She will fill our lives with sunshine...
Pretend this went up at the beginning of June, y'all. Thanks!
Cassie was exhausted. Getting through the work day was getting tough, and she still had almost two months to go. Waddling into Sans Souci, she didn’t even manage to waddle all the way to the kitchen before she gave up, collapsing onto the living room sofa with a groan. They could order in. She didn’t much like cooking anyway, and she definitely didn’t feel like it tonight.
“You wear me out, baby,” she grumbled.
Under normal circumstances, Stephen would not have been home to hear his wife’s arrival. But on Fridays, he worked from home to prepare for the weekend’s matches. His newly-decorated study was much preferable to the dungeon at the WWN, and there was beer in the kitchen. He hadn’t been drinking often -- it wasn’t really fair when his wife couldn’t -- but sometimes, a man just needed a brew.
When he felt the wards shift, announcing her arrival home, he started towards their family sitting room. There were several different “sitting rooms”; to be expected in a house of theirs size, but this was the one they’d designated as the informal, family one. And, just as he’d expected, he found his wife sprawled across the plush sofa -- Padma’s latest addition to the comfortable room.
“Rough day, love?” he asked, lips twitching when she started in surprise at his quiet arrival.
Cassie groaned rather pathetically, trying half-heartedly to scrabble into a seated position. “Stephen, how am I supposed to do another two months of this? I’m so tired and fat.” She’d been in good spirits for most of her pregnancy aside from the worry of actually becoming a mother but as it began to warm outside with summer fast approaching and her belly expanding ever larger, Cassie’d grown progressively more moody. Her darling husband had been a very good sport about it.
Stephen had heard this in some shape, form, or fashion for several months now. He was used to it -- for the most part. “You’re pregnant, not fat,” he corrected, stepping into the room and settling down next to his wife on the sofa. “There’s a difference.”
“I miss my feet,” she pouted, leaning into his side. “You didn’t want someone to carry on the family name, did you? I don’t think we’ll be doing this again.” It wasn’t true, she still wanted at least one other child, but the one she was carrying might be grown before she had sufficiently forgotten how awful pregnancy was and agreed to do it again.
“Your feet are still down there, Cass,” he reminded her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “And in two months, you’ll see them again.”
“Hmpf.” Merlin, she was really in a peevish mood. Stephen didn’t deserve to be subjected to her grumpiness; he’d worked all day, too. “I’m sorry. It’s like having the flu for months on end and being bloated too, only you can’t take off work like you would if you were sick. I don’t mean to be so whiny though. How was your day? Did you get a lot done in your new study?”
“Mmm, for the most part. Padma brought by an antique map of Rome to hang between the shelves. Took her to lunch after she dropped it by.” Stephen’s hand slid down to smoothe over her shoulder. “She said she’ll come by next week when you want to work on the second guest suite.”
Nodding, Cassie slipped her legs over top of her husband’s. It was about as close to curling in his lap as she could get these days. With Padma’s help, they’d gotten the primary living areas furnished in the past year, but the lesser used areas were still being planned. It was a relief that the nursery was taken care of. Princess motif was fairly standard fare for little girls, but Cassie thought they’d found things that made it special. Baby Girl had all sorts of finery awaiting her.
“I’m thinking of a French provincial style for that room. What do you think?”
“I don’t know what that is.” He answered honestly, a grin tugging at his lips at her exasperated huff.
“You’re no help at all decorating, you know,” she groused without asperity. “How about baby names? Have you got any opinions on what we should call our little one? We’ve left naming her a bit late from what people have told me.”
“Cassie Junior.”
“Stephen!” she exclaimed, exasperation in her tone. “Don’t torment your pregnant wife. It could be very bad for your health.”
Her husband merely snickered and reached down to take one of her feet in his hands. Fingers rubbed at her swollen ankles, and it was nearly comical how quickly the exasperation melted from Cassie’s face. “What sort of names did you have in mind, love?”
Trying not to moan aloud as Stephen massaged her, she pretended to think seriously about it. “Matilda,” the blonde answered, straight-faced.
“Rhymes with Brunhilda,” he answered just as seriously, nodding in contemplation.
“Matilda Brunhilda Cornfoot, then. That was easy. We can call her Mattie.”
Stephen tweaked her pinky toe. “Next.”
Cassie stuck her tongue out at him. “What do you like? I made the decisions about the nursery and I’m carrying her. You get to help with the naming, darling husband. It’s only fair, although I do retain veto power.”
The truth of the matter was, Stephen had been looking up different names for baby girls. He’d spent the lunch hour on Wednesday and Thursday in the parenting section of a Muggle bookstore off Covent Garden; less of a chance of being recognized and having his masculinity revoked. He hadn’t bought any of the books, but he’d made a few notes.
“Not Eleanor or any version of it,” was his first request. His sister’s name was Eleanor, his mother’s name Elena. While his relationship with Ellie was the easiest of any with his immediate family, it still wasn’t as close as the kind his wife shared with her sisters. His sister at least let him see and spend time with her children, which was more than he could say for his brother. “I’d say we could name her after your mum, but...” he let it hang in the air for a moment, organizing his thoughts.
Tipping her head to one side, Cassie considered the idea. On the surface she loved the thought of naming her child after her mum. Scarlett Montgomery was a fantastic mother, a brilliant Charms researcher, and generally one of Cassie’s favorite people in the world. She wasn’t sure she liked the effect of her mother’s first name with her own new surname. “Maybe as a middle name,” she said thoughtfully, a slightly apologetic look coming over her face. “Scarlett Cornfoot on its own sounds a bit like a medical condition.”
“Heh.” That hadn’t been quite what was on Stephen’s mind -- he’d rather they not name the baby after either of their mothers, if only to avoid Elena Cornfoot’s barbed remarks -- but his wife did have a slight point. Barbs about his surname had long since ceased to bother him -- really, children weren’t as clever as they thought they were -- but he didn’t want his child to grow up with a complex about her name. “Maybe.”
Cassie sighed and tried to think of other names which might be appropriate for their baby. It was hard to find one that fit. “What about Darby?” The look on Stephen’s face was unmistakable. “Ugh. Okay. Samantha? Bethany? Madeline? Gwendolen?”
“Madeline isn’t bad. Or Samantha.” Both were strong yet feminine names, and they didn’t clash horribly with their family name. “What do you think, love?”
“Madeline or Samantha, hmm?” The blonde considered the options. Rubbing her belly, she queried, “Are you a Maddy or a Sam, little bit? A princess or a tomboy? I have a feeling your daddy will treat you like a princess.” She raised her head to look back at her husband. “Princess Madeline?”
He considered the name. “I like it.” His lips twitched, and he reached out to stretch his hand over his wife’s extended stomach. “What do you think, little baby?”
As if responding to the question, a ripple ran across Cassie’s belly as their daughter moved beneath her father’s hand. “Looks like it’s acceptable,” the young woman said with a look of awe. It never failed to amaze her that life was growing inside her. “I think she likes you. She doesn’t do that very often when I speak to her.”
“That’s because she’s already a daddy’s girl,” Stephen replied.
A warm feeling spread across his chest at the hard little something -- a foot, most likely -- pressed against his palm. It was hard to believe that they’d created a person, even when the evidence of that was in his hand. That in less than a month, this new life would be here and completely dependent upon him. It was equally thrilling and terrifying.
Seeing the look of mixed awe and concern on her husband’s face, Cassie couldn’t help but smile. He was going to be such a good father. That he already loved their baby was so clear, it helped reassure her that they’d be able to handle this. “Fine, you can have this one. The next one’s mine, though,” she teased.
“She’s ours,” he stressed, lips twitching. Leaning towards his wife, he brushed his kiss across her lips. “Yours and mine.”
Summary: Stephen and Cassie discuss something Very Important: baby names.
Cassie was exhausted. Getting through the work day was getting tough, and she still had almost two months to go. Waddling into Sans Souci, she didn’t even manage to waddle all the way to the kitchen before she gave up, collapsing onto the living room sofa with a groan. They could order in. She didn’t much like cooking anyway, and she definitely didn’t feel like it tonight.
“You wear me out, baby,” she grumbled.
Under normal circumstances, Stephen would not have been home to hear his wife’s arrival. But on Fridays, he worked from home to prepare for the weekend’s matches. His newly-decorated study was much preferable to the dungeon at the WWN, and there was beer in the kitchen. He hadn’t been drinking often -- it wasn’t really fair when his wife couldn’t -- but sometimes, a man just needed a brew.
When he felt the wards shift, announcing her arrival home, he started towards their family sitting room. There were several different “sitting rooms”; to be expected in a house of theirs size, but this was the one they’d designated as the informal, family one. And, just as he’d expected, he found his wife sprawled across the plush sofa -- Padma’s latest addition to the comfortable room.
“Rough day, love?” he asked, lips twitching when she started in surprise at his quiet arrival.
Cassie groaned rather pathetically, trying half-heartedly to scrabble into a seated position. “Stephen, how am I supposed to do another two months of this? I’m so tired and fat.” She’d been in good spirits for most of her pregnancy aside from the worry of actually becoming a mother but as it began to warm outside with summer fast approaching and her belly expanding ever larger, Cassie’d grown progressively more moody. Her darling husband had been a very good sport about it.
Stephen had heard this in some shape, form, or fashion for several months now. He was used to it -- for the most part. “You’re pregnant, not fat,” he corrected, stepping into the room and settling down next to his wife on the sofa. “There’s a difference.”
“I miss my feet,” she pouted, leaning into his side. “You didn’t want someone to carry on the family name, did you? I don’t think we’ll be doing this again.” It wasn’t true, she still wanted at least one other child, but the one she was carrying might be grown before she had sufficiently forgotten how awful pregnancy was and agreed to do it again.
“Your feet are still down there, Cass,” he reminded her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “And in two months, you’ll see them again.”
“Hmpf.” Merlin, she was really in a peevish mood. Stephen didn’t deserve to be subjected to her grumpiness; he’d worked all day, too. “I’m sorry. It’s like having the flu for months on end and being bloated too, only you can’t take off work like you would if you were sick. I don’t mean to be so whiny though. How was your day? Did you get a lot done in your new study?”
“Mmm, for the most part. Padma brought by an antique map of Rome to hang between the shelves. Took her to lunch after she dropped it by.” Stephen’s hand slid down to smoothe over her shoulder. “She said she’ll come by next week when you want to work on the second guest suite.”
Nodding, Cassie slipped her legs over top of her husband’s. It was about as close to curling in his lap as she could get these days. With Padma’s help, they’d gotten the primary living areas furnished in the past year, but the lesser used areas were still being planned. It was a relief that the nursery was taken care of. Princess motif was fairly standard fare for little girls, but Cassie thought they’d found things that made it special. Baby Girl had all sorts of finery awaiting her.
“I’m thinking of a French provincial style for that room. What do you think?”
“I don’t know what that is.” He answered honestly, a grin tugging at his lips at her exasperated huff.
“You’re no help at all decorating, you know,” she groused without asperity. “How about baby names? Have you got any opinions on what we should call our little one? We’ve left naming her a bit late from what people have told me.”
“Cassie Junior.”
“Stephen!” she exclaimed, exasperation in her tone. “Don’t torment your pregnant wife. It could be very bad for your health.”
Her husband merely snickered and reached down to take one of her feet in his hands. Fingers rubbed at her swollen ankles, and it was nearly comical how quickly the exasperation melted from Cassie’s face. “What sort of names did you have in mind, love?”
Trying not to moan aloud as Stephen massaged her, she pretended to think seriously about it. “Matilda,” the blonde answered, straight-faced.
“Rhymes with Brunhilda,” he answered just as seriously, nodding in contemplation.
“Matilda Brunhilda Cornfoot, then. That was easy. We can call her Mattie.”
Stephen tweaked her pinky toe. “Next.”
Cassie stuck her tongue out at him. “What do you like? I made the decisions about the nursery and I’m carrying her. You get to help with the naming, darling husband. It’s only fair, although I do retain veto power.”
The truth of the matter was, Stephen had been looking up different names for baby girls. He’d spent the lunch hour on Wednesday and Thursday in the parenting section of a Muggle bookstore off Covent Garden; less of a chance of being recognized and having his masculinity revoked. He hadn’t bought any of the books, but he’d made a few notes.
“Not Eleanor or any version of it,” was his first request. His sister’s name was Eleanor, his mother’s name Elena. While his relationship with Ellie was the easiest of any with his immediate family, it still wasn’t as close as the kind his wife shared with her sisters. His sister at least let him see and spend time with her children, which was more than he could say for his brother. “I’d say we could name her after your mum, but...” he let it hang in the air for a moment, organizing his thoughts.
Tipping her head to one side, Cassie considered the idea. On the surface she loved the thought of naming her child after her mum. Scarlett Montgomery was a fantastic mother, a brilliant Charms researcher, and generally one of Cassie’s favorite people in the world. She wasn’t sure she liked the effect of her mother’s first name with her own new surname. “Maybe as a middle name,” she said thoughtfully, a slightly apologetic look coming over her face. “Scarlett Cornfoot on its own sounds a bit like a medical condition.”
“Heh.” That hadn’t been quite what was on Stephen’s mind -- he’d rather they not name the baby after either of their mothers, if only to avoid Elena Cornfoot’s barbed remarks -- but his wife did have a slight point. Barbs about his surname had long since ceased to bother him -- really, children weren’t as clever as they thought they were -- but he didn’t want his child to grow up with a complex about her name. “Maybe.”
Cassie sighed and tried to think of other names which might be appropriate for their baby. It was hard to find one that fit. “What about Darby?” The look on Stephen’s face was unmistakable. “Ugh. Okay. Samantha? Bethany? Madeline? Gwendolen?”
“Madeline isn’t bad. Or Samantha.” Both were strong yet feminine names, and they didn’t clash horribly with their family name. “What do you think, love?”
“Madeline or Samantha, hmm?” The blonde considered the options. Rubbing her belly, she queried, “Are you a Maddy or a Sam, little bit? A princess or a tomboy? I have a feeling your daddy will treat you like a princess.” She raised her head to look back at her husband. “Princess Madeline?”
He considered the name. “I like it.” His lips twitched, and he reached out to stretch his hand over his wife’s extended stomach. “What do you think, little baby?”
As if responding to the question, a ripple ran across Cassie’s belly as their daughter moved beneath her father’s hand. “Looks like it’s acceptable,” the young woman said with a look of awe. It never failed to amaze her that life was growing inside her. “I think she likes you. She doesn’t do that very often when I speak to her.”
“That’s because she’s already a daddy’s girl,” Stephen replied.
A warm feeling spread across his chest at the hard little something -- a foot, most likely -- pressed against his palm. It was hard to believe that they’d created a person, even when the evidence of that was in his hand. That in less than a month, this new life would be here and completely dependent upon him. It was equally thrilling and terrifying.
Seeing the look of mixed awe and concern on her husband’s face, Cassie couldn’t help but smile. He was going to be such a good father. That he already loved their baby was so clear, it helped reassure her that they’d be able to handle this. “Fine, you can have this one. The next one’s mine, though,” she teased.
“She’s ours,” he stressed, lips twitching. Leaning towards his wife, he brushed his kiss across her lips. “Yours and mine.”
Summary: Stephen and Cassie discuss something Very Important: baby names.