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.

Brielle had started to become antsy. The tiny blonde had started to twist around, causing the arm that Adam held to contort in awkward directions. She was looking around for a fire truck that Adam knew would never come. Instead, she was only causing more commotion, setting him more on edge, and he could feel a pounding headache start to form. The world seemed to be swirling around him, closing in on him and rapidly expanding all at the same time. He squeezed his eyes closed. He needed to sit down or he would be violently ill. He looked around, desperate, but couldn't find anywhere to sit.

Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires on the asphalt hit his overly-sensitive ears. Adam squeezed his eyes closed even tighter, releasing Brielle's hand and clamping his palms down over his temples. The world had started to spin in one violent, endless circle. He totally missed the sound of the car door opening, the large form that slid out of the driver's seat, the slamming of the car door. Before he even realized what was happening, the floor was going out from under him and the world was spinning faster... faster... faster... Arms clamped around his middle and he was pulled into a broad, tight chest.

"Adam? Adam, are you alright?" Randy's deep tenor washed over Adam's system like a cleansing flood, making all of his bones turn to water. Without hesitation, his body relaxed in Randy's arms and he became dead weight almost instantaneously.

"D-Dizzy." Adam stuttered out. "It's all the... all the smoke." His eyes fluttered, before it seemed like he had finally lost consciousness.

Brielle turned around, her baby blue eyes widening at Adam's fallen frame. "Mommy?" She asked softly.

Randy hurriedly transferred Adam's body to the bench across the way from their burning house. "Don't worry about Mommy, Brielle. I promise, your Mommy is gonna be alright. But he would want you to be strong, okay? Can you do that?"

Brielle sniffled, tears collecting in her eyes. "Yeah." She nodded weakly.

"That's good." He offered her a comforting smile. "You holding in there, Adam?" Adam made a small noise in the back of his throat, confirming his return to consciousness. "I'm gonna go back to the car and get a bottle of water for your Mommy, okay? You stay here."

Brielle sniffled again, climbing onto the bench beside Adam and burying her face in his shoulder. "Yes, Randy."

Quickly, Randy crossed the street and made his way to his car. He unlocked it electronically and slid into the passenger seat, reaching into the glove compartment and taking out one of the bottles of water that it contained. Looking around, he wondered where the fire truck that he had called was. He'd taken the liberty of calling once again, knowing the reputation of the fire companies around this part of town. But, just as a precaution, he'd called the fire company of his own part of town and filled them in on the situation - they should be there any second now.

Randy hurriedly slid back out of the car and locked the door, stuffing the keys back down into his pocket. Brielle was still cowering into Adam's shoulder, and Adam was now lucid enough to gently stroke her silky blonde curls. Randy could only hope that the fumes didn't have any lasting effects on Adam's body. Taking a seat on the open expanse of bench, he unscrewed the lid on the water bottle and tipped it to Adam's lips. Adam's eyes fluttered and he opened his mouth just enough for the liquid to flow down his throat. He drank like a man who had been stranded in the desert.

Finally, Randy pulled the bottle away. There was only a little bit left in the bottom. "You feel better now?"

Adam swallowed hard, letting out a soft sound of displeasure. "I feel like shit. I don't... I don't even... I don't want to talk about it."

"Do you even know what could have started the fire?" Randy asked, looking at the beautifully destructive burst of flames that came from - what used to be - the house. "Do you know where it started?"

Adam looked away. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to talk about it. "No."

Brielle looked up at Randy, still hiding sheepishly behind Adam's shoulder. "...I know how it started..."

Adam turned to face her sharply, feeling a wave of nausea flood over him. "What?"

"I...I know." The tears started to fall from Brielle's eyes. "Auntie Beth... she sometimes said that... when the boiler would creak... she said she didn't trust it. It wasn't built right. And I... I heard it creaking tonight... And I went downstairs to look."

"Brielle!" Adam yelled. It was a shock to his own ears, as he had never yelled at Brielle before. "You know better than to go down there! Damn it, Brielle, you could have gotten hurt!" His voice died away to a murmur as the blood throbbed in his temples again.

"I... I'm sorry, Mommy. I was scared... I just wanted to... to look." Brielle broke down into sobs, unable to control them.

Randy stretched out a hand behind Adam, touching Brielle's curly blonde head. He stroked her hair in a consoling manner, wanting to comfort her. "It's okay, sweetie. You didn't really know."

The wail of sirens in the distance alerted them to the incoming fire trucks. Randy barely had time to think about moving his car aside, before the trucks pulled in in front of Adam's house. Men started to pour out, all making their way to Adam's house at breakneck speed. However, within seconds, it became obvious that the house was beyond saving. The second floor collapsed, killing one of the firemen that was trapped inside. Randy flinched, caught between listening to Adam wheezing and watching the catastrophe of the house collapsing.

Randy broke the silence, turning back to Adam. "I'll... I'll offer this to you one last time, okay? You and Brielle are welcome to come back home and live with me, if you like. You can leave behind your life as a dancer and you can take a job at the modeling agency. Please, Adam."

Adam sighed, choking with all of the smoke that was in the air. Randy placed a nice, clean handkerchief over his face to try and keep some of the dirt out of his lungs. "I don't suppose I have much of a choice now, do I?"

Brielle crawled closer into Adam's personal space. "Mommy..."

Randy met Adam's emerald eyes with his unwavering gaze. "You've always had a choice, Adam. It's just time you've made the right one."

"I made all of the choices I did because of my daughter. You can't fault me for always putting her first, now can you?" Adam narrowed his eyes at Randy, trying to get the brunette to see reason. "And this is what is best for my daughter."

"To be homeless?" Randy choked out a broken laugh.

"To be home." Adam corrected haughtily.

"And why can't that home be with me?"

Silence. That was the answer that Randy had expected. Absolute, dreadful silence. Adam had no decent comeback to offer, so he simply turned away, closing his eyes and pretending to take a moment's rest from the onslaught of smoke. Randy, seeing no other option but to go ahead with Plan B, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a tiny, velvet box. With Adam's house in shambles, burning to ashes behind them, Randy got down on one knee and held the box out to Adam. With a flick of the finger, he opened the box and revealed a beautiful, shimmering diamond set in rich, rose gold.

Randy forced Adam to hold his gaze, before saying, "You say that you do everything for your daughter, for Brielle. That this," he motioned to the burning shambles, "is what is best for her - home. Well, I say different. I say that home can be anywhere, as long as you love the people in it. And I love you. Both of you. And I know that my home wouldn't be complete without you. So please... marry me?"