A lot is happening in this chapter, partly helping to set some things up for later. Thanks for the reviews to the last chapters. :-)

"Good morning, Alan."

"Morning, George." he nodded over the fence and put the garbage in the trash cans. He noticed the rake in his neighbor's hand. "Is it time to start gardening already?"

"Oh, you never stop. A neglected garden in the winter will show the lack of care come spring. This morning I'm just clearing away dead leaves and debris." He set the rake aside. "Yesterday certainly brought some unexpected news, didn't it?"

"Do you think I would be wrong if I said I had some reservations about this entire situation? Amy seems to think so."

"No, though I suppose that would depend on the reason for your reservations."

"It's so soon. Eric and Angela haven't been together that long. Their relationship is still in the stage where everything is fun and exciting and even the arguments aren't really arguments. It's hard enough to make a relationship work without adding a baby to the mix before you even figure out who you are as a couple. They aren't going to get to have that time to themselves before the baby comes. They just started dating and will now be a family."

"Those are valid concerns and I agree with you. This is happening very quickly and there will be bumps in the road for them."

"Thank you. Amy thinks I'm crazy not to be jumping for joy like she is. I just keep thinking what the hell do Eric and Angela know about what to do with a baby."

He walked over to the Matthews' side of the fence and sat on the bench next to Alan. "You're not crazy. Have you said anything to Eric yet?"

"No, why?"

"Eric values your opinion, perhaps more than anyone else's, he always has. He is obviously very excited about becoming a father and is happier than I have seen him in a very long time, maybe ever."

"Right, though I don't know if that's entirely accurate. He might care about what you think a little more than me," Alan smiled. "But what are you getting at, George?"

"It's just that I would hate to see Eric's- and Angela's- enthusiasm quelled because of your comments, no matter how well intentioned and how much merit they hold."

"So, you agree with Amy, I shouldn't say anything?"

"I didn't say that. Eric is going to need guidance and no doubt you are going to be the first person he goes to, but that's just it- let him come to you. He's not the same teenager and young man whom you needed to hover over and worry about. Yes, this pregnancy is unexpected and occurring early in their relationship, but so far he and Angela seem to be handling it. When it seems like they aren't coping so well, then you can jump in with some advice."

"Did you and Amy compare notes?"

"You forget, I've known you two just as long as I've known your children. I know you both pretty well."

"It has been a long time, hasn't it," Alan sighed. "Thank goodness you were able to get past your first impressions of us."

"Oh, yes," he smiled at the memories, "you and Amy were arguing right out here at almost eleven o'clock at night, Cory cried at all hours, and when I first met Eric he sprayed me with a water gun. That wouldn't have been so bad had he not filled it with grape juice instead of water."

"Do you think he's going to try to shoot juice into the kid's mouth with a water gun once it's old enough?"

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"Why not? I did," he laughed. "Where do you think Eric got the idea to put juice in the gun in the first place? He was only what...three or four at the time."

"In that case, I believe you're about twenty-eight years late on a dry cleaning bill. And I include interest."

"Can't we call it even after all the windows I've had to replace for the baseballs that went flying?"

"Fair enough."

"Plus, my grandchild is getting your name. That should shave off some interest at the very least."

"Oh, yes," George couldn't help but smile. "That was surprising wasn't it? It doesn't bother you?"

"Absolutely not. Why would it? And it's not really surprising when you think about it. You've probably influenced Eric more than anyone and helped him get his life together."

"Well...thank you." He was quiet for a moment. "Aside from the shock, you must be looking forward to being a grandfather. There has to be something you can't wait to do with your grandchild."

"First camping trip," Alan grinned. "All the kids loved camping when they were little. That was before they were introduced to the wonders of modern technology. Now they tolerate it, but always have earphones and a screen in their faces. It will be nice to have a fresh start."

"That sounds like something to look forward to. Focus on that, not how unexpected this has been."

"You're right," he sighed. "I guess I was envisioning them showing up at 3am when the baby won't stop crying or putting the car seat in backwards."

"That may happen, but I know you, and you'll be more than happy to help."

"Are you saying I'm going to be a pushover?"

"Not with Eric, but with that baby? You don't stand a chance," he laughed.

/

/

"Shawn, you busy?"

Shawn switched the phone to the other ear and stepped back from the table. "No, Cor, I have a few minutes. Aren't you at work?"

"Lunch."

"It's lunchtime already? Crap."

"Can you still talk?"

"Yeah, yeah," he lifted a picture from the solution. "I can work and talk. You sound like you're in a good mood. What's up?" He hadn't talked to Cory since before Eric's party. In fact he had been dreading their first conversation. Shawn wasn't looking forward to Cory's reaction to the baby.

"Topanga actually agreed to it."

"To what?"

"To move to a bigger place."

"What are you talking about?"

"Last night when you guys got back, she said she was ready to move, that our place was getting too small for us. We're going to start looking at places this weekend. Isn't that great?"

"Topanga just came out and said it, out of the blue?"

"Yeah, we were talking about the situation with Eric and Angela and..."

"You mean the baby?"

"Yeah, anyway she just said it was time to move."

Shawn sighed into the phone. During the drive back last night he had tried to talk to Topanga again about therapy, but she wasn't hearing it. He really didn't understand why she seemed to be so afraid of it, especially since she went to premarital counseling. Plus, she saw all the good it did for him. Shawn had been to enough therapy to know that, while moving would make Cory happy temporarily, Topanga was just throwing a bandage on things for a quick fix. Her heart was in the right place, but it wouldn't work. And he was getting tired of being put in the middle of his best friends' arguments.

"Are you there, Shawn?"

"What? Yeah, sorry, I was checking to see if this picture was finished."

"Oh, I'll let you get back to work. Topanga's going to be late at the office tonight. You want to help me look through apartment listings?"

"Sure, Naomi's at the hospital until midnight. You buy the pizza."

/

/

"...I decided I'm not going to tell your father I'm visiting you, at least not yet."

"Oh," Angela frowned into the phone, "is there any reason he wouldn't want you to?"

"Like I said, we have a lot to talk about. It will be easier if I tell him after I get back, trust me. I know your dad has isolated himself from you for the past few years..."

"Yes, he has."

"Maybe when we talk you'll understand it better. Maybe." Trish didn't even understand it, how was she going to try to explain it to her niece? "I will let you know which week will work best for me to fly over."

"I'm sorry I had to be specific, but my boyfriend will be out of town the week of the 22nd with his dad and brothers for some baseball thing they got their dad for his birthday. He wants to meet you. And honestly, I'd feel more comfortable if he was here."

"Sure, I understand, whatever you want." Now Angela didn't want to be alone with her own family? Trish shook her head. Her brother had a lot to make up for. "I look forward to meeting him, too. He seemed very nice on the phone."

"He is."

Trish was hoping she would provide more, but she didn't. Apparently Angela learned to be selective with information from her father. "He treats you well?"

"I wouldn't be with him if he didn't." She wasn't sure how much to tell her aunt. She didn't know if Trish would go running to her dad with each new detail. "He's amazing, his family, too."

"Do I get a name? I mean, I have my suspicions, but do I get to know who he is before I meet him?"

"Suspicions? What do you mean?" Angela sat in one of her leather chairs and pulled a blanket around herself. "You don't know anyone in my life now aside from Shawn. How can you think you know who my boyfriend is?"

"Pictures. I looked through all the pictures you've sent and I think I've managed to figure it out. Body language and looks can say an awful lot. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to, but know whatever you tell me won't get to your father unless you want him to know." Trish thought there were enough secrets going around, but she couldn't do much damage control over the phone.

"His name is Eric Matthews," Angela relented. "We were sort of friends in college and reconnected when I moved back to town. He does the weather for one of the major networks here in town."

Trish smiled. Eric was who she thought it was. "He has a job on TV, that's impressive."

"I suppose. He doesn't do it to be on TV, well, not just to be on TV," Angela chuckled. "Eric says he loves having the power to influence little parts of people's day, like whether or not they wear a coat or bring an umbrella to work. He does a lot of good for the community as well. People just seem to love him."

"Now I really can't wait to meet him." The Eric that Angela described didn't sound at all like the Eric that Alvin described. "Though I must admit, when we were looking through the pictures, your dad made Eric sound like..."

"Wacky?"

"In a manner of speaking," she laughed, "yes."

"Yeah, he was...goofy back then. He acted really crazy, but he's grown up. Don't get me wrong, there's still a little goofiness from time to time, but he's not like he was then."

"There's nothing wrong with a little silly sometimes."

"Yeah." She tried not to yawn.

Trish looked at the time. "Oh, I'm sorry, I totally lost track of time. It's almost midnight by you. Sometimes the time difference just slips my mind. I'll let you go."

"No, it's okay. I'm fine. I work from home so I don't have to get up early." Angela couldn't tell her aunt that she was yawning because, despite the two naps she took today, pregnancy exhausted her. "Really, we can keep talking."

"Your dad will be back soon, too. He went out with friends." She wouldn't call Joyce a friend, but it was better than telling Angela where he really was. "And since there are certain things you don't want him to know, I'll let you go."

"Okay."

"Do you want me to have him call you?"

"That's fine. I think he's due for his regular call later this week."

"All right then. I'll call you later with the final dates."

"Sure, oh, Aunt Trish?"

"Yes?"

"You have baby pictures of me, right?"

"Oh, yeah, a whole bunch of them. Why?"

"I don't really have any pictures of myself before age nine or ten. Could you bring some when you visit?"

"I'd be happy to. You should have them."

"Preferably pictures without Joyce if possible, but I understand if it's not completely avoidable."

"I'll see what I can put together." Angela didn't even want to look at Joyce's face in pictures. There was no way she would react well if she knew her father was seeing the woman again. "I will let you go get some sleep. Good night."

"Good night."

That didn't go too badly. Angela had been dreading telling anyone about Eric, mainly because she knew she would have to defend him and their relationship to her father. At least Aunt Trish promised to keep it quiet for now and she knew her aunt could keep a secret. Angela picked up the book she had set on the floor during the phone call and continued where she had left off. Eric wouldn't be here for another hour or so, might as well get some reading done.

"So," she smiled and looked down at her stomach. "you can open and close your hands and wiggle your toes now, huh? Don't kick me so hard with those feet when the time comes, okay?"

/

Eric stood outside Angela's apartment unsure of what to do. She wasn't answering her phone or responding to the doorbell. She had given him her spare key, but he felt weird just walking unannounced in if she was only sleeping. But what if something was wrong and she was unable to answer the door? After that thought entered his mind, Eric decided to forego manners and looked for her key. Once he had the door open he almost laughed at himself. Angela was sound asleep, curled up in a chair, hugging a book to her chest. He locked the door again and quietly removed his coat and set his stuff on the table. Normally she was a light sleeper, but she hadn't moved at all. Eric carefully moved the ottoman closer and sat in front of the chair. He tried to remove the book from her grasp, causing her to stir.

"Hey," he smiled and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Hi. I guess I fell asleep again."

"That's okay, I'm used to it. You did scare me though."

"What," Angela frowned, "when?"

"Just now I called to let you know I was here. When you didn't answer I tried ringing your doorbell and knocking- still no answer." Eric took her hand. "I was afraid something was wrong."

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay. We have to come up with some kind of alert system, letting me know nothing is wrong, you're just taking a pregnancy nap. Like a shorthand text or something," he laughed.

"I didn't plan on falling asleep. One minute I was reading and the next I'm looking at you."

"Oh, so your night just got better," he grinned.

"Sure." She straightened out her legs. "I really didn't even hear the doorbell? That thing is obnoxious."

"Nope. That's why I thought something wrong."

"You finally got to use your key at least."

"True, now I know you didn't give me a fake," he joked. "Long day?"

"I got off the phone with my aunt a little while ago."

"And?"

"It went okay. I told her about you."

"Aw, I'm no longer your dirty little secret?"

"Don't get too excited, she agreed not to tell my dad for now. It turns out she suspected you were my boyfriend anyway."

"How is that possible? I've never even met her."

"She was looking at all the pictures I've sent over the past few months and she said body language and looks say a lot."

"That's true, it's why we were never able to keep this quiet from my family, even in the beginning when we were trying to sort things out. You can't help it that you want me," he winked.

"Right and you are absolutely innocent?"

"Completely."

"Sure," Angela rolled her eyes.

"Did you tell Trish that you're pregnant?"

"No, I haven't decided how much I'm telling my family yet. Why?"

"It's just, you're probably going to be showing by the time she comes to visit. She's coming the end of next month, right?"

"Sometime around then."

Eric tried to do the math in his head. "So, you'll be what, 17 or 18 weeks along? You aren't showing now, but you probably will be by then, at least a little. Even if you don't say anything Trish might be able to tell. There might not be a way to escape it."

Angela hadn't even thought of that. "Crap. Why do the little details like that not occur to me?" She put her head in her hands. "I was so busy worrying about the visit in general I didn't even think about something like that."

"It'll be okay."

"No, Aunt Trish would be willing to not tell my dad about you because you're just a boyfriend to her-no offense- but she wouldn't be able to keep him from knowing he's going to be a grandfather. That's family."

"Hey," Eric raised Angela's face so she was looking at him, "your dad is only going to be a grandfather if you want him to be, if he's fully back in your life. If you don't want an emailing, occasional phone call, secretive grandfather we'll keep him out."

"But you're the one who's been telling me it's time for us all to be honest about everything."

"Honesty doesn't mean immediate forgiveness or access, especially if it is going to stress you out. I'll play this however you want."

"Anything involving my dad is going to stress me out,' she sighed. "Can we change the subject, please?"

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"I have no idea." She saw her book in Eric's lap. "Did you know the baby can wiggle its' toes now?"

"Really," he grinned and placed his hand on her stomach. "That's so cool. That will come in handy for kicking."

"Sure, and here I was telling the kid not to kick me too hard." She sniffed the air. "Did you bring food? Tacos?"

He shook his head at how quickly she became distracted. "Close, burritos. Well, tadpole's got to kick hard enough so I can feel it." He stood and grabbed the food bags off the table. They went to the kitchen to get plates and napkins.

"Stop with tadpole."

"Then you come up with a nickname."

"I don't know."

"Let's see, there may have been a good amount of vodka involved in this kid's creation, right?"

"Perhaps," she chuckled. "I think I narrowed it down to two nights. Either the first night we slept together or the night I told you everything about my dad."

"There are funnier nickname options if we go with the first time. Smirnoff?" She hit his chest. "No?"

"No!"

"You're right, that's hard to say. Stoli?"

"Stop it," Angela giggled. "I'm not nicknaming our baby after vodka."

"Ooh, I got it, Chopin- vodka and a classical music guy. That works because you love classical music."

"You are insane." She walked into the dining room.

"Wait," Eric called after her, "I have one more. Grey Goose! We can trade tadpole for goose."

/

The next morning Eric was ready to throw his phone across the room. His alerts for texts kept going off for the last twenty minutes. He knew nothing important happened otherwise people would actually be calling him. So why the nonstop texts? He looked at Angela and saw that she was still sleeping. It took a lot to wake her lately. She probably wouldn't have been happy to be woken up for what was probably stupid office gossip or his mom asking a question that could've waited until this afternoon.

He took his phone off the nightstand and began to read through the texts, at least 15 of them so far.

"What the hell?"

As he began to read Eric realized they were all talking about Angela or an article and then it dawned on him- her write up on him in the paper must've come out today. Four more texts came in while he was reading the others. Exactly what had Angela written? He slowly got out of bed and left the room. He wasn't awake enough to walk and buy the paper, but he could check it out online. Gordon the photographer chose nice pictures of them, he noted as he looked over the article. Eric laughed as he read it over. It was nothing bad, Angela was very flattering, but it was just a hair shy of being possessive. A little snuck out here and there. And the very last comment: If I had to pick one word to describe Eric Matthews it would be: Mine.He printed out the article and walked back to the bedroom and began to read her words aloud.

"What are you doing," Angela mumbled and raised her head from the pillow. "Didn't we just go to bed a few hours ago?"

"Yes, but it's barely seven o'clock and I've already gotten over twenty texts about my write up in the paper today."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot you were today." She rubbed her eyes. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"No, not until the end," he laughed and bounced back onto the bed. "People will certainly know we're together now."

"I had to make it clear to the Eric Matthews' fan club at work and the women who stop you on the street."

"I make time for kids, not random women."

"The women bring kids, half the time I don't even think it's their kid."

"That would be extreme."

"You are number four for a reason. Everyone loves you. I had to make it clear you were off the market. Short of tattooing my name on your forehead, this is what I could do."

"I'm not paying attention to any other woman," he kissed her gently on the lips. "You are the only one that I want."

"Good. I mean, you're the only one I want, too. Can we go back to sleep now?"

"Sure. Let me turn my phone off first." Eric put his phone back on the nightstand and hugged Angela to his chest. "I may never get hit on again because those random women will be worried about you," he teased.

She gave him a sleepy smile. "That's my plan."

/

/

Alvin sat in front of his computer checking for his daughter's latest articles at her paper's website, just like he did every day. It didn't matter what she wrote about, whether it was conserving the South American rain forest or the latest fashion trends for spring- if Angela wrote it, he read it. Lately he had been following her saga of the Ten Most Eligible Bachelors in Philadelphia. He wasn't crazy about her going out with so many different men at once, no matter the set up, but maybe she could find a nice boyfriend out of this- one who was successful and made a difference. This way she wouldn't be alone. Alvin clicked on the link and began to read about today's bachelor.

"Matthews," he exclaimed in disbelief, "are you kidding me?" He read about Eric's work as a meteorologist and his work in the community, especially with children's shelters. "Okay, so I guess you didn't become a total screw up," Alvin muttered to the screen. He couldn't help but notice there was something different about Angela's wording. It seemed more personal than with the others. Was it because she and Eric were friends? He read the rest of the article. Something was still different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then he got to the last line.

"'If I had to pick one word to describe Eric Matthews'...," he read aloud,"...what?! Patricia! Patricia, come here!" Has Angela lost her damn mind?

Trish rushed into his room. "What, what's wrong?"

"Look at this," Alvin pointed at his computer screen.

She came over and quickly skimmed the article. "Oh." So much for Angela's decision not to tell her father. "Angela looks happy and very beautiful in the pictures."

"I'm not talking about the pictures, I'm talking about him. How can she be with Matthews? He's an idiot."

"Did you read the article? Because he sounds wonderful."

"Not him. You didn't see him back then."

"Maybe he's changed. People do that, you know? They grow up, they mature." Her brother's gaze remained fixed on the screen. "Can we talk later? I have to leave for work in ten minutes."

"Fine," he grumbled.

"One thing," Trish said before leaving the room, "do not call Angela and yell at her about this."

"What?"

"You really think she's looking for your approval?"

"She must know I wouldn't approve or she would've told me."

"You hardly talk to her anymore as it is. Why would she call you only to deal with aggravating questions about her love life."

Alvin grimaced. "Don't use the words love life when talking about my daughter."

"Do not call Angela at all today. I mean it."

"All right, I won't."

"You swear?"

"I swear."

"On our parents' graves?"

"Patricia, is that necessary?" She glared at him. "Fine, I swear on their graves I will not call Angela today and tell her to get her head examined."

"Don't think I won't call her to check."