On a rare long weekend off, Tom insisted on taking Ellie away for a few days. He attempted to charter a private plane from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe, which she adamantly vetoed, claiming that if he wanted to spend that type of money, he should be feeding a third world country.

Of course she'd find out now. In the middle of nowhere when she was alone with Tom. Just Tom. And spotty cell service so that she couldn't call anyone. Her stomach rolled. Be it from anxiety or morning sickness, it didn't matter. All she could think was that she was in trouble, like a-little-kid-that-broke-something-expensive-trouble. With a deep breath, she reminded herself she couldn't be certain until she'd done the test. Or five, just to ensure accuracy. With a giant sigh she glanced out the window, down to the stunning aquamarine lake where tiny dots of people Jet Skied, boated and swam. Ellie longed to be with them. She was eager for temporary distraction from real life. Real life pregnancy was not part of the Five Year Plan.

Ellie was petrified. She'd always entertained the idea of kids, but having never met the "right guy," had not yet chosen to start a family. Wouldn't it be great it Tom Hiddleston were the right guy? He very well could be, as long her news didn't send him running for the hills. Or England. And he didn't think she was manipulating him. Or exploiting him. Or using him.
"I'm the one that begged him not to use the condom, that reassured him I was on birth control that first night," she muttered, scrubbing her face with her hands. "I should've gotten a damn IUD. And we should've fucking used two forms of birth control." With a deep breath she rubbed her temples and tried to calm her pounding heart.

First things first. She had to get to a pharmacy. Tom was in the shower after a run; she'd be able to sneak away. Ellie scribbled a note about having gone to the store, using the excuse that they needed a few things in order to make dinner, and left it on the kitchen counter where he'd be able to see it, then headed to the garage. The house they'd rented had bicycles and it wasn't far into town. Hopefully the endorphins would help her think more clearly, she thought idly as she lifted the kickstand pedaled off.

x

At dinner, Ellie pushed at her food, lost in thought. Tom interrupted her worst-case-scenario brainstorm session.

"Are you hiding something, Ellie?"

Her blasted cheeks bloomed with color. Despite her guilty blush, she shook her head.

"N—no. I mean," she cleared her throat, "No."

"You've been acting odd. I had the car service catch up and follow you to the store. He said you went to the pharmacy instead, are you not feeling well?"

Ellie blanched, her jaw dropping in indignation.

"You had me followed? What, is he a private investigator on the side? Who do you think you are? What giv—."

"Ellie, you've been pale, despite the sun we got yesterday. You may be ill. I let you ride your bike to the store alone, but I wasn't willing to risk you getting sick and becoming unable to make the trip back. I had him mount the bike rack on the Town Car just in case you needed to be driven home."

Oh. He was looking after her. Even when she was lying to him, he was taking care of her. Damn him. She rubbed her eyes, cursing the stinging sensation in her nose as tears threatened to fall.

"I don't know."

"You don't know if you're sick?" He frowned, concerned. "Kitten, if we need to go home, that's not a problem."

She squirmed in her chair, glancing longingly at the front door. She could just leave. She had no way to get home, but at least she would no longer be part of this conversation. Her breath grew shallow as she crossed her legs in an attempt to keep herself from bolting.

"Ellie?"

She realized he'd said something else.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me what's wrong."

Ellie couldn't look him in the eye. She felt so guilty.

"You're going to be so mad," she whispered.

"What? What's wrong?"

Tom rose and closed the distance between them to kneel at her side, his hand resting reassuringly on her thigh.

Like a child, Ellie buried her face in her hands and mumbled. Patiently Tom peeled her fingers away from her mouth and tenderly took her chin in his hand, turning her to face him.

"You're scaring me, sweetheart. What's wrong?"

She was scaring him? Hah. That was rich. He was about to have the blow up of the century and it was going to be directed at her.

"You know you can tell me anything."

She laughed bitterly.

"Not this."

He frowned, his hand falling from her thigh into his own lap. Briefly he looked at his hands.

"Is there someone else?"

"No! God, no. Tom," she cupped his jaw, a tear dribbling down her cheek as he looked at her with such earnestness. She couldn't bear to hurt him, her heart ached that he even suggested it.

With a sigh Tom pulled her down from her chair and into his lap. Briefly she squirmed, trying to slip off his thighs and onto the floor, but he held her tight. Surrendering with a whimper, she buried her face in his neck. His confident hands firmly stroked her back, aiding in grounding her as he soothed.

"Talk to me."

Her arms snaked around his neck and she squeezed, savoring the feel of his embrace. It was likely the last time she'd ever feel his arms around her.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, as if barely saying it out loud made it less true.

Immediately she retracted her arms and attempted to rise from his lap.

"Say that again?"

Her shoulders drooped as she found she couldn't look him in the eye.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated softly.

Tom chucked a finger under her chin and forced her eyes to meet his.

"With my baby?"

"Of course it's yours," she said with a sniffle.

He looked at her speculatively, his eyes unmoving from hers as if something in them would give her away.

"I'm sorry."

He frowned gently pushed back her shoulders so he could see her belly, despite the fact that she wasn't showing yet.

"You're pregnant?"

Biting at her thumbnail, Ellie nodded, several more tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Just yell. Please. Don't be nice, don't be cordial. Just yell and be done with it."

Tom practically recoiled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Yell at me! Be angry, be whatever you feel. If you're irate, be irate. If you're disappointed in me, then be disappointed. But don't be normal. I can't stand knowing you're furious with me while your face remains placid and peaceful."

Brows furrowed in confusion, Tom laughed as he exhaled.

"You think I'm angry?"

"I know you're angry."

"Why on earth would I be angry?"

"Because I probably tricked you into this, into all of this. I could have been planning to get pregnant the entire time we've been together, just plotting and waiting until you knocked me up so I could threaten to go to the press unless you gave me an exorbitant amount of money in exchange for my silence. Or, I could demand child support, or something. You should be furious."

Tom tilted his head to the side.

"Well, is any of that true?"

"No," her voice broke as his tone remained soft and comforting.

"I believe you."

"But I could be manipulating you!"

Tom tried to control the urge to chuckle, and failed.

Ellie lost it, pushing up off his lap and storming to their room. Immediately he followed, watching from the doorway as she began throwing clothes in her suitcase.

"Ellie."

"Stop saying my name. I'm currently not speaking with you."

Tom outright laughed as he strode forward, taking a seat next to her bag as she angrily threw clothes closer to him than necessary.

"You stupid, stupid man. We've only been together for a matter of weeks! In a situation like this, you're clearly being taken advantage of. You should be livid."

She stomped back into the kitchen and returned seconds later, throwing his phone at him.
"Call Luke, and call your lawyer."

Tom patiently turned off his phone (so she couldn't make the calls for him) and placed it on the bed.

Her stomach rolled. His not being angry was too good to be true. She knew he was; he was just hiding it. There was no way he couldn't think this wasn't a scam. They'd been together for what? Ten weeks? And she'd gotten herself pregnant. Of course she knew it was a genuine accident, but he should see it plainly as blackmail. It's not like the situation didn't call for it. Completely distracted, she flexed her fingers in the fabric of the dress she held and gazed out the window, worrying her lip. She jumped when Tom touched her elbow.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

He took the dress from her and laid it on the bed, then took her into his arms. She whimpered quietly.

"You need to be mad, because I don't know what else to do if you're not," she murmured, fresh tears threatening to spill. Gently he tilted her chin up.
"I'm… surprised, I'll admit. I thought you might have the flu or something, not… this. But, sweetheart, I'm not angry." He brushed her hair from her face and used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

x

After she finally fell asleep, Tom made a call. He didn't dare leave her alone in such a fragile state in case she woke up, but he needed something to calm his racing mind and soothe his pounding head. Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door and a gentleman wearing a casual delivery uniform produced a bagged bottle of Jameson. Tom thanked and tipped him, then made his way back into the kitchen. Ice clinked as he deposited several cubes into a glass and poured an ample amount of whiskey over them.

Taking a few sips, he walked to their bedroom and leaned against the doorframe. Ellie lay asleep on her side in a nest of pillows. At least she was peaceful when she slept, he mused. Quietly he swirled the liquid in the glass, hard muscles relaxing as that pleasant fuzzy feeling began radiating from his belly. He sighed.

He'd always wanted a family; he just didn't expect it to happen so suddenly. What about his career? And, was he supposed to marry her? He wasn't certain he was ready for something like that. Maybe one day. Besides, where would they live? His family was in England, they'd never spoken of her family, but he assumed they were stateside. Would she even want to live with him? He tossed the rest of his drink back and licked his lip, crossing his arms as he watched her. Truly, he didn't believe she was deceiving him. The poor girl had been genuinely terrified of how he'd react.

He returned to the kitchen and poured himself another glass, aware he was going to regret it come morning, but he needed something to take the edge off. He wasn't a screamer and wasn't much of a yeller. When things went wrong, he ran, but he couldn't risk leaving her alone. She was spooked enough as it was. Even if she left Tahoe, he knew where she lived; he wasn't concerned about finding her. He was concerned about her mental state, and, he realized as his stomach sank, what she might do to the baby without him there to soothe her doubts. Now, that would infuriate him. Ellie terminating the life of their child. He wasn't sure that was something he could ever forgive, and he had no intention of something so solemn abruptly ending what he had with her.