They will be like him and me, as free as a dove.

[thewisdomwithin]

Even the back pain was amazing to her. So far, there was no aspect of the pregnancy that hadn't in some way thrilled and fascinated Mokey. It wasn't all fun, but it was all so interesting - and so heartwarming, too. She'd found she was singing to herself more lately than ever before, which was really saying something. From what she and some of her non-Fraggle friends had figured, the baby could hear her by now, and she wanted to them to hear a lot of the happiest sound: music.

She wandered into the kitchen, and opened the door to the pantry, looking for a nice snack and singing all the while.

♫If that juicy pear is gooey,
Let's go find some chicken chop suey.
If that chicken chop suey is tough,
Let's go find some stroganoff...♪

That trailed off into giggle. "Well, I do think a juicy pear would be nice!" she mused aloud, rubbing the end of her snout. "I wonder if we have any..."

Comments

[moneymatters]

"He does, but I feel fairly safe in saying by this point that that's his character flaw. Getting emotionally invested at the same time he's using his mind a mile a minute. On the good side, it's what makes him such a great leader. On the bad side..." He waved a hand toward the kitchen, making the rest of that sentence clear.

"There's not much we can do abou' it if that's how he is, other than be there when he needs us. Thankfully, he does have quite the support network, which is why he's where he is and who he is now."

[talkyourwayout]

Lexi had to smile at that, for two reasons. The first was that he was right, and she knew it. She certainly still had her concerns, but Gobo was nothing if not in good hands. Especially with Uncle Scrooge - and that lead to the second reason why it made her smile, a smile that had by now shifted into more of a smirk.

"You're such a sap."

[moneymatters]

"I could argue you are too, you know." Well if Gobo wasn't going to eat the apple, then he certainly was, shining it on his sleeve a moment. "Who knew you had emotions?"

[talkyourwayout]

Lexi sputtered, a bit more than she actually needed to, so to speak. "Wow, I hope you're ready to take that back, old man."

1/2

[moneymatters]

He laughed, though anything further was interrupted by a clatter in the kitchen, like something getting dropped. He glanced at Lexi, then ahead. "Gobo...?" When there was no answer he pocketed the apple and crossed the room, pausing in the doorway. There was momentary alarm at what he saw- then he realized what he saw and he sighed, putting his hands on his hips.

2/2

[gobetween]

The sound had been a mug hitting the floor, though thankfully it was empty and also didn't break. It had fallen from nerveless hands, as Gobo was in a heap nearby. One leg was folded under him and the other a bit out to the side with his hips, up in the air, leaning as if he were about to fall over. One arm was over the back of his neck and the other toward the handle of the mug, and his snout was pushed at an angle on the floor. All in all it looked like an intense collapse... in which he was snoring oh, oh so gently.

[talkyourwayout]

Lexi hurried over after Scrooge, saw the sleeping pile on the floor, and then sighed, "Dumbass."

She glanced up at Scrooge, shrugging a bit. "Is that because he's smaller, or like...?"

[moneymatters]

He looked over toward the counter, then reached out and put the lids back onto the canisters.

"No. It's because he mixed them. I should've warned him not to do that..." Ah well, hindsight and all that. He walked over to Gobo, carefully put his limbs back into order, then rolled him over onto his back as he scooped him up. All the while the Fraggle slept away, dead to the world.

"Come on. We'll put him in their usual beddin' down room, and get a word tae Fraggle Home that they might not see him for the next, oh, 17 hours or so."

[talkyourwayout]

Lexi snorted lightly. "I mean, you'd think that was implied, but-" Wait wait wait. "Hold on, did you say seventeen hours? Really now?" She followed Scrooge as he carried Gobo up to the room. "That's intense."

[moneymatters]

"It'd mostly be the valerian. O'course I'm just spitballing here. It could be fewer or you could be right, and his size could have played a part so it might be longer. However long it is we'll keep an eye on him, there's at least that."

1/2

[talkyourwayout]

"Cool, great," Lexi sighed, pulling out her phone. "I'm gonna call the other Fraggles, then..."

2/2

[thewisdomwithin]

Mokey arrived not too long after she'd received the call, looking worried, but not unwell. Once she'd seen Gobo with her own eyes - and decided to leave him be in peace rather than bring him home - she settled in in the kitchen. Lexi returned home not long after that, leaving just Mokey and Scrooge together as the former finally saw to that apple being consumed.

"I'm having so much fun being pregnant, Uncle Scrooge, but... I feel awful that I can't help Gobo be happy, too."

[moneymatters]

"Well, you're handling it better than some others I can think of." He chuckled to himself, then gave Mokey a faint look, smiling still. "I know it can be hard on you to see how affected Gobo is... but it sounds to me you've been doin' your best to help him, all of you have. This rough spot he's in will pass, and it'll be alright again."

[thewisdomwithin]

"Oh, I know it will," Mokey acknowledged with a light sigh, one hand resting on her stomach as the other gestured with the apple core. "But he's so good... He doesn't deserve these rough spots he goes through."

[moneymatters]

"You have no arguments from me there." He thought a moment, and then glanced at her. "He's always had trouble with stress, right? What usually works for him when it gets as bad as all that?"

[thewisdomwithin]

"Usually the kind of things we've been doing help him, that's the tricky part!" Mokey sighed. "He'll spend time with the rest of us, or you, or Lexi, or Della, and after a while, he'll be fine... But this is different. This is so hard for him."

[moneymatters]

"I'd wager it's different because it's something he is both intensely involved in, and is also completely hands-off. He can complete many things from his end, and has, from what he told me earlier. But the biggest part is ultimately up to you and your body, and I expect he's feeling quite a bit lost."

[thewisdomwithin]

"Oh, I do see what you mean," Mokey murmured. "This isn't the sort of thing he enjoys at all, either - well, not the part where he has no control. But he does love that we're going to have this baby... It must be hard for him to balance those two things. But there must be something I can do to help a little, right?"

[moneymatters]

"Keep him involved. Give him things to occupy himself, because I'd wager it's in the downtime when he feels the most stressed. Have the others go with him on trips or just spend time with him. When you're feelin' sore, get a massage from Gobo over one of the others, or get him to help with meal preparations.

"Basically, include him, or continue to, rather. Be there for him and before you know it, this will have passed."

[thewisdomwithin]

Mokey nodded as she listened, being sure to commit it all to memory... Then, a thought occurred to her and she frowned deeply. "And I've been trying to get him to step away and rest! Oh, this is all so new, and I just didn't know..." She shook her head and took on a determined expression. "At least I do now, though. And Gobo and I can do things together - and I know the others will be happy to spend more time with him, too."

[moneymatters]

He gave her a gentle smile, lightly placing a hand on her arm. "Rest is important too, Mokey. For you and for him. But when rest isn't workin', it might be time to find other alternatives."

Sitting back, he snickered softly at a thought and gestured vaguely at the mansion past. "Just be sure he doesn't mix the two teas together again. Even when he does wake up it may take him a couple hours to completely come around."

[thewisdomwithin]

Mokey smiled softly in return, and nodded. "I'll make sure. And if I forget, Boober might already know," she giggled. "As for today, once he wakes up, I think Gobo and I should talk about this. I can tell him what you told me to do. He'll like it a lot."

[moneymatters]

"Aye, I'm sure he'll appreciate it quite a lot." He glanced at her, smiling. "In the meantime, how are you and the baby doing? Have you two considered names yet?"

[thewisdomwithin]

Mokey giggled. "Very well, thank you, Uncle Scrooge. And we certainly have! Gobo and I made a list, and we've been narrowing it down... Slowly," she admitted. "But I'm sure we'll have one by the time the baby comes! And soon, from what I'm reading, the baby will start kicking! I'm excited for that part, to feel them moving around."

[moneymatters]

He laughed warmly and nodded, smiling. "You know, Jinji and I didnae have names for the two until they were nearly hatched, so I think you're right on track for that." A soft snicker. "Ach, but feeling the baby move is exciting, I'm sure you'll love it. Be sure to share that, it can be felt from the outside, too."