.

"Do yourself a favor and just g-e-t i-t d-o-n-e!" I slammed the receiver down in its cradle and pinched my nose. What a day already, at not even 10 o'clock in the morning. My pulse pounded in my head with every beat my heart took, which were quite a few, given how the call went. Unfortunately for me, I didn't allow myself neither coffee not pain medication to protect my unborn children. Either one would have helped me feel better, but the two in my womb deserved at least that much consideration from their probably too hard-working mother. I sighed.

"Miranda?" Andrea's concerned voice penetrated the fog clouding my mind. "Anything I can do?"

Within a split-second I bit my tongue, before I said something like 'Your job.' which would so not have gone over well with my partner. Been there, done that, and at a time when she wasn't even my partner yet. I had learned that lesson well.

She entered my office and walked behind my chair, where she reached over and started to softly massage my cramped neck, unbidden. I sighed again.

"I just spoke to my lawyer, he said the charges against Stephen are on hold because he claims I attacked him first." I felt Andrea tense behind me and nodded silently.

"Tell me you aren't serious."

"Deadly." I hung my head, not in defeat but to give Andrea better access to my neck. I relished in her touch. "He claims I caused the injuries you inflicted and all his actions were in self-defense. It'll be my word against his. According to the attorney, self-defense would be a misdemeanor at best, perhaps sexual misconduct but definitely no felony. The ADA is questioning if there is a case as of right now."

"Holy mother f...," Andrea seethed and on autopilot her fingers dug into my skin. "How dare he!"

"Darling," her touch was getting painful now.

"Oh, sorry," she released me and stepped around my desk again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…."

"It's fine, dear." I met her gaze and straightened my shoulders, what a clusterfuck, if you will excuse my saying so.

"What about the divorce?"

"Well, at least that is coming along…. He is contesting of course, but my PI has proof of his infidelities as well so we'll refute his demands. Our prenup should be solid."

How I hated these last few weeks with a passion, weeks which had me and my family in the limelight of those insufferable tabloids who hunted us all like we were anything special. Just like Andrea had predicted it would happen, should I choose a life with her over one with Stephen. However, as if those vultures weren't bad enough to deal with, the despicable being that is my soon-to-be-ex, kept me busy too, not only dealing with the emotional aftermath of the assault, but the aforementioned legal aspects as well. There was nothing much I could do of course, but to sit back and patiently wait for an outcome was nothing I did well, as witnessed by the reaction to my attorney just now.

Perhaps, I needed to admit that my current mood may have also something to do with the imminent last step of solving my conundrum: my Amniocentesis, which was scheduled for early the next morning.

My pregnancy was no longer a secret, the tabloids had seen to that. Well, them and my ever-growing belly… on instinct, my hands went down and lovingly caressed the precious gifts inside. Our children, mine and Andrea's.

"Has he mentioned anything about Stephen claiming…?" Andrea trailed off.

We both were afraid of the same thing. "No." I shook my head.

"Thank god."

I reached over and took her hand. "Come here darling." I knew she needed reassurance, we both did.

"He hasn't laid claim to the kids and I doubt he will. He has had weeks, had he wanted to." Andrea leaned into me and I wrapped my arms around her. She trembled.

"He could you know…." she choked out.

"I know."

"What if…"

"No, darling. He will fight me tooth and nail on the divorce but he will not take charge of some children that might not be his. He is not a generous man, Andrea."

"He wouldn't just be not generous but cruel, Miranda. As your husband, he could legally claim my…."

I sighed. "Yes, he could. But he won't. Trust me on this." I squeezed my arms firmly and pinched her a little for good measure. "If I could, I would drag you down onto my lab, darling." Looking up, I winked at her.

It worked and she grinned back at me. "Would you now?" She gave me a brief kiss on the lips. "And what else would you do?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…" I teased her to lighten the mood. As she still stood before me, I saw the reaction my words caused and a smirk crossed my features. My ego preened. Even almost five months pregnant, I still had power over my woman. Pulling back, I released my hold on her.

Andrea groaned. "Evil, Miranda, so evil…." She adjusted her pants.

"Well," I drawled in my most seductive voice, "what can I say…." I intentionally faux picked at my cuticles, not looking at her.

"Woman," Andrea groaned, "I am going back to work."

"You do that, will I see you tonight, darling?"

"As if!"

We kissed one more time, then went to finish our jobs. Somehow along the way, I noticed my headache was almost gone.

I was now in my 19th pregnancy week and my OB-GYN insisted on performing what is called an Amniocentesis. A what? Yes, I know, the word is quite complicated but basically, someone sticks a needle into my womb to catch some fluid from each baby's placenta. Sounds horrific to you? Well, honestly, I am not fond of the procedure myself, but given I am at a rather advanced age to be pregnant, I need to do what is best for my unborn children. Excluding genetic or chromosomal abnormalities qualifies as such in my understanding. Hence, my appointment tomorrow.

Of course, getting the babies' gender and doing a DNA comparison with the potential father and me as their mother, was a welcome side effect. Andrea and I would finally be settled in a few days time. That's how long it would take to get the results back.

"I'm so nervous," Andrea squirmed on her seat while we sat waiting in a private room at the clinic before being taken to an exam room. "What if," she started.

I shook my head. "Please, darling, don't go there." I begged. "We have been fine for so long already, let's just give ourselves a few more days until we learn the truth."

"Oh god, No! Miranda," she got up and crouched down in front of me, taking my hands into her own. "Sweetheart, that's not what I've been referring to."

I tilted my head in question.

"What I meant, I'm nervous because of what could go wrong for you or our babies. You know, that long list…." fortunately, she trailed off on her own. I would have stopped her otherwise.

"Again, please darling, no what ifs. Everything will be fine, they do Amnios several times a day at this clinic and are very experienced. You heard them yourself, fewer than one in a thousand exams have complications. I won't be one of those." Still, I closed my eyes and sent a quick prayer to whoever might be listening. I squeezed Andrea's hands in reassurance.

"I couldn't stand it if anything bad happened." Andrea whispered.

"Oh darling," I pulled her up and into my arms, which was no longer as easy as it used to be with the very noticeable bulge between us. Oh goodness!, I thought and involuntarily had to chuckle.

"What makes you laugh in this situation?" this time Andrea was almost indignant.

"A bulge," I wheezed, "a bulge."

"Huh?" Andrea didn't understand. "What about it?"

"God, Andrea, have you ever realized a bulge is what got me in this situation?"

Her eyes widened.

"Exactly, Andrea, I can no longer take you into my arms as I used to because of the bulge my stomach has become, as a direct result of my curiosity about the bulge I spotted in your Armani pants that fateful day in my office."

"Jeez, you are killing me woman! Sometimes I really wonder how your brain works," she admonished, but leaned over and kissed me deeply. "My bulge intrigued you, hm?" Amusement shone in her eyes now. At least I distracted her. "Wanna feel it now?" she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"Now?" it was my turn to rather look incredulous. "You are impossible, Andrea."

"Be that as it may," she conceded, "but I am impossible for you and you only."

I rewarded her love declaration with a long and sweet kiss which got her squirming, evil of me, I know, I know.

A nurse hovering in the doorway with a wheelchair interrupted our moment before things could escalate. It was time for me to move to the exam room and let the future begin.

I will spare you the sordid details of what doctors did and how I felt about all of that, suffice to say my beloved partner had to severely be encouraged to stay with us, several times, lol.

"I am so not going to do this again," Andrea sighed as we were ensconced back in the town car.

I pointedly looked at her. "Is that so?"

"Yup," she quipped and turned her head to watch the scenery pass us by.

"Well, I guess the good news for you then is, I will definitely get me tubes tied after this pregnancy. So should you stay with me, darling, I can assure you, you never will have to go through an amniocentesis again."

Her head whipped around so fast, I for sure thought she would get whiplash.

"YOU WHAT?", she set up straight and her eyes fixed me as her mouth stayed open in … astonishment? Shock? Surprise? Horror maybe? I couldn't tell.

"Honestly, Andrea," I began, but she interrupted me.

"You… you wouldn't? Ever? But what if…" her big brown eyes were riveted on me. "Please, Miranda." She didn't really make sense, at least none I could discern. Why was this about her anyway? All she had to do was watch as I got poked with a huge needle into my belly without any anesthetic, twice!

"What 'what if' Andrea? Please elaborate. I dare you." I told you early on, I sometimes abuse my public persona. Seems being poked and having some uncomfortable cramping as an after effect woke my need to reach for my public self.

At my tone, she shrank back, as was to be expected.

"You haven't spoken to me like that in ages!" her outrage was written all over her body.

If we were not careful, this was fast spiraling down hill. I took a deep breath, reminding myself why I loved this woman.

"Andrea," I tried to say calmly and reached my hand across to hers. "Are you sure right now is the best moment to discuss anything but what just happened?"

"You started it."

Now she was simply petulant.

I sighed. "I am not sure why you are offended by any of what I said," I began, but stopped at the huff I got from my partner. I internally reached for patience. "Yes Andrea? What is the matter? Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Tying your tubes, Miranda? Do you really… don't you want to have more children?" Tears ran down Andrea's cheeks by now. She swallowed hard, I waited for her to continue. I had to lean into her as she did, her voice was so small. "But what if these two aren't mine? Would you not want children with me?" A sob punctuated her words.

Youth, I thought. That's what you get for hooking up with a much younger partner, Miranda. I took another calming breath.

"Of course I want these two children to be yours, and as far as I am concerned, I believe them to be until told otherwise. But Andrea," and here came the hard part, " You need to realize something. As hard as this is for me to tell you: I am 45 years old, way beyond child bearing age. I should not be pregnant at present, much less in the future. So yes, darling, I am very much afraid this is a one time experience or chance if you will have it, for the both of us."

Even if in physical pain myself, I opened my arms to the distraught woman next to me. "Come here, Andrea."

She released her seat-belt and snuggled up to me.

"Better now?" I murmured into her hair and kissed her head softly.

"Infinitely," came her equally soft reply. If she could have, she would have joined the two little ones inside me, I am sure, she burrowed in so close.

"I just love you so much and being able to touch and physically see my love," with that she placed both her hands on my protruding belly, "I don't even have words how that turns me on and makes my love grow with every inch our little ones grow."

I placed another kiss in her hair. "I love you too." How else was I to respond to such a heartfelt declaration?

Somehow, the next few days passed in a mix of some odd tension and a lot of cuddling. Doctors had forbidden us to have sex for a day, but we wanted to be on the safe side and abstained a little longer. Only the night before we would get the DNA results did we make gentle love. I think, we both needed to be together one more time, who could tell if our relationship would still be the same if worse came to worst and the babies weren't Andrea's? I told you before, I could and would not expect her to take on responsibility for four children who weren't hers.
Knowledge is power, ignorance is bliss. I needed bliss with my Andrea, maybe one last time before knowledge might haunt us.

TBC…