Chapter 9

Disclaimer- I own nothing!

Alan hardly slept the night before knowing they were closing on their house today. He was beyond excited to step into his new home and officially move everything. He wasn't looking forward to packing up the apartment again but his friends all agreed to help them move so that was a nice bonus. Feeling William come around him to grab his jacket from the closet they walked hand in hand out the door and to the car.

The process didn't take long and William could see how excited Alan was to sign his name to the paperwork. Both were a little upset that they couldn't get the keys until a few weeks from now but that gave them a chance to start packing and deciding what to do with the new rooms. They knew their bedroom and the nursery had to be repainted right off the bat because their bedroom was an awful color and the room they were making a nursey needed a fresh coat of paint.
"Since we are out would you like to get some boxes to start packing things up?" William asked as they got back in the car.
"I would love to. And just so you know once we are all settled I am inviting everyone over for a nice dinner."
"Of course love. I would expect nothing else."
Packing the car with collapsible boxes, trash bags, and bubble wrap they headed back to their apartment. Both knew it was a little early to get started since they couldn't move in right away but they couldn't stop themselves. William found it especially hard to stop Alan who sat in the guest bedroom going over everything before carefully packing what he could and throwing out the rest. He loved seeing him so excited. He knew back when they first started dating how much Alan wanted to have a family, a nice house, he wanted the world. He also knew that Alan had never spoken his desire to him, they talked of marriage back then and that was all Alan had mentioned. But here, watching him now he knew this was what he wanted.
"Are you going to stand there all day? We could be discussing paints for the rooms if you don't want to help me pack." Alan said.
"Sorry, just thinking about something." Coming into the room he sat beside him and helped him pack boxes while they debated colors for the master bedroom. They knew for the nursery they were doing a neutral color, something pastel so it would be easy on the eyes.

Stopping for dinner they had most of the room packed and everything they didn't need to keep in garbage bags. William promised to throw them out after dinner so they didn't linger in the room forever. As Alan placed dinner in front of them and sat down William took Alan's hand.
"William?" This was rare William rarely took his hand during dinner. "Everything alright?"
"Yes love I'm just happy. I can't believe we have a house, we are planning a baby and soon we will be married"
"It looks like you are finally getting your wish to get my name on the deed. I don't know how to thank you enough for all you have done for me. I really feel like I am living a dream with you."
"You don't have to thank me. Your dreams are mine as well, I am just glad we get to share them together."
Watching Alan's eyes start to become misty William smiled gently softly before moving his hand to his cheek. The one he loved was too adorable, how did he ever become so lucky?

That night both laid in bed, exhaustion from the day and the excitement tiring out Alan sooner than he might have liked. Keeping Williams hand on their child both sat in wonderment knowing how beautiful their future looked. Even without words they both knew they were still waiting to wake from this dream. William would awake to Alan not being his, to have him be loved by another man. And Alan would awake to still dreaming of the day he would have a family and a man that was serious about a relationship. Kissing Alan's collarbone William hoped to whatever force out there that Alan knew he was beloved. He never wanted a doubt in the others mind on how real this love was for him.

A few weeks later Alan was handed the key to their first house together and with William beside him unlocked the front door for the first time. Stepping inside the house with William's hand tightly in his own he stopped and stared. His eyes were seeing everything for the first time. He couldn't believe it, this was theirs.
"Alan? Is everything alright?" Watching Alan stop in the doorway and look around William worried something was wrong, maybe Alan was having second thoughts on this house. Seeing him turn his way he saw his eyes glassy with happiness and a smile on his face.
"William, we have a house. This. This wonderful place is ours."
"Glad you are happy love."
"Oh I am beyond happy." Looking back at the walls around him he took a step inward and let William close the front door. Taking a deep breath Alan started to envision how everything would look once they were settled. The couch would go over there and the coffee table would sit in the middle, they could fit a bookshelf beautifully by the window too. "I can't wait to get started." With William's hand still in his own he lead them up the stairs and into the master bedroom. The sooner they got that done the sooner they could actually move in.

Alan swept up in the kitchen. Cleaning off all the dust from the counters and selves so he could start to unpack some of the things they had brought over. He wasn't allowed upstairs while William painted their bedroom. William feared the fumes would be harmful to himself and the baby. While he would have liked to help he didn't see the point in arguing and went back downstairs to start cleaning. The house wasn't empty that long which helped but it was vacant long enough and Alan wanted to make sure he personally scrubbed everything before they started to do any major unpacking. Looking around he knew they had a lot to do and they would probably have to buy a few things since they now had more space but they would get there eventually he was sure of it. Putting the broom aside for a moment he filled a bucket with hot soapy water and started scrubbing. He was ready to work as hard and as fast as he could so they could leave the apartment for good. He was looking forward to the day they were able to sleep here.

Stopping for lunch Alan ordered in, excited to give the new address, and called up to William to let him know it was ordered. Only waiting a few moments he saw him come down with only small paint spots on his clothes.
"I hope it wasn't a bad time, I finished the kitchen and saw the time. I would have waited to get you but I don't have cash."
"It's fine. I finished the first coat. It's looking good. And I see how it is, only keeping me for my money." Teasing, he wrapped an arm around Alan as he saw the hard work he did on the kitchen.
"Looks great love. Anything unpacked?"
"I have some of the china unpacked in the corner cabinets like we talked about and the extra silverware we brought over but other than that not really."
"Well we also didn't bring much over yet so I think you got a lot done. Once I can apply the second coat of paint we can get the new carpet installed in our room and move in there."
"I can't wait for that day. I know the house will still need a little bit more work done before we are all good but getting our room done will feel great." Kissing William's cheek he took his hand to have them go outside and wait for the delivery guy. While they were out there they talked about plants they would like to put in the yard to add some color.

It took a few weeks but Alan was happy to stand in the doorway of his new house with William, Ronald, Eric, and Grell and welcome them to their house. William kept his hand wrapped around Alan's waist as they gave the grand tour and thanked them again for all their hard work. This wouldn't have been as painless without them. As everyone settled in the living room Grell sat next to Alan and talked about how things were going for him. She wanted to make sure he wasn't over doing anything while he tried to get settled. Plus, it was the perfect time to fawn over how good he was looking and how you could really start to see he was showing. Blushing, Alan got up to start working on the nice meal he had planned for everyone as a thank you gift to them. Not surprised Grell followed him he let the gushing continue though he tried to tune it out.
"I just hit twenty weeks Grell." He said answering Grell's question as they worked together to cut up the vegetables.
"I had a feeling. Oh how exciting! Do we have a gender yet?"
Shaking his head Alan put down what he was doing and placed a soft hand on his child. "Not yet. Appointment isn't until Friday. I know we don't care what we are having but it will be nice to know. Settle on names, on how we want to do the nursey. Really feel like we are getting things ready for them."
"Well this beautiful house is a nice start."
Thanking her for the compliment Alan got back to what he was doing so they wouldn't have to wait forever to eat.

By the time everyone left for the night Alan was exhausted. He hadn't slept well last night and the excitement of today wasn't helping him either. William sat up in bed as he kept waking up feeling Alan moving about beside him. Reaching over his turned the lamp on to make sure he was alright.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Alan asked as he sat up and rubbed his face.
"Are you alright? You've been tossing about since I came to bed."
"I'm finding it really hard to get comfortable is all."
"Tomorrow we should look into getting you one of those pillows, maybe that will help." William mentioned as he moved closer to Alan, wrapping his arms around him.
"We could try. But they are expensive and I don't want to spend that much on myself when I could just do that with what we own."
"Obviously your methods aren't working and you need a good night's rest. Tomorrow we will get you something after work. You can afford to spend some money on yourself love I promise." Feeling Alan cuddle against him William kissed his forehead. This would always be a battle with Alan, for as long as they had been together he hated spending money on himself. He also hated when he knew William spent a lot of money on him. After they got engaged Alan had a long talk with him about the money he spent on the ring could have served a better purpose but Alan always failed to realize he liked spoiling him when he could. And, knowing how deeply Alan wished to one day get married William knew he couldn't get the love of his life a cheap ring. Besides, they were both very wise with their spending and were amazing savers. They were both financially stable right now so they should do what they could while they were able.

Alan sat in the doctor's office waiting the appointment to get really underway. So far he looked good but he wasn't really thinking about himself he was more interested in the baby. William was beside him holding his hand keeping him still while they both managed the smiles on their faces. They really didn't care if they were having a boy or a girl they just hoped they were healthy. They had talked about waiting until the child was born but they wanted to decorate a nursey and pick names and they realized that having every option was making it harder for them to decide on things. The nursey was a neutral color, a pastel blue Alan fell in love with but when it came to clothes they would end up buying everything in stock if they weren't careful. This decision also came after they saw their list of names. William would shutter when they looked at it knowing it was two pages long and seemed to get longer each day. Seeing the doctor come back with the technician and the equipment Alan's smile grew as he did what was asked of him.

No matter how many times they saw this neither figured they would get enough or get tired of it. Seeing their child on the monitor was something they would never be able to describe. Hearing that their child was doing just fine and things were still developing at the proper rate Alan started to cry a little out of joy. While he tried not to show it, the baby was always on his mind. Every time he did something, ate something, he worried if it would harm the child, if it was the right thing to do. While he was doing research on what to expect he learned that the worrying was normal since it was his first child but it didn't stop him.

Once they had left the doctor's office, Alan had text Grell with a picture he took from the ultrasound picture. She text back right away *screaming* and called Alan to saw she was going to spoil their son every chance she got. William took them to a restaurant for lunch to celebrate the wonderful news they received today. He couldn't wait to start planning for their son, there was so much he saw in the stores that he wanted to buy for him already.