Catra expected many things on the battlefield. A giant skeleton guy willing to negotiate wasn't one of them. Her ailing wife wasn't one either, yet, she strode up behind, clad in her She-Ra pizzazz. "Skeleton!" She called. Her voice carried a sense of authority that Catra grew to appreciate. Even when they were on opposite sides of the war, hell, even when they were both in the Horde, Adora's voice had enough confidence oozing from it, that everyone couldn't help but follow her lead. The skeleton growled. "It's Skeletor!" He hissed. The woman to his side elbowed him harshly. "She-Ra," She greeted, sliding forward. "It has been a millennium since I heard her name, I thought she was a myth, simply made up to spread false propaganda," Evil-Lyn, Catra would later find out, sidled closer as Adora closed the distance, standing by Catra's shoulder.

The magicat didn't miss the lack of heartbeat coming from her swollen stomach. "I have no idea who you are," Oh, ever the tactful one, Adora. Catra sighed quietly. "But you're gonna leave this place alone. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with me," Adora threatened. "And I've not had the best day today, so I'm far from my most reasonable," Catra's heart did something funny in her chest, but she pushed it down. Evil-Lyn cackled loudly. "Aw. You've had a bad day? Boo hoo. I've had a bad life. My parents tried to eat me when I was a child," She spat. Adora scoffed. "My parents were in another dimension and my other mom beat us and starved us daily," She argued back. Evil-Lyn seemed momentarily stunned for words.

"Enough!"

The attention shifted to skeleton. "We're here to reclaim this land for our lost brothers after you killed Lord Prime!" He bellowed. Catra rolled her eyes. "Please, he was a shit stain on the universe," She snapped. Skeleton growled. "How dareyou besmirch his name?!" He raised his staff with a yell. The grounds exploded into chaos. Clones charged at soldiers in a flurry of attacks. Evil-Lyn directed her attention onto Randor and Marlena, who were both fighting admirably. Some of the braver clones charged at Adam, who was clad as He-Man. Stupid, really. Those who weren't quite as idiot charged at Arrows and Sparkles instead.

Skeletor set his sights on Adora. "She-Ra! You shall face me!" He fired a blast in her direction. Adora simply stepped to the side, it missing by a mile. "You need to work on your aiming skills, my friend," Catra snorted aloud. Skeletor bellowed and charged forward. Adora readjusted the grip on her sword and dropped into a battle stance. Catra readied herself to her side. "Not that I've really got a leg to stand on," She began. "But should you be here? You were having those fake contractions an hour ago," Adora groaned. "Really?" She huffed, turning to face her wife. Catra scoffed. "You're pregnant! You shouldn't be fighting!" She exclaimed. Adora rolled her eyes. "I fought all the way through with Violet, and she's fine. Jesus, I was fighting the Horde as I was in active labour. I'm fine," She fired a blast from her sword, knocking Skeletor off kilter.

He fell.

Adora glanced at her sword with a hum. "Apparently having extra magic's a good thing," She turned the sword over in her grip, watching as electricity danced around it. Catra's fur stood on end. "Can you aim that thing away from me?" She hissed, elbowing a stray clone in the stomach and flipping him over her shoulder. Adora swung her sword out, face out, giving another clone a concussion. "Sorry," Adora winced. She aimed it down at the ground, several quick bursts jumping from the blade. The ground exploded into multiple sprays of debris. Catra hissed angrily as she charged at another clone. Adora strolled forward, her little skirt billowing in the wind.

Catra wasn't stupid. She could admit when her wife was hot. In fact, she always had been. Especially when she unlocked this new… appearance of hers. The tightness of the trousers around her ass and the shirt around her tits made Catra feel woozy every time she brought She-Ra out.

She shook her head. Now's not the time to be horny.

Before she could put much thought into her daydreams, something heavy barrelled into her. She hit the ground with a loud grunt, a cry of pain ripping out of her throat. Something inside her cracked. Her vision shot into black spots and blurry figures. Even though her ribs were most definitely broken, Catra still writhed beneath the heavy thing. "Get off!" She yelled, digging her claws into the figure. It howled loudly, promptly flying off of her body. Catra gasped out as she forced herself to sit up. Someone helped her up from behind, and it was only then, did her ears begin to clear.

"You ok? He hit you pretty hard," Catra's ears recognised the voice. "I think my ribs are broken," She grunted. Adam, still clad as He-Man, winced quietly. "Yeah, I'm not surprised," He kneeled by her form. "I'd heal you, but I can't. Only She-Ra can heal," He nodded to a blur of white and gold. "But my sister's otherwise occupied," Catra swallowed thickly, something unfamiliar settling in her bones, watching as Adora tore through the clones like they were paper, bodies falling in her wake. Her warpath was obvious: Skeleton stood nearby, back to her wife (foolish, really), watching as Catra struggled to breathe. Evil-Lyn laid bound by Marlena's feet, writhing angrily, spitting fiery curses.

"Is it just him now?" She asked. Adam nodded. "Yup…" He winced. "But something tells me he's not gonna be much longer," Catra licked her lips. "Can you bandage ribs?" She ground out. Adam hesitated. "Not… really. I mean, I can, but not as good as Teela," Catra rolled her eyes. "Take me to the arrow guy. He can,"

Before she'd even stood up, a loud bellow rang out across the grounds. Adora crashed into Skeletor's back, rolling into a perfect stance as he stumbled upright. She yelled, loud and high, charging at his form. Clones ran to his aid but were quickly taken care of by Sparkle's power blasts. Adora howled as she bounced his magic blasts with her sword, sending back to sender. Catra stood up slowly. Bow saw her struggling her way over, jogging to meet them in the middle. Her vision blurred and warped as Bow tied her ribs together. "You'll probably be fine. I remember seeing Maia, she's a nurse, helping Adora earlier. She can probably fix you up," Bow smiled. Catra opened her mouth to retort, but a panicked, "Adora! Stop!" Pulled her attention.

It pulled Adora's too, for Skeletor used her momentary distraction to knee her harshly in the stomach. Catra saw red, wailing and writhing in Bow's arms. "NO!" She screamed. Skeletor used Adora's momentary distraction, delivering a powerful kick to her chest. She hit the ground in a dust plume, unmoving. Catra scrambled out of Bow's arms, stumbling forward. "Catra, stop!" He yelled. Catra didn't. "She's pregnant, you fucker!" She instead screamed at Skeletor. He shrugged with a sick grin. "Who sends a pregnant woman to fight?" He sneered. "And I've done the galaxy a favour! The fewer false heroes there are, the better a place it is!"

Catra's fur pricked up on ends seconds before an almighty blast rang out, white, powerful, and all-consuming. When her vision cleared, she was on the ground, Skeletor was several feet back, and Adora was standing. Her body throbbed white and gold, pure power leaking. The ground beneath her feet warped as grass grew and plants shot up in her shadows. She strode to Skeletor, raised her fist and began pounding him. He thudded against the ground, again and again and again. Evil-Lyn wailed from Marlena's feet. "She will kill him!" Catra locked eyes with Adam. He was closer. He could get to her quicker. He nodded, charging with his sword raised. "Adora, that's enough!" He smacked into her side, barely knocking her off course. Adora glanced up, her hair billowing in the fake wind, her eyes expressionless. She raised her sword, clashing it against Adam's as he stood over Skeletor's body.

Catra stumbled over with Bow's help. "Adora, stop!" She yelled. Adora's expressionless stare flicked up to hers. Adam grunted as he shoved her back, watching as she stumbled, but quickly regaining her footing. Catra limped forward, taking Adora's large hand within her own. "Baby, you need to stop. He's down. You've got him," Catra gently tugged the sword from her wife's hands, dropping it on the ground. It phased away. "Come on, come back to me," She caressed Adora's knuckles.

When Adora had done this back after the Heart, Catra had to coax her real self back out from She-Ra. She knew they were one and the same, but sometimes She-Ra's spirit protected Adora by taking over and forcing her body to do things that the real Adora would've never done.

Like beating the shit out of some guy she'd already taken down. Distantly, she heard Adam and Bow drag Skeletor to Randor, Marlena and the wailing Evil-Lyn.

"Come on, bring Adora back to me," She whispered. As if a switch had been flipped, Adora's hair dropped from the sky, her body lost the glow, and she shifted back into her heavily pregnant human self. She collapsed into Catra's arms, tears leaking from her eyes. Turning so she couldn't see the broken form of Skeletor, Catra caught Adam's eye. "Is he alive?" She mouthed. Adam glanced down. He shrugged with a wobbly hand. "Badly broken, but he'll probably be fine," Adam glanced down again with a wince. "Maybe,"

Catra opted not to say anything.

Instead, she rocked side to side softly, as Adora sobbed into her neck silently. Catra, too, would cry for the life lost when she knew Adora would be ok. "Come on," She whispered. Adora pulled back slightly, wincing through her teeth as her hand came to wrap around her stomach. Catra's stomach turned. "I've broken my ribs. I need your help to get to Maia," She said gently, doing everything in her power to keep her wife anchored to the ground. Adora shook her head silently. She shut her eyes, grabbing onto Catra's shoulder. The tell-tale rush of warm magic burned through her bones. She could feel her ribs cracking into place, mostly painlessly. Adora pulled back with a shaky exhale, letting her hand slide down Catra's arm and into her hand. "I think I need to go to Maia," She whispered. Catra swallowed her nausea. "Yeah… ok,"

"Cat… I've got something to tell you," Adora whispered in the hospital room, lying up on the bed, waiting for Maia to come back up with their son. Catra frowned. "Tell me later," She kissed her knuckles. Adora shook her head, blinking away the stars. "No… she's bringing someone," She paused, shifting slightly on the bed. "Someone you're gonna love," As if by magic, the door to her room swung open, and in strode Maia, holding a wiggling bundle.

Catra's ears pricked up, immediately picking up on the somewhat frustrated mewling from the blanket. "Wait-" She glanced back and forth. Adora winced slightly. "Surprise?" Catra dropped her hand, striding over to Maia. She held her arms out without saying another word. The baby immediately nestled into her chest, still fussing angrily. He tried latching on, to no avail. "Here," Adora extended her arms out. "He's hungry," She withered slightly beneath Catra's glare. "I'm not fucking surprised, seeing as you left immediately after popping him out!" Nevertheless, she handed him over. He latched on quickly, guzzling the milk he'd been deprived of for the last hour or so. Catra didn't say a word, at least not until Maia returned to take him. "Wait, where's he going?" She asked. "He passed his first set of tests, but now he's an hour old, proved he can latch on and feed properly, our magicat doctor is going to run the hearing test for him," Maia smiled gently as Adora brought him up to burp over her shoulder. "You can go with him if you'd like," She addressed Catra.

Catra, with a levelled, "Will you be ok without me?" At Adora, left without much else after Adora nodded with a smile. She tipped her head back against the pillows. "Hmm," Maia suddenly spoke. "What?" Adora asked. "Do you feel ok? No dizziness?" Adora frowned. "Um… I think I feel ok… why?" Maia shrugged. "It's probably nothing. You're just bleeding a bit… maybe it's everything that didn't come out while you were She-Ra," Adora hummed. "Maybe. I did get hit pretty hard in the stomach though…" She looked up briefly. Her vision felt heavy, almost. "Mind if I have a check?" Maia was already slipping on some gloves.

Adora shook her head, tipping it back into the pillows, frowning at the ceiling.

Her thoughts felt very jumbled… and cold. She felt cold. Maybe she had a cold? Frosta. Frosta likes the cold. Violet does too, but Catra doesn't. Where is Catra? Catra… Adora blinked forcefully, swallowing again. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that fell out were a mess of jumbled words. Maia looked up from her feet. "Adora? Are you ok?" Adora's chin wobbled. Maybe she was outside? Yeah, must be it. That's why she's cold.

"Get the doctor,"

Maia was by her head, putting her ungloved hand on Adora's forehead. "Adora, can you hear me?" Adora frowned. Of course, she could hear… what kinda stupid question was that? She cleared her throat, nausea suddenly rumbling deep in her belly. "Sick… I… I feel sick," She mumbled. Maia swore under her breath, pressing her fingers against her neck. The nausea didn't get any worse, but it rose to her head, blurring her vision.

Wait.

No. That made no sense.

"What's going on?" Adora turned her head to the door, watching as the magicat, who led Catra away, walked back in. Her stomach hurt too… a lot. She whined, trying to press her hand against it, but it wouldn't listen to her. Why wouldn't her hand listen? Violet doesn't always listen… Catra even more so. Maybe the baby will listen. he has no choice. he's a baby. he can't do anything but listen.

the colours in the room looked funny.

"Cashhhra," She forced her tongue to listen. Her wife came in, quickly flanked by another doctor, immediately running to her side. She said something, but maybe catra was underwater. huh. underwater. mermista lived underwater sometimes. adora would like to do that one day. be a mermaid. maybe like the stories.

Adora's eyes fluttered as her head dropped to the side.

The heart monitor began beeping. "Adora?" The doctor asked. Catra frowned, leaning over. She shook Adora's arm. "Dora? Wake up, this isn't funny," She said. Adora's arm shook as Catra moved it, but she didn't say anything. The heart monitors began to wail louder. "She's in Hypovolemic Shock! Get me some O-neg blood!" The doctor yelled, ripping off Adora's gown. Catra froze. The doctor pumped her stomach, cursing. "She's bleeding onto the bed," Maia was suddenly at the foot of the bed, tossing the blanket off to the side. "She's haemorrhaging too!"

Catra's grip remained tightly on Adora's cold shoulder. "Is she gonna die?" She asked. Maia spared her one glance. "Get her out of here," She snapped. Hands were suddenly wrapped around her biceps. "No! GET OFF!" She thrashed. A sudden high whine froze the room. "Get me the paddles! She's in V-FIB!" The monitor continued pumping out the deadly monotonous whine. "Come on, ma'am. You don't wanna watch this," Catra fought and shouted in the grips of the doctors. "Let me go! Adora! Dora!" She screamed.

The last thing she saw was her wife's lifeless body flopping against the bed.

2 hours.
2 hours before Catra even heard anything.
4 hours until Adora was out of surgery.
8 until Catra could see her.

"Catra," Maia called. Catra stood up, shushing the baby when he began to fuss. Nine hours old, and he'd not seen his mom yet. "She's out of surgery, you can see her now," Catra lowered her son back into the bassinet and tailed Maia to Adora's room. "Is she ok?" She asked. Maia nodded. "Yes. She'll make a full recovery," Catra sighed in relief. "What happened to her?" She asked. Maia sighed softly. "We're not entirely sure what happened when, as her abdomen sustained two bouts of severe distress today. We think when the baby was born, he tore a minuscule part of her uterus, which would usually heal on its own. However, the impact from the fight ripped it further and caused a massive bleed. The stress also caused her heart to stop, but we restarted it and it's been beating perfectly since," Catra grimaced. "But she'll be ok?" Maia nodded. "Yes. It'll be a painful recovery, as abdominal surgery often is, but she'll be fine,"

When they reached the door, Maia paused. "What are you doing? Let me in," Catra hissed. "Before I let you in, Catra, you need to understand that she's gonna look a lot worse than she is," Maia warned. Catra hummed once. "Fine. Let me see her,"

Maia wasn't wrong.

Adora was still on the hospital bed, a thick bandage covering her stomach. Her skin was sallow and pale, her chest barely rising. "Oh, Adora," She whispered to herself, approaching quietly. "You can touch her, if you want, she's ok," Catra hummed, reaching out to ghost her fingers across Adora's bare arm. It was cold, too cold.

"Oh... baby,"