"Oh your hands are cold!" Alexandre exclaimed after I dropped my jacket in the chair by the bed and grabbed his face to kiss him. "Nose too." He complained as I laughed and rubbed my face against his. "Well you seem in better spirits. Did you talk with Cornelius?" Alexandre asked and I nodded.
"I think...he may have actually cleared up some of the worries I had. But he still bothers me a bit. He's a terrible flirt. Now I know where you get it from." I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, what did he say?" Alexandre asked with amusement.
"Basically told me he was more experienced, taught you everything you know, and offered to show me a few things he didn't." I said offhand. Alexandre growled lightly and pulled me onto the bed next to him.
"And what did you say?" He ran his nose along my jaw.
"Nothing, I was too chocked to reply." I gasped as he nibbled at my neck. Alexandre chuckled lightly and nipped my earlobe with his teeth gently. I squirmed. "Why, would you be jealous?" I teased and Alexandre growled lightly again.
"Insanely." He murmured and ran his hand down my spine, making me shiver. "I told you before, I don't care how many playthings you have, just so long as you remember, you're mine."
"That sounds dangerously like permission." I moaned as his lips wandered down my throat. He growled lightly again and pulled me against him sharply with a grunt of effort.
"Mine." He snarled. "Just remember that." I felt his teeth nip my collarbone and then his tongue as he licked away the bead of blood that formed there. I felt myself arching into his embrace before he inhaled sharply and drew back quickly.
"I'm sorry, you're injured, and here I am throwing myself at you." I mumbled, frustrated and embarrassed, I pulled away.
"No, it was quite enjoyable, come back." Alexandre tugged my arm as I stood up to move away.
"You should rest." I told him, patting his hand.
"This is my rest." He snarled lightly and I allowed him to tug me back down onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his nose in the curve of my neck. "See, resting." He growled and I laughed. The baby took that moment to start wiggling around again and I grabbed Alexandre's hand and placed if over the movement. His hand cupped protectively around my midsection and he lifted his head to stare at me with misty eyes.
"She's so active." He whispered.
"I think I scared her with my laugh." I replied laughing again. The baby kicked and I inhaled slightly. Alexandre looked at me with worry.
"That felt even stronger than the last time." He commented, looking at my face.
"Yeah, I'm a little worried she might break ribs before it's all over." I winced. Alexandre rubbed my stomach soothingly and began humming softly. The baby began to settle. "I really think she likes the sound of your voice." I commented and he chuckled, then looked at me happily.
"You think so?" He asked like a puppy begging for treats. I laughed again and the baby squirmed, so he murmured until she calmed again.
"Yeah, pretty sure." I giggled, and Alexandre's face lit up like the sun.
Alexandre improved rapidly over the next few days with daily doses of Cornelius' blood. The day all of the bandages that were stabilizing his ribs came off I celebrated by running my hands over all the new scars on his chest, once Cornelius had left the room of course. I got my hands captured and soundly kissed before being threatened with more if I didn't stop. Cornelius had Alexandre up for for physical therapy the next day, which Alexandre sweated and gritted his teeth through, but endured nonetheless. Within a week, he was back in our bed again, though we had been scolded against any 'strenuous activity' by Cornelius as if by an angry nurse, which Alexandre didn't want to listen to, but I made him obey regardless. Cornelius also started discussing with me my thoughts or desires on the birth and ran over a short list with any medical advantages or disadvantages he knew. So I showed him Alexandre's 'birthing suite' and his jaw nearly dropped.
"He prepared for almost everything, didn't he?" Cornelius asked incredulously. I rolled my eyes.
"Unfortunately. You should see the nursery. He wasn't sure what the baby would need after birth, so he went a little nuts." I replied.
"Concerning that-I've been wondering myself again about what the child will consume, and I was wondering if you'd be up for a little experiment." Cornelius said, rubbing his hands together.
"No, I'm not eating food." I griped. We'd had this argument several times. "Drinks nearly made me vomit my intestines, that's enough for me.
"What if the little tyke needs extra vitamins and minerals you aren't giving it with your.. ah rather restricted diet?" Cornelius asked.
"You've run the tests, blood, ultrasounds, urine. You even wanted to do an amnio, but I wouldn't let you. Have any of them come back abnormal?" I demanded.
"No." He begrudgingly admitted.
"Ok then, we're fine." I said, patting my round tummy. Cornelius looked crestfallen, but I knew he wouldn't give up on it. I turned and left the room.
"What if it's just some soup?" Soup's a liquid, so it's sort of like blood, right, but it's still a food..." Cornelius followed after me briskly.
"No." I responded.
"What about tomato soup? It's red, and sort of looks like blood, I guess.."
"Noo." I yelled over him.
"Just a few mouthfuls.." Cornelius begged.
"I said no, you ancient pest. Now, go decompose in a corner somewhere." I snapped.
"So fiery." Cornelius whispered and I heard Alexandre's laughter from elsewhere in the house.
"Not helping! Come get your ex before he's an ex vampire!" I called.
"I could always become your ex, if you'd care to take me up on my offer.." Cornelius said as he walked by smoothly. I looked for something to throw, but he disappeared from my view before I could think of anything.
"Damn vampire men." I cursed and stretched my sore back. I followed Alexandre's scent to the nursery. He was tinkering with a few more items he'd had shipped in.
"Should you really be doing that now? You're still not entirely healed." I asked him with worry. He smiled brightly at me.
"It's good exercise for my muscles. Think of it as physical therapy. And don't worry, I'm taking it easy." He replied and stood up with a grunt. He walked over to me and took me in his arms, placing a hand on my stomach as he kissed me gently. "What about you, your back still bothering you?" He asked.
"Agh, it probably will 'til the little melon is born." I complained, but then smiled softly at my torso and twined my fingers with Alexandre's hand there.
"Why don't you come over here and sit in the rocking chair while I work, and we can talk." Alexandre suggested, rubbing the small of my back.
"Mmm, if you keep doing that, I'm going to have to ignore Cornelius' advice about our bedroom activities." I replied, but took several steps towards the chair. Alexandre pulled me back against him and ran his lips along my neck.
"You know, there is a bed right there across the room." He murmured. "It was intended to make things easier after the baby was born. At least until she was old enough to be on her own. But we still haven't gotten to break it in." His breath tickled my ear and his lips grazed the flesh just behind it.
"How about, I go lay down and you massage my back..." I teased.
"And?" Alexandre asked, running his hand across the back of my neck to move my hair out of the way before kissing it lightly. I leaned into him.
"And then we both take a nap because you're still healing and baby melon's in the way." I giggled and Alexandre nipped the back of my neck gently. I shivered and wound my fingers in his hair.
"Or...." He breathed against my neck and ran his fingers down my side. "We could just use a position that keeps 'baby melon' out of the way." And with that he drew my hips sharply back against his and I gasped in surprise.
"Jerk." I snorted and flicked his ear over my shoulder as he chuckled.
"I bet we could even find a position that won't strain my injury excessively." He growled low in his chest. I felt my pulse skyrocket.
"Ahem." Cornelius cleared his throat loudly from the doorway. "We have company." He then backed out of the way as two policemen entered the room, one of them flushed with embarrassment.