Chapter Seven – Promises, Promises

"Can I ask you something?" Danny asked after a minute of silence. He and Rhuben had walked to central park and were now sitting down on a bench, watching the early morning risers jog or walk around the park.

"Sure" Rhuben sighed, staring at her hands.

"If you're pregnant, will you keep the baby?" Danny asked. Rhuben sat in silence as she thought it over. Technically if she was pregnant, and the baby was conceived it was already living. And if she killed it, even if it was a rapist's baby, she wouldn't be able to live herself. It was a living thing.

"Yeah, if I am pregnant, I'm going to keep it" Rhuben replied and then looked a little sad. "I don't expect you to have anything to do with it though .So you might as well break up with me and get it over with."

"What are you talking about, love?" Danny asked gently as he took her hand in his. Rhuben looked him in the eyes.

"Most times when a guy figures out that the girl is pregnant, he leaves her, and I thought-"

"That I'd leave you too?" Danny guessed and kissed her cheek. "You know me better then that, love. Even if the baby isn't mine, I'm going to help you." Rhuben sighed and laid her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. "You know we're going to have to tell Jake and your brother about this."

"I was just thinking the same thing" Rhuben replied and chuckled a little bit. "I can picture it now; they'll have the same shocked/angry thing going on."

"You mean that face where it looks like they're constipated?" Danny asked and laughed. "Yeah, I was imagining the same face. Just so you know, I promise that I'll always be there to help you."

"Riles, can we talk?" Dougie asked as he knocked on her bedroom doorway. She was sitting on her bed, scribbling in a notebook. She didn't even look up as he knocked on the wood.

"I'm busy!" she growled back.

"C'mon Riles, just let me explain." Dougie said in a pleading tone. Riley finally lifted her head and glared at him, her blue eyes flashing. "Please?"

"You have two minuets" she replied shortly. Dougie gave a small smile and sat down on the end of her bed. He took a deep breath before talking.

"I know you're pissed off at me because I was drinking and because I hit you," he started softly, looking down at her red and black comforter. "But, I didn't mean to drink; you know I don't like beer at all."

"At least I did know that," Riley snapped back and then looked at her watch. "You have one minute."

"Riley, I don't know how much I can apologize for doing this" Dougie said evenly, although Riley could tell that he was frustrated. "But I really am sorry."

"You know the thing that made me the mad?" Riley said after a minute of silence. "It was as the fact that I thought for once I could live without being hit again. But you totally blew that idea out of my mind and I'm not going to take the excuse that you were drunk and you didn't know what you were doing. But I can tell that you are really sorry and I forgive you."

Dougie smiled and leaned closer to kiss her but she put up a hand, stopping him.

"But if you drink ever, ever again, I'm most likely not going to be that forgiving." She said seriously and cracked a smile.

"I promise to never drink again." Dougie smiled and pressed his lips against hers and she winced and pulled away.

"The lip ring again?" he asked in amusement.

"No, next time try not to bite my lip off" Riley replied and kissed him again.

"Geez, don't you guys ever give it a rest?" Tom asked as he walked into the bed room. Riley pulled away from her boyfriend before smirking at her friend.

"Don't you ever knock?" she asked in reply. "What's up?"

"Danny called, he wants us to go over to Jake's apartment, he and Rhuben have something to tell all of us" Tom replied.

"All right" Dougie said and got off the bed and then grinned. "How much do you want to bet that what they have to tell us has something to do with them getting together, if you know what I mean/"

"And if you ever mention something like that again, you won't have anyone to have fun" Riley smirked back as Dougie looked horrified and Tom looked disgusted.

"Wait, you two are-"

"NO!" Riley and Dougie shouted in unison and burst out laughing.

"It's a good thing you're like a brother to Sydney, because you're like a brother to me too." Riley said and gave him a big hug. "And since you are like my brother, you'd probably kill Dougie before he could get anywhere near my pants."

"True" Tom replied and laughed.

"Come on guys, let's go!" Sydney shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" Dougie shouted back and the three went downstairs, got into Tom's Mini Cooper and drove over to Jake's apartment.

"Gen, Jacqui, what are you doing here?" Tom asked in surprise when Gen opened the door to Jake's apartment.

"Well, since we're Rhu's friends too, she asked us to come over here" Gen replied as she backed away so they could get by. "What, are you not happy to see me?"

"Of course I'm happy to see you" Tom replied and leaned down and quickly kissed her on the lips. A shocked expression came over her face and Tom grinned so his dimple deepened. "And I'll be even happier when we go out tonight…that is, if you want to."

"Yeah, sounds like fun." Gen replied.

"Hey love-birds stop flirting and get in here" Jacqui called, causing the two of them to blush. Tom took Gen's hand and led her over to the couch where they sat down next to Jake, who was waiting patiently, but nervously.

"So, what's the deal?" Sydney asked impatiently. "How come you two wanted us all here?"

"Well…I think I'm pregnant" Rhuben said in such a low tone that it surprised her that anyone had heard her.

"WHAT?" Jake demanded, leaping to his feet. A look of shock and fury on his face. Danny grinned and pointed at Jake.

"That's the look that I was talking about!"

"HOW ARE YOU PREGNANT?" Jake still shouted.

"Well Jake, when a guy and a girl really like each other-"

"Jacqui, you're not helping" Riley snapped and held her hand up in front of Jacqui's face, her fingers were shaking.

"Are you the father?" Noah asked, finally finding his voice.

"No," Danny sighed, his smile finally fading. "And that's the problem."

"So you're saying that she was raped?" Harry asked, his mouth falling open and his eyes widening. "Well, do you know who did it?"

"Yeah, you remember that dude that followed them here." Danny replied, snapping his fingers as if that would help him remember the name.

"Ashton?" Harry asked and then his eyes widened even more as he leapt to his feet. "That bastard was in our house and raped you? Wait until I get my hands on him, I'll smash his face in and-"

"Save that for when you actually see him" Jacqui said and pulled him back down.

"What are you guys planning on doing?" Jake asked, breaking the silence.

"We're planning on keeping the baby, if I actually am pregnant" Rhuben replied and finally looked her siblings in the eye. They looked mad, yet they looked really sad too. As if they could feel her pain.

"I think that we should go home so we can think about this" Tom said, finally breaking out of his reverie.

"I think that's a good idea" Gen agreed and stood up. "C'mon Jacqui, Gran is expecting us back at her apartment."

"So the baby's not Danny's" Jacqui said as she grabbed her coat.

"No" Gen agreed.

"No?" Jacqui asked.

"Yes"

"So it is Danny's."

"No"

"No?"

"Yes!"

"No, now stop that!"

A/N: Sorry, I just had to add a little bit of humor in this chapter. Oh and if you like this story or our other JML stories, please recomment to other readers.