Chapter 21

Niles, looking up from his place on the bed, replied, "What is it?"

"I......" She sighed, looking up, begging the tears not to come, "I'm...... we're........ I......." Finally, her mouth was moving, but no words were coming out.

He hopped off the bed, walking over to her. "What is it, CC?" He was concerned.

Her hand came from behind her back, holding out the white stick to him. "Here."

Niles, confused, took it from her and looked at it. She watched as a look of realization came to his face. "You're......" His eyes were wide, but he didn't look unhappy.

Biting her lip, she nodded, the tears spilling over.

"It's ours? From when......" He trailed off, not completing the question.

She once again nodded.

"Why are you crying?" He asked, "You aren't happy, are you?"

"I..... Are you?" CC asked him.

He shrugged, "Call me crazy, but yeah."

Her face broke out into a relieved smile, "Good." She nervously chuckled, "Because I am too."

His face showed the same hers did- complete happiness. He leaned forward, impulsively grabbing her by the shoulders and kissing her. Then he hugged her.

It took him a few seconds, but after realizing what he did, he pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry." His smile was gone.

She nodded hers disappearing too, "It's alright."

They hadn't touched, let alone kissed since that night. So, Niles' kiss had opened a can of worms they were close to closing.

Niles sighed, his smile returning. "I'm going to be a father."

CC's returned also. "I know. I'm going to be a mother."

They smiled widely at each other, "We're having a baby." He said.

"Wow." She breathed. "I'm really going to be a mother."

"You're pregnant." He told her, "With my baby."

She nodded, "I'm pregnant."

Niles hugged her again, and this time she relaxed in his warm embrace, closing her eyes, and inhaling his scent. Suddenly, he pulled away, staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

"We've got so many things to figure out!" He was pacing frantically now, running his hand through his hair. "We've got to figure out where the baby is going to live, what we're going to name him or her, when your due date is, what school we want to send him or her to, not to mention the fact that we have to tell everyone.......... Oh my Lord!" He yelled suddenly in the middle of his ramble.

"What?!" She asked.

"We've got to tell my parents!" His eyes were wide with fear.

"So?" She shrugged, "We can do that, I mean it's not like we're.........." Suddenly her eyes got the same size as his, "We've got to tell my parents!" She yelled.

"I know!" He kept pacing, "And Max, and Fran, and...... Oh, what a horrible example we've set for the children!" He ran his hands over his face, unsuccessfully trying to calm himself down.

CC walked over to him, "Let's just sit down, okay? We can sort all of this out."

He nodded, and they laid down on the bed together. Resting, relaxing, and planning the future.

And right then, they shared a moment. Just the three of them. Mom, Dad, and Baby. Or so they thought.......