I'm trying not to hit the writer's block wall with this story.

It's hard. I have so many ideas, but I don't want to rush anything.

And hey, you should follow me on tumblr. My name is vanilllabare.

So… vanilllabare .tumblr. com

Minus the spaces.

Vann

P.S I kinda sorta stole a line from Juno in this chapter. : )

P.S.S I'm drinking a few margaritas while I write this, so I hope it makes sense. Happy St. Patty's day!

"Sir, can I get you anything else today?" Clare asked sweetly, her work uniform snuggled uncomfortably on her belly. She picked up the used dishes from the table and walked them back to the kitchen, almost tripping on her own feet. Her coworkers chuckled at her and the chef, Henry, patted her softly on the back.

"I still can't believe our little Clare is gonna be a momma!" He grabbed the dishes from her arms and set them in the sink. "I'm gonna punch that Eli kid in the junk the next time I see him."

Clare laughed and shook her head. "Please leave the junk untouched. I may want more children one day."

The dishwasher, Neil, poked her playfully in the side and snorted, "If Henry messes up that guy too bad, you can always have my babies, Clarabelle." He winked provocatively at her and the entire kitchen burst into laughter.

Clare blushed wildly and grabbed her next table's order from the oven shelf without a word. Lakeview was her home away from her, her co-workers were her family. She was used to be being teased by the boys in the kitchen. Henry was in his late 30's. He was short and stocky, with thick muscles and Italian features. He was a jolly man with a contagious smile and had worked at Lakeview for over 15 years.

Neil was in his early 20's. He was the grandson of the owners, a Italian couple who'd opened Lakeview in the early 80's. For the most part, it was a family business. Clare was one of the few exceptions. But if you asked anyone who worked there, Clare was a part of their family too.

She'd worked every day for three weeks straight, saving up every penny that she possibly could before the baby's arrival. Two weeks before, her growing belly evoked a suspicion from Henry, who jokingly asked Clare if there was something that she needed to tell them. Her signature blush told all of her secrets, as usual, and her coworkers and boss were now well aware of her situation.

She was 20 weeks into her pregnancy. She'd already had two doctor's appointments, heard the baby's heart beat and been reassured that everything was normal and healthy. The doctor's had identified the gender, but Clare decided that she wanted to be surprised at the birth. Eli reluctantly agreed to wait.

He'd worked two months without a day off, and she knew that he was completely burnt out. It pushed her to work even harder to make a good life for them.

She balanced four plates of food in her arms and walked briskly to her customers.

"Clare?" She heard behind her. The voice caused her to stop dead in her tracks, almost dropping her customer's meals onto the floor.

"D-Dad?" Clare turned around. Her father and his girlfriend, Irene, were sitting at a table nearby. She hadn't seen her father in almost 6 months, and hadn't talked to him since long before she'd discovered of her pregnancy. She'd only met Irene once, when her father brought his lover to her graduation. It was uncomfortable and unnecessary, to say the least.

She set the plates down in front of the customers while trying to calm her racing heart.

The table that he was seated at was her table. She'd have to wait on them. They'd see her bump.

This is not good.

She walked back over to his table and smiled critically at Irene. Her father rose from his chair and wrapped Clare into a tight hug.

Oh God, oh God.

He pulled away quickly and looked down at her stomach. His mouth dropped and he looked her in the eyes, his brows furrowed angrily.

"Clare, are you pregnant?" He asked with a voice low and menacing.

Clare just stared at him, unable to form words. She hadn't even thought about her father since she'd found out about the baby. He was so wrapped up in his own little world that she assumed he wouldn't even find out.

"Yes, daddy." She squeaked out.

Like an angel from heaven, Henry appeared next to her, an appetizer in hand. He set it down in from of Irene and Randall and pulled Clare away.

"Darlene said you looked like you needed a savior. Their appetizer is on me. Who was that guy anyway? He looked pissed." Henry laughed as he pulled an ashen Clare into the kitchen. He looked at her with anticipation, but she was preoccupied trying to swallow back her vomit.

"I know that's not the baby daddy. He's too old and wrinkly to be that Eli kid. His hair didn't look enough like a depressed teenaged boy's either." Henry continued until he got Clare to crack a grin. "I'm going to say that he's your dad. Am I right?"

Clare nodded lightly. "Your guessing skills never cease to amaze me, Henry."

Henry smiled and rubbed her back gently. "Well, you can take your break after you get their orders. Maybe you can sit down and talk to him. Our little Clare doesn't need to be gettin' so worked up with a bun in the oven."

Clare agreed and straightened out her shirt, flashing Henry a grateful look. She gathered her strength and walked back over to her father's table. He and Irene looked as if they were deep into a serious conversation.

"A-Are you ready to order?" Clare asked shakily, pen and pad in hand.

She took their orders professionally and waited for her father to say something, anything to her. He continued to pick at the appetizer and, defeated, she walked back into the kitchen. After handing Henry the order, she sulked back out and dragged a chair over to her father's table. She plopped down tiredly and ignored the confused look that Irene gave her.

"Okay, dad, you caught me. Yes, I'm having a baby and no, I didn't tell you about it. It's not like we're close anymore and I didn't need another lecture. It was hard enough telling mom and Eli's parents."

Randall inhaled a piece of food and coughed deeply.

"Eli? That atheist kid? Clare, of all people…" He croaked out.

Clare felt hot anger rise up to her face. "So what if he's atheist? It's not like you are the picture of Christian morals, Dad. You cheated on Mom, for Pete sakes! You got a divorce!"

Randall and Irene froze. Instantly, Clare regretted her outburst. She knew it was too late to take it back, so she took a deep breath and continued.

"Sorry. Blame the hormones for my anger if you want, but don't talk about Eli like that in front of me. He was there for me when you and Mom were too busy fighting."

Randall opened his mouth to speak, but Clare cut him off.

"One more thing, Dad. You are welcome to be a part of my baby's life, but you have to learn how to get along with Mom and Glen. I don't want to deal with the tension and I don't want my child exposed to it. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get your entrees."

Clare walked away, feeling empowered.

The rest of their dinner went along without a hitch. She brought them their entrees, refilled their drinks and got them desserts without another word about the baby. As they were leaving, Randall walked up to her and put a hand on her arm.

"Clare, you're my daughter and I still love you. Keep me posted, please?"

She nodded and he pulled her into a tight hug. Irene offered her a sincere smile and Clare tried to reciprocate, finding it hard to act sweetly toward the woman who'd stolen her father away.

As she cleaned up their table, she noticed that he'd left a hundred dollar bill wedge with a napkin underneath his class. She thumbed the bill gently and opened up the napkin.

Clare,

For the baby. Buy something from grandpa.

I love you,

Dad

She felt her eyes well up with happy tears.

Maybe her baby would have two grandfathers after all.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

She lounged on her bed, staring up at the ceiling after her grueling, eight-hour shift. She was anticipating a phone call from Eli so she could tell him about her run-in with her father.

A gentle song played in the background and she closed her eyes tiredly. She was so worn out from work; she didn't know how she was going to spend the next 20 weeks working while pregnant.

She felt a flip in her stomach. Lying completely still, she held a hand on her bump. She felt the flip again.

Her baby was moving.

A knock on the door interrupted her peace.

"Come in." She called, too preoccupied with her moving belly to inquire about the intruder.

"Hey." Jake said as he opened the door.

She scowled and sat up.

"Yes, Jake?" She asked him, irritation peppering her voice heavily.

"How are you feeling?" He questioned sweetly.

She shifted uncomfortably and laughed.

"Bloated."

He chuckled and Clare felt her hate for him curtail a bit. It was hard to remain angry at someone who lived under the same roof. And she loathed the tension that was always in the air whenever they occupied in the same room.

She would try to be civil to him.

Maybe Jake and Eli could be friends, she thought… Maybe he could be Uncle Jake after all.

He would be the only uncle that the baby had until Darcy got married, if she ever decided to come home from Africa.

She decided that she would try her best to be friendly to her step-brother.

"How are you, Jake? How's break going for you?"

He shrugged uncaringly.

"The home-cooked meals have been nice. We didn't have that much chicken at school, so it's a welcome change." He said, boldly sitting on her bed.

They were at a close proximity and Jake accidently brushed his arm against Clare's leg. She blushed at the contact and scooted over on the bed, away from him. Her feet ached from her long day at work. She pulled one up and tried to rub it, but found that her stomach was in the way. She groaned with frustration and Jake snickered.

"Having troubles?" He asked, moving down toward the foot of the bed. He grasped one of her feet and, before she could object, started rubbing it.

"Ah." She moaned, wanting to object to the contact but enjoying the feeling so much. Her swollen feet were feeling decent for the first time in weeks.

"You know, Clare, I could do this for you all the time. I could be there for you, like I used to." He released her foot and inched back up to her, so that their faces were nearly touching. Clare squirmed and Jake held her firmly near him.

"Jake, what are you doing?" She probed, her heart racing uncomfortably.

This wasn't Eli in front of her. This was Jake, her ex, staring in her eyes as if he was about to kiss her. She shoved him away and he recoiled, walking dejectedly toward the door.

He turned around and hung his head.

"I just miss you, Clare. Ok? I… I want you back. And… I feel like you might want me back too."

She gasped. How had he possibly deduced that she wanted him back? She'd told him that she was happy with Eli. She'd rejected him and hurt him so that he'd go away. And here he was, standing in her room, professing his feelings.

"No, Jake. I'm happy with Eli… We're having a baby. I love him."

Jake's face twisted angrily and he clenched his fists.

"Don't remind me." He spat.

Clare felt fear rising up in her chest. She didn't know where this was coming from, but she was shocked. Jake was acting like…

He was acting like Eli during a bipolar episode.

"Please get out of my room." She requested, her voice wavering a bit in fear.

Jake rolled his eyes and left, slamming the door behind him.

With shaky hands, Clare packed up an overnight bag, snuck down the stairs and out the front door. As she left, she knew she would never live comfortably in that house again.

Thoughts? Reviews? Follows on tumblr?

I hope you're all still enjoying.

Let me know your feelings on this. I appreciate feedback.

Vann