! BAD GIRLS ! BAD GIRLS !

( a sex and the city fic )

THE COPPER SPOON
new york, new york
12:30pm

the restaurant stood tall in front of us, all glass windows and polished steel, too nice for the conversation we were about to have.

duncan and i stood outside, neither of us making the first move to go in.

"this feels like the setup to a bad joke," i muttered, adjusting the strap of my purse. "two exes, two current partners, and one lawyer walk into a restaurant—"

"—and leave in a murder-suicide," duncan finished dryly, rubbing a hand down his face.

i sighed. "we have to do this. miranda said it's required. legally."

duncan exhaled, shifting on his feet. "i know. just... not exactly my ideal way to spend a lunch hour."

i glanced at him. "you worried about evelyn?"

his jaw tightened for a second before he shrugged. "nah. she's logical. she'll understand. i think."

"holden will be a pain." i reminded him.

"yeah." he agreed.

we stood there a moment longer, neither of us moving, like maybe if we stalled long enough, the whole thing would just disappear.

then duncan sighed, squared his shoulders, and gestured toward the door. "let's get this over with."

i nodded. "yeah. let's."

and with that, we walked inside where miranda sat. she was seated at a round table near the back, a legal pad in front of her, arms crossed.

across from her sat evelyn, looking polished, her dark curls pulled into a sleek bun, eyes sharp but unreadable. next to her was holden, lounging back in his chair, fingers drumming against the table like he was already over it.

their gazes snapped up as duncan and i approached.

"you're late," miranda said as she grinned at me.

"traffic," duncan lied.

we took our seats. silence stretched between us.

miranda, not one to waste time, cleared her throat. "let's get right to it. as you both know, jamie and duncan are now living together, which means their respective children will be living under the same roof. legally, you have a right to be informed of that change."

evelyn's expression didn't waver. "i see. so mia will be living in jamie's home now?"

"it's our home," i corrected. "the brownstone belongs to me, but duncan's moved in. we're raising them together."

she considered that, then nodded. "alright."

just like that. no fight, no argument.

duncan looked a little surprised. "you're... okay with that?"

evelyn gave a small shrug. "mia adores you. she adores jamie. i trust that she's safe and loved. that's what matters."

i felt some of the tension in my chest loosen. at least one conversation was going smoothly.

then i turned to holden.

"jude's living with duncan," i said, keeping my voice steady. "he's helping me raise him."

holden let out a short, humorless laugh. "so my son is living with your boyfriend now?"

duncan's hand clenched on the table, but he didn't say anything.

i inhaled slowly. "he's living with me. duncan is part of his life, just like mia is part of mine. that's how this works."

holden shook his head, scoffing. "you move fast, huh?"

"oh, don't," miranda cut in sharply, giving him a look that could slice through steel. "we're not here for pettiness. we're here to inform you of a legal change. that's it."

holden glanced at her, then back at me. he didn't look happy, but he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"fine," he muttered. "whatever."

another beat of silence.

then duncan pushed his chair back, standing up. "well. this was fun."

evelyn stood too, smoothing out her blazer. "i appreciate you telling me." she turned to duncan, softer now. "i'll see you Sunday when i pick mia up."

he nodded. "see you then."

she gave me a polite nod before leaving.

holden, of course, didn't move right away.

he leaned in, voice lower. "i don't like it."

"you don't have to," i said simply, standing up.

duncan followed, dropping some cash on the table for the untouched drinks miranda had ordered.

"we're done here," miranda announced, as she collected her things.

i turned, already heading for the door. "thank god."

CENTRAL PARK
new york, new york
1:30pm

duncan and i walked side by side down the paved path, the crisp autumn air making the afternoon feel just right.

"that went better than expected," duncan said, nudging me playfully with his elbow.

i smirked. "that's because no one threw a drink in anyone's face."

he chuckled, shaking his head. "low bar."

before i could respond, my phone rang. charlotte.

i barely had time to say "hello" before her panicked voice came through the line.

"jamie! something's happening!"

i stopped walking. "what's happening?"

"elizabeth taylor! she's in labor! oh my god, i don't know what to do. i didn't even know she was pregnant! oh god, she's panting, and i think i see a paw... should i call an ambulance? is there such a thing as a dog ambulance?!" she exclaimed in my ear.

i pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it for a second before putting it back. "charlotte, take a deep breath."

"jamie, i can't! my dog is giving birth in my apartment! i can't handle this!" she yelled.

i turned to duncan, wide-eyed. "elizabeth taylor's having puppies."

duncan raised his eyebrows. "well, i sure as hell didn't see that on today's agenda."

"jamie, please come over!" charlotte pleaded. "i need emotional support! and maybe towels. and bring your doctor boyfriend."

i sighed but smiled. "i'm on my way. just don't pass out."

"no promises!" she replied.

i hung up and looked at duncan, who was already grinning.

"guess we're delivering some puppies today," he said.

"guess so," i laughed, slipping my arm through his as we headed toward charlotte's park avenue apartment.

CHARLOTTE AND DAKOTA'S SHARED APARTMENT
new york, new york
2pm

the moment we stepped into charlotte's apartment, pure chaos hit us like a brick wall.

she was pacing the living room, her phone clutched in one hand, a glass of wine in the other, which, judging by her frantic expression, she hadn't actually sipped. elizabeth taylor, her tiny cavalier king charles spaniel, was sprawled out on a plush dog bed, panting heavily.

"finally!" charlotte rushed toward me like i was her personal 911 dispatcher. "i don't know what to do! i didn't even know she was pregnant, jamie! how does that even happen?!"

"well, charlotte, when a boy dog and a girl dog love each other—" i joked.

"not now!" charlotte snapped before spinning to face duncan, eyes wide. "you're a doctor! do something!"

duncan blinked. "charlotte, i'm a pediatrician. for humans."

charlotte grabbed his arm, practically shaking him. "but you know about babies! these are tiny babies!"

i bit my lip, trying not to laugh, but duncan just sighed, setting his hands on his hips. "alright, alright, alright. let me take a look."

he crouched down beside elizabeth taylor, who let out a soft whimper.

"poor girl," he murmured, rubbing a gentle hand down her back. "she's doin' just fine." he looked up at charlotte. "you have any clean towels?"

charlotte's eyes widened in panic. "towels! yes! towels!" she spun around and bolted down the hallway.

"this might be more dramatic than any childbirths." duncan joked.

"i don't think so," i muttered, thinking of my labor, but then charlotte came rushing back with a stack of fluffy white towels, practically throwing them at duncan.

he caught them easily, then turned to me. "jamie, you wanna help?"

i held up my hands. "i just had a baby weeks ago. i think i've done my time."

duncan focused back on elizabeth taylor, who let out a small whine. "alright, girl. let's bring these babies into the world."

charlotte clutched my arm. "oh my god, i'm going to be a grandmother."

"yeah, it's amazing!" i said before looking at the somewhat empty home. "where's grandpa?" i asked, referring to dakota.

charlotte beamed, "london."

i raised a brow. "and does grandpa know he's about to have a litter of grandpuppies?"

she huffed, crossing her arms. "i called him, and you know what he said? 'can it wait?'" she threw her hands up. "can it wait?! no, dakota, it cannot wait! our dog is in labor! on my living room floor!"

duncan who was kneeling beside elizabeth taylor, glanced up, smirking. "to be fair, i don't think she waited for his permission."

charlotte shot him a glare before turning back to me. "i can't believe this is happening while he's away. he's gonna be so upset that he missed it."

i squeezed her shoulder. "he'll be back and And in the meantime, you've got us."

charlotte exhaled sharply and nodded. "right. you're right." she turned to duncan. "you have done this before, right?"

duncan. "not with dogs, and not since med school, but hey, how hard can it be?"

charlotte gasped, horrified. "duncan!"

i bit back a laugh as duncan threw me a wink and got back to work.

housekeeping notes !

tw: a holden with a very sassy attitude