Chapter Two - Date Night Surprises
"I hear you left everyone speechless in Geneva," Tom said.
After dropping off the guards and ship back home in Atlantis, it was time to return to other home, the lighthouse.
"Aquawoman strikes again!" Her father was never going to get tired of the nickname.
"Yeah, I know, I was pretty awesome." She turned to Orm. "Tell him how awesome I was."
"You are always awesome to me."
"Aw, babe!" She leaned over for a kiss.
"Get a room!" howled Arthur from the other room.
"Hypocrite!" Aurelia hurled back. "I've caught you and Mera doing-"
"Why don't we all just mind our own business," Mera suggested.
Damn, the lighthouse was getting to be a full house these days. Full, but great.
"So the meeting was productive then?" Mera asked, always business.
It had been several months since they had opened up Atlantis and its truths to the Surface, and it had been a bumpy several months to say the least. Had they really been expecting anything else though?
As usual, humans were greedy, and while Atlantis was open to sharing in their forms of medicine, sustainability, history, etc, they did not want their weapons to fall into the wrong hands. That was a big no, as evidenced by the UN meeting.
"While we're all here," Tom called, getting their attentions and gathering everyone in the kitchen. "We are so glad you're here because we have some exciting news." He and Atlanna shared giant smiles. "We're having a baby!"
Everyone was plunged into shocked silence following this declaration. Aurelia, perhaps no surprise there, broke said silence. "Wait, like, for real?"
"As real as can be," her mother confirmed, all smiles.
"Holy shit! No way!" She was going to have a sibling! Hell, she was going to be a sibling! "That's awesome! I'm so shocked but so excited!"
"Ditto!" agreed Arthur.
"That's wonderful news," said Mera.
"Yes, congratulations," Orm agreed.
Life was changing, but in good ways. She wasn't about to change it.
"I've got a surprise for you when we get back," Orm told her on the swim back to Atlantis.
"More surprises!"
"Indeed."
"Oooo-" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I like the sound of that! Show me, show me!"
Orm chuckled at her impatientness and once they reached the city led the way to his lab.
"Should I close my eyes?"
"If you want to."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"Okay, here you go."
She cracked her eyes open to see Orm standing proudly by a display holding a blue suit of armour.
"It's a new stealth suit," her hubby explained, going into adorable nerd mode. "It's armour, of course, but more sleek. Want to try it on?"
"Yes-" She was already stripping off her tank top.
"How's it feel?" he asked once she was dressed in the new suit.
"Good! Light weight but protective. Easy to move around in."
"Good. Hit that practice target, see how it feels."
Aurelia turned to the target and gave it a good kick, sending it sailing across the lab and crashing to the floor across the room. "Feels good!"
Orm scrambled to retrieve the downed target. "Poseidon's sake, I let you into my lab and you just kick things around!"
"You told me to!"
He set the target back where it had been pre-kick. "How's it feel? Still good?"
"Great!"
"Excellent. There's also a helmet included."
"It's not like your weird spikey helmet is it?"
"You mean my protective helmet."
"Your funny helmet."
"Well this one's more like a crown."
"Good!"
"I've built one for myself as well, the suit and helmet."
"Aw, we're one of those couples? Matching! Try it on!"
"Later, you know what time it is."
She grinned. "Date night!"
Date night. One of many. Many, many.
Aurelia had never understood her parents 'great love'. That was until she had found it for herself. She had literally found her prince charming.
They sat on a beach, Atlantis far beneath them, moonlight washing over them in calming silver strands.
"I've been thinking a lot about your parents' announcement," he said.
"Me too. I can't believe I'm going to be a big sis!"
"It's got me thinking about our future family." They'd discussed family several times, but both agreed that it was something for the future. Right now, they wanted to enjoy married life just the two of them. Besides, with ruling Atlantis and now having opened up to the Surface, they had more than enough on their plates for now, and for the foreseeable future.
They had to babysit the Surface first.
"Remember when you said I would make a good husband and father?"
"And I meant it wholeheartedly. And that was even before I liked you!"
"So you like to remind me."
"Hey." She snuggled close. "I mean it. Just because your father was an absolute shit doesn't mean you will be. And he wasn't just an absolute shit of a father but a human being, and you are not."
"I wish I had your confidence."
"Hey, I wasn't always this confident. I spent a whole lot of time believing the bullies that I was a 'fish freak'. And besides, we've got lots of time to prepare. Just spend lots of time with my Dad if you're worried, but I know you'll be great."
"Thank you, Love."
"Besides," she said, moving in even closer. "In order to make a baby, we gotta practice."
"Yes, I would say we need lots of practice."
"Lots and lots of practice." Her eyebrows were wiggling again. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Well I was thinking of making sweet, passionate love to my wife beneath the moonlight."
"Skinny dipping, but close!" She was already stripping down.
A while later they were redressed and snuggling by the fire, staring up at the stars, picking out the constellations.
"What to do your moonlight ritual?" he asked.
"Let's do it!"
Her moonlight ritual was something she'd started as a teenager, a meditative, mindful practice of gratitude to try and help her with her previous raging anger towards Atlantis. She had shown Orm in trying to help him process his lifelong anger and fear towards his father.
They sat facing each other, holding both hands. Then her head snapped towards the water. "Do you hear that?"
He turned to face it as well. From far out in the water, a figure began to emerge.
I think we can all guess who that figure is! ;)
The new stealth suit is based on the one we'll see in The Lost Kingdom. And of course the kicking things around the lab was a reference to Shuri and T'Challa :)
Thank you so much for the positive response to this continuation already! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)
