WHEN REAGAN AWOKE the next morning lying in Dave's bed, the realization that her life had officially and drastically altered its course shook her to her core. It was not necessarily odd to find herself tucked between Dave's sheets, laying beside him as a new day was rung in, but it certainly felt eye-opening in a very enlightening way.

The first task she assigned herself upon rolling out of bed was to make amends to start anew. In order to do that, she called the Wilson's phone number and officially quit. It was Tommy who answered the phone, his voice laced with concern of why Reagan had not shown up for her shift that morning. He'd been startled once she told him the news that she had made a split-second decision to move to Seattle, but after she'd mentioned that she was living with Dave, Tommy had gone quiet and ceased asking for information.

In the end, Reagan saw his reaction as a perfect justification as to why she had not disclosed her pregnancy.

Dave woke up shortly after Reagan did though he had left a pocket of time for her to be alone, time which she spent cooking a breakfast of toast and eggs. He was pleased when he wandered into his tiny kitchen, met with the smell of Reagan's morning cuisine.

"That looks good," he commented, yawning widely and stretching his arms. He was only clothed from the waist down in a pair of boxer shorts.

"Thanks. My secret recipe is putting cheese in the eggs. Robbie used to love when I'd cook him this." Reagan snapped her mouth shut as soon as she said Robbie's name, knowing it would only hurt her to dwell on the memories she'd spent with her little brother. Dave caught her tense response and rubbed her back lovingly, joining her by the stove.

"Want to go into the city today?" he asked, changing the subject. "We could maybe do what we talked about last night. You know . . . the marriage license thing."

Reagan felt her stomach lurch at the word "marriage." As much as she was excited at the prospect of marrying Dave, it still felt strange to imagine them both in such a context. Marriage seemed to be exclusive to only those couples who had their shit together — Reagan wasn't sure that she and Dave fell into that category. But she loved him wholeheartedly, which was the only thing that mattered.

"Sure," she agreed. On second thought, she remembered her urgent need to find Dave a wedding ring. At some point, she was going to have to enlist Kate to help her discreetly get the deed done.

Dave smiled contentedly and filled a plate with eggs, piling them high before reaching for a piece of toast. Reagan nudged a bottle of ketchup his way, but he nudged it right back in her direction.

"What's that for?" he probed, nodding at the ketchup. Reagan blinked innocently.

"For my eggs?" It came out as a question.

"You put ketchup on your eggs?" Dave wrinkled back his nose with disgust. Reagan swatted at him with her hand.

"Don't judge me. Eggs on ketchup is my personal delicacy," she objected hotly. To prove her point, she slathered her helping of eggs in the bright red condiment.

"It's amazing how I learn something new about you almost every day," Dave laughed.

They ate breakfast together in front of the television, flipping through the stations casually and bouncing back and forth between different shows. After their plates were cleaned and set aside, Dave picked up his acoustic and began to play. Reagan watched him from the opposite end of the couch, smiling softly to herself as he became absorbed in the music spilling forth from his fingertips. Before she even knew it, forty-five minutes had passed of them sitting quietly with only the sound of the acoustic filling the living room.

It was strangely invigorating to get ready with Dave inside of his boxy little bedroom. In a way, Reagan felt like she was already married to him as they elbowed past each other through the bathroom, Dave with a toothbrush crammed in his mouth and her tugging a hairbrush through her hair. It wasn't tiring or annoying to be at his side with little to no privacy. On the contrary, it was the most natural thing in the world.

"We match," Dave exclaimed with a laugh as Reagan pulled on a black, long-sleeved t-shirt to go with her jeans. Dave was wearing an identical outfit, minus the dirtied Converse Reagan had slipped on her feet. He'd elected for a pair of high top sneakers.

"Weird," Reagan giggled. Of course their closets would be similar, and that did not even include the fact that Reagan had stolen many of his t-shirts over the past several months.

Dave drove them both into Seattle, claiming that Reagan had done enough driving within the last twenty-four hours. The whole time, he kept the radio turned up loudly and drummed his hands on the steering wheel, occasionally glancing Reagan's way. She couldn't hide her laughter at his funny facial expressions and the way he mimicked the voices belting out each song. As they navigated through the mist of rain clouding the air, Reagan felt distinctly at peace.

The act of registering for their license to be married did little to disrupt that peace, but it did make her slightly nervous as she handed over her I.D. to the clerk and watched Dave do the same. It didn't seem real that she'd be someone's wife in a matter of god-only-knew how long. The only thing keeping her anxiety at bay was that it was Dave whom she intended to marry. Undeniably, their pairing was the most right thing in her life. Even though marriage was scary, any marriage involving Dave was an entirely different concept to her.

When they finished the brief process, Dave was practically skipping with delight out of the county court. He wrapped Reagan's hand tightly in his own and she smiled at him, admiring his cheerful disposition.

"Guess what comes next," he grinned.

"What?"

"Calling my mother and sister."

"That won't be too hard, right?"

Reagan sincerely hoped that Dave's answer would be no. She deeply valued the opinions of Ginny and Lisa after having gotten to know them both so well. If either of them disapproved of what was happening between her and Dave, it would have definitely put a damper on their good news.

"Not at all," Dave assured. "We'll do it later, once we get home. They're gonna' freak out."

Better be a good kind of freaking out, Reagan thought grimly to herself as she and Dave strolled down the sidewalk, still connected by their clasped hands.

They remained in the city for a few passing hours, waiting until the rainy mist transformed into a steady drizzle that forced them to take cover in Dave's car. On the way back to the apartment, Reagan bounced her legs nervously up and down in her seat. Soon enough, they'd be on the phone with Dave's mom, telling her that she was soon going to be a grandmother.

"Hey," Dave said gently, placing his hand on Reagan's jostling knee. "Don't worry. It's going to be fine."

Reagan managed somewhat of a smile, but still walked at a stiff gait as she followed Dave up the stairs and into their apartment. Their joint to-do list was only growing longer and longer and the tricky factor of time did not help anything. She was reminded for the umpteenth time that in only a few days, Dave would be leaving. If enjoying their remaining time together meant phoning his family with the most shocking news possible, she supposed that could accept that.

She sat on the couch as Dave dialed the wall phone, peeling off her jacket and laying it down beside her. Dave smiled awkwardly as he lifted the phone to his ear, waiting as it rang. Even from across the room, Reagan could hear each trill of the ringer as if it were deafening.

"Hey Mom," Dave said happily. Reagan folded her arms across her chest worriedly.

"It hasn't been days," Dave contested. "I called you on Thursday." He paused and then laughed. "Sure, sure, whatever you say."

Reagan gnawed her lower lip, wishing she could hear Ginny's side of the conversation. Was she in a good mood? A good enough mood that she'd be able to bear the brunt of the news that her only son was going to be a dad and a groom all in one?

"Reagan's good," Dave said. At the mention of her name, Reagan sat up ram-rod straight. She looked restlessly into Dave's eyes, though he flickered his gaze away.

"Yeah, I'll tell her you said hello. She's right here." There was a moment of silence as Dave registered Ginny's response. "No, she's not over for the night. Actually, uh . . . well, she moved in yesterday. She left her parents' house to come live with me."

Reagan muted the groan in the back of her throat and flopped back down against the couch cushions. She didn't exactly know what was so bad about Dave's admittance of their living situation, but just about anything in that moment was bound to set her on edge.

"We have some news, Mom," Dave explained. He reached behind his tresses of hair to massage his neck. Finally, he looked as nervous as Reagan felt. "That's why I called."

There was another pause. Reagan mouthed for Dave to take notice of her, waving her hands so that she could offer her input, but Dave looked anywhere except towards the couch. He leaned into the wall, nodding slowly as if confirming something to himself.

"I asked Reagan to marry me," he announced. Immediately, Reagan clenched her jaw together and plugged her ears. She had never feared anyone in her whole life, yet there she was, frightened of little Virginia Grohl's reaction to the news of earning herself a daughter-in-law. Once upon a time, Reagan had gotten off on rebelling against the status quo, but god only forbid that her fiancee's mother disapprove of the timing of their engagement.

"Yes," Dave laughed heartily. "Of course she said yes. And I know, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Yes, we'll mail a photo of the ring. But there's something else, too."

At this point in their conversation, Reagan stood to her feet and slowly approached Dave. She raised her thumb to her teeth and nibbled at what was left of her nail, feeling that at any moment her heart would give out from sheer stress. As she shuffled nearer to him, Dave encouragingly took her hand.

"Reagan's pregnant, Mom," he said. His voice was earnest and loving, holding no trace of tension. "She found out a few days ago. We're going to have a baby."

Reagan closed her eyes. She could hear Ginny's voice through the phone's speaker, muffled by Dave's ear. Dave listened keenly before lowering the phone and offering it out towards Reagan.

"She wants to talk to you," he explained. Reagan widened her eyes and held her hands up in protest.

"No!" she hissed, whipping her head back and forth. Shit, shit, shit, she internally chanted. Her fear had come to life. Their plan was crashing and burning, nosediving straight into the ground.

"Yes!" Dave hissed back, shoving the phone into Reagan's hand. "Just talk to her! She's not mad."

Reagan exhaled, feeling her shoulders rise and fall heavily. She shot Dave a glare before shakily raising the phone to her ear, half-prepared to be met with the cold sound of Ginny's scolding voice. She had never heard it before and she didn't want to know what it would be like. For all she knew, the image Ginny had once held of her was now tarnished.

"Hello?" she asked in a nervous rasp, clearing her throat with embarrassment.

"Oh, Reagan!" Ginny gushed enthusiastically. "A baby! I can't believe it!"

Reagan laughed tentatively, her relief coming in abrupt waves. She nearly cursed herself as she felt a hint of warm blush bloom across her face.

"Yes. A baby," she confirmed. "I'm sorry we didn't call sooner. It's been a lot to take in . . ."

"Sweetheart, don't apologize. I completely understand. But oh my goodness, a baby! "

Dave was smirking as he listened closely to Reagan and Ginny's exchange. He loved Reagan dearly, but beneath those layers of adoration was a hidden competitive streak. He couldn't help but to be prideful that he'd proven her worries wrong and shown that his mother would be over the moon in response to their child. He'd known it all along without a doubt.

"It's still early on," Reagan revealed. Intuitively, she touched her hand to her abdomen. "I only just found out."

She and Ginny continued their discussion on her pregnancy, Ginny eagerly offering advice to her and expressing her excitement to be a grandmother. Reagan found it odd that Ginny showed not even a hint of concern towards her and Dave's awful timing, but she allowed the thought to pass. It was too much of a relief to hear that someone, someone important to them both, was on their side.

Ginny admitted her regret that she was too far across the country to truly partake in the changes happening within their lives; when Reagan mentioned that she and Dave planned to marry sooner rather than later, she could hear the disappointment in Ginny's voice. She quickly followed up with a promise that they would make it up to her.

It was an overall successful phone call and once it was over, Reagan could physically feel a weight lifted from her shoulders. When Dave repeated the whole pattern over by calling Lisa, she felt less afraid and more confident that the act of telling Dave's sister their news would be simple. Sure enough, she was right. The scream of exuberance that Lisa let out through the other end of the telephone nearly ruptured Reagan's ear drum.

To reward Reagan for being such a good sport, Dave ordered Chinese takeout for dinner that night. It arrived as Reagan was wrapping up her phone call with Lisa, promising repeatedly that she and Dave would fly to Virginia soon to celebrate, insisting that they would "re-do" their wedding if they had to in order to appease her. As Reagan clicked the telephone back into its cradle, she sighed calmly.

"Holy shit," she exclaimed, lumbering over to the couch and sitting down in a heap. "I'm starting to feel grateful that my family didn't respond as well as yours did. I don't know if I could handle that amount of enthusiasm."

"What, you're not enthusiastic?" Dave asked. He slid Reagan's box of food her way and turned on the television.

"I am. But I'm not used to having this many people at once being happy for me," Reagan said. "If you haven't figured it out by now, I typically stay out of the spotlight. It's weird to be in it now."

"I get that. I kind of expected it, though. I know how my mom and sister are."

"They took it really well," Reagan noted as she pried her takeout box open. "Abnormally well, actually. I didn't expect that."

"Don't tell Lisa I said this, but I'm kind of the golden child," Dave said with a smug smile. "I can do just about anything and my mom practically keels over with satisfaction. I'm surprised she didn't throw me a party when I learned how to tie my shoes."

"Makes sense," Reagan agreed. "I could see how much she loves you when we visited. And I guess Lisa's reaction was to be expected. I can tell she's ready to be an aunt."

"I heard you talking to my mom about all that you've got to do for the baby," Dave said, sifting through his food.

"Yeah, I've got to see a doctor soon," she said. "And I should probably start changing my eating habits." To accentuate her goal, she set her box of lo mein noodles down.

"What else?" Dave asked, poking his chopsticks in his own box and retrieving a piece of orange chicken.

"Er, well we're going to need baby things. Like a crib and diapers."

"So soon?" Dave said with surprise. "You're not even that far along. When's your due date, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. That's why I need to see a doctor. And maybe we don't need a crib and stuff now, but we should start planning at least. We've got to get things in order." Reagan began to think about the vast change that was looming over their lives, fearing that they were potentially underestimating the huge responsibility laid out before them.

"How do you know about all this stuff?" Dave marveled. He sounded much younger than he actually was as he spoke. "Like, about babies and pregnancy and whatnot?"

"Well Dave, I thought the crib thing was obvious — did you honestly expect the baby to sleep on the floor?" she joked. Dave rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean."

"I've got three younger siblings, remember? It still feels like my mom was pregnant with the twins just yesterday." Again, Reagan was hit with remorse as she thought about her brothers and sisters. Just the thought of RaeLynn and Kody caused a sudden constriction around her heart. Quickly, she found a new talking point to focus on. "I think we should just be prepared. Overly prepared, even."

"You're right," Dave agreed. "I don't want to go into it without a single idea as to what we're doing."

It seemed ridiculous that either of them would actually be without a clue on how to raise a baby, but it wasn't exactly unrealistic. They were both twenty-two years old with no real jobs. Dave played in Nirvana, but that didn't do anything to diminish Reagan's point — his "job" was the reason he was leaving her for five months. They would merely have to adjust.

Reagan thought about all of this as she got ready for bed with Dave later on, dressing in one of his shirts and brushing her teeth. The day had seemingly flown by faster than she was comfortable with. If she could have played God, she would have given them all the time in the world to appreciate each other's company before they were separated. But even then, she didn't think she'd be able to let him go. No matter how independent she was, she still had no idea what it would be like to be hugely pregnant without Dave there to comfort her.

As she climbed into bed and magnetized herself instantly into Dave's side, he kissed her forehead and put both arms around her. She closed her eyes, savoring the way she melded into him.

"I love you Reagan," he told her, turning off the lights.

She held him tighter in the dark as if he were about to vanish into thin air. For all she knew, it could happen. She didn't know what to expect anymore.

"I love you too, Dave."