A/N: Okay, here's chapter 11--yet another chapter that didn't quite turn out the way I wanted. Oh, well. Just to let you know, the next chapter will be my last for a while. Why, you ask. Because I have no clue where I'm going with this story. Believe it or not, this story is totally democratic. Seriously, make suggestions. I want them. Heck, I need them. Anyway, this doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing. I'm just switching my focus to my other poor, neglected fic and the new ones that are demanding to be written/started. Anyway, enjoy this chapter. Don't be too mad at me. R&R. Alexandri

Chapter Theme Song: Cold, Cold Heart by Hank Williams.

Luke stared at Joan and Adam's front door, saddened by Grace's abrupt departure. Not surprised by it, but deeply saddened all the same. When was she going to stop running from him?

"You wouldn't happen to want her pie, would you, Adam?" Joan asked softly.

"No."

"Luke . . ."

"I don't want mine."

She nodded and stood. "I'll just put these in the refrigerator," she said as she gathered the dessert plates.

"You want me to help?" Adam asked.

Joan shook her head and smiled. "I got it," she said and headed to the kitchen.

"I shouldn't have chosen that CD," Luke said, his voice hollow and distant to his own ears.

"Why did you?" Adam asked.

Luke shrugged. "It was called Songs About Her. I didn't know what was on it."

"She'll get over it," Adam said. "She'll come around."

"Maybe, but will I be alive to experience it?"

Chuckling, Adam gently guided Luke to the living room and sat down. Luke followed suit. "You're going to have to be patient with her. Grace learned early that caring about people made you vulnerable. People can be careless with others' feelings. She doesn't like putting herself in that position."

Luke thought about that. It made sense. But Grace wasn't like that with Adam. There was an easy rapport between them, had been since Joan pulled Adam out of himself in high school. The pair had a sort of close, effortless relationship like they were brother and sister instead of old friends. He'd watched them when he'd come home for the wedding, mostly because he'd been unable to stop watching her. Grace and Adam would have silent conversations across the room, which, strangely enough, Adam usually seemed to direct. She visibly relaxed when she was near him. If it hadn't been for the purely fraternal vibe between them, Luke would have felt compelled to question the nature of their relationship before the wedding took place. "She doesn't mind caring about you." It was an observation, nothing more.

Adam frowned a bit as he considered Luke's statement. Finally, he said, "I was sort of grandfathered onto her list of people she can be open with. But, for a long time, we were kind of. . . estranged. I think the only reason we are the way we are is because she can't really hide from me. I know why she's the way she is because I was there. Plus, I think she forgave me when I forgave her. After we met your sister and started living again, we realized how much we needed each other and how stupid we'd been to forget that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Luke informed his brother-in-law.

"I know."

After a moment, Luke said, "You could explain it to me."

"I could," Adam agreed, an admonishing yet amused expression on his face, "but I'm not going to. Partly because Grace would kick my ass if I did, but mostly because I'm sure you'd rather have her trust you enough to tell you."

Adam was right. Not for the first time since he'd started coming home, Luke marveled at the change in his brother-in-law. He was still the calm, soft-spoken Adam he'd known, but now there was a quiet confidence and sagacity about him that Luke hadn't expected to find. Joan entered the living room then and settled on the sofa beside her husband before tucking her body into the curve of his. Adam's arm automatically snaked around Joan's waist and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. A tiny, secret smile curved Joan's lips. The whole exchange seemed remarkably intimate. Luke looked away, suddenly feeling voyeuristic.

"It's getting late," he announced as he stared at his hands. "I should probably be going."

"Don't go yet," Joan entreated. "You just got here and I haven't seen you since the wedding."

Luke smiled. "Didn't think you'd miss me that much."

"Well, I have been otherwise occupied . . ."

"Too much information, Joan," Luke interrupted.

Joan grinned. "However," she continued, "that doesn't mean I stopped thinking about everyone else. So tell me how your thesis defense went."

Luke let himself be sucked into the conversation, knowing that none of them was really interested in his thesis defense or the way the students treated the new Mrs. Rove. His thoughts were never far from Grace. What did talking about their night together take away from her? Wouldn't it clarify things, make everything easier? As it stood, he was convinced that it meant as much to her as it did to him. But for her to admit that meant admitting that she felt something for him and that was something Grace Polk would avoid doing with her dying breath.

So why do you keep pursuing her, he asked himself. Because he couldn't seem to help himself. For whatever reason, something inside of him knew that she was worth all the hassle and the heartache. If only she felt he was worth the risk.

Joan's low, fiercely whispered "We should tell him" caught Luke's attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Adam and Joan had turned in toward each other, their heads close together. He must have gone deep into his own thoughts because they didn't seem to notice that he was now very much aware of them.

"No, Jane," Adam whispered back, "we shouldn't."

"He deserves to know."

"Only if it's true and we have no proof that it is."

"But she's still being so weird . . ."

"Which isn't proof."

"But . . ."

"No," Adam interrupted gently. "No buts. We're not telling your brother."

"Why not?" Joan whispered back, her frustration evident.

"Because right now all we have are suspicions and, even if we knew for a fact she was pregnant, it's not our place to tell him."

Luke bit back a gasp. They thought Grace was pregnant? And, if they thought he should know, that meant they thought he was the father, right? Which meant they'd figured out that he and Grace had slept together. Suppressing a sigh, he wondered if Grace could really be pregnant. They'd been careful, but nothing was one hundred percent. He tried to imagine them with a baby. He saw the two of them with a tiny blond newborn with her blue-gray eyes. Grace was holding her (for some reason, he imagined a girl) but she was turned away from Luke as if she didn't want to acknowledge his part in their lives. She pushed him away even in his imagination. Only in his dreams could he get close to her.

"Luke?"

He looked up at the sound of his sister's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm going to go." Luke stood. Joan and Adam stood with him.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Adam asked as they walked him to the front door.

"I'm okay," he assured as he kissed Joan good night. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Joan nodded.

Luke plodded to his car and got in. As he drove through the empty Arcadian streets, he wondered what he was going to do about Grace's possible pregnancy. If she was indeed carrying his baby, he couldn't go to D.C.; he should stay in town to help Grace. But that would mean leaving Dr. Gilmartin (the professor he was supposed to assist this summer) in a bind. Maybe he could assist Dr. Gilmartin during the week and come to Arcadia on the weekends. Of course, Grace probably wouldn't want him around that much. But could he live with himself if he didn't do everything in his power to be there for her? And did she have the right to cut him out of their child's life when he had never been anything but good to her?

Knowing he needed answers, Luke turned toward Grace's apartment. She may not want to let him in her life, but if she was pregnant, he was not going to allow her to keep him out of their child's life. He pulled up in front of her apartment and got out. He knocked on her door before he could talk himself out of what he was about to do.

"Who is it?" her voice called.

"It's Luke."

"Go home."

He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I need to talk to you."

"I keep telling you we have nothing to talk about."

"You can either let me in now or we'll have this conversation through your front door."

"Go away, Luke," she demanded. "I'm not in the mood."

"Is that because you're naturally moody or because you're pregnant?"

The locks came off and she jerked the door open. "What did you say?"

"I said," he began loudly, "is that because you're nat . . ."

"Get in here," she said as she yanked him into her apartment.

"Is it true?" he asked as Grace closed the door and leaned against it.

"Who told you I'm pregnant?" she demanded.

Luke chuckled, a mix of anger, resignation, and sadness. "So it is true."

"Who told you?"

"What difference does it make?" Luke challenged as anger began to boil inside his chest. "It wasn't you. It is mine, isn't it? You should have told me!"

Grace sighed, pushed off of the door, and collapsed on the sofa. "There's nothing to tell."

"Nothing to . . ." Luke sputtered incredulously. "Do you hate me that much?"

"I don't hate you."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I'm not pregnant."

It was on the tip of Luke's tongue to ask if she was lying. After all, if she said no then she had hope that he'd leave her be. But Grace didn't lie. Withheld virtually all her personal information, but not lie, not about something like this. Then it occurred to him that she may not be pregnant now but that didn't mean she hadn't been. "Were you?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

Luke sat in the armchair and tried to gauge Grace's current mood. She was being surprisingly forthcoming, but she sounded so very tired. He hated to force the conversation when she obviously didn't want to discuss it, but he had to know what had happened. "What does that mean?" he asked quietly.

"It means the home test said yes. When I went to the doctor for confirmation, it was negative. The doctor said that I may have taken the test too soon or I was pregnant and it didn't take. A chemical pregnancy I think it's called. Whatever. I thought I was. Turns out I'm not. Are you satisfied?"

She'd started out sounding calm and normal and ended sounding angry and loud. Luke sat beside her and peered into her face. She turned away. "Did you want to be pregnant?"

"Of course, not," she snapped without looking at him.

"I'm sorry, Grace," he said. "I never meant for things to . . ."

"It doesn't matter. I'd really like to be alone right now."

"Okay." Luke got to his feet and stared down at the top of her bowed head. "Grace . . ." he began, not knowing what he intended to say, but feeling like he should say something.

"Just go."

He nodded though she wasn't looking and headed to the door. With one last look, he said, "Good night, Grace," and left.