Julie's seamstress friend, Yumiko, was pacing the floor outside of a dressing room at her workshop. "Hurry up, Julie-chan! I want to see how it looks!"

Julie giggled from inside the room. "I'll be out in just a sec, Yumi!"

It had been about three weeks since their breakfast meet-up, and Yumiko had been hard at work making Julie's designs a reality. She only hoped that they looked as good as they had envisioned.

A moment later, Julie stepped out from behind the curtain. Yumiko's jaw dropped. "It's adorable!"

Julie did a little twirl for her. The butterfly-sleeved sundress she had put on paper was now on her body. The ribbon fell just so, showing off her bump, which had become more noticeable. It was made of soft blue chiffon. "It's wonderful, Yumi! It's comfortable, and it makes me look pregnant instead of just fat!"

Yumiko laughed. "That is certainly what we're going for!" She looked over the dress. "It's fitting how we wanted, for sure. I like the ribbon. It's adjustable so the dress can be worn as your belly gets bigger. It's great for longevity."

Julie nodded. "I didn't even really consider that while I was designing it. I just thought the ribbon was cute. But you're right, it gives the wearer more bang for their buck." She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Her hands went to her belly. "I like that it doesn't try to conceal my baby under a giant tent, either. I'm proud of him, I want to show him off."

Yumiko giggled. "So, it's a boy huh?"

Julie grinned and rubbed her belly. "Yes, this is my son, Kuon."

"Kuon! You have a name already and everything!?"

Julie smiled. "We've had a name since before we even got pregnant. Kuu wanted the name, and it just so happened that I liked it, too."

Yumiko nodded. "It's a nice name." She gestured at the dressing room. "Go on in there and try on the pants! I'm so excited to see how they turned out!"

She modeled a few more outfits for Yumiko, and after deciding on a few pieces that she especially liked, she headed out to the car where Hiiro was waiting. She slipped into the back seat, and he looked at her in the rearview mirror.

"Home, Julie-san?"

"Yes, Hiiro-san. Thank you."

While Julie was ecstatic about having prototypes of her designs, all of the excitement of that morning had tired her out. When they got back to the apartment, Julie thanked Hiiro and went inside. When she got upstairs, the blinking red light on the answering machine caught her attention. She pressed the play button.

"Julie, it's Mama. Lana had her baby tonight! I just wanted to call and let you know. If you should call and we aren't home, we're likely at the hospital to see little Cedric. Such exciting times! I'll talk to you later, my darling! Daddy sends his love, too. Goodbye!"

Julie's eyes filled with tears. Cedric. My nephew that I may never get to meet. Julie's feelings were still hurt from the phone call she had received from her sister three weeks prior. She was finding it very hard to forgive anything that Lana had said about Kuon. While Kuon certainly wasn't planned, Julie did not consider her son a 'mistake', nor did she think he was going to be an 'ugly half Jap'. Julie wiped her eyes and patted her belly.

"Mommy is a supermodel, and Daddy is a handsome actor. You'll be anything but ugly, my darling."

She went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She got a cold bottle of soda and went to lay on the couch for a nap.

Kuu was stretched out on the cushioned bench in his trailer. Shooting was halted for the moment due to an unanticipated rainstorm. He listened to the droplets hitting the metal roof of the trailer and sighed in contentment as the cool autumn breeze wafted in through the open windows above him. He was a little glad for the moment's reprieve. Maki Ishii had been flubbing her lines all that morning and the retakes had been murder. Not that he blamed Maki very much; she had her first interview for the show the following morning and her nerves were getting the best of her.

A knock sounded at the trailer door. "Come in."

Lory Takarada stepped into the trailer, wet from the rain, and shut the door behind him. He wrinkled his nose. "It smells in here."

Kuu rolled his eyes. "That's probably just your nose from having it parked in some investor's ass, Lory."

Lory laughed. "Oh, I'm not that bad, am I? It's not my fault that my empire requires cash flow."

"Uh huh. What are you doing here anyway?"

Lory sat down next to him on the bench. "Well, I needed a word with Hirotaka about the wrap party in a few weeks, and I figured while I was here, I should come to congratulate you of course, Uncle Kuu. Tora called earlier to gush about the birth of his first grandchild."

Kuu grabbed a beer out of the nearby mini-fridge. "Good luck to the kid. His parents are a fucking nightmare, and don't you dare tell Tora I said that."

Lory raised his eyebrows. "Did I miss something besides the dinner-gone-bad?"

Kuu told him about the unpleasant phone call from Lana, and the look on Lory's face soured.

"That is completely out-of-bounds. Is Julie okay?"

Kuu sighed and shook his head. "She's keeping it together, but I know she's worried about everyone hating our son now. She hasn't been sleeping well." In truth, Kuu was also worried that the world's reception of their son would be less than warm. Though Kuu was more of the mind that he would simply raise his son to take care of himself and be tough. And, he thought to himself, I will have enough money to make Kuon's problems go away. That's got to count for something, right?

Lory nodded. "I don't think I'd be sleeping well if someone called my Kouki a mistake, either. Do Tora and Tatiana know about this?"

"No. Julie doesn't want to tell them and stir the pot. I suppose I agree with that. This doesn't really concern them. This is between us and the Bennets."

Lory patted Kuu's shoulder. "In a few months when your kid gets here, you're not even going to think about this stupid drama."

Kuu smiled at the thought of finally meeting his son, and then heaved a sigh. "There's still plenty of drama to wade through, though. I don't know how I'm going to throw Julie a proper baby shower. Her mother won't be here until closer to the due date, and her sister certainly isn't going to throw her one. So I guess it's down to me to plan it." It wasn't customary to have a baby shower in Japan, but Kuu's wife was American, their baby was half-American, and he figured they should have some American influence in the celebration of their child.

Lory's mouth fell open. "You're best friends with the best party planner in the world, and you're planning on doing this yourself!?"

Kuu side-eyed his friend. "I don't think Julie's looking to have fire breathers, elephants, belly dancers, and a swimming pool full of pudding at her baby shower."

Lory scoffed. "I am insulted that you think I can't throw an appropriate soiree for your wife. I can keep it simple! Tasteful hors d'oeuvres, champagne, cute blue balloons and streamers, or maybe some kind of Dayjowey theme? Come on, Kuu. You can trust me to do this!"

Kuu looked at Lory's pouty lip and big watery puppy dog eyes and sighed. "Lory–"

"Please, Kuu!? I'd love to do it!"

Kuu pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel the headache coming. "Let me talk it over with Julie."

Lory's mood brightened instantly. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it!"

"That's not a definitive 'yes', Lory!"

Lory waved his hand at his friend and got to his feet. "Sure. I'll talk to you later. I need to call my cake guy, my balloon guy, my elephant guy–"

"Lory!"

Lory laughed at the look of abject horror on his friend's face. "I'm fucking with you, Kuu. Tell Julie to call me and tell me what she wants. I got this!"

Kuu watched him leave and sat back against the wall of the trailer. Shit.

The rain finally let up and he went back to set. They were shooting at the outdoor track, under some bleachers. Aine was chatting with the girls who played Mizuki's classmates, getting ready for the scene. When she saw Kuu, she tossed her hair and continued her conversation. Kuu rolled his eyes and took his suit jacket off. He tossed it over a nearby chair. He took his position beneath the bleachers.

The Director called for the scene to start and the girls started packing up their book bags from the edge of the track. They exchanged their goodbyes, leaving Mizuki to be the last one to pack up. As she passed by the bleachers, a voice hailed her.

"Mizuki-san."

She swallowed hard and turned to face Katsuki, who looked like he hadn't slept. "Tachibana-sensei."

He winced as though she had slapped him. Sensei? After they had kissed the other day? That certainly didn't bode well for his intentions. She continued.

"I-I'm sorry for the other day. That shouldn't have happened. You and Misao… I should never have put myself between you. It was wrong of me."

"So, you admit that it was purposeful? You do have feelings for me?"

Mizuki blushed and shook her head. "N-no! That's not–"

"Because I have feelings for you, Mizuki."

She looked away from him. "You're not allowed to."

Katsuki took her hands. "Run away with me."

Mizuki looked up at his face, her eyes widening. "What?"

"I don't want Misao. I never have. Let's just… go."

She blinked. "But then why would you ask her to marry you?"

Katsuki didn't know how to answer that. Should he tell her the truth? Should he tell her that it was all part of an elaborate revenge plot against her uncle to marry and murder her cousin? If he were to lie about it, then what could he possibly say? He just felt like marrying Misao in the moment? He had a brain injury that made him feel suddenly matrimonial?

Mizuki pulled her hands away from him. "Why can't you answer me?"

"It's complicated."

She nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. "Complicated. Is Misao pregnant?"

Katsuki's eyes flew open. "What!? No! Mizuki–"

"Katsuki," she took a step back from him, "Stay away from me."

He watched her walk away from him, his heart falling into his stomach.

"Cut!," yelled the Director. "Next scene!" He approached Kuu, who was quickly putting distance between himself and Aine. "Hozu-san, thank you for your work lately. I know it hasn't been easy for you."

Kuu bowed to him. "It's not a problem, Director. We only have three more episodes to shoot, and then it's done, and I will never work with Aine Yamada again."

The Director nodded. "Certainly not on one of my projects." The Director had zero intention of hiring Aine for another project, and every intention of continuing to work with Kuu. For that reason, he was glad that the girl was keeping her distance from his leading man.

They worked for another couple of hours and then broke for a short, late lunch. The rain, and Maki Ishii's many mistakes, had pushed their timeline for the day back substantially, leaving them to scramble to get everything done. Kuu went back to his trailer. When he opened the door, his mouth fell open.

"Julie!"

She giggled and stood up. "Surprise!"

He shut the door behind him and bent his head to kiss her. "What are you doing here, my love?"

"Why? Shouldn't I be?"

He smiled. "I'm not complaining, I'm just surprised."

She gestured at a few bags of fast food on the table. "I missed bringing you lunch. I also wondered if you could do me a favor."

Kuu sat down on the bench. "Anything, my love. You know that."

Julie straddled his lap, taking him completely by surprise, and whispered in his ear. "Could you maybe get me off?"

The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention, and it wasn't the only part of his body to do so. "Really? You couldn't wait until I got home, huh?" He slipped his hand beneath her dress and found that she wasn't wearing panties and was already wet with need. "Fuck, Julie."

"It's the hormones, Kuu," she whined. "I'm so horny all the time."

"I know. I kind of fucking love it," he growled as he kissed her neck.

She unbuckled his belt, opened his fly, and sat up so he could shimmy his pants down to his knees. When she sat back down, she took him inside of her to the hilt. She sighed in satisfaction and began to ride him. He fumbled with the buttons on the front of her dress, and once he got them open, slid the top of her dress down around her waist, exposing her breasts. They had grown almost two full cup sizes over the last few weeks and were threatening to spill over her balconette bra. He nuzzled his face into them, reveling in their size.

He was almost afraid that he might have a pregnancy fetish that he had been previously unaware of. The way that her breasts, thighs, and hips had taken on extra weight, the soft swell of her belly, the healthy pink glow of her skin and just the acknowledgement from his primal lizard brain that she was carrying his child turned him on like a fire hose.

Julie hugged him close and shuddered against him as she moaned her first release into his ear. He grabbed her hips and kept thrusting slowly. Then he increased his speed again and she leaned back against the table. "Nn! Kuu!" Her hips bucked against him as she hit the second peak. The trailer was full of the sound of her voice.

But he wasn't done. He pulled her close again and growled in her ear as he fucked her. "Such a naughty girl, waiting for me with no panties on. Did you leave them at home?" The mental image of his seemingly innocent, adorably pregnant wife in her pretty sundress making her way across town, sans panties, to fuck him was getting him high.

She tightened at the suggestion. "N-no! They're in my purse!"

Kuu thrust harder and watched her eyes roll into the back of her head as she came once more. He watched her breasts jiggle within the confines of her bra and his head flew back as he emptied himself inside of her.

Julie collapsed against him and kissed him. She rested her head on his shoulder, panting. "I'm so tired."

His chest rumbled beneath her as he chuckled. "Me too, and now I have to work for another three hours." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She let out a breathless laugh. "You didn't hurt me, but I'm not sure I can get up."

He laughed and pushed the table away a little so he could help her get off of him and go retrieve her panties from her purse. He cleaned up and pulled his pants back up and then tucked into the food she had brought for him. After their sexual escapade, he was famished. When the first three burgers were gone, he pushed one across the table toward her.

"Have you eaten? You should eat."

Julie smiled and took the burger. "I did eat, but I am feeling hungry again. Thank you."

He patted her leg under the table. "Lory came by. He told me that your sister had her baby."

Julie frowned. "I was kind of hoping the sex would help me feel better about that."

Kuu smirked. "Ah, so I was your emotional support fuck?"

She giggled. "Maybe a little bit. It wasn't just the sex that I wanted, though. I just wanted to see you because you always make me feel better when I feel like shit."

He scooted down the bench and hugged her to his side. "You have no reason to feel like shit. Your sister has been awful to you, and awful about our son. All of this is on her."

Julie gave him a sad smile and set her burger down on the table. "I know. I was looking forward to meeting Cedric, though."

She had a feeling that after everything that had happened, Lana wouldn't allow her to visit her nephew or know him at all. It hurt her deeply that she would be unwelcome around her nephew because of her sister's selfishness. She had envisioned being the cool aunt that took him on trips to Dayjowey Land, and bought him fun toys that his parents wouldn't approve of, and fed him candy until he was fit to burst and then sent him home on a sugar rush. To know that all of that may not actually come to pass made her sad.

Kuu rubbed her back. "I'm sorry that she's being this way."

Julie picked her burger back up and took another bite. "It's not your fault. She's always been like this."

They finished eating and Kuu walked her to where Hiiro was waiting with the car. "Just to warn you, Lory came by earlier. He has it in his head that he's going to plan your baby shower."

Julie looked suddenly worried. "Lory can definitely throw a party, but I don't know that 'circus chic' is what I had planned for the event."

Kuu rubbed the back of his neck. "He said champagne, hors d'oeuvres and Dayjowey. Maybe you should call him and talk to him about it?"

Julie gave him an exasperated chuckle. "I guess Lory's better than no one. I'll call him tomorrow." She was lying. She would not call Lory, and hoped that he would become so busy that he would forget about it.

He kissed her. "Thank you for coming to visit me. It makes me happy when you're here."

Julie hugged him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He opened the car door for her and helped her into the car. "I might be a bit late getting home tonight. If I am, order something delicious."

She laughed. "Pizza?"

Kuu's stomach grumbled even though he had just filled it with hamburgers. "Sounds divine."

He watched the car pull away with a small smile and then returned to set. When he got there, the cast and crew were avoiding his eyes and several of the women were blushing. He blinked and looked around. Did something happen? Everybody's acting weird.

Director Date approached him and cleared his throat. "Uh… Hozu-san? You left the windows on your trailer open."

Kuu's eyes widened and he bowed to the Director as he realized that everyone on set had heard his and Julie's cries of passion. "I am very sorry, Director-san. It won't happen again!"

Date chuckled and whispered to him. "You're not the first one of us to get a little frisky in our trailers. Just… be more careful next time."

Kuu stood up, nodded, and hurried away. He couldn't wait to end the day so he could go home and die of embarrassment in peace.