AD9
Disclaimer: Not my toys, but I promise to put them back when I am done.
Author's note: Sorry it has been so long, but this chapter has been a bitch- kitty to write. I'm still not really happy with it, so please give me feedback.
Sarah sat in the car, watching the buildings pass by as they drove back to his apartment. The emotions playing on Danny's face were too raw for her to look at for long. Jeni had to have really shaken him up. Normally the more upset Danny got, the blanker his face was. Of course, there was nothing normal about this situation. Whatever else happened, at least she knew what to get him for Christmas. He was going to unwrap a nice big box of Trojans this year. She grinned for a moment, anticipating the dirty look it would earn her. She felt pretty proud of herself for not asking the really invasive question, 'How did you manage to get Jeni pregnant?' Even though she was burning to know, so far she had restrained herself.
"You've been awfully quiet since the stairwell. Are you sure you wouldn't like to offer me the benefit of your unique perspective?" Danny said as he glanced over. He had chased the situation around in his head, without success, since he had turned the ignition. Sarah wasn't usually this shy about verbalizing her opinion, and he found that he needed it.
"Gee Danny, I don't know. I mean, I am hardly a neutral party in this. Maybe you should talk to someone who didn't just get into a screaming match with the mother of your unborn child." Sarah's voice was dry.
"There is that. But, what I am asking for is help talking this through. I love Jeni, but I don't know that I am ready to get married. I like kids, they're great, but the idea of me being the father…" Danny sighed and shook his head.
"Being a parent is a big responsibility, and so is being a husband. I know you can do both, but I wonder if you should. As Jeni already pointed out, if you didn't love her enough to marry her, why should the child make any difference?" Sarah settled into the role of Devil's Advocate.
"I don't know why, but it does make a difference. It makes a huge difference to me." Danny cut off a delivery vehicle and swerved into his apartment building's parking lot. He turned off the ignition and just sat there for a long minute. As the silence stretched, the pinging of the engine cooling could be heard.
Sarah waited through a few more pings, and then probed again. "Danny, will you be miserable if you marry her because you feel responsible? If that's all you feel, then I can guarantee the marriage won't work."
"It's not like she got pregnant all by herself. It took two of us. Why should she shoulder the burden alone while I flit in and out of my child's life at birthdays and Christmas?" Danny turned in his seat to stare at Sarah.
"You shouldn't. But your child should never hear that you two are tied in a miserable relationship and it's his or her fault. Even if neither of you says it to him, you'll both be thinking it. It will color how you treat each other, and the child." Sarah pointed out.
"I realize that Pez, but I still can't help thinking that it is wrong to walk away from this because it might not work. It seems dishonorable somehow." Danny opened his car door and stepped out. The more he talked about it, the more certain he became that he owed this unborn child of his a chance.
Disclaimer: Not my toys, but I promise to put them back when I am done.
Author's note: Sorry it has been so long, but this chapter has been a bitch- kitty to write. I'm still not really happy with it, so please give me feedback.
Sarah sat in the car, watching the buildings pass by as they drove back to his apartment. The emotions playing on Danny's face were too raw for her to look at for long. Jeni had to have really shaken him up. Normally the more upset Danny got, the blanker his face was. Of course, there was nothing normal about this situation. Whatever else happened, at least she knew what to get him for Christmas. He was going to unwrap a nice big box of Trojans this year. She grinned for a moment, anticipating the dirty look it would earn her. She felt pretty proud of herself for not asking the really invasive question, 'How did you manage to get Jeni pregnant?' Even though she was burning to know, so far she had restrained herself.
"You've been awfully quiet since the stairwell. Are you sure you wouldn't like to offer me the benefit of your unique perspective?" Danny said as he glanced over. He had chased the situation around in his head, without success, since he had turned the ignition. Sarah wasn't usually this shy about verbalizing her opinion, and he found that he needed it.
"Gee Danny, I don't know. I mean, I am hardly a neutral party in this. Maybe you should talk to someone who didn't just get into a screaming match with the mother of your unborn child." Sarah's voice was dry.
"There is that. But, what I am asking for is help talking this through. I love Jeni, but I don't know that I am ready to get married. I like kids, they're great, but the idea of me being the father…" Danny sighed and shook his head.
"Being a parent is a big responsibility, and so is being a husband. I know you can do both, but I wonder if you should. As Jeni already pointed out, if you didn't love her enough to marry her, why should the child make any difference?" Sarah settled into the role of Devil's Advocate.
"I don't know why, but it does make a difference. It makes a huge difference to me." Danny cut off a delivery vehicle and swerved into his apartment building's parking lot. He turned off the ignition and just sat there for a long minute. As the silence stretched, the pinging of the engine cooling could be heard.
Sarah waited through a few more pings, and then probed again. "Danny, will you be miserable if you marry her because you feel responsible? If that's all you feel, then I can guarantee the marriage won't work."
"It's not like she got pregnant all by herself. It took two of us. Why should she shoulder the burden alone while I flit in and out of my child's life at birthdays and Christmas?" Danny turned in his seat to stare at Sarah.
"You shouldn't. But your child should never hear that you two are tied in a miserable relationship and it's his or her fault. Even if neither of you says it to him, you'll both be thinking it. It will color how you treat each other, and the child." Sarah pointed out.
"I realize that Pez, but I still can't help thinking that it is wrong to walk away from this because it might not work. It seems dishonorable somehow." Danny opened his car door and stepped out. The more he talked about it, the more certain he became that he owed this unborn child of his a chance.