Chapter 1


It had been nearly a month since Shelly and Sabin had their big talk. While things had been awkward to start they had fallen into an easy friendship. They had actually discussed getting back together a few times, but Sabin was still uncomfortable with that idea.

The Machineguns had been challenging Beer Money for their tag titles as of late and were close to capturing the gold. Shelly had successfully defended her Knockouts title against Angelina Love at Hard Justice and would be starting a program with Cindy once again that would take them to the September No Surrender show.

Life was going great…or it would have been if Shelly didn’t have to watch her friends’ relationships flourishing while hers lay dead. Some days she didn’t even want to be around all the happy couples.

Just a week after Hard Justice Shelly sat in Sabin’s hotel room. He had invited her over to watch movies. What he had neglected to mention was that Cindy, Alex, Taylor, Greg, Traci and Frankie would also be there. Guess he didn’t trust himself alone with her yet.

Shelly sat at the head of the bed hugging a pillow. Sabin was next to her sitting cross legged, fiddling with the remote. Frankie and Traci lay sprawled out across the middle. She watched as he lovingly rubbed Traci’s slightly rounded belly. She looked away, catching Sabin just looking away from them as well.

"Makes you sick doesn’t it," he leaned over and whispered to her. "You should see when he starts talking to it."

"I think it’s sweet," she whispered back. "They’re happy."

"Would you two shut up," Alex called from the floor where he lay with Cindy. "We’re trying to watch the damn movie."

Sabin tossed a pillow at him. He ducked and it hit Taylor in the face. She let out a surprised squeal.

"Dude! Aim, man," Greg exclaimed, checking on his girlfriend. He chucked the pillow back. Frankie caught it, glaring from one man to the other.

"Guys, be careful! My unborn child is here."

"Yeah, it kinda goes wherever Traci goes, Frankie," Shelly snickered. "Doesn’t have much of a choice and all." Sabin snorted.

"Whatever," Frankie mumbled. "Come on, Mama. It’s too dangerous in here for us." He took Traci’s hand and led her out of the room.

"Night everyone," Traci called as they left.

"I call bed," Greg exclaimed, jumping up onto the spot that had just opened up. He yanked Taylor up into his lap. She giggled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Down in front," Shelly called.

"Sorry," Taylor said pulling Greg down to the bed with her. They shared a kiss.

Shelly leaned over to Sabin. "Now that makes me sick," she chuckled. He nodded making gagging noises at the couple.

"No one’s stopping you from making out, Sabin," Greg said. "Oh wait…that’s right…you don’t have a hot girlfriend. Sucks to be you."

Sabin growled something under his breath, but his anger quickly faded when he saw Shelly stretch out a leg and nudge Greg off the bed. He fell with a loud thud onto Alex’s back. Sabin nearly fell off the bed laughing as the two disentangled their limbs.

"Not funny," Greg barked. "Damn it! Come on, Taylor. I can take a hint! I know when we’re not welcome."

"Don’t let the door hit you where the good lord split you," Sabin called, chuckling when Greg flipped him off.

"Which of you pushed him onto me," Alex asked getting up rubbing his back. Sabin pointed to Shelly.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "Stool pigeon."

"You did!"

"Come on, Alex," Cindy sighed. "It’s late. I’ll give you a nice massage back in our room."

"Night guys," Alex said taking Cindy’s hand and all but dragging her out.

"And then there were two," Shelly said, the awkwardness creeping in.

"You don’t have to stay…unless you want to," Sabin said, he too felt it.

"What do you want, Chris," she asked. Inside she hoped he’d ask her to stay.

"Honestly…I wouldn’t mind if you stayed. We could finish off this movie and I think there’s one more in the bag."

Shelly smiled. "Comedy?"

"What else," he asked.

"Then I’m in."

"You want to get under the covers," he asked.

"Are you trying to seduce me," she asked with a flirty smile.

He leaned into her, his eyes locking with hers and she felt her breath catch in her throat at the smoldering intensity of them. For a second she thought that he might kiss her. His lips were just mere inches away from hers and then as suddenly as it had happened he had pulled away.

"That was me trying to seduce you," he replied. "I just thought that maybe you were a little chilly from the air conditioning."

Shelly’s stomach did a flip flop and she felt nauseous. "Oh," she breathed. Goosebumps formed on her arms. "Right. Yeah, I am a little cold." She wondered if he had any idea of the effects he still had on her.

"Need a pillow," he asked as he got comfortable. She nodded and he handed her the pillow he had tossed at Alex. She settled down next to him, her legs brushing his.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Now who’s seducing who," he laughed quietly. Shelly turned bright red. "I was kidding."

"I know. Let’s just watch the movie."

They settled in to finish off their movies. About halfway through the last one Sabin realized that Shelly had fallen asleep. Not having the heart to wake her, he turned off the movie. He leaned over her, pulling the covers up around her. He stopped himself from kissing her, forcing himself to roll onto his side and go to sleep.

~}i{~

The next morning Sabin was awakened by a strange sound. He sat up rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The room was dimly lit alerting him that the sun hadn’t fully risen yet.

He remembered that Shell had spent the night and looked to the bed next to him. It was empty. He heard the noise that had woke him and realized it was coming from the bathroom. He slid out of bed and heard Shelly groan.

He knocked lightly. "Shell? You all right?" He winced hearing her retching. He heard the toilet flush and the water running before the door opened. "You all right?"

Shelly shook her head and he could see that she was shaky. "My stomach’s all funky," she replied weakly.

"Come back to bed," Sabin said, helping her. He crawled in beside her and pulled her into his arms. "You’ll be all right. Just go back to sleep."

He kissed her temple, holding her. She had been fine when they fell asleep. The sudden turn worried him. It didn’t take long for her to get back to sleep and the sound of her even breathing lulled him back to sleep.

When they woke later that morning Shelly’s head was on Sabin’s chest. She buried her face and inhaled his scent deeply. It’d been too long since she’d woken up feeling so warm and safe.

"Did you just sniff me," Sabin asked, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Forgive me. I had a weak moment. You just smell so good," she said tilting her head back so that she could look up at him.

"Then I demand a complimentary sniff," he replied, pulling her close to him so he could sniff her hair. "Mmmmm….strawberries."

Shelly giggled, pushing him away. "My shampoo is passion fruit scented, Chris."

"Smells good whatever it is," he said, pulling her close again. This time he buried his face in her neck and nipped.

"Chris," she sniggered. "Don’t."

Deep inside she hoped he wouldn’t. It was good to be back in his arms and she was savoring every minute of it.

"It’s good to hear you laughing," he said sitting up, finally releasing her. "I was worried earlier when you were sick."

"It’s just a bug," she said waving off his concern. "I think maybe I ate something bad or something like that. I’ll be fine."

A loud rapping at the door startled the both of them. "Chris, come on dude," Alex called through the door. "You said you wanted to hit the gym."

Sabin slid out of bed and went to the door. "You’re going to wake the dead," he grumbled.

"I’ll just go," Shelly said slipping out of bed and grabbing her shoes before slipping past Alex.

Alex turned to look at his friend, a smile on his face as he closed the door. "My man! You guys finally back together?"

"It’s not like that, Alex. She fell asleep watching movies," Sabin shook his head. "We just slept."

"I don’t get it," Alex said furrowing his brow. "You love her, right?" Sabin nodded as he pulled clothes out of his bag. "And she loves you, right?" Again Sabin nodded. "Then what’s the problem?"

"Matt Morgan," Sabin said making a face.

"Um…he hasn’t gone near Shell since Victory Road. As a matter of fact he turns and walks the other way when he sees her coming."

"I know, but it’s…I just don’t know what went on when she was with him all those weeks," Sabin responded. "Just the thought of him…it’s driving me crazy."

"Driving," Alex quipped, arching a brow. "Dude, you been batshit crazy since I met you."

"Fuck you."

"Not my type, bro," Alex retorted plopping down on the bed. "So, I think you two need to have another talk. Maybe take her out to dinner. I got it! You’ll be at Greg’s place this weekend to help Taylor move in, right?"

"Yeah," Sabin called from the bathroom as he changed.

"Then afterwards take her out to dinner and then you guys can go back to being all kissy faced and googly eyed."

"I don’t think it’ll be that easy, Alex, but it might be a start." Sabin came out of the bathroom dressed for the gym. "Let’s go. Maybe if we get done early I can see if Shell wants to go to dinner tonight."

Alex smiled getting to his feet and following Sabin out of the room. If any of their friends had their way Sabin and Shelly would be back together before the end of the year. They just needed a nudge in the right direction.

Chapter 2

"And that should lead us right up to Bound For Glory in October," Jeff Jarrett finished off the talent meeting before that night’s Impact taping.

Shelly, who had been nodding off during the meeting, felt a hand on her shoulder. She snapped awake and turned to look at who the hand belonged to. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was just Sabin.

"You scared me," she chuckled. "I thought you were Jeff or Jim or someone like that."

"You were sleeping," Sabin replied.

"I was not. I was resting my eyes," Shelly yawned.

"You had drool coming off your chin," he teased.

"I do not drool," Shelly exclaimed slapping his shoulder as they exited the room.

Sabin chuckled and then grew serious, looking her over. "You doing all right?" He’d been wrestling in Japan with Alex for the past week and hadn’t been able to check in with her much. She looked like she’d lost some weight since he’d last seen her.

"Still have that bug," she commented with a shrug. Seeing the worry creeping into his eyes she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I’m fine, Chris. Really. It’s just hitting me harder than usual because I’ve been busier than usual. Being champ is stressful."

"Maybe you should go see a doctor," Sabin replied, placing a hand on her forehead. "You don’t look so hot."

"Thanks," she muttered slapping his hand away. "It’ll go away on its own. I just have to take it easy."

"You’re stubborn," he scowled.

"And you’re cute," she chuckled, tweaking his nose.

He smacked her hand away, glaring at her a moment before laughing as she made a funny face at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but just as he did Tara came over and grabbed Shelly.

"We got a Knockouts meeting with Traci," Tara said hooking her arm through Shelly’s. She had really taken a liking to everyone in TNA since he arrival, but she was closest to Shelly, Cindy and Taylor.

"Sorry, Chris! Duty calls," Shelly called over her shoulder as she was ushered into the women’s locker room.

"Want to go out to dinner," Sabin muttered. "Why, yes, Chris that would be lovely."

"Talking to yourself, huh," Greg snickered as he approached Sabin. Frankie was with him.

"I think Doctor Stevie has an opening on Tuesdays," Frankie chuckled.

"This from the man who sits and talks to his wife’s stomach for hours on end," Sabin grumbled.

"I want my child to know the sound of my voice," Frankie retorted. "What’s wrong with that?"

"Nothing, Frankie, except for the fact that your child doesn’t even have EARS yet," Sabin exclaimed. "Dude, seriously you used to be cool."

"I still am! My priorities have just changed a little." Both Greg and Sabin stared at him. "Oh whatever! Come on Greg. We have to iron out the details of our match."

"Have fun with that," Sabin called and headed off to find his tag partner.

~}I{~

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully. Saturday morning rolled around and Sabin sat in Cindy and Alex’s living room waiting for his best friend to finish getting ready. Cindy was paging through a magazine on the couch as they waited.

"So, Cinder, you hang out with Shell a lot, right," Sabin asked, knowing it was a dumb question.

Cindy laughed lightly. "Yeah, Chris, she’s kinda my best friend."

"Right. Well, have you…noticed anything…strange about her?"

"Strange how?" Cindy knitted her brow at him.

"She just seems…a little paler and thinner than I remember her being," Sabin shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about the whole conversation.

Cindy set aside her magazine and thought for a moment. "She’s been sick lately, but I think she’s all right. I mean if it was something serious she’d have let me know."

"She’s not on some crazy crash diet or anything," Sabin inquired.

"No. Chris, you know she’d never do that. Shell likes to stay in the best shape possible so her matches don’t suffer. What’s this about?"

"I’m just worried," Sabin finally admitted. "She looks terrible and she won’t go to a doctor."

"Who won’t go to a doctor," Alex asked coming into the living room

"Shell," Cindy replied. "It’s about time. Is your hair perfect now, brat?"

"Not exactly, but it’s passable," Alex replied. "And quit it with the brat shit."

"Chris, I’m sure Shell will be fine. Once she feels better she’ll put the weight back on and she won’t be so pale. All right?"

"Come on, let’s get Shell and go to the slave driver’s house…I mean Greg and Taylor’s place," Alex said, sniggering when Cindy smacked his bottom.

~}I{~

"It’s about damn time," Frankie called seeing the four getting out of Alex’s car. "We’ve been waiting for over an hour."

"Blame prima donna and his hair issues," Sabin said hooking a thumb over his shoulder at Alex.

"It takes a lot of work to look this good," Alex exclaimed.

"Just shut your asses up and get to work," Greg yelled from the moving truck. "Taylor’s got a lot of shit."

"You wanted me to move in," Taylor called from the porch.

"And I don’t regret that decision, love," Greg called back to her. "Though I wish you’d have sold some shit on eBay before making the move." Frankie chuckled at the muttered comment as he grabbed some things from the truck.

As Cindy went to help Taylor and Traci with unpacking Shelly made her way over to the truck. She didn’t really want to be stuck inside listening to them gushing over Traci’s impending motherhood. Though she didn’t feel her best she’d take sweating away under the hot sun to listening to them any day.

"Shell, maybe you should go inside where it’s cooler," Sabin suggested. "I know you haven’t been feeling well."

"I’m fine," she replied stepping up into the truck and grabbing a box. "Thanks for the concern."

He frowned at her words, but didn’t want to argue. He hoped that she’d be sensible enough to get in out of the sun if she started to feel bad.

They worked away through the morning and afternoon under the blazing sun. It wasn’t long before all of them had soaked through their clothes. Taylor, Traci and Cindy had all taken turns bringing them bottles of water as they worked, but even that couldn’t keep them cool for very long.

"Last…box," Shelly panted as she carried it up the steps. She set it down and mopped her brow with the bottom of her shirt as she caught her breath. Straightening up she came face to face with Sabin.

"I’ll take the box. You go inside and sit down. You look dead on your feet."

"I’m fine," she lied, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

She closed her eyes, her hand on her temple as she felt the dizziness wash over her. Arms around her steadied her and prevented her from hitting the porch floor. Without a word Sabin scooped her up into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her inside, her eyes closed the whole time.

"Greg, I need your bed," he called.

Greg came out of the kitchen, half a sandwich in his mouth. He swallowed quickly, glaring at Sabin. "You’re not defiling my bed, Sabin!"

"Shell almost passed out," Sabin growled. "I need a place to lie her down."

"Oh, go ahead. Should I call a doctor," Greg asked, following his friend into the bedroom. Everyone else was close behind, concerned about their friend’s health.

"No," Shelly replied weakly as Sabin set her down gently. "I was just overcome by the heat." She tried to sit up, but Sabin pushed her back down.

"Just rest," he said, concern swimming his blue eyes.

"Here, drink some cold water," Taylor said handing Sabin a bottle. He took it and offered it to Shelly. She took it and sipped it slowly.

"Okay, give her some air, people," Greg said pushing the group out of the room. "She just needs to rest. Sabin you better let her rest. If I hear the bed springs squeaking I’ll kill the both of you."

Once everyone was gone Sabin fixed Shelly with a stare. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry. It was just the heat."

"And before that it was a bug. Shell, what’s going on?"

"I don’t know," she replied with a sigh and then groaned, holding her stomach.

"What is it?"

She held a hand over her mouth as she quickly stood, shoving him out of the way and running to the bathroom. She practically knocked Traci out of the way as she was coming out.

"Where’s the fire," Traci exclaimed and then cringed as Shelly got sick. She went in and held back her friend’s hair for her, rubbing her back. "You poor thing. You really have a doozy of a stomach bug, don’t you?"

When Shelly was finished Traci leaned against the counter as Shelly splashed some cold water on her face. An amused smile played at the corners of Traci’s mouth as she watched her friend.

"What," Shelly asked seeing this.

Traci just shook her head, still smiling. "If I didn’t know better I’d swear you were pregnant too." She chuckled, rubbing her belly absently. "It was probably just the heat. You overdid it."

"Yeah, I overdid it," Shelly said absently as her friend left.

She turned her attention to her reflection. Her complexion had taken on an almost alabaster hue. She thought back over the past few weeks, her hand splayed on her stomach.

"Could I be…no…I couldn’t…could I?"

Chapter 3

After her talk with Traci in the bathroom Shelly had gone to lie down for a while. She thought back over the past couple of weeks as she tried to relax. She counted backwards on her fingers and groaned.

Why didn’t I notice? I’m very definitely late.

She had fallen asleep thinking about the possible pregnancy and what that would mean for her relationship with Sabin. Her fear was that he’d abandon her and she’d be forced to go through the pregnancy and birth alone. She didn’t think she was strong enough to do that.

Sabin woke her by early evening to let her know that he, Alex and Cindy would be leaving if she wanted to grab a ride with them. She had followed them out to the car silently and slid into the back seat next to Sabin.

"You feeling any better," he asked.

"A little," she replied forcing a weak smile.

She stared out the window as Alex drove. Her mind was racing at the prospect of becoming a mother. This wasn’t exactly the way she had planned to start a family. As they stopped at a red light Shelly saw the glowing sign of a pharmacy across the way.

I need to know for sure she thought.

"Alex, pull over."

"You gonna puke or something," he asked, pulling over to the curb.

"No, I need something from the pharmacy."

"What is it," Sabin asked. "I’ll run in and grab it for you."

"No!" Sabin flinched, giving her a puzzled look. She chuckled nervously. "Feminine products, Chris. That time of the month and all." Sabin’s mouth formed an O and he nodded. "I’ll be right out."

She hurried into the pharmacy and found the aisle she was looking for, grabbing a pregnancy test off the shelf. She was about to head to the register when she realized she should probably purchase the aforementioned feminine products to not make everyone suspicious. She quickly grabbed a box off the shelf and headed to the register to make her purchases, ignoring the clerk’s confused look at her items.

"Got what you need," Alex asked as she got back in the car.

"Yup," she held up the bag, thankful that it wasn’t transparent.

"So, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to have dinner tonight," Sabin said once they were moving again. "I could give you a couple of hours to shower and change and…"

"I’m kinda tired, Chris," she cut him off. "I’m sorry. I think I should take it easy after the day I had."

"Of course," Sabin replied, but she could tell he had been hurt by her rejection. He forced a smile.

She reached out and took his hand, rubbing the back with her thumb. "Rain check?"

"Sure." His smile was genuine now. "Want me to stay with you tonight?"

"No." She felt guilty turning him down again, but until she knew for sure she didn’t want Sabin to know anything. "I’ll probably just sleep a lot. Thank you for being so sweet."

He nodded, turning his attention to the window. She was hiding something from him and it hurt, but he’d giver her space. When she was ready to talk to him she would. She still held his hand and he stroked the back of it with his thumb.

~}i{~

Shelly sat on the edge of the tub waiting the required time to get the results of the test. She’d told Sabin she was fine and didn’t need to be walked to her door. She just wanted to get the test over with. Now as she sat waiting for the results she wondered how she would tell Sabin if it read positive.

With a sigh she stood and picked up the test wand from the counter. Holding up the box she compared the results. Her hand shook and she dropped the test and box into the sink.

Positive.

"Oh God. I’m pregnant," she gasped.

~}i{~

Shelly had fully intended to get the first appointment she could with her doctor on Monday. Her next step would be to ask for a meeting with Jeff Jarrett to explain the situation to him. She had been wrestling practically everyday over the past couple of months and it scared her that she might have caused damage to the pregnancy.

She knew she’d have to either relinquish her title or be stripped of it via an injury storyline. Neither prospect appealed to her, but she was not setting foot in a wrestling ring until after the baby was born. That much was clear to her.

For the rest of the weekend she stayed in. She had called Cindy and asked her to explain to the others that she wasn’t feeling well and just wanted to stay in bed. After telling her friend that she would be all right she had hung up and turned off the phone.

Sunday night Shelly was lying on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her as she stared blankly at the screen. A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. With a groan she heaved herself off the couch and went to the door.

"Chris, what are you doing here," she demanded opening the door. She was a little pissed considering she had requested to be left alone.

"I was worried," he replied. "I brought you some chicken soup." He held up a bag with two containers of soup in it. "Can I come in?"

"No," she replied, blocking the doorway. She took the soup. "This was really sweet of you, Chris. I’m just not feeling up to company. I’ll see you at Impact. All right?"

"Yeah," Sabin replied, trying to peer past her to see if she had someone inside with her. He didn’t see anything and turned to walk away. "Sorry I bothered you."

"Chris, I just don’t feel good right now and I won’t be much company. That’s all."

He turned back to her and nodded. "I understand."

She watched him go feeling terrible about the way she had handled his surprise visit. She just couldn’t deal with acting normal around him while inside she was freaking out. Once she had seen her doctor she would break the news to Sabin.

~}i{~

Shelly had lucked into an open appointment that Monday afternoon. Her doctor had confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Nine weeks.

Despite the activities she’d been engaging in everything was fine and the baby was healthy. The doctor had warned her of how fortunate she had been considering the high impact profession she was in and urged her not to engage in anymore activity that was harmful. He didn’t have to give her that warning. The moment the home test showed a positive she’d made up her mind not to wrestle again until after the baby came.

Now as she walked into the Impact Zone she was working up the nerve to tell Sabin her news.

"Hey, honey! How are you feeling," Traci said giving her a tight hug.

Frankie too gave her a hug. "We’ve been so worried about you."

Traci took one look at her friend’s face and gave her husband a knowing smile. "Frankie, baby, I think Shell’s gonna be just fine. She just needs to find Chris and talk to him."

"What? Why?" Traci smiled and rubbed her belly. As if a lightbulb went on over his head, his eyes grew wide. "Oh! Really?" He turned his attention to Shelly.

"You can’t say a word to anyone," Shelly begged. "Especially not Chris. He should hear it from me."

"We won’t, sweetie," Traci said hugging her. "Oh I’m so excited for you!"

"What about your match tonight," Frankie asked. "I mean you can’t get in the ring now…not when you’re…"

"I’m going to talk to Jeff now," Shelly sighed, hiking her bag up her shoulder. "Then…Chris."

"Congratulations, honey," Frankie said hugging her again.

Shelly managed to avoid any other friends as she made her way to Jeff Jarrett’s office. Taking a deep breath to steady her jangled nerves she knocked. She heard him call for her to enter and she did.

Looking up from the computer screen before him Jarrett smiled at her. "Well, there’s the champ. What can I do for you, sweetheart?"

"May I sit," she asked. He nodded, his smile falling. He knew that something was definitely up if she came to visit him of her own accord. "I have some news that will change my upcoming storyline pretty drastically, Jeff."

"What’s going on? Are you injured?"

"No, but…I can’t wrestle for a while."

"Why not," he demanded, his temper rising at the reasons going through his head.

"Because…I’m pregnant," she replied.

"Oh," Jarrett breathed a long sigh of relief. "I thought you were gonna pull a diva attitude and demand more money or something. Darlin’ don’t scare me like that!"

"Sorry."

"We’ll have to scramble to change tonight’s match, but fortunately it wasn’t publicized that you’d be in action. I think we can handle this just fine and get that belt off you quickly."

Shelly frowned at the thought.

"You know you can’t remain champ if you can’t defend the belt," Jarrett explained.

"I know. I just…I finally got it and now I have to let it go so soon."

Jarrett stood and came around his desk, leaning against the front of it. "Shell, what you’re about to become is so much more important than some stupid belt," he remarked. "Don’t you get that? You’re going to bring a life into this world."

She looked up at him with a half smile. "You’re right. I’ve just been so shocked that I…I didn’t even think about it that way. Thank you, Jeff." She stood, shaking his hand.

He placed his free hand on top of hers, holding it between his. "Congratulations, sweetheart."

"Thank you." She left Jarrett’s office feeling much better about her situation. Now the next mountain to climb would be informing the father.

Chapter 4

Shelly made her way to the Guns locker room, knocking on the open door as she poked her head in. Alex and Sabin looked up from lacing up their boots.

"Hey! How you feeling," Alex called.

"Better. Can I speak to Chris…alone?"

Alex looked to his friend and back at Shelly with a small smile. "Sure." He grabbed his MMG shirt, giving Sabin a nudge as he passed him.

Shelly closed the door behind Alex and just looked at Sabin for a minute composing her thoughts. Sabin stood off the bench and went to her.

"What’d you want to talk about," he asked. He could see that she was still not looking well. "You just lied when Alex asked how you’re doing."

"I did, but I have a good reason," Shelly replied.

"What? What’s the damn reason," Sabin fumed. "You know I thought that I’d give you the benefit of the doubt when you turned me down for dinner on Saturday. When I showed up last night you blocked me from even coming in. So, obviously you weren’t really too sick for company because someone was ther…you know what? Nevermind. What’s your damn news?"

"There was no one in my apartment last night, Chris. I just…I needed space. I had a lot on my mind."

"You’re blowing hot and cold on me, Shell. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going anymore! One minute you want me back and the next you want space! Which is it? You can’t have things both ways!"

"Would you just shut up and listen to me?" Tears had filled her eyes and she was trying to keep her emotions under control, but he wasn’t making it easy.

"Why? Why should I?"

"Because I’m pregnant!"

She took in a shuddering breath, tears slipping down her cheeks. This wasn’t how she had planned to inform him he was going to be a father.

Sabin felt like he’d been punched in the gut. "I’m sorry. I must have blood in my ears. What did you just say?"

"I’m pregnant."

"Pregnant." Sabin took a deep breath, feeling like he couldn’t breathe. "Hmmm."

"Chris, say something. Please. I’m…I’m freaking out here. I’m just as surprised as you are."

"Have you told Morgan yet?"

"Why would I…no Chris it’s yours," Shelly said, her eyes growing wide at the accusation.

Sabin shook his head no. "Can’t be."

"Of course it can," Shelly replied unable to believe how he was acting.

"No. We used protection every damn time. Don’t tell me this is my kid when I know for damn sure it’s not."

The tears were coming harder and faster now. "Chris, you’re the father. I know that with every ounce of my being. I haven’t been with anyone else!"

"So, I have some superhuman sperm," Sabin asked. "I used a rubber every fucking time, Shell. How the hell am I the father?"

Shelly opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her.

"Get out." She stared at him stunned. "Are you fucking deaf? GET OUT!"

Shelly got out as quickly as the tears would allow her. Once in the hall she leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor sobbing. Moments later Sabin stormed out of the locker room. He took one look at her and headed the other way.

"What happened," Cindy asked, helping Shelly stand. Alex took one look at Sabin’s retreating form and frowned. He had hoped that things would go better between the two.

"I…I’m pregnant," Shelly sobbed.

"Oh honey," Cindy said hugging her. "That’s wonderful!"

"Chris thinks it’s Morgan’s," Alex groaned, raking a hand through his hair. "Shit."

"It’s not. It’s his," Shelly choked out.

"We know," Alex replied. "Cindy, baby, take her to the ladies room and get her cleaned up. I think I need to have a talk with my good buddy." Cindy nodded helping Shelly to the bathroom.

~}i{~

Sabin’s mind was racing as he stalked the halls. He searched and finally found the man he was looking for. Matt Morgan was leaning against a wall, drinking a cup of coffee and looking over the script for that night.

"MORGAN," Sabin bellowed as he approached the larger man.

Morgan looked up and spotted the angry younger man coming at him. "Whoa! Kid, settle down. I didn’t do anything to you or Shell recently." Sabin knocked the coffee from his hand. "What the hell is your problem?"

"You are!" He shoved Morgan.

"What did I do now?"

"You fucking bastard! Shell’s pregnant!" Sabin ignored the gasps around him as everyone heard the news.

"What does that have to do with me," Morgan demanded.

Sabin growled and took a swing at him. Morgan easily side stepped it, holding out his hand and holding Sabin back by his head. Sabin swung wildly, not making contact with Morgan at all.

"Are you finished," Morgan asked when Sabin had dropped his arms, panting. Sabin nodded. "Good. Now, I think congratulations are in order."

Sabin glared up at him. "I’m not going to say congratulations to you!"

"Dipshit," Morgan growled. "I meant to you."

"You think I’m going to sit by and watch while my girl…while she gives birth to your bastard kid?"

"My God you are dense," Morgan groaned. "Kid, it ain’t mine." Sabin continued to glare up at him. "Shell and I….we never…not even once."

Sabin now looked confused. "But you said…."

"I was lying," Morgan admitted. "I’m a dick, all right? I lie about fuckin’ pretty girls all the time."

"So, then…you’re saying that…"

"Keep going," Morgan encouraged.

"Then…it’s…it’s…mine?" Morgan nodded. Sabin began to hyperventilate at the thought. It wasn’t long before he had passed out with a loud thud.

Morgan winced. "Kid? You all right?" He nudged Sabin with his foot. He gave a long suffering sigh as he bent down, picking Sabin up and slinging him over his shoulder. "One side people."

~}i{~

When Alex finally found Sabin he was shocked. His friend was out cold on Morgan’s shoulder.

"What did you do to him," Alex demanded.

"Nothing. The kid passed out," Morgan replied.

"Bullshit! You expect me to believe that?"

"Look, he came accusing me of knockin’ Shell up and then when he realized the truth he hyperventilated and fainted."

Alex glared up at him, not sure if he could trust him. "So, he knows now?"

"Not sure if he’ll remember, but yeah he figured it out before he fainted," Morgan shrugged.

"What did you do," they both heard Shelly exclaim.

Cindy had helped her wash her face and calm down. As they walked the halls looking for Alex, Shelly saw Morgan with Sabin over his shoulder like a rag doll.

"It’s not what it looks like," Morgan exclaimed. "He passed out. I swear I didn’t lay a hand on him."

"Yeah right," Cindy growled. "Like you never laid a hand on him before?"

"He’s telling the truth," Alex interjected. "Chris fainted."

"What," Shelly asked, not sure she’d heard him correctly.

"Long story short," Morgan explained. "He accused me of being your baby’s daddy and when he realized he was, he fainted."

"We need to get him to the medic station," Alex sighed. "They have smelling salts there to bring him around."

"On my way," Morgan nodded.

Cindy, Alex and Shelly followed him. Morgan tossed Sabin down on the exam table like a sack of potatoes once in the medic room. It was empty save for them.

"Carefully, Matt," Shelly sighed. "I would actually like him to live to see the birth of his child."

"He’s fine," Morgan replied.

Alex rummaged around in the supplies until he came up with the smelling salts. He opened it and waved it under Sabin’s nose a coupel of times.

"So, you’re pregnant huh," Morgan asked Shelly as they stood waiting for Sabin to come to.

"That’s what all the tests say," Shelly replied.

"Man, now I really feel bad for the crap I put you through. I mean…had I know you were expecting…" He stopped when Shelly glared up at him. "What?"

"Now you feel bad? You didn’t before?"

"Well, yeah, but…even more so now. I mean I couldn’t live with myself if I had caused you to miscarry."

"Matt," Cindy said sweetly, placing a hand on Shelly’s shoulder to calm her down. "I think you should leave. Now’s not a good time for this."

"Yeah. I kinda got that. Congrats, Shell." With that he walked off.

Sabin groaned from the table and everyone turned their attention to him.

"Buddy, how you feeling," Alex asked.

"Like I just took on Godzilla and lost," Sabin groaned sitting up. He looked at his best friend, his eyes wide. "I’m going to be a father."

"I heard," Alex smiled. "Congrats, bro."

"I…I…I have to find Shell."

"I’m right here," Shelly said coming into the room. "Guys, I need to talk to Chris alone." Cindy and Alex nodded, leaving them to talk in peace.

Shelly closed the door to the medic station. Sabin sat stunned before her. He was still processing the news.

"Babe," he finally said. "You’re…I…we’re gonna have a baby?" He finally smiled.

"No, Chris," Shelly said softly. He knitted his brow at her, his smile faltering. "You are the father of this baby. The doctor told me the possible conception date. Slammiversary weekend. We were in Detroit. This baby was conceived in your bed, Chris. There’s no doubt about that. But we’re not having anything. I’m having this baby. Whether you choose to be a part of its life is up to you."

"Of course I want to be a part of its life!"

"Since everything with Matt went down I’ve had to endure a lot of cruelty from you," she said sniffling. "You’ve called me names and said things that are…I don’t know if I should let alone could forgive you for saying them."

"I was hurting and I lashed out," Sabin explained. "I know I can’t take them back, but…"

"I don’t want an apology," Shelly said, a tear slipping down her cheek. "What you said to me earlier…the fact that you fainted when you realized you are the father. It shows me that you’re not ready or mature enough to handle it. When you’re ready to grow up and be a father you know where to find me and your child. Until then I don’t think I can be around you."

"Shell, no," Sabin called sliding off the table as she opened the door. "Shell, please don’t do this."

"I have to, Chris," she said looking over her shoulder. "It’s not just about me or you anymore. It’s about our baby and what’s right for it."

Sabin watched her walk away feeling like his future was leaving with her. He had screwed up and now he might have lost his child in the process.

Chapter 5

"You’re pregnant," Greg exclaimed.

Shelly had gathered her friends in Frankie’s locker room to tell them all the news. Frankie, Traci, Cindy and Alex all knew, but Taylor and Greg didn’t and she wanted them to hear it from her and not the company rumor mill.

"Please tell me that it was Immaculate Conception," Greg blurted out. "Because the idea of Chris being a dad is just a scary prospect."

Taylor smacked his arm. "Stop it! Would you rather Morgan be the father?" Greg made a face and shook his head no.

"How did Chris take it," Traci asked.

"Not well," Alex interjected. "He thought Morgan was the father."

"Then when Matt corrected him on that he fainted," Shelly added.

Greg snickered and Taylor elbowed him in the ribs. Frankie winced, shaking his head. Alex blew out a puff of air and shook his head. Sometimes his best friend could be such a moron.

"Looks like I’ll be doing this on my own."

"The jackass doesn’t want anything to do with the baby," Cindy growled.

"No, it’s not that at all. I…made the decision for him," Shelly said.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MADE THE DECISION FOR HIM," Traci exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"Baby, calm down," Frankie urged, making her sit back down. "Sorry," he whispered. "Pregnancy hormones." He ignored the glare his wife was sending his way.

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! Shell, that is the father of your child," she said. "You can’t just cut him out of your life. You two are linked for the rest of your lives now."

"I know that Traci," Shelly replied. "Believe me I do, but I am not willing to raise two children instead of one. Chris isn’t mature enough to deal with being a father."

"But you have to give him a chance," Alex said. "I know he’s immature, Shell, but he does love you."

Shelly exhaled loudly. "I love him too, Alex, but sometimes love just isn’t enough."

"Well, you have us," Cindy finally spoke up. Everyone nodded.

"Um…except when it comes time for delivery day," Greg inserted. "I do not want to be in that delivery room."

"Don’t worry, man," Alex said leaning over to look at his friend. "Chris will be there that day. If I have to drag his ass kicking and screaming."

~}i{~

Sabin had wandered from the medic room after Shelly had left. He had no idea where he was going, he just knew he had to find a way to work things out with her. If nothing else he wanted to be present in his child’s life. He had wandered out to back of the building and took a seat on a shipping crate.

A small smile curled his lips as he thought of what his child would look like. The chubby little face and pudgy hands. He wondered whose eyes the child would have or what color hair it would have.

"Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?"

Sabin turned his gaze up and scowled. "She’s not my girlfriend. Remember, Morgan?"

"Yeah, listen about that…I’m sorry doesn’t really…" He stopped talking as Sabin glared at him. "I know what I did was really fucked up. I’m getting help for that shit. I swear."

Sabin arched a brow at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, apparently I have some repressed anger from when my wife left me," Morgan sighed sinking down to the crate next to Sabin. "According to my therapist I objectify women and treat them badly to avoid being hurt again."

"Uh huh," Sabin replied thoughtfully. "Well, that really does explain a lot."

"Kid, I…I really did like Shell a lot. I won’t lie I think she’s just wonderful."

"So do I," Sabin lamented. "She’s…perfect."

"Hell of a temper though."

Sabin looked up at Morgan and chuckled, nodding. He’d been on the receiving end of one too many of Shelly’s tirades.

"That she does."

"So, what are you doing out here talking to me when you should be with the mother of your unborn child?"

"She…she doesn’t want to be around me," Sabin groaned. "She says I need to grow up. I’ve lost her."

"Nah. That’s them crazy pregnancy hormones," Morgan reassured him. "All you gotta do is make her fall in love with you all over again. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?"

Sabin snorted. "Yeah, piece of cake," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Morgan are you completely dense? It took months for me to finally win her over. The baby’s due in like seven months."

Morgan sat there deep in thought. "I got it! You have a special song or something?"

"Yeah."

"You still have a key to her place?"

"Yeah."

"Then after the show tonight tear ass over there and have the song playing when she gets in. Maybe do something special for her too. Bubble bath. Flowers. Champagne."

"She’s pregnant, Morgan. She can’t drink," Sabin glowered at the larger man.

"Right. Well, just do something nice for her."

"What if that doesn’t work?"

"Then don’t give her a choice. Sit her down and tell her you want to be a part of this whole process and when the baby finally arrives you’re in its life and that’s all there is to it."

Sabin thought about it and after several minutes couldn’t really find a flaw with it. Then he grew suspicious. "Why are you helping me?"

Morgan grimaced. "Can’t a man try to atone for his sins without the third degree?" Sabin stared at him thoroughly confused. "I know I can’t take back all the shit I put you guys through. I was off the deep end for a while. If it’s at all in my power I’d like to help you guys get back together…as a way of apology."

"Well…"

"I don’t expect to be forgiven by either one of you, but my therapist said that it might be a nice gesture. I’m lucky you guys didn’t press charges and lock my big dumb ass up."

"Can’t say it didn’t cross my mind a few times," Sabin smirked. "You’re not such a bad guy when you’re not being a dick."

Morgan heard his name being called and stood. "Gotta go. Let me know how things go tonight, huh? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, kid." He patted Sabin on the back and headed inside.

"Make Shelly fall in love with me again," he murmured to himself. "Why the hell didn’t I think of that?"

~}i{~

"Hey, you," Angelina called seeing Shelly heading toward her, Velvet and Madison. "What’s going on with my belt?"

Shelly chuckled, shaking her head. It was an ongoing joke ever since Shelly had won the belt at Victory Road.

"Jarrett told us that we’ll be attacking you tonight," Velvet added. "So you won’t be able to wrestle."

"What’s going on," Madison asked.

Shelly cast a glance at Madison, before ignoring her completely and turning her attention back to Velvet and Angelina. She still hadn’t forgiven the petite blonde for the stunt with Sabin.

"Girls, I’m dropping the belt," Shelly sighed.

"What? Why," Velvet asked, wide eyed.

"Your shoulder isn’t still all messed up from Victory Road, is it," Angelina asked.

"No," Shelly smiled. "I can’t exactly wrestle while I’m pregnant."

"OHMIGOD," Velvet chirped, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet and clapping. "Really?"

Shelly nodded.

"Congratulations, honey," Angelina smiled.

"Yeah, congrats," Madison piped in.

Shelly gave her another look and rolled her eyes at her.

"Maddie, why don’t you go wait in catering," Velvet suggested.

Madison nodded and headed off. She knew why Shelly disliked her and hoped that eventually they’d get past it.

Angelina hooked her arm through Shelly’s and Velvet did the same on the other side. "So, this pregnancy thing is going to seriously impede our attack, chica," Angelina said.

"I have a way to take care of that," Shelly smiled. "We’re going with an injury storyline. All you have to do is ram my head into something, grab a chair and stomp on my ankle or knee or both. Whatever will give you the most bang for your buck."

"Wow. I’m gonna miss working with you," Angelina pouted. "You make things so easy. I don’t have to plan anything. You have everything all worked out."

"You have to bring the baby by once she’s born," Velvet gushed. "So we can see the cute little lumpkin."

"Oh! The father is…" Angelina hesitated thinking of the two options. She hoped that it wasn’t Morgan.

"Sabin," Shelly said. "Morgan and I never actually did anything." Angelina held a hand over her chest and heaved a relieved sigh.

"Thank GOD! That Morgan is just…"

"Icky," Shelly finished for her with a smirk.

"Exactly," Velvet agreed. "So, when are you going to forgive Maddie?"

"When hell freezes over," Shelly replied.

"Shell," Velvet whined. "Maddie thought she was helping. She didn’t do anything with Chris. We swear."

"I’ll think about it," Shelly replied.

"Think long and hard," Angelina ordered. "She’s making us miserable whining about how the temperature drops thirty degrees whenever you’re both in the same room."

"We have to go get our hair and make up done," Velvet finally said. "We’ll see you later."

Shelly watched the two women walk off chattering. She knew she should go get ready for the segment. Tonight would start the whole injury storyline rolling. Part of her didn’t want to go through with it, but she knew it was for the best. She’d just have to work her way back to the top again once she was able to.

Chapter 6

"Nervous," Frankie asked Shelly as she stood in the hall waiting for her segment. She was pacing a bit and fiddling with the Knockouts title in her hands.

"No," Shelly replied. Her face paled and she groaned, her hand over her mouth.

"Garbage can," Frankie said pointing down the hall. He had gotten used to the morning sickness with Traci.

Shelly murmured something unintelligible and took off down the hall like a bat out of hell. She braced herself over the can, emptying the contents of her stomach. She groaned as another wave of nausea struck.

There’s nothing left! What can I possibly be throwing up?

Shakily she straightened, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. A bottle of water entered her line of vision and she looked up at who was offering it. Her hazel eyes met Sabin’s blue ones.

"Thanks," she murmured, taking the bottle and rinsing out her mouth before taking a slow sip.

"You got a little…Let me get that for you," Sabin reached out with a napkin and wiped her chin for her. "Got it."

"Thanks."

Before Sabin could say anything else to her Angelina and Velvet called to her. She handed the water bottle back to him and walked off without another word.

"It’s a start," he sighed. "I got the music all taken care of. I’ll have to find someplace open that sells flowers. Definitely need to stop at a supermarket. Maybe some candles…"

He ticked things off on his fingers as he walked down the hall nearly colliding with Frankie. He looked up at the older man and groaned. The look on Frankie’s face told him he was in for a lecture.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young man," Frankie said crossing his arms.

"You know you’d remind me of my dad if it wasn’t for the crazy get up," Sabin replied motioning to the Suicide suit.

Frankie growled, grabbing Sabin by the back of his shirt collar and dragging him into a nearby locker room. He tossed him into a chair and glowered at him.

"How the hell could you do that to Shell? She needs you now, Chris. Do you realize that you’re about to become parents?"

"Yes, Frankie, I do," Sabin replied. "Look, I know I fucked up. I can’t lose her…or my baby." He gave a mournful sigh and looked up at his friend. "I’ve always wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, Frankie."

Frankie’s expression softened when he heard the sincerity in Sabin’s words. "Does she know that? Maybe you should tell her that."

"I intend to. I have a plan for tonight."

Frankie quirked his brow and Sabin elaborated on his plans, leaving out that it was Morgan who had suggested it in the first place.

"Want me to try and stall her so you can set up," Frankie offered.

Sabin smiled and nodded. "That’d be great. I’d only need about a half hour."

"You got it. Do you have a back up plan if this doesn’t work?"

"No, but I don’t intend to give up."

Frankie clapped him on the back. "Good luck, man. I’ve always thought that you and Shell were perfect for each other."

"Seems like everyone sees that but her," Sabin frowned.

~}i{~

Later that night after the show had been taped Frankie had explained to Traci what was going on and told her to go on home without him. She had agreed without argument. He waited outside the women’s locker room for Shelly to emerge.

"Shell, come on. I’ll drive you home," he called when she exited saying goodnight to Tara, Velvet and Angelina.

"I can drive myself, Frankie."

"I just figured you’d be tired," he replied, falling into step beside her. "I know Traci was really wiped out during the first couple of months."

"Did Chris ask you to speak to me or something?"

"No. Can’t I do something nice for my adopted little sister," he asked. "I mean it’s not everyday that you find out you’re going to be a dad and an uncle in a short span of time."

Shelly gave a tired sigh and handed over her keys. "Fine. You can drive. I have the start of a migraine anyway."

"That’ll pass," he said slipping an arm around her shoulders and leading her to the parking lot. "Once the morning sickness settles down you’ll feel a lot better."

"All right Doctor Spock," Shelly snickered.

"Do you have a preference as to what sex the baby is," he asked as they got in the car and he started it up.

Shelly thought a moment. "Not really. I just found out for sure this morning, Frankie. It's going to take time for me to adjust." He nodded as he pulled out of the parking lot. "I know you’re probably hoping for a boy."

"I’d love whatever Traci has," Frankie corrected her. She gave him a knowing look. "Fine, I would love to have a son to play ball with, but that doesn’t mean I won’t love a daughter too."

"You can play ball with a little girl too, Frankie" Shelly smiled. "You’ll be a great father." She looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with the rings on her right hand.

"Chris will be a great father too, Shell. You just have to give him a chance," he said softly.

She groaned having expected something like this to come. "Is this the real reason you wanted to drive me home?"

"No. Look, I can’t speak from experience not having a uterus and all, but according to Traci this is going to be tough on you. There’s the morning sickness, the aches and pains, then labor and delivery. It’s not something you should go through alone."

Shelly listened to him speaking, but did not speak. She knew everything he was saying was true.

"You know that we’ll all be there for you when you need us, but…you really should have Chris there with you through this," Frankie finished. "I know that if the roles were reversed and something like this happened between Traci and I…"

"You mean if a ‘roided up gorilla took your wife from you and made you believe she was cheating," Shelly asked. Frankie flinched at her words. "You have no idea what I’ve been through with Chris, Frankie."

"No, but…"

"He’s called me names. He’s made assumptions and accusations. He’s…" She took in a shuddering breath. "He’s the one who gave up on us. The minute he assumed I’d ever sleep with Matt Morgan willingly he put the final nail in the coffin of our relationship."

Frankie didn’t know what to say. He had known about how Sabin had acted during the ordeal with Morgan, but had no idea how bad things had gotten.

"I can’t take the chance of him bailing on me and the baby," she continued softly.

The rest of the car ride back to Shelly’s place was quiet. Frankie had no idea how to reply to what Shelly had said, especially since he knew she was right. Sabin’s track record was not the greatest. He only hoped that his friend would step up to the plate and not screw things up again.

Chapter 7

Sabin was just putting the finishing touches on Shelly’s surprise when he heard the key in the lock. He headed over to the stereo and pressed play just as the door opened. Shelly stood with her hand on the knob staring at him.

Candles of varying sizes softly lighted the living room. With Alex’s help Sabin had cleaned out the local market, buying every candle they had in stock. He picked up a bouquet of flowers he’d picked out and presented them to her.

"You think that candles and flowers are going to make me forgive you," she demanded, slamming the door as she crossed the living room floor.

"No, but I was hoping it’d be a start."

Shelly sighed, shaking her head. "Just get out, Chris. I’m not in the mood to deal with you."

"Well, tough," he replied setting the flowers down. She faced him, wide eyed at his tone. "I’m not leaving."

"Chris, I’m too tired to argue."

"Then don’t," he replied. "Come on. I drew you a hot bath."

He took her hand and led her into the bathroom where she could see the tub full of steaming water. The air was lightly scented with jasmine. He had remembered her favorite bath salts.

"Let’s get these off," he said reaching out to help her strip. She pulled away and he smirked. "Shell, I’ve seen you naked before."

"But…it’s different now," she murmured. "We were together then."

"Would you feel better if I turned around?"

"I’d feel better if you left," she retorted.

He chuckled. "You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Just strip and get in the tub already. The water’s getting cold."

Not in the mood to argue Shelly stripped and stepped into the tub, lowering herself down into the hot water. She could feel her muscles loosening and the tension easing as she soaked. Sabin grabbed a washcloth, dipping it into the water and began to wash her back.

"Chris, I can wash myself."

He placed a finger over her lips to quiet her. "Just let me do this, please."

She was determined to stick to her guns, but hearing the pleading tone of his voice softened her. "All right. This doesn’t change anything though."

"I know," Sabin smiled as he went back to work, washing her back.

She closed her eyes. As they sat in silence, Sabin slowly working his way from her back to her shoulders and neck, 311’s Love Song began to play. Shelly recognized the song the moment it started playing. It had been the song that Sabin had used to tell her how he felt about her.

"You remember this song," Sabin asked as he began to hum along.

Shelly took the washcloth from him. "Yes, I remember the song, Chris. All of this is really sweet, but I’m not going to change how I feel just because you bought some candles and flowers and played a song."

She stood and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. Before she could step out Sabin had lifted her out. He placed her on her feet, but held onto her.

"I’m trying to make things up to you, Shell," he said softly. "I know this isn’t going to make up for everything, but can’t it be a start?"

"I don’t know, Chris," she said pulling away from him.

He followed her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She stopped in her tracks seeing that there were candles in there too. On the bed resting against the pillows sat a little baby blue teddy bear.

"I’m ready to be the man you want me to be, Shell," he said, stepping around her and picking up the bear. "I just needed time to absorb the fact that you’re pregnant. It was a shock."

"And it wasn’t for me? Buying a stuffed bear doesn’t make you a father, Chris."

"I know that," Sabin exclaimed and then took a deep breath. He was trying to show her that he could be mature and losing his temper was not going to help.

"That is exactly why you’re not ready," Shelly said snatching the bear from him and tossing it aside. "You have a temper. What’s to stop you from getting pissed about something and leaving? Then what do I do? I can’t depend on you, Chris."

"I promise things will be different. Just give me a chance to show you. I’ll be there for you. Doctor’s appointments. Ultrasounds. Everything. I want to be there for you."

She shook her head going to the dresser and pulling out some clothes. Not caring that he was still in the room she dropped the towel and pulled on her clothes.

"It will be different, Shell. I promise you that." He eyed her as she pulled the shirt over her head. "Is that my Made in Detroit shirt?"

Shelly hadn’t realized what she had pulled out of the drawer. "Yeah. I found it after…it used to smell like you."

"What does it smell like now," he asked with a small smile. He knew that if she kept the shirt all wasn’t lost for the two of them.

"I’m tired, Chris. I’m going to bed." She blew out the candles and pulled back the covers on her bed. Sabin walked around the other side and turned down the covers on his side. "What are you doing?"

"It’s late," he replied. "I thought maybe I’d stay here." He could see that she wasn’t happy about it. "Hey, I let you stay in my bed that night at the hotel. Remember? You sniffed me?"

She had to fight to keep her face from cracking into a smile. There were times when he could be so adorable. Finally her façade cracked and she smiled.

"AHA! You do still know how to smile," he exclaimed.

Shelly chuckled and climbed into bed. He climbed in on his side, kicking off his shoes first. Shelly leaned over and pulled something out of the drawer on the bedside table.

"This is from my first ultrasound," she said holding out the picture to him.

Sabin took it and looked at the image, unsure exactly what he was looking at. "Um…"

She smiled. "The baby is right there." She pointed to a a spot on the bottom of the picture.

"Oh…the thing that looks kinda like a peanut," he asked. Shelly nodded. "Wow. We’re going to be the proud parents of Mr. Peanut."

"Wait until it starts to actually look like a baby," she chuckled, taking the picture back and setting on the nightstand. She rested back on the pillows. Her eyelids were growing heavier by the minute. It had been a very long day.

"Get some sleep, Shell," Sabin said pulling the covers up around her. "You’re sleeping for two now." His hand grazed her stomach and he hesitated there a moment. Tentatively he placed his hand there. She placed her hand over his, giving it a squeeze.

"I really hope you don’t disappoint me, Chris," she said sleepily.

"I won’t. I promise you." She was asleep before he’d even finished speaking. He curled up beside her and closed his eyes. This was definitely a great start. He smiled to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later they were both awakened by the shrill sound of the smoke alarm going off. Shelly sat up in bed, her eyes wide. In all the years she’d lived in this apartment she’d never heard the smoke detector go off. Now it was beeping like mad.

"What the hell is going on," Sabin asked.

"You didn’t blow out all those candles in the living room and bathroom did you," Shelly asked.

"Shit," Sabin bolted of bed. "It’s all right! I got it under control. Just stay there."

There was a frantic banging on the door just as he said that. The living room was smoky, but she couldn’t see a fire anywhere. Smoke was coming from the bathroom too. With a sigh Shelly got out of bed and answered it to find two firemen there.

"We got a report of a smoke detector going off in here," one said.

"I got it," Sabin said exiting the bathroom with a charred bit of wet towel in his hand. "I hope you weren’t attached to that towel."

"Sir, was there a fire in there," the firemen asked entering the apartment. "We need to make sure it’s under control."

"I put it out already," Sabin replied.

Shelly followed the firemen to the bathroom and groaned seeing the damage on the wall. The firemen examined the room and nodded that there was no need for them to stay. All the candles had either been blown out now or burned down to the end.

"Next time you decide to have a romantic evening in use less candles," one fireman suggested.

"Sorry to have you come out for nothing," Shelly said walking them to the door.

Once they were gone she turned to glare at Sabin as he opened up windows to let the smoke out. He fanned the smoke out the window, coughing a bit. He turned his attention to her finally and looked perplexed.

"Oh come on! You’re mad about that?"

"Yes, I’m mad! You nearly killed us," she growled going into the bedroom to pack a bag. There was no way she was staying there with the smoke and stench of charred remains.

"It was an accident! How was I supposed to know that would happen," he demanded.

"Common sense, Chris. You lit all those candles." She groaned thinking about the clean up. "How the hell am I going to explain this to my landlord?"

"Where will you go?"

"I’m calling Frankie," Shelly sighed taking a seat on the bed and dialing her friend's number. He stood there and listened as she explained the situation.

"I’ll clean up," he said once she hung up. "You go stay with Frankie and Traci."

She slipped on a pair of flip flops and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "Not a great way to prove to me that you’re going to change, Chris," she said before leaving.

"I swear it was an accident," Sabin called. He heard the front door slam in response. Shoulders slumped he set about cleaning up the candles.

Chapter 8

"Are you okay," Traci asked when Frankie had brought Shelly home. She looked her friend over making sure she wasn’t hurt in any way. All Frankie had said was that there was a fire at Shelly’s place and she needed a place to stay for the night.

"I’m fine. It was a small fire. Chris had it out before the fire department even got there," Shelly explained.

"You had us worried sick," Traci said sliding an arm around Shelly’s shoulders. "Come on. I’ll take you to the guestroom…well it’s the guestroom for a couple of more months anyway."

Traci opened the door and flicked on the light. The once pale blue walls had been repainted in a pale yellow and a border of frolicking zoo animals had been added to two of the walls so far. A half built crib sat in the far corner of the room. Furniture that needed to be assembled leaned against the wall next to it.

The large four poster bed that had been the focal point of the room was now gone. Against the wall opposite the crib and various other baby needs items sat a day bed and a nightstand with a lamp. Frankie placed Shelly’s bag on the bed.

"I’ll meet you in bed, babe," he said to Traci as he left.

Traci took Shelly’s hand and made her sit down on the bed. "What happened? Tell me everything."

Shelly shook her head. "It’s so silly. Chris surprised me with music and flowers and candles…lots of candles. It was all so sweet. He drew me a hot bath."

"Wow. Frankie doesn’t even do that for me."

"I showed him the ultrasound picture," Shelly smiled. "Of course Chris being Chris called the baby Mr. Peanut." Traci giggled. "Then we fell asleep. When we woke up the smoke alarm was going off. He forgot to put out the candles."

"Oh! Poor Chris. He was trying so hard," Traci frowned.

"I know. To make matters worse I…I was so mean to him." She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I feel so damn mixed up. One minute I love him and the next I want to kill him."

"Get used to it, honey," Traci said patting her friend’s knee. "You’ve got about seven more months worth of it coming."

"Great. So, if I don’t kill Chris by the time the baby’s born he’ll be all crazy from my mood swings."

"It’ll be worth it in the end," Traci smiled. "I’ll let you get some sleep." She stood and headed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Shelly sat there looking around the nursery. It made her realize how unprepared she was for her own child. She needed to start shopping for things immediately. She still had a few months, but procrastinating would not help matters.

She frowned realizing the first thing on her agenda would have to be a new apartment. A three room apartment was not going to be big enough for very much longer.

With a sigh she grabbed her phone from her bag and dialed Sabin’s number. She needed to talk to him…to apologize to him for how she treated him before she left.

"I’m cleaning up the mess. I promise," he answered.

"That’s not why I called. I…wanted to apologize for the way I acted. It was an accident and I shouldn’t have blamed you. You didn’t set the fire on purpose."

"What brought on this change of heart?"

"Space," she replied, getting under the covers. "Sometimes you make me so frustrated. I have to learn to control my temper."

"You’re just feisty," Sabin replied. "It’s why I love you so much."

"Call it what you want. I’m a bitch on wheels sometimes and I know it."

He chuckled. "You said it, not me."

"What a pair we are," Shelly sighed. "You have a temper. I have a temper. What the hell is our baby going to be like?"

"Our kid is going to be just perfect," Sabin replied. "Don’t you worry about that."

"I wish I could be as sure as you are, Chris," she said softly. "I’m scared. Really scared."

"This probably won’t make you feel better or anything, but I’ll be there with you," he replied. "I want us to be a family, Shell. All three of us."

"It does make me feel a little better," she replied, stifling a yawn.

"Get some sleep, beautiful," he said. "I’ll be cleared out when you get home."

"No. Stay. You should at least be able to sleep in a comfortable bed. Maybe when I get home we can have breakfast together."

"It’s a date."

"Goodnight, Chris."

"Night."

Shelly hung up, setting her phone down on the nightstand and shutting off the lamp. There was still so much to do it was overwhelming. She had no idea where to start.

~}I{~

The next morning she woke to the sound of Frankie and Traci in the kitchen. She could smell one of them making breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs turned her stomach and she rushed to the bathroom.

"Sounds like Shell’s up," Traci commented.

"Morning, hon," Frankie chirped as Shelly entered the kitchen. "Sleep all right?"

Shelly nodded, resting her head on the table when she took a seat. She wished that her stomach would stop feeling like a ship at sea. She groaned, moving to the edge of her chair in case she needed to return to the bathroom.

"Drink this," Traci said setting a cup of tea down in front of her. Shelly eyed the liquid and then looked at Traci with an arched brow. "It helps. Sip it slowly."

Shelly did as she was told and found that the tea did help. She was eventually able to nibble on half a slice of toast. Once she had finished off the tea and her toast she headed in to change.

"What are your plans for today," Frankie asked when she came into the living room where he and Traci sat.

Shelly showed him her bag. "Back home. I promised Chris I’d have breakfast with him and now thanks to the tea I think I might actually be able to keep it down."

"Need me to drive you," Frankie offered.

"Got my car here," she replied. "Just need the keys."

"Will we see you at the show tonight," Traci asked as Frankie got the keys from the hook in the kitchen.

"Yup. My last Impact. Tonight Angelina, Velvet and Madison put me out of commission for a while."

"See you at the show then," Traci called. Shelly waved as she headed out to her car.

~}I{~

When Shelly arrived home the smell of smoke had been aired out. She checked the bathroom. Sabin had to have been up really late cleaning up the mess. All that remained was a small snaking scorch mark up the bathroom wall by the towel bar. Thankfully the living room was not harmed at all.

She headed into the bedroom and saw Sabin was still sleeping. He was shirtless and from what she could see from the covers twisted around his waist he was only in his boxers. She shook her head. Some things never changed.

Kicking off her shoes she carefully crawled into bed next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She kissed his neck, bringing her lips to his ear.

"Wake up call for Chris Sabin," she said softly.

He groaned a small smile spreading over his face. "Is that my mail order hot mama?"

Shelly chuckled. "I’ll be whatever you want me to be, baby."

"Woo hoo! I finally have my own sex slave," he exclaimed, rolling over and wrapping his arms around her. "And she’s prettier than I ever imagined."

"I think I hear your screws rattling around in your head again, Chris," she giggled. She tried to pull away, but he held her tight. "Don’t you want to go get breakfast?"

"There’s something else I’d rather do," he said wriggling his eyebrows at her.

"Kind of why we’re in this predicament, Chris."

"Come on. We haven’t been together in…" He paused thinking back to the last time they’d made love.

"Almost three months," Shelly supplied the answer and patted her belly.

"Right. Detroit," Sabin said thinking back to that weekend. "Holy shit! The bath. We didn’t use anything then."

"Obviously."

"No…I mean…I thought we were being so careful and…life throws you curveballs sometimes," he chuckled.

"Or a line drive…wait why are we speaking in baseball metaphors?"

"I have no clue," he replied with a smile. "But I’d like to hit a homerun…if you catch my drift."

She laughed. "Chris you can make even the most benign word sound dirty."

"Really?" She nodded. "Let’s test that theory." He thought a moment and then in his most seductive tone said, "Bubble wrap."

"Oh God! Take me now you hunk of man," Shelly giggled.

"Your wish is my command," he replied.

His hand slipped behind her head and brought her lips to his in a heart stopping kiss. It had been their first since he kissed her in the ring at Slammiversary. Shelly’s heart fluttered as his hands moved her closer to his body, rolling so that she was on top of him. His kiss grew more and more heated with every passing minute.

"Chris," Shelly whimpered as his lips moved from her mouth to her neck.

"I’ve missed you so much," he murmured against her lips as he found her mouth again. He slid her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. His hands traced the lines of her body, the ones he’d memorized long ago. "I need you so bad, baby."

"Chris, we really shouldn’t," she sighed as he began to undress her more.

"Why not," he asked as he rolled so that she was on her back. His voice was muffled by the fact that he was kissing a trail down her body. He had rid her of her bra and was now working on her jeans.

She had a very good argument for his query about how this would only complicate their already complicated relationship, but that all flew out the window as he lavished attention that she had so desperately craved on her. She’d worry about the consequences of their actions later. She gave in to him, forgetting about everything that had been troubling her.

Chapter 9

Several hours later Shelly lay in Sabin’s arms as he spooned with her. He rested his head on her shoulder, kissing it now and then. He was completely content to remain like this for the rest of the day.

"We really shouldn’t have done that," Shelly sighed, though she really couldn’t feel any kind of remorse over what they’d just done. She’d missed him and he’d missed her. It was as simple as that.

"Because I’m not mature enough," he asked.

"For one thing," she agreed rolling onto her back. "For another…what are we Chris? Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? Friends with benefits? What?"

He smiled, cupping her cheek with one hand. "Is that what you’re worried about? A label?"

"I’m serious."

"I know. Look, let’s just take things one day at a time," he offered. "I know what I’d like us to be, but I think we’re a ways off from that."

"You’re still on the marriage kick, huh?"

"If anything I want that more than ever. Losing you…even if it was just for a short time has made that even more apparent to me. I don’t want a life without you in it," Sabin replied honestly. "You’re having my baby, Shell. Not exactly the way I had things planned out in my mind, but…sometimes you don’t have control over that."

"You had things planned out," she asked quirking a brow at him as he lazily traced circles over her stomach. He nodded, smiling up at her. "You’re just too cute for words sometimes." She tousled his hair.

"Does that mean you still love me," he asked with a cheeky smile.

"Always," she replied, lacing her fingers with his. "I’ll make a deal with you. Consider this your probation period. I meant it when I said you need to grow up, Chris. If you keep improving then…who knows what may happen down the line?"

Sabin smiled wide pulling her down to him and capturing her lips. "You won’t regret this. I promise you."

~}I{~

Alex and Cindy picked Shelly and Sabin up that night for Impact. Cindy couldn’t help smiling at the two being so loving toward each other. Alex was cautiously happy knowing that things could all come crashing down again at any moment.

"So, a birdie told me that you almost burned down Shell’s apartment last night, bro," Alex chuckled. "I told you that you bought too many candles."

"Alex, the voice of wisdom," Shelly teased. "Has hell frozen over?" Cindy snorted.

"You’re lucky you’re pregnant, woman," Alex pouted.

"Or you’d do what," Cindy challenged. "You know you make a move on my friend and you’re asking for trouble from me."

"And me," Sabin chirped.

"Chris, really? You’d choose them over me?"

"In a heartbeat," Sabin snickered. "Sorry, man. What kind of guy would I be if I didn’t side with the mother of my child?"

Alex pouted. "Point taken."

Sabin patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don’t worry, man. Someday you’ll understand."

Alex peeked into the rear view mirror and saw Sabin sit back, his arm around Shelly’s shoulders while he talked quietly with her. He couldn’t help smiling, happy for his friends. They seemed so happy for the time being. He glanced at Cindy, who was also smiling.

~}I{~

"Hey, kid," Morgan called seeing Sabin walking down the hall later that night at the Impact Zone. "How’d it go last night?"

"I almost burned down her building," Sabin chuckled.

"And you’re laughing because?"

"Despite that she still wants to be with me. We had some awesome…" He stopped talking looking up at Morgan awkwardly. "Well, we made up."

"I gotcha," Morgan smirked. "It’s cute. You can’t talk about fucking."

"No, I choose not to talk about it," Sabin replied, glowering up at him. "And that’s the mother of my child you’re talking about. It’s not fucking it’s making love."

"Look, bro, a dick goes in a hole it’s fucking no matter how you sugar coat it."

"Whatever." Sabin rolled his eyes at the larger man. "All I know is she’s back where she belongs…no offense."

Morgan held up his hands. "None taken. Listen, I know that Shell probably hates my guts and all, but…um…do you think she’d let me do something for you guys…for the baby."

"Like what?"

"Well…" Morgan sighed, his cheeks tinged with pink as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I’ve always wanted to build a crib. My ex and I…we wanted kids when we first got married, but we never got around to it. I’ve just always wanted to do something with my own two hands. Ya know?"

"Wouldn’t it be easier just to buy one and put it together," Sabin queried.

"Yes, but where’s the sense of accomplishment," Morgan asked. "Come on. I can do this. I’ve had plans in my head for years."

Sabin sighed. He still didn’t completely trust the man, but he had given him some good advice on getting his girlfriend back…even if he was in a probationary period.

"It’s not really up to me. You’d have to run the idea by Shell."

"Great. So, let me know how that goes."

Sabin chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh no, Matt, you’re going to have to ask her yourself." Morgan blanched at the idea. "What’s the matter? You’re not scared of her are you?"

"NO! I just…the Mafia is watching me and if I even so much as fart sideways they’ll come down on my ass."

Sabin snickered. "Want me to hold your hand while you go ask Shell?"

"You don’t have to be so patronizing. I offered to do this out of the kindness of my heart."

"What heart?"

"You know what I mean!"

"All right. Come on. I’ll take you to see Shell, but if she says no then the answer is no."

Shelly was just finishing up in hair and make up when Sabin found her. She looked up from the magazine she’d been thumbing through and saw Morgan behind him.

"What’s HE doing here," she demanded.

"Baby, just hear him out. He has something he needs to ask you," Sabin said.

Shelly crossed her arms across her chest, glaring up at Morgan. "Speak."

"You…you look really beautiful tonight," Morgan stammered. Shelly gave a derisive snort. "What I wanted to ask was…could I build a crib for your baby," he asked quickly.

She arched a brow at Sabin. "Did I hear him right?"

"He wants to build a crib for our baby," Sabin nodded.

"Please. I’ve always wanted to. It won’t be anything fancy, but I think I could make a solid crib that you’d get a lot of use out of."

"Hang on there, Matt. I haven’t even had this one yet. Don’t go getting ahead of us," Shelly said. She turned her attention to Sabin. "You’re seriously going to trust this man? After all the shit he’s put us through?"

"He’s trying to change," Sabin replied, wondering why he was defending Matt Morgan.

"He tried to kill you, Chris!"

"But I didn’t," Morgan chimed in. Shelly shot him a death glare and he quieted down

"Could I have just a moment to speak to Shell in private," Sabin asked Morgan, who nodded and walked a little ways down the hall.

"The answer is no, Chris," Shelly said before he could say a word.

"Look, I trust him about as far as I can throw him, but…"

"But what?"

Sabin groaned, knowing that he’d have to tell her whose idea the whole romantic evening had been. "He’s the one who suggested that I do the whole candles and flowers last night."

"Great, so I have Morgan to thank for the scorch marks on my bathroom wall," Shelly exclaimed.

"He made a suggestion. I took it too far. Look, I think maybe doing this could be good for him," Sabin replied. "Babe, remember we both have to keep our tempers in check? You said I have to grow up. Isn’t part of growing up knowing when to forgive and move on?"

Shelly glared at him. "That is NOT what I meant by grow up, Chris and you know it."

He wrapped his arms around her. "It’ll save us money on a crib."

"If you think I’m putting our child in something that man built you’re insane!" With that she shrugged him off and stormed off down the hall.

Sabin went to Morgan, who was still waiting for an answer. "She said yes," he lied. "But only if I help."

"Great! I hadn’t thought about it, but it’ll go twice as fast with someone helping out. How long we got before the rugrat gets here?"

"About seven months," Sabin replied.

"Perfect! You won’t regret this, little buddy," Morgan said clapping Sabin on the back.

"I hope not," Sabin replied as the big man walked away. Now he had to figure out a way to hide this from Shelly until they were ready to reveal the finished product. He just hoped that Morgan knew what he was doing when it came to building things.

Chapter 10

"Alex, you gotta help me," Sabin said grabbing his best friend and dragging him away from the catering table.

"With what," Alex asked.

"See, Morgan asked if he could build the baby’s crib," Sabin replied. Alex arched a brow at him. "And I told him he could if Shell said it was all right."

"So, what’s the problem? No way in hell Shell would agree to that."

"Right. She said no, but…I…um…kinda told Morgan she said yes as long as I help him," Sabin replied rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Alex snorted, knowing his friend had dug himself into a hole he’d never get out of. "So, how do you think I can help?"

"Well, we’ll need someplace to build it and I was thinking…"

"Oh no," Alex chuckled, cutting him off. "Let me stop you right there. If I let you and that big ape build anything at our place Cinder’ll have my nuts in a vice. In case you haven’t noticed, I like when my girlfriend is happy. I don’t like it when she’s pissed at me. Got it?"

Sabin groaned, shoulders slumping. "I guess I’ll figure something out."

"Good luck with that," Alex said clapping him on the back before heading back to the catering table.

~}i{~

Shelly was finally finished for the night. She’d taped her segment with The Beautiful People and was heading to the Guns locker room to relax until Sabin was done for the night. Just as she got halfway down the hall a door swung open and she lost her footing trying to avoid contact. Before she could fall strong arms steadied her.

"Are you all right," she heard a deep Southern drawl ask her and looked up into the crystal blue eyes of AJ Styles.

"AJ, I’m fine," Shelly chuckled. "You almost got me."

"Sorry about that," AJ said blushing. He realized that his arms were still around her and released her, chuckling nervously. He had only intended to steady her so she didn’t fall. "I heard about you and Chris and the baby. Congratulations."

"Thanks," she replied as he fell into step beside her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired and nauseous all the time." She sighed.

He nodded, having been through it when his wife was pregnant with Ajay and Avery. "That should pass. Try some warm ginger ale and crackers. Wendy said they helped a lot. How’s Chris taking it?"

Shelly laughed, shaking her head. "He fainted when he found out." She neglected to tell him that Sabin had initially thought it was Morgan’s. AJ chuckled.

"Are you two…back together now?"

"We’re working on it," Shelly replied honestly. She really did want things to work out with the relationship. She wanted her child to have a family and not a broken home.

"Well, I wish you two the best of luck, sweetie," AJ said. "I hope things work out for the sake of the baby." Down the hall Daniels called to him. "I have to go. If you ever need anything or have any questions about anything I’m here for you, honey."

"Thanks, AJ," Shelly said giving him a hug before he rushed off to meet up with Daniels.

"Flirting with AJ, are we," she heard from behind her and spun around to find Greg standing there smirking.

"AJ’s just a friend, Greg."

"I know," he replied with a wave of his hand. "Just fuckin’ with ya."

"Greg! Thank GOD! I need to talk to you, man," Sabin said. He noticed Shelly there then. "Oh, hey, babe." He gave her a quick kiss. "Come on, Greg." He grabbed Greg’s hand and dragged him away.

Shelly arched a brow at Sabin’s retreating form. "And he’s the father of my child," she mumbled, shaking her head as she headed off to the Guns locker room.

Meanwhile down the hall Sabin continued to drag Greg, until he finally got tired of it and yanked his hand free.

"Dude, you ain’t my girlfriend so keep your grubby paws off me," he griped.

"Greg, I need your help!"

"Buddy, you need more help than I’m qualified to give."

"I’m serious!" He went into detail about the whole Morgan building a crib conversation. "I’ve asked a bunch of people and they all say no."

"Let me get this straight," Greg said, snickering. "Meathead Morgan wants to build a crib for your baby?" Sabin nodded. "Can you say death trap?"

"Look, I’ll be helping him build it. We just need someplace to do it." Greg snorted and made a face. Sabin groaned, slapping his own forehead. "Sick, man! Mind out of the gutter!"

"I didn’t say anything!"

"You didn’t have to. I know how your demented mind works," Sabin retorted. "Now, can we use your place or what?"

"Let me think about that…no."

"Come on, man! I’m running out of options here!"

"Then maybe you should have told the dumb oaf the truth," Greg replied. "Try Frankie. He’s all about the baby shit these days."

Sabin gave a long suffering sigh. "He’ll want to help if he says yes and…he might let it slip to Shell."

"Well…then…you’re screwed." Greg screwed up his face, a thought just dawning on him. "Why the hell would you actually want Morgan to do this? The man practically killed you and molested your girlfriend on a nightly basis."

"Don’t remind me," Sabin’s eyes flashing dangerously. "I haven’t forgiven him, but…I just thought that if he did this…maybe…I don’t know." He threw his hands up, unsure of what he thought.

"You don’t honestly think he’ll build a crib and be all reformed and shit, do you?" Sabin shrugged. "Chris, that guy is totally fucked in the head."

"He’s going to a therapist."

Greg clapped a hand on Sabin’s shoulder, chuckling and shaking his head. "Dude, he needs to be in a damn ASYLUM." With that he walked off still chuckling.

Sabin watched him leave with a hang dog expression on his face. His options were growing extremely thin. He was about to go and tell Morgan the truth when he spotted Frankie coming his way. He was fiddling with his Suicide mask as he walked.

"Better than nothing," Sabin sighed. "Frankie," he called. "Old buddy, old pal."

Frankie looked up at the younger man coming his way and quirked a brow. "What do you want, Chris?"

"Do I have to want something just to say hi to a dear friend," Sabin replied smiling sweetly at him.

"Cut the shit, Chris. I have a match soon."

"Fine," Sabin sighed. "I have a dilemma and I need your help. You’re my last hope, Frankie."

"Don’t tell me that things with Shell have gotten all fucked up again. What did you do this time?"

"I didn’t do anything, Frankie. I resent you assuming it’d be my fault too," Sabin replied indignantly. "No, see Morgan asked me if he could build a crib for the baby."

Frankie started laughing as soon as the words were out of Sabin’s mouth.

"Can I continue," Sabin demanded, annoyed that this was what seemed like the millionth time that he had to tell this story. Frankie bit his lip to stop laughing and nodded for him to continue. "I told him he could if Shell said yes." Frankie whimpered, knowing what Shelly’s answer had been his teeth bit into his lip harder to keep the laugh from escaping. "As you can guess she said no. The thing is…I told Morgan she said yes as long as I help him."

Frankie lost it then and had to lean against the wall so he didn’t fall over laughing. "Why…would you tell him that?"

"I don’t know!"

"So, what do you need help from me for," Frankie asked wiping tears from his eyes.

"We need someplace to build it and keep it until the crib is finished," Sabin explained.

Frankie sighed. "I really don’t want Morgan at my place, Chris. Why do you even want this to happen? I mean…can Morgan build things? Have you ever seen anything he’s built?"

"I…Maybe I want to help so I can say I made something for my child," Sabin muttered.

"Chris," Frankie smiled. "If that’s the case then…I don’t see a problem with it…aside from the fact that Morgan will be there. Can’t you do this on your own?"

"He’s trying to change," Sabin defended, wondering why. "He’s seeing a therapist. He’s already got plans and stuff. I wouldn’t even know where to start."

"Just…keep him away from me," Frankie replied. "I still remember the concussion the bastard gave me."

"Understood. Thanks, man. I really appreciate this," Sabin smiled. "Um…don’t tell Shell about this, huh? She’ll flip if she finds out."

"How do you intend to explain to her where the crib came from," Frankie demanded.

"I’ll think of something! I just have to…ease her into the idea," Sabin replied.

Frankie shook his head with a sigh. "I hope for the sake of you and your child she takes it as well as you’re hoping." Greg’s music began blasting through the arena and Frankie frowned. "Shit! I have to get out there. That’s my match!" He slipped the mask on and took off down the hall.

Chapter 11

When Shelly and Sabin arrived at her place that evening it was late. Shelly tossed her bag onto the couch and headed into the bathroom. She wanted nothing more than to relax under the hot spray of the shower.

She looked at the scorch mark on the wall and sighed as she ran the hot water. Her landlord would have a shit fit if he ever saw that. It was bad enough that she was sure he had heard about the fire department coming to the building. She would have to start apartment hunting as soon as possible now.

"Chris, I’m jumping in the shower," she called as she stripped.

"Kay," he called back.

Odd she thought. He usually asks if I want company. She shrugged and stepped under the hot water.

Meanwhile in the living room Sabin was fishing around in Shelly’s bag. He needed to find her phone to get Morgan’s number. If he came right out and asked her he knew she’d be suspicious. He was sure the big man would want to get started on the crib as soon as possible and the last thing he needed was Shelly pissed at him if Morgan called her about it.

Just as he closed his hand around the phone it began to ring. Sabin smiled as Godsmack’s I Fucking Hate You ringtone began playing. It could mean only one thing…Morgan was calling.

"Hey, Matt," Sabin said answering the phone.

"Are you monitoring Shell’s phone calls," Morgan replied, his voice light. He sounded amused.

"No. I just happened to be looking for your number, ya big ox," Sabin replied.

"I’m touched, but you’re not my type," Morgan chuckled.

"And you’re mine? Hardly. Too much chest hair," Sabin joked. Morgan snickered. "What’d you want?"

"I was calling to thank Shell for letting me do this," the big man replied. "I’ve been sketching out plans since I got back to hotel. I think this crib is going to be a real beauty."

"Yeah, about that…I wasn’t…completely honest when I told you that Shell said yes," Sabin stammered.

"What the hell are you talking about," Morgan demanded, his tone going from light to pissed in record time.

"See…she really said…no, but I think that this is a really good idea so…I overruled her," Sabin explained.

"Kid, I just wasted a whole shitload of time drawing up plans on something that Shell’s gonna throw in the trash," Morgan griped. "Thanks a lot!"

"Matt, I want us to do this," Sabin exclaimed and then cringed knowing that if he got too loud Shelly would hear him. "I need to do this and I need your help. Please don’t give up before we even started the project."

He could hear Morgan sigh loudly. "I’m not doing anything until you get the okay from Shell. I’m sorry I even suggested it."

"No, Matt! Don’t…hang up," Sabin groaned. The big man had already hung up before the words were even out of his mouth.

Sabin copied the number over to his phone and shoved her phone back in Shelly’s bag. By this time she had finished her shower and emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel as she was toweling her hair dry.

"Feel better," he asked, shoving his phone into his pocket as he stood.

"Much," she replied. "You coming to bed?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "It’s been a long night."

He followed her into the bedroom, sitting down on the foot of the bed. He watched as she pulled out something to sleep in. She glanced at him and smiled as she dropped her towel and slipped a sleep shirt over her head.

"You sleeping in that or are you going to change," she asked.

"In a minute," Sabin replied. He held out his hand to her and she took it, allowing him to pull her into his lap.

"Chris, what’s wrong," she asked seeing how serious he looked.

"I don’t want you pissed at me," he replied.

"If something’s bothering you I want you to be able to talk to me," she replied, cupping his face and brushing her lips across his.

"I know you hate Morgan and all, but I think you should let him build the crib," he finally said. "What if I helped him?"

"No." She attempted to stand, but he held her firmly in place. "I’m not going to change my mind about this."

"Is that because he wants to do it or because I want to help him," Sabin asked.

"I don’t trust him," she replied, giving up the struggle to get free. "It has nothing to do with you. I don’t trust Matt Morgan."

"Fair enough," Sabin replied, releasing her.

She could tell he wasn’t happy with her answer. Biting her bottom lip she debated internally. She watched as he stood and began to disrobe.

"Maybe…" She hesitated and he looked up from what he had been doing. "If I get input on the this project…"

Sabin smiled and went to her, wrapping his arms around her. "You mean it?"

"As long as one of us keeps an eye on him," she replied.

He kissed her softly. "Good…cause…um…I kinda told him you had said yes earlier."

"Chris!"

"I made an executive decision, but I told him the truth while you were showering," he said quickly. "He wouldn’t go ahead with plans until you said yes."

"So, he does have a brain after all," Shelly muttered. "We can call him in the morning." She stifled a yawn.

"So, you’re not mad at me," he asked as she turned down the covers.

"I guess not," she sighed crawling into bed. He climbed in, snuggling up to her and kissing her neck. "Not tonight, Chris. I’m tired."

"So, when you said you’re not mad you really meant you are," he pouted. He lay back on his pillow, his arms crossed and his bottom lip sticking out.

Shelly groaned, rolling onto her side and shutting off the bedside lamp. "Good night, Chris."

She felt arms snake around her and lips kiss her neck softly. "Night, beautiful." She felt his hand on her stomach. "Night, Mr. Peanut."

She couldn’t help chuckling tiredly. "It just might be a Ms. Peanut, you know?" He chuckled, pulling her closer to him.

~}I{~

The next morning when Shelly woke she felt Sabin’s arms still wrapped around her tightly. She couldn’t help smiling, but her smile soon fell when her stomach gave a lurch.

"Oh no," she groaned and attempted to get free. "Chris," she hiccuped. "Chris….let…me…go!"

"Huh? Oh shit!" He released her and watched as she raced into the bathroom. He heard her get sick and sat up, swinging his off the bed and went to the bathroom door. "Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head no, resting her head on her arm as she waited for another wave of nausea to pass. "I’ll be fine. Just have to wait it out."

"How much longer is this going to last," he asked, squatting down next to her. He brushed some strands of hair from her face.

"Hard to say. Every pregnancy is different," she sighed. "Some women are more sensitive than others. Hopefully only a few more weeks though."

He helped her to stand. "You wash up and I’ll give Morgan a call and let him know you’re on board. Is that all right?"

She nodded, going to the sink. "Make sure he knows my conditions."

"Yeah, yeah," Sabin said as he left the bathroom. He was about to go grab his phone when there was a knock at the door. He abandoned the phone and went to answer it. Morgan was standing there when he opened the door. The big man held a notepad in his hand and had a pencil shoved behind his ear.

"I know you didn’t want Shell to know about this whole crib thing, but I got to thinking this morning," Morgan said barging right in without being invited. "I thought that maybe if she saw the plans I’ve drawn up she’d change her mind."

"Come right in, Matt," Sabin muttered, closing the door.

"So, is she still sleeping?" Morgan was totally oblivious to Sabin’s comment.

"No, she’s in the bathroom. Morning sickness," Sabin replied. Morgan made a face. "She should be out soon." He motioned toward the couch and Morgan sat down.

"Chris, do you have your phone on speaker," Shelly asked coming out of the bathroom. "I heard Matt’s voice."

"That’s because he decided to pay us a surprise visit," Sabin replied.

"Wow, you look like shit," Morgan muttered.

"Thanks, Matt. That’s just what I wanted to hear after puking my guts up," Shelly all but growled at him.

"Matt, buddy, why don’t you show Shell the sketches for the crib," Sabin suggested before the situation could erupt into a shouting match.

"Right," Morgan said remembering the pad in his hand. He flipped it open and stood going to her and showing her the sketches. "I know you said no, but just look at what I want to do before you make a final decision."

"Matt, Chris and I talked about it last night and…"

"No, I know you did, but if you just reconsider and look at the sketches," Morgan interrupted.

"Matt," Shelly said snatching the book from his hands. "I see what you’ve done. It all looks very nice. Chris and I talked about this last night after the phone call. You can build the crib." Morgan’s face broke into a wide smile. "There’s one very big condition."

"Anything," Morgan exclaimed, scooping her up and spinning her around.

"Put me down before I puke on you," Shelly exclaimed. Sabin couldn’t help snickering.

"Sorry. So, what’s the condition," Morgan asked as he set Shelly down on her feet.

"I get the final say on everything," Shelly said once her stomach had stopped protesting. "That means design, wood, paints or stains. Everything."

"Fair enough," Morgan smiled. "I can not wait to start this project!"

Chapter 12

A few weeks later Shelly, Sabin and Morgan made a trip to the hardware store to check out some samples of wood for the crib. Morgan and Sabin had conflicting views on the best wood to use and argued most of the car ride. It was all Shelly could do to not kill the both of them as they bickered. The argument continued as they headed inside.

"Can the two of you shut up and just ask for help already," Shelly growled. "I don’t want to be in here all day."

"Fine, as long as we’re agreed that maple is the best wood to use," Morgan said.

"No! Oak," Sabin growled. "Look, Matt, I appreciate you doing this and all, but it’s my kid and I think I should have the final say in what the damn crib is built out of."

"Actually, Chris, it’s our baby and we, as in both of us, should have the final say in what it’s built from," Shelly corrected as she found someone to help them.

Morgan and Sabin continued their argument as Shelly explained the situation to the man who handled the wood sales. He grabbed some samples to show her while the men continued to argue.

"I’m telling you we’re building the crib out of oak," Sabin yelled, grabbing a sample block of oak.

"Maple is better," Morgan exclaimed, grabbing a sample of said wood. "You know what? It doesn’t really matter because the damn crib is gonna be painted white!"

"Actually, Matt, I prefer the natural wood color just stained and finished," Shelly interjected.

"Right. What she said," Morgan corrected himself.

"Which is why we should go with Oak," Sabin sighed.

"Actually if you’re building a crib," the man Shelly had been talking to said. "Your best bet is to go with Cherry. It’s sturdy and looks beautiful once it’s been stained and finished." He held out a plank of it for them to inspect. It had been stained and finished. "She’s a mighty sturdy wood."

Both Morgan and Sabin opened their mouths to object, but Shelly held up her hand. "We’ll take it," she said.

Together they figured out how much wood they would need and made plans for it to be delivered to Frankie’s place since that was where the crib would be built. The wood could be stored in his shed out back when not in use.

"Now, gentlemen, what do you say we grab some lunch. I’m famished," Shelly said as they exited the store.

"I thought you hated food right now," Morgan said as he held the car door open for Shelly. Sabin shoved him away assuming Morgan’s position.

"The nausea isn’t as bad as it used to be," Shelly replied getting into the car.

Sabin smiled, running around to slide behind the wheel. "She’s even got the start of a baby bump."

"Chris, cut it out," Shelly sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You’re crazy, kid," Morgan said getting into the backseat. "She looks great. I can’t tell she’s pregnant."

Sabin smirked, glancing into the backseat over his shoulder. "You don’t get to see her naked," he gloated.

"Chris, drive," Shelly growled, smacking his arm.

"What? He doesn’t," Sabin giggled.

"Remember that talk we had about growing up," she reminded him.

Sabin shut up and pulled away from the curb. After some awkward silence the conversation resumed. All three talked of the crib. Morgan excitedly chattered about his plans, accepting input from Shelly and Sabin.

"I hate to say this, big man," Sabin sighed as he pulled up to the curb by a restaurant. "But the crib building will have to wait a couple of weeks." Morgan furrowed his brow. "Alex and I have some obligations over in Japan, dude."

"No problem. We still have time," Morgan smiled, patting Shelly on the shoulder. "We still have time."

~}i{~

The three headed inside the restaurant and were shown to a table. Shelly picked up her menu and glanced over it.

"I’m so hungry I could eat a horse," she muttered.

"Don’t think they serve horse here, babe," Sabin chuckled.

"Don’t pick on her," Morgan scolded. "Go ahead and order anything you want, sweetheart. I’m payin’."

"Well, if that’s the case I’ll have the lobster and the filet mignon," Shelly chuckled.

"I can pay for us, ya know, Matt," Sabin pouted.

"I didn’t say you couldn’t," Morgan shrugged. "Just felt like treating my good friends to lunch."

Sabin opened his mouth to protest, but Shelly placed a hand over his. "Don’t argue. If Matt wants to pay then let him."

"Fine," Sabin replied glancing over the menu.

When the waitress came to take their order Sabin surprised Morgan by ordering the most expensive meal on the menu; a large cut of steak with fries on the side. Shelly and Morgan ordered club sandwiches and iced tea.

"Are you really going to eat all of that, Chris," Shelly asked arching a brow at him as his steak was set in front of him. Sometimes it amazed her the amount of food he could ingest and still remain as small as he was.

"Seriously, kid, that steak is bigger than you are," Morgan chuckled.

"Not only am I going to eat every morsel," Sabin said cutting a piece of steak and popping it into his mouth. "I’m going to enjoy every bite."

"At least it’s money well spent," Morgan shrugged.

The table grew quiet as they all enjoyed their food. Morgan watched Shelly as she ate, unable to hide the smile curling his lips.

"Matt, why are you watching me eat," she demanded.

"It’s just odd to see you tearin’ up that sandwich when I’m used to you tossin’ your cookies," Morgan replied.

"Get used to it, Matt," Sabin chimed in, swallowing a big chunk of his steak. "She’s eating for two now."

Shelly smiled sweetly at Sabin, reaching out with her napkin to wipe his chin. "Remember that when I ask you to go get me things I’m craving in the middle of the night."

Morgan snickered at the face that Sabin made. "Just don’t make it too gross or I’ll have to say no," Sabin replied.

"You’ll get whatever I ask you to get," Shelly replied. "Or we’ll never have another child. Do I make myself clear?"

Morgan choked on his iced tea at these words. "She’s got ya there, buddy," he choked.

"Shut up, Morgan," Sabin pouted and went back to eating his steak.

~}i{~

A few days later Sabin accompanied Shelly to the doctor. After what seemed like an eternity in the waiting room they sat in the exam room waiting. Sabin was eyeing the models of a uterus and a baby in the womb. He picked up the one of the baby and the model baby fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Good lord, Chris," Shelly sighed. "Put it back before you break it."

"I was just looking," Sabin said picking up the baby and attempting to put it back inside the model. "Umm…."

"Give it to me," Shelly huffed. He did and she popped the baby back in place. "Now put it back."

Sabin did as he was told just as the doctor entered the room. "I was just looking," Sabin exclaimed.

The doctor, a petite blonde woman, smiled at him. "First time father?"

"How’d you guess, Doctor Sullivan," Shelly asked.

Sullivan chuckled and consulted her chart. After some questions on how Shelly was feeling and what to expect within the next few weeks she pulled over the ultrasound machine.

"Let’s see how baby is doing, shall we," she asked.

Sabin leaned over in his seat to stare at the screen. "I can’t wait to see what Mr. Peanut looks like now."

"Not like a peanut anymore," Sullivan chuckled as she moved the wand around on Shelly’s stomach. "There’s your baby. There’s hands, feet and a head. That sound you hear is your baby's heart beating."

Sabin stared in wonder at his child on the screen. "Mr. Peanut’s gone," he gasped.

"He’s still there," Shelly smiled, taking his hand. "He just doesn’t look like a peanut anymore."

"Can you tell us whether it’s a boy or a girl," Sabin asked excitedly.

Sullivan chuckled. "I’m afraid it’s too early for that just yet." She punched some buttons on the machine and printed off a picture for them. "Everything looks great so far." She put the wand away and handed Shelly some paper towels to clean the gel off her stomach.

After making an appointment for her next check up Shelly and Sabin exited the office. He was staring at the picture as they got into the car.

"This is our son," he finally said after staring in awe for a while.

"Or daughter," Shelly chuckled. "You heard what the doctor said."

"It’s a boy," Sabin replied confidently as he started the car and handed her the ultrasound picture. "I just know it is." Shelly just rolled her eyes and she sat back in the passenger seat.

Chapter 13

Shelly glanced up from the paper she was reading as Sabin packed his bags for his trip to Japan. He was muttering to himself about what he still needed to pack. She couldn’t help smiling as he absentmindedly stuffed things into his suitcases.

"Shit!"

"What’s wrong," she asked, setting aside the paper, her apartment hunting abandoned for the time being.

"I just realized I left the kickpads I wanted to use at my place in Detroit. Damn it." He sat down at the end of the bed with a huff.

"You wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting stuff if we lived together," Shelly said crawling down to the foot of the bed and slid her arms around his neck.

"I know, babe, but you won’t move to Detroit," he replied.

"Why can’t you move down here," Shelly asked, kissing his neck.

"What’s wrong with Detroit," Sabin asked, turning so he could look at her.

"Nothing."

"Alex and I grew up in Detroit."

"I know that, Chris. I didn’t say anything was wrong with it. I just…I don’t think it’s good for me to move halfway across the country while I’m pregnant…and do we really want to bring a child into the world in a city known as the Murder City? It’ll be easier for you to get to Impact and PPVs in Orlando if you moved down here."

"But…"

"Alex moved down here for Cindy," Shelly pointed out.

"My family’s in Detroit," Sabin pouted. "My mom and my cousins are there."

"They can come visit any time they want," Shelly replied.

"I can’t talk about this right now," Sabin sighed, standing. "I need to call my mom and have her overnight my kickpads." With that he left the room.

Shelly sat back on her haunches, shaking her head. "And once again you’ve proven that you need to grow up." She slid off the bed and went into the living room where Sabin was on the phone. "Honey, have you told your mom she’s going to be a grandmother," she asked sweetly.

Sabin’s eyes went wide as saucers and he cupped his hand over the phone. "I…I haven’t had to the chance to tell her yet…but I will."

"When? After the baby is born," Shelly asked.

"Yes, mom, that was Shelly," Sabin stammered. "Um…she said…are you sitting down, mom? You’re going to be a grandmother." He cringed and held the phone away from his ear as his mother squealed. "So…you’re happy? Yes, I know mom. I will marry her when we’re both ready. No, it’s complicated."

He glared at Shelly who was smiling at him and mouthed ‘I’m going to kill you’ to her.

"You wouldn’t hurt the mother of your unborn child," she whispered and blew him a kiss as she headed back in to the bedroom to commence the hunt for a new apartment.

~}i{~

"Are you sure you’ll be all right," Sabin asked Shelly for the millionth time that day. They were in the airport terminal waiting for Sabin and Alex’s flight to be called.

"Dude, she’s not gonna break just ‘cause you’re not around," Alex said rolling his eyes at his friend. "Right, preggers?"

"Alex," Cindy exclaimed, slapping him upside the head.

"Ow! Babe," he whined. "Shell doesn’t mind the nickname! Do you?"

"No, Alex," Shelly replied shaking her head.

"See," Alex said sticking his tongue out at Cindy. She caught his tongue with her thumb and forefinger and he yelped. Shelly and Sabin watched the two’s antics, chuckling.

"Go wow your Japanese fans," Shelly said giving Sabin a kiss. "We’ll be fine." Sabin gave her a weak smile. "I promise you everything will be fine. Frankie’s just a phone call away if anything happens." Sabin blanched at the idea. "Nothing will happen. I’ll still be pregnant when you get home."

"If anything you call me. I don’t care what time it is," he said placing a hand on her stomach. He smiled feeling the little bump. "I’m going to miss you two."

"We’ll miss you too," Shelly replied.

"Come on, daddy to be," Alex said grabbing Sabin by the shirt collar. "Our flight was just called."

"I’ll call you when we land," he yelled as Alex dragged him away.

"How soon do you think before Chris is driving Alex insane," Shelly asked as she walked out of the terminal with Cindy.

"Five minutes into the flight," Cindy snickered. "Come on. We promised Traci we’d to go shopping."

"Doesn’t she have enough stuff for the baby," Shelly asked as they got in the car.

"It’s not for her, silly," Cindy smiled. "It’s for you. Oh and I have to pick up Taylor. She wants to come too."

"Great. It’s a regular girls day out," Shelly groaned.

They made a quick stop to pick up Taylor and headed off to pick up Traci. When they arrived at Traci and Frankie’s place they found the couple outside arguing. Cindy parked the car in the driveway and the three women got out of the car.

"Traci, baby, I don’t think that walking around a mall is the best thing for you right now," Frankie said.

"I’m fine, Frankie. It’s not for me. It’s for Shelly. She doesn’t have any maternity clothes and she still needs so much for the baby."

"What’s going on, guys," Shelly asked.

"Talk some sense into her please," Frankie sighed. "She’s got to take it easy. The doctor said so."

Shelly turned her gaze to Traci, giving her a questioning look.

"The doctor is worried about the amount of stress I’m going through at work," Traci admitted. "My blood pressure was a little higher than he’d like at this stage in my pregnancy."

"He said you need to start taking it easy," Frankie interjected.

"But this isn’t work, Frankie. This is fun. You know, something you used to know how to have?"

Frankie opened his mouth to protest, but Shelly quickly silenced him. "Trace, how about if I help you out at work," she offered. "We split the responsibilities. That way you shouldn’t be so stressed anymore."

"What about the shopping," Frankie demanded.

"Frankie," Taylor finally spoke up. "On what planet is shopping stressful to a woman?"

"Exactly," Cindy smirked. "It’s stress relief."

Frankie was going to say something, but closed his mouth. "Fine. Just…not too much walking around. I don’t want to get a call that my child is on the way before he’s even due."

"It’s a boy," Shelly asked Traci, who nodded with a smile. "We just found out a couple of weeks ago."

"Papa must be so proud," Taylor snickered.

"Don’t worry, Frankie. We’ll get Traci and your son back in one piece…well…you know what we mean," Cindy called as she led the way back to the car.

~}i{~

"I really appreciate you doing this for me, AJ," Shelly said as she slid into the passenger seat. "Chris is in Japan and my car just died. I really need to get this apartment hunting out of the way."

"It’s no problem," AJ replied as they pulled into traffic. "Shouldn’t you wait for Chris to do this though?"

"Then I’d never move," Shelly sighed. "My place is too small for the three of us…if Chris ever decides to get his act together and move down to Florida."

"You mean you guys haven’t even come to an agreement on that?"

"He’s reluctant to leave his family back in Detroit," Shelly sighed. "He actually wanted me to move there."

"Well, at least you’re talking about moving in together," AJ pointed out. "A couple of months ago you two probably wouldn’t have even had that conversation."

"True. I suppose it is a big step…especially for Chris."

~}i{~

"Dude," Alex yawned from his hotel bed. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I just want to check on Shell," Sabin replied as he paced the floor.

"Chris, it’s three in the morning," Alex groaned.

"I know that. It’s only early afternoon back in Florida."

"Yes, but we have to get up and do freakin’ interviews in the morning," Alex grumbled. "She’s fine. The baby is fine. Everything is hunky fucking dory at home. Get your ass off the phone and go to bed!"

"Hey, babe," Sabin cooed into the phone going into the bathroom to talk without Alex whining in the background.

Alex groaned, pulling his pillow over his head and burying himself deeper into the blankets. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to listen to Sabin’s voice echoing off the bathroom walls.

"Son of a bitch," Sabin grumbled as he came out of the bathroom. He had ended the call with Shelly and tossed his phone into his bag.

"What’s wrong," Alex groaned, pulling the pillow off his head.

"Shell went apartment hunting," Sabin replied crawling under his covers.

"So?"

"With AJ," Sabin finished. Alex looked at his friend in the dimly lit room. "Her car broke down and AJ drove her around town. She just couldn’t stop talking about how sweet AJ was being."

"Chris, seriously? You’re jealous of AJ," Alex sighed. "He’s a friend. Nothing more. Hell, he’s head over heels in love with his wife, dude. Trust me when I say AJ is not horning in on your girl, all right? Now, go to sleep!"

Chapter 14

"Honey, I’m home," Sabin called tossing his bag down inside the door. "Shell?"

She came out of the bedroom on the phone and held up one finger to him. "All right, AJ. I’ll talk to you later. Yeah, Chris just got home." She giggled at something AJ said. "You’re on. It’s a date. Kay, bye." She hung up the phone and found Sabin scowling at her. "What?"

"Nice to see you’re happy to see me," he pouted.

"Chris, of course I’m happy to see you." She went to him, snaking her arms around his waist and brushing her lips over his. He didn’t kiss her back. "What’s wrong?"

Sabin shook his head, wrapping his arms around her. He tried to ignore the pang of jealousy that kept resurfacing. "Nothing. I just missed you." He held her close. "And I was expecting a better reception when I got home. That’s all."

Shelly smiled, taking his hand. "Well, let’s see what we can do to remedy that little problem."

She led him into the bedroom. His initial jealousy was soon forgotten as she pushed him down onto the bed, straddling his lap. As she lavished attention on him he savored every kiss and touch.

~}i{~

"You really missed me that much, huh," Sabin asked as they lay in bed several hours later. She lay with her back against his chest as he laced his fingers with hers

"More, but…I didn’t want to tire you out too much on your first night back," Shelly chuckled.

"We should probably get it out of our systems before the baby comes," Sabin smiled. "We’ll be too tired from middle of the night feedings and diaper changes."

"Does that mean you’ve made a decision about our living situation," she asked rolling onto her side so she could look at him.

Sabin smiled. "Being away from you for two weeks was pure hell, babe. I can’t even imagine going back to Detroit to live if you’re here in Florida."

"Has hell frozen over," Shelly teased. "Or did the proud Detroit boy just say he’s moving down to Florida?"

Sabin pulled her close, brushing his lips across hers. "I’ll always be made in Detroit, but it’s not home if you and my baby are here."

Shelly smiled. "Good," she said pulling away from him and slipping out of bed. "Because I have some paperwork that we need to fill out for a place I think is perfect."

Sabin propped himself up on his elbow, leaning his head on his hand as he watched her go over to the dresser and retrieve some paperwork. It was then that he got a good look at her growing belly as she stood to the side.

"It’s got three bedrooms and I figured one could be the nursery and the other could be a guest room," Shelly spoke excitedly.

"My goodness, you’re really pregnant," he cut her off.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "I think we established that with the ultrasounds." She came to stand by the bed.

"It just didn’t seem real until now, I guess," he replied, reaching out to touch her rounded belly. "This is really happening. We’re going to be parents soon."

"Scary thought, isn’t it," she teased. He nodded with a wide smile and pulled her back to the bed.

~}i{~

Later that week Sabin met Morgan at Frankie’s place. Shelly and Traci were meeting up with Cindy, Taylor, Alex and Greg to supervise the painting at the new apartment.

"All right, boys," Morgan said laying out his plans for the crib on the worktable.

"Whoa, let me stop you right there," Frankie said holding up his hands. "You mean boy. I’ve got nothing to do with this."

"That’s nice," Morgan fumed. "This is how you show your love for your ‘adopted little sister’?"

"You expect me to just put aside the fact that I have a scar on the back of my damn head from your sorry ass and work side by side," Frankie growled. "You’re dumber than you look."

Morgan took a step toward Frankie, but Sabin stepped between them. "Guys, be civil. This isn’t about the past. This is something we’re doing for the baby. Let’s just keep that in mind."

"You can keep that in mind," Frankie replied, glaring at Morgan. "I’m outta here." He headed back into the house.

Morgan turned his attention to Sabin, who opened his mouth to say something. Morgan waved him off. "I understand why he’s pissed. It’s gonna take more than building a crib for everyone to forgive my actions."

"I have to say, Matt, you’re taking this better than I thought you would," Sabin replied grabbing a pile of wood to measure and saw.

"What choice do I have," Morgan replied helping him. "I’m a rat bastard and I know it. I did some fucked up shit to you guys."

"Well, at least you realize your faults." Sabin glanced at his watch. "Shit."

"What?"

"I have a phone interview in about an hour," Sabin frowned.

"That’s cool," Morgan replied. "I can get by on my own while you do that."

"You get started and I’ll be right back," Sabin said headed into the house.

He found Frankie on the couch watching a game he had on Tivo. "Frankie, I need to ask a favor."

"If it involves helping Morgan you can forget it."

"I get it, Frankie. You hate his guts and you have a good reason to hate him." Sabin perched on the arm of the couch. "So do I…more so than you, but he wants to do something nice for my kid. You don’t have to be his best friend."

"Why’d you come in here, Chris?"

"I have a phone interview I have to do in a little while. Morgan’s gonna need help. It’s just until I finish the interview. Please, Frankie? Do it for your nephew?"

"You can’t possibly know the baby’s sex right now, Chris," Frankie replied, trying to ignore the fact that a grown man was giving him puppy dog eyes. Sabin didn’t speak, he simply stared at Frankie. "Fine," the older man huffed. "But you owe me big for this!"

"Thanks, man," Sabin said slipping off the arm of the couch into the older man’s lap. He wrapped his arms around Frankie’s neck and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Oh you bastard," Frankie exclaimed shoving Sabin onto the floor. "You are SO lucky that you’re about to be a father or I would have killed you!"

"Nah, you love me too much," Sabin smirked getting to his feet.

"Get out of here," Frankie yelled, tossing a pillow at Sabin as he ran back out to where Morgan was working.

"Took you long enough," Morgan rumbled, pulling off the safety glasses he was wearing as he sawed the last plank of wood.

"You’re done? That was fast."

Moments later Frankie emerged from the house. He watched as Morgan and Sabin gathered up the wood and began making piles for the slats and the frame of the crib. The men took a break to consult the plans.

"So, how are you planning on bringing this together," Frankie asked. Morgan seemed to know what he was doing so that was a plus. He still didn’t trust him, but he was curious to see how the crib would wind up.

~}i{~

By early evening Traci had gotten tired of ‘supervising’ the painting and asked Shelly to take her home. They stopped off at the market first so that she could pick up something for dinner for her and Frankie. Shelly headed out to check on the progress of the crib while Traci went into the kitchen to put away the groceries.

She had her back to the doorway as Morgan made his way inside, opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Traci went about her business putting things away, not paying any attention to Morgan.

"Honey, I got the chips you like," she said as she put the bags away.

"Great," Morgan said downing the rest of his water. "I'm starving."

Traci jumped a mile, startled by the voice that wasn’t her husband. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY KITCHEN?"

"Grabbing some water," Morgan replied holding up the empty bottle before tossing it into the recycling bin.

"Why are you here? Where is your shirt?!"

"I’m building a crib for Shell and Chris’ baby," Morgan replied proudly. "Frankie’s helping. It’s like a million degrees out there."

"Babe, why are you…" Frankie stopped in his tracks. "Uh…Matt, Shell needs to speak to you about the crib." Morgan nodded and left the couple to talk.

"You didn’t tell me that Morgan would be here," Traci growled at her husband.

"He’s trying to do something nice for Shell," Frankie defended. "Once you get to know him he’s a nice guy. Come on, babe, you liked him before all the shit with Shell went down."

"I don’t want him in my house, Frankie," Traci growled, glowering at him. "And since you’re such good friends with Morgan you can stay with him tonight!" With that she stormed out of the kitchen.

Frankie groaned, hanging his head. He had no idea she’d react the way she had. He headed outside to his friends.

"Who killed your puppy," Morgan asked.

"Traci kicked me out," Frankie sighed.

"Because of me," Morgan asked. Frankie nodded. "Oh, man, I’m sorry. Now I feel like shit. I was just thirsty and it was…"

"It’s all right, Matt," Shelly said. "Frankie, you can come stay with Chris and I. Give Traci time to cool down."

"I’m sorry, he can do what now," Sabin asked.

"Frankie needs a place to stay for tonight, Chris," Shelly said giving him a look that meant not to argue. "Things will be back to normal tomorrow. You’ll see."

"Yeah," Frankie sighed. "Let me go pack a bag."

"I shouldn’t have gone into the house," Morgan sighed setting aside the crib frame. The three men managed to get two of the four sides assembled that afternoon.

"You couldn’t have known Traci would react the way she did," Shelly consoled him. "Trust me I understand the whole mood swing thing, Matt. You guys have made some real progress here. The crib is coming along nicely."

"Come on, Matt. Let’s get this cleaned up and clear out for now. I think we did enough for today," Sabin suggested.

Shelly left them to clean up while she went inside. She could hear Traci yelling at Frankie and headed to the bedroom to diffuse the situation.

"I don’t ask for much," Traci fumed. "I’m having your damn baby and all I ask is that you provide a SAFE place for us!"

"It is safe," Frankie fumed. "You’re being a real bitch right now, Trace." Traci gasped and he cringed, knowing he’d crossed a line.

"Frankie, go wait for Chris and I in the car," Shelly said grabbing his bag from the bed and shoving it into his hands. He didn’t argue and hurried out of the room.

"How DARE he," Traci fumed, finally able to speak. Tears clouded her eyes and she sank to the bed.

"Traci, honey, you know he didn’t mean it," Shelly said taking a seat next to her friend and slipping an arm around her shoulders. "He was reacting to you yelling at him. Take some time to cool down and then you guys can talk tomorrow. All right."

Traci whimpered and nodded, her bottom lip quivering. "He called me a bitch."

"He didn’t mean it," Shelly reassured her. "You and I both know he didn’t. He loves you and he adores the baby."

Once she was sure that Traci would be all right she met Sabin and Frankie at the car. Frankie’s face said it all and he didn’t even need to ask the question.

"She’s fine," Shelly informed him. "A little hurt, but fine."

"Let’s get home. It’s been a long day," Sabin suggested.

He had heard what had happened from Frankie as they waited for Shelly to come out. He had never known the older man to lose his cool that way. Time away would give them both of them the clarity to work things out. Sabin was sure of that. Traci and Frankie’s relationship was too rock solid to be broken by this.

Chapter 15

"I’ll grab some blankets and pillows for you, Frankie," Shelly said going to the hall closet to grab some things for him.

Frankie set his bag down on the floor by the couch and sunk to it. Sabin took a seat next to him, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Frankie looked at him, sadness in his eyes.

"Everything will work out with Traci, man," Sabin reassured him.

"Yeah. She just needs to calm down for tonight," Frankie replied with a weak smile. "Tomorrow everything will be better."

"Here you go," Shelly said handing over a pile of blankets and pillows for Frankie to make himself a bed on the couch.

"Well, I’m all sweaty from working all afternoon," Sabin sighed. "I think I’ll hop in the shower."

"Yeah, I should grab a shower too," Frankie agreed.

"I’ll save ya some hot water, bro," Sabin called as he headed to the bathroom.

Shelly sat down on the couch next to Frankie. "You need to talk or anything?"

"I royally fucked up, didn’t I," he asked.

"Calling Traci a bitch isn’t going to earn you any brownie points, that’s for sure," she replied. He groaned, burying his face in his hands. "But it was said in the heat of the moment and you both were pissed." He looked up at her. "I’m not saying she’ll just forgive and forget, but I don’t think you’re headed for divorce court."

"Thanks. You really know how to make a guy feel so much better," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You asked for my opinion," Shelly shrugged. "If you wanted me to lie you should have just said so."

"I’ll make a mental note," Frankie grumbled.

"The bathroom’s all yours, Frankie," Sabin called, coming out a towel wrapped around his waist. "You coming to bed, babe?"

"Yeah," Shelly called. "Take a shower and try to relax. Tomorrow you can go home, bring Traci flowers and make up." She patted Frankie’s hand before getting up and following Sabin into the bedroom.

"Just so we have things straight," Sabin said as Shelly closed the bedroom door. "He’s only staying for a night or two at the most, right?"

"Chris, doesn’t it bother you at all that Frankie and Traci had this big fight," Shelly asked, going to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Not really, he shrugged, his arms snaking around her waist. "He’ll apologize and she’ll take him back and things will be like new."

Before he had the chance to react she had whipped the towel off of him and snapped it at his bare backside. Sabin yelped, snatching the towel back. He wrapped it around her, pulling her close to him. He was about to capture her mouth with his when there was a knock at the door.

"Guys? Where do you keep the shampoo? The bottle in the bathroom is empty."

"You used all my shampoo," Shelly sighed.

"It makes my hair feel all silky," Sabin pouted as she disentangled herself from the towel and went to the door. "And it smells so good."

"I’ll get you a new bottle, Frankie," Shelly said leading him back to the bathroom. She grabbed the bottle from under the sink and handed it to him. "Need anything else?"

"No, I think I’m good," Frankie replied, accepting the bottle and setting it on the shower caddy. "I hope I didn’t interrupt you and Chris just now."

"Don’t worry about it. Chris will get over it," Shelly chuckled. "Goodnight, Frankie."

"Night."

When she made it back to the bedroom Sabin was lying in bed, his arms tucked behind his head. He had the covers pulled up to his waist, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he was naked underneath.

"We’re not fooling around with Frankie in the next room, Chris," she said closing the bedroom door and changing into something to sleep in.

"We can keep it quiet," Sabin smirked.

Shelly chuckled and shook her head, pulling back the covers and crawling into bed next to him. He rolled onto his side and attempted to wrap his arms around her, but she stopped him.

"We’re not making love while Frankie is in the other room. Put some pants on," she said glaring at him.

"If we make it a quickie we can be done before he even gets out of the shower," Sabin offered with a cheeky grin. "You know he’ll be in there at least a half hour doing his hair alone."

"Goodnight, Chris," Shelly growled, shutting out the bedside lamp. She settled back on the pillows and felt his hand on her thigh. "Chris, I mean it. Cut it out."

There was a knock at the door. "Shell? Where’s your hair dryer?"

"Are you kidding me," Sabin groaned. "Let your hair air dry!"

"I would, but it tangles," Frankie replied. "Oh…were you guys…I’m sorry. I’ll find it on my own. Sorry!"

"You had to bring him back here," Sabin grumbled at Shelly.

"Cut it out, Chris. It’s not going to kill you to not get laid for one night." She slid out of bed. "And Frankie needed a place to stay for the night."

"That’s what hotels are for," Sabin retorted.

"Keep that in mind the next time I kick you out," Shelly replied leaving the room to help her friend.

Sabin moaned, collapsing back on the pillows. It was going to be a long night. He could just tell.

After a few more interruptions from Frankie the apartment grew quiet as all inhabitants settled in for the night. They were all sleeping soundly by nearly one in the morning.

~}i{~

When Sabin came out of the bedroom early the next morning he saw Frankie curled up on the couch. His pillow was pulled over his head and the covers were tangled around his waist. Sabin’s face split into an ear to ear grin, a prank coming to mind.

"Don’t you dare," Shelly said coming out of the bedroom and catching the look.

"I wasn’t going to do anything," he replied, feigning innocence.

"Sure you weren’t." She shook her head and went to brew some coffee for the men.

The phone rang then and Sabin grabbed it. "Yeah, hold on." He held out the phone to Shelly. "It’s AJ. Why exactly is he calling you?"

"I don’t know," Shelly replied taking the phone.

"Well, I don’t like it."

"Cut it out," Shelly said rolling her eyes at him.

Sabin made a face, turning his back on her. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with Frankie.

"Scare the shit out of me, why don’t you," Sabin growled.

"What’s the matter with you," Frankie asked. He looked at Shelly, who was giggling on the phone. "You guys didn’t have a fight, did you?" He noted that Shelly didn’t look upset as she continued to giggle.

"No, we didn’t fight," Sabin muttered. "She’s talking to AJ."

"So?"

"So, all of a sudden he’s her new best friend? What the fuck?"

"Chris, you can’t be serious," Frankie groaned. "You’re jealous of AJ? It’s AJ. That’s like being jealous of my relationship with her. Come on, man. He’s like another brother to her. She loves you. She’s having your baby."

"I know…I just…I don’t know." Sabin sighed, shoulders slumping. He glanced at Shelly as she wrapped up the phone call.

She set the phone down on the counter and went to the fridge. "You boys hungry," she asked as she pulled things out of the fridge, humming to herself.

"She’s always so happy when she hangs up with him," Sabin frowned.

"That’s not a bad thing, Chris," Frankie chuckled.

As the men were talking the phone rang again. Shelly answered it on the way back from fetching more things from the fridge.

"Traci, calm down," she said. Frankie looked up at her, worry etching his features. Shelly’s face paled as she listened to her friend. "Traci, stay calm. We’re coming to get you."

"What happened," Frankie demanded the moment Shelly hung up.

"She started cramping and bleeding a couple of minutes ago," Shelly explained as she headed to the bedroom to get dressed.

"The baby," Frankie exclaimed, grabbing his clothes and pulling them on. Sabin had followed Shelly into the bedroom and was pulling on pants and a shirt.

She grabbed the car keys from the hook by the door. Frankie snatched them from her and headed for the car. Shelly and Sabin were right behind him.

"Frankie, let me drive," Sabin called. "You’re too upset. The last thing we need is to get into an accident."

"Chris is right, Frankie," Shelly agreed.

Reluctantly Frankie tossed Sabin the keys and slid into the backseat of the car. His mind was racing with worry for his wife and unborn child. Shelly and Sabin slid into their seats and they sped away.

"This is all my fault," Frankie moaned after a few moments of tense silence in the car. "Why’d I have to go and…"

"Stop it," Shelly said turning in her seat to look at him. "This isn’t your fault. You can’t possibly know that. We’ll get Traci to the hospital and everything will be fine. You’ll see." Internally she hoped that she was right. Traci was still a couple of months away from her due date.

They made it to Frankie and Traci’s house in record time. Sabin skidded to a halt at the curb. Before the car had even stopped Frankie was out and racing inside. He returned several minutes later helping Traci out. Carefully he got her into the car and they sped off to the hospital.

Chapter 16

An hour later Shelly and Sabin sat in the ER waiting room. They hadn’t heard from or seen Traci and Frankie since they had disappeared behind the curtained off rooms. No doubt Traci had been taken straight up to the maternity ward, but no one had come to notify the two waiting yet.

"I wish someone would tell us something," Shelly sighed, resting her head on Sabin’s shoulder.

"Frankie will come talk to us as soon as he’s sure Traci is all right," he said, wrapping his arm around her.

She had her hand on her swollen belly. The whole ordeal left her painfully aware of how fragile the life she carried inside of her truly was. Traci was only a few weeks ahead of her in her pregnancy. She was still a couple of months from her due date and Shelly didn’t want to think about how it would effect her friends to come so far and lose the child they’d been so happy to welcome into their family.

"She’ll be all right," Sabin said tightening his arm around Shelly. He had somehow read her mind and sensed her worry. "Traci and the baby will be just fine. You’ll see, babe."

The doors whooshed open and Taylor, Greg, Alex and Cindy entered the hospital. Taylor and Cindy made a beeline for the couple.

"How’s Traci," Taylor asked.

"And the baby," Cindy added.

"We don’t know," Shelly frowned. "No one has told us anything."

Taylor and Cindy sunk down to the seats on either side of their friends. Greg and Alex took seats with their girlfriends, holding them. Neither man knew what to say to reassure them. Everyone sat in tense silence.

After what seemed like an eternity Frankie finally appeared looking tired and worried. Shelly was the first to her feet. As if knowing he needed it she hugged him tightly. He returned the hug, knowing she needed it as much as he did.

"How is she," Shelly asked as the others gathered around them. "And the baby?"

"Traci and the baby are fine," Frankie replied. "She just needs to take it easy from now on. She can’t have any kind of stress. She’s been admitted for observation."

"Can we see her," Taylor asked.

"She needs rest. She’ll still be here in the morning. You all should go on home. I’m heading back up to Traci’s room for the night."

"Give her our love," Cindy said.

"If you need anything just let us know," Alex said, taking his girlfriend’s hand and leading her toward the exit.

Taylor grabbed Greg’s hand before he could make an inappropriate comment. He had a knack for trying to make light of any situation and Taylor knew that Frankie would not excuse it. She gave everyone a wave and dragged Greg away, sputtering about what the rush was.

Only Shelly and Sabin were left when everyone else was gone. Frankie looked at the two and placed a hand on Sabin’s shoulder.

"You guys go home and get some rest," he said, turning his gaze to Shelly. "You look exhausted, honey."

"We can stay if you need us to," Shelly replied.

"You have a little one of your own to think of." Frankie gave her a weak smile. "Go home. We’ll be fine here. If anything you two will be the first we call."

"Come on, babe," Sabin said wrapped his arms around Shelly and leading her away. "Frankie’s right."

Shelly allowed him to lead her out to the car. She didn’t want to argue with Frankie knowing he had a lot on his mind. She slid into the passenger seat without a word.

"You all right," Sabin asked as he slid behind the wheel.

"Hmmm? Yeah, just thinking," she replied.

"About?"

"That could have been us," Shelly replied softly. She wasn’t looking at him; she was fiddling with the zipper on her jacket. "Traci almost lost the baby. It’s scary, Chris."

"But she didn’t," Sabin replied, reaching out to take her hand. He laced his fingers with hers and brought the back of her hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it. "Everything will be fine for you and the baby too. You don’t need to worry about that."

Shelly yanked her hand away. "I appreciate that you’re trying to make me feel better, but right now telling me not to worry isn’t really helping." She saw the look he shot her and sighed. "Chris, I…"

"No, no. It’s fine," he replied. "I was only trying to comfort you, but what do I know?"

"Chris."

"No. You brood and worry. Don’t mind me," he swatted her hand away when she tried to take it. "I’m just the father of our unborn child. I don’t know anything about being pregnant."

"Mature, Chris, really mature," Shelly sighed, turning her attention to the window.

"Maybe you’d rather be having a baby with AJ," Sabin muttered and regretted the words the moment they were uttered.

"What the hell does AJ have to do with anything," Shelly demanded.

Sabin had no answer for her. He was becoming increasingly aware of her eyes boring holes into him as she waited for an answer. Feebly he fumbled around in his head to come up with something to say.

"I just meant that…I mean…what I meant to say…"

"I think you said exactly what you meant," she cut him off.

"Babe, I…"

"Just shut up, Chris," she once again cut him off. "I can not believe you! We’re about to become parents and you’re finding the dumbest excuses to get jealous. AJ, Chris, really?"

"You talk to him all the time," Sabin exclaimed.

"So?"

"So, since when?"

"AJ’s always been a friend," Shelly replied. "A friend, Chris. Nothing more. You’re unbelievable! Just when I think you’re finally maturing…" She scoffed, unable to even complete the thought. She crossed her arms across her chest and turned her gaze out the window.

The rest of the car ride was silent and tense. Sabin knew he’d stuck his foot in his mouth and he didn’t know how to make things right between them. He parked at the curb in front of Shelly’s place and before he could turn off the ignition and get out Shelly was out and heading inside.

"Shell, just wait. I’m sorry," he called following her onto the elevator. "I’m an idiot. You know me. I have constant foot in mouth disease." He attempted to wrap his arms around her, but she shoved him away. "Baby, come on."

"Just leave me alone," she muttered, exiting the elevator when the doors dinged open.

Sabin followed her and looking past her saw the last person he wanted to see leaning on the wall outside of Shelly’s apartment. He groaned when AJ pushed off the wall seeing them coming toward him.

"Where have you two been," AJ demanded. "I’ve been trying to call all afternoon. You had asked Daniels and I to come by and help you guys move some things." He saw the tension between the two. "I’ve been trying both of your cells, but kept getting voicemail."

"We’ve been at the hospital," Shelly said pulling out the key and unlocking the door.

"Oh my god! Are you all right? Is something wrong with the baby," AJ asked ushering Shelly inside and making her sit down.

"It wasn’t for me, AJ," Shelly replied as AJ sat down next to her. "Traci was spotting and cramping. We took her and Frankie to the hospital and stayed to make sure she was all right."

"Is she? Is the baby…"

"She’s fine and the baby is too." She explained the fight that Frankie and Traci had and all the stress she’d been going through with being Knockout law.

"Wow. At least everything is all right," AJ said letting out a low whistle. He looked at Sabin, who had gone into the kitchen and was busying himself there. "Is everything all right with you two?"

Shelly rolled her eyes. "Just a spat. We’ll get through it."

"Well, I should probably go," AJ sighed standing up. He couldn’t help noticing that every once in a while Sabin would shoot him the stink eye. "Oh before I forget." He reached into his back pocket and pulled up a scrap of paper. "Wendy told me to give you this." He handed over the paper. "It’s the name of a cream that helps with stretch marks. You know, reducing them and stuff."

"Tell Wendy thank you," Shelly smiled.

"Yeah, she loved that stuff. She used to slather it all over her big ol’ belly," AJ chuckled as Shelly walked him to the door. "Sometimes she’d let me rub it on her." He blushed and gave a nervous chuckle. "That’s TMI, I know."

"Thanks for stopping by, AJ." Shelly gave him a hug.

When she turned around from closing the door after AJ left she found Sabin staring at her.

"Don’t you dare start," she growled.

"I wasn’t going to say anything."

"No, but you were thinking of it," she replied heading into the bedroom. She kicked off her shoes and sunk to the bed. She was tired from the day she had just been through.

"How about I run out and pick up some take out for dinner," Sabin suggested from the bedroom doorway. She didn’t look up at him, but she shook her head no. "Shell, you haven’t eaten anything since I brought back that sandwich from the hospital cafeteria early this afternoon and you only nibbled on that. You should really eat something to keep up your strength."

He had moved from the doorway to the bed and she finally looked up at him. Tears were shining in her eyes and he sat next to her, pulling her into his arms.

"Don’t go anywhere. I don’t want to be alone," she whispered. "Traci almost lost the baby today. It scared me, Chris. Really scared me."

"I won’t leave you alone, baby," he said, holding her. "I’m here. You don’t need to be scared." He felt terrible for what he had said during the ride home. "I’m sorry about the AJ comment. I know he’s just your friend. I’m an idiot."

Shelly managed a weak chuckle and looked up at him. "But you’re my idiot." He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.

Chapter 17

The next day Shelly and Sabin went to the hospital to visit Traci. When they arrived she was lying in bed talking on the phone. Frankie was nowhere in sight. She looked up seeing the two of them enter the room and smiled wide, waving them over to the bed.

"Yes, Jeff, Shelly just arrived," Traci said. "Hang on." She held her hand over the receiver and held it out to Shelly. "Jarrett wants to speak to you."

"About what? I’m on maternity leave," Shelly asked.

"Just talk to him," Traci said continuing to smile.

"Hello, Jeff," Shelly said taking a seat next to the bed. "What’s up?"

"What’s going on," Sabin asked pulling a chair over to sit next to Shelly as she spoke to their boss.

"I’ll let Shell tell you when she’s done," Traci said.

"Oh…kay," Sabin replied, quirking a brow. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Traci sighed, running a hand over her stomach. "I’m doing much better now that I know Mikey is fine too."

Frankie returned then carrying a paper bag. He set it down on the rolling table and wheeled it over to Traci, who eagerly tore it open. She pulled out a large sub sandwich.

"Who’s Mikey," Shelly asked hanging up the phone.

Traci and Frankie shared a look and smiled wide. "Our son," he replied, placing a hand on her belly. "We’re naming him Michael and it feels like he’s awake."

"He’s excited about eating," Traci giggled taking a bite out of the sandwich.

"We haven’t even thought about names yet," Sabin frowned.

"There’s time for that," Shelly chuckled. "We don’t even know the baby’s sex yet."

"So, why don’t you tell Chris what the big secret is," Traci said.

"Yeah, why’d Jarrett want to speak to you," Sabin asked.

"Because Traci suggested to him that I take over running the Knockouts division," Shelly replied, giving her friend a look.

"What? He asked who I would trust to take over while I’m out on bed rest and you were the first person who came to mind," Traci replied.

"Thanks," Shelly said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "You’ve decided to pass your stress on to me?"

"I only suggested you because I thought you could handle the job and I could come back when I’m ready and not find chaos." Traci frowned. "I could call Jeff back and…"

"I told Jeff I’d do it," Shelly smiled. "The truth of the matter is that I miss the Impact Zone. I miss being in the middle of the action."

"Well, you won’t really be seeing any action," Sabin cut in. "You’ll just be handling all the behind the scenes stuff. Right?"

"Of course, Chris," Traci chuckled. "Oh, before I forget you have an appointment with a new Knockout this week. I’ll have to get you the information so you know what’s going on. Basically during the show you just handle anything that comes up. Then you’ll deal with representing the Knockouts in meetings and make sure their needs are met."

"Oh, is that all," Shelly asked.

"I know it seems like a lot, but I think you can handle it," Traci replied.

"Right, because she doesn’t internalize the way you do," Sabin agreed.

"That’s something we’re going to work on," Frankie said, taking Traci’s hand. "For the rest of the pregnancy."

"Right. I know I flipped about Morgan being in the house and I shouldn’t have. He’s doing something nice for you guys and our place is really the only feasible place to do it. So, you guys can go back to building the crib whenever you want to. I won’t protest."

"Thanks, Trace," Sabin smiled. "But with the move to our new place I think it makes more sense to finish it up there. It'll be easier than assembling it at your place and then moving it into the new place."

Frankie frowned. "But you’ll still need help, right?"

Shelly chuckled. "Trust me, Frankie, Matt and Chris need all the help they can get."

"Hey! Babe, that’s not nice," Sabin pouted at her, making Frankie and Traci giggle.

"I’m sorry," Shelly cooed. "If it makes you feel any better, Chris, Matt needs more help than you do."

"That does actually make me feel a lot better," Sabin smiled.

"Men are so easy to please," Shelly sighed. "Just stroke their ego and they’re happy."

"That’s not all you need to stroke to keep us happy," Sabin muttered, wriggling his eyebrows at her.

"And on that note we’re leaving," Shelly said standing and grabbing Sabin by his shirt collar. Traci and Frankie watched as she dragged him out of the room. Both were chuckling.

~}i{~

The next week’s set of Impact tapings was Shelly’s first time in charge. She had arrived at the arena with Sabin feeling extremely nervous. It had been months since she’d even set foot in the building, though she had kept in touch with all of her friends.

They parted ways inside; Sabin heading for the Guns locker room and Shelly heading toward Traci’s office. She groaned when she saw Madison Rayne waiting outside the office. Being her first night in charge she so did not want to deal with Madison when she was nervous about tackling whatever problems the show would bring.

"Make it quick," Shelly said walking past the petite blonde into the office. "I have an important meeting soon and a new Knockout to meet later."

"Where’s Traci," Madison asked entering the office. Not many knew of what had happened the week before just yet. Jeff Jarrett was planning on having a talent meeting that evening before the show started to address that issue with the women.

"Resting at home," Shelly replied, opening the desk draw as she took a seat and riffling through it. She was looking for a pad and paper until she could figure out Traci’s system. "She was in the hospital over the weekend. I’ll be taking over until she’s ready to come back."

"Is she all right," Madison gasped.

"She’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t get too stressed out," Shelly replied finally locating a pen and paper. "You’re wasting my time. What did you need, Madison?" She finally turned her gaze on the blonde before her.

"Well, Angie and Velvet treat me like the errand girl," Madison replied meekly. "I was hoping you could…talk to them for me."

Shelly scoffed, shaking her head as she stood and leaned across the desk to look down at the woman before her. "Are you serious? You’re a grown woman. Take care of your own problems." She gave a flick of the wrist. "Get out of my office." She sat back down with a huff waiting for the blonde to exit.

Madison stared at her biting her bottom lip. "I told them it wouldn’t work," she said heaving herself up out of the chair.

"What wouldn’t work," Shelly asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Angie and Velvet told me to make up any excuse to get you to the women’s locker room," Madison confessed. "I know it was lame, but it was all I could think of to say. Will you come?"

When Shelly didn’t make any effort to stand up or follow her she sighed, raking a hand through her hair. She knew that they had to hash things out so they could at least try to be friends.

"I get it, Shell. You don’t like me," Madison said, sitting back down. "When Chris asked me to help make you jealous I should have said no. I should have walked away. I should have told him to shove it, but the thing was…he was so desperate. Shell, he was heartbroken and I thought that maybe I could help him. I was wrong and I’m sorry, but is that really important now? You’re together. You’re having a baby. Can’t we just start over and forget the past?"

Shelly stared at her a while letting the words sink in. Madison waited nervously, wondering if she should leave.

"You’re right, Madison," Shelly finally replied after a while. "It’s silly to hold a grudge over something stupid." She leaned across the desk and held out her hand.

Madison smiled and took the offered hand, giving it a shake. "Now, will you come with me? Angie and Velvet demand your presence."

"Do I even have a choice," Shelly chuckled, standing and coming around the desk.

"Not with those two," Madison laughed. The two women exited the office chuckling and talking.

"Uh oh," Sabin groaned seeing the two together. He knew how Shelly had felt about Madison and didn’t see any good coming of this.

"They’re laughing, dude," Alex said seeing what Sabin was groaning at. He smiled at his friend. "Relax, bro, it’s about time those two made nice."

"Yeah, I guess. I just hope Shell can plays nice. Her moods have been all over the place lately." Sabin frowned as he watched his girlfriend and Madison chattering away.

Chapter 18

Matt Morgan was chatting with Sabin about his plans for the remainder of the crib building when out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman wandering the backstage area. As Sabin was replying to what the bigger man had just said he noticed Morgan’s attention was elsewhere.

"Oh for crying out loud, Matt," Sabin yelled, slapping him in the arm. "Did you hear a word I just said?"

"What? Yeah, whatever you say, kid," Morgan mumbled and followed the woman.

She was tall; almost six feet tall without heels. Her hair cascaded down her back almost to her waist in deep crimson waves. She was athletic looking and curvy so he knew she wasn’t a fan who had managed to infiltrate the inner sanctum. Her tanned and toned form could only mean that she was a potential new Knockout. Morgan smiled at the prospect of fresh meat.

She spotted him following her and turned to face him, her emerald eyes meeting his. She gave him a half smile. "Are you following me, big guy," she asked, her voice tinged with an amused chuckle.

"The name’s Morgan, Matt Morgan," he replied, trying to act smooth in front of the new talent. He attempted to lean against the wall with one hand and found himself nearly falling into an open doorway. He righted himself before he could fall, but this action didn’t go unnoticed by the beauty before him.

She covered her mouth to hide the chuckling. "Well, Morgan, Matt Morgan, would you be doll and point me in the direction of women’s locker room please?"

Morgan’s cheeks flushed and he pointed down the hall. "It’s the first door on the right." She nodded and turned to walk away. "I never caught your name," he called to her retreating form.

"I never threw it," she fired back over her shoulder. "Guess you’ll just have to work harder at finding out." She gave a wave and continued down the hall.

"Struck out, huh," Sabin asked finally joining Morgan. He had watched the exchange with an amused smile on his face especially when the larger man almost fell and busted his ass. His only regret was he didn’t have his phone with him to document the debacle.

"I think I’m in love," Morgan murmured as he continued to watch the new woman’s retreating form. Sabin could only roll his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

~}i{~

"She’s here," Velvet squealed.

"Shut up, Velvet," Angelina hissed. "You wanna spoil the surprise?" She yanked her friend back when she heard Shelly complaining about having her eyes covered.

"I’m under strict orders to keep your eyes covered," Madison explained.

"We really need to work on giving you a voice in this group, Maddie," Shelly chuckled. "Angie and Velvet walk all over you."

"Is that any way to thank us for doing something nice for you, Preggers," Angelina demanded.

"Angie! We were supposed to yell out surprise," Velvet pouted.

"What surprise," Shelly asked pulling Madison’s hand away.

"Surprise," Velvet exclaimed, jumping up with her arms out at her sides. She and Angelina stepped aside and to reveal a large basket full of baby items. Various lotions and powders and toys were tied up in a pink basket with a blue bow.

"Thank you. Girls, you didn’t have to do this," Shelly smiled and then eyed the women suspiciously. "How did you know I would be here tonight? Jeff isn’t announcing it until the talent meeting later."

"Taylor kinda let the cat out of the bag," Angelina replied with a smile. "So, how you feeling? How’s Traci doing? I tried to call, but Frankie’s being an ass and not letting her take calls."

Shelly giggled. "He’s worried about her and the baby, but she’s doing fine. She’s resting like she’s been told to do. Really, you girls didn’t have to do this."

"Of course we did," Velvet said. "What kind of Aunties would be if we didn’t spoil the little one." As she spoke she rubbed Shelly’s belly.

"Exactly," Angelina agreed, also rubbing her belly. "You’re gonna be so loved, little one. Yes you are!"

"Angie, that’s creepy," Shelly laughed. "I have a feeling this is going to be happening a lot more the bigger I get."

"You better believe it," Velvet said bending over and cooing at Shelly’s stomach. Shelly looked to Madison for help.

"We sent a basket to Traci too," Madison chimed in. "I picked out the colors."

"And the lotions and junk," Velvet smiled, hooking her arm through Madison’s. "Angie and I have NO clue about that stuff."

"My sister had a baby a few months ago," Madison replied with a smile when Shelly arched a brow at her.

Just then the door to the locker room opened and the redhead that Morgan had been stalking strolled in. She looked at the four women before her when the room grew quiet at her arrival.

"I’m sorry. Am I interrupting a secret meeting," she asked. She saw Shelly and smiled. "You must be Shelly. Traci told me to look for you. Just thought I’d get settled before I went searching."

"And you must be…"

"Jezzie Sanders," the redhead replied holding out a hand to Shelly. She gave her the once over and smiled, her eyes falling on Shelly’s pregnant belly. "Is there something in the water here?"

Shelly chuckled realizing that Jezzie had gone from dealing with one pregnant woman to another.

"I’ll talk to you girls later. Chris will be by in a few to pick up the basket," Shelly said motioning for Jezzie to follow her out of the locker room. She dropped her bag and did so. "Traci told me all about you coming in," Shelly explained as the two of them walked down the hall. "Being two Knockouts down you’re a very welcome addition to the roster."

Jezzie smiled nodding, her smile fell when she spotted Morgan and Sabin down the hall. She let out a groan and tried to ignore the larger man’s lecherous stare.

Shelly noticed this and sighed. "I see you’ve met Matt." She motioned Sabin over. Morgan followed close behind.

"You mean Morgan, Matt Morgan," Jezzie replied with a chuckle. "Oh yes we’ve met."

"Hey, babe, what’s up," Sabin asked, nodding to the new talent.

"Angie, Velvet and Maddie have a gift for the baby in the locker room. Could you go grab it and put it in the car," Shelly asked.

"No problem," Sabin replied giving her a peck and heading off to fetch the gift.

"I could help," Morgan interjected. "Is it something heavy? I’m good at heavy lifting." He flexed his muscles for emphasis just for Jezzie’s benefit.

"It’s a basket," Shelly replied and couldn’t help snickering. She’d never seen Morgan so infatuated before…not even with her. "Matt, have you met Jezzie?"

"What a beautiful name for such a gorgeous creature," Morgan smiled.

"Creature? What am I? A lizard?" Morgan’s smile fell and he began to sputter incoherently. "Excuse us, big man. We have important business to handle." She turned her attention to Shelly. "Shall we?"

"Yes, I think we shall," Shelly snickered. "See you later, Matt."

The two women walked around Morgan, leaving him still sputtering. When he finally found his voice they were nearly to Traci’s office.

"Jezzie, how about dinner," he called down the hall. "Tonight, after the show?"

"Sorry, big man, I don’t date outside of my own species," Jezzie called back. "Us creatures are very picky."

Shelly couldn’t help laughing at the comment. "You’re going to be a lot of fun to have around. I can just tell." She opened the door to the office and ushered the new Knockout inside.

"Struck out again, huh," Sabin asked, the basket tucked under his arm.

Morgan’s hand shot out and he grabbed Sabin by the shirt collar. Much to Sabin’s surprise the big man’s expression wasn’t angry. He looked forlorn.

"You have to help me," Morgan groaned. "I have to be with that woman."

"And you expect me to help you how?!" Sabin slapped Morgan’s hand away. "The last woman you ‘had to have’ is going to be the mother of my child."

"But Jezzie is different," Morgan sighed. "She’s…perfect."

Sabin rolled his eyes. "Then maybe you should just admit defeat because she’s WAAAAY out of your league."

"That didn’t stop you from getting Shell," Morgan retorted, falling into step besides Sabin as he headed outside.

"That was a low blow," Sabin muttered as he headed to the car. "You know if you expect my help…maybe you should refrain from insulting me."

"I’m sorry. Please? You want me to get on my knees and beg?"

"No, no don’t do that," Sabin sighed as he pulled out the car keys and opened the trunk. "Look, just…don’t come on so strong. Let her notice you. Women don’t like to be pressured into being with someone." He placed the basket in the trunk and slammed it shut. "You would think that would have been a lesson you learned with Shell."

"I’m hard headed, I guess," Morgan sighed.

Sabin sighed, raking a hand through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck. "Just remember don’t come on so strong. Whatever you usually do...throw it out the window. Let her come to you. All right?" Morgan smiled wide and nodded, following the smaller man back into the arena.

Chapter 19

Jezzie sat across from Shelly in her office as she listened to finalized details of her contract. She listened intently as Shelly went over the itemized list. When she was done she set the contract down on the desk, set a pen on top of it and slid it across to Jezzie.

Jezzie picked it up, going over it again. She wanted to make sure everything was in order before signing her life away. When she was satisfied she signed and slid the papers back across the desk.

Shelly picked it up and made sure it was signed in all the necessary places. When that task was done she set the contract down and smiled wide at Jezzie.

"Welcome to TNA," she said. "I’m sure Traci explained that I’ll be taking over for her until she’s able to come back to work." Jezzie nodded. "So, if you have any questions or need anything my door is always open."

"Thanks," the redhead said. "Um…what can you tell me about that Matt Morgan guy?"

"What’d you want to know," Shelly asked filing the signed contract away.

"Well, I mean…he’s kinda cute in a big overstuffed teddy bear kinda way," Jezzie replied.

"Well, he can be a nice guy when he wants to be," Shelly offered.

"Uh oh. So, he’s a bad boy?"

"He had some behavioral problems, but he’s working on that," Shelly replied, not really wanting to go through the ordeal she’d just been through with Morgan.

"Shame, really," Jezzie sighed standing. "I’ve moved on from my bad boy stage."

Shelly chuckled, standing as well. "I know the feeling."

Jezzie smiled as Shelly came around the desk to walk her out. "Your baby’s daddy isn’t a bad boy, huh?"

"No. Chris is…one of a kind," Shelly replied. "He’s a good guy."

"Well, I should go introduce myself around."

"Make sure you’re at the talent meeting. Just ask one of the girls where and I’m sure they’ll be happy to show you." Jezzie nodded and headed off to the locker room.

She turned to head back into her office and nearly bumped into Morgan. He reached out and steadied her so that she didn’t fall.

"You all right," he asked.

"Fine, aside from having the shit scared out of me. Didn’t hear you coming," she replied. "What can I do for you, Matt?"

"So, Jezzie is the new Knockout?"

"Yes, she just inked a deal for three years. Matt, leave her alone, huh? She doesn’t need you screwing with her."

Morgan frowned. "You don’t understand, Shell. I HAVE to be with Jezzie. She’s gorgeous and…intelligent and…and….perfect."

"Matt, back off. Leave her alone," Shelly replied, glaring at up at him. "I won’t allow you to do to her what you did to me."

"I wouldn’t dream of it," Morgan replied, taken aback by her words.

"I’m warning you, Matt. Leave Jezzie alone." With that she headed into her office and slammed the door in his face.

~}i{~

Later that evening after the talent meeting and once the show had started there was a knock on the open office door. Shelly had been going through some paperwork on requests from the Knockouts. She looked up from her work and saw Sabin standing in the doorway.

"Mind if I come in," he asked. "Thought maybe you could use a break. I haven’t seen you all night."

"Being Knockout Law is busy work," Shelly replied, setting aside the paperwork. She came around the desk as Sabin entered the office and closed the door behind him.

"Need me to rub anything," he asked, pulling her over to the couch. He pulled her down next to him and propped her feet up on his lap.

"Don’t you have a match soon," she asked.

"Uh…no…Main Event Mafia storyline, remember," he replied pulling off her ballet flats and rubbing her feet. "They’re leaving Alex, Jay Austin and I languishing on the sidelines while they put over the old farts."

Shelly punched his arm. "Be nice. Those old farts helped me get away from Morgan. If it wasn’t for the Main Event Mafia…well…who knows if I’d be pregnant right now."

She frowned thinking about how scary Morgan had gotten towards the end. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to cause a miscarriage. All it would have taken was one well placed punch or kick. She shuddered at the thought.

Sabin abandoned rubbing her feet, pulling her close to him so that he could rest his hand on her swollen belly. "I do appreciate what they did for you, but…I just…I…"

"I know you want your time in the spotlight, baby," Shelly said, taking his hand and lacing her fingers with his. "It’ll come around again."

"I guess," he replied pouting slightly. "I suppose I should be happy that Alex and I have a segment with Daniels and we’re going to be the webmatch too."

"See, baby steps."

"Yeah, I suppose." A smile spread across his face and he had her on her back as he knelt over her in the blink of an eye.

"Chris! We’re at work," she squealed.

"So? I can be quick." Shelly began to giggle at the face he made at his own words. "I mean…"

"Get off me," she giggled.

There was a knock at the door and Jeff Jarrett poked his head in. The smile he wore fell when she saw Sabin and Shelly on the couch. Sabin jumped up, helping Shelly to her feet.

"I certainly hope this isn’t how you’re using your time," Jarrett said entering the office and crossing his arms across his chest. "Chris, I suggest you go find Alex and get ready for your segment with Daniels."

"Right. See you after the show, babe," he said giving Shelly a peck and hurried out of the office.

He turned his glare on Shelly once Sabin was gone, but his face broke into a smile. "I love doin’ that to the younger guys," he chuckled.

"That wasn’t nice, Jeff," Shelly scolded. "We weren’t going to do anything. I’m more professional than that."

"I know, darlin’," Jarrett replied. "Doesn’t stop him from tryin’ though, huh?" Shelly nodded with a chuckle. "Just came by to check on you and see how your first night is going."

"It’s been relatively quiet," Shelly replied. "I’ve been catching up with paperwork for most of the night. Of course I’ve been checking out the show too." Jarrett nodded. "I know tonight isn’t a typical night though."

"No. Tonight is a quiet night," Jarrett agreed.

Just as he uttered the words they heard arguing out in the hall. The voices grew louder the closer they got to the office.

"And on that note I think I’ll make my exit and let you handle this," Jarrett said, slipping out of the office.

"Thanks a lot," Shelly called as she took a seat behind the desk just as Raisha Saeed, Awesome Kong, ODB and Cody Deaner all barged into the office still arguing. With a sigh Shelly stood. "QUIET!" Everyone shut up and turned their attention to Shelly. "Now. Everyone take seats and calmly explain to me what’s going on." She took her seat and waited for someone to speak.

Everyone began speak at once. Shelly sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She held up a hand to quiet them all. "Let’s try this again. Raisha, what’s going on?" Cody and ODB opened their mouths to say something, but Shelly held up a hand. "You’ll get your chance. Raisha, go ahead."

Chapter 20

Shelly was sitting with Sabin in the catering area when she spotted AJ looking around frantically, toting his sons behind him. She nudged Sabin and motioned toward her friend.

"What’s his problem," Sabin asked.

"AJ, everything all right," Shelly called.

AJ spotted the couple and headed over to them. "I’m in a real bind here, guys. Wendy’s back at the hotel sick. I brought Avery and Ajay with me, but I have to be in the ring in a couple of minutes and I have no one to look after the boys."

Before Shelly could speak Sabin smiled wide. "You got us," he said. "We don’t mind taking care of the little ones."

"We don’t," Shelly asked, looking at her boyfriend as if he’d grown an extra head.

"Of course not," Sabin replied. "We’d love to take care of the boys. It’ll be good practice."

"Chris, Ajay is four and Avery is two. Last time I checked we’re going to have a newborn in a couple of months," Shelly hissed.

"You guys are lifesavers," AJ exclaimed, ushering his sons toward the two. He pulled a backpack off his back. "This is everything you’ll need for them. Ajay’s toys are in there and a little picture book for him if he gets bored. Avery is potty training so keep an eye on him. When he has to go he usually lets you know, but sometimes he gets lazy and just uses the diaper. So, keep any eye out for that."

He kneeled down to look at his boys. "Daddy has to go wrestle so you’re going to stay with Uncle Chris and Aunt Shelly for now. Okay? Daddy will be back when he’s done." He gave each boy a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you so much! You guys are just…THANK YOU!" He rushed off to prepare for his match.

Shelly stared at Sabin a moment before shaking her head and crouching down to talk to Ajay.

"What? We can do this," Sabin said picking up Avery. "Right, Little Man? We’ll be fine."

The child’s bottom lip began to quiver, his big blue eyes watering. He sniffled loudly before opening his mouth and letting out a heart wrenching sob.

"No. It’s all right, Avery! Don’t cry!" Sabin looked to Shelly for help.

With a sigh she motioned for him to hand over Avery. "Why don’t you see about getting Ajay something to drink," she suggested, taking the sobbing child from her boyfriend. "It’s all right, Avery. Daddy will be back soon."

Sabin took Ajay by the hand and led him over to the table with various drinks on it. "What’ll you have, Junior."

Ajay glared up at him, his blue eyes that mimicked his father’s narrowing at him. "My name not Junior."

"No, but your daddy is called AJ and you’re…nevermind. What do you want, Ajay?"

"SODA," Ajay exclaimed pointing to the last can of Mountain Dew on the table.

"All righty," Sabin said swiping up the can and grabbing a paper cup. He poured some in and handed it to the child. Ajay snatched the cup and gulped down the liquid in seconds flat. "Thirsty, huh? Have some more."

Sabin poured more into the cup and handed it back to the child, before taking his hand and leading him back to where Shelly was with Avery. He was sipping the soda from the can as he walked.

"Please tell me you didn’t give Ajay that," Shelly said switching Avery to rest on her left hip.

"Why?"

"Because it’s loaded with caffeine, Chris! He’ll be bouncing off the walls now," Shelly groaned.

"He’s fine," Sabin said tousling Ajay’s dark hair. "Come on. Let’s bring the kids to your office. AJ will be a while between his backstage interview, the match and then showering." Shelly nodded and grabbed the bag before following Sabin to her office."

Shelly set Avery down on the couch and pulled some toys out of the bag for him. Ajay saw the toys and made a beeline for the couch, knocking Sabin out of the way. He snatched a toy from his brother making the younger child cry.

"Ajay, that wasn’t nice," Sabin scolded. "Give it back to Avery." Shelly was impressed with how firm he was with the child. He impressed himself too.

Ajay glared up at Sabin and stomped on his foot hard. Sabin let out a yelp of pain, which frightened Avery and he began to cry harder. Sabin was hopping around, holding his sore foot and letting the obscenities fly.

"Ajay, that wasn’t very nice," Shelly scolded. "Give Avery back his toy and go sit in the corner."

Ajay turned his attention to Shelly and pouted. "Sorry, Aunt Shelly," he mumbled, handing the toy back to Avery and going to sit in the corner.

"You need apologize to Uncle Chris," Shelly replied sternly. "And Avery."

"Son of a bitch," Sabin groaned trying to put weight on his sore foot. "I think the little fucker broke it!"

"Chris, little pictures have big ears," Shelly said.

"Huh?"

"You’re cursing in front a two and four year old," Shelly exclaimed. "Watch your mouth!"

"Oh! Sorry. You guys don’t repeat what you heard me saying," Sabin announced to the boys as he sat down on the couch.

"Yeah, that’ll make them unhear that string of expletives," Shelly said, rolling her eyes. She glanced at her watch. "And we probably still have a twenty to thirty minute wait on our hands."

"We’ll get through," Sabin smiled as he began to play with Avery, who was now giggling at the funny noises Sabin was making.

~}i{~

Jezzie had just finished off her match against Sarita and headed over to the catering table to grab some water before heading to the locker room to shower. As she opened the bottle and took a long sip she became aware that she was being watched. Turning around she spotted Morgan just averting his gaze.

"Like what you see, big boy," she called to him with a smirk.

Morgan smiled, pushing off the wall he was leaning on and going over to her. "I do indeed," he replied. "Jezzie, that’s with two Zs right?" She nodded. "That’s an unusual name."

"It’s a nickname," Jezzie replied. When Morgan didn’t ask she volunteered. "My real name is Jezebel."

"Oh I see," Morgan replied. "So, do you live up to your name?" He mentally slapped himself and quickly added. "I’m sorry. That was rude. You don’t have to answer that."

She chuckled and waved him off. "You’d be amazed how many times I’ve heard that one. It’s why I go by Jezzie."

"So, how about that dinner," Morgan asked, reverting back to his old ways once again.

Jezzie chuckled. "You still have to work for it, Matt. Shelly warned me about you," she said still smiling.

Morgan’s face grew stern. "That bitch! Even after I apologized for the shit I did to her and I’m building her bastard kid a crib! Yes, I did slap her around a bit and I made her life a living hell. She can’t just let it go and let it be in the past? Shit! I didn’t kill her damn boyfriend and I could have!" With that he stalked off leaving Jezzie very confused and a little scared.

~}i{~

"Ajay, please stop jumping on me," Sabin groaned from his spot on the floor. He’d been play wrestling with the two boys, but Ajay was getting too hyper.

"Elbow drop," Ajay exclaimed climbing up onto the couch and launching himself at Sabin.

"I think that’s enough wrestling for tonight," Shelly said as Sabin caught the child before he could hit the floor.

"I agree," Sabin said getting up with Ajay still in his arms. "You have permission to slap me for giving him Mountain Dew."

"Maybe later," Shelly grumbled. "Where’s Avery?"

They both glanced around the room and spotted the toddler crouched in the corner of the room. With a satisfied sigh he stood. Sabin set down Ajay and went to the younger child.

"What’cha doin’ there, Avery," he asked before catching a whiff from the diaper and gagged.

"I pooed," Avery said proudly.

"Pooed or died," Sabin said still gagging.

"Chris, just change his diaper," Shelly said tossing the bag to him.

"Uh…I think you’d be better at it," Sabin replied catching the bag and picking Avery up. He held the child out like he was toxic waste.

"Nice try. It’ll be good practice," she replied mimicking his words from earlier in the night.

Sabin took in a deep breath and looked at Avery, who was giggling and squirming in his hands. "Looks like it’s you and me, kid."

He set Avery down on the couch and pulled out a clean diaper and the baby wipes. Hesitantly he pulled off the tabs on the diaper and slowly opened it. The full smell hit him and he almost retched all over the place.

"What are your parents feeding you, kid," he gagged. Holding his breath he cleaned Avery up and slid the dirty diaper out from under the child, tossing it into the nearby trash can. He picked up the clean diaper and examined it, trying to determine what the front was.

"Chris, you might want to hurry and diaper him," Shelly suggested as she played Ajay.

"Why," Sabin asked and as he turned his attention back to Avery he was hit in the face with a stream of unrine.

"He peed on you," Ajay teased.

"I know that," Sabin growled. "Shut up before I let him pee on you!"

"Chris! He’s four," Shelly scolded.

Sabin grumbled under his breath as he cleaned Avery up and diapered him. He stood the child up and looked down at himself with a sigh. His shirt was drenched and he knew if he left it on he’d reek by the end of the night.

"Go on and wash up and change," Shelly said before he could even ask. "I’ll be all right with the boys." She bent down and picked up the trash can with the dirty diaper in it. "Dump that before you come back too."

Sabin headed out of the office, looking back over his shoulder at Shelly as she settled on the couch with the two boys to read to them. She seemed like such a natural with them. He wondered if it’d ever be that easy for him. With a sigh he headed off to change.

Chapter 21

When Sabin got to the Guns locker room Frankie and Greg were in there chatting with Alex. The men looked up when he walked in, Alex snuffing the air.

"What smells like piss," he asked.

"Me," Sabin sighed, rummaging through his bag for clean clothes.

"Did you piddle all over yourself," Greg teased.

"NO! Avery pissed on me while I was changing his diaper," Sabin fumed and then sunk to the bench with a frustrated groan.

"AJ let you watch his kid," Alex asked astonished.

"I volunteered Shell and I to take care of the boys during AJ’s match," Sabin said frowning. "Now I wish I hadn’t."

"Just because the kid pissed on you," Frankie asked.

"That and I gave Ajay Mountain Dew." All three men groaned. "I didn’t realize that the caffeine would super charge him. It was an innocent mistake! Avery started bawling his ass off when AJ walked away and I couldn’t even quiet him."

"Chris, what’d you expect? Avery’s two," Frankie replied. "He saw his daddy walking away and missed him. It’s common for kids to go through separation anxiety when parents leave."

"Besides that your ugly mug probably scared the kid," Greg snickered. Frankie glared at him, but Greg ignored him.

"You should have seen Shell with the kids though," Sabin replied. "She’s a natural." He shook his head and took his clean clothes into the bathroom to change.

Frankie followed him. "Chris, I know what you’re worried about." He leaned against the wall as Sabin stripped off his soaked clothes. "I’ve seen you with kids. You’re great with them."

This didn’t seem to comfort the younger man. "Other people’s kids sure," he said as he washed up quickly. "But in a few months Shell and I are going to have a newborn, Frankie. Our own kid."

"Chris, this anxiety is normal," Frankie replied. "You think I’m not scared shitless about becoming a dad?"

"You don’t show it."

"Well, that’s because Traci needs me to be strong right now. Trust me I know what’s going through your head, Chris, because I have the same fears."

"I doubt it," Sabin replied pulling on his clean clothes. "You’re gonna be a great dad, Frankie. Me…I’m…my kid is gonna be so fucked up!"

"Really? Have you had the dream where you don’t know how much to feed the baby and so you just keep feeding him until he explodes?"

Sabin looked at Frankie as if he was insane. "No. Good God. What the hell?"

"The point is your fears are natural," Frankie replied, ignoring the uneasy look his young friend was giving him. "Maybe you should talk things over with Shell. I’m sure she has fears of her own."

"Yeah, maybe," Sabin sighed, grabbing his soaked clothes and heading back into the locker room. "Remind me to never let you feed my kid." Frankie chuckled and shoved him as he followed the younger man out.

~}I{~

Shelly had just gotten Ajay and Avery settled in on the couch playing quietly after a story when her office door burst open. Morgan took up the entire doorway, glaring at her. Both boys looked up at the large man and began to cry.

"Matt! I just got them quiet," Shelly scolded and then she noticed the look on his face. "What’s the matter with you?"

"You couldn’t let it go, could you," he demanded.

"What are you talking about?" She sat down on the couch and pulled both sobbing boys into her lap, trying to console them.

"Jezzie told me you warned her about me," Morgan growled. "You warned her about me! I thought we’d moved on from that. I thought what was in the past would stay in the past. Apparently I thought wrong."

"Matt, calm down." Ajay and Avery huddled together on the couch, sniffling and hiccuping now that they were sure the big scary man wasn’t going to hurt them. "All I told Jezzie was that you had some behavioral problems in the past, but you were improving. I never mentioned anything about what happened between us."

Morgan’s face softened and he looked confused. "You didn’t?"

"No. Despite everything I didn’t think it was my place to tell her about that." She stood and pushed him out of her office, keeping the door open enough to listen in on the still shaken up boys. "Why are you so pissed?"

Morgan groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face, cursing under his breath. "I’m a moron. That’s why. I exploded on Jezzie when she told me that you warned her. I thought you’d told her all about what I’d done to you."

"And how is that my fault?"

"It’s not. I’m sorry." He walked off muttering to himself. "I am such a fucking moron!"

Sabin showed up just in time to see Morgan’s retreating form. He looked to Shelly, who looked both confused and rattled, and then heard the boys sniffling inside the office.

"What’d Morgan do," Sabin demanded pushing open the door and checking on Avery and Ajay. He wrapped his arms around both boys, who surprisingly buried their little faces in his chest.

"He just scared them," Shelly replied tiredly.

"It’s all right, boys," Sabin cooed.

"I’m back," AJ called entering the office. He saw his sons clinging to Sabin and grew concerned. "What happened?"

"Morgan scared them," Shelly explained. "He didn’t mean to. I don’t think he even saw the boys. He didn’t touch them."

"Daddy’s here, guys," Sabin said, showing the kids their father.

"Come on, boys. I need to get you back to the hotel and check on mommy," AJ said, grabbing the bag that Sabin offered him. "Ajay, Avery, let’s go."

The boys hesitated a moment before giving Sabin a big hug. They went to Shelly and hugged her legs before going to their father’s side.

"Thanks a lot, guys," AJ said to Shelly and Sabin. "I really appreciate you doing this for me. I hope the boys weren’t any trouble."

"It was no problem," Sabin smiled. "We had fun. Right, guys?" Both boys nodded emphatically.

"They were complete dolls, AJ, really," Shelly smiled.

AJ nodded smiling and took both boys’ hands, leading them out of the office. Once they were gone Shelly sunk to the couch with a tired groan.

"It’s been a long night, huh, babe," Sabin asked, sitting down next to her. She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "The show’s almost over. I’m going to go grab my things from the locker room so we can just leave when you’re ready."

No sooner had he left the office than Jezzie entered. She closed the door and sat down next to Shelly on the couch.

"We need to talk. You left out some really important details when I asked you about Morgan tonight."

"Jezzie, I know I didn’t tell you everything. It’s your first night here. I didn’t want to scare you off."

"A little heads up would have been nice," Jezzie replied. "Would it have killed you to tell me he likes to slap around women?"

"Look, a lot of shit happened between Morgan and I," Shelly explained. "None of which I am willing or able to get into right now. I will tell you everything if you want to know, but…Jezzie, I think Matt should be present too."

"You think I want to be around him after what he just confessed?"

"I know that he’s scary when he’s mad, trust me I know," Shelly sighed. "But he’s come a long way in a short time. He’s still got a short fuse, but he’s working on being a better person."

Jezzie bit her bottom lip. "Fine, but I want this to be in a public place. I don’t want that man doing anything to either one of us."

"He won’t," Shelly assured her. "I’ll talk to him and see when is good for him. At the very least this should clear the air. I’m not saying you have to marry the man or anything, but being on good terms wouldn’t hurt."

As Jezzie left Sabin returned with his bag. Shelly got up and began gathering her things. "Ready to go," he asked.

"Yes and quick before something else comes up," Shelly sighed, throwing her bag over her shoulder and ushering Sabin out of the office. They made their way out of the building without further incident.

~}I{~

When the two got home Sabin debated internally about talking to Shelly like Frankie had suggested. He watched as she got ready for bed, seeing how tired she looked. The night had been very eventful and he knew she’d want to sleep. He’d talk to her in the morning when she was rested. They got into bed and said their goodnights before cuddling up together and falling asleep.

Sabin’s strangled scream woke Shelly a few hours later. She sat up, turning on the bedside lamp, and found her boyfriend panting and covered in sweat.

"Chris? What’s wrong?"

Sabin scrubbed a hand down his face and through his hair, catching his breath. "Nothing. It was…a bad dream," he said.

"Want to talk about it," she asked, reaching out and touching his cheek.

He shook his head. "It’s stupid," he mumbled, getting settled back on the pillows. Shelly continued to stare at him. "I dreamt that the baby…wasn’t human and…he was…trying to eat me. Happy now?"

Shelly couldn’t help giggling at the dream. "What brought that on?"

"I don’t know," Sabin groaned. "Can we just get back to sleep?"

"Are you sure the monster baby won’t get you," she snickered.

"Nice," Sabin groaned, slipping out of bed and grabbing his pillow.

"Where are you going?"

"If you’re just going to mock me I’m sleeping on the couch," Sabin replied leaving the room.

"Chris, I’m sorry! You have fears about the baby that are manifesting in dreams," she said sliding out of bed and following him. "It’s normal. This is something new for us. Come on back to bed. Please? I can’t sleep without my human pillow."

She pouted at him and he looked at her groaning because he knew he’d cave. He always did when she pouted at him.

"Let’s go back to bed," he sighed, wrapping an arm around her and leading her back to the bedroom. "Just keep the monster baby away from me." He smirked when she giggled.

Chapter 22

"Are you sure you want to do this," Sabin asked as he watched Shelly getting ready to go out. "I mean…what if Morgan gets mad and…"

"He won’t," Shelly reassured him. "We’re going to meet with Jezzie and he’s going to explain everything. I’m just there because it’s the only way Jezzie would agree to talk to him."

"I could have sworn you wanted Morgan to stay away from her," Sabin said.

"I did, but you didn’t see Matt’s face when he realized I hadn’t told her about everything he put me through. He’s really…infatuated with Jezzie. He was just so crestfallen thinking that she’d never speak to him again."

Shelly sighed as she slipped on her shoes. She still didn’t like the idea of Morgan wanting to be with Jezzie, but perhaps the redhead would be able to handle him. That was IF Jezzie would even consider being with Morgan after what she was about to find out about him.

"Maybe I should come with you."

"And who is going to keep an eye on everyone while they’re moving stuff into our new place? Chris, I’ll be fine," Shelly reassured him for what seemed like the millionth time that morning.

It had been several days since Morgan’s blow up in front of Jezzie. Shelly had been talking to him since then to try to convince him to meet with her and Jezzie to talk things out. Once he had finally agreed she had talked to Jezzie. They were finally able to come to an agreement on a day.

Unfortunately it was the same day that Shelly and Sabin had planned to make their big move to their new place. Since she couldn’t really do anything with the heavy lifting anyway she made the arrangements for that morning. She wasn't picky about where the furniture went and knew it could be moved at a later time.

"Don’t forget to give the key to the landlord when you’re done in here," Shelly said giving Sabin a peck on the lips. "Taylor and Cindy agreed to stay behind and clean up once everything’s been moved out. I’ll talk to you later."

She grabbed her purse and keys and headed out, leaving Sabin alone. Most of the things they didn’t need right away had been packed and moved. All that remained was moving the larger items and necessities. He was just boxing up the toiletries from the bathroom when the doorbell rang.

"All right, let’s get going," Greg said shoving Sabin out of the way as he pulled on some work gloves. Alex, Cindy and Taylor were behind him. "We’re a man down. Frankie didn’t want to leave Traci alone."

"Great. You know she's been fine since Shell took over for her. It's a wonder having Frankie hovering over her doesn't stress her out," Sabin sighed.

"We can help with some of the stuff," Cindy said pointing to herself and Taylor.

"Yeah, we’re tough chicks," Taylor smiled.

"Great. Get your cute little asses to work then," Greg said. "I don’t want to be at this all day. This helping a friend move bullshit is seriously cutting into my sleeping in."

"Dude," Alex said slapping Greg’s shoulder. "Keep your eyes on your own girl. Only I can call Cinder’s ass cute."

Taylor and Cindy exchanged glances, shaking their heads as they went to check out items they could move easily without the guys’ help.

~}i{~

"What if she hates me," Morgan asked Shelly as they sat at a table at an outdoor café waiting for Jezzie to arrive.

"Matt…" She hesitated, not knowing what to say to him. "Then…maybe she’s not the one for you."

He groaned and slumped into his seat. "I wish we could go back in time and erase everything." He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

"So do I, but we can’t," Shelly replied. "The important thing is that you learned from your mistakes."

"Mistakes," Morgan snorted. "Yeah, nearly killing your boyfriend, trying to rape you and slapping you around were mistakes. Stop being nice to me, Shell. Being with me was pure hell and you know it."

"You had your moments, Matt," Shelly said. "You weren’t always a monster." He just shook his head, burying it in his hands again.

"Am I late," Jezzie asked finally meeting them.

Morgan stood, holding out the chair for her. "You’re right on time," he said forcing a smile. "We were early."

Jezzie eyed him suspiciously and took a seat. The waiter came over and they all placed orders. Once he was gone Jezzie looked Morgan in the eye.

"Start talking, big man," she said.

"Right to the point, huh," Morgan chuckled nervously. "No small talk?"

Jezzie glared at him. Shelly took a sip of her water to keep from laughing when Morgan gulped. Despite his massive size he was actually intimidated by the redhead. Jezzie would be able to keep Morgan in line just fine. She could tell.

Morgan took a deep breath and got straight to the point. "It all started early this year. I had just gone through a divorce and Traci told me about Shell."

Shelly sat silent letting him tell the story. She would offer any information when she felt the need to interject. For the time being she was content to let Morgan do all the talking.

~}i{~

"Seriously, Chris," Greg panted as he, Alex and Sabin lugged the couch up the stairs. "A fifth fucking floor apartment in a building with no elevator? This is SO going to cost you for the rest of your life!"

"Stop complaining, ya big baby," Taylor called from the top of the landing.

"You’re lucky I love you," Greg growled, making Taylor giggle.

"Come on, guys. Tay and I moved the bedroom set," Cindy called down the steps.

"After we took it apart, babe," Alex grunted, losing his grip on his side of the couch. "Not a good point."

"Alex," Sabin exclaimed, jumping out of the way just as the couch fell to the ground with a loud thud, narrowly avoiding having his foot crushed. "Dude! Quit dicking around!" He slapped Alex upside the head.

"I lost my grip! Sorry," Alex fumed, smacking Sabin back.

Greg grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and mopped his brow with the bottom of his shirt. "Are you girls done with your bitch fight?" Sabin and Alex glared at each other and nodded. "Good. We have one flight left. Think we can get this done without maiming anyone?"

"Yeah," Sabin and Alex murmured. Both men picked up their side and began to lug it up the steps.

~}i{~

Jezzie sat nibbling on her food, digesting what Morgan had just told her. Shelly hadn’t said much through the whole thing. She had allowed Morgan to tell things in his own words. Jezzie could see that certain parts of the story were still painful for Shelly to hear though.

"And all of this happened…"

"Just a few months ago," Morgan replied, pushing the food around his plate. He hadn’t had much of an appetite since he had started talking.

"The point is, Jezzie, that Matt’s been seeing a therapist and he’s been better," Shelly said.

"And what’s to stop you from doing this again," Jezzie asked. Morgan stared at her as if he couldn’t believe she had just asked the question. "If it hadn’t been for Sting and the others interjecting you probably wouldn’t have stopped. What’s to stop you from going off the deep end again?"

"Me," Morgan replied. "I’m disgusted with myself for the way I behaved. I can’t apologize enough for what I put this woman through. Hell, the fact that she didn’t have me locked up and can still stomach the thought of looking at me and talking to me is a miracle."

Jezzie didn’t seem very moved. She stared at Morgan through suspicious emerald eyes. The big man squirmed under her gaze before sighing and tossing his napkin on the table. He stood, pulling out his wallet and dropped some bills on the table.

"Thanks for hearing me out, Jezzie," he muttered.

"Matt, don’t go," Shelly said, touching his hand. He shook it off.

He looked down at her and shook his head. "I said what needed to be said. I’ll see you at the tapings next week, Shell." With that he walked off."

Shelly turned her gaze on Jezzie. "The old Matt would have tossed the table and caused a scene. Do you see how he’s changed?" Jezzie just nodded.

~}i{~

When Shelly returned late that afternoon Sabin was sprawled out on the couch, his arm over his eyes. She could tell from his breathing that he was sleeping. Boxes lined the walls, but the furniture had been arranged in a cozy way.

Shelly set her purse down on a nearby stack of boxes and slid over the back of the couch, snuggling into Sabin’s side. He stirred, a smile spreading across his face as his arm wrapped around her.

"How was your meeting," he asked without opening his eyes.

"Terrible," Shelly frowned. "Poor Matt."

Sabin finally opened his eyes and sat up to look down at her. "Poor Matt?"

"I know. It’s just…maybe it’s my hormones, but I can’t help feeling bad for him," she replied. "He really likes Jezzie."

"I know," Sabin replied. "He says he’s in love." He groaned and fell back to the pillows. "Now you have me feeling sorry for the dumb ape."

Shelly chuckled, hugging him. "That’s because you have a big heart. It’s what I love most about you."

Chapter 23

"Babe! What are you doing," Sabin exclaimed as he entered the apartment and found Shelly on a stepladder putting up the last of the curtains in the living room. "Get down from there!" He dropped his gym bag and rushed to her, pulling her off the ladder and placing her on her feet.

She sighed, shaking her head as she took a seat on the couch. "I wasn’t doing anything harmful to the baby, Chris."

"What if you fell? What if I didn’t come home when I did? What would you have done then," Sabin retorted, taking a seat next to her. He placed a hand on her swollen belly.

"You used to make fun of Frankie for being like this," Shelly pointed out.

"Well, I understand what he’s…" Sabin’s brow furrowed when he felt movement under his hand. He pulled it back as if scalded, gawking at her stomach. "Was that…did the baby just…"

"You felt the baby move," Shelly smiled, taking his hand and placing it back on her stomach. "Don’t be scared, Chris. It’s supposed to do that."

"How long has it…and why didn’t you tell me about that?"

Shelly chuckled. "It just started this morning. You were at the gym."

Sabin sat there wide eyed feeling his child moving. "This is…amazing."

"A few more months and we’ll be parents, Chris," Shelly said, watching him with an amused smile.

"I better get on Morgan about finishing that crib," Sabin said. "We have a nursery with no crib in it." Reluctantly he pulled his hand away and reached for the phone.

"Don’t be too hard on him," Shelly said standing and putting away the stepladder. "He’s been a little…down since our lunch with Jezzie."

"Matt, when are we gonna finish up the crib, man," Sabin asked. "What do you mean you don’t know?! Come on, man!"

"Honey, give me the phone," Shelly said holding out her hand. "Let me talk to him."

Sabin shook his head no. "No more excuses, buddy. Get your big dopey ass dressed and over here in an hour. Get your ass in gear. If you’re not here I’m coming there and dragging your ass back here." With that he hung up the phone and gave Shelly a triumphant smile.

"You could have handled that a little more delicately," Shelly sighed.

"Delicately? For Morgan? Come on, babe, he needs a good kick in the ass," Sabin replied. "He’s been moping around for over a week."

"You of all people should understand what he’s going through, Chris." Sabin looked at her puzzled. "How did you feel when I was totally oblivious to how you felt? How did you feel when, after you confessed your feelings, I told you I wasn’t interested in you like that?"

"Oh," was all he could reply. "But…that’s a different story. We knew each other for a while before I started having…"

"Is it really so different, Chris," Shelly asked. "Unrequited love is painful no matter what the situation."

"Whoa. Hold up there, Shell. Love? Morgan barely knows Jezzie."

"Love, a crush, infatuation it still hurts when the feelings aren’t returned," Shelly fumed. "Trust me, I know…and so do you. So, I suggest you be more sensitive." With that she headed into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Sabin raked a hand through his hair. "Mood swing number three hundred and fifty seven," he muttered and went to get ready for Morgan’s arrival.

~}i{~

"Let’s get this over with," Morgan said when Sabin opened the door an hour later.

"Hello to you too, Sunshine."

"You want my help or what," Morgan growled.

"Whoa! Hey, ease up, man. This crib building was your idea, ya know."

Morgan sighed, shoulders slumping. "I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…not myself lately."

Sabin opened his mouth to reply, but remembered the talk he’d had with Shelly earlier about being more sensitive. "Matt, it took guts for you to come clean with Jezzie about everything you’ve done. While she didn’t react the way you had hoped…"

"I didn’t have any expectations," Morgan corrected. "I just wanted her to hear me out. I suppose I should be thankful she actually stayed and did listen to everything. It just…"

"Hurts," Sabin nodded. "I get that." Morgan gave him a quizzical look. "Believe it or not I didn’t exactly sweep Shell off her feet. I was pining away for her for a long time before I found my balls. Even then she turned me down." Morgan winced. "The point is…" He faltered, not knowing where to take the pep talk. "If things with you and Jezzie are meant to be you’ll know."

"I won’t hold my breath," Morgan muttered. "Where’s the nursery?"

"This way," Sabin replied, leading the way down the hall. Shelly was arranging some stuffed animals on a shelf.

"Hey guys," she said smiling as she placed the last toy on the shelf. "I’ll clear out of your way so you can get down to your manly building."

An idea suddenly occurred to Sabin. "Matt, you’ll never believe what happened today," he said excitedly as he placed his hands on Shelly’s shoulders and ushered her over to the big man. "We felt the baby move!"

"Oh, wow. That’s…that’s um…that’s nice," Morgan stammered.

"You wanna feel? Go ahead! It’s amazing," Sabin urged.

"Oh no. I shouldn’t…I mean…"

"Chris, cut it out. Our baby is not a sideshow attraction," Shelly hissed, shoving his hands away from her. "It’s all right, Matt. You don’t have to if you don’t want to." She glared at Chris. "The last thing I want is everyone and their mother touching my stomach anyway."

"It’ll cheer Matt up," Sabin pointed out.

"I really don’t think that…"

"Nonsense! It’s the miracle of life," Sabin cut Morgan off. "I dare you to feel that baby moving around in there and NOT smile."

Shelly groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "He’s not going to let this go, Matt. Give me your hand."

Morgan did as she asked and she placed his large hand on her stomach. He stood there awkwardly a moment before he felt anything. His eyes went wide as he felt the little fluttering sensation.

"What’d I tell ya," Sabin smiled wide. "Come on. You know you wanna smile, big man!"

Morgan did smile. "That really is amazing," he said removing his hand from Shelly’s stomach.

"All right," Shelly said looking at both men. "I’ll leave you boys to your work. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge, Matt."

"Thanks," he called as she left the room. He turned back to Sabin, who was smiling proudly. Morgan sighed loudly and shook his head. "Yeah, I get it. You made that. For the kid’s sake let’s hope it looks more like Shell than your goofy ass."

Sabin’s smile fell a moment before he chuckled. "You’re just jealous that she chose me over you."

Morgan chuckled in spite of his earlier crappy mood and shoved Sabin. "Let’s get to work."

~}i{~

About a week later Sabin sat in the exam room with Shelly waiting for the doctor to come in. He sat drumming his fingers against his thighs, his knee bouncing.

"You all right," Shelly asked, quirking a brow.

"Fine," Sabin replied, smiling nervously.

"Chris, this is just a check up. Everything’s been fine so far. We’ve got nothing to worry about."

Before Sabin could reply the doctor entered the room. She got down to business with the check up. When everything looked good she pulled over the ultrasound machine and made Shelly lie back.

"Have you two been discussing names," Doctor Sullivan asked as she squeeze some gel onto Shelly’s stomach and moved the wand around until she found what she was looking for.

"Not yet," Shelly replied. "I’ve kinda been looking at names, but nothing definite yet."

"My goodness," Sabin gasped. "It’s getting so big!"

"You needed the machine to tell you that," Shelly chuckled motioning to her rounded belly.

"Would you like to know the sex?"

"Yes," Sabn replied excitedly, however at the same moment Shelly had said no and he looked at her confused. "What do you mean no?"

"I’d like to be surprised," Shelly replied.

"How about I write down the sex and seal it in an envelope," Sullivan suggested.

"That’s fine," Shelly replied.

Sabin had been examining the ultrasound closely and a huge smile spread across his face. "Yeah, that works just fine," he replied still smiling.

Chapter 24

"Let’s make this quick, bro," Alex said checking his watch. "I promised my mom I’d be by for dinner tonight."

The two had gone back to Detroit so that Sabin could clean out his apartment. After that they’d pack up some smaller things into a U-Haul truck and Alex would drive it back to Florida for Sabin.

"Yeah, I promised mine too," Sabin sighed, not looking forward to spending an evening with his mother. "Shouldn’t be too much trouble. Mom had some stuff put in storage for me. It’s just a matter of packing up the crap I missed on the first trip out here."

"Hey, how’d the doctor’s appointment go the other day," Alex asked as he grabbed some boxes to throw on the hand truck.

Sabin smiled proudly and produced the ultrasound picture from his back pocket. He handed it to Alex, who took it and examined it, not really knowing what exactly he was looking for.

"That’s a good looking kid, man," Alex said handing the picture back to Sabin.

Sabin chuckled, sling his arm around his friend’s shoulders. "No, you fail to see what I’m so proud of, Alex." He brought the picture up and pointed. "That, my friend, is my son."

"No shit! You can see the peep," Alex asked squinting. "He must take after daddy." He cackled and elbowed Sabin in the ribs.

"No! It’s right there," Sabin growled pointing at the picture.

"Nice try, man," Alex laughed. "That’s the umbilical cord."

"Whatever," Sabin scowled. "That’s my son." He shoved the picture back into his pocket and they went back to clearing out the apartment.

~}i{~

"Did everything go smoothly with Alex?" Dinner had been quiet up to that point.

"Yeah, Ma, Alex is going to have dinner with his mom and then drive the truck back to Florida," Sabin replied.

"So, when are you planning on making things official with Shelly," Josephine asked.

Sabin furrowed his brow, setting his fork down. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Are you planning on marrying her," his mother asked. "She is having your child."

Sabin sighed. "Ma, right now marriage isn’t exactly on our minds. We’re just trying to get through the pregnancy and bring a healthy baby into the world."

Josephine pursed her lips and shook her head. She didn’t agree with how her son was starting a family, but it was his life. She’d have to let him live it.

"This isn’t the dark ages, Ma. There’s no shotgun to my head just because I knocked Shell up."

"Chris," Josephine groaned, making a tsking noise at him. "I’m not saying you have to marry her just because she’s pregnant. The last time I saw the two of you…well…I was sure you would propose soon after."

Sabin pushed his plate away suddenly not hungry as he remembered the visit she was talking about. It happened when they were in Detroit for the PPV. It was back before the shit had hit the fan.

"A lot’s happened since then." Josephine furrowed her brow at him. "I don’t want to get into it. Look, we lost our way for a while, but we’re slowly getting things back on track. I’m not saying we’ll never get married. All I’m saying is…just be patient."

Josephine smiled and leaned across the table, patting his hand. "That’s all I wanted to hear. I just want my baby boy to be happy."

"I am happy, Ma. Very happy." He relaxed and smiled at his mother.

~}i{~

"Come on in, buddy," Sabin exclaimed happily when Morgan showed up about a week later to work on the crib.

"What’s got you so happy," Morgan asked eyeing the smaller man up and down. He then groaned. "Did you just get lucky or something? I’m not gonna walk in on Shell half dressed or anything, am I?"

"Mind out of the gutter, Matt," Sabin chuckled and produced the ultrasound picture and handed it to Morgan.

"Nice. You trying your hand at being a shrink," Morgan asked turning the picture upside down and then sideways. "Is this some screwed up inkblot?"

"No! That’s my kid," Sabin exclaimed, snatching the picture back. "Look, there’s the head and the hands and the feet." Morgan looked over Sabin’s shoulder and nodded now seeing what was being pointed out. "And that…is proof that I have a son on the way."

Morgan began to snicker. "No likely, LITTLE man."

Sabin scowled up at him. "Just because I’m short doesn’t mean I don’t have…dude it’s a boy. Take my word for it, that’s a boy."

"Did the doctor tell you that," Morgan asked.

"No."

"So, you’re just assuming it’s a boy?" Sabin nodded. Morgan chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re in for a disappointment, bro."

Before Sabin could respond Shelly came home. She was giggling and talking to someone. Morgan’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head when Jezzie walked through the door laughing and carrying several shopping bags. She stopped laughing seeing him there.

"Hey, Matt," Shelly chirped. "I didn’t know you’d be here today."

"Yes, you did you called…" Before Sabin could finish his statement Shelly had slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Honey, help me unload the groceries please," she said, dropping the bag he had been carrying into his arms. She shot him a look and removed her hand.

"Yes dear," Sabin sighed, realizing what she was doing. He grabbed the bags from Jezzie and carried them into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Putting away groceries," Shelly replied with a shrug.

"Don’t play innocent. You planned this."

"So?"

"So, Morgan just got out of that damn funk that woman put him in," Sabin exclaimed and then dropped his voice to a whisper. "We’re almost done with the crib. I don’t want him flaking out on me again!"

"Relax. Jezzie doesn’t hate Matt like he thinks she does. She was just take aback by what he’d confessed to her at lunch," Shelly explained. "It was a lot to take in."

Sabin frowned. "I don’t like you doing this behind my back. Next time warn me."

"Hopefully there won’t be a next time." Shelly looked up from the bag she was emptying and winked at him.

~}i{~

"You gonna stare at me all afternoon or do I get a hello," Jezzie asked with a smirk. Morgan hadn’t said a word since she arrived. He’d stood frozen in place staring at the redhead. He shook out of his daze hearing her query.

"Hi," he stammered out.

"How’ve you been," she asked trying to make conversation.

"Good. You?"

Jezzie sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Matt, I feel terrible about how I handled things at lunch. You were…"

"Don’t." He held up a hand to silence her. "I get it. What I did was sick and twisted and I’m ashamed of myself for even thinking of it, let alone doing it. You see me as a monster."

"Matt, I…"

"You don’t have to say anything, Jezzie," he cut her off and she let out a curse under her breath.

"Are you going to let me say anything or do you just like the sound of your own voice," Jezzie demanded. She glared up at him, annoyance clearly written all over her face.

Neither of them had seen or heard Shelly and Sabin exit the kitchen. The couple stopped in their tracks when they heard Jezzie’s words. Sabin tensed, ready to break up any argument that commenced from that point. Shelly on the other hand just smirked. She admired how ballsy Jezzie was to speak to a man the size of Morgan.

"For the record, no, I don’t see you as a monster," Jezzie said when Morgan finally allowed her to talk. "Definitely misguided and a little screwed up in the head, but not a monster. The fact that you’re sorry for what you put Shell through shows that you do have a conscience."

"So…you don’t hate me?"

"I don’t know you well enough to hate you, Matt," Jezzie chuckled. "I’ll reserve judgement for when we get to know each other better." He smiled at her little joke. "So, what do you say, big man? Clean slate?"

"Yes, please," Morgan replied.

"All right, Matt. Time to get to work on that crib," Sabin said finally breaking up the conversation.

"Ooh! Manly men doing manual labor. Do you mind an audience," Jezzie teased.

"You could help if you’d like," Morgan offered.

"No girls allowed," Sabin scowled and chuckled when Morgan shoved him ahead. "Come on, Jezzie. We could use all the help we can get."

Chapter 25

"Hey," Traci said when Shelly picked her up.

"I’m shocked Frankie actually let you out of the house," Shelly chuckled as she pulled away from the curb.

Traci chuckled, her hand on her very round belly. "I told him he either lets me go to yoga with you or I kill him in his sleep," she said with an evil smile.

"I see he chose the lesser of two evils," Shelly giggled. "Did you explain to him that yoga is perfectly safe?"

"Yes. He insisted on calling my doctor to make sure," Traci sighed. "If it was up to him I’d be as big as a house lying in bed until I pop."

"He’s worried about the two of you, Trace," Shelly said. "It could be worse. You could have married a guy who didn’t give a fuck."

"True," Traci sighed. "So, when are you and Chris getting married?"

"Nice transition," Shelly chuckled. "Not you too, Trace."

"What?"

"Chris’ mom keeps asking the same thing."

Shelly smirked thinking of how Sabin always squirmed when he was on the phone with his mother these days. No matter how many times he explained to her that marriage wasn’t on the horizon she still pressed the issue.

"What do you guys tell her," Traci asked fiddling with the radio.

"When we know you’ll know," Shelly replied.

"Good answer," Traci smiled.

~}i{~

Frankie watched as Sabin and Morgan were finally assembling the sides of the crib together. He had helped them finish off the side slats and was taking a step back to admire their work. He furrowed his brow as he watched the men nailing the next side to the crib as they bickered.

"Uh…Matt, should the crib look like that," Frankie asked.

"Look like what? A crib," Morgan replied. "Just let us get this done, Frankie."

"Yeah but…"

"Frankie, just shut up and help us," Sabin growled as he hammered away.

"Guys, take a step back for a minute and look at what you’re doing," Frankie insisted.

Morgan tossed his hammer down, grumbling under his breath. "If it’ll make you shut up then I’ll do it." He stood and headed over to where Frankie stood. Sabin did the same with a groan. He had wanted to get as much of the crib done today as possible. There had been too much delay because of conflicting schedules as it was.

"Son of a bitch," Sabin muttered seeing what Frankie had been talking about. "Matt, we gotta pull that shit apart."

"How the hell did we…It looks like a retarded Z," Morgan groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"Have you two been drinking," Frankie teased.

"Shut up and help us fix this," Sabin said grabbing Frankie by the shirt and yanking him over to the crib.

"I’m not the one who did this, ya know," Frankie replied as a hammer was thrust into his hands.

"Frankie, I have a hammer and I’m above making your son fatherless," Sabin barked.

"All right. God, you act like the world is coming to an end," Frankie murmured.

Sabin’s shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "I’m sorry. I just want to get this crib put together before Shell has the baby. At the rate we’re going we’ll have to use our dresser drawer as a crib."

Morgan snickered and clapped Sabin on the back. "Not gonna happen, my friend. Frankie and I won’t let it. Right, buddy?"

"Right," Frankie agreed and went back to taking apart the side of the crib he was near.

~}i{~

"I’m home," Shelly called later that day as she entered the house.

She found Sabin, Morgan and Frankie all lounging on the couch. Each man had a cold soda in their hand and looked extremely tired. Frankie had several bandages on his right hand fingers.

Shelly perched on the arm of the couch by Sabin and looked over the three of them. "Tough day, guys?"

Morgan downed the rest of his soda and crushed the can before looking up at her. "The next time I offer to build something please slap me," he finally said. "YOu need to stock cold beer in the fridge. This is definitely a beer day."

"That bad," Shelly asked, arching a brow. She ignored the beer comment. "Do I even want to look in the nursery?"

"No, we fixed the problem," Frankie replied, downing the rest of his soda and standing. "I should get home to Traci. How was she feeling after yoga?"

"Good," Shely replied. "A little tired, but good. She said she was going to take a hot bath when she got home." Frankie nodded and headed home.

"I should go too," Morgan sighed. "Jezzie said she wanted to stop by to watch some movies."

Shelly smirked. "So, you’ve got a date, Matt?"

"No. Just two friends staying in and watching a couple of movies," Morgan replied.

"Otherwise known as a date, big man," Sabin chuckled. Morgan grunted and headed toward the door.

"Have fun with Jezzie," Shelly called as he opened the door to leave.

"You want to see the crib," Sabin asked when Morgan was finally gone.

"Of course I do," Shelly nodded, getting to her feet. "This little guy is going to need a place to sleep soon."

"So, it is a boy," Sabin said smiling wide.

"It’s a figure of speech, Chris," Shelly chuckled as he took her hand and led the way down to the nursery. "You’re not going to be disappointed if we have a girl, are you?"

"Of course not," Sabin replied, kissing the back of her hand. "I still say it’s a boy." He opened the door to the nursery and turned on the light. In the center of the room stood the bare bones of the crib. "We still need to put in the cross bars across the bottom for the mattress to sit on, but there you have it."

Shelly went to it and ran her hand over the wood, admiring the hard work that went into making it. "You guys have done a great job," she finally said and then furrowed her brow looking closer at the wood. "Is that blood?"

Sabin rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, um…Frankie had a little accident when we had to pull things apart and redo it," he said. "Once he realized he didn’t need stitches he was fine. You really like it, babe?"

"I love it," Shelly replied. "You guys are doing a great job." She patted her belly. "The baby will love it too."

"Especially since daddy, Uncle Matt and Uncle Frankie have been working their asses off to make it," Sabin said, giving her a goofy smile.

As she leaned in to give him a kiss her stomach gave a loud growl. "I don’t suppose you had time to make dinner, huh?"

"Sorry, babe, we were working in here all afternoon," Sabin frown and then his face lit up. "But we can order take out and watch some movies. What do you say to a nice romantic evening in?"

"I say that sounds like heaven," Shelly smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "Chinese. You know what I like."

Sabin nodded, leading the way into the living room. "You pick a movie and I’ll go order the food."

A few minutes later, after Sabin had ordered their food, he entered the living room and took one look at the screen with a loud groan. "Babe, please tell me you didn’t…"

"You said I get to pick," Shelly smirked. "You leave me in charge of movies then this is what you get."

Sabin whimpered and sunk down to the couch. "Why is it always Twilight," he whined.

"Because vampires are hot," Shelly shrugged.

"Of course they are," Sabin sighed. "But usually when they’re kicking ass and tearing out throats."

"But this is much more romantic," Shelly replied, snuggling into his side as he got comfortable.

"And sappy and…babe, you do realize that vampires are not meant to sparkle in the sunlight," Sabin asked. "Sunlight kills vampires."

"You’re just jealous that I find Jacob and Edward sexy," Shelly teased.

Sabin snorted. "Please. I can take the both of them even with their superhuman powers."

"Of course you can," Shelly soothed. "Now be quiet. This is one of my favorite parts." Sabin rolled his eyes and settled back to watch the movie begrudgingly. He was relieved when several minutes the take out arrived and he could get away from the movie for a little while.

Chapter 26

A couple of weeks later Shelly and Sabin were enjoying a rare morning together. Sabin was usually on the road performing or on his way home from a series of house shows. The phone began to ring and Sabin answered it.

"What do you mean you’re at the airport, Ma," Sabin exclaimed. Shelly gave him a quizzical look and he shrugged. "No, don’t take a cab. I’ll be there in a little bit to get you. Just sit tight."

He hung up the phone and dragged a hand down his face. "I swear that woman is gonna drive me to drink."

"That’s not a very nice thing to say about the woman who brought you into the world," Shelly said. She couldn’t help the smirk that curled one corner of her mouth. "Did she tell you she was visiting?"

"No," Sabin groaned, gulping down the rest of his coffee. "I have to go get her." He leaned over to give Shelly a quick kiss.

"Be nice, Chris. She is your mother. She probably wanted to surprise us."

"Yeah. Surprise! Welcome, Mom. Go sleep on the couch," Sabin muttered as he walked away.

"We have a day bed in the nursery, Chris," Shelly called. "She won’t have to sleep on the couch. I’ll make it up while you’re out getting her."

~}i{~

"I could have taken a cab, Chris," Josephine said as Sabin slid into the driver’s seat after tossing her bag in the trunk.

"If you had called ahead of time to let us know you were coming I would have been waiting for you, Ma," Sabin replied as he started up the car and pulled into traffic.

"Shelly said I was welcome anytime," Josephine shrugged. "I wanted to see my future daughter-in-law before she has my grandchild."

"Ma," Sabin whined. "Would you give it a rest with the marriage talk. I told you that when the time is right we’ll get married."

Josephine sighed and started out the window, pursing her lips. "I don’t understand what is keeping you two from making a commitment."

Sabin sighed and glanced at his mother. "I’ll tell you, Ma, but it’s not a pretty story. What I do want you to keep in mind is that Shell and I are working toward our happy ending. All right?"

Josephine turned her gaze to her son and nodded. Sabin began to tell his mother about what had been going on. She listened silently, shocked at everything that her son and his girlfriend had to endure. When Sabin finished talking Josephine sat back in her seat not knowing what to say.

"We’re back together now, Ma, but I think marriage is still a long ways off yet," he said softly as he pulled into a parking space.

"I understand, darling," Josephine said as she got out of the car and waited for him to grab her bag from the trunk.

"Please don’t say anything to Shell about it," Sabin begged as he led the way into the building. "It’s not something she’d want you knowing."

"I won’t say anything," Josephine promised as she followed him to the apartment.

"Babe, we’re home," Sabin called as he led his mother to where she’d be sleeping. Shelly met them at the nursery door.

"Look at you," Josephine squealed, shoving her son out of the way to get a better look at Shelly. "You’re absolutely humongous!" She pulled the younger woman into a tight embrace before resting a hand on her swollen belly.

"Thanks, Josephine," Shelly chuckled. "That’s always what a pregnant woman wants to hear."

"Oh you," Josephine chuckled. "You look absolutely beautiful. Doesn’t she, Chris?" Sabin opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. "Pregnancy really suits you, my dear."

"You’re very sweet, Josephine," Shelly smiled, forcing back the giggle at Sabin rolling his eyes behind his mother’s back. "I’d almost believe you if I didn’t feel like a beached whale."

"Nonsense! And you’re about to have my grandchild, dear, you can call me mom," Josephine replied.

"Come on, Ma, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping," Sabin said cutting her off before his mother could say more.

Josephine looked at Shelly and her bottom lip trembled a bit, tears filling her eyes. What her son had just told her in the car was still fresh in her mind. Unable to control herself she pulled the younger woman into a tight embrace. "You’re so brave!"

Shelly looked over Josephine’s shoulder at Sabin, completely confused. Sabin, slapped a hand to his forehead and ran it down his face. He knew that he’d have to explain that to Shelly later and he didn’t relish the idea.

"To go through so much and now you’re bringing a life into the world," Josephine sniffled as she released Shelly. "You’re just such a brave girl."

"Chris," Shelly said smiling as Josephine entered the nursery to see where she’d be sleeping. "Could I speak to you in private, honey?"

Sabin groaned. "Yeah," he sighed, following Shelly to their bedroom. He closed the door and turned to see her glaring at him. "Before you get pissed…"

"I’m already pissed," she interrupted. "You told your mother about what Matt did?"

"She started in on the marriage crap again," Sabin exclaimed. "She needed to understand why we’re not getting married before the baby is born, Shell! She wasn’t going to let it go. I had to tell her."

"You told her everything?"

"I left out some details, but she got the gist of what went on," he replied. "It was either tell her or listen to her harp on it. Babe, she understands now. What’s the big deal?"

"The big deal is…" Her words faltered as she struggled to put her thoughts into words. "The big deal is that…I don’t want pity. What Matt did is in the past and we’ve moved on. We’ve come so far since then, Chris."

He smiled and nodded. "We have and now Ma sees that. She doesn’t pity you, babe. She just told you that you were brave and she wants you to call her mom. Trust me, that means she’s proud of you." He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. "When we finally do get married she’ll be ecstatic to welcome you into the family."

"Is that a proposal, Mr. Sabin," Shelly asked with a smirk.

"It’s a promise of a proposal," he replied. "When it happens…well, I have a very romantic plan in mind. For now let’s just concentrate on bringing this little guy into the world."

"Or girl," Shelly teased. "I’m kind of relieved you’re not pressing the marriage issue. I don’t want to be a big pregnant bride."

"You’d be a beautiful pregnant bride," he replied kissing her. "Come on. I’m sure Ma’s worried we’re fighting."

~}i{~

A few weeks later Taylor and Cindy gathered some friends to plan out a baby shower for Shelly and Traci. They knew that it was risky to plan such a thing where Shelly could potentially overhear, but it was really the only way for the women to plan anything. They all had such different schedules when they were away from the Impact Zone that it was hard for them to get together.

"Quiet, girls," Taylor hissed at the table when she saw Shelly headed their way.

Taylor, Tara, Cindy, Velvet, Madison, Jezzie and Angelina all quieted down, turning their gaze toward their friend. Shelly eyed them suspiciously. She’d never known her friends to be so quiet, especially when grouped together.

"What’s going on here," Shelly asked, giving each woman a once over.

"Nothing," Cindy replied smiling sweetly. "We’re just hanging out until the show starts."

"Uh huh. Well, you better not be planning on getting into trouble girls. I’m not in the mood for it tonight." With that she walked off yelling at people to get out of her way.

"What’s her problem," Velvet asked.

"Chris has been pissing her off lately," Cindy replied. "He’s been spending a lot of time with Alex and I because Shell keeps kicking him out."

"What’d he do," Taylor asked furrowing her brow. She hadn’t heard anything about this.

"Nothing much," Cindy sighed. "Just being the overprotective daddy-to-be and annoying Shell." The table of women chuckled. "The little things have been ticking her off big time lately. She always takes him back in a couple of hours though."

"Preggers hormones," Angelina nodded. "She’ll be all loopy probably until after the baby is born."

"Says the woman who has no children at all," Madison snickered.

"Hey, you told us horror stories about your sister screeching like a banshee at her husband," Velvet exclaimed.

"Girls! Could we focus here? I don’t know how much longer we have until Shell comes back," Taylor said directing the meeting back toward planning the party. "I think we’ll have to have the shower this weekend."

"Especially since Traci is almost ready to pop," Tara chuckled.

Chapter 27

"Uncle Chris," Ajay exclaimed from his father’s arms later that night. AJ’s eyes narrowed when he saw the man his son had called out to.

"Hey! There’s my little buddy," Sabin smiled seeing AJ stalking toward him. "What’s the matter, AJ?" He noticed that his friend looked none too pleased with him and was thoroughly confused as to why.

"What’s wrong," AJ growled. "Ajay, why don’t you tell Uncle Chris the word you called mommy?"

"Shithead," Ajay chirped proudly. AJ cringed and Sabin choked back a chuckle.

"It’s not funny, Chris," AJ growled. "My wife almost had a heart attack! I dread to think of little Avery repeating what his big brother said."

"I’m sorry, AJ," Sabin said, realizing how serious the situation was.

"Shithead!"

"Ajay! No," AJ groaned.

"Who taught you how to say that," Shelly asked joining them.

"Your boyfriend," AJ replied.

"I didn’t do it intentionally," Sabin said when Shelly glared at him. "He must have overheard me on the phone last week when we watched the boys!"

"And I’ve told you about your language," Shelly retorted.

As the two bickered AJ became increasingly more annoyed. Sabin, while he claimed to be sorry, didn’t seem to show any real remorse. It seemed that Shelly too could sense Sabin’s lack of remorse.

"Shell, hold Ajay please," AJ asked, handing her his son and not really waiting for an answer.

Shelly accepted Ajay with wide eyed surprise as the child’s father began to roll up his sleeves.

"What are you going to do, AJ?"

"I’m going to teach your boyfriend a little lesson."

Sabin snorted. "Look, AJ, I’m sorry I taught your kid a bad word, but I don’t exactly know what you expect me to do about it."

AJ’s usually warm crystal blue eyes took on an icy shade. Something in the look made Sabin gulp. When AJ’s hands balled into fists Sabin’s muscles poised to run.

"Chris, you have five seconds to run," AJ said through gritted teeth.

"Only need two," Sabin exclaimed and took off running.

AJ followed, though he was just walking briskly. He passed some construction to a part of the building and snatched up a pipe as he continued down the hall.

Up ahead Sabin nearly ran right into Daniels. "Sorry, Chris," he called as he sidestepped the older man and raced on ahead.

"Where’s the fire, kid," Daniels called. He shook his head and chuckled turning back to the direction he was headed. It was then that he noticed AJ stalking toward him. "Hey, buddy…whoa!" He jumped out of the way, hugging the wall, and let AJ pass.

He watched his friend stalk after Sabin wondering what had happened to anger him so much. It was then that Shelly, holding Ajay’s hand, came upon him.

"I take it AJ came this way," she said.

"Yeah. What’s with AJ?"

"Shithead," Ajay crowed pointing at Daniels, who looked at the child wide eyed.

"Yeah. Apparently Chris taught the little guy a new word," Shelly sighed. "Could you keep an eye on him while I go try to prevent his daddy from killing my boyfriend."

"No problem, hon," Daniels replied, taking the child’s hand. "Come on, Ajay. Let’s see what we can find for you to do."

Up ahead Sabin continued to run from AJ. He saw Joe and Taz talking. Joe spotted the smaller man heading his way and nudged Taz out of the way just in time to avoid a collision.

"Joe, help me please," Sabin exclaimed as he passed.

"Sabin, why the fuck would I…" Joe’s words faltered when he caught sight of AJ stalking after Sabin. "You’re on your own, man. I don’t know what you did to make AJ look like that, but I am NOT getting involved." He took his arm and shoved Taz against the wall, giving AJ a wide berth.

"You suck, Joe," Sabin called as he raced on ahead.

"Tell that to my fist next time you see me," Joe replied.

Sabin rounded a corner and realized that it was a dead end. His only option was to escape into a locker room. Unfortunately there were very few options. One was Sting’s locker room, which he knew was completely off limits. The other was the Main Event Mafia’s locker room. Again it was off limits. His last resort was the women’s locker room

He peeked over his shoulder and saw AJ getting closer. "Aw HELL," he groaned, opening the locker room door and diving inside.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING," Christy demanded, closing her robe quickly.

"Please, Christy, I just need to hide out for a little while," Sabin begged.

Christy was soon joined by Sarita and Alissa Flash. The redhead turned to the two women. "What do you think, ladies?"

"No," both women replied in unison.

All three women grabbed Sabin and tossed him out into the hall. He skidded to a halt a few feet away from the locker room door. He quickly got to his feet, dusting himself off.

"Yeah, well…I don’t need you skanks anyway," he called, forgetting about why he had been trying to hide in the first place…that was until he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Shit!" Slowly he turned around and gulped. "AJ, I’m sorry! I really am."

"Save it," AJ growled. "You had your chance to apologize. You didn’t take it seriously."

Sabin saw AJ’s knuckles turning white as he gripped the pipe in his hand. "Dude, I’m about to become a father! Come on, AJ. I’m sorry. I really am!"

"Too little too late, Chris," AJ growled, raising the pipe over his head. Sabin cringed and shielded his head with his arms. AJ was about to bring the pipe down when he felt resistance. He tugged with no luck of moving the weapon.

Turning around he found Matt Morgan holding onto the end of the pipe with one hand. "You wanna tell me why you’re trying to kill my little buddy here, AJ?"

"He taught my son a curse word," AJ exclaimed, tugging on the pipe. Morgan held a steady grip. AJ tugged a couple of more times, before letting go of the weapon altogether. "Then he had the nerve to laugh about it."

Morgan tossed the pipe aside. "Chris, get lost." Sabin looked up at Morgan, mouthing a thank you and running off. "AJ, I understand why you’re so pissed, but don’t you think there’s a better way to deal with your anger?"

AJ’s stone cold glare faded and he hung his head in shame. If his son had seen him acting this way he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself. He should have been more adult than that.

"You’re right, Matt," he finally said.

"Cool down. Find out where your kid is and then go talk things out with Chris. I know he’s immature, but I also know he wouldn’t do anything like that intentionally." AJ nodded and walked away from the larger man, thinking about what he’d just said.

Morgan turned to watch him walk away and that was when his eyes landed on Jezzie. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see you talk AJ down from doing something really stupid," she smiled as she walked over to him. "Very impressive."

"Was it," he asked. He kept a cool exterior, but inside he was ecstatic.

Jezzie nodded, smiling wide. "What do you say we have dinner sometime?"

"Dinner?"

Jezzie again nodded. "Tomorrow night. Pick me up at eight." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.

"You sure about this, Jez," he asked.

"I’ll see you at eight. Wear something nice," she said, winking at him as she walked away.

Morgan watched her saunter away with a goofy grin on his face. "Hot damn I have a date!"

~}i{~

While Morgan and Jezzie had been talking Sabin ran into Shelly on his way back to safety. "Where’s Ajay?"

"I left him with Daniels," Shelly replied. "You have to be more careful about what you say in front of the kids, Chris."

"I know," Sabin replied. "I shouldn’t have laughed when the kid cursed either, but…I mean…it was so cute. He called his father a shithead." He chuckled as he mimicked a child’s voice.

Shelly pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "A four year old cursing is not cute, Chris."

"You’re right," Sabin said, quickly wiping the smile off his face. "Sorry."

Shelly sighed. "You have so much growing up to do yet and only a couple of months left to do it."

"It was a lapse in judgment. I’ve learned from my mistake and I won’t make it again." He looked at her with wide puppy dog eyes and stuck out his bottom lip. "Forgive me?"

"Put the lip away," she chuckled. "Go get your stuff. The show’s almost over and I’m ready for bed."

"Now you’re speaking my language," he replied, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Go," she said chuckling at him.

Chapter 28

Sabin frowned as he looked around the room at the other expectant mothers in various stages of their pregnancies. He then looked to the expectant fathers and other coaches there. He had never felt so uncomfortable in all his life.

"Babe, do we really need to be here? I mean…a birthing class? Really?"

"Chris, I know you. When I go into labor you’ll freak out," Shelly replied as he helped her to sit on the pillows on the floor. "And I just might freak a bit too. This class is going to teach us how to remain calm during the birth and also how to take care of the baby. Trust me, we need this class." Sabin’s frown got deeper. "Traci said that this teacher is excellent."

"Good morning," the teacher called as she strolled into the room. She was a petite woman with short brown hair. She wore a pair of dark pink scrub bottoms and a scrub top with a print of rattles, pacifiers and bottles all over it.

As she began to inform the class of her credentials Sabin noticed that the woman had a very pronounced speech impediment. He tried his hardest not to laugh, but the more the woman talked the harder it became. Shelly shot him dirty looks when he snorted a couple of times.

"Cut it out," she hissed at him.

"Sorry," he whispered back and went back to trying to pay attention to the class.

After listening for what seemed like forever to the woman talking Sabin couldn’t help it and faked a coughing fit so that he could step out to get the giggles under control. He excused himself and rushed out of the room. He leaned over a table in the hall, shoulders shaking as he tried not to let his laughing get too loud. Moments later Shelly joined him, placing a hand on his shoulder and scaring him nearly out of his skin.

"Honey, are you all right," she asked and then frowned when she realized he really wasn’t coughing at all.

"Fine, babe," he whimpered as the last of the giggles finally subsided. He looked at her as seriously as he could, but the remnants of a smirk remained.

"What is it this time," she demanded her hands on her hips.

"Babe, she said bweast," he replied. "Come on! How do you expect me to learn anything when she sounds like Elmer freakin’ Fudd!"

"We need this class, Chris," Shelly replied through gritted teeth. Sometimes his immaturity really got on her last good nerve.

"Why? Women have been having babies for centuries," Sabin began, but the look she shot him made him quiet down quickly and he tried a different tack. "All I’m saying is that we’ll be fine whether we take this class or not."

"Chris, you’ll panic," Shelly replied as calmly as she could. "You’ll panic and then where will that leave me?"

"Traci or Frankie could step in until I find my head," he offered and recoiled when she glared at him. "I won’t panic, babe. I promise. Come on. Let’s go see what Mrs. Fudd is up to."

"You’re horrible," Shelly sighed, but couldn’t help the smile that curled her lips.

~}i{~

"I can not believe you," Shelly fumed as she and Sabin entered their apartment. She attempted to slam the door in his face, but he caught it before she could.

"Ow," he said calmly and shook his now throbbing hand.

"I have never been so embarrassed in all my life," Shelly yelled and stopped, seeing Alex, Cindy and Taylor hanging out on the couch. She shook her head and headed to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

"How the hell did you guys get in," Sabin demanded.

"Your mom let us in," Alex replied looking up from the game he and Cindy were playing. "She said that she’ll be gone most of the day."

"She went house hunting," Cindy chimed in.

"So, what’d you do now, knucklehead," Greg asked coming out of the kitchen munching on a chicken leg.

"What are you eating," Sabin demanded, ignoring the question.

"Chicken. It was in the fridge," Greg replied shrugging as he bit another chunk out of the leg in his hand.

"My mom made that," Sabin yelled.

"Get over the chicken, Chris," Taylor said getting to her feet. "What’d you do to get Shell all pissed?"

"What don’t I do to piss her off lately," Sabin replied, throwing himself down into a chair. "She’s all hopped up on fucking hormones and bites my head off every ten seconds."

The bedroom door opened and Shelly poked her head out. "Maybe you deserve to have your head bitten off every ten seconds," she yelled. "You’re sleeping on the couch tonight!" She slammed the door

Cindy sighed, used to this scenario as of late, and handed the controller over to Greg. "Tay and I will go check on her." Together the two women went to the bedroom and knocked. "Shell, let me and Tay in." The door opened and the women went in to console their friend.

Alex paused the game and looked at Sabin. "So, seriously what’d you do?"

"It was nothing," Sabin sighed.

"Yeah, ‘cause Shell flies off the handle about nothing all the time," Greg said and then exchanged looks with Alex.

"Not a valid argument, dude," Alex whispered. "She kinda does exactly that these days."

"Not the point," Greg growled, slapping Alex’s arm. "So, dude, what’d you do?"

Sabin scrubbed a hand down his face before looking at his friends. "We went to this stupid birthing class," he began. "And the woman…" He began to snicker. "I swear she sounded like a female Elmer Fudd."

"Yeah, so you giggled your way through the class," Alex nodded.

"Yeah, but…I…um…."

"What else did you do," Greg sighed.

~}i{~

"So, after his little giggling fit we settle in to actually try to learn something," Shelly explained. "And then right before we leave the class he gets this look in his eye and Chris looks back over his shoulder and asks the teacher to say ‘Be vewy vewy quiet, I’m hunting wabbits’."

Cindy had to bite her lip to keep from giggling at the joke, knowing that Shelly was in no mood for laughing. Taylor too wanted to laugh, but she bit it back.

"Well, that doesn’t sound so bad," Taylor said, obviously in better control of her urge to laugh than Cindy.

"She banned us from the class," Shelly replied.

From the living room they could hear the men laughing. Shelly rolled her eyes. She knew they’d laugh when Sabin confessed.

"Well, you don’t need some stupid birthing class," Cindy reassured her, sitting down next to her and sliding an arm around her waist.

"Yeah, when the time comes your body will know what to do," Taylor agreed, sitting on the other side of her and wrapping an arm around her.

"I feel so unprepared," Shelly groaned. "I wanted to take this class so I’d know what to expect."

~}i{~

"Can’t she take pointers from Traci," Alex asked once the guys had stopped laughing at Sabin’s Elmer Fudd impression.

"That’s what I asked the whole car ride home," Sabin exclaimed. "She just gave me the silent treatment."

"Sucks for you," Greg snickered picking up the game controller and continuing where Alex left off.

Alex smacked him and snatched the controller back, pausing the game. "Chris, if anything you know my couch is open for you. Just ride this storm out. I’m sure you and Shell will be all lovey dovey in no time."

"And then she’ll kick you to the couch again in a couple of days," Greg smirked.

"Greg, has anyone ever told you that you’re a dick," Sabin asked.

"Once or twice, but I just ignored them and they went away."

"You just relax and get some rest, honey," Taylor called as she and Cindy exited the bedroom.

"How is she," Sabin asked when the ladies made it into the living room.

"She’ll be fine," Cindy said. "She’s just moody. You know how she gets." Sabin nodded.

"Just give her some space and everything should be fine," Taylor said. "Come on, hon. We should get home. We have packing to do."

"Yeah, I’m starving. We gotta stop somewhere on the way home," Greg said getting up and following his girlfriend out.

"We should go too, Alex," Cindy sighed.

"I’ll make up the couch tonight just in case, buddy," Alex said patting Sabin on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Thanks, man. I don’t think I’ll need it though." As the door closed Sabin glanced down the hall at the bedroom door and sighed. "I hope I don’t need it."

He stood and walked halfway to the bedroom door. "Babe? You hungry? If Greg left any food for us I can whip something up."

When he was greeted by silence he headed the rest of the way down the hall and cracked the door open. Shelly lay in bed sleeping soundly. Quietly he closed the door and headed back into the living room to settle in for the night. He knew that when she got lonely she’d come get him.

Chapter 29

"Hey, Don Juan," Sabin smiled opening the door and seeing Morgan standing there. "How’d the date with Jezzie go?"

"I don’t wanna talk about it," Morgan sighed, entering the apartment and flopping down onto the couch next to Greg.

"Yo, wide load, easy where you’re floppin’," he grumbled, moving over closer to where Frankie was sitting.

"Sorry," Morgan sighed, hanging his head.

"Bro, you gotta tell us," Sabin said perching on the arm of the chair that Alex was sitting in.

"Yeah, we could all use a good laugh," Alex chuckled, and groaned when Sabin socked him in the stomach. "I mean we could use some conversation since our ladies are at the baby shower," he groaned out an amendment to his statement.

"God, she’s probably laughing at my big goofy ass with the girls," Morgan groaned, sinking deeper into the couch. "I’m such an idiot. She’ll probably never want to speak to me again."

"It can’t possibly be that bad," Frankie said looking up from his phone. He’d been playing with ringtones since he arrived at Sabin’s place.

"Give the damn phone a rest," Sabin sniped. "God, what are you waiting for a damn drug deal or something."

"No, smartass. Traci’s due date is any day now and I’d like to be prepared."

"That’s great. Getting back to the Mopey Green Giant here," Greg said hooking a thumb at Morgan. "So, big man, what happened?"

"I showed up when she told me to and rang the bell. As I was waiting I did the breath check and…well…I popped a couple of mints."

"That doesn’t sound so bad yet," Sabin interjected.

"They were Altoids," Morgan replied. All four men hissed, knowing that more than one or two could be toxic in one’s mouth. "I started choking and just when she opened the door…"

"What," Alex asked.

"I coughed up one and it hit her," Morgan groaned. "A huge glob of saliva was attached to it. Splat! Right between the eyes!"

Sabin bit his cheek to keep from laughing. "Is that all," he whimpered.

"No. She cleaned up quickly and we get to the restaurant and the damn girl can’t find my reservation," Morgan fumed. "I made it that morning and called in the afternoon to double check. We had to wait at the damn bar for an hour and then the girl comes to me and tells me that because we weren’t in front of her at the time of the reservation she gave it away."

"Wow. How the hell does she stay employed," Greg asked.

"I have no idea. So, I got this hot chick all dressed up and now we have no reservations. I pulled the girl aside and asked her for any table for two she had."

"Did she have a table," Frankie asked.

"Yes," Morgan replied, but he didn’t look happy. "In the back. By the kitchen." There was a collective groan from the men. "We’re there no more than ten minutes when a waiter came tear assin’ out of the kitchen with a huge tray and…"

"Oh no! Who wound up wearing it," Alex gasped.

"Jezzie," Morgan sighed.

"Ouch," Sabin groaned.

"Needless to say we didn’t get that romantic dinner I had been planning on," Morgan continued. "I took her home and…I didn’t know what to do so..I…"

"You what," Greg urged.

"I kissed the top of her head and told her to have a good night before practically running to my car and burning rubber away from her place." He slouched farther into the couch, legs outstretched before him. "She hasn’t called me since then."

"Wow. And this is the guy that stole Shell from me," Sabin asked Alex, who shrugged.

"That was done under force," Frankie offered.

"Yeah, how were we to know he was this pathetic," Greg added.

"Sitting right here," Morgan growled. "Some friends you are."

"Matt," Greg chuckled, clapping him on the back. "I’m not your friend. I tolerate you because everyone else does."

"Thanks. That makes me feel so much better."

"No problem," Greg called as he stood and headed into the kitchen. "Got anything to eat in this place?"

"I’m gonna start charging for everything you frickin’ eat," Sabin called.

Greg returned munching on some dry cereal. He had an apple and a pear tucked in one arm. Sabin glared at him. "Bill me," Greg said taking his seat between Morgan and Frankie.

~}i{~

"Cinder, where exactly are you taking me," Shelly asked as she gazed out at the scenery whipping past her window.

Taylor had managed to rent a hall for the baby shower. Since it was a joint shower she figured they’d need extra space for the gifts and any party crashers.

"Just relax and enjoy the ride, Shell."

Shelly eyed her friend before sighing and sitting back in her seat. "I should have known you girls would get around to the baby shower sooner or later. Who was the mastermind behind it?"

"I’m not saying a word," Cindy chuckled. "The others will kill me if I spill the beans. Suffice it to say you and Traci will be very pleasantly surprised."

"Traci’s coming too?" Cindy nodded. "How’d you get Frankie to let her out of his sight?"

"Let’s just say it involved threatening to cut him off at one child and leave it at that," Cindy chuckled. She made a scissors gesture with one hand when she used the word cut.

"You girls are brutal when it comes to baby showers," Shelly laughed.

"Gives us an excuse to party," Cindy shrugged as she pulled into the lot at the hall. Taylor was just parking the car and helping Traci out of the passenger seat.

"They roped you in too, huh," Traci smiled seeing Shelly heading her way.

"Look girls," Angelina Love exclaimed as the two women were ushered inside. "It’s the waddle twins!"

"Don’t think I won’t kick your ass just ‘cause I’m pregnant, Angie," Shelly threatened, though she was smiling. The blonde laughed and gave her a tight hug and then Traci.

"Come see what we all did for you two," Velvet said taking Shelly and Traci’s hand and leading the way to where the party was to take place.

There was pink and blue crepe paper strung all around along with pink and blue balloons. There were little baby bottles and booties strewn on the tables and there were two tables stacked high with gifts.

"Wow. You girls really went through a lot of trouble just for us," Traci smiled.

"Don’t say we never do anything for you," Angelina smiled.

"We got games too," Madison smiled.

"Yeah, if you like chocolate melted to look like turds in a diaper," ODB laughed. "Where the hell is the alcohol?"

"It’s a baby shower," Tara chuckled. "The guests of honor can’t drink."

"Doesn’t mean we can’t," ODB shrugged. She reached down her shirt and pulled out her flask. She downed some and offered it to Christy, who shook her head no.

It wasn’t long before the party was in full swing. Taylor was demonstrating one of the games as Shelly leaned over and touched Jezzie’s shoulder to get her attention.

"How’d your date with Matt go?"

Jezzie snorted and shook her head. "Worst night of my life," she laughed.

"Oh no! What happened?"

"Let’s just say that it was painfully obvious that it’s been a while since he’s been on a date. I’m going to call him later tonight," Jezzie replied. "Poor guy must think I hate him or something. I just have been so busy that I haven't even had time to breathe."

"He didn’t lose his temper or anything, did he," Shelly asked.

"No. He…well…Murphy’s Law was hard at work that night. Not a thing went right and by the time he dropped me off he must have wanted to crawl under a rock and die," Jezzie laughed.

"Poor guy."

"You all right, Trace," Tara asked.

"Fine, girls," Traci smiled. "Nature calls. I’ll be back soon."

Everyone went back to what they were doing as she headed toward the ladies room. Jezzie went back to telling Shelly about her date with Morgan. Shelly had to cringe when she got to the waiter dumping his tray all over her.

"Traci’s not back yet," Velvet asked. "We can’t start the next game until she gets back."

"I’ll go check on her," Shelly offered, getting to her feet. "You girls will have to be patient though. It might take the waddle twins a while to get back." Everyone chuckled as Shelly made her way to the ladies room.

"Traci," she called as she entered. She found her friend leaning over the sinks, her breathing labored. "Trace? You all right?" Traci groaned and whimpered. Shelly went to her friend’s side. "It’s time?" Traci could only manage a whimper and a nod.

Shelly slid an arm around her friend’s back and threw Traci’s arm around her shoulders. "Come on. We gotta get you to the car."

"Frankie," Traci groaned. "We have to call Frankie."

"We will. Once we’re on the way to the hospital," Shelly reassured her.

Taylor and Cindy met them on the way out.

"I got the car," Cindy said taking one look at her friend.

"I got her purse," Taylor said running back to the party to grab it. She quickly explained to the other ladies what was going on and headed out to the car. "Got your purse, honey."

Shelly was in the backseat with her friend, trying to keep her calm. Cindy slid behind the wheel and once Taylor was in the passenger side they were off.

"Taylor, call Frankie," Traci panted.

"On it," Taylor replied pulling out Traci’s phone.

~}i{~

"Frankie, your phone’s ringing," Greg called, picking it up off the couch. It had fallen out of his pocket and he hadn’t realized it.

"Just get it for me, Greg," Frankie called from the bathroom.

"Jello," Greg called and then frowned. "Taylor, baby calm down. What was that now?" He listened to his frantic girlfriend explained the situation. "She what? Water broke?"

"Who’s water broke," Sabin asked looking up from the game he and Alex were playing. His heart thudded in his chest. He knew that Shelly's due date wasn't for a couple of months, but hearing the words he began to worry.

"Traci’s," Greg replied.

"WHAT?" They all heard from the bathroom and Frankie came rushing out. "Give me the phone!" As he raced toward Greg he didn’t see Morgan’s outstretched legs and the taller man was unable to pull them in to avoid contact. Frankie tripped over them and fell flat on his face.

The men watched this as if it all happened in slow motion. None of them were able to react fast enough to prevent it.

"Tay, we’ll be there as soon as we can…um…Frankie may need some medical attention himself. I’ll explain when we get there," Greg said. "See you soon."

"He’s out cold," Morgan said nudging Frankie with his foot.

"Just get him up and let’s go," Sabin called as he grabbed his keys. "He’s about to become a father…and I pray he wakes up in time to see the birth of his child or we’ll never hear the end of it from Traci.

Morgan hoisted Frankie’s unconscious body up off the floor and followed the others out. He didn’t envy the headache Frankie was sure to have when he finally did wake up. They all headed to the hospital.

Chapter 30

"Where…is…he," Traci panted as she squeezed Cindy’s hand in a bone crunching vice grip. They’d been at the hospital for over an hour and Frankie had yet to make an appearance.

A few of the women from the baby shower followed to the hospital. Madison and Tara had stayed behind to clean up and collect the unopened presents. They’d make sure that they’d get to their respective recipients.

"I’m sure he’ll be here any minute," Shelly consoled as she slipped into the hall to see if she could call Frankie. Taylor was sitting with her legs crossed and her foot bouncing nervously. Angelina and Velvet were down the hall cooing at the babies through the nursery window. Jezzie sat flipping through an outdated magazine. Both women looked up at Shelly expectantly as she came out of Traci’s room.

Just as the phone started to ring the elevator doors dinged open and Morgan, Greg and Sabin exited. Shelly closed her phone and went to her boyfriend.

"Where the hell is Frankie? Traci’s frantic in there," she demanded. Just as she uttered the words they all heard Traci yell out in pain, closely followed by Cindy.

"Frankie’s in the emergency room," Sabin replied and quickly explained to the ladies what had happened. "He’ll be up as soon as they patch him up."

"What do you mean ‘patch him up’," Taylor demanded. "His wife is going to have a baby."

"When he fell…he…kinda…broke his nose," Sabin explained. "There’s a lot of blood."

Greg started to snicker. "It’s like Old Faithful comin’ out of his face." Taylor shot him a look and he took a seat, quieting down.

"The good thing is that he’s awake and aware that Traci’s in labor," Morgan explained.

He caught sight of Jezzie as she motioned for him to come over to her and excused himself from the group to talk to her. Though he wanted to run the other way he was relieved to see her smiling at him. He’d been afraid she hated him after the disaster of a date they’d had.

"Alex is with him right now. How are you doing, babe," Sabin asked.

"Oh…fine," Shelly replied, cringing as she listened to Traci crying out in pain again. "Just…realizing that’s going to be me soon. Kinda freakin’ out inside, staying strong on the outside for my friend."

"You’ll be fine," Sabin said slipping an arm around her. "I’ll be there for you and I’ll make sure not to trip over the big man’s feet and knock myself out."

Cindy poked her head out of Traci’s room. "Can one of you take over? I think I need some X-rays on my hand."

"I’ll take over," Taylor called.

"Have fun with that, babe," Greg called as his girlfriend headed into the room. Taylor rolled her eyes and grabbed him by his shirt collar. "Babe! I don’t wanna see…" He stopped as Taylor opened the door to Traci’s room. "Hi, Traci! Don’t you look beautiful?"

"WHERE…IS…MY…HUSBAND," Traci screeched at him.

The door closed as Greg began to stammer out an explanation for Frankie’s absence. Shelly looked at Sabin and just shook her head, a small smirk curling her lips. Greg was no doubt squirming in there with a woman in pain as Taylor tried her best to comfort their friend. Served him right for always being such a snarky bastard.

Down the hall The Beautiful People were still cooing at the babies. Morgan and Jezzie were talking quietly, both sitting at the end of the row of chairs in the waiting area. They were both smiling and chuckling.

"Guess Jezzie doesn’t hate the big man like he thought she did," Sabin said smiling. "How about we join the blonde brigade and watch the babies for a while?"

Another cry from Traci’s room made Shelly nod quickly. Sabin took her hand and started to lead her down the hall just as the elevator doors dinged open. Frankie exited looking around for his friends. Alex was close behind him. He went to his girlfriend, who was trying to get feeling back into her fingers

"Shell," he said going to her. Sabin bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Because his nose was packed with gauze to stem the bleeding his voice sounded extremely nasal. Both his eyes were bruised as well. He looked like he barely survived a prize fight.

"She’s in that room," Shelly said pointing.

"Just follow the sound of excruciating pain," Sabin said, wincing in pain as Shelly dug her nails into his palm. "She’s been asking for you, man."

Frankie went to the door of the room they’d directed him to and threw it open. "I’m here, Traci!"

"THANK GOD," Greg exclaimed and rushed out of the room, practically bowling Frankie over. Taylor exited the room behind him. Greg braced himself on the wall and turned to his girlfriend. "Babe, we are NEVER having kids!"

"Duh," Taylor replied. "Like I want to raise two kids." She walked away from him shaking her head.

By this time Shelly and Sabin had made it down the hall to the nursery window. Velvet and Angelina smiled at Shelly pulling her over to the window. Velvet pointed toward a chubby baby with sandy tufts of hair at the end of a row.

"That is what your baby is gonna look like," she squealed.

"Oh just look at those cheeks," Angelina exclaimed. "They’re so chubby! I could eat ‘em up!"

Sabin peered over the women’s shoulders and started chuckling. "That’s great, ladies," he said. "But there’s just one problem. We’re having a boy." He placed his hand on Shelly’s stomach to emphasize his point.

"Dream on, loser," Angelina snickered. "She’s having a girl. I have a sixth sense about these things."

Velvet nodded in agreement. "Me too. It’s a girl. We can tell."

"Right. You can’t spell your own names, but you can tell Shell is having a girl," Sabin retorted and then groaned as Shelly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Apologize to my friends, Chris."

"Sorry," Sabin grunted.

Velvet and Angelina snickered.

"You deserve worse for your comment," Angelina said as a way of accepting the apology.

"Just because we play dumb blondes on TV doesn’t mean we are dumb blondes," Velvet added. "We’re intellectualites."

"You do realize that…OOF!" Shelly had elbowed Sabin in the ribs once again to prevent him from finishing his statement.

"It was a joke, Chris. Velvet was being funny," Shelly said. "How about we go sit down for a while. My feet are killing me." Sabin nodded and followed her over to the seats where Jezzie and Morgan were.

"Guess you’re not in the doghouse after all, huh," Sabin asked as he took a seat.

"Quite the contrary," Jezzie smiled. "As a matter of fact I’m going to make him dinner tomorrow night."

"At least then there won’t be any waiter to dump food on anyone," Morgan smiled.

Sabin leaned over to Morgan so that Shelly and Jezzie couldn’t hear. "Dude, you’ll be in her house for your second date. Don’t do anything stupid to fuck this up."

"Like what?"

"Like…expecting a piece of ass just because she cooked you dinner," Sabin replied with a shrug. "Remember don’t rush things. Just let things happen on their own."

"I wouldn’t expect a piece of ass on the second date, Chris," Morgan hissed. "I do have standards ya know. I usually wait for the fourth or fifth date."

"Yeah, that’s much better," Sabin replied, rolling his eyes.

~}i{~

"How the hell long does it take to have a frickin’ baby," Sabin griped.

It was well into the night as they all sat waiting. Cindy and Alex had gone home, both unable to keep their eyes open. Morgan and Jezzie had headed to their respective homes, but were planning to check in later. Angelina and Velvet had grown tired of waiting around as well and had left. The only ones left were Shelly, Sabin, Taylor and Greg.

"It’s going to take as long as it takes, Chris," Shelly sighed. She was tired, but wanted to be there for her friends. "Are you going to be like this when I go into labor?"

"Of course not. It’ll be different when it’s our baby."

Greg snorted. "I can picture him now, Shell, sitting by your bed coaching you along while he glances at his watch."

"Probably mumbling something like ‘come on, baby, be born already’," Taylor laughed. Greg looked at his girlfriend, surprised that she was actually getting in on the joking. "It’s been a long day. Humor helps keep things less boring."

"Could you direct your humor elsewhere," Sabin grumbled. "It’s not open season on me."

"You’re so cute when you’re bitchy," Shelly chuckled.

As they continued to talk Frankie came out into the waiting area. They didn’t notice him until they heard a baby fussing. Everyone turned their attention toward the sound, Shelly and Taylor gasping.

"Mikey wanted to say hi to his aunts and uncles," Frankie smiled proudly at his friends. "Guys, meet Michael Franklin Kazarian."

"Oh he’s precious," Taylor sighed.

"He’s beautiful, Frankie," Shelly smiled, touching the baby’s cheek. "How’s Traci?"

"Exhausted, but she’s fine," Frankie replied. "She’s getting cleaned up, but I just had to show off my boy."

"Congrats, man," Sabin said.

"You want to hold him, Chris," Frankie offered. "You should get used to it since you’ll be in my place soon."

Sabin nodded and held out his arms as Frankie transferred to baby to him. Sabin looked a bit awkward at first, but then felt himself relaxing. He held the baby, smiling down at him. "Hey there Mikey. I’m your Uncle Chris. You and my boy are gonna be the best of friends." He looked up at his friend and girlfriend. "He likes me."

Just as he uttered those words Michael began to cry. "Yup, that’s how everyone who knows you reacts," Greg snickered.

"I should take him back to his mama," Frankie said taking his son back. "He’s probably hungry, Chris. It wasn’t you." With that he headed back to Traci’s room.

"Of course it wasn’t you," Greg chuckled.

"Greg," Taylor growled, grabbing him by the ear. "Give Traci my love, guys. I need to get this one home."

Shelly watched as Taylor dragged Greg to the elevator by the ear and couldn’t help laughing. When she turned back to Sabin he was frowning.

"Oh, honey, don’t listen to Greg," she said, trying to console him. "Mikey probably was just hungry."

"Yeah, I guess." Sabin made his way over to the chairs and took a seat.

"Hey, what’s bothering you?" She took a seat next to him. "Chris, talk to me."

Sabin took in a long breath and let it out slowly as if to calm his nerves. "It’s all just hitting me, Shell. We’re going to be parents in a couple of months. I…I just don’t feel ready. We don’t even have a name."

"The name will come," Shelly smiled, taking his hand. "And I know you’ll be a great father."

"How do you…" His question was cut off as she placed a finger over his lips.

"The fact that you’re so freaked right now shows me that you’ll be a great father," she smiled. "I don’t feel ready either, but we won’t be alone. Your mom is moving down here to be closer to us and Frankie and Traci will be there to help if we have questions. We’ll be fine."

The panic that had crept into his eyes lessened and he smiled. "You always know what to say to calm me down, babe."

"I try. Now, how about we poke our heads into Traci’s room and let them know we’re heading home? I’m beat." Sabin nodded getting to his feet and helping her up.

Chapter 31

A few weeks later Shelly was sitting in her office at the Impact Zone when Frankie poked his head in. "Traci in here?"

"No," Shelly replied looking up from her paperwork. "I didn’t even know you brought her in."

"She insisted," he replied coming into the office and throwing himself down on the couch tiredly. It was then that she saw the bags under his eyes as he lounged with his eyes closed.

"Mikey keeping you guys up at night," Shelly asked as she went back to her paperwork.

"How’d you know?"

"The three piece luggage set you got going on there," Shelly chuckled. "Is the little guy all right?"

"Fine," Frankie yawned. "Just…has a healthy set of lungs…that he likes to test out at three in the morning."

Shelly giggled. "It won’t be for too long, Frankie. He’ll start sleeping through the night in a couple of months."

"Oh I know," he sighed, curling up on the couch and making himself comfortable. "It’s just a matter of surviving until then."

"Technically it’s Traci that has to survive it. You go back to a regular road schedule next week," Shelly corrected.

Frankie opened an eye and smiled. "Forgot about that. My mind’s all foggy from lack of sleep."

"Oh the woes of the new father," Shelly snickered. "We do all the work to bring the kid into the world and you suffer from lack of sleep when the baby finally comes."

"I’m not saying men have it worse than women here, Shell. Can we not debate this when I’m so damn tired. Chris will be here soon enough. He’ll back me up when your little…um…what are you planning on calling the kid?"

"Not a clue," Shelly said, setting down her pen and leaning back in her chair to stretch a bit.

"Do you know if it’s a girl or boy?" Shelly shook her head no. "Then…how…I mean you can’t call the kid Hey You all its life."

"Chris has been studying baby name books," Shelly replied with a shrug. "I’m just not that worried about it."

"How can you not be…I mean…a name is important, Shell," Frankie stammered.

"This little one will have a name. Don’t worry, Frankie," Shelly replied. "It’ll come when the time is right."

"You’re not trusting Chris to name the baby, are you," he asked. "Because you could wind up with a some oddball name knowing him."

"I’m not worried," Shelly replied getting up to file some things. "Why don’t you try to catch a catnap before Traci finds you."

"Good idea," Frankie smiled, and curled up on the couch once again. He was just drifting off when he heard Shelly make a noise. His eyes popped open and he sat up. She was standing by the file cabinet rubbing her back. "You all right?"

"Fine," she replied.

"Should I start timing contractions," Frankie asked pulling his watch off.

"I’m fine. Just had a twinge in my back. Nothing serious. Don’t be such a worry wort, Frankie." She went back to the desk and sat down with a sigh. "Go back to sleep. I’m fine, really," she added when he sat there staring at her.

"You’re sure?"

"Positive. I’m fine. Get some rest before your wife and son find you."

"Just let me know if anything…."

"Frankie, stop. My due date is still a few weeks away. I’m not going into labor tonight. Just relax."

He let out a breath and swung his feet back up on the couch, closing his eyes. Once again he’d just started to drift off when he heard a gasp followed closely by a grunt.

"Shell?"

"I’m fine, Frankie. Braxton Hicks. Nothing serious."

"Are you sure because they can be mistaken for labor pains." He was up and at her side in the blink of an eye. He placed a hand on her stomach and could feel a contraction. "I think we need to get you to the hospital just to be safe."

"I’m fine. Really. It was just sudden and then…" She sighed, shoulders slumping as he ignored her completely rushing out into the hall. With a groan she pulled her cell phone out. She knew that if Frankie got to Sabin without an warning the poor guy would be frantic.

"Chris, Frankie’s probably heading your way. He thinks I’m in labor…calm down. I’m fine. The baby is fine. It was just a strong Braxton Hicks contraction. Make him calm down, huh?" She listened as he spoke, smiling. "Love you too. See you later."

Moments later Traci poked her head in. "Knock knock!" Mikey began to fuss in his car seat. "Frankie just told me you were in labor, but I see he was overreacting."

Shelly nodding getting up and joining Traci on the couch. "I can’t believe how big he’s gotten in just a few weeks."

"I know," Traci said pulling Mikey out of the car seat and cradling him. "Mommy’s boy loves to eat."

"Babe, what are you doing," Frankie asked, breathlessly. He’d run all the way to the Machine Guns’ locker room and was unable to convince Sabin his girlfriend was in labor. He finally gave up trying to convince him and headed back to the office.

"Frankie, chill," Traci replied. "Shell’s fine. Stop being so damn hyper. You’d think it was your baby." Mikey squealed as if to punctuate his mother’s statement. Shelly and Traci laughed. "You tell daddy, Mikey."

"Buddy! We gotta stick together here," Frankie said taking his son from Traci as he took a seat next to her. "You can’t overrule me with mommy, kiddo."

"He’s just siding with his meal ticket," Shelly chuckled. "Don’t take it personally. He goes where the food is."

"Everyone’s a comedian," Frankie said. "Right, Mikey? Aunt Shelly thinks she’s so funny." Mikey made a face at his father moments before they all heard him fill his diaper. Frankie sighed. "Why is it that he only does that when I hold him?"

Shelly just laughed as she vacated the couch while Traci handed her husband the diaper bag.

~}i{~

"What’cha readin’, buddy," Alex asked as he entered the locker room.

Greg and Morgan were close behind him. Cindy and Jezzie were warming up for their match against Taylor and Sarita. All three men plopped down on the benches. Sabin barely acknowledged them as he pored over a book, a notepad in his lap and a pencil tucked behind his ear.

Alex reached out and snatched the pad. He flipped through the pages and arched a brow at his best friend, handing the pad off to Greg and Morgan.

"Give it back," Sabin yelled.

"What the hell is this," Greg asked as he looked over the pages as Alex had.

Alex next snatched the book from Sabin’s hand and held it up to his friends.

"Ah baby names," Greg said.

"You actually want to name your kid Detroit," Morgan snorted.

"He was conceived there," Sabin replied, snatching back the book and pad. "And it doesn’t have to be his first name. It could be a middle name."

Morgan, Alex and Greg all broke out laughing. Sabin narrowed his eyes at his friends, fixing them with a glare. They stifled their laughs, biting their lips to try to stop. They all failed miserably.

"Shouldn’t you talk this over with Shell," Morgan suggested, once he was in control of his giggles.

"She said I could pick," he replied with a shrug.

"Translation," Greg said.

"Pick whatever you want, honey, and I’ll overrule you later," Alex finished for him.

"Exactly," Greg said.

"Matt, help me out here. Jezzie doesn’t do that to you, does she," Sabin asked.

"Oh no," the big man replied shaking his head. "Jezzie and I haven’t been together long enough for me to even think about participating in this conversation."

Greg snickered, making whipping noises at the bigger man. Morgan nudged him, nearly knocking him off the bench.

"So, she has me whipped. I’m happy to be whipped by Jezzie," Morgan said, making the others snicker. When he realized what he’d said he smiled. "Now that is an idea to suggest." The others all groaned as the big man turned the image around on them and he laughed. "A whip would go nicely with her leather catsuit."

"Big man, you start tenting and I’m gonna have to junk punch you so hard you’ll sound like a giant Mickey Mouse for the rest of your life," Greg growled at the dreamy expression on Morgan’s face.

"I’m just fuckin’ with you guys," Morgan laughed. "Jezzie and I are taking things slow."

"That’s really sweet. Getting back to this whole name thing, real friends don’t sit by and let their friends name their kid after cities," Alex said quickly changing the subject.

"I get the message, guys. No Detroit. I’m sure Shelly would have vetoed that anyway."

"Don’t worry, it’ll come to you," Morgan reassured him.

"In the meantime look at names that are fitting for both boys and girls. Just because you think your kid has a peep doesn't mean it isn’t a girl," Greg suggested. The others looked at him. "What? I can be helpful when I want. Considering this kid is going to have to face schoolyard bullies we don’t need to give them any more ammunition with a totally fucked up name."

"Thanks," Sabin replied dryly.

Chapter 32

"No baby names," Shelly asked as she entered the living room to find Sabin staring off into space.

He snapped out of his trance and looked up at her, holding out his hand to her. She took it, taking a seat beside him. He placed a hand on her stomach and smiled feeling his child moving.

"Honey, is something wrong?"

He met her eyes and shook his head. "No. Why?"

"You were just sitting in here staring at nothing with this strange look on your face."

"I was just thinking."

"About?"

"The future. Our future," he replied, wrapping an arm around her. "It won’t be too long before we get to bring home a little bundle of our own."

"Good thing you and Matt finally got the crib done," Shelly smiled. Though it had taken forever the crib was finally finished. Shelly had just put linens and bumpers in that afternoon. She smiled thinking of neutral pale yellow.

"Yeah," he smiled, though he seemed distracted.

"Chris, serious is something bothering you? You’re like a million miles away."

"I was just wondering how it’s gonna work when you get closer to your due date. I mean, Frankie got lucky and Traci had Mikey when he was home for a spell, but what if I’m on the road when you go into labor."

"You could ask to be left off of house shows until the baby is born so you’ll be home when it happens," Shelly suggested.

"Yeah, I suppose I could. Guess I’ll need to make a trip to Jarrett’s office and talk to him about it."

"So, no baby names tonight," Shelly asked, changing the subject. She felt that something else was bothering him, but didn’t want to press it. He talk to her in his own time.

Sabin leaned forward and picked up the pad from the coffee table. "I just can’t look at any more names. My eyes were going cross." He crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue and she couldn’t help laughing.

"Let’s see what you got," Shelly said taking the list from him. She frowned when she saw that the first name on the list was crossed out several times. "Honey, why is Detroit crossed out so much? Alex say something?" He hesitated to respond and then she realized that all of the guys must have talked him out of it.

"I figured you wouldn’t agree to that." He shrugged, but she could tell he still really favored that name.

"Maybe…a middle name."

"That’s what I said and the guys laughed at me!"

"Don’t listen to them. None of them have kids," Shelly replied and turned her name back to the list. "Hmmm….a lot of boys names."

"Wishful thinking I guess," he shrugged.

"Well, some might work for a girl. Cody, Dylan and Bailey would be cute for a girl."

"I can’t take this anymore," Sabin exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Everyone keeps joking that I’ll be disappointed if we have a girl, but…I mean…is it a girl? You can tell me. I know you talk to your doctor when she does the ultrasounds. If you peeked at the envelope we got way back when I won’t be mad. Just tell me what the baby is!"

Shelly couldn’t help giggling at his desperation. "If you want to know so bad the envelope is in my top drawer."

"You mean you don’t know?" She shook her head no. "Why not? Isn’t this killing you?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "I know that no matter what I’ll love the baby. What difference does it make if it’s a boy or a girl?"

"You have a stronger will than I do," Sabin sighed.

"Go get the envelope. We’ll find out together."

He raced into their bedroom and was back practically before Shelly could blink. He took a seat next to her and placed a hand on her belly, lowering his face to it. "We’re gonna find out what you are, little one. That way daddy can stop going nuts already."

"Just open the envelope," Shelly chuckled.

Sabin tore the envelope open, almost dropping the slip of paper inside. He caught it and held it up so he could read it. On the plain white sheet of paper the doctor had written Congratulations! It’s a girl! in block letters.

"A girl," Sabin said, though Shelly couldn’t tell if he was upset or happy. "We’re having a girl."

"That’s what the paper says," Shelly replied. "Chris, are you all right with that?"

He turned to her and his face broke into a wide goofy smile. "A little princess." Shelly felt the relief wash over her. "Daddy’s little girl."

"I’m sure she will be."

"Now, about this name business. No arguments from you. Her name is Bailey Detroit Sabin and that’s final."

"Yes, sir," Shelly chuckled, mock saluting him.

He bent down to her belly once again. "You hear that in there? Your name is Bailey and mommy and daddy can’t wait to meet you."

"Not too much longer," Shelly smiled, running her fingers through his hair as he chattered away to her stomach about teaching the baby to play soccer and things of that nature.

~}i{~

"It’s good to be back," Traci smiled as she took a seat behind her desk. With Shelly being so close to her due date now Traci was back as Knockout Law. "You gonna miss this at all?" She turned her attention to Shelly, who was sitting on the couch feeding Mikey.

She snorted. "Yeah, I’ll miss the hissy fits and bitch fights and having to call security to break it up before things get out of hand. You’re funny, Trace."

"I missed it," Traci smiled, as she straightened up her desk a bit.

"Right now I’m looking forward to the rest," Shelly replied as she burped the baby. "I’m so damn tired these days."

"And it can’t be easy to have to beat Chris off with a stick too, huh," Traci chuckled.

"Actually the past week he’s been acting strange. Well…stranger than normal. I thought it was just because his mom finally found a place and had moved out completely and he was stressing about the baby name, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe he’s just feeling the pressure of impending fatherhood. I’m probably making a mountain out of a molehill."

"About what," Frankie asked entering the office.

"Chris," Shelly replied. "He’s been…strange."

"Strange how," Frankie asked taking Mikey from her and settling him in his lap.

"I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like he’s lost in thought all the time," Shelly shrugged.

"I’m sure everything’s fine. He’s just nervous about the baby," Frankie reassured her.

"Yeah. I’m sure that’s what it is too," Shelly replied, forcing a smile. "By the way, Frankie, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve settled on a name." Both Frankie and Traci waited to hear it, both eager to know if it was a boy or girl. "Bailey Detroit."

"How cute," Traci squealed.

"It is," Frankie smiled. "Bailey…that’s one those…uh….unisex names isn’t it?" Shelly nodded with a small smile.

"Boy or girl," Traci asked.

Shelly replied with a cryptic smile and then groaned. "If you’ll both excuse me I need to visit the ladies room for the ten thousandth time tonight."

"You’re in the home stretch, sweetie," Traci called. "Remember all this is worth it once Bailey finally arrives."

"You think I should talk to Chris," Frankie asked Traci once Shelly was gone.

"Couldn’t hurt," Traci shrugged. "I’ll take him." She stood and held out her arms to take their son.

~}i{~

When Frankie found Sabin the locker room looked like a war zone. "What the hell happened in here?"

Greg and Alex looked up from the PSP Greg was playing and looked around at the mess. Both men shrugged.

"Chris has been tearing things apart looking for something," Alex replied as they both turned their attention back to the game.

"No, this is NOT happening," Sabin groaned as he came out of the shower area. "The damn thing cost me nearly two month salary!"

"What did," Frankie asked as Sabin went back to tearing apart his locker and rifling through the mess on the floor.

"Dude, did you try your jacket pocket," Greg asked, not having any clue as to what Sabin was freaking about. "That’s where I always find shit."

"Right," Sabin said standing and looking around the mess. "Alex, toss me my jacket?"

"Your legs broken?"

"Just toss me the fucking thing!"

"Fine," Alex grumbled balling up the jacket and tossing it across the short distance to his friend. As the fabric sailed through the air an item dropped from the pocket and landed with a soft thud at Sabin’s feet.

"Oh thank GOD," Sabin exclaimed picking up the small velvet box and opening it.

"Chris, is that…what I think it is?" Frankie was shocked to see an amethyst with two small diamonds on either side of it on a silver band.

Greg paused the game as the bauble caught his attention. "Dude? You’re gonna…"

"Propose," Alex finished the query.

"If I can find the damn nerve," Sabin groaned closing the box.

"How long have you had this," Frankie asked.

"Ten days, five hours and seventeen minutes," Sabin replied sinking down to the bench. "I’ve been carrying the damn thing around in my pocket waiting for the right time, but…nothing ever seems right."

"Wow. No wonder Shell thinks you’ve been acting strange," Frankie said. "She was just talking to Traci about it, but I know what you’re going through. I must have tried to propose to Traci like a million times before I got up the nerve."

"Don’t worry, man," Alex said smiling. "I think she’ll say yes and whenever you choose to do it will be just right."

"Thanks," Sabin smiled. "Now, I need to keep this safe so I don’t lose it."

Chapter 33

Shelly was going through the gifts from the baby shower one day. Now that Traci was back to work she had some time on her hands and was able to finally take care of some things that had gone neglected. Among the various baby items Shelly came across a box from The Beautiful People. The card attached simply read For after the baby in Angelina Love’s swirly script.

Intrigued she opened the box and pulled aside the bright pink tissue paper to reveal a slinky black lace nightgown with matching panties. A hot pink ribbon trimmed the ensemble.

"What’cha got there," Sabin asked peeking over her shoulder.

Shelly held up the nighty. "Angelina, Velvet and Madison must think we’ll have time to get use out of this."

Sabin took the nighty, running the material through his fingers, and smiled. "I dunno, babe. I’m sure we can find just a little time."

"Chris, we’ll have a newborn on our hands in a few weeks. If and that’s a big fat IF we’re both not too tired from diaper changes and feedings…"

"Yeah, I know taking care of a newborn is a lot of work," Sabin cut her off. "I’ve seen what Frankie and Traci are going through, but we’ll be able to be intimate, right?"

"Eventually I suppose, but we’ll have our hands full for a while with Bailey," she replied putting the present away and leaving the room. Sabin stared after her, a frown on his face.

~}i{~

"You mean to tell me Shell actually agreed to the name," Alex asked when Sabin told the guys about the baby’s name at the next Impact taping.

"Bailey Detroit. She loved it," Sabin smiled. "She even said that Detroit would be a cute middle name. Shows what you guys know."

"Whatever," Greg shrugged. "I guess the kid won’t get laughed off the playground…unless the kids find the name a little girly."

Alex snickered and Frankie nudged him. Morgan just shook his head. Both men had a feeling Greg was about to eat his words.

Sabin chuckled. "Well, Greg, it’s a good thing the name is girly," he said.

"Yeah and why’s that?"

"Because we’re having a girl."

"I knew it," Frankie smiled. "How’d you find out?"

"Shell finally gave in and let me look at the envelope the doctor wrote the sex in."

"And you’re all right with this," Morgan asked. "You were so sure it was a boy."

"We got time to work on that boy," Sabin smiled. "We’re both young and have our whole lives ahead of us."

"I think you should talk that over with the soon to be missus first," Morgan snickered.

"Yeah…I…haven’t exactly proposed just yet," Sabin stammered.

"What the HELL are you waiting for," Alex demanded. "Dude, she’ll say yes."

"Seriously, man, if she’s having your spawn of Satan then she’ll definitely agree to marry your sorry ass," Greg agreed.

"I’m with Alex and Greg on this one," Frankie said. "You guys might be young, but if you keep putting things off…."

"I get it, Frankie," Sabin cut him off. "Shell’s just been tired a lot lately and call me crazy, but I’d like my proposal to happen when she’s actually awake."

"Alex, Chris," Jeremy Borash called poking his head into the locker room. "We have interview segment."

Alex stood, but Sabin stopped him. "I’ll be with you in a minute. I just need to talk to Frankie about something." Alex nodded and went to meet up with JB.

"Frankie, could I talk to you a minute," Sabin asked. Frankie nodded and followed Sabin out into the hall.

"What’s on your mind, Chris?"

"So…um…how are things going with you and Traci?"

"Good. Why are you asking?" He arched a brow at his young friend, curious as to where this line of questioning was going.

"Everything’s all right since she had Mikey," Sabin asked, hedging around what he really wanted to ask.

Frankie looked at him strangely and then realized what he was getting at. "Dude, really? You want to know about our sex life since the baby?"

"Not the details! God that would be…ugh! No, but you guys do get…intimate…right?"

Frankie snorted and patted his young friend on the back. "Don’t worry, Chris intimacy is not an issue. You just may have redefine what that means for you guys." With that he walked off.

"What’s that supposed to mean," he called, but Frankie didn’t respond. Sabin saw JB and Alex waving him over and went to go earn his paycheck.

~}i{~

"I guess this is the last we’ll be seeing of you for a while," Jezzie said to Shelly later that night. The women were sitting at a table in catering with Taylor and Cindy.

"Something tells me she’ll still be around," Taylor smiled. "This place is in her blood."

Shelly glanced around and nodded with a sigh. The Impact Zone had become like a home away from home. Even if Traci was now back in charge Shelly would probably be around as often as possible to visit with friends.

"Traci said you guys finally decided on a name," Cindy said.

"Yeah. Bailey Detroit," Shelly smiled. The more she said it the more she loved it.

"Cute," Jezzie smiled. "Girl?"

"You’re the first person to guess. Yeah, we finally opened up the envelope the doctor gave us. Chris was desperate to know."

"Poor guy. He must be completely bummed out that it’s not a boy," Taylor said.

"Just the opposite. He was happy. As a matter of fact the name was his idea."

"Is he getting more nervous now," Taylor asked.

"Yes, especially since Frankie has him jumping through hoops every time I make any kind of sound that remotely sounds like discomfort," Shelly sighed. "The last straw was when he practically dragged me out to the car insisting that we go to the hospital when I stubbed my toe." The women chuckled. "He swore it would have some sort of effect on the baby."

"He’s a basket case," Cindy agreed. "Chris called Alex and me all frantic just the other night swearing this was it." She laughed at the memory, though at the time she’d been pissed. "I could hear Shell in the background yelling that she was fine."

"That’s why Chris and I have agreed on a code word for when it’s officially time," Shelly explained. "If he’s not home or he’s not around I’ll either text him or send someone to tell him baby bumper."

"Seriously? Baby bumper," Taylor quirked a brow.

"I think we should remember that ladies," Cindy said. "It could happen any day now."

"Consider it committed to memory," Jezzie smiled. "I think it’s time for your match girls," she said seeing Sarita and Tara approaching Taylor and Cindy. "Shall we find a monitor to watch our colleagues in action," she asked Shelly.

"You go on ahead. I need to make a pit stop in the ladies room," Shelly sighed. "One thing I will definitely not miss about being pregnant is the frequent potty breaks. With that the ladies went their separate ways.

~}i{~

Jezzie was watching her friends in the ring when Morgan snuck up behind her. He snaked his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. She giggled, leaning into him, she reached up and cupped his cheek. "What’re you doing, big man?"

"Just thought I’d say hello to my beautiful girlfriend." He kissed her neck and then glanced around. "Wasn’t Shell with you?"

"She had to use the ladies room," Jezzie replied and then pulled away from him, furrowing her brow. "That was a while ago. I hope she’s all right."

Morgan frowned, not liking the tone of worry in his girlfriend’s voice. "You go that way and look for her and I’ll go this way. We meet back here if neither one of us can find her." He could see the worry on Jezzie’s face. "I’m sure she’s all right. Maybe she stopped by catering to grab something to eat."

"I’ll check there first," Jezzie nodded and left him.

Morgan headed in the opposite direction, peeking into any doors he could find as he went along. With Shelly getting closer to her due date it seemed like all her friends were on high alert.

"Sorry," he called as he peeked into an open doorway and was caught by Christy and Alissa Flash. "Just looking for someone. Not out for a peep show," he called as he went on down the hall.

He had just rounded the corner when he spotted Shelly leaning against the wall with one hand. Her other hand was on her very round stomach. He quickened his steps and closed the gap between them in a few strides.

"There you are. You had Jezzie and I worried." He furrowed his brow as he took in her stance and her breathing. "Oh shit! It’s time isn’t it?"

"I think…my water…just broke," Shelly panted and he could see a small puddle forming at her feet.

"Let’s go," he said taking charge. He scooped her up into his arms.

"You found her," Jezzie called seeing Morgan picking Shelly up. "Oh no! It’s time?"

"Time for what," Greg asked as he rounded the corner tossing an apple up in the air.

"Shell’s water just broke," Morgan called. "Where’s Chris?"

"Um…I think his match is just about over," Greg replied, the apple falling to the ground and rolling away.

"Tell him baby bumper," Jezzie called as she ran to catch up with Morgan. "Matt and I will meet him at the hospital."

"Right," Greg called to the two as they ushered Shelly away. "Wait…what? Baby bumper?" He shrugged, forgetting about his apple, as he headed off to find Sabin.

Chapter 34

Frankie was coming in from grabbing something from the car for Mikey. He nearly collided with Morgan as he carried Shelly outside. He side stepped the larger man, nearly dropping the blanket he'd been sent to retrieve.

"What’s going on?"

"Having a baby here," Morgan called as he ran past Frankie.

"Does Chris know," Frankie called.

"Greg is letting him know," Jezzie replied.

"I’ll be right behind you guys," he called. He went to let Traci know the news before heading to the hospital himself.

~}i{~

"Chris," Greg panted as he raced to catch up with Sabin and Shelley as they headed toward their locker room. "Chris…it’s…and…."

"Slow down, Greg," Sabin chuckled. "What’s going on?"

Greg caught his breath finally. "Jezzie told me to tell you…um…something…what was it again? Damn it! Umm…."

"Don’t hurt yourself," Alex snickered. Greg just shot him a glare as he racked his brain for the message.

"Baby bumper! That was it! Baby bumper," Greg exclaimed.

"That’s great. Baby bumper," Sabin chuckled and the his eyes grew wide. "HOLY SHIT! BABY BUMPER?" Greg nodded, taking a step back. "SHELL’S HAVING THE BABY!"

"Yeah, why couldn’t I have just told you that," Greg asked.

"I have to get to the ! Shell! Where’s Shell?"

"Chris, get a hold of yourself," Greg yelled and slapped him across the face. "Matt and Jezzie are taking her to the hospital. Now go get your shit and we’ll go."

"Go where," Cindy asked. She and Taylor had just finished showering and changing from their match. She took in Sabin’s face and knew something big was happening.

"Shell went into labor didn’t she," Taylor asked, quickly putting two and two together.

"Yeah. Matt and Jezzie took her to the hospital," Greg replied.

"You go," Alex said to Sabin. "Cinder and I will grab your stuff and meet you there."

"I can’t go in my gear," Sabin said looking down at himself.

Alex thrust the shirt he’d worn to the ring into his friend’s hands. "Your girlfriend is about to have your daughter, Chris. Just go."

"Come on," Taylor said. "I’ll drive." Sabin pulled the shirt on as he followed Taylor and Greg out to their car.

~}i{~

"Breathe, honey," Frankie said as he held Shelly’s hand during a contraction. "Good. You’re doing so good."

"Where’s Chris," she whimpered as it passed.

"He’s coming," Morgan replied. Jezzie had gone to make a phone call to check on Sabin. "I hope," he muttered.

"Hey, big guy, how about you get Shell some ice chips," Frankie said thrusting a pitcher into Morgan’s hand. "Keep your little remarks to yourself. She doesn’t need the added stress."

"Sorry. I’ll get on the ice."

"Shell! I’m here! I’m here, baby," Sabin called as he rushed into the room, nearly knocking Morgan off his feet. "I’m here."

"You didn’t change," she said weakly. She noticed right away that he was still in his wrestling gear. "Is that Alex’s shirt?"

"He loaned it to me," Sabin said pushing Frankie out of the way and taking Shelly’s hand, kissing the back of it. "I didn’t have time to change."

"This could take a while," Shelly groaned as she felt the start of another contraction.

"Remember to breathe," Frankie reminded her.

"Thanks for standing in, Frankie, but I got this now," Sabin said. "Breathe, baby. Come on. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Good." He smirked at her. "See? Told you I wouldn’t freak."

"Just wait," Shelly replied. "There’s still time for the freak out."

"Is this where the party is," Alex asked poking his head into the room. He was followed into the room by Cindy, Taylor and Traci, who had left Mikey with Jezzie in the waiting area. "I brought your clothes, bro." Alex help up Sabin’s bag.

"Go change, Chris," Shelly said. "You won’t miss anything."

"I can say with certainty that you do. First babies are notorious for taking a while to come into the world," Doctor Sullivan said smiling as she entered the room, pulling on some latex gloves. She looked around at everyone and frowned. "I know this is exciting, folks, but I need everyone out so I can check on just how dilated momma-to-be is."

Everyone filed out of the room reluctantly. Sabin looked toward the door and back to Shelly, internally debating if he wanted to leave her side. As the doctor began to check on Shelly he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"I’m not going anywhere," he said to her.

"You have time, Chris," Sullivan remarked. "She’s only three centimeters. You have plenty of time to change. I can have one of the nurses even show you where you can grab a quick shower if you’d like. Don’t want to be smelly when your baby finally comes."

"Will you be all right," he asked Shelly.

"I’ll be fine," she replied. "Not going anywhere."

"All right. I’ll be back as soon as I can," he said kissing the top of her head. "I’ll send in Frankie to sit with you until I get back. Unless you’d like someone else."

"Frankie’s good. He’s very calming," Shelly replied.

Sabin nodded and followed the doctor out of the room with his bag. He informed his friends of what he was going to do and asked Frankie to step in for him. Doctor Sullivan brought him over to one of the nurses and explained the situation. The young woman smiled at Sabin and told him to follow her to the doctor’s locker room. She showed him where the showers were and then stepped out to give him privacy.

Sabin wasted no time washing up quickly and drying off as best as he could before dressing. As he was putting his gear into his bag he heard a dull thud and looked down at his feet. He saw the ring box on the floor. He finished packing up his bag and picked up the box, opening it. Closing it he gripped tightly in his hand, finally making up his mind.

"It’s do or die time," he muttered as he gathered up his bag and headed back toward Shelly’s room.

Sabin tossed his bag to Alex as he marched by his friends. Alex took one look at the box in Sabin’s hand and groaned.

"Dude, you’re seriously not going to…" His words faltered when Sabin entered Shelly’s room. "He is."

"Is what," Taylor asked thoroughly confused.

"He’s going to propose," Alex replied, raking a hand through his hair. "Now…of all damn times."

"But that’s sweet," Traci said as she bounced Mikey lightly in her lap.

"Yeah, when Shell’s not in pain from giving birth, Trace," Greg replied. "The damn bonehead chickenshits out all this time and NOW he decides to propose."

"He’s in love," Morgan shrugged. "Men in love do crazy things."

"Or idiotic," Cindy muttered shaking her head.

"This isn’t just crazy…it’s damn near suicidal," Alex groaned.

"I think you’re overreacting," Jezzie said.

"We’ll see," Alex replied. "We’ll know one way or another soon I suppose."

~}i{~

"Look who’s back," Frankie said to Shelly, pointing toward the doorway where Sabin was standing. He stood there watching as Frankie rubbed Shelly’s back. "Chris, you here, buddy?

"Yeah," Sabin said snapping out of his daze.

"I…told…you…he’d…freak," Shelly panted.

"Concentrate on breathing," Frankie urged. He gave Sabin a questioning look. "Dude? You just gonna watch or are you gonna comfort your girlfriend?"

"Shell, I have something I need to get off my chest and I know this is crappy timing, but I can’t let you have the baby until I have my say."

"What’s he talking about," she demanded.

Frankie spotted the ring box and groaned. "Chris, this might not be the right time for that."

"What," Shelly demanded.

Sabin went to her side and took a hand into his. "Shell, I have a question I need to ask you." He opened up the ring box and held it up for her to see. "Will you marry me?"

Shelly looked from the ring to Sabin then to Frankie and back at the ring. "Now? You decide to propose now?" She grimaced and moaned in pain. "I’m…a little…busy….right now…Chris."

"I know. That’s why I had to do this now," Sabin replied. "Shell you can’t have this baby without answering me."

"Really? Are you going to stop her from coming, Chris," Shelly yelled. "Because I sure as hell can’t!"

"Calm down," Frankie said placing a hand on Shelly’s shoulder.

She shook him off. "Get him out of here," she yelled. "I am in NO mood for his…oh GOD! Now, he chooses now to propose!"

"Chris," Frankie said gently. "Maybe you should step out for a little while." He slid an arm around his friend’s shoulders and walked him to the door.

"That’s my baby."

"Yes, and when she’s ready to start pushing you’ll be the first person she calls for. Right now she’s in a lot of pain and you really have shitty timing. Let her get through this and then she’ll give you an answer." With that he closed the door in Sabin’s face and scrubbed a hand down his face before going back to Shelly’s side. It was going to be a LONG night.

"Didn’t go so well, huh," Greg asked when Sabin sunk into a chair next to him. Greg groaned when Taylor elbowed him in the ribs.

Chapter 35

"How is she," Sabin asked when Frankie came out of Shelly’s room several hours later. He had tried several times to go back in, but Shelly kept kicking him out. Aside from Alex and Cindy everyone else had gone home to get some rest. The two had refused to leave Sabin alone.

"Doctor says she’s close," Frankie informed him. "Look, I’ve been talking to her between contractions. I’m trying to convince her to let you back in, but she’s a stubborn one."

"I know," Sabin sighed. "It’s part of what I love about her…of course…not at this very moment." The both heard Shelly moan in pain and the nurse trying to console her.

"FRANKIE!"

Both men cringed.

"Give me a little bit longer," Frankie reassured Sabin. "I think I have her almost worn down." With that he headed back in to console his friend.

Sabin went back to the seats and sunk down. Alex slung his arm around his friend’s shoulders, giving him a light squeeze.

"She can’t keep you out forever," he said. "Frankie will convince her to let you in soon."

"I hope so," Sabin replied. "Because according to Frankie the doctor says she’s close."

He shrugged Alex off and took a walk down the hall to look at the babies through the nursery window. Alex and Cindy watched him walk away sadly, their hearts breaking for him.

"They’re both so damn stubborn," Cindy sighed, resting her head on Alex’s shoulder. He draped his arm around her shoulders. "If he hadn’t decided to propose now he’d be in there with Shell."

"I know. She’ll let him back in soon though," Alex soothed. "Frankie may be a good labor coach, but I think she’ll want Chris in there to see his child born."

Frankie slipped out into the hall several minutes later glancing around for Sabin. "Where’s Chris?"

Alex and Cindy pointed down the hall toward where Sabin stood staring blankly at the babies in the nursery.

"Something happen," Alex asked.

"Just that Shell’s finally agreed to let him back in."

"What changed her mind," Cindy asked.

"The baby’s almost here," Frankie replied. "Chris, time to become a daddy." Sabin looked up from the babies and his face brightened a little. "She wants you in there."

"Thanks, man," Sabin said smiling wide as he jogged past his friend.

Frankie headed back toward the chairs and slumped into one. He’d been up nearly twenty four hours and felt every minute of it. He hoped and prayed he could get some rest and wouldn’t be needed again in there.

~}i{~

"I’m here," Sabin said as he entered Shelly’s room.

"Great," Sullivan said cheerfully. "Get in place daddy. We’re just about ready to say hello to your baby."

"I’m sorry I kicked you out," Shelly whimpered. Her hair was slicked back with sweat and she looked exhausted already.

"I’m here now. That’s what’s important," Sabin said kissing her forehead.

"All right, Shelly, you can start pushing on your next contraction," Sullivan said.

"You caught me off guard with your proposal," she explained.

"That’s not important," Sabin said dabbing her forehead. "Let’s concentrate on Bailey. Ok?" She nodded and squeezed his hand as they began the process of bringing their daughter into the world.

~}i{~

A couple of hours later Sabin came out of Shelly’s room. Frankie had fallen asleep in his chair, his legs splayed out in front of him. Alex kicked his foot to wake him up as he and Cindy stood to see what the news was.

"Bailey’s here," Sabin said, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

"Where is she," Cindy asked excitedly.

"They’re cleaning her up, Cinder," Sabin laughed. "Shell just had her about…he checked the clock on the wall behind his friends. "Ten minutes ago. She’s beautiful, guys."

"I can’t wait to see her," Cindy smiled.

"Later," Sabin replied tiredly. "Right now I think you all could use some sleep. I know I can. Shell is completely wiped out. Come back later and you can see my daughter."

"Congrats, man," Frankie said clapping Sabin on the back.

"We’ll be back later with the others," Alex said as they said their goodbyes.

Sabin headed back into Shelly’s room once his friends were gone. She looked up from their daughter and motioned him over. She was exhausted, but couldn’t take her eyes off the baby in her arms. It was hard to believe Bailey was finally here.

"She has your eyes," she smiled.

"And your nose," Sabin replied perching on the edge of the bed. He bent down and placed a kiss on his daughter’s forehead. "I don’t know whose cheeks those are though." He ran a finger along one of Bailey’s chubby cheeks.

Shelly chuckled and reached out pinching Sabin’s cheek. "Yours silly. Can you believe she’s here and she’s ours," Shelly asked tiredly.

"And she’s perfect," Sabin said smiling as Bailey grasped his finger in her tiny little fist.

"Could you take her," Shelly asked after a few minutes of silence.

Sabin took Bailey and settled her in his arms. Shelly rested back on the pillows. "You all right, babe?"

"Tired," she mumbled. "Afraid I’ll drop her if I fall asleep."

"I don’t think you would," Sabin replied. "You’re a good momma. Isn’t that right, Bailey?" The newborn in his arms made a sound and he smiled. "See? Bailey agrees with me."

When there was no response he looked up from Bailey and saw that Shelly was sleeping. He stood, careful not to wake her, and took a seat with the baby. "Momma’s tired from bringing you into the world, little one," he said softly. "Let’s get some rest until she wakes up, huh?" As if obeying her father Bailey’s eyes closed and she let out a little yawn.

~}i{~

When Shelly woke a couple of hours later she found Sabin sleeping in the chair. Bailey was sleeping in a little cradle between them. The baby began to fuss and Shelly got up carefully to tend to her. Sabin opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Shelly bending over Bailey’s cradle.

"There are my girls," he smiled sitting up and stretching. "How you doing, baby?"

"Sore," Shelly replied taking a seat with Bailey, quieting her. "Listen, Chris, about last night…"

"You mean when you were screaming in pain?"

"No, I mean when you proposed," Shelly said looking up from Bailey.

"I know. Crappy timing. Honestly, I kinda lost my head a bit. I did freak, but I meant it, Shell. I guess I just picked a…"

"Yes," Shelly interrupted and Sabin stopped what he was saying to look at her. He wasn’t quite sure he’d heard her correctly.

"Yes?"

"If the proposal is still on the table my answer is yes," Shelly replied smiling down at Bailey.

Sabin stood and dug the ring out of his pocket. "It’s absolutely on the table," he said opening the box and pulling the ring out. "Should I do it properly or…"

"Just put the ring on my finger," Shelly giggled. "When have we ever done anything properly?"

"Good point," Sabin chuckled, taking her hand and slipping the ring on it. It was a little snug from her fingers still being a bit swollen, but it fit. He laced his fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand.

"Now you can tell your mom you’re gonna make an honest woman out of me," Shelly chuckled.

"She’ll be ecstatic," Sabin smiled.

It wasn’t long before their friends showed up to see the baby. The visitors were coming and going all day. By the time visiting hours were over both mom and baby were exhausted.

Chapter 36

"Can I have your attention," Sabin called getting everyone to quiet. Everyone was present for a party to welcome Bailey home. She’d been home from the hospital for almost a week, but everyone wanted to celebrate. "Shell and I want to thank you all for coming out for Bailey today. We especially want to thank Frankie and Traci for letting have this party in their backyard."

"I’m afraid we kind of tricked you all though," Shelly said finishing for Sabin. Everyone looked at them completely baffled.

"You didn’t actually come just for a party for Bailey," Sabin smiled, he motioned someone forward from the back of the crowd. A man stepped forward and headed toward the couple. "I bet you didn’t count on being present for a wedding when you all got here."

"Cinder, I’d like you up here as my maid of honor," Shelly said as the man, who was apparently a justice of the peace got ready.

"And Alex you’re my best man, buddy," Sabin said motioning his best friend forward.

"Why didn’t we think of this instead of freaking over details," Traci asked Frankie as she bounced Mikey in her lap while their friends were getting married.

"Because you had to have the big ceremony," he smiled. "I wanted a beach wedding. Remember?"

"Look at Bailey," Traci said changing the subject. "She looks so precious in her little frilly dress. Frankie, I want a little girl."

"Whoa, Trace, let’s let Mikey grow up a bit before we think about more kids, huh?" She stared up him, clearly unhappy with his answer. "When Mikey’s about two we’ll start trying for a little girl. All right?" She smiled finally and nodded.

~}i{~

"There’s mommy," Sabin sing songed to his daughter as he saw his wife heading toward them at the Impact Zone. "Look at you," Sabin smiled eyeing Shelly in her new ring gear.

It had been six months since Bailey was born and the infant was growing fast. Shelly had gone back to training as soon as she was given the green light. The baby weight seemed to fall right off once she got back into working out on a regular basis.

Tonight would be her long awaited return. The black leggings had slashes up the sides and were trimmed in silver. The top was a black was a cropped vest with silver trim. He hair was pulled back into a long ponytail down her back and her make up was kept subtle. She hated to get all sweaty with a fully made up face.

"You ready for your return tonight, babe," Sabin asked.

Shelly took Bailey from him as the infant clamored for her mother. "Sure am," she smiled. "I can’t wait to get back in there and kill Angelina."

"Hey! If anyone’s gonna be killing anyone it’ll be us three killing you," Angelina said as she came up to the couple. "Bailey! Darling! Where’s my little fashionista?"

Bailey giggled at Angelina and held out her hands to her. Angelina gladly took the infant in her arms, tickling her belly. Bailey giggled and clapped her hands happily.

"Who did your hair, pretty girl," Velvet asked, tousling the medium brown ponytails.

"Daddy did," Sabin said proudly.

"No way," Madison smirked. "You did her hair?"

"Yeah, so? I picked out her outfit too," Sabin replied.

Angelina held Bailey up and examined her. She had on a little pair of black jeans with sneakers, but what made the ladies giggle was the little Made in Detroit shirt.

"He’s very proud of the fact that she was actually made in Detroit," Shelly chuckled.

"Hey! I spent good money to have the specially made for her," Sabin protested.

"And she’s going to outgrow it in a couple of months," Shelly snickered.

"Give me my daughter and go do what you have to do," Sabin said holding out his hands.

"Can’t we take her with us," Velvet asked swiping the baby from Angelina.

"She could be the newest addition to The Beautiful People," Madison said playing with Bailey.

"Hand over the baby," Sabin demanded.

Shelly chuckled, taking her daughter and handing her to her father. "See you later, babe," she said giving Sabin a quick kiss and heading off with the three blondes.

"Shell’s back to work, huh," Sabin heard Morgan asked from behind him. Bailey let out a squeal seeing the big man heading their way and held out her hands to him.

"Yeah, she is. Looks like your only fan wants uppies," Sabin smiled.

Morgan scooped her up into his arms, blowing raspberries on her belly. "How’s my favorite girl?"

"Don’t let Jezzie hear you say that," Sabin teased. "Where is Jezzie?"

"In make up," Morgan replied making airplane noises as he flew Bailey around. She kicked her feet and giggled as he played with her.

"You guys ever think of having kids," Sabin asked. "I think you’d be a great dad, Matt."

"Hold on there, buster," Jezzie called as she joined them. "There will no kids until I get a ring on my finger."

"And that ain’t happenin’ anytime too soon," Morgan replied. "Made the mistake of marrying my first wife after dating for five months. We got plenty of time before the wedding bells start calling."

"You guys gonna sit around chit chatting or do you wanna see Shell’s return," Alex called from down the hall. He was setting up chairs around a monitor. Frankie and Traci were already taking seats and Greg and Taylor were there as well.

On the monitor The Beautiful People were being interviewed by Lauren. Amongst the comments about Laurens hair and make up Angelina commented on ODB not deserving the Knockouts title and that she was going to bring it home where it belonged.

Just before the interview could end someone barreled through and tackled the buxom blonde to the ground. Angelina knocked her head on the cement and was groggy. The person targeted Madison and Velvet next taking out all three women with her surprise attack.

Lauren stood cowering as the person came into the camera shot, her back to the camera. She snatched the mic from Lauren, turning around slowly to reveal Shelly. "Beautiful People, payback is a bitch and the bitch is back," Shelly said and tossed the mic down before stalking away.

After the commercial break Lauren could be seen following Shelly as she headed out to the ring.

"Why did you attack The Beautiful People," Lauren called.

Shelly stopped and headed back toward the petite blonde, who cowered away from her. She grabbed the mic from Lauren. "I was out of action for over a year," Shelly began. "Because those three bimbos took out my leg. Do you have any idea what it’s like to have to sit on your ass and watch everyone else get the glory you deserve?" Lauren shook her head no quickly. "They cost me my title and if I have to scratch and claw my way back up from the bottom I’ll do what I have to do to get it back. Angelina, Velvet, Madison you’re just stepping stones on my way back to the gold." She tossed the mic back at Lauren and continued on her way.

"Wow. She hasn’t lost a beat," Frankie commented. "The promos are still intense as ever."

~}i{~

As the weeks rolled by Shelly quickly adjusted to balancing motherhood and her career. She was able to take Bailey with her on the road trips. Things were even easier as Sabin was there with her as well. They had settled into a very happy life as a family.