LOG THIRTY-SEVEN

Ford looked up from the charts. Earthling sat on the table, watching her. He perked up straight, stretching his little wings, flapping them slightly, and causing a draft, which made the charts shift a bit.

"Stop it!" Ford shook a finger at the little beast. Earthling sniffed the air, eyeing the tall woman playfully, the little beast lowered its head and growled while it shook its hindquarters and swished its tail. "You don’t scare me. So just stop trying."

The little beast huffed and marched proudly across the table to sit in front of Ford. The ambassador stopped what she was doing long enough to move him from the table and place him on the floor. "Go play." She told him with a little swat to his backside. "Find your Mom."

Earthling ran across the floor wings spread, growling and making little clicking noises. Ford could only smile and shake her head as the little beast disappeared somewhere into their quarters in search of Marra.

"OUCH!" Marra yelped from the direction of their sleeping quarters. "Bad Earthling!"

"I said find your Mom, not bite your Mom." Ford called with a chuckle.

"He didn’t bite me." Marra corrected, entering the room, with the now purring Earthling tucked in her arms. "He climbed up the front of my nightgown. We need to clip his claws."

"Feel free to give it a try. I’ll standby with the bandages."

"Ford, if we’re going to keep him here with us we need to do something about them." She held the little beast up to her face. He scrunched his nose up then licked Marra’s nose. "Well, yuck." She waved away a rather offending odor as well. "Suppose brushing his teeth is out of the question."

"Not if you don’t mind the thought of a few less fingers." Ford looked up to her spouse with an evil smirk. "I have to tell you darling, the thought of you with a few less than you have now does not make me happy at all. They’re all so…talented." A dark brow rose as that smirk intensified.

"Behave!" Marra blushed. She wasn’t sure how it was that Ford could make her do that but she managed it quite nicely

* * *

"Give that back!" Ford growled, crawling around on her hands and knees, chasing the little serpentine.

Earthling dashed under the bed, stopping directly in the center, so that he couldn’t be easily reached from any direction. He lay down, staring at Ford, holding a piece of parchment in his teeth.

"Don’t you dare eat that!" Ford grumbled, trying to reach under the bed to snag the little beast.

The golden serpentine just scooted one direction and then the next, staying just slightly out of the woman’s grasp.

"Earthling, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll give me back my map."

The beast made a noise that, to Ford, sounded like an insult.

Ford got upon her knees and leaned against the bed. "Marra!"

When Marra and Judith entered the bedchamber they found Ford on her knees with her head down. It looked almost as if she were in prayer.

"Ford?"

The tall woman looked up at her wife and her assistant. "Would you please see if you get my map back from Earthling, before he chews it to pieces?"

Marra glanced to Judith, who hid a smile behind her hand. "How did he get one of your maps?"

"He flew up on the table, bit into my chart, ripping it in half and then he took off with it."

"He just wants to play."

"I’ll get him a ball or a bone or whatever he wants. Just make him give me back my map."

Judith tried to hold back the snort, quite unsuccessfully which earned her a glare from the ambassador. "Forgive me, Lord Kurrathian."

"You can just come over here and help her." Ford gestured to Marra who was now trying to coax the little beast out.

"Yes, Lord Kurrathian." Dutifully the assistant joined the small blonde at the end of the bed.

"Judith, please go fetch a piece of fruit. Maybe we can coax him out with that." Marra kept a careful eye on Earthling. He still held the parchment between his teeth. "Don’t you dare chew that up. You’ll be just more Earth history if you do." Marra glanced up at Ford as Judith exited the room to get the requested food. "If this fails to get him out, can you lift the bed?"

"Let’s just forgo the fruit and I’ll do that."

"No. Let’s try the fruit first. I’d rather he release your map in favor of the fruit rather than scaring him and having him take off with it."

"After we get this little situation settled Marra, I want some kind of restraint put on him. He needs to be caged or harnessed or something. I can’t have him tearing up the charts."

"Yes Ford."

* * *

"You did this to yourself." Marra told the little beast as she tightened the tiny halter around his head. "You just can’t expect to get away with those things."

Judith handed her mistress a small chain. Marra snapped one end to the halter and the other end to a hook in the wall. She made sure that food, water, a soft bed and a few toys were within reach of Earthling. She gave him a scratch to his head behind the ears then stood up, turning to her assistant. "Well, let’s get back to work shall we?"

"Of course." Judith nodded, taking her seat next to Marra’s desk.

When the blonde walked away, Earthling tried to follow, but found the end of the tether. He pulled, to no avail trying to get further across the room. Marra took her seat behind her desk, watching as the little golden beast turned and tried backing up, continuing too tug at the chain. This action was compounded with a whimpering and growling. Marra just looked to Judith and shook her head.

"He’ll adjust soon enough Lady Kurrathian."

"I know. He only wanted to play with Ford. He didn’t know that chewing up the map was a bad thing."

"He’s like a child My Lady, he has to learn his limits."

Marra smiled, laying her hand on her stomach. "Speaking of which, I’d like to start decorating a nursery."

"A what?" The assistant cocked her head a bit.

"A nursery. It’s a delightful little custom I found in one of Ford’s Earth history books. It’s a room for a baby. Most generally in the parents quarters and close to their own bed chamber."

"You mean you won’t be leaving the child in the care of the medtechs?"

"No. Ford has said that I’ll be allowed to care for the baby and I want to do that."

"So what kinds of items go in this nursery?"

"Everything that will be required to care for the baby. Everything I brought aboard."

"All right. When would you like to do this?"

"Seems like a nice little project we can start on in the next few days. I want to do more research and find out what kind of traditional things go in an Earth type nursery. Can you help me do that?"

"Of course."

"I hope to have Ford help us as well, but I’m not sure she’s going to want to do that. She’s not very happy about this baby."

Judith could hear the sadness in the woman’s voice. She took her mistresses hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I’m sure once the child arrives she will be delighted."

"I hope so. This child will need us both. I’d hate to think that Ford is so upset by the idea that she won’t want any of the responsibility of raising the child."

Judith took a deep breath. "By tradition she must take responsibility for the child."

"Ford’s not the most traditional person."

"This is very true My Lady, but Lord Kurrathian loves you very much. And this is her own child that you carry within your body. How can she not feel something for it?"

* * *

Ford rolled over, reaching out for Marra only to find her side of the bed empty. "Lights soft." The illumination filtered softly into the room. The dark haired woman lifted up on her elbows, looking around the room for her mate. Her eyes were drawn to the bathing chamber door, which was closed, but a brighter light filtered out from under it.

She rose from the bed, fetching her robe from the foot of it. She slipped the robe around her body as she crossed the room. Knocking on the door she called softly. "Marra?"

A low moan could be heard before Marra tried to say Ford’s name.

"Marra are you all right?"

"Fine. I’ll be out in a moment. Go back to bed."

The ambassador could tell by the timber of Marra’s voice that she definitely was not all right. "Marra please tell me what’s wrong."

"I’m fine, really. I’ll be back to bed soon."

Ford opened the door, to find Marra leaning over the sink basin. She looked pale and a slight perspiration coated her face and arms. It was very clear she had been ill. "Marra?"

"I’m sorry I woke you." The blonde offered, taking a deep breath.

"Darling what’s wrong with you. Do you need a doctor?"

Marra chuckled a bit, shaking her head. "No. This is one of the effects of being with child."

"It makes you sick?"

"Ford. how many pregnant women have you been around?"

"You’re my first. I know nothing about this process. I’m a warrior Marra, I’ve never been concerned with finding out anything about this."

"This is just an early effect. It will pass in a few weeks."

"A few weeks? Oh my poor Marra." Ford was quick to wrap her arms around her spouse.

Marra sank into the embrace. She put her arms around Ford’s waist.

"Is there anything I can do to make it better?" The tall woman whispered.

"You’re doing it." Marra tightened her hold on the ambassador.

"Are you ready to go back to bed?"

Marra gave a weak nod against Ford’s chest. "I…I think so. I think this round is over."

Ford gently lifted Marra into her arms and carried her back to bed. She lay the woman down, covering her, then taking a seat and running her fingers through blonde hair. "How long has this been going on?"

"A few days."

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"You’ve been busy. I don’t want this child to interfere with your work. Besides, there really isn’t anything you can do. It is natural, it will pass."

Ford lowered her eyes, taking stock of her own emotions at the moment. Finally, she drew a deep breath and looked to her spouse. "Marra, I love you. Let me be a part of this." She smiled, placing her hand on the blonde’s stomach.

"Are you sure?"

"I’ll admit, I’m scared. I don’t know anything about being a parent and I certainly don’t know anything about what it means to carry another life within your body, but if there is anything I can do to help you and make it easier, you only need ask."

"I want you to be happy about this."

"Are you happy about it?"

"Other than this extremely unpleasant side effect, I am very happy about it."

Ford placed a tender kiss to Marra’s temple. "Then I’m happy too."

"Haven’t any of your other wives had children? What about Lauren and Conner?"

"Well, yes, of course, but those are their children. Not mine, well not mine in the sense…ah never mind." She shook her head, then gently massaged Marra’s stomach. "This is our child. Mine and yours."

"Mine?" She smiled when she looked to Ford.

"Of course. You’re doing all the work here. I was just a gene donor. You will be more of a mother to this child than I will be and it deserves that. It deserves every chance, you my love, will give it everything it needs."

Marra took Ford’s hand, interlacing their fingers. "So will you."

"Your faith in me is astounding."

* * *

Marra looked at the book. Then she looked at the room. "Do you think we can make it look like this?" She handed the book to her assistant.

Judith studied the picture. "I’m sure we can My Lady, but what are all these little things?" She pointed to various objects in the picture.

"They’re called ‘stuffed animals’."

"We don’t have anything like that."

"Perhaps we can replicate them."

"Why? What purpose do they serve?"

"I’m not sure, but I think they’re meant to bring the child some sort of joy and happiness."

"How odd."

"The book says that a brightly colored nursery with lots of things for the baby to look at will stimulate it."

"Well it seems that they do the same thing in the bio rooms."

"No. They see to the basic needs of the children. I want my child to have more. I don’t want it handled by a medical staff that has no connection to it."

Ford cleared her throat gently to get Marra and Judith’s attention. Both women turned at the same time to find the tall woman leaning against the door frame with a silly grin on her face.

"How long have you been standing there?" Marra questioned, closing the distance between them.

"Since the great debate began." Ford took her hands from behind her back. "These are for you." She offered a bouquet of flowers to Marra. "And this is for the baby." She offered Marra a small, brown, soft object.

"What is it?"

"One of those elusive ‘stuffed animals’, it’s called a teddy bear."

TBC…

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