A/N: Okay, to begin with, I thank all those who enjoyed reading Nine Month Abstinence. Thank you for all your heartwarming and inspiring reviews and comments. I'm really happy you took the time to read my story and express your thoughts through reviews! So here's the sequel~

As usual, rated T for language and stuff...

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and its characters.

"Hey Roddy! Are you done yet? You've been in there for thirty minutes now. Do you know how tiring it is to stand here? Roddy! Roddy! What is wrong with you now?" Gillian stood outside the bathroom as she listened to her husband retch. It was pitiful, hearing him gasp and struggle to at least expel something from his system. Earlier she had been surprised to find him looking rather ill as he sat in the living room sofa with some sheet music clutched weakly in his hands.

Wasn't she the one pregnant? Then why was Roderich clearly showing physical symptoms someone like her should be experiencing? The woman released a sigh as she heard the lock click and the door finally opened to reveal her husband's disheveled form. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. Lately, I've just felt-" "You don't have to explain. At least now you understand how much shit I go through." She allowed a smirk to grace her lips as Roderich groaned.

"I'm going out." Roderich blinked. Gillian shrugged at his silence and proceeded to rummage through her wardrobe. For a moment there, he almost looked lost. Gillian suppressed a smirk as she sensed her husband catch on. "You can't! what if you're exposed to teratogenic substances? There are a lot! We need to be careful, Gillian. We need to make sure the baby comes to no harm. You-" Roderich cut off as he felt another wave of nausea hit him. What was wrong with him today? He tried to comb his hair back into something more presentable as he watched his wife go through her drawers next.

"No need to be so paranoid, silly priss. I'm going to the doctor. I have a check-up scheduled today, or did you actually forget that?" sarcasm laced her voice as she pulled out a blouse. "I can take care of myself, Roderich. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get out." She flashed him one of those victorious grins of hers; and he resisted the urge to suddenly restrain her.

Three hours. Roderich patiently waited for three hours, nursing his headache and the waves of nausea as he shut himself in the bathroom. Gillian was taking so long. Surely a pre-natal visit wouldn't take up an hour or more! He had reminded her several times in the past to come straight home whenever she went out. Usually he would accompany her, just to be on the safe side. Who knew what dangers lurked out there for pregnant women like her? He could only hope she would come home soon safe and sound, mood swings and all. And she did return home, a strange mixture of emotion crossing her face.

"H-how did it go, Gillian? I'm really sorry I couldn't accompany you for your pre-natal check-up today. It's just I-I-" Roderich stammered out his apology, the lightest of blushes dusting his cheeks. Gillian looked unimpressed. She settled down next to him and eyed the swell of her belly with disdain. "Perhaps I should have gone with you. I think I need a check-up as well."

"Nah, I told the doctor your problem. Nothing to worry about, Roddy. Doc said you're one of the many lucky husbands who have couvade syndrome or whatever it is. Congratulations. At least I can rest happy knowing I'm not the only one suffering for this entire pregnancy." Again with that sarcasm! Roderich shot her a perplexed look but did not respond, his head still spinning even with all the pills he had taken. Gillian only huffed at his situation, her eyes bearing no hint of sympathy at all, and that was what pained him more than the sick feeling in his body.

Couvade syndrome? It seemed familiar. He must have read it somewhere in one of those books he acquired recently the moment he learned of his wife's pregnancy. He was nearly startled out of his chair when he heard a soft thump and felt sudden warmth upon his lap. He glanced down to find Gillian's head nestled there, one of her hands playing with the hem of his shirt. "Gil?" He reached down to give her head a tentative stroke. Ever since they learned of her pregnancy Gillian had taken great measures to avoid all forms of intimacy. Her mood swings were horrible. It had pained him all throughout her first trimester when she would glare accusingly at him and scream at him to be as far away from her as possible. It was like their love had completely fallen apart.

Surely other pregnant women would not act so extremely, but Gillian was far from being an ordinary woman. He had endured it all in silence, getting so worked up about every little thing just to make her feel something akin to happiness, until he finally broke down to this-this stupid couvade syndrome. Gillian had a point. He was finally experiencing what she had suffered for her first few months.

"Gil," he tried again, wincing as she turned her head to flash him an annoyed glare. "Spit it out, priss." she replied, although there was no hostility in her tone. Her hand did not stop tugging and twirling the edges of his shirt. "Is there something wrong? You can talk to me about it, Gillian." "What makes you think there's something wrong? Seriously, I wonder what goes on in that head of yours nowadays, Roddy." Her voice softened considerably, her gaze lowering back to where she had been previously staring at emptiness. Roderich relaxed, a relieved sigh escaping his lips as he stroked her hair before responding, "You know you haven't been very touchy-feely lately. You shun me away and avoid touching me if possible. Why the sudden change now? I thought you finally…hated me." the last part was said in a whisper, but the hint of pain lingered there.

He forced a tiny smile upon his face as Gillian shifted to glance at him once more. "So you don't want me to be touchy-feely with you now?" Recognizing that change in her tone and the way she had strung her reply together made Roderich panic internally. "No! G-Gillian, I did not mean it that way. I meant that you've distanced yourself from me ever since we learned you're pregnant, and th-this is actually the first time you've-And I've missed you…" he trailed off, at a loss for words as he wondered if his wife would get up and leave in another angry huff (she seemed to do that a lot instead of simply hitting him like she used to. Maybe pregnancy worked wonders on her violent streak). He stiffened in surprise as he felt her wrap her arms around him instead.

"Don't get sentimental on me, Roddy. I just wanted a pillow and you're the only one available at the moment." Still, her words were spoken in a gentle manner that the man could not help but feel lighter, like a burden was cast out of his heart and mind. "Sure, I'll be your pillow." Best to humor her for a while and relish in this moment; he might not be able to get this kind of chance later on.

How many minutes had gone by, Roderich did not know. He did not care. His frustrations, his fears were ebbing away, replaced with that unexplainable fluffy feeling inside of him that was neither bad nor good. Gillian was quiet, her head nestled on his lap, her arms still around his waist. Her position however, seemed rather uncomfortable, seeing that her belly was more enlarged and swollen. He wondered if he should shift her into a better position. Withdrawing his hand from her head, he gently took hold of her shoulders and tried to move her. Gillian cracked one eye open, silently questioning what he was trying to do.

She did not understand why he was suddenly moving her away. To his utter shock and disappointment, Gillian pulled away from him entirely and sat up, leaning farther away, her expression unreadable as she stared him up and down. She must have misunderstood his actions! Roderich mentally face palmed himself. Bad move! He should have told her beforehand. But how could he convince her to lie back down and snuggle next to him without irritating her? It was all so frustrating!

Gillian sensed her husband's agitation. That mixed expression on his face meant there was a problem. If that was the case, he should attempt to solve it on his own. Whatever was troubling him was none of her business unless it concerned her again in one way or another. Didn't he usually let out his emotions through piano-playing?

Maybe now was the time he released all those bottled up feelings. Maybe that was the reason why he felt ill, he had not been playing the piano! Maybe for her sake he was suppressing himself? Sure, she was the only one allowed to hurt the priss but that didn't mean he could simply go about inflicting himself emotional harm; she wasn't a sadist! And anyway, she wasn't in the mood to toy with him. Not now. She had other things to think of more awesome than annoying her prissy husband.

"Hey Roddy," He perked up the moment she called out. "Yes?" Too agitated. That tone of his was grating on her nerves. "Play something for me." A pause. Roderich blinked once, twice. "Wh-what?" Maybe he didn't hear her correctly. Maybe he was imagining it. "You've gone deaf. Play for me, won't you?" A ghost of a smile flitted on the corners of Gillian's lips as her husband sputtered in bewilderment. Yep, he definitely needed his music therapy.

Roderich tilted his glasses back into its proper place as he tried to regain some self-control. Was she serious? She had threatened his piano last time, what if she'd change her mind the moment he played something? But as he met her gaze, there was no tinge of malice or treachery. Of course, Gillian's unpredictability had increased tenfold due to her pregnancy, but there was truly something sincere in her request, something that made it hard for him to be doubtful and defensive.

"What would you like?" He relaxed his shoulders, aware of how Gillian was practically staring at him. "Anything. Something awesome." A full-blown smirk was highlighting her face now, and he could not help but feel the spark of a challenge. "Are you sure?" "I'm sure, unless you want me to create music using your fine china tea set, I suggest you do what you usually do best with that damn piano of yours." He cringed inwardly at her threat, before smiling in acquiescence.

"Why'd you go and play that? You tasteless priss!" Only a few minutes after he had played one of Mozart's pieces, and now his wife was bawling in her seat like a child robbed of a dear toy. Truly, Roderich had no idea what triggered Gillian's emotions. Everything about her seemed unstable! "I'm going out, Roddy." "Wait, what? Where are you going?" "Too many questions, Rod! I'm paying West a visit. I bet he's more awesome than you are right now. You just made me cry unawesome tears due to your crappy piano playing!" With that said, she stormed out of the music room, leaving Roderich gaping at her in shock.

"Wait! At least let me accompany you there! The danger-" "Stop the melodrama, Roddy! It's not like I'm divorcing you." "Gillian Maria! Come back here! I'm not letting you leave this house unprepared and unprotected. Think of the baby's health! The outside world-" "You're not the fucking idiot who's pregnant! Stop making a fuss, I'm not going to die. You're not the one who goes for pre-natal check-ups and gets an earful of crappy advice on do's and don'ts. So leave me alone!"

'In the end, she left me alone, but before she reaches her brother's house, I need to make an important call and instruct Ludwig on what to expect and what to do.' Roderich contemplated writing a list, bemoaning the headache that had returned full force. 'What is she planning anyway?'

It was a good thing Ludwig only lived a short distance away, if an hour-long walk could be considered short. By the time Gillian arrived on the doorstep she was breathing heavily, sweat trickling on her brow as she sought to bite back a pained groan. Damn, she definitely needed to exercise! Roderich had cooped her up in the house too much that her legs were losing its strength.

Another one of the reasons she hated this entire pregnancy business, it made her too weak, too vulnerable and helpless. She shuddered at her depressing train of thought before focusing back to the present. Hopefully, her little brother would treat her the same way. She didn't bother knocking, screaming at the top of her lungs always worked best.

"West! West! Open the door, it's your awesome schwester!" She yelled, a grin on her face as she waited impatiently. Several minutes passed, there seemed to be no movement within the house. Strange. Gillian knew her little brother's habits too well; he wouldn't be out of the house during this time of day. "West!" she tried once more, her impatience turning into mild annoyance.

Her legs hurt from standing still, her back a bit strained due to the added weight of a four-month pregnancy. She looked down to glare at her swollen belly, hissing a curse at it. "Stupid-I'd probably look like a cow in the next few months! This thing…why the fuck do you make me tired? Why the hell am I putting up with you?"

Finally fed up with standing for too long (and damn, her legs hurt so much now, she needed to relieve the tension by kicking West afterward), Gillian sat herself down and leaned against the door. She didn't care if people saw her, as long as she got to rest her aching legs the rest of the world could go to hell. They didn't know how unawesome it was to suffer in this way.

"West," she whined weakly, eyes blankly looking ahead as she lightly rocked herself back and forth, making sure not to hit her back against the door too hard. It was awkward with the growing lump in her belly; how in the world could a baby get so big within her? Or perhaps it was just the extra serving of salad she had earlier. Salad…when did she ever take a liking to salad? Did the growing fetus within her crave salad? Okay, her mind was trailing away into a pointless oblivion, lost in a daydream. And daydreams gave her awesome ideas to keep her sane; one such awesome idea entered her head. She grinned. She'd have her fun.

It was hard to find that one special rock that beat all other rocks in its awesomeness. The curve, the color…it was perfect for the job. Gillian grinned as she scrutinized every detail of the rock in her hand before testing its weight. Perfect. Since she was bored with nothing better to do than wait for the stupid door to be opened, now was the best opportunity to try her dormant skills. If this wouldn't get her uptight little brother out of his house, she wondered what else would. Unless he truly wasn't at home. Positioning herself a short distance away from her target, she took a deep breath, mentally checking off the pros and cons of doing this. Oh well, this would be a great way of stress relief. That window reminded her of her husband's glasses. All of her second thoughts flew out of her head the same time she hurled that perfect rock holding all her stress into Ludwig's kitchen window.

The resounding crash was music to her ears. If only she could hear a better crash than that! Something resounding, like a piano breaking to pieces. Ah, but that was too much work. The sound of glass shattering was much more pretty right now, the rock hitting something else inside the house. The satisfied smirk on Gillian's face widened into a grin as a shocked yelp resounded from within. The sound of footsteps rushing towards the front door…she ambled towards it, intent on meeting her little brother who would most likely be as furious as a raging bull now that his kitchen window was nothing but a broken mess. Perhaps her perfect rock had hit him on the head as well?

The door swung open as Ludwig stepped out with a cry of outrage, only to stop his murderous threats at the sight of his sister grinning at him. "If only I knew that throwing rocks at your windows would get you out soon enough, I'd have done it half an hour ago." the grin disappeared, replaced with a scowl, and this time it was her turn to scream bloody murder.

"Please don't tell me you've gone deaf, stupid brother! I've been yelling my throat raw endlessly, and where were you? Asleep? Or in the bathroom? Or maybe-"

She put a hand over her heart in mock horror, "were you watching porn, West?" Ludwig didn't know what to make of his older sister's mood swings, unpredictable as the rant she was currently having.

His anger dissipated slightly to be replaced by an embarrassed blush as his sister mentioned- "Schwester! I-it's not that! I-I was occupied with something at the moment and didn't hear you-" "Because you had the volume turned up so loud in your room you didn't hear the awesome me, is that it?" "No! It's not-I wasn't watching-ugh, I was talking with someone on the phone!" The conversation was taking an awkward turn for him already!

Gillian stopped her teasing immediately, a look of realization on her face. "Oh, a phone call. From who? Your Italian girlfriend?" "No, your Austrian husband." At this, Ludwig actually noticed the color drain from his sister's face. Her eyes widened slightly in mild surprise, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. He wondered if she was alright, he should invite her in already!

Just as he was about to open the door wider for her, she turned on her heel and walked away as fast as she could. "Wait, schwester! Where are you going? Didn't you come here for something?" His sister stopped in her tracks to flash him a pout, "Ja, I came here to escape, West, but I guess your place is not safe either." "Safe? Safe from what? Gillian, it's getting late. Come inside." "Nein. I'm going somewhere far away, nice and safe for a while." His patience was running thin now; he had delayed giving his sister a scolding for breaking his window, but his sister had come here for a reason only to leave the moment he was actually letting her in.

He was getting confused, his sister was responding rather vaguely and he didn't have enough time to deal with it. Leaving the door open, he rushed out after her, catching up easily and pulling her back by the wrist. The glare he received made him let go quickly and break eye contact. He could tell his sister was pissed. And he had no idea why.

"Gil, I don't understand," he murmured, feeling a bit self-conscious now. Right now he felt so small; the way Gillian was glaring daggers at him made him feel like a criminal. "I don't understand why you're suddenly pissed off, schwester. At least tell me why you're suddenly going away again." He met her gaze this time, steeling himself for whatever Gillian was going to say. A sigh escaped her lips instead.

"You were on the phone with Roderich." "Ja, and? Just because I was on the phone with him you want to go someplace else?" "Silly West. I want to get away from Roddy's unawesome clutches for a while, not that I hate him to the point of divorce or anything, I just want to get away from his nagging. Seriously, he's more like the fucking wife in our marriage, if you know what I mean." She gave her brother a weary smile. "And if I don't know any better, I'm sure that call would be a fucking list of instructions on how to 'Make sure the baby and Gillian are healthy, happy and safe'. That's what I want to escape from, West. Just for a day or two." Ouch. She had hit the mark on that one!

Before Gillian could turn away again, Ludwig had taken hold of her wrist once more. "But Roderich is right, Gil. You need to ensure your baby's healthy, happy and safe. I think it was right of him to tell me-" "And I think it's wrong for me to impose on you, bruder. Seriously, I'm sorry I broke your window for nothing. I'll be on my way then, ja?" she grinned at him before attempting to yank her wrist out of his grip. "Nein, stay here, Gillian. Night has fallen, I can't let you wander off aimlessly just because you want to avoid Roderich." Ignoring her protests and mild threats, he dragged her back to his house.

"I don't know who I hate more tonight. It's either you or the priss. And don't fucking treat me like some helpless damsel or I'll break your dishes next!" "Sure, sure. You can complain about how much you hate me tonight, schwester, but only after you clean up the mess you made of my window. See? I'm not treating you like some helpless damsel now, do I?"

"No West, you're fucking heartless." "Only for a day or two." The siblings shared a grin.

"Ugh, stop it. Happy as I am to know that you still have a some weird sense of humor, I'm not in the mood to be the recipient of it. I can still kick your ass." "I can kick you out of the house." A short pause as the elder mulled over the words. She turned back to the younger with a grin, "Then kick me out already! I want to go someplace else, remember?" This time, it was the younger who took a short pause, his expression unreadable, his gaze lingering on the shattered remains of his window. "Nah, stay. You still need to clean that mess." "It was your fault you didn't open the damn door right away!"

The night was still young, and life seemed normal, almost back to what it once was. Gillian punched Ludwig in the arm as she accepted the broom he proffered to her. They drifted off into silence, the only sounds in the kitchen were the swishing of the broom, the clinking of broken glass, and Ludwig preparing dinner.

"Hey West, I may be a bit unawesome for noticing it just now, but did my perfect rock actually hit you on the head?"

A pause. A glare. A sigh.

"Ja, it did." "Awesome! I don't have to kick your ass anymore! My perfect rock has avenged me. W-wait, what are you going to do with my perfect rock? W-West?"

It was safe to say things were going smoothly, and all seemed normal in the Beilschmidt household…well, only for a day or two.

A/N: First chapter's done! I think I messed up on this one...Anyway, please review! If ever I made any mistakes, please feel free to correct me. Updates for this story will be slow due to the following reasons: One, I have a busy schedule and barely have time to write since I have a lot of other things to do. Two, I don't have a stable internet connection right now; I often have to go to my friend's apartment just to leech off her internet.

I really hope you bear with me! Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. I get easily inspired that way.