Mary arrives home, and walks inside the house. She walks upstairs to Robbie's room, determined to find him. On her way home, she concluded that Robbie should be the one she tells. He'll understand better than anyone else she could think of. She has to tell someone- the pain and guilt is eating away at what is left of her heart. She reaches his bedroom door, and knocks gently.

"Come in," Matt's voice says from the other side of the door.

She enters the room to find Matt staring at her and Robbie reading one of his textbooks. "Uh, I kind of wanted to talk to Robbie." She says timidly.

"Me?" Robbie says looking up from his book. Mary nods, as Matt reluctantly gets up and leaves the room. Robbie looks at Mary's face, which appears to be a little wet, and her bloodshot eyes. "Are you sick or something?"

"Not exactly." Mary says.

Robbie looks at her confused. "Well, anyways, I'm glad you're here. I have something I think you should know." Mary sits on Matt's bed and motions for him to continue. "I don't know why you came home or anything, but I just wanted to tell you now- get it out in the open, that I have a girlfriend. And it's not Lucy."

Mary rolls her eyes and stands up hurt. "Is that all you think of me?" She says, her voice increasing in volume with every word that comes out of her mouth. "Do you really think I'm that shallow? That's it, I'm just wacky boy-crazy Mary whose biggest problem in her life could only possibly be to try and get her old boyfriend back! Ugh!" Mary goes over to the door, placing her hand on the knob. Just before she opens it, she looks back at Robbie. "You're the one person I thought I could confide this in and now I have no one. Thank you for that," she says in a low voice. Mary opens the door violently and walks out, bowling over Matt who was listening to them at the door. She runs up the stairs to her bedroom to find both Lucy and Ruthie in there.

"Could you leave, please?" Mary says to them in a rude tone of voice. They both leave, and Mary locks the door behind them. She sits on her bed, and attempts to wash her troubles away with tears. Less than two minutes later, she hears knocking at the door. "Go away." She yells barely understandably due to her crying through the door.

"Mary, it's your mother, could I come in?"

"No."

Thirty seconds later there is another knock. "It's your father. Do you want to talk?"

"No! Please, just leave me alone!"

Outside, the family walks away from the door, except for Robbie. His sits on the floor, leaning against the white wood, running over his encounter with Mary in his head. Five minutes later, still not knowing what he did wrong, he decides to give it a shot. He stands and knocks on the door. "Mary, I'm really sorry. Could I come in?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yes, no one else knows I'm up here."

Mary stands and unlocks the door. Robbie walks inside and she locks it again behind them. "Is that all really necessary? Is this that big?" Robbie says pointing to the door.

"Yes." Mary says, tears starting to run down her face again.

"You're crying," he says looking into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Mary merely turns her head away from his and sits down on her bed.

"I thought you wanted to talk to me." Robbie says sitting next to her.

"I do. It's just I don't know how to say this."

"Well I'm not going to pressure you." Robbie says standing up. He's not going to force this out of her, and is letting her progress the conversation at your own speed. He walks over to the door. "I'll come back later and then we can talk if you still want to."

"No wait!" Mary says before he leaves. Robbie comes back over to Mary and sits next to her once more. "I…I…never mind. I can't say it."

"You sure? Because if you want to talk I'm here."

"I want to, but I can't."

"Ok, um, why can't you?" Robbie asks her, determined to help her.

Mary puts her head in her hands and starts to cry. "Its too painful."

"I bet it's not as bad as your making it out to be."

"I-I-I," Mary stammers, stalling. "I'm pregnant."

Robbie gulps hard. "Pregnant?" He asks her. She nods yes. "Did you go to a doctor?"

Again, she nods. "Back in Buffalo."

"How far along are you?"

"Almost four months."

"That explains the sweatpants." Robbie says, trying to make light of the situation. "Buts it's not the end of the world, Mary. You'll get through this. You've been blessed to give the gift of life."

"When did I turn into Santa?" She says sounding very cynical.

"Maybe its because your so jolly." Robbie says to her.

"Yeah…" Mary mumbles looking down at the floor.

"So," Robbie says sheepishly. "Who's the father? Is it Wilson?"

Mary nods.

"I'll kill 'em."

"You can't!" Mary says raising her voice and crying louder. "He's already dead!"

Robbie is taken aback. "What?" He says softly.

"Wilson died in one month and ten days ago in a car accident."

"I'm so sorry." Robbie says full of sorrow.

"We were going to elope- take a train to Niagara Falls- but he never got there."

"I feel so bad. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I don't think so." Mary pauses. "You know, maybe your not the right person to talk about this with. I mean, the whole thing last summer, and you didn't know Wilson very well."

"Yeah, but I know you. And this is about you, not Wilson."

Mary starts to cry hysterically and gets up. "I'm sorry," she mumbles to Robbie as she walks out of the room and into the bathroom. Robbie gets up and chases after her. He knocks on the door to the bathroom, but gets no response- only the sound of Mary's sobs come through the door. Flustered, Robbie walks downstairs and into his bedroom.

"Is she OK?' Matt asks him upon reentering the room.

"Maybe." Robbie answers sitting back don on his bed and picking up his book.

"What do you mean 'maybe'? What's going on with her?"

"Its not my place to say."

"So? Tell me anyways. I'm her big brother, I have a right to know."

"I think she'll tell you all soon enough.  In fact, if she sticks around she'll have to."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying give her time."

Two and a half weeks later, I was packing my bags. I decided to go back home with Billy. The flight was cheap, no stopovers or anything too, and I couldn't bear to stay here anymore. The colonel had told me time and time again, even before any of this happened, that I could go back to GlenOak whenever I wanted to. In short, no one was holding me prisoner there in Buffalo anymore. I decided it was time I left. My mission was accomplished here. I'm no longer spiraling into a self-made bottomless pit. 

I wanted so badly to be in my own bed. I felt like I was in limbo, I didn't belong here anymore, but didn't know if I belonged home either. Nonetheless, I was on my way, on the plane with Billy- back to suburban GlenOak, constant ridicule, and forcing of information I was not ready to give.

Upstairs, there is a knock at the bathroom door. Thinking its Robbie, Mary opens it. Instead, she finds Lucy on the other side of the door.

"Can we talk?"

"If its about me, no. Anything else, sure."

Lucy rolls her eyes. "Just answer me one question." She says seriously. "Honestly, are you all right?"

Mary looks Lucy straight in the eyes. "No." She walks right past her and down the stairs, into the hallway. Robbie lays eyes on Mary, and runs out into the hallway. He whisks her into Sam and David's room, closing the door behind them.

"Look, Mary, whatever I said to make you feel uncomfortable I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart I apologize. But I understand why you aren't ready to tell your family, but since you told me, don't run away. Use me. I'm here for you and I want to help."

Mary nods and Robbie pulls her in for a sympathetic hug. She sobs on his shoulder as he thinks of what to say next.

"You never told him, did you? He didn't know."

Mary shakes her head. "I couldn't bring myself to tell him. After that night things weren't right between us, he-"

"I don't need to know the details." Robbie tells her.

"But I can't keep it inside anymore. I'm afraid it's just all going to spill out."

"Then let it spill out. I know a group of people that are itching to hear your story."

"What if they kick me out? What if they hate me?" She says wiping her eyes.

"They won't."

"How do you know that?"

"Your parents do have some compassion."

"Not for things like this- not for me. I screwed up royally."

"But, if I remember correctly, you tried to fix things. You were going to marry him, which would be the right thing to do in that situation."

"You don't understand. I never should have been in that situation to begin with." She stops for a second, looking straight into Robbie's eyes. "Robbie, I'm petrified. I can't do this alone. I need him."

"Your Mary Camden. You don't need anyone- except maybe your family. Now go tell them."

"Maybe tomorrow." Mary says trying to back out of it.

"Not later, now." Robbie opens the door. "Go."

Mary walks out of the door, Robbie behind her, in search of her parents. She finds the two of them in the kitchen.

"Mary," her father says looking at her, "we were just talking about you."

"Are you all right dear?" Annie asks.

"No, I'm not. I have to talk to you, and the rest of the family."

"Ok, um, dinner's going to be ready soon. After dinner."

"Could dinner wait? This is kind of important."

"I guess so honey."

"I'll go round everyone up." Eric says walking up the stairs.

Mary walks into the living room alone, and sits down on the couch momentarily. As she waits for everyone to arrive, she battles tears, going over what she is going to say to the Camden clan in her head. When she finally settles on her first sentence, she stops herself. "I can't do this," she says aloud to no one in particular.

"Yes you can," a familiar voice says from in back of her. "I'll be right here with you."

Mary turns around to see Wilson standing directly behind her. Surprisingly, she is neither scared nor frightened. "I need you," she tells him blatantly.

"You'll be fine," Wilson says to her, "remember that. I have to go now, but I'll be watching you. Whenever you really need me, I'll be here."

"But-"

"No one is going to hate you, and for the record I don't either. Good bye Mary." Wilson's appearance gets lighter and lighter until he fades away.

Mary's ears pick up shuffling on the stairs, and she turns around to find the rest of the family coming into the living room.

"You ok?" Ruthie says to her. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Yeah…" Mary mumbles. She stands up in front of her family. "I know you all have been wondering what's going on with me since I came home. Well…"

THE END