Fantasy and Instinct

Part 1

A certain Latias Pokémorph experiences her most powerful fetish.

Note: Despite the alias of my co-writer, this is not a Star Trek/Pokémon crossover. It is worth noting, however, that this co-writer and I met because she is a fan of my work. Hooray for fan collabing, especially when your fans rock so much!

Cast

Emma Trent: Starfleet Counselor.

Kera Hsagra: Me.

NPCs on Kera's TV: Me.

Pokémon (c) Nintendo, Game Freak, etc.

Dr. Kera Hsagra sat on the toilet in one of the hospital's women's bathrooms, her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. It was that time of the month for the Latias Pokémorph again...or for her, that time of the year, and she could tell that this one was going to be a doozy. Her stomach was knotted up and she felt as if the floor was spinning under her. "Ugh...why's it have to suck so much at fiiirst..." she moaned.

Dr. Emma Trent knocked lightly on the restroom door. "Kera? You in there?" The fellow obstetrician and midwife, and Kera's good friend, knew Kera had been in there a while.

"Yeah...I'm here. Just...got some wicked nausea. 'That time' for me," she said with a bit of a groan.

The longhaired brunette human entered the restroom, concern for her friend overriding all else. She stopped in front of the stall she knew contained Kera. "Anything I can do to help? Hold your hand?" Trent knew that when it came to morning sickness, sometimes one just had to get it out of one's system.

The Latias morph smiled slightly and opened the door. "Yeah, just gimme a hand to hold, that's nice," she said, her soft, intelligent amber eyes looking up at her friend and coworker's blues.

Emma nodded, offering her hand and a gentle smile as she entered the stall. "That I can do."

She took Emma's hand and let out a deep breath, still holding her head in her other hand. "Mm...you'd think that after treating as many patients as I have, I'd have my own cure for morning sickness."

Emma chuckled. "I'll tell you what you always tell them." She continued, imitating Kera's voice, "'Just ride it out. There are more positive things to come. It might help just to get it out of your system.'"

Kera gave a light chuckle. "Yeah...well, maybe good things come if you're a mammal. I, however...well, I actually gotta make an appointment with you now."

Emma nodded. "And I will see you through this, just as I have every year before, my friend," she said with a knead of Kera's hand. "Now, not to sound rude, but if you're going to vomit, you should. We have patients to see," she added with a smile, turning around.

Kera chuckled again. "I dunno abou- urk!" She scooted off the toilet, positioned herself to pray to the porcelain god, and after a few deep breaths, lost her breakfast.

Emma turned and knelt beside her friend, rubbing her back. "That a girl," she crooned gently. "Let it out."

Kera coughed a couple of times as she caught her breath. "The hell...I almost never puked before...oh man, this egg cycle's gonna flat-out suck, I just know it," she whined, nonetheless comforted by Emma.

She continued to stroke her friend's back. "You'll get through it. Now, I may be a mere human, but I suggest we wait and see if you have any more surprises. Try not to fight it."

The slightly dazed Latias nodded. "Right...just let it out," she said, breathing deeply. "You can go if you want...I think I can handle it now...."

Emma nodded and gave Kera's back a last rub. "Make that appointment right quick, okay?" she said before she stood up and left the bathroom.

After her morning sickness had abated for the time being, Kera washed her hands and went to the employee lounge to rinse her mouth out with a travel-size bottle of mouthwash she kept in her locker in case of long shifts that left no time for her to go home and brush her teeth. As she walked, she reflected upon her situation. Latiases, being egg-laying Pokémorphs, laid infertile eggs at the end of each monthly menstrual cycle if they were not fertilized. Although these cycle eggs were only a little bigger than chicken eggs (fertilized eggs were incubated in their bodies and developed into eggs roughly the size of Pokémon eggs), they could be annoying enough that Kera couldn't afford to risk suddenly starting to lay an egg in the middle of tending to her patients, so she opted to undergo hormonal treatments during college. Now she instead passed the period-sized egg cells that mammals did without putting her fertility at risk...but not without side effects.

Every twelfth menstrual cycle, if she wasn't impregnated during its first few days or at any time during the previous eleven cycles, the egg, although still infertile, would develop over the course of the next twenty-eight days, give or take a day, into an egg about half the size of a fertilized egg, and during those weeks, she would experience many symptoms of pregnancy, from morning sickness to mood swings. The symptoms weren't nearly as bad as they would be if she was actually pregnant, at least not until now, and she would eventually pass the egg after a short period of uterine contractions not unlike labor. This would be the eighth such cycle she had experienced, and as a fetishist of just about all things pregnancy- and birth-related, she had become very, very good at having fun in the process of passing the eggs.

A week later, Kera was starting to worry.  This egg cycle was worse than any before, and she was anxious to find out if something was wrong with her.  At the moment, she was sitting on Emma's examination table in a white t-shirt and khaki shorts; she knew from years of experience that if she could trust anyone, both as a professional and as a friend, to help her with reproductive problems, it was Emma.

Emma knocked gently on the door before entering the exam room.  She smiled at Kera and held up a folder.  "I just needed an extra peek at your labs.  How're you feeling?"

"Mmf.  Worse than I should be.  My moods swing like the tides, my stomach hurts, my chest is more sensitive...and it's starting to worry me," she grumbled.

"Well, your blood work shows your hormone levels are more than double what they should be, so that could explain your symptoms.  I'd like to do an ultrasound to check things out, okay?"  Emma donned gloves and pulled out the familiar ultrasound cart, firing up the machine.

The Latias morph nodded and lay on her back, pulling up her shirt and pulling down her shorts to show her tummy.  She was naturally curved in the lower areas thanks to the Latias body shape, so the swell she already had was nothing unusual or even something she could lose if she wanted to.

"This is a bit cold, sorry," Emma said as she squirted Kera's tummy with gel before placing the wand over it.  The machine emitted the typical noises, sounding as if they were deep underwater.

Kera shifted a little on her back.  "Nothing I've not experienced before," she responded, looking at the screen.  She couldn't help but grin; unlike most of her patients, she could actually make sense of what she saw on an ultrasound monitor.

Emma focused on her task, and after a moment, came across the egg.  "It's a little oddly shaped, Kera.  If this contained your offspring, I'd be more worried, but this is not unusual for a cycle egg."

Kera cocked her head.  "It looks like...I don't know, a little teardrop-shaped.  They've always been ovals before; I've never had an egg that shape...or...that big...."  She shivered a little, though whether with anticipation or fear, it was hard to tell...but probably the former.

"You're more mature now, Kera.  I'd expect the eggs to get a little bigger and a little differently shaped over time.  You can handle-...."  Emma stopped, readjusting her screen and then repositioning the wand.  "Oh my...."

Kera squinted at the screen, her vantage point making it a bit hard for her to see what Emma was talking about.  "What?  What's wrong?"

Emma looked at Kera and smiled.  "If I see two cycle eggs, but they don't actually contain offspring and are a natural part of your maturation cycle, do you still call it twins?"

The Latias's amber eyes shot open as she craned her long neck to look over at the screen in disbelief.  "What in Lugia's...wow...."  She gulped a little, her body shuddering again.  That was definitely a shudder of anticipation.

"Have you ever heard of that before?" Trent asked.

"Uh...er...yeah...it's rare to have two big...oddly-shaped...cycle eggs, but yeah, I read about it..." Kera stammered, her mind elsewhere.  "Mmf...can you figure out how big they are now?"

Emma pressed some keys on the machine's touchpad and a moment later answered, "I'd say they're each double the size of your last egg...so...it's as if you're growing two normal-sized, if not normal-shaped, eggs."

Kera's eyes opened even wider.  "Uwuh...th-...no way...."  She looked down at her tummy, then at the screen, then back at her tummy.  She stopped daydreaming enough to make some quick calculations in her head.  "If that's the case...I might need a little help...."

Emma nodded.  "See this egg?" she asked, pointing to the screen.  "It's longer, pill-shaped.  It might be more difficult to pass."

"Oog...that means it has a long widest diameter..." Kera reasoned.  "And that teardrop egg, well, it still has only one place with a widest diameter," she said in a bit of relief, even though she knew that it wasn't going to be easy to pass either of them.

Emma nodded.  "That's how it appears.  My guess is, on top of having two eggs, your morning sickness and other symptoms reflect the changes in the shape."  Trent began wiping off the gel from Kera's abdomen and helped her sit up.  "I'm not ready to say you cannot pass them, but Kera, I don't want you to go through this alone, not this time.  I know you've done this before and you tell me I worry too much, and each time, you call me and everything turns out fine, but I want to be there this time.  Consider it an educational experience for me, consider it whatever you want.  But I want to be there.  Didn't you once tell me a woman's family or mate should be there when she lays a real egg?"

Kera tried to shake her deviant thoughts from her head as she considered her friend.  She always laid her cycle eggs alone because she was sure she'd upset Emma too much with how she did it, and given the wide hips of a Latias in addition to the usual egg size and shape, never had any reason to think she'd have much trouble.  But two big and oddly shaped eggs...better safe than sorry this time.  "Yeah...yeah, I did.  Guess this time I'm the one who might need a midwife," she remarked with a smile.  "Glad it's you."

Emma could see her friend was distracted.  "Me too," she replied with a gentle smile.  "What is it, Kera?  Is there some reason you don't want me there?"

Kera chuckled lightly.  "Eh heh...not that I don't want you there...more that, well, I have this way I deal with the pain...it involves masturbation...and a lot of it.  I know you know I encourage sexual acts in labor if the patients are okay with it, but I don't want you to come help me if you're not okay with it."  In her head, she added, "And I also don't want to ask you to watch me frig myself into oblivion."  She had made offers to Emma of being friends with benefits years ago, but Emma refused and Kera had never spoken of them again, not wanting to lose their friendship.

Emma took her friend's hand.  "And I would never refuse a friend something that I knew would help ease her pain. I may not be comfortable with sexually pleasuring my patients, but I have taken your lead at times and encouraged them to do so if they felt comfortable. It helps some of them, and for that I am grateful. Besides, it's a natural act. I am not ashamed or disgusted; I'm just not as open about it as you are." Emma kissed Kera's hand.  "I love you, Kera.  Maybe I don't love you as a romantic partner, but I love you just the same, and I want to hold your hand or hold you, or do whatever you need.  You don't have to do this alone.  More than that, I don't want you to."

The Latias shivered when Emma kissed her hand, her hormones flaring up again with her sexual thoughts.  Then she blinkblinked, needing a minute to digest what Emma told her.  Then, surprising herself a little, she actually started tearing up, giving Emma a loud sniffle as she smiled and pulled the human into a tight hug.  Not a sexual hug, just a friendly hug...a very friendly hug.  "*sniff* Th-Thank you, Emma...mmf, I'm sorry, my hormones are just totally fucked up...but that means so much to me."

Emma returned the hug and held on tightly. "Oh sweetie, I know you'd do the same for me.  I'm going to be with you every step of the way, hormones and all," she remarked with a chuckle.

Kera took a few deep breaths before she released Emma from the hug, wiping her eyes and nose on her own sleeve.  "Okay...I think I got that out.  So...guess we should plan on you joining me for a longer leave than normal in a few weeks, shouldn't we?"

Emma nodded and stroked her friend's back.  "We can plan on it. How does this normally go for you? What's it like, I mean? I don't think you've ever described it to me."

"Um...well, it's kinda like labor and birth in my patients, but it goes a fair bit faster.  I think the last egg I laid took about...five hours or so from the first contraction I could feel to being ready to lay, and then it was...probably fifteen, twenty minutes to push it out.  I, um, kinda lost track of time at that point...I really got into it by then," she explained, fidgeting a little.

Emma took it in, in professional mode at the moment.  "And were you in pain at first?  What positions do you assume to lay?"

Kera nodded.  "Yeah, there was some pain, but it wasn't bad.  I just kinda puttered around my house for the first couple of hours and watched some TV, listened to music, and all that.  After that I'd start pleasuring myself, usually in my bedroom, but then I took a shower when I started getting really sweaty...."

"And then?"

"Um...then I went back to my TV and actually, um, put in a few movies to help me keep the mood, y'know what I mean?"  It was a wonder she wasn't blushing by now, even as open about her sexuality as she was.

Emma nodded, thinking more clinically now.  "How do you know when it's time to push?  When you're open enough, I mean?"

"It's like...well, by then I was pretty in tune with my body, so it was like, I just knew.  Plus, the pressure down there felt different...y'know, all those things our patients say."  She was wringing her hands a little bit and starting to blush, though from arousal, not from embarrassment.

Emma assumed the blush was from embarrassment and caught herself.  "Of course.  Sorry, just curious.  One last question: what position do you assume?"

"Usually I get a few towels and stuff on the floor of my bedroom and squat over 'em, sometimes using my bed for leverage and sometimes on one knee, but by then I'm really, really worked up so I just switch positions at will."  She giggled a little.  "Sometimes I even take a position that makes laying a little harder...."

Emma frowned and smiled, confused.  "Like?"

"Like, um, flat on my back, mainly...or if it's more pleasurable than painful, with my hips elevated...so the egg's going against gravity."  The white of her face and neck were now bright pink.  "It's...freaky, yes, but...sometimes it just feels so good...."

"Different," Emma acknowledged.  "I won't ask you what you fantasize.  Truthfully, I see pushing too much like pooping.  So not sexy."

Good thing Emma didn't ask, because Kera really didn't want to go into detail about what she could fantasize in mid-laying.  "Eh heh...well, um...yeah.  That's...that's kinda it."

"Good to know for when the time comes," Emma said.  "Where do you want me?"

The Latias didn't have to think about that for long.  "Um...well, we'll just see when the time comes, y'know?  Ideally, next to me in some way."

"Sounds good," Emma replied, suddenly uncomfortable from all that Kera told her.

Kera nodded, pulling her shorts up and sitting on the side of the bed.  "Um...y'know, Emma, when it's time, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do...."

"I know," she agreed.  "But the last thing I want is for you to worry about me then."

The Pokémorph smiled at her and rested her hand on Emma's again.  "So no pressure on either of us, yeah?"

Emma returned the smile and nodded. "Yeah."

Three weeks later, Kera was once again in Emma's examination room, but this time her normal tummy was swollen with what could be mistaken for a pregnancy close to term with a single baby.  Kera, of course, knew that it was caused by her twin irregular eggs, and she did like the attention it gave her: people would look at her as she walked by and would feel her tummy, which made her feel special, especially when children asked to touch it (she of course simply told them that she was pregnant).

Emma entered with her customary pleasant smile, Kera's chart in hand.  She knew her friend would lay any day now, and she felt a certain shyness and sense of excitement this time.  While she had always cared for Kera during her cycle period and knew what it was all about – biology included – this was the first time she was going to see the process complete itself.  "How're you feeling?"  She reached for Kera's hand and squeezed.

The Latias smiled back at her friend, resting her other hand on her tummy.  "Okay...well, given the circumstances.  Feels like there's a steel bar in my hips sometimes and my skin can itch like hell from how fast and how much these cycle eggs grew, and I still get kinda snappy...but I think I'm ready to lay, thank you very much," she answered.

Emma let go of her friend's hand and placed her hand on Kera's abdomen, palpating it to judge the eggs' positions and size.  "You look ready," she agreed.  "Any contractions yet?"

Kera wriggled a bit from Emma's hand on her stomach.  "Mmnope.  But I've never been more than one day late, so I think you should be comin' by my place once your shift's over, y'know?"  She almost let out a slight trill of pleasure from Emma's touch.

Emma muttered an apology for making Kera uncomfortable and nodded.  "I agree.  I promise not to fuss at the first pain, but I want to be there ASAP.  Have you thought about your, for lack of a better term, birth plan?"

Kera nodded.  "Yep.  I'd like to be at home if at all possible, and, well, if the pain starts getting the best of me, do what I did before: pleasure myself...which you don't have to help with, most likely."

Emma nodded.  "All right.  I imagine you have all sorts of ways to alleviate pain," Trent added with a shy grin.  "You just do what feels right, but I imagine we have the shower and tub, and some sort of squat will be needed.  Does using a squat bar help you, or a stool?"

"Yeah, squatting helps a lot, and for these eggs," she patted her stomach, "I guess I can't screw around this time.  Gotta really try, y'know?"

"Yeah," Emma agreed with another nod.  "Your body's going to do the work whether you help or not, so you might find yourself pushing when your muscles already are just to preserve your strength.  Let them come on their own, y'know?  Just hold on to my hand and endure the ride.  I'd hate for you to tear."

Kera blushed a bit and scratched the back of her neck.  "I know...I'll do my best to just let things happen, but as I've learned from my patients, not pushing when your body's yelling at you to push can be harder than hell."  She squeezed Emma's hand as she rubbed her belly.  "But I think I can do it with you talking me through it."

"I'd say I empathize with you, but since I've never given birth, I can't," Emma replied with a smile and a shrug.  "I know it's hard for all of our patients for sure, but I believe in you, Kera, and I'm going to be with you all the way."

Kera took a deep breath and nodded.  "Thanks. It means a lot that you want to be there.  It really does," she said with a soft smile.

Emma came up to the door of Kera's townhouse and opened the door with her free hand.  Her other hand contained her bag of birth supplies and a deftly juggled birth stool and squat bar that hooked on a bed or that could stand alone on the floor when properly secured on a stand.  As they had agreed, the door was unlocked. Emma had been to Kera's home several times, so she wasted no time exploring the Latias's comfortable and tasteful surroundings.  "Kera?" she called out, closing the door behind her.

The sound of Kera's voice crying out, "Oh, GO-O-OD!" came to Emma's ears from upstairs, along with loud, straining grunts and, "God, it's so big...Ican'tstopit!"

Panic gripped Emma as she shifted her gear in both hands and raced up the stairs. Her first thought was the labor had hit Kera way too fast for her to call Emma.  Bursting into the bedroom gasping for breath, Emma said, "I'm here, hon, I'm he- ohhh my goodness...."

The sight greeting Emma was not Kera squatting over a pile of towels with an egg half out of her, but rather, Kera squatting over a football-sized and -shaped plastic egg on her bed, most of one end thrusted into her sex as her juices drooled down its sides.  In front of her, her bedroom TV was playing a recording of an iguana woman in the middle of laying an egg with the help of a Komodo dragon man, grunting hoarsely.  Emma had saddle-attacked Kera in mid-fantasizing.  The Latias cracked open an eye and froze at seeing her friend in the doorway, her whole head and neck turning a lovely shade of pink.  "...Um...y-you're...early...."

Emma instinctively turned away out of embarrassment and was equally embarrassed when she ended up facing the TV with the interesting scene.  "Um...yeah, guess so. Sorry."

Kera shivered at the feeling of the fake egg still in her sex and the sound of the recording.  "Mmf...y-you...gimmeafew?" she babbled, sweat beading on her brow.

Emma bit her lip.  She was embarrassed and at the same time fascinated by her friend's open and raw sexuality.  "Can I stay and help?"  Trent pointed to the TV.  "You her?"  She was trying to get a feel for what was going on so she could help.

Kera gulped and nodded.  "Y-Yeah...kinda...just helps me focus..." she breathed, removing the egg from her crotch at feeling her sexual buzz start to die.  "I just...like seeing people...give birth...y'know?"

Emma didn't know exactly. She had seen many give birth before, and although she never tired of the magic of it, she never considered the sexual undertones.  "Don't stop...I mean, if it helps you prepare, I guess I need to be prepared too, right?  Especially this aspect.  Wanna start over?  Maybe a rehearsal'd be good for us."

The Latias panted a few times and widened her eyes at Emma's suggestion.  "Um...well...the contractions aren't so bad yet...I'm really just having fun now," she said, patting her tummy.  "Mmf...in fact, there's one now."

Emma's eyebrows arched and she dropped her gear on the dresser, coming forward to feel Kera's belly.  The telltale hardening was there, signaling a contraction.  "When did they start and how far apart are they?"

Kera smiled at the feeling of her friend's hand on her belly again, taking slow breaths.  "Couple hours ago...an' irregular, 'bout five, six minutes apart..." she answered.

"I suppose you didn't want to worry me or be interrupted," Emma said casually as she retreated to the bathroom next door to wash her hands.  "But I meant what I said: if this will help you open up, I'll play along.  I need to be prepared for your...creativity, right?" she asked, returning.

Kera nodded.  "Mm, yeah...didn't see any need to call you over when I could handle 'em okay, and given how I liked to deal with 'em...cuz, um, sometimes they press on a sensitive nerve," she said, her blush returning as her belly continued to tighten.

Emma resisted the urge to laugh uncomfortably.  "I'm a professional and I need to get used to the unexpected, so please, teach me.  Um...had you pushed that out that much already?  Do you wanna start over?"

"Um, no, it was more like penetrating myself with it...trying to imagine laying being more pleasurable than painful."  Kera looked down at the fake egg as her contraction passed, her sexual juices glistening on the plastic object.

Emma nodded. "I see.  So want to try again?"

Kera nodded.  "Yeah...um...if you really want to...it'd help if you got into it, told me to vocalize what it's like...I can get a little wordy sometimes when I'm turned on."

Emma nodded.  "Um, okay."  Trent couldn't believe what she was about to do, but she was also curious about it.  "Can you restart the tape?"

The Latias leaned back and took a remote control from her nightstand, hitting the rewind button.  "H-How about you check me while we wait?  I swear, I'll try to think of it professionally...."

"Sure," Emma agreed, grateful to be able to focus on work at the moment.  As she donned gloves, minus lubricant because she knew Kera was slick already, she said, "Remember what we said about no pressure?  I can deal with arousal as long as my friend isn't in pain."

"I remember.  Just clearing my conscience a little more."  She lay on her back and spread her legs for Emma to check her.

Emma gently inserted a finger into Kera's folds and was surprised she could fit an additional finger in.  Sweeping her fingers inside, she replied, "You're not thinned out much, but you're two centimeters dilated already."

Kera nodded, taking a deep breath to try to focus just on her arousal and not on Emma's fingers, which was nearly impossible with how sexed-up she was even though her fantasizing had been interrupted.  "Okay...good...remember, I go to eleven centimeters, not ten...."

Emma removed her fingers carefully and snapped off her gloves, discarding them in the wastebasket near the door.  "What now?"

Kera shifted a little and looked at her TV.  "Um, I think it's about ready...so maybe you should sit down or something," she said, taking the egg back in her hands.

"Behind you as you squat?" Emma suggested. She wanted to simulate as close to the real thing as possible. "Unless when the time comes, you want me just to observe...."

"N-No, when the time comes, I want you to be right here with me.  I'm going to need it."  Kera put the egg between her legs as she sat on her shins.  "If you can hit the play button...."

Emma took the remote from the nightstand before removing her shoes and climbing behind Kera as she knelt over the egg. She rubbed her friend's shoulders in reassurance. With a deep breath, Emma hit the play button on the remote.  "Just let it come."

The video started with the iguana woman squatting over a pile of towels, her legs spread and the male Komodo dragon supporting her from behind and licking her face as she groaned and periodically held her breath, her tail flicking.  "Ooh yeah, come on, push that egg out," Kera groaned, rubbing the egg against her sex.

"Don't fight the pressure," Emma crooned, trying to hide her uncertainty with playing along.  Instinctively, she continued to rub Kera's shoulders.

The Latias turned the egg so its point was pushing into her folds, she breathing heavily.  "Mmf, yeah, egg's coming, egg's coming," she purred.  The iguana's lips pulled back to show her teeth as she grabbed the Komodo's hands, a bit of fluid dripping from her sex.

"Let your body open up, Kera. You have nothing to fear."

Kera leaned her head back on Emma's shoulder, continuing to take deep breaths as she masturbated.  "N-Nothing to fear...egg will come...."

The komodo purred to the iguana, "That's it, little bit at a time, egg's coming."

Emma brushed Kera's forehead.  "If you want, try a little push. It's okay to practice, just not too hard, okay?  It's not time for you."

Kera nodded and opened her legs a little more, pushing her body down to let the egg slip in a little further.  "Ooh...ggh!" she grunted, shivering.

"Good girl," Emma encouraged.  "Don't fight it.  Let the pain come."

Now the camera moved to show the tip of the iguana's egg emerging from her sex as her contraction ended and she gasped for breath, her hand going between her legs and stroking the point. "OhhhGod...what I wouldn't give...erf...to be at her laying..." Kera murmured.

Emma laughed.  "You'll be at your own soon enough. Tell me what you're feeling right now.  Verbalize it."

"Mm...it's like...laying in reverse..." she panted, moving her body up and down as she kept the back of her head against Emma's shoulder, resisting the urge to kiss her cheek.  "It's stretching my labia so...deliciously...."

Emma nodded.  "Let your body open, feel the egg drift downward, slowly increasing the pressure."

"Hahh...aaah...."  The faint sound of the egg slurping in and out of Kera's sex filled the room along with the sounds of the laying reptiles from the TV as the scene jumped forward to the iguana pushing again, the egg slowly widening her.

"That's it, Kera, puuush," Emma crooned low in her throat.  "Let it open you up. Puuush right down into your bottom. Let that egg open you up."

Kera finally lowered herself as much as she dared onto her fake egg, enveloping it almost to its widest diameter as she started to cry and grunt out her orgasm, her juices again dribbling out of the seal her nethers created around it.

Emma had become completely absorbed by that point.  "Talk to me."

"GgghIcan't!  Toobig!" she shouted, wriggling and turning the egg to rub it all around her birth canal. The iguana's egg was approaching its own widest diameter, and she clenched the Komodo's hands so tightly her knuckles started to turn red and her whole body trembled.

"Stop pushing," Emma said huskily.  "Wait until the pressure builds again and let me know when you have to push."  She held out her hand for Kera to take.  "We'll do it together, but until it's time, look into my eyes."

One of Kera's hands left the egg and took Emma's hand, keeping the egg in her as her body shook with her orgasm.  She opened her amber eyes and looked into Emma's blue ones.

For long moments, all that could be heard was Kera's ragged breathing.  Emma paused the video so the iguana was in mid-shake.  "She looks constipated," Emma remarked with a shy grin.  "Is that what it feels like to push?"

Kera looked at the video and chuckled shakily, slowly moving her body up to slip the egg out of her, setting the now-slippery egg aside.  "Heheh...well...we tell 'em that...it's like having a bowel movement...for a reason," she murmured, relaxing back against Emma.

Emma chuckled, surprised to find herself sweating a little. "I think we're ready for the real deal.  I don't want you pushing like that 'til it's time.  Do you think you'll want to push like this?"

"I really won't know...until I get there."  Kera slowly moved to lie on her side, one hand on her tummy and the other still holding Emma's.  "Thanks a lot for...understanding."

"Anytime," Emma answered, moving to sit in front of Kera.  "Thanks for sharing that with me."

"Oh, I'm gonna...mmf."  Kera rubbed her stomach as another contraction started, she trying to talk through it.  "I'm gonna show you more."

"Just breathe," Emma encouraged, stroking her friend's abdomen with her.

Kera breathed slowly and deeply, focusing on something other than the tightening. "Mm...s'gonna be hours yet 'fore I can push."

"So how do you ride it out?"

"Hoo...focus on something else.  Talk to myself.  Walk around.  Masturbate later on," Kera rattled off, kneading her friend's hand.

"Hoh-kay," Emma replied with a chuckle.

About two hours later, Kera was feeling restless, so she was trying to walk around and be active.  At the moment, she was doing dishes at her sink, now wearing blue jean shorts and a white pajama shirt that nicely showed off her belly's curve.  "Are you sure you're not hungry?  We have time to eat."

The brunette shook her head. "No, thanks.  I'm too excited to eat, but you go ahead.  You'll need the energy.  Remember to keep it light, though.  I'm not sure I could catch the egg and hold your hair back as you lost your lunch at the same time," she added with a grin.

The Latias chuckled.  "Good thing I don't have hair," she replied, looking upward as she set a dish in the rack, "and I'm not hungry.  'M too excited too...for now."

The slip of the tongue was testament to how excited Emma was.  "Anything I can do for you now?"

Kera shrugged.  "I dunno, you're doing a lot just by hangin' out with me and...mm, rub my shoulders?" she murmured, her face going into a concentrating stare.

Emma could tell Kera was in the midst of a contraction, so walked over and began rubbing her shoulders.  "Just breathe."

Kera took a deep breath and started to scrub another plate.  "Mm...come on, come on out," she said to herself.

"They getting stronger?" Trent asked, continuing to rub Kera's shoulders.

"Yeah," Kera answered, staying calm with Emma's rubbing and calming voice.

"That's good," Emma crooned.  "It means you're making progress.  Do what you need, Kera.  I'm just here to help."

Kera had to close her eyes for a few seconds, but she kept her focus on something other than the pain by continuing to blindly scrub until the contraction dwindled.  She let out a cleansing breath and opened her eyes again.  "M'kay."

Emma rubbed Kera's shoulders a final time for the moment and smiled.  "You're doing great.  Feeling any pressure yet?"

Kera took a second to consider, rubbing the bottom of her belly with a wet hand.  "Mm...just a little.  Still have a while to go yet, I think."

Emma nodded.  "You can do it.  Just let me know what you need.  Lots of options for labor around here."

The Latias scratched her tummy and stretched a little.  "I know.  Just gets hard to deal with the anxiety sometimes."

"I still can't believe you've been doing this alone.  I know you're a professional and all, but every time I thought of you doing this by yourself, I just...I hated it."

Kera smiled back at Emma.  "It wasn't that hard.  Honest.  Annoying at times, but until now I never thought I'd need help.  I'm glad I picked you," she said with a hug.

Emma returned the hug.  "From here on, you got me."

Kera released Emma from the hug after a few seconds and sighed.  "Now I'm all antsy...I wanna go for a walk."

Emma nodded.  "Okay.  Should I bring my stuff just in case?"

"If you wanna.  But...mm, maybe you should give me another check...I don't think it'll be needed."

"All right," Trent agreed.  "It's just, you're the expert here.  And if things go faster for subsequent layings like they do for most of our births, I don't want to be unprepared if you can't make it back.  Let's get you someplace private."

Kera smiled at her friend and walked to her living room floor, sitting down and lying back.  "We're in my own home.  Can't get much more private."

Emma chuckled.  "I was thinking away from the kitchen window and into your bedroom or bathroom, unless you want to do it here?"

"Oh, pfft.  There's no one here, and frankly, when I'm in labor such as it is I'm not too concerned for modesty.  Just check me quick so we can walk, please."

"Of course," she agreed.  Emma pulled her pair of spare gloves from her pocket and put them on.  She then pulled Kera's shorts down just enough to examine her.  Out of habit, she covered Kera's private areas with the t-shirt Kera wore as best as she could.  Inserting her fingers once more, she was surprised to find she could fit four fingers in, and that Kera's cervix was thinning beautifully.  "Four centimeters and counting.  You're thinning out as planned as well."

Kera's eyebrows rose.  "Four centimeters??  Whoa...I am cruisin'!" she quipped cheerfully as she patted her tummy.  "I knew walking and being active would help!"

Emma grinned, easing the shorts back up and snapping off her gloves.  "Of course it did.  You've done this enough times to know!"  She offered her hand to help Kera up.  "Let me at least grab some more gloves and some water for you, okay?"

Kera nodded and pulled herself to her feet with Emma's help, refastening her shorts.  "Okay.  Let me get my shoes on."

While Kera found her shoes, Emma returned to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water.  She then ran upstairs and collected her box of rubber gloves from her birthing kit, and contemplated bringing the whole thing with her.  It was no secret Emma didn't like being as spontaneous as Kera, especially when it came to her work.  She did not want to deliver Kera in the middle of the neighborhood with nothing but gloves and water, but at the same time, she knew she had to trust Kera and her sense of her body.  In the end, Trent returned with just the gloves and water.  "Ready?" she asked as she came down the stairs.

Kera, who had to sit down to be able to tie her shoes, nodded with a grumble.  "As sexy as this tummy is...and as fun as it can be despite itself at times...I will be happy to be able to tie my shoes in less than a minute again," she replied, giggling and standing back up.  "We won't go too far.  Just around the block, then see how I feel."

"Sounds good."  Emma opened the front door and offered her arm to Kera.  "Tying shoes isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Kera linked her arm in Emma's and stepped outside, taking a deep breath.  "Ahh...thank Ho-Oh for nice weather," she mused as she started walking slowly.  It was almost four in the evening, and the sun was just starting to set.

Emma took her own deep breath and tried to focus on the scenery, even though her own heart was beating fast.  She'd attended hundreds of births, but with Kera, it was like starting all over again.  "Good girl, ride it out."

The Latias looked over at Emma with a smile as they left the driveway.  "Mm...you're such a good friend...I'm so lucky to have you with me...not someone who'd make me go to a hospital whether I want to or not...."

Emma smiled and patted her arm as they walked.  "I know I can't make you do anything, Kera, but I won't lie.  As much as I believe in your birthing abilities thanks to all my experience, like any other midwife, my priority is your health.  We'd go to the hospital if need be, but we'd do it together."

Kera giggled a little.  "I know, I know.  It's my priority too.  But as I tell all my patients, a mother should be able to birth anyplace safe, comfortable, and familiar.  Sometimes that is a hospital."

"Agreed," Emma replied with satisfaction.  She was not simply a stick in the mud.  "I am wondering what happens with these cycle eggs.  Would they break during the birth?  I know they're unfertilized, so what happens to them?"

Kera shook her head.  "Breaking them should be a last resort.  The shell fragments can and probably will cut the birth canal.  And they're harder than they look.  They aren't like chicken eggs.  These big ones, though, are probably even harder."

"So they won't break, that's good to know.  What do you do with them once they're laid?  And I know there's no placenta to deal with, but what about some kind of afterbirth?"

"Since they don't contain a living embryo that needs to hatch, they have a pretty thick shell, so I can only really break them open if I, like, dropped them on concrete a couple times.  And, I...um...mmf."  She rubbed the bottom of her belly.

Emma unlinked her arm and pulled Kera to her with her arm wrapped around Kera's shoulder for comfort.  "Let me know if you want to try a new position, okay?  Just slow, easy breaths."

Kera nodded, rubbing her belly and breathing slowly.  "Mmm...mmm...."

"That's it.  Let the pain wash over you."

Kera closed her eyes as she put her other arm around Emma's shoulder.  "Mmm...hooo...."  She kept up her breathing until the contraction passed and she nodded.  "M'kay...walking definitely helps."

Emma gave Kera a light squeeze.  "They definitely seem stronger and a bit closer."

Kera gently nuzzled her friend's face, hoping she wasn't being too bold.  "They are.  Trust me.  But I promise I won't touch myself until we get home," she said with a wink.

Emma found herself snuggling closer.  "Would it help to do it now?"

"It'd help to do it anytime...but I try to hold out as long as I can.  Makes it all the sweeter when I do it."  She linked her arm in Emma's again and continued walking.

Trent frowned.  "But how does it help when pushing exactly?  I would think your muscles would tighten during stimulation...at the very time you want them relaxed."

"It's like...sexual pleasure helps assay the pain of contractions and pushing.  It gives me something else to focus on.  At the same time, it helps my body muscles relax and let the egg come at its own pace.  I should show you that website I keep talking about," she rambled, blushing slightly with arousal.

"Don't get me wrong, I get it in theory.  But climaxing involves an increase in muscular tension, so I assume it's a fine balance," she replied.

Kera shrugged. "I dunno...for me, it works and works well, and I sure as hell am not complaining.  But, um, you wanted to know what I do with my usual cycle eggs.  Well...um...it's a little embarrassing...."

"You don't have to tell me, Kera," she began.

"You should know, it might become relevant.  I keep them and hard-boil them for future...use," Kera almost mumbled.

"Future...use?" Emma echoed.

Kera was silent, letting Emma figure it out on her own.

Soon they came to the playground, where Kera smiled at the kids of diverse species monkeying about.  "They're so goofy...."

Emma had long since given up on trying to figure out what else Kera did when no one was watching. For the moment, she focused on the present. "They are.  Oh to be so lucky, eh?"

"Yup.  Makes ya long to have one of your own...just a little," Kera said with a pat of her tummy. She wanted to keep her distance from the kids, not wanting to upset them with being in labor.  "Eh heh, but I'm still young."

"And I'm old and decrepit?" Emma asked, chuckling.

"Haha, no, you know what I mean."  She started to continue walking but grunted and quickly moved behind a big pine tree, hiding her from view so the kids wouldn't see her.

Emma followed her easily and as they crouched behind the tree together, Trent whispered, "It's okay, love.  We should probably head back but for now, let's squat here.  Let it open up."

Kera nodded and moved herself to squat, putting her palms on her knees and using Emma to keep her weight centered as she breathed.  "Ooh...yeahhh...that's it..." she vocalized.

This close to children, Emma didn't want to examine Kera, but she could tell just by Kera's vocals that the laboring woman was progressing.  Trent rubbed Kera's back as she rocked slightly.  "The egg's gonna drop just as soon as you open up, Kera."

Kera closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of her eggs pressing down against her cervix.  "Yeahhh...cooome onnnn...."

"Feel anything?"  Emma had nothing but Kera's judgment to go by at the moment.

Kera nodded, wiping her slightly sweaty forehead on her sleeve.  "Little pressure...not too much...mm...."

"Want to try an experimental push to se where we are?  Something small."

The Latias gulped and gave a little push, flinching and hissing through her teeth.  "Mm, nopushing...notopen...."

"Okay, Kera, that's good, we've got some time.  But I can tell by your vocals the egg is dropping down.  When this one's over, shall we go home?"

"Hoo, hoo, hoooo...y-yeah.  Bettergohome."  She gave a few more pants and reached back for Emma's hands, hefting herself up.

Emma helped the Latias up and eased her first steps.  "You okay?"

Kera let out another deep breath and nodded, wiping her forehead again.  "Mm hmm...just ready to get more comfortable."  She walked at Emma's side, holding the human's hand.

"We can see to that," Trent replied, handing Kera some water.  "I'm not going anywhere."

Kera gulped down the water.  "Thanks."  The two walked past the playground, Kera trying to appear composed and hoping the kids wouldn't want to run up and touch her belly.

Once the kids were behind them, Emma asked, "Anything I need to know about the birth you haven't told me?"

The other woman shook her head as they approached the bridge over a small creek.  "I don't think so.  Lemme see...I masturbate, I move around, I do what feels best...."

"And after you lay?  Is there something resembling afterbirth or does the next egg follow suit?"

Kera took a moment to consider Emma's question. "I, um...I've never had more than one at a time.  There's kind of a discharge, yes, but nothing like a placenta.  And I think they said that if I have multiple eggs, they're laid about a day apart."

"All right, love," Emma answered with a smile.  "Let it be our adventure."

As soon as they stepped inside Kera's door again, the Latias took off her shirt and threw it on a chair.  "Hope you don't mind my immodesty...but I'm a little warm."

"Not at all," Emma returned.  "Maybe a shower's in order?"

Kera smiled and nodded.  "I am getting a little sweaty..." she said as she ascended the stairs with her friend, unbuttoning her shorts.

Emma followed Kera, patting her back.  "The water should relax you, most definitely.  I can give you privacy if you'd like some relief."

Kera nodded again as they entered her bathroom, pushing down her shorts and underwear, nude in front of her friend again.  "You only have to leave if it makes you uncomfortable."

Emma blushed.  "The only way I'd feel uncomfortable is because I'd be spying on your intimate moments."

"Well, life doesn't get much more intimate than during labor and birth.  I know these eggs aren't fertile, but they're- ggh," she grunted, leaning against the sink and panting.

Emma rushed forward, instantly supporting her friend.  "More pressure, I see.  It's all good, love.  Your body's doing all that it needs."

Kera's arm shook as it inched towards her belly.  She couldn't resist masturbating for long, but she didn't want to make Emma leave.  "Mmf...owowow...hahhh...y-yeah...."

"Go for it," Emma returned, nervous, but not wanting to see her friend in pain.  "Squat down here if you like."

Kera nodded and placed her hand between her legs, gingerly touching herself and moaning, remaining upright.  "Mmyeah...hooh...." Emma kept Kera upright, unsure of what to do next. The Latias morph began to pant at the mix of intensifying pain and pleasure, slowly rubbing at her slit as sweat beaded on her face and she let out little whimpers.  "H-Helpmesquat...." Emma did as Kera asked.  Thankfully, the sink gave Kera something to hang onto as Emma helped Kera into a deeper squat.  Emma remained behind her and continued to rub her shoulders. "Th-Thanks," Kera breathed as she continued to rub herself, eventually letting out a deep breath and nodding.  "Okay...we are definitely moving along...."

"You're doing great," Emma replied.  "I'm just wondering if you'll be able to stay upright in the shower?  I'd hate for you to slip."

Kera gulped.  "Good point...I'll sit...or stay on my knees," she said.  "C-Can you check me?"

"Sure."  Emma set Kera down gently to her knees and reached for the box of gloves she'd tossed aside hastily when they'd entered the bathroom.  Putting on a pair and moving so she was before Kera, Emma helped her get into a tall kneel.  "Ready?"

Kera nodded and spread her legs a little, taking another deep breath.  "She's just checking you...not touching you...she's off limits..." she mentally reminded herself.

Emma once again inserted her fingers into Kera's opening and was surprised to find she was almost completely effaced and six centimers dilated.  "How's six and 75% effaced?" she asked with a grin.

Kera chuckled, grinning.  "S-Six, huh...okay...might not take as long as I thought...."

Emma smiled.  "Well, your body knows what to do and you're quite relaxed.  The second phase could be a bit more challenging given size and shape of the eggs."

Kera nodded again, a bit torn between fear and arousal.  "Right...guess I should shower now then."  She stood up with a grunt and reached into the shower, turning it on.

"Will you be okay?" Emma asked.  "I don't want you to slip."

Kera smiled at Emma, feeling the water warm up to her liking and stepping into the shower.  "I'll be fine...just go like this, I will," she chirped, lowering herself down to her shins and sighing happily from the feeling of the warm water on her skin.

Emma nodded.  "Okay.  I'll wait downstairs.  We should develop a code word if you need me or something...so I don't misunderstand again."

"If you wanna.  Help yourself to whatever you want," Kera said as she reached for a bottle of the skin moisturizer she used in lieu of shampoo.  "Code word...hmm...how about banana?"

Emma chuckled.  "Okay.  I just figured you'd want some time alone."

The Latias looked over at Emma with a smile again, a bit of longing in her eyes.  "It is...kinda nice to have you with me, but yeah, I can get pretty wild in my fantasies."

Emma hesitated. "Would you like me to stay?"

"Only if you want to stay, but from here on in, I'm more than likely going to be...well, having my hands down there," she said with a slight blush.

Emma nodded. "Well, I need to set up my stuff up here, so I'll leave you be.  You do want to lay in your bedroom, right?"

Kera nodded.  "I do, yeah.  But feel free to go wherever you want," she began as she rubbed some of the moisturizer on her chest, letting out a sound like purring.  "You are a most honored guest in my home."

Emma grinned.  "I thank you, dear."

An hour and a half later, Kera, her skin wrinkled and having brought herself to several intensely satisfying orgasms, called out, "Banana," in a bit of a breathless voice.

Emma had long since been done setting up in the bedroom and had gone downstairs to the kitchen and living room to tidy things up.  It was her own nesting instinct come to life.  She'd done her best to ignore Kera's cries of pleasure in favor of a more discreet approach, but upon hearing the code word, she remembered.  Trent came upstairs and into the bathroom.  "How're you feeling?"

Kera had turned the shower off and was sitting against the shower wall, looking more than a little out of breath as she panted slowly, a slight grin on her face.  "I think...I've gotta be almost there...check me?" she purred, her eyes half lidded.

"Let's get you out of the shower first, okay?"  Emma grabbed a towel and after wrapping it around Kera helped her out.  "Are you feeling pressure to push?"

She stood on shaky, rubbery legs.  "Little more pressure, yeah...might not have to push this one out...might come on its own..." she murmured.

"That'd be great," Emma answered, steadying Kera.  "Has that happened before?"

"Few times...can't control it, really...but that's half the fun," Kera remarked as she stumbled into her bedroom and sat on the bed.

Emma smirked, then prepared to do the exam.  "I suppose." The Latias lay on her back and spread her legs.  Anyone with even the slightest familiarity with the female anatomy would be able to recognize that the redness of her crotch had nothing to do with her naturally red skin; as was typical, Kera's progress was becoming more visible to the naked eye.  "Looks like your body's getting prepared on schedule," Emma remarked.  She frowned upon inserting her fingers.  "You're completely effaced, but still at six.  Not to worry, though.  It could take some time for you to open fully."

Kera merfed and looked over her tummy at Emma, her brow furrowing.  She was having a lot of fun, yeah, but she didn't want it to take too long.  "Oh well...guess I better try something else."

Emma was curious.  "Like?"  She removed her gloves and tossed them in the trash.

"Well, walking helped, but I don't wanna make myself too tired...so something like walking up stairs, just standing around, or...well, dancing a little," she said as she sat back up.

Emma grinned.  "Dancing could be fun for you!"

Kera giggled and stood back up.  "Think I'll start with stairs...kay?" she asked, not really waiting for an answer as she walked to the door.

"Be careful," Emma reminded, following Kera out.

"Sure sure, nice and easy."  Kera kept a hand on the handrail as she started to descend the stairs, feeling the eggs jostle about in her uterus and put a bit more pressure on her cervix. Emma could do nothing but watch and wait, her nervous energy expended from her cleaning. It didn't take long for Kera to stop and turn to face the wall, her hands gripping the handrail and she taking deep breaths.  "Mm...comeon, comeon...."

Emma made no move for the moment, but offered her encouragement.  "That's good, let it build.  You want it to build."

"Y-Yeah...ohhGod..." Kera moaned, leaning her forehead against the wall, one hand reaching back for Emma's.

Emma came forward and took Kera's hand in hers, smoothing her thumb across the skin. "Want to squat?"

"Y-Yeah...mmmf...."  She started to pant, her other hand gripping the handrail harder.

Emma came forward and eased Kera into a squat like before, her own cheek pressed against Kera's.  "If you want, hold on with both hands. I won't let you fall."

Kera reached back and took Emma's other hand, nuzzling Emma's cheek and moaning. "Ohhh...ughhh...guh...c-comeonnn...."

Emma made sure to support Kera fully so she could feel confident she wasn't going anywhere as the contraction crested.  "That's it, love, just ride the wave."  She readjusted her grips as Kera's palms felt slick.

"Ggh...hahhh..." she grunted, bobbing her body up and down slowly, trying not to squeeze Emma's hand too tightly.  Her body shook a little as she felt an egg press against her cervix.

Emma moved with her, but held her securely as she rode out the contraction.  "I know it's more painful than you're used to, hon, but let your body do its work.  It's okay to stay vocal if it helps."

The Latias morph released one of Emma's hands and brought her own back down to her slit, tracing her fingertips around her nethers in an effort to have pleasure offset the pain.  "Ohhyeah...that's it...ohhhyeah..." she breathed.

Feeling a bit awkward despite how much she knew Kera needed pain relief at that moment, Emma decided she'd take the opportunity now that she had a free hand to see if she could assess Kera's progress.  Placing her hand against Kera's now taut abdomen, she tried to gauge if the egg had shifted at all.  "Try to stay relaxed, Kera," she soothed.  "Even if you cum, you need to let your body stay open."

Kera gulped as the contraction started to fade, trying to just ride a wave of pleasure rather than make herself cum.  She moved her hand away and felt her own belly with Emma. "Okay...okay...th-thanks..." she breathed.

Emma smiled wanly and gave Kera's hand a squeeze.  "I'm spoiling your fun, aren't I?"

She chuckled lightly.  "N-Not really...good thing you're straight, or I'd make out with you right here and now..." she breathed, reaching up to wipe some sweat off her forehead.

Emma chuckled as she gently palpated Kera's abdomen, which was slowly softening as the contraction passed.  "It seems as though the first egg isn't quite in the right position yet. If I had to guess, I'd say it was sideways.  It could take a while, Kera. Do you want to think about switching positions?"

Kera gulped and pressed on her own abdomen to confirm what Emma said.  "Y-Yeah...I'm kinda...tired from the shower...can we lie down?"

"Sure thing," Emma replied.  "Contraction over?"  It would be much easier to move while Kera wasn't in pain.

Kera nodded.  "Y-Yeah.  Whoo...by now I'd usually be pushing..." she murmured as she pulled herself back to her feet, breathing heavily as she climbed the stairs back to her bedroom.

Emma followed behind her just in case another contraction hit.  "Well, like we said, each egg is bigger and more oddly shaped, so this time it was bound to be different."  She rubbed Kera's shoulders.  "You're doing beautifully.  I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I promise."

The Latias smiled, blushing faintly.  "Th-Thanks...I know you won't..." she breathed, soon climbing into her bed and lying on her side, resting her head on a pillow and closing her eyes.

"I'm going to go get you something to drink.  Can't have you getting dehydrated," Trent added.  "Feel up to eating something at all?"

Kera shook her head.  "Drink is good...but I can't eat now."  She was already calming down from the comforting softness of the mattress.

Emma nodded.  "Okay, love.  Are you feeling nauseous right now?  Should I get a bucket just in case?"  Emma knew intense labor pain could induce vomiting, and Kera was in more pain than usual this time around.

Kera nodded.  "A little...but I think I'm just dizzy from masturbating so much...better safe than sorry, y'know?" she replied with a smirk.

Trent nodded once more.  "I'll grab a trashcan just in case and be right back.  You rest." Emma took one last look at Kera before heading down the stairs to the kitchen. She picked up the small trashcan under the sink, emptied it, and then retrieved a glass of fruit juice and a straw.  Carefully balancing each as she ascended the stairs, Emma offered the glass to Kera, saying, "I thought you could use the sugar in the juice for the energy."

Kera reached for the glass and sipped on the straw.  "Mm...you're a miracle-worker, Emma...people ask me why I don't have a string of kids...why don't you?"

Emma placed the trashcan beside the bed and smiled at her friend wistfully.  "I'm married to my work, I suppose.  I'm old-fashioned too.  I want a husband first, and then a family."

The Latias nodded and turned to set the glass on her nightstand.  "Yeah...I want a real family of my own too.  That is, someone to act as the father if not really the father.  Mm, I mean, if I wound up with a woman!" she corrected herself with a chuckle, trying to stay positive.

"I understand," Emma replied. "Do you feel your biological clock ticking like humans do?"

"Every creature capable of bearing young has a biological clock, Emma.  Some are just better at ignoring it than others...but I need someone I can fall in love with, not just have a fling with."  She reached for Emma's hand.  "It might be the hormones talking, but if you weren't straight, I'd seriously consider dating you...."

Emma blushed.  "If I weren't straight, I think we'd be married by now.  Think about it: no one understands my passion for this work better than you.  I'm actually a little jealous.  How does it feel to experience this miracle every year?  Granted, this must be a lot scarier since this is quite a bit more effort."

Kera matched Emma's blush.  "It...it really makes me appreciate it even more than I used to.  It gives me a firsthand look at what my patients are experiencing.  It's...different, yeah, since these eggs don't contain an embryo I plan to raise, but...mmf...I'm getting all poetic in labor," she said, sticking her tongue out.

Emma chuckled.  "Sappiness I can handle," she remarked as she patted Kera's hand.  "Feeling any more pressure than before?  I think if you stay relaxed like this, we'll be ready to push in no time."

Kera nodded.  "I can feel the egg...well, one of them, more than before.  But, um, there is one way I can relax."  She pointed to her TV.  "There's some videos in the top right drawer of my dresser...one's marked 'active.'  Find it?"

"Sure," Emma replied, suddenly feeling just a bit more apprehensive.  She found the video easily enough and slipped it into the VCR.  "Another birth video?"

Kera nodded again, turning to face the TV, keeping her head on the pillow.  "Seeing is believing...those are some clips of mothers in active labor...helps me stay calm to watch them do it."

"All right."  Before pressing play, Emma said, "Listen, I know I said you don't want to get too tense by masturbating, but a little might help to jumpstart things again.  After all, sex is good for inducing labor in humans, and any sort of lubrication will help the egg pass, so if you want, you can see where it goes."

Kera took a deep breath and nodded.  "C-Can you start it?" she asked, resting a hand on her belly and smiling up at her friend.

Without a word, Emma pressed play.  She sat on the end of the bed where she could keep an eye on Kera as well as the video.  It was not the kind of thing she considered arousing and she did feel a bit awkward being there as her friend pleasured herself, but she reminded herself it was a legitimate way to jumpstart labor and reduce pain, and if it was good enough for Kera, she would trust Kera's judgment.

The video opened with a clip of a large (in both belly and overall size) grizzly bear woman in a hospital bed, gripping the bed's handrails and breathing heavily as a male grizzly rubbed her back and encouraged her.  Kera chuckled lightly.  "She's having twins...she's one helluva woman."

"I'll say," Emma replied.  "I'm surprised you have hospital birth scenes, though."

"It's all good with me, Emma," Kera said as she reached down between her legs again, but merfed and instead reached for Emma's hand.  "Mm, contraction...." Emma took Kera's hand in hers and placed her other hand on her abdomen.  She could tell just by touch the contraction was building. The Latias breathed through pursed lips, whining lightly from the egg poking at her sides.  "Mm, come on and turn, baby..." she murmured as she kept her eyes on the TV.

Emma blushed somewhat before saying, "If you think it'll help, go for it. I'll stay right here."

Kera nodded and pushed a finger into herself, moaning in both pain and pleasure, but mostly in pain.  "Come on, turn so I can lay you, baby," she said breathily to herself, having to close her eyes, her hand kneading Emma's.

"Can you feel the egg?" Emma whispered.  She was beginning to think an orgasm just might help her shift the egg if Emma added enough counter pressure on the outside.

Kera nodded but couldn't verbally respond to the question as she hissed from the pain.  "T-Talktome," she whispered back, breathing heavily as she touched herself.

"About what?" Emma asked, unsure of what she was asking.

"ThatI'mnotdoingitwrong!" she yelped as she pushed another finger inside herself, her body shaking.

With one hand, Emma felt for the egg and began to apply some counter pressure to begin the turn, and with the other still holding onto Kera's hand, she began to offer words of comfort.  "Everything's going as it should, Kera.  You're bringing that egg down with every contraction, and with each one, you're starting to feel more and more pressure on your cervix.  Pretty soon, you're going to feel yourself open even more.  Just think how good it will feel to puuush."

Kera paused her whimpering to purr briefly as images of her pushing shot through her head.  "Y-Yes...ohhLugiayes..." she moaned as she buried her face in the pillow, imagining that the pillow was the face of a lover comforting her as she started to fantasize again about pushing out an egg containing a living embryo.

Emma continued to apply pressure, feeling the egg slowly turn.  "The burn you feel isn't painful, it excites you.  You're excited because you know the egg is coming, Kera.  All you have to do is let it.  Feel it drop, drop, drop.  You're ready to puush soon.  Just like relieving yourself, you can't fight it."

Emma's goading was all Kera needed to tense up and release Emma's hand, gripping the sheets and stiffening as she cried out into the pillow, her hand between her legs furiously stroking her walls as she came at the height of the contraction.

Emma took her hand from Kera's abdomen for the time being and stood still, not sure what to do or say...except finally, "Good girl, Kera."

Kera slowly drifted down from the height of her intense orgasm, looking up at Emma with half-lidded eyes.  "Thanks," she breathed, as she settled back in to watch the video.

Two hours later, Kera was still lying on her side.  She'd shifted positions when she needed a change of pace, all trying to move the egg to face down, as it was supposed to.  Her contractions had picked up in frequency and intensity, and she'd been checked several times, but the answer was always the same six centimeters, and she was starting to get frustrated with the egg's reluctance to turn.  Every contraction, Emma would turn it slightly, then it would slip back, but each time, it would stay a little more turned.  Kera could see that this egg would take even more effort and endurance than she expected.  Now, breathing heavily, she hugged her pillow against her chest, nearly curled around her belly.

Emma offered Kera more juice in effort to maintain her strength.  "I know it's slow going, but you are making progress.  Maybe you'd like to try walking or sitting on the commode?  Gravity might help bring it down, and on the commode, you'd have long term, stable support."

Kera gulped down the juice gratefully and nodded.  "Can...can we use...thebirthstool?" she breathed.  She was exhausted from bringing herself to so many orgasms, and while they helped with the pain immensely, her sexual energies were finally running on low.

"Good idea," Emma agreed.  She returned to the corner of the room where she had moved her gear in the last hour.  She pulled out the birth stool and fluffed its thin layer of comfort padding.  "Should we sit here or move to the bathroom where the tile is?  I have towels we can put down if you want to stay here."

The Latias pushed herself to sit up, looking down at her belly and prodding it.  Over the course of the last hour, she could swear she saw it change shape slightly even when she wasn't contracting.  "W-We can move..." she replied.

Emma nodded.  "We can put the chair just inside the bathroom so you can still see the TV," she said as she moved to set the stool in the bathroom. The birth stool looked like a minimalist's potty chair, with its simple frame sitting low to the ground and its wide opening.  The U-shaped opening mirrored a toilet seat, except it was wide enough for Emma to bring her hands underneath it to catch a descending baby, or in this case, an egg.  Its design was meant to promote faster and more comfortable birthing because sitting on it allowed a mother to make ample use of gravity if she was too tired to squat, and it provided a smoother passage for the offspring during birth.*

"'Sokay...I don't need it...anymore..." Kera murmured as she scooted to the side of the bed, looking more than a little out of it.  Her focus was turning inward, and she'd paid less attention to the TV over the last hour, focusing more on her body and on Emma's help.

Emma scooted the chair further in so it rested beside the toilet and faced parallel to the front of the sink; having water closer by was helpful.  Trent turned back to help Kera, and noticed her intense focus.  "Contraction?"

Kera shook her head.  "Focus," she replied simply, reaching out to take Emma's hands to pull herself to her feet, breathing slowly and deeply.

"Good job," Emma encouraged, easing her to her feet and guiding her into the bathroom. "Still nauseated at all?"

The Latias shook her head.  "Dizzy...not nauseous."  She leaned her head on Emma's shoulder, nuzzling it lightly.

Emma wrapped her arm around Kera's back waist and stroked her back.  "That a girl...breathe nice and steady."

Once Kera reached the stool, she slowly lowered herself onto it, putting an arm on the sink and leaning her forehead on it.  "Why isn't it working...what if it won't work..." she moaned.

Emma stroked Kera's back.  "Hey, you are making progress.  It's taking a while, but I have no doubt in your ability to do this, Kera."

Kera moaned lightly.  "I've been at six for hours...why won't this damn egg turn...."  She shook her head and rubbed her belly, wondering if this was how her patients felt.

"It is turning," Emma pointed out.  "But remember, these eggs are unlike any you've laid before."

Kera panted and cupped some water in her hands from the sink, splashing it on her face.  "I-I know...but it hurrrt...ss...ggh," she grunted, panting more.

"Talk to me, Kera.  What's happening?"  Emma knelt in front of the stool and noticed a bit of clear fluid was starting to trickle from Kera.  She wondered if it was a sign of things to come.

"Hurts...ggghhh...eggpressing...on my siiides...!" she groaned.  "H-Help turn it!" Immediately, Emma pressed her hands to Kera's abdomen and applied more counter pressure.  The egg was definitely lower, but she couldn't tell if it was turning at all.  The Latias clenched her fists and grunted, her body shaking as she panted.  "Harder!"  She was tired of waiting; she wanted it turned.

Emma doubled her efforts, but in the midst of a contraction, she couldn't tell if it was working.  She thought she saw Kera's folds widen somewhat, but perhaps that was wishful thinking.  "Give me a little push, Kera, work with me." Kera reached down to her belly and mimicked Emma's movements, gritting her teeth as a tear rolled down her cheek.  The pain of the contraction paled in comparison to the pain of the egg turning, but if it would make it go faster, she could deal with it. "Give me a little push, Kera, and tell me what you feel."

Kera reared her head back so she was sitting upright and spread her legs a little more. "Hgg...turn, damn you!" she hissed as she gave a hard push at the same time as she turned the egg.  She let out a scream as the egg finally completed its turn, its end pressing hard against her cervix.

Emma didn't know she had been holding her breath until she felt the egg shift and she exhaled slowly.  Panting almost as hard as Kera, she smiled.  "Did we do it?" Kera was still in the midst of a contraction and couldn't answer with anything more than a nod; the egg didn't move back and had thankfully settled in place.  She alternately shook her head slowly from side to side, curled her chin down, and looked up at the ceiling, her head becoming very animated now that she was losing herself. Emma sighed inwardly in relief.  As further proof, the fluid was streaming steadily from Kera now, a sure sign the egg would soon be on its way.  Emma placed both hands on Kera's shoulders to steady her.  "Don't fight the pain, love.  Moan or grunt if it helps, but let the pressure come.  Relax your thighs, relax your bottom, okay?"

Kera's grunting and groaning turned to whining at Emma's touch, but she visibly relaxed, leaning her long neck forward and resting her forehead against Emma's shoulder.  "Hahh...hoohhh...hahh, okay...okay...."

"Relax everything, Kera," Emma crooned, petting the Latias's neck.  "I want you to think about what it'll be like to push again.  I want you to think about what it'll be like to feel the egg coming, and coming, and coming.  You don't have to do a lot to help it along, just feel it spread you open, let it happen."

Kera panted hard, some spit drooling out of her mouth.  If she could see herself at this point, she might actually be aroused again.  "Y-Yeah...ohhhLugiathepressure," she murmured.

Emma's eye caught the bathroom door and she had an idea.  Standing, she shut the door, on the back of which hung a mirror.  Now, both of them could see what was happening.  "You don't just have to trust my progress reports, Kera, see for yourself."

Kera looked over and smiled, feeling her arousal build from the sight of herself.  Narcissistic or not, she knew she was beautiful even if in pain.  "Heh...look at that pregnant lady...waiting to push..." she purred.

Emma smiled.  "You're doing it, Kera."

Kera chuckled, then grunted slightly.  "Mmf...I gotta go...toilet," she murmured, starting to lift herself out of the seat.

Emma placed her hand on Kera's shoulder.  "This thing comes with a bucket if you'd rather stay here."

Kera shook her head.  "No...I'd rather just use it for its main purpose...if you don't mind."

"Okay," Emma answered, easing her up.  "Going might actually further things along, actually."

Kera smirked at her friend as she shifted to the toilet.  "Lucky me," she remarked.

Another two hours later, and having passed the ten-hour mark, the pressure in Kera's belly became overwhelming.  Once the egg turned, her labor had jumped up a notch, and was swift and intense.  Kera was now on her bed again, wanting to be somewhere soft as her labor intensified.  She moaned as her latest contraction left her, on all fours and gripping the bedsheets.  "Ch-Ch-Check me?" she mewled.

Emma donned gloves and did as Kera asked.  She knew immediately things had changed. "Guess who's at eleven?"

"Yes...yes...thank you...!" Kera replied, amazed that she had jumped from six to eleven centimeters in an hour even if it was an intense two hours.  She looked over her shoulder at Emma, smiling widely.

Emma grinned back.  "Once we turned that baby, it was all go.  Now, missy, how would you like to lay?"

"S-Squat?" Kera asked, already moving to the side of the bed.

"Whatever you'd like," Emma replied.  "If that's what feels right, let's go for it." Kera nodded and slowly moved to squat next to the bed, leaning forward to rest her head on the mattress as she spread her legs, taking slow breaths. Emma slipped in behind Kera for the moment, wishing she could see Kera's eyes, but knowing her support was more important.  "Let me know when it's time."

Kera continued to breathe slowly and deeply, feeling the egg pressing against her cervix.  She soon merfed and nodded, deepening her squat and bearing down.

Emma rubbed Kera's hips as she supported Kera's squatting position.  She'd already put towels in place, though it was weird to feel the liquid drip onto her thighs, a mix of birth fluids and other lubricants.  "Puuush down, right into your bottom."

"Hmmmm...mmf...hnnnng..." Kera grunted.  This being her eighth egg cycle, she was well practiced in using her muscles, and her efforts were soon rewarded as she felt the egg shift and her cervix strain, causing her to grit her teeth.

"That's it, Kera," Emma whispered, her cheek against Kera's.  "The egg's coming, just let it."

Kera bobbed her body slightly to try to focus, pushing when she bobbed down and breathing when she lifted herself.  Her hands gripped the bedsheets tighter, and she shivered at the feeling of Emma's cheek against her own.

Kera's shiver only made Emma hold her closer and move with her. "I'm going to let you tell me what's happening when, love. This is your show and you know what to do."

The Latias soon let out a "Gah!" as the contraction waned, panting, but trying to keep her head in contact with Emma's.  "B-Big..." she said shakily.

Emma kissed Kera's cheek. "I know, love, but you can do it.  Reach down and feel your egg coming."

Kera gulped down some spit in her mouth and breathed hard, her arms shivering and sweat building up on her skin.  She started to calm down when Emma kissed her cheek, letting out long pants and leaning forward to rest her head on her mattress.

Emma continued to stroke Kera's back to offer comfort, but she had noticed Kera swallowing hard and grew concerned.  "Should I grab the trashcan?"

Kera nodded.  "Justincase," she breathed, gulping again and nuzzling the softness of her bed.  She moved from a squat to rest on her shins, her breathing slowing into pants.

Emma reached to pull the trashcan over, placing it beside Kera.  "Nausea is just your body's response to the pain," Emma reminded.  "I think pushing like this for now is good for you."

Kera nodded again.  "Right...right...."  She moved a hand to her belly and rubbed it gently.  "I...I might get lost...in fantasy again..." she warned.

"That's okay," Emma replied, "I just want to help you in any way that I can.  Maybe it would help to picture the iguana?  Or see the video?"

The Latias took a few seconds to recover her thoughts before she nodded and weakly pointed to her dresser.  "I-Iguana," she murmured.

Emma nodded, and after making sure Kera was steady, she stood up, removed the previous video, and replaced it with the iguana tape.  The parallels now were evident: Kera and she were in very similar positions, and like Kera, the female iguana appeared to be wa