Life's Choices
Chapter 38
We Wanna Stay
AN: I don't own anything thanks for the reviews, hope you enjoy.
Jamie was at the apartment when Nick, Derek and Penelope got there, along with Whitney and Mike. She was watching him for Brandon since he had to work. Whit and Mike were coloring at the coffee table and Jamie had some music going in the kitchen singing along to the song.
"Hey are you going to bust a move on us?" Nick asked making her jump, "Sorry we didn't mean to scare you," he said.
"You're fine, I just forgot that it was Saturday," she said.
"You would be at work if it was Friday," Pen said with laugh, "I think somebody's really happy that they get to move in with their fiancé," she added.
"How did you know?" Jamie asked.
"Like we could have missed that scream you let out," Derek said, "Thankfully he already told me if I heard you screaming that it would be him proposing so I didn't have to go kick somebody's butt," he said with smile.
"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting him to propose to me, I mean we are wonderful together, I just didn't think he wanted to get married ever," she said with huge smile on her face.
"I'm glad you finally found the one," Penelope said.
"Thanks, are you three hanging around for while?" Jamie asked.
"We sorta wanted to ask you something," Nick said, "It's about if you're moving in with Brandon right away and…"
"We wanna stay here," Penelope said, "Nick's dad's moving to D.C. and he's gotta have place to stay and he was going to ask if he could move in for while here or at Fran's but you're moving in with Brandon and he only has enough rooms for Mike, Whitney and the two you," Pen said, "That guest room his I've seen and I wouldn't have room for the baby," she said rambling.
"Motor mouth," Jamie said using Derek's nickname for her, "What are you asking me?" she asked.
"We wanted to ask you if the three of us could live here," Derek said, "My mom's next door, and Jeff's upstairs, we'd have room here, and Pen's right there's not much room at Brandon's place," he said.
"I got a job at the diner now and I start Monday afternoon," Nick said, "With the three of us we could do it," he said.
"Please," Pen added.
"You know it's not just up to me, the two of you are still under eighteen years old," Jamie said, "Fran has to agree, Steven has to agree to it and I gotta know if you three can do this," she said, "I know you're responsible I never thought you weren't, but you don't have just me to go through to get a yes," she said.
"We know that part, I'm calling Steven tonight and we have to talk to Fran and Nick's dad," Penelope said, "He already said that Nick could stay and he had find place, he just has to agree on the place," she said.
"I'll talk to Steven, but you three have to talk to your mom and your dad," Jamie said looking at Derek and Nick, "I have no problem with this, the three you will be eighteen soon," she said.
"I'm already eighteen; my birthday fell right in the middle of school year so I had to wait to start kindergarden, I would have graduated this year if not for that," Nick said.
"You still have to ask him," Jamie said.
"Okay if we can get my mom to agree to it, his dad, and Steven then we can live here when you move out?" Derek asked.
"I've left you here so many times alone that I'm pretty sure you can do this, and you two been doing the shopping for your selves for the last six months," Jamie said.
"Okay, I'll go ask my dad, and you two talk to his mom," Nick said, "I know it will be yes on my end, but before we get too happy here gotta make sure you two can," he said.
"Two hours and we meet at the diner," Derek said.
"I'm just hoping for a yes from Steven," Pen said.
"We're having a baby and soon as I can marry you, we're getting married," Derek said.
"Wait you're getting married and I'm still single?" Nick asked with laugh, okay I'm going to go talk my dad, I'll see you two later," he said before going back out the apartment.
------------
Penelope and Derek went next door finding Fran in the living room with Desiree. Des was trying to learn her numbers and alphabet. Derek had gotten her to P in the letters and twenty number wise, but she had hard time remembering some them.
"Hey, what are you two up to?" Fran asked them.
"Derek helped Jeff out this morning at the YC, Nick and I helped them too," Pen said.
"I forgot they were having that meeting today," Fran said, "How'd it go?" she asked.
"They were creaming Jeff and then they went after Derek, I didn't know they could be that mean at times, but we took them on," Penelope said, "Nick, Derek and me, told them that their kids don't just got one way out," she said.
"I thought I was going to have to get her out there," Derek said, "Some still don't get it," he added.
"I never wanted you two to have to deal with this part of the world, not so soon," Fran said.
"We know, but we'll be eighteen soon and we sorta came here to ask you something," Penelope said.
"Okay," Fran said before the two them sat down on the couch, she smiled watching them, no matter where they were at, they sat close as they could to each other, like now Derek put his arm around her and she moved closer to him.
"Jamie's moving in with Brandon, he asked her to marry him, and she said yes," Derek said.
"That's wonderful," his mom said with smile, but she knew there was more too it, the last time she'd seen this look was when Derek had asked her to move in with Jamie, Pen and Whit back at Christmas, "What's the but?" she asked.
"Brandon's got house, but he's only got three bedrooms in it," Penelope said, "They were going to have Mike and Whit share for while till Brandon could get house big enough, but we wouldn't have place for the baby, besides our room, and it's smaller than the bedroom we have at Jamie's," she said.
"We wanted to stay in the apartment next door when Jamie moved out," Derek said, "You're next door to us, Ruth and Jeff's upstairs, Nick would be living with us too, since his dad's taking a job in D.C. and he's got nowhere to go right now," he said getting it all out in one breath.
Penelope bit down on her bottom lip waiting for the no, she knew that Fran was probably going to be the deal breaker or Steven one, "Nick's eighteen, and he's responsible too," she said.
"I am not sure about this," Fran said, "It's not that I don't trust you or think you're responsible enough, it's just a lot to handle," she said, "Being on your own with a newborn baby," she said.
"You and dad did it," Derek said, "You had Jeff, Ruth, Lee and Martha to help you all," he said.
"Please think about it," Pen said, "I know that we're not eighteen yet, and we agreed to wait till both of us are eighteen to get married since it will be easier," she said.
"I'm not saying a definite no," Fran said, "I've only met Nick a few times, I know that from what Jeff has told me that he's great, and he saved you two, I'm just trying to protect you three, from this world and try to let you go at the same time," she said.
"We'll be right next door mom, it's not like we're moving outta state," Derek said.
"I'm your mom, Derek I'm supposed to worry even when you're thirties and forties I'm going to worry," his mom said with a smile, "You're my baby boy," she added.
"I'd go with you three on Sunday's," Pen said, "Till we leave for college," she offered.
"We could still watch Desiree too," Derek said.
"Week, trial run the three of you after Jamie moves out can live there, but if it's too much then Jeff offered me a house, it's a good deal too, it would have enough room for all of us including Nick," Fran said.
""Deal," Penelope and Derek both said.
"You don't know if there is a catch to it or not," she said to them.
"We know if we can't make it then we can always move back in with you and Desiree," Pen said, "Under the rules, we can always play football in the car or truck," she said with smile.
"That's the deal, along with few other rules if this works out you would have to follow, but we'll give this a try first if everybody agrees," she replied.
"Thanks mom," Derek said.
"We gotta go meet Nick at the diner see what his dad said, and Jamie's talking to Steven, plus Jeff already said yes," Pen said, "He's the one that told us to ask you all, since you are next door and all," she said before she got up giving her a hug before Derek did the same.
-------
Nick was sitting in the diner in the back booth that they always got with his dad when Derek and Penelope showed up.
"How'd it go?" Nick asked.
"Jamie said yes if everybody else agrees," Penelope said, "Fran said pretty much the same, but its trial run like, if we can't do it then we gotta move in with her," she said, "But it's this house deal, but I really want to be in that apartment," she said.
"Jamie talked to Steven he said he was fine with it, but we gotta stay in the building right now," Derek said.
"I got the same deal," Nick said.
"I'm not leaving for another few weeks so if you three can do this, I have no problem with it," Lee said, "It would be better than Nick living on his own right now," he said.
"I did check into something though," Nick said, "I know it's like another year or more before we go to college, but I found out that we can all go to Northwestern University (NWU), they got this killer computer science thing, and since we both know that Pen loves them," Nick said, "It's something to think about, plus they have great art department," he added.
"I don't have to go to Chicago State University (CSU)?" Pen asked, "I can go with Derek to NWU?" she asked.
"Yeah, dad looked into it for us," Nick said.
"I got my law degree there few years ago, so I could go farther in the future job wise," Lee said, "The job I got required a BA which is good thing I got it when I did," he said.
"What you going to be doing?" Penelope asked.
"I got job at the FBI," Lee said.
"As in the Federal Bureau of Investigations?" Pen asked, "Wow that's like huge," she said.
"I put in for the job while back, just got word back, that's why I wanted to make sure that Nick had place to go," Lee said, "I didn't want to go, but he convinced me to take the job," he said.
"Its huge deal dad," Nick said, "It's not every day you get job with the FBI," he said.
"Nick's right, that's a huge deal," Derek said, "First Jeff's taking over at the bomb squad since the captain there retired, now you're joining the FBI, everybody's getting away from here," he joked.
"Where's the bomb squad at?" Penelope asked, "That's not like in another state because Jeff can't leave, Ruth can't either," she said.
"No they're not leaving," Derek said, he could tell she was about to start crying, she had went back into crying a lot lately and he hated when she did, that was the only thing about her being pregnant, "The unit's on the other side Chicago about twenty minutes from the high school I think," Derek said, "But he's not leaving here just got a better job," he added.
"Don't scare me like that again," Pen said, "He leaves this baby has no grandparents at all, Ruth and him are it," she said.
"Have you asked them yet?" Nick asked.
"No we're waiting while longer, but since you're not going to be here when the baby comes," Derek said looking over at Lee, "Pen's got this whole thing for…"
"It won't be right if our baby doesn't have a god father and mother," Pen said, "We wanted you to be the god father," She said with smile.
"The baby will have a grandparent," Nick said before his dad could answer, "Did you forget Fran?" he asked.
"No, I didn't forget my mom," Derek said.
"I'd be glad to be the baby's Godfather," Lee said.
"Yeah, now if we could find somebody to be the mother we could be good," Pen said.
"Um, baby girl, you are the mother, less there was something you left out on me," Derek said.
"I meant God mother, hot stuff, and you know that you just wanted to say that again," she said before she kissed him.
"You two I'm going to miss the most besides Nick," Lee said, "There will be nobody like you two in D.C. that is for sure," he said with a laugh, "Well I hate to cut out here, but I still have some boxes to pack before I leave," he said before he got up from the booth.
"We are one of a kind," Pen said with smile, "Nick is too," she added before she got up and gave him a hug, "Thanks, and we'll see you before you leave," she said.
Lee left saying bye before Nick got up telling Derek and Pen he was going to go help his dad out leaving the two them sitting there.
"Here is hoping that it's a all around yes," Penelope said taking Derek's hand, leaning into his side.
"It will be," Derek said giving her a kiss, "Two more months and we'll get to see this baby and I can't wait," he said running his hand over her stomach.
TBC
AN: Next chapter will have if it is a yes or no answer.