"Am I interrupting?" a familiar voice asked from a distance.

Christian was startled by the sudden intrustion and his head turned abruptly to face the person speaking.

"Your friend has lousy timing." Taylor said with a degree of wry humor but also resigned frustration.

"He's had lots of practice." Christian told her.

"I could go and come back later...?" Sean offered, for once feeling bad for actually interrupting something.  He had come to make sure everything was all right and that they were settling in okay, but his expression never once giving it away as he managed a grin toward them both.

Christian sighed and shook his head.

"It's too late now pal," he said to his friend  "Where would you go?"

"Down to enjoy the women and some pina coladas." Sean answered easily enough "This is paradise you know."

"Yes I have noticed that," Christian said with a smile  "Make sure it stays that way."

Sean pointed to himself innocently before meeting Taylor's gaze and nodding in greeting "I heard the results of the exam.  I'm glad it's going so well."

"Thanks.  Get bored in the city?"  And how was Ross...?

"Everything's fine there.  Looks like the plan worked."  The man said, guessing what she must be wondering "He's taken on your case loads and says he's feeling like he's in med school again trying to keep up with you, but he looks to be totally enjoying himself.  Said something about stretching his arms now that a certain stubborn Board member wasn't there..."

Christian chuckled.

"So he did appreciate me after all." he said thoughtfully.

"I think you have one of those love/hate things going on with him." Sean said, before digging his car keys from his pants "I'm going to go enjoy those drinks now, give me a page when you're up for visitors - and no, don't go throwing the pager away or waiting until next year to page me either."

Taylor chuckled at that, wondering if the two had already done that to each other in their past.

"You never let me have any fun." Christian said to the man.

"Ha!" Sean called back to him "I'm leaving so you can get back to it!"

Christian felt his cheeks reddening at that comment.

Taylor turned her gaze to him and looked both sympathetic and humored "I'm sorry.  We can blame getting caught up in my hormones if you'd like."

"H-how would we do that?" Christian asked, completely confused.

"Well it's a known fact that women are more..." she tried to find the words to describe it without blushing, only to grin sheepishly "It's not my hormones because I've wanted you like this since before the baby but women do.. erm.. tend to be more... expressive toward wanting their partners...?"

Christian blushed a deepened a bit, but he did smile at her, before running a hand through is hair.  "I had no idea."

Taylor ducked her head, hiding her face in the corner of his chest.

Christian rubbed her back gently and kissed the top of her head.

"About pregnant women I mean.   Not that I really conciously knew about the other...but....well," he started to stammer again  "I shared the same thoughts myself."

She sighed with the administrations and started to relax, quiet for a moment before asking a little hesitantly but curiously "Does that bother you?  The, um, pregnant women part?"

"No...I don't think so...should I be?" Christian asked, a slightly worried town entering his voice.

She looked at him and managed a wry grin "Not health-wise.  It's okay.. for a couple to actually.."

She was a doctor right? She thought as she mentally rolled her eyes at herself and took a breath to start again.  And not an intern either.  So out with it!

"A couple can be intimate up to the time of birth and as long as both are healthy, there's no risk."

The idea of right until did sort of worry Christian a little.  It just seemed....dangerous, but he was sure she would know.

"That's good to know." he said after some contemplation of the matter.

Taylor's gaze moved up and met his before she swallowed and asked quietly "It is?"

Christian smiled down at her shyly and nodded.

"What if I told you, I would rather take our nap.... inside?"

"Anything you wish my lady," Christian said.  "As long as it's not near the paint fumes."

She raised her head and shifted so that her chin was propped on his chest and she was still looking at him "Anything, hmm?"

"Mmm hmm," Christian said without hesitation.  "I've always been willing to do anything you wanted."

"Well darn, had I known that," she teased with a half chuckle "I would have gotten the heating system sooner."

Christian laughed at that.  "Yes, you probably would have.  Lord only knows what the rest of the board would have been saying behind our backs though."

She kissed him and whispered "I wouldn't have cared."

"Me either," Christian admitted.  "Well, I would have cared if they sullied your reputation."

That earned him a smile.  He really did sound like he'd do the old fashioned defend her honor thing.  And the thing of it was, she loved the idea - that he cared about her that way.

"If we ever have a son," she said, starting to get out of the hammock "We need to make sure he has those same values."

"We'll do our best," Christian said following her "I'm not sure they are very "in" anymore."

She stopped when they were at the patio doors and turned to him, before stepping up on the tips of her toes and kissing him "They are for me."

Then she turned and opened the patio door and entered, holding it to close once he entered as well.

Christian entered catching the door as he did so and closing it gently behind him.

"I'm glad to hear that." he said, slipping an arm about her.

She slipped her hand into his and, peeking at him for a moment, started toward her room before stopping in front of the door and turning to him.  Taylor didn't want to rush him and there was a question as to whether they were going to continue with two rooms or go to one.  It was as if they were courting the other and she smiled shyly and humorously at the thought.

Christian cleared his throat, feeling rather shy himself.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her.

She smiled slowly and moved to cup his face before pointing out "I'm so sure about this that I'm carrying your child, have run away with you, love the idea of being married to you although I'd like for us to do something private later and I'm here now.  That pretty much tells you just how sure I am."

Christian leaned forward and kissed her gently.  "You may be carrying my child, but that wasn't exactly done in the usual manner."  He moved some hair, that had come loose from her scarf, away from her face.

"So, I just had to make sure."  He blushed slightly then.

"No, it didn't." she admitted, both of their voices low, intimate in itself  "But that doesn't take away the fact I love both of you and am sure about this.  About all of it."

That was all he needed to hear as he backed both of them toward his room......
 
 

A few hours later...

"Do you think he's drunk by now?" Taylor teased as she shifted a little and laid her head on Christian's shoulder, her hair trailing along his arm and foot - underneath the sheet they ended up covering themselves with moments ago - slipping in between his.

"Not yet," Christian told her, "but well on his way I suspect."

He tightened his arm about her and squeezed her arm gently.  "Not that you can really tell that much difference."

Taylor sighed with a smile and curved herself into him.  She couldn't even begin to describe how making love to him had felt - and it was still with her.  If Sean hadn't had come and she knew he was off waiting somewhere she would have been content to just stay here for..... well until the baby made it necessary to eat, and even then she would have opted for delivery.

"And," Christian added with a roguish smile as he moved his lips to the side of her neck "I vote we leave him out there.  He'll come back around."

She returned his smile and moved to tease his ear lobe "I second that motion."

Not like she wanted to leave his arms any time soon anyway.  Being with him like this felt.... perfect.

Christian was thinking along the same lines of how she felt in his arms as he started to make love with her again.
 

Neither one of them were aware of the danger soon to arrive....
 
 
 

"We spend millions of dollars and you're telling me that this woman ends up doing what we couldn't?" the man demanded coldly, looking at the one before him.

"That is what our informant says.  That she's obtained immortality."

"Get her.  Find her.  Then bring her to me." the man said "Make her come back here and come out of hiding."
 
 
 

Next morning...

Taylor stirred, the morning light barely peeking in through the curtains. She stopped and remembered the night before, smiling softly and feeling the arms about her as Christian continued to sleep.  They had made love again and had even opted to stay in and ate crackers and cheese from the fridge instead of ordering out, and had held each other until they had both fallen asleep.

Carefully, so as not to wake him up, Taylor slowly slid out of bed, reaching over to slip on his shirt before standing and making her way to the kitchen for a glass of juice.  She turned on the television once in there, keeping the volume low, and started to riffle through the fridge.  It wasn't until she heard 'lone child doctor holds the life of the miracle in his hands after Taylor Morgan's untimely death....'

She stopped and listened, realizing that the child and mother to be they were talking about was Ms Hammond, the one Taylor had been working with when she had approached Christian about the second water heater for the hospital.

Oh god, she thought, putting the glass down with numb fingers, the baby was in danger....

"What got bombed?" Christian asked as he entered the kitchen drowsily and noticed the expression on her face.

Taylor visibly flinched at the question and looked at him, still a little dazed from hearing the report on the news "I have to go back.  One of my patients...."

Christian found himself suddenly wide awake.  "What?  No!  It's too dangerous."

Her blue gaze was troubled, torn, even as her hand went over her own stomach  "She could lose her baby..."

"Isn't there some other doctor who can help?  You published all your research."

Taylor shook her head, her voice a bare whisper "No I didn't.  I had Ross take some things out... in case the people that..."

She couldn't finish it but was sure Christian would know she was referring to the people that had created his baby.  Taylor had taken things out of her research because she was afraid they might try and use it for their own gain.  There was just too much at stake for her findings to become common knowledge with those kind of bastards out there.

"Well, you need to have a healthy fear of going back there," Christian informed her  "This is most likely something they have concocted just to get you to come out where they can find you."

"She wouldn't knowingly be a part of it," Taylor pointed out as she moved to steady herself against the countertop "And she was having a rough time before her last hospital visit.  If it's not a trick...."

She looked at him "I have to find out."

"No," Christian told her firmly "First of all EVERYONE thinks you are dead, including that woman.  So, why would she go on television basically advising that she needs you?  Think about it.  I'm sure she isn't doing anything she thinks would harm you, but they would have no problems using her to get to you and we both know they know you're alive."

"She's not doing the advertising - Christian it's her baby," she looked back at the television screen, which had moved on to another story.  But her gaze was still troubled "the proceedure was the only thing that helped her get pregnant."

She looked back at him, gaze sad and troubled "We'd be moving heaven and earth if it were ours....I could sneak in and just talk to Ross.  He can meet us somewhere and bring the files..."

"How do you plan to do that?  They probably watch him all the time." Christian pointed out.  "Besides, I don't mean to sound callous but women lose babies all the time and it NEVER makes International news.  So, why would this woman?  It's no coincidence."

"Maybe because she was my last patient and I'm dead to the world? I don't know. I just know that having a baby was the one thing she wanted more than anything in the world and she finally got the chance, and if I don't go, knowing she could be in trouble, I won't be able to live with myself.  If the baby dies it'd be my fault......"

"When you made the choice to carry my baby," Christian told her "that choice meant you had to leave everything behind.  I'm sorry Toylor I can't let you put yourself in that kind of danger.  Sometimes there are just things you can not stop.  This is one of them.  If something happens it is not your fault, it's theirs for putting us in this position."

Taylor had never been one not to speak her mind with Christian and she didn't hesitate now.  She looked at him with blue gaze snapping as she corrected him "That's 'our' baby, mister and don't you forget it.  And it was my making the decision to do everything I could to make sure she didn't die that has her here with us now.  Do you really expect me to turn my back on someone, knowing they need my help and me being the only one that could save them?  Do you?  I don't even have to see her, just be nearby, maybe in one of those safe houses like we were in, and Ross can relay things to me.  Christian, don't ask me to ignore this.  Don't ask me to turn my back on a baby...."

Christian ran a hand through his hair rather violently.

"Even the safe houses won't be that safe," he argued  "Maybe we can find some secure way for you to contact Ross from here, but going back there is out of the question."

"Well, it won't be safe to lead them here either.  I don't want them finding this place..."

Christian gritted his teeth for a moment  "I'll call Sean and see what wecan work out."

Taylor reached up and traced his cheek until he stopped clenching his jaw, and then went into his arms to hug him gently "We'll be okay."

"You better be," he replied "Or they wish wish they never heard of me."

Taylor hugged him closer.
 
 
 
 

"Damnit." Ross sighed expressively, pulling his fingers through his already mussed hair as he looked at the man beside him.  He had to call Sean when the story about the patient had leaked out.  He had to get in touch with Taylor and get her there.  The baby would die and the mother... well Ross didn't want to think about that "I don't know who leaked the story but yeah, it's out of my realm of taking care of it and Taylor is probably the only one that can save her."

"I'll let him know." the man said before, to everyone watching, bid the doctor a good day and went on his way, obviously having gotten the medical information he needed.
 
 

Christian moved to the telephone, taking Taylor with him.  He dialed the familiar number and waited for his friend to answer.

"Son of a -" Sean growled with the new report, all signs of an easy party-goer gone in an instant.  The phone beeped with an incoming call and he saw it was Christian "Hold on."

One touch of a button and he was on the second line.

"It's not a hoax." he said without preamble, having seen the news flash himself and already checking it out "Woman's in bad shape and Ross says he can't do anything more on his own."

"So what do you propose?" Christian asked  "Taylor's already talking about going back."

Sean knew his friend wouldn't like it but... "It might be the safest way, so that they can't trace you anywhere else.  But we can do the consultation through courier.  I'll be the damn courier myself in fact, so noone knows you're back in town."

"And what do we do if that's just what they're counting on," Christian asked.

"If you stay where we put you, you find out before they even get near you and then split and leave me to kick some ass." Sean said, meaning it and in the mood to do just that.  He couldn't be sure but wouldn't put it past the bastards to put an innocent child in danger to get what they wanted. Damn animals.

"All right, but if it doesn't work," Christian warned, "it there will be other asses being kicked."

Taylor looked at him with a slight curious frown, gaze showing her worry.

"If it doesn't work I'll be dead." Sean said, meaning it.  That would be the extent of how far he would go to protect them.

"Yes, but it's not permanent, the Hell I can put you through will be though."

Sean was referring to the true death of an Immortal but didn't point that out, knowing Christian was just concerned for Taylor and their child.

"Give me an hour and I'll have travel details." he said instead.

"All right," Christian agreed, "talk to you then."  He hung up and looked at Taylor.  "He'll call back in an hour."