Surprise

"Who needs alcohol?" Thea smiled, lying in bed later that night with Dominic, a little out of breath as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Right." Dominic chuckled.

"Wouldn't have been able to do that a few weeks ago." Thea smirked, curling into him, draping her leg over his under the sheets as he smiled, kissing her head.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Dominic nodded. It helped his own mood and his own personal struggles when he saw his wife happier and less agitated by her injury. She'd certainly come a long way since the first day she was in hospital, where they weren't even sure if she was going to wake up.

"I know I still have a long way to go." Thea nodded to herself, "But the physiotherapy is actually helping and… I know what I can and can't do now." She said, "Maybe we will get to go see the tree after all." She smiled.

"See, I told you to keep an open mind." Dominic smiled as Thea nodded.

"I just had these horrible images of me not being able to do anything, especially since it's James' first Christmas." Thea said, "I know I'm limited but at least I'm not couch behind like I have been the past few weeks."

"You're on the mend." Dominic smiled.

"I am." Thea said, "Remember last Christmas I told everyone I was pregnant?" She smiled.

"Yeah, cheapest Christmas gift we've ever got your family." Dominic chuckled as Thea smiled, "We didn't even plan that, it just worked out with good timing."

"I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack." Thea chuckled as Dominic nodded, "And then she was trying to tell me that she knew anyway." She scoffed.

"She probably did. Your mom finds out everything." Dominic said.

"She just knows her kids too well." Thea scoffed, "There's no hiding secrets from her."

"Ok, you all have to open these gifts at the same time." Thea nodded, last Christmas, handing out small bags to her two sisters and parents. They always went to her parents' house for Christmas, exchanging gifts in the morning, and then having dinner with them, her Uncle Dean and cousins and Sam. It was a big family day for sure.

"Oh, this isn't something I have to do with them, is it?" Jude asked, "Are you sending me to a show with them?" She pointed to her parents, sitting on the ground amongst so much wrapping paper.

"Thanks very much." Punk nodded to Jude sarcastically.

"It's not a show." Thea chuckled, sitting down with Dominic. She loved a good surprise, as long as she was the one doing the surprising.

"What is this?" Cassie questioned, taking a baby bottle out of her bag.

"Ha ha, very funny." Punk nodded, taking out a bandana and hair brush from his bag, "What is this to brush? My beard?" He questioned sarcastically. He was bald, unlike his long haired days when Thea was younger.

"Just everyone open their gift." Thea said as Punk turned to AJ who had pulled out a tiny pair of converse, looking over at Thea with raised eyebrows.

"I won't fit into this." Jude said, pulling out a baby grow, as well as some little children's colouring in books, "I'll have fun with these books, though." She said.

"Thea." AJ said, looking over at Thea. She seemed to be the only one catching on.

"What?" Thea smiled cheekily whilst Punk was trying to put on his bandana.

"How the hell did I used to wear these?" Punk groaned to himself.

"Are you…" AJ looked over to Thea, "Are you pregnant?" She questioned.

"What?" Punk shrieked, his voice going the highest it had ever gone.

"Maybe." Thea smiled as Dominic chuckled.

"Are you having a baby?" Cassie asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "I'm due in July." She said.

"Oh my God." AJ squealed, throwing her bag down and standing up, "Oh my God." She placed her hands over her mouth as Thea chuckled, standing up and getting one of the most excited cuddles she'd had.

"This isn't a prank, right?" Jude questioned in shock.

"No it's not a prank." Thea chuckled as Punk stood up, and then sat back down for a second.

"Oh my God." AJ clasped her hands excitedly, not knowing what else to say, "Oh my God." She said again as Dominic chuckled.

"You're reacting the same way I did." Dominic pointed out as Thea smiled.

"I can't even imagine you with a baby, gosh." Jude said, walking over and giving her sister a hug as Cassie joined in.

"I'm only fifteen and I'm gonna be an aunt." Cassie said with fascination.

"You're gonna be the cool, fun aunt." Thea smiled.

"No, that's gonna be me." Jude said as Thea chuckled.

"When did this happen?" AJ gasped, "No… well, not literally." She laughed to herself, "But when did you found out?"

"A couple of weeks ago." Thea nodded, "We were gonna come tell you straight away but then we thought it'd be a good Christmas idea."

"I don't get it." Punk said as they all turned around and looked at him, standing up whilst he sat on the couch, "Why do I have a bandana and a hair brush?" He shook his head as Thea looked over.

"Well I… I remember when I was little I used to do your hair and put your bandana on." Thea said, "So I… well I'd like for my kid to do the same." She nodded as Punk smiled to himself, "Just as long as you don't actually leave the house with the bandana on because… let's face it, those days are a little behind you." She shrugged as Punk nodded, standing up.

"Always a sarcastic joke." Punk nodded, wrapping his arms around her tightly, "Congratulations, sweetheart." He kissed her head sweetly as Thea smiled.

"Are you scared for me?" Thea smiled, pulling back from the hug.

"No, you got this." Punk nodded, giving Dominic a hug and congratulating him too.

"I'm scared for you." Jude added into the conversation, "You're the least maternal person I know." Jude scoffed.

"Jude." AJ tutted.

"What? She is." Jude chuckled, "She told me Santa wasn't real when I was like eight." She shook her head.

"She did the same to me." Cassie added.

"You're terrible." Dominic chuckled as he looked at Thea who just shrugged.

"Oh my God, I need to mark the calendar for next year." AJ ran away out of the living room as Punk chuckled.

"She's not gonna sleep tonight." Punk nodded as Thea smiled.

Having been no stranger to having a lot of tough Christmas' growing up, to be able to share this great news with all of her family was special and extremely important to her.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Punk asked, later that night, walking through to the living room where he found Thea sitting playing with the bandana she'd gotten him.

"I needed to recover before I have any dessert." She smiled, "I think I ate too much." She groaned, rolling her head back on the couch as Punk chuckled, sitting down beside her.

"I think if you don't overeat during the holidays, you're doing it wrong." Punk said as Thea smiled, "You know what I just realised?"

"What?" Thea turned to him.

"This is your last Christmas being… childless." He said, "Next year there'll be another little person at the table." He smiled to himself as Thea nodded slowly, looking down as Punk noticed, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Thea shook her head casually.

"Hey… what's wrong?" Punk asked again as he knew there was something on her mind, he could tell by her face.

"Well… Jude is right. I'm not exactly the most maternal." Thea said, "I could really suck at this. I have no clue what I'm doing. And it's not like I can exchange it and get a refund." She scoffed as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, they don't do that. I tried with all three of you." Punk nodded as Thea turned to him with a small smile, "Jude was just teasing you. It's different when it's your own kid. It's just a different feeling. You're gonna be just fine." He said.

"You don't know that." Thea said.

"Me and mom had you when we were nineteen." Punk said, "And we worked it out. I mean… don't get me wrong, there's definitely times where it's tough and you doubt yourself but… it's the best thing you'll ever do." He nodded, "And you'll be great."

"My plan was to start having kids when I turned thirty." Thea nodded, "I thought I'd be more prepared-"

"You won't ever be prepared for this, trust me." Punk nodded, "No one is. But you'll learn as you go." He said.

"So there's no guide or plan to this?" Thea asked.

"Nope." Punk said, "I look at it as building a huge piece of furniture without the instructions." He said, "You might put some things in the wrong places and-"

"Can't help thinking that might have prevented this whole thing from happening in the first place." Thea said as Punk turned to her.

"Thea." Punk rolled his eyes.

"What?" Thea laughed to herself.

"Like I was saying…" He tutted, "You can screw up and you can even watch the whole thing collapse at one point, but… you'll get it eventually." He nodded.

"Well… I know where to come to if I get stuck." She said as Punk smiled.

"Did I really use to wear these?" Punk asked, taking the bandana from her and looking at it.

"Yeah." Thea chuckled, "I remember when I got out of school, my friends dads would all have their business suits on and their shirts and you were standing there with your bandana and your band t-shirts." She said as Punk smiled, "I loved that. Thought I had the coolest dad ever."

"Oh and now I'm not cool anymore?" Punk asked her.

"Well that's why I bought you the bandana, obviously." Thea tutted as Punk smiled.

"Well go on. Put it on." Punk nodded, "For old times' sake." He said, handing her the black bandana as she sat up, wrapping it around him and tying it good at the back.

"Let me see." Thea nodded as he turned around to her as she looked at him.

"Now you just look like a pirate." Thea tilted her head, "Especially with that missing tooth. When are you gonna fix that?" She wondered as Punk fake smiled.

"Funny." Punk nodded.

"I'm actually serious." Thea said, "I don't want you to scare my child." She chuckled as Punk stood up.

"Nice talking to you." Punk nodded.

"No, come back." Thea laughed, watching as he walked off out of the living room, smiling to herself.