Summer prodded Tenaya in the ribs, rousing her attention as she found yet another outfit she thought would look cute on Alex. Tenaya looked a little frustrated and tired by now, they had been shopping for a good couple of hours. Ziggy and Dillon were away, checking out car seats for safety ratings.

"Look at this one, its adorable!" Summer gushed as she shoved it under Tenaya's nose. It was a little blue all-in-one costume with a teddy-bear motif stitched into the left breast. "Oh he'd look beautiful in this."

"Fine, put it in the cart with the others." Tenaya sighed, waving off Summer's excitement dismissively. She could understand why she was excited, it was the first time a baby had come into her family since...well...her basically, but she didn't feel the same excitement herself. If anything all she felt whenever she looked at her son was dread. Summer picked up a little stuffed pig, smiling broadly as she did so.

"This is so cute; I just have to get it for him!" She shrieked as she held it to her chest. "Sorry Tenaya, I'm slipping into scary aunt mode aren't I?"

"It's alright, I understand." She muttered as she put some formula into the cart. Summer looked at her a little curiously.

"Aren't you going to feed him?" She asked her. "I would have thought you'd want to for a while at least. It's meant to help with the bonding..."

"I did carry him, how much closer do you think I need to get?" Tenaya asked her sarcastically. "I did give birth to him."

"Tenaya, is everything alright?" Summer asked her. "I know I'm a little excitable about all this, but..."

"Sorry Summer, I guess I'm just tired." Tenaya interrupted her, snatching the pig from Summer and shoving it in the cart. Her shoulders slumped as she looked down on the items with a certain sense of foreboding. "Summer, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, whatever you want." Summer replied, a little curious. Tenaya sighed deeply.

"I something happens to me and Ziggy..."

"Ten..."

"If anything happens to me and Ziggy, I want to know Alex will be alright." She reiterated in a soft voice. "If anything happens, I'd like you and my brother to take care of him."

"Of course we will!" Summer assured her, placing her hand on the small of Tenaya's back. She smiled as she felt the warmth in Summer's touch. All she wanted was to know that her son would be cared for, and she had already proven to herself that she was incapable of the task. Now all she needed to do was remove herself from his life and take out the last obstacle.

"Tenaya, check this out!" Ziggy called out as he arrived with Dillon, carrying a car seat. "This looks perfect for him!"

"It does." She replied quietly, looking at it. Dillon smiled as he looked down at the little guy; resting in the stroller they had bought three stores ago.

"Summer, maybe it's time we went to go and do that little bit of shopping we were talking about." He suggested. "There is a jewellers across the street."

Summer looked to Ziggy and Tenaya, and smiled as she thought about it. As much as she loved the baby, she was so excited about the prospect of arranging the wedding. She put an arm around him.

"I you insist, lead the way handsome." She told him, before handing some money to Ziggy. "That's or my share of the stuff I put in the cart. I guess I got a little...overly enthusiastic."

"I can see that!" He laughed as he took the money from her. The cart was virtually full between outfits, toys and just about everything that a baby could possibly want. It looked more like they were shopping for the orphanage than just for Alex. "We'll see you guys back at the Garage."

As Dillon and Summer left, Ziggy took the cart from Tenaya and pushed it towards the cashier's desk. He chuckled a little as he looked down on the goods in it.

"I think that's every birthday and Christmas covered until he's 21." He joked happily. "I doubt he could want a better aunt and uncle."

"You're right about that." She sighed, thinking about it. "I think Summer's a little disappointed Alex isn't hers."

"Something tells me that we won't be waiting too long after we deal with Venjix before they become members of the parent club." He told her. He drew closer as they got to the cashier's desk. The cashier looked to the baby in Ziggy's arms, smiling.

"He's adorable! How old is he?" She asked them.

"He's only a couple of days old." Ziggy told her as she started ringing up their purchases. Tenaya saw the way she looked at her son and felt a sharp pain in her chest. She knew the way she felt about her son wasn't right. She knew she should be happier, more excited, but she never felt that. All she felt when she looked at him was panic and dread which quickly turned to sadness as she realised she couldn't be what everyone expected of her. She couldn't cope with the awesome responsibility of being a mother to him. She had failed him so much already; she couldn't bear the thought of any harm coming to him because of her. She was only relieved that there were so many others around him that would take better care of him than she could.

"He looks a little like his mommy." The cashier told them. "You must be thrilled."

"Well it's just as well he took his looks from his mom's side of the family." Ziggy chuckled as she finished ringing up their purchases and packing them into bags. "Lord knows I'd hate to inflict that on the little guy."

Tenaya gathered up the bags without a word, before heading out to the hummer. Ziggy just paid for the goods and followed her. Tenaya was just finishing putting the bags into the vehicle when he arrived.

"Ten, could you take Alex for a little bit?" He asked her, presenting the child to her. She looked down on the little boy uneasily, almost like he was possessed.

"I thought you wanted to hold him." She commented.

"I can't exactly drive and hold him at the same time." He replied. Tenaya just groaned and took her son from him, holding him to her chest. "Ten, are you sure everything's alright?"

"Why do you keep asking that?" She asked him.

"Maybe because you haven't touched our son since he was born." He told her. "Ten..."

"If anything was wrong I'd tell you." She mumbled as she got into the passenger seat of the vehicle. Ziggy didn't want to press the issue. As much as he wanted answers to why she was being so distant and defensive, he knew that simply hounding her about it was never going to work. All he could do was hope that soon she would let him know what was going on in her head.

Summer and Dillon went into the jewellers, looking around at the displays as an assistant came to help them.

"Can I help you?" She asked them, looking over them. Summer wrapped an arm around Dillon's waist, pulling him closer.

"We're looking for an engagement ring." She told her. "We could be tempted to go for a couple of wedding rings too."

"I take it you're not planning on waiting too long." The assistant replied with a small laugh. "For what it's worth, I get a feeling when I see couples together, and you look a lot better with him than you did with Chas."

Summer just groaned and rolled her eyes as he reminded them about that incident. Given the public nature of the whole thing, hardly anyone in Corinth didn't know about her near wedding to Chas. It had been in all the newspapers.

"We were hoping to arrange something in the not too distant future." Dillon confirmed as he looked around. "Uh, are these price tickets right?"

"Wow, I knew our salary wasn't great, but I never thought the ring would be this expensive." She gasped, seeing some of the tickets. "It's alright Dillon; I love you that's all that matters. I don't need..."

"I think I might have something." The assistant told them. She presented her hand to Summer, letting her see the rings on her finger. "We have a few solitaires at a very reasonable rate. I got one for my wedding."

"It's beautiful." Summer commented. "Did you get it here?"

"I can show you the display." The assistant assured her, leading her to the section she was referring to.

"Well the prices are a little closer." Summer told her. Dillon just sighed.

"It's alright, you're worth it." He told her. He saw one that he liked the look of, and he pointed it out to the assistant. "Can we try that one?"

She fished it out, and handed it to Dillon. He slipped it onto Summer's finger, finding it a good fit.

"It's beautiful." She gasped as she saw it. "Dillon, are you sure we want to spend this much? I can always..."

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right." He told her flatly, looking into her eyes. "We're only going to do this once, so we can afford to be a little extravagant."

"I love it." She told him, looking happily at the ring. "We'll take it."

"It really suits you." The assistant assured them. "I'm sure you'll both be really happy together."

Over at the orphanage, Ziggy arrived, finding Ms. Foster out the front, keeping an eye on the kids as they played in the garden. He still couldn't get over the somewhat bizarre image of Fresno Bob in the garden playing with them. He never thought he'd see him like that, but it looked like he was starting to embrace his new life helping out Ms. Foster. He hadn't looked so young and active in years, even despite the injuries he was recovering from. He got out the car as they came over, hugging his mother and father.

"Ziggy, we were so excited when you said you were coming round!" Ms. Foster shrieked as she released him.

"You said you had a surprise for us." Bob stated as he looked at his son fondly. "What is it?"

Tenaya got out of the hummer, carrying Alex in her arms softly. Both Bob and Helen looked a little confused as they saw him.

"It's kind of a long story, but I'd like to introduce you to your grandson." He told them with a little grin as Tenaya handed him to Helen. "This is Alex."

"But you only told us Tenaya was pregnant a couple of weeks ago." Helen commented. "How is that possible?"

"It doesn't seem real to me either, but I can assure you that it's true." Ziggy told them, recalling the scene vividly. "I helped deliver him."

"Well however it happened, I'm just happy he seems to be healthy." Bob told them as he looked at Tenaya. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." She replied quickly, not looking at him. Ms. Foster looked at her a little curiously as Alex started to whimper a little.

"It sounds like he needs a change." She stated. "Tenaya, could you come with me?"

Tenaya followed her reluctantly as she went inside. Ms. Foster laid out a changing mat, placing Alex down on it softly and started to unfasten his diaper. Tenaya stood in the corner, almost as far from Alex as she could get as his grandmother started cleaning him up.

"How are you really?" She asked as she started wiping him down. Tenaya just shrugged.

"I'm alright I guess." She mumbled. "I guess that's the benefits of being a cyborg."

"I didn't mean physically, I can see you're healthy." Ms. Foster told her. "It is a pretty big thing; I know what it was like when I had Ziggy."

"It's a bit of an adjustment." Tenaya told her. "I suppose I'm a little tired and..."

"Tenaya, you couldn't give him away fast enough." Helen interrupted her. "You practically threw Alex at Bob."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She responded. Helen just looked at her a little unconvinced.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." She replied. "Come over and help me."

"You know what you're doing." Tenaya replied. "I'd just get in the way."

"He's your baby Tenaya; I'm not always going to be here." She reminded her. "It's only natural to be scared."

"I'm not just scared, I'm terrified." She replied sadly. "I don't have any idea what I'm doing."

"Neither did I." Ms. Foster assured her. "No one ever knows what to do when kids come along. There's nothing you can do to prepare for it. It's an awesome responsibility."

"I know all that, it's just...it's too much." Tenaya replied as she looked at Alex. "He deserves a good mom, someone that knows what they're doing, I'm not sure I'm up to it."

"That's how every new parent feels." Helen told her sympathetically as she applied some baby powder, drying Alex off gently. "It's only natural to feel overwhelmed..."

"I didn't even know how to feed him." She admitted as tears began to form in her eyes. "How am I meant to care for him if I don't even know something as basic as that?"

"Trust me; having babies is nothing like it is in the movies. You don't immediately all in love with them and get all deliriously happy around them." She told her. "He constantly screams, he never has a thought about your feelings or if you're tired or sick. He only considers what he needs, and he demands it all right now."

Tenaya just looked at her a little oddly. Ms. Foster just smiled.

"Babies aren't sweet. They're demanding, they're obnoxious and they're selfish." She told her. "It'll change eventually, but I don't think many people appreciate how frustrating and difficult it is."

"But I..."

"When I had Ziggy, it felt like he never stopped crying. I have to admit there were times I thought I had to be the most worthless mother in the world." She continued as she remembered his childhood. "One time I found myself screaming at him. I even considered hurting him to try and shut him up."

"You wanted to hurt him?" Tenaya asked her a little shocked. Ms. Foster just shook her head in response.

"Not really, but the thought came to mind." She told her. "I thought I was a monster for even thinking about hurting him and I didn't forgive myself for days."

"I can't cope with this." She muttered. "It's all too much, I can't do it..."

"You'll amaze yourself with what you can do." Ms. Foster interrupted her, stroking her hair. "Just look at him, he's amazing. I know you'll give everything you have to take care of him."

Tenaya looked at him, smiling as she beheld her son. She reached forward, touching him gently.

"What if it isn't enough?" She asked his grandmother. "What if I'm not good enough?"

"Every mother worries about the same thing." Helen assured her.

"I just keep worrying about everything." Tenaya replied. "What am I meant to tell him when he asks why his mommy doesn't need a jack to lift the car to change a tyre, or why her hand can separate from the rest of her body."

"You just tell him the truth." She responded. "You tell him his mommy's a little different."

"You really think I can handle this?" Tenaya asked her. Helen just smiled at her as she finished strapping on a fresh diaper, picking Alex up.

"No one knows everything at first; it's just something you have to learn." She told her. "I'm sure you'll be just fine."

Tenaya took Alex back from her, smiling a little as she looked at him.

"Give yourself a break, kids are pretty astute." She warned her. "If you're all stressed out and wound up tightly like that, how do you think he's going to feel?"

"I never thought about it like that." Tenaya responded, bobbing him gently in her arms. "I thought he'd be better off without me."

"No child is better off without a mother looking out for them." She replied softly. "You just need to relax and not expect so much from yourself. You know there are plenty of us around to help you."

"That means a lot." She replied. "Thanks Helen."

"You should talk to Ziggy. He needs to know how you feel." Helen told her. "You're a team. You need to work together."

With that, they went back outside, where Ziggy and Bob were greeting Brie and Chas as they arrived. Bob had already started to gather the kids to bring them back inside as they arrived.

"It's been a while Ziggy, what's this news?" Chas asked him. "When you called you said you had a major announcement."

"Well it's kind of a long story, but there's someone we'd like you to meet." He replied as Tenaya stepped closer, presenting Alex to them. "I'd like you to meet the newest member of our family."