The next morning Nessa was up early with morning sickness so she decided to unpack some of the boxes that they hadn't had a chance to get to yet and came upon something that made her heart drop to her feet as she lifted it out of the box and held the paper in her hand. I thought I threw this away. Tears formed in her eyes as she slowly unfolded the piece of paper and her eyes traveled over the words.
"Ness?" Joe's voice entered the room and she quickly folded the paper, stuffing it in her pocket. "What was that?"
"What was what?" She asked, wiping the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand and turning her head to look up at him.
"The paper you just stuck in your pocket."
"Oh that...it was nothing." Nessa lied, hoping he would believe her.
"Let me see it then." Joe said, holding his hand out and she sighed.
Dammit! She reached in her pocket and pulled the paper out, reluctantly handing it to him. Nessa watched him as he opened it and his eyes scanned the page.
"Why do you still have this?" He questioned, not believing she would hold on to the letter he had wrote to her about the deal with James Storm.
"I honestly thought I had thrown it away but when I was going through this box I found it."
"Well, I'm throwing it away."
"Please do." Nessa replied and Joe smiled. "Look what else I found though." She reached in the box and handed him a picture frame that held a photo of them together that Chris had taken one night at the arena not long after they had gotten together.
"I wondered where that went." Joe said, looking at it.
"We need to get the family together and take one before I start showing."
"We can do it at the next taping if you want."
"I'd like that, it's been a while since Chris, Allen and I have had a photo together." She spotted a photo album in the bottom of the box and a big smile spread across her face. "Help me up, please...there's some photos I want to show you." Joe took the photo album from her and laid it on the bed then took both of her hands in his, pulling her up off the floor gently. They both sat down on the bed and she opened the cover of the photo album, giggling at the first photo.
"Is that you?" Joe asked, laughing.
"Hey, don't laugh! I'll have you know that this was mine and Allen's first Halloween together so we decided to dress up as Danny and Sandy from Grease." She pointed to the second one and smiled. "That was my first apartment after I moved out on my own, it wasn't much but at the time I loved it." Nessa turned the page and gasped a little when she saw a photo of her and Brandon together. "This was taken the day we met at the ROH show where Chris was."
"Is that Allen?" Joe questioned, laughing so hard he was near tears and Nessa started laughing along with him.
"Yeah. He, Chris, Andy and I were all staying over at Andy's place one night and Allen was the first one to fall asleep so Chris and Andy dared me to put make-up on him to punish him for being the first to go to sleep. I did it and took this picture which woke Allen up because of the flash and he ended up putting me fully clothed into a freezing cold shower."
They sat for the next hour going through all the photos with Nessa explaining to Joe what they were and what had happened when they were taken. By the time they were finished looking through the album they were both in tears from laughter.
"You hungry?" Joe asked her once they were done.
"Yeah, I lost everything I've eaten in the last week when I was paying homage to the porcelain god this morning...that's the only thing I hate about being pregnant."
"What are you in the mood for then?"
"Hmm...how about some Chinese food?" Nessa questioned.
"Sounds good, order in or go out?"
"Up to you, it doesn't matter to me baby."
"Let's just order in and we can lay in bed and watch a movie while we eat." He suggested and she smiled.
"Sounds like a plan to me. What did you want to watch?"
"I'll let you pick it out while I order the food." Joe helped her off the bed and they went downstairs so he could use the phone and she could grab a movie. "You want the usual?"
"Yeah but you better double the order this time." Nessa giggled and opened the cabinet where they stored their movies. "No, no, no...ah!" She mumbled as she thumbed through the DVD's finally settling on The Shining with Jack Nicholson. After taking it out of the cabinet she walked in the kitchen to find that Joe was still on the phone so she held up the DVD, smiling and he nodded. Joe finished ordering their food then hung up the phone and took her in his arms.
"Food will be here in about forty-five minutes, I see you picked out one of your favorites." He said, pointing to the movie.
"You don't care do you?"
"Nope." Joe responded.
"Good. Why don't you grab us something to drink while I take this upstairs and get it set up?"
"All right, I'll be up as soon as the food gets here." Nessa gave him a quick kiss then made her way upstairs. She got the DVD set up in the player, cleaned the bedroom up a little bit then decided to change into one of his old t-shirts. After changing she sat down on the bed to watch tv and wait for him. "Food's here." Joe stated, coming into the room with his arms full of bags and boxes of food. Nessa got off the bed and took some of the food from him. "I gotta run back down and get our drinks." He walked out of the room and she laid all the bags and boxes of food out on the bed, delighting in the smell of everything. "Here you go." He handed her a bottle of Pepsi and she smiled.
"Thanks baby." They both sat down on the bed and Nessa pushed 'play' as Joe sorted through the food. "Ooh eggrolls!" Nessa grabbed one up and took a big bite causing him to laugh. "Don't laugh, it's your baby that's making me eat like this."
"Babe you've always ate like that."
"Are you saying that I'm a pig Joe Seannoa?" Nessa questioned and his eyes went wide as he realized what he just said.
"No, I...I just...I just meant that you've always had a healthy appetite."
"Same thing as calling me a pig." She snapped, giving him a dirty look.
"Ness I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that...you know I didn't. I love you and I have always loved the fact that you aren't a picky eater like most women I've been with." He tried to explain and she sighed.
"No I'm sorry. I know you didn't mean it like that, it's these damn hormones."
"I understand and I'll try to remember that."
"I don't want you to feel like you have to walk around on eggshells with me either...dammit this sucks!" Nessa exclaimed, throwing her eggroll back into the container.
"Babe I don't feel that way at all and I won't ever feel that way but I know things are going to be different around here for a while and I accept that. You're pregnant with our child now and we have our baby to consider as well as our relationship. That's why..."
"That's why what Joe?"
"That's why I want you to start staying here when I go to tapings." Joe stated and she looked at him in shock.
"What? No, absolutely not!"
"Ness please..."
"Please what? Stay here while you're gone and maybe have Nicky, Brandon or Monty show up and try to do something to me while I'm home alone? Is that what you want me to do?" She asked, her voice full of anger and hurt.
"Dammit I never thought..."
"No, you sure as hell didn't Joe."
"Vanessa please!" Joe yelled and she jumped a little. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell but I'm trying to apologize to you here for not thinking of that."
"You want to know something Joe?" Nessa questioned, getting up off the bed and walking around to his side of the bed.
"What?"
"You're really sexy when you're pissed." Joe laughed, moved the food to the end of the bed and grabbed Nessa around the waist, pulling her gently on top of him.
"Why don't you show me how sexy I am?"
"Gladly." She whispered, leaning down to kiss him. They made love while the movie played out in the background then fell asleep side by side with smiles on both their faces.
