Our house had gone much faster than Asher and Jesse's house. We'd learned so much that first time, and we'd worked like crazy, even hiring some contractors in when we were too busy chasing leads about Wamp. We still took on the occasional bounty, but most of our time and energy was tied up in chasing him. He'd hit two more families in the last four months, and none had survived. It had become infinitely more real, having Benjamin and Evan living with the pack. 

Yet we somehow managed to get the house ready for move-in one month before the baby was due. Which was any day now... I was sticking close to home, afraid I'd miss it if I went too far. I could already tell our baby was as mischievous as Kit was. I'd only felt him move twice—it was like every time he sensed it was my hand on Nick's stomach, he stopped. Everyone else got to feel him on a regular basis—even Kurt—but he was absolutely cantankerous when it came to me. Like right now.

"I can't feel him. You swear he's moving?"

Nick made a face. "Ugh, Braxton Hicks. I can't feel him right now either—my belly is too tight"

"I wish he'd just hurry up and get out here," I complained. 

"You and me both."

The timer went off for the oven and I made Nick sit back down. "I got it. You don't need to be bending down in your condition."

"I can do anything I damn well please," Nick growled, which was meant to be intimidating, but was just damn cute. "But I don't please to do that, so carry on."

I pulled the pie from the oven and set it on the cooling rack he'd prepared. "Now that we don't have to worry about that, how about I give you a little foot rub?"

Nick kicked his feet up eagerly. "I won't say no to that."

Now that we were in our own place, Nick didn't hold back his moans when I rubbed his feet. The noises he made revved me up like nothing else, and foot rubs almost always ended up in bed, with more intimate massages.

"You know," I said, pressing down on a particularly tense spot, "I've heard that sex is supposed to make the baby come quicker."

Nick laughed, even though I'd been saying that at least once a day for the last week. "Don't make me laugh, you made me pee."

"Sounds like a personal problem to me," I said.

Nick laughed again, then perked up like something had kicked him. 

"What's up?" I asked immediately.

"I don't think that was pee... I think my water just broke."

Asher, I immediately sent out a panicked call. Nick's water just broke.

I could tell he heard me, felt his attention on me momentarily, and then he responded, Caspar says Meredith is already on her way.

What do I do until she gets here? I was relieved to hear she was on her way, but it didn't ease my sudden anxiety much.

Jesse says to get Nick comfortable and put a towel under him. He's coming over now.

"Can you stand up?" I asked Nick.

"I... it'll make a mess," Nick said bashfully. 

"That's okay, we can clean it up later. Jesse says for you to get comfortable and sit on a towel."

Jesse arrived before Nick got settled in, so the two of them retreated to the bathroom while I waited anxiously in the living room. When they came back out, Nick was wrapped in a fuzzy bathrobe. I jumped to my feet and Nick gave me an indulgent look, ruined by a brief wince.

"Dallas, can you make some tea?" Jesse said as he helped Nick get situated. 

"Of course." I hurried to do so, catching Jesse's quiet comment to Nick about keeping me busy. Even if that was all the tea was good for, I was grateful to be doing something. 

Jesse made small talk, easing the time while we waited for Meredith. it probably wasn't more than twenty minutes before Meredith arrived, but it felt like an eternity to me. She sent me to boil water while she sat and talked to Jessie and Nick. 

"It will still be a while before the baby decides to arrive," she said. "The best thing to do right now is to try and take your mind off of things. Watch TV, listen to music or a podcast, whatever it is that interests you."

"I made Asher watch the home improvement channel." Jesse smiled. 

"If you can sleep, that is also an excellent option."

"I don't think I could sleep right now," Nick said. "I'm too excited."

Meredith patted his hand. "That's completely normal. "

"When will I have to, you know, start pushing?" Nick rubbed the fabric on his thighs nervously.

"Your body will let you know," Meredith said. "But don't worry, I will be here to help you listen."

* * *

Seven hours later, leaning against the bed in the midst of an intense contraction, Nick finally yelled, "Is it time to push now?"

"You can push anytime you feel like," Meredith said. "Just bear down with your entire body. It might feel like you're trying to poop, but that's completely natural."

Nick seemed beyond caring about any sense of propriety. The belt of his bathrobe was still loosely tied around his waist, but the bottom gaped open as he squatted, giving in to his natural instincts and letting his body take over. He reached out blindly for my hand, and I gave it to him. Jesse took his other hand, and we supported him as he bore down with the primal growl.

Meredith crouched in front of him and reached up to check on the baby's positioning between his legs. "He's so close to crowning," she said. "One more push, Nick, you can do it."

"I know I can do it," Nick growled between breaths. "This baby is coming out now, and I don't need a frizzy haired earth witch telling me something I already know."

I looked at Meredith to see if she was offended by Nick's comment, but she simply smiled as if she was amused. "It's not the worst thing I've been called," she said. "But seriously, one more push."

It was a few more pushes than that, and Nick called her worse names, but she seemed unfazed, and within minutes, our little boy took his first breath.

It took a surprisingly long time for everything else to wrap up, with Nick delivering the afterbirth, and Jesse cleaning Patrick up. But finally, Nick was ensconced in our bed, our little boy on his chest, and the rest of us gazing at them with wonder.

"The whole process is so magical," Jesse said rubbing his own swollen belly. Only a couple months more, and there would be another baby in the pack. That would bring us up to four, including Evan the little hawk.

I personally thought the whole process was rather disgusting, but the end result was definitely magical.

"I don't know if I could be as helpful as you were, Jesse," Nick said. "The very thought of going through this again makes me want to scream."

Jesse shrugged. "I just enjoy the whole process. It's not exactly pleasant, no, but it's an easy price to pay."

Nick and I both looked at him skeptically.

"I've been talking to Meredith about training under her as a doula, maybe someday a midwife like her."

I was more on Nick's side, in this discussion. Maybe we'd feel different about the birthing process when we'd had time to forget the pain he'd just gone through, but right now another kid was the last thing on my mind. "You would definitely make a good midwife," I said. "You'd probably make a good doula, too, if I knew what that was."

"It's basically what he did today," Meredith said. "An emotional support for both parents during the birthing process."

"Then you definitely make a good one of those." I yawned. I was exhausted. I could only imagine a portion of what Nick must feel right now.

Meredith, as always, seemed to sense what we needed before we said anything. "We'll just finish cleaning up and then will get out of your way. Would you like us to share the news with the others, or would you like to keep that for yourself?"

I shared a look with Nick, just to make sure, and said, "Please tell them. I know there waiting anxiously."

Finally, I was alone with my mate and my son. I crawled into bed and lay my head on Nick's shoulder, staring at the beautiful, tiny creature he had brought into this world. "I can't believe he's finally here."

"I can't," Nick said, with tired sarcasm. "It took him so damn long to get here."

Patrick finished eating and his tiny mouth gaped open as he snuggled up against Nick's chest.

"Can I hold him?" I held my hands out for my son.

"Of course." Nick gently handed me the tiny bundle, and arranged my arms just so. He looked even tinier in my thick arms.

"I feel like I'm going to break him," I said.

Nick snuggled against my arm now, and reached out to rub a finger against Patrick's cheek. "You won't," he said. "But he does seem so fragile."

At that moment, I thought of Benjamin and his son Evan, and his missing son, who we had not been able to find a trace of since the fire. The last six months had been frustratingly futile in the search for Emerson Wamp. There had been no fires in the last six months that stunk of his pattern. No signs of him, electronic or otherwise, that we had been able to sniff out. Holding my baby boy made the horror of what Benjamin must be facing all too real. I didn't want to remind Nick of the tragedy, but I vowed to myself that I would find Benjamin's missing son, and so help me if any other child were taken under our watch. The next time, it could be my family. It could be my child. And I would never let that happen.