She has always been lost in blue. Lost in the blue of his eyes and torn by the pain and resignation she frequently saw there. Now, looking into these radiant blue orbs was like falling backwards... plummeting into the past....

She had heard the screaming and the crashes coming from the Atwood house. On her hands and knees, she crawled close enough to hear what was going on.. just to make sure he was all right.

"Stay in that room till you learn some respect", she heard AJ bellow, punctuated by another thud and crash which Theresa could imagine was a door being slammed and Ryan flying into a wall or landing on the floor. She waited a few minutes then crept to Ryan's window. Peering in through the screen all she could see was a pile of clothes in the floor. As she continued to look the pile of clothes began to sit up as Ryan uncurled himself from a fetal position. One hand probed timidly, checking for cuts and breaks while the other backhanded tears away. Sniffing loudly, he gingerly tried to stand up. She didn't want to hurt his dignity anymore than it had already been hurt so she waited until he had collected himself before she scratched softly on the screen.

Cocking his head toward the sound he moved swiftly to the door and flipped the lock, then he moved to stand at the window.

"It's me ," Theresa whispered.

His skinny shoulders relaxed as he recognized Theresa's voice. Leaning closer to the window he met her gaze.

"You ok?"

"Yeah"

"You sure cause you don't look so good from here?"

"Yeah"

"Hey keep it short and simple, don't elaborate so much", she quipped sarcastically. "You had anything to eat today?"

"Naw... I'm not hungry."

"Bull shit, you're always hungry. I'll be right back.. get the screen out.

Rushing next door to her kitchen, she gathered all the leftovers from dinner and put them in a bag. Just as she was getting ready to leave her mother came in. Eyeing the bag in Theresa's hand she nodded approval and smiled.

"Thanks, Ma". Running from the house she slowed then dropped low as she stealthily approached Ryan's window. He stood there, the screen out, just looking up at the starless sky.

"Coast clear?"

He jumped at the sound of her hoarse whisper. " Yeah.. they're watching a movie"

Theresa first handed up the bag then reached for his hand to help her scramble over the window ledge. She almost cleared it but she raised too soon and her head made a mighty bang against the window frame.

"Ow!", she blurted before she could stop herself. They both froze wide-eyed, holding their breath and looked fearfully at the bedroom door. A full minute passed before they felt safe enough to move.

Taking a place next to him on the floor, she hesitantly touched the raising lump on her head. Her hand came away without blood, so that was a good sign.

"What did ya bring?", Ryan whispered as he tore at the bag.

"Fajitas, does it matter?" she laughed softly.

Without response Ryan grabbed one of the meat and vegetable filled tortillas and began stuffing it into his mouth. Juice ran down his fingers making dirty trails in the grime on his hands. Unabashed he licked his fingers and continued stuffing his mouth. He ate silently. When he had eaten the last one and peeked into the bag, Theresa felt a stab of sorrow there hadn't been more.

"Sorry there wasn't more"

"That's cool.. They were good. Tell your mom thanks and that she's a good cook."

"Excuse me but I made those, thank you very much."

"You?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Theresa stuck her tongue out at him as she rose and padded to the chest of drawers. Opening a drawer she fished out the peroxide, ointment and Band-Aids.

"Let me see your head"

"Naw, it's ok. You don't have to do anything" he mumbled as he moved quickly away.

"Atwood, you big pussy... You can take a punch from AJ but I have to chase you around the room to put ointment and a bandage on your head. Get your skinny butt over here!"

Reluctantly he surrendered to her ministrations, hissing through his teeth when the peroxide stung his cut 0head.

Yelling began a new on the other side of the door and a shadow of fear moved across Ryan's face.

"Hey, how about you sleep over at my house tonight? I'll sneak you in the window," she whispered.

Licking his lips, Ryan appeared to being weighing his options. Nodding his head he began picking up the litter from dinner and deposited it in the trashcan. Quietly she slipped out the window and ran toward her house. Looking over her shoulder she saw Ryan drop lightly to the ground and follow.

Looking aimlessly out the window, she decided this had been the longest twenty-four hours of her life and she still had a few hours to go. She jumped as a sudden shot to her bladder almost sent her scrambling for the restroom. One more like that and she just might wet herself. Now that was a vivid image she thought as she stifled a giggle. She didn't know if this little one was a boy or a girl but it surely seemed destined to be a great kicker. Sighing as another jolt hit her, she rose stiffly and began the long trek down the aisle to the john, holding on as she went to prevent her lack of balance from sending her to the floor.

Once more back in her seat she smiled contentedly. Some people's idea of heaven was angels and pearly gates... right now hers was an empty bladder. She was too tired to be apprehensive about what was ahead for her. In fact right now she just thought, "fuck it". Closing her eyes she was lulled to sleep by the rhythmic motion of the bus and the long hours flew by.

She waited until most all of the passengers had disembarked before she struggled out of her seat. The long hours of sitting had made her stiff and she was slow and awkward getting around. Climbing down the stairs, looking at the faces in the crowd, she easily spotted Manny searching the crowd for her.

"Manny!" she called. She saw him turn, following her voice.

"Manny!". His name had no sooner escaped her lips than he spotted her and grinning from ear to ear began making his way toward her through the sea of people. He was a bear of a man and she felt completely dwarfed when he enveloped her in his massive embrace.

"Theresa, it's so good to see you. It has been so long since I have seen anyone from back home."

She hugged him back, truly happy to see him. Keeping his arm around her he began shouldering his way through the crowd. The other member of the Romero tag team, Lupe, Manny's wife had already claimed Theresa's luggage and was now standing guard over it. The two women embraced as Manny grabbed the baggage. With him in the lead they trouped through the crowd to the parking lot.

It took almost an hour to get to the Romero hacienda. It was an huge older two-story house with a big porch complete with porch swings. It sat amidst large Magnolia trees and flowerbeds, in a spacious yard.

For Theresa, who had only been in California it was love at first sight. Her bags were carried in and deposited in a large airy room, with windows on two sides to let the sunlight in.

Lupe was a big girl but she moved around the room with ease, putting some of Theresa's things away. "Theresa, why don't you have a long hot shower and a nap. You look worn out.. we'll wake you for dinner."

"Thanks. That sounds great." The thought of a hot shower and nap made Theresa weak with desire. She felt sticky, gritty and ached all over. Her bathroom was small but spotless. Turning on the water, she began to shed her clothes. Standing naked in front of the full-length mirror she gently she laid her hand on the swell of her belly. Smiling she turned sideways and examined her profile. There was a baby in there... her baby. It didn't matter who the father was. All that mattered was its mother was here and always would be. "It's just you and me, kiddo. This is for real.. no turning back. I love you." A tear spilled from her eyes and made its way down her cheek.