A Very Valtorian Christmas - Part 2
Part Two: Say my Name / Silent Night
Sitting with her legs crisscrossed on the sofa, Kate rubs her hands soothingly over her belly and hums softly. The warmth of the fire wraps around her like a cocoon and she closes her eyes, feeling at peace.
“It's almost Christmas little one, would you like to hear a song?” she asks quietly.
A flutter of movement is her answer and Kate smiles, “You're very much awake I see, so perhaps something to help you sleep.”
Swaying gently side to side, Kate starts to hum Silent Night.
Out in the front hall the door opens and Drake and his two dogs blow in with a cool breeze. As he pushes the heavy door shut, Gracie and Fluffers shake off the snow clinging to their fur. Drake grumbles as he chases after them with their doggy towel in an attempt to dry them.
“Come here you!” he growls at Gracie as she tries to wiggle away. Gracie enjoys the towel chasing game after a refreshing trip outside into the snow or rain. Especially the tug of war that usually results. The more Daddy grunts and growls in frustration, the more she tries to wrestle the towel free from his grasp. Sometimes she wins, resulting in a brisk head shake and whipping of Daddy's shins. But most of the time Daddy wins and Gracie gets pinned to the floor and roughly rubbed dry. Which feels good anyway so it's all fun for her.
After Gracie gets a thorough rub down, Drake reaches and snags Fluffer by the collar and does him too. Although the whole exercise is meant to achieve a dry pair of dogs, it most often results in Drake or whoever kneeling or standing in wet puddles on the floor and covered in dog hair. So happy dogs, but unhappy humans.
Drake takes a small measure of satisfaction by giving each dog a fierce, but playful slide across the wooden floor and watching them scramble to their feet. “Off you go guys, wheeeeeee!”
As they recover their footing they come racing back and jump all over his lap. Drake laughs as they lick his face, “Ugh, yucky doggy kisses. You two are disgusting, but damn you're cute.”
Brushing himself off, Drake gets up from the floor and puts his winter stuff away. The dogs have already run off back toward the great room. “Go find Momma guys.”
Walking back down the dimly lit hallway in his sock feet, Drake heads for the golden glow coming from the great room. As he makes it to the doorway he can hear Kate singing softly, and stops to listen.
“Silent night..Holy night..
All is calm, all is bright…”
Drake can't help but smile, his heart tugging at the tenderness and love in her voice. He walks quietly into the room and stops behind the sofa.
“Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace.”
Kate's eyes are still closed as she hums the next verse. Drake can see her facial expression change to one of amusement as she feels the baby move. Leaning over the back of the sofa, he gently places his hands on her shoulders and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you Kate," he whispers.
Tipping her head back she opens her eyes and smiles, raising her hand to touch his cheek. "I love you too."
Leaning his chin on her shoulder he slides his hands down to cradle her belly.
"So what do you think Mama, boy or girl?"
Kate giggles as the baby kicks, "Soccer player, just like Daddy."
Drake chuckles as she places her hands over his. "Hey I felt that too. Seriously doesn't that hurt?"
Kate shakes her head, "Not really. It feels a little weird though. I suppose in a couple months when baby starts to run out of space it'll bother me more."
Drake gives her another kiss on the cheek, and then stands up to go stir the fire in the fireplace. Kate grimaces slightly as she unfolds her legs and straightens them out.
Drake turns so quickly he almost drops the hot poker on his foot. His eyebrows shoot up with surprise and concern.
Kate holds her belly and laughs, waving off his concern. "Yes dear I'm fine, just been sitting in one position for too long. My legs are stiff, and my foot's fallen asleep."
Drake puts the poker back in its stand and runs his hands back through his hair, grinning sheepishly. "Oh, I see."
Kate picks up her eggnog again and finishes it as she tries to wiggle her toes. She covers her mouth and tries to swallow without laughing.
Gracie and Fluffers move out of the way as Drake walks over to sit down on the rug at Kate's feet. "Here, put your feet in my lap and I'll massage out those pins and needles."
Kate sighs happily as Drake's warm hands rub over her feet and ankles. As he massages around her toes with his thumbs, a pleasant jolt shoots up the inside of her thigh and she gasps at the tingling warm sensation it generates in her crotch.
"Mmm, did I ever tell you that you have magic hands Drake?"
Drake grins, moving his hands up to massage the back of her calves, "I think you've told me once or twice."
Kate wiggles her toes against his thighs, gripping at the wrinkled fabric of the denim in the vicinity of his groin. Drake gives her a lopsided grin and then scoots closer so that he can kiss the top of her knees.
"Legs and feet feeling better now?" He asks, as he hugs the back of her calves and rests his head on the edge of the sofa next to her thigh.
"Much better thanks," Kate smiles, stroking her fingers through his hair.
"Baby still doing somersaults?"
Kate shakes her head, "I know it's tradition for the gender of the Royal Heir to not be revealed until birth, but I feel odd this far along in my pregnancy still referring to him or her as just 'baby'. Would it be against the rules to start picking out names?"
Drake sighs, understanding her frustration. "Officially yes, but unofficially no. I'm anxious to think of our kid as someone with a name and a face too."
"Are there any traditions as far as names go in the Walker family?"
Drake frowns, absently patting the top of Gracie's head as she lays down next to him, "None that I know of. What about the Darlings? Is there a rule about passing on names of past aunts, uncles or whatever?"
Kate draws little hearts and question marks on her belly as she thinks about it, "I don't think so. Why don't we start a tradition of our own?"
Drake tilts his head side to side, rubbing the stubble on his chin, "Maybe. But can I make a suggestion?"
"Sure sweety, what are you thinking?"
"No weird made up names, or naming our child after fruits, vegetables, colors, or inanimate objects."
Kate laughs, "No problem there, but would you be against floral names for a girl? Like Rose, Iris, Lily, Daisy, Poppy, or Heather."
Drake shakes his head, "Not at all, but bear in mind that our possible daughter is going to be royal. So maybe a flower as a middle name instead? You need to imagine 'Princess' or 'Queen' in front of her first name."
Kate nods, "That's a good point. So what about boy names? Or unisex names that would work for both boys or girls?"
Drake shakes his head, "No offense to all the Taylors, Ryans, Bobby-Joes, Baileys and Rileys of this world, but I don't want to confuse people. Although the prefixes Lord, Lady, Prince and Princess, King or Queen would make their gender more defined."
Kate stifles a yawn, "I'm sorry, didn't mean to yawn. Just all this talk of what our child's name can't be is wearing me out. Growing a baby is exhausting work."
"I suppose it is getting late, and tomorrow is a busy day."
Kate reaches her hands up over her head and stretches, "Yes, it is. Plus Nicholas, Hana and Maxwell arrive tomorrow too."
"There goes our quiet Christmas together." Drake groans in protest.
Kate braces her hand on Drake's shoulder for stability as she gets up off the sofa, "Oh stop complaining, you have to play Duke of Valtoria every once in a while."
Drake sighs, "Oh I guess so. I'm still trying to get used to having a Duchy full of people thinking I'm so important."
Drake gets up from the floor and wraps Kate in a gentle hug.
"Well don't forget you're super important to us," she says, giving him a kiss.
"Never, because my family is the most important thing to me too."
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