Scott turned off his car and turned in his seat to face Cathleen. This was the fourth or fifth time that he had been out with her and each time he was challenged by a different set of feelings. He liked Cathleen, he really did. She was sweet, kind, funny, he loved her company, but there was something missing.

"Are you all right, Scott? You've been very quiet this evening."

"I'm just tired. With everything that was going on the past couple of months, and now, half the faculty is out with the flu, so I've taught History, Math, English, and Civics this week."

"Aww, poor thing."

"That's what I like about you."

"What?"

"The way you respond to people, the way that you know what's in someone's soul, without them even telling you. I don't deserve you, Cathy."

Cathleen had never had someone say something like that before. She felt herself starting to really care for Scott Guber, and that scared her. The last time she trusted someone, she was hurt, and she had sworn to herself that she would never allow herself to get hurt like that again.

"Scott, would you like to come in? There is something that I want to show you."

Scott unfastened his seatbelt and walked around to the passenger side to open the door for Cathleen. They walked side by side up to her apartment, close but not touching. When she turned the key in the door and opened it, a small bundle of high speed energy ran at her.

"Mommy!"

Scott's jaw dropped to the floor as her stared blankly at Cathleen holding a little girl of about three years old.

"Scott, this is Bridget, my daughter."

**********************************************************************
Across town, Lauren was spending the evening over at Steven's since she was still feeling like something the cat wouldn't have. He had been wonderful these past few weeks, with Scott illness, their relationship going the way of the dinosaur, and now this other little secret that only they shared.

"You have to tell him, Lauren, which ever one it is. They need to know."

"No, Steven. I don't know what I'm going to do about this."

"You can't be thinking..."

"No! How could you?"

"What then?"

"Maybe I'll move away, I can't tell Scott, he hates me, and Harry it's been too long."

"Not really, with everything that was happening, you might have miss counted."

"Well, I never got great grades in math."

"Tell him Lauren, at least tell Scott. That could set things back in motion if that's what you want."

"No."

"You don't want that?"

"I do, but I don't want to pressure him or trap him."

"When he finds out, and he will find out Lauren, he'll feel betrayed and trapped."

"Oh, Steven."

Steven had always though of Lauren as the little sister he never had, in need of his protection, so that was what he planned to offer. He walked over and gave her a hug, showing her his support. He would figure out what to do, but in the mean time, he'd put a call into Scott and tell him he wanted to talk to him.

When Scott got home, he saw the button blinking on his machine. He pressed play. He didn't know if he could take any more surprises today. He listened. "Scott, this is Steven. Meet me at Dooley's tomorrow night at six. It's urgent."

Louisa followed Scott through the halls early Monday morning. Steven was late, so Scott was the Principal until he got there. His stomach was in knots, especially after the cryptic phone call he got from Steven last night.

"Marla Hendricks is absent, she had the flu, and I think Lauren Davis has it too, because she looks like hell, although she's here. I spoke with Detective Danby, no arrests or car wrecks over the weekend, oh, and I almost forgot, Carol Martin's mother is in your office, something about her getting a condom at school."

"Thank you, Louisa. Tell Harvey to run the class on his own today, I'll go check on Lau... Miss Davis, and stall the mother."

"Right."

Scott headed for Lauren's classroom. He hated to think of her as being unwell, although he couldn't let on. Things had really escalated between him and Cathleen last night. Not physically, but emotionally. She had a daughter, a little precious daughter that adored her. He had a ready made family in that house the second he decided he wanted it, if only he wasn't in love with Lauren.

As he passed the classrooms before Lauren's he saw Kevin Riley and Marilyn Suder standing very closely and whispering. Kevin backed away when he saw Scott coming down the hall.

"Good morning, Miss Suder, Mr. Riley, was all he said."

"What's with him?" Kevin asked.

"I don't really know. I would be more inclined to wonder, what's with Lauren?"

"That's obvious."

"Is it?"

"Sure. She's afflicted with the same malady you are."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"She's in love."

Marilyn blushed and giggled, "Be careful, Sheryl Holt might have her cameras out."

"So? I want the world to know that I'm in love with Marilyn Suder."

The bell rang to start first period, so Kevin had to go to class. Quickly he kissed Marilyn with a promise of "See you for lunch."

Scott reached Lauren's classroom just as her students were filing in. She, however, was not there.

"Where is Miss Davis?"

"We don't know, sir?"

"And where do you think she went?"

"To the ladies room, sir."

Scott left the class and waited outside for Lauren to return. She did a minute later, sweating and wobbling as she walked toward him.

"That's it," he declared," You are sick and I'm taking you home. Let's go."

"No, Scott. I'm not sick; I just ate something that didn't agree with me. I have a class to teach."

"I wish you would give me some peace of mind and let me take you home, or at least go to the infirmary and lie down for the rest of the period."

"Give you peace of mind? How much peace of mind do you think I had when you were...never mind, Scott, I'm fine. Let me pass."

Scott had no choice but to allow her through. This was something that he would take up with Steven, however.

By the time Scott got back to the office, Steven was in talking to Carol Martin's mother. When she left, Scott knocked on Steven's door and asked, "Can I speak with you?"

"Sure, everyone else is."

"That was a very cryptic message you left me last night, very cryptic. What was that all about?"

"I really think that we should wait until after work to talk about this."

"Fine, if it's personal. However, on another matter, Lauren Davis and I seem to be having some trouble in the administrator/teacher area. I knew that would be a problem if we started something and it didn't work out, but now I think she's putting herself at risk just so she doesn't have to answer to me. Will you discuss that with her?"

"Elaborate."

"This morning Louisa told me that she thought Lauren looked ill, and when I went to her class to check on her, she was in the ladies room. She did seem sick, like she was vomiting or something, so when I said I'd take her home, she refused. I know she should be resting, but she won't listen, and I think it's because of what happened with us."

"Scott, I know that on some level, you still care about Lauren, and having said that, I will say this. You are both my friends. I care for you both, but Scott, you brought this on yourself. You can't accuse someone of betrayal, and then a few days, later act like nothing has ever happened that the relationship is just teacher and Vice Principal. Something happened between you and Lauren. You were intimate..."

The words had barely left his lips when Louisa burst through the door, "Steven, you're needed in Lauren's room."

"Assault?"

"No, she's fainted."

Scott gave Steven one of his famous "I told you so," looks as they both sprinted down the hallway.

The school nurse was all ready with her, and Scott could hear the wail of sirens in the background.

"Please, step back and give her some air," he told her class.

Harry Senate came rushing into the room, Marilyn at his heels.

"Lauren!" she gasped.

"It's all right. She needs to go to the hospital and get checked, but she seems fine."

"Fine, oh, yeah, unconscious on the floor is fine. I'd hate to see sick, if this is fine."

"Harry," Marilyn said, "You're babbling."

It was decided that Harry and Scott would be going with Lauren the Emergency Room. Steven drove behind them and Louisa would pretty much run things unless they got out of hand.

They waited nearly and hour, and the entire time, Steven wrestled with the idea of breaking Lauren's confidence. But then he didn't have to. Daniel Davis came out of the curtain where his sister was now conscious and resting and glared at both Scott and Harry.

"What's it? How is she?" Scott asked.

"Will she be all right?" Harry inquired.

"There is nothing wrong with my sister, at least nothing that nine months won't cure."

"What?"

"Congratulations gentlemen, one of you is going to be a father."