FicWad

"Dude, where the hell did you come from?" Gerard asked, Bob was seriously starting to freak him out. "And why are you so freakin' pumped about the baby? It's not.....wait a minute!!" Gerard snapped his head at Charlotte. "It's his isn't it?"

Charlotte looked at him like the lunatic he was, "Gerard, you dumbass why the hell would I ever do it with Bob?"

"I dunno, you tell me!"

"Gerard, listen to yourself you're accusing me of having a child with Bob! Why would I have a baby with Bob when I have you?"

"Uh hello?" Bob waved from his side of the room. "I'm right here people!"

"You stay out of this!" Gerard pointed at Bob, his eyes made him look like he thought he was Superman and trying to burn a hole right through poor Bob. "Then, explain to me how we used protection three weeks ago yet you're still pregnant."

"EEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!" Emma got up from her spot on the bed and walked out of the room covering her ears while chanting "I don't wanna be here for this!". Like always, Charlie followed her.

"Gerard, you're being a complete-" Gerard had a grin that looked like it was trying to suppress a laugh. "A complete bastard!! Why the hell did you do that?" Gerard let out all of his laughter, as well as everyone else in the room, eventually even Charlotte couldn't hold it in.

"Ha ha! Did you see Bob's face when I first said it! I thought I was right for a minute!"

"You're a bad man, Gerard!" Alicia smacked Gerard arm. Gerard put it around Alicia in return.

"And that's why you married Mikey, so you could get closer to me, isn't it?" Gerard pretended to give Alicia a kiss but Mikey smacked his face before he could even get close.

"Get the hell away from my wife! She's way too hot for the likes of you!" Gerard gave him a maniacal laugh.

"Are you saying you're hotter than me?" Gerard looked at him disbelievingly.

"Duh! I've always said that but you've been in denial your entire life!" Mikey flexed his arm in front of Gerard's face. "How can any woman resist that?"

"Psshaw!" Gerard formed his arm in the same way. It bulged about twice as much as Mikey's. He saw the defeated look in his eyes, "That's right, bow down you freakin' wimp!"

"Shut up! As far as bone structure I got you beat!" Mikey tilted his head back and laughed once more, then pulled Alicia closer.

"Bone structure?" Gerard gave Mikey a dull look.

"Yeah, bone structure!"

"You've been watching America's Next Top Model haven't you?" Gerard started cracking up when Mikey just turned away. "Ha ha, poor Alicia! You married a homo! Oh, well, ya still got me!" Gerard put his arm around Alicia, moved his face close, and formed his lips into a Cheshire cat grin.

"Hello? I'm right here! What am I Bob?" Charlotte waved her hand in front of Gerard's face.

"Buzz off Char, I'm working. How else I'm gonna bring home the pay?" Gerard couldn't contain his laughter, he found a way when he felt Charlotte and Alicia's hands smack him, though.

"Shut up," Charlotte hopped off of the bed and made her way for the door. Gerard grabbed her wrist before she could get far from his grasp, he looked up at her with glistening, guilty eyes.

"I'm sorry, I was just joking, you know me," Gerard's eyes perked up a little but Charlotte could still see he meant what he said.

"No, I'm getting all worked up for nothing, you do this all the time, it's just the baby," Charlotte got back on the bed and shook her head into his chest. Charlotte lifted her head from his chest and looked at Alicia and Mikey next to her. They were snuggled up with each other and their eyes were closed, she doubted they were asleep though.

"Gerard?" he looked down at her. "What do you want to name the baby?"

"Why do you ask?" his reply was emotionless.

"Just wondering, we were talking about baby names earlier and I realized we never actually talked about the baby. All we discussed was that we wanted a baby," Gerard turned his head to the side and let his hair partially cover his face, Charlotte loved it when he did that.

"Haven't really thought about it," Gerard put his arms behind his head and reclined. "Hmmm.......I dunno, but its gotta be something cool!" Gerard nodded his head at his comment.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, my entire life I wasn't exactly sure I even wanted kids, and if I did I would leave it to my wife, so what are you thinkin' Wife?" Charlotte giggled.

"I was telling Jamia and Alicia I liked family names, like my aunt's name Allaire, you met her at the wedding right?" Gerard looked at the ceiling.

"Allaire," he mumbled. "The one that wore black to our wedding?"

"Gerard, you know that's not fair, everyone was wearing black, it was the morbid theme, remember? Red and black?"

"No, everyone was wearing red, your family was wearing black!" Charlotte sighed.

"Gerard, you know how my family is, you know why I moved all the way from Cali to New Jersey."

"Yeah, which will make it oh so much harder for us to tell them you're pregnant."

"Oh, god!" Charlotte covered her eyes. "I completely forgot about them. That's gonna be hell! Holy crap they're gonna want to come over once the baby's born!" A pillow hit Charlotte's head.

"Shuttup!" Mikey grunted.

"Why did we have to live close to your family?" Charlotte joked.

"Cause' yours would've evicted us," Gerard grinned.

"I guess you're right. So, I guess there's no reason to tell my family right now, right?"

Gerard nodded, "Right, we can wait a couple days."

"Right, a couple of days."

Three Weeks Later...

"Mom! Dad said to hurry up, we've been waiting in the car for ten minutes!" Emma called up the stairs.

"Hold on honey, just one more minute, I promise!"

"Dad said you would say that so he told me to tell you that we still gotta pick up Uncle Mikey and Auntie Alicia!" Charlotte set down her makeup and rushed to the bedroom door, straightening her clothes and fixing the loose hair in her face at the same time.

"She's coming!" Emma yelled out the door when she saw Charlotte descend, gracefully, down the stairs.

"Okay, let's go," Charlotte nodded her head at the front door.

"Kay," was Emma's quick reply.

Gerard was sitting in the driver's seat of a white van with Bob sitting in the seat behind him. Charlotte could see Charlie resting his head on his closed fist, sitting next to Bob. The row of three seats behind them was empty for Alicia, Mikey, and Samantha. Charlotte walked over to the front seat of the car and fastened her seat belt while Emma took a seat in the last row.

"Finally," Gerard sighed as he backed out of the driveway. "We've been waiting forever."

"You're so overdramatic," Charlotte reached for the stereo and found a station playing "Dani California". "You nervous, Charlie?"

"A little, I guess," Charlie touched his uncovered hair. He, along with everyone else, were a little more dressed up than usual, for the night.

"Don't be, they'll love you," Charlotte turned around and gave Charlie an assuring smile. "You're a lot like Gerard when he was a kid."

"Heck, you're a lot like him now," Bob put in, he was staring out the window, turning his head as he watched each house escape his view. Gerard just grunted at his words.

"What are you snorting at?" Bob kicked the back of Gerard's seat lightly. "You know it's true. He's in a band, you're in a band, he can draw, you can draw, you both have shaggy hair, and you both stick your tongues in the side of your mouths when you have trouble thinking of what to say, " Bob calmly stated.

"He's got a point, it's a little creepy how he knows all that, but he's got a point," Charlotte laughed.

"Whatever, Em, can you go get Mikey and Alicia?" the car came to a full stop and Emma opened the door, before Gerard could even finish his sentence.

She saw Samantha in the second story hallway, resting her head on her crossed arms that were placed on the ledge of the low wall. Samantha perked up her head when she heard Emma come up the iron steps.

"Hey, Em! We're all ready to go, let me get 'em," Samantha turned around and pushed open the apartment door behind her.

Emma walked into the apartment. She was greeted by a something furry rubbing up against her leg, it was Bunny, the smartest cat in the whole wide world! She was shaking hands with Bunny when Samantha came back with Pumpkin in her arms.

"They're almost ready, Dad's helping Mom put on her jewelry or something. They scare me when they're in the bedroom alone so I don't ask too many questions," Samantha giggled honestly.

"I know what ya mean, at least they don't talk about it in front of you though, the past couple of weeks have been full of it," Emma grimaced at the thought of having to deal with her parents and their lives behind closed doors.

After playing with Pumpkin and Bunny for about five minutes, the girls heard a knock at the door. Emma answered it, Charlie was standing in front of her, "Your dad said to tell your Uncle that he's gonna kick his ass if he doesn't get in that car right now," Charlie was very calm about delivering Gerard's threat.

"Daddy dearest!" Samantha screeched. "Uncle Gerard said hurry the hell up!!"

Mikey was out in a split second, "What did you just say?"

"I didn't say it, Uncle Gerard did," Samantha replied smartly.

"You're just like your mother you know that? Alicia let's go!" Alicia walked down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Hey, Emma, you guys go ahead, I just need my purse!"

"Why? We're going to my mom's house!" Mikey gave up and picked up Pumpkin in one hand. "Lemme just put these guys in my room, really quickly." Samantha scooped up Bunny and followed her dad down the hallway.

"Let's just go. Alicia takes forever when it comes to finding her purse," Emma and Charlie linked arms and walked out onto the scaffolding.

"Are you still nervous about the party?" Emma looked up at Charlie.

"Yup, but I know I gotta go through with it," Charlie stared at the floor.

"You don't have to, I don't wanna force you to meet my entire family if you don't want to," Charlie said nothing. "But there's really nothing to worry about, you already know about half of the people that are gonna be there, really," they arrived at the top of the iron steps.

"HALF?" Charlie stopped completely. "My god, you have a big family," Charlie laughed.

"Yeah, but I like it that way."

"Emma!" Gerard called from the car.

"They're on their way, Alicia's trying to find her purse and Mikey and Sammy are putting Bunny and Pumpkin away," Emma answered, already knowing the question.

"Cool," Gerard rolled the window back up, trying to save some of the heat. Charlie opened the van door and let Emma crawl through first.

"Aww," Bob couldn't help say. Emma just giggled and took her place in the back seat, Charlie sat back down next to Bob.

"It's about time!" Gerard exclaimed when Mikey opened the van door, with Sammy behind him.

"Shut up, Alicia needed help with her jewelry," Gerard laughed.

"Ewww," he joked.

".....Oh my- eew you freakin' sicko!" Mikey smacked the back of Gerard's head.

"Relax, I'm just kidding. Hey, Sammy how's it been?" Gerard looked back at his niece.

"Fine, you?" Gerard smiled.

"I'm awesome. God you take forever!" The van door opened, letting in a small piled of frost. Alicia waited outside.

"Well, let's go, hurry up!" Gerard honked his horn due to force of habit whenever he was impatient in a car.

"There's not enough room, someone's gotta sit on someone else's lap," everyone, except Gerard, looked at Emma and Charlie. Emma looked at Charlie, he was already staring at her, she shrugged scooted out of the aisle.

"Em, what are you doing?" Emma climbed over Bob and onto Charlie's lap. Alicia already clicked her seat belt. "What the hell?" was all Gerard said.

"Baby, just drive," Charlotte turned the ignition on and shifted the gear into drive. Gerard mumbled something and drove out of the apartment parking lot.

Twenty Minutes Later....

"I'm telling you peanut butter is way better than jelly!" Gerard snorted.

"Bob, I think the drums are finally taking their toll on you, man."

"Oh, whatever, PB is better than J, it's as simple as that!"

"Puh-Lease, Mikey talk some sense into Bob."

"I like popsicles," Mikey was dazing off in the middle of the conversation and had no idea what he was saying.

"Yeah, popsicles kick ass," Gerard looked at the line of house to his right. "We're here, you guys!" Gerard announced.

The entire street was filled with assorted cars, two everyone could identify as Frank and Jamia's mini van and Ray's Mercedes. A couple of people were talking on the front porch of their destination, it was hard to tell who, from the other side of the street. The group could smell food coming from every house, but the best smelling aroma probably came from Donna's. Gerard looked at both sides of the streets and gave an okay to cross the street. One of the people on the porch waved and the other said "hey, you guys!". It ended up being Frank, Ray, and Jamia.

"Hey, you guys! How long you been here?" Gerard asked.

"Not too long, about twenty minutes. What took you guys so long?" Gerard looked back at everyone behind him. "Oh," Jamia looked down at the snow covered floor.

"So, does Ma got any food ready? I'm starved!" Mikey put his hands behind his head and looked up at the pink sky. The setting sun in front of him gleamed and made his eyes look like a honey yellow.

"Well, had you taken less time, you might not be as hungry," Gerard mumbled.

"I heard that, and you know what no holding back now, I'm telling Mom!" Mikey ran off to the house, Gerard in hot pursuit, both of them laughing like brothers should.

"Michael, Gerard!" everyone heard Donna in the kitchen. "Stop, running before-" too late. A loud crash was heard and everyone went inside to see Gerard and Mikey get yelled at by their mom.

"What have I told you two about running in the house?" Charlotte was the first to come in side. Mikey and Gerard were on the opposite side of the room with their heads pointed at the ground. There was glass all over the hard wood floor, a lamp shade and a plug were sitting on the floor next to it. It was hard to see the ground, with so many people in the room, but it was clear that they had broken a lamp. Everyone was completely silent, either because they were shocked or afraid of Donna's wrath. It was pretty funny, actually.

"You two clean up this mess right now," Donna stamped her foot and pointed at the floor, then exited the room.

"She told you," an elderly man in the corner of the room laughed. Everyone laughed.

"Uncle Arthur, I didn't even see you!" Gerard went over to the man and gave him a hug. "I missed you!"

"Hey, Uncle Arthur," Mikey came after Gerard and hugged him as well.

"Hello, boys. Hi there, ladies!" Uncle Arthur winked jokingly and turned his attention to Charlie, who was standing behind Alicia, scratching his neat hair uncontrollably. "And who's this young lad."

"Arthur," Charlotte stepped behind Charlie and gave him a gentle shove towards Arthur. "This is Charlie, Emma's boyfriend."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, a grin slowly spread across his face, "Ah, this is Charlie. Nic to finally meet you, hope you're not half as bad as Gerard makes you sound." Gerard cleared his throat and went into the kitchen, returning quickly with a broom and dust pan.

"Here," Gerard shoved the rusty gray dustpan into Mikey's chest and started sweeping the mess into a small circle. "There, now hurry up, my arm hurts."

"You're just being a wuss," Mikey got down on a knee and held the dustpan in place.

"Whatever," as Gerard swept the glass into the pan, Arthur put a hand on Charlotte's arm.

"So, my sister tells me you and Gerard have some news for all of us," Charlotte looked over at Gerard he gave her a sweet little smile and continued sweeping.

"Actually, yes. I think everyone's here anyway but I'm not sure if Donna wants to hear it again," Arthur gave her a tired look.

"Look here Charlotte," he wagged his finger at her. "Don't you let my sister control your entire life, if she heard it once she don't need to hear it again, now what is it?" Charlotte could just feel everybody looking at her for an answer.

"Gerard?" she looked back at him. He was now sitting on the arm of the couch near him and had leaned the broom against the wall. He looked very casual, like he couldn't care less if she told them or not. "Okay, well, the thing is..." she looked around the room. All of Gerard's family was there, the ones that loved her and the ones that didn't. She really didn't care about the ones who hated her, but her friends who were beaming, since they already knew what she was gonna say, made her anxious as hell. "Me and Gerard are pregnant!" Charlotte felt Gerard's arms around her waist. Arthur was smiling and tilted his head to one side. Everyone else behind her was screaming and letting out their delight in the addition to the family.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Arthur hugged Charlotte tightly, then Gerard, and Emma. "Don't think I forgot about you," he whispered.

"Now, Gerard," Arthur began. "I think Charlie deserves to meet the family, wouldn't you say so?"

Gerard nodded reluctantly, "Yes, Uncle Arthur, he does." Gerard turned to face Charlie. "You up for it?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Arthur smiled.

"That's what I like to see in a young man. Emma's got a good one. I don't know why you're so uptight, you must get it from your mother," Arthur got out of seat and brushed himself off. "I think I'll join you, no telling what you'll do, if you have your mother's instincts," Arthur laughed heartily.

"You know I can hear you...you..." Arthur laughed once more.

"Uh, oh, there goes her memory, you might want to start writing things down now ,Gerard."

"Oh, leave her alone, Arthur," Charlotte touched his shoulder.

"You know I'm kidding, don't you, ah well then, off to the family tour, where's oh there he is!" Arthur walked off towards Gerard, who was introducing Charlie to his cousins.

"I think I'll go see if Donna needs help in the kitchen," Jamia held Charlotte back.

"Don't bother, you know she always says no, anyway," Charlotte shrugged.

"Guess you're right. Hey, where are your kids?" she just realized they were nowhere around.

"They're with Frank's parents, we're going over there later to spend Christmas Eve with them."

"Oh that's great! You're so lucky his parents accept you, my parents--" charlotte's eyes widened.

"Char, are you okay?" Jamia helped Charlotte take a seat on the couch.

"Holy crap, I completely forgot about my parents, I was gonna call them three weeks ago but I forgot oh my god what have I done?" Charlotte covered her face with her hands and leaned back in the sofa.

"Char, relax, it's not the end of the world."

"Yes, it is Jamia!" Charlotte's hands moved to her hair now and started pulling on her long blonde locks. "They're gonna go on and on about me not telling them sooner and then I just know they'll insist on coming over every other week until the baby's born."

"Char, you told Gerard's family three weeks after you found out and they didn't blow up!" Jamia patted Charlotte softly, wondering how nobody noticed Charlotte's panicking.

"No, it's completely different, I told his immediate family as soon as I found out but I told his distant relatives three weeks after I found out," Charlotte took in a long breath.

"Well, call them now, maybe you can tell them you just found out, you know tell them a little...fib," Jamia put her index finger and thumb close together.

"Yeah, I'll just leave a message, they're hopefully at work right now, I go do it right now," Charlotte took out her cell phone from her coat pocket and went out to the porch.

Phone Conversation

......"Hello?" Charlotte gasped.

"Mom, you're home, today?"

"Charlotte? Yes, I'm home, why are you calling?"

"Ummm, there's something I need to tell you and Dad," there was a pause on the other end of the line and then a sigh.

"You broke up with HIM didn't you? I knew it wouldn't last! He's a rock star, I told you not to go through with it but of course you-"

"Mom, I'm not divorcing Gerard I'm fucking pregnant!" Charlotte said in one breath. There was another pause at the other end of the line.

"And what you need money? Fine, how much?"

"I don't need you money!"

"Then why did you call Charlotte? You never call so why would you just pick up the phone and call for no damn reason?"

"Because I thought you might want to know that you're gonna be a fucking grandparent, but you know what, just forget this ever happened, I'll just tell my kid you died or something, maybe it'll be for the best," Charlotte hung up the phone and jumped up and down angrily.

End of Phone Conversation

When she stopped her tantrum she collapsed on the front steps. Not a moment later, she felt Gerard's face against her cheek.

"Life sucks," she simply stated. Gerard laughed.

"I know, but it's like my Uncle Arthur says 'which does not kill us makes us stronger.'"