A.N- I've done so much research into this pregnancy lark to make this fic as tasteful as possible, if my mother checked my internet history she would get a nasty shock! And its all for your benefit!

11. Chippy tea.

Tom and Nikki savoured their evenings after work cuddled up together on the sofa watching crappy soaps. Still with mixed emotions from Heather and peter's visit, the soon to be wed couple had decided to wait until after the baby was born to be married. Nikki's reasoning for this was because she didn't want to be pregnant in her wedding dress. He had never known her to be fussed about her looks, although he supposed her wedding, the most important day of her life was slightly different, although he told her she would always look beautiful.

'I don't want to waddle down the bloody aisle' she huffed, running her hands over her ever swelling abdomen; she was coming up to the twenty week mark now.

'Okay okay!' he said holding his hands up.

'Sorry, I just, I don't want to rush it.. it should be special'.

'I know love, I know these things matter to you, I understand, I just forget, I mean I'd marry you right now in jeans and a t-shirt'. The sincerity of his words made Nikki blush like a school girl, she smiled,

'Mr Clarkson you romantic old thing!' she teased stretching her legs out over his lap, 'Please will you rub my feet' she pouted, being pregnant meant that she could get away with almost anything.

It was his turn to tease, 'I dunno, Nik, you're pushing it with that one' but he obliged anyway.

Just then the door clicked open, it was Josh.

'Hey' she shouted through.

'Hey' Nikki and Tom chorused back.

'Lauren and Finn are here, is that ok? Can we have tea? We're starving'.

Nikki looked at tom, silently giving her approval.

'Yeah, why not, we haven't eaten yet either, what do you fancy?' asked Tom.

'Can we just get a takeaway dad?'

'Chippy tea?' Tom suggested.

'Good call Mr C', Finn clearly approved, tom rolled his eyes, how many times had he told them to call him Tom outside of school.

He left his fiancé and tramped through to the kitchen to get a pad and pen.

'Right, what's everyone having? I'm having fish and chips' he said, writing down his own order, he knew from experience that this made it easier when trying to remember what everyone wanted than having an awkward convoluted phone conversation when talking to the poor person behind the counter in the chippy.

'Chips, cheese and gravy' said josh.

'Same' agreed Finn

'And me please' Lauren finally settled on having the same as the boys.

Tom turned to Nikki who was still looking perplexed by the decision she was having to make, he loved it that she almost purred when she was thinking, slightly awkward when they ate out in restaurants though.

'Can I have' she started, ' large chips, cheese and gravy right? And a battered jumbo sausage'

Tom hesitated before he wrote down her order, josh raised his eyebrows, she noticed his reactions and gave him the Nikki Boston death stare, one that the three teenagers had only seen used on delinquents such as Barry Barry.

'What?' said Nikki.

Tom put his jacket on and armed with his list he departed. No sooner had the door clicked shut, Nikki gasped which startled josh and his friends given the fact that she was pregnant, for a second they thought there was something wrong. She jumped up and ran for the door.

'Tom' she yelled, waving her arms frantically, there was almost panic in her voice.

He wheeled round, concern evident on his face, 'what's the matter love?'

'will you get me a pickled egg?'

He rolled his eyes once more, 'yeah' he said smiling at her as he closed the gate behind him.