1.
Felix woke at his usual time, his internal clock always set, even on vacation. He lay there for a few minutes, trying to decide if he wanted to get up or just be lazy. His flu had made him lethargic, but he sensed that was getting better. Magdalane slept on beside him, peaceful and relaxed. He worried about her, the whole baby thing was getting to her, whether she would admit that or not. She wasn't used to not accomplishing things she set out to do, he thought, and even though she was patient by nature, he could tell she was becoming worried over their so-far inability to conceive. Not that he hadn't done his part, he thought with a grin. Aric was certainly right about that part, he thought. He wondered if anyone else was at their home base right now. That might help Mags relax, he mused.
Mags was dreaming, but not really sure if it was a dream or a vision, it was really hard to tell. In her dream/vision, she was holding a baby boy with dark hair and brown eyes. He was a beautiful baby, too, the card on the table beside her said he weighed nine pounds at birth. Wonder who you belong to, she thought as she cradled the infant. There was something very serene about this baby, she noticed, like he completed a circle of some sort.
When she opened her eyes, Mags saw that Felix was awake, and she told him about the dream/vision. She told him again about the force pulse she felt the evening before as well, and Felix noted that she was less anxious than she'd been for months. Her force arua was clear and he didn't feel the desperation he'd felt lately in it as it flowed through him from their joined hands.
"So the baby in the dream/vision wasn't ours, but somebody we know?" he asked her. She nodded, pleased he'd understood her scrambled retelling. "Are you worried, hon, that we'll never have one?"
"No, not really," she told him. "I was, until I realized that there are so many children who deserve a home. If we can't make one, we can always adopt one, assuming you're on board with that, or start the medical procedures. I don't know, I just know that what is meant to be will happen, and I'm really trying to stop obsess about it."
He looked at her with a new respect. "I'm glad, sweetheart. I hate it when you're upset and anxious, I can feel it swirling around you, and it worries me." He pulled her over to hug him, and they decided to enjoy the first morning of their vacation in bed.
2.
Miriah woke later than she usually did, and remembered the events of the day before. She ran her hands down her sides, wondering if anyone could really see the changes she felt already. She stretched carefully, reaching beside her for her husband, but he'd already gotten up. Disappointed, she flopped back onto her pillow. I love this house, she thought, and I never thought I would like anywhere but my ship. She drifted off in thought, thinking about which room to redo, and how to place things, and making lists in her head of things she wanted to research. She'd just gotten to furniture when Corso brought her breakfast, tiptoeing in to make sure if she were still sleeping he wouldn't wake her up.
"Morning, sunshine," he said softly, placing the tray of food on the table across from the bed. He crossed to her and kissed her.
"You're up early," she told him. "Big plans today?"
"Nope, just being with you. The crew is making plans though. Akaavi and Risha want to go shopping with you. I guess we need to tell them about the baby though, because Rish is thinking of a girl's night, and she'll know if you're not drinking."
She smiled at him, an intense feeling of wellbeing surging through her. She'd not been feeling sick except occasionally, thank the stars. She remembered poor Maura telling her about episodes of all day nausea. She reached out and ran her hand over Corso's cheek, seeing that he looked a little tired already. "Did you not sleep well, love? You look a little tired." He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I tried, but there were just too many things going on in my head," he told her, "like, you didn't say when he'll be here so I didn't know how much time I have to get things ready." He grinned at her, unable to keep a smile from his face. "We'll get to it, I know, but first you need to eat." He got up and brought the tray to her. Pancakes, with tiny chocolate chips, and fresh fruit. She grinned up at him.
"Looks great," she told him, "thanks, sweetie." She took only a few bites when she knew she couldn't eat any more, not right now. She turned to him and he saw the pallor and odd look on her face. He quickly removed the food from her sight and reached over to the table, grabbing a small tin of crackers.
"How did you know?" she asked him.
"That particular shade of green is pretty distinctive," he said, "and Maura told me once that crackers were the only thing she could tolerate for weeks in the mornings." She stood up shakily, holding onto him for balance, and turned to hug him. He could feel her tremors, but they were subsiding.
"Let's go tell the crew," she told him, and he chuckled.
"You might want to put clothes on first," he said. "Or this." He handed her robe to her, and they walked out to the dining room.
Risha picked up that there was something going on, just from the fact that Miriah had just gotten up. When she told them, and all the congratulations and cheers had settled, Risha snapped her fingers and pointed at the captain.
"I should have realized when you were standing in the kolto tank in a cami and leggings. I asked you if you wanted a warmer shirt, and you said no. First time I've ever known you to not be cold on the ship." She smiled. "I have some news too, since we're all here. I'm engaged!" Risha bounced around the table to hug Miriah, who smiled at her friend. The guy she'd been seeing had convinced her to give it a try.
"Excellent, Risha!" Miriah told her. "I'm happy for you! Wow, a big day. We should have a celebration dinner later." Corso frowned at her, wanting her to rest but knowing this was one of those impulses that he needed to back away from.
"Don't worry, Dad," Risha teased him. "We'll all help, we won't let her overdo things." She rolled her eyes at him, and he blushed, knowing she'd seen the look on his face. Miriah excused herself to get dressed, and when she practically ran to their room, Risha looked at Corso. "Morning sickness?"
"Guess so," he responded. "Maybe I better see if she needs anything." He started after her, but Risha grabbed his arm.
"Corso, you're the perfect guy for her, and you'll be a perfect dad, too." She smiled at him, which didn't happen often. "You tell me whatever she needs, or wants. Between us, we'll make it happen, okay?" He nodded at her, and hurried to see about his wife.
He found her sitting at the foot of their bed, wiping her face with a cool wet cloth, her color returning to normal even as she looked dazed. Wow, that came on fast, she thought, I felt fine earlier and now wish I could just go back to bed. "I'll be ok," she reassured Corso, who looked a little dazed himself. She pulled on some soft stretchy pants and one of his shirts, which could've served as a dress it was so big on her. She just brushed her long black hair and left it down. C2 had already made their bed, so she took the soft knitted throw from the bench at the foot of it and walked slowly to the couch, afraid to move too quickly. Corso followed her, worry evident on his face.
"It's just the pregnancy," she told him, "I'm about seven weeks along, so early next spring is when he'll be born. I did the scan and took video, it's on the scanner in the med room." She smiled when he jumped to his feet to get it, anxious to see his son for the first time. She needed to make an appointment at Carrick Station with the flight doc there, and she really needed new clothes, and tell Mags, but first, she thought, I really need a nap. She was asleep before Corso returned, curled up on the couch.
3.
Maura was struggling to stay awake, the past couple of days catching up to her. By early afternoon, they still hadn't gotten mission orders, and she found Aric asleep in the floor with the twins. He was lying on his stomach, the twins draped across his back. Now that they were rolling and crawling a little, they enjoyed having company on their blanket. Calleigh, her daddy's girl, had her head on Aric's, while Colin was stretched out in the middle of his back. She sneaked back to grab her holocam, thinking this would be a perfect picture to show around.
Elara had gone into town to shop, and Maura felt herself drawn to the couch, just to rest for a bit. It had been a busy month, Havoc squad running all over the galaxy. Now that things were slowing on the war front, they'd been doing more humanitarian missions, which suited her just fine. She heard her data pad beep, and saw the message from Garza's assistant: no mission for a couple of days, they had permission to wait on Dantooine. She sighed with relief, the babies loved it here and so did she. She sent the note to both Elara and Tanno, inviting Vik to come down from the ship to stay here, before she closed her eyes again. The rain had stopped and it was a beautiful day out, maybe I'll take the twins for a walk later, she thought. Her last thought before sleep was of Miriah, and it made her smile.