Strange and Beautiful

A&N: Starts up in season two. Review!

Summary: The fact was they needed each other. He was her stability, and she, in return, was the addiction he could never seem to break. R/A

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To me, you're strange and you're beautiful,
You'd be so perfect with me but you just can't see,
You turn every head but you don't see me.

-Aqualung

Amy scrambled around the kitchen early in the morning trying to find her history paper. "Mom where's my paper?! I just had it…" The young mom flipped through piles of clothes and papers, toys and bottles only to not find that damn paper. The one she worked on basically all night while Ricky had John.

Ricky.

He had been a great help lately she couldn't have denied that. After John was born he had really stepped up. Taking John when she needed him too, getting a car seat, and actually listening to her when she talked. They were making it work, or at least trying to. Slow fully and painfully at first but now, now it seemed to be working. Somehow.

She continued looking for her paper when the back door slammed open and she found herself listening to Ricky curse himself over banging his knee on a toy. "You need something?" She mumbled while rubbing her temple. "Morning to you to." Ricky said with his eyebrows raised. "Ricky I don't really feel like arguing with you this morning, John's upstairs." Ricky nodded while scooting past the hormonal girl to grab his son.

That's right his son. Not Ben's but his.

Anne came rushing down the stairs with her newly grown belly and a smile on for the first time in weeks. "What are you so cheerful about?" Amy asked. Anne flashed a smile. "Is Ricky here? Because we're already running late and…" She paused when the teenage boy came down the stairs with John in tow and quiet as a mouse.

"Aw morning Ricky! Hi John, your daddy's here!" Anne smiled as Ricky gave her a proud dad grin and turned to Amy. "So I'll take him to daycare and see you at school?" Amy closed her eyes and sighed. "Can you even take him to the nursery? You don't even know what crib he's in and how much he'll cry when you first put him down and…" "Ames I'll be fine. We both will." Ricky smirked.

"Amy just stop being a grouch and let Ricky take him. He is his dad." Anne mentioned while walking into the living room. "Fine." She said rolling her eyes. She walked over to John who was cooing at his daddy and kissed his nose. "Bye baby." Ricky turned out the back door while Amy took a deep breath.

"Amy let's go! We can't keep being late!" Anne cried to her daughter. "But mom…" Anne came rushing in with a paper in hand. "Here I found it, let's go!"

Adrian was finishing her breakfast that morning when Ruben came in and kissed her forehead. "Morning daughter." He chuckled while getting out some cereal. "Hey dad." She smiled to herself. Dad. She had been waiting her entire life to wake up and eat breakfast with her father, discuss school and boys.

And now with her parents getting back together everything seemed perfect. Even Ricky and her were…together? They were still having sex yes and even talked a lot more now. She had seen his son at the hospital and even babysat with him once. Not something she'd like to repeat again though…

But Ricky and her, she had been waiting a long time for him and her to get together. But then he and Amy happened and John came along. The only real person in his life right now. He even admitted it.

"Adrian are you listening to me?" She heard Ruben cry out while she woke from her daydreaming. "Oh yeah sorry!" She answered while getting up to the sink. "So I wanted to talk to you about something." He cleared his throat.

"Yeah?" She mumbled. "About what?" Even though she fully knew what he was going to say. He tried almost every day. And today, today she wasn't going to run from it.

Ruben looked her in the eyes. "Ricky dear, I want to talk to you about Ricky."

Amy was putting the lock on her locker when suddenly Ricky came up. "Hi Ricky." She mumbled as he smirked. "Ames." "How was John?" She asked while they both walked to band-unknowingly. "He was great, didn't cry at all." The sixteen-year old boasted much to the dismay of his baby's momma.

"Super." She said tears coming to her eyes. Ricky watched her put her horn up and wondered what was up. "Amy what's going on? Is it Ben?"

Her eyes narrowed a bit and she snapped. "Nothing's wrong Ricky and Ben and I aren't really your business are we?" He was about to say something when she interrupted him. "Thought so." And with that she was off, leaving him to stand alone. Something Ricky Underwood was used to-a lot.

Ben came up to the woman he 'loved' that lunch period and sat. "Hi Amy." He kissed her. "How are you?" "Hi Ben." She managed a weak smile in return.

"So I saw you with Ricky this morning." He started while Amy's head snapped over to him. "And?" "Well I don't really think he should be talking to you outside of the house, I mean it's not like John's even here." He added smugly.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Look Ben, Ricky and I can talk whenever we want. I don't need your approval. And I don't like how jealous you've been lately." Ben cleared his throat and nodded. "You right I just…" She cut him off. "Just leave it!" He sighed and returned to his sandwich, wondering if Ricky would ever not be between them. He looked up to see the drummer walking towards them and closed his eyes. That would be a no.

Adrian was running late that morning. She had a long talk with her dad on how Ricky is eventually going to be with Amy-the mother of his child and between dealing with that heartbreak and visiting Grace she couldn't handle it anymore.

She picked up a burger on the way to school for lunch and sat in her car wondering if anything anymore would ever not be about Amy and Ricky.

The town's precious teen parents. And as she got out to go in she saw Ricky and Amy talking alone by the trees. That would be a no in her book. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't be the other woman.

"I just don't understand why you won't let me take him for one night at my place." Ricky cried as Amy sank her foot in the dirt. "Because you don't know what you're doing!" He realized then that they were shouting and turned to find him and her alone in the courtyard, everyone even Ben had seemed to be inside, leaving the parents to work it out on their own.

Great.

"Yes I do! Ames I've been there every day after and before school. And after school lets out I'll be there all day to help you! I think I know my son!" He pleaded as Amy sighed and rubbed her temples once more.

"Just drop by around seven okay?" She gave up while heading to class. Ricky watched the mother of his son walk away clearly hurting and frustrated and knew something was up. Something was wrong with Amy Juergens.

Ben was late to work that afternoon when he turned the corner in school and suddenly ran into someone. Books and note scattered everywhere as Ben came on rambling some gay apology.

It was Adrian.

"Sorry, sorry." He kept going as Adrian put on a smile and nodded. "It's fine Ben." He took up her notes and they stood there for a moment-the silence gathering around them.

"So how's Amy been?" She asked quietly. Ben looked down at his feet for a moment. "How's Ricky?" He shot back. They both broke out in smile and laughed. "Well I better get going. I got French to study for." Adrian admitted. Ben looked a little shocked. "French? Well that's cool of you." She blushed and said she'd see him later. "Text me sometime okay?" She found herself saying while heading to the car. Ben nodded and went the other direction.

Adrian sat behind the wheel in surprise and confusedness. Ricky was great, at the sex and…just great. But Ben, in the few minutes they had talked it just felt…right.

Comfortable, easy to laugh and to…never mind. She put the key in and went on her way-alone. Something she had been doing her whole life.

John was fussy that night. Ricky had called to tell her he'd be a little late-something at the shop at come up. Anne was out frocking with David and who knew where her dad and sister were. They were so secretive lately.

"What's wrong, baby? What do you need?" She cooed as she picked up a screaming John. She held him close and rocked him back and forth, but that only made him more fussy-somehow. "Come on John let's just get through one night, just one night without any crying or tears and more sleep for both of us." Amy tried to imagine that-a night with total sleep.

She hadn't had one in a long time.

After ten minutes of total screaming Amy was at her wits. She picked up her cell and called the only person who could help her right now.

"Hello?" A male voice boomed.

"Ricky." Amy sobbed. "I need your help." "I'll be right there." He said.

And with that she had her wish, Ricky was on his way just like usual.

He appeared like his always did- just this time it was closer to midnight and Amy was falling apart. He saw her in shorts and an old band camp shirt and smiled for a minute until she brought the crying baby over to him.

"Hey champ what's wrong?" He said softly as John suddenly hushed up and played with Ricky's car key chain.

Ricky smiled, proud that he was becoming a good dad and looked up to only see Amy tearing up again and walking to the kitchen. He followed in suit and asked her what was wrong.

"Don't lie." He murmured. Amy shot him a look as she got out a bottle and sighed. "I'm just tired okay? I'm tired and sick of fighting with Ben and not being enough for John."

"Ames what are you talking about?" Ricky asked setting John in his playpen. "Look at me? I can never get him to sleep or shut up! It's always his daddy. And as much as I appreciate you being here for him I just…I want to be a good mom." She whispered.

Ricky came over and looked her in the eye. "Ames you are a good mom I promise." She looked over at the sleeping boy and shook her head. "It doesn't feel like it." And with that he pulled her in for a hug, nothing special or romantic-it didn't have to be. Everything was always different with him and her. That's the reason they had a four month old next to them.

So they hugged for awhile-just like they had oh so long ago in the halls of school. But now it was quiet. All you could hear was her soft sobs and John's baby breaths…and Ricky's heart feeling like it was about to burst.

And at the end of the day it always seemed to come down to this. The little family together, once again. Ricky, Amy and their son.