✧UNCOVERING THE SHEETS✧

◊━━━━━✥━━━━━◊

***

"That's it, love. Nice and easy." Alphard cooed to his wife, keeping a tight hold on her waist and settling her down into the nearest couch by their fireplace.

The surgery had been utterly successful, and Rhea's body had taken to the two implanted children with ease—Or that was all Alfie understood from the things.

He didn't question it anything further besides kissing his wife in a fit of happiness. At the time, she had giggled and smiled so brightly, but now came the downfall of having a direct intake of pain relief.

The short walk to her spot on the couch had caused her to groan and hiss. Even going so far as to squeeze Alfie's forearm as she bent down.

"C-can I get you anything? Water? Tea?"
"Can you enchant that blanket to heat it?" She asked, as per the request that she not use magic for the next few days. Which meant good use of her spousal sick leave, given her predicament.

Not that Maverick would say anything otherwise.

But seeing Alfie rush over with the blanket, and already tucking her in as though his life depended on it—She laughed.

It wasn't out of teasing and it didn't sound as joyous as it did when she was first waking up. But Rhea had still managed to smile when she watched him fussing over her.

"It's rude to laugh, Rhea."
"I can't help it, you're being adorable. But I know you have plenty of work to do, and once I get the strength...I'm going to bed. Or the bath, I haven't decided yet." It hadn't been the first time Alfie had been rather unnerved by the fact that their home was far too big.

But Rhea—Goodness, she was going to be carrying twins for the foreseeable future, it was unfair for her to even think of managing so much space.

"Perhaps we should get a smaller townhouse..." He pondered, though it was mainly meant for his own contemplation, but Rhea had continued her small bit of laughter. "A small townhouse. Were you there when they placed two fertilized eggs back into me, Alfie? And you want to downsize?"

"I was simply tempted by the fact that you won't have to travel in between so many rooms."
"Yes, what a struggle." She claimed, rolling her eyes as she patted the spot at her side. And he dutifully joined her by her tucked-in feet. It was an immediate reaction to check to see if the blanket was indeed heating as he had managed.

And of course, it had.

"Do you...Do you feel any different?" His hand had lingered on her thigh as he soon squeezed it in temptation. Rhea had remained silent for a moment before wrapping her hand over his gloved ones. "Not really, not yet. Perhaps tomorrow the rush will wear off and I'll feel a maternal instinct kick in. Why? Do you feel different?"

"No, I thought I was missing something but—If either one of us were to feel something. It would be you." Rhea couldn't help herself but smile, it felt bittersweet as she looked at the clock just above them.

Marking mere hours until October was to roll around.

"Would you look at that, pregnant before my twenty-first birthday? I believe we had a deal, Mister Alphard Black." His eyes had gone wide, it seemed as if they both had a standstill with time—Given that Rhea had been the one to drop off their nephews on the platform at the beginning of the month with Orion.

"When can we tell them the news?"
"It's wrong to tell anyone the first month, we'll wait until I've grown a bit." Rhea was in wonder to see that her husband, her dear and wonderful husband, had a sparkle in his gaze.

"I love you."
"I should hope so, seeing as how you've impregnated me now."
"Not the way it should have been, but yes. I've impregnated you." Rhea had allowed another small rub to go across her stomach as she closed her eyes in solidarity.

"And I love you." She whispered, soon slipping into the world of dreams. Though the smile had never her face, even if it had flinched a time or two when a bit of pain had passed through.

For Alfie, nothing else seemed to matter more than taking the time to gaze at his wife—His beautiful and strong wife.

Over the course of the next few days, Alfie had felt rather—Defeated. The potions prescribed weren't doing a very good job at keeping the pain and other symptoms from Dragon Poxs at bay, meaning they had to up his dosage and prescribe another surgery.

Given that the inner clusters were rather aggressive, a term that Alfie didn't necessarily like when it came to something growing inside of him. And worse of all, he didn't want to ask Rhea to continuously support him in the operating room and asked Healer Brown to forgo without Rhea.

Without the request, she hadn't thought anything of it—And after a full week. Alfie was on the mend to recovery and Rhea was doing her best to be mindful that she couldn't and shouldn't be as close to her husband as she is now.

But with the mask securely around her face and a cleansing bath waiting for her, Rhea decided that he needed these small milestones to be close to the two babes.

And she wanted that sense of comfort that she rarely received so freely anymore. Even as they shyly entered October, life was still bustling along.

It seemed strange to hear the ill-timed problems her friends were facing, when she herself couldn't divulge to what happened to her in the course of a single summer.

But it was that sort of naive itch that she wished she could find some sort of way to share. Yet in the record of it all, it was best to keep quiet about such issues. The last thing she wanted was a rumor going around, for Alphard's business to be affected—Or worse.

Her parents find out the truth.

Being thankful for carrying not one babe but two gave her a sense of ease. A sense of worth—Even if she wanted to fight against every stigma in the book about being pushed from all different directions to get pregnant.

The blissful feeling would not be hard to duplicate any other time. And the fact that twins were in the mix! Oh, she couldn't wait!

With a quick knock at the door to Alfie's study, she peeked through, worried that he had fallen asleep at his desk or was in a heavy debate with Orion.

Cygnus had dropped by on occasion, but it was never much more of a conversation than a quick hello.

Rhea was confident that they wouldn't have to share the news with the family until the absolute very last minute. And perhaps even longer with her parents.

"Love, are you here to save me?" He beckoned, and Rhea had found the spark to laugh as that had been the common response between the both of them during their finer days.

"Are the papers coming to attack you again?" She asked, coming around the corner of the desk and leaning just beside him. It hadn't been the issued six feet, but it also wasn't close enough to warrant anything to worry about.

Rhea had gotten vaccinated just before the procedure and was well inclined to be as careful as she needed to be.

But this, this was hardly anything to worry about—especially after another surgery.

This was the safest he would ever be is right now.

"It feels that way sometimes, but I'm sure you've thought that way once before."
"Merlin, I still get nauseous thinking about my practicals." His eyes sparked before darting down to her lower half. "Oh come now, that was a part of the deal. Pregnancy equals nausea and vomiting."

Rhea's reminder had only opened another dozen questions and concerns. Ones that he would have to research and study once he's finished with the mind-melting torture.

Though, he could use an honest break.

"Perhaps...We could step away for a bit. I did have something to show you." He offered, taking hold of a new addition to his everyday routine.

A caine.

Or as Rhea preferred to call it, a walking stick.

Either or, it made him feel like an elder. But currently, he was well in need of some support.

And the smile Rhea had given him when he started to use it was all the more worth it. Yet as he started to make his way to the door, she quickly followed.

"Ah—No running."
"Alfie—"
"No running. You are carrying something so precious, if you were to fall I would simply have a heart attack." Rhea blinked at him for a moment, before tilting her head.

"A womb is much stronger than you might think. Yes, a fall could hurt, but I would think I'm much more in tune with my body to know if I can or can't run." He took to scratching his neck in fear of having said the same thing, but she had simply placed her hand to his arm and smiled.

"I get it, I'll be careful. You hear that precious cargo, you papa thinks I'm a hazard!" She cheered, and continued out of the room as Alfie had followed after her.

Though all he could hear of that was the term she used. Papa.

It was a beautiful thought, to be someone's father. He just hoped he would be alive and well enough to see them born, let alone able to speak.

With Alfie leading the way to the second floor, she had been surprised when they had passed their room and continued further down the hall.

During the beginning of their marriage, Rhea had scouted high and low for furniture she could use to create her drawing room and study. But she couldn't remember this one off to the corner.

"Love, what is this?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well...This was going to be your room, had you not wanted to stay with me. I would've had this entire wing converted for you, and there are some plans off somewhere for that project. But that hadn't been your plan and I wasn't going to tell you differently." Rhea had been stunned into silence, he was going to have what done?

"It had been given a bed and vanity and such. But after you said you wanted to share, I suppose I told the elves to stop. Instead, they had replaced what had been there prior."

"Prior?"

Instead of responding, Alfie stepped aside and pushed the door open for Rhea to come forward. Inside was an absolutely beautiful room. A wonderful beam of light had so easily lit the room.

Besides that, there had been countless bits of furniture lingering around with sheets. And the first had been a small chest that Rhea had uncovered.

His nod prompted her to unlock the chest and push it open, and her lips parted in shock. "Alfie—"

"That is my old toy chest. Granted, most of the things inside will have to be cleaned and repainted...." He drawled, but it instantly caused Rhea to pull another sheet aside.

A crib. A stroller. A changing table. A small eating chair. Everything.

"This—This is all yours?"

"Most of it yes. Anything I didn't knick from Orion or Cygnus, at least." While Alfie had been prepared for a joke or a tease on these things being ancient. It was well worth the excitement that was building upon Rhea's face as she had sat herself down on the floor and examined them.

"I—I don't think my parents kept anything from my—"
"Good thoughts only today, my love. Only the good ones." He reminded, bending himself down by taking support from another piece of furniture.

"I had the elves take everything from storage a bit after you—we decided that we would be sharing a room."
"But...This room is so far from yours. Did you really think I wouldn't want to—How would that even work?" For a simple reason, Rhea could not understand the logic. A husband would still have to visit his wife upon it all, wouldn't he?

"That is not something we need to worry about, darling. As we're sharing fairly well. However, if worse does come to worse. I will move to the guest room on the opposite side."
"That's not right, that's your bed first and foremost. And all your tonics are in the bathroom. No, it's okay. I'll take the guest room. Though I best order a few extra pillows. I heard it's great to have support when the babes start growing." He hummed and nodded in agreement for her to do just that.

But going through all these figures, and just sitting in the fairly empty room had given a startup to Rhea had envisioned. And while she pointed and explained where the crib and bookcase could go, Alfie had been documenting it all in the hopes that he could get it done before things had gotten too serious—

For both himself and the pregnancy.

Speaking of pregnancy, he was already awaiting the day when Rhea would rush in to show him her swelling stomach. But after the following week, his hope had diminished and he claimed that once it happened, she would no doubt tell him.

It was odd—Even now, Orion knew of the pregnancy and had congratulated both him and Rhea both, but he hadn't known about the choice of gender or the fact that theres twins.

He was bound to keep it a secret until it was announced to the family that they were indeed expecting.

Though, both had considered the idea of allowing the public to speculate—As they always do.

◇──◇────◇────◇──◇

Date Posted: 11/19/23

Time: 8:56

Words: 2277