13. Shadow (Full Chapter)

Without warning Nicki stood up in a state of anxiety causing Safaree to understandably start to panic.

"Nic? What is it? What's wrong?" He grabbed her hand as she tugged at him to leave.

"Please can we just go? Ion wanna be in here." She let go of him and started to swiftly make her way to the exit when he just stood still in confusion. He only let her get two steps away before he was on her tail again.

"Nicki?" His large hand grasped on to her tiny wrist as she kept trying to get to the door.

"Safaree please?!" The volume of her plea made people enjoying their meals turn around to stare. Including Drake. He hadn't even considered bumping into her just yet, this was just coincidence. Dropping his napkin he rose to his feet and headed towards them. He knew SB wouldn't cause a scene in public, especially when Nicki was with him. You could call her his protection in a way.

"Fancy seein' you two here. Of all the places, weird huh?" He sidled up to the couple, Safaree could feel her shaking and knew he had to get them out of the eyes of everyone in the room. They were more visible now and people were starting to whisper and point, noticing who she was and what was different about her. It wasn't hard to miss, she was six months pregnant, with twins. He would deal with Drake's ass another time, knowing that if he started screaming, yelling and throwing punches more attention would be drawn to their presence.

"The fuck do you want?" His hushed whisper was only heard by tables close by as Nicki attempted to stay out of Drake's view.

"Ion want anythin'! 'Specially not from you." He made eyes at Nicki before following the contours of her body down to her bump. "S'up Nic? Cat got yo' tongue?" She turned away, hating that he had this hold on her. She was, and still is a strong individual but with him, it was different. He was dangerous, more so given her current state.

"DON'T!" Safaree paused, attempting to regain his composure. "Don't talk to her, and stay the fuck away." He put emphasis on the right words, making his message more than extremely clear as Drake backed away a little. More people were staring which caused him to hold his hands up and walk off backwards. He wasn't don with them just yet. Watching walk off Nicki let out a breath of relief as Safaree took her hand in his. "Come on, let's go."

The journey home was silent as Nicki continued to stare out of the window. Safaree was beyond pissed. He felt like he'd broken through her barriers and was terrified that the little confrontation with Drake would be a set back. As he pulled into the gated driveway he cut the engine once they were fully in the garage. Silence drowned the atmosphere.

"You kay?" He ran his hand down the length of her arm, slightly pleased with the effect as he saw a tidal wave of goose bumps overtake her skin.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Although the smile she presented told him otherwise, he still nodded and let himself out of the car making sure to go to her side and get her door. She looked tired and honestly he wasn't sure if it was actual fatigue or the series of events taking effect on her. He didn't want to seem overly keen or pushy but he'd been doing his reading on the quiet, being pregnant with twins did result in a higher level of exhaustion so he put it down to that. Once they were inside she headed straight upstairs causing him to sigh, he didn't know what to do. Starting trouble with Drake would make things worse, he was sure of it but all the time, at the back of his mind his sick face was there. Laughing. Inhaling and exhaling slowly he ran his hands down his face, if they couldn't go out and eat then they would stay in and eat. As long as she had food in her cupboards he'd make something for the pair of them. Rummaging around he managed to put together some things that would make a nice breakfast, well lunch now but that was ok. He shut the fridge door and did a double take at the calendar. At 4pm today Nicki had an appointment for an ultrasound scan. He let his eyes wander upwards and noticed the same scribbling down only it had been crossed out, obviously she had either missed her appointment or couldn't make it. She definitely wasn't going to miss this one. Not on his watch anyway. His chef skills were put to the test as he prepared their food, but everything came out perfect. He'd made bruschetta and was actually quite pleased with his work, smiling proudly he made his way up to her room. But hearing voices he stopped, not breathing he relaxed once Judge Judy's voice became more audible. Her and that show. Shaking his head he knocked and entered whilst trying to balance the tray carefully.

"Hey, I made you a little somethin' to eat. You hungry?" She was curled up on her bed watching TV, her big pink blanket draped over her tiny body. The outline of her bump looked even bigger underneath all the fabric.

"Uh yes!" She lowered the TV volume and sat upright, making room for him and pulling her blanket back so that he could climb under with her. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek as he handed her plate over.

"I, uh, made it myself so don't be expectin', y'know, like some Top Chef shit kay?" She giggled genuinely which made him smile. 

"Don't act stupid, it smells really good." Her voice became harder to hear as she started slicing into the crunchy bread.

"Oh yeah and you have an appointment today, you forget?"

"Shit, I did. I'll change it to next week."

"No. You were supposed to go last week, weren't you?" He saw her mouth twitching as she tried to think up some excuse which he already knew would be a lie. "I saw it on the calendar Nic. It's a 4pm today, so be ready to leave." Rolling her eyes she nodded and finished off her lunch.

"I was putting it off." Safaree turned to look at her.

"Why? Don't you wanna know how they are and if everythin's alright in there?"

"Of course! But, Ion know. Going alone it just made me sad." Her words were slightly warped as she pouted halfway through her sentence.

"Well I'm here now. I can go with you."

"Thanks Faree." She leant in to kiss him sweetly but the innocent gesture got a little heated as she deepened the kiss, causing him to put more force into his actions. Taking her bottom lip into his mouth he felt her moan quietly against him before pulling away. "Well Imma go take another shower before we go." As soon as she hopped of the bed carefully he felt bad, he didn't want to seem like he was pushing her too much. Especially with how Drake treated her. She was delicate, fragile even. He desperately didn't want to force himself on her.

***

Sat in the waiting room his thoughts were running wild. He was really freaking out. He wasn't ready for this. Seeing all the parents and babies around him started fuelling thoughts of inadequacy and panic. Truthfully he'd been feeling like this since he found out Nicki was pregnant even if they were his. Leaving her was definitely not an option, he loved her unconditionally so if that meant taking on kids he'd do it. Knowing he was going to struggle if they were his own babies was hard enough, he had no idea what he would do if he was faced with the possibility of having to raise another man's children. He wasn't so sure if he could handle that.

"Ms Minaj?" A tall slender woman walked over to them, she'd said her name quietly so as not to draw attention to her being there. "You can go through now." With a small smile she headed back through to the room with Nicki and Safaree following close behind.

"Hello Nicki." Hayley's cheerful voice welcomed them inside. "Here you go, you get yourself comfortable on here whilst I get set up." She lay a protective sheet across the bed and let Nicki climb on with a little help from Safaree.

"Oh yeah Hayley, this is Safaree and Safaree this is Hayley." She smiled at them shaking hands.

"Well Safaree, if you want you can just pull that chair forward and take a seat?" Pointing to the furniture helpfully she smiled as he took her offer. "Ok well let's get this show on the road then. Also today I'm gonna talk to you a little bit about birthing options. You have any idea how you wanna do it?" She continued to talk as she prepared everything.

"Uhm no not really. I'm not quite sure what the options are?" She frowned and looked over at Safaree worriedly, he inched forward so that he could hold her hand. Not sure whether he was the one who needed to be reassured right now or her.

"Oh, well that's fine. We'll discuss that now and get an idea of what you want and then I'll get the scan on the way." Leaving what she was doing she pulled herself a chair out and sat down whilst Nicki sat herself up some more to be involved in the conversation. "Okay, seeing as this is your first pregnancy and with twins for that matter, I wouldn't really recommend a home birth. So it looks like you'll definitely be in a hospital kay?" They both nodded seriously. "But that's ok, it doesn't mean you're in any way limited in choice. You can still opt to use the birthing pool or just y'know be laying comfortably in a bed!" They shared a little laugh before she continued. "But, and this is a big but, it all depends on these little ones." She lay her hand gently on Nicki's bump as Safaree looked apprehensively at her. She squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was quiet as she spoke softly.

"Well, let's just call them baby A and baby B for now." She stood up to show them where each baby was positioned, using her hands to point on Nicki's bump. "So baby A is here, and over this side we've got baby B. If baby A is in breach position then we'll have to perform a caesarian. There are some positives however, results and research indicate that a caesarian birth actually benefits the babies in the case of multiple births. The only down side for some women is not being able to deliver naturally and the recovery time is a bit longer than what you'd experience through natural delivery." Once again they both nodded as she moved away to stick some gloves on. "So I've given you the run down, maybe just have a little think and then we can get some things prepared. Unless of course the babies decide for you! Oh and that's another thing, usually with twins it's extremely common not to reach full term with your pregnancy."

"Meaning?" She switched her eyes back to Safaree's concerned face.

"It just means that it's not rare for women to give birth prematurely with twins." She looked back at Nicki. "So don't panic if your waters break when you're in the later stage but not quite full term." Her smile reassured the couple before she asked Nicki to lift her top up and slide her pants down a little. Safaree felt like a bundle of nerves. He felt deep down that was a good thing though, he was obviously feeling something about this whole thing. All of that changed though. As soon as the image appeared and he could literally see the shape of both babies his whole stance relaxed. He saw Nicki's eyes glistening as she looked over the screen. Moving closer her gripped her hand more and carried on staring at the image. "So here's your little girl and up here you've got your boy." She let them have their little moment before turning back to the screen as she scribbled some things down on a clipboard. "Don't start worrying because this is not uncommon and right now it's not causing a huge issue but the baby girl is looking a lot smaller than the little man." She folded her lips and continued to look over the notes.

"Well, how bad is that? She'll be ok right?" Safaree's question mirrored Nicki's thoughts as she tried to hold back the tears.

"I'll go get Dr Hall to come take a quick look to be sure but right now everything seems to be in check barring the size difference." She removed her gloves after setting the scan up to remain attached to her abdomen before leaving to go get the doctor.

"Hey, calm down. Eveythin's gon' be fine, she'll be ok." He kept stroking her hand to try and soothe her whilst they waited. Before long Hayley returned with Dr Hall following.

"Good afternoon Ms Minaj." They returned the greeting as he smiled warmly before applying some gloves. "Okay, I'm just going to have a listen to their heartbeats and see if everything is running smoothly." Doing what he said he was going to do he squinted as he listened. They all stayed silent, waiting for him to finish. "Yes, that's what I thought." He pulled away and stood to the side. "Baby B, which is the girl has a sightly weaker heartbeat, but it's not causing an issue now. Hayley was right, y'know, they're still developing so we'll see how everything goes and check up on that at your next appointment ok?" They just nodded again, that's all they felt they could do for the time being.

***

"So what's gonna happen now?" Lauren was leaning against the kitchen counter as Safaree cleared away the plates and food scraps from their dinner. Nicki was quiet again all the way home but he knew she was worrying about the baby. Sensing that her spirits were down he called Candi and Lauren to come over but they beat him to it, they were already on their way at the time. He cooked dinner for them all and now he was tidying up, Candi as always was sat unhelpfully watching TV and Nicki was asleep on the couch next to her.

"Well they said there was nothing to worry about, for now."

"For now? So, later on it could be bad?" Her face was full of concern as they finished up in the kitchen and headed back through to join the other two in the lounge room.

"They wanna keep an eye on her progress, in comparison to other one, the boy."

"Poor Nic." She sat down, careful not to wake her sleeping friend and looked back up at him. "So how are you holdin' up? Everythin' goin' ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Baby steps but we're gettin' there." She smiled hearing that things were going well.

"Just don't let her go back to the way she was, please. It's not healthy." At that point Candi looked over and decided to chirp in.

"Yeah and her freaking mood swings were a nightmare when she was pining for you!" Lauren and Safaree laughed resulting in Nicki shifting slightly.

"Well, we better leave you guys to it. We'll call 'round tomorrow though." She went to stand up but Safaree stopped her.

"Actually guys, could you try and persuade her to go out with you tomorrow? Y'know and do all that girly stuff that y'all get up to, shoppin' and shit?"

"Uhm, yeah sure. Ion know if she'll go though." He walked them both to door as their conversation carried on.

"No I think she will. She was cryin' this morning 'cause none of her clothes fit her!"

"Aww, wait...You didn't laugh at her did you?" Lauren placed a hand on her hip with a knowing smile on her face as Candi cackled.

"Oh that girl is a mess! We'll be here at 11am! Tell her to be ready or she's just gon' have to go in her jammies and Ion give a fuck who sees her!" They both said goodbye before he shut and locked the door behind them. He walked back to Nicki and smiled at how cute she looked, almost as if her body was curled around her bump. Going to the appointment with her was a really good move. Just seeing the babies like that and knowing they could be his had a completely different effect on him. In fact, now he was excited. It seemed ridiculous that after only one scan his mind was completely changed but it was true. All three of them right in front of him were his babies.

"What are you lookin' at?" Her voice was full of sleep as she turned to look at him.

"You." She smiled up at him and pulled her top down a little as it was riding up.

"You're so weird." He ducked just in time as she laughed a threw a cushion his way, trying to sit herself up some more. "So, did the scan change things?"

"Well yeah-" He stopped and sat next to her. "Wait, what do you mean? I was always ok with it y'know?" Her raised brow told him she already knew.

"Safaree I can read you like a damn book. You were freaking the fuck out!" She laughed as his face relaxed into a smile.

"If I'm bein' honest with you, yes I was a little overwhelmed. I've only known for two days but after today, seein' their little weird lookin' alien bodies on that screen made me love 'em already." She was about to open her mouth and talk but he knew what she was going to say and beat her to it.

"Yes! Even if they're not mine. And I honestly I really mean it this time." He pulled out his wallet and showed her the ultrasound image neatly placed inside next to a picture of the two of them together. "I'm gon' be there for you, always. You and these two." He placed his hand over hers on her bump and kissed her forehead already knowing that she was probably crying. She was.

"I love you." She sniffled as he said it back after she hit him softly. "Our babies don't look like aliens Faree." What she said caused him to start laughing as he pulled his wallet out again.

"Yes they do! See!" He pointed out the similarities that they shared with aliens before turning the playfulness down. "Well just because they look like lil' martians doesn't mean I don't love 'em. 'Cause I do."

"Yeah, me too." She exposed her dimples with a small smile as she looked down at herself, Safaree was rubbing her stomach softly. He noticed her relax some more as he kept up the movement and decided to stop before she fell to sleep again.

"Come on, Ion know 'bout you but I'm ready to pass out." He stood up and tugged her little hand, encouraging her to stand up as well. They speedily changed and got into bed, just laying together for a while in silence until he realised she was already asleep, breathing softly. She was tucked with her back right up to his bare chest, holding on to his arms which were wrapped protectively around her. He was about to let his eyes start to close when her phone screen lit up on her nightstand, reaching over gently to grab it he felt his body tense up instantly as he opened up the message and read it.

*Ahkaaay I did this so that It was out the way cuz I wlda lost my train of thought and all that so yeah! here you go ^__^ Hope it was ok for you all and THANKU for al the comments on the sneak peek I didn't expect to get many on that but thanks!! Sorry for any typos and Imma try and do CM tonight also If I havent got ur @ names on twitter and you would like to be notified via twitter when I post just leave them with your comment and I'll mention you whenever I post ^_^ OH and I know NOTHING bout babies and medical terms so if Im wrong that's why!*

12. Shadow *Sneak Peek*

*Sorry it's only a mini sneak peak ^_^ I feel bad cuz this blog seems to be the one that gets the most comments :// Well hope the sneak peek is ok for you all*

Without warning Nicki stood up in a state of anxiety causing Safaree to understandably start to panic.

"Nic? What is it? What's wrong?" He grabbed her hand as she tugged at him to leave.

"Please can we just go? Ion wanna be in here." She let go of him and started to swiftly make her way to the exit when he just stood still in confusion. He only let her get two steps away before he was on her tail again.

"Nicki?" His large hand grasped on to her tiny wrist as she kept trying to get to the door.

"Safaree please?!" The volume of her plea made people enjoying their meals turn around to stare. Including Drake. He hadn't even considered bumping into her just yet, this was just coincidence. Dropping his napkin he rose to his feet and headed towards them. He knew SB wouldn't cause a scene in public, especially when Nicki was with him. You could call her his protection in a way.

"Fancy seein' you two here. Of all the places, weird huh?" He sidled up to the couple, Safaree could feel her shaking and knew he had to get them out of the eyes of everyone in the room. They were more visible now and people were starting to whisper and point, noticing who she was and what was different about her. It wasn't hard to miss, she was six months pregnant, with twins. He would deal with Drake's ass another time, knowing that if he started screaming, yelling and throwing punches more attention would be drawn to their presence.

"The fuck do you want?" His hushed whisper was only heard by tables close by as Nicki attempted to stay out of Drake's view.

"Ion want anythin'! 'Specially not from you." He made eyes at Nicki before following the contours of her body down to her bump. "S'up Nic? Cat got yo' tongue?" She turned away, hating that he had this hold on her. She was, and still is a strong individual but with him, it was different. He was dangerous, more so given her current state.

"DON'T!" Safaree paused, attempting to regain his composure. "Don't talk to her, and stay the fuck away." He put emphasis on the right words, making his message more than extremely clear as Drake backed away a little. More people were staring which caused him to hold his hands up and walk off backwards. He wasn't don with them just yet. Watching walk off Nicki let out a breath of relief as Safaree took her hand in his. "Come on, let's go."

*Might post the rest 2mrw if I have time ^___^ Thanks SOOOOOO Much for the 16 comments, that's like the most I have EVER got!! :))*

11. Rightfully Reunited - Part Two

*This is a little short because I've posted on two blogs 2day Cause I won't be posting tomorrow or maybe Saturday :// Hope this is alright for everyone :)) OH yeah and @TeamMinajVA lmao at wut you said about Drake. I really do love him and he's nice in two of my other blogs WTWC and HIA I'm working on him being nice in FY and CM but for CAHM he's a bit of an ass XD Kay so THANKU all SO much for the comments!! They made me smile so big!! And whoever said my blogs where fucktastic, thx haha lmao! I'm really nervous about posting now because y'all really liked the last chapter and I'm always afraid that I'm not going to live up to previous chapters :o So hopefully this is ok ://*

Nicki woke through the night in a cold sweat and tried to calm herself down whilst she was still wrapped neatly in Safaree's arms. That soothed her a little, knowing that they were well on the way to repairing their damaged relationship, she looked over at him sleeping peacefully and wished that sleep would find her again too. Feeling the babies moving she rested her hand on her bump and thought for a little while, she really hoped that they were Safaree's but she had a horrible nagging feeling that they weren't.

"What's wrong?" He moved his head to face her, she hadn't noticed him wake up.

"Nothing, I just can't get back to sleep." Without saying another word he pulled her closer, knowing what he was doing because as soon as he tightened his grip around her she was asleep again in no time.

The next morning he woke up to the sweet sound of vomiting. Something he figured he'd have to get used to seeing as babies vomited a lot as well. And they were having two of them. Not hesitating to go see if she was ok he made his way into the bathroom as she flushed the toilet and pulled her toothbrush out of the cabinet.

"You okay?" He rubbed her back as she just nodded groggily with toothpaste foaming out of her mouth. "I guess you won't be wanting foo-" Before he could finish she shut her eyes tight and shook her head no.

"Ok, no food." he kissed her cheek before leaving her alone as he heard the shower start up. He wanted to do something special for her but didn't know whether she felt up to leaving the house. She definitely didn't want food, although she'd have to eat at some point and there wasn't much else they could do. The thought of offering to help her shop for baby stuff seemed a bit too forward to him, what if she thought he was just pushing in on something that didn't involve him? After all they might not even be his. She stood staring at his little confused face which was deep in thought as she exited the bathroom in only her towel.

"You kay there Faree?" She planted herself next to him on the bed.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just thinkin'."

"Oh? Always a dangerous thing." She giggled as he pouted pathetically.

"Enough of that, what do you wanna do today?" He sat back slightly as she started lotioning herself.

"Ugh, Ion know, something that doesn't involve me havin' to leave here."

"Nic, have you even been outta the house?"

"Nope. Been locked up in here forever. Ion wanna have to face everyone, 'specially the freaking paparazzi. I really can't be dealin' with them." She rolled her eyes thinking about it.

"Nicki, that really isn't good though. You need to get out and get some fresh air."

"I'll open a window later, I'm fine." She finished up lotioning and grabbed herself some clean clothes, stay at home clothes.

"Ohkaay then." He folded his lips and fell back. Suddenly feeling something hit him in the face he reached up only to grab hold of her bra, which she had flung his way.

"Oh, so it's gon' be like that huh? Geez, I'm tryna help and this is what I get?" He dropped it carelessly on the floor and tried to stand up but she stood on his feet which were still planted firmly to the floor.

"No, I'm sorry don't leave me." She laughed even more when he started walking with her still on his feet, but for fear of tripping and squashing her he lifted her off gently.

"You still don't want any breakfast?"

"Mmm." She paused as she twitched her mouth and tilted her head in thought. "Actually yeah I could eat somethin' I guess."

"Good. change your clothes, we're goin' out to eat."

"What? Faree no! Ion wanna go out." She poked her bottom lip out and sat back down slowly.

"Pout all you want, PoutNika, but we're goin'. End of. So hurry up." He kissed her forehead before heading into the bathroom to do his morning duties too.

"Tellin' me what to do." She mumbled as she rummaged to find something presentable yet comfy to wear. Honestly she didn't have anything that would fit which resulted in her sat crying like a child on the floor. He was alarmed when he came out of the bathroom to find her in tears but when she explained why she was upset he had to try really hard not to laugh.

"Damn hormones." He muttered before helping her up. "Look, stop crying! You're not fat, you're carrying twins. We'll go get you some of them stretchy clothes today, kay?" He waited for a verbal response but she just nodded sadly and threw some sweats back on. "There see? You look fine." she smiled weakly and made her way downstairs whilst he got dressed, hoping and praying that she wouldn't be like this for the next three months.

***

They'd been driving for about five minutes  when someone spotted them, understandably Nicki was on edge and wanted to go home already but Safaree knew it wasn't good for her to be cooped up twenty four seven.

"Please can we just turn around? They're followin' us Faree." She looked out of the window as they drove down the slow moving street, there was only three photographers following on foot but she knew as soon as she got out of the car more would appear.

"It's fine Nicki, I'm not gon' let anythin' happen to you. Any of you." He put his hand over hers which was habitually resting on her bump.

"I know, but it's not just that though. I've been out of the public eye forever, nobody knows where I'm at or anythin' and Ion want-" He cut in and finished her sentence.

"Drake to find out?" He looked at her momentarily as he forced his eyes back to the road.

"Yeah." She sighed quietly. "That and nobody even knows I'm freaking pregnant yet."

"That's mad, Ion even know how've managed to keep that under wraps."

"I told you. I haven't left your house in, like, a lifetime." Just as she finished up what she was saying he pulled into a restaurant parking lot, the photographers were nowhere to be seen.

"You ready? Imma ask for a table at the back so no one can come annoy us." She just nodded at everything he said before he opened his door and went around to get hers for her. She stepped out warily and he noticed so he quickly grasped her hand in his and led her to the door. After he asked for a table right at the back a young girl showed them the way and left them to choose what they wanted to order. "You all good now?"

"Yeah, thank you. I really did need to get out." She smiled gratefully and continued looking over the menu. Once they'd decided a waitress came over and took their order and left them to talk, but it wasn't long before Nicki spotted his face from across the restaurant.

*:O sooooo sorry it's only a liddle chapter, I don't really like it either but Im posting anyways :// Hope it was ok though and THX again for all the comments on chapter 10!! ^_______^ Also a MASSIVE shoutout to the people who comment without fail! You guys are the reason I still write and you know who you are, so thanku ^____^ <3 Oh and what do you want updating next? FY, HIA, CAHM, WTWC or CM? *

10. Rightfully Reunited - Part One

As he dropped his bags down on to the floor he looked up to see a shell shocked Nicki stood before him. He didn't really know how to greet her or if he should greet her after the way they left things, he noticed her pulling uncomfortably at the front of his old hoodie she was wearing, she only had on a pair of bikini bottoms.

"Safaree? You're....Back." She sounded both shocked and scared.

"Yeah looks that way huh?" He set his bags down in the hallway as he just continued to stare at her, for some reason it felt really awkward and she must have felt the same because she kept looking down and fidgeting. "So. How you been?" He didn't mean for to sound as plain as it did, it kind of came across that he didn't really care. She wrinkled her brow and shook her head a little.

"Just fine. Thank you. How 'bout yourself?" She returned the same feeling of uncomfortableness causing him to sigh.

"Nic, I ain't mean for it to come out like that and you know it."

"Oh? Do I?! I mean, when was the last time you freaking called or-" He jumped forward angrily.

"Don't fucking start with all that! Forreal? You never  bothered to keep in touch either! Hell, you couldn't even be bothered to show up to our goodbye dinner! The fuck is up with that Nicki?!" He kept his eyes fixed on hers as his nostrils flared.

"Ugh." She curled her lip. "I can't believe you." She turned to walk away but he grabbed her wrist and in that moment memories of Drake came flooding back. All she could see was his angry face. "Stop! Let the fuck go of me!" He loosened his grip seeing the absolute terror on her face, she was desperately fighting the tears as her body shook uncontrollably. Out of instinct reaction, both of her hands had gone immediately to her bump as she held herself protectively. His eyes gravitated down to where they rested.

"Nic, are you-" The confusion was written all over his face and clearly evident in his wobbly voice.

"Pregnant? Yes, yes I am! So get the fuck outta here doin' shit like that!" She let the tears roll down her face as he tried to step closer to her. "I mean it Safaree! Don't!" Hearing all the commotion outside Lauren came running through to find Nicki in a state, Safaree was out of her view at that point.

"Nicki?! What's happened? Is it the babies?" She gently guided her to the bottom step on the stairs. "Here sit down, I'll go get you a drink." She'd noticed her shaking and remembered that her Midwife had said to give her a sugary drink if this happened. As she turned she came face to face with Safaree, he looked in shock too as he was still staring down at Nicki who was trying to regulate her breathing, which had just become unexplainably erratic. "Oh my God! SB? When did you get here?" she smiled as she hugged him but then frowned realising that Nicki's mini panic attack must have been something to do with him, she pulled away slowly. "S'goin on?" She looked between the two of them, both stayed silent until Nicki tearfully spoke up. 

"Nothin', I'm just...I'm gon' go have a lie down for a bit." She stood herself up slowly and grabbed a blanket from the clean washing pile at the bottom of the stairs, wrapping it around herself as she ascended the stairs carefully. Lauren was totally confused and a little angry too.

"The fuck you gone and done to her?"

"Me?!" He motioned to himself. "I ain't do shit! I come here to find her fucking pregnant and she ain't even told me!" He rubbed his face angrily. 

"Don't act dumb. She told you over the phone that they could be your babies, and you're the one who couldn't give two shits! Everythin' that nigga put her though and you couldn't even call to see how she was? Nah, you can leave for that." Attempting to show him to the door he stopped her.

"Wait 'Babies' as in, more than one?" He looked puzzled and then he threw another question at her. "And Drake? What did he do to her?" His face had gone from angry to one hundred percent worried.

"You know she's having twi-" Lauren stopped as she looked down shaking her head. "She didn't call you did she?"

"No."

"Imma kill her. I should have guessed!" She walked through to the lounge room with him following as they took a seat. "Ion wanna be meddlin' in your business but she ain't helpin' none. Nic's pregnant with twins." She watched his face drain of colour before continuing. "They could be yours, or Drake's."

"You still ain't told me what he did to her?" Lauren cringed, this really had nothing to do with her but for Nick's sake and the babies, all of this needed to be sorted out. Now.

"I told her to go to the police but she wouldn't. She didn't want Young Money to come out of it badly which I said prolly wouldn't happen. It was Drake's doin', not like anyone else was involved."

"Can you just tell me?"

Lauren breathed in and out slowly before talking calmly and quietly. "He started drinkin', a lot and things got heated. He was hittin' her, hurtin' her and..." She trailed off as she grew angry just thinking about it. Safaree already knew what came next though. He remembered all the marks he saw on her thighs that night. Why didn't he say anything? Or do anything? Instead he dismissed the obvious and left her. He felt sick and Lauren could see the rage in his eyes. "You can't do anything though SB! Promise me? That shit's in the past and Nic definitely doesn't need any more of it rakin' up. Look how she gets." Her eyes widened waiting for him to respond but he was still deep in thought about anyone laying a hand on her like that. "And besides nobody seen or heard anything from the slimy bastard since he was discharged from the rehab centre."

"I can't believe I just left her. I just lay it on her and made her feel bad for not carin' and sayin' goodbye when all the time that asshole was prolly beatin' the shit outta her." Lauren grimaced just thinking about it.

"He was playin' games with her, made her think he loved her. Tricked her into thinkin' it was all in her fuckin' head! He's sick, mentally." Safaree stood up and paced slowly.

"You think you could give us some time, alone?" She looked unsure but knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

"Sure, Candi's comin' over soon so I'll just meet her out front and come back later." She stood up to go get some proper clothes on. "Oh and SB?" He looked up instantly. "Don't get her worked up, please? She's already been warned about that, it isn't good for any of them for her to be like that." She folded her lips sympathetically as she walked out of the room.

***

Once Lauren and Candi were gone Safaree made Nicki a hot drink and made his way upstairs, it was silent so he figured she was sleeping. Entering quietly he saw he curled up on her side, facing away from him. He felt so guilty about everything and he knew it was going to be a task to fix all of this but he would start by apologising. He set the drink down on her nightstand and kneeled by the side of the bed, looking over her she still looked as good as always, and now with her being pregnant she looked as though she was glowing. He traced his fingers gently along the length of her hand, both of which were securely wrapped across her bump, he couldn't believe she was having twins and they were possibly his. When Lauren told him he didn't know quite how to react, it was going to take a lot of adjusting to but he was more than prepared to be there for the woman he loved and his possible kids. Without warning her eyes shot open at his touch and she jumped back barely suppressing a scream as she clutched her chest.

"Shit! You scared me." She relaxed and flopped back down breathlessly as he stood up, noticing his hand was touching hers she pulled away from him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"S'fine." She sighed. "What do you want SB?" She had moved her eyes back to facing nothing in front of her prompting him to get in her line of vision and catch her attention.

"You." He held his position as he watched her eyes trace his body all the way up to his eyes.

"After everythin' you just said downstairs? You still 'want' me?"

"Nic, I never stopped wantin' you, can't you see that?" He furrowed his brow slightly as he once again crouched to her level so he could look into her face properly.

"Oh yeah? And what about that woman that answered the phone when I called you?" She looked down, trying to avoid his gaze. Her nose sounded stuffy letting him know that she had obviously been crying up here for a while.

"What?...Wait, when did you call?" He tried to grab her hand again, this time she let him as she swiped a tear with the other.

"I called you on Lauren's phone, some girl answered and then you came started talkin' and I hung up."

"That was you? Why did you hang up?" He pushed her hand a little and she instantly knew what he was doing as she moved back further into the centre of the bed to make room for him. He lay so that they were how they usually settled, face to face with close proximity. Just like that he made her feel so safe and secure, like she hadn't felt in a long time.

"'Cause I couldn't believe how fast you moved on an-"

"Nic, that was my assistant, Lainey." He tightened his grip on her hand as she looked down embarrassed.

"Oh."

"She was the one who told me to come back."

"Wait, she had to tell you to come back?" Her face twisted up angrily.

"No! No, not like that! She talked some sense into me, made me realise I was actin' dumb and then when I heard 'bout the big ol' wedding bein' cancelled I booked a flight as soon as." He paused before continuing. "I missed you, and I'm sorry I left you. 'Specially with everythin' that was goin' on." Bad move, as soon as he said that she snatched her hand away from him.

"The fuck do you know 'bout any of that?" He shut his eyes regretfully, he really put his foot in it now.

"Nic, she was worried 'bout you! She had to tell me." She scoffed as she sat up to get off the bed.

"Lauren told you? What else did she go and yak 'bout?" She marched off to her bathroom as best she could given her pregnant state.

"Don't be like that! She's tryin' to help Nicki. Look at me!" She stopped dead in her tracks as she felt him nearing towards her. Honestly she just wanted to turn around and be in his arms but she didn't want to just give in that easily, it wasn't in her nature. "Nicki, please?" His warm hand on her shoulder sent tingles through her body and she turned to look at him with tears, once again, balancing on her bottom lid.

"How do I know you're not just gon' do what you did before?" His head dropped.

"That was years ago, we were kids Nicki. What do I have to do to prove myself to you?!" He was getting heated now, he didn't know what she wanted from him. He told her all the time that she was his world, she meant everything to him but she never seemed to buy it and just treated their relationship as a beneficial one, sex with no strings attached. Of course that was a front and he had no clue she was feeling the same way inside. Experiencing slight guilt she grabbed his hand tenderly.

"Ion want you to prove anythin'. I just...." She dazed off. "Ion know anymore." Wiping her face she let go of him and went into the bathroom, he didn't believe what she was saying and followed her.

"Obviously that isn't true though, is it Onika? I love you and I would do anythin' to prove that to you! Please?"

"Can you just stop? I can't hear this right now, Ion even know what to think anymore Safaree, everything in here.." She pointed to he own head. "..Is just such a fucking mess!" She finished her sentence with a huge cry as more followed, increasing the frequency of her sobs. Not thinking twice her pulled he as close to his own body as he could, she stayed rigid for a while but soon melted into him. He wasn't sure why she was going into the bathroom in the first place but he decided to take her back out to the bed. 

Hours passed and they were still laying there in silence, she'd fallen asleep again but he was wide awake with all the thoughts swirling in his mind. Hopefully that was it, he'd got through to her but he knew it was going to be a really, really long road back to where they were  all those years ago as kids but he had to really fight to show her that he was here to stay, this time. He looked down feeling her stir a little, gently pushing her off of him he pulled a blanket over her tiny frame and drew her curtains before turning her light off and going back downstairs. It was almost 7pm and he needed to let Lauren know everything was ok, she was probably sat at home on the edge of her seat worrying. He texted her asking her to come over, he need to talk to her about everything.

***

"So he's vanished? Just like that?" He looked over at Lauren and Candi as they just nodded. 

"Nobody heard anything from him, hopefully he in his rightful place. Dead in a ditch someplace nobody will find him." Candi snapped as she took another sip from her drink.

"Well he's gone, that's the main thing right?" Safaree and Candi nodded in agreement with what Lauren was saying. "How's Nic?"

"She's ok, she's still sleepin' though."

"Mmm I keep forgettin' she's like, six months pregnant!" Candi laughed lightly, making the conversation a little less depressing.

"That's how far she is?" He asked with raised brows.

"Oh, yeah, sorry I forgot to mention that. I assumed she would say somethin'."

He shook his head. "Nah, it's good. We didn't really get to speak 'bout that. I'll wait 'til tomorrow, I think she's done with it all today." He sighed and stood up double taking at the lounge room doorway as Nicki walked in slowly only to be greeted by Lauren's high pitched voice.

"Hey sleepy head, how ya feelin'?" She just looked at Lauren, still mad that she interfered but kind of grateful because she broke the ice for them and made it easier for her.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm okay, thanks. What are y'all doin'?" Her voice was timid as she took a seat on the big couch by herself.

"Uhm, actually we was just 'bouta head off. But we poppin' 'round tomorrow kay?" She smiled tiredly and nodded before making eye contact with Safaree, he knew what she was asking even though she didn't open her mouth.

"I'm not goin' anywhere." As soon as he said that her shoulders relaxed. After saying goodbye to Candi and Lauren it was just them again.

"Thanks, y'know? For not leavin'?"

"Nic I live here, with you, and I wouldn't leave anyway. I meant every word I said upstairs too." She looked him dead in the eye and took that moment to really observe him, he looked serious and like he really did mean what he said. Truthfully that whole time he had been in florida she had been through the angry stage and was done with it. But seeing him again ignited some of that anger, however she managed to extinguish it easily. She had been awake upstairs for ages, thinking everything through and she knew what she wanted. She'd wanted it all along but never acknowledged the desire.

"I know. I'm sorry for shuttin' you out earlier, there's just so much shit goin' on." He took a seat next to her and was surprised when she moved up to him and rested on his side. "I love you too." Those four words she whispered caught him completely off guard.

"You're not just sayin' that?" She giggled slightly at him second guessing her feelings for him, that wasn't his fault though.

"No I'm not, Safaree I love you. I always have." She gently intertwined her fingers with his farthest away hand as he put the other around her an pulled them to lay back on the couch before speaking up again.

"I know it's gon' take a while to get back to the way we were but we'll get there."

"Promise?" He looked down at her worried face and realised how hard this must have been for her. To open up like that, being as vulnerable as she was right now and she still did it, for him.

"On my life." he kissed the top of her head and placed their joined hands on her bump. "So, talk to me. What's goin' on in here?" She smiled and placed her free hand on her stomach too.

"Don't play, you already know. Lauren told you right?" He scrunched his mouth up guiltily. 

"Yeaah, kinda...But all she said was that you were havin' twins and you're six months." He shrugged. "Boys? Girls?...Both?" He twisted his head awkwardly to look down at her as she sank into him even further being that she was relaxing more and more by the minute.

"A boy and a girl." His face lit up, not only at the fact that he might soon be a parent to twins but at the smile she had on her face with her dimples exposed. He missed that so much while he was away and he was glad to be back, for good. "So, you're fine with all this? I mean, they could be Drake's too."

"I know. And yes, I'll love them whether they're mine or not."

"They'll always be yours anyway." They stayed silent and stared at one another before he took the initiative and leaned in, kissing her passionately. She accepted and returned the amount of love being put into that one action.

***

The news had just come to him in his gloomy pit of an apartment. Someone had kindly let him know and he was going to do whatever it took to get her back. Her and his potential kids...

*Damn I swear Im working my ass off here lmao!! I've updated two in one night...might even make it three or four! :)) Well sorry for any typos and Thanku all sooooo much for the comments left, I really appreciate them <3 Welp, hope this was okay for you all ://*

9. To Go It Alone

"Everything is ok though, right?" The doctor looked up hearing Wayne's voice.

"Yes, the tests came back showing nothing wrong with Nicki." They both nodded at him sensing a "but" was going to follow.

"And?" Nicki's sharp question made him look down to her.

"But the urine test we had sent off tells us that you're pregnant." At that moment Wayne choked on his water and started coughing as Nicki sat with her mouth gaping open before stuttering out a response.

"No, I can't be I-"

"Ms Minaj." he cut her off making her look at him. "You're pregnant, no doubt about it. These tests are reliable. Plus, that explains the dizziness, fainting and nausea you experienced today. Now, I have to leave in a moment but Christine will be back to do a scan and see how far along you are and check everything is alright, okay?" He waited for her to answer and saw her sat in shock as Wayne moved his hand to her shoulder, Dr Hiller knew he would look after her so he said his goodbyes and left.

"Did you know?"

She looked back it him, his hand was still resting reassuringly on her shoulder. "No." Wayne knew she wasn't in one of those talking moods so he told her that when she was ready to talk he would be there.

***

Nicki had dozed off again as Wayne stood up to go hold the door open for Christine, she was wheeling a machine in with her.

"Thank you sir." She smiled and carried on moving over towards the right hand side of Nicki's bed.

"No problem." He stretched and smoothed his hands over his face and took his seat again.

"Okay, let's get all of this up and running and then we'll see what's happening." She continued to set up the machine before turning back to see Nicki still sleeping. "Aww, I'll try my best not to wake her." She pulled out the gel and sat it on the sheets whilst she gloved up. Wayne was busy looking at his phone as she sanitised. Once everything was done she gently lifted Nicki's shirt to spread the gel on her stomach and quietly gasped when she saw what was underneath her clothing. Wayne looked up hearing her sharp intake of air and was about to ask what was wrong, then he saw. The noise he made when he jumped out of his chair made Nicki jolt in her sleep and wake up. Suddenly noticing her top was pulled up and both Wayne and Christine were stood looking she sat up swiftly snatching her shirt down.

"Excuse me?! I thought y'all weren't allowed to do shit like that when patients are sleepin'? What if I didn't want a scan? I didn't give my consent!" Christine was about to start talking but Wayne gave her a look that said "Leave". She apologised profusely and left to find Dr Hiller.

"Nic? The fuck is all that?" He pointed to her now covered abdomen.

"I fell down the stairs, Faree left one if his dumb ass shoes at the top. I tripped on it."

"Bullshit. Tell me the truth. I know when you lyin'!" He always knew Safaree had a bit of temper but this was way out of hand. "It was SB wasn't it, thas why he gon' left the state?" Nicki whipped her head around quickly.

"He would never hurt me Wayne. The fuck outta here sayin' shit like that!" He saw the tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Then tell me who did." She shook her head and laughed without humour causing the tears to come loose and roll down her face.

"Nobody, I told you. I fell."

"So what are the tears for then?" She looked down at her lap and played with her fingernails as she thought. "Nicki?"

"Look, I'm just tired, stressed and fuckin' miserable at the moment! Can you please just....Drop it already?!" She stopped holding it all in and just burst into tears as Wayne just stood there not knowing what to say. He moved closer to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Sorry." She didn't respond and just nodded on his chest as he kept her in his hold. He felt bad now. As they sat there he looked down at her hands clinging on to him and her engagement ring sparkled under the light making something click in his mind. Drake.

"It wasn't Drake? Was it?" He asked cautiously feeling her stop shuddering quickly, she didn't answer and just nodded again slowly, knowing she would have to answer sooner or later and this way she didn't even have to speak. Suddenly feeling embarrassed and ashamed that she let this happen to her she pulled away from him and faced the other way, wiping her tear stained face.

"What did he do to you Nic?" She remained facing away from him, how the hell was she supposed to dismiss this now? Maybe this was a good thing though.

"I d-don't even know, like...." She stopped as the tears became too much, causing Wayne to sit with his head resting in his hands. "He got really drunk last week and started talkin' shit 'bout me and Faree fuckin' 'round behind his back and then..." She motioned towards her thighs as she choked on her tears. "I kept tellin' him to stop but he just wouldn't listen." Wayne stood up at this point going towards the door at top speed. "Wayne?! Please don't-" The door slamming cut her off as she started to panic about what he might do. As if by chance christine and Dr Hiller came through the still swinging doors looking behind them as they watched Wayne march down the corridor. They both saw the obvious flare of temper in Wayne and the emotional state Nicki was in and were concerned.

"Is everything alright?" Christine rushed over to Nicki's side as she swiped at her tears. It had all just built up inside, Safaree leaving, the way Drake was treating her and what he was doing to her. It just got too much all at that point and now, to find out she was pregnant. That was just the icing on the cake. There was no doubt in her mind that she would keep the baby though, no matter what. Even if she was carrying Drake's child. She managed to pull herself together in a few short seconds, this wasn't her, she's stronger than this and now so more than ever for her baby.

"Yeah, yeah..I'm fine. Thank you." She sniffed and took a deep breath before Dr Hiller moved over towards her.

"Do you mind if I?" he pointed to her stomach as she just nodded hesitantly. Slowly and carefully he lifted her shirt to see the mass of purple and blue bruises covering most of her abdomen. He glanced at her apologetically as he pressed around on her waist, feeling for anything unusual. Wincing in pain she hissed quietly before Christine placed a hand on her arm for comfort. "Ok you're going to be very tender for a while but I can't feel anything unusual." He moved up to her ribs, revealing more marks. "...And no sign of any broken ribs." He smiled and removed his hand from her body. "If there is anyone you need to talk to there are people who can help, just think about it." She tried to interrupt but he continued. "And yes, this will be kept confidential, right?" He raised his brow at Christine.

"Oh, of course!" She smiled at Nicki before Dr Hiller sanitised his hands, said goodbye once again and left Christine to do the scan.

"They said that he can't remember anything, is that true?" Her voice was quiet again as Christine rubbed the cold gel onto her stomach, making her gasp at the cool feeling.

"From what I've heard, yes. I'm sorry."Nicki stayed silent. "Anyway, let's have a look at this baby."She was trying to keep her spirits up, hoping that she was happy to find out she was pregnant. After asking her to unzip her jeans she pushed the scanner gently on to her with an moving image showing up on the screen next to the bed. Christine was quiet for a while until she figured out what was where so she could point it out to Nicki. "See, right here, it looks a little odd right now but that's the head and over here are the arms..." She pointed to the screen before moving her finger across it. "And here are the legs.....and, another head, two arms and two legs." She turned to look at Nicki's facial expression which was of complete shock. "Nicki, you're having twins. Congratulations!" She could do nothing but breathe in and out slowly as she tried to stay calm.

"Oh my God. You're sure?" Christine just laughed her shaky voice and nodded.

"Yes! See." She pointed everything out again so that Nicki could actually see everything properly, it still looked odd to her though. "Ok, well it looks as though you're around 15 weeks, you honestly had no idea?" She asked as she cleared the gel off of her and let her pull her top down and zip her jeans up.

"No, I hadn't even thought about that, I just thought it was stress or something." She ran her fingers through her hair as she sat, still in shock, Christine noticed her face.

"Don't stress yourself out, everything will be ok. You've got a good 5 months to get used to the idea. So, no more stressing, it isn't good for the little ones, kay?" Nicki just nodded, a little panicked that in only 5 months she would be giving birth and she'd literally just found out. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you the sexes! Here, I printed an image anyway..." She slipped her glasses in and studied the ultrasound photo. "I'm sorry I don't usually do that. So, would you like to know?"

"Please."

"So this one on the right, is a little girl. " She pointed to the shape on the picture before moving to the other. "And this one here is a...little boy! One of each." She smiled hard and handed the picture to Nicki. "I have to go do my rounds now but you're free to go, I think Wane went to see Dra-"

"Drake, I know. That's what I was scared of." She slid off the bed and grabbed her belongings off of the chair. "Thank you so much, and I'm sorry for actin' mad spoilt and shit before." She looked down slightly embarrassed about her behaviour from earlier. She felt like a weight had been lifted, although she'd had just been told some huge news it was kind of good news, she felt like she already loved her babies. Although she was at the height of her career which was slightly inconvenient but what could she do about it now? She always planned on having kids anyway, so it was a little ahead of schedule but right now she didn't really mind, she just wanted to go sort out this whole mess with Drake, tell him straight that she was done with him regardless of whether he could remember any of the things he did to her or not. Of course if she found out the babies were his she would let him be a part of their lives if he got himself together. She couldn't have her kids being raised with a father like her own, she wouldn't do that to her children having experienced that herself. Then, the next thing on the list would be to call Safaree and hope that he would hear her plea for him to come home. She wanted to tell him she was pregnant but not over the phone, she needed to be face to face with him.

"Nic?" She turned to see Wayne being escorted out of the ward, courteously, by hospital security.

"Wayne? The hell have you done?" She started to panic that he'd gotten involved and got himself in trouble.

"I ain't get chance to lay a hand on that piece of shit! But when he gets out..." He trailed off as he shook his head and drew in a breath. "Imma kill him if he so much as looks at you!" The guards were stood still by his sides as he spoke to her before tapping his shoulder and continued to escort him out.

"I'll call you later and....Thanks, y'know? For today." She smiled genuinely as he tipped his head and left. Feeling the bravest she had in short while she opened Drake's door and entered, standing tall.

"Nicki! Oh my God I've been-" She cut him off.

"Let me talk first." The way she barked that at him let him know she wanted to be heard so he relaxed back into his pillow signalling for her to speak.

"I'm done. Done with you, done with how you been treatin' me and done with us."

"N-no, you don't mean that, I thought we were good. We're gettin' married for fuck's sake!" He ran his hands over his face roughly.

"Aubrey, it's over. You fucked up, big time. I hope you have a good recovery, I'll go pick up my stuff from your place now. From here on, we just label mates." She turned to walk away before his angry voice stopped her.

"You'll come runnin' back soon, when that nigga can't please you. I know you'll be back Nic, just wait and see."

"Oh, so you do remember everything?" She knew he did, she was just waiting for him to slip up and it honestly didn't take long.

"Yeah, I also remember being hit over the head with a fucking flower vase too! Let's see how that goes down." He smirked at her face as she looked down and stormed out. She just wanted him out of her life and she finally felt that she'd made that clear. For now. She pulled her phone out as she got to the car park and hopped into her car.

"Lauren?"

"Nicki."

"Look, I just wanna apologise for how I acted the other day. I'm sorry, I-."

"Nic I was done bein' mad with you as soon as I got home!" She laughed. "But I forgive you, I shouldn't have been pressin' you anyways. You was havin' a tough day. How you holdin' up?"

"Well actually, thas why I called......I left him."

"You mean Drizzy?"

"Who else? Yes, I'm done with him. Im just 'bout to go pick up my shit from his house, you wanna come with?"

"Oh my God. Yeah I'll meet you there, just gotta get some shoes on. You ok though?"

"I'm fine. In fact I feel really good, anyway I'll see you soon." They both said goodbye and hung up before heading to Drake's to pick up her stuff.

***

Lauren had kindly offered to let Nicki stay at hers again and they were sat eating a takeout in her lounge room. She'd told her all about Drake, the vase, and how he'd been treating her for the last two weeks. But still had to tell her she was pregnant.

"So when are you gon' tell me what the hell this "Big News" is? You know damn well I hate bein' kept hangin'! Spill Nika!"

"Alright, alright!" She swallowed her food before wiping her mouth and proceeding. "Kay, you sat comfy?" Lauren nodded impatiently as Nicki built up the courage to just spill the beans. "Well as I already told you, Drake is all banged up in hospital-"

"Yes! You already said this, come on just get to the point!" She sucked the grease off of her thumb as Nicki stared at her.

"Stop interruptin' and I'll tell you." Lauren agreed and waited for her to continue speaking. "Anyways, back to my story, so whilst I was there I had a real dizzy spell and fainted. Next thing I know I'm waking up on a damn hospital bed blah blah blah, few tests later they tell me I'm pregnant."

"Ohhh Nic! I'm so happy for you! Do you know how far along you are?"

"15 weeks." Lauren squealed again, she didn't even need to ask Nicki if she was happy, she could tell by the mile wide smile on her face that she was just as thrilled.

"Oh! I'm gon' be an aunty!" She did a random little jiggle as Nicki just carried on laughing at her before speaking up again.

"Wait that's not all." She took a deep breath. "I'm having twins." She locked eyes nervously with her friend before adding. "A boy and a girl."

"I can't believe this! Shit Nic, way to drop the news on somebody! Oh my God!"She smiled just as wide as Nicki and inched closer to her friend putting her hand on her still tiny stomach. Suddenly her smile faded. "Wait, do you know who the father is?" Nicki looked down before shaking her head no. "Damn." he sighed and shrugged. "Well, if they come out lookin' mad pasty we know they not SB's!" They both cracked up at what she just said. Nicki felt so happy at this moment, how could she go from feeling like shit, to feeling as though she was on top of the world? The only thing worrying her at this point was how Safaree would deal with the news, or if he would even come back for her to tell him. Lauren saw the look on her face and knew immediately what was bothering her. "Y'know, you can use my house phone if you wanna call him? I'm 'bout to go to bed anyways, I got work early." She stood and grabbed the house phone and handed it to a still seated Nicki. "I'll give you some space, tell him to get his ass back here and take care of his babies!" She smiled up at her friend, glad that their little argument was behind them and called after her before she got to the stairs.

"Lauren?"

"yeah?"

"Thanks. For everything." They both shared a silent moment with their eyes before she disappeared up the stairs leaving Nicki alone to face the music. Breathing out slowly she searched his name in Lauren's contacts list before pressing the "call" button. It felt like the dial tone went on forever as she held her breath.

"Hello?" A woman answered.

"Uhm hi...I'm sorry I think I got the wrong number." She pulled a puzzled face and went to hang up, she thought she must have accidentally selected the wrong contact name but she stopped after she heard a muffled voice in the background asking who it was. It sounded like him.

"Sorry, what was your name?" The woman spoke again until it went quiet and her voice was replaced by Safaree's.

"Hello?" On the other end of the line he pulled his phone away from his ear to see the caller ID. "Lauren? You there?" Nicki froze and hung up quickly. Ignoring his three calls back and walking tearfully to her room she deleted the missed calls and any evidence of that ever happening. How could he have moved on so quickly? Remembering what Christine had said about stressing and getting worked up she tried to calm down a little, allowing the tears to diminish and dry on her face as she lay in her bed. She wished she hadn't hung up on him now. That might not have even been his girlfriend or hoe or whatever she was. Maybe this is how he always felt seeing her with Drake? She held her hand on her hardly there bump and rubbed in small circles. "Guess it's just us for now." She smiled small as she looked down. All of the day's events had left her feeling exhausted, she felt her eyes getting heavier but nevertheless she still pulled herself up to go and get washed up before she went to sleep. Her mind full of thoughts.

***

Over in Florida Safaree frowned before turning to his assistant.

"You sure there was someone on the other end?" He placed his phone back on his desk before dropping their lunch takeout bag too.

"Yeah. I asked who it was and she said she musta had the wrong number, why?"

"There was nobody there when I was talkin'. The caller ID said Lauren though?" She just shrugged as she grabbed her food out of the bag. "Maybe somebody stole her phone?" She politely raised her hand to cover her food-filled mouth. Safaree just shrugged and started to eat too. He thought nothing else of it.

"You miss her don't you?"

"Who? Lauren?"

"No. Nicki." Safaree looked at her weird.

"We weren't even talkin' 'bout Nic. The hell did that come from?" He shoved another load of food into his already full mouth making Lainey pull a repulsed face.

"Yeah, but you always starin' at that damn photo of you guys on your desk!" She laughed as he tore his eyes away from the picture.

"Oh, my bad. That obvious huh?"

"Just a little. Why don't you go back to her? I'm sure she misses you too."

"Nah, I can't go back and have to live seein' her with that arrogant shit! And she hurt me, a lot." He didn't know why but he could always spill his feelings to Lainey, she'd been his assistant since he arrived in Florida and he's become good friends with her husband. "So, until she calls and i know that she actually wants me 'round, then I'm stayin' put." Lainey sighed.

"You ever thought she might be too afraid to call you first?"

"No, why would she?"

"Didn't you say she stood you up the day before and never bothered to say goodbye?"

"Well yeah but-"

"Exactly! If I was her I'd be too scared to call, in case you hung up somethin'. Call her first." Safaree thought about it as Lainey left the room. He couldn't face it, not now. The fact that she didn't even seem to care was what hurt the most, so until she called him, he was going to assume that she was happy and living life without him. For some reason at that moment he remembered all those weird things going on with her, the tears, the bruises, how drained she looked. He shook his head. "If it was that bastard there is no way in hell she'd still be with him, Nic wouldn't stand for that." He muttered to himself and continued with his regular day. He hated it in Florida, he didn't know anyone he missed his friends and most of all he missed her.

*** Nine Weeks Later ***

Nicki never told Lauren about the phone call and they never discussed that matter. All Lauren knew was that Nicki seemed happy so she was happy for her. As for the whole Drake matter only Lauren and Wayne knew and they hadn't breathed a word to anyone. Unfortunately it had reached the news that she and Drake had separated but she hadn't even seen Drake since, thankfully. Surprisingly she had actually managed to keep her pregnancy extremely quiet, in fact nobody even knew. Well, her Young Money family did and her close friends and family but it hadn't been splashed across magazine covers or anything, yet. She still hadn't told Safaree, and she was fronting really well. The constant, dull ache she felt for him would lead her to tears when she was alone but she managed to suppress those feelings when around others. A recent visit to see her midwife made her worry though, the babies showed no sign of significant growth between her appointments and she worried that it was her continuous feeling of sadness about Safaree so she tried to push it to the back of her mind instantly. It turned out that her babies were just small and at the next appointment they saw a promising increase in size, her midwife was just as nice as Christine so she was happy about that too. Perhaps she needed to think about calling Safaree soon though? Anyway, as for her career, she was still doing bits and pieces in the studio but TV interviews and appearances were a no-no.

"I can't believe nobody's even noticed you're pregnant, like, I thought the media would be all over it by now?" Lauren said as she crunched on an apple.

"I'm avoiding everyone! I swear I been looked in Faree's damn house for weeks now! It's working well huh?" She didn't wait for a reply before opening her mouth again. "So what time is Candi gettin' here?"

"She said three but when the hell is she ever on time? Tardy ass!" They were sat outside soaking up the sun at Safaree's place, he never sold it in case he returned home again either for good or for a visit. Lauren had spent most of the morning removing all the leaves and other random shit that were floating in his pool because Nicki wanted to go swimming, or what she called swimming which was basically just going as far as bottom step in the shallow end. Lauren looked over at Nicki and her protruding 6 month baby bump, it looked bigger than usual in her little pink bikini. "Nic, you better get yo' ass in that damn pool today. Workin' me like some animal' all morning!"

"I will, I will. Grouchy ass." She whispered the last part and glared out of the corner of her eye as she pasted more sun cream on herself.

"And don't be runnin' 'round like no child after you been in!"

"Lauren, I'm not a kid!" She cackled and rose to her feet, stretching her back out.

"You still sore?"

"Yeah, just my lower back though. Maybe the pool will help?" She looked over at Lauren to see what she thought.

"Could do, go try it. But don't splash me or I swear I'm fucking leavin' you here alone." She slid her shades on and lay back on the sun bed as Nicki headed over to the pool steps. To her relief it was warm and it really did help her aching back as she dangled in with her elbows resting on the side. It also felt good to have her feet suspended and not carrying the weight. If she felt this achy and tired now, how the hell was she going to feel when she got to 8 or 9 months? She dreaded to think.

"I wish y'all would stop sittin' on my bladder!" She'd spent a good half hour just floating around and now had the urge to use the bathroom, again. Making sure to dry her feet properly before reaching the kitchen tiles, she made her way to the downstairs bathroom. "Fucking Lauren! What is with her and turnin' the freaking aircon on?" She stormed over to the cooling system after relieving herself. Once she set it to a nicer temperature she grabbed Safaree's old hoodie from the couch and threw it on whilst she made something to eat. Lauren had fallen asleep by the pool, no surprise there, she was about to shout her and tell her that lunch was ready when she heard the door close. "'Bout time she got her ass over here!" She licked the sauce off of her thumb as she made her way to the front door to meet her friend.
But it wasn't who she was expecting it to be.........

*Hua huaaaa here you go guys! This actual took me centuries to type so shout out to me lmao I'm just kidding! ^_^ Hope this was ok for everyone, again it was another one of my "Fixing Up" chapters where I try and get everything back in order lmaooo! THANKU GUYS so much for all the comments on the last chapter! ^___________________^ This is kinda long for one of my chapters though! I just realised haha, kay well sorry for any mistakes I made cuz I ain't reading through all that again! I should hopefully be posting on HIA next and then FY before WTWC again :)) It's kinda like a cycle now :)) Muuah*