House of Cards Series # 3 One Shots (QoS, KoH)

Unknown Avery James

Maddison and her husband West were expecting their first child. They knew as soon as possible that they were gonig to have a little girl, and the battle of the name began. It wasn't that Maddison and West couldn't agree on a name for their baby girl, it was that West and Maddison couldn't THINK of what they wanted to name a little girl. Though it should have surprised no one at all when they found out it was in fact a little female James in Maddison's oven; he has three sisters and Maddison has no brothers, West is truly the odd man out.

But still they had no clue what to name her. So for the longest time, everyone just referred to the baby as Avery James, after Maddison and West's combined last names. Alice had discarded her last name and taken Malcolm's with gusto. They named their son after her deceased father. Then they named their little girl after Malcolm's murdered sister. But Mad and West didn't want to follow the same pattern with their child, mainly because both of them found it too painful to name their baby girl after the women they had known whom had died: West's mother and grandmother. He didn't seem to want to name them in honour of those two women either, and Maddison had no one she wanted to name a baby after.

Her parents were pulling for something more European, West's family wanted something respectful sounding and West and Mad were only sure of what the didn't want the baby named. Nothing too esoteric, nothing embarassing or stupidly hard to spell. The day of Maddison's expected delivery came and they still had no name. Luckily, they had no baby either, Maddison's water never even broke. After a tear filled trip to the doctor to make sure everything was still alright with their daughter, an induce by date was picked and the name choosing continued.

Maddison had even resorted to looking up popular character names in books, to see if anything rang a bell. Since she had no desire to inflict her daughter with some of those poor choices, it was a bust. It was the last days of February and Maddison and Alice were going for a walk outside. Both women had been told repeatedly during thier pregnancies that it helped if they walked, not far or for long, but the movement helped. Since Ace had only just talked her friend out of trying a trampoline to see if that lured the baby out, Mad was waddling while Ace tried to hold off her laughter. Her own daughter had only been born three months before, but she was old enough now that Ace felt no anxiety taking some time away and letting the Vega men handle the little girl. The place was probably gonig to be smeared with baby s*** and puke, but Ace was still in the happy zen state of motherhood. Not that she didn't sometimes wonder what the h*** her babies had eaten to make such a mess, but it was no less disgusting than cleaning up after the animals in the shelter, or closing the strip club Ace had worked at a few years ago.

West texted Maddison to remind her to take it easy, yes she was encouraged to walk but he wanted to be able to be there for the birth, not have to catch a flight out to them. Mad rolled her eyes and wished, yet again, that she'd been given the same blissful zen feeling Alice seemed to be living with lately. Part of her had to admit that it was the last three months of no sex that might have been cramping her mood, but she wasn't emotionally stable enough to say it out loud. At this point exhaustion and tears were her near constant companions and she felt guilt for just wanting this baby to come out already!

Maddison huffed, not even listening to her friend anymore and she stopped her foot. Alice stopped and raised both eyebrows at the pregnant woman, having seen her three year old throw a tempertantrum nearly identical to this one just this morning. But knowing that sometimes you just needed to get it off your chest, Ace let her friend start to snarl and swear and then cry. Once it looked like Maddison had calmed down enough to not claw her eyes out, Ace stepped in closer and hugged the woman, round belly and all.

"The moment the baby comes, you'll be wishing you had just a few more minutes of this again. Once they're out, they're noisy." Alice warned with a soft smile.

Maddison rolled her eyes at her friend's suddenly annoying calmness. She wanted to see this woman frazzled over something for once d***it! Then memories of how not only Alice, but Malcolm and her own West had looked after they had confronted Stuart calmed Maddison straight down. So of course, with some pregnancy hormones thrown in for good measure, that meant Maddison now burst into tears.

Alice froze, looking a little startled at her friend's sudden mood swing. Before she could ask if Mad was alright though, Maddison's water finally broke. "Oh thank god, I was about to try jumping jacks." Maddison sighed, her mood actually alleviated by being soaking wet. It was gross but finally, she'd get to meet her daughter face to face. She'd loved having her daughter near her heart, but she was eager to get to know the woman she'd become.

"Thank god? You really are having a slower labor than me. Wait until the contractions start, then the thanking stops and the bargaining f***ing begins." Alice hooked her arm through Maddison's and waddled with her back towards Maddison's house. She had her cell phone in her other hand, texting the husbands no doubt. The newest member of their strange family was on her way and she still had no name.

####

"Maria.""No.""Mackenzie?""No.""Deborah?""No." West and Maddison vollied names back and forth while she struggled to give birth to their little girl. She'd started so enthusiastically but they were passed hour thirty and Maddison knew the doctors were starting to get worried. Maddison was a tiny woman, her hips weren't big enough and the baby was stuck. They were going to do an emergency cesarian, and Maddison was just waiting for them to wheel her in.

"We still don't have a name or a baby. West, pick a name, If we have a name our baby will come!" Maddison suggested, voice drowsy from exhaustion.

"Shh Angel, you're raving. I love you but you loco." West teased, brushing a hair off her damo forhead. And then they were wheeling her away. The doctor didn't let him follow right away either, he started to discuss with West the complications and everything and West's temper was suddenly at it's breaking point. He wanted to scream at the man and run after his wife and daughter. They were in danger and he could do nothing to help them. Thankfully his stand in older brother Malcolm was there to help the man calm down, or at least keep him from mauling the doctor like a grizzly trying to get to her cub.

"Por su gracia de Dios." West started to pray as he signed the papers. The ones saying that if the very worst should happen, who should the doctors save? He didn't even care that everyone was looking at him as the tears started to brim in his eyes. How can you ask a husband that? Wife or daughter. Maybe not either, hopefully both. And by the grace of God neither would be at risk. "Por su gracia de Dios." West repeated. (By your grace God).

Alice and Malcolm were right with West as the doctors operated to get his little girl and wife through this suddenly dangerous pregnancy. Malcolm had little Adrianna in a chest carrier and she was out cold. Alice was holding Nathaniel and she almost stuffed her son into West's arms. But despite how disasterous it could have been, it worked. West stilled, his rage gone the moment he held the little boy. Not that the brat didn't get on his nerves every now and again, but the kid was cute. At three he was already a sweet heart and West had a vague sense of prophecy that he'd be having words with that boy before too terribly long regarding his little girl. Little girl who still had no name. "Por su gracia de Dios." West muttered.

And because Nathaniel was at the age where he was repeating every single thing he heard, the little boy looked solomly at his adopted uncle and repeated, "Gracia." in near flawless Spanish.

West smiled even though there was a tear on his face. "Grace." he repeated in English to see if Nate would copy.

"Grace." Nate churriped, smiled returning to his face as he touched the wet on West's face.

"Grace." West grinned, almost rolling his eyes skyward to look for the neon sign that was whacking him over the head. "By your grace God, let my Grace and Maddison make it through this safely." he prayed.

An hour and a half later, West got to hold Grace Madeline James and showed her to her mother.