Parental Duties

*Disclaimer: They don’t belong to me!*

Thanks for carrying on reading! Oh, and to those of you who thought that I was going to carry on updating “This Heavenly Child”, it was just a one-off, sorry!

“Ohh…” Lillie moaned, as she tossed and turned in her sleep. Joey heard her, and grunted in reply. They were trying to make the most of their sleep time.

The entire building had had disturbed sleep since Chandler and Monica had brought their babies, Aurora and Alissa, home. The gang (especially Lillie and Joey) adored the babies, but Lillie had been heard to wish that they weren’t so loud – and colicky.

In Monica and Chandler’s apartment, there was peace. Alissa had eventually dropped off to sleep after Chandler had paced the floor with her for three hours. Aurora hadn’t made a sound until Alissa went to sleep. Then, she had lifted up her voice, so much so that Monica had been forced to take her out of the room that the twins shared, fearful that she might wake her sister. After five hours of the twins alternately crying, there had been silence.

Then… BAM. Five o’clock brought Aurora’s first feed. She announced to the world – well, New York, anyway – that she was hungry. For three-week-old babies, the twins were certainly loud.

As her baby sister began to cry, Lillie jumped up. “What is it?” she yelled.

Joey groaned. “Aurora,” he replied. After two weeks, everyone in the building could tell Aurora’s cry from Alissa’s – Aurora gave a high-pitched wail, whilst Alissa was the traditional “waaah” sort of baby. Suddenly, he was wide awake. “Hey… how come Chandler named a baby Aurora?”

“I think Mom named them,” Lillie said. “Why?”

“I think Chandler dated a girl called Aurora,” Joey mused. He thought for a moment. “Yeah! She was the hot—” He caught sight of Lillie’s face. “I mean, some might have said that she was, uh, an attractive, uh, lady.”

“Well saved,” Lillie said, stifling a yawn. “So Mom named a baby after Chandler’s ex-girlfriend?”

“Not a girlfriend, per se,” Joey said. “Uh, more of a, uh, a sexual object.”

“Huh?” Lillie was understandably confused.

“See, she was dating lots of other guys as well,” Joey replied, after thinking for a moment. “And she just had sex with Chandler a few times, but he, like, wanted more.”

“Oh yeah, I think Ross told me about that,” Lillie said. “But it was years ago, surely they’d have forgotten a girl Chandler slept with a few times by now?”

“I guess,” Joey mumbled, easily satisfied. Aurora’s screams had stopped now.

Suddenly Lillie remembered her pregnancy. “We’re going to have one of those soon,” she said softly to Joey.

“Can’t wait,” he replied. He paled. “I hope ours is quiet.”

Lillie laughed. “Me too!” She paused. “Shall we tell everyone today?”

“Yeah, baby!” Joey said. It was his new favourite saying. He was also trying to convince Lillie to call him Big Daddy, something that she refused to do.

* * *

Everyone was at Monica and Chandler’s when Rachel arrived.

“Sorry I’m late guys, I had to drop Kimmy off at school.”

“Shh…” Monica hissed. “I’ve just gotten Alissa to sleep!” She motioned to twins’ room.

“And Lillie’s going to make an announcement,” Chandler added, smiling at his stepdaughter.

“Ooh, do tell,” Rachel laughed, as she settled herself into a seat. She had an inkling that she knew what it was.

Lillie smiled, and, shifting the wide-awake Aurora into her other arm, plunged straight in. “I’m pregnant.”

There was an instant babble, stifled at once because of the sleeping baby. Aurora took the opportunity to drop off to sleep, so Chandler retreated to put her into a crib.

“Congratulations,” Ross said. “Wow, I’m gonna be a great-uncle.”

“I’m gonna be a grandmother!” Monica shrieked. Chandler appeared from the babies’ room, and put a finger to his lips.

“Shh…”

“Sorry!” Monica said, and they all laughed.

“What relation am I?” Chandler asked.

“Step-grandpa,” Joey said, seriously. “It’s a very important role.” He paused. “And you’re his daddy’s best friend.”

“It’s a ‘he’, is it?” Lillie asked, with mock severity.

Joey went red, making everyone laugh even more. Lillie kissed Joey, to show she didn’t mean it.

“Well done for telling them, Lila,” Rachel said.

“Hey, you sound as though you knew about it!” Monica protested.

“Well, that’s sorta cos she did,” Lillie confessed. Joey knew all about the little talk, but she wasn’t sure what Monica might think.

“You told Rachel before you told your own mother?” Monica asked, indignantly.

“Uh, yeah.”

Monica laughed. “Hey, don’t worry, I’m only teasing!”

Lillie smiled. “Good.”

A cry from the nursery made it clear that Alissa was awake. Monica dashed off to fetch her, and the conversation turned to topics such as baby clothes, painting the room, and names.

“Ooh, please call it Ross,” Ross begged.

Joey and Lillie looked at one another. “Nu-uh,” they said in unison.

“Monica?” suggested that lady, who was now back, a baby in her arms.

“What if it’s a boy?” Chandler asked.

“Not Monica,” she amended her choice.

“I was thinking of Sara if it’s a girl,” Lillie confessed.

“I’d prefer a boy,” Joey put in. “I mean, Ross and Rachel have Kimmy, and Monica and Chandler have Alissa and Aurora. We deserve a boy.”

“But what about Ben?” Ross said.

Joey paused. “I want a boy!” he repeated, making no heed to Ross’ comment.

* * *

That night, when Joey and Lillie were alone again, Joey turned to her.

“Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Of course,” was Lillie’s answer. “Why?”

“I, I don’t want you to, y’know, end up like Phoebe,” Joey mumbled, ashamed to show his feelings.

“Oh, Joey, I won’t!” Lillie cried, hugging him.

“Are you sure?”

“Well, I can’t be sure,” Lillie admitted. “But I don’t think it would happen, not twice in a row, Joey.”

“I don’t want you to die,” Joey said. “I mean, I love you, Lillie.” He paused. “I want you to see the OB-GYN as much as you have to, and I don’t want you ever to miss an appointment. ‘Cause, y’know, Phoebe missed an appointment two days before, she, well, y’know…”

“Oh, Joey, I promise you,” Lillie replied. “This is going to be perfect.”