Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to say I owned these characters, or at least all of them, I cannot make that claim. They all belong to some corporate company in the sky, or at least most of them. The obvious ones.

Papa Don't Preach

Chapter Four: Tainted Love

"'Ana?" Craig stared at me, no doubt with the same stare I was giving to him. He looked the way I remembered him. Tall, dark and handsome. He even had his trusty camera at his side. His bottom lip curled up, but he immediately bit it down, leaving teeth marks in his somewhat chapped lips. His eyes drew off of me to my camera, which was being held to me by my shoulder strap.

"Craig, maybe you should show Ms. Padma around the school, eh?" tiny teacher patted his shoulder with a smile and gave my hand a small squeeze. "You're in good hands, Layana."

I smiled nervously and gave her a nod. My mouth grew dry quickly once my eyes were back on him. "Is there a water fountain anywhere?"

"Yeah, sure," Craig replied as though his brain had just been boggled to the max. "Follow me."

"Follow me," Craig took my hand and led me into a dark, smoky room. In the middle of the room was a queen-sized bed covered in plushy blankets. Candles were on every little ledge possible, filling up the space of a peppermint smell. Multi-colored scarves covered the top of the few lamps that were in there, making the dark red walls even darker. It was a place right out of a soap opera, and not one of those trailer trash ones either. No, this was a Pine Valley sort of room.

"Where the hell are we?" I half-joked as I brought his strong hand up to my lips and kissed it tenderly.

"This is the only place in this house we can be alone," he took my hand and returned the kisses.

"Alone, eh?" I brought him closer to me, letting our hips click together. I started to hear the rumble of "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell blow over the speakers from outside our walls. He put his hand behind my neck and kissed my collarbone with delicacy. Each kiss brought him closer to my lips and closer to the bed. Before I knew it we were both in our skivvies, underneath the covers.

"What are we doing?" I exclaimed, once I realized what was going on.

"I was thinking the same thing," Craig managed to get out in-between his large breaths.

"Well," I stalled, trying to think of something. "Do you have protection?"

"I keep one in my wallet just in case," Craig said softly, as if he was almost ashamed of it.

"Well, take it out."

I bent down so I was at level with the fountain and took a long, cool gulp of the refreshing water. I even let some of it hit my cheek lightly enough so no one would notice. I slowly got myself up when I finished at slightly glanced at Craig.

"So, I suppose I should show you around," he clapped his hands together.

"Yeah, I suppose so," I wiped the excess water hanging from my lips with the back of my hand. I cleared my throat and pushed my hands deep into the pockets of my sweatshirt. Then I remembered that the sweatshirt I was wearing was his, one he gave me before it happened. It still has his smell on it, or maybe I just smell him because he is right next to me. Smells like mangos.

"Well this is the library," he coughed into his hand and peered at me, thinking I wouldn't notice. "You know 'Ana we should talk…"

"Yeah we should," I sarcastically remarked. He was definitely being captain obvious. Why shouldn't we talk? I mean I only slept with you and almost gave birth to your child, but you don't know that. You don't know anything that happened to me because you left without giving me a number or anything that I could use to track you down.

"So how have you been?" I put his hand on my shoulder and led me into the library, where we found seats and plopped our hard, stubborn butts on.

"Ok, I guess," I lied through my teeth. Things were not ok. I had a miscarriage, lost my friends, my dignity and everything in my life that mattered. Well, almost everything and Craig didn't even hear of it, know that he had given life to something but some stupid guy with a gun took it away. He doesn't know a thing.

"No, really 'Ana… I mean, you don't look like you're very happy to see me," Craig tried to smile, but was brought down by my peircing stares. "Are you happy to see me?"

"Ecstatic," I felt tears weld up in my eyes. Hot and stingy tears. Craig saw must have seen them because he's wiping them off with his hand. "Things are just a bit strange right now."

"Like what? Do you not like it here or something?" Craig laughed nervously and cracked a cheesy smile. Actually it was his only smile, but the cheesier the better.

"No, I love it, it's just…" my voice was going out. The roof of my mouth felt like there was a teaspoon of peanut butter splattered all over it. It's becoming harder and harder for me to come up with the words I wanna say. I wanna tell him I love him and that I forgave him for abandoning me. It was ok, it wasn't his fault. It was mine for not trying to reach him. I want to hug him and kiss him for hours on end. I want him to hold me and tell me everything is ok, that I'm not to blame here for what happened to him. It's not my fault I was there at that time, that moment when that man decided to go on a rampage.

If only I had the heart to tell him.

A/N: ok, I just whipped that one right out there.