"Oh my god Adam, how can you do that?" said Kurt, exasperated as he watched his friend in awe. He regularly attended yoga class with Adam & Elliot just to keep some limberness, but since Elliot was quite knowledgeable in the subject, he had taught his husband at home.
"It's called the handstand scorpion," said Adam. "It's quite comfortable, actually." He waved a toe at Kurt from where they were resting on the top of his head.
"He is getting quite good at this," said Elliot. "Adam's not quite as tense as he used to be."
"Funny for someone so laid back," said Kurt, rolling up his mat. The class had been long finished, and the three of them were still chatting about their lives.
"Want to go for a run while we're still in the gym?" asked Elliot.
"Sure," said Kurt. "I need to keep up my endurance."
"You're going to need it when that baby starts crawling away from you and into something they shouldn't," said Adam as he laid down on the mat, belly down after coming down from the handstand.
"Can we not talk about babies for a while? It's all Rachel wants to talk about nowadays."
"Ooh, trouble in paradise," teased Elliot. Kurt groaned.
"My life isn't paradise, believe me."
"Yes, do tell us mere mortals Mr. award winning actor and fashion writer what it is like to literally hold down three jobs and still manage to find the time to maintain a healthy marriage AND hang out with your friends," said Adam, his eyes crinkling up in the corners as he regarded his friend in amusement.
"The time machine hidden in the basement of Vogue," said Kurt.
"Ah, I knew there had to be a supernatural element," the blonde haired man said as he stood.
"It helps that I don't have any shows right now, and I would go nuts if I stayed at Vogue every day," said Kurt.
"And I'd imagine Rachel likes seeing you too."
"I suppose," he said with a smile, pulling out his phone. "Oh did I show you the latest picture? She's getting so round."
"And here we go," said Elliot, rolling his eyes. Adam jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow.
The shower was nice and warm and Rachel enjoyed every moment of it. It felt so good under the water that she had started singing. She heard Kurt groan in the bedroom and smiled to herself, knowing he couldn't sleep in any longer. He needed to be up soon for work and he couldn't sleep through her vocals no matter how hard he tried. Rachel laughed as her iPod dock changed songs to something quite familiar to them both. She hummed to herself the opening of the song as she dried off. She picked up an extra towel and started wrapping around her hair as she softly sung along through the some of the lines, growing louder just to tease Kurt, who was probably trying to go back to sleep. It got close to the high point of the song, and Rachel knew even though she knew she was chancing not having a voice for the show later, starting singing as though she was on stage as she tied on her bathrobe at the part Kurt usually sung.
"I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so.
Some things I cannot change,
but till I try I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
losing love I guess I've lost.
Well, if that's love then
it comes at much too high a cost!"
When Rachel start singing the chorus, she felt something in her abdomen which made her come to a standstill instead of doing the large arm sweeping gestures. It was like a muscle twitching. It moved quickly, but then stopped. She felt it again, lighter this time. The music played on, but Rachel was in shock, holding her hands over her belly, rubbing the surface.
She felt the baby kick. She had felt the baby actually kick. She had thought she had perhaps felt movement before, but was afraid it had been just a gurgle or a gas bubble. But this... this had been real. Andhard.
"Kurt!" she yelled out as she ran into the bedroom, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. He groaned and put a pillow over his head.
"I'm not singing with you this early in the morning. I'm trying to sleep!"
"Kurt, I felt the baby kick. I actually felt it move," she said breathlessly, gesturing with her hands at her abdomen. He looked up at her with a start.
"Are you serious?" said Kurt. He sat up on the bed as Rachel nodded her head. Kurt ran his hand over her belly, looking up at her as she spoke.
"I was halfway through the chorus when I felt... it was like something twitching. I felt it again, and hoped they'd do it again so I could touch them. But he or she stopped. They were moving Kurt, I felt it."
"Oh my god..." he said, standing up. He still had a hand on her belly and Rachel's eyes were brimming over with tears.
"The bad thing is I think they were trying to tell me to stop singing so they could go back to sleep."
Kurt laughed one time, before leaning down and kissing her belly through Rachel's bathrobe. "Well, at least one of us has some sense in this household, even if they are only a few months along."
"Kurt, I think we need to talk,"said Rachel. She was looking hesitant at him while twirling her necklace nervously. They were sitting at the kitchen table, working on filing their joint tax return. He relaxed his hands away from the keyboard of the laptop. He was expecting a heavy conversation by the way Rachel was acting.
"If this is about you stepping away from the show, you know how I feel. As long as you're happy-"
"That's not it actually," said Rachel, looking down. "I'm not exactly sure how to approach this, because I don't know how I feel about it either, really."
"What is it?" asked Kurt.
"I've been thinking a lot lately," said Rachel. "And while I know how you feel about religion and we've both agreed on non-religious schools, I wonder how you felt about teaching them about their heritage at home. They would be Jewish since both Shelby and Daddy were Jewish. It passes down through the matriarch, as you know. While Daddy never really did that much, I sort of feel like I should do something. It's a part of me."
"I know," said Kurt with a sigh. "And I've been expecting this."
"You have?" said Rachel, looking up.
"I'm not an idiot," said Kurt, rolling his eyes. "I know you feel like you need to honor your family. And I can respect that. I... I don't think I have a problem if you taught them about the Jewish traditions and the history. It's good for them to have a feeling of connection to not only you, but your Dad and your Mom and your Dad's parents. It's not just believing in something, it's a culture, people, traditions, struggles, and perseverance. I think it's a good lesson."
"And the faith?" asked Rachel.
"That will be a part of it, yes," he said with a sigh. "I couldn't say no if they expressed an interest in it. Everyone, even our kids, have that choice. I made mine years ago, and they need to be able to express their individuality."
Rachel reached over with a squeal and hugged him.
"You are the best," she said. "I've been so worried about hurting you in some way or making you upset."
"Yes, I'm still a grumpy old atheist," he said sarcastically. "But it's culture and religion too. It's something that shouldn't be forgotten."
"You're not grumpy or old," said Rachel, looking at her husband and shaking her head. "Although your birthday is in a month. I have to start thinking of what to get you."
"Dinner at home would be fine," said Kurt. "I don't really have a need to go out and celebrate." Rachel nodded in agreement.
"I was thinking since your birthday is near a weekend we could go to a Bed and Breakfast upstate just to get out of the city for a little bit."
"That does sound nice," said Kurt. He gave her a knowing look. "I think someone just wants me all to herself."
"I do," she said with a laugh. "And if we can get these taxes done soon, someone could get very lucky."
Kurt closed the laptop. "We're just not filing this year." Rachel giggled at Kurt as he started pushing up on her shirt before they shared a kiss.
Rachel was standing in front of the mirror next to the clothing rack in her dressing room. She was 20 weeks pregnant and had gained about 15 pounds. There was definitely a rotund feeling as she turned to look in the mirror, poking out her lip and her belly. The makeup artist knocked on the open door and laughed.
"Alright now, quit showing off. You look cute enough as it is."
"I'm getting fat Tessa," she whined. Tessa gave her a look as she walked in.
"Okay, I'm not getting fat. I just feel like it."
"Rachel, most of us would kill to look that good, even if you are pregnant. You're glowing. Which you're making my job easier by the way."
"Well, your job will be much easier soon when the new lead takes over."
Tessa grunted and shrugged her shoulders before sitting down her makeup case.
"There's some pizza in back if you want any. Props brought it in. Head's cousin runs a pizzeria and they had extra."
"I'm good thanks," said Rachel with a sigh. "I'm sticking to my dry roasted soybeans and some raisins. I need to up my iron intake."
Tessa looked amused as she opened her kit, taking out some facial powder.
"I would think a nice juicy steak would take care of that. I thought Kurt was a great cook."
"He is," said Rachel. "But I don't eat meat."
"You're a vegetarian?"
"Vegan."
"Even worse," said Tessa, wrinkling her nose. Rachel laughed, knowing Tessa was teasing. The older woman smiled. "So... you two going to find out the gender?"
"I have no idea," Rachel said. She breathed in as she sat down.
"We've sort of been taking it day by day."
"It's a good strategy," said Tessa. She started pulling out more makeup as she worked. "You don't make it through life without chipping it off bit by bit."
Rachel nodded absently as Tessa added more shadow to her eyelids. She touched Rachel's chin gently and the brunette raised her head.
"We're supposed to sit down and discuss it this weekend before the appointment. Our families all want to know for buying things."
"Do you want to?" asked Tessa.
Rachel thought about that, looking down at her nails when Tessa instructed her to look down.
"I think I'd like to know," said Rachel. "It'd be a relief really. But..."
"You don't want to either."
"Yes," said Rachel as she closed her eyes at Tessa's direction. "I kind of want it to be a surprise just for us at delivery."
"There's nothing wrong with that," said Tessa. She stood back for a second and inspected her work. She nodded to Rachel that she was finished and started packing up.
"It's yours and Kurt's child. No one else makes the decisions except for you two."
"Thank you," said Rachel. Tessa gave her a pat on the shoulder and picked up her kit. A large growl came from Rachel's stomach. The makeup artist laughed as Rachel put a hand over her abdomen. She sighed.
"Think any of that pizza is vegetarian at least?"
"Kurt, stop!" giggled Rachel. He was rubbing her side and kissing her shoulder as she rested against the headboard. "We've got to get ready for my doctor's appointment."
"Reschedule," he mumbled. "This is one of the really rare times we've gotten to spend any time in bed in which we're relaxed and not sleeping."
Rachel nodded in sympathy as she closed her eyes, enjoying Kurt's kisses. Her sleep schedule had been messed up by their growing baby. She couldn't sleep comfortably anymore without mounds of pillows. While she was missing cuddling very close to Kurt, it was the only way she felt comfortable.
Not to mention the leg cramps. She felt sorry for anyone who had them on a regular basis. One night the past week Kurt had to gently massage one away because all she could do was cry and ache. Even flexing hadn't helped.
She let out a small gasp when Kurt start sucking on the skin at the nape of her neck. It felt so good... maybe they could have sex quickly before they had to go. She smiled and bit her lip before flipping Kurt on his back, much to his surprise. She started unbuttoning his pajama top and pushing down the bottoms. She slid a hand down his chest and towards his cock.
"I thought we were needing to get ready?" he whined softly as Rachel started touching the tip of his sex and rubbing it.
"Less talking, more friction."
Kurt looked at her in mild amusement.
"You're too good at turning on my libido," she muttered.
Kurt pulled her closer and they started kissing as he pushed down her own pajama pants. Rachel rubbed her lower body against Kurt's, enjoying the feeling. His hands were in her hair and she took his hand in hers and used it to rub down her side and hip. Rachel accidentally caught a glimpse of the bedside clock.
"It's that time?" she whined.
"No, don't even," said Kurt. "We can-"
"Do both in the shower," she said, kissing him as she slid off the bed. She wondered briefly if they were allowed to be up to an hour late for appointments.
Rachel whined a little as she rubbed her hip after the nurse left the room. Kurt was trying his best to be sympathetic, but she was being a bit over the top. It was just a shot of globulin to keep her from developing antibodies against the baby's blood. The baby's Rh levels were different from hers. She glared at him when he let a chuckle escape. He bit his lip, trying not to smile. Times like these made him love her more. He knew pregnancy was not kind to the female body, and he had watched her struggle. But the image of Rachel in their apartment practically beaming as she let the others rub her belly, happy to show off their child... it was worth more to him than anything. He knew he had fallen totally in love with her, but this was a new level. He gave her a warm smile, and she seemed to soften under his gaze. She rubbed her stomach before moving her hand to do the same to her shoulder.
"You're looking at me like you do a freshly made cheesecake."
"I don't think I could love you anymore than I do right now."
"Kurt..." began Rachel, but he got up out of his chair and took her hands.
"You look beautiful."
"I do not. You're trying to butter me up."
"I would but I thought you didn't like the taste of vegan butter."
"Well, some vegan butter."
"Mmhmm," said Kurt with a chuckle. Rachel laughed softly.
"There are days it makes me wonder why you love me."
"There are days I wonder that too."
"Kurt!" she laughed. "I would get aggravated at you about that, but you've been in a playful mood all day."
"It is a good day."
Rachel smiled and played with the edge of his vest.
"So are we still in agreement?"
"No knowing the gender," said Kurt. "We can do neutral colors. Besides, they might grow up and not even like pink or blue."
"No child of mine is going to grow up hating pink," sniffed Rachel.
"And what if they are goth like Tina was?"
"They can be goth... in pink."
"Rrrrrright," said Kurt, rolling his eyes. "You felt anything today?"
Rachel shook her head. "He or she is being very quiet today. Or they're saving their antics for the sonogram."
"Knowing it's ours, probably preparing for the performance."
"You need another show," said Rachel, pinching Kurt's arms. "I want to see you on stage."
"I need more overtime."
"Kurt... you're going to wear yourself out like this honey."
He sighed and moved his hands to Rachel's abdomen. "I think the kicking they've been doing to you is making my head space worse. I want to be able to provide a healthy lifestyle for us and they are so close to being here."
"Kurt, I'm not exactly a slouch in the money making department."
"You will be soon."
Rachel huffed. "I can take on part time work, you know. I could be a director's assistant or a music coordinator..."
"But..."
"No buts," said Rachel. "I too can contribute to our child's welfare." She paused and smirked.
"Okay, maybe one butt." She grabbed Kurt's ass after putting her arms through his.
"Hey!" he yelped while Rachel laughed.
"You're not the only feeling a little playful after this morning."
"Couldn't tell," he said as he removed Rachel's hands from his backside. The door opened and they were greeted by the nurse as she wheeled in a sonogram machine.
"Think someone is ready for their next photo?"
"I'm sure they're ready to put on a performance," said Rachel. "I however, not so much."
The nurse, whose name was Carrie, laughed at that as she started pulling out some gel and blue sheets. Rachel sighed and laid back. Kurt kissed her forehead and she grabbed his hand.
"Picture should be coming up soon," said the nurse. "And don't worry, I moonlight as our sonogram tech. Doctor McKenna got an emergency call, but she'll be the one to read all the sonograms sometime tomorrow."
"Oh Kurt, look," said Rachel. "I see little feet!"
Carrie laughed. "I do believe your child is kicking at us." She moved the wand to get another picture, and Kurt and Rachel were greeted with the bent knees and legs of their baby.
"That's a little better," said the nurse as she moved the transducer up a little further and got a full side photo.
"He or she's doubled in size," said Kurt, wonder filling his face. He had read through many pregnancy and baby websites, but it seemed so different when it was your own child.
"They're living off your cooking, no wonder," muttered Rachel.
The nurse chuckled. "It'll be about 30 minutes while I get a full scan. You can just sit back and watch the scans, or take a nap if you want."
"I want to watch... but we sort of don't want to know the gender just yet."
"Gotcha," said Carrie. "That shouldn't be a problem. I don't think your baby is ready for the camera just yet. Seems a little shy now." Kurt looked over to the screen and noticed their child had curled up. It almost looked like they had their arms around their knees and their head tucked down.
"I think they're trying to hide," laughed Rachel softly. She squeezed Kurt's hand, who gave her a sheepish, but proud look as he quirked his lips.
"And just think, they'll be here in less than five months."
Rachel looked at Kurt happily before turning back to watch the video feed.
Isabelle was amused at the new edition to Kurt's desk. A new set of sonogram pictures had appeared in a clear and white frame. It had joined a similar one sitting right in the middle where he could see it. She had a feeling that his office would soon be literally be bursting at the seams with baby pictures. Kurt was going to be a proud papa, she knew that already. Every one of the articles he had written for the website and the magazine had gotten framed and hung on the wall. He had been proud of each one, and had the right to be. Getting approval from Anna even when you are full time staff was hard to do.
"Isabelle," said Kurt as he walked in. She had been waiting on him to appear after the design meeting.
"A new addition I see," she said with a smile, holding up the new picture frame.
"Healthy and growing," said Kurt. "The doctor said everything looked good. And Rachel's health is completely fine."
"Good," said Isabelle. "Because I need to talk to you. I may have secured for you a lucrative job coming up sooner than you'd probably like. I think you'd be the best person for it."
"What's that?" asked Kurt.
"Going to the Men's Fashion week in Paris. I know we've not long been back from the spring, but the Men's is in June as you know..."
Kurt was surprised. "Just... me?"
"Yes, just you. And a guest," said Isabelle smug. "I would suggest me, but I have a conference to go to in Sonoma. And I think you might have someone else in mind before that little bundle of joy is taking over both your lives."
"Oh my god," said Kurt, nearly bouncing. "I can't believe... I've always gone with you."
"Well, your work does speak for itself," said Isabelle. "And there would be some requirements. You would have to live tweet the events. Take some pictures, upload them to our Instagram account, answer a couple of questions here and there."
"So social media obligations," said Kurt. "I can do that."
"Plus blogging the events afterwards, and of course, the final articles for the magazine. We will be sending along a photographer, but your first hand look will have to be your own photos."
Kurt pulled out a notepad and started writing things down.
"Anything else?"
"That's mainly it as far as work," smiled Isabelle. "But you will have to look your best. You are representing us and more than likely you'll be photographed as well." She laughed. "But knowing you, that shouldn't be a problem."
"I will do my best," said Kurt. "And the usual-?"
"Your flight, transportation, and hotel stay will all be paid for," said Isabelle. "Should any needs arise for work, you will be compensated once you return. Oh, and you will need to keep in touch with the Paris office. They may have an assignment or two for you, which of course, you will be paid for as well."
"Sounds wonderful," said Kurt, clapping his hands softly. "My own fashion week!"
"Lucky boy," said Isabelle, giving him a wink. "Have fun you two."
"Rachel's going to freak," Kurt said. "She'll want to do everything in Paris."
"I'm craving cheese again!" yelled Rachel from the bedroom, a little irritated at her husband. She had wanted to spend the day in her pajamas and not move off the couch (and make Kurt wait on her hand and foot) because she just felt bloated and didn't want to move. Not to mention she was so itchy. It was driving her nuts. But Kurt had mentioned going out to eat to celebrate their upcoming trip (she couldn't wait to be in Paris again) and her last performance coming up soon. She had finally given in, mostly due to Kurt promising a full body massage later. She had not wanted to get dressed up, which is what she was doing. Rachel sighed and put on one of the maternity pieces she had bought: a short purple satin dress with a thin black sash that tied right under her breasts. At least that part of her still looked slim. She left her hair down and slid into a pair of low heels.
"You better have picked a good restaurant," said Rachel pouting. She looked out the window and saw that it was mostly sunny and decided against a sweater.
"I did," said Kurt from the living room. He smirked as he looked at his phone. Technically, it was a bit of a lie. He planned to take her to the restaurant, pretend they had lost his reservations, turn around and go back to their home where their friends from McKinley would be waiting to throw Rachel a baby shower. He had already given Mercedes a key to get in once they had left. Tina had just checked in. She had just gotten off the train and was headed to the apartment and wanted to know if the coast was clear yet.
While he was helping by cleaning up and getting Rachel out of the apartment for an hour, they had not let him in on any of the details, which was kind of annoying him. He was dying to know what they were planning. At least he could see pictures later and help catalogue all the gifts. He was glad the girls were coming to spend time with Rachel. She would enjoy the afternoon with their friends. He hoped she would, at least. She had been a little cranky when she woke up that morning.
Of course, he probably would be cranky too if he felt like a balloon. Rachel had already been clothes shopping once, and they were probably going to have to do it again before they left to go to Paris. He knew it was all part and parcel of the pregnancy gig, though he really wished Rachel would let him help her pick out things that would help flatter her figure. Kurt sighed, thinking maybe he was helping too much. She had let him know quickly the other night that she was quite capable of using her own two feet for something. He had perhaps stepped too far on her independence.
"Okay, I'm ready," said Rachel as she walked out of the bedroom and towards the living room. She was fastening in an earring. She looked beautiful in Kurt's opinion. Even if it was dress casual, he hated lying to her that they weren't really going out.
"You look beautiful," he said, kissing her cheek.
"Flatterer," said Rachel with a little smile. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be," he said. "Come on."
They started out the door of the apartment, and Kurt hit send on the text he had been holding onto as they waited for the elevator.
"Kurt, do you think we should move on that one apartment? I know we had already decided against it once, but I just saw that it was up again, and it is in a location we were satisfied with."
"We could..." said Kurt casually. "That was the one that was near that really good private school, wasn't it?"
"It was," said Rachel. "And it had that extra bedroom."
"Three?" frowned Kurt. He hadn't remembered that. "How much was it?"
"That... isn't important," said Rachel quickly, knowing full well Kurt's hot button issue these days was money. "What is important is that it has a laundry hook up. We won't have to send out for dry cleaning and laundry as much. Which would be rather helpful when we're going through at least two to three baby outfits a day due to spit up, food, juice, or poop."
"I did hate that about our first apartment in Bushwick," grimaced Kurt. The elevator dinged and they started down. "Schedule us another visit."
Rachel nodded and put her arm through Kurt's.
"I think getting up and moving seems to be helping," she said, leaning against his arm. "I don't feel so bloated."
"At least you won't float away," said Kurt, trying to be a little silly.
Rachel giggled at that. "You won't have to tie a string to my ankle."
Kurt gave her a weak chuckle as they headed out into the lobby of their apartment building. Rachel had taken out her compact and was telling Kurt something about one of her co-stars when he looked up to the front doors.
And that was when he saw Tina with a big present under one arm and a very, very large amount of blue, white, and silver balloons in the other hand.
He wanted to groan out loud at this near catastrophe. But he couldn't alert Rachel to the fact that one of their good friends was standing there holding balloons and a gift. It would ruin the fun. Kurt managed to get Tina's attention and sliced his finger across his throat and pointed to Rachel beside him. Tina's eyes went wide and she hid behind one of the grand columns that were all throughout the lobby of the apartment building with only the balloons sticking out. It looked like a peacock trying to hide behind a tree. Tina looked sheepish as Kurt glanced quickly around the column as they passed. Rachel didn't even notice as they headed towards the front door, which made both Tina and Kurt very thankful. She had been putting her compact away and hunting down a tissue to wipe off a bit of lip gloss as she had continued to talk the whole entire way out the door.
Rachel knew something was up the minute they walked into the restaurant. Kurt had looked nervous before he even put a hand on the door, glancing back at her like something was the matter. When he came back and told her that they had apologized, but they had lost the reservations... she held her tongue. She could tell by the way he was twisting his wedding band and biting his lip on the ride back to their apartment that something was amiss. She wanted to kiss him and tell him the jig was up, but she played along, talking about putting new paint up in the apartment once they finally got a place. Calmly acting like nothing was the matter. She had even held his hand to her belly when the baby was moving.
She was really hoping by this point that whoever was planning the baby shower she knew was coming thought to bring some real food besides just the usual sugar and salt laden fare.
Kurt vowed to make up for their lost lunch once they got to the apartment building. She smiled and nodded, snuggling against his shoulder. She squealed and laughed when she saw Mercedes and Sam waiting in the lobby of the apartment building.
"Mercedes!" she said as she hugged her.
"Honey, if that belly gets any bigger, you're going to fall over," said Mercedes with a grin.
"Ugh, don't even," said Rachel. "I already feel that way." She let go of Mercedes and hugged Sam, who was grinning and holding out his hands like he wanted to touch her abdomen. She nodded and let him place his hands on her stomach. At least Sam asked for permission.
"Did you come to visit? We haven't fixed lunch yet, though Kurt promised me good food..."
"Actually," said Mercedes. "I'm escorting you upstairs." She took Rachel by the hand. "There might be some mutual friends of ours in your apartment."
Rachel squealed and squeezed Mercedes' hand. "I knew it! Kurt was acting weird for some reason. Will there be cake?"
Sam made a noise at that and got a sharp look from Mercedes.
"Of course," she said. "Now come on, you've got baby presents to open."
"Come on Kurt," said Rachel, waving to him as they started to walk.
"You go ahead," said Kurt. "I'm going to go in to work for a couple of-"
"Actually little brother," said a voice from behind Kurt. "You're coming with us."
Kurt spun around and saw Finn, his jaw dropping.
"Finn! What are you doing here," said Kurt, hugging him. "You're supposed to be in Lima."
"Well, since everyone was already coming here to New York, I thought we could make the trip too. Marley really wanted to see Rachel's show, so..."
"It's good to see you," said Kurt. "But- where are we going?"
Finn pulled on Kurt's arm with a knowing smirk.
"So they're going to get my husband drunk," mused Rachel as she sat between Quinn and Tina on the couch listening to everyone talking. Mercedes was grabbing her something to drink off the snacks table. They had kept her eyes hidden away from some things they entered the apartment. Kitty and Marley were chatting in the corner. She had seen Finn out of the corner of her eye as she and Mercedes headed towards the elevator. She hadn't expected for Finn and Marley to come up to New York since Finn had school, but Brittany and Santana were also sitting there talking excitedly to Quinn about something. And they had come from L.A. Mercedes and Tina had really invited everyone. She had given them all the biggest hugs. Rachel was so glad to see them. It felt like such a long time, even though she saw Mercedes and Quinn a couple of times a month. She and Kitty shared some of the same friends via being theatre people, but they didn't hang out that often.
"Just a couple of drinks," said Tina as she fastened a large blue and silver corsage on Rachel's shoulder. "I doubt the boys will have too many, considering they all have work and such."
"Besides, we're all going out for dinner," said Quinn. "So we all can spend some time together."
"It sounds wonderful," said Rachel. "Guess we have grown out of the potlucks."
"Never," said Mercedes as she handed Rachel a glass of punch. "But since Kurt said you've been on a cheese craving binge, we all decided we were going out for some real NY pizza. Santana here even said it was calling her name all the way from L.A."
Rachel groaned. "My child has ruined me. Grilled cheese is the best smell. Kurt keeps having to make them for me at two and three in the morning."
"Poor Kurt," said Kitty sarcastically. "But it's not like he hasn't gotten benefits from you being pregnant."
"Benefits?" repeated Rachel.
"Like he hasn't been happy with the extra sex?" smirked Kitty. "Even Kurt has to be enjoying all those extra hormones coursing through your body."
"Lord knows Mike did," muttered Tina. Kitty pointed at Tina.
"See? Now come on, fess up. I need to know details."
"I knew there was a reason I liked her," said Quinn, looking over to Santana with a smug look. Santana put her arm around Marley with a protective glare at Quinn, which made the red head laugh.
"Yes, there has been some... extra intimacy, but nothing like you're thinking."
"Come on Rachel, you have to share more than that," said Quinn.
Rachel sighed. She apparently wasn't getting out of this one easily. Not that she minded talking about her sex life, it was just something she normally liked to leave private. "Alright fine... we did take advantage of not having to use birth control. Curling up against Kurt when we're both satisfied is just... one of my favorite things. So yes, Kitty. There has been sex... a lot of sex," confessed Rachel.
"I knew it," smirked Kitty.
"It's so common," said Marley. "One of the women in my childbirth class said she couldn't stop thinking about it. Said her husband finally had to just say no. He couldn't keep up."
"Sugar said she was really wanting sex during her second trimester," said Quinn.
"We need more babies," said Brittany. She came over and sat down next to Rachel, who knew what she wanted. She nodded and Brittany touched her baby bump.
"I can't wait to meet Kurt Jr."
"I think we all can't wait to meet Kurt Jr.," said Tina.
"If it's even a boy," said Rachel. "We decided to wait and find out the gender."
"What do you think it is?" asked Marley.
"I don't know," said Rachel. "I think... I think it might be a girl. I don't know why."
"Mothers usually know," said Kitty, waving her hand.
"Well, this momma needs food," said Rachel. "Can we eat first before gifts?"
"Get get her some snacks so we start the games," said Mercedes to Quinn, rolling her eyes. The blonde looked amused as she stood.
"So you mean to tell me that all this time Rachel's been pregnant, you two have not thought up all the baby songs to karaoke with?" said Artie in disbelief. "Not even Baby Love? Come on Kurt, I had more faith in you than that."
"Not a one," said Kurt as he sipped on his Manhattan. "There has been no karaoke. Pregnancy is not as easy as it looks in the movies."
"Dude, I feel ya," said Finn, holding up his beer.
"Here here," said Mike, holding up his glass to Finn's beer. They clinked their drinks.
"We haven't had time to do anything," said Kurt. "It's always one thing or another. Work, appointments, making decisions on the baby... I mean, Rachel just handed me like a two inch stack of papers last night she had printed off that was just the preliminary paperwork for registering with the hospital."
"And it's expensive," agreed Mike. "Without insurance, I'm not even sure we could have afforded the delivery."
"Damn," said Artie.
"Yeah, I think I got lucky that Quinn's mom paid the medical bills," said Puck. "Shit's crazy."
"I'm still making monthly payments to the hospital," said Finn. "But I wouldn't trade the kids for anything."
"Carole would get you," said Kurt with a laugh.
"Alright, enough talking about babies," said Puck. "We're supposed to be drinking and celebrating Kurt's final moments before fatherhood."
"How many of us would have ever thought we'd be sitting around in a bar in New York, drinking to fatherhood?" asked Sam.
"I'm surprised more of you didn't end up as dads in high school," smirked Kurt.
"We could have," said Finn, sipping on a beer. "But that would have been your wife."
Kurt choked on his drink, wiping his mouth on a napkin before kicking Finn under the table. The taller man leaned down to rub his shin with a wince as the others laughed.
"It's not like we had the best of sex education in high school," shrugged Artie.
"McKinley was not that advanced when it came to the subject," said Kurt. "But we had crafts. And Home EC."
"Preparation for the homemaker girls who did get pregnant," quipped Mike.
Finn frowned at that. "And some things haven't changed. We still have those."
"God, it was a backwards environment, wasn't it?" frowned Kurt.
"Just conservative," shrugged Sam. "But at least it's changing."
"Slow as molasses in winter going uphill," said Artie as he adjusted his glasses.
"At least our children will come up in a more tolerant environment than we did," said Finn.
"Hopefully," said Mike.
"So are you ready to be a dad Kurt?" asked Sam. "All the late crying, bottles, diapers..."
"Crying and bottles, yes. The diapers..."
"The smell is pretty horrendous," Mike said with a shudder. "I got put to diaper duty the first two weeks. I never thought I'd smell anything again."
"I think I can handle the smell," said Kurt. "Rachel keeps enough surgical masks on hand for the return of the Black Death." He sat back in his chair, lifting the front up off the floor, just enough to feel like he was leaning back.
"I think we are ready to have a family," he said. He blew out a large breath of air. "Now just to get Rachel through the next few months." He waved down the waitress and ordered another round of drinks. "Without either of us having a break down."
"Here here," said Sam, holding his glass to Kurt's, who clinked it against Sam's before doing the same to Artie's beside him.
"Oh Quinn, that's adorable! And so useful," gushed Rachel at the little coat, hat, boots, and mittens. They were a light brown, with soft white lining.
"Well, your due date is in November," said Quinn. "I thought you might need something for them to come home in."
"Thank you," said Rachel, smiling at Quinn, who smiled back.
"We can't let baby Hummel get cold," smirked Santana, who stuck a present in her lap.
"Come on, open it. This one's from me."
"Not you and Brittany?" said Rachel, looking at Brittany.
"We got individual gifts," said Brittany. "Santana had an idea of her own."
The Latina looked smug as Rachel started opening the box.
"Aw, little T-shirts," said Rachel. "My daddy..." She started laughing.
"My daddy what?" asked Tina.
Quinn laughed as she read the little shirt over Rachel's shoulder.
"My daddy is gayer than all of you."
Mercedes snorted into her hand to keep from laughing.
"Aww, Mommy's little star," said Rachel as she read the second shirt. "Thank you Santana."
"I thought they fit you two," she grinned. Rachel returned the gesture.
"Mine next," said Kitty. "Marley already told me you were going to breastfeed, so..."
Tina handed Rachel Kitty's package from the pile and she started opening it, curious.
"A bottle warmer," said Rachel. "And from the brand I really liked. Thank you Kitty."
"I figured with all the ice cold bitches around you, got to do something to keep the baby warm and happily fed."
Rachel scoffed. "They aren't that bad Kitty. You like Claire."
"About as far as I can throw her."
"Fellow theatre people," said Quinn to Marley.
"They are really nice," said Rachel.
"So says the girl who smudged all four of them under her heel as she stepped on and over them."
The brunette ignored Kitty, who was sharing mirrored smirks with Santana as Tina handed Rachel another present.
"Marley, you didn't have to..."
"I did," said Marley. "You and Kurt did a lot for us. Keeping Finn calm did more for my labor than the epidural."
"God, I loved mine," sighed Tina, looking dreamily at the ceiling.
"How are you going to labor?" asked Quinn. "Did you decide yet?"
"Not completely no," said Rachel as she held the little bibs that Marley had picked out. Even though she had been hesitant at first when Kurt had told her the idea of ducks, everything that kept popping up was so cute. She adored the little plate and spoons that Marley had gotten. It wasn't anything they could use for the baby right away, except for the bibs and burp cloths, but the baby's first plate and bowl were something that would come in handy at a later date. Rachel smiled at them, picturing someday when she could use them.
"I think I want to do a natural labor."
"Nothing at all?" asked Kitty, looking skeptical.
"Yeah, I see that happening," said Santana. "Berry birthing anything from those loins will involve drugs. Lots of drugs."
"I think I can deal with the intensity of contractions and the bearing down need on my own," said Rachel. "Just the thought of it happening over many hours makes me wonder a little about my stamina and reserve."
"You can do it," said Tina. "If Marley and I could survive it..."
"Thank you," said Rachel. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"More presents," said Mercedes. "Come on girl, we still have food to eat."
Rachel laughed as Tina placed another gift in her lap. The present was covered in a yellow duckling wrapping paper saying their ABC's all across it.
"Aww, Brittany," said Rachel as she opened it. Inside on top was a onesie complete with little soft booties and a hat all in red and yellow with a duck patten. It wouldn't have been Rachel's first choice, but it was so cute she couldn't say anything. She took out the small box and underneath was a large stuffed duck, just big enough for little toddler fingers to hold onto and snuggle with. Rachel could picture their child carrying it around someday.
"They're both adorable. Thank you," she said. Quinn picked up the stuffed duck and cuddled it, which made Brittany giggle.
"I now have to get Quinn one," she said, smiling at her friend.
"You do," laughed Rachel as Quinn stuck it back in the box.
"Mine next," said Tina. She plopped another big present into Rachel's lap. "I know we already talked about part of it, so don't be surprised..."
"I know," said Rachel. She started opening the present, amused at Tina's choice of musical note wrapping paper. She and Tina had already talked about bathing and she wasn't surprised when upon opening the present, Tina had gotten her a bath set with shampoo, oil, lotion, and powder, baby bathrobe for after the bath, and a comb and brush set.
"My child is going to be so taken care of," she said as she lifted out the baby bath tub that had been underneath the bath supplies.
"It'll be properly bathed at least," said Quinn, teasing Rachel.
"Just wait till Kurt finds some baby moisturizers and lip balm," said Santana. "Your child will have more skin care products than he does."
Rachel couldn't help but laugh at that. They all watched as Tina dragged a large present to her. The Jewish woman was amazed by the size, but once she saw the purple wrapping paper, she gave a side glance at Mercedes.
"Yes, it's from me," said the black woman. "I don't do small, you know that."
Rachel hugged Mercedes around the shoulders. She didn't even know what was in the box yet, but she knew it'd be something very useful and fabulous. And as she started ripping opening the present, she wasn't wrong.
"Oh Mercedes..." said Rachel, her jaw dropping as she finished unwrapping the gift and looking over to her fellow singer.
"I told you I don't do small," she said smugly.
"A car seat and a jogger in one?" said Rachel. "Kurt's going to love you."
"That is nice," said Marley. "I could have used that when I took the kids to the park."
"And as usual, Mercedes blows us all out of the water," said Tina, teasing their friend.
"It's also a stroller," said Mercedes. "The girl at the store demonstrated. I thought since it folded up easily, it'd be helpful getting on the subway and such."
"Thank you," said Rachel. "All of you. I can't wait to show Kurt. Especially Santana's little shirts."
The Latina looked amused at that.
Kurt was laughing at Artie when they got off the elevator and headed towards his apartment. He had been sarcastically making jokes at Puck's semi-drunken state, which had amused all of them. But they were supposed to meet back up with the girls at his home, and he was kinda curious about Rachel's presents. He hoped they could mark a couple of things off their checklist.
"See Rachel? We brought your husband home all in one piece," said Sam as soon as they entered the apartment. Kurt stuck his keys back in his pocket and rolled his eyes. Finn grinned at him as he rolled Artie inside.
"Kurt!" said Brittany as she approached. He gasped and gave her a hug.
"I didn't know you and Santana had come in."
"Well, the trip was two-fold," said Santana as she walked up. "I had a meeting and Mercedes called and told me you losers were having a baby shower."
"It's good to see you too Santana," said Kurt as he hugged her.
"Congratulations on the sproglet. Pretty soon you'll get to relieve Rachel Berry dramatic childhood all over again."
"Thanks," said Kurt sarcastically. The alcohol in his system was making him a little tipsy, so he wasn't even going to bother with a scathing remark to come back with.
"I'm sure the baby will be dancing and singing when he or she is born."
"Of course," said Santana with a grin. "It wouldn't be your child if they didn't."
Kurt waved his hand idly, and saw the food over her shoulder.
"Oooh, cupcakes."
Santana smirked at him and Kurt joined Sam at the table, who was filling himself up a plate.
"They still have a lot of food left over for a girls baby shower," said Puck.
"That's because we knew you boys would crash early," said Mercedes. She kissed Sam's cheek and took a white chocolate pretzel off his plate. Kurt took a cupcake and headed to the living room. Rachel lit up when she saw him and gestured for him to come over to the couch and started showing him the gifts and cards as everyone was talking.
"Mercedes!" he said in wonder when he saw the stroller. She grinned at him.
"I thought you'd like that."
"Oh honey, it's too much."
"No, you'll be needing it. Can't come home from the hospital without a car seat."
"Thank you," said Kurt.
"Those are some funky balloons on the cupcakes," said Puck, sitting beside Quinn.
Mercedes and Santana shared an evil grin.
"Those aren't supposed to be balloons," said Mercedes.
"Then what-?" said Puck.
"Why don't you take a guess?" said Santana, giving Puck a very smug look.
Sam nearly choked on his cupcake. Puck looked appalled, a bit of the white icing still stuck on the side of his lip. It was then Kurt lost it, burying his head in his arms while everyone around them was laughing too. Marley was as red as her hair, but she was grinning at Sam and Puck. Finn was nudging the cupcake to the other side of his plate. Kurt finally just had to get up and leave the room from laughing too hard.
"If he thinks the cupcake was bad, he should have seen the cake," said Mercedes.
"Let's not bruise the boys' egos too much," mused Quinn. "Although Rachel took to the cake better than I thought she would."
"It's a fun cake," shrugged Mercedes. She started laughing when Sam couldn't resist the other cupcake on his plate and stuck it in his mouth.
"It's funny how appalled the boys reacted to the simple sperm cupcakes," said Quinn. Kitty was still cackling as Artie handed her back one of the sweet treats. She walked over to where Mercedes and Quinn were standing near the food.
"I have to say, I think the best reaction was Kurt's."
Both Quinn and Mercedes grinned.
"You all planned this," said Kitty, looking surprised.
"We love our boy, and what Kurt doesn't know is that they've been just...outrageous in their reactions about Kurt being a father. I know he's been taking the texts and things like a trooper. So this was our... small way of getting back at them. And to tease Rachel. Mostly to tease Rachel, but you know."
"Genius," grinned Kitty, looking over to where Kurt finally came back to the living room and walked over to Mercedes.
"I can't believe you of all people helped with this."
"Santana helped," said Quinn. "We couldn't decide on a cake design, so we decided to have a little fun."
"I don't think I've laughed that hard in weeks," said Kurt. The apples of his cheeks were still red.
"You should have seen your wife's reaction to the cake," said Mercedes.
"What did..."
Mercedes took out her phone and showed Kurt pictures. It had been a small two layer cake done in blue icing with a small white ball sitting on top. And on top of that sat a white object Kurt could only guess what it was and it made him chuckle. On the side of the ball that Kurt guess was supposed to represent the egg was a sign that said "Later Bitches!" All across the side of the cake was a line of sperm headed towards the egg. The cupcakes had been lined up the same.
"That's hilarious," said Kurt. "I feel like I should be appalled by this... but after watching Finn and Puck..."
"Well, then you can buy us pizza for dinner as a congratulations for a prank well done," said Quinn, laughing at Kurt,
"I'll buy the breadsticks," he said. "But right after I get to see if your gifts fit into our possible color scheme."
