A/N: fun fact- October 3rd is Maya's canonical birthday! In honor of my favorite girl's birthday, I've whipped up something special.

Here's part one. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. See you later for part two!

it's go time baby

Stella was miserable.

Being largely pregnant through a Chicago summer was not for the weak, but Stella could handle that. With a late September due date, she had expected it. What she didn't expect was going a week past her due date with no end in sight.

In retrospect, Stella should've known better than to plan on the baby arriving by their due date. After all, the baby was half her and half her husband and they both had a stubborn streak a mile wide.

She was alone in the loft, having been forced by Boden and Kelly to start her maternity leave early. The first few days went by quickly because Stella was able to channel her energy into washing the baby's clothes and nesting around the loft preparing for the baby's arrival. She wasn't even annoyed by the constant check-ins from Kelly when he was on shift.

Well, at least for the first few days.

The novelty of being home had worn off quickly and now Stella was just bored and uncomfortable.

As she sat on the couch with her feet elevated on the coffee table, one of Kelly's shirts barely covering her bump, Stella groaned as she felt the baby stretch inside of her. Her belly visibly rolled, and Stella placed her hand on her belly and rubbed gently, waiting for the baby to calm again.

From the moment she felt her son or daughter kick for the first time, Stella had been obsessed with every little movement and stretch the baby did. Granted the kicks to her ribs were painful and she could do without the constant punches to her bladder, but there was something so special about feeling your baby moving inside of you that made it all worth it. The baby's kicks and movements only got more uncomfortable as the baby grew and Stella's pregnancy progressed and while she still loved them, Stella was more than ready to not feel them anymore.

"How do you still have room to move like that in there?!" Stella exclaimed, poking the baby through her stomach.

With sass inherited from her, Stella received a kick in response.

Stella chuckled but that was quickly cut off by another groan as the baby shifted and stretched again.

She was working to get comfortable again, changing positions and readjusting, when Kelly arrived back at the loft with lunch.

Kelly saw Stella fidgeting on the couch. "You OK?"

Stella nodded as she finally found a semi-comfortable position, hand rubbing circles on her belly. "Yeah, baby's moving around a lot today."

A dopey smile took over Kelly's face, the same one that always appeared when they spoke about their baby. He put the bag with their lunch on the counter and joined Stella on the couch, one of his hands meeting Stella's on her belly.

After a particularly large kick and subsequent wince from Stella, Kelly frowned slightly and rubbed her belly. "I can't believe they still have enough room in there to kick like that."

"That's what I said!" Stella groaned. "The second your kid is out of me? They're grounded."

Kelly laughed. "Oh, so they're solely my kid now?"

"Mhm," Stella mumbled. She leaned her head against the back of the couch, angling her head to look at Kelly.

Kelly leaned forward and placed a kiss on Stella's lips before pulling away and giving her a small smile. "You've been more uncomfortable than usual recently. Think they're finally getting ready to come meet us?"

"God, I hope so. I don't know what else we could do," Stella muttered miserably.

The day Stella reached her due date, with no hints of labor in sight, she turned to Google for ways to naturally induce labor. Her OB wasn't worried and swore that it was common for a lot of first-time moms to go past their due date, but Stella was over being pregnant. She wanted to meet her son or daughter.

For the days following Stella's due date, she and Kelly tried every single natural induction technique they could find on the Internet. Nearly every meal they'd eaten had been something spicy, Stella had started drinking all the teas, she exclusively took the stairs up and down from the loft instead of the elevator, and Kelly had come home to her doing squats in the living room more than once.

There were more fun induction techniques that Kelly got to participate in and some that weren't so fun but nothing they tried seemed to work. Stella's doctor had scheduled a tentative induction date, but Stella wanted the baby out before then.

Stella turned her head to look at Kelly. When she spoke again, her voice was uncharacteristically meek. "I'm so tired Kelly."

And she was tired—tired of being pregnant, tired of waiting for their baby to arrive and the next part of their life to begin, mentally and physically just tired.

"I know. I'm sorry." Kelly replied soberly. He gently brushed Stella's curls away from her face. "How about we eat lunch and then I'll draw you a nice warm bath and you can relax for the rest of the day?"

Stella hummed. "That sounds amazing."

Kelly laughed. "I thought so. Do you want to eat here or at the table?"

"Table."

Kelly nodded and stood up, helping Stella stand from the couch as well. It was an action Stella normally would've balked at, but she was too tired and uncomfortable at this point to care. As if Kelly could read her mind, he let Stella's hands go as soon as she was steady on her feet. He placed a kiss on her forehead and made his way to the kitchen to grab their food.

Stella joined him at the table where Kelly had an array of dishes from her favorite Thai place. He'd even made an extra stop on the way home and picked up a slice of Stella's favorite tiramisu from the bakery down the street.

They took their time to eat, as they had been doing for every meal the past few weeks. They were in their final days with just the two of them and they wanted to enjoy every uninterrupted minute they got together.

As Stella finished the last few bites of her dessert, Kelly headed to their bathroom and started to fill the bathtub. After testing the water temperature, he added some of Stella's favorite lavender Epson salts, dimmed the lights, and lit a few candles. He had just turned the faucet off when Stella all but waddled into the bathroom.

Tears instantly filled Stella's eyes as she took in the scene in front of her. She sniffled and didn't even bother to blame the pregnancy hormones for the emotions coursing through her. "Kelly…"

The man in question just turned to face Stella and smiled at her. He walked the short distance over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "The water's nice and warm and I added some of those bath salts you love."

"Thank you," Stella replied, her voice thick.

"You're welcome," Kelly answered, leaning forward to kiss Stella. "Get in and get comfy. I'll bring you your phone and a drink."

Stella couldn't hold back her tears any longer and one trailed down her cheek. Kelly wiped the tear away gently and gave Stella another kiss before leaving the room to get a few more things for Stella.

As soon as Kelly left the room, Stella rubbed her hands over her baby bump and whispered. "Your daddy's the best."

She immediately received a kick in response, as if the baby agreed with the statement. Stella smiled and gave her belly another quick rub before she undressed and climbed into the tub. She sighed in relief as she felt her muscles relax in the water. God, she loved her husband.

… … …

Stella stayed in the bath for close to an hour, only getting out once she could no longer handle the now cold water. Her soak in the tub had done wonders for her tired, overtaxed muscles and Stella felt better than she had in a long time.

She dried off and put some lotion on before slipping on her robe. She braided her hair and threw it up in a bun before heading out of the bathroom, leaving her peaceful oasis behind, and going back into the real world.

Entering the main area of the loft, Stella found Kelly sitting on the couch and watching the Bears game, a drink for him and her on the coffee table in front of him.

Kelly heard her enter and turned his attention towards her, smiling at her. "Hey, how do you feel?"

"Amazing," Stella said with a smile as she sat down next to Kelly. She cupped his face with her hands. "That was just what I needed, thank you."

The smile Stella received from Kelly was one of her favorites—it was soft and sweet and his blue eyes shone with all the love they held for her. She pulled him closer and kissed him. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too."

Stella smiled and moved her hands away, settling back against the couch. Kelly grabbed her legs, propped them on his lap, and started massaging her feet. Stella moaned in pleasure.

They stayed like that for a few hours—watching the game, relaxing, and enjoying their time together. Stella had even dozed off about an hour in, lulled to sleep by Kelly's work on her feet. She managed to stay asleep until Kelly got off the couch, leaving to go pick up the dinner he'd ordered for them. He was apologetic for waking Stella up, knowing she hadn't gotten any decent sleep in the last few weeks, but Stella waved him off.

Any hope Stella had of staying comfy on the couch was crushed by the discomfort in her hips, the baby that refused to lay anywhere other than her bladder, and the uncomfortable warmth from still being in her robe. She groaned and heaved her way off the couch and made her way into the bathroom.

She heard Kelly arrive back home as she was changing but before she could make it out to the living room, Stella was stopped in her tracks by a tightening pain in her belly.

It only lasted for 30 seconds and then it was like it never happened. It wasn't painful or intense, but it was enough for Stella to know it wasn't one of the Braxton-Hicks contractions she'd been having for the past several weeks. It was the real thing.

She had to tell Kelly.

Stella continued her way out into the main area of the loft, much slower than normal as she was now hyperaware of any changes, and into the kitchen where Kelly was grabbing their drinks for dinner.

Kelly looked up when he heard Stella enter the room and smile, but his smile turned to a look of surprise. "Whoa!"

"Because that's what every pregnant woman wants to hear." Stella snorted.

Kelly huffed playfully. "What I meant was that it looks like your belly dropped."

Stella's hands immediately went to her bump, now dressed in one of Kelly's old Academy shirts and leggings, and Kelly was right. She'd felt the baby shift and the lower position explained the newfound discomfort in her hips. "I guess it did. I'm pretty sure I also just had a contraction."

"Like a real one? Are you sure?"

"I think so," Stella said as she leaned on the island. "It only lasted maybe 30 seconds, but it felt different than the Braxton-Hicks I've been having."

Kelly smiled, abandoned their dinner for a moment, and walked over to stand next to Stella. He cradled her belly with his hands. "What do you want to do?"

"Nothing yet. It could've just been a one-time thing, or it could very well be early labor but regardless, I want to labor at home for as long as I can before we go to the hospital."

Kelly nodded his understanding. They'd discussed the plan countless times over the last few weeks of Stella's pregnancy. As much as they both hated hospitals, this was their first baby. Kelly knew he'd be nervous once Stella went into labor, for both her and the baby, and being at the hospital with drugs and monitors and highly trained medical professionals would make him feel better, he wasn't going to go against Stella's wishes. Not unless he needed to. He was always going to put her comfort over his.

As if Stella could read his mind, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "We're good. Let's just see where things go."

Kelly nodded again, leaning forward to kiss Stella. "You hungry?"

"Starving."

Kelly smiled and moved out of Stella's arms to grab their food. Stella took her plate and made her way to the couch while Kelly followed with his plate and their drinks. As they ate, Stella promised Kelly that she had already logged the first contraction on her phone and had started a timer, ready for the next one whenever it came.

'Whenever' was fifteen minutes after Stella's first contraction.

The contraction was nothing more than just a slight cramp, no more painful or intense than the first one. As soon as it started, Stella hit the timer on her phone. Kelly put his hand on her belly and they waited it out. Thirty seconds later, the contraction was over.

Two contractions in a row had both Kelly and Stella feeling excited, but they weren't ready to sound the alarm just yet. It was still early, and things could change.

One hour and four contractions later, Stella was certain she was in labor. It was early labor, but it was the real thing.

Stella was eager to get things moving. She tossed a pair of shoes at Kelly and told him to put them on so they could go on a walk. It was just after 7:30 pm and the sun had already started setting but Stella wanted to go before it got too dark.

They were able to walk about a mile before they made their way back home. The walk had done wonders for the discomfort in Stella's hips and despite still having contractions every 15 minutes, Stella was feeling good.

When they got back to the loft, Kelly packed the last few things in their go bag and left it by the door. There was really nothing they could do after that but wait for Stella's labor to progress. They tidied up around the house and put a load of dishes in the dishwasher, basically doing any chore they could channel their nervous energy into until there was nothing left for them to do.

It had been just over three hours since Stella had her first contraction and they had been holding steady at fifteen minutes apart. Stella was disappointed. Not that she wanted to be in pain, but she wanted to meet her baby and she needed her labor to pick up for that to happen.

To distract her, and partially for his own selfish need to keep an eye on her, Kelly drug Stella into the shower with him. It wasn't nearly as fun as their usual showers together were, but the realization that this was probably their last shower together before their family of two became three made it special all the same.

Everything they did that night, even their mundane bedtime routine, felt different.

… … …

Stella was able to get about 3 hours of sleep before she was woken up by a significantly more intense contraction. It wasn't the worst pain she'd ever been in, but it was more intense than her contractions had previously been. Kelly was still sound asleep next to her and she didn't want to sound the alarm yet, so Stella hit the timer on her phone and waited it out. After three more contractions coming 10 minutes apart, Stella decided to wake Kelly up.

With one quick nudge of the shoulder, Kelly was sitting up in bed, wide awake and alert. He looked over at Stella. "You okay?"

Stella nodded. "Contractions are coming closer together and lasting longer. And they're more intense."

"How far apart are they?"

"Ten minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds," Stella said as she showed Kelly her phone.

Kelly nodded at the screen and looked back at Stella. "How do you feel? Are you in any pain?"

"No pain yet, they're just uncomfortable. I don't think I could go back to sleep."

"Ok, what do you want to do?"

"I was thinking maybe soaking in the tub for a little bit. I think the warm water will help." Stella smiled softly and put a hand on Kelly's cheek. "You should try and get some more sleep. I'm sure I'll need you later."

Kelly smiled and turned his head to place a kiss on Stella's wrist. "No chance. We're a team, remember?"

Stella's smile grew. "Well then, maybe you'd want to join me in the tub?"

Kelly laughed. "Absolutely."

With one final kiss, Kelly got out of bed and made his way into the bathroom, turning on the light as he went. When Stella heard the water turn on, she hauled herself out of bed, grabbed her phone, and made her way into the bathroom.

Kelly was sitting on the edge of the tub checking the temperature as it filled when Stella entered the bathroom. She had made it just a few steps inside when she felt some of the recent, ever-present pressure disappear. With it though, came a splash on the floor.

"Whoa."

Kelly turned his attention from the tub to Stella and the slowly growing puddle on the floor beneath her. "Was that—?"

Stella nodded before he could finish. "My water just broke."