SPOILER ALERT: To those who have not yet finished Season 5, read at your own risk.

Thank you to Sairs J for the awesome beta work and for your encouragement.

For everyone reading, thanks for taking the time to take a look at this new story. It was something I wanted to explore since watching the episode. I apologize for not updating the other stories as often as you (and I) would probably like. Please let me know what you think and if you are interested in reading more.

Nobody's nerfect… Dov contemplated the idea for a moment before his eyes became glued to the image in front of him. A sonogram.

His mind started to wander, trying to figure out who's baby it was. Was it Marlo's? It has to be her's, right? It was in her datebook on the desk she'd been using for the past few days, after all. Who could the father be? Oh man, if she's pregnant with Sam's baby, Andy's going to be devastated. Andy… Can't she ever get a break?

"Marlo?" he nearly squeaked out, wondering what possible explanation there could be as to why she had the image on the desk in plain sight, hoping that it was all some sort of misunderstanding. He didn't even want to imagine the heartache Andy would feel if the man she loved was having a child with someone else. The Universe couldn't be that cruel to allow that to happen after all they'd already been through.

When Marlo turned around at hearing Dov's nervous cry, her jaw dropped at what she found in his hands as she felt the wind get knocked right out of her.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to come out…

She had no clue how to explain something she never intended to reveal in the first place. This information would be life changing, and now the cat was out of the bag.

Flashback

It had been a long night. Granted, she had been used to working odd hours lately, her new position often requiring it, but cutting out the caffeine wasn't making it any easier. Marlo hadn't thought she'd have to see them again, especially when they were obviously together, but it was her duty to go where she was told. Sam had moved on, he and Andy having worked things out, but it wasn't something to be too surprised about. Deep down, she always knew that she would only be a placeholder until Fifteen's golden couple finally worked out their issues. It still hurt though… more than she wanted to admit.

Leaving the scene, Marlo made her way to the station, and headed for the locker rooms. Thankful that she brought her essentials with her, she walked to the back sinks to freshen up. Even though she didn't sleep a wink the night before, she wasn't going to walk around the station with stale breath.

After applying the last coat of mascara, she tried to smooth out the clothes she had worn for far too many hours. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to look good. She wanted Sam to realize what he had lost, but there was no mistaking the truth. Sam was obviously much better off being with Andy for various reasons. It wasn't that she was insecure in how she looked, per se, but comparing their physical attributes, Andy was thinner, glowing, and youthful, where as she felt broader, frumpy, and aged.

A muffled sob brought her out of her inner self-loathing monologue. Although it wasn't great that someone else was obviously upset, she was glad for the distraction. Ever since everything blew up in her face, she had decided to make a change, and all the negativity she had been dwelling on wasn't good for anyone's sake.

Marlo knew she hadn't been "popular" at the station before the Ford case, as Andy was everyone's favorite, and she also knew she couldn't even begin to compete with her. After the mess, with Sam being shot, her subsequent suspension, she was sure that the so-called "popularity" was in the negative at the moment. Not wanting to invade the personal space that was obviously needed, Marlo sunk back against the lockers nearest her, sharing the other side of the row of metal with her unknown crying comrade, and looked over the case notes on her phone. She'd wait out whoever was there, making sure to avoid awkward moments that would likely arise if her presence was made known.

Her plan was working just fine until she heard the voice muttering to herself.

"I know I'm not supposed to cry, but according to who?" the question spit out rhetorically. "Our bodies are meant to heal. If we get a cut, our blood knows to clot so we don't bleed to death," the voice said, as if trying to convince herself of what she was speaking aloud. "And if our feelings get hurt, our body cries, so we don't feel to death. So, I'm healing," determination growing in her voice, as she sniffled back the remaining tears.

Focusing on the case notes wasn't as easy as Marlo expected or hoped, especially when she couldn't help but hear what was going on only a few feet away from her. She recognized the voice, and sympathized with her. The rumor mill at the station was always buzzing, and it was common knowledge that Dov had ended things with the redhead, a decision that was obviously far from mutual.

The crackling of the officer's radio brought both women out of their thoughts. Chloe's footsteps could be heard shuffling toward the exit, and slowly, Marlo grabbed her belonging to follow behind her. As she walked around the metal lockers, she couldn't help but notice something that hadn't been there when she first entered the locker room.

End Flashback

"Uh, yeah Epstein?" Marlo replied cautiously.

"Is… is this a sonogram? I mean, is this your sonogram? Not to barge into your personal business, well, I kind of am, but is this Sam's?" Dov asked, hoping not to sound like a total nosy jerk, but at the same time, feeling a deep sense of loyalty toward Andy, wishing that things could work out for her for once in her life.

"Dov, just forget it, okay? You never saw this. Got it?" she all but pleaded, while at the same time, beating herself up for being so careless.

He was pissed that she would choose to just brush it aside. It was obviously her kid, and if she wasn't about to tell him the truth willingly, he'd have to pry it out of her.

"It's too late, Marlo. I saw it. I hate to be the jerk here, but I've seen it, and the damage has already been done. Do you know what Andy had to go through after Sam was shot? She was there every single day at the hospital. He wasn't even really aware of her presence half the time because he was in a medically induced coma while his body was trying to recover from the bullet wound in his abdomen. He died in the ambulance, you know. His heart stopped, and he wasn't breathing, but obviously they got him back," he ranted, then paused to take a breath, trying to reign in his anger and resentment at what his friend had to endure.

"After all of that, they still managed to find their way back together, to where they belong. I'm pretty sure you haven't been in contact with Sam, since I know he wouldn't keep that from Andy, and Andy would've vented to us about it, but this is a pretty big secret to keep, even for you," he spat out venomously.

Tears welled up in her eyes. It was one thing to have the inner self-loathing to deal with, but to hear how badly she was looked down upon by her fellow officers, it cut her deeply. She never intended things to turn out this way, but knew it was her own fault. Self-adjusting her medication had led to a huge mountain of mistakes that nearly cost a man his life, a man she had loved, and still continued to love. It nearly killed her to see him bleeding on the precinct floor, and she knew the moment Andy rushed to his side that it was so over between them. It hadn't even begun, not really anyway. She wasn't Andy, and never would be.

Trying to muster all the strength she could, she pushed forward, trying to convince him of the truth, as much as she was willing to reveal.

"I know I messed up. It's much worse than messing up. I get it. I know that it was because of my actions that sent Ford on the shooting spree, and I heard that Sam almost didn't make it. It kills me to know that it was all because of me. I have spent every single day since then trying to do what I had to so I could move on. I cut ties with Sam because I knew it was over. I knew he'd be okay with McNally."

Fighting back the tears yet again, she continued. "And as for the sonogram, it isn't mine. As heartless as you think I am, I would have told Sam the truth if it had been. It definitely would've made things a whole lot messier, but well, there's no need to worry about that now. I found it in the locker room earlier. Someone dropped it, and I didn't want to announce to the entire station that someone's got a bun in the oven, so I was trying to find the person who I thought it belonged to and give it to her before the rumor mill went crazy."

She let out a sigh, grateful that her explanation was over. She said her peace, and that was it. Whatever he wanted to do with that information was up to him.

"Oh… Uh, I'm sorry about the whole accusing you and being so harsh about it all. I'm protective of Andy. She's been through a lot, but I know you have too. It's not all your fault, you know… Well, now that I've totally chewed you out and in the process became the world's biggest ass, I'm just gonna go…" he said as he hitched his thumb behind him and he walked backwards toward the door.

"Yeah… I'm sorry too. Uh, you take care of yourself. I'll be out of here before you know it, and if you're lucky, I won't be back at Fifteen again. I'll be outta your hair, hopefully for good this time."

"Take care…"

A/N: Hope you liked it. Should I continue?