A/N: Thank you for all of your amazing comments, I appreciate them so much! Sorry, I know this chapter is up later than I promised, but I have been really busy. I am going to put an M rating on this chapter, but it's not too bad. I hope you enjoy chapter seven!

Chapter Seven

"Oh my god, this dinner is pathetic," Lily comments to her husband who is constantly checking on the progress of her dinner rolls so they don't become his wife's next casualty. Rufus laughs into his hand and looks over at her pouring her finished pasta into a large dish. He notices her trying to conceal a disappointed expression and walks over to her, coiling his arms around her waist.

"It's okay; it's the thought that counts." Lily twirls in his arms and rakes her fingers through his chocolate hair.

"You promise to eat my food no matter what?" Rufus bites his lip and Lily tips her head down, laughing against his shoulder.

"I didn't say that," Their conversation is interrupted by the oven beeping. Rufus steps towards the appliance, but Lily quickly maneuvers in front of him. He furrows his brows, but doesn't move. He wants to see his wife actually take something out of the oven, a first in their marriage.

"I got this," Lily assures him and slides oven mitts onto both hands. She carefully opens the door, extracts the dinner rolls and lets the door slam shut.

"Is dinner almost ready Lily?" Rufus' mom asks when she pops her head into the kitchen. Lily swings around to block the food, not wanting her mother-in-law to see how little she made.

"Uh huh, everyone can sit down now." Donna tries to glance around Lily, but she can't see anything. Instead Donna nods her head and goes back into the living room to grab up Alex.

"I have always wondered what spaghetti and dinner rolls tasted like together," Rufus offers. Lily flashes her trademark 'you're wonderful' smiles at her husband and brushes a kiss to his lips. Lily takes the spaghetti and Rufus has the dinner rolls to bring to the dining room table. Eric is sitting at an end of the table, Jenny and Donna are on one side, and Serena and Dan are on the other. Rufus and Lily take their usual spots next to each other with Alex sitting in her booster seat in between them.

"Well…um…dig in…" Lily says with a convincing smile. Serena is the first to grab the plate of spaghetti, spooning a heap onto her plate.

"I am taking one for the team guys," Serena whispers to Dan as she passes the plate to him. Everybody ends up with a tiny amount of spaghetti and a single dinner roll. However, nobody has actually tasted the food yet, everyone is still stalling. Eric takes a bite and tries not to spit it into his napkin. Instead, he laughs, which causes the family to stare at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Is something wrong my darling?" Lily asks, although she is pretty sure he is laughing at her expense. When Rufus is sure his wife isn't looking, he coughs his bite of spaghetti into his napkin.

"I'm sorry mom, but this is terrible," Eric admits. Soon, all of the kids and even Rufus are laughing, their plates of cold spaghetti tossed aside. Lily giggles and tries a bite of her spaghetti, scrunching her face in disgust.

"Who wants to go out for dinner?" She asks the family. Rufus stamps a kiss to Lily's temple; he is thrilled that his wife agreed that her cooking isn't up to anyone's usual standards. He finds it hilarious that no matter what Lily makes, it just turns out terribly. However, his amused demeanor fades when he looks over at his mother who doesn't find this failed dinner funny at all.

"You lied to me about your cooking, didn't you Lily?" Donna asks her daughter-in-law. An ashamed expression washes over Lily's face and she stares down at her failed attempt to impress her mother-in-law.

"I did, obviously I can't cook, but I tried." Lily isn't going to give Rufus' mother the satisfaction of an apology. Donna has been nothing but cold and distant towards her when Lily has gone out of her way to make her mother-in-law feel welcome in her home.

"I told ya gamma, mommy can't cook!" Alex exclaims. Lily and Rufus glance over at their daughter, wondering when she had the chance to inform Donna about Lily's lack of culinary skills.

"Rufus, can I talk to you for a second?" Donna asks her son. Rufus' eyes flicker over to his mother and then Lily. Lily nibbles on the inside of her cheek and backs out of her chair.

"I am going to run upstairs real quick," She doesn't want Rufus to have to feel like he has to choose between her and his mom, that wouldn't be fair.

"Lil," Rufus reaches out to snag her hand. She spreads her hand across his cheek and presses a kiss to his lips, communicating to him that she isn't upset with him. The kids, even Alex, have remained mostly silent during this exchange, mostly talking quietly amongst themselves. Rufus tracks Lily's movements until she vanishes upstairs.

"What's wrong dad?" Jenny asks her father, noticing the tension in the air.

"Kids, could you give us a minute?" Rufus asks his and Lily's kids.

"Sure," Serena unbuckles Alex from the booster seat and starts walking upstairs with her half sister in her arms.

"I show you all my toys k, Sewena?" Alex tells her sister, seemingly to be unaware of the issues between her mother and her grandmother.

"Eric?" Rufus grabs his stepson's arm, gently pulling him back to the table.

"What?"

"Could you check on your mother? I'll be upstairs in a minute so we can go." Eric nods, appreciative of Rufus' clear concern about Lily. At the same time, he is perplexed by current family situation playing out before him.

Rufus is worried about his wife; it's not usually in her personality to give up so easily. He is more familiar with the stubborn woman who is willing to fight for what she wants, but this time seems different. Maybe he is reading too far into her walking away, he hopes that she just wanted to give he and his mother a chance to talk. He will have to touch base with her when they get a moment alone.

Alex immediately forces her older siblings to have a tea party with her and a few select stuffed animals. Dan, Jenny, Eric and Serena are more interested in the odd family dynamic occurring between their parents and Rufus' mother then playing with their younger half sister.

"Did anybody else detect the awkwardness during Lily's awfully made dinner?" Dan asks his siblings. Eric and Jenny give him a "duh" look while Serena's eyes slide away from his gaze. "You know something don't you Serena?" A rosy hue flourishes on Serena's cheeks.

"What do you know Serena?" Jenny asks with her arms crossed.

"Well…I don't want to give too much away. All I can tell you is your grandmother hates my mom for something that happened before we were all born." Serena doesn't want to betray her mom's trust, but feels the need to clue her siblings in a bit.

"I am guessing this had something to do with your mom leaving my dad for your dad." Dan shakes his head, "God, this family is so complicated."

"Alex, what do you think about all of this?" Jenny asks her half-sister for fun. The three-year-old shrugs her tiny shoulders,

"I don't know, wanna pway wif me Jenny?" Alex hands her stuffed frog over to her older half-sister and yells at Dan to pay attention to her.

Lily is pacing around her bedroom. She wants to give her husband and mother-in-law time to chat, but a huge part of her is curious as to how their conversation is going. The kids came upstairs and vanished into Alex's room. If she wants to sneak downstairs, now would be the time. She bites her lip as she weighs her options. Lily faked an excuse to allow her husband and mother-in-law time to talk, would it be wrong to accidentally overhear a piece of their conversation? She slips off her heels and quietly tip-toes toward the dining room, a little embarrassed to be snooping in her own home.

"…Rufus, I don't understand why you put up with her, you deserve someone better." Donna says to her son.

"Mom, Lily was only trying to cook dinner for the family, which is something that she never does." A smirk locks into place on Lily's lips; she is thrilled that her husband is defending her.

"She lied! If she couldn't cook, why didn't she just say so?"

"Maybe it's because she feels like she had to impress you because you haven't exactly been nice to her since you got here." There is a gap in conversation and Lily sucks in a breath, hoping that she didn't just get caught.

"Rufus, you know I have a valid reason for not being the friendliest person to Lily. I can't believe that you are still with her after all that she has done to you and your kids." Lily flinches at the comment and waits for her husband's response.

"Lily and I have both screwed up in our relationship, but we have worked through it and we love each other very much." Rufus is so tired of defending his marriage with Lily to his mother, something that he has been doing since they rekindled their relationship a few years ago.

"That's not the point Rufus; I understand that you love her. All I am saying is that she grew up in a different world than you and I know that has caused her to walk away from your relationship in the past. Do you really think she has changed that much?" Lily doesn't wait for Rufus' answer; she turns on her heels and briskly walks upstairs. She hates that Rufus' mom is questioning their marriage; Lily does that enough on her own. Obviously she and Rufus are completely different people. And of course that has caused many arguments in their relationship. However, what happens if Rufus decides to actually listen to his mother this time? What if he gives up on fighting for them?

Downstairs, Rufus is done with this conversation. His mother isn't going to listen to his reasoning and he doesn't have to make a case for his wife to her. It's his life and he didn't ask his mother to come here, she came on her own free will.

"You know what mom? I love Lily and we are very happy together. I want you to be here for the kids, but you have to be nicer to Lily. I am going to talk to my wife and then we can go." Rufus leaves his mom at the table to search for his spouse. He is pretty sure that they need to talk.

"Hey Rufus, my mom is in your room," Eric says when he sees Rufus walk by. Rufus stops and hovers in the doorway, crossing his arms as he leans against the doorframe.

"Hey Daddy! Do you wanna pway too?" Alex asks, tugging on her father's hand.

"No Al, I have to talk to mommy. Can you go downstairs and get your coat on? We are leaving for dinner soon." Alex nods and waves to her older siblings.

"Yeah, I really hungy daddy so hurry up pwease." Alex, Serena, Jenny, Eric and Dan walk downstairs to get their stuff together while Rufus goes into the master bedroom, finding Lily in their walk in closet.

"Hey Lil, what are you doing?" Lily turns and shrugs off her navy cardigan, reaching for a long sleeve ivory robe instead.

"I was thinking of taking a shower, but you guys can still go to dinner." Lily's remark only confirms Rufus' theory about her overhearing his tumultuous conversation downstairs with his mom. Rufus strolls across the closet, clasping both of her hands.

"Come here, I think we should talk." Lily reluctantly follows her husband to the foot of their bed, sitting on his lap.

"Rufus, I am fine, I just don't feel good." She lies, resting a hand on her expanded stomach for emphasis. Rufus gives his wife a look only reserved for her, obviously not believing in her excuse.

"How much of my conversation with my mother did you hear?" Lily bends her head down, her eyes boring into her knee.

"Enough to realize that she hates me, but she also might be right." Rufus slips his bended knuckle under her chin to tilt her head up.

"What do you mean?"

"What if one day we can't find a compromise that works for us? What if you wake up and realize that I have become too much like my mother and you can't be married to me anymore?" Her eyes become cloudy with tears at just the thought of her marriage to Rufus disintegrating. Rufus soothingly rubs her back and rests his nose against her cheek, then stamps a kiss on her skin.

"Lil, I promised you that I wouldn't give up on us and I meant it."

"I know, but Rufus, I have done some terrible things to you and I can't promise that I won't do horrible things to you in the future. There has got to be a point where you walk away, don't you think?" Rufus takes a second to process what she is telling him and shakes his head.

"Lily, honestly I don't know, but we will figure it out like we always do. I think the only thing that can hurt us is if we aren't being honest with each other." Lily grins and drops her head on his shoulder.

"You're right Humphrey," Lily whispers. Rufus' eyes widen in feigned astonishment.

"I'm sorry Lil, what was that? Did you just say I was right?" Lily moves so she is eye-to-eye with her husband, her mouth splitting open.

"Yes I did, so enjoy it while it lasts." He adorably grins and rests his forehead against hers. She meshes their lips together, starting out slow. He ups the ante by slipping his tongue into her mouth. She smugly smiles against his lips as their tongues duel for control. He moans in her mouth while she blindly drapes her arms around his neck. They are so wrapped up in each other that they don't notice Alex scampering into the room.

"EW, mommy and daddy stop kissin! Dat's gwoss. We hafta go now to eat!" Rufus and Lily separate from each other, both amused by the disgusted expression on their three-year-olds face.

"Alex, tell everyone that we will be downstairs in a minute okay?" Rufus speaks for him and his wife. Lily is too embarrassed that their daughter caught her and Rufus making out like teenagers.

"Alrighty daddy, I tell dem but I really hungy!" Alex glares at her parents and walks out. Lily laughs which makes Rufus snicker too.

"I guess we should go…" Lily stands up and starts walking towards the door. Rufus gets to his feet and hooks his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her back into their bedroom. "Rufus, stop, everyone is waiting on us."

"I know, but do you really want to wear your bath robe to dinner?" He tugs on the plush fabric and smirks at her.

"Oh, right, hold on," Lily blushes and exchanges her robe for the cardigan she was wearing earlier. "Okay, now I'm ready." She accepts her husband's hand, giggling slightly at her fashion faux pa.

"Hey Lil, this dinner might not go the way you want it to, but you tried, okay?" He gently reminds her not to get her hopes up. Lily nods and splashes both hands on his cheeks, kissing him swiftly before leading the way down the stairs. Their kids and Rufus' mother are waiting in the living room already wearing their coats and looking irritated about the delay.

"Are you two about done?" Serena asks with annoyance and amusement laced in her tone.

"Serena!" Lily snaps, embarrassed at her daughter's behavior. Rufus, Dan and Eric cover their mouths so Lily won't see them smile. Donna couldn't be less excited about going out to dinner with her son and his family. A huge part of her regrets even coming up to New York, it isn't going as she planned. Of course she wouldn't admit this to her son, but the reason she decided to visit him was to convince him to divorce Lily. It's clear to her that Rufus is deeply in love with Lily and has no plan of leaving her anytime soon. Lily nudges Rufus in the ribs and grabs their coats.

"What? Alex told us what you were doing upstairs." Serena scoops up her younger half sister and flips her golden hair over her shoulder. Serena whispers something in Alex's ear and turns around to smirk at her mother and step-father.

"No more makin out mommy and daddy!" Alex exclaims over Serena's shoulder. Rufus and Lily's jaw drop at their three year olds remark. They can hear Alex ask Serena about what she just said to her parents. The kids, along with Rufus' mother, cram into the next available elevator.

"I can't believe she just said that." Lily turns to Rufus who shrugs in pure shock as they try to catch the next elevator. "Why are we having another kid again? We have so many already." Rufus laughs while they step onto the elevator and leans forward to stamp the lobby button.

"You were the one who jumped me in the elevator." Lily eyes slide over to Rufus, an impish grin blossoming on her lips. Rufus jokingly moves away from her, chuckling when she playfully swats at him.

"I don't remember ever doing that."

"Lily, you are in denial."

"Rufus, I was drunk." The elevator doors ding open and the couple steps off, laughing at their own private conversation. Rufus rests his hand on the small of his wife's back as they approach their family. Alex, Jenny, Lily and Rufus get into a town car so Alex can be fastened into her car seat. Serena, Dan, Eric and Rufus' mom climb into a cab.

Dinner starts off as awkward, nobody is willing to make any kind of fluid conversation except for Alex. Rufus is still slightly irritated with his mother for their conversation about Lily. He understands that there is a bit of bitter history between the three of them, but it's in the past. If anyone has the right to be angry about the situation, it's Rufus because it's what Lily did to him. Rufus has been able to forgive Lily and move forward in their relationship so his mother should stop holding a grudge against his wife.

"Did your grandma ever act this way towards your mom?" Serena whispers over to Dan. Dan shakes his head,

"No, they got along great."

The waiter comes around to collect food orders and then table falls into an uncomfortable silence once more. Lily sighs and puts her elbows on the table, making her cardigan slide on her arms a bit, exposing the bruise on her wrist. Donna discovers the mark and furrows her eyebrows.

"Lily, what's with the bruise?" Rufus' mom asks her daughter-in-law. Rufus puts his hand on his wife's back, rubbing soothing circles with his fingers. Lily pulls her cardigan up so the purple bruise is covered again. The kids stop chatting to hear her response, each wondering why they haven't noticed the mark before. Lily clears her throat and her eyes flicker over to her husband for a second before meeting her mother-in-law's gaze.

"Uh…Jack Bass…attacked me last night at a party…" Lily explains. Serena, Dan, Eric and Jenny's eyes widen, they didn't know that was the reason Lily and Rufus left so abruptly last night. They just assumed that Lily was tired or the babysitter had an emergency, the older kids feel terrible for not asking about their hasty exit from the party. Donna, however, is less sympathetic towards Lily.

"Again?" Dan asks, his fist clenching under the table.

"We can talk about that later," Rufus says to his son, not wanting his wife to answer any more questions about what happened to her last night. He is guessing that Lily would rather just move on and not have to think about Jack. Donna, however, wants Lily to elaborate on the incident at Chuck's event yesterday.

"Jack, isn't that your son Chuck's uncle?" Lily nods, which prompts Donna to continue, "I always knew those Bass men were disgusting. I mean, just look at what Chuck did to Jenny." Everyone at the table, sans Alex, freezes after Donna's comment. Lily shoots Donna her trademark pissed off look; hand on the forehead, lips pursed. Rufus realizes that his wife has had about enough of his mom's attitude, especially after Donna just attacked one of her children. He puts his hand on her knee, signaling to her that he has this under control.

"Mom, Chuck has made some mistakes in the past and I can't believe I am defending him right now, but he was there for Lily when I wasn't. I would appreciate it if you showed him a little respect."

Alex has no idea what her father just said, but feels like she needs to put in her two cents about Chuck Bass.

"Hey gamma, Chuck my favwite! He so nice and pwetty." Lily is so grateful to Rufus for what he said about Chuck, their relationship has been strained in the past, but they seem to be connecting better now.

"Did my dad just defend Chuck Bass?" Jenny asks in shock, looking to Eric, Serena and Jenny for confirmation.

"This has been a strange night," Serena comments and Eric and Jenny nod in agreement.

"Does this mean that I have to start being nice to him now?" Dan jokes.

"I think Chuck would be freaked out if he knew that Rufus was defending him," Eric whispers.

"Yeah, that would only cause him to drink more heavily and bring home twice the amount of women." Serena teases, even though she loves Chuck like her biological brother.

"I am glad that you and Chuck are on better terms Rufus, I am sure that means a lot to you, Lily." Donna says that with a forced, pinched, smile.

"It does," Lily rubs her husband's upper arm and grins at him. Rufus presses a kiss to her cheek as the check is being set in front of them. Rufus pays the check and the family is more than ready to disperse, having enough drama to last for the time being.

Serena goes back to Blair's, Jenny, Eric and Dan suggests going back to the loft. Surprisingly, Donna wants to go back to Brooklyn with her grandkids.

"Sure mom, are you going to stay there?" Rufus asks while Lily helps Alex get bundled up.

"No, I will come back. I'll see you later," Donna waves and follows the three kids who are leaving. Alex notices this and turns as Lily is trying to zip up her coat.

"Mommy, why gamma goin?"

"She wanted to spend some time with Dan and Jenny at the loft."

"Can we go too mommy?" Alex asks, her eyes shimmering with hope.

"No sweetie, you have to go to bed. We will see grandma in the morning." Rufus snags his wife's hand and scoops Alex off the ground.

"Okay daddy, we watch movie when we get home k?" Alex tells her father, shooting him a disarming grin.

"She is your daughter," Rufus whispers to Lily over Alex's head.

"I have taught my kids well," Lily opens the car door for Rufus so he can strap Alex into her car seat. Rufus and Lily slide in next to each other and the town car starts heading back to the penthouse.

"That dinner didn't go the way I wanted it to," Lily pouts and drops her head on Rufus' shoulder. Rufus rakes his hands through her golden strands as he considers an adequate response to soothe his wife.

"I know honey, but I don't think anything is going to change regarding my mother. Alex, how do you think our dinner with your grandma went?" He is curious as to how their toddler perceived their disastrous family dinner. Alex taps her chin and gives an answer in her usual blunt way.

"I pfink gamma don't like mommy and Chuck, but I wuv mommy and Chuck so dat's good." Lily beams at her daughter; Alex always can make her smile.

"I love you too baby." Lily leans over to over-exaggeratedly kiss Alex's cheek, making Alex giggle. Suddenly, Alex's eyes widen, a new idea has sparked in her mind.

"Mommy I know how to make you happy! We get ice cweam!" Rufus stifles a laugh at his daughter's attempt to make his wife feel better.

"Al, I don't think…" The three-year-old cuts her father off,

"Daddy, dis 'bout mommy. Mommy, do you want ice cweam? Don't wisten to daddy," Lily giggles and shakes her head.

"No, not tonight Alex, I am really tired." Alex nods,

"K, I put you to bed and den me and daddy get ice cweam. I get some for you too mommy." Rufus chuckles at his daughter's need for ice cream and steps in before Alex tries another end around to acquire the desert.

"How about we get ice cream tomorrow with grandma?"

"Okay daddy, you pwomise?" Alex concedes defeat with a yawn.

"Of course Al, I promise we can get ice cream tomorrow." Rufus promises, holding out his pinky for Alex.

When they get back to the penthouse, Rufus suggests that Lily puts Alex to bed. Lily quirks an eyebrow at her husband, he always enjoys putting their daughter to bed. Rufus whispers something in Alex's ear and kisses her goodnight. He closes Alex's door behind him and leaves Lily alone with their daughter.

"What did daddy just tell you?" Lily asks, trying her best to maintain a stern expression. Alex is unmoved by her mom and climbs into bed.

"I not tell you cause daddy say so." Alex sticks her tongue out at Lily. Lily pinches Alex's cheek and grabs a book to read to her daughter. After Alex is asleep, Lily goes to search for her husband.

"Rufus, where are you?" She asks as she steps into their bedroom.

"In here Lil," He calls back from the bathroom. She swings open the bathroom door, impressed by what she sees. The bathtub is filled to the brim with bubbles and the lights are dimmed. Rufus is dressed in his bath robe with a cheeky grin adorning his lips. "I thought we could relax together," He whispers in her ear, his arms coiling around her waist. Lily twirls in his arms and loops her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Hmmm…how romantic, I am impressed." She teases and nuzzles noses with Rufus as he starts undressing her.

"Haven't I told you before that I am the romantic one in our relationship?" He asks, as he unzips her dress. Lily gathers her hair to her side, allowing him better access.

"Yeah, but I used to be the spontaneous one. Is that a bad thing that I'm not anymore?" Rufus shakes his head as Lily steps away from him, letting the dress pool at the tile floor. She slips off her bra and underwear while her husband steps into the tub first. He holds his arms out for her, letting her situate herself before wrapping his arms around her, sweeping a kiss over her blonde tendrils.

"Lil, I was teasing. We can't be as wild and spontaneous as we used to be. We have a toddler and you are pregnant, trust me, I am fine with how the way things are." He tightens his grip on her as she turns her head to look at him. Rufus realizes that the only reason she is questioning them more than usual is because of his mother. Lily is always going to have her doubts and insecurities about them behind closed doors; it's just an issue they have to work through together rather than her doing something that will break them apart.

"Are you sure?" Rufus presses a kiss to her cheek,

"Yeah, after my mother leaves and we have the baby, we can do something unexpected, just the two of us." This time, Lily is the one brushing a kiss to her husband's lips.

"Oh, speaking of your mother, did you mean what you said about Charles or did you want to prevent me from committing homicide at the dinner table?" Rufus laughs at her phrasing of the question, but maintains a somewhat serious expression.

"Honestly Lil, I am still conflicted about Chuck. I appreciate what he did last night and I have forgiven him for the whole Jenny incident. However, I have seen him disappoint you a lot and then I get frustrated with him again." Lily nods against his chest; she can sympathize with the way her husband is feeling; she has felt the same about her adopted son from time to time.

"Thank you Rufus for trying, I know it hasn't been easy for you." He tips his head down to scrape his teeth across her bare shoulder. Lily shivers and slowly twists to face her husband, laughing at their entangled limbs. They hear the elevator doors ding open downstairs and Lily sighs against Rufus' skin.

"Damn it," Rufus comments and starts to get out of the tub, reaching for a towel. Lily frowns; their moment has been officially ruined.

"Rufus!" Donna calls from the living room as she tosses her purse on the couch.

"Do all the people in your family have bad timing?" Lily asks while Rufus is helping her out of the tub, securely wrapping her in a towel.

"At least my family is on time for everything, unlike yours." Rufus teases her as they transition into their closet. Donna knocks on their bedroom door, not wanting to wake up Alex by yelling again. "Hold on mom." He slips on a pair of boxers while Lily quickly throws a nightgown over her head. Rufus swings open the door, purposely blocking it so his mother won't see Lily getting dressed.

"Rufus, did I interrupt something?" Donna asks, glaring at her son for making her wait.

"No mom, Lil and I were just taking a bath. How was spending time in Brooklyn with the kids?"

"It was fun, I am going to bed. I'll see you in the morning," Rufus hugs his mom goodnight and lightly closes the door. He approaches his wife who is swinging her legs on the bed. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he leans down and stamps a kiss to her lips.

"Hmmm…you smell so good, wanna have a quickie?" Rufus whispers, flashing a crooked half smile.

"Rufus! Your mother is downstairs, there is no way I am having sex with you." He jokingly juts his lip out, although he knows that his wife's decision is unwavering.

"Fine," Rufus climbs in on his side of the bed and crosses his arms over his chest. Lily turns to grab her reading glasses sitting on the nightstand. She grabs her book and adjusts her glasses on her nose. Rufus still hasn't spoken a word, the scowl is still there.

"Rufus, are you pouting?" She asks, glancing up at him over her reading glasses.

"No," He says, huffing. Lily laughs at him while rolling her eyes and tosses her book aside. She grabs his hand and puts it on her chest. "You are the best wife ever."

"I know, I know," Lily chuckles against his lips. He gently squeezes both of her breasts and retreats. They get under the covers and Rufus wraps his arm around her. She cuddles closer to him,

"Your mom leaves the day after tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah and I can't wait," Rufus admits and gets up to slip on a gray t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. Lily is surprised by her husband's honesty, but is glad that they are on the same page. He climbs back into bed and skates his hand her nightgown, resting on her swollen abdomen. He skims his thumb over her the stretched out skin below her navel. Lily sighs into him, letting the rugged smell of his body wash invade her senses.

"I love you," She whispers against his skin, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I love you too honey, get some sleep so we can kick my mom out soon." She reaches her hand up to high five Rufus,

"Sounds like a plan my darling."

At around three in the morning, Lily wakes up from her dreams and gazes up at the ceiling as she rests on her back. Rufus is lying next to her on his side, his hand spread underneath her nightgown and on her abdomen, his light snoring the only sound stemming from their bedroom. Tracing the outline of his jaw with her eyes, Lily moves her hand on top of Rufus', squeezing it lightly so he won't wake up.

After slipping a soft, terrycloth robe over her, Lily pads downstairs to the kitchen, not bothering to turn on any of the lights, having lived in the penthouse for so long there is no need. Reaching inside the fridge, Lily is startled by a distinguishable voice in the darkness.

"Lily," Donna Humphrey says her voice peppered with disdain. Lily closes the door and reaches into the cabinet to grab a glass.

"Donna," Lily doesn't even try to pretend to be nice to her husband's mother anymore, if they have to hash out their relationship at three in the morning, then so be it, Lily is more than willing to. She pours herself a glass of apple juice while Rufus' mom leans on the counter and fiddles with her tea.

"I think we should talk about your relationship with my son." Lily bites the inside of her cheek, having been utterly caught off guard by her mother-in-law's comment. Only then does Lily realize who her husband received his need for openness from. In Lily's family, it is common for everything to be swept under the rug to keep a scandal from breaking out.

"Despite what you might think, I love your son very much, but that's a problem for you isn't it?"

"I have seen you in love with him before and then you broke his heart. He was devastated after you left."

"That was when we were nineteen, I was young and I had no idea what I was doing, but it's different now." Donna puts her hands on her hips, not believing in what her daughter-in-law is telling her.

"If you love my son so much why do you constantly do things to him that could break you two apart?" Lily takes a long sip of her juice while formulating an answer.

"I-I don't really know. I have been married four times before I married Rufus and I didn't love them like I love your son. This is the first time that I have been in a real marriage. Sometimes I lie to Rufus and go behind his back because I'm scared…" Lily's voice cracks, she is surprised by her own honesty and the cathartic feeling flooding through her from voicing her concerns about her marriage. Donna narrows her eyes; this is the most emotion she has ever seen from her daughter-in-law.

"What are you scared of?" Donna asks, reserving all judgment so Lily will be more inclined to be honest with her. Lily wants to bridge that chasm between them, but it's hard for her to reveal parts of herself to anyone but her husband.

"I'm scared he will…leave me." She ends her sentence at a whisper; thankfully the darkness is covering the rosy hue of her cheeks. Donna sheds her standoffish persona and sets her cup of tea down, giving her full attention to Lily.

"Lily, my son loves you and I know he can be a little rash to judge a situation, but he won't leave you unless you give him a reason to." Lily nods, trying to stifle a yawn with her hand.

"I am glad we could talk, but I am really tired. I'll see you in the morning."

"Hey Lily?" Donna asks as she watches Lily head upstairs.

"Hmmm?"

"We need to work on your cooking." Lily laughs, glad that they can make a joke about something Donna didn't find amusing earlier.

"Okay, I'll cook Rufus breakfast tomorrow; it will surprise the hell out of him." Donna and Lily part with a laugh, but Lily's smile dissolves as she gets further up the stairs. Sure they made a step in the right direction, but Lily isn't exactly positive as to where they stand at the moment. The last thing she wants to do is give Rufus false hope in case her relationship with Donna becomes fractured again.

She creeps back into her bedroom and sits on the bed. Rufus notices the shift in weight and his eyes flutter open. His wife has her back to him, her face buried in her hands.

"Lil? You okay?" He asks, sitting up and gliding his hand up her back. She twists to face him, managing only a malleable smile.

"Can't sleep," She mumbles.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Lily gives a half nod. "I'm sorry sweetheart," He engulfs her in a fierce hug, not being able to see the guilty look consuming her features. It's a lie, but a necessary one until she and Rufus can have an actual conversation about her newly improved relationship with his mother.

"I'm fine," Lily assures him, pulling away and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Hmm…good, let's get some sleep," He surprises her by hooking his arm around her waist, forcing her to lie down on the bed.

"Rufus, you are going to kill me!" She exclaims, laughing into the blankets.

"That's the point Lil," he teases. Lily smirks at him and snuggles deeper into the covers, feeling better when his arms lock around her.

The next morning, Alex runs into her parent's room, a terrified look marring her usual upbeat face.

"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! You hafta wake up and stop her!" Alex exclaims, pulling on her father's arm. Rufus' eyes flicker open, staring at his daughter's wide green eyes filled with fear. He tilts his head, wondering where his wife has gone; it might be correlated to the reason why Alex is freaking out.

"Alex, what are you talking about? Where's your mom?"

"Daddy, she cookin', 'mon." Alex jumps off the bed so her father can stand up.

"Are you sure Alex?" Alex nods and grabs her dad's hand, leading him downstairs.

"Yeah, gamma der too." Rufus gasps and scoops his daughter off the ground, hurrying down the stairs. He stops when he sees his wife and mother cooking pancakes together and laughing. Rufus shakes his head in disbelief; certainly he is seeing a mirage. Lily laughs at the stunned look on Rufus' face and walks over to her husband, kissing him on the lips.

"Hi my darling, do you want a pancake?" Rufus double blinks and opens his mouth, but no words come out.

"Uh…sure…as long it's not burnt." Lily sneers at him as Rufus' mom is instructing her on how to flip a pancake.

"When I was pregnant with Alex, Rufus and I went to Hawaii. I thought I would be nice and cook my husband breakfast, but I burnt the pancakes. He hasn't let me forget for over three years now," Lily explains to Donna.

"Let it go son, soon Lily will be able to cook you dinner without starting something starting on fire." Alex and Rufus glance at each other, doubt written on their faces. Rufus puts Alex down to run upstairs, snatching up his phone. He comes back into the kitchen and takes a picture of his wife.

"Rufus, why are you taking a picture of me?" Lily asks as she slides a plate of perfectly made chocolate chip pancakes towards Alex. Alex stares down at them and looks to her father for approval to eat them.

"I am sending this to our kids so they will actually believe me when I tell them that you made us breakfast." Lily holds up her plate of pancakes and smiles while Rufus takes a picture. He pockets his phone so he can accept his pancakes.

Lily and Donna sit next to each other at the table, which has Rufus very confused. Yesterday, his mom despised Lily and now they are gossiping like old friends. Something had to have happened overnight for Donna to have such a change of heart about his wife.

"Rufus, I realize that me making breakfast is shocking, but are you just going to stand there?" Lily asks, bringing him out of his reverie.

"No…I am just wondering why you two are getting along…it's weird…" Lily drops her eyes down to her pancakes, shoving a huge bite into her mouth so she won't have to answer her husband. Rufus sits in his usual spot next to Lily and looks to his mother for a response.

"Lily and I talked, I am sure she will fill you in on the rest later. Now, what are we going to do for the day?" Donna isn't really sure what Lily wants to tell Rufus about their early morning conversation so she will just let her handle it.

"Daddy say we go get ice cweam, but I wanna see nanimals," Alex answers with her mouth full of pancake.

"I did promise her that we would go get some ice cream with you if that's okay mom." Rufus picks up for Alex who is busy chugging down the rest of her milk in her sippy cup.

"Sure, could we go to Central Park? I really would like to go there before I leave," Donna asks her son.

"I think that can be done. Lil, do you have anything going on today?" Rufus asks his wife.

"No I told Charles that I would help him tomorrow with the deal. However, I won't go anywhere until you admit that these pancakes I made are delicious." Rufus scoffs, but Lily is stubborn, she will make him sit at the table all day until he says what she wants him to.

"Mom, did you make these pancakes and let Lily take credit for them?" Rufus asks, not surprised at all when he receives a smack on the arm from his wife.

"Rufus!" Lily exclaims and shoots him a death glare.

"I only supervised; Lily did all of the work." Donna confesses. Rufus sighs in defeat and puts his hand over Lily's.

"Fine, Lily Humphrey, congratulations you actually made something that tastes great and isn't burnt, I am so proud of you." Rufus kisses her cheek as Lily blushes.

"Thank you, I thought I did well. Excuse me, I am going to get ready," Lily deposits her dish into the sink and leaves Rufus, Alex and Donna downstairs.

"Alex, can you go pick out what you want to wear?" Rufus asks, hinting to the toddler that he wants to speak with her grandmother alone.

"Yeah daddy," Alex gets unbuckled and scampers upstairs.

"Lily lied to me last night," Rufus tells Donna and props his chin on the table. Donna furrows her eyebrows,

"What do you mean?"

"She said that she couldn't sleep because she had a nightmare, but you two obviously had a conversation sometime during the night. Why does she always do this?" Rufus asks out of exasperation.

"Hold on Rufus, if we didn't talk last night then I wouldn't understand her like I do now. I think she is just scared and didn't know how to tell you."

"Scared of what?" Rufus is beyond perplexed by his mother's revelation.

"Talk to her, I have to change," Donna leaves her son alone at the kitchen table to ponder their talk. Rufus heads upstairs to the master bedroom, finding Lily changing into a three quarter length sleeve beige dress.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lily asks, approaching him tentatively. Rufus crosses his arms over his chest and scratches his nose.

"So are you going to tell me exactly what happened between you and my mom last night or am I going to have to guess?" Lily clasps his hand and rubs her thumb over his knuckles.

"I told her that I love you and the past is the past. I might have mentioned something about the talk we had about me having doubts about our relationship." Rufus appreciates that Lily was willing to let her guard down in front of his mother. He realizes how hard that was for her and gathers her in his arms, kissing her ardently.

"I ready!" Alex calls out from her bedroom. Lily and Rufus sigh against each other's lips, irritated that their alone time continues to be interrupted.

"You heard the woman, Rufus," Lily jokes and pushes him towards the door.

"Why do I have to go? She is going to want your opinion anyway and you are already dressed," Rufus protests. Lily shakes her head and brushes past her husband.

"Your mom really seems to be warming up to Alex," Lily comments as her and Rufus trail behind Donna who is carrying their daughter down a sidewalk at Central Park. Rufus reaches for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I think it took her realizing that Alex is one of her grandchildren as well as Jenny and Dan. Serena and Eric though, it might take a little longer." Lily shrugs,

"I'm not worried; my kids can be very persuasive."

"As can you; thanks Lil, for making the effort with my mom, I know it wasn't easy." Lily rests her head on Rufus' upper arm for a brief moment while he kisses the crown of her head.

"I think I like her better than CeCe, I might adopt her as my mother."

"Woah, slow down Lil, you don't want to do that."

"Why not? She raised you, she couldn't be that bad. Although, you are rather stubborn…" Lily trails off and giggles at the glower forming on Rufus' face.

"Mom, Lily's picking on me!" Rufus whines, watching Donna and Alex turn to face the couple.

"Stop trying to get me in trouble," Lily mutters under her breath.

"Don't be a tattletale Rufus," Donna scolds jokingly and resumes walking, carrying Alex over to the pond so she can fix the ducks. Rufus and Lily stand back; he is slack-jawed while she is desperately trying to hold in her laughter.

"I can't…believe…she took your side…" Rufus sputters, glancing down at his wife.

"Don't worry darling, I promised to take her shoe shopping later," Lily teases and stands on her tip-toes to stamp a kiss to the curve of Rufus' mouth.

When they arrive back at the penthouse, Chuck is waiting with a bouquet of flowers. Alex gasps at the sight of her favorite sibling and immediately demands to be put down so she can hug him.

"Chuck! You here! Are dem fwowers for me?" The three-year-olds green eyes twinkle with excitement. Rufus and Lily stand back with Donna, watching the interaction between Alex and Chuck.

"You can share them with your mom," Chuck says, even though he mainly bought them for Lily. He doesn't want to hurt his half-sister's feelings.

"Thanks Chuck, I wuv you," Alex kisses Chuck's cheek and brings the flowers over to Lily.

"Mommy, look at dese fwowers! Aren't day pwetty mommy?" Lily bends down and picks up her little girl.

"They are sweetie. Thank you Charles, what brings you here?" Chuck nervously glances behind Lily at Donna, not knowing who she is. Lily catches his look and clears her throat, "Oh sorry, Charles, this is Rufus' mom, Donna. She is staying with us until tomorrow." They exchange pleasantries and Chuck turns his attention to Lily.

"Can we talk somewhere privately?" Chuck asks Lily.

"Alex, do you want to go get some ice cream with me and grandma?" Rufus asks, giving his wife the chance to talk to Chuck. Alex taps her chin, torn between ice cream and spending time with her brother.

"Um…Chuck, you come too?" Alex asks her voice full of hope.

"Another time Alex, I have to talk about the company with your mom," Chuck lies. Alex has no idea what Chuck is telling her, but nods.

"K, I see you lata Chuck! I go get ice cweam," Alex follows her grandma to the elevator.

"Be right there," Rufus calls over his shoulder. He shakes Chuck's hand, never getting the chance to thank him for saving Lily from Jack a few nights ago. Rufus can't help but think of when he did the same thing all those years ago the day after the first time Jack attacked his wife at the opera. "Do you want anything?" Rufus asks Lily after he kisses her goodbye.

"No, thanks though," She gives him a quick kiss of her own and watches her husband leave. She brings Chuck over to the couch; tucking her legs under her and watching her son situate himself next to her. "I never got the chance to thank you for what you did for me at your par…" Lily stops when Chuck shakes his head vigorously back and forth.

"Lily, I didn't notice that Jack was there. I should have stopped him before he had the chance…" Lily puts her hands on Chuck's cheeks, causing his head to tilt up.

"Charles, it wasn't your fault, please don't blame yourself for anything that happened. You and Rufus were there for me when it really mattered. And thanks for the flowers my daughter stole." Lily smiles softly and caresses her son's cheek before pulling him in for a quick hug.

"Blair picked them out," Chuck stands up and Lily does as well.

"Thank you so much for stopping by Charles, I love you and you know you are always welcome to stop by," Lily follows her son to the elevator. Before he steps on the awaiting elevator, Chuck turns to face Lily.

"I love you too and Jack isn't coming back Lily, I made sure of it. I definitely will try to make it to the next family event." Lily nods and hugs her son again.

"Thank you Charles, I'll see you soon." She watches the doors close in front of Charles and takes a deep breath. Lily is so appreciative that her son made the effort to stop by despite the fact that he thinks that what happened is his fault. Chuck shouldn't take responsibility for his uncle's mistakes, but Lily understands that he feels some guilt over the whole incident. All she wants to do is move on with her life and never see Jack again.

At the ice cream place, Alex is debating which flavor to get while Rufus and Donna are patiently waiting.

"Up daddy! Pwease!" Alex holds her arms up for her father, having officially decided. Rufus scoops her daughter off the ground so she can tell the lady behind the counter which flavor she wants. Alex gets her ice cream dish and they sit at a table.

"Are Chuck and Lily close?" Donna asks her son out of curiosity. Rufus shrugs,

"They have a complicated relationship; Chuck has some…unresolved family issues, but he does really love her. Alex really seems to have bonded with Chuck, right Al?"

"I wuv Chuck sooo much but I wuv ice cweam more," Alex admits and shoves a bite into her mouth. Rufus and Donna laugh at the three-year-old.

"Rufus, I owe you an apology. I am sorry for being so quick to judge Lily and her kids, I just keep thinking about before," Donna doesn't want to mention the past in front of Alex because she isn't sure how much the toddler knows. Rufus softens and smiles at his mother.

"Thanks mom, I appreciate both you and Lil making the effort to fix your relationship."

"I want to cook you guys dinner since it's my last night in town." Rufus shakes his head,

"Mom, you don't have to."

"Is Lily going to?"

"Good point," mother and son share a laugh and look over at Alex who has ice cream all over her face. "We have to go grocery shopping though."

Rufus, Donna and Alex get home an hour later, arms full of grocery bags.

"Where's Lily?" Donna asks Rufus, who glances around the empty penthouse.

"Probably upstairs, she would have let me know if she was going somewhere. Come on Al, it's time for your nap," Rufus holds out his hand for his daughter. Alex follows her dad into her room, not fighting for once. It's later than usual and the toddler's shoulders are slumping with exhaustion. He puts the three-year-old to bed and then searches for his wife.

"Lil?" He asks as he knocks on their bedroom door. She is fast asleep, lying on her side, facing away from him. Rufus strolls over to her side of the bed and watches her sleep for a few minutes. She looks so peaceful, he doesn't want to wake her, but he knows that she doesn't like to sleep for very long. He gingerly sits on the edge of their bed and puts a hand on her thigh. His hand moves up to her stomach, caressing it gently while he places a kiss on her cheek.

"Mmmm…what time is it?" She mutters sleepily as she rolls on her back, scooting over so he has more room on their bed.

"A little after three, I just put Alex down for a quick nap." Rufus gathers her into his arms, brushing a kiss to her temple.

"Thank you, where is your mom?"

"She is making us dinner." Lily raises her eyebrows in surprise, "Are the kids coming?"

"No, they have that event tonight for Nate."

"Why aren't we going?" Rufus is surprised that his wife would skip out on an event.

"You mean why aren't I dragging you to an event?"

"Same difference." Lily laughs and drops her head on his shoulder.

"Since your mother is here I thought we could skip it."

"Good idea, I didn't want to go anyway. How did your talk with Chuck go?" A frown tarnishes Lily's smile,

"He thinks he is responsible for what happened with Jack, Rufus. I feel terrible." Rufus is surprised by this; he didn't think Chuck would have that kind of reaction.

"It's not his fault though; he helped you get away from him." He senses Lily nod against the fabric of his flannel shirt.

"That's what I told him, but he feels bad because Jack was able to sneak into his party."

"Well Jack is gone now so we don't have to worry about him anymore. I am just looking forward to our alone time," Rufus lowers his voice to a whisper and kisses near her ear. Lily rolls her eyes,

"Is that all you can think about?" Rufus scoffs,

"Please Lil; we have known each other for too long for you to deny it." Lily flashes an impish grin before tucking it away.

"I know you look so handsome in that," She pouts, tugging on the hem of his shirt. Rufus laughs,

"We could always mess with my mom at dinner." Lily shakes her head,

"No, she finally likes me; I don't want to screw that up." Rufus huffs and Lily feels the need to reassure him. "We will get our alone time soon my darling."

"Good, because when we do, we aren't leaving our bedroom for at least a day." Lily giggles,

"Rufus! What about Alex?"

"Eh, she's three; she can take care of herself for a day."

"You are terrible," Lily jokes and stamps a kiss to his lips. Rufus laughs against her lips and slips his tongue into her mouth. "Rufus…we should stop…" He is trailing sloppy kisses down her neck and sneaking his hand under her pajama shirt.

"Okay, I am going to ask my mom if she needs help with dinner." Rufus gives her a fleeting kiss on the forehead. Lily is surprised that her husband gave up that easily, but she is guessing that he doesn't want his mother to hear them.

"I am going to change…again."

Rufus, Lily, Donna and Alex sit down for dinner a few hours later. Donna went all out and made lasagna with unburned garlic bread and a salad. Lily is impressed, her mom never cooked dinner so it's strange to see Rufus' mom doing it. A part of her wishes that she did, but she can't change how she grew up. And she knows that as much as she tries, Lily just wasn't born to cook. She is lucky that Rufus can otherwise Alex would have grown up on take out menus.

"This looks great; do you think I can make this in my Easy Bake Oven?" Lily asks Rufus jokingly. Rufus laughs at his wife's question and shakes his head.

"Why do you have an Easy Bake Oven?" Donna asks out of curiosity.

"Rufus bought it for me for our anniversary so I could learn how to cook," Lily feels her cheeks flame as she explains her gift to her mother in law.

"How did that work out for you?"

"I gave it to Alex," Lily tells Donna and winks at her daughter. Alex flashes a toothy grin.

As dinner moves on, Rufus is wondering why his mom hasn't apologized to Lily. She deserves more of an apology than he did, so why isn't Donna saying she is sorry? Of course, he doesn't want to mention it in order for his mom not to feel pressured and have the apology come out as forced. Also, the other possibility is that maybe his wife and his mom aren't there yet in their relationship. Their talk is enough for now, if his mom wants to apologize to Lily on her own, away from Rufus that would be great.

Lily is actually enjoying her time with Rufus' mom at dinner. There isn't the pressure to be a certain way or to impress anyone, their time together flows a lot better when everyone is just acting like themselves.

Rufus realizes that his wife and mother are very similar to each other. It took Donna a while to warm up to Lily and Alex. He has noticed that Lily isn't always receptive to people right away like he is. A lot of people think that Lily is some hardened societal bitch who cares more about her image than her family. Rufus has seen that part of her come out occasionally, but he knows better than anyone that it's just her walls going up when Lily feels threatened. Lily is one of the kindest and funniest people he has ever met and he is glad that his mother got to see this part of his wife that he loves so much. He puts his hand on her knee, gliding it towards her thigh.

"Rufus," Lily mutters quietly, eyeing him in suspicion. She doesn't want to get busted by his mom because that would be so embarrassing. Her husband doesn't seem to care and his cold fingers contrast her warm skin. She shivers and smacks her knee against the table, swearing softly.

"Lily are you okay?" Donna asks.

"Yeah, honey, are you okay?" Rufus asks with a cheeky grin. Lily glares at him, I'm going to murder you Rufus; you better sleep with one eye open tonight darling.

"I'm fine, I just hit my knee," Lily passes a convincing grin to Donna who seems to buy it. Rufus seems to think that he got away with it, but Lily is going to prove him wrong. She starts up a conversation with Rufus' mom about the baby while digging her nails into Rufus' khaki pants. She bites back a smile when he hears Rufus' clear his throat loudly. She pats his thigh before retracting her hand, proud of herself for leveling the playing field between her and Rufus.

"I done!" Alex announces, showing her empty bowl off. The toddler is covered from head to toe in marina sauce; it's even in her hair.

"Alex, how did you get it in your hair?" Rufus asks his daughter in amusement.

"I don't know daddy," Alex grimaces at the streaks of marina sauce covering her body.

"I'm going to give her a bath," Lily declares and holds Alex away from her so she doesn't get any sauce on her dress.

"Very sneaky Lil!" Rufus calls out to her, realizing that his wife only volunteered because she doesn't want to clean up. Lily high fives Alex as they walk upstairs together. She undresses Alex and starts the water while her daughter wanders around naked.

"Mommy look!" Alex shakes her bare butt before stepping into the tub. Lily laughs and shakes her head; their daughter definitely inherited her husband's silliness.

"Alex you are crazy," Lily declares and reaches for the baby shampoo.

"I know mommy," Alex says in an obvious tone. Lily situates herself so she is sitting on the floor, her legs outstretched. She washes Alex while her daughter is playing with her bath toys. And that's when Lily felt it; a tiny, distinguishable flutter just below her belly button. She gasps, dropping the shampoo bottle in the water and puts a hand on her swollen abdomen. What that what I think it was? Lily asks herself.

"Mommy?" Alex asks, her eyebrows crinkled with worry. Lily realizes that she scared her daughter and smiles.

"I'm okay my darling." She wasn't exactly sure if that was the baby moving and even if it was, Lily would rather share this moment with Rufus first.

"You look funny." Alex says bluntly and giggles as Lily splashes some water at her. Lily swaddles Alex in a towel and carries her into her bedroom. She can faintly hear her husband and mother-in-law chatting downstairs while getting Alex dressed into footie pajamas.

"Should we go say goodnight to grandma?" Lily asks Alex. Alex nods and hops out of her mom's arms, leading the way downstairs. Lily follows closely behind and tries to wipe off her grin. She keeps feeling tiny, sporadic movements, but doesn't want to tell Rufus until they are alone, although, Lily might blow it if she can't reign in her emotions around her husband. Alex climbs on Rufus' lap while Lily sits on a chair by the couch, Donna in the other chair next to her. Rufus frowns, not knowing why his wife didn't sit next to him like she always does. Lily catches her husband staring at her intently and winks at him.

"How was your bath Alex?" Rufus asks his daughter, hoping that she will divulge something about her mother.

"I don't have dat red stuff on me no more, look daddy, I cwean!" Alex shows Rufus her bare arms.

"Why is mommy sitting all the way over there?" Rufus teases his wife who is talking to his mom. Alex shrugs and leans over to grab a toy on the coffee table. Lily smirks at him, she knows that he is going to continue to wonder, but not figure it out. She loves messing with her husband almost as much as he loves messing with her; it's why their relationship thrives.

"I don't know daddy, you don't stink," Alex sniffs her father for confirmation. Rufus snickers and tickles his little girl until she surrenders.

"I hate to break this up, but I am going to bed. I have a very early flight tomorrow morning," Donna declares and stands up. Rufus and Lily follow suit, with him holding Alex in his arms.

"I'll be up to take accompany you to the airport," Rufus says and hugs his mom with Alex in tow.

"Okay, thank you for letting me come Rufus, it was nice seeing you and the kids." Donna puts a hand on her son's cheek and holds her hands out for Alex. The toddler is passed while Rufus goes to stand next to Lily, swathing an arm around her waist.

"Bye gamma, you goin home now?" Alex asks, wondering why her parents are saying goodbye. Donna eyes Alex with an impressed stare; she didn't think the three-year-old would be able to pick up on that.

"Yes sweetie I'm going back home, but I will see you soon, okay?" Alex wraps her tiny arms around her grandmother's neck and is set down on the floor. Lily waits patiently for Donna to acknowledge her, she is curious as to what her mother-in-law is going to say.

"Lily, thank you for having me in your home, I would like to visit again in the near future," Donna states. Lily smiles and they give each other somewhat of an awkward hug. Rufus scoops up Alex and clasps his wife's hand. Donna shuts the door to Serena's bedroom behind her, leaving Alex, Rufus and Lily by themselves. Lily bites her lip, eager to show her husband her surprise.

"Are you going to put Alex to bed or am I?" Rufus asks his wife, who is still acting strange.

"Go ahead, I'll meet you in our bed when you are done," Lily bends down to kiss Alex goodnight, trying not to smile when she feels the tiny flutters in her stomach. She brushes past Rufus, only managing a gentle squeeze on his shoulder. Rufus stares down at Alex who is fiddling with her toy, not noticing anything different about her mother.

"Alex, why is your mom acting weird?" Rufus asks and picks his daughter up, carrying her upstairs. Alex sighs and shakes her head.

"Daddy, I tired, mommy is okay." He laughs at the annoyance stemming from the toddler, who didn't get to nap very long today.

"Alright Al, goodnight,"

"Night daddy."

Rufus gets his daughter situated in her bed and stamps a kiss to her temple. He closes the bedroom door and walks into the master. Lily is dressed in a black lace tank top, the sheets pulled up to her waist and she smirking at Rufus.

"That…look on your face…Am I about to be in trouble?" Rufus asks sheepishly, gesturing at his wife's saccharine smile.

"No, why would you be in trouble? Unless you did something that you didn't tell me about." He stands back, unwilling to get under the covers with her until she admits to whatever is going on between them.

"I didn't, but that face…you make that face you are making right now right before you say 'Rufus' in a very high pitched tone. It's very sexy I must admit, but also a little scary." Lily giggles and pats the blankets on his side of the bed.

"Thank you Rufus, you have a look too," She challenges and impersonates it; head slightly turned, eyebrows raised. "Lily," she says her own name in a deep voice. Rufus loses his composure and laughs at his wife's impression of him; they know each other too well.

"I will get in bed with you in a second as long as you don't yell at me." He disappears into the closet to change into his pajamas. Lily patiently waits for him, smiling when she senses the covers pull back and her husband encompassing her in his arms. "Now, what is the big secret?"

She doesn't say anything, but instead, lifts up her shirt, exposing her expanded stomach.

"Give me your hand," Lily reaches for Rufus' hand and places it on the spot where she first felt the sensation. Rufus concentrates on the feel of Lily's skin beneath his fingertips. She narrows her eyes and moves his hand more to the left. "There, did you feel that?"

"Yeah, I did," Rufus looks down at the tremendous grin igniting Lily's face. He squeezes her hand and presses a kiss to her hair.

Come on baby, do it again, He thinks to himself and presses his fingers gently into the spot where the baby had pushed against them. Rufus and Lily feel the baby dance against their hands and they laugh, resting their foreheads against each other.

"Remember when we first felt Alex move?" Lily asks, craning her neck to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, we just got in a fight, but made up for your birthday. That was a fun night," Rufus wags his eyebrows mischievously, remembering how they celebrated Lily's birthday after dinner. She laughs at the nostalgic grin on his face and lightly drops a kiss on the side of his neck.

"It's nice to be referring to the baby as a 'he' now," Lily talks aloud, smiling softly when she can feel Rufus trace a lazy outline on her stomach.

"You know what would be even nicer?"

"What?"

"Calling him by his name," he states, giving her a hopeful look. Lily bites her lip,

"I am really surprised you haven't badgered me about that before. However, I don't have an answer for you yet. I am still making a list."

"I could help with that if you are struggling," Rufus glances at her, an eager smile chasing across his face.

"No, I will give you some options and we can pick together. For now though, you will just have to wait." She nuzzles noses with him, scrunching up her face when he presses a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"Fine, but I will continue to bother you about it."

"Darling, I would expect nothing less from you. I will have an answer for you very soon. Let's get some sleep, your mother leaves tomorrow." Lily loses contact with him when she reaches to turn off the lamp on the bedside table. He reaches for her, pulling her up against him. His hand finds her belly, rubbing it soothingly and presses a kiss to the back of her head.

"Love you Lil," He whispers.

"I love you too Rufus." They quickly kiss each other goodnight and fall asleep rather quickly.

The next morning, Rufus entangles himself from Lily so she doesn't wake up. He bends down to kiss her cheek, accidentally waking her up.

"Hmm…?" Lily mumbles, blindly splashing her hand on the empty side of the bed, her eyelids fluttering open when she can't find her husband.

"Go back to sleep sweetheart, I am taking my mom to the airport."

"Okay, am I taking Alex to school?" Rufus smiles when he looks down at her tousled hair. Lily frowns, "don't laugh at me."

"I'll take her to school if you pick her up." Lily nods and turns over, trying to fall back to sleep.

"I don't get a goodbye kiss?" Rufus pouts jokingly.

"Nope, see you later," Lily holds out her hand and Rufus clasps it, pressing his lips to her skin.

Three hours later, a very tired Rufus stumbles into the penthouse. He dropped his mom off at the airport, Alex off at school and now he is ready to go back to bed. However, his nose is assaulted with the smell of pancakes. Rufus strolls into the kitchen, watching his wife concentrate on setting up her plate of steaming hot chocolate chip pancakes.

"Hi honey, I made us breakfast…again." He accepts his plate with a yawn and drags behind his wife to the dining room table.

"Are you getting sick of my waffles Lil?"

"No, I just wanted to see if I could make pancakes without your mom's help. They are a little burnt, but not too bad." Rufus nods in agreement and goes into the kitchen to grab his half-finished cup of coffee.

"They are great, I'm impressed."

After breakfast, Rufus cleans up while Lily leans against the counter, tracking his movements around the kitchen.

"Rufus…"

"What Lil?" He turns around to face her, furrowing his eyebrows at the cheeky grin flourishing on her lips.

"We are alone." Rufus slams the dishwasher and advances towards her, catching her off guard when he kisses her passionately. She breaks away first, breathless, and brushes a piece of hair out of his eyes. "You aren't too tired?"

"Have you forgotten who you are married to?" She shakes her head and gasps when he picks her off the ground.

"Rufus don't drop me!" She exclaims when he fumbles a little on the top stair. His retort is swallowed by her lips compressing onto his.

A/N 2: That's it! I hope you liked this chapter, which was so fun to write. I always value your opinion so…what do you guys think of a Christmas chapter? Should I skip it or include it in this story? Let me know by leaving a review. Also, baby names would be really appreciated because I have no clue. Thanks for reading! I'll definitely try to post a chapter quicker next time if you guys review.