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Chapter 16 – Staying in, since '85

Angel Grove, early 1985.

Monday morning.

"Look David, whatever happened in Seattle, we can try to move on from it and start afresh here. But I will always find it difficult to forget about what happened." Mrs. Hart said, sitting on her bed with a puff of her cheeks, having just woken up her daughter for school.

"I know Karen. Trust me, I know I put you and Kimberly through hell back in Seattle and I want to make amends." Mr. Hart joined his wife and sat next to her on the bed, placing his hand into hers. "I want to stop drinking. If or rather when, I stop drinking, I know that my behaviour and my health will also improve."

"Well, that's the hope." Mrs. Hart said, tapping her husbands hand with her fingertips.

"It's the hope that keeps us alive my dear."

"But its also the hope that kills." Mrs. Hart retorted, sending her husband a wry smile.

"Look Karen, I think we need a bit of time away. Just the two of us. To get to know each other again and reignite that passion we had a decade ago." Mr. Hart suggested.

"Where?"

"Just a little weekend getaway. Somewhere nice, somewhere quiet where it's just the two of us."

"What about Kimberly?" Karen asked her husband.

"We can either get her a babysitter or we can ask the Scotts. She spends a lot of time over there anyway."

"I don't know David. I just feel awful leaving her and going away." Karen frowned.

"Hey, it's only for a couple of days." David placed his arm around hug wife's shoulders. "You never know, a nice relaxing weekend away may give us a boost with our relationship. And plus, imagine if you came back pregnant." David gave his wife a comforting smile, knowing how much she wanted a second child but it just wasn't happening right now.

Karen Hart pondered her husbands proposition before a smile also formed on her face. "That would be nice. I'll have to ask Jean if she can have Kimberly over the weekend. And I'll have to ask Kim if she's okay with it."

"If not, I'll get a babysitter. I'm all yours this weekend." David said, giving his wife a little kiss on the forehead.

Outside Angel Grove Elementary.

3pm

"Hey kids. How was your day?"

"It was nice mommy. We learned about different planets and solar systems today." Kimberly told her mom, getting into the backseat of her car.

"Oooh that sounds fun." Mrs. Hart replied, throwing the kids backpacks into the passengers side seat.

"It was fun Mrs Hart. They told us all about the different planets. I wish I could go into space one day." Jason said, sitting next to Kimberly in the backseat.

"Let's become astronauts." Kimberly said with a giggle.

"That would be so awesome." Jason replied, high fiving his friend.

"You never know kids. Never rule anything out." Mrs. Hart said, starting the car.

"You mean, we could visit another planet one day mommy?" Kimberly asked.

"You never know, sweetie."

"That would be so cool." Kimberly said.

"Kimberly darling, I wanted to ask you something, and you Jason." Mrs. Hart said as they drove away from the school and on the short drive to their street.

"Yes mommy?"

"Well, how do you feel about spending the weekend at Jason's house?"

Kimberly's face lit up like a thousand candles in a dark basement. "Really mommy?"

"Yes really."

"Wow. Like, have sleepovers?" Kimberly asked, glancing at Jason who had a faint smile on his face.

"Yes, with sleepovers."

"I would love to." Kimberly screeched.

"How about about you Jason?"

"Yes Mrs. Hart, I think it would be really cool." Jason answered, looking at Kimberly whose smile got bigger and bigger.

"I would of course have to ask your parents Jason. They would need to agree with it first."

"That's fine Mrs. Hart. They're pretty cool, I don't think they will say no."

"But where will you be going mommy?" Kimberly asked, her smile fading slightly.

"Me and your father have got to go away on the weekend. If that's okay with you baby?"

"That's fine mom. I'll just stay at Jason's if his mommy and daddy say yes."

In a matter of minutes, Mrs. Hart and the kids had arrived on their street and Karen accompanied Jason to his door.

"Hey Karen. Thanks." Mrs Scott said, opening the door and allowing Jason, who was waving Kimberly goodbye, to go inside.

"No problem. Jean, can I ask something of you dear?"

"Of course Karen."

"Well, you see, me and David are planning a little getaway this weekend. Just to give our marriage a little boost. And we wondered whether you would be able to take our Kimberly over the weekend."

"Of course we can. You guys go on your weekend trip and leave Kimberly with us. We'll make sure she's safe." Jean replied, placing her hand on he neighbours shoulder.

"Thank you Jean. I can't begin to describe how much this means to us." Karen smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Is Kim okay with it?"

"Okay? She's over the moon about it." Karen replied with a laugh.

"I guessed she would be. If we're not careful Karen, we'll end up as in-laws one day."

"I know right. Can you imagine." Karen replied with a giggle.

"What time will you and your husband be going away?" Jean asked.

"Well, David wants to set off on Friday evening and come back on Sunday afternoon. I'll get Kimberly's clothes and stuff ready but I'll give you the house key anyway." Karen answered.

"That's fine with me, Karen."

FRIDAY

"If you need anything, Mrs. Scott has our hotel room number and I'll be giving her our keys, so if you feel like you want to go home or you need anything from home, you can go." Karen Hart said, walking her over to their neighbours.

"Okay Mommy. I'm going to miss you both." Kimberly replied glancing at her dad on her other side.

"And we're going to miss you too princess." her father replied, entering the Scott's front yard.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay here darling? Should I cancel the weekend." Karen bent down and looked into her daughters eyes.

"No, don't be silly mommy. I'm going to be with my best friend. I'll be fine." Kimberly replied, walking to the front door and giving it a knock. She didn't have to wait long at all for Jason to come running to open it.

"Hey Kim." He said with a bright smile.

"Hey Jason. Are you ready?"

"Am I ready?. Are you ready?" He asked.

Kimberly glanced at her parents and ran to give them both a big cuddle. "I'm going to be fine mommy, you and dad go have fun." Kimberly told them after their cuddle.

"Okay sweetie, you go have some fun. But be good for Mr and Mrs. Scott, okay.".

"Yes mommy." Kimberly replied, turning around and running into the Scott's house with Jason by her side.

"Don't worry about a thing Karen. You and David go have an amazing time." Jean Scott said, leaning on the door frame.

"Thank you Jean. It means a lot to me."

"It's okay Karen, it's our pleasure." Mr. Scott added, stood behind his wife.

"Thank you. Here's our house key. We'll be back on Sunday afternoon." Karen Hart handed the house keys to their neighbour. "Kimberly likes a warm glass of milk before bedtime, and she'll need her hair brushing if she has a bath. She can bathe herself but you might need to keep an eye on her. She has a little trouble getting to sleep at times, but if you could read her a story, it works wonders." Mrs. Hart said, rather quickly.

"No problem. Hey, I know I've got a son, but I did look after my niece a fair few times. We've spent a quite a bit of time with Kimberly and I believe we know her pretty well. She's in good hands darling. I promise you, I will give her as much love, care and attention as I give Jason. Probably a little more." Mrs. Scott told the Harts.

"Yes, you're right Jean." Karen nodded and smiled at her neighbour. "Kimberly didn't have her evening meal. She said that Jason and her wanted to eat together tonight. I hope you're okay with that."

"Of course we are. We suggested it to them. What brings people together more than a nice meal." Mr. Scott said.

"I fully agree with you there Mason." Mr. Hart responded.

"Don't worry about a thing. You go and have fun." Jeanette Scott told her neighbours who thanked them both profusely and hesitantly left and got into David's car to begin their weekend away.

"And mom's going to make you whatever you want to eat and my dad said we can go to the movies tomorrow, we can get takeout, we can do whatever you want." Jason said, sitting down in the den in front of the TV.

"That sound like so much fun. I can't wait." Kimberly replied, sitting down next to Jason, crossing her legs underneath her and squeezing her Teddy bear pinky to her chest.

"Hey Kimberly. How are you dear?" Mrs. Scott asked, walking into the room.

"Fine thank you Mrs. Scott. Thank you for looking after me." Kimberly answered.

"No problem sweety. Would you like me to make you anything to eat tonight or would you like to have a takeout?"

Kimberly looked at Jason sat next to her. "What would you like Jason?"

"I'll have whatever you have." He replied.

Kimberly looked at Mrs Scott and then back at Jason.

"We can go out to pizza hut, burger King or wherever you want. Or you could put a movie on and we can order a takeout. It's totally up to you darling."

Kimberly decided that she would like to stay in on this Friday night and get a takeout instead of dragging the Scott's outside for a meal. She and Jason chose to watch a film. It was Kimberly's pick so she chose a Disney classic, Pinocchio, a film that Jason also enjoyed. Kimberly decided to get her and Jason's favourite takeout, pizza. Mason abs Jeanette Scott were more than happy with that decision.

The little girl's mind wandered over to her parents now and again but as soon as they stuck in the Pinocchio tape and took a bite of the pizza, she felt very comfortable. Jason was very welcoming and allowed Kimberly to dictate the evenings events as his parents were just as accommodating.

Once the movie finished, and the pizza had been eaten, it was close to bedtime and sleeping arrangements had to be decided. Kimberly was hoping for a proper sleepover but both sets of parents had decided that there should be limits set in place, so no bed sharing. BUT, Mrs. Scott had come up with a brilliant idea.

Jeanette Scott had a beautiful house, and one thing she always had plenty of, was a large number of cushions and pillows. Much to her husband, Mason's chagrin. But they came in to use now.

Mrs. Scott gathered all the spare cushions, pillows, duvets and blankets and laid them down inside the den, literally turning the room into a kid's den. She lay pretty lamps and candles around the room and turned off the main light. Kimberly couldn't have been happier as she looked around at the beautiful little camp Mrs. Scott had made for them.

As Mr and Mrs. Scott said goodnight to Kimberly and Jason, Kimberly couldn't have thought of a better start to her first sleepover in a new city. Yes, it wasn't a sleepover with a bunch of girls. As Kimberly looked to her right and over the pillows that separated her and Jason, she watched Jason fluffing up his pillows, she couldn't help but feel more comfortable than she had ever felt in any other sleepover. She didn't know why, Jason was a boy, she had only known him for around six months. But that didn't matter. She was happy, she was comfortable and she was excited.

"Hey, are you comfy?" Jason asked her.

Kimberly shot him a tired, but bright smile. "I am. This is so cute isn't it."

Jason pursed his lips for a second before returning her smile. "It is. Don't tell anyone about this though."

"I won't. It's our little secret." Kimberly replied, leaning over the cushions and offering Jason her pinkie finger, which he quickly squeezed with his own pinkie finger.

"You know. I was really excited about this sleepover, but I thought I would miss my mommy. I do a little bit, but I'm having lots of fun with you."

"Me too. Wait til we go out tomorrow. We'll go anywhere you want." Jason replied.

"Thanks Jason. You're so sweet." Kimberly pre-empted Jason's reply and quickly followed up. "Don't worry. I won't tell everyone how sweet you are."

"Thanks Kim." Jason said, his cheeks still turning a bright shade of red. "If you do miss your mommy, you can give my mom a hug. She likes cuddles you know."

"Does she? That's cute. I'll give her a hug tomorrow."

"Good. Do you know where your mom and dad have gone?"

"I think so. I know that they want me to have a baby brother or sister. Maybe they've gone to get one."

"Get one from where? They don't sell babies you know."

"I know. I don't know how mommies and daddies get babies. I think they go away together and then mommies come back with a baby in their tummies."

"That's so weird."

"It is a little. Would you like a brother or sister?"

"I don't know. It would be kinda cool I guess."

"Yeah, it would. I love little babies." Kimberly's smile returned when she thought of the possibility of having a baby sibling.

"You do?" Jason asked her.

"Yeah. Don't you?"

"I guess."

Kimberly smiled again at the thought that her mom may come back with a baby, but she also missed her mom as she thought about her. "Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you hold my hand? I'm missing my mommy a little bit."

"Yeah. Of course." Jason said, leaning over the pillows separating them and holding Kim's hand.

Kimberly felt relaxed once Jason held her hand. She fell asleep rather quickly, which was strange as she always took a while to sleep, especially in new surroundings. Saturday came and they had so much fun going to the movie theatre, and to pizza hut and then going to the arcades. She had so much fun in fact, that she didn't miss her mom much throughout the rest of the weekend. Saturday night was the same as the night before. She felt comfortable again when laying in the beautiful den that Mrs. Scott made for them once more.

She was happy when Sunday came and her parents picked her up from Scotts. But the news that she wasn't having a brother or sister and the fact that she had to say goodbye to Jason and his parent's kind of put a damper on the weekend, but no matter. She was back with her mom and dad now and Jason was still only a couple of doors away. It wasn't long before Mrs. Scott picked her up in the morning and she saw Jason again, keeping their secret sleepover exactly that, a secret. Nobody at school knew about it apart from Jason and Kimberly. Nobody knew of their growing bond either.

And it wouldn't be the last sleepover she had at the Scott's home.

Angel Grove

2002

Kimberly nearly slumped down to the floor outside the bathroom. Trini quickly grabbed her and they walked over to the couches, where Trini gently laid down her best friend.

"It's gonna be okay." Trini said sitting at Kimberly's side.

"I'm not ready to be a mother, Trini. It's too early, and we're not even married yet." Kimberly whimpered.

"I know Kimberly, I know." Trini said, gently stroking Kimberly's hair. "We'll take it one step at a time."

"I need to tell Jason." Kimberly said, looking around for her phone, finally digging it out of her pocket and quickly dialling his number .

"He's not picking up!" Kimberly shouted.

"Let me call Zack. See if he knows where Jason is." Trini said, ringing her husband and putting it on loudspeaker.

" Hey Trini."

"Zack. Have you heard from Jason?" Trini asked him over the phone.

"Yeah. He's with me now."

Trini gave Kimberly a look that said I told you so. "Give him the phone please. Kimberly needs to talk to him."

" He said he doesn't want to talk right now. He just needs bit of space."

"Zachary Taylor! You give that idiot the phone right now or god help you, I will kick both your asses harder than any monster could ever kick them!" Trini shouted down the cell phone.

" Hey, it's me." Jason's voice called out from the other end of Trini's phone.

"Jason it's about time. I'm giving the phone to Kim. If you don't talk to her I'll-"

"Trini, chill. I'll speak to her."

Trini handed the phone to her best friend to took it like it was a cheque for one million dollars.

"Jase. Look I'm sorry about today. Something has happened and, and I need to tell you."

" Go ahead. I'm listening."

"No, I think its best if you come here."

" Look Kim, I'm not being an asshole, just let me clear my head for a bit and then-"

"Jason. I need you. Please."

Kimberly's tender, vulnerable voice changed Jason's perspective drastically.

"Kimmy. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Look baby. I need you right now. Just come home quickly please." Kimberly said with a sniffle.

"Okay. I'm coming right now. I'll be there in 15 minutes."

"Okay. Thanks."

"I love you, Kimberly."

"I love you too Jase." Kimberly said putting down the phone and staring at the pregnancy test in her right hand.

"What am I going to do?" Kimberly asked Trini.

"It's not my place to say babe. Jason will be here soon and I have full faith in you both and I know you have the strength to deal with this. And I will be with you all the way Kimberly. You won't be getting rid of me." Trini replied to her friend, giving her a little kiss on the cheek.

Kimberly perked up for a bit when she heard Trini say those words. It helped her get through the next insufferable 15 minutes until Jason came bursting through the door with Zack running up behind him, gasping for breath.

"Kim. Are you okay?" Jason said, rushing towards the sofa that Kimberly was still laid on.

"Come on Zack. Let's give them their privacy."

Zack nodded in response, still trying to catch his breath.

"You're my best friend Kim and I love you. I'm here for you no matter what okay?"

"Thank you, Trini. That means so much to me." Kimberly told her friend who waved them goodbye and closed the apartment door.

"Kimmy, what's wrong?" Jason asked once again when the door closed behind them.

Kimberly glared at Jason, still in shock, trying to form words that were being very elusive.

"I'm pregnant." Kimberly raised her right hand and showed Jason the pregnancy test.

Jason's jaw dropped. He stared into his fiancés eyes and searched for a response that showed how she was feeling. A puddle of tears formed in Kimberly's eyes, forcing Jason to quickly wrap her in his arms.

"Hey, this is a good thing, isn't it? I thought you love babies?" He whispered into her ear.

"I do. But." Kimberly nestled into Jason's shoulder, who slowly moved backwards to get a look at her face again.

"So what's wrong?" He asked.

"You're happy about this aren't you?" Kimberly said with a little smile.

"Yeah. I never thought I would get to even go on a proper date with Kimberly Hart and now she's pregnant with my child." Jason smiled once more, this time, his smile even brighter. This made Kimberly feel much better, so better in fact, that she couldn't stop smiling too.

"I thought you would be upset." She murmured.

"How could I be upset." He said with a chuckle. "But you seem to be." Jason cupped Kimberly's face in his hands.

"I'm not. I'm just scared Jase, and worried."

"About what?"

Kimberly fidgeted on the couch a little bit. "Well, I don't think I'm ready Jase. I haven't sorted my future out yet. Do I go back to studying or do I find a proper career with the credentials and qualifications I already have. I don't know."

"You can still do that whilst we have a baby. But Kim, this is totally up to you. Only you can judge how you'll be able to handle this situation. But I'll tell you one thing. No matter what road you go down, I'll be there by your side and back you in absolutely anything baby." Jason placed a kiss on Kim's forehead. "You decide what you want to do and I'll be there with ya."

Kimberly gave her fiancé a grateful smile and kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm so scared. But I can't get rid of the baby. That's so wrong. I'll have to keep it and I'm sure we could make it work, right?"

"Hell yeah. We can do ANYTHING together Kim. We can do absolutely anything. We are so strong together. An absolute power couple."

"You think so?" Kimberly said, giggling into Jason's neck.

"I know so."

Kimberly moved back slightly to stare into Jason's eyes. "Jase, you know me. You know how popular I was in school. You had to get rid of so many annoying guys who wanted to date me. Tell me one thing I preserved."

"You preserved your dignity and respect. You didn't do anything silly with anyone and you didn't take any chances. "

"Exactly. So the fact that I had sex with you in Florida was a big deal for me. I always wanted to get married, ride away on a white horse and only then have sex. But you know how badly I ended up falling for you." Kimberly offered Jason a smile because he looked very upset at Kim's words. "I don't regret it baby. I promise. It was the right decision. But I don't want to have a kid and not be married."

"So you want to bring forward the wedding? Like, as soon as?"

"Yeah. Get married and bring the kid up properly. With a loving, caring and married, mom and dad."

"You got it. You think I'll say no to that?"

"Are you sure you want to marry me Jason. Spend your entire life with me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I'm an emotional wreck. I'm insecure, I'm short, I have boring brown hair and brown eyes, and I have big ugly teeth."

"Baby, you just listed all the things I love about you and put a negative twist on them. You may see them as imperfections but seriously, I don't. You're perfect to me. We both have matching brown hair and eyes. We're both not exactly tall."

"Baby, of course you're tall."

"I'm only five foot ten and a half. That ain't tall."

"That's tall enough. I'm five foot two."

"There you go. I'm not towering over you like a lamppost. We're perfect together. And even though I love the sight of you walking around with just your panties on, bending over in front of me." Jason winked at Kimberly and mischievously smiled. "There's not a more beautiful sight in this world than seeing your amazing smile. It makes my day."

"Okay baby. But what about my moaning and my complaining."

"You aren't a moaner. And it makes sense why you have been a little up and down lately. Doesn't pregnancy mess up your hormones or something?"

"Yeah, it does." Kimberly chuckled.

"There you go. Kim, I wanna marry you as soon as I can. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're my dream girl, my dream come true. I want to live in this fairy tale for the rest of my life."

Kimberly moved in and wrapped Jason in a tight, warm embrace. Resting her chin in the crook of his neck, then letting out tears that have been building up, happy tears.

"Hey, don't be putting that test there." Jason said, avoiding the pregnancy test hovering over the side of his face.

"Sorry baby." Kim said, smiling from ear to ear and putting the pregnancy test on the floor. "So, we're going ahead with this right?"

"Yes. If that's okay with you?"

"It is." Kimberly said brightly.

"After Christmas or before?" Jason asked, knowing that it was now less than 4 weeks away from Christmas.

"A part of me wants to wait until after Christmas, but another part of me wants to spend this Christmas as your wife. I have wanted that for such a long time."

Jason's smile has widened even more after those words from Kimberly. "Why don't you sleep on it and we'll decide in due time."

"Okay that's fine."

"Cool. Now tell me what you want to do." Jason glanced at the clock and saw that it was just past 9pm. "I'm sure there's still a movie showing at the theatre. A few restaurants will be open. Shall we go and have a bit of fun?"

"We could. But I think I wanna stay in and just cuddle up to you all night. We could order a pizza and put a movie on."

"That's fine with me baby."

Jason and Kimberly stayed glued together on the couch for at least another ten minutes before Jason peeled himself off from his wife-to-be and ordered them a pizza.

Kimberly stuck in a VHS of one of her favourite movies from her childhood, Labyrinth and they spent the evening in front of the TV cuddled up just like Kimberly wanted. Jason fussed over her even more than usual and his tender touch and love made Kimberly feel a lot better than she thought she would.

The days events were shocking to say the least. The pregnancy came as a shock to them both Kimberly was sure she had been careful but obviously, not careful enough. The initial shock and disbelief wore off as they both went to bed that night. What they didn't know however, that this little miracle would in fact, trigger a chain of events that would change them forever.

Authors note: Thank you to everyone who left reviews. Keep em coming.

Peace out

RedDragon