Where He Belongs

~Fifty-Four~

A/N: It took me longer than I thought to get this chapter done and to be honest I'm not too satisfied with it. But, it's acceptable at the least. So enjoy, I suppose. Please, please comment and vote though. Your comments really help me write.

Peace Out, Girl Scouts

~Kate~

It'd been two weeks now.

Tensions were running high, as they always did, but Emory and I were practically tiptoeing around him. It was the only way, really. Emory began to go to the local pack school where he made plenty of friends. And it got him out from under our feet during the day. I kept myself occupied in the house--the place that Axel wanted me. There had been a huge fight when I'd walked down to the butchers to get some fresh pork shops. So now I kept to the house.

I cooked, I cleaned, and I watched mindless TV.

It was bleak and I was steadily growing more and more depressed. But I kept face for Emory. He was what kept me going. He was enjoying his time at EP (Eastern Pines) Elementary and it was a nice escape from his home life. One I wished I could escape. The phone had become a huge essential in my life. I spent my free time talking with Dawson--he was the only one who seemed to understand my pain.

The worse part of it all was the painful fact that while I always pitied him, I was in the same exact situation he was.

But when I peeled myself out of bed this morning, I felt woozy and achy.

I assumed I was getting sick but as the day progressed and I had walked Emory to center of town for school, I went from feeling a bit off to sick. I managed to stumble through the door in time to vomit in the sink. Bracing myself on edge of the sink I stared with horror at the floor. This was it. I was no doubt pregnant.

I heard Axel's footsteps coming up behind me. I turned the faucet on, cleaning out my mouth, then the sink. "Sorry," I mumbled shakily. "I must be...sick..."

"Hm? It's fine. Just stay upstairs. I don't need to get it."

He reached around me, brewing another cup of coffee. I stood up after washing and drying the sink and my hands. I did feel a bit better, but the dull ache in my lower back and hips was all too familiar. It had plagued me during my first pregnancy. I went upstairs, climbing back into the bed. I knew exactly what this was. And it wouldn't be too long before Axel realized. But was hiding it really a good idea? That would just upset him... Maybe the whole thing would help mellow out Axel. Maybe things would be better... But I wanted to be sure before I attempted to go down that road.

I'd give it a week. And if the symptoms persisted, I would tell Axel.

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A solid week of feeling terrible and body aches that kept me from sleeping and I was positive.

Axel was getting impatient. Things weren't getting done around the house that he was used to getting done and it wasn't making him happy. So when I woke up, staggered to the bathroom to puke, and brushed my teeth for the first of what I knew would be many times, I woke up Axel. "What the fuck, Colton! I don't have to be up 'til nine!"

"I know. I wanted to, uhm... talk?"

I'd been trying to avoid poking the bear and here I was, doing the one thing I'd tried to avoid. "Talk? About what?"

"I think, I'm, uh...pregnant."

He sat up, sleep making his feature a bit blurry but his quickly got himself together. "You're serious?"