Author's Note: Alright guys, I'm back from Florida. I only managed to get a chapter in a half more written because I wasn't really on vacation. We were down there helping my grandparents move, so I was only able to work on the story after we were finished wrapping breakables and packing boxes. It was rough, but I did manage to proof read this chapter, so here ya go! The drama I was referring to earlier on starts at the very end of this chapter. ;) Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty Six

Jon rolled over on the floor and tried to drape his arm across Chasity, only to find the side of the blanket she had been sleeping on when he fell asleep was now ice cold; signaling to him that she hadn't been lying, or sleeping there in quite some time. Sitting straight up and throwing the blankets off, Jon jumped up and grabbed his boxers. Quickly pulling them on, he started calling Chasity's name. He hadn't even thought of checking the sofa behind him. He was too busy trying not to panic, but he couldn't help but think of all the worst case scenarios. His first thought was to go check the bathroom and see if she was in there.

When he got there and saw the light was off, indicating she wasn't in there, he froze and tried to think. Finally thinking maybe she moved to his bedroom because she'd be more comfortable in his bed, he raced in that direction, resuming calling her name as her ran in hopes she would hear him and let him know she was okay.

When he got there to see the bed and the rest of the room was empty his panic level went up. Where the hell could she have gone?

Not knowing where else to look or what else to do, he ran back into the living room and came to a screeching halt when he got there. His eyes landed on her sleeping form draped across the sofa.

Jon took a deep breath and walked over to the sofa just as Chasity rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes. She rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes and looked up at him. "What's the matter? What is it you're yelling about?"

Jon swiped his hand down his face in frustration. "I rolled over in an attempt to wrap my arms around you so we could spoon and snuggle, but imagine my surprise when I felt an ice cold blanket where you use to be sleeping, and realized you were no longer there." Jon crossed his arms over his chest. "So the real question here is, why weren't you there anymore, Chas?" Chasity sat up and stretched, placing her hand, flat and palm down, against her rounded stomach.

"I woke up lying on my right side, which is where the ultrasound at my last appointment showed Kaleb's head was now positioned due to the fact he's slowly starting to turn to get in the 'head down' position and preparing for birth, so I was uncomfortable on the floor. I guess it was just his way of letting me knew I couldn't sleep that way, or on the floor," she shrugged. Jon shook his head.

"So why didn't you just turn onto your back, or maybe even try turning onto your left side and going back to sleep," Jon questioned. He was clearly confused and frustrated. He didn't understand how she wound up going back to sleep on the sofa. "I know the floor isn't good for you, but technically, neither is the sofa. If you were uncomfortable, why didn't you wake me up and we could've gone into the bedroom and gone back to sleep in my bed?"

"I didn't realize what my problem was until after I got up," Chasity informed him, but by the look on his face he wasn't quite buying it, so she continued. "I initially got up just to get a glass of warm milk to help me try to go back to sleep. It was after I finished the milk I realized my problem and I didn't want to wake you up while I was trying to get comfortable," Chasity said, shrugging. "I'm not sure why I chose the sofa over the bed; guess it was just closer, and in the same room as you, and didn't require me waking you up. It's really not that big of a deal."

Jon shook his head vigorously and threw his arms up. "You're not getting it. To me, it actually is a big deal. I want to know what's going on when it's going on. Not two hours after you have figured out a solution," Jon exclaimed. "You try to handle too much on your own and you leave me completely in the dark," Jon explained, his voice raised a bit as clear frustration began to shine through his exterior. "I just really wish you'd stop doing that," Jon sternly informed her. "If you weren't comfortable, you should've woken me up and we could have moved into the bedroom. There was no need to handle the situation all by yourself."

Chasity was a little taken aback by his outburst, especially after what had happened earlier on in her pregnancy. "If you remember correctly, after you freaked out earlier in my pregnancy about what Kaleb's name was going to be, and how you thought you being a 'father-figure' for him would screw him up, I told you I wasn't going to throw things at you unless you wanted to be involved in it. You haven't given me any reason to believe you wanted to be more involved in any of this, so I've kept to my agreement," Chasity attempted to remind him. "So that's why I always try to handle most of these issues on my own."

Realizing this was going to be a fairly length conversation Jon walked over to the end of the sofa where Chasity's feet were and lifted them up to sit down, placing them back down in his lap. "Please tell me you're not serious," Jon spoke softly. "I haven't given you any indication I want to be more involved? Really?"

Chasity didn't say anything. Mainly because she had no idea what to say. He honestly hadn't given her any verbal indication he wanted to be more involved, and she was definitely not a mind reader. She always thought if he wanted to be involved he would have actually said something to let her know.

Noticing he wasn't going to get a verbal reply from her, Jon blew out a puff of air in a sigh. "So I guess talking to Kaleb whenever he gets restless because it seems my voice is the only one that will calm him down, isn't an indication I want to be more involved," he questioned. "Or how about every time I run to the store whenever I'm home to get you something because you're craving it; even when it's past midnight and you're at your apartment and I have to drop it off there," Jon questioned. "I guess that's still not a 'clear' indication?" Chasity realized what he was saying, but she wasn't quite ready to openly admit it, so she continued to remain silent. "I didn't realize I had to verbally spell it out for you, but I'll remember that for later," Jon harshly told her before throwing her feet off his lap to get up and leaving the room.

Chasity knew she deserved that last comment. She so badly wanted to go after him and tell him he was right and she was sorry, but she knew it was best to let him have time to himself so he could cool off before she tried talking to him. She knew if she tried to talk to him right now it would only result in a bigger argument than the one they just had.

She decided while he was off brooding that she would make something for breakfast while she waited for him to get his anger in check. She was hungry and so was Kaleb; and apparently, he wanted eggs and bacon because that's what she was craving. Except there was one small problem, Jon didn't have any eggs or bacon in his fridge, so a trip to the grocery store would definitely be in order.

Chasity knew that meant she had to get dressed; which meant seeing Jon. She didn't want to do that. She wanted to give him more time to calm down, but she couldn't go to the grocery store in her pajamas. Sighing she quietly walked into Jon's room, noticing him sitting on the bed, his back to her. Without saying a word, she slowly began getting dressed; which Jon caught sight of in the mirror on the wall before him. "Where are you going," he questioned. "Don't tell me you're going home when this discussion is far from over," Jon said, slight irritation still clearly visible in his voice, but not nearly as bad as a few minutes earlier. Still, Chasity knew it was best not to try to talk to him about it at the moment.

"No. I'm just making a quick run to the grocery store. I'm hungry, and Kaleb would like some eggs and bacon, but you don't have any, so I'm going to get some," Chasity simply responded.

Walking over to the closet she grabbed her shoes and slid them onto her feet. It was a good thing she used the type of sneakers that didn't have shoelaces because she couldn't see her feet anymore, so she wouldn't have been able to tie her shoes if they did. Pushing herself back up after her shoes were firmly on her feet she could feel Jon's presence standing directly behind her, but she tried to pretend like she hadn't noticed as she grabbed her jacket from the hanger inside the closet. As she attempted to walk back out of the bedroom, Jon wrapped his arms around her waist. "Can we talk, please?" Chasity was still nervous about talking to him right now. She wasn't sure he had enough time to calm himself down.

"Can it wait until I get back from the store?" Jon shook his head.

"No, I'd like to talk to you now. Then I will gladly take you to the store so you can get your eggs and bacon afterward," Jon told her. "Please," he asked. Chasity sighed and gave in.

"Okay, start talking," she said. Jon removed his arms from around her waist and took her hand, walking her back to the bed. Both of them sat down as Jon tried to think of where to begin.

"Look Chas, the incident you were talking about earlier happened before we officially got together. Am I still nervous? You're damn right I am. However, I've talked to both Drake and Joe a few times because they're my two closest friends who have kids and know what it takes to raise them within this lifestyle; hell, Joe also knows what it's like to be on the other side; what will be Kaleb's side," Jon informed her. "Anyway, they've both told me there's no way to fully prepare for a baby." Chasity looked at Jon, confusion clear on her face.

"You can too prepare for a baby, Jon…" Jon shook his head, cutting her off.

"You're right, you can prepare. You can prepare physically by buying a car seat, clothes, crib, and etcetera. You can even take classes to learn how to manage pain during the birth, or feed them, or bathe them, maybe even play with them, etcetera. But when it comes to preparing yourself mentally, you can't," Jon explained. "You just can't talk yourself into being a parent, the only way to learn that is to do it. And you won't know how to do it until the baby is placed in your care and you actually physically have to do it." Realization registered on Chasity's face as she realized what he was getting at.

"So what exactly are you telling me, Jon," she questioned, not sure exactly where he was going with his whole little speech.

"What I'm getting at is, we're a couple now. I wouldn't do my best to calm Kaleb down – even from thousands of miles away, – or help fulfill your cravings – even when we're at separate apartments and it's the middle of the night - if I didn't want to be involved in this," he explained. "I'm going to be in Kaleb's life just as much as you are; as much as a father would and should be, so I want to be in the know on everything as it is happening; not hours after it's over and solved," Jon told her.

Chasity turned more to face him, as he did the same, grabbing her hand that was left loose. Leaning in he placed his forehead against hers. "No more keeping things from me. Got it?"

Without answering, Chasity pulled her hands and body back; more fears crept into her brain as she thought back to a few months ago. "How do you know you're not going to panic again and leave like you did after the whole name debacle," she questioned. Breaking eye contact she turned her hand and shook it before looking back up at him. "Jon I cannot handle that again. Especially not after Kaleb is born. I cannot handle one of your meltdowns along with caring for a newborn."

They sat there in silence for several minutes. Jon was trying to decide exactly what he should say. When he had finally gotten his words sorted in his brain he turned back toward Chasity and grabbed her hands again. Leaning forward just enough to look her directly in the eyes without physically toughing her he calmly replied "When I freaked out the last time it was due to the fact I didn't want to acknowledge my feelings. I didn't want to admit I was not only falling in love with you, but falling in love with Kaleb," Jon proclaimed. Chasity's eyes widened at his admission. "I know, surprising, right? But I think – no, I'm positive - that was the real reason behind my panic a few months ago," Jon revealed.

To say Chasity was shocked would be an understatement. Who would think Jon would be the first to utter those three words? She was absolutely stunned. So much so, she had no idea how to respond, and Jon knew it. "You don't have to respond in any way to what I just said, I just wanted you to understand why I believe I won't panic again. I won't panic because I see it now, and I'm fully willing to admit it. So now that, that's out in the open, what do you say we head to the grocery store to get breakfast, and then from there we'll figure out what to do with the rest of our day?"

Chasity was still shocked by Jon's admission, and still hasn't said much to him in regards to it, but they went to the grocery store, quickly got something to eat for breakfast, and came back. She threw the food together quickly and they sat down for what ended up being more like a brunch than breakfast, but it was a meal and that's all either of them cared about.

After eating, they continued on about their day as usual. Well, as usual as could be, anyway given Jon was actually home today because it was a day before Christmas Eve and things were kind of crazy. They had both decided that they would just enjoy a quiet Christmas, means neither of them talked to either of their families.

The thought of family and Christmas time had caused Chasity to begin thinking of future Christmases as they sat on the sofa quietly after eating breakfast. "Do you realize this time next year we'll actually be celebrating Kaleb's first Christmas," Chasity questioned as the realization dawned on her. Jon chuckled.

"That should be a lot of fun. I'll admit, I don't know much about babies, but from what I've heard from friends, their 'firsts' are always fun; no matter what 'first' it is." Chasity smiled.

"We have a ton of firsts coming up in the next several years," she agreed, giving a long side glance toward Jon. These were the types of moments he'd usually freak out on, and run from, so she was waiting for him to panic and run. So she waited and watched him out of the corner of her eye to see when exactly the realization would finally dawn on him and cause the panic to set in.

But it never did, and he never attempted to run. Instead he stood up and reached for her hand. Allowing him to take it and pull her up off the sofa, he pulled her into his chest and placed a kiss against her forehead.

"All 'firsts' we're going to be enjoying together," Jon whispered. "Well, as much as my job will allow, anyway," he added, smiling slightly before pulling back a bit to look at her, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist. "I was wondering, and you don't have to answer this now if you don't want to, or aren't sure you want to do it, but I figured I'd throw it out there so you can think about it, but when Kaleb's born instead of giving him your last name why don't we give him mine?"

Chasity's eyes widened. Did he seriously just suggest Kaleb's name should be Kaleb Jonathan Good instead of Kaleb Jonathan Gains? "Excuse me," she questioned, positive there was no way she had heard him correctly. She was convinced she was just overwhelmed and it was causing her to hear whatever she wanted to hear.

"I want Kaleb to have my last name. If I'm going to play daddy, I might as well be daddy, so I say we give him my last name and I'll even sign his birth certificate in the designated spot for the father's signature."

Now Chasity knew this was all one huge joke; some insane dream she just hadn't woken up from yet. It had to be. There was absolutely no way this was the same Jonathan Good she'd known since she was a teenager. Right? Taking her right fore-finger and thumb she flipped her left wrist over and pinched herself as hard as she could. When it hurt she knew this was real life and she actually wasn't dreaming. Jon shook his head and chuckled.

"I promise you this is not a dream, and I'm really standing here telling you all this, and asking you this question. I'm going to prove to you that I'm in this one hundred percent and nothing less," Jon informed her. "Now, I do realize I've dropped a lot on you today, so if you want time to think about it, take it. Take all the time you need. I wasn't asking for an answer right now, I just wanted to throw the idea out there, so you had time to think about it, that's all."

Chasity pulled away from him a bit and sat back down on the sofa. This was definitely a lot to take in. First he tells her he wants to be more involved in all things Kaleb; then he admits he freaked out before because he wasn't willing to admit his feelings; now he wants Kaleb to have his last name – essentially, he wants to be Kaleb's father. Had she not pinched herself and known she was definitely awake she'd be laughing at him right about now because this wasn't realistic of his character at all.

The rest of the day, Chasity had remained fairly quiet towards Jon. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to all this information at once. He understood her issue and just let her have her space; only interacting with her when it was absolutely necessary. When it was time to go to sleep, Jon gave her a gentle kiss on the lips and another on the forehead before he laid down next to her, gently running his hand across her stomach to keep Kaleb's movements to a minimum while Chasity tried to sleep.

But tried was the key word there. Since she had gotten up this morning her whole body felt really weird. That's one of the reasons she had been unusually quiet, other than not knowing how to react to Jon. She had initially assumed the odd feeling was just due to the fact she had fallen back to sleep on the couch and because Kaleb was slowly ascending into the 'head down' position it was all throwing her body a little out of whack, so she just ignored it.

However after they got back from the grocery store and as the day continued to wear on she realized the 'weird' feeling had started to turn to pains here and there. After the first couple pains she figured it was just Braxton Hicks contractions, and ignored them, too. Because she had been told Braxton Hicks had a tendency to feel like real contractions from time to time; especially to first-time-mothers.

But would Braxton Hicks contractions feel like real contractions in the sense they would happen every fifteen to twenty minutes? Was that normal?

Jon had drifted off to sleep, unaware of Chasity's fears. Despite their earlier conversation about letting him in on everything when it was happening and not after, she kept quiet. She was afraid to tell him because she was almost positive it was nothing and she was just over analyzing and overreacting to it. Then she'd look like a complete idiot.

That is until about five in the morning when she got up to go use the bathroom.

Author's Note: Dun, dun, dun... *Ducks*