"Where are you going? We're in the middle of a game here!" Alec said as Asha turned away from the pool table. "I desperately have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back," Asha answered, turning away again. "Oh no you don't," Alec said as he grabbed one of the belt loops on her jeans and playfully restrained her, "this is the third time you've had to go in the past hour and a half. I think you're off getting tips on how to beat me." Asha laughed, "Ha! Aww, your fragile male ego is so cute. I hate to break it to you sweetie, but I'm just better." She gave him a peck on the lips, wiggled out of his grasp, and made her way to the bathroom--making sure to swivel her hips a little more than usual just to tease him.
Alec was watching her walk away like he wanted to eat her alive when he felt someone smack him in the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for? Can't a man eye his wife in peace?" Alec said, glaring at the offender. "I'm sure she'll be shaking it for you later. Right now, I'm about to put the smack down on you so you can be embarrassed about getting your ass kicked in pool by two women," Max said. "You know, I think I liked it better before you two became friends and started ganging up on me," he replied. Asha returned about 15 minutes later looking a little pale.
"Hey what took you so long? You missed the best part of Alec's ass kicking," Max asked. Alec grew concerned as he took in her slightly ragged appearance. "I'm feeling kind of crampy and queasy all of a sudden, I guess it's that time of the month," she shrugged. She turned to Alec and said, "Sorry babe, we won't be having much fun tonight." "I will, I get to hold you all night," Alec answered, wrapping his arms around her. Asha couldn't control her laughter as Max began mocking Alec and making gagging noises. Alec just glared at her. "We're going to head home now, I'm pretty tired. Later Max," Asha said as she pulled Alec toward the door.
"Alec's out on a run but you're welcome to wait for him if you'd like. He should be back soon," Normal said to Asha. Asha couldn't believe Alec had left with her cell phone that morning. She had an S1W meeting in less than an hour and she needed her phone to call a few contacts. She had tried calling and he didn't answer; now he was taking forever getting back from his run. Typical, her day was getting off to a bad start. She noticed Normal was struggling with a calculator trying to add up a long list of numbers. "6,785," Asha said nonchalantly as she peered over the desk at the list. Just then Max came back from a run, she spotted Asha and went over to say hi. "What?" Normal questioned, not knowing what Asha was referring to. "The answer to what you were adding is 6,785," she said. "Wait, you mean you added all that up in your head that quickly? No way." he said, a shocked look on his face. "Yeah, go ahead and finish putting it in the calculator," Asha replied nonchalantly.
"Wow, you're right," Normal said still amazed. "Damn my girl has skills. Alec never told me you were a genius," Max said. "He probably doesn't know, it's never really been a big deal. Plus in my line of work, it helps if people automatically assume I'm just a dumb blonde. They tend to let their guard down faster that way," Asha replied. Just then Alec came back from his run. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he questioned as he came up behind Asha and kissed her on the cheek. "I came to get my phone, you left with it this morning. Now give it, I'm going to be late for my meeting," she answered. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize it was still in my pocket," he said, handing her the phone. "Thanks, I have to get going. Bye guys," Asha said and she headed for the door. "Hey if you ever want a job here, come back and see me!" Normal yelled as she left. "What's that all about?" Alec asked, knowing that Normal wasn't known for such offers. Asha giggled as she heard Max begin the story excitedly.
Max knew Logan wasn't home, so she wasn't expecting what she heard as she entered his apartment. She cautiously made her way down the hall; the noise was coming from the bathroom. As she got closer she heard the sound of someone retching. She was shocked to see Asha worshipping the porcelain gods as she opened the door. She immediately retrieved a washcloth and wet it, then placed the cool cloth on the back of Asha's neck. "Asha? What happened?" Max asked with concern in her voice.
Asha felt dreadful. She ached all over, and her stomach hurt from the dry heaves that wracked her body long after its contents had been emptied. As she rested her head against her arm, she could feel the icky film of sweat that covered her. Before she could answer Max's question, another wave of dry heaves hit her. Max kneeled beside her and rubbed her back comfortingly until they were sure the waves had stopped. Asha moaned and attempted peeling herself off the floor. She was still shaky as Max helped her to her feet and got her settled on the sofa in the living room. Asha sat back and closed her eyes. "What's going on? Are you feeling ok? Stupid question, I know," Max said, placing a concerned hand to Asha's forehead. Max went to get her a glass of water.
"You're at a perfect 98.6, so what's up?" Max said as she handed Asha the glass and sat down beside her. She sipped some of the water carefully, hoping to keep it down. "I don't know, I came over here to talk to Logan about trying to get some supplies we need for a project and I just started feeling really queasy in the elevator," she answered, "I guess Logan must have cooked before he left. The smell of the food hit me when I opened the door, and I had to run to the bathroom and lose my lunch." "How long have you been getting sick like that?" Max questioned. "A couple of weeks I guess, what are you getting at?" Asha replied.
"I don't want you to freak out or anything, but have you taken a pregnancy test?" Max asked. A look of sheer terror and panic settled on Asha's face. "Oh my God Max, I've been so busy I didn't even think about it but--I'm late," Asha said. "Wow ok, let's not panic. I keep a pregnancy test in Logan's medicine cabinet, it's all yours," Max said. "Wait, you keep a pregnancy test? Something you want to tell me?" Asha questioned. "It's not even like that. I just like to be prepared for anything. Now will you go take the test already?" Max said. Asha practically ran to the bathroom.
Minutes later, Max and Asha were sitting side by side on the edge of the bathtub staring at the test stick on the floor. Three minutes seemed to take forever. "Two lines, what does two lines mean?" Asha asked. Max scrambled to read the directions, she gasped as she found what she was looking for. "You're pregnant!" she screamed. Asha couldn't speak. Thoughts were running through her mind at a dizzying pace. She'd always wanted kids, but was she ready to be a mother now? What would happen with the S1W? How would Alec feel? Alec--she had to tell Alec he was going to be a father.
"Wow," Asha said after about five minutes of staring into space. "Wow? All you have to say is "wow"? You're going to be a mother!" Max exclaimed. "I don't know what else to say. I mean, I've always wanted a baby eventually...but am I really ready to be someone's mother? I mean I'm 25; I'm still pretty young right? I'm leading the S1W now; a pregnant woman probably shouldn't be doing that. And how's Alec going to feel about this? How am I going to tell him? We've only been married seven months; we haven't even discussed this yet. I think I need to lie down," Asha said with panic in her voice and on the verge of hyperventilating, "Sometimes these things are wrong right? I should see a doctor and make sure. If I am really pregnant, I need to know how far along I am anyway." She got up to go find a phone book and the phone when Max stopped her. "Wait Asha, first of all you need to breathe. Second, if you're pregnant this kid is half transgenic. Who knows what the effects of that will be. You can't go to a regular doctor, let me call Logan so he can set something up for you," Max said.
"Ok, but don't tell him what it's about. Other than you, I don't want anyone knowing until I can tell Alec," Asha said. Logan was curious but didn't ask any questions. Max said it was important, so he got the doctor to let Asha come in that night. Max went with her and waited anxiously for Asha to come out of the office. Finally Asha emerged, looking a bit pale and expressionless. "I'm four weeks pregnant," she whispered as she sat down beside Max. The doctor followed shortly after Asha. "You'll need to take these prenatal vitamins, the directions are on the bottle. I also have some literature on what to expect during your pregnancy and how to take care of yourself," She said as she handed Asha the pills and pamphlets, "I expect to see you again in a few weeks, and again, congratulations Mrs. Barlow." "Thank you Dr. Crawford," Asha said. The doctor smiled and returned to her office. Asha decided to head home and tell Alec, while Max returned to Logan's place.
Asha was tired, cranky, and becoming increasingly impatient as she sat on her living room sofa. She looked at her watch for the tenth time in the last half hour...2: 45 am. "Where the hell are you Alec?" she said to herself. Alec came strolling in about 20 minutes later. He went over to kiss Asha, but she frowned and kept him at arms length. "Where the hell were you? I called you almost two hours ago and asked you to come home. You smell like beer," she said with a frown. "I was at Crash and in the middle of a game of pool with some of the guys," Alec answered. Asha just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Listen, I have something important to tell you--or show you rather. You might want to sit down for this," she said.
Alec took a seat on the sofa as Asha stood and pulled something from her pocket. She sat on the coffee table facing him and handed him the object. "What's this? What do these two little lines mean?" Alec asked, inspecting the item curiously. Watching him was starting to annoy an already cranky Asha; she grabbed one of his hands. She took a deep breath then blurted out, "That's a pregnancy test, and two lines mean you're pregnant. Alec, I'm pregnant." Alec's mouth opened in shock, he couldn't speak. After five minutes he still hadn't said a word, and Asha couldn't take it anymore. "Alec! Say something, anything!" she yelled. She had no idea what Alec's reaction would be, but she certainly wasn't expecting what happened next.
"What the--how could this happen! You can't be pregnant! This has to be wrong, you have to go see a doctor!" Alec yelled. "I've already seen a doctor and I'm pregnant," Asha said. "Shit! You don't understand; you CAN'T be pregnant!" Alec exclaimed frantically. Asha was becoming annoyed again. "Yeah, I can be. That's generally what happens when a man and a woman have sex. Funny how you weren't worried about it while you were fucking me," she said sarcastically. "You think this is a joke Asha? White's still after me! I can barely keep YOU safe now and you tell me you're pregnant? How could we make such a big mistake? A baby is nothing but a liability to me!" Alec yelled.
She never thought Alec would react this way. Sure, she knew it would be a shock to him but deep in her heart she thought he would actually be happy about it. He thought this baby was just a mistake--something that would get in the way, and that hurt her to the very fiber of her being. Alec was so busy pacing and ranting that he never noticed his wife's hand gravitate to her chest as if her heart was going to fall out at his last statement. He never noticed her bury her head in her hands, he never noticed the tears in her eyes, and he never noticed her walk out that door.
Asha was numb, save for the aching in her chest. She barely noticed her feet move. She didn't know where she was going; she just knew she had to get away from Alec. She wanted to go get wasted, to drown herself in a bottle...anything to kill the fire in her chest, but the baby was all she had and she wouldn't do anything to harm it. Somehow she ended up at Logan's apartment. "Asha? It's 3:30 in the morning, what are you doing here?" Logan said groggily. Asha didn't answer as she pushed past him and plopped down in the living room. He followed, and it took him a few tries of asking her questions and getting no answers for him to focus and notice her expressionless and almost catatonic state. Something was wrong. "Asha? I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," he said gently, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her.
She still said nothing. She wasn't crying now, but her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been. She wouldn't even look at him; she just stared at some point on the wall behind him. Logan had no idea what was wrong with her, and no idea what to do about it. Then he remembered Max's earlier phone call about setting up a doctor's appointment for Asha. Max appeared from the bedroom rubbing her eyes. "Oh no," she said as soon as she saw Asha. Max took a seat beside her. She turned to Asha and said, "You told him didn't you? I'm guessing he wasn't too happy about it." Asha blinked a couple of times, and then nodded her head "yes". Logan stood by and watched curiously.
"What's going on here?" Logan asked. "Can I tell him?" Max asked Asha. She nodded her approval. "Logan, Asha's pregnant. That's why I needed you to make that doctor's appointment for her today. She didn't want anyone else to know before Alec. She just told him, and he didn't take it well," Max said. Logan was furious. He didn't know what Alec had said, but whatever it was had really hurt his friend.
Asha sniffled but there were no tears shed. She couldn't cry anymore. She had done as she had always done when she was emotionally hurt; she shut down her emotions and cut herself off from the source of the pain. If Alec felt that way, he wouldn't have to be burdened with her or their little mistake again. Max sat patiently, not wanting to push Asha. They just sat in silence until finally Asha spoke. "Logan? How quickly could you get me sector passes and a train ticket to New York?" she asked softly. "I could have that ready within an hour, but Asha maybe you should think about this. Alec is a jerk but..." Logan said. Asha visibly winced at the mention of his name and raised a hand to cut Logan off.
"He said the baby was a mistake and nothing but a liability to him," she started, "so I'm going to give him what he wants. No wife, no baby, no responsibilities." Max sighed; she had never seen Asha so cold and emotionless. "Asha, you know I'm the last one to take Alec's side, but in his defense this is all new to him. He probably just panicked, and Alec becomes a complete asshole when he panics. I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. Listen, it's late, you're pregnant, and if you don't rest you'll just be hurting the baby. So will you at least stay and get some sleep before you take off? I'll make sure Logan has the passes and ticket before you wake up," Max said.
Asha sighed and considered the request. It had been a very long day and she was exhausted. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her baby, that was all she had now. "Fine, I'll stay but I'm out of here by noon," Asha answered. "Good, the guest room's all yours. Do you need anything before we head back to bed? Hungry?" Max asked. Asha frowned, remembering her earlier encounter with the toilet. "No thanks, I'd like to avoid having my face in the toilet again. I'm fine," she said.
Max was awakened from her shallow slumber by the sound of frantic knocking. She got out of bed, being careful not to wake Logan. She reached the door and flung it open angrily knowing full well whom she would find on the other side. She grabbed Alec by the collar and slammed him up against the nearest wall. "You idiot! I always knew you were a jerk, but I never thought you were that low. How could you say that to her?" she began her rant, "What the hell could have possibly gone through your mind to make you say something that stupid? You broke her heart you asshole! She's ready to leave. I convinced her to stay and get some sleep for the baby's sake, but if she hadn't agreed your wife and your child would be gone right now and you would never see them again. You almost lost her Alec, if you don't fix this you could still lose her. Do you realize that?"
Alec's eyes widened with shock. He knew he had hurt her, but he didn't realize how badly. He took in what Max had told him and realized how badly he had messed up. He could lose her, and he couldn't bear even the thought of not having her in his life anymore. He needed her, and she was his everything. Asha was fully capable of disappearing when she needed to, and not even he would have an ice cube's chance in hell of finding her. Max was surprised to see his eyes flood with unshed tears. She slowly let him go. "Fix it Alec, fix it now," she said as she pushed him toward the guest room.
Alec stood at the door, watching the slow rise and fall of Asha's chest. Pale moonlight shone through the spaces in the blinds, highlighting the sliver of her stomach that peeked out from under her shirt. Alec cringed as the words he'd said to her replayed in his head. His eyes fixated on her stomach, wondering what it would look like as it gradually swelled with their growing child. He couldn't resist touching the exposed skin. Asha was startled by the unexpected touch and scooted away from him. Her anger flared as her eyes focused and she realized who was hovering over her. "Asha I..." Alec began. "No, leave me alone. Just go away Alec," Asha said as she sat on the edge of the bed with her back to him.
He got on his knees in front of her. She turned her head away; she couldn't even look at him. "Asha please, I love you so much. Please don't do this," he said, pleading with her. "You don't love me, you can't. You say the words but they must not really mean anything to you. This baby is a part of me, so if it's a mistake and a liability to you, then I am too. I'm just giving you what you want Alec. We'll both get out of your hair, so you don't have to worry about anyone but yourself," she said. "How could you think that? I'm so sorry for what I said, I overreacted and I said things I didn't mean. It's just that I love you so much; I couldn't stand it if anything ever happened to you. With White still after me, how am I going to protect you? What if he goes after the baby like Manticore did with Max's nephew Case? I never had parents Asha, how am I supposed to be a good one? We promised to stand by each other through anything. I know I'm an asshole, but please don't give up on me yet," he said, his voice trembling.
He waited for her to say something, to look at him, to hit him, to do anything to let him know she heard him. She kept her head turned away and she said nothing, her face remained cold and expressionless. She was going to leave him; he knew it and he couldn't take it anymore. Alec wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his head in her lap, and began to beg. "Please Asha, please don't go. I'll die without you," he said over and over again, getting no reaction from her. Soon he began to cry, she was all he had. Asha's resolve began to fade as she felt the hot tears soaking through her jeans. Alec never cried, not even on the anniversary of Rachel's death had she ever seen Alec actually shed a tear. She lifted his chin, looked him straight in the eye and said, "I love you."
Alec laughed and hugged Asha around the waist. "I love you so much, I'm so sorry. I promise to make it up to you somehow," he said. "The only thing you need to do for me is be the great father I know you can be to this baby," she said. He lifted her shirt and placed a hand on her stomach. "Wow, that's us in there. We did that," he whispered. Asha smiled and placed her hand over his. He kissed her stomach, then moved up to kiss the lips he almost lost. "Do you need anything? Does it hurt? Are you hungry? What can I do for you?" Alec asked. Asha giggled and replied, "Alec calm down, the only thing I need is your promise that you'll be here for me and you'll never hurt me like that again. Other than that, I just need some sleep." Alec pulled back the covers and removed Asha's boots. "I promise," he said as he kissed her forehead. She lay down on the bed; he pulled her close and spooned himself around her. When Max and Logan came to check on them hours later, they found the couple still asleep--Alec's hand still possessively resting on Asha's stomach.
TBC...