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Steve's still rubbing his eyes as he pads down the stairs, relaxing only slightly when he sees Catherine sitting on the couch. A book lies forgotten on her knees and she's staring at the unlit Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Her eyes are far away, seeing things he can only imagine but when his footsteps approach her, she turns towards him and gives him a small smile.
"I'm sorry... Did I wake you?"
Shaking his head, he drops down onto the couch beside her, helping her to arrange herself so that she's resting in his arms. "Nah," he says, shrugging as he adds, "Apparently, I can't sleep anymore when you're not beside me."
For a second, she looks pleased to hear it. Then she just looks uncomfortable. "And apparently, I just can't sleep."
The way she shifts as she speaks gives him a clue about what's going on and when he places his hand on her swollen stomach, his suspicions are confirmed. A hefty kick greets his touch, makes him smile, makes Catherine wince and smile all in the one expression.
"Hey kiddo, give Mommy a break, huh?" he says, rubbing his hand up and down, but despite his words and action, their daughter only kicks harder.
Catherine fights back a groan. "The worst part is you know I'll be falling asleep at the dinner table tomorrow."
Steve doesn't doubt it, leans forward and kisses the top of her head. "I'll keep you a plate," he promises and he's gratified to hear her chuckle.
"Can you believe," she says after a long moment of silence, "That this time next year, we'll have a nine month old crawling around here?"
Steve can see it all too clearly and he can't help but grin. "Danny keeps on telling me that with parents like us, she'll be scaling the tree the second she sees it... he's got me seriously wondering if we can put a chain-link fence around it."
Catherine giggles. "She'd probably hop right over it."
It's funny, but it would be funnier if it wasn't true. Steve chuckles anyway. "I can't wait," he tells her and he means every word. When she glances up at him though, her eyes are serious, her brow furrowed. He knows what she's thinking straight away, because it's not the first time they've had this type of conversation - the pregnancy wasn't so much unplanned as a total shock, but the moment he'd found out, suddenly it was the only thing he wanted.
"I mean it, Cath," he tells her seriously. "I can't wait."
Beneath his palm, there's another kick and this time it makes Catherine giggle. "Looks like she agrees," she says as she leans back against Steve, closes her eyes. He recognises that look.
"You're tired." There's no response and he knows what that means. "C'mon, let's get you to bed before you fall asleep here." Once upon a time he would have scooped her up and carried her back upstairs, but no longer. He can, however, and does, help her up into a sitting position before helping her to stand, rubbing her back as she winces.
"Hey," she says as she glances at the clock on the mantel. "It's after midnight." He's about to point out that he already knows that, tease her about pregnancy brain but then her meaning hits him. "Happy Christmas" she tells him and he smiles as he pulls her into a kiss.
This Christmas is happy, but he knows that this time next year will be happier still.