As always, a super special thank you to my faithful reviewer and beta EvilBunny101!!!!

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1 Week Later…

"Hey, Lyn, we need to talk," Bobby said, walking into the kitchen. He looked down at his daughter and smiled at her. "Why don't you go show your costume to Isabelle?"

Abigail nodded and quickly ran into the living room where Isabelle was searching for the source of a stink that no one but her could smell. She sat down on the floor beside her aunt and stared at the spot under the couch that she was searching relentlessly. Noticing the presence of another person in the room, Isabelle turned towards her niece and smiled.

"You probably think I'm a little bit insane right now, don't you?" she asked the toddler. Abigail nodded quickly and Isabelle smiled. "Well, it's better you figure out that your family is a little on the odd side sooner than later."

"Aunt Izbelle, mommy and daddy are talking. I had to come in here and show you my costume," Abigail said.

"Oh." She sat down Indian style and looked at her niece, dressed in a white dressed with a red cross on it, a hat made of paper perched upon her head decorated in the same fashion and a stethoscope wrapped around her small neck. "Well, what are you?"

"I'm like mommy."

"So you're going to be a mommy for your Halloween parade?"

"No, silly," she said, scrunching her face up so that her pudgy cheeks were the predominant feature on her face. "I'm a nurse like mommy."

"Of course you are!" Isabelle replied. "Well, since mommy and daddy are in the kitchen talking, how about you go grab your coat and put it on while you wait?"

"Ok."

As the toddler scampered off towards the hallway where her coat hung, Isabelle resumed her search underneath the couch. She had her one hundredth encounter with a dust bunny when a large, manilla envelope caught her eye. She reached out and slid it out from under the couch.

Back in the kitchen, Lyn was washing the dishes, turning the water higher to sound out Bobby was he muttered incoherently at her. She knew what he wanted to talk about, knew he'd figure out the truth eventually, but she didn't want to betray Isabelle.

"Lyn, listen to me," Bobby said, grabbing onto her arm softly.

"What?"

"I know she ain't still sick, Lyn," he said, as Lyn turned around to face him. "I'm not that stupid. It was Izzy's test, wasn't it?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you," Lyn replied. She wrapped her hand around his upper arm and held it lightly. "You aren't supposed to know."

"Jack got her pregnant and he abandoned her? Imma kill him."

"It's not exactly like that. He doesn't know and he didn't abandon her, they're divorced."

"No, they're not."

"What do you-"

"Bobby, you ASSHOLE!"

Bobby groaned and turned towards the doorway as Isabelle stomped her way into the kitchen. She walked over to him and slapped him hard across the face. He took a step towards her, grabbing her arm so that she couldn't hit him again.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Bobby?" Isabelle yelled.

"Whoa, hold on there," Bobby said, now holding both her arms as she fought against his grip. "What did I do?"

"Lyn said you mailed the divorce papers for me," she replied.

"I did."

"Then what is this?" she asked, trying to hold up her left arm.

Lyn walked over to Isabelle and grabbed the envelope from her. Bobby let go of Isabelle and looked over at Lyn as she stared down at the object in her hand and then looked up at him.

"Bobby-" Lyn started to say, quickly getting cut off.

"Okay, so I didn't mail in the papers, but what you two did was worse."

"What did we do?" Isabelle asked.

"Congratulations," Bobby said, placing his hand on Isabelle's stomach.

Isabelle looked down at her stomach, Bobby's hand still pressed to it. She opened her mouth to try to explain, but couldn't find the right words to say. Bobby retracted his hand from his stomach and shook his head softly.

"I thought we were family, Izzy," Bobby said, genuinely hurt.

"We are." Isabelle looked over at Lyn who saw looking at the ground. "This was all my doing, Bobby. Don't be mad at Lyn, I made her promise not to say anything."

"I have to take Abigail to school," he said, ignoring her request. "I wanna talk to ya when I get back though."

Isabelle nodded and looked over at Lyn as Bobby walked out of the house, slinging Abigail over his shoulder playfully. With a small sigh, Lyn walked over to Isabelle, placing her hand on her shoulder and shrugged.

"It could be worse."

"How?" Isabelle questioned. "Bobby never sent in my divorce papers, I'm pregnant and I am ruining your relationship with Bobby by being here."

"First off, you're not ruining anyone's relationship and secondly, I have no proof that it could be worse, I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Thanks, Lyn."

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Jack groaned at the sound of his doorbell ringing. He stood up and walked over to it slowly. As he pulled the door open the sound of hollering filling the hallway sliding into his apartment. He placed his hand to his head and stared at Vaughn, Scott and Ray as they walked inside. Both Vaughn and Ray were in the spirit of Halloween. Vaughn dressed like a particularly ugly transvestite and Ray in a white lab coat, the word "gynecologist" embroidered on the pocket.

"Very nice," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "What about you Scott, not into the Halloween spirit?"

"I figured I'm scarier enough without it," he replied.

"Go get ready, you're coming out with us," Ray said, pushing Jack towards the bathroom.

"No, I think I should sit this one out," he replied, shaking his head. "You, since the intervention and all, it might be for the best."

"All right, but you're gonna have a boring Halloween while we're out there getting us some-"

"Seriously, Ray, you don't need to finish that sentence, your costume speaks for itself," Jack said.
"Now get out of here."

"You want me to stay here with you?" Scott asked.

"No, I'm fine. Just going to watch a few movies and hit the sack."

"Okay."

Jack opened the door and watched as his three friends walked out of his apartment. He headed back towards the couch when the doorbell rang out again. He grabbed onto the doorknob, pulling it open and was surprised not to find his band mates there but a mother and her child.

"Trick-or-treat!" the girl said, smiling.

"Happy Halloween," Jack said, smiling at her and turned to the table next to the door, grabbing the bowl of candy off of it. He turned back to the girl who stood then in bobby socks, a button up shirt, a skirt and flaming red hair. "What are you supposed to be, a 50s girl?"

"Sort of," she replied. "I'm supposed to be Cherry Valance. Nobody in my grade gets who she is though."

"Cherry Valance, eh? From 'The Outsiders'?" he asked, dropping a handful of candy into her plastic pumpkin.

"You know who she is?" she questioned, her face lighting.

"Yeah, it's my wife's favorite book."

"It's mine, too."

"Well, you have good taste then," Jack said.

"Thanks." She smiled at Jack and then quickly turned around, ready to go to the next house.

Jack shut his door and placed the candy bowl back to where it was. With a small sigh he walked over to kitchen and grabbed the house phone, dialing Bobby's number. Bobby answered, his voice more agitated then normal.

"How's she doing?" Jack asked.

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"Why don't you grow a pair and come see her for yourself?" Bobby asked bitterly.

"Bobby-"

"She's doing fine," he said. "She's pre-"

A soft laugh halted Bobby from continuing the sentence and drew his attention to the living room. Lyn and Isabelle sat on the couch while Abigail pressed a play stethoscope to the latter's stomach, pretending to hear the heartbeat of the baby. Isabelle smiled at her niece, as she placed one pudgy hand on her stomach and moved the stethoscope to the other side before proclaiming that she heard it again.

"She's what?" Jack asked suddenly, forcing Bobby's attention back to the phone.

Isabelle looked away from her niece and over at Bobby. She smiled softly at him before looking back to her niece who was now climbing onto the couch beside her.

"She's pretty much over you," Bobby said. He shook his head and walked back into the kitchen. "Look, Jack, it's family night, I get better fucking things to do right now. If you want to know how Izzy is doing, next time call her."

Bobby placed the phone back into the receiver and walked over to the refrigerator. He grabbed a beer and then walked into the living room. He made his way over to the couch and grabbed Abigail from behind, clutching her to his chest and falling back into the chair behind him.

"Daddy!" Abigail said, excitedly. She turned around in his arms to face him and smiled. "Aunt Izbelle's having an alien."

"Oh really?" Bobby asked, laughing. He looked over at Isabelle and shrugged. "I knew it couldn't be the fairy's kid." He picked Abigail up off his lap and placed her down on the floor. "Hey, Izzy, can we talk outside?"

"Sure," Isabelle said, standing up, grabbing the bowl of candy off the table for the trick-or-treaters they might encounter.

Following him outside silently, Isabelle took a seat on the front stoop as Bobby walked down to the sidewalk and began to pace back and forth silently. He stopped and looked up at Isabelle, shoving his one hand into his pocket and bringing the one holding his beer up to his lips so that he could take a swig from it. Afterward he opened his mouth, preparing to speak, but then quickly closed it and started to pace again.

"Sit, you're making me nervous," Isabelle said.

Bobby looked at her and nodded. He walked over to her and sat down next to her on the stoop and slid his hand out from his pockets and over his jean clad legs. He watched his feet tap on the step in front on him and then looked at her as he placed his beer bottle next to him.

"Can I ask ya something?" Bobby questioned. Isabelle nodded softy, unsure if she could talk without her voice breaking. "Why didn't ya tell me yourself?"

"I don't want Jack to know."

"What does that gotta do with me?"

"He's your brother and this is important news that involves him. Why wouldn't you tell him? I mean, look what you did with the divorce papers."

"Izzy, you can't hold that against me, because when you found out you were pregnant you didn't know I didn't mail the papers."

"But now that I do know, it makes me think of the million reasons why you would tell him. I can't think of one reason why you wouldn't."

"How 'bout 'cause since you were fifteen you've been like my little sister," he replied with a small shrug. "'Cause if ya asked me to keep a secret like this, I woulda. 'Cause I don't fuckin' know him no more."

"I'm sorry."

"You gotta learn to trust people, Izzy. We're not all horrible."

Bobby hoisted himself off of the step and threw his beer bottle off to the side of the stairs. He started to turn around and walk into the house when Isabelle called out to him.

"Yeah?" he questioned.

"I'm pregnant and no one but you and Lyn know," she said, looking down at the ground. "…And I'm scared shitless. Of telling people…Of Jack finding out…Of Jack wanting me to get rid of it so that it doesn't ruin his career."

"Do you really think that'd be a worry of his? I thought Jack wanted kids."

"He did, but I don't have a clue what he wants anymore. What if I tell him and he wants me to get rid of it? It's not right to bring a kid into this world if it's unwanted. I know what it feels like, I can't subject anyone to that but the alternative is worse."

"I'm not gonna make you tell him, Izzy. But just know this," Bobby said, his voice commanding her attention, forcing her to look at him. "This kid ain't ever gonna know what it's like to be unwanted. Because you want this kid. Hell, Lyn and me want this kid, so are a lot of people when you finally figure out how to tell 'em. So screw Jack if he doesn't." Bobby smirked and looked away. "But not literally, that is what got you in this situation to begin with."

"Fuck you."

"Hey, you can't talk like that no more. Gotta set a better example for my niece or nephew in there," he replied, nodding towards her stomach. He stood up and turned towards the door. "If you need help, just ask for it, Izzy, we ain't gonna ever turn our backs on ya. Get in the house, you're gonna freeze you're ass off."

"I'll be inside in a minute," Isabelle said.

Bobby nodded and walked into the house. Isabelle rested her hands on her knees and looked down the street where a group of kids where walking dressed up for Halloween. She smiled at that generic array of Harry Potters, Princesses and Captain Jack Sparrows as they stopped at her stoop. She gave out the candy as each one yelled out their trick-or-treat rhyme in a singsong voice. The last little boy stepped up to her and she smiled sadly at him.

"Well, aren't you original," Isabelle said, handing the boy a lollipop. "What are you supposed to be?"

"A rock star," he said.

"Well, I think you have the most original costume I've come across all night," she said. She reached into the bowl and dropped two more lollipops into his bag and smiled at him.

"Thanks, miss," he said, looking up from his bag at her with a smile that in the future would break hearts, before running off to catch up with his friends.

"The Jack Mercer of the next generation," she said, watching the kid as he walked up the staircase to the house next door.

Isabelle stood up and walked into the house, leaving the bowl of candy on the front stoop.

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Thank You:

4everdreaming

bigamericanflirt

Dark-Celeste (Of course he still cares about Isabelle, he's just a stupid boy and like the typical stupid boy he forgets to act like he cares.)

Elven-Princess Ginny (Aw sorry about that crying thing! School stress…argh, I'm with you in that boat! Bobby saves the day, eh? You're right, he probably didn't get credit for that much as a kid. Jack-smacking…hehe only the future chapters will tell lol!)

EvilBunny101 (Hehe, you will find out soon what happens, wait until you get to beta the next chapter!)

Iris Knotwise

JustAnotherFallen

Ollie-oxycotyn (Jack needed to humanized…I was beginning to make him a little one sided in this story…Yayness for your new chappie btw!)