AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes, I am stupid for publishing a new multi-chapter story. Yes, I probably am going to regret it soon enough. No, I haven't learnt my lesson! XD

Anyway, hi, everyone! So, I have wanted to write this story for so long - even before I posted my other DVD show fanfiction, "A New Adventure - but I just never really found the time to write it and I hate having several long fanfictions on the go; but I finally cracked and so here is the first chapter. I have no idea how long this whole story will be, but I'm aiming to keep relatively short.

But I do hope you enjoy it!

A New Chapter

Chapter One

Laura stepped into the lift and pressed the appropriate button with trembling hands; she needed to stop being so ridiculous, it wasn't as if this was a bad situation, on the contrary, it was quite the opposite; it was just…unexpected. As soon as the symptoms had arrived, she'd known that it wasn't that flu – as Rob had suggested – but she hadn't been quite ready to ponder the reality, so she had gone along with the façade. In fact, she was sure that she was trying to convince herself of the lies, perhaps then everything would've sorted itself out? But, alas, the world was never that straight forward, and soon the tell-tale signs had become more and more obvious; in fact, she was rather surprised that her husband hadn't noticed. Then again, the flu was always a good cover up. And she couldn't really blame him, after all, she had only ever had those symptoms once before, and that had been quite some time ago…the sickness in the mornings, the dizziness and lack of energy…she supposed it could've been a number of things, but, deep down, Laura had known exactly what it was.

She was unsure as to why she hadn't confided in Rob – told him of her suspicions – perhaps she just didn't want to give him false hope…or maybe even false panic…regardless, she didn't want to say anything to anybody until she had had it confirmed. And that was exactly what she'd done. She'd been honest with the doctor and told him exactly what she thought was going on, so, when he had confirmed it, she couldn't even pretend to be surprised. Pregnant. Again.

Had she done the right thing to keep it a secret from Rob? After all, they loved each other and having a baby was meant to be a joyous occasion; wouldn't it have made more sense for her to just tell him, even if nothing had been confirmed? But, then she thought perhaps not. They had never had a serious conversation about whether or not they wanted another child; sure, comments and jokes had been made about it here and there, but they'd never discussed it properly. They'd had such a talk before they were married, and even though it was 'expected' of Laura to have a child, Rob had assured her that he'd never make her do anything she didn't want to. Luckily for them both, they had both wanted children, and Laura had fallen pregnant only a few months after their wedding. But that was really where their experienced had ended. She just supposed that they'd never really had the chance, their lives had always seemed so hectic! Rob was always busy as a writer and Laura knew better than anyone that the life of a housewife was just a chaotic as any other profession. It seemed as though time had just slipped through their fingers.

Finally, she stepped out of the lift, but she wasn't ready to see Rob – not just yet – so she stepped to the side and leant against the wall…she just needed a few more seconds to ponder and to collect her thoughts. Who could really blame her?

However, there was something that she had recalled that really caused her anxieties to flutter in her stomach: there had been many times over the years where their friends or family had often jumped to conclusions and had asked excitedly if they were expecting another baby, and every time that had happened, Rob had always jumped quickly to a defensive tone and had always answered with a firm 'No, we're not'. Laura had never paid any attention to it, but now, she couldn't help but wonder if those were signs of how he truly felt? Maybe he really didn't want another baby? She didn't think she would be able to handle it if he responded to her news with dismay or disappointment. She hadn't quite admitted it to herself yet, but since she'd had her suspicions – and had them confirmed by the doctor – Laura was actually beginning to feel quite excited…even if it was shrouded in fear. She'd often thought of having another baby and she couldn't believe that she'd finally been given the blessing…she just hoped that her husband would feel the same way.

But, she knew that Rob would never be angry by such news, but she couldn't help but feel such a heavy sense of trepidation; things had changed now: Rob was now working closely with Alan on the new show that would portray the memoir he'd written and although it still thrilled him to be a part of such a project, he often came home utterly exhausted. Was that why she'd been afraid to tell him? Perhaps it was because Richie was a lot older now? He was ten, after all, and it was quite an awkward age gap to have between siblings, and although her son had made many comments over the years about wanting a younger brother or sister, she knew that he'd have difficulty adapting to such a change after being an only child for so long…

Still, she had to put all of that behind her, because now it had happened, and she had to tell her husband…but how?

'Well, I certainly can't go with 'The rabbit died again' – ' she thought, ' – that would just be stupid without any context, and the context was the whole reason it'd worked the first time!'

She sighed with frustration, but eventually gave herself a reassuring nod and began to walk through the building – her hands clutching at her handbag as if she were trying to strangle.

'I suppose I could just come right out and say it? But would suddenly blurting 'I'm pregnant' be too much of a shock? Maybe I could take some inspiration from Lucille Ball? No, that was far too soppy* - And I suppose I can't lead him in with the whole 'I've just come from the doctors' bit, that'll only worry him…oh, why is this so difficult?!'

But before she had time to scold herself for her foolishness, she found herself at Marge's desk. Even though 'The Alan Brady Show' wasn't currently running, she was glad that Rob and Alan were working in the same building (Buddy and Sally were cooperating on the project too); there was something about Marge's kind smile that gave her a warm sense of familiarity. She took a few seconds to recall how magical it'd been when she'd told Rob that she was pregnant with Richie. She'd been terrified then too…perhaps it was just something that came with every pregnancy? A good kind of terrified? Still, Laura suddenly felt a shred of confidence move through her, if she could do it once, she could do it again; and the loving memories from her last pregnancy seemed to give her strength.

"Hello, Laura, what're you doing here at this hour?" Marge inquired kindly.

"Well, I was just wondering if I could see Rob? It's quite important"

"I don't think he's got any meetings today, so it should be fine to go through – but I'll just call and check…" she picked up the phone, "it's nothing serious, is it?"

Laura gave a slight smile.

"It's a good kind of serious"

"Ah, say no more" Marge smiled.

Laura suspected that Marge knew what was going on but was thankful that she didn't say anything, As much as Laura adored Sally, it had made her quite skittish when Sally began asking questions just before her first pregnancy announcement. Laura truly hoped that she'd be able to get through this one smoothly. She smoothed out her skirt as she absently listened to Marge talk with her husband.

"Hi, Rob, Laura's here and she wants to come in and talk to you, is now a good time?"

A slight pause.

"Yes, she says it's very important…no, she's assured me that it's nothing bad"

Marge looked back at Laura for confirmation and she gave a quick nod in response. She was really doing this, she was about to tell her husband about their second child.

"Okay, thanks Rob, I'll send her in now"

She put the phone down and smiled again.

"Alright, Laura, go on in, Buddy and Sally are in there too, but I'm sure you can kick them out into the hallway for a few moments" she chuckled.

"Thank you, Marge"

"Good luck"

Laura blushed slightly in response before heading towards Rob's office and she was absolutely ignoring the fluttering in her stomach, the weakness in her knees and the tornado in her mind.

'Everything is going to be fine. You're being absolutely ridiculous. Just stay calm and tell him; nothing bad is going to happen'

She had been repeating those words to herself all day…but she was still struggling to have complete faith in them. When she came to the door, she hesitated yet again. Why on earth was she being so foolish?! It wasn't as if she was afraid of Rob and she absolutely hated having such fears when there was no clear justification for them. Yes, being a bit nervous would've been totally normal, but Laura felt as if she could throw up at any moment (and it wasn't because of the pregnancy).

'No…' she thought, '…I just need to bite the bullet. If I wait around, it's just going to get harder'

So, on a wicked impulse, she knocked on the door and entered. She was immediately greeted by three warm smiles and a slight uproar of greetings from the writers. She returned the smile, but Rob could see the unease within her eyes.

"Hi, Honey, is everything alright? Marge said you had something important to tell me?"

Laura opened her mouth to speak, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Buddy and Sally leaning in to listen to what they hoped would be a piece of extravagant gossip. They waited with such intensity that they never noticed Laura looking at them with confusion – their mouths hanging ever so slightly, and their eyes had widened with anticipation. She turned back to Rob.

"Uh, Rob, do you think we could talk privately?" she asked nervously – not wanting to offend their friends.

"Sure"

This time, both of the Petries looked at the other writers, but they still didn't seem to grasp the semantics of their words; instead they continued to stare – wondering why Laura still hadn't shared her news. Rob shook his head with playful disbelief.

"Uh, Fellas, do you think you could give Laura and I some space?" he chuckled.

"Oh! Right, you wanted to talk privately as in just you two, right?" Sally chirped.

"Yes, if you don't mind" Laura smiled.

"No, not at all, we'll be right outside, come on, Buddy" Sally began to usher him out of the room.

"We're still allowed to listen through the keyhole, right?" he asked, but they never heard the answer before the door closed behind them.

They were finally alone. This was it. Laura took another deep breath and looked up at Rob, he was smiling tenderly at her, but she could detect the etchings of concern within his gaze

"It's good to see you, Honey" he purred before kissing her softly, "Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me? It must be awfully important for you to come all the way into the city?"

Oh, he was about to find out just how important it all was.

"Yes, I suppose it is rather important…" but she suddenly felt a bolt of fear shoot through her, and before she could control it, she had said: "…but – but it can wait"

Rob cocked his head in confusion.

"It can wait? Surely you didn't come all the way here to tell me that it can wait until I get home?" he asked softly.

"No, but – uh – I can see that you're busy, and I'd really hate to disturb you…" her panicked words trailed off.

"No, we're not all that busy today, there's plenty of time for you to tell me what's on your mind"

"Oh, it's really nothing" she excused.

"Hey now, you've clearly got yourself quite worked up over this, and I'd hate to think that something's bothering you, and I know that you wouldn't have come up here if you didn't want to tell me…is it something bad?" he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's nothing bad"

'Great, now I'm panicking just like I did the last time!'

"Please talk to me, Laura" he looked worried now.

"Okay, okay…" she took a deep breath, "…Well, you know how a couple of weeks ago I had the flu?"

Rob only nodded.

"Well, I sort of suspected it all along, but it turns out that it wasn't the flu"

"Not the flu?"

"Right. Anyway, I've just come from the doctor's and –"

"—Wait, the doctor's? Are you okay? Is it serious? Are you still unwell? What did he say?"

"Rob, please calm down. I'm not sick" she took his hands – as much for her comfort as his own.

"Okay, but what did he say?" he pleaded.

She took another strengthening breath.

'Just say it. Just say it. Just say it!'

"Rob, he told me that I'm pregnant"

She watched as he became completely stunned – like the effects of some sort of drug – but she didn't push him to respond, instead, she simply stayed silent as he processed her words. But she still hoped so desperately that he would be happy about it; another baby may not have been planned or something that they'd ever discussed, but, in her eyes, it was a blessing nonetheless. But then, to her absolute delight, she watched his eyes begin to sparkle with adoration and a grin of pure awe and wonder spread across him cheeks – allowing his dimples to come out and shine.

"Really? Do you mean it?"

She was smiling herself now – seeing the beginnings of her husband's reaction had caused her own elation to soar.

"Yes. He told me I'm almost three months along!"

Before she knew it, he was taking her into his arms and kissing her with such passion; it wasn't something they ever did when they knew there was a chance of someone walking in on them, but they just didn't care, they were far to amazed by the fact that they were having another baby!

"Oh, Laura, this is amazing!" he beamed.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that!"

"Were you really scared to tell me?"

"Well, I just didn't know how you'd react. We haven't even been trying for a baby and this is all so unexpected…besides, we've never spoken about having more children"

"But that doesn't mean I'm not overjoyed. In fact, this is one of the best days of my life! I know we never talked about it, but I love you Laura, and I can't think of anything better than having another baby with you"

"So, you're definitely happy about it?"

"Happy doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. This really is such a blessing…Let's just hope a war doesn't break out over the name this time, I'd hate to think that our second child could end up with a middle name as ridiculous as 'Rosebud'!"

"Darling, that was your idea"

"You never stopped me"

"I was too exhausted from the all of the fighting, I would've said yes to anything!" she chuckled.

"Is that so?"

"But it's not going to happen this time, we're going to stand firm"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"They're all going to suggest the same names, anyway, and I don't think I could stand to listen to another impromptu spelling of 'Edward'"

Robbed laughed.

"You mean E-D-W-A -"

"Stop right there, darling, or you'll be sleeping in the den tonight"

"Pregnancy makes you feisty" he teased.

"Now, don't you start using this pregnancy as an excuse for things – only I'm allowed to do that"

"So, I suppose I'm going to have to obey your every command?"

"Of course" she grinned.

"Then so be it"

They kissed again…this time in a much more socially acceptable fashion, but they still let it linger for longer than was perhaps necessary.

"I just can't believe we're going to have another baby" Rob told her giddily.

"Me neither…but I'm just so excited!"

"Me too! Does anyone else know?"

"No, you're the first person I've told…although, I think Marge may have her suspicions"

"You women really can tell everything about each other, can't you?"

"We're just naturally intelligent" she teased – although, part of her was quite serious.

"Well, I suppose we're going to have to tell Richie tonight"

"Do you think he'll be pleased? I know he wanted a younger brother when he was younger, but he's ten now, do you think it'll be too big an age gap?"

"Sure it's not ideal, but he's a good kid and he's old enough to understand the changes that'll occur. I'm sure he'll be happy, even if he is a bit hesitant at first"

"I suppose most of it will just come from curiosity and uncertainty"

"Exactly…Can we tell Buddy and Sally? They've been out in the hallway for a long time, and they'll only spend the rest of the day pestering me if we don't"

"Sure we can" Laura giggled.

Rob moved to stand beside her and wrapped an arm supportively around her waist.

"Okay, you two, you can come back in now"

The pair walked back into the office, but it was instantly obvious that something was amiss, for they were very obviously trying to bite back the rather large grins that were threatening to spread across their features. Rob smirked in response.

"You two listened through the keyhole, didn't you?"

The writers looked at each other before letting their smiles fly and erupting into high spirits.

"Yes, we did, we're sorry but we're so happy for you both!" Sally announced.

"Yeah, congratulations!"

Soon hugs and handshakes were being handed out along with even more words of love and support, and the proud parents were beaming brightly at the prospect of their new family member. Things had never felt so wonderful.

"Hey! –" Buddy began excitedly, "—I have an idea, why don't you two throw a party this weekend and announce it to everyone?"

"Are you just saying that so you can entertain?" Sally teased.

"No, it's so I can talk to someone other than my wife!" he joked.

"Well, it certainly would save the trouble of multiple phone calls and family visits…" Rob pondered, "…I don't know, what do you think, Laura, are you up to it?"

"I think it's a marvellous idea. It'll be interesting to see how people react when we tell them that we actually are having another baby this time" she laughed.

"But you two have to keep our secret" Rob ordered playfully.

"Can I tell my cat?" Sally asked – not a bit seriously.

"Yes, I'm sure we can trust your cat"

"Oh, no, you can't trust him with anything. He's a real gossiper"

"Huh, sounds quite catty to me!" Buddy adlibbed.

"I want better jokes for the party"

"Yeah, no problem, Rob"

"Right, I think I'd better leave you three to it – I've already taken up enough of your time. I'll see you at home in a few hours?"

"Of course…" he was about to kiss her, but once again, his friends were al but gawping at them, "…say, could you two turn around for just a moment?"

"Sure, Chief" Sally smirked, and once the pair had obeyed the request, Rob gave his wife once final lingering kiss.

"Drive safe, Honey"

And that, was that.

For the rest of the day, Laura had been sure that she'd never felt so wonderful! All of her anxieties had vanished after breaking the news to Rob and his reaction couldn't have been better. It truly felt as if everything had fallen into place. They could now eagerly anticipate the arrival of this new blessing and all the experiences that would come with it – new and old. Of course, there was only one remaining task to conquer before everything became completely perfect: telling Richie. She was glad that it'd been a school day, because Laura doubted her ability to hide just how ecstatic she was; but once the euphoria had died down somewhat, she found herself wracking her brain for the best way to tell her son the news. Suddenly, she'd grown nervous again. But, she was so very grateful that she'd have Rob by her side to support her.

She'd spent most of the afternoon pottering about the house, tidying things that were already clean, straightening cushions that weren't crooked and dusting shelves that really didn't need the attention; she couldn't help it, she was jittery. It had been so long since she'd had to keep a secret of this calibre (and even the little white lie about her age had fallen silently to the back of her mind over time), but this, despite already having a child, was very new – she supposed it was new with every child – and was at the foreground of her mind, constantly pounding away at her conscience with that crazed amalgamation of excitement and fear.
She'd managed to calm herself down somewhat when she'd picked Richie up from school – he'd been far to busy raving about his day to notice that anything was amiss with his mother – and Millie had barely taken the time to breathe between her complaints about her husband, so Laura had been safe.

But, when Rob finally came home, the relief had washed over her like a cooling wave on a hot day, spreading beneath her fingers and toes and easing the tension from every part of her body. It was a blessing in its own way. He said nothing as he walked through the door, instead her smiled at her tenderly – his eyes shining with adoration – before he moved towards her and kissed her softly.

"Hello, Mummy" he whispered giddily as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Hello to you too, daddy" she beamed.

He began to run his hand lightly up and down her arm – smiling all the while.

"How've you been since you left the office? Not too sick, I hope"

"No, I've been fine don't worry…I am nervous about telling Richie, though"

"I know, and I am too, but he's a good kid, I'm sure it'll be fine"

"I know" she nodded slowly.

"Do you want to tell him now or wait until after dinner?"

"I think we should tell him now, don't you? Just get it out of the way"

"Good idea"

"Besides, I've been going crazy all day just thinking about it, so I really don't think I could wait for a couple more hours" she chuckled.

"Well, that's settled then" he gave her one last peck on the lips before calling… "Rich, can you come out here for a second, please"

After only a few moments, Richie walked into the living room – his hair adorably ruffled.

"What is it, dad?"

"Sit down, son, there's something that your mum and I need to talk to you about?"

"Am I in trouble for something?" he asked innocently.

"No, not at all…" Rob laughed, "…please, sit" he said once more whilst gesturing to the chair.

Rob slipped his arm around Laura's shoulder as they sat together on the sofa, both looking at their son and both stupidly nervous. For a couple of seconds, no one said anything; the parents were desperately tying to think of just what to say whilst Richie was trying to figure out if he'd done anything wrong over the past day or two.

"Are you sure I'm not in trouble? You both look really nervous"

"Huh, no you're not in trouble, Rich" Rob said.

"Then what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Perhaps this would've been easier if he were younger.

"Well…" Laura began…

'Oh god, how should I handle this? Should I just come out and say it? He's old enough to understand…or should I have a little build up to soften the blow? But I don't want him to get nervous like Rob did…'

She decided to take the same route that she had with her husband.

"…you see, Rich, you know how I was ill not too long ago?"

"Yeah, you had the flu, right?"

"Yes, well, I thought I had the flu, but after a while I started to suspect that it was something else, so I went to see the doctor…"

"Are you okay, mum?" he asked tenderly.

'Oh no, he's getting worried'

"Yes, dear, I'm fine. Actually, it's good news. You see, when I saw the doctor, he told me that it wasn't the flu and that I'm actually going to have a baby" she said with a slight smile, she controlled her excitement, so that he'd have space to explore his own emotions.

"Really?" he gasped – the very beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Yeah, that's right…" Rob replied, "…your new sibling should arrive sometime in July" he said proudly.

"Oh, mum, that's great!"

"It is?" chuckled Laura.

"Yeah! I've wanted a baby brother for ages!"

"It might be a girl, you know?"

"Well, that'd be fine too – Sammy said that his sister is actually quite fun – but a brother would be better"

"Well, I'm glad you're so excited" smiled Rob as he tightened his hold of his wife.

"I sure am! All of the girls in my class are going to be so jealous – they all seem to love babies"

"Well, I'm sure you'll love this baby too" said Laura.

"Oh, I will, it'll be fun to have someone else to play with"

"So, you're not too worried about the large age gap?"

"Not really, mum"

"Well, I'm very glad to hear that"

"And thank you for being so grown up about this, Rich, we're very glad that you're excited, but it means a lot to know that you're happy for us" Rob told him – pride shinning in his eyes.

"I really am happy" he beamed.

"Good. Now, young man…" Laura ordered softly, "…go and wash your hands because dinner will be ready soon"

"Okay" he got half way out of the living room before turning back around, "Mum?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I choose the baby's name?"

Both parents laughed softly.

"You can have some input"

"Good enough!" he chirped before finally disappearing into the bathroom.

Rob and Laura slumped back into the sofa with relief, both letting out audible sighs as they did so, and when they realised the synchronisation of their actions – they released a series of light laughter. Then, Rob turned to face his wife and looked at her with such love that Laura could feel butterflies taking flight in the pit of her stomach.

"You did really well, sweetheart"

"Believe me, I wouldn't have had the strength to go through with it if you weren't beside me"

"Sure you would have" he encouraged.

"I don't think so, but let's not argue about that now…I just want to take a moment to let it sink it"

"Me too"

He turned to face her more fully before resting his hand lightly on her still-flat abdomen. If Laura had thought that his looks had given her butterflies, it was nothing when compared to this; her heart began to pound with sheer bliss and she just felt so overwhelmed by the love she had for him. It had been ten years since he'd last done this – since he'd last rested his hand protectively over their growing child – and the memories that it brought back were far to wonderful to be real. Laura felt so consumed by a sudden burst of warmth – the product of their unbreakable connection that was now becoming stronger – and she was sure that she'd never felt so incredible.

"Our second child" she whispered.

"I almost can't believe it"

He leaned in then and brought their lips together, kissing her slowly, deeply…sensually, they savoured their closeness and that fact that they had never felt so connected or so foolishly in love with each other. He nuzzled his nose softly against hers when they pulled apart.

"I love you so much" he breathed.

"I love you too"

And so, with yet another kiss, the next chapter of the Petries life began…

* - A reference to the "I love Lucy" episode: "Lucy is enceinte" - the references mostly refers to when Lucy is sat on the sofa practising how she's going to tell Ricky that she is pregnant, it's all very soppy and romantic but hilarious! The reference also partially refers to when Lucy actually break the news to Ricky in the club. - It's a really great episode, so you should definitely check it out!

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I really hope you enjoyed that! I'm still not completely confident in my ability to write well as these characters, so if you have any advice or feedback (about anything, really) I'd love to hear it!

Anyway please let me know what you thought and hopefully chapter two will be up soon.

Bye! xxx