To Mai Surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nine Lives of Chloe King, nor do I profit from any of my stories.

Warning: This story is rated M and is intended for mature audiences only. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 17

Alek opened the door looking exhausted. He was stressed out, but he still managed a small smile when he saw me. I felt guilty; I hated to add more to his burden. Being the Uniter is hard enough already. This week is final's week at school, only half of junior year left. Then, we had senior year. I didn't even know if I would be able to finish junior year, let alone graduate. And college? More like, community college.

Knowing the Mai, I will either have to go into hiding, or quit school to be protected.

"Are you alright?" He rested a hand on my shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. He was worried.

With bloodshot eyes, trembling hands, and a stuffy nose, I know what I must have looked like. "I'm ok-kay… But y-you need to s-sit d-d-down," I stuttered, wiping fresh tears from my cheeks.

The bed shifted under his weight as Alek wrapped his arms around me.

"I… I f-found out to-today th-that," I paused to breathe. "That the antibiotics I was taking can cancel the effects of the pill…" I looked away, ashamed.

"Hey, don't be scared, it's okay. You didn't know." Alek nudged me, attempting to lighten the mood. "We'll just use condoms for now. They even make cherry flavored!"

His forced laugh fell flat when he noticed my sobs. "Chloe! I didn't mean it like that… I'm sorry! I was just trying to-"

I shook my head. "No, n-no it's-s n-not th-that…" I forced myself to take a deep breath. "I'malreadypregnant," I whispered.

Alek's body went stiff and he pulled away from me. "Chloe! What did you just say?"

I shrunk back into a ball, sobbing. Biting back a whimper, I was startled when strong arms lifted me up. With his back against the headboard, Alek cradled me in his lap and handed me a tissue.

"Chloe?"

I closed my eyes, not daring to meet his questioning gaze. "It's too late." I coughed, clearing out the phlegm from my throat. "I'm… I'm already p-pregn-nant."

Alek nodded his head, and then asked "are you sure?"

I pulled up a picture on my phone, the one that Amy took. It was Jasmine's kitchen counter, with three positive pregnancy tests on it. "I'm pregnant. Aunt Valentina says that I'm about nine weeks along." I lifted up my shirt, showing him the slight baby bump that was developing. "Apparently I didn't have the flu before, it was morning sickness…"

"So… I'm going to be a dad?" Alek's eyes filled with fear. "I've never even had a dad! How am I going to be a good dad?" He panicked. "What if he doesn't like me? What if something happens to me and I can't-"

"Hey! Nothing is going to happen to you! Or me! Or this baby." I put a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look me in the eyes. "Aunt Val sent for extra guards. We are keeping the baby a secret from the other Prides. They think you need another protector because the Order has surfaced." When he didn't say anything, I continued. "We're safe."

Alek relaxed, putting a hand on my stomach. "So, this is real? I mean, it's really happening, right?" Not waiting for a response, he continued. "I'm not dreaming? We're going to be a real family?"

I nodded, his excitement leaving me speechless. "Wh-what are you doing?" I asked, startled when Alek bent down.

"Nothing," he said, as he placed half-dozen kisses right below my bellybutton. He froze, and then placed an ear up against my stomach with a gasp. "I can hear him! His heartbeat! Chloe!"

Feeling dampness on my lap, I looked down. "Alek…?"

"I'm fine, don't worry, love. Just a bit verklempt is all." He sat up and kissed me on the cheek. "I think we ought to have our wedding sooner, don't you think?"

I shuddered, thinking of all the gossip. "Well, maybe we can do something small. Just us, and everyone who we've told about the baby."

Alek nodded, saying, "That sounds good. If you want, we can have the ceremony later, and just file a marriage certificate at the courthouse now?"

"Yeah, but we don't have to decide yet." I snuggled into bed, pulling Alek under the blankets with me.

"You must be exhausted, too much crying. It's not good for you." He kissed the top of my head, pulling me close.

I drifted off to sleep, the last thing I remember is feeling Alek's breath on the back of my neck, and his hands holding my pregnant tummy.

"So, what are you doing with school? You can't just waltz around all fat and think nobody's gonna notice."

"Miss Amy, that was very rude. Though, she has a valid point. People are going to notice, and the gossip will undoubtibly make its way to the other Prides." Rajiv sat between Jasmine and me, while Paul talked Alek's ear off about babies. We leaned back to look at the sky, a perfect view of the sunset behind the Golden Gate Bridge.

"I'm going to do the City College of San Francisco's High School Diploma Program. That way, I won't have to be here, but I can still graduate high school. Aunt Val is going to tell the school that my part-time job has demanding hours, so I have to take classes at the college instead."

"You start next week, right? Once finals are over?" Jasmine pulled out her phone, bringing up the calendar. "When's the part-time job?"

"It's at Then&Now, the vintage store that Lana works at? Only Monday through Friday, from 10am to 4pm. I don't get paid much, but that's okay."

Amy laughed, saying, "You won't do much there. Lana has OCD; she probably won't let you touch anything. Just sit behind the counter and look pretty."

Jasmine nodded. "You're only working there so that Brian and Mimi can keep an eye on you. They're all moving back to San Francisco, even little Charlie. Brian's aunt is taking over the Las Vegas Pride, just until we don't need them."

"Who is this mythical 'Charlie' that everyone has been talking about?"

Amy launched into the story of how Brian gave Mimi Charlie, while I listened to Paul chattering away in the background.

"At nine weeks, human babies develop their tongues! And their fingers too, though they are short and webbed. Do you think it's the same for Mai? I mean, you guys don't change until your teens, so shouldn't your guys's baby be like a human?"

"Paul, I don't know. Go ask Jasmine or Valentina."

"Alek, Raj, we need to talk," came a quiet voice from behind us. Kai, pressed a manila folder into Alek's hand. "The Seattle Cast has initiated contact with us."

"Cast?" I looked around, confused.

"A group of Falcos is called a 'Cast,' much like a 'Pack' of Jackals, a 'Herd' of Taurus, or a 'Pride' of Mai." Rajiv grabbed the file and read its contents. "Two of their members want to meet us. Paige and Mitchell Fraser, brother and sister. They are both in college at the University of Washington."

"They will move to San Francisco, transferring to UCSF." Kai got up and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Congratulations, by the way. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." While he walked away, Paul's attention shifted to Rajiv.

"Falco's have good eyesight and hearing, and talons? Aren't they just like Mai then? Do humans die if they kiss them?"

"No, they live similar to humans. Their eyesight does not change the look of their eyes, and their 'talons' are actually just a tendency to have strong, sharp fingernails." Rajiv looked down at the file. "Living with a Falco is similar to living with someone who works for the Central Intelligence Agency. They are trained to fight, gather information, and keep secrets. The can only be in approved relationships, and their Falco status is strictly 'need to know' information." Paul opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Rajiv was already gathering his stuff. "I have to go set up the meet, see you al tomorrow at school."

As we walked home from the park, Alek turned to me. "Do you think this is what being the Uniter is? Uniting all the different ancient races in the world?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but it seems like the right thing to do. I think it's more of a 'follow your instincts' kind of thing though."

He nodded, and then said, "If we could find a way for our generation to work together, maybe we could eliminate the Order. We could save the dying races, like the Ave and the Nepa…."

I smiled up at Alek and planted a kiss on his neck. "It'd be like an Endangered Species Conservation group!" I said with a laugh. Who knows? Maybe Alek's onto something…

The Prophacy doesn't exactly say who or what the Uniter is going to unite.

Let me know what you guys think, if you love it, if you hate it, etc. I love pregnant Chloe; I think it's the cutest thing ever! Mama Chloe is way better than Uniter Chloe. Just saying.

Please, please, please review! Let me know what you think, comments, concerns, questions, etc. If you review with question, I will reply (I PROMISE!)