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Chapter Fourteen: Family Reunion

"What time is their flight supposed to come in?" Tierja asked, craning her neck to try and see through the heavy glass doors leading to the plane terminal. Since the attacks on September 11th, things were very tight with security at airports. It was beginning to annoy her that she couldn't see their guests or the plane. "They've got to be close to landing or something, we've only been waiting forever! These damn doors don't help either--"

"Do you think you might be able to take a breath within the next few seconds or should I find someone that's CPR Certified?" Kevin interupted with a groan of laughter. Tierja had haphazardly invited his family to visit them in their home of Minnesota. Of course his mother had quickly agreed before Tierja reminded herself of how nerve-wracking such a visit could be. But, before she could take back the invitation, they were booking flights.

"Well I'm sorry for being nervous! They are your family, you know and they still need to approve of us getting married and me having a baby," Tierja huffed, giving her fiance a pathetic pout.

"May I remind you who invited them exactly?"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"I'm nervous that they won't like me, okay?"

"I love you, so they'll love you."

"But--"

"Oh, stop. They're going to love you and that's all there is to it."

"But what if--"

"No what if's. No buts. My family is going to love you," Kevin interrupted, silencing her doubts with a sweet kiss.

Tierja gently brushed her hands within his raven locks as she attempted to concentrate on his kiss. She wanted to make the butterflies winigs stop beating rapidly within her stomach, but she couldn't help but worry. The only family she really had was Ana. She longed to be best friends with her soon to be mother-in-law. She wanted the picture perfect family. Licking her lips as they parted, her blue-gray eyes twinkled with adoration."Just say they--"

"Tierja Holly Blackwell. If you finish that sentence, you'll be the one sleeping on the patio swing instead of it always being me," Kevin threatened, resting their foreheads together. "Do you understand? My family will think of you as their own."

"Promise?" she whispered with hope.

"I promise," he kissed the tip of her nose. "No more worries, alright?"

"Alright..."

"Promise?" Kevin cautioned, though he knew he'd be far too hopeful if he believed her answer of yes. He understood that it was terribly frightening to meet a lover's parents. Everything depended on those crtiical moments, especially if the lover was close with the family. When Kevin heard that he wouldn't exactly be meeting Tierja's family because of hard circumstances, he had to admit he was relieved.

"Promise," Tierja sighed heavily, breaking their gaze to glance at the terminal doors. "You can't blame me for being a little nervous, though."

"No, I can't blame you for being a little nervous," Kevin agreed as a smile widened on his face, recognizing three people entering the terminal doors.

"Oh Lord... that's them. Right?" Tierja whispered as her eyes caught onto a woman with two grown men, who looked like similar replicas of Kevin.

"Yes," Kevin chuckled, gently catching Tierja underneath the arm. With a reassuring touch, he moved her toward the three. Instantly, he enveloped his mother into a tight hug, kissing her cheeks, and then embracing the other men. He smiled again as he stepped back, bringing Tierja close again, never letting her get lost in the shuffle. "Tier and I hope you had a good flight."

"As good as it can be considering they don't serve food and they make you take off your shoes before you can get on the damn plane," one of the men joked with a chuckle. "You don't even get the peanuts anymore!"

"Thank God, I was too jet-legged to perform any heimlich manuevers," the other mused with a thick southern accent. "Especially on the middle child."

"Shut up, Jerald."

"You brought it on yourself--"

"Jerald, Timothy! We're supposed to be visiting your little brother and his fiancee," their mother scolded the oldest boys, recieving a giggle from Tierja as the other two scowled but stopped arguing.

"Some things never change," Kevin mused with pride.

"Don't even start, Mr. Kevin Scott," Ann quickly caught, making sure each of her sons were equally scolded with agitating the others. Once Kevin was scowling, Ann seemed satisfied and smiled toward Tierja. "We've only heard the best about you, Tierja. And, I'm happy to say that my youngest son is finally getting married."

"Mom..." Kevin groaned.

"Well I've only been on you about getting married since--"

"Mom, please? Wait to embarrass me at home."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Richardson. It's nice to finally meet the woman who raised a wonderful man," Tierja replied nervously, holding out a hand towards Ann.

"We don't shake hands in this family, Dear," Ann quickly replied, frowning at the mere thought.

"You... don't?"

"No," Ann assured with a laugh, her voice twinkling with southern comfort. "We hug."

~*~*~*~

"Next time I'm asking for some help when I go grocery shopping," Howie groaned after fifteen minutes of struggling to get the front door open with four bags in each hand full of food. The house had gone empty a couple of days ago and Ana hadn't said a word about it, so Howie took it upon himself to go shopping. Not that she had said anything to him since their small fight out on the porch over birth control and pregnancy where he practically blamed her for hiding something from him. He lost count of how many times he tried to talk to her but didn't even get acknowledgement from her. So, he just went on the best he could. "Ana? Are you home? I could use some help with the groceries!"

But there was no reply from her, which he half expected anyway. Sighing, he made his way to the kitchen with the bags sagging more and more as his arms began to ache. Keeping his eyes on the kitchen, which seemed so close but so far away, he never noticed the rubber ball Ana had bought for Maddie laying in front of him and he stepped on it. "Shit!"

Howie had no chance to catch his balance with the heavy groceries bags adding extra useless weight that he couldn't fight. Before he could make heads or tails of the situation, Howie's ankle twisted beneath the instablity of the ball and kicked him backwards. Soon he found himself on his back, staring at the ceiling as the heavy groceries splattered all around him and a large crash errupted within the depths of the lonely home. The most heaviest items seeming to find their place somewhere along the soft tissues of his body. Cursing as each hit, he immediately curled into a ball of protest, listening to Mattie mew softly in his ear.

"Damn cat."

"Thanks," Ana's voice suddenly projected as she kneeled down to the assortment of food to find the jar of cherries. She was unusually unphased with Howie's disaster as she walked out of her small private den to assess the after affects of the disaster. She was far too busy with other thoughts to really muster any worry for her husband. Singing some lyrics that had popped into her head, she unscrewed the top of the cherries and walked toward the kitchen for a fork, Mattie happily following after.

"Oh, I'm fine by the way. Thank you for asking," Howie called after her, sitting up on the floor. His stomach ached from where various items had struck him and he hunched over for a moment to force away the pain. He then pulled up his jean leg and groaned out loud. His ankle was already bruising and swelling, making his shoe feel tight. "Great... I sprained it."

But, Howie was obviously talking to himself as Ana limped gingerly into the kitchen without any concern. She had been off the crutches for a few days and testing the waters. Her leg ached sharply after a day of activities, but she kept that to herself. Instead, she focused on locating a Pepsi and a fork, easing her body gingerly onto the bar stool nestled underneath the island of the kitchen. Mattie jumped to perch herself on the opposite bar stool, eliciting a chin scratch from her owner.

Grunting with aggravation, Howie reached down and unlaced the laces, ready to take it off so he could somewhat take care of his injury. He could feel his ankle continuously swell but ignored it and he attempted to pull off his shoe. A pain ripped through and he let go immediately with a curse that echoed throughout the house. "DAMNIT! FUCKING ANKLE!"

Ana jerked in surprise as Howie's shoe came flying into the kitchen, slamming hard against the fridge. Magnets holding photographs went falling to the floor as the photographs fluttered to various spots. Mattie actually yelped in surprise, tearing in the opposite direction of the shoe. Swallowing her bite of cherry, Ana carefully slid off the bar stool. She recognized the anger and frustration vibrating from her husband's voice. Peering out the long stretch to where he sat in the foyer, she watched him gingerly clutching his terribly swollen ankle. And she frowned. She felt her heart ache at the pitiful sight, immediately retrieving an ice pack from the freezer and limping back to his slumped position. Swallowing the tight lump in her throat, she licked her bottom lip and whispered, "Try this..."

"Oh, so all I had to do was throw my shoe," Howie mumbled, taking the ice pack and placing it on his ankle. "Thank you."

"You don't have to be rude."

"Ana, you've been ignoring me since our fight, I try to talk to you and you act like I'm not even speaking, you didn't ask if I was alright when you came out of your den and I had to throw my shoe in order to get your attention. And you're calling me rude?" Howie asked in surprise, looking up at his wife with pained eyes.

"Just, hold on..." Ana suggested, obviously not wanting to discuss the particulars. She knew that she had been quite callous toward her husband, but she didn't exactly have a way of explaining it. Especially when the root of the problem was so disasterous. Although, her heart was in the right place when she grabbed her heavy duty first aid kit from her den. She carefully eased herself at Howie's feet, motioning toward his injury as if to ask if she could look at it.

"Tell me what the Hell is going on, Ana. I deserve to know," Howie replied, giving her a nod as she bent down to check the bruising and swelling. "I've apologized so many times for what I said and you've been acting like I don't even exist."

"Nothing is going on," she murmured, concentrating on the injury as she stretched her bad leg between his. She gingerly settled his ankle on her thigh, pressing against the swelling. She elicited several flinches and yelps from her husband, causing her to frown softly. It didn't look good.

"Oh, not at all. You're just lying to me. I thought we had promised to always tell each other the truth way back when we first started to date," he frowned, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"...We did promise to always tell each other the truth back when we first started to date..." Ana answered softly, reaching to grasp the somewhat large ice pack from his hands. Carefully, she settled it next to his skin, just holding it in place with one hand while carefully stroking above his massively swollen ankle to calm him.

"Then why don't you tell me what's going on? I've been worried about you," Howie admitted, his breathing becoming more easy as she rubbed his leg.

"Just..." Ana swallowed the urge to turn the phrase around, not wanting all the blame to rest squarely on her shoulders. She could have easily mentioned his hindsight in not explaining why he had come Minnesota in the first place. But she took the higher ground, blinking back a hot set of tears already beginning to cloud her blue-green irises. She didn't know how he'd react to her news - news that she wasn't exactly ready to broadcast. "I'm really sorry about not telling you about the antibiotic. I honestly forget to mention it to you... And when we make love... I just get so... lost in you that I don't remember anything else... Like how I get you speaking foreign tongues at me?"

"Yeah... I know what you mean," Howie nodded in understanding. She was finally talking and he needed to get his words across just like her. "I didn't mean to blame you for forgetting, I was asking. I didn't think you were trying to trap me into anything at all. I've been trying to apologize, but you just wouldn't hear me."

"I was kind of lost in me the past few days..." Ana trailed softly, glancing back down to his ankle. It continued to swell despite the ice pack, but she continued to rub her thumb across the long bone of his lower leg.

"But why? Tell me what's going on."

"Because of what you said..." Ana answered, reaching for an ace bandage from her large kit of medical supplies.

"I didn't mean to blame you for anything--"

"I'm pregnant," she replied, praying it came out louder than a strained whisper.

"You're... what?"

"Pregnant."

"You mean I'm going to be a daddy? And you're going to be a momma?" Howie asked in awe.

Ana misread his awe as a shocked horror, causing her entire body to clench with worry. She released her hold on his ankle, reaching to run her hands furiously through her blonde locks. Feeling like divorce was an impending future, she started to ramble, "I'm sorry. I really didn't want to have a baby right now. I'm so damn scared of being a mother and completely fouling up our lives. Everything will change because of me. And I really didn't remember about the antibiotic or going off the birth control when we were making love. Of course, I know that we haven't talked about kids and it was my fault entirely for being pregnant. But, I can't get rid of him or her, so, I can just call our attornies tomorrow and draw up papers for divorce and you won't have to pay anything for--"

"WHOA! Hold on right there!" Howie interrupted her ramblings, reaching over to cup her cheeks with his hands. "I never want to divorce you, so don't even talk about that in front of me. I'm surprised that you're pregnant, but you read it as something else. You don't have to be sorry for creating a life with me! Sweetheart, I'm as scared as you but having a baby is not bad news."

"I tried ten different pregnancy tests," she admitted with a sob catching against her throat. She couldn't exactly place whether it was relief or pain, but the tears fell just the same. "Positive every time..."

"I think you might be pregnant after ten tries," Howie chuckled softly, wiping away her tears. "Ana, don't cry. Having a baby is a beautiful thing."

"I'm so sorry, Bee--"

"Are you listening to me? I'm not mad about you being pregnant."

"But I ruined everything--"

"How? We're going to have a child! It's scary, but it's nothing we can't handle."

"We didn't plan this... We didn't want this yet--"

"We didn't plan this, but I've always wanted to have children with you."

"Howie--" Ana's words halted halfway when she realized what he said. Biting down hard on her bottom lip, she glanced up into his warm brown eyes. She didn't want to be mistaken, not with something so important. "Always wanted to have kids with me?"

"Always. I've just been so scared that I wouldn't be a good father. Just like you were scared that you wouldn't be a good mother," Howie replied sincerely, bringing her close for a soft kiss. "I love you, and I'm so happy we're having a baby."

"Really?" she whispered, moving her hands to wipe away the stray tears along her bright red cheeks. The redness seemed to be a combination of the tears and a blush of adoration for her husband. She loved him so dearly and began to feel foolish of her initial actions.

"Really. We're going to be kick-ass parents," he smiled, kissing her cheeks and then her lips once more. "Did I tell you how much I love you?"

"No..." she trailed somewhat shyly, immediately chewing on her bottom lip with a soft smile. It seemed to remind Howie of when they first kissed. He never imagined such a fireball could be so soft inside and so sweet when kissed.

"I love you more than anything in this entire world. The Heavens could be crashing to the ground, the polar ice caps could be melting, acid rain could be falling outside... none of that would matter as long as I have you to love," Howie confessed with a sweet smile, running his hand through her soft blonde curls.

"Howie..." she whispered in true awe, unable to express how much that truly meant to her. So, carefully, she reached to cup his face within her small hands. Leaning, she brought a warm and passionate kiss to his lips, unable to resist nibbling toward the end to cause a soft roll of Spanish to fall from his mouth and into hers. Her entire body seemed to heat as a hand found its way down to her flat abdomen. "I love you so much and I'm sorry."

"I love you, and I'm sorry, too. I think we both need to learn to listen to everything before getting upset," he replied, keeping his hand on her abdomen where their child was growing. Our child. The thought made his body tingle with excitement.

"Yeah..." she agreed, glancing down to his hand then back to the awed expression on his face. She smile softly at the portrait before her. She had been only thinking of the negative aspects of a child. Never had she even begun to think of how terrific Howie would be as a father, nor how much she really wanted him to be the father of her children. With him by her side, it gave her hope that she could truly protect them. "Are you okay, Bee?"

"I'm just amazed that he or she is in there, growing and everything..."

"Do we need to buy you some pregnancy books?" she mused softly, still finding it adorable nonetheless.

"You're funny," he looked up and kissed her again.

"Mmm," she purred with delight, brushing her fingertips down the sides of his face. "Bee, y'know when you said you wouldn't care what was happening to you as long as you had me to love?"

"Yes."

Ana tilted her head to kiss just beneath his jawline. "What about a broken ankle?"

"I-I broke my ankle?" Howie shivered from her kisses. "All from that damn cat's ball?"

"Either a break or a really severe sprain," she decided, gently nibbling on his earlobe before bringing feather kisses down his jawline again. She had missed him so much and wanted to celebrate their pregnancy, but he had caused a pretty nasty injury to himself. "And she's not a damn cat. She's an adorable kitten that you bought me."

"Then we need to teach that damn kitten to pick up after herself," Howie replied before moaning softly as her kisses went from his earlobe to his neck to his jawline and back again.

"I'll put that on the list of things to do," she purred softly against his skin, finding it far more interesting to pay close attention to the front of his throat. She neatly folded herself into his embrace, cautious not to rest her tender leg anywhere near his newly injured one.

"Oh God... I love you so much," he whispered, entangling his fingers through her locks.

"Ay dios?" she translated easily into Spanish, taking it as a good sign, leaning to move her kisses from the front of his throat toward the side and down his collar bone. She loved being able to create a wave of passion throughout his body by kisses. It was her favorite romantic touch to any evening.

"Ay dios, mi amor... ay dios. Te amo," he agreed, his body still shivering with all her kisses. He actually felt his love for her grow, even though he thought it wasn't possible.

"Me gusto," she actually giggled against his skin, slowly breaking contact to gaze into his dark eyes. "But what about your ankle?"

"My ankle?"

"You hurt it, remember?"

"I did?" Howie looked down at his ankle and groaned. "I did. What do you think we should do?"

"I think we should go to the Emergency Room just in case it is broken..." Ana trailed, slightly disappointed that her rational side was bubbling forth. She was much more content pleasing Howie after neglecting him for so long. And everything seemed that more electrifying when adding the excitement of her pregnancy. But he was hurt.

"You think?" Howie sighed, glancing down toward his swollen ankle for a moment of deliberation. He kept a hand firmly flattened against her abdomen as he rubbed his opposite hand against the small of her back. He actually had no desire to wait in the Emergency Room for something that might not even be broken. He was far more content with Ana in his arms, recreating the finer moments of when their child was consumated.

"I think..." she trailed with a small smile.

"How about we do this? Let's continue celebrating and in a couple of hours we'll see how my ankle is feeling," he finally replied, pulling his wife in for a sweet and passionate kiss.

"Bee, are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I don't want to sit in the emergency room for a stupid injury when we could be here celebrating."

"But if it's broke--"

"Then it's broken. What they would do to it now, they can do it in a cpouple of hours."

Ana furled her light blonde brows in question, debating on his suggestion. "You're sure?"

"Yes, Baby. I'm sure."

"If you say so..." she trailed again, arching her back when Howie hit a tender spot along the curvature of her spine, just beneath the small of her back. Instantly, her light blue-green eyes sparked with warmth, reaching to delicately brush her fingertips down his face like always. It was honestly his choice to make and she had no desire to start another argument. Not when he confessed to always wanting to have children with her. It warmed her entire being to know that.

"I say so," he smiled as she leaned down to kiss him. This was their night to celebrate and he would be damned if they let his ankle prevent it. "But where are we... commencing this celebration? Neither of us have a strong walk at the moment."

"I can--"

"Let's do it right here."

"In the living room?" Ana's eyes were wide with surprise at Howie's request.

"Is that a problem?" Howie laughed, gently pulling her closer into his embrace as he reached for the warm throw blanket and pillows draped over their longest couch. He had the urge to be wild and carefree, especially after finding out what he was to become a parent with the woman he cherished. And he absolutely adored the innocent look of surprise that had transformed on her usually impish beauty. She was so classic.

"You've just always..." Ana actually found herself blushing as Howie held her close and prepared their celebration. "...preferred the bedroom setting..."

"I'm feeling a little spontaneous tonight," Howie smiled, running his hands through her soft blonde curls. The thrill of a baby and the adrenaline pumping through his system from the injured ankle made his heart beat fast.

"A little?" she laughed, considering this a large change in his pattern of beliefs. He just always seemed to love the feeling of their soft sheets enveloping them as they made a curiously gentle love that only the two of them could perfect into delight.

"Okay, very spontaneous--"

"Extremely spontaneous," Ana interupted as Howie laid them down, her carefully straddling his waist. She bent down to offer the softest kisses to his throat, loving every minute of this as the faint glow of sunset started to shine through their windows. "But we don't have to do this tonight if--"

"I want to do this tonight. I want to celebrate this little one," Howie placed his hand against her abdomen again, smiling.

"So if it wasn't for the little one, then..." Ana trailed off as she arched her light brows, trying not to giggle as Howie slipped his hand underneath her shirt to have closer contact with her bare skin and their child.

"I would probably just be a little spontaneoous instead of extremely," Howie replied, rubbing his thumb against the spot where their child would sleep warm and comfy inside its mother.

"You're really that excited then?" she whispered, gently rubbing her fingers against his temples.

"I'm very excited."

"You're going to be a wonderful father. That's one of the reasons I wanted to marry you," she confessed as the tickling sensation finally got to her, causing her to giggle and shy away.

"Well I knew you were going to be an incredible mother," he countered with a smile, not stopping the movements his fingers were making on her abdomen. "That's one of the reason why I married you."

"Nah, you just looked at my hips and deciding I'd be a good baby making machine," she attempted to tease as Howie's opposite hand settled against her hip to stablize her on his body. The heat was already practically melting her insides as she stared down at his warm brown eyes.

"No, I looked at your hips and knew I would love holding onto them while we made love," he leaned up and whispered into her ear.

"Howie..." she murmured in shock, practically speechless as she curved her arms around his neck for support. Gently, she leaned to kiss his neck and collar bone, unable to express the emotions racing through her blood.

"I love you, Ana. I love you so very much and we are going to be the best parents for this beautiful child," he promised, his hands firmly planted on her hips.

"I hope so," she whispered against his skin, tilting her head so she could kiss the side of his face.

"Do you hear that, baby?" Howie massaged Ana's toned abdomen with a smile. "Momma and Daddy love you very much. We can't wait for you to be here."

"We can wait a little bit," Ana laughed, loving the excitement in Howie's eyes as he spoke to her stomach while she continued to kiss him. Now she understood why having children was so important. Why Kevin's face always lit up when he assessed how much bigger Tierja's belly had grown from the previous day.

"I know, but the baby doesn't need to know that," Howie chuckled, glancing up to kiss her underneath her chin.

"Mmm... Okay..." she agreed with a sly smile of delight.

"And now, onto the real celebration!" he announced, laying back onto the makeshift bed and pulling her on top of him.

"Howie!" she laughed in shock.

"I love you!"

~*~*~*~

"Wow, that's a nasty storm going on out there," Tim whistled with amazement as the house shook with a rumble of thunder and crack of lightning. Rain drummed onto the roof like buckets of water and the wind howled like a wolf. It was a pretty big thunderstorm ripping through the small town.

"Like we really needed you to mention that fact again," Jerald groaned, leaning back against the couch as he continued to nurse a cup of hot coffee. Minnesota was far too cold compared to Kentucky, but he enjoyed the company immensely. And, Tierja was an absolute angel. "If Ma can sleep through the storm, I doubt we have any worries, Timmy."

"Don't call me Timmy--"

"You know, for being the oldest... I thought you were supposed to be the mature ones," Kevin interrupted with a roll of his eyes. His mother and Tierja had gone to bed early, leaving the men to talk and re-bond from a long separation.

"You know what, Kevvy--"

"And don't call me Kevvy--"

"You tell us to be mature because we're older? That goes both ways, little brother."

"You both can shove--"

"KEVIN!" Tierja's scream echoed throughout the house as a rumble of thunder followed.

Kevin immediately jumped up from his spot on the couch, his heart practically ripped out of his chest from the sharp scream. He had only heard Tierja scream like that once before - during the tornado. He was halfway toward the stairs, preparing to just jump to the top when Tierja came stumbling down with the cordless phone in her hands. The streaks of large lightening accentuated the fearful features locked on her usually gorgeous face. Kevin attempted to reach out to her, noticing she was trembling violently. "Tier--"

"I want to c-call Ana... Now, I need to call her now... I need her over here... But I can't remember her number. God, why can't I remember her number?" Tierja rambled with a panic, knocking the cordless phone against her head.

"Tier, calm down," Kevin called, meeting her halfway on the stairs to pull the phone from her hands.

"Calm down? There's a storm outside, it could turn into a tornado! I need Ana here now!" Tierja shook her head violently, hitting her head with the phone a few more times before Kevin finally got it out of her grasp. "It's just like that night when my house was destroyed and we almost died!"

"Tierja, no tornado warnings have been called," Kevin attempted to persuade, tossing the phone toward his older brother's to get it completely away from her grasp. The skull fracture may have healed, but Kevin refused to let her get hurt again.

"But it could still happen!" Tierja wailed, wringing her hands as another set of lightning and thunder struck, causing her to shriek again.

"Come here," Kevin demanded softly, reaching to pull her tightly into his arms. He lifted her from the stairs, carrying her back toward the couch. Easing himself down, he offered an assuring smile toward his already worried older brothers. It was a natural response to what was happening, especially considering the last time a nasty storm had rolled through. "I'll gladly dial Ana's phone number, but I want you to calm down first so you don't give her a heart attack. We're going to be perfectly safe. We've got a cement basement if anything should happen, remember?"

"I remember... but that lightning, thunder and wind... it just reminded me of..." Tierja couldn't finish her sentence as she curled into a tight ball in Kevin's arms, still shaking a little.

"I know what it reminded you of," Kevin assured, gently rubbing her back as she remained within his protective embrace. "And we're going to be okay."

"I hate storms," Tierja whimpered as she opened her eyes and saw his brothers watching her. "Oh, no... Baby, I'm so sorry, I ruined your time with Tim and Jerald because of my--"

"It was already ruined when we saw Kevvy's ugly mug, trust me," Tim joked, reaching to press an affectionate kiss on her cheek. His deep southern accent warmed Tierja's embarrassed heart considerably as there was a soft knock on the door. "We know what happened and we would have been scared shitless, too."

"Thank you," Tierja offered a small smile as Jerald kissed her cheek as well. There was another knock and this time everyone turned their heads towards the door. "Did y'all hear that?"

"Might be that stripper I ordered out of the yellow pages," Jerald decided, standing up from his spot on the couch. He offered his mug of hot coffee toward Tim and glanced to Kevin. "Want me to answer since you have your hands full?"

"Please," Kevin nodded as Jerald walked to the front door.

"Do stripper fees increase if they have to travel out in nasty weather?" Jerald questioned as he opened the large oak door to reveal a slightly damp, yet still radiant woman. His eyes immediately popped in surprise, not exactly expecting any gorgeous woman to come knocking in Minnesota. He had already teased Kevin that he had gotten the best of the best.

"They quadruple if she's never been hired as a stripper before," Ana retorted in obvious confusion, wiping her wet blonde curls away from her face.

"Ana! Ana's here!" Tierja crawled out of Kevin's arms and ran to the door. She immediately brought the younger woman into a tight embrace. "Thank God!"

"I figured you'd be upset," Ana laughed softly as a rumble of thunder exploded. She felt Tierja grasp tightly to her body, so she simply rubbed Tierja's back to soothe her. "I had to take Howie to the ER, so I just figured we'd stop here for a little bit?"

"Take Howie to the ER? What happened?" Tierja pulled away with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't castrate him or something, did you?"

"Why the Hell would I castrate him when the sex is so damn good?" Ana questioned with a bemused smirk, causing the unknown man to muffle a laugh.

"Last night you would have said something different--"

"We made up, Tierj. Oh, did we make up," Ana grinned, causing Tierja's eyebrows to fly off her forehead.

"What--"

"Tier, let the poor girl inside, it's storming out!" Tim interrupted the women, opening the door wide so Ana could get out of the rain.

"Thanks," Ana replied, standing just inside the doorway as Howie finally made it up the steps on crutches. She gently reached to rub his back, allowing him to fully enter before she followed. Still limping, she helped him remove his coat before taking off her own, hanging them on the nearby rack. Gathering her soaked curls into a quick ponytail, she became almost too aware of the extra two guests staring at her. She actually blushed, slightly hiding behind her husband. "Is it okay that we stopped by? I mean, I know you had guests and..."

"Of course it's okay. I was going to call you but I forgot your number for some reason," Tierja led them into the living room, Ana still hiding behind Howie. "They're just Kev's brothers, don't worry. They're nothing special--"

"Hey!" Tim and Jerald growled.

"Kidding, boys! Just kidding!" Tierja yelped, diving into Kevin's arms once again as Ana and Howie settled on the couch.

"What happened to you anyway, Howie?" Kevin questioned, gently rubbing Tierja's back as she stretched out into a comfortable position in his arms. He was quite amused as Howie fumbled to throw the crutches on the floor, grimacing at his right ankle while Ana reached for pillows to help him.

"Damn kitten is what happened to me," Howie grumbled as he lifted his leg up and Ana placed a pillow on the coffee table. He carefully laid his leg back down. "I was bringing groceries home and I tripped on Mattie's bouncy ball."

"Tripped is not the world. Full out super-man flew straight onto his back is what he did," Ana murmured in concentration.

Tim and Jerald smothered laughter as Kevin smiled, "Did you break it?"

"Hairline fracture," Howie glared at the three men before glaring at his ankle. "Damn kitten needs to pick up after herself."

"With a cast to make it pretty," Ana cooed, gently rubbing his shoulder to soothe him. Both were damp from the continuing storm, so she really didn't mind cuddling close to his body. She rested her head on his shoulder, moving her hand from his shoulder to his chest. "Besides, he had a good night considering and the kitten isn't to blame... Last time I recall, he was the one playing with her and the ball..."

"She should still clean up--"

"Hey, since when did you two start talking again, anyway? I thought that fight was going to last forever," Kevin butted in, raising a thick eyebrow.

"Earlier today," Ana answered slyly, glancing toward the two men who were still strangers to her. "Hello, by the way, my name is Ana--"

"Oh, we already know all about you," Tim interrupted, reaching over to shake Ana's hand since she was sitting down. "I'm Tim. Normally we hug new people but since you're all close with Howie, he probably wouldn't appreciate it."

"Damn right, Timmy."

"HEY!"

"You asked for it," Tierja shook her head with a laugh.

"Ignore Timmy, he's just an acting like himelf. An ass," Jerald grinned, shaking Ana's hand next. "I'm Jerald. You're the infamous Ana. We've heard nothing but good things about you from our talkative soon-to-be sister-in-law."

"She always had a way of sharing all my stories..." Ana trailed, glancing toward Tierja with a small roll of her eyes. "How else do you think I got Howie interested in me in the first place?"

"I think it was tying that cherry stem into a knot with your tongue. Damn, did his jaw drop--"

"Can you two stop talking like I'm not here?" Howie groaned, muffling a yelp when he accidentally moved his ankle. The doctor wasn't exactly gentle when he wrapped the fractured limb in the heavy plaster and it was starting to throb.

"How about some ice, a drink, and some medicine?" Ana sighed, realizing that Howie was in quite a bit of discomfort. She bit down on her bottom lip as she scratched his chest for a little boost, almost as if it were her private apology.

"That sounds nice, Baby. Thank you," Howie's mood changed as he looked into his wife's eyes and smiled. She always knew what to do and say to make him feel better.

"He's having more mood swings than I am," Tierja whispered in Kevin's ear as Ana kissed Howie's cheek and walked into the kitchen.

"Maybe he's pregnant, too," Kevin whispered back with a chuckle, kissing the side of her face.

"So... You're married to her?" Tim announced with a hiss of approval once he was sure Ana was out of earshot. "Damn, Little Howie!"

"I guess I got your approval," Howie rolled his eyes, lacing his fingers behind the back of his head. "Not that I needed it, anyway."

"What my idiot brother is trying to say is that Ana's a beautiful woman and you're lucky to have her," Jerald threw the tennis ball he had been tossing up in the air at Tim's stomach.

"Ooof!"

"No playing ball in the house!" Tierja groaned, startled as Spunky barrelled out of his 'room' and jumped onto the couch. The little dog tried to bury himself under her body, shaking fiercely.

"And, we're still waiting to hear how you went from being practically non-existant in her eyes to main focus so quickly yet again?" Kevin voiced further, watching his fiancee pick up their small dog and cuddle him closely like a baby.

"That information is classified until Ana comes back out here," Howie replied, much to the displeasure of the three men.

"Aw, come on, Howie! Little Kevvy was telling us how hard it was at home--"

"I'm not Little Kevvy!"

"And what do you mean 'hard at home'?" Howie fired, glaring slightly toward Kevin.

"You're the one who was saying how Ana was ignoring you! Doesn't that define the saying 'hard at home'?" Kevin yelped in defense.

"Hard at home will be defined crisply when Tierja is due in a week, bloated, constipated, having painful intermittant contractions, and leaking bodily fluids that you swore to God you'll never want to see again in life much less the after life," Ana replied as she returned for the end of the conversation, leaning over the back of the couch to wrap her arms around Howie. She offered him the soda, ice pack, and medicine while continued to keep her arms entwined around him from behind. Gently, she pressed soft kisses to the side of his neck before grinning sweetly toward Kevin.

"Say... huh?" Kevin's jaw dropped as Tierja looked at Ana in horror, still holding Spunky like a baby.

"That was a graphic description," Jerald made a face. "Remind me never to get Jessie pregnant!"

"Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, Kevvy," Ana cooed nonetheless, continuing to brush her fingertips down the side of Howie's face as she kept herself positioned behind him.

"You're wicked. Absolutely wicked!"

"Not only is she wicked... she's pregnant," Tierja chirped with a grin.

"No, she's not!" Kevin groaned.

"Oh, yes she is! She's got the baby blush hue on her cheeks! Leigh told me that's a tell-tale sign," Tierja continued to grin. "That's why you and Howie made up tonight!"

"It's not a scientific fact," Ana scoffed, gently rubbing Howie's chest before kissing his cheek. "Do you feel better now?"

"Much better. Thank you," Howie smiled, kissing her chin.

"It may not be a scientific fact, but you're not denying it."

"Denying what?" Ana stated innocently, moving around the couch to sit with Howie again. She gently unhitched his arms from behind his head, inviting him to wrap them around her.

"I know you're pregnant, you know you're pregnant, Howie knows you're pregnant. Just admit it!" Tierja narrowed her eyes at the younger woman as she cuddled with her husband on the opposite couch.

"Howie..." Ana trailed softly, curling her fingers within his t-shirt. She concentrated on his cast for a moment before glancing back up to her husband's dark eyes. She wanted him to share the news, because he was so excited.

"Yes," Howie chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose before glancing up to their friends. "We're going to be having a baby."

"You two can have the baby first!" Kevin whooped.

"Excuse me?" Tierja craned her neck to look at her fiancee.

"Um... Congratulations!" Kevin burst, dumping Tierja onto the couch. He crossed the small length of the living room, leaning down to gobble Ana into his arms. "You'll make a great mom! I'm so happy that you made Howie a daddy finally!"

"Thanks, I think," Ana wheezed as Kevin went to hug Howie.

"D, you're going to be a dad, that's awesome--"

"Kevin. Scott. Richardson," Tierja gritted her teeth as she sat up on the couch, Spunky squirming out of her grasp and running to Jerald.

"Tierja Holly Richardson?" Kevin attempted, still holding Howie close as he listened to his fiancee's dark voice.

"Get your ass over here. Now."

"Ooh, Kevvy's in trouble," Jerald, Tim and Ana sung.

"He's the father of your child, Tier," Howie attempted to persuade.

"Yes, Howie's right! I am the father of your child, you don't want to hurt me!" Kevin nodded, not letting go of Howie as the other three laughed at his predicament.