Her Viking 2

Chapter 2: News

It is Saturday and Mariana is currently watching the kids. They're outside playing with bubbles. She is trying to figure out how to them the news. Kadlin, Kage, Lyting, and Jean are attending an event and grabbing groceries afterward.

"Mariana?" Rei calls out concerned. "Are you okay? You seem off..."

"Y-Yeah, yeah. I'm okay."

"Is there something on your mind?" Rei hints.

"Come here," Mariana gestures everyone over. "I have some really important news to share with you... I'm having a baby."

"Yay!" Rei and Regine cheer.

"Really?" Reiji asks enthusiastically.

"Yes," Mariana answers with a vibrant smile.

Rei and Regine start talking about how they are going to dress and play with the baby. Mariana laughs at their behavior. She then turns her attention towards the adorable little boy standing beside her. He seemed confused. Reiji abruptly stood in front of Mariana's legs and looks back and forth between her pants and stomach. Mariana shifts her legs to the side and closes them.

"What's wrong Reiji?" Rei questions.

"The baby is in her tummy?" Reiji answers back with a question.

"Yes," Rei answers with a bright smile.

"But... How does it get in there?"

Mariana's eyes pop and she gasps. Rei looks stunned at her little brother's question. Mariana and Rei make eye contact. Each other pleading the other to take this one and explain.

"Uh-um... W-Well," Mariana stumbles over words trying to figure out what to say. "When two people have too much love, they decide to have a baby. So, the man has to find um... c-cloudberry and give the woman a seed from it. If the woman excepts than she will put it in her belly button and it will disappear into her. Then wah-lah, they have a baby that's growing inside the mommy's tummy."

"That doesn't sound real," Reiji says firmly.

"But it is," Rei chimes in. "I learned about it in school."

Reiji gasps and stares at Mariana with wide eyes. "Wow! That's crazy."

Mariana laughs in relief, "Yes, it is."

"Uncle Kage worked hard to find the berry seed."

"He did..." Mariana trails off with a nervous smile and underlying meaning.

"She's going to have a baby!" Regine screams in excitement.

The kids giggle and dance around. Mariana laughs at their behavior. The sound of heavy bags thumping against the ground catches their attention. Kage, Kadlin, and Lyting stand darting glances from their Aunt to Mariana. Jean stands with her jaw hanging and her eyes bugled.

"What!" Jean yells affronted.

Mariana cringes and dreads the questions she's going to have to answer. Half probably inappropriate due to Jean's overflowing curiosity and overall mental state. Kage and Mariana share a look.

Mariana sighs knowing her man won't say a word. "J-Jean, how are you?"

Jean crosses her arms so Mariana stands up and slowly walks forward. "I-I'm having a-a baby... Ta-da!"

Mariana's grimace smile fades away. She embraces Jean in a soft hug, mumbling sorry for not telling her sooner. Jean pouts knowing she could never be made at this lovely girl. Jean smiles and hugs her back. Soon the whole family joins in. Everyone pulls apart and enters the house while helping to carry grocery bags.

Jean finishes unbagging the ingredients for tonight's family dinner. Mariana takes out the kitchenware needed. Kage stands by the refrigerator. Kadlin, Jean, and Reiji sit at the kitchen peninsula with Lyting standing behind his wife.

"So... When did you find out?" Jean asks her nephew.

"The beginning of the week," Kage says keeping his answer short and simple.

"And when were you going to tell me?" Jean questions.

"Tonight during dinner," Kage responds and Jean nods happily at this.

"Mariana," Jean sings out wiggling out her eyebrows. "How many times... bare?"

Mariana sighs and Kadlin smacks her forehead. "Aunt Jean, this is like the interrogation you did on Lyting and me when we first announced we were having Rei."

"What?" Jean questions with innocence. "I have to know. As the elder of this family, it is my job to investigate. So?"

"Once," Mariana mumbles out embarrassed.

Jean cackles at this before beaming a smile. "My nephew is strong, eh. It's easy for him to plant a baby in you; especially when he's head over boots for you. And with his genes, Kage can bear a whole family of Vikings. That's what the town likes to call him when he's angry, Viking."

 "I can tell," Mariana giggles out as Kage raises an eyebrow at her playfully.

"Aunt Jean," Reiji calls out. "It's not easy."

"What isn't?" Jean asks confused.

"Putting a baby in Mariana's stomach. Uncle Kage had to find berry in the mountain and give Mariana the seed. Then her belly button swallowed it." All the adults were lost at the young boy's reasoning except Mariana. 

"That's right, Reiji," Mariana confirms tentative. "Aunt Jean..."

"Uh..." She trails off with her mouth gaped. "Yes..."

Reiji smiles at his Aunt's an agreement and goes back to eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Rei and Regine are oblivious to the conversation since their favorite cartoon is playing on tv. Mariana shakes her head lightly in a manner that says don't ask.

"You know, when I was younger, I went to this club once when I visited London. They had those rooms in the back where people could hook up. I had this good looking guy that night and we- well I had way too many drinks. So when we got to the back, he-"

Kadlin rushes to Reiji and covers his ears and turns his head away while Lyting rushes to do the same with the others. Mariana stands rooted in her place with flaming cheeks at Jean's words and gestures. Kage's face is twisted in disgust all the meanwhile shifting on his feet uncomfortably.

Jean finishes her story with a satisfied nod. Everyone else remains quiet and looks for something to do. Mariana hurries off to start dinner. The rest going back to what they were doing earlier. Kage stares in slits at his Aunt and she shrugs bringing up topics about her co-workers' kids. Kage and Lyting walk off to the dinner table and have their chat to avoid any other unwanted stories.