A/N 1 - welcome to Junior Year! I hope everyone is enjoying this story as much as I'm loving writing it!
A/N 2 - I know this goes without saying, but I don't own the songs used in this chapter - aka Livin' on a Prayer, I 2 I & One Short Day
CHAPTER NINE
(chapter title - Livin' on a Prayer)
Gretchen, Barney and the rest of their friends signed up for the next classes they would be taking as juniors.
"Next year, I heard we'll be taking classes based on what we wanna do in life" Joey said, "I'll be taking every acting class."
"So will I - I decided I want to be a theater teacher" Gretchen said. She looked at Barney, "we also have a year-old in day care" she put a hand on her stomach, "and as of yesterday, a new life growing inside me. He or she will be here in April."
Barney pulled Gretchen close and kissed her passionately.
"How are you feeling?" Lily asked Gretchen.
"Hm?" Gretchen asked, turning to face Lily, "I'm feeling okay. Morning sickness hasn't really hit me yet, except for a little this morning before Barney and I left."
"How does Cassandra feel about possibly being a big sister?" Rachel asked.
"We haven't told her yet" Barney said, "but I'm sure she'll be thrilled."
It was now time for junior year to start. Gretchen dropped Cassandra off at daycare before driving to school. Barney would stay home to make his and Gretchen's lunches before heading to school.
Hannah was still working at the hospital, so she worked weird and crazy hours, so she couldn't really watch Cassandra, so Barney and Gretchen enrolled her in daycare.
That day after school and after homework was done, Barney and Gretchen kissed each other passionately.
The two of them undressed each other, their lips never parting.
Barney looked down at Gretchen as he laid on top of her, running his fingers through her chin-length hair, "I love the new haircut, baby."
"Thanks" Gretchen said, closing her eyes as he kissed her breasts, thrusting hard inside her.
The two of them finished up and showered before spending time with Cassandra.
Cassandra - or Cassie - was a year old and was the perfect combination of Barney and Gretchen. She had Gretchen's dark hair and Barney's blue eyes. Her favorite person was her daddy, although she loved both her parents equally.
"Mama! Daddy!" Cassandra squealed as she saw her parents.
"Cassie cupcake!" Barney said, blowing raspberries on Cassandra's stomach.
"What toys are we playing with?" Gretchen asked her daughter, sitting on the floor.
"Barbies an' horsies" Cassandra said, coming over to Gretchen.
"Oh, are they getting ready for a horse show?" Gretchen asked.
"No - fashion show" Cassandra said.
"That sounds fu-" Gretchen started to say, feeling her stomach turn upside down. She made a mad dash for the bathroom and threw up into the toilet for 10 minutes.
Hannah came in and stroked Gretchen's back, "morning sickness?"
Gretchen groaned and nodded.
"Want some tea?" Hannah asked.
Gretchen shook her head as she puked some more.
Hannah offered to watch Cassandra while Barney stayed with Gretchen.
"You're okay" Barney soothed, rubbing Gretchen's back.
As her pregnancy went on, Gretchen felt the glow of motherhood, especially when she started showing.
That night, Barney and Gretchen laid in bed after Cassandra was asleep. They had just finished love making and were entangled in each other's arms.
Barney laid his head on Gretchen's stomach, feeling his child moving. He kissed her belly and looked into Gretchen's eyes, "you're beautiful."
"I look like a whale that swallowed a house" Gretchen said.
"No - you're perfect" Barney said, kissing up Gretchen's body, his hands caressing every inch of her, "you also are the best mom to our toddler."
Gretchen smiled and laid her head on Barney's shoulder before kissing it, "I love you."
"I love you, too" Barney said, stifling a yawn.
Gretchen fell asleep in Barney's arms.
"Because Gretchen sold the most popcorn, which two songs are you choosing for us to perform?" Mr. English asked.
"Huh?" Gretchen asked, "sorry. Um I choose my two favorites - One Short Day and I2I."
"Great choices" Mr. English said. He pulled Gretchen aside after everyone had left, "I know you're due in April and the choir trip is in March. Are you gonna be okay to travel?"
Gretchen nodded, "can Barney and I share a hotel room?"
"Normally, I would say 'yes', but how would that look to the others who are going?" Mr. English asked, "I can give you first choice of roommates. There's four people to a room."
"I choose Rachel, Lily and Phoebe" Gretchen said.
"Great choices" Mr. English said, "by the way, great job in Men of Steel."
"Thank you" Gretchen said, exiting the classroom, looking for Barney.
"I'm here, sweetie" Barney said, coming up beside Gretchen.
Gretchen's due date was now here and she was in the hospital getting ready to have a baby - another little girl.
Barney squeezed Gretchen's hand as a contraction seared through her body.
"It's okay, baby" Barney soothed, squeezing Gretchen's hand.
Gretchen sat up so she could push, groaning loudly.
In the waiting room, Hannah, Cassandra, Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Ted, Robin, Tiana, Marshall, Lily, Joey, Monica, Chandler and Joey's girlfriend Belle all sat on chairs, either reading, coloring or watching TV.
"Is mommy having sissy?" Cassandra asked.
Hannah nodded, "yup - your sister is coming any moment."
In the delivery room, Gretchen pushed with all her might.
"The head's out" Dr. Black said, smiling. She used a suction to clear the baby's airway, "her shoulders are stuck, so I'm just gonna adjust her a little. Is that okay?"
Gretchen nodded, sweat streaming down her face. She had been in labor since four that afternoon and it was close to ten at night.
Once the baby's shoulders were adjusted, the rest of her came out. She was quiet for a moment before crying loudly.
"She's got a set of lungs on her" Dr. Black said, looking at Barney, "wanna cut the cord?"
Barney nodded and kissed Gretchen's head before cutting the cord. He saw the placenta being delivered.
The nurse cleaned, weighed and measured the newborn before putting her on Gretchen's chest.
"What's her name?" The nurse asked.
"Stephanie Loretta Stenson" Barney said.
Gretchen smiled, "it's perfect."
Barney smiled as he filled out the paperwork, "I'm gonna tell your mom and Cassandra. I'll text the others, since it's kinda late. I'll meet you in your recovery room."
Gretchen nodded as the nurse put her in a recovering room. She held Stephanie as she nursed.
Barney's dad had passed away two days after Christmas from cancer. His mom was in an assistant living home, so Barney's aunt had moved from Colorado to help out.
When Gretchen and Barney had found out they were having another girl, they promised to name her after Barney's parents, since Cassandra was named after Gretchen's grandma and mother.
Barney gently helped Gretchen's legs out of the stirrups and had her sit up a bit in the bed, "how are you doing? How's our new little one?"
"I feel like I've been hit by a truck numerous times. She's good" Gretchen said, feeling Barney massage her legs, "that feels good. Thank you."
"You're welcome" Barney said, "your mom and Cassandra want to meet Stephanie. Is that okay?"
"Can they meet her tomorrow? I'm really tired" Gretchen said.
"Of course" Barney said, going to wash his hands, "when she's done, can I hold her?"
Gretchen nodded sleepily. She felt Stephanie finish nursing and felt Barney pick her up.
Barney burped Stephanie and went to sit in the rocking chair, holding Stephanie so he could look into her sleeping face.
Barney put Stephanie in her bassinet and pulled out his cell phone, sending a mass text to their friends Gretchen and I are extremely tired, so all of you can meet 9 pound, 5 ounce, 20.5 inch long Stephanie Loretta Stenson tomorrow. We love you all.
Congratulations! And we completely understand Barney's friends responded.
Barney smiled and made himself comfortable in the rocking chair, closing his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Gretchen was up early to nurse Stephanie, who began fussing, then crying at 6 AM.
As Gretchen nursed Stephanie, she sang softly to her,
"Oh, we're halfway there
Oh, living on a prayer" Gretchen sang softly, gently rocking Stephanie in her arms.
Barney let out a loud snore from the rocking chair nearby, then mumbled something about bananas with machetes.
Gretchen giggled and watched Stephanie nurse, "I'll never get tired of this."
After Stephanie was done nursing, Gretchen put her in her bassinet, then made notes in her nursing journal.
As the sun peeked in through the window, Gretchen grumbled and tried getting comfortable in her hospital bed. She lifted her head and saw Barney rocking Stephanie, who was asleep on his chest.
Barney held Stephanie over his heart, his hands supporting her bottom and head. He was singing softly, but Gretchen couldn't hear what. He looked over at Gretchen and smiled.
Gretchen sighed happily and went back to sleep.
By the time school started, Gretchen had a 2 year old and a five month old.
Gretchen had talked to all of her teachers ahead of time about her having a baby and all of them were welcoming, which she was so happy about.
After dropping Cassandra off at daycare, Gretchen, Barney and Stephanie went to school.
Gretchen looked at her school schedule as she got her books for the day.
History - Mr. Brooks - Room 118
Theater - Ms. David - Room 662
Math - Mrs. Korn - Room 205
Choir - Mr. English - Room 603
Lunch - cafeteria 2
Science - Mr. Humphrey - Room 444
English - Ms. Yeardley - Room 204
Child Development - Mrs. Finn - Room 331
Gym - Mr. Gonzelas - Gymnasium 2
Future Planning - Mr. Scott - Room 405
Barney looked over Gretchen's shoulder at her schedule, "we have History, Theater, Choir, lunch, Science, English, Child Development and Future Planning together."
"What is Future Planning?" Gretchen asked as the warning bell rang.
"I think it's planning for after high school and college" Barney said, squeezing Gretchen's hand, "we best be off to our first class."
Gretchen nodded and pushed Stephanie's stroller down the hallway.
Stephanie was fast asleep on her back.
Gretchen smiled as she entered her first class - History with Mr. Brooks. She walked over to the tall African-American teacher, "hello. We spoke on the phone - I'm Gretchen."
"Gretchen, it's so nice to meet you" Mr. Brooks said in a kind voice, looking at the stroller, "is this Stephanie?"
Gretchen nodded, smiling a tiny bit.
"Did you need something?" Mr. Brooks asked.
"No - just wanted to introduce myself and Stephanie" Gretchen said.
"It's nice to meet you. Why don't you guys sit in the back?" Mr. Brooks suggested.
Gretchen nodded and walked to the back row, sitting next to Barney, having the stroller be on the aisle.
Once everyone was in their seats, the bell rang for class to start.
Mr. Brooks went to the chalkboard and wrote his name 'Mr. Brooks' in the corner. He then turned to the students, "hello everyone and welcome to History. I'm your teacher Mr. Brooks. I know History is boring, but it's my job to make it both fun and relatable. We'll be going over everything from the Revolution to World War II and everything in between.
I give quizzes every two weeks - each quiz will be on what we've learned in class and in the text book. Oh, this class is interactive, so be prepared to volunteer and have fun. Let me take attendance, then we can have a little bit of fun."
Once attendance was taken, Mr. Brooks smiled a bit, "oh, we do have a baby in this class, so if you hear crying, it's not me. Gretchen, do you want to come up and tell us about yourself and your little one?"
"Sure" Gretchen said, carefully getting Stephanie out of her stroller and walked to the front of the class, along with Barney, "hi everyone. Some of you know me and some of you don't. For those that don't, my name is Gretchen Wallace and I'm a mother of two girls - our 2-year-old daughter is in daycare - her name is Cassandra. And this little cutie is Stephanie. Stephanie is five months old and sleeps pretty much all day.
Barney is the father to both girls and is incredible. When I became pregnant with Cassandra at the end of freshman year, Barney was right by my side through everything."
"If anyone has a problem with Stephanie being in class, please either talk to me or Gretchen" Barney said as he and Gretchen went to sit down.
Once Barney and Gretchen took their seats, Mr. Brooks handed out a piece of paper to everyone.
"On this paper, I want each of you to write me a 1,000 word essay about your favorite moment in History. The dinosaurs don't count, so don't write about that. I'm talking about human History" Mr. Brooks looked at the clock, "you have from now until the end of class. Begin! When you're finished, drop your essays in the bin, then sit at your desk quietly."
The sounds of pens and pencils scratching paper filled the air.
Mr. Brooks sat at his desk, reading a book while the class of 20 wrote their essays.
Gretchen was the first one done. She placed her essay in the bin on Mr. Brooks' desk, then went to sit down.
Stephanie began fussing loudly.
"Shh, shhh sweetie" Gretchen soothed, getting embarrassed. She got a bottle out of the diaper bag and gave Stephanie a bottle.
Stephanie swatted it aside, starting to cry.
"I think she needs a diaper change" Gretchen told Mr. Brooks, "I'll be right back."
"I'll leave the door unlocked for you" Mr. Brooks said, opening the door for Gretchen.
"Thanks" Gretchen said, going to the nearest girls' restroom and changed Stephanie's diaper. She put Stephanie in her stroller and washed her hands before going back to the History classroom and took her seat.
"What's our homework?" Lily asked when class was over.
"Your homework was your essays at the beginning of class. You'll be getting little to no homework from me" Mr. Brooks said as the bell rang, "have a great rest of your day and I'll see you all tomorrow."
Gretchen gathered her things, "I think that's going to be my favorite class."
"Same" Barney said, following Gretchen into the hall, "which class do we have next?"
Gretchen looked at her schedule, "Theater with Ms. David."
Barney smiled and followed Gretchen to the theater wing, watching her push the stroller that contained Stephanie, who was fast asleep.
Gretchen and Barney were the first ones to arrive at the theater classroom.
Ms. David sat at her desk, reading over a script. She looked up as Barney and Gretchen arrived, "who's the new little one?"
"This is Stephanie" Barney said, "she's 5 months old."
"Where's Cassandra and how old is she now?" Ms. David asked, watching Barney and Gretchen take seats towards the back.
"She's 2 years old and at daycare" Gretchen said, carefully picking up Stephanie, "she's a little heavy, but would you like to hold her?"
"Yes please" Ms. David said, holding her arms out. She watched as Gretchen placed Stephanie in her arms, "you are beautiful" Ms. David said quietly.
"Do you have children, Ms. David?" Barney asked.
Ms. David shook her head, "I have four cats - June, Stella, Billy and Sonata."
Gretchen and Barney smiled and took their seats as the warning bell rang.
"Can I hold her for all of class?" Ms. David asked as more students filed into the classroom.
"Sure" Gretchen said, sitting next to Barney.
"Thank you" Ms. David said, turning her attention to the students as the bell rang for class to start, "attention please."
Everyone turned their attention to Ms. David.
"Thank you" Ms. David said, "I'm Ms. David and welcome to theater. This little one is Stephanie and she belongs to Barney and Gretchen, two of my favorite students.
In this class, we'll learn all sorts of theater and for your final, you'll write a short scene to perform. The scene should be something significant that happened in your life. The goal of this class is to learn from each other, be kind to each other and to have fun. Let's go to the middle of the room and form a circle." Ms. David said, putting Stephanie in her stroller.
Gretchen and Barney stood across the circle from each other. Ms. David led everyone in some warm up games before transitioning into Kitty Wants a Corner.
Lily went to Gretchen, "Kitty wants a corner?"
"Go see my neighbor" Gretchen told Lily, making eye contact with Barney so they could switch spots across the circle.
The bell rang for class to end.
"Your homework is to find an improv game and tell us how to play it. We'll play them all this week" Ms. David said.
Gretchen smiled as she looked at Stephanie, "hi sweetie."
Stephanie continued sleeping, looking extremely peaceful.
Barney kissed Gretchen's cheek, "have fun at math - I'm off to physics."
"See you at choir" Gretchen said, entering the math classroom and went to the math teacher - Mrs. Erics, "hello. I'm Gretchen-"
"I know who you are" the teacher said, not looking up from her book, "take a seat."
Gretchen sat towards the back of the classroom.
"Where I can see you" Mrs. Erics said.
Gretchen got up and tried pushing the stroller down the aisle.
"Do you need help?" Mrs. Erics asked, getting up.
"Yes please" Gretchen said, trying to get the front wheel unstuck from the desk.
Together, Gretchen and Mrs. Erics got the wheel unstuck just as the other students filed in.
Gretchen ended up sitting in the front row next to the door.
"Find your seats quickly so we can get started" Mrs. Erics said as the final bell rang for class to start. She wrote a complicated problem on the board, "can anyone find the square root of X?"
Gretchen stared at the problem before raising her hand.
Mrs. Erics looked at the attendance sheet, "go ahead."
Gretchen took the piece of chalk from Mrs. Erics and wrote the answer on the board, making sure that Mrs. Erics could read her handwriting.
For the first time since class started, Mrs. Erics smiled, "that's right."
The class applauded as Gretchen sat down at her desk, gently rolling the stroller back and forth to keep Stephanie asleep.
Class dragged on for eternity before the bell rang for class to end.
"Your homework for this class is to read the first four chapters in your math textbook and do the workbook pages. It's due Wednesday" Mrs. Erics said as everyone gathered their things and headed for their next class, "Ms. Wallace, could you stay behind for a moment?"
"Um sure" Gretchen said, feeling her stomach tighten.
"If you need any extra days to turn in an assignment, I completely understand" Mrs. Erics said, "I was in college and had a toddler at home. None of my professors were understanding about that, but I am."
"Thank you" Gretchen squeaked.
Mrs. Erics chuckled, "you're welcome. Your baby is beautiful, by the way."
"Thank you" Gretchen said, leaving the classroom and scurried to Choir, nearly running into Barney.
"Oof!" Barney said, "slow down, sweetie. You okay?"
"Yeah" Gretchen said, kissing his cheek, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. How was class?" Barney asked.
"It was good - I have some homework to do. Mrs. Erics - my teacher - said she would give me extra days on assignments" Gretchen said.
Barney smiled and kissed her cheek.
The two of them entered the choir room and were instantly hugged by Mr. English.
"How are you two?" Mr. English asked, seeing Stephanie, "is this her?"
"Yup - that's Stephanie" Gretchen said, "wanna hold her before class starts?"
"I would love to" Mr. English said. He smiled as Gretchen placed Stephanie in his arms, "she's beautiful you guys. How old is she?"
"Five months" Barney and Gretchen said in unison.
"Can I kiss her forehead?" Mr. English asked.
Gretchen nodded.
Mr. English gently kissed Stephanie's forehead before handing her to Gretchen, "how's Cassandra?"
"She's good - she's 2 years old now" Barney said, showing Mr. English the most recent picture of Cassandra.
"She's precious" Mr. English said as other students filed in for class.
"Thanks" Barney and Gretchen said in unison. Barney went to the Tenor section while Gretchen went to the Alto section.
Mr. English had everyone warm up their voices after he took attendance and talked a little about the class and what the homework would be like - none.
"Please take out I2I and turn to page six. Let's sing measures sixteen through twenty" Mr. English said to the students.
Everyone took out the piece of music and turned to page 6.
"Could I hear the Altos and Tenors, please?" Mr. English said, looking at the accompanist.
The accompanist - a kind woman named Kiko - turned the music to page six, ready to play the music.
"If a wall should come between us
Too high to climb, too hard to break through
I know that love will lead us
And find a way to bring me to you
So don't be in a hurry
Think before you count us out, oh
You don't have to worry
I won't ever let you down (Nothing's gonna stop us now)" the Altos and Tenors sang.
"Remember, there's no breath between Hurry and Think" Mr. English said.
Everyone got out their pencils and made the note.
"Altos, can I just hear you? I thought I heard someone go flat" Mr. English asked, looking at Kiko.
"Same place?" Kiko asked.
"Yup" Mr. English said.
"If a wall should come between us
Too high to climb, too hard to break through
I know that love will lead us
And find a way to bring me to you
So don't be in a hurry
Think before you count us out, oh
You don't have to worry
I won't ever let you down (Nothing's gonna stop us now)" the Altos sang.
"Remember, Nothing's gonna stop us now is sung by the Sopranos" Mr. English said, "speaking of, Sopranos and Basses, could I hear you guys, then we'll run the whole piece."
Just as Kiko was about to play, Stephanie began crying loudly.
"I'm sorry - let me change her diaper and give her a bottle. I'll be right back" Gretchen said, picking up Stephanie and left the room with Stephanie and the diaper bag.
After Stephanie was taken care of, Gretchen put hand sanitizer on after washing her hands and picked up her music.
Mr. English had the class stand as they went over I 2 I.
Barney went to the front of the class.
"Got myself a notion
And one I know that you'll understand
To set the world in motion
By reaching out for each each other's hand
Maybe we'll discover
What we shoulda known all along, yeah
One way or another
Together's where we both belong" Barney sang, a big smile on his face.
"That's sounding great. Let's work on One Short Day" Mr. English said, "you can all sit down."
Gretchen sat and got out One Short Day - this was her fourth favorite song from Wicked. Her four favorite songs in order were - Popular, As Long As You're Mine, Dancing Through Life and One Short Day.
"Remember, the Altos and Sopranos sing the beginning, then the Tenors and Basses come in when Glinda - aka the Sopranos say - 'Wizomania'. Then we divide - the Altos and Sopranos sing Elphaba and Glinda's part, while the Tenors and Basses sing the Wizomania part. Let's run the whole thing" Mr. English said, "you guys can remain seated, just sit up straight."
"Come with me to the Emerald City" a small group of Altos said.
"One short day
In the Emerald City" a small group of Tenors and Basses sang.
"Oh, I've always wanted to see the Emerald City" a small group of Sopranos said.
Mr. English conducted the choir in the song. By the time the choir sang 'Day', the bell rang for classes to end.
"See you all tomorrow!" Mr. English said, watching all the students leave his classroom.
After school was over, Gretchen and Barney put Stephanie in her car seat and the stroller in the trunk.
"Let's pick up Cassandra from day care, then go out to dinner" Barney said, getting in the driver's seat.
"Sounds good" Gretchen said, "once the girls are asleep, we'll figure out dinner and do homework."
"I like that idea" Barney said.
Once the girls were in bed, Barney and Gretchen spread out their homework and got started.
It seemed like they had just gotten started when Cassandra came into their room, looking upset.
Gretchen looked up, "honey, what's wrong?"
"Nightmare" Cassandra said, "I stay here?"
"Mommy and I are busy doing homework" Barney said, "want me to read to you?"
Cassandra nodded and led Barney to her room.
Gretchen was about to get started on a math problem when Stephanie started crying loudly, "I'm coming butter bean" she closed her math book and went to the nursery, picking up Stephanie and walked around the nursery. After changing Stephanie's diaper, Gretchen removed her top and bra so she could nurse Stephanie.
Barney finally got Cassandra to bed and went to the nursery, smiling as he saw Gretchen nursing Stephanie, "hey."
"Hey" Gretchen said, "Cassie asleep?"
"Yup - had to read her 5 books. Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Good Night Moon, Green Eggs & Ham, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and I Love My Daddy Because" Barney said, entering the nursery, "mind if I watch?"
"Not at all" Gretchen said, carefully moving over so Barney could sit next to her on the armchair.
Barney kissed Gretchen's bare shoulders, closing his eyes.
Gretchen smiled as she continued nursing Stephanie. She watched as his left hand snuck down her stomach to between her legs, gently rubbing over her pants and undies.
"Can I?" Barney asked, undoing the snap on Gretchen's jeans and unzipped them.
Gretchen nodded, "let me put her in her crib first - she's done nursing" she burped Stephanie and put her in her crib before leading Barney out of the nursery and went to their bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her.
Since the bed was occupied, Barney put a few of Gretchen's soft blankets on the floor. He pulled off Gretchen's pants and undies, rubbing her roughly with one hand while the other went to the breast she didn't nurse Stephanie on and squeezed it.
Gretchen quickly undressed Barney, kissing him passionately. She spread her legs and closed her eyes, still feeling Barney rubbing her roughly, "ooohhhh."
"Say my name" Barney purred in her ear, kissing her neck, rubbing her breast and between her legs harder and faster.
"B-Barney!" Gretchen whimpered.
"Again" Barney purred.
"BBAAARRRNNEEYY!" Gretchen whimpered.
"Good" Barney growled in her ear, removing his hand from between her legs and entered her roughly.
The two of them made passionate love for a while before climaxing together, holding each other, their panting breaths filling the air.
"Now that we've had fun" Gretchen said between pants, "let's shower and do our homework."
"Agreed" Barney said, kissing Gretchen passionately before getting off her and helped Gretchen to her feet. The two of them grabbed their pajamas and headed to the bathroom on the first floor.
After they took a quick shower, Barney and Gretchen went back to their bedroom and sat on their bed to do homework.
Gretchen got all her homework done and put it in her school bag before climbing under the covers.
Barney got his homework done a short while later and put it in his backpack, looking over at Gretchen, who was fast asleep. He turned off the overhead light and got in bed next to Gretchen, loving her more with each day.
