Chapter Text
Paris Fashion week had been everything Sophie had hoped. It was her first one and she had been nervous, very nervous about going and showing her designs but with Benedict, Kate and Anthony be her side, she had been incredible. The Diamond of the show and her entire collection had been plastered over every single fashion paper in the world. It had been a little overwhelming if she was being honest.
Violet and Mary had taken the four boys, so Sophie didn’t have to deal with her 3-year-old and a little over 14-month-old son’s whilst dealing with the press and all the promotion for her shows and the night of her final show, they had all gone out, had a lot of champagne and well, Sophie and Benedict had a bloody good celebration back in the room. It had been the only opportunity in the last week, and even the month leading up to the show, she’d been so busy so 4 weeks later when they were home and she found herself hunched over the toilet, throwing up, feeling dizzy and generally very weak, it didn’t take a genius to work out what was likely the problem.
She kept it to herself as best as possible for the following two weeks, she wanted to be sure, Benedict was away with work and because of their two young terrors, Sophie didn’t go with him as often now and she had felt they couldn’t really ask Violet to have the boys again, they had run her ragged with Neddy and Milo over the week they were away.
She kept her secret for two weeks, no one else noticed her pale complexion, they just assumed her tired and drawn looks were from being alone at home with her two tiny terrors. Well Alex, he was the terror, but Sophie was sure he was just trying to live up to the nickname he was given of “trouble” by his aunts and father.
But when Kate made her way into her office two days before Benedict was due back properly with lunch for them both and Sophie got a whiff of the tuna in the bag, Sophie wretched and ran for the bathroom. Kate who had started to have her suspicions about her friend earlier in the week, when Sophie had nearly gagged at lunch with Violet as was their Monday tradition when a woman walked past with a Salmon dish for a table across the room, had been feeling much the same way.
She too had been feeling not so good following their return from Paris. Kate had been sure that after the miscarriage she had 18 months earlier, when she hadn’t even realised she was pregnant, that she was done with children but when she had woken up last week, her breasts aching, her stomach feeling upset and gagging at the smell of the eggs from the kitchen that Anthony was feeding their two young sons… she had known.
Kate ran out of the room whilst Sophie was throwing up and tossed the sandwich in the bin and came back into Sophie’s office “you too huh?” Kate said with a grimace on her face as she was sipping at her own water desperately trying to not throw up herself.
“I’m assuming so” Sophie said with a heavy sigh as she sunk into her chair, her face sweaty and her pallor drawn.
“How long have you been throwing up?” Kate asked
“Pretty much the last two weeks whilst Ben’s been away” Sophie said “I’ve yet to take a test”
“Take one with me?” Kate said “I wanna be sure before I tell Anthony” she said.
Sophie sighed and nodded. She knew how much it had hurt Anthony the last time, how much the two of them had been grieving despite the shock of it all, it had been so bad that Sophie, upon realising she was pregnant with Alexander, had tried to avoid telling them that she was pregnant, and it had worked until Sophie was 7 weeks… and her Hyperemesis gravidarum gave her away, her first day back in the office.
She had been off work for a few days stating a stomach bug and then she and Benedict had been in Scotland for his work for two weeks. Her Hyperemesis gravidarum seemed to be kicking in from about 4 weeks so she had been able to hide it, until she’d thrown up quite literally ON Anthony.
It was then impossible to hide but now, here she was, sat in the little bathroom in her office, her sister-in-law and best friend in the entire world by her side, like teenage girls in a high school bathroom waiting for pregnancy tests.
“I can’t believe this” Kate said, as she drummed her fingers on the floor.
“What? You’ve done this twice before, we both have…” Sophie said with an eye roll. “It might feel like we’re hiding from our teenage boyfriends, but you know both of them are going to be happy if we are” Sophie said.
“No, I mean the fact we’ve both clearly ended up pregnant at the same time” she said
Sophie chuckled “well, yeah though we could be different dates, one of us could be further along than the other” she said
Kate chuckled “well considering we didn’t really do much before we came to Paris with you and Ben… and that night we went out and got giddy on all the champagne” she said
Sophie choked on air “You’re kidding me” she said “that was like me and Ben…”
Kate burst into hysterical laughter “they are going to not believe us… you know that right. That somehow, we’ve ended up getting pregnant on the same day…”
“If we’re pregnant” Sophie said, looking up at the white sticks now hovering between them.
Kate smiled “One way to find out…” she said as she got up and held a handout for her friend.
“Together?” Sophie said, both picking up their own test and Kate nodded.
“3...2…1” they said together.
~*~
Benedict was in a rather jolly mood as he made his way back from Strathyre, it had been a long two weeks being away from Sophie and his two adorable boys and whilst he had facetimed them and he had read them stories, told them stories, and partook in other things with his wife over Facetime… nothing beat actually being with them and he was exhausted, but he couldn’t wait to see them.
He had been on the train home having finally managed to get hold of Sophie on the Friday afternoon and was hoping she was going to say, takeaway, a bottle of wine and cuddles with the boys on the sofa but alas that was not to be the case.
She had said that Kate and Anthony had invited them around to dinner. Ned was apparently desperate to see the boys and as he had pleaded with her personally, she felt in incumbent on her to say yes and not disappoint their godson and nephew.
He had asked her if she was up to it as she looked tired and a bit pale but two boys under the age of 4 would do that to a person and his wife did had a low iron count at the best of times meant it was understandable really that his wife would be needing a bit of support at the moment.
The driver Sophie had arranged to pick him up from Kings Cross was waiting outside and Benedict jumped into the car. Normally Sophie would come and get him, or he would get another train or a bus, but she had said she was busy with Kate and the kids this afternoon so would just meet him at Kate and Anthony’s.
When he got there, he had expected his wife to be there already, but it was just his brother “Ben! You’re early” he said rather stupidly.
“Am I?” Ben said looking at his watch “I rather thing I’m actually on time? My trains weren’t delayed… I’m guessing the girls and the little monster’s aren’t here yet?”
Anthony shook his head “nah, Kate said they were on their way back, they’d taken them and the dog out to the park or something this afternoon. Beer?” Anthony asked as they walked into the kitchen.
Benedict nodded “Yeah go on, I’m guessing Soph’s got the car since she got me a driver today. How’s she been?”
“Exhausted I think, she and Kate both appear tired at the moment. Paris really seemed to wipe them both out I think” Anthony said handing his brother a beer and they made their way into the living room.
“Well, our children did have to come out exactly like we were at that age” Benedict said with a grimace as they dropped onto the sofa.
Anthony chuckled “I did catch Edmund trying to hang Miles upside down by his ankles last week. I didn’t know if I should laugh or stop him”
“I am so pleased that Charlie seems to be rather sensible… he likes his books more than he does teasing Alex, but I guess Alex isn’t quite 1 and half yet…” he said with a sigh “so there is time yet”
Anthony nodded “Neddy is the little ringleader but Charlie and Milo do seem to be happiest in the corner with a book and learning… Alex has literally been Neddy’s shadow when they’ve been here”
Benedict took a swig of his bottle of beer and sighed happily “I know it’s carnage, but I don’t think I’ve ever been happier, nor have I seen you happier”
Anthony smiled “I’ve never been happier. It’s nice to be finally getting back to a normal sleeping pattern” he said with a chuckle “as much as I loved the boys as babies… the lack of sleep”
“Oh, I know… Poor Soph. I sleep like the dead so for the first few months, I’d often wake up with her either not in the bed and find her in the rocking chair in the nursey with the blankets on her, or she’d bring the baby into the bed. Now I wake up with feet or elbows in my face usually” Benedict said with a chuckle.
Their reverie was broken as they heard the door and cries of “PAP PAP!” and “DADDY!” running through the house as Charlie and Edmund led the charge into the house, Alex with his little legs toddling behind with Newton coming in yipping happily in front of them.
“Hey boys!” Benedict said scooping his sons into his arms as Edmund and Miles jumped on their father. Neither Anthony nor Benedict noticed that all four boys appeared to be wearing the same jumpers.
“Did you bwing presents!?” Charlie asked his father with his eyes bright.
“I might have but you will have to wait til you get home for them” he said kissing his son on the cheeks.
Ned looked at his Uncle “did you bring us presents too?” he asked
“Edmund…” Anthony said, scolding his son a little for his impertinence but Sophie and Kate were just standing at the door smiling at them.
“But Mama said there was presents?” Miles said looking confused, his little glasses falling down his three-year-old face.
“I have presents but…” Benedict turned to his wife and sister-in-law. “Really?”
“Nooooo Milo! Mama said the presents were for Pap pap and Anty!” Charlie said with a toothy grin
“For us?” Benedict and Anthony said.
“SEEEEEEEE” Alex said, his mop of chestnut hair falling over his chocolate eyes, he looked so much like his father it was uncanny and the little 16-month-old pointed at his shirt.
“OH!” Edmund said “yes!!! Mama said we had to show you our tops!” he said standing up, Benedict and Anthony frowned and looked at their wives in total confusion as the four boys lined up in front of their fathers.
“What the…” and their eyes fell over the writing on their son’s tiny chest…
“Big Brother… establish January 2020” Benedict said
And looked at Anthony, who was reading the exact same thing on his son’s chest and their wives just grinned at the shock disbelief on their husband’s faces.
“surprise… we’re both pregnant”