AN: Not sure how much it's needed, but a little forewarning for some risqué dialogue in this chapter, specifically from Rita XD

Chapter Three

Lunchtime

"Ahhh…" Rita let out a relieved sigh, her back relaxing against the back of the chair in a few twitchy spasms before melting into the curve of it. "Woo, it is good to sit down," She said while rolling her shoulders. She set the paper bag she had brought out with her to the cozy terrace across the street from her place of work and set it on the table. "And it's even better to get a chance to chow down again." She scooted her chair closer, placing a hand between her belly and the edge of the table as a buffer. "Speaking of which, you're probably feeling pretty peckish in there yourself, aren't you, sweetie?"

In the darkness, the little one pouted. Hungry… He mentally replied. Why was he hungry again? Was that feeling just going to keep coming back? Don't like being hungry, Mommy, He thought, giving his mother a sad little kick. Please make it stop…

"Aww, I'll take that as a yes," Rita cooed, rubbing her palm in a circle across the tiny bump. She brought her hands to the top of the bag, unfurling the crumpled roll and opening it.

Even after hours of refrigeration, the savory scent of the bacon in her sandwich sent a reverberating, all-powerful pang down to the deepest pit of both Rita and the little one's stomachs.

"Goodness knows I sympathize," Rita gulped, pulling out her lunch and quickly unclasping the plastic bag that held her sandwich. "Let's eat, sweetheart!"

Yay! The little one cheered.

That first bite, the satisfying crunch of the savory bacon, the crisp lettuce, and those juicy tomatoes paired with the zesty mustard and creamy mayo made Rita forget about every single discomfort she had endured through her day of work.

She had been telling the truth when she had told her husband the previous night that she was managing just fine at work, but she couldn't deny that getting through those eight hours a day was a mite more challenging when she was going about getting her daily tasks done while her body devoted her energy into helping the little one within her grow.

Even her special orthopedic shoes could do nothing about the colossal aches that plagued her feet, swollen painfully within the small confines of the now too small footwear, doomed to wait at least another four hours before the idea of relief was even on the table.

Her legs didn't fare much better. What had once been two strong pillars that had gotten her through a couple of 5Ks no problem now felt like cracked glass wrapped in paper mâché. If they weren't searing with sharp stinging pain, they were wobbling beneath her, essentially forcing her to take a seat until they stopped trembling.

Thank goodness Dr. Finestein was so understanding, especially since this was Rita's sixth pregnancy in less than a decade.

Lynn and I should really thank him with a gift or something, Rita thought, grabbing her mineral water from the bag. At the very least for all the maternity leave he's given us.

She unscrewed the top off the bottle, bringing it to her lips and taking a hearty swig.

"MMMPH!" Unfortunately for her, a combination of drinking just a little too fast and a spare bit of lettuce catching on the back of her throat caused Rita to heave forward in a violent coughing fit.

Mommy!? The little one felt panic strike through his senses. Mommy are you okay!?

Rita gave her chest a couple of light bops with her fist, settling the water bubble and diluting her coughs into a set of weaker gasps for breath.

She took a deep breath, calming her burning lungs before leaning back in her seat. "O-Okay," She wheezed. "Note to self, eat slower. You've got a whole hour for lunch, Rita, no need to push it."

Mommy! The little one called out for her again, his hands reaching out into the darkness as terror gripped his tiny heart in fear for his mother's well-being. Say something! Please!

Rita took immediate notice of her little one's panicked movements and sat up, bringing her arms down to cradle the tiny bump lovingly. "Oh! It's okay, sweetheart," She said in a sweet shush. "Mommy's okay. She just got a little careless. There's nothing to worry about though. Everything's fine."

His mother's words in conjunction with the soft caress of her hands across the darkness stilled his rapidly beating heart, and the little one's hands fell back against their spot curled beneath his chin.

"There we go…" Rita soothed. "Mommy's got you, sweetheart. She's got you."

The Little one's pained and fearful expression fell away, settling into one of calm contentment. Mommy… It thought, reaching out to give a little kick to the spot where he felt her hand.

Rita chuckled when she felt that tiny foot tap against her palm. "You know, you've been a lot more active in there today. Why's that, sweetheart?"

The little one couldn't tell her, but the reasoning for his increased activity was simple. Now that he was sentient, there was just so many new things to experience! Sure for the most part they were just sounds, but the sheer variety in those sounds was astronomical for one so new to the very concept of existing!

For instance, he had already memorized all of his big sister's voices! He was even able to tell who was who just by voice alone! That morning while his mother was driving them to school and daycare, he had listened intently to his big sisters, chattering away in high pitched excitement about whatever came to their minds.

He couldn't explain why, but hearing them made him happy. Which made it all the sadder when each voice went away, usually with that word "goodbye" he was starting to dislike more and more.

"Bye mom!" He recalled the last time he heard it, that being from Lori. "We'll see you later!"

"Bye girls!" His mother had said. "Have a good day! And Lori please be sure Leni finds her class!"

"Will do!" Lori replied.

THUNK!

The faint click of the car door shutting reached Lincoln's ears.

Now they were all gone.

His heart deflated.

No more big sisters

CLICK!

Then, another click reached his senses.

"Lori? Did you forget something?" Rita had asked.

"Sure did," Lori chirped.

The little one suddenly felt something rest against the barrier surrounding him.

"Bye-bye baby," He heard Lori coo, feeling her nuzzle her cheek against his own. "Have a good day with mommy. I hope the baby doctor finds you good and healthy, okay?"

The Little one felt a wash of affection come over him, and he tilted his cheek to try and reciprocate the affection. Okay, Lori, He thought. I don't know what "healthy" is, but I'll try to be that for you.

He still felt sad when she left right after, but he took solace in the fact that she was clearly thinking about him.

From there, the rest of the day was filled with a myriad of other sounds, both wondrous and scary. From the sounds of the birds chirping, to the sounds of the drill Dr. Finestein used on his various patients, to the music that softly played around the office.

But his two favorite sounds?

Tha-thump! Tha-thump! Tha-Thump!

"There we are, now you're starting to settle down…"

Hands down the sound of his mother's voice and the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat. Something about those two sounds just made him feel safe, wholly and completely.

"Now," Rita said, lifting her hands back onto the table. "What say we keep enjoying our lunch then? We wouldn't want the food your daddy made for us to go to waste now, would we?"

The little one couldn't offer much of a response thanks to the rapid oncoming nap that was coming his way; a direct result of both the adrenaline having tired him out and the subsequent calming administered by his mother. Daddy's…food… He thought as he fell into slumber. Bacon…yummy…

Lynn stirred his potato salad absentmindedly, his teeth too busy biting on the pencil in his other hand as he stared down at the notepad before him.

Descending down the lined page was a list of potential names for his latest little one currently taking a peaceful nap in his wife's tummy just a few streets over. He'd already spent a good fifteen minutes of his lunch hour jotting down names; names that all shared an easily identifiable commonality.

Hmm…Leo? No. Luke? No, that doesn't feel right either. He chewed on the pencil. Logan? No, there's no zing there either!

He groaned and let the pencil fall from his hand onto the notepad. It shouldn't be this hard to come up with a name! Come on, Lynnster! You've done this five times before!

His eyes fell on the notepad, looking over the two dozen or so names he had penned down.

The majority of them were boy names. There were a few names for girls. Lucy, Lana, and Lola to name a few, but the vast majority were boy names.

Lynn had to admit, his hopes were leaning far in one direction with that majority, but he couldn't help it. His mind seemed laser focused on having a son. That joke he had told Rita when they left that morning of him already sharing a father-son bond with their baby had come from a kernel of honesty.

He couldn't explain why, but something in his heart of hearts told him, made him believe with full conviction that Rita was carrying their son.

So, because of that conviction, his mind bade him to find a proper name for his future baby boy.

As it turned out though, that was much easier said than done. It seemed that having five daughters beforehand had hard wired his brain for only liking girl names.

Well you've gotta think of something here! He told himself. How unfair would that be if for the girls you already had everything prepared, but with the boy you've been waiting for you had jack squat!

He groaned and ran a hand through his hair despondently, trying to calm his nerves with a deep breath. Okay, relax, He thought, sticking his hands back out and flexing them. We're still only twenty weeks along. We've still got time. And no matter what you feel, Lynn, we still don't actually know the gender.

That last thought sent a pang through his heart. He knew he'd love another daughter just the same as a son, he really did, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw an image of a little guy to call his own staring up at him, arms held up in that universal request to be carried he'd come to know so well in his time as a parent.

Dada! Up! His mind conjured up an imaginary voice for his hypothetical son, and his heart swelled as he envisioned taking his son up into his arms.

He sighed when the daydream passed and returned back to that little cafeteria in his office building.

I suppose names can wait until later, He said, placing his pencil at the top of the notepad and flipping it shut. For now, I should really just try and eat. Won't be getting home until late after all.

Bzzt!

Before he could resume his meal though, his pocket buzzed and his phone chimed with a notification.

Must be the confirmation for our appointment with the doctor today, Lynn thought, reaching into his pocket, a slight frown coming over his face. With all the excitement of that upcoming appointment, he had nearly forgotten that meant they would be seeing their (in his opinion) much too overly familiar obstetrician once again.

He grabbed his phone, but just as he was pulling it from his pocket, he felt something roll along his fingers, coming out of his pocket and clattering onto the floor.

"Hmm?" Lynn looked down to see what had fallen from him.

Spinning on the floor in a blur of copper, a penny came to a wobbling stop, landing over with its head side facing up.

Is that…? Instantly, his mind began recalling a memory associated with that little piece of pocket change, bidding him to reach down to it.

I remember this, He thought once the penny was between his thumb and pointer finger. Have I been carrying this around this whole time? This is—

A slight blush and a small, silly smile crawled across his lips.

This is the lucky penny I found back on that night…

(Roughly five months prior)

The evening air was cool, sweet with the ambient floral scent of all the flowers that came with that late spring May weather. The sky above Royal Woods' Main Street was still in that final vestige of light blue, with only a few stars twinkling just before all the others were set to come with the full arrival of night.

On Main street proper, the general hustle and bustle of that small town was much more hustlier and bustlier than usual thanks to what had proven to be a great and unexpected influx of passerby tourists, all stopping in Royal Woods for a chance to stretch their legs and grab a bite to eat before getting onto their busses for their next destination. A perfectly normal thing that really only inconvenienced any restaurant staff that happened to be working that night on any other day.

But to a couple who was on a date night that they sorely needed, it was downright catastrophic!

At least, to Lynn

"Aw, c'mon, Lynn!" Rita, however was still in good spirits, happy to just be out and about, arm and arm with her beloved. "It's not that bad."

Lynn continued to pout, letting his head hang as they crossed the street. "It wasn't supposed to be like this…" He quietly bemoaned. "I was supposed to take you to a classy dinner, one where it could just be the two of us."

Rita smirked and gave Lynn's arm a little shake with her own. "Um, sweetie," She said with a mirthful chuckle. "I wouldn't exactly call Bangers n' Mosh fine dining. Plus, we've been there at least a hundred times."

Lynn glowered at her, "You know what I mean."

It had meant to be a night Lynn would get to really romance and sweep his wife off her feet, to act as the young couple that, despite already having five daughters at home, they actually were. Sure the two of them loved being parents, and wouldn't trade their children for the world, but they still wanted time to just be together as a couple.

That's why Lynn had asked Rita to accompany him on an impromptu date night the day before. After realizing just how long it'd had been since they had had a night to themselves (that being even before Luna was born), he marched to his bedroom, pulled Rita away from the laundry she had been folding, taken her hand into his, gotten on one knee and asked her—

"Rita, will you go out with me tomorrow night?"

Rita, of course, had laughed, not maliciously of course, but she couldn't help it. She was charmed by her husband, but he was still kind of a dork.

She supposed that was one of many reasons why she had fallen in love with him in the first place. So of course she said yes.

Despite it being so short notice, the two of them were fortunate enough to have the girls' grandfather Albert (or as the girls called him, Pop-Pop) in the wings, more than happy to take on his grandchildren for the night at his home while his daughter and son-in-law got some much needed them time.

Everything looked to be going off without a hitch. On that night, Lynn and Rita Loud would get to live like the young mid-twenties married couple they actually were.

Too bad a traveling convent of nuns, a minor league baseball team, and the National Cheese Appreciation society just happened to be stopping by that night.

And thus, the two were left traipsing down main street, nestled into each other's sides with their arms looped around one another, with every sit down restaurant around them too packed to even consider giving them a table.

"Lynn," Rita pulled him off the sidewalk and across the street. "Why don't we just take a seat?"

She led him to a small terrace, one with several circular stone tables that was surrounded by trees filled with twinkling white lights. "Look, this is the spot that I have my lunch hour every day. Isn't it gorgeous?!"

Lynn felt his mood perk up upon stepping into the beauteous area. Here, the faint scent of honeysuckle and wild lavender was stronger, and the sourness that had tensed his shoulders suddenly proved powerless.

"It is…" He agreed as he took a seat with Rita on a bench. He looked up at the glimmering lights with Rita for a moment before he spoke again. "Then again…" He said, catching her gaze in his while his face reddened slightly. "They're nowhere near as gorgeous as you."

Rita blushed as well and scooted closer to him to nestle into his side again. "You're sweet," She said. "Dorky, but sweet."

"You always said you like dorky though, didn't you?" Lynn asked.

"Love it," Rita replied with a chuckle.

They allowed a moment to pass, just listening to the pitter patter of passersby and the gentle murmurings of the crickets that made their homes in the trees and bushes.

"You know, Lynn," Rita spoke up first, pulling her cheek from his shoulder to look at him. "I appreciate what you've tried to do here tonight, but you know you don't have to do anything super special for me. I already know you love me. You make it abundantly clear every day."

Lynn bit his cheek and looked back up at the stars again, "Still…I just wanted us to have a nice romantic night together." He looked at Rita again, a soft smile gracing his features, "One where I can have some one-on-one time with my favorite girl. The one who gave me a beautiful family, and an even more beautiful life."

Rita's eyes widened. Suddenly, she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. "Lynn…" She breathed.

"I know you know I love you, Rita," Lynn went on. "But I still want to have times where I can express that love with you, y'know?" He smiled sheepishly and reached out to lay his hand over hers, "Because I have a lot of love to give you, Rita."

Rita's heart fluttered, and she was suddenly overcome with several waves of warmth, radiating out to every edge of her being.

"I love you too, Lynn," She said, leaning towards him.

The two shared a kiss, exchanging their warmth between them like an electric circuit, sparking along every inch of them.

When they parted, Rita let out an impish giggle, looking up at her husband with a strong glimmer in her green eyes. "That was quite a speech, Lynn," She teased, reaching out to poke him in the chest. "I'm feeling pretty swept off my feet here."

Lynn chuckled somewhat bashfully himself, lifting a hand to scratch his cheek, "I meant every word of it."

Rita stood up, "Well, let's get going then!"

Lynn quirked an eyebrow, "Going? Where are we going?"

"You said you wanted to have a nice dinner, didn't you?" Rita stepped out towards the terrace entrance. "Well, everything else may be packed, but Burpin' Burger's drive-thru seemed pretty empty to me."

"You wanna get Burpin' Burger?" Lynn queried.

"Why not?" Rita replied, spinning back to face him. "It'll be like when we first started dating." Her expression brightened when another thought came to her mind, "Come to think of it, don't we have some champagne we've been saving for a special occasion back at the house?"

Lynn had to laugh at that, "You wanna have champagne with burgers?"

"Hey you don't know, maybe they'll pair well together!" Rita said. "Now c'mon!"

Lynn shook his head and stood up as well. She really was something else sometimes. "Alright, I'm comin'!" He said, taking a step forward.

That's when he saw it, a glint on the ground.

"Hm?" He bent down to the ground to inspect the glint further.

It was a penny, a penny facing heads-up towards him.

"Hey! Look, Rita!" He said, crouching down to pick it up between his thumb and pointer finger. "A lucky penny! You never see those around anymore!"

Rita made her way back to him, rolling her eyes bemusedly. "That's great, Lynn," She teasingly scoffed, crouching down with him. "But you know what?" She said, reaching out to lift his chin so he was looking right at her. She then gave him a wicked smirk. "I don't think you'll need it much. After that speech, I can assure you that you'll have no problem getting lucky on your own tonight."

Lynn almost dropped the penny after hearing that, just barely catching it in his fumbling hands.

"That got your attention," Rita giggled mischievously. She grabbed his hand. "Let's get going?"

Lynn nodded fervently, "Absolutely! Let's get going!"

His attention was entirely focused on Rita from then on, but despite that, he still absentmindedly stashed the penny in his pocket.

Perhaps a lucky charm for another long-held wish?

(Present day)

Lynn rolled the penny between his fingers, a faint blush and a dreamy, somewhat goofy expression on his face as he recalled the rest of that night.

As it turned out, Burpin' Burger did pair well with the champagne they had back home. That either meant it was some particularly exemplary champagne, or some rather cheap champagne.

Lynn and Rita preferred to think it was the former.

Still, though it wasn't the classy dinner he had wanted to give his wife, it was still a wonderful time, and thanks to a few candles, it was also a rather romantic time at that.

They spent hours at their table, usually filled to the brim with the entirety of their rambunctious family, now only the two of them with nothing to distract from one another. It was a time they had unknowingly greatly needed, time to just talk about whatever came to their minds and stare into each other's eyes.

Eventually, their casual conversation ebbed instead to various sweet words and sayings, expressing the endless affection the two held for one another. Then as more and more champagne disappeared, so too did their interest in just sitting at the table and lightly tracing their fingers over each other's hands.

So, as is typically said, one thing led to another, and one passionate physical act of love between the two plus six weeks of time later…

They discovered themselves on the path to parenthood once again.

Lynn bit his cheek, a small surge of shame coming over him when he recalled the day Rita had told him of their newest little one.

He had been panicked, maybe even a little upset. It sent a crack down his heart when he thought about it then. How could he have been upset about that burgeoning little life he now cherished just as much as his other children? That darling little being that had been so ensconced in his thoughts all day and night before.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, contending with the guilt. I'm sorry, baby, He thought with a breath. Daddy was just a little worried about making things work back then. It had nothing to do with you.

He hoped his thoughts would reach his little one. Despite it still being at least a few months out from coming out into the world, he already loved it so dearly.

Thankfully we have your mother to always help put things in perspective, He thought with a wry smile.

Back on that day, whilst Lynn was raving about how they had just moved Lynn Jr.'s crib out of their room and asking the heavens themselves how they were going to budget for a new baby, Rita effortlessly brought him back down to Earth by going up to him and wrapping him in a come from behind embrace.

"Lynn, relax," She soothed. She gently turned him around, "We'll make this work, we always do." She beamed up at him and took his hands to her currently flat stomach. "Besides," She said softly. "Didn't you say you wanted to express your love to me? Well, this is the greatest expression of love two people can share, don't you think?"

"Rita…" All the fear and anxiety fell away from Lynn's mind, replaced instead by a rush of affection and love, both for his beloved wife—and the brand new little life they had created.

It didn't matter that this was set to be their sixth, he still loved them with all his heart.

His eyes glimmered and he brought his hands away to instead pull Rita to him in a hug.

"You're right," He whispered. "This is wonderful. I love you so much, Rita."

Rita felt her eyes grow moist as well and she squeezed him back, "And I love you, Lynn."

The two parted from the hug to exchange a kiss, and when they parted from that, they laid their foreheads against one another.

"So…" Rita said. "You wanna get the girls together? Tell them about their newest little sibling?"

Lynn nodded, a surge of giddy excitement coming over him, "I'd love to…"

Lynn brought his sleeve up to his eyes, wiping away the tears that had accumulated within them.

Jeez, I probably look ridiculous right now, He mused. Getting all teary-eyed over finding a penny. He flicked the penny over so he was looking at the face on the heads side. Still, it wasn't a bad trip down memory lane now that I think about it.

He smirked at the face, Thanks a bunch, Mr. Lincoln.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit Lynn's mind, causing him to jolt in his seat when that name flitted through his thoughts.

Lincoln… He thought, raising the penny up higher.

A sigh of relief, one that many a person knew at the end of their workday came from Rita as she turned her work computer off.

"Finally quitting time, sweetheart," She said, rising to her feet with an exhaustive huff. "Ready to go?"

She didn't get much of an answer, save a drowsy kick from her little one who'd been in and out of naps since lunch. Gonna go see Daddy? He asked in a daze, Or my big sisters?

Rita made her way towards the door. "I'm heading out. See you on Monday, Dr. Finestein!"

"Take care Rita!" Dr. Finestein said, poking his head out from the back hallway. "Good luck with the obstetrician. I'll be rooting for you."

Rita chuckled in response, "Thanks for that! Have a good weekend!"

She stepped outside, letting the door close behind her with a small clatter and a jingle from the bell above it.

The light was a deep vermillion with the late afternoon, and the cool air of oncoming night brought a tickle through her lungs.

She would've stayed a bit to enjoy it, but her and her little one had an appointment to make.

"Alright, sweetheart," She cooed, giving her belly a little rub. "Let's get going then." She smiled and spoke on with an excited little lilt added to her voice. "Time for us to find out if you're a boy!"

The little one wanted to be more excited about the matter, but the fatigue his mother felt was his own in that moment, and he found himself falling into dreamland once again.

Even then though, he kept his promise to his parents as he drifted off.

Be…A…boy… He thought. Be…A…boy…

AN: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I've never written romance for a married couple before so it's an interesting perspective to try out. I bet you anything that there were at least a few times that Lynn and Rita found themselves surprised by a few of their pregnancies, and I thought it'd be sweet to see them work through such a surprise, working through the fears of how they'll manage and then the subsequent joy they would feel for the new life they were set to bring into the world. Overall, I was pleased with how this chapter turned out, and I hope you all liked it as well.

In the meantime, stay tuned, because next chapter, the expectant mama and papa will finally learn just what they're having. On Sixth Time Expecting, First Time Living! Coming to a screen near you!

And as always, reviews and feedback are always greatly appreciated, especially the more detailed ones. They are the lifeblood of a writer after all.

Manegie, out!