Chapter 19

"You're having a baby!" They all shouted.

"Yeah we are" Michael announced proudly and the guys tackled him to the floor from excitement. They hadn't expected it at all. "Careful of my wife. Jesus!" Michael didn't have much time to react and protect himself but he luckily managed to push Nikita's chair away from him.

Alex and Sonya got up as well, showering Nikita with love. They were so happy to be able to celebrate finally. It had been so hard to keep the secret.

As the girls were sharing their excitement Sean overheard them and a comment got him to get off the floor in an instant "Wait, did you two know?!"

The girls laughed at him and he was even more confused. He looked back at the guys for some backup. "That's so unfair!" They deserved to know first too.

"Relax, Boy Scout. I found out I was pregnant in Greece. There was no way to hide it" Nikita enlightened him. "Birkhoff only found out a few days ago but that was through different circumstances. Doesn't matter. We're happy to share it now with you all officially" She wished the surprise was for everyone but there was no point in dwelling on that. They could just celebrate now all together.

Sean only had to throw a quick look at Ryan and Birkhoff and then they all rushed to Nikita to give her the same treatment as Michael but way more gently. Nikita was happily squeezed between all the people she loved most and she was in heaven. Her family's reaction was so sweet she could cry. They were her family. She had a family and she needed nothing else.

It took a while for everyone to settle back down and let the couple speak. The team demanded to hear everything from how they found out up until now. That secret was kept for some time.

"Well, we actually have another thing to show you" Michael reached for Nikita's bag where he had stashed the ultrasound pictures. As soon as the rest saw them they gasped. The couple hadn't shown them to anyone yet. At least that was an element that could be a surprise for everyone.

"This is from our appointment a week ago and this is from a couple of days ago," Nikita explained as she laid them out gently on the table like it was the most precious thing she owned.

Her family all leaned in, forming a tight circle around the table to get a glimpse.

"I'm sorry to ruin the moment, but I have no idea what I'm looking at" The nerd was frustrated. He wanted to see the baby and no one was saying anything to help him. The girls dissolved into laughter, joined by Michael. The other guys were just as oblivious.

"I'm not that far along. You won't see the shape of a baby right away. Here" She pointed at the place they should focus on.

The team fell speechless. It felt so surreal. A baby in the family. Nikita and Michael's baby. They had an unspoken understanding that the couple would probably be the first to have a baby. Nikita and Michael were together the longest out of all of them and in that stage of life where it was most likely to happen. Also, no one believed them when they said they might not have kids. Michael was a dad through and through. It was just in his personality. Nikita was great with children despite what she thought. Her past family history had nothing to do with what kind of parent she would be.

"So you don't know if it's a boy or a girl?" Birkhoff asked. He had no idea how all of this worked. He needed it spelled out more simply. How was he supposed to know these things? Why did everyone seem to know what was going on?

"Not yet. We should know in a few weeks" Michael informed the hacker and the rest of the group. It was normal for them to be confused. It was very unfamiliar territory. The only reason he knew so much was because he had already gone through it once. Every pregnancy was different though so there was still so much he didn't know about. This was still very much a first for him. His and Nikita's first child.

"Oh my god, we could throw a party!" Alex jumped at the idea. Everyone was thrown into a frenzy yet again. Everything was going to be changing in the best way possible. Dinner was had over many laughs and ideas of what the future was going to look like. This family dinner was definitely going to go down as a very special one.

After they finished eating they were a bit more calm but still so happy. The team returned to the living room to hang out, chat and mindlessly watch something in the background.

As the evening progressed everyone scattered around the living area. Michael and Ryan sat on the floor between the coffee table and the couch deep in conversation about who knew what. Somehow that always happened when those two got together.

Sam was nursing a drink sitting on one of the armchairs to the side watching the movie that was playing. He kept to himself most of the evening but no one seemed to notice that much. That was good for him. Sean, Birkhoff and Sonya had settled by the fireplace playing a board game that had been ditched by the rest hours ago. Nikita and Alex had occupied the couch, observing their family in easy silence for a bit.

Alex turned to look at Nikita and couldn't help but copy her best friend's smile as she took in the sight in front of her. She knew this was just the thing to make Nikita feel so much better.

"Having a good time?" Alex still teasingly asked.

Nikita laughed "Are you kidding? This is more than I could ever ask for." She took Alex's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you. Michael told me it was your idea" Nikita wished she was able to express through words how much it truly meant to her that the second her family learned she wasn't feeling well they all dropped everything to come see her. She must have done something right in this life to have so many people around her who love and care for her so much.

"Stop it. Of course, we'll come" It wasn't even up for debate.

"I appreciate it and I want to make the most of it. What are you guys doing tomorrow?" There was no way Nikita was going to let her family leave after one dinner. They had to make plans and make the most of their time together.

"I have a few meetings in the morning in London and I was thinking after that we could all go do something fun. Don't know what exactly but we could explore around" Alex suggested.

"I would love that. I haven't been to London in a while." Birkhoff had moved the company office to Brighton where it was less hectic so there was no reason for Nikita and Michael to go there much anymore.

"How have you been feeling? Still sick?" It was so nice that they could speak freely about the pregnancy now.

"In the hospital they prescribed me a stronger anti-sickness medication and so far so good." Nikita was doing a lot better. "I have been really tired though. I can't survive a day without a nap but that's pretty much it"

"I got really worried yesterday" Alex squeezed her hand back. When Michael told them what had happened she was terrified. Nikita was one of the strongest people she knew and for her to get to that point it meant it was bad. Alex was so very grateful that her best friend was okay and that there were no fatal consequences.

"Don't be. Baby is okay. I'm okay" Her family should focus on that, not on what had happened.

"I know but just because you're okay physically doesn't mean you're mentally okay as well" Alex tried carefully to shift the topic in that direction. She wouldn't be physically here for long and those conversations were always better had in person.

"I'll be fine. I went back to therapy yesterday" Nikita wasn't in the mood to talk about her mental state especially right now. She was on cloud nine and had no intention of getting back down until tomorrow morning maybe. So she gave Alex something else to focus on.

"You did?" Alex was surprised by how easily Nikita shared that fact. The only thing Nikita let on about therapy was that she went and liked it.

"Yeah, I hadn't gone in a while and with my recent panic attacks I figured I should probably go again"

Alex nodded, not sure how to respond. She wanted to ask questions but didn't quite know where the line was. She would have to shoot blind. "How was it?"

"The session? It was good. I felt better and booked another one so I won't forget." Nikita didn't give her much to work with.

"Did you…" Alex hesitated. Maybe she should drop it. Michael had advised her to do so at least for this evening but she couldn't help herself.

"Did I what?" Nikita turned to look at Alex. It wasn't like her to drop off her sentence like that.

"Did you talk to your therapist about the Carters?" Alex asked more quietly so the others wouldn't hear and join the conversation too. It would have made Nikita close off instantly.

Nikita paused. She knew that it was more than likely someone from her family would try to talk to her about the Carters. It wasn't a shock that it was Alex. Even when she tried to shift the conversation to another direction Alex wouldn't budge.

"I mentioned it yes…I made up my mind about it so there wasn't much to talk about after that" Well, that and the fact she had absolutely refused to talk about it even with her therapist after she mentioned it. They had a lot of work to do on that but Nikita kept that fact strictly to herself.

"Okay. Can I talk about it?" Alex continued to try and get through Nikita's walls. She didn't like the fact that her best friend was closing herself off like that. Alex knew this affected her way more than what she showed.

"Why?" It was done. She made her decision. There was nothing to discuss. She wanted Alex to accept it as well like Michael had. His opinion on the matter was the same as Alex's but he didn't push it.

"I'm not Michael" Alex recognized that tone immediately. Nikita was annoyed that she didn't let it go. Well, Alex didn't care. "You can't fool me"

"When have I ever managed to fool him or you?" Nikita sighed and smirked. Alex and Michael knew her more than she knew herself probably. It was pointless to try and pretend in front of them. That wasn't what she was doing. She just wanted them to respect her decision.

"Exactly. We both know why he is holding back but I have no reason to"

"He can speak his mind freely" That had never been a problem.

"About most things sure but it's obvious why he won't say anything now" There was no way Nikita didn't see through that. Even Alex was aware of the guilt he felt for what happened to Nikita a few days ago.

Nikita knew of course that Michael still felt guilty for her ending up in a hospital. No matter what she said to him she couldn't change that. It will be quite a while until he forgives himself. However, Nikita would never use that against him. He could say what he thinks and she wouldn't dismiss him just because of the way she found out about the Carters. The implication rubbed her the wrong way. It was stupid. It wasn't what Alex meant but it made Nikita end the conversation even faster.

"We are okay. If I want to talk about it I will" She stood up from the couch "I'll go get a drink" And she was out of sight just like that.

Alex groaned inwardly. She wanted to go after her but it was going to be pointless. She had to find another way or just simply look around. When Nikita stood up Michael followed her with his eyes. He waited a few minutes to see if she would come back and when that wasn't the case he came to Alex.

"She shut you off" He had thrown a few glances at Nikita and Alex while they were talking and saw the shift in their conversation. The way Nikita's body tensed throughout it only meant one thing.

"Yeah," Alex sighed. She didn't know what she was expecting. It really wasn't the right time. "Has she said anything to you at all?"

"We talked after we got home from the hospital. She shared some things with me. Doesn't matter what you say. She will shut you out if she doesn't want to talk about it. Leave it for now." Michael was going to make sure Nikita was okay. The team needed to trust him. This wasn't something that could be sorted with one conversation.

"Okay," Alex slumped defeated into the couch.

"Also keep in mind the fact that she is very tired right now and probably starting to get hungry again" Michael tried to lighten her mood. Those factors weren't big contributors to the way she acted but it was better to pretend they were.

"Go take care of your wife then" Alex laughed and appreciated it.

Michael patted her shoulder and went looking for Nikita.

He didn't have to look far. His wife was sitting on the kitchen counter munching on some chips. She was too focused on the chips and something else to notice him. He approached her slowly "Found the best ones and you won't even share with me?"

Nikita was pulled out of her thoughts, her focus shifting to her love. She smirked. "First come first serve"

"You did not just say that to your husband" Michael gasped and laughed.

"He'll forgive me since he came to see if I was okay" There was no point in hiding it. She knew why Michael had come after her minutes after she had left Alex and put an end to their conversation. It wasn't a coincidence.

Michael shouldn't have been surprised but he was. Maybe because he didn't expect her to say it so openly. "Do you want to talk about it?" He decided to be open as well.

Nikita didn't answer. She just reached into the bag for more chips.

"That's a really dumb question now that I think about it" He cut the silence. He really should have thought more about what to say to her. She obviously didn't want to talk about it if she ran away.

Nikita busted laughing. Her husband really was something else. She didn't want to talk about anything so she just reached for his hand and continued laughing at his expense.

Michael was fine with that. At least she was in a better mood now. He could keep her company while in silence and let her figure it all out on her own time.

Thank you so much for reading!

I am very grateful for the continued support on here xx

If you are still reading, thank you so much for your patience with these updates. I'm a working university student so life is all over the place.

You guys are amazing for sticking around xx