A/N: I'm sorry for all the delays, guys. My time has been almost completely filled this past week, and it will continue to be pretty filled for the next couple of weeks, after which point I'll slow down and get a little bit more of a chance to update some things. Here's the next chapter, and Stephy Baby, I got your requests for Carry Your World and Fool's Game, so thank you for those. I promise you I will work on getting those updates completed very soon. I'll try to at least get a Carry Your World update posted tomorrow! :)


"I'll carry the tray up."

"No, I can carry it, Daddy."

"I know you can, Graham, but I'd rather bring it up the stairs myself. Here, why don't you go ahead of me, and you can wake Mommy up? When she sits up, you can put the tray in her lap so she can eat the breakfast we made."

"But I wanted to carry the tray," Graham grumbled.

Still, he crossed his arms, a sign of his resignation, and he led Chris out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Since it was Sunday morning and the Irvine boys liked to keep with tradition by whipping up a batch of their famous chocolate chip pancakes, they decided to serve Stephanie breakfast in bed. Pregnancy was making her more tired than normal, which meant that on average, she went to bed earlier and woke up later. Chris took it as a good sign that she was allowing her body the extra rest it craved, and he and Graham tried to pamper Stephanie as much as they possibly could.

She was only pregnant for a limited time, so they wanted to make her nine months of carrying their child and sibling, respectively, well worth the wait. Graham crept into the bedroom first, and Chris followed closely behind him, smiling involuntarily when he noticed Stephanie splayed out on her back, snoring lightly. He hated to wake her, but it was closing in on noon, and she needed to be up anyway, so that, at the very least, she could eat and drink something. Her left foot and shin peeked out from the bottom of the bedsheets, and Chris held the tray with one hand and reached down to re-cover her foot with the blanket, so she wouldn't get cold.

Graham raised his right hand and allowed it to hover over Stephanie's left shoulder. He glanced at Chris for reassurance, and when he received a nod of approval, he began shaking her gently. Despite sleeping like a rock on most mornings, Stephanie came to almost immediately, swiping at her face and sighing sleepily. She spotted Graham, who had leaned in close, then she noticed Chris standing behind him with a tray full of food, and a lazy smile crept across her face.

"Mommy, you have to wake up!" Graham exclaimed. "We made breakfast for you."

Stephanie cupped Graham's cheeks and kissed him on the center of his forehead. She pulled back and tossed the covers off of her body. "Thanks, boys. Have to wash up. Be back in a second."

After running her hand over Graham's hair, Stephanie made a quick stop to kiss Chris's cheek, then she disappeared behind the bathroom door. Chris placed her food tray down on the bed and kept his hands on the sides, to make sure the food and beverage didn't spill all over their bedsheets. Light barking echoed from the room a few doors down, which Stephanie had made into a special room for their pets, only for their remaining time living in the home. They had hired contractors to work on building a solid metal gate around their new home, as well as around the pool and hot tub, and Chris had consulted a security business to expertly position and install surveillance cameras around the new home. They were covered from all bases.

Until the work was completed, they had an ever-so-unpleasant wait on their hands, which preceded their big move, but the wait would be well worth it. Chris had promised Stephanie he would hire the movers and make sure they switched homes seamlessly. He wouldn't stand for having a stressed out wife, especially not while she carried his child, so he placed himself in charge of every other aspect of the move. The hired movers would take all of the hard work off of their hands so Chris could use that time to, instead, tend to his wife, son, and unborn baby. The raucous barking resumed, and Chris bucked his head in the direction of the hallway.

"Why don't you go check on Brownie and Freddy? Make sure they're just playing and not really fighting in there," Chris said.

"But I have to give Mommy her tray," he whined, tossing his hands up frustratedly. "You're gonna give it all to her without me, and she won't even know I helped."

The bathroom door swung open, and a visibly more alert Stephanie stopped in the doorway, arching an eyebrow. "I know you helped, sweetie. You and Daddy make me very happy."

Graham went to her and reached up for a hug. Stephanie bent down to give him one, kissing and rubbing his hair along the way. When they pulled apart, she climbed back into bed and adjusted her pillow against the headboard, pressing her back into the added cushioning. Graham, seeing that she was ready to enjoy her breakfast, went to Chris and reached out for the tray. Chris kept to his promise and allowed Graham to position the tray on all four of its legs, so that it extended a few inches above Stephanie's lap. The orange juice sloshed around a little in the glass, but thankfully, it didn't spill.

"Thank you so much. You're both so good to me," Stephanie gushed. She picked up her glass and took a sip of the tart juice. Upon placing it down, she pointed toward the hallway, signaling to Graham. "You really should go check on Freddy and Brownie. It sounds like they're roughhousing a little in their room."

"They're just playin' around," Graham shrugged.

Stephanie gave him a pointed stare. "What did we talk about when you first asked me for a puppy? I told you a lot of responsibility would be involved in bringing a dog into this house, and sometimes that means doing things for your pets, even when you don't necessarily feel like it. You need to go check on them."

"But I can do it later," he said, continuing to bargain, but he was unknowingly on the losing end of the deal.

"That wasn't a question, Graham," Stephanie said. Her voice was firm and unwavering, but her eyes remained soft and gentle. "Go check on them and come right back."

Graham sighed loudly and tossed his hands up for a second time. "But, Mommy!"

"But, Grammy!" Stephanie mimicked, tipping her head and pressing her lips into a firm line. When Graham matched her expression and posture, she cracked a slight smile. "Go, honey. I'm serious."

"I'll be right back," he declared. Graham dashed out of the room and down the hallway, and Chris sat on the edge of the bed, smiling at Stephanie. She let out a low chuckle, and he did the same, reaching out to rub her leg.

"He's a hardheaded little bugger, isn't he?" Chris asked.

"Gee, I wonder where he gets that from," Stephanie responded. She aimed a cheeky smile at her husband, and he pointed to her food.

"Will you please eat before it gets cold?"

"Yes, sir," she said, saluting him with her right hand before digging into her food. Graham returned a couple minutes later with Brownie in his arms, but Freddy was nowhere to be found. Stephanie dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and swallowed the bite of pancake that was in her mouth. "What's the matter?"

"Freddy's being kinda mean to Brownie. He kept jumping on him and stuff, and Brownie was tryin' to run away. It was mean, so I brought Brownie with me. I think he's scared, and you know what else?"

"What?" she asked.

"He pooped on the floor," Graham announced. Chris groaned, knowing he would likely be the one to clean the mess. Graham wouldn't do a thorough enough job if he sent him on the task, and he couldn't ask Stephanie to do it when she was in the middle of her breakfast. He decided to take one for the team.

"Did he at least get it on the newspaper?" Chris asked. He stood and kissed the top of Stephanie's head before starting out of the room.

"Yep," Graham said.

"At least he was aware enough to do that," Chris said, slipping out so he could clean up the 'treat' Brownie had left for them.

They were in the process of training Brownie to run to the downstairs patio door whenever he needed to be let out, but he hadn't quite worked out his routine yet, and accidents were frequent. Although he didn't exactly enjoy cleaning the mess, Chris liked the companionship that came along with having pets running around the house, and he hadn't once regretted agreeing to a new puppy, despite his initial resistance. It was a good adjustment for Graham, as he was learning responsibility and being given the chance to build trust with his parents. Graham spied the open bedroom door, considering following his dad, but he gravitated to Stephanie instead and sat on the bed beside her.

She took small bites while flipping through the TV channels with her remote, but it didn't take long for her to catch Graham eying her food. "You ate downstairs, didn't you?"

"I was about to, but we wanted to bring you food first."

"I don't want you to go without your breakfast, though," Stephanie said. Her forehead crinkled, and she cut a small piece of her pancake with the side of her fork, beckoning Graham with her index finger. He leaned in, and she cupped her hand directly underneath, so nothing would drip onto the bed. When the fork reached Graham's mouth, he took a bite, chewing hungrily and swallowing it down. His eagerness to eat was enough to make her feel just the right touch of guilt. "We should go downstairs so that you can grab your food. I can't have a hungry, food-deprived little boy on my hands."

"I used to be hungry lots, Mommy," he said. Graham rubbed absently at his eyes. "Sometimes we couldn't get any food, and Daddy had to wait until morning to try again. If he couldn't get food for both of us, he would give me all the food so I could eat."

"Let's not think about that," Stephanie proposed. "I want you to focus on thoughts that make you happy." She lifted her tray and moved it to the opposite side of the bed, grabbing her plate and glass from it. "Let's go downstairs so we can eat at the table together. We have plenty of food in this house, and I promise that you'll never have to go hungry again, little one."

"And the baby?" he quizzed.

"The baby won't go hungry, either."

They left the room and took a trip down the stairs, with Graham asking cute little questions along the way. Clearly, all their hunger talk had made him curious. "What do babies eat?"

"Well, for right now, the baby eats whatever I eat, since they're in my stomach. When they're finally born, they're going to drink formula."

They reached the bottom floor and Graham led the way to the kitchen. "But what food will they eat?"

"Babies don't eat solid foods at first," Stephanie said. When she made it to the dining room table, Stephanie set her half-eaten food down and went to the cabinet, pulling out a clean plate and placing two pancakes on top. She selected two slices of bacon and put them beside the pancakes, handing the plate off to Graham.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you," she corrected, rubbing his head. "You and Daddy were the ones who cooked it, remember?"

"Yep," he said, smiling brightly. Stephanie brought the maple syrup to the table and handed it off to Graham, whose thirst for knowledge still hadn't waned. "How long does it take for babies to start eating real food?"

"I'm a new mommy, so I'm not exactly sure yet, but I think they can start eating mushy solid foods when they're around half a year old. Most of what I've read says that at six months old, they should be able to handle more of a variety," she said. Graham nodded along with great interest as he chewed thoughtfully. Stephanie picked up her fork and resumed eating as well. "When the baby reaches that point, we can start them off on applesauce or rice cereals. Maybe even hard-boiled eggs, as long as they're cut into small enough pieces. We'll figure it out."

"Yep, we will," Graham nodded.

"Daddy's already been through this before with you, so I'm sure he remembers what you're supposed to feed a baby. I'm going to be leaning on him a lot for his help, but I need you, too. I can't do this without you."

"I'll help a lot," he said. He bit roughly into a strip of drenched bacon, and Stephanie laughed at the dot of syrup that drizzled onto his chin as a result. She grabbed a clean napkin from the center of the table and held it out for him. "Mommy?"

"Yes, hon?"

"Will you love the baby more than me, since they came out of your tummy and I didn't?"

Stephanie dropped her fork onto her plate with an unceremonious clank. Chris chose that moment to stroll into the kitchen, making contorted faces and puking noises. "Cleaning up dog poop is no joke, guys," he said, then upon noticing they were eating, "Oh, sorry, I don't want to ruin your breakfast. We'll talk about something else."

He went about his business, navigating around the kitchen and making a plate for himself, but when he realized that an odd silence had settled in, he checked on his wife and son. Stephanie wasn't so much as blinking, sitting frozen like a statue as she watched Graham, and he was staring back at her, waiting for an answer. Before Chris could ask what was going on, Stephanie found her voice and cleared her throat. "Why would you ever think something like that, Graham?"

"Something like what?" Chris asked, crinkling his nose. His words fell on deaf ears.

"Some boy at school told me," Graham shrugged.

"Told you what, exactly?" Stephanie questioned.

"He knows who you are. He watches WWE all the time, and his parents looked you up online. They told my friend that I'm not really yours. They said you don't have any kids," he claimed. Stephanie's mouth dropped open, and she felt a wave of heat as it coursed through her cheeks, setting them ablaze. Graham, in all his innocence, continued on, not missing a beat. "My friend says I'm not your real son, but he says the baby is gonna be your real baby. I'm the only one who's not really yours, and he says mommies love the babies who come out of their tummies more than the ones who don't."

By that point, Chris had crossed the room and joined his family at the dining room table, waiting for his turn to interject, but it wasn't coming. Stephanie had plenty to say on the matter. She balled her napkin and tossed it down, next to her plate. "Graham, I need for you to understand something. People know who I am, because I'm on TV and I'm an employee of a large, multimillion dollar corporation. Because of that, you're going to hear a lot of petty gossip at school from your classmates. They're going to say ugly things that they have no business talking about to begin with, but you have to know that everything Daddy and I tell you trumps what other people say."

"That means what they say at school doesn't matter?" Graham wondered.

"It means that certain things people say at school are none of their business, and they don't know what our family dynamic is like, so they shouldn't be speaking on matters that don't concern them. You, Daddy, and I are the only ones who know what it means to be a part of this household," she explained. Stephanie held her right hand out, and Graham closed his hand over her fingers. "You're my son in every way imaginable, and anybody who says otherwise is plain wrong. It's true that you didn't come out of my tummy, Graham, but I love you more than I can ever express through my words. You know that, don't you?"

"I know," he nodded. "You're nice to me, and you let me call you 'Mommy', and you take care of me, and you also tell me you love me all the time."

"That's because I do, very much," Stephanie said. Graham squeezed her hand even tighter, and she tipped her head at him. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, has the right to ever tell you that you're not my child. You are, and always will be, my son. I love you and the new baby equally, and that's the honest truth. I don't want you to ever doubt my love for you."

"Why do people say I'm not yours, if I am?" Graham asked.

"Because they have big mouths and know nothing about our situation," Chris cut in. He pulled a chair up beside Graham and took a seat, placing his hand on the small of Graham's back. "Mommy doesn't look at you any differently than she looks at the baby, and I know what I'm about to ask of you might be difficult, but you have to ignore the things people say about her at school. They're getting their information from the internet, and half of what they say isn't even true. Actually, pretty much all of what they say isn't true, and even if it were, they shouldn't be discussing it with you. You're Mommy's child, just like the new baby is, and she loves you both the same."

Graham's eyes brightened. "That's what I told the boy. I said that Mommy was my Mommy, but he said she's not, so I said she was again. Then, he stopped talking about it, but I knew the truth, Mommy. I was just askin', because I wanted to make sure, but I sort of knew, because I already know I'm your son, and I'm Daddy's son, too."

"And now you're rambling," Chris joked, poking Graham in the side with his index finger. Graham jumped and laughed against Chris's shoulder, enveloping him in a side hug.

"What should I do if someone says I'm not Mommy's again?" Graham said. "Should I tell them that I am?"

"If anyone brings up any unkind gossip about Mommy or our family, you ignore it," Chris instructed. "You don't have to tell them anything about our home life. Be gracious and kind, just like we've always taught you, but you can't take any of what they say to heart. People are going to talk a lot, because a lot of people know who Mommy is, but you can't let them get to you. Rise above and be stronger than their words are. You know how much Mommy and I love you, and nothing that anybody else says should ever change that."

"Okay," Graham said, returning to his food.

Chris and Stephanie exchanged agitated glances over his head, but Graham remained oblivious.

Stephanie left work early on Tuesday, making her great escape without anyone noticing, and she stopped only to pick up her mother at home. They made the drive out to the new house, and Stephanie parked near the curb, since the driveway was inaccessible, due to all the workers' supplies crowding the space. The building of the gate was in full progress, all due to Chris's unwavering efforts in hiring contractors to make their new home a livable spot for their family. Stephanie spied at least three people setting the foundation for what was to become the divider that surrounded them home, keeping all intruders and outsiders away.

"It's looking nice already," Linda said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "What a wonderful job they're doing."

Stephanie stepped out of the vehicle and shut her door, rounding to Linda's side. She placed her hand on her stomach and rubbed it lightly. "This is all Chris's work. I think he knows how stressed out I am with everything we have coming up, so he's been the one calling around and making all of our plans. He hired everyone here today."

"How nice of him," Linda complimented. "He's such a good husband to you."

"He's my everything. I don't even know what I would do without him," Stephanie replied. She greeted the men in the front of the house and led Linda to the front door, pulling her key out so she could bring her inside to take an extended look at the house.

Slightly across town, the patter of two sets of feet dawdled up the walkway that led to the front door of Chris's and Stephanie's current home. Their visit had been a long time in the making, and now, that vision was finally coming true. A fist came down on the door, knocking three times before ringing the doorbell. Vivian, who was inside caring for Freddy and Brownie while everyone else was away, opened the front door and smiled at the two people awaiting her.

"Well, hello there!" Vivian squealed, pushing the door open and allowing both visitors inside. "Chris and Stephanie are out for the moment, but they should be back anytime now. Stephanie will probably arrive before Chris."

"Great! We'll just wait here for them," the young woman said, plopping down on the couch, as her young daughter climbed into her lap. Their arrival was a semi-surprise, in the sense that both Chris and Stephanie had known that they were coming to visit, but they hadn't mutually agreed on an exact date. Her deepest hope was that they would be happy to see her, but she couldn't imagine anything less than shared elation.

At last, Amanda and Caylie were back inside of their old stomping grounds.