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"𝐀𝐑𝐄 you feeling okay princess?" Johnny asked, his voice low but laced with concern as he slouched back in the stiff chair of the clinic's waiting room. His arm was draped protectively around Stella, thumb brushing her shoulder in absent circles.

"I'm alright, just... a little nervous," Stella admitted, lacing her fingers through his.

Johnny straightened, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. "Hey, it's gonna be fine. You know I've got your back. Always."

Before Stella could answer, a nurse in scrubs appeared with a clipboard. "Stella Walker?" Jackie called brightly. "We're ready for you, honey."

The couple stood, Johnny giving Stella's hand a squeeze as they followed the nurse down the hall. Jackie took Stella's vitals, then excused herself, leaving the two alone. Johnny immediately reclaimed Stella's hand, his other bouncing restlessly on his knee.

After a few minutes, the door opened and a confident-looking woman in her late forties stepped inside. "Hi, I'm Dr. Montgomery," she introduced with a warm but professional smile. "It's nice to meet you both."

Stella smiled politely. "Hi, Dr. Montgomery. I'm Stella Walker, and this is my boyfriend, Johnny Lawrence."

"Pleasure," Dr. Montgomery said as she sat across from them, her tone brisk yet kind. "So, Stella, when did you find out you were pregnant?"

"A couple weeks ago," Stella replied. "I'd been feeling nauseous, exhausted... and then I missed my period. I picked up a test, and, well..."

Dr. Montgomery nodded knowingly as she began prepping the sonogram machine. "And how have you been feeling since?"

Stella let out a breath. "Mostly tired. A lot of vomiting too. I don't mean to complain, but it's been rougher than I thought."

"That's perfectly normal. And you're a nurse, so I don't have to tell you that," Dr. Montgomery said with a smile that earned a soft laugh from Stella. She positioned the probe, eyes flicking to the monitor. "Your baby looks great. Right now, it's about the size of a sweet pea. When you come back for your next scan, you'll really see how much it's grown."

Johnny leaned forward, brow furrowed, while Stella's eyes filled with tears as the faint image came into view on the screen. Their hands remained intertwined, Johnny's grip tightening as if to anchor them both. Stella's heart swelled—this was the moment she'd dreamt of for years.

"Wow," she whispered, her watery smile shining through.

"Congratulations," Dr. Montgomery said warmly before rising. "I'll give you two a moment. I'll be back shortly."

When the door closed, Stella turned to Johnny. He kissed her forehead again, lingering a little longer this time.

"Johnny," she breathed, her voice full of wonder.

"Princess," Johnny muttered, shaking his head with a watery grin, "I gotta be honest—this is bad to say, but I have no clue what the hell I'm looking at here."

Stella laughed softly, kissing his hand. "Look at the screen. That tiny little shape at the bottom? That's our baby."

Johnny's eyes softened in a way they never did for anyone but her. He stared at the grainy image, his throat working before he spoke. "That's... that's our baby?" His voice cracked just enough to betray the emotion he was holding back.

"Yeah," Stella whispered, her hand instinctively resting over her small bump. "That's our baby."

Johnny leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, his arm curling protectively around her as if he could already shield both her and their child from the world.

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"It's so tiny." Lori beamed, her diamond-studded nails fluttering toward the sonogram printout on the coffee table. "I can't believe that's my niece or nephew. Like—oh my god, I'm obsessed already."

"What are you hoping for?" Carter asked, slipping an arm casually around Lori's shoulders, grounding her sparkling energy with his calm warmth.

"Honestly?" Stella sank back into the love seat in Abilene's cozy living room, a hand resting protectively over her small bump. "I'd be ecstatic if it were a girl. I always dreamed of having a daughter."

"I'm gonna say something I'll regret and agree with Carter—it's totally a boy," Kara chimed in smoothly, sipping her tea with a little smirk.

Carter raised a brow. "And what's wrong with agreeing with me?"

"Don't even start," Kara shot back with a laugh, her dry humor cutting through, and the whole room dissolved into laughter.

April leaned forward, her tone softening into concern. "How are you feeling symptom-wise? Has the morning sickness eased up at all?"

"It's better," Stella admitted. "But like I told Dr. Montgomery this morning—fatigue like you wouldn't believe."

April gave her a reassuring nod. "You know better than anyone, that'll pass."

"She's right, hon." Amy chimed in with an easy grin, lounging cross-legged on the rug. "And nine months from now, there'll be a little Stella or Johnny running around."

Stella playfully rolled her eyes and flicked a strawberry across the room. Amy caught it between her teeth with a triumphant grin, making the others burst out laughing.

"How are things with Robby and August?" Amy asked after she swallowed, tone light but curious.

Stella groaned with a shake of her head. "Oh, so Johnny decided to let them fight it out. No tournament rules, no mats. Just... get it out of their systems."

April's brows shot up. "Do we even want to know how that went?"

"The fight escalated all the way to the barn loft," Stella admitted.

"Okay, first of all—what the actual hell? And second of all—that's completely unsafe." Lori said

"You're preaching to the choir," Stella sighed. "But hey—if they worked out their issues, I'll take it."

Amy leaned forward, curiosity sparking. "Speaking of, where are August and Robby now?"

"Oh, August took him to see all the rodeo hot spots around here." Stella smiled, warmth threading through her voice. "I can't wait to hear the stories they come back with."

Lori gasped dramatically, clutching Carter's arm. "Wait—like... actual rodeos? With dirt and bulls and... hay? Babe, can you even imagine Johnny's kid out there? He's gonna get dust all over those pretty cheekbones. Tragic."

Carter chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I think he'll survive, Lo."

Kara arched a perfectly groomed brow, ever the voice of stylish practicality. "Well, at least it'll toughen him up. Rodeo chic is very in right now—denim, fringe, boots. Honestly, if he comes back in a Stetson, I won't be mad."

Amy stretched lazily on the rug, her voice mellow but amused. "I don't know, I kind of love it. Robby in small-town rodeo life? He probably needed to shake off all that Cobra Kai brooding. Nothing like a little dirt under your nails to humble you."

Lori wrinkled her nose, tossing her hair back. "Yeah, well, I'll stick to Dior, thank you very much. No rodeos for me."

"Obviously," Kara teased, smirking over the rim of her teacup. "You'd last five minutes in cowboy boots before begging Carter to carry you back to the car."

"Ugh, true," Lori admitted with a giggle, leaning into Carter's shoulder.

Stella laughed, her hand still resting on her belly. "Well, rodeo or not, I just hope the boys don't come home in one piece but missing eyebrows or something."

"They'll be fine," Amy reassured, eyes sparkling. "But I do want to see Johnny's face when he hears how high up that loft fight went. That man's gonna blow a gasket."

The room erupted in laughter again, the air warm with friendship and family ties, the soft promise of new life making it all the sweeter.

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It was 10:45 p.m. The house was quiet, the record player spinning soft and low as George Jones and Tammy Wynette's "Let's Build a World Together" floated through the air.

Stella stood in the ensuite, brushing her long brunette hair before twisting it into a loose Pamela Anderson updo. She padded out into the bedroom in her Miss Elaine nightgown—Johnny's undisputed favorite.

He looked up from the sonogram in his hand, his gaze locking on her. A crooked grin spread across his face, all Cobra Kai swagger but softened by the way his eyes burned for her.

"Damn, princess," he drawled, voice low and rough. "You have no idea what you do to me."

Stella rolled her eyes, though the corners of her lips tugged upward. "Last time you looked at me like that, we ended up with this baby."

Johnny smirked, his free hand patting the sonogram. "Yeah, and making that baby? Fun as hell. Don't hear me complaining."

She shook her head with a laugh and slipped into bed beside him. He set the sonogram down carefully on the nightstand before wrapping his arm around her. His hand instinctively found her small bump, thumb brushing slow circles there.

"It's so damn tiny," he murmured, staring at her belly like it held the whole world. "Here's the million-dollar question—when does it start kicking?"

"Usually not until the second trimester," Stella answered softly, resting her hand over his. "But every baby's different."

He nodded, quiet for a beat, eyes drifting back to the sonogram. Then, almost like a confession, he spoke. "Y'know... if you'd met me back in the '80s, I think you would've liked me better."

Stella turned her head, brows raised in surprise. "No," she said firmly, her voice threaded with tenderness. She leaned in, pressing her lips to his. "I love you just the way you are now."

Something unguarded flickered across Johnny's face before his trademark grin returned. "I love you too, princess."

"Goodnight, Johnny," Stella whispered as her eyes grew heavy. "I'll walk through this world with you."

He held her tighter, his chin resting against her hair. "Goodnight, princess," he murmured, his voice rough with emotion he'd never admit out loud to anyone else. "And I'll walk through this world with you too."

The record spun on, love and promise wrapped in its melody, while Johnny lay awake a little longer—protective arm curved around Stella, heart steady in the rhythm of hers.

Author's Note

New Character:

Kate Walsh as
Dr. Montgomery