Author's Note: I've finally done it. I'm not sure what motivated me, but I've opened up a Fictionpress account and published my first story there. It's short, but I'm hoping some of you will check it out. I'm Lily Hanson there too and the link to my account is on my profile.

Anyways, on to the chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

The search for Storm was supposed to go on day and night, but the Samurai got tired. Enough people around the city had promised to keep a look-out, Ji's friends were doing what they could, and Emil was going to have to trust that Storm would be okay on her own for another night.

Everyone met up at Serena and James' house for dinner. James cooked a simple meal of chicken fingers and French fries (too tired to do much else) while Serena cuddled with her son and read him a bedtime story before putting him down. Looking for Storm was important, but Serena valued her cuddle time with Terran and had missed him all day while on the hunt for the dog.

Emily poked at her fries. She too was tired and ready to call it a night, but the thought of her dog out in the cold and the dark alone – or possibly with someone who took her on purpose – made her stomach turn. She was tired, she was frustrated, she was scared, and she was worried. She wouldn't be sleeping again tonight.

Mike looked to Emily and wished he could do something to make her feel better. He wished he could make Storm appear out of thin air and solve this problem for her. He wished he could figure out what had happened and why Storm had run off. He wished he could give her answers and make everything work out, but all he could do was try his best.

He retold his story about meeting with Frankie, while leaving out the detail that it was Frankie he had spoken too. It wasn't important. What mattered most was that he had a lead.

"Howie's friend?" Serena asked and looked across the table at James, "We met up with Howie today. Howie and his friends."

"Grant and Jackson," James nodded his head, "Mike, are you sure this guy you talked to meant Howie? I mean, Grant and Jackson could be pretty… rough, but you're accusing them of kidnapping a dog?"

"Storm didn't just slip away from her leash. You all saw it, it wasn't broken," Mike said. He wrapped an arm around Emily and gave her a little squeeze, "This might be foul play."

"Why would someone take Storm?" Emily pushed away from Mike and stormed up stairs, "I'm going to bed."

"Emily, you know I…" Mike trailed off. Emily didn't listen to him. She walked up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door shut. There was a silence around the table. This was troubling for Emily, but she had been more on edge than anyone expected from her. They knew how much she cared for Storm. After Scruffy's and Carrie's death, Emily really took to Storm as being her baby. They couldn't blame her for getting frustrated and angered easily, but they could all feel there was more than what Emily was willing to share.

Moments after hearing the bedroom door slam there were footsteps walking down the upstairs hall into what sounded like the bathroom and then the door shut.

"Is she throwing up again?" James asked and he looked to Mike curiously. Emily had been sick before and sitting by the toilet for the better half of the morning and late afternoon. Initially he had been worried it was something she ate. If she was still throwing up, he thought it was more than that.

"You know how she takes these things," Mike muttered his response as he got up from the table, excused himself and made his way upstairs. He knocked on the bathroom door gently. He was sure Emily was going to bite his head off but he wouldn't leave her alone.

The bathroom door was locked, so Mike couldn't walk in. It took about thirty seconds before Emily let him in. In that time he heard the toilet flush and the water running from the tap. When she opened the door, she pulled him in and closed it behind him. Mike saw the pregnancy tests on the counter almost immediately and couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"You took it?"

"Storm's missing and I could be sick or pregnant or… who knows what the hell is going on with me right now," Emily was pacing back and forth. It took time to get the results and she was anxious to get some answers. "I'm feeling more and more like I did with Carrie, but it could just be stress or I could be really sick or… I can't find Storm, I don't know what to do, I can't help her, I… I just… I need some answers."

Mike nodded his head. He understood completely. Storm was his dog too and he was worried sick for her. Emily's pregnancy also had him concerned because if she was carrying a baby, the baby would be his. Especially after losing Carrie, Mike wanted the very best for his next child, and he couldn't give that to his wife or his baby if he didn't know the results of the pregnancy test.

He took Emily in his arms and held her warmly, "Tomorrow, after school, I'll talk to Howie and see if I can talk to Jackson and Grant. My source wasn't too specific with which one of Howie's friends took the dog treats, but those two are his very best friends so it's a good place to start. I promise you, Storm's coming home and she'll be safe and sound."

Emily nodded her head and nestled into Mike's arms. He gave her a kiss on the top of the head.

"I'm going to keep seeing Fletcher, too. That way I can keep my job at school. We'll make enough money to move out of here soon and get our own place – baby or not. Frankie is not going to get another chance at ruining our lives, I promise."

He gave her a loving squeeze and he smiled. She couldn't see it because she had buried her face in his chest by now, but he knew she could feel it.

"And if we are pregnant, we're going to figure this parenting thing out. Serena and James can do it; how hard can it really be?"

"And what if I'm not pregnant and I'm feeling like shit because I'm…"

"You're not sick, Em."

"But what if I'm…"

"You're not sick," Mike shook his head, gave Emily one more squeeze and then turned her around to face the counter where the tests all sat. Emily had taken them all; just to be sure the results were accurate. If it was negative, she wanted to be sure it was negative. If it was positive, she didn't want it to be because of a faulty test.

When Mike spun her around, she wasn't sure what to do. A part of her was terrified for more reason than one, but another part of her was excited. This conflict kept her paralyzed as she stared at the tests. Mike wrapped his arms around her and held her carefully. He kissed her neck.

"You're pregnant. We're having a baby."

"Can we? We're… I mean… We don't… A house… A job… school. I… I… I…"

Mike could see Emily's face in the mirror and there were tears in her eyes. He knew she was scared because he too was scared. He was happy, but he knew what a positive pregnancy test meant. He knew what pregnancy meant. Ready or not, he was going to be a father.

There was something else about her face. Something only he could notice. Emily looked very upset and scared, but there was a tug at her lips. In spite of everything, he could see she was happy.

"This is going to be amazing, Emily. It's going to be rough, but fun."

Emily gave into her smile just a little bit, and looked into the mirror where she could see Mike's smile.

"But… but Storm…"

"I'll look for her tomorrow, I promise. I'll talk to Howie and I'll find a way to talk to Jackson and Grant. I'll find Storm. While I'm gone, you can go to the doctor's. Just like last time, we want to make sure this is real and everything's okay."

"I'm going alone?"

"Maybe you can take a friend," Mike shrugged his shoulders and smirked playfully. "Despite her initial disgust, Serena was pretty excited last time. I'm sure she would…"

Emily shook her head, "I want to tell her, I really, really do but… this isn't. I don't want her to find out like this again. It has to be good news and good timing and… and…"

"Take Kate. She's your aunt, you know she'll…"

Emily shook her head again, "It has to be a good announcement. Storm's still missing and I'm not sure about this and it's all… this isn't the right time. It won't be right to tell either of our families until we can really be happy about it ourselves."

"And we can't be happy until Storm's home?"

"I'm sorry. I know she's just a dog and this is our baby but…"

"I get it, Em. I really do. That's why I thought of splitting up. Storm's just as important to us right now and we can't leave her waiting. But I wouldn't feel right letting you go to that appointment alone. What about Mia?"

"Right, I'm going to ask the happily-ever-after-lover who just recently found out she can't get pregnant to come with me to confirm the pregnancy. Do you know nothing about…?"

"Alright, bad call. Sorry," Mike moved away from Emily, "Geez, hormones acting up on top of everything else?"

"Sorry."

Mike looked to the pregnancy tests with a sigh as he tried to help Emily figure this out. If he had to, he would push off his search for Storm another day, or ask someone else to talk with Howie and his friends, but he thought it would be less suspicious if he did it. Due to having to join the football team the year before as undercover work for Serena, Mike had a bit of a relationship with Howie, Jackson, and Grant. Him wanting to talk with them felt more natural and he knew them better. If Frankie was right, and one of them did know something about Storm, he would be best as knowing if they were hiding something from him.

With Emily's sister, aunt, and best friend ruled off the list of appointment partners, Mike wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He could ask one of the guys to go with Emily. James was free during the day and could accompany Emily, but Mike didn't feel comfortable asking another guy to take his wife when there was no real reason why he couldn't go himself. Emily was his wife, and the baby was his baby.

But with that crossed off the list, Mike was left with almost no one.

"Lauren," he looked back at Emily with a smile, "Alright, she's technically going to be family but, why not?"

"What does Lauren know about…?"

"It's Lauren or me," Mike said to Emily.

She shook her head, "If you come with me, whose going to look for Storm? I… I… Lauren?"

"Why not?"

Emily shrugged, "There's no reason not to tell her, I guess. Yeah, she's going to be my cousin but… I have to take someone and she's not someone I would want to be careful with breaking this kind of news. If I have to tell someone now…"

"If we," Mike said, "Want me to get her? You can go to bed and get comfortable. I'll ask her to come up here and… I'll bring you up some…"

"Mike."

"Yeah?"

"No worried father thing. I'll get enough of that once everyone finds out," Emily rolled her eyes, "Just like last time."

"I can't help it," Mike gave Emily a kiss, "Seriously, go to bed. I'll bring you up something for the nausea, at least. You are feeling a little woozy, right?"

"When am I not?" Emily muttered. "Stupid baby."

Mike chuckled. He gave Emily another kiss and was practically bouncing as he made his way downstairs. He was going to have to calm himself down before he got to the others or they would know there was something going on behind their backs.

Emily collected the pregnancy tests and put them back in the box. She took the box with her into her room and hid it in her dresser. She didn't want Serena or James accidentally finding out (she knew personally how it sucked to have to find out). When the tests were safely hidden she got into her pyjamas and crawled into bed where she would wait for Mike and Lauren to come back.

She was still very worried about Storm, and no matter what crossed her mind, Storm was always her priority. She was also very worried about the idea of being pregnant again. After losing her last child, even without it being her fault, she had a few doubts. She worried she wasn't ready, especially given Mike had just started his new job and she wasn't doing anything to bring money home. She worried she wouldn't be a good mother or she wouldn't have herself figured out by the time the baby came. She had a lot to worry about, and plenty of reasons to be scared, but she was also a little excited. She was having a baby with the man she loved – her very best friend. There was no way she couldn't be even a little excited.