Background:
This takes place a few months after the end of Season 5. Mega's virus was never released, all the other events remain the same, but there was never any reason for the mallrats to flee the city. Instead they stayed on after Mega's defeat intent on making their dream a reality.

Chapter 1:

May laid on her bed staring into nothingness. Her hand lay on her extended stomach and beneath her palm she felt the baby kick. Her thoughts were a jumble of worries and lies. She didn't know how she had come to this. She had never imagined herself as a mother, could not imagine making a life with the father of the baby. Where most mothers would be excited about the future and looking forward to bringing a new life in the world, to May, her future seemed bleak and hopeless.

The door to her room opened and Ellie appeared in the doorway…"May, I've got some lunch done, why don't you come down to the café and have something to eat."

"Go away, I'm not hungry."

"May, you didn't have dinner last night, and you just barely had lunch yesterday. You're eating for two now and you need to keep your strength up."

"I said I'm not hungry…Leave me alone." She said a bit more forcefully.

"May, I really think you should…"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" May shouted at Ellie and flung her pillow at her, hitting her in the chest.

"Fine, go ahead and starve. At least it won't be my fault." Ellie said disgustedly and left May alone once again.

May began to sob quietly into her pillowless bed. None of them understood her, she thought. None of them had any clue what she was going through. Of course, she hadn't told any of them. But why should she. They had never cared about her. She had always been the Mallrat's charity case and after all these years, nothing had changed. She had always felt like the outsider, the black sheep. And now with the baby, things would only get worse. She would never forget the looks of shock and horror when she had finally had to break down and tell them that she was pregnant. They had all looked at her like she had grown two heads or something. Then they had asked who the father was…that was when the lies had started.

"May…Are you alright?" A soft, hesitant voice said from the doorway.

May turned her tear-streaked face to see Salene standing there looking down at her with a concerned and caring look on her face.

May's heart turned over.

"Um…Yeah…I'm fine." She managed to squeak out through the tears.

"Well you don't look fine…you look distressed. Why don't you come with me and we'll get you cleaned up and go on down and find you something to eat. I think that Ellie was cooking something up."

"Uh…Alright…I guess I could eat."

Salene helped May up then she retrieved a tissue from the dresser in the corner and helped May wipe the tears from her face. May was having a hard time looking Salene in the eye and she was desperately hoping that Salene would not notice. As Salene picked up a brush from the dresser and handed it to May their eyes met.

"How are you really doing, May?" Salene said, using the encounter as an opportunity to try and pull May out of the shell she had encased herself in over the last few months.

May was having trouble fighting off the waves of emotion washing over her.

"Salene…" She said almost pleadingly, not really knowing what she was trying to say.

Then she felt the baby kick again, and looked away quickly.

The moment was gone; she brushed her hair out and applied a bit of make-up without looking at or speaking to Salene the entire time. At last she was ready to leave her room and go down to the café for lunch. Salene opened the door and May walked past her into the hallway and down the stairs…

May braced herself to face the others. It was never easy being around the other Mallrats these days. Today would be no different…