Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, other than Lilly, Brielle, and Doan.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Het, Stripping, Exotic Dancing, Mpreg, Non-Con, Child Abuse, etc.

Jeff awoke around 7:35 AM, Phil's head on his chest and one of his tattooed arms haphazardly thrown over his lithe waist. He could barely resist a smile. Even in his tousled state, with his short black locks disheveled and the blankets knotted around his body, he was still as handsome as ever. Gently, he leaned down and kissed the other man's forehead. He moaned, shifted a bit to make himself more comfortable, and settled back down into the mattress.

It was rare that he was allowed a moment to admire Phil in his true beauty, when he was away from the flashing cameras focused on his high-class clientele and just lying in Jeff's arms, totally vulnerable and trusting and all of the other fluffy nonsense that they stuffed into chick-flicks. But Jeff knew the truth. Life wasn't always sunsets and roses. And now, as he looked down at Phil's lax body, he wondered if he could fulfill the vow that he made to himself.

After all, no matter what, Phil meant the world to him. He was the one who had talked Jeff into seeking help from a counselor, just to make sure that it didn't all get bottled up inside. He didn't do the rape kit and couldn't identify his attacker, so that was a dead-end there. Now, he had to rely on some pretty hefty medication to keep that smile on his face and face the music that there was a chance he could never make love to Phil again. And that nearly killed him.

He looked over at the clock. 7:45 AM. His shift at the club started at 8:30 AM. The counselor had told him that he needed to quit. It wasn't safe there without Mark and Hunter – and even then, she was suspicious that Vince had a hand in under-the-table money dealings with violent sexual offenders. Jeff hadn't listened to her, though. They needed the money, especially with the new baby on the way. He couldn't just quit now and leave all the work for Phil.

Rolling out of bed, he didn't miss the almost instantaneous reaction of Phil's eyes shooting open and staring at him in silent wonder. If Jeff hadn't been holding him just a few seconds ago, he would've never known that Phil had been asleep. From the look in his wide, emerald eyes, Phil knew exactly where Jeff was going. And he didn't like it. And while he had never been one to beg, there was a first time for everything.

"Jeff… don't do this." Phil breathed. "It's dangerous. You saw what happened to Adam first-hand. And then that bastard attacked you. You're taking too many chances with this." If Jeff wasn't mistaken, there were tears there.

Jeff went into the bathroom to change, just like he had ever since the attack. But he left the door open a crack so that they could still talk. "I have to do this, Phil. I can't leave you all alone to fend for the baby."

"But you don't have to go back to that club either. And don't feed me that shit that it's all you know. I could get you a job with AW. You'd be a great model." Phil said. His hormones were taking over and his voice was trembling.

Jeff looked down at his body and felt his own tears brewing. "Baby, I'm hideous."

Phil hurriedly shook his head, even if Jeff couldn't see him. "No, you're not. Why would Vince want an ugly dancer?"

"Because he doesn't have anyone else." Jeff confessed. "Adam and I are really the only two he has left."

"What do you mean? He has a staff of twenty dancers!" Phil asked, confused.

Jeff sighed. "JoMo had a baby. To Vince, that means his body is 'ruined' for at least three years. Considering the physique JoMo had going for him, maybe more. Brock decided to make an honest man out of Tyson. They skipped town two weeks ago and Vince got his resignation in the mail. That leaves eighteen.

"AJ is suspended because two men landed in the hospital after a physical confrontation over who would take him to dinner. Vince is super strict on that now that Hunter and Mark are out of commission. Bobby and James, well, they decided they'd rather see each other naked then let the world see them dance.

"Austin got into some Baby Daddy trouble with his two lovers, Chris and Alex. All three of them used to have an exclusive Saturday block from twelve to one. It was a more… intimate show, if you will. But Austin got pregnant and when Chris and Alex found out it wasn't by one of them, Vince fired all three of them to kill the problem at the root.

"Then there's Shawn, who has been dancing for years. He's Vince's fuck-toy. He got knocked-up again, which will be baby number four. Alberto and Ricardo ran off together – don't ask me about that, I still don't understand it myself. Heath got a steady job as a model. But that's understandable, because he is rather 'pretty'.

"Who does that leave? Cody took a bad fall off of the stage and broke his collar bone. A cast isn't exactly 'sexy', you know. Damien got cracked over the head with a beer bottle for upsetting someone with his 'scholarly' ways. And R-Truth and Kofi have been missing for several months now. And Rey, well, you know… That leaves me and Adam."

Silence fell in the other room and Jeff sighed. He knew that Phil didn't want to accept the truth, but he had to come to terms with it if he wanted this relationship to make it for the long haul. Jeff was an exotic dancer. It wasn't like he was a prostitute. That had only been once, and he had been forced into it. Jeff made decent money and it had helped them to afford a beautiful house where they would raise their children. Why couldn't he accept that?

Deep down inside, Jeff knew why. Phil loved him, and when you are in love, in blinds you to the truth. Phil thought that Jeff deserved better, but really, all of that was a lie. Jeff had gotten himself into this mess when he had first met Vince McMahon and nineteen-years-old, and now, all these years later; he was still working with that medically induced smile on his face. This was all he had left, and he would be damned if he would let anyone take it from him.

"I'll be back late. Don't wait for me, okay?" But when Jeff came out of the bathroom, Phil lay on his side with his back to him. He tried to look as if he were asleep, but that wasn't the case. He was crying.

After the show, Adam dressed anxiously. Jay had taken him to the store and bought him some new clothes. They were a little uncomfortable – the material was rich and expensive, a far cry from the cotton and wool that he was used to – and he wasn't sure what to say about this 'handout' that Jay had bestowed upon him. First, the new clothes. Then, a sealed envelope that wasn't to be opened until after his show. Now, he took the chance to open it.

Two tickets… no, two first-class tickets to Canada. They would let off in Vancouver, less than a mile from the hospital where Brielle was being treated. Adam felt his heart swell. He couldn't believe Jay's kindness. Maybe there was a reason to believe in the system; even after all of the twists and turns that life had thrown his direction. Tucking them into his shirt pocket, he hurriedly finished dressing and took out his phone. Without realizing it, he dialed Randy.

"What's the matter, baby? Do you realize what time it is?" Randy slurred. Adam didn't even think that he could have woken him up. His mind froze and his heart stuttered when Randy called him 'baby'. "Adam? You there, baby?"

He cleared his throat and tried to take a deep breath before the heart palpitations caused a panic attack. "Yeah, I'm here. Sorry if I woke you. I just… I have some absolutely amazing news and I need to tell you about it."

Randy was fully awake now. Adam hadn't sounded this excited about something since before Brielle had been kidnapped. "Mmhmm, tell me about it."

"Jay bought me two first-class tickets to Vancouver! That's where Chris took Brielle, apparently."

Randy didn't miss the way Adam's voice sank at the end. "That's wonderful, Adam. What seems to be the problem?"

Adam sighed. "I'm just… I'm not sure that I can do it by myself. What if she doesn't… what if she doesn't remember me? What if he told her I didn't love her or something?"

"Are you asking me to come with you?" Randy asked tiredly.

Adam blushed a deep red and was thankful that Randy couldn't see it. "Yeah… in a nutshell."

Randy moaned as he rolled over. "It's 11:30 at night, Adam. You have to know that I really love you to do this for you." The bed creaked as he climbed out of bed. "I'll be there in twenty to drive down to the airport."

Adam ended the call, barely able to contain his excitement. In a few hours, he would be able to hold his baby in his arms. His beautiful, sweet little baby. She didn't deserve any of this hell. Chris had no right to take her from him the way that he had. In fact, Chris had no parental rights to her at all. Adam had never told Chris that he was or wasn't the father, Chris had made his own assumptions from the start and blamed them all on Adam.

He stuffed his feet into his sneakers and threw all of his stuff into the bag, including the wad of cash that he had earned that night. As sad as it seemed, a depressed star seemed to make more money than a happy star. In that night alone, he had made more than the first months of trying to save up for Brielle's operation combined. He would be sure to tuck that money away so that he could pay John back with it later.

When twenty minutes had passed, the sound of a horn blazing outside could be heard. Clumsily, Adam rushed outside to meet it. This was his ticket to his happily ever after and he would be damned if he let it expire. With Randy at his side, he was sure that he would have the confidence to pull through and see this war with Chris to the end. Was he in love with Randy? Adam wasn't sure. But to know that Randy loved him meant more than words could ever say.

"Did Jay tell you why she was in the hospital?" Randy asked as he helped Adam load all of his stuff into the back of his car. If he remembered correctly, Adam didn't have half as much stuff the last time he was over at his house.

Adam nodded. "He told me a little bit." Looking down at the ground, he kidded at the gravel with the toe of his sneaker. "He said that her new heart valve had burst under too much pressure and she was bleeding internally."

Randy leaned down and kissed Adam softly. Adam's eyes fluttered and his body started to melt like butter. "If there was a life-or-death situation with Brielle, you would know it. You would feel it in here." He touched Adam's chest.

Adam's heart fluttered and his eyes slid closed. "I just want to be able to hold her and comfort her."

"That you will." Randy assured him. "Now, climb in. We have a plane to catch."