Chapter 3:

The silence drew out long enough.

It was starting to drive him insane; Tigress sat before him, still as a statue. But while her body was rigid, she didn't give away any emotion on her face. The teacup was inches away from her flatlined lips, as she studied him intently. Nuwa sank down beside her, leaning forward slightly to watch her reaction for... something. Tai Lung's lower jaw itched to the side, as his body shifted out of its uncomfortable position.

"Okay." She said finally.

Why was she so calm?

"Did you hear me?" He said, motioning towards his wife. "Nuwa-"

"Is pregnant, yes." She replied. She put the cup down and pushed it closer to the centre of the coffee table. "How would you like me to react?"

Tai Lung pulled a 'what the hell?' Kind of look, as he folded his arms. "Well, I'm expecting more than just 'okay'? How about we start from there?"

"Alright then." She spoke with a casual shrug before turning to look at Nuwa, before asking very seriously- "is it his?"

Tai Lung's jaw dropped, "Tigress!" Nuwa burst out laughing, to which he glared at. "How is that supposed to be funny!" He demanded of her

"Sorry! I just wasn't expecting it!" Neither did I, and I'm not laughing. She was still giggling helplessly, both paws collected over her mouth, one lapping over the other. But suddenly, Nuwa stopped, before looking at the striped feline worriedly. "You are joking, right?"

Now it was Tigress' turn to look offended. "I can't believe for a single moment, that you'd actually think that's how I see you." She tried to sound hurt, but she couldn't stop grinning as she glanced at Tai Lung. "I'm just pulling your tail. How else do you want me to react?" A bit more excited, Tai Lung answered her question in his head. "I could be more excited," it was like she could read his mind. "But, I can't decipher how you feel about it." She tilted her head slightly. "You alright?"

He didn't have an answer for her this time- his shoulders felt tense, like when he would get stress knots between his shoulder blades from time to time, sitting rigid in one position for hours at a time, going through reports and character references. There was a tight ball of uneasiness in his stomach, and you couldn't figure out how to get rid of it.

"Shocked," Nuwa was talking for him now. "That's one way to describe how we feel..." Tigress was aware of the hardships that Nuwa had experienced, and she must have thought about them briefly because she took hold of Nuwa's paw into both of hers before they hugged.

"Congratulations..." They pulled back from one another. "Did you only find out today?" Nuwa nodded, and filled her in on the visit; she was only a few weeks along, and the baby would be due somewhere around the beginning of autumn... and jokingly stated that Tai Lung was in fact not a bad cook after all. Tai Lung tried to laugh along with them, but there was a lump growing in his throat.

He had no choice but to excuse himself; he left the room without looking back at them but stood right by the front door. As soon as the door clicked shut, and the sun setting almost blinded him, he leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Oxygen enriched his lungs yet again, and he felt his body loosen a little. The last six months had been nothing but bliss; there were no threats, no serious accidents... if anything it was all pretty mundane; early to rise, training, meetings, back to training, the occasional briefing about sponsorships... nothing crazy. His family was safe and well, and no problems in the marriage...

What did this mean now? They had talked about children, and both of them were under the impression that it wasn't going to happen... what now? How was he going to tell the daughter he already had? Were they just going to accept it and move on? They should talk about it... but he needed to do so privately with his wife; he could turn to Tigress if needs be, but at that moment, he had no clue how to even begin the conversation...

Tigress watched the door for some time before her attention turned to Nuwa; in the timespan that Tai Lung left the room, she hadn't breathed a word. Her eyes met the ground, while her paws balled together on her lap, neatly against her stomach, where there was no sign of the baby just yet. "He was quiet at the appointment too..." She finally said.

"Shock. You said it yourself." Tigress reached back for the pot, offering Nuwa another cup, to which she obliged. "He'll come around."

Nuwa shook her head. "I don't think he will."

"What makes you say that?"

Nuwa's fingers laced around the hot container in her paws, as her eyes closed and her ears flattened across her head. "He thinks I lied to him. About not being able to have children. But I swear I didn't think I could."

"That's not it."

Nuwa frowned at Tigress, her demeanour suddenly shifted. "And how are you so sure?"

Tigress smiled softly. "I know him... he's going to be a father, technically for the first time." It took a moment for the gears to start turning in Nuwa's head. "He never got to raise Sapphire himself. He held her once when Luna took her to see him in Chor Gom shortly after her birth. He wasn't there to see her being born, for practically all of her milestones... all he knows of her are memories she shared with him, and the relationship they were able to make as a young adult. This is his first experience being hands-on." Nuwa nodded slowly, feeling a little rude about how she spoke to her. "We may be different species of cat..." Tigress now had a fresh cup of tea nearing her lips. She gently blew on it before taking a sip. "But we're not too different."

"How so?"

Tigress glanced at her. "How did you think I felt when I found out I was pregnant with all my children?"

Nuwa narrowed her eyes. "Is this a trick question? I'm assuming you were excited..." Her eyes widened when Tigress' head slowly shook from one side to the next. "What?!" She gasped. "You're lying!"

Tigress laughed gently. "I was more excited when I was expecting AJ, I will admit. But when I found out I was pregnant with the boys, I couldn't wrap my head around it. Po was there, of course. He nearly passed out, but he was excited. I could never, ever imagine myself as a mom..." Her smile slowly disappeared, and Nuwa put a paw on her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm ashamed to admit it, and it's horrible to think at one point I didn't want children. And when I married Po, I honestly thought it was something near to impossible..." She straightened her back. "It took some time, but now I can't imagine my life without them. He will feel the same soon, I think it's just a little... overwhelming, right now."

"I guess so..." Nuwa glanced back at the door, waiting for him to come back in. "He's not going to talk about it now, is he?"

"To me? Probably not..." But Tigress was soon smirking. "But I know what he needs. I'm sending him, Po, and Monkey to Gongmen city, to attend a meeting with Master Crane. Meanwhile, you will come to stay at the Palace, or with Sapphire, if that's what you prefer. He just needs a change of scenery to gather his senses."

"Are you sure?"

The striped cat nodded firmly, before smiling brightly, like their conversation never happened. "When am I ever wrong?"

Tai Lung turned and stared at the door long before her paw reached the handle. She closed the door and said casually. "Nuwa said dinner's nearly ready." He nodded, before asking where she was going. "Home, I have to make sure the kids were fed." But she wasn't moving any further from him. "About what I said-"

He just raised a paw. "It's fine... it's me who should apologise."

"Yes. But not to me."

"What?"

Tigress' arms crossed her chest in a tussle as she tilted her head back towards the door. "Your wife is about to begin a very vulnerable journey, and she needs you to be behind her through the next few months." He nodded, feeling like a child being heavily scolded. "But she understands that you're feeling scared."

"I'm not scared." She raised a brow almost amusingly if her frown didn't hang heavier. "I'm absolutely terrified." Her gaze softened, and her brow fell back down. But before he could go on, he felt the words catch in his throat again. "I just can't find the words to describe it any other way..." He back towards the Valley. "I'm worried about how Sapphire will react."

The striped tiger's arms fell to her sides again. "You don't need to tell everyone right away... but if it's time that you need..." she reached into her sleeve to pull out a scroll. Handing it to him, she continued on. "Monkey has already been notified, and Po will be when he gets home from the restaurant. You leave in the morning." Tai Lung read the contents.

"A meeting in Gongmen city?" She nodded. "Are you sure I need to go?"

Tigress nodded again. "It's important that you go. Crane has to report to you the progress of his sponsors from the last few months, while Po and Monkey have things to check over on my behalf in the city."

"What about Nuwa? You said that-"

"I know what I said." Tigress was firm, but spoke softly. "Nuwa can stay with me, or in the Palace. Or with Sapphire and Jun, whichever she's comfortable with. But this is going to help you both. I can promise you that."