PART 1 - Trust
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"You're moving out?" Miley fretted, standing in Stacy's bedroom.
"My parents think it's a good idea." Stacy replied, transferring clothes from her closet to the bed where an open suitcase lay open. "I agree with them."
"But you can't just move out." Miley complained. "This is our place!"
"It's your apartment, Miley. Your dad pays the rent after all." Stacy folded some jeans, trying to keep busy. She didn't want to move out, but didn't want to appear upset in front of Miley either; if that happened, they would just end up on the bed in tears together. "Look honey, I'm going to have lots of doctor's appointments, a special diet, I won't be able to drink, and in about six months I'll be waddling around like a penguin. I need the support of my parents if I'm going to make this pregnancy work."
Miley let out a defeated breath. "You're right." she lamented.
"It's not like we won't be best friends anymore." Stacy added. "And my parent's place is barely twenty minutes away."
"I know." Miley whined, sitting on the edge of Stacy's bed. "But I've grown used to you being here. Let's face it Stace, you've always been the level-head of this outfit. I freak out about every little thing and you bring me back to Earth."
Stacy smiled at that. "You're just going to have to learn to get along without me."
"So how'd your parents take it when you told them?" Miley asked, changing the subject.
"Oh my god, they totally freaked." Stacy said, cleaning out a dresser drawer. "My mom looked ready to kill me and my dad looked ready to kill Brian. But we all had a long talk and they started coming to grips with the reality of it."
"Brian was there when you told them?" Miley asked, incredulous.
"Yeah." Stacy smiled. "He was so sweet. He insisted on being there."
"He's in love with you, you know." Miley said, reaching to help. She began folding some of Stacy's shirts on the bed.
"Yeah." Stacy agreed, knowingly. "I think he's going to make a really great father. I still don't know if it will work between he and I, but maybe."
Miley giggled suddenly at her own thoughts.
"What?" Stacy prodded.
"Just think, if someone had told us a year and a half ago that I'd be engaged to Charlie and you'd be pregnant with Brian's baby..."
Stacy laughed. "Oh I know, right? They were such geeks."
"They still are." Miley said dryly. "They're over at Charlie's right now, working on that comic book of theirs."
Stacy shook her head fondly. "Some things never change, I guess."
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"Dude, Captain Darkness can't wear a hat!" Brian exclaimed. "He'd look like a total dork punching out Major Asskicker with a damned hat on his head."
"He's a pulp hero." Charlie explained, sitting at his bedroom desk. "Like those heroes from the '30s. Everyone wore a hat back then; I think there was a law."
"You've lost it dude." Brian noted, sitting on Charlie's bed and sketching on a drawing board in his lap.
"Just try drawing him with a black fedora." Charlie urged. "Like something Indiana Jones would wear. It'll look cool with his black mask and cloak."
Brian scowled, but began scribbling with his pencil.
Charlie turned back to his computer and started typing, plotting the first issue of he and Brian's comic. "So how are things going with Stacy?"
"Good actually, though I'm pretty sure her parents want to have me assassinated."
Charlie laughed. "Famous people are assassinated. Your death would only be a murder."
"Whatever." Brian said, concentrating on what he was drawing. "My point is they were pretty pissed when Stacy and I told them about her being pregnant. But Stacy's been cool; she's really let me in."
"That's awesome. Have you told your parents yet?"
"No, but... holy shit."
Charlie looked over his shoulder towards the bed.
"You were right dude." Brian sounded surprised. "He looks totally cool with a fedora. Kind of like The Spirit."
Charlie grinned. "I told you."
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"I think that's all the small stuff." Stacy looked around her room, standing amidst a stack of boxes. "My dad will come tomorrow with his truck and get the big stuff."
"I'm going to miss you." Miley pouted.
"Oh honey, I'm going to miss you too." Stacy moved to hug Miley. "But we'll still see each other all the time."
"I know." Miley squeezed her best friend, eyes welling up.
"C'mon, enough with the depressing stuff." Stacy wiped a tear off her cheek. Moving out was hard enough and she didn't need a tear-fest to make even more difficult. "How has it been going with you and Charlie? Any trouble in paradise?"
"Charlie and I are great. We had a minor hiccup when his mom found out about our engagement, but once she got over the initial shock I think she's been more excited about it than me."
Stacy walked out of her bedroom, Miley in tow, and plopped down on their living room couch. "What about Charlie's dad?"
"He was fine with it." Miley sat as well, reaching for the TV remote. "Olivia was the critical sell; Charlie's dad just kind of goes with her flow."
"Like father like son." Stacy chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Miley flicked on the TV, turning the volume down. She didn't really care what was on.