Harper peered at herself in the mirror, touching at the area she was sure would be a bulging mass in just a few months. Swallowing nervously, she turned around and shook her head, wanting to believe that it was not true.

That she couldn't possibly be pregnant.

The idea had only just recently struck her after a month and a half of sudden, debilitating illness bouts. One second she would be fine, hanging out with Elliot and Tom in the living room, and the next, she'd be rushing to the bathroom. Elliot and Tom had been worried, but she had assured them that it was just a simple, passing sickness - she'd be fine soon. And sure, she got better - it just took too long for her comfort.

The week before was when Harper really began to accept the possibility of it, dread flooding her veins. At one point, about three weeks ago, Danni and her had been hanging out when Danni had speculated if maybe Harper was pregnant or not, having regarded her symptoms and her current relationship with Tom. Harper vehemently denied it, but it sunk deeply into her mind and it hadn't let go since.

That day, it had hit her particularly hard, and she didn't know why. She had gone out with Imogen in hopes of getting her mind off things, and as she was walking back up to her grandpa's cabin, she took one look at Tom, who had been working in the boat shop, and she felt ready to burst into tears and so she promptly ran back out again.

She figured that it may be the increase of hormones her body produced that had caused her to feel so emotional, and it was only then did she finally give in and buy a pregnancy test from the local drugstore - a two-pack, as Danni had suggested.

She had snuck upstairs with the box in hand when she was sure no one had noticed, and sure enough...Harper swore she was going to have a heart attack when the second faint blue line appeared...on both tests.

Harper sighed as she stuffed the tests back into the box and tossed it aside, and flopped back onto her bed with a groan, covering her face with her hands.

She had just graduated college and was spending another summer in Pine Springs with her friends and family, ready to start the next chapter in her life, while Tom was about to go back to Hartfeld in the fall, which was across the country! How could either of them take care of a baby at this point in their lives?!

She felt tears prick her eyes. How she wished she could just call her mom at times like this - she would know what to do. Harper didn't even know where to begin - how would she tell Tom? They were both still so young and he had a bright, certain future ahead of him if he was to finish his degree in robotics. But a baby would mess that up for him...how would he react when she told him? Would he reject her? She certainly hoped not.

At the thought of Tom completely disregarding her, she felt a single tear roll down her cheek and she cursed her hormones.

She breathed in deeply, collecting her thoughts and emotions. She had to be strong about this. If she could take on a vengeful lake ghost, an army of undead monsters, a freakin' cult, and escape when Richard Sutcliffe tried to kill her, then surely she could get through this...right?

Harper knew for certain when it came to Tom that she would have to tell him sooner or later.

Her mind passed to the other people in her life - though, ultimately, Tom's input on the situation was the most important, she knew that the support of the others in her life would help hugely. Danni, Imogen, and Parker would definitely help her through this, be there for her immediately. They were her best friends, after all. Elliot would be there for her, too, even though he would be a bit more clueless about the situation than the other people in her immediate life. He would joke with her and help Harper keep light-hearted through the rather draining events that were to follow.

All of this brought a smile to her face - it was highly reassuring to know that she had these people in her life. But oh god, what would Grandpa think? Another wave of dread crashed over her when the thought popped into her mind. Would he be disappointed or even angry with her? She couldn't bear to think about it, especially after everything they had been through, after he took her and Elliot in when her parents died.

And probably the scariest thing about all of this was the Power. It had been dormant since the disaster in Pine Springs, much to everyone's joy (and paranoia), and she was one of the few people who knew about it. What would happen if it came back? She couldn't count how many times she nearly died through the whole ordeal, and she couldn't get a child mixed up in all of that!

She heard a knock on the door then, and she quickly sat up and hid the box she had tossed aside under her bed. "Yeah?"

"Hey, nerd." It was Elliot. "Tom's here. He said he needed to talk to you."

Harper swallowed. Oh, no. Trying to repress her previous thoughts, she forced a smile and said, "O-okay, just tell him to come up here."

Elliot nodded and turned to leave before suddenly turning back to look give his sister a worried glance. "You okay, goober?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Scooter," Harper replied with a reassuring smile. "Just go have fun with Robbie."

Elliot eyed her suspiciously before saying goodbye to her and turning to leave once again, shutting their bedroom door behind him.

Almost as soon as he left, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and there was another knock at the door and she saw the knob twist. Breathing in sharply, she willed herself not to look at the door. A few seconds later, Tom's head popped in, his eyes brightening as he caught sight of Harper.

He smiled at her before entering completely and shutting the door behind him. "Hey."

"H-hi," Harper said as she stood to hug him. She had to force the greeting out of her mouth.

"So," Harper began awkwardly, trying to make idle conversation to avoid the topic she knew he was there about. "How was work?"

"Oh! Uh, you know, same old, same old," Tom said, rubbing the back of his neck before continuing. "So...what happened today?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you came home, looked at me, and just left," Tom said, the look in his eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Harper shivered at his look, turning her gaze to the floor and feeling the overwhelming need to tell him. She breathed in sharply, bit her lip, tears spilling down her cheeks, her voice trembling. "N-no. No, Tom, I'm not okay."

At this, he instantly perked up and pulled Harper into an embrace, stroking her long, curly hair. "Hey, hey, it's okay...I'm here. You can tell me anythi-"

"I'm pregnant!"

Harper immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. She didn't want to just blurt it out like that, but there it was, now out in the open.

And Tom's world stopped momentarily. It felt as though the blood stopped running through his veins, like his heart ceased beating, and he stopped breathing all together. Nothing moved or happened for a few split seconds. His mind spun and he felt dizzy as the impact of her words hit him. Then suddenly the blood rushed through his ears and his heart was beating uncontrollably and he was gasping for air - he had been holding his breath. He looked down at the woman he loved, who was staring back at him with wide, brown eyes. His tongue felt impossibly heavy as he spoke. "W-what?"

Harper took a few steps back from him and started rambling, practically speaking in the same breath. "I-I should have told you sooner, but I was so scared of how you would react, what you would say or do and I'm sorry, but I just drank a whole ass pitcher of lemonade and took two tests, Tom, two. And they were both positive, and...now you're not saying anything! Don't you have anything to say about this?"

Tears pricked in Harper's eyes. She knew it. She just knew it. She turned away from him, concealing her tears. But just as she did, Tom strode up to her and wrapped his arms around her. He held his arms around her tightly, her back to his chest. They stood there for a few moments, resounding silence strung among them.

Eventually, Tom turned her around to face him. He wiped the tears from her face with the pad of his thumb. A realization had set in Tom - a part of him was still shocked, but a part of him was also happy. It may have been completely unexpected and unplanned, but...that was his baby. He was not sad or angry as Harper had suspected, but instead filled with sudden, intense love.

"Harper," he finally spoke, a small, shaky smile forming on his lips. "We're...having a baby. A baby." The more Tom said the word, especially in relation to himself and Harper, the more amazed he felt about it. He was going to be a father.

Harper looked up at him then, the flow of tears slowing down. "Wait...so you're okay with this?"

Tom raised an eyebrow at her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I..." Harper bit her lip. "Well, I..."

"Harper," his tone was serious, steady upon realizing what her eyes were conveying. "I wouldn't leave you like this - don't ever think that. I love you and this baby. I'm surprised, yeah, obviously, but...I'm happy." Harper blinked up at him, her eyes confused. He chuckled a bit, "If I was going to start a family with anyone, I want it to be with you, Harper. And now...now I am."

"B-but what about school?" Harper asked. "I know how excited you were to go back to Hartfeld, and I..." Harper trailed off and she bit her lip again.

Tom smiled at her and brushed a stray curl behind her ear. "Hey, we can make this work. I can still take some online classes, and maybe take on some extra jobs for Arthur. And we can get our own place downtown. Trust me, I wanna be here for you."

Harper nodded at him, before hugging him again, feeling relief in her shoulders at everything he had just said. When she pulled back, he asked the question he had itching to inquire. "So...how far along are you?"

Harper blinked, thinking - she had to be under three months. "I'd say...two and a half months?" Harper thought aloud. Harper found herself relaxing the more she talked about it to her boyfriend. All of this still scared her, but also excited her in a way.

Tom smiled sheepishly at her answer, a blush blooming on his face, before kissing her softly. Against her mouth, he whispered cheekily, "So, around our anniversary?"

A blush crept across Harper's face as well as she remembered the moment. It would make the most sense, after doing the math, that it was conceived on the night of their first anniversary together. It was a rather...momentous occasion. There were a few firsts for both of them that night, and Harper knew she would remember it for the rest of her life.

"I guess so," she murmured against his lips, before effectively shutting him up by kissing him again.

Tom complied, pressing his mouth against hers fervently. After this, he pulled back and was answered with a slight protesting growl from her. He laughed before speaking, "Have you told anyone else?"

Harper shook her head. "No, just you. And Danni, kind of." Her face fell. "I'm honestly scared to tell Grandpa."

"Yeah, well, if anything, he's gonna wanna kick my ass, not yours," Tom joked.

Harper giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Spend the night with me tonight?"

Tom smiled and kissed her forehead. "Sure. We can cuddle up on the couch and play video games 'til we pass out."

Harper awoke the next morning to find herself on the couch with a cozy blanket draped over her, Tom nowhere in sight. She figured he stepped outside to call his best friend, Andy, to break the news to him, like he said he would.

She couldn't hear their conversation, but looking out the window, she could tell how excited they both were.

Smiling, she turned toward the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and get ready for the day ahead.

Just as she did, her grandpa came downstairs, her stomach dropped within her upon seeing him. Around the same time, Tom came back in through the back door.

"Mornin', Harper," Arthur nodded at her before raising an eyebrow at Tom as he took a seat at the table. "You spend the night, boy?"

"I, uh..."

"Actually, Grandpa," Harper spoke up, quickly changing the subject. She wanted to get this over with. "We have something to tell you."

"Alright, then," Arthur said, shifting in his seat. "Let's hear it."

Harper breathed in deeply as she closed her eyes. Tom strode up next to her and squeezed one of her trembling hands. She opened her eyes again as she breathed out. "Grandpa, I...I'm pregnant."

Harper quickly squeezed her eyes shut as if expecting a blow to the face. She expected there to be yelling, she expected her grandpa to be at her boyfriend's throat!

But he wasn't.

She opened to look at her grandpa again. His eyebrows were raised, an unreadable expression etching his features. "Well, I..." Arthur cleared his throat and spoke again. "I can't say I expected that. Didn't know you had it in ya, Sato."

At this, Tom got extremely flustered, his cheeks flushing a deep red. "I, uh..."

Harper spoke up again. "Wait, so you're not mad?"

Arthur sighed. "You're an adult, Harper. Of course I ain't mad." He gave Tom a dark look then. "But boy, you better take care of my granddaughter and that baby, or I swear, I'll-"

"Grandpa, please," Harper groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"D-don't worry, Arthur," Tom said. "I plan on sticking around, believe me."

"I just hope you kids know what you're doing."

Just then, Elliot came bounding down the stairs. "Hey, Grandpa, I-"

Elliot stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the three adults before him standing around the dining table. "Uh, what's going on, guys?"

"Elliot, you're gonna be an uncle," Arthur said bluntly.

"WHAT?!"