Three Down, Six To Go

[Antoinette Greenwood]

Antoinette lay on the couch, eyes closed, as she absently rubbed her stomach. She was now in her second trimester, and the baby had luckily settled down and stopped giving her morning sickness. Still, being pregnant was a pain. She still had the cravings, she still felt tired and run-down, but worst of all, the bump was beginning to show. It wasn't too obvious yet, but there was a distinct curve that didn't use to be there. Antoinette shuddered. Soon she'd be huge, and that was something that just freaked her out way too much. One of her biggest assets was her beauty (she was part-Veela, after all), and if she was going to have this enormous baby belly...well, she wouldn't be beautiful anymore, would she? What would James think, when already he had been "searching elsewhere for the loving attention he desired", as Antoinette discreetly put it. And although they were engaged, and were to be married soon, Antoinette couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Reaching for her glass of orange juice, Antoinette sighed, feeling pretty angsty and uneasy. She was only eighteen, but she was to be married, she was looking after Pippin, and she was going to have a baby of her own. It may have been the baby making Antoinette feel so unsure, but she surely felt pretty insecure at this point in time.

 

[James Dalton]

There was a sudden clatter from outside and James swore loudly. Then there was a moment of silence before..
A loud sequence of thumps echoed from the place where James was; in a tree, with a hammer and nails, building a surprise for his betrothed.
James did attempt to use some magic but everything had gone.. well, a little skew-whiff.
Moments later, he stomped into the 'house' and dropped heavily onto the bed he shared with Antoinette.
He began sulking. James' hands over his face as he moaned and grumbled. "Stupid thing!" he muttered under his breath.
If only he understood what Antoinette was going through. If only he knew what pain she was in then perhaps he wouldn't be bothering her. It was also a little sad that a soon-to-be nineteen year old had just spent the last hour in a tree, attempting to build a nest for his baby.

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

The clunking jolted Antoinette from her reverie...so did the cold feeling of orange juice on her shirt. "Ugh," Antoinette groaned, pulling herself up to a seated position and slowly standing up. Shuddering, she peeled the shirt off - she could have just cleaned it, but she desired to get changed - looked down at the slight curve with a sigh, and stomped in to the bedroom, pulling on the biggest and loosest shirt she could find. If she was self-conscious now, she shuddered to think what she'd be like at nine months, carrying a fully developed baby in her womb.
Once she had re-dressed, Antoinette sank on to the bed next to James, with a small sigh. "What's wrong?" she asked, tiredly.

 

[James Dalton]

James looked up to Antoinette. He didn't even force a smile. James wasn't one to understand women; heck, he barely understood himself.
The bump was not easily seen but James placed his hand on her stomach and almost immediately, it seemed to become visible.
"I'm going to fail as a parent." He said miserably, "I can't even build a stupid nest without it collapsing every five minutes!" He suddenly leapt, pacing back and forth, waving his arms about his head.
James had bruises on his thumbs from having missed the nails. "Where will our baby sleep now?!" He declared loudly, "It can't sleep in our bed- We'd squash it!" Well, at least he knew that much about caring for a baby..
"I'm going to end up squashing the baby and then you will cry and then I will cry and then Pippin will cry.."
James stopped and turned to look Antoinette directly in the eyes.

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

Antoinette merely blinked a couple of times, staring at James with an odd look on her face. "Nest?" she repeated, a little confused. "James, why are you building a nest?" She listened to him rant, shaking her head slowly, still looking fairly confused. "James, you're not going to squash the baby, calm down," she muttered. "We'll get a baby bed for them. That way he or she can sleep in a safe place where we, well, I, can get to them easily and feed it in the middle of the night," Antoinette explained, patiently. "You're not going to hurt them, I know it," she continued, reassuringly. I might, though. I'm in no way fit to be a mother, she thought, sadly. She dropped her gaze down to her stomach, her hands linked in her lap. She was going to bring this new life in to the world, but was it really alright to do that?

 

[James Dalton]

"Feed it in the middle of the night?" James asked, blinking. Oh dear. He really did have no idea about babies or how to care for them.
"Why can't I feed it in the middle of the night? You know- do shifts of me taking nights and you taking days."
Well, in James' mind it sounded like a good idea. Bless. He smiled at Antoinette, a pure, soppy, puppy dog smile. He was so madly in love with her and was excited about being a daddy but..
"Will I.." James' breathing had sped up, his eyes widened, "Will I have to get a.. job?" He whispered the last word as though it were poisonous to him. He had never had a job in his life and the way things had been going, James hadn't needed one.. But now he did.

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

Antoinette hesitated a little, before shaking her head. "Well, um, the thing is, you're not exactly...equipped, to feed the baby," she gently explained, trying to be somewhat discreet. "For the first few months, I'd breastfeed the baby," she added, awkwardly. She didn't realise just how much explanation she'd have to do. She supposed her mo- sister had taught her most things, and didn't really appreciate how little some people knew about these matters. Still, she loved James dearly and really didn't mind having to explain things. Even if it was a little awkward.
"I don't know," Antoinette stated, shrugging. "Father will help me get by for a while, he said he'd even help me get a house in New Zealand, or England, either or...but once the baby's old enough, I'll get a job," Antoinette said, defiantly. "I'll work for the Ministry or something, I did pretty well at school so I shouldn't have to worry too much about finding something," she explained. "But I don't think I can until he or she is about 6 months old, at least." Antoinette sighed again, lying back on the bed. "James...?" she began, tentatively. "When I get bigger, will you...will you think I'm ugly?" she whispered, a little ashamed of herself, but still wanting to be reassured.

 

[James Dalton]

Though he had never met the man, at the mention of Antoinette's father, a shiver ran up James' spine.
He managed to shake it off though, knowing that he would have to get a job. If they would be in New Zealand then he'd have to get a job there. In the meantime, he could probably find something local..
"Why would being big make you ugly?" James said, tilting his head to one side. "Surely all it would mean was that I'd have more to love."
He rejoined her on the bed and kissed at her neck.
After a moment, he leant back. "So.. What do I need? I mean.. to become equipped to feed the baby?"

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

And with that, Antoinette felt reassured. Of course he'd still love her. Were they not getting married? She sighed, in a more happy way, this time, as he kissed her on the neck. "At least it'll only be for a little while," Antoinette mumbled, a small smile appearing on her worried features.
She couldn't help but chuckle at James' next comment, though. "A sex change," Antoinette responded, simply. "Only the mother can feed the baby. Until the baby's old enough to eat normal food. It's like a cow," she explained, a little awkwardly. "The women have to do all the work - carrying the baby, giving birth to it, then feeding it. It'll be alright, though, I think." She trailed off for a moment, looking at the ceiling, before turning to James.
"Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?" she asked, wondering what he thought. Secretly, Antoinette was hoping for a baby girl, but she wasn't sure. The healers could probably tell her soon, though. Muggle doctors would be able to, in any case.

 

[James Dalton]

James was a little disappointed that he couldn't care for the baby as much as he would have liked to. Unless.. No, he thought it best if he stayed as his current gender. James smiled. His hand rested on Antoinette's stomach for a moment.
"It's a girl." He said suddenly. "It's the aura- it's too relaxed for a boy." James couldn't be one hundred percent sure but in his gut he had the feeling that he was right. More questions began to etch onto James' mind but he ignored them.
Everything would be fine.. That's what he'd tell himself.

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

"Don't worry," Antoinette said, with a smile. "I'm sure they'll love playing with daddy more than being mothered." Antoinette laughed. She could see it all now, and the future did actually look bright. Smiling, she closed her eyes as James rested his hand on her stomach.
"Girls are relaxed?" Antoinette asked, snorting with mirth. She hadn't known a single relaxed girl in her life...but she trusted James on this. A girl. Their girl, their daughter. "A girl..." she mused. "I always hoped I'd have a daughter," she admitted, pushing herself up slightly and wrapping her arms around James. "I love you, you know? You're ridiculous but also amazing and I love you." The hormones were probably getting to her, but she was happy for now, and that was all that mattered.