The months had gone by, and I'd found myself growing round. A smirk would cross my lips from time to time, trying to think of how this child would turn out, born to a lagoon boy and his girl. Or well, a girl. Part of me believed I was his girl, and that was all that mattered. I didn't know for certain what these feelings were turning into, but we spent nearly every day together, when he wasn't off doing errands to win the approval of the boss, that is.

Most nights I had to sleep standing up, leaning on either Jaxon or a tree, for support. My belly was getting larger and larger as the days wore on, and by god, it was driving me nuts. I would rarely lay down, only when my joints ached enough to the point of not being able to deal with the pressure anymore.

That night had been a bit of both, leaning against Jaxon for support during the night, and towards the hours before dawn, I moved, laying in the soft grasses, my neck slick with sweat. This pregnancy was taking more out of me than I planned. I shuffled more often than I liked to. The aches and pains were driving me nuts to the point of being irritated. I had a tendency lately to snap at Jaxon, about the little things and I didn't mean to, I was just in so much pain during the day that I couldn't deal with. He wasn't doing anything wrong either, it was just me.

I had thought he'd gone on a walk this morning, an hour or so after I laid down. I huffed, my eyes narrowing as I looked at my stomach with a strange glance. This was strange. The pain I'd been in over night hadn't been too new, but then again, most of these were something I'd never heard of before. I needed someone to help me learn the cues, apparently. But it wasn't until the first full contraction ripped through my side that I realized, oh crap, I'm in labor.

I groaned, of course this baby wanted to make its appearance while daddy was gone so, damn. I groaned as another contraction rippled through my sides. I laid my head down on the ground, the sweat foaming on the side of my neck and chest. This, was not what I wanted. Not in any dang way. Dawn began creeping through the sky as the pains got stronger and more painful. I worked on pushing, ever so slowly, using more muscles than I had planned on using, working the small body from within my womb, triyng to coax it out into the new bright world.

Good lord almighty, this babe as a stubborn one. A few more pushes brought the baby girl earthside. And a sigh of relief fell from my lips. The contractions slowed, and my knowledge of afterbirth would be coming later, apparently. I didn't want to stand yet, only laying with my head in the grass for a few more minutes, my labored breathing finally slowing, somewhat. I took my time, standing on unsteady legs, turning towards my little girl. She squealed in protest as I began to clean her up, tossing her white and smoky black face. Edges of the white looked a little muddled, and reminded me of the sooty aspect of Jaxon's coat. A grin split on my lips, looking at the little girl at my feet for a moment.

It was then that the sounds around me registered finally. Jaxon was back. I lifted my gentle head, tilting to the side. " Well, Looky here who showed up late to the party, Hi daddy-o."