Author's Notes: Once again, I'm overwhelmed by the overflowing support this story has been getting. You guys are the best readers ever! Your reviews are incredibly inspiring and just want me to write even more for you guys! All your insights, your suggestions, your sharing are just lovely! Thank you, thank you!
I had an amusing time writing this chapter. This comes timely just as my best friend and I were discussing her wedding plans for next year. We were browsing through wedding magazines and checking out dress designs. I did some research for dresses, just to make sure things are relatively correct in design and so on.
Things are moving on nicely for this story. In the next chapter, we may be looking at the possibility of reading about Mike and Tina's back stories. So we'd be seeing their fateful reunion at the Starbucks outlet, their dates, the proposal, and so on. I hope that will get you guys interested.
Again, thank you guys for your continued readership. You are the best! And keep on reviewing. Suggestions and ideas for stories are always, always welcome!
Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Fox.
By the time the weekend rolled by, Tina was sure she put on an impossible amount of weight. She just entered her seventh week, and she already felt like a balloon as she struggled with her favorite pair of jeans. She frowned as she stood in front of her mirror in nothing but a pair of lacy underwear and unbuttoned jeans. Turning to her side, she faintly she checked her stomach to see if there were any signs of a baby bump. Nothing much.
"Hey there sexy," Mike choose this exact moment to slip into their bedroom, grinning appreciatively at her state of semi-undress. Not being able to help it, his hands slipped to her waist and he pulled her towards his chest, languidly drawing his hands up and down her waist and placing his chin on top of her head.
While on other occasions this may well be an extreme turn on for Tina, she simply frowned at their reflection and began to look annoyed. "Nothing sexy here," she mumbled.
"Aw, c'mon," Mike grinned cheekily at her reflection, noting her sour disposition. Though not very knowledgeable about the overall workings of a woman, he oftentimes did his end of research just to make things better between him and Tina. And sensing that pregnancy may well be another notch in a woman's unpredictable emotional rollercoaster, he tried to read up on the subject by sneaking a few quick reads of Women's Health ("Your first baby, a quick guide to get you through the nine months of waiting.") and Cosmo ("When the clothes no longer fit: Pregnancy secrets revealed – sex, food, weight gain, and the hormonal drama.) in between work. That, or he would call Kurt or Mercedes on occasion (when things got messy).
Getting a feeling that this may well have something to do with her impending weight gain, Mike slipped both of his hands to her bare stomach and allowed them to rest on the flat plane. He smiled softly when she seemed to relax a bit. "You're beautiful," he told her, staring at her reflection intently. "And you'll be even more beautiful in the months to come. Nothing's more beautiful than motherhood,"
Tina's uncertain expression broke into a flattered smile as she watched him regard her with a loving expression. Her hands slipped onto his biceps and she leaned against his chest, all the tension leaving her. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Don't mention it," Mike winked at her, and then turned her in his arms, pulling her flush up against him. He grinned down at her wickedly and placed a long kiss on her lips, drawing his hands up and down her sides. "You're sexy pregnant or not,"
"Yeah?" she asked breathlessly, but smiled up at him with her eyes twinkling. Idly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, she regarded him with a thoughtful expression. "I can't believe we're having a baby,"
Smiling lovingly at her, he kissed her forehead and hugged her. "Believe it," he told her. "It's the best thing yet,"
And to prove his point, he lifted her up easily and twirled them around once. Both of them laughed and hugged each other. After settling down, they remained together for another minute and simply swayed in the room to an imaginary tune, basking in each other's warmth.
"C'mon," he told her after another minute of silent swaying. Leaning down, Mike kissed her forehead and pried her off of him. He smiled at her. "Get changed, we're meeting Mercedes and the others for lunch. And we do not want to keep 'Cedes waiting,"
Tina looked slightly annoyed, though amusement could be seen in her eyes as she looked up at him. "My jeans no longer fit," she told him. Looking down, she fiddled with the bronze clasp. "It's really true what they say, you just wake up one day and realize that your clothes will no longer fit you,"
"Weren't they too snug for you to begin with?" he asked her. When Tina sent him a withering glare, he backed off and chuckled apologetically. "Keeping my mouth shut, now,"
Tina sent him another glare, though playfully. Turning her attention back to her cabinet, she tried to find an outfit that would possibly fit her. With her pregnancy in full swing, she realized that clothing may well be a growing concern in the months to come.
Getting dressed and ready took about close to an hour, before Tina settled for another pair of jeans (that were looser) and a simple grey v-neck t-shirt and a couple of black beady necklaces. Pulling on her jacket, she and Mike quickly left for the restaurant in downtown New York where they agreed to meet some of their old Glee Club friends who were in town.
And to say that they fateful meet-up post their unusual pregnancy announcement was a quiet one would have been an understatement of the year. The moment the couple entered the shiny doors of the quaint café, Tina and Mercedes immediately shrieked loudly and rushed towards each other in a very tight embrace. The commotion made Mike scratch his head sheepishly as other dinners craned their heads to the two embracing girls with looks of confusion and surprise.
There was incoherent babble as Tina and Mercedes continued to embrace each other, with conspirational whispers on the side, a quick glance in Mike's direction (which left him a bit uncomfortable), and a shared giggle. Mike really did not want to know what they were whispering about.
They made their way to the table, where a beaming Rachel Berry, an amused Kurt Hummel, and an oversized Finn Hudson sat by the long table. The group quick got up and a chorus of 'hello's, 'congratulations', and hugs went around the table.
After everybody had settled down, and everybody was done rubbing Tina's flat stomach like it was a crystal ball, they all made their orders for lunch and quickly began to offer updates about each other's lives.
"Tina, Mike, I am very happy about your pregnancy," said Rachel, beaming at the couple. "With your genetics, this baby will definitely be an up and coming star. With your dancing genes, Mike, and Tina, your outstanding vocal prowess – though not as outstanding as mine – your child will have great chances of becoming a rising star,"
Tina chuckled, and looked amused at the extremely thrilled Rachel. "Thanks, Rachel," her hand drifted to her stomach unconsciously. "Though I don't think now is the time to actually plan what our baby wants to do with its life. I mean, we don't even know what gender it is yet,"
"Nonsense!" Rachel looked unimpressed and pressed further, ignoring the exasperated looks of Kurt and Mercedes. "Just look at me. I won my first singing contest when I was still a toddler. I've been studying the arts since I was eight months old. With early practice, and under my tutelage, we can –"
"Babe, the food is here," Finn stopped her and grabbed the plate of vegan food from the waiter's hands. He shoved the plate in front of Rachel and tried to stop her from possibly taking over the live of Tina and Mike's unborn child. It was too early for that. "Eat your food before it gets cold,"
Rachel's eyes sparkled and she turned to him with a loving expression. "Oh Finn, thank you for taking care of me. Your deep rooted concern over my nutritional well being is heartwarming,"
"Err, yeah," Finn scratched his head and turned his attention to the rest of the table. Everybody shared a few chuckles of amusement.
"So how's the Babygate incident treating the two of you?" asked Kurt, as they slowly began lunch and in hopes of finally stopping Rachel from her constant babbling.
"Ah, you know," Mike began, looking rather sheepish as their friends sent them a pointed look. "So we've been getting a lot of phone calls. The phone's been ringing off the hook these days,"
"That's what you get for posting personal stuff on Facebook," Mercedes looked amused.
Tina laughed. "It's still fun," She shared an amused smile with Mike. "We're still getting a laugh out of this. Though it's still kind of surreal we're having a baby. Totally unexpected,"
"But it's cool," Mike shrugged. "We're excited,"
The group continued with idle chatter, with occasional talks of the baby and Rachel insistence of having it under her tutelage. Talking about their current lives, it was easy to find out that both Kurt and Rachel constantly remained in the city with their respective stints on and off Broadway. Rachel was still busy with her run on Wicked and Kurt with his casting on Spring Awakening. Mercedes, though currently based in LA, was all over the country for her music career. Finn, who surprisingly made his way through college with a music scholarship, wound up in the NFL (much to Rachel's dismay). Since Rachel was based in New York for the time being, he was in and out of the city most of the time.
As dessert came around, and Tina surprisingly was able to hold her entire lunch down, discussions quickly turned back to the couple and their wedding plans. This came much to Kurt and Mercedes' delight, and to Rachel's organized bemusement.
"The thing is," began Tina, while idly playing with her flan. "We set the wedding early April, but I'm due mid-March,"
Kurt looked horrified and placed a dainty hand on his chest, taking a calming breath. "I never realized this," he breathed, looking wide eyed at his plate of assorted fruits. "This just throws off the whole wedding plans. You can't do a dress fitting if you're the size of a whale, no offense Tina. I love you. This is impossible. We have to move now,"
"I believe the most logical thing to do now is to try to find your wedding dress, so that you can get fitted before your baby bump begins to show," suggested Rachel promptly. "It may be a bit difficult to do dress shopping if you are already showing,"
Tina looked amused and nodded her head. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking,"
"Hold it," Kurt raised his finger and the table became quiet as a serious look crossed his face. He pulled out his phone, dialed a number and sat still as he waited for the other party to pick up the line. "Shelly? Hi. Can you set us an appointment with some wedding dress shops tomorrow? There's one two blocks down from my apartment. You know, the one with the Wangs and the whatnots. Yes, yes. That one. My friend needs a wedding dress, sets us an appointed for 10 a.m. Good. Great, thanks," Looking smug, he took in everybody shocked faces. "We're all set tomorrow,"
"But I wanted to sleep in, it's Sunday!" Tina pouted, though she felt incredibly relieved at Kurt's helpfulness.
"Have sex another time," snapped Kurt, ignoring both Tina and Mike's scandalized faces. "This is a wedding crisis people. We need to move fast, before we loose you to all your baby weight. I can't have a baby whale with me when we try on wedding dresses and pick braidmaid's dresses,"
Beet read, Tina sighed loudly and slumped in her seat. She let out an airy chuckle and rubbed the side of her face. "I don't know whether to thank you Kurt, or to feel really embarrassed right now,"
"Ditto," Mike mumbled, while pointedly ignoring Mercedes' smirk.
"Thank me, of course," Kurt brushed imaginary lint off his designer T-shirt. "I'll pick you up at 9:30 tomorrow, then Mercedes and lastly," he sent a long glance at the smiling Rachel and Kurt mentally sighed. "Rachel. Though I may regret this later,"
Unfazed, Rachel looked at Tina beaming happily. "We will find that perfect wedding dress for you Tina," she suddenly became dreamy eyed. "The one that will fit you perfectly, that will make you feel like a princess, and it will definitely sweep Mike off his feet, and he will never take his eyes off of you,"
Mike chuckled and draped an arm around an amused Tina. "I'm sure we've got all of that covered already. I'm pretty swept away already," he said, to which he earned an amused little nudge from Tina.
"You're whipped, dude," Finn chuckled.
Tina laughed and placed one of her hands on Mike's knees. "He's okay," she told him. Turning to Kurt and the other girls, she smiled gratefully. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate this,"
"Girl, you're the first one of us to get married," said Mercedes. "So we have to make this the best wedding out there,"
Mike laughed and squeezed Tina's shoulders. "We don't want anything grand, just friends and family,"
"Sure," Kurt said, and he shrugged as if it were nothing. "Just leave everything to us, and we'll have it done perfectly,"
"So we're thinking of moving the wedding date, since we'd still be pretty busy with a newborn baby in the house," Tina supplied, looking worried and yet excited at the baby at the same time. "So we're looking at a possible late summer or early fall wedding,"
Kurt looked interested, and nodded. "Somewhere in between does sound good. Not too hot, and definitely not cold. Perfect for an outdoor wedding reception, tent and all. Good, good," he seemed to make mental notes.
"Nothing grand though!" Mike reminded again, with an amused chuckle. "We now have a baby to feed, milk and diapers to buy,"
"Dude, that just sounds so real," Finn looked astonished. "You're becoming a dad,"
Tina laughed, listening as the conversation blossomed and talks of parenthood, the wedding, and the baby filled the air. Leaning back and placing her head on Mike's shoulder, she squeezed his knee and breathed a contently. Things were turning out better than expected. Sharing a small smile with Mike, she felt at peace. Tina was definitely happy.
While for the average woman, wedding dress shopping may well be defined as one of her highlights in her life. But considering that Tina was generally not one of the "average women" so to speak, the whole dress shopping did not thrill her very much. That, and she was pregnant, relatively hormonal, nauseous (she nearly threw up in Kurt's car, much to his horror), and sleepy (it was Sunday, she was supposed to sleep in – despite of Kurt's blatant advise yesterday).
And after the nth puffy dress she was forced into, much to Rachel's insistence, Tina was ready to call it a day. Getting married in one of Ms. Sylveter's tracksuits sounded more appealing at this point. She'd go for a black one.
"This isn't working, guys," Tina looked at the trio in exasperation, and the store manager helped her off the circular stand in the middle of their dressing room. She struggled with all the full skirt, the lace, and the petticoat. What the hell was she doing with a petticoat?
"I thought it looked lovely on you, Tina," gushed Rachel, while watching the small woman amble towards the cubicles.
Kurt looked at the starlet with a pained expression. "She's getting married, Rachel. We're not sending her off to a ball in a pumpkin carriage drawn by mice that could be possible carriers of the Ebola virus,"
Tina emerged from the cubicle dressed in her normal street wear. Thanking the store manager, she then turned to her friends with an amused expression. "Thanks you guys, but maybe today isn't my day for dressing shopping,"
"And you think tomorrow will be?" Mercedes looked amused. "Girl, that baby inside of you is growing everyday. Before you know it, you'll be waddling around and without a wedding dress,"
Tina pushed some stray strands of hair from her face and rolled her eyes. "You're all exaggerating," she told them. Looking around the store and taking in the white wedding dresses on display, she looked rueful. "Maybe this store doesn't have the dress. We can look somewhere else,"
"Perhaps another store would be an option," agreed Kurt, as the group slowly filed out of the store.
Before heading to their third bridal boutique for the day, the group decided that it was best to settle for a quick lunch before doing anything else. Tina was already hungry, and deciding to skip lunch in favor for a dress could easily mean child abuse for her unborn child. Though Kurt insistent that she should not get anything too filling, lest she'd end up too bloated for another dress fitting.
"If I'm going to eat at the wedding reception," began Tina, as everybody looked at her dressed in a form-hugging white dress with a beaded bodice. "I think Mike will have to cut me out of this dress. It's incredibly tight,"
"Isn't that the purpose of a honeymoon? He can 'cut you out' of the dress?" Mercedes grinned cheekily at Tina, who looked flustered in return.
Kurt looked unimpressed at the dress. "It makes you look like an albino snake," he said. "Try on something else,"
"It does make her look stumpy," commented Rachel thoughtfully.
"You know," Tina's muffled voice drifted through the fitting room. "Aren't friends supposed to just gush over the bride as she puts on her wedding dress, no matter how ugly it may be? This does not help my self-confidence,"
"You're talking to the wrong set of friends," Kurt snipped. "We say it as we see it,"
"I'm not surprised," Tina rolled her eyes in amusement and she struggled into the next dress. "I'm lucky to have you as my friends,"
"You better," Mercedes grinned.
"And we equally love you as our friend as well, Tina," Rachel beamed happily and sent the amused Kurt and Mercedes bright smiles.
"I think I've seen enough dresses to last me a lifetime," Tina sounded amused, as they heard the familiar sounds of ruffling silk and lace from behind the swing doors.
It took another minute of waiting and idle chatting before Tina finally emerged from behind the dressing room. As she fiddled with the front of her dress, the trio of friends quickly stood up and shared a look of awe.
"That's it!" Rachel squealed, clapping her hands together and startling the engrossed Tina.
"Is it?" Tina smiled slightly and smoothed down the front of her dress. Oddly enough, she had a good feeling about this. Finally the bride spirit was kicking in. With the help of Kurt and Mercedes, they walked towards the mirrors and stood on the platform. There was a rush of different emotions as she felt the dress over her body, as it moved with her every movement, and as her friends adjusted the small train and Kurt fiddled the skirt in deep concentration.
"You're beautiful, Tee," Mercedes looked like a mother hen as she was poised ready to shed a few tears.
Tina remained quiet and simply stared at her reflection as a rush of emotion silently overwhelmed her. As she stared at her reflection, things all seemed more real. She as getting married. Tina smiled, and despite herself, got teary eyed.
"This is it," she mumbled to herself, and in the back of her mind she felt a little weird going through all of these emotions. Wasn't this just reserved for the movies? She shared a smile with her friends. Her hand drifted over her stomach, feeling the soft silky fabric of her wedding dressing and the ghostly beginnings of her pregnancy.
The dress was simple and elegant, made of silk and intricate silver and pearl designs around the bust. It was a strapless, empire cut dress, that fitted her torso tightly, and took a delicate dip in the back. The silky material flared out just a little above her waist, and offered a medium length train behind her. Little beadwork work of silver and pearl accented her bustline and the sexy dip in the back of her bodice.
"You look stunning, Tina," commented Kurt looking extremely proud at Tina's reflection. "It's hard to believe that you were once that little girl who dressed like a vampire back in high school,"
"Mike's going to go crazy when he sees you in that dress," Mercedes commented. She admired the dress once more, and ran her hand along the train.
"It is very befitting for you, Tina," commented Rachel. "This is a very romantic look,"
Tina exhaled and offered them a teary smile. "Yeah," she breathed shakily. She was left in awe at her reflection, not so much of how beautiful it all really looked but more of the fact that everything was finally sinking in. She was having a family, and she couldn't believe how lucky she was that she found it all with Mike.
Who would have thought, really? A football player and a Goth chick from high school – hooking up in real life?
Tina smiled at the warm feeling of deep love for this man suddenly overwhelmed her. While she wouldn't really admit this, but fairytale endings do sometimes come true – oddly enough. Sharing a grin with her friends, she chuckled and did a little twirl – just like in the movies.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review.