A/N: So I have no idea where this came from. Also, Happy Easter everybody!
Prompt – Surprise
"Oh, you are never touching me again you blighted little son of a nug humping Chasind hedge witch!" Hawke spat out, practically crushing Genesis' hand in hers as she strove to push an overdue baby out of a hole that quite frankly hadn't been expecting visitors.
She was sweating profusely, her hair plastered to her face and her cheeks flushed with pain and exertion. Genesis was white as a sheet and looking absolutely terrified. Fortunately he was too panicked about the pain his wife was in to mind the litany of insults and the loud declarations of never ever having sex again, which on any other evening would have guaranteed his attention.
This wasn't a situation either had expected to find themselves in.
Hawke had grown up determined not to have children. Any offspring she did have were likely to be mages, and she'd rather not have any at all then risk them falling victim to Templars or demons. When she'd grown from a cautious child to a confident woman she started to notice the smiling mothers and pregnant woman around her but it had never struck her as something that might feature in her own future.
Life moved on and the Qunari stormed Kirkwall. Hawke boldly stood up to them. She answered the Arishok's challenge and fought him head on before a crowd of blood splattered nobles. After a parry that didn't quite work out she was skewered right through the abdomen and smashed against a stone pillar by a 10 foot tall Qunari. Victory was hers anyway, but not by much.
Anders nursed her broken body back to health. Seeing the damage sustained he told her in no uncertain terms that she would never have children. She was no fool; the sorrow in his eyes was as much for the loss of his imagined future as it was her own. In a city that was more of a warzone then a home, she couldn't bring herself to regret the loss.
When Professor Hollander told her she was pregnant she had laughed in his face.
Genesis had scowled.
SOLDIERs, more often than not, were infertile. Something about the mako injections played havoc with their reproductive abilities. Given Genesis' unusual genetic makeup and increased mako levels he was almost certainly completely infertile.
The accusations he levelled were vicious and met head on by a frazzled Hawke who despite her confusion wasn't about to take his insults, let alone the accusations.
The resulting screaming match had Hollander fleeing the lab just in time to evade the fireballs and lightning bolts and summoned comets and entropic wisps of corroding magic that tore apart a good chunk of the science department.
When the dust cleared and emotions were reigned in from world-breaking to merely murderous, they requested a paternity test for the unborn child. Hawke made her opinion on the subject very clear.
"And when you get it through your thick skull that I'm not cheating on you, you'd better hope Angeal has an extra bed because we're sure as the void not sleeping under the same roof. And if I ever do let you into the house again, you'll be sleeping on the couch for the next decade."
Genesis did not deign to answer, keeping his expression cold and unforgiving. On the inside he desperately hoped that he was wrong. And if he was, he hoped she wouldn't go through with her threats. Previous experience did not make the latter seem likely.
The test results declared that Hawke was indisputably pregnant with Genesis' child.
He was duly remorseful for his accusations. After much apologizing and outright pleading Hawke deigned to let him sleep on the couch.
The fallout from their explosive fight lasted only as long as it took them to truly realise that they were seven months away from being parents. Under the circumstances Genesis was allowed back into his own bedroom and Hawke was smitten all over again at the awed expression on his face as he traced her slowly growing belly.
"Hurry along little one." he murmured, kissing the small bump that held a growing life he had helped to make. "We are eager to meet you."
Hawke had something in her eye. Why was everything so dusty all of a sudden?
Everyone else was overjoyed. Angeal was thrilled for them, Aerith and Zack cooed appropriately, and Sephiroth actually smiled. Genesis' mother spoke to Hawke without even gritting her teeth.
Genesis' slightly unhinged fan base continued in their mission to make Hawke's life hell, though some of the far too keen fan girls thought the pregnancy was adorable. There were several who didn't. A few of the less pleasant ones found themselves in hospital after antagonizing an emotional Hawke and then spontaneously developing a number of very colourful bruises and electrical burns.
The question still stood as to how they could have conceived a child at all but Genesis' newly discovered protective side wouldn't let Shinra's scientists anywhere near his pregnant wife. Their best guess was that Aerith's healing potion had presumably fixed whatever needed fixing. They had both been thoroughly doused in it, who knew what it had tinkered with?
As the date approached Genesis wouldn't let Hawke go monster hunting. Or at least, he tried to not let her go monster hunting. Eventually it was decided that she could fight (within reason) until her fourth month, at which point she would simply have to make do with the Virtual Reality training rooms. If that wasn't adequate then she would just have to get over it because Genesis could be far more stubborn than Hawke when given sufficient reason.
The months passed in a flash. Bizarre cravings became common place. Genesis nearly pulled his hair out in frustration when Hawke decided she absolutely needed to have nug stew with elfroot sauce. Fortunately that passed and the due date steadily approached.
Hawke continued to grow until she could have sworn there was room for three in there. Genesis paled and told her not to joke about such things. A check-up verified that there was only one baby on its way, much to the relief of both parents. The doctor said it was going to be a girl.
There were some who thought the gender disappointing but nobody with sense mentioned any such thing in Hawke's presence. Genesis' reaction was absolute delight and the few months left were spent in arguing over baby names.
Despite the rocky start and countless arguments the two almost parents found themselves growing closer than ever. Falling asleep each night with his hands resting over her swollen belly always put a smile on Genesis' face. Hawke never stopped being moved by his devotion to her and the child she was brewing up.
Then the moment of truth finally came. All the waiting, scheming, yelling, fretting, and planning came down to this. Directly after a lazy dinner in the late afternoon sun, their daughter decided she was ready to be unleashed upon the world. It was time for her grand entrance.
Everything happened in a whirlwind of frenzied people getting out of the way and Hawke noting that this was exactly as painful as everyone had said. She couldn't even begin to express how grateful she was that she wasn't giving birth back in Thedas. As much as she loved her homeland, the land of antiseptics and actual hospitals was a much better place to be going into labour.
Not that there was any ideal spot to be going through such ridiculous amounts of pain, she idly thought as her battle hardened mind tried to compartmentalize the agony. Several hours later any such attempts at containing the pain had been thoroughly defeated. Andraste's rotten ashes, this was bloody painful.
Hawke screamed.
Genesis blanched.
She squeezed his hand and did her level best not to let her magic discharge and electrocute everyone in the room.
Their little girl took her own sweet time.
Hawke didn't even register half the incredibly creative curses that flowed from her mouth, covering all the foulest expletives she had ever heard in every language she knew, many of which would have had even Isabella blushing.
What felt like decades later but was in fact only 6 hours, it was all over. A little bundle of joy was placed in Hawke's arms. She had run out of tears, so Genesis cried for her. There was a little tuft of red hair and tiny little limbs with just the right number of toes and fingers. The tiny thing wiggled a bit, unused to the freedom outside of the womb.
"Hello Cassandra." Hawke said gently, wanting to softly stroke her daughter's face but afraid that her hands would somehow hurt her. Overwhelmed with emotion, hands more used to killing than nurturing finally overcame their shaking and oh so delicately trailed over a tiny little cheek.
Hawke found she still had some tears left after all. Genesis ever so gently placed a hand under the baby's head, softly supporting it as he rested his forehead against Hawke's.
"You're perfect, my love." he said quietly, his tone banked with thick emotions Hawke heard clearly. Tears still ran down his face. "Both of you. My own precious, precious family."
Little Cassandra squirmed ever so slightly, her lips puckering. She nudged her mother's breast, blindly searching for a nipple.
"You've never been so beautiful, love." Genesis said, giving Hawke a gentle, chaste kiss on the lips.
"That doesn't say much for how I normally look." she replied, utterly exhausted and laughing lightly at the whole situation.
Marian Hawke, a mother. Who would have guessed it?
A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review or a prompt of your very own if you like! I'll make a concentrated effort to get around to it eventually.
Next time: Something less fluffy perhaps?