world.
As soon as her legs had enough strength to walk, Emily got up and went to watch Max from the glass. God, she hadn't even seen his little face after the birth! She really hoped that the hospital put name tags on its incubator because she really had no idea of how Max looked like. This was beyond embarrassing.
"Emily, slow down!" - Alison was suddenly by her side, ready to assist her if needed, but the vet was having none of this - "You're still recover..."
"Alison, I'm perfectly capable of walking down the aisle, thank you!" - She snapped and shoved the blonde away, ignoring the sting between her legs as she rushed to the glass. Quickly scanning through the tags, she found one named Fields. The baby was slightly almond-eyed, was lightly tanned and had thin black hair.
"Max!" - Emily pressed her forehead against the glass and cried in both elation, for seeing her son, and agony, for the fact that he was all wired up in an incubator. She wanted so much to hold him, to touch his skin and to kiss his face… - "Max..."
"He's got your hair and the shape of your eyes" - Alison embraced her from behind, resting her chin on the crook of her neck.
"Have you seen him already?"
"As you fainted, they gave him to me and I named him. He's tiny, very tiny… but healthy as well"
"It's all my fault" - Emily let the tears cascade down her face - "Maybe I should've worked less or eaten more or maybe I shouldn't have got pregnant at all because I have bad genes!"
Alison lifted her chin delicately and made her look into her azure eyes, so beautiful, so expressive, so magnetic… Oh, how she wished Max had the same blue eyes! - "It's not your fault" - The blonde murmured - "You had a normal pregnancy, Emily. Nothing pointed out to an early labor before your water broke"
"Maybe it's just my bad genes then" - The vet shrugged darkly.
"You've got amazing genes" - Much to their surprise, Emily chuckled - "I'm glad that Max looks a lot like you than me"
"I just want him to be fine" - Emily whispered quite dreamily against the glass.
"He is fine" - Alison kissed her cheek and said - "I know that it's horrible to see him like this. I was there when the nurses wired him up and I almost strangled one of them until she told me that he was okay, that he's just being monitored. She also said that he's quite strong for a preemie"
Emily allowed her woman's warmth to crash down on her and relaxed against the blonde - "Good"
"He's a warrior, Emily" - Alison gently spun her around by the hips - "Just like you and me" - And then the blonde pressed their foreheads together, keeping their moment chaste at the same time she didn't want to push too far.
Emily reached for Ali's cheeks and caressed the soft skin with the pads of her thumbs, losing herself in the blue of Alison's eyes - "What is his eye color?"
"His eyes are blue, but they'll probably darken with time" - Alison answered rationally.
"They won't" - Emily assured - "He'll have your eyes"
Alison chuckled - "It's kinda impossible, you know"
"I don't care. He'll always have your eyes to me" - Emily moved her thumbs to Ali's eyelids and waited for the blonde to close them before brushing them with her fingers and kissing them softly. Those blue eyes fluttered as Alison opened them only to shut them down again as she leaned to close the distance between them. They shared a chaste kiss – a kiss they didn't share on their wedding – and Emily was lost again in the undying love she had for this woman who held her so lovingly, whose eyes could guide her through the darkest darkness.
"Let me take you back to your room" - Ali guided her back to the hospital bed. They had some trouble in sharing such a tiny mattress, but Alison didn't care as she let Emily curl up against her. This day had been too insane: her woman had gone through labor, her son was born and she still wasn't married (forget about the honeymoon).
Three days later and Emily and Alison were waiting expectantly for their first opportunity to hold little Max. The nurse had specifically asked for them to wear clothes which are easy to remove (not that Emily would have much of a choice, but anyway…). It appeared that they were going to do skin-to-skin contact kangaroo-style. Emily found the name funny, but she couldn't wait to hold her baby.
On the other hand, Alison was feeling slightly nervous about it. What if she doesn't feel anything at all for Max? What if the warmth she felt once he was born was nothing more than a rush of the moment? What if Emily saw in her eyes that she was incapable of feeling empathy for her own son?
She must've spent too much time thinking because the nurse arrived at their room sooner than ever with Max in her arms. Emily almost jumped off the bed from excitement as the nurse told her to strip off her gown and handed her a large piece of cloth, which would be wrapped around Emily's back.
Emily received Max with open arms. He was indeed very tiny, but he looked healthy enough and his skin was incredibly soft. The forceps mark on his face was also fading, which Emily deemed as a good sign - "My beautiful boy. Mom is so happy to see you" - Her mouth broke into her purest smile ever as Max, currently very much awake, inspected her. He seemed to recognize her voice, but Emily felt that he was still holding back as if he was looking for someone else.
Those eyes, though. They were the exact same shade as Ali's. He had her nose as well. Emily watched in awe as she counted all his Ali-ish features, including her thin wavy hair. Max didn't share Ali's genes, but he was nurtured with her love. Emily wondered if this had anything to do with the miracle that unraveled in her arms.
"He's definitely got your eyes" - Emily murmured as she felt Max relax against her heartbeat as soon as he recognized it. Alison smiled softly in return, but shied away nevertheless, not wanting to interrupt this sacred moment.
Max began to wave his hands, trying to reach out to something. Emily offered him her finger and he quickly closed his hand around it as he moved his mouth, grunting unintelligible sounds. He released her finger and put his hands on her chest as he tried to hunt for something. Emily guided him to her breast and let his finger wander through her skin as she prepared to feed him for the first time. Her baby boy apparently was very hungry because he didn't take long to place Emily's nipple in his mouth and suckle her.
"That's it, my prince" - "She kissed the top of his head and felt like she was the most accomplished woman ever. She had a good job, an amazing wife/girlfriend, incredible friends and now she had the most beautiful baby around the globe. All her dreams came true, as impossible as they sounded when she was younger.
Max let go of her breast, but his blue eyes kept wandering through her face as if he was still looking for something. His eyelids were heavy, but his determination was so great that he fought against sleep. Emily looked around and found Alison yielding the proudest smile ever. Only then did it click on her mind: Max wanted Alison. She was the one who welcomed him into the world. She was his first sight, his first smell, his first touch. And, even though he was still a newborn, Max could clearly tell Emily and Alison apart, understanding that he needed both of them.
"Max wants to see you, Ali" - Emily smiled softly.
"M-Me?" - Alison staggered - "I-I don't know if this is a good idea, Em, y-you're the one who carried him and..."
"It's important for the other parent to bond with the baby also" - The nurse pointed out - "Come on, girl, don't be shy!"
Alison reluctantly took off her shirt and her bra and sat on the bed next to Emily. The brunette handed Max to her and she cradled him with extreme care, afraid that she was going to hurt him or drop him somehow. She let Max rest his head on her chest, but he just stood there, listening to her heartbeat.
"I-I think he's not used to me" - She bit her lip and tried to hide her disappointment.
"He doesn't know your heartbeat" - Emily smiled confidently to her - "Sing to him, Ali. He recognizes your voice"
And she began to sing softly to Max, feeling him relax as he listened to her voice. His hands went to her chest and he found her breast and tried to suckle her. Ali laughed quietly - "There's nothing coming from here, little man" - Max seemed to notice that and let go of her nipple. His little hands reached out to her as if he was asking for some kind of contact somehow, and she offered him her finger. He immediately took it and began to breathe softly against her chest. Two minutes later and he had fallen asleep.
Alison handed him back to Emily so she could hold him a little longer - "It seems that you calm him down"
"I've done nothing, really" - Ali humbly replied as her feelings for Max bubbled inside of her.
"You're gonna be a great mom, my love" - Emily murmured and kissed Ali softly, their first kiss with Max in her arms.
Moments later, with Max still around, there was a soft knock on their door.
"Come in!" - Ali allowed and, suddenly, the room was filled with all their close friends, including Spencer and her baby.
"Max is so cute!" - Chloe and Tina squealed.
"What are you doing here, guys?" - Emily quirked her brow.
"Well" - They exchanged joyful looks - "As you had to run away from your marriage, we decided to bring your marriage to you" - Hanna smirked as a celebrant emerged and Chloe and Tina came up with two wedding bands. And, finally, Emily and Alison became wife and wife.
Next chapter: Emison honeymoon (finally!)
Reviews:
pllrose: Brace your hearts! :P
Dragoncila: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this one
ohhcarol13: Somebody gotta keep up with the fluff
Guest 1: Thanks!
I coul ship that: Did you like the surprise? Lmao
: Thanks!
Ash: Haha, thanks! Now I have projects week and it's killing me.
shallbore: Thanks! Next chapter will feature a sneak peek from my next fic
Anna: Thanks!
mb168: Thanks!
Guest 2: Lol, relax, guest! Nobody will have cancer, haha. Ali was just in pain because Emily tackled her hard onto the ground.
Guest 3: Gracias. Tienes suerte que pude actualizar este fic un poco más temprano. Perdón, español no es mi fuerte! Lol
Reviews from Videotape:
Guest: "A set us up!" - As if A didn't do that all the time, lol. And Caleb's pc did not cooperate, hahaha.