Author's Note: Long story short, adulting sucks but better waaaaayyy late than never!

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It was now six months later since Serena and Darien found out they were parents to be. Serena had started going to the races less and less and even stopped racing herself as evidence of their child started showing more and more. Darien was grateful that he didn't have to do much convincing to make her stop racing for her safety and the safety of their child. He even convinced her to start taking classes at the community college. She was debating between becoming a teacher, a nurse, or a counselor. Either way, she wanted to help people.

"So, have you decided what you're going to do for your major, Serena?" Amy asked as she sipped her coffee cup, looking at her. All five of the girls were sitting at the coffee shop in town. Serena shook her head. "No, I really haven't decided for sure yet, but I'm torn between becoming a teacher or maybe a nurse." She said as Raye laughed.

"Are you kidding me, Serena? A teacher? You barely made it out alive of Ms. Haruna's classes! How are you gonna become a teacher, especially when you hate math?" She asked as Serena glared at her. "If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way." Serena said, huffing.

Lita smiled. "Anyway, when are we having the baby shower? You skipped out on the gender reveal party so we have to definitely do a baby shower!" Serena sighed.

"Darien and I decided to be different for our first child and make it a surprise. He said for the second one, I can do all that fun gender reveal stuff and the other things." Everyone stared at Serena wide eyed.

"You're already planning a second child with Darien?" Amy asked as everyone else continued to stare. Serena leaned back in her spot in the booth. Her smile faded. "Well, not anytime soon after the first one…" Lita interrupted.

"But Serena, you guys aren't married. Are you guys planning on getting married after he or she is born or something? People only plan a bigger family if they have plans to be together for a long time." She gasped. "Did he propose and you just haven't told us yet?!" The girls leaned in closed to Serena as she blushed.

"NO! He didn't propose and I don't expect him to! We're still trying to figure out if this staying together thing is for us." Raye raised an eyebrow at Serena and pointed to her growing belly. "Seems like you guys have already made that decision for yourselves without even knowing it. Even if you two don't work out, he's in your life for at least eighteen years now, probably longer."

Serena shrugged. "Yes, but that's for the child, not necessarily for me. As long as Darien wants to be in his child's life, I'm willing to work with him." Mina shook her head.

"But Serena, you already said you guys will be doing something when your second child is conceived. Doesn't that mean you plan on sticking around for a while? Maybe even for the long haul?" She asked as Serena sat back, staring down at the bump under her shirt.

"I honestly don't know." She said, not sure how to answer her interrogating friends. She then sat up and put her hands around her own coffee cup on the table. "I mean so much has changed for you over the last six month since you found out you were pregnant. You've pretty much stopped coming to the meets, you've started going to school, you spend a lot of time with Darien at home….your priorities have completely shifted. Haven't you given some thought to possibly marrying Darien? Give up on this street racer life for good and make an honest living?" Lita said, looking at Serena with seriousness. Mina smirked. "Oh, like how someone else's priorities are about to change?" She looked at Lita with her eyebrow raised. Lita blushed and everyone's attention shifted to her.

Serena spoke up. "Oh? What is referring to Lita?" Now everyone was suddenly leaning closer to Lita in the opposite booth, which made Lita blush more. She simply held up her hand and showed everyone the small diamond ring on her left hand. Everyone gasped. "You're engaged, Lita?!" Amy gasped and slightly yelled out. Lita continued to blush.

"Yes, Andrew took me on a road trip through the countryside and we went on a little hike. We found this beautiful field and gorge with a view. He got down on one knee and surprised me and proposed. It was beautiful." Mina happened to be sitting next to Lita and grabbed her hand, eyeing the diamond. "So when's the wedding?" She asked. Lita replied quickly.

"Aren't we still in the process of planning Serena's baby shower?" She said, trying to deflect the attention off of her. The girl's attention once again shifted back to Serena. "Yeah, Serena, when's the babyshower?" Raye asked and Serena laughed. "Guys, I have at least until my eighth or ninth month until I have to seriously prepare for it." Raye gave her a serious look. "Please don't be one of these women that gives birth at her babyshower." She said as Serena laughed again. "Oh no, I want to get it done well before the birth."

Everyone laughed slightly. "Okay, so we need to actually start planning now. Serena will be 7 months next month!" Amy said as she started looking up babyshower ideas on her phone. Mina smiled at Serena. "Don't worry Serena, we've got this all under control!" Serena's smile faded slightly. 'I wish I could say that for my situation.' She thought to herself.

When Serena got home, she noticed Darien wasn't home yet. 'Must be working a longer shift today.' She thought to herself as she walked around the house aimlessly. She tried to take her mind off things by going in their room and turning on their Netflix account on their tv. 'Ours….I'm using that word a lot now too. I know I feel deeply for Darien, but I'm so afraid to actually say I love him. I thought I loved Dimindo too and look where that got me. Darien is different though. He shows me that every day but I just can't seem to get myself over this mental block.' Serena thought as she pulled out her phone that was beside her on the bed.

'I have to get out of this house for a while. I guess nesting has gotten to me a little. I need to get in my car and just be disconnected for a little while.' She said as she started looking for other street meets outside of the city. 'I can't show up to our normal hang outs. I'll be caught for sure and Darien would be super mad at me.' She smiled slightly when she found another meet outside of the city tonight in a few hours. She immediately turned off the TV and got ready to go.

A few hours later, she was in her car, racing against all the other participants. She was doing really well, making sharp turns with ease, keeping the pack behind her easily. She felt free for these few moments. She smiled as she continued to race down the winding roads. She was only a half mile from the finish line when suddenly she saw a pair of headlights heading straight for her driver's side seemingly out of no where. The truck hit her in a t-bone on her side. She screamed as her car began to flip side over side and finally came to rest on the other side of the road on its tires again. Parts of the car's body had been torn off and left all over the road. The other racers had no choice but to stop the race with the debris all over their paths. One of the drivers stepped out of his car and ran to Serena's driver side door. He looked in to see her passed out and blood coming down the side of her head and face. He noticed the large bump under her shirt. "Oh shit….someone call an ambulance!" He yelled.

Darien was on his way back to the station with Sayia in the police car. "Thank God this shift is finally over. I didn't think we'd ever get off." Sayia said, leaning forward rubbing his neck. Darien nodded. "I know, I can't wait to go home and crawl into bed and watch…." Darien trailed off when another call came their radio.

"11-41 Medical assistance required. Car accident involving street racing in the vicinity of…." Darien continued to listen for a minute. "Caller described the victim as unconscious and unresponsive. Looks to be possibly pregnant. Early to mid twenties, blonde hair…." Darien immediately flipped on the siren and screeched the tires as he made a u-turn.

Sayia stayed quiet for a minute and then spoke. "Shields maybe it isn't her…." Darien cut him off. "I'm hoping not, but chances are slim to none that there are a whole lot of pregnant blonde females who go out and street race." Sayia flinched, knowing there would be a good possibility that it would be Serena.

They arrived fifteen minutes later on the scene. Darien parked the police car quickly and jumped out and started running into the wreck. He lifted the yellow police scene tape as he saw the paramedics and firefighters pull the door open to Serena's car and gently start looking her over, making sure her neck wasn't broken, along with anything else.

The paramedic tried to get Serena to wake up, but she wouldn't. "She's still breathing at least." He said as he checked her for any broken bones. "She seems to be okay otherwise. We won't know about the baby until we get her to the hospital." He said as he and a firefighter started to bring her gently out of the car and onto the gurney. Darien stood behind them, watching helplessly as they removed his girlfriend from the mangled mess that was once her car.

He saw the blood from her head, down the side of her face, staining her shirt and pants from where it had dripped. Darien was barely able to make himself move towards the paramedics and their truck. One of the EMT's noticed him behind them. "Officer, I think we've got it handled from here." He said as Darien started to get into the truck with them.

"I'm her boyfriend and the father. I need to come with you." He looked at Darien and simply nodded as he let him come in with them. He told him where to sit as he closed the doors and the ambulance took off towards the hospital.

Serena saw a bit of light at the end of a tunnel. 'Am I dead?' She thought as she opened her eyes more to see the roof of what she assumed was a hospital. She then looked down at herself. She had a bunch of wires and an IV tube attached to her. She lifted up her hand to feel a breathing tube around her face and in her nose. She then looked to her left and saw Darien sitting next to her bed, staring at her. He looked exhausted but also she could see a bit of anger and sadness in his eyes.

"Darien, I'm so sorry. I just wanted to clear my head…." She started and Darien raised a hand to stop her. "So you had to sneak out and go to another city to do it?" He said, trying to hold himself in check, both angry at what she did, but relieved she was alive and talking to him. Serena flinched slightly. "You and everyone else wouldn't have let me go if you had known what I was wanting to do." He shook his head. "You lied to me and said that that part of your life was over." He said, feeling tears stinging at his eyes. Serena knew something else was wrong, besides the fact that she had almost gotten herself killed.

"I'm sorry, Darien. It was just one time and I swear to you, I'm seriously done with it now." Darien slightly laughed. "Funny, both my father and my grandfather said the same thing to me, except it was about alcohol. I'm just reliving it all over again with you." He said, shaking his head. Serena reached out to try and hold his hand but he pulled back. That hurt Serena slightly.

"How long was I out?" She asked and he answered without looking up at her. "Only about half a day." He said as Serena nodded. "What all did the doctors have to say? Am I going to be alright?" She asked, seeing Darien was hiding something from her. "He said you had a moderate concussion. Bruised ribs and some scrapes here and there. He said you were very lucky but…." He trailed off, obviously fighting back tears. Serena tried once again to grab his hand and succeeded this time.

"But?" She prodded. She watched as the tears came uncontrollably now as he looked up at her. "The baby didn't make it." He said as let go of her hand and walked out of the room, tears streaming down his face. Serena slowly moved a hand to her stomach, noticing it was significantly flatter. She gasped and tears sprang to her eyes.

Not only did she lose their baby to her selfish choice, but she was now on the same level as his father and grandfather in terms of betrayal. "Darien! Darien! Please come back in here! Please!" She yelled out as she cried. She didn't see him reappear. She laid back down in the hospital bed and cried out hard sobs.

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Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. This isn't the end by the way. It will continue. Don't forget to review!

Mackenzie.