Alphabet Steps

Baby Mine?

In which one of the Steps girls suspects she's pregnant early on in the band's career. A one shot inspired by TabithaNala's request. Slightly went off and ended up as a Claire and Faye friendship chapter so apologies but hope you don't mind too much. 

Claire rubbed her temple as she rolled over in the B&B they were staying in as they toured the night clubs up in the North. She winced as a nauseous feeling hit her and bolted for the bathroom. Lisa had snuck through to stay with Johnny in his room leaving Claire and Faye sharing. "Clara you okay?" Faye said sleepily as she stretched out, her blonde curls scooped into a messy ponytail as she slept. "Claire?" She ventured again getting up and wincing as the sound of seagulls could be heard from the beach. She was rather regretting the shots they ended the night with. Maybe Claire was too though she hadn't seen Claire drink much. "Clara?"
"C...can you get me my bottle of water?" Claire asked as Faye threw off the duvet and did as her friend asked. "Hey, you okay? That sounded rough." Faye said gently as Claire sniffed slightly. "I...I think I might be...be pregnant." She stammered as she took a gulp of her water. "What?"
"Me an...and Reece, that record guy." Claire said as Faye's jaw dropped. They were just starting out about to release their third single and the album. "Are you sure?"
"Well I threw up the past three days an..and I'm late." Claire said as Faye went into Big Sister Mode, her arm loping over Claire's shoulders and a soft kiss on the top of Claire's bobbed hair. "You'll all hate me." Claire whimpered as Faye let out a soft laugh.
"Why? For loving some guy. Me and Lisa are pretty guilty in that department too." She said as Claire shook her head. 

"You know you're worrying about things before you are certain. You should take a pregnancy test." Faye said diplomatically as she went to her case and got out her cosmetic bag, Scrambling through the contents she found a small box and handed it to Claire. "There you go." She said as Claire wrinkled her nose.
"Wh..why do you have a pregnancy test?"
"Because I have sex, me and Jes had a scare a couple of months ago and well he suggested it might be a good idea to have a test with me. I mean I know we're not massive yet but it'd not be great if someone blabbed you, me or Lisa was picking up pregnancy tests from the local Boots."
"You never said you thought you were pregnant."
"I dunno I might have been, it was positive but I never got to the Dr's to arrange a proper test and then what I guess was my period came a few days later." Faye said as Claire bit her lip. "I'm sorry Faye."
"Nothin' to be sorry for. I wasn't ready, not that that means you aren't if it turns out to be positive."
"I'm only just 20, I can't be a Mum." Claire said as Faye rubbed her shoulder encouringly.
"Well least go find out. Then you can think about what you're going to do if it is positive." Faye said gently as Claire sighed but nodded. 

Faye found herself tapping her nails impatiently as Claire took the test. She hoped that Lisa wouldn't bound in, for one thing she sensed Lisa and Claire weren't as close as she herself felt with both girls, a fact that somewhat saddened her at times. also she worried Claire wouldn't be honest with what she wanted if Lisa was about. She adored Lisa but at times she didn't always see things from other people's viewpoints. A baby wouldn't be ideal, of course not but potentially they could have a few months off when Claire had the baby and if they became well-known then a Nanny would be affordable. She'd been terrified when the two pink lines displayed on the plastic test weeks after they got back from filming the video for Last Thing On My Mind. Scared they'd want her out of the band, Jes already had a daughter and she wasn't sure he'd be keen for a second child already. But at least she would have had Jesper and well she'd already had lived away from her parents, grown up a little when she had jobs abroad. Claire was far more naïve in a way. Reece was a man a decade older than her and well he seemed reluctant to fully commit to Claire. "You okay in there Clara?" Faye called as she idly plaited a strand of her blonde hair thinking that she rather liked the look and idly wandering if she should try a new hairstyle. 

Claire came out of the bathroom and looked helplessly at Faye. "I can't look will you?" She said in a teary voice as Faye nodded gently knowing that Claire was struggling to process the potential overhaul her life could be looking at. Faye took the pregnancy test from Claire who was biting her lip nervously. "You won't hate me if it's positive will you?" Claire whimpered as Faye led her over to the bed and sat her down. "Of course not. You want me to see now?" Claire nodded slightly as she fiddled tensely with a strand of her hair. Faye looked and let out a small breath she didn't realise she had been holding in. "Negative." She said as Claire's green eyes widened. "Negative?"
"Aha. You might have a little bit of a bug, Lee wasn't well much last week either thinking about it, you might have picked up whatever he had. If you were stressing about that at all then it might have led to you been a little late." She said gently as Claire sat numbly. She hadn't wanted to be pregnant not right now but for a moment she had envisioned a little baby boy or girl, a mix of Reece and herself. "It's okay to be a bit sad you know. I had a little cry when I thought I might have been a Mum, but it's not something that I want for me yet." Faye said as Claire nodded. "Here." Faye said rooting through her cosmetic bag once more. She tossed another item at Claire and gave a cheeky wink. "Avoid any scares next time hey." She teased as Claire looked down at the pack of unopened condoms and shot a playful glare at her friend.