A/N - Hope you guys are in the mood for something light and fluffy today!

Chapter 26

The Shower

Violet and Addison pull up in front of Charlotte and Cooper's house.

"Okay, just to be sure we got our stories straight, tell me one more time what you're supposed to say to Charlotte?" Violet drills Addison for the third time on the drive over.

"I'm supposed to pretend I'm interested in adopting Danielle and I want to spend some time with her." Addison doesn't tell Violet but this is not just a ruse to get Charlotte out of the house so Violet can help Cooper decorate for the shower. Addison has a vested interest in this lunch date with Charlotte and baby Danielle.

"You go knock on the door and get Charlotte. I'll run around back and hide." Violet scurries off for the backyard.

Addison knocks and Charltotte answers holding Danielle. Charlotte practically shoves the baby into Addison's arms right away. Addison's surprised

"What?" Charlotte says, "if you really want to adopt the rugrat you better get used to her. Charlotte walks out the door and heads in the direction of the backyard.

"No Charlotte!" Addison shouts.

"What Montgomery?"

"Why are you going that way? We're taking my car" Addison doesn't want her to spot Violet in the back.

"I need to grab her car seat from Cooper's car." Charlotte explains as she walks to the garage at the rear of the property.

Addison calls after her. "We don't need it. Sam lent me one that he had for Olivia."

"Well, Aren't you prepared?" Charlotte drawls sarcastically.

Addison buckles Danielle into the car seat and the two ladies head to the In-N- Out Burger for lunch. "You're really in the mood for a burger, Charlotte?"

"Dyin' for one. Cooper's gotta watch now. He can't eat too much red meat on account of his high cholesterol. I gotta go for it when he's not around."

Addison drives and asks, "Cooper inherited the high cholesterol from his birth parents?"

"That's usually the way." Charlotte quirks an eyebrow.

Addison rolls her eyes. "I mean he knows for sure it's hereditary?"

"He went for tests after his heart attack. His body makes more cholesterol than it should. It's a genetic thing." Chatlotte adds, "all these years of him not knowing and eating all those hamburgers and fries he likes caused it to bulid up and contributed to his heart attack."

"It's a shame, he could've prevented it if he knew." Addison comments.

"He knows now. He's on meds, watching his diet." Charlotte nods. "He's fine now." She tries to convince herself.

"If I adopt Danielle, I'll need to get a full family history." Addison thinks out loud.

Charlotte's surprised. "You serious about adopting Danielle?" She drawls.

Charlotte's no dummy. She has her suspicions this is a ruse to get her out of the house once Cooper insisted she be the one to go out to lunch with Addison and Danielle. In all the years Charlotte's known Addison the two of them never have never gone out to lunch together unless it was to consult about a patient.

"Yes," Addison looks at Danielle in the rear view mirror. The baby's cooing and pointing her finger out the window. "She needs a mommy and I need a baby."

Charlotte nods. "Perfect." She thinks about how she never considered having a child until she met Cooper and then it happened so easy for her as soon as she went off the pill. "Funny how things work out." Charlotte says allowed.

"What do you mean?" Addison asks as they pull up to the In-N-Out burger.

"Good timing, is all. Good timing for you and Danielle." Charlotte says as she steps out of the car.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Charlotte" Addison takes Danielle out of the car seat and kisses the baby's cheek as she points and babbles.

The two woman talk about Danielle over burgers and salads until Addison's phone beeps with a text from Violet. "We're ready."

Charlotte's feeling guilty for feeling let down. She thought they were all planning a shower for her. Now she's sure Addison is serious about adopting Danielle. What a fool she is to think that anyone would give her a shower; the woman they all knew never even wanted a baby. She wollows in self pity while finishing her burger.

After they're done eating the women drive home with a sleeping Danielle in the back. As they pull up to Charlotte's street she looks for familiar cars parked along the road; there's not a one. She opens the front door of her house and is truly surprised now to be surrounded by pink balloons and streamers and the work gang hollering "SURPRISE." She was starting to think she didn't have any true friends of her own, but as the years had gone on, the people at work slowly became something like friends to her. She always thought that was on account of Cooper. She thought if her and Cooper were ever to break up he would keep all the friends just like Billy did when her first marraige ended. But this feels different. Everyone seems to genuinley be there for her and Cooper both.

Cooper leads Charlotte to the sofa, while Violet brings over a tray of food. Pete offers to get her something to drink from the fridge.

"I feel like a queen." Charlotte looks at them feeling overwhelmed.

"You are the queen today." Sheldon smiles.

"Don't get used to it." Amelia swings a beer bottle around as she speaks, "Once that baby's born she's going to be the queen and you're back to peasant." She slurs and Sheldon escorts her down the hall to talk in private. The rest of them, Pete, Violet, Conor, Addison and Sam shake their heads.

"I'm surprised you invited her, Cooper?" Violet says quietly.

Cooper shrugs, "I'm letting it go. Today's all about Charlotte and Andie." Cooper kisses Charlotte on the lips and gets a response from the peanut gallery.

"Get a room!" Pete yells out, teasing them.

Sam laughs, "Now, we see how she ended up that way, hot lips."

"Go for it." Conor shouts out with a smile.

"Calm down guys!" Addison's holding Danielle, "We've got a little lady in the room." Danielle points at Pete ,"Goo-Gaa."

Pete talks to Danielle, "I've got a nice young man I can fix you up with." Pete sips his beer. "Violet, where's Lucas?"

"He's taking a nap upstairs in Danielles' crib. He's so happy to be back in his old crib again." Violet takes a sip of Pete's beer.

"Ah, you're sleeping in my boys crib already. I knew it wouldn't be long." Pete jokes looking at Danielle but the joke is meant for the adults.

"You're a pig, Pete." Addison scowls.

"What? I was kidding, it's a party." Pete makes a sour face.

"It's still gross!" Addison carries Danielle off and sits on the sofa next to Charlotte and Cooper "I've made up my mind, I want to adopt her Cooper. Can you arrange for me to talk to her grandmother?"

"I'll call Robin, tomorrow." Cooper's relieved. He was hoping to find a good home for Danielle before Alexandria's born.

When the food's all finished, Violet starts to bring the gifts to Charlotte and Cooper to open. "This one's from Addison." Violet hands her a large robe box decorated in purple and pink shiny striped paper. There's a pink bunny rattle adorning the top of the box. Charlotte's not surprised to open it and find it filled with over a dozen designer baby girl outfits, shoes and hair bows.

Charlotte looks at Addison. "Must have cost you a fortune." Charlotte picks up each designer outfit to look at. "Thanks Montgomery, Alexandria will be the best dressed kid in LA "

When Amelia and Sheldon return to the room, Charlotte opens a spa package Amelia hands her with bath soaps, lotions and finally a gift certificate for a massage and facial.

Amelia tells her, "that's the best gift because it's for the mama. Someone's got to think of the mama." Amelia raises her bottle. "To my BFF!"

"Thank you for thinking of me, Amelia." Charlotte smiles politely and thinks she's gotta get that girl back to meetings, since the coma and being pregnant she's had so much on her own plate she's been neglecting their friendship. Amelia's in need of a good friend.

Charlotte opens another gift Violet hands her. "Her first baby doll?" Charlotte announces holding up the plastic doll wearing a green dress, Cooper roll his eyes.

"It's Ernesta." Violet says. "Well not the original, Cooper wore her out but this is the closest his mother could find. She wanted Andie to have the same type of doll."

"Isn't that special?" Charlotte drawls to Cooper and hands him *Ernesta the second* to hold.

"This one 's from me." Conor sips his beer and hands Charlotte a box wrapped in gold paper. He watches Charlotte open it. After she opens the box, Cooper reaches in and pulls out a purple wood letter A and then a blue letter X. There are ten letters all together in an assortment of colors.

"It spells out her name. I make them for all my friends when they have a baby." Conor takes another sip of beer.

"I didn't know you worked with wood." Addison tells Conor as she pulls a pink letter E out of the box. "It must have taken a long time to carve out all the letters and paint each of them."

"It's a hobby. I enjoy it." Conor sips her beer looking on as everyone grabs a letter out of the box and admires his work.

"Bet this is the longest name you had to make." Cooper comments. "You could've shortened it to Andie and been finished in half the time."Cooper suggests.

Charlotte tells Conor, "Thank you, I prefer that you did her full name." She turns to Cooper "We want the kid to know her real name."

The next gift is a big one. "It's from both Sam and I." Addison pulls the box closer to Charlotte.

Charlotte rips open the colorful wrapping paper, "A jogger stroller. Is that a hint Montgomery?" Charlotte pretends to be offended but then smiles. "Thank you."

"The next one is from Pete and I." Violet informs. Pete rolls in a beautiful white wicker bassinet with a huge pink ribbon adorning it. Inside it's filled with all sorts of baby goodies,newborn diapers, wipes, baby bath etc.

Charlotte's eyes begin to tear and she hugs Violet. "Thank you." Charlotte's touched that her work friends would do all this for her. A feeling comes over her that they're not just doing it for Cooper but that they genuinely care about her and it makes her want to cry for some reason, damn hormones, she thinks to herself and tries hard to contain the tears.

"Don't forget about my gift." Sheldon hands Charlotte an envelope. "It's a savings bond. I figured I'd give Alexandria a jump start on her college fund." Charlotte smiles and thanks him.

"I guess that's it." Violet says as she starts gathering up the wrapping paper.

"No," Cooper reaches in his pocket. "I have one more gift." He pulls out a box wrapped in pink paper and tied with a white bow.

Charlotte takes the box eagerly. She unties the bow quickly. She rips open the paper and takes the top off the box and stares at it.

"What is it?" Violet's impatient.

Sitting in the box is a beautiful gold neclkace in the shape of a little girl with diamond trim along the edges. The name Andie is engraved on the back.

"They couldn't fit Alexandria, it was too long, I hope that's okay." Cooper apologizes.

Charlotte's trying hard to fight back the tears now. She doesn't dare lose it in front of all her co-workers or friends, whatever they are. "It's beautiful, put it on me, Cooper." She leans foward so Cooper could fasten the necklace. Violet and Addison busy themselves cutting the cake while Charlotte rests her head on Cooper's shoulder enjoying the moment. She holds the necklace between her fingers and thinks how there would be three of them soon.

Hours later, after the shower's over and everyone's gone home Charlotte and Cooper take all the gifts up to the empty nursery. They stand by the window and watch the sun set. Cooper places his hand over her swollen belly. "She's kicking." He observes and tells her.

"She's must have a sugar high from that huge peice of shower cake Violet cut for me. I swear that woman wants to make me fat."

Cooper wraps his arms around her. "It's the first baby shower Violet ever threw, she wanted to make it special for you."

Charlotte leans against him. "And I appreciate that, I do. I know these people wouldn't give a lick about me if it wasn't for you."

"That's not true Char. They love you."

"Stop lyin' to my face." She playfully elbows him in the ribs.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Cooper complains.

"Just playin' with ya." She flirts.

"You play dirty. That hurt." He whines.

"Stop whinin' ya big baby." She turns to face him and rubs her hand gently along his face. "I hope this baby's going to be just like her daddy."

He rubs her swollen belly, "I hope she's ridiculously beautiful just like her mommy."

Charlotte grabs his hand. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

She leads him into the bedroom. "I can't think of a better way to end this day." She sits on the edge of the bed taking off her shoes.

Cooper smiles and sits on to the bed next to her, "I can kiss you now without an audience." He raises his eyebrows suggestively and grins.

"You better take advantage of it now cuz in two more months we're never gonna be alone again." Charlotte reminds.

He smiles at the thought of it.

Review- This was a light and fun kind of chapter! Did y'all like it?

A/N- I have the next five chapters written already. I'll try to post one every other day. If you want the story to go on longer than five more chapters please let me know. Thanks for reading and reviewing! =)