Winter break was finally here. Louis spent it curled up in the bed with about a million blankets, the cat lying faithfully next to him. At that point, he felt like Dusty was his only friend when even Gemma's calls were becoming less frequent. He knew that she was coming home soon, to the house where his time was almost up. Despite being excited to no longer be pregnant, he was reluctant to go home and finally face his parents.

Harry still would not make conversation with him. The only times Harry would talk to him were when he asked if the baby was okay or if Louis wanted something to eat. He had also started noticing that Harry would check on him every night around midnight, when he thought that Louis was peacefully knocked out. But these days Louis couldn't fall asleep until two in the morning.

Some nights he wouldn't fall asleep at all. He would lie awake thinking about his future. He would think about how after he gave birth and let Harry have the baby, that he probably wouldn't see him anymore unless in passing. Would he ever see his daughter? Or would Harry make sure that he never laid a single eye on her? That thought in particular kept him up at night. Or maybe it was a fear? Regardless, Louis kept reassuring himself that ignorance was bliss.

A few days before his due date, the Styles-Twist family all went out to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Louis, claiming that his feet hurt, stayed put in Harry's comfortable bed. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway, Harry's cold stare was enough to convey that he wasn't invited. So Louis took this time to call his father.

"Hey dad." Louis greeted him, sounding sleepy.

"Hey son, how are you feeling?"

"Tired. Miserable. Dying. The usual." Louis told him.

"Don't be so dramatic." John chuckled.

"I'm not." Louis insisted. "So...how's mom doing? And my sister?" He asked, curiosity getting to the best of him.

"They're doing well. We went to a check up yesterday and she's getting so big. I think she's going to be bigger than you when she's born. You were so tiny! You fit into the palm of my hand."

"I was not tiny." Louis rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. But then he looked down at his large belly and frowned. "And I'm definitely not tiny anymore."

"You'll go back to your tiny self soon enough." John lovingly reassured him, remembering how his wife had recovered beautifully from her pregnancy with Louis. He knew that his son would be no different.

"Have you decided on how you are going to give birth to her?" His dad asked.

"I um ... I don't know." Louis sighed. "How did mom have me?"

"Your mom didn't want to get an epidural because she didn't want you to be stoned." John joked, but his son thought he was serious.

"Oh my God! Does that actually affect the baby?" Louis asked incredulously, his hand going to his tummy where he rubbed small circles on it with his thumb.

"No son," John laughed, shaking his head. "I was kidding. The drugs do not affect the baby. They only help with the pain relief."

"Are you sure?" Louis asked, disbelieving. "Maybe I should call Dr. Cruz and ask her."

"You don't trust me?" John cried out, totally offended.

"I do! But I have to be sure about this. I don't want her to be stoned in the first few minutes of her life in this filthy world." Louis said, eyes wide.

John smiled when he could hear how much Louis cared, his voice full of irrational concern that only a mother could have. He wondered if his son was finally coming around.

"Anyways!" John said, getting back on topic. "Your mom had a natural birth and she killed my hand."

"Weren't you a WWE fighter? How did mom kill your hand? Is that why it cramps up ever so often?" Louis fired question after question at him.

"Yeah! She was pushing a whole human being through her vagina!" John defended her. "That's a solid excuse for destroying my hand. She was in pain. Louis, a whole human! You were small but your head and shoulders weren't that small."

"No, I think it was probably my butt that gave her the most trouble." Louis joked.

But when his dad didn't laugh, he got serious again.

"Dad, I'm scared." Louis whispered as he looked down at his belly again.

"You'll be fine, son." John tried to make him feel better. "It's a natural process, so you'll be okay. At the end of the day your body knows what to do no matter what. Just trust it."

"Thanks dad." He smiled, feeling a little bit better.

"Call me when you go into labor." He said and then hung up the phone.

Louis pulled the phone away and raised his eyebrow at the cracked screen, "Umm...okay."

A few minutes passed by and then Louis heard the doorbell ring. He groaned not wanting to get up from where he was sitting on Harry's bed. Eventually Louis hauled himself off the mattress and made the long trip down the stairs, one hand on the banister and the other on his back, supporting the baby's weight. Once he arrived at the door, he opened it to see a delivery man from FedEx outside. The middle aged man in uniform was holding a box and the device used to digitally sign for a package.

"Hi, I have a package for Harry Styles." The man said. He handed Louis the box and the pregnant boy just stared at it, wondering what it could be. "Please sign here, sir."

Louis signed for the package and then sat it on the kitchen table. Afterward, he grabbed a piece of chocolate cake and a cat treat for Dusty and made the trip back upstairs. As he climbed up he wished that Harry hadn't left. At nine months pregnant, he hated walking up and down these fucking things.

While he stuffed his face with the cake, the pregnant boy finished the sixth season of Supernatural. As soon as it ended, he fell asleep with the cat in his arms, only to wake up half an hour later to a text from Zayn.

"Is she here now?"

Louis rolled his eyes. Zayn was on vacation in Canada with Liam and his parents. Ever since he had left, his best friend would text him everyday asking if he had had the baby yet.

"Zayn, for the last time, she's due in eight more days."

Louis dropped his phone on the mattress, being careful not to hit Dusty who was cuddled up beside him. He tried to go back to sleep, but the phone vibrating made him open his eyes again.

"You don't know that! She could be born tomorrow for all we know! And I'll be here in Canada missing out on all the action! Btw, I met Justin Trudeau. Be jealous cuz he's fine af and I touched his hand."

Louis chuckled, and then replied, "Hotter than Li?"

"The only person hotter than Li is myself."

Louis was full on laughing now. He loved how Zayn acted narcissistic, but in truth he was the humblest person that Louis had ever met.

"True. But I'm gonna go to sleep now. Ttyl."

"Sleep well, my children!"

" t(-_-t) lol"

After he sent that, Louis put his phone down and closed his eyes, falling asleep a minute later. When he woke up again, he realized that he was alone, noticing Dusty was no longer curled up beside him. He slowly sat up and looked around as he rubbed the sleep out of his tired eyes.

A cool breeze from the open window made him shiver when it hit his chest. As Louis moved he felt a sticky substance on his shirt, making the material cling to him uncomfortably. He looked down at himself, his eyes widening when he saw that the front of his shirt was soaking wet. He slowly pulled it up to see what the hell was going on. He wanted to scream when he realized that it wasn't sweat like he had thought. There was white liquid coming out of his boobs. Fuck, it was breastmilk! Louis wanted to bury his face in the pregnancy pillow, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

He got up and went to the closet to find clean pajamas then went to the bathroom to shower. He was still leaking as he showered, but toward the end he started freaking out. All of his milk was going to waste! What if he wasn't able to produce enough after she was born? What if she was like him and never stopped eating? Louis panicked. He couldn't have his baby starving!

Those thoughts made him stop in his tracks.

When be became aware that he had thought about staying with her, feeding her and being her mother, Louis' head began to spin. Because in that moment, it hit him all at once. Louis had a duty, to himself and to his daughter. To feed her, to shelter her, to care for her, to be her mother. But not only was he filled with the need to do all those things, he wanted to. Louis wanted to be in her life because he loved her.

A waterfall of cathartic tears fell from his wide blue eyes when the realization hit him.

Louis loved his baby girl. He loved her more than anything. He loved his and Harry's little star with all his heart.

Louis' hands circled around his protruding belly protectively, feeling her hard kicks against the stretched skin. For the first time in eight months he smiled down at his tummy. The hate that he had felt for her, for his beautiful baby, washed away like the water flowing down the shower drain. And all that remained was love.

Louis laughed a little when he thought about how it took him leaking to make him finally figure out that he not only loved her, but that he wanted to watch her grow up and be a part of her life.

He remembered back in class when Mr. Lovett explained how breastmilk was way better for the baby than formula. As he looked at himself dripping, Louis realized this was something that Harry couldn't give her. Only he could because he was her mommy.

He also remembered Lovett told them how breastfeeding creates a unique bond between mother and baby. As Louis watched last of his milk leave his chest, he knew that he wanted to experience that with her. Louis thought that Harry would appreciate him feeding her too, knowing that it would save him money. The boy worked enough as it was. Louis wanted him to be home more often after she was born.

When Louis was clean, he got out and dried himself off. He got dressed and he made his way back to Harry's room to lay down, his back was killing him after standing for so long. But when he got there, Harry was setting down a tray of food for him on the mattress.

"Hi Harry." Louis smiled, and his cheeks tinted a nice rosy shade.

"Hey Lou." He gave him a small one back, but it did not reach his eyes nor his cheeks, which were devoid of dimples.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked while helping him onto the bed.

"I'm starving. Thanks so much for the food. I really didn't want to walk up and down those damn stairs." Louis wished that he and Harry were still close. He wondered if Harry would rub his swollen feet if asked.

"Sure thing," Harry told him as he walked out of the room. "Just think," he said before he left. "In a few more days you won't have to."

Louis' heart sank. He wanted to call out Harry's name and tell him that he changed his mind, that he wanted to stay here and raise her with him. But the words died in his throat as Harry closed the door.

*****

Louis' due date came and went.

It was now December 20th and he was two days overdue. They had called Sonia, but she said that all they could do was wait. Although she had recommended walking, Louis didn't like leaving the comfort of Harry's bed, or his nest, as Gemma referred to it. Louis rolled his eyes when she had said that while they were watching Netflix the other night.

With Christmas approaching soon, so were their extended families. Right now Gemma, Robin, Anne and Harry were at the airport picking up his grandmother. Louis' dad was going to pick up his grandma tomorrow. His aunt Sara, uncle Dave, and cousins Roman and Megan were flying in tonight. Just in case Louis went into labor, he was told to stay at Harry's house. His mom would be staying right next door if he needed her.

Louis didn't think he was going to go into labor anytime soon. He didn't know why, but he just knew it. He had heard that the baby would settle down and get into position, but she was still kicking during the night, though less now than she used to. He was glad when he wasn't quite ready to have her. The thought of pushing a whole human out of his body was terrifying, even more so after he had watched those birthing videos at two in the morning when he couldn't sleep. Seeing the men push the babies out of their ass was like witnessing a live horror movie. After their pain was over, Louis cried, overjoyed when all the men finally got to meet their newborn babies.

He was currently trying to sleep when he heard Dusty claw at the door, wanting to be let inside the room after Harry had locked him out. The cat had brought in a dead bird that morning, which had been the last straw for Harry. But Louis didn't care anymore. He didn't mind receiving dead animals from a cat that could actually bear being in the same room as him longer than five minutes.

Louis got up and slowly made his way to the door, only to have Dusty run away as soon as he opened it. He raised his eyebrow at him and followed the cat until they both were standing in front of Gemma's bedroom where she and her brother had been staying. He wanted to turn around and go back to Harry's bedroom, but curiosity got to the best of him and he opened the door, excited to explore now that nobody was home.

He went straight to the crib and picked up a small stuffed penguin with adorable pink earmuffs that Gemma had gifted to his daughter. He walked around the room with it clutched in his hand, making sure that everything was in place. But out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the soft fuzzy material of a new blanket hanging on the railing of the white crib. It was pink and looked so soft.

He put the stuffed penguin back in its place before picking up the blanket. He closed his eyes as he touched it. The blanket felt as soft as it looked. So soft that it felt like he was running his fingers through the feathers on an angel's wing. Like the rest of the things in the room, it was something that Louis adored these days. Without thinking twice, he draped it over his large tummy. He wrapped his arms around his belly and hummed a lullaby, swaying as he did so. But he stood frozen in place when he saw pink letters embroidered on a corner of the blanket.

Josephine Louise

Louis stared at elegant cursive for the longest time. He didn't know how to feel. He was surprised that Harry, the same Harry who hated him, had given her his name. He repeated the name over and over in his head, trying to see if it went well with Harry's last name.

"Josephine Louise." Louis said out loud, his soft voice gently breaking the silence. "Josephine... Josie." He smiled at the new nickname, feeling her kick when she heard him say it. Now he had his very own nickname for his sweet baby girl.

"Do you like it, baby?" Louis asked her. "I think it fits you, but who knows. I'll have to see you first."

She didn't kick again, but Louis knew she was taking a nap. She always did at the same time everyday. Nowadays she didn't move a lot since it was getting crowded in there and Louis felt relieved, yet he missed feeling her kick him all day. Because when she did it, he didn't feel so alone.

He folded the blanket and put it back where he had found it, then grabbed Dusty and left the room. He went back to bed and ended up singing to her when she had started kicking just as he was about to fall asleep.

He fell asleep dreaming about her, but woke up before he could see her face.

~*~

When Louis woke up again that evening, it was to music loudly playing downstairs. Baby One More Time was one of his favorites by Britney. He got up and made his way to the bathroom dancing a bit as he did. After he was done, he put on fluffy socks and one of Harry's warm hoodies.

When he stepped out he bumped into an older woman, knowing right away that it was Harry's nana by the perfume she wore. She had been walking out of Gemma's bedroom where Louis could see it now had an air mattress too. Harry, Gemma and now their grandmother were staying in there, because Harry still refused to sleep next to him. Sometimes Louis wanted to make Harry go sleep with him, so that he could have a chance to tell him that he wanted to stay and raise their Josie together. But Harry always found a way to escape him.

"My goodness! Look at you, child." The woman grabbed him by his shoulders, looking him up and down before pulling Louis into a loving hug.

She was a tall woman with kind green eyes and brown curls, already gray in some areas. Anne looked a lot like her, both of them were beautiful along with Gemma. All the women in Harry's family shared a common beauty, and he knew that his daughter would too.

"Hello, ma'am." Louis hugged her back. "How was your flight?"

"Call me Josephine, Lou." She rubbed his back. "It was okay. I heard Beatrice is coming too. How have you been feeling?" She asked him.

"Tired, but okay." Louis told her. "Dad told me he's picking her up tomorrow. Aunt Sara and her family will be here tonight."

"It's been so long since I last saw them." She sighed as she pulled away from Louis. "May I? I heard it's a lovely girl. My first great grandchild!" She exclaimed.

"Of course! I think she's about to wake up." Louis happily told her, putting his tummy on full display so she could touch it.

She had been touching for a few seconds when Josie finally elbowed him, at least it felt like it.

"Did Harry tell you what he named her?" Louis asked.

"He did." Josephine nodded, and that's when Louis noticed she was trying to blink away her tears. "My boy didn't have to but he's such a sweetheart. Louise is definitely a pretty name," She said smiling at Louis. "I think it'll fit her perfectly."

"Josephine Louise is definitely pretty. Harry did a good job." Louis proudly smiled.

"It is." She agreed, then pulled back and wrapped her arm around Louis. "Let's go downstairs. Everybody is there except John. He went to get Sara, Dave and the kids."

Louis nodded and let her take him downstairs. He was going to have to face his mom, and he thought he owed her an apology over what had happened months ago. When they made it there, Evelyn smiled as soon as she saw him and went straight to him to wrap her son in a warm hug. Louis let her do it, too focused on her baby bump that was way bigger than the last time he had seen it. She was only six months along and she was already bigger than he had been back then.

"My boy." She told him, about to start crying. It only set Louis off who hugged her as tight as he could.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." Louis whispered on her ear, his voice sincere and filled with love. He had missed her.

"It's all forgotten, love." She kissed his cheek then grabbed his hand to take him to the table. "We're gonna make hamburgers. I hope you're hungry."

"Starving." Louis smiled. "Do you need help?" He asked.

"Can you please get the paper plates?" Anne spoke up. "I think John left them in the garage."

Louis nodded and made his way there, now knowing where the music was coming from. The garage. Time Of The Season was playing loudly and when he opened the door, he saw Harry was standing by it. His back was to him and he seemed busy sawing something that Louis couldn't see. Louis realized what it was when he saw the unfinished dollhouse sitting on a table next to Harry. It was really big and it only had the first floor finished with miniature furniture and household items still in the package. Harry had probably ordered them online and had made a few others by hand.

Louis stared at it in awe. How long had he been working on this? Harry obviously had a lot more work to do on it before the house was complete, but it already looked amazing. Louis knew that their little girl would love it.

As he imagined her little hands holding Barbies and playing with the handmade pieces, Harry put down his tools and lifted up the large wooden pyramid that he had been working on. He placed what would be the roof over the top of it, pausing when he spotted Louis standing there watching at him.

"You okay?" Harry removed his glasses to get a better look at Louis and make sure he wasn't bleeding out in labor.

"Y– Yeah, just need the plates, the paper plates." Louis blushed, he was sure when his face felt too hot.

"I put them in the pantry." Harry told him, and just when Louis was about to say something, Harry put the protective plastic glasses back on and turned around to start cutting more wood.

Louis looked down at the floor, put an arm around his belly and thought about telling Harry that he changed his mind, that he wanted to be a mommy. But he knew that Harry wouldn't be able to hear him over the loud electric saw. So he walked back inside, going straight to the pantry. He deserved the way Harry was treating him, but it was getting to the point where he didn't even know if Harry would let him stay if he asked. He was ready to fight for his daughter if that was the case. He had been an idiot and cruel to their baby girl, but he had a change of heart and he needed a second chance. He was her mother after all.

He gave Anne the plates then went to sit at the table, pulling his phone out to reply to Zayn's daily text about his daughter, letting him know that she was still safe inside his tummy. He smiled when he saw a picture Zayn had sent him of Christmas gift bags, telling him they were for him and the baby. That's when Louis realized he hadn't gotten Christmas presents at all this year. Not even for his parents when he never failed, even if they were shitty and cheap. He got up out of nowhere and made his way upstairs, the cat at his heels. He needed to get Christmas presents, and he needed to get them now.

He was getting ready to go next door and get his car, but his father's car pulling into the driveway stopped him. He looked like a deer caught in headlights when the vehicle parked right in front of him. John got out of the car and ran to him, already worried out of his mind.

"Louis what are you doing outside at this time!" He placed his hands on his chubby cheeks and started checking for any injuries.

"I need my car. I need to get Christmas presents...I didn't get any this year. I completely forgot dad!" Louis explained.

"Son," John sighed. "That can wait. You know you don't have to get us anything this year."

"But I want to, I always do." Louis insisted.

"I know, Lou. But it's the twentieth and it's late. You can give them to us after Christmas, we can wait." John told him, glad that Louis understood when he nodded.

John wanted to tell his son that they didn't need any anyways when he was giving them the best gift of all, a beautiful granddaughter.

Louis was going to start walking back to Harry's, but stopped when he saw a red haired woman getting out of the backseat, followed by Dave, Megan and Roman.

"Lou." It was all Sara said before she walked up to him and hugged him.

Louis didn't have the heart to push her away, not when now he realized that she had done the right thing. He had been so stupid.

"I missed you all." Louis told her.

"We missed you too, sweetheart." She let go of him to let Dave and the kids hug him. On their way to Anne's, Louis told them all about his and Harry's daughter and how he now wanted to keep her. In return, Sara had told him that she had something for him from Andres.

John had used that time to put their bags in Louis' bedroom then made his way back to Anne's where everybody was. When they walked into the kitchen, Louis hurried over to sit next to Harry, making the boy frown when he didn't understand why Louis was being so clingy.

Louis just needed some sort of comfort. He didn't know why, he just did. But it was hard when Harry wasn't giving him any.

For the rest of the night, the families ate and socialized. They ended up going to bed almost at midnight. Louis had to sleep on his own while Harry slept on the air mattress in a room that was already too crowded. It hurt Louis to think that Harry disliked him so much that he wouldn't even stay in the room with him for a few nights so that his grandma could be comfortable.

The next morning Louis was up bright and early, deciding to accept his mother's invitation for breakfast. He didn't expect to see his grandmother Beatrice sitting at the table in the kitchen while Sara and Evelyn made pancake after pancake. He was about to turn around and leave before they could see him, but it was too late when his grandmother was already staring at him. She looked at his huge belly for what felt like the longest time then glared when she looked him in the eyes.

"Good morning, Louis." She greeted him. "Aren't you going to hug your grandma?" She asked.

"Well of course." Louis tried not to cough, wishing she would stop glaring at him as he gave her a big nervous smile. "Nana! It's so nice to see you!" He exclaimed.

"Likewise, darling." She kept him in her arms.

"How have you been? When's the baby due? You look like you're gonna pop at any moment, dear." Beatrice rocked him from side to side.

Louis would be completely offended if he didn't know that was just the way she was, way too honest. Sometimes he wanted to tell her the words she spoke were offensive.

"She was due the eighteenth, so she's three days overdue now." Louis told her.

"Oh sweetheart." She shook her head. "Overdue children are the type who will give you a hard time. I bet she's going to be as stubborn as her mama." She told him patting his tummy.

"I'm not stubborn." Louis raised his eyebrows hands on his hips, ready to start arguing with her about how wrong she was.

"That's exactly what a stubborn person would say." She kissed his cheeks. "Now please sit down, angel, and eat the pancakes your mother made you. You're skin and bones and that's not healthy for you and the baby."

Louis wanted to scream when he had gained a lot of weight. His grandma obviously needed to get her eyes checked again. Last time he and Harry had talked to Sonia, she had told him that he was the perfect size, finally. And that meant that their daughter was now average size. Louis would get scared every time he saw the size of her head. He didn't know whose head size she had gotten (probably Harry's), but it was scary to think so. He was not looking forward to pushing it out of his ass.

His grandmother stayed in front of him and encouraged him to eat as much as he could. By the time he was done, he felt like he was going to explode, maybe give birth right there on the kitchen floor. The thought terrified him and at the same time excited him when he was going to finally hold her soon.

He ended up going back to Harry's place by noon then straight to the room. He had slowly taken over the room where now his things were all over the place and it was a mess. Harry was the one who used to pick up after him, but ever since he had been sleeping in Gemma's bedroom, he would only come in to get clothes. He looked around, feeling disgusted with himself and the room when he realized he couldn't bring his daughter to live in that pigsty. He started cleaning up and by the time he was done, he was exhausted. He went for a shower then got something to eat before finally going to bed.

~*~

The next day, two days before his birthday, Louis spent it at his family's house, tired of being near Harry when he knew the boy didn't want him around. But it was just as bad at home when he had to hear his grandma's judgemental comments all afternoon.

The last straw was when she told him that he should have been married before getting pregnant, and how it was shamed upon to have a baby out of wedlock back in her day. After she said that, he got up and left the house, walking as fast as he could back to Harry's.

When he got to his room, Josephine was in there tidying up. She had opened the curtains and put some clean towels in the bathroom. And now she was making up the bed. Tears poured out of his eyes as he watched her, wishing that his grandma was this nice to him.

"Louis, darling, what's wrong?" She asked when she saw him. "Why are you crying?"

"My grandma." He let out a sob. "She's ashamed of me! She said that Harry and I should get married even after I told her that he doesn't love me. Said that she doesn't want great-grandchildren who are bastards."

"Oh baby. You know Beatrice. She's just old fashioned and very traditional." Harry's nana rocked him in her arms. "Don't mind her, she'll quiet down after she sees the baby. You know she's just fussing to fuss. She doesn't mean it. I think she just pictured a different future for you."

Louis knew that she was right and calmed down. He knew that his family had thought that he would go to college, get married, and then have a baby. His Christian grandma probably had hoped that he wouldn't lose his virginity until his wedding. Louis felt bad for disappointing her, but didn't care when he wouldn't change a thing. He loved his baby and was happy that he was going to have her.

"Yeah I know." Louis sighed.

"And for the record, we both think, despite being so young, that you and Harry will make amazing parents."

"Thanks Josephine." He smiled.

"Now how about you lay down and rest. You look exhausted." She laughed.

Louis nodded and then got comfortable on the bed, Dusty coming in a moment later to lay down next to him. Harry's grandma rubbed his back until he fell asleep. 

Thoughts? :)