Samantha felt gentle fingers tracing lazy circles on her stomach. As she became more awake those same finger started travelling north underneath her cami.

"Stop right there buster." She grinned and turned to face her husband.

"Why, we have time." Jack pouted.

Samantha's smile widened at the adorable look on her husband's face. "Because there is an impressionable teenager sleeping on the other side of this very thin wall."

"She's been here a week, and don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have her anywhere else, but it hasn't escaped my notice that it has also been a week since….you know".

"Wow if you can't even remember how to say 'make love' after a week, I wonder if you are going to remember how to do it?" Samantha teased him.

"Have no fear I am very ready, willing and able." Jack grinned as he flipped them so she was lying underneath him and in no doubt how ready, willing and able he was.

"God this is killing me, but not with Annie a thin wall away." Samantha said firmly.

"Fine! Then cut class this afternoon and we can sneak back here." Jack suggested.

"Jack I don't cut classes!"

Jack lifted an eyebrow and then waggled them causing her to burst into laughter.

"Fine! I'll meet you at lunch but we have to go back to pick Annie up, okay?"

Jack's grin widened. "You have a deal Mrs Neil."

...

Samantha had no sooner arrived at school than she was summoned to the guidance counsellors office. Burt Burnett had been a guidence counsellor for twenty years and had never enjoyed the position. Children bored him, so full of their own self importance and melodramatic, but here he sat year after year listening to their petty woes and looking over college applications.

"Come in Miss Neil". The guidance counsellor said as Samantha knocked on the door.

"Actually it's Mrs Neil." Samantha said wondering why she had been called here when she would much rather be in class.

"Ah yes that's right, one half of our teenage newlyweds. Still together are you?" Samantha bristled at his words but held her tongue for the moment.

"Very much so Mr Burnett." Samantha said as sweetly as she could.

"Right, well, your teachers all say you are a remarkable student, some even say a genius, a word I feel is bandied around far too often to describe those who are just above mediocre." Once again Samantha was put on edge, what she wouldn't give for a zat right about now. "In fact they say you are extremely mature and an outstanding role model for other students."

Samantha had heard enough. "If you could please let me know why you have asked me to leave class, Mr Burnett I would really appreciate it."

"I was wondering why such an outstanding pupil and paragon of virtue as yourself hasn't lodged a college application yet. A student of your calibre could have their pick of schools, not to mention scholarships, but unless I receive an application you will miss out on a place for the next academic year."

Samantha had wondered if anyone would notice she hadn't applied for college for next year. Apparently they had. "I don't plan to go to college full time for a few years, I was thinking of maybe taking a few classes over summer and then maybe one or two a semester but I haven't made any firm plans." She told him.

Burt Burnett looked at the young woman in front of him and shook his head. Apparently even smart girl thought getting pregnant was the best way to hold onto a relationship. "I would have thought someone with your brains would be smarter getting knocked up and tying yourself to some boy for the rest of your life."

Samantha had heard enough. She stood and glared at the man in front of her. "How dare you speak to me like that. As a matter of fact I do have the brains not to get 'knocked up' as you so eloquently put it. However, should my husband and I choose to get pregnant that is no-one's business but ours." Samantha told him emphatically. "Now if you don't mind I would like to return to class." Samantha didn't give the man time to respond before she stalked out of his office, still fuming from the way she had been spoken to.

She started walking back to class, her mind racing. It wasn't just the fact that the small minded little man had just assumed she was pregnant, it was the fact that he wasn't that far off the mark. She was putting off college to have a baby, a baby she wanted to have very much, the question was why were they waiting? She had been so caught up with wanting to do things differently this time she had lost sight of the main thing she wanted to be different, she wanted a relationship and a family with Jack. Hoping to get a glimpse of him she took the longest route possible back to class and smiled as she walked past the football field she saw him out running with his basketball team. She stopped to watch as he jogged around the field, admiring his toned body.

Jack caught sight of his wife watching him from the side of the field and sped up to get to her before she had a chance to walk away.

"Hey beautiful." Jack stopped and kissed her, earning wolf whistles and catcalls from his team mates.

Jack smirked, "Yeah, yeah guys, like none of you have ever kissed a girl." He called their retreating forms.

The last thing he heard from the group was one of them calling back, "Get a room Neil!"

"He's right, let's go, let's move our afternoon plans up a bit." Samantha said with needy urgency, as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the carpark.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jack asked gently. Stopping so he could caress her face and look into her troubled eyes.

"Nothing. Nothing's going on. I just want to go home and make love to my husband, okay?"

Jack knew something was bothering her, he also knew pushing her would do no good, when that brain of hers was working on something he had learnt over the years to let her work through it completely and then she would speak to him.

Several hours later Samantha, replete and exhausted finally spoke to her husband. "I got called to the guidance counsellors office today. He wanted to remind me I hadn't put in any college applications yet. When I told him I wasn't planning to go for a couple of years he assumed I was pregnant."

Jack lay there silently. He knew there was more because that was not something that would upset Samantha like this.

"Turns out I want to be." Samantha said almost as a whisper. "Badly."

It took a moment for Jack's brain to catch up with what Samantha was saying because he was pretty sure his wife just told him she wanted to have a baby….now.

If Samantha hadn't been so worried about Jack's reaction she would have laughed at the emotions playing across his face until he finally got to the one she had hoped for. Pure happiness.

"Guess we had better start house hunting because we can't keep cutting school to make babies, I mean we can, but you won't and I got a call this morning, we are now the official legal guardians of a teenager."

"Looks like you are getting that family you wanted after all Jack Neil". Samantha said happily.