Title: Falling Through

Author: alienangel19852003

Summary: Phil and Keely are best friends, and they've been that way for three years. Despite the fact that both of them want to be so much more. Keely decides to go out with someone else just to shake Phil up so that he'll admit his feelings, it ends up scarring the both of them more than they can ever imagine. The secret they have to live with ends up bringing them closer than ever.

Rating: M, rape, violence, teen partying, teen pregnancy.

Disclaimer: I do not own POTF, I cannot stress that enough. Title comes from Over My Head (Cable Car) by the Fray.

Author's Note: I'm really milking the fact that Keely's parents are two of the bad guys in the story. But you shouldn't hate Jack too much...

"Finally lovers know no shame"

Christmas was rapidly approaching, and Keely had the brilliant idea to combine Christmas shopping with shopping for the baby. It turned out to be an experience she would regret, shopping with Barb for present day baby supplies was not a picnic. Neither one of them knew what to buy.

Fortunately, Via came with them the brunette Brit seemed to know what she was doing.

"Do you intend to breast feed or use formula?" Via asked.

"I figured I'd do things the natural way, which means I'll be exposing myself about five to seven times a day." Keely said.

"Yeah, so you're gonna need a breast pump," Via said picking one up and dumping it into a basket.

Keely got distracted by a pretty crib and walked over to it.

"Six hundred dollars?" she asked, "I can buy the kid a damn Louis Vuitton baby bag for that."

"You know if you throw a baby shower you can get that crib and the luggage." Via said.

"You don't have school friends that can afford that. I can't even afford that." Barb said looking at the price tag again.

"Yeah, but you have a lot of friends who can afford a crappy thirty dollar present." Via said.

"I do…" Keely could see the wheels turning in her friends head.

"We can have it in your garage apartment, and even film it for a special edition of Live with Keely Teslow." Via said.

"We could…" Keely said excited about the possibilities.

"Who's going to do all the planning and invitations?" Barb asked.

Both girls looked at her, "No, no…I've never arranged anything like this before."

"It's easy, I'll give you a list of names you do the invitations and Owen and I will take care of the rest." Via smirked.

"I shudder to think of what you and Owen will come up with, but as long as it gets me my crib I'm cool," Keely said.

The day of the big shower came, and Phil was apprehensive of course. He insisted on sticking around, even though it was mostly girls with the exceptions of Vice Principal Hackett and Owen. His mother was busting around trying to sell her homemade snicker doodle He was worried that whatever scam Via and Keely were running would get them all into trouble.

Keely was sitting on the couch preening for the camera dressed in her red Christmas dress. It was like a new spin on Mrs. Claus a button up V cut velvet maternity dress with green stockings. Not that Phil didn't appreciate the generous amount of her new found cleavage that she was showing off.

Keely's changing figure and her increased sex drive were making it difficult for Phil to keep his hands off her. He licked his lips, his eyes scanning the room he needed to control himself, he had nearly five more months to wait before he and Keely could consummate their relationship.

"Is this where the party at?" an unfamiliar male voice asked from the doorway, Phil tore his eyes away from Keely to glance at the man in the doorway.

"Dad…?" Keely asked.

"Pumpkin…" the blonde haired man ventured into the apartment.

"Phil…A little help here." Keely said trying to lift herself off the couch.

Phil came and helped her up, "You okay...?" He asked.

"I'm good." Keely said wobbling over to her father.

"Did she send you over here?" Keely demanded her voice dripping with disdain for her mother as she narrowed her eyes, .

"No…I wanted to see you and meet the man you intend to marry." The man smile cheerfully.

"Hmmm…so you can judge him?" Keely asked.

"Keely, I know I haven't any right to waltz in on your life now­–"

"No, I'm not going to get into this with you…this is my party and I'm going have fun." Keely said, "Any deep emotional conversations you wanna have with me you can have later."

"Come on Keely, it's time for cake." Via said walking over not noticing Keely's dad until she got closer, "Why hello there."

"Via cool it, it's my dad." Keely whispered.

"I didn't think you had one." Via said as Keely led her away.

"I kinda still don't, but it's not really important. How many gifties we got?" Keely asked walking over to where Owen was guarding the present table.

"We're doing great there are over a hundred presents here." Via said.

"Good. You counted, I so don't have the patience to count that high right now." Keely said.

"Uh oh, your dad is talking to Phil."

Keely turned around, Phil and her father had taken their conversation outside.

"They are talking really loudly." Via observed.

Phil was standing over by the punch bowl, his mother had designated him to make sure people only took one glass.

"Phil?" Keely's father asked walking over to him.

"Yeah…" Phil looked up sharply.

"I'm Jack Teslow…Keely's father." Jack reached out a hand for Phil to shake.

"Do you mind if we talk outside? It'll only take a minute." Jack smiled warmly, Keely had definitely gotten her height from her father, Phil was nearly breaking his neck to look up at the older man.

"Look, you seem like a good kid. You're smart from what I read." Jack said.

"What you read? If you brought me out here to–" Phil said.

"I know you know college tuition isn't cheap and you seem like a guy who has his head on his shoulders. Yale is a good school I should know I went there."

"What are you saying sir?" Phil asked taken aback with the mention of his present day dream college.

"Please call me Jack."

"Fine…Jack what are you saying?" Phil asked.

"I'll be blunt...I'm willing to pay you to stop seeing my daughter, how does fifty grand sound?"

Phil laughed, "You're kidding me right?"

"I know I haven't been there for Keely, but I'm here now. I don't want to see her get hurt."

"Look, I'm not out to hurt Keely. I love her, and she doesn't what this discussion to take place. I'm respecting her wishes." Phil said quietly his eyes darting back nervously to the open garage door.

"What if it doesn't work out? She'll end up just like Mandy, broken and bitter. I don't want to see that happen to her." Jack said.

"I'm not gonna run out on my family like you did yours!" Phil said.

"You don't know what it's like to lose a child. And I pray you never do, it's something you never fully recover from. And it's even harder to try to move on when your wife is too drunk and too bitter to help make things easier." Jack seized Phil by the shoulders.

Phil glanced around nervously, the party goers were gawking and Keely was making her way over to them, with Phil's mother, Via, Owen and Mr. Hackett following close behind her.

"What's going on? Did you two hear me say whatever issues we have will be resolved after the party?" Keely asked.

"Yes…I think so…" Jack said.

"Well, then why are you two doing whatever in the hell you're doing right in the middle of my baby shower?" she asked.

Jack released Phil.

Phil shrugged, he didn't want to blurt out that Jack had just offered him a large amount of money to leave her.

"Nothing." Phil said straightening his shirt and stalking off.

"You said something to him didn't you? Can't you and mom just leave me alone? I'm happy with Phil." Keely said going after him.

"I don't want to see you get hurt."

Keely shouted over her shoulder, "You and mom have already hurt me more than anyone else has."

She found Phil sitting in the foyer with his head in his hands.

"Hey…" she whispered.

"Hey." He said his voice sounding emotionless.

"I'm sorry about that." She said.

"Keely, I'm the one who should be sorry. I made a scene running off like this." Phil said.

"Phil, it's not your fault."

"Keely, I didn't want to tell you this…but he tried to buy me off. Pay me to leave you alone." He whispered daring to look into her eyes.

"What?" Keely asked she wasn't entirely shocked that her father would go to such lengths.

"He offered me fifty grand. Enough to go to Yale, Keel." He said.

She blinked back tears, she'd never felt so betrayed. Her parents were making her life hell all over again.

"He thought he could buy me off…" Phil said.

"Were you tempted? To take the money and leave me? Just give me back to them?" she asked.

"I was more insulted than anything–"

"No! Answer me!" she shrieked tears falling down her face.

"Yes! I was tempted. But I would never, ever leave you not for any amount of money." Phil said standing up and reaching out to her.

She could see the tears in his eyes, "I know you were Phil, its okay. I know I would be a bit tempted in the same situation." She pulled him into a hug.

"I love you." He whispered kissing her neck.

"I love you too." She said stroking his hair.

"I wanna be with you now more than ever," Phil said as he kissed her, tenderly as he brushed away her tears.

"You ready to go back out there and tell my creep of a father a thing or ten?" she asked.

"Yep."

"This is gonna be messy."

"Keely, he just wants the best for you. He's scared you're going to end up like your mother." Phil said.

"If he knew anything he'd know you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I am not letting go." Keely clutched his hand tightly as they marched back outside.

"Dad." Keely said tapping her father on the shoulder.

He turned to face them.

"What is it honey?" he asked.

"Umm…I need to speak some words to you. For starters who do you think you are showing up here trying to buy off my fiancée?" Keely demanded jabbing a finger in her father's chest.

"I…"

"You ran off and left me to take care of my drunken mother for the past ten years and now you wanna come back and play house, I do not think so. If you want to be in my life that's all good. But you can't walk into my life and start trying to rearrange everything." Keely said.

"I didn't want to leave, but that marriage was killing me. After your sister…well, I stayed as long as I could…I don't want you to end up like her if things don't work out."

"That's a possibility but if things get dark, we're going to be there for each other." Keely said.

Phil nodded, "I know you feel badly about leaving Keely with her mother and you want to make up for that somehow…"

"I do. I want her to be happy, and if she's happy with you. I can deal with it. If you hurt her I'm gonna hurt you."

"I knew it was coming." Phil sighed.

"I want to get to know you both and my granddaughter." Jack said.

"I'm glad to hear that. I've missed you Daddy." Keely said hugging her father.

"And I've missed you too."

The day passed far better than Phil could have hoped, Keely got to catch up with her father who they'd learned was moving back to town. It seemed that things were going to finally work out, they had one of Keely's parents on their side but Phil couldn't help but worry. It seemed far too easy, he didn't expect Keely to get over the fact that her father had been gone ten years and come back now to be in her life.

It just sounded too good to be true, he wanted things to work out between Keely and her father he really did, but he still braced himself for things to fall apart.

It was nearly midnight and he was pretending to a Dean Koontz book while Keely got ready for bed talking excitedly about her father. He was listening to what she said and responding every now and again still staring at the same page of his book. He debated putting on his own pajamas but decided against it, he knew Keely would wake him up in the middle of night insisting on some strange and rare food. He settled for changing shirts and keeping on his jeans.

"That's so not good." Keely said.

"What's not good? Did you get your jewelry tangled again?" Phil asked, looking up.

Keely was clutching her stomach and sitting on the other side of the bed, "No. I think I'm having contractions."

"Okay, we'll take you the hospital just to be sure; you've had false alarms all week." Phil said trying not to panic.

"Wait…" Keely said, "It's just heart burn," she said waving him off.

"Keely, are you sure we can go to the hospital just to get you checked out." He said.

"You're so sweet." She said kissing him passionately before turning off the light leaving him standing there hard holding a book.

"We don't have name for her when she gets here." Keely said.

"I think when you see her she'll tell you her name." Phil smiled going back over to his side of the bed.

"You think so?" she asked.

"I can't wait to meet her, all these conversations we've been having have been a little one sided."

"I imagine," Phil smiled.

"She keeps moving…feel her." Keely said.

Phil leaned over balancing on her elbow as she reached out a hand to touch her belly. He could feel the baby moving as he gently caressed the soft skin under Keely's silk pajamas.

"Don't think we'll be able to sleep tonight with her moving around." Phil said.

"We could do something else…" Keely said.

"Keely, she can hear us…" he said.

"Well, what else are we gonna do? Play scrabble?" she asked.

"Scrabble sounds good to me." Phil said.

Keely turned on the light, "You go find the stupid board. And we'll play."