Author's Note: This takes place in like season 2. It's AU, obviously, because Paddison! It's a what if it was Addison who got pregnant instead of Violet fic which means Violet and Pete never got together, at all, and there's no Lucas. Sam and Naomi patched things up obviously Cooper and Charlotte are still together (and Mason exists - love those two and the three of them!) This one's called 'Never, Ever.' Thank you to my lone reviewer, I really appreciate your review! I probably wouldn't have written this next chapter if you hadn't reviewed, because I for sure thought this fandom/ship was totally dead. Like totally lol. I'm glad someone else ships these two as much as I do!
It has been three months. Three months of exhaustion, Pete holding her and keeping her occupied when the nausea won't let her sleep, an ever-present charred feeling in her throat from all of the vomit, morning, noon, and night, but there were other things too, good things.
Watching her abdomen grow little by little, week by week, beginning as something unassuming, and was now not that, something that was not just something, but a belly, a shapely, pregnant, belly, rounding out nicely, now.
Addison smoothed her printed seersucker dress, leaving her hand there for longer, and with purpose, hoping that maybe, just maybe, today was her lucky day and she would feel something, just a flutter, any movement at all that let her know that the hope she'd been carrying all of her adult life, probably even longer than that, was still there.
A scan made things real, but this, this would make it one hundred times so. And she wanted that. Needed it. The reassurance.
"Hey, babe," Pete murmured his good morning, slowly sitting up in bed and then reaching for her. "You're up early."
"Hospital," she answered briskly, not even fighting the smile that erupted on her face. Sure, she might have an at-risk baby and equally at-risk mother on her hands, but there was Pete's palm flat against her bump, her baby bump, and suddenly there were tingles running rampant throughout her body.
"Baby girl, I bet you don't like that your mommy's up this early, do you? Hm?"
He was so sure it was a girl. Addison on the other hand, wasn't sure. Or she just didn't very well care. A healthy, happy, baby was all she wanted, gender notwithstanding.
Pete sat up fully, leaned over to touch his lips to her cheek, then, her mouth. "Baby girl says come back to bed."
"Mm…" Addison turned her head slightly so that their lips would be square and pressed hers harder against his, moaning a little in echo of his pleasure as well as her own, heightened when his hands grabbed her hips and started inching her dress higher up her thighs. "Nope. Can't do it, not today."
She watched as his mouth turned down at the corners and fought with the urge to laugh. "Stop. Stop it!"
She finally laughed, a burst of emotion, happy, blissful, emotion, before sobering up again, mouth a straight line. "I mean it. You look too damn cute like that and I can't resist cute these days."
Pete arched an eyebrow. A coy, little smirk. "What about sexy? Can you resist sexy?"
He started to lean forward again and just before their lips touched, she leapt back as if he were to scald her, causing him to nearly fall off of the mattress and flat on his face.
"What the hell?" He grumbled, just as she pecked his lips, chaste and careful, when he was least expecting it so he wasn't able to start something that she couldn't finish.
"Love you, babe," she laughed again, looking at his surly face. "I'm sorry. Later okay?"
"Yeah," Pete replied, morosely. "Later."
Addison didn't have time to sooth his ego, because she seriously had to get going, but there really was nothing she would rather do this morning than crawl back into bed with Pete, have sweet, though not exactly gentle, sex and then sleep for the rest of the day. For the rest of eternity.
This baby was taking everything out of her – her energy, her complexion, already pale enough, thank you very much, her drive to do anything other than jump her boyfriend's bones, and etcetera. But she wouldn't change a thing. She really, truly, wouldn't.
In what felt like a blink of an eye, and only a few days of extreme discomfort due to the size of her nine-month belly preventing her from doing literally anything at all, and the Braxton Hicks she knew weren't the real thing, knew better than anyone, but still, her body could be fooled, the day was here.
She was in the damn birthing suit she'd first hated, screaming her lungs out at herself, at Pete, at their baby, and at poor, sweet, innocent Dell Parker who was just trying to do his job. She knew that, of course, but none of the knowing stopped the contractions from hurting like a motherfucker. Bizzy would be appalled. Women don't swear, especially the Forbes-Montgomery women. Sorry Mom.
Pete was holding tightly onto her hand, telling her repeatedly that she was amazing, that he loved her, that she was doing a great job, that she was so strong, blah, blah, blah, but none of it was helping. It was all bubble gum, nothing to take away the pain she was feeling. Where was the damn epidural!?
"Stop Addison-ing me, Pete! I can't have you Addison-ing me when I'm in this much pain, holy Christ…"
Those last two pushes were what did it. Her vision went black, her ears rang, and nothing else existed until a baby's cries pierced the air, healthy and without delay. Her baby's. Every bad feeling went away then, and what replaced them all was this overwhelming sense of euphoria and deep, endless, love for this tiny, little, baby that was placed on her chest.
Already, there was a shock of red hair, tufts of it on that soft, porcelain head of hers, and Pete's warm, brown, eyes, staring back at her with some strong sense of familiarity. This baby knew who she was, right away, no question, and it was absolutely beautiful.
Addison stroked her little cheek, so soft, just like the rest of her. "Hello there, my sweet baby girl."
She felt Pete's hand on her thigh as he knelt down next to her. "She's beautiful, Addie." He kissed her temple, and then that of their daughter's. "She looks just like you."
"No," Addison turned to look at him with a smile. "I think she's the perfect combination of the both of us."
Pete nodded in what she perceived as agreement, the love in his eyes as he stared at their child nearly surpassing the love he has when he looks at her. "I love her."
He was looking at her now, his eyes filling with tears. "I love you. I love us."
She took his hands in hers and squeezed, leaning forward to kiss him long and slow. "Me too."
"She's beautiful, you two," Dell echoed their sentiment earnestly. "You did so good, Addison. I'm proud of you."
She gave him a watery smile. "Thanks Dell. I appreciate that."
Dell then asked if they were ready for visitors, and they agreed that, yes, they were. It took less than two minutes for the room to be bustling with voices and bodies.
"Auntie Addison," Maya breathed out, hugging her lightly and then staring indulgently at the baby in her arms. "She's absolutely gorgeous. What's her name?"
"Thanks Peanut," Addison said fondly, using the childhood nickname Maya had hated for so long, from the time she turned ten until she had her own child.
She looked to Pete for a beat, who nodded. "Emily. Emily Marie Montgomery-Wilder."
"Emily and Olivia," Maya tried the names out on her tongue, testing them together. "Sounds like two best friends to me."
Addison gave Maya a beaming smile. "I'm sure Emily will be glad she has a built in best friend."
"I love it, Addie," Naomi piped in, stroking her hair, and then the baby's head. "Now who would have thought Pete Wilder would settle down, let alone long enough to procreate?"
"Shut up," Pete said to Naomi good naturedly. "You all suck."
"Hey now," Cooper raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't say anything."
"Who named her?" Violet asked and Addison raised her hand from over on the bed.
"I did. But Pete chose the middle name. That was our deal. They had to be names neither of us had vetoed, but it worked. I've always loved the name Emily. Ever since I was a little girl."
"Awe, that's sweet, Addison," Violet said with a gentle smile in her direction, which she returned.
"And Marie historically goes with any name in the world, so…" Pete shrugged, and Violet chuckled softly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Pete Wilder."
"Can it Vi," Pete snarled, though it wasn't in malice. They were all joking around. It was something they always did, and why should it stop now?
She laughed. "And I like the name Marie. He's kind of right guys. It does go with everything."
"Happy birthday, Em." Cooper bent down to the little girl's height and grinned at her, handing her a small, wrapped box, complete with a bow and probably curtesy of Charlotte.
"Thank you, Uncle Cooper!"
The Pokemon cards and figurine inside were likely curtesy of Mason, which was a sweet gesture, but Addison wasn't sure if her three year old would know enough to grapple the intricacies of the whole thing.
She smiled at her, at those little chubby cheeks and toddling little legs, at the fiery redness of her hair and the freckles coloring her ivory skin. Sometimes, she wonders if they made a mistake in naming her, and they should have went with Annie instead.
It was all in good fun though, Pete is adamant that their daughter is Emily through and through, the kind, buttercup personality, the lilting little giggle, with a bit of a sporty streak, if the way she runs through the baseball diamond after Mason's softball games is any indication.
Her sweet, little Emily. Her baby. Three years old.
"I can't believe she's three, babe," Pete said to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Where did the time go?"
"No idea," Addison mused, sighing as she felt Pete rubbing her back. "But it makes me sad. Soon, she'll be in grade school, then before we know it, college. In a dorm far away from here. Kissing boys, partying, living life, without us."
"No. Stop thinking like that. We're at her third birthday for crying out loud. She's only been on this earth for three years. Not thirteen. We can't start thinking about any of that yet," Pete told her firmly.
"Or we'll go crazy?"
"Mommy!" Just then, Emily came running up to her, a wide grin on her face, dimples, curtesy of her Daddy and all, lips redder than usual from the cotton candy she'd eaten earlier.
There was probably remnants of it on her hands, too. In her hair if they were lucky. "Look what Olivia got me!"
In her hand was an American Girl doll, one that had red hair and blue eyes, but it was close enough. To be fair, that was the most generic combination of the two. Emily, for her part, didn't seem to notice.
"Wow Emmy, that's so awesome!"
Addison picked her up and held her against her hip, not wanting to let her go anytime soon. These moments were probably going to be few and far between, soon enough.
Pete smiled at their daughter, at the excitement radiating from every part of her. He squeezed her chubby little cheek, still riddled with baby fat, thank goodness. It looked like he was glad for it, too. He kissed her cheek afterwards in the spot he pinched, and blew a raspberry against the flesh, which made Emily giggle up a storm.
"We're going to go crazy," Pete whispered to her, and Addison knew what he meant. And she was never going to be ready for that day.
She took in Emily's sweet, childish smile. Her inquisitive eyes, taking in the world around her with rapture. Never, ever.