Cristina didn't meet Emma's gaze as she walked into the training room. She just mumbled a hello and threw a knife at the target, hitting it square in the center. Emma was feeling sick, but she needed to train, needed to let out all of her nervous energy with physical activity. She grabbed some knives off the table and stood in front of her own target, throwing them one after the other, all hitting their mark perfectly. But she didn't feel any satisfaction. She walked across the room to the rope ladder, and climbed as high as she could before dropping to the ground. Emma stumbled her landing for the first time in years as a wave of nausea overtook her. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on breathing.

She felt a hand on her back and heard Cristina's concerned voice ask if she was okay. She gulped down another mouthful of air and then opened her eyes, nodding. She wasn't going to be doing any more intense training until after the baby came, it seemed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cristina asked.

Emma realized she still hadn't moved from her position on the mat. Right then and there, Emma made a decision. She couldn't wait any longer to tell Cristina. The sooner, the better.

"Actually," Emma said softly, "we need to talk." She could see worry in Cristina's eyes.

"What is it?"

"Um, I think let's shower and change first, and then I'll come to your room. It's a really, really long story." Emma tried to laugh, make the situation seem lighter than it really was, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. This was too big to laugh about anymore.

. . . . . .

Fifteen minutes later, Emma was sitting cross-legged on Cristina's bed, her damp hair dripping onto the sheets. Cristina sat across from her, waiting expectantly.

Emma wasn't really sure where to start. Should she start with Jules? Or start by reassuring her friend that nothing was going on with Mark? She figured she'd better just start at the beginning, and go from there.

"So, I know you knew that Julian and I had . . . er. . . slept with each other." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Well, I'm kinda pregnant." She let the words out in a rush, watching them take effect on Cristina's face.

"You're pregnant!?" Cristina exclaimed. "But. . . but . . . what about the rune? I knew you had slept together, and that in and of itself was a disaster. But a baby? How could you be so careless?"

"Here's the thing: I had the rune. I know that's impossible, but it's the truth. I'm sure it hadn't worn off yet- it hadn't been that long. And since people started using it, it's never failed for anyone, so I have no idea how this could have happened."

"Well, it did happen, so now what? You can't hide it forever. Soon enough, you'll start to show. And when the Clave finds out, they're gonna be furious. So what are you going to do about it?"

"About that. . . I'm sure you noticed me and Mark earlier. I'm really sorry about this, but I asked him to pretend to be with me so it can be his baby. He agreed. I promise there's nothing real between us, but I think this is the best way to cover it up. Since an abortion is not an option, better everyone think it's his baby than Julian's."

"Okay, okay. Fine. We can only hope they never find out. But how much does Mark actually know? Did you tell him everything?"

"No. I told him it was Julian's baby, but I didn't tell him the full story. I told him it was, and I quote, 'hormone-driven drunk teenagers being hormone-driven drunk teenagers', and that there's nothing between me and Julian. He seems to believe me."

Cristina sighed loudly. "Fine. How long has it been? Since you got pregnant, I mean."

"It's been, like, a month."

"Emma, you have to be sure about this. It's nothing to laugh about. Soon enough, everyone is going to notice that you look pregnant. You need to give yourself time and brace for questions."

"You're right. I'm certain it's been about a month, no more. I should have at least another month before anyone notices anything."

"Yes. And you're going to need to start seeing a doctor soon, too. Have you considered how you're going to hide that?"

Emma groaned. To tell the truth, she hadn't really thought through all the logistics of this, and she certainly hadn't considered a doctor. Emma couldn't remember the last time she had gone to a doctor. "I guess I'm going to have to tell them soon. But I need them to believe that I'm with Mark first. It needs to be long enough that I could have believably gotten pregnant already. I can hide my first appointment or two so that I don't have to tell quite yet. And I don't need to start going to the doctor yet- I can start in a couple weeks."

Cristina sighed. "All right, but you can't put this all off forever."

"I'm not saying forever! I'm saying two weeks. And I'll spend that time continuing to build up my fake relationship with Mark."

Cristina sighed again. Lots of sighing that night. "Fine. What you did was stupid, but you seem to be planning it fairly well, I'll give you that. Good for you."

"Thanks," Emma said. She hugged Cristina, then hopped off the bed. "I'm gonna go talk to Mark some more." She winked and left the room.