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"Hm."

Lightning shifted on the couch, holding her stomach. She had been getting progressively more and more uncomfortable as the day progressed, not able to get settled in any position. This was normalcy for the most part at this stage, their growing child now large enough to make Lightning's movements particularly cumbersome. Vanille glanced up from the book she was reading, having come over and to hang out with Lightning in the living room while Fang cooked dinner.

"Everything alright, Lightning?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the wince from the pinkette. Lightning nodded and gave a shrug, grimacing as she tried to adjust herself again.

"Yeah, I think so. Just a little crampy today. Probably been sitting down too long." Lightning replied, hissing through her teeth as she tried to sit up. "Nope. That's not happening."

Vanille slowly closed the book and got off the couch, moving over to sit beside the pinkette. "Uh, Light, we might need to take you to the hospital." She stated firmly, checking her over with concern. Lightning scoffed and shook her head.

"I highly doubt that, not due for a while yet." Lightning did the math in her was only about six months since they found out but… She knew full well when she had… "Conceived." Maybe it wasn't as early as she thought. "It'll be fine Vanille and-f-fuck… Ow. It doesn't hurt too badly, I'll be fine."

The redhead stared incredulously, giving her a once over. "You also have a stupid high pain tolerance! You're almost at nine months and it doesn't occur to you that maybe you might be having contractions?"

Fang poked her head into the living room with a raised eyebrow, her attention drawn from Vanille's yelling. "Uh, everything alright in here? What are you yelling about?"

"Light needs to go to the hospital."

"Van, I don't-"

"What?! What's happening? Let's go already!" Fang exclaimed, already picking up the keys to the car and grabbing her jacket off the hook as she rushed about the house. Lightning rolled her eyes and put a hand on her partner's arm to still her. This wasn't the first time Fang had fussed over her to an obsessive degree, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.

"I'm just having cramps, that's all. Calm down. Vanille is just being a panic merchant."

Fang stared at her in displeasure, giving her a click of her tongue. "Shut up and get in the car, Light." She drawled, turning to Vanille and gesturing towards the bedroom. "There's a bag of things prepped for the hospital, can you grab it and meet us in the car?" Vanille gave a salute and took off down the hall at a racing pace. Lightning sighed loudly and pursed her lips, annoyed at nobody listening to her.

"Listen, you're all overreac-" Lightning cut herself off with a gasp, grabbing Fang's arm with a white-knuckled grip. "Ok never mind get me to the hospital."

"What? What's changed your mind?" Fang asked, confused at the change of heart.

"My water broke."

"Oh. VANILLE!"

The redhead waved as she ran past them down the hall, opening the door for them. "Already on it!" She yelled out, racing out to the car and laying down towels in the back seat. Vanille climbed into the car and helped Lightning settle in while Fang tried not to panic. "The pair of you, breathe please. Fang focus on getting us to the hospital in one piece. Lightning, you focus on the breathing and meditations I've been running you through the last few mon-" She was cut off with a squeak as Lighting grabbed her by the shirt, pulling her in close.

"Would you like to know… Where I think you should stick your meditations?"

Vanille's eyes widened at the threatening tone as Fang shut the doors and climbed into the driver's seat. "Light, please don't murder 'Nille before we get to the hospital, she's trying to help." Fang sighed, kicking over the engine. She didn't waste time driving, thankfully the small facility having opened a maternity wing not long after Lightning fell pregnant. Travelling to Academia was a pain for the fledgling village, especially in surprise circumstances such as this.

Lightning frowned at a suspiciously familiar sound, dropping her head back against the headrest with a cry as a contraction ripped through her. "Fang, is that my siren you've put on the car? Are you serious?"

"I ain't taking chances with getting in an accident. I'm legging it to the hospital, and everyone else can get the hell out of the way."

"For fuck's sake, Fang... I can get in trouble for improper use…"

They hit the emergency department driveway in record time, brakes screeching. Fang put her arm on the opposite headrest to turn around. "It's not improper use if it's an emergency. We'll deal with the paperwork later if anyone wants to bitch about it." She drawled, quickly getting out of the car and jogging through the doors. Fang grabbed an orderly and dragged him outside with a wheelchair, a few nurses rushing along behind them.

"Hi Fang, nice to see you again," one of the nurses greeted with a wink. "At least she's not trying to throw a tray at you, this time." Fang squinted at her before the recognition dawned on her, the nurse being the one to treat her when she first awoke from crystal stasis. Rako, her name was, if she recalled correctly.

"Its early days, love. Early days."

Lightning yelled in agony as they loaded her into the chair and wheeled her through the doors, Fang and Vanille hot on her heels. "I can't believe you did this to me. This is your fault, Fang…" She groaned, the Pulsian giving her a sympathetic glance.

"I know sweetheart. I'll get you whatever you want after we're done. My life is forfeit."

"You're… Damned right your life is forfeit… I'm gonna kill you for doing this to me…" Lightning whined, her voice breaking from the pain of another contraction. The old nurse took a curious glance at Fang as they wheeled the pinkette off, keeping her behind to fill out the paperwork.

"Anything you wanna tell me about Pulsian anatomy there that we're not aware of?"

Fang laughed and signed the forms, shaking her head in exasperation. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Rako. They just down the hall?" she asked, the nurse leading her and Vanille further into the facility. Whatever pain tolerance Lightning had was long since surpassed, her cries of pain echoing through the hall. Fang's heart sped up along with her pace, rushing into the room.

"Fang!" Lightning cried out as the brunette entered, reaching for her hand. The grip was crushing, though neither could tell who was holding on tighter. As another contraction hit, Lightning gritted her teeth and glared at Fang.

"I know, I'm so sorry baby. I will make it up to you I promise."

"You… Better… You asshole…" Lightning grunted, squinting her eyes shut from the pain. One of the assisting nurses came in to start connecting her up to the monitors and Fang eyed them with idle fascination. Definitely more sophisticated than what she was used to back home.

"Ok, Miss Farron. I will need you to remember the breathing exercises they would have ran you through during your pre-natal clas-" The nurse's words were stifled with a gasp as electricity arced from Lightning's free hand, skittering along her arm.

"Do you know what's going to happen to the next person who tells me to focus on my breathing?" Lightning growled, before collapsing back on the bed at the gentle urging of Fang.

"Easy, Light. Please. They're just trying to do their job."

The doctor entered and glanced about the room with a raise of her eyebrow, seemingly unfazed by the proceedings. "Miss Farron, your partner is correct. If you could attempt to not fry our equipment in the interim, it would be appreciated."

"I.. Sorry." Lightning panted, relaxing a small amount as the wave of pain subsided. When she was branded back in the vestige, the pain was blinding. This was like being branded over and over and over again enough to make her wish for crystal sleep again. The doctor hummed as she looked over the scanners and monitors, her brow furrowing.

"Your blood pressure is a little high, Miss Farron. Though the stress can be… Expected.." The doctor drawled, giving Lightning's hand a sardonic glance as if waiting for more electricity to spark, but then her eyes darted to the tense looking brunette next to her. "It's a little higher than we'd like, and the baby appears to have signs of fetal distress. It's nothing to panic about, you're in the right place for us to assist but… Miss Yun I will need to ask that you leave the room so that we may work, as surgery may be necessary."

Fang blanched at the instructions, leaning closer to Lightning and holding onto her tighter. "You can't be serious. I'm not leaving her." She growled threateningly. This wasn't the way it was done. The partner always stayed with her.

"I know what we said about… Following your heritage, Fang." Lightning said quietly, cupping her face gently. "But you and I both know this is uncharted territory. I… We can't risk anything happening."

Fang snarled at the doctors, frustrated at the situation she was being asked to be stuck in. She wasn't the slightest bit comfortable leaving but as another contraction hit and Lightning was overcome with agony, she knew she was in the way.

"The baby isn't sitting right, Miss Farron. We're going to do what we can to avoid surgery, but for now… Please. Miss Yun."

"I love you, Fang. They'll call you back in as soon as it's safe to do so." Lightning hissed, grimacing in pain. Fang brushed the damp hair from Lightning's face and kissed her forehead, holding onto her tight.

"You behave yourself, missy. And don't let that little bean boss you around. That's... That's my job." Fang croaked, before letting go and stepping out of the way. She hovered at the doorway while the doctor and nurses began to work quickly, before heading out into the hallway. She was escorted into the waiting room by Rako, who gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Your woman is where she needs to be. I'll come and get you the instant they give the all clear. Call your family, get them down here to meet your new kid in the interim. They'll help you take your mind off of things."

"Thanks, love. Appreciate it." Fang answered quietly, seeing Vanille pale and run up to her.

"Fang, is everything all right? Why are you out here?"

"They… Do things a little differently in Cocoon. There's a few complications, nothing serious at this stage but I was… Crowding. Help me call the others to get them down?" Fang asked, sitting down in a nearby seat and pulling out her phone. Vanille sat down beside her and took her by the hand, offering what comfort she could as she helped begin to make the phone calls.


"Fang."

Snow called out to his friend, trying to get her attention. There was no answer. It had been at least ten hours since the brunette was taken from Lightning and forced to stay in the waiting room. Fang paced up and down the waiting room, Snow's eyes watching her back and forth. He was either ignored or not heard while he continued to get dizzier watching her pace. Vanille and Serah were talking quietly in the corner, giving the occasional glance towards her while the redhead held onto the younger Farron. Serah was equally as worried for her sister.

The doors burst open and a familiar blonde woman strode in, Sazh following quickly behind her. Fang's head snapped up with a small, tight smile. "Khosrow. Impressed you could make it at such short notice."

The Cal'mah leader gave a small bow with interlocked fingers, before doing away with formalities and bundling Fang up into a giant hug. "Your strapping friend here was on a supply run when he got the call. Your Cocoonian friends need to have a word with our engineers, Yun. I am thoroughly impressed at the speed of Katzroy's craft." Khosrow drawled before looking around in confusion. "Wait. Why are you here? Where's Lightning?"

"There were a few.. Complications with the labour. They're making me wait out here."

Khosrow immediately drew a blade from her belt and stalked towards the desk with murderous intent. Vanille and Fang leapt forward to grab her and hold her back with a sigh. "Khos'… Please. They do things a little differently here, and I'd rather Light have the best chance of surviving with her and our child intact." Fang warned, not wanting to get thrown out of the hospital.

Glaring at the startled receptionist behind the desk who was clearly halfway to calling security, Khosrow stood down with a growl. "That's behemoth shit, Fang. You should be with her."

"I know, But I-"

"Miss Yun?"

Many heads turned as a nurse poked her head out of the door to the ward. Fang stepped forward with Vanille still holding onto her hand. It was impossible to gauge the expression on the nurse's face, neither enthusiastic nor solemn. She mostly just looked tired. Fang held her breath as she nodded in acknowledgement, the nurse opening the door a little wider for her.

"We're so sorry for making you wait so long, but you're able to come back in. Just you for now, please. And you, lady, put your weapon away."

Fang swallowed hard and slowly let go of Vanille's hand, while Khosrow reluctantly sheathed her blade. Vanille placed a hand at the small of her back to urge her forward. "Go, Fang. We'll be here."

Following the nurse through the doorway, Fang had to stop herself from sprinting back towards the room. The nurse led her down a different corridor, causing Fang's anxiety to rise. "Come on Rako, you're killing me here."

"Sorry, Fang. Your partner's fine, so is the baby. We just moved her into a clean room once they'd both been stabilised. The doctor can explain the finer details but for now…" She trailed off, opening the door to the small, private room. Lightning was seated up in the bed, looking beyond exhausted with her sweat-dampened hair stuck to her skin, looking paler than normal. Her tired eyes drifted up lazily from the bundle she held in her arms, and she gave a weary smile.

"Light, you're alright!" Fang croaked, her throat already thick from emotion. Lightning nodded slowly, the tiredness evident on her features. The pinkette glanced back down at the bundle in her arms before smiling wider back at Fang.

"Come here, my love. Come meet our daughter."

Fang rushed over, feeling faint. "D… Daughter? Light, we have a daughter?" She whispered, coming to a stop and leaning over to pry the small blanket away in Lightning's arms. A tiny hand reached out and grabbed her thumb and she gasped, feeling their daughter touch her for the first time. Fang didn't even bother to stop the tears as she cried, looking upon the small, sleeping face of their child. "Light… We have a baby girl…"

Tiny eyes opened, revealing beautiful crystal cerulean irises that didn't focus on anything but looked around curiously all the same. Beautiful blue eyes that were just like her mother's. Lightning gave the small face a gentle stroke with a loving smile. "Hey sweetie, meet your am'ma." She whispered, lifting the bundle up and placing her gently in Fang's arms. She watched the look of awe spread across Fang's face as the Pulsian held her, filled with love. This was what she had fought for. A pure moment like this, watching Fang meet their daughter.

Fang glanced up and their eyes locked, a teary-eyed smile brilliant as ever from the brunette. "She's… She's perfect, Claire." Fang whispered. It wasn't often that she used Lightning's formal name, but the moment warranted it. She adjusted the yawning baby in one arm while reaching out and taking the pinkette's hand, bringing it up to kiss her knuckles. "You're perfect. Our family is perfect."

Lightning smiled and freed her hand to give Fang's face a gentle stroke, feeling whole and complete with her beautiful family surrounding her with love. "The others…"

"They're here, sweetheart. Outside. We'll bring them in when you're ready but… I want a moment with you first." Fang whispered, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. Lightning hummed happily, closing her eyes and resting a while. When she opened them again, Fang wasn't standing where she'd left her, but sitting in the chair beside the bed, still holding their child. Glancing up, the brunette gave her a gentle smile and reached for her hand. "Hey, welcome back. You nodded off for a bit there."

"Oh. How long was I out?"

"Not more than an hour at most. I've just been getting to know this gorgeous baby girl while you've rested." Fang answered with a beaming smile, slowly standing to hand the bundled child back to the pinkette. Lightning took her carefully, bringing her back down to her chest. The baby fussed a little and squirmed in her arms, until Lightning gave her some gentle words of encouragement and she settled.

Rako poked her head in the room, giving them both a warm smile. "Sorry to intrude, you two. The rest of your family is outside getting a little… Restless." She drawled with a slight mocking roll of her eyes. Fang laughed and gave Lightning a questioning look, nodding at the nurse when she received the silent go ahead. The woman disappeared and a few scant minutes had barely passed when Vanille and Serah burst into the room, practically vibrating.

"Easy guys. Mama's had a long night." Fang warned gently, the two respective siblings calming a little. Barely. Vanille moved to Fang's side and gave her a tight hug while Serah moved around the other side of the bed to see her sister.

"Oh, gosh. Look, Vanille." Serah whispered, falling in love with the tiny bundle at the first sight of her niece. Vanille snuck over next to her and hugged Serah around the waist, resting her chin on her shoulder. "She's so beautiful…" They both teared up as Lightning smiled at them both, carefully handing the baby up to her sister. Both she and Vanille cooed over the small baby while the others quietly filed into the room. Sazh moved over to Fang and gave her a supportive pat on the back, giving her and Lightning and affectionate squeeze of their hands.

"Real happy for both of you. You do this old man proud, soldier girl." He whispered to Lightning, causing the pinkette to chuckle. "You let me know if there's anything you need. It's good to see new life again, after so much loss." Lightning nodded solemnly, knowing the full weight of his words. It was what they'd fought through after all, and she reached out to hold his hand.

"Thank you, Sazh. You're welcome around any time, you know that."

Snow had moved to stand behind Serah and Vanille, holding onto both of their shoulders. His niece was awake and blinking, making tiny sounds of discomfort. He watched as Serah handed the baby back to her sister and gave her a hug when she sniffed. "I'm glad you're alright, sis." He said to Lightning, the pinkette just giving him a small smile. Probably the only time he was going to get away with calling her that without retaliation, so he took the opportunity when he could.

Khosrow stood by Fang and simply stared in awe of the small bundle in Lightning's arms, unable to form words. Fang nudged her in the ribs with her elbow then placed a firm arm around her shoulder. "By the gods, Khos'. Who would have thought that all we would have had to do to finally render you speechless was have a damned miracle baby? You don't ask for much do you?"

"I… It's so small…" The blonde warrior could only stammer, looking like she was going to faint. Lightning smiled softly at their daughter in her arms, the tiny eyelids opening and blinking at the bright light in the room. The child's irises were a brilliant ice blue, like her mother, with a fleck of green in the centre towards the pupil, just like her other mother. Khosrow cleared her throat, trying to regain some composure and tugged at the leather jacket Fang had let her borrow.

"Are you alright, General?" Lightning asked with a knowing grin, and Khosrow hissed at her through her teeth.

"Bloody Cocoon clothing is so restrictive. And itchy. And draughty." She complained, not feeling very authoritative when her midriff was exposed. She hadn't had time to change out of her ceremonial garbs when Sazh had come knocking, in the midst of a council session. They stopped long enough for her to get something less… Conspicuous at Fang's place on the way over, but still. This was the last time she would come to Gran Pulse unprepared. She heard Fang chuckle next to her and pull her in close.

"Yeah but… You can't complain about the restrictive nature when it makes you hot as hell. Even Sazh is having a hard time keeping his eyes off you."

The dark green eyes darted up towards their pilot friend, Sazh spluttering as he tried to mask his obvious staring by apparently choking to death. The others in the room all laughed but then quietened as the baby stirred. "So, Lightning," Khosrow began with all the command as if she were starting a council session. "Have you named her yet?"

Lightning and Fang glanced at each other with a smile and nodded.

"We have. This is Zora Yun Farron."

Khosrow smiled broadly and looked at the ceiling to clear the tears from her eyes. "Of course. Very fitting. And beautiful." She said quietly, placing a gentle arm around Fang and giving her a hug. Vanille squeaked and rubbed the tears from her own eyes, crashing into Serah with a huge hug.

The younger Farron smiled and maintained her balance while looking at her sister. "I presume this means something to them?" Serah asked, curious at the meaning.

Lightning nodded, her eyelids dropping a bit from exhaustion. "It's an old Pulsian word for the dawn."