So, this is kinda an epilogue, but also kinda a sequel-story. It's predominately fluffy and for fun.

CALABASH

Mukasa stood on the bank of Bubembe Island, paddle in hand, and his face scanned the grey and violet storm clouds quickly gathering over Lake Nyanza. His wife, Nalwanga, walked up to him in her painted barkcloth dress. She cradled two calabashes in her arms and her face shone as if she were deeply pleased with herself.

"Eh, what's this, my wife? You managed to clean them all out?" Mukasa asked.

"Aya. Nyelu has been storing these for generations. Some of these calabashes are older even than our fathers, but I managed to send them all to join their ancestors," she said, her sweet voice mingling with the quiet lapping of Nyanza's waves.

"These are the ones you wanted?" he asked, gesturing towards her calabash-filled arms.

"Yes," she said with a sly smile.

"I have summoned Crocodile. She will come," he said. "Is everything prepared?"

"Yes. I have made all the necessary adjustments," she said.

He nodded and they both turned to watch the storm roll past.

By sunset, the large, nobbled Crocodile lunged herself onto the soft banks of the island. She curled inward on herself and where the reptile had been, a stout woman stood instead. Her olive toned skin stretched tightly over her wide, freckled nose and sharp incisors peeked from her dark, full lips. Long dread locks woven with cowry shells and seeds hung down to her lower back over her bark cloth wrap. Her golden reptilian eyes focused on Mukasa as she knelt in the sand at his feet.

"Yes, Ssebo, you have called for me?" she asked.

"Weebale nnyo, Crocodile. Take these calabashes to the malaika wa vita that watches over the People of the Panther," he said with a grin.

Crocodile stood and took each of the calabashes in her clawed fingers. The black slits in her yellow eyes narrowed further as she stared at him more intently. "You wish her to have two calabashes?"

"Yes," he said and nodded towards Nalwanga beside him. "My wife has requested it."

Crocodile's face broke into a wide, sharp, toothy grin. "It would be my pleasure."

She knelt before both of the Balubaale again. Then she safely secured both of the calabashes within the waterproof pouch she kept hidden beneath her bark cloth wrap.

"Ssebo, does she know?" Crocodile asked as she prepared to leave.

"Neda, nyabo. She does not know," he said, mischief written on his face. Crocodile stifled a laugh beneath her hand, bowed again and changed back into her animal form. Her reptilian hands clawed through the soft sand as her scaled belly splashed into the warm waters of the lake. Her dark head could just barely be seen above the surface of the water, sometimes appearing more like a piece of driftwood than a creature as she began her journey.

ooooooooooooooo

"Babe-what's this?" Bucky asked as he ran his hand against two brown calabashes on their night stand.

"Oh, I found those on the doorway this morning," she answered with a shrug as she pulled a dress on over her head. "Crocodile found me and told me that Mukasa sent those for me. He said his wife had been cleaning out Nyelu's stockpile of calabashes and wanted him to send me these two."

"Why?"

"I have no idea. She didn't give me any other information or instructions. She simply said they were a gift for me. You know how people here can be about gifts-and Mukasa has been really helpful so I didn't want to offend him. I sent Crocodile with my thanks and brought the calabashes inside."

"Ok. Are they special calabashes? Are we supposed to, I dunno, put flowers in them or store milk in them or something?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I figured I'd leave them here until we get back from our trip and I can ask Zuri more about it. We've still got too much to do today to get ready and I don't want to worry about it now."

"Alright, doll," he said and pulled her to him to place a kiss on her lips. His smile grew. "I'm hoping no kidnapping vampires interrupt this vacation. Considering all the impending doom and world-hopping and body swapping, I think we've earned some time away. I would like to take a break from the weird for awhile"

"A break from the weird?" Bella asked with a smile. "You're a hundred year old genetically enhanced human and you're married to a vampire and we live in a super secret city that no one else on earth is supposed to know about…what's normal about any of that?"

"Shhh, I'm a simple farmer and you are a Dora Milaje bodyguard and we are very normal. We are going on a very normal trip around the world and if you say anything else, you will jinx it. Come on, let's get ready. Our flight goes off too early in the morning for us to dilly dally all day."

Their myriad of chores busied them until late into the night. After suitcases were fully packed, directions on the garden and animals given to Okoye's lastborn nephew, and proper farewells made to their friends, Bella and Bucky finally found a moment to rest. They sat on the banks of the lake and watched as the moon reflected off the ripples of water, a chorus of frog songs filling the humid night air around them.

"Morning is gonna come earlier than I want it to," Bucky said with a slight frown and a yawn. He stretched his legs a little and rubbed at his eyes.

"I'll wake you at 3am," Bella said with a gentle shove on his shoulder. "Go get some sleep."

"Come with me," he said, grabbing her hand and staring intently into her eyes.

"You won't get as much sleep if I come," she responded.

"I don't need that much sleep," he said. "I'd rather stay awake with you for a little while longer."

She easily agreed and followed him into their home.

Neither Bella nor Bucky noticed the fresh cracks running down the side of each calabash when dawn broke over the lake the next morning.

Oooooooooooo

Two weeks later

Bella and Bucky sat on a tall cliff overlooking the deep grey and turquoise of the Pacific Ocean below them. A chilly, light rain swirled through the air around them, intermixing with the salty ocean spray and thick pine scent of the forest behind them.

"I thought someone would have rebuilt it," she said quietly. "I mean, I thought the land was sold. But Charlie's house is still there. It looks like a ghost house."

"Yeah, I gotta admit-the charcoal remains of a house standing next to the isolated forest like that did look pretty creepy."

"I suppose I was hoping to see, you know, like a family living there and a garden of flowers in the front yard. I didn't want to see it still empty and burnt out and full of raccoon nests."

"I'm sorry, doll," he said, pulling her into his chest to wrap his good arm around her shoulder.

"I am glad we came, though," she said. "I'm glad I got to say good-bye and visit his grave. More memories are coming back as I walk around this town and see places I know were once important to me. I just wish I could remember more."

She fell into silence again as she listened to the powerful waves crash onto the rocks far below their perch.

"You sure you don't want to visit anyone? You had some friends who here who know you are alive."

"No," she said. "I don't. I don't think they really want to see me. I did what I needed to do and I'm ready to move on."

"You got it, doll," he said and kissed the top of her head.

Ooooooooooooooo

Two weeks later.

"Steve was right," Bucky said. "It's barely recognizable to what it once was."

They sat on a bench near his childhood home in Brooklyn. He strained his eyes at the city-scape before him- as if by looking harder he could see the world that used to be buried underneath what his senses told him was now reality.

"That building over there was pretty new. My little brother's best friend lived there. I had an aunt who lived across the street and she kept a grocery store with my uncle. They'd give us expired produce when they couldn't sell it and sometimes hired us to sweep or shine shoes or stock shelves when they had extra cash lying around. Looks like a lot of this block is new…or newer."

"Your great-grandnephew had your eyes," she said softly, remembering the teenage boy they saw running from the address of his brother's relatives earlier in the day.

"Nah, those he got from my brother," he said. "But you're right. My second brother and I were the spitting image of my mama. No one who saw us together would doubt who we belonged to."

A tear snuck down his cheek without his permission and he quickly fought back the others waiting in line to follow. Bella squeezed his arm.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to say good-bye to them," she said.

"Yeah, me too."

She let him sit in silence and drink in the sights soaked in memories till the day waned.

"You ready to show me Coney Island?" she asked as he stood and grabbed her hand.

"You better believe it!" he said and pulled her to her feet. "I hope you are ready to truly experience fear."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

One month later.

"This is the most beautiful city I've ever seen," Bella said with a happy sigh. They sat in a small sidewalk café overlooking where the ancient buttresses of Notre Dame sat beside the murky depths of the Seine.

"Told you that you'd like it," he said as he stared at his sticky fingers. He began to work on his third chocolate croissant. "And I told you I would eat well if we came. Not even constant brain-washing could make me forget how much I love these croissants."

"It actually smells kinda good," she said and bit her lip. "Can I try a bite?"

Bucky chuckled and handed her his plate.

"Don't throw it up on me this time," he said. She took a hesitant bite and instead of choking it out in revulsion, she easily swallowed and grinned.

"That is amazing! Let's get another one!" she said.

"Umm, ok. You, uh, sure you won't have to, you know, get it out later?"

"Maybe, but it's so good I don't care."

"Huh. Who woulda thought French food was so good even a vampire would eat it?" Bucky said with a shrug.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Four months later.

"I could stay on this beach forever," Bella cooed happily. She sat in the shade of a coconut palm, dug her toes into the white sand and looked out on the warm turquoise depths of the lazy ocean around her. A vervet monkey flittered up the trunk of the palm tree and chattered excitedly at them. Bucky, now a bright shade of red from the day he forgot to put on sunscreen, looked at her with a happy grin.

"Agreed," he said.

Behind them, their own hut on their island of Lamu felt like home already. Bucky grabbed another bite of coconut out of its husk and crunched on it. Bella stood and stretched. Her pale skin would never tan like his would. She did not bother to use her oil in this secluded beach. Her bare skin, covered only by a bathing suit, let out a million reflections of rainbows onto the sand. She caught Bucky staring at her and she smiled back.

"Let me have some of that coconut," she said, and took the half-eaten fruit from his hand. She began to dig into the hard flesh with her fingers and she moaned.

"This is amazing!"

Bucky watched her eat it and failed to hide the look of concern on his face.

"Babe, I know you keep telling me that everything is fine, but I gotta tell you. You are really freakin' me out," he said.

"What?" she asked, innocent expression on her face.

"You aren't acting normal. We've traveled through Europe and down through Egypt and Saudi Arabia and you've eaten as much, if not more, human food than me during this time."

"So? It's delicious! Who knew I just had to travel more to appreciate human food?"

"You know it's not just that. Ugh. I don't want this to come out the wrong way but I think it will no matter how I phrase it…have you, uh, noticed you have put on a little weight?"

She stared at him, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"

"Bella, I saw you yesterday. You couldn't button your jeans and so you wore your sweatpants instead."

"It's the dryer," she responded with an authoritative air. "My clothes aren't used to being dried in machines anymore and they shrunk. Give them a few days and they'll stretch out again.

"Uh huh."

Bella looked at him and looked down upon her stomach which slightly protruded from her bikini with an uncharacteristic bulge. Then her face crumpled as if she were about to either cry or tear his head off (or both). He cringed before she even spoke as he anticipated her reaction.

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"No! That's not what I'm trying to say at all," Bucky said, raising his hands in an expression of both surrender and frustration. He swept his fingers through his long hair and stared at her. "Bella, you and I both know that zimwi don't change. Your kind doesn't eat human food. Doll, you're basically made out stuff like rock. I know you are trying to ignore it and pretend that everything is fine, but I'm worried. It's not because I don't think you are gorgeous, because you are, or that I'd love you less if you did change. It's because I want to make sure you are ok."

"I'm fine. Please-don't worry about anything. I feel fine and I'm just enjoying myself. Focus on our trip," she said, chewing on her bottom lip out of her nervous habit. "I'll lay off the human food if that would make you feel better."

"That won't necessarily make me feel better," he replied with a resigned sigh.

"Please, Bucky, don't stress out. Let's see the world! Jakarta and Agra await," she said, her eyes glimmering with excitement as she sat on his lap and sweetly kissed him. Bucky drew her to himself and placed his hands on her hips and buried his head into her neck. He inhaled the sweet scent of her and tried to dispel his worry.

oooooooooooooooooooo

One month later.

"Shuri," Bucky said. The projection of Shuri flickered slightly before filling in all the way. She grinned and waved.

"I've missed you two like crazy! How's traveling the world?" she said. "Have you caught me a baby tiger?

"It's been awesome!" he responded. "We've loved it! Hey-I need your opinion on something and I need you to promise me you won't talk to Bella about it. She finally left to go hunting far enough away where she can't hear me talking to you."

"Bwana, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?" Shuri said, tilting her head and giving him a curious stare.

Bucky exhaled deeply and struggled to put his thoughts together.

"Shuri, Bella's not ok but she won't admit it and I don't know what's wrong."

"What happened, bwana?" Shuri asked, growing serious to match Bucky's tone. Bucky ran his hands through his hair and exhaled again.

"First off, for the last few months, ever since we were in Paris, she's been eating human food."

"What?!"

"I know. At first, it was just a snack here or there. I thought it was just curiosity or her excitement to travel or something but then she kept it up and started eating full meals instead of just snacks."

"Did she, nini, you know, vomit them after?"

"No!"

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know! She said it tasted good and at first blamed it on the greatness of French cuisine but it continued through Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Lamu, and now into India. She's still hunting, but she has been equaling me in food intake. In Lamu, she could tell I was worried and said she was going to lay off the human food. When I'm awake, she pretends not to eat, but I see her at night. She sneaks out to go find human food when she thinks I'm sleeping."

"Interesting. Where does the food, you know, end up? Has she started using the toilet?"

"That's just it. No, she hasn't. And that's not all. She's gaining weight rapidly. She can't fit into any of the trousers she came with. She keeps blaming it on the dryers shrinking her clothes but it obviously isn't that. She's been in denial about it and has been hiding herself away from me. She says its cause I'm judging her and don't appreciate her and she gets all moody on me about it. But, honestly, Shuri, it's cause she's freakin' me out and her hiding away and refusing to admit it makes me even more worried."

"This is odd," Shuri said. "Where is she gaining weight?"

"Mainly her stomach. And a few days ago, I definitely felt something moving around in there. You know how her flesh is hard as tack, but I definitely felt vibrations coming from within that has never happened before. Then yesterday, I caught her eating rocks."

"Rocks?"

"Yes. Ok, so more like a hardened clay of some kind. She tried to hide that, too, and said she was just curious, but then I found her keeping some in her suitcase. I've been trying to convince her to come home early to have her looked at, but she keeps refusing. She goes on and on about not wanting to ruin our trip and how everything is fine and it's all in my head and so on. That's why I wanted to call you. Shuri-what should I do?"

"If she won't come to Wakanda, then Wakanda will come to her," Shuri responded confidently. "I'll meet you at your hotel tomorrow afternoon but one."

"Asante, dada," Bucky said, relief evident on his face.

Ooooooooo

A knock sounded and Bella opened the door of their hotel room. Shuri stood outside the door. Round sunglasses hid most of her eyes and gave her face an even more youthful appearance. Her hair was pulled into braided pigtails with hot pink woven with brown and gold. She leapt at Bella and threw her arms around her with a squeal of delight.

"Ummm, hi?" Bella said, looking doubtfully at the shorter woman.

"I couldn't take it anymore," she said. "I've missed you too much and I've come to surprise you."

"Hey, Shuri," Bucky said. He pulled her into a one-armed hug and gave her a meaningful look which he hoped would express his gratitude. Shuri nodded at him and winked. She pulled a rolling blue suitcase covered with little yellow pineapples and abandoned it in a corner. Two Dora Milaje soldiers accompanied her and silently stood guard against the walls of the room. Shuri plopped onto the large, white couch overlooking the view of New Delhi below.

"I like," she said and motioned towards the room. "India is beautiful! When do we see the Taj Mahal?"

"Ummm, we saw that last week," Bella said hesitantly.

"I know. Bucky sent me a picture of it…since you forgot to. I believe we need to have another discussion about the 'importance of sending Shuri photos' because you seem to be forgetting."

"Sorry. I hate taking pictures and always forget to," Bella said with a shrug. She smiled. "I saw a tiger last week. It was awesome!"

"Did you get me one?"

"Ummm, no."

"I'll keep an eye out for one myself. Now, tell me, what is this you are wearing?" Shuri said, and gestured at the sparkling blue and white sari gracefully draped over Bella.

"Isn't it beautiful! I can't get enough of them. I think I'll just wear these from now on."

"It is very pretty. Let me see this pattern," Shuri said, with a sly look at Bucky. Shuri pulled the dark blue wrap off her shoulder and feigned fascination with the material and the pattern. All the while, Shuri's keen eyes penetrated through the sheer fabric at the woman beneath. She then draped the fabric back over Bella's shoulder and stared at her carefully.

"Bella, either you've swallowed a jackfruit whole or you've found your blessing," Shuri said, one eyebrow raised and her hand on Bella's abdomen.

"You aren't actually here for a visit are you?" Bella said as she slowly backed away from Shuri. When she saw Shuri shake her head, she turned on Bucky. "You!" Bella said, pointing her finger against Bucky's chest. "You called her here, didn't you? Ugh! I'm fine. He's worrying over nothing."

"I will tell him he is worrying over nothing after you let me run some tests to confirm."

Bella gave out an exasperated huff and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."

Shuri made Bella lay on the couch and Shuri pulled an arsenal of equipment out of her pineapple suitcase. She ran a hand-held scanner over her body, poked and prodded, took swabs of her mouth, and began to sift through an avalanche of orange numbers on a screen.

"Keep this sensor on your stomach for a few more minutes. It will take a little while. You're body is much more difficult to read than most people's," Shuri said. "While this processes, how about you tell me anything and everything that has happened during your trip and before you left on your trip."

Bucky and Bella both nodded and began to tell her all about their many adventures, the places they had been the animals they had seen (and drank from), the food they had eaten, and the people they had spoken with. They stayed up late into the night sharing stories.

When she could keep her eyes open no longer, Shuri took over a spare bedroom of their hotel suite. She did not emerge until noon the next day. At midday, she joined Bucky and Bella on the white couch, stifling a giggle. She fiddled with her kimoyo beads for a moment before she could not hold it in anymore and she broke into a cheery peal of laughter.

"What is so funny?" Bucky asked.

"You two are," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I just spoke with Okoye's lastborn nephew. Tell me, Bella, before you left for your trip, did you receive anything unusual. Something, I don't know, shaped like a calabash?"

"Oh! Yeah! I did. Crocodile brought them right before we left. I almost forgot about that. Crocodile sent us two calabashes that she said Mukasa had sent to give to us. She didn't tell us much else except that Mukasa's wife liked them and wanted us to have them and that was it. I placed them on the night stand and meant to ask Zuri about them later but I forgot."

Shuri began to giggle again and she covered her hand with her mouth.

"What's so funny?" Bella asked.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to accept presents from strange men?" Shuri asked, breaking into rolling laughter and nearly falling off the couch.

"Shut up. What's so funny?" Bella asked.

"What do you know about Mukasa?"

"He's supposedly the guardian of the waters," Bella responded. "And he helped us with Nyelu and he carries around a paddle."

"Yeah, I think you needed to spend more time listening to Mama W'Kabi's stories than you did," Shuri said, holding her stomach as she laughed even harder. "It can't be possible, it really can't….but then again, nothing about you is ever really in line with what is possible."

"Spit it out, Shuri," Bucky said. "What's got you so riled up?"

Shuri held up a finger to pause him and began to flip through her computer screens. Then she signaled her kimoyo beads.

"T'Challa, Nakia, Okoye, Zuri, Mama-you are not going to want to miss this," she said, tears streaming down her face as she summoned each to join into their conversation digitally. Soon, five life-sized faces were projected in a circle around the room. None of Bella or Bucky's pleas or threats would get Shuri to open her mouth again for anything other than giggles and exhortations to learn patience as she summoned the others.

Five faces peered in at them, looking as if they expected news that another war to break out. Shuri failed to pull herself together and instead let more tears flow down her face in boisterous laughter.

"Sister, what is this about?" T'Challa said. "I am about to go into a council meeting. Is everything ok?"

"Oh yes. I bring news from India. But first, I have a question for Zuri. Zuri, what else is Mukasa known for besides protecting the waters."

"Ah! Many things," the priest said with a solemn nod of his hat-covered head. "Mukasa is one of the most benevolent of the Guardians. He delights in furthering life and helping crops, animals, and people to thrive. The people of old used to bring him gifts to ensure good harvests and prosperity each year."

"Yes, yes," Shuri said impatiently. "What else-why do people seek his wife out?"

"Ah, yes, Nalwanga. Many seek Nalwanga to intercede on their behalf because they know she can put in a good word with her husband on their behalf. Mukasa, when requested by his wife, also grants fertility to those who are childless and is especially known for blessing a barren wife with twins."

Shuri pushed another button a projected an image into the center of the room.

"Thank you, Zuri. I am happy to announce that Bucky and Bella, you will soon be the proud parents of twins," she said.

Bucky and Bella listened with mouths agape.

"It isn't possible," Zuri said, his mouth also falling open. He let his eyes fall upon Bella's shocked face and the scan Shuri displayed of two small babies. "How is it possible? We knew that the men among the mazimwi could father children with human women but we'd never heard of a zimwi female being able to."

"What!" shouted Bella in surprise, interrupting Zuri. "What are you talking about?"

"Indio. Luanda Majere fathered at least five children before his untimely death. They were fierce, strong warriors with unnaturally long lives who became well-renowned in our legends for their feats. It is said, some of them even joined the Balubaale and guard us even still. But no one has ever heard of a female zimwi…it shouldn't be possible….," Zuri said, trailing off in thought again.

"No, it shouldn't," Shuri said with a dimpled grin. "Biologically, according to all the tests we've run on you since you arrived in Wakanda, it makes absolutely no sense at all. But, there you are," she said, waving at the scan again. "Two healthy babies. It appears to be a boy and a girl and according to human gestation, you appear to be around fourteen weeks along, though I suppose it is possible that you will not follow a human gestation timeline. You said you received the calabashes when?"

"Ummm, about seven months ago," Bella said.

"So, it is possible that your gestation is twice as long as what would be required of a human," Shuri said.

"You received calabashes from Mukasa?" Zuri asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yes. He sent me two…he said his wife sent them."

Here Zuri began to laugh. "And you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"What would be in them?"

"Of course not. I figured if they were souls like the ones in Nyelu's cavern, they'd sit in their gourds till we knew what to do with them. I didn't think they'd make me pregnant."

"It is a bit too late to start the discussion on birth control," Shuri said. "Instead, I would recommend you start discussing baby names."

Bella and Bucky, both still dumbfounded, looked at each other.

"I'm going to be a father!" Bucky said, grin spreading on his face. He placed his arms around his wife's stomach and felt the papaya-sized bulge there. "I don't believe it."

Now even the general couldn't fight back her smile. "Congratulations, Lieutenant. I suppose this means we will need to extend your time off for a little while longer."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Five Months Later.

"This is fascinating!" Shuri said as she analyzed the readings on her computer and performed another scan of Bella's abdomen. "You have felt how warm you have been getting?"

"Yeah. My stomach feels like its on fire and then all the sudden cools down again but it never really goes back to the temperature of the rest of my body. It's like I have a mini heater in my belly."

"Well, every time that happens, your womb is being grown larger," Shuri said. "You see this little boy here," Shuri continued and pointed out one of the scans on her screen. "He is growing it. He seems to have some kind of gift to shift molecules and transform elements. You know we were trying to figure out what happens with your food? Here he is. He can tell when you've eaten and he absorbs it through the layers. Here, you see they share a placenta? He then shares his meal with his sister. It takes a tremendous amount of energy and so that's why you've been so hungry.

"Here, look at this one," Shuri said. "He's using the materials that they don't need to digest to expand your womb. You know how the composition of your flesh is usually compared to that of rock? Some say females of your kind are incapable of change and that is why you cannot bear children. Well, rock that is melted is very pliable and malleable. This little one is heating and molding the very materials of your body and making more space for them to grow. This process also explains all the lines you have been developing across your abdomen."

"Shouldn't that much heat damage the babies?"

"No! That's what is amazing!" Shuri said. "The other one also seems to have a gift. Look at this reading here. There's some kind of barrier surrounding both of them. The energy readings show it originates from his sister. She creates some kind of protective covering over both of them that helps maintain a constant temperature, which is quite a bit higher than your normal body temperature."

"Wow!"

"There's more. The little boy is not only providing them both with food. He's providing them with oxygen and water. He draws some of the fluids from the blood you digest and he forms water. He also seems to be able to absorb oxygen from the air outside and share that with his sister as well. It's really as if they were designed especially to survive in you."

"That's amazing!" Bella said and fondly laid her hands on her protruding belly.

"It truly is."

"Oooh! I felt another little earthquake vibrating through me," she said.

"It is too bad we cannot feel their little limbs kicking. I remember when my aunty was pregnant and I could feel my cousin's little feet within. Her stomach looked as though a jellyfish was dancing a rumba. You, however, have nothing on your body that resembles jelly. Yet, you are still growing. According to their size, you are at about 25 weeks."

Here Bella's face twisted with a groan.

"Seriously, Shuri? I'm going to be pregnant for a year and a half? I'm already so top-heavy that I struggle to get off a chair once I'm in it."

Shuri laughed. "Yeah. And you are really growing. You look like you've swallowed a full jackfruit now. Another six months of this and you are going to look like a hippopotamus."

"Ugh, you aren't helping!" Bella said, laughing and placing her hands on her protruding belly. Let me see them again! I want to look at those precious little noses."

"Ok," Shuri said, grinning and projecting an image of a tiny thumb-sucking face into the space between them. After she had allowed Bella to ogle the image for a period of time she turned serious and took Bella's hand.

"As much as I want to keep you in my lab all day and night to run tests on you to document all this, I don't think we should let you go to full term. I think we should plan a C-section for a time slightly before their supposed due date," Shuri said. "I don't want to see what would happen if you try to do this naturally."

"That makes sense," Bella responded after consideration.

"Ok. You go home. Take it easy. I know you don't really tire and are nearly invincible, but no fighting bad guys or chasing lions for awhile, ok? I want my niece and nephew safe."

"You got it," Bella said as Shuri helped her from the table.

oooooooooooooo

Five months later.

Bella paused at the doorstep to their home to grab hold of the door frame to catch her balance. What Shuri called "the inability of her unchanging muscles to adapt to her changing shape and size," Bella called a capacity for clumsiness. Her speed and agility had diminished so much that for the last few months, she had been forced to relinquish hunting and satisfy herself on the blood of Bucky's cattle. Occasionally, W'Kabi brought one of his rhinos over for a visit to give her a more satisfying meal. She still cringed inwardly as W'Kabi and Bucky held the creature down for her as she drank since she could not do it herself. She had never felt so physically vulnerable since before she first awoke into her new life.

Bucky doted on her daily. He proudly brought her meal after meal of home-grown and home-cooked food to feed their growing children. He failed to stifle the satisfaction he gained from taking care of his family and her enjoyment of the fruit of his labors. He delighted in telling stories and singing songs to the growing beings within her, almost as much as she delighted in feeling the vibrations of their movements or the tell-tale warmth of her son helping them grow.

She was going to be a mother. She still could hardly believe it. The joy and fear and anticipation and overwhelming devotion she felt intermingled into an emotional tidal wave so strong she felt she could be drowned in the wake of it. She would never be the same again. This was a gift. Another twist and turn in her life that she had never anticipated or asked for but that she would never take for granted.

Still, she had to admit she would look forward to the day when she could see her toes again. Her nearly full term children caused her to slowly waddle as she walked with unsteady balance from the homestead towards the lake. Footsteps reached her ears and she saw the approaching figure of a short, muscular woman in a bark cloth dress. Her dread locks reached nearly to her waist. Dark slits in her golden eyes met Bella's own and the woman saluted to honor her.

"Crocodile, karibu," Bella said.

"Malaika, you are radiant," Crocodile said with a wide, toothy grin.

"Uh huh. You know you could have warned me," Bella said and raised one eyebrow.

"Perhaps," Crocodile said, grin unwavering. "But a gift is best when it is a surprise, yes?"

Bella gave a small smile and shook her head. "I'm sure you all thought you were hilarious."

Crocodile's grin grew even wider. "We will be telling our children's children about the expression on your face when you found out. Now, I come bearing another gift for you from Nalwanga. This one, however, is not a surprise."

"What is it?" Bella asked as she took the small vial that Crocodile handed her.

"Special oil. When your time comes, you are to rub this on your stomach to soften the skin. It will aid in both the birth and your healing after."

Crocodile lifted the light blue sari covering where Bella now extended farther than the largest of tortoise shells. She traced her claws across the myriad of dark lines marring her pale skin like stratum of rock within a cliff face.

"Will it take away all the lines?" Bella asked.

"Malaika, I would not take away scars of battle from a warrior anymore than I would remove the marks of childbearing from a mother. You have earned those stripes and they bring you great honor. Would you wish to hide the marks of your new status?" Crocodile said.

Bella considered carefully and ran one of her fingers along a line. Crocodile placed one clawed hand on top of Bella's and with her other she gently rubbed circles along the vibrating surface of her fully rounded abdomen. As she did so, she closed her eyes and spoke words of blessing over those within in a language only known to her ancestors. "These young ones are gifts not only to you but to all Wakanda. Treasure them. I will return after the birth to learn their names and see their spirits."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

A Year and a Half Later.

Tony Stark removed the fire-scorched face plate of his Iron Man suit and placed it on the table in the debrief room of the Avengers Facility. His careful eyes searched the mostly empty room before he removed the rest of his suit. He waited as the rest of the team wandered into the room, all a little worse for wear. Wanda Maximoff collapsed into a chair, a long scratch marring her pale forehead. Natasha crossed her arms against her chest and leaned against the wall near the head of the table.

"I've got it," Tony said, breaking the tired silence weighing on the room. "Batman."

All eyes turned to him. Edward Cullen's golden eyes turned on him in irritation.

"No."

"Come on! It's perfect for you!"

"Absolutely not," Edward said.

"You have to have a public alias. Everybody else does. Come on, Dracula, it's perfect!"

Wanda and Natasha gave Stark a tired stare and rolled their eyes.

"You could even have a black cape that resembled wings. And think of it-your very own bat cave full of coffins or garlic or crosses or whatever," Stark said, gleeful grin marring his face.

"Stark, if you continue irritating me, I might choose to remove your limbs," Edward said with an evil glint in his otherwise expressionless face.

Tony ignored him. "Seriously, Eddie, you can't keep fighting in a polo shirt and khaki pants. You need something a bit more, how shall I put it? Cool…intimidating…less Calvin Klein underwear model and more, you know, Gotham City hero."

"No," Edward responded. "And if you call me Eddie again, I will punch a hole in your suit with my fist."

Tony groaned. "Not again! That took me two weeks to fix last time."

Edward smirked. He collapsed into one of the rolling chairs and scooted farther back from the table.

"For once in his life, I think Stark is right, but don't let it get to your head," Natasha said. "Edward, you do need a uniform."

"Absolutely not….," Edward began, but Natasha cut him off before he could continue protesting.

"Hear me out," she said. "Yeah, your skin is pretty much impenetrable to most human weapons but your clothes are not. Trust me when I say there are some benefits to having knife-proof clothes that extend beyond skin protection."

"I'll say," Bruce chimed in. "I wish I had some Hulk-proof clothes."

Natasha bit back a smile. "Sometimes a uniform is as much for the protection of one's dignity as it is for the physical protection. Also, you are not entirely impervious to harm. How does your skin handle flames?"

"I will concede to you your point," Edward said with a slight grimace as he pictured the day's efforts to rescue civilians from the explosion placed beneath the subway line. "I can see the benefits of a flame and blade resistant uniform."

"See-Batman begins!" Stark quipped.

Edward glared at him again. "No capes. I refuse."

Natasha shook her head in assent. "No capes. They are impractical for most of us unless you happen to be an Asgardian prince."

"Or admire the fashion sense of Asgardian princes," Stark chimed in.

Wanda groaned. "Leave Vision out of this."

Stark quirked his head to one side but before he could respond, Edward's phone chimed. He pulled it out and frowned.

"Everything ok?" Wanda asked.

"Yes. It's just my sister," Edward said.

"Oooooh! The smokin' hot one? I've seen some beautiful women in my life but, wow!" Stark began. He cut himself off as a pencil flew through the air, narrowly missed his ear, and implanted itself in the wall behind his head.

"So help me, Stark-if my brother could see the thoughts going through your mind he would not hesitate to eat you," Edward said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "And no, not that one. Alice says that all hell will freeze over before she will let me wear an all-black uniform like the one Natasha is currently plotting in her head. She will be commissioning the design of my uniform before the day is over and it will 'not resemble a bat or be such a ghastly color for his skin'-her words, not mine."

Natasha shrugged. "Black is practical."

Edward's phone buzzed again. He read the text, frowned again, and put the phone away.

"Spill it," Natasha said.

"I'd rather not."

"Now you have to tell us! I think he's blushing on the inside, guys!" Stark said. Edward sighed and pulled on his phone again to read it.

"Alice says, 'black may be practical but if you choose black your new name given you by the press will be Black Widower, sidekick to Black Widow.'"

"It's the hair….," Wanda said, laughing and pointing at the currently similar shades of brownish red shared by both.

"Not if you add a cape!" Stark said.

"For the love of all that is holy, can someone please make him stop?" Edward responded.

"I'll call Pepper and have her put him on a time out," Natasha responded. "I don't know. Every superhero needs a sidekick. It's about time I had someone to feed to the bad guys first."

The door opened again before anyone could respond. Director Fury entered, followed by Steve Rogers.

"Good afternoon, team," Fury said as he took his seat at the table. "Good work today-and Cullen's right-no capes."

Edward stuck his tongue out at Stark who gave him an affronted gasp. Fury shuffled through a stack of papers in front of him as Steve sat down beside him and called the rest of join around the table.

"Before we debrief our mission today and plan for our assignments next week, I have one change of plans to announce: Captain Rogers and Edward Cullen have been requested for a special mission by the King of Wakanda. The rest of you will need to take care of the Hydra cells without them."

Edward's confusion matched that of the other faces in the room. After a few hours of debriefing, the tired Avengers were released to their rest and their own pursuits. Edward trailed after Steve Rogers. He attempted to pick out details on their mission from his thoughts, but Steve's mind only reviewed the list of tasks assigned to him by Fury during their meeting.

"Wakanda?" Edward finally asked. "Why are we going there?"

Steve's face broke into a wide grin. "We have a special assignment. Besides, I think you and Iron Man may need to chill in separate corners for a bit."

"I'd go to Antarctica if it meant I'd get a break from that man."

"That's what I thought. Well, it just so happens to be the first birthday of my niece and nephew. The royal family has a special welcoming ceremony planned for them. As the closest thing Bucky has to a brother, I am standing in the honored position of father's brother during the ceremony. T'Challa requested I bring you along because he wants your insights into their gifts and mental acuity. He also is curious about your knowledge of others like them."

Steve's face filled with an image of two sleeping newborn babies on a mattress with shocks of soft, brown hair on their heads. A memory of a second visit with slightly older children followed. Edward stared at Steve as if his face had turned into a blue pumpkin.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused."

"About what?" Steve said, his voice patient.

"All of it. First off, you are trying to tell me that Bucky has two children?"

"Yes. You didn't know?"

"No! I have given Bella the distance I thought she needed, though it sounds like I might have made a poor decision in that regard. That faithless imbecile! How could he?"

Steve grew confused before he shook his head and laughed. "No! You are misunderstanding me. Bella is their mother."

Edward's anger visibly diminished and he unclenched his jaw. "Ah. I see. You mean they have chosen to adopt two children."

Steve scratched the back of his neck and met Edward's gaze. "No. They aren't adopted. And unless you want a truly gruesome tale, I would recommend you don't ask too many questions about the birth. I would rather have not known some of those details myself."

"Wait-you don't mean…it's not possible….." Edward trailed off.

"By all I've been able to learn, it really shouldn't have been possible. Shuri can explain all she knows once we arrive."

Edward continued to stare, his mind caught in an internal hurricane of thoughts and emotions.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

One Week Later.

It took three hours. Shuri sat with Edward in her lab and with the patience of a sloth, she displayed scans, photographs, and data to Edward. Then she explained all she could about what she had discovered from her research. After this, Edward spent a long period of time spent staring at a wall in dumbfounded amazement before he could even begin to accept the story she gave him.

"Come on," Shuri said. "You can think about it more later. Right now, come and meet them. They are beautiful!"

Edward followed Shuri through a long, brightly lit corridor covered with paintings and symbols of former kings and queens. Ancient drums painted with elephants, crowns of brightly colored feathers and shells, long robes of animal skins, and life-sized ebony carvings of faces lined their steps on either side of the hall. A large set of heavy wooden doors inlaid with different colors of wood opened before them. They found themselves in an airy, sunlit balcony with a thick awning throwing shade over the marble floors beneath.

On plush couches covered with zebra-print fabric and blue pillows sat Bucky, Bella, Steve, and the Queen Mother. Four Dora Milaje surrounded the balcony, spears in hand, backs held straight and faces stoic. Ramonda stood to greet them. She shook his hands. Her lovely face glowed with the warmth of her sincere happiness. Bucky and Bella both stood to greet him as well.

"Karibuni," Bella said. "Come and meet the children!"

Steve Rogers sat on the couch with a baby on each knee. He bounced them up and down while they squealed with delight.

Two heads of curled, mahogany hair bounced along with his movement and two pairs of brilliantly green eyes stared back at him. Dimpled grins and little hands clapped as he made horse sounds and told them they were cowboys and cowgirls.

"Meet Steven Rogers Barnes," Bella said and pointed to the baby on Steve's right before gesturing to the one on his left. "And this little one is Charlotte Swan Barnes-though that's a bit of a mouthful so we call her Charlie for short."

"Your father would have been overjoyed," Edward said wistfully. "He would have been an amazing grandfather."

"I know," Bella said. She stared off into the expanse of Birnin Zana below them, momentarily lost in her fragmented memories.

"Come, come," Ramonda said. "You must be seated! You have been lost! We have not seen you since the wedding. I will send for a meal and you can tell us of all your adventures. Uncle Steve, do not keep both babies to yourself! Share!"

Steve grinned and handed off one of the babies to Shuri. She cuddled her and cooed at her before handing her to Edward.

"Here! Uncle Edward gets to hold Charlie."

Edward carried the baby as if he were equally afraid of dropping her and being attacked by her. Deep emerald eyes drilled into his own and a little hand reached out to feel his hair. Charlie giggled.

"They are beautiful," he said with a genuine grin. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks! They are our precious gifts," Bella responded softly.

Edward stared at both children for a few minutes and listened.

"Their minds are fascinating!" he said with genuine awe. "They are connected to each other. It's as if they can sense each other's thoughts and emotions from across the room. Yet they also each process information in completely different ways. I can't get a very clear picture because they are developmentally still very young, but they are undeniably gifted. Steven seems to have a grasp of the intrinsic energies that make up the molecules around him. it's almost as if he knows how to pull on threads to force matter into clay in his hands. Charlie also senses energy, but she senses the life forces around her. It may be similar to Bella's gift, but she seems to focus on the barriers between each life force and the physical spaces around them."

"You need to tell me all that again when I have something to record it with," Shuri said excitedly and clapped her hands. "Will you come to my lab later to help with some tests?"

"I'd be honored. Will I be the panya this time?"

"No, you will be promoted to guinea pig."

"Thanks. That's a step up."

Lunch came on a cart filled with fragrant dishes. After an hour or so of sharing stories, entertaining the babies, and eating their lunch, Bella rose from her seat.

"Enough!" Bella said. She pulled the babies away from the arms holding them and placed one on each of her hips (which were unmistakably wider than they had been the last time he'd seen her). "Charlie, Steven, It's time for your naps."

"We prepared the room," Ramonda said.

"Good! Thanks so much!" Bella said as she disappeared.

"Yeah, so the last time we were here, Steven threw a tantrum and set his blanket on fire. We had to make sure nothing flammable is within his reach this time," Bucky explained.

"Charlie made it worse. She used her shield to protect them both. She turned them both invisible and kept us from being able to see them or feel them. They were safe, but I'd rather not have a repeat of that incident," Shuri said.

"I can't believe they are a year old already! I know they look six months old, but even still they seem to growing too fast," Steve said.

"If you came to visit more often, it would not seem so fast," Shuri responded.

Steve didn't answer.

'Hey! I know what will make you stay longer this time," Bucky said. "I've succeeded."

"In what?" Steve asked.

"I've talked W'Kabi into giving you riding lessons on one of the war rhinos."

"That should be fun. It's good you're durable too," Shuri said with a laugh. "I wouldn't put it past W'Kabi to give you a grumpy one just to see it throw you off and try to skewer you."

"With that kind of bribe, I might just stay for the month," Steve said.

oooooooooooooooooooo

One Year Later.

Mukasa and Nalwanga peered through the window of the homestead by the lake. Within, they could see where Bella sat with a sleeping toddler in her lap. Bucky slept nearby, a second baby sleeping beside him on the mattress. Bella sang softly and ran her fingers through the long, brown hair and stared at the tiny hands as if they held all the secrets of the world. She gave a contented sigh and closed her eyes.

"Nyabo, you are satisfied?" Mukasa asked.

"Yes," Nalwanga said with a self-satisfied expression. "It is as I wished."

"Why did you choose these two?" Mukasa asked and directed his question towards the children.

"Because they will be needed. These children will not reach adulthood before they are called upon to protect Wakanda," Nalwanga said.

"It is good," Mukasa responded. The two figures vanished into the morning mist before anyone even noticed their presence. On the doorstep of the hut, they left two small calabash rattles, each engraved with the name of the child and an image of a paddle.

The End

Author's Note: Hello again to all my dear readers. I know I said Heart of the Acacia was completed. And really, it was (and is), however when I was finishing up the last chapters of Acacia, I came across one line describing Nalwanga's gifts and this story decided it needed to be written. I suppose I wasn't quite ready to leave Wakanda yet. It's been fun so thanks for reading! :)

Translations:

Ssebo: Luganda for sir.

Nyabo: Luganda for madam

weebale nyo: Luganda for Thank-you very much.

Balubaale: Luganda for the guardian spirits.

Bwana: Swahili for sir

nini: what

Asante: Swahili for Thank you

Karibuni: You are welcome here.

Panya: mouse