When Gwen awoke she was alone in the bed again, and not long after she'd sat up she found clothes in her size and favorite style laying beside her. It didn't take much to take the hint so she changed quickly in case someone needed her. As she stood and rolled out of her sleep funk she headed toward the door, rubbing her arms of goose bumps.
She needed to find Kevin first off, try to convince him to stay on Earth and get a pardon. She knew he wasn't a bad person, he just made a lot of mistakes and he was someone she knew meant well... most of the time at least.
As the door opened though she was faced with an irate naga, bags under his eyes and animal ears drooping as he whimpered slightly. "Gwen. I need your help." the bark in his voice was belittled by the whine on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, careful not to raise her voice in slight worry over the new father.
"The baby won't stop crying, Gorg can't really get up and try and calm him down, Kevin's being an ass and wants me to navigate when I have a newborn to watch over, Gorg is upset because she wants Unta to hold the baby, I-"
"I get it, stress. Hinu no likey." Gwen held her hands up as she walked out of the room and listened to the growl from the man behind her as he slithered after her. "What do you want me to do?" she asked gently, trying to calm him down.
"I... I don't know..." Hinu stopped, slumping against a wall. "I haven't slept in almost three days, I'm running on empty and can't even hold my mate for five minutes before he starts bitching like a Narvac!" the growl started up again.
Gwen sighed, patting him on the shoulder awkwardly before letting herself think the information over. "Ok, so I've got no idea what a Narvac is-"
"A creature as tall as your ankle and annoying as Kevin." Hinu interrupted, causing Gwen to snort to hold her laughter in. The older of the two let out a smile, resting his head on the wall as he rubbed one arm. "I'm sorry, go on."
Gwen smiled, nodding at him. "Anyway, I think I'll go help Gorg out with the baby, visit Unta and try fixing some stress there, and you can go argue with Kevin." she smiled as the growl evaporated and Hinu shook his head to clear his aggravation.
"Thank you, Ms. You've no idea how much this means to me." he muttered, slithering off past her as he headed to the control room. Gwen smiled, crossing her arms as she headed in another direction to Gorg's room, wondering how long this day would last until they got to Earth.
The mechanical door slipped open as she approached, walking into the room with a smile. "Morning Gorg. How're you feeling?" she asked the new mother as the naga moved a cover over her to hide the fact she was breast feeding.
"Morning Ms. Gwen. I'm sorry I couldn't get up to make you breakfast this morning. Hinu was worried all over this one, and all he wanted was breakfast." she smiled down into her arms. Gwen giggled a bit as she walked over, sitting on the bed beside the naga.
"Men right? Always over analyzing or over stressing things." she chuckled a bit, but Gorg only shook her head.
"Well not really dear. Hinu is always stressed, ever since... forever ago really. We'd been trying to have a baby for such a long time, when we found out there were complications he just broke down and cried. Don't tell him I told you though." Gorg gave a giggle and smiled, lifting the baby from her front and pulling her shirt down as she propped him to her shoulder and began patting his back.
"The secret is safe with me." Gwen said, moving her hands to zip over her mouth, "and I'm glad your maternal instincts tell you what to do. I'd have no idea how to take care of a baby." she smiled as she waved her fingers at the sleepy blue eyed infant. "I mean, all my friends say I'd be a great mother sure, but I just don't know sometimes."
Gorg smiled at the confession as the baby on her shoulder let out a gurgled burp, fussing as she moved him back into her arms. "I think you'd be a wonderful mother. You just get this feeling as soon as you hold them. 'That's my child, I'm his mother.'" Gorg cooed and let the infant cling to her finger as he gurgled.
"I dunno... I'm afraid to be a mother. I mean... what if I'm not good at it!" Gwen said, back to the headboard. Gorg laughed gently, smiling at the red head beside her.
"Hold out your arms." Gwen did so without question, only to protest as Gorg began sitting her infant in between them. "Now don't freak out. Babies are like wolves, they can smell your fear, and if you're afraid, they're afraid, and then they start crying. Mind his head." a few simple adjustments later and Gwen was staring down at the blond infant in her arms.
Itis squirmed a bit in the foreign arms until he finally found the perfect hold, relaxing as he looked up at the new woman he'd seen for the first time clearly. Gwen took in a sharp breath, finger stroking his cheek once as he gurgled again, a small smile across his face.
Both woman squealed in delight at his action,cooing over the child. "He's so precious!" Gwen nearly whispered, rocking the baby slowly in her arms.
"He's my little miracle with legs. The hardest part will be potty training. But I'm leaving that to Hinu." both women laughed again, softly admiring motherhood in its finest.
"You two really are the perfect couple. You even make adorable babies." Gwen commented, eyes still on the child as he yawned, arms stretching slowly.
"Thank you." Gorg blushed a bit, admiring her son as she relaxed in bed. "He looks like his daddy, really." she said, blushing a bit brighter. Gwen smiled, watching the baby fall asleep.
"Hey... Gorg. How did you know Hinu was the one?" Gwen blushed when she thought her words over, but Gorg only smiled.
"Oh, that's easy." she said gently, stretching her tail under the sheets.
"Really?" Gwen looked up, passing Itis back as he snuggled into his mother chest. Gorg nodded, watching her son.
"Yes. I remember, I had been beat up pretty badly by something, ultimately I'd won, but Hinu found me and nursed me back to health. After that he always threw a fit whenever I wanted to go outside. 'Don't do that, you'll just get hurt all over again!' He worried over that so much that one day I just got so upset I told him if he didn't leave me alone I'd push him off the balcony."
"And he left you alone then?" Gwen asked.
"Oh no, he kept on. I really did end up pushing him off the balcony. But when I got to the bottom I was so worried he'd gotten hurt, all I could think of was 'What have I done, I can't do this without him, please don't be hurt.' And from then on I just... I just knew." Gorg smiled softly to herself.
Gwen smiled back, looking at her hands as she folded them in her lap. "Sounds ironic..." it was all she could get out, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Her thoughts after hearing Gorg's words brought her back to her betrayal to Kevin, her idiocy toward her actions and how she did nothing but worry herself until she'd completely forgotten. She shivered at the thought, knowing something deeper was behind remembering those thoughts, but pushed it aside as she stood.
"Well Gorg, I say we head to Unta's room and I give this reverse mermaid trick another go, what about you?" and Gorg beamed, slowly rising onto her tail.
"It sounds delightful really. I need to get up and move around anyway. If not for you, Hinu would have me confined to that bed for weeks on end and I'd have forgotten how to slither." she distressed, cuddling her sleeping infant. Gwen smiled as she opened the door, following Gorg out of the room.
"I'm just trying to do all I can before I go home..." she admitted softly, shivering in the hall as she rubbed her arm and looked around. For once all the lights were on, the hall glowing with panels and the floor elegantly smoothed. By now Gwen had thought it was either a curtsy to the naga's or they'd simply smoothed it out with their tails after years of movement.
The bends and turns of the hallway were smoother and much easier to navigate in the light, but everything seemed almost tense in the air. Once inside Unta's room Gwen headed over to the tank, but first pulled a chair out and pointed to it as she looked at Gorg.
"As much as you're my friend, and I know you need to walk, I know nothing about Naga kind. Or... I used to, just don't remember." Gorg laughed, curling her tail around one of the legs of the chairs as she sat, lifting the baby as the mergirl pressed against the glass, cooing over her nephew.
Gwen smiled, standing at an angle beside the tank so Unta could still see her nephew. She sighed, relaxing on her feet as she ignored the noises around her, the tank filter, the ripple of snake coils, the baby talk and watery voice. She was ready to get this over with.
She shut it all out until it felt empty yet warm, like she was alone. She pulled her mana up to her closed eyes and hands, opening the bright pinkish glow as mana threads spread around the room. Gorg's were there, spiraling and thrashing against each other, several colors and tattered patterns in them.
Itis' thread, a mix of blue and gold but only one simple thread; and then she looked over to Unta. Everyone in the room was frozen under her spell it seemed, yet Unta's hair was still moving with the water current.
Her thread was hidden beneath layers of others, Gwen had thought so at least since all she could see were tangled mana knots. She pulled at one, slipping it out from the tangled group as it floated away, watching the webbing on Unta's hands and fingers seep back into her skin.
So this was how it worked?
She shivered, untangling more threads and watching each result, though one untangling nearly lead to Unta's hair color changing entirely, she quickly learned to hold the thread and then let go only after you see what it does. It felt like hours were spent yanking through tangles and pulling out wire like pieces of life.
Gwen soon began to feel afraid she wasn't doing the right thing when Unta's gills smoothed over and she was left with possible human lungs in a giant tank of water. Even though there was no sign of distress, she still couldn't help feeling like something was wrong.
After more string pulling she shivered, there was no longer a change in any of Unta's appearance and she felt she needed to stop. She slowly released her mana inwards again, blinking as Unta stopped her cooing and the world unfroze, opening her mouth to speak in a question before gasping and tossing her hand over her mouth.
"Crap!" Gwen threw a mana ring down into the water through the vent, pulling it off to pull the thrashing tail ridden girl up to the surface as she scraped at the top of the ceiling until Gwen could get enough air around Unta with her mana. Gorg stared, watching in silence as Unta clung to the top of tank, pushing at the glass to try and to get the latch at the ceiling to open.
"Hold on, you don't have legs yet!" Gorg squeaked, standing and slithering over as Gwen continued to hold the mergirl up.
"Legs! Legs why did I stop you need legs!" Gwen groaned, tossing her head back before Unta shrieked and she shook her head, keeping the girl above water.
"Can you fix her?" Gorg asked, reaching one hand up to her sister, the other keeping Itis clung to her.
"Hold on!" Unta squeaked, panting slightly as she looked up, unlatching the top and breaking it off, knocking it across the room. "Ok... Ok let me hold my nephew." she smiled, pushing her chest out through the opening and holding out her arms. Gorg sighed, a bright smile on her face as he held the baby up.
Unta nearly squealed in silent delight, cradling the newborn as he blinked up at her and cooed. "Oh Gorg. He's so beautiful." Unta cooed, her voice much more easier out of water.
The door flew open and Gwen jumped slightly, keeping Unta still as she turned to look at the intruder on the merriment. "Gwen, we're landing and Kevin is asking for you." it was all Hinu said at first, his eyes never leaving Gorg. "And why aren't you in bed?" he grumbled.
"Oh hush it Hinu, you can't keep them locked away forever. Besides, look at how cute he is! She had to show me." Unta said, her eyes never leaving the blond in her arms as she made faces to amuse him.
"Umm... can you tell Kevin to give me a minute?" Gwen asked gently, pointing to the fin still attached to Unta's lower half as it swished happily in the water. Hinu raised an eyebrow, sighing after a minute.
"Pass the baby back." he said, turning his gaze to Unta as he entered the room. She sighed sadly, nodding as she handed the baby back to Gorg with a wave of her fingers. Hinu slipped over to his mate then, arms around her as he smiled at his son.
"Ok, one more try." Gwen said with a smile.
"I thought you were going to lay off the chili products?" Edwin asked, sitting on the hood of the car as he sighed and watched Ben stuff his face with his fourth helping of chili fries that hour. Ben only chuckled though, walking over to sit beside Edwin as he pulled a napkin to his mouth and smiled.
"Well, I do kind of have to eat Eddie, and I'm starving so it's fine." he leaned over after wiping his mouth and stretched, kissing at Edwin's neck a few times.
"You'll regret it later." Edwin said gently, looking up at the sky with a drawn out sigh as he let the kisses move to his cheek.
"Will not, I'm starved right now." Edwin simply rolled his eyes, leaning against Ben as the ship above them maneuvered into sight, stirring up air again as it started to set down. The smaller ship behind it swerved mid-fall, landing a few feet away. The gush of air nearly blew away Ben's napkins as he sighed, snatching them up in agitation.
"This is why I don't like space ships landing in parks." Ben grumbled, watching as the ships aired themselves out. Edwin smiled, blushing as he scooted to the left and away from Ben, only to blush brighter as his boyfriend chuckled and pulled him close again.
"Ben don't, what about Gwen!" Edwin shivered a bit at the touch.
"Not until the door opens." Ben said with a smirk, but Edwin only rolled his eyes again and turned his face toward the space ship as the cargo hold dropped down and lowered to the grass.
Gwen stood there before the cargo hold, shooing people off before turning, soaking wet and glaring at a tall black haired male facing away from them as she screamed at him.
"Gwen!" Ben jumped to his feet quickly, running toward the hold as Edwin smiled and followed. Gwen looked up, holding up a finger as she turned, going back to her yelling. Ben smiled, running up the ramp and stopping dead as the black haired male turned with a twisted smirk.
"Ben!" Kevin chuckled out. Ben froze then, his eyes widening as Gwen raised an eyebrow before shrieking.
"Ben don't!" she screamed, running over to Kevin as she grabbed his shoulders, pulling him back as Ben reached for his watch and ran forward. A wall threw itself up between them though and Ben turned, glaring at the woman heading toward them.
"Hi Mrs. Verdona." Edwin said in a nervous wave, grabbing onto Ben's arm.
"Back off, you are not hurting my grand baby." Verdona said in a harsh tone, her hair trails whipping static into the air.
"Grandma for the last time I am NOT pregnant!" Gwen shrieked, only to have Kevin chuckle as Ben turned on him, slamming the watch down. An error noise went up and he looked back down in confusion.
"What did you do Kevin? Gwen get away from him!"
"Kiddo I know you're not pregnant." Verdona said, smiling as she strengthened the wall.
"Then... I am not having his babies in the future either! One time does not mean we're dating!" Gwen snapped, pushing Kevin in the shoulder.
"At least let us come out as a couple first." Kevin earned a hard slap to the back of his head as Edwin grabbed Ben by his arms even tighter. The brunette struggled though, trying to throw the other off with a snarl.
"What did you do to my cousin?" he shouted out.
"I said STOP!" Verdona whipped her hair trails where the shield once was, Edwin holding Ben in place and Gwen holding Kevin. "Ben you need to think before you leap! What are you going to do if the baby gets hurt?" she cooed the last bit.
"... What?" Edwin turned, going white at the look Verdona gave him.
"Ha ha grandma. Let me-wait baby. That's not funny." Ben said, narrowing his eyes. "Gwen would never-"
"Not Gwen, dear. You." Verdona said, hands on her hips. "You're the one that's pregnant." she cooed.