50 Baby Girl Vaako

"Vaako?" Shea gasped as looked down at the puddle at her feet.

Kayleen quickly grabbed Michael from her and stood in shock. How could they know she was going to go into labor? Did they cause it? That wasn't possible. She looked at Riddick who seemed to be sharing the same thoughts.

"Shea? Are you ok, Baby?" Vaako asked as he picked her up and carried her to their bed. He laid her down gently and pushed her hair off her face. Kissing her face, he began to whisper to her.

Kayleen handed Michael off to Riddick, ran after them and began to ask Shea questions. "Have you been having contractions?"

"No." Shea smiled slightly and shook her head.

Kayleen frowned, "Nothing at all? No back pain, anything?"

"No, Kayleen, how…how did he know?" Shea asked as she looked over Kayleen's shoulder at the two boys Riddick was now struggling to hold. A look of fear crossed Shea's face that had Riddick raising his eyebrow at her.

Then the pain began. Hard and fast and Shea let out a scream and gritted her teeth.

She sat up and doubled over with another cry of pain. Vaako reached for her hand and was grateful that he wasn't a Furyan and didn't have to share the pain with her. Then he felt like shit for thinking that. If she had to deal with the pain to bring his child into the world, he should too.

Shea began to yell at Vaako and almost crushed his hand as she squeezed it during her contractions. She cursed him out, using words he thought he'd only hear Kayleen say, and he felt his jaw hit the floor. Shea threw his hand away from her and Vaako quickly stood, deemed himself useless and decided to pace.

He wondered what happened to his tiny, even tempered woman. Was this really his wife? The sweet innocent Shea he married? She was showing her true Furyan roots during labor, that much was obvious.

He wasn't sure if he liked it but he felt himself become slightly aroused. Riddick shook his head at him and Vaako blushed and shrugged.

Chuckling to himself, Riddick knew what Vaako was going through. It was oddly arousing, watching your mate in labor. Knowing you helped create life. Her scent changed as her hormones spiked and waned. It put the male in a state of hypersensitivity and knowing that the end was almost near, knowing he'd have his mate to himself again was intoxicating.

"Riddick, get Liza." Kayleen ordered as she tried to keep Shea calm. Though Kayleen had given birth just three short months ago, she didn't really know what to do for Shea. This was different. An intermixed race, one which the knew next to nothing about. Anything could happen and Kayleen wanted Liza there to help.

In answer to Shea's earlier question about Michael causing the labor, Kayleen shook her head, "Shea, both Riddick and I knew you were close. We could... feel it. I'm sure the boys did too. I know it's scary, but they won't hurt you or the baby."

"I know that,Kayleen, I'm just scared." She reached for her husband again, "Vaako," Shea wailed as another contraction swamped her.

Riddick opened the door of Vaako's quarters and bellowed down the hall. "LIZA! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW, SHEA'S HAVING THE BABY!"

Kayleen and Shea just looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "I could have done that, Riddick. You didn't have to wake the whole damn house!" Kayleen sighed in complete annoyance.

Riddick just shrugged and put the squirming kids on the bed with Shea. There were becoming increasingly difficult to hold. Michael wiggled his way over and laid his head against her stomach again. Gabriel snuggled next to Michael, sucked his thumb and waited. For what? No one knew.

Shea was panting and trying hard not to hurt Michael. He was so close to her, on her in-fact. Her labor was progressing quickly, quicker than Kayleen's had and that was scary for everyone.

Liza burst into the room and rushed to the bed. "Riddick, get the boys out of the way." she snapped. When Riddick picked them back up, Michael screamed and tried to get back to Shea.

"Mine! Gemini!" Michael cried and reached for Shea again, struggling to get out of his father's arms.

Liza haulted and looked at the boy. "Holy shit, he's talking? That's..." she shook her head and blinked, "Unusual. I mean... Kayleen spoke early and there are some reports you did too, Riddick, but at three months?" Liza whispered and moved toward Michael.

"How about we get back to my wife that is in labor with my child." Vaako ground out with a scowl.

Liza looked at Vaako, shifting once again back into midwife, "Do you remember anything about your race?"

Pacing, Vaako clenched his fists, "Not much, I was only a teen when the Necros came,"

"You don't remember any birth practices, anything at all?"

"No, not really. I remember there wasn't a big deal made out of it. Women had babies every day with little problem." He told her, realizing how upsetting it would be for a dying race to hear, but it was the truth. Geminis were more abundant than the Furyans before the Necromongers attached them. It must have had something to do with the heat cycles.

Kayleen snorted. She couldn't imagine a world where children were almost taken for granted. Not after the way she'd been raised. Struggling to keep a dying race alive was all she knew. Every birth was recorded, no matter if the child survived or not. Every pregnancy, every loss, documented. Every single Furyan mattered, no matter how young or old.

Shea let out a loud scream and Michael laughed and clapped. "Gemini comes," he said, pointing to Shea.

"Shit, she's crowning already." Liza muttered, "Kayleen, grab some towels. Shea, you've got to push this baby out. Come on, you can do this."

With the next contraction, Shea bore down and with two hard pushes, a small, pink squirming girl popped out into Liza's waiting hands.

Vaako cried openly as he saw his daughter for the first time. She was so tiny and beautiful. He never thought he'd have a child, never realized he wanted one. Now, he knew he'd never love anyone more.

Kayleen cleaned the baby off and handed her to Vaako with a smile and teary eyes as Liza tended to Shea.

"Look at her, Shea, she's beautiful. She looks just like you." Vaako whispered as he held the squirming bundle for his wife to see.

"Her eyes are blue," Shea cried. "Look at all that hair. It looks like yours!" She laughed. The baby's hair was sticking up on top of her head and she had a small, fuzzy mohawk. Kayleen giggled and Riddick snickered.

When Liza finished up with Shea and kissed the baby on the head. "What's her name?" she asked stoking the girls soft cheek.

Vaako and Shea looked at each other and smiled, "Kyra," They said at the same time.

Kayleen gasped as a new flood of tears came. She reached for Riddick and his warm hand gripped hers. Kyra. The name was bittersweet to all of them.

Kayleen had lost her at birth, before she even knew she existed and Riddick had been blessed, and cursed in equal parts, with her over the span of five years. He was there when she died, in his arms as Vaako watched.

Kyra, a bridge between them all.

Michael wouldn't be put off any longer. Kayleen put him on the bed with Shea and Kyra. He laid his head against Kyra's and smiled. He looked at Gabriel and then to Riddick. "Gemini,"

Rubbing his head, Riddick chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, kid, I got it. Gemini." Riddick looked at Vaako and smiled. "Well, looks like we're heading to Gemini to collect your people."