Maxie stared at her cell, sitting at Spinelli's usual table at Kelly's, wondering if she should call him. She had to do something today and didn't want to do it alone, but she had heard about what had happened the night before with Lulu and figured he probably would be at the hospital, anyway. Besides, as she was just finishing up her volunteer work for the night, she had been passing Jason's room and had overheard what Spinelli had told him.

"I have no romantic feelings for Maxie, and even if I did, she wouldn't be with me if I were the last living creature in the universe."

He had also said he wasn't exactly sure if they were even friends. She had suddenly realized she had begun to consider him a friend. They had both loved Georgie, even if Spinelli hadn't loved her in the way she'd wanted. But that day in the sewer she had really seen him as a person for the first time. She had seen the vulnerable person behind his Jackal persona and had an idea now of why he needed to be The Jackal. There were several reasons, she thought, but one was to protect himself from the kind of scrutiny she had given him that day. She had demanded that he separate himself from his fantasy life and he had, for a few minutes. But when he'd needed confidence, or when he'd needed to try to fight the chloroform, he had reverted back to The Jackal. But he was much deeper than his Cyberspace persona; The Jackal was both a mask and a shield, as well as another manifestation of Spinelli's bubble, his personal space. The Jackal kept people at bay, to an extent that was determined by Spinelli's view of its necessity, while protecting him from his own inadequacies, both real and of his imagination.

She looked at her watch and jumped up. Her appointment was in fifteen minutes; she had to hurry. There would be time to talk to Spinelli later, about a few things. She hoped there was something she wouldn't have to tell him because she didn't know whether or not she wanted it to be true. After this appointment, she would know for sure. If it was true, she hoped he considered her his friend enough to give her the moral support she desperately was going to need.

Later, she ran out of the office in a panic. What was she going to do? Even worse, how could she do it alone? Mack couldn't know; no one could know. But she needed to confide in someone. She didn't want to tell Sam and she couldn't tell Mack or Robin. Who could she tell?

An image of Spinelli suddenly popped into her head. He would keep her secret. Hadn't she been thinking that morning that he would give her moral support? She needed to find him.

On his way from Jason's room back to Lulu's, Spinelli saw Maxie, pale as a ghost, running toward him.

"Spinelli, thank God! Can we go somewhere and talk, please? I need-" she broke off. This would determine whether or not he wanted her friendship. She knew for sure that she wanted his, but would he be able to forgive and forget all the horrible things she'd said and done to him in the past? "I need a friend."

"Let's go back to Casa De Stone Cold," he said without hesitation. "I need to talk to you, too, and you've just answered one of my questions."

At the penthouse, he poured himself a glass of orange soda and put on a pot of coffee for her. She was a little calmer now, but he didn't like how pale she looked. She was at the hospital. Was it her heart?

"First," he said, sitting next to her on the couch, "tell me why you look so scared."

She looked into his eyes, trying not to cry, and took another deep breath.

"I'm pregnant."

He looked surprised, but she could tell he was not judging her."

Cooper's the father," he said with finality.

Her first instinct, born of her panic and fear, was to snap at him that of course Cooper was the father, but she fought it and nodded. It had been a statement, not a question.

"You just found out today?"

She nodded again.

"Spinelli, I'm scared! I can't raise this baby alone; I can't tell Mack. What am I gonna do!"

"The first thing you need to do is calm down. This is not good for you or the baby. Maybe coffee wasn't such a good idea. Actually, caffeine is not good for pregnant women; I wish you'd told me before I gave you the coffee. Take a few deep breaths and think of something that makes you feel safe."

"That's the problem, Spinelli; I don't feel safe anymore! I haven't since Coop died!"

He put a protective arm around her, giving her enough room to pull away if she wanted. She moved closer and put her head on his shoulder, starting to cry. She wasn't hysterical, just scared and missing her sister and boyfriend. If Georgie was alive, she'd have been the one Maxie was giving this news. He let her cry quietly for a while, not speaking, not moving.

"Have you told anyone else?" he asked gently.

She lifted her head.

"No, only you and Dr. Lee know."

"You're gonna need your family. I'll help you as your friend, but you're really gonna need the support of your family to help you decide what to do and to help you carry out which ever decision you make."

"I know; I just don't know how to tell Mack."

"Would you like me to be with you when you tell him?"

She smiled.

"Thank you, but that would probably be a very bad idea. He might get the idea that you're the father and try to kill you."

"Good point, but I'll risk it if you need the support."

She hugged him briefly.

"You would risk that to help a friend, wouldn't you?"

He nodded.

"Why don't you tell Everyday Hero Samantha or Dr. Robin first; then they can be with you when you tell The Constant Commissioner."

She began to relax.

"Good idea."

"You would have thought of it yourself had your thinking not been clouded by panic."

"You're probably right," she said, grinning at him.

"You loved Cooper," he said quietly.

"Yeah, I did."

"Do you want his baby?"

"Coop and I never discussed what we'd do if I got pregnant. I know that was really stupid, especially since we didn't always use protection."

Spinelli didn't say it, but now he understood why Jason had given him the looks he had when he'd told him about his fear of being addicted to sex because he couldn't stop fantasizing about Jolene. For the first time, he completely understood the term over share.

"But do you want his baby?"

"I don't know if I can be a good mother. Look at Felicia; being a spy was more important to her than being a mother. My real dad couldn't even show up for Georgie's funeral. What kind of parent would I be?"

"Have you ever pictured yourself as a mother?"

She shook her head.

"I never really thought about it, but when I did I always said I'd be a better mother than Felicia was, but now that I'm pregnant-" She spread her hands. "But it's Coop's baby; it's part of him."

"It's part of you, too."

"That's part of what scares me."

"This baby will be the best of you and Cooper."

"But I can barely take care of myself."

"I think the first thing you need to do is tell your family."

"Mack's gonna hit the roof; I know it."

"He loves you. It'll be OK."

"I'll tell Robin first. She's a doctor, and she's pregnant herself."

"She is?"

"Oops! No one is supposed to know yet."

"The Jackal will keep the secret."

He smiled, feeling a mixture of happiness for Dr. Robin and regret that he hadn't been able to comply when she'd asked him to be the sperm donor. He was glad she'd finally found someone to father her progeny.