here you go guys! i'm hoping to have the next part up within the next few hours! it'll be lennon's birth and then after that, i think i'm going to do her first birthday. i added in a bit of backstory for sikowitz in this chapter that hopefully gives him some more depth. i'm excited to hear what you guys think!
as always, let me know if there's a scene or something you want to see and i'll write it up for you! to the reviewer who wanted a new chapter of we weren't crazy, keep an eye out! something's coming tomorrow! =)
With three weeks to go until her due date, Jade's wondering if she might just have her own gravitational pull. Her stomach is huge, big enough that when Beck wraps his arms around her, his hands cannot meet in the middle the way they could even two weeks ago. She stands in the mirror in the bathroom, dressed in just a bikini that Tori had bought her when all her other bathing suit tops failed to fit. She's not exactly sure how she's managed to get away without any of the dreaded stretch marks, but she's certainly not complaining. Of course, she does have skin splits over her hips from where the skin has stretched to the point where it cannot stretch anymore. She grabs the Aquaphor from the bathroom cabinet and slathers it on, hoping to give herself some relief on the stinging marks that mar her pale skin.
She looks up when she hears a knock on the door and smiles a moment later when Beck pokes his head in. He makes a sympathetic face when he sees that marks on her hips and moves over, taking the container from her before using his own fingers to gently massage the ointment into her skin. Jade lets out a quiet and contented sigh as she lays her head back against Beck's shoulder. "I'm ready for her to be on the outside now," she tells him in a tired voice. Beck smiles, kissing the side of her head, nodding his own head easily. "I know, baby. I am too," he rubs his hand over her stomach, chuckling when the skin literally moves under his fingers as their daughter wiggles around inside of Jade. Jade lets out a soft grunt, her hand pressing against the underside of her belly.
The baby has been head down for weeks and every time she moves, her head presses into Jade's pelvic floor and sends shock waves coursing through Jade's lower half. It's not the most pleasant feeling in the world, but it doesn't exactly hurt so it's easy for Jade to put up with. The Braxton Hicks contractions that had sent Jade to the hospital when she was only five months pregnant are back, doing their job of getting her body ready for labor. She's researched it all and she's decided against any sort've pain medication. There's too much that could happen, too many risks, and she hasn't carried her baby for this long and kept her safe for all this time to fuck her up at the last minute. Her decision makes Beck nervous for the simple fact that despite Jade liking pain, he doesn't like to see her in pain and he only hopes that all the reading and the classes they've taken together have prepared him enough for what lies ahead.
"Beck? Jade? You guys ready? We're going to leave soon," Tori's voice floats through the bathroom door moments after her knuckles lightly knock on it. Cat's parents have a membership to the local country club and they'd agreed to let the group of six use the pool whenever they wanted that summer. "Yeah, I'm ready," Jade pulls the door open, smiling easily to return the smile that Tori sends her way. "Can you just make sure the cooler is in the car?" she asked. Tori nods her head, giving her a thumbs up. "Just put it there myself," she says before handing over Jade's summer dress. Jade tugs it on over her head before pulling her hair back. The group is still unused to seeing Jade with her hair all pulled up, but with the summer heat, she prefers to have it off her neck.
Beck and Andre take the driver's seat and passenger seat while Tori and Jade slide into the back seat of Beck's convertible. Andre texts Cat to let her know that they're on the way and will meet her and Robbie at the pool. Cat responds in her usual fashion, causing Andre to chuckle before he puts his phone away, looking over his shoulder at Jade. "So, did you guys pick a name yet?" he asks her. Jade glowers at him for a moment before shaking her head easily. "No, not really. I think we settled on a middle name, but Beck insists on naming our child with a plain and boring name," she says before sticking her tongue out at Beck.
Beck laughs, shaking his head easily. "I don't see what's so wrong about the name Abigail!" he pouts at her. He loves the name for the meaning, because she is his joy and he wants her name to reflect how they feel about her. Jade rolls her eyes. "I don't want her to be the seventh kid in her class with the name Abigail!" "Well I'm not naming her something like Apple or Pilot Inspektor!" he tells her with his own look. Jade waves her hand, brushing him off. "It's not like I asked you to name her Scissor," she tells him in a matter-of-fact tone. Not that she ever would, even though plenty of people would expect her to. Andre starts to laugh, slapping a hand over his mouth as his shoulders shake with his laughter.
Jade gives him an amused look as he laughs, shaking her head easily. "Scissor Oliver does have a ring to it," Tori speaks up, her amusement showing in her own expression. Beck snorts, shaking his head. "I don't want her to stick out from all the other kids in the class because of her name. She's going to stand out anyway because of her personality," he tells Jade, looking at her in the rear view mirror. Jade smirks, looking down at her stomach as she rubs her hands over it. "She does have a pretty strong personality already, doesn't she?" she muses with a quiet chuckle. She feels Tori's eyes on her and looks over. "She does. The other night she was kicking like crazy and wouldn't settle down until Beck started singing Let It Be to her. He seriously had to sing the song like four times in a row. Every time he tried something else, she started kicking like crazy again."
Beck laughs, shrugging his shoulders. "At least she's already got a great taste in music. It's better than having to sing Justin Bieber to her. If my baby girl comes out with a love of the Beatles, then I think we've already gotten her started off on the right foot," he points out logically. Jade suddenly gasps, her eyes widening. "Oh my god!" she exclaims. "What? What's wrong?" Tori sounds panicked as she reaches over for Jade's hand, wondering what is going on. "No, nothing's wrong! I just thought of her name!" Jade beams easily. Beck raised an eyebrow, looking at her as he turned into the country club. "Well?"
Jade shakes her head as she allows Andre to help her out of the car. She smiles gratefully and gives his hand a little squeeze before moving over to wrap her arm around Beck's. She wants this to be a moment between them and luckily, Tori and Andre seem to recognize that. They tell the couple that they'll see them at the pool as Jade leads Beck down towards the beach that the country club sits on. Beck easily holds her hand, kissing the top of her head as they walk towards the shore. He helps Jade to sit on the sand when she starts to lower her body down and takes a seat beside her.
Jade reaches for his hand, bringing it closer as she sets it on the swell of her stomach. She rests her head on Beck's shoulder as she closes her eyes, breathing in the scent of the saltwater and just enjoying the moment between the two of them before she finally speaks. "Lennon," she whispers, opening her blue eyes to look up into Beck's dark brown ones. Beck's face breaks out in a grin as his fingertips rub against her swollen stomach, feeling their daughter's movements beneath the skin. Jade looks up at Beck, smiling brightly. "Lennon Abigail Oliver," she says, knowing how much he loves that name and wants to give it to his daughter. She knows her decision is the right one when she sees the look that crosses Beck's face.
Beck leans down, kissing her deeply, nuzzling his nose against hers. "It's perfect," he tells her softly, nodding his head. He bends his dark head to brush a kiss against Jade's stomach. "Hello, Lennon Abigail," he whispers, his hand moving over the curve of Jade's stomach. Jade drops her head back, letting the sun warm her face as she tries to control the tears. Moments like this make everything they've been through and all the coming obstacles worth it. Beck lifts his head, cupping Jade's chin in his fingers as he lowers his mouth to hers, the kiss sweet against her lips. When he pulls back, his heart flutters in his chest at the look of utter peace on Jade's face. He smiles, leaning down to kiss her again, shifting up only when he hears Cat calling for them, telling them that lunch is ready. He shifts up and grasps Jade's hands, easing her up to her feet. He wraps his arm around Jade's waist as they trudge up the beach towards their friends.
Three days later, Jade and Beck return home from a movie night at Tori's house to find Sikowitz in the living room. He's usually in bed before midnight, so the fact that he's awake has them wondering if everything is okay. When Jade voices her worry, Sikowitz simply smiles at her. "Everything is fine, Jade. I just have something I'd like to show the both of you," he says as he stands up, motioning them towards the back of the apartment where the bedrooms are. There's only two, but they're decent sized for an apartment in Los Angeles. Jade raises an eyebrow as they follow him back, growling in annoyance when Sikowitz makes Beck cover her eyes after promising to cover his own eyes. Sikowitz flips the lights on and taps his fingers against Beck's shoulder in a silent signal to let Beck know that they can look.
Jade opens her eyes once Beck's hand has dropped from her face and she lets out a loud gasp, her hands covering her mouth. Sikowitz has rearranged their bedroom to fit in a bassinet and a changing table. Over the changing table is a hand painted mural with Lennon's name in the center. The changing table is stocked with all of the goodies that Jade received at her baby shower the month before, including all of the impossibly tiny clothes that made Jade realize that she really is going to be mother to a living, breathing tiny little human. Jade turns as she pulls away from Beck, throwing her arms around Sikowitz. "Thank you so much!" she breathes as she hugs him tightly, tears in her eyes. "It's so perfect. Now she has her own little space," she whispers.
Sikowitz grins, hugging her back easily. "Everyone needs a space to call their own. Even tiny little humans," he tells Jade before giving her belly a light pat. He smiles as Beck shakes his hand and the two have their own male version of a hug before Sikowitz pulls back. "Oh, one more thing," he reaches behind him, picking a box up off of Jade and Beck's bed, handing it over to Jade. Jade moves to sit on the bed, ripping the paper open and lifting the lid. She reaches into the box and lifts out a hand knitted baby blanket in the softest of pinks. Jade literally coos over the blanket as she pulls it close, holding it against her. "Oh, it's so soft!" she murmurs, rubbing her cheek against it. "Lennon's going to love it!"
"It was supposed to be my daughter's," Sikowitz tells her softly as he sits beside her, which causes Jade to gasp as tears well in her eyes. Jade and Beck were the only two who knew that Sikowitz had once been married to a lovely woman. Unfortunately, their daughter had been stillborn and the tragedy was too much strain on the relationship. Sikowitz still talked to his ex-wife, every year on the anniversary of their daughter's birth and death. Jade starts to cry at his words and opens her mouth to ask Sikowitz if he's sure that he wants them to have it when Sikowitz silences her with a soft shushing sound.
"I'm sure, Jade. That blanket has waited a long time to have a newborn to keep warm. My mother knitted it for the baby and when I told my ex that I wanted to pass it along to you and Beck, she agreed that it was time that the blanket had some happiness. We would both be honored for Lennon to use it," he tells her. Jade nods her head, silent tears slipping down her face. Even Beck has tears in his eyes as he reaches out to grip Jade's hand. Jade grips his hand back as she struggles to bring her hormones back under control and stop crying. "She's going to love it. I can't wait to wrap her in it," she tells him as she kisses his cheek softly.
Sikowitz smiles as he stands up, kissing her cheek in return and squeezing Beck's shoulder. "Get some sleep. I'll see you two in the morning," he tells them as he leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Beck moves to take his spot, reaching out as Jade offers him the blanket. He pulls it close, rubbing his hand over it. "It really is soft. She'll love it," he says softly, looking over at Jade. "Are we still going to wait until she's born to ask him to be her grandfather?" he asks Jade softly. Jade nods, smiling through her tears as she lifts her hands to wipe her face. "Yes. I want him to be holding her when we ask," she says as she yawns, resting her head on his shoulder. Beck nods, kissing the top of her head before sliding up and folding the blanket, laying it over the bassinet to wait for it's owner to be born so that the blanket can finally do the job it's been waiting to do for years. Keep a tiny little human warm.