To Build A Home

Chapter 3- Mistakes

Three weeks. Three whole weeks have passed since Krolia told Steven of 'the news'. The kind of news that for most families would be joyous, but for them, it has proven to be more stressful than anything else.
"What in the world are you doing...?" Steven asked Krolia as he watched her look at herself rather religiously in the mirror.
"Can you tell it's there...?" She asked in a small, childish voice. "The bump. Can you see it?"
"Why does it—"
"Just answer the question!" Krolia snapped, fixing the way her shirt rested on her torso over and over again.
"From the front, no." Steven stepped to his right, humming as he did so. "From the side... Just barely. Why?"
She let out a dissatisfied moan, pulling at her hair with one of her hands. "Are you sure it's 'just barely'? It's super obvious for me...."
   "Because you're focusing on it." He reassured her. "Just don't think too hard about it."
   "But I've been showing for just under one week now. How can I not think about it? It looks weird... I look weird."
   "Well that certainly isn't a good thought ." Steven moved so he was standing behind her, and rested his chin on Krolia's shoulder, wrapping his arms around her from behind, gently taking ahold of her hands in the process. "If you ask me, you look as beautiful as ever." Slowly and carefully, he raised her hands up to her stomach, and rested them just below the minuscule baby bump. "There. That's better."
   "But it's so distracting..." She mumbled, her voice sounded identical to that of a saddened five year old. "It makes me look unfit..."
   Steven shook his head slowly. "You look fine. I mean it. It might be hard to get used to, but it's there and it certainly isn't going to get any smaller."
   "That's not helpful." Krolia stretched the shirt out across her torso. Immediately, the previously unnoticeable bump had been made much more obvious. She let out a long whimper of defeat. "It's unsettling...."
   "Come on, loosen up a bit. You're going to be a mother, and thus are going to experience a lot of changes."
   "Yeah, I know. But don't you think these 'changes' are happening really quickly...?"
   "Not really... But what is changing quickly is my appetite. We should eat somethin' before one of us becomes cranky." Steven slipped his hand into her palm, forcing her to release the shirt from her grip, before coaxing her out of their bedroom to the kitchen downstairs.
   The way in which he used 'we' to describe nearly every situation they went through was both sweet and slightly confusing. Steven used it to make Krolia feel a little better about all of the sudden changes going on in her life, but also when describing simple daily tasks, those unrelated to her and the growing fetus.
   It was a kind gesture in theory, although it made relaxing situations more serious, but at least the use of 'we' and not 'you' helped to make serious situations seem less stressful.
   Krolia, being one who constantly fails miserably at the art of cooking, took a seat at the counter. "So... What will it be today?"
"It's no fun if I tell you." Steven seemed rather pleased with his secrecy, until he noticed how unamused Krolia looked. "It's just an omelet."
"Wow... Do I really look that ticked off?" She began shaking her head, quietly chuckling to herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to threaten you with my eyes. I'm just hungry."
"Krolia.... Darlin'... We're goin' to have to work on that death glare of yours..."
"It's not a death glare!" She protested, pretending to be insulted by his words. "It's just a look I give when I'm deprived of food or sleep."
"Looks like a death glare to me."
Krolia contemplated whether or not it was best to fight him on this one, or just leave it be. With a sigh, she muttered, "fine... I'll work on the death glare..."

***

As routine, after breakfast, the two went to the shed next to their home. This was where they kept all of their scanners and radios, all of which being used to monitor the lion's safety. To keep her hidden, they used no cameras or recording instruments of any kind. Instead, relied on a small piece of equipment which measured the amount of energy emitted from the lion. If it ever became unstable, the two were to head over to the cave immediately. No matter the circumstances.
Krolia, knowing the most about the lions, was in charge of the energy scanner, as Steven called it, and a simple scanner that used sonar to detect approaching ships. Human or Galra.
Steven was put in charge of listening to radio chatter. Scanning for alien signals or approaching military forces of any kind.
With Steven gone most of the days during the week, both tasks often fell on Krolia. She, however, did not care one bit about this compilation of tasks. If her working both stations kept the Blue Lion safe, then she was going to do her job.
"The scanners haven't picked up anythin' worth noting," Steven commented, turning to face the focused Marmoran. "How are things on your end?"
"All good." Krolia Answered, scrolling through the hourly logs taken by the machine. "Well, the energy levels aren't as high as they were the day we found her, so we might want to head over there to make sure she's alright. They haven't dropped in recent scans, but still, they aren't as high compared to when we set up the scanner."
The Earthling examined the logs over Krolia's shoulder, giving a slight nod of agreement. "I'm off all day tomorrow. We could head over then."
"I was thinking of going today, actually."
"By yourself...?"
She nodded in response, "mhm."
"Absolutely not. You are not wanderin' the desert alone, especially not in this condition."
"Condition?!" She whipped her head around, insulted by his word choice. "It's not a condition! You know full well I can handle myself out there!"
Steven shook his head, "I cannot allow you to roam the outside world alone. What if you ran into someone else?!"
"I'm a member of the Blade of Marmora!" Krolia challenged. "I know how to protect myself!"
"You cannot seriously think that you would be able to attack a human and get away with it. This isn't a matter of skill. The is your safety we're talkin' about!"
She wanted to retaliate, to fight for her point of view, to prove herself right, but in reality, she knew she was wrong. Steven was right. It'd be a huge risk without him there. "But you said we had to report to the cave if anything changed. We agreed to those terms."
"That was before we found out that the two of us would be parents. Long before."
"It shouldn't matter! If there's something wrong with the lion then I have to fix it. It's my job!"
Steven shook his head, "I know you feel that way, but I can't allow you to roam the desert alone. It's far too dangerous."
"You said no matter the circumstances! I have to go out there and make sure the lion is okay."
"Do you not understand what I'm saying?! You can't go outside by yourself! I know you can defend yourself, but if someone saw you... They'd track you down. Your life would be in danger."
"That's a risk I am willing to take. Protecting the lion is my top priority. Nothing is more important than keeping that lion out of Zarkon's hands, and keping it hidden from your people." Krolia grabbed a go-bag of supplies, heading for the door.
"What about our child?!" Steven challenged, grabbing her wrist firmly. He saw the realization in her eyes and did not hesitate to prove his point further. "If you leave, you will be all alone. You'll be putting your life and the life our child at risk. I understand that you care little for your own life, but please think of the child."
She felt the bag slide off her shoulder, letting it drop to the floor. Krolia hung her head shamefully. "I... I don't know what I was thinking..."
"I don't believe you were thinking... Not truthfully at least."
"What have I done...?" She looked up slightly, keeping her head lowered. "I'm not cut out for this... A mother is supposed to put her child before everything else... I've proven unable to do so... I'm a failure."
   "That's not true." Steven placed a gentle hand to her cheek, his eyes filled with love and compassion. "You haven't failed, not yet at least. Though... You'll need to change the way you think about things from now on."
   "How are you so calm...? After what I almost did. You're so relaxed. How?!"
   Steven simply shrugged, "I suppose it's because I know when you're thinking straight and when you're not thinking at all. You made a mistake, a rather dangerous mistake, but you've realized that now. Haven't you?"
   Krolia gave the slightest nod. "I feel so terrible. I am so sorry, Steven."
He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms gently around her back. "I'm not going to let anything happen to either of you... But, Krolia... You have to promise not to ever leave the house without me."
Krolia nodded, resting her forehead on Steven's shoulder. "You have my word."
   Steven gave a small smile, sighing with relief. "I'll be home as much as possible, and on those days, we can check on the lion... Otherwise I want you to stay inside the house. For your safety and our child's."
   Krolia nodded, softly mumbling "alright..." as she did.
"I will take you to thBlue Lion tomorrow. We'll go first thing in the morning."
"Sounds like a plan to me."