Second Chance

Annabelle's POV

I wake up to a bright shining ray of sun hitting my face in such a subtle annoying manner, making me groan. I roll over, trying to catch another 5 more minutes of sleep since John kept me awake most of the night/morning, howerever you want to see it, up, talking about all of the good things our future will be full of. How he's gonna try to be the best father humankind has ever known. How he wanted the baby to inherit all of our artistic traits, referring to it as the ultimate artist. How it was gonna be the most spoiled child, because it would be so loved by its 2 parents. The most loved baby of all.

& while he kept talking to the little baby developing in my belly, all I kept thinking was how horrible of a person I am. Not only did a cheated on my fiance with a married man, but said married man is expecting a baby with his wife. Yes, I think I've condemned myself to hell for eternity. This baby deserves better than a fucked mother like me.

"Hey, beautiful" John whispers in my ear, pecking delicately my temple. I groan & snuggle closer to his chest where he's resting his head on his hand, watching me. "Wakey, wakey, sleepy head. You have a breakfast appointment with the girls today" He says, running his long & slender fingers through my hair.

Argh... I completely forgot about that.

"But I'm sleepy" I murmur, noticing the difference between John's chest & Brian's.

Brian's chest is wide, strong, with defined muscles. I could spend all eternity just carresing it & loving the effect my touches have on him. John's chest is filled with tattoos, lean, not as defined as Brian's, but strong in it's own scrawny way.

God, I gotta stop comparing them.

"I know, Bellie, but you've been looking foward to it. Remember? How you've been wanting to see Pauline for a while now? That you miss her? Besides..." He says, wrapping his arms around me & I welcome his warm embrace. "We gotta make a doctor's appointment to be certain there's a bun in the oven & for you to start taking vitamins & whatever shit pregnant women have to do" He murmurs on my hair.

I cringe instantly at the word pregnant, but disguise it quickly by snuggling further into his chest. It still hasn't gone through my head that I'm pregnant. That I have a tiny person developing inside me. That its life depends on me. That I have to protect it. That I'm responsable for it. It's all on me.

"Ok" I mumble, squirming out of his embrace, stretching, making some of my bones crack. He kisses me chastily on the lips, before turning & getting out of bed.

"I'll fix something quick to eat before you go. Anything in particular my babies want?" He says, pulling me towards him when I attempt to pass.

I see the happiness in his eyes. This has given him such a glint of hope... hope that everything is ok. That we are ok.

"Pancakes" I say, caressing his face. "Not burned, please" I finish, a smirk appearing on his face.

"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" He says laughing & I shake my head no.

The first time I woke up in John's arms, he 'prepared' breakfast. Actually, he was just trying to show off his self/proclaimed 'cooking' skills, but we both know that he was just trying to woo me into oblivion. He was trying so hard & making all types of things, trying to figure out what I liked, that he forgot about the pancakes & they got burned. It made quite the story. One I loved reminding... but not now.

Now I see what Brian has been said all along. John doesn't know me. I don't even know him.

Brian would've known that I eat pancakes Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Cereal on Tuesday & Thursday. I don't do breakfast on Saturday cuz I usually sleep til 1 in the afternoon. & that Sundays I have a feast. Eggs, bacon, toast, fruit & coffee. It has been the same since I started living on my own. But John doesn't know that. He has to ask me every time. He has to ask me if I want cream with my coffee, not knowing that I like my coffee black with no sugar. He asks me if I want orange juice. I don't think he even knows I HATE orange juice.

"Hey, are you ok, baby?" He grasps my head & looks at me on the eyes, staring concerned. I realize then that I'm frowning. "You look like something is bothering you"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just remebered something I think I left at my parents house. Don't worry about it, I'll get them to send it to me right away" I lie to him, swallowing hard. He smiles at me & pecks my lips, before heading downstairs, not before kissing my belly.

I take a deep breath & head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I stare into the mirror & see the woman I've become.

I can't go back now. I just can't. I have to accept once & for all that Brian & I will never happen. It was really good while it lasted, but it ended.

For good.

Forever.

Whether I like it or not, it has ended. It's not longer only for me that I have to worry about now. I have a baby I have to think about. A baby that has every right to grow up in a family. With a loving mother & a loving father. A father that's gonna be there for every single step of its life. & deep down my heart I know this baby's Brian's. I know it. But I also know that John can be that loving father. That John will be that loving father.

*****

I walk downstairs to the kitchen to find it turned into a mess. And a John underneath all the flour & pancake mix.

"What the hell happened here?!?!? I know my boyfriend is here somewhere" I say, gaping at him. He turns, looking like a small kid.

"Fiance" He corrects me. "& don't worry, I'll leave this place spotless" He says, eyeing me. "Wow... you look even more beautiful. Are you sure you should be wearing heels, baby? Isn't it bad for pregnant women to wear high heels?" He asks, eyeing my perfectly pedicured feet.

"I'll wear them while I can since I won't be able to wear them until the baby turns 18" I pout, rolling my eyes at him. He laughs & pecks me softly, careful not to touch me since he would probably get me dirty with the flour.

"Well... you look amazing. I guess the pregnant glow that I hear people talk about it's true. It really suits you, swetheart" He says, turning to grab a plate that's stacked with pancakes & maple syrup. "Mildly burned" He confesses, & even when his face is partially covered in pancake batter & flour, I see him blush. I smile. He's such a sweetheat.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, babe" I say to him. I sit in the barstool, & while John turns & head back to the stove, I wonder if Brian is enjoying Michelle's pregnancy like John appears to be enjoying mine.

What if I have stolen that from him? What if I have stole a that baby's daddy?

Now I'm truly going to hell.

Brian's POV

"Quit moving around" Michelle hisses at me with a cotton ball drenched in alcohol, attempting to clean the small cut above my eyebrow. Who knew that aside from a black eye & a busted lip, that bastard cutted my eyebrow. 3 stitches later, here I am, squirming away from my wife.

"It burns" I scoff & she just rolls her eyes at me.

"Oh, c'mon, Brian. It's not that bad. Quit being a baby & let me clean you up. The doctor say to do it once we arrived home" She says, closing on me with the cotton ball, just to have me flinching away from her... again.

I sigh.

I can't believe that I got into a fist fight with Matt. MATT! Of all people, I had to pick the biggest & strongest one of all. I'm fucking ridiculous. Thank God all I got was a stitched eyebrow, a black eye & a fat lip. I could be unrecognizable if I hadn't took him in surprise or maybe if I had missed the first punch. Or maybe he didn't wanted to hurt me so much since I'm his friend & he somewhat cares for me. Well... ex-friend. Cuz I want nothing to do with him, or any of the guys for that matter.

Michelle attempts to clean my wound again & I flinch. So she just sighs & drop the cotton on the basket, giving up.

Annabelle would've never given up. She would've grasp my face, scold me for being such a pussy & press the demon cotton ball on the wound until I was crying for her to stop. She would've never given up.

Then again... she's not Michelle. No, scratch that... Michelle isn't Annabelle. If she were... things would've been a lot different.

God, how I miss her. I wonder what the hell is she doing right now.

"Are you gonna tell me what the fuck happened?" Michelle says, placing her hands on her hips, aggravated.

"Nothing happened" I sighed.

"Don't bullshit me, Brian. You come home with a ripped shirt & a bloody face & you expect me to believe you when you say that 'nothing' happened?!?!? Do you really think I'm that stupid?" She screeched, actually making me cringe from the shrill in her voice. I stay quite & she just huff. "What happened to us?" She whispers softly. "We used to talk about everything & now we barely exchange greetings" She mutters, rubbing her pregnant belly, something she has come to do a lot. She turns to look at me & I just look away. I can't deal with this shit right now. "Fine. If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. I'll just go sleep at my sister's tonight since, obviously you want some time alone" She says exasperated & wailing her arms around.

That's the thing with Michelle. She's always running to Val whenever things don-t go the way she wants them to go. She doesn't attempt to fix or talk through our problems. She just runs. & I'm sick & fucking tired of that. Sick & tired of her fucking shit.

She starts walking towards the stairs when I speak up. She wants me to talk. I'll talk.

"You might want to start looking for a job" I softly say to her, trying to disguise my anger & it comes out with a slight lisp since my lip is swollen. She stops & turn around, looking hardly at me.

"What?" She ask. Actually... she scoffs.

"I said, you might want to start looking for a job, cuz I quit the band & we have a baby on the way" I say, standing from the lounge chair, passing her to go take a shower. "We both need to support it"

One last look at her makes me smirk. Her jaw is almost hitting the floor & her eyes are wide in a funny way. I continue my way to the bathroom, not feeling a bit of guilt for saying those words to her.