Rescue Me, My Love

Make Way for Babies

     Over two and a half years had gone by now.  Bai Qian was miserable.  She slept all the time and she felt like a beached whale trying to walk.  If only these children would come.  Zhe Yan had been coming daily to check on her progress, but she just wanted it to be over.  And she was tired of being followed like she was a spy.  Everywhere she walked, someone was always there.  Every time she reached for something, it was in her hand before she could even reach it.  Ugh!  These men were driving her insane!  And sweet little Ye Hua.  If not for him she would have destroyed the whole mountain by now.  Sigh!  And Mo Yuan.  Mo Yuan was more nervous than a jack rabbit.  He flitted and fluttered around her like a butterfly.  The bigger she got, the more nervous he got.  She could have sworn she saw smoke coming out of his nose just yesterday.  He didn't even bother to tell his dragon to back off.  In fact, that dragon had become a total nuisance.  He was sniffing around like a hunting dog on a trail or in this case, a dragon on an enemy trail.  He growled at everyone.  If anyone got to close he growled, loudly.  His disciples had come to the point where they just ignored the growls.  If he heard her let out the slightest groan, he would cloud jump over to her in a flash of gold smoke.  "Just let me get in my bed!" She thought to herself. 
     She finally made it there and laid down.  She covered herself and before too long she was asleep.  Ye Hua had checked on her several times and so had Mo Yuan.  It was lunch time when Mo Yuan peeped in on her again.  Sleeping still.  He left the door open just in case.  Lunch was nearly over when Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen walked into the dining hall.  "Well Mo Yuan, how is it today?"  "She's asleep so I left her alone.  She looks very tired and huge like a big ripe melon.  I don't think she can make it much longer, Zhe Yan, I really don't!"  "Well I'm here to check on her, so we shall see.  But first, some tea!"  Ye Hua got up and left the dining hall.  He went straight to check on his JieJie.  The door was open so he peeped in first.  He stepped in the door just to check.  Bai Qian was breathing heavily and groaning so he ran to her.  "JieJie!  JieJie!  Do you need for me to get Da ge?"  "Yes, Ye Hua, go get him now please!"  Ye Hua ran into the dining hall calling loudly.  "Da ge!!  Da ge!!  JieJie said get you now!  She's groaning and in pain now!"  Mo Yuan cloud jumped out of the hall and Zhe Yan stood up and grinned.  "Chang Shan!  Boil water and bring me a basin of cool water and some rags.  And bring some of those lighter elixers for pain too.  Hurry now!"  The hall broke out in pandemonium as Chang Shan walked out.
      Mo Yuan was at her bedside in a flash.  He sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back.  "I'm here, my love.  Zhe Yan is here too.  Take deep breaths now and relax."  "Mo Yuan, the pain is horrible!  Why does it hurt so bad?"  "I don't know, Qian Qian.  Wait for Zhe Yan to tell us."   Zhe Yan walked in the door and assessed the situation quickly.  He scanned her and checked her pulse.  " Zhen Zhen, go get your mother now.  Tell her to get here as soon as possible.  Mo Yuan, sit behind Xiao Wu and let her lean against you.  You can wipe her face off and feed her energy when she needs it.  These are good sized babies.  This could be easy or hard."  Ye Hua was standing in the door wringing his hands.  He had read all of the books in the library about the birth process in secret.  He didn't want his Da ge to know it though.  None of them said anything about twins.  He was scared because he loved JieJie like she was his mother.  To him, she was his mother.  "Da ge, may I stand by you please?"  His little voice was so pitiful that Mo Yuan felt sorry for him.  "Come here, Didi, and you can wipe JieJie's face for her."  A tear slid down his face as he ran in to stand by his brother.  "Don't cry now.  We must be brave for JieJie now, ok?  Wet the cloth and wipe her face now.  Softly now.  Yes, just like that."  Ye Hua took the cloth and softly wiped her face.  He stood like a rock and wouldn't move even when Empress Bai said for him to go.  He looked at her and his dragon eyes came up to stare her down.  "Well I never!  Threatened by a little dragon first thing!  Alright then, you can stay, but be nice or I will tan your backside good!  And I'm not afraid of you either my little black Dragon!!"  Mo Yuan laughed.  "Who knew that Didi would bring out his dragon to protect his nephews?  Well if he's that brave, let him stay.  He will know what to expect when he gets married." 
     Bai Qian was in labor for twenty hours when the first baby finally started to make his appearance.  She was pushing hard and screamed when she pushed him out.  And what a beauty he was!   Snow white with a golden mane of hair and golden tufts on his tail.  "Here he is Mo Yuan!  Look at him!  Isn't he gorgeous?"  Mo Yuan held out his arms to hold him close.  He sniffed him and his dragon came forth and purred to him.  "Look, Didi!  Your nephew!"  "Can I hold him Da ge?"  "Yes, you can!  Hold him close now.  He's looking at you!  See?"  Ye Hua was grinning from ear to ear like he was the father.  He asked his brother what was his name.  "What are you going to name him, Da ge?"  "I don't know.  Let's ask JieJie when she's through having the next baby, shall we?"  The pains had started coming quicker now.  Zhe Yan ordered her to push.  "Push now!  He's coming!  Push hard!"  One more scream pierced the mountain and the second baby made his appearance.  Zhe Yan was beside himself.  "Look!  He's a mirror image of his brother!  I've never seen the like!"  The beautiful little boy was golden like his father, but he had a white mane and white tufts on his tail.  An exact mirror image.  Zhe Yan handed him to Mo Yuan.  Mo Yuan's dragon purred to him and the little boy smiled and zapped him.  "So this is how you love your father is it my little golden boy?"  Mo Yuan cuddled him and laid them both on Bai Qian.  She hugged them close but her eyes were drooping as she was exhausted.  "Qian Qian, I have a name for our little white dragon.  How about Bai Xue?  He's white as the snow on Kunlun in the winter!  And for our golden dragon, Mo Jin De because he's gold like me!" 
     The next morning Empress Bai sent to Qing Qui for two maids to help with the children.  They would not be here until noon, so Mo Yuan and Ye Hua both had a baby in hand.  Bai Qian was still sleeping so Ye Hua and Mo Yuan each had a baby as they walked into the dining hall for breakfast.  Ye Hua was holding Bai Xue.  He walked around like a king holding his little nephew close to him and showing him off.  The disciples were in love.  The little boys were a big hit.  Whereas Bai Xue was quiet and watched everything and everybody, Mo JinDe was loud and obnoxious.  He zapped everybody who came close.  And grinned when he did.  He was happily zapping until his father's dragon came forth and growled at him.  He huffed at his father and looked him straight in the eye.  It was a standoff and was the stuff of legends.  Mo Yuan snorted.  JinDe huffed.  Mo Yuan growled, JinDe snorted.  Mo Yuan stared at him with golden eyes.  JinDe stared right back and had the audacity to huff.  Out of patience, Mo Yuan held up one finger.  "One more time, JinDe, and I will zap you and put you to bed.  Your Da ge will laugh at you too, so behave!"  Nonplussed, the little golden dragon started wailing like the mountain was on fire.  His tantrum got him nowhere so he decided on the next best thing.  He peed on his father.  All down the front of his favorite blue robe.  Soaked from the waist down.  Zi Lan, started laughing hard and got the famous evil eye from his Shifu.  "Shifu, I can't help it!  He peed on you and laughed about it!  It's too funny!  Shifu defeated by a peeing little golden dragon.  Its too much!"   Mo Yuan rose and rather indignantly left the hall.  When he and Ye Hua returned to his room with the babies, Qian Qian looked at Mo Yuan's robes and then his face.  He was not happy.  As he changed JinDe, Bai Qian asked him what happened.  "I would have you know that our son had the audacity to zap everyone who came close and then got into a huffing and snorting match with yours truly.  He threw a tantrum and when he saw that didn't work he politely peed on me.  And grinned about it.  He's hereby barred from public view until he learns some manners.  No exceptions please.  Now please feed him and hopefully he won't zap the breast that feeds him!"  Bai Qian laughed out loud as she took him to feed him.  She put him to her breast and he clamped on like he was starving.  "Ouch, JinDe!  If you keep that up you won't get any more now stop it!  He's terrible!  Xue Xue is very gentle and kind, just like his shushu Ye Hua.  I can see who JinDe is like!  Like father, like son!"  "Who me?  I'll have you know I was a good baby.  And I was not terrible.  Although I did hear that Ye Hua terrorized the nine heavens until Yang Cao locked his powers for a month!"  Ye Hua blushed and grinned.  "Well, it was fun while it lasted!" 
    Life settled down in Kunlun and two baby dragons didn't lack for companions.  They were carried all over the mountain.  By the time they were a year old, they knew the mountain as well as anybody.  JinDe knew how to get his way.  When he threw a tantrum, Bai Xue would frown at him and zap him.  Being a quiet baby who loved the peace of Kunlun, he would get annoyed when that peace was disturbed by his obnoxious brother.  It just so happened that their father was taking them for a walk in his private garden.  He made a quilt appear and he sat the boys down so they could enjoy a peaceful moment with their father.  Bai Xue was listening to the bird sounds and the soft wind blowing through the trees.  Mo JinDe on the other hand was crawling everywhere.  He was about to crawl around a corner when Mo Yuan magicked him back on the pallet.  He wailed like a wounded animal.  Bai Xue scowled and zapped his brother.  JinDe was a little surprised that his Da ge had the nerve to silence him.  He zapped Bai Xue right back.  A zapping argument escalated very quickly.  They were sitting face to face with looks of determination on their little faces.  Xue Xue smirked and threw up his own little barrier.  JinDe was angry now and drew his dragon out.  He blew ice at the barrier.  Mo Yuan had been watching the little battle with great interest.  He had been teaching them how to protect themselves.  It's obvious Xue Xue was listening.  JinDe's anger was building faster than his father's legendary temper.  His dragon was angered and he started drawing power from his core to strike.  He let loose with another stream of power and nearly blew his father off his bench.  Mo Yuan stood up and yelled,"ENOUGH!  JinDe, if you had been listening the day I taught you to create a safety barrier, you could have done the same as your brother.  I see now that your temper has gotten the best of you again.  Now come, we will go to your mother now.  No more time outside today."  He picked them up and carried them to their mother.
     The minute JinDe saw his mother, he let out a wail of total discontent.  He sounded so pitiful his mother's sympathy for him was overflowing as she cradled him to her.  "There now!  Tell mother what's wrong.  Poor baby!"  Mo Yuan rolled his eyes at his totally shameless son.  "Don't let him fool you, Qian Qian!  He was just mad because his brother chose to put up a barrier to block him out.  He was so mad he shot a beam at his brother and nearly knocked me off my bench.  He is not allowed outside of his room for the rest of the day.  After class this morning, I will come and get him.  No privileges!  Am I understood?"  "Mo Yuan he is just a baby!  How could he be so powerful?"  "My dear, I think you forget his blood line!  He stays in his room!"   With that Mo Yuan walked out and left them.