What If?

by SqueeDate

Tegan and Sara Quincest fic. What happens when Tegan gets her wish and finds herself in an alternate reality where Sara is her wife, and not her sister? Will be a LONG fic, updated often. Rated M for future chapters.

31. The Big Bad and the Birth

Warnings: TRIGGERS IN THIS CHAPTER!TRIGGER WARNING! TRIGGER WARNING! TRIGGER WARNING! CONTAINS SCENES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, RAPE, AND MURDER.Chapter contains a homosexual incestual relationship and sexual content between two women. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Rating: M

Summary: What happens when she gets her wish and Tegan finds herself in an alternate reality where Sara is her girlfriend, and not her sister? Will be a LONG fic, updated often.

A/N: Based on a Tumblr. Post, you guys opted for skipping the rest of the pregnancy and cutting to the fun stuff. I LOVED writing this chapter and can't wait to write Dani as she grows up. It's super duper uber long and I hope you enjoy it. I'm going to be taking a break from writing after this one, but reviews really are a great motivator. I think it's safe to say that the more reviews (and the more that's in the reviews) will probably end up making my break shorter. One again, thanks for all my readers who have been with me since the start, the ones who've joined mid-way, and all the new readers for hopping on my train to fantasy-land. Talk about a wild motherfucking ride! There are mentions of the happening in the story, the trigger warning is for. This will be the last chapter I'm leaving the warning up for. There will be no more mentions of it in the story, as to maintain safety for my readers. The references to it in here are simply references, with Sara being triggered by it once. It is then explained towards the end of the chapter. Read. Enjoy. Review. (If you want to add me to tumblr, my url is .com.) P.S. this came out to 43 pages in word, and roughly 19,000 words. Now, I'm going to write an exam.

Disclaimer: COMPLETELY FICTIONAL!

In case you missed it: TRIGGER WARNING! CONTAINS SCENES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, RAPE, AND MURDER.

Chapter 31 – The Big Bad and the Birth

Well, here we are. Four days past my due date. I play the word 'Just' and look up at Emy, not even caring how many points it's worth. She's starting to catch on to my complete impatience with the world.

"Relax and enjoy this time. She'll be here soon enough" Emy reminded me.

I nodded, but tapped my foot nonetheless.

"Maybe we should try connect4 again" she suggested.

I shook my head and looked outside. The lake was going to freeze at any time. I wish Tegan were here. Her and Lindsey were in court right now. She couldn't get out of it. I sighed and bit the inside of my lip. Tegan would know how to entertain me. We've been having a lot of fun trying to induce my labour. I smile, remembering last night. I see Emy roll her eyes.

"I'm half thinking about laying you out on that bed and inducing you myself" she said.

No she didn't, I imagined that. She was actually waving her arms in front of my face, trying to get my attention. I must have spaced out.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming" I told her.

She laughed "No duh! I asked if you were hungry. I can run out and grab us some lunch."

I shook my head and sighed "I'm not hungry"

"Sare, you barely ate at breakfast either. You're gonna want to be strong for the delivery."

I chuckle "We're getting Digiourno instead."

"Ha, ha, ha. You're SO funny. I'm being serious, Sara."

"I just miss Tegan. She should be here" I whine. I pause for another moment then roll my eyes "I guess I could stand to eat."

"What are you in the mood for? Italian, Greek, Chinese?" she asks.

"Chinese gives me wicked painful gas, and the smell of feta makes me queasy. Pasta sounds good though. Oooo can you pick up from that little Italian place on Jenner? They make the best ravioli."

"That little organic, homemade place? Of course I can! Most women want a double quarter pounder before going into labour. You wouldn't happen to want the kale side salad, would you?" she asks with a giggle.

"Yes! Please! That sounds fantastic. Can you get an extra thing of the dressing? I like it on the ravioli too."

She smiles "Sure thing. Anything else?"

I shake my head "Thanks Emy."

"Of course. If your water breaks, or you start having contractions, or something suspicious happens, call me and I'll get here. Got it?"

I nod "Of course. I'll keep my phone on me. I could use some alone time."

"DON'T take a shower or a bath, or go outside, or downstairs!" she re-iterates the rules to me.

I nod "I won't risk it. I might just take a nap."

"That's a great idea. I'll be back soon" she tells me, slipping on her boots and wrapping the scarf around her neck. She sighed and looked back at me.

"Go, I'll be fine. Like I said, I'm just gonna nap" I tell her.

She nods "Maybe I should help you get into bed."

"If it'll make you feel better, then go ahead" I say and start walking down the hallway.

Emy kicks off her boots and follows me as I get into the room. I pull the hoodie over my head. Hoodie and blankets are way too hot. Emy lifted the comforter on my side of the bed, and I crawled in. I grabbed the pregnancy pillow and curled up. She made sure the pillow was supporting me, stuffing it into my body all along its length before sighing and tucking the blankets under my chin. She stooped down and looked me in the eyes.

"Any reason. Call" she reminds me.

I nod and put my phone on the nightstand "Thanks Emy."

"I love you Sara, you're like a sister to me. Of course I'm going to take care of you and that little nugget" she says, then kisses my forehead. "I'm proud of you, did you know that?"

I smiled and nodded "Thanks Emy."

"Alright, get some sleep" she says with a sigh.

I nod and close my eyes, hearing her close the bedroom door.

When I wake up, I can feel someone standing over me. I yawn and slowly sit up. I can tell it's a man. His face is in shadows, but he's of medium build, and looks to be young. He holds something over me and lets it fall into open of my open palms. It's cold and quickly melts. My fear increases: ice.

I hear a sinister laugh as he takes a seat on the bed.

"So, you're the one" his voice booms. "You're the one who's thwarted all my clever plans. I tried to make this easier for you, but no. You just had to survive, and you had to go and trust and communicate. I never understood those human emotions they always blinded your kind. Above all I don't understand this mindless obsession with love. What has love really gotten you?" he asked.

He came closer, revealing his face. It was the runner Tegan assaulted. My eyes went wide, and I swallowed my stomach. I reached for my phone, grabbing for it in the dark. He reached over and took it.

"Ah, ah, ah. Now that wouldn't be too smart now" he said, morphing into Tegan "Now would it, sweetie."

NO, no, no, no, no. It can't be. How did he? I was mentally slammed back to eight months ago. It was HIM. This was the big bad.

"I violated your mind, I violated your body, I almost killed you and your child, but you kept loving me. Just because I looked and sounded like her. Did I feel like her too?" mock-Tegan asked.

All I could do was panic. I tried to strike out, but my hands were chained above my head again. I closed my eyes and tried to quiet my screaming mind, when I felt a warm gush between my legs. I grit my teeth as I realised what that meant.

"Oh, goody, the show's about to start. And soon your precious little one will be mine. Oh, I can use a power like that. I may even let you live to see the destruction…Dani will bring to the world. A little thing about children: you can shape them as you wish. This one's powerful. And your partner saviour is all tied up in the courts and can't help you" mock-Tegan cackled, then morphed again. This time, he turned into the waitress at the diner.

"You stayed with her, even when she cheated on you with me. I didn't realize she had such a skillful mouth" the girl enunciated.

At that moment, a contraction yanked at my abdomen muscles. I took a few deep breaths and heard the laugh. It was different this time than the diner girl. When I opened my eyes, I saw the 13 year old fan that Tegan tackled "I still don't understand how you could stay with someone so clearly violent. Even towards a little girl." He morphed again, this time to a middle aged woman. She sat there, staring at me, the only face so far I didn't recognize, but it looked familiar.

"Oh sweetie, if only you'd listened to me when I said that, that Tegan Green was no good for you. There was a reason I forbid you from seeing her" the woman said, warmly.

I knew this woman. "Mom?"

She smiled sweetly "Well, of course my little Sare Bear. Why would you kill your own parents just to be with that girl?" she asked.

A memory flashed past me. I've had all the memories so far, but this was the first one of my parents. We were screaming at each other, in a kitchen.

"I will cut your legs off before I let you see that blasted girl again, Sara Quin!" My father boomed.

"Dad, you can't do that! I love her. I will always love her! She's like my sister" I yelled back.

"You will marry Jordan! The wedding is this spring. You will not dishonour this family" My mother spat at me, slapping my face.

"I don't even LIKE Jordan. Mom, I'm 12 years old. I don't want to get married. I'm too young" I started to cry.

"What are those? Tears? Are you a baby Sara? Only babies cry" My mother chastised me.

"Mom, don't make me do this please. All I know is that when I'm with Tegan, I feel at home. I belong. I feel right. I've never felt that before" I whimper.

"Aww, isn't that cute. This life isn't cute though it's hard and you need a man to help you through it. I thought we raised you better" my mother yelled at me. She put her hands on her hips "If you don't stop that blubbering we'll toss you downstairs for the weekend. Do you want that?"

I shook my head "You go right ahead. Tegan'll come save me. She won't let you hurt me anymore."

My father laughed and took my by the throat "If that happens, then I'll kill the little bitch and rape her dismembered body."

I felt my stomach rise and rage take over. No one will ever hurt Tegan. EVER. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my ballpoint pen. I stabbed him I the eye and he let go of me, as the blood ran down his face. I turned to my Mom, who was reaching for a knife. I grabbed the frying pan off the stove and swung at her head. I heard a sickening crack and she smacked her head on the counter again, falling limp on the floor. My feet moved so fast out the back door. I had to get to Tegan. I had to be in that home that made me feel so safe, with the Mum that cared about me and the girl who was my other half. The memory dissipated.

My mom laughed, then morphed back to the runner. Another contraction hit me as he took the blankets off of me. One of his hands moved over my tummy, and I felt my muscles start to rip form the inside.

I screamed.

"I don't have time to wait for your pathetic human body to deliver her. She's mine" his voice commanded as I felt my body resist.

Then, it all stopped.

"Back off, jerkoff" a familiar voice called out.

Kaki. I looked up to see her and felt so much relief. She waved her arm and the shackles were gone. The man rose to his feet and faced her.

"Well, isn't it the purple fairy? How the fuck did you get here?" he asked

"You know, you really should have better security on your portals. You're too easy to follow" she responded.

I lay there, heaving my breath as the pain radiated out from my stomach. I watched as the man tossed a ball of green energy at Kaki. It hit her in the stomach, sending her back into the wall, but she got to her feet and sent back a purple ball before looking at me.

"Sara! Call Tegan! I can only hold him off for so long" she ordered me

I scrambled for my dropped cell phone, dialing the number.

"Hey babe, how're board games with Emy?" she asked

"Tegan…" I huffed "get home" I winced at the end.

"Sara? Sara what's going on?" I heard on the other line, as I heard her start to run.

"It's happening" I managed to get out.

"Sara, I'm on my way. Where's Emy? Put Emy on the phone."

"She's not…" I gasp as another contraction hits, a thousand more times painful from the recent injury "She's not here."

I look up just to see the big bad guy coming towards me. He tosses a ball of energy at me, and I roll onto the ground right before Kaki gets on his back. The contraction slows and I groan. What's Tegan's panic attack position? I think I feel one coming on. I press my face to the ground and try and calm my mind. Now I see why she likes this.

I can see the feet from the other side of the bed, and soon I can see Kaki's body hit the floor hard. She's out. Oh no. Oh no.

I slowly stand up and meet his cold, dark eyes. He smiles, but a lamp is thrown at his head from behind. It doesn't look like it hurts him, but he looks annoyed. He turns around to see Emy.

"Get away from her" Emy says sternly.

"Oh, a human thinking she can do something. How adorable. You must be the healer" he insults.

"I'm a lot more than a healer. You'll find out if you make one more move towards her" she warns, slowly making her way around the room to me, never taking her eyes off of him.

"Oh, is that so? Well, let's see what you're made of" the big bad contests.

I hear Emy mutter to herself, just as he goes to toss an energy ball her way. It's absorbed mid-air.

"Oh! You're a witch. Oh this is too good. A fairy AND a witch in one day. It must be my lucky day" he says, going after her.

He meets resistance a foot away from us, then puts his hand up and is slowly starting to push in what seems like a force field Emy's creating to keep him out. I can see her weakening. Just before he breaks it, another voice calls from the doorframe. This one shakes away all the pain and fear in me. Tegan. I can almost cry from relief.

"Hey. Back off" she cries out.

He turns to face her, and Emy gets behind me, letting my lean against her. She whispers in my ear.

"Sara, just keep breathing. Did he hurt you?" she asks

I nod as I watch Tegan step up to him. The initial relief now gives way to worrying about her.

"ANOTHER human?" he sighs "So what, you think that your love for them is going to save them?"

"That's EXACTLY what I think" Tegan says, narrowing her eyes.

"You're pathetic just like the rest of your kind. This idea of love is something you create. The only real power is power over others. The power of hurt and fear. I have that power"

"I think that you think you have that power. You can use it all you want, but I will fight until the moment after my last breath for them. I have something to fight for other than greed. And I think that, that's something you should be scared of. There's a reason you're coming after my daughter. You're terrified that she's going to kill you."

"Well, I'd rather extinguish any possibility of that before it happens, but I'm hardly afraid of a baby."

"Well guess what pal, you just messed with the wrong cub."

He laughs "Oh that's too good. What are you? A bear?"

"Want to find out?" Tegan raises an eyebrow.

I groan as another contraction hits. Emy rubs my shoulders and I can hear her counting how long it is in my ear, then take my hand so I can squeeze it. I hear another groan as Kaki slowly stands up and shakes off the knock out.

"There's something you didn't take into account, Ivanov. The prophecy says that the product of the truest love will extinguish your flames and damn you to pre-existance. Did you consider that it wasn't the child?" Kaki says with a smile.

"Of course it's the child. Who else would be the product of the truest love?"

I feel a recognition run through me and I shut my eyes tightly, thinking of happy memories with Tegan.

"That's it Sara. Keep going" Kaki encourages me.

Brushing past her at Starbucks, and feeling the electricity; waking up to find her gorgeous body riding me; being so sick I couldn't form sentences and having her arms around me, as she refused to leave my side; every time I was feeling down, or something horrible happened, crying into her; all the baths; the lovemaking; the night on the boat; her song for me.

I open my eyes as Ivanov charges her. I watch as her now, muscular form tightens and she meets him partway. She's glowing in a light pink colour. She looks charged up, and when her body collides with his, she meets him with equal strength. I watch as the pink glow is emitted from her chest, right where her heart is. It creates a string, radiating towards me. I look down and see how it links to my own heart. That's it. It's us. It's not a who that's the product, it's the love itself, the relationship. It's all those things this dark stranger doesn't understand: the love, the trust, the faith, the communication. It's all the things that Tegan have always had, and not had to think twice about. It's this that's the product of the truest love. This is how we win. This is our edge. I smile. We're gonna win.

Tegan gets up and throws a punch that he catches. He goes to throw an energy ball at her, but it's dissolved in mid-air by the pink glow. Tegan looks over at me and I simply nod. I'm okay, love.

She returns his attempt with a thunderous blow of the base of her fist right down on his head, that sends him to the ground. She gets off of him, and stands ready, her legs as tight as coils. She takes off the suit jacket she was wearing, and tosses it aside. I can see her arms glistening in sweat now, ready to pounce like a cat. Kaki gets to her side.

I think about how ridiculous this would have been two years ago. Tegan Quin and Kaki King, superhero duo. Like a collab album gone wrong. I can't help but chuckle despite the situation. It quickly turns into a wince, and I let out a cry. Emy loops her arms under my arms and helps me up.

"Lets go to the bathroom. It's safer, we need to get you out of the line of fire" she whispers

I look over, just as the man is about to strike again "No! I've got to stay."

"Tegan can't concentrate if you're here, she'll be too worried about you getting hurt. Please, Sara. You're in labour" Emy pleads.

I let her help me to my feet and we shuffle into the bathroom, where she shuts the door. I can hear the fight happening.

"How long ago did your water break?" she asks

"About an hour ago" I tell her.

She nods. "Lets get you out of these wet clothes"

I nod and let her strip me. She's looking over my body. I look down to see a bright red circle on my tummy.

"He tried yanking her out of me" I tell her.

"Fuck. Sara, get in the bathtub and stay low. I'm going to get the gear from the other room" she tells me.

I nod and feel the panic spread as I look down at the discolouration, now worrying. I haven't felt Dani kick in a while. Oh no. The emotional pain rips through me and I hear Tegan cry out in pain.

"Sara! Whatever you're thinking about, stop it!" Kaki calls out.

I shut my eyes tightly and think about Tegan coming home exhausted and sick and curling up in my lap. I think about coming to her rescue on the dancefloor, and the first time she put her mouth on me, and took my body that night; about how she always checked in with me, and held me tightly as I lost control. About how, no matter how out of control I thought I was, she brought me back. She'd always bring me back.

I heard the big bad groan now and the wall shake as Emy hurried back in. She plugged the gear in and lubbed up my tummy. Even that touch hurt. I winced and hissed.

"Sorry, Sara. I need to make sure she's okay. It'll just take a minute" Emy told me

She watched the screen and closed her eyes. When I heard the heartbeat joy overcame me. Emy let out a sigh of relief and turned off the machine. She grabbed the foetal monitor and gently strapped it around me.

Tegan's POV

I went for a hit, and felt it's impact lessen, then he stomped on my leg. I screamed out. What happened?

"Sara! Whatever you're thinking about, stop it!" Kaki calls out.

Then I feel my power return and I get an elbow to his side, kicking him in the chest hard enough to send him into the wall. He crumples to the ground. I turn and look at Kaki.

"I don't know what kind of memories you two have been making but, Bravo!" she jokes, then powers up another purple hit, sending it towards him and knocking him down.

He gets up again. This time, he goes to slug me, and I catch his wrist mid-air. He tries with the other arm, and I catch that one too. We're in a struggle. If he overpowers me, he strikes down both my shoulders, making my knees buckle, and sending me to the ground. If I overpower him, I pop his shoulders out of their sockets. This is it. This is the deathblow either way. Neither one of us will let the other live once they're incapacitated. I feel my legs fire up and I dig my heels into the carpet, letting that strength rip through my body. I start to force his arms back, but then he starts to push me back, my heels breaking through the hardwood, and creating divots in the floor.

"SARA! MORE MEMORIES! STRONG ONES!" Kaki calls out.

I can almost instantly feel my power increase, and I start to step towards him. I think of my own memories with Sara. I can feel his arms start to rotate backwards and I grunt. I can hear Sara's voice in my ear, saying "You can do it, Teegs. I believe in you. I'm proud of you. I love you." That's all I need. With one vicious, last outburst his arms pop and he screams, falling to his knees. I grit my teeth and walk up to him.

"And you thought love was useless" I spit at him, before grabbing his head between my hands just like I had with the other Tegan, and giving it a twist, feeling and hearing his neck snap.

His lifeless body slips to the floor and Kaki comes up behind me, handing me a glowing dagger.

"Right into his heart. It'll imprison his spirit" she tell me.

I nod and take it, loving the feel in my hands. It's like this was made for my hands. I kneel, and bring it down to pierce his chest. The steel of the blade is quickly turned green. I pull it out and his body disappears. This scene is all too familiar. I turn to Kaki.

"You never killed anyone, Tegan. It was him all along. He kept me out so I couldn't tell you. All those events. The people attacking, the weird accusations, the news working against you. That was all him."

I felt the relief wash over me and I nodded, handing her the dagger. She put a hand on my shoulder.

"Your love and mutual trust with Sara saved the world."

I shrugged "I don't care. I just want to be with my family."

Kaki nods "Then, go. I need to head to the fairy realm and report about all of this, take care of things on the mystical planes. Expect many grateful visitors from many different places. I'll be back in a bit."

I nod and look at the dagger.

"I'll bring it back to you once we've rid the world of him."

I nod and take a deep breath "Do Sara and I really have the truest love?"

"I think you feel the answer to that every second of every day of your life" she answers.

I nod and and smiles, starting to fade.

I take a moment to compose myself, then walk into the bathroom. I run to Sara, who turns to me, grabbing at my sweaty T-shirt. I wrap my arms around her, and get into the empty tub with her and Emy.

"I'm okay. He's gone" I reassure her.

She cries into me and I look to Emy who smiles and nods "A long way to go, she's only at 1cm dialation yet. But Dani's doing well. She's in the perfect position, her heartbeat's strong."

I catch a glimpse of the large red spot on Sara's belly and grit my teeth "Did he do this?"

Sara nods.

"He tried to rip the baby from inside of her" Emy answers "She's okay though. It'll be a painful delivery. I keep trying to tell her that if we move this to the hospital, I can give her drugs to help ease the pain."

"No, no drugs" Sara whimpers from my chest.

I nod and look at Emy "She's calling the shots here. If Dani and her are fine, then it's up to her."

Emy nods "Where's Lindsey?"

"Still driving here. I paid off the police chopper down the street from the courthouse to get me here. All I had to say was Labour and Wife and Million Dollars, and they were on it."

Emy nodded. I turned to Sara and kneeled next to her, leaning in and kissing her passionately. She clung to me desperately. I've never seen Sara this scared before.

"It's okay, Sara. I've got you it's all over. He's gone. He's gone love" I repeated, while kissing her forehead.

She cried into my chest. My body was starting to come off the adrenaline rush, and I was starting to feel the injuries I'd sustained. None of that mattered right now. Sara was scared and nervous, and needed me. I turned to Emy.

"Can you give us a few minutes?" I asked.

She nodded "I'll call and tell Lindsey to stop and pick up food."

I nodded and ran my fingers through Sara's hair as I held her head to my chest. The door closed and I leaned down and kissed her face again.

"Talk to me love. I know you're scared" I told her.

She nodded and gave me a squeeze before slowly letting go and looking up at me. I wiped her tears gently away with my thumb.

"Tegan, you're hurt!" She exclaimed, seeing the gashes I knew were on my face.

"Yeah. But that's not important right now. I can't feel it yet. The adrenaline is still coursing through me. Talk to me so I can help."

She gulped.

"Sara, don't close up on me now babe. Please."

She nodded and took another moment "Emy went to get food. I went for a nap, when I woke up he just…put a piece of ice in my hand and then he changed to you, and shackled my hands above my head and he just kept talking. Tegan, I've never been triggered like that before. The he changed into my mom." She looked up at me "I had a memory moment. My parents tried to keep me from you and marry me off. I killed them. I stuck a pen through my dad's eye, and hit my mom in the head with a frying pan, than ran to you and Mum. I..I killed them."

I sighed, knowing full well what she was feeling. I pulled her back into me and kissed her forehead.

"And you weren't there, and he tried to take Dani. I could feel her being pulled from me. And then she stopped kicking and I was scared that she…"

"Emy says that she's still with us Sara. If there's one thing I know about Dani, is that she is incredibly resilient. She's a fighter" I try to ease her mind.

"And now I'm scared she's going to kick the shit out of my vagina" Sara confesses

I let a tiny laugh out, but quickly muffle it "I'm sorry, not funny."

Sara sighs in my arms and starts laughing herself "Actually, it is. I coulda used better words" she sighs again, bringing back the somber mood, but reaches up and cups my face. "I thought I'd never see you again. When you showed up I felt all the worry and fear leave because I knew I was safe. But then, it was your safety I was worried about. Tegan, how did you do that?"

"You. The reason I can do the impossible is you, us. It's our love. It's the way that I know that my actions affect and represent you. You make me better, you make me the best. When I think I can't take anymore, I think about being able to curl up to you and talk about how shitty it is afterwards. About how just you, running your hands through my hair, makes it all go away."

I feel her melt in my arms and wince as a contraction hits. She squeezed the flesh of my forearms and rests her forehead on my clavicle. I rub her back and nuzzle my head into hers.

"That's my girl. Breathe through it" I encouraged.

She nodded and when it was over, collapsed into me. I kissed her bare shoulder and felt her shiver.

"Lets get you dressed and warm. I'll pump up the exercise ball" I tell her.

She nods against me. Before I move, there's something I need to say "I love you, Sara Quin."

She leans in and kisses me. I run my tongue over her lips and kiss her back feverishly. I can feel the vibrations of her moan and gently lift her out of the tub. I feel my leg scream, but ignore it and carry her to the bedroom. I look around and chuckle.

"Guess we'll have to remodel" I joke.

She chuckles as I grab her a pair of sweats and a white t-shirt.

"One of yours?" she asks.

I smile and nod as she eagerly pulls the shirt over her head and I help her get the pants on, also getting her into some slippers. I hug her and sigh "Warm?" I ask.

"The warmest. You're always warm" she replies.

I smile and Emy walks in. I turn to her "Hey Emy, thanks for keeping an eye on her"

"Of course Tegan" she looks me up and down and reaches into her pocket, dialing a number "Lindsey, on your way back can you stop at home and grab my bag? Tegan's pretty beaten up. Thanks, hon." She walks over to me "Sit."

I obey and take a seat on the bed, next to Sara. She examines the cuts of my face, and starts giving me a full work up.

"The three on your face are going to need stitches. We'll have to get something on your eye" she sighs and continues, rolling over my arms "Holy shit, Tegan" she says when she sees the gaping wound on my forearm. I look away, unable to look at the blood. I start getting queasy and Sara's hand is on my lower back quickly. Emy makes her way to my torso, lifting my shirt to reveal the start of bruising, and stops when she sees my leg: the one he kicked. The one that was currently on fire. She lifted my pant leg and I saw her close her eyes for a minute and look up at me.

"It's broken" she said "I need to cast it."

"C'mon Emy, it's not broken" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Really? Have a look" she tells me.

I look down and feel the world start to spin. My bone is outside of my skin. I pass out before I can say anything. When I come to, Sara's above me, looking down. I feel pressure on my leg, as Emy wraps it. I blink and the rest of the world slowly starts to fade in.

"Tegan? You with me, babe?" Sara asks, brushing my bangs off of my forehead.

I nod and swallow hard. Sara lays down on her side next to me and we make eye contact. I don't take my eyes off hers when Emy talks to me

"The hardest part's done. I set it while you were out. Good timing on that Teegs." She praises "Lindsay's bringing my kit so I can stitch you up and cast you. I'll wrap you in garbage bags so you can get in the tub later for the birth." I nod.

Sara's face contorts. I reach out for her hand and take it. I pull her to me, and wrap my arms around her. My hands go to her lower back, and gently run over the skin there, tickling her softly. She lets out a giant moan.

"Oh fuck, Tegan. Yes!" she calls out

I smile and inhale loudly. She reaches for my shoulder and squeezes hard, before letting go, the contraction ending.

"Wanna see how far along you are now?" Emy asks.

Sara nods and Emy looks at me "Want to do it?" she asks.

I smile and nod, then look at Sara "Can I, Sare?"

Sara nods and Emy hands me a pair of gloves. I slip them on as Sara slips the pants down to her knees. Emy puts some lube on my fingers.

"Now go in with two fingers, slowly, until you can feel her cervix" Emy instructs.

I do so, being very careful. I find that familiar spot deep inside of my wife and smile when I feel it more open than usual.

"Give me an estimation" Emy tells me.

"3 cm?" I say, then gently pull out.

I take off the gloves, then Emy goes in. She nods "I'd say about that. Long way to go still, Sare. We'll get some food in you. It might be a long night."

I nod and hear Sara groan. I hand Emy my gloves and she walks out to dispose of them. I turn to Sara and smile at her.

"By tomorrow, we'll have a daughter" I tell her.

She smiles and nods, taking my hand and kissing my palm. I pull her sweat pants back up and give her tummy a super light kiss. I yawn. It's been a long day. It's my turn to be pulled up by Sara. She scurries us up to the pillows, then puts my head on her shoulder. I curl up to her, laying an arm right above her protruding tummy. I give the top of it a gentle rub and she runs her hands through my hair, pulling the blankets up over me.

"You've had a long day, eh babe?" she asks

I nod "That trial was relentless. I wonder how much trouble I'm in for running out."

"We'll figure that all out later. I'm sure they'll understand. Sleep. I'll be okay. The contractions aren't that bad right now" Sara instructs.

I nod and sigh against her chest. I let my exhaustion take me over. I wake up a little later to Emy shaking me.

"Tegan, wake up. I've got my bag" she whispers.

I open my eyes. I'm still pressed to Sara, who's fast asleep. I smile. Good. I scurry off the bed, and take Emy's support in hopping into the other room. Lindsey's waiting on the couch. They laid out some towels. I sighed. Emy sat me down.

"Now, I can do this here, or we can go to the hospital. Here: I've got a bottle of vodka; there: you get numbing drugs." She tells me.

"I'm not leaving Sara" I tell her with a stern look.

Lindsey hands me the bottle and I open it.

"I thought so" Emy said.

Guzzling down the burning liquid until I can't take it, I tip the bottle back to an upright position and Lindsay starts to unwrap my leg. Lindsay hands me my iPod.

"I made a playlist of all Sara's songs. Including the new demos" She says.

I smile at her "Thank the good lord Jeebus for you, Lindsay."

She chuckles and nods. I put the earbuds in and start the playlist, taking another long drink. I'm starting to feel the effects of the booze. Looking up at Emy, I nod and close my eyes. I feel the first pierce of my skin and whimper. I focus on Sara's voice in my ear, turning the volume all the way up. Lindsey takes my hand and I squeeze it. Passing out twice in one day isn't my idea of fun, but I know it's coming. I'm hoping it does. This is excruciating. I don't even know if I'm yelling.

Finally the darkness comes, and I wake up to Sara's familiar touch on my shoulders. She's rubbing down them and kissing the top of my head. I take out the headphones and look up.

"When did you?" I ask

"A half an hour ago. I woke up to you screaming. How are you doing?" she asks.

She moves her face so her chin's on my shoulder. I sigh.

"I can't feel my leg. That fucking hurt" I confess.

She nods "30 stitches to close up your leg. She got everything else done about 10 minutes ago. She's gone to calm her nerves with Lindsey in the spare room. You know Emy, she can't stand causing pain" Sara told me, then kissed around one of my newly stitches wounds.

"You're gonna have some sexy ass scars, love" she tells me.

I smile and slowly sit up. My leg comes into feeling. It feels heavy. I look down and see that it's in a cast.

"At least it's not your arm…again" Sara jokes.

I smile "Will you sign it?"

"Tegan, I'll write poetry on it. I'll fill every inch of it with art" she purrs into my ear.

That makes me smile wider and she kissed me softly. I sigh and slowly stand up, being able to put weight on it now with the support of the cast. Sara stands with me, and I hug her. She whimpers and holds me a little tighter, shoving her face into me. I rub her back through it and kiss her face.

"They're getting worse" she tells me.

I nod and wish I could pick her up, but am scared about my balance with the cast. Soon, she loosens her grip and I turn her and sit her on the couch.

"I'm gonna go grab your ball from Dani's room" I promise

It's only about 5 minutes until I'm back in the living room with a fully pumped exercise ball.

"Voila! C'mere babe" I suggest, opening my arms.

I help her up and onto the ball, and once she's situated, head to the fridge and grab two bottles of water. I quickly down one, then head back to Sara and open it, then hand it to her.

She smiles at me and takes a long drink.

"Thanks Tegan" she says, and oscillates on the ball.

I nod and grab the remote to turn on the fireplace and dim the lights. My hands move over her shoulders and her head falls forward. I start to gently massage the kinks out. She's really tense.

"You know how to do this, Sara. Your body's going to guide you, and you're going to be perfect. I'll be there with you every step" I whisper to her and feel her roll back into me and wrap her arms around my hamstrings as I continue the massage. When I feel her relax, I stop and get on my knees behind her, wrapping my arms around her middle, under the t-shirt, and gently run my hands over the non-bruised parts of her tummy. Her head rolls back onto my shoulder and I gently kiss her neck.

"Are you hungry?" I whisper into her ear.

She nods, just as Emy and Lindsay come out of the bedroom.

"You're up" Lindsay notes.

I nod "And I feel fine. Thanks, guys."

They both smile "Dinner?" Emy asks

I nod "We were just thinking that."

I help Sara to her feet and we all make our way to the kitchen table.

"I've been dreaming about that ravioli" Sara tells Emy.

"Lets leave these two to get the food out so I can see how far dilated you are" Emy suggests.

I kiss Sara on the cheek and she goes off with Emy into our bedroom. Lindsay and I start to unpack the bags of food.

"Eventful day. Sara seems to be doing really well" she said, while opening one of the containers.

I smile and nod "She's a trooper. Thanks for grabbing food."

"Course, Teegs" she says with a smile.

"So, how much trouble do you think I'll be in?" I ask

"Don't worry about that, I'll get you off. No one's going to fault you for a cryptic call from your pregnant wife who was in labour" she says "and if it's true what Emy told me about that guy, then it seems like most of these trials are going to fall apart."

I sigh in relief and once everything's unpacked, head over to the kitchen to start on some hot water for tea, and to put the heating pad in the microwave.

"You really are amazing, Lindsay. I can never thank you enough for all that you and Emy have done for us and Dani."

"Well, when we have our little one you two can return the favour." Lindsay says with a coy smile.

I know that look. I smile "I think you forget that in the other world, you and I were practically married. I know that look. Lindsay, are you pregnant?"

She bites her lip and nods "But don't' tell anyone. We didn't want to overshadow Dani and Sara's time to shine. We were going to tell you someone next week."

"That's fantastic! Congratulations! How far along are you?" I ask, excited.

"Just a month. I haven't hit any of the nasty stuff yet. I have to say, it helps when your wife is an OB. Granted, I have to have another OB as my primary care provider, but talk about a wealth of knowledge."

I chuckle "Oh, I know. You know how often we called Emy. I swear I got bumped from the first spot on Sara's speed dial."

The microwave beeped and I got Sara's heating pad out from it and made her a tea "Tea?" I asked Lindsay.

She smiled and nodded "That would be great, thanks Tegan."

I nodded and made a second tea, bringing them over to the table. Sara and Emy walked back in.

"5 cm. We're on our way. Contracts seem to be about 7-8 minutes apart. It'll definitely be today" Emy said with a smile as Sara came over and hugged me, giving me a cheek kiss.

I smiled and helped her sit as Emy took a seat at the table. Sara tucked right into the ravioli and I laughed.

"Hungry much?" I asked

"I didn't eat lunch. I was going to, but then that bad guy showed up" she said.

I smiled and ruffled her hair, sitting down and taking a bite of my own pasta. Then, I pulled out my iPhone and pointed it towards her, taking a video.

"Sara, what's happening right now?" I asked.

"I'm eating ravioli" she says taking a bite.

"Okay but what else?" I ask again.

"Oh, I'm in labour" she responds, spearing a biteful of her dinner and eating it.

I turn the camera around to the table and everyone waves, then I turn and point the camera at myself.

"It's been an eventful day, but she's almost here. Sara's been wonderful and I'm only minorly freaking out. Dani, I'm sure you're watching this. I'm so excited to meet you, baby" I turn it off.

I put my phone away and continue to eat my dinner. Sara starts to breathe heavily and grabs my knee under the table. I'm ready though, and as she leans forward, I press the heating pad to her lower back with firm pressure and take her hand.

"That's it babe" I whisper to her, making eye contact with Emy.

Emy smiles at me and nods, letting me know she's timing the contraction. It isn't long before Sara exhales and sits back up, taking another bite of her ravioli. I let go of her and go back to my meal.

"After dinner, do you want to get in the tub for a bit, Sare? It'll help with the contractions" Emy mentions.

Sara nods "They're getting more painful. It's like someone's twisting my uterus and lower back." She turns to me "Good call on the heating pad, partner" she praises and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

I smile, feeling proud. I take the last bite of my pasta and sit back in my chair.

"Is there anything else you two want before the tough stuff starts?" Lindsay asks "I'm totally fine with being the designated runner."

I smile and look at Sara "I'm good" I tell Lindsay.

Sara nods "I'm perfect" she says, taking a sip of her tea, then dropping her fork. She leans into me and I wrap my arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe you two should have some time alone in the tub. Tegan, I'll wrap that cast and your forearm up" Emy suggests.

I nod and give Sara a quick kiss before heading over to the sink, where the garbage bags were. Emy used the plastic bags and a roll of duct tape to seal out any water that might get in.

"That should do it" she says.

I smile "Thank you. Now, I'm going to have a romantic bath with my wife."

She slaps my ass "Go get 'em tiger. No hotter than 96." Emy tells me with a wink.

I chuckle and walk over, getting an arm around Sara's waist. We both hobbled into our bathroom.

Sara's POV

We got to our bathroom, and I felt my bladder scream. Tegan started to fill the tub, while I went to sit on the toilet. I watched her bend over and admired her ass. Seriously, it was the sexiest ass ever.

"Babe, can you drop the pants?" I ask with a smirk.

She does, and goes back to bending over. I smile and finish my business. I washed my hands, then walked over and ran a hand over the body part in question. I could feel her giggle. She stood up and turned around, stripping off my shirt and kissing me deeply. I moaned into her mouth and reached around to squeeze that ass again. It was her turn to moan. I could feel her body responding to me, and I slipped a hand into her underwear.

"Sara.." she whimpered.

"It's okay, I want to" I tell her, turning off the taps, and finding her clit.

She moaned and wrapped her arms around my neck. Running my tongue over her pulse point, she sits on the edge of the tub. I take my hand out of her underwear and kiss her, just as another contraction hits me.

"Okay, Romeo. Lets get you in this tub" she says jokingly.

I nod and let her undress me, then help me into the tub. I sink down, moaning as the contraction's intensity eases. She smiles and lets me hold her hand until it's over. I'm showered with kisses before she stands up.

"Give me a sec" she says.

I nod and sigh in the water. This labour thing really isn't as bad as the movies make it out to be. I close my eyes and smell something wonderful, then the lights go out and our romance playlist comes on. I smile. Oh Tegan. The tub level rises and arms pull me towards her.

"You're not off the hook yet, love" I tell her.

"Oh yeah?" she asks.

I smile and open my eyes, seeing hers right in front of me. I smile wide and lean in, giving her a kiss. I kneel in her lap, taking both of her breasts in my hands. She gasps into my mouth and I smile against her lips. I pull back slightly "I love you" I tell her and kiss her again. I feel emotions bubbling inside of me. She's been perfect. She is perfect. No one's ever loved me like Tegan. No one's supported me like her. She's the reason this labour's been so easy so far. It's safe to say that even after all these years, I'm still completely smitten. Her hands find my breasts in return, and I moan against her lips. I need her. My hand trails down to her wet folds, and I find her clit again. She gasps into my mouth and I break the kiss to kiss up her jawbone.

I can feel her muscles tighten. My head lowers and I take one of her nipples into my mouth, sucking on it and rolling my tongue around it. I feel my next contraction start and I pause, resting against Tegan for a moment. Closing my eyes, and hearing her heart make it that much more bearable and I smile as it finishes, continuing my previous actions. Her back arches into me when I do, and I gently push two fingers inside of her.

"Sara" she moans, while running her fingertips up my back.

I start slow, curling them to meet her favourite spot. There's something to be said about the fact that I know her body better than maybe even her. My fingers find the spots effortlessly; it makes me feel so damn connected to her. She really is perfect.

Her hips start to buck, meeting my thrusts into her as she latches her lips onto my shoulder. She starts to hug my upper body to her and I feel her building up. My hips start to move too. The next contraction is on the horizon, but something's different. Her moans are increasing as I find her mouth with mine and accept them into me. I find I'm returning them, breathing heavily. Tegan flips us, getting on top. She kneels over me, supporting herself with a hand on the tub's ledge as she rides my fingers.

"Open your eyes Sara, watch me" she tells me.

I do and am rewarded with Tegan's sex face and her bouncing breasts. I moan and roll my hips into her. Her fingers find my clit and I can't believe what's about to happen. She collapses ontop of me, as I feel her walls close and spasm around my hands. My body explodes as well, my contraction syncing up with my orgasm to intensify it. How can a contraction feel good? My eyes shut tightly and Tegan is kissing my face, smoothing my hair back, and whispering to me. I don't know what she's saying, but her voice feels good against my ear. My body is alive, and I feel like I'm emitting rays of light. I can't help but moan uncontrollably. Then I slowly come down and open my eyes to a smiling Tegan. I can't help but kiss her and lean back into the tub, catching my breath and rubbing my thighs together.

"That was…wow. Holy shit. I didn't' know I could…" I mumbled, while half laughing.

Tegan shrugged and scooted behind me, kissing my shoulder "I'm glad you did."

"Mmm. Babe, can you rub my back?" I asked

"Of course, love" she responds

Those hands go to work on me. I can't help but laugh.

"Maybe we should have a second kid right after I pop this one out. I want to do that again" I tell her.

I can hear her chuckle then I feel kisses along my spine. She really can't stop kissing me. I'm smacked in the face with a realization. I was terrified of losing her. She must have been terrified for Dani and I. I got my support from her. It'd be just like Tegan to hold it in until Dani was born and everything was great. I wasn't going to let her suffer in silence.

I slowly sit up and turn to her, sitting in her lap and wrapping my arms around her. I inhale the smell of her skin and pull her head to my chest. I feel her cling to me and her emotions finally surface as she sobs.

"I'm okay Tegan, I'm right here. Dani's okay. You protected us" I whisper to her.

My hand move through her wet hair and I play with the hairs on the nape of her neck as I let her cry into me. She moves her head up from my chest, over my shoulder, and into my neck as her arms pull me closer. I feel kisses on my neck and gently rub her back.

"We're all okay" I repeat.

She slowly pulls away and nods, kissing me deeply.

"If you ever need to feel me near, or kiss me, or remind yourself that I'm here, do it Tegan. Today is going to be magical. I don't want you to be suffering."

She nods and hugs me again. I inhale deeply and wrap my legs around her, pressing my tummy into hers. I moan as I feel another contraction. I think of Tegan, riding me and I lean into her, letting those thoughts carry me to a place where I'm expecting to come. I feel lips on my neck and I throw my head back, letting it take me over. I'm not scared anymore. I'm not stressed. It's Tegan and I in our tub, with candles, and music, and my favourite incense. Her hands are all over me. I let the orgasm rip through me and can't help but shake as I completely collapse into her arms. The contraction stops and I smile against her skin.

I feel her hand rub my belly and her lips press to my cheek. I moan into her shoulder.

She whispers into my ear "We should call Mum. Let her know what's happening. Do you want her here?" she whispers to me.

I laugh "Right after I have a mindblowing orgasm, THAT's what you decide to whisper to me?"

She blushes.

"Baby, I'm joking. Yeah. We should call Mum. But I don't want her here. I do, but I think I'd just be overstimulated. Can I just say too that I love Lindsay, but I don't want her in here when I'm giving birth. I think too many people will be overwhelming" I whisper back.

Tegan nods and I snuggle into her. I shiver. The water's really cold now.

"Bed? I'll get you bundled up in some of my sweats and we can snuggle" she suggest

"That sounds perfect" I tell her.

I slowly stand up, being careful not to slip, then feel hands on my hips as Tegan follows and steadies me to step out of the tub. I shake like a leaf, before she drapes a towel over me and starts to dry me off. Then, I'm escorted into the bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed as Tegan dresses me. She pulls on a pair of shorts, leaving her torso bare. She knows me to well. Feeling her skin always calms me. She takes off the wet garbage bags and tosses them into the bathroom. We lay down and I curl up on her chest, my ear over her heart. I start to lightly trace the bruises all over her chest. She wraps me up in two blankets, then the comforter, kissing my forehead and grabs her cell phone. First, taking a video. I smile shyly against her skin.

"It's almost 8pm, and we just got out of the tub. Sara's contractions have taken a turn for the better. Wouldn't you say, hon?"

I feel my face get hot and I nod.

"We're about to call grandma and let her know that Dani's on her way" Tegan tells the camera.

"This has been such a great experience so far, only enhanced by being all snuggly with Tegan's bare chest right now. I can hear your heart, babe" I tell Tegan, nuzzling my cheek on her

"Just for that, I think we're gonna get a million hits on YouTube" Tegan tells me with a giggle in her voice.

My eyes go wide.

"I'm kidding Sara, I'm kidding. This is our personal video collection. Quin eyes only" she reassures me as I tense up again.

Tegan puts the phone aside and wraps me up, rubbing my back. I try to turn this into a fun contraction but it won't have it. I take a handful of Tegan's shoulder and squeeze, burying me face into her. It's like the worst menstrual cramps I've ever had. I groan and a firm hand finds my lower back again, while another tangles in my hair.

"You can do this, Sare. I've got you. This is going to pass" I feel her voice whisper to me.

I nod and exhale as it does pass. I sigh and close my eyes against her.

"Let's call Mum."

I think mum almost had a heart attack when Tegan told her. We both had to talk her out of coming over, but we eventually did. I fell asleep before Tegan called Dallas. When I woke up, I let out a huge groan and then whimpered as the worst contraction yet took me over. Tegan quickly woke and rubbed my back.

"Do you want to get back in the tub?" she asked.

I shook my head and kicked the blankets off.

"Get my shirt off" I pleaded.

"Okay, okay" she tried to calm me.

She pulled my sweater off. My body was so hot.

"Tegan, I'm really hot. I need, I need…" I stammered

I felt the weight on the bed lessen as Tegan left. I winced as the next contraction hit. Tegan wasn't there. I needed Tegan here. I felt a wet towel on my neck and I stole her hand.

"Don't you dare leave me again" I tell her in warning.

"Okay Sara, okay. I won't" she promises.

I lay here on my side, and Tegan presses the towel to my forehead. I moan and close my eyes.

"Get Emy" I tell her.

She starts to leave "Don't fucking leave me!" I yell at her.

She looks conflicted "Umm, Sara you're not making sense right now."

"Fuck you, Tegan. Fuck you. Just shut the fuck up"

The next contraction hits and I quiver and whimper, but reach for her. She's there. Thank God she's there. I really just need to feel her close. I pull her towards my face and bury my head between her breasts. I start to sob.

"It hurts so bad Tegan. I'm sorry, I'm sorry" I apologize.

"Sara, you do what you need to, to get through this. Tell me to fuck off as much as you want. I'm not leaving. Do you want Emy?"

I nod as I feel the pressure in my pelvis increase.

"Hold on babe" she tells me.

I'm expecting her to leave, so I latch onto her tighter.

"I'm not leaving. I'm going to call her" she informs me.

She uses one hand to call Emy, and the other to run through my hair.

"Hey Emy, Sara wants you in here. Umm, set Lindsay up with a movie or something?"

Thank you Tegan. Oh god that was smooth. Emy walks in and puts on gloves.

"How far apart are her contractions?"

"About four to five minutes" Tegan answers, now using a hand to rub my bare back.

I'm plastered against her and don't want to move. I feel a gloved hand on my shoulder

"Sara, I'm going to see how dilated your cervix is, okay?" Emy's voice is low and calm.

I nod and spread my legs. Tegan kisses the top of my head and I feel Emy enter me.

"We're at 7. Getting closer, Sara. I'm going to bring the ball in here for you and some water. I want you to do what your body tells you to, okay? Tegan, support her" Emy instructs us.

I nod and cling tighter to Tegan.

"You're doing great, love. You can do this Sara. You're stronger than anyone I know. I've never seen anyone look so gorgeous during labour" Tegan whispers to me.

"You've NEVER seen anyone go through labour" I remind her.

"You're right. But you're beautiful" she counters.

I squeeze her as the next contraction hits. I wrap my legs around her hips and squeeze my heels, grinding my pelvis into hers. The rocking helped ease the pressure. I was like a Koala on a tree, hugging her tightly. Emy rolled the ball into the room and put a bottle of water with a straw on the nightstand. I felt a cooler wash cloth on my back, as Emy sat behind me. She pressed my heating pad to my back in unison and my tension faded. I heard Tegan gasp for a breath. I forgot about Tegan for a moment and concentrated on the relief Emy was bringing me. A straw came to my lips and I eagerly sucked at it. I heard Emy whisper to Tegan.

"Go take a breather. Regroup. I've got her."

"But she told me not to…"

I nod and open my eyes to meet Tegan's "It's okay. Go."

Tegan gulped and slowly stood to see if I was going to protest. I closed my eyes again and Emy felt around to my tummy. She pressed in a few spots.

"She's still in the perfect position and dropping. You're doing great Sara" Emy whispered to me.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Is it normal to come during contractions?" I ask.

Emy smiles and nods "Yeah. Think about it, the same nerves and muscles used during sex are stimulated during childbirth. An orgasm is essentially your uterus and vagina contracting. Why? Have you?" she asked

I nod and smile "Twice, in the tub."

"Well, lets get you back in the tub" Emy suggested.

I shook my head "I'm all prune-y from it. I need a break from the water."

"Do you want to try lying on the ball? I can give you a back massage like that, that'll blow your mind" Emy tells me.

I nod. She helps me and grabs some pillows to put on the floor.

"Now, kneel on the pillows, cross your arms, and lay them ontop of the ball. That's it. Put your forehead on your forearms" Emy instructs.

I feel another contraction start and I groan with it. Emy's hands move across my lower back, and work out the kinks there. I smell Tegan again and desperately need to feel her.

I groan out her name "Teeegaan."

She quickly makes it to me and takes my hand, scooting closer to me "I'm right here, Sara. I brought you some apple juice."

Oh apple juice. Yes. I squeeze her one hand and feel the other one on my arm as Emy continues the massage. I feel the contraction lift, and sigh as Emy stops. I turn to Tegan and pull her in for a kiss. When we break it, she puts the straw from the apple juice to my lips. I eagerly suck it down, then lay my cheek on the exercise ball. I chuckle as I notice Tegan's still topless.

"What?" she asks.

"Did you go out and talk to Lindsay like that?" I ask her.

She looks down and turns red "I was wondering why she couldn't take her eyes off me."

Emy laughs and I can't help but keep chuckling. Tegan lays her head next to mine on the ball and smooths my hair.

"How're you doing, babe?" she asks.

"I'm okay" I say with a grin.

She nods and kisses my forehead.

"I love you" she lets ring through the air.

I smile and nod, feeling the next contraction come. I grab Tegan's hand and put it between my legs as I resume my position on the ball. I go to groan but moan as she finds my clit. The pain is still there, but I feel the heating pad being pressed to my lower back again. Tegan kisses me and I moan into her mouth.

"Does it help when I kiss you?" she asks.

I nod and she kisses me again, before I can finish nodding. The contraction passes and I slump on the ball. I'm so tired. I'm physically drained. I feel a gloved hand enter me again and I break the kiss with Tegan.

"We're at 9 cms already. Almost there, Sara. I think we should get you back in the tub. What do you think?" Emy suggests.

I nod and let go of the ball, letting my upper body drop on Tegan, who caught me and held us up. I tucked my head under her chin and felt her head rest on mine. She gently rocked me.

"I'm gonna fill the tub" Emy tells us.

I feel Tegan nod, then her attention is back on me. Her fingers trace the tattoo of the bear on my arm. How could I do any of this without her? I sigh happily against her skin as the next contraction hits. She immediately moves her hand back down to my clit and I feel the pain move to pleasure as I moan and writhe against her bare chest. I look up at her and she meets my lips halfway. I slowly come down and am a sweaty mess against her. I have to unstick myself and sit back on my heels, overheating. I gulp against a dry throat. She's immediately on her knees, moving a straw to my lips and taking Emy's washcloth and bowl of water to wipe me down. She runs it over my face and neck, then carefully rewets it to cool down my breasts and tummy, then my neck and back. I lean in and kiss her deeply. She responds, pushing her tongue into my mouth and gently massaging my breasts. I slowly pull away, feeling another contraction coming.

"Tub" I call out, grabbing my tummy and doubling over.

Emy comes and helps Tegan. I groaned loudly, and couldn't focus on anything but the contraction. Luckily I felt the water on my body and knelt in the tub, taking up the same position had against the ball, but this time on the edge of the tub. I heard Emy's voice as she instructed Tegan, while putting the garbage bags back on, and I felt my wife's hands on my hips, applying pressure. I felt the pressure in my pelvis lessen and water stream down my back, just before Tegan's lips kissed my spine. I move my hips, as the tail of the contraction tapers off. I pant and rest.

"Tegan, I'm so tired" I tell her "I don't think I can…"

"Yes you can Sara. You're doing it. You've gotten this far. She's almost here" my partner whispers into my ear.

I hear Emy lighting the candles, and she starts up the playlist again. The lights go out and I feel the mood relax. There's only one thing I know right now: I want to be against Tegan. I want to kiss her and look into her eyes. I can't voice it though. My next contraction hits, and I'm too tired to cry out so I just whimper. Tegan takes hold of my hips again.

"NO!" I yell at her.

Her hands are instantly off me. I want to tell her I need her under me, but I can't. I do this contraction alone and I think it's going to break me. I feel the tears come. Where's Tegan? Why isn't she here for me? I need her so badly. I'm all alone. I can't do this. I start to breakdown, crying hysterically, my body on fire and exhausted. Hushed voices communicate and I hide my eyes in my forearm, my body shaking.

I can barely hear what they're saying

"When the pain picks up, it's really hard to voice what you want. I think she needs you to touch her right now, she just can't tell you how. Try asking yes or no questions" Emy whispers.

Tegan's voice is soon in my ear.

"Babe, it's me. Do you want me to touch you, Sara?" she asks

I nod

"Do you want me to hold your hips?" she asks again

I shake my head

"Do you want me to rub your back?"

I nod and feel her hands on my back.

"Do you want something else?"

I nod

"Do you want me to…to…rub your tummy?"

I shake my head.

"Do you want me to massage your legs?"

I shake my head

"Sara, do you want a hug?"

I nod and feel her pull me into her arms. I shift so that she's under me in the exact position I need her in and cry into her shoulder. Her hands rub my back and another contraction hits. I grab her hair and ball my hands into fists, gently tugging. Tegan adds pressure to my lower back. I do my best to focus on her heartbeat until it passes. I sit up just enough to look into her eyes. She fixes my hair, like she always does, and smiles at me. I lean in and kiss her softly. I break it quickly and lay back down on her shoulder, my lips right next to her ear.

I whisper in a shaky voice "water"

She looks up at Emy "Can you hand me the bottle of water, please?"

The straw's against my lips and I take a few drinks before the next contraction hits. Tegan breathes deeply.

"Just like when I have my panic attacks. Follow me." She whispers.

I nod and imitate her breathing. I feel around and find her hand, intertwining our fingers. The pain eases up. I hear a rasp in her chest, but am still too weak to say anything. I hear Emy open the linen closet door. She's grabbing the diaper bag we'd put in there for today. It's almost time. I can feel it in my body. Tegan is kissing my cheek. It's really cold. I shiver against Tegan who turns the taps of the tub back on and wraps both arms around me protectively. The tears come again with a contraction. I'm too tired and sore to even react to it.

"I can't…Tegan…I can't…I can't" I whimper into her chest.

I feel Tegan swallow hard as I continue to break down against her. Just want to crawl inside of her skin, I bet it's safe and warm inside of her chest.

"Sara, you can do this. You've got this. I know you can do this, love" she whispers to me. "Now you're going to squeeze me as tight as you need. You're going to swear at me and punch me and bite me, whatever you need, and you're going to bring Dani into this world. C'mon Sara. I'm going to be right here. I'm never going to leave you. I'm always going to be right here."

I take some really deep breaths and slowly nod against her skin. The shivers stop as the water warms up. Emy checks me again.

"Okay Sara, 10 cm. When you feel like you need to push, go ahead. Listen to your body" Emy says in a calm, quiet voice.

She takes off her t-shirt and pants, leaving her in her bikini top and board shorts. She gets in the tub with us. Emy runs a supportive hand over my back. I take a deep breath as the pressure in my pelvis increases. I kiss Tegan through my tears and she kisses back. I break it, only to kiss her again, and then again. I need to turn around, the gravity pulling my tummy is starting to hurt. I try to make my body move, but I can't. My muscles are frozen in place. All I can do is whimper her name.

"Tegan" is my helpless plea.

"What Sara? Do you need to push?"

I shake my head.

"Change positions?"

I nod

"Do you want to get on your back?"

I nod and feel hers and Emy's hands wrapping around me to support my turn. Finally I'm on my back, leaning against Tegan. I relax into her and close my eyes, trying to focus. The pain is getting to me. It's messing with my mind. Tegan intertwines our fingers and kisses the top of my head. Then I feel it: my body telling me to push. I squeeze both of Tegan's hands and take a deep breath, pushing as hard as I can.

"That's it Sara. Good push" Emy praises me.

I keep pushing until I can't, and lay against Tegan again. Tegan lets go of my hands to rub up and down my arms, then fills a small container with warm water and pours it down my chest. That feels wonderful and I moan. She does it again, just as I need to push again. This one brings on more pain, as I bear down and push hard I scream, Tegan's hands immediately taking mine. Dani gives me a kick in a sore spot of my uterus and my body jumps. I start taking slow, shallow breaths.

"Sara, what happened?" Emy asks.

"She kicked" I confess.

"Got you right in the tender spot?" Emy asks again.

I nod

"You're gonna have to push through that Sare. I know it hurts. Just take a few breaths, and push again when you're ready" Emy told me.

I squeeze Tegan's wrists and nod, my head rolling on her shoulder. She kisses my neck lovingly and I can't help but turn my head towards her face and kiss her jaw bone. I feel it building and I need to push. This time, my hands take hold of my partner's powerful thighs on either side of me and I squeeze them.

"FUCK! Oh FUCKING FUCK!" I scream out.

"Sara, I'm seeing hair. That was an awesome push" Emy told me.

"Oh my god Sara, I can see her hair" Tegan told me.

I relaxed back into Tegan and cried. I was on fire, a burning sensation unlike any other taking over my crotch.

"It burns! Make it stop. Tegan, make it stop" I whimper

"She can't do anything Sara, no one can. One more big push and her head will be out and the burning will stop. Can you do that? One more big push?" Emy asks.

I nod and take a couple quick breaths, then push as hard as I possibly can. I feel Dani advance for the first time since I started pushing.

"That's it Sara! Her head's out. Look down, look at your baby" Emy told me

I looked down and Saw her, then turned to Tegan who's face was lit up. The tears continued but for a different reason now. That's my baby.

"Another push when you're ready Sara. Lets get her shoulders out" Emy encourages.

I nod with a new enthusiasm. Tegan's flourishing my neck and face with kisses and takes my hands again. I hold them and squeeze them both. I scream loudly as my body pushes Dani out.

"Reach down and grab her, Sare" Emy tells me.

My eyes light up as I catch my breath. My hands shakily reach down and I feel the tiny body being supported my Emy under the water. I feel the tears on my face and Tegan's on my shoulder, along with her lips as I support my daughter and pull her up to my chest.

"Oh my god. Hi. Hi baby girl" I whisper to her and kiss her tiny forehead.

Dani wiggles on my skin and Tegan leans down and gives her a kiss. I feel my stomach light on fire and am overwhelmed with happiness. The tears come more readily and I sob, looking into that tiny face. This moment is too perfect. Dani hiccups, then lets out a huge cry. There has never been a more joyous sound.

"That's what I like to hear. Good lungs, Dan" Emy praises.

"You did it Sara. Look what you did! She's perfect" Tegan whispers to me and kisses my head, moving to rub Dani's tiny back.

I smile, looking down at my daughter. MY daughter. My daughter with Tegan. I look over at Tegan again, only to find her looking at me with a look of the utmost adoration. Her love for our daughter is written all over her face. She's been waiting for this moment more impatiently than me. She leans in and gives me a quick kiss, before I look back down at the gorgeous, tiny person in my arms. This is Dani. This is my daughter, Dani Tara Quin. Emy hand Tegan a pair of scissors.

"Just let me make sure the cord is finished pulsing, I'll clamp it and you can cut it" Emy tells her.

I didn't think it was possible, but I see Tegan glow even more from this new information. She looks dumbfounded. Dani lets out another big cry and I kiss her forehead again, rocking her. I can feel her starting to get cold and reach into the diaper bag, grabbing a soft towel and slipping it under her. I'm no longer thinking about the pain or the fact that it's not over. Her eyes find mine and all I'm thinking about is how much I love this tiny sac of skin. This is my daughter. I can't imagine ever loving another person as much as this. She transcends Tegan. How is that possible? Then another contraction hits and I'm pulled from the bliss for a moment. I watch as Tegan cuts the cord, then hands Emy the scissors.

"Tegan, take her" I tell my wife.

Tegan eagerly accepts our new bundle into her arms and wraps her up completely in the towel, holding her to her chest.

"Ready to deliver that placenta?" Emy asks.

I nod "Contractions."

"Alright, let's do this. Just like before. Push when you…"

I'm already pushing before she can finish. In one push, there's the placenta. I hear Emy giggle.

"Super eager to spend more time with her, I see. Sara you did so well. No tearing…" she checked her watch "Short labour for your first, and a super quick delivery."

I nod "Is it over?"

Emy chuckles and nods "Yup."

"Oh thank god" I say and splay across Tegan, my head just under Dani.

Emy gets out of the tub, and dries off, then wraps the towel around herself.

"I need to run some tests on Dani. Do you want to do them here or in the bedroom?" Emy asks.

Tegan looks at me "I've had just about enough of this tub. Give me my bed" I tell them.

Tegan and Emy chuckle. I get to my knees. Holy shit am I sore. I slowly make my way to my feet on shaky knees. Tegan's not far behind me and steadies me. Emy opens a towel and I step in. I quickly dry off, then wrap myself in the towel and hobble into the bedroom, getting into bed and tossing the towel on the floor.

"You must be tired" Tegan said, picking up the towel and tossing it aside along with hers and the garbage bags.

She brought Dani over to Emy who was setting up on our dresser. I thought that I should really get up and participate, but Tegan was there and I'm exhausted. I inhale deeply and close my eyes. A few moments later, I felt Dani being placed on my bare chest. I smiled and opened my eyes.

"Hey baby girl" I whispered to her.

"9 LBS, 3 oz. and she's 23" long. Aced all the tests" Tegan told me with a kiss to my forehead.

I sighed and Dani sucked on my chest. Emy walked over and looked down.

"Yup. Big baby. Everything's perfect. I bet she's hungry" Emy told me.

"What do I do?" I asked, nervously.

"Just wait, sometimes you don't need to do anything" Emy told me.

I watched as Dani searched for my nipple, then latched on and started sucking. My eyes went wide.

"Holy shit that's weird!" I exclaimed.

Emy chuckled and checked out the situation with a finger.

"Perfect latch. Good job Dan. Well, I'm done here as an OB. But as a friend: that's the cutest fucking baby I've ever seen. They usually come out looking like aliens. Look at that hair!" Emy cooed.

I smiled and looked down, patting Dani's diaper-clad bum. She did have a cute little fuzzing of Tegan-coloured hair.

"That's my girl. Future heartthrob" Tegan proclaimed.

Tegan ran her fingers through my hair, making me relax and close my eyes. I smiled at her, then turned my attention back to Dani. It's like every moment I spent with her, I could feel my love for her grow. I sighed happily and kissed her head again. Tegan kissed mine and wrapped me up. She coughed a few times, cleared her throat, then whispered in my ear

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

I smiled and felt Dani unlatch. I kissed her again, then handed her to Tegan who eargly took her.

"Babe, I'm exhausted" I tell her.

"DO you want me to stay and snuggle? We can have Quin family snuggles" Tegan suggested, putting Dani over her shoulder for a burp.

I contemplated that "I think I need some time alone. But later, for sure. I just…that was…overwhelming in so many respects. I need to wrap my mind around it and just, sleep alone for a couple hours. I love you."

"Okay babe. I love you too" Tegan said, leaning in and giving me a peck on the lips. "Sleep well, I'll be in the next room if you need me."

I nod and watch as Tegan gets dressed one-handed, then heads out. I sigh and close my eyes.

Tegan's POV

Holy shit. This is my kid. She's so tiny and adorable. Oh look, she's snuggling into my chest. I make my way into her room and flip on the lights. I put her down on the changing table and give her a kiss. Look at that smile. I watch as Dani smiles widely, her hands and feet moving nonsensically. I can't help but mirror that look of glee and lean down to blow a raspberry on her tummy.

"Oh my god, I love you so fucking much little peanut" I tell her.

Emy cleaned her up and put a diaper on her right after the tests, but I'm not ready to share her yet. Walking over, I sit in the rocking chair. I unzip my hoodie and slip her in, letting her rest against my skin, her tiny ear over my heart. I zip it up to keep her warm and hold her. I can feel the tiny puffs as she breathes against me. I close my eyes and just smile. I can't help but cough again, and make a gross face when I swallow the phlegm. It has a weird metallic taste. After some time alone with Dani, I dress her in a jumper and socks to keep her warm, then head on out to the living room. I see two big smiles and I hand her off to Emy.

"Aunt Emy, meet Dani Tara Quin" I say as I pass her off.

Emy smiles and takes her, giving her a kiss "We meet again little one" she says, then looks at me "Is Sara asleep?"

I nod "She wanted some time alone."

Emy nods too and looks over at Lindsey.

"Tegan, she's adorable. Holy shit, kid's got your eyes" Lindsey tells me.

I smile "Really? I know she's got Sara's mouth. Those tiny, pursed lips. Hopefully she gets Sara's tiny, perfect ears too. Mine look funny."

They chuckle and look my way. I zip my sweater back up and start coughing again. Emy hands her off to Lindsey as I swallow whatever I coughed up.

"We want you two to be the god parents" I tell them.

"Really?" Emy asks, wide-eyed.

I nod "Of course. It was a no-brainer for us."

I stick my hands in the pockets of the zip up hoodie, and head over to the kitchen, putting the water on for tea. I pull out my cell phone and let mum know. I'm pretty sure she's on her way over here before she even picks up. I lean against the counter, I'm pretty tired too. After all, it's like 4am. I cough again, and watch the water boil. Sighing, I stand up. I miss her already. I walk back over to Emy and Lindsey who are cooing over Dani who's fast asleep.

From that deep sleep, she wakes up and starts screaming bloody murder. I go to take her, but I double over, unable to catch my breath and coughing uncontrollably. I feel something leak out of my mouth as I collapse to the ground.

"Tegan!" Emy yells and runs over.

She turns back to Lindsey "Get an ambulance here" she demands.

I hear Lindsey shuffle, Dani still screaming in her arms. What's wrong with Dani? I keep coughing, and I finally get a look at what the liquid is: blood. Why the fuck am I coughing up blood? I'm gasping for air. It feels like drowning. Lindsey rolls me on my back. She's getting ready to do CPR. I'm going to die. She knows I'm going to die. I know I'm going to die. I did what I had to here: gave Dani half my genes, defeated the big bad, and my reward was seeing her being born, and getting to let her know that I loved her. My life is complete. I'm going to miss her first bath, her first crawl, steps, words, kindergarten, concert, homework, nightmares, cuddles, growing old with Sara. I don't even get to say goodbye to Sara. Sara doesn't know. She still doesn't know how much I love her. Neither of them do. This is my last thought as I feel myself slip away.

Sara's POV

I wake up to Dani's incessant wailing, turn over and try to go back to sleep. I'm exhausted. I'd only been asleep for maybe 40 minutes before she woke me up. I groan. She's okay though. Tegan's got her. If she needs me, Tegan'll bring her in, right? Of course. It's Tegan. I close my eyes, and try to go back to sleep, but the wailing doesn't stop. I lay there for 5 minutes, until I have to get up. When I get to the kitchen, I can barely believe what I see.

There's a small pool of blood, right next to Tegan. She's on her back, and Emy's doing CPR. I look over and see Dani in Lindsey's arms, Lindsey's trying to calm her down. I don't believe how fast I'm sliding in next to Tegan, on my knees. I slap her cheek gently a couple times.

"Tegan, wake up. Come on baby, wake up, you're scaring Dani" I tell her and continue to hit her. "Come on Tegan, this isn't funny."

"Sara, go get Dani. Take care of Dani" Emy ordered.

"No. What kind of joke is this?" I ask, in disbelief.

"SARA! GO GET DANI! She's dead. I need to keep her heart going until the ambulance gets here with the AED. You're in the way!" Emy yells.

I feel the tears coming, and the colour drains from my face. I slowly get to my feet and walk over, taking Dani from Lindsey. The moment she's against me, she calms down. I slowly rock her and shield her eyes from Tegan's body. My heart races and I can't take my eyes off of Tegan's form, on the floor. I hear the sirens.

"She's been gone how long Lidnsey?" Emy asks

"Two minutes" Lindsey answers.

"Fuck! Blood. Coughing blood. Lindsey, get me a pen or a straw and a knife. Or something like that" Emy calls out.

Lindsey quickly goes to the island and fumbles in the junk drawer, finding a pocket knife and a coffee cup plastic straw. She hands them to Emy.

"Lindsey, take over CPR" Emy tells her wife.

Lindsey starts doing compressions, and I watch as Emy strips Tegan's chest bare and feels down her sides. She finds something she deems interesting, and stabs Tegan, pulling the knife out quickly and replaces it with the straw. Blood runs out of the straw onto the ground. The paramedics ran through the door. I hold Dani a little tighter, and try to contain my hysteria. Emy calls for the AED and they practically throw it to her. Tegan's dead. Tegan's dead. Not just in some other realm, real-world dead. Emy shocks her, and there's no heartbeat. The heart that had beat away my pain just hours earlier isn't beating anymore. Mum walks through the front door and gasps. She looks around the room and finds me, running over and hugging me.

"What happened?" she asked.

I cried into her "I don't know. I was asleep, then I heard Dani, and I came out, and she was on the floor, and…and..and…and Emy was doing CPR and said that she's dead, then the paramedics, and the shock.."

Mum kissed the top of my head, and rubbed my arm as we watched.

"I've got a pulse!" Emy screeched "Lets bag her!"

I felt my knees give way and I cradled Dani to my chest tightly as I slowly slid down to the floor, crying. She's back. That heart is still beating. They get her on a stretcher and start to wheel her out. I use what little strength I have left to follow. Emy stops me.

"Sara, you need to stay here and rest" she tells me. "Your body and mind have been through enough today. Stay here with your baby, I'll take care of Tegan. I promise I'll get her home as soon as I can. I won't let her leave you. She's going to come home."

I gulp and nod, because she's right. I want to be with Tegan so badly, but both Dani and I need to be in the quiet and dark, where things are calm. But it's Tegan. I stare Emy down.

"You call me the second anything changes. Promise" I insist.

"Okay. Promise" Emy says

"And you better answer whenever I call" I order.

She nods and runs out with the paramedics. The front door closes and I can feel the stares of pity around me. I walk right out of the kitchen. I can't take this. I walk into Dani's room and lock the door. They're knocking on it, but I ignore them and take my shirt off, and press Dani to my chest. She starts to suckle my breast and I let the tears flood out. I hold her close and kiss her as the weight of the day landed on top of me. The only thing that can save me from this misery is laying in an ambulance, within an inch of her life. How had that happened? I thought to the straw in her side, the cough, the rasp that I heard right before I gave birth. I should have said something.

I hold Dani to me and cry. She finishes up, and I put her upright, and gently pat her back, burping her. I feel her dozing and know I should sleep too. I painfully get to my feet and open the door, brushing past mum and Lindsey, and going into my room. Going over to Tegan's dresser, I grab one of her bigger t-shirts. I lay down, and strip Dani down to her diaper. I lay her on my chest and pull the t-shirt over both of us.

I whimper "This is how mommy smells. It's mama's favourite smell in the world. Did you get to spend time with her, little one?" I kiss her again. "She's so special. So, so special and she loves us so much. She's gotta come home. She's gotta teach you how to be extra super special. I don't know how to do that. I also don't know how to work the thermostat or clean the gutters."

I feel myself choke up and the tears just won't stop falling. I pat Dani's tiny bum and rub her back. I try to take a few deep breaths, but I can't do it. I reach for my phone and call Emy.

"We're just getting her into the OR. She hasn't woken up yet, but she's still with us. How're you?" Emy answers.

I hang up before I answer. I close my eyes and yawn, but more tears spill out. Dani starts to slip into sleep against me. Come one Tegan. You promised you wouldn't leave. I don't think I can do this alone. She needs you, I need you.

I spot Tegan's phone on her nightstand and replay the videos, listening to her voice and closing my eyes. I keep hitting play, over and over and over again.

I don't remember falling asleep, just the phone ringing. I answer it with a groggy voice.

"Hello?" I grumble, my hand moving to rub Dani.

"Sara" my voice's equal crackles on the other line.

My heart races and I can't answer, pulling the phone away from my face and convulsing in tears. Her voice.

"Sara?" Tegan repeated.

"I'm here, Tegan I'm here" I blubbered. "Oh god baby. Oh fuck."

"M'okay" she crackled back. "Emy said I'll be home in a few hours."

"Oh thank god. Holy shit Tegan. What happened?" I asked

"Broken ribs. Lungs…filled with blood. I drowned. Surgery. Breathing good" she sounded strained.

"Yes, breathing's very good. You scared the shit out of me, and Dani apparently" I tell her.

"Dani?" she inquires.

"She's asleep on my chest right now. Baby, please come home soon" I tell her.

"I will. Sleep. You need to sleep."

"I will Tegan, promise."

"I love you" she tells me

Fresh tears now fall "I love you too." I swallow hard "See you soon love, I'll be here in our bed, waiting for you."

"See ya" she said.

She hung up and I kept my line open, until the phone dropped the call. I sighed. She's okay. Dani's still fast asleep and I decide to join her, my exhaustion completely taking me over. When I wake up next, it's to Dani crying. She's sucking at my skin, trying to find my nipple. I help her out. She latches on and I hear Tegan's steady breathing. Tegan! She groans and lifts her head gently, then reaches out and ruffles my hair.

"Tegan!" I exclaim and scoot over to her.

She puts an arm around me and yawns, leaning in and kissing me gently. I devour her lips, and let my head relax in the crook of her arm. She slowly breaks the kiss.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She nods and pushes the comforter down to reveal her bare chest, with bandages covering the entire right side. I sigh and close my eyes, resting my forehead against her cheek.

"Emy pulled some strings and got me home almost right after surgery. How's our little champ?" she asks

"Hungry. How long have you been home?" I ask

She looks at the clock "Three hours. You were out cold when I walked in. You've got Mum and Lindsey hysterical. Emy told me she'd calm them down. I came right in here."

"So, what exactly happened?" I ask

"Remember those bruises from the fight?" she asks.

I nod

"Apparently under one of those was a broken rib. A piece broke off and got into my lung. Everytime I took a breath, it would aggravate the blood vessels, and the blood just slowly started to fill my lungs. Emy stabbed me with a straw and the blood drained, then they got me into surgery and took the piece out, stitched everything up, barabing, baraboom. I'm okay. I just have to take it easy for a bit. I think we're stuck with the three of them for a while."

I groan and Dani unlatches. Tegan reaches out for her and scoops her up, putting her on her good side and burping. I swear I can hear Dani sigh the moment she's against Tegan.

"I think she missed you" I tell her.

"She screamed bloody murder just before I went out" Tegan tells me.

"She kept screaming until I took her. I think she knew what was going on and got scared" I tell her.

I lean in and give her a kiss "Were you scared for Mommy? Eh? I told you she smells the best."

Tegan laughs and it makes Dani smile. "She likes it when you laugh, Tee."

I lean in and give Tegan another quick kiss, then curl back up on her arm. That arm snakes around me to rub my back. My eyes close and I move my hand to meet hers ontop of our daughter's back.

"This feels so right" she whispers.

I nod "This is our family."

I can hear the smile in her voice "We have a family."

Tegan's POV

I woke up and winced at the pain in my right side, but smiled at the tiny body ontop of me, and the bigger one curled up next to me. I sighed and heard the start of a cry from Dani. I felt her diaper and it squished. I've got this one. I lean over and give Sara a kiss, then slowly get up, cradling the whimpering baby to my chest.

"It's okay champ, I've got you covered. Mommy's gonna take care of that diaper" I whisper to her as I slowly close our bedroom door.

I do my best to be super quiet as I tiptoe to the dresser to pull on some clothes, then into Dani's room , and close the door. I bring her to the changing table. The moment the wet material is off her bum, she lets out a tiny sigh.

"That's my girl" I coo at her.

She smiles up at me and I clean her off, putting on a fresh diaper and getting her dressed in some footie pajamas before hugging her to me again. She just kind of hangs out on my chest as I decide that Mum really should meet her. I walk out and down the hallway, into the kitchen to find everyone eating dinner.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"5 at night. How are you feeling?" Emy asks.

"Sore" I tell her.

Mum gets up and walks over to me "Oh my god, she's precious. Can I hold her?"

I nod and reluctantly hand Dani over to Mum.

"Hi baby girl. Oh hi baby girl. Oh you're so cute!" then she looks at me and gives me a hug, the tears coming "We thought we lost you. Poor Sara was devastated."

I nod and hug my mum back "I'm okay mum. We're all okay."

"Dallas is on the next flight home with Leah. They get in at 2 am tomorrow morning" Lindsey tells me.

I nod and sit down at the table.

"Are you hungry baby?" Mum asks

I nod and fill a plate. "Sara's still passed out."

"That's good. She was exhausted. A lot to deal with" Emy tells me.

I nod. I feel really horrible about having to put her through all that when it happened. It was horrible timing. She thought I was dead. But I don't say anything, I just take a bite of my lasagna and wince as I take a deep breath.

"Tegan, you really should have let me bring you dinner in bed. You shouldn't be up" Mum tells me.

"It's okay Mum, I didn't want to wake Sara. Besides, someone needed a diaper change" I smile and take a water bottle from the table, twisting the cap off and taking a drink. "I'm really okay."

"Did you go boom boom already baby girl?" Mum asks Dani.

Lindsey chuckles from across the table and Emy lifts an eyebrow at me "Boom Boom?"

"That's mum's euphemism for taking a dump" I tell them.

"It sounds so much nicer than that word" Mum tells them.

Dani hiccups and starts to cry. Mum rocks her, but she's just getting more distressed.

"Pass her on back, Mum" I tell her.

Mum brings Dani back to me, and the moment she's back in my hands she quiets and coos.

"Uh oh. I think we've got a mommy's girl" Lindsey says.

I smile "Yeah. She seems to kind of like me. You know what she likes even more?"

I slip her under my shirt and pop her head up out next to mine so she can rest against my shoulder. Dani lets out a happy sigh. The table erupts in awes.

"That's the cutest thing I'm ever seen" Emy says, taking a picture with her phone.

"Send that to me, so I can tweet it out" I tell her "Let the fans go nuts. They love when I tweet adorable shit."

I smile and take another bite of my lasagna. I feel my bladder alert me to a need and give Dani a kiss, then take her out of my shirt.

"Spend some time with Grandma. Mommy's gotta go to the bathroom. I love you little munchkin" I tell her with a kiss, then hand her to Mum.

I get up from the table and head to the spare room's bathroom. As soon as I'm done, I see Kaki in the mirror behind me and jump.

"Holy fuck, scare the shit outta me why donchya?" I tell her.

"Sorry. I wanted to talk to you away from your mom. How'd the birth go?" she asked

I smiled "Well, Sara was fantastic. Dani's adorable."

"Well, no duh! How's Sara?" she asked.

"Good. She's sleeping it all off. She's been through a lot in one day" I tell Kaki.

"I bet. Listen, everyone is over the moon and grateful for what you did. I've tried to convince everyone to give you guys some time before they start coming by and showing their thanks."

"Who is this everyone you're talking about, Kaki?"

She sighed "Many, many different beings from many different worlds. I thought I should come back and explain some things that happened while I was away though. First off: the panic attacks. They should be gone now."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how I said I was trying my best to prepare you for what was coming?" Kaki asked.

"You mean, you…"

"I had to. Your system needed to be prepared for what was coming. The best way to engage that was to fire up your fight or flight response over and over until it became a part of your everyday, this way the adrenaline rush would be super effective. And the other Tegan: not dead. It was all Ivanov. All of the bad shit that's happened has been Ivanov. He's a changling: can take on the appearance of other people. When you "killed Tegan" you just knocked him out. HE didn't have time to charge up for a fight, you just dropped out of nowhere. Everything he's done was trying to pry you away from Sara and break the bond. If the bond was broken, and you two weren't together, he thought Dani would have less power."

I thought back to the other "Tegan" and what she did to Sara. About me being stuck and feeling hopeless in the other world for months. About Him trying to get to Dani as soon as he knew she was there. Then I think about the fan, and the runner, and the trials, and the "cheating". It was all to break us up. I smile.

"And none of his stuff worked" I tell her.

"Of course it didn't. C'mon, it's you and Sara. It's True Love. The truest. Ivanov might have been powerful, but he was an idiot. Which is why he never assumed that the bond itself was the product of true love and went straight for the literal meaning" Kaki explained.

I smiled wider, but then a thought crossed my mind "What about the muscles?"

"Well, sorry to say but Tegan, you were pretty weak. It's one thing to have the love working for you, but your physical strength acted like a baseline. Once again, the usefulness of panic attacks. Pretty sure if you do the math, you had 3 hours worth a week for…7 months of full body muscle contraction and relaxation."

"Just like going to the gym" I said, shaking my head, chuckling, it all making sense.

"Told you I'd do all that I could to help you out. I doubt you or Sara protested. Your strength built up, along with your relationship over the course of the pregnancy. Feeling particularly strong the past few weeks, eh?" Kaki asked.

I nodded, thinking about being able to pick Sara up "Do I get to keep it?"

"If you want to. I'm pretty sure at least one of your future visitors can help" she told me.

"Oh, by the way: the whole like world is looking for you" I tell her.

"Yeah. Figured that out. Took care of it. It's like I never left. I hear you also told Emy and Lindsey."

"Someone had to know. Look what it got us too. We had two lines of defense between you and Emy so I could get there in time. So, Emy's a witch?" I ask

Kaki nodded "Never knew that eh? She's kept it pretty well hidden here. Lindsey knew about it though. She had a little heads up about Dani being special."

"I thought they took it pretty well" I contemplated.

"They seem to have taken everything pretty well eh? The fact that you two changed overnight and were no longer their girlfriends, the weird other world stuff…" Kaki said with a grin.

I sighed and let out a chuckle "I shoulda known. More influence from you."

Kaki shrugged "It all worked out, didn't it? The timing was all perfect."

I smiled and nodded "I guess it was, wasn't it?"

Kaki nodded "I should get going, and come through your front door to meet the little diva. I think you should have this though."

I feel that comfortable handle in my hands and the weight of the blade. I smile.

"It's always been yours. He's out of it now too. It's all taken care of. Oh, I almost forgot. Let me get rid of that pain for you. Sara's too. One of the elders said that you and Sara shouldn't have to deal with it, after all you've done. They did what they could from the distance, which is why after that surgery you could come home so quickly and feel well enough to be up and about. Hearts were breaking for Sara when you died. No one was going to let you be separated from her or Dani because of that evil bastard. Luckily the guardian of eternity tossed you right back. He was all like "Hell no, get out of my hood, homie". We all had a good laugh about it. I love when Jay gets gangster. Anyways, you should enjoy being happy. They're all looking out for you now. Be ready for a wonderful life, Tegan."

With the wave of her hand, I felt my lungs fill to capacity and the heaviness in my chest and leg disappear. There was no more pain. I sighed, feeling my body return to normal.

"Kaki, before you go. Did you umm… Dani seems to be particular to me. Is that..?" I ask

She smiles and shakes her head "That's all you. Kid just has wicked good instincts."

I smile wide. My kid loves me. That feels so good, to know that she's comforted by me. I hate that going out scared her. I never want her to be scared.

"I'll see you in a few minutes" Kaki tells me.

I nod and she POOFs out. I take a moment to close my eyes and think of my daughter. I thought I'd never get to see her grow up. I smiled wider. Get ready world, because I'm gonna raise the shit outta that kid. Between Sara and I… Sara and I. She's the perfect unison of Sara and I. A thought crosses my mind: she's our zygote that never split in the womb. She's the person that probably would have happened had we been born the same person. AND she has us as parents. This kid IS going to change the world. And now, I need to hold her. I hear her cry.

I make my way back out to the kitchen and see Sara, awake at the table. She takes Dani from Emy, and lifts her shirt. Dani calms. She's super happy to be with Sara too. I smile as Dani latches on. Dallas, Leah, and Kaki are all there now too. They all get up and give me hugs, kisses, and congratulations. I get a wink from Kaki. Of course, against our wishes they've brought gifts. Kaki got Dani a ½ sized Gibson Songster, as promised and Dallas and Leah brought her a children's piano. I chuckled.

Walking over, I drop a kiss on Sara's head.

"Morning, my handsome, handsome wife."

She smiles and I lock eyes with her "You're looking like you're feeling better" she tells me.

"I feel fantastic, how about you?" I reply, feeding her a forkful of lasagna.

She takes the offered bite and makes eyes at me "Oh, I feel so, so good."

"Do we have to remind you that it's going to be a bit before sex is an option?" Mum says to us.

Sara and I both blush. I'd kind of forgotten they were all there.

The doorbell rings and

"Who needs sex?" Sara replies.

When she looks at me, I know exactly what she means. With a love like ours, sex is just a bonus. I smile at her, and we both look down at Dani. Then, I look around the table. This is my family. This is my home. These are the best days of my life. I love making music, I love playing to crowds of screaming fans, but it all pales in comparison to this. I can only imagine that this is the baseline of happiness. This is just the beginning. I look down and lock eyes with my daughter who smiles at me and lets go of Sara's nipple, making a cooing noise.

Yeah, just the beginning.