It had been a rough day for Aurorah. After returning home from her dinner with the Orton clan, including the child in question, she was more emotionally drained than she had been earlier in the day. It wasn't something she had planned on, but she had to admit, it had helped her put things into perspective more than she would have thought.

Randy had insisted on driving her back to the clinic to get her car. She hadn't wanted to shorten his time anymore with Alanna, but he wouldn't take no for an answer, so she reluctantly gathered herself into his large SUV and allowed him to drive the short distance across town to where her car was.

The ride was silent, but it didn't bother her much. She had really hit it off with his family, more than she thought she would have. And she had to admit, it was an added bonus that she and Randy didn't argue. Quite the opposite, she found herself actually liking him and befriending him before the night was over. She wasn't sure where that road would lead her, but at that present time, she wouldn't allow herself to ponder on it too much.

Now, as she climbed into bed for the night, her thoughts soon traveled to Randy and the way he was gentle and very caring towards her after his harsh words. She usually wouldn't have befriended someone who had spoken the words he had, but she had to admit that his heart was pure. She couldn't figure out why he had anger issues giving that he was such a genuine, caring person.

Even more than Randy winning her over, the baby girl he loved and held onto so dearly was the one who captured her heart immediately. She had made a shocking revelation upon herself, and Randy as well, as soon as he had put the tiny baby into her arms. The minute her eyes locked with the infants and her tiny hand crept up and stroked her cheek, the anger she had felt for her had disappeared.

She had felt almost jealous of Randy after seeing the two together, but she knew if things were meant to happen for her having a child, sooner or later it would happen. In the meantime, she would emerge herself in her classes and complete the course so she could close one chapter in her life before moving to the next.

As she closed her eyes preparing for a full nights sleep, she groaned as the ringing sound echoed through the empty, quiet house. She flipped the bedside lamp on and reached for the phone, annoyed that her slumber was interrupted.

"Hello?" she spoke groggily into the speaker.

"Did I wake you? I'm sorry." Randy's voice came from the other end.

"No, I had just climbed into bed. What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing really. I just got Layni down for the night and I wanted to call before it got too much later to make sure you had settled in alright for the night." he answered genuinely.

"Yeah, I think so." she answered with a yawn.

"I know tonight was rather awkward and just weird for you. I wanted to make sure you were alright before I went to sleep." he said, sounding sincere.

"Thank you, Randy. That's very sweet." she said, smiling to herself. "Yeah, everything was great. Emotional to say the least, but I'm glad we're not arguing. It seems every time we see each other that's all we do."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about that." he agreed.

"Well, it's just as much my fault as it is yours. But, that's behind us. I hope we both can move on from that and what has happened to us. I think we can be good friends." she added.

"I agree." he responded, yawning himself. "Well, I guess I'll see you at class next week. Get some sleep."

"Alright, you too." she said, smiling.

"If you need me, you have my number, alright?" he offered once more.

"I will. Same goes for you." she responded.

"Sweet dreams, Aurorah." he whispered, before the phone went dead.

"You too, Randy." she replied, after he had hung up, a smile creeping across her features.

As she hung the phone up on the base and flipped the light off, she slipped into bed, the smile she wore only growing bigger as she closed her eyes, settling in for a full nights sleep.

Randy hummed to himself as he brushed his teeth. He had been up for the past few hours, and with Alanna taking her morning nap, he had a few precious hours to himself before Sam would return to pick her up.

He wasn't looking forward to seeing her anytime soon, but knowing there was no way around it, he figured he would buck up and face the music. Every time he saw her, it was becoming increasingly easier to deal with the truth of his situation.

He realized almost immediately that he wasn't heartbroken over what Sam did. It startled him at first, but he realized what the two of them had together was a bond with Alanna. Their relationship had soured about a year before their marriage, and he realized it must've been about that time that she went out looking for someone else.

He honestly could care less about that fact, but he couldn't remove the harboring feelings of Alanna. He prayed above all else that she was his daughter. He didn't know how he would continue with life knowing she wasn't. He remembered how happy he was the day Sam had told him she was pregnant. He felt as if his heart swelled from the joy and happiness he felt.

He had never believed in love at first before than, but in that moment, the minute he knew he was going to be a father, he was instantly, completely and unconditionally in love before he even laid eyes on the little baby.

And yet, even with the stress and worry of the pending paternity suit, he couldn't get Aurorah from his mind either. He wasn't sure if his heart reached out to her because she was in the same boat he was and that they shared a common ground together or if it was just a fatal attraction that was growing into something more.

The only thing he knew was that he couldn't stop seeing her now. She seemed to be there for him in times he didn't even want anyone around. She was growing on him, and fast, and he wasn't sure if it was a comfortable feeling or if he was rebounding.

He was almost certain it wasn't rebound. He had been in that situation before, and anytime before, he would have taken the girl to bed by now. Instead, he found their conversations together enough to satisfy him enough.

As he gathered Alanna's belongings and placed them in her diaper bag, he heard the door bell ring. He dropped the bag and headed for the front door, a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. He wasn't sure why, but that entire morning, he was happy. More than usual, anyway.

"Randall." Sam spoke sternly, as she pushed herself past him and entered the house after he opened the door.

"What are you doing here so early?" he asked, closing the door behind her and turning to face her.

"I got an earlier appointment, so I decided to pick Alanna up early. Where is she?" Sam asked, looking around.

"She's taking her morning nap." he said, walking towards the play pen to reveal a sleeping baby safely inside.

"She looks just like you." Sam whispered, smiling softly.

"Don't go there Samantha." Randy said, rolling his eyes, as he went about collecting the rest of the toys and shoving them into the large bag.

"It's true." she said, before turning around and watching him intently. "I went to the lawyers. That's what my appointment was."

"Why did you go there?" he asked, turning around.

"I got a letter in the mail last week. The court date has been moved." she explained.

"Moved? To when?" he asked, finding his questions coming faster and faster. "Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"I wanted to get this done and over with, so they moved the date until the day after tomorrow." she said, nonchalantly.

"Goddamn it! Why didn't you tell me?" he bellowed, becoming furious.

"I told you!" she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"You told me 2 days before the date, Samantha!" he answered, glaring at her as she simply waved his comment off. "You weren't going to tell me, were you?"

She ignored him, as she bent down and picked up the sleeping back, placing a small kiss on her cheek and slipping her into the car seat before turning back to Randy.

"You would've found out anyway." she barked, grabbing the diaper bag from his hand. "By the way, check your mail today."

Before anything else was said, she was out the door, leaving Randy to stare at her in disbelief. She had acted like he had done something horrible, when it was the exact opposite. What had he done so horrible?

He honestly thought he was doing everything he could to support Sam and the baby, but apparently it was going unnoticed, or unappreciated. Whichever the case was, he couldn't believe the way Sam was acting towards him now. Had he been that bad of a husband to her?

Was he that bad of a father to Alanna?