The logical, rational part of her brain knew that the bareness of the room was for the sake of cleanliness and functionality, but she hated the coldness of it nonetheless. She hated how easy it was to play old memories against this blank backdrop.

"You alright?"

But she had Aramis.

She turned towards him from where she sat on the edge of the exam chair and looked up into his warm brown eyes. "Just nervous," she admitted.

Sliding his hand under hers, he pushed her fingers away from the rubbery cushion so that they could grip his hand instead. "Me too," he said softly. And then the corner of his lips pull back into that half-smile of his. "But excited too."

She felt the corners of her own lips lift as she let her shoulders relax some.

The ultrasound technician walked in a few minutes later, and after going over Anne's information, had her lean back in the chair while she went and dimmed the lights. Aramis had released her hand so that she could scoot back and then roll up her shirt, but once the technician started squeezing the gel onto her abdomen he took her hand again, and stroked his thumb along her knuckles reassuringly.

When the technician picked up the wand, Aramis' grip on her hand tightened, and she returned the pressure as she closed her eyes, the nervousness and anxiety creeping back up again. Would there really be the early shape of a baby on the screen above them? Or were all the symptoms, all the tests somehow wrong and it would show nothing, just vast emptiness.

"There's your baby," the technician announced, and Anne opened her eyes to blink at the small black circle and the even smaller white form within it.

Beside her, she heard Aramis exhale shakily. "Like a little cacao bean," he stated, and she could hear the awe in his voice too.

She continued to stare at the screen while the technician measured the baby and pointed out the flickering heartbeat. "He's really there."

"We won't be able to tell the baby's se-"

"It's a boy," she firmly stated, and looked over to meet Aramis' questioning gaze. "I'm certain of it."

MMMMMMMMMM

"I wasn't there for Isabelle's first ultrasound," he quietly confessed as he and Anne looked at the scans of their baby once more. They were sitting at the breakfast table in her apartment, and she turned her head so that she could look at him with sad eyes. "Her father had taken her before they decided to let me be involved."

"Did you get to go to any of the other appointments?"

"Just once, before…" he trailed off. "I got to hear the heartbeat though." He paused as he remembered the moment; the amazement, the way it stole his breath away. "Sometimes, I think it would have been better if I hadn't-easier-but once I got past the initial grief, I was glad to have heard it."

"I know what you mean," Anne empathised, and his heart ached for her. She had been much further along than Isabelle when she lost her baby. She had felt her baby moving and kicking, and had had more time to imagine a life with him, more to mourn.

"It's a wondrous sound," she added before looking up and meeting his eyes. "Perhaps we could get a foetal doppler, and then we can listen to the baby's heartbeat whenever we want. Philip and Elisabeth just got one."

"I'd like that."

MMMMMMMMMM

After offering to make them some tea, he started rummaging around Anne's kitchen. She had a decent-sized and fairly up-to-date kitchen with a small peninsula that looked out into the living room. The countertops were white marble and the cabinets were a light blue colour that made it look and feel fresh and airy. While searching for some milk and honey though, the pantry, fridge, and countertops revealed Anne to be quite low on actual food though.

"Do you have any plans for dinner tonight?" he asked.

"No, not really. I haven't had much of an appetite, so I'll probably just have something light. I know I have to go grocery shopping."

"I can do that for you," he said. "How about I cook you dinner? Nothing fancy, just a broth perhaps."

She seemed momentarily stunned by the proposition before recovering, "Oh, you don't have to do that."

"I'd like to. Besides, you should be resting. I can run to the shops and then it's one less thing for you to worry about."

"Well at least let me give you some money."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Please, let me do this for you." They could discuss financials another time, all he wanted to do right now was take care of her.

MMMMMMMMMM

After all that he'd done for her with the food, and knowing he'd likely offer to do the washing up next, she jumped out of her seat the second Aramis put down his spoon and leaned back in his chair so that she could beat him to the punch.

However, due to the increased amount of blood her heart was pumping now due to the baby, as had been explained to-but at the moment forgotten by-her, the sudden change in elevation made her dizzy, and she had to catch herself on the edge of the table to keep her balance before squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for the dizziness to go away.

Aramis, of course, had jumped out of his own seat and was immediately at her side, helping her back down onto the chair.

"Sorry," she said, once it passed and she'd caught her breath.

"Don't be sorry," he insisted. "Just take it easy."

She looked up at him, feeling foolish. "I didn't want you taking care of the dishes."

He tilted his head slightly to the side, smiling softly. "Anne, I'm not having you lift one finger today, haven't you got that by now?"

"Then leave them for me to do tomorrow."

He let out a huff of laughter and then took both their bowls into his hands. "I'm doing the dishes, and you should really be getting some rest."

MMMMMMMMMM

With a sigh she turned over onto her back and put her fingers to her temples as she stared up at the ceiling. As tired as she was, she could not fall asleep, not with Aramis still making the odd noise in the kitchen. What he could still be cleaning or putting away though she did not know.

She closed her eyes as the memory of their night together replayed in her mind once more; how gentle his touch was, and yet how strong his embrace. She had slept so well afterwards, wrapped up in his arms…

Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and then made her way to the kitchen as she heard the scrape of a chair being moved. Perhaps he was finally finishing up and getting ready to leave.

When she got there though, he was sitting at the peninsula, looking down at his phone. He looked tired, with his head bowed and his shoulders hunched. The dishes were all cleared away, but he didn't look to be leaving anytime soon.

"Are you alright?"

"I should be asking you that," he replied, running a hand through his hair. "I just thought I'd stay until you fell asleep."

Her heart clenched at the admission, but she ached for more. She knew he was just trying to be honourable and respect her wish to take things slow as she had originally asked, but she was carrying his child, for goodness sake, what was the point in acting like they were still just friends?

"That's the thing," she said, stepping closer to him. "I'm having trouble falling asleep and…I was wondering if you would join me? Just to sleep," she clarified.

He looked at her for several seconds, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly open but no words coming out.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," she quickly amended, "I'll be fine on my own. I promise to remember not to get up too quickly so you don't have to worry-"

Having stood up, he put his hands on her arms, stopping her from saying anymore as he looked into her eyes. "Anne, I will."

She stared up at him. "You will?"

"I'll stay with you," he told her, "whenever you want, as long as you want." He took her hands in his. "You're not going through this alone."