Feminine Fire

"I saw Brian when he was writing that plan," Fiona smiled. "I know he wsa very careful with it. And I'm sure that Cassidy knows when she has overdone it and when she hasn't. And besides, Brian, Khaat and Jess are all right here. If she doesn't do some exercise, it makes the labor and delivery all that much harder. The more toned she is, the easier it becomes for her when delivery arrives and the faster recovery time moves. And, thank you, Cassidy. I'm glad you like the clothes. I make what I like, and I guess I hope other women will like them too. I am trying to get away from tents and mumu's and away from things that look like they're skintight and just an avoidance of going to maternity clothes. I like pretty, feminine things that are comfortable and have a touch of some sort of elegance to them." She went over to the pool and took off the vibrant colored fushia sarong and slipped into the pool. "I love the constant temperature of the water in this pool," Fi said, taking off in the water to challenge herself on how many laps she could do in the pool,

"Not a problem," Fi said, "What color blanket and what color butterfly? Do you have specific colors in mind?"

When she finished in the pool, she got out, toweled off, tied the sarong back around her and then took to the treadmill. She walked for a mile and then decided to run on the treadmill for a mile. Brian was teaching her how to wkr out and she was feeling better than she had in awile. It did help that she took care of so much work around the house and the garden. It had helped to keep her in shape. And she knew she was going to have to stay in shape in order for her to take care of 4 babies at one time any time now. She was doing her best to work hard to be ready for that. She was finding out that her baby brother was one of the hardest working aurors she knew, and that he wasn't happy unless he was treating his lady like a queen. That was fine with Fi. Her brother had turned out to be a fine man, and she was proud of him. She was learning not to feel guilty for not being there for him because he was letting her be there now.

Fi didn't respond. Cassidy had been caught up in her own pregnancy issues to remember to answer the questions Fi had asked about the blanket Cassidy had said she wanted. She couldn't make any blanket without the customer specifying what color blanket at least. The butterfly could be a bit of a surpise if Cassidy didn't want to choose, but when she didn't respond to her question, Fi couldn't begin work on any sort of blanket. So she left it for Cassidy to remember to talk to her about whenever it crossed her mind again. Instead, Fi adjusted the settings on the treadmill so that it doubled the speed on the treadmill taking her to a fast run. She wasn't working so much on endurance at the moment, she was working to see if she could run a mile at a full run--not a jog. If that worked out well, she'd take a break and then do a bit of weight lifting before quitting for the night. Besides, she knew the guys were just itching to get into the gym, and Fi still had two little girls to take care of and give baths to and put to bed.

"The babies are very quiet tonight," Khaat said in answer to Jess's question. "I'm used to them moving a lot. They're getting quieter. Brian says they're fine. And I do know some babies seem to be very quiet in the last few days or the last week or so before birth. I am a lot more accustomed to them using me for a boxing ring, though."

"Stop stressing," Brian said, bringing her a large glass. "Try this. Angus made it. I think you'll like it. Its Chamomile Lavender Mint Iced Tea. He was thinking of something you could drink that would help you relax your mind." She took the glass and tasted it. It was clean and refreshing and delicious.

"Oh, is that ever good," she smiled. "Very addictive. But am I that transparent?"

"Who wouldn't be, if they were in your shoes?" he said.

"If they were actually in my shoes, they wouldn't be pregnant," she said sarcastically, "Seeing as though I can't get mine on."

"It won't be long now, my love," he kissed her. "And you'll be back in those ridiculous stilettos of yours any day now."

"Did you pack me a pair?"

"In your St. Mungos bag?" he laughed. "No, I did not. I packed your running shoes. You need to be comfortable."

"They need to see their director as a strong capable woman."

"You won't be there to be their director. You'll be there as a new mother. And no, I didn't pack that black silk skirt and blazer with the white lace blouse you wanted either. I refuse to pack you a business suit for you to bring your twins home in. I packed you realistic comfortable clothes, for goodness sakes. It is not a fashion show. Besides that, anything you wear is beautiful, so stop worrying about every detail."

"The baby books?" she asked.

"Would you stop?" he laughed. "I have you covered. Here." He accio'd her book from upstairs. "Put your mind to work. Read a book, Well, Ladies, is it our turn in the gym?"

"Behave yourself," Brian kissed Khaat's forehead. "Let's go, Guys." He headed down to the gym. He started with a series of stretches to loosen his muscles. He'd been in the pool earlier but now he wanted to do a good hard workout to burn off his tension. His plan was going to be running first--because he desperately missed his daily runs with Khaat--and then some heavy duty weight lifting and core training. He enjoyed working off a lot of stress and tension, and he wanted to know for certain that he was in peak condition at all times.

He knew his crew knew how to stay in good condition and they all had their own workouts and they all knew what they needed to work on. He was going to let them make their own choices on what they felt they needed to work on. This wasn't a training session, it was just blowing off steam. And sometimes that was far more important.