Chapter 1: The Most Wonderful Gift of All

Nepstation, the mega grand nation that is ruled by the married CPU couple called Purple Heart and Black Heart, however, their friends call them Neptune and Noire, which is what they like to go by. It has been many months since these two united in holy matrimony and one month after Compa and IF's wedding. The amount of shock that their nation received from the announcement that they were going to get married was staggering, to say the least, yet it was a joyous shock as both of their nations accepted it. In truth, they knew that they were perfect for each other and were happy that Lady Noire was finally able to come to terms with her feelings.

We now peer into their lives once again on the day before Nepmas Eve that was just a few hours away from striking midnight. They had just arrived back to their Basilicom on that peaceful night from attending a charity event that helped families that struggled for newborn baby items that they themselves could not afford. It was one of many activities that they decided to run that also happened to align with the holiday joy, however, this one proved to have absolutely melted their hearts from the sheer joy they created.

The room was dark and quiet with no activity at all. There stood a bed that was big enough for two with a nightstand next to it that had a picture frame. In that frame, there was a picture of a magical day that was forever captured. It was the day when Neptune and Noire had gotten married, and their smiles were forever captured as they wore matching wedding dresses with their hands interlocked. This was a standard wedding since the day before it, they had done the process that was required to join together by combining their nation's Sharicite after using their blood. After the inner walk, there were no problems as they were able to link together. This was the beginning of their new nation called Nepstation; a nation created from the foundations of both Planeptune, and Lastation.

Sounds could be heard from the other side of the door as it burst open with a loud bang as Purple Heart and Black Heart leaned against each other due to a long day of helping their nation. The room filled with joy and laughter as they hugged to feel the other's body heat during this cold night.

"Neptune, did you see the look on those happy babies and parents when we raised all that funding?" Said Black Heart who was in high spirits. You might say, that a CPU being in this high spirited state was akin to someone being drunk. That they were because, in a sense, all the positivity that they created today had heightened their share energy causing their emotions to take on an almost drunken state of bliss.

"I know, my darling. It broke my heart how there are so many new families that lack the necessities that all babies need," said Purple Heart who was feeling happy inside that she was able to change that today.

"We can rest easy knowing that those families are going to be supported by our help, especially through the holiday that is coming," said Black Heart who kissed her wife tenderly on the lips.

"As they should. They're our people whose life took an unsuspecting turn financially when their babies were just about to be born."

"Yeah, I never knew how precious the little ones can look when you're so close to them," said Black Heart.

"Oh, they can be a bundle of sunshine, Noire. They're sweet, innocent, and look at the world with so much hope in their eyes," said Purple Heart.

"Jeez, I do hate myself for neglecting the little ones in the past. I mean, I never really personally dealt with them in the past, but it really does feel nice."

There was a none verbal spark in the air that signaled them both about what they were feeling. This spark was unsuspecting of them as it mixed and twirled with their aura of share energy using their already heightened emotions from the wonderful event they had dispersing good and hope as a base to this unknown energy that was newly created.

They connected their hands together as they came to realize that their burning desire for each other was elevated to a state that they had never felt before. Their touch felt overpowered as their skin tingled with an overload of sensations that gave them goosebumps.

"Noire, do you feel this?" Said Purple Heart resting her head near the crook of Black Heart's neck and letting her warm breath tingle her wife.

"How can I not? I've never felt this way before. This… unreal sensation that makes me weak in the knees yet urges me to be in this embrace. Like… reliving our first official kiss times a hundred." This burning unknown passion that clawed from the depths of their souls was too much for her as she shoved Purple Heart at the nearest wall.

Purple Heart didn't mind this rough show of force from her wife which was an added change from their usual tender lovemaking in the past.

Black Heart advanced on her like a predator going for their pray. They connected again in a steamy kiss that was a struggle for dominance. In the end, Black Heart threw her wife on the bed to quench both of their unreal desires. That night, warm winter clothes were discarded and moans of unfathomable pleasure rang all throughout the Basilicom housing unit that poor Histoire was probably covering her ears with a pillow just to make it through the night.

Sometime later, in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Purple Heart and Black Heart finished it off with a heated kiss that released what was left of the pent-up urges that they had. They rolled over to their side of the bed while looking at the ceiling in a sheer thought of amazement.

"That was… well, that was one to remember, for sure. HDD sex is amazing!" said Black Heart who had a smile on her face.

"Oh, Noire. That was wonderful," said Purple Heart who worried that her face would stay stuck from all the smiling.

"I… didn't hurt you, right?" Said Black Heart with worry in her voice.

"Only mildly, Noire. Don't feel bad, it felt very nice to see you take charge over our lovemaking. I guess I have to thank your rough, but adorable HDD personality for that," said Purple Heart.

"Stop, you're making me blush, but thank you for saying that. I've never thought of doing it in HDD, but we are definitely doing that again," said Black Heart.

"I agree so much, Noire. Say… was there anything that you loved about me in this form?" Asked Purple Heart.

"There are lots I like about you Neptune, but in this form… there's just so much of you to grab," laughed Black Heart.

"Are you saying that I'm fat?" Said Purple Heart playfully.

"Don't start. You know exactly what I mean when I say that and you are perfect in any form." Black Heart leaned in for a kiss in which it was received by her wife. They spent the rest of the night wrapped together in sheets.

The morning soon came as Noire fluttered her eyes open due to the brief rays of sun that the cloudy skies would allow. The rays penetrated the room with its warmth that still felt wonderful on the skin. She loved moments like these when she would wake up next to her wife to greet the day with open arms. She rolled over to hug her wife from behind, but she found something strange about how she was holding her wife.

Her eyes adjusted to the light, and the first thing she saw was long purple hair. This surprised her to the point that she screamed and fell off the side of the bed since she was expecting to see Neptune in her human form.

"Noire!" Said Purple Heart who lifted herself to a sitting position with the sheets still wrapped around her.

"Neptune! Why are you still in HDD?!" Asked Noire.

"I'm what?!" Purple Heart looked at her hands to see that she was still in her HDD. "I… don't know," said Purple Heart with equal worry shown on her face. She then made a face that appeared to be one of revulsion as she quickly got up to make a dash to the bathroom.

Noire heard the door slammed followed by intense vomiting. Noire quickly put on some sweats and a loose shirt as she made her way to the door. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Answer me."

It was not too long from that that Noire and Purple Heart made their way to the medical room that was inside the Basilicom with Histoire.

Histoire looked like she had seen better days with how tired she looked. She made a large yawn before inspecting Purple Heart who was sitting on the patient's table who also looked like she had seen better days.

Purple Heart was wearing a loose white shirt with blue shorts that looked tighter on her probably because those shorts were supposed to fit her human form. Her stomach was mostly empty now from all the vomiting, and her flawless hair looked very unscrupulous with small hairs sticking out.

"Okay, Neptune, say, Ahh," said Histoire as she placed a wooden stick in Purple Heart's mouth.

Purple Heart followed all the things that Historie told her all the while looking at her wife with worry who was behind Histoire.

Histoire then held onto Purple Heart's wrist. "Hmm, that is odd."

"What's odd?" Said Noire.

"I can feel her blood flowing, but share energy isn't radiating," said Histoire.

"What!? That's impossible. Neptune and I radiate the same share energy, so whatever is going on with her must also be working on me, and I feel my share energy."

"Let me see your eyes, Neptune." Histoire stared into Purple Heart's eyes finding more info that was useful. "No, Noire, her share energy is intact as it should be, but the thing is… it's not being expended. At least… not out of her body as share radiation should."

"What does that even mean, Histoire?" Said Purple Heart.

"What it means is that you are not burning share energy, especially since you are in your HDD. Another thing that this means is that your HDD is neither straining nor draining your body. The thing is, I don't know how your body is doing this. Your share energy must be getting used on something else if you're gaining share energy but not expending it through radiation or HDD burning."

"So, what you're saying is that my HDD is acting like my human form?" Said Purple Heart.

"Yes, and no. Even in your human form, you still radiate share energy. All CPUs do that, and it's more of a passive effect that helps the body accommodate share energy by expending it out slowly so that new share energy can go in. And it doesn't matter how much share energy you get from your nation as long as it's being let out in a timely manner. Without this, your body would start to break from all the share energy continuously coming in."

"I see," said Purple Heart.

"Histoire, if she isn't burning energy through HDD or through radiation, then what can explain all this?" Said Noire.

"I don't know what's going on with her body, but we can at least take comfort that her energy is being used somehow, and I did call someone that might help us out since she deals in hidden CPU functions," said Histoire.

Just as she said that, a portal opened up revealing Croire. "Yo, I was told that you guys were having chocolate pancakes," said Croire. She scanned the room and looked at Purple Heart. "Man, you look like shit," she said causing Purple Heart to look away in annoyance.

"Croire, I called you here to see if you could give a check up on Neptune," said Histoire.

"So… no pancakes?" She said flatly.

"Oh, Jeez! I'll give you pancakes if you can check what's wrong with Neptune!" Shouted Noire.

"Me? I'm no doctor," said Croire.

"That is true, but you seem to know more stuff about CPU anatomy that I myself was unaware of. I ask you to please check her because she has this strange case where her body is in HDD, but she isn't burning it or wasting it through share radiation," said Histoire.

"Really? Well, that sure is an odd one."

"Yes, she can't even change back, and I also concluded that she isn't in danger since, for some unexplained reason, her share energy is being used somehow," said Histoire.

Croire was looking more interested as Histoire went on. "So, Neptune. How've you been?" She said casually with a smug on her face.

"I've been better, but I am grateful that whatever this is isn't life-threatening," said Purple Heart.

"Yeah, that would be bad; to you and your wife since you both share the same life and all," she said rather nonchalant.

Purple Heart looked at Croire with hints of anger on her face but cast that aside. "Please, can you help me," said Purple Heart.

"Oh, Neptune. I can't help you… but I can provide you with an explanation," said Croire with a big smile.

"Then please tell us what's going on with my wife," asked Noire.

"Have you vomited recently?" Asked Croire.

"Y-Yes, when I woke up I felt my stomach had churned as if I was spun around in a tornado," said Purple Heart who was holding her stomach just of the thought of that.

"Hmm… and by any chance, did anything eventful happened last night?"

Purple Heart had dawned a blush. "Does it matter?"

"It would help me a lot to my conclusion," said Croire with a friendly smile that Purple Heart wondered if it was even a true sincere smile.

"Noire and I had a passionate night," said Purple Heart.

"I would expect it to be passionate considering how loud you two were," said Histoire with a little-unresolved annoyance from the fact that she didn't get any sleep.

"So, you had sex?" Said Croire with a raised playful eyebrow.

"And what of it? We're married and it's only natural! I fail to understand why that is even important!" Shouted Noire who was also blushing.

"Wow, dense much? Okay, I'm just going to flat out say it. Neptune, you're pregnant."

"WHAT!" Shouted all three in the room.

"Yeah, that's why your body is in HDD, and why you aren't burning share energy or radiating it. That greedy little CPU share baby in you is keeping your body in top condition while it siphons your share energy for its own little gains."

"I'm… pregnant?"

"Yeah, you hear that Noire? Your little bun is in the oven," laughed Croire.

A smack was then heard as it turned out that Noire had fainted from the shell shock of news she had just received.

"Ah, the joys of fatherhood," mocked Croire to Noire who was still on the ground passed out.

Time had advanced to an hour later when Noire had started cooking up some pancakes. She only did this to distract her mind from the news she had received about Neptune, and she figured that as long as she kept cooking, she would force that topic onto the future.

Croire was at the table counter as she smelled the wonderful aroma of pancakes in the air that made her mouth salivate. "Hmm, I kinda like this version of you that bakes until her heart stops just to avoid the inevitable news,"

"I'm not avoiding it, I'm just distracting myself until I have all my questions in order," said Noire as she madly flipped a pancake that was in her skillet.

"Answers? Hmm, I know where this is going," said Croire.

It was in this moment that Histoire had entered the kitchen. "I just put Neptune down for a nap. She felt kind of tired, and wanted to be left alone," said Histoire.

"Alone? Isn't this what they both wanted? The fact that they're going to have a baby means that they were planning for this." Croire nearly jumped from her book when a stack of pancakes had been presented in front of her face.

"Eat, and answer my questions," said Noire who had a mean look on her face.

Croire sighed but grabbed a fork and knife as she began to slice the delicious pancakes. "Fine, since you gave me food, I'll feed you answers that you apparently aren't aware, I guess."

"How were we suppose to know? You never told us anything about this," replied Noire.

"I told you that married CPUs had the ability to have a baby," barked Croire.

"Yeah, and that's all you said about that. It's been months since you said that and Neptune and I forgot. Don't even get me started about how we could have prevented it since we are both girls, and find this weird to begin."

"You seem rather upset. This could have been prevented very easily if both of you didn't want a baby in the first place!"

"What?!"

"To have a baby, both of the CPUs must want it, and a baby is made only when share energy is high, meaning that you two were probably doing some good deeds out there," said Croire.

"We both have to want it?"

"Yes, when shares are high, and the CPUs have a desire to have a baby, the share energy does its work by making you both feel hot for each other to put it simply. It does this because it's helping you two achieve the reality that you both want and it needs to be done while both of you are in a euphoric passion."

"This… this… why didn't you tell us?"

"I shouldn't have! This process only works if you both want it. Even if shares were high, and both of you were hot for each other, the share energy would only respond to this miracle if both of you wanted it."

Noire sat down feeling that her legs were shaky enough that she might faint again.

"By that look on your face, I bet that this is a surprise for both of you. It's strange to see a CPU unaware of what they did," said Croire.

"This is too much to take in," said Noire who covered her face.

Croire scarfed down a pancake and pointed her fork at Noire. "This is a blessing, this is the perfect gift you could give your nation, really."

"So, what's going to happen now?" Said Noire.

"I don't know. Hold your wife and tell her whatever you feel. And this is not a mistake since, at some level deep in that brain of yours, you wanted this little girl," said Croire.

"G-Girl?" Said Noire who held her breath steady to hear the response.

"Well, yeah. All CPUs have baby girls, so you should start being happier," said Croire.

After Croire had her fill of pancakes, she left back to Ultra leaving Noire with Histoire in the kitchen. "Histoire, we are going to have a baby," said Noire. Every time she said it, it felt unreal to her. Was she even ready to take on this responsibility?

"And a baby girl of all that. Noire, my personal opinion about this, I think it's too soon for you two to have a baby. But, everything is now in motion and this baby is going to be born in the near future. The question is, how is Neptune dealing with this? I have to be truthful that I never imagined Neptune to be a mother," said Histoire.

"I'm going to talk to her about this," said Noire with a strong mindset.

"Should I inform Nepgear and Uni over there at their Basilicom?"

Noire stopped in her tracks when that hit her mind. "Oh, jeez! I totally forgot that Uni and Nepgear wanted us to go over there to spend Nepmas with them. They even agreed to deal with all the food!"

"I just also remembered that too. Hmm, this will be a topic that will have to be breached with them," said Histoire.

"Yes, but we'll tell them when we get there, and not a second sooner when we know that the time is perfect," said Noire. She walked to her room with slow steps finding that she could prolong this as much as she could. But alas, she was facing the door to her and her wife's room with anxiety. She opened the door to reveal her wife wrapped in sheets on the bed as she was looking away from the door.

"Neptune, there's pancakes in the kitchen. You haven't had anything to eat yet," said Noire.

"I don't have much of an appetite, Noire. My body just feels tired," she said as she lifted herself from the bed to look at her wife.

"You need to eat something, Neptune. It's not good for the…" She stopped her words there feeling that if she finished them, then it would all seem real.

"For the baby? Is that what you were going to say?" Said Purple Heart with an emotionless face.

"Yes, for the baby. Our baby, Neptune."

Purple Heart looked at her stomach as her face remained neutral. "How did this happened, Noire?"

"Croire said that it happened when shares are high, and when we spend a passionate night together. It makes sense given that we helped out our nation with that charity event, and what we did when we got back last night."

"It's still too confusing. We've done it many times, and this happens? How did we even…?"

"She… also said that the both of us need to want it. That at some point during our passionate night, we were thinking about a baby of our own," finished Noire.

Purple Heart looked at her wife with tears in her eyes that made Noire feel a little guilty. "Noire, you got me pregnant," she said it more as a statement than a question.

"T-This I-Isn't my fault completely, Neptune! You must have been thinking the same thing, too." She hated being far away from her wife, and so she walked to the bed to sit on it while her wife kept looking at her with no readable emotion, except tears.

"Noire, what were you thinking? That was related to the baby?"

Noire looked incredibly red in the face, as she forced the words out. "I was thinking of booties, okay? You know, those little shoes that babies wear? I was thinking how cute they would look on a baby of our own," she said with not being able to look at her.

"Noire…" said Purple Heart who stopped crying. Noire then felt two arms wrapped around her neck that made her confused. Here she was thinking that Purple Heart was mad or disappointed with her. "Those words bring me so much joy. I was thinking of wool hats and onesies for a baby of our own," said Purple Heart who now had a warm smile on her face.

"Neptune…? Are we really ready for this baby? Croire said… that it's a baby girl."

Purple Heart said nothing as Noire felt the embrace only become stronger. "I can't be for sure, but when I looked at all those babies that were so happy with joy, it made me think about the possibility of having one of our own. And we don't have much of a choice because I refuse to…"

"NO! That's not an option! This baby is a gift not just to us, but our nation. We are having this baby Neptune, and we will love her unconditionally," declared Noire with a jump from the bed.

"Oh, Noire. Thank you."

"I'm not going to lie. I'm scared, but I want to be that pillar of strength for you. This is our Nepmas gift after all." Noire kissed the top of her wife's head as a loving gesture with her embrace also getting stronger.

Purple Heart smiled brightly at her wife's actions and words that were already giving her the support that she needed.

"Still, I want you to eat something, Neptune."

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that my stomach feels nauseous."

"That must be a side effect of the pregnancy, Neptune. Can you at least try a little? We have a long day today since we need to get ready to go to Uni and Nepgear's Basilicom."

Purple Heart widen her eyes as the realization sank in. "Oh my, I wonder how they will take the news," said Purple Heart.

Noire gave off a smirk. "From the fact that they're going to be aunts? They will be extremely excited."

They both found joy and laughter in those words. A while later, Purple Heart was in the living room while Noire was in the kitchen washing the dishes. Noire looked at the clock that revealed that it was fastly approaching noon.

"Darn, we need to get ready. Uni kind of wanted us to get there soon to spend time!" Shouted Noire to make sure that her wife could hear her.

"I'm almost done eating, Noire," said Purple Heart who was trying to keep her food down while she finished cleaning her plate.

For Purple Heart, that was one of the many challenges that she had to face, because, after that, she needed to get changed, and that proved to be the hardest one of all. It soon became clear to her that all of her winter clothes were too small for her. She had her dress hoodies, but all of them were in the washer. Even her clothes that she had brought with her from yesterday's charity event when she was in HDD had already been used leaving her with few options to pick. She didn't even want to get started about pants.

Luckily, and thankfully, Noire provided the solution to her problems as she gave her a black jacket with gray pants, black shoes, and a white wool hat.

Once that was resolved, Noire dressed up in her outfit that was a blue jacket, black pants, black shoes, and a blue wool hat.

They then met up with Histoire who was waiting for them at the balcony of the living room. The view out there was a marvelous one that was the perfect embodiment of a snowy wonderland that would have given Lowee, or Boxwee, which was now called ever since Vert and Blanc united after they got married about two months ago, a run for its money.

"Are we all set?" Said Histoire who had on a blue small jacket with some ear muffs.

The married couple each had a bag over their shoulders that were filled with the gifts that they bought for their little sisters and with other things they needed for spending a few days with them that they promised. "Yeah, the sooner we get there the better," said Noire as she activated her HDD along with her processor outfit. She looked at her wife who had her eyes shut in intense concentration. "What's the matter, Neptune?" Said Black Heart

"I can't seem to activate my outfit or my wings for that matter," she said sadly.

"What? That's strange. Maybe it has to do with the pregnancy. Here, I can carry you if I must," said Black Heart.

Purple Heart then sneezed loudly that spooked Black Heart and Histoire. "That might not be the best idea. Hate to say this, but I'm starting to feel a lot colder than I should be in HDD."

"Really? Cold shouldn't bother us in HDD," said Black Heart.

"Try explaining that to my nose, Noire," She sneezed again loudly as her nose started to turn red from the cold.

"If that's the case, we might try to avoid flying over there. It's already bad enough that we are so high up on the balcony for Neptune to be experiencing this cold," said Histoire.

"I'm sorry, Noire. This pregnancy has my body acting up all odd like."

"Hey, it's not your fault. We can take a train over there if we must as long as you stay in good health. Besides, it's probably for the best this way, since we should really buy dessert to give them when we get there," said Black Heart.

"Oh, a welcoming gift! That's a wonderful idea, Noire," said Histoire.

Purple Heart looked away in shame that she was forcing them to lose on time, this was something that Black Heart quickly caught wind of. "Neptune, it's okay, we will only be a little late than intended."

Purple Heart gave her a smile nonetheless for her understanding. "Okay, Noire." When she said that, she felt a sensation hit the lower part of her body that was of the utmost importance. "Umm, let me just go to the bathroom really quick," she said as she stormed off in a rapid speed leaving Black Heart and Histoire stunned.

"It seems that Neptune is very vulnerable for now, we should focus on making her comfortable." Said Histoire.

"Yeah, I need to be there for her, and show her that she isn't alone." The problem with that, she didn't know how to truly go about doing that.

The three of them soon left the Basilicom as they welcomed the chilly air and holiday cheer that had flooded the streets. Snow was everywhere, from the sidewalks to the streets that had cars driving slow. As they walked to the train station, they came across people singing songs, people scurrying around with boxes of gifts as they placed them in their cars. One of the things that they saw made Purple Heart stop as they got close to West Nepstation grand park where, just at the entrance to the park, there were two kids building a snowman while their mom waited patiently near a bench. The look on the mom's face told Purple Heart that she wanted to get home quick due to the cold, but yet, she said nothing as she smiled at her kids having a fun time.

"Neptune, what's wrong?" Asked Noire when she noticed that she had stopped.

"I'm just enjoying the day, along with the people who are also enjoying it. We end up missing all the small things when we rush that it's refreshing to take it slow."

"That does have its perks, however, Uni won't forgive us if we show up any later than she recommended," said Noire.

"You're right, we shouldn't keep them waiting," said Purple Heart. Before they made their way to the train station, they went to a bakery to get some dessert. They were quick on the choice when they grabbed a cherry pie that was sealed in a nice insulated box to keep it warm as possible. They then reached the train station as they bought tickets and got ready for their ride to East Nepstation, which was once called Lastation but is now run by the help of Uni and Nepgear.

"It feels really nice in here," said Purple Heart as the hot air warmed her cold skin and bones to a nice soothing feel.

"You got to love Nepmas, right, Neptune?" said Noire with a wink.

"It's truly stunning to see the nation bathed in beautiful snow," said Purple Heart.

There was a sting in Noire's heart from the fact that she felt that something had been lost from what Purple Heart had said. It quickly came to view that she expected Purple Heart to respond how she does in her human form with loud cries of joy, attached with a funny joke and an eye wink.

"Of course, all this wonderful snow is only made this magical with our loved ones spending it with us," said Purple Heart. She then proceeded to wink at Noire who blushed. It wasn't the interaction that she desired, but this was on the same level regardless, and she loved it truly.

The train ride took a couple of hours, but the nice part was that there weren't that many people on board. This was probably because if anyone was traveling back home for the holidays, they would have done it days earlier. The train soon came to a screeching halt as it was time to get off.

"Hmm, we finally arrived?" Said Histoire who had been sleeping on her book for the whole ride here while Purple Heart and Noire had been looking out of the window at a snowy Gamindustri as it came and went. They had a silence that was in no way awkward to them as it was rather enjoyable for them just being together.

"Yes, we're here… and Uni is nuking my phone with so many messages asking me why they are waiting for us in the train station," said Noire with a sigh.

"You didn't tell them?" Said Purple Heart.

"Well, I don't know how to break it to them that my wife couldn't transform into her outfit because she is pregnant with our miracle share baby," said Noire slightly annoyed.

"I see," said Purple Heart sadly.

Noire once again sighed mostly at herself for saying such harsh words to her wife. "No, Neptune… it's not your fault. It's the stress of telling them, that's all."

"You don't need to stress. We'll tell them together," said Purple Heart kindly.

They soon got off the train along with what little people that were on it. They then saw a sign that spoke volumes to them, that sign was "Old Lastation." This sign was a representation of the area located around the Basilicom that was named Old Lastation deemed by the people and the CPUs shortly after the nations were united. Also, these past months that came by since they had married were spent improving the new connection from Planeptune and Lastation. Since they were now one, the people greatly wanted to improve transportation methods to make it feel like they were a united nation.

One of the many ways that Noire and Neptune had done was build a strong train station pathway that connected Planeptune and Lastation regardless of all the free land that was in between. There are also works into expanding each former nation's area with the other nation's technology and architecture. The good thing with this train way was that Vert and Blanc also helped out with this since, ever since Lowee and Leanbox had merged into Boxwee, they had also built a train way that connected with Noire and Neptune's connections so that it looked like a crossroads but for trains in the dead center of the four nations. It proved to be somewhat difficult in the beginning when Noire and Neptune's railroad connections resided close to the ocean, but Vert and Blanc had a harder time as their railroad connections cut through Lowee mountains and Leanbox waters.

"Old Lastation… feels weird to say it since it hasn't even been a year since we merged our nations," said Noire with a smile on her face regardless. She felt extremely happy that her people were so supportive and adaptable to change that she felt it was only right to change the name of the district that the Basilicom was located into Old Lastation. The same was also made for Planeptune which was now called Old Planeptune.

"We have to thank our nation for that, Noire. It felt hard to transition into a new name for our nations and streets, but we created something better with the ideas and values that we both share," said Purple Heart.

"Noire! Neptune!" There came a loud yell that pulled them back into reality as their little sisters, Uni and Nepgear came into view all bundled up in their winter gear.

"You two finally made it!" Said Nepgear with a smile.

"Why did you two take so long, and why did you take the train?" Said Uni.

"Hey, Neptune, why are you in HDD?" Said Nepgear.

The married CPU couple felt assaulted with so many questions. To break the ice, Histoire floated between them with a smile on her face as she presented the box that contained the wonderful smell of pie. First things first, we brought you two some dessert for later," she said giving the pie to Nepgear who still looked clueless on why her sister was in her HDD.

"Thanks, Histoire," said Nepgear who couldn't help but take a whiff of it and smiled dreamily.

Purple Heart then coughed shyly trying to find her voice to respond to her little sister's original question. "N-Nepgear, I can understand the confusion here, and we promise that we will explain it all, but can we go someplace warmer to talk?" Said Purple Heart with a shy and kind face.

"You two, it's for the best that we do that since what we have to tell you will leave you kind of speechless. I know that it left us that way," said Noire.

"How about we all go for some lunch before starting the holiday cheer?" Said Histoire.

"Yes, it would give us the time to talk, and we have some really good news," said Noire while at the same time holding onto Purple Heart's hand to show her some support.

Since they were pressed for time, they decided to have some lunch at the local mall nearby since this was one of the areas that Uni and Nepgear wanted to visit. Histoire had been kind enough to take the pie, and their bags back to Nepgear and Uni's Basilicom so that they didn't have to make a detour. Poor Histoire because when she left, she was floating a little lower than usual with all the added weight that she was carrying.

Histoire made impressive time for when she got back to them, they were just about to head inside the mall. Their first stop was the food court, and they split up for a few minutes as they went to different restaurant fronts to get their food.

Once they were ready, Noire and Neptune found a table near a window that gave them plenty of room for privacy from all the other people. It was hard enough that Uni and Nepgear were making odd glances at Neptune for being in her HDD, but alas, it turns out that the random shoppers were also looking at their goddess with odd faces. It wasn't a bad thing, more like curiosity.

"How are you holding up, Neptune?" Said Histoire who had ordered a small box of chili fries with a small soda.

"I'm not sure, I do feel a little tired now," said Purple Heart as she sat down on one of the chairs. Noire was the one that was carrying their food which was two sandwich subs. She placed one next to Purple Heart who thanked her, but as she looked at the food, her stomach was protesting this offering.

"Here they come," said Noire as she acted naturally with taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Uni and Nepgear came to sit with them with each having two slices of pizza and fries. "This is nice, we haven't had anything to eat yet since Uni and I have been cooking all day," said Nepgear with a smile.

This caused Uni to choke on her food as she looked at Nepgear with shock. "Hey, that was supposed to be a secret for later," she said tiredly.

"Ah, I'm sorry, that slipped out, Uni," said Nepgear feeling bad now.

"Huh, so you are cooking? I figured that we would have taken take-out or something," said Noire who was actually impressed with her little sister considering that they're the host for this Nepmas feast.

"Y-Yeah, Noire. I said that I would be the one to deliver the food this year. I'm slowly bettering myself, and I was able to prove to you that I could run this part of Nepstation perfectly fine, and I'm going to show you how far my cooking skills have gone," said Uni with a wink.

"Well, if it's anything like how you managed to keep our old nation, then I bet that food is really going to be something great," said Noire which made Uni blush.

"Color me interested Uni because if anyone one can compete with Noire's cooking skills then it's you," said Purple Heart.

Uni gave her an embarrassed smile since it was rare to get praise from Neptune in her HDD.

Nepgear was the only one that was looking at her sister very worriedly. "Neptune, are you finally going to tell us why is it that you're in HDD?"

Purple Heart grew timid from the golden answer that was yearning to be told. She then felt her wife's loving hand on her shoulder. "Let me explain it," she said sweetly which made Purple Heart smile softly. Noire then cleared her throat. "Please, before we tell you, don't yell and do try to keep the noise to a minimum," said Noire who looked at the window to give herself a few seconds to compose herself.

"O-Okay," they both said as they got ready to hear what Noire had to say.

"Neptune is in HDD because she is pregnant with our child."

Both Uni and Nepgear's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets that they had to cough to release all the build-up of air that they had. "W-What!" they both shouted that caused many people to annoyingly turn around to look at them since they were disturbing the peace.

"I said to stifle your voice," said Noire with grumpy eyes.

"B-But… b-but… how is this possible?" Said Nepgear with wide eyes.

"Well, last night… we… look, that part doesn't need to be explained. We had a sweet moment…"

"More like several," said Histoire as she took a sip of her drink which earned her a "are you kidding me?" look from Noire.

"WE HAD A SWEET MOMENT that was fueled by an enormous amount of share energy after we generated a lot of happiness from the people when we helped during this charity event that helped families cover expenses for baby products. When we got home, our minds were filled with all the joy from helping them out that we, unintentionally, dreamed about a baby of our own. Since we had overflowing shares, the idea of a baby in our minds, and the… passion we had for one another had made the share energy grant our wish," said Noire who looked ready to jump into the snow outside to cool her face off.

"So, this is something that you both wanted?" said Uni.

"Yes, Uni. While the thought of a little one terrifies me, she is my little girl that I wished for in some level with Neptune."

"S-She? You know that it will be a girl?" Said Uni.

"Croire pretty much confirmed it since, in other dimensions, CPUs have been known to have only girls, which makes sense since they will rule the nation one day," said Noire.

"What about you, Neptune?" Said Nepgear.

"There is a life that is growing inside me, how can I not love that? She is the proof of the eternal love that Noire and I share for each other. Exceeding a joined console and exceeding a joined nation. This is what lays past our marriage, and I cannot see this to be a bad thing in any way, Nepgear, " said Purple Heart.

"T-This… is all too unreal," said Nepgear.

"I understand that, Nepgear. Soon, Noire and I will be parents, and you and Uni will be aunts."

"That… sounds wonderful," said Nepgear who could do nothing but dream off into far-off skies that showed her being like an older role model to someone else that was younger than her.

Uni was also in that state as she envisioned a little one calling her big sister in an ironic sense. "Oh, Noire, If there is anything that we can do to help just let us know. She's going to be family after all," said Uni with a smile.

"We really appreciate that, Uni," said Purple Heart.

The rest of the meal was spent with smiles and laughter that was just what the soon to be parents needed.

At that point, Purple Heart and Noire spent a couple of hours at the mall with Uni and Nepgear leaving for a bit with Histoire tagging along. They ended up saying that they needed to pick up some special items that they had on reserve. Noire and Purple Heart didn't object because they knew that it probably had something to do with gifts. Luckily for them, they already had gifts for their little sisters, and gifts for each other, but the other didn't know that.

What they ended up doing for that time was going to a clothing store. "What are we doing here, Noire?" said Purple Heart.

"We are going to pick you out some clothes to wear. You are going to be in HDD for about nine months, and you obviously grow out of your clothes while in HDD." Noire couldn't help but once again be sad at the idea that she wasn't going to have her bubbly Neptune for nine months, but she hated to think that since the woman standing in front of her was her bubbly Neptune, just… significantly more mature.

Purple Heart could sense that there was some trouble plaguing Noire, so she went up to her with a smile. "Oh, honey. The amount that you look out for me is too much to describe," she said happily.

"You're my wife, Neptune. It's you and me… forever, right?"

"Forever and a half, my darling. Plus, if we can't find anything, I could always use your clothes," she said sweetly as she got close to her for a hug.

"What? You're making jokes now? I thought I was dealing with Purple Heart herself?" Said Noire who grew into the habit of laughing at the joke. It did surprise her to see Neptune do that while she was in her HDD.

She then felt the warm hands of her wife on her cheeks as she was forced to look into her eyes. "Noire, I might act differently in my HDD compared to my base form, but my personality is still all there. I love the same things, I think the same way, and I even love the same people."

"Neptune…?"

"I might act differently, but everything that defines me is still there, I just have a different way of showing it,"

"I… I know that, Neptune."

Purple Heart let go of her wife and raised a hand into the air. "Now, lets… Nep this store for all its worth," said Purple Heart who looked unenthusiastically and felt like those words were really forced out.

This caused Noire to giggle. "Please, don't push yourself. I get it, you're more mature, mellow, and very proper while in that form. Just be yourself," said Noire.

"I always am with you by my side, Noire."

"Hmm, hey, here's a thought." She then transformed into her HDD with her winter outfit still active. Once the particles of light had vanished, Black Heart was staring at Purple Heart at eye level.

"Noire?"

"What? You think I'm going to let you have all the HDD time? I may be burning myself needlessly, but what are a few hours in this form going to do?" Said Black Heart.

"Well, I do love that powerful confidence that your radiate, honey," said Purple Heart who gave her wife a short, but satisfying kiss.

"Not only that but now I don't feel so short when we kiss," said Black Heart with a smirk. She hadn't put too much thought in the height difference when she was in her human form, but now it was clearly noticeable.

"I guess you finally know my pain, Noire. I do power through it when you're a head taller than me that I have to tiptoe for a kiss," laughed Purple Heart.

"It's not my fault you're naturally short," said Black Heart which earned her another laugh from her wife.

"Come, let's see the clothes before Uni and Nepgear come back," said Purple Heart.

They spent some time there when they finally managed to acquire enough outfits for the time being. As they walked out of the store, they spotted Uni, Nepgear, and Histoire who were practically overflowing with bags of their own.

"Nepgear, it looks like you two didn't waste any time," said Purple Heart.

"Goodness, I know, but today is a special day where you two are staying over at our Basilicom for the first time," said Nepgear with a smile.

"Yeah, it's not every day that we have guest over and I want to show you the way we decorated the Basilicom, Noire," said Uni.

"We can hardly wait," said Black Heart.

"Now that you mentioned that. Uni, what time did we put the turkey in the oven?" Said Nepgear.

"It won't be ready for a few more hours, we can actually kill a little more time."

"Then what do you prefer we do?" Said Black Heart.

"How about we go ice skating? They have an indoor arena here," said Uni.

"Skating! Neptune and I have never done that before," said Black Heart.

"It's been one of the things that Nepgear and I do on our time off from work," said Uni with a sparkle in her eyes.

"It… does sound enjoyable, Noire," said Purple Heart who was up for a new experience.

Black Heart didn't object to the idea as she stood silently with a small smile on her face at the prospect of a new experience that she hoped wouldn't hurt.

Shortly after that, they tied on their skates that they rented from the local shop as they looked at the icy arena that was in front of them.

"Let's do a few laps, Nepgear," said Uni who glided across the ice with ease. Nepgear nodded at her and matched her grace as they joined hands together to form a skilled pair.

Black Heart took one step on the ice and immediately regretted it when she felt the lack of friction that caused her to fall on her bottom. "Darn, I was afraid of this," grunted Black Heart.

Purple Heart was a whole lot smarter as she used the edges of the arena to keep her balance. She proceeded to let go allowing herself a small push with knees bent as she glided slowly to her wife. "Please be more careful, honey," said Purple Heart who extended her hand out for her wife.

Black Heart scoffed playfully and reached out for the hand. When she did, the lack of friction caused Purple Heart to fall on top of her wife. The air was then filled with Purple Heart's mature and rich laugh that would have melted the surface if they were doing this in some pond.

"Yep, a terrible idea," said Black Heart who couldn't help but also smile as she laid underneath her wife.

Uni and Nepgear dashed towards them. "Goodness, are you two okay?"

"Yeah, that was some fall," said Uni.

The married couple just looked at their little sisters with a sigh and a puff of air that expressed how tired they felt, but among all that, they were having fun. The events that followed were all four of them in a chain that they formed with their hands as Uni and Nepgear organized their patterns. Once it was all ironed out, they found themselves being able to enjoy the experience thanks to their little sisters that were helping them stay standing. Even Histoire had a good time as her book was used as a platform to slide herself across the ice.

It was not an hour later when they left the arena to get ready to head out. "Nepgear, thank you for the wonderful time today," said Purple Heart with a smile.

"It was nothing, sister. It was really fun skating together as a group, right Uni?"

"Yeah, and don't be too down, Noire. It took about a week for Nepgear and I to get it down perfectly," said Uni who was loving the fact that she had something that she was better at than her sister.

"I'm not too down, Uni. You caught me when my green was showing, but soon, I will also perfect skating… along with my loving wife. By then, we will surely give you both a challenge," said Black Heart with her trademark smirk that made her wife lovingly rest her head on her shoulder.

They were about to reach the end of the mall and head outside when Black Heart stopped her walking that caused the others to also stop.

"What's wrong, big sis?" said Uni.

Black Heart had stopped because she gazed at an object that had peaked her interests. "You all can go, I'll catch up really quick," said Black Heart.

"Noire, what's the matter?" Said Purple Heart.

"It's nothing, I just need to… go to the bathroom really quick, so just go on without me," said Black Heart. She had been making glances at the object that was in the window near a store, and the only one who made the connection was Histoire who was floating above them.

"I'm sure that Noire will catch up, and in the meantime, we can call a taxi to not waste any more time to get back to the Basilicom," said Histoire.

"That does make sense. Oh, just don't take too long. I think the turkey is almost ready to be taken out, plus we got all these bags that need to be taken home, too." said Uni.

Black Heart gave her sister an understanding nod, and a silent thank you to Histoire. When they were finally far away, Black Heart dashed to the store which turned out to be a bookstore as she grabbed that one book that had attracted her attention.

Just as she promised, she didn't take that long to get back to them as they just received a taxi.

"Whew, guess I made it in time," said Black Heart who had hidden the book in a pocket that was inside her jacket. She gave her wife a kiss to try and distract the odd look that Purple Heart gave her which succeeded perfectly as they all got in with none of them the wiser, except for Histoire.

The ride wasn't too long for them as they reached the Basilicom. The first thing that Uni did when she opened the door was to run up to the stove to check on the turkey that was still being cooked.

Black Heart and Purple Heart moved all their bags including the ones that Histoire had brought up here earlier to Noire's old room that was left untouched by Uni. They placed all the bags of clothes and the bags that had the gifts on the bed as they let out a sigh.

Black Heart dropped onto the bed as she let her muscles relax. It wasn't the walking around that made her tired, but the fact that she was still in HDD.

Purple Heart soon joined her as she dropped next to her wife as they both stared at the ceiling. "Today sure has been fun," said Black Heart.

"It was, and It's only going to get better, Noire." She lifted herself from the bed and started to rummage through the bags that she had bought that day. She found a nice blue shirt with some black pants. "I'm going to take a shower, Noire. Would you like to join me? I always do have trouble with my back," said Purple Heart with a suggestive smile on her face.

Black Heart all of a sudden found the energy to get back up as she tried to force words out of her mouth. "Ah… If you do need help, then I would gladly help if I must," said Black Heart who was trying to suppress her blush. In truth, they had never taken a shower together, and she could see that Purple Heart was trying to be romantic.

"If you must? You speak so harshly about the topic when I can clearly see it from the color of your cheeks. Don't you want to recreate the magic of last night?" Said Purple Heart who had walked up to Black Heart with an air of flirtatious intent in her voice.

"I… I… hmph, I don't think we can clearly recreate what happened last night completely," said Black Heart trying to gain her foot back in the conversation with some funny logic.

"Hmm, maybe not the miracle, but the fun parts are still there to make again," said Purple Heart as she moved her hands down to her wife's breasts, and a little further down until she felt something hard. Purple Heart tilted her head. "Noire, I feel something hard. Is that… a box?"

Black Heart moved away quickly with a nervous laugh. "T-That?! It's nothing! Just some candy that I bought when you weren't looking. With speedy fingers, she removed her jacket and placed it on the bed to remove the problem out of sight. "About that shower, sorry for sounding harsh. I would love to try and recreate that night," said Black Heart who managed to distract her wife form the mysterious item she had in her jacket.

They then took a long and refreshing shower together that made them lose all sense of time.

Some time carried on to the point that it was now dark outside. In the kitchen, Uni had pulled out the turkey from the oven that was roasted to perfection. "Oh, put in on this side, Uni," said Nepgear as she made room for it on the living room table that had other food like potatoes, bread, macaroni, gravy, asparagus, and much more. It was truly a shmorgishborg of delights.

"Hehe… Uni, you think this is enough food already?" Said Nepgear with unease.

"This is perfect, Nepgear. Plus, isn't Neptune eating for two now?" Said Uni with a wink.

"Umm, I think it's too soon to speak like that since she just got pregnant," said Nepgear.

Histoire then came from the kitchen holding the cherry pie that they had brought. "So, where am I putting this pie at?"

"You can put it next to the carrot cake, and pudding… and the chocolate chip cookies," said Uni who was pointing at the spot only to lower her hand down from realizing that they had too much dessert.

"Oh, maybe we shouldn't have gotten dessert after all," said Historie who had her eye twitching from being unable to believe that Uni and Nepgear cooked all of this. Nepgear didn't say anything, but she gave Uni an "I told you," look.

"Hey, it's better to have food and not need it, then to not have food and need it," replied Uni.

"That just sounds wasteful," said Histoire to herself.

Before Uni could get into another rant about defending her food practices, Black Heart and Purple Heart entered the living room with a set of new outfits on them.

"Hey, you came just in time. The food is about to be served," said Nepgear.

"I can smell the wonderful aroma from over here," said Black Heart which made Uni secretly jump for joy.

Eventually, they all settled at the table with Purple Heart and Black Heart on one side, and Uni and Nepgear being at the other with Histoire taking the front of the table. "Okay, who wants to cut the turkey?" Said Histoire with an excited voice.

"I do!" Shouted Both Uni and Black Heart at the ready. They looked at each other for a few seconds feeling silly.

"You can do it, Noire," said Uni kindly.

"No, no, no, Uni, you should do it. You did cook it and everything," said Black Heart.

"I insist, Noire. Besides, It will give you some first-hand proof how juicy I made it," said Uni with a smirk.

Black Heart could respect the determination that Uni had, and agreed to be the one carving the turkey. Black Heart picked up the fork and knife and began to do elegant and equal slices across the bird. Just as she was getting her fifth slice, her hand had greatly trembled out of nowhere causing the knife to make a horrible misshapen slice.

"Noire, what's wrong?" Said Uni as her sister looked at her trembling hand.

"It's nothing, my hand must have slipped that's all." She moved her fingers around until the weird numbing sensation went away. After that, she finished up the slices as if nothing had happened. Over the course of the dinner, Purple Heart didn't eat that much even after Uni was offering her seconds and a plate of dessert.

Black Heart, on the other hand, had already had three plates along with dessert. Part of her was starting to feel weak that the food was actually a nice balance to keep her stamina up.

A little while after that, they all rested on their chairs feeling more stuffed than the turkey was. "Uni, the food was great, but there's always room for improvement," said Black Heart as she cleaned her face with a napkin.

"Overall, I think she did an amazing job," said Purple Heart. She only wished she had a better appetite. The food was soon all consumed, well, as best as it could with the level of food that Uni and Nepgear made.

"Well, I think it's time we opened up some gifts," said Uni with excitement.

"Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow morning?" Said Purple Heart.

"Nothing wrong with opening a few gifts," said Nepgear.

"Hmm, then Noire and I need to get our gifts from the bags then," said Purple Heart. They went to their room to grab the gifts and raced back to the living room. From that point, they placed them underneath the tree that was covered in a shower of ornaments composed of gold and silver.

"Neptune, I have one for you that I would like you to open," said Nepgear. She handed her a present that was wrapped in blue paper that had a thin rectangular shape. Purple Heart removed the paper with delicate movements that left the wrapping intact instead of a standard tear. Once it was all removed, her eyes widened when she saw the title that turned out to be a book. "The adventures of Tarimi Susan and her sidekick Clootia!" Shouted Purple Heart with excitement.

"No way, really?" Said Black Heart who looked happy to see it given that the last book had made her wife happy.

"Yeah, it's the newest edition that just came out," said Nepgear with a smile.

Purple Heart hugged the book. "I know, I was so down when I wasn't able to cease an available copy at the time."

"I know that you really loved that comic, especially when you told me all about the last one in great detail," said Nepgear.

"Yes, Tarimi Susan and the harbinger tower of dark chocolate. That one was actually the first, and this is the second. From how it ended in the last book, she destroyed the dark tower of chocolate but ended up sending it back to its original world in ruin with her, sadly, still in it. Now, she's in Dessertia trying to stop the evil queen Sepia, the ruler of dark chocolate. She was the one that brought the tower in the first place, and her goal is to turn all of Dessertia into a bittersweet wasteland," said Purple Heart with a shine in her eyes.

"Sounds very neat," said Uni with interest.

"Very much so. I hope that they keep her in this dessert-like world. She fits right in, and she ended up making a friend named Clootia and has also established that the world of sweets doesn't have all bad people, just that everyone is in despair because of the influence of that queen Sepia. I so love her sidekick, Clootia since her name is a reference to Clootie, a type of pudding that is large and steamed in a sort of dumpling shape. I had some once and it was amazing."

"Well, I'm happy you like it, and it left me wondering if you would like it with your HDD in effect," said Nepgear with a small smile.

"My tastes don't change, Nepgear. Although, I would have most likely had jumped at you in joy," said Purple Heart with a laugh.

"I hope you like mine," said Black Heart. She handed her a small wrapped box with red ribbons. Purple Heart made quick work of the paper as she set it aside to her right hand to show the object to her eyes. "You got me an RPG game," said Neptune as she looked at the game cover.

"Yeah, it's one of the last Lastation games that are up in the line up of upcoming games before we transition to the joined console," said Black Heart.

"I can hardly wait, although, I do feel bad that we're forcing the gamers of Gamindustri to upgrade to a newer one if they want the latest games," said Purple Heart while opening the box to peek inside.

"It's half and half, really. We let our consoles run their lifespan for a few more months when we gave them the heads up, and people were starting to ask when we would combine our hardware," said Black Heart.

"So it seems. You think we'll make the deadline for our new console reveal by next month?" Asked Purple Heart.

"That is still part of the plan, but the people will have more news by then," said Black Heart who rubbed her wife's belly.

Through the course of the gifts, the rest of the CPUs got one present that they could open early with Uni getting a gift that had two in there with the main one being a cute black and gray shoulder bag, and a cute necklace that had a revolver design on it.

Nepgear got a set of toy robots that were needed for her collection. And Histoire got a coffee mug with a reading light that attaches to the book cover or desk for reading at nights.

This Nepmas night was indeed wonderful as holiday music filled the air as Purple Heart and Black Heart watched the ones they loved with big bright smiles on their faces. Purple Heart moved her free hand that wasn't holding her wife, to pull a gift out from underneath the pillow couch. "Noire, Happy Nepmas to you, my loving wife," said Purple Heart when she presented the gift to her wife.

"Neptune…" Black Heart opened the gift, and her heart stopped when she saw what was inside. Inside were two necklaces that joined together with the shape of a broken heart that was split in two. On one side, it was purple, and on the other, it was black. Without any words, Purple Heart took the black piece.

"This one is mine, and that one is yours. I know that it feels like a half gift, literally, but there are more gifts with your name on it," said Purple Heart with a smile.

"I… I love it, Neptune." Black Heart reached for it but her eyes grew blurry as her head started to hurt.

"Noire? Are you okay?" Asked Purple Heart.

"Y-Yeah, just a little light-headed," said Black Heart. There was noticeable sweat coming from her forehead making her wife worry.

"Don't you think it's time for you to get out of HDD?" Said Purple Heart with a stern attitude knowing that this look was needed to get through to her wife.

Black Heart could do nothing but give her a shy look. "I'm fine, really."

"No, you're not. Noire, I love how supportive you are, but it's okay to relax. Besides, you're burning through our shares, shares that our baby girl could be using," said Purple Heart.

Black Heart swallowed hard at realizing this. "Crap, I… didn't think about that." She let out a deep breath as her HDD went away leaving Noire looking very tired as she rested on her wife's shoulder.

"Nepgear, could you get Noire some cookies and juice?"

"Sure thing," said Nepgear as she dashed to the kitchen.

Noire groaned from this. "Jeez, I'm the one who is supposed to be taking care of you."

"We take care of each other, Noire," said Purple Heart lovingly. She then showed her side of the broken heart waiting for Noire to do the same. They then connected them together with a small giggle that came from both of them.

Histoire then came up to them as she raised a mistletoe above them. "Oh my, you two are underneath the mistletoe. Looks like you need to kiss then," said Histoire.

The married couple didn't object as they connected their lips.

Hours later and long deep into the night when Santa would be making his rounds, Noire and Purple Heart laid on their bed. Purple Heart was already fast asleep with her comic book of Tarami Susan opened up and resting next to her.

Noire was still awake. Even though she felt extremely tired, she found sleep to be rather elusive. She then looked at her discarded jacket that was resting on a chair and lifted herself from the bed. When she came back to the bed, she had a book that had a title that read, "So… going to be a father?" The book's title was obviously geared towards married men that would soon have a kid, and it was made to help them prepare for that as well as help their wife throughout the journey of pregnancy. Regardless of all that, she found the book to perfectly help her grasp the things she needed to learn fast. She opened the book and began to read.

Such a most wonderful time of the year! There you have it, this chapter is the introduction of the nine chapter story of Nine Versions of Purple. I was debating if I should make the first chapter Christmas related also, but I'm actually happy that I did. This one kind of wrote itself, and I just had to do two birds with one stone. Time to explain how this story will go. This story will be nine chapters with each chapter being a somewhat one shot that connects with the other chapters meaning that I will go month to month with each chapter until we get to the big nine! My main goal is to focus on Noire and Neptune as they struggle with the challenge of motherhood, but I will like feedback from you all if you want me to add something interesting to the mix from all the ideas that I have cooking. I find this story to be a challenge for me which I'm up for it since it's core idea is clear and grounded that I want to make it feel real. I wish you all a happy holiday and I'll see everyone in the next chapter.