"Tell me."

        "I can’t."

        "Tell me!"

        "I’m sworn to secrecy!" Phillip said firmly. This was the first stop in search of the man she no longer could call her fiancée. She came here because she knew Phillip would know where to find him *and* that he would spill it.

Except he didn’t seem to be doing that.

        "Come on you gossiping hen! The one time I need you to tell me where he is!"

        "Hey I told you last time."

        "You’re right, you’re a prince among men, now spit it out!"

        "I’ll give you a hint."

        "Phillip, you’re a doll! What’s my hint?"

        "He’s up in the guest bedroom again."

        "That was a hint?" Mimi said, her mouth curving a bit.

        "Yup, I didn’t tell you *which* room did I?"

        "I love ya, Phil," Mimi called as she headed upstairs of the Kiraks mansion. She went straight to the room Brady occupied before and sure enough she found him sitting in the same desk chair.

        "Hey, lover."

        He didn’t say a thing; just sat there as he thought of the complicated fact that had him this quiet . . . They weren’t getting married anymore and because of that they were apart.

        Mimi stepped forward and broke his thoughts; "This brings back memories. Did you ever find my hair clip?"

That didn’t lighten the situation one bit and Mimi went to sit on the bed. She smoothed her pink skirt and lighter top for lack of things to do with her hands but she still kept her eyes on him. He was silent for what seemed too long before . . .

"I was kind of happy, later you know, after you told me about the baby." After. After she told him there was no baby and Mimi thought that maybe things were just meant to end there, this was it, the inkling of parental vibes he had developed along the way vanishing without a trace.

But he kept on talking.

"The first time you told me about the baby . . . after a while I was getting used to the idea I was going to be a dad." And it was clear he *had* wanted it to be true, he wanted to make his mom proud.

He wanted the baby.

But there was no baby.

"Brady, I’m sor--"

"Don’t apologize," he said a tad sharply before a softer tone. "It was just because . . . I was just happy that maybe we could give our kid a good childhood."

Mimi just stared at him but he hadn’t met her eyes yet.

"I . . . told you how my mother died when I was a baby and . . . My dad was never around and even Marlena stopped trying to impress him with her mothering skills after a while. I . . . I just thought we would be there for him or her."

Mimi stood up and went to him, standing beside his still form as she ran her fingers through his hair. She knew this was just the surface, there were a lot of things going on behind the beautiful blue eyes she found she liked better than deep brown.

"I know it’s stupid and it’s better this way because we’re both young and all that stuff but it’s still . . ."

After the day Mimi had assured him that they would make his mother proud he had actually gotten to like the idea of his own little kid running over Salem, but he lost that opportunity. It wouldn’t have been *completely* crushing, they were young after all and they had time to have children later – but now there was no them.

He had lost her too.

"I know what you mean," Mimi answered. "Might have been cool, a baby with my good looks and my dazzling charm."

"I don’t get anything?" he said finally looking up at her.

"We want the baby to be smart don’t we?"

"Of course."

"Than it has to get that from me too."

"Oh is that how it goes," Brady grinned, grabbing her and pulling her onto his lap. They laughed shortly and it was good before the remembered their situation.

"We’re not engaged anymore," she said softly.

"I know," he answered as he looked away.

His profile was so strong and prominent, so handsome in the tender light of the room. He was just a good person and she wouldn’t trade him for anything. Even a million Shawns.

"I love you."

He returned her look at break neck speed so she repeated it.

"I love you, Brady."

"You don’t have to say that, we aren’t getting married."

"I never *had* to say it and I wouldn’t if I didn’t mean it. I love you."

"Are you sure?"

"Since when did you become so insecure?" Mimi smiled. "Yes, I’m sure."

"Well, I just had to make sure you weren’t so dazzled by being in my presence you were just saying anything."

"Of course, that’s always a possibility," Mimi responded before she leaned in and kissed him gently. His hands began to slip under her shirt and Mimi let out a giggle.

"What is it?"

"Just thinking, do we *have* to make-up in this guest room after *every* big argument?"

"Well, we don’t *have* to, there is a pool here," he smiled before a mischievous look over took him.

"Brady," Mimi warned." . . . Race you."

They took off down the steps and through the house, Brady gaining on Mimi until he was up against her back. They hurried through the den and out of the glass doors until they met the pool. The moon was there, the warm air was there, and the cool water was there.

Unfortunately, so was Phillip.

"We really have to think things through before we do them. Should have learned that by now," Brady panted. They hadn’t given a second thought to if others were in the mansion.

"I’m just leaving," Phil smiled as he climbed out of the pool.

"Hey, where is--"

"Everyone is gone for the night and I’m on my way out," Phillip hinted.

"You are a good nephew," Brady said pridefully.

"I try," he answered as he left them.

Brady gave Mimi a leer before ripping his T-shirt off and jumping into the pool.

"You are suppose to rip my clothes off first," Mimi instructed. "And that’s after you take off your shoes. You’re lucky you’re just wearing slippers, if you were in boots or something, baby, you’d be drowning right now. What about the ‘think before you act’ bit, where’s your head at?"

"Under the water. Wanna see?" he hinted.

"Lewd," she laughed. He winked and then dipped under the water, it was just a few seconds before he broke the surface again, throwing his mistreated, satin slippers on the poolside. "Better late than never."

"Hmm," Meems agreed before backing away from the water and into the house.

"Mimi!"

Brady hoisted himself out of the water and went after her, tracking water through the house and up the stairs as he followed her. His grandfather would be none too happy.

"Mimi? Where are you? . . . Mimi?"

"In here," she called slightly. He found her in Phillip’s bedroom.

"In another’s bedroom, should I take this as a bad sign?"

She looked over to see him in the doorway. He held both sides of the frame and was looking absolutely delectable wearing only a pair of black jeans and soaking wet. She upped her search as the flare of desire became an all out flame with one look at him.

"Phillip’s in the bathroom, we only have a little bit of time. This is your mission, if you choose to accept it, find condoms, and find A LOT. We’ve been lucky so far and from now on we should be safe."

Brady agreed, they had been too stupid for too long – in more ways then one. They were rectifying them both tonight, together again despite their proclamations of dislike and they weren’t looking to have any babies made.

He went over to where Phillip had a baseball trophy from summer training in sixth grade. He lifted the large trophy and shook it gently. From the hollow inside fell a flood of condoms.

"Tada."

"How did you know where to look?"

"Because I have a trophy just like it and that’s were I used to hide mine."

Mimi joined Brady and stared at the multitude of rubbers young Philly had collected, "Geez, was he preparing for a great latex shortage?"

"Apparently not, he stocked up in sheepskin too." Brady grinned and Mimi rolled her eyes.

"Come along, my darling smartass, we have things to attend to."

Mimi slipped her hand in the front of Brady’s jeans and dragged him away as he grabbed two generous handfuls full of condoms.

~*~

After the entire chasing and location search they ended up back in Brady’s guestroom. There he insisted on torturing her for what felt like forever, his kisses, bites, and licks had her begging in the end much to her displeasure. At least she returned the gesture hours later when he was pleading with her and moaning on the edge of release before she would pull away in retaliation. They made love until they were too tired to move and resigned to stay in bed until someone found them and was able to give them water to ward off dehydration.

"Mimi?"

"Hmm," she asked in a tired, satisfied tone.

"Does this mean the engagement is back on?"

Mimi’s eyes opened as she slowly – and laboriously – turned to Brady.

"Do you want it to be?"

"I love you," he responded. Not the first time but the first time without repeating it as a mantra while he filled her over and over again.

"And I love you," she responded. "But it’s too soon."

He nodded slightly and he ran his pointer finger from her temple to her chin, pushing her hair away.

"Good call," he said, planting a kiss on her lips.

She snuggled close to him, too tired and too sore to let the kiss move into more serious territory. They weren’t being forced to get married and they were together in spite of that, it was something neither thought would happen. The future was now looking pretty simple.

Just because they wouldn’t exchange vows on July 11 it didn’t mean they wouldn’t be together.

The End.

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