"So, shall we go be supportive alts?"

"Sounds like a plan. 

...Emily and I were an accident. Accidental children should generally be avoided but aren't inherently tragic."

"It's probably a species thing. Elf children suffer, a lot, if they don't have two parents who can be there for them all the time. Even knowing that might not even be true with half-children..."

"Well, that's not a concern in this case. Your alt was already metaphorically glued to her side."

"Yeah, I noticed. It'll turn out okay."

"Yeah."

"And as a vote of confidence we should go decorate their nursery."

"...Do they even have one yet?"

"Doubt it. We could maybe ask Bar about getting them a bigger room, don't know."

"Still. We can go up and talk to them about stuff."

"Yeah."

Cam writes Edie a note. Your read on whether your alt definitely wants to keep the baby and isn't running on inertia/Elf cultural runoff? Just occurred to me I may be the only person in the bar even technically qualified to perform an abortion but I don't want to offend her if even mentioning it would do that.

I need at least five minutes in a room with her before I can answer that question.

Okay. Availability exists. Thanks for running interference.

And they make it up the stairs to their alts' room.

When he is holding Idaia and singing.

Idaia looks simultaneously elated and terrified and has one hand pressed to her abdomen.

Hi, he says.

Hi! I don't think you actually have a nursery, here, you should probably get a new suite from Bar.

Yeah. Maybe in a bit. Squeeze.

"Congrats. Given any thought to names?"

He shakes his head and looks at Idaia.

"I was thinking...maybe Artemis or Diana, if it was a girl. If that wouldn't be touching a sore spot. I haven't thought of any good boys' names yet."

"Will we not know until our baby's born - that's so weird -"

"There's ways of finding out before the baby's born, but I don't know if they'll even show up on ultrasound yet."