Chapter 54

D-Day

"Y ou pee," Rek announced. "My Jojo… wake. You pee in sleeps. My Jo?"

With a groan, I came to and clutched at my belly. "It's not pee," I muttered. Standing, liquid rushed down my legs and soaked the rug beneath my feet.

"Jojo pee… a lot," Rek mumbled, sitting up from where he'd been napping next to me, staring down at my legs, wide-eyed.

It wasn't time yet. I had a ways to fucking go still, compared to the many other Lo denaii pregnancies of others I was going off of. Fuck me.

"A lot," Rek repeated, like it beared repeating.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at him or laugh, either giving me away, risking irritating him when I needed him in total compliance, I waved it off and muttered calmly, like I wasn't internally freaking out here, "Be a dear and grab some clothes for me, would ya, bleach-squatch?" Ignoring the pain tearing through my middle, I smirked and flicked a finger at him. "Today."

"Bossy," Rek muttered, but kissed me and rushed off, grunting and grimacing at all that "pee" dampening his fur.

The rest of my crazy crew had picked the worst day to be fucking off elsewhere. I've been a bit of a bear lately. Honestly, maybe they needed a little break from their crazy, hormones wonky pregnant mate. Rek was the only being brave enough to stick to me like glue even when I demanded otherwise. I wanted to kiss him as often as I daydreamed about braining him.

Gripping my belly, rushing around the bed as fast as my contractions would let me, I was all set to grab the horn and step outside to blow it, alerting the others of our impending arrival, when Rek came rushing back into the room.

"My Jojo! It not pee!" he squawked. His voice bordered on a squeak. He almost sounded like Dace. I'd laugh at the look of horror on his face if I wasn't biting back a pained groan.

"I know," I muttered through gritted teeth. "And I need you to keep it together here. I'm trying not to lose my shit."

I'd wanted to spend some time holed up in Celuk's hilltop palace, another mini honeymoon, a prebaby retreat. I knew once the baby arrived we'd probably be spending most of our time at Rek's place in the village. I really didn't want Gopher's parents having to travel all the way up this hill to see the baby all the time so the village made sense. BapaFuz can say what he liked but the male still limped—Gopher knows when his leg is bothering him. Don't BS me, old man!

Rek stood there gaping as I made my way past him. Snatching the clothes in his hands from him, I gave his shoulder a little there-there pat while his brain rebooted. "Remember what we've talked about," I grunted out.

Buu had run into town with Jeh-kal on a short errand. They were due back any minute. Darn my sweets cravings and bless them and Boog for so readily enabling it. I'm surprised I'm not as big as a house. I felt like one with this monster baby leading the way.

Celuk had popped over to Horn Head's to quickly check on Baby, at my insistence. I'd just- I couldn't explain it but I'd woken up with this odd anxiousness today I couldn't put my finger on and I'd assumed maybe it was that. Baby was due to drop a pup or two any day now, and Celuk was not designed to sit on his butt and wait around for shit to happen. I may be regretting encouraging him to stay out longer and hunt if the need to be a wildman and get in touch with his inner dirt furball arose.

Odix and Gopher were outside somewhere around here foraging.

Rek had stuck to my side, unwilling to budge, not even an inch, he didn't care what. We'd in fact fallen asleep bickering over names for Baby's pups.

He wanted Bruiser for a boy, which sounds muy macho but is actually after the cute little tiny dog in one of his favorite comfort watches, whether he willingly will admit the fact or not. I wanted Mr. Darcy for a boy, for obvious reasons. We'd fallen asleep undecided.

Rek raced past me moments later, nearly knocking over the rock cock display, complete now that Buu's and Celuk's was added to the menagerie. Garbling noises left him as he went. Thinking it for the best, I left him to his panicked mayhem. He obviously needed a minute.

Grabbing the prep bag on the counter in the corner of the kitchen by its straps, spying Jeh-kal's wedding ring still next to the drain board from when he'd tidied up after breakfast, making a mental note to hide it and torment him about losing it, because I'm fun like that, I dragged my bag behind me as I made my way to the spare room Dace used on the rare occasion we managed to talk her into a visit. It was as good of a makeshift delivery room as we were going to get.

We were not nearly as prepared for this shit, not for it to happen right now, as I'd have liked to be.

"When you snap out of it, Rektal, could you blow the horn for me?" I called out as I trudged down the hall.

A soft knock on the door had me sighing in relief. Thank god! "Come in!"

Dace popped her head in, her rail thin frame following. She hadn't gained much weight since she'd been here, but she had more color in her cheeks and her hair was now to her ears—she was looking much better than before.

"I'm in labor," I announced.

"What?!" Her loud squeak of an answer did not instill confidence in me. Had she not said she'd grown up helping her grandfather on his farm? Not to be crass, but is it so wildly different in the basics?

Fidgeting with the beanie on her head, she took a small, cautious step into the house but looked ready to bolt. "Should I- Are you sure?"

"Yeah, maybe I'm just blowing water out of my vagina," I sassed through gritted teeth. "Kidney stones, maybe even."

"I don't know what to do about kidney stones," she blurted, before realizing I was not in fact serious.

"Awesome," I muttered, then groaned. "Now there are two of them." Louder, I told her with a shake of my head, "You're killing me, Squeaks."

Dace's eyes widened as she took in Rek mumbling, worrying a hole into the floor as he panic-paced back and forth across the large space.

Taking a deep breath, Dace muttered something to herself, nodded, and got her game face on. Even as she trembled, she hurried over to me. I thought I heard her mumbling to herself that she could do this as she drew closer. Once in front of me, she took another deep breath and took the straps of the bag from me. "What do you need?" she asked. She still sounded squeaky and unsure but the look in her eyes, she was determined.

"Help me to the guest room and then grab the horn near the back door, step out, and blow it as hard as you can, okay?" I was all belly and I was feeling it. One kid in there? Were they twelve pounds?!

Dace nodded and did what I asked to the letter. By the time she came back to me, Rek had snapped out of it, rushed into the room, and was helping me up into the bed.

"That- That looks awful… There's- That's- Uhm… blood," Dace blurted as she stepped into the room, got a juicy shot of what's goin' on downstairs, and turned pale as a sheet.

"No shits," Rek barked, then slapped the sheet down over my legs better as he glared at her to be useful.

"Be niiiiii-eeee-OHMYFUCKING- MOTHERFUCKER!" I howled as the mother of all contractions built and then hit me like a ton of bricks. There was no holding back on that one, even if I'd wanted to.

"Should I have blown the horn harder?" Dace whispered.

About to snap at her to blow it out her ass as another monster wave of pain washed over me, Rek pecked a kiss to my forehead, grabbed my hand for me to squeeze, and looked to Dace.

"Yes. Go blow horn harder. Blow hardest," Rek grunted out at her as he ran to the kitchen to grab the water he'd put on the stove.

Dace didn't need to be told twice.

The horn began to blow, pause, blow, pause, over and over as my labor quickly progressed.

"Is this normal?!" I squawked as my belly began to roil like there was a demon in there. Fuck me, what the fuck?

"Rothy no tell Rek that normal," Rek grunted out. "Rek no know ask. Celuk no say neither." Gently placing his hand over my belly, he began to make this insanely loud humming noise.

"What the hell is that?" I gasped out.

"Buu teach Jojomine's mates. Say it help with babies time," Rek paused long enough to tell me with a shrug.

The pain intensified. So much so I gave up crushing his hand, curled my legs up, grabbed my bent knees, and screamed.

An awful sound filled the air, goopy, squishing, followed by insane pressure and a rush of a gush of a release.

Rek was already there between my legs when I stopped screaming and opened my eyes.

The sheet was covering my knees, leaving only the top of Rek's head visible. There was a long moment of silence before the sweetest little cry rent the air.

Rek's head popped up. His eyes were watery as he carefully held up a shockingly light purple and grey striped babe with a striking resemblance to Buu and Celuk, as big as those monster babies Rek teased Jeh-kal might one day give me.

"Boy," Rek announced as he placed the squalling little one on my chest. Four little catlike ears flicked this way and that, a tiny tail slapped about wetly, and little chubby arms flailed.

Rek wiped off our son's furry head to lean over and place a kiss there.

"More. I go," he muttered as those pains started up again.

"C'mon, baby girl," I muttered as I started to grit my teeth at the next fresh wave of pain hitting me. My god, no wonder my belly was so huge with this guy snuck up in there!

More of the crazy of before in that oh so familiar to me now order, and Rek let out a funny but pleased sound as I pushed out baby number two.

"What is it? Does she look just like you?" I asked as he grinned and began wiping down a tiny little body with even lighter white-purple and grey spotted fur and flailing arms.

Quickly taking our big bruiser of a first born from me to wrap him and place him in the bassinet we'd been storing in here, he rushed back to lift up a skinny but long baby with a rather large head with a familiar shape. I burst out laughing as I cuddled our second child, a softly squalling boy, close.

"Rek big boys," Rek announced, but he was already back to it.

"Baby girl, you are fashionably late," I joked to my stomach.

"She come, she ready," Rek mock grumbled.

"What happens?!" Of all the beings to come rushing in, Pepé came slamming into the house, Dace's limp form in his arms.

He skidded into the room, nostrils working, getting more than an eyeful right as our baby girl decided to greet the world.

"Stop staring at my shit, bitch, and fuuuuck oooooff!!!" I bellowed at Berkr as our perfect little princess came shooting into the world, a screeching bundle of listen up world, here I am.

I should have seen that for the foreshadowing that it was, but how the hell was I supposed to fuckin' know, you know?

Celuk was the first of those actually invited to this momentous occasion to arrive. "I here!" he came shouting into the house. "Hear horn! Come running! I here! My Jo?! I-"

Berkr and Dace had proven an effective team in helping us get everything settled. Once she'd woken up and he'd snapped out of his stunned stupor.

I wasn't so perturbed by Berkr seeing my shit once he admitted he had healer training like Lukar and helped Rek and me finish all the ugly after birth shit up.

By the time Celuk came skidding into the room, we'd relocated to the room I shared with Celuk and Rek was cuddling up with the boys as I nursed our baby girl. Dace and Berkr were smart enough to vacate the premises as soon as their services were no longer needed.

"I'm okay. A bit stunned stupid, but okay," I told him before he could ask.

"Bruiser, Darcy," Rek announced, holding the boys out for Celuk to see.

Celuk looked positively gobsmacked and a little dismayed to have missed the entire thing.

"Three?" he blurted dazedly. He went from stunned to purring and pleased and rushing closer in two seconds flat.

"We are not naming our sons after the names we proposed for Baby's babies!" I burst out, gaping over at Rek, who was hearing none of it as he cooed down at his sons and offered our firstborn boy up to Celuk to hold.

"Bruiser," Celuk whispered softly, then grinned when I harrumphed. "Him big," he had to point out. "Big bruiser."

"You wanna name your kid after a dog?" I argued. Albeit an adorbs one, but still!

Celuk shrugged. "Who know where name come from, not watch Leggly Blondies?"

My eyes bugged at his funky sounding mispronunciation. "Never call it that again, ever, and I'll think about Bruiser," I haggled.

"We home!" Gopher bellowed.

"You late!" Rek bellowed back.

Odix cursed. "We miss it?"

"Come meet babies!" Rek called out.

"BABIES?!!" Odix and Gopher barked in unison. They got stuck in the doorway trying to squeeze into the room at once.

Jeh-kal helped them out, appearing as if out of nowhere behind them with Buu right behind him. My half feral hooligan grabbed them up to toss them over his huge shoulder, and strode right into the room.

His smile was just shy of possessive as he spied our little ones. "MINE," he rumbled out softly.

Buu filed in after Jeh-kal. Walking to the end of the bed, he crawled up it, until he was snuggled in on the other side of me, to brush a finger gently down our baby girl's soft, furry little cheek as she eagerly nursed. She was a perfect miniature of Rek with soft streaks of brown in her head fur. She already had a little mane. It was adorable. But when she opened her eyes, brown eyes with green swimming in their centers greeted me.

Odix and Gopher got stuck in the door together again, so Odix jerked back, grabbed up Gopher, and marched in with him barking for Odix to put him down.

Setting Gopher down, Odix couldn't get over to the bed fast enough.

"Big head like Odix!" my kumquat headed love muffin happily announced. "Eh, Go', skinny like Go', too!" he marveled.

"Like Go'?!" Gopher leaned around Odix to get a better look.

"Darcy," Rek told him, offering him to either of them to hold.

"Like Buu, too," Odix chattered as he took the small babe into his arms carefully and turned so Gopher could get a good look too.

"How? I mean, no one could tell?" I blurted, just tossing it out there.

"Buu can hide scent. Hyde hide scent some times. Babies hide scent," Jeh-kal guessed with a shrug.

Making his way over to Odix, Buu gave Darcy a little sniff. His click-purr stuttered out of him. "Smell like Buu's now."

"Look like peekaboobs. Why need smell to know?" Rek muttered as he gave Buu a funny look.

"You have to stop calling him that. I don't want the kids running around saying boobs," I mumbled on a long, tired sigh. And so it begins.

"Yowie have babies, babies look like more than one mate. Sometimes smell. Sometimes no smell. No know Lo denaii bebehs… Buu no want… ‘sume," my big old Kehr-bear mumbled uncertainly.

"They're as adorable and handsome as all of their daddies," I told Buu, motioning for him to come closer.

"Want hold Buu, Odix, Gopher baby?" Odix offered, even though he looked like he'd rather eat rocks than hand over his kid.

"Gopher, then Buu," Buu answered with a smile as he very lightly nuzzled the side of our daughter's little head..

"Many thanks," Gopher leaned around Odix to tell Buu.

Buu was happy to cuddle up to me and our little princess as he waited for his turn.

"Rek holds Rek princess next," Rek announced.

"Celuk hog Bruiser ‘til Jeh-kal say, give Jeh-kal our baby," Celuk joked.

Jeh-kal made a choking sound.

"Jeh-kal… Jeh-kal make baby too?" Snow Patrol was struggling as he glanced from Bruiser to Celuk.

Celuk's grin was so wide that shit had to hurt his face.

Walking over to Jeh-kal, he placed a kiss to Bruiser's head and then handed him over to Jeh-kal.

"Big," Jeh-kal whispered. A little hand wrapped around his finger. I didn't realize his hand was trembling until then. Jeh-kal leaned in to smell him and a soft rumble left him. "Smells like Buu, Jeh-kal, Celuk."

"Why no one want hold baby girl Rek make?" Rek bitched on our daughter's behalf.

"Do you think they honestly think they stand a chance of holding her anytime soon with you hogging her?" I answered for them.

"No," Rek snapped.

"‘Xactly," Odix quipped. "Let Rek get out him sid-stem, then we all get hold. We not dummy heads. Pfft."

Rek rolled his eyes but smiled. That smile grew as I finished nursing, burping, changing her little cloth diaper, and handing Rek's princess over to him, to take Darcy next and work on getting him latched on.

"Buu wants hold Princess," Buu rumbled out softly.

Rek let out a grunt of a sound as he nuzzled the top of his daughter's head. "Buu can hold next, then ‘Luk."

Celuk smirk-smiled at making Rek's list. He'd wormed his way into Rek's heart, one stubborn bit worn down of the wall Rek put up at a time, just like he had me.

The front door was banged on once and then slammed open. "Kirch hear! Kirch hear horn!"

"In here!" Rek called back.

"Who told him about the horn?" I wondered aloud.

"Rek not do it," Rek replied in his own defense.

"Jeh-kal not do it," Jeh-kal rumbled out softly. Bruiser rumbled back, making Jeh-kal grin down at him like a proud papa.

"We're going to stick with Darcy and Bruiser, aren't we?" I muttered resignedly.

Every single one of my mates purred in the affirmative.

"Fine, then I get to name Baby's babies whatever I want," I told them.

"It ‘kay? Kirch come in?" Kirch asked.

"It ‘kay," Rek assured him. He was still grinning from ear to ear, jazzed at the idea of being responsible for naming both of our sons.

Kirch came into the room, baskets overflowing dangling from his arms full of pink, frilly girly things. "Rek first baby. Kirch want make sure-" Kirch's words stuttered to a gaping stop. "Three?" he breathed.

"A bruiser, a gentleman, and one princess," I joked.

Kirch dumped all of the crap in his arms at his feet and rushed towards the bed. "Hoh. Kirch Grububmple three times," he mumbled, respectfully moving in closer, knowing how overprotective a new daddy could be.

"Grububmple?" Odix's brow pulled down.

Kirch nodded, swallowing thickly. "What my Meanie calls Kirch for Rek's babies. She says Kirch Grandpa-brother-uncle to Rek and Jojo's babies."

"Okay, that's super cute," I murmured as Kirch struggled not to demand someone hand him a damn baby already.

"Kirch hold Rek's prinnedcess." Rek stood and walked her over to Kirch.

Kirch's breath left him in a soft whoosh. "Beautiful," he whispered, grinning as Rek carefully placed her in Kirch's arms. "Kirch remember, think my Lottie so small." With peepers getting a little glassy, Kirch croaked, "Look like very little Rek."

"Kirch say Rek bootiful?" Gopher teased.

Kirch and Rek bared their teeth at him quietly. They looked so much like each other doing so that a laugh burst out of me. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "But you two are so stinkin' adorable," I chortled.

Rek and Kirch eyeballed me, then each other, in confusion. Rolling their eyes at me, they quickly got back to focusing on the bit of cuteness in Kirch's arms.

"Hold now, ‘fore Rothy and mates come to hog babies," Celuk cautioned.

"And Mal and Rosa," I added.

"Gopher's Bapas, Mamma, Papa, seesters," Gopher added.

"Support Group," the guys all added simultaneously, knowing my crazy crew would be rolling in the second they heard the news. My baby shower had been insanity—utter insanity filled with so much baby stuff we had extra to spare. And thank god for that with two surprises tucked away in there with their sister.

Grinning, feeling beyond loved and cherished, accepted just the way my crazy ass is, my heart could not be fuller.

This Glamazon's found her happily ever after after all. Fuck yeah!