Amanda woke slowly. She stretched, yawned, and scratched her right shoulder.

Rolling over she drifted back into sleep. A few hours later she woke fully. As she

remembered the night before a wicked smile played across her lips. What an awful

dream she thought. "I'll have to make Duncan's life miserable for a few days for

inspiring that nasty little nightmare."

Amanda rose and padded to the bathroom, she dropped her short silk nightie on the

floor and stepped into the shower. The water was hot and wondrous. She was

flooded with sensations from the night before. This time her smile was gentle, well

maybe she would only make him miserable for a few hours. Such a talented man!

She lathered up her hair and glanced in the mirror. Her heart froze; she stood in the

running water and stared at the horror that sat so silently upon the dresser in her

bedroom. Amanda turned off the water but forgot to rinse the soap from her hair and

body. Cautiously, carefully she stalked the object of her nightmare. Water and soap

dripped from her naked body onto the carpet as she reached out with one trembling

finger to touch the rim of the wine glass from her dream. "It couldn't be real," she

told herself. "It was patently absurd... Immortals simply do not have children" and

really it was just a wine glass. Just a wine glass made of the finest French crystal.

Just a wine glass that she had never owned.

Dressing quickly Amanda went to the drug store on the corner. When she reached

aisle number eight, she was confronted by a new experience; here was an aisle she

had never shopped. The irony of such a thing existing in any store in the whole of

Paris was not lost on her. Walking past the feminine hygiene products, birth control

items and other things she had never used; she came to the section containing

pregnancy tests. She stood looking at them. They had such absurd names. They

were called E.P.T., Fact Plus and Accu-Clear. Truly absurd for something that might

change her entire life and the course of all immortal history. Under her breath she

said disgustedly "This is ridiculous". She spun on her heel to leave but something

stopped her.... The thought "what if?" Kept running through her mind. Her body did

feel different, softer, and warmer somehow. Hallucinations, had to be hallucinations.

"What an imagination I have," she laughed at herself and once again started to leave.

As she turned she impulsively reached out and grabbed one of each type of test. She

took them to the clerk at the counter. The woman smiled knowingly at her. Amanda

blushed for the first time in a thousand years. Quickly she dug money out of her

purse. Pushing the cash at the clerk she said curtly "keep the change". Amanda took

her bag and left the store as quickly as she could without actually running.

Back in her apartment she spread the tests before her. She commented aloud to

herself "This is stupid. Duncan is never going to let me live this down." After a

moment the thought occurred to her, why would I tell him anyhow? She stared at

the tests for a long time. Gathered them up to put in the trash and went into the

bathroom instead. "I can't believe I'm peeing on a stick." She laughed. The first test

was positive, as were the other two. She sat dumbfounded on the toilet for close to

an hour. She finally came to the realization that the damn thing was making a ring

on her butt. She stood up and pulled up her panties.

She was struggling to understand what had happened to her. She walked to the

phone as if in a trance. She dialed Duncan's number.

The phone rang once, twice, three times before his voice came on the line.

"What took you so long? Duncan I need you...," she wailed.

"Amanda?" Duncan asked. He had never heard that tone in her voice before.

"Amanda, what's wrong? Where are you?"

Amanda's voice was emotionless and frightened at the same time as she said, "I'm...

I'm in trouble, Duncan, Please come? I'm at my place. Duncan Hurry?"

Duncan paused for just a moment then said with concern in his voice. "What? Are

you ok? Is there someone..."

Amanda interrupted him with a sobbing cry " Duncan, please don't ask, just come,

NOW!!"