Oh wow, the muses are still alive! xDD

This one is dedicated to Five Seas. Why? Because she rocks in so many ways...A Flower Between the Pages, Valentine, Christmas Ruse. You name it. She's my ficlet!companion, my co-mod and my friend. I hope you like it sweets! These three are for you. xDD

Chapter 6
by Royal blueKitsune

22. Falling; injury

To tell him now, to tell him later…Leon would probably panic both ways and it wasn't really like she could wait anymore to actually let him know what was happening. Sora didn't have that kind of luxury nor did she have the patience to sit still another moment.

She wanted to get up and move a little, stretch her legs, get her bags…call an ambulance maybe? Or perhaps her husband's car wouldn't suffer that much through a ride of ten, fifteen, minutes. Leon would probably consider her nuts if she said that to his face.

Sora grinned - actually she grimaced in pain but at this point they pretty much resembled - and propped herself on one elbow sideways, because it was the only position she was comfortable anymore, to look at her sleeping husband. Her very adorable husband who looked utterly kissable with his mouth partially open.

She was almost sorry to spoil his dream world but this really couldn't wait a moment longer.

"Leon?"

Nothing. He didn't even deign her with a twitch to let her know that he had heard her.

"Leon. You need to get up now."

Silence.

Sora stared harder at him, hoping that the proverbial 'I'm looking at you intensely' would garner back that equally proverbial 'you're gonna feel chills down your spine and look back at me'.

It didn't really work when the recipient was so out of it. And tonight of all nights too to test that theory too.

Sigh.

Maybe she wasn't putting the right amount of anxiety into her words? Sora frowned and poked him in the chest, telling herself that he was only tired because he still performed on the Stage.

Unlike her, who just sulked, waddled and went to his shows to support him.

But she was hurting here! Tired or not, he was not the one who had just gone into labor. This was a rare moment in their life and he was going to be awake to live through it!

Plus, her back hurt, her middle hurt and she wanted to see her toes again while she walked.

"Leon?" she shook him a little, grimacing as another contraction hit her. "Leon, I need to go to the hospital and I need help getting up."

"Hospital?" Her husband murmured, jerking subtly.

So was pretty sure that years from now on, she would be able to wake him up with this particular word even if she wasn't pregnant again...the last three months had been too stressful not to impact on him in any way.

Between three false alarms, this last month, and bi-weekly check-ups, Sora knew that hospital was the new definition for nightmare.

She tugged on a strand of his hair. "Yep. Time to give birth to those two girls we've been dreaming of for these last nine months."

Leon got up so suddenly that she had to rock herself on her heels fast (or as fast as beached whales could move anyway) to avoid getting herself a concussion.

"Now? You're giving birth now?" He asked, sounding abnormally...panicked.

The doctor had warned her about this phase of birthing...this was where she did some damage control on the panicked father! "Not now now silly...the doctor said that it will take a whi-eek! What do you think you're doing?"

Other than lifting weights... she thoughts, dangling from his arms like a puppet.

"Be quiet. I don't care how many more eight hours this is gonna take, I'm taking you to the hospital this instant." Leon warned, moving out of the bed surprisingly fast considering that he was not only carrying her but also the unmentionable number of pounds she'd put on lately.

"But..."

"Your bag is on the back seat, the car is in perfect working order, Layla is on my speed dial and you can not argue with me." He picked up the keys with one hand, dropping them in her waiting hands, set the alarm and magically produced a bottle of apple juice on his way to the door.

Sora was all for being impressed, if not for one little detail...

"Leon?"

"What?"

"Clothes."

Leon blinked down at her and then at his pair of pants and her/his blouse and groaned.

Sora struggled not to smile...

Honestly. Husbands these days.

23. Heirloom; Priceless

Leon disliked feeling helpless.

He'd avoided the feeling ever since his parents had died...or perhaps it had all started when he'd overheard his aunt - that stuck-up bitch - bargaining on the phone to have him and Sophie sent over to the most convenient orphanage as soon as possible.

Sophie hadn't been able to understand the meaning of those words. She'd been only four at that time.

He'd sworn - then and there - to protect her with all the fierceness he possessed till the day she died. A miserable event which had happened earlier than he'd expected; an event which had only served to beat into his head the notion of growing stronger, becoming more capable...being able to take the reins of life into his own hands at any moment.

Leon liked to think that he'd done pretty well until now...

"You know, they're not going to disappear if you come to breakfast."

...until now.

"You shouldn't be up yet. You're tired." he murmured, lightly stroking the soft fuzz - supposedly hair if medical advice was to be taken into consideration - of one of the twins. As expected, Sophie was the smallest of his girls.

Small. Just like his sister had been. Next to her Aimi seemed much more...real. Not as light and fragile.

He had no idea how to take care of something so small. Sora seemed to fair much better than him - feeding them, changing them, cooing at them...all the small things a parent was supposed to do.

Leon pursed his lips, shifting his eyes downward when Sora came to stand next to him (placing a delicate hand over his to reassure him).

"I'm not tired. It's been three weeks, silly. I've rested and rested," a flicker of irritation appeared in her eyes and he had to struggle not to smirk, "and rested some more. It's nine in the morning you know! If I have to stay even five more minutes in bed, I'll rip my hair out!"

"I suppose," he murmured, thoughtful once more. "I still worry for you three."

"I know." Sora smiled, tugging him away from the craddle where their two daughters rested undisturbed and towards the living room. "But we're really not going anywhere. You can worry about Aimi and Sophie all you want when they're older and dating." She emphasized slyly, looking for a reaction.

As expected, it didn't fail to come (and she was once again reminded that few people could glare like Leon).

"You taunt me on purpose don't you?"

"Just a bit." Sora closed the door behind them, thankful that she didn't have to feed the twins so soon. "You're so cute when you sulk."

Leon caught himself before he could do just that.

Sora pouted.

"Spoilsport."

24. Love; Fluff

She was - kind of - afraid to look in a mirror these days.

Maybe she was a bit superficial but she was afraid to find out if her daily exercises, for her eventual return on the stage and herself as well, were working or not.

After all, it one thing to shape her waist with her hands and give an objective opinion on how much weight she'd lost and a completely different thing to look in a mirror and immediately realize just where she was overdoing it.

Sora sighed, toweling herself, eyes closed, to avoid the temptation of looking into the bathroom mirror just as she was. Without clothes (probably the best way to assess things). It would give her nightmares just to consider the way Leon had married her - all shapely and toned and slim - and the way she might be looking right now.

Right. Nightmares alright.

Layla and the girls had told her several times that there was nothing wrong with her and that she was already returning to her normal size in all important places. Well, Layla had stammered a bit, admitting to her in private that her own pregnancy was turning her into a mess so she wasn't really in the position to give pointers (Sora had quickly become an adviser instead of an advised. And she was pretty sure that she'd overheard Leon talking to Yuri once as well.)

At one point, Mia and Anna had suggested health food, May had butted in saying that she would cook and it would be good (Heaven forbid...) and Rosetta had mentioned some really painless treatments that her mother did once a month for a good figure.

There had been no more requests for post-pregnancy tips after that.

The door squeaked behind her and Sora blinked as her husband stepped inside as casually as if he owned the place. Well, he did. Actually. He'd bought it.

But I'm wearing only a towel...wait, wait I'm not an awkward teenager anymore. We're married. Right. He saw me in less plenty of times.

Sora could've kicked herself.

Hopefully, the towel wouldn't show anything that she was afraid to show these days.

"Taking a bath?" She inquired with a smile, turning back to wipe off the misty mirror for him. "The water is just perfect."

"That's good," Leon intoned smoothly, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "Because I was planning to share it with you for the next hour or so."

The way he said...Sora felt something plummet in her stomach, even as she laced her fingers through his. Then he kissed her neck just below her ear, using teeth and tongue, and her knees abandoned her like the traitors they had often proved to be.

It had been, what, four months? The last three months of pregnancy and another one in which she'd recovered from the birth...

Oh my!

"Um, um," he was causing havoc already and they had barely begun - he'd send her hormones into a frenzy even before they kissed properly if he didn't stop doing those motions with his hands! "my body isn't yet...I don't want you to feel disappointed."

The flimsy material around her fell to the floor and then his hands were on her skin and he was turning her around to kiss her so very properly

"Does it still hurt?" He inquired, half-lidded and quiet, pulling back only so that he could look into her eyes.

She shook her head mutely, lifting her arms to wrap them around his neck. "No pain - just no more sexiness either".

Leon's eyebrows curved mildly and he gave her a once over that spoke of how much he was inclined to disbelieve. Sora knew that look better than anyone. She'd been at the receiving end of it for a long time during their training.

"You need glasses." Came the blunt answer, even as he lifted her and determinedly set off towards the bathtub.

Sora couldn't help but laugh at that.

Well...laugh while she still could anyway. A moment later, her husband took of his shirt. Two heartbeats later, Sora remembered that it had been a while since she'd seen that chest from this perspective.

Three seconds later Leon kissed her and her laughter died out...along with all other, coherent thoughts.

So much for insecurities and hair-ripping diets.

She was probably going to be pregnant for the rest of her life anyway...

We're steadily approaching the end. With the horribly lack of drive I've been having these days (and exams), I thought I'd never drabble again. (grin)