Of Pregnancies and Children

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

AU: Alpha/Beta/Omega

"Is she pregnant?" asked Patrick Gates, eyeing Abigail sharply.

"Well, if she is, are you going to leave the woman carrying your grandchild standing out in the cold?" Ben had asked back, eyes narrowing.

Abigail was a Beta, her nose wasn't as sharp as one with an Alpha or Omega, but even she could smell when someone was with child. So, either Mr. Gates had no sense of smell or it was something of an insult to Ben.

Given the narrowed and flashing red eyes, it was more than likely an insult to something or someone Ben held very dear to him. She wondered if it was an old girlfriend.

When she asked him about it, he was casual and flippant, but she could hear the steely undertone as clear as day. "If it's nothing big like that, then why do you sound so upset when it's mentioned?" Abigail asked softly as Riley slept in the back seat on the way to see the Liberty Bell.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked her, not looking away from the road. Something told her he usually drove places.

"You got defensive when your father brought up pregnancy, though you tried to come across as casual. When I asked about it, you where dismissive. Why do you get so defensive about it?" Abigail asked again.

Ben sighed, glancing in the rearview mirror, then at her, and back at the road. "We met Riley in this tiny windowless cubicle after he'd graduated from college. He initially talked to Ian about joining us for the adventure. I would normally have moved in when Riley said no, but we needed someone good with computers and Riley was the best in the business. So, I came in and explained it to him fully, letting him decide for himself if our crazy was worth it."

He glanced back at Riley again and heaved a heavier sigh. "Roughly a month or so later, he went through a bad Heat and I was his caretaker of the time. So, I got him through it and we continued looking for the Charlotte. Thing was, we figured out that we where SoulMates. He agreed to a Bond and a relationship, so the next heat he went through, I took care of him again."

Abigail's eyes widened at the revelation that Ben was a taken man. "You-"

"I know. He wanted it kept quiet, so don't let him know I told you, okay?" Ben continued the story, "This time, he was excited to learn that we were going to have a kid. Until someone on the streets decided they didn't like that Omega Males existed and beat him."

Abigail gasped.

Ben chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah. It was several months ago, so he's gotten past some of it for the sake of the mission, but that doesn't change the fact that the baby didn't make it. The idiot who did that is currently rotting in jail, but Riley got a hospital stay paid for by a sympathetic bystander and a small depression he's still working through."

Abigail felt tears fill her eyes, "Oh, Ben. I'm so sorry."

Ben glanced at Abigail and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Chase. Don't tell him I told you, okay? He doesn't like reliving that moment of his history."

They rode on in silence until Riley woke up again, blinking away sleepiness and sitting up with a yawn. "Ben, are we there yet?"

Ben glanced back with a fond smile and shook his head, "Not yet, Riley. Almost there, though."

Abigail smiled as she looked at these two men who were crazy enough to steal the Declaration.

Maybe some things had gone wrong in the past, but maybe once this was over things would be alright for them.

She leaned back as she listened to the pair bicker. The sun shone as they pulled into the parking lot.

The mission continued.