Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, other than Brielle.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Het, Mpreg, Stripping, Exotic Dancing, Violence, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, etc.

Jeff's eyes widened as he stared at his friend, who awkwardly twisted his hands in his lap. "What do you mean 'you think that you're pregnant'?" Jeff asked. He knew that question sounded stupid, but he was in absolute awe.

Adam shot him a hard stare. "I don't think that I can make it any simpler, Jeff." But then, he bit his tongue. It wouldn't do well to piss off the only person that was on his side. "I know what this means."

"No, actually, I don't think that you do. You weren't conscious when you went into labor with Brie, Adam. You don't remember it. I do." Jeff crossed his arms over his chest. "The doctor said that you almost died."

"I know that I almost died. I know that. It's kinda hard to forget something like that." Adam hissed. "The doctor told me after I had Brielle that it was extremely unlikely that I would get pregnant again – like, less than one percent."

Jeff stared at the taller man's face, watching his eyes flicker nervously about. "Maybe you just have the stomach virus that goes around this time of year. I doubt it's anything to worry about."

"I don't know." Adam mumbled softly, twisting around to make himself more comfortable. "I think my impending death is something that should be a bit disconcerting."

Jeff knelt down beside the couch, brushing Adam's sweaty locks away from his face. "You're not gonna die."

Adam looked at him, allowing his fear to break through the cracks in his hard exterior. "How can you be so sure?"

"I know, because Brielle needs her Mommy, and the Adam I know is a fighter. He wouldn't let it end like this. You just have another obstacle to overcome, that's all. Don't let it get you down."

Adam blinked, wanting to believe him, but finding it incredibly difficult. "Do you promise?"

Jeff nodded. "Yeah. I promise." Jeff kissed Adam's forehead. "Now, do you think you can take a shower?"

Adam laughed blandly. "I can take a shower." He rolled his eyes. "But I don't want to."

Jeff scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You don't really have much of a choice, baby boy. C'mon, now."

Jeff took Adam by the hand, making sure that he was steady on his feet before leading the way into the bathroom. Adam was his responsibility, after all, and he couldn't risk having the blond collapse on him. Especially if he was carrying a new life within him. Jeff had seen first-hand the disastrous effect of Adam's first pregnancy on his body, and while he was scared for his best friend, he would take care of him – nobody else would.

He picked the handicapped shower at the end of the row and sat Adam down on the little plastic bench. Slowly, he started to peel off the tight leather shirt on Adam's body. Once it was off, he slid it off and tossed it over into the corner. He then moved down further, unbuttoning Adam's slacks and pulling them down his hips, thong included, motioning for the blond to raise his hips so that he could slide them the rest of the way off. They joined the pile.

Reaching back, he turned on the water. Somewhere along the line, he had lost his clothes as well, but Adam was too out of it to realize when it had happened. He took the extendable shower head and brought it closer to Adam's skin, letting the warm water wash over his naked body. Adam moaned, leaning back and allowing the sweetly comforting sensation to wash over him. It had been a long time since he had trusted someone to be this close to him.

Once Adam's skin was wet, he took a bar of soap and started to rub it over the blond's skin. Adam's head lolled backward, allowing Jeff full access to his body. With his eyes closed, the hot water pulsating over his body, he felt the tumultuous sensations in his stomach quell. After he was clean, Jeff ran the water over him one more time. It only took a few seconds for Jeff to wash his own body after that, not that Adam was counting.

Jeff slid out of the shower and picked out a fluffy white towel, coming back and cocooning Adam's body in it. He scooped him up bridal-style, much like he used to carry Phil, and took him back into the dressing room. When they arrived, he steadied the blond against the wall and patted him down with the towel, tossing it at his head and instructing him to dry his hair. Slowly, Adam did as he was told. He wasn't really in the mood to move around.

"What do you want to wear?" Jeff asked. He was still stark naked and soaking wet, but that didn't seem to bother him too terribly. "You don't have too many choices, but…"

Adam's heart constricted in his chest, but he tried not to let his hurt show. "Yeah, I know I don't have a boatload of money. No need to remind me." He said solemnly.

Jeff frowned. "You know that that's not what I meant by that, Adam."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

Jeff leveled him with a steady gaze. "I don't think that we want to start another fight, Adam. The last time that happened, I got raped and your daughter got kidnapped. Let's just back down now before someone gets hurt."

Adam's eyes widened. This was one part of the story he had never heard before. "You were… raped?"

"Yeah." Jeff said off-handedly. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about this anymore. "But that's over now."

"You and I both know that it's never over, Jeff. Don't lie to me." Adam countered roughly.

Jeff shot him a look out of the corner of his eye, before he backed down. "What do you want to wear?"

Adam's shoulders sagged. He wanted someone to talk to, someone who would understand exactly how he felt right now. He didn't want someone to treat him like a baby. "Jeans and a t-shirt, I guess."

Jeff tossed them his way, before he took a towel and started to dry himself off. He dressed quickly, almost as if he just realized that he was standing naked in front of his best friend. Adam was a bit slower, not wanting to give his stomach any more reasons to protest. Jeff, making his way across the room, eventually came upon his bag and tossed Adam the anti-nausea medication. He couldn't take one yet, but he might need one in the future.

Adam stuffed it into his back pocket, resolving to put it in the medicine cabinet when he got home. He didn't want to find out what would happen if Brielle got her hands on it. He smoothed out the creases in his shirt, blindly reaching out a hand for the bottle of water that Jeff was handing him. He took a long drink, feeling the cool liquid flood his system. It was such a relief. He felt so nauseous… he didn't remember morning sickness being this bad.

Jeff stared at his friend, offering him a small, hesitant smile. "You know, what happened to you wasn't your fault. There was nothing that you could have done to stop Chris."

Adam swallowed hard. "I know. I know. But that doesn't mean that I wish it couldn't have been different."

"Of course." Jeff said. "We all wish that something in our lives could have occurred differently." And then, "But, since we don't have a time machine, we need to learn to live with our past in order to accept our future."

"I know. I know, but that doesn't make it any better. I want to… I want to accept it and move on and all that… but this club… it's a constant reminder of what he did."

Jeff shrugged. "Then leave the club."

Adam stared at him as if he had grown a third head. "You know that it isn't that easy."

Jeff only continued to stare into Adam's eyes. "It will be, when you're ready."

Adam stared at his house, his little girl clutching onto his leg. "Well, shit."

The cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth. It wasn't lit, but it was there because it was a nervous habit. He stared at his house, which was ablaze with burning, colorful flames. He didn't even know how the house had started on fire. It wasn't exactly spontaneous combustion, but he was always careful to put out his cigarettes and turn off the stove after he used it… so what the hell could it have been?

Well, it was really a matter of time. That house was on its last leg when he had bought it. The real estate agent had been surprised when he had said that he was interested, and she had been even more surprised to find that it actually passed inspection. Just barely, mind you. There were a few violations that needed to be fixed. It had cost him ten thousand out of pocket, and the agent had cut him a break – his hellhole had only cost fifty-thousand dollars.

"Mommy, the house is on fire." Brielle pointed out, staring at the blaze in childish confusion. He didn't think that she really understood what the 'fire' was, but she was certainly mesmerized by it.

"Yes, I believe that we established that." Adam said, gnawing on the filter of the cigarette. "Damn it. What the hell started the fire? Don't even answer that. You probably don't even know."

"Are you mad, Mommy?" Brielle asked worriedly. She stared up at him, tears crystalized on her lashes.

Adam sighed. "No, I'm not mad, baby. I'm just wondering when the damn fire company is gonna show up."

"There must be a lot of fires today."

Adam rolled his eyes. Again, childish logic. It was sweet that she thought that way, but she didn't really understand the way this district worked. There weren't a lot of fires. They just didn't care. "Maybe."

They lived in a shoddy, dangerous district of their hometown. The crime rate wasn't even counted any longer, because the police couldn't keep up with it – hell, half the time they didn't even try. If one of the houses in their district burned down, nobody would care. Most of the people who lived down there were criminals, anyhow. Why not kill two birds with one stone? At least, that was how the police saw it.

With a grunt, Adam picked up Brielle, feeling the nausea start to return. 'Morning sickness' was a really crappy term for it, because it certainly wasn't just limited to the morning. His heart sank when he realized that his anti-nausea medication was in the house, burning just like everything else. He would just leave it there, walk away and let the house burn, if he wasn't concerned about the other houses that were attached.

Adam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He reached for it, shifting Brielle in his other arm. "Hello?"

"Hey, Adam." It was Randy. Of course, it was Randy. "Listen, I was just wondering if you had given anymore consideration to my offer. I promise, this job can offer you a better life then that club."

"I can't talk right now." Adam bit out, frustrated. Where was the damn fire truck?

"What do you mean?" Randy sounded a bit hurt, and it was probably because of Adam's harsh tone.

Adam wasn't in the mood. He had somehow managed to be horny and nauseous at the same time, in the midst of being pissed the fuck off about the damn fire truck taking its time getting there, and he just wanted to sleep in his bed, which was burning. "Because my house is burning down." And then, he hung up.