11
*2 months later- Aria is 7 months pregnant, Hanna and Caleb told everyone that they were expecting a baby she is now 3 months pregnant. Lily and Grace are 3 months old*
"Alison, come here now! Lily is smiling at me, it's not a reflex either it's a purposeful smile".
Alison practically jogged down the stairs to greet Emily and her daughter's. "Emily, if you are lying to me?". But Alison was surprised to see their daughter giving Emily the cheekiest, cheesiest, gummy smile, Lily's eyes were also crinkled, solely exposing a tiny slit of hazel peering through.
"Aww, Lily I knew you would catch up", Ali spoke with pride as she tickled her tummy which sparked a contagious giggle from Lily. Grace had been the first out of both of the girls to meet each milestone, putting on weight, rolling over and lifting her head.
"See, I told you she would. She is headstrong, like you. She is determined and will get to her end goal in the end, even though Grace has your personality, I know Lily has the emotional balance like you. Lily is going to be so successful just like Grace".
"Babe, I appreciate all this but that is quite an assumption from her smiling at you". Ali speaks with a joking tone but she knows what Emily means. She reached for Emily and pulled her up off the floor and pulled her in for a kiss. "You know we haven't had any 'fun' for a while, I miss your touch. I mean I knew having kids would change how we used to be, even though it was for the better. But I need your touch on me…in me?"
Emily scoffed and choked on her words with embarrassment and the adopted raised eyebrow from Alison, "Can you not mention the girls and the insinuation of sex in one sentence?
Emily and Alison parted from each other, Ali picked up Grace. "Oh, yeah…sorry?!"
"But don't worry, when we have an opportunity for 'something' I'll make sure we make the most it", Alison was walking away but Emily practically skipped across the wooden floor and slapped Alison's ass trying to get her attention. "Hopefully sooner rather than later, yeah?"
Alison turned her head back at Emily and flashed her blue eyes that glistened with curiosity, it almost reminded Emily of the old teenage, sassy Alison DiLaurentis,"Yeah!".
Emily continued to call up to Alison as she witnessed the blonde disappear up the second flight of stairs "I love Spencer but I'm glad that she is living with Toby now, we get to be raunchy without containing it to our room". Alison didn't answer but Emily knew that the feeling was mutual.
Lily and Grace were dowsed in white. White lace dresses that Pam had made for them, white tights with black spots and Emily and Alison recruited the soon-to-be-godparents to pick out shoes and headbands. It was clear Hanna took control when she was picking out the items for Grace, Hanna stated when she dropped off the accessories that she wasn't leaving it in the fumbling hands of Toby and Caleb because she had explained it as a "Catastrophe waiting to happen". Clearly Emily and Alison felt secure with the choices Hanna had made, especially as she is a fashion designer for up and coming celebrities. Grace's headband was a pink sparkly bow and he had diamante bow Moschino black shoes. Granted the look Emily's and Alison's daughter was wearing wasn't something they would have chosen themselves but it was the reason why they gave them free reign to do whatever they liked on this day, as Hanna, Caleb, Toby, Aria, Ezra and Spencer were going to be in their lives forever. Lily on the other hand looked more traditional and tame. She had black patent ballet shoes and a silk purple bow. You can tell that both Spencer and Aria had influenced the look, team Sparia had over-powered Ezra and they took the initiative to go out shopping for their new god-daughter.
"This is the first time the girls have looked like polar-opposites to each other".
I'm personally going to kill Hanna, she made Grace look like a glitter box was knocked off the shelf and all over her".
"Hey!" Emily was abrupt and gave Alison the eye. Even though the couple was engaged, Emil was still going to stick up for her friends if it was needed. "Alison, give her this day, in 6 months she will have her own child to spoil with designer labels"
"God help Caleb…and the baby", Alison spoke with sincerity as she buckled Lily and Grace into their car seats while they were waiting for Pam to drive them to the church, where everyone was waiting.
Emily was in the kitchen gathering up the baby bottles and formula to go into the diaper bag. "Alison?"
"Emily". Alison made her way into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her fiancée's waist. "You know, you make me nervous when you call me 'Alison' and not 'Ali'". Ali whispered into Emily's ear, "It is taking so much strength to not want to have sex with you right now". Her fingers spread across and explored Emily's hip bones, caressing her waist and tracing her fingers down the familiar tracks of her body.
"Alison, you really want to do this now? We are going to church in 35 minutes to have our twins christened?"
We'll have to be quick then" Alison smiled as the words left her slightly upturned lips.
"That wasn't the point I was making. Although I'm quickly"…Emily's voice quivered at Alison's touch… "forgetting the point I was making". Em couldn't help but bite the inside of her mouth to try and contain the possibility of a moan escaping her.
"Good, it means it's working", Ali continued to part Emily's thighs to get better access.
Emily repeated her earlier plea, "Alison?"
"I'm trying to create a vibe here" Ali tried to justify her actions.
Pam entered the house, "It's only me…WOAH!" and she quickly exited the room.
Embarrassment quickly descended over Emily's face, mortified that her mother practically caught the couple in the act. Alison on the other hand was never fazed, she almost felt proud that she could get Emily to let loose.
Alison left the kitchen and went to greet Pam and acted like nothing happened, "Hi Pam", Ali went in for a hug, but Pam politely declined. "Uhhm, can you fix the girls' car seats into your car, we'll be out in a minute". Pam was delighted to get out of the house, she swung the diaper bag over her shoulder and picked up the two car seats and closed the door behind her.
"Alright Em, she's not in the house".
The brunette appeared from around the kitchen's door frame, her face still flushed. "Ali, this is why we shouldn't have done anything yet, I said we'd get our moment", Emily sounded slightly annoyed, even though it wasn't directed at Alison or her mom.
"How was I meant to know that the woman who is usually late, decided to be on time? Plus, we didn't technically get to do anything, it was only just starting".
"Al, I have to spend the whole day with her today. How am I meant to stay calm and pretend like she never just walked in on us"? Emily was tying the laces on her heeled boots that she promised Ali she would wear for this occasion, cause Ali wasn't a fan of Emily wearing converse to their daughter's christening.
Ali knew that anything she said wouldn't help Emily so she simply gave her a hug and kiss, grabbed their bags and phones and left the house. The car ride was awkward (to say the least), no one spoke so Alison took the initiative to turn on the radio, whilst Em sat in the back between the girls but occasionally caught a glimpse of her mom's gaze in the interior mirror, which sent shivers through her body, it made Emily feel like a naughty child all over again.
As they pulled up to Rosewood's one and only (literally) church, they could see the girls and boys standing outside awaiting their arrival. Emily and Alison felt it was a good idea to invite Veronica, Ella and Ashley because as much as their friends were there for them, so was the moms. They all looked out for everyone and they wanted that support to be passed onto Lily and Grace.
As they poured out of the Jeep and walked towards the church's doors, Emily searched for Alison's hand in hope to she could feel support, radiating from her girl. In front of them stood a glamorous blonde. Hanna was wearing a short dress that was white accompanied by a black belt and heels. The belt accentuated her waistline that was slowly becoming more prominent with her small baby bump. Of course, Caleb was standing next to her, Hanna's arm was looped through his. Clearly Hanna, made sure Caleb matched her, he wore a black suit with a skinny, grey silky tie along with a little pink clip on his pocket to match the pink on his soon-to-be goddaughter Grace. Next in tow was Aria, who was heavily pregnant but still appeared to be glowing. She stood in a shell pink lace, sweetheart neckline dress which was haltered by spaghetti straps. The dress effortlessly swung from her baby bump which complimented her silver metallic heels, because she refused to give up fashion just because she was pregnant. Ezra was standing to the side but behind Aria, he was towering several inches above her which made her look incredibly tiny, although she is incredibly tiny. He had a navy suit with a black tie and black shoes, he looked smart but casual and traditional, nothing too over the top. Ezra's look was finished off by a metallic clutch, admittedly he was holding it for Aria but Caleb and Toby were giving him a hard time about it however Spencer and Hanna thought it was cute which triggered the response, "Why don't you do that for me?" from Hanna which prompted a sarcastic eyeroll from Caleb. The last people Alison and Emily laid eyes on were Spencer and Toby who were waiting arm in arm for their arrival, in anticipation of getting to share such a special day with friends that had become family. She wore a black but heavily floral dress which had ruffles over her chest, her wrist was decorated with her signature watch, unusually Spencer chose to wear light pink kitten heels which complimented her outfit. Toby had chosen a black suit and tan shoes, accompanied by a light pink cravat, which clearly showed Hanna had influence over his outfit choice as well.
"So, are you all ready to sit down and start?" a familiar low voice pricked up which prevented the moments of silence from lasting any longer.
"Ted?", Emily and Pam were confused because Alison had been the one to arrange the christening on her own as her project.
"Well, it's Pastor Ted. But seeing as it's you, I guess Ted works too". He spoke with a gentle sarcasm hinting in his tone.
Emily hadn't seen Ted since his wedding day when he married Ashley (Hanna's mom) over 3 years ago, so it was natural for her to go and give him a hug of 'hello' and 'appreciation'. The other girls had caught up with him and Ashley while they were waiting for Emily, Alison, Lily, Grace and Pam to arrive.
Spencer took Lily's car-seat and Toby took Grace's and they all headed into the church, where the pews had beautiful pastel flower arrangements along the edges which acted like perfect contrast with the dark, traditional wood that accented around the church.
Emily was trying to soak in the environment around her, she leaned into Alison's ear as she was walking down the aisle to their places, "Wow, you did such an amazing job. I never doubted you, but I wasn't expecting it to turn out this beautiful".
"I can't take all the credit, I had some pretty, amazing helpers. They really would do anything for us, even if they happen to be lawyers, heavily pregnant, newly pregnant or your mother in law". Alison pointed to the left as to where all the girls were entering the pews to take their seats and then gestured with her head in the opposite direction to where the parents were sitting. It was a small intimate gathering, but everyone who needed to be there was there. However, moments like this is when Alison missed her mom the most. As she sat down a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Hey", Emily wiped a tear away. "You're going to mess up that beautiful eyeliner and mascara, you spent like 30 minutes(?) on it, what's up?"
Nothing, I'm just being silly" Alison sniffed back her emotions and pulled herself together to regain composure. No one noticed what was going on as they all took part in idleless chatter.
"Ali?"
"Em, I said leave it", Alison quietly snapped at her, she didn't intend to, she just got irritable and didn't know how to cope with it.
Emily squeezed Alison's thigh in a way to show her that she is trying to be there for her and that she could let her in. Alison became an expert secret keeper so Emily was always worried that Alison would hide something from her easily, if she needed to.
Alison continued, "I just wish my mom was here. Pam is really doing a good-job as acting as my mother as well but it's not the same". Emily just pulled Alison into her side and gave her a tight hug and kissed her lips that were wet with tears.
"Alison, you can talk to me about Jessica whenever, wherever. You know that, you need to let me in".
"I know" Alison grabbed a wipe out of the diaper bag to wipe away the tracks of soiled mascara racing down her face. As she was replacing the misplaced foundation on her now rosy cheeks she supposed, "I just find it hard to let people know that I'm struggling".
"Are the pills not working?"
"They are Em, don't worry about that. I just, I see struggle as a weakness and I can't be weak again".
Emily didn't say anything in return, she just held Alison's hand that had a scrunched wipe, encased in a tissue clenched in her fist. Through the pew they could feel the bounces as Hanna and Spencer were bouncing the girls on their knees because the girls were getting fussy and we couldn't postpone the service any longer.
Through a microphone Ted asks "Are we ready to begin?".
Pam looked over to Emily and Emily nodded which cued Pam to nod in agreement to let the service begin.
*The morning after 23rd December*
"It's like old times, back when we were teenagers. Seeing everyone sprawled out on the floor, couches and beds".
The blonde walking up behind her interjected, "Except now we have children who are crying and need feeding"Ali tried to emphasise her words to push Emily to get the hint.
Emily scowled at Alison for bringing her back to reality, a little too soon. "Well, that was nice while it lasted", she mimicked Alison's raised eyebrow and turns to walk up the stairs.
"Wait, they are all godparents now. I'm pretty sure we just wrapped responsibility up and popped a bow on it and gave it to them. Can we wake them up and give them free practice?" Alison spoke with mischief.
"They aren't going to be happy? Two hormonal pregnant women and the others are still pissed from the night before…DON'T correct me Ali! the girls are upstairs and cannot hear me". Under her breath Emily muttered, "Not like they care".
In unison, the blonde and brunette stood on the coffee table in the middle of their living room and shouted, "1, 2, 3…WAKE UP BITCHES!"
The 6 of them shot up, squinting at the sunlight attacking their eyes.
Hanna was the first to let her aggravation be known, "What the actual fuck?"
"Yeah, I agree. What the…"
"Ezra?" Aria stopped him mid-sentence with a look of disgust emerging on her face.
Alison clarified for the group, "You are parents…"
"…Godparents, so get to parenting". Emily suggested as she fetched them all some water to help the reacquaint themselves with their surroundings.
"The bottles are made up, just heat them up and test them on the back of your hand first" Alison said as she was pointing to Ezra and Hanna, knowing that they would most likely forget.
Choose amongst yourself who is getting the first shift…there will be 5 feeds in the 12 hour time period, so you are all getting a turn". Emily tried to explain the daily routine.
"Oh and they well need changing"
"Not me!" Aria and Hanna shouted simultaneously.
Spencer rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Fine, guys…can we rock, paper, scissor it?"
Caleb, Toby, Ezra and Spencer finally stood up. Toby asked, "Best of three?".
"Whatever you say babe".
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Spencer went for classic scissors, Toby and Ezra and Caleb did rock.
"Seriously?" Spencer whined as she stomped into the kitchen to start warming the bottles, internally regretting suggesting the stupid game.
Alison commentated, "Rock, paper, scissors!"
Caleb and Ezra picked rock (again) but Toby chose is girlfriend's weapon of choice, scissors.
"Fuck!", Toby escorted himself out of the living room and called into Spencer telling her to bring the second bottle. He couldn't help but notice her cheeks rise, like she was happy to hear his voice and they were about to spend time together.
"You will find diapers and babygrow's in the dresser, along with bibs. The burp cloths are hanging over the rocking chair you gifted us".
"And just scan the house if you are looking for pacifiers".
Spencer reappeared and scoffed, "They aren't even joking". She put a bottle in his hand, grabbed his arm and dragged him up the stairs.
Aria had fallen back to sleep within minutes of being woken up but the remaining awake and present members of the group laughed at Spencer's assertiveness.
*In Lily's and Grace's room*
"Do you think they caught onto the idea that we tried to plan this?"
"Please, they are clueless. Now choose a child and feed them because I know that Lily, for sure gets Hangry".
"Kind of like you then?" Toby questioned with a laugh stifling his words. "Low blood sugar Spencer is a force to be reckoned with".
Spencer tutted and picked up Lily and used the burping cloth as a bib and sat in the rocking chair, amusing herself watching her boyfriend trying to handle a small human. "Are you okay there?"
"God yeah, it's not that difficult?". Toby reassures Spencer as he was trying to angle his arms to pick up Grace.
"Yet you're making it seem like I have asked you what is the meaning of life. Just pick her up but support her head and put the cloth under her chin and wiggle the bottle nipple into her mouth. Like exhibit the one I prepared earlier (meaning Lily)".
Toby finally sat down in the bay window using a pink, floral boppy to help support Grace.
He exhaled with relief "That was stressful!".
"You know, there is something about you being surrounded by fluffy cream and floral pillows, plus a baby on your lap that screams 'I'm still a man!'. This feels like what our future could consist of in a few years"
"It feels right, obviously with our own children" Toby tried to recover and not sound too sentimental.
"Our own children…consider that noted" Spencer didn't look up; her eyes were fixated on Lily who had milk remnants on her chin.
The pair stayed in the bedroom for no more than 45 minutes, enough time that they could successfully burp the twins and dress them. Toby caught Spencer off guard and prevented her from walking back downstairs and kissed her. Spencer deepened the kiss and became flushed with passion. The tall, slender brunette and muscly brunette with iced blue eyes followed behind also carrying a baby to pass them onto their parents.
*7:30pm*
Pam had already left Emily's and Alison's home so she could start preparing and making the dishes for the Christmas meal that she was transporting back to Emison's home. Now, all the couples were leaving and taking their goddaughters with them. Alison decided it was a chance for her and Em to have a night alone because they were both desperate for each other and she could use the excuse that it was bonding time between them and the girls. Grace was going with Hanna and Caleb, Lily was going with Spencer and Toby because Aria was getting too tired as she was getting further along in her pregnancy and Ezra was working long hours on the film production for his book.
All the couples hugged it out and Lily's and Grace's things were passed on to their respective guardians. The girls were only going to be away for a night but Emily packed way more things than needed, she was the over-protective parent.
"Bye guys, take care of them!?"
"I need them back in one piece, but you can have them for as long as possible. We still need to add the finishing decorations to the house, and it would be a lot smoother without two crying babies", Emily said in a matter-of fact tone.
"Roger that!"
"Thanks Han", Spencer rolled her eyes as she laughed and opened the car door
Alison enquired, "Uhhm, when are you lot turning up on Christmas day?"
Aria decided, "We'll be round for 1pm?"
"Yeah that's fine", Emily and Alison said as they waved them all goodbye. Alison slowly moved into Emily and whispered, "Early night?"
Emily shot Alison a look, "They aren't even out of the driveway yet".
"Is that a no?" Alison did her signature raised right eyebrow with a small smirk.
Emily seemed taken aback from the question, "No, that is not a no! Get upstairs, we are having a wild night".