A/N: See the intro for the standard disclaimers. Well, now that I coaxed my muse back from her extended spring break (There are reasons she's named Perdita), and has decided I am worthy of posting, I have some more chapters for you all. Hopefully, they've been worth waiting for.

Caffeine Kid, Soccer-B, and RS: As always, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your reviews. You all are the best. Thanks for putting up with my flakiness.

Tess sat cross-legged on the floor with her back against the tub. She tried not to look at the edge of the sink. She brought her knees up to her chest and gripped them tight, resting her chin on her knees. Three times. Three times same result. What the hell am I going to do? Stop swearing for one thing. Tess closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A loud knock sounded on the bathroom door and Tess jumped.

"Hey, Tess! You don't live here by yourself. I gotta get in there," called Bette from the other side.

Tess jumped up. She poured the plastic cup into the toilet and threw it in the trash. She quickly gathered up the three wands, the two boxes and looked frantically around. Where could she stash this stuff? God, this would be one day that Bette decided to sleep here. Tess spun around. There was no where safe to hide the debris. She grabbed a towel and wrapped everything inside.

"Come on, Tess! You weren't making that much noise a minute ago. Quit contemplating life and let me in."

Tess flushed the toilet and watched the water swirl around. She clutched the towel to her chest and tried to calm down. After several deep breaths, she turned, unlocked the door and opened it, a very fake smile pasted on her face.

"Sorry. Didn't know you were home," she mumbled. Tess slid past Bette, the towel still gripped tight to her chest. Bette frowned at her.

"Peter had an audition early this morning, so I let him rest." Bette looked at the bundle Tess was clutching. "What's up with the towel?"

Tess shook her head. "Nothing." She looked at Bette. "I thought you were all hot to get into the bathroom? What's up with the twenty questions?"

Bette rolled her eyes. "It was one question."

"Well, don't take too long. I still have to take a shower."

Bette grinned. "Got a hot date with your policeman?"

Tess blinked rapidly, panic rising. "Um. No." Tess closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Don's working. They've been a little short."

Bette frowned at Tess again. "Everything alright with you, Tess? Don didn't dump you, did he?"

Not yet. Tess choked down the rising panic again and shook her head. "No." She shook her head harder. "No. Things have just been hectic. For both of us." Tess struggled to keep her face from betraying anything else.

Bette scrutinized her friend. "Are you sure?" Tess nodded. "Okay. I'll be right out." Tess nodded again and struck a casual pose.

As soon as the door shut, she scurried to her bedroom, shut the door and sat on the edge of her bed. She unwadded the towel and spread it open across her lap. One of the white wands clattered to the floor. Tess picked it up and carefully lined all three of the tests next to each other. All three read exactly the same thing. Positive. And what was positive about it? Tess stared at the sticks, as if by sheer force of will she could get them to read differently. Bette knocked on the door.

"All clear."

"Thanks," replied Tess. She wadded up the towel and pushed it into the back corner of her closet shelf. She opened the door and smiled at Bette.

Bette watched her a little. "I'm pretty much free today. We haven't had a girl's day out together in a while. You up for some serious shopping and gossip?"

Tess bit her lip and shook her head. She leaned against the door frame. "I'd love to Bette, but I've got some things I've gotta do today. Sorry."

"Not a biggie. I just thought since we both seemed to be at loose ends…" Bette shook her head. "Like I said, no biggie. Don't hog all the hot water."

"I'll try to leave you a little," smiled Tess.

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Tess got off the subway and slowly climbed the stairs back to street level. As she stepped into the sunshine, she blinked a few times and took a deep breath. She started up the block. A few feet later she abruptly stopped. A man and a woman stood on the sidewalk wearing sandwich boards emblazoned with gruesome pictures. A couple of other people were shoving pamphlets at women that tried to pass them on the sidewalk. Some of the women were being quickly escorted up the steps of the discrete brownstone and into the clinic. Tess felt her stomach lurch at the images being paraded. She ducked her head and made her way up the street.

"Don't be a murderer."

"Your choice should be your baby."

"There are other options."

Tess brushed off the pamphlets being trust at her and tried to tune out the shouting. Tess felt someone grab her elbow and she tried to pull away.

"It's okay. I'm here to help you get inside. You're doing fine. Just keep your head down and ignore them." Tess nodded slightly and allowed herself to be ushered inside the building. When she got inside, she looked at her escort. An older woman smiled softly at her. "You'll be fine, no matter what you decide."

Tess shook her head. "I'm not here to…" Tess took a deep breath. "I just need to find out. I haven't even really found out."

"Everything will be fine," the woman said calmly. "Just remember you don't have to justify yourself to them." She nodded toward the door. "Your choice is between you and whoever guides you." She smiled reassuringly again at Tess. "Off to ferry another one through." She left Tess standing in the hall.

Tess made her way into reception room and signed in. She sat down in one of the chairs, picked up a magazine and pretended to read it. She looked over the top of the magazine at the other people in the room. Most looked younger than her. Some sat and whispered to companions. Some stared into space, glazed expressions pasted on their faces. Tess wondered what she looked like to them. The receptionist called her up and handed her a clipboard of papers.

"Please fill these out. We will accept cash or credit for all services. No personal checks. Wait for your name to be called and then take the clipboard in with you."

Tess returned to her seat and worked her way through the paperwork. Other women came and went. A familiar tune broke into the quiet murmur of the room. Tess felt a panic tighten around her chest. She looked guiltily around and fished into her purse. She fingered the phone into silence and bit her lip. A single beep let her know she had voice mail. She ignored it. Finally, she was called into the back.

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Tess stepped onto the stoop and scanned the street looking for the fastest escape route. She ducked her head and plowed down the street. When she was clear, she slowed her pace. Think, think, think, sang the little voice in her head. Tess looked for someplace to sit down and re-group. She spotted a Starbucks and made a beeline for it. She stood in line and tried to decide what to have. I suppose caffeine really should be off my menu. Tess gave a small shudder at the thought of going caffeine-free. Still she ordered a milk steamer when she got to the counter. She sat down on a stool facing out and sipped her steamer. Suddenly she remembered that Don had called her. She reached for her phone, but abruptly stopped. He called you while you sitting in a clinic waiting… What are you going to tell him? Are you going to tell him? What are you going to tell everybody? Tess blinked rapidly to stem the tears prickling her eyes and causing her throat to tighten. She took a deep breath and a sip of milk. Tess sat several moments more trying to still her thoughts. She had to call him. She wouldn't tell him anything over the phone, but she had to call him back, otherwise he'd wonder what was up. Tess reached for her phone again and pressed the speed dial key for Don. She waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Took ya long enough," he teased.

Tess winced. "Sorry. I was…I was in the middle of something."

"Are ya okay?"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning…is somethin' wrong? Ya don't sound OK."

"I'm OK." Tess forced herself to sound normal. Technically, it was true. She was just pregnant, not dying or anything.

"I've missed ya. Our schedules have been kind of…"

"I know." Tess sighed. She had to talk to him. Putting it off wasn't going to make it go away. A darker voice piped in. It could. Tess shuddered at that thought. "I could bring Korean by your place tonight."

"Korean? Yer pullin' out the big guns. What's up?"

"Something has to be up for me to bring take out? If you don't want Korean, something else then."

"I don't really care what we eat, Tess. I'm just lookin' for you."

"Oh."

"Yer turning read, aren't ya?" Tess didn't answer. "God, I've missed ya so much, Sweetheart. I'll see ya later."

"Ok. What time?"

"I should be home by about 6:30. Sound good?"

"Fine."

"Good. I love ya, Sweetheart."

"Thank you. I love you too. Later, then." Tess snapped her phone shut. She stared at the time display. 1:45. Less than five hours to figure out how to keep the world from crashing further.

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