A/N: Hi every-reader! I do hope that everyone is having an amazing summer!

Summary: Ever since Fanboy's proposal, he and Francine have been happily married for two years. Since things have been going so well, they want to create life and start a family, but unexpected complications are met within the process.

...

FanCine One-Shot

Soft chirps of crickets echoed through the dark streets of Galaxy Hills, warm wind softly rustling through leaves of trees and shrubs, and the rare headlights of a passing car illuminated the entire town. In the heart of the town perched the infamous Fanlair, or the town water tower. It was occupied.

A young couple was curled up next to each other in bed, the woman's head resting on the man's bare chest. Their names? Lance (Fanboy) and Francine. As Francine snuggled next to her drowsy husband's warm, bare chest, she thought, "...Life is...amazing. I love it." Haha. Amazing it was. Life had been amazing ever since she had married...

She relished in the sensations of his gentle fingers slowly treading through her slightly-tangled brown hair, the strands illuminating within the dim, soft light. Her heart swelled with unconditional love for her husband. "That...That was amazing..." She whispered to him as she closed her eyes, letting out a soft, sleepy moan. She then smiled, feeling his hand trail to her waist and pull her closer to his body.

"T-Thanks," he whispered back, clearly exhausted after performing their nightly ritual. "J-Just for you..." Yeah, that was true. With the way he treated her, you'd believe she was a queen. He truly was a good spouse. Kind, understanding, and fun-loving were his main characteristics. And to her own amusement, he was very hardworking. Weird huh? The child who was deemed the class moron turned out to be very intelligent, but failed to apply himself in the past.

They were quiet for a moment, and then Francine stared up at him with hopeful amber eyes. "Do you think that this time it'll...work?" The male smiled at the spark of hope that she was, and gently kissed her forehead and nuzzled her, causing her to sigh.

Trying to remain positive, he replied, "You know, I bet it will! I bet it will." He grinned, showing off his gleaming white buckteeth. He sounded very confident, but deep down...he was quite nervous about the whole ordeal. "Chum Chum and Yo are out for the night, so why not try again?"

He and Francine had been happily married for two years. He had proposed to her in their third year of college and had the wedding seven months later. Now they were living under the same roof, and like she thought before: life was good.

In college, Fanboy had sparked an interest and majored in Mechanics, became an Engineer, and was currently juggling the work of his new project, "Dollarnator", and spending as much time with his wife as possible. Francine majored in fashion design, and in the end, had become a part-time florist, which she wasn't too satisfied with as her daily career, but it helped stack the pantry with food, so who could complain? Her life wasn't about her job anyway.

It was a bit strange, but the two still lived in the water tower with Fanboy's best friend and his girlfriend, Yo. Yeah...the girls thought it to be extremely awkward-and it was at some times. But the boys insisted...so...yeah. Francine and Fanboy dragged Fanboy's old bed underneath the balcony that served as a second floor. Chum Chum and Yo stayed on the second floor. What was very interesting that Chum Chum was constantly studying government history and politics. Why? When asked, he would reply happily, "I'm going to be President, just you wait!"

They were very happy together, they were. But...something was missing. Luckily, they both knew what was missing. Lately, Fanboy had sparked an interest in children. Whether it be at the supermarket, near the school, or even when the couple took a simple walk, he would always gaze at the happy parents playing with their children at the park. He...just seemed very intrigued. Francine could tell that he wanted kids, badly. And why wouldn't he? He was a very playful, fun young man. She was sure he could be a great father, no doubt. One of her concerns was his naïve immaturity. Her other concern was his lack of knowledge on how to raise children, and what made it even more complicated was that he never actually had parents of his own. However, that was really spoken of because it was such a painful subject to talk about for him.

"I've got a good feeling that this just might be the time where it actually works." His smile faded just a bit and his confidence dimmed. "I hope it works..." He said softly, "I really do..." He felt like Fanlair wouldn't feel complete unless there were more sets of footprints around, and to be honest, he would not be complete himself.

"I know you do," Francine chuckled, tousling his golden-brown locks. "You never let me forget it. And we're doing all we can."

Complications had been occurring, and that's what they were worried about. This was the thirteenth time in three months they had attempted to make a baby. For some reason, no matter how hard they tried, no pregnancy had occurred. Nothing had changed, and it scared Francine especially.

She understood that some women had such a difficult time producing children, and sometimes these women couldn't have children at all! It frightened her beyond belief and the last thing she wanted was not to be able to produce offspring. She wanted to have lots of babies, almost as much as Fanboy did. Every time she failed a pregnancy test, a wave a guilt would flood her insides and she felt like she had failed her husband.

"Maybe if it doesn't work this time, we can go to the doctors and check up to see if something's wrong," Fanboy suggested in concern. "This has been going on for far too long, and I believe that by now you should've been pregnant, right? Am I right or am I right?"

"Yeah, you're right, Fan," she mumbled, snuggling into his chest. Yes, most of the time, she still called him "Fanboy", usually in a joking way or...because he insisted. He was never too fond of his real name, which was "Lance", or "Lancelot". He had always been a stickler for the nicknames. "We'll wait one week or two, and if I'm not pregnant within that time, I'll go to a doctor. Okay, super boy?"

Fanboy seemed satisfied with her suggestion. "Gotcha," he yawned, and kissed her one last time on the cheek before reaching over to turn off the lights. "I hope we don't have to..."

"Yeah, me neither," Francine agreed.

"But to be honest with you," Fanboy said, his voice dripping with lust and grinned suggestively at her, "I have enjoyed "trying"." Francine rolled her eyes and pinched his waist, which caused him to softly yelp.

After that, there was a short silence until Fanboy spoke up.

"If you do get pregnant, what do you think the baby would look like?" She heard her husband ask.

"Hmm..." She had to think about that. "I would really love either gender, but whatever happens, let's just pray to God that it doesn't inherit your teeth," she teased, and then laughed when she felt him lightly smack her head.

"Very funny," he muttered sarcastically, but Francine could hear the humor in his voice. "Let's also pray to God that he or she doesn't get your stubborn attitude. How do you like them apples?"

Francine pretended to gasp in offense. "Stubborn? Try amazing! Besides, who was the cocky little dunce who kept thinking that he was going to save the world someday?"

Fanboy whistled. "Wow. That was low. I hope the baby doesn't get your bad attitude!"

"What about your weird sense of fashion?"

"What about your arrogance? Plus, my costume was fab, and you know it!"

For a moment, they shared a good laugh, and then Fanboy lifted the covers over them. It felt very good to talk about their soon-to-be child, if they ever had a child.

"Let's just hope for the best, and perhaps our prayers will be answered. G'night, Fran. Love you."

"Love you too."

...

Two weeks later...

The couple did have high hopes. Unfortunately, hope was not enough.

Here she was, ashamed and mortified. At the doctors. Not pregnant. She didn't understand why she wasn't pregnant. They had tried everything that they could without wanted results. And now that they had done everything they could have, they needed to get the opinion of a professional.

In order to give her the solution to her problem, they needed to find the problem itself. So they gave her the Female Infertility Evaluation. She visited a urologist to start the evaluation for infertility. The urologist began with a basic interview and exam that included a full medical and reproductive history, along with any surgeries she might have had and any medications she might have been taking.

The urologist also asked her lifestyle questions, things about if she exercised, smoked, or used drugs. She did exercise daily, and she did not smoke or use drugs, she told him quite firmly.

After a quick physical exam, they had a frank discussion about her private...ahem...sexual life, including any problems with sex or previous diseases she might have had. Thankfully, she had none of those.

After the rest of the procedures, the doctor said that he would test Fanboy as well, to which the woman hastily agreed.

...

Francine sat quietly out in the hall. She had just been tested for infertility, and as she sat thinking, they were testing her husband as well. For whatever reason or another, she didn't believe that it was his fault. After all, the child was supposed to develop inside her body, inside her womb.

"Mrs. Corporal?"

"Hmm...?" She glanced up to meet the gaze of the doctor that tested both she and her husband. What? Had something gone wrong?

"Is Lance okay?" She asked, a bit of dread creeping up her spine. "Is something wrong?" Instantly, thoughts of being mother diminished.

"...Mrs. Corporal, I don't know how to tell you this..." The doctor began. Oh no. That didn't sound promising at all.

Her first assumption was that either she or Lance had a disease. "What?! What is it?!" Her voice grew frantic and her hands clenched the arm rests of the seat. "Is there something wrong with me?" Her voice suddenly dropped below a whisper and her stomach churned in the most grotesque way possible.

"No, there isn't any trouble with you at all...It's your spouse," the doctor corrected her sorrowfully. He was gazing at her in pity.

"M-My spouse?" Francine squeaked.

"Your husband, Lance..." The doctor paused and big the inside of his cheek. He had fed people this type of information before and usually the reactions were far from the lines of what you would call "civilized". "Lance...is a sterile. He cannot give you a child," the doctor informed her quietly.

"..."

For a moment, all was silent. Francine felt as if someone had suddenly ripped open her chest and tore her heart out without mercy and then crushed it to dust. As the news sunk in, she could feel her face go pale and her stomach churn nausea. "W-W-What...?" She choked out, clutching her highlighted-brown hair. She could feel salty tears brimming her amber eyes as she stared. The future plans, the dreams, the hopes of being a mother, everything vanished within the blink of an eye.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Corporal, but there isn't anything we can do about it, as far as we know." Francine could hardly hear him over the sound of her own crying. The doctor gazed pitying at the young woman and rested a hand on her trembling shoulder. "We would like you to know that your husband is not in any danger. The engender of his sterility isn't harmful. He is perfectly healthy in every other way. However, you must understand that he can't produce children."

The twenty-two year-old nodded, tears dribbling down her cheeks. "C-Can I go talk to him please?" She whimpered, wiping her tears away with a free hand. "I-I'm sorry...I'm just..."

The doctor smiled. "Don't be. Your sadness is completely understandable. Please, follow me." The man gently led Francine down the hall where Fanboy was and opened the door for her. There he was, hunched over in a chair in an oblique posture, face reddened and tear-streaked. His head instantly snapped up when he heard them enter and tried to wipe away his tears.

"Take all the time you need," the doctor said, and left, shutting the door behind him.

The first thing Francine noticed about Fanboy was how not only depressed he was by the horrific news, but how very defeated, abasement, and ashamed he seemed. Carved into his face was an expression of absolute sadness and envenom. The woman winced. She knew for a fact that her pain itself was awful, but he was the one who wanted babies with all his heart, so his pain must have been unbearable.

"...Lance..." Francine said softly, walking over to the shaking male and putting her arms around him. "It'll be okay..." Fanboy could only let out a painful sob and wrap his arms around her, his hands tightly gripping the back of her shirt.

Never in his life had he felt so...useless. Look at him! He couldn't even give Francine children! What kind of husband was that?! Because of him, Francine would never become a mother...and he would never be a father. The dream of being a parent...because of him, was gone. And to think that he had thought Francine was the cause of the problem, when it was truly him all along! Why had this happened? He figured it was some sort of knotty, or complex problem in Francine.

"I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry, F-Francine!" He blubbered, cuddling against her, resting his face at the crook of her neck. "I-I didn't know! I DIDN'T KNOW!" He gasped and choked for air, more tears bubbling up behind his tightly-shut eyelids.

He didn't know what to do now. What was he going to do? "I-I-I thought...I-I-I-I...I t-thought..."

Francine just closed her eyes and stroked the crying male's golden-brown hair.

...

Life after that became rather different. In Fanboy, at least. He seemed less cheerful, lachrymose, less happy in general. There was a certain dullness in his once carefree personality, to which he tried to cover up with fake smiles, happy expressions, and tangent replies, but Francine could see right past it. She knew he was hurting, badly. And she also noticed that he spent a lot more time working on his mechanics at work. It seemed that he was trying to bury his grief in his work.

There were many nights where Francine could hear him quietly sobbing to himself. When she tried to comfort him, he would just wipe his tears away and smile, pretending nothing was wrong. It was almost scary about how quickly his personality would change. One minute he was hysterically sobbing, and the next he would be smiling cheerily. He was really struggling to control his emotions, and Francine was lost on what to do.

Chum Chum and Yo were just as lost as what to do. They tried hard to comfort the couple, but nothing seemed to lighten the spirit around the FanLair. Francine just told them to back off, not wanting anyone else to rekindle the sad situation. She honestly just wanted to nullify the whole thing for his sake and not replete his dismay.

Would anything change for the better? She hoped it would soon or else things might make it worse.

...

Francine quietly sipped her coffee, currently at the building where she worked. "Flora's Bouquets". Business was kind of slow that day...no, scratch that, for the last week, it had been going slow. For quite a while now. Just sitting there behind the cash register with nothing to do bored her half to death. She sighed, resting one elbow on the countertop and glanced toward the clock, which read 2:00. Work ended at 6:00.

"Ugh. This day will never end!" She moaned to herself and let her head fall to the surface of the countertop with a clunk. Sometimes she thought this job not to be worth it, even with the remuneration given to her. This store was so tawdry, though the flowers themselves were quite nice...

Suddenly, the bell in the front of the story jingled, indicating that someone had pushed open the door on entering. She yanked up her head in surprise and in a hasten speed, tried to fix her hair and put on a big smile. "Welcome to Flora's Bouquets! How may I help you...?" Upon seeing who it was, she stopped mid-sentence and smiled. "Hey Kyle, long time no see!"

The adult wizard laughed and approached the desk with an outstretched hand. "Francine, is it? I don't recall seeing you since high school graduation" Wow. He had changed! His once large set of braces were removed and he finally had straightened teeth, he was much taller, of course, and his British accent had seemed too thin. "What a pleasant surprise." He stepped back and looked around. "...You work here?" The girl nodded and rolled her eyes. "Tell me, how is working in this...fine establishment?"

"It isn't exactly what you'd call a dream job, but you know, it's...you get good pay," she finished lamely. Smooth. "So what are you doing out there in the big world?" She asked in curiosity.

"I've just earned my Master's Degree," Kyle announced proudly, "and I strive to be a professor at Milkweed Academy, despite my...er...past turmoil with the school. And I've been married for the past year, and my wife is having a baby!" He motioned to the dozens of hued flowers and smirked. "That's why I'm here! We just found out that it's a male, so what kind of flowers do you think would be right for a baby shower?"

"A-A baby shower?" Great, another in-your-face reminder that she could never be a mother. Of course, Kyle didn't know that.

"Yes, so since it's a boy, do you have any cyan flowers? Nothing showy, but very simple and...cute?" Kyle asked, cracking a grin.

Francine felt her heart clench in sadness, and she forced on a smile. "F-For a baby shower? Sure, I could..." She stumbled backward, trying to hold back a cry. The male wizard raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask questions, she hastily turned her back to him and stuttered, "I-I'll-I'll s-see what w-we have in t-the back."

"Wait!" She froze and nervously looked back at Kyle, tears brimming her amber eyes. He gazed at her curiously and placed his hands on the surface of the countertop, leaning forward. "You don't look particularly well. Are you feeling alright?"

Francine sighed and flipped her hair to the side. "It...It's just that..." She paused and glanced toward the ground. "You're just so lucky..."

Kyle blinked, slightly taken aback. "Is that so? In what way?"

"...You're going to have a baby," the woman muttered quietly, her tears blurring her vision. "And in my case...my husband is, well, he can't give me a child."

"Ahh..." Kyle said, nodding in realization. He glanced pityingly at the crestfallen woman. "If you don't mind me asking, who is your husband?"

Francine bit her lip. Should she really disclose her husband's name? "I don't know if you'll remember him, but it's Fanboy."

Kyle's ruby eyes widened slightly and he whistled lowly. "Oh yes, I definitely remember him. Strange how you two ended up together." Francine let out a huff and crossed her arms and Kyle's mood softened. "But in all seriousness, I'm sorry about your...loss."

Francine sniffed. "Sure." She didn't want to talk about it now. "So you wanted blue?" Her tone had gone drab, dull, monotonous. "I'll go get some blue azaleas. Those ought to do the trick." She shuffled over to the back and grabbed two large bouquets of flowers, and handed them to the wizard. "Is this enough?"

"...Yes, I believe this will do. Thank you ever-so," Kyle grinned halfheartedly.

"Mmhmm...Anyway, that'll be-"

"Hold on a moment," Kyle interrupted, holding up a finger, and the woman glared at him in slight annoyance. What did he want now? "This probably won't strike you as interesting anymore, but I do specialize magic and potions." He paused, as if he were waiting for some reaction from her. She didn't do so much as blink, so he continued, "I've been reading some interesting books for children and fertility as my wife's Labor Day nears... And recently I found an ancient recipe for a potion that creates new life, despite a male or females' infertility." He smirked, watching her once bored expression transform into something of astonishment and disbelief.

"Y-You're serious? Y-You can't be s-serious..." Her breath had hitched. "Hold on, there's no way that's true."

"It's as true as those azaleas," Kyle smiled, motioning toward the flowers. "I understand it's hard to believe, but I, Kyle the Conjuror, would never tell a lie. My Necronomicon is what I read, and the recipe for the spell is on the last page. I asked him about it spontaneously showing up, and he informed me that before he was the Book of The Dead, and before he was the Book of The Very Very Sick, he was the Book of Life. I suppose he saved that ancient text in the last page for me just in case."

"K-Kyle-!" The man yelped in surprise as her delicate, manicured fingers shot out and gripped the collar of his striped pullover, yanking him forward so that they were face-to-face. "Give me that potion."

"Ack! Alright! Alright! No need to get physical, Francine. Goodness," he muttered as she let go. "You've got quite the intensity you had years ago. It seems as though you haven't changed one bit, other then breaking the promise you made not to love or marry anyone below your league."

"S-Shut up, I was only a silly little girl back then," she stuttered, "I'm a woman now, so I think I know what real love is, right? But that isn't the point, Kyle. I need that recipe. Please." She clasped her hands together. "Please give it to me!"

Kyle waved at her. "No need to worry yourself over making it. I'll create the potion for you-ACK!" He was instantly cut off by the touch of her arms as they wrapped around his neck in a grateful embrace.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She squealed, feeling the tears finally fall. When he started to make choking sounds, she pulled back and smiled happily. "Thank you so much Kyle; you have no idea how much this means to me."

The adult wizard smiled and snapped his fingers, causing his Necronomicon to appear before him in a cloud of sparkles. "In order for you to have a child, we need you to take the potion he said, grabbing the book and showed her the page with the recipe scripted in faded but readable cursive letters.

"Me?" Francine asked, raising her eyebrows. "But I'm not a sterile."

"Yes, in order for you to bear children, need to drink the potion," Kyle said. "I didn't say it would cure the infertility in your husband. I told you that it would give you the ability to bear children even if you haven't had...you know." Francine nodded slowly.

"So what you're saying is that if I drink that potion I will immediately become pregnant?" she asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Exactly," the scarlet-haired wizard replied, snapping his fingers. "Now as for gathering the things we need for the potion..." He quickly read over the ingredients, mumbling to himself under his breath and then looked at Francine. "Fortunately for us, the ingredients we need to get are easy to find. However, I will need something from your husband. His DNA."

"His DNA? Like...do you need a strand of hair?" Francine asked, making a weird face. "Huh. I didn't realize this would be so...scientific."

"If you want your child to inherit his genetics, then yes!" Kyle said as a-matter-of-factly. "And like all recipes there is a certain amount I need. The trick to this spell is that if you collect for me lots of DNA, and I turn that into the potion, the more likely it is that you will have a child."

"So, the more DNA, the better?" Francine asked, placing a hand on her hip.

Kyle smiled. "Correct. And I can get the potion ready by tomorrow if you're in a hurry."

The woman bit her lip. "This is all very sweet, but...why are you doing this? Last time I saw you...you weren't very fond of me."

A disgusted glare darkened the male's face. "Why, you don't think I'm lying, do you?" When the woman remained silent, he groaned and slammed his book shut. "Listen Francine, I can't imagine how painful it would be for you to not be able to have children. I myself would be very devastated if that were my case, because I'm so ecstatic about my child. And I can't bear to see you so sad because you don't have one. I'm a married wizard. I understand how you feel. And I can also assume that this is a lot for your husband sake, isn't it? I wouldn't think that this was a cynical thing to do."

He had a very good point, Francine realized. Her husband was in a miserable state. He was also in the mindset that he could never ever have a baby. And now, here was this opportunity...this perfect opportunity, served up on a silver platter, to have one.

"Okay," Francine agreed, nodding quickly. "Your little potion better work." She could only imagine what she would do to him if the potion didn't work.

"Oh, it will," Kyle smirked and held up his right hand as if he were performing a Scout salute. "You have my word as a fully-fledged wizard. In no time at all, you will have one big happy family."

...

Francine nearly skipped home, bursting with excitement. Holy cow, she was going to have a baby after all! At the flower store, Kyle had explained to her that because of the spell's strength and strange qualities, the length of time of her pregnancy would be extremely shortened. Yay! Even better!

Slamming the door of the water tower door open, she cheerfully announced, "HONEY, I'M HOME!" And watched in amusement as her husband nearly fell over. He was in the middle of the TV room, crouched in front of a half-finished machine that looked like a robot of some sort... She could hardly contain her excitement. "Whatcha doin', Lancelot?" She teased, looking over the creation in fascination.

Fanboy smirked at her from her use of his real name and placed a hand over his heart. "Cripes, Francine, you scared me! Oh, and this?" He jabbed a thumb toward the cluster of gears. "This is Dollarnator! He traveled back in time when I was eleven and told me that I would create him in the future, so I thought I'd start now!" He stood up and wiped his forehead and looked over his creation with pride. "I have to send him back in time with a dollar so he can help pay for my drink. So, why so gleeful?" He asked casually.

Francine had already decided whether or not she was going to tell him about the potion, and she made up her mind that it was best not to tell him yet and leave it a secret. After all, what if the potion failed to work? It would crush him even further. So she decided to keep it to herself, at least until she had absolute proof that she was pregnant, and she would let him know. As for now...

"Oh, nothing. I just met an old friend at my work," she said, standing on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, which caused him to blush.

"Oh really?" He asked in curiosity. "And who might that be?"

"You'll never believe it," she laughed, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe it herself, "but I ran into Kyle Thomason."

Fanboy raised his eyebrows. "K-Kyle? You talked to Kyle?" A big smile lit up his once down face as memories of his childhood "friend" were remembered. "I haven't heard from Kyle in like, forever! I thought he'd gone back to Milkweed Academy. So what is he doing now?"

Francine bit her lip. Choosing her words carefully, she said, "Well, he's married now..."

The male laughed and whistled. "Kyle, that sly dog! How long has he been married?" He asked, smiling. He felt so proud of his old friend that he had taken a big step toward love. Usually with Kyle, it was all about books and studying.

"He didn't exactly tell me when..." Francine admitted. "It's been about a year. And he seems really happy."

"Yeah," Fanboy murmured, kissing her gently, "I know he is." He went quiet for a moment and then asked, "Does he...um...have any kids?"

Ah...that topic again. "Don't worry, Lance," she thought, "We'll have kids of our own soon enough." "...Not that I know of," she answered, shrugging.

Sleep was nearly impossible that night. Francine lay awake on her back, staring up at the wooden ceiling, hearing Yo and Chum Chum giggle and whisper softly to each other upstairs. Her eyes were wide, and her body filled with too much adrenaline to sleep. Fanboy was curled up next to her, completely exhausted and snoring a bit as he slept.

"I've got to get some DNA."

...

Getting the DNA for Kyle was easier than Francine had expected. She simply took her husband's hairbrush, gently pulled a few soft strands of golden hair out and tucked it in the pocket of her skirt. Then when her husband was at work the next day, she slunk over to Kyle's old apartment to see if he had made progress with making the potion. They had agreed to meet there over the phone.

"Kyle?" Francine gently knocked on the fancy door. "Are you home?" She waited patiently for the door to open, and when it did, she found herself face to face with a pretty blonde young woman, perhaps a year or two older than her.

"Hello," the woman greeted, smiling slightly. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, actually," Francine answered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled and stuck out her hand for the woman to shake. "My name is Francine Corporal, and I'm coming on Kyle's behalf. Are you his wife?" Looking down, she noticed the baby-bump of the woman's stomach.

"That I am," the woman answered in her thick British-accented voice. "Charmed to meet you in person. My name is Jamie." She firmly shook Francine's hand and led her through the door. "My husband told me of your issue," she said as she led Francine down a candle-lit hallway. "And I just have to say that I'm very sorry, and not to worry, because my husband knows what he's doing with the potion you requested. He has a great knowledge of magic if you didn't currently know. Do you have the DNA of your spouse?"

Francine nodded and patted her skirt pocket. "Thanks for your pity. And yes. I have the DNA. It's right here with me." Jamie nodded and finally stopped in front of a door that had a golden label: The Study. "Go on right ahead," She encouraged, giving the slightly younger female a gentle push. "He's finishing up the potion as we speak."

Francine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could tell that the work of magic was being performed. Little blue rays of light streamed through every crack and crevice of the door, and she could hear the muffled voice of Kyle muttering some strange chant in a foreign language. Hesitantly, her fingers worked themselves around the knob and she gently twisted it, pushing the door open. Then, before her confidence dimmed completely, she rushed in, only to be met with a cloud of blue, dusty light.

"Oh, sorry about that Francine! Forgive me!" She heard Kyle call out. Ugh, there was dust in her eyes. Did he purposely throw that at her? Or was he that terrible an aim?

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Are you done with this dang potion yet?" Francine snapped, quite irritated to be treated as such. Ugh. Her fingers lightly brushed some of the dust out of her eyes, and she focused on the scene before her.

The scarlet-haired wizard was standing over a black cauldron filled with a cyan, bubbling liquid, nearly filled to the brim. The blue light reflected from nearly everything in the room, engulfing everything with its lovely hue. He motioned her forward, and she slowly stepped forward and peered into the vat of boiling fluid. "T-That's a boatload of potion, Kyle," she muttered, making a sick face, "Don't tell me I have to drink all of that..." There seemed to be over ten gallons of the stuff!

"Sadly, you do..." He started giggling when Francine gave him a shocked look, indicating that he was kidding. "I'm just pulling your leg. No, you only have to drink one cup of the Infertility Potion, and viola! You will have a child!"

"Then why did you make so much?" The woman asked, raising her eyebrow in suspicion. The wizard face her a serious look, "I wasn't too sure of the amounts of the ingredients...so..."

Francine took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, I got it."

Kyle held out a hand. "And I presume you've brought the DNA?" Francine nodded in response, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing the soft locks. "Hm. Alright," Kyle approved, carefully taking the strands of hair from her. "This seems like a decent amount. Good thing too. Because it is essential that we have a good amount. And if you wondering about the baby inheriting traits from you, don't. It will inherit your genetics, seeing how it will literally develop inside you." He flourished one hand of the liquid, mumbling under his breath, and Francine watched intently as he sprinkled the hairs into the vat.

The instant the hair made contact with the liquid, the hair itself seemed to expand and expel an emerald color and disappearing, turning the once blue fluid to an aquamarine. "There it is," Kyle said triumphantly, grabbing a glass bottle and scooping up the liquid. He held out the potion to Francine and she carefully took it. "Drink that, and you'll be pregnant, guaranteed. And in about three months, you'll have a little baby of your own."

"Well...This better work," Francine moaned before pinching her nose and gulping down the vile-tasting potion.

...

Later that day...

"Uhn..." Francine moaned, clenching her stomach in pain. She was curled up on the living room couch, trying to cope with the intense pain that was invading her stomach. Fanboy, Yo, and Chum Chum were not present at the time, and she honestly wished that they were. The pain was just unbearable! It would creep from the bottom of her abdomen to the lower part of her ribcage and let out waves of agony.

She clenched her teeth as tears smarted from her eyes. Was it supposed to hurt this much? She knew that in a pregnancy, morning sickness was a natural thing, but she never imagined it to be this awful. Gosh, what the heck was in that potion? Anthrax?! This was so God-dang painful!

"Get used to it, Francine," she moaned to herself. "It'll be like this for..three months. Three terrible...painful...guy-wrenching months of agony and awfulness." To get her mind off the hurting, she pictured her husband's reaction to her being pregnant. Heh. A jolt of pain tore her smile away, her last thread of patience disappearing. "Ack! I can't take this!" She hobbled over to her cellphone and dialed Kyle's number. She waited impatiently for him to pick up, and when he did...

"Hello?"

"Hello!" Francine snapped. "Kyle, I swear to Heaven above, the pain is killing me! What do I have to take to make the pain go away! Huh? HUH?! Tell me, Wizboy, because if you don't, I swear I'm going to die!" There was a silence, and then she quickly added, "This is Francine, by the way."

"Um...Francine? What are you talking about?" The voice on the other end asked in confusion.

Just the fact that he was slow to realization infuriated her even more. "What do you think I'm talking about, Kyle?" Francine asked sarcastically, clenching her tightening stomach.

"Kyle? This is Lance Corporal," the other voice said, as if she should have already known. "Your husband."

There was a tremulous silence, and the woman felt a blush rise in her face from embarrassment. "...Oh, h-hey Lance! How's it going?" Francine laughed nervously, mentally smacking herself for dialing the wrong number.

"...Fine," he sounded a bit weirded out, but who could blame him? "You sounded so angry. Why were you calling me Kyle? And are you okay? Said something...Something about pain, or...something?"

"U-Um...um..." She trailed off, starting to panic. "Listen, I know it sounds weird, but I promise I'll talk to you when you get home, okay?"

"...Okay," he sighed, a bit disappointed that she couldn't just tell him then. "Goodbye." She heard a click on the other end and knew that he had hung up on her.

Later that evening...

A very tensed Francine was seated on the love seat in the middle of the water tower, waiting impatiently for her husband. She continuously checked her watch, glanced at the door, and squirmed in nervousness. Her once perfectly manicured fingernails were now chewed down to the nubs.

Just a few minutes before, she took a pregnancy test that had been stored in the back of her purse. She had forgotten to throw them away after finding out her husband's infertility. The results were inclusive: positive. She could hardly contain herself as she sat there, clutching the plastic white stick with the green plus sign shining proudly in her grasp that was going to change their lives forever.

A million thoughts were rushing through her head. Like, what would the baby look like? When would it be born since the pregnancy term was extremely shortened? How would Fanboy react? She smiled. Knowing him, it would probably be of shock and excitement. She simply could not wait to tell him!

At last...the door opened and Fanboy stepped inside his home. "Hello? I'm home!" He announced, and noticed Francine and her jittery body. "You alright Francine? You're looking a bit jumpy," he pointed out, lightly walking toward her.

"Please take a seat Lance," Francine, patting the spot beside her and clenched the pregnancy stick tighter. "I need to talk to you about something very important."

Fanboy raised an eyebrow. "Alright," he nodded and plopped down next to her. "I was really curious about that phone call. You thought I was Kyle...?"

Francine smiled. "There is a reason I wanted to call Kyle," she giggled, nearly bursting with happiness. "Wanna know why?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" She teased, knowing that he was dying to know.

"YES!" He gripped the sleeve of her shirt and slightly yanked on it. "C'mon!" He whined. "Don't leave a guy hanging!"

"Because..." She paused and slowly held up the pregnancy test that flaunted the green plus sign oh-so proudly. "I'm pregnant!" She tensed up, grinning a large toothy grin, waiting for his reaction. For a while he just stared at her, his face expressionless.

"You called Kyle...because you're pregnant..." Fanboy said flatly, his eyes narrowing.

What was his problem? Francine's smile began to fade. "Well yeah!"

To her surprise, a sharp glare washed over his face. "Yeah," he said slowly, "and how exactly DID you get pregnant, huh Francine?" He asked, his tone incredibly suspicious and low, as if he was struggling not to yell.

At first, Francine was a bit confused by his cryptic reaction. He was so...not excited. Hm. Oh. Oh no. She...probably should have reworded her explanation. Her eyes widened and she coughed. "I-It's going to sound very weird, but Kyle actually made me a potion-!"

"What?" Fanboy gasped, jumping up from the couch, "D-Don't tell me you actually drank it!?"

Francine face palmed. "No! I mean yes! I did drink the potion."

Fanboy was breathing heavily now, his voice resonant. "What. Did. He. Do?!" He yelled.

"What?" Francine squinted. "Nothing! You don't honestly think I had an affair with him, do you?" When Lance remained silent, she sighed and rested a palm over her abdomen. "Lance, this baby is yours, and yours only. Trust me on this. Please."

Fanboy quietly sat back down. "But...How? I-I'm a sterile, remember?" He asked, voice dropping in shame, and his face the expression of lamentation. The woman smiled and rested a hand over his to temper his emotions, relieved that his anger was ephemeral.

"Can you please lower your voice?" Francine rubbed her temples. "I am in no mood for a harangue." Her husband frowned. "All Kyle needed was your DNA for his potion, so I gave him some of your hair," she explained, "That's how the baby will inherit your genetics." She shrugged. "That's what he told me. And the reason why I tried calling him was because of the stomach pains I had earlier. Alright?"

"I...I..." Fanboy's expression softened. "I...I don't know what to say. This is all just so hard to take in all of this...abstruse news at once. It's...It's big news." He gently pulled his hand out of her tenacious grip. "Why didn't you just explain it to me on the phone earlier instead of hanging up on me so quickly?"

"Okay, firstly you were the one who hung up on me," Francine reminded him, "and secondly, I wanted to explain it to you in person. Not over the phone."

Fanboy smiled half-heatedly. "That's true," he admitted quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just wish I had known about a little earlier. Over the phone when you told me that you'd tell me later, it just seemed so suspicious. It's embarrassing to admit, but I honestly thought you were having an affair with Kyle when you told me you were pregnant."

At this notion, Francine's jaw went slack. "A-Are you crazy?" She squeaked, hardly believing what she was hearing. "I would never cheat on you!" She shook her head.

"Okay okay!" Fanboy said quickly for she could commence her own harangue, holding his gloved hands up in defense. "But try to look it from my point of view. Say you're in the middle of work, and then all of a sudden, your wife calls you on the phone screaming about stomach pains, and calls you some other guy's name. And then when you try to question her, she acts all weird and nervous and says she'll discuss it with you at home, and that it's veeeery important." He paused for a moment, looking at Francine's reddened face and smirked. "You have to understand that from my point of view, THAT phone call was very suspicious."

The woman sighed. "Well, I WAS in pain. Give me a break," she whined, placing a hand over her belly. "The baby's killing me."

Fanboy's eyes trailed to her stomach and he softly smiled. "Gosh, that's right. There's a baby inside you, isn't there? I still can hardly believe it." He seemed to be bubbling up with excitement at the prospect, and now he was the jittery one. "I didn't think it was ever going to happen, and I-I didn't think it was possible." He snuggled up against his wife and kissed her gently. "Thank The Lord you work at the flower shop, or else you would've never run into Kyle. Man..." He sighed and closed his emerald eyes. "I owe him a huge thank you."

Happy that his angry emotions had soon settled down, she smiled. "Yeah, and thanks to the magic, the pregnancy itself will curtail to a much shorter time period." Francine looked up and mouthed, "Thank you God!"

"Really?" Fanboy opened his eyes and stared at her in curiosity. "How long will it take? I don't suppose Kyle told you that, did he?"

"Kyle told me that it would be about three months," Francine yawned, curling up against him before a sharp pain struck through her. "AAUGH!" She bit her lip and nearly doubled over.

"Oh my gosh!" She felt calloused hands tightly gripping her shoulders, gently easing her onto her side on the tattered couch. "A-Are you okay? Francine?" He asked worryingly.

"What. Do. You. THINK?!" Francine screamed through gritted teeth, clenching her stomach tightly. "You moron, I'M IN PAIN!" Fanboy ignored her insult and gently brushed her now tangled brown hair out of her amber eyes. Pulling her up on his lap, he began to soothe the crying woman.

"Shhhh..." He shushed quietly. "It'll be okay Francine... Everything will be alright..." He wasn't sure that she could hear him over the sound of her own screaming, but his puzzlement was answered a few moments later.

"Easy for you to say, you idiot!" She yelled, doubling over even further. "UUGH! It hurts so much..." She moaned, feeling her stomach contract. "I think this baby HATES me!"

"Um..." Fanboy was at loss of what to say. "Do you want me to get you a Tylenol or something?" He asked, cracking a grin.

Francine's head snapped up, her amber eyes burning. "YES," she growled before going limp, moaning from the agony.

He grinned and ran upstairs to the bathroom, chanting excitedly under his breath, "Yes, yes, YES!"

...

After a looooong night of explaining Fanboy and Francine's dilemma to Chum Chum and Yo, things had changed once again in the Fanlair. The atmosphere of depression and gloominess that had haunted the Fanlair had rescinded, and in its place, a sense of expectancy and nervous excitement. Tension completely enshrouded the water tower as the days passed.

Unfortunately for Francine, the stomach pains, aches, and mood swings did not temper. In fact, they only worsened as time went on. Because of the pain, she had to stay at home and take time off from work, which she wasn't so happy about at all. Tylenol hardly helped in her case, and she was becoming physically and mentally gloomy. Every day, her stomach grew considerably larger, larger than anyone had expected. She was only in the first week of pregnancy and her stomach had stretch marks from growing so fast. One would think that at the end of the three months, her stomach would be so large it would be unbelievable.

Just as expected, Fanboy was super excited for his wife's pregnancy. To Francine's amusement but not surprise, he went out and managed to tell every single living soul in town about it, including Kyle, whom he thanked gratefully. Francine did not tell him, to not put a damper on his excitement, but she secretly wished he wasn't so social about it. But she probably should've known he was going to blab it off to everyone.

A week passed...

In the meantime, Fanboy was nearly finished with his Dollarnator project. The gears firmly locked, the wires connected. But he was so preoccupied with Francine that he pretty much forgot about it for awhile. He made a promise to himself that he would finish the project after the birth.

Yo was so ecstatic about the other woman's pregnancy. She never stopped pestering Francine, asking over and over again if she could feel the enlarging stomach, or what it felt like to Francine, or if the baby ever kicked, or this that this that this!

Chum Chum was especially proud and happy for his best friend. He was rather hurt when Fanboy had numbed his emotions during the time when he thought he was sterile. But now that the super fan's emotions were back on track rather than the crazy roller-coaster it currently resembled, he felt a lot better.

And as for Francine... Her stomach pains could not be relieved. Night after night, she kept everyone up with her whimpers and groans. Fanboy always held her in his arms, whispering that it would be okay, that she'd be fine, but despite that, Francine's stomach clenched and tightened. The young man felt so helpless. He gave her medication to help with the pain, but strangely enough, it failed to help.

Another strange thing he noticed was the hasten rate of growth of her stomach. A mere two weeks later and her stomach was already near to full size. Should she be growing that fast? Kyle told her that it would take three months for the baby to develop. Three MONTHS. Francine had not even gone a fifth of the way. Confused, and a bit worried, he made up his mind and decided to confront Kyle about it.

7:00 AM

*Knock knock*

"Kyle? You in there?" Fanboy was standing outside of Kyle's apartment door, waiting impatiently for the wizard to appear. So far, no luck. "Ugh. Kyle, please open up!" He whined, knocking on the door with an enclosed fist. Still no luck. Grumbling to himself, he reached down, and with a gloved finger poked the door's mail slot, which swung loosely. He smiled to himself. "He left the mail slot unlocked again? Ha, Kyle, you never learned, did you?"

Kyle was peacefully asleep in his King-sized bed, curled up next to his pregnant wife, who was also sound asleep. But that sleep was forcefully halted by a high-pitched voice. "Hi Kyle!" The scarlet-haired wizard jerked awake and gasped, staring at the younger man who had just appeared in the bedroom doorway. What. The. Heck?

"What's going on?" Jamie asked sleepily, sitting up to rub her tired eyes. When she caught sight of a smiling Fanboy, she too gasped. "W-Who is that?" She whispered fearfully, bringing up the blankets to her chest.

"Hey Kyle!" Fanboy said again, stepping toward the bed. "I had a question about-!" He paused and sucked out of the way with a scream as a blast of energy was shot at him. He cowered on the floor, holding up his hands in defense. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" He screamed. "Don't hurt me! I-I just needed to ask y-you a question about Francine's PREGNANCY!" He screamed and just barley managed to dodge another charge of energy, the shooter this time was Jamie.

Kyle got out of his bed and stomped over to the wavering male and grabbed his collar, yanking him close to his face. "What on Earth do you think you're doing in my house, you twit?!"

He bellowed. Fanboy seemed to shrink in Kyle's grasp, under his death glare. His face paled in fear and he began to sputter. "How did you even get in here?!"

"Y-You left your mail slot unlocked!" Fanboy squeaked, unraveling Kyle's fingers from his emerald collar.

Kyle face palmed. "I thought you had matured," he mumbled in exasperation once he had calmed down a bit, "but obviously I was wrong." Jamie was still trembling under the covers.

"Kyle!" She exclaimed in a boorish tone. "Do you know that man?"

The wizard sighed and rolled his amber eyes. "I'm afraid so. I've been aquatinted with him since the age of twelve. He's harmless, but he tends to... sneak up on you when you least expect it." Jamie didn't seemed quite convinced, and she gazed fearfully at the male, who smiled and waved. "Why are you here?" She asked nervously. She sat rigid, as if he were to spring.

Fanboy shook his head a few times and stuttered, "I-I have a very important question to ask you about Francine's pregnancy." Jamie's expression softened and Kyle raised an eyebrow. "it just seems like she's developing a lot faster than you said she should. It's only been like two weeks and she's nearly fully developed!"

Kyle groaned. "And this couldn't have waited until later? It's seven o'clock in the morning!"

"But I have to go to work at eight..."

Kyle rubbed his forehead. "Never mind...so she's developing early? ...Strange," he remarked thoughtfully. "My Necronomicon had not a script about abnormally hasten development, excepting the three-month mark. That might have to do with the amount of potion she consumed. Is it in any way harming her?"

Fanboy scratched the back of his head. "S-She has a lot of stomach cramps, but it's not like morning sickness. It's more like...constant. She's always doubling over in pain! She can't fall asleep at night, and whenever she eats, it just hurts her." He sighed. "I gave her Tylenol and such...but it didn't seem to help at all. And we don't know what else to do about her condition."

"I...I honestly don't know what to do about it either," Kyle confessed quietly.

"Wait, what?" Fanboy cried out in shock. "But I thought you had knowledge of these kind of things!"

The scarlet-haired wizard scoffed, "Of course I do! But the Necronomicon didn't say anything about early birth or constant pains of the abdomen! If that were the case, there should have been something to stop it, 'kay?"

"No!" Fanboy snapped, anger gradually building up inside him. "Do you have any idea how worried I am for her? I'm scared if she's not careful, something drastic will happen! And are you seriously telling me that you gave my wife a potion, a potion which side effects you knew not of, and thought that nothing bad would happen?"

Jamie, who was silent for most of the conversation, spoke up. "I did tell Francine that Kyle knew what he was doing," she said quietly. "Perhaps she had too much confidence in the potion."

But the two males paid no attention to the female wizard. "I wasn't aware of the side effects, yes!" Kyle grumbled, "But she wanted it, and she didn't seem to think my twice about what could have happened if anything went wrong. And I don't know why her pregnancy is speeding up!"

"Any theories, Einstein?" Fanboy asked sarcastically. Jamie looked back and forth between the two in slight worry.

"My theory," Kyle snapped, shooting the other male a look, "Is that she had too large of a dose. How long has it been since she's had the potion? Two weeks?" Fanboy nodded. "Well, I can't be too sure when she's going to give birth, but be ready just in case, understand?" Before the other male could answer, Kyle added, "And don't you EVER sneak into my house again without clearance, or I'll leave you to the police! And before you know it, you're pretty little face will be behind bars!" He yelled, snapping his fingers.

At the snap of his fingers, Fanboy was immediately transported outside the building in a cloud of sparkles. Kyle sighed and gave his wife a tired look. "How did Francine of all people ever say yes to his proposal?"

...

One week later...

Fanboy sadly informed Francine of the news, to which she was very nervous about. She had no idea what the due date was, and she was hurting bad that she wanted to shoot herself. But then, through all the pain and the complications, she felt a strong, motherly bond with the little baby inside her. At night while her husband was asleep, she would whisper to the baby some lullabies. She actually remembered her own mother telling her that the babies could hear their mother's voices. Francine wasn't entirely sure if that was true or not, but just in case it was, she talked to her baby as often as possible.

During the two weeks, her tummy had gotten too snug for her normal attire, so she purchased some maternity clothes, which she wore daily. Unlike a normal pregnancy, everything was shoved at her at once rather than gradually. Walking with her new tummy was especially difficult. She simply didn't have enough time to get used to it. And man, was it heavy. It felt like she was lugging around cement. Was she making a fuss? Yeah. But that was another thing. The mood-swings. They. Were. Terrible. And irrefutable! One moment she was happy and the next infuriated.

For example, during the middle of the second week, Fanboy had taken her to the Frosty Mart for a quick date before he went to a conference. When they arrived, she instantly had a craving for Frosty Freezy Freeze, even though it was technically bad for her and the baby if she consumed sugar during the pregnancy. Anyway, she insisted on having some.

"I don't think that's healthy," Fanboy said, trying to lead her away from the machine. "Why don't we just get some fruit instead?"

The woman glared at him. "Oh, come on! You get to have them all the time!" And she literally strutted over to the machine, which was quite a sight because of her belly. Lenny hid a smile behind his hand.

"Wait!" Just as she grabbed a cup, Fanboy snatched it away from her. "I really don't think-"

"I. WANT. IT." She growled, her eyes burning red. Her husband cowered slightly at her abrupt change of attitude and considered making a run for it. And just like that, her air returned to normal. She covered her mouth when she recalled what had just happened. "U-Um...Sorry about that. I'm not sure what came over me."

"Um...Oh...Kay..." Fanboy said slowly.

"DON'T "OKAY" ME!" Francine abruptly shouted, actually stamping her foot against the ground. Fanboy just stared at her, his cheeks burning a bright red. Before he could suffer one of her tirades, he quickly said, "W-Why don't we share it? Can we share a small?" He suggested meekly.

The glower on her face instantly tempered at this compromise. "Alright," she cheerfully agreed as she walked over to Lenny, who was struggling hold in his laughter. Fanboy followed her with a sheepish look on his scarlet complexion.

"That'll be one dollar," Lenny said, his lips twitching in order to hold back a smile.

Francine's own smile was instantly wiped off and her eyes flared. "One DOLLAR?! THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!"

Lenny yelped and jerked his body away from the now pissed young woman. "W-What? Outrageous? That's been the price for two Frosty Freezy Freezes since you two were babies!"

"I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S BEHIND ON WHETHER OR NOT IT'S THE SAME PRICE!" She shouted, slamming down her fists on the countertop, causing the two males to jump with fright. Lenny cried out and then pointed a finger in Fanboy's direction, causing him to flinch.

"Please just get her away!" He cried. Fanboy complied, taking Francine's hand and started to yank her away.

"Come on!" He snapped, "We're leaving!" He was beyond fed up at the moment.

"Leaving? But we just got here!" Francine said softly. "I-I'm sorry about what I said to Lenny. Really!" Even though in her mind she was still thinking that the prices of the Frosty Mart were nonetheless outrageous!

"It doesn't matter," Fanboy said simply, dragging his wife back to the house. For once, she didn't bother arguing with him. Her cheeks burned with shame for the embarrassment she had just caused him.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, sitting down on the love seat, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "I really don't know what's wrong with me. One minute I'm fine, and the next, I'm hopping mad!"

...

Monday, 5:30 PM, the Third Week...

Once again, nothing for Francine came gradually. If that were the case, she could have saved herself some pain. But no. Everything just had to be shoved in her face all at once, didn't it? Oh well. She was sure that it would be all worthwhile after the birth.

At the time, she was alone at home, fixing herself some dinner. Chum Chum and Yo were out that evening and Fanboy was at work. It was funny, because for some reason, her stomach cramps were not quite as consistent today. She bent down and grabbed her recipe book and started flipping through the pages. "Let's see..." She muttered under her breath. "How about... Italian Spaghetti? Wouldn't you like that, little one?" She smiled and rubbed her tummy. "Yeah, I bet you would."

To her surprise, the baby inside of her gave a sharp kick, which actually pained her. "Oof!" She frowned. "Active today, aren't you?" The baby gave another kick, and this time, to her it felt panicky. "You okay, ba-!" She gasped and doubled over, the most agonizing pain filling her insides. She felt something watery and wet trail down her legs. Through a cloudy mind, she could hardly think, "My water just broke!" Fear.

Another wave of pain forced her onto her knees, and then another caused her to collapse. "H-Help," she squeaked out in a raspy whisper. Her entire body contracted for a moment, and then she jerked, screaming uncontrollably. The first contractions had officially begun. Now she was to commence giving birth, to which she was completely unprepared for.

She slid to the floor of the kitchen, her back propped up on the cupboard. Slowly, she spread her legs and winced in pain. "I-I need...L-Lance..." She weakly glanced upward. A phone was hooked up to the wall. If she could just reach it...

Groaning and clutching her stomach, the woman attempted to drag herself to the phone, tears trailing down her face. Almost...there...eep! Another wave of pain halted her motions, and she collapsed once again, a hand outstretched that nearly reached the phone. "L-Lance," she whispered hoarsely, curling up in a ball the best she could. "H-Help..." She felt as if she were languishing.

"This is it." She realized as she tried to calm her erratic breathing. "I'm gonna give birth!" The once obsolete birth date was now valid. Nothing could've scared her more than that.

...

Two hours later...

"Francine?" Fanboy called out as he opened the door to his water-tower home. "Are you here? I got you some more Tylenol if you need some." A harsh scream was his reply, and he followed the sound to the kitchen in shock. "Francine!" He gasped, staring down at the convulsing woman. Without hesitation, he scooped up her withering body, which was a bit difficult because her weight, and scurried out the door to his car.

He plopped her down in the backseat so she could lie down and sped to the hospital, completely ignoring the speed limit. His hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He was stopped once by Agent Johnson, but after a quick explanation, he was on his way again. "It's okay Francine... We're nearly there..." He kept soothing her as she cried, but honestly, he was just as freaked out as she was. Then finally...

"We're here!" He cried out in relief as he pulled into the parking lot of Galaxy Hills Hospital. "See? You'll be fine!" He gently held his wife as she hobbled toward the entrance to the hospital.

"It hurts so much..." She moaned, clutching her stomach. "I need an epidural anesthetic, and QUICK!" She didn't remember much after that. Just that she leaned against his shoulder and the whole world became light and fuzzy. And after that, nothing. No pain, no sound, no sight... Everything had disappeared.

...Passage of Time...

The first thing that she heard was a soft wailing, chokes and gurgles and soft whimpering. Ugh... "I don't wanna wake up," Francine murmured, amber eyes closed. She felt a lot better at least-the gut wrenching pain in her stomach was long gone. Thank goodness. Her face felt all hot and sweaty, as did the rest of her body, she was exhausted and worn out. Her breathing felt a little erratic. Oh well, at least... Wait. What just happened?

Her amber eyes snapped open at the cool touch of her husband's hand gently pressing against her sweaty cheeks. She weakly lifted her her own hand and held it against his, hoping his touch would soothe her burning skin. Now that she awake, she could see that she lay in a hospital bed, an IV stuck in her wrist, and her legs were spread wide apart.

"L-Lance..." She whispered, and he gently nuzzled her.

"Glad to see you're awake," he said in a tone of voice that informed her that he was tired but incredibly excited. "How're you feeling, huh?" He asked cheerfully, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Just peachy," Francine groaned, lifting a hand to rub her tired eyes. The truth was, she felt as if someone had dropped a tremendous weight onto her pelvic area. "Like, what the heck happened while I was out?"

Fanboy smiled softly. "You gave birth to our babies, Francine." Babies? "I-I'd like you to meet someone...and another someone." Hm. Did she detect a wee note of nervousness?

"Whaddaya...mean...?" She whispered, closing her eyes again. Her husband did not answer and instead carefully placed something into her arms. She looked down and gasped at what she saw, or rather, who she saw. A very tiny baby boy with fluffy golden-brown hair lay asleep in her arms. Wrapped around his small, soft body were comfy cyan blankets. Oh my goodness... His precious little face captured the very epicure of innocence and youth. He was the sweetest little thing she had ever seen in her life!

The feeling that she felt when she realized what she was cradling in her arms was a feeling that she couldn't describe in words. It was a warm, contracting sensation in her heart. An instinct of protective, loving, motherly affection brought her to tears. She wondered if this was the same feeling her own mother felt when first holding Francine as a baby.

She smiled, her eyes welling up with tears of joy. He was hers. This tiny bundle of human life... He was her child. "Hi baby," she crooned, gently kissing the baby on his small, pointy nose. "You are the cutest little thing my eyes have ever seen, yes you are!" Fanboy leaned over them, smiling, something in HIS arms.

At first, Francine couldn't tear her eyes away from the little newborn in her arms, but grew curious when she heard a soft, high-pitched cry emerge from the pink blankets in his arms that he held so carefully. "W-We have two..." He whispered, a choking sound bubbling from his throat.

"Two?!" She gasped in utter shock, struggling to see. A baby girl that looked strikingly like her lay in the male's arms. At the moment she did not know what to think. "How in the world-?" She sighed and groaned. "Thanks for telling me that important detail, Kyle," she muttered sarcastically.

"Can you believe it though? We have both genders! Twins!" He pointed out. Fanboy gently brushed away the fuzzy locks out of the baby girl's face. "She looks just like you, you know that?" He chuckled. "A regular chip off the old block." He placed the baby girl in Francine's right arm so she could see her, her left arm carrying the boy that was a spitting-image of his father. His heart swelled proudly when the baby boy opened his large amber eyes and saw his parents for the first time. "Hey! He's got your beautiful eyes!" Fanboy said, pointing with his forefinger.

"He does?" Francine carefully ran a hand through the boy's soft golden-brown locks and smiled, observing his wide eyes. "I think that's the only similarity he and I have. He looks just like you." The boy gurgled and squirmed, gazing at his parents in wonder. Fanboy leaned down and softly stroked the boy's cheek with his spidery hand, gazing at him lovingly through half-lidded emerald eyes.

"H-Hi," he whispered, tilting the infant's head to get a better look. "Welcome to the world, little buddy. I'm your daddy..." Words had never felt so out of place and so strange emerging from his throat. "I'm your daddy!" The baby's little hands crept from the blankets and tightly gripped his father's finger, gurgling softly.

"Wow," Francine said softly as she observed her children. "They're so small. I just can't get over the fact that they're so little!" She could hold one of the babies in the palm of her hand! A/N: Due to the scale design of the characters' anatomy, this is possible. The baby girl started to whimper a bit for her mother's affection and in response, Francine kissed her forehead. "Shhh... It's okay..." She soothed as the little one continued to whine. "Mama's here, mommy's here," she promised, rocking the baby slightly until her whimpers were quieted.

It was truly a delightful sight, and Fanboy itched to be as close as humanly possible to his wife and new children. "Aw, how I wish I could just lie down there and snuggle with you cuties!" He gushed with envy, giving Francine another long kiss.

"Sorry, Lance. There doesn't seem to be enough room," Francine said with an apologetic half-smile. "Maybe when we get home we can all just take a breather."

"Oh, good!" He cheered, picturing a lovely moment where his new family could just be together.

Then all of a sudden, the door was flung open, and who dropped in? Chum Chum and Yo of course! With a soft squeal, the raven-haired woman rushed over to Francine's side while Chum Chum ran to her opposite side, next to his best friend. "Oh. My. Gosh!" Yo gasped, taking in the beautiful scene before her. "They're the most precious things I've ever seen!" Her hand trailed down to the little girl's face and cupped her chubby cheeks in her hands. "Ooh! She looks just like Francine!"

Chum Chum clapped his hands together and nudged Fanboy with excitement, "It's like a whole litter of 'em!" He said happily, oblivious to the slightly stern look the woman sent him. Litter? "So tell us, what're their names?" He asked, motioning to the tiny bundles.

Fanboy and Francine glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. "O-Oh! Names! Um... Well, we haven't exactly figured that out yet," Francine admitted. "With everything that's happened, I don't, like, really recall ever discussing it with him. But don't worry; we'll figure something out!"

"Oh, okay! Do you need any suggestions?" Yo hinted, grinning a toothy grin. "I can think of a few!"

The other woman shook her head. "That's alright, Yo. I think Lance and I can take care of it ourselves, right Lance?" Her husband nodded, "Yep." He hardly paid attention to the new arrivals, too entranced by his new children.

"Can I hold one of them?" Yo asked, hands twitching in urge to snuggle those babies. Fanboy nodded hesitantly and gently picked up the little girl and placed her in Yo's arms. "Be careful with her," he warned, eyeing her intently.

Yo rolled her eyes and held the baby close to her chest. "What, do you really think I'd drop her?" Fanboy gave her a pained expression and her look softened. She couldn't blame him for being worried. After all, this was his only daughter. "Relax, Fan, I'll be gentle with her. Your baby is safe," she assured him, and he relaxed a bit. "I believe this is foreshadowing. I can just picture you to be an overprotective daddy," was her terse observation.

Fanboy shrugged and scoffed. "I'm not overprotective." But his remark was instantly dubbed out by the fact that he kept at Yo's side the entire time she held his little daughter.

"Oh, who could blame you?" Chum Chum chimed in, patting Fanboy on the back with a knowing grin. "If that were my daughter, I'd be in the same boat." A sly smirk suddenly came into play. "In fact, I remember quite clearly that you were overprotective of me when we were kids. At least around Yo."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Yo giggled, eyeing the tall male with a smirk. "You already had it in you, didn't you, Super Boy?" She took a seat in the chair next to Francine's bed so she ease some of Fanboy's anxiety. "Oh..." She watched as the baby girl sucked her thumb in her sleep, making soft little gurgles. "She's so cute!" She whispered, gently cradling the infant. "You two are so lucky. I can't wait until I have kids of my own..." There was a certain fall in the tone of her voice, and she sighed. Fanboy and Chum Chum glanced at each other. "She looks so similar to you, Francine," the raven-haired woman commented. "It's hard to tell you girls and boys apart."

"I know, right?" Francine laughed, and she kissed her son's flat head, one of the many traits he had inherited from his father. The sounds of the adults' voices caused the little girl to awaken, and she gazed up at Yo through her sparkling emerald eyes.

"Ah! Which one of you has green eyes?" Yo asked, looking back-and-forth between the new parents. "She has your eyes, Lance!"

The young man gasped and rushed over to her side. "Really?"

"See for yourself!" Yo offered, holding the baby up so he could see clearer.

"I can't believe it! She does!" He said, smiling a toothy grin. "It all makes sense. She has my eyes and he has Francine's eyes. Who knew?"

After about ten minutes of taking turns holding, cooing, and admiring the newborns, Francine got right down to business and said, "Yo, Chum Chum? Can you guys please give me and Lance a moment together? We need to think of some names for the children." The two other adults pouted but complied, leaving the two parents alone to discuss naming.

"So," Fanboy said quietly, "here we are. I honestly thought that this moment would never happen in my life. Now that I see them," he said, motioning to the babies, "I feel really nervous. I mean... I can't believe that this never came to mind before, but I never had parents of my own. I know like nothing about parenting!" He looked nervously at his daughter with wide eyes. "I have no idea what to do..."

Francine sighed. She knew this conversation would eventually be brought up, because she had a similar problem. When growing up, her mother and father were not the best parents. However, they were the only example for parents she ever knew. She wasn't sure who else to compare herself to as for parenting. She always had to think to herself, "Were they good parents?" Because she did get good grades and she knew how to use her manners. However, they didn't exactly teach her about kindness and respect either, since she was such a bully.

With that in mind, she thought, "Would I be a good parent? Or will I just end up treating my children the way my parents treated me?" She knew in her heart that she didn't want to treat her children the same way she had been treated as a kid. Because when she was a kid she was so lonesome. She stole a pitied glance at Fanboy. And what about him? He had absolutely zero guidance when he was little. Why didn't they just discuss this before she was pregnant instead of now, while it was already too late to change their minds? Ugh. Like any other young couple, she believed that they rushed into this a little too quickly. But that was that. They were here now, and they had to take care of their children and they needed to discuss it whether it was too late or not.

"I think we need to ask ourselves, "Will we be good parents?"" Francine asked softly, holding the two close to her chest. "Are we really ready to sacrifice and plan for these two?" Fanboy moved himself to the edge of the bed and caressed Francine's cheek lovingly.

"I believe we are. And I know you'll be a great mother!" He said in a quiet, chipper tone. "I'm only worried about myself, and whether I'm...mature enough to be a father." His face slightly fell.

"Well..." Francine began, leaning into his hand, "The one thing we can do to raise our children is to take one step at a time. Let's begin here, with the naming. Naming them can be our first step. And then as they start to grow up and learn, we can learn along with them. So...let's start here. Okay?" Fanboy nodded, feeling a bit more confident in himself.

"Gotcha... But I have to ask you. D-Do you really think I could be a good father?" He asked quietly. "Please, tell me the truth. This is more important to me than anything else in the world and I need to know the truth."

"If...If I didn't think you'd be a good father, do you think I would have drunk that potion?" She asked. He blinked and chuckled. "I guess not..." He sighed and looked proudly over his children. "I've only been with them for such little time, but I already love them so much. So any suggestions for names?"

"Yeah, about that...don't even think about naming them something crazy, like...I don't know...maybe not like Fanboy?!" She said.

"But I thought you loved that name! It's a classic!" Fanboy argued. "and I really don't think we should name them anything prissy and long...like Melchesidec...or Gulliver...or Pricilla. I mean, logically. LOGICALLY, Francine."

After many long minutes of discussing, arguing and suggesting, they finally agreed on two official names that best suited their children. Since the babies had inherited the striking features of their parents, it only seemed right if they had similar names.

The little boy was named Francis, and the little girl's name was Lacey. Nothing long, prissy, or crazy.

Fanboy and Francine couldn't wait to take them home, where they would be loved, cared for, and cherished.