Sorry it's been so long... here it is! The final chapter! Enjoy!

Scarlett's POV

"Scar, look at this."

Paul veers from the cart for the tenth time this shopping trip and motions towards a very large display for extremely high-tech and ridiculously overpriced baby monitors.

"No," I answer before I even really look at it.

"But Scar," He complains, "We need this!"

"Paul," I chuckle. "We're going to hear it cry, you do realize?"

"This has video," He holds up the very large box and points at the picture on the front.

"The one we got from your mother also has video," I remind him.

"This is HD."

"Put it back."

"Hey, Scar, you realize this is my kid too, right?" Paul places the box back down and then crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at me.

I giggle. "Are you feeling neglected?" I leave the cart to wrap my arm around his side and his hand comes to my ever-growing stomach on instinct. He rubs it in a circle and then kisses me on the side of the head.

"Ignored."

"Paul," I frown and look up at him. "I'm not ignoring you; I just know that if I let you get everything that you want we one, won't have room in our apartment for the actual baby, and two, won't have any money left to pay for said baby."

Paul laughs. His lips pull up at the corners and I can't help but stare at his shining, white teeth and soft, red lips. I turn to face him and feel my stomach press into him as I grasp his hair at the nape of his neck in my hand and press my mouth to his.

Paul kisses back, but I think I can count the few times that he has rejected a kiss on one hand, even after five years of marriage.

"Scarlett," He smiles against my mouth.

I moan and pull away from him. "We need to go home. Now."

Paul laughs. "You're a bad girl pregnant, baby."

"So attractive too," I roll my eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Paul frowns. "You know you're sexy, Scarlett."

"Oh, yeah," I roll my eyes. "I look fat."

"You're pregnant."

"I'm four months pregnant. I'm too big to not look pregnant and too small to actually look it. I'm in that weird in-between stage where I puke all the time and people stare at my stomach as they contemplate saying something."

"I think you're perfect." He loops his fingers around the waistband of my jeans and pulls me closer.

"That's very nice of you," I grin and wrap my arms around his neck. I take a deep breath of him; he smells so good, like laundry detergent and a campfire at the same time.

"I am very nice," He agrees.

"Nice enough to leave the store and have a quickie before my doctor's appointment?" I grin hopefully.

Paul throws his head back and laughs.

I frown. This is not a good sign.

"No time, love."

"No love than, love."

"Come on, sweetheart," He sighs and hugs me to his side. "What else do we need? Baby bottles, binkis, diapers?"

"The baby shower pretty much covered that," I sigh in defeat. "What we really need now is the bigger stuff."

"Like this high performance baby sleep monitor?"

"Oh no." I have my eyes closed in horror before he even brings the box over to me.

"Scar!" His voice is high and nervous now. "We need this. Like, need!"

"Okay. I quit." I push the cart with only one ridiculous, unnecessary item away and then turn towards the exit. "Come on, let's go check on little Lahote."

"My little Lahote?" Paul falls into step next to me.

"No, the other little Lahote that I am about to birth for my other husband."

"You are seriously getting those evil, pregnant hormones today," He tells me.

"Bite me."

"Okay."

Paul squeezes my ass, resulting in a s squeal as the shock sends me falling back. He catches me and wraps his arms tightly around my chest. "Don't be mean to me," He whispers into my ear. "I love you, and your body."

I blush and lean into him. "I'm not, and I know you do. Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah. Jeesh, if I had a nickel for every time you ever said that."

I smack his arm. "That is so not true!"

Paul chuckles and rubs his arm, as if I could ever really hurt him.

It turns out that leaving Target early was actually the right call. There was some construction on the highway to my OBGYN, and so we ended up getting there five minutes late. Once we arrived, we were called right back into an exam room.

I take a seat on the exam table as Paul takes his usual seat in one of the regular chairs next to it.

"Okay, Scarlett, how are you feeling today?" The nurse asks.

"Fine," I sigh.

"Sassy," Paul whispers.

I narrow my eyes at him.

"Has anything changed since your last visit?"

"I don't think so," I answer uneasily. I always hate questions like this. I think I am going to miss something and then panic and then spend the next week thinking that every time I hiccup my baby is slowly dying: just usual, Scarlett thoughts.

"Any abnormal symptoms or pain that you think I should know about?"

"Just a lot of morning sickness, but I think that's normal. And I have been really uncomfortable sleeping lately."

The nurse nods her head and writes something down in her chart. "Can you describe these feelings of uncomfortableness?"

"I'm waking up a lot from pain and then having to readjust." I rub my hand overtop of my stomach subconsciously.

"Okay!" The nurse speaks happily as she writes more down. "I'm going to have you strip from the waist down and then cover yourself with this." I nod my head even before she has finished. "But you know the drill," She smiles.

"I do," I chuckle.

She leaves the room and Paul immediately stands to help me off the table. He sits back down as I struggle out of my ripped jeans and then slide my underwear off.

"Oh?" Paul's eyebrows are raised.

I can't help but blush. "Stop," I complain.

His lip pulls up at the corner in a challenging expression. Before I can really protest, he swats his hand at my bare bottom.

"Paul!" I gasp. "Stop it right now!"

"Why?" He stands and then he takes a nerve-racking step towards me.

"Paul," I warn slowly, though my voice obviously wavers at the end. I need him. I need, need, need him, and looking at him looking at me like this is making it extremely hard to remain subjective.

"What?" He smiles that all-too sensual and knowing smile and I am literally putty in his hands, though I try my hardest to fight the inevitable.

"Paul. We can't." I look nervously towards the door. "Not here."

"Why?" He grasps my hips in his hands and pulls me close. I close my eyes.

"We can't," I whimper."

"Mmm." Paul kisses my temple and wraps one of his arms around my back and pulls me to him. I moan. I can't say no to him when he is like this.

"But they could come in," I voice my concern, although it is obvious in the way that I look up at him nervously that I am more seeking him to disagree and reassure me than agree.

"It always takes them forever," He disagrees. "We have time, baby."

Paul kisses my neck and I can't help but tilt my chin into the air as he holds my head in his palm. He kisses down my neck and then across my jawline and then back again.

I feel his fingers bunch up at my shirt and then feel the tips of his fingers brush my clit.

I gasp and actually shake.

"Oh, baby," Paul murmurs and kisses behind my ear.

I moan. I am probably being way too loud right now, but I could care less. Paul has this ability that I have never ever, ever understood before, to make me feel exceptionally, amazingly, perfectly just good. It is addicting; once I experienced it, I can't stop. I need it more. All the time and forever. Having known pain, this is like a drug to me.

"Let me take care of you, baby," Paul kisses my shoulder and I fall into him. I want him inside of me. I want his fingers to curl and curve and swipe and go in and out and out and in. I want it so badly that I find myself pressing my hips into his hand.

Paul slips his finger inside of me and I gasp loudly.

"Is this what you want, baby?" He asks knowingly.

I grasp the back of his shirt tightly in my hand and nod my head, which is currently in the clouds.

I know that we shouldn't. I know that there is a very high chance that the doctor will walk through the door any second and that would be very very bad because we would be exposed and wow.

Oh- Wow.

I gasp and clasp my mouth shut to keep from crying out when he presses his finger fully inside of me and then hits that particular spot that makes my eyes roll into the back of my head.

"Paul," I whimper and then bite my lip.

"Mm," His lips are on my neck.

"We can't," I attempt one last ditch effort that not at all convincing and honestly a tad pathetic. "Can't the doctor, like, tell?"

Paul's chest shakes as he laughs. He presses his finger deep inside of me and I am forced to bury my face into his shirt to conceal a moan.

He does that particularly amazing thing where he slips two fingers inside of me and then shakes his hand up and down, and I completely lose all sense of self-preservation and entirely give myself over to him.

Paul's thumb rubs against my most sensitive spot as his fingers work, and almost embarrassingly quickly I am at my peak. I grasp his shoulders tightly in my fists and hold on for dear life.

"Oh, Paul," I murmur, throwing my head back and slamming my eyes shut.

Suddenly I am dangling on a cliff, my limbs and muscles tight and brain shutting off, and then in a moment of instant gratification, it all turns back on in an electrical stimulus that completely debilitates me.

I shake involuntarily and my knees buckle and my eyes roll back, but Paul catches me and kisses my temple and whispers dirty things into my ear and I am not sure where I am or what I think or feel or even if I am still alive because I swear nothing in life has ever felt this incredible before.

I come back to and wrap my arms around Paul's neck with a sort of content murmur.

"Better?" Paul rubs my back.

I nod happily into his shoulder. "Mhmm," I breathe.

"I knew you just needed sex," He teases me and then kisses right beneath my ear.

I giggle and push him away. "Maybe, but now I'm screwed! They can tell- really! I'm all…," I blush as my voice trails off.

"Wet?" Paul finishes for me.

"Dear God," I murmur and bite the corner of my lip.

Paul laughs and then walks over to wash his hands. "You better get up on that table Scarlett Lahote," He winks at me. "The doctor may get the wrong idea."

I roll my eyes but am not able to hide my smile- perhaps Paul was right, and the only reason for my bad mood today had been a need for sex.

I try to clean myself up the best that I can before I take a seat on the table with the drape overtop of my lap. By the time the doctor comes in I am completely relaxed and rubbing my belly; Paul and I's prior escapade is nearly forgotten.

"Hi Scarlett," The doctor smiles warmly after she knocked on the door. "Paul."

"Hey doc," Paul reaches for my hand and begins rubbing my palm.

"Hi," I smile.

"How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful," I blush.

I swear I hear Paul snicker.

"So I hear you're having some pain sleeping, is that right?"

I nod.

"Could you rate that on a scale of one to ten?"

"Well, it's enough to wake me up. And once I'm awake it's about a six."

"So like a nine," Paul reminds her.

I roll my eyes. "I'm fine. That's normal, right? I mean, the baby is pressing on my organs."

The doctor gives me half of a nod and then shrugs. "I am sure everything is fine. There are many reasons why one would have pain sleeping during a pregnancy, but usually the type of pain that you are describing occurs later in the term. It just seems a little early for that, is all. How about you lie down and we'll figure it out."

I swallow harshly as I lie down. The possibility that there could actually be a problem with my pregnancy… with our baby, is debilitating.

"It's fine," Paul reminds me, scooting his chair over to be right next to me. "It's your kid after all, it's probably hungry or something and kicks you while you're sleeping because it thinks it's funny."

I attempt to smile.

"Can you localize the pain for me?" The doctor asks as she pulls my shirt up to reveal my stomach and then pulls the cover so that it is covering my exposed bottom half.

"It's always around here," I place my hand on my left side where the pain usually comes.

"Wow," The doctor murmurs after she examines that spot. "Alright, well, that is a very enlarged liver."

"What?" I squeak.

"What does that mean?" Paul asks. He tightens his hand around mine; I can tell that he is trying to remain calm, but I know him to well to ignore the panic behind his voice.

"It could mean a few different things. Sometimes the baby pushes on different organs. It could have been punctured. Oh, well, hm." She breaks off to place her finger on her chin and then look down at my stomach.

"What?" I ask again, more pushy this time.

"Actually," The doctor begins. "Scarlett, the abuse you suffered- was there abuse around this area?"

I gulp. "Excuse me?"

She reaches for my chart and then scrolls through a few pages. "How long did the abuse last?"

My mouth goes dry.

"Why?"

"15 years," Paul answers for me.

"There is a possibility that the sustained injuries to the stomach could have caused permanent organ damage, which could reveal themselves or get worse with pregnancy."

"I-I," I begin. "B-but that was a long time ago," I stammer.

"Sometimes in cases of extreme abuse, the body heals itself or even provides short-term solutions to long-term problems. There is a possibility that your liver had been severely damaged during that time, but had been masked."

I internally scream.

"B-b-but," I can't stop blinking my eyes and feel like I am faint.

"It's fine, Scarlett," Paul squeezes my hand, his voice more authoritative than usual. "Don't panic. Remember to breathe," He reminds me.

I nod my head.

"So what does that mean for my baby?" I just barely hear myself ask.

"Everything should be okay. I just want to run a few tests and ultrasounds before we go further and figure out a plan. Does that sound alright?"

I nod, but what other choice do I have.

What started as an annual, thirty minute visit, resulted in an entire day spent at a hospital getting test after test after test. Mrs. Lahote actually stopped by to bring us food, though Paul wouldn't let her in; I have a feeling that Paul is worried about anything at all inducing a panic attack.

Over the years my panic attacks have all but vanished, but now being pregnant, the desire to keep them at bay is of even more importance.

By the time the doctor actually comes in with a consensus, we are both tired and emotionally drained. Paul isn't even saying something ridiculous and optimistic to try to make me feel better; we're just waiting, both terrified.

"Okay, so, good news is that we know what is going on."

I blink at her.

"It seems that your stomach lining throughout the years has developed a second layer of extra scar tissue and cushioning. It was hiding an enlarged liver, which is probably a result of trauma as well. Usually an enlarged liver is a sign of another disease, which is why I had been so worried, but some more good news is that in this case, it is not."

Paul breathes a long breath of relief, though I don't breathe. "Oh, so, that's good," Paul nods his head. "Right? That means she's fine!"

The doctors face remains composed. "Not quite. The issue remains that Scarlett's stomach seems to be a slightly non-hospitable place for the baby. With proper care everything should be okay, but I would like to label this a high-risk pregnancy, which leads me to the bad news."

Wasn't that already the bad news?

"I am going to need you to remain on bed-rest with extreme low activity for the duration of your pregnancy. This leads to some complications due to how early you still are in your pregnancy. We are also going to do weekly monitoring visits because the risk of pre-term labor is so much higher.

Neither Paul, nor I move a muscle.

"Scarlett," The doctor places her hand on my shoulder. "This is going to be okay. I do this every day, and I deal with high-risk pregnancies every week. I have delivered countless babies that were high-risk that are alive and well today. We shall just take this one step at a time, alright?"

I nod.

"I'm going to give you two a minute and then come back to discuss proper preparations; is that alright?"

We don't answer, but she leaves anyways.

Once she leaves we barely move. All that I can hear are our breaths and every unspoken word and dropped stomach that are floating all around us.

I suddenly stand up.

"Scarlett?" Paul's voice appears shocked.

"I-I- I need to get out of here," I struggle to get out. I reach for my underwear and quickly slip them on. I think it is then that I realize that I am shaking.

"Scarlett!" Paul stands, terrified.

"I-I-I-I n-n-need to g-go," I stammer. I snatch my pants and blink my eyes tightly together a few times before attempting to put them on. My feet get tangled though, and suddenly I am falling forward, stomach-first into the tile floor.

Paul snatches my arms before I hit the ground and pulls me back up. I feel a pop and then gasp as pain stabs me in the shoulder.

"Shit!" Paul gasps.

I quickly pop my arm back into place, the action coming back to me almost too easily, and then wince.

"Scarlett," Paul grasps my cheeks in his hands and lowers his voice as he tilts his face towards mine. "I'm so sorry- fuck. Are you okay? Is your shoulder okay?"

Pain is radiating throughout my entire arm, but it is a good reminder that I am alive, for everything else is numb.

I nod my head at the ground.

"Scarlett," He speaks again, trying to pull my face back up to meet his gaze.

I shake my head.

"Scarlett," His voice is so soft is breaks me. "Are you hurt?" I don't respond. "Are you okay, baby?"

"No," I finally find my voice, and am surprised when it is filled with tears. "No I am not okay," My voice cracks. "He's gone. He's gone and he's been gone for years yet still he does this. And it was one thing when he did it to me, but now he's doing it to my kid. He's not even here and he's already hurting it. And you promised me that what happened to me wouldn't affect our child, but it is, and I knew it would. And I knew that I would end up hurting it- I just knew it."

My shoulders shake as I cry. Paul's hands are timid and gentle as they slide around my back and push me closer to him. Once I am in the safe confides of Paul's arms, I can't hold it in anymore. I grasp a tight fistful of his shirt and cry into his shoulder.

"Shh," Paul whispers into my ear. "This is not your fault."

That doesn't help.

Paul lifts me up and suddenly I am lying across his lap as he sits down and holds me tightly.

He doesn't say anything, and for once I am happy that he doesn't have the perfect words to say to make this any better. I want to grovel in this; I deserve to feel terrible.

"How's your shoulder?" He whispers in my ear. Paul cups it in his palm and rubs it gently.

"Fine. Let it hurt. It should."

"Scarlett," Paul sighs. "Stop it."

"I'm a terrible mom," I cry.

"Why?" Paul's arms tighten around me. "Because your liver is enlarged? Wow, the worst."

"I can't even be pregnant correctly. How do you think I am going to do when it is actually here?"

"Amazing," He answers without thinking.

"Paul," I moan. "Why do you have so much faith in me? Stop it!"

"No," He states sternly. "I'm not letting you do this."

"Just stop," I sniffle.

"You did nothing wrong."

"I wasn't careful enough," I bite the inside of my cheek, hard.

"You were perfect, Scarlett. You were just as careful as me, and you know that I would never hurt our baby, don't you?"

"Well of course not!" I exclaim.

"Than what the hell would make you think that you would ever be responsible for something like this? Hm? Women have high-risk pregnancies all the time, the doctor said it herself- and you don't think all those mom's are terrible people, do you?"

My voice is weak and soft. "No."

"Than stop being so hard on yourself," He rubs my back. "This could have happened to anyone."

"No it couldn't have," I speak somberly into his shoulder. "This only happened because of him."

"He is in hell," Paul spits- there is no denying the venom dripping from his tone. "And he hasn't been around for a long time now. He only has power if you give it to him."

"But this only happened because of him."

"Okay, and if it hadn't- if he never had hurt you- there is just as high of a probability that you would have had another complication, right?"

"Not really."

"Scarlett," Paul sighs. "Don't do this to yourself, please?"

"I'm not doing anything!" I sob loudly. "DIdn't you hear the doctor? I'm not allowed to move."

"Shhh," Paul rubs the bottom of my back in small circles. "See, that's not so hard. The baby will be fine."

"Duh it's not that hard!" I exclaim, "But now I'm going to get fat."

Paul's voice falters. "Wh-What?"

"I'm not going to be able to move and you're not going to think I'm hot anymore and then you're not going to want to have sex with me," I hiccup.

"Oh God," Paul murmurs to himself. "Sweetheart, you are so pregnant."

"You're not going to love me anymore!" I suddenly sob.

"Scarlett, are you insane?" Paul chuckles against my ear. "You are fucking perfect. And you're not going to get fat. You're pregnant."

"Fat and pregnant," I sniffle.

"Relax now, baby," Paul kisses the top of my head. "You'll both be fine. That's my job, remember?"

I moan. "Shut up. You're so annoying."

"Well that's nice, sweetie," Paul pats my back.

I sniffle and sit up. I take a deep breath as Paul watches me and then suddenly notice that I still don't have my pants on. "I'm naked," I state.

Paul chuckles and swipes some hair out of my face. "Not yet. Would you like me to help you with that?"

"No," I answer uneasily. "Well- no. No," I finally make up my mind and shake my head adamantly. "Thanks for saving me," I blush.

Paul squints his eyes together and doesn't answer at first. I am a little worried, to be entirely honest, because usually when he looks at me in this way, there is something bothering him.

"Are you okay?" He finally asks.

"What okay are we talking about again? Because I am slightly mentally unstable and that never really goes away."

Paul rolls his eyes. "I'm serious, Scarlett. You don't need to push your feelings down. Do you honestly feel like you're to blame for this?"

"No," I sigh. "No Paul I don't. But I can't help but feel like my childhood is already affecting our child. I wanted to protect it from this. And I know that you said that he's gone, but like I said, there are certain things that will always be here that neither of us can deny. And it's already happening; it's just… upsetting- I don't know, it's hard to explain exactly how that makes me feel."

Paul brushes his hands along my collar and then against my cheeks. "Scarlett," He speaks gently. "Do you really not know how much I worry about being a terrible dad?"

My eyes actually bulge out of my head. "What?" My mouth drops.

He nods, all seriousness. "I never had a dad; I never really had an example. I worry about it all the time."

"B-b-but that's insane!"

Paul chuckles and runs a piece of my hair between his fingers. "Now do you understand how I feel when you say crazy things about being a terrible mom? It's just ridiculous."

I can't help but giggle. "Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right," He smiles widely.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, whatever Lahote."

Paul chuckles and bounces me in his lap. "Want to get pants on now or are we getting freaky?"

"Paul!" I shove against his chest and stand up. "Pants will do."

"Darn it," He winks at me.

"Well," I sigh once I finally get my jeans on. "These barely fit anymore. Not that I will have a need for jeans when I won't be leaving bed for the next five months."

"Why bother with clothes at all?" He asks as he stands. "You stay home all day and then I'll come home and take care of you."

I blush. "Paul Lahote!"

"Sounds like a perfect plan to me!"

"I'm going to be so bored," I moan.

"Want me to get a hospital rolling bed for you and bring you to practices with me?"

"I think that may be the best idea you have ever had- but, ugh! How am I going to finish getting everything I need for the baby's room? We don't have anything because whenever we go shopping all I end up do is talking you out of all your crazy ideas and don't end up actually getting anything."

"You know what this means?" Paul wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close.

"Mm," I moan on instinct. It's the way he's looking at me; my body reacts before my mind has a say in it.

Paul's lips pull up at the corners when he notices my response. "That I get to do all the shopping."

"Lord help me," I moan.

He hugs me tightly and I finally let myself fall into him and stop worrying about anything at all. "It will be fine, Scarlett," He whispers to me. "We can get through anything, you know that."

"Yes," I sigh. He hugs me tighter. "Mmm," I moan, "Home."

I don't have to see him to know that he is smiling.

Paul's POV

5 months later

"Where is Paul?" I hear her moan out in frustration as I burst through the doors into her hospital room.

"Scar!" I speak, breathless from my running. "Scar, I'm here."

"Paul?" She whimpers.

Her back is to me, so I walk over to her and then swipe her hair behind her ears. "Hi, pretty girl," I kiss her forehead, that is dampened with sweat, and rub her back gently.

"Where were you?" She moans.

"I was at my game, baby," I tell her gently. "I got here as fast as I could."

"Oh, Paul," She moans.

"Shhh," I gently swipe her hair behind her ear over and over again.

"Ugh!" She screams.

"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're here!" My mother enters the room and then hugs me fiercely. "Here, Scarlett, honey; I have ice for you."

Scarlett moans.

"She's about to start pushing!" My mom exclaims as she goes over to Scarlett's other side and brushes hair off of her forehead. "Scarlett, I talked to the doctor and she said she'll be in to check if you're ready in a few minutes. Oh, can you believe it? I am going to have a grandchild, me!"

She moans again.

"Are you in pain?" I ask her gently.

"Yes I am in pain, Paul!" She suddenly screams. I jump back, not having expected that. "A tiny human is coming out of my vagina! It hurts!"

I bite back a laugh. "You can do it, honey," I kiss the side of her head. "You've been through worse."

She moans. "But this is terrible. I feel like I am being ripped in half. Goodbye to our sex-life while we're at it."

"Scarlett," I laugh. "My mother is in the room."

"I… don't… care," She moans. "It hurts. My whole body hurts."

"Shhh," I rub her back in small circles. "I'm here now. Everything's okay."

"Coming from the one who isn't about to expel a baby from a tiny hole in their body."

"Pleasant, Scar."

"Shut up," She moans.

"Hold my hand," I tell her gently.

She turns onto her back with a whimper and then takes my hand, only, about as soon as she does that her face contorts in pain and she suddenly squeezes my hand so tightly, I wonder if I will lose circulation.

"Scarlett?" I ask, panic seeping into my voice.

"It's a contraction," My mom answers my worries. "Don't forgot to breathe, Scarlett."

She lets out a slow, shaking breath between gritted teeth and then whimpers as she throws her head back. "Mmmm," She bites her lip.

"You're doing great, Scar," I kiss her hand. "Just think, after this you'll be able to actually go places again! Imagine- being able to go to the grocery store alone, wahoo, am I right?"

"Paul," She moans. "Ugh!"

The doctor comes through the door right before I am about to send my mom after her. "Hi, Scarlett- Paul, glad you could make it."

I laugh. "I guess I could fit it into my schedule."

She lifts the blanket and then feels underneath Scarlett's gown for a second. "It's definitely push time," She laughs. "This baby has a mind of it's own; baby's already crowning."

"Now!" Scarlett heaves.

"Okay, okay, Scar," I pat her hand.

In the next few minutes, the room fills with medical equipment, gloves, gowns, and a whole lot of people, and quickly after that the doctor removes the thin sheet covering her lower half.

She positions me so that I am holding her one leg up and my mom is holding the other.

I rub the inside of her thigh. "You can do this," I tell her gently.

"Paul," She whimpers.

"Okay, Scarlett," The doctor takes a seat. "Just like we practiced now. On three. One, two. Three!"

"Ahhhh!"

Scarlett's POV

One second I am screaming, swearing my insides are being ripped in half, and the next a tiny little baby is being laid across my chest and is staring up at me with wide, blue eyes and a curious expression.

My breath catches in my throat.

I swear I am dreaming; in fact, I blink my eyes a few times to make sure that I didn't pass out due to pain and this all isn't some kind of dream.

When I open them again, those beautiful, blue, familiar blue eyes are still staring at me.

"It's a girl!" The doctor says, though it is a faint echo in my ears.

She isn't crying. Not at all. Instead, she is staring up at me, and every few seconds she would blink, though her eyes never wandered from my face.

A lump forms in the back of my throat. I had always imagined this moment, and to be entirely honest, I never quite imagined it like this. I always pictured a screaming baby being placed in my arms as I struggled to keep it under control and realized that I had exactly no idea in hell what to do with it. And now?

I stare down at my daughter. My daughter. A daughter that I know I would never, ever, ever hurt or let anyone else hurt in any way, and I feel an odd and overwhelming sense of peace. And a love I didn't think I was capable of aside from Paul, too.

Paul, on the other hand, isn't as composed.

Paul is sobbing. And when I say sobbing, I mean sobbing.

"Paul," I laugh; I don't think I have ever seen him cry like this in my life. He looks up at me to meet my beaming face with tear-filled eyes.

"Scar," He manages to get out. "It's you."

I giggle and then peer down at her. She is still staring at me, but now her mouth has formed in a tiny, little "o" as she bats her eyelashes closed.

"She's tired," I speak quietly.

I have only held a baby a few times in my life, and those were horrific and terrifying times I must admit, but in this moment, it comes naturally to me as I gently pull her into my arms and cradle her to my chest.

She doesn't have much hair, but from the tiny bit of fuzz that is there, I can tell that she is white, just as blonde as I was when I was a baby; and there is no question where she got her eyes from. There are also certain features that are most definitely Paul; she has beautiful, rich skin that looks tanned and shining. Her cheekbones are a stark contrast to my chubby cheeks, and her jawline is practically an exact replica of her father's face.

"She's so… calm," Paul speaks, astonished.

I giggle and hold my pinkie out, which she grasps easily. Feeling my daughter's tiny, little hand wrapped around my finger is honestly unexplainable. I have never felt so complete in my entire life.

"Parent's, how are we feeling? I can see that baby is just fine." The doctor pulls me from my complete and total state of bliss.

"Perfect," I answer easily.

"I must say, that is the calmest baby I have ever delivered before," She smiles.

"Definitely not yours," Paul whispers in my ear.

I am too happy to even argue with him.

I suddenly look around the room. "Hey, Paul; where did your mom go?"

He appears as confused as I am.

"Oh!" The doctor begins. "Your mother in law ran out of here as soon as she heard the gender and has been telling the news to about everyone in the hospital."
We both laugh.

"That sounds like her," Paul mumbles.

It takes far longer than I would like for the doctor to finish "cleaning me up," as she referred to it, which means that it took way too long before my perfect, little family could be alone together.

Once we finally were, though, Paul finally got a chance to hold her. He practically melted, and though I hated the feeling of not having her in my arms, or her tiny, little hand wrapped around my finger, seeing Paul hold her was almost as good. He rocked her gently back and forth and kissed her little forehead, and talked to her as sweetly as he talks to me.

The first family member in was Mrs. Lahote, who managed to control herself long enough and stop crying for enough time to actually hold her, though all she could say is "Beautiful," over and over and over again.

After that, I was practically crawling out of bed to be able to hold her again. And as soon as I was holding my perfect, little human in my arms, right where she belongs, I felt a complete and overwhelming calm sensation fill my entire body.

Nessie and Kim come in a while after that, when Paul is lying in bed next to me and I am still holding her. When Embry comes in, I am almost clingy and protective enough to tell him to come back in ten minutes, but then I realize that I will have her for the rest of my life, so I might as well let my best friend hold my child.

"Alright, the gremlin is here," He rubs his hands together. "Let's see her."

I roll my eyes. "She's calm," I smile down at her and brush her cheek. "She hasn't even cried yet."

"Let's see if I can change that."

I feel a growl erupt out of Paul's throat and can't help but laugh. "Cool down over there, dad!"

Suddenly his face contorts in a wide smile. "Dad," He repeats, breathless.

I laugh loudly while Embry pretends to gag.

"And that is why I will never… ever have kids."

"Oh yeah?" I laugh. "And what does Ali think about that?"

Embry's eyes bulge. "We are definitely not at the kid stage yet!"

"I heard you were thinking marriage," I raise an eyebrow at him. While usually this would be a serious problem, Ali is the first girlfriend of Embry's that I actually like... and I mean, really like.

"Contemplating," He sighed.

"I would know more if you ever called me," I counter. "Is she not here? Are you two having problems?"

"Are you going to let me see your kid yet or not?"

"You're having problems, aren't you?" I moan. "Embry, this is the first girl you have ever dated that I have ever really liked, could you please make this work, for my sanity, really! I would not like to re-live the frying pan incident of 2015."

He rolls his eyes. "I blocked it from hitting you."

"Your girlfriend tried to kill me!"

"Can I hold the thing now or no? Jesus Christ, Princess!"

"She is not a thing!" My mouth drops.

"Well she came from you, so she's not normal that's for sure."

"You're right," Paul cuts in, his voice harsh. "She's perfect. You wouldn't be able to understand. You're not… cultured enough for her."

Embry bursts out laughing. "It's a baby! The only culture it's had is Scarlett's vag-,"

Paul hits Embry upside the back of the head before he has a chance to finish, and suddenly, my little baby is crying.

"Oh, oh no!" I gasp. "Paul!"

"Shhh." Paul reaches for her out of my arms and then rocks her gently. "Shhh, Lena. It's okay. Don't cry."

"Lena?" Embry seems to contemplate it for a moment. "Weird."

"You don't like it?" I can't help but grow offended.

"I didn't say that, Princess," Embry rolls his eyes. "It's just different. I don't think I've ever heard it before."

"Well I'm named either after a color or a fictional character and I'm not so bad," I huff.

Embry's face breaks out into a smile. "I like it, Scar. It's pretty."

"Well thank you."

"No way you're holding her," Paul holds her tightly to his chest. "You come in and she suddenly starts crying. I don't think that's a coincidence."

"Paul," I roll my eyes. "Just give her to him."

He takes a while, but eventually he does rest her in his arms. Right now she is in a semi-sleep state, her eyes just barely closed and mouth automatically suckling; I haven't had a chance to feed her yet.

"Wow, that's kinda… freaky," He admits. "She looks so much like you."

"Cuter though," I sigh and lay back.

"Not sure if babies are cute," He cocks his head at her. "I've always viewed babies as tiny alien-" Suddenly, Embry gasps, and I jump up in worry. Lena has opened her eyes, and Embry's are so wide he looks like he had just seen a ghost.

"W-w-wh," He whispers, and then suddenly his expression falls, and his eyes soften. "Lena," Embry says, pulling her higher in his arms and holding her tightly, never breaking eye contact with her.

And as soon as I realize what is going on, I am sobbing.

"Give her to me!" Paul growls. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He demands.

Paul takes her from Embry and immediately Lena beings crying; at that, Paul softens and strokes her cheek as he attempts to scold Embry in a gentler tone.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Not my daughter, you disgusting idiot! Shit- shit! No way, no fucking way!" Paul whispers.

Embry has his eyes trained on Lena, his eyes wide and his knuckles white from grasping the arms of the chair so tightly in his hand.

"L-L-," He looks from me, to Lena, and then finally tears his gaze away to look at me. "Scarlett- Scarlett please stop crying. It's not- it's not. I would never hurt her. You know I would never hurt her. Please don't hate me."

"Hate you?" I manage to get out through the tears.

He appears taken aback.

"Embry, I'm not mad at you," I sob. "I'm so-so-so… happy."

"You're what?" Both Embry and Paul gasp at the same time.

"I'm so happy!" I laugh through tears and sobs and a hiccup. "I-I-W-when I was p-pregnant I just w-wished that if it was a g-girl that she could have her own P-Paul. A-And now I know that she does. She has you. I'm so happy!"

Embry smiles so gently, and so widely and authentically, I am not sure I have ever seen him look quite like that before, and then he hugs me. I cry silently into his shoulder.

"Are you kidding? She-she's kidding… right Scar?" Paul's sounds uneasy.

"N-No," I suck in my sobs and pull away from him. "Paul, how could I be kidding? Now Lena doesn't just have two people who love her unconditionally, she has three. No one's ever going to hurt her; Embry will make sure of that."

"I will," He answers definitively. "I promise I will."

Paul and I both stop and gawk for a moment. The same guy who struggles being serious for longer than two minutes at a time and makes inappropriate jokes at funerals is suddenly so authentic and serious and sincere.

"I don't-" Paul looks from Lena, to Embry, and then back to Lena. "She's mine. Do you understand that? And you don't touch her. Do you fucking hear me?"

"Paul it's not like th-,"

"Yes, I understand," Embry answers, his voice serious and low.

I suddenly quiet; I feel like I am suddenly out of this conversation.

"We're her parents, Embry," Paul states.

"I know that," Embry whispers back. "All I want is to keep her safe."

Paul nods. One nod, but a nod nonetheless. He looks longingly at Lena, almost like he hates to have to give her away, and then slowly hands her back to Embry. Embry takes her into his arms and I watch as his entire demeanor changes, softens almost, and suddenly he isn't the Embry that I knew, and I think that is because he isn't my Embry anymore, and I love that. I freaking love that.

Everything that Paul was for me; a friend, a protector, a future lover, Embry will be for our daughter. She will never feel alone, or afraid, or lost. She will always have her own Paul, but instead his name is Embry and he is my best friend.

It is impossible for life to get any better than this.

And just like that... Embry's Imprint Story will be up ASAP! Thanks to everyone for reading and sticking with me! Thank you for all the reviews and encouraging words- I love you all and can't wait to write a new story! Thanks for everything, see you soon :)