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Thanks so much for all the reviews. Please keep them coming. This chapter is pretty much a filler chapter but I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 6

Unfortunately for Jeff the next flight to Richmond wasn't until six the next morning so it had been a restless night for him. He'd considered jumping in the car and just driving there but Shannon had talked him out of it, reminding him of the amount of Jack Daniels he'd already consumed. The last thing he needed was a DUI charge. True to his word his long time friend and given him a ride to the airport. The plane had been on time and now he was in a taxi cab, minutes away from Mickie's house and hopefully finding Maria.

Suddenly his cell phone started to ring, he yanked it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID, it was Beth. Disappointed, Jeff debated not answering, in the panic last night, he hadn't given his girlfriend a second thought. He decided it was best to answer and accepted the call, "Hey."

"Jeff? Where the hell are you?"

"I'm in Richmond, last minute work thing," Jeff lied. He felt bad about lying but it wasn't like he could tell her the truth, that he'd dropped everything to go looking for Maria who was probably pregnant with his child.

"Couldn't you have said no? I was looking forward to spending a few days alone with you. And why didn't you call me?" Beth added.

Jeff cringed at her tone, "Like I said, it was a last minute thing. I'll be back on Saturday at the latest.

Beth sighed heavily, "How are we supposed to be working things out if you're never home?"

"Please don't start, I'm not in the mood for another argument. I gotta go I'm almost at the venue. I'll call you later, bye." He hung up the phone, neglecting to say his usual, 'I love you' to his girlfriend. It wasn't that he didn't love her, he did but at the moment they were going through another rough patch in their relationship. Pure jealousy had caused him to lie to Maria about it.

Once the cab had pulled up outside Mickie's house, Jeff paid the driver and lifted his suitcase onto the sidewalk. As he made his way down the longish driveway he felt his stomach drop when there was no sign of Maria's car. Where the hell was she?

When he reached the door, he didn't hesitate and pressed the bell. He didn't have to wait long, Mickie opened the door just seconds later, "Jeff? What are you doing here?"

Jeff ignored her question, "Is Maria here?"

The brunette shot him a confused look, "Maria?"

"Yeah, is she here?"

"No," Mickie replied when Jeff's face dropped she continued, "But she was, she's just gone with Chris to get some gas."

Jeff let out a huge sigh of relief, "Oh thank god."

"I think you'd better come in." She sidestepped allowing her co-worker access to her home. Once the two were inside the living room she spoke again, "Take a load off."

"Thanks," Jeff said, sitting down on one of the two couches.

"So Jeff, what's going on?"

"I was looking for Maria?"

"Yeah … I gotta ask, why didn't you just call her?"

"I tried too, like over fifty times last night," Jeff replied, "She didn't answer."

"Maybe the battery died. I don't remember hearing it ring."

Jeff frowned, "She promised she'd call me when she got here. She always calls me."

Mickie ran a hand through her hair, "Right, I think I know what happened, Maria was wiped out when she got here. She threw up and then crashed for the night."

Meanwhile Maria and Chris had just pulled into the driveway, the redhead was about to exit she noticed her cell phone was sitting in one of the cup holders, "I must have left it there last night." She picked it up and looked at the display, "Fifty five missed calls?"

Chris laughed, "Somebody's popular."

Maria pressed a few buttons, "They're all from Jeff … Oh shit, I forgot to call him last night. I better do it …" she trailed off as the battery died, "Shit."

"What's wrong?"

"Battery died."

"You can use the land line when we get back inside I'm sure Mickie won't mind."

"Thanks Chris."

The two got out of the car and walked towards the front door but before Chris could ring the bell the door opened revealing an amused looking Mickie, "Oh hey guys, good timing. You've got a visitor, Maria."

Maria shot her best friend a confused look, "Me? Nobody knows I'm here. Who is it?"

The brunette smiled brightly, "Go into the living room and find out."

The smackdown diva rolled her eyes and headed towards the living room. As she walked into the living room she gasped, "Oh my god, Jeff what are you doing here?"

"You didn't call … I was worried about you."

"I'm so sorry about that. I was wiped out last night and I left my cell in the car. I've only just seen all the missed calls. And I was going to call you from Mickie's land line," Maria rambled. "How did you get here?"

"Plane … Shannon took me to the airport. It's so good to see you Ria. Damn near gave me a heart attack with worry."

"I'm sorry Jeffers," Maria replied in a baby voice, "It won't happen again."

"Too fucking right it won't. I'm coming with you next time. Now get your ass over here and give me a little sugar."

Maria sighed dramatically, "Okay but only because you asked so nicely." She sat down next to him on the couch and hugged him tightly.

After a minute or so Jeff pulled back and placed his hand on her stomach, "Papa Jeff was worried about you too little buddy. I thought something bad had happened to you and your mom."

From the doorway Mickie and Chris watched their friends, "Do you see that?

"Of course, are we going in there or what?"

"In a minute, let's just give them a few more moments alone. Maybe then I won't feel like an intruder in my own home. And for the record he so loves her."

Chris nodded, "Pity he has a girlfriend."

"Yeah."

Maria suddenly noticed them at the doorway, "You can come in you know."

"Didn't want to interrupt the reunion."

"Oh please, there is nothing to interrupt."

"Doesn't look that way to me," Mickie muttered to Chris as they sat down on the opposite couch. "So Jeff, how long are you in Richmond for?"

"Not sure," He replied honestly, he turned his attention to Maria, "When do you leave?"

"Friday."

"Friday," Jeff replied to Mickie. "Are there any good hotels around here?"

"Don't worry about a hotel you can stay here. You'll have to share the guest room with Maria though and there's only one bed in there."

"Wouldn't be the first time they'd shared a bed," Chris chirped up. The three others each shot him a death glare, "I'm just saying."

Mickie elbowed him in the ribs, "Don't."

"If Jeff's cool with sharing with me then it's not a problem. As long as he has enough room next to the beached whale."

Chris tutted loudly, "You are not a beached whale."

"You're beautiful," Jeff put in.

Maria smiled brightly at them both, "Thank you my biased best friends."

"It's true."

"You won't be saying that in a few months time," the redhead replied.

"You'll still be beautiful then."

Maria blushed, "Okay you have to stop it now you're embarrassing me. And speaking of which I should really go for my morning walk." She rested her hand on Jeff's thigh, "Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure."

The redhead smiled, "Cool, I'm just going to get my sneakers." She got up quickly and was only missing for two minutes, "You guys are welcome to join us."

"Thanks but we gotta sort out the horses this morning. Maybe some other time," Mickie replied.

Chris winked at Maria as she walked passed causing her to roll her eyes which only served to make the blond man smirk.

"I'm going to take Jeff on that walk we did last time I was here."

The raw diva smiled, "Have fun. Lunch will be already about one thirty."

"Thanks Micks. You ready Jeff?"

"Yeah, see ya later." Jeff nodded to his two co-workers as they left the room.

By ninety thirty that evening, Maria and Jeff were both lying on the bed in the guest room. Jeff was asleep or so Maria thought, his hands were resting on her swollen stomach. "Jeff?" When she didn't receive an answer, she looked down, "Hey little one," she whispered, "Can you feel Daddy's hands on you? He's your real daddy too, he just doesn't know it yet but he will do soon, I promise."

Behind her, Jeff opened one eye and smiled. It was true. He was really going to be a father.