But Seriously... - Sequel to Truly, Madly, Deeply - Part 5b
Ah, very nice weather other here and I've got the second half of Truly, Madly, Deeply for anyone who is interested.
In which Tony and Paul give a College class a crash course in improv, Melissa ponders about Paul, and Julie becomes a worrywart.
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
Part 4
Part 5a
10:16AM
SUNY Albany
Acting 1 classroom
“Alright, everyone, now instead of our acting exercises, we’re gonna try something different this week.” Yvonne, a blonde woman in her 30’s, announced to the class of 20 students. Julie sat with Melissa, Tony, and Paul in front of the classroom, which was a rehearsal room for the music groups of the school. Julie fidgeted nervously, picking at her shirt sleeve.
“Julie, you may start.” Yvonne said, turning to face the young brunette. Julie nodded nervously. Tony reached over and gently touched Julie’s hand. Julie turned to face him, a bit concerned. Tony just gave a slight nod, giving her some courage to go on. Julie smiled weakly, then stood up and walked to the centre of the room.
“Um, I-I’m sure you’re all wondering what I’m doing. *ahem* W-well, I…,” Julie began, very nervously. She then turned back to face her three friends. Melissa looked impatient, Paul gave a reassuring smile, and Tony grinned with a nod. Julie smiled and turned back to face her fellow students. “First off, has anyone heard of improvisation?” Julie asked, confidence restoring. Less than half the students raised their hands in response. Julie nodded. “Ok, has anyone heard of Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Julie asked. About the same amount of hands shot into the air.
“At least some of them have an idea of what’s going to happen today.” Paul remarked bluntly. Tony and Melissa snickered. Paul rolled his eyes, a crooked smile on his face. Julie grinned, brushing strands of hair out her eyes.
“Alrighty then, so uh, what we’re gonna do today and Thursday is to give a somewhat crash course in improvisation. It’s pretty much acting with no clue of what you’re doing. You got no script, no prior knowledge of what’s going to happen. The only thing you got is yourself, the people you’re working with, and whatever the audience throws at you. Now, I have here three of my friends, two who have done improv before and are going to help give you guys a glimpse into improvisation.” Julie went on, gesturing back at Tony, Paul, and Melissa. Julie turned to her friends, who were now starting to stand up.
“The lady is my friend Melissa Anderson, who graduated here last year. She may have a major in Judicial Law, but her first love is acting and improvisation. Those two men are Tony Slattery and Paul Merton, who are from England and performed in the original British version of Whose Line. Paul, himself, is actually part of two improv groups: the Comedy Store Players, who’ve been performing since the mid 80’s and his own little group that travel to different areas. Well, I’ve wasted your time with this boring intro; let’s start off with some games. Um, Paul, Tony, you want to take over?” Julie introduced her friends, then asked the two men.
“Might as well.” Tony shrugged as he and Paul got up, the former helping the latter, and then walked over to where Julie once stood since she was now going back over to join Melissa.
“Ok, well, like Julie said, I’m Tony and this is Paul and we’re from England. Also like Julie said, we’ve got prior experience with improvisation, so what we’re going to do is show you some examples of the games that are usually played in these shows.” Tony announced.
“Now we must warn all of you, Tony and I are not young boys so when we ask for your assistance, please note we’re a bunch of old farts. We’re not those young, hot men you watch on Heroes and whatever teen show you’re into right now.” Paul noted, a bit sarcastically, but also seriously.
“That wasn’t nice, Paul.” Tony told his husband.
“Well I feel like its safe to warn them that we’re not kids like them.” Paul retorted in annoyance.
“Alright, alright, you two. Let’s save this lovers tiff for later. Now let’s start off with a somewhat easier game, ok?” Melissa stepped forward, playing the referee in the small argument.
“How about ‘Emotion Option’? That’s pretty easy enough.” Julie suggested. Paul and Tony looked at each other, both pondering the thought.
“Alright, we’ll do that.” Tony agreed.
“Tony and I’ll start it off first.” Paul recommended.
“Alrighty, let’s go. Better give them the run down, since I doubt they ever saw this game before.” Melissa clapped her hands together, then rubbed them together. Julie nodded, walking back over to her chair, where her backpack was. She then took out a medium sized notepad and a pen and handed them to Melissa.
“Write the ideas down.” Julie whispered to her friend.
“So this game is ‘Emotion Option’. Tony and I are going to start off normally, doing a scene, but during the course of the game, the girls will interrupt us and have us continue the scene, but we both must convey a different emotion.” Paul explained to the class.
“So let’s get some random emotions. You know, like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘bitchy’, that sorta thing.” Melissa asked, ready to write.
“Pissed!” a boy immediately shouted, startling the two girls.
“Blunt, aren’t they?” Tony chuckled, looking back at Melissa and Julie.
“Uh, pissed off or pissed drunk?” Julie asked, a bit hesitantly, scratching the side of her face with her index finger.
“Let’s do both. Could be fun.” Melissa shrugged, then wrote the two emotions down. More suggestions were then shouted out, Melissa writing each one down. “Ok, disbelief… ecstasy… fearful, worry, those two are pretty much the- what? Panic, silly, weepy, envy… dopey, sleepy, grumpy, - you’re just naming off the seven dwarfs there. And what’s that?” Melissa wrote, then paused, pointing to one of the male students with her pen.
“Horny.” The same boy who said ‘pissed’ repeated.
“Horny? Are you serious?” Julie repeated, then asked incredulously.
“Let’s keep that. It’ll make things interesting.” Melissa winked, smirking. Julie sighed, shaking her head. “Ok, how about a location for this to take place?” Melissa asked.
“Bus stop.” A girl shouted.
“The mall!” Another girl, a blonde, shouted.
“How about a bus stop at the mall, will that work? You guys do have malls in England, right?” Melissa suggested, asking Paul and Tony.
“You are straying close to Clive Anderson territory, there, Melissa.” Paul warned. Melissa just glared at him in response.
“Ok, you do have malls, then. So that’s the scene. You’re at a bus stop at the mall.” Melissa announced.
“So since I don’t have a buzzer, I have this.” Julie went on, raising a cowbell for all to see, “Yes, it’s a cowbell, my dad bought it at a garage sale for fun, don’t ask. So, when I think it’s time to change the scene or end the game, I will ring this…”
“And the cows will come home.” Melissa stated blithely. Julie shot her friend a glare.
“So, whenever you two are ready… go ahead.” Julie went on. Tony walked to where the spare chairs were and grabbed two, dragging them to the centre of the room. He placed them side-by-side and sat on one, a look of impatience on his face. He then pretended to check his watch, tapping his foot. Paul then walked over, pretending to struggle with several bags in his hands.
“Mind if I sit down here?” Paul asked, pretending to strain under the weight of the ‘bags’. Tony inched his chair away from the other char.
“Go right ahead.” Tony offered, gesturing to the other chair. Paul let out a loud sigh of relief as he slumped down into the chair, arms falling to his side. “Rough day, uh…?” Tony asked.
“Yeah. And my name’s Jen.” Paul replied and introduced himself.
“You’re a woman?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. Paul shot him a dirty look, prompting some small laughs from the students. “Uh-huh. So, shopped ‘til you nearly dropped, huh?” Tony began to make conversation.
“Pretty much. It’s one of my last days to go out shopping before I’m, *ahem*, disposed of for a couple of months.” Paul replied. Tony stared at Paul for a few seconds.
“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Tony asked, a bit wary. Paul stared at him for several seconds.
“….Yes.” Paul said bluntly. This caused a bunch of laughter due to how Paul said the simple word. Julie then decided to ring the bell to pause the action.
“Alright, time for the first emotion. Melissa?” Julie announced.
“Let’s do envy.” Melissa stated.
“Lucky bitch.” Tony huffed and turned away, fake-envy on his face. Scattered laughter.
“Hey, at least you’re in good shape compared to this damn bowling ball I’m carrying!” Paul retorted. “All my mates are so damn thin, but they have their own kids of their own and I used to wish I could be like them and have me own. Child, I mean.” Paul went on.
“At least you can have one.” Tony muttered in annoyance. Paul just stared at Tony in surprise as Julie rang the bell.
“Drunk, pissed drunk.” Melissa announced. Tony then proceeded to fall out of his chair in a classic pratfall.
“Oooo, shouldn’t ‘ave stopped at that pub before comin’ here…” Tony groaned, slurring his words. He then tried to get back on his chair, but then pulled another pratfall and fell on his knees. “I’m alright; I jus’ have an inner ear infection.” Tony exclaimed, prompting some more laughs. Nothing funnier than seeing someone stumble around hammered or pretending to be hammered.
“Some infection.” Paul remarked, sitting casually on his chair, showing no signs of being drunk. Tony stared at Paul, blinking several times, pondering the man in front of him. He stood up, wobbly.
“Why aren’t you as drunk as *hic* I am?” Tony asked, adding a fake ‘hiccup’ to accent his drunkenness.
“Pregnant people don’t drink.” Paul stated in total deadpan. This had most of the students laughing as Julie rang the bell.
“He’s got a point.” Julie remarked.
“Then let’s go onto the other side of Pissed. Pissed off.” Melissa checked off from her list.
“Then how can you be so damn calm without a bloody drink?” Tony asked, angrily. Paul then began to stand, having a bit of trouble doing so due to the added weight he was carrying.
“Because there is plenty of things to be fucking pissed off about! You never have to go through all the shit I’ve gone through! Throwing up in the morning about twelve times a day for the first three months, mood fucking swings, back pains because of all the fucking extra weight, I can’t see my bloody feet anymore, I can’t drink or smoke or eat certain kinds of foods and I’ve got the weirdest fucking cravings. Plus the father of this baby ditched me and you wanna know why I’m taking the fucking bus?! Because my bloody mate, a certain blonde bimbo I know decided to ditch me so she could go out with her GOD DAMN BOYFRIEND, THE FATHER OF THIS BABY, AND HER BITCH OF A SISTER!!” Paul snapped, now on his feet and actually being quite angry, making Tony back away. Julie flinched while Melissa blushed when she saw it was her Paul was staring at when he mentioned his friend.
“Well…. Shit.” Tony mumbled, startled by Paul’s outburst, plus his explosive swearing.
“I think this is good therapy for him.” Julie whispered to Melissa. Melissa’s response was to grab the bell from Julie’s hands and ring it, loudly. She then handed it back to Julie.
“Please try to keep this somewhat clean - horny.” Melissa warned as she announced the next emotion. Tony looked up and smirked, making Julie gulp. She recognized the look on his face. It was the same naughty boy look he had several times in old Whose Line episodes, usually before he said or did something very… raunchy.
“Can I… help you?” Tony asked, walking back over to Paul. Paul then grabbed Tony by his shirt and pulled him closer.
“Yes… you can,” Paul said, huskily, “Since me boyfriend left me, I’ve been… really… really lonely. I need a man… a REAL man around the house to help me and this baby. Someone who is… kind… sweet… likes to listen… and very… very… passionate. And I want you to be my man.” Paul went on, inching closer and closer to Tony’s face. Tony looked at the student, a look of surprise on his face, then looked back at Paul.
“….ok.” Tony spoke the simple word in a timid voice. Paul grinned…
…And then pulled Tony into a full-blown-full-of-passion-knock-your-socks-off kiss. Several of the female students let out loud squeals while most of the students laughed and clapped. Julie just stared at the two with a look of shock, joy, and dread on her face. Shocked that they’d do that, joy over seeing her friends kiss, and dread over what would happen afterwards.
Melissa, meanwhile, after waiting several seconds, rang Julie’s cowbell, ending the scene. “Alright, break it up you two. Don’t make me get the hose.” Melissa told the two men. Paul and Tony finally broke away two seconds after Melissa spoke, both looking quite flushed and proud of themselves. The two bowed at their audience, then dragged their chairs to the side and sat in their original seats. Melissa and Julie walked back to the centre of the room.
“Well I hope you all learned something.” Julie told her fellow classmates. Some of them laughed.
“Yeah, never let those two do “horny” or anything akin to that in “emotions”.” Melissa quipped. Julie rolled her eyes.
“It was your idea to use that emotion in the first place. Now before you say anything, those two can get away with doing that since they are, indeed, a couple. End of discussion.” Julie explained, pointing to Paul and Tony, both grinning in response.
“Now, who wants to participate in the next game, which I think ought to be ‘Superheroes’?” Melissa asked. Almost half of the students raised their hands. Julie and Melissa grinned at each other.
The next three games went off without much trouble. As they had announced, they went on with “Superheroes”, with the crisis being “Food poisoning” hitting everyone, with Tony, as “Bad Psychic Man”, and Julie, as “The Hyperactive Puppy Kid” showing Julie’s classmates Michael and Alex the ropes. Michael had a lot of fun as “Super Opera Man”, reminding Melissa of Wayne, while Alex just followed along somewhat as “Angry New York Cabbie Guy”. Julie, however, showed a lot of talent, plus her willingness to do dirty things by licking Tony’s face and humping everyone’s leg. This caused Melissa to quip “You finally got to get that close to Tony and all you can do is lick his cheek?” Julie then threatened bodily harm in the next round.
And Melissa got her comeuppance in Film, TV, and Theatre style where she did a skit with Julie’s classmate Kyle, the same one who suggested “Pissed” and “horny” in Emotions, while Paul showed Amber, a young woman who wasn’t really paying much attention, what happens when you don’t pay attention. Melissa got groped and prodded by Kyle during most of the game due to it being about “The Bride of Frankenstein”, plus porno being a style Julie chose for fun. Paul and Amber, however, had the “Blind Date” scene and Paul, despite being pregnant and in his 50’s, showed the young girl up in certain areas, especially in the “Disaster” style and in “Surrealism”. Tony couldn’t be any prouder for Paul, seeing him have fun, but he also felt sorry for him having to deal with such a naive girl.
The final game of the day was “Sound effects”, which Melissa forced Julie into with her classmate, a boy named Nick, the two doing the sounds from fellow classmates Avivah and Sean. The scene was a James Bond-esq scenario, with Sean being Bond and Avivah being the Bond girl. Julie showed her talents once more, making some really good sounds while Nick did some equally good sounds. Avivah and Nick spent part of the scene laughing at the sounds, but for the rest of the scene, they proved they were really good at the game, Avivah admitting she had watched the show “a few times”.
Once class was over, several of the students crowded around the two men and two women, a few of them having recognized Tony and Paul as two of the men involved in the December ’06 incident as they had called it. They asked the two men, plus Melissa and Julie questions about that experience, ranging from “Was it scary?” to “Was that person really nuts?” to “What did you do?”. Finally, after ten minutes worth of questions, the four finally escaped and exited the room, then the building.
As they escaped the onslaught of questions, the four decided to grab something to eat. While discussing this, Melissa noticed that Paul looked quite exhausted.
“You ok, Paul?” Melissa asked, worried and curious. Paul looked at her in surprise. Tony then looked at Paul, also growing worried, as did Julie.
“Me? I’m fine. Just a little tired. Kids are complaining about lack of hunger and all the excitement today.” Paul replied, hand on his stomach while waving the other hand in a dismissive manner.
“Ok. Just curious…” Melissa smiled. Her smile faded however as she looked away while they continued on.
March 25th
5:30PM
Sanders House
“Are you serious?” Julie asked, pacing the living room, holding the phone in one hand. She had just gotten home less than 20 minutes ago and was already in an argument with Melissa, who had just rung her up several minutes ago.
“I am. I don’t have any definite proof as of yet, maybe he was just tired, but I got a bad feeling about this.” Melissa replied. Julie sighed, sitting on the couch in a huff.
“You call me a few minutes after I get home from school to tell me you’re worried about Paul’s health because he said he was tired after performing yesterday. Then you go on a rant about the pregnancy, saying that it might be killing him, and you say you ‘don’t have definite proof’? ‘Lis, I think Chris is rubbing off on you.” Julie recalled their entire talk in frustration.
“Don’t even joke about that.” Melissa growled through the other line.
“Not joking. Melissa, you keep doing this to me and I’m getting a bit tired of it. If you don’t have any hard evidence that something’s wrong with Paul, then don’t say another word! Now if you don’t mind, some of us have some school work to do, so goodnight!” Julie snapped before hanging up on her friend. She then put the phone back on the receiver and buried her face into her hands with a moan.
“Melissa’s worried about Paul?” Janet asked. Julie nodded, leaning back into the couch.
“She calls up and starts freaking about Paul not being well due to the pregnancy and I don’t know if she’s really worried or just messing with me?” Julie groaned. She then looked around, curiously. “Where is everyone?” she asked.
“Will and Tony are out getting some takeout and Paul’s in the shower.” Janet replied. Julie let out a soft “oh” and nodded. Robert was out of town, again, on a service call in New Jersey, so it was one short for the night. The young brunette got on her feet and walked to the hall that led to the stairs.
“Where are you going, now?” Janet asked her daughter.
“Gonna put on some sweats and then talk with Paul about… something.” Julie replied, softly saying the last word. Janet nodded in response as she watched her daughter exit the room.
Once upstairs, Julie listened and looked carefully around, making sure Paul wasn’t walking around anywhere looking indecent. Sighing in relief, she entered her room, grabbing a pair of sweatpants from the dresser in the process. She closed the door and sat down on her bed, clenching the sweatpants in her hands.
“Ugh, what’s wrong with me? Melissa’s just worried about Paul, but why is she being the panicky one? Usually it’s me who’s the worry wart.” Julie groaned, burying her face into the article of clothing she had in her hands.
Unbeknown to her, Paul had just exited the bathroom, dabbing his face and neck with a towel. He was only in a white undershirt and a pair of black slacks, barefooted, and hair still damp from the shower. He began to walk to the guest room when he heard Julie say his name. He then stared at the girls’ door, listening to her talk out loud.
“I’m worried, too, about him, but he was just a little tired. Then again… oh, what am I doing? He’s my friend… but he’s also a 50 year old guy several months pregnant with twins. He hasn’t said anything about it, but… Damn it, now I’m turning into Melissa! Next thing I know, I’ll be drooling over pictures of Michael Jackson…” Julie ranted and worried. Paul frowned, letting the towel drop around his neck. as he listened to the young woman rant. He knew Melissa had been worried about him, but now Julie was starting to worry.
“Damn.” Paul whispered, leaning against the table next to Julie’s door. Unfortunately, his arm bumped into the books on the table, knocking one off, which landed on his foot.
“SHIT!” Paul cursed loudly, trying to kneel down to nurse his foot. With his added weight from the pregnancy, it was proving to be a small problem so he grabbed the same table he bumped into to steady himself as he knelt.
“Paul? Paul is that you?” Julie exclaimed, opening the door of her bedroom, now wearing the sweatpants she had picked out. She then began to blush when she saw Paul’s attire.
“Hehe, hi kid.” Paul laughed nervously, looking up at the young woman
“Are you ok?” Julie asked, kneeling down in front of the older man.
“Yes, just knocked a book on my foot, nothing to worry about.” Paul replied, rubbing his aching foot in response.
“Easy for you to say…” Julie whispered, picking up the book Paul had knocked over.
“Hm?” Paul raised an eyebrow.
“Er, nothing, just delete that!” Julie exclaimed hastily, blushing softly. Paul, using the table as support, slowly got to his feet, hand to his back as he regained his balance.
“It’s alright, kid. I know you’re worried about me.” Paul told Julie. Julie looked up at Paul in surprise.
“You-?” Julie began, then paused. She then stood up, holding the book that had fallen in her hands. “How long were you listening in on me?” Julie frowned in annoyance.
“For about a minute, I heard you come up earlier, but I didn’t do anything. Then I heard you complaining about something Melissa said about me.” Paul replied, wincing as he began to nurse his back. Julie frowned when she saw her friend wince in pain.
“Uh, do you wanna sit down? M-maybe in my room?” Julie asked, nervously, placing the book back on the table.
“…your room?” Paul blinked. Julie began to blush.
“Y-yeah, I-I mean mom and dad’s room is messy, the guest room’s still disorganized with Tony and your stuff and, erm, well…” Julie began to explain, rubbing the back of her neck.
“…Alright.” Paul replied, shrugging his shoulders. Julie nodded, still blushing, as she led Paul into her room. Paul took a moment to scan Julie’s bedroom. Soft pink walls with dark rose pink trim. A closet with white doors. Two white dressers, one with a TV on it, the other with several sweaters, a jewellery case, and some makeup on it. A poster with the White Power Ranger, a poster of Pocahontas, the Disney version, and a cardboard cut out of the Pink Power Ranger. A bed with a dozen stuffed animals - ranging from a turquoise bear to an old Sonic the Hedgehog doll to a Baby Kermit the Frog doll an old, beat-up Alf doll - on it. Two shelves over the bed, one with dolls, the other with a bunch of books and old magazines. A built in nightstand with a lamp, a clock radio, tissues and a few figurines and shelves jammed with books and knickknacks. Paul sat on the bed with a groan, still nursing his back.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Julie asked, growing worried.
“Fine, just a kink in my back.” Paul replied, massaging a spot on his back. He then noticed Julie, who was now sitting next to him, staring at him in worry. “It’s nothing, kid.” Paul reassured.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing to me, Paul. Melissa’s worried about you… and I’m getting worried, too. You’ve been tired a lot since you got here” Julie stated
“Julie, I’m 50 years old, out of my usual time zone, and six months up the duff with twins. Of course I’m gonna be tired a lot.” Paul remarked, leaning back on his hands, which were planted on the bed.
“I know, I know. It’s just that…,” Julie sighed, “Melissa’s getting me worried, too, about you. Especially when I remember what happened and nearly happened to Ryan and Colin…” Julie went on, looking down. Paul shifted on the bed, getting into a better position.
“Kid, this is different than what happened to Ryan and Colin. For one thing, it was sped up to span several days. Also, they were kept in pretty bad conditions. None of that’s happening to me, so don’t you worry too much about me, alright?” Paul reassured his younger friend. Julie nods slowly, but still looking down in worry. Paul frowned, not sure what to do. He then had an idea.
He held out his right hand. “Gimme your hand.”
Julie stared at him in confusion. “What?” she asked.
“Give me your hand.” Paul stated, more firmly.
“Why?” Julie was still confused.
“You never felt it, have you? A baby kicking, you never felt it yet, have you?” Paul explained. Julie shook her head no. “Then give me your hand and you’ll see there’s nothing to worry about.” Paul continued. Julie began to blush, but shyly gave Paul her right hand to take. Paul grabbed the girls’ wrist and placed her hand on his stomach, his hand covering hers. Julie blushed harder, biting her lip.
“You feel them, don’t you?” Paul asked. Julie nodded silently. “I’m alright, kid. The babies are alright, too, last time I checked.” Paul went on. He then let out a sigh. “I know you’re worried about me, kid. And I know Tony and Melissa are worried, too. Thing is… I’m afraid, too.” Paul continued.
“You are?” Julie asked shyly, looking into Paul’s eyes.
“Of course. I’m the one that’s gotta give birth here, why shouldn’t I be scared? I mean, I knew the frisks in doing this, but I’m still going through this all the way to the end.” Paul nodded. He then looked down at his stomach. “I’ve wanted a child for several years, not I’ve got my chance.” Paul sighed. That’s when the two felt it. A sudden movement under the skin.
“Oh!” Paul and Julie both gasped. Paul looked a bit flustered while Julie blushed more.
“That was…” Julie whispered.
“One of the babies said ‘hi’.” Paul grinned cheekily. Julie pulled her hand away, staring at it for several seconds.
“Wow… that was… wow….” Julie said softly, at a total lost of words.
“I felt the same way when I first felt them-.” Paul nodded, still smiling. His words were cut off however when loud rock music began to play from downstairs. “The hell is that?” Paul asked, looking around. Julie buried her face in her hands.
“Oh, no, Kid Rock’s Cowboy. Mom’s surfing the music channels!” Julie groaned through her hands.
“Is that bad?” Paul asked curiously. Julie removed her hands from her face, forcing a smile.
“Not if you like listening to random music for the next hour or so.” Julie replied. She then stood up, stretching her arms. “I better head back downstairs to monitor mom before Will and Tony get back.” Julie announced, heading to her door. Paul struggled to his feet.
“I’ll be right behind you.” Paul stated, following the young woman. Julie turned to face Paul, then began to blush again. “Oh, now what?” Paul sighed, hands on his hips.
“If you came downstairs in what you got on right now, I think mom’ll be pissed.” Julie replied, pointing to Paul’s limited wardrobe.
“Oh, I forgotten I wasn’t fully dressed yet.” Paul laughed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Guess you got distracted due to eavesdropping on your friend.” Julie shrugged, smirking as she left her room. Paul followed her to the door, but stopped. He then took a few seconds to look at Julie’s room for a second time. He sighed in disappointment.
“First time in a long time I’m ever in a girl’s bedroom and it has to be when I’m married and knocked up.” Paul remarked. He then let out a huff. “Figures.” Paul shook his head as he closed the door behind him as he exited the room.
The next part will fastforward a few months later and there will be some drama in the form of Christine.
A preview of things to come:
“So what you think Paul and I are doing is a sin?” Tony narrowed his eyes at the older blonde.
“It’s disgusting and immoral! How you could even think this was a good idea is beyond me!” Christine nodded, disturbed.
“Does that include Ryan and Colin, too, Christine?” Samantha asked, annoyed by Christine’s outburst.
“They had no choice in the matter; they were forced into it by an outside force. Paul, however, did as did everyone else who wanted this abomination.” Christine remarked, crossing her arms. Richard was now starting to turn a nice shade of red as Lee and Josie began to restrain him from doing bodily damage to the nurse.
“Christine, stop it!” Julie cried out, seeing her friends growing angry with what she was saying. Christine turned to face the brunette, staring coldly at her.
“I heard you and Melissa talking about Paul on the way over, and I’m not surprised he’s getting weak, and that false labour bit two weeks ago. In fact, if he doesn’t survive, I wouldn’t be surprised. Anyone who goes through that should die!” Christine growled angrily.
There was dead silence after Christine’s cold words were spoken. Everyone stared at her, stunned.
In which Tony and Paul give a College class a crash course in improv, Melissa ponders about Paul, and Julie becomes a worrywart.
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
Part 4
Part 5a
10:16AM
SUNY Albany
Acting 1 classroom
“Alright, everyone, now instead of our acting exercises, we’re gonna try something different this week.” Yvonne, a blonde woman in her 30’s, announced to the class of 20 students. Julie sat with Melissa, Tony, and Paul in front of the classroom, which was a rehearsal room for the music groups of the school. Julie fidgeted nervously, picking at her shirt sleeve.
“Julie, you may start.” Yvonne said, turning to face the young brunette. Julie nodded nervously. Tony reached over and gently touched Julie’s hand. Julie turned to face him, a bit concerned. Tony just gave a slight nod, giving her some courage to go on. Julie smiled weakly, then stood up and walked to the centre of the room.
“Um, I-I’m sure you’re all wondering what I’m doing. *ahem* W-well, I…,” Julie began, very nervously. She then turned back to face her three friends. Melissa looked impatient, Paul gave a reassuring smile, and Tony grinned with a nod. Julie smiled and turned back to face her fellow students. “First off, has anyone heard of improvisation?” Julie asked, confidence restoring. Less than half the students raised their hands in response. Julie nodded. “Ok, has anyone heard of Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Julie asked. About the same amount of hands shot into the air.
“At least some of them have an idea of what’s going to happen today.” Paul remarked bluntly. Tony and Melissa snickered. Paul rolled his eyes, a crooked smile on his face. Julie grinned, brushing strands of hair out her eyes.
“Alrighty then, so uh, what we’re gonna do today and Thursday is to give a somewhat crash course in improvisation. It’s pretty much acting with no clue of what you’re doing. You got no script, no prior knowledge of what’s going to happen. The only thing you got is yourself, the people you’re working with, and whatever the audience throws at you. Now, I have here three of my friends, two who have done improv before and are going to help give you guys a glimpse into improvisation.” Julie went on, gesturing back at Tony, Paul, and Melissa. Julie turned to her friends, who were now starting to stand up.
“The lady is my friend Melissa Anderson, who graduated here last year. She may have a major in Judicial Law, but her first love is acting and improvisation. Those two men are Tony Slattery and Paul Merton, who are from England and performed in the original British version of Whose Line. Paul, himself, is actually part of two improv groups: the Comedy Store Players, who’ve been performing since the mid 80’s and his own little group that travel to different areas. Well, I’ve wasted your time with this boring intro; let’s start off with some games. Um, Paul, Tony, you want to take over?” Julie introduced her friends, then asked the two men.
“Might as well.” Tony shrugged as he and Paul got up, the former helping the latter, and then walked over to where Julie once stood since she was now going back over to join Melissa.
“Ok, well, like Julie said, I’m Tony and this is Paul and we’re from England. Also like Julie said, we’ve got prior experience with improvisation, so what we’re going to do is show you some examples of the games that are usually played in these shows.” Tony announced.
“Now we must warn all of you, Tony and I are not young boys so when we ask for your assistance, please note we’re a bunch of old farts. We’re not those young, hot men you watch on Heroes and whatever teen show you’re into right now.” Paul noted, a bit sarcastically, but also seriously.
“That wasn’t nice, Paul.” Tony told his husband.
“Well I feel like its safe to warn them that we’re not kids like them.” Paul retorted in annoyance.
“Alright, alright, you two. Let’s save this lovers tiff for later. Now let’s start off with a somewhat easier game, ok?” Melissa stepped forward, playing the referee in the small argument.
“How about ‘Emotion Option’? That’s pretty easy enough.” Julie suggested. Paul and Tony looked at each other, both pondering the thought.
“Alright, we’ll do that.” Tony agreed.
“Tony and I’ll start it off first.” Paul recommended.
“Alrighty, let’s go. Better give them the run down, since I doubt they ever saw this game before.” Melissa clapped her hands together, then rubbed them together. Julie nodded, walking back over to her chair, where her backpack was. She then took out a medium sized notepad and a pen and handed them to Melissa.
“Write the ideas down.” Julie whispered to her friend.
“So this game is ‘Emotion Option’. Tony and I are going to start off normally, doing a scene, but during the course of the game, the girls will interrupt us and have us continue the scene, but we both must convey a different emotion.” Paul explained to the class.
“So let’s get some random emotions. You know, like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘bitchy’, that sorta thing.” Melissa asked, ready to write.
“Pissed!” a boy immediately shouted, startling the two girls.
“Blunt, aren’t they?” Tony chuckled, looking back at Melissa and Julie.
“Uh, pissed off or pissed drunk?” Julie asked, a bit hesitantly, scratching the side of her face with her index finger.
“Let’s do both. Could be fun.” Melissa shrugged, then wrote the two emotions down. More suggestions were then shouted out, Melissa writing each one down. “Ok, disbelief… ecstasy… fearful, worry, those two are pretty much the- what? Panic, silly, weepy, envy… dopey, sleepy, grumpy, - you’re just naming off the seven dwarfs there. And what’s that?” Melissa wrote, then paused, pointing to one of the male students with her pen.
“Horny.” The same boy who said ‘pissed’ repeated.
“Horny? Are you serious?” Julie repeated, then asked incredulously.
“Let’s keep that. It’ll make things interesting.” Melissa winked, smirking. Julie sighed, shaking her head. “Ok, how about a location for this to take place?” Melissa asked.
“Bus stop.” A girl shouted.
“The mall!” Another girl, a blonde, shouted.
“How about a bus stop at the mall, will that work? You guys do have malls in England, right?” Melissa suggested, asking Paul and Tony.
“You are straying close to Clive Anderson territory, there, Melissa.” Paul warned. Melissa just glared at him in response.
“Ok, you do have malls, then. So that’s the scene. You’re at a bus stop at the mall.” Melissa announced.
“So since I don’t have a buzzer, I have this.” Julie went on, raising a cowbell for all to see, “Yes, it’s a cowbell, my dad bought it at a garage sale for fun, don’t ask. So, when I think it’s time to change the scene or end the game, I will ring this…”
“And the cows will come home.” Melissa stated blithely. Julie shot her friend a glare.
“So, whenever you two are ready… go ahead.” Julie went on. Tony walked to where the spare chairs were and grabbed two, dragging them to the centre of the room. He placed them side-by-side and sat on one, a look of impatience on his face. He then pretended to check his watch, tapping his foot. Paul then walked over, pretending to struggle with several bags in his hands.
“Mind if I sit down here?” Paul asked, pretending to strain under the weight of the ‘bags’. Tony inched his chair away from the other char.
“Go right ahead.” Tony offered, gesturing to the other chair. Paul let out a loud sigh of relief as he slumped down into the chair, arms falling to his side. “Rough day, uh…?” Tony asked.
“Yeah. And my name’s Jen.” Paul replied and introduced himself.
“You’re a woman?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. Paul shot him a dirty look, prompting some small laughs from the students. “Uh-huh. So, shopped ‘til you nearly dropped, huh?” Tony began to make conversation.
“Pretty much. It’s one of my last days to go out shopping before I’m, *ahem*, disposed of for a couple of months.” Paul replied. Tony stared at Paul for a few seconds.
“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Tony asked, a bit wary. Paul stared at him for several seconds.
“….Yes.” Paul said bluntly. This caused a bunch of laughter due to how Paul said the simple word. Julie then decided to ring the bell to pause the action.
“Alright, time for the first emotion. Melissa?” Julie announced.
“Let’s do envy.” Melissa stated.
“Lucky bitch.” Tony huffed and turned away, fake-envy on his face. Scattered laughter.
“Hey, at least you’re in good shape compared to this damn bowling ball I’m carrying!” Paul retorted. “All my mates are so damn thin, but they have their own kids of their own and I used to wish I could be like them and have me own. Child, I mean.” Paul went on.
“At least you can have one.” Tony muttered in annoyance. Paul just stared at Tony in surprise as Julie rang the bell.
“Drunk, pissed drunk.” Melissa announced. Tony then proceeded to fall out of his chair in a classic pratfall.
“Oooo, shouldn’t ‘ave stopped at that pub before comin’ here…” Tony groaned, slurring his words. He then tried to get back on his chair, but then pulled another pratfall and fell on his knees. “I’m alright; I jus’ have an inner ear infection.” Tony exclaimed, prompting some more laughs. Nothing funnier than seeing someone stumble around hammered or pretending to be hammered.
“Some infection.” Paul remarked, sitting casually on his chair, showing no signs of being drunk. Tony stared at Paul, blinking several times, pondering the man in front of him. He stood up, wobbly.
“Why aren’t you as drunk as *hic* I am?” Tony asked, adding a fake ‘hiccup’ to accent his drunkenness.
“Pregnant people don’t drink.” Paul stated in total deadpan. This had most of the students laughing as Julie rang the bell.
“He’s got a point.” Julie remarked.
“Then let’s go onto the other side of Pissed. Pissed off.” Melissa checked off from her list.
“Then how can you be so damn calm without a bloody drink?” Tony asked, angrily. Paul then began to stand, having a bit of trouble doing so due to the added weight he was carrying.
“Because there is plenty of things to be fucking pissed off about! You never have to go through all the shit I’ve gone through! Throwing up in the morning about twelve times a day for the first three months, mood fucking swings, back pains because of all the fucking extra weight, I can’t see my bloody feet anymore, I can’t drink or smoke or eat certain kinds of foods and I’ve got the weirdest fucking cravings. Plus the father of this baby ditched me and you wanna know why I’m taking the fucking bus?! Because my bloody mate, a certain blonde bimbo I know decided to ditch me so she could go out with her GOD DAMN BOYFRIEND, THE FATHER OF THIS BABY, AND HER BITCH OF A SISTER!!” Paul snapped, now on his feet and actually being quite angry, making Tony back away. Julie flinched while Melissa blushed when she saw it was her Paul was staring at when he mentioned his friend.
“Well…. Shit.” Tony mumbled, startled by Paul’s outburst, plus his explosive swearing.
“I think this is good therapy for him.” Julie whispered to Melissa. Melissa’s response was to grab the bell from Julie’s hands and ring it, loudly. She then handed it back to Julie.
“Please try to keep this somewhat clean - horny.” Melissa warned as she announced the next emotion. Tony looked up and smirked, making Julie gulp. She recognized the look on his face. It was the same naughty boy look he had several times in old Whose Line episodes, usually before he said or did something very… raunchy.
“Can I… help you?” Tony asked, walking back over to Paul. Paul then grabbed Tony by his shirt and pulled him closer.
“Yes… you can,” Paul said, huskily, “Since me boyfriend left me, I’ve been… really… really lonely. I need a man… a REAL man around the house to help me and this baby. Someone who is… kind… sweet… likes to listen… and very… very… passionate. And I want you to be my man.” Paul went on, inching closer and closer to Tony’s face. Tony looked at the student, a look of surprise on his face, then looked back at Paul.
“….ok.” Tony spoke the simple word in a timid voice. Paul grinned…
…And then pulled Tony into a full-blown-full-of-passion-knock-your-socks-off kiss. Several of the female students let out loud squeals while most of the students laughed and clapped. Julie just stared at the two with a look of shock, joy, and dread on her face. Shocked that they’d do that, joy over seeing her friends kiss, and dread over what would happen afterwards.
Melissa, meanwhile, after waiting several seconds, rang Julie’s cowbell, ending the scene. “Alright, break it up you two. Don’t make me get the hose.” Melissa told the two men. Paul and Tony finally broke away two seconds after Melissa spoke, both looking quite flushed and proud of themselves. The two bowed at their audience, then dragged their chairs to the side and sat in their original seats. Melissa and Julie walked back to the centre of the room.
“Well I hope you all learned something.” Julie told her fellow classmates. Some of them laughed.
“Yeah, never let those two do “horny” or anything akin to that in “emotions”.” Melissa quipped. Julie rolled her eyes.
“It was your idea to use that emotion in the first place. Now before you say anything, those two can get away with doing that since they are, indeed, a couple. End of discussion.” Julie explained, pointing to Paul and Tony, both grinning in response.
“Now, who wants to participate in the next game, which I think ought to be ‘Superheroes’?” Melissa asked. Almost half of the students raised their hands. Julie and Melissa grinned at each other.
The next three games went off without much trouble. As they had announced, they went on with “Superheroes”, with the crisis being “Food poisoning” hitting everyone, with Tony, as “Bad Psychic Man”, and Julie, as “The Hyperactive Puppy Kid” showing Julie’s classmates Michael and Alex the ropes. Michael had a lot of fun as “Super Opera Man”, reminding Melissa of Wayne, while Alex just followed along somewhat as “Angry New York Cabbie Guy”. Julie, however, showed a lot of talent, plus her willingness to do dirty things by licking Tony’s face and humping everyone’s leg. This caused Melissa to quip “You finally got to get that close to Tony and all you can do is lick his cheek?” Julie then threatened bodily harm in the next round.
And Melissa got her comeuppance in Film, TV, and Theatre style where she did a skit with Julie’s classmate Kyle, the same one who suggested “Pissed” and “horny” in Emotions, while Paul showed Amber, a young woman who wasn’t really paying much attention, what happens when you don’t pay attention. Melissa got groped and prodded by Kyle during most of the game due to it being about “The Bride of Frankenstein”, plus porno being a style Julie chose for fun. Paul and Amber, however, had the “Blind Date” scene and Paul, despite being pregnant and in his 50’s, showed the young girl up in certain areas, especially in the “Disaster” style and in “Surrealism”. Tony couldn’t be any prouder for Paul, seeing him have fun, but he also felt sorry for him having to deal with such a naive girl.
The final game of the day was “Sound effects”, which Melissa forced Julie into with her classmate, a boy named Nick, the two doing the sounds from fellow classmates Avivah and Sean. The scene was a James Bond-esq scenario, with Sean being Bond and Avivah being the Bond girl. Julie showed her talents once more, making some really good sounds while Nick did some equally good sounds. Avivah and Nick spent part of the scene laughing at the sounds, but for the rest of the scene, they proved they were really good at the game, Avivah admitting she had watched the show “a few times”.
Once class was over, several of the students crowded around the two men and two women, a few of them having recognized Tony and Paul as two of the men involved in the December ’06 incident as they had called it. They asked the two men, plus Melissa and Julie questions about that experience, ranging from “Was it scary?” to “Was that person really nuts?” to “What did you do?”. Finally, after ten minutes worth of questions, the four finally escaped and exited the room, then the building.
As they escaped the onslaught of questions, the four decided to grab something to eat. While discussing this, Melissa noticed that Paul looked quite exhausted.
“You ok, Paul?” Melissa asked, worried and curious. Paul looked at her in surprise. Tony then looked at Paul, also growing worried, as did Julie.
“Me? I’m fine. Just a little tired. Kids are complaining about lack of hunger and all the excitement today.” Paul replied, hand on his stomach while waving the other hand in a dismissive manner.
“Ok. Just curious…” Melissa smiled. Her smile faded however as she looked away while they continued on.
March 25th
5:30PM
Sanders House
“Are you serious?” Julie asked, pacing the living room, holding the phone in one hand. She had just gotten home less than 20 minutes ago and was already in an argument with Melissa, who had just rung her up several minutes ago.
“I am. I don’t have any definite proof as of yet, maybe he was just tired, but I got a bad feeling about this.” Melissa replied. Julie sighed, sitting on the couch in a huff.
“You call me a few minutes after I get home from school to tell me you’re worried about Paul’s health because he said he was tired after performing yesterday. Then you go on a rant about the pregnancy, saying that it might be killing him, and you say you ‘don’t have definite proof’? ‘Lis, I think Chris is rubbing off on you.” Julie recalled their entire talk in frustration.
“Don’t even joke about that.” Melissa growled through the other line.
“Not joking. Melissa, you keep doing this to me and I’m getting a bit tired of it. If you don’t have any hard evidence that something’s wrong with Paul, then don’t say another word! Now if you don’t mind, some of us have some school work to do, so goodnight!” Julie snapped before hanging up on her friend. She then put the phone back on the receiver and buried her face into her hands with a moan.
“Melissa’s worried about Paul?” Janet asked. Julie nodded, leaning back into the couch.
“She calls up and starts freaking about Paul not being well due to the pregnancy and I don’t know if she’s really worried or just messing with me?” Julie groaned. She then looked around, curiously. “Where is everyone?” she asked.
“Will and Tony are out getting some takeout and Paul’s in the shower.” Janet replied. Julie let out a soft “oh” and nodded. Robert was out of town, again, on a service call in New Jersey, so it was one short for the night. The young brunette got on her feet and walked to the hall that led to the stairs.
“Where are you going, now?” Janet asked her daughter.
“Gonna put on some sweats and then talk with Paul about… something.” Julie replied, softly saying the last word. Janet nodded in response as she watched her daughter exit the room.
Once upstairs, Julie listened and looked carefully around, making sure Paul wasn’t walking around anywhere looking indecent. Sighing in relief, she entered her room, grabbing a pair of sweatpants from the dresser in the process. She closed the door and sat down on her bed, clenching the sweatpants in her hands.
“Ugh, what’s wrong with me? Melissa’s just worried about Paul, but why is she being the panicky one? Usually it’s me who’s the worry wart.” Julie groaned, burying her face into the article of clothing she had in her hands.
Unbeknown to her, Paul had just exited the bathroom, dabbing his face and neck with a towel. He was only in a white undershirt and a pair of black slacks, barefooted, and hair still damp from the shower. He began to walk to the guest room when he heard Julie say his name. He then stared at the girls’ door, listening to her talk out loud.
“I’m worried, too, about him, but he was just a little tired. Then again… oh, what am I doing? He’s my friend… but he’s also a 50 year old guy several months pregnant with twins. He hasn’t said anything about it, but… Damn it, now I’m turning into Melissa! Next thing I know, I’ll be drooling over pictures of Michael Jackson…” Julie ranted and worried. Paul frowned, letting the towel drop around his neck. as he listened to the young woman rant. He knew Melissa had been worried about him, but now Julie was starting to worry.
“Damn.” Paul whispered, leaning against the table next to Julie’s door. Unfortunately, his arm bumped into the books on the table, knocking one off, which landed on his foot.
“SHIT!” Paul cursed loudly, trying to kneel down to nurse his foot. With his added weight from the pregnancy, it was proving to be a small problem so he grabbed the same table he bumped into to steady himself as he knelt.
“Paul? Paul is that you?” Julie exclaimed, opening the door of her bedroom, now wearing the sweatpants she had picked out. She then began to blush when she saw Paul’s attire.
“Hehe, hi kid.” Paul laughed nervously, looking up at the young woman
“Are you ok?” Julie asked, kneeling down in front of the older man.
“Yes, just knocked a book on my foot, nothing to worry about.” Paul replied, rubbing his aching foot in response.
“Easy for you to say…” Julie whispered, picking up the book Paul had knocked over.
“Hm?” Paul raised an eyebrow.
“Er, nothing, just delete that!” Julie exclaimed hastily, blushing softly. Paul, using the table as support, slowly got to his feet, hand to his back as he regained his balance.
“It’s alright, kid. I know you’re worried about me.” Paul told Julie. Julie looked up at Paul in surprise.
“You-?” Julie began, then paused. She then stood up, holding the book that had fallen in her hands. “How long were you listening in on me?” Julie frowned in annoyance.
“For about a minute, I heard you come up earlier, but I didn’t do anything. Then I heard you complaining about something Melissa said about me.” Paul replied, wincing as he began to nurse his back. Julie frowned when she saw her friend wince in pain.
“Uh, do you wanna sit down? M-maybe in my room?” Julie asked, nervously, placing the book back on the table.
“…your room?” Paul blinked. Julie began to blush.
“Y-yeah, I-I mean mom and dad’s room is messy, the guest room’s still disorganized with Tony and your stuff and, erm, well…” Julie began to explain, rubbing the back of her neck.
“…Alright.” Paul replied, shrugging his shoulders. Julie nodded, still blushing, as she led Paul into her room. Paul took a moment to scan Julie’s bedroom. Soft pink walls with dark rose pink trim. A closet with white doors. Two white dressers, one with a TV on it, the other with several sweaters, a jewellery case, and some makeup on it. A poster with the White Power Ranger, a poster of Pocahontas, the Disney version, and a cardboard cut out of the Pink Power Ranger. A bed with a dozen stuffed animals - ranging from a turquoise bear to an old Sonic the Hedgehog doll to a Baby Kermit the Frog doll an old, beat-up Alf doll - on it. Two shelves over the bed, one with dolls, the other with a bunch of books and old magazines. A built in nightstand with a lamp, a clock radio, tissues and a few figurines and shelves jammed with books and knickknacks. Paul sat on the bed with a groan, still nursing his back.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Julie asked, growing worried.
“Fine, just a kink in my back.” Paul replied, massaging a spot on his back. He then noticed Julie, who was now sitting next to him, staring at him in worry. “It’s nothing, kid.” Paul reassured.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing to me, Paul. Melissa’s worried about you… and I’m getting worried, too. You’ve been tired a lot since you got here” Julie stated
“Julie, I’m 50 years old, out of my usual time zone, and six months up the duff with twins. Of course I’m gonna be tired a lot.” Paul remarked, leaning back on his hands, which were planted on the bed.
“I know, I know. It’s just that…,” Julie sighed, “Melissa’s getting me worried, too, about you. Especially when I remember what happened and nearly happened to Ryan and Colin…” Julie went on, looking down. Paul shifted on the bed, getting into a better position.
“Kid, this is different than what happened to Ryan and Colin. For one thing, it was sped up to span several days. Also, they were kept in pretty bad conditions. None of that’s happening to me, so don’t you worry too much about me, alright?” Paul reassured his younger friend. Julie nods slowly, but still looking down in worry. Paul frowned, not sure what to do. He then had an idea.
He held out his right hand. “Gimme your hand.”
Julie stared at him in confusion. “What?” she asked.
“Give me your hand.” Paul stated, more firmly.
“Why?” Julie was still confused.
“You never felt it, have you? A baby kicking, you never felt it yet, have you?” Paul explained. Julie shook her head no. “Then give me your hand and you’ll see there’s nothing to worry about.” Paul continued. Julie began to blush, but shyly gave Paul her right hand to take. Paul grabbed the girls’ wrist and placed her hand on his stomach, his hand covering hers. Julie blushed harder, biting her lip.
“You feel them, don’t you?” Paul asked. Julie nodded silently. “I’m alright, kid. The babies are alright, too, last time I checked.” Paul went on. He then let out a sigh. “I know you’re worried about me, kid. And I know Tony and Melissa are worried, too. Thing is… I’m afraid, too.” Paul continued.
“You are?” Julie asked shyly, looking into Paul’s eyes.
“Of course. I’m the one that’s gotta give birth here, why shouldn’t I be scared? I mean, I knew the frisks in doing this, but I’m still going through this all the way to the end.” Paul nodded. He then looked down at his stomach. “I’ve wanted a child for several years, not I’ve got my chance.” Paul sighed. That’s when the two felt it. A sudden movement under the skin.
“Oh!” Paul and Julie both gasped. Paul looked a bit flustered while Julie blushed more.
“That was…” Julie whispered.
“One of the babies said ‘hi’.” Paul grinned cheekily. Julie pulled her hand away, staring at it for several seconds.
“Wow… that was… wow….” Julie said softly, at a total lost of words.
“I felt the same way when I first felt them-.” Paul nodded, still smiling. His words were cut off however when loud rock music began to play from downstairs. “The hell is that?” Paul asked, looking around. Julie buried her face in her hands.
“Oh, no, Kid Rock’s Cowboy. Mom’s surfing the music channels!” Julie groaned through her hands.
“Is that bad?” Paul asked curiously. Julie removed her hands from her face, forcing a smile.
“Not if you like listening to random music for the next hour or so.” Julie replied. She then stood up, stretching her arms. “I better head back downstairs to monitor mom before Will and Tony get back.” Julie announced, heading to her door. Paul struggled to his feet.
“I’ll be right behind you.” Paul stated, following the young woman. Julie turned to face Paul, then began to blush again. “Oh, now what?” Paul sighed, hands on his hips.
“If you came downstairs in what you got on right now, I think mom’ll be pissed.” Julie replied, pointing to Paul’s limited wardrobe.
“Oh, I forgotten I wasn’t fully dressed yet.” Paul laughed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Guess you got distracted due to eavesdropping on your friend.” Julie shrugged, smirking as she left her room. Paul followed her to the door, but stopped. He then took a few seconds to look at Julie’s room for a second time. He sighed in disappointment.
“First time in a long time I’m ever in a girl’s bedroom and it has to be when I’m married and knocked up.” Paul remarked. He then let out a huff. “Figures.” Paul shook his head as he closed the door behind him as he exited the room.
The next part will fastforward a few months later and there will be some drama in the form of Christine.
A preview of things to come:
“So what you think Paul and I are doing is a sin?” Tony narrowed his eyes at the older blonde.
“It’s disgusting and immoral! How you could even think this was a good idea is beyond me!” Christine nodded, disturbed.
“Does that include Ryan and Colin, too, Christine?” Samantha asked, annoyed by Christine’s outburst.
“They had no choice in the matter; they were forced into it by an outside force. Paul, however, did as did everyone else who wanted this abomination.” Christine remarked, crossing her arms. Richard was now starting to turn a nice shade of red as Lee and Josie began to restrain him from doing bodily damage to the nurse.
“Christine, stop it!” Julie cried out, seeing her friends growing angry with what she was saying. Christine turned to face the brunette, staring coldly at her.
“I heard you and Melissa talking about Paul on the way over, and I’m not surprised he’s getting weak, and that false labour bit two weeks ago. In fact, if he doesn’t survive, I wouldn’t be surprised. Anyone who goes through that should die!” Christine growled angrily.
There was dead silence after Christine’s cold words were spoken. Everyone stared at her, stunned.