Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters. No infringement intended.
Summary: How does Kyle react to Tess’ pregnancy?
Spoilers: Baby It’s You
Category: Kyle and Tess (it's kinda friendshippy though)
Author's Notes: I still love these two. {sigh...}
Thoughts are in brackets... Thanks to everyone who’s sent me feedback on my other stories. Feedback is always appreciated. :-D

“Mrs. Maxwell Evans… No. Mrs. Tess Evans… No. Mrs. Tess Harding-Evans… That’s the worst one yet.”

Tess Harding stood in front of her mirror and gazed the reflection staring back at her.

[Maybe I should just keep my name. Or maybe,] she thought, [maybe Max and I don’t have to get married at all. I mean, the destiny book never said we had to get married. I don’t know if I even want to.] Tess dropped her hands to her stomach. [Plenty of people make single parenthood work. Besides, what if I want to marry someone else someday?] She shook her head. [What am I thinking?] Tess lifted her shirt and looked down at a glow that had spread from her belly to her fingertips. [I’m having his baby and it’s our destiny and I… I love him. Or at least I’m supposed to. So that’s it then. I’m keeping this baby and I’m going to marry Max and go home someday. There’s nothing to stay here for anyway. No one will ever love me the way Max used to.]

“What the hell is going on Tess?”

The girl jumped at the sound of someone else’s voice. She spun around and saw Kyle standing in her doorway.

“Don’t you ever knock?” She asked as she scrambled to pull her shirttail down.

“Not when it’s important. Now what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean why is Evans hanging around here all the time. What’s up with you two?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Kyle.”

“It’s my house. It’s my business.”

Tess glared at him. “Fine. I’ll leave. I’m sure I won’t have any trouble finding my own place anyway.”

“Tess, come on,” Kyle huffed, “You know that’s not what I meant. I just need to know what’s going on here. Are… are you and Evans seeing each other?”

“Kyle--”

“Please, Tess. Just answer the question.”

“Fine. Yeah. Max and I are seeing each other. Anything else you want to know?” She asked. She walked across the room and flopped down on her bed.

“Did you have sex with him?”

She shook her head and laughed a little. “I cannot believe you’re asking me this.”

“I woke up at 6:57 on Saturday morning and see you and Evans getting pretty cozy on my doorstep. What the hell am I supposed to think, Tess?”

“Why are you even worrying about this? Like I said, it is none of your business, Kyle. What Max and I do has absolutely nothing to do with you.”

“I think it has something to do with all of us now that you’re pregnant.”

Tess froze. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You know, if you’re trying to keep this thing a secret, you’re doing a pretty piss poor job of it. You are Evans have been sneaking around here for a week now and as soon as he leaves, you lock yourself in your room. It’s kinda hard not to notice that something’s going on, Tess.”

“That... that doesn’t prove that I’m pregnant.”

Kyle folded his arms across his chest. “Stand up.”

“I don’t see why I should.”

“Hey, you said that other stuff wouldn’t prove that you’re pregnant. Stand up and prove that you’re not.”

Tess huffed and glared at him again before she stood up. “There. Now what’s that going to prove?”

Kyle inched closer to her. He unfolded his arms, lightly touched his hand to her stomach, and then pulled up her shirttail a little. A fading glow peeked out from under her shirt.

“You’re glowing, Tess,” He sighed. “I didn’t want to believe it but I guess that proves that you really are pregnant.”

Tess laughed bitterly. “You didn’t want to believe it? So what the hell is that supposed to mean, Kyle?”

“It means I’m just a little upset that Evans knocked you up.”

“So you’ve got something against my baby?”

Kyle sighed. “Look, Tess. That’s not what I mean and you know it. You know, I’m just trying to look out for you here.”

“I can look out for myself,” Tess shot back.

“Will you just stop being so damn defensive? I mean, have you even thought about this?”

“Of course I have.”

“So what’s your plan, huh? I’m guessing that you’re keeping the baby. So what’s next? You and Evans going to get married?”

“Would it be so bad if we did?”

“You know what? I guess it wouldn’t. Especially since you’ve built your whole damn life around that idea.”

“Look, Kyle--”

“No, you look, Tess. Take a good look at yourself. I mean is this what you really want to do?”

“I’m having this baby and there’s nothing that’s going to change that.”

“I’m not talking about the baby, Tess, I’m talking about you. You’ve probably had this destiny thing drilled in your head for your entire life. Have you ever stopped to think about it? You’re Max’s wife. You’re having Max’s kid. The whole thing is based around him. What about what you want to do? What about your life?”

Tess looked away. “Kyle--”

“I’m serious, Tess,” He said. He lifted her chin so her eyes would meet his again. “You deserve to have your own life. You don’t just have to be a little piece of his.”

“I like my life. And I think I’d like it… even if Max wasn’t in it,” She said as she smiled at him a little. “But he’s there. And this little piece of our destiny has been fulfilled. I’m going to have a baby. That’s what I have to think about right now.”

Kyle brushed his thumb against her cheek and then dropped his hand and started out of the room. He stopped just outside of the doorway.

“One more thing… does he love you?”

Tess looked away.

“That's what I thought...” Kyle said quietly. He perked up after a moment. “Well, um… I’m not all that great with babies or anything but I did baby-sit my little cousin once. ‘Course he was, like, five at the time, but taking care of a baby can’t be that much harder, right?”

Tess smiled a little. “I guess we’ll find out.”

“Yeah,” Kyle said as he left the room.

Tess went back to her mirror and started brushing her hair. She turned around when she saw Kyle’s reflection behind hers.

“Tess?” He said.

“Yeah, Kyle?”

“I’m here for you.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

A brightening glow peeked out from under her shirt.

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