(I own only plot.)

Trudy snapped "Sit down, right there!" She pushed her daughter onto the sofa. "Jasper! In here, now!"

Jasper walked in. "What's the matter, darling?" He asked, pressing a kiss to Trudy's cheek.

"Our daughter disobeyed our instructions and she's pregnant!" Trudy yelled.

Mara yelled "I didn't want that to happen!"

Jasper sighed. "Mara, baby girl, we told you not to do anything more than one kiss a day. You're too young to be a mum."

"Thanks, Dad, it's obvious!" She snapped.

"Look, sweetpea. You have a choice, OK? You can carry it to term and raise it here. You could have it aborted. You could carry it to term and have it adopted. It's your choice because it's your baby."

"Dad, this was never my intention. I just wanted some experience." Mara finally started crying.

Her mother was in a blind fury. She didn't want grandchildren before she turned forty. "Don't you turn on the waterworks and think we'll forgive you! Are you an idiot?" She yelled at her daughter.

"Hey, you were even more irresponsible than I was! You two were way worse than Jerome and I! At least ours was an accident on impulse! Yours was attempted multiple times! And you went ahead and had another!" Mara screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Jasper softly held his daughter around the shoulders. "Mara, sweetpea, nobody warned us what could have happened. We warned you what would happen and it isn't fair of either you or your mum to scream at each other. Listen, sit back down. I'll take your mum out of here so she can calm down, then we'll talk about it, like adults. OK?"

He led Trudy out, rubbing her back and listening to her shouting at him. He returned to Mara's side and held her close. "She's taking a nap. Listen, darling, I understand how all this feels to you, OK?"

"Yeah. But Mum's gone nuts. What do I do?"

"The only one who can make that choice is you, sweetheart. Look, your mum. She's not gone mad. She's scared, too. She's scared for you, thinking that she'll lose you. Whether you leave home with him, you die when the baby comes or you run away. She doesn't want to lose you. She doesn't want to be a grandma before she's forty. You're her baby."

"I know. But she didn't need to be so horrible." Mara told her father.

"She didn't mean what she said. She knows you're not an idiot."

An hour later, after a cup of tea, Trudy came back. "Jasper, my love?"

"Yeah, gorgeous?" He smiled at her.

"Did you talk to the girl?" Trudy asked. She was clearly still very annoyed with Mara.

"I did. She hasn't decided what to do yet."

Trudy glared at her daughter. "I don't care what she does. But if you keep it, keep it away from me." She told her daughter.

Jasper said "That's uncalled for, Trudy. Look, I know you're not happy, but you could be nice."

"Why should I be?"

"Because even though she's pregnant, she's still your daughter!"

Trudy sighed. "I don't care. Not anymore. Mara, come here?" She obediently got up and walked to her mother, braced for any damage her mother was going to inflict. But Trudy did something Mara wasn't expecting. She flung her arms around her daughter and cuddled her. "Baby girl, I'm sorry for being so awful to you, you're right. You didn't do anything wrong. I shouldn't be mad. You're such a lovely girl."

Jasper smiled. Mara said "I'm just sorry I listened to what I wanted rather than listening to what I'd been told."

"None of that matters now. I don't think I'd be able to completely forgive you if you got rid of your baby, darling."

Mara sighed. "Don't get mad, Mum. But... I think I want to keep the baby with me." She blushed.

Jasper said "Trudy, calm."

She smiled. "I am calm. Mara, honey, I'm proud of you. Not because of the baby, I'm still in shock, but I'm proud that you're staying honest with us."

Mara smiled, too. "Always. Thanks, Mum."

Trudy kissed her daughter's cheek. "I love you, honey."

"I love you, too, Mum."

Jasper left the room to check on his son. He was so proud of his wife and daughter. He was kind of stunned that his good little girl was going to have his first grandchild and neither he nor his wife were in their forties. He'd just have to take it as it came.