This chapter has an M rating.

"Knock knock!" Jessica called cheerfully, poking her head into the garage.

Peter turned, a wide smile on his face as he wiped his hands. "Hi there. Come on in."

Taking his grease-stained hands and t-shirt, she quipped, "Changing your own oil?"

"Why not? It's less costly than the crooks at the dealership."

"A lawyer calling a mechanic a crook. There's a joke in there somewhere."

They shared a laugh and a long look.

"So, uh, what can I do for you?"

"Right, sorry. I know you like to work with your hands, so I was wondering if you could come over and take a look at my oven. Something sparked in there last night while I was cooking dinner and now only half of the coils are heating up."

"And Ken's "too busy" to help?"

"He's not home."

"Sure, I'll be happy to take a look. Let me finish up here and I'll be right over. Unless you have something else you need to do?"

"Just bake a couple of pies for the Alumni potluck."

"That is an emergency. I'd hate to miss a Jessica DiLaurentis pie."

"Peter? Are you out here, honey?" Veronica Hastings appeared in the doorway off of the kitchen, smiling as she spotted their neighbor. "Hey Jessica, how are you?"

"Great, you?" She climbed the small set of stairs and hugged the other woman. "I love the blouse."

"Thanks. I treated myself after I found out I wasn't really pregnant." She shrugged, looking over at her husband. "What about you? When are you going to give Ken an heir?"

She chuckled and said with a wink, "And lose this girlish figure?"

"You don't want children?"

"Maybe, someday. And you can laugh at my expense when it's my turn."

"Deal."

"Is everything all right?"

"Fine, I just wondered where you were. I forgot you said you would be changing your oil."

"When I'm finished, I'm going to run over to Jessica's to look at her oven. She said only half of the coils are heating up and she's got to bake pies for the potluck."

"Oh no. Where's Ken?"

"Working."

The tension in her features did not go unnoticed by Veronica and she felt a wave of pity for her neighbor. She was a beautiful, smart, articulate woman who had married a man who was a social equal, but a complete narcissist who gave her everything she wanted and nothing that she needed.

"Sure, he can take a look, and if he can't fix it today, bring the pies over here and use our oven. Is Ken going to the potluck?"

"Yes, he's going straight from work."

"Are you meeting him?"

"No, I've already committed to the fundraiser for the women's shelter. I'd forgotten about the potluck when I agreed to chair it."

"We'll miss you tonight."

"Oh, you're going?"

"Yes, I think it's best to keep busy."

"I'm seriously beginning to question the idea of procreation after some of the horror stories I've heard."

"If you want to be a mother, don't let that stop you. Yes, there are downsides, but the love you feel for your child is indescribable."

Peter sensed Jessica's discomfort and said, "I'm ready when you are."

"It was good to see you, Veronica. Call me if I can be of any help."

"Thank you, I appreciate the offer."

As Jessica and Peter walked out of the garage, she chattered happily at him. When they were halfway across the yard, she glanced at him and smiled. His frown in response put her on edge and flashes of her arguments with her husband flickered through her mind. A hard knot of fear settled in her stomach as she fell silent and walked beside him.

He followed her into the kitchen and she paused, keeping her back to him. "What's wrong, Peter? Are you and Veronica having problems?"

"Yes and no."

"Talk to me," Jessica urged, hopping onto the counter beside the stove. "Are you guys fighting?"

"Yes, but it's little things, petty crap." He put his toolbox down and opened the oven door, peering inside.

"That usually means something bigger is waiting in the wings. Or you just enjoy fighting, but I don't get that vibe from either of you."

"I don't think we're ready for a baby, Jess. I don't think it's a good time for us. We're both in law school, she's working part-time, I'm working full-time, we just…we aren't in a good place to be bringing a baby into things."

"But you aren't, Peter. She wasn't pregnant."

"She doesn't want to go back on the pill, she wants to keep trying."

"Have you talked to her, told her how you feel about it? How impractical and infeasible it is for the both of you?"

"She doesn't care about that! She doesn't care about being practical! She's caught the baby bug and doesn't want to hear anything unless it's what she wants!"

"Whoa, Peter, calm down. I understand, I really do. From both perspectives, actually. I don't think Veronica distrusts you, but I think she feels alone right now. You're both going to school and working, so you don't have a lot of time to spend together. She might even think you're unhappy with your life now."

"I-I can't say that it isn't true."

"Have you tried talking to her about this? You know, telling her your feelings. As a man, I know that goes against everything you believe in and that ridiculous code you live by, but you're going to have to do it if you want your marriage to survive."

"Remember when you said you wished you'd made other choices? Well, you aren't alone in that."

Jessica was taken aback. She realized she was gaping at him like a fish out of water and stammered, "You-you-what the hell is going on, Peter? You're like the Rock of Gibraltar, you never waver or second-guess anything about your life."

"Sometimes people can change your perspective on everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world around you."

"What's happened?" She looked down at him curiously, oblivious to the signals he was sending.

Standing, he stepped close to her, resting his palms flat on the countertop on either side of her hips. Her mouth opened in surprise, her eyes widening, her breath catching as he leaned into her, softly nuzzling her nose with his. Her eyes closed as his lips brushed hers with the lightest of touches, and she leaned into him for more.

They kissed hungrily and she wrapped around him like kudzu, pulling his body to hers. His hands slid to her backside and he ground his pelvis into her, groaning. He kissed the line of her jaw and down the long column of her neck, reveling in the smell and taste of her, in the softness of her skin. She worked her hands between them and made short work of unfastening and unzipping his jeans. He moaned as she touched him, skillfully arousing him as he fought with the button of her pants.

"Jesus, Jess, work with me."

She gigged softly, hopping down from the counter and wiggled out of her jeans, letting them slide down her long legs, kicking them away. He unbuttoned her shirt, kissing her skin as it was revealed to him, pulling her body to his when she was nude. She wrapped a leg around his hip and playfully nipped his lower lip, tilting her head back and meeting his gaze.

"God, you're so beautiful," he murmured.

Cupping her backside, he lifted her into his arms and she locked her ankles at the small of his back. Her arms around his neck, she squeezed her thighs around him, and lightly traced the curve of his ear with her tongue, chuckling throatily as his hands teased her naked flesh.

Her head fell back and she laughed as he stumbled from the kitchen and into a nearby guest bedroom. They collapsed onto the bed, wrestling playfully until she ended up on her back, their faces inches apart. He lowered his head and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, touching her face lightly.

Inhaling a gasp, she exhaled a moan the first time he touched her intimately. Her head rolled back, her fingers buried in his hair as she moaned his name and tugged on his arms. Her legs parted to allow him closer and he moved in, settling against her, kissing her brow as her body adjusted to his. She arched against him, signaling her readiness, and they began to move together, finding each other's rhythm easily.

In spite of it being their first time, experience, coupled with their emotional connection, gets them there. He was first, groaning her name, continuing to push into her to prolong his pleasure and to bring her off with him. Seconds later, she cried out repeatedly, her whole body clenching as she joined him, her nails pressed into his skin.

They laid together, bodies still tangled and damp with the sweat of their exertions, whispering lovers words and exchanging soothing caresses. Jessica shifted onto her side and rested her chin on his arm as she studied his profile. He gave her an affectionate squeeze, kissing her forehead.

"This feels so right," she whispered, breaking the fragile silence between them.

"It does."

"What do we do now?"

Burying his nose in her hair, he kissed her temple and murmured, "I don't know."