SOOOO... HERE WE GO. REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT POSTING THIS CHAPTER, BECAUSE THE WHOLE STORY WILL KINDA GO ON FROM HERE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS, SO I CAN DECIDE WHETHER TO CONTINUE THIS STORY ARC OR NOT!

A week later, Nick had yet to talk to Jess. He thought, after the movie night they had had, that it would be easier to tell her. But he had been working late every night of the past seven days. They would only meet briefly in the mornings, before she went to her school and while he was having breakfast with the guys. They would smile at each other, and then she was gone. But today, Saturday again, Nick had decided he was going to take her out for dinner, and then he would tell her. Everything. With that thought on his head, he walked into the kitchen, where he was greeted with a sleepy faced Jess and the sound of Schmidt making one of his disgusting tropical smoothies.

"Well, hello, darling" A joyfull Schmidt said."Look, I discovered a new flavour. I'm mixing pinnaple and oranges. Pinnange!" he said, extremely proud of himself.

Nick rolled his eyes and looked over at Jess, who smiled at him while shaking her head. Sitting next to her, Nick answered, "Yeah, Schmidt, it looks wonderful. Can't wait to have one. But I think I'm going to have my cereals today, thank you."

"I wasn't gonna give you any, Nicholas. The Pinnange is a sophisticated smoothie, even more than the Strawbana, if possible. I would never waste it on you." Grabbing his smoothie, he went into his room and closed the door. A second later, they saw him half open the door and stuck his head through it. "But, hey, if you ever want me to make one for you, just ask. I love you, my man, my bro." and he slammed his room closed again.

"JAR!" Nick yelled, while Jess laughed at their rommate. He smiled at her and got up in search of his cereal, placing the box down on the table. When he found a bowl and filled it with milk, he took a spoon and sat down next to her again.

"So, Jess, I was thinking... Remember last Saturday, I was trying to talk to you and then you got sick?"

Jess scrunched her nose and gave him a dissaproving look. "Niiiiiiick... I'm having breakfast. Why would you bring that up now?"

"I just wanted to tell you, how would you feel going out for dinner tonight with me? I really need to talk to you, and these past days have been crazily busy. You know, go to a calm restaurant or something, where we won't be bothered by these dummies or anything."

Jess widened her eyes a little. "Everything OK, Nick? What's so important?"

"Nothing, Jess. I really want us to have dinner tonight. Besides, you owe me one. After the Pirates of the Caribbean thing again..."

"OK, OK" she laughed. "But just so we're clear, that was not the last time you'll be watching the movie, just so you know."

"Yeah, I guess. So what do you say I pick you up at your door at 7? I need to be at the bar for a few hours, but I'll be home soon."

"7 is fine." Jess agreed. "Where are you taking me? What should I wear?."

"Just make it casual."

"Ok." With that, she stood and gave him a thumbs up. " I have some school work to do now, too. See ya later, Miller." And she headed for her bedroom. Oh my God. I have to call Cece.


Cece had insisted on going shopping for a dress for Jess, even though she had told her she was only going on a casual date with her friend. "Like hell you are" was Cece's reply. "He wants something. And you have to look gorgeous." They went to the mall and bought a few dresses- Cece also got a few for herself- and sat down for lunch, both of them exhausted.

"Why is it that going shopping with you is as tiring as running a freaking marathon, Cece?" a whining Jess complained. "Come on, please, can we just go home now?."

"Yeah, just one last stop".

Jess sighed and followed her friend into a store. Her eyes widened and she started to sneak out, but Cece grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. "Don't run, Jess. Lingerie is important too. We need to get you a set that matches the dress you'll be wearing."

"No, Cece, my lingerie drawer is literally about to explode. I don't need new sets, and it's not like Nick is going to see it, so..."

"Well, you don't know that yet." Cece had a devilish grin on her face. After struggling with her friend, both women got a similar set of underwear and drove home. There, they locked themselves in the bathroom and Cece started working on her friend's make up and hair.

"Now, now, let's see." Cece started opening drawers and countertops and dropping headbands, hairpray and bobby-pins all over the place. On the way, a box of tampons fell to the floor. Jess bent down to pick it up, and her mind froze. When was the last time I used these?.

Cece, still rummaging through drawers looking for who-knows-what, was oblivious to her friend's facial expression. "Jess, I think you should wear your hair down, and maybe we could try to..." she turned around with a hair iron in her hand. When she looked at Jess, she stopped talking. "Sweetie, what is it?". Noticing her face and the box of tampons Jess was holding, she froze too, and a squeal left her mouth. "Oh, my God, Jess. Are you pregnant?."

Unable to speak, Jess stared at her friend, her eyes wide in panic and her mind trying to do the math. Shit. That's why I should keep a calendar. Shit, shit. "I don't know, Cece. I can't remember the last time I used these. Oh my God, Cece, what do I do? What if I'm pregnant?" Jess was freaking out. "I'm on the pill, I can't be pregnant!"

"Honey... you know the pill is not a hundred percent safe. Remember when we went to see Sadie? She told us..."

"I know what she told us!" Jess screamed.

"But didn't you use condoms, like, to be extra sure?"

"Well, yeah, but you know... not all the time! It seemed like a waste of money to use both things!"

"Jess, calm down, OK? I mean, we know the pill is like 98 percent effective. That's great odds, right?"

"I don't know, Cece, is it? What about the placebo week? What if I missed a dose? What if I am pregnant? What would I tell Nick?"

"Oh. My. God. I'm going to the store. I'm getting you a pregnancy test right now, you can't go out with Nick without knowing if you're pregnant" Cece dropped the hair iron she'd been holding and raced to the door. There she turned around and looked at her friend. "Don't move. I'll be back in ten." Eight seconds later, Jess could hear the front door closing.

Jess looked at her reflection in the mirror. This can't be happening. Sure, she wanted kids. And for some time, she had been convinced that Nick would father her children, but that dream had dissapeared after almost a year of dating. She wasn't ready to be a mother, and Nick, she was sure, would panic. They weren't ready. My God, we don't even know where we're at right now. How would we handle a baby?. She placed her right hand over her stomach, as if trying to feel something; she could only feel her flat belly starting to tense with her stressful thoughts. She started to feel feverish, burning hot: she took off her jacket and tossed it aside, and she got rid of her shoes so she could feel the cold bathroom tiles against her skin. Her mind kept going back and forth, trying to remember if she had missed a dose. But even if I have, it's one dose. You can't get pregnant because of that!. And then she felt it. The nausea again. Her stomach being a bundle of nerves, she had to bend over the toilet and empty its content. Going over to the sink to wash her face, she took a look at her watch. 5:33 She had less than two hours before Nick picked her up at her door, as he'd said it. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, when she heard the door to the apartment opening and then closing. Then, Cece bursted into the bathroom out of breath, and holding a paperbag in her left hand. She handed it to Jess, and she pulled out three different tests.

"I just wanted to be sure." Cece explained. "Come on, try them."

"What? Cece, I can't just pee on three sticks at the same time. What size do you think my bladder is?"

"Well, then try one. I'll go to the kitchen and make you some tea. That'll make you want to pee again soon."

Five minutes later, the two friends were sitting on the floor, Jess holding a mug on her right hand, the first pregnancy test waiting to be read in the sink.

"Cece... I'm really scared, I don't want to know what the tests says. What if I'm actually pregnant? I can't do this."

"Jess, sweetheart, listen to me. You've always wanted a big family, ever since I've known you. And who knows, maybe this is your opportunity to become a mum."

"Now? Cece, can you imagine Nick's reaction? He will freak out! What if he doesn't want this kid, what if he blames me?"

"He will do none of that. Jess, he's loved you for years now."

"But we're so different, we want different things in life! That's why we broke up in the first place!"

"Then, honey, maybe this is the universe telling you guys you should be together."

"You don't belive that, Cece." Jess said, sipping her tea.

"I know. But you do." Cece pulled a strand of hair behind Jess' ear. "Ready to take a look?"

"No! Wait! I want to take the second one before I look at the first! Just to be sure. And if they show different results, then I'll try the third one." They got up from the floor and Jess took another test from the bag.

Two more minutes, and the two sticks stood together. Jess and Cece clasped their hands together, ready to take a look, when a sudden noise startled them.

Then Nick's voice could be heard. "Hey, Jess, are you home?."

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