"Are you certain you feel up to this, Carrie?" asked Davis.

He was practically humming with excitement, but she could see the resignation creeping into his eyes as she delayed answering for a moment. The truth was, she was overdue and feeling slightly miserable, but she wouldn't disappoint him when he had gone to so much trouble to plan some type of surprise for her.

She managed to smile and to summon some excitement at the prospect. "I'm sure I do. If I get tired, you can always carry me." She felt roughly the size of a house, but he would be able to easily lift and carry her. It was one of the advantages of having a cyborg husband.

Not that they'd had an official ceremony, since it was four hundred and thirty years into her future, and marriage as she had known it didn't seem to exist. People still paired up, and thanks to Freydon Rote, often found their destined mates, but she had yet to see any formal ceremony binding a couple.

As a young girl, she had dreamed about her wedding, but now that she had found Davis, it was surprisingly unimportant to her. A ceremony was just frills and trappings, and she already had everything she needed with him.

Including the baby that was making her enormous stomach so distended. Perhaps she wasn't as large as she thought, but she felt like she was lumbering around Godzilla-style while crushing a village.

Carrie felt even worse as they moved through the cyborg base, and the first person they encountered was Gwen. Unlike Carrie, pregnancy suited her well. She was practically glowing, and she hadn't seemed to slow down at all. Carrie reminded herself that Gwen was only six months pregnant, and she hadn't yet reached the point of being overdue. Perhaps her friend would look and feel just as miserable when she approached her due date. Carrie found the thought cheering, though she felt guilty for doing so.

"Where are you off to?" asked Gwen, but there was a gleam in her eye that suggested she already knew.

Carrie shrugged. "I don't know. Davis has a surprise for me."

She nodded, still looking slightly secretive, which had Carrie speculating Gwen had played some role in setting up the surprise. "Where are you off to?"

"I need to go check in briefly with Owen for a scan, and then I'm joining Jason in the cloning bay. I'm anxious to see how the dogs are progressing."

Carrie smiled at that, anticipating Penny having another mate in the future. Her puppies were almost fully grown now, though they still acted like puppies. They roamed the base, not entirely belonging to anyone, aside from the two Britta and Pollux had claimed as their own.

"If you see Raven, ask her to show you her kitten."

Carrie grinned at that news. "It was a success?"

Gwen nodded. "Thank goodness. It was some of the DNA that was still perfectly preserved."

Carrie knew she alluded to the fact that some of the samples had been degraded beyond saving, and they had lost some species forever. Pigs were among them, and she mourned that she would never have bacon again, while accepting she probably wouldn’t have anyway. Their society was vegetarian, and it would probably be a long time before they had cloned enough animals to even consider eating them. That hadn’t done anything to assuage some of her two a.m. cravings for BLTs, but Davis had devised a sexy way to distract her that still worked, albeit more awkwardly over the past few weeks.

After parting from Gwen, they continued moving through the base. Heather and MX were the next two they encountered, and she was both happy and slightly annoyed to see pregnancy seemed to suit Heather just as well as it did Gwen.

She was only a few weeks behind Gwen, having gotten pregnant before Owen figured out that the super pulser Davis, MX, and Jason had been exposed to while taking out the synthetics had fried their biochips. By then, both of their mates were expecting.

At that point, since everything was flourishing well on the base and starting to come along on the surface, Davis had lifted the moratorium on cyborgs reproducing. It was amazing how rapidly some had fallen pregnant, including Nikki.

Carrie grinned as she recalled how embarrassed her friend had been when her secret relationship with Owen came to light. Before defeating the synths, cyborgs had supposedly only turned to each other for sexual relief, but Nikki and Owen had been together as a real couple for a few years. Revealing their relationship had seemed to embarrass them both, but everyone had taken the pairing with equanimity, which had helped.

They continued moving through the base, and she was convinced he was planning to take her outside. She was looking forward to that, since the facility sometimes felt a little cramped these days with the cyborgs, humans, and Grecopans all living together. A lot of the Grecopans still lived aboard their massive terraforming ship, which was parked on the surface, but several had moved below upon finding their mates.

She let out a happy sigh as he opened the main door before taking her hand to lead her outside. It was still no picnic out there, but the dust storms had been reduced to practically nothing, thanks to terraforming. The planet was still decades away from being healed, but the Grecopans had already made considerable progress.

Davis didn't wait for her to ask. He simply swooped her into his arms and started walking. She snuggled against him, enjoying his body pressed against hers, along with the comforting support of his arms around her. Her libido stirred to life, which was no surprise. Before the pregnancy, she hadn't been able to get enough of him, and that hadn't changed throughout. Despite being overdue, and generally feeling wretched, desire surge through her.

They walked for about five minutes. That was probably three kilometers at his pace, which seemed only barely slowed by carrying her. He paused abruptly, looking down at her as she lifted her face from where she nestled against his neck. "Close your eyes now."

Carrie immediately complied, not wanting to ruin the surprise. At first, she wasn't certain why, but something was different. It took a moment before the realization filtered through that she felt warmth on her face—the kind of warmth that only came from the sun. She was tempted to open her eyes, but managed to stave off the urge since he hadn't asked her to do so yet.

The next thing of which she became aware was the chirping of birds nearby—a sound she hadn't heard since Freydon Rote had whisked her from her living room four hundred and thirty years ago. "Davis?" Her voice tremulous from her mingled anxiety and anticipation.

"Just one more moment."

She nodded, keeping her eyes closed as he took a few more steps. For a moment her world tilted, and she clung to him until realizing he was simply leaning down. A second later, her bottom rested gently on something firm, and she knew he had placed her on the ground. "Now?"

"Now," he said, his excitement obvious in his tone.

Carrie opened her eyes and looked around, gasping as tears came to her eyes. "It's amazing. How did you ever…?" She trailed off, too overwhelmed to speak.

Before her lay a small expanse of grass, along with a few trees that were still babies. There were birds fluttering nearby, and she looked around until she saw a large post someone had driven into the ground. There were a collection of birdhouses hanging from arms attached to it, and someone had even provided some fake foliage to compensate for the fact that the trees were too small for the birds to build their nests.

Most of all, she could feel warmth from the sun and tipped her head back to look up. It was still obscured by layers of clouds and debris, she could actually see it filtering through and feel it on her skin.

Davis sat beside her, and she looked down, realizing for the first time she was seated on a blanket, and there was a basket nearby. "How did you make all this possible?"

"Peila and Melia. I explained to them that I'd like somewhere for the children to play, and for you to relax, so they shifted some resources and focused on terraforming this area. It's definitely a work-in-progress, but within a year or two, this should be a nice flourishing meadow where all the children can play."

Tears streamed down her face, and she started to sob.

He looked alarmed even through the blurriness of her eyes from the tears. "What's wrong? Are you in labor?"

She snorted, laughing just as quickly as she had started to cry. Mood swings were a constant companion these days. "I wish. I'm beginning to think your child is never coming out."

"He or she will come when ready. Why are you crying then?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness and the Grecopans’ generosity. This is amazing, and it was just what I needed. The base is astounding, and a technological wonder. The arboretum is a good substitute, but it isn’t exactly the same as really being outside."

Technically, it probably was, since it was calibrated to the nth degree to be a perfect replica of ideal growing conditions for all the crops maintained in the area, but she was aware of a psychological difference that troubled none of the others—probably because they hadn't seen the real thing. Even the Earth that had been in existence before the humans deployed the weapon that had destroyed everything had already been dismal, polluted, and overcrowded.

"In that case, are you hungry?"

She giggled. "When am I not hungry?" If it hadn't been for Owen's reassurance that she definitely had only one baby inside her stomach, Carrie would've been convinced she was carrying at least triplets. Her stomach rumbled with approval when he opened the lid of the basket to remove a selection of fruits and vegetables.

There was no sign of their supplemental quinoa and algae staple dish that provided most of their protein, and she was happy about that. It had never been particularly appealing, but it was harder than ever to choke down while pregnant. She was compliant and did so, wanting her baby to grow strong, but it was a relief to have something else at this impromptu picnic.

Though it wasn't all that impromptu, was it? Now she knew why Gwen had been grinning. She was obviously in on the secret and must have been the one, along with Jason, to clone the birds. Overwhelmed by their kindness, she was once again on the verge of tears. Seeing the alarm in her mate’s expression helped her blink them back, and she reached out a hand—her fully human one—to rest on his thigh. "Thank you for all of this."

His fingers entwined with hers, and his light blue skin, with its luminescent veins, was a soft contrast to her paler skin. If she reached out with her other hand, it would match his. She'd become accustomed to looking in the mirror and seeing half-cyborg and half-human, so it didn't bother her any longer.

Occasionally, she was tempted to ask Owen to replace her human skin with cybernetic skin so she would match, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She kind of liked the contrast, and it was nice to have a reminder of how she had been, which underscored her appreciation for how things were now.

She opened her mouth when Davis leaned forward to extend the strawberry. As he traced it slowly over her lips in a sensual fashion, her desire surged to life again, and she traced her tongue around the contours of the strawberry before flicking out to tease his fingertips.

He groaned as the strawberry disappeared into her mouth, and his lips covered it a moment later. The juice dribbled down her chin, and must have his as well, but he didn’t seem to notice. She certainly didn't care about the slightly sticky residue as Davis kissed her passionately.

Every kiss was like that with him, a combination of tender and strong, possessive, but gentle, and always exciting. That part never changed, and each kiss was almost like kissing him again for the first time.

He carefully leaned her back, turning her on her left side, and Carrie clung to him. She burrowed her fingers through his hair to hold his mouth against hers, pouring every ounce of her passion and love for him into her lips and the brush of her tongue against his seam. A moment later, it slipped into his mouth, and she shared the taste of strawberries and herself with him as their mouths made love.

His hands moved carefully over her body, smoothing down her curves with obvious reverence. Her stomach tightened, and tears filled her eyes as his hands cupped her belly, settling in the lower part of her abdomen, where she could feel their child. As though responding to Davis’s presence, the baby started kicking his hand. Davis chuckled in delight, which made Carrie grin. She loved seeing his happiness and obvious pleasure at the idea of being a father. He'd been anxious to start with, but he was clearly over that and completely committed to the prospect.

Davis’s fingers were sure and confident as they clicked open the buttons on the maternity dress she wore. She had sewn it herself, utilizing materials from the replicator, so the buttons were a little off-center, but he had no trouble with them. Soon enough, her dress pooled around her, and he made short work of her bra before bending his head to gently kiss one of her nipples. She was so sensitive that the light touch was the perfect amount of stimulation, and she shook under the pleasure.

She turned her head to see the sun, basking in the faint rays and gentle warmth as Davis’s mouth moved lower, first tracing the contours of her swollen stomach before pausing to press a kiss below her belly button, where their baby tapped lightly in response. She closed her eyes for a moment as he slipped off her panties, before opening them again when his mouth moved to the slick spot between her thighs. As he began to gently feast from her, the moment was almost surreal in its perfection.

After Freydon Rote had brought her into a grim future, she'd never imagined that something like this simple pleasure would be hers ever again. She had thought sunlight, picnics, and lazy afternoons of lovemaking were fantasies left behind in her old life.

That Davis had gone to such trouble to make it a reality brought tears to her eyes again, and she swallowed and blinked, determined not to give in to them. If she started sobbing while he was in the middle of pleasuring her, he would probably stop, and she didn't want that to happen. She already hovered on the edge of an orgasm, and a few more flicks of his tongue were all it took to send her over the edge and banish the tears.

Though she was still in the throes of release, she still felt bereft when Davis pulled away from her. She knew it wouldn't be for long, but it was difficult to be parted from him as her stomach spasmed, and warmth suffused her.

A few seconds later, he was behind her, clearly having shed his clothes before lying down to spoon her. Carrie let out a sigh of satisfaction as he lifted her leg and positioned himself to slide inside her slick heat. It felt as amazing as ever, even in her current state.

Carrie surrendered to the pleasure as he drove in and out of her with careful, shallow thrusts. She wished he would go deeper, but knew he was trying to protect their child, which sent a different kind of warmth through her. She was a tangled mess of emotions and sensation when Davis came, which triggered her own orgasm.

As her body tightened from release, shaking under the force of it, tears gushed from her eyes. It took her a moment to be able to wipe them away, and she did so just as Davis moved to her front, cuddling against her with his hand on her bare hip. She didn't want him to see the tears, but the tracks must've remained on her face, because he lifted a hand and tenderly wiped one down her cheek.

"Are you sad?"

She shook her head. "Never."

He let out a small sigh, which seemed to indicate relief, and then his chest swelled, and he looked quite full of himself. "Of course you aren't. You're my mate, so why would you have any reason to be unhappy?"

She giggled at his silliness, though she acknowledged there was truth to his words. He was just teasing, but she was serious when she said, "Being with you makes me happy, and there's no doubt about that."

"It's the same for me, Carrie. I love you." He pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.

She moved just a bit closer, finding the natural groove where her body melted against his, and settling in to the familiar space with ease born from practice. "I love you too, and I think I fell in love with you even a little more today. I didn't think that was possible."

"I believe it's entirely possible. Just when I think I can't love you any more, you prove me wrong every single time. I’m glad to hear it's the same for you."

She nodded against him, feeling drowsy from the combination of the weak sunlight and the gentle lovemaking. "Is it all right if I nap for a while?"

"Of course. We’re safe here." He rubbed her back, zeroing in on the lower area, where there was constant pressure these days. "I must admit this surprise isn’t entirely altruistic."

She blinked her eyes, pushing back some of her drowsiness. "How so?"

"Other than the possibility that I would get to make love to my mate, I had an ulterior motive for planning this."

She arched her brow and tipped her chin up to look at him. "What kind of motive?"

He gave her a slow smile, looking a little sheepish. "According to my research, sex can sometimes start labor. You’ve been so miserable, and I know you want to avoid surgical intervention, so I hoped this might help."

"It's helped tremendously, even if it didn't start labor." She stretched like a cat, which reminded her she wanted to see Raven’s kitten the next time she found her friend. She didn't imagine that would take long, since Raven often sought her out, and not just because they were good friends. At only three months pregnant, Raven was sometimes fearful of what was happening, while equally fascinated to see the changes in Carrie.

That was her last thought as she slipped off to sleep, imagining a fluffy white kitten crawling over Raven’s lightly curved belly, though she had no idea what color or breed of cat Gwen had managed to clone for their friend. At some point, the dream shifted as she fell deeper asleep, and it was the cat on her stomach instead of Raven’s.

At first, the cat was gently kneading her, and it was a pleasurable sensation as its claws remained retracted. Gradually, the cat's loving massage shifted, becoming at first just a little uncomfortable before turning outright painful as its claws extended while it pressed firmly and continuously on her stomach.

Carrie moaned, slowly returning to awareness as she realized her stomach was tight and painful. For a moment, she thought it was a residual effect from the dream, until it happened again. Abruptly, she realized she was having contractions, and that had filtered through into her sleep, manifesting as the cat dream.

Her eyes snapped open fully, and she looked up to find the sun was in a different position. She didn't know if that was natural or artificial, but it seemed to indicate time had passed.

Davis was still curled against her, and his eyes had also closed. She was briefly sidetracked from the tightening in her stomach by tender amusement at the thought of her mate, the strapping cyborg general, having an afternoon nap alongside her. The next spasm in her stomach quickly derailed the thought, and she gasped.

His eyes opened, and he seemed completely aware, as though shaking off the effects of an afternoon nap without difficulty. Carrie envied that ability, since her brain still felt sluggish, even with the stimulation from the contractions.

"What troubles you? Are you in labor?" He sounded slightly frantic, though he looked calm.

She nodded. "I think I am." A moment later, another intense tightening in her stomach broke over her, and it lasted longer than the previous one. It was so strong it made her grit her teeth. "Yes, I'm sure I am," she finally managed to say as the contraction faded.

Davis moved faster than she'd ever seen, scrambling to his feet and dressing before finding her clothes. He didn't bother with her bra or panties, and she thought about protesting, but was sidetracked by another contraction as Davis quickly dressed her.

He scooped her into his arms, leaving behind everything, and she clung to him as he hurried back to the base. What had been a leisurely five-minute walk before was now a two-minute run, and she wasn't sure if she should ask him to slow down because the pain was spreading through her from his jarring pace, or if she should request he speed up.

The contractions were coming closer and faster than ever, and she tried to convince herself she couldn't be that close to giving birth. It was her first baby, and they usually took hours. Sometimes days even. Her own mother had been in labor for forty-six hours before she was born, and she remembered her grandmother had a similar story, so she was likely to have hours and hours ahead of her to experience this pain.

The thought brought sweat to her upper brow, and she gritted her teeth to hold back a moan. She didn't want to alarm Davis further, since he was clearly already rattled. So was she, though she was trying to hide that. She didn't have any fear of serious complications, since Owen and Nikki had been researching for months, and they were consummate professionals. She was just afraid of the pain, and even a little afraid of meeting her baby.

She was anxious to hold him or her, but she was afraid she might not be a good mother. That anxiety was probably just as normal as everything else, but it was something she'd kept to herself. Her plan had been to sort through it later, but later was now here, and she didn't have the luxury of putting off the fear any longer. She would simply have to deal with it and take confidence from her love for the baby she had yet to meet.

Judging from the intensity of her contractions, it wouldn't be long before she met her child. Davis had her delivered to the medical bay in record time, and Nikki and Owen both seemed to take her arrival in stride. Neither one of them was alarmed or panicking, and their calm suffused her, helping her find her own again. She managed a shaky smile as Nikki came over. "It's time."

"Terrific. Lie down on the table, and I’ll do a scan."

There was no lying down, because Davis was still holding her. He put her on the table himself and seemed reluctant to step away before forcing himself to do so. Not that he went far. He was just moving back to allow Nikki room to work as Owen came over to join them. Davis's hand remained clenched firmly around hers, and she drew strength from it.

The scan was brief, and Nikki nodded at Owen before looking at her. "You're definitely in labor. You're already dilated to eight centimeters."

Carrie's eyes widened at the news. "That’s crazy. My water hasn’t even broken yet."

"It doesn't always break, even during active contractions," said Owen. "It's rare, but the baby might even be delivered in the amniotic sac."

Before Carrie could ask a question or formulate a response, another intense contraction gripped her. It was the most painful one yet, and she clung even tighter to Davis's hand as she curled into the fetal position instinctively, cupping her stomach until the last wave of the contraction rippled away.

"Eight-and-a half centimeters," crowed Nikki happily.

A hint of exhaustion was already spreading over Carrie, but she fought it back as another contraction moved through her again already. "It hurts," she whimpered as she rode it out, the pain leaving her lying limply against the table once it was over.

"It's not too late for pain relief," said Owen. "I know you said you wanted a natural del—"

Carrie lifted a hand to interrupt him. "I really do. I'll let you know if I change my mind." That was the agreement she'd already reached with the cyborg healer, and she knew it had cost him a lot to concede the point.

He didn't see a need for her to suffer or be in pain when he could stop it, and he didn't understand her reason for wanting to experience the full gamut of childbirth. He had assured her the pain relief they offered was completely safe for her and the baby, but Carrie didn't want to take any chances at all.

As another contraction reached its peak, and wetness gushed from her, she wondered if she was making the right choice by denying pain relief. It was far more intense and painful than she'd expected, and perhaps that was because it was happening so quickly. Or maybe it would have still been this way if she had taken hours to labor. She couldn't imagine enduring these kinds of contractions for hours. It made her thankful her child was in a rush to meet the world, though it was a draining, agonizing process for her.

"That one punctured the amniotic sac," said Nikki, her excitement evident in her tone. "You're also at nine centimeters. It shouldn't be more than a few more contractions before you hit ten."

Carrie clung to those words, using them to get herself through the next ten minutes, as contractions continued to move through her, barely ceasing before the next one began. She was so focused on what was happening in her body that she was barely aware of anyone else in the room, other than Davis having moved behind her to rub her back and provide emotional and physical support as the contractions progressed.

"Ten centimeters," said Nikki a few minutes later, and though she sounded kind of distant, Carrie was aware enough of the words to cling to them and focus on her surroundings again, even in the intensity of the pain shooting through her.

It felt natural to move, and Davis instinctively supported her as she carefully shifted positions from lying on her side to be supported on her hands and knees. Another contraction moved through her, but she wasn't as devastated by it. Either it had reduced in intensity, or the shift in position had made a difference. Or maybe it was just knowing she was at ten centimeters, and this was almost over. She’d soon meet her son or daughter, and that gave her an extra surge of strength.

Still responding to instinct, she ended up squatting, ignoring Owen’s protest that he couldn’t reach her or the baby in that position. She tuned him out and focused only on what was happening in her body. Opening her eyes and locking gazes with Davis, she managed a shaky smile as another contraction swept over her.

She could feel her baby moving downward, and she was in sync enough with Davis that he must have realized, because their hands moved together, and their baby slipped out of her a moment later, with one last intense pain that left her physically depleted, but emotionally recharged as she stared down at the gleaming pink bundle cradled in her and Davis's hands.

"It's a girl," said Davis in a shaky voice as he carefully took the baby from her. The suspense had been killing him, but he had acquiesced to her request not to know the gender before the birth, just like Owen and Nikki had.

Carrie allowed Nikki to help her lie back slightly, but her gaze never wavered from the beautiful sight of Davis cradling their tiny daughter.

The baby had a headful of thick black hair like her father, and she was crying forcefully. She appeared completely human, which had been of some doubt. The nanonetics that supported Carrie’s cybernetic system would obviously have infiltrated their baby’s as well, and no one knew what the result would be.

She held her breath as Owen scanned their little girl, wisely not insisting on taking her from Davis. When he grinned a moment later, she let out a sigh of relief before he even spoke.

"She's perfectly healthy, and while there are detectable levels of nanonetics, they don't seem to have to interfered with or changed any of her normal development."

Carrie let out a ragged sigh, eyes still on Davis and their baby as Owen clamped the cord. Finally, Davis could move completely away from her and stand up with their child in his arms. He took the towel Nikki offered to wrap around her before coming to kneel by the table by Carrie. "She's beautiful. She looks like you."

Carrie thought she looked more like Davis, but she wasn't going to argue. "She's absolutely perfect."

"Have you decided on a name?" asked Nikki.

Carrie nodded "Eva, or EVA. I wanted her to have a cyborg and a human name, since that's her heritage."

"It's beautiful, just like her." Nikki's hand rested on her own stomach for a moment, and she was clearly imagining the moment when it would be her in a few months giving birth to Owen’s child.

"If you consent, General, Nikki can take Eva to bathe her and get another baseline scan, and you can announce to everyone that your daughter is born. I'll finish here with Carrie and get her prepared for visitors, because you're sure to be inundated."

Davis seemed reluctant, and his gaze locked with Carrie’s, his eyes questioning.

She nodded. "It sounds like a good idea." He didn't need to be there for the birthing of the placenta anyway. She would prefer to be fresh and dressed before the horde of cyborgs, humans, and Grecopans invaded their room to see the newest arrival at the base.

Carrie could've resented the claim they felt they had on her child, but she didn't. She understood entirely. In a way, Eva belonged to all of them, and she was a symbol of hope of the new future. Plus, she was the first baby ever born on the cyborg base, and their leader’s offspring. The general's baby meant a great deal to all the people living there, and she was okay with sharing that moment.