"I wish we were still at the beach," Melanie whined, shifting the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. "It smells here and everything is loud."

Early Monday morning, a week after leaving for the Hamptons, Chris and Melanie were back in the city; Jim, Leonard and Joanna extended their stay for an extra three days, since it would be the last time on the East coast before the baby was born.

"It always smells here," Leonard grumbled, as they followed them on the sidewalk. "You just noticed it now?"

Melanie turned back and scowled at him, "My sense of smell has increased dramatically," she snapped. "So excuse me!"

Finally reaching their building, Chris pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the main door, moving aside to hold it open. Melanie went in and stood aside, as the others started up the stairs to the apartment. Once Chris was inside and out the heat, Melanie took his hand as they started up the three flights of the stairs.

"I can't wait to shower," Jim huffed, pulling at his shirt. "I feel so dirty sitting on the train and then the subway."

Melanie took the keys from Chris and started unlocking their front door, "Just be warned," she started, turning the top lock. "It's gonna be stuffy in here. A week with no AC does wonders to the place."

Pushing the door open, Melanie stepped into the front hall and nearly had a heart attack when two figures jumped out screaming.

"SURPRISE!"

Melanie dropped the keys and screeched, her hands immediately covering her belly.

"Oh my god!" Gaila shouted, rushing forward. "Are you okay?"

Opening her eyes, Melanie gasped, "Gaila?" she whispered, as the redhead looked at her with concern. "You bitch! What they hell are you doing, jumping out and scaring a pregnant woman!"

Leonard and Jim snickered as they pushed past them, heading towards the bedroom in the back of the apartment. Joanna squealed and dropped her bag, rushing towards Nyota who stood back as Melanie snapped at Gaila.

"Aunt Ny!" she shouted, as the woman scooped her up. "What are you doing here?"

Nyota kissed her cheek, "Aunt Gaila and I thought we'd surprise you all for a few days," she said.

"I'm so sorry!" Gaila exclaimed, pulling her friend into a hug. "I just got excited and couldn't wait to surprise you!"

Chris dropped his bag near the wall and sighed, "Gave me a heart attack," he shrugged, earning a scowl from Melanie. "It's good to see you two."

"What are you two doing here?" Melanie asked, as Gaila led her into the living room and onto the couch.

"We are here for a visit and to celebrate your impending arrival of our fair maiden, who has yet to be blessed with a name," Gaila said, waving her hands about, earning a giggle from Joanna.

Melanie looked at her for a moment, "My baby shower is this week, isn't it?"

"DAMMIT!"

Gaila crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her, "How the hell did you know?" she snapped, before looking over at Chris. "You told her?!"

Chris shook his head, "I did no such thing," he insisted. "I haven't said a single thing about you two coming out or anything about baby showers."

Melanie turned around, "Wait! You knew they were coming out?" she asked, as he nodded slowly. "And you didn't even think to suggest a clean up of our apartment? Jesus! This place is a disaster and we have company!"

"It's actually not that messy, Mel," Nyota shrugged. "We even went to the market and got a few things for your fridge. And we got the cats from your neighbor downstairs, who was very keen on handing them over after muttering about her couch being all scratched up."

"The point is," Gaila sighed. "You're not supposed to know that your baby shower is this week! It's a surprise!"

Melanie rolled her eyes, "Every expectant mother knows about her baby shower, Gaila," she sighed. "It's like, the rules of pregnancy. If her friends and family didn't throw a baby shower together, then they are idiots!"

Suddenly, Jim was standing in the living room, interrupting their conversation. "Sorry," he said, as Gaila glared at him. "But Len wants to get Miss Jo into the bath."

Joanna groaned, "But Jim!" she pouted, as he shook his head. "Fine."

Reluctantly, Joanna climbed off of Nyota's lap and took Jim's hand, "I'll bring her back in twenty minutes," he promised, leading her back down the hallway.

Gaila then smiled, "Look how cute you look!" she squealed. "The last time I saw you, you were skinny and pale! Now you're bronze and you have a belly!"

Melanie nodded, "Quite the belly, huh?" she asked, rubbing it softly. "I'm huge for six months."

Nyota waved her hand and snorted, "You are not!" she exclaimed. "You're perfect! Besides, your husband over there wouldn't stop talking about how sexy you looked in your bikini."

Chris blushed, "I'll be in the bedroom," he said, moving to get their bags. "I'll let you now when the shower is free."

The girls giggled as he quickly hightailed out of the living room, "Jim said the top accentuated your boobies," Gaila snickered. "He also said that Chris was watching you like a hawk, because you got a lot of attention for it."

"How about we save that conversation for later?" Nyota suggested. "As soon as Chris is done in the shower, we need you to go wash up and get ready."

Melanie frowned, "For what?" she asked, as they stood up.

"We are taking you out!" Gaila clapped her hands. "Don't worry! The boys already know and they plan on having a night in with Jo, who will probably crash after dinner, so they can talk about manly things!"

"Where are we going?" Melanie asked.

Nyota grinned, "That is for us to know and for you to patiently find out!" she said.

…

Later that evening, long after the girls went out for dinner, the boys and Joanna managed to put together an easy dinner. Afterwards, Joanna was tucked into Melanie and Chris' bed with a movie, while Leonard, Jim and Chris occupied the living room.

"Mel was looking extra hot tonight," Jim smirked. "Do we need to put in our earplugs later?"

Leonard rolled his eyes, "Oh god," he muttered, as Jim snickered.

"I plan on crashing for the night," Chris yawned. "All that running around this morning is catching up to me."

Jim snorted, "You should get all the rest you can," he nodded, taking a sip of his beer. "Once that baby comes, you're gonna be running all over the place."

"Have you guys been child-proofing the apartment?" Leonard asked. "Putting covers over the outlets and what not?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure the baby wont come out with the ability to walk and run around that quickly," Chris smirked. "We have plenty of time to child-proof this place up."

Jim snickered, "What else have you two gotten done besides the crib and changing table?" he asked. "Did you two decided on a name yet?"

Chris shook his head, "We have a list on the fridge going, but I haven't really added anything since our conversation," he shrugged. "Mel's liking the name Juliet though."

"Juliet Pike," Jim frowned, letting the name roll around. "Sounds like a mean girl."

"Jim!" Leonard scolded. "Don't talk about my niece like that!"

"What? It's true though!" Jim exclaimed. "She should have a elegant name, especially one that can be shortened with a cool nickname!"

Chris sighed, "Well, we have three months left," he said. "Eventually we're gonna have to pick a name either before she comes or shortly after."

"Just don't name her after our mother," Leonard shuddered. "She flipped when Joanna wasn't named after her and she hasn't failed to mention how Joss and I disappointed her because of it."

"Fuck her!" Jim spat. "That bitch has a lot of nerve giving you shit because you didn't name your daughter after her!"

Chris glanced at Leonard and winced, "Since Melanie doesn't talk to her I don't think we have to worry about that. I wouldn't name my daughter after someone I never met and who treated my wife and brother-in-law like shit."

"Do you think she knows that you two got married?" Jim asked. "Or that she's having a baby? I always wondered what your dad did with the photos we sent him from the wedding."

Leonard shrugged, "As far as I know, he put them in an album and has it in his office. Mama never goes to his office unless she's bored at home or there's a company party."

Chris yawned again, "Well, I pray that she never finds out," he shifted on the couch. "I don't need her calling us up and start screaming about how we never told her about the wedding or the baby."

….

Chris was in a deep slumber when the bed dipped, followed by the sound of someone munching next to him. Groaning, he rolled over and opened his eyes, finding Melanie sitting on the bed with a plate in her lap.

"Oh shit," she wiped her mouth. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake you."

" S'ok," he mumbled, squinting in the light. "Did you just get home?"

Melanie nodded slowly, "We stopped at their hotel for cake," she answered quickly. "Then we got lost in girl talk and I didn't even realize that it was so late."

"What time is it?" he asked, sitting up to look at the clock. "Mel! It's almost three in the morning!"

She winced, "I know! I came home as quickly as I could!" she said, as he sat up further against the headboard.

"You should've just called me and stayed there with them," he said. "You shouldn't be taking the subway alone at this hour! Especially dressed in that and pregnant!"

Melanie looked down at her lap, "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just wanted to come home."

Chris sighed, "I'm sorry," he reached out, placing his hand on her bare leg. "Just.. call the house next time. I could've came to get you or you could've spent the night there with the girls."

She nodded, "Okay."

"What are you eating?" he asked, moving to change the subject. "Are those waffles?"

"Chocolate chip," she nodded, picking up one of the waffles. "Want one?"

He snorted and took the waffle that she offered, "Was the cake good?" he asked, tearing a piece off.

"Not really," she shrugged. "Nyota makes better cakes than the hotel… this one tasted like sandpaper."

"Did you have a good time though?" he asked, as she ate quietly. "It's been a while since you had a night out with your friends."

Melanie nodded, "It was good," she shrugged. "But it's weird going out now without you. I just don't find it fun anymore, going to these trendy restaurants with the loud music and waitresses in skimpy clothes."

Chris nodded, "That's what happens when you get older," he said. "You start to settle down and stay away from the trendy hotspots."

"I feel bad too, because the entire time all I could think about was being in my pajamas and watching CNN or the Food Network with you," she sighed. "Is this how I'm going to feel for the rest of my life? A social outcast who doesn't even bother to change out of their pajamas for the entire day?"

He snorted, "You're not going to be a social outcast," he said. "You're nearing the end of your pregnancy, Mel. So you're slowing down a bit and you're getting tired, which is normal."

She pouted as he continued, "Once you have the baby and settle into a routine, eventually you'll feel better about going out with your friends."

Finishing her waffles and setting the plate onto the nightstand, Melanie lounged across her side of the bed, resting on her elbows. "Did you guys have fun?" she asked, as he started massaging her ankle.

"It was a good night," he shrugged. "Jo came in here to watch a movie and we talked about manly things," he said, making her snort.

"I hope that's not code for sex talk," she shuddered. "I really don't want my brother and Jim knowing what we do in bed…or all over this apartment."

He snorted, "We talked about the baby," he said. "Jim thinks that Juliet Pike sounds like a mean girl's name. And that our daughter needs an elegant name that can be shortened into a "cool" nickname."

"Well Jim isn't the father," she scowled. "What's so bad about Juliet?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "I just think we should look at other names just to see what's out there."

Melanie groaned, "You're just- Ohhhh that feels good," she moaned, as his fingers pressed into her knee. "I wish I could lay on my stomach so you could massage my back."

"You could roll onto your side," he offered, as he continued to massage her leg.

She shook her head, "Later, later," she gasped. "This feels too good for you to stop."

Chris snickered, "Wanna change into something comfortable?" he asked, eyeing the short black dress that covered her body. "You look like you need to be unwrapped."

Melanie pushed up on her elbows, "Do you want to unwrap me?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Perhaps," he drawled, as his hand traveled up and under her skirt. "You're not one of those presents that makes a whole lot of noise, are you?"

"I could keep it down," she bit her lip. "Can you?"

Chris moved across the bed and settled above her, his knees on either side of her legs. "I think I can," he shrugged.

"Well, you better start unwrapping," she let out a little huff. "I'm on a schedule and you've got twenty minutes to have some fun."