The morning of Amy's appointment, she'd gotten up before Callen and showered. She could smell the coffee as he walked into the bathroom and set a cup on the counter for her. They talked a few minutes while she finished. Callen was shocked when she pulled the curtain back and he saw the rounded bump. She smiled at him.

"I told you I'd be showing soon." She said as she dried herself off.

"My God, you look like you're what, three or four months pregnant. Is that why you're wearing oversized sweaters and sweatshirts?" He asked still eyeing the bump.

"Yes, I'm not trying to hide it from you. I'm trying to hide it from the kids. I told you Kristy would know something was going on." She said as she walked back into the room to get a pair of underwear from her dresser.

"Wait a minute, stop." He said pulling her over to the bed. Callen sat on the edge and cupped her belly in his hands. He looked up at her in awe. "How are you feeling, still no morning sickness?"

"No, I'm still just really tired, that's it." She told him.

Callen leaned over and kissed her stomach, then rested his cheek on it. Amy wrapped her arms around his neck. Rick never acted this way while she was pregnant. He complained that she was getting fat or hogged too much of the bed or bitched when she'd ask him to go find her something she was craving. Callen had gotten in the habit of calling her while on lunch or before he headed home from work to ask if there was anything she wanted him to bring home. Or he'd check the pantry and fridge to see how many packs of Double-Stuffed Oreos they had and how much milk was left. If they were really low, he'd bring some home for her during lunch. Otherwise, he'd bring it home after work.

She hadn't gained any weight that he noticed, even though she ate like a bottomless pit. In the evenings, Callen and Amy would go running together while Kristy stayed with the kids. She still kept up a good pace and slept like a rock for an hour when they got home. He thought she looked beautiful and made it a point to tell her on a regular basis. Callen kissed her belly one more time before he let her get dressed. He got the kids up and headed down stairs to start breakfast.

Amy had noticed over the last couple weeks that her clothes we getting tighter. This morning, she couldn't comfortably button her pants, so she looped a hair tied through the button hole and around the button itself. It was the extra inch or so that she needed, but knew she'd have to change into a pair of yoga pants as soon as she got home from the appointment. She was going to have to break down and get some maternity pants within the next few weeks. Satisfied with her appearance, she headed down to help Callen.

Kristy was coming out of her room when Amy got to the top of the stairs. "Why are you always wearing a sweatshirt, it's nice and warm in the house."

"I'm cold. I need to see the doctor and have her test me to see if I'm anemic." She lied.

Callen had a plate of pancakes waiting for Kristy as she walked into the kitchen. Ricky and Jenny were fighting coming down the stairs about who was going to get their first. Amy stood at the base of the stairs with her arms crossed watching them. Ricky pushed Jenny back and she yelled. They both stopped when they saw Amy. She told Ricky to keep his hands to himself and guided them to the table for breakfast. The kids wondered why Callen was still there and asked.

"I took a half day today so I could help you Mom with some stuff." He told them.

"Like what?" Ricky asked.

"Really Ricky, it's Christmas time, you know better than to ask something like that this time of year." Amy said before sipping her coffee.

"True, sorry." He said finishing his breakfast.

Kristy and Ricky stood in the garage while they waited for the bus because of the rain. Callen, Amy and Jenny joined them. Many of their friends wandered over instead of standing in the rain. Amy liked the fact that the kids in the neighborhood felt comfortable enough to come hang out. They all waved as they ran out into the downpour to meet the bus. Callen left the garage door open since they were going to be leaving soon to take Jenny to school. They walked back into the kitchen and the dog begging to be loved.

Amy walked over to the couch and sat down. The dog was up and on her right away. He had his head back and eyes closed as she scratched his sweet spot. She stopped and put her hands beside her and laughed when he nudged her hands for more. Callen walked over and gave him some love, but was met with a growl. He'd noticed that the dog had become very protective and possessive of Amy. So much that he slept between the two of them and would snap at Callen every time he reached across the great divide to touch her.

She pushed the dog off her lap and cuddled into Callen. He noticed she'd dozed off so he held her before he had to take Jenny to class. Callen woke her to let her know he was taking Jenny to school and left. When he returned fifteen minutes later, the dog was curled up at her stomach and the cat was on the back of the couch.

He cautiously approached the dog. "Are you going to let me tell Mom I'm back?"

The dog sniffed at his hand and nudged it for some love. With one hand, he petted the dog and the other he woke up Amy to let her know he was back. She smiled up at his and sat up. The dog immediately moved to her side. Callen sat on the opposite side and gave Amy a kiss. They sat for a while watching Good Morning America before he heard her stomach growling and took her out for a quick breakfast before her appointment.

No sooner did Amy check in and she was called back to an exam room. The nurse asked her to undress and put a gown on so the doctor could examine her. Once she'd changed, she got up on the table and waited. She and Callen were talking about making more cookies for their Christmas party when Dr. Fagan knocked and walked in. She greeted them and sat Amy chart on the counter as she washed her hands.

"How have you been feeling?" she asked.

"Tired, no morning sickness yet." She said with a smile.

"How are you over there, Dad?" she asked Callen.

"Getting more and more excited as the days go by." He smiled.

"Very good, let's get the pelvic exam out of the way before we get down to the fun stuff."

Callen and Amy held hands as the doctor did what she needed. She loved the goofy smile he had on his face whenever he was thinking about the baby, like he was right then. When the doctor had finished, she got out an ultrasound machine and put some clear gel on a wand.

"I apologize; this is going to be cold. The gel warmer in this room isn't working." She said as Amy's eyes got wide.

They looked over at the screen and saw the little heartbeat racing a mile a minute. Callen was leaning over right next to Amy and kissed her temple as tears filled his eyes. Amy looked back at him and kissed him before turning her attention back to the screen.

"Um Amy, when did you say your last period was?" The doctor asked measuring the baby.

"October twenty-fifth. Why?" she asked worried.

"Well according to the measurements, you closer to three months pregnant. Did you get a period with your other children?" The doctor asked.

"Oh man, yes I did." She smiled in relief.

"Ok, you are officially twelve and a half weeks pregnant. The good thing is that you're chances of miscarriage dramatically reduce from here on out. So instead of your due date being August, it's now July." She smiled.

"Three months?" Callen repeated shocked. "Amy drank at Halloween and Thanksgiving, does that hurt the baby?"

"No, the baby looks very healthy. Just no more alcohol." She said hitting a few more buttons on the keyboard. "Let me print a few of these pictures out for you guys to take with you."

"When are we going to be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl?" Callen asked.

"Between twenty-six and thirty weeks, are you guys going to want to know?" Dr. Fagan asked.

Callen and Amy looked at each other. "We'll have to talk about it. Can we let you know?"

"Of course." She said pulling the pictures off the printer. "I'll give these to you, Daddy. Amy you can go ahead and get dressed. Your blood pressure is consistently good, but we will monitor it closely. Overall, I think you guys have a good viable pregnancy. Amy, did you start presenting with problems this soon in your pregnancies before?"

"I went into labor the first time with the girls at twenty-four weeks and twenty-eight with Ricky. There was cramping in the beginning, but I attributed that to the uterus stretching and growing." Amy said from behind the curtain in the corner.

"Alright," Dr, Fagan said writing in Amy's chart. She looked up when Amy pulled the curtain back. "Have you had the cramping or anything yet?"

"Nothing, I've just had the typical first trimester tiredness and cravings." Amy smiled.

The doctor thought for a minute before she spoke again. "I'm honestly leaning towards you're not going to have any problems with this pregnancy, but I do want to keep an eye on you. You're still running?"

"Yes, we run almost every night." Callen said, "She still keeps a pretty good pace."

"Are you still running four miles?" she asked

"Yes, we are." Callen answered as Amy was nodding her head.

"Good, you can go ahead and increase it by a half mile a week, but as soon as you start having problems. I want you to go back down to four. No more than your normal eight miles." The doctor said and stood. She shook their hands and walked out of the room.

"Oh Doctor, when do you want to see Amy back?" Callen called after her from the door.

"Good grief, I'm so sorry. In a month." She said flustered.

"Thank you Dr. Fagan." They said as she walked back down the hall.

Callen turned around and smiled at Amy. He crossed the room to the examining table and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on the step, bringing her eye-to-eye with him. They kissed again and beamed before they were interrupted by the nurse.

"I'm sorry, I thought you guys had left already." She said when she walked in the room.

"Sorry, we're leaving now." Callen said, helping step down from the table. She grabbed her purse, jacket and followed Callen out of the room.

Callen dropped Amy off at the house and went on to work. They'd split the ultrasound photos so he could show them to everyone at work. Amy was heading out to but a photo frame for the tree. Both she and Callen wanted to see which one of the kids noticed it first. If they didn't, then they'd call their attention to it Christmas morning. She found an adorable 'Baby's First Christmas' frame and figured they could change the babies picture out next year. When she got home, she fit the picture to the frame and put it on top of the refrigerator.

Callen walked into the office just beaming. Everyone gathered around as he showed the ultrasound pictures. They were so involved that they didn't see Granger walk up behind them. He stood there waiting for them to finish before he asked to see the pictures, smiled and congratulated Callen. The group dispersed and went on about their work. Granger walked back to Hetty's office and sat down at her desk.

"What do you think they're having?" he asked her casually.

Hetty looked at him over her glasses. "I don't know, I'll have to wait to see how she's carrying before I make a guess."

Granger nodded and just sat there.

"Was there something you needed Owen? Or are you just here to annoy me?" she asked.

"No, just here." He said.

"Well, I'm sure you can find something to do other than sit here at my desk." She told him.

Granger took the hint and decided to wander up to Ops. Nell and Eric were chatting while they worked at their computers. It had been slow so far that month, allowing the team to catch on their reports. He stood over their shoulders watching what they were doing. Nell stopped and looked at him before returning her attention to her screen. She was trying to find some new leads on a few of their cold cases. Eric was going back over the file footage collected for that particular case.

Satisfied that they were actually working productively, he turned around and walked out. He stood at the railing watching the office below. Hetty's team; while they were sitting at their desks; weren't exactly working on their reports. He could see them passing the pictures back and forth and carrying on a conversation. After two hours of nothing exciting, he left the office.

Callen got home as Amy was putting the chicken in the oven. He set down his stuff and walked into the kitchen.

"How are you?" he asked eyeing the kids at the table.

"I'm fine, how was the rest of your day?" she smiled, once she closed the oven door, Callen walked over and put his hand on her belly and gave her a kiss.

"It was a day full of paperwork. Did you pick-up what we talked about?" he asked her.

Glancing at the table, she nodded her head towards the refrigerator. Callen smiled and walked over feeling the top for the picture frame. Without the kids noticing, they walked into the living room and hung it on the tree. He put his arm around her and the two stood there looking at it. Amy wasn't as tired as usual, but still tired. She leaned her head on Callen's shoulder when Kristy walked into the room.

"Ok, what's going on with the two of you? You're acting really strange." She said from behind the couch.

"Nothing honey, I'm just tired and Callen here is holding me up so I don't fall over." She smiled over her shoulder.

Kristy did smile at her mother's comment. But knew there was something more going on. Nell and Eric were coming over that night so Callen and Amy could finish-up the Christmas shopping. She hoped they'd let something slip about that was going on. "Are Eric and Nell still coming over tonight?"

Callen looked at his watched and turned to her. "They should be here almost anytime. How was school today?"

"Not too bad, I showed my history teacher everything we'd found when we were doing the research and she said it wasn't enough."

"Alright, take a break from it tonight and we'll work on it together tomorrow." He said as he saw Eric and Nell arrive.

Callen had the door open before they could ring the bell. "Come on in you guys."

"Hey Kristy, how are you?" Eric asked.

"I'm good Eric, hi Nell." She smiled.

"Hi guys." Nell said when she walked in.

"Thank you guys for watching the kids for us." Callen said when Eric and the kids followed him into the living room.

Nell looked at Amy's stomach and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, did he tell you I'm three months, not two?" she whispered.

"He did, we're all so excited for you both." Nell said following her into the kitchen.

"There's a picture of the baby on the tree, we want to see if the kids notice it, but please don't point it out. We really want to tell them Christmas morning." Amy smiled.

"No worries, we won't say a word." She said.

Once the chicken was done, they all sat down to dinner. The kids told the four adults about their days at school and Eric brought up the family picture Jenny had drawn. He told her that Callen keeps it on his desk. Jenny loved hearing it and announced she was going to draw a picture of Nell and Eric so they can have a picture at work too. After dinner, Nell and Eric ushered Callen and Amy out the door.

Amy was so tired and didn't know if she had the energy for shopping. Callen offered for her to stay home, but she wanted some one on one time with him. They talked about the baby and everything they'd need as they drove to the mall. Callen stopped into the baby department to look at cribs and bedding before going to the toy department. He found a couple cute little girl prints, but not much he liked for a boy. Amy didn't have a good feeling of what they were having yet.

"So, are we going to find out what we're having or are we going to be surprised?" she asked.

"Did you know with the other three?" He asked

"I did. It took two ultrasounds to find out what Jenny was." She laughed.

"I think it would be kind of fun to wait until you deliver." Callen said.

She walked over to him and put his arm around his waist. "Then wait we will."

Callen smiled and kissed her softly. "Alright."

"Come on, let's get what we came here to for." Amy said exhaustedly.

Eric, Nell and the kids watched some TV while they waited for Callen and Amy to get back. Kristy thought about asking if they knew what was going on, but didn't want to do it in front of her brother and sister. So she waited. Finally, Ricky had gone upstairs with Eric to play a game and Jenny was in the bathroom.

"Nell, can I ask you something?" she said shyly.

"Sure, what is it?" Nell said giving Kristy her full attention.

"There's something going on with my Mom and Callen, do you know what it is?" she asked.

Nell froze. "Um, not that I know of, have you talked to them about it?"

"I have but Mom just says she's overly tired or cold. You saw how much she ate at dinner. The last time I saw her like this was when she was pregnant with Jenny." Kristy told her.

"Well, let me ask you this. Would it bother you if your Mom and Callen had a baby?" she said facing her, head resting on her hand.

"I know they want to have a baby. I'm just worried about whether or not I'll be on diaper duty. I guess it would be nice if they had a baby that was theirs. I know Callen loves us like we were his and we love him too. I really wouldn't mind having another little brother or sister." She smiled.

Nell smiled too, but wasn't about to tell her about the baby. "The only thing I do know is that they've got something pretty special planned for you guys for Christmas. Your Mom might just be stressing out over that, Honey."

"Yeah, she gets a little weird at Christmas, I hadn't thought about that." She said getting up and going into the kitchen.

Nell quickly pulled out her phone and texted Amy letting her know that Kristy had just asked if she was pregnant. Amy showed it to Callen and they knew it couldn't wait until Christmas. She and Callen agreed that they'd tell the kids when they got home. Both of them were nervous.

Kristy walked back into the living room and noticed something new on the tree. She turned around to Nell. "Have you seen this?"

"Seen what?" She asked, knowing what it was because she'd seen it a few minutes ago herself.

"That's an ultrasound picture." She squealed. "She is pregnant, I knew it. Ricky come here."

Eric and Ricky came down the stairs. "What's wrong?"

"Look at this." Kristy said holding the frame out to him.

Ricky studied it for a minute before his eyes lit up. "It had better be a baby brother."

"Jenny guess what, Mommy's going to have a baby. See this is the baby and that's its heart." Kristy said pointing to the photo. "Do you know when they're supposed to be back?"

Eric looked at the clock on the wall. "It should be anytime now."

No sooner did he say it and they pulled into the driveway. All three kids ran to the door and threw it open. Callen and Amy got out of the car and the kids started yelling.

"Hold on, what's wrong?" Amy asked before she noticed the ultrasound picture in Kristy's hand.

"You're gonna have a baby!" she screamed with joy.

"Yes we are. I'm just a little past three months along." She told them.

"Come on, let's go sit down and we'll talk about it." Callen told them, and then asked. "You guys aren't upset are you?"

The kids told them that they were very excited. Ricky reiterated that it had to be a boy. Callen and Amy explained that they decided not to find out until the baby was born. The kids were a little disappointed, but warmed to the idea of the surprise. Kristy realized that she'd be moving down stair and got even more excited. They told her that yes, eventually she would move to the guest room, but that they'd be keeping the baby in with them for the first few months. Callen and Amy truly were relieved that the kids took the news as well as they did. If could have turned out so much different. Amy attributed it to the fact that Callen was a part of their lives and he'd shown them he loved them.

The weekend before Christmas was their Christmas party. Amy had more energy and was showing more and more by the day. Callen had picked up a cute little red Maternity dress for her one day last week. He loved how she looked in it. She was getting ready to put the sweet potato casserole in the oven when he walked in from the garage and stopped to admire her. At three and a half months pregnant, she looked like she was at least four months along. She turned around to walk to the refrigerator and noticed him.

"What are you doing?" she smiled.

"Just watching you." he said lovingly.

They walked towards one another and met in the middle, wrapping their arms around each other. Callen kissed her softly and rubbed the bump. He couldn't wait to be able to feel the baby kick for the first time. He couldn't wait for a lot of things. Kristy walked in to the kitchen and watched them.

"Don't you two know that, that's what got you in the condition you're in?" She smiled.

Callen and Amy stopped and looked at her, "Kristina."

"What, it is." She laughed.

"Yes it is, but you still don't need to put it that way." Amy told her.

"I wanna feel the bump too." She said skipping over to them. Kristy smiled widely as she rubbed her hand over her mother's growing belly. "I don't remember you getting this big so soon with Jenny."

"Honey, you were seven when I was pregnant with Jenny. Plus I've lost so much weight that you can see everything now." She said looking almost eye to eye with her daughter.

"You look cute through. I really like the dress Callen bought you, you did good Dad." She said smiling at Callen.

"Thank you, Kristy. That means a lot coming from the fashionista herself." He said putting an arm around her. "Do you want to help you Mom and I set the tables in the garage?"

"That's why I'm here." She said.

"Thank you, Honey." Amy said kissing her forehead.

"I can't wait to see you waddle like a duck." Kristy said and then ran as Amy tried to swat at her.

Sam and Michelle arrived early as usual. They jumped in and helped as well. Since the kids already knew about the pregnancy and Amy so clearly couldn't hide it anymore, they were able to talk about it out in the open. Michelle was curious, wondering why they chose not to know whether the baby was a boy or girl. Callen and Amy explained that they just wanted to be surprised. Callen suggested that they have the doctor write down the gender of the baby and seal it in an envelope. Michelle had offered to throw them a baby shower, so she would be the one to get the envelope. She enjoyed the idea and fully intended on teasing them with it every chance she got.

The only question was when to have the shower; before or after the baby. They decided to have the shower before, but the colors would be nondescript. Michelle and Amy were in the kitchen talking when Sam and Callen walked in. Michelle was about to rub Amy's belly when Sam stopped her, telling her that it was contagious. She rolled her eyes and did it anyway, with both hands.

Their guests arrived minutes after Callen took the turkey from the oven and started carving it. Everyone followed their noses to Callen's side and stole pieces as quick as they could without getting a finger taken off. Amy was getting everything else onto the dining room table. Kristy handed out the plates and everyone helped themselves. Like the year before, the food was good and the conversation was even better. The team was very happy to see Amy back to her old self. Callen had found her some Vernors ginger ale, so instead of wine with dinner, that's what she drank.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, they cleared the tables; Kristy and Ricky loaded and started the dishwasher. At nine, Amy was setting out the cookies, cannolis, cakes and pies. She was astonished when the homemade cannolis were the first to disappear. Everyone raved about how good they were, which pleased her since the recipe had been her grandmother, before it was passed to her mother. She honestly didn't know if the recipe had gone any further back in her family.

The crowd thinned out by eleven and Amy plopped herself on the couch with a third cup of coffee. "You know that you're not supposed to drink that much caffeine when you're pregnant." Michelle said.

"When Mom's pregnant, she's wired backwards. Decaf wires her and regular coffee puts her to sleep." Kristy told her.

Michelle couldn't tell if it was the coffee or the hour that was putting Amy to sleep. "Kristy, why don't you take all the kids upstairs to bed, I'll work on getting your Mom up there."

"Alright, come on you guys its bed time." She told them.

"Callen, do you want to get Amy upstairs before she falls asleep?" Michelle asked.

Callen walked over to the couch to find Amy struggling to stay awake. "Yeah, come on Honey."

Amy put her coffee on the table and let Callen lead her up the stairs. "I'm sorry to be a party pooper."

"Amy, you're pregnant. You're not being a party pooper. Michelle and Sam will probably go to bed soon too." He told her as he unzipped the back of her dress.

"If I weren't so tired and there weren't so many extra people in the house, I'd take you to bed with me." She smiled and kissed him.

"I wish," Callen smiled and kissed her back. "What pajamas do you want to wear?"

"It really doesn't matter, any pair will do." She smiled

"Night gown okay?" he asked holding it out to her.

"Thank you, Honey." She said slipping the dress off and pulling the nightgown over her head.

She immediately got into bed and was asleep before Callen could kiss her goodnight. "I love you, Amy." She smiled and mumbled that she loved him too. Callen went back downstairs for a half hour before Sam and Michelle announced they were turning in for the night. So he locked up and went to bed.

Christmas morning, Amy tried to get out of bed without waking Callen. She snuck downstairs and made a pot of coffee. A few minutes later, Callen came down and walked up behind her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." She told him resting the back of her head on his chest, his hands on her belly.

"Merry Christmas." He whispered, nuzzling her neck.

Amy turned to face him. "Merry Christmas to you too."

"You know, we could sneak back upstairs for a little bit." He said in a sexy, husky voice.

"Mmm, I would love to, but I think the kids will be downstairs in a few minutes. Would you settle for later today, we can tell the kids I'm going to take a nap and you can come join me?" She smiled as she kissed his bottom lip.

"That sounds good too." He kissed her passionately.

"Maybe we should go upstairs." She whispered. They stood in the kitchen kissing until they heard footsteps on the stairs.

Callen went over to the fireplace and started the fire. Then went through the Christmas CDs and found Amy's Nat King Cole disc. One of her favorites and put it in the player. Kristy asked if they could have hot chocolate so Amy went to the pantry to get the mix. Jenny and Ricky came down a little while later. Once everyone had a cup of whatever they wanted, they sat down to open presents.

This year, Callen handed out the presents. He made sure everyone had a present before he sat down to open his own. An hour later, the presents were opened and the wrapping paper was everywhere. Callen got a bag and picked it all up while Amy sat and opened boxes and put together toys. Callen walked back into the living room and handed Amy another present. Surprised, she took it and opened it. It was a key, she looked at him funny. He helped her off the couch and led her to the garage.

"You got a new van?" she asked smiling.

"I did, the only one wasn't as reliable as it used to be and I wanted you and the kids as safe as possible. Go look at it." He told her.

It was a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan, black just like her Venture. It was eight passenger as well, but the middle windows rolled down half-way. Amy was elated. She hugged Callen so tight he thought he was going to pass out.

"Can we really afford this?" she asked.

"It's completely paid for, ours free and clear." He smiled.

"God Callen, I can't believe you did this. Thank you so much." She said kissing him.

"We'll take it down to Sam and Michelle's later this morning, okay?" he asked, knowing it definitely would be.

"Of course, I can't believe it. Thank you." She started crying; pregnancy hormones.

"Look inside, you've got hands free everything, the seats fold into the floor, there's plenty of space in back for the stroller and groceries or anything else you could possibly want to put back there. You've got a dock for your IPod, navigation system, all of the internet music channels." He said to Amy while she sat in the driver's seat.

He paused for a moment and Amy kissed him soft and slow. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He said in a whisper, tongue tied and reeling.

The moment was interrupted when Ricky came out telling them that Amy's Mom was on the phone. Knowing exactly why she was calling, they hurried into the house. They didn't know why Ricky hadn't brought the cordless phone to them.

"Hey Mom, Merry Christmas." Amy said as she put the phone to her year.

"You're pregnant!" she said excitedly.

"Yes, I am. Three and a half months." Amy smiled.

"I'm so happy for you. How did Callen react when you told him?" Carole asked.

"Callen was so happy, I sent him a picture of the home test and he called me right back. He's been so good so far." She smiled over at Callen.

"Now what's this about a new van, Ricky said you were in the garage?" She asked quickly.

"Callen bought us a new van. The Venture was on its last legs; he wanted to be sure that we were all safe." She said, still smiling.

"God, I'm so thankful you two found each other. He's so good for you." Carole said.

"Me too Mom, me too." She said.

"So if you're three months, you're due in July. Would you mind if we came down if I'm not at treatment?" Carole asked hesitantly.

"We would love it if you were here. I know you still regret missing Jenny's." Amy said remembering her parent's refused to come down for Jenny's because they didn't want to see Rick and she had Toya to take care of her.

"Yes, hindsight is kicking me in the ass for that now." Carole said. "So what are you guys doing the rest of the day?"

"We're going down to Sam and Michelle's for presents and dinner." She told her.

"Very good, I'm so glad you have them down there. Have you and Callen thought at all about God-parent's for the baby?" She asked.

"I have, but really haven't had a chance to talk to Callen about it." She said, Callen cocked his head to the side and looked at her curiously. Amy mouthed that she'd tell him later.

"I think I know who you're going to ask. Are you going to have at least one of your children baptized?" Carole asked trying not to sound too brash.

Amy sighed; she knew her Mom would bring that up. "Mom, Callen's not Catholic. I'm sure he'd be more open to the idea than Rick was, but I'm not going to bring it up now. Don't you think it's kind of unfair to the other if the baby is baptized and they aren't?"

"Don't get upset, I was just asking." Carole said in her defense. "You do have a valid point."

"Mom, I've got to start getting ready for the trek to Sam and Michelle's, I'll call you either later or tomorrow, okay?" she asked.

"Yes Amy, that's fine. I'm sorry I upset you." Carole said feeling horrible now.

"It's alright Mom, don't worry about it." She said. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Honey." Carole said and hung up.

Amy punched the end button on the call and slammed the phone on the table. She didn't care that everyone was looking at her; she just went upstairs and got in the shower. A few minutes later, Callen came in and asked what happened. Amy explained the baptism conversation. He understood where both Carole and Amy were coming from, and told Amy ultimately, it was their decision and no one else's. Amy agreed and asked him about God-parent's for the baby. They agreed without much discussion that they would ask Sam and Michelle and knew they'd agree.

Callen joined her in the shower for the first time in a long time and laughed at how little room they had. Amy reminded that it was just going to get smaller the bigger she got. He told her he was looking forward to it and soaped up the mesh scrubber so he could wash the bump. Amy just laughed as he washed her stomach, it kind of tickled. When they were done, both getting clean and having a little shower time fun, they dried off and got dressed. Callen picked out a pair of black maternity slacks and a red blouse for her, knowing red was her favorite color and being that it was Christmas, he found it very festive.

The kids were dressed and ready to go when they came downstairs. Everyone was looking forward to the ride in the new van. Callen and Amy carried their contribution to dinner and dessert out to the van as the kids were getting in. Amy smiled knowing that in six months, they'd be loading the baby in the van too. Callen was thinking the very same thing and stood behind Amy rubbing the bump. Kristy loved seeing her Mom so happy and loved Callen so much. She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the van to give them a hug, making a Mom sandwich. Amy was so please by the young woman Kristy was becoming and told her so. Kristy beamed and started to cry. Callen and Amy both hugged her and thanked her for everything she'd done to help out.

The ride down to the Hanna's was a long one; traffic was horrible going both North and Southbound. It was however a very smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. Amy loved the new van and couldn't help but smile at Callen. When they pulled into Sam's driveway, their oldest was out riding her new motorized scooter. Kristy, Ricky and Jenny ran over to check it out. Callen and Amy got the food out of the car and went into the house. Michelle and Sam were waiting for them right inside the door.

"So, how do you like your new ride?" Michelle asked excitedly while hugging Amy.

"I love it, I was so surprised." Amy laughed.

"It's been here for almost a week, I wanted to drive it so bad. They let me drive it up last night." She smiled.

"You guys knew about it?" Amy asked wide eyed. "So I see how this is going to go. Fine, I want in on all the gift giving occasions."

"Good, Michelle's birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to get her." Sam teased.

"Have you heard from your Mom yet?" Michelle asked.

Amy smile quickly faded. "Oh yes, they're very excited about the baby and of course asked about having the child baptized."

"You said she would, I hoped she wouldn't have broached the subject right away." Michelle said.

"You and me both, ruined my mood for a while." She said then gave Callen a quick smile.

"Well, you're here now, forget about it let's have some fun." Sam said before calling the kids in.

"Callen, we forgot their presents." Amy remembered.

"No, I sent them back with them last night when they dropped off the van. I figured the less we had to remember to bring the better." He smiled.

Amy walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Damn you're smart."

"Well thank you." He said and kissed her.

Once the kids were in the house and jackets had been shed, they started opening presents. Michelle and Amy had coordinated so that the kid's presents were consistent with what their parents or Santa had gotten them. The kids loved all of their presents and begged for the boxes to be opened. Sam made them wait until after they picked up the wrapping paper and put it in the trash bag. The kids complained and griped, but did it. When they were done, all four of the adults opened the boxes and put the toys together in need be.

The kids were in the bedrooms playing with their gifts, leaving Sam, Michelle, Callen and Amy in the living room to talk. Callen and Amy saw it as the perfect time to ask Sam and Michelle to be the baby's God-parents.

"We have something we'd like to ask the two of you." Callen said.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked, worried.

"No, everything's fine. We were wondering if the two of you would be the baby's God-parents." He asked. By the smiled that slowly crept across their faces he knew the answer.

"Yes, of course we will. We'd be honored." Sam answered.

"Thank you both very much." Amy said.

"You're so welcome." Michelle said getting up and hugging Amy.

They chatted the afternoon away before dinner was ready. Then all sat down to a very nice dinner. Amy raved about how good the food was and went back for seconds. Callen enjoyed watching Amy eat and knew she'd be hungry again within the next three hours. Like clockwork, she was in the kitchen with Michelle piling a plate with leftovers. Not too much since they would be having dessert in a couple hours, just enough to hold her over till then. In the three months Amy had been pregnant, she'd only put on two pounds. Since she and Callen ran nearly every day, she wasn't really worried about gaining weight.

When the girls came back into the living room, Callen rubbed the bump and asked if she was full. Amy smiled and placed her hand over his. Just as Amy wondered when she'd start feeling movement, Michelle asked about it. She hoped it would be within the next few weeks; otherwise she'd begin to worry. Since she was growing, she knew the baby was growing. They walked for a while longer until the kids came out begging for dessert. So Amy and Michelle went back into the kitchen to get everything ready and set out. Callen and Sam joined them, helping to slice the pies and plate the cookies. The kids watched impatiently as the adults purposely took their time.

After the kids tore through the desserts, the four adults enjoyed what was left. By eight, Amy couldn't keep her eyes open. Sam and Michelle offered for them to stay the night, but Callen said he was okay to drive and that they would plan on it the next time they came down. Fortunately, the traffic going home wasn't so bad. By the time he pulled into the driveway, Amy and the kids were asleep. One by one, he either carried or guided the kids up stairs before he got Amy. He realized in the process of waking her up that he never carried her across the threshold when they got home from their honeymoon. With Amy awake, he scooped her up and took her in the house locking the garage door behind him and took his wife upstairs to bed.

He laid her gently on the bed kissing her the whole time. Undressed her and himself and made love to her for hours, before finally falling asleep. Their last words to each other were 'Merry Christmas' and 'I love you'.