So for whatever reason I like this next bit so I thought I'd give you a second post today. Enjoy !

The Joys of Children

It was early Wednesday morning and Ryan woke yet again as Emily rolled over and kicked him in the balls … yet again. He couldn't help but let out a groan as he tried to move … yet again … and reposition himself out of kicking range.

Marissa propped herself up on her elbow and looked over at him, careful to not disturb the sleeping child between them. "Are you right over there?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure." He grimaced. "Were you planning on us ever having any children? Because another night like that and it may be impossible. Her feet are perfectly aligned to cause maximum damage." He replied trying to gently massage his tender spots.

Marissa started to smile and a quick reply was forming when all of a sudden she stopped short as she realised that she still hadn't started her period. With all of the drama with Emily she had completely forgotten about it but it now came flooding back. Maybe she already was pregnant? And then what would they do?

Ryan watched the smile on her face begin, only to be replaced by a frown. He didn't understand. "Ris what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Um. Nothing." She replied and moved to get out of the bed. "I'm just going to go and put on some coffee." She replied turning her back to him and moving from the room quickly and quietly.

Ryan laid there for a moment trying to remember exactly what he had said; wondering what had caused Marissa's smile to disappear so suddenly and the look of worry to take its place. He had asked her about having children? But surely she knew that he was just joking. He wasn't going to put any pressure on her to have children before she was ready. And hey they were having a great time just practising, so who was he to complain? The practice had been amazing and plentiful. As Ryan thought again, smiling to himself about how they had been making up for lost time, suddenly the pieces seemed to fit as realisation came to mind.

He thought back to when Marissa had arrived in LA and then started to count the weeks. The first weekend they had been at the house at Newport. A huge smile appeared on his face as he remembered exactly what they had gotten up to that weekend. Rediscovering one another physically had been amazing. He'd lost count of the number of times and places they'd done it. Then, the next weekend Julie had been there. Enough said. Then Miami, then this last weekend they had dinner with J.B. and ended up in San Fran. That meant that they had been going at it for more than 4 weeks. Straight … with no let ups. Rarely more than a few hours went by without some action so …. that meant …. he realised why she was concerned. But if that meant … if she was … would it be that bad? He could barely contain his excitement. But from the look on her face when she'd got up, the feeling wasn't mutual. He needed to talk to her. He looked at Emily, now sleeping peacefully and he moved quietly out of the bed to go and talk with Marissa.

---

Marissa was in the kitchen. Her hands were busy going through the motions of putting on a pot of coffee but her brain was buzzing with the thought that she may be pregnant and what the implications were. What would she do if she was? She loved Ryan. But … She still had so much to sort out with her life. As if it wasn't complicated enough before and now they had Emily to add to the equation. Add to that a baby as well? She ran the idea over and over in her mind and kept coming up with the same answer.

---

Ryan found her in the kitchen standing looking at the coffee machine watching the drops of black as they made their way into the pot. He was pretty sure that she wasn't that intent on the coffee and that it was just something to look at while her mind whizzed about, contemplating the possibilities.

"Hey." He said quietly as he moved behind her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Hey." She returned, snuggling in to his warm body.

"I think we need to talk." Ryan said.

Marissa turned in his arms to look him in the eyes, concern evident. "What about?" she asked.

"Well." Ryan wasn't sure where to start. If she was pregnant and didn't want to be then what would he do? What would they do? Correction, what would she do? He realised that much as he wanted to have some say in all of this, really the decision would ultimately be up to Marissa. But first he had to know if she was pregnant or not? "Um. I was just wondering if you have … or should have … or" he stopped he didn't know quite how to ask. He started again. "Since we've been together." He looked up at her looking for some acknowledgment from her that she knew what he was talking about. "You know together, together." he said still struggling to get his message across.

Marissa looked blankly at him. She thought she knew what he was getting at but he was so adorably embarrassed about talking about it that there was no way that she was going to help. She was enjoying her self and his discomfit just too much.

Ryan started again. He was going to have to be more direct. She didn't seem to know what he was talking about. He took a deep breathe. "We've been doing 'it' for more than 4 weeks straight. Shouldn't we have had to take a break by now?" he asked.

Marissa threw the question back at him. "What do you mean 'it'?" She asked trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably.

Ryan realised from the smile on her face that she knew exactly what he was talking about and she was just watching him suffer. But the important thing was that she was smiling and that had to be good.

"You know what I mean very well." He replied. "And you also know that I'm not very good with words. But I'd be more than happy to show you what I mean by 'it' as soon as you've answered my question."

"What was the question again?" Marissa asked as she turned back to the coffee machine and filled the two waiting mugs with coffee. As she did so she moved her hips against Ryan grinding in to him and almost causing him to completely forget about what they were talking about. His brain wanted to focus on other things … like her.

He struggled to keep is mind on the topic at hand and then burst out. "Shouldn't your period have started by now?"

Marissa hesitated and then nodded. "Yeah. I think so." She turned back to him and smiled.

"And? " Ryan questioned.

Marissa shrugged. "It hasn't."

"Do you think you're pregnant?" he asked unable to keep the smile from his face. The thought of creating a life with her was one of best things he could imagine.

Marissa couldn't help but return his smile. He was like a small boy on Christmas morning excited about the surprises that the day might bring. "I don't honestly know. I'm usually pretty regular so it's a bit odd. And I haven't missed taking my pill or anything. But then I guess it's not 100 safe. So … I suppose I could be. But, I figure it's probably just the stress of everything. Between Jake and my Mom and now Emily. It's probably just a bit of a hiccup." She replied.

"But you could be?" Ryan suggested, unable to keep the hope out of his voice.

"Maybe." She shrugged and looked at him coyly.

"And if you were … we were … what would you do?" Ryan asked.

"If you'd asked me any time up to about 10 minutes ago, I would have told you I didn't know." she replied.

"And know?" Ryan asked holding his breathe.

"Well … when I got out of bed, I came out here to try to think about it. I had realised on Sunday that I was late but then with everything with Emily, I'd just forgotten all about it. When you mentioned us having children it all came back to me." Marissa said.

"And?" Ryan asked desperately needing to know how she now felt about the idea.

"Well. I can't deny that the idea scared the bejesus out of me." Marissa said and looked up at Ryan noticing the smile fade from his face. "At first." She added.

"And now?" he asked.

"Well … I had been wanting to be in control of my life. Sort out my contracts. Sort out a new career so I could maintain my independence. Sort out how I could move my life so that we could be together … everything. But it doesn't seem as if that's on the cards for me. I have spent the last few years being in control and I've never been more miserable. I was just going through the motions. Now I'm here with you. And I've never been happier. I've been earning money doing something that I have no idea what I'm doing. As of yesterday, we're caring for a 4 year old that we barely know and I have no idea what I'm doing there as well. But somehow or other … being around you … I just figure that everything will work out." She shrugged. "As long as we're together, we'll cope. And if that means that we have a baby on the way then somehow we'll manage. It was going to happen sooner or later. It will just be sooner. It seems that the less control I have over my life, the happier I've become anyhow." She added as he took her in his arms.

Holding her close he reassured her. "We will work it all out as long as we stick together." And then asked. "So when do we know for sure?"

She smiled. "Well … I was thinking about that too. I'm scared that someone will notice me if I go and buy a home pregnancy test kit. And then it could end up all over the tabloids and gossip mags so …." She looked at him.

Ryan took in her unspoken suggestion. "And you don't think that they'll notice if I do?" Ryan asked.

"Good point." Marissa shrugged. "So I guess that means that I'll have to see if Summer would get one for me."

Ryan sighed deeply.

Marissa added. "Yeah. I know. It means that we are going to have to put up with all the wise cracks from Seth. But I can't think of any other way; unless of course you want to ask Annabel to get one for you?"

Ryan shook his head. "Oh no. I don't think that is a very good idea. We'd be better off sticking with Summer. But you're right, Seth will have all the 'good swimmer' and 'one that got away' jokes ready for us. But, I'll just have to learn how to toughen my hide against him."

Marissa smiled and moved her hands inside his boxers to cup her hands over his bare buttocks. "I like your hide just how it is." She said as she pulled him towards her rubbing his quickly firming manhood against her mound. She turned her back towards him, pretending to be interested in the mugs of coffee and continued to grind herself against him feeling his growing erection against her.

Ryan smiled moving himself against her as his hands found their way under his t-shirt that she was wearing. She had not stopped to put anything on underneath and so he had free range over her whole body. His hands started up her hips and then moved to her breasts, cupping them and then tweaking the nipples between his fingertips as his lips found their way to her neck. As her breathing caught in her throat he moved his right hand down over her hips, across her taut flat stomach and then between her legs and to her sensitive bud. He stroked her and he could feel her move herself against him as she became more and more excited; she parted her legs to give his fingers better access and she continued to move her hips against him as he plunged his fingers into her hot moist core. Marissa gasped as her breathing became ragged.

Marissa slipped her hand behind her and between them to push his boxers down exposing his hardness.

Ryan pulled back. "Um. Do you think we should be starting this?"

"Why not? Do you think you might get me pregnant?" she panted, talking becoming more and more difficult.

"Good point." He gasped. "But how, where?" he asked, having trouble focusing on anything but Marissa.

"Here, now." Marissa gasped as she pulled the t-shirt up and exposed herself below the waist. She bent over the kitchen bench and lent down on her left elbow, while reaching behind with her right hand to guide Ryan's hardness into her core.

"But Emily?" Ryan said with his last vestige of sanity.

"Asleep." Marissa gasped. "Now Ryan. Now!"

Ryan needed no further encouragement. He placed his hands on Marissa's hips and thrust in to her. Her moist hotness encompassing him as he started to move within her. Ryan thrust slowly and deeply, the feeling of her completely over whelming him. He was trying to keep control, wanting to send Marissa over the edge before he would let himself go. She felt so good as he thrust into her. Over and over again getting faster and faster as he felt the two of them getting closer to their goal.

Marissa was in seventh heaven. She was so close. The feeling of Ryan inside her almost more than she could bare when she heard ….

"Wyan …where are you?" coming from the hall.

Ryan immediately withdrew and tried to pull his boxers over his engorged manhood. Coated in Marissa's juices it was painfully throbbing as he tried to push it down, feeling like he was about to break it off.

Marissa pulled the t-shirt back down but still hadn't moved. "I was so close." she panted, the regret evident in her voice.

"I know." He replied. "Me too … But you have to go to her." He added.

"Why me?" Marissa asked her knees still weak. She wasn't sure if they would actually hold her weight as she tried to come back down on the wrong side of the peak she had been climbing.

"Because." Ryan replied. "What would she make of this?" he replied as he showed her the rock hard tent pole that he was trying to cover up.

Marissa looked over realising that he was probably in an even worse state than she was. "Okay but you owe me." she replied as she made her way gingerly towards the hall. "I'll take her to her room to get changed while you sneak back into our bedroom."

Ryan nodded. "I'll be the one taking a long cold shower." He replied resignedly.

"And I'm after you." Marissa replied. She knew they'd look back and think this was humorous but for right now ……

R/R Thanks