;we weren't crazy - mia

[Craig Blackwood]

The past few months had been a little crazy. It wouldn’t be long before Craig’s life with Mia would completely change and neither of them would be able to live life how they might have expected at their age. It was frightening, but he was slowly accepting the fact and remained mostly optimistic, which had to be a good sign. Of course, once the due date for the baby drew nearer, he expected to be freaking out quite a bit more. The parenting classes that Mia had suggested were a really great idea and he was warming up to the fact that he would be attending them with Mia. Being in any sort of classroom had never been appealing in any sense for Craig, but under the circumstances, there were a lot of things that he knew were crucial to know if they wanted to be successful as parents. It also gave them the opportunity to get feedback for any concerns they had or whatever else, so it really wouldn’t be so bad.

Today was the day that Craig’s parents would be meeting Mia for the first time. He was very nervous about what he and Mia had to tell them and he still wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it. The plan so far was to pick them up at the airport, get them settled in the guest room at the house and then go out for a nice dinner. Craig decided a public place would be good because he knew his parents were rarely the type to make a scene if they didn’t happen to like the news, which in turn would allow Craig and Mia an opportunity to explain their situation and make his parents see that they were handling it maturely. He was trying to be optimistic about how his parents would react, but in all honesty he had no clue what they would say about it. However, he did know that they couldn’t say too much because then he’d just call them out on being a bit hypocritical given the fact that they were in a similar situation at his age.

Craig had just finished getting ready and made his way down the stairs to do another run-through of the living room and kitchen to make sure everything was looking nice. That was definitely one of the many perks of living with Mia; it kept him in check when it came to making messes. Before that, the house would look rather disorganized from time to time. He was much more conscious about it now and now that they had the baby coming, it was even more reason to make it a habit to make sure things were cleaned up. He then looked for Mia and upon finding her, he looked at his watch and let her know they need to leave soon. “I want to prove to them I can be on time for once,” he said with a smirk. It wasn’t so bad now, but he was not very punctual as a teenager and his parents reminded him of it constantly. In fact, his mother had told him “don’t be late” just before he had gotten off the phone with her earlier. Fortunately having the position he did at his job, he had finally learned the importance of punctuality, especially when you are managing a business.

He waited for Mia to finish getting ready, if she wasn’t already, before leading the way out the door to the car. He doubled-checked to make sure there was enough room in the trunk for his parents’ luggage before moving over to the driver’s side and starting the car. He took a deep breath before putting it in reverse. “Well, here we go,” he said as he glanced at her for a second. “How are you doing? Feeling okay?” he asked, for a few reasons. He knew she had struggled with some of the symptoms of the pregnancy every once and a while, some days being worse than others of course. Craig knew very little about what she was going through specifically, but he could always make an effort to help out and do what was asked of him. The other reason for asking was because he figured she had to be nervous about meeting his parents, especially considering the circumstances. He was a bit worried he’d say the wrong thing when it came to breaking the news to his parents, so he hoped they’d be able to figure something out. “My mom’s a little upset that I didn’t talk about you until recently with how long we’ve been dating, but other than that they seem excited to meet you. That has to be a plus, right?” he said, trying to make her feel more at ease. “By the way, I’m sorry for that…you know, the ‘not talking about you’ thing. I don’t really have much of an excuse for it,” he said as he looked at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road. He did feel guilty about it, but for some reason he felt it was a good idea to withhold any knowledge of the relationship from his parents for a while.

They were only a few minutes from the airport now and he felt himself become more nervous with every minute that went by. He planned on emphasizing just how much he cared about Mia and was determined to have them see how great she was before they could make too many judgments about the age difference between them. A part of him doubted they would even realize that there was much of an age difference when they compared their maturity levels. Craig had never been all that mature for his age, though it had improved over the past year and Mia was more mature than most people her age so in a way, it more of less balanced out. Of course that was something that varied, but obviously they had made it work between them.

[Mia Testardo]

Mia had not exactly had a good morning. It wasn’t that anything had gone particularly wrong, but pregnancy symptoms, more or less, were really starting to get to her. Earlier, Mia had been trying on clothes to try and decide what she wanted to greet his parents in only to later come up to Craig in tears, complaining that she was fat. By now she certainly did have a little belly, and if you knew she was pregnant you could tell that she was starting to show. However, if you didn’t know she was pregnant you would think she could lose a few pounds and she knew Craig had to have noticed that when she would be walking around without a shirt on or when they were being intimate. However, if Craig ever mentioned such a thing he would also not be able to enjoy the intimacy or whatever else. She was pregnant. She was going to gain weight and a bit of a belly. Anyway, Mia ended up calling a friend over with some clothes and finally settled on a day dress that flared out right under her bust to hide her stomach before apologizing to Craig for her mood swings once again rearing its ugly head.

Beyond the fact that certain pregnancy symptoms were acting up that day Mia was also insanely nervous about meeting Craig’s parents. She had never had to meet a boyfriend’s parents before because, well, she never had a boyfriend before and any of the boys she had been with, well, she didn’t want to meet any of their parents either way. Add all that to the fact that she was also pregnant and they would be staying with her and she could hardly calm down long enough to think about what needed to be done. Mi had to admit that she wasn’t exactly happy about his parents staying at their house, but she also knew that her opinion mattered little in the big scheme of things. His parents would be in what would see have to be transformed into their child’s nursery, but that wasn’t what bothered her. What bothered her was the fact that she didn’t like his parents being in the house with them all night. She would be nervous to do anything at all, including shower in her own bathroom or kiss her boyfriend and she really didn’t think that was fair. However, she was just going to have to learn to live with it and she had promised Craig she would stop complaining about it a few days ago because she was sure he was getting tired of hearing it as well.

When Craig told her they better start heading out Mia nodded and showed her friend to the door. After a quick exchange of words, her friend left and Mia slid on a pair of sandals. Her feet were way too swollen to fit into anything else by now. As Craig double-checked the trunk Mia let herself into the passenger’s seat and buckled her seatbelt before letting a hand rest on her slightly swollen stomach. That baby is what caused all of this. If she hadn’t gotten pregnant five months ago she wouldn’t be meeting his parents now. Sure, if would have been smart. Hell, it would have been smart to meet his parents months ago when she moved in, but that didn’t happen and she knew that Craig would have pushed it off if Mia hadn’t insisted on meeting them before she was obviously with child.

Mia smiled and nodded slightly when he asked if she was doing okay. Generally, the pregnancy symptoms have given her a break. She hadn’t had any morning sickness in a few weeks, she was sleeping better and she was getting used to everything else. Her breasts were still tender, but she was dealing with that and she still aching a bit but that was a lot better as well. Now she was finding herself having a lot more mood swings along with food cravings. Just last night she had gotten Craig to go and get her taco bell tacos and cottage cheese, which she ate together, and you had to remember, she hated cottage cheese. “I’m pretty nervous, but okay,” she said with a smile, wanting to take his hand but knowing he kind of needed it for driving so avoided that and just turned her head back to look out in front of them at the oncoming road.

Mia nodded when Craig started to talk about his mother and chuckled slightly when he continued. “No, babe, that’s fine,” she tried to assure. “I mean, I’ve told my family so much about you,” she teased, with a shake of her head. She knew that, maybe if she did have a family to tell, she may be a little upset, but since she didn’t she figured he, more or less, had an excuse to why he hadn’t told his family either. The people he was close to had known about her from the beginning, his friends, co-workers and boss. In fact, she knew he often asked his female co-workers for relationship advice, which she was fine with, and his friends often heard about their sex life, which she wasn’t so fine with. For some reason, it just didn’t bother her that she had been kept a secret from his family, even though she knew that maybe it should. Granted, with both of their previous life styles there was no reason to jump the gun about a relationship, right? No need to start sending out wedding invitations yet.

The small talk as they drove to the airport didn’t do much to keep Mia’s mind off what was about to happen and calm her down, but at least they had already worked out the basic plans for the night. No need to wait for the last minute, of course. After they had parked Mia let herself out of the car and grabbed her purse before taking a deep breath and starting to walk towards the airport with him, now taking his hand in hers and squeezing it tightly. Mia had actually never even been in an airport, so wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. She had never been out of the southern California and knew it would still take a while since she was now having a child, but hopefully she and Craig would be able to afford a vacation at some point in time. As they walked in Mia allowed Craig to lead her where they needed to go, with her eyes wide as she glanced around the room with all the baggage claims. Once they stopped Mia glanced around before turning to her boyfriend.

“So… I have no idea what your parents even look like. They anything like you?” she asked as she reached up a cupped his cheek in her palm before allowing her hand to slide down his chest. She then turned around so she could look back out into the room and reached back for one of his hands, which she wrapped around her body and placed it around her stomach. Mia had yet to feel her child move, which did worry her a bit, but she had been assured that it was perfectly normal and that her child was perfectly healthy so she was trying her hardest not to worry about it. With a deep breath she let her head rest back against Craig’s chest as she looked out for an older couple, not even sure if their plane had landed yet but not wanting to be surprised by them at any time.

[Craig Blackwood]

Craig smiled slightly at her comment. He knew he could never expect her to tell her family about him, being as her grandparents weren’t particularly approving of her choices thus far, if you can call them that. However, he still felt he had some sort of obligation to tell his parents about her since he maintained a decent relationship with them. Of course, if she had no problem with it, he supposed he had no reason to feel guilty. Well, except for the fact that his mom was a little upset over the fact and he was sure that would only get worse when she found out that Mia was with child. When all was said in done, he figured things would smooth out and they wouldn’t have any real issues with drama. His parents tended to be laid back and didn’t like confrontation too much in the first place, so he’d be surprised if they somehow started freaking out about every detail.

Fortunately neither of his parents had dared mentioned anything that had to do with any major commitments. He knew they both had some commitment issues when they were young, so bringing up marriage would be a bit unusual, if not inappropriate in his mind. By now they should have realized that Craig wasn’t exactly a monogamous kind of guy up until recently, so he wasn’t too worried about them jumping the gun on the issue. Did he want to marry Mia someday? Sure, but he hadn’t given it too much serious thought, so it was difficult for him to make any sort of concrete decision on the matter. He had no clue how things were going to turn out with the baby and all, though he assumed everything would be fine. He had no intentions of leaving, so it seemed fairly clear that she felt the same way. Certain obstacles were hard to predict, but they’ve been through a lot already so what could possibly split them apart now?

He allowed Mia to take his hand as they walked towards the nearest entrance. Craig knew they’d have to meet them at whatever baggage claim they ended up at, so he went in search of one of the displays that would tell him which one it would be. He had memorized the flight number and knew the airline so it took him only a few seconds to find it on the display. He then led the way to the correct baggage carousel and stopped to look for his parents. He turned to look at Mia as she spoke and shrugged. “Well, my mom’s a brunette…err, most of the time. Her hair is different nearly every time I see her, but other than that she’s somewhat tall and thin. My dad’s around the same height as me, but has dark blonde hair if he has any left. Oh, and a bit of a beer belly,” he chuckled slightly and then continued to look around.

It wasn’t much later when Craig finally spotted his parents coming towards them and couldn’t help but tighten his grip around Mia’s waist for whatever reason. “There they are!” he said so that Mia was aware before they approached. “There you are!” his mom exclaimed before giving Craig a big hug, followed by his dad. “and who do we have here?” his dad asked. “This is Mia. Mia, this is my mom and dad, as I’m sure you can tell by now,” he said with a smile. “Hello Mia! I’m Linda and this is James,” she said, turning to her husband. “Pleased to finally meet you. It was apparent that Craig had already told them who Mia was and so far they didn’t seem to have too much of an issue with it, though he wasn’t sure if they had yet caught on to the fact that she was a bit younger than he was. No reason to bring that up, though.

“I hate to be rude here, but can we get our bags and head out? I hate airports…” his dad said as he looked around scornfully, which caused both Craig and his mom to laugh. They both knew very well about his dad’s hatred of airports. He never liked crowds or anything like that, and don’t even get him started on airplanes. “Alright, that sounds good. I’ll come help you,” Craig said to his dad as they both went up to the carousel, leaving Linda and Mia behind. Linda turned to Mia and smiled, though it was a little apparent that she wasn’t yet sure about Craig’s long-term girlfriend at this point. “So, Mia, are you in school right now?” she asked, partly for the sake of small talk, but also partly because of genuine curiosity. Something Craig probably wasn’t fully aware of was that his mother wasn’t about to let Craig get serious with just anybody. Craig being only one of two children, it was difficult for any mother not to be a little apprehensive about who her son dated, especially since Craig had never really mentioned having a serious girlfriend before.

It didn’t take Craig and James long to grab the bags and they soon walked back over towards Linda and Mia. James could probably tell that his son was a little hurried in grabbing the luggage, fearing what his mother might be saying to his girlfriend. “Okay, looks like we’re all set,” he said as he stood next to Mia and wrapped an arm around her in a quick hug and also kissed the side of her head. “So what’s the plan again? Food? That’s the plan, right?” James asked eagerly. Craig laughed and nodded. “Yes, dad, we’ll get you some food, don’t worry. We’ll just take your stuff back to the house and then we’ll grab something to eat,” he said before releasing Mia again and grabbing the bags he had let go of moments earlier.

Once they were in the car, Linda couldn’t seem to stop asking questions. “So how long have you two been living together? Is it the same house you bought, Craig, or…?” she asked in a way that told him that she’d be upset if he was living somewhere other than the house he had been in before. “Yes, mom, it’s the same house. And it’s been…what, like three or four months now? I’m not sure,” he looked at Mia to see if she could give a more precise answer. “Ok. And when did you decide this?” Craig sighed and was relieved when the house was in sight. “Umm…a while ago, but umm…hey, have you met Kerr?” he said, deciding to change the subject if it was possible. “Kerr? Your dog? I think we might have…" Before his mom could comment, Craig pulled into the driveway and continued on with the new subject. “Well I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you both. He loves company…usually,” he said as he shut off the engine and got out to help get the bags out of the car. He glanced towards Mia with an apologetic look, hoping his mom wouldn’t be asking too many more questions about the relationship.

Once inside, Craig led his dad into the guestroom so they could set the bags down before coming back out to meet Linda and Mia in the living room. “I forgot how nice of a place this is,” Linda commented. She turned to Mia. “Are you settling in okay, then?” she asked, though Craig thought it sounded like a loaded question in a way. He made sure to stand near Mia so that she knew in some effect that he was ready to come to her defense if she should need it, though he was curious to see just how far his mother’s questioning would go. It wasn’t exactly something he entirely expected, especially after she seemed so pleasant over the phone. Perhaps she was concerned about Mia’s age, even if she didn’t openly admit it yet.

Craig walked over to the back door to let Kerr in, who had been whining at the door since they walked in. He came in and greeted Linda, but seemed rather timid around James. "Aww, man. I don't think he likes me..." he chuckled as he knelt down and reached his hand out towards the terrier, but Kerr wouldn't budge. "Just give him some time. I've probably told him too much about you by now, though," Craig said as they both laughed. He hoped the dog brought a slight break in the tension that his mom seemed to have brought into the room. Then again, maybe it was better just to get things out in the open rather than having his parents wonder about certain things all night.



((ooc: sorry it's so crappy and rushed. but at least I got you one! lol))

[Mia Testardo]

Mia would never really say it, for fear of scaring Craig off, but his distance when it came to marriage did bother her slightly. Maybe it was nothing but the pregnancy hormones talking, but between the fact that he told her within the hour of learning that she was pregnant that he wasn’t interested in marriage at the moment and being glad that his parents didn’t bring it up did bother her a bit. She didn’t want to get married any time soon either but she would be all right with bringing it up more often than they did because she did want to marry him at some point, especially now that she was pregnant with his child. Now, she by no mean wanted to plan out how the wedding would go off or anything, and wasn’t interested in looking at wedding dresses, but she did wish she could say something along the lines of “when we’re married” without getting a weird look from him. Well, that and the last thing she wanted was him to get into a mind set of “why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free”.

“Well, as long as you don’t get that beer belly,” she teased, her hand falling to his abdomen with his shirt between her palm and his defined abs, “we don’t need both of us fat,” she shrugged, almost with a teasing note in her voice, teasing about her own mood swing issue earlier that morning. When Mia felt Craig’s arms wrap tighter around her she listened to his words and then frantically looked around to see if she could spot the couple he had previously described. When she finally noticed them she just had enough time to duck from Craig’s arms so his mother could give him a hug. She watched what was happening as she felt her heart start to race. She didn’t think she was ready for this now that it was happening, but it was too late for second thoughts and she knew it as well as anyone else.

“I never would have guessed,” Mia joked as she was finally introduced, smiling up at Craig with a glance. “It’s nice to meet you both,” she took turns smiling at both of them, giving a small nod before looking back at her feet. They hurt a bit, even these shoes were starting to fit a little tight and she really didn’t like it. When Craig left with his father Mia had a hard time disguising the worry on her face as she watched the backs of the two men. When Linda spoke up again Mia felt her heart skip a beat as she looked over and processed the question for a second. “Oh, um… no, not right now. I’m currently working full time to try and raise some money to go back to school. It’s… not very easy,” she admitted sheepishly, her smile matching her tone of voice as she looked over to see if Craig was on his way back with his father. Why did he have to leave her alone with his mother? This wasn’t something she enjoyed.

When Craig did finally return she allowed him to wrap an arm around her and smiled as he kissed her, looking up at his both affectionately and thankfully. When his father started to speak Mia couldn’t help but giggle. “You took after him,” she joked, knowing Craig’s obsession with his stomach. Once to the car Mia helped herself into the seat right behind Craig, allowing one of his parents to take her normal spot up front, and this ways she could knee him in the back if he started to say something she wasn’t sure she liked and, hopefully, not have it noticed. “Try six,” Mia said when Craig answered the question about how long they had lived together, giving him that knee to the back, trying to show him she wasn’t exactly happy with his mistake, “you better say something about time flying,” she continued, pushing dark hair from her face as she shook her head, making sure her tone signified a joke. His parents didn’t need to see them fighting.

Once they got to the house Mia told Linda to go ahead and get comfortable in the living room while Craig and his father got everything situated in the guest bedroom while she got them all drinks. She knew they would be leaving soon after they got here but she, honestly, didn’t want to be alone with either of his parents at the moment. She came back with drinks, being her waitress self and easily carrying all four at once, just as Craig and his father returned to the living room and she went over and gently set her head on his upper arm. When Linda spoke up once again Mia looked up and forced a smile. “Yes, I really love living here. Very nice, good location and I love seeing him every night, of course,” she smiled over to Craig, putting her head back on Craig’s arm.

Mia stood up straight again when she felt Craig leave to let the dog back into the house and was glad that Kerr could take their attention away from the relationship and the current living situation. She giggled at his dad’s reaction as well as Craig’s response. She decided to go ahead and take a seat on the free chair, feeling quite tired and she felt that, since she was pregnant, that taking a small rest by sitting when she was tired was probably a good idea. She rested there, sitting on her glass of ice water in her hand before leaning over and setting the glass on the coffee table in front of her, on a coaster of course. “Baby?” she questioned, looking to Craig, “when were our reservations again. I’m getting a little hungry too,” she said, bringing an arm to wrap around her stomach. She was hungry often now. It had gotten to the point that she was bringing crackers to bed with her, even though that didn’t seem to work as well as she had hoped because whenever she got hungry it never seemed to be for crackers, but she tried. She just hated waking Craig by getting out of bed in the middle of the night, and she hated to worry him even more.


((bleck, not a huge fan of that one =/))

[Craig Blackwood]

It was certainly no secret that Craig had been avoiding the subject of marriage like the plague. It wasn’t that he never wanted to get married. It was something he wanted at some point, but he wasn’t sure what he would say if they had any prolonged conversation about it because he honestly wasn’t sure what he wanted at the moment. He loved Mia and figured they’d get married someday, but the idea still scared him a bit. It was easy for him to picture himself getting married in the future when he didn’t have to really think about what that meant. Now that everything was becoming more real to him, he had to admit he wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Craig had always hated the idea of getting married too young because he felt he’d be missing out on some things if he were to get tied down. Then again, most of those opinions were based on what his friends had always talked about when their girlfriends weren’t around. Clearly his thoughts on marriage were confusing for him at best at this point, so he didn’t feel at ease talking about it just yet.

Linda nodded as Mia answered. She did understand how difficult it was for anyone to be able to afford to go to college nowadays, so there was really no room to judge on the issue. “You’re right. They really don’t make it easy these days, do they? It’s good that you’re working towards it though,” she replied with a smile. Linda stood next to her husband once they came back with the bags. Craig chuckled at Mia’s comment and nodded. “Just be glad he agreed to pay for dinner,” he said with a smirk as he nudged her arm gently. Craig wasn’t sure how he felt about Mia letting one of his parents take the front seat, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless, he supposed. When his mom took the front seat, it made him a little nervous, however. She was always the one with the most questions.

He had a sheepish look on his face when Mia corrected him. It took him a while, but by now he had finally learned how to detect when she wasn’t happy about something he said or did simply by the tone in her voice or the look on her face. Oh, and the knee in the back did help him figure it out as well, of course. James was the first to laugh at Mia’s comment. “That’s just the sort of thing that I’d get in trouble for…” he said, still chuckling a bit. Linda shook her head, but had a smile on her face. “Like forgetting our anniversary last year?” she said, though her tone didn’t indicate she was bitter about it. Hell, she had forgotten his birthday once or twice. Fortunately he wasn’t one to remember that. “Not this time! It’s in my Blackberry!” he said cheerfully as he pulled out his phone and rose it in the air slightly. Linda rolled her eyes and sighed. Craig couldn’t help but laugh slightly throughout the conversation. Now he knew exactly why he had such a screwed up view of relationships in the first place. His dad wasn’t exactly the greatest role model, but at least his parents seemed to make it work somehow. He just hoped he would have enough sense to take things from a different angle.

James thanked Mia for the drinks before settling into a nearby chair, observing the conversation. Linda’s eyebrow rose upon Mia’s response and she looked over at Craig for a moment. He rolled his eyes and shook his head upon realizing that his mother had taken Mia’s words to mean something she hadn’t meant them to. “Mom, that’s not…oh, nevermind. Things have been great. She even taught me how to not live like a slob. That’s the only reason the house is as clean as it is,” he said with a grin. He knew that was something his mom would appreciate since she knew what it was like to have to clean up after him as well as James. Craig helped as much as he could, of course, but for some reason there were always little details that he missed entirely when it came to cleaning the house. “It does look nicer than what I remember. I guess that just proves that men are worthless when it comes to decorating. Isn’t that right, hun?” She glanced over towards James and he gave a nod with a grin on his face. “True story,” he confirmed. Linda smiled towards Mia, though she was hesitant to say that she liked Craig’s girlfriend just yet. And that was probably merely due to stubbornness. Something that runs in the family, clearly.

When Mia asked about the reservations, James couldn’t help but chime in. “Yeah! What she said,” he commented with what looked like genuine concern on his face. Craig glanced at his watch. “I guess we could head over there now. I made them for 6:30, but I don’t think it’ll hurt to be a little early since there’s a chance we’ll beat the dinner rush,” he explained and went to grab his keys. “Ok. I’m just going to change and freshen up a bit. You should probably do the same,” Linda said, looking over at her husband. He sighed and got up reluctantly and headed towards the guest room. Craig overheard his mother’s plans and heard the door to the guestroom close. It was nice to get a few minutes to breathe, he guessed.

“How are you holding up? Sorry about my mom…she can be a little judgmental apparently,” he said in a quiet tone, making sure his parents wouldn’t be able to overhear the conversation. He wrapped his arms around her as he faced her and kissed her lips gently. “You’re doing great, by the way. I know she doesn’t hate you, at least. She just doesn’t like to admit it,” he joked before giving her a gentle hug. It wasn’t long before his father came back out. Craig released Mia and smiled over towards his dad, who was smiling back. “Sorry to interrupt, but she’ll be out soon. Well, that’s what she said anyway,” he said with a shrug. After a few more minutes, Linda came out wearing heels, dark jeans and a nice purple top. Nothing too fancy. “Okay. Are we ready, then?” Craig waited to see if Mia wanted to freshen up or anything before grabbing his jacket and leading the group out the door to his car.

Once they got to the restaurant, they were about twenty minutes early, but were seated right away thanks to a slow start to the evening crowd. Craig pulled a chair out for Mia, figuring he better show some manners for once if he wanted to evening to go as smoothly as possible. Well, at least the parts that were in his control to some extent. He took the seat next to her and his parents sat across from them; his dad sitting across from Mia and Linda sitting across from Craig. “Wow. Looks like some great food here,” Linda commented. Craig smiled over at Mia. At least she approved of the restaurant. He knew his mother was a little picky about where she ate. “So, Mia. I forgot to ask: what kind of work do you do?” His mother asked in an effort to get to know as much about his son’s girlfriend as possible. Once Mia had answered, Craig decided to chime in. “It’s a great place. We should take you guys sometime. Fantastic food,” he said before his mother could assume it was some low-end restaurant.

“What about you, Craig? Are you still bartending at the club?” his dad asked out of genuine curiosity. “No, well, not really, anyway. I’m a manager now. I told you guys that,” he insisted. “You’re right…you probably did. Go easy on me, I’m getting old!” said James. That was becoming all too common of an excuse for him. “Oh, Mia. I wanted to ask what you wanted to go to school for,” Linda spoke up again. At least the questions weren’t too daring as of yet. Craig just hoped they stayed that way. Of course, for all he knew she was just easing her way in…

[Mia Testardo]

Mia had to admit that she was very relieved when Craig’s mother didn’t seem to be upset with the fact that she currently couldn’t afford to continue her schooling. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be back in school or had no plans on going back to get a degree, she just had no help. What did bother her, however, was that Linda assumed she was still young enough to be in school. Okay, sure, it probably wasn’t something she should be upset about because Craig was only twenty-four and dating someone older than him wasn’t exactly her boyfriend’s calling card but she had been concerned about her age for a while now so it just brought up her nerves a little more than was really needed she supposed. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it,” she said with a smile, even though she knew it was going to be quite some time before she could go back again. Instead of school she was now putting some of that saved money into an account for the baby and would then be on maternity leave instead of getting the money back but that’s what happened when an unexpected pregnancy comes into the picture. All other plans have to be put on hold for the baby.

Mia couldn’t help but giggle at the conversation between his parents in the car. Okay, she would be bitter if an anniversary was forgotten, or her birthday for that matter. That being said she had reminded him about the two birthdays she had since they were together and even she wasn’t sure what they were considering their anniversary after all the breaking up and getting back together stuff. Their first year together was actually cut short and the night of what would have been their anniversary she spent in Jess’ bed, though she wasn’t going to tell Craig that. After seeing his parents she did see why their relationship seemed to have so many bumps. He grew up with… this and she grew up seeing nothing but very conservative couples that hardly held hands before marriage. Of course things would need a bit of trial and error before they figured out how this relationship worked for them.

After seeing the look on Linda’s face Mia quickly added on, “Ma’am I… I didn’t mean it like that…” but before she could continue Craig stepped in to try and defend her, which she was quite happy about, and then compliment her to his parents, so that was nice. Mia did have to admit that he was telling the truth. She remembered what the place looked like when he had a bachelor pad and the times when she refused to shower until he cleaned it and would ask how long it had been since he had washed the sheets and then do that before she’d get in bed with him. Needless to say, she was sure they both preferred it this way. Mia smiled at his parents words once again and looked at her boyfriend with a grin. “I’d toast to that,” she added on to the end of the sentence, nudging Craig with her elbow.

Mia was relieved when Linda and James left, if only for a few minutes. Between the nerves of having his parents around and the fact that she was never feeling one hundred percent since she had gotten pregnant in the first place it was nice to have a break. Sure, she was feeling quite a bit better now that the morning sickness had waned but beyond that she still had plenty to complain about. After all, there was something growing inside her and taking a good deal of all the food she ate and pushing against everything else inside her abdomen, it was hard to feel good through it all. When Craig started to speak she looked up to give him her attention. “A little?” she questioned, making sure to keep her voice quiet so his parents wouldn’t hear her. “She may as well have me in an interrogation room,” she said, with a raise in her eyebrows. Okay, thinking about that probably had something to do with the fact that she was pregnant and wasn’t dealing with anything well lately. Even at work she found that she wasn’t dealing as well with tricky customers. Of course, she wasn’t snapping at anyone or anything like that, but she also wasn’t her normal smiley self all the time, especially when the end of her shift rolled around.

When Craig kissed her lips she kissed back and smiled at him when he pulled away, wrapping her arms around Craig and holding him close to her. She giggled as he continued, resting her head against his chest as she got a hug from him. When she was released she looked up at him with a questioning look before she looked over his shoulder and saw his father standing there smiling at him, which she made sure to return as she rested her head back against Craig. She was tired, she had to admit. Right now had been her nap time, recently, right before she had to go in for the dinner rush. She had been able to work things out with Jess to let her work the lunch and dinner rushes and rest between after he had been told about her condition, which she was enjoying because she really needed it most days. She still hadn’t told anybody else about her pregnancy, though she knew some people she worked with or saw often were starting to get suspicious and she was going to have to start talking about it soon.

Mia nodded when Craig's mother asked if they were ready to head out. There was no way she was going to try to change out of what she was already wearing, it took her forever to decide on this and it caused her to cry and cling to Craig, which wouldn’t go well with his parents here. She found a dress that didn’t show her baby bump, though she did wonder if his parents thought she could lose a little weight, and shoes that looked alright with the dress and didn’t hurt her feet too much, her hair looked nice and her make-up was fine. Long story short, she wasn’t going to change a thing to avoid another mood swing over something totally stupid.

When they were at the restaurant and Craig pulled out her chair Mia had to admit that she was shocked, which was shown on her face but she took the seat and thanked him as he helped her push it in. Craig never opened doors for her or pulled out chairs or anything like that, but she didn’t mind. She could do it herself so didn’t need him to do it for her, which she had told him before when he would try things out due to his coworkers giving some advice. She wasn’t a huge fan of chivalry. Mia spent some time looking over the menu before Linda spoke to her again and she looked back up to show her attention. “Oh, I’m a waitress at a nice Italian place,” she explained with a smile. When Craig spoke Mia glanced over and giggled once again. “Oh yeah, make me spend even more time there,” she teased, playfully putting her head against his shoulder for a second before looking back up and going back to the menu.

Mia didn’t look back up until she heard her name again, though she did smile at the conversation between the men at the table. She listened to Linda once again before answering once she was finished. “Well… I’m still on the fence a little between nursing or teaching, both for young children, I’d prefer,” she said with a smile, unable to stop looking down at her stomach and then smiling at Craig at the thought of their child. After a while their waiter came over, and Mia couldn’t help but think he was hot but managed to avoid staring. Mia ordered just a water, having a feeing the rest of them would be getting wine and wondering if that would be a good enough start for Craig to bring up the pregnancy idea, or Linda would dig into her age, but she couldn’t help that, now could she? She also ordered shrimp as her main course. She had spoken to her doctor about that and she had been assured that shrimp and other shellfish were fine and actually great for her to eat in moderation, which she loved because she didn’t want to go without shrimp for nine months, it was her favorite, as Craig knew very well by now. Now that their food was ordered and there were waiting for the salads Mia was just sitting there, waiting for the conversation to fall on what she was dreading and hoping she would be able to handle it, no matter what his parent’s reaction may be.


((whoa... that's longer than I meant for it to be...))

[Craig Blackwood]

Craig knew it was difficult for Mia to even think about paying for school at the moment now that the baby was on the way. He knew she was trying to save up for it, but now all of that would most likely have to go towards taking care of the baby. He figured they would be okay financially for a while just as long as he was able to cut back on certain things that he really didn’t need. Going out with his buddies a few times a week occasionally cost him an amount that Mia would kill him for if he were to disclose it on the more expensive nights. Of course, cutting back on those things would come naturally, he assumed, since he’ll be spending a lot more time taking care of the baby than he would anything else. He would be lucky to go out once a month if he wanted things to go right. Craig knew he would feel guilty if he left Mia all alone with the baby more than he had to. They were both new at this, after all, and his parents had reminded him quite often how much of a handful he was growing up.

The whole anniversary thing had worried Craig a bit. He didn’t know if they were going to stick with their initial anniversary or if it would now be on the day that they got back together. He supposed he should talk to Mia about that sooner rather than later, otherwise he could end up getting himself in trouble. They broke up just before reaching their previous anniversary, which landed him at a bar with his buddies getting completely hammered. Needless to say, he didn’t remember much from that day, which was more of less what he was aiming for. It still ate at him a little bit to think about what happened between them, and then of course there was that thing with Jess. Craig hadn’t known just how jealousy could overtake him until he had pictured Mia and Jess together. It still stuck with him, but it was more a reflection of some of his remaining insecurities about the relationship than anything else.

Craig chuckled a little when Mia responded about his mother’s questions. “She’s just trying to figure you out. She likes to speed up the process of getting to know you, which she doesn’t realize is not the right way to do it,” he said with a shrug. He knew his mom was eager to get to know his girlfriend, but perhaps a little too eager. It was as if she wanted to know everything she could about Mia on the first day so she could decide whether or not she liked her sooner rather than later. Being an accountant as well as an event planner on the side, he knew his mom was all about efficiency. Though that did hinder her ability to be completely pleasant to be around in a social setting. “It’ll get better. She rarely bites,” he said with a smirk. He hoped that things would get better once they got dinner over with, but there was a good chance things would get a whole lot worse, depending on how his parents took the news.

Dinner was a bit painful, but not noticeably so. He could feel his stomach turning at the thought of giving his parents the news. His mother ordered a glass of wine, his father a beer. Craig decided to stay away from the alcohol so that Mia wasn’t the only one not ordering any. He went with a root beer and a glass of water. He kept a light conversation going among them, mostly about work and other family members, though he hated the fact that his brother, Glenn, came up so often in the conversation, as usual. “Glenn’s planning to propose to Ariel soon, you know. And he’s already agreed to let me help plan the wedding!” his mother boasted with a big smile. Craig sulked. “Yep, he’s doing great. He just won a big case, too,” his father added. “That’s great,” Craig said, almost sarcastically. This would only make telling them about the baby harder because they would end up comparing his life to Glenn’s once again. He took a deep breath and was relieved when their salads came. Maybe getting some food in their stomach would put them all in a more easy-going mood that wouldn’t put Craig and Mia on the defense the whole time.

“This wine is wonderful! Mia, would you care for a glass?” Linda asked politely, but Craig knew there was more to the question than one might think. It was a subtle and seemingly innocent way to possible find out Mia’s age, which he knew his mother had suspicions about by now. When Mia turned down the offer, Linda jumped at the chance. “You are old enough to drink, right?” Linda asked as she shifted her gaze over to Craig. The nerves were building up once again. He took Mia’s hand under the table and squeezed it gently as he looked at her. Deciding to dodge the question of age, Craig decided it would be better to go ahead and give them the news. “Mom, dad, there’s actually something we have been meaning to tell you,” he began. He took another deep breath and waited until he had his parents’ undivided before continuing. “Mia and I have been together for nearly two years now and I care about her so much,” he said, knowing the time frame wouldn’t include the two times they broke up, but he figured that wasn’t important now. “And I don’t want you to think that there’s anything in this world that we can’t handle,” he continued, knowing he was beating around the bush a little. “We…we’re going to have a baby,” he said finally and held his breath as he waited for a reaction.

The waiter came by with their food only seconds later, placing his dad’s steak, his mother’s salad, his pasta, and Mia’s shrimp in front of the corresponding person. The waiter asked if there was anything else they needed and Craig noticed he almost cut himself off mid-sentence when he realized the sharp tension amongst the group. “No, we-we’re fine. Thanks,” Craig barely managed to say. The waiter gave the table a sheepish smile before quickly moving to his next table. James immediately broke some of the tension by letting go of a laugh, which earned him a startling glare from his wife. “What? You want me to say I’m surprised? It was bound to happen. He’s not Glenn, you know.” His father uttered the last part in a whisper, but Craig still heard it loud and clear, which only infuriated him. “Well, I’m still surprised at you, Craig. Maybe I shouldn’t be. I wasn’t going to say anything before, but with all the girls you’ve been with, I’m surprised this is the first time this has happened,” she said matter-of-factly.

If they weren’t at a fine dining restaurant, Craig probably would have started throwing his food at them or maybe turning tables over throughout the restaurant like the Hulk. “What the hell? Are you two serious right now?” Craig asked, trying his best not to yell. “It’s okay, son. I’m just sorry I didn’t bet on the timeframe with your mother. I mean, when you know something’s going to happen, but not sure when, that’s the perfect means for a bet, wouldn’t you say?” his dad said with a laugh. “I’m glad this is all a joke to you,” he said with a sharp glare directed towards his father. Linda sat back for a moment and observed her youngest son and his girlfriend, which actually tweaked something in her a bit. As James continued to rant, Linda put her hand up to shush him. “James, that’s enough,” she said strictly, which clearly surprised her husband. She sighed and shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry, Craig. I know it’s tough. We just…well, I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if…” she glanced over towards Mia before speaking to Craig in a near whisper, as if Mia wasn’t supposed to hear. “If it was with someone your age,”. And there it was. He was waiting for when she’d drop the age bomb, but he had to admit he hadn’t expected it to be at such an incredibly inappropriate time. Apparently his mother was incapable of finding something polite and/or appropriate to say at the time. Pitying him certainly didn’t count.

Craig put his head in his hands. He could barely contain the fury he was feeling right now. He looked back up at Linda and narrowed his eyes. “Mom, I’m in love with her and we’re going to have a baby. If you can’t accept that, then that’s too damn bad. I don’t care. I just can’t believe you can say all of this without realizing how much of a hypocrite you are,” he said, staring directly at his mother. She tilted her head to the side, squinted, then shook her head quickly. “Craig, that’s completely different,” she protested. “HOW?!” he shouted this time, earning looks from surrounding tables, which forced him to take a deep breath and attempt to calm himself. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I’m not perfect. I’m sorry I’m not Glenn. For God’s sake-“ he ran out of breath and felt himself begin to tear up a little, but he refused to cry. He was ready to get up and leave when his father spoke. “Craig, sit down. Please.” he said, now feeling incredibly guilty. “We’re sorry, okay? We think it’s great, don’t we hun?” he looked at his wife, who didn’t seem to want to agree at all. “Just, uh…excuse us for a minute, will you?” he said as he looked between Craig and Mia. Craig reluctantly nodded and took the time to steady his breathing.

He looked over at Mia and his eyes started to fill up with tears once again. “I’m so sorry…god, I…I’m sorry,” he said softly, obviously thinking he needed to apologize for his parents, but most of all, his behavior. He knew raising his voice didn’t make the situation any easier, but his parents apparently knew exactly how to get under his skin. “Do you want to go? I figure they have to stop at some point, but it may be better just to leave now. Whatever you want to do,” he said to her once he was able to steady his breathing to some degree. He knew she’d feel offended, even though his parents were aiming their insults more so on him. There wasn’t a woman out there that wouldn’t feel offended, so he couldn’t blame her. With his parents’ comments came some assumptions that made Mia look like she was just another fling Craig had, only he happened to knock her up this time. He had hoped they would realize how much they cared about each other before hearing about the news so that they could avoid those assumptions, but apparently not.

[Mia Testardo]

When Mia really thought about it, she wondered if the secrets she kept from Craig helped the relationship or harmed it. It wasn’t like she lied or omitted the truth about something important, such as how she was feeling with the pregnancy or how much money she was making, but there were things that she had kept from him that she did wonder if she should just spit out. The one that really worried her was the fact that she had slept with Talan. Sure, it had been before she had met Craig and had nothing to do with Talan allowing her to stay at his place for as long as she had to but she had been living with a man she had been with and she had convinced Craig that there was nothing between her and Talan, nor did she want there to be. She was just worried that Craig would find out from someone else one of these days and then be angry that she hadn’t told her, which would just lead to another stupid fight between them. She just felt some of these things were best to keep quiet about, but she did often think that so many secrets couldn’t be good for the relationship.

“I think I’d almost rather she bite,” Mia admitted sheepishly, looking away from her boyfriend. Mia’s life hadn’t exactly been what most parents would love for their little boy to dating. She didn’t know the number of men she had been with, was pregnant at sixteen with a baby whose father she didn’t know and was then homeless for many months sleeping with whoever would take her into their bed for the night. Now, of course Craig did know about all of that and she had no intention of telling his parents about that part of her life, ever, but she did worry that something she would say to his mother’s constant questions would hint to it, and then she could of course assume the worst from the hints. The last thing she wanted was for his mother to think she actually still had a child in the world, that may not end up well for the relationship between her and Linda. Granted, if she had a child there was no way she would be with Craig, she just had a feeling.

At dinner Mia felt bad for Craig, having to sit there and listen to his parents rant about her older brother. She knew it must hurt to constantly be compared to him. She had been an only child so she never had that issue; she was just compared to Jesus or the Virgin Mary, people she knew she couldn’t stand up to so falling short never hurt that much. “I love you,” Mia whispered so quietly she almost mouthed over in his direction, a part of her thinking it may help him to know that she thought he was perfect just the way he was and wanted nothing to change drastically. Of course she had always been hoping for slight changes, like not sleeping around or coming home to her at a decent hour and not completely wasted but if he changed too much he wouldn’t be the man she fell for in the first place, which would ruin the whole relationship for both of them.

When Linda asked about the wine Mia obviously stiffened up and couldn’t help but glance down at her stomach for a second. She turned to Craig with a firm look as if saying “come on, tell them” before turning back to Linda with a charming smile. “I… thanks for the offer, but I’m okay,” she decided with a smile and nod, discreetly bringing her hand across her stomach as she spoke. When Linda then snapped back and she jerked back a little before turning to Craig again, once again with a “come on!” look, thinking this was the best time to just get it out there. She let him take her hand and smiled at him gently when he was talking. She let him beat around the bush a little before finally saying it but before she could even read his parent’s reaction the food was brought out. She thanked the waiter in the small voice before he left again and then almost jumped a mile when James laughed.

“Ouch,” she said softly at his first statement, taking and squeezing Craig’s hand, now really wishing she could drink. After Linda spoke however she just snapped her face up, tears obviously already starting in her eyes. “Ouch ,” she said again, this time louder, hoping her parents would realize that this wasn’t going to help, but apparently she was wrong. She really didn’t want to know how many women Craig had been with, nor did she ever want to think about it or talk about it, much less hear his mom say anything about it out loud. “Craig, come on,” she said, asking him to calm down with her eyes, even though she knew it wasn’t going to help, not when he was this upset. At James’ joke Mia just looked across the table with wide eyes. Seriously? He thought this was a joke? She was only pregnant and was sitting right across the table but, luckily, Craig called his father out on it quickly.

Ah, and there it was, the age bomb. “I’m right here!” Mia objected when she said it in a soft voice, as if she was telling a secret. They all knew she was younger than Craig, but it wasn’t a huge difference and it wasn’t like she was still in high school or something. It was Craig’s rant that really caused Mia to start to cry, though she couldn’t tell you why. She was glad he said everything he said, of course she was, but for some reason the tears just wouldn’t stop falling from her eyes now. “Baby, stop it,” she said, reaching for his hand once again as she tried to stop her sobs. She watched as his parents left the table, wondering what they could have to talk about in private after what they already said not only in front of them, but in front of the whole restaurant. Damn, she felt sufficiently slutty now.

She just shook her head when Craig apologized, taking her fork and starting to go about eating her food in front of her, or at least getting it on the fork, nothing had touched her mouth yet. She just shook her head more when he asked if she wanted to leave before finally looking up at him. “N-no, they-they don’t have a car,” she said, feeling her face go red as the other people in the restaurant were watching them. She turned back to look at her food and as she lifted the fork to her mouth she felt hot tears fall to her hand and couldn’t get herself to eat and left the fork drop back to the plate. Even though they had just hurt her so much she still had the hopes of being friendly with them, just because her parents weren’t around. “They’ll calm down, right?” she asked, gently moving hair from her face as she looked at him with tear filled eyes, trying her hardest to stop sobbing, but failing pretty well. “I just want my mom,” she finally said what had been on her mind. From what she remembered of her mother, she would never act this way. Even if Mia made the biggest mistake of her life, her mother would be there for her and never sit across a table in a nice restaurant and insult her.

However, that statement wasn’t something to take lightly coming from Mia’s mouth. The last time she had said that was when Craig had cheated on her, over a year ago now. She had learned to cope without a family by her side over the years, but at certain times of crisis she really did want that connection, but the fact that she voiced it would have to be a bad sign for Craig when it came to how she was really doing, no matter the tough face she tried to put on. “I love you,” she said again, looking over at him and running her thumb over the back of her hand. “You’re amazing, and you’ll be a great father, I know it,” she tried to assure through tears and a tight throat before turning back towards the table to try and continue eating and hopefully stop her crying, even though she didn’t think it was really going to help.

[Craig Blackwood]

Mia was right to assume that if she still had a kid, they probably wouldn’t be together. Craig had heard plenty of stories about guys that got into relationships with a kid already in the mix and he swore he’d stay away from that at all costs. He just didn’t feel comfortable fathering a child that wasn’t really his, which is a bit selfish, but that word pretty much described him in his early twenties. He would admit, however, that when he had the crazy thought that Mia was pregnant with Jess’s child, it really struck him hard. He wasn’t even sure what he would do in that situation, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. Things really weren’t all that bad. Sure, neither of them expected a pregnancy, but at least they both cared about each other and were willing to take care of the baby together as well. If this had happened somewhere in the wake of their breakup, he wasn’t quite sure how things would have played out. All of this was probably best not to think about.

Craig had no idea why age was a factor for his mother. They were a mere five years apart and he didn’t think Mia had looked young enough for his mother to be worried. She looked great, of course, but he supposed with his mother being as judgmental as she was often times, this was just the sort of thing she had a special radar for. He assumed it had more to do with her level of education than anything else, which just bothered him even more. He hated it when his parents judged him or compared him to his older brother, but doing the same thing to his girlfriend? They were crossing into uncharted territory and he wasn’t happy about it at all.

Seeing Mia in tears just made him want to get up and leave with her all the more. She didn’t deserve this. No one deserved to be practically put on trial like that and then so obviously judged because of her boyfriend’s irresponsible past. For a while his mother would try to scold him about drinking and sex and all of that, but eventually gave up once it was clear that Craig wasn’t going to change just because she tells him to. He knew she was often holding back what she really wanted to say to him. Unfortunately, tonight was the opportunity she chose and it certainly didn’t end well. He looked at Mia after making his suggestion of leaving and shrugged his shoulders at her response. “I’m perfectly fine letting them walk to a hotel,” he said bitterly. He suddenly wasn’t at all accepting of the idea of his parents staying in their home. Not after this.

“I hope so,” was all Craig could say in response. They were actually taking much longer than he had expected, which made him assume they were fighting over the issue. He just hoped they had at least taken it outside. When his parents fought, it was never pretty and almost never ended in any type of compromise. Looks like Craig learned from the best. Though, that was what made him want to be better. He had no intention on turning out like his father. Craig turned his head sharply when Mia spoke up again, a little surprised at her words. As badly as he wanted to say some sort of magic word that would make her feel better, he froze. It was a bit awkward since he didn’t exactly know how she felt, but he knew it didn’t do any good to just sit there and say nothing. Before he could even begin to think of the words to say, Mia spoke again. This time a small smile formed on his lips as he continued to look at her. “I love you, too. And you’re going to make a great mother,” He leaned over and kissed the side of her head before brushing her hair back from her face affectionately. “It’ll be okay,” he said softly. It was all he could think of, but he felt that he didn’t need to be a therapist here, just a supportive boyfriend.

After a few more minutes, his parents finally came back. By the look on their faces, he could tell it hadn’t at all been a pleasant conversation, which made him a little nervous. Then again, what could they possibly do? They had no control over the situation and Craig planned to keep it that way. His parents sat down and his mother immediately began picking at her food. His father sighed and looked over at Mia, and then at Craig. “Craig, Mia,” he said, this time in a more serious, yet sympathetic tone. “We’re very sorry. We realize that is not the way we should have reacted. This is a special thing for the both of you and we don’t want to spoil it in any way.” Craig was surprised by his father’s words to say the least. He had hoped to hear something similar from his mother, but she was staring down at her plate and he kind of suspected that she wasn’t in complete agreement. She’d always been the more stubborn one. “We’re both very happy for you two, he continued.

Craig looked a bit confused as he looked between his parents. It was then that he decided to speak up. “Dad, this is your grandchild we’re talking about. Why are you happy for us? Shouldn’t you be happy too?” he asked, looking his father in the eyes. There were a few moments of silence before Linda decided to speak. “We are…we are happy, Craig. Just concerned,” she said. “Mom, you don’t have to be. I swear, if you just give Mia a chance, you’re going to adore her,” he assured. “It’s not Mia I’m worried about so much, she admitted. Craig was surprised by what she said, but he wasn’t sure why. He probably should have expected it. “Well, then maybe you can give me a chance. Look, I know I haven’t exactly been an ideal role model these past few years, but I know I can do this. With her, I know I can do this, I know we can do this,” he said as he looked over at Mia with a smile.

His mother released a heavy sigh and nodded. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry. I just…I guess it’s just hard to believe, but it’s great, Craig. It really is,” she finally concluded, which gave Craig a mild feeling of relief. He figured at least they were getting somewhere. “Now that we all agree that this is something we all should look forward to, can you name him after me?” his father joked. Craig couldn’t help but to chuckle a little. “We don’t know the sex yet, but even if we did, the answer is no,” Craig said in a teasing sort of way. Things seemed to be smoothing out a bit, which he hoped would continue. He knew that both he and Mia would want some help from the kid’s only grandparents and that could only happen if they were at least willing to accept the idea of them having the kid in the first place.



OOC: YAY! My first post in 3 months. Good to be back. However, I had no idea where I was going with this post, so the seemingly abrupt ending is due to that as well as the fact that it is very late and I'm barely able to think at this point. lol

[Mia Testardo]

If Mia had the choice she would of course have preferred Lucas to live. Craig would sometimes walk into a room and have her crying over the one picture she had of her son and twice now he had been to Lucas’ grave with her and watch her basically break down when thinking about the son she had lost. That being said, however, she knew her life would have been so much different now if she did give birth. She couldn’t see her grandparents not allowing her to stay with them once she had a child but she also knew they would do what they could to make her life a living hell. She would probably be working more than she was now in order to pay them some sort of rent as well as everything for the baby and herself and just get free childcare in return for never being able to obtain a life savings. She knew they would also yell at her to find a father for her baby but also never give her a spare minute to actually even think about dating… but she would have Lucas. It was hard to think that not having her child may have been a good thing for her in the end and she would never, ever say she didn’t want Lucas back but maybe it was better this way… maybe.

Mia hadn’t quite noticed that she was being judged against anyone. Sure, his parents were grouping her with all of their son’s past night partners but, in the end, that’s what she started as, more just came out of it. The only time she could even remember being compared against another human had been way back in high school when she had been swimming… and a little at work she supposed but they all knew she excelled at her job. She really had hoped everything would have gone well between them and his parents and now that hope had been crushed and she wasn’t really sure what to do about it. Her whole plan on getting through this pregnancy had more or less leaned on the support of someone who knew what she was going through and now she had no one once again. Of course there was Craig who was being just amazing for her while she was dealing with the pregnancy but it wasn’t the same as having someone who knew what she meant when she came downstairs in the morning and had to throw away all the sausage because it made her so sick to her stomach she thought she would have to go throw up again.

His bitter response after his parents left made Mia feel she had to force a smirk as she reached for his hand and squeezed it slightly. Yeah, she had never been too keen on the idea of his parents staying at the house she shared with Craig but now she was very against the idea but she didn’t want to start anything either. If everything happened in the way she expected it to happen she would have to deal with his parents for the rest of her life… and meet that apparently perfect brother and his perfect to-be-wife as well. Great. Then she would definitely be judged against someone. The girl their younger son got pregnant verses the girl their older son married and the boys’ mother loved… yeah, that didn’t sound all that fair to her.

Mia leaned in when Craig reached over to kiss the side of her head and smiled up at him when he spoke, though it was obvious the tears weren’t going to start as soon as she wished they would. When his parents returned to the table she refused to look up and instead stared down at her food, playing at it with her fork. When his father started talking Mia had to choke back a sob and reached up to wipe her eyes. She had wanted to try and make it obvious that she wasn’t crying but that just wasn’t possible, apparently. She listened to the conversation between them, once glancing over to Craig and shaking her head slightly. “Don’t start anything, babe,” she said softly, a hand coming over to his leg and running it back and forth slightly. When the conversation continued and his mother took another shot at Craig Mia couldn’t help but look up with a face that said, “oh come on,” before looking back down at her food and reaching up to wipe tears away from her hair once again.

When the conversation turned to something more pleasant Mia forced herself to take a bit of her food as he left arm wrapped almost instinctually around her stomach. “Hopefully tomorrow,” she added in, looking to Craig instead of his parents. “You remember the appointment, right?” she asked again, almost as if she was accusing him of something. Craig had yet to miss a doctor’s appointment since she had been pregnant and she was hoping that he wouldn’t as well. She preferred him being there, that way she didn’t have to repeat that something may be wrong or anything the doctor said, not to mention it made her feel better. She wanted Craig there, the father to be there so she didn’t just look like the young girl who got herself knocked up with a father who didn’t want to be in the picture.

“Anyway, either James or Jamie,” she said, obviously still upset and just trying to put on her tough face. She gave Craig a look that meant something along the lines of “hell no” before looking back at her food and beginning to nibble slightly at her food once again. For being pregnant, she really wasn’t that hungry right now. Granted, Craig probably knew that if she didn’t eat now he’d be running somewhere later that night to pick her something up, and probably something very random as well. She did have to talk to Craig about names, especially for boys, soon but she figured it wasn’t something that was too important. Right now all she cared about was getting through the rest of the night without her parents putting her in tears again, but she couldn’t promise even that would happen. These hormones were driving her crazy and controlling her life.


((not a huge fan but it is a post! lol))

[Craig Blackwood]

Craig couldn’t begin to describe how relieved he was to have his parents show some sort of support for him and Mia over the whole situation. It was important to him for them to be approving of the baby as well as the relationship. This was a woman he could really see a future with and he was seeing that more and more every day. At first, he believed the baby might complicate things too much, but as of right now he was extremely confident in what they had and couldn’t imagine the baby doing anything other than bringing them even closer together. Craig wanted so badly for his parents to understand just how much he cared about Mia, and he felt they would at some point. He understood that he had built a rather shameful reputation in his past, but he wanted them to see that he had moved past that…that he was finally growing up and ready to take on the responsibilities of taking care of a family.

When Mia brought up the appointment, Craig looked slightly confused for a moment, but quickly nodded once he realized what she was talking about. “Of course,” he said with a smile as he reached over to squeeze her hand gently. Sure, he hadn’t been thinking about it much that day with all that had been going on, but he was getting a lot better at remembering things like that for the most part. Okay, so maybe that had more to do with the fact that he had them programmed in his phone more than anything else, but he was at least making the effort. He honestly wasn’t sure what he’d do without a smartphone these days. He certainly wouldn’t be remembering birthdays, anniversaries, or anything else for that matter nearly as well without it. It probably wasn’t a good idea to become so dependent on a device like that, but it was all he could think to do for the time being.

They hadn’t really taken too much time discussing names at that point, but Craig had realized that he wasn’t really all that picky, unless Mia wanted to name the baby something crazy like Taco or Lunar or something along those lines, which he wasn’t particularly worried about. He was sure his mom would have a whole long list of names to suggest since she seemed to think she was full of nothing but terrific ideas for such things, but Craig would much rather the name be something that him and Mia thought of and agreed upon. James smiled as Mia spoke up. Craig could tell he felt incredibly guilty at this point and was thoroughly kicking himself for the fact that Mia was upset. “Let us know how that appointment goes, we’d love to hear about it,” Linda chimed in and looked up from her food. She smiled, but it was clear that she still wasn’t as accepting of all of this as they might of liked at this point. She was coming around, though.

They spent another several minutes finally able to finish their meals, or at least make an attempt to. Craig realized that Mia was still shaken and understandably so. If she needed him to get her some food later, he would be more than willing to do so, especially since he could almost expect it since she hadn’t had much to eat from her plate at that point. “Are you ready to go?” he asked Mia after the check was paid by his father. It was getting a bit late and he knew they could all use a good night’s sleep after that day. He just hoped things would go a bit more smoothly the next day. Once they were all set to leave, Craig took Mia’s hand and walked closely to her as they made their way back out to the car. The ride home was far more quiet than the ride over, which could have been expected. Craig couldn’t say he minded it all that much though. He didn’t want to risk getting into another argument that night, after all.

Once they were home, James pulled Craig aside to the kitchen and explained that Linda wanted to stay in a hotel that night. Craig was a bit offended, and a little angry with the fact that his mother had made that decision after she was the one that treated Mia and him so poorly at dinner. If anything, shouldn’t he be the one suggesting that they stay in a hotel? Otherwise, he figured they’d just be happy with the fact that Mia and him were still allowing them to stay in the guest room after everything that happened. “Look, I know how you feel. This wasn’t my choice. She just needs some time to clear her head or something. We’ll be back over tomorrow. We’ll call you,” his father explained. Craig simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders. What was he going to do? Tell them they had to stay at the house? He went to find Mia and sighed yet again. “So I guess my mom wants to stay the night at a hotel. They’ll be back tomorrow,” he said. He wasn’t sure how else to say it other than just laying it out there. It really wasn’t a big deal that they weren’t staying overnight; it was the implications that always bugged him.

It took about a half hour for his parents to get their things packed up. James gave both Craig and Mia a hug while his mother seemed almost rushed to get to the hotel and thus just gave them a partial goodbye as she walked out the door. Once they were gone, Craig looked back and Mia and shook his head. “I guess I should have told you this before, but my parents are insane,” he joked with a smirk on the corner of his lips. He wanted to give his mother the benefit of the doubt, he’d admit, but she sure didn’t make it easy for him to justify any of her behavior. He just hoped she wouldn’t come back the next day with a whole other rant of hers about how irresponsible he was. He approached her and embraced her, glad to have some time alone after all of that. Now that he had more time to think about it, not having his parents stay there was a huge relief. They were both already stressed enough with the burden of his parents, so why not have a little break from that? “Are you okay?” he asked as he pulled away and looked at her. He knew that dinner hadn’t exactly been pleasant and he only wished he could make it up to her. “I’m sorry it didn’t go as well as we hoped, but it’ll get better. My mom just needs some extra time to absorb it all, apparently,” he said, almost bitterly. He still couldn’t quite understand why she couldn’t just be genuinely happy for them, especially given her experience with a very similar situation.

[Mia Testardo]

Mia knew that it was probably about time that she talked to Craig about their future but, honestly, she was a little fearful to do so. She knew that it wasn’t the best for the relationship that she didn’t want to talk to him about anything serious, except their child right now, of course. She supposed the reason she was so fearful was because the day he found out she was pregnant he went straight ahead and told her that he wasn’t interested in getting married due to the baby. Of course she understood that, she wanted to get married a little ways down the road, and she wanted to get married to Craig but she didn’t want that now and not because they were having a baby. She did wish he would be more comfortable talking about it, however. It was something she wanted in the future and she wished she could say things like “when we’re married” or “at the wedding” without getting strange looks from him. They had been together for quite some time now, she didn’t think it was stretching it too much.

The confused look on Craig’s face made Mia give him a bit of a glare but once Craig appeared to know what she was talking about she ended up not worrying about it. As long as he knew about the appointment and had every intention of being there with her she supposed she couldn’t complain too much. Mia had to admit, however, that she was very glad his parents didn’t chime in about how they wanted to come to the doctor’s appointment she had tomorrow. She would have to come up with some crazy lie to have a reason they could not join her and Craig because, honestly, after how they reacted she really wasn’t sure if she wanted them to have anything to do with the pregnancy. She knew she couldn’t leave her child’s only grandparents out of their life but she wasn’t exactly sure she wanted them to be as involved as she once thought. As for names, she could never see herself taking advice from Craig’s parents anymore. The last thing she needed was every time she spelled the baby’s name to think about how she was treated today. She was happy they both at least seemed to be a little sorry for upsetting her, but it didn’t take their reaction back, by all means.

Mia took the box of her leftover food as Craig asked if she was ready to leave, to which she just nodded. Mia allowed Craig to take her hand as they walked back to the car and even had a few moments where she rested her head on his muscled shoulder. She was obviously a little on the tired side, but after that day and being pregnant that was bound to do that to any girl. She would have gone so far to say that the car ride had been awkward to get back to the house she was sharing with Craig but she kept the silence as well, wishing she felt more comfortable sending texts back and forth to some of her friends to tell them how the night had gone. They had all been wondering and concerned about the meeting so she did want to fill them in as soon as she could. Granted, it wasn’t with the news she would have liked but with the way it went she just needed her friend’s help more than she ever would have if the meeting had gone well. She knew his parents wouldn’t be happy about the illegitimate child Mia was carrying, but she had hoped they would at least be more understanding and have the ability to pretend that they were excited to have a grandchild on the way. Maybe she had expected too much from the couple.

Once they got home Mia went straight up to the room she shared with Craig to get into something a little more comfortable. She figured there was no need to hide the slight baby bump anymore and she did want to get out of the dress because she didn’t find it all that comfortable since it was slightly oversized. She came back downstairs in yoga pants and a t-shirt, still making sure she looked presentable for his parents but something her pregnant self would be a bit more relaxed and content in. When Craig came to find her soon after she came back from the top of the stairs she couldn’t stop herself rolling her eyes at what he told her. It was obvious she was annoyed at the obvious reasons they were staying elsewhere, but her words reflected something else. “Well, I honestly didn’t want them staying here in the first place,” she put out there, knowing he knew that from the start as well.

Mia giggled at Craig’s words right after his parents left and gave a small shrug of her shoulders, reaching up and itching at the bra strap that no longer really fit her. Even though her breasts were off limits to him right now Mia was sure he liked the fact they were starting to swell to a nice size as well. She let Craig come up and wrap his arms around her, doing the same and resting her head against his chest. When he asked if she was okay she shrugged again with a noticeable sigh. Not really, was the real answer that came to her, but she didn’t want to say that, instead something else came to mind after he had finished speaking of his mother.

“You know, with them gone… we have a little more freedom,” she said, winking up at him. It hadn’t been a secret that Mia had been unhappy with the sleeping arrangements due to the lack of nightly escapades it would cause. Her hormones were still a little revved up and she wasn’t feeling horrible enough to put sex on the back burner yet, and Craig had yet to refuse her anything even with her slightly swollen belly. “I think… you should fuck me… then go and get me food before bed,” she said, very matter-of-factly before reaching up to kiss his lips as her hands started getting busy with his shirt. Sex caused weird cravings, she had figured out and as long as Craig was willing to run out and get her what she was craving she was all right with that as well. “Sound like a good night?” she asked as she attempted to pull off his shirt, but obviously needing his say so before she could do that.

((ew, apparently my posting skills have gone downhill... either way, feel free to skip to the next morning or where you want to skip to))

[Craig Blackwood]

He wasn’t proud of it, but Craig knew that if Mia started any type of marriage talk, even if it wasn’t meant to pressure him at all, it would cause him to go into a slight panic. He seemed to like to interpret that sort of thing as a request, rather than a hypothetical. You’d think that the fact that he was going to be a father would ease him into the idea of commitment, but it was still a bit scary for him. He loved Mia and he of course planned on being there for their child as much as possible, but tying the knot just painted a different picture for him and he simply wasn’t ready for it. It meant being thrust into a world that Craig hadn’t heard too many great things about. Of course, all the people Craig had heard from were either divorced or not exactly prized husbands, but sadly that was all he had as influence on the subject.

Craig really hoped his parents would have some nicer things to say when they saw them the next day. Being more supportive of Mia and the baby would be a start and he hoped eventually his mother would be genuinely happy about her grandchild. He understood that he wasn’t the most trustworthy or reliable man that his parents would have hoped he’d be at this point, but he was far different than he was the last time they saw him. Mia had every right to be upset with his parents, but he somehow was wanting to give them some sort of benefit of the doubt. They were his parents, after all, and so he guessed he just wanted to assume that their reaction was something they sincerely regretted and things would get better from there. However, he knew his parents well enough at this point to recognize that there was a slim chance that that was the case. He just had to hope for the best, but was still prepared to kick his parents out of the house entirely if they were to repeat their behavior from that night.

He couldn’t help but smirk slightly at Mia’s response when he told her about his parents’ plans. He didn’t disagree. It just felt like an obligation for him to offer for his parents to stay since he did have the extra room and all. No reason to force them to spend money when they didn’t have to. Of course, if he had known how they were going to act that night, he would have booked the hotel rooms himself. When she spoke about having more freedom, that immediately had him thinking of one thing…well, not that he wasn’t already thinking about it already, but it was now more of less the only thing he was thinking about. “I would love to fuck you, baby,” he said in response to her suggestion before pressing his lower body against hers suggestively. “That sounds like a great night,” he said with a grin after listening to her question. He was usually willing to do just about anything for her after sex and even though it was a little inconvenient, fetching stuff for her late at night was something he was starting to expect more often. He kissed her a little roughly for a moment before taking a slight step back so she could remove his shirt. Craig almost couldn’t believe he nearly traded this for trying to do the polite thing for his parents. He was certainly glad things turned out different from what he had planned.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Shit.” Craig groaned and quickly rolled out of bed, frantically reaching for whatever decent clothes he could find. The sound of the doorbell wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear at 8:30 in the morning and normally he’d have no problem ignoring it, but the likelihood that it was his parents was too great. Once he was dressed, he sat on the bed next to Mia and nudged her arm gently. “Mia. I think my parents are here. Take your time, I’ll talk to them,” he said in a soft tone. He didn’t want her to have to rush. He could stall them for as long as she needed. He didn’t guess she would be too eager to see his parents anyway. He leaned over and kissed her forehead before getting up and rushing down the stairs.

“Took you long enough!” his dad said immediately after Craig opened the door. “You said you would call. What the hell, dad?” Craig complained, clearly not happy with the early morning visit. “Sorry, son. Your mother just wanted to visit with you guys before your appointment,” James said as he nodded towards his wife, whom was standing next to him. Craig sighed and shook his head before stepping back to let them inside. “You know the appointment isn’t for several more hours,” he mumbled as they walked through the doorway, noticeably unhappy with their presence at the moment. They all had a seat in the living room as Craig offered them coffee, which his dad accepted while Linda requested water. Once he was back in the room, Linda was the first to speak. “Craig…I wanted to come to apologize again to you and Mia. I don’t want you to think that we don’t care. I…well, we want to be able to be there if you need us.” Craig was a little surprised by this, but was certainly glad to hear it. “Oh…well, thanks. I really appreciate that,” he said.

“Where is she, anyhow?” his dad asked. “Well, considering how early you two stopped by, she might still be asleep. She’ll be down in a little bit I’m sure,” he said, recalling the events that took place the previous night that kept them up later than usual. He planned on being able to sleep in, but that clearly didn’t work out. “So when are you two getting married?” The question nearly caused Craig to leap to his feet in protest. He blinked several times and looked at his mother in astonishment. “Wh-what? Who said we were getting married?” He was confused. Was that the expectation? As far as he knew, Mia didn’t want to get married and had made that clear to him. “Well, honey, I don’t mean to intrude on your personal stuff, but…I mean if you love the girl and you get her pregnant…well what do you expect she wants you to do?”

Clearly she was projecting her own view on the situation, which wasn’t doing anything to ease Craig’s fears about the whole marriage thing. He never had been good about figuring out what a woman really wants from him. For all he knew, Mia could just be saying she didn’t want to get married because she knew that he wasn’t ready to commit. “Honey, I’m just saying…you know that’s what happened with your father and I. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t proposed within those first few months of me being pregnant. It’s just a more secure feeling, you know?” she smiled and looked towards James, who smiled back. Craig buried his face in his hands for a moment. Just because that was the way his mother felt didn’t mean Mia felt the same. But what if she did? “Fuck,” he said under his breath. “No, mom. That’s not the case with us. It’s just…it’s just not,” he said in a tone that nearly indicated that he was trying to convince her of something, rather than telling her how it was.



((I'm not sure I like it, but there you go!!))

[Mia Testardo]

Mia also awoke groggily to the doorbell ringing and the obnoxious knocking. Kerr losing his mind over it didn’t hurt either. She twisted and turned, tangling herself a bit in the blankets as she felt Craig nearly jump out of bed. She didn’t even think that it could be his parents until she heard him swear and her eyes finally opened. Right… them. She groaned at the thought and continued to pretend to be asleep, even though she was sure Craig knew otherwise. She had actually almost gone back to sleep when she felt Craig sit down beside her. Her eyes opened when he nudged her arm, looking up at him with a sleepy smile. After he spoke and kissed her forehead she nodded but grabbed his arm when he started to walk away. “Craig, wait,” she said, sitting up and allowing the blanket to fall from her frame. She hadn’t bothered to get dressed after last night. She sent Craig out for food and put on a robe to go down and eat it but stripped it back off when she went back to bed. She didn’t really care what Craig was seeing though. She was getting quite a bit more comfortable with the idea, as a matter of fact.

“Do I have time to shower real quick?” she asked, letting go of his arm so he could hurry and get the door. Normally she wouldn’t care too much. She hadn’t done anything too physical the day before, it was the night before that she was concerned about it. After last night she wasn’t feeling all that clean. Not that having sex with Craig made her feel dirty by all means, but she was covered in what felt like a dry sweat and the inside of her legs did feel sticky. Once she got his answer she nodded and covered herself for when he opened the door. Once it was closed again, though, she did get out of bed. She was still at least hoping she could make somewhat of a good impression on his parents and sleeping the day away, even with what happened last night, probably wasn’t going to do that. She rubbed her eyes and started to make her way over to the bathroom. She showered as quickly as she could, rubbing the sweat from her body and hair and quickly getting out of the shower, drying herself off and then wrapping herself firmly in the towel. Back in their room she shuffled through some clothes, having no idea what she should wear. She finally pulled out some yoga pants that did fit comfortably around her somewhat bigger belly. She chose a comfortable shirt before heading downstairs.

She could smell the coffee and was a bit jealous that she couldn’t have any. She didn’t drink coffee often but after last night and the early, and rude, awakening she felt she could use some, but not at the risk of the baby growing inside of her. She heard voices in the living room and figured she should probably hurry up and get over there. Sliding slippers on her cold feet she went over and walked into the living room. She had braided her still wet hair straight down her back, trying to look somewhat presentable when she saw his parents once again. All she really wanted to do was cuddle back in bed with Craig but since that wasn’t an option here she was, sore and tired from the night before but glad her boyfriend had managed to stall his parents long enough to let her have a hot shower without being bothered about anything.

She only heard the last of the conversation clearly, Craig’s last comment and it obviously did make her curious about what they had been talking about. She walked over, Craig facing away from her and gently put her hands on either of his shoulders, rubbing them gently in a message-like fashion. “What’s not us, babe?” she asked, letting a hand run slightly down his chest. She wanted to reach forward and kiss his cheek but decided not to, not with his parents right there. She did like to embarrass him a bit when he was sitting around with his buddies. Normally, when that was the case, she had a girl’s night planned elsewhere as well but when she was leaving she loved to reach forward, bite his ear, lick his neck and crazy things like that. She wasn’t sure how much it embarrassed him, per say, but she enjoyed doing it either way. If nothing else, it let the other guys know what they were missing out on not having a girlfriend around. She was sure Craig got more sex than any of them did with their sleeping around. Hey, he had a girl that lived in his house that was willing more often than she wasn’t, at least right now when her hormones were beyond insane.

She moved around to the other side of the couch and sat down next to her boyfriend before putting her hand on her stomach and sighing deeply. “Sorry I’m a little late,” she said, addressing his parents for the first time with a kind smile. “I’m a little hungry, want me to start some breakfast? I’m kind’a craving pancakes,” she said, grinning over at Craig. He would know that she meant “I better get some pancakes soon” wouldn’t he? Well, honestly, his mom may understand that too, after being pregnant and in the same position twice.

((hope it works for ya!))