A/N: Thank you again to everyone who reviewed: Drink. Juice, chiharu-tanaka, koalababay, omegarulesall, and PointZero. :)

Credit for the idea for this prompt goes to Drink. Juice. Thanks for the suggestion! I hope you like it. :) Tomaj somehow ended up in this one a lot. I've no idea why; I guess he was feeling the need to make an entrance. ;)

Prompt #19 - Kick

Penelo drew a few appreciative, appraising looks from several of the men in the busy Sandsea when she entered. She ignored them, searching for one particular face among the crowd. She smiled when she spotted Tomaj on the balcony, and slowly walked up the stairs toward him. He spotted her when she reached the landing and raised his eyebrows at her.

One of the male customers sitting upstairs was eyeing her-well, parts of her-in a way that annoyed Penelo and made her want to cast Blind on him. She tugged on the long, loose tunic she wore and frowned a little.

Tomaj caught her frown and pointedly told the man staring at her, "She's married."

The man still did not move his eyes. "To you?"

"No." Tomaj stepped toward Penelo and took her arm, leading her back down the stairs. "Good grief, Penelo, if you would just get bigger a little faster maybe they wouldn't gape at you so much."

Penelo smoothed the tunic flat over her stomach, revealing the telltale curve, and Tomaj said, "Well, now you can tell. Still not big enough, though."

A smile turned one side of Penelo's mouth up. "Is that all it will take to make them back off? Being obviously pregnant?"

"It couldn't hurt."

"I think the two months of nonstop puking that I went through might put a damper on that as a long-term plan," Penelo said pointedly.

Tomaj shook his head. "I don't know how Vaan deals with all these men."

"Sometimes with fists," she said thoughtfully.

He chuckled. "Do you want something to drink? Non-alcoholic, of course," he said sternly.

"I'll have juice, if you have it."

"Sure thing." He motioned her to sit on a barstool. One of the bartenders waved at her and called out a greeting, and she smiled and waved back.

Tomaj set a cup of juice in front of Penelo and then swung onto the barstool next to her. "So what brings you here tonight?"

"Waiting for Vaan to get back," Penelo said. "He flew to Balfonheim this morning. He's doing some remodeling on our airship and the shop here told them they'd have to send for the right parts. He didn't want to wait." She shook her head and took several huge gulps of juice. "Also, I have something for you." She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her tunic and held it out to Tomaj.

He took it. "What is it?"

"I think you have a secret admirer."

Tomaj stared at her blankly. "What?"

"Someone asked me to give that to you. She sort of ran into me in the bazaar earlier…"

Tomaj unfolded the paper and swiftly read it, blinking several times.

"What's it say?" Before Tomaj could tell her it was none of her business, she snatched it out of his hands and skimmed it quickly. "Ooh, not bad at all."

Tomaj grabbed it back. "That's mine, thank you. So," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, "is it from someone I know?"

"She kind of didn't want me to tell you who she is."

"Penelo!"

Penelo smirked and finished off her juice. "It wouldn't be a secret admirer if I just told you, now would it? And I think she's a bit shy around you."

"That's hardly fair."

"Mysteries are fun."

Tomaj glared at her, but then his eyes fell on something behind her, and he said, "Vaan, would you tell your wife to stop being so stubborn?"

Penelo looked over her shoulder just as Vaan reached her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her neck before sitting on the stool on her other side. "You think she'll listen?" he asked Tomaj skeptically.

"You might have better luck than me," Tomaj replied, waving the letter. "She won't tell me who my secret admirer is. Maybe you can get it out of her."

Penelo shook her head. "My lips are sealed. You have a lot of admirers," she told Tomaj, "and you never cared for any of them. I happen to think this girl is nice-"

"Aha! So you know her well enough to think she's nice." Tomaj crossed his arms.

"Tomaj, I've lived here all my life. I know a lot of girls well enough to have formed an opinion of them," Penelo said dryly. "Besides, a little mystery will be good for you."

Tomaj's eyes narrowed slightly. "You didn't write this, did you?"

She rolled her own eyes. "No." She pushed herself off the stool and stretched, rubbing her hand over her stomach. "I'm going to head home." She looked questioningly at Vaan, wondering if he would want to stay for a drink.

"Hey, I just came here because you left me a note saying you'd be here." Vaan slid off his stool to stand beside her.

Penelo set a few gil on the counter to pay for her juice. "See you later, Tomaj."

Tomaj was still scrutinizing her, as if he could read the name of his secret admirer on her face if he looked long enough.

Vaan threaded his fingers through Penelo's, and they walked out of the Sandsea, heading back toward their apartment. "So how was Balfonheim?" she asked, squeezing his fingers. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Yeah. It was busy; you know what Balfonheim's like. What'd you do while I was gone?"

"After sleeping half the day?" She had been told by other women that this part of her pregnancy was supposed to be the most energetic. It made her wonder how exhausted she was going to be during the rest of it. "Not much. I visited with Filo. Ran into Bucco and Fidget at the bazaar. Took the letter to Tomaj, got hit on by some guy. Tomaj felt the need to come to my rescue."

Vaan had scowled at the mention of the man hitting on her, but he said, "And then you chose to not tell him who the letter was from?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

Penelo shrugged.

After another moment, Vaan said, "So you really didn't write Tomaj that letter just to drive him crazy?"

"Vaan, please. I wouldn't do that Tomaj. Balthier, maybe, but not Tomaj. There really is a girl, she really is sweet, and-"

"Aw, come on! I won't tell!"

Penelo pressed her lips together. "Tomaj would bribe you. Or dare you. Or bet you."

"My word to you is beyond bribery."

"But not dares or bets?"

Vaan rolled his eyes. "Dares and bets, too. C'mon, Penelo, we're not supposed to keep secrets from each other."

"You're just too curious for your own good sometimes, you know." Then Penelo grinned. "But that's okay. I was going to tell you anyway. I need-oh!" She gasped and came to a sudden stop, her free hand going to her stomach.

Vaan immediately halted beside her, alarmed. "Penelo? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

A slow smile blossomed on Penelo's face. She had been feeling the baby moving around for a week or two, but so far it had been very fluttery. Vaan had been putting his hand on her stomach every time she felt it moving, but had not yet felt anything. "Nothing's wrong. That was just a really strong kick." Her smile widened as she actually felt the bump against her hand. "Vaan, quick!" She moved his hand to her stomach, just as she felt another big thump.

Vaan's eyes widened. "I felt it!" He moved his other hand to her stomach as well, dropping down to his knees so his face was level with her belly, and Penelo giggled at the strange expressions several passerby gave them. They probably did make an odd sight in the middle of the street, but she didn't care. They remained like that for another minute, while the baby within her bounced around crazily.

"Guess it liked the juice," Penelo commented, but she was watching Vaan as he stared at her stomach with an expression of tenderness and fascination.

When the movements settled down to something more akin to the flutters she was accustomed to, Vaan kissed the bulge of her belly and whispered, "I can't wait to meet you."

Penelo's throat closed up and she blinked away sudden tears. Stupid hormones. As Vaan straightened, she took one of his hands again, and they continued onto their apartment in silence, at least until Vaan said, "So this girl who likes Tomaj-"

Penelo leaned into Vaan, telling him all about her day and the girl who had approached her about Tomaj, completely content in the knowledge that she had someone who she could share anything with-who was sharing everything with her.

Her hand went to her stomach again, and as if in response to her touch, she felt another thump...living, kicking proof of everything she and Vaan had now, of everything they'd had for years before now, and everything they would continue to have together.