Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers Expecting ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

AN: I do not own the Slayers, I'm just venting my frustrations through the characters.

 

Something didn't add up. Lina had clocked her cycles since she started having them and knew when to expect `that time of the month.' Considering that her livelihood, her work and sometimes staying alive depended on it she was rather good at tracking them. Fortunately they never wavered in their regularity. She was on a perfect 28 day cycle. So why was there no blood? And why could she still not use her powers?

 

Hope tinged with disbelief flooded through her. Could she be pregnant? Finally? After two years of trying with nothing to show for it? Lina walked through the house she owned with Gourry in Zefiel City and found a window to stare out at. She had started to think that one of them was infertile, but she hadn't wanted to see a healer about it. She was, after all, Lina Gabriev, the Beautiful Sorcery Genius who had slew the Dark Lords Shabranigdo and Phibrizzo and many others. How could it be that someone who had all that power and performed feats that ordinary people could not even dream of could not accomplish something that those ordinary folks achieved so easily?

 

She wanted a baby so badly. But she was scared that it would turn out to be a false alarm. May be she had miscounted the days. She ran to her calendar and recounted from the day of the last red circle. There was no doubt about it. Aunt Flo should have been an unwelcome house guest by now. But what if she had marked the wrong day?

 

There was only one way to be sure. Lina ran to the basement where she performed her experiments and kept her magic supplies. She raided the cabinet over her work bench and finally found a bottle of clear, viscous fluid. She poured some into a cup and charged back up the stairs with it. She entered the bedroom, pulled the chamber pot out from under the bed and took down her pants. Peeing in a cup was always so awkward. The deed done, Lina set the cup on the window sill and then wandered out into the living room, glancing at the clock as she did. She spent a nervous five minutes pacing, and then went back into the bathroom to check on the fluid.

 

Lina let out a holler of joy. It was a vivid shade of blue. She was having a baby!

 

* * *

 

Lina walked excitedly through the streets of Zefiel City to the sparring field where Gourry taught swordplay. When she was thirty, she decided she had finally quenched her thirst for travel and adventure and had accepted Gourry's offer to marry him and settle down. She continued her research, Gourry taught, and they had dinner with her folks one night a week. Yet Lina soon found that the wanderlust was not completely quenched, so after six months of married life they traveled to Seyruun to visit Zel, Amelia and Sylphiel. They ended up staying there another six months, establishing a separate household and jobs protecting the royal family there as well. And so it continued. For six months out of the year they stayed in Zefilia. For the rest, Seyruun. It was an arrangement that suited them well, and they were very happy with each other.

 

The only thing that was missing was a baby.

 

The sparring fields came into view and Lina could just barely discern Gourry there. It was hard to miss him, considering how tall he was. “Gourry!” she yelled as she broke out into a run. “Gourry!”

 

Over at the fields, Gourry's sensitive hearing could just make out Lina screaming his name. He turned towards the direction of the sound, scared that something was wrong. He could see Lina running towards him. “Keep on doing those drills.” Gourry said, before running out to meet her.

 

Relief flooded through him as she came more clearly into view and he saw that she was smiling and waving excitedly. Then suddenly she threw herself against him with abandon, hugging him tightly. “We did it!” she yelled, “We're going to have a baby!”

 

Gourry couldn't believe his ears. After so long…He gripped her tightly, laughing happily as he did so. When he finally set her down, he looked deeply into her eyes and asked, “So, how long until you start growing some boobs?”

 

Lina smacked him upside the head.

 

* * *

 

Something unprecedented was occurring in Zefilia. Something that alarmed Gourry and caused him to hover over Lina like a worried mother hen. Lina had stopped eating.

 

Things had been going well. They had been excited about the pregnancy, though they kept the news to themselves. They wanted to keep it under wraps that she was vulnerable for as long as possible. Even though she had retired from the road, there were still plenty of people who wanted her dead.

 

Aside from some breast tenderness and fatigue Lina had seemed to escape from the legendary morning sickness that plagued most women. That was until three weeks after she found out she was pregnant. She woke up, got out of bed, and found herself grabbing the chamber pot to vomit.

 

And it got worse. “When I get my powers back, I'm going to Fireball whoever named this `morning sickness!'” Lina spat as she lay on her stomach in bed, pushing away the tray of food that Gourry had offered. “I mean, really, it's eight o'clock in the evening! Why am I still throwing up?”

 

“I think I should get a healer.” Gourry stated, hoping that she would finally agree.

 

She was not so obliging. “No, I don't want a healer, what's a healer going to do anyway?”

 

Gourry grabbed the damp rag he had laid on her neck earlier and dipped it in cold water, squeezing it out before placing it back on her neck. “But what if something's wrong? You're not eating and you're throwing up, that's not normal, is it?”

 

“Sylphiel said she threw up at all times of the day when she was expecting her kids. Remember when she was pregnant with Maria at Ceipheed's Festival?”

 

Gourry thought for a moment. “No.”

 

Lina sighed. If she wasn't feeling so crappy she would have hit him. “She spent the whole festival puking her guts out in the outhouse while we took Eruk and my namesake to the games and shows.”

 

A light bulb seemed to go off in his head, “Oh! I wondered where she had wandered off to!”

 

Lina groaned, and not because of Gourry's denseness. A fresh wave of nausea had reared its ugly head. Gourry placed a hand on her back, frowning. “May be I should get your mother.”

 

Lina was so miserable that she was almost ready to acquiesce. Almost. “Don't. If she knows she'll tell everyone, and then some Mazoku or bandit gang seeking vengeance might take it in his head to attack. We have to keep this a secret until I'm fourteen weeks along and get my powers back.”

 

Gourry wasn't happy about it but he decided that now was not the time to challenge her. “Hey Lina, why do pregnant woman lose their powers and then get them back?”

 

“That's a very good question, Gourry, and when someone finds out I will tell you.” Lina moaned again and Gourry started to rub her ears. To Lina's surprise it worked a little.

 

“Hand me that tray, I'm going to try to eat something.”

 

Gourry smiled, “You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that.” He said as he did as asked.

 

Lina tore into her food with her usual gusto and Gourry watched quietly. He hated seeing her like this. She was usually so energetic and healthy that she seemed unstoppable. It had been part of what had drawn him to her. But now she was tired and sick all of the time, and even though she had wanted a baby as much as he did, he couldn't help but feel guilty as he watched her suffer. Especially as he got off scot free.

 

And then there was the part of him that was a little resentful, which he hated himself for. The baby wasn't even here yet, and already she or he had gotten in the way of one of his favorite pastimes with Lina: fighting over food. Some couples danced, others built stuff together, Lina and Gourry fought over food. And now Lina could barely stomach it. Eating was such a lonely affair for him now that he wondered how he used to get through meals before he had met Lina. Stealing the last drumstick just wasn't the same when Lina didn't want it in the first place.

 

His thoughts were interrupted when Lina abruptly pushed the tray away from her and darted off the bed and grabbed the chamber pot, sticking her head into it. Seconds later Gourry could hear her retching. He sighed and started to pick up the remnants of what should have been her dinner.

 

* * *

 

Lina was sobbing uncontrollably. She had had a very rough day. The vomiting was getting worse and she was having a hard time even keeping water down. She was also exhausted. It started the night before when the nausea became so bad that it actually woke her up and caused her to grab the chamber pot. She spent several hours on the couch afterwards so that she would not disturb Gourry with a bucket close to her head. Too miserable to do anything including sleep she laid there as waves of nausea assaulted her. And in the throes of irrationality that accompany such times, she wondered what she ever did to make her unborn child hate her to much as to cause her such suffering.

 

She had finally been able to doze off a little when morning came and Gourry had to get up and get ready for work. He knew that she had had a rough night and dressed as quietly as he could before setting out to the kitchen to make breakfast, stopping to kiss his wife on the forehead as he crossed the living room.

 

“I wish you hadn't done that.” She mumbled.

 

“Damn Lina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.”

 

“Don't worry about it. I like seeing you before you leave for the day anyway.”

 

“Is there anything I can do?”

 

“Get me some toast and water?”

 

He patted her on the shoulder and set off to the kitchen. He returned promptly with her meager breakfast and she sat up to give it a good try. He returned to prepare his own food. His eyes narrowed as he heard the sound of retching noises coming from the living room.

 

He ate hurriedly, and when he finished and went back to the living room she was back to sitting on the couch, glass of water in hand, looking pale and lifeless. “Do you want me to stay home today? I hate to leave you alone like this.”

 

Lina waved her hand dismissively. “I'll be fine. I hope to be sleeping all day so there really won't be much to do until you get back. Just remember tonight is when we eat with my folks.”

 

Gourry continued to stare at her. He wished she would see a healer. This couldn't be normal. And as things were going, he was debating the costs versus benefits of summoning one without her permission and dealing with her wrath later. Though in her current condition, she wasn't very threatening.

 

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind then had Lina set the water glass firmly on the table and grit her teeth, “Look, plenty of women go through this. Somehow Naga, sorry Gracia managed to get through her pregnancies without it, but she's the exception. And if you think what I'm going through is bad, you should hear the horror stories Mom tells about when she was expecting Luna. And if you bring home a healer I'll be kicking both of you out for the night! Now I love you, but go away already, I want to go to sleep.”

 

Gourry smiled a little. That was the Lina he knew. He kissed her on the forehead and headed out. Lina breathed a sigh of relief. She loved him, but hated being hovered over when she was so sick. That, and she didn't want people poking around their cabin if he didn't show up for work wondering what was wrong. And fortunately at Zefilia at least Lina did her research in private so no one would notice if she wasn't working. She was so sick she hadn't been able to look at it all week.

 

Bracing herself against the nausea she knew would accompany standing up, she slowly moved off the couch. She closed her eyes for a minute, hopeful that she wouldn't throw up again. She took it as a sign that her luck was turning when she didn't, and she made it to the bedroom.

 

She tossed and turned for awhile, frustrated about how she could be so tired yet unable to fall asleep. Finally it claimed her. But just as it did, a thunking sound from the outside facing wall of her bedroom woke her. “What the hell…” she muttered as she got up. Unfortunately, she had moved too quickly and the nausea besieged her, causing her to fall back on the bed.

 

The thumping sound continued as she spent a few moments trying to hold down what little was left in her stomach. Once the spell had passed, she cautiously lifted herself from the bed. Growling to herself, she opened the window to yell at some kids playing dodgeball, “Hey you! Don't you know it's a school day? What the hell do you think you are doing here playing?”

 

The kids stiffened nervously at her voice. Lina was known as someone not to cross. “Sorry, miss, but our teacher got sick and school was canceled.”

 

Lina's face turned puce with anger. “Well find somewhere else to play!”

 

They didn't have to be told twice. Fortunately they ran so fast that they didn't notice that she was now retching onto the lawn outside her window. After washing her face, she once again got into bed, determined that this time she would finally get some uninterrupted sleep. If only it would claim her. Once if finally did, a persistent knock on the door woke her. Lina felt like crying. Without bothering to make the trip to the front of the house she yelled, “Whoever it is better get the hell away from here before I get up and Fireball you to a crisp! And that's what you get for disturbing my beauty sleep!”

 

Whoever was at the door wisely decided to leave. Unfortunately, as Lina found out, sleep was not in the cards that day. There was a distinct pattern of her finding sleep and being awoken by some random happenstance, including a cat fight, the mail carrier knocking on the door to deliver a package, another wave of nauseous vomiting, and the final kicker, a parade.

 

Yes, of all days to have a parade, it had to be the one that was the most inconvenient. Lina decided it was probably a good thing that she couldn't access her powers because she was liable to kill everyone in the damn procession with a super hot, amplified Fireball.

 

Which was how Gourry came home to find her curled up in bed with tears streaming down her face as the parade marched outside the window. It was not a reassuring sight. He could count on one hand the number of times when he saw Lina really cry. Steeling himself, he walked over to the bed and held her, softly asking her what was wrong.

 

Lina wondered what wasn't wrong. She was tired and thirsty and hormonal and couldn't stop throwing up for the life of her. And it was the night that she and Gourry were supposed to meet her parents for dinner. That was the breaking point. There was no way she could hide her condition from her folks when she was like this. Gourry held her tightly as she buried her face in his chest, sobs wracking her body relentlessly. She was never like this usually and he was at a loss as to what to do.

 

“…They're going to find out! There's no way I can keep this from them! They're going to find out and tell everyone and then I'll be attacked…”

 

Gourry rubbed her back as she went on and on. It concerned him that she was suddenly so paranoid. It wasn't like her to be so. She was usually so carefree. But then, he realized, she'd never gone so long without using her magic before. “It's scary being without your powers for so long, isn't it?”

 

Lina looked up to face him, “What do you think? Of course it's scary! I'm good with a sword but that won't help me against a Mazoku or even a lesser demon for that matter. I don't want to die! Why did we do this? What were we thinking? We had two years to change our minds, why didn't we take a hint…”

 

He kissed her, ignoring the unpleasant taste of vomit that remained in her mouth. For awhile she was too stunned to do anything, but then she returned the kiss fervently, as though her life depended on it. When they finally pulled away Gourry looked down and brushed the tears from her face. “We're almost at the fourteen week mark, aren't we? You're what, eight weeks? So we're more than half way there.”

 

Lina took a deep breath and calmed down a little, “Well, when you put it like that.”

 

“Besides, I am your protector.” He added as he cupped her cheek, “I'm not going to let anything happen to you or our baby.”

 

Man, Gourry…it's just that I'm not used to needing protection. she thought to herself. Nevermind the fact that even with the Blast Sword, she was still more powerful than him…when she could use her powers anyway. The Blast Sword simply wouldn't cut it against a high ranking Mazoku. Outwardly she smiled.

 

“We don't have to go to your folks. I can run over there quickly and tell them you're not feeling well.”

 

Lina shook her head. “Mom would get worried and want to come over to nurse me and she'd figure it out.”

 

“Well, then I can tell them I'm sick.”

 

“Nah, Mom likes you more than she likes me.”

 

Gourry opened his mouth to retort, but Lina sighed, “We'll just have to be careful. If I concentrate really hard, I will not throw up while we're there. I defeated Shabranidgo, twice. I defeated Phibrizzo, and Zannafar. I can go through an evening without throwing up.”

 

Gourry smiled in relief. Now she was sounding more like Lina, the woman who kept her cool no matter what. Unless slugs were thrown into the picture.

 

* * *

 

Unfortunately for Lina, her parents were making steak. Usually Lina loved steak. Now the smell of dead cow sent her running to the chamber pot, no ifs ands or buts. So as soon as she opened the backdoor to her parents' abode and the smell of cooking meat reached her nostrils, she turned around and ran to the bushes, her newfound resolve vanishing as quickly as the contents of her stomach.

 

Lina's father and sister, who were seated in the living room, watched her almost entrance with bemused curiosity. “What's with her?” Luna asked.

 

Fortunately Gourry had planned ahead for just such a contingency. “Food poisoning. She ate some bad shrimp earlier.”

 

“Where did she get it from? She'd better lodge a complaint and get a refund, and a little extra for her trouble.” Mr. Inverse said.

 

Gourry's mouth hung open. He hadn't thought of a place where Lina could have gotten the shrimp beforehand, and he'd hate to implicate some innocent fishmonger.

 

“What's going on?” Mrs. Inverse said as she emerged from the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron, “Is Lina okay?”

 

“Gourry says she has food poisoning.” Luna explained as Lina entered the house, looking pale and miserable.

 

“That's right, Sis, food poisoning. I ate some bad clams.”

 

“Gourry said it was shrimp.” Mr. Inverse countered.

 

“This from the man who can't remember his middle name? Of course he would think it was shrimp.” Lina replied irritably as she sat on the chair beside her father.

 

Mrs. Inverse clasped her hands around her mouth, “You're pregnant!”

 

“What?” Lina exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch, “Where would you get a silly idea like that? I'm not pregnant.”

 

She was not very convincing.

 

“Her boobs are bigger.” Luna crassly pointed out.

 

“What! No they're not!” Lina cried as she crossed her arms over her chest.

 

“Luna's right, they're bigger. You've actually got cleavage now.” Mrs. Inverse said, her voice rising in pitch as though she had just won the lottery.

 

Lina turned bright red, “You're imagining things! They're not bigger! They've always been this way.”

 

“No, they've always been flat.” Luna countered with a smirk. “Now there's something there.”

 

“Put your arms down, if there's nothing different it will have been our mistake.” Mrs. Inverse challenged.

 

Lina balked, “I don't want all of you staring at my chest.”

 

“Okay you two, you've had your fun, leave her alone.” Mr. Inverse butted in.

 

Lina sighed in relief, but didn't relax her arms. “Thanks, Daddy.”

 

Gourry decided to continue with the diversion. “So what's cooking? It smells good!”

 

“Steak and baked potatoes.” Mrs. Inverse said as she turned to glare at her husband and Luna, “Honey, you said you'd set the table. It's not set. Fix it. Now! Get to it! Luna, help with the potatoes. Lina, Gourry start getting everyones' drinks.”

 

Everyone scrambled up out of their seats. Getting on Mrs. Inverse's bad side was not considered a good idea. Lina lowered her arms as she stood up. Mrs. Inverse's eyes widened as she stared at her younger daughter's chest, “They are bigger! Honey, look! They're huge.”

 

“Huge for Lina at least.” Luna commented dryly, “She's still got nothing on me.”

 

The color once again consumed her face. “What are you talking about? They're little! Little! I'm as flat as a washboard…” she stopped her diatribe when she realized that everyone, Gourry included, was staring at her in disbelief. Was she, who had always tried to emphasize her breast size, actually proclaiming loud and clearly that they were small? “Shit!”

 

Mrs. Inverse burst into tears. “I'm going to be a grandma!”

 

Lina and Gourry exchanged an awkward glance across the room. Lina sighed, “Fine, yes you are, but you can't go around telling people until I get my powers back again, okay?”

 

* * *

 

By noon the next day, everyone who frequented her parents' store knew she was expecting. By that evening, it seemed as though the whole town knew. “This is your idea of not telling anyone?” Lina groused as she finished receiving another townsperson offering their congratulations the day after.

 

Her mother shrugged as she handed Lina another cup of hot ginger tea. “Do you know long I've waited for one of you girls to settle down and give me grandchildren? I'd given up on Luna eons ago. You have no idea how happy I was when you showed up after being gone for nearly twenty years with Gourry in tow. Though he took his sweet time getting you knocked out…”

 

Lina spat out her tea, “Mom!”

 

“What? It's true.”

 

Lina sighed as grabbed a rag and mopped herself up, “All of that is beside the point. I told you about the monsters I've faced, right? And I've told you about Xellos. And Beastmaster and Deep Sea Dolphin are still out there. I have many very powerful enemies out there…”

 

“Which is why I'm taking time off from the store to stay with you while Gourry is away. I've cast a spell or two in my day.”

 

Lina clenched her teeth as her temples began to throb, “No offense, but your level of magic isn't cut out for the demons I've faced.”

 

Mrs. Inverse flushed, “Well, do you want me to get Luna to babysit you until you get your powers back?”

 

Lina turned blue as an image of Luna ordering her to exercise for the good of the baby even though she felt too sick to do so came to mind, “Hey! No need to get drastic here!”

 

Her mother nodded in satisfaction, “I thought so.”

 

Lina decided to drop the matter as she took another sip of her tea. What was done was done, and berating her mother wasn't getting her anywhere. Besides, telling her mother had introduced her to the wonderful benefits of ginger and its way of fighting the nausea and vomiting that accompanied morning sickness.

 

Sure she was still miserable, and sure she still felt as though she had a bad stomach bug, but she could keep food and water down if she ate in small increments now, and she was definitely feeling better. She had even been able to go through her research notes again and actually had a decent start on the paper she was writing.

 

The door swung open, and Gourry stepped in. “Hey!” he called by way of greeting as he walked over to Lina to give her a peck on the lips. “Been feeling better today?”

 

“Yup! I only threw up four times today.”

 

“Of all of your achievements, this is what I'm most proud of.” Mrs. Inverse said as she gathered her stuff, “I must get back to the store. Your father has a bad habit of letting customers haggle him down too much and we lose money whenever I'm not there to keep an eye on it.”

 

“Bye.” Lina said. Unspoken in that goodbye was, “please go.”

 

Gourry pulled up a chair beside Lina and waited till her mother was one before asking, “Rough day?”

 

Lina pushed aside her research, took off her glasses and stretched. Gourry couldn't help but appreciate his wife's new assists as she did. While her mother and sister had been crass in pointing out her increased bust size, he couldn't argue with them that they were right. “She's been driving me crazy with advice. And she wants us to settle down here year round now that we're expecting.”

 

Gourry tore his eyes from Lina's chest to look her in the eyes, “Did you tell her?”

 

“What do you think I am, crazy?” Lina shouted, and then calmed down, “Of course I didn't tell her. She would flip! We'd never here the end of it!”

 

Lina then proceeded to do an imitation of her mother. Considering they looked and sounded alike, it wasn't too difficult. “What do you mean you want to have my first grandchild in Seyruun? Your father and I can't afford to close the store down to visit you there when the baby comes! Don't you know how long I've been wanting this? Why can't someone here deliver your baby?”

 

Gourry frowned, “So are you still wanting to go to Seyruun?”

 

“Yes, Gourry, of course. I'm just not telling my folks until absolutely necessary.”

 

Gourry thought for a moment before he said, “But you've been so sick. Will you be up to it?”

 

“We won't leave until I'm five months.” Lina explained, “By then I'll be in the second trimester, and I should be feeling pretty good. We'll be fine. Oh gosh…”

 

Gourry's eyes widened, “Are you okay?”

 

Lina nodded, “Just got a little nauseous there. It's gone now.” She looked at him and smiled, “So how was your day?”

 

It was one of the hardest things that they had to get used to in life in Zefilia: spending most of the day away from each other. After years of traveling constantly in each others' presence they were used to spending nearly every waking moment of the day with each other. While at first it was nice to have some distance, it usually started to wear thin about two months into their rotation in Zefilia.

 

Before Lina got pregnant she usually would have packed a big picnic lunch to eat with him on the fields, and occasionally if Gourry had a student who also had an aptitude for magic he would invite Lina to give him or her some extra lessons on using swordplay and magic together, but now she just wasn't up to it. And they missed the closeness that came with sharing their days together. Which was part of why going to Seyruun was a welcome respite. Not only were they together again, but they were actually working together to protect the royal family, even if things had been fairly quiet since King Phil had ascended to the throne eight years ago.

 

There had been some minor incidents. A few attempted burglaries and a few veiled assassination threats. The most serious was when some third rate wizard with delusions of grandeur decided to make an attempt on Gracia's firstborn son's life. But other than that, life at the royal palace was quiet and comfortable.

 

Gourry talked about his day a little, though as usual he didn't have too much to say. Some kids wanted lessons, so he gave them. It was really that simple. And while he could go in detail about the strengths and weaknesses of each student, Lina usually wasn't interested. “I'll get washed up and get started on dinner.” He said when he finished.

 

“Okay, I'm going to finish up a letter to Amelia and Zel. Is there anything you want to add?”

 

“Have you told them?”

 

“No, I want to surprise them when we get to Seyruun.”

 

“Just tell them that I said `hi.'”

 

Lina nodded. There was nothing new there. Even back in the days when they traveled constantly and Lina sent out letters to her friends and family, Gourry sent none and really had nothing to add to hers. She had put it down to him being a man (Zel was never good at writing either), but eventually she had found it strange that he never even sent a simple letter home to his folks letting them know he was all right. She had asked him about it years ago when they had first met. He replied that he didn't remember where they were.

 

At first, she had bought it. But then as she got to know him she wondered if some of his denseness was deliberate to prevent inquiries into his past. But then what could someone as trustworthy as Gourry be hiding?

 

Through the years she had gotten bits and pieces of it. It definitely wasn't his favorite topic of discussion. She had been shocked when she learned that he had stolen the Sword of Light, but wasn't too surprised when she found it was because his family was feuding over it and he did it in an attempt to save them. She had the impression that a lot of his folks were killed in the fight, but that was it. She bit her lip, wondering if she should even ask what she was about to.

 

“Hey Gourry.” She said tensely.

 

He stopped on the way to the sink, and turned to look at her, “Hm?”

 

“Is there anyone in your family we should write about this?” She felt stupid as soon as she said it. She had asked a similar question when they were planning their wedding and she had wanted to invite some members of his family. He had said then that there was no one to invite. They hadn't even bothered separating the seats into bride's side and groom's side because of it. Sure enough, no Gabrievs other than Gourry were there.

 

She quickly tried to recover, “I mean, even if things are rough, you'd think that good news like this would mend things. And it doesn't seem fair that my parents will see the kid a lot and yours won't…”

 

“My parents are dead.” Gourry said simply, “And what family I have left doesn't want to hear from me again. I stole the Sword of Light, and I accept responsibility for that. And now because of my actions the sword is no longer in this world. I knew when I left Elmekia that I would never be able to return, and I'm at peace with that.”

 

He walked back over to the table and knelt down so that their faces were level, “You're my family now. And we're having a baby. I'm happy with that. If you want to stay here year round with your family and the baby, I'm fine with that. Or if you want to stay in Seyruun all of the time, I'm fine with that too. Or if you find somewhere else entirely, it doesn't matter to me, because I'll be with you. That's what matters. So stop worrying about telling my family, because the only family I have that matters is here.”

 

He grasped her shoulders lightly as he finished speaking, looking deeply in her eyes, willing her to understand. Lina's mouth worked quietly for a few minutes as she struggled for something to say. Every now and then she felt overpowered by the depth of the feelings he professed for her. This was one of those times. Eventually Gourry got up and headed back towards the kitchen. Finally Lina spoke, “I'll just tell Amelia that you said `hi.'”

 

* * *

 

Gourry walked through their small house in his usual quiet manner. The front door opened to a small living room with a sofa, a recliner, and a coffee table. Towards to back of the house and off to the right was the dining room, with the tiny kitchen at the front of the house. To the left was their bedroom. The entrance to the basement was a hidden door beside the bedroom. Gourry wasn't sure how Lina had done it, she'd explained it all once but it was beyond his comprehension to figure out. He only knew that it was there and how to open it.

 

He opened it and navigated to twists and turns that Lina had built into it. It had been where they had spent the bulk of the money they had raised while raiding bandits. While Lina would have preferred to have a slightly bigger house with more lavish furnishings, building a nice area to conduct research was her top priority. Though now they would have to find some funds to build a nursery, but Gourry decided to leave Lina to that. She was the one with the brains for finances.

 

He finally reached her lab and looked around, checking every corner and dark area to make sure that there were no intruders. And there were plenty of places to check. At the front of her lab was her workbench and supplies, but the bulk of it was shelves upon shelves of books. Some were the journals she herself had kept since she was a child who first studied magic. Most were rare volumes she had found on her travels. Lina often mused that she could sell them to the sorcerer's guild for some major cash, but somehow she never got around to doing so.

 

When he was satisfied that there was no one there but him he went back up and did one final sweep of the house. He wasn't usually so thorough, but they still had two weeks left before Lina could use her magic and he didn't want to take any chances. Content with the knowledge that the only people in the house were Lina and himself, he walked into their bedroom and prepared for bed.

 

Lina was already in bed, laying on her right side facing the window. “Find anyone?” she asked.

 

Gourry froze. “Did I wake you?”

 

“No, I guess I napped too long earlier. I'm having a hard time sleeping now.”

 

Something flickered within him, but he tried to brush the feeling aside. It was hard, though. To put it simply, Lina was getting more beautiful by the day it seemed. Her breasts were bigger, her skin glowed, and her hair was getting thicker. Yet she had been so sick and tired that all he'd been able to do since the morning sickness started was look and not touch. In short, he hadn't felt this sexually frustrated in years. He felt like he did when he had first started traveling with Lina, knowing he was head over heels in love with her but waiting for her to catch on, waiting for her to be ready…

 

May be tonight might be a good night?

 

Gourry got in bed beside her, curling up to her so that they were spooning. He lifted his head to nuzzle at her ear while one hand reached around to gently squeeze her breast and…

 

“Ouch, Gourry, that HURTS!” Lina screeched as she batted his hand away.

 

Gourry froze. What had he done wrong? “What hurts?”

 

“My breasts! Don't you know anything?” She shouted as she sat up and turned to face him, “They're so sore right now that even my shirt rubbing against them hurts!”

 

“Oh,” Gourry said, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice. “But why?”

 

“Because I'm pregnant, you idiot! When women get pregnant their breasts start to hurt! Now do you have any more stupid questions?”

 

“So you finally grow breasts, but I can't touch them…” Gourry stopped when he realized he was speaking out loud.

 

Next thing he knew, he was on the floor beside the bed, making a mental note that he would forget as soon as he woke up to pick his wife up some flowers on his way home from work. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time she'd kicked him off the bed and he'd spent the night on the floor.

 

AN: If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! My reasoning behind Lina being able to get her powers back after the first trimester is that is also when the placenta fully forms and takes some of the work load off of the mother and unto itself. But I'm not sure how well they would understand those matters in the Slayers verse and decided to leave it a mystery for them. Also, my morning sickness was not as bad as Lina's, thankfully. I put her through hell so I could say to myself at least I'm not going through what she is. Sadistic, but I felt bad when I was putting her through all that.