(Tad and Dixie are kissing on the couch)
"Wait," Dixie interrupted, pushing Tad away softly.
"What?"
"There's something else...I wanted to tell you something else while JR was gone but I..." she looked away, "I'm such a coward, Tad."
"Why? What do you need to say? This is the time for confessions anyway, go ahead and talk."
She held his hands and fingered his wedding ring. Slowly, she raised her head; her eyes watery. "I..."
"Dix, what's wrong?" he asked, sympathetically.
She smiled and shook her head. "I'm going to...well, Tad it's important to me to know that you're going to be around for a while."
"What do you mean? Of course I'm going to be around for a while. As long as you'll have me."
"No...I mean, you're not going to do anything like you did in the past year? On both sides. I won't and you won't, right? We'll show everyone that we really can stay together?"
"Dixie, I've always wanted that."
"Promise me, Tad. Promise me nothing will go wrong."
"Dixie, baby, I promise. I'll never do anything to hurt you---"
"Don't say that."
"Why?"
"Because you and I have both said it before. Okay, it gets old because we always find a way around it. I...I was going through our wedding pictures last night and I remembered our vows and it...it just made me sick to my stomach. That was what...two years ago and already we've broken up twice, had affairs, run away---"
"But the love's still there, Dix. It will always be there."
"I know, but will that be enough? I've loved with everything since I met you...how many years ago? We've been married three times with the same guests and the same promises that turn out like wishes and I just want to make sure. I'm so embarrassed, Tad. Embarrassed for us because we turn out just like everyone else but we try harder than anyone else not to, you know?"
"That, I know. We're developing an Erica Kane track record with each other."
Dixie chuckled. "I know, I don't want that."
"Hon, what's bothering you?"
"It's not that something's bothering me it's that I've got to start preparing for something and I've got to make sure you'll be behind me."
"I'm always behind you," he leaned over, seriously. "Dix, I'd give my life for you."
She looked into his eyes again. Tears were streaming down her face, he edged closer to her, holding their hands up near his heart.
"You're not sick are you, baby?"
"No, Tad," she sniffled. "I'm not sick, really. I'm...wait a minute, okay. I'm not done. I uh...I need to know that you'll stick behind my decisions and you'll help me, Tad, I need your help."
He edged closer to her, removing one of his hands to wrap around her back. "Baby, anything."
"I need to know that whatever I decide, you'll hear me out and support me. Can you do that?"
"As long as you don't mean joining to Republican party," he smiled.
Dixie chuckled, "I'm serious, Tad."
"You were so happy earlier, Dix. Now you're crying...I feel like I've made you angry or confused and I don't know how. Smile for me again."
Dixie smiled, "it's good news, Tad. If you're willing to see it the way I see it."
"I'm ready, baby."
She closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them and sniffled once, looking into his eyes, squeezing his hand. "I'm pregnant."
There was an awkward silence. Tad pulled her close and laid his head on her shoulder, she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He wrapped his other hand around her waist.
Tad pulled her back, to look at her once more. She was reluctant to lose her place, her face stained with tears. "Why are you crying, baby?"
"I'm so...Tad, I'm scared."
"Why?"
"Because of JR, because of what happened last time, because of you and me...I'm so scared that it's all going to fall down at once and I won't be able to handle it."
Tad pulled her back into his chest. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you. We've been through this before and we're not going through it again."
"So...so, you're happy, Tad?"
"I'm happy. What're we going to name it?"
Dixie looked up at him, wiping her eyes. "It?"
"Well, yeah. Assuming it's a human baby and all---Dix, even if you had a kangaroo it'd need a name, right?"
"You don't think it's a little early for that?"
"We've got months and months to have arguments over what that name is gonna be, we might as well start now."
Dixie smiled, leaning up against the couch, holding Tad's hands. "Tad, don't tell JR, okay? I'll tell him later...or we'll tell him later, I don't want him to know now...there's too much going on."
"My lips are sealed."
"So...what are you thinking now?"
"I'm thinking how beautiful and happy you are when you're pregnant."
"Tad!" she laughed, hitting him on the shoulder. "Stop it."
"I'm serious. And the house is clean, and I find new things in the fridge all the time...it's a glorious couple of months."
"I hate you," she teased.
"Actually, when you were pregnant with JR...that was pretty rough."
"Yeah well, you're not Adam. I haven't fallen down any stairs and you haven't tried to drive me crazy, literally...but don't get any ideas."
"Don't worry, I stopped playing that game years ago."
"Tad...you are happy, aren't you?"
"Dixie, I couldn't be happier."
"Wait," Dixie interrupted, pushing Tad away softly.
"What?"
"There's something else...I wanted to tell you something else while JR was gone but I..." she looked away, "I'm such a coward, Tad."
"Why? What do you need to say? This is the time for confessions anyway, go ahead and talk."
She held his hands and fingered his wedding ring. Slowly, she raised her head; her eyes watery. "I..."
"Dix, what's wrong?" he asked, sympathetically.
She smiled and shook her head. "I'm going to...well, Tad it's important to me to know that you're going to be around for a while."
"What do you mean? Of course I'm going to be around for a while. As long as you'll have me."
"No...I mean, you're not going to do anything like you did in the past year? On both sides. I won't and you won't, right? We'll show everyone that we really can stay together?"
"Dixie, I've always wanted that."
"Promise me, Tad. Promise me nothing will go wrong."
"Dixie, baby, I promise. I'll never do anything to hurt you---"
"Don't say that."
"Why?"
"Because you and I have both said it before. Okay, it gets old because we always find a way around it. I...I was going through our wedding pictures last night and I remembered our vows and it...it just made me sick to my stomach. That was what...two years ago and already we've broken up twice, had affairs, run away---"
"But the love's still there, Dix. It will always be there."
"I know, but will that be enough? I've loved with everything since I met you...how many years ago? We've been married three times with the same guests and the same promises that turn out like wishes and I just want to make sure. I'm so embarrassed, Tad. Embarrassed for us because we turn out just like everyone else but we try harder than anyone else not to, you know?"
"That, I know. We're developing an Erica Kane track record with each other."
Dixie chuckled. "I know, I don't want that."
"Hon, what's bothering you?"
"It's not that something's bothering me it's that I've got to start preparing for something and I've got to make sure you'll be behind me."
"I'm always behind you," he leaned over, seriously. "Dix, I'd give my life for you."
She looked into his eyes again. Tears were streaming down her face, he edged closer to her, holding their hands up near his heart.
"You're not sick are you, baby?"
"No, Tad," she sniffled. "I'm not sick, really. I'm...wait a minute, okay. I'm not done. I uh...I need to know that you'll stick behind my decisions and you'll help me, Tad, I need your help."
He edged closer to her, removing one of his hands to wrap around her back. "Baby, anything."
"I need to know that whatever I decide, you'll hear me out and support me. Can you do that?"
"As long as you don't mean joining to Republican party," he smiled.
Dixie chuckled, "I'm serious, Tad."
"You were so happy earlier, Dix. Now you're crying...I feel like I've made you angry or confused and I don't know how. Smile for me again."
Dixie smiled, "it's good news, Tad. If you're willing to see it the way I see it."
"I'm ready, baby."
She closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them and sniffled once, looking into his eyes, squeezing his hand. "I'm pregnant."
There was an awkward silence. Tad pulled her close and laid his head on her shoulder, she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He wrapped his other hand around her waist.
Tad pulled her back, to look at her once more. She was reluctant to lose her place, her face stained with tears. "Why are you crying, baby?"
"I'm so...Tad, I'm scared."
"Why?"
"Because of JR, because of what happened last time, because of you and me...I'm so scared that it's all going to fall down at once and I won't be able to handle it."
Tad pulled her back into his chest. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you. We've been through this before and we're not going through it again."
"So...so, you're happy, Tad?"
"I'm happy. What're we going to name it?"
Dixie looked up at him, wiping her eyes. "It?"
"Well, yeah. Assuming it's a human baby and all---Dix, even if you had a kangaroo it'd need a name, right?"
"You don't think it's a little early for that?"
"We've got months and months to have arguments over what that name is gonna be, we might as well start now."
Dixie smiled, leaning up against the couch, holding Tad's hands. "Tad, don't tell JR, okay? I'll tell him later...or we'll tell him later, I don't want him to know now...there's too much going on."
"My lips are sealed."
"So...what are you thinking now?"
"I'm thinking how beautiful and happy you are when you're pregnant."
"Tad!" she laughed, hitting him on the shoulder. "Stop it."
"I'm serious. And the house is clean, and I find new things in the fridge all the time...it's a glorious couple of months."
"I hate you," she teased.
"Actually, when you were pregnant with JR...that was pretty rough."
"Yeah well, you're not Adam. I haven't fallen down any stairs and you haven't tried to drive me crazy, literally...but don't get any ideas."
"Don't worry, I stopped playing that game years ago."
"Tad...you are happy, aren't you?"
"Dixie, I couldn't be happier."
