Work Text
"Rio?"
"Hmm, mi vida?"
"Do you think we'll make it?"
"Make what?"
"I mean, do you think we'll last?"
"As a couple? I sure hope so; we've been married for over two years. Why, you had a better offer?"
"No, silly. I just... Do you think we're in a good place right now?"
Rio frowned for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, I think we are. I mean, we're in love... I assume you're still in love with me?"
"Completely."
"Good. Besides that we both have pretty steady work, got money put aside, got the house. I think we're good."
Setting aside the book she had been reading, Rio smiled and crooked a finger.
"C'mere, sweet girl, and tell me why you're asking all these questions. You okay?"
Agatha settled on the sofa, cuddling against Rio's side.
"Do you think maybe we could start... We could start, you know, trying?"
"Trying what?"
"For a baby."
"You wanna have a baby soon?"
"I just... I feel like we could be ready. Of course, if you don't agree..."
"Mi vida, I'm absolutely ready whenever you are."
"It... Of course, it won't be right away. We'll have so much planning to do, and we'd have to... Well, you know, find a donor. I... I'd really like it if the baby could be related to both of us."
"You mean that?"
"Mm-hmm."
Rio felt a warmth spreading through her chest, and she pulled Agatha in for a kiss.
"You want the baby to look like me, don't you?" Rio murmured.
"I do. I think that would be so amazing."
"You really mean this, mi vida? You're ready?"
"I am. I know I am. Are you?"
"Totally. Completely."
Kissing Agatha again, Rio sighed and then smiled.
"So, wanna go upstairs and, I dunno, play house? I'll be the daddy if you'll be the mommy."
"Rio..."
"What? Suddenly you aren't ready for me to be your baby daddy?"
"No, I'm ready, I just... Fuck, I'm too ready."
"Too ready?" Rio smirked, shifting around and pushing Agatha back on the sofa.
Sliding a hand past the waistband of Agatha's leggings, Rio moaned when her hand settled perfectly between her wife's legs. Agatha's panties were soaked.
"Damn, sweet girl," Rio murmured, fingers sliding back and forth over the damp material, "you're so wet for me."
"Uh-huh."
Rio's fingers were still going, pressing a little harder with every two or three strokes. She could feel Agatha's clit through the fabric, and every time she grazed it, Agatha would shiver and whimper.
"Gonna cum for me, my beautiful, sweet girl?"
Agatha's head was tilted back, mouth slightly open. She was panting, her hips straining upward, seeking even more pressure.
"Rio, please I... Mmm. I need you."
"I'm here, mi vida. Just let go. Cum for me."
A moment later Agatha went very still, then shivered and cried out, hips thrashing up and down.
"Rio! Rio, I... Ah! I love you!"
When the climax had broken, Agatha lay there, shaking, moaning, and Rio cupped a palm against the wetness.
"That was perfect, sweet girl. You're so, so gorgeous when you cum."
They lay there a while, Rio holding Agatha, letting her catch her breath.
"There we go. Good girl, Agatha. My sweet girl is so good for me."
"I love you."
"Te adoro, Ágata."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Kid, I'm telling you, this project..."
"Lilia, this just isn't what I see myself doing next. I love working with Darcy and all that gang, but this script... This just feels like a rehash."
Rio sighed and set her phone on the kitchen table.
"Rio, you're the biggest current star among Darcy's regulars. Plus, this film is bound to get a ton of buzz. Jane
Foster's big return to the screen..."
"In the same movie she's done 85 zillion times. Look, Lil, like I said, I love working with Darcy. Love working with Jane too. But right now, I... I dunno. There's smaller stuff I wanna look at."
"Smaller stuff? Kid, you're finally breaking into the big time. You're locked in for that part in Monica's next thing, you've got another guest shot on Midnight Sun next season, and there are other offers pouring in. You gotta keep w
orking.
You're a valuable commodi
ty. You could star in a cat food commercial for a brand that literally just sells cans full of shit and people would race out to buy it."
"I mean, I wouldn't do that. Not for ethics reasons, of course. I'm allergic to cat dander."
"Kid, just think about it, okay?"
"All right. All right. I'll think about it. I gotta go, Lil. Makin' dinner."
"Right. Okay. Tell Agatha I said hello!"
"Will do."
The call ended, and Rio sighed.
It was not that she did not want to do Darcy's latest film so much. The script was not even that bad. It was more that she wanted a little break between projects. She wanted to coast for a while. Bad for her career, maybe, but she wanted more home time in the near future, especially if there was a possibility of Agatha getting pregnant any time soon. Rio wanted to be home to pamper her.
Darcy's film was shooting in Maine, of all places, for five months. All of Rio's other upcoming projects were local. Even Monica's new joint was, for once, going to be filmed entirely in and around L.A.
Of course, it would be nice to be back on one of Darcy's sets. A lot of that gang were like family. You always knew what to expect on a Darcy Lewis set: a slightly off-kilter fun time. Hell, in a way Rio felt she owed a lot of her current happiness to her place as one of the director's regulars. She'd met Agatha on a Darcy Lewis set, after all.
It would be nice to work with Jane again. Now that she was in remission and ready to turn back to her acting career, things were probably going to get really exciting. Jane was an electric presence on set in any capacity, but as a performer, she was fantastic.
There was the sound of a car pulling up to the house, and Rio put aside the food to quickly wash her hands and race to the front door.
"M'lady," she said, opening the door before Agatha could even get her key close to the lock.
"What a welcome," Agatha smiled.
"Dinner's nearly ready. How was work?"
"It was good. Really good. We're making some stuff now that... Well, I think this next season might have some real impact."
"I'll start building your awards cabinet tomorrow."
"Silly."
"What? You're gonna have a ton of awards soon, babe. Can't have you cramming them all on my measly little shelf."
"Rio..."
"Okay, okay. Here, you come and sit. Want a drink?"
"Can you make me a cup of tea? I'm just sort of tired."
"Sure thing."
Agatha sat down at the kitchen table and Rio busied herself preparing the tea and finishing up the salad. When she turned back toward the table once, she Agatha slumped forward, head in hands.
"Mi vida? What's wrong? Headache?"
"I just feel... I dunno. Stupid, I guess."
"Well, you're not."
Rio stepped closer to stroke Agatha's hair.
"Anything happen?"
"No. Kind of. I... I don't know."
"Okay. Listen, why don't we eat in the living room? You can get cozy there. In fact, why don't you go upstairs and get changed into comfortable clothes, and then we'll go eat on the sofa."
"I'm fine, I just... I feel weird."
"Sick?"
"No. It's just that Irene was visiting Raven on set today. She had Kurt with her, and he's such a silly little guy. So cute. And you know, Irene's expecting their second baby now and I... I dunno."
"Nerves maybe? About what we've been talking about?"
Agatha shrugged.
"I... Am I rushing you, talking about this whole baby thing?"
"No," Rio smiled, "you're not rushing anything. We've talked for ages about wanting kids. Like I say, I'm ready when you are."
"But I don't want you to feel like you have to agree, or to humor me or whatever."
"Mi vida, what is all this? Why would you think I'm just humoring you?"
"Because why would anyone want to have a baby with me?"
Now Rio understood. Sitting, she took Agatha's hand.
"Agatha, I love you so, so much. You're my life. My world. Why wouldn't I want to have kids with you?"
Scooting the chair closer, Rio smiled.
"You're my wife. The most beautiful, wonderful person I know. For me, it's amazing someone like you would want to raise a family with me. I want that for us, if you do. I want you to be the mother of our kids. But if you changed your mind, or..."
"No. No, I just... I'm in a funk, I guess. All that usual self-doubt."
"Well, screw the doubts. You are gonna be an amazing mom someday. Our kids will never go a day without knowing how precious and loved they are."
"You think so?"
"I know so, Agatha. Now, you go get comfortable, okay? Dinner in the living room in, say, ten minutes."
"Okay. I... I love you, ya know?"
"I love you too. Always will."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I mean, of course I'll do it!"
Rio frowned at her cousin. Victor had, in her opinion, jumped a little too eagerly to a positive answer.
"Uh, you... You do know what this would entail, right Vic?"
"Sure."
"Like, you don't get to, ya know, fuck my wife or anything."
"Of course not! I would never dream of that."
Eyes narrowed, Rio let out something like a growl.
"You sayin' my wife's not the hottest woman on the planet?"
"No, chiflada. I'm saying she's your wife. I know how this shit goes down."
"Why?"
Victor shrugged.
"I have friends."
"Okay. But, like, you know you'd be signing away legal rights to any kids that might result, you wouldn't be more than, say, sort of an uncle to them unless something happens to me and Agatha..."
"Rio, I'm pretty well aware of things."
"You'll have to get checked out. I mean, I know you don't sleep around a lot, but we're taking no chances."
"Not a problem. It'll be like the old sports physical days at school, only with more dick swabbing."
"Shit, you're weird."
"And you're the bastion of normalcy?" Victor shrugged, sipping his tea.
"I just... Look, man, we want this to go right. We... We want this."
"You sure you want this, cuz?"
"What the... Yeah, I want this! What is it with people..."
Victor shrugged again.
"To be fair, Rio, you've never struck me as a deeply maternal person."
Rio shot her cousin a look that implied his words had absolutely wounded her.
"Good thing I'm gonna be the dad then," she smirked.
"Ah. Now see, you do have big papá energy."
"That a dig?"
"No way. You just seem like... I dunno. Like the one more likely to teach the kid how to cheer on a sports team in the rowdiest way possible."
"Moms can enjoy sports."
"Sure, but you just... Like, I can't picture you knitting booties or something."
"Well, yeah. I'm no good at maintaining yarn tension."
Huffing out a breath, Victor set aside his cup.
"Rio, you're my cousin. Hell, you're more like a sister. I'd be honored to help you and Agatha have a kid."
"Really?"
"Really. Anything to help expand the family in a way that ties me down with as few responsibilities as possible."
"Oh, that's it. You're goin' on the list of possible godparents."
Stretching, Rio groaned and flopped down on the bed.
"You all right?" Agatha asked, not looking up from her reading.
"Just tired. Gotta get up early tomorrow and get hauled over to fuckin' Van Nuys."
"Well, at least it's not the longest trip."
"Mmm. At least I'll be home every night."
"And I'll have dinner waiting for you."
"What if things run late?"
Agatha put her book aside and snuggled close to Rio.
"I'll keep things warm for you."
Rio found herself dozing in the car on the way to work the next morning, but once she was on set, she downed two cups of coffee and felt ready for the day.
"Yo," a familiar voice said behind her, and she turned.
"Will! Hey, man, how's it goin'?"
"It's goin'. How're things with you?"
"Great. Things are great. I'm tired, but I'm happy."
"Good. So, think this thing's gonna be a hit?"
"It's a Monica Rambeau film. They're always at least a hit with the critics. This one though... Feel like this one's gonna be massive."
"Not too massive, I hope. I'm enjoying still living in relative obscurity."
"Obscurity? You? The kid who last year alone had two hit movies release, did a guest role on the prestigiest of prestige shows, and made it through a successful run on Broadway? What's obscure about you, Kaplan?"
Shrugging, William Kaplan sighed.
"Well, I'm no Rio Vidal in terms of star caliber yet."
"Oh, trust me when I say you're gonna outshine me in no time, man. I'm practically old news by now."
"I mean, you're getting more press than I ever seem to."
"Ah. Sometimes the press like to stay in their comfort zone."
"Actually, I guess I'm kinda glad I don't get hounded too much. It's hell on relationships."
"Oooh. Has someone got a boyfriend?"
William laughed.
"Don't know if it's to that stage yet, but I am seeing a guy."
"Nice. Ya happy?"
"Deliriously, actually. How are things for you and Agatha?"
"Really good. Really, really good, actually. We're both busy, but we have our balance."
"I can't imagine what marriage must be like."
"Mostly like living together with a lot more paperwork."
Shooting ran long, as Rio had thought it might the first few days. When she got home, she was feeling pretty wiped. Kicking off her shoes near the door, she closed her eyes and took a breath.
"You're home."
Opening her eyes, Rio saw Agatha emerging from the kitchen. She smiled.
"I'm home."
"First day go all right?"
"Pretty good. Just a few delays, obviously."
"Was Alison Blaire pulling her diva act?"
"More than usual, actually. Like, I've heard some horror stories, but she's really going above and beyond."
"When she did that two episode run last season," Agatha said, "we ended up running four days longer on shooting than usual. She's talented and everything, but..."
"But sometimes she's a pain in the ass," Rio finished.
"You hungry?"
"Little bit. What'd you make?"
"Lasagna."
"Well then, I guess I'm more than a little bit hungry."
Agatha shook her head, smiling.
"Come and eat, silly."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Okay, we're talking schedules here; timetables. What're we thinking? How do you feel about things, mi vida?"
"I think we can get things going by the end of the year, if we set everything up right. If I get pregnant by, say, December at the latest..."
"That would mean you'd be at the tail end of things all through the heat of next summer," Rio pointed out.
"Shit. You're right. Well, the timetable is pretty fluid for now."
"I'm worried about all of this," Rio sighed, spooning up against Agatha's back.
"Why?"
"I just want everything to go right, mi vida. I... I get worried, 'cause having a baby is such a scary thing."
"I'll be fine, Rio."
"But you... I don't want you to get hurt or something. I mean, giving birth inevitably involves some pain or injury, I guess, but I don't want to risk something else happening to you."
"Jen is the top OB-GYN on the west coast. We'll be in good hands."
"Fine, fine. But I reserve the right, if I feel it's necessary, to use my ridiculous famous person clout to call in the best OB-GYN in the world."
"Noted," Agatha said, rolling her eyes.
"What? I gotta protect my wife and baby."
"Okay, Dad of the Year. How'd I ever land you?"
"Just lucky, I guess," Rio smirked, getting out of bed.
Opening the closet, Rio stared into the depths, trying to decide on the vibe for the day.
"I think you should wear that black shirt you love so much," Agatha said.
"Which one? I have, like, 80 zillion black shirts."
"You know. The one you wore to that thing."
"Not really helping, querida."
"The one with the little bit of gold lace around the cuffs."
"Button came off."
"I'll sew it back on for you," Agatha said.
"Would you?"
"Of course. Someone has to keep you looking presentable."
"I'm always presentable. I mean, sometimes I like to be more comfortable..."
"You wanted to wear a ratty sweatshirt and cut-off shorts to the Emmys last year."
"What? I can't be a cutting edge fashion icon with a unique flair?"
Agatha laughed so hard she nearly rolled out of bed.
"You... You have to quit reading profiles of yourself," she gasped.
"Hmm. Seems like some people just can't grasp my avant-garde style."
"If you would come back to bed for a while," Agatha teased, "I'm sure I could grasp something."
"A tempting offer, m'lady."
"So take me up on it."
After a further moment of reflection, Rio closed the closet and returned to bed.
"I don't have to go anywhere until after noon anyway," she said.
"Ah, good. That gives us hours."
"Hours, huh? Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"
Agatha moved to straddle her hips.
"Oh, I have some very definite ideas on what we can do."
"Well, mi vida, do tell."
"Oh, I dunno. I was thinking..."
With a little sigh, Agatha started to grind down against Rio.
"H-have I ever told you," Rio rasped, "how glorious you look when you ride me?"
"Mmm... Mm-hmm."
"Fuck. How'd I get such a beautiful wife?"
"Just lucky, I guess," Agatha teased, riding down a little harder.
"I fucking love you," Rio growled, getting a grip on Agatha's hips and tugging forward lightly.
Agatha took the hint and slid up to grind against Rio's abdomen. At the same time, Rio flexed her muscles, and Agatha moaned, moving a little more quickly.
"Bet I can make you cum quick," Rio said, tensing and relaxing randomly to vary the sensations her wife was getting.
"I... I certainly don't know... If I can hold out for long."
Rio looked up at Agatha and felt momentarily breathless.
"Querida, no te merezco," she rasped.
Sliding a hand up, Rio moved it to cup Agatha's left breast for a moment, shivering at the gasp and moan that won her. She moved her thumb to graze over the nipple a few times.
"You're so beautiful, Agatha."
Agatha slumped forward a bit, still grinding desperately. From the set of her face, Rio knew she needed talking through things.
"My beautiful, sexy wife," Rio said.
Agatha gasped, grinding harder.
"You're so sweet, mi vida. So gorgeous."
Rio smirked and slid her hand down, pressing firmly against Agatha's lower belly.
"Can't wait for you to be the mother of our children."
Agatha broke, moaning, almost wailing, and collapsed onto Rio. For a few moment after, she was still bucking and twitching and whimpering. Rio held her, rubbing her back gently.
"That was good, sweet girl. That was beautiful."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Ya ever get the feeling this movie is gonna be shit?"
Rio looked up to see William at the top of the steps.
"It's a Monica Rambeau film. No way it won't do good business."
"Sure, but all this Alison Blaire shit..."
"Divas gonna diva, dude. Just gotta get through it."
Trotting down, William plunked down at Rio's side.
"How's your boyfriend?" Rio asked.
"He's amazing. Absolutely amazing."
"Ah, you've found the perfect man, I presume?"
"For me, maybe. At least, I think so. We're trying to take things slow, for now."
"Good idea. Never wanna rush into things like that."
"Didn't you sort of rush? You and Agatha, I mean."
"Well, dude, we were already both 24 when we met. You're still only 19. That's a bit of difference."
"Still, you guys did move in together after, what, four months?"
"Three. Maybe we like filling out that lesbian stereotype checklist, huh?"
Laughing, William shook his head.
"You guys doing okay?"
"Yup. Keep a secret?"
"To the grave, if I must."
Rio rolled her eyes.
"Not that major a thing. But, confidentially, Agatha and I have decided to start a family."
"Wow. Are you... I mean, which... How?"
"Well, dude, see, when two people love each other very much..."
"Okay, okay. Sorry I asked. I just meant, like, adoption or what?"
"Agatha wants to have the baby. Truthfully, I think that could be pretty cool too."
"So, donor then?"
"That's the general idea."
"Well, I bet you're gonna be great parents. Seriously, you and Agatha will be such good moms."
"Aw, Will. Thanks."
Shrugging, William leaned forward a little, forearms resting on his knees.
"Think we'll get many more set-ups done today?"
"La Blaire will come out of her trailer eventually. Monica'll talk her out."
"Maybe not so much talk, if the rumors are true."
"William Kaplan! Are you a gossipmonger? Are you mongering gossip right now?"
"Just going on stuff I've heard. Passes the time, I guess."
"Well, whatever it takes, I hope Monica works her magic."
As if summoned, the director appeared, storming onto the set.
"Okay, people, little change of plans. Rio! William! How do you guys feel about shooting your fight scene next?"
"I'm game," Rio shrugged.
William nodded.
"Ready whenever."
"Give us a little bit, and we'll get it set up."
Rio looked over at William.
"So, little bro, ready to fight me?"
"It's on, big sister."
Rio woke up in the ambulance, briefly, felt utterly confused, and then sank back into unconsciousness. When she woke again, it was to the unmistakeable sounds and smells of a hospital. Groaning, she managed to open her eyes.
Someone was holding her hand.
"Whhag?" she wheezed, and felt the grip on her hand tighten.
"Rio?"
It was Agatha. Agatha, eyes all red, face all tear-stained, was holding her hand.
"Mi vida?"
"Don't try to talk, and don't move."
A nurse and a doctor appeared at the bedside, Agatha moving back to let them examine Rio.
"Hey there," the doctor said, "welcome back to the waking world. Name?"
"M-my name?"
"Yup," the doctor said, shining a penlight in her eyes.
"Rio. Rio Vidal."
"Full marks on that one. You know what year it is?"
"2022."
"How old are you?"
"28. Be 29 in December."
"Happen to know who's currently president?"
"B-Biden?"
"Correctamundo. Hey, follow my finger with your eyes."
The doctor swept a finger back and forth across her field of vision, and Rio managed to follow it, though moving her eyes a little quickly made her feel sort of sick.
"Anyone wanna tell me what happened?" she muttered.
"You were injured on a film set."
"Okay."
"Headache?"
"Worst of my life. Kinda feel sick."
"That's not unexpected. You have a pretty solid little concussion."
"How long was I out?"
"About 20 minutes the first time, when you woke up for a while during transport. Been two hours since then."
"I... Wow."
"Mm-hmm."
Turning aside, the doctor said something to someone, then nodded for the nurse to follow him as they left the room again. Immediately, Agatha was back at the bedside, holding Rio's hand.
"They're keeping you overnight for observation. God, Rio, I... When they called me I thought you..."
"'M okay, mi vida. What... What kind of accident did I have?"
"From what William says, you two were doing your fight scene, and someone hadn't prepped a breakaway board properly. You took most of the force of a two-by-four to the back of your head."
"Holy shit!"
"That's exactly what I said when he told me," Agatha nodded.
"You... You okay?"
"Perfectly fine, physically. I'm not the one with a concussion, after all."
"Emotionally?"
"I'm a damn wreck. I... I really thought you were gone."
"Never leave you, sweet girl."
Agatha smiled, leaning down and gently kissing Rio's cheek.
"Everyone's really worked up. Monica and William and some of the others are out in the waiting room, wanting news. You even managed to lure Alison Blaire out of her trailer."
"Yeah?"
"Mm-hmm. She's given, like, six statements to the press so far about the horror of witnessing a fellow performer's horrendous on-set injury."
Rio laughed a little.
"Sounds like her. Fuck, six statements in two hours."
"Everyone else is just sort of waiting. They don't want you having many visitors, but if there are maybe one or two..."
"William. And Monica too. Wanna see 'em."
"I'll go and get them, okay? Don't go anywhere."
"Don't think that'll be a problem."
Turning her head ever so slightly to the side, she watched Agatha starting to leave the room.
"Babe?" she said just before Agatha could exit.
Agatha turned back, looking worried.
"Are you..."
"Just wanted to say, I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave."
Agatha rolled her eyes.
"Looks like you'll be back to yourself in no time, Vidal."
Once Agatha had fully left the room, Rio closed her eyes. She could remember starting to do the fight scene, running through the blocking with the coordinator and William a couple of times before they rolled. She remembered nothing of the actual filming, except maybe action being called. She knew the board strike was sort of in the middle of the action. They had made it most of the way through.
Mentally, she kicked herself for not going along with the suggestion to let one of the two stunt performers on the production take the hit. Of course, if she had agreed to that, someone else would have been hurt.
Her thoughts were fuzzy, swirly, and she was so lost in them that she startled when a cool hand touched her forearm. Eyes popping open, she spotted William.
"You tryin' to take me out, kid?" she teased.
"Rio, I am so sorry. Really. I had no idea..."
"Not your fault, dude. Accident."
"I mean, I... Fuck, I've been so nervous about that scene and..."
"Bet it looked great on film."
Footsteps clacked as others entered the room, and Rio saw Agatha returning, Monica in tow.
"Rio, I am so sorry about all this," Monica said, "but rest assured there will be consequences."
"No. Don't. Sure it was an accident."
"Be that as it may..."
"I volunteered to take the hit. Really, this is my fault too."
"There's still going to be some serious discussion with the responsible parties about what occurred."
"Good. Discussion."
William stepped down toward the foot of the bed so that Agatha could be at Rio's side again.
"I'm really sorry," William reiterated.
"Kid, it's not your fault. Really."
Looking to Monica, Rio smirked.
"I hear my injury got Alison to rejoin the world. Am I a hero now?"
"Oh, definitely," Monica nodded.
"Bigger trailer?"
"We'll see what we can do."
Monica and William stayed and talked for a few minutes, and both left promising to tell everyone else, including the press, that Rio was going to be all right.
"Gotta get ahead of La Blaire, in case she decides to just go ahead and tell everyone I died or something."
Once the others were gone, once it was just Rio and Agatha again, Rio squeezed Agatha's hand gently.
"Sorry, mi vida."
"For what?"
"Getting hurt."
"Nothing to be sorry for, my love. Only maybe from now on, you could leave the more dangerous stuff to others."
"I... Then someone else would have gotten hurt. This was an accident anyway, a mistake, and..."
"And I would rather no one got hurt," Agatha said, "but I especially don't want you hurt. I... I..."
Tears welled in Agatha's eyes, and instantly Rio struggled to sit up, pulling Agatha a bit closer and awkwardly hugging her.
"I'm here. Shhh. It's okay. I'll be okay."
"I thought you were dead. I... I thought you were gone, and I'd never see you again, and everything was over."
"I'm right here with you, Agatha. Not gonna leave, I promise."
"Rio..."
"Hey. I gotcha."
Once Agatha had calmed down slightly, Rio pulled out of their hug and smiled at her softly.
"Think they'll let you stay overnight with me?"
"I... I don't know. Maybe."
"We'll ask, okay? And if they try to say no, I'll raise a fuss and..."
"Don't."
"Why?"
"I don't want any trouble."
"I won't really cause trouble, sweet girl. I was being silly. Maybe it didn't come out right. Stupid concussion's probably thrown my comedic timing off."
That got a little laugh and a smile from Agatha, and Rio instantly felt as if she had not a care in the world.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rio settled happily into bed."Fucking hate hospitals," she muttered."Well, sometimes a trip is unavoidable. You want anything? A drink, another pillow...""Will you stay with me? Just until I maybe go to sleep?""Of course."Agatha sat on the edge of the bed, holding Rio's hand."I meant like lie down with me," Rio said."Should I? I don't want to disturb you or...""Please, I just want to be close to you a while. I want to hold you.""You're supposed to be resting.""I can hold you and rest at the same time. I do it almost every night."Eventually, Agatha got into bed, and Rio snuggled close to her."Love you, mi vida.""I love you too," Agatha said.Rio sighed happily, closing her eyes."Mi preciosa esposa, nunca quiero estar lejos de ti."Agatha's breathing suddenly went ragged and strange, and Rio opened her eyes again to see her wife almost in tears."Agatha, are you...""I... I'm still so scared for you. I'm so scared you might go to sleep and not wake up.""Sweetheart, I'm gonna be fine. I swear. I promise, I'll be okay.""But if you're not...""Agatha, I'm fine. I mean, I need some time to heal up and stuff, but I'll be fine. I'll be fine, and I'll be here for you. We've got our whole lives still ahead of us, okay? Got all kinds of things to do and places to go.""I don't want to lose you. Don't want you to go away.""I'm here, sweet girl. I'm with you. Don't be scared. I'll be fine. I mean, I have to be. I gotta be here for you.""I just... I...""Mi vida, did you sleep last night when we were at the hospital?"With a heavy sigh, Agatha shook her head."N-no. I stayed awake and watched you. I was afraid something would go wrong.""You're tired, then. You need to rest, my sweet girl.""But you...""I'm okay. They ran all sorts of tests and monitored me and all that good shit and I'm gonna be okay."Gently pressing her forehead to Agatha's, Rio closed her eyes."Breathe with me, okay? Try to match my breath. Slow in, slow out, okay? Just breathe with me."Rio heard Agatha's breathing steady, heard her trying to get in sync. Soon, the sound was enough to tell Rio that Agatha was safely asleep."Mi amada," Rio whispered, "nunca te dejaré."For the next few days, Agatha remained very on edge about Rio's health, but she did slowly seem to relax. When there was no great crisis by the fifth day, she seemed almost back to her usual self. She still insisted Rio take things slow and rest a lot, but she seemed less afraid to sleep or to be in a different room from Rio when necessary.On about the sixth day, Agatha seemed very cheerful, and she plopped down next to Rio on the sofa a little while after breakfast. She had her phone in hand, and she passed it to Rio."What do you think of this?" she asked."Uh, that sure is a list of names.""The current top baby names in the U.S.," Agatha said."We aiming to name our little yet-to-be-conceived sprout something trendy?""Actually, I was thinking these were names we should bypass. Don't want our kid sharing their name with 20 classmates once they're in school.""Good point. Ya know, Agatha's a really good name, and you don't hear it much anymore. If we have a daughter...""Nope. No way am I naming my little girl after me. I want her to be her own person.""So, I suppose this means Rio, Jr. is out as an option?""Well, actually..." Agatha teased."Aw, c'mon. If my name's in the running...""I'm joking. Like I said, I think we should go for something not too popular, and not either of our names. Something a little rare."Rio nodded, tilting her head back as if deep in thought."Ammonia used to be a girl's name. Maybe if it's a girl...""No way. Might as well name the poor baby heavy-duty kitchen degreaser.""Now that has a ring to it. Heavy-Duty Kitchen Degreaser Harkness-Vidal. Bet that'll sound real good shouted out the door when we call kiddo in for dinner.""Ha ha. Very funny."Smiling, Rio stretched and lay down with her head in Agatha's lap. She felt Agatha tense slightly."Feeling all right, my love?""I'm good, mi vida. I just wanna relax a minute. You tell me names you'd like for our baby.""I... I don't know."Agatha was running her fingers through Rio's hair, hand shaking. Reaching up, Rio took the hand and drew it to her lips, kissing the palm and back, then rubbing Agatha's hand gently between both of her own."You know what's awesome about us planning for our family, mi vida?""Hmm?""The fact we get to do it together. We get to plan for a long future. Our babies, they'll need us until they're grown up, and even after that in some ways."Rio turned onto her back and smiled up at Agatha."I love planning how we'll spend the rest of our lives together, sweetheart. I love imagining our forever.""Oh, Rio...""Hey, are... Don't cry, mi vida." "They're happy tears. You're just so sweet to me.""Kinda part of my job. Being sweet to my beautiful wife. Loving her. Taking care."Sighing, Rio closed her eyes for a moment."When we do this," she said, "when you get pregnant, what will they do at the show?""I dunno. Maybe write in a pregnancy for Iris. Maybe hide me behind stuff for a while.""Hmm. Well, I kinda hope they go for the former. I'd sure be willing to show up as Cruz and, ya know, instigate. Since we know Cruz can do that.""Well, we can certainly hope that's an option.""Wish I could do that," Rio said."Hmm?""Just put our baby in you myself. No help, no donor. Just us, making love.""I know you'd do it if you could. You've certainly made it clear you like trying.""And you like when I try.""I do."Rio hummed some nameless tune softly, turning her face to nuzzle against Agatha's belly."I'm gonna try to take really good care of you, mi vida. You and our baby. I'm gonna protect you both. Always.""I know. You're going to be a wonderful parent.""So are you.""But you're gonna be the fun parent.""Ah, hey, you're fun.""For you maybe."Rio laughed and took Agatha's hand again."My woman. My beautiful wife. Mine.""Feeling a little possessive?""Nuh-uh. Just... Just like that we belong to each other. I belong to you too.""Do you?""Course I do. I got the ring and the paperwork and the all-our-stuff-in-one-house to prove it."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rio opened the door and immediately Victor shoved a manila envelope into her hands.
"Here you go. All my latest screenings and stuff."
"Oh, great, I..."
She opened the envelope and pulled out far more papers than she anticipated.
"How much stuff did they test you for, cuz?"
"All the usual suspects. I also included other relevant health records, physical and mental, five letters of reference, and all of my school records."
"I... Vic, we're not exactly an admissions board. We just want..."
"Look, I want you and Agatha to know you're getting quality."
"Thanks?"
"I think you'll find the letters from Sister Jeanne-Marie and Mr. Buoncristiano particularly illuminating."
"Like, the nun who taught us chemistry in high school and the guy who was your first employer?"
Victor nodded.
"Vic?"
"Yeah?"
"Come on in, you dillweed."
The went to the kitchen, Rio tossing the papers onto the table and going to start a pot of coffee.
"Look," Victor said, "I just wanted to make sure you guys would have everything you need. Sure, I probably went a little above and beyond, but sometimes that's what I do. You know."
"I know, man. I'm not even pissed or anything. Just goofin'."
Sitting down, Rio sifted through the papers.
"Holy shit, you were part of the group that stole all that sodium out of the chem lab and flushed it our senior year‽"
"It was prank week," Vic said.
"Yeah, and you put the school bathrooms out of commission for the last month before we graduated. How the shit did you not get expelled?"
"Warren Worthington's dad paid off the school. Plus, all of us were seniors with graduation in the bag anyway."
"Fuckin' cool."
Rio slipped everything back into the envelope for the moment.
"Thanks for agreeing to do this, Vic."
"Eh, I figure it's a good deed. You guys want a kid, I want you guys to have a kid so it takes the pressure off me to have one for a while."
"I mean, biologically..."
"Uh-uh. That doesn't come into it. I mean, my parents might think it does, but we already signed all the paperwork and shit, so this is your kid that you're fathering on Agatha, as far as I'm concerned."
"And you're really cool with that?"
"Dude, I'm not dad material. You are, though."
"Vic, you..."
"No, Rio. I mean it. Like, there's stuff to being a parent I'm not ready for, but you are. You're settled down, focused on your career, all that shit."
"I mean, you're not doing badly yourself."
Victor shrugged.
"I mean, I try. But no way am I ready for a kid yet. You an' Agatha are gonna be great at this."
"Thanks, Vic. Wish I could be as reassuring to Agatha about things. She worries sometimes."
"Why the hell should she worry? She's fuckin' cool."
A familiar three tone jingle beeped out, indicating the coffee was ready. Rio stood and went to pour.
"You know," she said, "Agatha went through some stuff as a kid."
"Her mom, right? She mentioned that to me at your birthday party last year. Said she never had birthday parties as a kid because her mom was kind of shitty sometimes."
"Her mom was a giant bitch."
"I got the impression there might have been understatement."
Rio nodded, bringing the coffee to the table.
"She understates it a lot, but Vic... Shit, Vic, her mom really messed her up. Really hurt her."
"Her mom's dead, right?"
"Yup."
"Good. Otherwise I'd suggest we go on a road trip and, at minimum, tell the bitch to her face what a bitch she is."
"I've basically had that exact thought myself, cuz."
"So in a way, we're all set?" Agatha asked that night as they were getting ready for bed.
"Pretty much. Medical stuff checks out, paperwork all checks out, Vic's ready to basically be on call. We're good to go."
"And you're sure you want this?"
"Of course I'm sure," Rio nodded.
"Good."
"Do you still want this?"
"More than anything."
Rio hugged Agatha from behind.
"We're gonna make a baby."
"We are," Agatha whispered.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"So, uh..."
Rio shifted her weight slightly, thumb circling Agatha's clit for a moment.
"Ready for this?"
"Ready," Agatha nodded, eyes hazy, legs quivering.
"Just think of it as any other time we've fucked like this. Except this time..."
Trailing off, Rio pulled away her thumb and repositioned, lining everything up.
"This time," she continued, "I'm gonna knock you up."
She thrust in on the last word, then stayed still for a moment.
"Feel me inside you?" she asked.
Agatha nodded, wide-eyed. Rio kissed her, hips grinding.
"Oh, fuck," Agatha breathed coming out of the kiss.
"Kinda the whole plan, babe."
The first few thrusts were slow, almost lazy, as everything really settled into place. As Rio picked up the pace, she grunted slightly.
"Tense?" she asked.
"No," Agatha said, and she indeed sounded far from tense.
"You feel so fuckin' tight."
"You're a little bigger than usual."
Rio laughed.
"I am. I fuckin' am."
Groaning, she drew back and then practically slammed in, briefly light-headed. It was like a weird high, making her head feel a little swimmy, but driving a sensation of power in her mind. Agatha's nails dug lightly into the skin of her back, a sting of need.
"My good boy," Agatha whispered.
The phrase sent tingles down Rio's spine, and she shivered, the next few thrusts falling out of rhythm.
"Am I your good boy?" she asked.
"My very good boy," Agatha assured her.
"Fuck, I love you."
Rio found her rhythm again, grinding hard on every in stroke, feeling Agatha cling to her, feeling Agatha need her.
"Fuck, sweet girl. So... Fuck, so tight for me."
Agatha gasped, then whimpered, trembling. They had it going now, right on target.
"Shit," Rio hissed, thrusts speeding up.
Agatha moaned, head back, and her fingernails dug deeper, clawing along Rio's shoulders and spine. They were locked tight together, thrusting getting momentarily difficult, and Rio drove in hard one more time.
"Gonna..."
"Cum in me," Agatha panted.
Fumbling for a moment, Rio grabbed the syringe, closed her eyes, and pressed the plunger home.
They lay silently, side by side, staring up at the ceiling.
"So," Rio croaked, "that was..."
Agatha nodded.
"Definitely was."
"We did that."
"We did."
"Did you... Do you feel okay?" Rio asked.
"Kinda nervous. You?"
"Nervous, but... Can I admit something?"
"Go for it."
Rio turned onto her side and slid a hand over Agatha's belly.
"It's kinda hot. I mean, you might... You might be pregnant after this."
With a shuddering breath, Agatha interlaced her fingers with Rio's.
"I hope it worked. I know we have a couple more days, and it might take more tries, but I really hope it worked."
"Maybe we'll get lucky."
"Well, I mean, it does involve getting lucky, for a given value of the concept."
Propping herself up on her elbow, Rio looked down at Agatha and smiled.
"We're going for this. Really, really going for this."
"Are you... Do you regret..."
"Agatha, I regret nothing in loving you. I regret nothing we do out of love for each other. We want a family so much. We're on the way along that road now, and I can't wait to see what's waiting for us around the next bend."
"Rio, I love you so much."
"I love you. With all my heart and soul."
Leaning in, Rio kissed Agatha, then nuzzled nose-to-nose.
"Need me to get you anything while you're stuck with your hips up, mi vida?"
"Just hold on to me?"
"Always."
At some point, both exhausted from the nervous tension of everything, they dozed off together. They woke only hours later, and Rio sat up suddenly.
"Are you all right?"
"Little uncomfortable," Agatha said, "with my back tilted like this."
"We can definitely move the pillows now. I'm gonna slide them out one at a time, just to ease you down. One. Two. There."
She tossed the pillows, bought just for these occasions, into the basket at the end of the bed, then scooted closer to Agatha.
"Better?"
"Little bit."
"Just relax. Take a breath."
Suddenly, in the dark, Agatha grabbed Rio's hand.
"We really did it."
"We did, mi vida."
"Sorry, I just... I feel like I'm going to keep being shocked for a few days."
"I get it. We took a big step. A life changer."
"And you're really okay with this?"
"Agatha, I am more than okay. I'm ecstatic. Pretty soon, you'll be the most wonderful mom in the world."
"You're so sweet."
"And I'm gonna be the coolest dad!"
Laughing, Agatha shifted around a little.
"You're absolutely bizarre, my love."
"Pretty much. But you kinda like it."
"Uh, actually, I kinda love it."
"Need anything? Anything at all?"
"Glass of water?"
Rio nodded, kissing the back of Agatha's hand.
"You got it. Be right back."
Stumbling out of bed, Rio threw on a robe and padded downstairs. For a moment, at the foot of the stairs, she felt awkward and shaky.
They had done it. Well, they had taken the first real step, at least. If they were lucky, if things worked out...
"Holy shit," Rio muttered, heading for the kitchen.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They arrived home at basically the same time, and once they were in the house, Rio sighed and slumped back against the door.
"No place like home for the holidays," she muttered.
"How was your day?" Agatha asked, leaning in to kiss her.
"Ah, boring. Few meetings, that damn looping session. Regular shit."
They shed their coats, kicked off their shoes, and went to the living room together to relax for a little while.
"How was your day?" Rio asked, slumping down onto the sofa.
"Not too out of the ordinary for the most part."
"Oh?"
"Met with Connie to discuss stuff for next season, mailed out the last of the cards, had lunch with Lilia. Ordinary stuff."
Sitting down at Rio's side, Agatha groaned softly and dared to put her feet up on the coffee table.
"Did have a damn doctor's appointment this morning," she added.
"You okay?"
"Mmm. Just wanted to get some things checked out."
"Everything clear?"
"As crystal. They called me during lunch about one result, however."
"Hmn?" Rio sighed, halfway to dozing off.
"You really did it this time, buster."
"Wha'd I do?" Rio managed.
She felt her hand, which had been resting on Agatha's thigh, pulled upward to press against the flatness of her wife's abdomen.
"You went and knocked me up."
The words took a moment to register. When they did, Rio's eyes shot open.
"I... I did what now?"
"You got me pregnant, you doofus."
"I... We... You..."
"Very good, my love. Those are all pronouns."
"You're pregnant?"
Smiling, Agatha nodded, releasing Rio's hand and reaching out to stroke her cheek fondly.
"We did it, my love."
"We... Only one cycle?"
Agatha shrugged.
"Apparently we did everything perfectly."
"You're sure?"
"I've been suspicious for a little while. Took a bunch of home tests, and they all popped positive, so I figured I better get professional confirmation."
Rio's hand had remained where Agatha placed it, and slowly, she realized she had started slowly stroking the thumb fondly back and forth.
"You've got our kid growing in there?"
"I do."
"And it... Oh, shit, we... I got kinda rough on you in bed the other night. What if... I didn't hurt you, did I? Or them?"
"So far, everything seems fine. Of course, it's still early and..."
Rio stood abruptly, bending down to scoop Agatha up.
"Rio, what..."
"You should be resting! Ya gotta... I'm gonna take you and put you to bed and..."
"I'm fine, Rio. I'm not suddenly made of glass or something."
"But mi vida, the... You... I don't want you to get hurt. I..."
"First thing, then, set me back down. You're sweating bullets and I can feel that your legs are shaking."
"Shit!" Rio squeaked, carefully returning Agatha to the sofa then kneeling in front of her.
Agatha reached out and stroked Rio's hair.
"We're gonna have a baby."
"Are you all right? Do you need anything? Craving anything?"
"Cravings probably won't start for a while, if I even develop any. As for if I need anything..."
Rio grabbed Agatha's hand and kissed it gently.
"Anything you want, sweetheart. Anything at all. I'll go to the ends of the Earth..."
"It's much simpler than that. I just want my wonderful, caring wife to sit and cuddle with me a while."
"I can totally do that," Rio nodded, scrambling back onto the sofa and pulling Agatha onto her lap.
"That's more like it," Agatha sighed, resting her head against Rio's shoulder.
"Shit," Rio whispered, "you're pregnant."
"I take it you're pleased with the outcome?"
"Pleased as shit," Rio said, grinning.
"You know, at the rate you're going, baby's first word will be shit."
"I... Sorry."
"Joking, my love. I can tell you're just happy. A bit nervous, but happy."
"I'm so happy I wanna fuckin' shout from the rooftops. I wanna tell the whole world that my wonderful wife is carrying our child."
"I think we ought to hold off on that for a little while."
"Of course. I just meant I'm excited as hell for this. And of course I'm nervous. Right now, I'm holding the two most precious beings in the world in my arms."
"Oh, Rio..."
"Also, I reserve the right, when we do tell people you're pregnant, to brag about knocking you up as quickly as I did."
Agatha rolled her eyes.
"Oh, of course you'd say that."
"Aw, c'mon. I wanna dad-brag!"
"Fine, fine. Now shut up and kiss me, you weirdo."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rio woke early and snuck downstairs to set her little plan into motion. She made the foods she knew Agatha liked most, arranging everything neatly on a tray, then then carried the breakfast upstairs. Setting the tray on the desk, she went to crawl into the bed at Agatha's side.
"G'morning, sweet girl," Rio whispered, and dropped a gentle kiss on her wife's cheek.
Agatha woke slowly, turning onto her back and blinking hard before smiling up at Rio.
"My love," she said, and stroked Rio's hair.
"I have something for you."
"Hmm?"
Rolling back out of the bed, Rio went and fetched the tray.
"Breakfast in bed, for my gorgeous queen," she said, "and our heir."
Agatha laughed, but happily accepted Rio settling the tray over her lap.
"It all looks so good. Thank you, my love."
"Hey, anything for my wife. Gotta keep you and junior well fed."
Rio sat carefully on the edge of the bed.
"Are we sharing?" Agatha smiled.
"Nope. All for you, mi vida. I already had a protein bar."
"That's not enough!"
"Eh, all I need right now. We'll have a big lunch together. For now, I want you to enjoy your special breakfast."
Agatha looked ready to pout until Rio picked up the fork and tore into the omelette with it. She held the bite up to Agatha's lips.
"Hey. Someone needs to be eating right now. C'mon, doctor's orders."
"Well, you're not a doctor, so..."
"Ah, but I played one on TV, like, one time."
Agatha still looked doubtful. Rio whipped out the puppy-dog eyes.
"Please, mi vida? I just wanna take care of you and baby. Wanna be a good dad."
"Oh, so it's dad's orders then?"
Rio shrugged.
"Will that work?"
Agatha laughed, then took the fork and started to eat.
"Oh, so playing daddy does work," Rio said, waggling her brows.
"Just be careful, or you'll get me all wound up," Agatha warned.
"Understood. Just hope Mommy and Baby enjoy the breakfast."
"You're going to spoil us," Agatha said, shaking her head and eating another bite of omelette.
"My intent," Rio said, "is simply to give you and our kid everything you could ever want or need."
"Like I said, you'll spoil us."
"If it's a crime to want my family to never go without, then I guess I'll plead guilty right now."
Agatha looked worried.
"I... I didn't mean... I don't..."
"It's okay, mi vida. We're okay. Here, enjoy breakfast. Then, we can spend the rest of the day relaxing together."
"Well, not all day," Agatha said.
"Huh?"
"Lilia's holiday party tonight."
"Oh, shit. Right."
"We could skip out. If we want."
"Mmm. Sounds like a plan. I'll call Lilia up and make some excuse."
"You won't tell her..."
"Nah. I know we wanna wait a little while to tell anyone."
"We'll have to tell some people sooner rather than later, but I think we can at least put things off until after the holidays."
"I left my phone in the kitchen. I'll go call Lilia now and beg off."
"Okay. And hey."
"Yeah?"
Agatha took Rio's hand for a moment and squeezed it.
"Thank you for the breakfast. I love you."
Leaning in, Rio kissed Agatha.
"I love you. And..."
Rio kissed the tips of her fingers, reaching down to press them over the spot where their child was growing inside of Agatha.
"I love our little sprout."
Standing, Rio marched out of the room and hurried downstairs. Grabbing her phone, she pulled up Lilia's number and called.
"Kid, what the hell do you want at this ungodly hour?"
"Nice to hear your voice, Lilia. Also, it's 8a.m. Listen, about the party tonight..."
"Don't tell me. You're not coming."
"Sorry. Agatha and I are just feeling a little off. Don't wanna spread some bug around or something."
"Fine, kid. Fine. Say, listen while I've gotcha on the line..."
Rio sighed.
"Yes, I'm still considering Darcy's film."
"Shooting's delayed all the way to Ju
ne. Plenty of time to come to a decision."
Shaking her head, Rio did the math. Agatha would be pretty close to giving birth by June. No way she was going to be jaunting all the way across the country right then.
"I'm really thinking on it, Lil. I swear."
"Okay, kid. Okay. Listen, if I don't see you before then, happy birthday and all the rest."
"Happy holidays, Lilia," Rio said.
Before the call ended, a confounding snippet of conversation on the other end reached Rio. Someone said something to Lilia, and the tough as nails agent responded.
"Aw, who's mommy's big brave Tiger? Does Tiger want puss-puss?"
Jamming her thumb hard on the phone to cut the call, Rio cackled. Who had Lilia lured into bed this time? Who would be the next person to benefit career-wise from all the publicity of squiring Lilia around town?
"Fucking priceless," Rio wheezed, shoving her phone into her pocket.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Mi vida? You home?"
"Bedroom!" Agatha called, and Rio raced up the stairs.
Agatha was seated at the desk, writing something. Rio went to stand behind her and saw that she was seemingly doodling squiggles in a notebook.
"What are you..."
"Notes. For the baby book."
"Uh, how..."
"Shorthand."
"You... Know shorthand?"
"My mother made me learn. One of the few useful things I got out of that screwed up thing known as my childhood."
"I didn't know you do shorthand."
"Sure! You've seen how I mark up physical scripts."
"I... I just thought you were doodling or something."
"Nope. All shorthand."
"And so this is for the baby?"
"I'm making notes for later. About today."
"Today. Right. Today was..."
"First sonogram."
"Oh, shit. Yeah, I kinda... I guess I blocked that out 'cause I was so pissed I couldn't be there."
Agatha shrugged.
"You had work, my love. Anyway, this was just the first scan. There'll be more."
"But, I mean... I mean, I wanted to meet our kid, sort of. To see them."
"They're a little bean of a baby right now. I have some pictures, if you wanna..."
"Hell yes I wanna see our kid!"
Agatha fiddled around on her phone a moment, then handed it to Rio.
"Is this..."
"Mm-hmm. Meet our fetus. Well, still an embryo at this point, but..."
"This is our kid?"
"That's our kid," Agatha nodded, smiling softly.
Rio stared at the image, trying to understand what was what, to process the whole idea.
"Mi vida, don't freak out, but I think you might be pregnant."
"Oh, really?" Agatha laughed.
Kneeling beside the chair, Rio handed the phone back, then reached out to gently touch Agatha's abdomen.
"Hey, sprout, I dunno if you can hear me in there, but I am gonna teach you so much about, like, life and shit."
"And shit," Agatha said, shaking her head.
"Ya know. Basketball and all the important stuff like that."
"You are such a dad sometimes," Agatha laughed.
"I mean, you're having the baby, and I'm married to you. What am I supposed to be but the dad?"
"Are you gonna be our big, strong breadwinner?"
"Mmm. Only if you're gonna be my little housewife. Get you a frilly apron..."
"Rio!"
"Joking, mi vida. But I am gonna always take care of my family. You. Our child. I'll do everything to make sure you're safe and happy."
Standing, Rio leaned a hip against the desk.
"Did the doctor say everything looks good?"
"Mm-hmm. I'm probably due at the very end of July or beginning of August. Everything looks just as it should, so far."
"Great, great. And did you ask..."
"I did ask, and Jen's in agreement that I should let you wait on me hand and foot."
Rio blinked.
"Wait, really?"
"She said if I have such a concerned, loving partner, I may as well let them go all out for me."
"See, I knew Jen was smart."
Agatha stood and hugged Rio tightly.
"Love you."
"Love you too, my sweet girl. I love you, and I love our baby. I love this life we have together."
It was all true. Before Agatha, Rio had never felt this intensely in love. She had never imagined a whole life with any other girlfriend, had never imagined marriage and a family.
With Agatha, it was easy. Of course they had ups and downs, but at the end of the day, they knew each other. They understood each other.
"Don't suppose you got any printed out images?" Rio asked.
"A few. Why?"
"We should totally put one on the fridge or something!"
"The fridge?"
"What? People put candid family snapshots on the fridge all the time, don't they?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As soon as Rio crawled into bed, Agatha was pressed up against her side, clinging needily.
"Mmm. Missed you too, mi vida."
"I know you were only gone three days..."
"Hey, I'd be worried if I was only gone one day and you didn't miss me."
Wriggling around, Rio turned onto her side and hugged Agatha close.
"You okay? How was everything while I was gone?"
"Fine," Agatha said.
"Sure?"
"It was fine, but only fine. I missed you so much."
"I missed you, too. Anything happen?"
"Well..."
"What?"
"Well, I talked to Connie. They're considering writing in a pregnancy for Iris next season."
"Nice! May I presume..."
"Cruz would definitely be the... Well, the other parent, though no word if they want to try to afford you again or if that would all stay offscreen."
"Cool, cool. Anything else?"
Agatha looked... What? Nervous? Scared?
"Sweet girl..."
"Morning sickness. I have morning sickness."
"Shit! That sucks. At least now I'm here for you. You feeling..."
"It does seem to be mostly confined to mornings. Early."
"We'll take care of it. Rather, I'll take care of you."
"I know you will," Agatha smiled.
Rio slid a hand down to Agatha's belly, settling it on the barely perceptible bump there.
"Brote, you gotta try and hold back on giving your mom any of those gnarly side effects."
"I'm sure the... Wait, what did you call the baby?"
"Brote. It means, like, sprout."
Agatha smiled.
"I like that."
"Figured, since I've been calling them our little sprout, might as well start to work bilingual. We want 'em to grow up speaking all the stuff, right?"
"I'd like that," Agatha nodded, and curled in to tuck her head under Rio's chin.
"Fuck, I missed you so much, mi vida."
Agatha hummed happily against Rio's chest, probably already halfway back to sleep.
Jerking awake, but unsure why, Rio looked around the bedroom. Was something...
Suddenly, Agatha bolted awake and practically leapt over Rio to get out of the bed. Seeing her head into the en suite, Rio remembered the mention of morning sickness the night before and hurried to follow after.
She got there in time to crouch beside Agatha and help hold her hair back.
"Gotcha, mi vida. There we go. Shit, my poor, sweet girl."
When the wave of sickness had passed, kept a hand gently on Agatha's back a while.
"Okay now?"
"Maybe. I just... Ugh. Don't like this part."
"Don't suppose you're up to breakfast?"
"Oof, don't even wanna think about it. Could you just make me a cup of that ginger tea?"
"Right away. Anything else?"
Agatha shook her head.
"I'm just gonna go lie down again for a while, if that's okay."
"Of course it is, mi vida. Just take it easy."
Rio stayed long enough to watch Agatha wash her hands, rinse her mouth, and scurry back to bed, then went downstairs.
Every day, every little quirk and change, made this all feel more real. Rio shook her head. She wished Agatha did not have to deal with morning sickness, but still, that issue served as one more reminder of how their life was changing. It was a good change, an exciting one, but kind of scary too.
Agatha was going to ace the whole being a mom thing. She had a shitty, shitty model to work from so she knew the exact way not to be with their kid. Rio, meanwhile, worried that her own childhood meant she was going to be kind of shitty at parenting. Of course, she would never hurt the kid, but her exposure to parental figures varied so widely.
She had brought this point up a few times, and Agatha was always reassuring. Of course, sometimes they both spiralled, so now those conversations were tabled.
By the time Rio carried the tea up to the bedroom, Agatha had fallen asleep again. It felt wrong to wake her, but she did need to try and keep something down for hydration. Setting the mug on the nightstand, Rio sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Agatha's hair gently.
"Agatha? Hey, mi amada, can you wake again only for a little time?"
Slowly, Agatha turned over and blinked back to wakefulness, smiling a little.
"Got your tea," Rio said.
"Thank you, my love."
"De nada, mi vida."
She helped Agatha sit up and stayed close until the tea, little by little, was drunk.
"Feel a little better?"
"A little, thanks."
"Want anything else?"
"Could you hold me a while? Please?"
Setting the empty mug aside, Rio nodded and crawled under the blanket.
"Of course I can. Holding you is something I'll always want to do."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Hey, ya know, I can call and just not..."
"Go, Rio. I'll be fine. It's just a little bug or something."
"You sure, mi vida? I can stay and take care of you."
Agatha smiled and hugged Rio quickly.
"I'll be all right, Rio. Don't worry."
"Okay, but you call me or text if you need anything, okay? Anything at all."
"I will."
"And I'll check in when I can," Rio said, "on both of you."
She kissed Agatha, lingering over the contact a while. When she pulled back, she kissed her fingertips and pressed them to Agatha's belly, a well-practiced gesture by now.
"Te amo."
"Te amo," Agatha smiled.
The junket actually started sort of slow, and Rio had time to text Agatha a few times in the morning. The replies she got were reassuring. Agatha was resting, had some tea and toast for breakfast, and Steve had stopped by once just to look in and see if she needed anything.
Rio did not have the heart to admit that she had asked him to check in.
By the middle of the day, things were perking up. They mostly wound down the face-to-face interviews, but there were remote lead-ins to record and there were other things that needed tending to, so there was no more time for much contact. Rio did manage a short call when she and William stopped for lunch, and Agatha sounded fine, if a little sleepy.
"You and brote get some more rest, mi vida."
"We will. Love you."
"Love you too."
That afternoon, on the way home, Rio texted Agatha from the car; just a quick "doing ok?" There was no immediate reply, but she chalked that up to Agatha perhaps taking a nap. Once she was dropped off, she went quietly into the house, not wanting to possibly disturb her wife's sleep suddenly.
Heading upstairs, Rio peered into the bedroom. There was no sign of Agatha there, but the sheets were thrown back as if she had been there. Rio also spotted a dark spot, not very big, on the dark blue fitted sheet.
'Spilled drink? Some accident?'
There was a small noise from the bathroom. Ah, so maybe there had been an accident, and Agatha was in there cleaning up.
"Hey, mi vida, I..."
There was a line of weird, dark splotches on the wood floor of the washroom, and beyond, just through the ajar door of the bathroom proper, Rio saw something deep red pooled on the white tiles.
"Oh, Christ!"
"She's gonna be fine, Rio. You called the ambulance, you got help..."
"She was bleeding, Buck! She was bleeding so much and..."
"Breathe. Just try to keep your head in the game, okay? It's gonna work out."
Rio slumped back in the chair, hands over her face. She hated this waiting, this horror of not knowing what was happening with her wife and child.
Agatha had been there in the bathroom, curled up on the floor in pain, bleeding, and Rio could do nothing but call an ambulance and then get Steve and Buck to drive her to the hospital after.
She was useless.
She had not been there when Agatha needed her. When the baby needed her.
She had fucked up and failed her family. They were barely getting started as a family, and she had failed to protect them. Failed. Failed everything.
Old prayers were running through her head. She did not think they would do any good—she had lost faith long ago—but they gave her mind a fairly calm track to race around, in between a lot of terrified internal pleading.
'Please, please, please don't take Agatha from me. Please, let her be okay. I have nothing without her. Please!'
At some point she saw became more aware of the space around her again, saw that Steve had gotten up to talk to someone at a desk, then had disappeared somewhere else. When he came back, he just sat down again and stared at his shoes.
"She'll be okay," he murmured.
He was probably feeling guilty too, since nothing had seemed amiss when he checked in on Agatha early in the day. Rio reached out and clapped him on the shoulder.
"I... Thanks for checking on her, man."
"I just... I do what I can."
A little while after, frantic footsteps clattered along nearby, and Rio heard someone saying her name.
"Rio! Rio, what..."
Turning, she saw William there.
"Kid, what..."
"Steve called me. What's happening?"
Rio shook her head, dissolving into tears. She felt Buck pat her back, vaguely heard Steve and William talking off to the side.
"I bet she'll be fine," William said softly.
"I... She was..." was all Rio could manage.
"Agatha's tough, Rio. She'll be fine, you wait and see."
William joined them, sitting around amid the outdated magazines while a television nearby softly buzzed news coverage. At some point, Rio heard Agatha's name, and her own, from the TV and looked up, only to see Steve get up and go try to change the channel.
So, someone had blabbed already. Their pain was already all over the airwaves.
"Fuck it," Rio said, standing and wandering off.
"Rio," Bucky said.
"I'll go with her," William said.
They walked as far as another waiting area, and Rio sat again.
"Why did Steve call you, kid?" she asked.
"Because I'm a friend. Because he said maybe you could use someone else around who knows how much it sucks to worry about all your private stuff getting around."
"What?"
"Rio, the outside of this place is getting mobbed with press."
"They..."
And then it struck her. What she had seen on the television. It was not just a mention. There had been footage from outside the hospital. She had thought it was file footage, but...
"What the fuck... What if they block some important entrance or..."
"Security was trying to clear them off as I arrived. A few of them tried to question me, but I just shook 'em off."
Sitting down beside her, William rested his head in his hands.
"Sometimes I think about retiring."
"Join the club," Rio said.
"C'mon. Let's go back. If there's news..."
Standing, Rio shambled after William back to where Steve and Buck were waiting. As they approached, there was a doctor walking over from the opposite direction.
"Ms. Vidal?"
"Yeah, that's me. My wife, is..."
"You can come along and see her now."
The doctor's manner was so serious, so grave, that Rio's heart sank.
'She's gone. Dead and gone and my life is over now.'
"It was a serious situation, but we've got your wife stabilized now. Unfortunately the pregnancy..."
"She... She's okay?"
"She's stable. From what we can discern at this point, viability ended perhaps a week ago."
"So the baby... It's gone?"
"Unfortunately."
As they walked on, the doctor droned on, but Rio could only walk dazedly along and focus.
'She's alive. Agatha's alive. I
didn't lose her. But the baby... I'm going to have to protect Agatha so much.'
When they reached the room where Agatha was, the doctor stopped Rio, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"She'll seem a little weak, at first. We also had to sedate her at one point; she was rather agitated."
"But she... She's all right?"
"We'll have to keep her here for a few days. There are signs of infection which we need to treat and monitor. However, she's otherwise healthy, so I would say the outlook is good."
Good. Outlook good. This doctor was talking like a damn Magic 8 Ball.
Shaking off the doctor's hand, Rio entered the room. There was a nurse near the bed, checking some monitor or other, and on the bed...
"Mi vida," Rio said.
Agatha looked so lost lying there. Rio rushed to the bedside, taking her wife's hand.
"Agatha? Sweetheart?"
Soft blue eyes tracked from the ceiling to glance at Rio, then squeezed shut.
"Gone," Agatha rasped.
"Sweetheart..."
"I... I'm sorry."
"No, mi vida. You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be sorry. I wasn't home with you, I..."
The nurse had hurried from the room, and Rio leaned closer over the bed.
"Agatha, you're gonna be all right, okay? You'll be better soon, and I'll take you home."
"I lost our baby."
"It... These things happen, mi vida."
"I'm... I failed."
"No. No you didn't. You didn't fail anything. It just... We'll get through this, sweet girl. We will."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Hey, I'm home," Rio murmured.
"Dinner's nearly ready. Go wash up?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Striding through the little kitchen, Rio went to the little washroom under the stairs and washed her hands. It was a nice day out, warm and fair, and work had gone really well.
It had been Agatha, not long after she got home from the hospital, who convinced Rio to call Lilia and accept the job on the new Darcy Lewis film.
"We could use a holiday, couldn't we, my love?"
Rio had gone out to Maine first, just before filming started in June. There was a little house rented for her, a nice place where Agatha had joined her early in July after the new season of Midnight Sun wrapped.
Now it was late August. The baby, had he lived—it had been a boy, the doctors said—would have perhaps been around a month old. They certainly would not be here in Maine.
Returning to the kitchen, Rio hugged Agatha gently from behind.
"I love you, mi vida."
"I love you."
For a little moment, they just stood there, being close. Agatha had her hair pulled up into a messy bun, and Rio nuzzled the back of her neck.
"You feel okay?"
"I feel great. How was filming?"
"Perfect. Not a wasted take, in my opinion."
They ate dinner, chatting about nothing in particular, and then listened to music and read until bedtime. Rio was feeling pretty dozy by the time they headed to the little bedroom and lay down together.
"Rio?"
"Mmm?"
"Please, can I say something and you won't be angry?"
"Never angry with you, mi vida. What's up?"
"When we're both back home again, I... Could we start trying again?"
"Huh? Trying what?"
"I want us to try again. For a baby, I mean."
That brought Rio mostly back to full wakefulness.
"Agatha, sweetheart, I... It's been five months."
"And by November it will've been eight. That's plenty of time."
"Are... Are you sure you'll feel up to it so soon? I don't want you to rush yourself. I... You... I don't want you hurting."
"The therapy's helped. Being with you has helped. I understand if maybe you don't want children..."
"It's not I don't want children, mi vida. I want a family with you so much. I just... I get scared. I don't want anything else bad to happen to you."
"What happened last time was... It was... It probably won't happen again."
Sighing, Rio snuggled closer to Agatha and kissed her cheek.
"Do you really want that, Agatha? To try again then?"
"I do. I promise, it'll be all right this time. I won't mess it..."
"You didn't mess it up, Agatha. It just happened. It was a horrible, sad thing."
They held each other in the dark, listening to the night.
"I really want this," Agatha murmured.
"Well, then, we'll do it. We'll try again."
"You mean it? You're not just saying that to humor me?"
"I mean it. We want a family, and we're damned well going to keep trying to have one. You know I'd move heaven and earth for you. For us."
Rio felt a little hint of tension leaving Agatha's body and smiled.
"I'm so glad you don't want to just... Not try again."
"Why would I not want to try again? I want my chance to be an annoying dad, damn it."
"Silly."
"That's me. Silly ol' dad. And you love me."
"I do. I love you."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"So glad we're home again," Rio sighed.
Agatha rested her head on Rio's shoulder.
"Me too. Maine was nice, but almost five months... Well, I missed this place. Our home."
"Got a call the other day. Vic's back in town any time we need a hand, so to speak."
"You mean it?"
Rio nodded, her arm around Agatha's waist.
"You been keeping track again, right?"
"I evened out by June, and now I'm right back on schedule."
"Mmm. Next month then? Get a little jump on Christmas?"
Laughing, Agatha closed her eyes.
"Funny kind of a jump."
"If things work as well as before, and we time things right, maybe you and the baby'll share a birthday."
"And now I'm imagining the circumstances in which I must have been conceived..."
"Sorry, sorry. Still, would be sorta cool. Less dates for people to remember."
"You mean less dates for you to remember."
"No, I mean people."
"When is my birthday, hmm?"
Smirking, Rio took the bait.
"September 22nd. And, if you're curious, we met on October 8th. I asked you to move in on December 23rd, which happens to be my birthday..."
"I know."
"You did move in on January 4th, our wedding anniversary is June 2nd..."
"All right, brainiac. You remember everything."
"Only the important things. The things about you, or about us."
Agatha sat up very straight, smiling a little, and nervously rubbed her palms against her jeans.
"Are we okay?" she asked.
"Okay? Mi vida, we're more than okay."
Rio stretched, then turned and lay with her head in Agatha's lap. She sighed, and Agatha smiled down at her, leaning down so her hair was a curtain around their faces.
"My love," Rio said, "is the torch which burns away my darkness. She is the pole star of my soul, the steward of my heart, and the core of my reality. With her, I am stronger than death, mightier than time, and greater than any power. Our love is endless as eternity, vast as the universe, and undeniable as time. With her, I am complete. Without her, I am in oblivion."
Agatha laughed softly, shaking her head.
"Did you just recite part of an Academy Award acceptance speech from the '80s at me?"
"Yep. Betsy Braddock, Best Actress 1989, Acts of Vengeance. Incidentally also the speech which a lot of people think stalled her career, since, ya know, gay."
"You complete goof."
"I may be a goof," Rio said, "but I meant every word."
"Rio..."
"I do mean it, mi vida. You're my everything. All I need in this world is to see you safe and happy."
"I'm safe. I'm happy."
"Then I'm doing my job properly."
Reaching up, Rio stroked Agatha's cheek.
"You're everything to me, Agatha Harkness. The whole of my world is tied to you. It's all about the life we're building together. About the amazing future we're going to have."
Agatha kissed the palm of Rio's hand fondly.
"Rio, I love you so much that sometimes, I don't know what to do. You've given me things I never dreamed I could really have. Total love, total trust. If someone told me tomorrow that I had to go back and do all of this, all of our relationship, over again, there's not one thing, one moment, that I would change."
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing. I'm afraid any change, even to the hard things, or the bad things, would somehow be the end of us."
Rio shook her head.
"I never will leave you. No matter what happens, I will always love you, and I will always protect you. I will always find my way home to you."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I do not wanna do that interview tomorrow."
Rio flopped onto the bed and groaned.
"My poor love," Agatha laughed, entering from the bathroom.
Rio looked over at her, a little doubt wriggling in her mind.
"All right, mi vida?"
"I'm fine, darling. I'm more worried about you."
"Ah, I just hate interviews is all."
Smiling, Agatha sat on the end of the bed. Rio sat up as well and scooted down toward her.
"Sure you feel okay?"
"Rio, I'm okay. This... It's all okay."
Stretching out a hand, Rio gently touched Agatha's belly.
"You don't feel sick or anything, do you?"
"The baby's fine, my love. This time is different. I know it."
"Just don't wanna be a fuck up and not get you help if you need it."
Agatha rested her hand on Rio's.
"You didn't fuck up, my love. You didn't."
"I wanna take care of my wife and baby. Is that so awful?"
"Of course not. But you have to stop assuming that this will go wrong. Please."
Rio could tell from Agatha's tone that fear was creeping in. Immediately, she hugged her wife close.
"Sorry, mi vida."
After a moment they parted, shuffling around to their accustomed places in bed. Rio switched off the lamp, then rolled over to spoon Agatha.
"I love you, you know? Don't mean to hurt you. Just get worried."
"I know, my love. I worry too."
Sighing, Rio let her hand rest on Agatha's belly, lightly stroking the slight swell of it.
"Have I told you lately that you're incredibly gorgeous, mi vida?"
"Once a day, at least," Agatha chuckled.
"Well, it needs to be said. You're so beautiful."
"Even now?"
"Always. The sight of you gets me all hot and bothered all the time."
"Does it?"
"Mm-hmm. You're like a goddess."
"Is this some of that 'miracle of life' stuff?"
"No. It's just me telling my beautiful wife how hot she is."
Slipping her hand down, Rio stopped short of going fully where she wished, cupping Agatha's mons.
"Okay?" she asked
"Definitely okay, my love."
Rio let her hand continue on its path, slipping her middle finger into her wife's cleft, slipping up and down over the clit a few times, hearing Agatha gasp softly.
"Fuck," Agatha breathed.
"More, sweet girl?"
"Fuck me, please?"
Still moving slow, Rio teased her finger over the delicate slick folds, then pressed it carefully into Agatha's core. Instantly she got a good response, a light buck of the hips accompanied by a small, mewling whimper.
"Please? Rio, please, fuck me. I need you."
Pumping in and out a few times, Rio sighed and kissed the back of Agatha's right shoulder.
"You're so fuckin' wet, sweet girl. So fuckin' wet and tight for me."
Whimpering, Agatha tried to press down, tried almost to ride Rio's hand, but seemed to have difficulty given their position. Rio moved the finger faster, adding another while making sure the pad of her thumb pressed firmly against Agatha's clit with ever in stroke.
"Is my sweet girl gonna cum for me?" Rio whispered, feeling a familiar heat building in her belly and groin.
"I... I wanna cum. Please, fuck me harder?"
"You sure?"
"Just... Please, a little harder?"
Rio pulled her hand away, and Agatha groaned.
"It's okay. Turn over for me. Wanna see your face while you cum."
Once Agatha was facing her, Rio settled her hand back into place and slowly started the motion again.
"There we go. That good?"
"Mm-hmm. More?"
Carefully, she added a third finger. Agatha groaned a little at the new intrusion, but grabbed Rio's wrist to keep her from pulling away.
"Please?"
Pressing her forehead to Agatha's, Rio smiled and let her fingers stay fully buried, spreading them ever so slightly for a moment, then starting to pump again.
"Fuck, you're so pretty, Agatha. So pretty when you're letting me stretch you."
Rio curled her middle finger so that the tip rubbed over the best spot as it moved.
"Please, c-can I touch you?" Agatha begged.
"Please do."
When Agatha's hand slipped between her legs, Rio gasped. The heat of her own building pleasure flared.
"Fuck, yes. Right there, my good, sweet girl. Just like that."
Agatha was trembling, and Rio felt herself dangerously close to climaxing. To hold off, she dug the fingernails of her free hand into her palm, letting that sting pull her back down for a moment.
"Cum for me, mi vida. Cum on my hand."
Hips jerking, breath coming in sharp little gasps, Agatha closed her eyes for an instant.
"Please, I need to. I need to."
"It's okay. Be my good girl and cum for me."
"Rio... Rio!"
Agatha came hard, shaking, and Rio kissed her, moaning as her own climax struck.
They both stayed quiet and still for a while after, the only motion being Rio's thumb drawing lazy circles around Agatha's clit.
"That was... Was so good," Rio panted.
"Love you so much," Agatha breathed.
"Love you too," Rio nodded, and kissed her wife again.
In the afterglow, they drew away from each other for a moment, just long enough to reposition so that they were once more spooning. With a deep sigh, Rio pressed herself as closely as possible to Agatha's back, burying her face in Agatha's hair and breathing in the familiar lavender and verbena scent.
"Doing okay?" she asked.
"I'm... I'm doing amazing. You?"
"Excellent. Pretty damn excellent."