! BAD GIRLS ! BAD GIRLS !

( a sex and the city fic )

JAMIE AND HOLDEN'S SHARED BROWNSTONE
new york, new york
2pm

i walked into my new home, my hands carrying bags filled with groceries. as i shut the front door i was instantly met with dozens of people shouting, "surprise!"

startled, i gasped and nearly dropped the bags in my hands. "oh my gosh!"

as i looked up, i took in the sight around me. there was a banner hanging on the wall that said "welcome baby" and blue and pink balloons were tied to the stair banisters.

all of the girls were there, including charlotte, carrie, samantha, and miranda. they were all smiling and holding gifts in their hands.

my hand flew to my heart as i stood there, still in shock. "oh my god...what is all of this?" i asked, looking at everyone with wide eyes.

carrie chuckled and set her drink down on the coffee table. "a baby shower, duh!" she exclaimed.

as i stood in a daze, looking at the decorations, carrie handed me a glass of pink champagne. "drinks on the house!" she exclaimed.

charlotte immediately snatched the champagne glass and handed it to samantha who happily accepted. "it's a baby shower, carrie! jamie's baby shower, she can't drink!"

i chuckled at their antics as carrie pouted and snatched another glass for herself.

miranda nodded her head towards the table of food. "we've got all sorts of goodies so dig in..."

my eyes widened and my stomach grumbled at the sight of all of the delicious food there. i quickly set the grocery bags on the hallway floor before making my way over to the table and starting to pick at a few of the finger foods and pastries.

the girls all followed behind me and formed a circle around me. "we got cake, pastries, fruit, crackers with cheese, mini quiches..." charlotte listed as i tried one of the mini quiches. it was delicious.

we spent the afternoon chatting and eating the finger foods and pastries. the girls gave me advice about pregnancy and also told stories of their own pregnancy experiences and motherhood stories. they gave me lots of gifts for the baby and also gave a lot of baby clothes. they even gave me a onesie that said "i'm so freaking cute!" on it which i thought was really funny. there was an adorable cake in there too that had a little cake on it made of fondant and blue and pink balloons. i was given lots of gifts and advice and felt completely overwhelmed with love.

once the party was over, we all helped to clean up. samantha threw out the trash, carrie cleared off the countertop, miranda gathered the used plates and put them in the sink, charlotte collected extra decorations, and i tidied up and put away the leftover food.

"any names picked out yet?" miranda asked me once everything was in order.

"for girls, i really harper and eloise." i informed her. "but for boys, i like everett and jude."

"those names are really cute." charlotte commented with a smile.

"how does holden feel about the names?" carrie questioned as she set a clean plate in the drying rack.

"he's in the same boat as me, we haven't chosen a name yet." i told them. "hopefully we'll decide soon."

"you've got like five more months to decide." miranda said with a laugh as she leaned against the counter, crossing one leg over the other.

samantha nodded. "plenty of time to pick out a name."

just then a knock came from the door. "i'll get it." i said as i made my way to the front door, swinging it up, revealing an aleksandr petrovsky. "oh, hello."

aleksandr nodded. "is carrie here?" he asked, his accent thick.

carrie's eyes widened in surprise when she heard aleks' voice. she quickly rushed over and spoke to him in a flustered manner. "i haven't broken the news yet. just wait outside for me, okay?" she said.

aleksandr nodded and walked back outside, closing the door behind him.

carrie gave us all a sheepish look as she ran her fingers through her hair. "sorry about that..." she muttered.

miranda immediately asked, "exactly what news have you not told us?"

carrie let out a sigh, looking down at her hands in front of her. "i didn't want to tell you all like this." she said as she took a seat on my couch.

i followed her into the living room where the other girls had puzzled looks on their faces as we all awaited to hear carrie's news.

"i'm leaving, aleksandr has invited me to go to paris." she announced.

the room was filled with silence before charlotte spoke up, "you would go live with him?" she asked.

carrie shrugged. "i don't know."

"when were you plannning to tell us?" miranda questioned.

"and how long have you known?" i added.

"listen, he just asked me about two hours ago!" carrie explained.

miranda asked, "how long would you go?"

"and where would you live?" charlotte asked.

"is there a guest room?" samantha asked with a smirk.

"are you really thinking of going?" miranda asked.

"is this guy worth dropping everything in new york?" i asked.

carrie, who looked overwhelmed shook her head. "stop! i haven't digested it yet. i'm still digesting all of those pastries."

"this is so exciting." charlotte said with a smile.

"i know! my boyfriend has just asked me to go to paris with him!" carrie said with a goofy laugh. "this is the most romantic thing that has ever happened to me."

there was a silence as everyone tried to process it. carrie was leaving for paris. for god knows how long.

i was both happy for her. she was living out a fantasy. she was living out a romantic dream. she had a rich older man who wanted to take her away to a different country to live with him.

"plus, i've always wanted to learn french and drink wine before noon so basically, it's my fantasy complete with parisian parties and museum openings." carrie said.

"but for how long?" miranda asked again.

carrie shrugged, "as long as it's fun. indefinitely."

"i'm sorry, indefinitely?" i said.

"what i'm hearing is that you'd be moving there." miranda said.

"well, i'd still have my apartment here." carrie said.

"which he'd be paying for." miranda added.

samantha shrugged, "he can certainly afford it."

"do you think you'll get married?" charlotte asked carrie.

"no, that's not the point." carrie said.

charlotte shook her head in confusion, "then what is he promising you?"

"um, the world?" carrie said as she looked around hoping to be backed up.

"carrie, your job. your column is all about new york." i chimed in.

"you're all about new york, carrie. how would you-" miranda added before being interrupted.

"i don't know!" she snapped. "how can you people still have questions? i answered them all with good answers, so this is the time when everyone should be really excited for me."

"well, we are excited. it's fabulous!" samantha reasoned.

"no, forget it, forget it." carrie said.

"i think it's really romantic." charlotte said with a bright smile.

"well then, stop killing it with questions." carrie exclaimed.

after carrie's last statement, the room went silent, and we all stared at her, feeling like she was being unnecessarily mean to us.

"we're asking because we care." i said gently.

"yeah, we just want you to think it through." miranda added.

"i am! i am thinking it through!" carrie exclaimed. "but it's a nice offer and it would be nice if my friends could be happy for me. especially when i've always been happy for you guys."

i flinched backwards at carrie's words. "nobody's saying we're not happy for you." i said, feeling a bit hurt by her words.

"and we're not trying to say this is a bad idea." charlotte added. "it's just a big decision."

"anyone want to talk about cancer? anybody?" samantha said in hopes of lightening to mood.

housekeeping notes !

do you guys think jamie's having a girl or boy? and we're gonna say that she still has her brownstone but also lives with holden in their new one. i only am emphasizing this because i wish that miranda would've kept her home!