For Jen, because she is EPIC!


It was a little before 11 when Nikki and Beth walked quietly through Christine's back door, the lights at the front of the house had been turned off and Nikki jumped slightly when she saw Christine stood at the sink, "I thought you'd gone to bed"

Christine shook her head and gestured to the kitchen table where her laptop was surrounded by papers and files, "I was just going through a bit of paperwork."

"Has Maddy been okay?" Beth asked.

"As good as gold, she woke about half an hour ago, had her bottle and nodded straight back off" Christine smiled.

Beth returned the smile, she'd been worried Maddy would wake and not settle again, "can I go and see her?"

"Of course" Christine nodded, "you don't have to ask" she waited for the younger woman to leave the room before turning to Nikki who was leaning back against the sideboard rubbing her stomach softly, "have you had a good night?"

Nikki couldn't stop her face lighting up, "yeah, we went out for dinner and then we walked back along the beach."

"It sounds lovely"

"It was" Nikki agreed, "it was nice to just..." Nikki shrugged, "I just feel comfortable when I'm with Beth, I don't know how to explain it, it's..."

"I get it" Christine smiled, "and I must admit it's nice to see you happy again."

"She's still spark out" Beth smiled as she walked back into the kitchen unaware Nikki and Christine had just been talking about her.

Nikki smiled before yawning, "I know how she feels" she laughed.

Beth laughed, "we better get you to bed then haven't we? Thanks again for looking after Maddy Christine."

"It wasn't a problem, she's a lovely little thing." Christine said, walking into the hallway with Nikki and Beth and stroking Maddy's cheek softly before unlocking the front door and saying goodnight to Nikki and Beth as they left.

Christine spent the weekend having some much needed bonding time with Connor whilst Nikki and Beth went shopping for things for Nikki's spare bedroom where the magnolia paint had recently been covered over in a pale blue in anticipation of Tommy's arrival. Josh had been overjoyed when Nikki had asked his permission to name the baby after his father. He'd cried and hugged Nikki, telling her he was sure Tom would love having a son named after him.

"What about this?" Beth picked up a blanket.

Nikki shook her head, "no."

"This?" Beth picked up a lampshade that matched the blanket.

"No Beth."

"Oh come on Nikki it'd be cute."

"No."

"Please?" Beth fluttered her eyelashes and Nikki couldn't help but laugh.

"It's still a no Beth, I'm calling him Tommy, I'm not going to make the poor boy grow up in a room full of Thomas the tank engine."

"Please?"

"No. What do you think to this?" Nikki picked up a pale blue bedding set with boats on.

"Are any of the boats called Thomas?"

"No, and that's a good thing."

Beth laughed, "It's probably the second nicest one we've seen."

Nikki laughed and shook her head as she put the cot bedding and a few matching accessories into the trolley before stroking Maddy's head, the baby gurgling happily to herself, strapped into a baby seat on the trolley.

"Do you want to choose a cot next?"

Nikki nodded, "I think I'd like a white one" she stroked her bump softly, "I erm, I've been thinking..."

"Don't hurt yourself" Beth teased.

Nikki smiled, "I was thinking I could maybe buy two cots"

Beth frowned, "why two? You, you're only having one aren't you" she gestured to Nikki's stomach.

Nikki ran her hands over the slight curve of her stomach and laughed softly, "Yeah, I'm just having the one, but you've got one too..."

"What do you mean?" Beth was still confused.

"You've been staying over a lot, and I, I don't mind but Maddy's quite wriggly, I woke up last night with her feet in my ear and, well...I just thought it might be more comfortable for all of us if she had her own bed, she's going to grow out of the carrycot on her buggy soon..."

Beth smiled and kissed Nikki's cheek, "I think she'd love that, but I'll pay for it."

Nikki nodded, "I'm going to find bedding for her with someone called Maddy on."

"And I'll buy that too" Beth laughed.

"If you're going to be sticking around we could make the back bedroom hers"

Beth nodded, "does that mean I still get to bunk up with you?"

"Yeah" Nikki nodded, "if you want to"

Beth wrapped her arm around Nikki's waist, "I can hardly say no to that."

Nikki smiled and pecked Beth's cheek, "what do you think to this?" she asked as she ran her hand softly over a white wooden cotbed.

"It's lovely" Beth smiled, "and there's a matching wardrobe and the drawers have got space for a changing mat."

"They had a changing mat that matches the bedding. I was thinking about getting a changing unit for downstairs too, I think there's room for one under the mirror in the hall."

Beth nodded, "that'd be useful"

The pair spent the afternoon choosing things for Tommy's room and Nikki was absolutely exhausted when she collapsed on the sofa later that evening, "do I have to go to work tomorrow?" she whined.

Beth laughed, "I'm afraid so, you've got another fifteen weeks before you start your maternity leave."

Nikki sighed, "that seems like ages away."

She spent that night snuggled into Beth's side, Maddy sleeping in a playpen Beth had bought to stop the baby waking Nikki until her cot was delivered, and she woke on Monday morning feeling sightly refreshed. "Is it obvious?" she asked Beth as she stood side on to the full length mirror, the other brunette still wrapped in the duvet feeding her daughter.

"No, you do look like you've put some weight on but you don't look pregnant."

Nikki sighed, she'd admitted defeat that morning and would be wearing maternity clothes to work, "can't I just stay here with you two?"

"Sadly not, we're going to head home today, sort a few things out but we should be back before you get home."

"I don't want everyone to know" Nikki sighed.

Beth smiled sadly, "do you want me to call Christine and ask her to pick you up? Give you a bit of moral support."

Nikki sat on the edge of the bed, "do you think she'll mind?"

Beth leant over to pick up Nikki's phone, "I'm sure she wont" she said, moving the pillows to help support Maddy so she could ring Christine.

"Come on then, time to face the music" Christine turned to Nikki once she'd pulled up outside the school. "You know you can come to me if it gets too much for you."

Nikki nodded, "Thanks" she said softly, holding her bag in front of her stomach as she walked into the building with Christine.

The gossip began almost as soon as Nikki stepped through the door that morning and by the time she walked into the staffroom at morning break, all eyes were definitely on her, she kept her head down as she walked to the kettle, "she can't be, she's not the type" she heard Audrey mumble.

"She is Twink, look, you can see it." Sue whispered to Simon.

"I thought she batted for the other team, she had an affair with my sister" Sonya told anyone who was listening.

Christine had guessed Nikki might want a friendly face and walked into the staffroom just in time to see Nikki slam her mug down on the worktop, "If you're going to talk about someone behind their back may I suggest you wait until they've left the room. But for the record, I am twenty two weeks pregnant with a boy and no he wasn't conceived after a careless one night stand, had he not have fallen off the roof I'm sure Tom would have been an excellent father to our son, now if you've got any other questions I'd appreciate it if you asked them to my face." Nikki picked up her still empty mug and walked out of the room leaving everyone sat in a shocked silence