Chapter Twelve
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to Disney or the Greek Myths!
Woo! Let me tell you guys, this was one of my more anticipated chapters to write—I was looking forward to this chapter for a while and I'm just so happy it's here to be published!
Okay so I might be a little biased since it's an Akiho chapter. What? I love my insane OC! :D
Marcus Emrys: Prejudices take a while to die out unfortunately and the kids are only the second gen with villain blood. Poor Ari though!
danifan3000: People be stupid is the only thing I can say as to where the kid and her mom got that idea.
OceanBlueSeaEyes: True, Claudine probably could have managed to get her way over to Auradon without Freddy but it might have been longer since she was an older VK and she likely wouldn't have been brought into the Rose family. :D
AmthystDragon14: Yay! :D Poor Ari indeed—my heart broke for her when I was writing it and in all honestly I'd debated making it Paige who had the interaction with the brat because she has the same shade eyes as Freddy did but then I realized that not all the kingdom would know Freddy's eye color but rumors and gossip spread especially a young girl who looks almost like Audrey being with Aurora? They'd know who she was on sight…but on a happier note, yep the SeaRose twins are here! And yeah, Claudine owes Freddy for her life, her kids in a way, and her nieces. That is irony for you! :D
BAL 4EVER: Oh I agree, Audrey is going to be very shocked when they get to that part!
BriarEvans: Oh I'm so glad you like PIrateRose! They're honestly one of my favorite ships, I won't lie. Yeah Ari is definitely lucky to have Claudine and so many other people to help her if she doesn't want Aurora. Uma's more than likely called Auntie Captain too since you're right, they're co-captains :D
SnowWhite45: Oh I'm so glad you liked the chapter!
twilightgirl587: I don't know why but some people do. At least Ari has some good family members who'll help her no matter what. :D
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Elle smiled as her mom passed the pitcher of iced tea to Akiho. It had been a rare moment where they had the chance to visit with her parents and her little sister, their travels taking them closer to Arendelle or visiting Emir and Emma.
Aladdin and Jasmine had gifted the two of them a small wing in the palace for them to use whenever they wanted to visit—or if they got bored of their castle in the Summerlands which had been a wedding present from Emma's parents.
And of course there was Akiho's shadowing of Ben that they needed to fit into their schedules. No matter how old they got, he still insisted on being there for Ben since, as Akiho would often say, if Ben was going to refuse to have guards then he was going to have to put up with his best friends always being there.
"I have to say Elle, honey, you look beautiful," Ariel said. "Why, it's almost as if you're glowing."
"Really?" Elle asked. "I hadn't noticed. It's probably just the sun, mom. I got some from when Akiho and I went to Agrabah to visit Emir and Emma."
Ariel nodded. "It's possible but it's not exactly a tan. More of a…"
She trailed off with a smile growing on her face.
"A what? Mom, what do you mean?" Elle asked, visibly confused as she looked over at Akiho.
"Don't look at me, I can't read minds like you can," Akiho told her.
"Dear…it's more of a pregnancy glow," Ariel explained, keeping her voice gentle even if she couldn't stop her smile from growing.
Elle froze as she stared at her mother.
"Wha…? No mom that…that can't be possible—."
"Who told you that?" Ariel asked, tilting her head as she looked at her daughter.
"I just…" Elle said, her voice soft as she looked down. "It's been so long since we've got married after all. It's been what? Three years and no pregnancy?"
Ariel smiled softly as she gently lifted Elle's head so that she was looking into her daughter's eyes. "Every woman differs when it comes to pregnancy sweetheart. And yes for some women there's the possibility of never getting pregnant but until a doctor tells you that, it doesn't mean it's not possible."
"But I haven't been nauseous or anything…I missed a couple of periods but I just thought that was stress…"
"And every pregnancy is different. Some women don't get nauseous."
Elle paused and looked at Ariel, hope shining in her eyes. "Could…mom, could I really be pregnant?"
"I see no reason why not," Ariel told her, having heard her daughter's whisper. "Do you want to be pregnant?"
"Of course but…"
"But what?"
"I just…don't want to get my hopes up," Elle said softly. "It might be harder to think…that I am pregnant and turn out not to be…"
Akiho reached over and gently squeezed her hand, as if reminding her that he was still there as Ariel gave her daughter a small, sad smile.
"I might be wrong honey but…I don't think I am," she said gently. "The way you're glowing...that's the kind of glow that could only come from pregnancy."
Elle looked over at Akiho. "We should find out for sure shouldn't we? I'd hate for the press to find out before we even know," she whispered.
Akiho nodded. Anything to avoid that circus—though somehow they hadn't figured out that Mal was pregnant so maybe Snow was reigning them in. Granted it was understandable with Emma being pregnant herself—something that had only recently been discovered and which had caused Emir to apparently bounce around Ben's office when the two of them were able to get together for a meeting.
Plus…finding out will give us peace of mind, he thought as he gave Elle a small smile. A smile that she returned.
What if I am pregnant? Elle thought. Oh…what…what if they're like me? There is a chance I could pass this to my children! Granted I'm not ashamed of my chair and I can still swim with my family thanks to Grandpa Po-Po and Grandfather Triton's gift after I was born but still! I wouldn't want my child to be in their own chair. To never feel the grass under their feet, to always have to make sure there's a ramp or easy access to shops or restaurants—.
Eric leaned over and took Elle's other hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hey, hey, the odds of your child inheriting your Sirenomelia is about one in one hundred thousand," he said, his voice soft.
"But there's still a chance dad," Elle sighed. "What if I do pass it on?"
"Then we'll handle it," Akiho said and Elle looked over at him. She hadn't realized he had heard her. "All I know is I will love our child no matter what."
Elle teared up as she heard that. Even after three years of marriage, hearing Akiho say that was something she cherished—it felt like a dream.
Akiho leaned over and kissed her temple.
"Time to find out," Elle whispered as she gave him a small smile. Gods I hope it's true…
"Mom, there's no chance you have a pregnancy test for Elle do you?" Melody asked though she couldn't help the megawatt smile that threatened to split her face in half at the thought of becoming an aunt.
"Do you?" Eric asked, looking over at Ariel.
"I have six sisters dear, I believe in being prepared," Ariel said with a small chuckle as she got up to get it.
Elle shook her head fondly. Oh mom…
"Are you telling me that your mom could tell that you might be pregnant but I couldn't?" Akiho whispered in her ear.
"And how many pregnant women have you been around in order to potentially notice the symptoms?" Elle whispered back to him. "Like mom said…every pregnancy is different."
"….point taken."
Elle couldn't help the small chuckle that slipped from her lips and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
"Here we go," Ariel said as she walked back in.
"Thanks mom," Elle said with a small smile as she took the pregnancy test from her mother. "…will you come with me?"
"Of course dear," Ariel said as she gently squeezed Eric's shoulder as the two women made their way to the bathroom.
"Mom?" Elle asked as Ariel closed the door.
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Is…is it bad that I don't know what to hope?" Elle asked as she grabbed the bar that was right by the toilet in order to hoist herself up. Ariel held her chair steady in order to avoid it moving and Elle potentially injuring herself; Elle having forgotten to put the brake on her chair.
"Not at all honey," Ariel said. "I remember when I was pregnant with you. In all honesty I didn't know what to hope, I was still so new to being a human so human births were foreign to me. But you have nothing to worry about. Your father, sister, and I are going to be here for you no matter what—and your husband is not going to leave your side knowing him."
"He is rather protective," Elle nodded, a small smile pulling at her lips.
"You picked a good one," Ariel chuckled as she handed Elle the pregnancy test. "Now, how about we find out whether your family of two will become a family of three?"
"It could be more than that. After all, like you said, you have six sisters so there has to be a set of twins in there somewhere," Elle chuckled but took the test; Ariel turning around to give her daughter privacy. Once complete, and the processing time had passed, Elle stared at the pregnancy test in shock.
Positive. It was positive.
"You should go tell Akiho," Ariel whispered, a smile on her face as she looked at the test.
"Right, right," Elle nodded though when she thought back on that day, she honestly wouldn't have been able to tell anyone who asked what it was her mother had said. She was just so overjoyed with the thought of being a mom.
"Elle?"
Elle smiled as she saw her husband as soon as she opened the door. "Were you pacing outside of the bathroom?"
"Yes," Akiho nodded, looking not at all ashamed or abashed at the honest answer. "I…I was nervous for the result. I didn't want you to be disappointed if it was negative and the not knowing was driving me crazy—."
"Well it's a good thing that it was positive," Elle said and giggled as Akiho stared at her in shock.
"Positive?"
Elle nodded. "We're going to have a baby."
"You're pregnant?"
"See for yourself," she said as she handed Akiho the test and smiled as he looked at it in delighted shock.
"We're going to be parents," Akiho said after a few minutes. "Oh I should call my parents! Find out what they want their grandparents' name should be!"
"Akiho, calm down," Elle chuckled but looked over at Ariel and Eric. "That is a good question though. What do you guys want your grandparents' name to be?"
Melody squealed and rushed over to her big sister. "Percy and Maddie are going to have a cousin! I'm going to be Auntie Melody!"
"I think you're more excited about this than I am," Elle shook her head as she returned the hug that Melody was giving her. "You know I'm probably going to be talking to you about pregnancy things right? Morning sickness, tiredness, and whatnot."
"My brain is at your disposal," Melody promised. "Ooh I can't wait to meet my little niece or nephew!"
"They'll probably be a niece most likely," Elle said. "After all, with our family, there seems to be more girls than guys. As mom said, she had six sisters after all and mom and dad had two daughters."
"Plus my grandparents on my mom's side had two daughters," Akiho added. "So the 'girl' gene seems to be very dominant in our family."
Eric smiled and walked over to Akiho, reaching out to shake his hand. "Congratulations son."
"Thank you sir," Akiho said, returning the handshake.
"Akiho, you've been married to my daughter for three years now. I think you can drop the 'sir'," Eric chuckled.
"Yeah that's not happening any time soon," Akiho shook his head.
Elle chuckled. "You know I think your mom might beat my mom for who's more excited about this," she told him.
"Oh I don't know. My mom's pretty excitable," Akiho teased before kissing the top of her head.
"True, very true," Elle nodded with a small smile. "We should probably make a doctor's appointment to confirm it though…there's a chance of false positives—."
"While there is a chance of that, don't talk like that," Ariel told her. "You deserve to be happy sweetheart. But I completely understand wanting a doctor's appointment."
"I'll call the doctors after I call my parents," Akiho said with a small smile.
Elle nodded. "Sounds good. Though I must admit I'm a little surprised you're so calm about this. I'd have thought you'd be chomping at the bit to call Ben," she teased.
Akiho chuckled. "You think I'm not? But you're my wife and we just found out that you're pregnant. You come first," he told her.
Elle smiled and shook her head. "Go ahead and call Ben. I can make the appointment."
"Yay! Cause you know I'm calling Ben at some point!"
"Of course," Elle chuckled.
"Hey…with you being part mermaid….will that affect your pregnancy?" Akiho asked.
"I…don't know. Mom?" Elle asked, looking over at Ariel. Truthfully that was something she was concerned about. After all, some of the staff had speculated that had been the reason why Elle...well why Elle was the way she was.
Let's just say those two staff members had been quickly fired once their gossip reached Ariel and Eric's ears.
Ariel shook her head. "It shouldn't. The baby may be born slightly early with your divine heritage but then again you're only a quarter God…but the mermaid part shouldn't."
"Oh good," Elle sighed in relief. The last thing she wanted was for something to happen to her little one.
"By all accounts it should be a normal human pregnancy," Ariel said, reassuring her daughter.
"The doctor will know for sure though," Elle said. "Like I said, I'll give them a call to set up an appointment. That way, Akiho can call whoever he wants to."
Even though they didn't have it confirmed, she had a feeling in her heart that she truly was pregnant.
Emma's kid is going to be the youngest of the three even if they are all the same age, Elle thought with a small smile. And why am I not surprised Akiho and Emir managed to time their kids to be the same age as Ben's?
Akiho smiled and they both grabbed their phones, Elle calling the doctor and Akiho calling Ben.
"You know I did not mean for you to take my joke about your and Emir's kids shadowing mine' literally," Ben said, laughter in his voice as Akiho told him.
"Well then you should know us better than that!" Akiho chuckled.
"It seems so. But in all seriousness, congrats Akiho. I'm really happy for you two and so's Mal. Or she will be once she's back from visiting Lady Persephone, Lord Hades, and Rea."
"No Hadie?"
"He's with Evan and Ashaki today apparently, from what I've heard from Hadie when he's been over with presents from Lord Hades and Lady Persephone, it's one of the rare moments where Evan's not with Hermie and Ashaki's not with Robert so Hadie's taking advantage of it."
"Robert's one of Mal's crew?"
"Yep, he's a former Warf Rat."
"Ah. Well thanks Ben, Elle's setting up an appointment with the doctor right now but everyone's thrilled."
"I'm glad to hear it," Ben said.
"I am too Ben," Akiho told him, a grin still threatening to split his face in two. "Elle…she's been worried…with how long it took her to get pregnant so seeing that positive result…it's like a weight off our chests…"
"I'm glad dude, you don't need that stress," Ben said, his voice gentle.
"Thanks Ben. You know you're the first to know outside family? I mean Elle's family—."
"Wait Akiho, did you call me before you called your parents?"
Akiho shook his head. "I mean we told Elle's parents before you. Her mom actually picked up the fact that Elle—."
"Not what I asked Akiho. Does your mom know?"
"Not yet…"
Ben shook his head. "Hang up with me and then call. your. mother! I'm honored I was your first call but you know she'll want to know."
"I will," Akiho nodded.
"Good man," Ben grinned. "And congrats again."
Akiho smiled. "Thanks dude. Talk soon."
"Of course! I've got to throw you a baby shower after all! Return the favor for the one you threw me and Mal!"
Akiho shook his head as he hung up and quickly dialed his mom's number. "Hey mom? Are you free? And preferably with dad and Aunt Elsa if she's over?"
"Of course Akiho. Is…is everything alright?" Anna asked.
"Everything's great mom. I have some good news."
"Oh wonderful! And your father and aunt just walked in, let me put you on speaker. Kristoff, Elsa, Akiho's on the phone! He says he has good news!"
"Well let's let Akiho tell us shall we?" Elsa said with a small chuckle.
Akiho grinned. "Elle's pregnant. You're going to be grandparents and a great-aunt!"
Anna squealed in delight. "Oh Akiho, that's fantastic news!"
"We only just found out," Akiho said, a grin still present on his face.
"Congratulations son," Kristoff said, the grin audible in his voice.
"Thanks dad! Only family knows right now…well and Ben but he's family anyway."
Elsa smiled. "I'm happy for you Akiho."
"Thanks Aunt Elsa," Akiho smiled, bouncing on his toes as if he couldn't contain his excitement much longer. "I'm ecstatic. And Elle's been celebrating with her family."
"As she should," Kristoff said. "Sven says hi of course and so does Olaf."
"Well tell them I say hello as well," Akiho said, shaking his head. "Also, no offense, but I'm likely not going to be using Olaf as a babysitter."
"Completely understand," Kristoff told him. "Let use know if you need anything. We'd be happy to help."
"Thanks dad. I'll let you know, I know Ariel and Eric are eager to help where they can as well."
"Well a grandchild is something to be excited about," Anna said, her grin audible. "But now go be with your wife! You've got all the time in the world to talk to us."
"Yes mom," Akiho chuckled. "Love you all."
"We love you too."
Akiho hung up the phone and went back over to Elle and her family. Melody had gone upstairs to see about some fussy sounds over the baby monitor but Ariel and Eric were still grinning ear to ear.
"We've got an appointment in a week," Elle said and Akiho grinned before kissing the top of her head.
Boy, girl, he honestly didn't care. He was just happy he was going to be a parent with the woman he loved.
How could his life get any better than this?