A/N: Thank you guys again for the lovely reviews. :)

~

Chris and Stephanie sat down on one of the couches opposite Jessica. Stephanie sat Carter in her lap, as Chris took her hand. She needed the moral support right about now. She studied the little girl sitting in Jessica's lap, looking for any of Chris's features, but the girl looked exactly like her mother.

"Why'd you come back here?" Chris asked.

"Because I thought you might like to know you have a daughter Christopher," she said.

"And that's it?"

"No, I think that Adri needs her father, don't you Adri?"

The little girl sighed in response. Stephanie felt sorry for her, really, not Jessica, but Adriana. No child should have to suffer with her as a mother. She was a nightmare, and that was being nice when it came down to it.

"So again, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

"You left me for that skank," Jessica said nonchalantly.

Stephanie started fuming, "How dare you?!?"

"How dare I what? Tell the truth?"

"If you ever talk to my wife like that again," Chris said to her, "I will kick you out of my house, child or no child."

"I'm appalled at you Christopher. I thought you would love to have a daughter."

"I don't even know if that kid is mine."

"I wouldn't lie about something like this. I wouldn't come here if she wasn't. I know where I'm not welcome."

"Then why the hell did you come back?" Stephanie said.

"Because of my daughter, I guess you wouldn't know what it's like to raise a child on your own would you Stephanie?"

"No, I wouldn't, but that's because Chris loves me."

"He loved me once too," she shot back.

"Not anymore."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Jessica, that's it, ok! I loved you once upon a time, but you up and left me."

"I left because I didn't think you would forgive me!"

"I was going to! I was going to forgive you and take you back, but you left, that's your fault!"

Stephanie watched the two of them bicker with each other. She suddenly felt forgotten. Like this argument had suddenly gone to years before, and she was left out in the cold. She swallowed and stood up, taking her and Carter out to the backyard.

She sat him in his bouncy seat and she sat on the dirt in front of him. She watched him bounce for a few seconds, then sighed and leaned her chin on her hand. She bounced him a couple more times with her free hand.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this baby," she said softly, "I thought we had gotten rid of her."

He babbled to her.

"She always makes Mommy feel inferior for some reason, like Daddy really wanted her, but he got me as his consolation prize."

Carter looked at her strangely.

"I know Daddy loves me, but when she's around, I always get reminded that he loved her first. And if he loved her first, then he can love her last, and that frightens me."

Carter held his hands out to her. Stephanie kneeled in front of him and gave him a hug. She smiled and kissed his cheek. He smiled and drooled in response. She wiped his mouth laughing and wondering what was going on inside.

"How was I supposed to know that you would take me back?" Jessica said.

"Oh, I don't know, if you had stuck around for FIVE minutes," he yelled.

"I loved you, you know."

"Oh and I didn't, like I didn't waste like a year of my life pining away for you."

"I missed you too!"

"Well, you know what, I'm glad that you left."

"You don't mean that," she said.

"I do mean that. I mean that more than anything."

"No, because when I came back you were so happy to see me Christopher!"

"Yeah, because I thought that I loved you, but guess what, I hated your guts. Every single time we were together, I secretly wanted to be with Stephanie!" he said, almost to the point of just saying it to gloat.

"Oh, bringing up her again, I could've made you so happy Christopher!"

"No you wouldn't, you would've made me absolutely miserable. You hated everything I loved!"

"We could've been so great, but you freaking wasted that on her!"

"I haven't wasted anything on her, I've been happy with her. She makes me happy!"

"Well, now you're going to have to deal with us!"

"No, I won't, I don't even know that kid. For all I know, that's some random guy's kid, and I wouldn't put it past you to be fucking every guy on the block Jessica."

"We'll see Christopher. So, are you going to let us spend the night?"

"You insult me, you insult my wife, and you expect me to let you stay in my house?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, we came all this way," she said.

"Fine, you know what? Fine, take a room, I don't give a flying fuck."

"Don't swear in front of our daughter."

"Don't call her that," he retorted.

"She is, get used to it, we'll just get our stuff out of the car," Jessica said, standing up then walking out of the house.

Chris sighed and closed his eyes. This whole mess was starting to get to him. He didn't want to be in this predicament but here he was. And there was no easy way to get out of it. If that little girl was in fact his, then he'd have responsibilities that he needed to take care of. And he couldn't deny the little girl her father, no matter how much he hated her mother.

It was only then that he noticed Stephanie wasn't sitting next to him. She must've gone into the kitchen or something. He stood up to go look for her when Jessica came trouncing back in.

"Christopher, would you be a doll and grab her bag?" Jessica said, in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Chris didn't want to, but was too nice of a guy to say no, "Fine, come on, I'll show you to a room."

Meanwhile, Stephanie had stood up and dusted herself off. She picked up Carter and walked inside. She walked in just in time to catch Chris taking bags upstairs. She was confused, he was letting Jessica stay here. But why?

Stephanie suddenly felt like the odd man out. She felt tears come to her eyes and she looked at Carter. God, how could she believe that Chris would stick with her? It was probably his dream to have kids with Jessica and now that was true, and he would forgive her all her past sins.

Stephanie grabbed her coat and Carter's diaper bag with his things in it and left the house silently, not knowing where to go. Chris led Jessica to one of the spare rooms. He dropped her stuff down unceremoniously.

"There," he said.

"Well, you don't have to be rude Christopher," she said, pursing her lips.

"Whatever."

"We're tired, we'll just turn in early."

"Like I care."

"Oh, but you should, we're sticking around Chris, you can't get rid of us so quickly."

"If you didn't have a kid, your ass would have already been halfway to Albuquerque," he said snidely.

"Well, it's a good thing I have Adri then."

"Yeah, good thing," he muttered.

Chris left them and went back downstairs, still wondering where Stephanie could be. He went into the kitchen, thinking they'd be in there. It was almost dinner time, and Stephanie would probably be feeding Carter.

He walked in and saw that it was empty except for Dungy who was sitting alone in the corner. That was odd. He was about to walk out when he saw a note on the table. He went over and picked it up to read it.

Chris,

I took Carter and we went away. We just didn't feel like we belonged there.

Stephanie

Chris had to read the note several times to make sure he was reading correctly. Where had Stephanie gotten this idea that they didn't belong? What was going on? He ran outdoors and saw that her car was gone. He started breathing heavily, realizing the impact that was coming upon him. Stephanie had just left with their son.

And he had never felt worse in his life. Not even when Jessica had left. He felt lost, somehow, like this world wasn't his own. How could Stephanie leave? Didn't she know that it would kill him? Oh God, and he had no clue where they could've gone. It terrified him to no end.

She was gone.