NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 Kate and Brad hit the sheets Friday on "As the World Turns," but for very different reasons - she wants a baby; he's in love with her.

"She wants to try it the oldfashioned way," says Austin Peck, who plays Brad. "First, she wanted to do it artificially. He had to go to the hospital by himself and go in a room. He couldn't do it. He told them, 'Sorry!' and was disappointed in himself. Then Katie called. She's changed her mind."

Katie and Brad start to get busy when there's a knock on the door. It's Carly!

"Carly comes to tell her what a huge mistake it would be and tries to break it up," says Peck.

Brad pulls Carly aside and lets her have it, because getting Katie alone was supposed to be his reward for keeping Carly's secret. (Carly's lie, that she was dying, broke up Katie's marriage to Brad's brother, Jack.)

"Carly has the opposite effect on Katie," says Peck with a laugh. "It fuels Katie's fire even more, and they get down to business."

Yup - Katie and Brad finally make love.

"The aftermath tells the story far greater than whatever you see," says Peck of the sex scenes. "It rocks both of their worlds. The first words out of Brad's mouth are, 'That was awesome!' He doesn't pull any punches about how he feels about it. It's a new experience for him, because he's been chasing Katie for so long. All those months of pent-up sexual tension come out. And they find out physically that they're pretty much on the same page."

While Brad is all moony-eyed over finally sleeping with Katie, she is focused on whether the encounter left her with child.

"She's not pregnant," says Peck. "So far, they haven't alluded to the fact that he might be shooting blanks. What happens is after the fact. The relationship between Brad and Katie becomes more complicated."

Because he cares for her.

"You have Katie, who still has feelings for Jack, and you have Brad's deepening feelings for Katie. And all this stuff that happens when two people are sleeping together casually who don't have a commitment together."

And if Katie does get pregnant?

"Brad does want to have the kid, but I don't think he has any idea what that means," says Peck. "He's oblivious. Brad does things a-backward. When it comes to relationships with the opposite sex, he's using his left hand when he's right-handed. He's been doing it the wrong way for the longest time."

In the weeks to come, Brad will have to pretend he doesn't care about Katie to keep sleeping with her to make a baby.

"He's got a lot to learn," says Peck. "That's what is so fun about playing him. He's sincere. Even when he's a jerk, he's sincere about being a jerk."