Chapter 28

"How are you feeling?" Susan asked. Maria sighed.

"Why does everyone constantly ask me that? No one ever did before I got pregnant. You really want to know? I threw up this morning. How are you?" Susan laughed.

"I’m fine, thanks," she said. "I’m just concerned about you. I haven’t seen you much and I miss you." Maria walked over to her and hugged her.

"I’m sorry, Susan. I know you care. I’m just stressed out right now. And I miss Jacob," she said.

"You’re seeing him tonight, right?" Susan asked. Maria nodded as she picked up a package of negative sleeves.

"Yeah. The big ‘night before the tour.’ We leave at, like, six o’clock tomorrow morning. How the hell am I gonna get up before six?" Susan laughed again.

"You’ll manage," she said. Alex walked in, looking tired. She did manage a small smile.

"You ready for the meeting?" she asked Maria.

"You bet. I think seeing Jacob and Erik will be better, though," Maria replied smiling.

"I miss Erik so much, guys," Alex said. She hadn’t seen Erik since the day after he had been shot. He had called her, though, and his shoulder was getting better. Kristi had taken out the stitches and now Erik just had to wear a bandage with no sling. He still couldn’t move it a lot, so he had to be careful while dancing.

"God, you girls, it’s only been a week," Susan said, rolling her eyes.

"You’re just jealous," Maria told her with a smirk.

"Right. Whatever. Get to work," Susan said as she left the lab.

"Are you all packed?" Alex asked Maria.

"Do I look all packed?" Maria said, motioning to the messy lab. Alex shook her head. "How are things…at home?" Maria then asked.

"The same. Mom is crying a lot. Dad doesn’t talk to anyone. Miguel is, like, my savior. If I didn’t have him, I’d be a mess, too," Alex answered. Maria walked over and hugged her.

"You’re strong, Al. Stronger than I’d be," she said.

"You have to be strong, too, though. A baby? Maria, I couldn’t believe it when I heard," Alex said. Maria shrugged.

"I know. You’ll be my babysitter, right?" she said, smiling. Alex turned and ran out of the lab. "Alex! You’re gonna baby-sit!" Maria yelled after her.

5 p.m.

"Trevor, your ankle looks a lot better. How does it feel?" Kristi asked him. They were in the sitting room on the couch. Ashley was watching as Kristi examined Trevor’s ankle. Dan and Jacob were in the band’s studio and Erik was in his room. The Mikes were at the table where they usually were.

"I can walk without limping," Trevor said. Kristi smiled.

"Good. No dancing yet, though," she said.

"But…" Trevor gave her a pained look.

"Don’t argue. I don’t want it swelling up again. There will probably only be a couple of shows where you won’t be able to dance. Don’t rush it," Kristi told him.

"Yes, doc," Trevor said. There was a knock at the door and Ashley ran to get it.

"Ladies! We’ve been expecting you," Ashley said, hugging Maria, Alex and then Emily, who blushed lightly. Ashley smiled at her.

"Hey, guys," Maria said, seeing Trevor and Kristi on the couch. Kristi started to say something, but Maria stopped her. "I feel fine. Don’t ask." Kristi laughed.

"Okay, I won’t ask," she said.

Erik came down the stairs and immediately hugged Alex. She kissed him deeply. "I missed my girl," he said with a smile.

"I missed you, too," she told him. They disappeared up the stairs.

"Where’s Jacob?" Maria asked.

"The studio," Ashley answered. He took Emily’s hand and they went upstairs, too. Maria headed for the guesthouse. Trevor and Kristi looked at each other.

"Trevor, can I ask you something?" she asked. He nodded. "Do you remember when you were out of it the night you sprained your ankle?" Trevor knew that she’d bring this up sooner or later. He had hoped that she had forgotten about it.

"Yeah, I do," he said, not looking at her. "Well, sort of. Not really. So, do you want to watch TV?" Kristi sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it. He probably regretted it. Oh, well. She could live with that. She remembered how it had felt to kiss him, though. It hurt a little that he was avoiding it, but he had been high on painkillers, so she couldn’t blame him for not remembering. Kristi picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

Maria made her way to the guesthouse. She could hear Jacob and Dan singing American Game. They were really excited about that song. Good for them. She stood at the door and watched them for a minute before she was noticed.

"Hey, girl," Dan said, smiling. She smiled back.

"Hi, guys." Jacob put his guitar down and went over to hug and kiss Maria.

"It’s good to see you again," Jacob told her.

"You don’t look any the worse for wear. I know you’ve been busy," she said.

"Jake, Maria, I’ll leave you guys alone," Dan said, kissing Maria’s cheek on his way out. Jacob pulled Maria to him and she put her arms around his neck.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" she asked. Jacob smiled and brought his mouth to hers, kissing her passionately. Maria pushed her body against his. She had a yearning for him that never seemed to go away.

"Jake! Maria! We’re going to have our meeting now!" Mike M. yelled up to them. Jacob groaned as he released her.

"We get the meeting over with, we’ll have time later for…ourselves," Maria said, breathlessly. Jacob nodded, took her hand and headed downstairs, pulling her with him.

The meeting was boring. The Mikes went on and on about where they were going and what the guys would be doing. They went through the schedule---all six pages---place by place, explaining what each appearance would involve and what the group would be expected to do. It took an amazing two hours.

After the meeting, the Mikes left and the guys ordered pizza. By the time everyone was done eating, it was after eight. Dan gathered everyone into the sitting room. Maria sat on the couch with Jacob’s head in her lap. Ashley sat at Jacob’s feet, Emily right beside him. Trevor was beside her, his ankle up on the coffee table. Erik and Alex sat together on a chair. Kristi was on another chair and Dan stood.

"What’s up, Danny?" Erik asked, although, he had an idea what Dan was going to say.

"I just wanted to make sure that everything was cool with everyone," Dan said, looking at Erik, and then at Jacob, who turned his head to look over at Erik.

"We’re all fine, man," Erik mumbled. Jacob made a ‘yeah right’ noise. Maria yanked hard on one of his curls.

"Ow! What?" he said. "Erik’s the one with the problem."

"Guys, we all need to be, like, tight on this tour," Ashley told them.

"Hey, I’ve been practicing my ass off this past week. I know the routines and everything’s cool. Dude, talk to Erik, not me," Jacob said. He stood up. "Come on," he said to Maria, who gave Erik an apologetic look before following Jacob out of the room.

"See? He just wants to be with her. He’s gonna be distracted on this tour. She shouldn’t be coming," Erik said. Alex frowned.

"We’re going to be working, too, Erik. Maria has no intention of monopolizing all of Jacob’s time," Alex said. Erik stood up.

"Whatever, I don’t feel like discussing them," he said as he left the room. Alex sighed and followed him.

"Everything will be fine, guys," Emily tried to convince them. Dan, Trevor and Ashley didn’t look convinced.

"I want to talk to you," Ashley said, taking Emily’s hand. They, too, left the room. Dan sat on the couch beside Trevor.

"This is either going to go surprisingly well or it’s going to be a total nightmare," he said. Trevor smiled.

"You need to stay optimistic. Don’t worry about it," he said. Dan nodded. He was trying not to worry, but he couldn’t help it.

Maria barely got into Jacob’s room before he closed the door, turned to her and kissed her hungrily. Maria smiled at his impatience. She kissed him back aggressively as he led her to the bed, his hands already unbuttoning her blouse.

"Is this going to have to hold us until after the tour?" Maria asked when Jacob moved to her neck. He slid her blouse down her arms and off of her body.

"Maybe," he said against her neck. Maria slid her hands under his tee shirt and pulled it up and off of him. He threw it aside. Maria unzipped her skirt and slid it off. Jacob smiled as she reached for his belt.

"You know, with everything that’s gone on, I still want you---more than ever," she said, pulling his belt from his jeans and throwing it across the room.

"I can tell." Jacob laughed, as she pushed his jeans down. He stepped out of them, leaned forward and kissed her again, his hands running along her sides as her hands tangled in his hair. Jacob pushed her gently onto the bed and stood, looking down at her. "I won’t hurt you…or anything, right?" Maria smiled.

"We can make love well into my pregnancy. But, when I’ll eventually say ‘no,’ I’ll mean ‘no,’" she told him, figuring she wouldn’t want to be having sex when she was as big as a house. Jacob climbed onto the bed and knelt beside her. He ran his hands up her body, reaching around to unhook her bra. Maria’s desire-filled eyes looked at him as he smiled down at her. She sat up and placed kisses all over his chest, her hands sliding down his body, removing his boxer-briefs. She knelt opposite him and kissed him sensuously, slowly. Jacob removed her panties as their kiss turned more passionate.

They lay down on their sides, their mouths never separating. Jacob’s hands couldn’t keep still. He loved touching her. Maria moaned as Jacob’s mouth continued to caress hers. She was ready. Her hand reached down and gripped him lightly. Jacob jumped at the contact. Maria smiled. "Jacob, make love to me…now," she demanded.

Jacob pulled Maria’s leg up, hooking it over his hip. He slowly entered her, loving the sound of her moaning as he did so. He looked into her eyes and kissed her as he began to move slowly. Maria held onto Jacob tightly. Every time he made love to her, it seemed to get more intense, more meaningful…especially now that she was pregnant. Jacob buried his face against her neck as he continued to make love to her. He turned her onto her back and rose over her, his arms supporting him. Maria ran her hands over his chest as she wrapped her legs around him. Jacob felt himself getting close, so he stopped. Maria laughed.

"What?" Jacob asked breathlessly, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

"I don’t know. It just feels so damn good," she said, lightly raking his back with her fingernails. Jacob groaned. "You like that?"

"You know I do," he said. Maria did it again and Jacob started moving again. He quickened the pace and a few minutes later, Maria was crying out in ecstasy. Jacob experienced his own release a minute later, rolling over and pulling Maria with him. They both lay together, breathing heavily, their bodies still joined together. Jacob pulled the sheet over them as they waited for their breathing to return to normal. "Are you okay?" Jacob asked her softly. He was running a hand through her hair. Maria smiled.

"I’m just perfect," she said. Jacob stretched and Maria kissed his chest, snuggling closer to him. Jacob kissed her damp forehead.

"I love you, sweetheart," he said. Maria smiled.

"I love you, too," she told him. Jacob leaned down and captured her lips in a tender kiss. Maria sighed into his mouth, enjoying their closeness. The tour was going to test them she knew, but she was ready for it---they both were.

Alex and Erik were lying on his bed together. Alex just needed to be close to him. She had been having nightmares, usually involving Carlos and the guy that she had killed. Miguel wanted her to get help, as in psychiatric help, but Alex had refused. She didn’t want to talk about it. Erik was the only one she felt comfortable opening up to about it.

"Erik, do you ever think about it?" she asked.

"That night?" Alex nodded. "Yeah, I do. I usually dream that I wasn’t able to protect you and you were shot instead of me." Erik pulled her tighter against him.

"When will the nightmares end?" she asked, softly.

"You’re strong, baby. If you ever feel like you can’t handle it, then you come to me and I’ll help you. I’ll always be here for you," Erik said, kissing her forehead. Alex nodded and closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Erik," she said. Erik smiled.

"I love you. You’re my girl," he told her. Alex sighed and wrapped her arms around Erik, holding him close.

"What’s wrong?" Emily asked Ashley.

"Nothing. I wanted to be alone with you," Ashley said, smiling. He kissed Emily lightly. "I also want to give you something." He went over to his bureau and returned with a watch box.

"A watch?" she asked.

"This isn’t just any watch," Ashley said. "It’s my Superman watch."

"Uh…thanks?" Emily said with a confused frown as Ashley opened the box.

"This watch means a lot to me. I want you to wear it every day that I’m gone. In no time at all, I’ll be back," Ashley said, putting the watch around her wrist. It was too big, but Emily smiled as she held up her arm, admiring it. The watch slid down her arm.

"I’m gonna miss you," she said. Ashley sat down next to her on the bed.

"Really?" he asked. Emily took his hand and laced her fingers with his.

"Yes. I’ve gotten used to having you around," she said. Ashley turned her head and looked into her dark eyes that looked sad.

"Don’t be sad. I’ll be back soon," he said, softly. Emily reached over to hug him. Ashley held her to him. He knew she was unsure about their relationship, but just admitting that she’d miss him was huge. He smiled over her shoulder. Emily pulled back. Ashley looked at her face. She was so pretty. He leaned in and kissed her gently. Emily allowed him to deepen the kiss and he slowly lowered her to the bed. She put her arms around his neck as their kiss became passionate. Ashley’s hands started to wander over her body and Emily didn’t stop him.

"Ashley…" she moaned lightly. He loved hearing her say his name like that. Not knowing if what was happening was actually happening, he found himself pulling her shirt over her head. She gazed at him with eyes that were glazed over with desire. Ashley kissed her hungrily and she slid her hands under his tee shirt, wanting it off. Ashley pulled it over his head and threw it aside. Emily kissed his chest. They were out of control, but neither one cared.

Without thinking, Emily reached for Ashley’s belt and got it undone. He undid the button and then the zipper on her jeans and pushed them off. It wasn’t long before they had shed the rest of their clothing and were kissing feverishly on the bed. "Emily, I don’t think…"

"Don’t think, Ashley, I want you." Emily moaned as Ashley continued to caress her body. He kissed down her chest, making her moan louder. Ashley was so aroused that there was no way he’d be able to stop now. He wanted her too much. He rolled over to open the drawer on his nightstand. He rolled back towards Emily.

"Are you sure?" he asked, hoping to God that she wouldn’t change her mind now. He’d die if she did. Emily looked at him, her breathing heavy. He looked so beautiful---and he wanted her…all of her.

"Yes," she said, softly. Ashley kissed her again and rolled her onto her back. He prepared himself and slowly started to enter her. Emily bit her lip. It had been a long time and there was pain.

"It’s okay. I won’t hurt you," Ashley said. He waited until Emily nodded that he could continue and he slid into her, stopping once he was in as far as he could go. Emily moaned, her hands gripping Ashley’s arms tightly. "It’s okay," Ashley murmured, kissing Emily to get her mind off of the pain. She was tight, so Ashley had to go slowly. The longer he moved, the more comfortable Emily got, eventually urging him to go faster.

"Ashley, I’ve never felt anything like this," she said as he made love to her. Ashley smiled and moved faster. Soon, Emily was closing her eyes tightly as wave after wave of pleasure flowed through her.

"Emily…" Ashley groaned as he, too, succumbed to his pleasure. He collapsed on her, exhausted. Emily was panting. She ran her hands over Ashley’s back. He rolled off of her and slid off the bed. Emily sat up. What had she done? She began collecting her clothes. Ashley returned, now wearing a clean pair of boxers. Sweat still dripped down his chest. Emily tore her gaze away.

"Ashley, I…" Ashley sat down next to her as she pulled her clothes to her, trying to cover herself.

"Please, don’t regret what just happened," he said, a desperate look in his eyes. Emily looked into his bright, blue eyes.

"I don’t know how I feel right now," she said. She stood up and went into the bathroom to get dressed. Ashley sighed and lay down on the bed. He put his hands over his face. She had wanted him---he knew it. And, God, did he ever want her. Things had gotten out of control. Now what? He was leaving. As long as Emily didn’t regret their being together, that’s all he cared about---that Emily didn’t regret it.

Dan, Trevor and Kristi were playing with the guys’ Playstation 2 system. Kristi was kicking Trevor’s ass at whatever game they were playing when Emily came running down the stairs and headed for the guesthouse.

Ashley came down moments later, running his hands through his hair. He sat down heavily on the couch.

"What’s wrong?" Dan asked.

"I think I messed up---bigtime," Ashley replied, sadly.

Emily knocked on the door to Jacob’s room. "Just a minute!" Jacob yelled. A minute later, he opened the door. He was shirtless and buckling his belt. Emily looked at the floor, embarrassed. "What’s wrong?" he asked her.

"I, I need to see Maria," she said. Jacob smiled at her embarrassment.

"Come in," he said. Maria was buttoning up her blouse. She looked at Emily.

"Hey, Em, what’s the matter?" she asked. Emily looked over at Jacob and then at Maria.

"Um…I…can we go?" she asked, nervously. Maria frowned as she put on her shoes.

"Sure," she said. She walked over to Jacob. "I’ll see you tomorrow."

"I know," he said, smiling. Maria kissed him. Jacob wouldn’t let her go.

"Jacob…" she managed to say, laughing against his lips. He finally let her go.

"Bye," he said. "Bye, Emily."

"Goodbye, Jacob. Good luck on the tour," she said with a small smile. Jacob nodded and watched as they left his room. He’d have to talk to Ashley to see what had happened between him and Emily.

"See you guys tomorrow," Maria called to the guys and Kristi in the sitting room.

"Emily, wait!" Ashley chased Emily out the door and grabbed her arm to stop her. "Look at me." Emily looked at him. "I’m sorry if things went too fast. I didn’t mean to hurt you."

"It’s okay, Ashley. I’m just a little confused. Have a good time on the tour." She kissed him lightly and walked to Maria’s jeep. Maria came out and smiled at Ashley.

"See you tomorrow," she said. Ashley nodded. He didn’t know if this separation was a good thing or a bad thing. He knew he’d miss Emily, though. He went back inside and closed the door. He had to finish packing. Let the tour begin…

*AN: I just wanted to thank Laura for all of the tour dates and information. It’s a huge help! And, of course, thanks to Susan for editing. This chapter had a lot of revisions and as always, I appreciate it. Until the next chapter…

~Maura