Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Guiding Light, and I am not profiting from this story in any way.

Chapter Six: Tailspin

Bill wasn't sure what was worse- Lizzie's horrified, wide-eyed stare or Emma's look of total confusion. Of all the ways he'd imagined Lizzie finding out, he'd never dreamed up one this bad.

This cannot possibly get any worse, he thought grimly. "Lizzie…" What was he supposed to say? How could he explain? All the words he'd planned earlier had vanished from his mind, leaving him floundering when he needed them the most.

And then, unbelievably, the situation managed to deteriorate even further. "Lizzie?" Jonathan asked from behind him, pushing past Bill on his way to the small blonde's side. "What's going on?"

Her eyes were still fixed on Bill, and they were, to his horror, filling with tears. "How could you do this?" she abruptly shrieked, and launched herself at him. Jonathan caught her around the waist, barely keeping hold as she struggled in his arms, and Emma watched in terror. Lillian had her hands over her mouth, looking from one to the other in shock.

Bill just stood, frozen, and watched Lizzie fall apart because of him. Again.

"Bill, what the hell's going on?" Jonathan snarled, still struggling to keep hold of Lizzie.

Bill shook his head and looked to Lillian. "Can you-" He choked on the words, ended up just indicating Emma.

Lillian started, then quickly nodded and took Emma's hand. "Come on, sweetie, let's go see your big sister," she said as cheerfully as she could. Emma kept looking back at them as she led her away, but at least she did go.

Lizzie abruptly stilled, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Ava?" she demanded of Bill. "Why- why her? Of all the- you cheated- why?"

Bill gaped at her. "Wait, you think I-"

"You know what, Bill?" Jonathan snapped. His arms were still around Lizzie, and Bill knew he'd hate him for that later, when he could think about anything other than her. "Just don't talk to her right now. It sounds like you've done enough already." He looked down at her, and his voice softened. "Come on, Lizzie, let's go."

"No, she and I need to talk." Bill focused on Lizzie, hoping she'd listen to him. "Don't listen to him. Let me explain-"

"What is there to explain?" she asked with a hollow laugh. "I've heard enough." She jerked free of Jonathan's hold, glaring at Bill. "You said you'd change, and I believed you. I trusted you, Bill. I won't make that mistake again."

"Lizzie-"

"Save it," she snapped. "Come on, Jonathan, let's go." She pushed past Bill and headed for the door, Jonathan by her side, one hand on her back.

"Lizzie!" Bill called after her. "Lizzie!"

She didn't look back.

Lizzie didn't say a word until Jonathan parked the car in the driveway of Cross Creek. "I thought you might want to stay here for a few days, since Bill has a key to your hotel room and everything," he muttered. "I'll go get some of your stuff later, in case Bill's there."

She shuddered at the idea of Bill waiting for her, trying to talk his way back into her good graces. She couldn't let that happen again. "Okay," she said quietly, wiping her eyes. "Thanks, Jonathan."

He shrugged. "The sooner you're over him, the better off Sarah will be. What did he do, anyway?"

Lizzie flinched. It was hard enough just thinking about it. Would she actually have to tell people? She couldn't imagine it. "It's Ava," she finally whispered, staring hard at the dashboard. "She's- she's pregnant."

"And it's Bill's?" When Lizzie nodded, they both lapsed back into silence for awhile. Given the fact that Jonathan had been in Bill's shoes two years earlier, he couldn't really criticize him for it. Jonathan was many things, but he had never been a hypocrite.

"I can't believe I trusted him," Lizzie finally burst out, trying not to choke on the words. "I really thought that he- that he cared, and he cheated on me with Ava, and-"

"Whoa, Lizzie." Jonathan shook his head. "Look, I hate to say anything nice about the guy, but- are you sure he cheated on you? He was sleeping with Ava before you guys got together, right? Maybe he got her pregnant then."

"Like with you and me?" She smiled wryly, stared out the window. "That's different. Who would cheat on Tammy? But me-"

Jonathan touched her shoulder, waited for her to look at him before he spoke. "And as for you," he said quietly, "if any guy is stupid enough to cheat on you, by the time I'm through with him he won't be able to get anyone pregnant. All right?"

She had to laugh, though it sounded more like a sob. "Thanks, Jonathan." He smiled a little, stroked her hair, and it was the unanticipated, kind gesture that undid her. Tears started rolling down her cheeks again, and she buried her face in her hands, her small frame shaking with sobs. She heard the sound of a seatbelt being unbuckled, and then Jonathan had leaned over and his arms were around her. She held on tightly, grateful for the unexpected but much needed comfort.

Bill knew not to follow Lizzie, no matter how much he wanted to, so he forced himself to go find Lillian instead. She had taken Emma to Ava's room, and he found himself there as well soon enough, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"What happened?" he asked after a moment.

Ava looked over towards him, her eyes hard. "What do you care?" she snapped.

"I'm the baby's father." It was easier to say than he had thought it would be. "If there's something wrong and I can help-"

"Well there's nothing-"

"There is something you can do," Lillian cut in tersely. Bill was obviously not on her list of favorite people just then. "If you're going to help, make sure she doesn't skip any more meals. She's only had a couple of snacks today, which is why she fainted."

"Lillian!" Ava said indignantly. When the older woman only shrugged serenely, Ava stood, scowling. "Like I told you, it's only because I was busy with work. Believe me, I don't need him or anyone to take care of me. I was going to-"

"It doesn't matter how much work you have, you can't skip meals if you're pregnant!" Bill snapped, startling even himself by how angry he was. "How often do you do this?"

"Bill-" Lillian pointedly nodded towards Emma.

He looked over at the girl who had once been his daughter and forced himself to calm down. She didn't need to see him taking his frustration out on Ava. He shouldn't be taking anything out on her, period. The burst of temper abruptly vanished and he just sighed, tired. "Look, why don't we go over to Company," he offered, rubbing his forehead. "My treat. What do you say?"

"Olivia has an appointment-" Ava began.

"She can meet us there."

Ava hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Shouldn't you be going after Lizzie?" she asked sullenly. "Emma told me what happened."

Bill flinched, but his voice was even as he replied, "Lizzie does not want to see me right now, believe me. Come on, do you want some free food or not? I'm sure your sister's hungry- Emma, are you hungry?" She nodded, and he took it as a good sign. Even though she wasn't his anymore, he'd never stopped caring about her, and he didn't want their relationship to deteriorate more than it already had. "Now you can't let your sister starve."

Ava sighed. "All right, fine. But don't think this means you're off the hook."

Bill chanced a glance at Lillian, found her watching him disapprovingly. He flashed her a quick smile, even though he was squirming on the inside, and then returned his attention to Ava. "All right, we can talk about that while we eat. Come on, let's go."

When they walked into Company, the first person Bill saw was Dinah, sitting in a booth and bouncing Sarah on her lap.

His heart twisted. Well, that explains why Jonathan didn't have her at the hospital. He turned to Ava and Emma. "I need to go talk to my sister," he told them, and noticed Ava grimace. "You two go ahead and sit down and order whatever you want, okay? My treat, remember."

"What about you?" Emma asked.

He forced a smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm not really hungry." He tugged on one of her braids, winning a tentative smile from her, then went over to Dinah and took a seat across from her.

"Hey, little brother," she said, not looking away from Sarah. "How's it going?"

"Do not ask," he muttered.

She looked up then, frowning as she scrutinized his expression. "That bad, huh? Don't tell me you actually told Lizzie."

He groaned. "I didn't tell her. She was at the hospital, Ava fainted, Lillian said she was pregnant and Lizzie figured it out."

Dinah stared at him. "Oh my- are you serious? How did she take it?"

Bill laughed shortly. "Like I said, do not ask."

"Okay, well, where is she now? Why aren't you with her, explaining yourself and begging her forgiveness?"

"She's with Jonathan," he admitted, scowling. That was hard to say. "He must have followed me to Cedars."

"So that's where he was headed in such a rush," Dinah mused. "I ran into him on my way in and he asked me if I'd watch Sarah for awhile. I was afraid something was wrong."

He stared. "Dinah, something is wrong."

"You know what I mean," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "So, Ava- she doesn't have some kind of condition, or-"

"No, she just hadn't had enough to eat," Bill explained. "That's why I brought her here, she'll be fine." He smiled at Sarah. "The kid seems to like you."

Dinah blinked, then laughed. "Yeah, it's not like I haven't spent any time with her before. I am friends with her parents, you know." She smoothed Sarah's hair and abruptly laughed. "You know- it's funny, I haven't thought of this in years. But I tried to trick Jon into knocking me up once." Bill recoiled, staring at her in horror, and she teasingly continued, "Just think, you could have a niece or nephew who's your girlfriend's kid's half-sibling."

"That's- you- did you really have to tell me that today? You and-" He shuddered, "that's an image I do not need. Thanks a lot."

"Oh please- you were married to Lizzie's mom at one point, remember?"

"The marriage wasn't valid," he returned with as much dignity as he could muster. "Besides, that wasn't really Beth, it was her other personality, Lorelei."

"Ooh, and you were married to Ava's mom, too!" Dinah added impishly. "And you used to be her sister's adoptive father! Man, this really is twisted."

"Welcome to Springfield," he muttered, doing his best to tune out her laughter.

"So what do you want to get?" Ava asked Emma brightly, flipping through the menu again and again. Not that she actually read a word of it- it just gave her something to look at other than the puzzlement in Emma's eyes. "D'you want to get a Buzz burger with the works? Or how about some macaroni and cheese, hmm? I know how much-"

"Ava," Emma interrupted, "why are you having Bill's baby? He's Lizzie's boyfriend, right?"

Ava blanched. Oh god, do I really have to explain friends with benefits to a seven-year-old? "Why don't you ask Bill later?" she suggested, putting on the fake smile that working at Spaulding had perfected. "I'm sure he'll be able to explain it much better than I can." Okay, so the smile wasn't entirely fake. Bill deserved to suffer a little after the way he'd treated her all week.

Emma nodded slowly. "Lizzie's really mad," she said, biting her lip. "She was crying. She's my sister… should I be mad, too?"

Ava's eyes widened. One of the waitresses chose that particular moment to come over and ask for their order, so Ava had a few minutes to think about it while she and Emma made their choices. She had of course realized that this pregnancy would be beyond awkward for the little girl, but she hadn't realized that she would feel pressured to take sides.

Once the waitress was gone, Ava leaned forward. "Mad at me?" she asked carefully. "Gee, I hope not."

"No, at Bill," Emma explained gravely. "Because he made you and Lizzie sad. She was crying and yelling and…" She trailed off, looking rather upset herself.

Ava grabbed her hand, inwardly cursing Lizzie. Couldn't she have saved her tantrum for when Emma wasn't there to see it? "Lizzie and Bill will be fine," she told her. "They've had fights before, but they've still always made up. And Bill and I will be fine too. We just have to talk some things over. Lizzie and I don't want you to be mad at anyone, okay?"

Emma frowned, clearly thinking it over. "Okay," she said after a few moments, and Ava breathed an inner sigh of relief. "What are you going to name the baby?"

Finally, a question that would be relatively easy to field. "I don't know yet. That's a pretty big decision- I might need some help. Can you think of anyone who might have some ideas?"

"Ooh, me!" she said, beaming.

"All right, Aunt Emma," she agreed, tickling her. "You've got yourself a deal."

"A deal?" Bill asked as he slid into a seat across from them. "Are you two conspiring together behind my back?"

Emma giggled. "No, Ava said I can help name the baby!"

The adults' gazes briefly locked over her head. Ava waited, sure he was going to make some lame comment or get awkward again.

But instead he smiled at her sister, those dimples of his flashing. "That sounds like a great idea," he told her seriously. "I'm sure you've already got all sorts of great ideas, right?" She nodded. "How about you make a list for us when we get you home, okay?"

"Okay."

He nodded, then looked over to where Dinah was sitting. "Why don't you go say hi to Sarah and Dinah for a minute?" he suggested. "I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"Okay!" she said brightly, and skipped off to do just that.

Bill looked after her for a moment, eyes wistful. "She's a good kid."

"Yeah, she is." Ava wasn't going to let that distract her, though. "Look, Bill-"

"You should probably steer clear of Lizzie for awhile," he interrupted, leaning back in his chair and rubbing the back of his neck. He was trying way too hard to look nonchalant. "She's going to be pretty upset for awhile-"

"No, you think?"

"-and a confrontation with her probably wouldn't be good for you when you're… in this condition."

"Pregnant, you mean," she said dryly.

"Yeah, right, pregnant. Did you order something already? Because if you didn't-"

"What's going on?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

She lifted her eyebrows. "You've spent the past week acting like I don't exist, and now you're concerned? I don't buy it."

"I am!" he protested.

"Yeah, that's been so obvious this week, from the way you dodged my phone calls and-"

"All right, so I haven't exactly been supportive-"

"No, not exactly."

Bill leaned across the table, looking frustrated. "Look, Ava, cut me a little slack, okay? This was a huge shock, and I've been trying to figure out how to deal with it-"

"I thought we were friends, Bill!" she exclaimed.

Bill just stared at her for a moment, appearing to be totally taken aback. "We are friends-"

She shook her head. "I thought I could count on you for help and support. I trusted you to come through for me, and-"

"I know, I know, I let you down and I'm sorry. I'm not going to run from this anymore, I promise. If you need anything you can just call me and-"

"And why should I believe that?"

"Because today was a wake-up call!" he snapped, eyes flashing. "After Lizzie told me what happened, I went to Cedars as fast as I could. It really hit me that you're carrying me kid. We're gonna be parents, Ava, and I can't run from that. And even though I wasn't planning on having kids any time soon, I- I don't want to run from that. Our kid's going to have nothing but the best, starting right now."

She hesitated. "Do you mean that?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay, good." She hadn't expected him to come around this fast, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. Just knowing that Bill was done being in denial already made her feel better.

After Bill and Ava were done at Company, he headed to Lizzie's hotel room. He had a key, so he could just let himself in if she wasn't there and wait for her to get back. She might have had enough time to calm down and be able to listen to him, but even if she hadn't, he still couldn't just sit around and wait. He hated the idea that she thought he'd cheated on her, and he hated knowing that it was his own past behavior that honestly made her believe it.

He got to the apartment just as Jonathan was exiting it, a big designer suitcase in one hand and another bag slung over his shoulder. Just as Jonathan pulled the door shut Bill struck, grabbing him and pushing him back against the wall. Both bags hit the ground.

"Get your hands off me," Jonathan snarled.

Not likely. "What are you doing with Lizzie's things, huh?" he demanded. "Where's Lizzie?"

"Like I'd tell you-"

"I have to talk to her!"

Jonathan looked less than impressed. "You've said enough."

"Don't- don't act like you want to protect her from me-"

"Well shouldn't somebody?" he returned.

Bill smirked. "The man who stole her child from her might be the wrong one to-"

Jonathan burst out laughing, taking Bill aback. "It just kills you that I'm the one she went to for help, doesn't it?"

"I didn't cheat on her, Jonathan," Bill informed him, voice low. God it was hard not to hit him.

He laughed even more. "I know."

Surprised, Bill loosened his grip. "What do you mean you know, you-"

Jonathan twisted free, impatience flashing across his face. "I even said that to Lizzie already. It's hard enough for her, knowing you got someone pregnant without her thinking that you cheated, too. I didn't say it for your sake, if that's what you're thinking. I said it for her."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Since when do you care so much about her, huh?"

Jonathan smirked. "Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"Thanking-" Bill's hands tightened into fists, and he started to lunge at him.

"Stop it, both of you!" Beth strode up to them from around the corner of the hallway, planting herself between them, grabbing Bill's arm as if to hold him back. She looked from one to the other. "What is going on? Jonathan, why do you have those suitcases?"

Jonathan stared hard at Bill for another moment before looking at Beth. "Lizzie's going to be staying with me for a few days," he said flatly. Then, in a voice loaded with sarcasm, "Now, if you'll excuse me…" He picked up both suitcases again and headed off, leaving Bill to glare after him.

"What's all this about?" Beth demanded of Bill. "Rick and the kids are in the car, and I came to ask Lizzie to join us for dinner, and now she's at Cross Creek? Why?"

Bill just looked at her for a moment. He still couldn't believe any of this was happening, and the idea of telling Beth… well, he'd heard the stories about her personality change since her marriage to Alan. He had no desire to be held hostage in a cabin, thank you very much. "Go ask her," he finally muttered. "I need a drink." He took off for his room, ignoring Beth's questions.

Once he got there he flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Ava had passed out, Emma had looked at him like she didn't know him, Lizzie was staying with Jonathan…

"Please don't let this get any worse," he murmured, then groaned and rubbed his face. Right, like this could actually get better.

Lizzie was curled up on the sofa, watching some mindless television, when the door opened. She looked up out of idle curiosity just as Jonathan walked in, carrying her suitcases- followed by Dinah, who was holding Sarah.

Lizzie quickly sat up, self-consciously straightening her clothes. "What are you doing here?" she asked her friend.

Dinah set Sarah down, smiling as the little girl made a beeline for a toy, then sat down next to Lizzie. "Bill told me what happened," she said gently. "I thought you could use a friend."

Lizzie made a small, choked noise and dropped her head into her hands. "What about Bill?" she finally asked.

Dinah set her hand on Lizzie's back. "I've already talked to Bill, and if he needs me I'll go see him- but just because he's my brother doesn't mean I don't want to help you, too."

She sighed. "I can't believe he didn't tell me."

"He wanted to. But you know how men are- they put things off until-"

Lizzie looked up at her, eyes sharp. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Lizzie-"

"How long?" she demanded, jumping up from the couch and staring at her. "How long did you know that he-"

"I only found out a few days ago, all right?" Dinah said quickly, also standing. "I didn't tell you because it wasn't my place, but I did push him to tell you. He was going to, Lizzie- he wanted to get in some grand gestures, like dinner and flowers-"

Lizzie's jaw dropped. "He thought that buying me flowers and taking me out for some, what, some fancy dinner would make up for getting Ava Peralta pregnant?"

"No, Lizzie," Dinah said quietly. "He thought it would help prove that even though he slept with her months ago, the only person he wants to be with is you."

Lizzie took a deep breath, then abruptly sat back down. "I actually thought he and I could be a normal couple," she said wryly, shaking her head. "How stupid is that?"

Dinah sat down slowly, putting her arm around her shoulders. "Not stupid," she said gently, "just hopeful."

"I should have known better," she muttered. "Since when does anything in my life actually go right?"

"I know the feeling," Dinah remarked. And because she knew she did, Lizzie sighed and rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

"Thanks, Dinah," she said quietly.

She smiled a little, patting her back. "Hey, what are friends for?"