As Joel's twelfth week into his pregnancy came to a close, he noticed that his once flat stomach was starting to distend slightly at the lowest portion of his abdomen. By the fourteenth week there was denying his condition any longer, he was starting to show, ever so slightly.

Already feeling self conscious Joel put on a slimming black t-shirt and sighed in relief as the dark color did in fact help disguise his changing figure. Upon zipping up his red jumpsuit Joel realized that for the first time since he was shot into space, the black belt he wore around the jumpsuit was feeling tight. He loosened it and tried to ignore the fact that he was only going to get bigger as time went on.

Taking a calming breath Joel stepped onto the bridge of the ship to greet his robot friends. "Hey guys, how're you this morning?" Joel was hoping to have at least one morning where the robots didn't immediately ask about his 'condition'.

Servo looked up from his Batman graphic novel at Joel. "I'm just peachy, how about you?"

"I'm good."

Crow was far more tactless as his sharp eyes could see the changes to Joel's body. "Wow Joel, did your jumpsuit shrink in the wash?"

"Hey!" Joel blushed. "That was blunt, even for you, Crow!"

"Sorry, but I can't help it. Besides, you programmed me, wiener!"

"Well, it was still rude."

"Sorry."

Joel put his hand on Crow's shoulder to let the robot know there were no hard feelings. "Have the 'Mads' called yet?"

"Nope."

Servo resumed reading his comic. "Not yet. Did you finish the invention for the week?"

Joel smashed his palm into his forehead. "No! I completely forgot!"

"Uh-oh, then you better think of something fast!"

"I know, I know... Hold on, I'll be in the shop!" Joel disappeared off the bridge in a huff.

Crow shook his head. "He shouldn't excite himself in his condition. Stress isn't good for the baby, you know."

"Oh, I know." Servo agreed. "And he should be drinking more water and avoiding caffeine."

The lights on the desk started flashing. "Oh look, the blinker is blinking!" Crow smacked the light with his head.

Dr. Forrester appeared on the monitor. "Come in Joel, my free-floating space incubator..." He didn't see Joel on his display down in Deep 13. "Hey, where's Joel?"

"Hi sir!" Servo greeted. "Joel's getting this week's invention exchange, he should be along in a minute."

"Good. I want to see how 'pregnancy brain' is affecting his creativity."

Joel scrambled onto the bridge with a large plastic contraption in his hands. "Hey sir, I'm ready for this week's invention exchange."

"Alright Joel, let's see it."

"Okay, here it is." Joel set up the elaborate plastic display on the desk. "It's a mobile of air fresheners to help cover up the smell of a baby's diapers, boom-booms and otherwise noxious smells. It also stimulates baby's imagination. What do you think?"

Crow gave Joel an odd look. "'Boom-booms'?"

Dr. Forrester looked amused. "Ah, what a coincidence. You see here Frank and I created a horrifying way to soothe baby's temper tantrums." Frank was dressed in a blue 'onesie' and sitting in an oversized stroller with an odd looking pacifier in his mouth. "By attaching a 'FaceHugger' from 'Alien' to this nook, all those who pass by will get a frightening shock of seeing an alien parasite attacking a helpless child, while the baby enjoys the pacifier in itself. Well, what do you think about that, 'boobie'?"

"I think you two need some professional help." Joel cringed.

"An odd diagnosis coming from a man who got himself 'knocked up'!"

Joel just shook his head as Servo and Crow just glared at Dr. Forrester.

"Aw come on, don't be so blue. Cheer up! You have a movie to watch!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Joel commented feeling annoyed and embarrassed. "Like always."

Joel and the bots tuned out Dr. Forrester, not caring about the film or what the film was about. As soon as 'Movie Sign' flashed Joel instinctively hit the button and grabbed Servo on his way into the theater.

As the trio took their respective seats in the theater Crow showed a little compassion for the first time since Joel's condition had been revealed. "You okay Joel?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Want me to beat him up?"

"Later."

"It's a promise!"

-next chapter-