AN: I do not own "The Slayers," I just play in the sandbox.

Also, this is one of those where I have a hard time figuring out a rating. It does deal with sexual matters, it goes with the topic, but I've tried to make it as non-graphic as possible.

Amelia tried hard to focus on the treaty, but her mind was so preoccupied on her next visitor that she simply could not make sense of the words. The door opened, and Amelia sat at attention, but relaxed a little when the page announced that it was her husband and showed him in. Zelgadis closed the door behind him and came up to her desk, "Did you get the memo?" he asked.

Amelia nodded as her heart raced, "Yes."

"Did he mention anything?"

"Just that there was a breakthrough. Do you think…"

"We shouldn't get our hopes up." He said as he looked at the desk.

"Always the pessimist." She chided as she stroked his cheek.

His eyes set, "I'd better sound proof the room."

Amelia sighed, "I suppose you're right."

She watched quietly as Zelgadis casted the spells he felt he needed to to ensure their privacy. Considering that the palace had ears everywhere it was likely a good precaution, but Amelia knew better than to put all of her trust in such spells. Besides, if rumor got out that she and Zelgadis were using sound proofing spells, then the subjects would start conjecturing about corruption and wondering what they were hiding. She'd tried to explain it to him, but going from commoner to Duke had been a difficult enough transition for him. So she chose her battles carefully.

Just as he finished there was a knock at the door, and Zelgadis went to stand behind Amelia as the page opened the door and announced, "Manus Koff."

"Thank you, Kurt." Amelia addressed the page, "Please make sure we are not disturbed." The page closed the door and Amelia looked at their visitor, "Please have a seat, Mr. Koff." Amelia said as she indicated the chair on the other side of the desk. Manus Koff, a middle aged man with the dark close cropped hair and dressed in the robes of a healer, sat. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Zelgadis internally groaned as Amelia went through the social niceties of offering tea and cookies. The little formalities of royal life were driving him insane. From having servants announce his arrival everywhere he went, including and especially when it was such a personal matter as seeing his wife, to having to dance around hospitality when all he really wanted was to go into interrogation mode.

Finally Manus Koff was contented with tea and cookies, and Amelia at last got to the heart of the matter, "You mention there has been a breakthrough."

"There has." Manus Koff said as took his time sipping his tea. Amelia and Zelgadis watched the head researcher they had tasked with the project of finding a way to make Zelgadis fertile despite his chimeraism and hoped that their desperation didn't show too plainly on their features. "We discovered a serum that allowed the chimeras we had confiscated from the raid on Allenly to reproduce."

Amelia put her hands over her mouth as Zelgadis clutched her shoulder as Manus Koff continued, "We're sure it's safe, and I have a vial with me. Your husband can start taking it immediately."

"I'd like to see a copy of the research," Zelgadis said.

"I suspected you would." Manus Koff said as he reached into his robes and pulled out a stack of papers and gave it to him. He then pulled a bottle of green liquid from his robes and set it on the desk. "Take it daily. Remember, it takes about a year for most couples to conceive."

Amelia nodded as Zelgadis asked some more questions about the serum but Amelia tuned it out as she started thanking Ceiphied and whoever else had gotten them to this point. Her marriage to Zelgadis had been controversial on many points, but as Gracia was married and producing children, and with her father's support, Amelia had fought and won the right to marry who she loved. And while on an intellectual level she had accepted that they could not have children of their own, emotionally it became more difficult as their friends settled down and started having babies. And then Zelgadis himself surprised her by admitting that he wanted one as well.

So Amelia had hired a set of researchers in secret to make it possible. And now, after two years, it seemed their efforts were finally bearing fruit.

"I must add a word of caution."

"Oh?" Amelia asked.

"It's rather embarrassing really." Manus Koff said, "There have been some personnel problems. One of the junior researchers, Rosalinda Franks, starting pursuing some unsavory lines of research."

Amelia's eyebrows raised, "What do you mean?"

"She wanted to create her own chimeras rather than using the ones confiscated from more unscrupulous researchers." Manus Koff explained, and Amelia felt her shoulder ached as Zelgadis clenched his fist around it. "We promptly sacked her, and she has since taken to spreading rumors about us."

"I see." Amelia said, "How horrible. I'll make sure she's banned from the palace and block any further funding for her endeavors that Seyruun is providing."

"I'll also address this with the Guild." Zelgadis added.

"Thank you." Manus Koff said.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention." Amelia replied.

Zelgadis was amazed at Amelia's newfound ability to remained composed. He was ready to start yelling. He resented being kept from the actual research, even as he understood why it had to be the way it was. His quest for his cure had lead him down a dangerous, destructive road, and he had nearly killed a town full of innocents to obtain it. After Amelia and the others had stopped him and he looked at horror at what he had nearly done, he and Amelia had agreed that the best thing to do would be to give up looking for his cure and for him to marry her and find a place for himself in royal society. And while he had never come close to harming innocents again, integrating wasn't as easy as he thought it would be, and letting others carry the torch of research that was extremely personal bothered him.

For one thing he was sure he could do the research better. For another thing procreation was supposed to be a very private act between two people. But as he was infertile, he was having to invite a whole team of researchers into the equation. And even though Amelia swore that the threats she made of banishment would keep the team from blabbing, he was never comfortable with it.

But if, at the end of the day, it resulted in a child that was theirs, it would be worth it.

"Is there anything else, Mr. Koff?" Amelia asked.

"That's it. I will continue to keep you informed of any new developments. Please do the same for me."

"Thank you." She said as she clasped his hand and shook it.

"Of course. I look forward to hearing about your impending arrival in the near future."

Amelia smiled, "Let me show you out."

She walked him to the door and then closed it behind her, and then turned and ran into Zelgadis' arms, laughing. "You know, I still don't like having other people research this." Zelgadis said, "But if it works out, it will all be worth it."

Amelia didn't want to get dragged into the old fight with him, so she kissed him instead. She realized it was the right move when he broke the kiss to whisper in her ear, "Should we do it here, in your office?"

Amelia grinned. He was usually so prudish that getting him to think outside of the bedroom was next to impossible. "It's not the right time for me to conceive right now, you know." She said, "Perhaps we should save it for next week."

But he was already unbuttoning the back of her dress, "Come on Amelia. It's not as if we can over practice for this."

She grinned, blissfully unaware that it would be the last time in a long while that she would feel so desired.

"It's another boy." Sylphiel announced cheerfully as she placed the squalling infant on Gracia's stomach.

Amelia watched as her sister made a face, "I guess there won't be a little princess then."

Amelia smiled a little as she started to towel off her new nephew. The position of first granddaughter for her father was still open, even if she wouldn't technically be a princess. Gracia considered the infant, still looking displeased, and Amelia wanted to slap her as she asked, "Do you know how much work boys are? Always destroying everything!"

"That's because you never tell them 'no.'" Charles, Gracia's husband said, "Hey little guy! I'm happy to have you on my team."

The baby yawned and Gracia smiled a little as she seemed to melt, "Lucky for him he's cute."

"What are you going to call him?" Amelia asked as Sylphiel continued to heal Gracia.

"Edmund Edward Eldoran." Gracia said, "Eddie for short."

Amelia patted her shoulder, "I'll go make the announcement."

Amelia practically bounced through the hallways as she made her way to the dining area. It was late enough in the morning that most everyone would probably be there having breakfast. She would announce her new nephew, and then hopefully in a few weeks (if that) have her own announcement!

She was tired and her breasts were sore. She was even a day late, though it hadn't affected her powers (yet). Amelia was certain that the serum had done its trick. All she had to do was somehow keep her mouth shut until it was confirmed.

She walked into the dining hall and found that she was correct. Her father was sitting next to her two older nephews, Sean and Travis, as he told them stories while Lina and Gourry fought over breakfast while Zelgadis did his best the ignore them.

"I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, am pleased to announce the arrival of Seyruun's newest prince, Edmund Edward Eldoran Seyruun!" Amelia said with flourish as she walked in.

Phil was completely unfazed about the gender as he let out an exclamation of excitement as he grabbed the three people nearest him, which happened to be his two grandsons and Zelgadis, and wrapped them into a giant bear hug.

"Congrats!" Lina and Gourry offered as they tore themselves away from their food for a brief moment before diving back into their pancakes.

Amelia smiled a little as she walked up to her father, who continued to hold Zelgadis tightly as he did a happy dance with his grandsons. "Daddy, I think it's too early in the morning for Zel to dance."

"Oh!" Phil said as he let go of his son-in-law, "Sorry. I just got carried away!"

"For the record," Zelgadis said through clenched teeth as he sat down further away from Phil, "It is always too early for me to dance."

Lina chuckled as she looked up from her pancakes, "Don't take it too personally, Phil, he's always been a stick in the mud."

"Lina…" Zelgadis hissed.

"I mean come on, it's not every day someone gets a new grandson!" Gourry chimed in.

"Then you dance with him, Gourry!" Zelgadis snapped, and to Amelia's concern, he looked ready to explode.

Amelia hastily cut in, "I think in about another half hour they'll be ready for visitors. So let's finish up here so we can meet the new little prince."

"Isn't he just gorgeous!" Amelia gushed as she walked with Zelgadis into their private apartments.

"Yes, and we've already established that fact." Zelgadis said wearily as he dropped down onto a couch.

Amelia groaned to herself as she braced herself for an argument, "What is it then?"

Zelgadis' fingers clenched around the armrests and then he spit it out, "How many times do I have to endured being bear hugged by that…that…"

"You mean my daddy?" Amelia finished for him curtly.

"I can't deal with it, Amelia."

"It's not every day you get a new grandchild!"

"It's not only on days when he gets a new grandchild that he does it!" Zelgadis countered.

Amelia folded her arms across her chest and said haughtily, "Well you're family now. It just means that he likes you. You shouldn't be so standoffish all the time."

"Fine, take his side." Zelgadis said.

"Oh!" Amelia fumed, "This isn't about sides!"

"I don't like people grabbing me and hugging me!" Zelgadis insisted, "And I have made it clear, multiple times! To you and to him!"

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Not say a thing when I hit him with a Mono Volt next time?"

"Mr. Zelgadis!" she said, lapsing back into her formal way of addressing him.

"Could we just get away from court for a while? Take advantage of that palace in Tealblu we have but never use?"

"I want to be here when Eddie is still so small and cute. Besides, Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry are here, and there's still so much to do."

"Can we go when they go home to Zefiel City then?" he asked, "It's not too much to ask. Everyone else takes a break from this damned palace and the annoying people in it!"

"This damned palace is my home and the annoying people in it are my family!" Amelia shot back.

"Well they're all driving me crazy! Once Lina and Gourry leave I'm going to Tealblu, with or without you." Zelgadis said.

Amelia sighed as she slouched forward, "Perhaps a break is what we need."

He was silent for a moment, and then he tersely said, "Thank you." He got up and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"For a walk."

Amelia sighed as she stared out of the window as he left, and wondered if marrying him had been the correct decision. She had once thought that all obstacles could be overcome with enough love. She'd thought that her family being warm and accepting to Zelgadis would melt his ice heart and help him appreciate open displays of affection. But somehow he was becoming more resentful of her family.

And now they might be having a baby together.

Amelia put her hand on her stomach. She'd always assumed Zelgadis was the way he was because of what Rezo had done to him. But what if he had always been that way? And what if they had a child that was like him and didn't like the bear hugs and noise and intrigue of royal life?

It appeared that she had been foolish to think that she could turn him into a royal. Perhaps it had even been cruel of her. But even if he couldn't bear to continue under the obligations of the royal court, could they find a way to make their marriage work?

Amelia set the beaker on the window sill and waited. While her powers remained strong her time of the month had not arrived, a novelty for Amelia. She decided there was no harm in checking to see if she was pregnant. Yet nothing happened. The fluid did not change color to blue, which would have indicated a pregnancy. It remained clear as ever.

Amelia tried to not feel deflated as she emptied the beaker into the toilet. Perhaps she had miscalculated the days and it was still too early. It was too soon to give up hope.

But two days later she woke to find that her monthly visitor had arrived. She did her best to console herself with the fact that it did take time. While Gracia bragged about being able to get pregnant very easily, it didn't mean that she would be as fertile as her sister. Assuming there wasn't a problem on her end.

Amelia tried to quiet her anxiety as she went about her day. Little did she know it would start a new monthly routine in her life. Crippling disappointment when her monthly visitor would arrive, followed by hope during her fertile time that would rise to a crescendo every time she was late and exhibited at least one nebulous pregnancy symptom and then back to crushing disappointment at the first speck of red.

After several months of trying and after her period starting that morning, Amelia was further sidelined at dinner when Lina asked Phil why Sylphiel and her family weren't there and Phil announced that his royal physician was once again pregnant.

"Damn, how many kids is she going to pop out?" Lina exclaimed.

Privately Amelia was thinking the same thing, but she merely put her fork down as she felt her apetite vanish.

Phil frowned, "Four kids is not that many. If my wife had lived we would have had seven. You can never have too many champions in the world! Speaking of which, when are you planning to get around to starting a family?"

Lina stiffened as a sweatdrop formed on her brow as she stuttered while Phil continued, "You've been married for a few years now, and you're not getting any younger. You're much older than me when I had Gracia…"

Amelia quietly excused herself and turned to find Zelgadis was doing the same. For once Phil was so wrapped up in lecturing Lina and Gourry about their lack of haste to procreate that he seemed to be immune to the fact that his daughter and son-in-law were leaving dinner early.

As soon as they were in the hallway and out of earshot Amelia said quietly, "He didn't even bother to ask us."

"He knows I can't…"

"We can't." Amelia corrected.

"The problem is with me, Amelia. If you hadn't have married me…"

"Don't finish that sentence." She snapped.

He was quiet for a moment before he stated, "You know it's true."

"If you don't mind me asking, how many are you planning to have?" Gourry asked Sylphiel's husband, Rick, as they sat in Rick and Sylphiel's living room after dinner. Sylphiel's morning sickness had abated enough that she felt she could throw Lina and Gourry a good-bye dinner before they headed off to Zefiel City in the morning.

"As many as we can." Rick said proudly, "We love having a house ringing with noise and laughter."

Zelgadis wondered if there was a way to excuse himself from the conversation. He and Amelia had been at it for close to six months now, and nothing. Worse, the pressure had been getting to him, and he was now having difficulties performing. Problems that Rick obviously had no issue with.

"I think I'd like that." Gourry said, "But then when you have so many it's hard to spend as much time with each of them as you'd like. I mean, if there's only one or two I'd get to spend a lot of time one on one with them, but they would grow up and be gone so fast, right? But if we have five or six there would always be children around, but I wouldn't have as much time to spend with each of them."

"Somehow I don't see Lina agreeing to six." Zelgadis said. He wondered if his aggravation was showing. Right now he would be content with just one. Thinking in terms of five or six was out of the question.

"Well, we've not had one yet, so she doesn't know if she'd like a lot or just a few, does she?"

"Have you even talked to her about it?"

"You know Lina and me." Gourry said.

Rick laughed, "Yeah, you two never plan anything out."

"Well, Lina doesn't. I do think about it. Especially with the Blast Sword, since it's our only heirloom. With one kid we won't have to worry about arguments, but with more than one…"

"Even with that, Syl and I would love to have an heirloom to pass on to our families. Everything of value we owned was destroyed by Copy Rezo." Rick leaned back in his chair, "If you don't mind my asking, when are you and Lina going to have one?"

Gourry shrugged, "When Lina's ready."

"But she's thirty now! If you're not careful it will be a matter of biology, not choice."

Zelgadis bit his lip. Considering how miserable trying to have a baby was making him and Amelia he wondered if he should say something to Gourry. But that would also mean telling him everything, something he was not ready to do.

"It will happen when it happens." Gourry said, sounding a bit terser than usual. Was the swordsman not as patient as he claimed to be?

"If you don't mind my asking, are you even trying?" Rick asked.

"Well, it's not that we aren't trying, we're just seeing what happens. That way there's no pressure."

Zelgadis felt a little worse. The fact that Lina and Gourry had held out against the baby bug was a source of solace and comfort. He and Amelia could always hang out with them when they were in Seyruun when they needed some time away from people who were obsessed with their growing families. But if Lina and Gourry's time without children was short, then that was in jeopardy.

"How does Lina feel about it?" Zelgadis asked.

Gourry smiled, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Zelgadis could never imagine doing that, and he felt Gourry knew that as well and was dodging the question. At that moment the women came in from the dining room and Lina went to stand behind her husband and kissed him on the crown of his head, "Hey, we've got to get going. Early start tomorrow." She said. "And Sylphiel is too polite to say anything, but she's going to be up with those babies tomorrow and she's growing a new one, so we should let her have her rest."

"It's no trouble." Sylphiel protested, "It will be six months until we see you again."

"We'd better get going as well, then." Zelgadis said, happy that it was over.

They said their good byes to Rick and Sylphiel. "Don't pop this one out until we get back up here to see him!" Lina warned Sylphiel as they started on the road to the palace.

"I'll do my best, but it'll be cutting it close. No promises!" she replied.

Lina chuckled to herself as Gourry wrapped an arm around her as they walked, making Zelgadis rather aware of the distance between Amelia and himself. But he simply could never summon the courage to be so openly affectionate in public. At first Amelia had attempted to snuggle or hold hands, but he always pulled away. Now she didn't bother to try anymore. And while usually she watched Lina and Gourry's displays of affection with the zeal of a devoted fan, tonight he noticed there was a pained gleam in her eyes.

It made him feel even more inadequate.

While he could hold his own on the diplomatic duties his position as her husband required, she was well aware of the fact that it was making him miserable. And he tried his best, but he simply could not tolerate Gracia and Phil that well. Of her family members Christopher was the one he got along with best. And to top it all off, he couldn't express his love for her in the way she desired, partly out of fear of inciting a riot when the citizens saw a chimera dare to touch their beloved princess, partly out of his own shyness. And now he couldn't give her the children that she wanted.

And while he loved her more than anything, he wondered if it was foolhardy of them to have a go at this. Somehow everything that made them work together on the road fell apart when confronted with the reality of Amelia's life and her royal station. At the end of the day he was simply a freak who couldn't be what she needed.

Soon they passed the palace gates, and stopped to face each other. "See you in six months." Lina said.

Amelia hugged her, "Have a safe trip! Write to me!"

"You bet!" Lina said, "And enjoy your break at Tealblu!"