Disclaimer: Everything Secret Window is not mine. Oprah belongs to herself (as does her show).

AN: Only a few more chapters until the end! Also, I just got a job, so updates will become less frequent. Imjustadreamer: thanks for the extra-long review and European info! If you have the pictures, feel free to send them, my e-mail is on my bio page. Moulin-Rouge-Pirate: I just couldn't imagine a pregnant woman in the Moulin Rouge, could you? And I reviewed the PotC fic you updated!

Chapter 11: Hide and Seek, Lost and Found:

Amber's POV:

The rest of our European tour was absolutely amazing! Even though we only spent a few days (or, at most, a week) in most places, it was more than enough time for me to see everything I wanted to visit. However, that didn't stop Mort from promising to bring me back in a few years, and I thought it was sweet of him to offer to do that. I told him to wait and let me recover from this trip first, though.

Anyway, Mort finished walking me around London, and we visited the London Eye (the huge Ferris wheel), visited the tombs in Westminster Abbey, and drove around the countryside to visit quaint country inns and villages. Of course, Mort had to do a few interviews and book signings, but he always made time to take me places that I really wanted to see. For the days that he had to work, we spent the entire evening together, walking the streets and taking in the ambiance.

After England, we went to Ireland and Scotland in a very quick run-through, but I still got to see a few medieval castles where kings and queens once resided or visited. Spain was our next stop, and we were just in time for the running of the bulls. I skipped it because I thought it was too violent, and because I had a doctor's appointment to check and see how the baby was. Mort had a book signing that day, but he was determined to go with me to see how I was (I was fine and healthy). He was thirty minutes late to the signing, but he'd told me it was worth it.

Germany was fun, but since they were famous for their beer and I wanted to try the stuff, but couldn't, it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I was pregnant, after all. However, the food was wonderful, and I couldn't get enough of it! I went shopping and such, but I mostly spent the time resting and petting my cat.

Italy was next, and we spent quite a lot of time there. In Rome, I got to eat real Italian pasta and cuisine, and got to see the Vatican! Too bad the Pope wasn't there. I also visited museums and art galleries, and the Roman Coliseum. Mort took a day off and took me to the beach, saying the salt air would be good for me. The beach was stunning, but with my stomach growing, I felt extremely self-conscious and refused to wear just my bathing suit. Mort talked me out of it, however, and five minutes later, people were coming up to congratulate us on the future arrival. Well, I think they were congratulating us…I don't speak Italian, so I'd just assumed from their hand signals what they'd meant.

In Greece, Mort had only one interview and one book signing, but we had ten days there for us to rest up before returning to the States. We slept in, took a few tours of the ancient temples and shrines, and bought a few pieces of artwork to be shipped back to New York. On our last night in Greece (and Europe), Mort took me to a beach where we could watch the sun set on the water, and see the stars and lights of the nearby city sparkle together as one. As we had done in Paris, Mort and I shared another romantic kiss under the stars.

New York City: Mort's POV

:

Grateful for the two days of rest time given to him by his agent, Mort collapsed onto the bed, letting out a relieved sigh. Europe had been too stressful, and he was glad that they, and their press, were behind them. He was equally happy that the photograph taken of them in London had been found and confiscated. As Mort closed his eyes, Bubbles leapt up to join him, stretching out next to his head and purring. He heard his wife giggle, and he was sure she was laughing at him. Turning onto his right side, Mort saw her smiling at him and the cat.

"May I ask what is so funny?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

Amber let out a few more giggles. "I just thought it was a cute Kodak moment," she said, turning back to unpacking her luggage. "I really need new clothes," she muttered. "Mine are getting tighter, and they need to be cleaned!"

Mort frowned. "You think you need maternity clothes already?" he said, looking at her. She didn't look that big to him, but then, she was wearing a loose-fitting dress.

Amber turned and looked at him, raising an eyebrow at him. "Mort, I'm nearly six months pregnant," she said. "I've been wearing loose clothes for weeks now, but now I need looser ones. I won't be able to wear this dress much longer, you know."

Mort nodded. "Okay, darling, let's go shopping, then," he said, getting up off the bed. "We can ship these back to the cabin, and we'll buy you a whole new wardrobe!" Grabbing her hand, Mort led his wife out into the streets of New York City.

Half an hour later, they were in a maternity store, and Amber was looking less sure of herself. She had taken a small walk around the store, but had returned to Mort's side, a look of uncertainty in her eyes. It was obvious that she was inexperienced in the art of shopping for maternity clothes, and she really didn't look like she knew how to handle the situation. A clerk was more than happy to help, and Amber was soon in the dressing room with a stack of clothes and Mort waiting outside. Minutes later, she emerged in a very attractive dark blue top and a pair of beige pants.

"What do you think?" she asked shyly, turning around to show him the full outfit.

Mort felt his heart swell. She was asking for his opinion on her clothes! Smiling, he nodded, unable to speak because of the love he was feeling for her. Amber smiled back and returned into the dressing room. After modeling all of the outfits for him, Mort decided to buy everything she had tried on as Amber protested him spending so much money on her. Mort placed a finger on her lips.

"You're worth every penny, love," he said, removing his finger to caress her face.

The two of them returned to the hotel to sort out her clothes and pack them for the tour.

Two days later: Amber's POV:

I had never been on a tour of the United States before, so I was really looking forward to this part of the tour. Just think, I'd been a U.S. Citizen, and I'd never been to any historical or widely known place! I'd always wanted to go to Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, San Francisco and all of those other huge places, and now I would get the chance!

Our first day of the tour took us to Miami, and although I'm all for beautiful weather and beaches, I felt horribly ugly and fat. Watching all of those beautiful people walking everywhere, and here I was, six months pregnant and growing bigger by the day. I felt like a blimp. However, Mort's eyes never wandered away from me during our walking explorations, and he was always by my side, looking out for me. He was so kind and sweet that I wanted to hug him and thank him a million times over!

After Miami, we flew to so many places in such a quick order that my head was spinning. I remembered the cities and the sights I saw, but not which order we toured them! Still, it was thrilling, and I was having the time of my life…right up until we went to the West Coast. Those tours I remembered.

We toured every major city there, and I grew depressed when we passed through my home state. I wondered what my parents and brother were doing now, and whether or not they were still looking for me. Would they have given up on searching by now? I didn't know, but I decided to not think about it and stay in my hotel room and rest, just like the doctors I'd visited told me. I was nearing my seventh month, and couldn't travel much after this. I'd have to head back to New York after a couple more weeks, and I doubt that Mort would be happy about that, but it had to be done.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, when our plane had touched down in Chicago, the doctors there declared that I would soon have to head back to New York City and remain there until I gave birth. Mort looked crushed at the thought if me leaving him. I wasn't thrilled about the idea, either. I wanted him there to give me support, to tell me how beautiful I was in his eyes, and how much he loved me. He couldn't do that if he were thousands of miles away!

"Mort, it's okay!" I said, trying to assure both him and me. "You'll be able to call every day, and you'll be there for the birth, so don't worry!" He took my hand and kissed it, smiling at me.

"You're right, Beautiful," he said, stroking my hand. "It'll be fine."

It really wasn't, but we had to learn to live with it.

A couple days after our visit to the doctors, Mort was to appear on the Oprah Show, which could really help to boost his career even further. There was one problem, though: Mort was nervous as hell about the interview, and Mort's agent wanted me to go with him to the studio and sit in the audience to help boost Mort's moral. I was somewhat thrilled with that, but Mort looked like he was ready to panic. When I was in the living room of our hotel suite feeding Bubbles, and I heard him talking to his agent, telling her that I shouldn't go on television when I was so close to expecting. I didn't talk to Mort about it, but I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't want me there at the studio, so I let it go, even though I shouldn't have.

The Next Day: Amber's POV

:

The day of Oprah's interview with Mort, I was so nervous that I almost couldn't stop shaking. I chose a light blue maternity dress that fit me, but looked elegant at the same time, and put on a little make up and perfume. Hey, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I have to let my self go! I was excited beyond belief, but Mort seemed edgy and uncomfortable. During the cab ride to the studio, I took Mort's hand in mine and saw him jump. He turned and looked at me in surprise, but he gave me a small smile nonetheless.

I had never been in a television studio before, but I wasn't allowed to go anywhere besides Mort's dressing room and the audience area. After making sure that Mort was "keeping his cool" before the show, I was escorted to my seat in the audience. A stage assistant set up a small table next to me and placed a couple bottles of water on it and a small plate of snacks for me to nibble on. I was making myself comfortable when the audience was let in. A woman sat next to me, and she looked so excited that she seemed to be bouncing in her seat. As I straightened my dress and shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position, the woman abruptly turned towards me.

"So how far along are you?" she asked, looking at my swelling belly.

I smiled. "Just turned seven months," I said, rubbing the bulge that held my precious baby.

She smiled back. "Boy or girl?"

I shook my head. "My husband and I don't want to know. We want it to be a surprise."

"I understand," she said, turning towards the stage. Suddenly, she began giggling. "I can't wait to see Mort Rainey!" she squealed. "He's so handsome, and talented, too!"

I felt a wave of jealousy rise up inside me, and I frowned. This woman was here to see Mort because he was cute? He was so much more than that! Mort was creative, imaginative, kind, sweet, thoughtful…I could go on for hours about him, and this woman was here because she thought he was cute?

I turned towards her. "So you haven't read any of his work?" I asked, curious about this woman's brainpower.

She turned and looked at me. "Well, maybe one or two of his story collections," she said. "I wonder if he's married."

I was spared from cussing her out by the Oprah theme song sounding over the stage. Oprah herself came out and did her usual spiel, and a few minutes later, Mort was introduced. I was surprised to see that over three-quarters of the audience were women, and they were all cheering and smiling like fanatics. The guys in the audience acted normally, but it was the women that ticked me off; they were only here to drool over my husband. I turned my attention back to the show.

It was a fairly basic show. Oprah asked Mort about his past, his book, and how his new book seemed to reflect his life. Mort smiled and confirmed most of what Oprah said, but didn't say anything about the murders of Ted and Amy, which was being avoided throughout the interview. Oprah suddenly turned towards Mort and asked a surprising question.

"So I hear your new wife is in the story as a sort of savior, an angel, if you will," she said.

A dreamy smile settled on Mort's face. "Yeah, she's an amazing person, and I love more than anything," he said, rubbing his neck with his right hand as he spoke. I smiled; that was a sign that he was nervous about what he was talking about, but still happy.

"And she's pregnant?" Oprah asked, smiling at him before glancing at me.

"Yeah, with our first child." I could hear the joy and excitement in Mort's voice as he said that.

"And she's here with you right now, isn't she?" She looked directly at me, and I could see a camera focus on me out of the corner of my eye.

Mort looked rather uncomfortable at me getting attention. "Uh, yeah, she's here with me," he said, rubbing his hands together. I could see myself on the screen behind their heads, big belly and all. I blushed, but saw Mort smile at me, silently giving me support. Oprah smiled and waved, and I waved back, still blushing. The woman next to me turned and glared at me, obviously pissed off that I was married to Mort and she wasn't. Oh, well, too bad for her!

"How are you, Mrs. Rainey," Oprah said, smiling. I gave her the "okay" sign. "Okay? Good! Well, I've got something for you." An assistant came out and set a huge gift basket at my feet. "In this basket are baby clothes, washcloths, soap, shampoo, and some toys. It's all in neutral colors, so it's fit for either a boy or girl, and it should last you for a while."

I lipped the words "thank you" to her, and the show continued. Mort was the only guest, so I had to stay for the entire thing. It went fairly well, except for the fact that most of the women in the audience were glaring at me for being married to Mort and having his baby, but I didn't let it bother me. I simply sat back and enjoyed the show, rubbing my belly the whole time.

Two Months Later, West Coast U.S.A., Third Person POV:

In his room, Michael Olson was channel-surfing when he stopped in shock. His sister was on TV! Jumping out of his chair, he shoved a tape into the VCR and pressed the record button. Once that was done, Mike raced for the phone, dialing his father at work.

"Dad, you're not going to believe this!" he said, staring at the television.

Hours later, the entire Olson family was gathered in front of the family room, watching the tape that had been recorded that day. They watched as Mort Rainey, famous author, talked about his book and his life, and how the two were connected. When Amber came on screen, described as the pregnant Mrs. Mort Rainey, her parents practically had a heart attack. Their missing daughter was married and going to have a baby!

"We have to do something!" Mrs. Olson cried, jumping out of her seat. "We have to rescue her!"

"What can we do?" Mike asked, looking at his parents. He really wanted his sister home, safe and sound, but he hadn't counted on her having a baby! Still, as long as Amber was safe…

"We can't do anything until we find out where she is," Mr. Olson replied, rubbing his face. "That show could have been recorded ages ago. We have to find out where his book tour ends or ended, and find out where he lives. I'll check his books, and Mike, you check the Internet."

The results were good. That same day, Mike found out that the tour ended in Boston, and his father found out that Mort currently lived in Tashmore Lake, New York, but figured that she would be in New York City for when she had her baby. Mr. Olson immediately booked a flight for three out to New York City, and three days later, the Olson family was on its way East.

Amber's POV

:

The past two months were some of the loneliest of my life. Mort was busy with his tour, and I was pretty much alone in a rented hotel suite, resting and preparing for the baby's arrival. I had doctors visiting me and Mort constantly calling to check on me, but I was still lonely. I didn't even have Bubbles with me because there was no way for me to be able to care for her or hold her in my lap. I ended up sending her to Mort's agent to be cared for, and was so lonely I could almost cry. However, about a week before the baby was due, I was asleep on the couch, and when I opened my eyes, I saw familiar blue eyes looking into mine.

"Daddy?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. But that was impossible, right? He was thousands of miles away from here, how could he possibly find me?

"How are you doing, pumpkin?" he asked, smiling down at me; my mother and brother stood behind him. I felt my eyes fill with tears and sat up, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"How did you find me?" I asked, tears falling down my face.

"It doesn't matter," he said, pulling back. He looked at my stomach and raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're further along than we thought!" he joked, grinning down at me. "Now, let's get you out of here, hmm?"

I froze, my hand going to my stomach. "What? Where are we going?"

"We're going to get you out of here," he said, trying to pull me up.

"You're not taking her anywhere," said a voice from the doorway. We all turned around. There in the doorway stood my husband.

"Mort, you're back!" I gasped, extremely surprised and happy he was here. He smiled as he walked towards me, but stopped as my father put himself between us.

"She's coming with us," Dad snapped, blue eyes blazing. "She's coming home."

"She is home," Mort growled, his brown eyes turning dark and dangerous. "She is my wife, and the mother of my child."

"There is no way you're getting your hands on that baby!" my mom cried, standing next to my dad.

"That baby, as you call it, is my child," Mort said, slowly edging closer. "I will not let you take the two most important things in my life away from me!"

As I watched the people I loved most argue about my fate, I felt lost. I didn't want to go home, not to the lonely, pointless existence I'd had back there. I had nothing back there to go home to, nothing that I couldn't visit for a short period of time, anyway. I didn't have many friends, and I definitely didn't want my mom getting her claws on my baby! There was no way I was going to let her mentally and emotionally scar my baby like she did with me and my brother! And Mort loves and cherishes me…

I suddenly felt a bolt of pain in my stomach and a trickle of water streaming between my legs.

"Oh!" I cried, clutching my belly. Everyone shut up and turned to look at me. Mike was beside me in an instant.

"Sissy, are you okay?" he asked. He only called me Sissy when he was scared about something.

"The baby," I gasped, the pain becoming unbearable. "The baby is coming!"

AN: Dun, dun, dun! Cliffhanger! Review, and maybe I'll post the next chapter sooner (wink, wink)!