The glow of Chris's pearly whites were first in line to greet her as he jetted out of the airport, pulling his rolling suitcase close behind. His body was racked with animated laughter the second he laid eyes upon her, the result of his delight at finding Stephanie awaiting him, and he scrambled to her as she pushed off her temporary resting spot against their vehicle and reached out for him. Chris traded his hold on the handle of his suitcase for an enveloping hug with his girlfriend and breathed in her vibrant scent before pulling back just enough to press his lips to hers. His hands roamed the sides of her body and slipped up to her neck before coming to a stop against her cheeks, which he caressed with his thumbs.

"I missed you, baby," he pulled away and kissed the tip of her nose before reaching back for his suitcase and wheeling it the remainder of the way to the car as it scraped against the pavement.

"I missed you too," Stephanie replied as Chris heaved his belongings into the backseat of the car.

While he busied himself with that effort, Stephanie went around to the driver's side and lowered herself into the seat, tapping her finely manicured fingernails against the steering wheel as she waited for Chris to join her. Her gesture wasn't one of impatience but was a nervous habit that accompanied her frenzied thought pattern. The time had come to let Chris in on the colossal news, and if the results proved even semi-favorable, Stephanie planned to extend an offer for him to accompany her to a scheduled doctor's appointment the following week. It could very well have been a fantasy to believe she had even the slightest chance of him welcoming her admittance with any sort of positivity, but perhaps a part of Chris would be excited about the prospect of having a baby.

Stephanie pulled the visor mirror down after retrieving a tube of vanilla lip gloss from her purse and began applying it generously. Other than the lip balm, her face was devoid of any signs of makeup, which gave her a refreshing, natural look. She considered wearing some, since it was the first time she was seeing Chris in a while and she obviously wanted to look her best for him, but there was no sense in putting in the extra effort when she would most likely end up crying it off anyway. The cynicism that came with that assumption wasn't helping her any, but Stephanie was trying to be realistic in preparing herself for whatever reaction might be headed her way. After rubbing her lips together, she caught her eyes in the mirror, just as a flash of terror overtook them, and slid her sunglasses back on, not ready to contend with that particular emotion.

Chris shut the back door and slipped into the front passenger seat a split second later, closing himself inside and reaching across to stroke Stephanie's thigh. "So what's up, gorgeous? Did you have a lot of fun without me?"

"Are you joking?" she smiled while checking her rear view mirror to see if it was safe to pull out. A small line of cars was passing, so she waited as they scooted on by before pulling out and steering towards the exit. "I had an awful time without you. The only bright spot was when I flew to Connecticut a couple days ago to visit Paul at Titan."

"How did that go?" Chris scratched his cheek and gazed at Stephanie, smiling absently the moment his eyes landed on her. Whenever he returned home after a lengthy hiatus, Stephanie was always exceptionally more beautiful than he recalled her being the last time they were together. His hand twitched in his lap with an eager longing to touch her, and his urges won out as he reached for her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb.

She took her eyes off the road only long enough to smile at Chris before replying, "It was nice, actually. It's always cool to catch up with old friends, but I would have enjoyed the trip more if I'd had you with me. I thought about you every single second you were gone."

"I thought about you the whole time too," he admitted as he lowered his hand from her cheek. "I've gotten so used to having you with me that it felt like torture to have to go without you for all those days. It really made me realize just how much you mean to me."

"I dealt with some stuff while you were away that made me realize how much you mean to me too."

"Really? Like what?" Chris asked innocently, and for a brief second, she debated whether to give him a straight answer.

Keeping their impending future a secret wasn't an option, so the only thing to set in stone was the how and when she was going to lay it on him. The deception involved in foregoing her birth control without his knowledge was bad enough, but things would only grow worse if she kept him in the dark about the pregnancy for much longer. The only thought that was able to bring her alleviation from doubt was that, no matter what happened, she would invariably have a piece of Chris in the form of the human being they had created together. In that moment of realization, she mused over what it might be like to receive a favorable reaction from Chris and have him pick her up and spin her around joyously when he first learned of his unborn child.

"There's something really huge I need to tell you. I don't know how you'll take it, but I'm hoping you'll see the good in it."

"Ooh, sounds exciting," his anticipation built as he rubbed his hands together and a gleam formed in his eye. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you when we're home."

"We should stop for food first. I don't feel like cooking, and I'm guessing you won't either by the time we get back."

"I'd actually like to go out somewhere for an early dinner, but I need it to be after I talk to you. What I have to say isn't the type of news I can spring on you over the dinner table, if you know what I mean," Stephanie explained, although she knew very well he had no clue. If he thought hard enough and studied the intonation with which she spoke, Chris was intelligent enough to figure it out, but even if he did, he would have pushed the thought from his mind. It wouldn't so much have been that he didn't suspect a pregnancy as it was that he didn't want to believe it. "It's not anything bad, unless you make it out to be that way."

"Why don't you just tell me now?" Chris urged as she came to a slow for the red light ahead. Stephanie was supremely thankful for the shield her sunglasses awarded her...until Chris reached over and pulled them from her face. His eyes locked with hers, and she turned off before his intense study caused her to have a panic attack. "You look nervous, but I don't know what could be so bad."

"That's just it - - it's not that bad. It's more about how you're going to take it than anything else."

"Well would you mind telling me then?"

The light flashed green, and it was her saving grace as she pressed her foot down on the gas and maintained her silence. Her concentration was stellar but not to the point that she was capable of driving and dropping a bomb on Chris concurrently. Essentially, she was playing with his life, and it wasn't until after she had enacted her pregnancy plan that Stephanie realized just how selfish it was. Chris deserved better than her, and she owed him the decency and respect to allow him to have a say in when and where he wanted to bring a child into the world with her.

Chris had trusted her, made love to her thinking she was being completely honest with him, and Stephanie had taken that trust and torn it to shreds. There was no doubt he would love his son or daughter when it came time for their arrival, but Stephanie wasn't certain her would share the same love for her. If there was one thing Chris hated, it was a liar, and when he found out the woman he was dating epitomized that role, he would be out quicker than she could complete her apology and beg for his forgiveness. The sun beam filtering into her car was obstructing her vision somewhat, so she held her hand out.

"Sunglasses, please?"

"Sorry," Chris handed them back, and for a solid block of time, she felt his eyes on her before he turned off and stared out the window again. They traveled in silence for the next couple of minutes until he lowered the song playing on the radio and cut in, "You're acting really weird. Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Chris..."

"What?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" he tossed his hands up to demonstrate his aggravation and shook his head. "You're the one acting weird, not me. Just tell me what you have to say and be done with it."

"I can't talk about it while I'm driving."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm trying to concentrate," Stephanie shot back, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Then pull over."

"I will when I can," she agreed.

Her original intentions called for getting Chris home before she laid everything out for him, but telling him in a public place seemed somewhat ideal. Not only could he not freak out without running the risk of making a scene, but he also couldn't leave her, because he was depending on Stephanie for his ride home. Even if he was fuming, he would have no choice except to leave with her, and that made her feel a smidgen better about what had to be done. Spying an electronics store up ahead, Stephanie flipped on her blinker and pulled into the expansive lot before deciding on a parking space near the back.

The moment the car's engine was turned off, Chris's hand slithered on top of hers and he gave it a squeeze of support. Stephanie bit her lip and turned away, not wanting to see the affectionate gaze she knew his eyes held. She didn't deserve his admiration or support, not after what she had done behind his back. If he found a way to forgive her, it would be a miracle, and the only thing left to do was hold out hope that one would be headed directly her way.

"Chris?"

"What is it?" he spoke gently, his tone working to soothe her equally as much as the calm stroke of his hand, which was still lovingly caressing hers. Stephanie took a deep breath in through her nose and released it from her mouth before picking his hand up and guiding it underneath her blouse to her bare stomach. She pressed both of her hands on top of his as he swished his thumb across her lower abdomen.

"I've been really scared to tell you this, but I want you to be happy about it. I don't want something so special to turn into a time of sadness or anger. I hope you'll love me no matter what and trust that I can do better in the future. I know I was wrong in this and that we haven't planned for having a family, but everybody makes mistakes and—"

"Are you trying to tell me you're pregnant?"

"Yeah," she whispered and cringed, expecting the worst. Instead, she received the reaction she least expected.

"Oh my God," Chris's eyes widened as they darted from his hand on her stomach up to her anxiously awaiting eyes and back again. "I'm so sorry, Steph."

His words caught her so off-guard she had to choke down a guffaw, "What do you mean you're sorry?"

"I made you feel like you couldn't tell me about this, didn't I?" he wondered, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against his seat. He looked horrified, and Stephanie almost couldn't bear to listen to Chris admonish himself when he hadn't been the one to do anything wrong. "I'm such a selfish jerk. I know I've always said I wasn't ready for a baby, and I still don't know that I am, but we'll get through this together. I never meant to make you feel too scared to come to me if the birth control failed and you ended up pregnant. I'm just so sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, no, it's really not. I could tell how nervous you were when we left the airport just now, and I don't ever want to be the one to make you feel that way again," Chris's face dropped as his eyes begged for her forgiveness.

He was issuing an apology that should have been coming from her instead, but that was when it hit Stephanie that she could leave the situation as it was. Chris wasn't as upset about being a parent as she predicted he might be, and if all he assumed was that the birth control failed, she could leave things be. There was no reason to hurt him even worse and raise the possibility of him leaving their relationship when she needed him the most. Stephanie saw no reason to be the giant, thunderous rainstorm that swept in and ruined his perfectly flowing parade, and since the opportunity arose, she was willing to capitalize on it.

"I'm coming around," his voice broke through Stephanie's thoughts just in time for her to watch him open his door and rush around the front of the car. When he made it to Stephanie's side, he yanked on the handle, but it was still locked, so he rapped on the window with his knuckles until she unlocked it a couple seconds later. After pulling her door open, Chris latched onto her hand and guided her out of the car and into a standing position before slipping his arms around her waist and hugging for dear life. Stephanie swayed with his movements as he rocked her back and forth and whispered sweet words of encouragement in her ear. "I'm gonna make this right, you'll see. I might not have been ready for a baby right this second, but I know we have it in us to be great parents. We'll make it out of this stronger, and we'll both have another person to love just as much as we love each other."

"You're right, absolutely right," Stephanie mumbled against his shoulder as she inhaled the sweet scent of his cologne and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. When they pulled away, Chris cupped her cheeks and kissed her with passionate vehemence before coming up for air.

"I really am happy to have a baby with you. This is unexpected, but I can't think of anyone I would rather be doing this with. It's actually pretty kickass now that I think about it," he beamed while Stephanie's eyes softened and she pouted at his sweet words. "My only issue is, if I ever made you feel... if I...don't ever be afraid to tell me anything like this in the future. Whatever you're holding in may not be exactly what I want to hear at the time, but you can come to me no matter what. We're in this together, babydoll."

"I know," she agreed.

"So when did you find out?"

A smile played on her lips when she thought back to that defining moment, after waiting three minutes for a plastic stick to tell her what was awaiting her in the immediate future. The smile waned when she remembered she was lying to Chris, but she pushed the interruption back in the furthest depths of her mind and answered the question he was eagerly awaiting her response to. "It was a couple of weeks back, before you left for Fozzy. I needed time to figure out how I was going to tell you, so I stayed behind to prepare while you toured."

"That's why you stayed behind?" his eyebrows knitted together when she nodded. "That's terrible. You could have told me, Steph."

"I know, and I should have. I'm sorry if I hurt you by keeping it a secret," she confided as he leaned in for another hug.

She closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the pain residing in her heart the further she allowed her lies to carry. Sure, she hadn't told Chris anything that wasn't true, but she was still lying by omission, and that wasn't any better. Strike one had been the act of coming off her birth control without Chris's approval. Strike two was allowing him to believe the birth control failed instead of admitting to him that she had ceased taking the pills on purpose.

All it took was one more strike and Stephanie would run the risk of being counted out...for good.