"Oh, for goodness' sake, Humph, will you please stop pacing around like that?"

Old Man Granger paused in what had to be his twentieth circuit of his study, leaning on his cane as he looked down at the young woman sitting on one of the couches. Vicki was terrifyingly easy-going about this, he decided. After all, how many first-time mothers put their foot down this firmly about no one calling the father about the beginning of labor until the curtain fell on his last night' But that was what Vicki had done, and he'd heard her earlier in the evening informing her bump that if the baby inside didn't try to take her time until Daddy got here, untold horrors would be heaped on the newborn's head. Of course, at the moment, it was only contractions well spaced apart by about twenty minutes or more, and Vicki's waters had yet to break. And as much as Humphrey loved Jon, he knew as well as his grand-nephew's wife that the man would be a wreck the minute he realized what was going on.

"I still don't understand quite how you're so calm about this, Victoria," the Old Man mused, moving to sit down beside her as she closed her book around her finger.

She smiled over at him, wrapping her hand about his and squeezing gently. "That would be because I called the midwife as soon as I realized it wasn't just backache," she told him warmly. "She told me to call her either when the contractions are five minutes apart, or my waters break, whichever comes first, and until then, just to do what I usually would. So ....no calling Jon to freak him out, no rushing to the hospital when we've already decided on a home birth, and no panicking. Seriously, Humph, it'll happen when it happens. I can't speed it up any more than you can."

The Old Man made a face at her, glancing at the clock. Half past ten. The curtain had already come down on A Doll's House, and leaving, say, twenty minutes for Jon to get his make-up and costume off and interact with the fans who would be waiting outside the stage door ....the expectant father was due home at any moment now. Humphrey wondered if he should perhaps make himself scarce before all hell broke loose. Cosmo already had, apparently too sensible to be anywhere near a woman in imminent danger of giving birth.

"You, young lady, are disgustingly calm," he informed her a little resentfully. "You should bottle what you have and sell it for all first time mothers."

Vicki laughed as he rose to his feet, returning to his pacing back and forth in front of the fire, and lowered her eyes back to the book in front of her. She wasn't calm. Anything but, in fact. She could feel herself growing more and more frightened as the hours slid by and brought with them contractions growing in strength and frequency. Calm' Her" She could have cried at this point, feeling very alone and vulnerable, but not wanting Humphrey to see that. If the Old Man saw her falter, he would have Jon extracted from the theater and brought up here post-haste, and then Jon would spend the evening wheeling violently from panic over the prospect of being a father, worry over the birth itself, and guilt over having not finished his run at the Shanachie. She was just hoping that she managed to keep it together long enough for him to get home and get them in private, but she had a feeling Humph was going to spill the beans the second Jon walked in through the door.

She winced as another contraction rippled through her belly, pausing in her reading to lay a hand against the tightness in her side and rub gently, making an effort to breathe long and slow as the feeling passed away. They weren't lasting particularly long at the moment, no more than about twenty seconds or so, but that last one had come on less than ten minutes after the one before. The time was getting closer. And Jon wasn't here.

It had been a long week for everyone at Maple Grove, all things considered, and as far as Jon was concerned, he was glad it was over. A Doll's House had had its run, to the usual smattering of mixed reviews. The second installment of 50 Shades ... wasn't set to start filming for a few months yet. All things considered, Jon was looking forward to a little break. Bad news had come to the Grove recently in the form of another Granger being the victim of senseless violence, this time Jon's estranged brother Desmond, and though Jon and Desmond had only found out about each other's existence recently, blood was still blood. Jon had funneled his feelings into tonight's show, sending it off with perhaps his most moving performance to date, but once he was away from the limelight and the frenzy of cast and fans, the reality of life returned full force.

He had been looking forward to the relative peace and quiet that Maple Grove afforded, but that was before things had gotten out of hand in the city, and the gates of Maple Grove had been flung open to those in need. That had been before someone had tried to kill his brother, and his life was left hanging in the balance. That was before Piper had brought Lyneth to Maple Grove, afraid for her safety and distraught over Desmond. And as if that wasn't enough, in the midst of all this confusion, Vicki was due to give birth to their firstborn any day now. How did the the old saying go' That in every life a little rain must fall" Jon thought he'd had more than his share of storms in his life, but Vicki and the baby were the silver lining, the sunlight that broke through even the darkest cloud. Was it any coincidence that while his brother teetered between life and death, he and Vicki were on the cusp of welcoming a baby into their lives" Maybe it was just Fate's way of saying that life goes on.

Still, there were a few measures that had been put in place to protect the treasured privacy of the family who made the Grove their home. Maple Grove Manor itself was off-limits entirely, as well as the surrounding garden, offering a gentle buffer between Jon's family and the guests occupying the various unused houses and cottages throughout the Grove Compound itself. Thus, he was able to pass through what amounted to a small village after entering through the gates, and into the relative peace that still clung to the manor itself. As soon as the Bentley pulled into place, Cosmo came barreling out through the front door, barking excitedly, overjoyed to see his master. He might almost have been trying to beat Humphrey to the big news.

Jon parked the Bentley as he always did and made his way to the Manor, looking even more tired than usual, what with splitting his time up between the theater, the hospital, and home. There wasn't much he could do for Desmond right now anyway, but wait and pray, but Piper was another matter. Still, Jon could only be in one place at a time, and other family members had promised to keep an eye on Piper and Lyneth and make sure they weren't forgotten.

Jon greeted Cosmo as he always did upon his arrival home, with a hug and a good amount of fur ruffling. "Hey, boy, I missed you, too!" He leaned over to greet the dog before moving to his feet and making his way to the front door, Cosmo obediently by his side. He felt exhausted and was looking forward to collapsing in bed, unaware as yet that the baby had other plans.

As he entered the main foyer of the manor, he was greeted by the sight of Humphrey attempting to usher Vicki upstairs with an anxious look on his face. Jon's wife was laughing at the Old Man, paused on the stairs in wry amusement at the antics of both man and dog. "Seriously," she was saying as Jon came in, "there is no need to panic. I promise!"

Jon closed the door quietly behind him as he stepped into the foyer, relieved the manor was still something of a refuge, despite everything that was going on outside the gates of Maple Grove. He shrugged his coat from his shoulders and tossed it onto the back of a chair, turning a curious glance to the pair that was on their way up the stairs. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. The baby's birth was imminent - any day now, they'd been told. He'd been on pins and needles for days, despite Vicki's urgings not to worry. It seemed Humphrey had been no better, left to watch over Vicki while Jon finished his run at the theater. "What's going on?" he asked, as he made his way toward the stairs, lifting his chin to gaze up at the duo. "Is the baby coming?" His heart lurched as he stated the obvious.

Humphrey's head turned toward him as he spoke, mouth opening to deliver an emphatic "Yes!" as Vicki rushed to speak over him. "No, not for another few hours at least," she tried to reassure her husband. The only problem there was ....Jon knew her better than Humphrey did. Jon would be able to see the faint flare of panic she was holding at bay for the Old Man's sake, hidden deep behind the deliberate laughter in her eyes. Panic that was muted beneath a flicker of pain as another contraction rippled through her belly, making it necessary for her to pause again on the stairs. One hand went to her rounded belly as the other clenched on the handrail, her lips pursed as she endeavored to breathe through and not push, despite the fact that her body really wanted to.

Jon knew all this already but for some reason, it did little to assuage his worries. The family seemed to be a magnet for trouble, and Jon had often wondered if they weren't cursed somehow. "That's not what worries me," he said, though it partly was. "Piper is a wreck. She's been through enough already and now this. I just wish there was something I could do to help besides tell her everything will be fine." He worked his thumbs over the soles of her feet, rubbing out the soreness with a firm but gentle touch.

Vicki sighed softly, forestalled in answering for what seemed like a very long minute and a half as her body tensed around another contraction, hands pressed to either side of the bump she was really beginning to resent having at all. As it passed, she blinked her eyes open once again, her face uncomfortably flushed with the effort not to complain, and offered Jon as reassuring a smile as she could. "The only person who can fix Piper is Des, love," she reminded him gently. "All we can do is be around when she needs someone to cry on or get angry with until then. But I'm glad Caroline put her foot down and had the pair of them moved here. At least we don't have to worry about any more trouble in that quarter."

Jon sensed the contraction, feeling Vicki tense, watching the look on her face as she waited for the pain to pass, and this was only the beginning. He frowned a little, wondering if he really should go see the gypsy again and swap places. After all, he'd been through worse things than childbirth, and he didn't want to see her in pain. His worries about his family vanished momentarily, replaced by worries of a more immediate nature. "Do you want me to see the gypsy' I will if you want me to." Anything to help with the pain and the waiting. He wondered if the waiting wasn't the worst of it, the knowing it was going to get worse but not knowing how long it would be before it was over.

Even out of breath, Vicki laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, Jon, I was joking," she told him, poking at his side with her toes. "I wouldn't do that to you. And it's really not as bad as it seems, I promise. It's just uncomfortable right now, that's all." All right, so it was a bit more than just uncomfortable, but the last thing she wanted was for Jon to leave her. From this point onwards, everything was in nature's hands, and who knew how fast or slow Mother Nature was going to make this" She didn't want him to miss the birth of his first daughter, no matter what tried to call him away.

"I just don't know what to do to help, Vicki," Jon pouted, mostly in reference to the baby's birth, but his feelings went deeper than that. He'd always felt this way about things, that no matter how hard he tried to help those he loved, things always seemed to end up a mess anyhow. "I don't know what happened between Ollie and Piper, but I'm glad Piper is still part of the family. I like Piper. I always have. She deserves to be happy." So did Ollie, Jon thought, but some people it seemed weren't destined for happiness, no matter how badly they wanted it. Trouble just seemed to follow them everywhere. He'd worried he was going to become one of those people, until he'd met Vicki.

"You do help," she assured him, drawing her feet from his lap to crawl over and curl close against him, brushing her lips fondly to his. "Every time you make the effort to ask after someone's day, you help. You show an interest that few other people do, Jon. Even a smile, as easy as it is to throw one away, can make the world of difference to someone's day. Trust me on this one. And as for this little munchkin and her debut," she added, drawing his hands down to her belly with a faint grin, "I just need you to be here. Don't leave me alone while I'm doing this, love. I'm scared."

Jon's expression sobered as he listened to Vicki, his hands drawn down to her swollen belly, that promised not to be swollen too much longer. He silently prayed for a quick and easy birth without any complications. "I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't miss this for the world. There's no place else I want to be but here with you." His hands settled gently against her belly, feeling their child move beneath his hands almost as if she knew her father was there, sensed his presence. He leaned close and brushed another kiss against her lips, soft and tender.

She smiled tenderly into his kiss, her hand leaving his to curl with fond affection to his cheek as she nuzzled close. "You old romantic, you," she teased him softly, nipping another kiss to his lips before tensing once again. This time, he could feel the contraction rippling through her womb as she clung to him, biting down on the groan that wanted to rise up in protest.

He frowned as he felt her stomach tense beneath his touch, her smile fading as she endured the contraction, and that look of concern on his own face deepened. He knew the pain would only get worse before it was finished and there was no way to know how long it would take. "Vicki, let me help you. There must be something I can do to make it easier." From the look on his face, it was clear he not only wanted to help but needed to help.

As the feeling subsided again, Vicki's eyes strayed to the watch still in her hand, making a note of the timings. Five minutes, two minutes. She blinked as Jon spoke, lifting her gaze to his with a gentle smile. "You can call the midwife," she told him softly, brushing the tip of her nose to his. "We just hit five minutes. And, um ..." Her smile flickered into bright life, teasing and warm. "Can I wear one of your shirts?"

His stomach tensed, coiling into knots when she made the announcement to call the midwife, and he realized the time was drawing even closer. Where was Humphrey with the damn tea" Not five minutes ago, he'd felt perfectly calm, but now, as Vicki's contractions drew closer together, he felt his nerves starting to fray at the edges. Thankfully, Vicki was the epitome of calm, at least for now, and Jon resisted the urge to spring to his feet, race for the door, and shout to Humphrey and the healer to come quick. Instead, he only smiled and brushed his fingers against her cheek as they touched noses and looked into each other's eyes. "You already hold my heart. I think I can spare one shirt." He kissed her lips again before pulling back to slide his cellphone from his pants pocket.

"Goodie." She grinned into his kiss, making to rise to her feet as he pulled away. Hana had already told her to change into something loose and comfortable with easy access when the time came to call her, which was a blessed relief in a way. As she made her way to the bedroom, she felt something unmistakeable, straightening with a flush of embarrassment. "Um ....tell her my waters just broke, too." Thank god for those enormous pads.

He was just about to push the Call button when she made the announcement, and his eyes widened, as big as saucers. "What' Already?" He flew to his feet and across the room to take hold of her arm and steady her, with a glance to her legs though he didn't see much beyond her pajamas. He had learned enough from childbirth classes to know that once her water broke, the birth was imminent, as if it wasn't imminent enough already. Without giving it another thought, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, as if she was unable to accomplish this on her own.

"Jon!" Struggling in his arms, Vicki frowned at her husband, realizing that he had started to panic again. "Put me down, you daft man, I have to go to the bathroom and clean up! And if you don't call Hana soon, you'll be delivering your daughter." How was that for a threat'

It certainly worked on Humphrey, who had just entered the sitting room they had so recently vacated with a tea tray. "Now that is something I would like to see," the Old Man declared, knowing as well as they did that no one in the house but the healer downstairs had even the slightest chance of delivering a baby with any kind of confidence.

Jon wasn't in a panic exactly, but he was clearly over-reacting. He froze halfway to the bed when she scolded him and turned to head toward the bathroom instead. The thought of delivering a baby only made his stomach clench all the more and he was soon depositing Vicki to her feet in front of the bathroom, albeit gently. He flushed with embarrassment and nervousness, about to ask what he should do, when he was reminded about the midwife. "Call Hana. Right. I can do that." He suddenly wasn't sure if he was going to get through this without something to ease his jangled nerves. He heard Humphrey in the other room and scowled, wishing his uncle hadn't overheard that remark from his wife. He wondered how Humphrey had weathered his own childrens' births, but it was a little late to ask for advice now.

For possibly the first time, she made no attempt to hide the tears or laugh off her distress, leaning into the embrace he offered as her body shuddered through sobs and another contraction, holding onto him tightly as she struggled to at least bring her breathing back under control. "I'm sorry," she managed finally, hiccuping through the tears as they began to wind down. "I didn't mean to ....It just hit me, that's all. God, I'm such an idiot."

He felt her tense and relax as another contraction took her and he held her close until it released her from its grip. They were coming closer together now, and he knew they would only grow stronger and harder as the time grew closer for their daughter's birth. "Hana is on her way," he told her gently, taking her hands. "We should get you settled into bed so you're comfortable. You don't want to give birth on the toilet." He smiled in an attempt to lighten her mood with a little humor. "You remember the train station' When I told you that everything was going to be okay' That you just had to trust me?"

Her breath still shuddering a little as she slowly calmed under his influence, Vicki raised her blue eyes to his as he enfolded her hands within his grasp, even managing a soft laugh at the thought of giving birth right here. "I don't think she'd forgive me if I brained her on the bathroom floor seconds after she popped out to say hello," she admitted with a weak smile, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Jon's for a long moment. Her mind wandered to the moment he spoke of, months ago for him, years for her. "I remember. And I do trust you, Jon, more than anyone."

His fingers slid across her cheek and into her hair as their foreheads rested together, nearly nose to nose with each other, close enough to draw breath from each other. She was his breath and his heart and his life, but to say it seemed ridiculously sappy, and she probably already thought him far too romantic for his own good. "Then trust me now. Everything is going to be fine. You're going to be fine. The baby is going to be fine. I'm here. The healer is here. Humphrey is here, and the midwife is on her way. You can do this, Vicki. You're stronger than anyone else I know. You will do this." There wasn't much he could do but coach her, support her, believe in her, love her.

"Can't I just book an appointment and have the birth next week?" It was a plaintive little whine of a complaint. I need more time, I'm not ready for this. But nature had already started to take its course, and unless it took longer than was healthy or something went wrong, Vicki was going to have to go through all this right now, whether she was ready or not. She leaned into Jon, breathing him in, absorbing a little of the calm confidence he'd somehow managed to gather around himself into her heart to bolster herself against what was coming. "Okay," she sighed softly. "Okay, we can do this. Not long to go now, right?"

"No, not long." Not compared to the last nine months anyway. Though she had reminded him that it could go on for days, he didn't think that would be the case, not now that her water had broken and the contractions were coming in regular, shortened intervals. "Come on," he said, moving to his feet and taking her hands to pull her up with him. "Unless you want me to carry you again."

"I can walk." Three words that promised pain if he tried to sweep her off her feet again. Vicki was feeling helpless enough as it was, at the mercy of her own body, without Jon inadvertently adding to the feeling by taking over basic motor functions for her. She didn't actually want to get into bed, but if it would stop him flapping, then that's what she would do. Besides, it wouldn't be long now. It couldn't be. Could it'

Almost seven hours later, she couldn't believe how naive she'd been to think that. Seven hours of intermittently getting up and walking around. Seven hours of being told by a midwife, a healer, and her husband not to push every time a contraction pounded itself home. Seven hours of dozing between those contractions, of trying to get Jon to get some sleep, of more crying fits and temper tantrums. Dawn was threatening to begin outside the window by the time Hana announced that she was finally dilated enough to begin pushing, and finally Jon had a job that was more than holding her hand and trying not to be hurt by the things she was saying to him. Vicki was kneeling up on the bed as she pushed, taking full advantage of the assistance gravity could provide, her arms wrapped about Jon's neck as she pressed her face into his shoulder, cursing for all she was worth.

It had been a difficult night for them all, but not as difficult as it could have been. Jon had weathered it as well as any expectant father could, catching snatches of sleep here and there when things turned quiet, pacing when he was nervous, holding Vicki's hand and trying to calm and console her and talk her through the difficult moments, even when the things she said to him stung. He knew it was only the pain talking, that when it was all over, she'd be his sweet Victoria again. All would be forgiven and forgotten and between them, they'd have a baby daughter to fall in love with. Morning had finally dawned and with it, it seemed the baby had made renewed efforts to be born. Jon held Vicki close, lending her his support and his strength, letting her use him however she needed to in order to make things easier. He was coaching her quietly, whispering words of encouragement and reassurance, telling her she was amazing and that she was doing great. It wouldn't be long now. She was almost there.

Though she, too, was tired, Hana had spent the night switching in and out with the healer, Shipwright, leaving them both relatively fresh for the main event, as it were. As Vicki gritted her teeth and pushed as hard as she could, hands were already there to support the head that eased free, to turn the little body and repair the damage that head had done on its way out. Offered a brief chance to catch her breath, Vicki lifted her head, resting her sweaty temple against Jon's cheek. "Remind me again why we decided to have children?"

He smiled, resisting the urge just then to laugh, though he felt a flood of relief as the child started her slow slide free of Vicki's womb. "Because we wanted to share our love and our lives with a little carbon copy of ourselves?" he asked, tired but not completely without his sense of humor.

She snorted with laughter. "Please tell me you didn't just wish asexuality on our firstborn child," was her weary counter to that, cut off by a low groan as her hands tightened on him again. Midwife and healer had left all the encouragement, all the coaching, to Jon as the night progressed, giving the couple as much of the illusion of being in this together with no one else as they possibly could. A tender whimper escaped Vicki's throat as she felt her flesh burn once again, only vaguely aware that first shoulders, then body, and finally legs were slipping free. Moments later, there was a tiny cough, and a thin wail filled her ears, their daughter making her displeasure known.

"You're doing it, Vicki!" Jon declared with an encouraging and excited smile. "I can see her. She's coming out. Keep pushing!" He held fast to her as her grip tightened on him. He might find bruises in the shape of fingermarks on his flesh later, but right now, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the safe welcome of their daughter into the world. He laughed with wonder and joy as he witnessed the baby coming free from her mother's body, so tiny and frail and lovely but with lungs that quickly made themselves known. "Oh, my God, Vicki! She's beautiful!" he exclaimed, a lump of joyful tears clogging his throat. "You did it, baby. She's here."

With two pairs of hands working together, the business of the afterbirth, tying off the cord, weighing and measuring the squirming baby girl, and a swift change of the sheets beneath Vicki were all achieved within the next few minutes. There was even a thick towel set down beneath the new mother as she collapsed onto the bed, to protect the fresh sheets against the last remnants of blood and fluid. Vicki groaned with relief, feeling as though she'd just squeezed a double-decker bus from between her thighs, and yet ...."She's so tiny," she heard herself say in soft amazement as Hana handed Jon the scissors to cut the cord.

Jon seemed enthralled with the whole process - except for the afterbirth because that was just disgusting. He hesitated a moment as Hana handed him the scissors, arching his brows at the woman quizzically, as if to say, "Who, me?" But his hesitation didn't last as he remembered the birthing classes, and he cleanly snipped the cord that disconnected their tiny baby girl from her mother's womb permanently. Once that was done, he settled himself on the bed beside Vicki, leaning down to brush an affectionate and protective kiss against her brow. "I love you," he whispered, in a voice that was full of emotion.

Laughing weakly, Vicki turned her head toward him, fond and weary. "I must love you to have gone through all that," she teased, oddly back to her usual self now the frightening hard work was over for a few hours. A small pink-wrapped bundle was laid against her chest, and her arms came up to wrap about their daughter, her eyes lowering to look down at the now quiet face. "Hello, peanut," she murmured, stroking a fingertip against the scrunched up nose, looking up at Jon with a ridiculous sense of pride. "Look what we did."

Jon smiled down at his wife and daughter, filled with a sense of pride and wonder he'd never felt before for the small bundle that had been created out of the love he and Vicki shared. "I'd say we did good," he remarked, glancing from Vicki to the baby and reaching out to brush a finger against their young daughter's pink cheek. "She's beautiful, just like her mother," he said softly, clearly in love with both of them.

Vicki laughed again, tipping her head against his shoulder. "You'd better hope she's not just like me," she warned, knowing that he'd be sorely outnumbered if they ended up with a mini-Vicki in the house. Quite how or when Hana and Shipwright had left the room was beyond her, but they were alone for now, tired but happy together. "You're sure about Emily?"

He laughed a little giddily, partly due to exhaustion and partly happiness. If she was anything like Vicki, he was in trouble. He reached out to offer his finger to his daughter, her tiny fingers curling around his finger instinctively, and he wondered if she had any way of knowing just how much she was loved. Happy tears filled his eyes as he looked down on his daughter, wife by his side, and he realized in that moment that all his hopes and dreams had finally come true. He'd returned to Rhy'Din in hopes of settling down and having a family of his own, and though things hadn't gone exactly according to plan, that was precisely what he'd accomplished. "Emily seems to fit, don't you think?" he asked, with a suspicious sniffle. It didn't really matter what they named her, so long as they were in agreement.

"Yeah." He wasn't alone in sniffling, though it was perhaps for different reasons. Vicki had no memories of her mother, the first Emily who had died so much before her time in cold waters thanks to a mindless accident. She hadn't really thought that she would ever be in a position to honor the woman who had borne her like this, by giving her name to the next generation. And with that quiet happiness came a stern hope that she was not going to leave her daughter the way she had been left. She was going to be a disgustingly embarrassing old grandmother at ninety, and she was stubborn enough to do it. "Are you Emily?" she asked the tiny girl in her arms, and gasped softly as the little eyes blinked open, gazing with that wonderfully newborn unfocus up at her parents. Blue eyes. Like father, like daughter.

Jon had met that Emily once and though it was many years ago, for Jon it had only been a short while. Such was the gift and curse of time travel. Ironically, he remembered that Emily better than her own daughter did, and he had been there the day she had died. The guilt still hung like a heavy weight against his heart, though as time went on, it was getting easier to bear. It seemed somehow fitting that they should name this, their firstborn, after the woman who had died so tragically all those years ago.

Jon had seen the love in that mother's eyes for her daughter - his wife - and he now saw that same love mirrored in Vicki's eyes for her own child, and so the Circle of Life went on. He smiled softly as he watched both mother and child, feeling strangely at peace with the past, somehow knowing that somewhere, Vicki's mother was looking down on them and smiling. "Hello, Emily," he told his daughter quietly as she clung to his finger and opened her eyes to look on her parents for the very first time. "Welcome to the world."

((And welcome to the world another brand new Granger obtained by natural means! As always, loads of fun to write and play, thanks to my awesome Jonnikins! :grin: ))