"Why do all of you have to come with us?" Megan questions, pouting at the men sitting behind her. Amazingly they had managed to get everyone inside the SUV with much fussing and moaning about who sits where. Alex's grip on the steering wheel tightens when they all start talking at once. Megan's eyes widen fractionally before she tries to get them all to quiet down, and once she had succeeded turns to Malik for the answer.

"We have things we need to do." Was Malik's rather simple response to her as the rest nod in agreement. She could smell something fishy going on, she just didn't know what. A quick glance at Alex shed no light on what it was though and she gives a silent sigh.

"Ok. Don't suppose you'll tell me what it is if I ask?"

They all give her slight smiles of varying degrees and shakes of their heads in the negative. She lightly flops back into her seat, feeling somewhat like a scolded child. Fine, they could keep their secrets just like she could keep hers. She had turned down finding out the gender of the baby, a decision Alex and she had made, and they were heading to her doctor for her now weekly checkup. It was annoying that they did that but she could understand after the scare that happened when she was 6 months they wanted to keep her closely monitored. So they had to brave the piles of snow and the off chance that the snow plows hadn't gotten up to their house. But they did and the roads were cleared of snow though Alex was still careful of black ice, which she could tell they would hit every so often.

Once they finally made it to town and stopped to drop off the Assassins at the outlet mall, handing them money for whatever they would need or get since it was two weeks before Christmas, Alex and Megan head to the doctor. Mostly it was waiting in the lobby for what felt like hours and then a flurry of stuff being done; blood pressure, weight, standard things, and then they were led into a room to wait some more.

Bored, Megan just stares at Alex who had his head tipped back and his eyes closed. She tried to think of what features she would like the baby to have from both of them, only really able to decide that she wanted the baby to have his eyes the most. Everything else was not really all that important; she would love the child regardless. She just would be happy if it had his eyes, the beautiful blue that they were, and everything else would fall into place.

Finally after what felt like an eternity Dr. Hewitt came in and he did everything that he was supposed to including doing a sonogram as well. He didn't print it out just wanted to check on everything. After that they were free to go. So they left and got back into the truck, and decided on where to eat. Megan called and got a hold of Shaun, him and Desmond and Alex all having gotten one because of the irritation of them not having one for when they went into town and the rest having realized they needed something that wasn't on the list, and they all agreed on a place to eat which was just a good old burger joint.

After finishing the meal the Assassins left, once they put things into the trunk of the vehicle, they headed back out to the strip mall and Alex and Megan decided to go to the real mall. They walked around for a little while, mostly sitting when there were seats, and people watched or talked about baby names. Because they had decided they didn't want to know the gender of the baby, it gave them a little more time to think of names even though it was for either gender. The rest of the men had joined in to when they were at the house, pitching names they found funny or fitting. Finally they got a call for the rest of the men to be picked up and when Alex and Megan showed up, there was a trailer sitting out beside the six men.

"We rented it and don't worry about what's inside it." Desmond told her with a grin that she wasn't sure she liked. She just raises an eyebrow at them after they get it hooked up to the SUV and get into the vehicle. Her feet and ankles were swollen and she was just plain tired, and she knew Alex knew she was. She also had a feeling that he wasn't going to be letting her walk her rear upstairs to change instead he was going to carry her. Atleast she was happy that Alex and she had gotten Christmas shopping done a little earlier this year. She just wondered what it was that the Assassins had gotten that required the need of a trailer.

"Oh my feet…" Megan moans quietly as she lays on her and Alex's bed. Alex gives a quiet chuckle as he pulls off his jacket, hoodie, and shirt then begins a search for a pair of pajama pants. Megan looks at her feet pitifully, wishing she could reach them. She wouldn't ask Alex to do anything, after the one time she had a pedicure she realized she didn't like people touching her feet. 'Oh how I wish I had a bowl of warm water. Maybe I'll take a bath.'

"What do you think they got in the trailer?" Alex questions her as he pulls off his pants, her spying him wearing ice blue boxers, and pulls on a pair of plaid pajama pants. She was already in her own pajamas, which were a pair of green flannel pants and a gray short sleeve shirt she took from Alex.

"I have no idea but they sure are serious about it. Didn't want us to see whatever was in it." She gives a little chuckle and reaches for the TV remote to turn on the television. She channel flips for a little while, Alex joining her in the bed and maneuvering her into his lap, before stopping on MTV which had teen moms on. She snorts derisively and changes it to MTV2 which had reruns of Nitro Circus on. "Such a better show."

After only 20 minutes of the show Megan managed to fall asleep. Alex takes the remote from her and changes it to some other channel, shifting slightly to get a little more comfortable. The woman was still having problems sleeping but wouldn't say anything to the doctor about it, which was nearly enough to cause Alex to get gray hair. He pauses at the thought. Could he get gray hair? He couldn't even remember the last time he had gotten a haircut, the Assassins did so regularly as he thought about it except Connor who was more than happy to let his hair grow out. They tended to keep the hair styles the same as when the showed up, even having let Megan cut their hair with a detachable clipper on Desmond and Shaun. She had done a fairly good job at it but Leo and Ezio's hairstyles required the need of going to a barber. Altair and Malik would do their own hair though after she had done Shaun and Desmond's (which was right before she couldn't stand around for long periods of time) they had asked her to cut their hair.

He pauses again. It was two weeks before Christmas. They hadn't gotten a tree yet, figuring that he or someone else would trek out into the woods and get one like last year and chop one down. She wouldn't be able to decorate it and he had a feeling that her most precious ornament would, again, be the last to go up. Someone would just have to go out and do it.

He puts his thoughts on hold when Megan makes a noise in discomfort and moves a little. She brings her hand up to her stomach and rubs the spot under her ribs that seemed to be the child's favorite spot to kick. He gives a soft smile and takes over the rubbing when her hand pauses for a second, the baby kicking against his fingers. It just amazed him that she was carrying another life inside her so willingly, one that he helped to create. He had to let go of his past transgressions for the innocence of the little one, it would be a hard thing to do since so many of the people he had consumed were still in his head. After a few minutes of this the baby stops and Megan's face becomes relaxed with a little smile playing on her lips.

He could do it for Megan and he could do it for their baby.

The rest of the week was a flurry of activity. The Assassins made a few more trips into town, always with the trailer and coming back with it and the truck loaded down with things. Some of it was brought inside and hidden away in their bedrooms and others it would go to the newly built storage shed they had made. She had thought that was handy since they were now beginning to acquire more things from all of the people living together. Even her boxes from her axed stories were going inside there.

Connor and Altair had gone out and gotten another huge blue spruce tree from the forest outside, letting it sit out for a few hours to makes sure there were no squirrels or other animals living inside of it, and they had begun to decorate it. Megan had gotten into decorating to standing for most of the day much to Alex's displeasure, even with her siting that standing for one or two days wasn't going to hurt her any.

The tree looked amazing and this year Alex put her special ornament and the star on. As soon as he had picked up the old piece of crystal he knew why she had it so carefully wrapped and packaged by itself. It would take nothing for it to shatter. She had watched him carefully as he put it up since she wouldn't be able to, but he had placed it in just about the same place as where she had put it the year before.

"So how does it feel to be so close to your due date?" Desmond questions her as they sit downstairs eating dinner. She was propped up against the arm of the couch and her feet were once more in Alex's lap. Desmond was turned towards her along with the rest of the men who were sitting or standing around the bar.

She gives a weary sigh. "Like it can't happen quick enough." Megan then smiles at them. "But it'll be worth it. Carrying around a baby for nine months is hard work." She gives a semi-sad look to her feet. "And I won't mind being able to tie my own shoes again. Walking around barefoot is great but slipper shoes hurt after a while." She wiggles her sock covered toes.

"What names have you decided on?" Connor then asks afterwards taking a bite of mashed potatoes.

"Not really any so far. Alex likes Reid if it's a boy but I'm not so sure." Megan answers him, sticking her tongue out at Alex afterwards when he gives her a somewhat smug smile.

"What names do you like most though?" Malik asks her after setting his plate in the sink.

"Well, I like Kenzie if it's a girl." Megan says, looking thoughtful.

"And if it's a boy?" Altair prompts.

"Hmm… Greer and," she giggles a little, "Ken."

Shaun, Desmond, and Alex all give her looks of horror. "After Barbie's male accessory?!" Shaun questions her loudly after nearly dropping his tea.

She bursts out in laughter. "No! I like the meaning of the name."

"Which is what?" Leo questions shaking his head at the three.

"It means handsome."

"Oh god it makes more sense now why they picked that name…" Desmond moans and lets his head fall to the bar beside his empty plate. Megan throws a pillow over to him and hits his back.

"You're horrible Desmond."

"Yeah that may be true but you know you love me."

"Stupid freaking boobs!"

All the men look at one another quietly then look at the ceiling. A collective mad dash was made for the doors to the backyard and, after much struggling and pushing and warring, they made a bee line for the trees.

Megan was upstairs looking at herself in a maternity outfit. It looked fine, except for her boobs which seemed to have doubled in size again. And, if it were even more possible, tender and painful. That was it, she was swearing off normal clothing and bras and only wearing pajamas for the rest of this pregnancy. Thankfully that was only a month more.

She pulls off her clothes and tosses them in the dirty clothes hamper and then begins to look for her favorite shirt she stole from Alex but couldn't find it. She opens the drawers on his side to see if he had taken it back but was unable to find it there. She puts on her second favorite shirt, one that was a silvery blue color, and puts on a pair of black flannel pants. Now that she thought about it, stuff had been missing that belonged to everyone. It was weird. She hadn't thought everyone in the house was so forgetful, especially the Assassins.

She waddles over to the bed and lays down in it, after making a large pile of pillows to lie against, and turns on the television. She didn't have the patience anymore for trying to write, mostly because just as soon as she would get into her groove the baby would start to move around and make it difficult to concentrate. She would give up quickly just to avoid the problem.

She turns on the TV and channel surfs for a few minutes before she stops on Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. This show was really good too and it made her want to, once she could, make some of the things she saw him making. She looks around for a pen and paper, finding some in the table on her side of the bed, and opens it to a clean page but pauses. There had been more papers in the spiral if evidenced by the ripped pieces still in the metal like someone had ripped them out in a hurry and had just stuffed it in the drawer. Maybe one of the Assassins had done it. She shrugs and writes down some of the things he makes, also writing down to look them up on the computer. She didn't have to do it for a while atleast.

"SHAAUN!" The Brit flinches slightly, looking up at the ceiling. How the hell did she know they came back inside?

Desmond pats him on the back, fighting the conniving smile that wanted to break out on his face. A quick look around showed pretty much the same look on each man's face save Alex who was just flat out smiling. He releases a heavy sigh and trudges up the stairs, pins and needles shooting up his extremities from the feeling coming back to them.

He stops at the door, takes a deep breathe, and steels himself for the possible emotional tornado he could have to face. He opens the door and Megan's head turns to him with a smile. He releases some of the breathe he had taken, she seemed to be in a better mood.

"Can you make beef wellington?"

"…What?" That was nothing he had expected her to ask. She sighs and rolls her eyes at him, waving him inside the room and pats a spot on the bed beside her.

Once that was done and he had sit down she asks him again, "Can you make beef wellington?" She points to the television and the show that was on it. "Cause it looks really good and I wanna try some of it."

He watches for a few minutes before nodding. "I can try."

She gives a gleeful giggle. "Yay, cause there are a lot of things I wanna try that Gordon has made and they look delicious. Especially the deserts, like this Chocolate Marquise." She uses the pen in her hand to point it out on her list of things. He gives her a smile and gets up, heading to the door.

"Do you need anything?" He questions her before going out of the room.

"Oreos and milk."

He gives her a frown, fighting off the smile. "That's not good for you."

She scoffs, feigning hurt. "You would deny a pregnant, immobile woman something so simple yet so delicious? You wound me."

He gives a short laugh and rolls his eyes. "You'll get the cookies and milk."

"Yay!"

"So what did she want?" Desmond questions when Shaun descends down the stairs.

"To know if I can make beef wellington." Was Shaun simple response as he pulled down the open container of Oreo's and a large glass that he filled with milk. He could practically hear the cartoonish drop of them falling to the ground. He fights off the smile that wanted to break out over his face before he turns around and hold out the treat to Alex. "She's in a better mood. And she wants this."

Alex takes the treat with a little trepidation. The Assassins were just as good as he was on masking things, emotions and ideas that they had. Shaun shoos him off to the stairs, pulling the things out that they would need for dinner. He does as told and makes his way to the shared room. This wasn't something uncommon, her emotional outbursts that is and a resulting relapse to them, but he knew she wasn't doing that on purpose. He walks through the opened door to see the woman scribbling something on the pad of paper she had in her hands fervently, mumbling something along the lines of 'that sounds amazing/wonderful/delicious.' Only when he purposely steps on a creaky board does she look up and give him a beaming smile he felt was more for the cookies and milk he held in his hands.

He sits on the bed, using the few pillows he could to lean on against the headboard, and sets down the cookies and hands her the glass of milk which she puts down on her table. She gives him a quick peck on the lips in thanks before grabbing one of the cookies and feeding it to him. He gives a low chuckle before taking it from her and then she dunks another cookie in the milk for several seconds then eating it. They continue this, eating the cookies and her writing down more recipes that sounded good to her.

"Good, I don't think they know what's going on." Desmond says with no small amount of glee, rubbing his hands together in mock evil. Altair cuffs him upside the head with a roll of his eyes, heading to the woman's study with Malik and Connor. They had managed, with no small degree of difficulty, to clear out the room for the Native and had begun to take his things down to the room. The new problem was trying to get the vacated room ready now, since they wanted to give it to the woman for Christmas as their gift to her. Leo already had his own ideas for what he would paint on the walls of the nursery, something that would be neutral gender wise.

Ezio had chosen a bed for the baby that they hoped the woman liked and each of the rest of them had gotten other, smaller things as well. It had been almost two years since they had had to be so secretive on something but they had fallen back into the habit rather easily. It kind of gave them a thrill to be doing this since the soon-to-be parent's room was right across the hall from the half-finished nursery. Leo was doing his best to not get distracted on the paintings, which Ezio had praised him for since Leo was well known for being a procrastinator as Megan had called him, and was more or less half way finished. The rest of the Assassins, except Desmond and Shaun, could only stare at the works and understood almost immediately why Megan had gotten so happy when he had given her the painting last Christmas. He was extraordinarily gifted.

"We still have to wait till they go to sleep though. Which is the only part that isn't fair." Ezio faintly whines as he sits with Leo at the bar, waiting patiently for dinner to be finished. Ever since Megan had been put on bed rest, Alex had stopped going through things and that was when the Assassins had come to the conclusion of what they could do for the two of them. The Assassins still felt that Megan didn't have to let them live there at all, it was a privilege few would have given them and for so long would never have happened. So the girl was more or less a saint for putting up with them for so long. So anything they could do to make her life easier, even training her which turned out to be rather enjoyable for both Altair and Ezio, they were more than happy to oblige for.

Yosh, another chapter done! -does happy dance- Pretty much just day to day things right now. But I want to remind everyone that I want to hear what you think the baby should be, boy or girl, and either name for either gender. I even have a poll on my homepage for you guys to use. Now on to the thankies!

UndyingDaughter: I did update! Hope you liked this chapter!

And to my guest reviewer, Hack Generation: I like the name Reid even though it makes me want to go watch episodes of Criminal Minds. Spencer Reid is just to adorable for his own good. Will keep it in mind!

Now, don't forget that you can reach me via review, pm, e-mail, twitter, tumblr, or skype. I answer to all of them and the ways to get to them are on my homepage or at the top/bottom of this chapter. Toodles!