Living Room

Melinoe grinned a bit as Esme tapped her nose and spoke up. "Yeah...but I lounge about quite often." She felt Esme's fingers run over her skin but was startled to a sitting position as her phone went off. She stood and reached into her pocket before walking away to answer it; her face falling as she spoke. Slowly she turned after hanging up and looked at Esme. "I have to go."

Mel suddenly sat up scaring both Esme and Maya upright, her phone had gone off. Esme worked on soothing the frightened feline and succeeded when she curled back up in her lap. She turned to Mel when she said she had to go, and put Maya on the couch and stood to walk over to Mel.
"Alright love."
She kissed Mel softly after she spoke.

Melinoe stared at Esme with that somewhat down face. "No...I mean I have to leave...Like I have to go back to my homeland. To fight." She lifted a hand to rub at the back of her neck.

Her face fell when she heard Mel say that she had to leave to fight. Esme wasn't sure what to do, she held Mel's hands tight and looked at her with a best of a smile she could muster.
"You'd better come back to me Mel, do you hear me?"
Her voice shook a little toward the end telling just how fearful of losing Mel she was.

Melinoe's eyes closed and her face softened slightly as Esme took her hands. After a moment she slowly opened her eyes but nodded. "Yeah. I hear you. Of course I'll come back. I've still got a lovely woman to marry. Can't keep her waiting; can I?" She leaned forward quickly to steal a kiss from Esme. She was worried that if she stayed much longer she wouldn't be able to leave. "I have to go, love." She pulled her hands from Esme's and went out the door.

Esme returned the kiss, slowly letting their fingers fall from each other. A soft wave and a smile was all Esme could muster as Mel left. She sat back down on the couch, petting Maya to try and make herself feel better. It didn't work much judging by the moistness of her eyes.

The wedding had passed, gone mostly without a hitch (save Esme's brother interrupting at just the right moment to say a few words to the both of them, nearly giving his sister a heart attack) and Esme was happy. This past month had been quite the ordeal though. Mel wanted to have a family, that was clear when she told her the minute she could when she got back. After the donation at the clinic they had to wait to see if it took. This afternoon they had just gotten back from the doctor, it had taken. It took some weight off her shoulders but Esme was still nervous. Mel was taking a lot on her shoulders and being parents was a lot of work. Together they could work through she knew it.
Lying on the couch with Mel she had her head in her lover's lap, softly rubbing the skin of Mel's stomach.
"Are you nervous?"
She looked up to Mel, still rubbing her gently with a soft smile.

This position would probably seem somewhat awkward and almost funny to most people should they have walked in on it. Esme's head was in Melinoe's lap, and her hand up her shirt though she wasn't doing anything but rubbing her stomach which was rather soothing to Melinoe. Silently Melinoe let her fingers brush through Esme's hair and she said nothing for a moment as she seemed to think. Shrugging her shoulders she spoke up. "Of course I'm a bit nervous. I mean...I don't think crocodiles have ever been very good parents." She made a light joke out of it.

Esme smiled when she felt Mel run her fingers through her hair, liking the relaxing feeling. It was natural to be nervous, all first time parents were. She lifted up Mel's shirt slightly and rubbed her cheek against her stomach with a feather light touch.
"It's natural to be nervous, but I'm right here and mom said she's always on call if we need advice. We'll do fine Mel I know we will."
Esme was mostly thrilled, knowing she'd have the family she wanted with the person she loved more then anything else on the planet. Hector stretched from his place in the corner of the couch, leaping off to go find his mom to play.

A light blush crossed over Melinoe's face as Esme's cheek rubbed against her stomach a light noise of pleasure escaping from her mouth. Gently she kept her fingers passing through Esme's hair. "I know, but still." Melinoe reached to take Esme's hand and lifted it to press her lips to her wife's palm. "We'll be able to do this. Definitely."

Mel kissed Esme's palm, making a bigger smile cross over her lips. She went to say something but instead gasped when she felt Maya jump on the couch, Hector not far behind. She started laughing when they began running around from their left to the back of the couch to the floor and back around again in a game of what looked like tag.
"You two are insane I swear!"
Her hand brushed her wife's stomach again, smiling as she thought of the child still forming inside.

Melinoe watched the two cats as they ran about and raised an eyebrow slightly at Esme's words before leaning down some to look at her. "That's gonna be us with our kid some day, love. I wouldn't say they're insane. Just playful." She ran her fingers lightly across Esme's cheek and smiled slightly as she straightened back up when she felt Esme's fingers against her stomach once more.

"Yeah I know it'll be us someday soon. I am nervous but I'm excited too Mel, I can hardly sit here and wait another eight months."
With a kiss to the skin of her wife's stomach she sat up and kissed Mel's lips afterward. Her hand softly brushed the side of Mel's face and she smiled at her.
"You're so beautiful, positively glowing."

A light laugh escaped through Melinoe's lips at Esme's words. "Mn...I think I can always wait a bit longer before having to push the child out." She teased Esme a bit but smiled some immediately after as her wife sat up and gave her a kiss. Melinoe didn't hesitate to return it and moved her arms to wrap loosely around Esme's neck. "Am I?"

Mel wound her arms around Esme's neck, Esme responding by snaking her arms around her waist.
"Absolutely, and don't worry you're the toughest woman I've ever met you'll be able to handle it. And if not there's a wonderful thing called an epidural."
Esme teased Mel right back, laughing again as Hector flipped onto his back on their left side and Maya pounced on top of him.
"Maya loves her son so much."

"Hm...?" Melinoe stared at Esme as the arms snaked around her waist. Slowly an eyebrow arched at Esme's words. "I feel as though that's a challenge to my prowess as a warrior." Melinoe got a somewhat cocky grin on her face. "To Hell with medication." She glanced to her side at the cats before looking back to Esme. "Just like we'll love our baby."

"We most certainly will."
Her hands moved forward to softly stroke the skin of her belly again, smiling widely.
"What do you think it's going to be?"
The gender was always a question, one the parents wants desperately to know so they could plan accordingly. Clothes, names, toys, almost everything relied on what gender the baby was. After a moment she shrugged.
"Either way, we'll love them to pieces."

Melinoe's muscles tightened slightly before relaxing with a slight shiver as Esme's fingers brushed at her skin once more. "I'm not really sure what it'll be, love..." She was silent as she thought over what she was certain that Esme was thinking about. The clothes and such. Looking up slowly she looked at Esme's face. "When the child is old enough to pick its own clothes...We won't tell it no based on gender, right?" She wanted her child to be whatever it wanted to be.

Mel spoke up, Esme catching on to the hidden meaning in her question. Esme smiled and leaned forward, kissing Mel's forehead and stroking her stomach in slowly circles.
"Of course not, they can wear - or be - whatever they like. As long as they are happy, it's all that matters."
Esme kissed Mel's lips quickly before scooting off the couch and sitting in front of her. Her face lowered toward her wife's stomach with a smile.
"You hear that sweetheart? You can be whatever you want to be, just make sure it makes you happy."
she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her warm skin.

A soft smile crossed over Melinoe's lips as her eyes closed while Esme kissed her forehead. "I'm glad..." Melinoe was very pleased that Esme was on the same page as her with that topic. Sometimes parents could be touchy about those things and would force their children into gender roles. Melinoe didn't want to be that type of parent. She barely managed to return the quick kiss as it had broken her from her thoughts but she did watch Esme's actions. Once more she smiled before laughing lightly as Esme spoke to their developing child, but the kiss made her stomach repeat its actions from before; tightening up before loosening with a shiver.

she rested her face against her stomach, wrapping her arms around Mel to gently hold her close.
"You're so sensitive here love, it's adorable."
A sudden noise made her open her eyes, and a laugh escaped her as she looked back up to Mel and sat back on the haunches of her legs.
"Sounds like someone is hungry."

A light blush crossed over Melinoe's face. "You should know that by now..." The next thing that happened though had her face even more red. That was rather embarrassing.

Esme laughed again and leaned up to kiss Mel's nose softly.
"Just name it love and I'll make it for you. Just lie down and relax okay?"
She softly moved Mel's legs and upper body to make her lie on her back.

Melinoe blinked slightly as Esme shifted her about, but let her do so. "I don't really know...Anything would be fine I guess." She shifted slightly while looking up towards Esme almost feeling somewhat bad.

"What's wrong?"
Esme picked up on Mel shifting away from her and quickly grabbed hold of her hand in both hers.
"I don't mind doing this for you, don't feel bad about asking me for anything ever Mel. I love you it's my pleasure to do them."