Things had changed a lot for Annie after her conversion. Before that, she was a strong, independent woman who didn't need a man in her life, didn't want a man in her life. She was perfectly fine with being a lesbian and having fun with women who were more reserved about their homosexuality. Though things changed when she got infected with HIV. But as it turned out, it was simply the ending of one chapter and the beginning of a new one.
Now Annie was still a strong woman, stronger than before now. But she was no longer an independent woman. Becoming a zebra Animalian meant that became bisexual. For a time, that had worried her, feeling like she was becoming a traitor to everything she was before. But her friends helped her realize that she just had another choice of who she wanted to be. That realization helped her start a relationship with Stuart, a relationship that eventually became a healthy marriage. And healthy marriages often produce something.
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Annie watched as the home pregnancy test turned blue. So far, she hadn't heard of the Animalian-designed pregnancy tests of giving any false positives. She had suspected earlier when she felt a little more bloated than normal and her breasts were producing more milk than they usually do. Still, Annie was double-checking to be sure. And the second one came out positive. There was no denying it, Annie was pregnant. She'll have to break the news to Stuart...
Who took it a lot better than she thought. "So how long will we have to wait? Should we start setting up a room now? You think it'll be a boy or girl?" asked Stuart.
"Wait a minute, you're not upset?" asked Annie.
"Why should I be? Are you upset?" asked Stuart.
"Well, no, I guess I didn't expect you to be so into this. You've never brought it up before," said Annie.
"Annie, before I was converted, I had Down syndrome. No girl wanted anything to do with me besides my sister. And I love her kids, particularly because I didn't think I would ever have any of my own," said Stuart, "The only reason I didn't bring it up was because you wanted to keep an open marriage. I didn't want kids to get in the way of that."
Annie thought it over and said, "I wasn't expecting to settle down quite so soon. But then again, I wouldn't be against it. I'm just...not sure how this works. This is hardly a normal thing."
"Animalians have a different standard for 'normal'," said Stuart, "Maybe you ought to talk to your friends about that."
"Sometimes, Stuart, you can be really wise," said Annie, giving him a kiss.
"Well, I guess I did pick a few things up," said Stuart.
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Of course, the first people Annie asked were Ella and Simone. The pair didn't sound surprised and were willing to meet with Annie at the maternity clinic. Though it sounded like they wanted to tell her something. Annie had a suspicion about that was, but it wasn't concerned until she got to the clinic. She found Ella and Simone there, holding hands. Annie took one look at them before asking, "Ok, which one of you is pregnant?"
"Actually...we both are," said Ella.
"Really? I thought Simone didn't want to bear cubs," said Annie.
"Yeah, well, nature had other ideas," said Simone, "But I'm sure I can keep working before I become too obvious."
"When did you two find out?" asked Annie.
"When we missed out periods," said Ella.
Annie scratched her head before saying, "Animalians don't get periods. We just go into heat."
"Which is definitely a plus over being human," said Simone dryly, "We don't have bad cramps and there's a lot less bleeding."
"But how would you tell you've missed your...heat?" asked Annie.
"Well, one of the main indicators you're in heat is that you feel friskier than usual," said Ella, "But then we just felt...unfrisky."
"I mean, we'd still screw around, but we didn't really feel that compelled to," said Simone.
"How have Tom and Frank taken this?" asked Annie.
"We're not quite sure how to break it to them yet," said Ella, "They aren't as committed to this relationship as we are. Maybe they'll start seeking more permanent mates soon."
"Well...are you sure your cubs don't have, er, the wrong father?" asked Annie. There was an edict against Animalians of different species crossbreeding with each other. Usually, it was safe enough. There was no rule about having sex with other species, but when it came to actual procreation...
"I'm pretty sure we knocked up by the right ones," said Simone, "Tom and Frank keep an eye on the calendar and when it's close to mating time, they'll only, well, finish inside if we're the right counterpart."
"Then do they already know?" asked Annie.
"Hmm...that might be possible..." said Ella thoughtfully.
Just then, the door of the maternity clinic opened. Annie and the cats turned to see Arlene and Moxie walk in, holding hands. The aquatic Animalians paused when they saw who was already here. "Well...this is awkward..." said Arlene.
"You girls too?" asked Simone.
"Both of us," said Moxie, putting a hand on her belly.
"Well, I'm sure there's an interesting tale behind that," said Annie.