"Is there something you want to tell me about?" Derek asked Nick as he came into the parlor where Nick was sitting. Bobbie was sitting in a chair nearby.

"No," Nick said. "Why?"

"You said you had to change a tire on your car, but none of the tires have been changed. So, what really happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"You're lying, Nick. If she can't behave herself she has to leave. I won't have her acting that way around my mother."

"You didn't say anything about the ride here!" Bobbie burst out.

Derek scowled at her. "It should have been obvious that you needed to behave yourself on the way here. I don't want any more inappropriate behavior."

Bobbie waited about two minutes after Derek left the room before going to Nick and starting to kiss him.

"You realize he might come back to check on us, don't you?" Nick asked her.

"We could always go somewhere private... behind a locked door..." she whispered in his ear.

Nick glanced in the direction Derek had gone before leading her upstairs.

four weeks later

"I don't think Nick and Bobbie stopped what they were doing," Derek told Alex.

"Maybe you should just let them alone. They're going to do it anyway." She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Derek... I think it might be time."

"Alex?"

"I think I'm having a contraction."

"I think it might be time to go to the hospital in that case." Derek started to help her out of her seat. "Remember your breathing. I don't think my mother is planning on going home for a while yet."

"She's probably waiting on this baby."

"Alright, Kat, I'll do the airplane one more time," Nick said. Kat gleefully jumped on his back. He made airplane sounds and ran as she giggled. They nearly ran into Rachel, who was coming into the room.

"Ok, I think you've had enough airplane, Kat," Rachel said. "If you and Nick are running into people, you've had enough," she added as Kat opened her mouth to protest.

"Ok, Mommy," Kat said in disappointment.

Philip was bringing one of the babies downstairs.

"Maybe you can help Philip," Rachel suggested. "Two babies are quite a handful."

"But he doesn't let me hold them."

"Try promising to sit with the baby," Nick suggested. "It couldn't hurt, right?"

"You wanna try asking?" Rachel asked her. "Nick has a good idea, doesn't he?"

"I guess so."

"So, where's your little friend Derek is always telling you not to pal around with?" Rachel asked Nick quietly as Kat sat on a chair with a baby.

"Bobbie said she was tired," Nick said. "She wanted to get some extra sleep."

"It's past one in the afternoon, Nick. How much sleep does she need?"

"Tell me if Cara gets too heavy," Philip told Kat.

"She said she was tired, Rachel," Nick said. "That's all it is. She's just tired."

"Are you sure she's not pregnant?" Rachel asked.

This question made Nick frown as Arabella came downstairs with Barbara and the other baby.

Philip noticed them coming down. "I could've brought Fiona down," he said.

"I'm fine," Arabella said.

"But you're not fully recovered."

Barbara looked at Philip. "I was with her the entire time. She's recovered enough to carry her own child downstairs."

"Well?" Rachel asked quietly.

Nick shook his head. "She can't be."

"Why not?"

"Because she just can't be!" Nick hissed at her. "She can't."

"Nick? Why can't she be pregnant?"

"I don't want to talk about this." He started walking up the stairs.

Rachel follwed him. "Nick, you need to talk about this. Just tell me what is going on. It's very clear to me that there's some reason you think she can't-"

"Rachel, I promised her I wouldn't talk about personal things she tells me. I'm going to keep that promise. So just drop it."

Alex held her and Derek's newly born baby girl. "She's beautiful, Alex," Derek said, giving Alex a kiss on top of her head.

"I went through all those hours of pain for someone this beautiful and perfect," Alex said.

"At some point I have to call the house and let everyone know the baby's here."

"Let them wait a little longer. I want to watch her sleep while we can."

"Eventually, you'll long for her to sleep. If she's anything like her sister she'll start crying all night the minute she starts teething."

"So you're saying Arabella was a quiet baby?"

"Most of the time, yes."

"What should we call our baby?"

Derek thought for only a second. "Anneliese Maria."

"Perfect."

The end - look for another tale, mwah-ha-ha!