Let me know that I've done wrong

When I've known this all along

I go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

-"Dirty Little Secret", All American Rejects

Truthfully, the idea of it had never even crossed her mind. Even though she wasn't using any sort of birth control, and she and Corny were, or had been, intimate at least several times per week, she had never expected to get pregnant. Despite the fact that she obviously knew Corny was fertile, she simply hadn't been anticipating it, and when it happened, it came as a shock.

She wasn't exactly sure how to react when she had learned the news. She felt like crying, and there was that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She threw up soon after, and then let herself sob against the closed toilet lid, wiping the make-up from her eyes before finally finding the strength to pull herself up.

Amber had no idea what to do. She wasn't a mother; had never even wanted to be one. It was hard enough looking after Sophie, and she was generally self-sufficient, but a baby needed another person to depend on for everything. She couldn't imagine changing diapers, burping, and feedings at three A.M. She couldn't imagine her stomach swelling into the size of a watermelon, and those hideous stretch marks that would inevitably accompany it. And though she knew it was shallow, that frightened her. Her mother had always cursed the day she'd gotten pregnant with Amber, said it made a woman's body go to hell. All Amber had ever had was her body. If she lost that, then what?

She hadn't said anything about it to Corny, because she really had no idea how to. They had never discussed having more children, even after marriage. He had never particularly expressed his want for a baby, and though she hadn't either, they were having one, and she had been completely caught off guard by it. She knew she needed to tell him; he had a right to know, of course, but it made her anxious. He was feeling a little better and could manage to walk around the house; he'd even come down to the studio a few more times after that first time. He usually stood now, on the sidelines, next to her, watching Link like a hawk, though for what particular reason, Amber wasn't completely sure. Still, that meant nothing. It didn't mean that he would be excited, or even happy at the idea of becoming a father again. And with all of the tension that had been between them as of late, she wasn't completely sure that he wouldn't see it as some sort of peace offering. That was all wrong, though. The one thing Amber had never really planned to give him was a baby.

Amber would study her changing reflection in the mirror now, at night, locked in the bathroom. She would slip her robe from her shoulders and let herself gaze at her thin, petite form, though it was already obvious. She could see the soft curve of her belly, expanding just above her abdomen, and knew that was where the baby was. It was living there, in that soft bump of flesh, and it would only continue to grow, until she was literally bursting at the seams. And though she knew she should be happy, she let herself cry in front of that mirror every evening, every time she saw that slight protrusion again.

Things between her and Corny hadn't been particularly easy. Since he had begun to come down to the studio to 'observe', he'd started to regard her with colder eyes, especially when she spoke with Link. She pretended to be fine at work, because she had no choice. She could talk and laugh with Link, and when she returned home, she fell into a somewhat morose state that left both of them slightly uncomfortable. She knew what it was; she knew he was jealous of Link, because he had all of the things that Corny assumed were rightfully his. Link had his show, his council members, his popularity. He had his daughter's affections, and from the way he probably saw it, his fiancée's as well. He simply couldn't see that it was all superficial, and that what he really needed to focus on was getting better, so that he would eventually be able to reclaim his possessions. But if anyone knew Corny Collins, they would know that trying to explain anything like that to him was essentially useless. He moved in his own time, and tended to block everyone out when he was in motion.

To make matters worse, Sophie had come down with some kind of stomach bug and had to be kept home from school. While Corny was able to get around, he wasn't quite fast enough to care for a vomiting child, and Amber had been forced to bring her to the studio with her today. She had collapsed backstage, on the couch in Link's dressing room, and if it hadn't been for the occasional cry for water, Amber wouldn't even be completely sure she was still alive.

That same uneasiness between them was why she couldn't concentrate on her work when she was at the studio, and why she often ended up staying later than she had originally anticipated having to. Tonight was no exception. She called Corny, promised him she'd be home before he fell asleep, and returned to the stacks of paperwork that she neglected during the day. She let herself pull her chair up to a desk, her fingers rifling through the papers as she finished the menial tasks, her head suddenly aching from lack of sleep.

"What are you still doing here?" She heard Link behind her, and her shoulders slumped.

"Working late," She looked over her shoulder at him, "What about you?"

"I was getting ready to leave," he took a few steps closer to her, pulling on his suit jacket. "I just checked on Sophie for you, she's sleeping."

"Ah, thanks." Amber offered him a small smile, letting her eyes move back to the papers in front of her. "Well, goodnight, Link."

He stood still for a moment, and finally worked his fingers around the back of a chair, rolling it towards her and letting himself sit in it, next to her at the desk. She looked at him.

"Need help?" He offered quietly. She wanted to say no, but her headache, backache, stomachache…they all said yes. She nodded slightly.

"Thanks, Link." She slid a manila folder in his direction, and her fingers page through the papers, her hands suddenly shaking. He was so close to her that his elbow bumped hers, and he laughed softly.

"Sorry." They worked in silence for a moment, and then he cleared his throat. "So, you're feeling better, then?" She hadn't mentioned anything to him about her 'sickness', and he hadn't asked. Well, at least not until now.

"Uh, yeah." She dipped her head, then opened her mouth to say something else, but he was speaking first.

"Amber." His voice was soft, and she could tell his mouth was dry. He let his hands shuffle the papers before him mindlessly, his eyes watching the table. "I'm sorry. This is all so bizarre."

"What is?" She felt her stomach churning, and forced herself to look at him.

"Just…this," as if that explained everything. He thought for a moment. "I didn't expect this to happen."

She felt the corners of her lips turning upwards into a slight smile.

"What? That one day you'd be running Corny's show?"

"No." His voice was serious, and he finally turned to look at her. "That one day I'd be here, with you, again."

"Oh," the word escaped almost silently from her mouth. "Yeah, I know." They sat in silence for another moment, and she sniffled. He turned to look at her. "Listen, Link. I need to say this to someone, if only to finalize it for me, and you're the only person I can say it to." She glanced at him, frowning slightly. His hand worked up to rest on the back of her chair, his eyes watching her seriously. "You can't tell anyone. You really can't."

He nodded solemnly.

"I won't, I swear."

She let out a soft sigh, and then swallowed hard.

"I'm pregnant." The words felt so strange, slipping from her mouth. She said them quietly enough to where even Link had to strain to hear her, and she looked toward him hurriedly, watching his jaw go slack as her words hit him.

"Oh, wow." He sat back in his chair, his eyes dropping from her face before meeting her again. "Wow. Well that's…that's good, right?"

She pursed her lips together, then forced herself to nod.

"Yeah. It's good." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.

"Well." He said the word after another moment, "Congratulations, then."

She felt the corners of her lips turning into a frown. She wasn't completely sure what she had been expecting, or wanting, to hear from him, but that wasn't it. She let herself nod.

"Thanks."

She could sense him shifting behind her, and he exhaled softly after a moment.

"It's crazy." His words were quiet, "I used to think that one day, you'd say those words to me, but…you know, it would actually be my baby."

She couldn't help it, but her lips parted, and she turned to look at him.

"Link," she almost laughed his name, "we never got along as kids. Why on earth did you think we'd stay together?"

He shrugged, his cheeks suddenly blushing.

"I don't know. It just made sense, I guess; at least to me. Before Tracy, and all of that."

"I don't think it would have worked," she found herself saying softly to him. "We had too much pride for our own goods. Everything was so superficial."

He let his hand work up the back of her chair again, hesitating before he allowed his fingers to rest gently against the top part of her back. She felt the light touch, stiffening suddenly, her breath catching in her throat. He let his fingers rest on her, stroking her back lightly through the silky material.

"I was stupid," he admitted foolishly, "I should have tried harder to make our relationship work. Then I wouldn't be kicking myself for losing you."

She didn't respond to his words, because she wasn't completely sure what to say. He was so close to her, and her heart was pounding in her chest. She swallowed hard, knowing she should be at home now, with Corny, where she belonged.

He frowned, gently turning her chair, forcing her to look at him.

"I'm too late." He said the words, and she knew what he was asking her. She nodded softly.

"Yeah."

She watched as he clenched his jaw, and slid his hand into hers. He pulled her to her feet, her eyes widening.

"Link, I can't-"

"Shh." He hushed her, letting his eyes graze down her body appreciatively, smiling back at her in defeat. "You love Corny?"

She nodded speechlessly, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. Sadness flickered in his eyes, and he took a step closer to her.

"Does he make you happy?" He studied her seriously. She nodded again, too taken aback to speak. Link nodded slowly, affirmatively. "Okay. But remember this, Amber."

She let herself meet his eyes now, her body beginning to tremble. He looked to be debating with himself, and let his fingers move up to her jaw line, his thumbs tracing tenderly over her cheeks. Slowly, wordlessly, he brought his face closer to hers. His lips covered hers in an unhurried, delicate kiss. His lips moved over hers, just the way they had when they'd been teenagers. Now, though, something was different. He was no longer demanding, impulsive. His motions were slow and meaningful, and she sucked her breath in. She couldn't move. He pulled away from her slowly, studying her.

"Remember that I loved you first, Amber." His thumbs stroked her lips softly, and she swallowed, feeling a sob build inside of her throat. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly wanted to cry. Maybe for what they'd had, and lost. Maybe for everything she knew she'd be giving up by marrying Corny, by having his baby.

He hurried away from her, the heels of his shoes clicking as he went. Amber stood trembling, tears burning her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She felt her lips quivering, and clenched her teeth together. She hated Link suddenly, for doing that to her, for thinking he had any right to kiss an engaged, pregnant woman.

She closed her eyes, briefly thanking God that at least he'd done such a foolish thing at an opportune moment, and that he hadn't decided to do that on one of the days Corny had been here. She heard a slight gasp behind her and turned quickly, her eyes brimming with tears again as she saw Sophie watching her, her mouth agape.

"Amber!" She cried her name, tears brimming in her dark eyes. "You said you loved my daddy!"

Amber fumbled.

"I do!" She glanced around helplessly, hurrying over to her, "I do, Sophie."

Sophie recoiled, jumping back as Amber moved closer to her.

"Then why did you just kiss Link?" Her eyes were wide with hurt and fear as she stood gaping up at her.

"I-I didn't," she stammered, "Sophie, I-" She took a quick, shallow breath, "You can't…you can't tell your father about that." She was pleading her now, and fell to her knees quickly, gathering Sophie's hands in her own. "Sophie, listen to me, you cannot tell Corny about this."

A solitary tear rolled down the child's cheek, and she shook her head.

"You don't love my daddy anymore?" She asked the words, her face flushing.

"What?" Amber blanched, "Yes! Of course I love him!"

"Then you can't kiss other boys!" Sophie screamed suddenly, and Amber swallowed hard.

"I know! I know, Sophie, and I'm sorry, but you didn't see everything. I didn't kiss Link, he kissed me." She found herself rationalizing with the child, "I would never do that to your daddy, Soph. You know I wouldn't."

Sophie watched her speechlessly, another tear cascading down her cheek. Amber grasped her arms.

"Sophie, we have to keep this a secret, okay? A secret between us, just us girls, okay?" She was on the verge of tears now, and tried to compose herself. "Because if your daddy ever found out about this, he would be so sad. You don't want him to be sad, do you?"

Sophie shook her head, watching her fearfully.

"Neither do I," Amber whispered back, "So you have to promise me that this is just our secret." She grasped her arms tighter, and Sophie looked away. "Promise me, Sophie."

Sophie blinked, tears spilling from beneath her dark eyelashes, and nodded suddenly.

"Okay." Her voice was so small, and Sophie wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Sophie broke out of her grasp, letting her feet carry her back to the safe haven of Link's dressing room, and Amber stood, her mouth dry. She rubbed an ache in the small of her back, her own eyes burning with tears.

Her entire future now rested in the hands of a little girl who didn't even know the meaning of the word secret. She suddenly hated herself for putting so much stock in Sophie, for pressuring her into staying quiet.

It wasn't that Amber wasn't going to tell Corny about the kiss. She would…eventually. She just couldn't decide if it should come before or after the words 'I'm pregnant'.