Venus leaned over a basin filled with arm water scrubbing clothes, hers included.  It was her durty to wash clothes which worked out nicely since she needed to wash hers so often.

She was only about five months pregnant but with the twins growing fast she already felt full term.  She struggled as the basin pressed uncomfortably up against her belly.  Upon arrival Mars, Cas, and Venus were given new sets of clothes.  It was the first time they had worn anything different other than the sterile white clothes The Cube provided them, but it wasn't long before Venus outgrew those clothes and was forced back into the incredibly stretchy white clothes from The Cube.  Besides borrowing Mars's clothes she was also able to use Cas's as well.  Clothes from The Cube was a special formula of fabrics that allowed it to stretch with its owner.  That way The cube never had to have a special set of clothes for their Maternity Breeders.

It was mid-winter in the woods and even though the water was warmed from a fire everytime Venus's hand left the basin they felt like they were frozen.  She had to hang the community's clothes in the tent that they usually ate in so that the fabric wouldn't freeze.  Winter was hard in Neverland.  There was very little food and the Lost Boys, the boys and girls that lived in the woods with Peter, were forced into dipping into their food stores.  Their food stores where usually nonperishables that a few trustworthy people smuggled to them.

Venus picked up the basket of clean damp clothes from off the ground to take into the mess tent.  The half-frozen clothes where heavy and the extra weight didn't help the already dull pain in her back.

"Here," Peter offered, rushing to her side, "let me take those for you."

Venus gladly handed over the basket and followed him to the tent.  Peter had just started to become normal again after the loss of his sister, Pepa, she had died while trying to save Venus and her friends.  Both Peter and Venus blamed themselves for her death and neither was able to truly forgive themselves.

"Don't you have some chore you're supposed to be doing?" Venus teased.  She knew that everyone in the camp pulled their own weight.  Everyone relied on the other and no one's job was more important than the others.  She deeply appreciated the help but didn't want to keep Peter from his duties.

"I'm done already," he boasted, "And you looked like a fat penguin trying to waddle across here with this basket."

"I'm not fat," she coldly responded.

"Have you seen yourself lately?" he chuckled.

Venus playfully shoved him.  Over the past few months, a friendship developed.  Each trying to understand the guilt and pain of the other and help each other through it.

"In all seriousness, though," Peter told her, "we are going to have to rotate you out with someone else and give you their job.  You can't keep carrying these heavy loads."

"I'm not sure what to do," she told him.  You won't let me hunt or check traps.  You put me on cooking duty for a day before you took me off it-"

"That's because you are a terrible cook," Peter interrupted her, "people were vomiting just over the smell.  I'm pretty sure it's the vilest thing I've ever put in my mouth."

"Now, I know that's not true," she said thinking about the dark green NEGS bars he fed her when they were on the run.  Just the thought of the bars made her shiver.

"And," he added, "you know why I won't let you hunt or trap right now, Wobbles."

Despite Peter's insult, Venus grinned knowing her was just sporting with her, "You are cruel."

Peter set the heavy basket down on the table and helped her hang the clothes on the lines that were tied up inside the warm tent.

"Can I at least help look for wood?" she asked.  The camp used wood for small fires to stand around but also to help heat water in the wet furnace and the air to the tents with the dry.  Each tent had pipes running through them and furnaces every too many tents to help keep them warm during the winter.  They tried to keep as few fires lit as possible so that the smoke wouldn't draw attention in from the air.  Winter was dangerous for Neverland.  It was harder to move because of the cold weather and they're cover wasn't as good.  Peter hated it.  He felt exposed, one flyover from a Ramjet and it would be over for them.

Peter bit his lip knowing what he was going to have to tell her but dreading actually saying it.

"We won't be needing wood any longer."

Venus laughed knowing that there were several more months of winter, but Peter's face remained serious.

"I don't understand how do you not need wood.  We'll all freeze."

"Venus," he said taking her hand and guiding her to a nearby table, "We don't usually stay here out in the woods during the winter.  We have a cave we live in.  It's chilly but not cold.  We've just put off going because...well... because of you."

"Me?" she asked completely confused as to why she would be the holdup.

"The cave is hidden on a steep cliff.  It's dangerous to crawl to it but doable."

Venus sat there still not understanding what the problem was.  In frustration that Peter wouldn't just go ahead and tell her she finally demanded, "Just out with it, Peter."

Peter sighed and looked down at his hands, "There is no way you can make the climb with you extended stomach.  We were trying to hold out as long as we could and see if we could make it through the winter but there's so little coverage and we are creating to much smoke, V, we just can't stay here any longer."

Venus's heart stopped the moments she realized what he was saying.  As she spoke it sounded as if her ears where filled with water dulling the sound around her, "You're going to leave me here alone."

A/N:

It's here!  So, what do you think?

I'm not sure yet how often I will get to update, but I promise I won't forget about you.  I just have some other obligations I need to focus on too.

Thank you so much for coming back and reading more on The Breeders Part 2!

Love,

Reading_Mermaid08