Nathalie Sancoeur's secret past

Welcome to the family

"So, when will you two get married?", Fei questioned, after putting down her luggage in the atrium and hugging first Marinette and then Adrien.

The young couple looked at each other, before they answered:

"Well", came from the half chinese girl, "we thought, it would be a lot better, to inform my parents and grandparents, before deciding on a date. And we would like to graduate first and let me too come off age. So, we're probably going to set a date for the new year!"

Fei looked disappointed and exclaimed:

"But this year isn't very old yet, why would you consider to wait for so long? I thought, we were going to be a family soon! All of us!"

"Relax, Fei! Why is this so important to you? I mean, we are both still very young and we also have talked about getting a job first and finish our education, like university, apprenticeship or something like that. What's the hurry?"

Fei hesitated, then she said very quietly:

"I decided, to re-open my father's Kung-Fu-school with grandpa's help. He and grandma liked it there a lot and came to the decision, to spend their remaining years there and because I was so sad, when they saw me look at the ruins of the school, they suggested, to rebuilt it and open it again. And well, I still hoped, I could help you with your preparations and everything and be here for the wedding, before I had to leave. I wouldn't like to be just a guest. I want to b included in the work and the decorations and finding a dress for you and all that stuff!"

"Wow!", said Adrien, while Marinette just stared at her.

"Could any of you say something else?", Fei pleaded.

The slightly older female cleared her throat:

"Well, that's quite some news! What about Kagami? And what about your mother and your little sister? I thought you wanted to see her grow up?"

"That's bothering me a little too. But we can visit each other as often as possible. It's just, I really wanted to help you prepare your wedding! Kagami has already talked about it with her mother and Tomoe agreed to let her come with me. She will even support us with the money for the building and everything. Her words were, that it is a very good thing to rebuilt a place, where young people can learn certain values and a certain behaviour!"

They were interrupted by Nathalie's voice. The 'very' pregnant woman was slowly walking down the stairs and approaching them, calling out for her daughter:

"Welcome home, sweetheart! I am so glad, that you're back!"

Fei smiled at her, but quickly muttered to the other two teenagers:

"Please, don't say anything about it, she doesn't know yet!"

While mother and daughter were hugging, the young couple threw each other a meaningful glance.

"I can already sense the trouble, that is going to come very soon!", Adrien sighed, as he reached for his fiancee's hand and followed the two females into the dining room.

Marinette nodded but didn't reply.

Nathalie opened her arms after letting go of her daughter and hugged first Adrien, then his girlfriend.

"How are you feeling?", the half chinese asked the mother to be, "is she kicking a lot still?"

The couple had been spending a few days at the bakery to give the soon to be parents some time on their own, before their baby would be born.

Nathalie nodded and reached for the girl's hand.

"Constantly! Here, feel!"

She placed Marinette's palm on on top of her huge belly, right underneath her ribcage.

"Wow!", she blurted out, "that must hurt quite a bit! How do you bear it?"

The pregnant woman shrugged.

"Sometimes, I try to ignore it, another time, I try to calm her by singing or telling a story and well, there are these moments, when she hits that spot, which already feels sore, when I just rant at her until Gabriel stops me and then he speaks to her, which most ofthe time helps a little!"

The girl giggled, then exclaimed:

"That's so cute! I can't wait to meet her! And watch her grow up, right FEi?"

The younger female send her an angry glare.

Nathalie noticed, that something was going on and immediately asked:

"What's wrong? Did any of you do something? Get into trou....crap!"

"Ma? Are you alright?", Fei asked anxiously, as she watched her mother grimace and hold her belly, while taking a couple of deep breaths.

"Nath?", Adrien now questioned, as she didn't respond.

While the stepsiblings were about to freak out, Marinette felt all of a sudden very calm and reacted like it too:

"Adrien, go and get your dad and Fei, stop looking at her like that and take her arm, while I take the other and we help her sit down over there!"

She pointed at the armchairs in front of the fireplace.

As she watched her boyfriend run outside, she focused back on the pregnant woman, asking:

"Nathalie, can you hear me? Are you having contractions? Or is something else hurting?"

The former assistant was breathing normally again and looked at the girl thankfully.

"I think, it was a contraction, but I am not sure yet. But sitting down was a rather good idea. You reacted quite well. Is that the heroine coming through or the future mum?", she teased, making the yunger female blush.

She stammered a quick answer:

"Well....as I see the......future mum.....Marinette.....very....far in the future.....I...mean, at least some years.....I would say......it was simply the always clumsy and therefor often hurting girl.....well.....you know..... not panicking as the others did......I....sorry i didn't mean to offend....you two, but.... you...."

Fei sighed deeply and finished the sentence:

"Yeah, you're right, my brother and I screwed up big time!"

That made Nathalie laugh. At least until she cringed and held her breath again, her hands grabbing her back now.

"Okay, I think, someone wants to be born soon!", she sad with a forced smile.

Marinette grinned at Fei:

"I guess, there's someone you need to welcome to the family before me, huh?"