This chapter is set the evening after the previous chapter.


Jem's head was still spinning from sitting in front of his laptop for several hours, researching different pathways into becoming a counsellor. No matter where he looked, it all seemed to lead back to university, which wasn't much of a surprise. He was thankful for a distraction once his boyfriend had shown up at his house.

"Hey you" Jem greeted as Chris entered

"Hey" Chris replied, kissing him quickly, "How did the research go?"

Jem sighed as he closed the door, "Apparently my options are university, university, some training course or university"

"What about university?" Chris suggested jokingly

Jem pulled a face at him, "I don't really want to think about that right now" he grumbled, "Tell me how the appointment went"

Chris shrugged, "It was fine" he replied, "Aside from the obvious, Anne is a healthy baby"

"That's good to hear" Jem responded honestly

"Actually, something unexpected happened before the appointment" Chris teased excitedly

Jem held back a smile at his boyfriend's demeanour, "What was it?"

"Lucy met a guy" Chris announced, "It was like something from a rom-com; they accidentally bumped into each other, she dropped her drink, he bought her a new one, they started chatting and she's invited him over for dinner tonight"

Jem looked impressed, "Wow, that's awesome"

Chris nodded, "Do you want to come over?" he asked, "We're making it into a double-date kind of thing"

"Sure, sounds good" Jem agreed, "So who is this guy?"

"His name's Greg and he's a paediatrician" Chris began before pausing and thinking back to his conversation with Greg, "And, uh...You know, he didn't really talk about himself that much"

Jem looked slightly uncomfortable, "Really? Why not?"

"I don't know, he seemed more interested in knowing about Lucy" Chris shrugged, "Which I guess is a good sign, right?"

Jem nodded awkwardly, "Sure" he murmured

Chris was confused by Jem's change of mood, "What's wrong?"

Jem shook his head, "Nothing"

"Then why are you acting like I just told you that he's a serial killer?" Chris pointed out

Jem sniggered, "It's just a bit weird, you know" he began slowly, "Wouldn't it be a conflict of interest or something if they got involved considering how regularly Lucy visits the hospital?"

"Why?" Chris questioned, "It's not like she's one of his patients"

"No, but Annie will probably be in the children's ward for a long time" Jem argued, "So Greg might end up treating her once she's born"

Chris considered this, but inwardly suspected that there was more to Jem's questioning than he let on. Despite that, Chris decided to focus on the meal so he escorted Jem back to his home in order to help Lucy prepare for the double-date.

xxx

Chris and Jem tried to hide their grins as Lucy tried on several dresses which would not fit. She groaned as she fiddled with the zipper on the back of one of her many pink dresses which wouldn't budge, even after Chris attempted to zip it up, "Why doesn't anything fit?" she whined

"Because you're in your second trimester of pregnancy" Chris replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world

Lucy scowled, "I know, that was a rhetorical question" she pointed out

Chris shrugged, "Maybe we should have gone shopping for some bigger dresses"

"I will at some point, but it's too late now" Lucy sighed before groaning, "What am I supposed to wear?"

"How about a flattering top and smart trousers?" Jem suggested

"I'm not going into a business meeting!" Lucy exclaimed

Jem chuckled, "I know, but you should be wearing comfortable clothes instead of trying to squeeze into a dress that's too tight"

Lucy frowned, "Is it so wrong that I want to look good?"

"You always look good" Chris assured her

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Ok, I want to look beautiful"

"Look, I know this probably won't seem reassuring coming from a gay man" Jem began, "But the way I see it is that you're only as beautiful as you feel"

Lucy was confused as she searched through her wardrobe, "What do you mean?"

"I mean you could look a million dollars but if you're uncomfortable then that's what people are gonna see" he explained, "But even if you're wearing the ugliest or plainest clothes, as long as you feel comfortable and happy, you'll always look beautiful"

Lucy turned around and stared at him with a soft expression, "You know, I think I'll forget Greg and be with you instead"

Jem shrugged, "You know I would, were it not for the age gap and the fact that I'm with the father of your child"

Lucy glanced at Chris fondly, "Well the father of my child is very lucky to have you"

Chris nodded, "I know I am" he replied honestly

Lucy let out a deep breath before returning to her wardrobe, "Ok, trousers and a top it is then" she muttered as she searched for the items.

Once she had found what she was looking for, Chris and Jem left her alone in her room to get ready. After Chris shut the door, he bent down to kiss Jem tenderly.

Jem looked surprised once he pulled away, "What was that for?" he asked

"You're amazing" Chris replied softly, referring to what he had just told Lucy about beauty

Jem shrugged, "I have my moments" he joked before feeling uneasy again, which puzzled Chris even more.

xxx

Chris and Jem waited out of the way whilst Lucy answered the door to Greg. She was confused by the fact that her date wasn't carrying flowers like most people usually do on dates. Instead, he was carrying a bar of chocolate in one hand, and a flask in the other. However, she smiled anyway as he entered, "Hi" she greeted

"Hey" he replied, "You look amazing"

"Thanks, so do you" Lucy replied as she glanced up and down at the handsome, well-dressed man before kissing his cheek and nodding to the presents in his hands, "What's all this?"

Greg shifted uncomfortably, "Well I didn't want to bring flowers since that's kind of unoriginal, so instead I got you some dark chocolate because it's good for you in small amounts" he explained as he handed the bar of chocolate to her, "And this is a drink that's apparently helped a lot of expectant mothers with morning sickness, that's if you're having any problems with it"

Lucy was overjoyed by the gifts, "Thank you, that is so thoughtful" she breathed, "And the morning sickness isn't too bad at the moment, but at least I'll be prepared"

Greg chuckled as he handed the flask over, "I've also written down the ingredients, just in case you wanted to make it yourself" he continued, referring to the envelope that he had stuck to the flask.

"Oh, thank you" she replied as she hugged him, which was difficult to do with her hands full.

Listening to their conversation from the dining room next door, Chris was impressed so far by Greg, but he noticed Jem's troubled expression and was at a loss as to what was troubling him; though he put it down to nerves. However, they weren't sure how he'd react to having extra guests who happened to be a same-sex couple, so they waited with bated breath as Lucy warned him, which she did relatively quickly.

"Uh, I probably should have told you this before, but Chris' boyfriend is joining us for dinner" she explained awkwardly, "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Greg shook his head, "Not at all, I wouldn't want Chris to feel like a third wheel or anything" he replied as Lucy led him into the dining area, "I actually have a gay son, so I don't have any issues with…"

Greg broke off suddenly as his eyes locked with Jem's, "Jeremy?" he breathed incredulously

"Dad" Jem murmured coldly

"Of course" Chris sighed as he put his head in his hands and Lucy glanced between the men in shock. This was so typical. After everything that they had all been through, it was just their luck that Lucy's date happened to be Chris' boyfriend's father, making things ten times more difficult than they needed to be. Chris sensed a long and awkward night ahead.


Thanks for reading! Did anyone see that twist coming at the end? I tried to be subtle in the build-up, but I wasn't sure if it worked or not. Anyway, the next chapter will be up in due course: I have a vague plan for the next few chapters, but if anyone wants to contribute their ideas for other points in the story, don't hesitate to let me know. In the meantime, reviews are always welcome!