Special Delivery (PG-13)

Originally posted 1/18/06

It's not my fault.

This was just supposed to be a little "Aeryn's pregnant and she and Pippin have a chat about Chimama" story, and she wouldn't do it my way....

And my favorite title -- "Family Resemblance" -- doesn't really fit the final fic. Darn her!

Anyway, this is a Family Ties story, set about 11 cycles after PKW....

Rating: PG
Setting: 11 cycles post PKW
Spoilers: through PKW
Disclaimer: Not my characters, not my universe, I just love 'em to pieces....

Thanks very much to my bestest betas, imloco2, shipsister, and MadScientist. Thanks, too, to those who answered a couple of posts at Terra Firma with some odd questions, and also to the Bunnies in general, who argued with me and made me at least know WHY I was insisting on something. The story is better for all of you. Kiss

Hope you enjoy it.....

ETA: I completely forgot to include this wonderful painting of Pippin that ScorpSik did for me! Ain't he an imp? Thanks so much again, Em!

Special Delivery

Aeryn Sun Crichton wobbled as she balanced her ungainly body and stood up. She tugged her black T-shirt down as far as she could over her belly, then pulled up on the loose pants that had slid down below the bulge while she worked. Finally, she put her hands behind her and arched backwards, stretching sore muscles. Being pregnant sucked, she thought. Yes, the English lament, learned cycles ago from her human husband, expressed her feelings exactly. Being pregnant just plain sucked.

Of course, it would have been worse if it lasted as long as a normal human or sebacean pregnancy did. She secretly rejoiced that the local medic had been unable to disable the genetic modifications that led to her completing a pregnancy in a fraction of the time nature had intended. She kept her delight to herself, because John thought the long way would be better for her and for the baby, but she really couldn't see how that could be the case. D'Argo and Hope had turned out beautifully. They were every bit as strong and healthy and intelligent as Pippin, whom Chiana had carried for a full nebari gestation of two-thirds of a cycle. Aeryn had no reason to think the new daughter she would soon deliver would be any different from the other children in that regard. She rested one hand on her belly for a microt and smiled. Being pregnant really did suck – but creating a new child with the man she loved....ah, that, that was truly wonderful!

As if sensing her mother's attention on her, the baby kicked.

"What, I'm not busy enough for you?" Aeryn asked with a grin. "I've got most of your things sorted out now, don't be greedy." She surveyed the room the baby would eventually share with Pippin, taking pride in the neatly-organized stacks of clothes, blankets, and paraphernalia necessary for dealing with an infant. "Everything's ready for you. Well, except for a new storage chest for your clothes. Your father is getting that now."

She shook her head, bemused at John's sense of timing. The furniture wouldn't be needed immediately, and she could have used him here. She was pregnant, not incapacitated, but at this late stage, the belly did reduce her mobility. But John pointed out that Pippin's life was going to be impacted enough by the new baby without having the little one's things scattered all over his room. He had a point, and she'd decided not to play the "pregnant card." So, John had taken the two older children and gone off shopping in the nearest large settlement, several arns distant, leaving her to go through the storage containers with Pippin's help.

At four cycles, their soon-to-be next-to-youngest was old enough to be useful for a while, but he'd gotten bored while she was sorting freshly-laundered clothes by size and had taken himself off into the living area with an armful of simple toys that had been his, before he had graduated to more complicated playthings. Apparently seeing them anew had rekindled his interest in them.

The baby kicked again, and, stretching her aching back once more, Aeryn decided to go see what trouble her little pale gray imp had gotten into. It had been at least a quarter of an arn since he'd left her sight!

* * * * * * * *

"Mama, that's my stuff!" Pippin took time away from the tower he was building with every toy he'd dragged out into the living area to point back towards his room.

Most of the things they'd been sorting through had been obtained when Pippin joined their family as a tiny infant, so he was right, in a way. But time brought changes.... "I think you're too big for most of it," she said.

He cocked his head sideways in an uncanny echo of the woman who'd birthed him, and then giggled and said, "Yeah, I know. I'm almost as big as Hope!"

Aeryn gave him an indulgent grin. He was no such thing. Hope was twice his age to begin with, and Pippin was small, like Chiana. But, also like Chiana, he was a bundle of energy that made him seem larger than he was.

Perhaps sensing her disbelief, the boy crouched down next to the tower he'd been building and sprang up into the air, arms stretched high above him. Coming down, he bumped into his construction, and blocks, nesting cups, and even a soft plush creature or two went tumbling onto the floor.

Pippin looked at Aeryn in supplication, and she looked back. She knew he could rebuild it by himself quickly and easily, but they so seldom had any time alone together, and with the baby coming soon, this would probably be their last quiet time for a while. "All right," she said with a shake of her head and a warm smile. She crossed the room and got down next to him. The huge bulge of the baby meant she couldn't crouch as she might otherwise have done, not and pick up anything in front of her, anyway, so she carefully settled herself on her knees and reached for one of the larger blocks to use as the base.

Pippin took his turn, and while Aeryn was contemplating what piece to use next, the baby kicked in apparent protest of something or other. Aeryn gasped involuntarily, and Pippin turned to look at her. "It's just the baby," she reassured him. "She's kicking a lot. She's getting crowded in there."

Tower forgotten, Pippin reached over and put his hands on her stomach, as she'd allowed all the children to do in the past few days as their new baby sister grew larger. After a few microts, the baby kicked again. Pippin looked down at his hands, and then up at Aeryn, eyes sparkling. "There's a baby in there?"

Aeryn frowned. It seemed to be a difficult concept for him to grasp, because he'd asked it more than once, but perhaps he was just checking that they weren't going to change the story on him. "Yes. And she'll be here soon. Tomorrow or the next day."

"Is that where all babies come from?"

"Yes." That was an oversimplification, but the exceptions were extremely rare in sentient beings, and she let it go at that. She prayed that Pippin didn't ask how they got there, because she hated trying to explain sex and conception on a level that made sense for a four-year-old.

"Did I grow in your tummy?"

"No, you grew in Chiana's tummy." He knew that, too, of course, they'd told him many times about the woman who'd birthed him and gave him into their care.

Pippin thought that over. "Did Dar and Hope grow in Chimama's tummy?"

Aeryn couldn't help smiling at the nickname that Hope had given to Chiana when Pippin was very small. She never used it herself, but everyone else in the family did, including John. Cholok only knew what Chiana would think if she ever heard it. "No," she said as patiently as she could, "they grew in my tummy like this little one. Well, except for the time D'Argo spent inside Rygel."

Pippin giggled, as he usually did when the topic came up, though that was mostly because it annoyed the oh-so-serious D'Argo to hear the tale.

Aeryn shifted position, wishing John were there to give her a back rub. This was the worst part of the end of a pregnancy, the recurrent aches. Recurrent. Frell. She realized suddenly that her backache was more than just discomfort from sitting in one place too long – her labor was beginning.

"Oh, frell!" she muttered aloud, heedless of young ears, even as she felt liquid gush between her legs. "Frell, frell, frell!"

* * * * * * * *

"Mama?" Pippin's high voice was full of concern.

Aeryn took a deep breath and smiled to reassure him. "I'm all right. Just let me think for a microt." This was a frelling bad time for John to be away. Thinking of her two previous deliveries, she knew she didn't want to even consider piloting herself to the small medical clinic where she had planned to give birth.

"There's water on the floor," her son persisted, dragging her attention back to him.

She took a deep breath and let it out, riding through what she now recognized as a contraction. "I know, Pippin, it means the baby is ready to come out now."

His black eyes widened with excitement. "Now?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I guess she wants to see the world a little early." And her mother had better just suck it up and deal with it! Aeryn thought. It could be worse – she'd delivered her firstborn in the middle of a battle.... Aeryn struggled to her feet, Pippin watching her warily, and made her way awkwardly to the comms station. Every instinct said to call John, but she knew that he would chide her if she hadn't called the medic first.

Unfortunately, the only medic in the immediate area was out attending to a serious injury. Aeryn spoke briefly with his mate, who promised to try to reach him, but opined that childbirth rarely needed outside intervention.

Yes, but who's going to catch the narl? she thought, breaking the connection in irritation. Another, stronger, contraction hit her, along with a mild urge to push. Even if the medic had been able to come right away, he might not make it in time. The baby was going to come very soon.

She gripped the shelf the comms unit sat on and breathed in and out, trying not to cry out for Pippin's sake. Think, she told herself sternly. You've done this twice before. What do you have to do to be ready?

She looked down at her bulging stomach, assessing the situation. Well, for one thing, she wasn't going to be able to give birth with those pants on....

"Pippin," she said, gesturing the boy over to her, "I need your help."

He scurried over to stand beside her by the comms. "What?"

"I need you to call Daddy for me," she said, nodding towards the communication unit. "I need you to tell him to come home as soon as possible." It would give Pippin something to do, and she really needed to get out of these clothes. Besides, this way John wouldn't hear the pain in her voice.

"O-kay," he said, a hesitant waver in his voice.

"I'm just going to change clothes," she told him. "The baby needs room to come out." She wanted to hug him in reassurance, but she couldn't get down to his level just now, so she ruffled his mop of black hair instead. He wrinkled his face and shook her off as he usually did, which she took to be a good sign. As he started adjusting the comms to the family frequency, Aeryn retreated to her bedroom.

She kicked off the slip-on shoes she'd been wearing since it got too hard to buckle her boots, and then, with one hand on the wall for balance, peeled the drawstring pants down towards her knees, along with her underwear. Both were soaked in amniotic fluid, and she found she had to sit down on the edge of the bed to get them the rest of the way off. She sat there for a moment, breathing through another contraction. With her T-shirt hiked over her belly, she was nearly naked. Realizing Pippin would probably be in the room when she gave birth, she thought it best to cover up a bit more. After a moment's thought, she decided that one of John's sleep shirts would be long enough and loose enough to serve the purpose. She willed herself to stand up again and crossed over to John's clothes chest. She'd just pulled a gray shirt over her head when Pippin came into the room.

"Mama! Daddy wants to talk to you!"

Another contraction hit before she could answer and she reached for the wall to brace herself. It was a really strong one, and she knew it wasn't going to be much longer before she would feel the need to push. "Tell Daddy...I can't talk right now...." She had to stop for a moment to keep from screaming. When the contraction eased, the rest of her words came out in a rush. "Just tell him he needs to come home now!"

Pippin looked at her, confusion and worry in his eyes.

"Tell him I'm alright," she said, as much to reassure the boy as his father.

He must have believed her, because he nodded and ran out of room.

She took deep breaths, not yet prepared to move, just standing where she was, near the wall. You've done this before, she reminded herself again. Twice. Yes, but the first time had been insane. About all she remembered of D'Argo's birth was shooting, and John’s steady presence.... And the second time, with Hope, had been before they settled on this sparsely populated planet. John had insisted on full medical assistance. "No home birth," he'd said. He'd been adamant, and she'd given in. And while she hadn't felt helpless the way she had with D'Argo, she'd felt...almost unneeded as a part of the process as the med techs orchestrated the birth.

Well, this time, she was needed. Her daughter was relying on her to bring her into the world, and her son was relying on her not to frighten him to death. That steadied her, which was good, because she became aware of real pressure between her legs. Frell, this infant was insistent!

Pippin bounced back into the room then, exclaiming, "Daddy's coming. He says you should hold on."

Hold on. Only John would tell her to hold on at a time like this. She laughed loudly through a contraction, and then said to Pippin, "Well, I don't think your sister is going to do that." It was time to explain to her son what was going to happen. "Pip, I'm all right, do you understand that? This is natural."

He twisted up his mouth in disbelief, obviously sensing her pain.

"It hurts to have a baby," she admitted. "So I might yell so I can be stronger. The way I taught you and D'Argo and Hope to do when you do pantak training, right?"

He nodded a little more comfortably.

"And there will be blood when the baby comes out. That's normal."

He wrinkled his face at that, but nodded.

Well, that was about all the preparation she could give him at this point. Hoping it was enough, she took a deep breath. "All right. I'm going to go in the shower so we don't have to clean up the floor. Will you go get me a stack of towels?"

"How many?"

"Lots," she told him with a faint smile.

Pippin scurried off to get the towels, and Aeryn went into the shower. She pulled her hair back into a quick braid to keep it out of the way and then crouched down awkwardly, bracing herself in one corner so she had some support. As she got into position, another contraction hit, and she let out a scream, hoping it would be muffled a bit from Pippin's hearing by the walls. She could feel the baby's head crowning, and reached down and placed her hands over it. Panting, she tried not to push just yet.

Pippin returned with his arms wrapped around a huge stack of towels and demanded to know where he should put them.

"Just...put them down," she said, not wanting the distraction. "Wait now. The baby's coming."

Some part of her was aware of Pippin standing outside the shower, watching her, and she hoped he wasn't too worried, but she had to focus on the baby now. Her abdomen cramped, and the urge to push was overwhelming. It was time. It had to be. Hand still cradling the baby's head, Aeryn let out a huge yell and pushed....

The baby slid out into her hands, head and shoulders first, and, panting with relief, she slipped the newborn infant into the crook of her arm. She felt a flash of panic when the little one didn't appear to be breathing. Instinctively, she wiped blood and fluid off the baby's face with her hands, stroking her nose, and wondering if there was something else she should do. She was just beginning to get really frightened when the infant inhaled sharply and started crying.

Aeryn let out a huge breath and started crying herself.

"Mommy?"

She looked up at Pippin, who was watching her with wide, black eyes. "Your sister's here," she said, blinking back tears. She looked down at the baby and said, "Hello, little one." The baby was too busy crying to pay her any attention, and all Aeryn could tell about her new daughter was that she had a mass of wet black hair on her head.

Curiosity getting the better of him, apparently, Pippin climbed into the shower to get a closer look at the two of them, stepping around some of the mess on the shower floor. He pointed to the umbilical cord that still connected mother and baby, and asked what it was.

"That's how she was connected to me inside, so she could get everything she needed to grow. We need to cut it now," she realized. "Can you go get my knife for me?"

Reluctantly, the boy backed out of the shower to do as she asked. While he was gone, Aeryn felt another contraction. She grunted, and the placenta emerged. She hadn't really seen the aftermath of the pregnancy in her other two deliveries, and the sight was a bit disconcerting, even to someone who'd seen her share of battlefield wounds. But still, she breathed another sigh of relief. That was the last part. She'd done it!

Pippin came back with the requested knife, and Aeryn was abruptly aware that she was very tired. Legs shaking, she cut the cord, explaining to Pippin that when it healed, that was where the baby's navel would be.

He lifted his shirt up and examined his own smooth gray abdomen thoughtfully, momentarily distracted from the excitement of the new baby.

Something in his manner cut through her exhaustion and her instinctive focus on her newborn, and she felt she had to say something. "You don't have a navel because you're nebari, Pippin."

"Like Chimama?" he said, his voice rising slightly in question.

"Exactly." He seemed satisfied with that, and it was the best she could do for now. She shooed him out of the shower again and wiped the baby off and wrapped her in one of the towels he'd brought earlier. Setting the infant down on the floor, she wiped herself off as best she could with the remaining towels. An actual shower would have to wait until she felt better, or at least had some help. Still dressed in John's sleep shirt, she picked the baby up again, and using the wall to steady herself, stood up triumphantly on wobbly legs.

Leaving the whole mess behind in the shower, she got herself and the baby to the bed through sheer determination. She sat down gingerly with her back against the wall, and Pippin ran to put a pillow behind her back.

He climbed up on the bed next to her, and both of them examined the baby who was cradled in Aeryn's arms. The infant had stopped crying, and was looking around the room with a decidedly dazed expression on her face. Exhausted or not, Aeryn's heart melted. "So, how do you like the world, little one?" she asked softly. She lifted the baby up just a bit so she could see Pippin. "This is your brother. His name is Pippin, and he's going to teach you lots and lots of things."

Pippin grinned, and then reached out shyly and touched the baby's black hair. After fingering it briefly, he looked at Aeryn in wonder. "She has hair like mine."

And mine, too, Aeryn thought. We've been the odd ones out in this family till now, she thought, picturing D'Argo and Hope with their brown hair and blue eyes, so much like John's.... "Yes, just like yours," she agreed, and kissed first the baby and then Pippin on the tops of their heads. A wave of tiredness swept over her, and she closed her eyes and wondered how soon John would get home.

"Mama," Pippin said, patting her arm to get her attention. She opened her eyes again and he continued. "Where is the baby going to live?"

Puzzled, she answered, "With us, of course. She's part of our family." She looked down again at the beautiful child in her arms. And baby makes six....

Pippin bounced on the bed beside her while she cuddled the baby, and then blurted, "Then why don’t I live with Chimama?"

Aeryn's head shot up and she stared at him, wondering what he meant by that. There was a hint of defiance in his eyes, and she thought with a start that he had just understood for the first time that he had another mother somewhere else. As gently as she could, she said, "Because Chiana is doing something very important, in a place where it isn't safe for children. So she brought you to us because she knew we would love you as much as she does."

"Why?"

She wasn't quite sure what he was trying to ask, and she wasn't sure he knew either, because his face was all screwed up again with confusion. She took a stab at answering. "Remember I told you my mother was a soldier, and when I was born, she couldn't take care of me?" Pippin nodded. "And she left me the only place she knew, with the Peacekeepers, because they took care of children in the crèche." He nodded again. "Well, Chiana is a soldier, too, and she can't keep you with her. But she found a better place to leave you than my mother did with me." She wrapped her free arm around this boy who was as much her child as the infant she'd just birthed. He sighed, apparently satisfied, and leaned his head against her.

They were still sitting in that position when they heard the main door to the house slide open and John's anxious voice call, "Aeryn? Baby? Everything okay?"

She roused herself enough to call, "In the bedroom John. We're fine."

* * * * * * * *

John paused in the doorway to the bedroom. Aeryn could tell from his stance that he'd deliberately kept the two older children behind him until he was sure what he was going to find. His face lit up in a huge smile at the cozy domestic scene in front of him. "Wow!" he breathed, shaking his head in awe. "You are amazing!"

Aeryn grinned at him wearily. "Wait till you see the mess we left in the shower.... You won't say that then."

That kicked him into motion again, and he crossed the room in a few long strides. D'Argo and Hope were right on his heels, and Pippin scrambled to the floor to join his siblings as John leaned in over the bed and kissed her soundly, happy tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry you missed it," she said when he broke the kiss and sat down on the bed next to her where Pippin had been.

John shook his head again. "Just as long as everyone's okay."

Despite his words, she knew he was disappointed at not having been there for the birth. "Here," she said softly, and put the baby in his arms.

John cuddled his new daughter, caressing the baby's soft skin, as the children crowded around to see her, too. He looked back at Aeryn with a grin on his face. "So, this is our Earth baby, huh?"

She bit her lip trying not to laugh at the memories of their – obviously successful – efforts to conceive a child on John's homeworld. It had been nearly two cycles until they felt ready to release the stasis and bring the child into their lives, but here she was at last. Aeryn found herself tearing up again, and all she could do in response to John's question was nod.

"She's beautiful, babe. You do good work."

Pippin apparently couldn't stand the mushy stuff any longer. "We got a baby!!" he yelled.

"Yes, we do," John agreed, turning to the boy. "So, you helped Mom, huh?"

Pippin hopped from one foot to the other and nodded. "Yep! I helped a lot!"

Grinning from ear to ear John held out a hand. "Hey there, little man, gimme a high five!"

While John and Pippin completed the ritual, Hope leaned in to get a closer look at the baby and then asked, "So, Mom, what's her name?"

Aeryn blinked as the whole family turned to hear the answer. In all the excitement, she'd forgotten that the baby's name was to be her choice this time. She considered her selection one last time and decided she was certain. "Nelja," she said, looking to John for his reaction. It was a sebacean name, but the sounds were common in English, at least, and she hoped it would sound as beautiful to her husband as it did to her.

"Nel-ja?" John repeated.

"Yes."

He tested it out on his tongue. "Nelja. Nelja." Moisture gleaming in his eyes again, he nodded. "That's real pretty."

"When I was a cadet, there was a squad leader called Nelja. It was an unusual name in the Peacekeepers, and I thought it was very beautiful. I've never forgotten it."

"Nelja Sun Crichton it is," John said, and leaned over and kissed Aeryn again. Then he turned back to the baby and touched her cheek. "Hey, Nellie Belly," he said. "I'm your daddy!"

Aeryn rolled her eyes. Was no name safe from her husband's need for diminutives? She shook her head and hoped he would content himself with Nellie, or perhaps Nel, at least most of the time....

As Aeryn watched, bemused, the baby was passed from sibling to sibling. Hope started it, when she asked if she could hold the baby. After a quick glance at Aeryn, John carefully placed the tiny infant in Hope's arms. She was obviously thrilled with her baby sister, but a little nervous about holding her all the same. She didn't object when John retrieved Nelja and gave D'Argo his chance at holding the little one. And then Pippin begged for his turn, so John put him on the bed so the baby would be supported in his lap. But when Hope asked to hold her sister again, John called a halt. "Come on, that's enough. Let's let your mother get some rest. The baby's not going anywhere! Scoot now!" Reluctantly, the children went to find something to occupy themselves for a while.

When they were alone, John sat down next to Aeryn again, the baby nestled in the crook of his arm. They looked at each other for a long moment, quietly sharing their joy in this new child who'd joined their family. Aeryn could feel her emotions threatening to overwhelm her, and bit her lower lip to keep from crying.

John looked away at the walls briefly and then looked back at her and said, eyes sparkling, "Tell me the truth. You did not choose our baby's name just because you thought it was pretty."

She chuckled in spite of her feelings, which was probably his intention. But she thought the question deserved an answer, and said, "Truthfully, at the time, it always sounded very…odd. But it stuck in my mind, and I think that was because I actually thought it was very beautiful. I just didn't have the words for it then." She shrugged, not sure she could convey her thoughts any better than that. "It's nice to remember something beautiful from my life in the Peacekeepers. I hope you like it."

Too many emotions flitted across John's face for her to sort them all out, but they seemed to be generally good, and it was enough that he was smiling when he said, "I like." He hesitated a microt, and then reached out and touched her cheek. "Seriously, baby, I'm so sorry I wasn't here. Was it bad?"

"Your daughter has your timing," she said with an indulgent smile.

"She is a Crichton."

She knew by the tone of his voice that he still wanted an answer to his question, so she shrugged and said simply, "I did what I had to do."

John searched her eyes for a moment, and then nodded. "I want to get the doc out here to check you and the baby out, though."

Beginning to feel drowsy again, she murmured, "Fine." She wasn't worried, since she felt all right, considering, and the baby seemed fine, too, but it never hurt to be sure. "I love you," she said, out of nowhere, because she needed to say it.

"I love you too. Thank you for our beautiful daughter."

Aeryn grinned at him. "Thank you...." She stroked the baby's soft hair absent-mindedly. "Pippin's very pleased with her hair, by the way."

John frowned in puzzlement, and then she saw him get it. "Nothing like a little family resemblance," he said wistfully.

She grinned back at him, pleased with the whole universe just now, and then tried to stifle a yawn.

John took that as his cue to stand up. "All right, missy, it's time for you to sleep." He nodded towards the sanitary facilities. "I'll get the baby cleaned up a bit better and then clean up in there. You can get a shower when you wake up."

As tempting as that sounded, she protested, "I need to feed the baby."

"She's not crying. She'll be okay if you grab half an arn's sleep." When she hesitated, he added, "You just gave birth by yourself, woman! Let someone take care of you for a little while!"

She started to protest that she'd had Pippin's help, and then she realized there was no point in being stubborn about it. John was right. She needed at least a short nap. "Thank you," she said softly, and slid down under the covers. She drifted towards sleep thinking how amazingly wonderful it was to have a family like this. She wondered if Chiana had any idea what she was missing....

John's voice came from across the room. "Good god, Aeryn, what did you do in here, slaughter a mangabeast?"