John sat cross-legged in the middle of the king-sized bed he shared with Bree; and Yana on several occasions when the boogie man made his rounds. He cradled their two month old son, Luke, in a blanket between his legs while Yana stood behind him and hugged his neck.

She scooted around him and lay on her belly to plant a kiss on Luke's little forehead. John's heart melted every time he witnessed Yana's show of affection towards her new little brother. It amazed both Bree and himself how well she took having to share mum and dad with another little somebody even though she would have wanted a sister instead.

Suddenly, her head popped up and she poked John in the knee, "Daddy, would Luke turn into a girl when he grows up?" John chuckled and shook his head in awe of her innocence. He smoothed a hand over her wavy brown hair and lightly pinched her cheek. "No, Yana, he'll be a boy just like me." He looked down at Luke again as he kicked out his little legs happily as he munched away on his hands.

His blue eyes sparkled with delight as he stared John in the face. John scratched his tummy and he stretched in appreciation. "That's my boy." he murmured on his 'proud farther' voice. Just then, Bree came in with a tray of lemonade. She set it on one of the side tables and joined him on the bed. The abstract-patterned maxi dress she wore clung to her with each move and made her look all motherly.

As if he noticed her standing there, baby Luke began to fuss in his father's arms. "Ohh, someone's hungry." She cooed as John handed him over to her and replaced him with Yana.

John stole a moment to gaze at Bree…his wife. She looked most beautiful as she fed their son. Hair braided to the side and her gentle hands patting Luke's little bottom as he latched onto her breast. He moved closer to put an arm around her.

It was the moment she looked up at him with a smile that defined him; that precious moment that made him want to be a better man. The moment that reminded him why would love her forever…

Annabelle's House – 6am

It was bright as the sun illuminated the interior of Annabelle's luxury suburban home.

Annabelle was all cuddled up to John on the sofa. He drifted off with his arm around her as they spoke into the early hours of the morning after her horde of females left; but she didn't mind, he was her hard working soldier and if he felt like sleeping why stop him.

She sat up a bit to observe him as he slept in the morning light. He was truly a fine-looking man and he was all hers, or so she thought, being caught up in the moment of watching John sleep. Lips slightly parted and his free hand partially covering his face, Annabelle lightly placed both her hands on either side of his face and kissed his lips.

When he stirred, she quickly settled back into her spot and wrapped her arms around his torso. ''I love you, John" she whispered into his ear and gently stroked his hair. Still wrapped up in the realms of sleep, he stirred again and tightened his grasp around her shoulders, "I love you too." He murmured. Annabelle's eyes softened at his words. "Oh babe." She breathed then hugged him tight, again.

John woke instantly and peered through his fingers, completely oblivious to what just transpired, at Annabelle who gazed at him with admiration.

'Fuck, I over slept' was his first thought as his sight came into focus and flicked towards the grandfather clock that stood proudly in the corner of the room. Shaking the fog from his mind, John returned his attention back to the now purring Annabelle.

"You look so sexy when you sleep…" she said to him as a perfectly manicured hand slipped under his shirt and caressed his washboard abs.

He fought the urge to give her a strange look as he tried to ignore the raging hard-on he now sported and went for, "Good morning, beautiful.", instead.

As if there was some unseen intervention, John's phone chirped to life between the cushions just as Annabelle pressed her body against him and made a move for his ear with her tongue. Not bothering to fend her off, he dug into the couch and retrieved his mobile device on the third ring.

"No no no…" Annabelle fussed as he glanced at the screen. It was Yuri.

John hesitated for a moment. Yuri was the last person he'd expect to call him, especially this early in the morning. It was his initial thought to just hang up but he thought better of it and answered.

"MacTavish" he said gruffly.

"John..." Yuri replied on the other end sounding flustered and on edge. The usual calm tone in his voice was nowhere to be found and this concerned him. There was only one explanation for this; something was up with Bree.

"Talk to me." John said in a suddenly icy tone. He could have literally felt his mood changing as his chest tightened and he gripped his phone like he wanted to snap it into pieces.

"I'm at the hospital…with Bree" Yuri explained carefully. "You need to be here, there is something you need to know."

"Which one?" John asked urgently.

"Stonebow Road…"

"I'll be there." John said, already on his feet and on the way to the door with Annabelle at his heels, her soft gooey demeanour vanishing as fast as he tore the door open.

Ana poked him in the back, "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

John glared at her as if he'd never seen her in his life. Ana gasped at the look in his eyes that said his mind was no longer focused on her. For a brief moment he remembered where he was as he fished out his keys and stalked towards his car. "I'll call you." He said over his shoulder sharply.

Annabelle stormed out of the house after him as quickly as her little legs can carry her, hips swaying for added effect. "You do this every time!" she shouted after him but he ignored her as he tore out of her driveway like a maniac.

John plopped his phone into the hands free cradle on the dash to continue his conversation with Yuri. "What can you tell me now?" he asked; feeling himself growing anxious for answers but Yuri only sighed on the other end, "You're not going to like this. Just get here in one piece."

"Fuck…" he muttered as the call ended.

Some fifteen minutes later he arrived at the medical centre. Blindly, he burst through the doors in search of Yuri who he found sitting in a nearby waiting room nursing a tall Styrofoam cup of steaming hot coffee.

"Where's Yana?" John asked as he glanced around.

Immediately Yuri stood. "Oh good, you're here…she's with Mrs Mc Dillan…" Yuri said then gave a worried expression. "I think you should sit."

"I think you should get on with it." John retorted.

Yuri nodded and walked in the direction of the wards. As they made their way down the long, white, sterile corridor, Yuri began to recall the events that lead to this.

"When I got there this morning, I found her lying in the bathtub covered in her own blood. Funny thing is she was still conscious." He said. "What was even crazier was the fact that she can't remember what happened to her. She said she woke up like that."

John nodded as he digested what little information Yuri fed him. "Was she injured? Any signs of a struggle?" he asked.

"No. When I got there I searched the entire apartment until I found her in the bathroom. Yana was screaming her head off, so it must have meant she was in there for a long time."

Yuri paused at a door and nodded towards it. "Here she is." He said then leaned against the door frame. John eyed him suspiciously then reached for the knob when Yuri's hand captured his shoulder.

"There's something you must know before you go in." Yuri swallowed hard. He knew it was not his business to tell but John had to know the truth sooner or later. "The doctor said she lost a lot of blood and it was a miracle that she was even conscious. She's a little delirious so you should be mindful of what you say to her."

"Well did he say what caused it?" John prodded.

Yuri nodded his response. "She had a miscarriage. Bree was… with child, one month to be exact."

John froze for a moment then opened the door and looked at her. Why did she hide something like this from him? Slowly he closed the door behind him as the weight of a heavy heart consumed him. As he took his first few steps towards the bedside, his legs felt as if they were being cemented to the floor with each step.

Bree lay there with her eyes closed, resting peacefully. The harsh overhead light made her cocoa coloured skin look pale and listless but he knew it was more than just that. He stood at her bedside with a devastated expression on his face. Frantically his eyes searched her body for a clue as to what might have caused this.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and gazed at him in silence. From the way he worked his jaw in deep thought as he continued his analysis, she could tell that he knew. If she said she had an explanation for all this she would be a liar.

One minute she was checking all the doors and windows before calling it a night; by the next she was bleeding like a pig in a tub. John's worried eyes struck her deep. If there was one thing she hated to see him do was worry about her. She felt his gentle hands touching her face and clasping her hand.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly. Bree forced a little smile in the hope of cheering him up some.

"I've been worse." She replied then placed her hand on top of his.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked then noticed her wince when he placed a hand on her stomach. "What happened in here?"

"John… no… just leave it, please" she said when he pulled the sheets back to reveal the angry bruise that stood out on her stomach. Confused, he looked back to her for answers. "Bree, what is this?"

"I-…I don't know." She said then held her head as a migraine nipped at her nerves.

When he touched it again she cried out. "What did you do?" John asked disbelievingly then regretted that he did when he realized how much it sounded like he was accusing her of getting rid of their child.

Bree's eyes grew wide at his question. "Why must you think the worst of me? I just walk around throwing away children? Is that what you're getting at, John?"

"No, Bree…that's not what I meant, you know that, baby." He tried again as he stared at her intently. John took her hand and kissed it. "I'm here for you." He felt his insides breaking for her. When he left her, he only wanted to protect her; to keep her safe… but the reality was, he couldn't protect her from life itself.

"Yeah? Then where were you when I was losing our child?" She said with the intent of sounding angry but her voice broke. "I never said a word to you because I was afraid you might be upset." John stood there in silence as her words of hurt tore him apart. Bree's monitor bleeped as her heart rate spiked.

"That's not fair Bree, you know I would have wanted this…" John sighed.

"Then why not act like it? I wanted this just as much as you did. Instead you run off with what's her face."

"It's not what it seems." He tried to explain but she won't have it.

"Don't try to play me for a fool, John." Bree said now angry at both him and herself.

"Are we really fighting right now?" he asked, feeling frustrated. "Let's not do that okay? Just let me be here…with you."

"Fine" Bree sniffed and turned her face away from him as the tears came. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"What? Bree…you can't be…" he looked at her, chest heaving with effort, trying his best to not allow himself to break in front of her. "Baby, look at me." He said quietly as he caressed her hair.

"I'm not your baby" she said coldly.

Abruptly, John stepped away from her and strode out of the room without another word; He was bitter. In his haste to exit, he narrowly avoided collision with a gurney on its way to an emergency room.

"You okay?" Yuri asked when he finally caught up to him, waiting with anticipation for John to blow up at him. He was just as worried about Bree like any normal man would be about the woman he loved and he knew how much it hurt when she pushes him away.

"She doesn't want me around." John said, sounding dismal and letting his eyes wonder as they glazed over with his inner thoughts. "I have to get…get back to the base."

"John." Yuri stopped him in his tracks. "She'll come around. I'm sure of it." John stared at him for a minute, "Yeah…" he said as he walked out the door and into the harsh morning light.

Three hours and six injections later…

Bree was still upset from John's little visit. Pain pinched about her body as she struggled to push herself into a sitting position on shaky arms. Sure she wanted him by her bedside or even better, to be in his arms even if it was just for a moment. But she couldn't get past the feeling that they were both to blame for this… And why couldn't she remember shit?

Just then, the door to the ward swung open. A rather large man strolled in wearing a white coat and carrying a clipboard just like the other doctors. At first glance Bree felt a chill run up her spine when she laid eyes on the weapon he had concealed beneath the black jacket he wore on the inside. He grinned at her menacingly as he flipped the latch on the door after he closed it. They were locked in.

Calmly he made his way to the bedside. The tiny crucifixes he wore in his ears danced each step he took and sent little gold reflections across the room. Her first instinct was to call for help but he was on her before she could put the thought into action. Alone and unarmed was she.

"Don't look so alarmed baby." He said quietly, his gravelly voice not making it any easier for her to remain calm. "We don't have much time. I just came to check on you."

Bree looked at the man, more confused than ever. "I don't know you." She said, trying to scoot as far away from him as she could on the bed. She looked on as he adjusted his watch and moved a hand up to her face. "Oh you will in a moment." he said with a sinister smile.

"Get your hands off me" Bree said and began to struggle in vain but he held fast. "Shh…" he cooed in a soothing voice. His rough fingers caressed the back of her neck and curdled her blood. "It's time to wake up for daddy." He said to her. She kicked up her legs in one last attempted to get him off then stilled as he spoke to her and her mind went blank. When her body relaxed under his touch he turned her head to face him. "Do you remember me now?"

"Dex." She said, sounding rather happy to see him. "That is right lassie." He said. Bree reached out and hugged him tight around the neck. Dex patted her on the back, "Look, I need to ask you something."

"Sure."

"I know your memory is shoddy right now but, tell me more about the Russian." He prodded.

Bree glanced at the door as if she expected Yuri to walk in at any time. "He's trained. Spetznaz…fought with Taskforce 141 against Makarov. Son of a Russian billionaire." She recited to him like an A+ student in all things Yuri.

"Hmm… He's rather interesting" Dex replied, not really caring at all. "And what did John say to you?"

"He was upset."

"He was? That's good…Too bad he'll be furious in a couple weeks." Dex snickered to himself. "Thank you!" he said with added vigour as he leaned over and kissed her lips. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and dialled. "The doctor did an excellent job, we no longer have any use for him." he said to the person on the other end. "Make sure he's comfortable."

Dex snapped the phone shut and looked at Bree with a look of approval on his face. "Now, you need to go back to sleep like a good girl until I'm ready for you again."

"Yes, sir." She responded. Dex gave her a little wave on his way to the door, reopening it just in time to come face to face with Yuri who gave him a stiff, suspicious look. "Mr. Rakov I presume, happy to have you back." He said in a fake English accent. "Ms. Collins seems to be doing fine. We'd like to keep an eye on her vitals."

"Uh huh." Yuri replied as the doctor thumped him on the back as he exited the ward. Yuri shut the door behind him and took a seat at the edge of the bed. He placed a hand on Bree's leg and grazed his thumb across her skin. "Hi." He smiled and took her hand. "Who was that?"

Bree frowned deeply and looked over Yuri's shoulder at the door as she tried to recall the reason for the doctor's visit.

"I don't know…"