The timeline is about five years after SF64, and under the assumption that Falco hasn't left. So, perhaps a bit AU. But I don't care much, so you shouldn't either.
Disclaimer: Star Fox belongs to Nintendo, all the characters here do. I'm not going to claim the ones I'll create because they're rather insignificant.
Chapter 1
Fox McCloud, savior of the Lylat System, stretched and yawned. He rubbed his eyes and blearily looked at the still-sleeping form lying beside him. The vixen ears twitched. Fox rolled to his side and rested his head on his paw, looking lovingly at the sleeping form of his wife. The random twitching lead him to believe the fennec was still in deep sleep.
Fara Phoenix, or rather Fara Phoenix-McCloud, was not normally still asleep at this time. Fox sighed. The fennec had been working hard for the last few months to be in shape for an upcoming half-marathon. The event was in two months, which, in Fox's humble opinion, was plenty of time for someone who regularly ran five miles. But she insisted, and with nothing else going on, Fox relented.
Not that his opinion on the whole affair would have mattered much.
The vulpes rolled out of bed and 'accidentally' pulled the covers with him. Glancing back with a grin, the fennec was forced out of her slumber as the warm blankets gave way to cold air.
"Fox," she mumbled, "Stop it."
"Is that all you're going to do," he play-mocked.
Snapping awake, the fennec snatched a hand-full of shirt and pulled Fox towards her, simultaneously twisting him to his back as she leapt onto his stomach, effectively pinning him. There was little else for Fox to do.
He reached up and tickled her sides.
Shrieking, Fara pushed away from him as he flipped her over and didn't relent from his playful torture. The 'fight' went on for a few minutes until a loud pounding on their wall interrupted the couple. Both heads turned towards the sound.
"We really need to move Falco's room," Fox murmured.
"Yeah, if it isn't loud, steamy sex, it's me shrieking and pinning you to the bed," Fara said slyly.
Fox's eyes met hers and a smirk formed on his lips, "You're not really in a position to brag, my dear."
"I could easily remove myself from this situation," she answered with a yawn, "But I think I'll sleep some more."
Fox rose from the bed and stretched again, "Sleep? It's almost 08 hours. You're always up before me. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, Fox," the fennec groaned. She hated being coddled, "Just tired. I'll be up in an hour."
Fox watched as she pulled the covers all around her and settled back in bed. Shrugging, since there was nothing else to be done but that, he dressed and left their room, heading to the kitchen.
Peppy, as usual, was drinking his morning coffee and reading a Cornerian newspaper on his PDA. Slippy, as usual, was holding a mug of Joe in his green hand, head down next to a half eaten plate of pancakes. Falco, as usual, wouldn't be seen for at least two more hours.
Fox, as usual, murmured 'Good morning' and ordered his breakfast of cold cereal and orange juice. Sitting down, he tossed bits of cereal at Slippy until the frog glared at the fox.
"Good morning Slip," he said loudly with a grin, "What project were you working on to all odd-hours of the night?"
"I wasn't working all night, I guess I'm just used to sleeping at this time," he answered.
The frog half-heartedly picked at his pancakes. A few minutes of deafening silence ensued, broken only by occasional silverware scraping bowl, before Fox spoke.
"Anything good in the news, Pep," the fox asked.
Silence.
Both Slippy and Fox looked at the older hare and stifled laughter when they realized he had fallen asleep sitting up. Bits of cereal were tossed at Peppy until he startled awake and spilled coffee all over his paw.
The old hare shook out his paw and acted as if nothing had happened, "Good morning, Fox, Slippy."
They looked at each other before bursting into laughter.
"What? What's so funny," Peppy asked, looking between the two hysterical furs.
Hours later, Fara finally decided to rise from bed. The fennec slipped on running shoes, pulled a sweatband over her head, and headed to the Great Fox's gym. Though she preferred to run in open air and on dirt trails, the 200 meter track circling the gym would suffice for her training.
Fara stretched and warmed up before taking off at a good pace. After running an obscene amount of circuits, she finished and cooled down. The door swished open and Fox walked in.
"Have a good run," he asked.
The fennec dropped to her bottom and reached for her right leg, "Good as it can get in space."
"I was wondering when I would see you," Fox said as he began setting the weight amount on a bench press machine, "It's almost lunch time."
The soft smile that had been formed on Fara's lips fell at the mention of food. Her stomach seemed revolted at the thought of food, which was peculiar, because she was usually yet after a long run. She could no longer tell if she was so hungry she felt sick or if she was going to throw up.
Fox settled down on the bench and grasped the bar, "I was thinking about making a real pizza today, with mushrooms and onions. What do you think?"
His answer was a choking sound and Fara's retreating footsteps down the hall.
"Fara," he called.
The machine beeped its readiness and starting cadence. Fox sat up and turned off the machine.
"I knew she was pushing herself too hard," he murmured and set off to their room, "How that woman survived childhood with that stubborn will of hers is no small wonder."
While many of their spats were results of their nearly equally obstinate personalities, he wouldn't exchange it for all the money in Lylat. The fennec might even resent his checking in on her, but he was a little worried that she might wear herself down before the race.
As he entered their room Fox could hear soft retching sounds from the closed bathroom door. The fox sat on their messy bed and waited for her to emerge. His patience was rewarded when ten minutes passed and the sound of a flushing toilet was heard. Fara came out a few seconds later.
The two looked at each other for a long moment.
"I take it pizza is not on the menu for lunch," Fox questioned.
Fara's paw flew to her mouth and she ran back into the bathroom. Between heaves Fox could hear her cursing him in language that would make a sailor cringe.
Indeed, Fox was cringing. He was chagrined.
"Fara," he said, rising and moving to the closed door, "Do you need anything, sweetheart?"
Silence lasted more than a few seconds and the toilet flushed again. The door swished open and he was swatted with a towel.
"Yeah," she snarled, "You could not mention food again for a long time."
Fox backed and stared at the fennec with wide eyes. She was pissed Her ears all flared back, teeth bared. Fara was in a rare mood and sick as well.
"Maybe you should take off a few days," he tried.
"No way," she said and collapsed on the bed, curling up, "I'll just sleep here a while. Just... go away."
The red fox looked at Fara for a long moment. He was hurt by her fierce reply. Sometimes she was just a little too independent for him. But respecting her need for solitude, Fox left the room silently.
Fara imagined he went back to the gym to finish his workout. She felt a little guilty, no, extremely guilty, for sending him away so abruptly, but she needed time to think.
The fennec was late. In fact, she hadn't had a monthly cycle in two months now. She realized it was natural for a woman's body to sometimes cease with nature when it was being stressed physically, but she felt quite comfortable with her current distance and pace and her body should have recovered sufficiently enough to resume its natural cycle.
Either there was something wrong or... there was something wrong. An infection? A cyst? Something? Fara sighed.
She had been growing more and more tired in the past month, had often felt nauseous after meals, and her breasts were feeling a bit tender. Fara shifted then, to accommodate the acute pain in one.
It was a gut feeling that she was pregnant.
Fara sighed again. She needed to find out one way or another, so she rolled out of bed, slowly, and made her way over to the personal com in their room. The fennec dialed her 'Woman's Doctor', as Fox called the grey wolf.
After discussing the symptoms with Dr. Cara Banks, Fara set an appointment for the next day. She disconnected the call and leaned back, rubbing her temples. There had to be an easy way to tell Fox. The two weren't expecting anything like a pregnancy, Fara had even taken the most fool proof method of birth control- the year-long effective shot, but it wasn't as if they couldn't handle it either. They had dated a few years before marrying, and their wedding had taken place four years ago. Their relationship was solid and the two were like a match made by Gods who existed... somewhere.
Fara covered a smile with her paw. She was ready for motherhood, she suddenly realized, physically and emotionally. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation. Then the fennec berated herself; she had only a gut feeling to go on. She would be sorely disappointed if she got all excited about a baby and found out she wasn't even pregnant.
Finally rising from the desk seat, Fara set out to find Fox. He would be going with her, no excuses.
As it turned out, Fara's convictions rapidly fell as she searched aimlessly around the ship. She had been rather confident in telling Fox that she might be pregnant, but the more she thought about it, the more she pictured him panicking and freaking. He had told her once that children petrify him, that he wanted little to do with them.
That memory halted Fara in her tracks. How could she have forgotten?
She leaned up against the metal wall, feeling its coolness through her back. The fennec went though a series of reactions Fox might display.
'Panic... covered that one. Fear... extreme concern for me to the point of annoyance... dismay...'
The last reaction scared Fara the most. What if he was disappointed in her, that she did something to cause herself to become pregnant? She hadn't, he had to know that.
Fara's ears drooped and she turned to face the wall, pressing her forehead against the cool metal. Maybe she would just wait until she was positively sure about a baby.
Yes.
That sounded good.
But he was still going with her.