Earth food quickly proved to be a trial to the female members of the Rush family. Nick had immediately set to work eating his way through the animal kingdom, and Belle could still picture the look on his face when he'd gotten his first steak after Destiny. She was reasonably sure he'd never looked at her with such lust. Cailyn, on the other hand, was suspicious of the variety, and for the first two weeks she would eat nothing but oatmeal before she discovered the wonder of baked goods.

Of the three of them, Belle was having the hardest time adjusting. Everything she ate seemed to upset her stomach. Only oranges tasted good to her, and she craved them incessantly. After two months, she was starting to get more than a little tired of her limited diet, wishing her digestive system would hurry up and adjust. She'd daydreamed about freshly baked bread and gooey cheese for years, and now it didn't even smell good to her.

Even making Cailyn's french toast make her stomach roil, and she managed to hold on only long enough to plunk the plate down in front of her hungry daughter before having to make a dash to the bathroom, leaning miserably over the toilet. This was ridiculous. It had been two months, and she should be adjusting better than this, not getting worse. She hadn't felt this bad since she'd had morning sickness.

Oh.

Her suspicion didn't make her feel any better, but at least it gave her something to think about while she threw up her orange juice, and she packed Cailyn into the car as soon as she was done eating for a little shopping trip. This called for further investigation.

That afternoon found her sitting on the couch with her suspicions confirmed and watching Cailyn play with her vast collection of stuffed animals. At the moment, Colonel Bear, a gift from Young, was giving orders to a group comprised of three pastel ponies, a floppy dog, and the rabbit Chloe had made her out of Destiny's bedding. Cailyn was dealing well with all the changes of the past months, but adding a new sibling to the mix might be one straw too many.

"What?" It was a testament to how distracted she was that she hadn't even heard Nick come home until he sat down next to her on the couch. Cailyn tackled his knees in greeting before going back to her game, and Belle kissed his cheek in apology.

"Sorry," she tried to smile, and he gave her a look that clearly said he wouldn't be put off.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, and she sighed. She'd been so concerned about Cailyn's reaction that she hadn't had time to worry about what Nick would say.

"I have to tell you something, and you can't swear," she led off with a glance at Cailyn.

To her surprise, Nick went white. "What?" he rasped, looking like a man facing a firing squad.

"I'm pregnant," she confessed. Nick nodded, still looking dreadful and apparently waiting for her to say something more. Belle wasn't sure what he was expecting. She'd thought her bombshell was shock enough. "That's it."

"That's it?" he repeated, sitting back a little as he processed her words, some of the color returning to his face. As she watched, he broke out in a grin, and he leaned forward to kiss her. "Why would I swear?"

"We didn't exactly plan this," she pointed out, and he gave a careless shrug before he stole another kiss, pressing his hand to her stomach.

"We didn't plan Cailyn either, and we like her," he dismissed.

Belle couldn't help but laugh, his words giving her some perspective. She brushed her lips against his before looking at Cailyn who was still playing, oblivious to her parents' discussion. "You think she'll be okay with this?"

"She gets someone she can play with and boss around. She'll love it," Nick pronounced.

Feeling better about things, she snuggled into his side. "What did you think I was going to say?" she asked as he wrapped his arm around her, remembering how ghastly he'd looked when she told him she had news.

"Figured you met some young stud and were leaving me," he said, toying with a curl of her hair.

Snickering, she smacked his arm. "No, seriously."

He gave the curl a tug. "I am."

Not sure whether to laugh, cry, or smack him again, Belle snuggled closer to her husband. "You're stuck with me."

He pulled her into his lap, burying his face in her hair as he splayed his hand over her flat stomach. "Good."