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Maya woke up in an absolutely wonderful mood, still riding high off of her recent stroke of fortune the night before.

As a maid, hers was not what anyone would consider a glamorous lifestyle. The aristocracy, it turned out, were no less habitually filthy than the common folk. The difference was that they could hire a team of people like Maya to take care of it for the.

Lots of girls in Maya's position had grandiose dreams of being whisked away by some handsome prince. Not Maya. Maya had a soft bed to sleep in, plenty to eat, made just enough money to live modestly on, and most importantly of all, the Duke and his family were kind to her and the other maids. She'd heard some horrid tales from the villagers when she went around to do her shopping, tales of girls who lived in fear of the lord of their house. Maya knew she was lucky, and she seldom wanted for more than she had.

The young mouse yawned, stretched and dressed herself, before making her way down to the kitchens. By her reckoning, the house would would have finished their breakfast shortly. There would be some leftovers for her and the other girls to have before they set out to cleaning the kitchen.

"'Bout time you showed up, lazy little thing," grunted Cook, as he set down a bowl of porridge and some crusty bread for her. He was an elderly badger, and if he had a name besides Cook, nobody in the household knew it. The Duke may have been the lord of the castle and the lands surrounding it, but the kitchen was Cook's domain, and he ran a tight ship. "Eat up 'fore I change my mind."

"Sorry, Cook," said Maya, not taking any offense from it. The porridge was quite good, and the bread had just been baked the other night and was still quite soft inside.

"Right, that's my job done 'til lunchtime," he said, bundling up his apron and tossing it aside. "I want this place to sparkle by then, you hear? And mind your step, Horace dropped a pot of bacon fat near the sink. It wouldn't do for me to slip and bust my old hip now!"

Maya sighed. She hated cleaning up fat. "Yes, Cook," she said, as the badger grumbled off. She looked around to see what help she'd have; it varied who was on what duty on any given day. To her delight, Beatrice was also there, nibbling on some salted pork. Beatrice was a tawny-furred cat, and despite the historical animosity that Maya's people had with hers, the two had become inseparable not long after Maya began working. Beatrice was a bit older than her, and had been working for the Duke since she was quite small. She knew all of the manor's little nooks and crannies inside and out, and while ostensibly, Shelby the steward was in charge of the staff, they all looked to Beatrice for guidance. She brightened up when she saw Maya, and gestured for her to come closer.

"There you are!" she said. "Thought you'd never wake up! What happened? I haven't seen hide nor hair of you since the banquet! We missed you at the afterparty! I saved you some of that fancy soft cheese that you love so much."

Maya smiled as she thought back to the banquet. The Duke had thrown it in honor of... something or other, she could never keep track of what the nobs felt was worth celebrating. But in any case, banquets were a cause for both dread and delight for the maids. While, on the one hand, it meant a lot of extra work for all of the house staff, it also meant that there would be a lot of sumptuous food to be prepared, and even the most gluttonous of nobs could put all of it away. That meant that, when all was said and done, the staff had a feast of their own, and there was often some extra wine to go around as well.

"You will not believe what happened to me last night," said Maya, scooting closer and making sure that they were alone.

Beatrice grinned widely, her ears perking up. If there was one thing that she loved, it was gossip.

"So as you may recall, I drew the short straw last night," said Maya. "So when the Baroness Sable had a bit too much wine and vomited in the drawing room, I was on duty to clean it up."

"Poor girl," said Beatrice, shaking her head.

Maya waved a dismissive hand. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last time. "So I was held up there for quite some time," she continued. "And I was on my way back when I ran into this handsome young wolf. You might have seen him, the one with the black fur?"

"Oooh, yes," said Beatrice, nodding with recollection. "What a delight for the eyes he was!"

"Well, he was the baroness's nephew, and he had been looking for her," said Maya. "Apparently, she has a bit of a reputation for hitting the wine a little harder than she ought to."

"I knew it," said Beatrice, grinning. "Janine used to be her chambermaid. She said that the baroness could put away a whole decanter of brandy all by herself!"

The two mades began to giggle, until Maya waved her friend into silence. "So, I know I shouldn't have, but I made a bit of a disparaging remark. I had to scrub the carpet so hard that my hands were sore and my nerves were a bit frayed."

Beatrice winced. That was a rookie mistake. It didn't matter how much they got on your tits, one did not back-talk to the nobs, no matter how much they deserved it.

"I know, I know," said Maya. "But he laughed! So we got to talking for awhile, and he said he didn't like banquets very much, and so he asked if I wanted to... well, you know..."

Beatrice suddenly covered her mouth with a hand. "He wasn't... improper, was he?" she said. That sort of thing was certainly not unheard of, with many nobs thinking that their maids were theirs to do with as they pleased, and there was seldom much that could be done about it. But Maya was quick to shake his head.

"He was perfectly gentlemanly, I'll have you know," said Maya. "I think he would have just gone on his way if I had declined his offer. But, Beatrice... I'm but a mortal woman of mortal flesh, and by the gods, he was so handsome. And it had been so, so long since I'd had any sort of..." She blushed deeply. She was no maiden, to be sure, but she worked long days, and it was very seldom that she found the time to even go out and look for that sort of thing.

"So... did you?" said Beatrice, now on the edge of her seat. Maya just smiled and nodded.

"And...?"

"It was amazing," said Maya, breathlessly. "The last boy I was in, it was all business. He was just in and out, and it was nice enough, but this one..." She closed her eyes. "He did things with his tongue that I didn't even think were possible. I must have come so hard that it took everything I had to not scream! And that was before he even took off his trousers! And after that..."

"Yeeees?" said Beatrice. Maya just smirked and held up her hand with four fingers up.

"Gods above, Maya," said Beatrice, now blushing herself. "What happened afterwards?"

"Well, after we were done," said Maya, "he told me that, while it was wonderful to know me, that our fates were not meant to intertwine. And, you know, I tried my best to seem disappointed, but I wasn't expecting anything more than a night of fun out of it. I mean, what would I even do with a nobby lover? So he washed up, got dressed, and went back to the party. And once my legs worked again, I did the same, but I was so tuckered out, I went right back to my bed and went right to sleep."

"Way to go, you!" said Beatrice, giving off a happy sigh. "That was positively delightful."

"I know," said Maya. "And as much as I'd love to give you every sordid detail, I suppose that bacon fat is not going to clean up itself."

Beatrice groaned. "I swear, some days I just want to take a broomstick and beat Horace about the head," she said, shaking her head. "I'll get the soap."

But Maya was so happy that she barely even minded. It had been a fun night, and nothing more. She had no dreams of being whisked away, but the memory of that night would keep her warm on cold nights for years to come.

In the meantime, though, it was back to the routine. And she wouldn't have had it any other way.

~*~

Routines, unfortunately, were made to be disrupted. Things had been going fine for several weeks, until one morning, Maya woke up feeling terribly ill. Not even bothering to get dressed, she scrambled from her bed to the privy, where she proceeded to loudly and painfully empty her stomach of last night's dinner.

"Maya?" said Beatrice, peeking her head in. "What's wrong? Do you need something?"

"I'll be fine," wheezed Maya, from her spot on the floor. "I knew those potatoes from the other night tasted a little strange. I suspect I'll be fine once they're out of my system."

But things were not fine by the next morning, nor the morning after, and Beatrice insisted that Maya speak to Janine.

Janine was the oldest member of staff, the old sheepdog mostly serving as caretaker to the small children of the house. Though not trained in any sort of medicine, she had picked up a lot of tricks and remedies in her many years on the job. All of the staff swore by her ointments and salves for soothing the myriad aches and pains that came with their line of work.

"And ye say this just started up a few days ago?" said Janine, feeling Maya's forehead.

"Yes," said Maya, sighing. "It seems to subside after an hour or so, and I think it's passed for the day, but there I am again the next morning, back in the privy, retching until I'm sore."

"Every morning, ye say?" said Janine, cocking her head, her eyes narrowing. "...Tell me somethin', sprout. Have ye lain with a man recently?"

Maya felt herself blush, falling silent. Janine laughed.

"Don't worry yoursel', wee one, I ain't tellin' a soul," she said. "I've seen my share of bedchambers in my day. I cannae help you if you don't tell me the truth."

Beatrice gave Maya's hand a squeeze and nodded.

"That's what I thought," said Janine. "Won't know for sure for a couple more weeks, but I'd say you're with child, sprout. I'd bet my left ear on it."

Maya suddenly felt her heart race, putting a hand on her belly. "P-pregnant? Me?" she said. "But... I can't be! We only did it once!"

"Four times," said Beatrice, out of the corner of her mouth.

"Doesn't matter," said Janine, shaking her head. "Once is all it takes. Who was it? Don't tell me it was Horace. That boy ain't got the sense the gods gave a sack o' wet sand."

"It wasn't Horace," said Beatrice quickly. "It was some nob at the banquet last month. Apparently, he was a gentleman."

Maya felt herself blush. Janine's features went grave. "Who?" she said, sharply. "Gods above, sprout, please tell me you got the lad's name!"

"It was Baroness Sable's nephew," said Maya, her blood running cold. "I-I didn't get his name! Why? What's wrong?"

Janine sighed, grabbing a scrap of parchment and a charcoal stick off a nearby table and making a few notes. "Beatrice, dear, go down to the herbalist and get me all of this, will you? Tell him I sent you and tell him you need it in a hurry, that's a good girl."

"Why? What's it for?" said Beatrice.

"It'll make a brew that'll put an end to things quickly and quietly," said Janine, nodding firmly. "Won't hardly hurt at all. No muss, no fuss, and we can all get on with our lives."

"No!" snapped Maya, putting her hands over her belly. "I-I don't want to do that!"

"Don't be daft, sprout," said Janine. "Don't you know? Baron Sable's got no sons, just daughters, so his nephew's the heir! And if they find out that he sired a bastard..."

"Best case, they take the baby from you," said Beatrice. "Worst case..."

Maya did not need them to elaborate on the worst case. She considered telling Beatrice to just go along to the herbalist. She knew about that sort of thing, of course. She was far from the only girl who'd ever wanted to end an unwanted pregnancy before it started. But...

She shook her head. "I want to keep it," she said. "It... it won't be a problem if nobody knows the baby's his, right? We can just play it off."

"It won't be that easy, Maya," said Beatrice. "Once the Duke realizes you're pregnant, word'll get around and I doubt your bedmate will be able to keep quiet, especially if the Baron presses him for details."

"Then we just won't tell anyone I'm pregnant!" said Maya. "It'll be awhile before I show, right? And, like, I'm already a bit on the robust side, yeah? If I alter my clothes a bit, it'll just look like it gained some weight! And then when it's time to have the baby, I'll just say that I have a family emergency or something and when I come back... well, we'll make up some excuse, we can say that the baby's a foundling that I took in or something?"

Janine looked dubious. Maya reached out and took her by the hand.

"Nobody knows except you two," she said, nodding. "Please... you'll help me with this, right?"

Then Janine let out a bark of laughter. "This is a terrible idea," she said. "Hell with it. Yeah, don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Me too," said Beatrice, giving Maya's shoulder a squeeze. "I'll be with you every step of the way!"

Maya smiled, wiping her eyes. "Thank you," she said.

~*~

As Maya had surmised, keeping her pregnancy a secret was easy for the first few months. She went about her business as usual, and nobody noticed if she was a little hungrier than usual. Nobody cared about her business enough to ask about it.

Problems started occurring about three or so months in. Beatrice came into the kitchen one morning to find Maya standing in front of a hot stove, dancing in place.

"What's wrong?" she said, causing Maya to jump.

"Cook had to go to the store to get more dill," she said. "And told me not to let his stew overcook! I need to add the diced parsnips once it starts to bubble, but I really need to go to the privy, but if I mess up the stew, Cook will tan my hide!"

"Well, I'm here now," said Beatrice. "I'll mind the stew, you head off to the privy!"

"I... I can't!" she said. "It's so far away, and I don't know how much longer I can hold it! I don't know what to do!"

Beatrice thought fast. She cast her gaze around the kitchen, until her eyes fell on an old wash bucket full of sudsy water. She picked it up and quickly lifted up Maya's skirts, eliciting a yelp.

"Hurry," she said, looking back as she slid it between Maya's legs and let her skirts fall. "No telling when someone else will be along."

Maya's cheeks reddened with shame, but she nodded, squatting down, and soon, the telltale sound of liquid falling into liquid could be heard, followed shortly by Maya sighing in relief. She lifted up her skirts again, and Beatrice took the now-tainted washbucket and emptied it out the window.

"Thank you, Beatrice," said Maya, wiping her brow. "It's been so annoying. It feels like I've had to use the privy every hour on the hour!"

"That's the sort of thing that happens," said Beatrice, nodding. "That's what it was like when my mum was having my little sister. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Maya nodded, her face still flushed. "Thank you," she repeated. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Have to mop the floor again is what you'd do," said Beatrice, winking at Maya. The mouse let out a giggle as Beatrice got to work refilling the bucket.

~*~

"How does it look now?"

Beatrice rubbed her chin as she considered Maya's newly-altered wardrobe. She gave a little twirl around, showing off the layers of fabric.

"It makes you look fat," she finally said, nodding sagely.

"Not not pregnant?" said Maya, patting her belly. "Well, I'll take it." Sighing, she pulled off the dress, leaving her just in her undergarments. Without the dress hiding things, there was absolutely no mistaking her state. It had been about five months, and there was undoubtedly a baby in her belly. She had put on some weight in other places as well; she'd always been somewhat lacking in the chest department, but no longer. She'd had to get Janine to take some measurements for some new undergarments.

Maya looked at herself in the mirror again, giving her swollen middle a gentle rub.

"Gods, Beatrice," she said. "I'm pregnant."

"I can still hardly believe it," said Beatrice, shaking her head. "Though I have to say, you wear it well. You're positively glowing."

"Not too much, I hope," said Maya, blushing at the compliment. Suddenly, she let out a little gasp. "Oh!" she said. "I felt it move! Beatrice, come feel!"

Before she could act on her own, Maya grabbed Beatrice's hand and put it on her belly. Nothing happened at first, but soon, Beatrice could feel a little ripple beneath her hand.

"Oh, gods above!" said Beatrice, as she slowly ran her hand in little circles. "I could feel it!"

"Imagine how it feels on the inside," said Maya, looking down just as Bea looked up. Their eyes met for a moment, and Maya felt herself blush again.

"I... really couldn't do this without your help and support," she said, suddenly breaking her gaze away. "Thank you so much for everything."

"Think nothing of it," said Beatrice, removing her hand and suddenly getting very interested in a spot on the wall. "Come now, get dressed. We've got a lot of laundry to do today."

Maya nodded, and very quickly busied herself with getting dressed, trying not to focus on how she felt when Beatrice looked into her eyes.

~*~

"Gods blast it all to the deepest pits of hell!"

There was a hammering on the door to the bedroom, and Maya looked up, wiping her eyes.

"It's Beatrice, are you decent?"

Maya got up and unlocked the door, letting Beatrice in. She looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" she said. "Cook said you took ill in the middle of cleaning the kitchen and ran off. Is everything okay? Is the baby okay?"

Maya wiped her blotchy, red eyes, and slowly lowered turned toward Beatrice. Two wet spots could be seen on Maya's shirt, right over her breasts.

"Oh dear," said Beatrice. "When did that start happening?"

"Just today," said Maya. "My breasts were sore since I woke up this morning, and I didn't think anything of it, just then my chest felt wet, and I looked down, and as soon as I noticed I just made an excuse and ran off. And I felt so embarrassed, and I just..." She sniffed heavily, wiping her eyes again. "You know me, I'm not some fainting maiden who bawls her eyes out at the slightest mishap, but I just felt so... bloated and gross and ugly that I couldn't help myself."

Beatrice quickly pulled Maya into a tight hug, patting her back.

"You're none of those things and you know it," said Beatrice, parting enough to look at Maya's face. "You're just going through a lot of stress, and it can be a little overwhelming, even without having to keep it secret. I can't say I'd do just as well in your situation."

"...I wouldn't be able to do it at all without you supporting me," said Maya. "You've been so good to me all this time. I just hate to be such a burden..."

"There's nobody whom I'd rather be burdened by," said Beatrice, gently lifting up Maya's chin. "You mean so much to me, and it's an honor and a pleasure to be there for you."

Maya's face was now mere inches away from Beatrice's, and as she blinked wetness out of her eyes, she took in the details of it, like never before.

Without further warning, Maya lunged forward, pulling Beatrice close and kissing her.

The two parted as suddenly as they had come together, Beatrice looking taken aback.

"I... I'm sorry!" said Maya, looking flustered. "I... I didn't mean anything by it, this pregnancy has addled my brain, I didn't mean to-"

She was silence by a finger placed against her mouth. Beatrice straightened up, composed herself, then pulled Maya close for a second kiss, this one slower and deeper than the first.

"Beatrice..." said Maya, as they parted. "I... I... I think I'm in love with you. I know that I should not feel so, but you've been here with me all this time, helping me, taking care of me, and I just..."

"Hush," said Beatrice, leaning in for a third kiss. "I feel the same about you, Maya. I've felt that way for a long time now. I feared to say anything, but... "

Maya shook her head. "No matter now," she said, squeezing Beatrice's hand. "Kiss me again, please. It felt... nice."

Beatrice did as she was told, and as the two exchanged passionate kisses, they slowly lowered down onto Maya's bed.

"...I want to look at you," said Beatrice. "All of you. Please?"

Maya nodded, and slowly began to undo her garments, revealing more and more of her body. She was nearly seven months gone, and it really showed. Her small yet sturdy frame had thickened up considerably in the months that passed. Carefully, she divested herself of her undergarments, presenting herself as naked as the day she was born to another person for the first time since the night of her baby's conception.

Beatrice was positively awestruck. "You're beautiful," she said, kissing Maya again as she began to undo her own clothes, kissing her way down Maya's neck and shoulders, across her chest, around her swollen breasts, down even further to her belly. Beatrice paid special attention there, nuzzling and rubbing it all over, showering kisses on every inches of it.

"Be careful!" cooed Maya, trying not to squirm. "It's sensitive!"

"Good," pureed Beatrice, as she continued to shower Maya's belly with affection, before the feline went down even further and parted Maya's legs.

"Is this your first time with another woman?" she asked. Maya nodded meekly.

"Well, it's not mine," said Beatrice. "And if you thought that your 'gentleman' was skilled with his tongue... well. Let me just show you." And with that, Maya felt Beatrice's mouth pressed against her plump nether lips, licking all around them, and she let out a high-pitched squeak. Beatrice went slowly at first, working her way around the edges, before honing in on Maya's pearl, her tongue making little circles around the delicate nub. It was all Maya could do not to scream. Beatrice was absolutely right; her gentleman was eager, to be sure, but went down on her like a starving man at a feast, ravenously and vigorously, and in fairness, it had felt nice at the time. But Beatrice's tongue worked on her with slowness and precision, and it brought Maya to heights of pleasure that she had never even dreamed of.

Before Maya could grow accustomed to it, Beatrice changed things up, appling a gentle suction, while one long finger probed its way into Maya's passage, curling and uncurling, touching her in all of her most sensitive places.

"Mmm... Beatrice!" moaned Maya, wrapping her legs around her lover. "Feels good... feels so good... I... I'm going to... to...!"

Beatrice drew it out for some time, slowing down just a bit before plunging onward, and Maya clamped a hand over her mouth as she cried out, feeling her nethers colvulse with pleasure as she reached her climax. And just when she thought it was over, just as the wave of pleasure began to subside, she felt a second finger enter her, pressing a bit deeper, just as Beatrice started to rapidly lap at her pearl, and soon, she felt herself reaching that high all over again, panting and moaning and writhing on the bed.

When she finally came down, Maya lay flat against the bed, panting heavily and seeing stars. She felt Beatrice, now fully nude herself, slide onto the bed next to her and embrace her heavily.

"That was incredible," said Maya, as she struggled for breath.

"That was only the beginning," said Beatrice, leaning into Maya's chest. "Take a moment to rest. I have so much more to show you, my love."

~*~

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Maya?"

"I'll be fine," said Maya, as she finished putting on her nicest outfit. It had been getting harder and harder to conceal her pregnancy, especially now, in her final month. "I just have to get through this, and then I'll have my time off. No trouble at all."

"Really, I can get some of the other girls to cover for you," said Beatrice, fussing over Maya like a mother hen. "It's not just any banquet, it's the Duke's birthday! You should really be staying off your feet!"

"We both know it's all hands on deck for the Duke's birthday," said Maya, as she finished tightening the strings on her dress. She'd had to fix them up extra tight so that they would stay on in such a way that concealed her pregnancy, but she was confident that they would do so. "And I don't care how many babies I have in me, I can't leave the other girls in the lurch like that. Help me with my ties, will you?"

Beatrice sighed, securing the final tie in the back of Maya's dress. "Just take it slow, alright?" she said. "Don't strain yourself too much. Maybe stick to wine duty, that's pretty easy."

"I'll try," said Maya, sighing. "Now come on, they'll be setting out the little cucumber sandwiches soon. I know how much you love those and you know that they won't notice a few going missing in the bustle."

"I do love those cucumber sandwiches," said Beatrice, smiling at the thought. The Duke seldom complained when the odd bit of food went missing from banquets, but he did appreciate the staff being low-key about it.

The banquet hall was, of course, completely packed, and the air was filled with music, as performers flitted from table to table. The Duke was quite influential, being a close friend to the royal family, and as such, this was considered the perfect opportunity to get up close to him and solicit favors. And since the Duke was a man who never missed an opportunity to gather a favor or two in return, he was quite liberal with the invitations.

All of the able-bodied staff were tapped on occasions like this, despite their usual duties, to make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible, and tonight was no exception. Maya, true to her word, mostly relegated herself to keeping goblets topped off. The Duke always broke out the good vintages for this occasion, finding his peers much more tolerable when they were a bit tipsy.

For the most part, it was pretty easy. The persistent back pain that Maya had been having since the morning wasn't abating at all, not even several hours into the event which was most unfortunate, but aside from that, it was going reasonably well.

She caught Beatrice's eye as she made her way to one of the main tables. The feline was rapidly shaking her head, and Maya gave her a puzzled look. Then Beatrice cocked her head. Maya took a surreptitious glance, and felt herself blush immediately as she caught a flash of black fur.

There, seated at a nearby table, was Baron Sable, his wife... and his nephew. She hoped that he didn't see her, but he happened to look up just as she looked over. He smiled and waved at her. She smiled back. There was no getting out of it.

"Good evening, milord," she said, approaching him and raising the wine jug. "Might I top you up?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," said the baron, raising his goblet for Maya to fill. His nephew did as well.

"You look familiar," he said, shooting her a wink. "I think we've met before, yes? Maria, was it?"

"Maya, milord," she said, trying her hardest not to blush any further. "Yes, I remember you. It's very nice to see you again."

"The pleasure is mind," said the young canine, raising his own goblet, which she filled. "I much very much enjoyed... conversing with you the last time we spoke. Would you be interested in catching up later?"

"Your offer is very generous, milord," said Maya quickly, as she prayed in her head to any god that would listen that she had done a good enough job concealing herself. "But I'm afraid I will have to decline."

Her one-time partner considered this for a moment, and then shrugged. "As you wish," he said, turning back to watch the entertainment. "I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Likewise, I hope you- eek!" She winced suddenly, nearly dropping the wine jug as a sharp pain hit her, and before she knew what was happening, she could feel something wet seeping through her undergarments. At first, she was afraid that she'd lost control again, but this felt different from that; there was none of the telltale signs of urgency. No, this was very different, and she feared she knew exactly what it was.

"Are you alright, dear?" said the baroness, looking up. "You look somewhat pale."

"I'm fine, milady," she said, bowing her head. "I, erm, just stumbled a bit and spilled some wine. I'm dreadfully sorry, I'll go get something to clean it up right away!"

Not even waiting for a response, she waddled away as rapidly as she could, passing the wine jug off the first chance she got as she went over to Beatrice, who was currently helping herself to a cucumber sandwich.

"What is it?" said Beatrice, lowering her voice. "Did he find out?"

"No, thank the gods," said Maya. "B-but I think I've gone into labor! We have to leave!"

Beatrice nodded, shoving the rest of the sandwich into her mouth and tugging on Maya's hand. They were waylaid by another one of the maids, a middle-aged ferret by the name of coming out carrying a laden tray.

"Oh, thank goodness," she said. "They're just about to start serving the dessert! Come on, grab a tray!"

"We really need to-" began Beatrice, but Maya shook her head.

"I'll be fine," she whispered. "We should still have a few hours, yes? Let's take care of this and then we can go."

Before Beatrice could protest, Maya accepted a laden tray of sweets and began to make her rounds, setting them out on various tables. The sharp pain had been replaced by a consistent pressure, low in her hips, and every so often it would get stronger. Just a little longer, she said to herself. Hold on for just a little longer, my baby.

Beatrice, of course, was her shadow, setting out lemonade and champagne and other such things right behind Maya. Every step felt like running a mile, and periodically, she would need to stop and pant a little as the pressure intensified, but eventually, she managed to get her share of the desserts doled out.

"Good," said Beatrice. "Now, let's-"

"All rise!" said one of the Duke's personal attendants. "May I have your attention please, ladies and gentlemen? The Duke wishes to say a few words."

Slowly, the elderly greyhound at the front of the big table stood up, straightening out to his full height, as everyone ceased their mingling and gave him their full attention, even the staff. With everyone standing so stock still, Maya knew that they would be sure to be noticed if they rushed out. So she took her place against the back wall, trying to relax and wishing very desperately that she could hold Beatrice's hand.

"Friends and countryman," said the Duke, his gruff, jovial voice echoing through the halls. "I thank you so much for coming to my party. I see a great many faces of old friends, as well as a few new. Seeing you here reminds me of the time my grandfather..."

After that, the words kind of ran together in Maya's head. The Duke was well known for being somewhat long-winded. She just had to wait out the rest of the speech, and then she would be fine, right? She could hold on a little longer.

She let out a little squeak as she felt another surge of pressure, harder than before, and she tried to cross her legs, tried to hold off a little bit longer... but the baby would not wait any more. Almost unbidden by her, she felt herself opening up as the baby began to descend from her womb, and covered her mouth as she let out a pained squeak.

"No," she said to herself, shaking her head. "No, please, not now, not yet!" Beatrice scooted a bit closer to her, patting her on the shoulder. Her presence relaxed Maya somewhat, but she still couldn't stop it. As the Duke droned on, the pressure grew stronger and stronger, and the urge to push was getting unbearable.

Maybe just a little, she thought to herself. If I push just a little bit, it will relieve the pressure and I'll be fine.

With that thought in mind, she shut her eyes, bent her knees just a little, and tried to give the slightest of pushes. The relief that the feeling brought was immense, even as she felt the pain of the baby descending further... but once she started pushing, she found she couldn't stop, and she let out a gasp as the baby started coming faster and faster, until she could feel something beginning to press against her nether lips, spreading them open

"Hold on, my dear, hold on," said Beatrice, giving Maya's hand a quick squeeze.

"I-I can't!" hissed Maya. "I can't hold on, it's... it's coming out! They're going to see!"

"...and, of course, we all know how that turned out," continued the Duke, causing the assembled nobility to break out into raucous laughter. "Thank you so much. Don't let me keep you from your dessert any longer, please. Do try the lemon cakes."

As soon as the crowd began to mill about again, Beatrice threw Maya's arm over her shoulder and started to lead the bow-legged mouse away.

"Come on, let's get you to my bedroom," she said, as they made their way out of the banquet hall.

"I can't!" said Maya, groaning loudly. "It's... too far! NNngh!"

Beatrice looked around, thinking rapidly, and then lead Maya down another corridor.

"The... the kitchen?" she said, panting.

"The desserts are all served, everyone will be going down to the cellars to get the after-dinner drinks! Come on!"

Sure enough, the kitchen was empty. Beatrice quickly turned over a washtub, not caring about its spilt contents, and sat Maya down on top of it.

"My dress," she panted. "Help me get my dress off! It's too tight!"

Beatrice tugged at the ties, but to no avail. Growling, she grabbed a bread knife and simply sawed through the ties. Once that was done, she pulled it up, revealing Maya's crotch, where something could be seen bulging through her sodden undergarments.

"It's coming!" wailed Maya. "Ooh, it's comiiiing! I have to push!"

Some more careful work with the knife made short work of Maya's underwear, and now Beatrice could see the baby's head, now almost fully crowned.

"It's almost out, love!" she said, pulling Maya's legs apart. "Give me a nice big push now!"

No longer needing to hold back, Maya took a deep breath and grit her teeth as her nethers bulged open, birthing more and more of the head, until it popped free in another gush of fluids. But Maya wasn't stopping now; as Beatrice gently held the head to support it, Maya was already pushing on the shoulders, slowly and steadily pushing them out.

"Almost there, you've almost got it!" said Beatrice. "Come on, you're almost done!"

Maya let out a shrill cry, no longer caring who heard a thing, as she gave a mighty push, working on the shoulders and, shortly following behind, the rest of the body.

"My... my baby," said Maya, panting heavily. "Is my baby okay?"

The baby was inclined to answer that question itself, letting out a squeaky wail. Slowly, Beatrice presented her to Maya, wrapped up in her apron, a little black-furred baby mouse.

"It's a girl," she said, smiling widely. "A beautiful baby girl."

"My baby," said Maya, breathless as she accepted her child. "Hello, little one..."

"I know you want to get acquainted," said Beatrice, "but we need to get you cleaned up and get someplace else before somebody-"

The sound of a throat being cleared froze Maya's heart in her chest. She and Beatrice looked up to see Cook standing across from them, arms folded across his chest. This was it. After all this time being so careful, it was all over.

"It's, um, not what it looks like?" said Beatrice, smiling nervously.

Tension hung in the air as the old badger looked the two of them over.

"I wouldn't know what it looks like," he said softly, "considering I didn't see nothing. I was so busy washing that big ol' pot over there, I was, that I didn't even notice these two girls come into the kitchen and head out through the back entrance. Nor did I see them grab that old tablecloth in the cabinet over there. I mean, how's a man supposed to get anything done if he's supposed to keep track of everyone who's coming and going?"

The two maids shared a look. Then, carefully, Beatrice helped Maya up and wrapped her and the baby up in the tablecloth. With a whispered word of gratitude, they made their way out and around the back ways of the manor, until they eventually found their way to Maya's bedchamber.

Half an hour or so later, Maya had safely delivered the afterbirth, which had been promptly disposed of in the fireplace, and now both she and baby were resting soundly in bed, Beatrice by their side.

"Thank you, Beatrice," she said, gripping the feline's hand gently. "I don't know how things are going to be going forward, but I want you to be there. For me and my baby."

Beatrice's only response was to lean in and give the both of them a gentle kiss. And that was enough.