Disney owns all characters from Wizards of Waverly Place and Camp Rock.
The morning sickness started around week seven. The alarm went off, and as Mitchie silenced it Alex stirred and sat up. Instantly a wave of nausea hit her, and she bolted from the bed. She hardly made it to the toilet before her stomach started emptying its contents. Mitchie was there in an instant, scooping up Alex's hair to hold it back with one hand and rubbing small, soothing circles on Alex's back with the other.
"Shh, it's okay, baby. Let it out," she said in a comforting manner as Alex continued to retch into the toilet. "I've got you."
Alex finished and groaned, moving from her kneeling position to sit on the tile. Mitchie's hand never left her back, tracing patterns on the fabric of her shirt. She grabbed some toilet paper and used it to clean her face, throwing it in the toilet after and flushing it and the sick down.
"That was awful," she said in a hoarse voice, her throat feeling like sandpaper. She spit into the toilet before wobbly trying to stand. Mitchie helped to steady her and walked her over to the sink. "How often does that usually happen?" she asked before turning on the faucet. She used the cup on the counter to rinse out her mouth and spit the mouthful into the sink.
"Depends," Mitchie said, handing her the washcloth, which Alex took and used to dry her face. "Some weeks it would only happen once or twice, sometimes it was every day."
Alex frowned at the answer. "And how long do they last?"
"About a month or two," Mitchie said, to which Alex threw her head back and let out a groan.
"I cannot do another two months of getting sick," she said. "Is there any way to stop morning sickness?"
"I'm afraid not." The songstress frowned.
Alex opened her mouth to complain again, but promptly shut it when her stomach lurched once more. "Oh no," she said, covering her mouth with her hand as she darted for the toilet again.
Mitchie quickly grabbed a hair tie off the bathroom counter and went to her wife. She tied Alex's hair back for her as she went for round two of upchucking. Mitchie was thankful her stomach had become strong over the years of taking care of Sam and Alex when they were sick. The first time Sam had a virus she'd nearly puked herself every time he did. But over the years she had built up an immunity to vomiting at the sight of vomit. Alex still had a little trouble, though.
When nothing else would come up and Alex finally stopped dry-heaving Mitchie went over to the sink and wet a washcloth. She brought it back to where Alex still knelt and bent down to help her clean her face. Alex had snot dripping from her nose and tear tracks marking her face. She looked pitiful, and Mitchie's heart broke slightly.
"I'm sorry you're going through this," Mitchie said softly as she swept a few stray strands of hair from her wife's face. "I remember what it was like. I just hoped it would be easier for you." She frowned and looked down. "Maybe I should have carried the baby after all. At least I knew what I'd be getting into."
"Mitchie, no," Alex said quickly. "I wanted to do this. I'm happy I'm doing this." She slowly stood, her wife following suit. "I knew I'd probably get sick. I know I'm going to have to pee, like, a billion times a day because I remember you always having to."
"I think Sam used to kick me in the bladder," Mitchie said with a defensive pout.
"I'm sure he did," Alex said, laughing. "Point is, I knew. I knew because I was there for you for the majority of it."
Mitchie smiled a little bit. Alex was right. She'd been amazing through the end of her pregnancy. "You weren't there when I had morning sickness, though," she said. "We hadn't met yet."
"I remember you puking within the first five minutes of us meeting," Alex said with a smirk, before frowning slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything to help you then, like hold your hair back or comfort you."
"You didn't know me yet," Mitchie said. "It would have been weird if you had."
"Still," Alex insisted as she went over to the sink.
Mitchie sighed and went over as well. "I got good at holding my own hair back. Most nights I went to sleep with my hair up just so it would be easier in the mornings."
Alex stared at her for a moment. "That sounds so miserable."
"It was," Mitchie said with a nod. "And I never felt more alone in my entire life. But within a few short months you made me stop fearing the future as a teen mother and actually start to look forward to it." She set the washcloth down and took her wife's hand. "You've always made me feel safe and loved. I've never felt alone in the past eight years, not once. And you're the reason for that. So I'm going to be by your side, every morning, rubbing your back and whispering soothingly to you, for however long it takes for this to pass."
Alex stared at her in awe, suddenly wanting to kiss her. But the bad taste in her mouth reminded her that she probably shouldn't. So, she quickly dropped Mitchie's hand and grabbed her toothbrush. Mitchie stared at her questioningly at first, then grabbed her own. They both brushed their teeth, Alex making sure to scrub her tongue to get every last trace of vomit off her breath. They spit into the sink, and Alex took a swig from the cup of water left on the counter before handing it to Mitchie. Once their mouths were rinsed and they'd cleaned out the sink Alex swiftly wrapped her arms around Mitchie's waist.
"You're perfect," Alex said sweetly before leaning forward and capturing Mitchie's lips with her own.
Alex couldn't stand to be in the kitchen while Mitchie cooked breakfast. As soon as the bacon hit the pan the smell caused her stomach to do a little flip. Luckily it passed as soon as she exited to the living room, but it dispersed any kind of appetite she had. As she sat on the couch she became slightly upset at the fact that one of her favorite foods had caused this. She usually loved the smell of bacon, and it made her mouth water. Today it made her want to hurl.
A little while later Mitchie appeared with a plate of lightly buttered toast and a glass of water. She sat beside Alex on the couch and put the plate in her lap then set the water on the coffee table.
"I'm not hungry," Alex said, staring down at the toast with disdain.
"Those are words I never thought I'd here you say," Mitchie said with a small, almost amused smile. "But you need to try to eat something. There's nothing in your stomach, and that's not good for you or baby."
"Okay," Alex relented, lifting the toast to her mouth and biting into it.
Sam came into the room, wiping sleep from his eyes. His hair was shorter since Shane had brought him to get it cut, his curls almost unnoticeable. But in the two weeks that had passed it had started to grow out a little, and they were coming back. Especially before he brushed it, like at the moment, when he first woke up. Small curls stuck out at odd angles, and Mitchie smiled as she noticed this. T-Rex, who was, as always, at Sam's side smelled the food and instantly ran to the kitchen.
"Morning, baby," Mitchie said from the couch. "Breakfast is on the table."
He nodded and started crossing the room, pausing when he realized his mothers weren't following. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.
"I'll be there in a minute," Mitchie said. "Just go start eating so you can get ready for school."
He stared at her for a moment before heading into the kitchen. Mitchie turned to Alex, reaching out and brushing her wife's hair over her shoulder.
"You good?" she asked softly.
"Yeah," Alex said around another mouthful of toast. "Go eat with him. I'll stay here and finish this."
"Okay." Mitchie leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Alex's cheek before standing and going to join Sam.
When she entered the kitchen, he looked up from buttering his toast and frowned. "Where's Mama?"
"She's not feeling well," Mitchie explained as she sat down. "The baby's causing her tummy to be a little upset."
He paused, worry crossing his features. "Is something wrong?"
"No, honey," Mitchie said quickly. "It's completely normal. It's just what happens during the first few months of pregnancy. She's probably going to be sick in the mornings for a few weeks." She looked at him softly and reached out to take his hand. "Remember when we took the picture in front of the toilet, and Mama pretended to be throwing up?"
"Yeah, I didn't get that, I just thought it was funny," Sam said with a small frown.
"Well, that's why," Mitchie said. "She's fine, the baby's fine. I promise. She's just going to have morning sickness for a little while. And if it happens around you I don't want you to be scared." She squeezed his hand before letting go. "Okay?"
"Okay," Sam said, nodding slowly. He looked at her questioningly. "Did you get sick when you were pregnant with me?"
"All the time," Mitchie said with a small chuckle.
He frowned deeply. "I'm sorry, Mommy."
"Sam, it's not your fault," Mitchie said seriously. "It was all worth it. Wanna know why?"
"Why?"
"Because I got you in the end," she said, smiling gently. "And being your mom has been my greatest joy." She leaned across the table and kissed the crown of his head. "I love you," she said into his hair before pulling away.
He beamed at her. "I love you, too."
Mitchie bit her lip, fighting not to let her eyes go misty. "Come on, eat your breakfast now."
He nodded and picked up his toast. Mitchie watched him as he ate, her heart swelling with love.
Shane had never been able to bring himself to destroy the camera. He tried to. He got close so many times. He had knelt before his fireplace with the camera in his hands as he watched the flames dance. He'd stood over it in his backyard, clenching a bat and staring down at the device. He'd even stood over his pool with his hand poised out in front of him, but had been unable to drop it in.
Something just didn't feel right about it. He knew he should do it, but for some reason he kept holding onto the video. He couldn't even figure out why, until one day something clicked for him. By this time, he'd known about the camera for a month, and its existence had been causing him to lose sleep.
But he thought he finally had it figured out. There was something else he needed to do with the camera. Something good for once. So, he did some digging, and he got the information he needed.
It took him a couple of days to build courage, but one Wednesday afternoon he found himself in his Range Rover, following his GPS to the address he'd collected. His heart hammered in his chest as he turned into the driveway of a beautiful, yet modest Beverly Hills home. Thankfully there was no security gate, because he didn't think he'd be let in if there was, and then his plan would be screwed.
He parked and got out of the vehicle with shaky legs. A brown paper bag was clutched tightly in his hand, and he held it to his side as he walked to the door. He took a deep breath before pushing the doorbell. From inside he heard a hollow, long ding fill the home.
Through the frosted glass he saw a figure appear, and the door opened a moment later. Tess stood there, immediately freezing upon seeing Shane standing before her. Her face drained of color, and she seemed to have stopped breathing. When her brain regained control of her body and the initial shock wore off her lips instantly slipped into a frown.
"You have some fucking nerve," she said with a low growl and attempted to close the door.
"Tess, wait," he said quickly, catching it before she had a chance to shut it completely. "Please just give me one second."
"Why should I?" She glared at him. "Give me one reason for not calling the cops right now. How do you even know where I live? Are you stalking me? Do I need to get a restraining order?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Actually, maybe I should call the cops."
"Please don't," he said quickly. "I googled you and found an article about your mom going to your wedding. I saw your husband's name and found it in the phonebook, and thankfully he's the only Winston Calloway, Jr. in the area."
"That definitely sounds like stalking to me," she said, frown deepening. "He's here, and he would love to kick your ass. I'd also love to see that. Shall I go get him?" She raised her eyebrows.
"No," he said and thrust out the paper bag. "I just wanted to give you this, okay?"
She stared at it but didn't take it. "What is it?"
He continued to hold it out. "Just… take it."
Tess hesitantly extended a shaky hand and took the bag from him. She looked inside, eyes growing wide in horror at what lay inside. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her so her husband and children wouldn't overhear from the living room.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she snarled at him with disgust. "Why would you give me this stupid fucking camera? Did you really go through all the trouble to find me just to torture me all over again?"
"That wasn't my intention." He held up his hands and backed away as Tess advanced on him. "I thought you would be happy."
"Happy? How in the hell would this make me happy?" She held up the bag, resisting the urge to throw it at him.
"Because, Tess, that's the last copy." He stopped backing up as Tess froze. "I destroyed all the others after we told everyone about Sam. Or at least I thought I had. I found that in my attic not long ago, and I meant to destroy it." He shrugged and looked to her pointedly. "But I thought I should let you do that instead."
She lowered the bag, staring at it blankly. "Me?"
Shane nodded. "I know I put you through a lot, and I'm so incredibly sorry. I can't take it back, fix it, or get you to accept my apology. But hopefully I can give you some sense of control over your life by giving you that camera." He swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. "I just want this to finally be over, for both of us."
She looked up to him, her eyes wet. "Thank you," she said softly. She didn't forgive him. She didn't think she ever could. But she could appreciate the gesture. And hopefully he was right, and that she could finally begin to move on and not have this hovering over her like a dark cloud for the rest of her life.
"You're welcome," Shane said. He sighed and pulled his keys from his pocket. "Thanks for hearing me out. I'll try to stay out of your life from now on. I hope you find some peace now."
Tess didn't say anything, couldn't past the lump in her throat. Instead she just nodded and turned to head back into the house.
She immediately went upstairs and put the camera in her underwear drawer. She wanted to destroy it, but she knew Kylie would ask questions, and that was something she didn't want to explain to her step-daughter. Her husband knew about the tape, as he was the one who paid for her therapy and she'd learned to trust him enough not to keep secrets from him.
When she returned to the living room Winston looked up from his spot on the floor. He was having an imaginary tea party with Kylie, and their infant daughter, Lydia, sat on his lap chewing on a teething ring. She regarded the scene with a smile, admiring her husband's ability to push his masculinity aside when it came to appeasing his eldest daughter. She went over and sat beside him on the floor, leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Who was at the door?" he asked.
Tess shook her head. "I'll tell you later." She ran a hand through his short, dark brown hair and placed another kiss upon his face, this time on his slightly crooked nose. He'd told her that he'd broken it playing basketball in high school and sometimes thought about getting plastic surgery to get it fixed. But she begged him not to. It was a part of him, and she loved it, thought it made him look rugged.
"Want some tea, Tess?" Kylie asked, holding up the tiny plastic kettle.
"Please," she said, grabbing one of the cups and holding it out eagerly. Kylie poured her a fake cup of tea, then one for her father, and one for herself.
They all held up their pinkies and pretended to sip. Tess watched Kylie lovingly, seeing bits of Winston in her. His dark hair, bright eyes, and dimples. Kylie wasn't her biological daughter, but she found it impossible not to love the girl like her own. Because she was a part of Winston, and she couldn't not love a part of him.
Later that night after Kylie and Lydia were in bed Tess finally got the camera from the drawer in her bedroom. She brought it downstairs and took it out of the bag, setting it on the table in front of Winston. He stared at it curiously before gazing at her questioningly.
"Shane Gray stopped by this afternoon," she explained. "Gave me that. Said it was the last copy of the blackmail tape."
Winston was instantly standing from his chair and grabbing the camera. "Why didn't you come get me?" he demanded, jaw suddenly tense.
"I didn't want you killing him in front of the girls," Tess said. "Do you want them in therapy, too?"
"No," he said with a sigh. "What about you? Do you need to call your therapist?" He set the camera down again and took her in his arms.
"I think I'm fine," she said and rested her hands on the sides of his face, his stubble prickling her palms. "But I could use some help destroying it."
He nodded and took her hands from his face. "Come on." He let one of her hands go and with the free one grabbed the camera.
He led her out through the door to the garage and flipped the switch to open the door. As the door opened he took Tess's car keys from the hook and handed them to her. She looked at him curiously but went around to the driver's side and got in her car. Winston walked out onto the driveway from the open door and lined himself up with the car. He placed the camera on the ground and backed away as Tess started the car.
"Okay, come on straight back, baby," he called.
She put the car in reverse and slowly started backing up, using the backup camera beneath her dashboard for guidance.
"Yeah, just like that. Keep coming," Winston continued, encouraging her.
A satisfying crunch was heard as the tire crushed the camera, and Winston let out a whistle to let Tess know to stop. She put the car in drive and pulled back into the garage and parked. When she got out and went to the driveway Winston was standing over the demolished camera with a wide smile. Tess wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his broad chest.
"It's over," she said, her voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt. "It's finally over."
Sorry for the Tess-heavy chapter. Next chapter is ALL Mitchie and Alex, and it's... Well, you'll see...
Until next time,
-DF