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Always Be My Baby	By : GetYourShineOn Category: -Misc Cartoons > Het - Male/Female Views: 2736 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Braceface or it's characters and am making no money writing this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Before long, it was the day before Christmas Eve. The last day of school before their Christmas break started. While Sharon should've been happy to be off from school for a full week, she was actually really nervous. This is because her entire family was gonna be around her in the next couple of days. And while she loved her family dearly, she knew she couldn't keep her pregnancy a secret for much longer.
Helen was going to take Christmas Eve off from work to bake cookies, David would be off from work and Richard, Lauren and Griffin were coming over Christmas Day to do a combined Christmas/Hanukkah celebration. Josh had still insisted on honoring Richard's Jewish heritage and celebrating Hanukkah, just like 4 years ago. Only now, he didn't mind celebrating Christmas too.
Adam was also gonna be home from college. Sharon had taken a look at one of the pamphlets the clinic gave her. Specifically the one about teen parenthood, which explained what's involved in keeping the baby. There was a whole section in it about how to talk to your parents. One of the things suggested was to get some help from another trusted family member. This gave Sharon an idea.
As Sharon was getting dressed that morning, she took a look at herself in her mirror. While she still wasn't huge, there was definitely a noticeable bump now. Her stomach certainly wasn't as flat as it was in the beginning of the school year. She still wasn't in maternity clothes, but did have to recently buy clothes in larger sizes.
She decided to wear a baggy baby blue sweatshirt that fell off one shoulder, matching baby blue sweatpants and a black glittery scarf that she was gonna use to try and conceal her ever-growing belly. She was really worried other kids in school were going to catch on soon.
She stood at her locker with Maria and Connor, chatting before their homeroom that morning.
"So Sharon..." Maria started out casually. "Are you planning on springing your little secret on your family as some kind of Christmas surprise?"
"I have a plan." She responded, in a straightforward way.
"I still can't believe you haven't told them yet." Connor said. "I mean, you've known for what? 2 months now? And you have to be at least 4 and a half months along..."
Sharon sighed. "Look, I love you guys, but you don't understand what I'm going through. Trying to find a way to break this to my family is the most difficult thing I've had to face in my life so far."
"Maybe we don't know exactly what you're going through." Connor replied. "But we can tell you what we see."
Connor then took a deep breath. He knew what he was about to say was getting pretty personal. But he also knew as a friend, he needed to say something. After all, he got pretty pissed at her when he thought she wasn't confronting him about his bad breath the herbal treatments were giving him years ago. And even though he had been mistaken in thinking Sharon sent him the note about his breath, he knew he owed it to her to tell her the truth now.
"It's just... well... it's starting to become obvious..." Connor said as he eyed Sharon's stomach. "I don't think you're gonna be able to hide it for much longer."
Sharon attempted to pull down her scarf over her belly.
"He's right, you know." Maria agreed. "It's not gonna be long before people besides us figure out you're carrying a baby kangaroo in that pouch." Maria talked in a cutesy way and poked Sharon's stomach as she said this. This caused the blonde teenage girl to yelp.
"Maria!" She exclaimed in surprise.
"In other news, I got Mangled Metal a gig at Life Cycles tonight. You guys wanna come watch? We can have some smoothies and snacks to celebrate the start of Christmas break. My treat."
"Sure." Sharon replied. As much as she still missed Alden being in the band, she did want to show her support for Alyson. Besides, she wasn't gonna turn down Maria's offer to buy her food, being pregnant and all.
"Alyson's gonna be there?" Connor asked.
"Well, she is our newest member of Mangled Metal. So yeah..."
"I don't think I can deal with that tonight. I'll just do something with you guys during the break."
"Don't tell me Canada's favorite couple is having problems." Maria said, chuckling slightly.
"I don't wanna talk about it. See you guys around." Connor walked off to his homeroom.
"Woah, I wonder what that was about?" Maria questioned.
"I don't know. I hope everything's ok between them." Sharon responded.
At the end of the school day, Nina walked up to Sharon as she was getting her coat and backpack from her locker.
"Try not to eat too many Christmas cookies during the break, Braceface."
"Why would you say that, Nina?"
"Well..." Nina said, as she looked down and poked Sharon's stomach. "Let's just say you've got a definite beer belly going on here. You didn't seriously think you were fooling anyone with that scarf, did you?"
Sharon put both her hands over her stomach in response. She wasn't even halfway through her pregnancy yet and she was already sick of being poked there!
"Don't forget, you're now widowed. That puts you back on the market. You don't want to let yourself go too much."
"Believe me, Nina. I'm not interested in dating right now. At all."
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter if you're getting fat then. Maybe you can get a job in the mall as Santa! Merry Christmas, Braceface!" Nina did her signature evil laugh as she walked off.
Sharon sighed. She was actually relieved Nina thought she was just "getting fat" and not that she was pregnant. Looks like Alyson was right. Nina was just being nice to her right after Alden died for show. Now she was back to her wicked ways.
At Life Cycles, Sharon sat at a table with Maria as they listened to Mangled Metal perform. Sharon had to admit, they sounded good. Alyson was so different from Alden, but it somehow worked. If anybody had to replace Alden in the band, she was glad it was her.
Sharon told Maria all about her confrontation with Nina earlier.
"No way! I can't believe she called you a widow and rubbed the fact that you're single again in your face! That's so insensitive, even for her. Besides, she's one to talk. Isn't she back on the market too?"
"As far as I know."
"And what happened with Griffin exactly? Did he dump her or was she the one who broke his heart? And what was it over?"
Sharon shrugged. "The world may never know. Griffin won't talk about it. And good luck getting Nina to tell us anything."
Sharon finished all her food and started stealing fries from Maria.
"Hey!" Maria cried, as she pulled her tray away. "I got you 2 extra large fries and a veggie burger with about a million different toppings. And extra pickles on the side! Yet you're still stealing food from me?"
"Hey, you try being pregnant!" Sharon declared, as she sipped her organic strawberry banana smoothie.
"No thank you. I don't plan on going through that."
"You might want to someday, you know."
"Well, maybe. But it's not going to be for a very long time."
"Yeah, that's what I said when we did the parenting project back in 9th grade. Now look at me." Sharon responded as she caressed her belly.
"Yeah, but that's different. You weren't care-" She stopped herself when she saw the hurt look on Sharon's face. "Sorry."
"It's ok."
She gave in and let Sharon have the rest of her fries. Partly out of guilt.
"I'll make an exception since you are eating for 2 now. But you owe me!"
"I'll let you eat my fries when you get pregnant."
"You mean if."
"Trust me, it's a when. And it'll be with Brock!"
The raven-haired teen rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me being pregnant has given you psychic powers."
"I'm not psychic. It's called intuition. And I don't need to be pregnant to have it."
"Thank you, Jewel."
Alyson pulled up a chair to their table and sat down with them.
"You were great, Alyson! Awesome job!" Sharon said, as she pat the brunette girl on her back. "And cute outfit! You look amazing!"
Alyson was wearing a hot pink sequined tank top, white satin miniskirt and black lace-up knee boots. Her hair had loose curls and her makeup was on point.
"Yeah." Maria agreed. "I knew going with you was the right choice. Thank you for proving it tonight!"
"Thanks guys." Alyson said with a sniffle. Then she started crying.
"What's wrong Alyson?" Sharon asked, her green eyes filled with concern.
"I wish Connor came tonight!"
"Yeah, what's up with that anyway?" Maria asked. "He normally supports everything you do. It's not like him to not show up for this kind of thing."
Alyson looked down at her glittery pink nails and started picking at one of them. "I'm not sure I want to go to Banting anymore."
"What?" Sharon and Maria simultaneously asked in shock.
"Well, I applied to Julliard a while ago. But I didn't think I had a shot at getting in. That's why I settled for Banting. But once I informed them about joining Mangled Metal, I was told I have a real chance now."
"I thought you chose Banting for their medical program. It's the best school for that." Sharon said.
"Being a heart surgeon is just my backup dream, remember? My number 1 dream has always been to be in a rock band. And Julliard is the best school for THAT. Alden wanted to be a rock star too, so I shouldn't have to tell you that."
"Ok, but what about Connor? Do you really want to do the long distance thing with him?" Maria asked.
"There are plenty of schools in New York he can get into for computer science. With his grades, anyone will take him. But he refuses to think about any school that isn't Banting. He's being so stubborn about this."
"Well, yeah." Sharon replied. "I mean, Banting has only been his dream school since kindergarten."
"But I shouldn't have to give up my dream!" Alyson sniffled again. "I just... I hate fighting with him! We never fight..."
"Hey, all couples fight sometimes. It's totally normal." Sharon said, as she put a comforting arm around Alyson's shoulder. "In fact, it's a sign of communication. So it can actually be a good thing."
"He's so mad at me for applying to Julliard without talking to him first."
"He'll come around. Just give him some space."
"Yeah." Maria agreed. "Besides, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. So you know all will be right again when you exchange gifts and kiss under the mistletoe."
"I sure hope you're right..." Then Alyson turned to her blonde friend. "I'm sorry, Sharon. Here I am complaining about my problems, when yours are about a thousand times worse."
Sharon shook her head. "You're fine. I could actually use the distraction right now."
"Still dreading telling your family?" Maria asked.
"More than I've ever dreaded anything in my life. And that's saying a lot."
"You know they'll still love you, Sharon."
"I know, but I hate to disappoint them. They all expect better of me than this. Way to ruin everyone's Christmas..."
"Actually, I find the holidays tend to put people in a more forgiving mood. So now might actually be the perfect time to tell them."
"I hope so..."
Sharon woke up the morning of Christmas Eve preparing for spending Christmas with her family. Ready for baking cookies, decorating the tree, though not so much caroling as she wasn't sure she had the energy to go door to door this year. And she definitely wasn't ready for telling her family she was having a baby.
"Maybe I can try to put off telling them for at least another month?" She wondered to herself.
Then she looked at her stomach in the mirror.
"Who am I kidding?" She thought to herself. "I'll be big as a house by then!"
She got ready and put on a baggy long-sleeved pink t-shirt and black sweatpants. She was seriously finding sweatpants to be a lifesaver lately.
When she finished getting ready, she knew Adam would be arriving any minute. She went down to the living room to watch tv and wait, while munching on some strawberry Pop-Tarts. When Adam walked through the door, Sharon ran up to him and gave him a hug.
"I'm so glad to see you!" She exclaimed. "I've missed you so much!
"Same here, sis." He hugged back and smiled. "So how are you doing? Other than, well, you know..."
Adam knew about Alden's death because he and Sharon had been chatting on AIM and talking on the phone regularly while he was away at Smithdale University in Toronto. She didn't want to tell him about her pregnancy over the phone though. And definitely not on AIM.
Sharon shrugged. "All right, I guess."
Adam nodded. "Well, I'm excited for this whole Spitz family Chrismukkah celebration we have going on this year."
"Right out of The OC!"
Sharon and Adam both laughed.
"Let me say hi to the rest of the family. You and I can talk once I get settled."
Sharon smiled. "Sounds good." She tried to sound cool as she said this, but the truth is she was on pins and needles.
Later on, Josh went caroling door to door with Sara and Lara. Sharon just used the excuse that she wanted to help Adam get settled in the guest room. He had to sleep in there now that the twins were in his old room. This was her perfect chance to talk to him.
As Adam was unpacking his suitcase, Sharon closed the door behind them and sat on the bed.
"So, I was kinda hoping I could talk to you." She said in a glum tone.
"Oh." He sat down next to his little sister on the bed and gave her a hug. "I think I know what this is about."
"You do?" She asked, sounding puzzled.
He nodded. "First Christmas since Alden's death. That's rough. You've probably walked around the mall looking for the perfect gift for him, only to realize you can't give it to him, right? And you're probably thinking about what he would have given you."
She actually wasn't thinking about any of that. She was so consumed with this baby she had growing inside her, it didn't even occur to her that this was her first Christmas without Alden. She was feeling emotional all over again. She started crying.
"Hey. it's ok." Adam continued hugging her. "I know it might not seem like it now, but you will get through this. I've known you your whole life. You're strong."
It seemed Adam still remembered some of the training he underwent from when he interned at the funeral home.
Sharon shook her head and wiped her tears away with her hand.
"Listen, Adam. I have to tell you something. And I don't think you're gonna like it."
"Why? What's going on?" He asked, sounding alarmed.
"I got myself into a big mess. Like, bigger than ever."
"What happened? Did you get arrested for breaking into a product testing lab and freeing all the animals?" He joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Although considering that Sharon had a history of doing whatever it took to save the lives of innocent animals everywhere, this wasn't exactly out of the realm of possibility.
"No, I wasn't arrested for anything." She replied, as she rolled her eyes.
"Ok, guess you're not in the mood for jokes. Look, I'm sure whatever it is can't be that bad. Right?"
"I'll let you be the judge of that. You're... gonna be an uncle."
Adam was confused at first. Then he connected the dots and laughed.
"Good one!" He said, as he patted his sister on the back. "Glad to see you still have your sense of humor. You really had me going there."
"It's not a joke..."
Adam continued laughing until he saw the way Sharon was looking down and avoiding eye contact. His eyes widened in horror.
"Oh my God! You are serious, aren't you?"
"Yeah..."
"Please tell me you were using protection and it just happened to fail. Because if the condom broke, at least I could understand that."
"I could, but that would be a lie."
"Sharon! What the hell is wrong with you?" He started yelling at her. "I thought you were smarter than that! And it's bad enough you got pregnant. But do you know how many STDs you could've exposed yourself to by having unprotected sex with some random..."
"It wasn't with somebody random! He was my boyfriend for 3 years and he was a virgin! So there really was no chance of me catching an STD from him."
"It's Alden's..." Adam's tone of voice softened.
"Of course it is! Why does everyone think I would go sleep with some random stranger just because I'm in mourning? Doesn't anybody know me at all?"
"You're right. I know that's not your style. I just didn't realize you were that far along."
He then looked down at Sharon's stomach. It was a little hard to tell at first because of how baggy her shirt was. But now that he was looking at it closely, he could make out a definite bump there.
"I mean, if it's Alden's, you have to be what? Almost 5 months?"
"Yeah..."
"And how long have you known exactly?"
"I found out a couple of months ago."
"You and I talk on the phone a lot. I understand if you're too scared to tell our parents about this. But why didn't you feel you could talk to me? You know I wouldn't have told anyone else."
"You mean because you took it so well just a few seconds ago?"
Adam sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Sharon. I was just shocked. And I'm still trying to process the fact that my baby sister is having a baby."
"Besides, I didn't think you'd want to find out over the phone."
"There really was no good way to break this to me. Ok, so no point in beating around the bush. What do you plan on doing? I know your options are probably a little more limited now, but.."
"I'm keeping the baby."
"Are you sure you want to do that, Sharon? I mean, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But being a parent is a big responsibility and you're only 17. I'm 20 and I don't think even I could handle it."
"I know it's gonna be a lot to deal with. But I'll make it work somehow."
"But what about college and becoming a vet? I'd hate to see this stop you from achieving your dream. I really did mean it when I told you I think you'll be a great vet someday, you know. But it still takes years of schooling. And if you have to take care of a child..."
"Becoming a psychologist takes years of schooling too. But mom managed to do it while she was taking care of you and me."
"Mom also had support from dad. Hate to bring this up, but with Alden dead..."
"But that's exactly why I need to do this. This is a baby Alden and I created together. It's a memory from the last night I spent with him. The last connection I have to him. I can't just give that up!"
"I understand how you feel. But..."
"I've had a lot of time to think about this. I don't really know what it means for the rest of my future. I know life is gonna be harder for me as a teen mom. But my mind is made up."
Adam nodded. He knew once his little sister made up her mind about something, there was no use in trying to change it.
"So when do you plan on telling the rest of the family? If you getting bigger doesn't tip them off, I think a crying baby will..."
"I was hoping you could help me out there. I was planning on announcing it when everyone's over tomorrow. This way, I can tell them all at once and get it over with."
"Good plan. Where do I come in?"
"I want you to help me break it to them."
"I don't know, Sharon. I'm not sure I should get in the middle..."
"Please, Adam? I need at least one person in this family on my side! The twins are too young. Josh is still pretty young too. I'm close with Griffin, but things are still a bit turbulent with him and the rest of the family. You're someone everybody in this family respects. And you and I have always been there for each other when it really counts."
Adam sighed. "Ok, I'll help ease them into it. But you're gonna be the one to actually tell them you're pregnant."
Sharon smiled and hugged her big brother. "Thanks, Adam! I knew I could count on you!"
"You'd better let me teach my little nephew or niece some wrestling moves for this."
"Nothing too rough!"
"I just hope this kid doesn't inherit your clumsiness." He laughed.
Sharon playfully smacked Adam on his shoulder, but laughed too.
The day went on with their annual Spitz family Christmas Eve traditions. David was out at the mall with the twins. Helen was baking cookies in the kitchen, with the tofurkey in the oven. Sharon and Adam were decorating the tree. Josh was putting up some stuff for Hanukkah. These were traditions Sharon was looking forward to sharing with her own child.
Helen poked her head into the living room from the kitchen.
"Sharon, honey. There are some more ornaments down in the basement. Would you mind bringing those boxes up here?"
"Sure, mom."
Sharon started to walk toward the basement, until Adam pulled her arm and stopped her.
"I got the tree, Sharon. I'm the only one tall enough to put the star on top anyway. Why don't you help mom out with the cookies?"
"It's not a big deal. I don't mind getting the boxes."
"No, really Sharon. I got this."
"But Adam..."
He pulled her aside and whispered. "I don't think you should be lifting all those heavy boxes, Sharon." He motioned towards her stomach with his eyes.
She realized her brother was right, so she resigned herself to helping Helen in the kitchen.
The morning of Christmas, Sharon paced in her room. She was dressed in a baggy velour yellow hooded sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. Her entire family was downstairs in the living room. And she was gonna have to tell them. She felt like throwing up, even though her morning sickness had pretty much stopped.
When she left her room, Adam was in the hallway. Had he been waiting for her?
"You ok?" He asked her.
She shook her head. "I feel like I'm gonna puke."
"Morning sickness?"
"No, I think it's nerves."
"You'll be ok. Yoga breaths." He led her through it. It was funny how she was the one who taught Adam this technique, yet he was usually the one who needed to remind her.
"Remember how you felt when you had to tell me and mom that you were the one who crashed the car? You were scared, but you did it. And I forgave you for letting me take the fall... eventually."
"There was also the time I had to tell you I was the one who caused you to get funeral director on that online career test you took. I was so scared you'd kill me. And yet, you're the one I ended up turning to with my pregnancy."
"You can do this. And I'll have your back the entire time." He gestured towards the stairs. "Let's go."
When they got to the living room, she saw the whole family sitting around. It seemed that Adam had already told them she had something to say.
Adam cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "So Sharon has something to tell you all. But first, just remember how tough these last few months have been for her. How she's still struggling to cope with Alden's death and it's especially hard with it being Christmas today. So maybe we can try to show some leniency here?"
He then pat the blonde teen on her back and gently pushed her to go up.
"So... there really is no easy way to say this. And you're not gonna be happy no matter how or when I tell you. So I'm just gonna come out and say it. I'm pregnant with Alden's baby."
So there it is! Sharon finally announced her pregnancy to her family! Question is, how will they react? Keep reading to find out!
- 10
- 11
- 12
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Always Be My Baby