A/N Sorry for taking so long to update again…at least it wasn't three months this time, right? Thank you all for your interest in this story…I hope I continue to keep you intrigued!

It wasn't long after Rei had fallen asleep that she had woken again, feeling much worse than before. She quickly threw herself from the bed, tumbling to the floor after her leg became tangled in the sheets. The noise startled Jadeite and he sat up, looking down at Rei and frowning slightly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you" she said quietly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his eyes refusing to leave hers. He carefully unwrapped the sheet from her leg and reached down to pull her up, frowning again when she leaned over to throw up in the trash can by the bed.

"I told you, I'm fine" she protested, biting her lip slightly. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"I'm just concerned about you" Jadeite sighed as he started to get up from the bed. Rei tried to grab his sleeve to keep him from leaving, but the fabric slipped through her fingers and he was gone before she could say anything. A moment later, she heard the front door slam and involuntarily rolled her eyes.

"Whatever" she muttered under her breath as she settled back under the blanket. She decided she would take this time alone to process what she was going through, and try not to worry about what the future would look like. The peace didn't last too long before someone was knocking on the door. Rei sighed and sat up, brushing the hair from her face before she spoke.

"Come in" she said softly unaware that her voice was shaking. The door opened and Rei was greeted by Usagi and the others.

"We thought we'd come see you. It's been a while. How are you?" Usagi asked, walking into the room. The look on Rei's face answered her question, and without a word, Usagi wrapped her arms around her, trying to stop her shaking. The others looked on with concern, and no one said anything for what seemed like hours. Finally, Rei lifted her head from Usagi's shoulder and tearfully explained everything to them, hoping one of them would know what to do.

"I'm going to kill him" Makoto muttered, scowling at the floor. "Where's Jadeite? We saw him leaving as we were coming up the stairs." Rei shrugged in response and gazed out the window.

"I don't know. He left after I snapped at him…I didn't mean to."

"Does he know?" Minako asked. Rei shook her head and sighed before answering her.

"No, I haven't told him yet. I think he probably knows, though, so it's not like I'm keeping anything from him…am I?"

"You need to talk to him. He loves you, Rei. I'm sure he's just worried about you" Ami said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I should go home…I can't stay here. I'll only feel like a burden when the baby comes…"

"What about Jadeite?" Usagi asked.

"It'll be better for him, too. That way he won't have to worry about me."

"Right, like that will stop him" Minako teased, causing Rei to chuckle slightly. Rei quickly regained her composure and shook her head, trying not to let anyone sway her decision.

"I know it won't, but I can't stay. I'd rather be by myself, at least for a while. Now, you four can either help me pack or let me do it myself, but I'm going home either way." Her eyes wandered down to her hand, and she sighed when she saw the ring Jadeite had given her. She twished the thin metal band around her finger and ran her fingers over the small glistening stones, biting her lip.

"Don't you dare take that ring off, Rei."

"I won't, I'm just thinking. I promise." Rei looked up at her friends and managed a small smile before carefully getting up from the bed. She packed enough clothes for just a few days and turned to look at them. "Can we go before Jadeite gets home?" The others nodded hesitantly and followed her out of the bedroom, nearly bumping into Mamoru on the way out. He looked at them, frowning slightly when he saw the bags.

"You're leaving?" he asked, confused.

"Only for a little while" Rei assured him. "I'm going through some…things right now, and I'd rather deal with them alone. When Jade gets back, tell him I'm sorry." Before Mamoru could say anything, Rei walked out the door, followed by the others. Mamoru watched the girls leave, completely baffled by what had just happened.

When the five girls arrived back at the shrine, Rei silently carried her bags inside and set them in her bedroom. The others followed, looking at one another, then her. "Thank you" she said softly.

"Don't mention it. Do you want us to stay with you?" Usagi asked. Rei shook her head and sat down on the couch, sighing shakily.

"I'd really rather be alone, but thank you anyway" Rei answered, smiling a bit.

"If you need anything, you know where to find us" Makoto reminded her, returning her smile. Rei watched her friends leave, breathing a sigh of relief as the silence inside the shrine engulfed her. She gazed outside at the gloomy grey sky, slowly becoming entranced by the tiny snowflakes that were spotting the window. In the distance, she could see her mother's gravesite, and she decided to pay her a visit, hoping somehow she could give her a hint as to what she should do. She walked outside and shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her. When she reached her mother's headstone, she sat beside it, not caring that she was getting wet. She laid her head against the cold stone and wept, not knowing what else to do at the moment.

After being out for quite some time, Jadeite finally returned to the apartment, hoping Rei would forgive him for being so immature. He walked back to the bedroom and was surprised when he didn't see her. After searching the apartment, he decided to ask the others where she was. As Mamoru explained what had happened, Jadeite clenched his fists, holding back tears. Without a word, he left once again and walked to the shrine as fast as his feet could carry him. by the time he arrived, the light snow had escalated to blizzard-like conditions. He ascended the steps and knocked softly on the door. When there was no answer, he carefully opened the door and stepped inside, calling out to his beloved.

"Rei?" He looked around, and when his eyes glanced past the window, he cursed under his breath after seeing her curled up by her mother's headstone. He quickly left the shrine and rushed to her, pulling her into his arms. He carried her inside and carefully took off her wet clothes, dried her off and changed her into some dry ones. He softly wiped away the tears that had crystallized on her cheeks and kissed her softly, breathing a sigh of relief when she stirred and looked at him.

"Jade…" He smiled, but his expression quickly became stern.

"You should be more careful. This isn't good for the baby." Rei sat up slightly and looked at him, shocked.

"How did you know about that?"

"I know you better than you think" he said as his frown turned into a playful smirk.

"I guess I should know better than to hide things from you…you're not mad, are you?" Rei asked, biting her lip slightly.

"Not at you…I'm going to kill Kumori though" he chuckled.

"You'll have to get in line" Rei chuckled, forgetting for a moment just how serious her situation was. "So, what are we going to do?"

"We?" Jadeite teased, quickly pulling Rei into a soft hug and kissing the top of her head to let her know he was joking. "Well, I guess we're going to have a baby."