AN:
Yeah, so, the first chapter was a way to feel the crowd so to speak and since I got so many reviews and thus some replies to my question about if I should continue saying that I should, I decided to start writing chapter two the day I posted the first chapter of this story.
I figure some people(me included) would like to have some sort of time line and so here it is.
Steffy got pregnant middle of December 2012, she left LA on January 15th 2013 and left Paris on August 2nd 2013, she arrived on English soil that afternoon, QAII left Southampton, England, on Sunday August 4th and she arrived in New York on August 9th. She then came to LA one week later on August 16th just about to enter her 37th week of pregnancy, expected due date is Monday September 9th. Liam and Hope got married July 13th.
No, this is not a Steam, Statt or Still-story(or is it? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.), neither has Brill happened. Katie never had PPD and so there was no Aspen-trip and Taylor did not out Brooke´s pregnancy at the party as there was none. Also, you might meet a familiar face in this story, someone who's been dead for at least a year on the show when this is taking place on the show, but as you know, when you're writing the story yourself, you can bring back people from the dead, so I did!
DISCLAIMER:
I do not own the show or it's character as those belongs to Mr Bell and his family.
Things happen
Chapter two
She had raced from her mothers house to her husbands office and had been standing outside of the door listening to his father berate him for the last five minutes. When she hears Liam saying that the reasons behind him staying in LA after Steffy left was not making any sense anymore after what his father had said to him it breaks her heart and surprises her beyond belief.
As she gasps the two men in the office look back at her and see a woman pale as a ghost.
"I guess you two have things you need to talk about." Bill slips out of the office to let the husband and wife talk.
~Things happen~
The car ride to the loft was quiet until Thomas had an epiphany.
"Hey! What was this surprise you didn't tell me?" Michala just chuckles. "What?"
Thomas starts looking around frantically.
"Did you look at your sister when you snapped that picture?" Michala questions.
"Uhm, yes?" Thomas starts looking confused.
"Really?" Michala says with surprise in her voice. "Are you sure?"
"Hey Michala, did you wanna go to my loft and stay the night or did you wanna go home?" Steffy interjects wanting to change the subject.
"I was planning on staying with you until everything is set up for you, if that's okay?" Michala puts her head through the two front seats.
"Yeah, that's fine with me, I'll probably need your help with the boxes tomorrow when they arrive." Steffy turns her head and smiles. "And the paint."
"Yeah, I figured." Steffy puts her hand up and let's Michala grab it. "I'll take the couch then."
By the time they've gotten to the loft, Michala and Steffy have been grocery shopping and the list was about the same as in South Hampton with a few additions.
Thomas had been sitting in the car while they shopped and been the dutiful big brother and chauffeur to his baby sister. He still didn't know what the secret was, but he was going to find out.
He parked right outside of the entrance to his sisters apartment building and then went to get all the luggage and groceries. Steffy had run ahead to hold the elevator so that they could put all of the stuff in it in one go so they didn't have to make multiple trips up and down.
"Hey Steffy!" Thomas tries to grab her attention as he comes in with some of the luggage.
"Yeah?" Steffy looks up from the yoghurt with curiosity in her eyes.
"How many knows about the pregnancy?"
"Well, since you posted that picture on Instagram I'd say the whole world?" Michala answers for Steffy as she comes walking in with grocery bags before Steffy even has a chance to answer and as such Steffy just nods her hand and points to Michala as confirmation.
"Oh, was I not supposed to do that?" Thomas is slightly confused. "How far along are you?"
"Better to rip the band aid off right? I'm about three weeks from my due date. Give and take a few days." Steffy smiles at her big brother as she's talking.
"Does Liam know? It is Liam´s right?" Thomas raises his eyebrows at the last question.
"Where was I thirty seven weeks ago Thomas?" Steffy looks at him questioningly.
"Here in LA and because I know how much you love Liam, there's no way you cheated on him and that would make that baby Liam´s baby."
"And yes, as of an hour or so, Liam knows about the baby since he'd gotten the custody papers by that time." Steffy is acting very guilty about it.
"Why hasn't Liam found out sooner?" Thomas tilts his head.
"Well, had he come to see me to break up with me before marrying Hope, he would have known about the baby, since he didn't, I didn't think he needed to know that he was going to be a father because he didn't feel it was important for me to know that my boyfriend, who I lived with before deciding to stay in Paris for a few months, wanted to break up with me to marry another girl. He is still my boyfriend you know. He still hasn't broken up with me and that leads to him having visitation rights to our baby." Steffy then shrugs her shoulders as she keeps eating the frozen yoghurt they got after getting out of the grocery store. "I'm not saying that him being my boyfriend is more important than him being Hope´s husband, but it would have been nice to find out that my boyfriend was going to marry another woman, you know?"
"So, about this surprise you were telling me about on the phone last week?" Both Steffy and Michala starts laughing.
"What, you think I didn't know about the pregnancy? Why else would you only want underwear and sweats? Besides, mom found the test in the trash can in your office, who do you think she thought it belonged to?" Thomas just smile and then he goes to get the rest of the stuff. Both Steffy and Michala look at each other with surprise evident on their faces, then they start laughing and Michala goes out again for more grocery bags.
~Things happen~
Meanwhile, back in Paris, there's a phone ringing in a bedroom belonging to a certain Taylor Hamilton. Who in her quest to grab the phone almost throws it on the floor.
"Hello?"
"Well, hello grandma!" The voice on the other end says.
"Has it happened already?" Taylor still hasn't completely recognized the voice on the other end.
"No, not that I know of, but don't you think it would be a good idea for your daughter to tell me I was going to become a grandfather instead of having to witness my son be served with custody papers after finding out by seeing a picture of Steffy in all her pregnancy glow on Instagram?"
At this revelation Taylor sits up in the bed in a flash.
"Oh, I guess Liam hasn't told you why Steffy chose to stay in Paris then? What she saw happening on her and Liam´s bed when she came to tell him about the baby before she went to Paris? How much faith she put in her relationship with Liam to be able to not walk in there and chew their heads off and go to Paris anyway?"
"What are you talking about?" Bill is thoroughly confused at these questions.
"Well then, I suggest you talk to your son about that and then question if your anger at Steffy not saying she was pregnant when she found out is really supposed to be placed on Steffy rather then your son and his wife." Taylor gives a yawn. "Now, I'm going to get back to sleeping and you can get back to me when you've talked to your son."
"Yeah, I should probably talk to him about it. You just go to sleep and I'll talk to you a little later." Bill scratches his head for a bit in confusion.
Taylor hangs up the phone and then goes back to bed.
Bill makes his way to Liam´s office once again and what he hears is Liam and Hope screaming their heads off.
"Why does Steffy believe that you are the father of her baby? She's been gone for months!" Hope is so frustrated.
Bill knocks on the door and Hope turns around with such force that she almost falls over.
"Not right now dad. I'm in the middle of something. Hope doesn't seem to believe that Steffy´s baby is mine because she's been gone for so long and she doesn't trust the papers Steffy gave to me."
"Well, why should I? It's not like she hasn't lied to us before!" Hope practically begs Liam not to trust the papers.
"Okay, I just need you to answer some questions that I couldn't answer when I called Taylor to ask why Steffy hadn't said anything about the baby." Bill takes a breath. "What did Steffy see happening on your bed when she came to tell you about the baby before she went to Paris? Taylor also asked me if I knew how much faith she put in her relationship with you to be able to not walk in there and chew you head off and go to Paris anyway?"
Liam´s face looses all color.
"She came to tell me about the baby? Why didn't she come in then? Why did she just stand outside and then left anyway?" Liam is slowly getting the color back on his face.
"Well, what would have happened on your bed on the day she left for Paris that would make her want to chew your head off, but put enough faith in the strength in the relationship you shared to go to Paris anyway?" Bill pushes.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no." Liam then drops into the chair he's been standing in front of. His conversation over the computer with Steffy about Hope and bigger things at stakes making more sense then before.
"What did you do?" Bill´s eyes harden as he watches realization dawn on his son.
~Things happen~
"I'm going to take a nap, could you put everything where it needs to be? You don't need to worry about waking me up, with the way I'm feeling right now, I won't wake up if an earthquake strikes LA." Steffy tells her brother and Michala.
"Okay! We'll get it done!" Thomas says.
"I'll wake you up when it's time for dinner?" Michala tilts her head and sees Steffy nod her head and trail away to her bed.
During the two hours Steffy sleeps, Thomas and Michala talk about Michala´s new job, the pregnancy, the trip over the ocean and what they think Steffy is really feeling about Liam and Hope being married as they put all the groceries away and puts laundry into the machine, hangs said laundry when it's ready, puts all the plates, glasses, cutlery and anything that's in the kitchen cabinets in the dishwasher for a rinse off as well as wipes the shelves in the cabinets.
About twenty minutes before Steffy wakes up Michala starts cutting fruits for a fruit salad and puts in three chicken breasts in the oven for dinner. She also puts a huge pot on the stove to cook some pasta and when she's done with the fruit, she starts cutting cherry tomatoes, red onion and then puts it in a bowl with some olive oil, salt, black pepper, basil and lemon juice. As she's cooking the pasta she decides to put some smoked paprika in the dressing as well. Replicating the spices used on the chicken breasts.
Thomas is setting the table as Steffy walks out of the bedroom in a pair of leggings and a tank top with an unzipped hoodie over it. She has a pair of bunny slippers on to keep her feet warm.
"I smell chicken and pasta!"
"Good sense of smell there sis!" Thomas chuckles a little.
"Always had it!" Steffy walks over to the table to sit down for a bit. She sits down and puts her head on one of her hands while resting her other arm on the kitchen table.
"Dinner is almost ready! I was about to come wake up you up, but you took care of that yourself. Again!" Michala play scolds one of her bosses.
"Yeah, I've been doing that a lot haven't I?" Michala nods her head at the question.
Thomas is about to say something when there's a knock on the door.
"Can you go get that Thomas? I'm not in the mood for anymore company then the people present in my kitchen." Steffy looks towards her brother with pleading eyes.
"Sure!" Thomas slips away towards the front door.
"Unless it's dad!" Thomas turns around and nods his head.
He opens the door and on the other side is a woman they were all very familiar with.
"Hi grandma! What's up?" He says the word grandma a little louder then he needs to, but only because he wanted Steffy to either come to the door or not come at all meaning she didn't want to see Stephanie either.
Knowing his sister really well, it was a good thing he did because her eyes started sparkling with glee and then she almost knocked the chair over in her haste to get to the door.
Stephanie holds her arms out to give her granddaughter a big hug and Steffy melts into it like she always has.
"Hi grandma!"
"Hello darling!"
"Would you like to eat dinner with us?" Steffy is still in her grandmothers arms.
"I certainly would like that a lot my darling!" Steffy waves Thomas away to set one more plate and to tell Michala that she's going to need to cut the chicken breasts up in slices to make it enough for all of them. She's currently whipping up some cream that she's going to mix with some thick flavored Turkish yoghurt to go with the fruit salad for desert.
The two Stephanie´s then walk over to the couch to sit down and talk a little.
~Things happen~
"You really are stupid you know that right?" Bill glares at his son and then he turns his eyes towards his daughter in law. "You really believe that just because you were lied to you're automatically approved for a second chance and what happened in the time between the lie happened and when it was revealed should just be erased because you don't like it? He asked you over and over and over to take him back and to trust in the love you shared, but could you do that? No, you trusted a man you don't have any relationship with at all over the man that is supposedly the love of your life, so he moved on and the moment you find out that what you had been told he had done and he had told you that he didn't do wasn't what he had done and that he was actually telling the truth, you automatically believe that you should just pick up where you left of because you were robbed?"
Hope shakes her head at the statement.
"Really? Then why on earth would you go to your ex-fiance´s home that he shares with another woman, pull all of her clothes out of the dresser and closet and throw them onto the bed and then push the man onto said clothes and start making out with him? Seriously, I know I haven't been the best husband myself, but at least I know that my choices are my choices and not someone else´s!"
Hope is so close to start crying at the moment and the fact that Liam doesn't even try to console her makes it even worse.
"But it wasn't my choice!" Hope whispers just before the tears starts flowing.
"Really?" Bill glares at her. "Who chose to believe the DJ when he said he saw Liam and Steffy kissing? Who then when the lie came out decided that throwing Steffy´s clothes on the bed and making out with Steffy´s boyfriend, whom she was living with at the time, was a good idea? Who chose to not believe the supposed love of her life when he told her he hadn't been kissing his ex-wife the night before the wedding? It wasn't Steffy, it wasn't Rick, it wasn't Liam, it wasn't the DJ and it sure as hell wasn't me. So who made all those choices? Who's actions are those?"
Hope wasn't used to people calling her out on her actions and hearing her choices be laid out in front of her like that was an eye opener.
"They were mine. But it's not my fault that Rick lied about it and both Liam and I know that we would have been married if Rick hadn't lied about it." Hope retorts.
"No, it's not your fault he lied. But even if he did lie about it, you should have had enough faith in your love for each other to trust in the man you say will never love Steffy more then you. You chose to take what Rick and Othello said as truth and humiliated my son for something he hadn't done and then when you found out that Liam had been telling you the truth for months about it, you just decide that the relationship he had with Steffy isn't worth anything because Liam just simply couldn't love anyone other then you, especially Steffy. Isn't that the truth?"
Hope starts looking guilty and due to a feeling he's got in his stomach, Bill takes one more glare at his son and daughter in law and then he walks straight out the door with a final message.
"I didn't support your relationship before you walked out on my son the first time and I do not support it now!" Bill slams the door closed and then he walks out of the building.
~Things happen~
"So, when were you going to tell us about the baby?" Stephanie asks her granddaughter.
"Well, mom, dad and most of the people at the office in Paris knows about the pregnancy. I just had to find a way for Liam to find out and he was supposed to find out when he got the custody papers today, but Thomas beat the delivery by a few minutes and now the whole world knows."
"Are you here for Liam?" Stephanie looks her granddaughter in the eyes as Steffy answers.
"No, I'm not here for Liam. I mean, I am, kind of, but not for my benefit. I want my child to know it's father, I will not keep Liam from his baby. But I'm not interested in a relationship with him other then as parents. What's important to me right now is my child and my Forrester Creations baby. Romance has been put on hold until I'm ready to let someone in the way I did Liam. If Liam´s marriage to Hope doesn't last, it won't be because of me. Hope can have him. He made his choice when he didn't even bother to tell me that he wanted to end us to marry Hope, so now I have made my choice that I'm moving on and I'm happy and content because of it."
Steffy can see that her grandmother isn't exactly on board with what Steffy has told her.
"Trust me, I'm not happy Liam didn't think our relationship was worth a phone call to end it before he proposed to Hope, but I'm also happy for Hope and Liam. But me finding love for myself has been put on hold. I'll find love some time in the future and hopefully he'll be okay with me having a baby. But for now I'm going to keep my walls up and move on from the disaster that Liam and I were. As far as I'm concerned, there will be no more Liam and I but as parents to this little baby. Nothing else, nothing more and guess what! I really don't care if anyone believes me. This is my life, not theirs so if they don't believe me, then they should keep their thoughts to themselves and just watch what happens. I do not need any negativity in my life for the rest of it."
"I believe you honey!" Stephanie shows her support.
"Thank you grandma! Let's go eat!" Steffy get's off the couch and walk over to the dinner table and sits down.
"I believe you too sis! Otherwise you would have called Liam yourself to meet with him somewhere, but you haven't contacted him in anyway since you two hung up when you told him you were staying in Paris." Thomas looks determined. "Anyway, I guess that's why you wanted the storage room emptied?"
Steffy nods her head.
"Can I help Michala paint it?" Thomas smiles at his sister when he makes the request.
"You mean my baby would have a one of a kind Thomas Forrester paint job in it's room?" Steffy lights up again.
"Of course! I might even do a mural or something. I guess you'll just have to be patient! I'll help put the furniture together too!" Thomas nods his head as a that's final movement.
"Well, now that we've got that out of the way, it's time to eat!" Michala comes from the kitchen where she's finished the food and comes carrying a platter filled with food. There's even a green salad underneath the pasta and chicken.
"Oh, looks delicious!" Steffy puts food on her plate and starts eating. The other three soon follow.
Just as Steffy places the final bite in her mouth, there's a knock on her door. Michala gets up to see who it is.
"Hi!" Michala tilts her head. "Who are you?"
"Hi!" The person on the other side of the door looks just as confused. "I'm Bill Spencer and you are?"
"I'm Michala James and I start my new head assistant-position for Steffy in the PR-department of Forrester Creations in a few weeks after the baby is here. I take it you are the grandfather of said baby?" Michala reaches a hand out for Bill to shake.
"Yes, I suppose so!" Bill reaches his hand out for Michala to shake. "Can I see her for a moment?"
"I'll just go ask her! She's had a lot happen the last few weeks and she needs her rest." Bill just nods his head in understanding and then Michala walks away.
He can hear whispering going on from the kitchen and then he hears footsteps and as they are getting closer he looks up from the floor and is immediately overwhelmed with emotions as he watches Steffy walk over to the door to her former father in law.
Bill reaches out for her and she just glides right into his arms, he starts moving his hands up and down her back while tears slowly flows down his cheeks.
"I'm so sorry! So, so, so sorry. How are you doing?" Bill places a kiss on top of her head.
"I know. Truly, I know. I'm doing good. I've never been better actually!" Steffy steps out of his embrace and motions him to sit down on the couch. "You know it wasn't easy walking away when I watched them on our bed, but I knew that if I didn't I would miss the plane to Paris and my father needed me to come to him, so I put all of my faith in my relationship with Liam and hoped that the scene I watched through our bedroom window was just a temporary thing because I knew that the lie Othello told would have to come out sooner or later. I knew that I had some major news for Liam when I came home again and to be able to do so, I had to stay in Paris until I felt it was safe for both myself and the baby to come home. I didn't need the stress of having Hope, Brooke and Katie breathing down my neck telling me that I was standing in the way of Hope and Liam´s great big love story and stress wasn't healthy for the baby either so in order to keep my baby, I stayed in Paris."
Steffy has tears in her eyes.
"When I told Liam about me staying in Paris, I half expected him to say that the relationship was over, he never did and so imagine my surprise when I see a front cover of a magazine with the headline being Forrester´s eternal virgin and her fiance are about to tie the knot and right there is my boyfriend and my stepsister. He still hasn't talked to me about it. I specifically told him to get Hope out of his system because there is something bigger at stakes then just us. I'm pretty sure he took that as he could do what ever he wanted and that I just probably was doing the same in Paris while I was away. Anyway, baby is doing fine and there has been no problem at all. At the moment I'm just waiting for the Logan´s to come and berate me for putting a wedge between Hope and Liam because I came home pregnant with his child. Trust me, I'm not here for Liam, at least not for myself."
At that particular moment, the baby starts kicking.
"Here, feel this!" Steffy grabs a hold of Bill´s hand and puts it just below the right side of the ribs and Bill´s eyes light up like fire works. Steffy smiles at Bill.
"I am fine, content and so happy where I am right now. I have my family and I have my baby. My mistakes are mine and his are his. But I'm not here for Liam other then for him to know his child. That's it."
Bill just nods his head.
"How long have you got until baby comes?"
"Three weeks give or take. How's Katie doing?"
"Katie is doing fine, as is Will!" Bill´s eyes starts sparkling with excitement at the mention of his wife and son.
"That's so good! Now, I'm tired and need to sleep, again, so if you don't mind I need you to leave so that I can take my before I go to sleep for the night-nap. I have a feeling there will be an onslaught of people wanting to find out what on earth I'm doing home and I just don't have the energy to answer those questions right now."
Bill gives Steffy a hug and then walks to the door.
"Can I help in any way?"
"Just get Liam to sign the papers, either version is fine. But make sure he knows what he's giving up if he signs the other set of papers. Good night!" Steffy gives Bill a hug and then she goes back into the bedroom and takes her fourth nap of the day.
~Things happen~
Four hours after hanging up the phone after Bill called her, her phone rings again and because she's sleeping still, the phone almost lands on the floor again.
"Hello?" The sleepiness in her voice evident for the one on the other end.
"Still sleeping I hear?" The laughter evident in the voice of the person on the other side.
"Well, yeah, it's four am and I'm not due to get up for at least two hours. What do you want Bill?" Irritation is seeping into her voice.
"Well I have now talked to my son and actually, I think I ripped their heads off. I have also talked to your daughter. That is one strong woman you've raised there!" A sense of pride is heard through the line.
"Well, I can't take all the credit, Ridge and Brooke had a little hand in it too." Taylor fluffs up her pillows and places them against the headboard to lean against while talking to Bill.
"Yeah, but the strength I see in her is all you Taylor, I promise!" Bill chuckles a little bit.
"Yeah, sure. So, you ripped your son´s head off you say?" Curiosity takes over.
"I believe so, when he told me that Hope came over and threw all of Steffy´s clothes on the bed and then proceeded to make out with Liam on those clothes I finally had enough of Hope and her childishness. I told them when I left that I do not support them and that I never have even though I stopped fighting them so hard when they did get married because I thought that Steffy wasn't coming back so he might as well move on. Now all of us knows he shouldn't have moved on so I'm revoking my support and now they'll have to earn it." The anger in his voice rises as he's talking.
"Well, he's still married and has been for what, over a month now, he'll just have to deal with it. So, what are you going to do with the papers? I know Steffy would want you to make sure he signs the shared custody papers, but I really don't believe he should sign those and sign the papers that state that Steffy will have full custody and he only gets visitation rights, I just don't trust that Hope or her mother will have Steffy and Liam´s child´s best at heart. I know Brooke certainly didn't have my children´s best at heart when they were younger and she certainly doesn't now." Taylor speaks with conviction.
"Yeah, I really don't either. I'm going to talk to him about all of this and give the examples and the advice that I can give him." Bill´s voice gets a little bit unsure. "I got to feel the baby kick when I went and saw Steffy!"
"It's an amazing feeling isn't it? Feeling your first grandchild kicking inside the belly?"
"It was almost more amazing than feeling Will kick inside Katie." A sense of pride returns to Bill´s voice. "So, are you going to catch those last two hours of sleep or are you going to be productive? Steffy said she was going to take a nap for a bit before getting ready for her evening. I'm guessing she's starting to practice sleeping while the baby is sleeping."
"I'm going to try and get that last hour and a half and then get up. You'd better prepare yourself for your future grandchild! Good night Bill!"
~Things happen~
Just as Bill hangs up the phone, Liam finds the second set of custody papers and confusion is spread across his face.
Hope reaches over and grabs the papers.
"See, I told you! You're not the father of that baby!" Hope smirks.
"Seriously? Did you even read what it said?" Liam bites back. "It's another set of custody papers where I sign away my rights to any custody of the baby and just gets visitation rights. Nowhere did it say that I'm not that baby´s father."
"Well, sign them then. I don't want anything to do with that baby unless I absolutely have to." Hope says with disgust in her voice.
"How can you say that about my baby? That's my first born child and you just want me to give that up?"
"We'll have children Liam, it's not like this is the only child you'd ever have. Why is this one so important?" Hope places her hands on her hips.
"Because it's my baby! That's why!" Liam looks up at his wife with anger in his eyes. "I just don't get why you don't want me to have contact with my own child any more then scheduled visits."
Then realization hits.
"Unless it's because it's because Steffy is the mother. That's it isn't it? I mean, we worked it out when we thought Amber was having my baby. This disgust you're displaying is because it's Steffy´s child too isn't it?"
"Well, can you blame me after everything she's put us through?" Liam is taken slightly a back.
"And what's that exactly?"
"She manipulated you into marrying her on that mountain top in Aspen. She tried to take you away from me before our wedding, many times might I add and now she's luring you back with a baby!"
"If I hadn't wanted to marry Steffy on that mountain top in Aspen, I wouldn't have married her. When she realized that I was serious about marrying you, she backed off, but by then you had already decided that our love wasn't strong enough to fight for. You know what? If you had fought for us back then, there wouldn't have been a trip to Aspen leading to mine and Steffy´s wedding. The reason we didn't get married back then was you not believing in us and our love. Had your certainty in our love been stronger, none of this would've happened." Liam is getting frustrated. "Can you please leave now, I need to get some work done because I'm so behind because of this. I'll see you at home!"
He then dismissed her and focused on the work.
~Things happen~
AN:
You know what to do! Let me know what you think!
At the time this chapter is posted I have a few chapters written and a few chapters still to be written so don't think you'd get regular posts.
I will however have started posting I'm done! and Goodbye to yesterday! Please read those two too!