I once swore never to have more than one multi-chapter story running at the same time, but here I am as I couldn't resist this idea.
Thanks to Mary for unintentionally putting this idea into my head :)
Alicia had barely closed the apartment door behind her when the first tear rolled down her cheek. She had been able to hold it back since the doctor had confirmed what she had suspected for a while now - that she was indeed pregnant. She shook her head at herself and how she had had to force herself to smile when the doctor had told her the supposed good news. She had always looked forward to the moment she'd get the confirmation of expecting her first child, but now the news couldn't come at a worse time. She could already see her soon to be mother-in-law's disapproving look when she learnt about it. It would be like when Peter and her had told Jackie they would move in together. Jackie had never hidden that she disapproved of Alicia and her family, especially her divorced parents. Appearances were everything to Peter's mother, even if it had meant for her to stay in a loveless marriage till death had parted her from her husband. Her sole focus and concern now lying on Peter and his career. So Alicia was sure she'd use this against her like countless other things to convince Peter he deserved better than her. Alicia had hoped the serious taunts would stop once they had announced they were finally getting married but it felt like it had gotten even worse since then.
She finally detached herself from the door, getting rid of her coat while walking into the living room where she fell down on the couch. She hugged one of the pillows closely to her chest, the tears still streaming down her face. She briefly checked her watch for the time. A sigh of relief escaped her when she realized it was still enough time before Peter would be home. She didn't want him to see her like this. She had barely finished the thought when she heard the front door.
"Alicia?" Peter called out but she didn't answer, trying to get rid of the signs of her tears instead, though she knew it was pointless.
"Hey Babe!" she didn't look up when he entered the room.
He walked around the couch sitting down next to her, watching her closely.
"You're home early." she peered up smiling, trying to conceal her still reddened face.
"Yes, I was worried when your assistant told me you had left in the early afternoon and you didn't call me back after I paged you. Are you alright?" she knew he had realized she had been crying but tried to give her a chance to come forward with whatever troubled her enough to cause her to cry. She just nodded at him, cursing herself inside for not switching her pager back on after she left the doctor's office.
"You sure, Babe?" he moved closer towards her, reaching for her hand.
She nodded again, trying to swallow the tears she could feel well up again.
"No, you're not. What happened? Your mother? My mother? Just tell me." he took the pillow from her lap, pulling her into his arms. She shook her head against his chest, a big lump in her throat keeping her from talking. The tears ran freely now once more, soaking Peter's suit jacket and shirt while he held her close, slowly stroking her hair and back.
After a while her sobs had died down and she felt like she had no more tears left. She looked up to see Peter smiling at her while she pushed herself into an upright position.
"Can you tell me now what happened, please?" he softly wiped some remaining tears from her cheek, looking at her encouragingly.
She took a deep breath, not really knowing why she hesitated to tell him. She knew he'd be happy about her being pregnant but saying it out loud also meant that it really was true and she couldn't hide from that truth any longer like she had in the previous weeks when she had already anticipated it.
"I left work early today because I had a doctor's appointment." she started, nervously kneading her hands in her lap, keeping her gaze at them. She heard Peter inhale sharply and as she looked up she could see the concern in his features.
"And? What did he tell you that left you in tears, Babe?" his voice sounding worried and a little impatient.
"I'm pregnant. I'm so sorry for screwing everything up with the wedding, Peter." she looked down on her hands again which made her miss all the concern leaving Peter's face and his lips curling up in a big smile.
"You're really pregnant?"
She nodded at his words, still not looking up.
"Will you please look at me?" he gently lifted her face with his index finger under her chin.
"I'm really sorry for messing up, Peter. I don't..." she didn't get any further as Peter suddenly stood up, pulling her in his arms, whirling her around a couple of times before he came to a halt, still holding her in a tight embrace.
She tried to say something but the attempt failed as Peter captured her lips with a tender kiss.
"I can't tell you how happy I am, Babe." he declared once they broke the kiss.
"But what I don't get are your tears, Hun." he grabbed her hand, leading them both back to the couch where he sat down, pulling her onto his lap.
"Well, this will ruin everything with the wedding. Your mother will freak and all will be my fault because I'm not good enough for you." she muttered while her fingers played with the buttons on Peter's jacket.
"I thought we were past this; you caring what my mother thinks is the best for me."
He captured one of her hands, lifting it up to place a kiss on top of it.
"I know, Peter. But all I can think of since I know it, is her disapproving of me once more for not living up to her standard." she let her head fall on his shoulder.
"That's really not what you should be thinking about right now. Aren't you happy at all?" he pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yes, I guess I am." Alicia responded after a moment of silence, finally a small smile appearing on her face. She exhaled deeply, suddenly realizing that she had not yet taken a moment to be happy about this news. All she had thought about was how Jackie would react to the prospect of her walking down the aisle already five months pregnant.
"You guess?" Peter chuckled, shifting in his place so he could look at her. "You should be over the moon as I am, Babe."
Alicia peered up into his eyes. The sheer joy she saw in them widened her smile and she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
"You're right, Peter. I am happy, but..."
"No but, Alicia. Please stop thinking about what my mother might have to say about this. We're expecting a baby. That's all that matters from now on. Not the archaic views of my mother."
"I know all this, Peter. But your mother will not care about any of it. All she cares about is appearances and a perfect image. Your perfect image. And she still thinks I don't fit in there. So this will give her another reason to show you that I'm not right for you. I don't want to embarrass you." she was barely whispering the last words, new tears welling up in her eyes.
"Do you really believe what my mother thinks will make any difference on how I feel about you?" she saw a flash of disappointment in his gaze and immediately wanted to take her words back. The lump in her throat kept her from answering so she just softly shook her head.
"Because if that's what you're afraid of, that my mother will persuade me one day with all her talk. She won't, Alicia. You're the most important person in my life and I love you. Even more now that I know you're carrying my child. I'd never sacrifice you for my public image." once more he wiped some tears from her face while pulling her closer so her head came to rest on his shoulder again. Alicia nodded at his words, knowing he spoke the truth.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I shouldn't have said that. I know you don't think like your mother. But how will it look like at the wedding? I'll be five months pregnant already and it will undoubtedly show."
"It'll make you look even more beautiful, Babe." he smiled at her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Will you please stop crying now?"
"I'll try." she sniffled.
"But if this is what you really care about, that people will see you're pregnant, I have an idea how we could avoid that." she sat up again, curiously observing Peter, noticing a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Peter?"
"Let's elope! We could fly to Vegas or Hawaii and get married there. Problem solved."
"Are you serious?" she slid from Peter's lap, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, I am. I don't care about this big fuss my mother is making with hundreds of guests, I barely know half of. All I care about is you and that I want you to be my wife, not what kind of hors d'oeuvre we'll be serving." he grabbed both her hands watching her expectantly. "So, what do you say?"
"So, you are serious." her gaze wandered to the floor for a moment, thinking about what he just suggested.
"No, Peter. As tempting as that sounds, I want my family and friends to be there when I marry you. Eloping wouldn't be the same for me. Sorry." she smiled apologetically at him, catching a glint of disappointment in his gaze for a second before his lips curled up in an understanding smile.
"You're right. It wouldn't be the same for me either." he leaned in and kissed her briefly on the lips before standing up from the couch.
"How about you lay back for a while and rest?" he didn't wait for an answer but grabbed her feet and lifted them on the couch so she was placed in a reclined position.
"But, Peter, I wanted to go grocery shopping." she tried to object, attempting to sit up again but Peter was faster than her, pushing her gently back down.
"You can keep your objections for court from now on, counselor. No more heavy lifting for you from today. I'll go. You stay on the couch. And stop beating yourself up. You did do nothing wrong, Babe. And if so, it would be my fault as well." he winked at her and placed a soft kiss on her nose. She sighed in defeat and settled deeper into the cushions watching Peter getting ready to go shopping.
A few minutes later she was on her own and though deep down she knew Peter was right that she shouldn't worry that much about what others might say, she couldn't overcome the feeling of embarrassment. She felt the need to talk to someone else and reached for the phone on the coffee table and dialed a number she knew by heart.
"Richard Cavanaugh" she sighed deeply when she heard the familiar voice of her father on the other end.
"Hi Dad."
"Honey, how are you doing? I haven't heard from you in a while."
"I'm ok, Dad."
"Are you really? Something in your voice tells me you're not. What's the matter?"
"It's..." a lump in her throat kept her from talking further and again she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"What's wrong, Alicia?" her father's voice was laced with concern now.
"I'm pregnant, Daddy." she managed between sobs. "I don't know what to do."
"Why, what's the matter, honey. Did Peter leave you?"
"No, he's ecstatically happy about it, but with the wedding in three months...what will people say about this. Me already knocked up walking down the aisle. It's so embarrassing, Dad."
There was silence on the other end and she was just about to ask if her father was still there when she heard him chuckle gently.
"If that's all you're worried about, honey. I was expecting something worse."
"This is not funny. Seriously what should I do, Daddy?"
"Do you love him?"
"Yes." the question surprised her but there was no hesitation in her answer.
"See, honey. If you really love him you shouldn't worry about anything else. That's all that matters. Everything else is just meaningless talk that shouldn't affect you." he was silent again and Alicia let his words sink in. She once again realized how much alike the two most important men in her life were.
"Congratulations, Honey. I'm happy I'll be a granddad soon."
"Thanks, Dad." she smiled at her father's words and placed her free hand unconsciously over her stomach.
"I know you'll make the right decision, Alicia. Bye now."
"Bye, Dad." she smiled while she placed the phone back on the table, suddenly knowing what to do.
I'm planning to write the whole pregnancy and I already have some ideas, but I am always open for prompts. So send them my way :)