AUTHOR'S NOTE: A few notes before we begin. This is my first new Raccoons story since I took the others down on Secondly, this is my first attempt at writing for Bentley and Lisa Raccoon. Just giving you a bit of a warning ahead of time. Also it should be noted that in chapters 4 and 5, Cedric is a bit out of character. Well, at least I think he is . . . .

It was just a normal June afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. Bert and Lisa were pedaling their bicycles through town, just enjoying the sunny day. Suddenly, Lisa glanced over at Bert, and smiled sneakily.

"Last one to Willow's buys the root beer!" she shouted, and pedaled off as fast as she could.

"Hey!" Bert shouted, as he started pedaling after her. "No fair, you got a head start!"

Lisa just laughed. She knew she could beat Bert to Willow's Store easily. Bert was a bit out of shape, and by the time he finally caught up to Lisa, she was already standing outside the store.

"I win," she said.

"I let you win," was Bert's breathless reply. Lisa just laughed, and she and Bert went inside. They started towards the beverage selection when they found Sophia putting a box of chocolate cake mix in a basket.

"Hey, Sophia!" Bert called. "What's happening?"

"Oh . . . ." Sophia said, pausing for a moment. She also grabbed a can of chocolate frosting. "Not much."

"So how's the Birthday Boy?" Lisa asked, smiling. What she meant by "The Birthday Boy" was Sophia's son, Forest. He was going to be four years old in a week.

"He's fine," Sophia said. She picked up some chocolate pudding, and put it in her basket. Then she put a package of chocolate cookies in there as well.

"Giving Forest a pretty big chocolate feast there," Bert said. "Chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, chocolate cookies . . . . he'll think he died and went to Heaven!"

"Well, the pudding and the cookies are for Cedric," Sophia explained. "I have to prepare him for the news."

"What news?" Lisa asked.

"Well, I just came from the doctor's," Sophia said, putting a bottle of apple juice in her basket. "I had a physical today, and . . . . well, Forest is going to be getting an unexpected birthday present, but it won't be here for nine months."

"Nine months?" Bert asked. Then it sank in. "Sophia, you're pregnant again?"

"That's what the doctor told me," Sophia said. "I'm not sure how Cedric, Forest, and Mr. Sneer are going to take the news, so I'm planning on softening them up first."

"If I know Cyril, he'll need a lot of softening up!" Bert joked. Lisa nodded her head in agreement.

"I should warn you, though," she said, "Forest might take it worse than Mr. Sneer. Good luck."

"Thanks," Sophia said. She knew she was going to need all the luck she could get.

Meanwhile at the Sneer mansion, Cyril was on the phone with his stock broker while Cedric was going over the books. He had Forest in his lap, and Forest was working on a drawing with his crayons. Cedric finished up the books just as Forest finished his drawing.

"Look, Daddy!" he shouted, happily. "I drew us! There's you, and Mommy, and me, and Gampa, and Snag, and the Pigs!"

"That's great, Forest," Cedric replied, looking at the picture. Being only three-going-on-four, Forest wasn't the world's best artist, and his drawings barely looked like anything, but Cedric could tell it was supposed to be the Sneer family (plus the Pigs).

"We're a big sorta happy family," Forest said.

"Sort of happy?" Cedric repeated.

"Uh huh. Gampa's never happy."

"What do you mean stocks are down?!" Cyril shouted into the phone. "Well, get them back up! I don't pay you to lose me money!"

"See?" Forest asked as Cyril slammed the phone down. Forest picked up another drawing he did of Cyril. Cyril had an angry expression, and there were red, orange, and yellow zig zags all over the drawing.

"This is Gampa yelling," he said.

"I think you've captured him very well, Forest," Cedric replied, trying to stifle his laughter. Cyril looked over at the drawing, and glared at his son and grandson.

"Very funny, Forest," he said, sarcastically. "Veeerrrry funny!"

"I'm home!" Sophia called out from the main hallway. Forest jumped off Cedric's lap, and ran to the door.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" he shouted. Sophia laughed, picked him up, and gave him a kiss.

"Hi, sweetie," she said. "What have you been doing today?"

"Drawing. Wanna see?"

"Okay. Let me put the groceries away first."

Sophia put Forest down, and he took off like a shot towards Cyril's office where he left his pictures. Cedric came out and helped Sophia put away the groceries.

"Chocolate cookies and chocolate pudding," he said. "What's this for, Sophia?"

"Oh . . . . nothing," Sophia said.

"Sophia, you don't buy chocolate pudding and chocolate cookies at the same time unless something's going on. I know you had a doctor's appointment today. Did something happen?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you what, yet."

"Why not?"

"I'm waiting until after dinner."

Cedric was about to ask again when Cyril came into the kitchen. He went to the table, and sat down for a minute.

"Let me tell you two something," he said. "Don't rely on the stock market."

"Gotcha, Pop," Cedric replied. Then he took the cake mix out of the bag, as well as the frosting.

"That for Forest's birthday?" Cyril asked.

"Yes," Sophia said with a nod. Then she sighed. "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

"I'm glad they do," Cyril grumbled. "Forest is finally out of diapers, and he doesn't have to scream his head off anymore when he wants something. The last thing I need is another screaming baby around here!"

Sophia stopped what she was doing for a moment, and swallowed. This sure wasn't going to be easy breaking the news to Cyril. She decided to just go ahead and lay the news on him, and Cedric. She opened the chocolate pudding, and took two cups out of the package. She handed one to Cedric, and the other to Cyril.

"Have some chocolate," she said.

"What are you up to, Sofa Girl?" Cyril asked. He took the aluminum lid off the pudding cup, grabbed a spoon, and began eating the pudding. Cedric started as well.

"Well, uhhh, I hope you're not getting too used to things the way they are now, Mr. Sneer," Sophia said, nervously.

"Why?"

"Well, because the last thing you need around here is going to be arriving in about nine months."

Both Cedric and Cyril performed a classic cartoon spit take the minute Sophia said that, and they stared at her.

"Sophia, you're gonna have a baby?" Cedric asked. "That's great!"

"That's terrible," Cyril grumbled. "Just terrible! Two grandchildren. Now they'll all really think I'm getting old!"

Cedric and Sophia didn't respond. If they did, Cyril would have their heads. Luckily they didn't have to say anything. Forest came into the kitchen, and saw the chocolate pudding on the counter.

"Mommy, can I have some pudding, please?" he asked.

"Sure," Sophia said, taking a third pudding cup and opening it. Then she handed it to Forest, as well as a spoon. Immediately Forest began shoveling it in. He loved chocolate pudding almost as much as Cedric did.

"What do you say, Forest?" Cedric said.

"Oh yeah," Forest said, after he swallowed. "Thank you, Mommy."

"Well, aren't you going to tell him?" Cyril asked.

"Tell me what?" Forest asked. Cedric and Sophia glanced at each other.

"Forest, we have a surprise for you," Sophia said. "I'm going to have a baby."

"You'll be getting a new little brother or sister," Cedric said.

"Oh," Forest said. And that was it. He finished his pudding cup, handed it and the spoon back to Sophia, and then walked off. This was something Cedric and Sophia did not expect.

"He took that well," Cyril replied. Then he stood up and left the kitchen.