here's the second chapter! i'm going to ask you guys now: do we want a completely happy, super awesome ending, or an okay, take-what-we-can-get ending?

normally, this would end (after a few twists) with a sunset wedding, happy kids, and all that jazz. but im not sure if Chris and Gail are cut out for that... so i need opinions!

review, review, review please! (you're all amazing for the ones you're already given me.)


Not A Lost Puppy

It wasn't long before the sun had risen completely, and Chris and Gail were sleeping soundly underneath her fluffy green quilt. The room was washed with a soft green glow. The colours supposed calming effects had failed miserably as Chris' dreams were plagued by thoughts of complications. He'd seen how scared she was. What if she is pregnant, but they lose the baby? Gail would never forgive herself, and neither would he. A truck backfiring outside woke him from his slumber, and he sighed for the thousandth time that day.

He looked down at his girlfriend, whose eyes were open too.

"We're really good at not sleeping." She said to the ceiling. He could tell her mood had lifted, but she still hadn't taken a side in the situation.

"Want some breakfast?" He kissed her temple before climbing out of bed.

"No thanks. But there is some pancakes in the freezer if you want them." Gail rolled off the other side of the bed and stretched.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" He knew why she was hesitant.

"Yeah, maybe I'll grab something later." She squeezed his hand as she left the room. He followed her into the kitchen, where she'd perched herself on the counter. His eyes drifted over her, marvelling at the way the light shone through her hair. Another feeling boiled in his stomach as his eyes travelled downwards, landing on her perfectly flat stomach. He still couldn't wrap his head around the possibility that he could be a father.

"Okay, one more question and I'll leave it alone." Chris turned to Gail, jumping as he nearly placed his hand on the red hot burner of the stove. Gail pursed her lips and turned to him, the softness about her disappearing.

"Fine." She looked at her feet, unhappy about where the conversation had turned to.

"If you are, you know," He made an unreadable gesture with his hands, before his face became serious once more. "Well, I guess it's not really a question." Gail cocked her head, and shot him an expectant look.

"What?" She sighed, her voice came out a little sharper than intended.

"If you are pregnant," He walked over to her. "I want you to keep the baby." A still weary Gail was shocked into attention.

"Chris, wait – what?" Gail didn't understand how he'd just decided he wanted to be a father. "But, it's not the right time." She tried to convince herself more than anything.

"If this is for real, I really want you to have the baby. I'll raise it alone if I have to." Gail's heart slowed before coming to a complete halt. This was not happening.

"Chris, this isn't up to you!" Her voice was frantic. She had let herself get more involved in this relationship than she'd ever planned, and now this. If she was pregnant, they'd be linked forever through another human being.

"Take a test. Then we'll talk." He returned to finish making breakfast and Gail walked to her bedroom. She locked the door and let out an overwhelmed sob into her pillow. As much as Chris wanted to run to her side and kiss the pain away, he restrained himself.

He knew that she had a lot to think about, but so did he. Until recently, he'd never even considered the idea of being a father. He shivered as the thought sunk in. Chris Diaz, a father. He looked down at the eggs he was preparing, and smiled. The reality was that he loved the idea of making breakfast for his family every morning.

He sat at the kitchen table and devoured his breakfast before placing the dishes in the dishwasher and finding a place on the couch. He pulled out his phone and opened the internet. After about a half hour of searching, he was interrupted by small footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Gail in sweats and a sweater, holding her purse.

"Let's go." She said. He grabbed his keys and met her in front of the door, turning to face her.

"You're ready for this?" He asked her.

"Nope. This isn't for me." Her voice was breathy.

"We can wait, Gail." He reassured her, stroking her hand with his thumb.

"No, we can't. Because I really need a drink right now, and I need to know if I can knock one back without damaging a tiny human." She rubbed her lips together and sucked back another tear as he opened the door for her. It was less than five minutes to the drugstore, thirty seconds to isle 4 – women's products, and ten seconds for Chris to realize that Gail was about to throw up.

"Gail, Gail? Are you okay?" He stuttered, gripping her shoulders. "We shouldn't have come. Let's go." He took her hand and began to walk towards the door, but she stopped him.

"I think I should get the one in pink packaging. Pink is good, right?" She said slowly, her ability to form sentences nearly gone.

"It really doesn't matter, Gail. Do you want me to take you home?" He said softly, as a few people stopped and looked at them. She shook her head.

"Little girls like pink." She whispered, reaching forward and picking up two tests. She looked at Chris, her blue eyes brilliant, but glassy. Chris took the tests out of her hand and wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. The cashier scanned the two small packages and told Chris the price. He dropped a twenty on the counter.

"Keep the change." He said hurriedly before walking Gail out to the car, whispering calming words. The car ride home was once again, silent. Gail's eyes remained completely impassive as she stared out the window, not noticing the nervous tapping of Chris' fingers on the steering wheel. His nerves were more evident as they got into her house, and she started to pull the small white stick out of its packaging.

"We can wait, you know. You don't have to find out right now." He held her hands, but then turned and started to pace.

"I thought you wanted to know." Her eyebrows furrowed, a slight accusatory tinge in her voice.

"But what happens, if…" He drifted off, but quickly began again. "You could be, pregnant? Where is the baby going to sleep? We can't afford to buy it nice things. I could build the crib, I'm good at building." Chris' tone worried the blonde, and for once it was her turn to calm him down.

"Chris, if I am, it's still early. There's lots of time, or I don't even…" Gail wasn't sure about his reaction. "Have to keep it." His eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Okay. Well first, you're about six weeks in. That's when morning sickness usually starts. Second, you'd actually do that?" He looked at her with utter disbelief.

"Well, think about it Chris… It's not the right time, at all. We're serious, but not that serious. We have practically no money. And – " Chris' jaw dropped.

"Gail, this isn't some lost puppy you can send to the pound. This is a baby. I get it, that not everything is as you want it, but you just can't do this." He ran his fingers through his hair, and she realized how much this was weighing on him. "I'll get a part time job that won't clash with shift changes. And you know what? I don't care if you don't want to be a part of his… or her, life. I'll raise it alone." Chris' voice, filled with devotion topped with a sharp tone, stung Gail's ears.

With that, she stood up and made a scene about grabbing the white stick and stomping off to the bathroom. After a few minutes, she regretted walking away. She opened the door and placed the pregnancy test on the counter, before backing away as if it was a bomb.

"Did you do it?" Chris walked over to her.

"Yeah." Gail was breathing heavily.

"What did it say?" He leaned down to look in her eyes. A true deer caught in the headlights, she could barely speak.

"I don't know." Chris was confused.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" She still hadn't blinked.

"I mean, I haven't looked yet." She choked out, a blush rising up her neck.

"Do you want me to check?" Chris stroked her cheek gently. She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Let's just wait awhile." She whispered in his ear, not releasing her grip.

Almost an hour later, the two were sitting in a comfortable silence at the kitchen table. The test lay face down, in between them. A few times, Chris had reached for it. His fingers would reach the hard plastic and hover there for a minute before he'd pull back his arm, and the waiting would resume.

It was nearly two PM, and he'd begun to fall asleep at the table. Moving Sam & Andy's furniture yesterday, then the partying, and then the lack of sleep had unsurprisingly, drained him. Gail had been sitting across from him when he'd finally drifted off. Roughly a half hour later, he was woken by a small whimper from the opposite side of the table.

He opened his eyes to see his girlfriend with tears leaking from her eyes, one hand clasped over her mouth and the other holding the pregnancy test. He sat up straight and leaned forward.

"Gail?" His voice was quieter than intended.

Her eyes rose to meet his as she slowly rotated the stick to reveal a small pink plus sign.