Chapter 26

San Francisco

Joey never got a chance to talk to Jacob since Maria wouldn’t leave his side. Maria could sense that Joey wanted to give Jacob a piece of his mind, so she was sticking to Jacob like glue.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Maria took a shower and emerged feeling a little better, but not much. She had on a long sleeve nightshirt. Joey was lying in his bed in the guestroom that he was sharing with her. Jacob had said that he would sleep on the couch in the rec room, so that’s where he was at the moment.

"My sister is going to have a baby," Joey said. Maria looked at him. She thought that he’d been sleeping.

"I still have a life, Joey. I don’t want it to revolve around my being pregnant," she told him as she brushed her wet hair. "You didn’t say anything to Jacob, did you?"

"No, I didn’t. You know, you can’t pretend it’s not going to happen," he said.

"I know. I’m not doing that."

"Yes, you are. What are you gonna do when you start showing? You can’t ignore it then," Joey told her.

"Stop it! I’m not ignoring the fact that I’m pregnant. I’m just tired of discussing it…at least for today. Can you imagine what Mom’s gonna say? I already know that she doesn’t like Jacob, so she’s not gonna be happy."

"I don’t know if I like him either," Joey said. Maria walked over to his bed.

"He’s a great guy and I love him, so leave him alone," she warned. "And for your information, this was my fault. I’m on the pill and I thought that it would be enough, but it wasn’t. There were only two times when we didn’t use a condom and since one of the times was New Years’ Eve, I know that the first time we didn’t use one was the night I conceived. I was the one who didn’t want to, so it was mostly my fault. It was an accident, but it happened and now I can’t do anything about it. Just leave Jacob alone!" Maria left the room. Joey sighed. He hadn’t really needed the details. He smiled to himself. Maria was a fighter, but he didn’t know if she was strong enough to deal with her impending motherhood. He had a feeling it was going to be extremely tough for her.

Maria went to the rec room. She walked around the couch so that she could see Jacob. He was lying on the couch only wearing jeans. His eyes were closed, but he had a worried look on his face, like he wasn’t relaxed. Maria walked over and knelt down on the floor. She smiled and touched Jacob’s face lightly.

Jacob’s eyes immediately opened and he turned his head to look at Maria. He moved over to make room for her. Maria stood up and then lay down next to him on the couch. There wasn’t a lot of room, but Jacob held her and kept her from falling off of the couch. Maria wrapped her arms around him. He kissed the top of her head.

"I love how your hair smells after you take a shower," he said, softly. Maria kissed his chest. After a few minutes, Maria lifted her head to look into Jacob’s eyes.

"You know what the funny thing is? I know that I’m pregnant and I should probably have a huge thing against sex right now, but I still want you…now," Maria said, smiling.

"Not with your father and brother in the same house. They’d drown me in the pool in a second," Jacob told her.

"No, they wouldn’t. They know better than to hurt the father of my child." Jacob made a grunting noise.

"Right. I don’t think they’d have a problem hurting me. They’d probably fight each other for the honor of physically harming me."

"Don’t say that. Dad is being very calm about it and Joey is trying to understand. He’s just very protective," Maria said.

"Is that why you’re afraid to leave us alone together?" Jacob asked.

"Yes. I said ‘trying’ to understand. He doesn’t fully understand that I love you and you love me and we’ve had sex. He wants to pretend I’m the innocent little girl that he used to play with when we were kids," Maria told him. "I’m a woman, though, and he’ll just have to accept the fact that I’m having a baby."

"I’m sorry. I know that you don’t want this…"

"Don’t say that, okay? I don’t want the guilt of not wanting this child. That’s horrible when you think about it. I just found out today or yesterday, really, but even so, I’ll get used to the idea and I know that you will, too. So, no more apologizing." Maria thought for a minute and smirked at him. "We had a lot of fun making our baby, didn’t we?"

"You are too much," Jacob said, kissing her. He smiled when he pulled back. "Yes, actually, we did have a lot of fun." He winked. Maria laughed and hugged him tighter. She then twisted so that she was lying on top of him. She looked into his eyes that looked dark in the dimly lit room. She slowly brought her head to his and their lips met in a sensuous, yet loving kiss. Maria moaned against Jacob’s lips, but he didn’t let up. He deepened the kiss, enjoying the feel of Maria so close to him. Somehow, Maria became wedged between the couch and Jacob and they were still kissing passionately. After about a half hour, before things heated up too much, they settled down and fell asleep.

Orlando (The next day)

Mike M. let himself into O-Town’s house. It was early, so he didn’t expect anyone to be up yet. He went into the kitchen to make some coffee.

"Are you still mad?" Dan asked as he entered the kitchen, stopping when he saw Mike, who looked at him, a frown on his face.

"Yes, I am. Jacob made a commitment to this group and he has broken that commitment by letting his personal life interfere with his professional one. I know for a fact that he wanted a career in music more than anyone and he’s allowed a woman to distract him from that. It’s got to stop and I plan on telling him that when he gets back," Mike said. Dan sighed as he walked over to the counter and sat down.

"You don’t know the whole story, Mike," he told him.

"That’s not my fault. You won’t tell me, so what am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to Jacob when he gets back---talk to him calmly," Dan suggested.

Mike smirked. "Oh, I’m going to talk to him all right. I don’t think I’ll be too calm, though," he said as he left the kitchen. Dan watched him go. He felt badly for Jacob. ‘I hope he realizes what he’s coming back to,’ Dan thought.

Alex hadn’t slept well. She had kept hearing noises. She opened her eyes and saw a suitcase on the floor beside the door. Carlos must’ve snuck it in while she had been asleep. Alex hurried over to it and opened it. Inside were some of her clothes and toiletries.

"I’m not gonna be here that long!" Alex yelled, not knowing whether or not Carlos was even in the other room. If she just had a phone. But, she didn’t. Cursing, she picked out some clothes and took her bag of toiletries into the bathroom. If she was going to get out of there, she may as well be clean while she did so.

"Erik, wake up," Ashley said, pushing on Erik’s body. Erik groaned and rolled over. "Come on, Erik, get up." Ashley pushed him harder and Erik’s eyes opened.

"What?" he asked and yawned. Ashley sat down on the bed.

"I went to see Emily last night. She, like, blurted out what’s going on with Maria." Erik sat up. "She’s pregnant."

"Shit," Erik said, lying back down. "No wonder Jake took off to see her."

"I know. What do you think they’ll do?" Ashley asked. Erik got up and stretched.

"I don’t care, as long as Jacob gets his ass back here. We’ve got a tour to rehearse for and it’ll really suck if he doesn’t practice the routines."

"But…"

"No ‘buts’ Ashley. Jacob’s a part of this group. His personal life has to come second. We’ve got a lot of work to do and we need him here," Erik said right before he went to the bathroom to take a shower.

‘Besides, I’m more worried about Alex than Jacob right now,’ he thought.

"Good morning, Trevor. How’s the ankle?" Dan asked as Trevor hopped down the stairs.

"It hurts," he said, wincing.

"That’s too bad," Dan told him.

"So, what’s going on with Jacob? Erik told me that he left."

"Yeah, he has some things that he has to work out with Maria. He’ll be back," Dan said. The MTB production staff appeared with two body mics. Dan and Trevor were wired up right before a camera, operated by Gillian, appeared before them. "Let’s get some breakfast." Trevor nodded and slowly followed Dan into the kitchen.

San Francisco

Joey shook his head as he stood looking at Maria and Jacob sleeping on the couch. Maria was draped over Jacob in a seemingly uncomfortable position. Joey hadn’t really been surprised when he had woken up to find that Maria’s bed hadn’t been slept in. He was still finding it hard to believe that she was going to have the guy’s kid. Joey studied Jacob. He seemed to care about Maria, but he was in a band---a popular band. A band that toured and was constantly away from loved ones; a band that was just starting out and gaining popularity; a band that had to do as many public appearances as they could. How would Maria handle never seeing him?

Maria sighed and opened her eyes. She saw Joey staring at her…and Jacob. She didn’t move from her position. Joey smiled. The defiance in his sister’s eyes was admirable. She was going to stand by her man no matter what.

"Good morning," Joey said. "Want some breakfast?"

"I’ll be there in a few minutes," Maria answered, softly. Joey nodded and left the room. "Jacob?" Maria kissed his rough cheek. He needed to shave badly. "Jacob," she said, louder. Jacob shifted and opened his eyes.

"Hey," he said. "What time is it?"

"Time to get up," Maria told him. Jacob stretched and Maria put her arms around him. She lightly ran her fingernails up and down his chest. He groaned.

"I think we should go see my mom," he said. Maria’s hand stopped moving.

"When?" she asked, wearily.

"Today. I have to get back to Orlando as quickly as possible, but I want to tell my mom what’s going on in person."

"I guess you’re right. I don’t want you in any more trouble than you already are," Maria said. "I have to tell my mom, too. We should go to Connecticut while we can. Maybe on our way back to Orlando." Jacob nodded. He pulled Maria to him and kissed her forehead. "Jacob, what about the press? I mean, I don’t intend on telling anyone, but it wouldn’t be good for the group if everyone found out."

"I’ll have to talk to the Mikes about that. Don’t worry, Dan’s the only one who knows and he won’t tell anyone."

"Emily knows, too, but she won’t tell either. Things would be so bad if the press found out," Maria said.

"They won’t find out. Not yet, anyway," Jacob assured her.

Orlando

"Guys, get in here!" Mike M. bellowed. Erik, Ashley and Dan came on the run, Trevor limping along behind them.

Mike C. was sitting at the long table and Mike M. was standing with a serious look on his face. The guys sat down, not saying anything.

"Turn off your mics," Mike C. said. The guys did so. They noticed that the camera was nowhere to be found.

"I just received a call from MTV wanting verification that Maria Carpenter is pregnant with Jacob Underwood’s baby," Mike M. said. The only one who looked shocked was Trevor. "Is this true?" Mike was looking right at Dan, who looked down at the table.

"Yes," he said.

"Holy…" Trevor didn’t know what to think. "Jake was right, then." Dan nodded.

"How long has he known?" Erik asked.

"He suspected it when we were in New York, but he wasn’t sure. I guess Maria found out yesterday and left to go to San Francisco. Jacob called Emily and he pretty much figured out what was going on, so he left to go and bring Maria home," Dan explained.

"How did MTV find out?" Mike C. asked. The guys shrugged.

"Man, I didn’t even know," Trevor said, somewhat hurt by that fact.

"You were out of it, dude," Ashley told him. "All of this happened while you were on those painkillers."

"Damn, I don’t remember anything I was so doped up. Even if you’d told me, I wouldn’t have remembered," Trevor said.

"You don’t remember kissing Kristi?" Ashley asked. Trevor frowned.

"I kissed Kristi?" he asked.

"Can we get back to the main topic of discussion here?" Mike M. asked with frustration in his voice.

"How big was the kiss?" Trevor asked Ashley, who looked at Erik and they both burst out laughing.

"Guys!" Mike M. shouted. "If MTV knows, then this isn’t good. They’re gonna run with the story probably on Monday. Everyone will know."

"So what?" Dan asked. "Maria and Jacob love each other. What’s the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you guys have a European tour starting this month, a new album coming out soon that you have to write for and then record, personal appearances, shows, photo shoots and interviews. Your minds need to be on your work," Mike M. answered.

"Jacob has never had a problem with regards to working hard," Dan argued.

"He never had a pregnant girlfriend to worry about either," Mike C. said.

"What do you want us to do?" Ashley asked. Mike M. sighed.

"I don’t know yet. Don’t discuss it in front of the cameras or when your body mics are on. We’ll figure out what we’re going to do and we’ll let you know," he said. The guys all nodded and left. The Mikes looked at each other. They had quite a mess to clean up.

"Susan!" Susan ran into Kyle’s office where he was working. Even though it was a Saturday, they were at the studio doing extra work since Maria and Alex had gone missing yet again.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

"I just received a call from MTV. They wanted me to comment on Maria---and the fact that she’s pregnant," Kyle answered. Susan sat down in one of the chairs in front of Kyle’s desk.

"I didn’t know," she said, softly. "What did you tell them?"

"The truth: that I have no idea what the hell they’re talking about. Then, I hung up on them." Susan smiled.

"Good for you. I can’t believe it. Maria? A mother? It’s hard to imagine."

"I also got a call from Alex’s brother saying that she won’t be coming to work and that she’ll probably have to miss the tour that she was going to go on with Maria and O-Town due to ‘personal problems.’ What’s going on with those girls?"

"I don’t know, Kyle. I really don’t know," Susan said, worriedly.

Alex felt better after her shower. She brushed her hair and waited for Carlos to come see her. She hated waiting around doing nothing. ‘I have to get out of here,’ she thought.

After about ten minutes, she heard the lock click and Carlos walked into the room. Alex jumped up and charged him, trying to get around him, but he caught her and managed to close the door while she struggled in his arms.

"I can’t stay here! Let me out!" she yelled, still struggling.

"I have to keep you safe," Carlos told her. Alex shoved away from him and walked angrily over to the windows.

"I hate you!" she shouted.

"Yeah, well, I love you, so I have to do what I can to protect you. Alex, you almost died because of me…because I couldn’t protect you. I won’t have that happen again. If anything happened to you, it would kill me. I lost three years of my life in that fucking prison. Three years of not seeing you or hearing your voice. It was hell. Pure hell! And when you wouldn’t come to see me, I was ashamed. I thought that you were embarrassed to have me as your brother. It hurt me deeper than anything---deeper than getting shot. If you had died and if I had lived…I couldn’t have gone on living knowing that it was because of me that you had died. You mean so much to me, Al. So much." Alex watched as Carlos wiped tears from his eyes. She had never seen him cry before.

"I’m sorry that you were so hurt," she said and walked over to him. He looked vulnerable at that moment…vulnerable and scared. Alex hugged him. Carlos held her.

"Do you understand why I have to keep you here now?" he asked.

"I understand your reasoning, but I don’t want to be here. I want to see my friends and I can’t stand being locked up this way. I’m going stir-crazy!" she exclaimed.

"It won’t be for long. I will do my best to get everything taken care of quickly. As soon as I know that you are definitely safe, I’ll let you out. I promise," Carlos told her.

After he had left, Alex sat down on the bed. She was feeling badly for Carlos now. He was just trying to protect her, but she felt like an animal in a cage. She would seriously go crazy if she stayed there much longer. It was then that Alex made her decision: she would use whatever means necessary in order to get out of that room.

The four members of O-Town who were present were at rehearsal, but only three were actually rehearsing. Trevor was waiting for a doctor to arrive to examine his ankle.

"Since when do doctors make ‘rehearsal studio calls?’" Trevor asked Mike C. Mike M. was working on the ‘Jacob’ problem, so he had remained at the house.

"I can’t be in two places at once, so you’re being examined here," Mike C. said.

"Where’s Jacob again?" Ed asked when the guys had finished a routine.

"Um…California," Ashley replied. Ed frowned.

"Well I hope he’s practicing. You guys have a tour coming up in a couple of weeks, you know," he said.

"We know," Erik mumbled. "It’ll be great with only three guys who know the routines, four who can dance and one who has a bum ankle. I’m really looking forward to it," he added, sarcastically.

The door to the studio opened and Kristi appeared. Trevor groaned. Why did it have to be her of all people?

"Hi, guys. Hey, Trevor," Kristi said. He looked away and Kristi guessed that he had remembered their kiss. "How’s your ankle feel?" She thought it best to pretend it hadn’t happened. After all, he hadn’t been in the right state of mind.

"It hurts," Trevor said, still avoiding her gaze. Kristi nodded. She had Trevor put his ankle up on a chair. He didn’t have a sneaker on, just a bandage that Kristi carefully unwrapped. Trevor grimaced.

"Sorry," she said. "It looks like the swelling has gone down a lot. You just have to stay off of it. It has to heal."

"How am I gonna dance?" Trevor asked. Kristi shrugged.

"On one foot?" she suggested, smiling. Trevor smiled a little.

"Kristi, is there any way that you could travel with the group on tour? You know, just to keep an eye on Trevor’s ankle and if anything else goes wrong?" Mike asked.

"You can check with the chief resident at the hospital. Here, I’ll give you his number," Kristi said as she wrote down a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Mike.

"Thanks," he said and walked away.

"It’ll be cool for you to come on tour with us," Trevor said, shyly. Kristi smiled.

"I’ve never been to Germany, England or Ireland before," she said. "So, yeah, it’ll be cool." Trevor looked up and smiled into her pretty light brown eyes. Kristi smiled back.

"Erik, concentrate!" Ed yelled. Erik looked at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

"Why are we here busting our asses and Jacob is nowhere to be found?" Erik asked, angrily.

"Don’t worry about him, worry about yourself," Ed ordered. Erik mumbled something and got back to work. He was really worried about Alex. As soon as rehearsal ended, he planned on finding out where the hell she is.

San Francisco

"Do you have everything?" Joseph asked Maria, who nodded. The limo was already in the driveway waiting to take Maria and Jacob to San Diego. Jacob had called his mother earlier and told her that they wanted to stop in, although he didn’t say why.

"Where’s Jacob?" Maria asked.

"He’s with Joey," Sarah replied. "Don’t worry, Joey will be nice." Maria just nodded, hoping that that was true.

Joey and Jacob were in the rec room. Jacob had finished packing the few things he’d used---mainly toiletries. He zipped up his bag and waited for Maria’s brother to say what he wanted to say to him.

"Take care of her," Joey finally said. Jacob nodded.

"I plan to," he told him.

"Maria pretends to be strong even when she’s not. Don’t assume that she’s okay with this."

"I know. We’ve talked and will continue to talk about it. If there’s one thing we do well, it’s communicate---except when she takes off on me and I have to chase after her," Jacob said. Joey actually smiled.

"Well, I give you credit for coming for her. I think you love my sister, but don’t end up hurting her or you’ll have me to answer to," he said. Jacob nodded and held out his hand.

"I understand. I have a younger sister and I’d feel the same way, dude," he said as Joey took his hand and shook it.

Maria came in and smiled when she saw them. "Jacob, we have to go," she told him. Jacob nodded and grabbed his bag. Maria took his hand as they headed for the front door.

They said ‘goodbye’ to Maria’s family. Sarah hugged both Maria and Jacob. Maria had told her that she could come to Orlando again---just to visit. Sarah was thrilled. She missed Emily and wanted to see her.

Joseph hugged Maria. He didn’t want to let go. "If there’s anything you need, call me," he told her. Maria nodded.

"I will. Thank you for being so understanding. I love you, Dad," she said, kissing his cheek. Joseph smiled and turned to shake Jacob’s hand.

"Take care of my little girl," he said. Jacob nodded.

"Yes, sir. I will," he said. They walked to the limo. Joseph sighed.

"I hope they realize what they’re getting into," he said. "It’s going to be so hard."

"They’re strong and their love for one another will get them through it," Marilyn told him.

In the limo, Maria leaned back against Jacob, who put his arms around her. "How do you think your mom will react?" Maria asked him.

"I don’t know, but we’ll find out soon." Maria looked at Jacob and he leaned down to kiss her lips lightly. Maria was nervous. She had a bad feeling that Mechele wasn’t going to be very happy about their news. Well, they’d know soon enough.

*AN: I know I should do this every chapter and I have mentioned her occasionally, but I want to thank Susan for all of her help. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas, proofreading, revising or just keeping my spirits up when I lose my enthusiasm to write, she’s always there and it helps a lot! So, thank you, Susan---you’re the best!

~Maura