Meryl & Pierce | Everlasting.

Eight | The Little Things

A/N: Wow! If you're still here after all this time, thank you for sticking around. I'm not going to write a big long message about why I've been busy, but I have and I'm grateful you all understand that.
Hope you like! X

"We're gonna be laaaaate!" Meryl shouted from downstairs, placing her petite pearl earrings in her ears; followed by a quick hair brush and a clip to tie it all together.
"The bus doesn't leave for a good-" Pierce glanced at his watch to clarify the time, "-Well fuck." he cursed under his breath,
"Not to worry babe, I promise we'll get there on time." He hurried down the steadily breaking staircase, cautious of the malting wooden tiles and Meryl's heel dents, "And afterwards remind me to sort the place out. The stairs are a MESS and dear God that's not even the worst par-"
"This is special. To me and to you." she interrupted, "I can't miss this. You know I can't." Meryl pleaded, being greeted with a kiss by her, forever on time, partner.
"And you won't. I wasn't planning on letting you down just yet." Pierce stretched his arm over Meryl's shoulder and began putting his jacket on, "Yet?" She teased, zipping it up for him and running her fingers along his hood, "All in good time, my darling. You didn't think this could last forever, did you?"
They chuckled and made their way outside to be surrounded by the cold, December weather. Hand in hand, they trotted down the roads with full hearts, ready to see their bundle of joy on a screen for the first time.
"Are you nervous?" Meryl asked, pulling her coat over her face to keep the warmth in, "Nervous? No. Not at all. I love it inside you, why wouldn't the little one?" She rolled her eyes and pushed Pierce teasingly whilst laughing at his unsurprising remark, "Girl or boy? What's your bet?" he queried, with a big smile on his face, "A boy. No, a girl. A boy. I don't know! I don't want to know. Let's find out on the day." Meryl bit her lip and giggled sheepishly, blushing that she really was going to have a child. Something that would bring her indescribable joy. She was ready to dedicate all her time, patience and love to the little person growing inside her, along with her kind-hearted and all loving partner.
"I think it's a boy. Fingers crossed he looks as good as his father." Pierce winked, "Which one?" Meryl laughed, trying to make light of the situation.
"Have you spoken to him yet? You don't even have to do it in person, over the phone is just as ef-"
"Can we not do this now?" She interrupted, "As soon as we get back, I'll think of something.. Hopefully. Right now let's just enjoy this, okay?"
Pierce pulled her close and squeezed her tight, "I love you. We're in this together."
"And I love you.. But your breath stinks." Meryl covered her nose and gagged dramatically, "Ahh, it's the little things." He said, unimpressed.
After a successful scan, a few tears and two parents oblivious to the gender of their child, the pair headed to a coffee shop to discuss the plan for the opening night of 'Manhattan'.
"I'm thinking," Pierce swallowed his toast, "a couple of milkshakes and some frozen pizza's." He took another bite, "And it's a win win situation, if the movie's shit, we crack open a bottle, and if it's great, we crack open two!.." Meryl looked down at her stomach and back into his stare, sternly, "..Bottles of sparkling water." he murmured, finishing his coffee, "I just need to speak to him. it's not like I'm gonna stop him from seeing the baby, I don't want any bad blood between the two of us and it won't help any-"
"Hey!" Pierce reached his arm out to stroke his teary eyed girlfriends hand, "You're stressing yourself out too much. Whenever you want to clear the air, I'm with you, okay? Don't rush into anything you aren't comfortable with." they both smiled as Meryl entwined her fingers tightly between his, "But that's unimportant for now, there's a new ice cream shop that's opened along the front, you wanna go?" Pierce placed his knife and fork on his plate, indicating he'd finished, "More food? Is that all you think about?" Meryl snapped whilst putting her jacket on, "I'm blaming that on the hormones."
They laughed quietly and made their way out of the shop, being hit unexpectedly with the blizzard-like temperature. Selfless as ever, Pierce zipped Meryl up and lifted her hair stuck beneath her coat, wiping the bean stains from the corners of her lips.
"Always the charmer." she bit her lip softly as her face glowed by the sunshine, subtly hidden by an array of clouds. Rolling his eyes, he replied, "Have you still got the scan picture?" they began to walk back home, "No. It magically escaped my handbag and ran away." Meryl opened her bag and retrieved the enveloped, laminated paper, showing her child for the first, proper time. Pausing and accepting her sarcasm, Pierce held it with his thumb and index finger in the middle of himself and Meryl as they got emotional once more, "Look at her little head. And those tiny fingers!" he gasped and stopped walking, beginning to stroke the paper with his finger, "Her?" Meryl's face lit up and squeezed his hand tightly, "Well.. It was a shock, wasn't it? In a good way, in a very good way. And it's brought me unimaginable happiness, so I think it's a girl." Pierce handed the scan over, "Because it reminds me of how someone else gave me that." he winked and spun Meryl round as if in the movies, as she laughed and held her hand up high and proudly, embracing her pregnancy that would bring her love to last a lifetime.
"Funnily enough, I thought it was a boy for the exact same reason."
Back at home and in pyjama's, Meryl declared, "I like Henry."
"The ability to understand what comes out of your mouth is something I take for granted." Pierce joked, sat on the floor and bouncing a ball to her, "The name." she laughed and threw the ball hard back at him, "For the baby."
"Ben. Michael. Dylan!" Pierce stood up in excitement, "Oh baby. You like all this talk don't you?" Meryl held her arms out for him to cuddle her and discuss his future plans, "What are you most excited for?" Pierce asked, picking up a blanket on his way over, "The birth. Undoubtedly. All we've waited for just.. there. In that moment." she gasped, picking up a glass of water, "Mine is the future. The birthdays, oh the birthdays! And when they take their first steps we'd have to rush upstairs to get the camcorder because we're so unprepared." Pierce laid his head back and stroked the sides of Meryl's arms, "Or when we can have little conversations with them, without understanding anything of what they've said. And when they go to school and they'd wear their freshly washed uniform, but come home with half their lunch down their front and mud all over their shoes to mess the house up even more."
Meryl sat up in awe of what he was saying, "You've thought about all that? What we're gonna have?"
She was melting. She wanted to stay up all night listening to what Pierce had to say about their family attributes because they were so detailed and clear to envision. Everything she'd ever wanted; he knew about. He would always say the right thing or something unexpected that would make her heart race, reminding herself of why she fell in love with him in the first place.
"That's it." she stated, "No, there's LOADS more, believe me." Pierce reassured, "No, no." she giggled and rubbed his chest, "That's it. You've given me the last bit of whatever it is I needed to know this is right. I can get closure now. I can end the guilt or the awful emotions I was feeling that stopped me entirely devoting myself to us and our family."
Her eyes weren't watering. Her voice wasn't breaking. She was finally ready to speak to Don about everything. Once and for all. Enabling her to finally fulfil her dream of starting a family.

Would it all go to plan? Or would her pregnancy provoke previous feelings?