Hello folks - glad people enjoyed the last chapter. Here's one more for the weekend - they're all a little talk based now but hopefully people will like seeing that side of things. May leave it a few days before posting the last 2 chapters! Thanks to thesameguest as always.

"Stef..." Lena chased after Stef who was furiously pacing the kitchen desperately trying to find something for her hands to do. She fondled through any objects on the work surface, barely able to look at her wife.

"Honey, I was going to talk to you about it I just..."

"What, forgot? Do you not think this is a decision I should be included in?" Stef's anger got the better of her as she spun around.

"I'm sorry." She calmed herself, seeing Lena's hurt expression. "I just...this is the last thing I expected to come home to."

"What, even less so than me having an affair?" Lena replied, the tensions running high. In all of her guilt, she was still rattled by the mere thought that her family could think that of her.

Stef closed her eyes.

"I never thought you were having an affair, Lena. I found out about that particular braindchild 5 minutes before you did. I knew there would be an explanation as soon as I caught the kids I just..." She rubbed a hand down her face. "I just didn't expect it to be this." She turned to face her wife, seeing the yearning in her eyes.

There was a moment of silence between them until Stef broke it again, taking control of the conversation.

"How long have you been thinking about it..." She asked, trying to loosen her gritted teeth. "Assuming that you are thinking about conceiving as opposed to a sudden interest in becoming an OBGYN." She tried to interject the humour in an attempt to try and relax the tension, as much for herself as for Lena.

Lena breathed a small laugh through her nose. Even at her most stressed she was always relieved Stef could try and make her smile.

"The course I guess. My case, coincidentally the one Evan saw me with, she has a small baby. Abusive ex. She's starting a life away from him. Working so closely and seeing the pure innocence in the child's eyes...how much joy he gives her even through the worst of it. It just..."

"Got you broody." Stef interrupted, more harshly than she intended and causing Lena to snap her head up. She bit her lips together in acknowledgement that it had been a sharp response.

"I'm sorry, I just mean, it got you thinking about it."

Stef's head swirled thinking back to those early days. The sleepless nights, the tantrums, having to plan your every movement around the babies. How little she saw Mike during it as he tried to do the work of two at the station and she tried to do the work of four at home with two babies.

"I wish you'd spoken to me about it." she replied hoarsely, suddenly conscious of how alone Lena must have been feeling to be considering an undertaking so huge.

"So I wouldn't get my hopes up?" Lena responded, unable to read the tone of Stef's voice. Her own self-consciousness was getting the better of her and in turn robbing her tone of its tact.

"No..." Stef replied thinking back over what she had said, although unable to clearly assess if it had come across like that. So much was cloudy right now but she quickly realised talking under the stress may not be the best approach.

"Lena, love, I'm sorry - I just..." she paused, closing her eyes. "I need some time to take this in. I don't want to say anything -"

"Anything you'll regret." Lena interpreted, trying not to show her disappointment but her residual anger from the whole affair in the garden was infiltrating her calmness.

Stef bit her lip, trying not to lose her own control of her words.

"Not that. I just don't want to commit to impulses before I've had time to think. You've had time, I just need some." she added as softly as she could, attempting a caress of Lena's arm but falling shy of contact. She saw the desperation in Lena's face, her own wringing with anguish. She wanted to pacify Lena's fears but she couldn't pretend the idea didn't terrify her. With nothing to fill the awkward silence other than a debate she wasn't ready for, she looked to clock.

"I really need to get back to work." The diversion wasn't quite casual enough to masquerade as normality. "Are you still going to get to your class?" She added to try for a better attempt.

Lena looked out the window, trying to put her own issues aside and focus on Evan's lonely figure, the other two having disappeared. She couldn't quite face her class right now and if they couldn't come to any resolution at the moment she would at least approach a problem that she could solve.

"I think I have a different case to deal with first. I'll just tell my professor I have a family issue to deal with."

"Not just the girls skipping class then." Stef raised her eyebrow, hoping the relief from the quip may comfort them both despite the elephant in the room.

"More like focussing on keeping my family in the loop. Apparently something which bites back bitterly if you neglect to do so." Lena replied without thought as Stef shuffled awkwardly in case it had been a dig at her. The fact that it was more a dig at herself was lost in the mess of the whole situation.

"Where do you think the other two are?" Lena raised her eyebrows, quickly trying to change the subject.

"Oh they'll have snuck back to school in hopes we forget about it. We'll get them later." Stef shook her head.

"They were just concerned about us I guess." Lena tried to defend them.

"Right now, I don't care. They know better than that - not to mention skipping out of class. I don't care how worked up Evan's theories got them. Right now Kasey has the school attention span of a gnat. She can't go all Nancy Drew on our relationship for procrastination."

"Of course. You're right." Lena shook her head softly, trying to focus. "So why did Evan get so absorbed in it? He's hardly looking for distractions, he's rushed off his feet right now. Unless maybe it's that schedule that is driving him a little crazy."

"Maybe." Stef replied, scootching round. "But he did seem really worked up. I'm wondering if there's a little more to this than just his being over-worked." She sighed with a strong hint, a memory having come to her. She moved to stand next to her wife by the window. Lena immediately closed her eyes, not needing more than Stef's prompting to remind her of the lesser discussed details of Evan's past.

"His Dad cheated on his Mom when she was ill. I completely forgot." Lena recalled, rubbing her forehead.

"You go practice your skills your missing your class on and talk him through it. I'll give him hell for getting so irrational when he's back to playful Evan." Stef reassured her with a smile, realising the distraction had almost succeeded in convincing them all was well. Her smile dropped as she thought to the imminent talk but she didn't want to leave it on a harsh note. She leaned in to kiss Lena's cheek in a token of assurance.

"We'll talk properly tonight. I promise." She added nervously as Lena gave her a half-hearted nod. Their eyes lingered for a moment before Stef made the call to leave. If this wasn't happening now she had to leave before the limbo tortured her for any longer.

Lena gave herself a moment's more contemplation before boiling the kettle to make some tea. She wasn't sure where this talk was going to go so she was going to go in prepared for a long one.

Lena slowly walked to take a seat next to Evan on the decking.

She handed a mug towards him which he looked at tentatively especially picking up a strange scent from it.

"It's chamomile. It should calm you a little." Noting that his blank look wasn't changing, she spoke again.

"What, do you think I've poisoned it to teach you a lesson?

"Stef probably would." He replied nervously.

"Well unless she slipped something in the mug before she left, it's fine." she assured him, enjoying being able to focus on some humour.

His widened eyes indicated he hadn't even considered that.

"She didn't. Take it!" She nudged him.

"I don't really deserve it." he eventually took it from her, cupping his fingers around it.

There were a few moments of silence before Evan burst into an apology.

"I'm so sorry Lena, I really am. It's just when I saw you at the park I got so confused as to why you would lie, I mean you never lie! You're like the mayor of Truthtown!"

Lena couldn't help but twitch a smile at Evan's perception of her, even if in some inexplicable manner it was logic that had ballooned into an affair being his most rational explanation of her whereabouts.

"Everybody has things they keep to themselves Evan. For a little while at least. I'm just as human as the rest of you."

"Well yeah, but not so human you'd have an affair. I can't believe that I actually thought that as more rational than just playing hookie or something." He rubbed the back of his head, freeing a hand from his clutching of the warm beverage.

"It was pretty crazy, but just to be clear again, I wasn't playing hookie either." Lena added, almost more uncomfortable at the lesser suggestion.

"Yeah, see that doesn't help me feel any less guilty." he frowned. "I guess the idea just swept me up. Maybe you're right and I am burning myself out."

"Could be." Lena replied. "Or maybe this is also a little deeper than even you know."

Evan looked to her confused, almost nervous of what she could be getting at. "It is?"

She looked at the genuine innocence in his eyes.

"It's not like you haven't seen someone hurt by an affair before, sweetheart."

Evan's head dropped down. He had barely even thought of his own parents history, that was such different circumstances.

"I'm not sure my Mom ever knew about my Dad." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Thank God."

Lena put a hand on his knee.

"That doesn't mean it didn't hurt anybody. I know it can't have been easy for you to have lived through that. Especially when your Mom was ill."

He took a sip of tea, hoping a little emotional release from the burn against his tongue but also because he didn't know what to say. His Mom was someone he thought about every day, but he had always done his best to mask the bad with the good.

"My dad is a very different person than you, though." he finally whispered out. "I should know you're nothing like him."

"Sometimes old wounds can hurt you in ways you don't expect. Mixed of course with the tiredness, the suspicion and bad decision to not just talk to me about it." her tone became slightly more accusatory, but was still soft.

He sneaked a look, the guilt creeping in again.

"How do you bring that up, though? 'Hey Lena, youre looking prettier than usual and I saw you playing hookie to hang with a hot woman with a baby. All good or are you having an affair?' I don't think that would have flown any better than not telling you."

Lena's forehead crinkled. "For the third time, I was not playing hookie." she asserted. "And you think I've been looking prettier?" her tone moved more towards flattered than jaded.

Evan shrugged, ever the only one unaware of his charm. "Yeah. You keep re-doing your make up and getting new clothes."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "I guess feeling like you may be too old to have kids makes you try to feel you're reversing it. I'm amazed you noticed though." she nudged him. "I'm not sure even Stef has."

"Maybe she's having an affair." Evan suggested. The tiniest hint of a grin finally appearing on his worn face.

Lena squinted at him. "You know you won't be smiling when Stef wrings your neck for getting us all into such a mess."

His face dropped down but not because of the playful threat, more because of what it reminded him of.

"I'm really sorry I ruined this for you. I hope you and Stef can work it out."

Lena paused to think for a moment before running a hand down his back.

"It's not your fault that my hiding things from Stef blew up in my face. Human, remember? Even me."

Evan took the words in carefully.

"So..this is your fault?" he ventured, not quite believing he was getting away with it.

Lena gave him an unimpressed smile.

"Don't make me say it." She groaned. "And you were still in the wrong, you may have been trying to protect our relationship but you still could have gone about it better. And listened to us when we told you you needed to slow down a little. And not been listening to private phone calls!" She reprimanded. "But..." she sighed. "I do know that you were just trying to spare everyone's feelings."

Evan nodded gently before flashing another smile.

"Man I wish I was usually in trouble with you rather than Stef. This is much easier." He chuckled softly with a side smile.

Lena rubbed a circle on his back before ending with a double pat.

"Oh you'll still be in trouble with Stef. And you can take this as a warning from me. I may not be as merciful next time." she warned. "But listen Evan, it's really important that you feel you can ask if you're worried about something. Even if it's something you want to confront us over. You are an adult and we respect your opinion as one. Don't feel you have to sneak around. That never ends well."

His eyes widened as he felt a soft tingle of respect.

Finally he gave her another gentle nod.

"Can I ask you something now, then?" he replied as Lena smiled her approval.

"You keep saying you don't play hookie...but aren't you supposed to be at your class right now?"

Her face dropped into a glare. "I can re-evaluate my stance on this if you want? Or even better I can whisper a few things in Stef's ear."

Evan threw his hands up. "OK, I won't mention it again."

Lena glared at him for a moment before patting his knee and getting up.

"OK - I guess if I'm not going to go to my class I should at least go back to work."

Evan nodded before calling back after a departing Lena.

"Hey Lena, look - I know there's a lot of stuff to think about and a lot of things that are scary about having a baby, especially with all of us in the house..." he began as she turned back.

"But that means there are more people to help...I'm sure Stef will be up for it when she's had time to think. We just kinda, blindsided her. No-one deserves to be a mother more than you."

"I already am a mother, honey." She replied softly, wanting to make sure he hadn't got the wrong impression that she somehow would value having her own child more than the others.

"No, I know." He quickly jumped back, equally hoping she hadn't misunderstood him. "But I mean, if anyone deserves to bring kids into this world it's the ones who will do it right. And you, well...you do it right."

Lena gave him a gentle wink unable to express what the support meant.

She walked into the house, trying to hold in a gasp of emotion. Bracing herself on the table she let out her breath slowly. She hadn't quite realised how much she had wanted this until she had heard what Evan had said. She just hoped that Stef wouldn't shut down her dreams.

Sooo...any thoughts? I originally had the situation resolved between Stef and Lena almost faster than on the show and I didn't like that so I decided to space it a bit. I hope that it works this way. I guess there's not much to predict now but if you have any ideas of what the last couple of chapters will entail I would be thrilled to hear them! Predictions or no, please do let me know what you thought!

Next Chapter Preview: It's Stef's turn to give Evan some advice and the girls try to make amends with their Moms

"You focussed your math procrastination well."

"And aren't we all better off for it?" Kasey moved over to guide her moms to the dining room table.

"Well this all sounds wonderful girls, but I think you're forgetting one little thing." Lena slowed their operation down by turning back and stopping the movement.

"You ditched class today."