Darcy stumbled blindly into her room.  Somehow she had made it down the hall and had mind enough to enter the code to open her door.  When it slid closed behind her, she fell back against the door, sliding to the floor.  She brought her knees up, wrapped her arms around her legs, and rested her forehead on her knees.

There is no way I just saw that, she thought.  Lance would not do that.  There is no way.  He fell and she was helping him up.  She pushed herself to her feet and paced the room.  That's it!  He fell and she was helping him up.  She shook her head and laughed bitterly.  But what was she doing?  Trying to pull him up with her lips?

Lance pounded on her door.  She knew he would come, but she'd be damned if she opened the door to him.

"Darcy, please.  It wasn't what it looked like.  We need to talk.  Please." 

Her heart cracked when she heard him pleading, but her pride wouldn't let her respond.  Instead, she crossed to her window and looked out over the woods.  A storm was moving in, dark gray clouds were looming and a strong breeze whipped the tree tops.  How fitting, she thought.

"Darcy, I love you, please, talk to me.  Let me explain."

She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cool glass.

He waited silently.  For a moment, Darcy thought he left and she wasn't sure if she was glad he was gone or hurt.

"Darcy," his voice was low and shaking when he finally spoke.  "I can override the lock on your door.  Please don't make me do that."

When she didn't respond, he entered the code and watched the door slide open.  She stood with her back to him, facing the window.  She neither moved nor acknowledged his entrance. The door slid shut behind him.

"Darcy…"

"I don't think I want to see you right now, Lance."

"Then listen to me, please."

"Lance…"

"After everything we've been through…after this past year, the least you can do is listen to me before you decide to throw our relationship away."

She turned to face him.  He looked back at her remorsefully.  Silently, she sat in the chair beside her window and waited.  A bolt of lightening slashed the sky and thunder rumbled.

Lance wanted her to scream, to yell, to slap him across the face.  He could deal with that.  But this stoic silence was cutting him through to his soul.

"I know what you think you saw.  She came on to me.  You were right, she was after me.  I tried to get past her, but she pinned me in between the bars and she, well, she kissed me.  I was tired and my legs gave out."  Even to him it sounded weak.  "She kissed me."

Darcy stared at her hands in her lap, twisting her ring.  "You didn't seem to be fighting too hard."

He wheeled his chair closer to her and pushed himself out of the chair. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees, leaning on the arm of her chair, "I don't know what I can say to you to make this better."

"I don't think there is anything you can say."  She whispered, painfully.

His breath caught and he felt the indescribable pain of his heart being ripped from him.  "You…you're breaking up with me?"

"I don't know!"  Her voice rose with hysterics.  She stood and began pacing the floor.  "I don't know.  I want to believe you Lance, I love you.  But I walk in and I see you on the floor making out with a half-naked woman, what am I supposed to think?"

"You still love me?"

"Good Lord Lance!  I don't have a switch in me that allows me to turn my feelings on and off.  I don't know what to think!  Right now I am so angry, so hurt that I don't want to see you right now!  Dammit!  How could you?"  Her voice shook and she turned so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes.

"Darcy," he spoke tenderly, lifting himself into the chair she had just vacated.  "I didn't.  She blocked my way to my chair and kissed me.  I lifted my hands to push her away and my legs gave out.  I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did.  I don't even really know how it happened.  It was unreal..."

"God Lance!  Listen to yourself!"  Darcy yelled, her voice shaking uncontrollably.  "What makes you think I want to hear this?"

He looked up and saw the tears running down her face.  All he wanted to do was go to her, pull her to him and take away all the pain he had caused.  But he couldn't.  Instead he slumped back against the chair and watched her, helplessly.  "Darc, what I'm trying to say is that it wasn't me.  It wasn't real.  It was almost like magic."

She threw her arms in the air and gasped disbelievingly.

"I didn't mean the good kind of magic, I mean, it was like there was a spell or something over me."

"Well, isn't that convenient?"  She spat at him.  "I guess you're lucky that you have a mortal enemy that just happens to have a witch.  Now whenever you feel the need to mess around you can blame magic!"

Lance put his face in his hands and sighed.  This was a losing battle.  "Darcy, I love you, you have to know that.  I would never do anything to hurt you.  I can't really explain what happened because I don't fully understand myself.  But you have to know I would never intentionally do anything to ruin what we have."  He lifted his head and looked at her with moist eyes.  "I love you.  Please, don't…just…don't."

Darcy looked down at the look of utter despair on his face and she forgave him on the spot.  But there was that nagging voice in the back of her head.  He's just like Jesse.  You knew he was a womanizer when you meet him, but you went against your better judgment any way.  If you welcome him back he'll only do it again because he knows you're weak.  He knows you'll just take him back.  She turned away, unable to look at him.  "Please go, Lance."

"I will find a way to prove to you to that I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know you didn't mean for it to happen, but you didn't stop it."

"I tried, Darcy, God help me, I tried!"

She rubbed her eyes and sank down on the edge of the bed, her back to him, "I don't want to argue with you Lance."

"No matter what pain you feel right now, no matter how much you hate me, it can in no way compare to the pain I feel or how much I hate myself.  And I think that our relationship is strong enough to survive this."  He whispered.

"I don't know, Lance."  He heard the tears in her voice.  "Everything's changed."

"No, Darcy.  I did something incredibly stupid, but everything has not changed."

"That's not what I mean."

Lance pushed himself up until he stood on unsteady feet and watched the way her back jerked as she quietly sobbed.  "What do you mean?" 

She jumped to her feet and whirled to face him, "I'm pregnant, you son of a bitch!"

He looked at her as though she had just spoken in an alien language.  Another lightening bolt shot across the sky and thunder shook the castle.  The rain came down in torrents.  The lights flickered and went out.  Moments later the generator kicked in and the lights returned.  Lance continued to stare at her in disbelief.

She looked at him, defeated, "I'm pregnant."


"But…but I thought you couldn't…"

"So did I, so did Dr. Gorma.  He said it looks like I didn't have as much poison in my system as he originally thought.  I thought I just had some kind of flu or something.  But…" Her voice broke off and she turned away from him.

"How far along…"

"He places me at five or six weeks."

Lance thought for a moment, "The night before we left for Terra."

"I just wanted to pack," she whined.

Lance let out a laugh and lurched forward, grabbing her dresser to steady himself.  "You're pregnant!"

Darcy looked at him like he was crazy.

He continued his unsteady movements toward her, "Honey, we're having a baby!"  Lance noticed the look on her face, "Aren't you happy about this?"

"I was."  She admitted.  "I was thrilled, until I walked into the gym."

He fell onto her bed, "You're right, Darc, everything has changed, but for the better.  I swear, I am going to prove to you that you are the only woman for me, that I love you and…"

"Lance please!"   She stepped away from the bed.  "You're only making this more difficult."

"Darcy…"  He stopped when he saw her press a hand to her mouth, swallowing a sob.  He gathered his strength and stood, staggering toward her.  "I love you.  I love this baby.  I want us to have a life together."

She shook her head, unable to speak.

"This is a miracle, honey, we never thought we could have children and now we're blessed.  Don't let that woman ruin this for us.  Please.  Tell me what Dr. Gorma said."  He stood before her, swaying slightly.

"He…he…" she developed the hiccups as she tried to hold her tears in. "He doesn't (hic) know how this pregnancy is (hic) going to go."

Lance furrowed his brow, "Does he think you're in danger?"

"I don't know.  He (hic) wants me to take it easy."

He leaned on her desk, trying to squelch the rising panic.  "You're grounded."

"No, he didn't ground me yet."

"I am."

"What?  You (hic) can't!"

"Yes, I can.  I am your superior officer and if I think you're in danger, I can ground you."

"We're shorthanded."

Lance sank down onto her desk chair and grasped her hand, holding it tight when she tried to pull away.  "I will not let you put yourself or our baby in danger."

"No, I'm needed. (hic) And you will allow me to worry (hic) about my baby."

"Don't do this, Darcy.  You're upset, but that baby is as much mine as it is yours and we will raise it together.  I love you."  He rose and pulled her to him.  "Go ahead and be angry, hate me.  But I will not let you go.  You're too important to me, you're everything to me.  We will get married and raise our family.  I will not let you do this alone."

Ignoring the nagging voice in the back of her head, Darcy allowed him to pull her against him.  He fell back against the wall, hugging her as tightly as he could.

"I haven't forgiven you," she murmured against his shoulder.

"I know."

"I'm scared, Lance."

"So am I, baby, so am I."  His legs shook and buckled beneath him.  They fell to the floor together, landing with a thud, but they still clung to each other.

She sat sideways between his open legs, both of her legs over his right leg and head on his shoulder.  He had both arms wrapped tightly around her and his face buried in her hair.  Neither of them said a word, listening to the rain pound on the windows and the thunder crash.

"Darcy," Lance finally broke their silence, lifting his head and resting his chin on her head. 

"What?"  Her voice was hoarse.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm alright."

"I love you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head, her temple.

Darcy struggled in his grasp and shook her head, "No, don't."

"Darc…"

"Lance, you were just kissing another woman."

He laid his head back against the leg of her desk and closed his eyes while she rose to her feet.  It hurt.  It felt like she had just slapped him.  His head pounded in beat with his heart, feeling as though it would burst.

"Where are you going?"  He asked, quietly.

"I'm on duty in twenty minutes, I have to go get ready."

"No, Darcy, get someone to cover for you.  Take some time to rest."

"I can't."

"I'll cover for you."

"No, Lance, dammit," she stood beside the door to her bathroom.  "Don't try to coddle me, I don't need it and I don't want it."  She slammed the door behind her.

Lance sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what he should do.