Willow Marie Montgomery's Story

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Richie had just woken up, when he heard a female voice. "Passengers, please unbuckle your seatbelts, and take the nearest exit off the plane. Thank you for flying with us, and have a wonderful day." What time is it? He groaned as he shifted in his plane seat, and looked at his wristwatch. Exactly 11:30.

"I hope Rosalie isn't too mad... I'm a little late." He muttered to himself. Richie stood, straightening his camouflage uniform, and making sure his boots were still laced, before opening the overhead compartment, and getting out his camouflage duffle bag.

Like a herd of cows, all the passengers slowly inched their way off the plane, and walked through a long hallway, until they reached inside the airport.

"Now.. if I'm right.. Rosalie said she'd be..." He stopped kinda by the door, and looked around. There were hundreds of people in the airport at this hour. How was he possibly going to find her? Or.. how would she recognize him? He rubbed his chin as he looked, his duffle bag straps in his right hand. Richie'd grown stubble and had longer, darker blonde hair in the months he'd been away.

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Slowly opening his eyes Alfie noticed there was more sunlight than there should have been. To his right he could see the alarm clock which showed him it was 9.30 in the morning. Shit, I'm late. When turning over to his left he saw the girl who lived in this apartment. She was blond, and Alfie seemed to remember she had sparkling blue eyes. What he could not remember was her name. Something starting with an S he thought...

Looking over at her he could see she was still fast asleep, maybe aided by the amount of alcohol they consumed the previous night. He slowly removed her arm from his chest and waited a few seconds. Her eyes twitched a bit, but it didn't look like she would wake up. He lifted the sheets and slipped out of bed as carefully as he could. The search for his clothes was not an easy one. He found his shirt half under the bed. His pants could be found on the couch in the living room and his socks and shoes were partly in the kitchen and partly near the front door. His wallet and keys were still in his pants and for some reason his watch was in his left shoe.

Just before he left he had a last glimpse into the bedroom to have a look at... Suzy. No, not Suzy, maybe Stacey...oh, whatever it was, he didn't really care. He stepped through the front door and closed it behind him. At street level he halted a taxi who took him to his office building on Wilshire boulevard. Fully realizing he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday he had to find a way to sneak into the the office without any prying eyes spotting him. He took the east entrance and went into the stairwell rather than the elevator. He sprinted up to the 15th floor as quickly as he could. He opened the door ever so slightly and saw no one around at the moment. He opened the door a bit further and sprinted to the office in the corner. He opened the door and closed it right away. Made it...

He walked to the cabinet in the corner and opened it, revealing a huge mess and a lone sports bag on the bottom shelf. He always kept a bag of gym clothes and normal clothes as a spare. He sat behind his desk and called the first number that he called every single day, his 'boss'. "Hey Marc, do you need me for that meeting with Josh Jiving Juices? I might be needed somewhere else if you don't." After getting the go ahead he picked up his cell phone and send a message to his sister.

Hey Ammy, I know you have that birth thing today. I've cleared my schedule, so please let me know if you need a ride or something.

He tried to sound casual, but to be honest, he was quite excited about becoming an uncle. It was his primary thought these days. After her of course...

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It wasn't an understatement that both Willow and Amaya cared about their jobs. Ammy had spent half the night doing paperwork, and Willow had been curled up in a wingback in the library (that doubled as an office) making last minute cuts to a final edit of a new Bastille song for the company she worked for - Universal Music Group. She didn't remember what time she had fallen asleep at, but she woke up in her bed, curled up next to Amaya.

The poor girl had been sick for a while, and Willow was worried that it might be something serious. She closed her eyes again, turning over in bed. It felt only like a few minutes before she heard Amaya begin to stur. Her phone rang, and she heard Ammy search for it, before muttering a light, "Shit..." A light smile tugged at the sides of Willow's mouth, before she quickly extinguished it, settling more into the pillow while she kept her eyes shut.

The weight on the bed shifted a bit, and she felt Amaya kiss her shoulder and then her cheek. "Mmm... Willow... Babes, wake up. " Willow felt a soft nudge. "Babes, forreal, we've gotta get ready for the birthing class."

Opening one eye to look at Amaya, she gave her a tired smile. "I'm awake, I promise." Pushing the covers off the bed, she crawled out and stretched, immediately missing the warmth she just left.

"Who was that on the phone?" she said, her voice fading slightly as she made her way into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She peeked her head out from around the corner to look at Amaya, her toothbrush sticking out from her mouth as she waited for an answer.

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Today was the day. Rosalia had stood in front of the long mirror in her walk-in closet for a while that morning, staring at herself from every which way. She was able to see her bump, hell, she wondered who couldn't? At nearly 5 months along, she was really starting to protrude. And it wasn't just something that she could pass off as too many hours behind a computer typing and eating junk food in order to meet her deadlines. She wasn't fooling anyone anymore.

...Which was probably why she was avoiding having a lunch date with her parents anytime soon. Her mother kept asking her when she would be free to go out to Louie's, one of their favorite Italian restaurants in the area, but Rosalia had been putting it off and putting it off. Her excuse was that she was up to her ears in calls from her publisher, wondering when her manuscript was going to be done. And that wasn't a lie - her publisher was breathing down her neck. But the real reason was something much more time-consuming. Something that would eventually poop, cry and need constant care.

Her hand rested on her stomach as she stared at herself, and she couldn't help but smile. Yeah, it was going to be totally hectic and crazy trying to balance motherhood with authorship, but she figured she could make it work. She had Richie, and at least her job was something that one did at home...

She didn't know how Richie was going to take the news though. She wondered if maybe she should have written him about it, or at least told him over the phone. She didn't get much time to talk to him though, and whatever time she had she just wanted to know that he was still okay. She didn't want to break it to him that way, though...

She slipped into a nice flowing dress, one of her last dresses that seemed able to mostly hide her growing baby bump. Double checking her schedule in her phone, she saw that it was about time for her to head to the airport to pick Richie up - afterward, she was scheduled to go to a birthing class. She and Richie had spoken about a meeting place, and she figured that meeting him around the luggage turn rack was probably the easiest. She didn't know how he would react to the birthing class, moreso because she didn't know how he was going to react to the news that she was expecting... She debated going by herself after, but she figured she would come to that road when she needed to.

Rushing from the modest house that the two shared, she hopped in her car and began the drive to the airport. She was lucky to beat the majority of traffic, and arrived just a few minutes before his plane was scheduled to land. She parked her car in satellite parking lot, before making her way inside the airport to the Arrivals terminal. She found the luggage depository that Richie's plane was assigned to, and waited there for him, watching the hallway that lead to where she was standing to see his face. There were so many people moving about, but she was confident that when he came walking down to get his luggage, she would see him.

She felt her baby stir a bit when she thought about him, and she couldn't help the content smile that touched her face at the feeling. She wanted him to be able to feel it too...

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Richie looked around for about a minute more, before spotting his fiance. "Rosalia!" He smiled big, and went over to her, but then nearly stopped. How long was he away again? Over 5 months? Yeah.. that sounds about right... so..

He got Rosalia pregnant? His eyes grew wide at the sight of Rosalia... with a pregnant belly.

Richie hugged her oddly, and then took a step back still holding her hands. "You're pregnant... with me?" His face had be ice white, and he m bit his lower lip. "Darling, why didn't you tell me this sooner? I could've gotten a leave... I could have been here with you.." He felt horrible now. He'd missed the whole pregnancy pretty much... besides the birth.

Why didn't she tell me? All he seemed to think about was the baby. Was it alright? Was Rosalia alright? "We'll have to wait until after the baby to get married... and.. do you have stuff for the baby? " He rubbed his forehead slowly, and took a deep breath.

He may be in the Army, but that doesn't mean he's strong enough to be ready to be a father on impulse.

Blanking out, for only a second, he looked at her. She seemed so happy. Happy to be having the baby. The baby he didn't know about until a minute ago. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad... With Rosalia, they'd been through hell and back, just with him in the Army.

But, if he has a kid.. he'll want to spend time with it. And in order to do that, he has to have time, which means resigning from the Army. He'd been in for almost over 2 years coming up. His contract was for at least 4, if not 10. That'd be the first 8 years he'd miss things with the kid.

"Welcome To Parenthood..." He mentally sighed, and wondered how the heck he was going to do this.

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Alfie didn't have to wait long before he got a reply from his sister. He picked up his phone when it started vibrating and read the message she send him.

We're fine, bubs. If you wanna come, I don't care, but it might be a little awkward in a room of pregnant women for you.

Alfie thought of the idea of a room full of pregnant women and himself in the middle of it. Somehow it made him a bit nervous, maybe a guilty conscience over the amount of one night stands he had had in his life so far. Alfie was sure he wouldn't be the only male in the class, but still, if Ammy and Willow were sorted there was no reason for him to be there. After all it was more his job to spoil the baby than to spoil the mothers, or the surrogate mother for that matter. Alfie hadn't asked why they would use a surrogate, but afraid of an awkward conversation he had never pushed the subject. Ammy knew that if she had anything she wanted to talk about, she could always come to her brother.

He thought back to the blonde that he had woken up next to this morning. Just another one on the pile of mistakes in my life. Alfie always had been quite the fan of one night stands, until he had met Dianna. She literally changed his life, she made him want to be a better boyfriend, a better worker, a better brother and a better person overall. He never had anyone push him so much with what seemed so little effort. He never thought he ever would, but he had bought an engagement ring after almost a year of being together. He had to be careful sneaking around to keep it a secret. He even went to the jewellery shop with one of his friends who had the same ring size as Di. He remembered he was just waiting for the moment when she left.

Not a note, not a sign, not a message or even a text. He just came home late from work one day to find all her stuff removed from their apartment. It was actually his, but they had stayed there together for months, in pure happiness. At least I was... He had been confused about her leaving, shocked, and after a week of not seeing her he had broken down in tears for the first time in his adult life. That was the time he was so grateful to his sister. Their talks helped him through it. The only thing he did not follow her advise about was to look her up, or call her at least. His pride or his stubbornness would not allow it. It was she who had run out on him after all. He had stayed by the phone waiting for weeks, until at one moment he went to the bar to drown himself in sorrow and alcohol. He blacked out and the following morning he had woken up to a girl he did not recognize, very similar to his experience with the blonde girl this morning. He picked up where he left off before he met Di and started his one night stands business as usual. One difference, it made him realize what a sad case he was. It never had before, but his only long term relationship had shown him how life could be.

Deep in thought he heard his phone vibrating once more. Convinced it was a follow up message from his sister he grabbed it and looked at the name reflected in the screen and the picture in the background. He opened his drawer, looked at the box with the engagement ring inside of it and closed his drawer again. He stood up from his chair and paced around the office for a solid minute before he picked up his phone again. With shaking hands and not knowing what to expect he opened up the message.

Hey Alfie, Do you remember where I live? Come on over at 10 this morning. Please it is very important. Xoxo Di-

Alfie checked the time on his phone and realized it was 9.15 AM, one hour... He read the message over and over. It was so light and matter-of-fact like, he almost thought it must be from someone else. He got upset over how light it was. After a year of happiness and the sudden disappearance of her and her stuff this was not a satisfying message. No apologies, no 'I miss you', no 'I made a mistake leaving you', none of the things he had hoped to see. She must mean her own place, the apartment she still had when they were already living together in his. He had not even once driven by the address although he always suspected she would be there. He was afraid of running into her and hearing the reason why she left..., he still was. He must have done something wrong, otherwise why would she leave?

He decided it was time for an answer, an explanation, maybe a rekindling. Lord knows that's what he really wanted. Just to forget about the past three months and continue as if she had never left. He left his office and went to the parking lot where his motorcycle still stood from the previous day. He shouldn't ride while being this nervous, but he wasn't thinking straight. With minimum traffic he arrived not much later and parked in front of her building. For once in his life he was 5 minutes early and after taking a deep breath he knocked on her door.

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"Well, first it was Anna wanting to know if we were still going to the birthing class or not." There was a slight pause as Ammy moved into the spacious bathroom with Willow, joining her in the ritual of brushing their teeth. "Then, Alvaro called, wanting to know if I needed anything."

Willow spit her mouthful of toothpaste out, grabbing a disposable paper cup to fill with water to wash her mouth out with. After all was said and done, she came out of the bathroom to see Amaya on her phone, apparently texting.

Glancing over at her, she made her way into the large walk-in closet that the two shared. Their home was something that they both had spent a lot of time searching for. They just had to find the perfect one, which was more than difficult at the time because they were both sure of what they wanted and would settle for nothing less than perfect. Willow had been adamant that they buy a house - she didn't want to live in some overpriced apartment that wouldn't gain any value or become an asset. She insisted on a home, and luckily they both found one that fit their needs. It was lucky too - she had received a bonus and raise at work due to receiving some awards, and the album she had worked on at the time went Platinum.

Together, they bought the house: 10325 Greendale Drive. It was pretty close to both Amaya's and Willow's jobs, centrally located between Bel Air and Beverly Hills in the lower Beverly Glen section of L.A., bordering Holmby Hills. The only thing Willow didn't really like about the place was that they were about 5 minutes away from the Playboy Mansion - that whole lifestyle wasn't really her thing. But she couldn't complain - they had bought a beautiful Tudorian style mansion together. They got it at a great price and rate, and it was everything both of them wanted. Willow's parents had chipped in some as well, and for that she could never truly thank them.

Willow had grown up in Bel Air, and her parents wanted her close by. They wouldn't settle for having their only daughter living in some small home in central L.A., in some neighborhood that they thought was "bad". Willow didn't push it, either. She and Amaya were getting the house of their dreams, and they couldn't be happier.

Willow had changed into a light and fluttery dress, comfortable and yet warm. She added a cardigan to her ensemble, slipped on a pair of flats, some simple diamond earrings and a small pearl necklace. Then she donned a large hat with sunglasses. The fall sun was getting to the point where it would get in her eyes at the wrong angle, and she disliked the feeling of squinting.

Twisting her engagement ring around her finger once for good luck, she stepped out of the closet just in time to hear Amaya ask her a question.

"You're coming with me, right?" The dark-haired beauty turned around to look at Willow, a questioning look in her eyes. Willow offered her a smile, happy to be spending one of her days off with her fiance. She answered back with a yes, and made her way over to Amaya's open arms.

"C'mere cutie... God, you're so gorgeous..." Willow took a seat next to her on the bed, embracing the girl who had stolen her heard, before lacing their fingers together.

"C'mon," she began, standing up and pulling Amaya up in the process. "We're supposed to be getting to that birthing class, right? We can't keep Anna waiting."



Willow and Amaya had eventually made their way to the garage, and Willow had opted to drive. Amaya hadn't disagreed either way, so they got into one of Willow's cars, and made their way to the location of the birthing class. Pulling into the parking lot of the building, Willow glanced around, found a parking spot, and pulled the car in. She turned to Amaya and offered her a smile, before getting out of the Cadillac.

Shutting the door to her car, she turned to see Anna walking towards them. Well... it was more like waddling, almost. Willow couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the girl. Having to deal with all the stress of pregnancy, and it wasn't even her kid...

The thought flew quickly from her mind though, as Anna greeted them. "Hey Amaya and Willow, how are you guys today?"

Willow answered her back, fixing her sun hat as she did so. "Oh, I'm pretty good. How are you feeling?" She gestured for Amaya to follow, and began to walk towards the entrance to the building. "We should probably head in and get you a spot, Anna..." She glanced over at the girl and offered a small smile of her own.

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"Rosalia!"

There was that familiar voice, that sound that she knew so well. Rosie could practically see his smile beaming across the room at her from where she stood. Her heart beat quickened, and she raised her hand up to wave at him. He already knew where she was, so she didn't know why she even bothered - he saw her. But she was too excited - her Richie was home! She almost forgot she was pregnant in that moment.

He approached her quickly, his smile big. But as he neared her his eyes fell to her stomach, and they instantly grew. She could almost see the cogs turning in his head, before he looked up at her face again. He stepped in, hugging her, no words yet leaving his lips. The hug felt sort of strange - Rosalia felt it was partly from being away from him for so long, but at the same time she could sense the carefulness he was holding her with. It would be impossible for him not to feel the bump that was separating them.

He took a step away from her then, her hands in his. "You're pregnant... with me?"

His face had gone all white, and he bit his lip. Rosalia instantly felt the regret that she had been bottling up emerge on her face. 'I knew he was going to react badly...' she thought, glancing up at him from her smaller height.

His voice rang out once more, and to her it seemed as if his was the only one in the room, even though they stood in the middle of a crowded airport. "Darling, why didn't you tell me this sooner? I could've gotten a leave... I could have been here with you.."

She looked up at him again, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you such important news over the phone... or in a letter." Her eyes fell down to her stomach, before she spoke again. "I didn't want you to worry."

"We'll have to wait until after the baby to get married... and.. do you have stuff for the baby?"

Her eyes met his again, and she smiled slightly. "Well, I did some shopping. Just basic things... But, I wanted to save the important stuff for... for when you came home." Her eyes began to water up at the realization that here he was! He was home! He was home and he was all in one piece, all his limbs, everything. He was here, holding her hands and breathing, alive. He was okay, and he was home.

A few tears slipped out, as her happy smile returned to her face. She couldn't help herself, and she pulled herself into his arms, wrapping her own strongly around his middle. She was careful of the baby, careful of this perfect little person that was her and his and theirs. Careful of this person who she would bring into the world.

"I missed you so much..." Her words were muffled by his uniform, one hand clinging tightly to his front and the other still wrapped firmly around his waist.

There were so many things to think about, so many things that needed to be discussed. She hadn't found out the gender of the child yet - that, she wanted to save for when Richie had gotten home. She hadn't told her parents yet, and she had no idea how she was going to break it to them. She had done a bit of shopping for the baby, but they still had so much they had to gather. There was a million and one things to do, but all she cared about right now was that her Richie was home.

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"Well, I was planning on stopping into a few shops today. Maybe making a registry. There's this cute little place in the city that sells specialty items and also offers birthing classes. I was thinking about stopping in and signing up for a few... Wanna go? I've got the car outside, I'm sure you're ready to be back on American soil... I know I'm glad you're back."

Richie smiled as his hands were placed on her stomach, and he didn't feel the baby. He was starting to feel slightly worried, but started to calm himself down, and kissed her cheeks.

"Already so much like their mother, hmm?" He chuckled, and held her hands in his. "Yes, I've been dying to get back to home. To you, and.. our child now." He smiled,wrapping his arm behind her as they walked towards the exit. "It's been too long since i've been home." He swallowed, smiling still, not thinking it was physically possible to wipe the grin off of his face.

Why wouldn't he be happy? He was home, alive, with all his limbs, and he was getting married to the love of his life who, currently, was carrying his child.