Prompt: gonna sound like a strange request but can you do a short fic where rae and finn have pregnancy scare (but a happy one not one where finn goes crazy or gets upset ha ha)


"She's absolutely gorgeous." Rae said to Izzy, reaching out to gently stroke little Valerie's head, the downy tufts of red hair soft under her fingers. Izzy beamed down at the baby girl in her arms, Chop sitting in a nearby armchair, bouncing the five year old Cameron on his knee, grinning at them. Izzy went to take a seat on the sofa, Rae going to join Finn in the kitchen, eyes fixed on the baby as she made her way to leave.

"I can't find the bloody teabags…" Finn said as Rae walked in. Rae found them instantly, picking them up from beside the bread bin and giving them to her husband. "Wait until you see that baby girl. She is an absolute cracker." she said to him, smiling at his profile. Finn gave her a quick grin as he popped the teabags in the four mugs on the tray in front of him. Finn had instantly offered to make the tea, walking in to a full house, as always. "I bet she is." he said, opening the top cupboard to look for sugar. Before Rae could begin to help him, she heard a cry from upstairs.

"I'll see to him." she called into the living room as she made her way to the staircase.

"Cheers m'dear." Chop replied.

Rae got to Joe and Cameron's bedroom, the two year old Joe standing up in his cot, fully clothed.

"What's going on here then, ay?" Rae said gently, picking the boy up and bouncing him in her arms. He wiped his eyes sleepily, his nose wet with snot. Rae picked out a tissue from her pocket, wiping his nose clean.

"Do you want to come downstairs and see Mummy and Daddy?" she said to him, Joe nodding in response, resting his head on Rae's shoulder and holding her tighter to him. Rae's heart skipped as it always did, and she felt the familiar rush of love and affection that she felt for all of Chop and Izzy's children. Eager to spend some more time with the new arrival, she went downstairs, her heart warming further still when she saw Valerie in Finn's arms as she re-entered the living room. He was sitting next to Izzy on the sofa, looking up at Rae and Joe briefly before returning his soft gaze to the little bundle he was holding. Rae's heart melted, as it always did when she saw Finn holding a baby, or playing with children. He was so brilliant with them, she thought, like Chop - never afraid to get scrappy, a firm believer in giving children freedom to be adventurous. He was a little more cautious than Chop, however, always stopping if the kids got too overexcited.

They all sat in the living room catching up, Rae's eyes often lingering on Finn as he tenderly stroked Valerie's nose, completely engrossed. Izzy noticed her gaze and asked the question she always did…

"So…when are you two going to start having kiddies of your own then, ay?"

Finn looked up at Rae, sharing a small smile with her. They hadn't talked about having children up to that point, both caught up in their individual careers, Rae working as a book editor and Finn working as a sound engineer at an indie record label, barely finding the time to spend together as it was, caught up in the hectic rhythm of London life. Rae couldn't deny, she'd wanted a child, and it was at times like this that the desire came to the fore-front of her mind. Whenever they came back home to visit family and friends, the newlyweds had time to think and reflect, and she knew what Finn was thinking as he gazed over at her, both of them holding small children.

"As soon as possible." Finn said, his smile widening. Rae mirrored him before looking down at Joe, who was sucking his thumb.

"You serious?" Chop said, with a wide grin, Cameron tugging on his oil stained t-shirt. Izzy let out a happy squeal, clapping her hands together. "When did you decide this?" she asked, looking over at Rae wide eyed.

"Just now." Rae said with a laugh.

"It's about bloody time! What's wrong wi' ya man? Get impregnatin', pronto!" Chop shouted over to Finn, pointing at Rae.

"I would, Chop, but I think I'll let you be the one to traumatise your kids, if ya haven't already." Finn replied, Izzy giggling as she reached for her mug.

"I'll give ya some tips when the girls aren't knockin' about. Got a few tricks up ma sleeve when it comes t' shooting the ammo from the cannon." Chop said with a wink, making Rae and Finn laugh and Izzy put a hand to her face in amused embarrassment. "Jesus, Arnie!" she said quietly, her face turning the same shade as her hair.

"Nah mate, nah it's fine; you already taught me how to use a pea shooter in primary so…I think you've already given me the full picture of your sexual prowess." Finn said with a toothy grin, Chop flipping him the bird. Valerie began to cry at the sound sound of Izzy and Rae's laughter, Finn giving her back to her Mum.

After talking for a few hours more, Rae and Finn said their goodbyes.

"Just to think - next time we see each other, you might have a bun in the oven!" Izzy said, smiling up at Rae and rubbing her stomach, gently. Rae laughed, bringing in Izzy for a tight hug. Finn and Chop finished their conversation, hugging and slapping each others backs, Chop making his way to Rae to peck her on the lips and hug her tight.

"Make me proud, lover boy." Chop shouted, slapping Finn on the bum as he and Rae made their way to their car. "If Raemundo's not up the duff by next week, you're no longer a man in my eyes." It was Finn's turn to flip Chop the bird as he opened the driver's side door, Rae throwing her head back to laugh once more as she got into the car beside him.

As they drove away, Rae looked at Finn, her grin faltering slightly.

"Finn…were you being serious earlier on? Do you really wanna try for a baby?" she said, struggling to read his expression in the twilight.

Finn was silent for a few moments, and any doubts Rae had were erased at the same time. She knew, as if she was flipping a coin, what she wanted the verdict to be. She was ready. They were ready, she knew it - and they'd waited long enough. They were financially stable enough to go for it; they could even move out of London, buy a house somewhere quiet. Rae could work from home and Finn could open the studio he'd always dreamed about, commuting to work in the meantime. They were 28 and 29 respectively, and Rae didn't want to get much older before they had their first child, wanting to see as much of the growing up process as possible.

She waited with bated breath, hoping that Finn wasn't having sudden doubts. Maybe he didn't want children? Maybe he just wanted to adopt a load of dogs or something? Maybe he secretly wanted to be a dog trainer, entering his 8 dogs into yearly dog shows.

"Finn?" Rae prodded, starting to get panicky. Maybe talking to him about it in the car wasn't the best idea. After what seemed like an eternity, Finn replied, calmly:

"Yeah, I were serious. I think we're ready for it." Finn said with a confident nod. "D-d'you think we're ready?" he said, turning jerkily to Rae before facing the road once more.

Rae smiled, nodding. "Definitely. Being with Chop and Izzy's kids today made me realise how much I want one of our own."

"You looked dead broody holding Joey today. He adores ya." Finn said, pulling into the car park of their B&B.

"What about you with Valerie? You're a bloody natural, you are!" Rae replied, Finn smiling at her as he took the keys from the ignition. He carried on gazing at his wife in silence, letting their decision settle a little more over them both. After a minute or two, Rae asked: "What're you thinking about?"

Finn met her gaze, a cheeky grin spreading over his lips. "I'm wonderin' how thick the walls of our room are." he replied, eyebrows wiggling. Rae laughed, leaning over to kiss Finn adoringly over the gear shift.


Rae considered going down the popular route of painstakingly planning sex with Finn based on her ovulation dates, but as they were used to being at it like rabbits with respectable regularity, she decided to go down the old school route and just let it happen when it happened. They'd both agreed not to make too many future plans until Rae finally fell pregnant, not wanting to jinx anything.

What aggravated the couple the most was the false alarms. Rae had sworn several times that she'd felt pregnant, having what she deemed 'odd cravings' and feelings of nausea, but they would always find themselves disappointed after the tense minute of waiting for the pregnancy test to reveal the result.

"Fuck." Rae would say, Finn giving her a comforting kiss on her forehead, his face slackening, discouraged.

Chop's less than savoury advice did little to help, nor did the book of 'optimum positions' Izzy sent them through the post. They tried everything; changes in diet, increased exercise, all the sexual positions ever invented - Finn had already quit smoking 6 years prior, so that wasn't an issue, nor was Rae's size, as she was at a healthy weight.

At the 7 month mark, they both had fertility tests, both frustrated further to find they were both in tip-top baby making condition.

"What are we doing wrong, then?" Rae asked as they left the clinic hand in hand.

"We've only been trying for a few months. It'll happen." Finn said, rubbing Rae's index finger with his thumb.

As time whizzed by, they began to bicker more and more, both blaming each other in weaker moments. They were both exhausted, trying to remember a life that consisted of more than just work and shagging. When it got to the 15 month mark, they were at the end of their tether, both deciding to take a break from trying. They were terrified to find that they no longer found sex as fun as they used to - it had become a chore, a job that needed to be done, and they both agreed that they needed to take a step back so they didn't kill each other. It did them good, spending some time apart, Finn going on a lad's holiday and Rae spending time alone with her friends.

After they'd reunited, they gradually began to remember how they were before they started trying for a baby. The old Rae and Finn were still there, but they were buried under piles and piles of 'How to Conceive' self help books. They found themselves back in their old routine, their plan to have a child pushed to the back burner temporarily as they regained their energy and sanity.

It all came screaming back to the surface, however, when Rae received a call from a delighted Chloe.

"Rae, is Finn there? I have some wonderful news!" She sounded close to tears, and Rae looked over to Finn as he sat watching TV, already guessing what the news would be.

"Yeah, he's here, hang on a minute." Rae beckoned Finn over to her, clicking the speaker phone button.

"I'm pregnant! Just found out this morning!" Chloe sang, Rae's breath hitching slightly as she did so.

"That's amazin', Chloe, congratulations!" Finn replied, trying to gauge Rae's reaction. She tried to smile, but it didn't quite get there, her cheeks quivering slightly and her eyes glossy.

"I can't believe it! I was going to wait until you came back to tell ya, but I couldn't wait that long, ya know." Chloe's voice continued to fill the room. Finn touched Rae's back gently, bringing her back to reality. After she came to herself, she added her own congratulations, trying to keep her voice as happy as possible.

"I'm so happy for ya, Chlo; I didn't even know you and Jason were trying!" She managed to keep the quiver in her throat at bay, and Finn continued to look at her uncomfortably.

"We weren't, well, considering Jason's already got children we didn't really plan on having one of our own, but, it just happened I guess!" she trilled, and Rae nodded, knowingly, an ironic smile appearing. 'Things never change.' she thought to herself.

"Listen, I can't stay on the phone long. Jase's parents are coming round and we're going to tell them the news as well. Make sure you two visit us soon, yeah? I miss you so much." she buzzed.

"We will, don't worry." Finn said with a smile. "We miss you too." Rae forced out. She was happy for Chloe, truly, but her happiness was hiding behind a bucket load of misery and regret.

"I'll speak to you both soon. Bye!" Chloe rang off, leaving Finn and Rae to stand in stony silence.

Finn broke it by sighing, walking away and linking his fingers over his head. Turning back to Rae, hands dropping by his sides, he asked: "You alright?"

Rae let out a small huff of laughter, shaking her head, still looking down at the phone.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Rae, I mean, we tried…we really fuckin' tried and it just didn't happen. Maybe we weren't meant to…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. Frustration began to brew inside him as he watched Rae's eyes squeeze shut, pushing out thick tears as she moved the post it notes around the table with her finger.

"Stop comparing yourself to Chloe - I know what you're thinking, I know ya. You're going to take this and add it to the very long list of stuff she's beat ya to, well don't fuckin' think about it, alright?" Finn's voice was tinged with anger, and Rae wiped her eyes, composing herself instantly. She turned, ready for the row she knew was coming. It escalated quickly, the subject changing from Chloe to yet more accusations of why it hadn't worked for them, mad, irrational speculations thrown between them as to what went wrong. Finn accused Rae of working too hard, saying stress probably had a lot to do with nothing happening. Rae accused Finn of losing interest in the idea, saying she didn't think his heart was truly in it, that he was having second thoughts. The fight continued until they were practically screaming in each other's faces, their anger no doubt partly fuelled by the fact that they hadn't had sex in 4 months. As the barbs began to reach their peak, Finn found himself gripping Rae's head in his hands and pulling her towards him, smashing her lips against his mid-speech, her already open mouth closing around his hungrily. Pushing her up against the wall, she let out a moan every time he knocked her against it, Finn not sure whether to push her back or pull her to him. She took fistfuls of his shirt in her hands, gasping for air as Finn pulled away to kiss and bite her neck. Meeting her lips again, Finn pulled her from the wall to manoeuvre her to - somewhere, anywhere - the phone falling to the floor, cord linked around Rae's ankle. Undeterred, Finn pushed away the papers and books that had been strewn over the kitchen table where Rae was working earlier, Rae pulling off his shirt as he laid her down onto it. He knelt over her, breaking from her lips to pull her shirt off, undoing her trousers and practically ripping them from her, Rae gripping onto the sides of the table to stop herself from sliding off. Unbuckling his trousers, Finn wasted no time, their already loud moans only increasing in volume as Finn began to fuck her, fast and hard, the polished wood squeaking against Rae's skin. In those few minutes, all thoughts of ovulation kits, self help books, home remedies, viagra and loose fitting boxers left both their minds, replaced only with the feel of each other and thoughts of how much they'd missed this, how they missed sex actually being fun, missed the times where they would crave each other like a niggling itch that desperately needed to be scratched. They didn't know what was worse; sex as a necessity or no sex at all.

They were tired of arguing over nothing, tired of the eternal elephant in the room and Finn wanted to erase their problems with every kiss and bite he landed on Rae's pale skin. He knew however, deep down that the only way they could truly solve their current problem was by him giving her a child, and he resolved to make it happen by any means necessary as he plunged his hand into Rae's hair, feeling her grip on his back tighten as she came, blissfully deafened by her cries.

They'd set their heart on being parents and Finn knew they'd be amazing ones. He imagined how perfect a Mum Rae would be, how her generosity, kindness and care would translate beautifully into how she'd be with their future child. These were his thoughts before he followed suit, his sweaty brow pressing against Rae's fore-head, trying to remember the last time he felt so good. The stuttered moan he let out echoed around the flat, only the sound of their heavy panting and the gentle ringing of the hanging wine glasses following it.

After a few minutes of interspersed kisses, Finn holding himself inside Rae, stroking her damp hair, Rae let out a small "Sorry." idly stroking Finn's back. Finn let out a small laugh through his nose, grinning down at his wife, eyes scanning her face. "Me too." he said, kissing her once more.

"I don't mind if it never happens for us, Finn. I can live with it, honestly. Don't think for one second that you're not enough for me, cos you are. I'm so lucky to have ya." Rae whispered, her breath warming Finn's nose.

"It'll happen, Rae, I know it. We've got options, ya know?" Finn said, combing her hair between his digits. Rae nodded up at him, smiling. He begrudgingly pulled away from her, stepping onto the ground and looking at the carnage they'd caused. Rae propped herself up on her elbows, surveying the damage for herself with a smirk.

"Was that stuff important?" Finn asked bashfully, gesturing to the papers all over the floor around them.

"Yeah, but, who cares." Rae said, shrugging. Finn started to pick up the papers before Rae stopped him, taking his hand and leading him to the bathroom for a shower.


Finn awoke two days later to an empty space next to him. He checked the time, gazing sleepily at the clock on Rae's bedside table. 8:30 am. He could dimly hear Rae pottering around in the bathroom, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. Finn wondered why she was up so early on a Sunday, of all days, when they usually stayed in bed until at least 11. Just as Finn was wondering if Rae was feeling ill, he heard a familiar sniff from behind the door. The horrible realisation that Rae was crying washed over him, and he immediately got up to investigate.

"Rae? You alright? Rae?" he said, walking towards the door.

The door swung open, and there, standing on the threshold was Rae in her knighty, her tear streaked face bright as she beamed at him, holding up a white stick in her hand. Finn walked over as if in a trance, gently holding Rae's wrist, his chest searing as he looked at the big blue plus. He stood there, his transfixed gaze moving to his overwhelmed wife's eyes, closing the space between them to kiss her deeply.