Kate didn't know why she was doing this. She was supposed to rebel. She was supposed to show Tony that she wasn't going to come back if he made a mistake. Stupid Abby. She thought. Stupid Abby and her stupid, stupid words. But none the less, no matter how much she tried to talk herself out of it, Kate was heading back home.

The apartment was dark and quiet as she creaked open the door. The place smelled of loneliness. Prior that moment, Kate didn't even know loneliness had a smell. It reeked of salty tears and an empty heart. The clock on the kitchen wall ticked incessantly. It was the only thing Kate could hear. Maybe Tony was asleep, and she didn't have to deal with it until the morning came. Maybe he left. To Liz, perhaps, she thought venomously. But she remembered Abby's parting words, and the look on her friend's face, and she decided that he was still home. Waiting for me?

Upon entering the bedroom, Kate found Tony on his side of the bed. His back was turned toward from her, but from his methodical breathing, she knew he was asleep. Treading quietly, Kate rounded the bed and bent to peer into her lover's face. Despite what had happened, despite the pain and the betrayal, Kate found that a little piece of her heart wasn't willing to let Tony go.

He's been crying. Kate felt her heart skip a beat. Indeed, clearly visible on Tony's cheeks, was a trail of dried tears. Without thinking, Kate leaned toward him to kiss the tears away. Her lips were almost touching his face when she realized what she was doing. She sharply let out a breath of air she had not known she was holding.

The next thing she knew, Tony's green eyes were open and staring at her.

"Kate!" His voice was scratchy and dry. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Oh God Kate, please listen to me."

Kate was already on her feet and moving toward the door. She didn't say a thing.

Tony hurried after her, grabbing her arm by the crook of her elbow. "Kate, please," he begged.

The pleading tone of his voice made a change come over Kate, but it was not for the better. She swung around and slapped his face so hard, it even surprised her. "Don't you beg me for anything," she snarled. "Was Liz begging when she was on the bed and you were fucking her senseless? Oh God, was it our bed?"

Tony stumbled; one hand pressed against the red blotch on his cheek while the other grasped a chair for support. "Kate, dammit, I didn't do anything! I know you're mad! You have every right to be mad. Just give me five minutes to explain. Five minutes. If you're not happy with my story, then I'll get out and leave you alone."

Kate sat down hard on the edge of the bed. "Your time starts now." She eyed the alarm clock.

In a rush of words and gesticulations, Tony told Kate the story of his neighbor Liz. It did not have the desired affect on her.

"You expect me to believe that bull shit?" she demanded when his tale was done. "A third grader could have done better Tony."

"But it's true!" He sank onto the bed next to Kate and reached for her hands. She swatted him away like a fly and stood up.

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you."

Tony stood too and stared her right in the eye. "Have I ever lied to you before, Kate?"

That was all it took. It was like watching a dam break; Kate simply crumbled, and the tears she had been holding spilled from her eyes. Her vision robbed, she groped blindly for Tony and clung to him, sobbing into his chest.

He held her as close as he could, with her large belly separating them. "I never wanted to believe Liz," she admitted. "And I'm so sorry. So sorry for putting us through this. If I hadn't…"

Tony smoothed her hair as she trailed off. "Shh…I know. I don't blame you. You had every right to be mad. And I know that it seems like the kind of thing I would do, with my history of being a player and all." Silence settled over them like an old blanket, and Tony rocked back and forth on his feet, all the while holding Kate. Her warmth was something he would never take for granted again.

"But why would Liz come up with something like that?" Kate said into his shirt. The cotton fabric muffled her voice.

"I don't know, and I really don't care. Maybe she's just a lonely person with nothing to do."

His comment brought made the corner of her mouth tweak up. "God, I love you so much. I-" Kate stopped abruptly and placed a hand on her stomach. "I think the little one is kicking."

Tony placed his hand on her large belly and held it there for a few moments. "Are you sure? I don't feel anything."

"Yes, it's kicking right now." Suddenly, she doubled over. "Ohh, it's strong."

Alarm bells began ringing in Tony's head. "Kate, are you sure these aren't cramps?"

She looked up, thoughtful. "I, I guess they could be," she said slowly.

Tony did a quick calculation in his head. "It's only been six months right?"

Kate's face was pale. "Oh. My. God. Oh-oh!" She stumbled and clutched Tony's hands. "They're getting worse!"

Tony was already dragging her to the door. "Let's go! We can make it to the hosptial fast without traffic."

Uh oh! I doubt that cramps feel like a baby kicking though…The ending is a little strange. Originally, I had Kate's water break, but then I reread the first chapter and discovered that she was only six months pregnant, and I'm not sure what happens to a baby who's three months early. With no time to do research, I just left it at that.

Also, I know that Kate and Tony should have been mad at each for much longer, considering the severity of what happened. I am, however, very bad at writing "mad" scenes. If I didn't let them make up now, you readers would be very bored.

Thank you for sticking with me through this story. I'm very very sorry that it's taking me so long to write. Spring break is coming up though, so I should be able to get more in.

Til next time,

Zee Italian Peech