Alex slammed the old book shut in frustration. Dust jumped out as though happy to have escaped its prison. She coughed and waved it away from her face. There was nothing in any of the books that could help her. She checked the book on wizard diseases, but "being with child" wasn't among the covered illnesses. She read about unwanted items, but again that didn't cover anything pregnancy related. Alex even checked the spells about mistakes but none of them said anything about being helpful against unplanned pregnancies. Apparently wizards are very pro-life. She looked at all the books spread out in front of her and sighed deeply. What good was being a wizard if you couldn't take care of a problem? Magic was supposed to be a fix all, damn it! Alex bit her nails as she mentally chastised herself. How did she let this happen? How could she have been so stupid? She wanted to cry, but there were no more tears left inside. Alex couldn't bring herself to wallow anymore. She just wanted it all to go away.

Despite being incredibly tired she couldn't find release in sleep as it refused to come to her. Instead she found herself staring at a computer screen into the early morning hours reading about what was happening to her body. With bloodshot eyes she researched. During this time Alex learned a lot about this little mistake of hers. She learned that week one of a pregnancy begins even before you conceive! Turns out doctors start counting from the first day of your last period. Fertilization happens around week three, implantation during week four and voila you're pregnant and you probably don't even know it! Which Alex didn't, until recently. She counted back on her fingers to see just how pregnant she was. If her calculations were correct she was probably around eight weeks along. That was two months, give or take a few days. She also learned that this was the reason her boobs and back were aching so much! It wasn't fair. She didn't ask for this. Alex had to do something and she had to do it fast before anyone found out about her dirty little secret.

The next day, dressed like a spy, complete with trench coat, black scarf covering her hair and large sunglasses, she took the subway to the other side of town, as far from Waverly Place as possible. If she was going to do this she had to get it done without being spotted. She could have used magic, but she was boycotting it. She wouldn't have to do this at all if magic had cooperated in the first place! Alex took the steps leading up the sidewalk, constantly glancing around to make sure no one was looking at her oddly. She really didn't have to worry much, it was New York and everyone had their own lives to deal with rather than worry about what anyone else was doing. Still, her heart raced as she made her way to the clinic.

Just like the news and movies portrayed, there were protestors picketing outside the door with signs that read, "Baby killers" and "Godless," as well as various bible verses. Alex stopped across the street to assess the situation. The protestors were pretty much blocking the doors not really allowing anyone into or out of the clinic without a good deal of harassment. Still, she came with a purpose and she wasn't leaving until she saw it through. Careful to look both ways Alex darted across the street and approached the gang of people. They were much louder over here.

"Abortion is murder!" The leader shouted into a megaphone and was echoed by her peers. Alex cringed slightly at the words, but straightened her back when she realized that these people had no say in what she did with her body.

"Do we want murderers on our city streets?" The leader yelled.

"Hell no, they've got to go!" Came the response. The closer Alex got the more nervous she became. She didn't know how this was going to go down, but she knew that she had to get it done.

"Out of my way!" Alex growled as she shoved through the throng of people to get to the glass doors of the clinic.

"Sinner!" People shouted at her. Alex felt hands pawing at her as she pushed by, but she was determined to make it inside.

"Slut!"

"Whore!"

Her ears were assaulted with horrible names as the group shoved back at her. Alex wrenched the door open and launched herself inside the building. The shouts were quieter once the door closed behind her. The office was relatively peaceful, rows of mostly empty chairs lined the waiting room and a nurse sat behind a glass window typing at a computer. Alex took deep breaths to compose herself as she removed the sunglasses and scarf. She made her way to the window and cleared her throat. The nurse behind the glass looked up and gave her a soft smile.

"Do you have an appointment?"

Alex swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "No, I was- I was hoping that I could just come in." The idea of making a phone call like that from her house was too risky and using her cell phone was absolutely out of the question as her parents still paid the bill. The nurse nodded and pressed some keys on the keyboard. Her eyes scanned the computer screen. Alex twisted the scarf in her hands.

"We do have an opening available for a walk in, but it's going to be a bit of a wait," the nurse explained with an apologetic look.

"That's fine," Alex replied, "I'll wait."

"I'll just need you to fill out these forms for me, honey." The nurse placed something into a bin on her side of the glass, closed the lid and a drawer opened on Alex's side revealing a clipboard with papers and a pen attached. Alex reached inside and removed the contents with shaky hands. The phone rang and the nurse gave Alex one last reassuring smile as she reached to answer it. Alex took the forms to a chair as far away from the front door as she could get and began to fill out her information.

It was almost twenty minutes later when a nurse called her back into the exam room. She had Alex put on a gown, give a urine sample, and then wait, followed by more waiting. She waited so long that by the time the doctor finally entered the room Alex had nodded off on the exam table.

"Miss Finkle?" The doctor asked with a smile. Alex bolted up into a sitting position and wiped at the side of her mouth where she had been drooling slightly.

"Wha- oh yes, that's me… Alex Finkle," Alex replied as she rubbed at her eyes. She was so nervous about someone finding out that she had been there that she lied about her name. Hopefully Harper didn't mind her borrowing her last name.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, I'm Dr. Goode." She looked young, blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes and a kind smile. Alex shook her hand and folded her hands in her lap as she waited for what came next. She tried to put on a calm face though it felt like a hummingbird had taken up refuge in her chest.

"The urine dip came back clearly positive," Dr. Goode began as she flipped through Alex's chart, "It says here that you believe yourself to be approximately eight weeks along?"

"Yes, I did some research online and I counted back and I think I am that far, I mean not far, it's not that long. Not so long that I can't take care of it, I just wanted to-"

Dr. Goode gave Alex a kind and reassuring smile, she was a professional and could obviously tell that Alex was nervous. "Well, just to be sure, we are going to do an ultrasound to verify gestational age, okay?"

Alex nodded and swallowed hard. Dr. Goode instructed her to lie back on the exam table and pull the gown up to expose her abdomen. Alex shivered slightly when the cool gel hit her belly.

"It's cold," she stated the obvious.

"I'm sorry, it will warm up in a moment," Dr. Goode placed the wand against Alex's skin and applied a gentle pressure. She moved it back and forth over her stomach and a soft whooshing sound filled the room that was shortly followed by a louder, faster thumping noise. Though she hadn't intended to look, Alex found her eyes drawn to the screen. Her womb was before her in black and grey and that repetitive thumping noise filled the room.

"What is that noise?" Alex asked, her eyes wide as she stared at the doctor.

"That's the heartbeat," Dr. Goode replied softly.

"It has a heartbeat?" Alex breathed. Her eyes locked on the image on the screen as the doctor pressed buttons on the machine in front of her.

"Yes, the heartbeat can sometimes be heard this early. It's very strong," the doctor's voice was soft.

Alex closed her eyes and listened to the sound. She allowed it to fill her until it was the only thing she could hear. The exam room, the machines, the medical instruments, and Dr. Goode all disappeared. Alex was alone with her baby. Her baby. This tiny being inside of her was very real, very alive. This baby was her. It was Justin. It was everything. That night with Justin came rushing back. The beauty. The passion. The love. It wasn't a mistake, not if something so beautiful could be the result. The heartbeat stopped as the wand was removed from Alex's tummy.

"Miss Finkle?"

"Yes?" Alex asked as she came out of her thoughts.

"The next step in the abortion process is-"

"I'm keeping it," Alex stated as she pulled her gown back over her stomach.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm keeping my baby," Alex repeated locking eyes with the doctor who nodded and pressed a button the machine next to her.

"Then you are going to want these," Dr. Goode said with a smile as she handed Alex a series of ultrasound pictures that the machine had printed. Alex accepted the pictures and held them gingerly in her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down at the image of her tiny baby. It didn't look like a baby yet, it looked like a little blob, but it was hers and she loved it.

"You should be taking a prenatal vitamin, so the baby gets everything it needs. You should also eat a balanced diet. Do you have a good support system at home?"

"Thank you," Alex said looking up at the doctor as the happy tears trailed down her cheeks.

Dr. Goode didn't seem put off by Alex's thanks. Instead she smiled again and handed her patient a tissue.

"Congratulations, Miss Finkle," she said.

"Russo. My name is Alex Russo."

A/N: Sorry for the long gap between chapters! I hope it didn't disappoint. Thanks for reading! Please review.