VALERIE AND HER mother were a high source of stress for John. Though June had been happy at first, she and Valerie were now getting into arguments about what would happen when John toured, and whether it was good for the baby.

     "It's not like he's leaving forever, mom." Valerie said thinly, throwing down the towel she had been using to wipe down the kitchen counters.

      She and John had attempted a new recipe, and he's made her laugh so hard about something so stupid that she spilled tomato sauce on the counter. But John was also just a messy cook, so she had to deal with that mess, too.

      "Might as well be. Between tours, recording , and press tours, your child might as well not have a father." June pointed out while Valerie slammed cabinets of cleaning supplies shut.

     Valerie turned on the water faucet and let it run over the dirty dishes she had to wash. She refused to look at her mother.

      "During recordings, most of the time, we don't have to travel for that. I'll come home everyday after sessions." John said, leaning against the counter to talk to June, his shoulders rigid as he watched June pace the kitchen.

     "But you go on tour for months. And it's not like Valerie is home all the time."

      "Because I have a job that I actually enjoy. I love my students." Valerie said fiercely as she scrubbed one of the pans she and John had used.

       "You don't even have to work! John makes enough money as it is." June exclaimed, and Valerie huffed in annoyance.

     She and John had discussed this time and time again. They'd never gotten into arguments about it,  as John always supported the idea of her wanting to work, but they hadn't really talked about what she would do once the baby was born. Valerie hadn't even really given a nanny much thought.

    "I don't feel like arguing about this right now. It's just been one thing after another with you. Let me wash my dishes in peace." Valerie said finally, turning to face June,  the two of them staring each other down before June sighed and walked out of the kitchen.

      A few seconds later, the front door was shut loudly, leaving John and Valerie alone.

     "God, she's right." Valerie said, finally breaking. John rushed over to her to envelop her in a hug. Valerie wrapped her arms around his tightly, crying into his chest.

      "I don't want to quit my job, but I might have to. She's right. A school day lasts a long time." Valerie said, her voice shaking as John rubbed her back comfortingly.

      "Don't feel like you have to quit. Maybe work for another year and see how you like it?" John suggested hesitantly. One of the points in their discussions about Valerie working was the fact that she didn't want John to feel like she was solely dependent upon him. John always assured her that he'd always look out for her no matter what, but if she wanted to work, she could.

"Maybe I'll take up tutoring instead until the baby is a bit older. Oh, John. I don't know what to do." Valerie sobbed, hugging John tighter.

"You don't have to worry about it right this second. You've got five more months to figure everything out. Plus, you get maternity leave, don't you?" John asked, and Valerie made a quiet sound that John took to mean a yes.

"You have plenty of time to think about it. You're barely four months along. I'm sure no one expects you to know what you want to do right away." John assured her.

"But she is right, though. We do go on tour for a long time." John said, his tone dropping slightly.

"We do take breaks in between American and European tours, though, so I'll be here." John continued, now talking to himself more than talking to Valerie.

"It's," John paused, collecting his thoughts before lightly grasping Valerie by her shoulders so that he might look at her. "It's going to be okay. We'll figure everything out," John assured her, smiling slightly, wiping away a few of Valerie's tears.

"Our baby will have a father. I promise you that. Is that what you've been worried about?" John asked her quietly, and Valerie laughed dryly.

"Honestly? I was. It's all I've been thinking about for weeks, even before my mom got here and started y'know, stressing us out." Valerie admitted, sniffling, more tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Valerie, my love. Why didn't you talk to me about it?" John asked her, and Valerie wiped at her cheeks.

     "I didn't want to make you feel like you had to worry about me."

      "Valerie, I'm always worrying about you. Whether it be if you're getting enough to eat, or if you got to work okay, or if any one of your doctor's visits went well." John said to her,  leading her into the living room so that they could comfortably sit down.

      "But this is different. Now it's a baby you have to worry about. John, I don't want you to feel like I'm tying you down." Valerie blurted out, feeling as if a huge weight was lifted off of her chest just by saying it.

"Tying me down?"

      "Yes, John. You're young. You're a rock star. Don't lie, you've probably got dozens of pretty girls just throwing themselves at you. I'm just the girl you got stuck with." Valerie said heavily, turning away from John to wipe away her tears.

"Valerie, how long has this been bothering you?" John asked, because he didn't exactly know how to respond.

"Honestly? Since we've started dating."

"Valerie,"

"John. Am I wrong? I'm not." Valerie said thinly, barely sparing John a glance as she messed with the promise ring on her finger.

      "You're not wrong about the rock star part of it. We do travel the world, yes,  and there are girls, but they could care less about me, and I could care less about them. And you know why? Because I have you."

      "Yeah, because you're-"

     "I'm not stuck with you. If anything, you're stuck with me. Valerie, how many times do I have to tell you that I love you more than anything in this world?"

      Valerie finally looked up at John, wiping furiously at her tears. "I just..... I don't want you to feel like you have to stay with me just because I'm pregnant." She said quietly, and John gave her a look, taking her trembling hands in his.

      "Valerie," John said seriously, lightly moving her chin up to get her to make eye contact. "I want to be with you. Nothing, absolutely nothing in this world can change that. Not your mother, not my sister. No one.

      "I want to be with you through anything. Honestly, you being pregnant and me being a soon-to-be father is probably the best thing that's happened to me all my life. And I'm in a famous band!" John said with a laugh, making Valerie smile weakly.

      "I promise you that you don't have to worry. We will make it through this. You and I. And the baby. Valerie, I can't even express how excited I am to start a family. And with you, of all people. I couldn't be luckier." John said, leaning in a giving Valerie a long and love-filled kiss.

     Valerie finally smiled when they broke away, and John wiped away her tears. "Alright? Want to watch some TV? Maybe go for a walk?" John asked her. Walking often helped Valerie when she got into one of her moods; John knew this all too well.

     "A walk would be great," Valerie said, drawing in a deep breath and giving John's hand a light squeeze. "And John? I love you, too. I couldn't be more grateful to have you in my life."

      "I'll always be here for you, Val. You're my somebody to love." John said, and Valerie laughed, nudging him lightly.

      "Hey, that's my line, Deacon."

     "There's no script, and you haven't copyrighted it, so tough luck, love. Looks like it's my line now,  too." John said, patting her hands while Valerie simply rolled her eyes.

     Once Valerie had finally fully calmed down, she stood from the couch, rubbing her hands over the bump in her stomach that was becoming more pronounced.

      John smiled as he watched her go upstairs to get her shoes, thinking very fondly about just how lucky he was to have Valerie. Even if some people had a different opinion, it didn't matter to John because he was in love. And he couldn't be happier about it.
*****

     Brian and Payton's wedding date had been pushed back until August, right before John's birthday. They had to postpone their wedding in December because of all the traction that Night At The Opera got, and the tour they started on just after New Year's.

     It was two more months before the wedding, and everything was set in stone, but Brian was so very anxious about anything going wrong.

      "Bri, love, it's going to be okay. Everything is paid for, right?" Valerie asked one day when she and Brian had gone out to eat lunch.

She hadn't seen much of Brian since her mother came to town in the middle of May, and now that school was over, she had the luxury of going out again.

"Yes, but what if the caterers can't make it? What if I mess up my vows? Oh, God, what if it rains?" Brian groaned, tugging at his curls as the waiter came to the table to refill his and Valerie's waters.

"Thank you," Valerie said, nodding to the waiter who barely spared her a glance (as he was too distracted by Brian and his anxiety attack). "You can go now. Thank you," Valerie said, though not harshly, when the waiter had stayed at the table a bit too long.

"Brian, it's going to be okay. If you mess up your vows, all you have to do is make a joke of it or something. And they say it's good luck if it rains on your wedding day, actually, so you should look at it in a positive way." Valerie said, shrugging, as she sipped her ice cold water.

Brian's biggest concern about the wedding was the weather. He and Payton has decided to have their reception outside since it was going to be warmer, but he hadn't stopped worrying about the weather since they finalized the decision.

"Oh, absolutely wonderful luck if everyone gets rained on and gets their shoes and dresses muddy." Brian said sarcastically, dropping his hands from his hair as he squeezed a lemon slice into his water.

"Really abusing the hell out of that lemon there, Bri." Valerie commented, as Brian had squeezed the lemon until it was reduced to nearly nothing.

"Hmm." Brian responded, tossing the peel onto a napkin and taking a sip of his water.

"Anyway, I wouldn't worry at all, Brian. Everything is going to be perfect. Payton will be perfect, as always." Valerie said, patting Brian's hand and smiling at him. Brian looked at her and finally smiled, giving his red headed friend's hand a squeeze.

"You're probably right. I've just been so worried. I want everything to be just right. I mean, I love Payton."

"Whatever way it goes, Payton won't care. It's her wedding day, and she loves you. All she'll care about is marrying you." Valerie told Brian, and he nodded in agreement, patting her hand before pulling away to sip his water and look at the menu.

"How've you and John been? I haven't talked to either of you in a while." Brian asked her. It was true, he hadn't spoken to John in about two weeks, and any conversations he had with Valerie were very fleeting on the phone.

       "Good, we've been good. He's excited to finally be able to go to a doctor's appointment with me, since we're finding out the gender of the baby next week. He's had to deal with my cravings early in the morning, though, and my mood swings. I'm sure it's not been fun for him." Valerie said with a light laugh. John, if he was tired, didn't admit it to Valerie.

      "Well, that's good. And he probably wouldn't complain anyway. The man is so enamored with you, sometimes he forgets how to speak proper English." Brian said with a laugh as he set his menu down. Valerie had chosen what she wanted a long time ago.

        "How's your mum?" Brian asked, and Valerie sighed.

      "We had an argument just last week about John going on tour and not being around and whatnot, but she came back and apologized. But it's still been quite tense. She's not sparked any more controversy, though." Valerie sighed, watching a droplet of condensation run down her glass.

       "At least she's not angry anymore. Quite odd how she was onboard, and yet found things to complain about." Brian observed, and Valerie let out a laugh.

      "Do you know her at all? She's always been like that. I think the thing is, she's worried the baby won't have a father figure."

       "Of course. It's a genuine concern. I think maybe she's just a bit more keen on it because of Ed, y'know." Brian said quietly, as it was still a tender spot for Valerie.

      She nodded. That thought had crossed her mind, too. She often worried whenever John got home too late from interviews or going out with friends; always wondered if something had happened to him. The sense seemed to have heightened now that she was pregnant.

       "Yeah, you're right. It makes me sad to think that my baby won't have a granddad. On either side. John's dad isn't around, either." Valerie said sadly. "I'm glad he or she will have two fantastic grandmother's, though."

      "And an amazing father. John's a great person, Valerie. He's got a big heart, and goodness, I can't tell you how many times he's rambled on an on about names for the baby and whatnot." Brian said, rolling his eyes mockingly and making Valerie laugh.

    "Don't forget about the amazing uncles and aunts that chiquita will have, too. You, Freddie, Elton, Payton. The list goes on and on. And don't even get me started on my huge family in Spain, and the handful I have in Ireland." Valerie said, and Brian nodded.

     "How could I? I've had to learn all their names."

    "Bri, I don't even know all their names, and they're my family. You've got to have the best memory of anyone I've met, dear." Valerie joked.

    "I mean, you do have the memory of a fruit fly." Brian said, earning a look from Valerie. "Also, chiquita? You just threw that nickname in there."

    "I get tired of just calling it 'the baby', so." Valerie shrugged, and Brian chuckled, shaking his head of curls.

      "But you're right. Even if chiquita doesn't have a grandfather, she's still got an amazing family." Valerie agreed after she took a long sip of her water.

      "Of course. Only the best." Brian said, cutting off slightly as the waiter had just returned to the table.

      "Are we ready to order?" He asked, and Valerie looked at Brian, who had his menu at the ready.

      "Yes, I think we are. Valerie, go ahead." Brian said, nodding to Valerie, who recites her order from memory, as she always had arrived earlier than Brian and had decided what to eat. Brian had to read his off of the menu.

     The two resumed their conversation once the waiter had gone, and Brian had started to talk about how Freddie would spoil the baby a lot.

    "I don't doubt it at all," Valerie said, as Freddie already spoiled Valerie. She couldn't even imagine how he would spoil her child.

     Valerie felt very relaxed, even in the crowded restaurant. Even if she wasn't with John,  she was able to get away from any tension at home and spend a nice afternoon with her best friend.

      On the way back home, Valerie had thanked Brian for giving her space to talk, and Brian had simply smiled at her, saying,  "I had to deal with you for nine years before I moved out. I'll always give you space to talk, Val. Tell John I said hello, yeah?" Brian said as he and Valerie hugged and parted ways, promising to see each other again sometime soon.

IM SORRY THIS CHAPTER SUCKS AND IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE. I WAS DROWNING IN SCHOOL WORK.

but on the bright side, I'm gonna try to write a chapter tmrw.

aND I wrote a whole song yesterday and started writing another one 😌

but anyway, I hope to update on Tuesday or Wednesday.
okay so, when I first wrote this story, I ended it just shy of fifty chapters, but now I'm thinking that this will go on a lot longer. with some changes I've made, I don't want to rush the story as much as I did the last time, so this one will probably be well over fifty chapters.

I mean, I already have most of the rest of the story planned out. y'all best be ready for some depressing shit at the end lmao.

I promise the next like, tEn chapters will be very happy ones, though. I might start doing some mini time skips in the next chapter just so it doesn't go on too long, but I'm not gonna rush it like last time.

hope y'all enjoy the new, improved, and longer version of this story.

again, sorry it took so long to update.
thanks for coming to my TED talk.