Apologies for the delay - life got in the way!

Chapter 12

Beth tried different poses in the kitchen, trying to exude a sense of calm and control. The truth was, her heart was pounding, and she felt faint. She wanted to see Rio again desperately, but she was also dreading it, considering the way they left things.

After 10 minutes of faking an air of indifference, Beth's ankles started to ache, so she waddled to the couch and sat down with all the grace of a sack of potatoes.

Rio entered shortly afterwards. Despite expecting him, he still made Beth nearly jump out of her skin. The man was practically a ninja.

"Elizabeth" he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Beth felt her heart sink.

"Rio" she greeted him in return, hoping against hope he didn't notice how his cool demeanor wounded her.

Rio kept his distance, leaning against the wall, watching her.

As silence grew between them, Beth was getting flashbacks from their passionate encounter not 24 hours earlier. She felt her cheeks flush. Rio smiled lazily, as if he could see into her mind. Curse you, Rio, she thought.

"I have some news" said Rio, finally breaking the silence, nodding and looking pretty pleased with himself.

"Oh?" asked Beth, relieved that he'd stopped dissecting her mind.

"One of my guys found some dirt on Turner" Rio said, flashing her a grin.

"Ok-ay…" said Beth, encouraging him to continue

"Seems like Turner has a habit of dirty interviews" continued Rio, sucking his teeth

Beth nodded, suddenly feeling very tired. Perhaps this was the breakthrough they needed?

"I've got three cases where a confession was coerced using - shall we say - unorthodox methods. I'm betting there's a whole more. I think the feds knew, and that's what Turner was moved around. See… the feds liked his closure rates, but they didn't want to look too closely at how he was doin' it. Until one of his cases got overturned." Rio cracked a wide grin.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Beth, unsure of how she was going to fit into the latest instalment of the Rio saga.

"You just keep doin' what you're doin', Elizabeth", replied Rio with tip of his head, "we need to keep meetin' up every now and then so Turner doesn't figure out our real gameplan. You wanted it done clean, this is as clean as it gets. The less you know, the better to be honest."

"Okay" nodded Beth, feeling somehow dismayed. He doesn't need me, she thought. "How long… do you think it will take?"

Rio shook his head "I'm not sure… at least a few more months…" he said.

"So… I… just wait?" asked Beth, her head feeling a little fuzzy and her stomach twinging.

"Yeah" replied Rio with a casual smile, "I got this."

Why do I feel so deflated? Disappointed? Thought Beth. Nothing made sense to her anymore. "Okay", she said, putting on a brave smile. "I guess I can just focus on… getting this little girl ready" she patted her swollen stomach and let out a heavy sigh.

Rio's eyes softened as they met Beth's, but he broke away from her gaze and looked down at the floor. Beth looked away too. Feeling her heart breaking, her stomach clenched with despair.

After a few moments of silence, Rio pushed away from the wall and sat down next to her.

"Elizabeth" he said quietly. "I don't want things to be awkward between us. I want you to know I'm… sorry we had that fight. I'm sorry if I hurt you… but… you gotta know what's at stake here.

Beth was still looking down at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

"Elizabeth" he said, more urgently, "you don't seem to get how serious this is. The fact that Turner is flying solo can play to our advantage, but it also means that there's no paper trail. Nothin' to stop him throwing my ass in jail. Or worse."

Beth looked up, startled, "you mean-"

"Yes", replied Rio, emphatically. "There's nothing to stop Turner from disposing of me when I'm no longer useful… and if he somehow gets what he needs on you? Well… our kid won't stand a chance…"

Beth's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't thought of that. If I went to jail… she thought. She closed her eyes. She felt her stomach tense uncomfortably.

"Elizabeth" said Rio, his voice firmer, stronger "don't ever say that I don't care, okay?"

Beth opened her eyes and looked deep into his, their usual playful nuance gone. He looked worried, and visibly upset. She hadn't realized that she… might have hurt him too.

"I know I might not be perfect – and I'm sure as hell no Dean… but I do care about you… and our kid". He tentatively reached out to touch her pregnant stomach, but stopped short, putting his hand back on his lap. "I can't promise you white picket fences or Sunday picnics, but I will do everything I can to keep you and our girl safe."

Beth felt herself tear up, perhaps I misjudged him, she thought.

"Which is why I agree with your suggestion of keeping things strictly platonic" Rio said, his voice like clipped steel. He looked away as he said this – as if he couldn't look at her.

Beth looked at him, his face turned away from hers. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. Yes, she had said that they should stay platonic, but she'd said that in a fit of rage, to hurt him. He turned to look at her, she looked away, not wanting him to see how hurt she was.

"Elizabeth… you gonna to say something?" asked Rio, a touch of concern coloring his voice.

Beth sighed, her stomach twinging… "I'm going for a lie down" she said in a quiet voice. She wasn't feeling that great and she just wanted to get away from everything – from Rio. She went to stand up but felt faint and sat down again.

"Elizabeth, you okay?" asked Rio

"I'm fine" snapped Beth. "Why wouldn't I be? I've just been told that we can look forward to you being killed, me in the slammer and our kid in an orphanage. Plus after one roll in the hay with Porky Mcfatface here" - she gesticulated towards herself – "you've decided that you want nothing more to do with me. Did I miss anything?" she concluded sarcastically.

"Hey – you told me we should stay platonic-", began Rio

Beth scoffed "You know, for someone who bangs a whole lot of women you sure are pretty fucking clueless. I said it to hurt you – because you hurt me".

"Well that's pretty fuckin' mature, Elizabeth", spat Rio

"Mature?" There's no room for maturity inside this bloated sausage I now call a body" snapped Beth. Standing up a little too fast and wincing as her stomach cramped.

"Hey you said you wanted to be platonic, like five minutes after we had sex. And it's not the first time either. The last time we were together before you shot me, you told me we were through too. That afternoon that we – er - you know, if you wanna keep score here", he stuttered. Rio stood up, signaling he was done with the conversation.

Beth opened and closed her mouth, confused. Wait – does he mean…? "You mean when…? That – that was different. I wanted out of the game. Things were getting too risky. It wasn't… personal"

"Well it sure as hell felt personal Elizabeth" hissed Rio.

Beth clutched her side as she felt another twinge "You mean you've been carrying a grudge about that all this time?!"

Rio stared at her, his eyes looked wild, not the usual in control Rio at all. He took a deep breath and finally said "Forget about it, Elizabeth. You know nothing good can come of you and me. Except maybe that little girl you're carrying. I'm not happy family material. We should nip this thing in the bud now. Let's just… focus on Turner. You get some rest."

He turned to leave, and Beth reached out to him "Wait!" she cried and then suddenly whimpered as her stomach twinged again. She let out a muffled oomph noise and doubled over, swaying slightly, landing heavily back down on the couch again.

Rio turned back, the color draining from his face. "Elizabeth!", he cried.

The last thing Beth remembered was looking into his worried brown eyes before everything went black.