Today, Mattie seemed just as anxious as she had been all week, though she was trying not to let it show too much. Currently she was in the hammock, humming softly both to soothe herself, and to keep the little one calm. Ivan was cleaning up after breakfast and while she hadn't been even the slightest bit hungry, Mattie had eaten a little bit so Ivan wouldn't worry much.

The rest of the morning carried out in their usual routine, Ivan sat down to carve near the tub, while Mattie sang soft tunes. Snowfall could be seen outside the windows, though neither wind nor any other sounds could be heard from outside; to Ivan, this was a perfect day. So when Mattie stopped singing and became silent, Ivan turned to her. "Need something?"

"Can you remove the hammock? I'm feeling restless."

"That's fine, you've been feeling like that for some time now." A kiss was placed on her forehead. "You sure that you're not wanting to be in the bathing room tub, just wanting the hammock gone?"

"I just want it out." After the hammock was removed and the tub was how she desired, Mattie explained a little more on how she was feeling today. "I'd probably swim to the edge of the bay and back if that were possible right now." She says with a sigh, sinking under the water for a few moments before resurfacing. "Not nearly as much space as I want, but it'll do since what I really want is currently frozen."

"Well there is nothing I can do about that."

She smiles slightly. "I know. We can't help it since it's winter. Though, I'd rather not be able to swim because it's winter than have the child any other time of the year when the villagers can bother us."

"I can agree with that."

Mattie made him lean down for a kiss and then let him get back to his carving while she moved about in the tub restlessly. Ivan continued as he was before and paid attention for any sign that she wanted something.

The mermaid finally settled on laying upon the warm rocks that lined the bottom of the tub, managing to relax and calm a little as the warmth seeped into her.

Suddenly she felt one of the pains she had been feeling on and off, but worse than any she'd felt before. It started out small and although she tried to shift and get comfortable, it didn't get better. She surfaced a few moments later when it had finally faded, looking over at him. "Ivan..." Her voice was soft and almost a whine.

"Yes?" He asks calmly, though wore a look of concern. She had been experiencing cramps a lot lately and they could be bad, though usually faded away after an hour.

"Ivan, I..." She was just barely peeking over the lip of the tub, her fingers gripping it tensely. She felt uneasy, that pain had felt different than the others. Not just in pain but in general. She had a feeling she knew exactly what it was, though knowing didn't put her mind at ease at all. Quite the opposite actually, and it showed when she whispered her next words, her voice shaking just slightly. "I think it's starting..."

Ivan's eyes widened and his mouth hung open. He knew this day had been coming but he still wasn't prepared for it. He dropped his carving and rushed to the tub's edge. "You're sure?"

Mattie's eyes darted a way for a moment before she looked back and nodded shakily, then reaching out for him. "I'm scared." She admits softly, voice trembling.

"I'm scared too, I'm not going to lie." Ivan embraced her, doing what he could to comfort her. "But remember I'm here for you, and you'll soon have that little girl you've always wanted."

Mattie didn't say anything to that, she just nodded and tucked her face into the crook of his neck, clinging to him for a while.

He held her for a few minutes before reluctantly letting go. "I have to check on some things, I'll be quick. I promise."

She too had been reluctant to let him go, but she drew back and nodded, watching him leave the room; the pain had returned mere seconds after he'd left her line of vision.

Ivan tried to be quick, going into his room for a few moments and then adding another log to the fire in the main room. When he returned, she was moving about in the water with a pained look on her face. Ivan frowned at this and sat next to the tub. "How are you doing?" He asks when she'd calmed moments later.

"Okay when it's not hurting." She says with a frown, moving a little closer to him.

Ivan softly pets Mattie's head. "Let's just hope that this is over soon."

"It'll be faster in this form at least." She mumbles, nuzzling his hand.

"How so?"

"Natalya's mother said it takes people six hours or more sometimes. Mother said it's about three for my kind."

"I'm a little happy to hear that... Do you want me here or on the chair?"

Her eyes shifted to the chair for a few moments before they returned to focus on him. "...Move the chair over here."

With the chair moved, Ivan resumed petting Mattie's head. But she didn't want him to anymore. "Rub my back instead." She mumbled after a few moments, shifting so it was easier for him to do so.

"Alright, like a massage?"

"Yeah." She nodded a little and Ivan rubbed her back, starting from her shoulders all the way to her dorsal fin.

She enjoyed it for a good fifteen minutes before the pain came back and she drew away from his touch. A soft whine left her as she tried and failed to find a comfortable position. A minute later, she calmed as the pain faded away, but Ivan wasn't liking this at all and was trying to remain calm.

When her pained expression returned, Ivan had to look away. He couldn't take it, and he tried to focus on his carving until he was needed.

)*(

Ivan only left the room a few times over the next hour; he had to or he was going to lose it. The man was already flinching at any possible noise or action that could be bad.

While out of the room, he would check on the other fire, the temperature of the other tub, and to make sure that there was always hot water for Mattie when she needed it.

A minute or two later after her had most recently left the room, she called out his name softly and he came bolting in, panic clearly over his face. "What is it? Do you need something? Is something wrong?"

Mattie's eyes widened in a bit of surprise at his reaction before she gave a soft smile. "Nothing's wrong. And the first thing I need is for you to calm yourself."

He took a deep, slow breath and then moved to kneel next to the tub.

"Everything's fine, I called you in for a good thing." She reached out, stroking his cheek gently. "Don't panic every time I call your name, okay?"

"I'm sorry." He leaned into the touch. "What is the good thing?"

"It's alright." She nuzzled him before pulling back. "Look." She then flipped herself over to show him.

Ivan's eyes widened in surprise at the little tail that was sticking out of Mattie. He soon found that he was smiling like crazy, a sudden rush of excitement going through him. "Oh, wow..." He breathed out. "She's— She's like you."

Mattie grinned, both relieved that the child was indeed like her, and a little proud she'd gotten this far in what felt like so little time.

Ivan grabbed her cheeks and gave her many swift, soft kisses, causing her to giggle and give kisses back. Though the kissing was interrupted as she pulled back and rolled herself back over just before another wave of pain hit her. After it had passed she looked up at him pleadingly. "You got stuff for pain from the doctor, right?"

"Ah, yes. I'll go make it now." He smiled and ran to go boil some water. Why they hadn't made it sooner was a better question honestly. It was in a tea like form like Ivan's cold medicine had been.

"I hope it doesn't taste as bad." She comments to herself, making a face and moving about as much as she could in her small space.

In a few minutes, he had returned with a mug for her. "Here, you don't have to drink it all in one go, but all of it within the hour is preferred." She took the mug with a nod, sniffing at it to see how bad it smelled. Her nose scrunched up at the scent and decisively, she just downed it as fast as she could. She gave a shudder at the taste of it and looked thoroughly disgusted by the time the cup was empty.

Ivan took this moment to see if he could get another look at the little tail, though he was out of luck. He couldn't see it unless she was on her back. "Um, Mattie?"

"Hm?" She looked over at him while she wiped at her tongue with her hand in an attempt to get the taste out of her mouth.

"May I... may I touch her tail? I promise to be very gentle." He looked hopeful and excited.

"I want this taste out of my mouth first." She says, still wiping at her tongue.

"Sweets?" He offered already walking out of the room.

"Please." She says with a little laugh.

Ivan returned with a small stick of candy and held it out for her, then waiting on his request until she had finished eating.

Once the candy was gone, she was hit by another wave of pain, but once it had passed, she slowly rolled herself over to expose her underside again; more of the baby's tail was showing now. Ivan was as gentle as he said he would, his fingers softly brushing over the tiny tail fin. His eyes practically sparkled like a small child that had seen something magical. "She's so soft..."

Mattie smiled softly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "This is alright for now, but keep in mind once she's fully born don't touch her until I say it's okay to. And don't be too surprised if I ignore you since I'll be fussing over her." She was sure he already knew these things, but she just felt the need to remind him.

"Will I be able to hold her?" He asked, continuing to run his fingers over their soon-to-be-newborn.

"Not right away." She says shaking her head. "Touching after I say it's okay, but I don't want her taken out of the water until she's had time to get used to swimming." It was going to be hard enough to show her how to swim when Mattie herself didn't have the space to do so anyway.

"And if I'm in the water with you?" He eagerly asked, already picturing it in his mind.

"Maybe... I'm not sure yet."

"I understand. I'm just excited. I'm sure I could wait a day or two if I had to." Ivan moved to wrap his arms around her for a small hug.

"I know. I'm excited too." She smiled and gave him a hug back before gently nudging him away and flipping herself back over. While Ivan was a little disappointed, he backed off without a word.

)*(

Over the next hour, it was clear that the medicine wasn't doing much for the pain. She'd switched back and forth from wanting to cling to him while he soothed her through the pain and not wanting him anywhere near her, let alone touching her. Currently she was clinging to him and in tears due to the pain.

Ivan was happy to hold her and gently pet her hair and back. He was surprised at how calm he really was, though his excitement for their daughter could be too strong for him to worry about anything at the moment. "You're doing wonderfully Mattie."

She just whimpered in response. The flippers were out by now and so was part of the torso and it shouldn't be too much longer now, it just hurt a lot. She was ready to be done with all of this pain and hard work.

"You can do it Mattie." Ivan whispered and tried to rub back around her dorsal fin when he could; he just hoped it helped some.

About ten minutes later, she pushed him away rather abruptly with much more strength than she had meant to use. But she didn't have time to apologize as she cried out at the pain. Ivan backed off and just stood by watching, his heart aching from her cries; wanting to hold her and comfort her, but he knew that he could not. He grew more worried with every passing moment.

She could feel with her last great effort, the child had been fully birthed and wiggled their first attempts at swimming. Mattie flipped over and pulled her child to the surface of the water to take her first breath, followed by her first cry. The water itself turned red around them and steadily spread out through the rest of the water but she paid it no mind, utterly focused on her daughter. Mattie had, in the end had a little girl. Little Helina.

Mattie made sure her daughter was able to move her tail around properly and then checked to see if she wanted to nurse. The babe cried for a brief time before nursing and then Mattie started saying her daughter's name-whistle softly and repeatedly. The new mother was practically glowing with joy as she interacted with her daughter.

Ivan would have smiled, cheered even after seeing that little face come above the water, but the blood in the water made him freeze with fear. All his doubts came rushing back over him. "Mattie. Mattie are you okay? Is everything okay?"

Hearing Ivan's voice, she turned her head, looking quite miffed until she'd seen the look on his face. Sighing, she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead and guided her to hold onto her mother's flipper to help keep her afloat in the stagnant water.

After her daughter was holding onto her, Mattie turned and reached out, offering a hand for Ivan to take. "Come here." She says in an exasperated, but fond tone, not entirely happy that her moment with her daughter had been interrupted, but willing to pause and reassure him.

Ivan took her hand and knelt next to the tub. He did feel bad because she had told him everything before and wanted time with their daughter, but he was still afraid.

She pulled him closer before letting go of his hand and cupping his face in both of her hands gently. "It's okay, Ivan." She spoke in a calm, soothing voice as she locked eyes with him. "I'm okay. Everything's perfect. I told you before didn't I? There's not as much blood as it seems like there is, it just spreads out in water."

He felt more at ease now that she had told him she was fine, but the bloody water was making him feel uncomfortable. He could just leave, but he wanted to be in here for Mattie, and because it would be some time before he could do anything with their little girl. "Can I move you? To cleaner water?"

"Yes, yes. Go check that the water in the other tub is warm, but not too hot first." She says giving him a peck on the lips before letting go of his face. "Okay?"

"Okay." He whispers and gives her a kiss as well before taking off to check the tub.

He poked his head around the corner of the doorway after a little bit with a light frown on his face. "It's not all that warm right now unless you're near the rocks."

She looked up from where she was interacting with their daughter and smiled a little. "Well then heat up more rocks, we can wait in this one until then."

"I am, but it will take some time." His gaze fell to the floor.

"How long?"

"Another half hour? I'm also going to add more logs in a moment to try and get the fire bigger."

"Don't make the fire bigger to speed it up." She chides softly. "We can wait. In the meantime, come over here."

Ivan glanced back at the stove and then looked back into the room. The water's color was still making him freak out on the inside.

"You don't have to look at the water, just come sit here on the floor." She beckoned him over with one hand. "If you lean your back up against the tub then you can't see the water." He gave a weak nod in reply and sat down with his back against the tub.

Mattie draped her arm over the edge of the tub to hold one of his hands, squeezing it gently as she helped her daughter get the hang of moving her tail. "Everything's okay." She began singing softly a few moments later, hoping it would help calm and soothe him. Ivan tried not to hold her hand too tightly, reassuring himself that she was alive and well. This all helped and made him feel a little better.

)*(

After he thought enough time had passed, he left to shovel the simmering rocks into the tub, stirring it around as much as he could and finding that the water was roughly lukewarm. Ivan returned to tell her how the water felt to see if that was enough or if it needed more warmth.

"Is it similar to how the ocean feels when it's not frozen?"

"Like spring."

"That's fine then." She gave a nod. "I don't think it should be hotter than the ocean in summer while she's in the water anyway." She then turned to her daughter and gently scooped her up into her arms, cradling her. "You can move us now."

Mattie held her daughter close, nuzzling her and repeating the girl's names for her with a smile as Ivan picked her up. She was once again absorbed with her daughter while Ivan carried them to the other tub.

He was more than grateful to finally be away from the blood stained water. Once at the tub, Ivan lifted Mattie up a little higher to get her over the wall before setting her into the water slowly. However, there was no hammock to catch her as she sunk into the water, and they weren't in the main room.

Ivan smiled with mischievous look; Mattie had been too busy with the little girl to notice that Ivan had taken her into his old room, or what had been his old room. The time spent working on this room had indeed paid off. He'd spent all those months putting this tub together, though it was more of a small pool.

The walls came up to his ribs, possibly five feet deep, more than enough to swim in. It was lined with clay and had to be about six feet by ten feet. Also, a stone chimney ran up the wall from where Ivan had broken through in the summer. It had a small iron door that looked big enough for a well-cut log to fit through. "I'm sorry it's not bigger, but I barely finished in time anyways."

Her eyes went wide in surprise as she looked around it, a grin appearing on her face as she let her daughter go and swam around underwater a little, getting the girl to follow her around; something she could not have done in the other tubs. When they came up for air a minute later, little Helina was holding onto her mother's flipper to help keep herself afloat while they were still and Mattie was grinning. "It's perfect." She says, giving him a kiss.

"That's all I need to hear." He smiled. "I'll leave you to swim with her while I make something light to eat. Would you like me set up the hammock as well for when you sleep? I can imagine you being exhausted."

"No, I'll just float and sleep." She says, nuzzling him a bit with a smile. She didn't want anything remotely net-like near her daughter yet, or ever. "And only make food for the two of us, she won't need solid food for months."

"I know that." He smiled down at the little girl before giving Mattie a swift kiss and leaving to make them something to eat. Clean up would come later.

By the time Mattie was satisfied that she'd gotten the hang of swimming, the girl had nursed lightly a few more times and Ivan was coming in with an early lunch.

"How is she doing?" Ivan asked as he carried in two plates of food.

"Excellent! She's gotten the hang of swimming now that I can actually move around." Mattie says, swimming over. The girl followed closely, grabbing onto her mother's flipper when they stopped. "She just has to hang on to easily stay afloat when we're not moving." She held her hands out for the plate of food and started eating.

Ivan ate his lunch with Mattie, happy that everything went well and both girls were strong and healthy. He still longed to hold his little girl in his arms for the first time, though knew he must wait. His eyes fell on Helina many times during the meal and the small chat he shared with her mother.

Mattie ate and chatted happily while the girl couldn't seem to decide what she was more interested in staring at, Ivan or the plate her mother was holding.

The girl was about a third of her mother's length and not as wide. She had a small head of hair that appeared to be closer to her mother's hair color but her eyes were the same color as her father's. Compared to a human new born, she already looked like she was six months old.

When she was staring at Ivan, she seemed particularly curious in what he was doing, watching him lift things to his mouth to eat like her mother was doing. To which a grin cracked its way onto his face each time, it made him feel a new kind of joy to have her watch him.

Little Helina watched both adults chew their food and curiously tried to imitate what they were doing by putting something into her mouth and making the same movements with it that they were. Of course, there really wasn't much to put into her mouth so she settled for gumming her mother's flipper.

Ivan burst out laughing, it was too adorable, but he didn't doubt that she would be anything less than her mother; she caught on quick.

Mattie blinked in surprise before looking down and laughing softly as well, petting her head a little to calm the obviously startled child. It was cute and fine for now while she still didn't have teeth. Helina relaxed after a moment and went back to gumming while her mother finished her meal.

)*(

"Do you need anything else?"

"Just some sleep." Mattie says with a smile, currently laying sleepy Helina over her chest so the girl could stay afloat while they both settled down for a nap. "Let me get some rest and tomorrow we'll see if I'm feeling up to sharing her with you, okay?"

"Alright, I'll go clean out that tub then."

"You sure? I could clean it later."

Ivan shook his head, as much as the offer was tempting. "You need to rest and I'll be fine with the tub now that you two girls aren't in it anymore."

"Oh, alright then." She smiled and nuzzled him. "Perhaps I'll let you join us in the tub tomorrow. Okay?"

"I look forward to it, now get some rest."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you and you." Ivan looked to his already sleeping little girl.