Being Reasonable

Title: Being Reasonable

Genre: Humor/Romance

Summary: "Fainting the very opposite of okay, Lora," she could imagine him saying. He was such a worry-wart sometimes.

Author: Sakura123 (weber_dubois22)

Rating: PG

Characters: Lora Baines, Alan Bradley

Pairing(s): Alan/Lora

Chapters: 1/1

Written: 3/13/2011

Completed: 3/15/2011

Updated: 8/21/2018

Disclaimer: Tron/TRON 2.0/Tron: Legacy and all things related are property of Steven Lisberger, Bonnie MacBird and Walt Disney Studios (and some other guys I'm probably forgetting but can't care to remember).

Lora's head is swimming when she realizes what happened.

The lights above her are out of focus, along with everything else, but she can make out shape of Alan's head and the tuffs of hair tousled by a frustrated hand not moments ago. Sound has been virtually non-existent for the last two minutes until the familiar ringing begins to fill her ears. Almost immediately the lively activity of the shopping mall she remembers dragging him to - her way of trying to get him to lighten up - comes rushing back to her ears.

Oh, God, she's gone and made a scene in front of a million perfect strangers. Alan was probably having kittens right about now. Blinking against the haze of disorientation, she flexed her fingers, raising her arm from its prone position next to her. Alan called her from the far end of the metaphorical tunnel she called awareness, she blinked a few more times in the vain attempt to clear her vision. The low pulse of a headache began to thrum behind her head, her mind struggled to retrace her steps.

"Sir, is she alright?"

They were fussing about something.

"Somebody call an ambulance!"

Kevin maybe? Or was it about the electric bill?

"...Dropped like a ton a bricks, man. Shoulda seen it."

No, wait, the parking ticket. They were fussing about the parking ticket they got because she forgot to put money in the meter.

Various conversations and voices mingled with each other as sound became prominent once again. She exhaled slowly as she felt herself being lifted from the ground for better support, recognizing Alan's grip immediately. There was no mistaking those hands. "I'm okay," Lora meant to speak her reassurance with a clear and strong voice. Instead, it came out in a bewildered and spacey slur. Her face was suddenly pressed against his bomber jacket and the deep vibration that hummed against her skin indicated he was speaking.

"Fainting the very opposite of okay, Lora," she could imagine him saying. He was such a worrywart sometimes. Lora felt him shift again, she slid from against him, she felt his arms position themselves around the center of her back and underneath her legs. Oh, no. Her eyes widened, awareness smacked her out of the fog of confusion and back into the world of focus.

She recognized the electronics' store, the toy store and Pier 1 Imports at the very end of the room. They were a third of the way from the mall exit. Her body straightened in reaction to his body rising from it's crouched position, her legs spread out just as daddy long legs stood upright. Her feet made a resounding "slap!" against the concrete floor, she stumbled back a little, supported by Alan's hands which positioned themselves firmly onto her shoulders. "I'm okay," Lora sighs, swallowing against the nausea churning in her stomach.

"You're not okay, you just fainted," Alan intoned, leading her toward the nearest bench. "C'mon." Lora made a feeble attempt to shove him away. Alan paid it no mind. She sat down with minimal assistance, her heart was fluttering in her chest, the lightheadedness was working it's way back to the forefront of her attention.

"Lora-"

"I'm okay, Alan, really," Lora soothed. "I don't know where that came from."

"I do." Lora opened one eye to regard her boyfriend. There was something about distress that made his otherwise soft features sharpen, the way cheek and jaw bones would protrude against his skin gave him a completely different character altogether. The same could be said when he wasn't wearing glasses.

"Really? You do?"

Alan nodded sagely. "You haven't been sleeping. Now, now, hold on, Lora - you haven't. Don't think I don't know when you aren't in bed."

Lora tsked. "Well, that would mean you aren't sleeping either," She retorted.

"No it doesn't, it just means I wake up in the middle of the night or morning and you're not in bed," Alan argued. "In fact, it almost always means you're sitting in the kitchen staring at nothing." At her sidelong look he continued. "It can't be work that's keeping you up."

"No, it's not."

"What then?" Alan's fingers slid across her palm and wrapped themselves around her wrist. "Come on, Lora, you know you can tell me anything," He said. Then came that smile, that reassuring, but melt-your-heart smile that left her weak-kneed and smiling herself in any other situation. She could tell him anything, he was open-minded enough that he didn't judge her simply by her actions.

"Are you sick?"

She shook her head. "No, not sick. Not really," Lora replied. His face began to contort with bewilderment when she said, "I'm pregnant, Alan."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Oh!" A very stunned expression graced his features.

Lora shrugged her shoulders. "Pretty much."

"You're pregnant," He repeated. "We're - you're going to have a baby."

"Yes."

"Oh," He ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh, well that's really something."

Lora nodded solemnly.

He could've handled that a little better.

"Alan."

"Hn?"

"Alan."

"Hm?"

"Alan!"

"Mmm-hmm, yeah?" Alan rolled onto his side, forcing his eyes open so that he at least looked the part of a man awake and ready to receive his fiancée. "What is it Lora?" The contour of her shoulder stood out in the pale moonlit room, lifting his gaze up a little he realized she was sitting on the edge of bed, staring down at him. "Can't sleep?" He murmured.

Lora shook her head 'no'. Holding back a yawn, Alan took a moment to recollect himself as he fought sleep. He pushed himself up so that his back was leaning against headboard, Lora watched him expectantly, a small smile playing on her lips. "C'mere," He motioned with his hands that she come closer. Lora clambered across the bed without a second thought and placed herself under the embrace of his arm. "I'm sorry about how I reacted," Alan whispered against her hair.

"It's alright. It's not everyday your fiancée tells you she's pregnant," Lora managed a sleepy chuckle. "I'm sorry I kept it from you for so long." Her hand slid out from under the covers, he reframed from laughing as she placed her fingers in the center of his chest. His breathing hitched slightly, he watched with detached curiosity as she traced the invisible "T" with careful precision. "You know, if we get married now everyone will think of it as a shotgun marriage," Lora said.

"Nah, we've been planning this since May," Alan paused. "How far along are you?"

"Two or three weeks, according to my doctor," She replied, sliding her finger down to his navel. As she expected, his stomach fluxed violently, he readjusted himself slightly and let out a hum. Alan bit the inside of his cheek when she raised her eyes to meet his. "You're still ticklish, aren't you?" She laughed.

"Lora, I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm not-" Her fingers became clawed at his stomach and began to flex rapidly. "No!" His long legs shot up underneath the covers as he tried to escape her. He attempted to use the sheet against her, Lora swatted the blanket away and leapt onto him.

Straddling him, Lora resumed her tickling. "Lora, stop it!" He proclaimed, laughing as he did. Lora laughed along with him, maintaining her grip around his thighs as he bucked. His laughter and protests filled the empty silence, Lora was merciless as her fingers worked their way up his ribcage. Alan couldn't even beg for mercy he was laughing so hard, tears rolled down his face in rapid succession.

Lora giggled at how red his face had become, she continued to tickle him until her stomach started to roll itself into knots. Suddenly her hands were away from his stomach and on her mouth. Alan, unaware of how green her complexion had become, rolled away from her, throwing her off to the left.

Suffering a fit of giggles, he watched in bewilderment as she scrambled off the bed and hurried out of the bedroom. "Lora?" He chuckled, listening to her feet pound against the carpet floor. It only took the sound of the bathroom door being thrown open to realize what was happening. Swallowing his laughter, Alan jumped out of bed, stepping over his and Lora's clothing as he proceeded toward the door.

A pang of guilt hit him square in the chest as he listened to awful gurgles roll across her throat and spill out into toilet. First thing tomorrow, he would start looking for remedies to counter morning sickness. There was no need for Lora go through it if he could eliminate the cause. He entered the bathroom without hesitation, kneeling down behind her, Alan pulled her hair back away from her face, pretending not to notice the chunks of pizza embedded in the ends. "Thank you," Lora moaned.

"Not a problem," He said. An eternity seemed to past before the vomiting fit was over. Afterward, she sat slouched against the rim of the toilet, completely drained. Alan used a couple of wet ones to clean her hair of regurgitated food. "Has this been happening long?" He asked.

"No. This is the second time," She replied. "Remember when we had that board meeting? It was about… two weeks ago. I had to go the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I remember," He replied. "You were really moving."

"That was first time," Lora finished, groaning. "And to think this'll just get worse before it gets better."

"You know you'll probably have to take a leave of absence, don't you?" Alan pointed out. "The digitizing lab is no place for-"

"I know, I know, Alan." A frustrated sigh followed her words, it was clear she'd been thinking about this a lot. "The doctor says I can work there until I hit the six week mark. Then I have to start thinking about the baby's needs and…" She let out another sigh. "What am I gonna do for duration of nine months? My job is my life, Gibbs and I have worked like hell to get the Shiva Laser to the point it is now. To think I have to sit on my ass, go to Lamaze classes, eat healthy and start nesting like I'm some bird drives me crazy."

"Hey, it won't be so bad. I'll help you," Alan stated, reaching over her shoulder and taking her hands in his.

"Oh, Alan-"

"Truly! I'll be on top of this whole pregnancy thing like no one's business," He interjected. "I'll even get a day planner for it."

She smiled. "Alan, that's very sweet of you, but you're COO of ENCOM. You and Flynn practically oversee the entire business. You can't always be there for me."

"I can and I will," Alan shifted his position so that he was kneeling next to her. "Lora, I'm not one of those guys who'll get their girlfriend or fiancée pregnant and not do anything to help out-"

"Alan, I never said you were." She never thought it was possible given the way he was raised.

"No, I know you didn't, and know you didn't mean that, but-" He shrugged. "Kevin only needs me for the important stuff and if I'm not busy tweaking Tron or going over paperwork or dealing with the board, I'll be here with you. I won't have it any other way," He said. "I love you."

Lora was both grateful and flattered by his speech, his more than just a speech. He meant every word of it. "I know you do," Lora sighed happily. "I'd kiss you right now if my mouth wasn't so rank."

"I'd settle for hug if that's alright with you," Alan chuckled.

And a hug she did so freely give to her future husband. She was feeling just a smidge better about her situation and she could only hope Alan was too.

(FIN)

Author's note: I was watching a bunch of Seasonal Highlights for Scarecrow and Ms. King on YouTube when the idea for this story came to be (the ticking bit in particular came from a clip featuring Amanda King teasing Lee for being ticklish and Lee attempting to deny it until she tried to tickle him). Canonically (in reference to Tron 2.0) it might be a bit backward, as Lora got pregnant after she and Alan were married, but given that TRON 2.0 states that Jet was born in December 1983, then Jet was conceived March of the same year, meaning Lora was pregnant the entirety of the original TRON. I'm the only one worried about this stuff so I'll stop talking about it.

Sufficed to say, whatever idea I had of not watching S&MK flew out the window after long periods of exposure to young Bruce Boxleitner (bites fist). Now I've got it and Remington Steele (Extremely Young Pierce Brosnan, rawr) to watch and that is such an overload of the formulaic "Odd Couple" formula. Anyways, the bit about Lora having to take a leave of absence is probably all kinds of incorrect, so if anyone knows better, feel free to correct me so I can edit it.