Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed. I ran out of the break room potluck with everyone there, puked in the bathroom, and now Marcus is looking at me, completely stunned. I looked down at my shoes and wished the ground would swallow me up. I was still shocked at how suddenly nauseous I had gotten from smelling the food. I had been looking forward to it, Marcus had even sat down next to me, and then I had to run out, puking. Everyone at the firm had seen me. How fucking embarrassing. Even worse, this all happened in front of Marcus, who always looks perfect and probably now doesn't want anything to do with an embarrassing omega.

I wiped my face with my hand. I was still tearing up. I needed to pull it together fast before anyone else came in. I didn't know how I was going to keep it together when Marcus was obviously horrified at what just happened. I must have puke on my shirt, because that's what he was staring at. I looked down, but didn't see anything. I wiped down my shirt with my hands, then held it out checking for stains. I didn't see any but I did see that my baby bump was definitely there. I blanched as the evidence of my newfound pregnancy was staring me in the face.

"Ryan, I hate to ask this now, but let's go in my office so you can lay down. Actually, Eric has a couch. Do you want to lay down in his office until you feel better? Well, maybe first I think we need to go in my office and ...talk about this."

Oh God. Oh God, he was going to dump me and we had just gotten together. Not only that, but I think I was pregnant with his child! Fuck. I didn't want to be dumped. I wanted to go home. Snuggle up on the couch with tea, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and a soft blanket.

"No, actually I just want to go home. I think I'll go home. I mean I just puked at work, that should allow me some sick leave, right?" I gave a halfhearted smile to Marcus. He was staring at my bump, which I was pretty sure was a baby bump. Dammit, Lance was right.

I swallowed and turned towards the door. Marcus put a hand on my arm and stopped me. I didn't turn to look at him, I was too embarrassed. I looked down at my feet, but I saw the baby bump and closed my eyes instead. "Hey, how about I take you home, or to my place. I've got a maid that can take care of you while I come back and work."

I shook my head. I wanted to go home, to my own things, not shuffled off to some maid I had never met in Marcus's penthouse. I mean that was very nice of him, but I wanted to be at home. I wanted my own things. And Lance. I wanted to cry on Lance's shoulder. I was so fucked. My parents were going to be livid. I was pregnant outside of marriage and hadn't even really been dating the father of my baby! Oh my God, they were going to kill me. How long could I hide this?

"Do you have anyone to help you out? I can get my driver to get you some soup, ginger ale and crackers. Let me take you home and get you settled. I'll stop back after work, Ok?" I didn't want Marcus to see my tiny apartment that I shared with Lance. Not after seeing the amazing penthouse that Marcus lived in. I rubbed my face with my hands.

"Wouldn't it look odd for you to be taking an employee home? No partner ever does that." It was true. If anyone got sick during the day they went home themselves. If Marcus to took an employee home, that wasn't going to raise plenty of eyebrows.

"Alright. I see your point. I just don't want to leave you when you're ill. Can I at least have my driver pick up some supplies for you and take you home? Then I'll still stop by after work."

I sighed. I wanted Marcus more than a soft blanket and tea, but I was so embarrassed from the running and puking. And the fact that I think he might dump me. And I was pregnant with his kid. At least I was pretty sure I was pregnant. And he didn't know. Yet. What a clusterfuck. And just a month ago I was bored to tears in Mercado's section. What the hell happened to my life?.

"Sure. I'm just really tired, but I don't feel nauseous anymore. I think maybe-" Did I really want to tell him I think the smells set me off? That was a sure sign I was pregnant. Fuck. "I'm fine, just tired. Is there any ginger ale here? Or something like that? If you send someone to bring me a can of ginger ale and some tortilla chips, I'll keep working. I think, uh, it must have just been...something." That sounded so lame. He was never going to believe that.

"Come on, it's me here. You don't need to fake that you're feeling fine, or that you aren't embarrassed as hell at puking at work. Let me take care of you. Let them talk, I can spin it however. I'm an attorney, remember?"

That got me smiling and glancing up at Marcus. He smiled back at me. He was so fucking gorgeous. Let the hot man take care of me? Sure, I guess I could handle that.

I didn't want to think of how much it cost to have a driver on call. His driver, Bill, if I remembered correctly, pulled up right when we got off the elevator on the ground floor. We managed to get off the law firm's floor without running into anyone other than Meredith and the front desk secretary. Everyone knew about my "puke run" now, so I think going home was pretty much the only thing I could do. I just hoped no one thought too much about Marcus taking me home.

"Did you tell anyone you were taking me home? Or that you had your car take me home? I'm just worried about--"

"I know. Get in." I slid into the back seat, flushing as I remembered the last time I had been in here. God, that seemed so long ago.

"Could you tell him your address? And Bill, we'll need to stop on the way for whatever Ryan needs like ginger ale, crackers, was that it?"

He really was going to take care of me. I just stared at Marcus, amazed at how unlike any other alpha he was. God, I wished we could be together. Please let him not dump me.

Marcus

It was hard to go back to work after dropping Ryan off. He wouldn't let me go up to his apartment to help him get settled in. That made me wonder a little bit. Was he not really rooming with another omega like he had told me? I made myself drop those thoughts, though. I decided I needed to let my suspicious nature, thanks to being a divorce attorney, drop off and die if I was going to have any chance of making this relationship work.

So I kissed Ryan on the forehead and was now back at work answering questions about Ryan- "He's fine and at home now"- and trying to focus on my cases. This was damn hard when I was pretty sure Ryan was pregnant. Had he been embarrassed earlier because he knew I knew? Had he been trying to keep it from me? He had been wearing sweatpants and even those were snug around his middle!

I tried to tamp down my anger at Ryan for keeping this from me because I didn't know for sure that he had. It was hard as hell, though. I watched the clock like crazy, just waiting until I could leave without looking like I was slacking. As a partner I had to put in the long hours but hell, I couldn't even concentrate today. I needed to leave. The clock showed 5:45 P.M. That was good enough. If any of the partners had a problem with it, they could talk to me.

I called my driver and met him downstairs. "Take me to Ryan's." I smiled. I loved being able to say that. I hoped we could get this straightened out. Was he pregnant? Did he know, and for how long? Would he let me be there for him all the way? Including... I couldn't even think it. I swear I was going to break out in hives just thinking of the "m" word - marriage.

Bill pulled up to Ryan's apartment. "Thanks. I'll call you when I need you. I may be here awhile or not long at all. I don't know yet."

"Sounds good. Just give me a call." I patted the back of Bill's headrest and got out of the car. It wasn't in a part of the city I'd ever lived in, but at least they had a secure door and a doorman. I looked on the list of names to find his apartment number, 17B. I rode up and knocked on the door. I could hear noises coming from inside, but it didn't sound like Ryan. His roommate must be home.

A tall blond man opened the door. "Oh!" He smiled as he looked me up and down. I scowled. His roommate's boyfriend shows up and he has the nerve to look me up and down? I had to rein my temper back, since he didn't know who I was yet.

"My, you are a handsome one! Ryan wasn't kidding. Come on in."

What?

"How do you know who I am? And why are you checking me out if you know I'm Ryan's?" I almost said "boyfriend" but choked on even saying that word. God, I really was a mess when it came to relationships. I needed to get over my fears and fast.

"Tall, dark, handsome and sultry. He described you perfectly. And don't you go to museums to check out fine artwork? I'm just doing the same. Except the art walked up to our place this time." He winked and opened the door wider to let me in. I couldn't help but smile at him.

"How's he doing?" I looked around the living room but didn't see Ryan. One of the doors off the hallway was closed. I assumed that was Ryan's room.

"He left me a note that he came home from work sick and was going to nap. What happened?" I didn't know how much Lance knew of Ryan's life, and wasn't sure what all to share.

"I think he's got the flu. I had my driver take him home earlier. I didn't think he'd make it home on his own."

His roommate frowned at that.

"Did he throw up?"

Why was he asking that? God, I needed to get control of my suspicious attorney nature.

"Yes, actually. We just sat down for the Cinco de Mayo office party and he left in a hurry." The roommate flattened his lips and looked down. I narrowed my eyes. He knew something. If he knew Ryan was pregnant before I did, I wasn't going to be happy.

"What's your name, by the way? It seems that you know me already, but I'm Marcus Sutton." I held out my hand and he shook it.

"I'm Lance Ferguson. Ryan and I have been roommates since college."

Ah. Then he probably does know everything.

"I'm going to check on him, make sure he's OK. Which room is his?"

Lance blanched looking back at the hallway.

"Uh, let me tell him you're here."

Okay... something was definitely going on and I didn't like it. I stood waiting in the living room with my arms crossed. I couldn't hear anything, as Lance closed the door after he went in.

I slowly turned around in the living room, taking in the well-loved couch, the IKEA furniture, and the older TV. I realized that these two were either early in their careers or weren't making much money. However, I knew that as a paralegal, and a good one such as Ryan, should be making enough that he could certainly live better than this. Was he supporting his roommate? Was Lance just his roommate and nothing more? The door opened behind me and I turned around, dropping my scowl.

"He's really tired." I frowned. I knew a bullshit excuse when I heard one.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then, so I can help take care of him." I walked past Lance's sputtering and opened the door. It was a small bedroom, much smaller than an adult should be forced to live in. He had a single bed, a dresser, a nightstand with a lamp- but that was about it. There was something to be said for minimalism, but I didn't think that his decorating scheme was due to a personal choice.

Ryan sat up with big eyes when I walked into the room. He looked mortified. He quickly laid back down and threw the covers over his head. I walked over and lay down on my side next to him. I had one leg still on the floor to keep my balance so I wouldn't fall backwards off the bed. This was the most uncomfortable I had been since messing around in college. Why the hell did he still have a twin bed for God's sake? But most of all, what the hell was going on?

"I told you I'd stop back to check on you. I want to make sure you're doing okay." I turned my head to glance at the doorway. Lance was standing in the open door, chewing his bottom lip. He looked concerned until he saw me looking, then smiled.

"Oh, I'm sure he's just, you know, not feeling well. You should come back tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't even try to go along with this obvious bullshit.

"Lance, I know you're probably a really good roommate and friend. Especially because you're trying to give me some bullshit excuse and get me out of here, which obviously means that I need to stay to find out what's going on." With that said, I turned back to the lump under the covers. He hadn't moved. I turned my head back to Lance. "I need to have a conversation with Ryan, could you close the door? Thanks." I watched him close the door with a worried look on his face. Something was indeed not right and I had a pretty good idea what it was.

I turned my head to look back at the bed. So, I guess this was going to be a one-sided conversation then? I didn't know whether I should be mad that his roommate knew before I did. But, I could really understand Ryan's point of view. If he was indeed pregnant, he was probably scared out of his mind. With the state of his apartment, either he must not come from money or they both must be saving everything they earned. Being a single omega with a child would be a nightmare. I could definitely see why he would be upset and scared.

"Ryan, I couldn't happen to notice," I ran my hand down the farthest lump which I hoped was his shoulder. I wanted to touch him, to reassure him that I was here and I was going to still be here for whatever was going on. I just hoped I was rubbing his arm or chest and I wasn't making him feel like throwing up again. "-that you suddenly had to throw up after not even eating lunch, were wearing pants with an elastic waistband, , and your flat abs that I enjoyed seeing up close and personal, now have a little bulge."

Ryan still hadn't moved. I didn't even have to look under the covers to know that he was as white as his sheets and scared stiff. I had heard enough stories about asshole alphas to know why Ryan was scared. I wondered if something had happened to either him or Lance in the past with an asshole alpha that had him so paranoid about me.

"I want to pick up some pregnancy tests and come back. I'd like you to take them, but I'm pretty sure that you're probably pregnant." I kept rubbing the lump but there was still no movement. He had enough air under there, didn't he? I pulled the blankets but they were quickly pulled back up. Well, at least he was getting enough air, then.

"I've thought back on our terrific night, one of the many times I've thought back on it, and I'm sure you got pregnant that night. I had completely forgotten to use a condom in the shower." He still hadn't come out from under the covers, but I leaned down anyway and gave him a kiss on what I thought was his forehead. It'd be pretty odd if I accidentally kissed his eyeball, but at least it was over the covers.

"I'm not going to leave you high and dry. I'm not going to abandon you. I'm not going to abandon our child." Here came the uncomfortable part, at least for me. I took a deep breath and looked down at my hand rubbing Ryan's chest as I confessed my horrible secret.

"I have to confess that I never planned on having a long-term relationship or even getting married, even though I really wanted children. I've wanted children for years. I'm excited, ridiculously excited, at the thought of having a child with you. I'll finally have a child to teach how to throw a baseball, and to take to the park. I'm also absolutely terrified, though. Not because I'm scared of being a dad,- well actually that's not true. The truth is, I'm very scared of being a dad. I'm scared of being in a relationship." I didn't even focus on the lump under the covers anymore and just looked straight down.

"I've avoided relationships my entire life, always letting the other man know that there wasn't going to be a commitment. I'd have short term, casual flings at best. I swallowed, knowing that this was the point where Ryan might decide he would be better off doing this by himself. I had to tell him about my background. I had to let him know what he was in for. "I grew up with a dad that was a complete asshole. He was an asshole to my mom, he was an abusive jerk to us kids, he cheated on my mom, and he had several mistresses. There was fighting all the time. My mom was always sad and angry. I vowed never to do that to anyone. I knew, since this was what I had grown up with, that I would probably end up being just like my dad if I ever was in a long relationship like a marriage. I never wanted to hurt my kids the way I had been hurt, so I had made it a point to never be in a relationship and to never have kids."

I wiped my nose. I must have suddenly developed allergies. The ceiling must be leaking too because there water drops on my tie. "The only reason that I didn't snap you up the day you started at the firm was because I knew you were an omega for the long haul. You're perfect. You're exactly the man I've been looking for. I wanted so badly to make you my omega, to marry you and live happily ever after. But I couldn't. I couldn't let myself do that to you, to potentially ruin your life the way my dad messed up his family's lives." The ceiling was leaking again.

"So I'm sorry, but if these tests prove a pregnancy then you're stuck with me. I'm not going to abandon you. I'm not going to abandon our child. And it's not just because you're pregnant, either. I want you as my omega. For the long haul." I was still staring at the bed covers, having kept rubbing what I thought was Ryan's chest the entire time I had been talking.

"If you keep rubbing me anymore, you're going to see my baby bump up real close and personal."