Maxwell liked to consider himself someone who was not easily surprised. After all the years spent being around frightening shadows and other monsters, other events didn't tend to faze him as much. Not to say his current life was boring or unfulfilling, oh no, far from it.

After destroying the codex umbra and sending everyone home, he and Charlie had helped each other get back on their feet. Charlie forgave him for everything that had happened, and Maxwell swore on his life that he would never attempt to invoke dark magic ever again.

Through some miraculous effort, they'd managed to re-land their jobs as entertainers. Charlie reaccepted her role as his assistant, and together they worked to create new and increasingly impressive magic tricks and special effects, each one more convincing and amazing than the next. Over time, they grew closer than they'd ever gotten before.

Maxwell sat in the chair in his dressing room, admiring a framed photo on his desk. It was of him and Charlie, arm in arm, with him donning a black tuxedo and her in a flowery white gown. He smiled, that day had truly been one of the happiest days of his life.

Speaking of which, Charlie would normally come into his room to see him before a performance, but tonight she was nowhere to be found. She'd been acting a bit distant as of today, he'd noticed. First, she hadn't been as talkative as she normally would be, and now it almost seemed as if she were avoiding him, but for what reason he could not tell.

She's likely just a bit nervous, he told himself. It was a full house tonight, and in one of the largest theaters in New York, something that would've made even the greatest performance artist get at least a little stage fright. Therefore, he knew that she'd eventually come around.

He checked the clock. Almost show time. He got up from the chair, checked his outfit one last time, and then exited the room. He walked briskly past the stagehands, making his way to the stage. He felt someone take hold of his arm. He looked to his right to see Charlie walking alongside him, giving him a bright smile. "You ready to knock 'em dead?"

He grinned back. "As I'll ever be, dearest." He sighed internally, glad to see his wife was finally coming back around.

They situated themselves on the stage behind a massive red curtain. They could hear the clamoring of the audience right behind it, waiting for the show to begin. A stagehand trotted past them. "Five minutes till curtain, Mr. and Mrs. Carter."

The lights in the theater dimmed, and the audience fell silent. Somewhere, a drumroll began to play.

They exchanged quick smiles as an announcer's voice resounded through the house. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the one and only, the Amazing Maxwell!"

They turned and put on their best smiles as the curtains lifted off the ground and a spot light shone down on them, and the audience burst into thunderous applause.

The performance went off without a single hitch. Every trick was executed perfectly. They took a brief break in Maxwell's room during intermission, then went right back into it as the final act rolled around. At the end of the show, they took their final bows and held hands together as the great red curtain dropped down for the last time, concealing them behind the stage.

They cheerfully went back to his dressing room, still giddy from the adrenaline rush that came from performing. He closed the door behind them, then quickly picked Charlie up and twirled her around, both of them laughing joyfully.

He laughed again as he set her back down. "We really did it tonight!"

"We sure did!" She held his hands in hers, smiling wide. "Did you see the duke's face when you sawed me in half? His couldn't believe his eyes!"

"I certainly did. And if we see him again tonight, we'll be sure to let him know that there's plenty more where that came from!"

She laughed, "You bet!" Then, her expression turned a bit more sober. "So, now that the show's done, could I talk to you about something?"

He took off his coat and hung it up on the wall. "Of course you can, my dear. Oh! But before you do," he went over to his closet and opened the doors, "what do you think I should wear at the reception tonight?"

Charlie fidgeted with her hands. "Um, well…"

"The pinstripes are always dapper, but I was thinking something a little classier for tonight." He took a jacket off its hanger to inspect it more closely.

"They're both nice Maxy, but I'd really like to—"

"Well, would you look at this?" He rifled through the coat pocket and pulled out a small tube, and then held it up for her to see. "This must be from my old act."

He walked back over to Charlie. "It's designed to shoot confetti when activated. Of course, it's likely a dud after being in that coat for so long." He inspected the device more closely.

Charlie took a tentative step towards him. "Maxy, I don't know if you should—"

POP!

The two of them flinched as a spray of glitter and confetti filled the room. Charlie looked about her, then sighed and folded her hands in front of her and looked down at the floor.

Maxwell stared at the sudden shower of confetti floating down on them like snow. "Nope, I was wrong. All those years, and it still works perfectly fine, can you believe that?"

Charlie remained silent, eyes still focused on the floor.

He noticed her sudden silence, and grew immediately concerned. "Charlie? Darling?"

"….I'm pregnant."

The room went so silent they could hear the individual pieces of confetti falling.

Charlie's eyes looked up at Maxwell. All he could do was stare at her, mouth hanging open, trying to process what she just said. Finally, words came to him. "We… We're expecting…?"

Charlie nodded, trying to read his expression.

So many emotions coursed through him at once. Disbelief, then shock, even a bit of fear. But on top of that, he felt happy, ecstatic even. He was going to be a father.

"Is it really true?"

"Of course it is Maxy. Do you think I'd make something like this up?" She stepped closer to him. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. We were so busy preparing for the show these past few days, I just never had the opportunity till now." She was met with more silence. "Maxy?"

She was taken by surprise when he wrapped her in an embrace and brought his lips to hers. She stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into the kiss, tears forming in her eyes.

When they finally broke the kiss, he continued to hold her closely. "I love you so much, and I think this is wonderful news." He felt her sign in his arms. "Are you doing alright?"

She sniffled. "Yes, I'm doing great." She rested her head on his chest. "I'm just so happy that you're happy. You had me worried there for a moment."

He smiled. "Just needed to take it all in." He ran a hand through her hair. "So, it seems we're expecting a child."

She laughed and held him tighter. "Yes, yes we are…We're having a baby, Maxy. We're gonna be parents…"

He kissed her on the head, and they held each other for a long time. Maxwell knew that he'd never forget this moment, and how Charlie could still surprise him in the best way possible.