I love this chapter. That is all.

Alex and Mitchie went back and forth to doctor's appointments over the next few weeks, wanting to closely monitor everything just to be completely sure everything was okay. They'd been very careful to go relatively unseen, and it miraculously worked until the fifth week. An overexcited woman in the waiting room snapped a picture of them as they were walking in, and it was already all over the internet by the time they were ready to leave. Unfortunately the woman had tweeted it along with the location, so upon exiting they were swarmed by paparazzi, and had to be surrounded by clinic security while they waited for the valet to return with Alex's Lexus.

Alex was fuming as she threw the car in drive and maneuvered into Downtown L.A. traffic. Her hands clutched the wheel tightly and her jaw was tense. Mitchie could tell her wife was freaking out, and that worried her. No matter how soon or late in a pregnancy, stress wasn't good for mom or baby.

"Babe, you need to calm down," Mitchie told her, reaching across the center console to place a hand gently on her arm. "We knew there was always a risk of us getting our photo taken while we were there."

"I know, but it'd been going so well up until this point I was starting to hope maybe it wouldn't," she said with a frustrated sigh. "You know we have to tell Sam now, right? Why aren't you madder about this?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised we've kept it from him this far," Mitchie admitted. "I was completely convinced one of our friends or family was going to accidentally say something." She smirked a little bit. "Kind of hoped so, actually, so we could stop trying to hide our excitement."

Alex rolled her eyes as she eased on the brake at a red light. "Mitch, we agreed to wait to tell him until we were ready, when things looked fine." She sighed heavily through her nose. "Now that choice has been taken from us, when and how to tell our son our family dynamic is about to change. Some stranger in a waiting room took that from us."

"Alex, that's one of the prices of fame," Mitchie said. "It was bound to happen at some point. No Hollywood family is completely unaffected by the media at this point, in some way." She shrugged her shoulders. "When have things ever gone as smoothly as we thought they would?" She quirked an eyebrow.

Alex pursed her lips at her wife briefly before turning her attention back to the road as the light turned green again. "It just sucks, okay?" she muttered.

"I know," Mitchie said softly. She understood where Alex was coming from. She knew her wife's need for control, and now that this slight bit of control had been taken from them the former wizard was panicking. "Let's just pick him up, bring him home, and tell him right away. Get it over with. That way we don't have to worry about him somehow seeing it or hearing it somewhere else."

"Mitchie, it's not even one yet," Alex reminded her with a quick sideways glance.

"I'm surprised you care," the songstress joked. "You sure as hell didn't when we were in school."

"I want Sam to be better than I was," Alex said before grinning. "But I suppose just this once wouldn't hurt."

Mitchie smirked at how easy it was to convince Alex to help their son commit truancy. "Turn left here, then," she said, pointing to the intersection.

"I know where I'm going," Alex scolded, reaching over quickly to poke her wife in the ribs. Mitchie squealed and slapped her on the shoulder in response. "Hey, don't hit the driver," she said through laughter as Mitchie settled on glaring at her with her arms crossed over her chest.

The lady in the office was confused when they went in to get Sam, but they just said they had a family emergency. Technically it was the truth, if you considered needing to tell their son about his younger sibling before anyone else could an emergency. They certainly did.

Sam was suspicious when he walked into the office with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Mitchie would have thought he'd be beaming because he was happy to get out of class. She put on a smile to show him everything was fine, though he continued to frown, still unsure.

They didn't say anything on the way out of the building. It wasn't until Sam was buckled into his booster seat in the back and Alex and Mitchie were back in the front that the boy finally spoke up.

"Is something wrong?" he asked in a small voice.

Mitchie frowned and turned in her seat to look at him. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," he mumbled. "You've never picked me up early unless something's wrong. Like when Grandpop died," he said, referring to Shane's father, who had died two years earlier after battling cancer.

"No one's dead," Alex quickly assured him. "And nothing's wrong, okay?"

He looked back and forth between them. "So, why'd you pick me up?" he asked slowly.

Mitchie shared a look with her wife before saying to Sam sweetly, "We'll explain everything when we get home, alright? We promise."

Sam looked like he wanted to say more, but when Mitchie raised her eyebrows at him pointedly he just nodded and looked out the window instead. The singer let out a sigh of relief and she turned in her seat and stared out of the windshield.

Alex spotted a bakery with a drive-thru on the way home and muttered something about chocolate chip cookies before throwing on her blinker and turning into the parking lot. Mitchie tried biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh. It was nearing the end of week five of Alex's pregnancy, so she wasn't sure if it was cravings or just Alex's sweet tooth, but she had to admit it was adorable how Alex's face lit up as the clerk at the window handed her the bag of cookies she'd ordered.

When they returned home they all sat around the table, each with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. The treat would normally make Sam smile, but today it only added to his uneasiness. When they broke the news of his grandfather's passing to him they'd taken him for ice cream. What if they lied to him? What if someone was dead?

"So, we wanted to talk to you," Mitchie began slowly as she broke a cookie apart and dunked it in her milk. "We've just been waiting for the right time."

Sam watched as she bit into her cookie. "Okay?" he stared at her for a moment, then turned his attention to Alex.

She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sam, remember a couple of years ago when you started asking for a little brother or sister?"

"I only asked for a brother, but yes," Sam said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Well, you might get your wish," Mitchie said with a small smile as he turned his head to look at her with wide eyes. "Sam, Mama's having a baby."

"Really?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Yep." Alex squeezed his shoulder, and he quickly turned and nearly jumped out of his seat onto her lap. "Careful," she warned as he settled, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he screamed in Alex's ear, to her displeasure. He pulled back and grinned widely at her. "It's a boy, right?"

"We don't know," Mitchie said. "We don't find out for a few more weeks."

"Oh, so we're finding out now?" Alex asked, quirking an eyebrow as Sam returned to his seat.

Mitchie narrowed her eyes but nodded slowly. "I suppose we could spoil the fun of the big reveal."

"Thank god," Alex said, finally picking up her own cookie now that she felt settled since Sam knew. "Sam, can you believe she didn't want to know if you were a boy or a girl?"

"Yes, Mama, you've told me before." He rolled his eyes and broke his cookie into pieces.

Mitchie laughed at the frown that made its way to Alex's face. Her wife pouted at her briefly before taking a sip of milk. When she pulled her glass away she had a small milk mustache, which only made Mitchie laugh more, and Sam soon joined in.

Over the next few hours their mentions on all social media platforms were on fire. People had seen the photos of them at the fertility clinic and demanded answers. And while Mitchie and Alex didn't feel like they owed it to anyone to make an announcement, now that the cat was out of the bag they figured they should probably say something.

So the three of them decided to have a little fun with the announcement. First they made a small sign on the computer that said "Big Brother" and printed it out. They snapped a photo of Sam holding it while beaming. Next they made one for Alex that said "I'm pregnant," and one for Mitchie that said "It's my baby." They gave Mitchie's phone to Sam and allowed him to snap the picture as they sat on the couch and held up the signs. Alex wore a faux surprised expression while Mitchie leaned over to kiss her cheek. For the last photo they all huddled in the bathroom. Alex knelt over the toilet pretending to vomit (even though she'd yet to have morning sickness) while Mitchie held the phone out for a selfie, giving a big, cheesy smile and a thumbs up as Sam laughed by her side.

They both posted the photos to their social media accounts and were met with hundreds of likes and comments. Not all of the comments were positive, but they never were. Mitchie and Alex just ignored those as they scrolled past, focusing instead on the love and support from their fans. They were trending on twitter within twenty minutes of posting, and all sorts of entertainment news outlets where running their photos.

Sam insisted on them showing him some of the articles, his eyes lighting up at the attention. Mitchie and Alex tried to keep his life as normal as possible, but with their fame there was no avoiding it. They just hoped they could keep him grounded as he got older instead of allowing him to turn into just another spoiled Hollywood brat… Like Shane used to be.

They sat cuddled on the couch, Sam in between them. They had on a rerun of The Flash, which Sam usually loved, but was ignoring. His attention was locked on the smaller screen in his hands.

"Can I get a twitter?" he asked them, finally looking up from Mitchie's phone.

"No," she told him, reaching out to take the device away from him. Her moved it from her reach, and she gave him a pointed look. "Samuel, give me my phone."

He pouted but handed it back. "I wish I had my own phone."

"You're eight," Alex said. "Who do you have to talk to?"

"My friends," he said, turning to her. "All of them have iPhones."

"No one in second grade needs a thousand-dollar phone," Alex responded.

"We can afford it." He shrugged. "We're rich."

"Right," Mitchie said with a nod. "And we stay that way by not buying things we don't need, like a cellphone second grader."

"What about a cheaper one?" he offered.

"Sam, I said no," Mitchie said, her voice now sterner.

He frowned and hung his head, muttering, "Fine, I'll ask Dad for one."

"Samuel Jacob," Alex said. "No, you will not."

"And we'll tell him to say no if you do," Mitchie added.

"It's not fair!" Sam said loudly before getting up from the couch and stomping from the living room. T-Rex hopped off the armchair and followed.

"What just happened?" Alex asked, baffled. "He was just so happy, like, sixty seconds ago." She frowned and looked to her wife. "Has he forgotten we're giving him the sibling he's been begging for since he understood what a sibling was? How is he not satisfied and overjoyed right now?"

"He'll only be happy if the baby is a boy and he gets a cellphone, apparently." She sighed and leaned back into the cushions. "At least you and I were on the same page about it."

"Well, I mean we have talked about it before." Alex scooted closer and draped her arm over Mitchie's shoulder. "It's ridiculous. Kids don't need phones. I didn't even need a phone when I got one, and I was almost fourteen." She chuckled. "I only got one because Justin did, and then I made my dad get me a better one than his. I got a Razr, and his didn't even have a camera."

"Oh my god, you were one of those cool kids with a Razr?" Mitchie crinkled her nose. "I wanted the pink one, but I ended up getting some cheap thing that was virtually indestructible."

"God, remember flip phone, though?" Alex grinned at the memory. "You had to press several buttons just to type one letter in text."

"That was the worst," Mitchie agreed with a nod. "How did we live? Like, I don't remember what it's like not to be able to Google something whenever I want."

"Now kids are born with miniature computers practically already in the palm of their hands," Alex said, sighing. "Times have changed, babe. We're getting old."

"Yeah, soon Sam's going to be teaching us how to use our phones and computers, like we have to do with our parents." The songstress grinned. "Like when you facetimed your mom to help her set up her new laptop."

"Ugh, that was so annoying." Alex rolled her eyes. "I don't know how to help the woman if she doesn't know where the power button is."

Mitchie laughed loudly, earning a smile from her wife. She reached out and gently placed her hand on Alex's stomach. "No electronics for this one. This one's gonna be a reader, like me. I'm gonna make sure of it."

"Are you kidding?" Alex placed her hand atop Mitchie's looked at her warmly. "Between you and Justin, I think that's a guarantee."

Mitchie beamed at the thought of a child she could introduce to all of her favorite childhood stories, like the Fudge books or the Ramona series. Sam was much more interested in television, movies, and video games. Which was all fine, but she wished he still let her read to him like he used to. Eventually it turned into only Justin who could get Sam to even remotely sit still during a book, only doing so by making funny voices for the characters and making sound effects that made Sam laugh. But even that had died out, and now the only time Sam read was for school, and then it was like pulling teeth trying to get him to do that. No, this child would be immersed in the world of literature from the get-go. If Alex got to share the wizard thing, Mitchie wanted a thing too, and not just music. She wanted to read with her child. It's something she always dreamed of, and if Sam wouldn't let her, then dammit this second child was going to be a reader if it was the last thing she ever did.

Shane came by Thursday morning to pick up Sam for the weekend and while the boy was upstairs collected his things Alex and Mitchie quickly ushered him into the living room for a chat.

"So, I'm sure you saw the news," Mitchie said with a smile, eyes flicking to Alex.

"It was hard to miss," Shane said with a laugh. "Congrats on becoming the number one trending topic on Twitter, by the way. And on the baby, of course." He smirked at them. "So, I'm guessing Sam knows, too?"

"Yeah," Alex said with a nod. "So you don't have to keep it from him anymore. But we did want to ask if you could do us another favor."

"Okay…?" he raised his eyebrows and glanced back and forth between him.

"Sam wants to grow his hair long like Alex's brother," Mitchie began, explaining. "But it looks awful, and we really want him to cut it. He looks up to you more, so maybe if you suggest he gets a haircut…"

"He'll get one?" Shane asked with a smile. "Sneaky, but it just might work." He nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "Okay. I could use a trim, myself. Maybe he'll agree if I say we can get them together. He's been really agreeable lately."

"At least he is to someone," Mitchie said and groaned. "By the way, if he asks you for a cellphone, please say no."

"What does he need that for?" Shane stared at her. "He's eight."

"And apparently he's the only eight-year-old on the planet without a cellphone," Alex chimed in. "And we want it to stay that way."

"No arguments here," Shane said. "I guest hosted an episode of Catfish. People can do scary shit with phones."

"Thank you," Mitchie said with a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad all three of us could agree on this."

"Of course we did," Alex said. "You and I always agree, and Shane does whatever we tell him to." She paused, frowning at him. "Usually."

"Alex, you and I share the same problem with authority," Shane told her. "That's why Sam's such a little shit sometimes."

"I heard that."

The three adults turned to see Sam standing there with his backpack and suitcase for the weekend.

"Hey, bud," Shane said quickly. "I didn't mean that in a bad way… More like an endearing way. Like, you're such a little rascal. Ya know?"

Sam stared at him for a moment before muttering, "I'll wait by the car."

Shane opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Sam turned on his heel and marched in the other direction. Alex let out a low whistle.

"You just cannot keep your foot out of your mouth, can you?" she said, earning a frown from both Shane and Mitchie.

"Just go talk to him," Mitchie said. "Tell him you love him. That you're sorry you hurt his feelings." She shoved his shoulder. "Go."

"Okay, jeez," he said as he began to walk away.

Mitchie and Alex followed and when they got out to the driveway Shane was helping Sam into his booster seat in the back of Shane's Range Rover. As they got closer they heard Shane rambling an apology.

"—I don't even know why I said that. I didn't it mean the way it came out. Sometimes adults just say stupid things sometimes. I don't know." He sighed as he finished with the last strap. "I love you, okay? And I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I never want you to feel like I don't like you or something like that." He reached out and smoothed Sam's curls. "All right?"

Sam stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay, Dad."

"Good," he said with a relieved sigh. "Now, let's get you to school." He turned to close the door but stopped when he saw Mitchie and Alex standing there watching. He left it open for them to say their goodbyes and hopped in the front seat.

The woman approached the car. Mitchie leaned in and kissed Sam on the cheek, and then Alex evened it out by turning his face and giving him one on the other. He smiled at them and gave a little wave as they closed the door.

As Shane drove away they stayed in the driveway, waving until the car turned onto the street. The paparazzi hadn't left since the news of Alex's pregnancy broke, and they snapped away wildly until Shane's car was out of sight and Mitchie and Alex had retreated back into the house.

When Shane went to pick up Sam from school he had time to think through the way to get Sam to get a haircut while he waited in line. By the time he got to the front and Sam was buckled in and all set to go he thought he had it down.

As they pulled away from the school Shane glanced back at Sam in the rearview. His hair was hanging well past his ears now. Mitchie and Alex were right. He at least needed a trim to make it a little neater.

"Hey, Sam?"

"Hmm?" Sam hummed his response, not looking from the window.

"I really need a haircut, so we're gonna stop somewhere to do that before we head home, okay?" He watched Sam's reaction in the mirror, but the boy's face remained neutral. "Do you want to get one, too?"

"No," Sam said quickly. He turned to look at Shane finally. "I want it long, like Uncle Justin's."

Shane clicked his tongue. "Shame. I was hoping you and I could get the same haircut."

Sam's face softened. "Me and you? The same haircut?" He slowly started to smile. "That could be cool."

"Yeah, I thought so, too," Shane said, trying to make his voice sound full of disappointment. "But if you really want to grow your hair like Justin's—"

"I changed my mind!" Sam said loudly. "I want a haircut like you. Let's do it." He beamed. "We're gonna look so awesome, Dad.

Shane smiled. This had gone been a lot easier than expected. "You bet, Sam Man."

So the "photo" where Alex is over the toilet and Sam and Mitchie are kind of just smiling at the camera was actually one of the first images that flashed through my head when I thought of the premise of this story. It may actually be the thought that sparked this whole idea. So glad I found a place for it in here.

Until next time

-DF