"You're...you're what?"
"I'm pregnant."
"Does Ben know?"
Abi shook her head. "No. Just you, you and Lola."
"Is that why you went to see her?"
"I didn't know what else to do. Everything is so messed up."
"Why don't you just get rid of it? That's what you were planning on doing last time."
"You were right. You do know me too well."
"Huh?"
"I couldn't go through with it."
Jay sighed. "So, that's it? You're going to keep it. No adoption?"
"No adoption," Abi repeated.
"You need to tell Ben."
"I know-"
"Because he's wandering round thinking you're having an affair and all along you're carrying his baby."
"Wait."
"What?"
Abi realised then that Jay hadn't figured out yet. He'd assumed that Ben was the dad. He hadn't even considered that he was a possibility.
"I'm three months gone, Jay."
"That far already? Abs, you're going to start showing soon."
"No, Jay. You're not following."
"What is there not to follow?"
"Jay, I'm not...I don't know if Ben is the father."
"Who else...Oh!" The penny dropped. "Oh my God!"
Jay walked past Abi and headed in the direction of his bedroom. He left the door open to Abi took that as permission to follow. He was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands when she entered.
"If it turns out that you are the dad, you will be there for me, won't you?"
"Abs, do you even need to ask me that? I meant what I said that summer. Being a dad would make me so, so happy. It's all I've ever wanted. But I don't understand how you can expect me to enjoy this pregnancy when you're with somebody else."
"I know, okay? I know this whole situation is messed up and I'm sorry."
"When can we find out, y'know, who the father is?
"When the baby is born. We can do a DNA test then."
"Six months! You expect me to wait six months."
"We don't have a choice, Jay. None of us do."
"We have to tell Ben. We have to tell him that we slept together."
Abi looked torn.
"Abs, seriously. We need to tell him. Right now I don't care about your relationship. All I care about is this baby. Ben needs to know the truth once and for all."
"Okay, okay. Fine, but I'm going to tell him. Not you."

Abi waited up for Ben to come home. She sat in the kitchen with a mug of coffee until eleven o'clock, when he got back with Phil.
"Abs, I thought you'd be asleep."
"I need to talk to you," she said, avoiding looking at Phil.
"I'll leave you two to it."
Ben closed the door once Phil had left. "Did Jay speak to you?"
Abi nodded.
"And he told you what I thought?"
Again, she nodded.
"I was right, wasn't I? That's why you've been acting so strange recently. You've been having an affair."
"No! Ben, you've got it wrong."
"I have?"
"Yeah. I haven't been having an affair. I promise."
Ben sat down opposite Abi and took her hands in his. "Then what is it?"
"Please don't hate me."
"Abs, why would I hate you? I don't understand."
"I, uh..."
"Come on, Abi. Spit it out. You're worrying me."
She took a gulp of coffee. "I was with Lola on Tuesday. That's why I wasn't at work."
"Lola? I didn't know you two were talking again."
"I needed to speak to her."
"About what?"
"I'm pregnant, Ben."
"What?"
"I'm having a baby."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Ben let out a gulp of breath. "I'm going to be a dad, again?"
"Well, actually-"
"It'll be different this time, Abi."
"What?"
"To Lexi, I mean it. I'm going to be here this time. Me, you and this baby. That's it. That's all the matters, I promise."
"No, Ben. You don't understand."
Abi tried to interrupt her boyfriend but she proved to be unsuccessful.
"I'll start saving. We can get our own place and the baby can have it's own room."
"Really?"
Ben nodded. "I mean it, Abi. This is the start of our life together."

Jay sat anxiously in his bedroom waiting until he head Abi and Ben come upstairs. Even worse, he was sure Ben would come bursting into his room, shouting the odds. But Jay was happy that everything would be out in the open. He could let go off all of his guilt now. This was his chance to make something of his life. To start again with something to live for and make his dad proud. The only part about the situation that hurt was the unknown. If it turned out in six months time that this baby belonged to Ben it would have all been for nothing.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Jay watched as the door slowly opened and Abi appeared. She came in and sat down on the bed beside him.
"So?" Jay asked.
"Don't be angry with me, Jay."
"You didn't tell him?"
"No, I told him. Kind of."
"Kind of? What the hell does that mean?"
"I told him I was pregnant. That's it."
"You mean he doesn't know about us? He thinks that he's dad. Abi, you promised you'd tell him." Jay's voice was starting to raise. "Abi, this isn't a game. There is a baby involved in this. You can't just play with me and Ben like that."
"Don't you think I don't know that," Abi replied, emotion filling her voice. "I just couldn't-"
"But you can let me go through the next six months knowing that this baby might be mine. What about after that? When we find out? You can't jus spring it on him then. I know you're a Branning, but this isn't one of your stupid affairs!"
Abi felt like she had just been slapped round the face. It was a low blow and it stung to hear it, especially from Jay. "I can't believe you just said that." She got up to leave.
"Abi, wait," Jay grabbed Abi's hand. "Please don't go. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't fair."
"You're right. It wasn't."
"What happened then?"
"I did try to tell him, Jay. I wanted to tell him but he kept going on about buying a house and starting again-"
"Wait, what?"
"He said that it would be different to Lexi. He's going to be here this time."
"And you believe him?"
"I want to. If this baby is his then I need him to here for me."
"And what if he isn't? What if I'm the dad? Where does that leave me?"
"I wouldn't shut you out. Jay, I would never do that."
"And you'd be happy to tell him that it isn't his after he's got himself psyched up after all those months?"
"I'd have to, wouldn't I?"
Jay ran a hand through his hair. "So what now?"
"We carry on. As far as Ben knows he is the father, and then we take a DNA test when its born."
"And if I'm the dad?"
"If you are the dad then we tell him the truth. If you're not then he never has to know what happened that night."