“...Alright, here’s two martinis and a screwdriver,” Sunset smiled, setting the drinks in front of her patrons.

“Enjoy ‘em!” Sonata said brightly, “Sunny makes the best screwdrivers, trust me!”

The patron who ordered the screwdriver sampled it, smiling, “Wow, this is good! Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Sunset smiled, wiping down the counter with an old rag as she took a mental stock of how many people were in the club. Traffic had shot up since Adagio had passed away and the club was more successful than ever. She wasn’t sure if that was a coincidence or people were still mourning Adagio.

‘It’s good either way,’ she smiled, adjusting some of the bottles.

“Have a good drink!” Sonata waved to the two patrons, then rejoined Sunset at the bar, “Wow, I don’t think I’ve seen the place this busy in a while.”

“Yeah, and they’re actually happy, not crying,” Sunset smiled as she continued to tidy up her bar. She’d taken control of it full-time since Vinyl quit to go back to school. Sunset could remember her saying something about wanting to be a musician.

“I think we all are,” Sonata murmured, looking around the club, then back at Sunset, “Although I still wake up in the morning and I think she’s there in the kitchen. Last night, I thought I saw a woman in a nightgown when I got up to get a drink. It was just the curtains blowing in the wind, though.”

“Yeah, I get that too,” Sunset sighed, “...The answering machine still has her introduction on it… I know we should change it but… I can’t.”

Sonata smiled in understanding, “I still have her number on my phone. I just look at it sometimes. Sometimes I think about calling it, but I know it’s been deactivated. But then sometimes I have the crazy thought, what if she does answer?!”

Sunset knew better, but couldn’t help feeling the same way. Ascentia had described it being like a phantom limb, where part of them had been cut off but it still felt like it was there, “I’d jump a mile out of my skin if that happened.”

“Me too,” Sonata gave a little giggle, “Can you imagine? ‘Hi, Sona-baby! Yeah, I’m in the afterlife now! How are you guys?’” She of course did a badly done imitation of Adagio’s voice, mixed with making her sound British.

Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle, “She’s probably up there right now laughing at you for being so silly.”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” Sonata giggled, looking up at the ceiling and waving, “Hi, Mommy! Yes, I’m being silly now! Silly Sona-baby! Oink!”

Sunset laughed, wrapping an arm around Sonata’s shoulder, “You’re too much, sometimes.”

“I try to be,” Sonata nuzzled her, “You know… I’ve been thinking of something, lately.”

“What’s that?” Sunset asked, kissing her cheek as the patrons at the bar cooed.

Gathering her words for a few moments, Sonata placed her hands over her stomach for a moment. She had a feeling many would’ve found it impulsive, and they were probably right. Nonetheless, it was an idea she couldn’t ignore. Even if it wouldn’t happen now, she did still want to try going for it in the future. Sonata looked to her wife, nuzzling her cheek and kissing it.

“Mama… I want to have a baby.”

Sunset’s eyes widened, “What? A… a baby? I thought you were supposed to be the baby?”

Sonata giggled a little, “I know, and I am the baby. But, I’m serious. I want to have a baby. A real baby.”

Sunset took a step back and sat down, “...Whoa…”

Children had certainly always been on Adagio’s mind. She desperately wanted them, but couldn’t. And the fact that her and Sonata had gone many years into their relationship without even considering one seemed to be indicative of that. Adagio wanted children she could carry. But… she wasn’t here anymore. And the house seemed more empty with only three people in it.

“...How were you thinking about having one?” Sunset asked slowly.

“I figured I can go to the sperm bank,” Sonata murmured, looking down at her abdomen, “I wish I could have one with Mommy’s genes… But I guess I’ll have to take what I can get.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s… wait…” Sunrise pondered something for a minute, “Do you know what hospital Mom had Timbre at?”

Sonata nodded, “Mm-hmm, she eventually told me. Why do you ask?”

“Can you give me the number?” Sunset asked, pulling out her phone.

Scrolling through her contact info, Sonata held her phone out, “It’s the South Baltimare Hospital.”

Sunset looked at the number and dialed it into her phone, “...Hello? Yes, my name is Sunset Dazzle… yes, thank you, I appreciate it. Could you tell me something? My late wife had her stillborn son at your hospital. Could you tell me if she had the placenta frozen? ...She did? Great, I was wondering if me and my wife could… yes, that’s it… you can? Tomorrow? Great, thank you. Goodbye.”

She put the phone down and smiled, “They can take the stem cells from Mom’s placenta and make sperm cells out of it.”

Blinking a few times, Sonata’s jaw dropped, “For… For… For realsies?!”

“For realsies,” Sunset smiled, “You can have Mom’s baby.”

“Eeeee! Oh, Sunny! Sunny Mama!” Sonata squealed, throwing her arms around her and kissing her face, “You’re brilliant! You’re awesome! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I didn’t think it was possible, but oh my gosh! I can have Mommy’s baby! Mommy’s actual baby! Eeeeee! Oh, I’m so happy! Thank you!”

Sunset grinned and patted Sonata’s back, kissing her hair, “Oh, you’re welcome sweetie. We can go tomorrow if you feel like it…”

“Yes! Tomorrow’s good!” Sonata squealed, nuzzling her, “Thanks for that, Sunny! Oh, this is going to be sooo great!”

“What’s going to be great?” Aria asked, coming out of the backroom with a crate of empty bottles in her hands, “Okay, something big just happened. Haven’t seen Sonata this happy since Ma...passed on… So what’s up?”

“Sonata… is going to have Mom’s baby,” Sunset smiled, pulling Sonata into her lap.

Aria’s eyes went wide as her jaw dropped. She carefully placed the crate down to avoid dropping it, taking a step toward them, “Uh… what? Are my ears clogged or did I just hear you say that-”

“Yes! I’m going to have Mommy’s baby! Sunny knows the medical aspects of it, but overall, yes! It’s possible!” Sonata said eagerly.

“...Whoa… that’s… wow!” Aria gaped, now smiling, “That’s amazing! Even I never would’ve imagined it possible!”

Sunset grinned widely, nuzzling Sonata’s cheek as she opened her arm to invite Aria in, “Come here… group hug!”

Aria came over, joining the two in a hug, “This is awesome news… I bet Ma would be so proud.”

“I’m so talking to her later…” Sonata giggled.

Sunset’s smile grew even wider. The fact that she was able to make Sonata so happy, even thought the idea was a longshot at best, warmed her heart. She leaned in and kissed her forehead, snuggling her tightly between them until the patrons started clearing their throats for more drinks.

“Alright, the appointment’s set for tomorrow,” Sunset smiled as she came back to the bedroom and sitting down on the edge of the bed, “The solution is ready, and they can inseminate Sonata as soon as we get there.”

“Great,” Aria said as she tossed her clothes into the hamper, taking her nightshirt and slipping it on, “It’s funny, you know. I never pictured Sonata actually getting pregnant. But Ma always said she loved the idea of it.”

“Yeah. Mom’s the only one who had the hips for pregnancy,” Sunset laughed as she stripped down to her panties and bra before climbing in next to Aria.

“You’re telling me,” Aria laughed a little, “I actually asked the doctor one time if it was possible that I could get pregnant. You know, curiosity sake, I wasn’t planning on it. He said, technically I can, but I’d probably end up carrying in the back rather than the front.”

Sunset had never heard that term before, but it made her cringe either way, “I think Sona will be fine, though. She might not have the hips, but she’s certainly got the stomach for it.”

Aria giggled, “Yep, I think she’ll be fine. Sure, she can be a bit… ditzy, but I know she wouldn’t do this unless she truly knew she could. Now it’s just a matter of getting the procedure done.”

“Yeah…” Sunset frowned, “Artificial insemination has an 80% failure rate. So the chances are slim… it’s also really expensive so we can only try it so many times.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Aria stretched and lay back on the bed, “I don’t like those odds, either. And I know Sonata would be beyond devastated... But, I guess it’s better than not trying at all.”

Sunset nodded as she snuggled up to Aria and wrapped her arms around her waist, “...You know… when she asked if she could call me Mama… I was touched. I’ll be honest, even after we were married, I always felt like the little pinky toe. Just standing out from the rest, ready to take a table leg to the face.”

“Aww,” Aria nuzzled her sweetly, bringing her arms around her, “You’re not giving yourself enough credit. You were pretty much the other parent in this family. If Ma wasn’t around, you were running the show.”

Sunset giggled, “Yeah, I know. I still kinda felt that way, though. For a while I was just the employee that she felt up. It was kinda out of the blue when she asked me to move in.”

Aria kissed her cheek, “I guess it kinda was, huh? It was real surprising when Ma said all that. Even I didn’t see it coming, and I knew from the beginning you were her favourite. Still, it worked out way better than expected, didn’t it?”

“Mmhmm,” Sunset laughed, “Still can’t believe I never told my parents about us until I was sending out the wedding invitations.”

“What did you even tell them when you moved in here?” Aria snickered.

“I lived in a run-down apartment a few streets down before coming here,” Sunset shrugged, “I just told them I moved.”

“I guess you didn’t offer the forwarding address?”

“It kinda slipped my mind,” Sunset shrugged sheepishly, “Me and my parents get along, we just don’t talk much.”

Aria nodded, nuzzling her cheek, “Still, I can just imagine the looks on their faces when they got the wedding invite!”

“Especially with four names on it,” Sunset laughed, “They never even knew I was gay, let alone getting married to three women.”

“No kidding,” Aria chuckled, “I liked your parents, though. They were really nice. Your dad cracked some pretty funny jokes, I almost spat punch out my nose!”

“Oh yeah. And they really took a liking to Mom,” Sunset giggled, “It was like ‘Ugh, you’re marrying such an older woman, and-oh wait, never mind. She’s a total sweetheart. I love my new daughter-in-law even though she’s older than me’!”

Aria laughed at this, “I know, right? There you are, marrying a woman who’s almost their age! With two other slightly older women, no less! That’s gonna be a story to tell at the next family reunion.”

“Yeah, and you thought she was robbing the cradle with Sonata,” Sunset laughed, “When Adagio and Sonata started hooking up, I was nine.”

“....Wow, okay, that’s pretty funny to think about,” Aria chuckled, shaking her head, “Oh, yeah. I was a grade-A bitch back then. I know it’s kinda gray, but I was still just… foul, you know? Sonata even broke a beer bottle and pointed it at me! I mean, shit! She didn’t do anything with it, but still. Looking back, I can’t even believe half the things I said to Ma.”

“Yeah, I heard. If it was anything like what the Dusks and Mrs Blaze said… yeah,” Sunset winced, “She never really… held any of that against you, did she?”

“Actually? No, not really. There were actually moments during both times I was here that she did get genuinely angry. But, overall? She just kinda found it funny. Like I was just a kid throwing a tantrum. It felt kinda condescending, you know? Not that I didn’t deserve it, but still!” Aria whistled at the memory, “I remember distinctly that… she gave me this demented smirk. Like a cross between something the Joker would use on Batman and maybe even the Grinch. It really creeped me out! And she knew it! She just did it to get under my skin! So I tried leaving, and she just did it again! Sure, I laugh about it now, but boy, she creeped me out. After that, things changed! And she just found it sexy since it was kinda like Hate Sex or something.”

“Hate sex?” Sunset asked, cocking an eyebrow, “What do you mean Hate Sex?”

Aria snorted at the memories, “Sonata had Ma strip down in front of me. Then they coerced me into going down on her. Right when I was still in my ‘Adagio is a cradle-robbing cougar’ phase.”

“...You’re kidding,” Sunset said, her mouth hanging open, “How the… how do you end up going down on someone you think is a pedophile?”

“You’ve seen Ma naked, right?”

“Yeah.”

Aria poked her nose, “I was eighteen, I was young and frustrated, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. Gorgeous woman who seriously does not look forty-one strips down and beckons me… Yeah.”

“Yeah, but… you were right in the middle of yelling at her,” Sunset laughed, “Sexy or not, if I thought someone was a creepy sexual predator, and they told me to eat them out, I wouldn’t actually do it.”

“Like I said, I wasn’t thinking right,” Aria stuck her tongue out.

“You were thinking on two tracks simultaneously,” Sunset laughed, “You’ve got a guy’s sex drive.”

Aria laughed and gave her a gentle smack on the shoulder, “Oh, up yours!”

“No, more like up yours,” Sunset laughed, patting her cheek, “Next time you start yelling at one of the dancers, I’ll know that’s your mating dance.”

“Very funny,” Aria stuck her tongue out at her.

“I’ll tell Sweet Leaf that the best way to defuse a situation is to open her legs,” Sunset snickered, kissing Aria’s cheek.

“How nice of you,” Aria poked her nose, snickering.

“Oh yeah!” Sunset recalled, “Tomorrow afternoon is one of the topless bartender nights. Remind me when we get back from the hospital.”

“Sure thing,” Aria chuckled, nuzzling noses with her.

“I was a little hesitant about letting that continue. It was one of the ideas Mom hadn’t quite finished with before she died,” Sunset frowned, “I wonder what the patrons are gonna think…”

Aria thought for a few moments, “Well, I guess for now, stick with it. But if it’s too much, we’ll just stop it.”

“Yeah. I’d hate to have to get rid of it,” Sunset shrugged, “But without Mom supervising the place… I dunno, some of the less reputable patrons might get gutsy.”

“I guess that means you’re gonna have to be more on your toes,” Aria said, shaking her head, “I’ll be around at times too, so will Sonata, so we can help. But I guess if it’s too much, we’ll just have to shut it down. You’re the manager and doing awesomely with it, but don’t be afraid to make a decision like that. Some things just gotta be done.”

“I know, I know,” Sunset pouted, nuzzling up under Aria’s chin, “Doesn’t make it any less of a drag. Mom was better at making those decisions than me.”

“Nah, even she struggled. You know, trying to find the balance of doing what’s best for the business but keeping other factors in mind. She was crushed when she had to fire Sugar Belle, but she did it because of liability. She had to put the club first above her emotions,” Aria nuzzled her hair, “And she’s done it for a long time, so she had some experience. You’ll definitely get better at it.”

“Yeah, but she fired Sugar Belle for sleeping with four patrons in the back room,” Sunset remarked, “I’d hate to have to take away the weekend bartender thing because… dammit, it’s selfish, but I just like baring my tits, okay? If a few assholes end up ruining that, I’m gonna be pissed!”

Aria stroked her hair comfortingly, “Hey, come on. Nothing’s in stone yet, Sunny. No one’s making you do anything. You’re the boss, you get the final say. If you want to bare your tits, you bare those tits into next week! And I’m not just saying that because I love the view. I know Ma said she didn’t want to do it because she wants to set a good example, but that worked for her. You may as well do what works for you.”

Sunset smiled and nuzzled Aria’s cheek, “Thanks Aria. I’ll get an extra charger for the taser in case people get more grabby than usual. And maybe a gun for the guard… no… another taser. That guy’s way too jumpy for a lethal weapon.”

“Agreed. Like Ma said, we want to subdue, not kill,” Aria kissed her cheek back. She looked at the clock for a moment, “Wow, Sonata’s been in there a while. You think she’s okay?”

“She’s probably imagining herself pregnant and squealing like a little girl,” Sunset snickered, reaching back and undoing her bra, sliding it out from underneath herself.

“D’awww…” Aria giggled, “And probably telling Ma all about it, like she’s there. I have to say though, just seeing Sonata this excited about something is already enough for me. That little ball of sunshine is back, full freaking force.”

“And that’s just in the anticipation. Imagine when the baby is finally here,” Sunset giggled, snuggling Aria closer and kissing her neck.

“Wow, that’s going to be something,” Aria whistled, nuzzling her, “I never thought we’d be raising a baby in this house. I know Ma kinda had to give up on the idea and was just fine with us, but… wow. I gotta say, that’s going to be quite a way to memorialize her.”

“Mmhmm,” Sunset nodded, “It’s… it’s just a shame she’s never going to get to meet her son or daughter…”

“No kidding,” Aria agreed, shaking her head, “I even wish we’d thought of it before. At least this solution! I remember saying things like, ‘Hey, Ma, you know, you can adopt, right?’ and stuff. But she always said it just wasn’t going to be the same.”

“Yeah, the technology only came around a couple of months ago,” Sunset shrugged, “I was actually going to bring it up to Ma, but… then we got that call…”

“Oh yeah… that call,” Aria shuddered, “I didn’t even hear it and I felt like I was gut-punched.”

“Sonata got the worst of it,” Sunset shuddered, “At least Asy broke it to us gently. She had to hear it from that… sterile, emotionless doctor.”

Aria nodded, sighing a bit, “Yeah, no kidding. I mean, I get that as a doctor, you do have to put your emotions aside so you can do your job. But wow, you are telling another person that her wife is dead. How do you not at least show a little compassion? Nope! You’re just doing it like they forgot their car keys.”

Sunset nodded, “Yeah… you didn’t hear after you took Sonata up to the bedroom to lay down. Both Twi and Asy berated that doctor for a half an hour over the phone. Kinda surprising he never hung up.”

“Wait, what? That happened?!” Aria’s eyes went wide, “Aw, nice. How’d that go over?”

“Rainbow said that she’d never seen Ascentia that angry before. Until that time she lost it on Twilight and Cielle in our living room for trash-talking Mom,” Sunset whistled, “Angry Asy is apparently very rare, and she was out. Twilight, they’d seen Twilight angry before. Apparently Twilight has serious anger issues.”

“Damn,” Aria whistled, “Well hey, kudos to them for calling out that heartless doc. I spent over an hour trying to console Sonata. She was screaming, crying, and was just destroyed, it took forever for her to fall asleep. At least somebody said something, though.”

Sunset nodded, kissing Aria’s cheek, “But now Sona’s gonna have a part of her back. She’s gonna have her own little Dagi running around.”

“Oh, man!” Aria was now giggling, “I think if she has a girl, I know exactly what she’s going to name her.”

“Oh yeah!” Sunset laughed, “Without a doubt. That’s gonna be a little Adagio.”

“Yep, through and through,” Aria giggled, shaking her head, “A little Adagio, with four Mommies, one Mommy sadly departed, and definitely will inherit the best from both of ‘em.”

“Four mothers… man, and parents thought kids asking ‘Why does Joshua have two mommies’ was a hard question,” Sunset laughed, nuzzling Aria’s hair.

“Amen,” Aria kissed her cheek, “Ohh, and we’ll have a preggy Sonata on our hands. I can’t even imagine how that’s gonna be! Aside from having an adorable belly… I’m sure gonna have a hard time keeping my hands to myself…”

“You got a thing for pregnant women?” Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not at first,” Aria chuckled, “I used to think, ‘Oh, big deal. She’s pregnant. Nice and all, whatever.’ And then, one of our older dancers, before she had to quit, she and her husband were expecting a baby at the time. She kept working while pregnant for six months! And she was pregnant with twins, no less. So her belly was kind of big even after just about...three-four months. Well, one time, Ma was laying with her and kind of comforting her, while she was naked. She was rubbing her belly, asking her questions, and just talking to her.

“I was watching from time to time, and then I observed a bit closer. And it was just… beautiful. I found such a beauty in a pregnant woman that I never imagined possible. I loved watching her. I loved seeing her do her thing while pregnant. There was something so amazing about it. I wanted to touch her all over, to just feel her stomach, and… basically shower her with all my heart. Call me crazy, but I developed a little fetish. Okay, not really, but still! Now if I see Sonata pregnant, I’m gonna dote all over her.”

“Oh you’re gonna do more than just dote,” Sunset laughed, kissing her cheek, “Aw, you’re such a big softie, what am I gonna do with you?”

“Oh, shut up…” Aria blushed heavily, but was chuckling, “Okay, Sunny… you going to stay up a bit, or head off to dreamland?”

“Well, we’re still waiting for Sonata to get her cute little butt back in here,” Sunset snickered, kissing Aria’s neck as she snuggled closer.

As if on cue, Sonata entered the bedroom, yawning a bit, “Hey, ladies… Sorry about that, kind of had to get all that out of my system. I swear I heard Mommy squealing and cheering… Did you guys hear anything?”

Aria shook her head, “Nope.”

Sunset shook her head as Sonata crawled into bed next to her, “Nuh-uh.”

“...Well, it’s official. I’m going crazy,” Sonata pouted, “I keep seeing and hearing things that aren’t there.”

“Hey, when Mom starts telling you to kill the whores, then you have to worry,” Sunset snickered, “Until then, you’re fine being crazy.”

“I’ll go with that, too,” Aria agreed.

Sighing a bit, Sonata squeezed in between them and curled up, “I feel so excited for having a baby and I’m trying to move on, but… Is it sad that I wish Mommy was still here?”

“Sad sad, or pathetic sad?” Sunset asked, turning her head to kiss Sonata’s hair.

“...Pathetic sad,” Sonata murmured.

“Not in the slightest,” Sunset kissed her cheek, snuggling her close, “It’s only been a month since she passed away. We all wish she was still here…”

“Definitely,” Aria agreed, “And besides, you took it really hard. Come on, you two were together for three years before we came in. Come together in such a way I can’t even imagine. I’m not surprised. But don’t worry about it, okay? Healing’s not gonna happen overnight.”

Nodding, Sonata relaxed a little more, “Okay, I won’t. I love you girls… I’m glad we’re not going through this all alone.”

“Me too…” Sunset smiled, nuzzling Sonata as she shifted positions so that she was between Aria and Sunset, “Mama loves you,” she grinned.

“Love you too, Mama,” Sonata smiled.

“Ditto, love you too… Er… You know what, I’ll go with Mom,” Aria nuzzled Sunset’s cheek.

“Alright,” Sunset smiled, “Wow… I guess I really am Mom now…” Next Chapter: Who Wants To Touch 'Em Estimated time remaining: 53 Minutes