1. Precious (1/2)

i saw this pairing mentioned somewhere, and immediately latched on! it's too adorable :). i hope you enjoy the series, please review and tell me what you think!

precious

her whole body hurt. lying there, damp with her own sweat, sore in places she'd never thought of before, kel decided that childbirth was a lot like jousting. except, at the end, there was a far greater reward than simply trouncing your opponent. staring down at the tiny bundle pressed against her

east, kel tried to wrap her head around the idea that she had produced this human being. a little red face, wrinkled and perfect, was topped with a shocking thatch of black hair. neal had pronounced great surprise at the amount of hair the baby had, but kel wasn't really paying attention. she was too captivated by the miracle she had just taken part in.

outside the door, she heard the muffled words a healthy daughter, punctuated with a crash as the door flew open. glancing up reproachfully, she arched an eye

ow. "she's sleeping, qasim. you couldn't be a little quieter?"

her husband's expressive face showed nothing but remorse. "forgive me. i was… overcome."

hiding a smile, kel held out a hand. he crossed the room in two strides and took it, kneeling beside the bed to get a closer look. a handful of sparrows fluttered in behind him, taking places on his shoulders and the thick coverlet. "she's beautiful," he

eathed, taking in the patch of fluff, the button nose, the long, dark lashes resting against her mottled cheeks.

"so ugly she's adorable," kel murmured, and laughed at his outrage. "you'd be ugly too if you just squeezed through a hole less than half your size," she reminded him, running her fingers down the arch of his nose. she sighed, feeling more lethargic than she ever had in her life, and struggled to stay awake as she asked, "what are we going to name her?"

qasim's

ows furrowed in thought as he stroked her hand absently. "something yamani?" he suggested.

it took all of her energy just to shake her head. "no. i… well, it's not a part of me anymore. not as much as it used to be," she amended when he raised incredulous

ows. she smiled tenderly. "something bazhir?"