Okay, guys, sorry it's been a few days since I updated. I have been swamped with school, but I was able to get a lot of work done today. I hope you like this new chapter. Just forewarning, there will be some angst and trouble coming soon. Enjoy!

After an impromptu game of twenty questions Ryan and Amanda finally eased the child's bedroom door shut, leaving a sleeping Emmy inside. As they fell onto the couch Ryan turned to face the blonde, taking her hand. "You know, through all the chaos that was today, there is something that we have yet to discuss." She said. Amanda looked at her questioningly.

"What's that?"

"Nick." Ryan said. Amanda's shoulders slumped and her eyes drifted to the wall to the right of them. Ryan leaned forward and, with her free hand, turned the other woman's face back to her and looked deeply into her eyes. "It's okay, 'Manda. I understand that this isn't the most pleasant conversation to have, but we do need to talk about this." Amanda sighed.

"I don't…I haven't even thought about what I'm going to tell him…if I'm going to tell him." She told the brunet.

"Well, you have to tell him."

"I don't have to do anything." Amanda shot back.

"That's not what I meant." Ryan assured her. "Look, I know that this isn't the most comfortable conversations to have with someone, been there, done that, believe me I know. But, no matter the circumstances, he is the baby's father. He deserves to know."

"Ugh!" Amanda covered her face with her hands. How did everything get like this? "I know, I'm sorry I snapped." A thought occurred to her then. "What do you mean 'been there, done that'?"

"Well, I didn't just find Emily at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box." Ryan told her through a smirk.

"That's not how this works?" Amanda deadpanned.

"No." Ryan laughed. "I had been at the Bureau for about a year when I was put undercover with this crime family. They were well known for smuggling weapons and underage women in and out of the country and selling them to the highest bidder. Luckily, he had a son who was around my age at the time and I happened to fit his type. I went in and manipulated Tommy into thinking I was the perfect woman for him. I think he actually had feelings for me." Ryan stated sadly.

"Anyway, I had been under for about five months when there came a time that if I did fulfill certain…expectations it would raise a red flag. So I did." Ryan continued. Amanda was speechless. It was almost chilling how clinical the brunet spoke about it.

"I'm sorry." Ryan said, as if reading her mind. "It's not really a time in my life that I'm exactly proud of. I wouldn't trade any of it because of Emmy, but talking about it just makes me feel sort of like a prostitute." Amanda could understand that. The things she did when she was gambling, almost did when she was gambling, made her feel the same way. She squeezed Ryan's hand before speaking.

"Well, you're my prostitute." She told her, causing the other woman to laugh heartily.

"Gee, thanks." Ryan shot back, pulling the blonde into her arms and holding her gently. She pressed a kiss to Amanda's forehead. "Everything's going to be alright, I promise, but you need to talk to him." She whispered against the other woman's skin.

The next morning Amanda set off to track down Amaro and, having dropped Emily off at day care, left Ryan to sit and stew at the apartment. Having felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin for long enough, Ryan decided it was time to take her mind off of all of the possible outcomes of the day.

"Cabot." Alex said when she answered.

"Prescott." Ryan answered back in mock firmness. Causing the woman on the other end to smile.

"Hey, you. What are you up to?" Alex asked.

"I was actually wondering if you were free for lunch. I need a distraction."

"Is everything okay?" Alex replied.

"Its fine, I just need to get out of the apartment." She answered. "I'll explain when I see you." She added when Alex said nothing.

"Okay, well I'm actually at home today." Alex told her. "Noah wasn't feeling well this morning so I'm working from home, but I always have time for you."

"I'll be there in ten." Ryan told her before ending the call.

Fifteen minutes later Ryan was let in to Alex's apartment, bags of Chinese food in her hands. They took seats on the couch and divvied up the food.

"Noah?" Ryan asked, not seeing the boy anywhere.

"Sleeping." Alex told her. "Emmy?"

"Daycare. Have to pay them anyway, might as well use them."

After the food was separated they ate in silence, aside from the news that Alex had playing softly on the TV. When they had both finished the blonde decided that it was time to talk about the important things.

"So, what's going on?" She asked, cutting to the chase. Ryan had to smile at her directness.

"Amanda's talking to Nick." She answered. "About the baby." She added when Alex looked at her expectantly.

"Ah."

"Exactly. Thought it was best to do something other than sit alone at home. Couldn't stand just sitting there thinking anyhow." Ryan said.

"Thinking about what?" Alex asked her.

"Everything." Ryan said, running a hand through her short hair. "Is this all too soon? The repercussions if Nick wants nothing to do with the baby. What's going to happen if he wants everything to do with the baby? Will she decide that she wants to be a real family with him? Where will we live if she decides to stay?" Ryan was stopped from continuing on by a gentle hand on her arm.

"You're rambling, honey." Alex smiled at her. She understood her daughter's trepidation. This was a confusing situation to be in. Alex pulled the younger woman in for a tight hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back. She pressed a kiss to the brunet's hair before pulling away. Ryan shot her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry."

"You need to take a breath." Alex told her. "Relax. I don't see Amanda going anywhere. You have to stop waiting for that other shoe to drop." Ryan laughed at that, causing Alex to frown. "What?"

"Olivia told me something similar at the hospital." Alex smiled at that. She really did love that woman.

Olivia found them a few hours later asleep on their bed, the menu display for Finding Nemo playing softly in the background. Alex was leaning against the headboard, Noah on her lap. Ryan was snuggled into her side, her right arm slung over the Noah. She pulled her phone and snapped a few pictures before sending one to Amanda. She tip-toed over to Alex and ran her hand lightly through her blonde hair. The other woman's eyes twitched before sliding open. Alex smiled at her sleepily.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty." Liv whispered, trying not to wake the other two. Alex moved to stretch but found herself rather trapped. She smiled at the sight of the kids huddled close to her.

"Hey, sorry, I guess we fell asleep." Alex told her. "Noah seems to be doing better than he was this morning."

"Well, unless we want to be up all night with him, I think we should go ahead and wake him up." Alex nodded. Olivia reached and pulled son to her and nodded her head in the direction of Ryan. Alex nodded in understanding as Olivia left them the room. When Liv had lifted Noah, Ryan's arm had fallen to around Alex's middle. Alex wrapped her arms around her daughter and pressed a light kiss to the girl's forehead, shaking her gently.

"Five more minutes." Ryan mumbled, snuggling further into Alex. The blonde smiled. Sometimes it was like she was seeing the twelve year old girl she first met.

"Ryan, Amanda is here looking for you." Alex whispered into the brunet's ear. Ryan shot up, her eyes darting around the room. They landed on Alex when she heard the other woman chuckle.

"You're evil…absolutely evil." Ryan told her, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and yawning.

When the two women entered he living room, only slightly more awake, they saw Olivia in the kitchen preparing dinner and talking animatedly to Noah. When she saw the blonde her eyes instantly lit up. As if being pulled by gravity, Ryan watched them move towards one another, smiling at the happiness she saw in them. She hoped that one day she and Amanda could be as in love as they were.

Olivia hugged the blonde tightly, pecking her lips quickly before turning her attention to their guest. "Are you going to stay for dinner, Ryan?" She asked, Alex still being held in her arms securely.

"No." Ryan told her. "I should probably head home and start dinner for my brood." Alex, after breaking the embrace with Liv, walked her to the door. After hugging her daughter and bidding her goodbye, she made her way back to the kitchen.

"How is she?" Liv asked.

"She'll be okay, I think. It's just a big step for them both so she's a bit nervous." Olivia made her way to the blonde, wrapping her arms around the other woman's waist.

"They'll be okay, baby." Olivia told her. "We'll be there to help whenever they need it."

"I'm glad that you mentioned that." Alex said, causing Liv to narrow her eyes at the woman.

"What…?"

"Ryan mentioned that they were going to need a bigger place before the baby is born." Alex told her. Liv raised her eyebrows in question. "When my mother died, the brownstone that she shared with father was passed down to me."

"You want to give it to Ryan?" Liv asked, understanding where the conversation was headed.

"Well, I haven't set foot there since I've been back. I have a housekeeper that keeps everything clean, but I could never see myself living there." Alex explained.

"Al, it's your decision. It's your house." Liv told her.

"Well, I didn't want to make a decision without seeing what you thought about it." Alex said "I didn't know if you saw us needing any extra space in the future." Olivia smiled at the thoughtfulness.

"How about this; you give Ryan the brownstone, since she and Amanda need the space now, and if we decide that we need the extra space later on we can find a place together. How about that?" Alex smiled at the brunet. It was a perfect plan. The blonde leaned forward and kissed the detective soundly. They were forced to break apart when Noah began to demand their attention back in the kitchen.

"You go spend time with Noah, I'll finish dinner." Alex told the brunet, shoving her lightly in the direction of her son, causing Liv to chuckle softly.

When Ryan got home she was greeted with the smell of pasta and garlic bread and the sound of Amanda and Emmy talking in the kitchen. She leaned herself against the entryway and just looked at them, a lump forming in her throat at the sight. Emmy was perched on the counter chatting away about all the things she did in day care while Amanda was straining the noodles for dinner, nodding away at the child. Emmy was the first to notice her.

"Mommy!" The child yelled, hopping off the counter and throwing herself at her brunet mother. Ryan caught her with practiced ease and hugged her tight. Amanda smiled at her, walking over and pecking her on the lips, rubbing her hand up and down Emmy's back unconsciously.

"Have a good nap, baby?" Amanda asked holding up her phone showing off the message she received from Liv and laughing a little at the sheepish look on the other woman's face.

"Yea, sorry. I wanted to be here when you got back, but I guess I got a little side tracked." Amanda waved her hand at the apology, making her way back to the sink where the noodles were.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you and Alex are spending some time together." The blonde said. Dinner was a casual affair, Ryan talking about her day with Alex and Noah while Emmy asked questions about any and everything she could think of.

When dinner was over they watched a short movie, which had Emily asleep before they were even halfway through. When the credits rolled the two women put the child in bed before making their way to the couch.

"So, how went things with Nick?" Ryan asked, deciding to get to the point. Amanda made a non-committal sound in her throat.

"It went, I guess. It's over now." She said, her attention never leaving the hands in her lap. Ryan ran a gentle hand through the soft, blonde locks drawing Amanda's attention as she did.

"That bad?" She asked.

"Well, he went from shock, to saying the baby wasn't his, to saying that he didn't want any more kids." Amanda said, her eyes misting a little. "I don't know why I'm upset about this. I didn't particularly want him involved." She said. Ryan took her hands in her own.

"Because, he's rejecting your baby. You have a biological need to protect your child and the one person, other than you, who should love him or her more than anything else in this world is saying that he won't. You're allowed to be upset, honey." Ryan told her, pulling her to her side and laying her chin on the woman's head.

"Is this how it was with Emily's dad?" Amanda asked hesitantly. Ryan pressed a kiss to her hair, silently telling her that it was okay to ask.

"Yes." Ryan told her. "I didn't find out until after the arrests were made, Tommy's included, that I was pregnant. I went to see him in prison and told him. He said that I betrayed him and that he didn't want anything to do with me or a child I gave birth to. The next day his lawyer faxed signed papers relinquishing his parental rights to my office."

"Wow." Amanda whispered.

"Yea." Ryan said. "The pain goes away. As soon as you hold that baby in your arms, it makes all the pain and hardships worth it."

"I'm sorry you had no one there for you for that." Amanda said, pressing a kiss to the brunet's jaw line.

"I had Mike." Ryan assured her. "And you'll have me, for everything."

"I know." Amanda said to her. "Thank you." The two women held each other until Ryan heard Amanda's breaths even out in slumber. She lifted the blonde off the couch bridal style and carried her to the bedroom.

The next morning they were woken by a shrill ringing. Amanda reached forward and brought the offending object to her ears. "Rollins." She said.

"Hey Amanda, I know I said that you guys could have the day off, but there are some DD-5s here that you need to sign. I wouldn't bother you but they need to be in by this afternoon." Liv's voice said on the other end apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be right in."

"As soon as they're all signed you can head back home for the day." Liv promised.

After she hung up, Amanda felt an arm pull her closer to the body next to her. "No." Insisted the body. Amanda leaned over and pressed a warm kiss to her cheek.

"I'm sorry baby, I have to run in for a while to sign some papers." Amanda told her. Ryan roused herself awake and looked at the blonde.

"Okay." She said groggily. "I told Emmy I would take her to the park today. I can do that and then we can meet up for lunch or something?"

"Sounds good, but I have go to my place tonight." Amanda told her, earning a pout. "I'm sorry, baby, but I have no clean clothes here."

"We can run by your place while you're at work and pick some clothes up for you." Ryan suggested. "I'll even stay out of your underwear drawer…maybe." She added, causing the blonde to swat her on the arm.

"You sure?" Amanda asked.

"If it means you stay with us tonight, then absolutely." Ryan assured her. The blonde pulled her in and kissed her soundly. It was settled.

While Amanda got dressed, Ryan woke Emmy and they all met in the kitchen for a quick breakfast. After getting her key and kissing the blonde goodbye the two brunets made their way to Amanda's apartment.

Once there, Emmy aided Ryan in finding a duffel in the blonde's closet and they began to fill the bag with clothes. Not wanting to have to make the blonde part from them anytime soon, they made sure to add any clothing the other woman may need. Once they could put no more items in the bag, they headed towards the door. Before they could leave, however, there was a knock on the door. Ryan looked to her daughter who shrugged her shoulders. Ryan opened the door and was met with the sight of a blonde woman who resembled Amanda. The other woman looked her up and down suspiciously before speaking.

"Is Amanda here?" She asked.

"No, she isn't. Can I help you?" Ryan asked, instantly feeling defensive. There was something about the woman in front of her, something not right.

"Well, you could let me in."

"I don't think so." Ryan told the woman. Emmy, noticing there was a problem, clung to her mother's leg. Ryan picked her up, never breaking eye contact with the woman in the hall, not trusting her. "Amanda isn't here and we were just leaving. You'll have to come back." The other woman sneered at her.

"You can let me in." The woman insisted. Ryan didn't budge. "I'm her sister, Kim."

As always, feedback is loved!