The room was beautifully decorated, and Sam just couldn't seem to recall why for the life of her; she had no doubts that she was supposed to remember and that there was vital reasoning, but she just couldn't seem to rack her brain hard enough for it to shout out at her. Although it seemed to slip her mind, she knew that it had something to do with one of her co-workers. It could have been any of the women present there with her: Neela, Abby, Inez, or even Haleh – but she had a feeling it was something more about a child, the decorations were a bit too childish for one of these women.

Oh, god, the words seemed to rattle throughout her mind as it ripped open her heart to shred it to pieces, Lana.

Little Lana Lockhart was sitting triumphantly at the table as her mother stared at her adorningly, Sam's own eyes beginning to do the same as her heart swelled with love at the resemblance Lana had to her husband. It was amazing just how much she looked like Luka, and Sam put her hand to her lips as she moved to sit at the table next to the small child. Her veins were throbbing as the blood pumped erratically throughout her body, giving her a sense of guilt as the little girl captured her heart.

How old was the little girl now? One? Two?

Had she really been with Luka again for over 2 years? She couldn't seem to remember. Some days it felt like she had been with him a lifetime, other days it felt like it was brand new – as though it were a brand new feeling. Both feelings were really good, considering the first time it had just felt repetitive.

Lana looked up at Sam and instantly she knew who she was – well, she recognized her. Sam wasn't even sure what she was to the little girl, and that seemed to send a 40 inch knife straight through her heart. She didn't feel like this little girl's mother or stepmother, and yet she loved her like she was; nor did she feel like just an acquaintance sitting in the presence of a beautiful little girl.

Lana was beautiful – Sam smiled – she looked just like her father.

"Sam, is Luka coming?"

She barely heard Abby ask the question, a hint of anger mixed with hurt deep in her tone of voice, and Sam's attention was reluctantly brought from the dark haired and pale skinned little girl. She reached her hand out and offered Lana a finger for her to play with and as she clutched it tight in her little hand, she waved it around in the air. Abby smiled…With what...Sam asked herself…Pleasure?

"He wouldn't miss it for anything," Sam replied solemnly as she shook her head and kept her eyes locked on Lana. Is this what her little girl could look like?

She'd faintly remembered Neela saying that Gallant had been tied over at the clinic he'd worked whenever it was possible and not conflicting with his schedule at the hospital, and hoped that he wouldn't be tied over for too long. She adored this man like he'd been a friend for life – his generosity, politeness, and friendliness quickly drawing her to the conclusion that he was a good man. Neela had gotten herself a keeper, and Sam could tell that she had no intentions of letting Gallant go, just like Sam felt with Luka.

Haleh started singing softly to Lana as she took the seat on the other side of Sam, and she immediately knew that the attention she was going to receive from the little girl would be next to none as she got her own private show. Haleh sang beautiful, Sam remembered from the Christmas party, and she knew just how much Lana loved it when Haleh sang. Lana reached towards Haleh as Sam stood from her chair to let Haleh sit next to her, her heart breaking a bit as she knew that this little girl would never see her as family.

Sam stepped towards the table to join Neela and Inez, absentmindedly letting her hand drift down her chest and lightly touch her abdomen as though there was a distant pain, brushing passed Abby as the woman wondered towards the table to join her daughter. She offered Abby a smile, and pulled the chair out beside Neela to sit down, her fingertips pressing hard across the tale as she slid them to her ice water for a refreshing sip. The drink was cold down the back of her throat as she turned slightly to watch Abby with Lana, wishing that for once she would get acceptance from someone – anyone – of her friends.

She didn't know that everyone that she knew could be so loyal even after 2 years, but the fact was that even so, she and Abby were friends and had been for quite a long time. Abby had known all along that Sam's intentions weren't to hurt her but rather to be with someone that she loved and who loved her. If it was thought about and taken literally, both women had been hurt by the same man – no matter how good of a man he truly was.

Sam's hand skimmed up her shirt until it came into direct contact with her skin, her fingertips pressing gently into her stomach.

The door opened gently and rather quietly as the two men in her life walked in with Gallant trudging in front of them, Luka smiling widely as he lifted his hands and grasped Alex by the shoulders to give them a tight squeeze. He looked over and gave his wife a firm nod as he dropped his hands to his sides to shove his hands into the pockets of his flannel coat, and his settled on his daughter as the light in them quickly returned. He quickly stepped passed Gallant and Alex, picking up his pace upon seeing his daughter.

"Hello little girl," Luka said gently as he leaned over Haleh and waved, his daughter's attention being ripped from Haleh's singing for the first time in minutes. He was happy to see her as his happiness shown like lights in his eyes directly to his soul, everything within him rising. He pulled back from his crouching position and looked directly at Abby, pursing his lips tightly as his stare grew a bit cold. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No," Abby replied rather monotonously as she lightly shook her head, her eyes immediately leaving his frame.

He nodded as he brushed passed them both and shrugged his coat off to hang on a chair. He seemed so absent, moving mechanically as he seemed to do these things, and he settled his coat on the back of Sam's chair. He knew that Abby was watching him – them – with the feeling of her eyes on his back and burning deep into his skin. He wanted to say something, but he had nothing to say to her.

"Hey," Sam whispered gently as she glanced at him over shoulder, his hand lightly touching her shoulder as his other hand slid down her arm until he covered her hand with his own. He looked at her questioningly with narrowed eyes as he entwined their fingers and his fingertips came into contact with the soft skin of her stomach. "I see that you found Alex and Gallant."

"Yeah, I did," he nodded, his thumb brushing across the back of her hand before he removed it as he glanced around the room. Alex huddled up behind his mother and stepfather, offering Inez a smile over Luka's shoulder – Luka and Sam both knew of his crush on the woman from the Bronx but they'd never tell him that they knew about it, they thought it was kind of cute. "I had to work a little late anyway."

He heard Lana giggling a table away and his attention slowly went to her as his eyes glazed over, his heart aching from missing her for so long. Her eyes still rested on his face, tracing the side of it as he turned away from her and fighting the temptation to reach up and trace his face with her hand, knowing that for the rest of the evening his heart and his attention belonged to his, now, 2 year-old daughter. Their hearts ached in unison, their pains mixing as though they one and the same, although, they were quite different.

"Do you play pool?" Sam faintly heard Gallant ask her son as she watched her husband slowly turn away and drift towards the other table. Alex nodded firmly as he slid his jacket from his shoulders, he really was getting tall and it was almost scaring his mother – and he folded it up and pushed it under his mother's chair. "How about a game?"

Sam's adoration for Michael Gallant was getting stronger by the moment as he seemed to do his best to make Alex seem like he was a part of them – like he was an adult. Alex had grown up a lot in 2 years, god, was he really almost 14? And everyone could see his struggle to become a teenager as he was willing and ready to become an adult, no matter how much his mother wasn't prepared. He was going out without parents, kissing girls, and getting grounded for coming in late – he was in his teenage years.

"All right," Alex nodded in agreement.

"Alex, you want something to eat?" Sam asked him as he passed her and followed Gallant towards the open pool table. He paused as he looked at Neela, blushed when his eyes guiltily settles on Inez for a moment too long, and then looked at his mom while shaking his head. She pursed her lips as he seemed to move passed her at his attempts to ignore her…He wasn't speaking to her. "Let me know when you do want something."

He was already gone, obviously still angry with his punishment from coming in late, and dead set on ignoring her when it was clear that he wasn't ignoring Luka. She had the title: Mom, the Enforcer.

Luka sighed defeated in her ear as he reluctantly pulled up a seat behind her, seconds later Abby walking by her with Lana in her arms. He attempted to smile as he glanced at Gallant and Alex beginning to play pool, and his eyes drifted to Neela. A slight grin spread across his face as he forced Abby's attitude away from his mind for a moment.

"Your husband going to teach my son a few old Army tricks?" Luka muttered to Neela over Sam's shoulder, gently pushing himself up from his chair and hovering over his wife. He glanced to Abby in search of his daughter as she openly winced while sitting down in the free seat at the table, holding Lana tight in her arms. "Alex is pretty good. I taught him everything I know."

"From what I hear you're quite the master of the table," Neela muttered with a smile, lifting her beer bottle and taking a swig. Luka grinned sheepishly as he looked down towards the ground, his hand absentmindedly floating up and down Sam's arm. "You don't give anyone a chance."

"That's not true," Sam laughed lightly, shaking her head as she leaned forward to get her glass of water and her eyes narrowing at Neela a bit playfully, "he's a hustler."

"A hustler? Dr. Kovac?"

"He makes you think you have a chance, and when you get down to one or two balls he runs the table," Abby piped up, soothingly rubbing Lana's back. She could see Luka out of the corner of her eye looking in their direction slightly hurt, and she mentally kicked herself for being a bitch towards him. It wasn't his fault he wasn't there with her, married and raising their child together, it was hers – she'd ended things between them. "Just like that – you've been hustled."

"I don't do that," he argued, looking around the table at the 4 – 5 girls and narrowing his eyes confused. He pulled his arms up to his chest and crossed them, clutching his elbows tight in his hands. His black button up shirt was silky against his rough fingertips, and the hem of his shirt covered the waistband of his jeans as it wasn't tucked into his pants, his belt only visible if you look hard enough. "I'm not clever enough."

"You're standing here arguing with us, the two people who refuse to play against you because you're an ass when you win," Sam said as she shook her head and stood from her chair, Abby nodding her head in agreement as she stood up to go get another water form the bar. Abby stood beside her, her reasons still unknown although still clutching Lana tight to her chest. "We can just call Alex over here and ask him."

"Alex wouldn't know," Luka laughed into the back of his throat as he shook his head, "I've never played that way with him."

"Nice confession, you liar," Sam laughed as she walked passed him towards the bar while slapping his behind, her hands being on him for the first time that evening. She was oblivious that Abby had finally smiled and passed Lana off to her father, Luka's eyes lighting up at the ability to hold his daughter again. She was also oblivious to Abby walking passed her to go to the bathroom with Luka and Lana hot on her heels to join Sam at the bar. She turned to see a smiling Lana as her hand drifted down to her stomach. "You have beautiful children, Luka."

Her voice murmured in his ears as the bartender slid her glass of water across the counter, her hand wrapping tightly around it. She turned to lean back against the counter, her husband rather close to her side, and her hand once again absentmindedly drifted down to her stomach. His eyes traced his daughter's face as he bounced her up and down, and for only a moment he imagined only them – the three of them – alone together.

He longed for them to be a family – Lana and Alex included.

His gaze went to his wife, her eyes locking on his as he fanned his fingers out across Lana's back and leaned his hip against the counter. His eyes traveled down her body as he captured her hand covering her stomach, concern immediately flooding onto his face. He reached over and let his hand cover hers, entwining his fingers with hers as his fingers curled against her shirt and skimmed across her skin in between the waistline of her pants and her shirt – a chill being sent through her spine.

"Are you okay? What's the matter?"

His voice was a dull whisper in her ear as he leaned towards her, her index finger lifting and tracing the outline of Lana's face. She shook her head gently, the ends of her hair brushing across the visible flesh on his arm, and felt his hand gently slide away from hers. His concern for her was escalated as she absentmindedly pulled his hand back and pressed it firmly against her abdomen – her palm pressing just as hard into the back of his hand.

"I think…" Her voice trailed off as his thumb brushed across her skin, her breath hitching slightly in her throat at an unpremeditated contact.

"Are we…?"

He seemed just as displaced as she did, not knowing what to say nor knowing what it was she was trying to say. Could he be seeing this going all wrong?

Her eyes focused back on Lana again as his eyes seemed to do the same, both of their statements and their thoughts left going unfinished. She was beautiful; she had her dad's eyes and her dad's nose, not to mention her dad's smile. She was, without a doubt, a part of Luka, and that's why Sam loved every part of her.

"You have beautiful children, Luka," she said it again, this time louder and mostly captivated by the little girl. She bit her bottom lip as she fought to keep control, to keep the tears filling into her eyes from falling down her face. She didn't think she was that pathetic – or maybe she was just that fucking… "I can't wait to have one with you."

He smiled softly, her verbal confession finally coming out after month upon month upon month of him thinking that she was ready for that. He wanted it, at least, he thought he did; but he was almost certain that by this time it wouldn't matter anyway. He leaned forward and brushed his lips across Sam's forehead before his attention went right back to Lana.

It was much too late.