"You're pregnant?! Emily nearly squealed and she never squealed. "Why am I just now finding out about this?"
Emily touched the obvious baby bump that was Samira's belly.
"I didn't want to tell you just over the link and I haven't had time to come and see you," Samira said. "I've been busy buying things for the baby and setting up the nursery. Dave and I also needed a little time to absorb the news once we found out."
"How long have you known?" Emily said.
"A few weeks," Samira lied slightly as she didn't want to tell Emily that she and Dave had known for months. She didn't need her friend to feel upset that she hadn't been told immediately. "Dave knew a doctor and he recommended her. She came in did the exam at our home and have seen me several times since."
"Why not just go to the doctor's office?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow as if she was surprised by what she was hearing.
"Why?" Samira asked nonchalantly. "Why wait, probably several hours, every time you had an appointment sitting in the waiting room for the doctor to see you. Most doctors don't see their appointments on time or if you're called and put in a exam room you wait on the doctor likely just as long. Dave has money so he can do things that most people can't. He had one of the room set up as a kind of a doctor's office with all the appropriate equipment. I don't even have to leave home to see her."
"That makes sense I suppose," Emily said.
"Dave just didn't see the point of me probably wasting hours at the doctor," Samira shrugged. "Even if I had gone to his friend Pavlina I still might've been waiting for a long time depending on her patient load. If she comes to me she has no other patients and that way the exam doesn't take that long. We're done in half an hour or less."
"The rich really are different," Emily marveled.
"You should know that Emily you come from a relatively wealthy background," Samira said.
"True, but it's not like my family has the resources Dave can command," Emily said. "I won't say my family isn't fairly well off, but nothing like the really wealthy. Even if my mother had the resources I doubt she would've thought about setting up room with equipment so that a doctor could see me at home."
"Yeah, your mother is kind of cold," Samira agreed.
"Which is why I left home as soon as I could. I never see my mother anymore. I went to college and never looked back. I haven't talked to my mother in years and I intend to continue not talking to her. I'm glad I was an only child. It isn't like your family Samira you with all your siblings who'd go through fire for you if necessary or stand in front of stunner set to kill."
"Don't be so dramatic," Samira said blushing at her friends words.
She loved every single one of her nine siblings and know that they loved her to. Every single one of them would risk their lives to save her and that made her feel all warm and good inside. Of course, she would do the same for them so it went both ways. The difference was now she was immortal and she couldn't permanently die unless her heart was cut out or she was beheaded. Emily didn't need to know that though, even if she was her best friend.
"So is she one of those women that chased Dave?" Emily asked curiously.
"No, if she was then Dave never would've remained friends with her or let her into his home. They did date for a few weeks, but then, Dave introduced her to her future husband though he claims he didn't try to matchmake. Let's just say the two of them clicked right away and they've been married for over 10 years and have five children."
"That's good then," Emily said.
"It is and she's becoming a good friend," Samira said. "She's actually really interesting to talk to."
"I've heard rumors about some women chasing Dave, even though he's married now," Emily said.
Emily moved in some of the same circles that Dave and now she did.
"Those rumors are true," Samira said, "and Dave has already threatened he's going to sue their asses off if they don't leave him and me alone."
"I don't blame Dave as some women have no boundaries and don't know how to respect others personal space," Emily said.
"It's not the flirting so much I object to. It's when they behave inappropriately. I came really close to socking one female in her made up face. It happened on our honeymoon," Samira said. "Dave got himself loose and told her he wasn't available now or ever. He also said that if she didn't leave him alone that he would sue her."
"I bet the woman was shocked," Emily laughed.
"Her name is Amanda Xavier," Samira supplied. "She's a model and arrogant in the extreme. She seems to believe she has a right to act inappropriately with a married man. The look she gave me was full of loathing and hate. It's like she believes I took something that belonged to her."
"They must have a history then," Emily said.
"They dated for around six months several years ago, but then Dave broke up with her as he got tired of her bossiness and her nastiness to others that she considered beneath her. She got to possessive according to Dave and not in a good way."
"It's clear she was hoping to become the next Mrs. David Rossi," Emily said.
"Yeah, I know, but Dave confided in me that he never would've married her as he said she was beautiful on the outside but with a meanness to her that he could never tolerate for long. He certainly couldn't tolerate her possessiveness as that kind of thing would drive him crazy. Asking him where he was every five minutes for example."
"Suspect he's cheating, even when he's not," Emily added and Samira nodded at that good example. "I think that just shows Dave is a smart man and a good people reader."
"That I agree with," Samira smirked. "I have no doubt that Dave will handle this Amanda Xavier. Apparently, they hadn't seen much of each other in years, before recently and she just happened to be at one of the sites we went to see on our honeymoon. Personally, I think she's going after him because he's no longer available as that would be just like her type."
"You think she's trying to cause friction between you and Dave?" Emily inquired with a eyebrow raised in question.
"Yeah, I do," Samira said soberly. "Some people just want what others have and maybe she realizes what she lost when they broke up. However, I don't think she realizes that Dave could easily ruin her reputation as a model, leave her penniless if he cares to. She could soon be out of a job as the model agency would fire her if Dave asked them to. She's playing with fire and I doubt she even realize it."
"Dave doesn't want to do that though, does he?" Emily asked. She'd met David Rossi on several different occasions now know that he was usually pretty easy-going for a man in his position, but you didn't grab a tiger by the tail and expect to come out of the confrontation unscathed.
"No, he doesn't, but if his back to the wall and he is pushed to protect himself and me he'll do it," Samira said. "Amanda would be smart to leave Dave alone now that he's married, but so far she seems determined to catch her prey. She doesn't seem to care about consequences."
"So any others being so blatant in their attempts to garner his attention?"
"No, the others have mostly backed off once they learned I was pregnant it's only Amanda being a pain in the keister at the moment," Samira said.
"So everybody else knew before your best friend," Emily said rather upset that.
"You have to remember that we've been to parties and events after I started to show," Samira said soothingly. "I really meant to tell you sooner, but I've just been so busy I haven't had time to get over here."
"I forgive you," Emily said, "so long as your name me godmother."
"I'll have to talk to Dave first, see what he thinks but that's the likely possibility," Samira said. "I'm sure Dave won't object, but I need to make sure first. You'd certainly be my first choice."
Emily cheered up at that, as she just knew she was going to be named the godmother. Dave knew that she was Samira's best friend so didn't see him objecting.
Samira left soon after as she had things to do before the birth in a few months.
~~~Dave and Samira~~~
"Sure, name Emily the godmother," Dave agreed when Samira asked him when she got home. "She is your best friend and I can't think of a better candidate right off hand."
"OK, I'll let her know next time I see her," Samira said. "There's also Dr. Pavlina as I really like her. I know I haven't known her that long but still she is a good candidate."
"Yeah, she is a good person," Dave agreed, "and she would make an excellent godmother to one of our children in the future. As for godfathers I don't know who I want to name."
"So we don't have to name a godfather too if you can't think of anyone you'd like to fulfill such a role," Samira said.
"I know plenty of men as you know, but none I'm close enough to too consider for the role. I'll have to think about it," Dave said.
"I can understand why you're not close to many people considering your wealth. You have to be on the lookout for scammers and other dishonest people," Samira said, "but it does make it difficult to name godparents."
"Unfortunately true," Dave admitted rubbing his beard under his chin.
"There's always one of my brothers if you can't think of anyone else," said Samira. "You've met them and like them, though I know you're not close to them."
"That's an idea," Dave said thoughtfully. "I'm sure your older brother will be happy to fulfill the roll. That was a very good idea and it will help cement the ties to your family, make them stronger and also tell your brother that I trust him."
The idea seemed to be growing on Dave and Samira was glad she had made the suggestion.
"Now just to get this little one born," Samira said rubbing her tummy.
"I can hardly wait," Dave said grinning from ear to ear starting to rub her tummy where their child was growing.
The gesture was soothing and Samira relaxed back in to Dave as she was sitting on his lap as they had talked.
"Now that that's settled why don't we take a bath together," Dave suggested with a lecherous smirk. "We can just relax in the water as we clean each other."
Dave had one of those hot tubs embedded in the floor of the master bathroom and Samira had enjoyed it multiple times already, especially now that she was pregnant. The hot water helped relax her muscles and helped her back to stop aching, which happened a lot because of the pregnancy.
"Sounds like a great idea to me as maybe it will stop this little munchkin from kicking me until I'm all bruised and sore," Samira said as the baby kicked her in the stomach just then.
"That soreness won't last more than a few minutes sweetie you're immortal now," Dave reminded her.
"Something I'm grateful for," Samira said, as she kissed Dave before rising to her feet and waddling towards the door.
"Still, the hot water will helps relax the tense muscles in my back and maybe a back massage after that if you're up for it," Samira requested.
"Anything you want sweetie pie. I'm always happy to be of service. If you want a back massage I'll be happy to accommodate you," Dave told her, as he to rose and followed behind his wife towards the master bathroom.
~~~Dave and Samira~~~
Months later
"Isn't he adorable," Dave asked Samira even as he held his newly born son.
The pregnancy and birth had been textbook no problems at all.
"Yes, he is and he's going to be as handsome as his father once he grows up," Samira said.
"So have you picked a name out?" Dave asked.
"Jaxx," Samira pronounced. "Spelled with two Xs."
"Sounds good to me," Dave said, "and it's certainly more unusual then something normal like David or Daniel.
"Jaxx David Rossi," Samira added.
"Why Jaxx?" Dave asked curiously.
"It's the American spelling for Jackson," Samira explained. "I thought it was more unusual then the normal spelling. I figure that somebody can't make a stupid nickname out of it. I have heard some really silly or stupid nicknames over the years."
"Yeah, I have too," Dave agreed with a snort of amusement.
"Also, it's short enough that he won't have any trouble writing his name if he's ever signing something. You know any type of form usually has a short signature line. I certainly have trouble signing things, just because of my first and last name. My last name is really long."
"Former last name," Dave said reminding Samira her last name was now Rossi, which was shorter then her original surname "but still I understand your meaning."
Samira acknowledged the point.
"I'll have Pavlina fill out a birth certificate," Dave said, even as he cuddled his sleeping son.
"I'm glad you're hired that nanny as I've got more sleep than I would have otherwise," Samira said.
"Why wear yourself out," Dave said simply. "We're going to have another in a couple of years of course and one after that. Might as well hire somebody from the start, though of course, we'll do our part. If necessary we can always hire a second nanny."
"People without your resources raise their own kids," Samira said. "I know my mother did though she did have help from her family. They just didn't get paid for the time."
"Some others might be able to do that while the husband works," Dave said. "They also exhaust themselves and they don't have as many kids as we are planning on having. Imagine those couples that have twins or triplets it would be nearly impossible to do it all yourself. Most families have help whether that's hired, someone in their families or even a neighbor who looks after the kids while the parents work.
"There's always daycare," Samira agreed. "Other parents manage, so will we."
"We will," Dave agreed as he kissed his sleeping son on the forehead.
"I better go put this little guy back in his crib as he's going to need changing soon," Samira said, as she took her son from Dave cuddling him close.
"Thank you honey for making all my dreams come true," Dave told her kissing his wife on the lips before he allowed her to take Jaxx and head towards the nursery that had been set up.
"Thank you for getting rid of my doubts," Samira said kissing Dave's cheek before heading upstairs.
~~~Dave and Samira~~~
"So I've been meaning to ask what happened to Amanda Xavier?" Samira asked. "You haven't said anything about her and I haven't seen her at the places we've be going to over the last few months."
"I detest bringing her into our lives," Dave said quietly. "She tried to deliberately drive a wedge between us and that is unforgivable. That didn't happen because we share a bond ever since I turned you immortal. If Amanda had known about our bond she probably still would have tried her best to separate us."
"It wouldn't have worked no matter what she tried," Samira said.
"I know that, but she was still a pain in the ass. She was certainly determined," Dave said.
It was about a week after the birth of their son. It was a subject Samira had been wondering about for awhile but the timing never seemed right to bring it up. Amanda had been such a pest and then she just suddenly disappeared from the scene and Samira hadn't seen her in several months.
"I'm curious why I haven't run into her lately," Samira said. "I figured you had somehow dealt with her so that she wouldn't bother us anymore."
"I suppose you have a right to know what happened to her," Dave said finally seeming reluctant. "I know how much she annoyed you. I know you came close to punching her more than once."
"That's the understatement of the decade, probably of the last five hundred years," Samira snorted in disdain. "Just so you know it's not the flirting that bothers me so much. It's the fact, that she put her hands on you without your permission or a by your leave. She didn't seem to care that you weren't available anymore. It's as if marriage means nothing to her unless it was with her."
"As for what happened, I finally had to take drastic action, as she didn't get the point when I avoided her," Dave said. "I didn't want to fear running into her every time we have some kind of social event. I don't want to be ambushed by her, just because you're in the bathroom. The fact that she didn't back off when she knew you were pregnant with my child just shows me that it was going to take drastic action to get her to leave us alone. She seemed to believe that I would leave you and our son for her. She didn't care about anything but her own desires. I finally had to go to the owners of the modeling agency that she worked for and have a word with them. I told them that if Amanda didn't leave me and you alone that not only would I ruin her career I would see that their business changed hands, if it was clear they couldn't control her behavior. I basically threatened to buy them out and then fire Amanda and anybody else who didn't know their place."
"Harsh," Samira said calmly. "But I do understand why you did it, as Amanda wasn't giving up. She was really that full herself."
"She's been avoiding anywhere she knows I'll be since," Dave said. "I'm assuming that the owners had a word with her boss and her boss had a word with Amanda. Amanda may be arrogant and full herself, but she's not an idiot. There are plenty of rich guys out there she can go after, ones that aren't married. Really, she owes me and you both an apology, but I'm satisfied so long as she leaves both of us alone. While I could force her to apologize for her harassment to both of us it's just not worth it, because it wouldn't be sincere. If I never see her again I'll be happy."
"Me too, as she was a pain in the ass. You are the richest man, which is why woman like Amanda continued to chase you even after you married as they are greedy and want some of your money. Those women don't necessarily care about you personally. I now understand how you acquired the beginnings of your fortune," Samira said.
"Which is not something I would ever share with someone like Amanda," Dave said his disgust obvious. "Not only would she likely never keep it secret she would likely try to blackmail me to keep silent and then tell everyone she met."
"You did tell Penny though," Samira said.
Samira had discovered recently that Penny was in on the secret and the two of them had become even closer since as they were the only two people as far as Samira knew in the know. Well, other then Jerry, who was also immortal, so he didn't really count.
"And she's very trustworthy," Dave said. "Still, I don't tell very many people for obvious reasons."
"No, if I had been immortal all my life I wouldn't have told very many people either," Samira said.
The two of them sat together spending a rare night at home.
~~~Dave and Samira~~~
Epilogue
50 years later
"Happy anniversary!" everyone shouted.
It was 50 years later and Dave and Samira were having a party with all their kids and grandkids and great-grandkids surrounding them. The last 50 years had been good, not just good, terrific. That wasn't saying there hadn't been some annoyances and problems but all in all it had been a good life.
After Amanda's dramatic fall from grace, all the other women that had been annoying Dave with their flirting had left him alone after that, as they didn't want the same thing to happen to them if they annoyed either Rossi to much.
As for Amanda, she had stayed out of their way after Dave had talked to the owners of the modeling agency she worked for. She knew if she pushed Dave any farther that he would see her fired and her reputation ruined, so that no designer or other professionals in the business would touch her with a 10 foot pole after that. She had finally gotten the message David Rossi was no longer free to pursue anyone. Married meant he was now untouchable. After Amanda was taken care of life had been mostly peaceful for decades now. Yet here they were with their children and their families surrounding them as they celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary. Their eight children had numerous children apiece and those children had had children. There was now around 50 Rossis all sharing Dave's and Samira's blood. Some of those Rossi's had the same dark skin as Samira and others looked more like Dave with his pale skin. It didn't really matter as they were all Dave's and Samira's family.
"Congratulations dad, mom," Jaxx told his father giving him a manly hug and his mother a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you son," Samira said kissing her son's cheek affectionately.
"Yes, thank you Jaxx," Dave said as he shook his oldest son's hand and then patted him on the back.
Dave and Samira looked basically the same as they had 50 years ago but there was a reason for that. The two of them had deliberately put gray in their hair and had aged a little around the eyes and mouth, but they still looked young and fit, even though they should be in their 80s. There were many ways to look older or younger in this century including plastic surgery though that was impossible for immortals.
"It's time for cake," called the voice of the Rossi's daughter Natalia.
Natalia had been born sixth in the family so while she wasn't the baby she was still considered one of the younger children of the Rossis. It was a place that Natalia liked as she was often more spoiled just because she was younger then her five siblings. She was supposed to have been the last of the children for this generation, but she had two brothers after, her which had been something a surprise of her parents she knew. While her two brothers had been a surprise they weren't exactly unwelcome. That she was one of only three girls when all the rest were boys was also one of the reasons that she'd been spoiled rotten. Dave loved all his children, but he especially loved his little girls and did his best to protect them while letting then live their lives once they were grown. Natalia was one of the ones still not married other than those not of age. She had yet to meet her mate and several of her siblings hadn't met theirs either, but there was still quite a crowd.
Dave had been amazed when a lot of his children had found their mates relatively young as it is taken him centuries to find his own. The gods were apparently feeling generous. It was as if him finding his mate had set off a chain reaction amongst his children, which wasn't a bad thing at all. In fact, it was a very good thing, as it meant his children were happy at a younger age, because they had found their mates long before he had.
The cake was brought on a trolley by one of the droids that looked human unless you looked closely.
The cake was a masterpiece and was massive at four layers tall. It was certainly large enough to feed everyone that was present.
"Chocolate my favorite," Samira said smiling at everyone who was gathered around.
"Don't we all know it," Dave snorted in amusement, even as he kissed his wife's cheek affectionately.
"Happy anniversary," sang the crowd.
"Why don't we eat cake and then open presents," suggested Jason one of Dave and Samira's grandchildren.
"Sounds like a plan," Dave agreed and Samira nodded.
"We don't really need anything though," Samira said smiling at all her and Dave's numerous brood. "I certainly have everything I could possibly want ever since I married Dave."
"So do I," Dave agreed smiling. "Ever since I met Samira. I've been beyond happy since she agreed to marry me."
"Still, we'll treasure anything you got us," Samira said.
"Before we have that cake I have an announcement folks," said Selena one of the great-grandchildren. Everybody listened as Selena came to stand in front of everyone along with her mate at man named Matthew. Selena touched her stomach in the universal gesture of expectant mother's everywhere. "I am expecting a baby," Selena announced.
"Congratulations honey," Dave said kissing Selena's cheek. "This is great news on our anniversary. This will be the first great-great-grandchild born into this family. Congratulations Matt."
"Congratulations Selena," Samira added also coming forward to kiss her cheek and giving her a hug. "This is great news indeed and the perfect way to start off our 50th anniversary. Congratulations to you as well Matt. Dave and I are very excited about this upcoming great-great-grandchild."
"Thank you everyone for your congratulations. Selena and I are very happy about this upcoming baby," Matthew said with a massive grin.
Everyone congratulated Selena and Matt and gave them both hugs and kisses. The news of the first great-great-grandchild to be born into the Rossi family started off the anniversary party perfectly.
It had been fifty wonderful years and there would be many more to come before Dave and Samira quietly faded into obscurity while their children took over Dave's vast empire and kept it running.