BETA READ by keppiehed (Perfect Imagination)

Jane giggled, feeling her spouse's lips in the nape of her neck. She hadn't allowed her eyes to open yet, but she knew by intuition it would be morning. She was about to roll over to return the kiss when something in her tummy churned, and she threw aside the covers and jerked up hastily, running in the direction of the bathroom.

"Jane?" Edward called, having absolutely no idea what was going on. Within seconds he could hear the sound of someone vomiting, and he fell backward on the pillow again and waited. The sound of water running filled his ears, until the rather particular chirping of the door indicated Jane's return. He could barely hear her soft footfalls as she walked toward the bed again. He could feel the mattress lower beside him, and the rush of cold morning air again as she resettled under the sheets beside him. "Jane, are you all right?" He questioned, rather surprised that she didn't cuddle up in his side this time, as she usually did. Instead, she was on her side facing the window. Her eyes closed as his fingers trailed over her side in tenderness.

"Mmm. A reaction to the heavy meal of yesterday night, I assume," she replied, even though she herself had another possibility in mind. Could it really be after having been late for only five days? Jane's hand quietly reached down to cover her still-flat tummy. She smiled.

"What are you in the mood for today?" Jane questioned, lost in thought, letting her forefinger run over the back of the rows of leather-bound novels. A little smile was spread across her features as she quietly waited for Edward's reply. Quite often, she would read to him after dinner. That was something they both particularly enjoyed.

"Mm," Edward pondered. "How would you feel about something … romantic?"

"Ah," Jane mused, while taking a thick, mauve book off the shelves, and walked over to the armchair in which her spouse sat waiting. "Strange choice for a man. Are you in need of inspiration, my—" the rest of that got interrupted as Edward lovingly pulled his wife into his warm embrace. She squealed, as Edward quietly gathered her body against his. The heavy old book fell down on the carpet with a thump.

Jane happily sighed, nuzzling his firm jaw line. "You might not be able to do this in a few months' time anymore," she said, letting her forefinger trail down the solid ripples of his upper body, traceable through the material. She then teasingly poked his abdomen, and giggled, seeing his hand immediately reach for it, as he feigned to be seriously hurt.

"Ouch, woman!" He exclaimed. He waited until Jane's giggles had died away, then continued, "We haven't even been married for half a year, and I'm already no longer allowed to embrace you!" He said. "Where will it lead? How will it end; with us in other rooms at night?" He questioned.

"No," she replied, lying her head down in the crook of his neck. "I have become used to sleep in your arms at night and find I quite enjoy it. I never said that you couldn't embrace me anymore, either, but you might have to be more careful until …"

His eyebrow intuitively quirked, not quite getting what she meant. She merely laughed at that. "Until what?" He asked, beginning to tickle her when Jane didn't immediately reply.

"Ah!" Jane squealed and laughed. "Stop! Stop! I'm … ticklish there!"

"Oh really?" Edward said as he discontinued tickling her. "I hadn't noticed that," he teased. "What I have, however, noticed lately," he continued, pulling her straighter in his lap, "is that you have been unusually happy."

Jane eyed him. Of course she couldn't keep secrets for him. Her nearly everlasting smile since her suspicions had been confirmed only grew. Maybe right now would be okay to tell him … This was his child, too. The nurse seriously couldn't have anticipated her to wait with telling the father until the first couple of months were over as well, could she? "So would you rather I'm depressed instead?" She questioned.

"I didn't say that, but I cannot stop wondering if there's maybe a particular reason …"

"Oh, there's one, for sure," she said, lovingly nuzzling his cheek. Edward and she hadn't talked about children thus far, and so she felt rather nervous about telling him the news. However, another part of her somehow knew he wouldn't be disappointed by the news, but happy. "It does have to do with why I usually need to throw up in the morning …"

"Are you finally going to tell me what's causing that? I have been getting rather worried about it. You know, just because I can't see doesn't necessarily mean I can't know."

"That's true," Jane said, stroking a few stray hairs off his forehead.

Edward's fingers closed around hers, and he again quirked his eyebrow – a rather familiar gesture. "Now," he began, "are you finally going to tell me willingly, or do I need to tickle you again?" He asked, holding his hand over her tummy. To his utter surprise, her hand moved to lay upon his, holding it against her abdomen, but tightly enough not to invite him to tickle her again – just to make sure. His dark, hairy eyebrow actually raised until his hairline now. "Well … ?"

"Well," Jane said, "there … may be some changes about to come up in the next couple of months."

"What changes?" He questioned, his face suddenly turning very serious.

Jane giggled, pushing his hand harder against her abdomen, as she blew up her tummy as a final hint. Edward's unseeing blue eyes widened as realization suddenly downed upon him. "You're … You're …" he began.

"Expecting," Jane finished, and smiled.

"You're … We're … That's terrific!" He exclaimed.

"Indeed," she agreed. "You're going to be a father in a few months time, if the nurse's estimations and my recollections are correct. I certainly do hope he or she's going to be faster in getting a hint than Daddy, though," she added teasingly. Jane's eyebrows quirked too, now, watching him repeatedly open and reopen his mouth much like a fish on land, without any intelligible sound escaping. "So … are you happy, then?" She questioned, something in her beginning to worry, even though the smile still adorned her face. "Surprised?" She tried.

"Surprised would be a very mild way of saying it," he replied, hand tightening over her belly. Soon, it would be getting a whole lot bigger. Gone would be the tiny feminine waist Edward had gotten used to. He couldn't care less about that, though. He couldn't wait until he could feel the baby kicking inside her tummy, and … "I … I'm going to be a father!" He exclaimed, getting up with her in his arms and twirling her around. "I'm going to be a father!" He repeated.

"Yes, you are!" She exclaimed, "but please let me down now, or I'm going to have to throw up again."

Edward slowly stopped spinning them around and put her down on her feet again. "When?" He questioned.

"The beginning of summer," she replied. "So … You're happy then?" She merely had to ask.

"Happy?" He questioned. "Happy? I'm ecstatic!" He said, flopping down on the armchair with Jane in his lap again. He lovingly nuzzled her neck, until she suddenly pulled away and veered up off his lap again.

"Bathroom!" She excused herself, already running.

Another rush of cold air hit his body as Jane pushed aside the covers and slipped underneath them. Unlike every other night as of late, she didn't immediately roll on her side with her back facing Edward. She hadn't been feeling like being intimate with him since she had begun to show. Edward had remarked about it only once, and after that had not asked about it anymore. He didn't know anything about women having babies, after all. No, instead of rolling over on her side with her back turned to him as had been the case of late, Jane instead rolled over to face him. "That's been a while since I have seen anything but your back at night," Edward said sarcastically, having felt the stream of warm air escaping her mouth upon his face.

"You do know why, as well," she said, even though she knew that he didn't really mean it the way it might have sounded to another.

"Mm," he said, one hand reaching over to lay upon her hip and squeezing.

"You know, I really have missed our … nightly exercises," she whispered, leaning in to blow upon his ear and taking the earlobe in-between her lips, sucking sensually. Edward had unwillingly taught her this. He groaned as that very same realization downed upon him. Her hand tormentingly trailed down over his upper body, loosening every button of the pajama he wore on the way. She merely moved on when reaching the last one, hooking her thumb into the bottoms and pushing them down.

A familiar, dry chuckle escaped his mouth, as Edward slowly pushed his wife backward in the pillows, hovering over her while leaning on his elbows, their bellies touching either way. The few stray moonbeams that filtered in-between the curtains illuminated the bedroom just enough for her to be able to see his face and read it carefully. It appeared as if Edward had noticed her big, round tummy pushing up against his, too. Truth told, it was quite hard not to, and she would only get bigger as the months passed. She was only five months along, after all, and it already was quite impossible to make love like that, but that didn't mean there weren't other ways …

Jane quietly watched as he uneasily shrugged off his pajamas, leaning first on one arm, and then the other again, followed by him furiously kicking his legs until the bottoms finally slid off onto the floor. He then rolled onto his back again, pulling Jane with him. "That's more comfortable," he said, leaning up to momentarily capture her mouth with his as she slowly straddled him, the evidence of his arousal between them, feeling solid as iron. Jane lightly swiveled her hips against him, causing him to groan with delight and her to chuckle.

"You appear to have missed me, mister Rochester," she said.

"You have absolutely no idea," he replied, as his mouth moved onto her collarbone, one hand supporting his weight, and the other already fingering the hem of her nightgown. Jane smiled at his eagerness. She had quite missed their intimacy, too. It felt nice to feel not so nauseous that she could barely even ponder about making love to him for a change. His fingers easily caught hold of the sheer fabric, and he all but tore it off her, his hand beginning to roam the area between her slightly swollen breasts. He then buried his head in her bosom as he tenderly palmed one globe, weighing it, then letting it bounce again. As he began kissing the side of the other perfect globe, his hand traveled lower over her already well swollen tummy toward her center. "You're so wet," Edward realized aloud, as he slowly ran his thumb between her slick nether lips. He purposefully halted at her clit, marveling in her moan of anticipation.

"We really cannot do this. Isn't this very … naughty?" She whispered, leaning both her hands upon his broad upper body, watching him through a haze of lust.

Edward's lips reassuringly met with hers. "There certainly are kinkier positions," he said, dryly. "Do you feel comfortable this way?" He asked.

She nodded. "I do, but …" The pad of his thumb shushed Jane's rambling. She lovingly kissed it, tasting herself on his skin. She felt Edward's hands coming to rest on her lower back as he slowly lay back into the bed. Once he appeared to have settled comfortably, he tenderly began trailing his hands over the length of her spine, massaging her. He had long learned this particular gesture to be Jane's undoing while foreplay lasted. It made her relax entirely and give in to the feelings of anticipation and lust washing over her; eventually he settled between her thighs. Her eyes fluttered shut. Another groan escaped Edward's mouth, unbidden, as she naturally began to rock her pelvis against his, aching for more touch.

Jane's usually composed breathing turned into little, hard gasps, and the highly aroused female began whimpering for more. "Sure?" Edward questioned, halting every motion, upon which Jane's eyes fluttered again, as she fought to open them for him, even though her spouse couldn't see anymore. He often gave her the feeling to know everything either way, being able to see or not.

"I don't know how to do this," Jane admitted.

"Shh," Edward soothed, using a hand to guide himself into her. Another groan of satisfaction sounded as he slowly sank into her hot, wet core. Both of his hands came up to her waist, and he carefully guided her pelvis against his, setting a very slow, but satisfying rhythm. The leisurely pace, however, became difficult to deal with as the passion between them rose higher. Her culmination overtook Jane entirely by surprise as her spouse's skilful thumb encircled her clit just right. He could do more with one thumb than most men could with both of their hands.

"Edward," she released, once the lights behind her tightly closed eyelids weren't flickering anymore.

In response, he quietly tightened his arms around her, using his feet to shove himself up to sit against the headboard. He firmly pushed both his feet into the mattress and began to trust more forcefully upward in his wife's tight sheath, eliciting cries of delight. He thus continued to do this until a wince of Jane immediately made him discontinue. "Jane, are you all right?" He questioned worriedly.

She nodded, but he didn't move once again. Jane's eyes fluttered open to look at him. "Please don't stop now …" she begged.

He nodded, nearly imperceptibly, and guided his wife off him, moving them until she lay spooning into him. "How is this ever going to—" she began, as Edward fit his body tightly against hers, and lead his rigid manhood to rest against Jane's opening. He somehow managed to work his one arm underneath her, so that his hand had free access to roam across her body, as the other supported her leg. Jane sighed contentedly as she intuitively drew her hand back to rest upon his bare hip, the tightening of her fingers urging him to finally slide into her again and to begin to move.

The couple moved in tandem, discovering a pace mere couples take years to find, and some never obtain at all. Soon enough, cries of pure satisfaction, first female, then male, bounced off against the walls.

"I could lie here forever," Jane whispered, enjoying the touch of Edward's fingertips ghosting over her side as the woman now nearing the end of her impregnated state lay spooned into her spouse's body. This had become one of Jane, and Edward, and their unborn's favorite activities to do in the afternoon when the sun appeared generous enough.

"Me, too," Edward murmured, nuzzling into her shoulder, as his warm hand slowly moved to lay across hers, supporting her now very large tummy. "Where's the baby?" He questioned in a very childish tone, as if he was already warming up to play peek-a-boo with the baby once their son or daughter was born. Edward had mentioned on mere occasions that it certainly would be a son, whereas Jane doubted that every time.

"You're on the very same level as him or her," Jane said teasingly, leading their joined hands a couple of inches higher, where she could feel the baby's little feet.

"Of course," Edward said, fleetingly kissing her well-defined jaw line. "One of us has to be, no?" He said, and smiled. There was something very unique about feeling his child kick away in its mother's tummy. He often told her that. Edward carefully pushed against the baby's little feet, knowing that he or she liked that. It wasn't the first time that father and child played this particular game. As usual, the baby momentarily kicked back harder, then moved a few inches, inviting him to hunt the feet again. Edward caught up too soon, though. Jane smiled, secretly enjoying their little game, too … even though she often told Edward how childish he sometimes could be.

Father and child's little banter game continued another few minutes, until Jane suddenly gasped, her hand intuitively jerking toward her back. Edward hadn't missed the motion. It wasn't the first time that this happened either. Jane had been dealing with quite a bit of back pain lately. He didn't really find it so odd, considering the size of her belly lately and how slim the body that had to carry it around every second of every day and night was. As had become their custom, Edward's hand naturally moved to her pained lower back and began massaging it with a tenderness not many would anticipate of him. Jane's pained features relaxed soon again as Edward dutifully helped the pain to ease. He never failed to make his wife feel better, no matter what. That was one of the reasons why Jane had married him. Even the sight of his familiar lopsided grin could raise a smile on her face.

Once the pain was entirely gone, Jane slowly sat. "Jane, where are you going?" Edward questioned, upon feeling his wife uneasily get up. She left the quilt that was spread on the grass for them both to sit on without getting their attires messy. "Jane!" He cried when she didn't reply, and he uneasily staggered to his feet, too. He intuitively followed the sound of her giggles, nearly tripping over a rock in between the grass twice, but managing to reach her without falling down either way just with the sound of her giggles.

"You're such a tease," he whispered, as he finally wrapped his arms around her considerable waist. He had not been able to surround it entirely with his arms anymore since she had reached seven months. She had gained quite a bit, and her silly little cravings for anything that was sweet since Jane had been about four months along did not really help. "Jane, what are you doing?" He questioned, feeling her every muscle flex as if she was uneasily reaching for something.

"I'm …" she uttered, gasping. Edward's arms calmly released her, and he quietly lay both his hands upon her shoulders, feeling his way down her arms with them. One hand came to support her belly again, as the other followed the length of her arm in the air. Edward's arm, however, was just long enough to find what she had, indeed, been reaching for. His fingers locked around the particularly red apple and cautiously pulled it free for her. However, instead of handing it to her, Edward wanted to tease her a bit longer. He held up the apple high into the air, knowing she would never be able to reach it.

"Edward!" She exclaimed, her belly bumping against his as she turned, and stood on her toes, doing everything she could to reach the fruit. When she couldn't, she began to tickle him instead, which appeared just enough for him to lower his hand that tiny bit necessary. As her fingers finally closed around the apple, Jane gasped. The hand that had been casually supporting the weight of her belly intuitively tightened through the fabric of her blue gown, as something wet trickled down her leg. The red apple fell down into the grass as Jane's other hand joined the first. She winced, hunching over, forever glad that her spouse was right with her. The nurse had told her a bit about what could be anticipated while going into labor last visit, and Jane immediately was convinced this was actually it.

"Jane?" Edward voiced, worry audible upon feeling his wife's sudden unease.

"Argh!" Jane cried, holding tightly onto the tall wooden bedpost, tears streaming down her cheeks as another contraction ran its course through her body. One of Edward's hands was carefully massaging her pained lumbar region through the fabric of the thin yellow nightgown he had dutifully helped her change into ahead of the nurse's arrival. His other hand supported her belly, even though the tenderness with which he did so sent shreds of pure agony through her. How much pain could being in labor cause? How much more could she bear?

Once that was over again, she tiredly leaned her clammy, sweaty forehead against the wood of the bedpost. She gasped, a particularly burning sensation settling between her thighs. The urge to push which she felt was something the nurse had mentioned, too … 'You should believe in what your body's telling you,' she had said … but the damned nurse was not there yet, and so Jane did not know what to do but listen to the signals of her body.

"What are you doing?" Edward shrieked, feeling his wife's unusually deep intake of air right then.

"Pushing!" Jane replied, and screamed.

"Are you all right?" Edward asked, not having failed to hear his wife's little wince.

"I'm more than all right now," Jane tiredly replied. "I'm just not familiar with this feeling," she elucidated, leaning into his warm embrace.

Edward nodded. "I told you we were having a son," he said. Jane merely chuckled, somehow having anticipated him saying that sooner or later once the nurse had announced she had given birth to a beautiful baby boy. She had arrived just in time to guide their son into the world one hour earlier. "I wish I could see him," he whispered, his tone turning sad.

"I know," she said, watching as he let his mother's nipple slide, and instead nuzzled into her, seemingly sated. She calmly tugged her nightgown closed. "You haven't yet held your son. Would you like to? " She asked, not really waiting for a reply, but already carefully handing him over.

"He's- He's …"

"Easy – only make sure to support his head," Jane whispered, helping him.

He did as she instructed. "He feels so tiny!"

"He is."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."