The reviews were great! Thanks so much. =]

NaomiP: No, I didn't realize that Alex's birthday was in the spring. I missed a few episodes this season, but thanks for pointing that out. I'm still going to keep his birthday in August though, just for the timeline of my story. =] And about the scans, I know they're used for checking for abnormalities and such, but I know that some doctors kind of point that out about the sex anyway.

June 10th

"Mom, sign this." Alex bounced over to Sam with a white piece of paper in his hands. "It's the stupid permission slip for the field trip to Lake Michigan on Monday. I gotta hand it in tomorrow or I can't go."

Luka looked up from his cup of coffee and grinned. "You're going to Lake Michigan for a field trip?"

"Yea. It's such crap. For science. I hate science."

Sam quickly signed the form and handed it back to him, buttering a bagel for herself in the process. "Hey, don't say that. You might like it when you get older."

"You could become a brain surgeon," Luka joked. "Or make a discovery in neurosurgery."

Alex rolled his eyes and stole half of Sam's bagel. "Yeah, like I'd ever want to become a doctor."

Sam shot him a warning glare. "Cut it out, Alex. It's almost eight. If you don't hurry up you'll be late for school and I'm not dropping you off."

"Good, then I won't go. I don't need school, anyway. I wish we just stayed in our old apartment, but no. You guys just had to have a baby. I wish I could live with Dad!" He stubbornly walked out of Luka's kitchen, and the slam of Alex's bedroom door could be heard throughout the entire apartment.

Luka shot a sideways glance at Sam. She looked visibly shaken at Alex's last comment. "Hey…he didn't mean that. He's just trying to what do you call it, test his limits."

Sam nodded and set the portion of her bagel roughly on the kitchen table, taking off out of the kitchen and straight down the hallway towards Alex's bedroom.

"Sam, don't—" Luka sighed. "Let it go."

Sam sharply opened the door and marched over to the television, turning it off automatically. "You're grounded for two weeks. Meaning no going over Mikey's, no skate park, no video games, and no television."

"What?" Alex threw down his PS2 controller onto his bed and stood up. "You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can do that Alex! Whether you like it or not, I am your mother and that's how it's going to be!"

Alex angrily pulled open his closet door and picked out tee shirt and a pair of shorts to wear. "Yeah, well if you and Dad didn't have such a sucky relationship then maybe we'd all be living together!"

"No!" Sam shouted at him. Usually she made it a habit of trying not to argue with Alex and punish him appropriately, but his little smart ass rebellious attitude had been going on for too long and she was growing tired of it. With the stress of unpacking from the move, Luka leaving, and planning for the baby, she was fed up. "You want to know something, Alex? Your father isn't such of a great guy. He left the hospital right after you were born to go and drink and hang out with his friends. I went home with you two days later, and he didn't show up until a week later! I was sixteen years old, Alex! Most sixteen year olds spend their time hanging out with friends and going to the mall! It was two weeks before school started when I brought you home from the hospital, and instead of worrying about what I was going to wear on the first day of school, I spent every minute I could with you—making sure you were happy and fed and giving you what you wanted. I don't regret a damn minute of it! I loved taking care of you, even through all those sleepless nights, teething fits, and temper tantrums. From day one, I had to be the one to take care of you, Alex. And God help me if something ever happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. And I'm sorry you think everything sucks right now, but get over it! Just because I'm with Luka now doesn't mean I don't have time for you, but every time I try to make time for you, you blow me off with that attitude of yours. Don't you get it? No one will ever replace you. I'll always be here for you and love you no matter how much you hate me or think my rules suck. I'm sorry if you don't like Luke or his apartment, or like the fact that I'm with him, or don't want me to have another baby. I can't change it. You're just going to have to get used to it."

By now, Alex was staring wide eyed at his mother. He had never seen her so angry and upset with him before. "Mom—"

Sam shook her head. "Just get ready for school, okay? I'll drop you off late and sign you in." Sighing, she closed his bedroom door and walked out into the hall. Luka was leaned up against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"You okay?" he questioned her. "What happened in there?"

She shrugged. "I guess I just took everything out on him. I don't know. I feel like I'm failing at raising him. He's really trying to test me lately and I don't know if it's just because he knows he can get away with a lot, but to want to live with Steve? God, I don't even want to think about it. Steve would probably just leave him to fend for himself half of the time."

Luka wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. "You're a great mother to him. I know it's hard sometimes. I've…been there. Sometimes you don't know if you're doing the right thing or not. But you're doing a great job. He's not as little as you think anymore. He's growing up, and pretty soon he'll be a teenager, and driving, and he'll have his own girlfriend. Even then, you'll do a great job."

"You think?" Sam sighed into Luka's shoulder. "I'm really trying." They had walked into Luka's bedroom, and automatically Sam sat down cross-legged in the center of the bed. "He likes you a lot, Luka."

"Does he? Sometimes I'm not so sure." Luka walked over to his dresser and took his passport out of his dresser drawer, placing it next to his Alliance identification card.

"No, he really does. I know right now he's having a hard time. Every time Steve shows up, he really messes with Alex's head. He'll say anything to get Alex on his side, and that's a big part of why we keep moving around. I don't want to run anymore. I don't want to do that to Alex. I like Chicago; I like being here with you. I'm happy with settling here," she replied softly.

"Then don't. Don't let Steve show up and try to control you any longer. You're stronger than that." Luka tucked his passport and ID card into the front of his carry on bag. He placed his cell phone, charger, and beeper in the top drawer of the nightstand.

"You're not taking them?"

"Can't take my cell phone. I have nowhere to charge it. The battery would be dead within three days. I'll call you from Paris on a pay phone, and I'll call you from the Congo from the phone line in the hospital when I can. I don't want you to worry if I don't call you all the time, okay? I'll try to call every three or four days."

Sam nodded. "Okay."

"Steve doesn't know that you moved in with me, does he?"

She shook her head and stood up. "No. My mom doesn't even have this number yet."

"Okay. I just don't want him showing up and bothering you when I'm gone."

"He won't."

Luka sighed. "You're sure about that?"

Sam grabbed Luka's keys off of the nightstand. "I have to drive Alex to school. He's already late."

He nodded and leaned over slightly to kiss her goodbye. "You're a good parent. Don't let anyone try to tell you different."

Luka gently kissed the back of Sam's neck. After she had dropped Alex off at school late, they had gotten pretty carried away in the middle of some last minute packing that he had been doing. "Sam."

She stirred next to him, but didn't open her eyes right away. "Hmm?"

"Alex is getting home soon."

Sam adjusted the sheets around her bare body and snuggled into Luka's chest. "What time is it?"

"Almost two thirty. We have to leave for the airport in about an hour and a half."

She lifted her head off of his chest and groaned. "Already?"

"Yeah."

Sam sat up and fished her tee shirt off of the ground, pulling it on quickly. "So you have everything you need?"

Luka nodded. He was half dressed by now, although he was heading for the shower. "Packed and ready to go."

She walked over to the mirror and twisted her hair up with a white clip before turning back to him. "I was sort of thinking about picking up some paint samples with Alex when you were gone for the baby's room."

"You should. I think he really wants to be involved." Luka smiled at her. "You're not going to come home with twenty different shades of blue and pink are you?"

"I know he wants to be involved. He's just being stubborn," Sam smiled. "And I don't know about the paint colors. I think pink and blue are overplayed. I had a pink room growing up and I learned to hate it after I turned twelve."

"I don't like green."

Sam smiled. "What about teal if it's a boy? Or we could just go with white walls, a teal border, and a teal carpet? Or maybe pastel green?"

Luka couldn't help but smile when he realized how much Sam was getting into the whole idea of painting the baby's room. It wasn't that he wasn't excited, because he was—it was just that it was hard. It made him think of his children and how he and Danijela hadn't really gotten into the whole baby room scheme. They had just been happy enough to blessed with two healthy children.

"What about yellow for a girl?" he added in. "Maybe a yellow and pink combination. That way it's not all one color."

"Yeah. I like that," Sam agreed. "Alex told me he wanted to paint his room neon orange and black."

Luka laughed. "It would be Halloween all year."

"That's what I told him! When we look for paint samples for the baby, I think I'm going to try and get him to change his mind," she laughed. Luka kissed her on the neck before passing down the hall towards his bathroom.

"I'll be out in a few minutes. Want to join?"

Sam shook her head. "I'll take a rain check. Laundry to finish and a stubborn nine year old that I hope it talking to me when he gets home."

About an hour later, Sam knocked softly at Alex's bedroom door. She hadn't heard much from him since he had gotten home from school a little after two-thirty. He had muttered a 'hello' to Luka and headed straight for his room, without giving Sam a second glance.

"Hey. What are you doing?"

"Homework," he grumbled quietly. "Math. I hate fractions."

"Can I come in?"

Alex shrugged. "Free country."

She crossed her arms over her chest and flopped down on the bed next to him. "Want some help?"

"No. We have a test tomorrow. It's the last test of the year."

"I used to hate math. Fractions, algebra, everything. But I guess when you get older you learn to tolerate the crappiness of math and get through it. Can I see?"

"I guess so. I think I'm going to fail tomorrow anyway."

Sam checked over the homework sheet and circled the ones that were wrong with his pencil, which were only a few on that page. "You did pretty good. You only got a few wrong here. Don't say that."

"Do I really have to go the stupid field trip on Monday?"

"Only if you think you're going to have a good time. Are Mikey and Jake going?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Then I think you'll have a good time."

"Yeah." She heard a knock on the doorframe and looked over her shoulder. Luka was standing there with a smile.

"Hey. What are you guys doing?"

"Fractions." Alex rolled his eyes. "I hate them."

"Want some help?" Luka offered. "We don't have to leave for a few more minutes anyway."

"Sure," he agreed. "You're hogging the bed, Mom."

Sam laughed and scooted over some to make room for Luka. "Jeez, sorry."

Alex watched as Luka looked over the homework sheet. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty good at math. See, like this one? You had the right answer, but you didn't simplify it down enough." Luka rewrote the problem on the side and handed the pencil back to Alex.

"You mean divide more, right?"

"Right."

Alex redid the problem correctly and turned to Sam. "Am I gonna actually need this stuff in real life? I won't ask you for something stupid like a fourth of a piece of pizza."

Luka grinned and ruffled Alex's hair. "No, you probably won't, but I guess it's good to know it somehow. I don't know, you'll be surprised when you need it I guess."

"I'm proud to say that I definitely don't need algebra to go grocery shopping," Sam smiled back. "I guess my D in it spoke for itself though."

Luka laughed. "You failed algebra?"

"Hey, I passed the final."

"How old were you?"

"Fifteen," she said quietly. Luka had a feeling he already knew the reason why Sam hadn't done so well in school that year. For one, she was dating Steve, and two, she was pregnant with Alex.

"Oh." Luka glanced at the clock. "I guess we better get going to the airport."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, we should. Alex, get your shoes on, okay?"

"Yup."

Luka, Sam, and Alex had arrived at the airport shortly before five. Luka had driven his SUV in, and Sam would be driving it back. She was still a little nervous about driving it, but after a few times of taking it out with Luka in the passenger seat, she had gotten more comfortable with it and was pretty much a pro, as he had told her a few days before.

Everything was set for his trip to Africa. He had given Sam his own apartment key for safekeeping and instructed her to 'make sure all the doors were locked when she was home alone'. Sam smiled at his over protectiveness a little bit, but she could tell that he was already worried about leaving her behind. He had left emergency money and his credit card behind in case she needed anything, although Sam still felt more comfortable at using her own money. Luka insisted that she use his money anyway. He had his tickets, passport, ID cards, and carry on bag, and now Sam had to do was say goodbye and wait patiently until July 3rd, when he was set to come home.

Luka quickly took his carry on bag out of the trunk of his SUV and slung it over his shoulder while Sam and Alex got out.

"You're sure you have everything?"

He smiled and nodded, wrapping one arm around her waist. "I'm sure. I'm a good packer."

"Okay."

"Is it a long trip?" Alex piped up as they boarded the elevator that would take them from the parking deck to the main level of the airport.

"Yeah. It's pretty long. But not too bad. You sleep through most of it."

Five minutes later, they had approached the security checkpoint for international flights. Luka motioned for Sam and Alex to follow him off to the side so they could say their goodbyes.

"So…" Sam started. She felt her eyes start to tear up a little bit and quickly looked away.

"Yeah." Luka pulled her in for a tight hug and kissed the top of her forehead. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too. Call, okay? When you can." She rested her head against his chest, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Be careful and don't work too hard when I'm gone. Take it easy if you need to. Kerry will understand. I asked Carter to keep an eye out for you and Alex when I was gone."

"You didn't have to do that. I don't really know him that well," she smiled.

"Well then get to know him," Luka grinned back. "Take care of yourself. And the baby."

"And me!" Alex spoke up. "So what, do I get in on this group hug or do I have to stand here and watch you kiss each other for the next five minutes. Because that's kind of gross."

Sam started laughing and so did Luka. "Come here," she instructed, opening her one arm and turning her and Luka's hug into a three person one.

"Be good for your Mom, okay? Promise?" Luka asked.

"Deal."

Luka eyed the lengthening security line. "I better get in there."

Sam nodded. "Okay." Their lips met and Sam wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm so out of this hug now," Alex mumbled, stepping aside with a half smile on his face.

"I'll miss you," Luka told her again as they walked closer to the checkpoint.

"Have a good flight. Please be careful over there."

He nodded, stepping into the line. "I will."

Sam placed her hands on Alex's shoulders. "Okay."

"I love you."

She smiled at this. "I love you, too."

It wasn't long until Luka had passed through the checkpoint. He turned back a final time and smiled at her, and then he disappeared into the crowd of people heading for the terminals.

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Alex questioned.

"Maybe a little bit," she smiled. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"How does a burger and friends sound right about now?"

"Pretty good."

Sam laughed and placed her arm around his shoulders. "Good, because I'm starving too."

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