It's a shame though. Java and Jay's two day plan had to turn into four months after Ram fell ill…seriously ill. Java, if she'd left, would be the scapegoat for Ram's death…if it ever came down to it. The same went for Jay. These two were the most powerful people on Ram's team and most of the Technos perceived them as power-hungry individuals because of their high rankings. Now here they were, with one foot out the door. Four months after their original plan, they were going to leave for good.

Noelle and Java walked around the streets of the virt market, both headed in the direction of the mall. "Noelle, have you chosen any names yet?" Java curiously asked as she glanced down at her daughter's growing bump.

She smiled slightly and shook her head. "Nope," she lied. Since Java didn't read Max's letter, Noelle already decided upon two names. Max for a boy and Janelle, or Janie, for a girl. It was as simple as that. "I'm curious, though. I was never really told what my full name was. Maybe someone did tell me, but perhaps I just didn't listen."

Java chuckled, slightly reluctant to tell her what her full name was. "Well you're Noelle," she said simply.

"Yes, I know that," she scoffed.

Java sighed, "Noelle Louise Laurent. You were born a Laurent, but when Jane took you, the legalities made you an Abreu."

Noelle stared at Java, "Louise? You named me Louise? Why?"

"When I went into labor I was reading Interview with a Vampire and…I don't know…I really liked the character Louis," she explained.

She smirked, "You named me after a vampire?"

Uneasily, Java shrugged, "Well, I don't know. I was also drugged up. Those were the first two names that came to mind. You should be really thankful that I didn't name you something like Lestat."

Flashback

Lying comfortably on her queen sized bed, Java thumbed through the pages of her baby name book. She'd been at it for hours and still, there was no name for the daughter she was going to have. At one point she thought that she shouldn't give the baby a name and that she'd just leave it up to the adoptive parents. But no, if there's one thing she was able to do she'd do it. And this one thing was naming her baby. Java stared down at her eight month bump and sighed deeply. "What's your name gonna be? Hailey? Ava? Tallulah…ew, sorry about that one. How about Megan? Do you like that one?"

At that moment Siva walked into Java's room with a small dish of crème brulee. "Choosing a name?" she asked and handed her the dish and a spoon.

"Yeah, wanna help me?"

Siva nodded then took a seat next to Java, "What do you have chosen so far?"

"I don't even know. I have a few names that I like but I just can't seem to find one that'll fit her personality," she explained.

"How do you know what she's going to be like if you haven't even given birth yet?"

"She's going to be a feisty one, I can already tell. At night she'll move around, kick and what not, but when I tell her to stop she just moves around even more. Or when I'm hungry, she'll let me know she's hungry too if she starts kicking again," she smiled.

Siva grinned as well but then it slowly faded, "Are you sure about this, Java? Do you really want to give her up?"

"Yes, I'm sure. She's probably going to have a better life than this. All I want for her is to be happy, safe, and better off."

She sighed uneasily as she looked back to her older sister, "Alright well you at least have to give her something to remember her parents by. Name her something…I don't know…using Janelle and Noah."

Java nodded, now thinking of some more possible names. "Jana?" she asked.

Siva shook her head, "No, sounds like you want to say Dana. What about Leah? It's the last two letters of both your names."

"Nah. That sounds like she'd be a damsel-in-distress. Besides, I have a feeling that the Jedi freaks out there would be all over her."

The younger of the two laughed quietly as she thought of something else. She smiled now and turned to Java, knowing that she'd like the next name, "Noelle."

End of Flashback

Noelle wrote down a few more names on a list and finally circled the one that said: Nema. "I like this one," she said to Java.

"How do you pronounce that?" she chuckled.

"Nee-ma."

Java tilted her head, "And this is for a girl?"

Noelle nodded in reply.

"Well what about a boy name?"

The girl smiled, "Nema."

Java sighed and shook her head, "That poor little boy."

"Okay fine. His name will be Nema Max."

"That's a little better," Java smiled but it soon faded once she saw Noelle's eyes well up with tears. "Noelle why are you crying?" she asked, allowing a small laugh to escape.

"I don't know!" Noelle replied between sobs. Java continued to giggle, until Noelle slapped her on the arm. "Stop laughing! You're not the one who gained forty pounds!" she cried.

"You're just being hormonal," she said and led Noelle towards the mall. "C'mon, let's visit Siva. I have something for you hidden at the mall."

Flashback

Protectively, he crossed his arm over her and held her close to him as his hand was up against her stomach. He gave her a kiss on the shoulder before gazing down on her. "Promise me you won't worry or stress yourself out?" he asked.

Byte smiled and turned around so that she faced him now, "Since when do I worry?"

"Since you found out you were pregnant," he smirked, "you've been worried whether or not you're doing something right…and if the baby's going to be alright."

"So? It's normal to do that stuff," she defensively said.

Max laughed and shook his head, "I looked in your room the other day and you had the entire thing baby proofed."

"I'm just being prepared," she grinned.

"You're only two months along," he chuckled some more. He then grazed his hand over her, "Don't worry so much, baby. Everything's going to be fine…he's going to be fine."

"He? Who's he?"

"Our baby."

Byte scoffed, "What makes you so sure that it's a boy?"

"Oh I know it's a boy. You've been so grumpy and it seems like you've got all the energy sucked out of you…and all day it seems like all you want to do is sleep," he explained, "Tell tale signs that it's a boy."

"Yeah, alright," she laughed, still in disbelief.

Max rubbed his hand over her stomach as he gazed down at it, "Drive your mother nuts and she'll love you even more."

End of Flashback

"Hey, Siv," Noelle greeted, quickly wiping her tears away as she entered her aunt's room in the mall.

"Hey, kid," she smiled, "you're getting so big!"

She sighed deeply and tried to smile about it, "I know…"

"Don't worry, it looks cute on you," she said reassuringly as she looked over to Java, wondering if Noelle had been upset just moments before.

Java nodded in agreement, "Yeah, kid, and once that baby's born….you're going to need to keep some of that baby weight. It will make you look less…uh…skinny."

Noelle looked at both her mother and aunt and finally nodded, "Okay, just as long as I can afford some of the weight I'll be fine."

"Exactly," Siva nodded along.

Java moved next to her daughter then sat her down, "So, I had something I wanted to give you." She brought out a baby blue box tied with purple ribbon. "Now I know purple isn't the most masculine color, but I think it can go either way," she said as she watched Noelle open the present.

Noelle grinned as she brought out a purple blanket and onesie. "I love it," she smiled, hugging her mother tightly.

"I knew you would," Java replied.

Siva grinned while she held Alexis. "See, you're Auntie Janie isn't so bad," she teased.

Java scoffed, "Very funny, Siv. Anyway, I thought I'd come right out and say this. Noelle, do you even know if you're having a boy or girl? I'd really like to know…Mega and I are in a bet. Siv, you can join in too."

Noelle's jaw dropped as she shook her head, "You guys are horrible!"

"It's only a bit of fun," Siva finally replied, "I bet she'll have a girl."

Noelle, with her mouth still agape, slapped Java on the arm, "You're making money off me?"

"Technically not, kid. Whoever guesses the right gender gets unlimited drinks and chips at the casino for a week," Java laughed. "Okay, Jay, Damien and Siva think she'll have a girl and Mega and I think she'll have a boy."

"Wait, Jay's in on it too?" the girl asked.

"Yep. Siv, you should ask Lex if he wants in-"

"No you shouldn't!" Noelle defensively said.

"What's going on in here?" Lex asked as he walked through the entrance to the room.

"We're placing bets on the sex of Noelle's baby," Java replied.

He sighed for a moment and crossed his arms. He stared at Noelle up and down, placed his hands on her belly and finally nodded, "Boy."

Noelle looked back to Java and Siva uneasily, "Is that even allowed?"

"Yep," one of them replied.

Siva paused for a moment, "Wait, Noelle, I think you can join in too since you don't know either."

At that moment Noelle finally eased up and smiled slightly, "Okay, sounds good. I'm gonna have to say that the baby will be a boy."

Later that night as Noelle went back to her shack in the middle of nowhere, Damien joined her. While the two did some catching up, Java and Jay were just about ready to leave their so-called home. "Are you ready to go?" Jay asked. He slipped off his communicator and then his phaser, only leaving Java with her own. Damien, just hours before, had tweaked Java's headset and phaser to not only disable the location device but also tweaked it so she would only be able to communicate with the headset she'd given to Noelle.

Jay looked around the corner of the hall, shut the door and squeezed through the open window. He motioned for Java to do the same, which she did without his help.

"You said our stuff was packed in the crates? Where are they?" she whispered as she jogged behind Jay swiftly out of the Techno grounds.

"They were delivered to the virt hospital as medical supplies," he replied. Suddenly he grabbed her by the hand and pushed her into a corner where the guards couldn't see her.

After the coast was clear, he led her to the safety of the city. Once they were there, the two dropped by the virt hospital and grabbed their belongings. Both of them, stripped of their Techno uniforms, had changed to new and more comfortable "virt apparel".

Jay kept it simple with his outfit, wearing a black jacket with bright green accents. Inside he wore a light grey t-shirt with line graphics. For his pants, he stuck to dark indigo wash jeans. However he did keep the Techno boots, which he didn't even bother to tuck the pants into.

Java on the other hand wore something a bit more daring. She was now dressed in a slim fitting black dress with light purple straps and accents on the neckline. On top of the dress, she wore a silver trench coat which she kept open. Of course that wasn't all that she was wearing. She also had on opaque black leggings and some purple suede boots that reached just below her knee.

Back at Noelle's shack, she and Damien The two did some catching up for a couple hours until Damien realized that he needed to tell her what he was really feeling. "Noelle, please…just listen to me," Damien muttered as he grabbed her hand gently. He sighed deeply then leaned against the wooden walls of the shack. "I can't leave without telling you something."

She smiled slightly, "Why? It's not like you're not going to visit some other time."

"I know…I can't wait until then," he replied. He rubbed his forehead, trying to think of the right words to say to her. he gave her hand a squeeze and eyed the ring on her finger for a moment. "Noelle don't be mad at me, okay? Promise me you won't get mad."

She shrugged, "Okay, fine I won't get mad."

He stared down at her with his heart racing, "Noelle, I love you."

She also stared back at him, though for her it was in disbelief. She shook her head, "You can't…love me. I'm not the person who you think I am. Damien, I'm not just some single girl out there-"

"I know you're not some single girl out there. I know you're pregnant and I know you had somebody you loved so much. But I don't care about that, Noelle. I don't care if you're a virt or a Techno, rich or poor…all I care about is you. You don't have to feel the same way about me, Noelle, but one way or another I'm going to keep loving you and try to make you happy again. I don't care if I have to run barefoot across hot coals, or survive a vicious dog attack, all I know is that I'd do anything…just for you," he explained. He gazed at her once more and wrapped his arms around her waist. Suddenly he gently placed his hand over her growing bump and looked at her reassuringly. "Now I know that this little guy or girl isn't mine. But trust me; I'll treat him as if he was my own."

Noelle sighed deeply, "I've heard that many times before…in my own childhood. How do I know that you won't just leave?"

"Just trust me on this one…you have my word," he replied.

She looked up at him now, more scared than ever to reply to him. But somehow someway she summoned up the courage to do so. "I'm giving you one chance, Damien," she finally said.

He grinned from ear to ear and nodded, "That's all I need."

He then pulled her closer to him, near the window now. "I just wanted to try one thing," he muttered quietly. Damien still held her tightly and finally kissed her gently on the lips. Soon enough, it had gotten late and Noelle was quick to fall asleep. He stayed behind, just holding the sleeping girl as she slept. But after an hour or two passed, he too fell asleep.

Java suddenly knocked quietly on the shack door, "Noelle, answer the door."

After she didn't hear a response, she simply opened the door herself. What she saw next simply put a smile on her face. She saw her daughter sound asleep against Damien's chest. She walked in quietly and knelt down next to the cot, "Noelle, wake up."

She stirred for a few moments before she finally opened her eyes, "What…what are you doing here?"

Java grinned once more, "I'm not a Techno anymore."

Jay finally walked in with all of their belongings. They consisted of one suitcase for himself and about four for Java.

Noelle sat up and smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah, crazy huh?" Java smirked as she saw Damien wake up.

Noelle stood up now and chuckled slightly, "And where are you two going to stay?"

"Here…only for a couple nights until we find another place…a bigger place," Java replied.

The girl nodded, "Set your stuff down anywhere, sleep anywhere, just let me sleep."

Jay set down their belongings then moved next to Noelle. He looked over to Damien suspiciously and motioned for him to move away from the young girl. Once he moved, he led him outside. "Damien, what are you doing?" he asked sternly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, Lieutenant. She already has someone-"

"But he isn't here, is he?"

Jay shook his head, "That isn't a reason for you to come in here and act as a replacement."

"I'm not acting as a replacement, Jay. I'm being completely honest here. I really have feelings for her," Damien explained.

Jay suddenly grabbed him by his Techno shirt and stared down at him, "If you ever hurt her, Damien, I swear…you're answering to me."

Flashback

"You. What the hell do you think you're doing with my girl?" Max asked fiercely, hastily coming toward him.

"Your girl?" Damien scoffed, "I haven't done anything with her."

"I saw you, Damien. I saw you and her on the monitors…and you two were standing right in front of my room."

"Oh, that. Well that really wasn't anything, just ask her," he smirked.

"You know she's mine, Damien. So what are you doing trying to flirt with her?"

"What are you, paranoid? I'm not trying to do anything," he smirked.

Max clenched his fists, trying his best to contain his anger. "If you ever touch her, you're dead," he growled.

"Yeah? You're the one who's gone, remember?" he smiled.

Suddenly, Max grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "Shut up, Damien!" he yelled, "She's having my child, so don't even try."

"Oh, so you're the one who knocked her up?" he smirked, pushing Max off him.

That's when Max's fist met Damien's face. He wrestled Damien to the ground and punched him some more but struggled to keep him on the ground.

The two fought intensely for several moments until Jay and Mega ran over and separated the two. Jay struggled to keep Max from charging at Damien but somehow managed. "You touch her and I'll kill you!" Max yelled furiously.

"Max, let's go," Jay said calmly, pulling the guy away.

Damien wiped the small drop of blood from his lip and smirked, "We'll just see about that."

"None of this is going back to Byte, you hear me?"Mega said loudly. "I don't want my sister stressed out about some piece of shit fight and both of you know damn well that she could lose the baby."

As Jay led Max back towards the work room, the guy stopped him, "You alright there, Max?"

He shook his head and sighed deeply. He turned around now and looked at Jay, "I need to ask you one favor."

"What would that be?"

"Would you please watch over Noelle when I'm gone? I can't and won't trust Damien around her," he said.

Jay nodded, "You've got it."

End of Flashback

The next morning, Java awoke earlier than the rest of them. She nudged Jay, who was sleeping on the ground, and rested her head on his chest. "Wake up, honey," she whispered.

Jay stirred slightly, wrapping his arms around her even tighter. "I'm awake," he said quietly with his eyes still shut.

She smiled slightly. "C'mon, let's go get some food," she said, beginning to stand up.

Noelle woke up as well and looked over to her mother, "Where are you off to?"

"The market and maybe do some exploring. Jay and I will be back in a couple hours, okay?" she said as Jay got up.

Noelle nodded then finally went back to sleep. Java moved over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "See ya later, kiddo," she muttered as she began to leave.

Flashback/Dream

Max sighed as he rested his head right next to Noelle's stomach. He gazed at it for a moment before he began to speak. "If you can choose…could you please get her eyes? If not, that's okay. Also, be good to your mom, be kind to those around you, play lots of sports," he paused for a moment, "take up soccer, like I did. When you find a girlfriend, be very…very good to her too. Treat her right, son. Treat her as if you'd give anything to be with her. Actually…give anything to be with her. Every second counts, always remember that. Time shapes us, our decisions, our memories are all made in time. Then when we look back, we remember who we have become…through remembrances."

Max rubbed his hand over Noelle's stomach and smiled slightly, "Goodnight." He then inched back up to her before giving her a kiss on the cheek. What he didn't realize is that Noelle had been listening the entire time.

End of Flashback

Noelle's eyes suddenly shot open. She sighed deeply before she turned to Damien and shook him slightly, "Damien…Damien wake up."

He opened his eyes slowly, "What, what is it?"

She shook her head, before she painfully spoke, "I think the baby's coming."