Submitted by @That_One_Gurl789

September 19, 1977

Julia

Veronica's jaw dropped, her eyes getting so big so fast that I blushed and looked at my shoes. "Oh my dear!" she gasped.

"Yeah," I whispered with a little nervous chuckle.

My best friend set down her cup of tea and started my way. On instinct I stood as well, meeting her halfway in a hug- not as easy a thing to do as it used to be, with Veronica already clearly showing at fifteen weeks.

"Why, this is wonderful news!" she said into my shoulder. "When did you find out?"

"A couple of weeks ago," I replied quietly.

"Find out what?" John appeared in the parlor, Robert hoisted on his hip.

I slowly broke from Veronica, smile widening. "Morning, John."

"Good morning," he greeted me, then he asked again, "Find out what? Or is this a ladies-only tidbit?"

"Not at all," I shook my head.

He set Robert on the floor so he could pour himself a cup of tea. "Right, then, so let's hear it."

I opened my mouth, but I took too long to get the words out, so Veronica spoke for me, with an eager little grin, "Our little nippers are going to have a playmate, John."

His grey-green eyes widened. "Wait a minute, it's - it's twins?"

"Not quite."

John tried to mask his relief, and failed miserably. "Oh. Then-"

"It's Julia!" Veronica exclaimed.

He blinked. "What's Julia?"

I swallowed. "I'm, uh- I'm pregnant."

The man almost spilled his tea on Robert's head. "You're what?"

"I'm having a baby."

The next thing I knew, I was caught in a three-person bear hug, with John and Ron each picking a side and holding on tight, cooing their heartfelt congratulations. And I managed a polite little smile.

"Robert, did you hear that?" John cried. "Both Mummy and your Auntie J are having babies!"

The boy blinked. "Mo' beebees?"

"That's right, my little man. Two babies in all- one, two!" He held up his fingers, counting all the way up to two while Robert clapped his little hands.

"Auntie J?" I whispered to Ron.

She smiled. "Well, the boy's already got an Aunt Julie, so to set you apart we've taken to calling you Auntie J around him."

"Oh, wow," I whispered. "And Freddie-?"

"Well, don't say anything to him, but- John's taken to calling him Uncle Fred as well."

"Lips are sealed," I assured her. "In less than three months, I've been promoted to Auntie. Who knew."

"Auntie and Mummy, apparently," John quipped with a wink.

"Apparently," I nodded.

It was kind of sad that my friends were more excited about me having a baby than I was. I wasn't actually excited at all, if we were being honest.

I was absolutely terrified.

At last, John got his work stuff together (that's what he called it, anyway), bid me one more round of congrats while he finished his tea, then kissed his wife goodbye, heading out to meet the rest of the boys.

As the door shut behind John, Veronica picked Robert up and set him in her lap. "So," she said, a bit more serious now, "how did Freddie react?"

A twinge shot through my stomach; a bit heavily I sat down on the sofa. "He didn't."

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "I - haven't told him yet."

Veronica looked shocked. "You what?"

"I just haven't found the right time to tell him!" I blurted.

"Dear, if you wait around for the right time to tell him, the baby will have already been born before you find it," she told me.

I sighed. "Besides, he's got enough on his mind at the moment, with the finishing up the album, and he's about to go away on tour- the last thing he needs to worry about is a pregnant girlfriend."

"Julia, that's ridiculous, you and the baby are the absolute first thing he needs to worry about! Family comes first!"

"Maybe for you guys," I whispered, "but as far as we're concerned, I... I'm not sure that's the case..."

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

I put my face in my hands. "I don't know."

"Did he say something that sort of implied that he-"

"No, no, of course not, I'm just..." I trailed off, feeling my throat tighten around the rest of the sentence.

Veronica came to sit beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong, Julia?"

I shuddered. "I'm - I'm scared."

"Scared? Why?"

"I don't know," I barely managed to get the words out. "I don't know how he'll react. I don't know what he's gonna say, or what he's gonna do, or how he's gonna feel- oh, God, I'm so scared..."

That was all I could say, before I lowered my head and let the tears come. I hated this, feeling so emotional all the time- and it must indeed have been a noticeable increase, even Freddie had joked I was quite moody of late- but I couldn't help it. The baby was only making tears that much more ready to fall. Veronica put her arm around my shoulders, held on while confused little Robert watched.

Everything had changed so much, so fast. Three months ago, I was a sophomore in college, sitting pretty in the top ten percent of my class and hopelessly obsessed with a long-gone flamboyant rock star. Now? Now it was three months later, yet simultaneously forty years ago. No longer was I studying psychology; I had traded my education, my job, even my family for the love of this same dark-eyed musician. He was all I had in the world- at least, up till two months ago.

Two months. Eight weeks or so. That's how far along I was, the doctor had estimated- how long, since Freddie had impregnated me.

Ever since Freddie and I started making love on a regular basis, I feared something like this would happen. Not that we actively sought to prevent conceiving, anyway. For I was deadly against putting myself on the pill, and Freddie hated condoms. The only time I convinced him to try one out, he couldn't bring himself to keep it on; about half a minute in, he actually pulled out, whispered, "Darling, I love you, but this is not happening," peeled it off, and went right back to business before I could voice any halfhearted protests.

About a month ago, I had started feeling dizzy in the mornings- but it usually dissipated by noon of the given day. Eventually, however, waves of nausea started accompanying the dizziness, which become stronger and more prolonged until I was throwing up at least once a day. I had a fairly good idea of what this meant- but I put off finding out for certain until I nearly fainted at work.

My sweet little boss caught me before I hit the ground, looked me over, and said very matter-of-factly, "You're expecting, aren't you, my dear?"

I shrugged- and she practically pushed me out of the building, insisting I go get myself tested before I made any more foolish decisions that day.

Needless to say, the test came back a firm positive- which was a secret I had kept from everyone for a little less than half a month. For only today had the weight of it fully hit me for the first time- and I had to tell someone before I got to the point where I looked pregnant as well, instead of just feeling pregnant. The only physical change I'd experienced, aside of the moodiness and the nausea, was the strange firmness developing in my middle, so odd that I found myself rubbing the sides of my waist without even thinking about it.

Thus far, however, it still wasn't apparent that there was something happening to my body, and Freddie had been too distracted lately to notice much of a difference anyway. So, I was still in the clear.

But I wouldn't be for much longer.

"Oh, Julia, don't cry," she cooed, "everything's all right."

I tried to pull myself together, but to no avail. "Ron, what am I going to do?" I sobbed. "W-what if he doesn't want it?"

"Freddie loves you, of course he'll want it," Veronica whispered.

"What if- what if he tells me to get rid of it, or- what if he decides to leave me, or-"

"Stop talking like that," she scolded me gently. "Thinking those things, that won't help you one bit."

I took a deep breath, wiped my eyes. "It's just- I know he's not ready for a family. I don't know if he'll ever be."

"What? As I recall, it was only two months ago I watched you two daydreaming in Robert's nursery about all the children you were going to have!"

"Ron, we were just joking around; he hasn't said one word about children since that night. And now- well, now, he's on track to becoming a full-fledged father- and he doesn't even know it yet, and- I don't have the first clue how he's going to take it."

Veronica patted my knee. "To be honest, I don't think you have a thing to worry about; I can tell how he feels about you, from what John tells me and what I've seen for myself," she murmured, "but you're still going to have to tell him. However you feel about it, and however frightening I know it is, it's his baby, too- and he deserves to know. Soon."

I swallowed. "I know." I looked up at Veronica, feeling my mouth curve up at one corner. "How did you tell John about Robert?"

"I just told him," she shrugged. "And since my family wouldn't wear us having a child out of wedlock, John and I married very shortly after; I was two months along myself. So, if nothing else, Robert at least sped up the wedding." We laughed a moment at that while she scooped the boy up off the floor. "And what's more, I can't imagine life without this boy; no matter where John is, at the studio or in some other country, I still have a piece of him right here with me."

My eyes were drying; I nodded with a small smile. "You're right, I can't jump to conclusions," I said. "I'll tell him sometime this week- maybe I'll even tell him tonight."

"That's the spirit," she chirped.

This little discussion was followed by a short little prayer, at my request. Ron prayed it, while Robert obediently folded his hands and bowed his little head, and I silently asked God for a little intervention- and the courage to tell Freddie about my condition, and the strength to deal with whatever his reaction might be.

What I didn't know was somebody else had beaten me to it.

***********************************************************************************************

John

It was maddening, being the only one of his bandmates to know Julia was on the nest. And Freddie, the clever man, was giving none of us the impression that any big changes were taking place at home. Such a focused animal, he could be. It was like he himself hadn't the faintest. What a fantastic pretender!

But I knew. And I wanted him to know I knew.

I could scarcely keep it together all morning. I kept waiting for a good time to get Freddie alone and congratulate him, but none came, till around three, when Roger went out to his car to grab something and Brian walked out to use the loo. Now was my chance.

Freddie was sitting hunched over the console, headphones over his ears. I sneaked up behind him, waiting for him to pull them off- for I knew better than to break his concentration by force.

At last, he reached his arms up over his head, leaning back with a little tired moan, and slid the earphones down so they were wrapped around his neck. I plopped down in the swivel chair beside him, grinning. Freddie smiled back- not as widely, though, my expression was apparently bothering him a bit- then stood for an even bigger stretch.

He cleared his throat and said, apparently to me since I was the only one there, "By the way, just so you know, I may not be round tomorrow, I've got some things to iron out with Straker's record, so I'll be doing that."

I nodded. "Right."

Humming to himself, he started shuffling his notes together, putting things back in their place. It was getting so hard to keep a straight face.

Finally I asked, "So, how's home life?"

Freddie blinked at me. "It's fine," he replied, "it's nice, thank you. Very nice. Um- how's yours?"

"Busy," I shrugged, "what with the kids and all."

He chuckled. "Mm, I can imagine."

"Yeah. One boy's trouble enough, can't imagine what it'll be like with two."

His brows rose. "Is it going to be a boy?"

"I think it is. I've heard Julia slip up on occasion, she'll refer to the baby as a 'he' instead of 'it.' She never says 'she.'"

"True, true," he nodded.

I sighed contentedly, musing, "Wouldn't it be wild if hers turned out to be a boy as well?"

"Oo, yes, very," he said absently. "Do you know where Paul is, John? He didn't come in today and he said he would."

I shrugged.

"Oh well," Freddie sighed, walking toward the door. "One moment, I'll be ri-"

Suddenly he stopped, his body stiff. Very slowly, he turned to face me, his eyes wide with what seems to be complete and utter fear.

"What did you say?" he whispered.

I blinked. "About what?"

"Something about- about hers being a boy as well, who- who did you mean?"

I frowned. "Why, Julia, obviously."

He gulped. "Julia?"

"Yeah!" I laughed. "Oh, come on, old man, you can't fool me, she told us this morning."

"Told you what?"

"Why, that she's pregnant!" I explained gleefully.

The man searched my eyes, as if to ask me if I was only joking around- but he saw no jest there, only excitement. The blood seemed to flow right out of his face and into his feet. I watched him sit back down, very slowly, sinking deep into the chair and staring right through me at some spot on the wall behind.

Freddie licked his lips. The color had yet to return to his cheeks. "Did you say she's- Julia is- she's having a- she's - pregnant?"

'I did! Didn't you kn-" I cut myself off. At long last I realized what was going on. And I was mortified.

"Oh." I covered my mouth. "Oh, shit, um, you- she hasn't told you yet has she?"

He didn't answer- which somehow only made it worse. I fumbled around with another apology, "Oh, Freddie, God, I am so sorry, I thought you knew, I- oh, bloody hell, I've spoiled it."

"It's all right," Freddie whispered. "My God. She's- Oh, my God."

His tone was cool and flat, the way it stayed for the remainder of the day. My guess is, he was in some kind of shock. We said no more on the subject; God only knew what he was thinking, or feeling- and what would happen once he finally snapped out of it, and reacted properly.

And as for me, until my eyes shut for sleep that evening, I was kicking myself. THE ONE TIME! I shouted silently. THE ONE TIME I OPEN MY MOUTH AND SPEAK, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS!

And what about Julia herself, poor little pregnant Julia. What did she have to deal with when he returned?

I could only speculate.