AN: Yeah so this is a bit of rough chapter. Trigger warning for mentions of abortion, though there is no description.

On Monday, Madison faced her most brutal day yet. Whatever tiny steps she had made in mending the rift between her and her brother were destroyed in the choir room after school. They were chatting before Mr. Shue came in, as they were wont to do, when Alistair brought up Madison's pregnancy. Everyone seemed to tense up at the mention of the elephant in the room and the room went dead silent. Alistair asked again what everyone thought, adding that if the reason Mason told them was so that they could all help her figure everything out then they were certainly doing a poor job of that. Madison resisted glancing at Roderick and kept her eyes trained ahead as she struggled to keep her breath even.

"Well, what do you want to discuss about the pregnancy? It's not like anyone outside of the room even knows about it and when they do, the most important thing is to be Madison's defenders." Kitty pointed out.

"Like what does she plan on doing about it? Because if she wants an abortion she has to get one soon to minimize complications and if she wants to give it up for adoption she should start looking for an agency and adoptive parents as soon as possible." Alistair pointed out.

"I really think that she should get an abortion," said Mason, "that would get rid of the problem before it really started." Madison's eyes prickled with tears. She couldn't believe that her brother still saw her baby as something to be discarded.

"Me too. I mean, what's the big deal? Just walk in, get it done, walk out. Bam, problem gone." Added Spencer. "It's not like this is going to be a good thing for you if you go through with it and have the baby."

"No, no, no!" Exclaimed Jane. "Nothing is that simple. I'm not pregnant, but I do know that doing that can do a number on a woman mentally and physically. The dangers of getting an abortion, especially as you get later and later in the pregnancy, can be deadly."

"And even if you want the abortion it can have painful mental effects." Added Kitty. "That's still your child and a mother's instinct can kick in after the procedure. A lot of women feel like they failed after they get the abortion and grieve for the rest of their lives."

"But some don't." Pointed out one of the Warblers. "Some women have no problems moving on with their lives afterwards."

"While that's true, the issue isn't with most women," Jane said, "the issue is with Madison. And I can't see her not regretting it in the future." Madison still hadn't moved and was barely breathing. The only thing running through her mind was I must protect my baby over and over.

"And if she doesn't get the abortion, then what happens. She marries the father and lives happily ever after?" Another of the Warblers asked.

"My vote would definitely be for her to give the baby up for adoption. Yeah it would be hard, but it gives all of them the best chance. Then Madison can finish her education with no obstructions and the baby gets parents who have the funds and the time to take care of them."

"I disagree." Put in Jane. "I think that after carrying her baby for 9 months, she's going to have too much trouble giving the little girl or boy up." Some of the Warblers looked like they agreed with Kitty and some with Jane. Others still seemed to think that abortion was the most logical option. No one seemed to notice that neither Madison nor Roderick had weighed in. The discussion kept getting louder and more passionate as the two sat frozen in their seats. It was their baby's fate being discussed and both of them were numb, closed in their own heads.

Suddenly, Madison stood up and fled the classroom. Roderick watched her, wishing desperately that he could follow her and comfort her, but knowing she would be more furious if he did that than if he stayed put. One of the Warblers, the one he vaguely remembered peeling her off of on that fateful night, stood and followed her instead. The silence in the room was tangible when Mr. Shue walked in and looked around. Instead of asking about the crackling tension, however, he chalked it up to the stress of Regionals coming up and the lingering problems between the groups and dove right into his lesson for the week.

Outside, Michael found Madison sobbing into her hands on the ground by her locker. He sat down beside her and wrapped her into his arms, rocking her a little.

"I guess that's the conversation you've been trying to avoid, huh?" He asked. She nodded miserably. "And I'm betting you did not want to have it with the entire glee club?" She nodded again. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. After all, my calculations indicate that if things had gone differently that night, that baby could have been mine." Her head snapped up and she stared at him. "It's the truth isn't it? That baby would have been mine if we had made it to a bedroom?" His hand rested on her abdomen.

"Yes." Her reply said it all. In that single word was the admittance of what had happened that night and who the father was.

"Does his silence mean he doesn't care?"

"His silence means he does. I asked him not to say anything yet, at least until I can work on Mason. His silence is him bending to my will."

"Will you acknowledge him as the father?"

"It's what he wants, so yes. I will. I'm not ashamed of him." Michael squeezed her tighter.

"Then I will be your support every step of the way. You can handle this crowd alone if you need to. But remember that you don't need to." Madison hugged him back very hard.

"Thank you." She whispered, almost inaudibly. They sat like that for a while, just being and hugging until Michael brought her home himself so she didn't have to face Mason just yet.