It was in Orlando’s car that everyone piled to go to Dom’s in. It had been decided earlier that day that everyone would hang out at Dom’s flat for a surprise welcome party for Liberty, that she had no idea about. Waiting there were Sean, Christine, Viggo and Liv, all ready to get their party on and to greet Liberty. Elizabeth was supposed to make an appearance as well, but Raya wasn’t sure whether she would really show up or not.

“I think the fight’s over,” Billy remarked in a sidebar to driver Orlando and Raya. He was sitting in between them in the front seat while Elijah, Dom and Liberty sat in the back. Liberty and Dom, to whom he was referring, were cuddled together looking blissfully happy; Elijah merely had his headphones on and was ignoring everyone.

Raya smiled, “Yes, well.”

“You can usually come up with something better than that,” Billy laughed.

“I’m tired,” she yawned to prove this and leaned back in her seat. “I’m nine months pregnant, after all.”

“More like eight months and a couple days,” Orlando stated evenly, turning into the parking lot of Dom’s building.

“You’re counting?” Billy asked, sounding awed.

Orlando grinned bashfully, “No. What father does that?”

“Maybe a good one,” Billy said, sliding out of the car after Raya had hauled herself up with help from Liberty. Orlando and Dom grabbed her luggage while Liberty assisted Raya in climbing the several steps into the building. Elijah and Billy walked slowly ahead of them, conversing in low voices.

“It’s really good to be here,” Liberty was saying to Raya, who was rather pale and wasn’t saying much.

“Mmm,” she replied, pursing her lips together. “I think I have heartburn. Would you mind if the lads went on ahead and you just stood with me for a few moments so I can catch my breath?”

“Of course,” Liberty answered, as Raya backed herself up against the wall opposite the lift which the boys were piling into.

“Are you all right?” Orlando asked nervously, looking anxious.

Raya nodded, “I’m fine, you go on ahead. We’ll be right up.” Orlando, hesitantly, heeded his wife’s request and pressed the elevator doors shut.

“You’re quite far along,” Liberty mused, leaning next to Raya and peering anxiously at her. “Are you sure it’s heartburn and not, erm, contractions?”

“I can’t be having contractions yet,” Raya replied, laughing slightly, though her voice was contorted in pain. “I’m only eight months and some odd days along.”

“Babies come early from time to time. My brother Jackson came in the seventh month, actually. He was premature, but healthy, which surprised us all. Because normally preemies aren’t.”

Raya pushed herself off the wall and pressed the up button, looking less pale though still not completely her normal rosy color. “Nonsense. This baby isn’t ready to come out yet, I’m sure of it. Now we best get upstairs before they start the party without us.”

If Liberty found the word ‘party’ to be out of place, she didn’t show it. She just waited for the elevator to open and allowed Raya to get on first, waddling slightly. Liberty clutched her Baby GAP bag in her hands as they rose to the fourth floor.

After the natural yelling and hugging that went around the room upon Liberty’s arrival, the party of actors and their significant others went off quite regularly with Billy manning the CD system (mostly blasting Coldplay the Beatles at Dom’s request) and the rest of the guests just catching up with each other. Liberty was especially glad to see Sean and Christine, as she felt like she hadn’t since her first trip to LA all that time ago. Liberty was surprised, of course, at the party, but Raya insisted she shouldn’t be. An hour into it all, Liberty was sitting beside Dom (who hadn’t left her side except when she’d insisted she go to the bathroom by herself) eating a plumb and chatting animatedly with Raya, Liv and Christine about what they would all wear to the first premiere which was taking place in three days.

Orlando sat on the edge of Raya’s seat and looked imploringly at his wife, “Liberty’s eating a plumb.”

“Yes, it does look that way.”

“You said Dom didn’t have any fruit here.”

“Did I?” Raya looked innocently up at Orlando and ruffled his long hair. “I must have not seen it.”

“There’s a rather large bowl of assorted fruits on the table there,” Dom said, pointing to where Elijah was rifling through apples, trying to choose the best one. Raya glared at him trying to signal for him to shut up without actually saying the words.

Orlando jumped up, “I’ll get you something. What would you like? Those oranges look tasty.”

Raya made a face, “Citrus, no thank you. I’ve had an aversion to it for some weeks now. I think I’m all set with my tortilla chips and chocolate sauce.” Surprisingly, Orlando didn’t shove any fruit down his wife’s mouth. “Dom, do you have any pretzels? The soft warm kind?”

“Erm,” Dom shot a nervous glance at Orlando. “No. I don’t, sorry.”

“I can pop into the nearest football game to see if they have some,” Orlando offered, somewhat sourly.

“No, I’m all set. Do you have any pretzels from the grocery store?” Billy held up a bag of them from a foot away, where he had been making a plate of food for himself. “Oh, lovely. I can dip those in that onion dip I saw. It’s the oddest thing, I never liked onion dip until now.” Raya pushed herself up from the chair and was crossing the room to the table when suddenly she stopped very suddenly, clutching her stomach. She looked at Orlando, her eyes flashing anxiously. “Well. Will you look at that?”

“What?” Orlando replied, walking towards her and then spotting the wet spot on the rug. “YOUR WATER BROKE!?” He fell to the ground instantly after the words came from his mouth.

“He’s such a poncy elf,” Viggo muttered, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “Billy, go fetch some water to pour over his face. That’s what happened with me when Henry was born. However, I didn’t faint. I merely…had a fit.”

“Had a fit?” Billy replied, laughing. “Ha.”

“I think the important thing here is that Raya’s water has broken,” Liberty said meekly, standing up from the sofa.

“ON MY RUG!?” Dom shouted shrilly. “I imported that from Sweden! It’s brand new!”

Billy snorted as he carried a cup of water into the room, “Sweden. It’s from IKEA. Please. I was with you when you bought it.” Absently, he tipped the water over Orlando’s face, who sat up immediately, sputtering incoherent words. “Up you get Orlando, there’s a baby being born…” Billy suddenly stopped being so calm and looked stricken, clutching Liberty’s shoulders to keep himself up. “THE BABY’S COMING!? We need to boil some water!”

“There’s plenty of…err, water, on the rug as it is,” Elijah remarked, biting a fingernail. Christine cast him a glance that he did not see.

“I think we need to get her to the hospital,” Liv said calmly.

“Oh God,” Orlando mumbled, slipping back into a faint.

Raya threw her arms in the air, “Oh, HONESTLY!”

“What can you say?” Viggo said, grinning. “He’s an elf with a weak stomach.”

“And low pain tolerance,” Billy commented.

“How long have you got until it pops out?” Viggo asked, reclining in Dom’s favorite chair.

“HOW CAN YOU BE SO BLOODY CALM?!” Billy screamed suddenly, gesticulating dramatically. “She’s having the baby!”

“Yes, I’m aware. Henry’s birth was about 48 hours long, though. How far apart are the contractions?”

“There aren’t any,” Raya replied calmly, lowering herself into one of the straight backed chairs and doing her Lamaze breathing.

Dom was busying himself by mopping up his beloved rug while Billy ran around the room like a chicken with its head cut off. Liberty was holding Raya’s hand which she was clasping much stronger than was normal; Liv and Christine were standing by conversing and Sean was checking the thermostat. Orlando was still sprawled in the middle of the floor. Dom ‘accidentally’ gave him a swift kick which made him jump up off the ground.

“What’s happened?” Orlando screeched, looking around wildly.

“Raya’s water broke,” Sean explained, returning from fixing the room’s temperature. “She seems to be going into labor. Perhaps we should secure the building in order to get her safely out.”

“We haven’t got time for that!” Orlando screamed, running to Raya’s side. “We have to go now! Call the hospital! Call the doctor! We should run by the flat to get the baby’s things.”

Christine put a soothing hand on Orlando’s arm and he stared at her, breathing heavily. Raya rolled her eyes and Liberty nodded sympathetically. “You should get her to the hospital first. There are lots of people are here to help, we can send Elijah and Billy off to get the baby’s things. Give them your key.” Orlando did as he was told, tossing the house key to Elijah and narrowly missing his eye.

“I don’t want to go!” Billy hollered over the noise of Orlando’s breathing and Dom’s muttered curses about his rug. “I want to see the miracle of birth!”

“You will if we don’t get Raya out of here and to the hospital,” Liberty remarked, biting her bottom lip. “Erm, Dom, could you not worry about the rug right now and come and help me? She’s made me loose circulation in my fingers.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Raya said serenely, releasing Liberty’s hand.

“How is she so calm?” Billy asked in awe; Sean shrugged. “I’ll go get Orlando’s car ready.” With that, he ran from the room at full speed and they could hear him clomping down the four flights of stairs.

“Can someone help him?” Raya asked as Dom and Liberty pulled her out of her seat. They all looked to the middle of the room, where Orlando had fainted dead away once more in a heap. “Honestly, he has been to the birthing classes. He was supposed to be prepared.”

“They’re never prepared,” Viggo said, standing up and heading towards Elijah, who had been silent in his shock. “Orlando doesn’t like the sight of blood. Of course, all of this baby stuff may make his hair fall out of place. We wouldn’t want that.” Raya glared at him, and he only shrugged. “I’ll go with Elijah to your place to get the stuff.” He clapped Elijah on the back and steered him out of the apartment.

Raya sighed heavily, “Sean, would you throw some more water on him? I’d like him to go to the hospital with us at least.”

“My pleasure,” Sean swept from the room and returned with a full glass of water, which he poured on Orlando. “Don’t faint anymore, OB. Your wife needs you.”

Orlando took a deep breath, looking very determined as Sean lifted him from the floor and pulled him out of the apartment after his calm wife flanked by Liberty and Dom. Christine and Liv brought up the rear, locking the door behind them.

And they all went to the hospital.

***

“How long do these things usually take?” Dom yawned, slumping against Liberty’s shoulder; she patted his head absently, and covered up a yawn with her other hand.

“She hasn’t even got the contractions,” Billy replied, sighing. “It’ll probably be four years when the thing finally comes out of her. I love my Godchild, but bloody hell, you’d think it’d have some manners and just get the hell out of her womb already!”

“Babies, on a whole, don’t so much listen to reason,” Sean remarked, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. “How long have we been here?”

“Four hours,” chorused the rest of the group mundanely.

“I’d like an eye patch,” Billy commented randomly, tapping his thumb against his knee and bobbing his head up and down to a song in his head.

“Why?” Liv asked, laughing.

“The sun is coming through the window in a most peculiar way, there. And if I had an eye patch, it would save my eye from going blind by sitting here.”

“You could move,” Viggo suggested, pointing to a seat which was near the entrance to the room and was very far away from them.

“I need some form of inebriant,” Elijah said after a moment, while Billy stared at Viggo angrily.

Billy waved his hand dismissively, “You have pot in your bag, just get it out and light up.”

“Oh, don’t start this again!” Dom sighed heavily, his voice full of drama.

“I didn’t mean of the ILLEGAL sort,” Elijah retorted, narrowing his eyes at an innocent looking Billy. “Just something like beer to pass the time.”

“Mmmm a pint,” Billy cooed, practically salivating.

Sean stood up stoutly, “We can leave. They’ll call us when it’s finished.”

“You make the miracle of birth sound like…fixing a carburetor,” Christine mumbled, standing up beside him.

“It’s all very scientific,” Sean said in his defense. “There’s no need to glorify it all.” He waved and the two of them left.

Liv stood, stretched and yawned, “I don’t need to be here either. Plus, I’ve got a date!” She checked her watch, “In about a half hour, so I gotta run. Call me when you’ve heard, all right? I’ll have the cell.” She hugged Liberty and then ran from the room.

The remaining occupants: Viggo, Dom, Liberty, Billy and Sulking Elijah all leaned back in their seats, resting.

Elijah scowled at the open doorway, “I’d go, but I didn’t bring a car like THOSE people.”

“They’re not miscreants, they merely think ahead.” Dom smirked, “Did anyone notify Claire and Richard of their impending grandchild?”

“Orlando called them once he came to for the sixth time,” Liberty replied, half laughing. “They said they’d get here as soon as possible.”

“I should go steal some smelling salts for later,” Billy said, mostly to himself before standing up and flouncing from the room.

Elijah bounced out after him, “I wanna come too! Maybe they have some non-awful coffee!”

“I have to get home soon because Henry’s mom is dropping him off,” Viggo stood up and yawned loudly. “You’ll contact me once the little bugger shows itself?”

“Of course,” Liberty smiled.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Viggo asked from the door.

Liberty shook her head, “Not a chance.” Dom groaned. “Oh, come on, you know you can’t wait to see the baby.”

“Honestly, I can’t wait to get you home and have my way with you.”

“Well, that’s not happening until this baby is born.”

“LIBS! That could be another whole DAY! I’m DEPRIVED as it IS!”

“Please stop sounding like Elijah, it’s creeping me out.”

“Well, at least you two are back to normal,” Viggo mused, chuckling and ducking out of the room. He strolled down the hall whistling some old Western tune.

There was a undistinguishable screech from far away and then a deafening dull ‘thunk.’

Dom and Liberty exchanged glances. “Well, either Elijah threw some pot into Billy’s mouth, or Heart-Of-A-Lion Bloom has fainted again.”

“Hmmm. Probably the latter. I bet there’s excessive bleeding.”

“Bleeding? Whatever for?”

“Well, erm, didn’t you, er, ever watch a birthing video? Because, um, there tends to be a lot of, um, bleeding, er, down there.”

“GOOD GOD NO!” Dom screamed, jumping from his seat and staring wildly at his girlfriend.

Liberty coughed awkwardly, “Well, probably, er----” she was cut off, however, when Billy and Elijah ran back into the room screaming bloody murder and twirling each other around.

“THE BABY’S HERE!” Billy yelled triumphantly. “I’M A GODFATHER! CIGARS ALL AROUND! I need a gun now! And a posse! Like in the movies! WOOOOOOOOOOOOT! I’m a Godfather!!!!!!”