I sigh as I slowly lower myself into my office chair, I grab onto the newest sonogram and smile. I was just hitting the thirteen-week mark, my baby was now the size of a lemon and I found out that the baby would be due around January. I texted Alex the new information and the new sonogram and haven't heard from him yet, Virginia was three hours ahead of California though.

My phone buzzing makes me snap away from the sonogram and grab my phone "a lemon?" Alex greets me, I smile.

"Yep,"

"Damn you know I know our baby is cute," he muses and I chuckle.

"How could you possibly know that?" I ask him.

"instincts, dad instincts," he tells me and I laugh as I hear car doors slam shut. "So we're having a January baby huh?" He hums.

"Christmas and birthdays are gonna be tight," I joke, and Alex chuckles.

"Who cares, I'm excited," he says and I smile. In the background, I could hear someone talk but I couldn't make out what they said.

"Pens I gotta go, I'll try and call you later," he says quickly.

"Okay, be careful," I say, he doesn't respond but ends the call quickly. I lower my phone back to the table and sigh. I place my hands on my stomach as I swivel in my chair a bit.

"Hey Pen?" A voice calls and I glance up from my paperwork. Lea. I smile and wave her in, she comes in holding my folders.

"How was the appointment today?" She asks me leaning back on my desk. I show her the sonogram and tell her all the new information I was fed today. "Ahhh!" She gushes. "What did Alex think?" She asks.

"He's actually in California on another mission so he wasn't there today," I tell her and she nods slowly handing me my sonogram back.

"Wow, he must've hated that," she says crossing her ankles.

"I just talked to him like an hour or so ago, he seemed as excited but our call was cut short," I say, she raises an eyebrow, "duty calls," I shrug and she nods.

"So did you ever go see that therapist I recommended?" She asks. I shake my head.

"I actually haven't, I've been so caught up on the baby I guess I just forgot," I trail off.

"Are you still getting nightmares?" She questions.

Nightmares weren't something I was unfamiliar with after my parents died I had them every single night for the next three years and then they went away and now after that hostage event, they were my trigger.

"Yea, sometimes, not every night though," I tell her. I lied, I was having nightmares every night but I soon taught myself how to be quiet about them because Alex would be asleep just outside in my living room.

"Well I mean you should still go ahead and give her a try, she's really good," she says and stands up. I nod slowly.

"Enjoy the paperwork," she winks at me as she heads for the door. I roll my eyes.

"Can't wait," I mumble sarcastically and she chuckles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I jump awake at the sound of my phone ringing, thankful for once it had woken me up from my nightmare, I reach over to my nightstand in the dark, "hello?" I question. "Xander?" I wonder.

"Uh Ma'am my name's Lily, I'm a Communications Liaison for the FBI," the woman begins.

"Okay?" I draw out confused as I slowly sit up.

"Umm there was an accident back in California with the joint terrorist task force," she begins and I cover my mouth, "everything is fine but Alex just wanted me to call you so he can dispatch through me," She says.

I sigh "okay thank you," I say and she tells me to hold on a second.

"Pens?" Alex says gruffly.

"Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with you?" I ask him. He sighs, "are you okay?" I demand.

"I'm fine,"

"No, you're not!" Someone yells. Alex mumbles a shut up,

"Xander," I demand.

"I'm sitting in a hospital, nothing bad happened," He begins.

"You were shot you piece of shit," the same voice says.

"You were shot?" I exclaim. I hear movement and ruffles before he finally answers.

"I'm fine!" He tells me, "it was skimmed, no damage done, just to my side but that's beside the point." He says.

"So what is the point? It's like three am," I remind him.

"Well for one, I'm coming home and should be home soon, and second I never did answer your text about a therapist, and my phone is at the station with my stuff so,"

I sigh rubbing my forehead, "you seriously had to call your communications whatever, dispatch the call through me to answer my text about seeing a therapist?" I ask him loudly.

"Communications Liaison," he corrects me, "and yes I did."

I let out a loud sigh "we could've just talked when you got home," I deadpan.

"I just wanted to make sure you went to bed okay, I know how much you love the sound of my voice," he muses.

"It's three am, I was sleeping just fine before you called," I remind him and he laughs, music to my ears.

"Hey Pens," he says softly. I hum as I fall back against my pillows. "I'm sorry if I did scare you," he says.

"I told you to be careful," I huff and I knew he was smirking.

"Hey!" Someone yells, "let's go, you've been cleared to leave, and how about instead of talking to your baby momma on the phone we fly back home and you can crawl into bed with her?" Someone asks.

Alex chuckles "duty calls," I say in a singing tone.

"Yep, but as Dave said, I'll be home soon and can crawl into bed with you," He muses. I make a disgusted noise but smile nonetheless.

"Well, I do have the day off tomorrow so," I trail off.

"Hmm tempting," Alex says and I chuckle.

"Have a safe flight," I say.

"Thanks, go back to bed pretty, I'm sorry I woke you up," he tells me.

"Xander," I say quickly before he hangs up, "maybe you were right, about me loving the sound of your voice," I tell him biting on my lower lip.

I can imagine him stopping wherever he was and staring into space, "goodnight pretty," he tells me softly.

"Night," I say back before we both need the call.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My eyes flutter open as I feel someone tucking my hair behind my ears, "well good morning pretty," Xander muses, I turn my head away from my window, which had the blinds open. His finger trails across my skin and I quickly glance over him.

"You came straight here?" I question. He nods.

"Had to crawl into bed with my baby momma," he jokes and I roll my eyes.

"More like get your ass kicked," I mumble and he smiles down at me. He was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a navy t-shirt and god damn he looked hot.

"How do you feel?" He asks moving his hand away from my face and leaning to the side, his hand holding him up, he quickly glances at my stomach.

"Okay," I nod "how do you feel? You know, you've been shot" I say. He shrugs and waves me off. I realized that I wasn't gonna get any information from him at all so I let it slide.

Alex pulls back the covers a bit and he smirks, "so my hoodie huh?" He teases me and I roll my eyes. Ever since we found out I was pregnant he's spent most of his free time here, leaving clothes here too, not that I minded though.

I watch as Alex lowers himself off my bed and crouches down near my stomach, my hands fall off my stomach "well hello there you little lemon," He smiles. "I'm sorry if you've missed my voice but I'm here now," he says as my hand falls to his bicep and shoulder.

"Hopefully when you come out you aren't as fiery as your mother because she's quite the lemon too and can be a bit sour," he teases and I squeeze his shoulder. He chuckles glancing up at me with a smile.

"I guess you and I will be meeting in January, a winter baby huh? You know when your mommy told me we'd be meeting you in January, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, I'm so excited to meet you," he says proudly and I smile.

My smile slowly faded as I notice the large bruise on his jaw, I quickly reach over and tip his head back examining the bruise.

"Pens I'm fine," he says.

"It doesn't look like your fine," I deadpan as he sighs.

"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before,"

"Do you often get bruises and stuff like this?" I question him as he moves his head against my palm, he nods.

"Comes with the job. If I knew any better I'd say you're worried about me," He muses as I slowly sit up and he watched me before beside the bed. My hand falls to his shoulder.

"I am worried," I deadpan. He glances over me before grabbing my hand and kissing my wrist.

"Well don't be, this is who I am and I'm okay with it, you pretty are just gonna have to get used to it," He tells me.

"I still don't like it," I mumble and he smiles.

"I'll take it anyways,"

I stare into his brown eyes and he seemed to realize or think the same thing I wanted because he was suddenly leaning up, cupping my cheeks, and kissing me. I hum into the kiss as I grab his wrists and he lowers me back down to my mattress. I feel him shift his weight on the bed, careful not to squish me as he tugs on my bottom lip and slips his tongue through. Sadly humans need air and I slowly pull away needing to breathe. Alex kisses the side of my mouth and then my jaw and slowly continues down to my neck.

"You know that's how you welcome someone home who's been shot," he mumbles against my skin and I smile. Quick flashes of our shared night after the wedding fill my head, and I remember all the moaning and how soft his hands were even though he had calluses.

"I guess you kinda did crawl into my bed," I say as he lifts his head. He stares at me hungrily and doesn't even hide it.

"I knew if I said the right things I would," he teases me and I roll my eyes. I watch his eyes as he watched his thumb move against my bottom lips. "Want breakfast?" He asks. "What are you craving?"

I smile a bit because right now everything felt okay and that was fine to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alex and I hadn't left my apartment all day, neither of us seemed to mind though, he caught up on some obviously much-needed sleep while I painted or finished some work.

"I've got tacos," Alex says as he enters my apartment. I listen to him as he puts the take-out bag on the kitchen counter. "What's wrong?" He asks me and I glance over my laptop at him. He settles down beside me on the couch as I was laying down. His hand comes to lay overtop my stomach and smiles down at it.

"Did you ever consider how made a studio loft would be for a baby?" I question him. He looks towards me and then slowly my apartment.

"Well fuck I didn't think of that," he mumbles.

"Yea so I need to move, like uh ASAP," I tell him sitting up.

"Okay, Woah, why ASAP?" He asks.

"Uh because I'll be too fat?" I exclaim and he smiles at me.

"I don't think you'll be ugly while like seven months pregnant Pens," he says and I roll my eyes.

"You feel obligated to say that because I'm carrying your child,"

"No," he laughs, "I feel obligated to say that because I know it's true. Pens why the hell do you think after like five years of us being forced to be civil with each other I constantly flirt with you?" He asks me and I shrug. He gently tugs on his hoodie, that I was still wearing.

"because you're fucking beautiful, inside and fucking out. You're fiery but yet sweet and charming personality definitely reeled me in and I knew the second I hit on you and you told me that you'd grab my dick and shove it up my ass personally," He says with a smile and I laugh, "I knew at that moment there was no one else worth teasing," he tells me gently "so you may think I have to feel obligated to say you won't be fat when your seven months pregnant but I will remind you every goddamn day if I have to you that you are beautiful and you're growing a human being in your stomach, which is dedication itself"

"you're trying to get in my pants again aren't you?" I tease him hoping to cover my blush and he laughs.

"I mean I wouldn't have to worry about wrapping up, we've already got the process of you being pregnant down," he shrugs nonchalantly and I hit him gently with my foot. But then again that was an option too.

"you've swooned so hard for me, what the hell are you gonna do if we're having a girl?" I asked closing my laptop.

"oh god, I don't know," he sighs dramatically taking a strand of my hair and twirling, "I was thinking praising the fucking floor you two walk on," he smiles. I suddenly sit up and press my lips against him.

Alex chuckles against me before I pull away, "so?" I ask and he raises an eyebrow, "you can do all the heavy lifting for me when I move?" I ask.

"yea, don't worry," he nods as I move around on the couch so my body is facing him, "We should find a place near my place, I don't wanna be too far away from you and the baby," he says and grabs my laptop as I cross my legs underneath me.

Alex opens my laptop and uses it on my lap "but it can't be too far from the museum," I tell him. He hums in response.

"Well I live thirty minutes from headquarters and thirty minutes from the museum," he tells me.

"Xander I'm not moving in with you, we aren't even together," I scoff, he chuckles.

"I'm just saying Pens, I live in a townhouse too," He shrugs. I make a face.

"Why the hell do you live in a townhouse?"

"My sister and I shared it before she moved out to live with her now-husband," He tells me and I nod.

"I don't know," I sigh, "I don't wanna rush into things between us because I'm not even sure what we are but I'll sit on your townhouse offer," I tell him and he nods.

"There are a few apartment buildings near my house, I'll figure out my availability and we'll go together?" He asks looking up at me. I nod. "okay good, now when the hell do we find out about the gender of the baby, we're going to have to buy some stuff soon,"

"hmm, I think I should be moved in first before that, don't you? and I think they said around week eighteen to twenty," I tell him and he rolls his eyes.

"Boring, I wanna know now," He pouts and I laugh, I put my chin on his shoulder.

"patience is virtue Xander," I remind him with a smile. He sighs but leans forward and kisses my forehead.