Sorry for the cliffhanger ending of the last chapter… Part of this chapter was originally going to go with it, but I wanted to keep all the chapters approximately the same length, so I cut it off. Thank you so much for the kind reviews! There will only be a chapter or two after this one. But if you're enjoying it, no worries! I already have an idea for what I suppose is a sequel, which will definitely include more of Will, Vince, and Jack.

Change of Plans
Chapter 5: Answers and Fears

Grace had really needed to ask two questions, one to herself and one to Karen. The question to herself was answered well before she pulled away: she definitely had romantic feelings for Karen. But whether or not Karen had any back was quite a different story. And the woman's lack of a reaction for such a long time was worrying her.

Unknown to Grace, Karen was not frozen in shock, but processing what had just happened and what it meant. How stupid had she been? Of course she loved the baby, she hadn't been wrong about that. But the reason she loved the baby so much wasn't just because she wanted a child, but because of her feelings for Grace. When they had kissed, she wasn't thinking about the baby at all. She was only thinking about Grace: how she smelled, how forward she was being, how she could tell exactly what she was feeling just by the exact way she was kissing her.

Finally, Karen broke into a smile. She caught Grace's eyes, and with that one look Grace knew exactly what Karen's answer was. Without talking, the two stepped toward each other and embraced. Karen was oddly comforted by the feel of Grace's pregnant belly pushing against her stomach. It almost felt as if, in a way, it made the baby theirs and not Grace's. But Karen knew that was a topic for another day.

"Oh honey, I'm tired," Karen murmured into Grace's shoulder, "Let's go to sleep." Grace pulled away and nodded. "We probably should," she said, "I think we've both kind of had a long day." She moved to exit the room, but was stopped when Karen grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?" Grace sort of half-shrugged, shyly. "I don't know. Are you sure it's okay if I stay?"

Karen gave her an odd look. "Am I missing something here? Didn't that all mean what I thought it did?" Grace's eyes widened. "Of course it did! I just… I don't know. I don't know how to go about this. For some reason it feels like I've never done it before. But of course I'll stay. I'd rather stay. I felt a lot better last night with you there."

Karen smiled then and turned off the lights, eager to slip into bed and go to sleep. Grace got in right after her, and after a few seconds they were comfortably situated. "Goodnight," they each mumbled, and closed their eyes, but neither fell asleep right away.

Grace was perfectly content lying like that with Karen. It felt right in a way she hadn't felt in a long time, and she didn't feel like she ever wanted to get up. But she wondered how long-lived it would be. Would Karen be able to handle the baby? And if Karen wouldn't accept the baby, Grace knew it would never work. And it was only about a month until her due date… What if Karen left her then? She could hardly imagine it, especially with the new side of Karen she'd seen. But it was a possibility that she forced herself to consider. They would have to have a talk about it, and soon. But she was exhausted, and rather than think about it any more she just wanted to enjoy what she had now and go to sleep. So she snuggled in just a little bit more, placed her hand over her swollen stomach, and drifted off to sleep.

Karen, however, was in no way asleep yet. She was very tired, yes, but she couldn't bring herself to fall asleep before she was sure that Grace was sleeping. She was still unsure of how to bring up the subject of the baby the next day, and she knew that she'd have to. Would Grace freak out to learn that she wanted to help her raise the baby? She was so afraid that she'd get kicked out of Grace's life, and with her the baby's, once Grace found out. But she had no clue why. Nothing Grace had ever done hinted that she'd be angry. In fact, she was so reluctant to have the baby around Karen because she thought she wouldn't like it! Wouldn't it be a relief to learn her true feelings?

Karen tried to brush it off as crazy thinking due to the fact that she already had so much love for Grace and her child. But as much as she tried, the nagging feeling wouldn't go away, leaving her with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She made a bit of a whining sound, feeling alone even though Grace was right beside her. She decided that it was no use to keep thinking about it, as she would only end up upsetting herself more. So she rolled over onto her side, trying to get closer to Grace. She slipped one hand under Grace's, over the baby, as the other slowly inched toward her mouth.