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Author's Chapter Notes:
Okay okay I know I've sorta dropped off the face of the earth but I'm back, I hope lol. Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty-Nine: This Time It'll Be Different

Nick and Alyssa sat in the doctor's office as she looked around the room, a few women sitting reading Women's Health magazines and others with rounded stomachs reading parenting books. Nick held her hand and smiled at her lacing their fingers. "Feels like Déjà vu huh?" She said making him smirk a little.

"Just a little..." He replied gently squeezing her hand. It was true that they were both feeling that way in an overwhelming sense. They both were a bundle of nervous excitement with the anticipation of the coming months. But at the same time they were both extremely humble and also a little scared about what would come their way this time around.

"Alyssa Carter?" The nurse standing at the door announced and Alyssa looked up making Nick smirk inwardly. He loved that she had gotten so used to her married last name so easily, they were only in their first few months of their marriage and she was already comfortable with the title. They stood and walked back into the office and Alyssa rolled her eyes as she stepped onto the scale chuckling at how she hadn't gained much weight yet but she was only a few weeks pregnant. "Dr. Petrarch will be in to see you in just a few minutes." The nurse said smiling as she shut the door and Alyssa sat up on the examination table.

"I hate doctor's offices..." Alyssa said breaking the silence between them. Nick chuckled from his seat on the chair next to the table. He placed his hand on her denim clad knee and rubbed his thumb over her knee cap gently. She sighed feeling more relaxed from just the simple touch but tensed when the doctor came into the room.

"Hello Alyssa, and oh Nick it's very nice to see the both of you. Congratulations on your wedding." She said warmly looking between the them. They smiled and replied their thank you to her and she looked at her chart. "When was your last cycle?" She asked getting right down to business.

"May 10th. Just before the wedding. We wanted to start trying after the wedding so I went off my birth control so I could have a cycle before the big day. It's kind of funny I didn't even think of being pregnant really. Nick figured it out."

Dr. Petrarch smiled at the both of them. "That happens a lot with the second or third pregnancy. Men learn the signs and it's like a mental alarm that tells them something's up. So are you on your prenatals? Folic Acid, B-vitamins, Calcium?"

"Yes I take them regularly anyways. You know my mother's a doctor so she had me go on them when I was like 20."

"Very good. And how are the symptoms, any discomfort, spotting, anything?"

"Well I'm a little sore but nothing too bad just feels like a  pulled muscle really. I've been a little nauseous here and there but surprisingly not that bad. Definitely not like last time. I do get tired easily though and I have cut out drinking coffee. I have my morning tea now instead." Alyssa said rattling off the things she was doing.

"And exercise?"

"Nick and I work out together. I also do yoga at home. He's teaching me how to box." She said smiling looking over at Nick with a grin.

"Good, all good. Don't do too strenuous of a workout though but enough to get your heart rate up and that blood pumping because that should actually help the baby's growth and development." She replied making Alyssa nod.

"Yeah I've stopped running for the time being and just power walk for like a fraction of the distance."

"Very good. I'm impressed Alyssa, you're doing wonderfully at cutting back. How's the job situation, much stress there? And school?"

Alyssa sighed and glanced at Nick exchanging a look with him. "I'm only teaching online classes now so its more like I sit on my ass at my computer grading. I have an amazing RA - Lindsay, she's a goddess at grading so she definitely lightens the load. School is slightly stressful I'm working on my dissertation and it's taking me longer than I want." She admitted.

"Well you may need to cut back on your PhD program for a while. With your medical history and all I think it would be best if you really take the next 8-9 months and take an extended vacation. Nick I'm counting on you to keep her on track here. I have no doubt that if you take as much time to rest and relax as you can then you will fly through this pregnancy and have a very, very healthy baby. I will be doing tests quite often to be sure that things are going smoothly."

"We're going on tour again soon, but I can always fly back as much as needed for the tests." Alyssa added making the Doctor look over her glasses at her briefly.

"Okay, but do not do anything that would make you feel too tired. Rest is absolutely important. You've had a rough few years. You've lost two pregnancies and I don't want you to take too many chances."

"Oh believe me if I even suspect she's not up for anything she'll be on the first flight home to Monterrey." Nick said giving Alyssa a stern glance. It was one she'd learned not to mess with over the years and knew he was right. If anything didn't feel right she would be the first to book a flight home.

"Good, now let's get your blood work done and we can determine your due date and everything. It looks to me, just by calculation that you conceived in mid-to-late May."

"That would be hilarious if it was on the wedding night." Alyssa quipped making them chuckle at her.

"That might be possible but it's also not uncommon for a honeymoon conception. I've had several patients who conceived on their honeymoons so it's very possible that's what happened here too. I'll be right back to get a couple of viles." She said leaving the room.

Nick stood and wrapped his arms around her kissing her temple. "Are you excited?"

Alyssa nodded wordlessly then sighed speaking rather bluntly. "And scared shitless."

"I know the feeling..." He repled holding her a little tighter.

That evening...

"What do you mean you don't want to jinx it?" Nick asked his brow furrowing in concern. He could understand that she was terrified of what happened with Noah to happen again. But at the same time this was a completely different situation, things were different now, they were different and he didn't see the point of hiding things from everyone.

"I don't want to get everyone's hopes up and then have everyone get disappointed again. I can't handle that." She said as her eyes stung and tears began to well up. She closed her eyes and looked away cursing the hormones coursing through her.

Nick sighed immediately feeling remorse for the argument but still he stood his ground. "So we can't tell anyone? Not even our families?"

"Especially them. Not until I'm showing at least. I want to do a barbecue weekend up here everyone, family and friends and that way everyone finds out at the same time. And then you can have Juliette release a statement before we get outed to the tabloids like last time." She said giving him a look. He rolled his eyes and sighed knowing she was referring to his mother.

"But that's a little unfair don't you think? You're two months pregnant...you're going to start showing soon. Why not just tell everyone now and get it over with? I mean we're going on tour soon, so when are we going to find the time to tell everyone?"

"Okay so maybe we can't do the barbecue weekend thing but still I don't want to just tell everyone and then have it get snatched away again."

Nick walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. "Hey, come on now that's not going to happen, not again. We can handle this baby. We're a family now and I think we need to start telling everyone. At least the guys and our families. We don't have to tell the tabloids yet if you don't want to."

"Don't you think they'll find out? I mean no offense lover but my in-laws aren't the best and keeping things hush hush." She shot back.

"Hey...come on now we need to stop arguing and just come out with it. They're going to figure it out eventually and think I only married you now because you're knocked up. If we come out with it that you're two months along and everything then it will definitely seem more like a planned thing than what the media would try to spin it as." He reasoned back.

Alyssa sighed knowing ultimately he was right. What was the point in waiting when it was just going to be more complicated to explain later on. She knew that at the same time they'd have to get it  out to the media at the same time because then they could control the exposure themselves and not have it turn into a circus. "Call Juliette and have her prep a statement to release tomorrow. I'll call Ollie and Mom to come over for dinner, then I'm calling Clark. You're on your family and we'll tell the guys tonight too then." She said making him laugh.

"Tonight?"

"Well we're leaving in two days when do you suggest we do it?" She shot back making him nod in agreement.

"Good I'm glad you finally agree with me." He retorted making her roll her eyes at him.

A couple of hours later...

Mary walked up the driveway seeing Alyssa standing on the front steps grinning. "Hi Momma!" She smiled as she hugged her mother.

"Well hi!" She said back happy to see her daughter was excited to see her. She followed her into the house taking the tour since she hadn't been there before now. "I love it sweetheart it's really fantastic."

"I think the best part is that it's almost a completely green house. A lot of the tiles on the roof are actually solar panels and power the house  and we have all energy star appliances, a ton of windows for natural lighting so we don't need nearly as many lamps as we would have to have."

"That's fantastic honey. I think your generation is really going to turn things around."

"Yeah we kind of feel like we need to make up for the two SUV's that we have. I'm considering trading them in for hybrids or something." She remarked. She chuckled at how even more environmentally conscious she'd become over the years.

Nick walked down smiling into the phone as he hung up with Kevin having already called everyone else, his family, and a few others to let them know the good news. Everyone was surprised and rather thrilled for them, his mother even teared up on the phone and wished them the best. He was happy that everything was working out quite so well this early on and now they were about to tell her family. "So we're waiting on Ollie and Angie right?" He asked giving Mary a hug.

Mary gave them both a look, "You invited the three of us over? What's going on?"

"Nick did you call Clark?"

"Yeah, he's ecstatic." He replied making Mary look between them seeing the happy smiles and the realization dawned on her and she gasped.

"You're...?" She asked making Alyssa grin even brighter and nod. Mary hugged her tightly to her and then turned to Nick hugging him as well. "This is amazing...both my girls are starting families. And you called me here to tell me in person..." She said tearing up slightly. Alyssa smiled and hugged her mother again.

"You're important to us and close by so we figured you'd find out in person. Clark just found out. Nick's family knows and so do the guys. Juliette is releasing a statement tomorrow and all there's left to tell is..."

"Hi!" Olivia said as she and Angela walked in. "Wow, Monterrey must be a nice area since you leave your door unlocked." She chided jokingly.

"Mom just showed up Ollie."

"Figures...you know she can't stay away," Olivia giggled and hugged her sister. "So what's for dinner?" She asked and Nick, Alyssa and Mary exchanged a glance.  Realizing the importance of her sharing her news with her sister before Nick or Mary gave it away with the cheshire cat grins they were both wearing.  Alyssa looped arms with Olivia, "Come help..."

"Help? Okaaay..." Olivia asked suspiciously, since when did Alyssa need help making stir fry?  After they arrived in the kitchen, Alyssa went to work on dinner.  

"You know, I've been craving stir fry big time all day...I am going to demolish it," Alyssa joked.  "I feel like all I have done today is eat...and weird stuff..."

"Yeah, that is how Angela has been lately, all she wants to do is eat...I don't know where it is going..." Olivia commented absentmindedly.  "If it was me it would be going to my ass..."

"Touche," Alyssa joked.  "Well, luckily, I won't have a problem with it going to my ass..."

"Bitch," Olivia responded, half jokingly.  "How do you figure...you know you aren't playing soccer anymore..."

"Well, I figure because maybe I have the same problem as Angela..."

"Angela has an excuse, I don't see how you think you could have the same-" a look of pure joy washed over Olivia's face as the realization that Alyssa was pregnant came over her.  "Are you?"

"I am...we are..." Alyssa proclaimed, tears springing to her eyes at the thought of sharing the news with her older sister.  "It looks like your sweet baby will have a cousin coming that is just a little bit younger..."

Chapter End Notes:
thanks for reading and sorry for the wait!!