A/N: thank you to everyone who reviewed. Hope you like this chapter. Enjoy-
Kiera
In the three years she'd known her, Riley Clarke had only known Alice Bates to be rendered compleatly speechless once, and that was when she recieved a particually detailed letter from a 14 year old describing her nightly exploits. Scratch that. Riley had seen Alice speechless twice. Once after the slutty letter and now. Now when Alice was sitting across Riley's kitchen table, her glasses almost falling off her nose, her mouth open.
"Hold on." she said shaking her hand and holding up her hands. "Do you want to run that past me again Clarke?"
"I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Pregnant?"
Riley couldn't help but smile. "Yes Alice. Pregnant. Having a baby. Bun in the oven. Up the duff."
Alice sat back in the hardback chair and put her hands behind her head. She stared up at the ceiling for awhile, seemingly deep in thought. She jolted out of it quickly and sat foreward.
"You can't have a baby Clarke. I forbid it!"
"Excuse me?"
"Number one, you're you. My best friend! If you have a baby what will I do?"
"Alice am I not, nor will I ever, replace you with anything. Including a baby."
"Have you told all relevant parties?"
Riley ran her hand nervously through her hair and looked down at the table, averting Alice's gaze. "You mean have I told Shane, right?"
"No. I mean have you told George Bush. Of course I meant Shane. He is the father. Isn't he?"
"Of course!" Riley replied hotly. "I don't have one night stands, you know that. You know me."
"Yep. I know you. I also know there are women out there who go out every night, sleep with a different guy and never get pregnant or an STD. But you. Well you get screwed in every sense of the word."
"Don't."
Alice sipped her water, which had been the only thing that Riley had been able to offer her. "You need to phone him. He has a right to know. Plus he'll help you out."
"I don't need help."
Alice raised her eyebrows skeptically and Riley knew she was wrong. To be able to raise a baby alone she'd probably need to work sixteen hours a day, six days a week on her wages. Riley went to the bathroom and when she did Alice swiftly rooted through her bag, retrived Shane's number and pocketed it.
Almost a week later the city was hit by a suddenly heat wave that started at five am and lasted long into the night. Riley's air conditioning had long since broken down and she had managed to prop herself up onto the window sill to be try and nearer any cool air the night may want to offer. She was drinking water by the gallon and fanning herself with a rolled up newspaper three months out of date. On the couch lay a piece of paper littered with Riley's calculations on how much she could save in seven and a half months. It wasn't a lot. Not nearly enough to be able to bring up a baby. There was a knock on the door. She knew straight away it wasn't Alice. The door didn't rattle on it's hinges. Riley found it harder to get off the window sill, she was almost stuck to it. There was another knock, louder this time, impacient.
"Alright!" she shouted. "Alice if that's you I'm going to kill you."
She opened the door and her mind almost blacked out. Then her eyes focused.
"Shane. Er....Hi. What...?"
"Your friend Alice called me. I don't know how she got my number and she wouldn't give me your's. Only your address and she demanded I come see you in person."
"I'm going to kill her." Riley thought. "I am seriously going to kill her."
"She told me that you're...."
They both shifted uncomftorbly. Neither seemed to want to say it, so they didn't. Riley just nodded. "You don't have to do anything."
"I do." Shane said. "I will. I'll do the right thing. I'll support you and stand by you. I'll marry you."
Riley's breath caught in her throat and she almost fell back into the appartment.
"Marry me? Jesus christ I don't know you. Why would I want to marry you?"
"Because it's the right thing to do. It doesn't matter if we know each other, we'll get to."
"This isn't the sixties. Women are perfectly capable of bringing babies up by themselves. "
"But you don't have to." Shane replied. "I want to be there for you. For our baby. Riley you need me."
She shook her head. "Two months ago you'd never laid eyes on me and suddenly it's our baby?"
"It is our baby."
"I'm not going to marry you Shane. I don't need your help."
Riley slammed the door shut in his face, and as she did the electricity went out.
"Shit."
In the three years she'd known her, Riley Clarke had only known Alice Bates to be rendered compleatly speechless once, and that was when she recieved a particually detailed letter from a 14 year old describing her nightly exploits. Scratch that. Riley had seen Alice speechless twice. Once after the slutty letter and now. Now when Alice was sitting across Riley's kitchen table, her glasses almost falling off her nose, her mouth open.
"Hold on." she said shaking her hand and holding up her hands. "Do you want to run that past me again Clarke?"
"I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Pregnant?"
Riley couldn't help but smile. "Yes Alice. Pregnant. Having a baby. Bun in the oven. Up the duff."
Alice sat back in the hardback chair and put her hands behind her head. She stared up at the ceiling for awhile, seemingly deep in thought. She jolted out of it quickly and sat foreward.
"You can't have a baby Clarke. I forbid it!"
"Excuse me?"
"Number one, you're you. My best friend! If you have a baby what will I do?"
"Alice am I not, nor will I ever, replace you with anything. Including a baby."
"Have you told all relevant parties?"
Riley ran her hand nervously through her hair and looked down at the table, averting Alice's gaze. "You mean have I told Shane, right?"
"No. I mean have you told George Bush. Of course I meant Shane. He is the father. Isn't he?"
"Of course!" Riley replied hotly. "I don't have one night stands, you know that. You know me."
"Yep. I know you. I also know there are women out there who go out every night, sleep with a different guy and never get pregnant or an STD. But you. Well you get screwed in every sense of the word."
"Don't."
Alice sipped her water, which had been the only thing that Riley had been able to offer her. "You need to phone him. He has a right to know. Plus he'll help you out."
"I don't need help."
Alice raised her eyebrows skeptically and Riley knew she was wrong. To be able to raise a baby alone she'd probably need to work sixteen hours a day, six days a week on her wages. Riley went to the bathroom and when she did Alice swiftly rooted through her bag, retrived Shane's number and pocketed it.
Almost a week later the city was hit by a suddenly heat wave that started at five am and lasted long into the night. Riley's air conditioning had long since broken down and she had managed to prop herself up onto the window sill to be try and nearer any cool air the night may want to offer. She was drinking water by the gallon and fanning herself with a rolled up newspaper three months out of date. On the couch lay a piece of paper littered with Riley's calculations on how much she could save in seven and a half months. It wasn't a lot. Not nearly enough to be able to bring up a baby. There was a knock on the door. She knew straight away it wasn't Alice. The door didn't rattle on it's hinges. Riley found it harder to get off the window sill, she was almost stuck to it. There was another knock, louder this time, impacient.
"Alright!" she shouted. "Alice if that's you I'm going to kill you."
She opened the door and her mind almost blacked out. Then her eyes focused.
"Shane. Er....Hi. What...?"
"Your friend Alice called me. I don't know how she got my number and she wouldn't give me your's. Only your address and she demanded I come see you in person."
"I'm going to kill her." Riley thought. "I am seriously going to kill her."
"She told me that you're...."
They both shifted uncomftorbly. Neither seemed to want to say it, so they didn't. Riley just nodded. "You don't have to do anything."
"I do." Shane said. "I will. I'll do the right thing. I'll support you and stand by you. I'll marry you."
Riley's breath caught in her throat and she almost fell back into the appartment.
"Marry me? Jesus christ I don't know you. Why would I want to marry you?"
"Because it's the right thing to do. It doesn't matter if we know each other, we'll get to."
"This isn't the sixties. Women are perfectly capable of bringing babies up by themselves. "
"But you don't have to." Shane replied. "I want to be there for you. For our baby. Riley you need me."
She shook her head. "Two months ago you'd never laid eyes on me and suddenly it's our baby?"
"It is our baby."
"I'm not going to marry you Shane. I don't need your help."
Riley slammed the door shut in his face, and as she did the electricity went out.
"Shit."