Quick update because I feel like I owe it to you guys c:

Annabeth stood in the middle of the aisle at the nearest convenience store. Her eyes scanned over the condoms and ovulating tests, trying to decide which pregnancy test she should buy.

"So," Percy said next to her, trying to look thoughtful, but she knew he had no idea what he was doing. Nevertheless, she appreciated that he was at least trying to act like he knew what to look for. "Which one should we get?" he asked. He reached out and pulled a box from the shelf and flipped it over to look at the back. "This one?"

"That's an ovulating test," Annabeth replied, pulling it from his hands and placing it back in its original place on the shelf.

"An oval test?"

"No, an ovulating test. It's basically to tell you when you should try and conceive. But we don't need that," she answered. Giving up, she lifted the small arm basket and scooped six different tests into it. She had never gone shopping for a pregnancy test before. On the other hand, she had been pregnant. It was about two years ago, and when her husband found out, her bought her pregnancy test for her, and if confirmed her suspicions. She wasn't happy. Not because of the baby, but because the baby would have to live with her husband. Just as Annabeth had passed her eighth week of her pregnancy, he got mad at her that night, and drunkenly followed her up the stairs. When he hit her in her stomach, she threw up all over the carpet and he made her clean it up as he staggered down the stairs to drink more.

That night, Annabeth had terrible, terrible stomach pains; cramps that made her curl up into a ball. When she pulled herself up to use the restroom, she could see small blood spots on the bed and she knew she had miscarried. Annabeth wasn't sure what to think after that. She was heartbroken she didn't have a baby; for some reason, she had convinced herself that maybe having a baby that loved her unconditionally would make things better. But then again, she was relieved because she couldn't stand thinking about her husband hitting her child.

He blamed her for it. He blamed her for six months straight and she still had the scars to show for it.

"Annabeth?"

Percy's voice broke though Annabeth's thoughts and she blinked hard, the bad memories receding, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She nodded and moved towards the checkout counter, trying to convince herself it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Annabeth lined up the pregnancy tests on Percy's bathroom counter. She checked in the mirror to make sure she didn't look as terrified as she seemed. She needed to have control over this situation now, or she would never be able to handle it. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and opened the bathroom door.

Percy was sitting on the couch holding something pink in his hands. He was staring at the television, but his green eyes were strangely blank.

Annabeth plopped down on the couch next to him, but his eyes remained in the same position. His fingers were rubbing over the soft pink fabric in his hands, tracing over the light blue letters that spelled out Lilly in cursive. He was holding Lilly's baby blanket.

Percy's daughter was currently staying the night at Sally's just for safety. They didn't need Lilly asking questions, not now.

"Percy," Annabeth said softly, reaching out to stop his fingers compulsively tracing over Lilly's name.

"I'm scared," he said suddenly. "Taking care of Lilly on my own was so hard, Annabeth. My mom had to help me fifty percent of the time, and I even stayed at her apartment for the first month. Babies are hard to take care of."

"But you won't be alone," she supplied, feeling her heart beat a little faster at the thought of her having to take care of a baby. She wasn't ready to do that; she could barely even take care of herself-how on Earth could she take care of a fragile thing that depended on her for literally everything? She felt nauseous just thinking about it.

"I know," Percy mumbled. "And I know you're nothing like Mia, either, but I'm just…I wouldn't want you to leave me."

Annabeth frowned and dropped her eyes to her hands. That's exactly what she was afraid of-leaving behind him and Lilly and this whole false life she had made. Percy knew nothing of her husband, or of the abuse, or the possibility he could be searching for her right now. If he found out she'd gotten moony-eyed over a restaurant owner, he would kill Percy. He was capable of murder and she knew it. She was terrified that if he showed up on her doorstep, she would have to flee. She would have to leave Percy, and if she had a baby, she certainly couldn't take it with her. She wanted to tell him she wouldn't leave, reassure him she would never do that, but she couldn't lie to him. If her husband showed up, she would leave, more for Percy's safety than her own.

"But," Percy began, starting up again, "I miss Lilly being a little baby. She would sleep on my chest and smile at me whenever she woke up…." He trailed off, running his fingers back over the fabric. He smiled absentmindedly.

Annabeth knew Percy was a good dad. She'd seen him work with Lilly thousands of times, and fatherhood seemed to come naturally to him. If Annabeth had to pick someone to have a baby with, it would definitely be Percy.

Okay, that's not weird at all, she thought to herself. She checked the time on Percy's watch and took another deep breath to calm her nerves. It was time to check the tests.

"Maybe this isn't as negative as it seems," Percy said as Annabeth stood up. He continued to talk as she walked into the bathroom. "I mean, babies are hard, but Lilly was my first and I'm a single dad, so it's pretty understandable, right? But now I have you and way more experience than I did when I was eighteen."

"Percy," Annabeth said, but Percy plowed on as if he was scared she would stop him.

"And babies are cute and cuddly, and they love you and they-"

"Percy."

"And they're sweet too, even though they have snot and stuff, but you'll learn to look past tha-"

"Percy!"

"What?"

"I'm not pregnant."

Percy wasn't going to lie; he was actually a little crestfallen when Annabeth told him she wasn't pregnant. He had convinced himself to be excited about a baby, but now he just felt like a balloon that the air had slowly deflated from.

"Oh," he said, peering over Annabeth's shoulder at the six pregnancy tests that were neatly lined up. Every single one of them was negative. "Well, that's…."

"A relief," Annabeth supplied. She scooped up the tests and slid them all back into one box. "No baby," she said.

"No baby," Percy repeated, just a little sadly.

Suddenly, Annabeth turned and threw her arms around Percy's neck. He blinked in surprise, caught off guard and she nuzzled into his neck. His heart slammed against his chest and he swore his brain turned to jelly and slid straight into his stomach.

"Thank you for being with me," Annabeth breathed against his skin.

Her hair smelled like lemon, and the only thing Percy would manage was a few lines of jibberish. Annabeth ignored the jibberish and he was thankful.

She pulled away quickly and smiled up at him. Her fingers slid around his wrist so she could check the time again. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later. I have the night shift tonight."

There were so many things Percy wanted to say to her, the most prominent one being Please don't go, but all he said was, "Okay."

I told you it wasn't going to just another story where someone gets pregnant...because she's not pregnant. I just wanted something to spice up the story a little. (PS it's official, Annabeth's whole past is coming up in the next chapter, so review please!)