A/N: None-graphic mentions of abortion in this chapter.

Dream-Naru has his hands pressed to Mai's stomach and wore a gentle but terribly sad smile on his face.

"I'll take care of him," the boy whispered, and Mai blinked slowly in confusion.

"Take care of who...?"

Dream-Naru stood, pressed a kiss to her forehead and sent her off to wakefulness with a soft touch.

"No one would blame you, you know. Not even John; I already spoke to him about it." Ayako was sitting by Mai's bedside when the younger girl woke. The redhead was painting her nails.

Mai let out a soft groan. "Blame me for what...?"

What the hell had Naru been talking about just now? She didn't know, but her chest ached nonetheless.

"Blame you for getting an abortion," Ayako explained, blowing on her nails. "When I got mine, all my friends scorned me. I guess they didn't care about me after all."

Mai's eyes were wide as she sat up. "You had an abortion? I didn't know that."

"Well, it's not exactly something you bring up in idle small talk!" Ayako's smile was sad. "I was younger than you when I got pregnant, actually - barely eighteen. The boy...he was so handsome, and so damn charismatic. And too frightened to marry me when there were two lines instead of one."

"My mom and I talked about it, and..." the woman sighed, leaning back a little. "Both my parents came with me to the abortion clinic...shielded me from the protesters who spit in my face. It took years and years for me to forgive myself, but I don't regret it. Not for a moment."

Mai's shoulders sagged. "I've thought about it, Ayako-chan, but..."

The older woman leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her friend's neck. "I understand," she whispered warmly. "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

They stayed like that for a while, until the door slammed open and Lin walked through, a hard look on his face.

"Taniyama-san, you're leaving," he said stiffly, his lip curling when both woman asked why. "Another woman has killed herself."

"I'm not going anywhere," Mai ground out, her hands pressing hard to her stomach as the sirens of the ambulance faded. The gravel was painful on her bare feet.

Behind her, the other tenents of the shelter were being loaded into a rental car by Monk and John, who would speak to the priest of a nearby church about their care.

Simon was kissing his wife goodbye, for once not filming.

And Hana watched it all from a window, her face hard.

Naru had his arms crossed.

"You will do as I say," he said, his voice too calm to be real. "A woman drowned herself in the pond - a pregnant woman. In case you have managed to forget, you are also pregnant."

Mai's heart dropped to her toes. "I have to stay - I've had dreams, Naru-kun! I can't leave now!"

"It's not my fault that you couldn't keep your legs shut!" Naru snapped, and then flinched. "Mai, I apologize, that was-"

Hurt had sliced through Mai's throat, and she found herself unable to speak. Like a confused and frightened animal, the girl turned and ran as fast as she could, away from the cries of her friends behind her.

She found herself sitting on a bench in front of an old general store, feeling stupid, because Naru had been right.

Most everyone ignored her, except for a kind woman who had a three year old racing around her ankles. "Are you lost, dear?"

She sounded concerned.

Mai shook her head slowly. "I'm fine, thank you. I'm staying at the woman's shelter over there." She pointed halfheartedly in its direction.

The kindly woman blanched. "That place? Oh my..."

Mai looked up. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, many years ago a man lived there with his wife. It was their house, you see. Everyone thought them saints because they let woman seeking asylum stay there. But..."

"But?"

"A woman came to town one day, barefoot like you, completely broken in mind, according to my mother, and raving about her child being stolen from her." The kindly woman picked up her fussy toddler. "When the police went to investigate, they found out that the man had been impregnating the woman under his care, and then taking the babies when they were born. Can you imagine? It's like a something from a horror movie!"

Mai closed her eyes, and saw her dream again, heard the pleas for help, smelled the scents...but wait, what had happened to his -

Suddenly, hurried footsteps, and then - "Mai!"

Her eyes shot opened when two hands fell on her shoulders. It was Lin.

"We thought you had been possessed!" he said sharply, his fingers tightening around her collar bones. The kindly woman had taken a few wary steps away, but seemed relived.

Mai opened her mouth to apologize, but only succeeded in tasting fabric when he grabbed her in the most desperate hug she had ever received.

And then he kissed her, and she tasted his lips instead.