CHAPTER 21 TO 30

CHAPTER 21 - Wait For It...

- What a beautiful tattoo you have - smiled and put her hand on Chris’ new tattoo as he lied on his back in bed - It’s a shame you can’t see it.

- Oh that’s ok. I think you have the exact same tattoo, I can see that one - Chris smiled and kissed .

About a week before, Chris and had gotten the same tattoo on their back - three little birds, representing their new family. They had just woken up and Chris’ cell phone rang.

- Hello? Oh, hi Jim! (…) Now? Uh, yeah, I guess (…) But for what movie? (…) Why not?(… ) Fine, I’m going! - He laughed and hung up.

- What was that? What did Jim want? – patted East as he climbed up the bed.

- He said he wants to meet now to talk about a movie offer, but he wouldn’t tell me which movie!

- That’s weird! - She laughed.

- Well, I’m gonna get going.

- Ok… Me and Isa will wait for you with breakfast then.

After Chris left, woke up Isabella and started setting the table, assuming Chris would be home soon, while Isabella watched TV.

- Mommy, where is Dad? - Isabella asked after an hour.

- Don’t worry honey, he should be home soon.

When said that, she heard keys on the door, and Isabella ran to the door to meet Chris.

- Daddy! - She jumped on his lap.

- Hey sweetie! - he said while sitting on a chair and then gave a kiss.

- So, how did it go? - asked while pouring him coffee and sitting on another chair.

- Well… it went great! - he put Isa on the chair next to him and smiled.

- Yeah? and what movie was it?

- Actually uh… I thought I was only meeting with Jim, but there was a whole crew there to offer me this role…

- Wow, that’s great! Oh, I bet they already made the character thinking about you!

- Yeah, I don’t think so - Chris laughed.

- Why? Come on, will you tell me already?

- Ok, fine… they offered me a role in Captain America… as Captain America.

- Oh my God! - She said while standing up - Honey that’s great! - She hugged him.

- Yeah, thanks!

- Dad, my friend has a Captain America toy!

- He does? That’s so cool!

- Yeah, I’ve played with it! It’s red and blue!

- Wow! Well, I love red and blue…

smiled, sat again and asked:

- So, what did you say?

- Um… I said I’d think about it.

- Oh, you’re not sure yet? But it sounds like such a great opportunity…

- Yeah, but… It’s just such a big commitment… It’s a six movie contract…

- Six movies? Wow! That’s huge! They’re gonna make six Captain America movies?

- Actually, it’s three Captain America and three The Avengers.

- The Avengers? Oh, that’s like, a team of superheroes, right?

- Yeah… Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor…

- Oh my God, you’d be shooting with Robert Downey Jr!

- Yeah, yeah…

- Well honey, you know it’s your decision. But I want you to know that I think it’s a great opportunity. I mean, it would be a huge leap in your career.

- Yeah, I don’t know… I mean, six movies? That can be like, ten years! Maybe I don’t wanna do this for that long.

- Yeah, I know, it’s huge! Just… make sure you don’t regret the decision you make, whatever it is.

- Yeah…

Later that day, was playing with Isabella in the living room when Chris sat on the couch, looking a bit worried.

- I turned it down.

- Oh, really? - she said sitting next to him - I thought you were gonna say yes!

- Yeah, me too.

- Well, if this is really what you want…

- Yeah, that’s the thing… I don’t know.

- Well, then just give it some more thought. I’m sure they won’t find another Captain America, at least for a few weeks. Just think calmly.

After that, Chris really did spend the rest of the day thinking about that - and was quiet during dinner, which made curious.

- Honey, are you ok? You’re still thinking about that role, aren’t you?

- Yeah. God, it’s such a hard decision! I keep thinking how great it’d be, but the commitment is just so scary!

- Well… maybe that’s why you should do it.

- Yeah…

After four days, Chris arrived home shortly after did, and asked how was her day.

- It was great! - She said while hugging him - How was yours?

- Great too…

- You sound weird, what happened? - She looked at him and he smiled.

- The offered me Captain America’s role again…

- Really? I told you they wouldn’t find a replacement!

- I said yes – Chris smiled.

- Oh, congratulations honey! - hugged him again.

-Yeah, I’m still pretty worried though… I mean, I started imagining what that might do to our privacy. And also, the fan base is huge because the comic’s existed for so long!

- Oh don’t worry about that! You’ve played other comic book characters before and it went great! And about the privacy thing, we’ll make it work. You just gotta stop thinking.

- Yeah that’s what I did. Got me to accept the role.

- See? That’s good sometimes - smiled and kissed Chris.

CHAPTER 22 – The Right Partner

- I’m not saying I don’t want a party – Chris said while lying in bed, on the phone with - It’s just… we should wait until all characters are casted.

- Why? The point of the party is celebrating your role as Captain America! That’s already sure, isn’t it? - said after putting a collar on East.

- Yes, it is. And once again, thanks for supporting me on doing this. It’s gonna be great - Chris said and hung up.

It was about three months after Chris had finally accepted the role of Captain America. He was really reluctant because of what that might do to his and his family’s privacy. But eventually, he reached the conclusion that him being scared of it was a reason to just dive into it. He was in Boston, shooting What’s Your Number, and had started working out for Captain America. He had been in Boston for two months, and and Isa hadn’t seen him since. He usually took East with him on every trip, but since he had been kind of sick, and Isa said she would miss him too much - maybe even more than she’d miss Chris, as joked - Chris left him at home, “taking care of his girls”, as he said.

- DADDY! – Isabella screamed and ran to meet Chris as he arrived in the airport lounge, about twenty minutes after his plane landed back in L.A.

- Hey! – Chris picked her up and walked closer to .

- Oh my god! – said in a bit of a shock – You look so hot!

- What? – Chris and laughed – Oh, yeah, you hadn’t seen me after I started the work out…

- What have you done to my husband? – smiled and Chris kissed her.

- I really missed you two – Chris said while hugging them both.

- So did we, honey – smiled – But hey, at least you were shooting back at home! Was it fun?

- Oh yeah, it was great. Anna is so great to work with.

- Yeah, she seemed really nice from what I talked to her that day – smiled - And how’s the “bachelor pad” doing?

- Great, still plenty of space for beer and chips - Chris and laughed - But it’s still much better to be back to my girls – Chris put his arm around .

After they got home, Isabella spent probably an hour showing Chris all drawings and paintings she’d been doing at school. Then, they had dinner and all went to bed early.

- Hi, Hayley! What’s up? - picked up the phone on the next morning, after having breakfast with Chris and Isa.

- Hey! I was thinking we could go out for dinner tonight, Sam gets off work at 7…

- Yeah, sure! Oh, we should go to that new Japanese place Sam read about!

- Oh yeah! Hey, is Chris there?

- No, he went for a walk… Why?

- Oh, I just wanted to ask him something about the movie… my, my cousin’s a big fan of the comic book so…

- Oh… well you can ask him tonight then!

- Yeah, sure! We’ll meet at eight then, is that good?

- Sure! See you then! Bye sweetie.

hung up the phone and went to put a bikini on Isabella. Later, when Chris arrived, they all went to the pool (even East joined at a certain moment), where they spent the whole afternoon. At night, they went to the japanese restaurant, where Sam and Hayley had just arrived.

- So? Are you with me on this thing? - asked Hayley while they were eating.

- What thing?

- That it’s crazy that Chris won’t have a party until the cast is all wrapped up! I mean, what’s the deal with that?

- I don’t know, I think I’m with him on this one - Hayley looked at Chris and he smiled - I mean, imagine there’s someone he hates playing Peggy, then he’ll be too depressed to have a party! - Hayley said joking.

- Right, ok. Oh yeah, Peggy’s the only one left for casting right?

- From the main cast, yeah - Chris answered - But a lot of great actresses auditioned, I think they’re on the way to pick.

- Well, you should tell them you want a hottie - smiled - Don’t you get a say in these things? You’re the captain!

- No, I don’t - Chris laughed.

- What about you, Sam? Don’t you think we should have the party already?

- Well, what’s the harm in waiting for the full cast? Then it’s all official, maybe you can invite some of Chris’ co-workers… wouldn’t that be nice? - Sam smiled.

- Really? No one’s with me? You… You guys are just weird! There must be some celebrity secret code going on here - said joking and everyone laughed.

About three days later, and Chris were at home in the afternoon and Hayley knocked on the door, about half an hour before it was time for them to go pick up Isa at school.

- Hayley! - looked surprised - Come in! What are you doing here?

- Well, I have some news for you guys… something Chris doesn’t know yet, but you don’t know at all!

- What? - asked confused.

- Well… - Hayley looked at Chris and smiled - I got the part!

- You did? Oh my god, congratulations! - Chris hugged Hayley and made even more confused.

- What are you guys talking about? What part do I not know about and Chris does?

- Well, we wanted to make it a surprise… - Hayley smiled - I’m gonna be Peggy in Captain America.

- Oh my god, are you serious? - said in a higher pitch and Hayley nodded - Oh my god! - laughed and hugged Hayley - Congratulations sweetie! Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!

- Yes, it’s gonna be great!

- Oh god, I did not see this coming! - said and Chris and Hayley laughed - Oh, is that why you didn’t want a party yet?

- Yeah, that was it! - Chris answered - Now we can have the party!

At the end of the week, on Friday, they had the party at Chris and ’s, and a lot of friends and family showed up.

- So, honey, are you making sure Chris sticks to the diet? - Lisa asked as she, , Chris and some other people sat in the living room.

- Come on, Ma, I can take care of myself!

- Will you stop complaining? Haven’t you understood by now that has taken over many of my duties, such as feeding you? I have to at least keep track - Lisa said and everyone laughed.

- Actually, Chris really is sticking to the diet! Don’t worry Lisa, Captain America will not let you down - smiled.

- Good, he better - Lisa smiled.

- So, Sam - put her arm around Sam as he sat next to her on the couch - how does it feel that your wife left you for my husband and they’re off to “save the world” together? - joked and Sam laughed.

- Wow, that’d make a great soap opera! - Chris laughed.

- May I know what’s going on over here? - Hayley asked while sitting in front of them.

- Oh, you think you can spend time with my husband and that’s it?

- Yeah, we’re gonna spend loads of time together, we’re entitled to it - Sam said and they laughed.

- Dad, help me! - Isabella came running and hugged Chris, hiding from Scott, Chris’ brother, who was chasing her.

- Oh no! What’s going on? - Chris hugged Isa and laughed, as Scott tickled her. watched the scene smiling, and Sam and Hayley had gone outside to talk to some friends, so Lisa sat next to .

- Oh, this is so adorable! - Lisa laughed watching that scene.

- Yeah - smiled.

- Hey, honey, can I ask you something… kind of personal?

- Of course, Lisa! - looked at her - You know you’re like a mom to me! - and Lisa smiled.

- It’s just… I was wondering these days if you ever think about having other children.

- Well… - said after a few second with a thoughtful look - It’s a little complicated. Chris and I talked about it once or twice, but never too seriously, you know? I just don’t wanna force anything cause… sometimes I feel Chris wasn’t exactly in place to get married yet.

- What do you mean?

- Oh, don’t worry, I don’t mean it like he’s bad or anything. He is a wonderful husband. And father. But come on, you know Chris better than anyone does. Do you really think he ever pictured himself being married and with a daughter before he was even 30?

- Yeah. Yeah, that’s true.

- I just feel like I’d be asking too much by wanting to have another child right now. Especially for someone who everyone imagined would still be single at this age - looked at Chris while he talked to Scott, with Isa on his lap playing with a doll.

But you know, if you think about it - Lisa looked at - I mean, yeah, he’s a completely different person than we thought he would be, but part of the reason for that is a child. I’m sure he’d be willing to change his lifestyle again for the same reason.

- Yeah… But still, I don’t think now is the perfect time. We’re really busy with our careers…

- Oh honey. As someone who’s had four children, I gotta tell you, there’s no such thing as perfect time. If you wait for the perfect time to have children, you’ll never have them - Lisa smiled - And plus, I think we would all enjoy very much seeing Chris handling a baby! - Lisa and laughed.

- Yeah. It’ll be great - smiled.

CHAPTER 23 – Running On Sunshine

- Heey honey, how’s the comic con going?

- It’s great! - Chris answered on the phone - I’m gonna be home about midnight… what did you wanna tell me? - Chris had seen ’s message saying she had great news.

- Oh, never mind, I’ll tell you at night… So what are you doing there?

- I just finished singing posters for the fans, and the panel starts in about twenty minutes…

- Okay then, good luck! Love you - hung up the phone.

At night, right after put Isa to sleep, Chris arrived home.

- Hey - Chris gave a kiss - How are you?

- I’m fine - She smiled - How was the comic con?

- Quite scary actually. You have no idea how many people were there! I mean, I knew the fan base was big, but wow, these people are excited!

- Wow! Are you feeling the pressure of the whole Captain America thing?

- Yeah, a lot! I better live up to expectations or I’ll be the one that ruined the superhero image or something.

- Oh, stop, you’ll do great! Don’t worry - hugged Chris.

- So what did you wanna tell me? - Chris asked as they sat on the couch.

- Um… Remember that… part I auditioned for?

- For the Swan Lake? Yes - Chris
smiled and kept looking at him - Oh my god, did you…

- Yes! I’m the swan queen!

- Oh my god! - Chris smiled and hugged - Congratulations honey!

- Thank you! Oh wow, I still can’t believe it. This is gonna be so, so big.

- It is! I’m really proud of you - Chris smiled and kissed , and they talked for about five more minutes, then Chris got up - Ok, I gotta go to bed now.

- Oh yeah, you got some really important scenes to shoot tomorrow right?

- Yeah, the transformation scene. I get to become Captain America.

- Oh, no more skinny guy! Everyone gets to see my hot husband’s naked chest without pretending it’s flat! - joked and Chris laughed.

- Yeah, I guess they will!

- Oh, did you tell Hayley and Sam to come have dinner here tomorrow night? Cause I couldn’t reach her on her phone.

- Yeah, I did, but I’ll confirm tomorrow - Chris smiled and kissed - Hey, promise me something?

- What?

- That you won’t go crazy and turn into a swan and kill yourself - Chris and laughed.

- Okay, I swear.

The next morning, , Chris and Isabella had breakfast together and then Chris left for work and went to the ballet class with Isa. Then, the two girls had lunch together and left Isa at school before going to her meeting. At around 7 p.m, Chris, Hayley and Sam arrived, and was setting the table.

- Hey guys! - kissed Chris and hugged Sam and Hayley - How was work?

- Great! We finished up the scene and everything… - Chris made a face as trying not to laugh.

- Why are you laughing? - asked.

- Nothing, nothing - Chris held it a bit longer and started laughing.

- Don’t laugh! - Hayley slapped his arm - , please don’t be mad.

- Why? Guys you know how curious I am, just say it!

- Ok fine! So, we were shooting the scene - Hayley started - and Chris gets out of the machine that made him bigger. And I was supposed to go there and ask him how was he feeling. But then, I - Hayley started laughing.

- Oh just say it! - Sam told Hayley - It’s not that big of a deal!

- What did you do?

- I, kind of, reached for Chris’ chest.

- Oh my god, what? - started laughing.

- I’m sorry’ It’s just, I hadn’t seen it before, I was kind of in shock!

- Wow, see what a compliment there? - said to Chris - You’re like a work of art!

- Yes, yes, thank you for that! - Chris said to Hayley and laughed.

- Oh my god, I wish I could see that scene! Maybe it’ll be in the making of or something - said.

- Maybe you’ll see it in the movie - Chris laughed - I heard Joe saying he loved that.

- You don’t think he was serious, do you? - Hayley asked.

- I don’t know… He found it really funny… I don’t know, I guess maybe Peggy could’ve done that…

- Oh my god - Hayley put her hands on her face and laughed.

- Oh honey that’s okay! It’s gonna be great… Come on, what can I do to make you feel better? Do you want me to touch Sam’s naked chest? - said and they all laughed.

Later on, the two couples were having dinner and Isa was watching TV, since she had alteady eaten.

- Oh, I almost forgot to tell you guys - Hayley said to Chris and - Remember that friend of mine, Tom, who’s in Thor? They just confirmed that he’s definitely gonna be in The Avengers!

- Oh really? That’s so great! - smiled.

- Oh yeah, it gonna be fun! - Chris smiled - When does Thor come out in theaters?

- It’s um… April 22, I think - Hayley answered.

- So, Sam, how was the first day of shooting? - asked Sam.

- It was great!

- Did you have to go on the ledge already? - Chris asked.

- No, no, today was just some ground scenes, thankfully.

- I can’t believe they’re not making it CGI! - said.

- Yeah, but it’s probably for the best. Then my terrified look will be more real - Sam laughed.

- Oh come on, you’ll do great. If you want I can teach some dance moves so you don’t fall - laughed.

- Oh man, you should take it. How often do you get the chance to learn from the swan queen? - Chris smiled and kissed .

CHAPTER 24 – Looking Like A Superstar

- My god, what is this song in my head? - Chris said after humming a song for almost a minute.

- It’s “Part Of Your World”, from The Little Mermaid - answered laughing.

- Oh yeah! God, I can’t believe I still know the lyrics to all the songs.

- Yeah, I do too - smiled - So, are you excited? Big day today!

- Really? What’s today? - Chris smiled and kissed - Speaking of that, I gotta go.

- Oh really? Why?

- I need to go over some stuff with Jean, but I’ll be back for lunch - Chris kissed again, smiled and went away.

- It was a Tuesday morning, July 19th - and at night it was the world premiere of Captain America. Everyone was going to watch Chris and Hayley’s movie - , Isabella, Sam, Chris’ parents and Hayley’s parents.

After having lunch, Chris, and Isabella spent a calm day at home, and by 5 p.m was back from the beauty parlor she went to to get her hair, makeup and nails done.

- I feel so weird - looked at herslef in the mirror while wearing a robe.

- You look perfect - Chris hugged her from behind.

- I’m pretty sure the last time I wore makeup to go out was at the last premiere we went to - said and they laughed.

- Okay, let’s get going - Chris kissed on the cheek and went to the closet to put on his suit.

About half an hour after that, Chris, and Isabella were in a limo with Chris’ parents, on their way to the premiere. was wearing a stuning strapless black dress, and Isabella was wearing an adorable puffy blue dress.

- Dad, are we gonna watch the movie right now? - Isabella asked Chris while on ’s lap, who was talking to Lisa and Bob.

- No, not right away honey. First, we’re gonna take some photos, and dad is gonna talk to some people… oh, and we’re gonna meet aunt Hayley and uncle Sam!

A few minutes later, they arrived at the premiere. Before getting to the photographers, they met Jean, Chris’ publicist.

- Hi guys! - Jean smiled.

- Hey! So, how’s this gonna work? - Chris asked while looking at the red carpet, where a lot of photographers were calling him.

- You can go through this first row of photographers with and Isabella, then I’ll get an assistant to take her back there with your parents and you can do the interviews with , if she wants to.

- Oh, I think so… hey , you wanna be with me through the interviews?

- Sure!

- Ok… then you take pictures with your parents and everyone else back there, after the premiere.

- Ok.

- Isa, sweetie, come in mommy’s lap - took Isabella and walked to the front of the cameras with Chris - We’re gonna take some pictures, so give us a pretty smile, okay?

- I love taking pictures! - Isabella answered which made and Chris laugh, and at that moment someone took a beautiful spontaneous photo. Then, everyone started calling Chris and to look at them, and after a while, Jean got someone to take Isa away so Chris and would take some pictures alone before the interviews.

- Chris! - a reporter from E! called Chris and he went close to her, with on his side - Hi!

- Hey - Chris smiled - Are we live?

- In about ten seconds… That’s right Chloe, I’m here with the superstar of the night, Chris Evans! How are doing?

- I’m great thanks - Chris smiled.

- So, before we talk about the movie, I hear your daughter is here tonight!

- Oh yeah, yeah!

- Is she excited? Is it the first time she’s been to a premiere?

- Yeah, this is her first time. She’s super excited, mesmerized with everything.

- That’s adorable! And I see you’re beautiful wife is here too, hello!

- Oh, hi, thank you! - smiled.

- There’s something I wanna ask you. Is it true you were Hayley Atwell’s friend, long before the movie?

- Yes, she’s one of my closest friends, I met her long before I even met Chris!

- Wow! And was it weird seeing her as Chris’ love intrest in the movie?

- No, it was more like funny actually. I went to the set a couple of times and I kept laughing at them - , Chris and the interviewer laughed.

- Have you guys seen the movie?

- No, no - they both answered - We’re gonna watch it right now for the first time - Chris smiled.

- So, Chris, why did you turn down the role twice?

- It was nerve racking. It's a lot of responsability to be in a movie like this, a long commitment... but eventually it paid off - Chris smiled.

- Okay, thank you Chris!

After a couple more interviews, Chris and were heading towards the end
when Jean called them.

- Chris! Hayley and Sam arrived, you two should go take pictures with them - Jean led them back to the photographers area.

- Hey! - Hayley hugged Chris and, after greeting everyone, the four of them took some pictures together. Then, after some more interviews, they made their way to watch the movie.

- Heey, Robert! - Chris said when seeing his new co-star, Robert Downey Jr.

- Hey, there’s the superstar! - Robert smiled and shook Chris’ hand while they patted each other in the back - How you doing?

- Great! Oh, you haven’t met my wife, right? - Chris looked at .

- No, I have not. , right? - Robert kissed and hugged her.

- Yes, so nice to meet you! - smiled - I hear you’ve been calming Chris down with the whole “superstar” thing, thank you for that!

- Oh not at all - Roert answered as they entered the theater - I think he’s ready now, to lead the team - Robert blinked at Chris and he laughed.

After watching the movie, met another “new friend” of Chris’, Chris Hemsworth, and his wife Elsa. Then, Chris and Hayley took their “guests” for dinner.

- Oh my god, that was so good! I am seriously still in shock - said to Chris and Hayley as they sat down.

- It did look quite good on the big screen, huh? - Hayley smiled.

- Totally! My god, you looked so badass!

- Oh, thank you!

- Didn’t I look badass? - Chris joked, making a sad face.

- Um… I don’t remember. There was this incredibly hot guy in the movie keeping my focus off - smiled and Chris laughed - But seriously, you were great, honey. You should be really, really proud.

- I am - Chris smiled.

CHAPTER 25 - Sweet Escape

- Oh let’s go to this one! It’s so beautiful, and looks like it’s good - said while peeking inside the restaurant she and Chris were standing before.

- Oh yeah! I love restaurants by the beach - Chris smiled and walked in.

After being crazy with work during some very long months, and Chris finally got a vacation. Chris had been doing interviews, dealing with press and shooting The Avengers, while practiced for her performance in The Swan Lake, which opened on the following week. However, they somehow found a way of both being available that weekend, when they celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary - and Chris had bought them a trip to a romantic inn in Hawaii.

- You know what I was thinking? - Chris said after they ordered.

- What?

- We never really had a proper first date, if you think about it…

- What? Of course we did! It was too proper even, with flowers and that adorable restaurant on Sunset…

- I know, but… You know, when we met we were just drunk, flirting… and at the restaurant you were kinda nervous, cause you hadn’t told me about Isa… - Chris looked at and they kept smiling at each other for half a minute - So, , where are you from?

- Pasadena, California - smiled - Moved here when I was 15.

- Really?

- Yeah, my dad was relocated… - kept staring at Chris - Aren’t you gonna ask me what does my dad do?

- Oh, no. You can’t drive the focus away on the first date. Just go on, talk about yourself - Chris said and laughed.

- Okay… Well, I wasn’t really sad about moving cause I knew I’d do better as a dancer once I got to L.A.

- Oh, so you’re a dancer?

- Yes. I’m from the Stelle Blu Dance Company and I also teach ballet for children.

- Wow, that’s really great!

- And what do you do?

- I’m an actor.

- Really? Anything I might’ve seen?

- Nah, just some indie films… a couple dozen superheroes - Chris and laughed.

- Oh, yay, food! - clapped cheerfully.

- You seem to really like food, uh?

- Oh yeah! In fact, you can go if you want to, thanks for entertaining me while I waited -
said and Chris laughed.

After eating, Chris and went for a walk on the beach. The sun was shining and they walked until there was almost no one around them anymore, and then they stopped to admire the view. After a while, Chris started tickling , and she started fighting him while laughing.

- Oh my god, Chris, I’m gonna fall! - said while still laughing.

- Well, maybe that’s my objective - Chris smiled and pulled close him as he lied in the sand, making her fall on top of him. Then, they looked at each other passionately, just like a couple in a movie who’s about to have their first kiss.

and Chris looked deeply into each other’s eyes and suddenly, it was like they were both teenagers again. They were both still so young - at an age where a lot of people aren’t even considering marriage, let alone children - that it was like they were living someone else’s life. Not that their life was bad - neither of them ever had a single doubt about whether they should’ve gotten married and adopted Isabella. They were incredibly happy with the way things were going. But it was still a great feeling to be there, just the two of them, and a beach. They kissed for almost a minute and then started laughing, for no apparent reason.

- Oh, wow - smiled and lied on Chris’ side - This is so good that I almost don’t miss working - and Chris laughed.

- Well, if you miss dancing, there are always ways to fix that - Chris looked at and then at the empty beach in front of them.

- What? You want me to dance right here?

- Of course! - Chris smiled and made a face as if she was lazy to get up - Come on, give me some swan queen moves.

- Fine - stood up and kept looking at Chris and smiling.

- Oh my god. Are you shy to dance?

- No! Where did you get that from?

- Um, from studying your face for five years? Come on, I’m the only one that would see you dancing - Chris looked around - And you’ve danced for thousands of people.

- But it’s weird like this! With no music, or stage… I’m not even drunk or anything…

- Oh, like you need to be drunk to dance. Come on !

- Come dance with me - took Chris’ hand and he stood up.

- See? I was right - Chris put his arms around ’s waist and he put hers around his neck.

- I didn’t say I was shy!

- You didn’t say you weren’t - Chris and laughed.

- Okay, fine - rested her head on Chris’ shoulder - Hey honey?

- Yeah?

- Do you ever wonder how different your life would be right now if… if you hadn’t gone to the bar that night we
met?

- Um… I don’t know. I mean, I’d probably be single, but happy nonetheless… I’d still have East, my family, friends, my career… but the thing is, it would probably be an amount of happiness that wouldn’t make me wanna change and then… - Chris looked at - I would never find out just how much happier I could’ve been. I’d probably be half as happy as I am now, tops, not knowing I could be so much more.

- Yeah - smiled - I feel that too.

- But for all the matters, I think we would’ve met anyway, if not at the bar.

- Yeah?

- Of course! Come on, you were teaching my niece ballet, dancing at my mother’s theater, Isa was on the set of Fantastic Four… there was no way escaping you - Chris smiled and laughed, and they kissed again.

Chris and went back to the hotel, and in the end of the afternoon they flew back home. Isa was staying at Abby’s during their trip, and as they arrived late, they decided to only pick her up the morning after. They were in the bedroom unpacking when started feeling a bigger discomfort than what she had been feeling the whole day.

- Oh, I don’t feel so good. Did you have the pasta too?

- No…

- I think it was spoiled - walked to bathroom and the phone rang. She suddenly felt a huge discomfort and then threw up in the toilet.

- Congratulations! - heard Chris saying on the phone, assuming he probably didn’t hear her - Wow, I can’t believe you guys are having a baby! How’s Sam dealing with this? - Chris laughed.

After a while, Chris hung up and went to the bathroom.

- Hey honey? - Chris slowly opened the door - Are you okay?

- Yeah, I think so - stood up and washed her face.

- Hayley is pregnant!

- Oh my god! - said surprised.

- Yeah! This is such a coincidence, Chris’ wife just found out she’s pregnant too! And Robert’s wife is pregnant…

suddenly had an epiphany over that word Chris just said: pregnant. It was quite the movie scene, thought: she was feeling sick, her period was late…

- And me - said, looking at Chris.

CHAPTER 26 – Don’t Let Me Get Me

Negative. It’s just a word. It’s just a bunch of letters together. How did a single word ruin ’s entire day? Well, actually, the same word, three times. And the day one of your best friends comes back from a six-month trip is really not a day you want ruined. Well, it’s not like acknowledged her day was ruined anyway. But if something big happens and you seem okay with it at first, it’ll eventually bring you down anyway.

- Sorry, honey - Chris kissed ’s forehead after they saw the pregnancy test saying “Negative”.

- It’s okay. It’s not like we were trying or anything - half-smiled.

- Yeah, but… There was that moment between you saying “I think I’m pregnant” and the test being negative.

- Yeah.

- Well, you know what? I heard that these aren’t completely safe. You should go to the doctor to be sure. Even if you really aren’t pregnant, you should check if everything is okay.

- Yeah. Yeah, I will - rested her head on Chris’ shoulder.

- Sorry, . It’s negative. You’re not pregnant - remembered the doctor saying as she went home in a cab, with the test results in her hands, after texting Chris. She could swear she didn’t want a baby at that point of hers and Chris’ careers, but somehow that got to her. She got home and Chris, who had just arrived, got up from the couch and hugged her.

- Hmmm… I love it when you hug me with this sweater - smiled.

- It’s the one you got me for my 26th birthday, remember? We had known each other for two months - Chris smiled.

- Yeah, I remember - smiled and kissed Chris.

- So… - Chris held ’s hand and they sat on the couch - I’m sorry… about the results.

- Oh, no, please don’t say that. It sounded so weird when the doctor did. Like being pregnant is my life’s goal, or like I failed a test or something. I didn’t even want a baby, I’m fine!

- I know, I know sweetie - Chris smiled - But did he say why did you have those symptoms?

- Yeah, he said it’s because of the stress. I’ve been so busy and all over the place because of the show that I haven’t been eating and sleeping so well… so this will probably happen a lot in the next couple of months…

- Unless you relax. Come on, you’ve been doing a perfect job, selling out almost every night, getting great reviews…

- I know, I know… I’m pretty sure it’s more about less free time then it’s about stress. But I’m fine - smiled at Chris and opened the file. She went through all the information and kept staring at the “Negative”.

- Okay - Chris took the file from ’s hand and put his arms around her - You need to let this go. Say all you want that you don’t care about this negative, but I think it got to you. You’re a mother after all. Hey, look at me - Chris said and looked at him - What do you say… after your show ends, we start… trying?

- Really? Are you sure? - smiled.

- Yeah. I mean, it scares the hell out of me but, you know what? So did the idea of adopting Isabella, and marrying you, and accepting the Captain America role… But those were the best decisions I ever made - Chris and smiled and kissed - And uh, while that doesn’t happen, we have a party to go to, and there will be alcohol.

- Oh yeah, Liz and Matt’s party! - rested her head on Chris’ shoulder.

- Yeah! It’ll be plenty of fun! And who knows, maybe Matt proposed to Liz…

- Yeah, right - laughed - Those two are so anti-commitment it’s hard to believe they even consider themselves “boyfriend and girlfriend”!

- Yeah - Chris laughed - Hey, you know what?

- What? - looked at Chris.

- We still got… two hours before we have to pick up Isa from school to take her to Carly’s, and… we have nothing to do until then - Chris started kissing ’s neck.

- Oh yeah? What do you have in mind? - smiled.

- Well… what about we watch that documentary on sedimental rocks? - Chris and laughed and he kissed her.

Later, Chris and got ready for the party. They picked up Isabella from school and dropped her off at Chris’ sister’s house. Then, they went to the house Liz and Matt had just move into, where the party was happening. They had spent six months in Europe, and had been back for two days.

- ! - Liz screamed when seeing , and hugged her while Chris hugged Matt.

- Hi, Liz! My god, I’ve missed you so much! - smiled and then hugged Matt, while Liz hugged Chris.

- So, how was everything? - Chris asked.

- Perfect - Liz smiled.

- Yeah, that was the best vacation anyone’s ever had - Matt smiled and put his arm around Liz, and they kept looking at each other.

- Wait, what is that look? - asked.

- What look? - Matt laughed.

- Oh, yeah - Chris smiled - You two have that “we just took a big step” look…

- Maybe because we just moved in together?

- No… like you’re not telling us something… - said - You’re getting married!

- What? - Liz and Matt laughed - Where did you get that from?

- I think what meant was “will you two please get married?” - Chris laughed.

- Yes! Come on, it’s the next step! You’ve been together for what, three years?

- You two are really starting like our parents..

- We kind of are the parents of this relationship, if you think about it… we’re the reason you two even met, I think we get a say - Chris smiled.

- So you really are like parents, who want people to know they succeeded in life - Matt said.

- Look, we know that’s what you guys did and it worked perfectly, but… it’s completely different! You have Isa, you’re a family now. In that case it was the right thing to do! Will you two just get off our asses?

- Aw, there’s the Liz I know - patted Liz on the head and she laughed.

- Oh, you know who just arrived? Hayley!

- Really? Oh, I haven’t congratulated her yet, not even on the phone!

- But didn’t she call you?

- Yeah, but Chris picked up, I wasn’t there, then today I… I didn’t have the time…

- Well go on, she’s in the back! - Liz said and Chris and went to meet her.

- Hayley! - hugged Hayley as soon as she saw her, while Chris congratulated Sam - Congratulations sweetie! Sorry I didn’t call…

- Oh, don’t worry, I’m just glad you’re here!

- How are you feeling? - Chris asked after he hugged Hayley and hugged Sam.

- Wonderful - Hayley smiled - It was a huge shock, but a great one. Can you imagine? Just, not even thinking about a baby and suddenly, you have one?

- Yeah… Yeah, I think I can - smiled uncomfortably and Chris put his hand on her back.

- Are you okay sweetie? - Hayley asked.

- Yeah, I’m just a little tired from work, that’s all.

- Well, at least it’s been paying off. You’re the perfect swan queen darling - Hayley smiled.

- Aw, thanks Hay - smiled back.

- Any word on when’s the show coming back next year? - Sam asked.

- Well, if it keeps going well, around May. And if nothing stops me - smiled at Chris - I guess I’ll be back.

- Oh, come on, like something could stop you! - Hayley smiled.

After having dinner, the men were outside and the girls were in the living room talking about pregnancy, which was just what was trying to keep her mind off of.

- Oh, yeah, what happened this morning was definitely morning sickness.

- It’s so weird, right? - Abby said to Hayley - I remember that some days I felt sick but couldn’t throw up.

- Oh, that must suck! - Liz said.

- Yeah - agreed - But it’s totally worth it - smiled and put her hand on Hayley’s belly.

- Oh yeah… - Hayley smiled - You know, I still remember the look on your face when the social assistant handed you Isa…

- And now I’m gonna get to see your look - smiled.

Later, Liz and Matt put on some music and everyone started drinking - which came in handy for , who could use some alcohol to let go the stress and get away from the baby talk.

- I’ll be right back - stood up from Chris’ lap.

- Are you okay?

- Um… I’ll be better once I throw up - smiled.

- Ooh, sexy! - Chris laughed - Do you, um, need help with that?

- Probably not - and Chris laughed and she headed to the bathroom, and found Hayley sitting on a couch with her eyes closed.

- Hey, are you ok?

- Yeah, sure - Hayley smiled - Just resting a little. Are you okay? You don’t look so good, sweetie.

- Yeah, I’m probably gonna throw up - sat on the floor - I already was, now that I’m drunk my chances are even bigger.

- What do you mean you already were?

- Oh, I spent the whole day yesterday feeling bad, I even threw up…

- But, bad how? - Hayley asked intrigued.

- Kinda like cramps, along with stomach flu… very fun.

- Oh my god. , that sounds like what I…

- I’m not pregnant. I even went to the doctor today.

- Oh! Oh, is that why you look a little sad? - Hayley said and next to her - I’m sorry sweetie.

- It’s okay. We didn’t even want a baby anyway. I’m fine – smiled.

- Yeah, you can’t pull that on me. I’ve known you for ten years, and it’s been about nine since I stopped believing in your “I’m fine” – Hayley smiled and looked at her and lied on her lap.

- I don’t feel like I even have the right to be upset about this…

- Of course you do, sweetie. Sure you weren’t planning a baby, but it would’ve been great if there was one.

- It’s just… I feel like everything in my life always came so easily. I’ve been blessed with the best family and friends, my career was always “uphill”… even Isabella. I mean, I was a 23 year-old single mom living in L.A! What were my chances?

- Ok… What’s your point?

- It’s like, since I met Chris, things suddenly weren’t easy anymore. Meeting him, other than adopting Isa, was the best thing that ever happened to me. But, with all we’ve been through, sometimes I feel like I have to go through this because I don’t deserve to be with him. Like I own him something.

- , you’re not making any sense at all!

- I know, I know. I don’t know why am I thinking about this today. It’s not like I lost a baby, or we were even trying…

- No, I mean it makes no sense that you would think this at all. , you’re one of the greatest people I know. And so is Chris! Everyone means it when they say you’re perfect for each other. It’s not just him that is perfect for you. – Hayley smiled and looked back, seeing that Chris was standing by the door – And speaking of perfect, here’s the perfect moment for me to leave.

- What? Why? – stood up and saw Chris, who smiled at Hayley as she left and sat where she was.

- Sweetie – Chris put his hand on ’s back as she sat with her feet on the couch – Is that really how you feel?

- I’m sorry, I know how depressing it sounds – lied on Chris’ lap – I just can’t help thinking how different your life could be if not for me.

- , look at me – Chris put his hand on ’s head – Can’t you see that that’s a good thing? I swear to you, I know for a hundred percent sure that my life would be different, but not better! Not even nearly as good!

- Do you really think that?

- I know that. Honey, you spend so much time thinking how great yours and Isa’s lives are, but you think for me there’s a better alternative. That’s crazy. I mean, did I see myself here at 30 years-old? No. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. And to think you owe me something? It even hurts me to hear that. You and Isa make me happier than I ever thought I could be. You gave me a daughter, . I owe you my life.

Chris smiled, dried a tear that dropped and kissed her.

-I’m sorry I keep being the damsel in distress.

- No. To me, you’re the hero. But for all the matters, you know I love a little challenge – Chris and smiled.

woke up the next morning with both a terrible hangover and Chris’ arms around her.

-Hey, good morning – Chris kissed after she turned to his front.

-Good morning – smiled with her eyes closed.

- How’s the hangover doing?

- Oh, I could die right now – put her hands on her head – My god, I think… I don’t think there was any alcohol left for the other guests!

- Yeah, probably – Chris laughed.

- Did we at least have sex?

- Oh my god! You can’t remember it?

- No, I can, I was just teasing you – laughed and Chris put his arms around her again – Oh god. I am never drinking this much again. Well, at least not for a long time.

For once, made a correct assumption. She was never good at things like “I will never do this again”, but about this she was right – She wouldn’t be getting another hangover any time soon.

CHAPTER 27 - The A Team

- Hey, this is Chris, leave a message.

- Hey honey! Just letting you know me and Isa landed just fine, and we’re in a cab going to the hotel… call me when you can!

It was a Saturday morning. Chris was in New Mexico shooting The Avengers, and and Isabella flew there to spend the weekend with him. As the flight was late, Chris couldn’t pick them, so they took a cab. had just finished taking a shower when Chris called.

- Hey honey!

- Hey, how was the flight?

- Oh, it was great! Isa didn’t even get sick or anything - smiled at Isa, who was watching TV.

- That’s great! So listen, I can pick you guys in like half an hour, if you wanna wait…

- Actually, we’re already done here… just give us the address and we’ll meet you there!

About twenty minutes later, and Isa arrived to the set, where they were “recognized” and let inside. was looking around, completely lost even though the security had told her where Chris was.

- You look like you need some help - heard a man behind her saying.

- I could actually… - turned around and smiled - You’re Tom Hiddleston, right?

- Yes, I am! - Tom smiled - Are you Chris’ wife?

- Yeah!

- Oh, it’s so nice to finally meet you! - Tom and hugged - , right?

- Yes - smiled and Isa came close to her, hugging her legs.

- And this must be Isabella - Tom crouched.

- Yeah, that’s her! Sweetie, this is Tom, say hi to him!

- Hello Tom - Isa smiled and gave him a kiss. She sometimes looked like she was shy, but she loved meeting new people - and she’d certainly be comfortable there in no time.

- So, I assume you’re looking for Chris… I’m headed over there if you’d like to join…

- Oh, sure! - smiled, took Isa by the hand and started walking with Tom - So how’s the shooting going? Chris said on the phone I just missed a scene.

- Oh, yeah! It’s going great. I actually just finished getting out of my costume, I’m done for the day - Tom smiled.

- Oh, I can’t believe I missed that!

- Yeah - Tom laughed - But you know, we’re shooting some pretty great scenes in New York… will you be there too?

- Yes, actually, I was just going over the dates with Chris, and I might be able to be there the whole time, cause I’m gonna be done with my show…

- Oh, yes, Chris told me you’re in The Swan Lake!

- Yeah, it opened three weeks ago - smiled.

- Oh, here we are - Tom opened a door and let them in, and spotted Chris still in costume.

- Look mom, dad is dressed as Captain America! - Isabella ran to meet Chris and and Tom laughed.

- My princess! - Chris picked her up and hugged her.

- Thank you so much for bringing us here, I would never find this by myself!

- Oh, not at all! I’ll see you later - Tom smiled and went to talk to someone that was calling him.

- Heeey - smiled and kissed Chris.

- Hey beautiful! I see you’ve met Tom…

- Oh yeah, he’s so nice!

- Yeah, I just did a scene with him, I’m shooting with Robert and Chris next.

- Oh, how fun! We can watch, right?

- Yeah, of course! Oh, come meet some people - Chris led to a room where some people from the cast were.

- Hey, Susan - Chris called Robert’s wife - This is my wife, .

- Oh, hello!

- Hi! - smiled and hugged Susan - So nice to meet you!

- You too!

- Oh, Chris told me you’re pregnant, congratulations!

- Thanks - Susan smiled.

- Well, well, if it isn’t the girl that got Mr. Evans to settle! Hello! - Scarlett approached and hugged .

- Hey! So, we finally meet! - smiled.

- Oh, yeah, I was so excited to meet you!

- You were excited to meet me? Wow, thanks! - smiled - Am I kinda famous around here or something? - looked at Chris and laughed.

- Oh yes you are! And speaking of famous, I wanna meet Isabella! Is she here?

- I think she’s with Tom… - When said that, she saw Isabella coming, being carried by Jeremy.

- Oh my god, Isabella! What are you doing?

- Mom, this is Uncle Jeremy, we were playing a game!

- Wow, sounds like you’re making some new friends today, uh?

- Oh yeah, she’s quite the sociable little girl, isn’t she? Hi, by the way, I’m Jeremy - Jeremy smiled and gave a kiss.

- Hi, I’m - she smiled - I’m
the mother of this little girl, who last time I heard was “a big girl and didn’t go to people’s laps anymore” - said to Isa.

- Oh, that’s actually my fault. I couldn’t resist this cuteness! - Jeremy kissed Isa on the cheek.

- Oh, she is so cute! - Scarlett stood next to Jeremy and smiled at Isa - Hi sweetie! I’m Scarlett.

- I’m Isabella - Isa smiled - Are you the Black Widow?

- Yes, yes I am! - Scarlett smiled.

- I saw you on the Iron Man movie. I like it when you jump in the wall!

- You do? - Scarlett and Jeremy laughed.

- Where did Chris go? - asked.

- He went to get ready for his scene, he’s in makeup with Robert - Susan smiled.

After a while, Chris shot a scene with Robert and Chris, and watched it with Tom and Isa, who had a hard time not walking into the set to play with the props.

- You were so great honey - smiled and kissed Chris after the scene was over.

- Thanks - Chris smiled, then he and turned around to find Isa in Tom’s lap, while he was still in his costume.

- When I watched Thor, I wasn’t scared of Loki - heard Isabella saying and laughed.

- Really? - Tom asked.

- Yeah. Did you know that I saw The Silver Surfer? And I wasn’t scared of him either!

- Wow, really? I was scared of him!

- But he was good in the end!

- Oh yeah! - Tom said and Isa laughed.

- Can I call you Uncle Tom? - Isa asked as sat next to Tom.

- Of course sweetie - Tom and laughed and Tom gave Isa a kiss on the cheek.

- Wow, that was a great scene, uh? - said as Isa ran to meet Chris.

- Yeah! Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to ask, how’s Hayley doing?

- Oh, she’s doing great! She sent you a kiss, actually - smiled.

- Oh, that’s sweet! Wow, I haven’t seen her in so long! But I did talk to her on the phone last week, heard about the pregnancy…

- Oh yeah, they’re so excited about that! A little scared, but still - and Tom laughed.

- Really?

- Yeah, cause it happened so fast, They weren’t expecting it at all! But they’re completely excited - smiled.

- Mommy! - Isa came running - Dad said I can see Iron Man now!

- Wow, really?

- Yeah! - Isa walked away and smiled.

CHAPTER 28 – Midnight In L.A

- We should come to the beach more often - Chris said as he and sat on the sand and watched Isabella play with East.

- Yeah, that’s what we say every time we come here, which is like twice a year! - laughed - Why is that?

- Because we’re always either without time or too lazy to come, and we do nothing to change that?

- Yeah, that sounds like us - and Chris laughed.

- So… East isn’t doing that bad, uh?

- Oh, yeah. But the vet said it could take a few days for him to start reacting.

- Yeah - Chris stared at East with a thoughtful look.

- Hey, look at me - said to Chris - You know he’s gonna be just fine, right? He’s gonna kick this thing in the ass - smiled and Chris nodded.

About a month earlier, Chris and found out that East had a brain tumor. That day he had been through his first chemi session, but fortunately he didn’t look too beaten up.

- Alright sweetie, let’s go! - Chris called Isa as he and stood up.

- Come on, East! - Isabella walked away and Chris followed her.

- I’m gonna get you! - Chris started chasing Isa and she ran away, screaming.

After giving Isa a bath, and Chris started getting ready for their “date night” - they were going to watch Tom’s new movie, Midnight In Paris, with him, Hayley and Sam. As it was a Saturday, had her Swan Lake performance, so, after Isa’s nanny Olive arrived to take care of her, everyone went to watch before going to the movies. It was Tom’s first time seeing it, and he was amazed how was capable of not being tired at all, like she had just “done something normal”.

- Oh wow, it’ll be such an honor to watch the movie with one of the stars of it! - said as they waited in line for the tickets.

- I can’t believe you haven’t seen it yet! - Sam said.

- Yeah, well, we were in Albuquerque when it opened in Cannes… - Tom said and then he and Chris started laughing.

- What’s going on? - Hayley asked.

- No, it’s just… everytime someone says “Albuquerque” we remember our night out to drink there - Chris said - Jeremy was drunk so we dared him to say “Albuquerque” and he just couldn’t!

- Yes, he would say anything but that! - Tom laughed.

- Oh my god - the lady in the ticket booth said as Tom turned to her - Are you Scott Fitzgerald?

- I guess I am - Tom smiled.

- Oh, I loved you in that movie! You were great!

- Thank you! I actually haven’t seen it yet…

- Oh, you’re gonna love it, it’s great! - She smiled.

After buying the tickets, they all went inside and saw Tom was talking to someone after having lost sight of him for a while.

- Was that Billy Crystal? - Sam asked Tom as he walked in their direction.

- Yes! He said he just saw the movie and thought I did amazing - Tom smiled.

- That is so cool! - said.

- Oh, I want candy before we go in! The baby absolutely needs it! - Hayley said.

- Right, the baby - Sam laughed.

- Oh, yeah, and I want popcorn! - smiled at Chris like she was a little child.

- Well, I need to go to the bathroom - Chris said to - Will you get me some jellybeans?

- You do realize Isabella’s not even here for you to have an excuse to eat that?

- My excuse to eat that is because that is the greatest cady there is - Chris said and laughed.

- So, how’s Isabella doing? - Tom asked while they waited.

- Oh, she’s great. She was actually really upset she wasn’t gonna get to see Uncle Tom tonight - smiled.

- Oh, what a sweetheart!

- Yeah… But she was much happier once I told her she’s gonna get to see you in your Loki costume in New York!

- Oh, yeah, that’s gonna be fun - Tom smiled and turned to the attendant - A bag of M&M’s, please.

- That’ll be 4,50 - the attendant said while blindly staring at Tom - So.. Um… Were you Loki in Thor?

- Yes, yes I was - Tom laughed.

- You did a great job man! - he smiled.

- Thank you, that means a lot!

- Wow, I feel so famous when I go out with you guys! - said after they all got their snacks, as they walked to the theater room’s door, where Chris and Sam were talking.

- Yeah, this is a great day! - Tom smiled - I thought I was gonna be invisible here!

- That’s a bit hard when you’re starring in the movie that’s showing - Hayley laughed.

- Plus you’re joined by three more superstars - smiled.

- Are you kidding? We don’t even get noticed next to Tom - Chris joked.

- Oh my god! - Hayley suddenly got serious and looked at and Tom. who were standing next to each other - You will never believe what I just remembered!

- What? - Sam asked and everyone looked at Hayley.

- , remember that friend I wanted to set you up with, right after you broke up with Jim?

- Um, vaguely… That was a long time ago! What about him?

- It was Tom!

- You’re joking - said in shock.

- Oh my god! Yes, your friend from L.A! - Tom laughed as he remembered.

- Yes, I tried to set you up twice!

- Oh my god! - laughed.

- The second time you tried was when we were in London, wasn’t it? When we got engaged - Sam said to Hayley.

- Oh, yes it was!

- That’s when I met Chris!

- Oh yeah! Oh wow, imagine we could be meeting only now, as friends - Chris smiled.

- Yeah! Well, I guess fate wanted me to meet both of you! - smiled.

CHAPTER 29 – Shine A Light On Her

- I already told you, I like you with or without the beard - smiled at Chris as she lied on top of him in bed.

- But you said you were happy that I didn’t have it last time I shaved - Chris said as he passed his hands on ’s back.

- No, it’s fine. It’s just a little ticklish, that’s all - laughed and kissed Chris.

- Ok, come on - Chris said after rolling to her side of the bed - Time to get up.

- No, I don’t want to - closed her eyes.

- You have to. It’s closing night - Chris sat up while was still lying down.

- I don’t feel so good.

- Oh yeah? Are you nervous?

- No… I don’t know, maybe.

- Really? But you’re doing so great! And you’ve been doing this for so long!

- Are you calling me old? - smiled with her eyes closed.

- No, I’m calling you experienced and awesome - Chris kissed and then put his hand on her forehead - I think you got a little fever.

- Yeah… Also, I think I’m getting cramps…

- Do you want me to go to the drugstore and get you something?

- No, it’s okay - stroked Chris’ hair - You know what? - sat up - I’ll just take a pill for cramps, and if I don’t get better we’ll buy something else on the way to the theater.

- Okay - Chris smiled and kissed again.

After breakfast, was feeling better so she spent the morning playing with Isa. After lunch, Chris left to run some errands and and Isa went to the pool.

- Mom, you know what I was thinking? - Chris heard Isabella saying as he walked in.

- What sweetie? - asked.

- I was thinking that I can be a dancer, like you, because I know how to dance, or I can be an actress, like daddy, because I was in a movie once!

- Yeah, that’s true!

- Which one should I be?

- You can be whatever you want, Isa. You can be both.

- Really? - Isa smiled and then she and saw Chris coming closer - Hi dad!

- Hey! Wow, it looks fun over there!

- Come with us!

- Oh, honey, I don’t think there’s time - said to Isa.

- No, it’s actually still 4… I think I can join you for a while.

- Really? I thought it was like past five…

- Yeah, me too. I’ll be right back - Chris smiled and went to change into his bathing suit.

After getting into the pool, Chris spent about an hour with Isa and , before they all took baths and got ready for the closing night of ’s Swan Lake.

- Oh, honey, can you stop by that drugstore? - asked Chris as he drove them to the theater - I wanna buy some antiacid.

- You’re feeling sick again?

- Yeah, just a little, but I better buy some just in case…

- Do you want me to go? - Chris asked as pulled the car over.

- No, it’s okay. I’ll be right back - smiled and opened the door.

- Mom will you bring me a lollipop please? - Isabella asked.

- Sure, sweetie.

entered the store and got Isa’s candy. She started to walk around the aisles looking for the antiacid when suddenly, she saw a pregnancy test. That’s when she realized it: she had been nauseous all day, after feeling weird all week. Actually, that had happened before out of stress. But she wasn’t nervous about the show anymore. Also, her breasts were kind of sore and her period was late by… ten days. Ten days? redid the math. She had been so busy at the dance company she hadn’t even noticed that until that moment. decided to take both the antiacid and the test, which she put in her purse and decided to take later, at home. Luckly, was really good at letting things go for a while if it were for a bigger cause, so she was able to take her mind off her possible pregnancy - after all, this night was a big step in her carrer, since a lot of critics and press were gonna be there for her last performance as the Swan Queen that year. It was the end of November, and since the show was doing so great, they were planning on having it return about six months later.

- Here you go sweetie - handed Isa the candy after getting in the car and buckling up, then she took some of the antiacid and kept staring at Chris.

- What’s going on? - Chris looked at and quickly looked back at the street while driving.

- Nothing… It’s just… I love you so much - She took a deep breath and smiled.

- I love you too - Chris smiled and kissed after stopping at the sign.

After they got there, Chris and Isabella went backstage with for a while, like they always did, but this time not for so long. About forty minutes before the show started, Chris took Isa outside to meet everyone else and find their seats.

- Are you sure you feel better? - Chris asked before leaving her room.

- Yes honey, I feel totally fine - smiled and put her arms around Chris’ neck.

- Are you sure? Cause your understudy is here…

- I’m sure Chris! You know how important this is to me, and to everyone here. You know I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t sure I could.

- Yeah. I know. You’re gonna nail it - Chris kissed and went away.

Minutes before the show, when she had her outfit, makeup and hair done, looked in the mirror and took a deep breath, and after that she didn’t think about anything else. Something was really good at was forgeting absolutely everything that was going on in her life when she was dancing, no matter how good or how bad were the things she was going through. She had pulled off great performances on the same day she had gotten dumped by her first boyfriend, on the day she found out she was granted Isabella’s adoption, one day after Chris proposed, two days after he had woken up from a coma…

As expected, everything went great. was friends with everyone on the company, which created a great harmony that could be seen in the show. Their performance would go on to get great reviews, having sold all the tickets - and of course was responsible for a lot of them, since almost everyone she knew that lived in L.A went to watch her dancing. When it ended, the dancers recieved a standing ovation, and smiled as Chris and some of their friends screamed her name while clapping. After the show, they all went to Abby’s, who wanted to throw a party for her little sister but didn’t want her to worry about it, so she did it in her own house, which had a huge yard. It was a beautiful cloudless night, and the weather was still pleasantly warm, so Abby rented tables and chairs and put them outside, with big bright lights and tables with drinks and sandwiches.

- Oh my god, everything looks so beautiful! Thank you so much for this, Abby! I love you - hugged Abby and smiled.

- You’re welcome sweetie, you deserve it - Abby smiled.

- Aunt ! - Dan, ’s godson, who was in Abby’s lap, started to lean his little arms towards .

- Oh, sweetie, you wanna come in my lap? - and Abby smiled and took Dan, and then started walking around the party with him. She had a bun and a black headband in her hair and a light makeup, and was wearing dark-blue flats and a lovely short nude-colored dress with some diamonds in it, that Chris had gotten her for her 30th birthday.

- Hayley! - kissed Hayley and hugged her with one arm - How are you?

- Oh, I’m great, thanks! Hi cutie! - Hayley smiled and passed her hand through Dan’s back.

- Hi! - Dan smiled.

- Congratulations on the show! You were just perfect!

- Aw, thank you darling! So how’s it going with the morning sickness? - asked.

- Hm, not so fun - Hayley and laughed - But the doctor said it should end any time now, cause all this discomfort usually gets better after the first trimester.

- Oh yeah, then the actual fun part starts - put her hand on Hayley’s belly and they smiled.

- Oh, hi Dan! - Liz said giving Dan a kiss - Wow, I haven’t seen him in so long!

- Liz, I was looking for you! Where were you? - asked.

- Um… I was… Yeah, Matt and I aren’t gonna live together anymore.

- What? - asked shocked.

- Yeah, it just wasn’t working, you know? Having to share bills, and grocery, and who does the dishes…

- So you were inside fighting? - put her hand on Liz’ arm.

- No, we were having sex in the bathroom - Liz said with a face as if that was the most obvious thing ever.

- Oh my god! - laughed - Do you people even know what a relationship is?

- Yes! It’s about both parts of the couple being happy. And while that made you and Chris live together, it made me and Matt live apart. Bottom line is everyone’s happy!

- But how can you want to be together so much that you’ve been dating since forever, but can’t bare to live together?

- Come on , can’t you see I finally found someone exactly like me? We need time for ourselves!

- But do you know what this could mean in the future?

- No! And I don’t want to - Liz smiled - There’s no future, . God, when we were 25 our bright big future was the two of us as old ladies living together and scaring off Isabella’s boyfriends, remember?

- Yeah - laughed - That was a good projection.

- I told you that when you were depressed and it really cheered you up. And now, your life is completely different. Is that a bad thing?

- No - smiled.

- Exactly. Just live in the present, . Let go of expectations. Who knows, maybe the next time you’ll get life changing news will be three years from now, maybe it’ll be today.

Later on, was sitting on a chair, with Dan asleep in her arms, watching Chris play with Isabella and his niece Lilly. She rested her head on Dan’s and watched that scene for almost five minutes, until Chris sat by her side.

- Are you ok ? You seem a bit… too thoughtful and quiet - Chris put his hand on ’s back.

- Oh yeah, I’m fine - looked at Chris and smiled - I was just watching you with the girls. You are such a good dad - smiled and rested her head on Chris’ shoulder.

- Oh come on, I’m nothing compared to you! - Chris kissed ’s forehead.

- Well, I wasn’t comparing you to me - joked and Chris laughed - Oh, guess what? Matt and Liz aren’t gonna live together anymore.

- What? Did they break up?

- No, that’s the weird part. They were reliefed by it. They celebrated the decision by having sex in the bathroom.

- Oh my god - Chris laughed - God, these two go on the opposite side of a normal relationship.

- I know right! First they travel together, then move in together, then move out? Next thing you know they’re not exclusive anymore….

- You know what? I don’t doubt that - Chris and laughed.

When the party ended, at almost 2 a.m, and Chris helped Abby and Josh clean up and then went home. Chris took Isabella from the car, as she slept, and insisted he could put her pijamas and tuck her in by himself, since he thought looked tired. went to her closet and sat for a while, taking off her flats. Then, she started taking off her jewelry and putting it away, when suddenly she remember the pregnancy test and rushed to open her purse. She thought for a few seconds and decided to take it. When going to the bathroom, she saw through her bedroom’s opened door to Isa’s room that she was “half-awake” while Chris put on her pijamas, asking him something about superheroes.

After taking the test, put it on the counter in front of the bed, in which she sat for about twenty seconds, and then stood up to look at the test. Then, she decided to go back to the closet and look for something to do there, to take her mind of it during that incredibly long minute. But instead, she just sat and stared at a random dress while she thought about the baby that could be growing inside her. When she came to herself, she realized she had been staring at the dress she was wearing the night she met Chris, so she started smiling by herself.

- ? - Chris called her from the bedroom.

- Yeah? - said back and Chris showed up on the door holding the pregnancy test.

- What is this?

- Oh - stood up and just stared at Chris for about five seconds - It’s a pregnancy test.

- Oh my god!

- Sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s just that, I’m not sure and… I didn’t wanna give you false hopes or something. Because, you know last time…

- But does it feel the same as that time, when it was out of stress?

- A little bit. I don’t know. Anyway, it hasn’t been a minute yet, so…

- Yes it has - Chris said, looking at the test.

- What?

- What does two bars mean? - Chris showed the stick.

- Oh my god! - looked at Chris - I’m pregnant!

- Oh my god! - Chris and smiled and hugged, then he kissed her.

dropped a tear and started laughing out of nowhere. Surprisingly, this felt completely different than when she found out she was going to be Isabella’s mom. For Chris too, it was different than when he decided he was ready to be her father. It just happened out of nowhere and, out of all things in their lives that happened out of nowhere, without any plans or decisions, this had the best one.

CHAPTER 30 - Warm, Real and Bright

- White lips, pale face, breathing in snoooowflakes, burnt lungs, sour taste… - sang as she lied in bed next to Chris and one of her favorite songs played on the radio - light’s gone, day’s end struggling to paaaay rent…

- Stop it, you’re gonna wake up Isa! - Chris said laughing.

- AND THEY SAY SHE’S IN THE CLASS A TEEEEEAM - screamed and started waving her arms.

- My god, you are such a child! - Chris wrapped his arms around her.

- Yeah, I don’t get why do people expect me to act like an adult, just because I’m a wife, a mother and a teacher - looked at Chris with a sarcastic smile.

- Yeah, people are weird - Chris laughed as they looked to the door and saw Isa rubbing her eyes and walking in their direction.

- Hey sweetie! Happy party day! - said as Isa sat on top of her.

- Yeah! Are you excited? - Chris asked.

- Yes, I am! I think today is gonna be even more fun than my birthday day!

- Yeah, you’re gonna get more presents, and play with your friends!

- And I get to wear my Rapunzel dress! - Isa threw her hands in the air celebrating - When are we gonna start getting ready?

- Well, after breakfast Olive is coming to take care of you, then Mom and Dad are gonna go to the doctor and when we come back we can start getting ready, okay?

- Why are you going to the doctor?

- Just to check if everything is ok. Like you go from time to time!

As Chris and knew pregnancy tests weren’t completely safe, and if wasn’t really pregnant it’d be tricky to explain it to Isabella, they decided to only tell her after they confirmed it with an ultrasound. In fact, they hadn’t told anyone.

- What’s her name again? - Chris asked as they drove to the clinic.

- Addison Montgomery. Oh, she’s the best. I went to some consults with Abby when she was pregnant.

- Great! Here we are - Chris parked the car.

It was about a week after had gotten a positive on the pregnancy test. They went to a clinic to see the ob-gyn that delivered Abby’s son, and she was one of the bests in the country. and Chris went to an exam room, where soon Dr. Montgomery arrived. She introduced herself and asked some questions, and then she started an ultrasound.

- And there it is. That’s your baby - Addison pointed to a small blurry shape on the screen.

- Oh my god! - smiled and Chris held her hand, both looking at the screen.

- It’s so small!

- Yeah, but don’t worry, it’s a normal size for five weeks, which is how far along you are - Addison smiled.

A while later, and Chris went to the doctor’s office next to the exam room for some test results.

- Well, everything is looking great! - Addison said while going through the papers - This is some info on the most important things for this first trimester - She handed a brochure - and we’re gonna meet like twice a month for exams, but you can call me if you need anything at all.

- Oh, thank you, Dr. Montgomery!

- Oh, not at all! And please, call me Addison - Addison smiled and stood up. After scheduling a new consult, Chris and went home and started setting up the things for Isa’s birthday party, that was happening at their house.

- We should tell our parents to come earlier - said when they were going back home.

- Yeah, I was thinking about this too. I think they’d get mad if we told them along everyone in the party - Chris laughed.

- Yeah, we’d never hear the end of it! - smiled - How about Isa? Do we tell her now?

- Oh, I don’t know… What do you think?

- I don’t either…

- Well, let’s just tell her now. We’ll tell her not to say anything to our parents…

- Yeah, okay - smiled.

When they got home, Olive was organizing things for the party and Isa was playing in her room.

- Hey sweetie - Chris and sat by Isa’s side on the floor - We have something to tell you…

- What? - Isa smiled.

- You’re gonna have a sibling. Mommy is pregnant! - said.

- Really?

- Yeah! - smiled and Isa smiled and hugged her.

- Is it a boy or a girl?

- Oh, honey, we don’t know that yet. We have to wait - Chris said, putting Isa in his lap.

- Is it gonna take too long for me to see the baby?

- Yeah, honey, it’s gonna take a while. But while the baby doesn’t come you can see mommy’s belly growing!

- And where is it going to sleep?

- Um, I guess in the room next do yours!

- Can I help decorate the room?

- Oh course honey - smiled - Speaking of that, why don’t we go help Olive with your party?

- Dad, if the baby is a boy we can make him a superhero bedroom! - Isa said to Chris as he took her down the stairs in his lap.

- That’s true! We can get all the superheroes in the wall then! - Chris left Isa outside and went to the kitchen, where was standing before the cake.

- Oh my god!

- What was that face? Tell me I did not just see freaking out about throwing a party! - Chris laughed.

- No, you just saw freaking out about her daughter turning SEVEN - made a crying face.

- Oh come on, you’ll be fine - Chris took the seven-shaped candle from ’s hand, put it on the cake, and then hugged - Want me to make you feel young again?

- Oh, so I’m old now? - tried to look mad but started laughing and Chris kissed her.

- , where does this go? - Isa’s nanny, Olive, asked while holding a poster of the movie Tangled, which was the theme of Isabella’s birthday party that was happening in the afternoon at their house.

- Oh, that one goes outside, behind the glass table - smiled.

- Hey, where are the balloons? - Chris asked.

- Um… at the store? - looked at Chris and he laughed.

- I’ll go buy them - Chris kissed and headed to the door - I didn’t know that “pregnant brain” thing would kick in so early!

- Oh yeah, cause normally I have such a good memory - laughed.

Chris went to a store close by and came back about twenty minutes later, to find and Isabella watching TV.

- Look what I just bought! - Chris showed a package.

- What is this?

- It looks like balloons but it’s lights that float, that you put on the pool. So we can put them in our pool, and when the night comes…

- It’s gonna look like the Festival of Lights from the movie! Honey, that is genius! Thank you so much - kissed Chris and then the doorbell rang.

- I’m telling you, it takes like five minutes and it makes the cake so much better! - Chris heard ’s mom, Emma, saying to Lisa as he opened the door.

- How are you two already exchanging recipes, two minutes into a conversation? - Chris laughed.

- Well, we arrived together, so why waste time? - Lisa smiled and kissed Chris on the cheek, then hugged while Chris greeted Emma, and Isa had gone outside.

- Hey dad - hugged her dad and then Chris’ dad.

- So, you two - Lisa said after they all walked in - Tell us why this sudden decision to call us for lunch.

- Yeah, did all your plans fall through? Or you just need help with the party? - John laughed.

- Actually, we have something to tell you guys - smiled at them, then looked at Chris and he put his arm around her.

- Well, what is it? - Robert asked.

- We’re having a baby! - they said together.

- Oh my god! - Lisa screamed.

- Congratulations honey! - Emma hugged and then they all hugged each other.

After giving Isa her birthday presents, and Chris’ parents had lunch with them and helped finishing the things for the party. At around 4 p.m, family, friends and some kids from Isa’s school started showing up, and most of the guests were already greeted by Isabella with the news about the baby.

- ! - heard Hayley saying and turned around - Isa told me you’re pregnant, is that true?

- Yes! - laughed.

- Congratulations sweetie! - Hayley hugged her - Oh, this is so great! How far along are you?

- Um, about five weeks - smiled.

- Oh, we’re going to be pregnant together for quite a while then!

- Yeah, it’s gonna be great! - smiled and put her hand on Hayley’s four-months baby bump, that was just starting to show.

- I still can’t believe my baby sister is pregnant! - Abby hugged from the side and rested her head on ’s shoulder.

- Come on now, quit the drama, you’re only three years older than me! And plus, I already have Isa…

- Yeah, but, we had some time to adapt to that, until you made the decision, until you actually got her… this was out of nowhere! I’m so happy - Abby smiled.

A while later, was in the kitchen by herself, close to some people who were sitting by the counter that divided the kitchen and the living room.

- Ah, there she is - Chris hugged from behind and kissed her neck while placing his hands on her belly, and she put her hands over his - How are you feeling?

- Great - looked at Chris and he kissed her - How about you? Processed in the information yet?

- I guess so - Chris smiled - But they say that for the dad it only gets real when they actually hold the baby.

- Yeah, I guess that’s true… cause the woman’s already feeling everything. But, god, the first time you touch your baby’s little hand is priceless.

- I’m sure it will be - Chris kissed again and went to get some beers in the fridge.

- Mom, look what I got from aunt Liz! - Isabella showed her a beautiful doll that came with a little bag full of clothes and accessories.

- Wow, that is so pretty Isa! - crouched to check out the doll and saw Liz coming to her direction.

- ! This is such good news! - Liz hugged after confirming the pregnancy news with Hayley.

- I know, I feel so good! I didn’t know this news could make me feel this much happy! - smiled.

- Well, how could they not? You guys are the perfect family! Oh, this baby is going to be sooo pretty - Liz smiled.

- How do you know that? - laughed.

- Are you kidding me? You and Chris have the genes of perfection! Actually, I think it’s more than genes, cause even Isa looks like a little porcelain doll. It must be some energy you two transmit - Liz and laughed.

- Mom, come see how pretty the lights look in the pool! - Isa pulled ’s dress and went outside with her, where the sun had just finished setting and the balloons were shinning in the pool.

- Wow, this looks so good! - said to Chris - We should sing Happy Birthday now, by the pool, the photos will look great!

- Oh yeah, let’s do that - Chris and called everyone to sing Happy Birthday to Isa, while Matt took a lot of beautiful pictures. After getting herself a piece of cake, was standing by the pool when her brother-in-law Josh came close to her with his son Dan on his lap.

- Hi Dan! - smiled at him and patted him in the head.

- Dan wants to tell you something about the baby - Josh smiled.

- Oh yeah? What is it?

- I’m gonna give him my boy toys if it’s a boy!

- Really? Oh, thank you sweetie! I’m sure he will love that - smiled and then walked away when Isa called her.

- Mom, I can’t put the wings on the fairy! - Isa handed her a fairy doll and her wings as she and two of her friends waited anxiously to see what the doll would look like when it was all assembled - and by their squeals when fixed the doll, it looked even better than what they expected. saw Chris had just become “available” after his friend that was talking to him went away, so she went and sat on his lap.

- You know, I was afraid Isa could be upset about we telling everyone today - said while resting her head on Chris’ shoulder - Like, we could be stealing her thunder. Which we kind of are.

- Yeah, I was worried about that too… But I’m pretty sure she doesn’t mind after all the presents and the candy! - Chris and laughed.

- Hey - looked deeply at Chris - We’re having a baby.

- Yeah - Chris smiled and kissed .

(READ FROM CHAPTER 31 ON)