Richard - Pirate King
Lise - Lucy's girlfriend
Lucy, Sophie, Anna, Mary - other maidens
I don't own Pirates of Penzance, I wish I did, enjoy the fic
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"Mabes, are you okay?" Edith asked Mabel one morning after church. "You're looking a bit pale."
"Well, since you brought it up, I've been feeling nauseous and fatigued lately, and I missed my period last week," Mabel replied.
Edith stood still for a moment, processing things. "Do you want to go to a doctor?" she asked, stroking her sister's hair. Mabel nodded weakly, clutching her stomach. Edith took her by the arm and led her to the nearby infirmary. When they reached the building, they sped straight to the office of Dr. Hutchins, the Stanley's family doctor.
After Mabel described what was happening to the doctor, he sighed, took a deep breath, and said, "Miss Stanley, I'm afraid you're pregnant."
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Later that day, Mabel was sitting in Edith and Samuel's room, talking with them about what she should do.
"How am I supposed to tell Frederic? Or Father? Or anyone?" Mabel was asking with a quiver in her voice.
"Well, Mabel, if you're finding that you can't tell people separately, you can tell everyone at once, perhaps at the family dinner on Tuesday?" Samuel suggested. Edith nodded and turned to her sister, who had no choice but to agree at that point.
"What would I do without you two?" she sighed.
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The big day came, and Mabel was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. All she could think about was how everyone would react. Her sisters and in-laws would be overjoyed, but Frederic and the major general were a different story. Frederic would likely be ecstatic, but there was a chance he'd be angered by this; he had never said whether he wanted kids. The general might be happy about getting a grandchild, but on the other hand, he might not approve of his daughter having children at only eighteen. She would have to tell them and hope for the best.
That night, the entire family was gathered at the Stanley estate; Mabel, Frederic, Edith, Samuel, Kate, Richard, Isabel, Sergeant Tom, Lucy, Lise, Sophie, Anna, Mary, and the major general. After an hour of visiting, everyone trekked to the dining table and sat down for the first course. Mabel turned to her sister with anxiety in her eyes. Edith squeezed her hand and gave an encouraging nod.
"Everyone, I have something to tell you," Mabel announced. Everyone turned towards her with perplexed looks on their faces. Mabel took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm pregnant."
At those words, everyone went bonkers. All of Mabel's sisters were practically suffocating her while Edith was bragging about how she knew all along. Her brothers-in-law were surrounding Frederic, congratulating him and throwing in the occasional "you dawg!' remark. The couple could only smile at each other before being swarmed again. The soon-to-be grandfather watched from the corner with a large smile on his face as his daughter and son-in-law disappeared and reappeared from the crowd. As for the meal, it lay forgotten on the table until Lise reminded them that it took three days to prepare and shouldn't go to waste. But everyone could only eat so much, as they were too focused on the happy news that had been shared that night.
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On the child's birthday (though no one knew it yet), Mabel was reading romance novels with her younger sisters in the sitting room while her brothers-in-law were cooking lunch.
"Where's Frederic?" Mary asked, putting down her book.
"Father took him out," Mabel replied. "He wanted to give him a talk about the 'trials and tribulations of parenting' or whatever." She went back to her novel, then suddenly let out a high shriek.
"Mabel, are you okay?" Sophie asked tentatively.
"I think the baby's coming," she answered faintly.
"Edith!" Lucy called. "Get the doctor! Come, Mabel, let's get you to your room."
The girls led Mabel into her room and called Kate and Isabel to come and help. They made sure that their elder sister was comfortable and that everything needed for childbirth was ready so the doctor would have less to do. Soon enough, Edith came with Dr. Hutchins and two nurses, Jessica and Arlene. She and Kate stayed in to help while the others were sent outside to pace anxiously. The major general and Frederic came back a little while later, and did they ever receive exciting news!
"Mabel's in labour, and has been for about two hours now," Isabel informed them.
Frederic sank onto the couch in complete shock, and the major general walked off to get comfort food. Everyone waited 'patiently' for another hour or so. Lucy was just about to barge in and see how things were going when Arlene stuck her head out and said, "It's a girl!" Everyone jumped up and ran into the room, while Jessica was handing the baby to Mabel.
"Ugh, she's hotter than I am, and she was just born," Sophie groaned as she sat down between Anna and Lucy. This earned many laughs, but Kate could've sworn she heard... whatever the baby's name was, let out a tiny giggle.
After everyone had composed themselves, Lucy asked, "So, are you two gonna name the child or what?"
Mabel rolled her eyes and said, "We were thinking that Richard could decide, actually."
"M-Me?" Richard stuttered. "I mean, I'm honoured, but it's your child, not mine..."
Everyone just stared at him, not moving a muscle.
"Well, if you insist..." Richard's voice trailed off as he whispered something to Frederic, who laughed and said, "There's no way in hell I'm naming my child that!"
"Fine, Robin then."
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A few months later, Mabel and Kate were playing with Robin in the garden. Kate picked up a daisy and tickled Robin's nose with it, much to her delight.
"Aww, that was her first laugh!" Mabel exclaimed, pulling her daughter into her lap.
"Second," Kate said as she put the daisy in her niece's hair.
"What do you mean, second?"
"The day she was born, when Sophie said Robin was hotter than she was, I heard her giggle while everyone else was laughing their heads off."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, first of all, you probably wouldn't've believed me, and second, I just wanted to keep it to myself for a bit," Kate laughed. Her sister laughed along with her as they went inside for dinner, with Robin squirming in her mother's arms.
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I hope you enjoyed the fic! If anyone was wondering, the original name that Richard suggested was Phelony. Yes, that is an actual name, my cousin was unfortunate enough to have been given that name herself. Also, Robin was named after the person who played Frederic in a production of Pirates I costarred in, back in May 2022.
