Familiar Yet New

Months passed and the pregnancy progressed without issue. Things in Kirkwall were getting more precarious, and being the pregnant, unmarried Champion of Kirkwall was both easier and far more difficult than being a pregnant, unmarried refugee. Meredith attempted to use this situation to discredit Hawke in the eyes of Kirkwall, and while there were nobles and traditionalists who were aghast at the impropriety of it all, Marian Hawke had garnered enough good faith that most people either kept their mouths shut, or were happy for her.

Explaining what was happening to Liz proved more difficult, as she would regularly ask if the baby could come out yet and get upset when she was told no. It was one month before Liz's third birthday when Marian felt the first contractions begin.

"Fenris, love, please take Liz over to Varric's."

"Why? Does she require more sweets?" Fenris chuckled from where he sat at her feet, massaging the poor swollen appendages.

"No. Maker, no." She smiled, then groaned quietly, "I don't want her hearing me scream."

"Hearing you scream? Why would..." He trailed off, then his eyes went wide, "Are you about to have the baby!?"

"Well, not just this minute, but yes, it's starting." She chuckled softly at her little joke, but mostly she was amused by the immediate frenzy that Fenris went into. He hadn't been through this before, and while she and Anders had told him about how it happens, and how Liz's birth went, he was still rather unprepared emotionally.

Fenris rushed out of the room and packed up a travel bag for Liz with a couple changes of clothes, her favorite toys, and her blankie. Then he scooped up the little girl and tried to school himself into a more normal attitude while he walked her down to Lowtown.

"Fenwis? Where we going?" She asked.

"You're going to have a sleepover with Uncle Varric." He answered with a smile, and smiled wider as she gasped in delight, clapping her hands.

"I love Unca Vawwic! He always give me candy." She said with pure joy and excitement. Fenris sighed softly and mumbled a quiet 'I know...'

They arrived at the Hanged Man and Fenris went up to Varric's suite, explaining that they were about to have a new arrival and needed him to watch Liz. He beamed and clapped Fenris on the arm.

"Of course I'll watch her, Broody. She's my best buddy, aren't you Lizzie?"

"Yeah! Best buddy!" She cheered.

"Still, thank you. We'll have Bodahn let you know when the coast is clear."

"Sure thing. Good luck, Fenris. Maker knows you'll need it." Varric chuckled as he took the travel bag from him and brought Liz over to the short table and chair he'd purchased just for her visits.

-

Marian was pacing her room, using her staff as a support. She could still remember all the well meaning women from the alienage giving her their advice about exercise during labor, and walking around arm in arm with her Mother in the cool spring rain. The snow had only just begun to melt this time, so walking around outside was inadvisable. Also, she was a known entity this go around, people would pay attention to the Champion of Kirkwall wailing in the streets of Hightown.

Anders was still at his clinic, but she knew he would be home long before she would be in active labor. So she walked and she groaned and she cursed herself for being so sentimental and allowing herself to get pregnant again. She wanted the baby, sure, but she had forgotten just how rotten this part was. Fenris returned home to find her in this routine and quickly came to join her and offer himself as support instead of the staff.

"Is it bad?"

"Yes, but it's going to get much worse."

"Have you sent for Anders yet?"

"No, I'll be fine for a few more hours yet at least." She huffed softly as she worked through a contraction.

"But what if you bleed again? Didn't you almost die for Liz?" Fenris asked with mounting concern in his voice.

"Yes, but I worked until the last possible minute on terrible food for her pregnancy. This baby has been pampered and well-fed."

"I don't know enough about these things to contradict you, but I suspect eating those little cakes isn't the deciding factor in whether or not this will be a normal birth."

"Shut up, you." Marian stuck her tongue out at him and he stuck his out right back.

Four hours passed with her contractions slowly building up in intensity, and decreasing the time between them. Her instincts told her that it was almost time, and Anders still wasn't home.

"Should I go get him?" Fenris asked gently, uncertain of what to do in this situation.

"No! Don't you dare leave me right now. Send Bodahn, he may not be as fast but I need you here with me." She groaned out, holding her stomach as she eased herself down slowly to the floor, resting on her knees and holding onto a bedpost for dear life. Fenris obeyed, sending Bodahn through the cellar passage to go get their wayward doctor.

"What do you need me to do?" Fenris asked with a barely concealed tone of panic.

"Look and tell me if you see anything!" She managed to say before crying out, digging her nails into the wood of the bedpost.

Fenris did as he was asked and blanched, all color leaving his face.

"The baby is coming." He managed to say quietly.

"I know that! I've known that for the last four hours!"

"No I mean I can see the baby!"

"Fuck! Anders won't be here in time. Maker save me..." She whimpered then cried out as she pushed. Fenris was there with her, supporting the baby with his hands as Marian did what nature demanded. Then suddenly he was holding an impossibly small person, who squirmed a little before letting out a desperate wail. He carefully brought the child to his chest, the cord still attached. Fenris was awestruck and overwhelmed with emotion as he looked over his child. His son, he realized after a moment.

"Marian! You did it, he's here! We have a son!" He gasped out, looking over to her with adoration and amazement. She was crying and smiling at the two of them.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to name him Leto."

"Of course that's alright with me!" He was beaming, still amazed as he looked at the little boy in his hands. Just then Anders came in, breathing hard and red faced.

"I came as soon as I could, I..." he took in the sight before him, jaw dropping, "Why didn't you send for me earlier?!" He rushed over, setting his hand on the baby, quickly checking his health. Determining that he was well he switched his attention to Marian to do the same.

"You're lucky that everything went well this time, Marian. I still wish you'd sent for me immediately, though. I could've eased the pain for you."

"Funny, I don't remember you easing the pain the first time." She joked breathlessly.

"Yes, well, I was trying to save your life and cope with the fact that I'd just found out I was a father. If I hadn't been so distracted I would have numbed some of the pain." He kissed her on the forehead and then set to work, fully switching into doctor-mode. He took Leto from Fenris' arms and set about cutting the cord, cleaning him up and swaddling him. He then handed him back to Fenris to help Marian through the afterbirth, then cleaned her up as well before carefully lifting her up and laying her on the bed. Once she was settled Fenris handed the newest Hawke to his mother for his first feeding. He opened his eyes while he drank, revealing emerald gems.

"He has your eyes, Fenris." Marian said softly.

"I will remind you that your eyes are green as well, amata. He does have your hair, it seems."

"Have you seen your eyebrows? This dark hair could just as easily be yours." She smiled, running her fingers over the wispy tufts. Then her touch traced down to his ears. She smirked. "Well, this is undeniably a feature of yours. Look at his ears."

Fenris did look, and found that Leto had pointed ears. Not as pronounced as his own, but definitely pointed. He smiled and kissed his son on the head.

"No one will ever have to wonder who his father is at least."

Anders cleared his throat softly, not wanting to interrupt the moment too terribly.

"What are you naming him?"

"Leto. Fenris Junior would be too cheesy." Marian smiled.

"Yes because giving him his father's birth name isn't cheesy at all." He chuckled, "And the middle name?"

"I had been thinking Malcolm before, but I don't like the sound of it. Leto Malcolm, it doesn't really work."

"Might I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"I also have a birth name that was taken from me. If you're both agreeable..." He trailed off, looking from Marian to Fenris.

"I'm agreeable, so long as it meets Marian's standards."

"Leto Augustus."

"Augustus? Seriously?" Marian smirked, quirking her brow up at him.

"My father was from the Anderfels, it's a common name there."

"Leto Augustus Hawke. That'll do just fine, won't it Leto?" She turned to ask the baby who had fallen asleep at her breast. "Well he didn't wake up and start crying, so I'll take that as a yes." She chuckled.

-

The next morning Varric and Bodahn brought Liz home, explaining to her that her new little brother had been born, so she needed to be quiet when they got home. She was bursting with excitement but did her best to stay quiet as they entered the estate. She ran up the stairs as fast as her little legs could take her, and was scooped up at the top of them by Anders.

"Dada! Unca Vawwic and Boda said we got a boy!"

"We did! Mama and Fenris made a baby boy."

"Can I play with him?" She asked earnestly, and Anders chuckled.

"Not yet, he's still too little, but if you promise to sit still and be very gentle, you can hold him."

"I be gentle! I pwomise!" She smiled as he set her down and opened the bedroom door to let her in. Anders helped her get comfortable on the bed with a pillow on her lap, and carefully set Leto in her arms. Marian smiled and teared up looking at her kids together.

"Do you like him?"

"Yeah! What his name?"

"Leto." Liz turned her attention to the baby, smiling down at him and gently taking his hand in hers.

"Hi Leto, I'm Liz. I take care of you, okay?" She waited a minute then looked over to her grown ups. "He didn't say okay back."

The adults all had to fight back the urge to laugh before explaining to her that he couldn't do that yet. Marian looked at her children, then to their fathers, and let a few tears fall. She loved them all so much that she couldn't help but cry a little at the overwhelming feeling of it.