So, I know it's been like three weeks, but considering what my life is like this time of year, I think it's actually pretty good. At any rate, I hope you enjoy - please let me know! I can't tell ya'll how much the reviews mean to me and help keep me inspired!

It was super late by the time they got home from dinner with Catherine and April stifled a yawn as she sat down on the couch and pulled her shoes off.

"Tired?" Jackson asked sympathetically as he settled on the opposite end of the couch.

April nodded. "Your mother is exhausting," she replied without thinking and then clapped her hand over her mouth once she realized what she'd said. "I'm sorry – I mean – you know I love her –"

"But she is exhausting," Jackson cut her off with a quiet laugh. "Welcome to my world."

April smiled sheepishly as Jackson continued, "I'm serious. Do not for a second feel like we have to do this party and Christmas in Boston thing."

"Oh, I don't know," April said slowly. "It might not be that bad. It would do my parents good to actually get away for a couple days. And if it means that much to your mom, then, well…"

Her voice trailed off as Jackson frowned. "Should you even be flying anywhere in December? Isn't that too close to the due date?"

April quickly counted the weeks in her head and then shook her head. "It's close, but it should be okay. I'll be right about 34 weeks at Christmas and that's the general recommended cutoff. But, seeing as I'd be traveling with a doctor and there'll be more of them than I can count at our destination, I think I'd be okay, don't you?"

"I don't know," Jackson joked. "There's not much call for plastic surgeons in the OB/GYN world."

April laughed. "True, but I think I'd trust you if necessary. Besides, I've never been to Boston. Kinda always wanted to go."

"Yeah?" Jackson replied. "Yeah, Freedom Trail, the Harbor, all of that historical stuff, right?"

"Well, yeah, that. But mostly I wanted to go there when I was a kid so I could find Joey McIntyre's house," April giggled. "You know, New Kids on the Block?"

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Of course! I was so in love with them when I was like, nine. My sister Libby was obsessed and so eventually we all were. It was perfect – four sisters and five guys to pick from – we could each have a favorite."

Jackson couldn't help but laugh at the tween-like enthusiasm she was displaying. "Of course," he said mock-seriously and April swatted his leg.

"I'm serious! Libby liked Jon, because he was also the oldest and the 'serious' one. Kimmie, of course, was all about Donnie the bad boy and Alice liked Jordan because he played the piano and she wanted to take lessons one day."

"And why did you like Joey and not the other guy that was left?"

April smiled thoughtfully. "Oh, Joey-Joe. Well – I liked that he was kind of sarcastic and playful. And he had gorgeous blue eyes. And his hair would get totally out of control curly when he let it get too long, and I thought that was cute." She giggled again, looking thoughtful. "Come to think of it, that could actually describe another guy I found myself in love with recently," she said, glancing sideways at him and batting her eyelashes in exaggerated fashion.

Jackson laughed. "I'm not sure if that was actually smooth or if I should be insulted."

"Oh, it was totally a compliment," April grinned. "I mean, basically I'm saying you totally live up to my childhood fantasy."

"Good to know," he grinned back. "And you're basically also saying that you're gonna ditch me in Boston to stalk your teen idols?"

April shook her head. "No ditching, I promise. I will be brave and I will meet your family and I will do my very best not to be scared of your grandfather."

"His bark really is worse than his bite," Jackson said before turning serious. "But as long as we're talking about being afraid of family members –"

April bit her lip, pretty sure she knew where he was going with this.

"Have you really not called your parents yet?" Jackson asked, frowning. "I thought you were going to do that last week."

"I know," April replied, looking a little miserable. "I chickened out. I'm sorry. I just – I really, really have no idea how they'll react or what they might say and I just –"

"I know," Jackson said gently. "But you have to tell them."

"I know," April groaned. "I know," she repeated, glancing over at the clock. "Okay, it's after midnight already. If I stay up just a couple more hours, I can catch them when they get up in the morning. Deal?"

Jackson nodded. "You want me to stay up with you?"

"Please," April said simply.

Jackson nodded again. He turned sideways on the couch so he was leaning back against the arm of it and stretched his legs out along the length of the couch. "C'mere," he said, reaching out to grab her hand and pull her over beside him. April obliged easily, resting her head on his shoulder.

They were still holding hands, his left in her right, and she found herself fidgeting with his ring instead of her own for once.

"It still feels kinda weird, doesn't it?" she asked quietly. "Being married and all."

"Yeah," Jackson replied. "Not a bad weird," he hastened to add. "Just weird."

"No, I know," April said. "And the baby…" her voice trailed off, her other hand sort of automatically going to rest on her stomach, the teensiest hint of a swell just starting to be visible.

They hadn't actually talked about the baby much, except in an abstract sense. In all truthfulness, it still didn't feel quite real to her yet and she figured that that was probably even more so the case for Jackson. They'd been so focused on becoming a couple and then becoming a married couple that they'd both – whether consciously or not – kind of put the baby thing in the back of their minds.

"Yeah," Jackson echoed, his free hand going to cover hers. "It is really, really weird to think about, isn't it? That there's like, a whole person in there?"

"Completely weird," April agreed. "I just – I don't know. It doesn't seem totally real yet, ya know?"

Jackson nodded. "Tell me about it."

April laughed. "Poor kid, with parents convinced it's an imaginary baby."

Jackson snorted. "Seriously."

They continued talking and laughing quietly for the next couple hours, April eventually dozing off on Jackson's shoulder. He himself was not fully awake, but somehow managed to stay alert enough to gently shake her awake around 2:30 in the morning.

"April," he whispered, "It's time."

She sat up, shaking herself awake, before reaching for her purse and getting her phone out.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath as she settled back beside him and scrolled through her contacts. "Here goes nothing."