But Seriously... - Sequel to Truly, Madly, Deeply - Part 3
Hello all. Like I posted on WLIIALove the other day, I'm still trying to finish typing up the last two chapters of this story. So the chapter posting will still be limited for the time being until I've made a lot of progress on those two.
However, here is the next chapter of But Seriously... - in which we learn if the surgery was a sucess, Paul and Ian talk, Julie tries to get the truth, and a ship is made official.
Title: But Seriously….
Author: Shinigami518
Rating: PG-13, but with some bits of R in it for mpreg, swearing, some violence, and insanity
Main Character(s) and/or pairings: Ryan/Colin, Tony/Paul, Josie/Richard, Jeff/OFC, Stephen/Hugh (growing), OFC/OMC
Summary: few weeks after their wedding, Paul and Tony take the next step in their relationship: Parenthood. Paul undergoes the "Mpreg Operation" as Alicia and the trio calls it and now he and Tony are to be parents. Keeping this a secret from the news is going to be a bit hard, but with the help of their friends, they are ready.
View Affirmation here:
Epilogue, but with all parts linked
View Against All Odds here:
Epilogue, but with all parts linked
View Truly, Madly, Deeply here:
Epilogue, but with all parts linked
View last chapters here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 - One More Night
November 9th
Five weeks after the operation
St. Matthews Hospital
Ian, Josie, and Julian sat in the waiting room, awaiting the news they were waiting and praying to hear. Was the operation a success?
Ian had been keeping Paul’s ‘condition’ a secret from everyone else ever since Paul told him about the situation. Josie and Julian found out shortly afterwards through Paul, mostly. Josie learned of the situation and operation when Paul nearly collapsed after a Wednesday show the week after Paul told Ian. Julian found out the day after, when he heard from Richard about the near collapse. The two newcomers also vowed to keep it a secret.
“You think it really was a success? That Paul really is… well, you know…” Ian wondered out loud. Since the reveal, there were times where Ian had trouble comprehending that Paul was possibly pregnant, even having trouble saying the word itself.
“He’s been nauseas in the mornings according to Tony, plus he nearly fainted after Wednesday’s show two weeks ago, and again after last Saturday’s.” Josie noted in reply.
“Plus he seems a bit more tired and, well, his eating habits have changed as well.” Julian added, recalling what he had seen and heard.
“I really hope it did work. After all the two of them have been through, they really need this.” Josie hoped.
“But who can we tell if it IS true?” Julian pondered.
“The Player regulars are bound to find out sometime, plus our overseas mates will probably be curious.” Josie replied, thinking of their friends.
“And those girls I saw at the wedding? The three from New York? You lot seem to trust them quite well.” Ian recalled, referring to Melissa, Samantha, and Julie.
“They were around the first time this happened, when Ryan and Colin went through with it. Besides,” Josie smiled knowingly, “I think they’re already starting to suspect something.” Josie went on.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening. Entering the waiting room were Tony, Paul, and Dr. Addy, plus a young woman that the three figured was Dr. Addy’s assisting nurse.
“Thanks for everything, Zach.” Paul told Dr. Addy, shaking the younger man’s hand as they walked.
“It’s always my pleasure, Paul.” Dr. Addy smiled.
“We’ll see you in four weeks to see how everything is processing, Mr. Merton.” The young woman, a red head with green eyes, reminded.
“We’ll be there.” Tony remarked, taking Paul’s hand and escorting him towards their friends. Dr. Addy smiled and went back through the doors, followed by his assistant. Paul and Tony made their way over to the trio, both wearing neutral looks on their faces.
“Well?” Julian asked, “Are you ‘in the family way’ as it were, Paul?” Paul was silent, staring right into his oldest friends’ eyes, then he grinned.
“Is Pier Morgan a humongous prat?” Paul replied, still grinning.
“We know that already, get to the point! Are you or aren’t you pregnant?” Ian paused, “That sounds very weird when talking about-.” Ian went on with a bit of a grimace.
“Yes.”
Paul’s simple one word answer caught Ian, Josie, and Julian off guard.
“What?” Ian blinked.
“Yo-you’re really?” Josie whispered, starting to get overly excited. Tony tightened his grip on Paul’s left hand while sporting a giant grin on his face. Paul then placed his hand on his stomach, his smile growing bigger.
“It worked. I’m pregnant!” Paul grinned, the last two words said as joyfully as he could be. Josie let out a loud squeal of joy and hugged Paul, nearly knocking the taller man over and breaking his hand hold with Tony.
“Next time, try to be straight with your answers and don’t joke around!” Ian snapped. Paul just laughed while Tony shook his head, also laughing and smiling.
“Congratulations, Tony,” Julian said as he approached Tony and shook his hands, “You’ve really brought out a great side of Paul I haven’t seen in a long time.”
“I know.” Tony nodded. The two turned back to watch Josie express her excitement and joy over the news while Ian was watching the incident from the sidelines, a bemused smile on his face.
“Hell of a birthday present, huh?” Julian smirked.
“Best I’ve ever gotten so far.” Tony grinned.
December 13th
The London Studios
Ian sighed as he leaned against the wall that housed the door to the men’s bathroom, waiting for Paul to exit from it. Ever since the revelation and the doctor’s visits, it was fully confirmed that Paul was, indeed, pregnant. Now, the 50 year old was in his 3rd month and his most severe early symptoms were starting to taper off, except for the occasional sickness and headaches. At that moment, Paul had a small moment of nausea while in make-up, forcing him to pay reverence to the porcelain god.
The door finally opened, revealing a pale and slightly dishevelled Paul Merton, who was wiping his mouth with a piece of paper towel. He took a few seconds to run a hand over his hair to smooth it out and to take a deep breath, exhaling it with a calm look on his face
“Alright, that’s out of my system, now what’s the game plan for tonight’s insanity?” Paul asked his companion once he was focused.
“Paul, how can you be so relaxed when you were just in there throwing up whatever you had today?” Ian questioned, ludicrously. Paul just shrugged in response before walking off towards the make-up area, the shorter man right on his tail. “Seriously, Paul, if you’re going to be like this now, how are you going to handle the last two months of this… experiment of yours?” Ian went on, walking side-by-side with Paul.
“I’ll manage, Ian. If I can do the show with a cold and you can do it with a bad appendix, then I can handle doing it while 8 months up the duff.” Paul replied calmly, crumpling the paper towel in his hands and casually tossing it into the nearest waste bin.
“But those incidents are hugely different from what you’re going through!” Ian exclaimed in exasperation. Paul shook his head, a small but reassuring smile on his face.
“Honestly, Ian, you should worry so much or you’ll lose the rest of your hair.” Paul joked, smiling all the while. Ian playfully punched his friend in the arm, but making sure it wasn’t too hard. Ian then gained a look of realization on his face.
“Aren’t you going to plan something for next week?” Ian asked. Paul stopped walking, then turned to face his companion.
“For what?” Paul asked back.
“The 17th, 18th and 19th, of course. Those are the days you reunited with Tony, became a couple and rescued your mates from that psychopath last year, remember? Not surprised you’d forget it, since you’ve been pre-occupied lately.” Ian explained, continuing to walk on, leaving Paul alone. Paul blinked then furrowed his brows, remember those days. He then shivered as some bad memories of those three days came flooding into his mind, especially of the 19th: Nearly losing Tony, seeing Ryan and Colin the way they were, Lolita’s death, the long wait before hearing if Tony, Ryan, and Colin were going to be ok.
Then the memory of their first kiss, their confessions, the truth being revealed, and the moment they vowed to be together came to mind and Paul smiled. All those feelings, the ones he had locked away for years, being re-opened and fully explored made the brunet warm with a strong feeling of love and joy. His smile grew bigger as he now remembered what happened after those days: the courting, the dates, the night-time visits, the proposal at Ryan and Colin’s wedding, their wedding… and now.
Paul placed a hand on his stomach, which had grown a bit since the first doctors’ visit after the operation, and closed his eyes.
“It was worth it in the end.” Paul whispered. He opened his eyes, straightened his shirt and began to walk quickly to re-join Ian on their way to get ready for the show.
December 31st
10:18 P.M.
Lake Placid, N.Y.
Paul sat, relaxing while watching his friends having fun, interact with each other, and start to get completely hammered as the hours ticked by before the New Year officially began. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched everyone do what they do usually at parties, especially big parties like this. And this wasn’t just any ordinary New Years bash. This one was also a small 1 year celebration for many reasons: the defeat of Lolita, the birth of Ethan and Lea, and the many reunions between the former Whose Line cast, including the engagement of Ryan and Colin.
Everyone had already divided into their usual groups to blab about current news ranging from world related situations to family and/or friend news. Melissa and Jeff had pretty much taken over running the karaoke machine while Greg, Brad, and Drew were running the “bar” and Colin, Stephen, and Robert were looking after the food. There was some disappointment that Chip and Wayne couldn’t come to the party, the former dealing with two kids with colds and the latter dealing with some project he couldn’t get time off from, but there were some joy when Julian and Hugh accompanied the “foreigners” to the party that year.
Bets and awards were already being made and won since the party begun. The “girl trio” - Julie, Melissa, and Samantha - had one going whether Alicia and Will would kiss at midnight. Sandi had one for “who would become completely drunk by midnight”. The ones that already been won were “Silliest/weirdest song to be sung during karaoke” for Brad and Jeff who sang “Barbie Girl”, the former in his ‘trademark’ falsetto voice and the latter in a fake butch voice, and “How long it’ll take for Jeff and Melissa to start making out”, which was won by Greg with “45 minutes after the party started”.
Ryan and Colin not only brought Luke and Mackenzie to the party, but they also brought Ethan and Lea since they had grown some since everyone last saw them. The two were already masters of crawling and had started to stand up on their own, but neither of them had graduated to walking yet. There was a small bit of panic for the parents when Lea caught a pretty bad cold in early October after a pretty chilly night, but thankfully, the little girl made it through the drama. Luke and Mackenzie spent most of their time not only keeping an eye on their younger brother and sister, but with the trio. Mackenzie and Melissa started up their “Luke and Julie are in love” teasing again, but their teasing soon came to a halt when Jeff sprung a surprise kiss on Melissa. Then the tables turned and Melissa was the target, while Greg got his monetary prize for his bet.
Paul found his gaze wandering over to his partner and lover, Tony, who was talking with Greg, Hugh, and Stephen, the latter of the two taking a break from doing his latest series - a voyage across America that would be turned into a documentary and a novel.
“See something you like?” Paul’s companion asked. Paul grinned, shaking his head before looking over at Julian, who sat with him at the small counter that separated the dinning room and kitchen.
“I’m allowed to stare at him, Julian. He’s my husband, after all.” Paul stated, proudly. Julian laughed softly, resting his left arm on the table as he leaned against it.
“Some year, huh?” Julian whispered, grabbing his beverage of choice: water. As much as he liked to get a bit tipsy that night, he wanted to stay sober, especially since his best friend wasn’t allowed to touch the “Devil’s rum”.
“I’ll say; three marriages, an engagement, a divorce, and well…, my not-so-little project.” Paul agreed, pausing to discreetly point at his stomach.
“Hey Paul, hey Julian. You two enjoying yourselves?” Julie asked, walking up to the two men. Paul and Julian looked up at the young woman that stooped before them, holding a can of Diet Coke.
“Just making bets on who is going to be completely shitfaced once midnight rolls around.” Paul replied with a big smile.
“Jeff and Greg seem to be the ones who might win out with Mike a close second.” Julian noted.
“Although Brad is starting to edge out ahead with the way he’s been in the past hour.” Paul remarked. Julie couldn’t help but laugh; taking bets on who was going to get hammered before a set time always seemed to pop up whenever everyone was together.
“My money’s on Jeff, if last year’s party and Ry and Col’s wedding are any indications of how drunk he’s willing to get.” Julie laughed. She then dropped the smile and turned serious. “Speaking of getting hammered, I noticed you two are avoiding the alcohol tonight. Any special reasons?” Julie asked, curiously and seriously. She already had a suspicion about Paul, but she was curious about Julian.
“Designated driver, darling. Plus I’m not much of a boozer like some of our friends.” Julian replied, raising his glass in emphasis.
“Same here, aside from the ‘not much of a drinker’ bit.” Paul stated. Julie nodded, grabbing one of the stools and plopping down on it.
“Paul, can I be serious for a minute? I think something’s wrong with you.” Julie began, still serious.
“Kid, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about…” Paul began to protest, but was cut of by Julie letting out an annoyed groan.
“First off, I’d like to remind you that I’m 21, so the “kid” moniker, even though I think its sweet, is starting to lose its lustre.” Julie stated, looking annoyed while placing her drink on the counter.
“Julie, when you’re as old as me, anyone half you age or younger is considered a kid.” Paul stated. Julie let out a huff, blowing a few messy strands of long bangs out of her eyes, knowing Paul was right about that.
“Second, Lissy, Sam, and I noticed you haven’t really looked all that well when we saw you last on TV.” Julie went on.
“I’m fine!” Paul groaned in protest.
“You’re paler than usual, especially we us three saw you on those latest Have I Got News episode. Last episode, you looked almost as white as a ghost.” Julie noted.
“Kid-.” Paul began, tilting his head back in aggravation, not wanting to talk yet about his ‘secret’.
“Please, Paul, don’t say you’re fine. We know from Alicia that you’re been a bit ‘off’ when working with the Comedy Store Players a few times, but not like how Tony was back when he was… you know. So, please, Paul, what’s wrong?” Julie continued, her brown eyes softening when she asked the last question. Paul and Julian looked at each other, the former looking a bit worried. Julian gave a silent nod; it was time to tell everyone. Paul nodded, then stood up.
“Tony, I think it’s time to tell them the news.” Paul announced loudly to his lover. Tony turned to face Paul, surprised by Paul’s comment.
“Are you sure about this, Paul?” Tony was worried, mostly about how everyone would react to their current situation, including their ‘little experiment.’
“Some are trying to grill me for info, so yes, I’m sure.” Paul answered, pointing to Julie in example.
“Tell us what?” Richard asked, getting up from the couch. Josie, who was sitting with him, stood up as well. The brunette glanced between Paul and Richard, a brief look of panic in her eyes. She knew what Paul and Tony were planning to say, but she was still worried about everyone’s reactions.
“What’s going on?” Samantha wondered, removing her headphones for her mp3 player. Tony made his way over to Paul, Julian, and Julie.
“I’m sure some of you have notice that my husband…” Tony began, but stopped, smiling at what he had called Paul. ‘Husband, I like the sound of that.’ Tony thought to himself. Still grinning, he went on. “…hasn’t really been 100% lately.”
“We’re curious.” Greg remarked, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
“Well, there’s a reason for that.” Paul went on, taking over for Tony.
“Is everything alright, Paul?” Stephen asked, worried about his friends.
“Don’t worry, Stephen, it’s nothing too serious to get worked up about.” Josie reassured, walking over to the taller man.
“Well spill! What’s going on?” Brad pushed, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
“I’m also sure that some of you have heard that the artificial womb operation Ryan and Colin had last year was given the ‘good to go’ to be used for anyone who wants it.” Tony explained. Janet stood up in shock.
“Wait, you mean the hell those two went through is being made legal?!” Janet exclaimed, pointing to Ryan and Colin.
“I’ve heard the rumours about it being allowed in certain hospitals. They’re planning on it to be used in New York City and Albany Medical. Can’t believe they’re actually allowing it, even after all I heard about its first usage.” Christine said, recalling what she had been hearing around the hospital.
“It’s still somewhat in the experimental stages, but, like that girl - Christine, correct? - said, it is being allowed.” Julian replied, hoping he got Christine’s name right.
“But why are you-.” Melissa began to say, but stopped. She then began to put two and two together. “Don’t tell me… are you two…?” She slowly began to say, praying they weren’t going to answer yes.
“Don’t you two know the risks you’re taking in doing this?” Hugh asked, worried about his old friend and his partner.
“We’re well aware, Hugh.” Paul replied.
“But you two are…” Janet began to say.
“We know, we’re not young like Jeff or William, but we wanted to do this.” Tony cut Janet off. Stephen stared at Tony and Paul with a look of realization. He caught the past tense Tony used in what he had said.
“Wanted?” Stephen repeated. Paul and Tony nodded, both smiling.
“Don’t tell me… did you…?” Christine began to pale.
“You had it, didn’t you? You had the operation?!” Julie whispered.
“Tell ‘em, Paul.” Julian grinned. Paul let out a soft chuckle as he put a hand to his stomach.
“You did, didn’t you!? You really are- Oh- Oh my- You’re-!” Melissa began to sputter, paling and almost ready to faint.
“Thirteen weeks pregnant.” Paul finished Melissa’s sentence with a giant, lopsided smile on his face.
“OH MY GOD!!” Julie exclaimed happily. Melissa’s eyes rolled into her head as she fell backwards into Jeff’s arms, fainted dead away.
“YOU’RE PREGNANT!?” Samantha screamed, flabbergasted.
“I KNEW IT!!” Richard shouted, running over and hugged Paul, then Tony.
“Told you it was big.” Josie told Mike and Greg, looking smug.
“Alright, you guys! Remember what we warned you about.” Ryan cheered. Brad walked over to him and Colin.
“You knew already?” Brad asked, incredulously.
“They told us at their reception.” Colin replied, an innocent smile on his face.
“And when were you going to tell us about it?!” Brad exclaimed, angry that he’d been left out of the big secret.
“We promised not to say anything until they knew the operation worked.” Colin stated innocently.
“So now we know it worked, well, we can tell you.” Ryan smiled. Brad responded with a turn and a grunt.
The next hour was then mostly centred on the aftermath of Paul and Tony’s announcement. Everyone was still reeling from it and they were dealing with it by either drinking or offering kind words, warnings, advice, and congratulations to the couple. Stephen warned them to be careful, especially if people are still wary of the operation while Robert and Janet told them to call if they need any parenting advice.
When midnight finally struck, there came the next big shocker. The bet that Will and Alicia would kiss was a bust because they didn’t “suck face” as Melissa colourfully called it, but someone else initiated the most shocking kiss of the night… well, shocking to some.
“No way…” Julie whispered.
“It’s about time.” Paul smirked.
“You owe me twenty bucks, Brad.” Greg stated, holding out a hand. Brad let out a few choice words as he handed the money to his friend.
“When do you think we should tell them that it’s been the New Year for two minutes?” Samantha wondered.
“When Richard and Josie start to undress and begin scaring the straights.” Mike replied, watching the two in question fall on a nearby couch, making out.
Still working on the story, so it will still be some length between each part. Besides that, enjoy
However, here is the next chapter of But Seriously... - in which we learn if the surgery was a sucess, Paul and Ian talk, Julie tries to get the truth, and a ship is made official.
Title: But Seriously….
Author: Shinigami518
Rating: PG-13, but with some bits of R in it for mpreg, swearing, some violence, and insanity
Main Character(s) and/or pairings: Ryan/Colin, Tony/Paul, Josie/Richard, Jeff/OFC, Stephen/Hugh (growing), OFC/OMC
Summary: few weeks after their wedding, Paul and Tony take the next step in their relationship: Parenthood. Paul undergoes the "Mpreg Operation" as Alicia and the trio calls it and now he and Tony are to be parents. Keeping this a secret from the news is going to be a bit hard, but with the help of their friends, they are ready.
View Affirmation here:
Epilogue, but with all parts linked
View Against All Odds here:
Epilogue, but with all parts linked
View Truly, Madly, Deeply here:
Epilogue, but with all parts linked
View last chapters here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 - One More Night
November 9th
Five weeks after the operation
St. Matthews Hospital
Ian, Josie, and Julian sat in the waiting room, awaiting the news they were waiting and praying to hear. Was the operation a success?
Ian had been keeping Paul’s ‘condition’ a secret from everyone else ever since Paul told him about the situation. Josie and Julian found out shortly afterwards through Paul, mostly. Josie learned of the situation and operation when Paul nearly collapsed after a Wednesday show the week after Paul told Ian. Julian found out the day after, when he heard from Richard about the near collapse. The two newcomers also vowed to keep it a secret.
“You think it really was a success? That Paul really is… well, you know…” Ian wondered out loud. Since the reveal, there were times where Ian had trouble comprehending that Paul was possibly pregnant, even having trouble saying the word itself.
“He’s been nauseas in the mornings according to Tony, plus he nearly fainted after Wednesday’s show two weeks ago, and again after last Saturday’s.” Josie noted in reply.
“Plus he seems a bit more tired and, well, his eating habits have changed as well.” Julian added, recalling what he had seen and heard.
“I really hope it did work. After all the two of them have been through, they really need this.” Josie hoped.
“But who can we tell if it IS true?” Julian pondered.
“The Player regulars are bound to find out sometime, plus our overseas mates will probably be curious.” Josie replied, thinking of their friends.
“And those girls I saw at the wedding? The three from New York? You lot seem to trust them quite well.” Ian recalled, referring to Melissa, Samantha, and Julie.
“They were around the first time this happened, when Ryan and Colin went through with it. Besides,” Josie smiled knowingly, “I think they’re already starting to suspect something.” Josie went on.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening. Entering the waiting room were Tony, Paul, and Dr. Addy, plus a young woman that the three figured was Dr. Addy’s assisting nurse.
“Thanks for everything, Zach.” Paul told Dr. Addy, shaking the younger man’s hand as they walked.
“It’s always my pleasure, Paul.” Dr. Addy smiled.
“We’ll see you in four weeks to see how everything is processing, Mr. Merton.” The young woman, a red head with green eyes, reminded.
“We’ll be there.” Tony remarked, taking Paul’s hand and escorting him towards their friends. Dr. Addy smiled and went back through the doors, followed by his assistant. Paul and Tony made their way over to the trio, both wearing neutral looks on their faces.
“Well?” Julian asked, “Are you ‘in the family way’ as it were, Paul?” Paul was silent, staring right into his oldest friends’ eyes, then he grinned.
“Is Pier Morgan a humongous prat?” Paul replied, still grinning.
“We know that already, get to the point! Are you or aren’t you pregnant?” Ian paused, “That sounds very weird when talking about-.” Ian went on with a bit of a grimace.
“Yes.”
Paul’s simple one word answer caught Ian, Josie, and Julian off guard.
“What?” Ian blinked.
“Yo-you’re really?” Josie whispered, starting to get overly excited. Tony tightened his grip on Paul’s left hand while sporting a giant grin on his face. Paul then placed his hand on his stomach, his smile growing bigger.
“It worked. I’m pregnant!” Paul grinned, the last two words said as joyfully as he could be. Josie let out a loud squeal of joy and hugged Paul, nearly knocking the taller man over and breaking his hand hold with Tony.
“Next time, try to be straight with your answers and don’t joke around!” Ian snapped. Paul just laughed while Tony shook his head, also laughing and smiling.
“Congratulations, Tony,” Julian said as he approached Tony and shook his hands, “You’ve really brought out a great side of Paul I haven’t seen in a long time.”
“I know.” Tony nodded. The two turned back to watch Josie express her excitement and joy over the news while Ian was watching the incident from the sidelines, a bemused smile on his face.
“Hell of a birthday present, huh?” Julian smirked.
“Best I’ve ever gotten so far.” Tony grinned.
December 13th
The London Studios
Ian sighed as he leaned against the wall that housed the door to the men’s bathroom, waiting for Paul to exit from it. Ever since the revelation and the doctor’s visits, it was fully confirmed that Paul was, indeed, pregnant. Now, the 50 year old was in his 3rd month and his most severe early symptoms were starting to taper off, except for the occasional sickness and headaches. At that moment, Paul had a small moment of nausea while in make-up, forcing him to pay reverence to the porcelain god.
The door finally opened, revealing a pale and slightly dishevelled Paul Merton, who was wiping his mouth with a piece of paper towel. He took a few seconds to run a hand over his hair to smooth it out and to take a deep breath, exhaling it with a calm look on his face
“Alright, that’s out of my system, now what’s the game plan for tonight’s insanity?” Paul asked his companion once he was focused.
“Paul, how can you be so relaxed when you were just in there throwing up whatever you had today?” Ian questioned, ludicrously. Paul just shrugged in response before walking off towards the make-up area, the shorter man right on his tail. “Seriously, Paul, if you’re going to be like this now, how are you going to handle the last two months of this… experiment of yours?” Ian went on, walking side-by-side with Paul.
“I’ll manage, Ian. If I can do the show with a cold and you can do it with a bad appendix, then I can handle doing it while 8 months up the duff.” Paul replied calmly, crumpling the paper towel in his hands and casually tossing it into the nearest waste bin.
“But those incidents are hugely different from what you’re going through!” Ian exclaimed in exasperation. Paul shook his head, a small but reassuring smile on his face.
“Honestly, Ian, you should worry so much or you’ll lose the rest of your hair.” Paul joked, smiling all the while. Ian playfully punched his friend in the arm, but making sure it wasn’t too hard. Ian then gained a look of realization on his face.
“Aren’t you going to plan something for next week?” Ian asked. Paul stopped walking, then turned to face his companion.
“For what?” Paul asked back.
“The 17th, 18th and 19th, of course. Those are the days you reunited with Tony, became a couple and rescued your mates from that psychopath last year, remember? Not surprised you’d forget it, since you’ve been pre-occupied lately.” Ian explained, continuing to walk on, leaving Paul alone. Paul blinked then furrowed his brows, remember those days. He then shivered as some bad memories of those three days came flooding into his mind, especially of the 19th: Nearly losing Tony, seeing Ryan and Colin the way they were, Lolita’s death, the long wait before hearing if Tony, Ryan, and Colin were going to be ok.
Then the memory of their first kiss, their confessions, the truth being revealed, and the moment they vowed to be together came to mind and Paul smiled. All those feelings, the ones he had locked away for years, being re-opened and fully explored made the brunet warm with a strong feeling of love and joy. His smile grew bigger as he now remembered what happened after those days: the courting, the dates, the night-time visits, the proposal at Ryan and Colin’s wedding, their wedding… and now.
Paul placed a hand on his stomach, which had grown a bit since the first doctors’ visit after the operation, and closed his eyes.
“It was worth it in the end.” Paul whispered. He opened his eyes, straightened his shirt and began to walk quickly to re-join Ian on their way to get ready for the show.
December 31st
10:18 P.M.
Lake Placid, N.Y.
Paul sat, relaxing while watching his friends having fun, interact with each other, and start to get completely hammered as the hours ticked by before the New Year officially began. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched everyone do what they do usually at parties, especially big parties like this. And this wasn’t just any ordinary New Years bash. This one was also a small 1 year celebration for many reasons: the defeat of Lolita, the birth of Ethan and Lea, and the many reunions between the former Whose Line cast, including the engagement of Ryan and Colin.
Everyone had already divided into their usual groups to blab about current news ranging from world related situations to family and/or friend news. Melissa and Jeff had pretty much taken over running the karaoke machine while Greg, Brad, and Drew were running the “bar” and Colin, Stephen, and Robert were looking after the food. There was some disappointment that Chip and Wayne couldn’t come to the party, the former dealing with two kids with colds and the latter dealing with some project he couldn’t get time off from, but there were some joy when Julian and Hugh accompanied the “foreigners” to the party that year.
Bets and awards were already being made and won since the party begun. The “girl trio” - Julie, Melissa, and Samantha - had one going whether Alicia and Will would kiss at midnight. Sandi had one for “who would become completely drunk by midnight”. The ones that already been won were “Silliest/weirdest song to be sung during karaoke” for Brad and Jeff who sang “Barbie Girl”, the former in his ‘trademark’ falsetto voice and the latter in a fake butch voice, and “How long it’ll take for Jeff and Melissa to start making out”, which was won by Greg with “45 minutes after the party started”.
Ryan and Colin not only brought Luke and Mackenzie to the party, but they also brought Ethan and Lea since they had grown some since everyone last saw them. The two were already masters of crawling and had started to stand up on their own, but neither of them had graduated to walking yet. There was a small bit of panic for the parents when Lea caught a pretty bad cold in early October after a pretty chilly night, but thankfully, the little girl made it through the drama. Luke and Mackenzie spent most of their time not only keeping an eye on their younger brother and sister, but with the trio. Mackenzie and Melissa started up their “Luke and Julie are in love” teasing again, but their teasing soon came to a halt when Jeff sprung a surprise kiss on Melissa. Then the tables turned and Melissa was the target, while Greg got his monetary prize for his bet.
Paul found his gaze wandering over to his partner and lover, Tony, who was talking with Greg, Hugh, and Stephen, the latter of the two taking a break from doing his latest series - a voyage across America that would be turned into a documentary and a novel.
“See something you like?” Paul’s companion asked. Paul grinned, shaking his head before looking over at Julian, who sat with him at the small counter that separated the dinning room and kitchen.
“I’m allowed to stare at him, Julian. He’s my husband, after all.” Paul stated, proudly. Julian laughed softly, resting his left arm on the table as he leaned against it.
“Some year, huh?” Julian whispered, grabbing his beverage of choice: water. As much as he liked to get a bit tipsy that night, he wanted to stay sober, especially since his best friend wasn’t allowed to touch the “Devil’s rum”.
“I’ll say; three marriages, an engagement, a divorce, and well…, my not-so-little project.” Paul agreed, pausing to discreetly point at his stomach.
“Hey Paul, hey Julian. You two enjoying yourselves?” Julie asked, walking up to the two men. Paul and Julian looked up at the young woman that stooped before them, holding a can of Diet Coke.
“Just making bets on who is going to be completely shitfaced once midnight rolls around.” Paul replied with a big smile.
“Jeff and Greg seem to be the ones who might win out with Mike a close second.” Julian noted.
“Although Brad is starting to edge out ahead with the way he’s been in the past hour.” Paul remarked. Julie couldn’t help but laugh; taking bets on who was going to get hammered before a set time always seemed to pop up whenever everyone was together.
“My money’s on Jeff, if last year’s party and Ry and Col’s wedding are any indications of how drunk he’s willing to get.” Julie laughed. She then dropped the smile and turned serious. “Speaking of getting hammered, I noticed you two are avoiding the alcohol tonight. Any special reasons?” Julie asked, curiously and seriously. She already had a suspicion about Paul, but she was curious about Julian.
“Designated driver, darling. Plus I’m not much of a boozer like some of our friends.” Julian replied, raising his glass in emphasis.
“Same here, aside from the ‘not much of a drinker’ bit.” Paul stated. Julie nodded, grabbing one of the stools and plopping down on it.
“Paul, can I be serious for a minute? I think something’s wrong with you.” Julie began, still serious.
“Kid, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about…” Paul began to protest, but was cut of by Julie letting out an annoyed groan.
“First off, I’d like to remind you that I’m 21, so the “kid” moniker, even though I think its sweet, is starting to lose its lustre.” Julie stated, looking annoyed while placing her drink on the counter.
“Julie, when you’re as old as me, anyone half you age or younger is considered a kid.” Paul stated. Julie let out a huff, blowing a few messy strands of long bangs out of her eyes, knowing Paul was right about that.
“Second, Lissy, Sam, and I noticed you haven’t really looked all that well when we saw you last on TV.” Julie went on.
“I’m fine!” Paul groaned in protest.
“You’re paler than usual, especially we us three saw you on those latest Have I Got News episode. Last episode, you looked almost as white as a ghost.” Julie noted.
“Kid-.” Paul began, tilting his head back in aggravation, not wanting to talk yet about his ‘secret’.
“Please, Paul, don’t say you’re fine. We know from Alicia that you’re been a bit ‘off’ when working with the Comedy Store Players a few times, but not like how Tony was back when he was… you know. So, please, Paul, what’s wrong?” Julie continued, her brown eyes softening when she asked the last question. Paul and Julian looked at each other, the former looking a bit worried. Julian gave a silent nod; it was time to tell everyone. Paul nodded, then stood up.
“Tony, I think it’s time to tell them the news.” Paul announced loudly to his lover. Tony turned to face Paul, surprised by Paul’s comment.
“Are you sure about this, Paul?” Tony was worried, mostly about how everyone would react to their current situation, including their ‘little experiment.’
“Some are trying to grill me for info, so yes, I’m sure.” Paul answered, pointing to Julie in example.
“Tell us what?” Richard asked, getting up from the couch. Josie, who was sitting with him, stood up as well. The brunette glanced between Paul and Richard, a brief look of panic in her eyes. She knew what Paul and Tony were planning to say, but she was still worried about everyone’s reactions.
“What’s going on?” Samantha wondered, removing her headphones for her mp3 player. Tony made his way over to Paul, Julian, and Julie.
“I’m sure some of you have notice that my husband…” Tony began, but stopped, smiling at what he had called Paul. ‘Husband, I like the sound of that.’ Tony thought to himself. Still grinning, he went on. “…hasn’t really been 100% lately.”
“We’re curious.” Greg remarked, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
“Well, there’s a reason for that.” Paul went on, taking over for Tony.
“Is everything alright, Paul?” Stephen asked, worried about his friends.
“Don’t worry, Stephen, it’s nothing too serious to get worked up about.” Josie reassured, walking over to the taller man.
“Well spill! What’s going on?” Brad pushed, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
“I’m also sure that some of you have heard that the artificial womb operation Ryan and Colin had last year was given the ‘good to go’ to be used for anyone who wants it.” Tony explained. Janet stood up in shock.
“Wait, you mean the hell those two went through is being made legal?!” Janet exclaimed, pointing to Ryan and Colin.
“I’ve heard the rumours about it being allowed in certain hospitals. They’re planning on it to be used in New York City and Albany Medical. Can’t believe they’re actually allowing it, even after all I heard about its first usage.” Christine said, recalling what she had been hearing around the hospital.
“It’s still somewhat in the experimental stages, but, like that girl - Christine, correct? - said, it is being allowed.” Julian replied, hoping he got Christine’s name right.
“But why are you-.” Melissa began to say, but stopped. She then began to put two and two together. “Don’t tell me… are you two…?” She slowly began to say, praying they weren’t going to answer yes.
“Don’t you two know the risks you’re taking in doing this?” Hugh asked, worried about his old friend and his partner.
“We’re well aware, Hugh.” Paul replied.
“But you two are…” Janet began to say.
“We know, we’re not young like Jeff or William, but we wanted to do this.” Tony cut Janet off. Stephen stared at Tony and Paul with a look of realization. He caught the past tense Tony used in what he had said.
“Wanted?” Stephen repeated. Paul and Tony nodded, both smiling.
“Don’t tell me… did you…?” Christine began to pale.
“You had it, didn’t you? You had the operation?!” Julie whispered.
“Tell ‘em, Paul.” Julian grinned. Paul let out a soft chuckle as he put a hand to his stomach.
“You did, didn’t you!? You really are- Oh- Oh my- You’re-!” Melissa began to sputter, paling and almost ready to faint.
“Thirteen weeks pregnant.” Paul finished Melissa’s sentence with a giant, lopsided smile on his face.
“OH MY GOD!!” Julie exclaimed happily. Melissa’s eyes rolled into her head as she fell backwards into Jeff’s arms, fainted dead away.
“YOU’RE PREGNANT!?” Samantha screamed, flabbergasted.
“I KNEW IT!!” Richard shouted, running over and hugged Paul, then Tony.
“Told you it was big.” Josie told Mike and Greg, looking smug.
“Alright, you guys! Remember what we warned you about.” Ryan cheered. Brad walked over to him and Colin.
“You knew already?” Brad asked, incredulously.
“They told us at their reception.” Colin replied, an innocent smile on his face.
“And when were you going to tell us about it?!” Brad exclaimed, angry that he’d been left out of the big secret.
“We promised not to say anything until they knew the operation worked.” Colin stated innocently.
“So now we know it worked, well, we can tell you.” Ryan smiled. Brad responded with a turn and a grunt.
The next hour was then mostly centred on the aftermath of Paul and Tony’s announcement. Everyone was still reeling from it and they were dealing with it by either drinking or offering kind words, warnings, advice, and congratulations to the couple. Stephen warned them to be careful, especially if people are still wary of the operation while Robert and Janet told them to call if they need any parenting advice.
When midnight finally struck, there came the next big shocker. The bet that Will and Alicia would kiss was a bust because they didn’t “suck face” as Melissa colourfully called it, but someone else initiated the most shocking kiss of the night… well, shocking to some.
“No way…” Julie whispered.
“It’s about time.” Paul smirked.
“You owe me twenty bucks, Brad.” Greg stated, holding out a hand. Brad let out a few choice words as he handed the money to his friend.
“When do you think we should tell them that it’s been the New Year for two minutes?” Samantha wondered.
“When Richard and Josie start to undress and begin scaring the straights.” Mike replied, watching the two in question fall on a nearby couch, making out.
Still working on the story, so it will still be some length between each part. Besides that, enjoy