"Tiger, I swear, I'll pay you if I don't have to go today." Alice mumbled sleepily.
"Honey, I make more money than you," Tracy pointed out, kissing Alice awake.
"Ah, but I'm carrying twins for you. Not just one baby but two. And they are big babies."
"I know. The Quartermaines are overachievers in all areas, including donating and injecting sperm," Tracy rubbed the growing belly. " Good morning future CEOs and stockholders. Aww, Lion, it's the cubs' first ELQ meeting. " A kick answered that statement.
Alice sat up and met Tracy's eyes. Tracy leaned over and kissed Alice.
"Did you feel that?"
Within tears in her eyes, Tracy smiled. "I felt it. I know they have been kicking for awhile but this is the first time I felt it."
"You know this means? You already are influencing them to be Quartermaines." Alice tackled Tracy, kissing her soft skin.
Tracy turned serious. "Allie, you know I love you, right? I'm telling you that enough, right? Am I giving you what you need?"
Alice looked at Tracy. "Tiger, I'm fine. Are you ok?"
"Ahem." Brook Lyn stood in the doorway. "Don't we have that meeting in like two hours?"
"We'll talk later." Tracy quickly kissed Alice, who nodded, looking worried. Getting out of bed, Tracy headed towards the shower while Brook Lyn and Alice made breakfast.
"Good morning, Mother, Alice. Sweetheart!" Ned embraced his daughter. Lois soon followed suit.
"Alice, you look beautiful. How are you?" Ned asked.
"Getting big. The pregnancy is going well. If everything goes as planned, you and Dillon will have a sister or a brother in December."
"Is Mother driving you crazy with wanting a daughter?"
Alice laughed. "We finally settled on a name so that will help."
Monica overheard. "You have the name? The Name? Allison?"
"We thought about it. But with Alan and myself, it's too confusing. And we wanted honor Lila but not use her name especially with Lila Rae…." Alice started.
"So what's the name already? If it's boy, I expect the middle name of Edward. And it goes without saying the last name will be Quartermaine. It's bad enough Ned and Brook are Ashtons."
"Hey!" Ned objected.
"Is this why I still have Bowden?" Emily asked.
"Yes." Her father answered.
"My son is just as much as a Quartermaine as AJ and Jason. Anyway, what Alice's trying to say, the Aidan Morgan Quartermaine project is projected to be completed on December 10."
"Aidan?" Alan asked.
"Gaelic for little fire." Alice blushed as Tracy played with a strand of red hair. Tracy kissed her wife, nibbling at the bottom lip. "Later. When we dump the kid off with her parents. Don't pout."
Tracy pouted anyway. Alice kissed the pout off.
"Morgan after your mother, I suppose." Edward was pleased.
"And same initial as Alan and Monica," Tracy explained, "for all their support in this."
"But Allison was a bit much? I would've enjoyed a namesake's niece." Alan complained.
"Ok. Do we remember what happen to Alan's last namesake?" Ned pointed out.
Monica paused. "There were extenuation circumstances."
Emily agreed. "It was like A.J. was a totally different person."
"Anyway, Alice found Aidan and we just fell in love with it." Tracy smiled.
"So what does Morgan mean?" Lois asked.
"Um, Morgan is Welsh for sea circle." Alice recalled.
"You learned something new every day." Dillon walked into the room.
"We are talking baby names. Apparently your brother or sister is named Aidan Morgan." Monica explained.
"Aidan Gunderson-Quartermaine? Wow that's a mouthful."
Alice smiled. "After a couple weeks, I'll be dropping the Gunderson and picking up the Quartermaine."
"What kind of support did you exactly give there Uncle Al?" Ned asked, eyeing Alice's growing stomach.
"As much as Monica told me to." Alan responded cheekily.
"Wait- Alan and Alice?" Edward asked.
"No-" Tracy started to say.
"They never-" Monica hastened to say.
"What Tracy and Monica are trying to say is I was artificated inseminated using Alan's sperm. It wasn't done the old-fashioned way and that's all we're going to say on the subject." Alice said evenly. Tracy smiled at her, taking her hand.
"Then there's a new heir ." Edward said.
"Daddy, don't you dare start that. Any of Alice's children would've been mine, even if I wasn't biologically related. We aren't doing this so you can have a heir. We want this pregnancy and if you stress my wife, you won't see any new grandchild or us," Tracy warned, placing her hand on Alice's stomach.
"And if you dare disclaim Emily as a 'real' Quartermaine, I will throw you out of my house," Monica added.
"I'll help since I gave her the house and Emily's my daughter." Alan piped up.
The room fell silent. Ned broke it by asking if Tracy had told Alice about the latest ELQ news.
"No, I try to stay out of ELQ. I do know Brook Lyn will be getting her stock in three years. " Alice said.
"Well, Alice, as a wedding gift, you are getting stock and voting rights." Ned said.
"Oh. Well, I wish you discussed this in private with me, Tracy. You know my feelings," Alice said in a low voice.
"I just found out Daddy bought the stock. It wasn't my idea." Their eyes met. "I'm sorry. The stock will be dealt with." Tracy sighed.
"Wait, Alice doesn't want stock?" Edward asked incredulously.
"No, Alice doesn't." Alice said.
"Why?" Edward was in shock. Monica whispered to Alan to get the portable defibrillator they kept.
Tracy and Alice sighed.
"I'm going to take a walk in the garden." Alice said.
"Take your cell phone. I'm sorry, Lion." Tracy kissed Alice.
"I know."
As soon as Alice left the room, Tracy turned to her family and calmly said,
"Alice is an actual good person. We haven't corrupt her yet. By taking the ELQ stock, she thinks we'll try to buy her vote with love. She loves all of us but we just need to ease her into our debauchery. We're dropping the stock matter and father issues now. Just let her get through the pregnancy for right now. We just need get through that and then we'll deal with the rest."
"Um, Dr. Quartermaine? A Ms. Morgan is here." Reginald stood in the doorway.
"Who?" Monica was confused.
Tracy groaned. "I forgot. Monica, I invited the new CEO to stay here. Reginald show her in."
"But it's my house…."
A dark-haired woman entered the room.
"Brenda!"