I loved writing this one!
Apologies if it wasn't where you thought the storyline was going, but this idea just wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. Oh, and the bit in italics just before the time skip to the present day is Annabeth's dream.
Disclaimer: Nothing's changed. Still don't own 'em. Apart from any characters you don't recognize.
Setting - Three weeks after Percy and Annabeth's wedding, though Annabeth's dream occurs around four and a half years after Everything.
~Three days ago~
The woman stood at the bathroom sink, staring down at the small object in her hands. Finally. A reason I've been feeling so off since Percy and I got back from Paris. The quiet closing of the apartment door broke her from the trance she had slipped into, and she walked into the lounge, greeting her husband, who was just setting a couple of grocery bags on the kitchen bench. "Percy?"
Her husband glanced up, smiling at her. "Annabeth. Something the matter?"
"No. But…"
Her husband's eyes narrowed. "But what?"
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, her hand already moving to show him the pregnancy test she had taken shortly before. "Percy, I think I'm pregnant".
~That night~
Annabeth lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling as she listened to the gentle breathing of her husband beside her. One hand rested on her (still) flat stomach, the other resting on the bed sheets between them. She knew she should be sleeping, like him, but her mind was far too restless. What if something goes wrong? What if I'm not able to be the good mother that this child deserves? She wondered.
"Annabeth?"
Her husband's voice broke her from her thoughts, and she turned towards him to see that he had propped himself up on one arm and was watching her, an expression of utmost concern on his face. "Is something wrong?"
"I was just thinking, Percy" she responded softly.
Her husband smiled gently at her, leaning in to place a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Anything you'd like to share?"
"I just… What if something goes wrong, Percy? What if I can't be the good mother our child deserves?"
Percy wrapped her arms around her, and she shifted closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "Don't think like that, Annabeth. Don't ever think like that, okay? Nothing's going to go wrong. You're going to be a fantastic mother, I promise you that much".
Her voice was soft, quiet, when she next replied. "Thank you".
"Always, Wise Girl"
Her lips curved into a smile as she closed her eyes, falling asleep seconds later to the gentle breaths of the man she loved.
"Mommy?"
She sat up in bed, glancing momentarily at the clock before blinking in confusion at the young, grey-eyed, girl, who couldn't have been more than five years old. "Zoë, what're you doing up? It's almost midnight" she queried gently.
"Scared".
Her sharp eyes now adjusted to the darkness of the room she shared with her husband, she easily noticed the subtle way in which her daughter was trembling. "What's got you so scared, Zoë?"
"Bad dream".
Annabeth's eyes softened instantly, and she held out her arms. "Come here, baby".
The child threw herself into her mother's arms, and Annabeth could feel her body shake through her thin pyjamas as she wrapped her arms around her daughter's body and held her close, placing a tender kiss to the girl's sweat-matted black hair. "There, there. Don't worry, Zoë, it was just a dream. Your father and I get them all the time".
The young girl looked up, confused, at her mother. "Really?"
"Yup. But do you want to know what really helps us?"
"What?"
Annabeth smiled warmly. "Snuggling up together in a warm bed".
She lifted the sheets to allow the five year old to slip under them, and, as her daughter wriggled in, immediately settling into her embrace, Annabeth gave a gentle sigh of contentment. Could her life possibly get any better than it already was?
~Present day~
Her husband is uncharacteristically quiet and still beside her as they wait for the doctor to return with the test results that will hopefully confirm what they think they already know, and she reaches for his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He manages a smile, though it's clear that he's still nervous, and in response she pulls him closer, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck as his arms immediately wrap around her body. He presses a brief, chaste, kiss to her forehead. "The suspense is killing me. I need to know whether we're right or not, and I need to know now. Right now" she whispers.
He chuckles quietly. "The doctor should be back any second now. And then we can get our answers".
Right on cue, the door opens, allowing a brunette-haired nurse, maybe a couple of years older than the impatient young woman and her husband, to enter. The nurse glances at the paperwork in her hand, double-checking the details, before looking at the couple. "Annabeth Jackson?" she queries.
The blonde-haired woman turns in her husband's arms to face the nurse and nods nervously. "That would be me. And this is Percy, my husband".
Percy lightly squeezes his wife's waist and the nurse smiles gently at them. "I have the results of your blood test. Would you like to know what they are?"
Annabeth glances briefly at her husband, needing the confirmation that she is doing the right thing by wanting the answer, before nodding. "Yes, please"
The nurse smiles cheerfully, handing her a copy of the sheet with the results of her blood test on. "Congratulations, you're pregnant. Around three to four weeks, judging by the amount of HCG in your blood"
"HCG?" Annabeth and her husband query at the same time.
"Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin. It's a chemical produced by the…"
"I don't really think we need to know any more about that, thanks" Annabeth interrupts, though she is smiling now.
"Would you like to see if we can see anything?" the nurse queries.
Annabeth and Percy glance at each other, and Annabeth nods. She's really pregnant. She and Percy are actually going to be parents. Her dream is actually coming true.
There we go. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Any scenes you'd like to see in particular from this storyline? I've got one planned that ties in to something I mentioned in the previous Chapter (taking place around two weeks after the Giant War), but, if you have any other ideas, Review with prompts and I'll see what I can do!
Also, if you guys could possibly vote in the poll on my profile, I will love you guys for-freaking-ever. Thanks.
