A/N: This one was so much fun to write and you'll see why ;) Thanks for all of your great comments! I love them all and they're the reason why I keep writing!


Double Take

"Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday to you… Happy birthday dear, Nadia… Happy Birthday to you!!"

The entire family was gathered around a large cake. The cake was topped with enormous pink and yellow flowers made out of frosting. It was definitely a culinary work of art and was probably too extravagant for a one year old's birthday party.

But this was Nadia Dominica Cassadine's birthday party and even at one year old, she was royalty.

Nadia gurgled happily at all of the excitement and kicked her chubby little legs as Claudia held her in front of the cake. Nadia's lone candle was blown out, with help from Nikolas, and everyone at the party cheered. Nikolas, being the doting father that he was, immediately took her from her mother's arms and kissed his daughter's cheek. Nadia laughed happily at all of the commotion that was directed at her and Johnny and Lulu looked on happily at their niece as she enjoyed her very first birthday party.

"Wow… can you believe that Nadia is one year old?" Lulu asked, linking her arm with Johnny's.

"Nope… it seems like it was just yesterday that Claudia was bitching about not being able to fit into her shoes when she was pregnant with Nadia…" Johnny laughed.

Taking their slices of cake, Johnny and Lulu found a table in the corner of the expansive yard and watched the scene around them. Alexis and her husband Ric were sitting near them, watching their daughter Molly run around with Cameron Webber, Spencer Cassadine and Jake Morgan. Kristina Corinthos-Davis was taking her little brother Dominic Lansing around the grounds by the hand. Patrick Drake was chasing his young daughter Emma around the lawn while his wife Robin and her best friend Elizabeth Webber looked on, laughing. Jason and Sam Morgan were sitting with Carly and Jasper Jacks at a separate table with their children Michael and Morgan Corinthos.

"Gavin! Gavin, come back here!"

Both Johnny and Lulu turned around towards the voice and saw a young Gavin Spinelli, who had just learned how to crawl, crawling away from his mother, laughing. Lulu stood up and quickly grabbed the young child off the grass. Maxie Jones let out a sigh of relief as she neared Lulu.

"Oh thank god you grabbed him, Lulu… he's definitely his father's child… he's a little ball of energy…" Maxie said, stroking her son's brown hair.

"He just likes me better… don't you, Gavin?" Lulu laughed and Maxie huffed.

"He so does not… Gavie is all mine… aren't you?" Maxie cooed and Gavin laughed and extended his arms out for his mother.

They both laughed and Lulu handed Gavin back to his mother. Spinelli came soon after to take Gavin inside to be changed even though Maxie had surprisingly offered to do it. Motherhood had definitely changed her best friend for the better.

"So I went to the doctor today to confirm…" Lulu started.

"And? What did Kelly say?" Maxie asked and Lulu smiled and that's all that Lulu needed to do to inform Maxie of her good news.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!! This is so exciting! Have you told Joh—" Maxie started but Lulu immediately hushed her.

"Shhh! Johnny still doesn't know!" Lulu hissed.

"I still don't know what?"

Lulu and Maxie turned around to see Johnny standing behind them, holding two glasses of the fruit punch that was being served at the party. Maxie pursed her lips and looked to Lulu to cover.

"You—You still don't know the surprise I have planned for our anniversary!" Lulu said, hoping that he would buy her story.

"Oh… well… Maxie? Do you mind if I steal my wife away for a few moments?" Johnny asked.

"Absolutely not! I'm going to go find Spinelli and Gavin… I hope he actually knows how to change a diaper…" Maxie said before taking off across the lawn and into the main house. Johnny handed her a glass of the punch and she immediately sniffed it.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"This isn't alcoholic, is it?" she asked.

"It's a birthday party for a one year old, Lulu… of course it's not alcoholic…" he laughed.

Upon hearing that, Lulu took a sip from the cup and he chuckled. He took her by the hand and they began walking around the grounds. The spring air was fresh and fragrant from the surrounding gardens. Johnny looked over at his wife as she looked up at the crisp blue sky and all he could think about was how beautiful she looked. Something was different about her. Some sort of beautiful energy was just radiating off her skin, giving her this amazing glow that he had ever seen before.

"Lulu…" he started.

"Hm?" she asked, her head still pointed towards the sky.

"You know… I've been thinking…" he began.

"Yeah?" she mused.

"I want us to have a baby…" he said.

Lulu's gaze immediately snapped to him upon hearing his words. She never expected him to be the one to say that he wanted to have kids. In fact, she was a bit worried about how he would react when she got pregnant.

"You—You want to have a baby?" she asked and a smile spread across Johnny's face as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah… I do—I mean… just being out here and watching everyone and their kids just made me start thinking… I—I want that… with you… and we've been married for almost a year and I think that we're ready…" he said.

She smiled and immediately threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. She was always worried that he wouldn't ever want to have a family but this was the best news in the world because there was nothing else that she wanted more than to have children with the man that she loved.

"So… how about we go to the main house and use one of those eight million guest bedrooms and get started working on our baby?" he asked right before kissing her slowly. She giggled softly and pulled away from his lips.

"No need…" she whispered.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm already pregnant, Johnny…" she said, beaming up at him.

His hands immediately went to her stomach and he looked at her, hoping that she wasn't joking.

"You're—You're pregnant?" he stammered.

"Yes… I am…" she said, cupping his face in her hands.

He quickly smiled and kissed her again. All words failed him in that moment because no words could express how incredibly happy he was. She was carrying his child.

"Come on…" he said, eagerly taking her by the hand.

"What? Where are we going?" Lulu laughed.

"We're telling everyone!" he said.

"But wait! There's something else I need to—" she began but it was no use. He was a man on a mission.

They made their way back to the main area where everyone was still gathered and Johnny immediately got everyone's attention and told them their great news. Carly was the first one to react, by screaming at the top of her lungs in excitement and she threw her arms around Lulu.

"Well it's about time!" Carly finally said.

"Oh my god! Congratulations!" Claudia said, immediately kissing her brother's cheek.

"How far along are you?" Maxie asked.

"Six and a half weeks… I went to the doctor today to confirm…" Lulu said.

"So… what are you two hoping for? A boy or a girl?" Laura asked, holding Nadia at her hip, who was babbling away happily.

"It doesn't matter to me… but I'm predicting that Johnny wants a girl…" Lulu said, looking up at her husband.

"Oh, so you're ready to do the pink, the Barbie dolls and the tea parties?" Nikolas laughed.

"Whether it's pink and tea parties or blue and dinosaurs... I'll be happy…" Johnny said, putting his arm around Lulu's waist.

"Well… we could have both…" Lulu mused and all heads turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Johnny asked, taking a sip of his drink, and Lulu smiled sheepishly.

"Well, that's what happens when you have twins…" Lulu said.

Johnny immediately spat out his drink upon hearing her words, causing everyone around them to burst out into laughter.

"Wait… what?" Johnny asked and Lulu giggled.

"You heard me… we're having twins…" Lulu proudly said.

The ground underneath his feet seemed to disappear. They were having twins… as in two kids… as in double midnight feedings and double stress. He had already heard some of Claudia's stories about barely sleeping through the night anymore after Nadia was born, even with she and Nikolas alternating on baby duty. He was already worried about having just one kid.

"When—When did this happen?" Johnny asked.

"What kind of dumb question is that? You're the one who did it…" Maxie muttered and Carly chuckled beside her.

"I tried telling you but you were so set on telling everyone before I could finish…" Lulu explained.

"Nik? Can you run in the house and get my brother something a little stronger… I think he's going to need it." Claudia snickered as she took her brother's virgin punch out of his hand.