As Mikayla and AJ sat on her bed staring at each other, AJ tried to find the words to express his feelings. He was still in complete and total shock. She was pregnant. She was PREGNANT.

"Mikayla, why...." he started, but he couldn't finish his sentence. He tried again. "Why didn't you say something? Why did you just leave?"

"What was I going to say, AJ? Oh, by the way guys, I'm pregnant and I have no idea which one of you is the father, but I think I'll just hang around here for awhile while you guys go into shit-fits." she answered bitterly.

"Well, no, but you could have at least told ME," he said, looking down.

"AJ, you and I both know you can't keep secrets worth a damn. I didn't want anybody to know, so I didn't tell anybody except my best friend. She's the only one who knows the whole story, and I would really like to keep it that way, ok?"

"But I thought... when you left, I mean... I thought I did something wrong and you were punishing me. I thought you could tell that I..." his voice trailed off. This wasn't the right moment to say what he was thinking.

"No baby," she said, placing her hand on his. "You didn't do anything wrong. I did. I should never have let this happen. It's completely my fault, and I'm going to accept responsibility for my..." She couldn't say "mistake".

"Um, Mikayla, if I'm not mistaken, it takes two people to make a baby. You're not in this alone, you know," he said softly. "Do you have any idea who..."

"No," she said, cutting him off. "I don't know and it doesn't matter to me in the least. This baby is mine, and nobody else will ever have to worry about taking care of us or anything like that. You guys all have your lives, and I don't expect anything from anybody."

"Well, I'd like to know if it's mine," he whispered, looking away. "I'm sure the other guys would feel the same way, too."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they'll be thrilled with this news. AJ, have you forgotten that Kevin is married, and it's not to me? Have you forgotten that Howie HATES me? And Nick... oh God, don't even get me started on Nick. He's a kid, AJ, not a daddy. Besides, I don't want to go through all that Maury Povich-who's-the-daddy-paternity-test thing," she said, smiling.

"Ok," said AJ, smiling a little, "I'll leave you alone about it for now. But after it's born, please reconsider, ok?"

She nodded and said she's think about it. She laid back on her pillows and held out her arms to him. He smiled and slowly moved to her, laying down and resting his head on her chest. He pulled her gown up over her stomach and ran his hand over her soft skin. The baby shifted, then kicked hard enough for AJ to see her stomach move.

"Oh my god," he said, looking at her with surprised eyes, "Did that hurt?"

"No, it happens all the time and it doesn't hurt. It just feels kinda strange," she said, laughing softly.

"How much longer do you have?" he asked.

"About 9 more weeks," she answered, feeling relieved that she was nearing the end.

He placed his hand back on her stomach and sat there in awe while the baby kicked and moved. She ran her fingers through his hair and he looked up at her again. She smiled. She was so happy to have him back. She had missed him so much. He leaned up and kissed her lips softly. It was the sweetest kiss she had ever felt. He ran his hand through her hair and pulled her closer to him. Her hands traced lightly over his shoulders as his lips brushed her cheek, then her neck. He slid the strap of her nightgown over her shoulder and kissed it softly.

"God, I missed you, Mikayla," he whispered as he buried his face in her neck and inhaled her sweet scent. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"AJ," she said quietly, "make love to me."

"Can you... I mean, will it hurt the baby?" he asked, looking concerned.

"No, it won't hurt the baby," she said, smiling. AJ gently pulled her nightgown off, leaving her completely naked.

"Don't laugh at me," she said, slightly embarassed by her new curves.

"Why would I laugh," he said, smiling, as his hands roamed over her body. "You're beautiful. And these..." his cupped her swollen breasts in his hands, " God, these are amazing. Can you keep these after the baby gets here?"

She laughed out loud and reached into the side table drawer to pull out a condom. He laughed as he took it out of her hand.

"What's this for?" he asked, sitting up on his knees with a puzzled look on his face. "I mean, it ain't like you're gonna get knocked up."

"I don't know where you've been," she said, smirking. "It's been 5 months since I've seen you."

"You're right," he said, smiling a sad but sweet smile.

Mikayla sat up and ran her hand down his sides, then pulled his shirt up over his head. She was a little shocked at the change in AJ's body. Gone was the skinny, almost teenaged physique. It had been replaced with more muscle and bulk. He looked incredible, and the sight of him like that aroused her immediately. She led him down to the bed, where he lay on his back. She smiled up at him as she helped him out of his pants. She was happy to see that he was completely aroused, and that her pregnancy had not taken his desire for her away. He sat up and laid her gently on her back. He entered her slowly, almost tentatively. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him and drew him in. He closed his eyes for just a moment, as if the intensity of the experience was too much for him, and he wasn't going to be able to do this.

"AJ," she whispered, "make love to me."

There were those words again... make LOVE to me.... As he made sweet, gentle love to Mikayla, his mind kept wandering back to those words. She had never used that phrase to describe any of the sex they had ever had before. As Mikayla reached her climax, she raked her nails down AJ's back, when sent him into an immediate orgasm. He withdrew from her, and removed the offending condom, tieing a knot in it and tossing it into the trashcan. He rolled over and took her in his arms. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart beating. She could hear thunder in the distance, and she knew there was a spring storm on the way. They didn't speak for several minutes.

"Mikayla," AJ finally said, "you know you're going to have to tell the other guys about the baby, right?"

"I know," she answered, closing her eyes. "Let's just not think about that right now, ok? Let's just lay here and listen to the storm."

"Ok," he said quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, baby. What?"

"Um... did you ever... love anybody before? I mean, one of us, you know?" he asked awkwardly.

She looked up and smiled at him, nodding.

"I didn't realize it before I left, but yes, I did. Still do, too."

He didn't press her to get specific. That was good enough for him. She was with him now, and that's what mattered.

****************************************************

The next morning, Mikayla got up early. She showered and got dressed. By the time AJ woke up, she was ready to go.

"What's wrong?" he asked groggily. "Why are you all dressed up?"

"Today is the day," she answered simply. He knew exactly what she meant. She was going to confront the others today.

"Ok, I'll call them and we'll meet at my house," he said, sitting up and running his hand through his hair. He looked at her and realized how truly beautiful she was. The morning sunlight was streaming in between the curtains, shining on her long, dark hair. She had a quiet determination in her eyes that even calmed his nerves.

A few hours later, he pulled into his driveway with Mikayla in the passenger seat. The others were already there, including Brian, who came along out of complete curiosity. AJ ran around to open the car door for Mikayla and to help her out of the car.

"I can do it myself, smartass," she said, laughing. "I'm not THAT big yet."

As they walked in the front door, Mikayla's outward confidence belied her inner feelings. Inside, she was jello. She could feel her heart beating in her throat, and she just hoped she wouldn't faint. They made their way into AJ's living room, where Kevin and Nick were playing Nintendo and Howie was on the phone. Brian saw her first. He smiled brightly at first, then his eyes fell to her obviously pregnant stomach and his mouth dropped open. He didn't say a word. Howie glanced around to see what Brian was looking at, and his eyes grew huge.

"I'll have to call you back," he said to the person on the other end of the line, and he hung up on them.

Nick and Kevin turned around when they heard Howie, and they saw her.

"Hey Mikayla!" Nick shouted as he hopped up out of his chair. He skidded to a stop before he reached her when he noticed her pregnancy. "HOLY SHIT What happened to you??" he yelled.

Kevin closed his eyes and said nothing.