Charlotte was sitting at her desk, staring blankly at the wall. She put her hand on her stomach and leaned back in the chair. She yawned and her feet were aching. She was tired, but she didn't feel like going home. Sheldon walked past her office and then backtracked when he noticed the far-away-look in her eyes. "You're here late."

Charlotte sighed and turned to look at him. "Am I an emasculating bitch?"

"I assume this isn't a trick question?" He laughed a little. "Is this a Cooper thing?"

"My Sex-Ed seminar turned up a patient with prostate cancer. He's old. He thinks his life will be over without sex. He won't even listen to treatment options. I think I could help him, but he won't take my calls. Cooper doesn't think I understand men."

Sheldon laughed louder. "I think you know he's wrong." He paused and walked farther into Charlotte's office. "We therapists are good at helping people talk through their problems."

"And I don't like talkin'."

"Yeah well, maybe that's your problem."

"Things I tell you are privileged?"

"Of course."

Charlotte motioned with her eyes for Sheldon to sit in the chair. "This thing with me and Cooper…why'd you push me back to him?"

"Because it's what you want."

"I don't want someone who doesn't want me." She put her hand on her stomach and tried not to cry. "All he cares about is the baby, which should make me happy, but it doesn't."

"You miss him. It's ok to miss him."

"It's not like I can stop thinking about him. I think about him every time I look down at my stomach, every time I feel a little movement, every time I forget or run into something."

"Having hope is a good thing, Charlotte."

"I don't think there's any hope left in me." She looked down at her desk. "I've said too much. I think you should just go." Sheldon flashed her, his best sympathetic smile and walked out of her office. Charlotte sank in her chair as her vision blurred from the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She inhaled deeply and let it out. She rubbed her eyes and opened her top drawer. She took out the sonogram picture and looked at it. She traced the outline of the baby as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

The next day, Charlotte walked into the lobby and leaned against the front desk. The temp waved the pink slips in Charlotte's face. She took them and glared at the younger woman. "Don't wave those in my face." She deadpanned and looked through the slips. The receptionist put two folders on the counter. One was Charlotte's next patient, the other was Cooper's. Cooper came around the corner and grabbed her folder by accident. "Oh. Oscar's back?" He smiled.

"He decided to go with the treatment."

"That's good."

"Thank you for, um, talking to him, getting him to come back."

"I'm sorry I was an ass to you."

"Yeah, you were, but maybe we can work together after all and not kill each other."

"Maybe we can." He looked down at his folder. "Well I'm gonna do work." He started to walk away.

"Hey, what do you say to a drink after work? I mean I can't drink alcohol, but whatever."

"I don't think so."

"You afraid to be friends, Cooper?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then what?"

"I don't know." He blinked and walked farther into the lobby to call for his next patient. Charlotte sighed and called Oscar back to her office.

Charlotte stormed down to Sheldon's office. "Why is it that I can't even be friends with Cooper?"

"Still no word on your patient?"

"The opposite. Cooper got him to come in. He agreed to do treatment. Then Cooper wouldn't even have a drink with me." Sheldon looked at her pregnant belly and then up to her face. She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to drink alcohol, Sheldon."

"Well, you worked together with good results. That's a start."

"Stop gettin' my hopes up."

"Cooper will come around, but in the mean time, you come have a drink…or non drink, with me. I mean you and Cooper may not be there yet, but you and I can still be friends, right?"

"Yes." She paused. "Do you really think he'll come around?"

"I know he will. He still loves you, that's why he can't be friends with you."

"If he was still in love with me, he'd come after me. He's pushed for me since the beginning."

"He can say he's over you lying, but he's not because there's something besides the lying part that had him so upset. Until he acknowledges what that is, he won't get over your first marriage."

"You're brilliant, you know that?"

"Yeah, I've been told that from time to time." He laughed which in turn, made her laugh. "Let's go." He held out his hand and helped her up from the chair she was now sitting in.

"Thank you." She smiled. She was tired, but she didn't want to go home. She put her hand on her stomach. Your daddy may be an ass, but I still love him. She smiled and walked out of the building with Sheldon.

Later that night, Charlotte was relaxing on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, halfway to sleep when there was a loud knock on the door. She groaned and stood up. She walked over to the door and opened it. She blinked and held onto the doorknob for support. "What are you doin' here?"

"I was in the neighborhood."

She rolled her eyes. "I was kind of in the middle of somethin' important."

He looked into the living room and down at her clothes. "Sitting on the couch and watching late night TV is something important?"

"I was actually sleepin'."

He swallowed. "Oh, sorry."

"You come here for somethin'?"

He held up a white bag in his hand and shifted the drink tray he was carrying. "I brought donuts and pineapple-strawberry-mango smoothies. I thought we could talk."

"You seemed like you didn't wanna be friends earlier."

"I don't…well, I don't know what I want, but I just thought we could talk." She motioned for him to come into the living room. He stepped into the house and she shut the door behind him. She followed him to the couch and sat down. She grunted as she plopped down on the couch next to him. "Do you want a foot massage?"

She blinked slowly and stared at him. "Uh…"

"I guess not."

"No, I do, it's just I don't…"

"This doesn't mean anything, Char. I'm just making sure that the mother of my child is taken care of."

She smiled faintly. "I'd love one then."

He laughed and handed her a donut. "Don't feel like you have to stay awake either. If you're tired, just go to sleep." She nodded and bit into her donut. He took a sip of his smoothie and took off her right slipper. He rested her foot on his leg and dug his fingers into her foot. He peaked up momentarily and noticed she was staring at him and trying to conceal a smile. "Whatcha looking at?"

She shook her head and looked down at her hands. "Nothing."

"Mmhmm." He mumbled and continued to massage her feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Just fine, Cooper."

"And the baby?"

"The baby's fine too."

"Good. When Violet was pregnant, she craved pastries. I thought you'd like something sweet."

She swallowed. "I didn't each much today, so thank you."

He perked up. "Charlotte, you have to eat."

"I'm not an idiot, Coop. I know I have to eat. I've just been busy."

"Ok." He dug into her foot harder. "Is that good?"

"A little harder." He nodded and continued to massage her foot. "That's better."

"I have a question."

"What?"

He exhaled. "Why Sheldon?"

"He's nice, he made me laugh, I was horny, and he was there."

"So you don't love him or anything?"

She shook her head. "If I wasn't pregnant with your baby, it might have turned into somethin'."

Cooper gagged a little, but concealed it. Charlotte yawned and relaxed into the cushions. "You can sleep. I'm done talking." She nodded and closed her eyes. When he was done, he looked up and noticed she was sound asleep. He smiled and slowly stood up. He covered her with a blanket and cleaned up the mess they had made. He stared at her for a second before leaving.

Cooper walked into Sheldon's office the next day and sat down on his couch. He looked up from his desk and arched his eyebrows. "May I help you with something, Cooper?"

He sighed. "Has she said anything?"

"By she, do you mean Charlotte?"

"Yes, Charlotte, who else would I be talking about?"

Sheldon shrugged. "Earlier, she came in and told me you stopped by last night. Why?"

"I don't mean about last night, I mean has she said anything about me?"

"What do you mean about you? In what context?"

He rolled his eyes. "About…has she said anything about what she wants? How she feels?"

"She's hurt if that's what you're asking?" Cooper nodded. "Do you want some advice?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, I'll give it to you anyway because I care about Charlotte. She misses you and she's still in love with you. Decide what you want. You're sending her mixed messages. Some days you talk to her and then other days, you shut her out completely. Some days you avoid her, and then some days you show up and give her foot massages. Make up your mind, Cooper."

He sighed. "She's still in love with me?"

"You'd have to be blind not to see it. I don't understand it, but sometimes those feelings can't be explained." Cooper stood up and walked out of Sheldon's office without as much as a thank you. Sheldon was right. He had to decide what he wanted, but that was easier said than done. He cared about her, that much he knew, but he wasn't sure he could look past everything she had done.

I just added the patient bits in the last chapter because that's what happened on the show.

here's some more charcoop alone time.

What did you think?