My Beautiful Mistake.

I ground my jaws and turned to face the slightly stumbling men, my heart thudding so loudly in my ears I was surprised the earth wasn't shattering.

"Hey sugar," one of them, the taller, darker haired one called, "wanna have some fun with us do you?"

I tried taking a few steps back, but they only advanced, circling me.

"I have no money, no jewelery, no nothing on me," I told them in a voice that was meant to be clear but instead sounded hoarse and scared. Damn it, I was trying to sound intimidating.

They laughed, raucously again. Like hyenas. Exactly that, they were nothing but dogs. The realisation that they were certainly not interested in only the robbery part of it hit me now, as I started sweating profusely, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand.

"Hear that Rick?" a ash haired one, the stockiest of them asked, "she says she has nothing on her."

"Don't worry about the honey," the dark haired tall one spoke again, "we'll make do with what you have."

I took another step back, and almost tripped over. I was completely cornered now. There was no escaping.

"Don't - Don't touch me!" I snapped, as one of them pressed his arm on my shoulder.

"Feisty," the ashen haired taunted again.

"Here," Rick said, pushing me on the wall further, "I touched you, what are you gonna do about that?"

I concentrated hard on keeping the tears within me. I didn't want to betray my acute fear in front of these fiends.

Another raven haired man who had kept leering but had stayed quiet so far pressed me against the wall again when I tried to withstand the other's force, and nuzzled his nose on my cheek, smelling revoltingly of strong beer, extracting a small knife out of his pocket.

"You scream I run this through you," he warned softly. Everything every where was so chillingly quiet, except my unsteady breaths and their malicious taunts and jeerings.

"Please," I begged now, seeing my strategy to be firm wasn't working, "Please don't, I'm pregnant."

Two of the five looked shaken now, they began backing away ever so slightly. The other three held their own, unaffected.

The raven haired didn't speak for a moment. "Good," he said finally, "atleast for its sake you wont make a sound right?"

And then suddenly, when it seemed like I was irrevocably doomed, a car came zooming into the periphery, honking loudly. It was a black Toyota. I nearly sighed.

Jake got out of the car, fury livid in his handsome face, a gun in his hands.

"Let her go," he demanded, "now."

"How do we know you've got bullets in that thing?" the ash haired one asked, fear obviously saturating in his panicked voice.

"You don't," Jake said, "you can try if you'd like. Don't blame me if you wind up dead."

I could almost hear it in their heads as they tried to debate internally. Finally, the raven haired one released me with one hand, not before subtly jerking the other one though spitefully, and the five men scattered to their heels. I collapsed on the ground.

"Jules.." he breathed, holding me up with one hand, "I - what happened - ?" but then he'd seen it, and he gasped, picking me up in his arms.

"He.. he stabbed me," I breathed back.

I could think of only two words through the pain.

My baby.

Even before I could break down, I passed out in his arms.

*****

I don't know how many seconds, minutes, hours later, I regained consciousness jerkily, gradually growing aware of the voices and scents around me.

"She's coming around I think," someone whispered hopefully. It sounded like Mary.

There was a tiny brush of wind. Someone entered the room.

"You're very lucky, Mr. Hall, the baby seems untouched," a woman informed; the nurse obviously, "it was such a close call. But Miss Clearwater is alright too, just loss of blood is all..."

I almost smiled.

We were unhurt. The baby and I were fine.

And then I realized the implication of what just happened. I almost opened my eyes and peeked, but not realising that Mary was sitting close enough that she almost saw that motion, I shut it back tight.

"Baby?" Jake asked, in a strained voice, sounding non plussed, "she wasn't holding any baby..."

There was a pause for a moment.

"I was told by Mr. Clearwater that you are the boyfriend," the nurse said.

"And he is," dad said softly. His voice sounded burdened too.

"Well then you are unaware that your girlfriend is carrying a child?" the nurse enquired, sounding incredulous, "she's almost past the first trimester."

There was stunned silence. If I had any plans of showing signs that I was regaining consciousness, I decided to chuck them as it was perhaps for the better to stay unconscious for now, or atleast pretend.

The door closed, so did my half open eye lids. The nurse was out.

"Is it our child?" Jake asked, finally, his voice sounding... incredulous and frustrated. I frowned slightly, I couldn't make that out, "Am I the father of this kid?"

Nobody answered.

"Godammit will someone answer me?" he demanded, getting up now.

"Do you honestly think Julia would do it with someone else while she was with you?" Mary asked hi, defensively. I felt a rush of affection for her.

More stony silence to intimidate me. Maybe I'd get up tomorrow morning. Or a hundred years later would suffice too. It seemed like a better and better idea to get pricked by a spindle...

"I'm sorry," Rosa said, finally, "I really thought you should know. But she was dead against the idea. And you know what Jules is like, stubborn and all...."

"I understand, or atleast I can try to. Her mind doesn't always work sanely. But you didn't tell me Mary?" Jake asked, "I came to you every day after school to find out how she was doing, the reason why she broke up or why she was acting so strange. I broke down in front of you, I told you how much I loved her and you didn't mention a word to me about this?"

She took a deep breath. "I didn't like it either Jake, but I gave her my word. And you know in a way... she did make sense."

He sighed. "I know, I'm just sorry I guess. She really makes me crazy."

"Its okay Jake, I understand too," she said, then with a new char gin - "Okay I've waited enough. Do us all a favour will you Julia and just get the hell up? I know you're not unconscious."

There goes.

Awkwardly I accepted defeat and opened my eyes, and tried to sit up, but Rosa pushed me back.

"Well I cant say I'm surprised," she said, smirking, "how are you feeling Jules?"

"Never been better," I told her. Daddy chuckled. I smiled too, looking at him, then Rosa again, and Mary then flushed violently when I faced Jake, and dropped my gaze immediately.

"Hey," he said, stonily.

This is it, Jules, brace yourself.