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Title: Complications

Author: Chinkyeyes45

Couple: M&M, K&T, some M&L and A/I relationships

Rating: Adult, AU

Disclaimer: The words are mine and I'll fight ya for em. Oh you mean the characters, nope, borrowed those.

Summary: What happens when what you planned for, isn't what you get?

A/N: I'd like to blame my recent inspiration on April, and the fact that I finished most of my wedding stuff.

Chapter One:

She couldn't believe that she was really doing this. Relationships were supposed to be based on trust. Right? That's what all those books and television therapists said. Relationships are built on trust and sustained through good communication. So what the hell was she doing here? She was not a stalker. She wasn't even given to insecurities where her relationship was concerned. Well, not anymore. She had been in the very beginning. After all, she had been a twenty year old waitress slash college student, and he was a thirty eight year old millionaire and businessman. Granted, he was a little odd, but still out of her league. So what was she, Maria Deluca, doing dressed like a ninja and hiding in the bushes of a yard?

It had all started about two months ago. He had started acting odd. Odder than normal anyway. He was canceling dates with her, and leaving the room to take phone calls. She had tried to talk to him about the two of them living together and he had become a totally different person. He started going on about how enough was never enough with her. He had actually called her selfish and self centered. After a screaming match that ended with her slapping him and throwing him out of her apartment, she curled up with Ben, Jerry, and her remote control. She told her two best friends about the incident and they had very different reactions.

Tess, who had been her friend since she was in diapers, had been the one that suggested following him. According to her, a drastic change in behavior was indicative of cheating. If that was the case, she felt that it would be best for Maria to find out sooner rather than later. She even offered to go with her. For a woman of only 5'2", Tess could be terrifying. When she began talking about men and infidelity, she got this enraged look on her face, and her angelic features became anything but. Her blue eyes had become so cold that they could have frozen a man on the spot. Tess was currently going through some things with her long time boyfriend. She had caught him cheating on her with his secretary not three months ago. It really didn't help matters any that the cheating slime ball was Maria's older brother, Kyle.

Liz, who had been Maria's friend since high school, had had an entirely different take on the situation. She kept stressing the necessary trust aspect of the relationship. Liz had also never been in a significant relationship. She felt that men would distract her from her studies. It felt weird taking relationship advice from a girl whose longest relationship had been in the ninth grade. Not that guys weren't interested in her. Hell, max Evans, who was total eye candy, had been trying to get Liz's attention with longing looks and sweet gestures since she had started college at Michigan State. Liz felt that whatever was going on between Maria and her boyfriend could be resolved with a calm and well meant conversation.

Leaning on the side of sensibility, Maria had taken Liz's advice, much to Tess's displeasure. For two months she had attempted to have a calm and rational discussion with her boyfriend about their relationship. In six weeks, Maria would be graduating from college and beginning a job with a successful advertising firm. If they were over, she wanted to know that before she began her new life. He had been less than forthcoming with his intentions toward her, and so, after intense badgering from the other blonde, she had taken Tess's advice, and pretended to be a member of a special ops team. God she was so pathetic.

Maria forced herself to move forward toward the first story window of the expansive home in front of her. Taking deep breaths to steady herself, she peered over the edge of the window into the dimly lit room. What she saw was her boyfriend, kissing a woman that looked to be in her thirties. The woman was tall, with light brown shoulder length hair. The couch that they were groping each other on was sickeningly close to the window. Close enough for Maria to see the ring with a diamond the size of Texas on the other woman's left ring finger. What the fuck?! Before she could stop herself, she felt her palm slam against the glass. There goes her career as a government spy. At the noise from the window, the two lovers broke apart. The woman looked frightened. The cheating bastard that she was with looked annoyed, until he saw her face. Maria had stood up, oblivious to how ridiculous she looked dressed in all black with a black beanie covering her hair. She was so hurt and angry that she didn't know whether to vomit in the bushed or throw a rock though the window. Before she could decide on a course of action, a little girl, around eight years old, walked sleepily into the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. He broke eye contact with Maria long enough to pick the girl up, and when he looked back to the window, she was gone.

He was married? He was married! He was married and had a kid?! That son of a bitch! Brody Davis, her boyfriend of nearly two years, was the lowest form of life on the planet. Maria couldn't remember getting to her car. She couldn't think about anything other than the sight of the man that she had been with for so long with a woman and child that she hadn't known about. He always seemed so unassuming and kind. He was the epitome of a nice guy. They went out all the time. He had taken her to Greece last year. She had met his friends and associates. Oh my God! Did they think that she knew? Did they think that she had knowingly become some man's mistress? And where the hell had this woman been for two years? Hundreds of questions swirled through her mind as she made the drive back to Lansing. A drive that she barely remembered making the next day.

Chapter Two

"When you say, a family, do you mean like…a family?" Liz was not helping. Maria had called her over to the apartment that she shared with Tess after she had gotten back. Tess was beyond pissed. She was pacing around the room furiously, occasionally mumbling a nice expletive.

"Yes, Liz. Wife, kid, house in the suburbs…you know the whole cream cheese cut out." Liz flinched at Maria's tone, and she immediately felt sorry. She shouldn't be taking her anger out on her friends. Liz wasn't trying to be annoying or anything, but she really needed to yell at someone.

"I'm sorry, Liz. It's not your fault. I'm the idiot that was screwing an apparently married man for the past two years." How could she have been so stupid? Shouldn't there have been signs or something?

"Men are scum!" Tess was livid. First Kyle and now this? She really thought that Brody wasn't doing anything wrong. When she had suggested the spying thing she had no idea that it would turn out like this. She had honestly just been pissed at Kyle, and venting her frustrations onto Maria's relationship. She had known Kyle her entire life. She had known that he wasn't exactly the most faithful guy on the planet when they had started dating her senior year of high school. The fact that he was three years older than her, and already in college when their relationship began had given her pause, but she had been in love with him since she was eleven years old. She was a goner. She had really thought that he'd changed in the past few years; obviously he had just become more careful.

"Not all men. There are still some good guys out there." Liz refused to believe that there weren't any guys worth dating and marrying. Sure she was focused on her career, but she did want to be a wife and mother some day. Not any time soon, maybe in eight years or so, but still.

"Open your eyes Liz! They're all after one thing and one thing only." Tess's voice was cold. She was so tired of guys and their bullshit. She had watched her dad step out on her mom through their entire marriage. Another reason that she was such an idiot to get involved with Kyle.

"God, I can't believe this. What am I gonna do?" Maria looked helpless at her friends. She was so pissed, and hurt, but she loved him. It was completely stupid, and she knew that she shouldn't but she did.

"You're not thinking of staying with him are you?" Tess was incredulous. Maria was a smart girl. She couldn't be thinking of forgiving that worm.

"Tess, this is Maria's decision. We should just try to be supportive." Liz looked away when Tess shot her a glare that could have frozen a volcano.

"If Maria is deciding to become a doormat, then I think she should reconsider her decision."

"And I think that you should stop confusing Maria with yourself." Whoa, Liz had definitely hit below the belt with that one.

"Excuse me?" Tess looked at Liz with narrowed eyes and was seriously considering slapping her.

"Guys! Let's all just calm down. Tess, I'm sure that Liz didn't mean that the way it sounded. And, I'm not thinking of continuing my relationship with Brody. Well, not anymore. It just hurts. I love him. A part of me is still very much in love with him, and another part of me is wondering if I ever even knew him. How did you stop loving Kyle?" Maria couldn't understand how emotions could just be shut off, but if Tess knew how to do it, then she was all ears.

"Who says that I stopped loving him? I'll probably love him for the rest of my life. But, I deserve someone that loves me back." It had taken Tess a long time to realize that, but once she did, she walked away from him.

"Kyle loves you, Tess." Maria didn't want to play devil's advocate, but she knew her brother. She knew that he'd done nothing but work and drink since Tess had broken up with him. It was that thing about never missing your water until your well ran dry.

"Would you appreciate it if I was defending Brody?" Tess waited for a response from Maria before continuing. "I didn't think so."

"Tess, I'm not defending him. I know it sounds like I am, but I'm not. He was a total dick to you during your entire relationship. He took you for granted, and didn't treat you the way you deserved to be treated. But, he misses you. A lot. I'm not saying that you should definitely take him back, I just think that you shouldn't completely close that door." Maria loved Tess like a sister. As much of a fuck up as Kyle was, she knew that Tess still wanted to be with him. They'd been broken up for three months and she still heard Tess crying some nights.

"Don't be a hypocrite. It's not a good look for you." Ouch. Maria decided to back off on the whole Tess and Kyle relationship for now. It was just a whole lot easier to focus on someone else's problems right now.

"Fine. I'm sorry. I'll back off." Tess gave her a curt nod before sitting down. Before she could apologize for being a little too bitchy, Liz reminded them of her presence.

"So, Maria, what are you gonna do now?"

"She's gonna graduate in six weeks, move to San Francisco, and start a new job." It seemed that Tess had her life all planned out for her.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm gonna do." It didn't hurt that Tess would be attending school at Berkeley, less than an hour away from where Maria would be living. She had hoped that she and Brody would be moving together. He'd been so happy for her when she'd gotten the job offer. He kept saying that they'd find a place together because he could always work from anywhere. Then everything had started to change. They had spent her spring break looking at apartments for her in San Francisco, because suddenly him living with her wasn't feasible. He kept trying to reassure her with talks about how he would visit every week.

"God, I wish I was going with you guys." Maria appreciated Liz's attempts at trying to change the subject, so she played along.

"Yeah, well, you just had to apply to grad schools on the other side of the country." She pushed Liz's arm in teasing.

"Yeah, Parker. For a smart chick, that was a really dumb decision." Liz stuck her tongue out at Tess in response. She'd been dreaming about Yale since she could say the word college. No way was she not gonna go. She could just imagine the amount of success she would have as the head of molecular biology of that university some day.

Maria almost tripped on her way to the door. Someone was pounding on it as if they were trying to break it down. They had stayed up until three in the morning. After Liz had left, and Tess went to bed, she found herself sitting up in bed for hours crying. She finally fell asleep when the sun came up. She should have been in classes today. There were reviews that she really shouldn't be missing, but she just couldn't make herself get up. Looking at the clock on the living room wall, she saw that it was two in the afternoon. Maria opened the door without looking at the peephole. She should have guessed that he would show up. He grabbed the door before she could slam it shut.

"Maria, please! Just let me explain. I just want to talk to you." They were struggling with the door between them. Maria wasn't exactly a big woman, but Brody wasn't really a big guy either. Add to the fact that she was extremely angry, and she probably could have knocked his head off his shoulders. She finally gave up on pushing the door closed when neither of them seemed to be making much headway.

"Fine, talk. Start with the wife and kid." He looked shocked. Was she supposed to be that much of an idiot?

"Shelby and I had been separated for the past three years." He seemed like he was giving a presentation to shareholders.

"Had been?" Maria was speaking through clenched teeth. What was with the past tense?

"Our daughter, Sydney, she's been battling leukemia for the past year. We began seeing more of each other because of her illness, each of us wanting to spend time with her, and it was making her happy to have us a family again. I never meant to hurt you." A year? This had been going on for a year?

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you had a daughter?" He loves this kid so much, but keeps her a secret?

"I didn't think you were ready to be a part of that part of my life." Bullshit!

"So for two years, I was never ready? Exactly how much of a moron do you think I am?"

"I was going to tell you, but then she got sick. She and her mother were living in London until this past august." Un-fucking-believable.

"Do they know about me? Did they know about me before last night?" Maria was trying really hard not to cry.

"Yes. Shelby's known about you since the beginning." How nice for her, Maria thought.

"So exactly what planet do the two of you live on? I mean, isn't it usually the mistress that knows about the wife and not the other way around?" She felt anger creeping back in.

"You weren't my mistress. This past year was unexpected. Maria. I love you, but I have to put my daughter's wants above my own. She's very ill, and right now she wants her parents together." Maria took a deep breath. Looks like she didn't have any decisions to make regarding their train wreck of a relationship.

"Good luck with your daughter and your marriage. Get out of my apartment." She walked over to the door and held it open for him.

"Maria, I was hoping that we could still be friends." He had this pleading look on his face, and it struck her how big his head was in comparison to the rest of his body.

"Friends? Are you completely mental? Leave!" he gave her another look before finally walking out of her apartment. She hoped that she never saw him again.

Chapter three:

Maria was sitting at an Italian restaurant, surrounded by her family, and celebrating her graduation. She was finally feeling better about the way her relationship had ended, and having her parents there expressing how proud they were of her helped to keep her mind on what was important in life. Even with the feelings of comfort that surrounded her, she was feeling uneasy. She had been feeling dizzy for the past few days, and everything that she ate tasted like ashes. She put it down to nerves. She would be leaving in a week for San Francisco, a new job, and a new apartment. Tess had decided to move in with her for the summer. She had an apartment near campus, but it wouldn't be ready until the week before school started, and she didn't want to stay in Michigan alone. Liz was starting an externship in Connecticut in two weeks.

"Maria, I am so proud of you. I wish that you had time to come home before you move." Amy Valenti had been alternating between smiling like a lunatic and crying like a baby all day. Maria watched as her step-father squeezed his wife's hand before turning to her.

"Princess, it's just hard seeing you all grown up." He'd been calling her princess since she was four years old. Jim Valenti had married her mom when she was five. Maria thought that when he looked at her, he still saw her wearing the flower girl dress at their wedding. He was an amazing father, if a little protective. Jim was the sheriff of Roswell,NM, and after hearing from her mother about the ending of her relationship with Brody, he'd had to be physically restrained from paying the man a visit with his service revolver. He had never really approved of her relationship with the older man, but he had kept most of his feelings to himself because Maria had been happy. He couldn't wait for the little pipsqueak to show his face in Roswell again. Brody owned a business there, he'd have to come back sometime.

"I know, but I'm a big girl. You guys did a good job raising me, and I can still call you if I need you right?" she smiled at them both knowing that they'd worry even if she were staying close to them.

"Of course you can, sweetie." She watched as her mother dabbed at her eyes with her napkin.

"Mom, don't cry. Maria will be fine. Tess will be with her, and I'm thinking of taking a job with an office there. No worries." Kyle had been looking for a job in the San Francisco area since he and Tess had broken up. He had to prove himself to her again if she was ever gonna take him back, and he didn't see how he could do that from Michigan. There were a few architectural firms that seemed interested. One was fairly new, but they were offering him the best options.

Before their parents could go on another over protective rant, the waiter appeared with their food. When he placed Maria's shrimp oregenata in front of her, the smell o the garlic in the dish sent her running for the rest room. Maria had barely made it into the stall before vomiting up everything but her shoes. Flushing the toilet, she shakily made her way to the sinks to rinse her mouth. While she was splashing water on her face, her mother entered the room.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" she looked up into her mother's concerned eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I haven't really been feeling well lately. Maybe I'm just anxious about the changes coming up." Reaching for a few towels, she began to pat her face dry. She looked up to meet her mother's eyes in the mirror when she felt the hand on her shoulder.

"Maria, how long have you been feeling this way?" Maria felt nervous under Amy's scrutiny. She was giving her the look that meant she already knew what the problem was.

"Just a few days. I'm fine really." Maria tried to move past her mother, but Amy grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Maria, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to be calm."

"Okay. What do you want to know?" Her nervousness began to increase when her mother looked away from her, before staring straight into her eyes.

"When was the last time you had your period?" Amy was holding on to Maria's arms preventing her from turning away.

"Why would you ask me that?" Maria was trying to pull away when Amy's grip tightened.

"Maria, calm down. Just take a deep breath, that's it. Good. Now, answer the question."

"I can't remember." She was starting to freak out. The universe could not be this cruel.

"Did you have it last month?" Amy was speaking to her in soothing tones and thanking God that they were the only two people in the bathroom. Jim would start to worry if they didn't come out soon.

"I don't….wait…no. I didn't. But, I was under a lot of stress. I had reviews for finals, and Brody had turned out to be a frog in a prince outfit!" She was starting to hyperventilate. There wasn't enough oxygen in the room. She was actually hoping that she would pass out.

"Okay, okay, everything's okay. Just calm down. Relax, deep breaths. Good girl, just take deep breaths. Now, we're gonna go out there, have dinner, and leave. I'm going to drop your father off at the hotel, and then I'll go to a pharmacy for some tests. You will go back to your apartment and wait for me. You will not have a panic attack. You will remind yourself that you are young, intelligent, and capable of handling anything that life throws at you. You have a family that loves you and that will always be here for you. And, you will be starting the career that you've always wanted in a week, no matter what a test says. Got it?" Maria looked at her mother and continued to take deep breaths, nodding her head at the end of Amy's pep talk, she allowed herself to be led back to their table.

She managed to force a smile at her brother and father before taking her seat. She watched as her mother patted Jim's hand on the table and tried to ignore the look that she was receiving from Kyle. The rest of the meal passed in a blur of conversation. She tried to pay attention to what they were all discussing but she couldn't focus. She sat in that chair silently praying that she wasn't pregnant. Maria could not be a mother. She could barely remember to feed herself. She had lost four sets of keys in the past year. Not to mention that the baby's father was a married idiot with a kid that was already sick. Fuck!

Maria stood outside of Brody's office barely controlling the urge to flee. She had found out that she was pregnant the night of her graduation. A trip to the doctor's with her mother showed her to be eight weeks along. She was leaving for San Francisco in two days and this was the last thing that she needed to do before she left. She didn't know if she could stomach seeing him again, but she needed to tell him about the baby. Tess felt that she shouldn't tell him anything, and Liz, ever the voice of reason, felt that he had a right to know. It came down to Maria deciding that she didn't want to deny her child a father. Even one like Brody. Looking back at his secretary one more time, unable to return the smile that the woman sent to her, Maria opened the door and walked into the office.

Brody looked up when the door to his office opened. The sight that met his eyes froze him in place. Maria, she looked amazing. He missed talking to her. He'd had to remind himself several times since their last meeting that they were no longer together. He knew that he was doing what was best for his daughter, but it still hurt to be apart from this woman. He stood when she came closer, but before he could reach her, she placed her hand in front of her, palm up, stopping him.

"Look, I came here because I need to tell you something. I would appreciate it if you would just let me speak, and when I'm done, you can say whatever is on your mind, but only regarding what I have to tell you." She waited for him to nod before continuing.

"I'm pregnant. I don't want anything from you, I just thought that you should know. I'm leaving for San Francisco in two days, I'll call once I get a doctor there and give you any information you'd like to have on the due date and sex of the baby. Once the baby is born, if you'd like, we can set up visitation through the courts." Maria had rehearsed that speech in front of Tess for an hour. She thought that she delivered it well, all things considered. Brody didn't speak for a moment, he looked shocked. And then, he looked elated.

"This is wonderful, are you quite sure?" Maria simply nodded. She hadn't really thought about what would happen after she told him about the baby.

"Don't you understand what this means? This baby could be a bone marrow donor for Sydney. Of course we'd need to have it tested first to be sure that they're a match. This is simply wonderful news!" He didn't see anything wrong with his reaction.

"Are you kidding me?" Brody's smile faltered at the look on Maria's face. "You want me to let you cut open my baby's bone to save a child that I just found out about?"

"Maria, this could save my daughter's life. Don't you get it? If Sydney gets well, then we can be together again." Maria could not believe him.

"Brody, we can never be together again, because I don't even know you. And, I'm sorry that your daughter is sick, but you aren't going to use this baby that way." She was getting angry again. How could she have been with this selfish man for all that time?

"Maria, I know that you're angry with me, but please. Sydney is only a child. Once the baby is born, will you at least agree to have a test done to see if its DNA is a match for Sydney's? Please?" She hated him, but she couldn't honestly say that she wanted anything to happen to his daughter.

"I'll think about it." She turned and left the office before he could say anymore. Maria really didn't want to risk any more conversation.

Chapter Four: Two years later…

Maria was running late. She had been up with Bailey all night. Teething was quite possibly the worst biological function known to man. Her fourteen month old daughter had four teeth coming in at the same time. The thing that baffled Maria was that the teeth never seemed to be causing the little girl any pain until exactly ten p.m. every night. She knew that Kyle was happy to finally be moving in to his own apartment, even if he was only going one floor down. Her brother had become her roommate at the Mountain Shadows apartments when she was in her sixth month of pregnancy. He was finally making progress with Tess after two years of trying to get her back, and they agreed that he needed his own place. Plus, Bailey needed her own room. The small child managed to take up every ounce of space in Maria's bedroom with her crib and toys. Kyle insisted on buying the child a new toy every other week, and Maria worried that she would become a spoiled brat.

After testing had concluded that she was not a compatible donor for Sydney, Brody had pretty much kept his distance. He sent her gifts on Christmas and her birthday, and a check for five thousand dollars every month. Maria used a portion of the money on baby food and diapers, the rest she put into an account for her daughter. She'd give it to Bailey when she turned eighteen. Unless Kyle really did turn her into a brat, in which case, she'd wait until the child graduated college. She made sure to send him up to date photos of Bailey whenever she could. He had called only three times since the test had been taken, after the last call, Maria had considered changing her number.

Maria rushed through the doors of the building and into her office. Her assistant, Leo, a man that was as gay as the day was long, was immediately at her side with a cup of coffee and her itinerary for the day. Taking a deep breath, Maria psyched herself up for another day of beating out the other guy.

Looking down at her phone, Maria swore under her breath at the incoming call. It was Friday. She should have known that her day wasn't as over as she thought it was. She glared at her assistant through the glass wall that separated his desk from her office. Answering the phone, she was informed by her boss that they would be having an impromptu meeting in the fourth floor conference room. They wanted to know what she wanted for dinner. After hanging up the phone, she quickly dialed her brother's number.

"Hello?" Kyle sounded like he was on his way home for the evening. Good.

"Hey, big brother. I need a favor."

"I'm fine, how are you? Manners Maria." This coming from the guy that sat on her couch in his underwear on Sunday mornings.

"Whatever. Look, I need you to pick Bailey up for me. I'm working late tonight, meeting. Make sure that you give her half a dropper of infant's Motrin when you get her home. It helps with the pain from the teething, and there's some baby oragel in the medicine cabinet. And when you feed her, remember that she doesn't like the vegetable stew." Kyle rolled his eyes at his sister's directions. He already knew all of this. He carried an extra car seat in the trunk of his car for Christ's sake.

"No problem. I'll see you at home." He heard her hang up without saying goodbye. "Typical." Maria was a great mom, but she sometimes forgot to relax. Everything she did was either for work or for Bailey. She needed to get out more. Maybe start to date again.

"Hey Valenti, wife call?" Kyle looked up to see his co-worker Michael Guerin heading his way. He had started working at the firm with Kyle nearly two months ago, and the guy was making a name for himself quickly. Granted, he'd been an architect longer than Kyle had, but only by a year. The guy was okay. A little serious, but he seemed like a good guy.

"No, worse. That was my sister. She was asking me to pick up my niece from daycare for her. She's gotta work late." He watched Michael nod his head at the information.

"Why doesn't she just get her husband to do it?" Michael didn't get it, who called their brother to get their kid?

"She's not married. I live with her over at the Mountain Shadows apartments." They continued to talk as they walked out together.

"Dude, seriously? I just moved over there. What apartment are you guys in?"

"317. I'm movin out tomorrow though. I'm only going down one floor, but I'm trying to convince my girlfriend to move in with me, and I figured that I'd have a better shot at it if I actually had my own place."

"Yeah, you probably would. Do you need any help movin your stuff? I'm not doin anything tomorrow." Kyle looked at the other man as they made their way through the parking garage.

"Is this a free offer? You're not, like, tryin to hit on me or anything are you?" Michael tripped over his feet at Kyle's question.

"I realize that this is San Francisco, but I don't swing that way. But no, this isn't a free offer." At Kyle's widened eyes Michael rushed to elaborate. "Listen, my sister's getting married, and I have to go to a bachelor party for her computer geek fiancé, where I will be surrounded by other computer geeks. I just need someone there that will drink beer and talk about hockey with me." Michael watched the man visibly relax.

"Are you asking me on a man date?" Kyle just wanted some clarification.

"I'm asking you if in exchange for helping you lug your crap into your new apartment, you will attend a bachelor party where I'm sure there will be female strippers."

"Oh, well then in that case, change the hockey to football and I'm there."

"Righteous. See you tomorrow." Michael turned to head toward his own car when Kyle called his name.

"Be at my sister's apartment at twelve to help me move. 317." Michael just waved in response and continued on his way. He tried to picture in his mind what Kyle's sister would look like, and the image of Kyle wearing a long black wig and a halter top made him recoil. He had to physically shake his head to dislodge the disturbing image from his mind.