There are numerous reason why this took as long as it did, but I don't want to bore you to death with it, none of them are exactly good and I need to remind myself that tinkering with my fanfiction profile is not the same as writing fanfiction.

Also, guest (guests? There are two of you now? :O), when it comes to reviews the longer the better lol. Have loved reading all of your thoughts about the story, your feelings about how the characters are doing and what they're going through, and providing a direction in which to take this story. I couldn't thank you enough for that! :*

—The Match—

''What do you think?'' Andy asked as she walked farther into the room, Lu trailing behind her.

It had been a few weeks since they had broken up and Andy had finally convinced Lu to come over so they could discuss what was going on between them. The only way to combat the awkwardness between them for Andy had been to show Lu the work they had been doing on the baby's room. Milo had been having a difficult time containing his excitement over the impending arrival, doing most of the work—or actually, hiring people to do most of the work, Andy wasn't sure he had ever even held a paint brush—whilst letting Andy focus on other things.

Lu picked up some of the swatches lying on the dresser—the only piece of furniture in the room. ''Blue, pink, yellow?'' She asked, holding them up. ''Are you gonna find out what you're having?''

''Milo really wants to, I'd rather be surprised,'' Andy said, taking the swatches and casting a last quick glance on them before putting them away. ''Milo's hoping for a girl.'' He had actually already taken to referring to the baby as ''she''. She could see the somewhat surprised look on Lu's face, ''He's never spent much time around children and he gets along with the girls so well…''

Lu nodded, ''So how did the girls react?'' She still felt uncomfortable around Andy but she had to admit that she had missed this; just talking to each other like nothing had ever happened between them, like they didn't have the history that they did.

Andy hesitated, ''They don't know yet,'' she admitted, ''I want to wait until I'm a bit further along, don't want to risk them getting all excited and then miscarrying,'' she said. It was the first time she had even vaguely hinted how worried she was about that. In general, but especially at the age she now was, it was such a huge risk… Milo had been looking forward to them having a baby and she didn't want to let him down, she didn't want to have to worry about the same thing happening with her daughters.

Lu frowned with a vague smile, ''They haven't noticed-'' she motioned at the room around her as it looked like quite some work had been done on it already, ''All this.''

''I'm pretty sure Lizzy just assumes that Milo is starting some kind of project,'' Andy said, looking away as she ran her hand over the dresser, the same one that had stood in both Lizzy and Jesse's nurseries many years ago.

Lu looked at Andy closely, sensing something was up but unsure if it was her place to bring it up, ''Andy?'' She finally looked back at Lu, ''What's going on?''

She took a sharp breath, ''I think one of the reasons I haven't rushed to tell them about the baby is…'' she was looking for the right words, ''They've been asking about you a lot, about what's been going on, I don't know what to tell them.''

''What does our relationship have to do with the baby?'' Lu asked, genuinely confused. Yes, Andy had said that she wanted her to be a part of the baby's life, but whether they were or weren't together she would still in one way or another be involved in the baby's life considering how close they were—or had been at least.

Andy shook her head in response. She wanted Lu to be in this child's life, she had already said that, but she hadn't mentioned how. She didn't even know in what way, she wanted to let Lu decide for herself how she was going to be involved. If it was so far from Lu's mind that she couldn't even imagine what their relationship had to do with the baby… it might be best to just not bring it up at all. At least not now. Not now when—even despite Lu saying that they hadn't broken up, just taking some time apart—they had barely spoken in weeks. They weren't officially broken up but as good as.

Andy could feel her stomach rumble and decided that it was a better idea to just switch the subject than to dwell on this. ''Do you want to join us for dinner?'' She asked, walking over to the door, letting Lu go in front of her into the hallway before closing the door behind her.

Lu leaned against the opposite wall for a second, trying to find the right words to tell Andy this. She noticed the smell of paint coming from the room down the hall; the guestroom, Kayla's old room. Before Andy could stop her she had already made her way inside, noticing the fresh coat of paint of walls, a sheet on the floor to protect the hardwood floor. ''What's going on in here?'' She asked, being careful not to step on the curtains which lay in a bundle on the floor.

''Just a little redecorating,'' Andy said. She hesitated before continuing, not sure if Lu wanted to hear this at all. ''I figured that if you do decide to move in one day I should probably freshen the whole place up a bit,'' she said rather quickly, wanting to get it all out before changing her mind, not meeting Lu's gaze at all.

''You want me to move in?'' Lu asked, feeling surprised despite herself.

''I want it to be an option,'' Andy said, ''I know that we're as good as broken up and that even when-'' she stopped herself, not wanting to give Lu the wrong idea, ''if we do get back together you might not want to move in at all, but you should know that I'm open to the idea if you are.'' Every single word had been chosen carefully, and she knew it showed by how slowly the whole sentence had come out, but she didn't want to risk souring their relationship even more.

Lu stared at Andy quietly, unsure of what to say, ''I'm not ready to talk about that yet,'' she said quietly.

Andy noticed the tone in which Lu had spoken and frowned at her, ''Are you mad at me?''

Lu crossed her arms, hesitant to accuse Andy of anything but needing to get it out, ''Are you just bringing this up so I'll get back together with you?'' She asked, ''For months I've wanted this and every time you brushed it off like it wasn't even an option, and you're bringing this up now?''

''Lu we've been together for less than a year,'' Andy said, ''You mention time and time again that our relationship isn't or wasn't equal to what Milo and I have and the kind of steps we are taking in our relationship but he and I have been together for years. I'm only bringing this up now because…'' she let out a deep breath, making up the reasons as she was going, ''Because we've been together long enough that I think it might last, and I want you to raise this child with us, and…'' she looked at Lu and it hit her how much she had missed her these past couple of weeks, ''and I just want you here.''

''You can't just say all of this, make this big gesture and think it makes it all okay,'' Lu said, trying not to let Andy's words get to her. ''I'm not ready for,'' she looked around the room, her first instinct had been to say she wasn't ready to move in but she changed her mind, ''I'm not ready to get back together.''

Andy took a moment so her emotions wouldn't show in her voice, ''Okay, fine. Take all the time you need,'' she said though it was rather incongruent with the way she had said it. She wanted them to fix it, to get back together and move past this rough patch but she knew pushing Lu wouldn't work. ''Is there anything I can do?''

Lu threw her head back, ''Andy…'' she dragged out her name. She knew that Andy didn't mean it in that way but she still felt kind of pressured to give their relationship another shot.

''What?'' Andy asked, surprised by Lu's seemingly sudden frustration. ''I miss you,'' she said, throwing her arms up, ''And… I want to do whatever I can.''

Lu looked down, ''I just don't think I want to try this again until I have some kind of proof that this time it'll be different, that you'll actually tell me what's going on with you every once in a while.''

''How am I supposed to prove that to you when we're not together?'' Andy asked, now feeling frustrated as well. ''How can I show you that when you'll barely talk to me?''

Lu had tears in her eyes, ''I don't know, okay? I have no idea,'' she was getting more emotional and didn't feel like talking about this anymore, ''Maybe the next time you have a baby you can tell me when you and Milo start trying,'' she sniped before storming past Andy.

Andy caught Lu's arm, ''Lu, come on…'' Lu was still turned away from Andy but was no longer trying to leave, ''Don't leave,'' when Lu didn't respond she sighed, ''I want us to talk about this, I want you to tell me what I can do.''

Lu finally turned back, ''I'm tired of spelling out what you need to do, you figure it out. Besides, I have a date to get ready for.'' She pulled her arm free from Andy's grasp and left without saying another word.

Lu hesitantly pushed open the stall door just in time to see Andy wipe off her mouth and sit back, leaning against the cold tile wall. ''You feeling okay?'' Lu asked, leaning in the door frame. Just because she was still upset with Andy didn't mean she didn't care, especially after watching how pale and nauseous Andy had looked all morning.

''Just great,'' Andy said sarcastically, ''Morning sickness hit me full force this morning.'' It had been the smell of the lunch being served in the cafeteria that had finally pushed her over the edge. She sat in silence for a few moments, her head leaning back against the wall, eyes closed, as she tried to divert her mind away from her upset stomach. It was a rather futile attempt.

Lu crouched down and rubbed Andy's back as she threw up again, sliding down to the floor and sitting across from Andy when she was done. ''How far along are you?'' She asked, not knowing what else to say. Part of her wanted to apologize for the previous day but she knew she wasn't ready for that.

''6 weeks, couple of days,'' Andy said, cradling her stomach. ''How was your date last night?'' It had completely caught her off guard when Lu had said that, hadn't expected her to want to move on that quickly.

Lu shrugged dismissively. ''It was fine,'' she said, feeling the need to explain herself, ''My neighbor hung up some shelves for me and I said that I owed him a favor and he wanted to go out for dinner, it was… I don't even like him as anything more than a friend.'' It wasn't the complete truth. He was handsome, he was funny… it had been far from the worst first date she had ever had, but she couldn't imagine starting anything with him and didn't want to kill off what was left of her and Andy's relationship.

A wave of relief washed over Andy. It had kept her up all night; not wanting to think about Lu with anyone else had only made it more prominent in her mind. ''You're not going to see him again?'' Andy asked, needing to know for sure.

Lu took a deep breath. He had asked, she hadn't answered. Sure, that counted as an answer to some people but she hadn't made up her mind.

Andy sensed Lu's hesitancy, ''It's fine if you do like him,'' she said, willing to make more allowances now if need be, ''I mean, I'm with Milo, if you want to be with whatever-his-name-is it would be pretty hypocritical of me to try and stop you,'' Andy said, though she didn't look entirely happy about the prospect.

Even despite Andy's words Lu was glad to be excused from answering when she threw up again. She pulled Andy into her arms, burying her face into Andy's hair. She put one of her hands on Andy's belly—trying to imagine the life growing inside, and she could feel Andy's hands move over hers—her other hand softly stroking Andy's hair.

''So when are you going to tell the girls about the baby?'' Lu asked. She remembered what Andy had said the day before that had made her wonder, ''Are you really that concerned with miscarrying?'' She knew that it was a pretty substantial risk in Andy's case but she couldn't imagine that keeping Andy from telling her own daughters. When Andy didn't respond right away Lu frowned, ''What is it? Don't tell me you've been hiding a miscarriage from me as well,'' she knew it was somewhat harsh but considering all the other things Andy had been keeping from her…

''What? No,'' Andy said, shaking her head, trying to find a way to put her thoughts and feelings into words in a way that made it sound a bit less nonsensical than it was. ''You know about the abortion I had,'' she started, ''At the time I told myself that I had it because I didn't want any more children, that it had nothing to do with it being Nick's,'' she could feel Lu stiffen behind her at the mention of his name, ''I guess I just…''

Lu tried to mentally shake off her reaction to Nick's name before replying to Andy, ''You feel guilty for now having a baby with Milo?'' She asked.

''I guess.''

''Andy, you have every right to decide who you want to have a baby with, and when,'' although it would be nice if you had given me a heads up, she added in her head, ''And just because you had an abortion, it doesn't increase the chance of you having a miscarriage.''

''I just don't want to disappoint Milo,'' Andy said, ''He has been looking forward to this for so long, if anything happens…'' she could still remember how upset Nick had been with her for the abortion and though she knew this was different, it still played inside her head. ''I don't want to risk losing him, I already have once and…'' she shook her head. She shifted on the floor so she sat back against the door—stretching her back a little bit—, her legs over Lu's, and she let out a sigh, ''I can't risk losing him like I have you,'' she said, frowning when she saw the expression on Lu's face change, ''What is it?''

''You realize this is the most open you've been with me in months?'' Lu asked, her feelings showing in her voice, ''All this time I've been asking you to open up to me and you don't tell me anything, not even that you're planning on having a baby, and now-''

''Lu…''

''Why did it have to take me breaking up with you to get you to open up to me?'' Lu asked. She had known this was going to happen. Or rather, she had feared it would, feeling that it was just further prove that they were better off as friends than lovers. She didn't know why it seemed to be such a struggle for Andy to open up to her when they were together, and was partially glad that now at last she finally got some inside into Andy's psyche, but if she had just done that when they were still together… they could have avoided this whole thing; they wouldn't have to sit on the cold, tile floor of some hospital bathroom stall, and Lu wouldn't have to sleep alone at night, reaching out for Andy in the middle of the night before realizing she wasn't there.

''I don't know,'' Andy said quietly. It was a bit of a lie. When she really thought long and hard about it she was sure she could come up with an explanation, an explanation that would be hard to talk about but an explanation nonetheless.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Lu knowing she had gone too far when she saw a tear roll down Andy's cheek. Andy was the first one to open her mouth, ''I want to move past this,'' she said, hastily wiping the tear—that she knew Lu was staring at—away. ''Just tell me what it is I can do and I'll do it, I'll do whatever. But I need you to tell me because right now I truly don't know what else I can do.''

''What are you talking about?'' Lu asked, genuinely surprised that Andy still didn't seem to get it and somewhat upset as she felt she had spelled it out for Andy more than once. ''Don't sleep with other people.'' Heave emphasis on each and every word. Yes, Milo was the exception but she didn't need to mention it. ''You and Milo broke up because we were sleeping together without his… permission, I didn't think you'd make the same mistake twice.'' Her hands dropped to the floor, ''All I ask is that you let me know what's going on in your life, that you don't sleep with anyone besides me and Milo, and that you just tell me—not even show, just tell me—that this,'' she motioned back and forth between the two of them,'' Is going somewhere. Is that really too much to ask?''

''Hey beautiful.''

Lu rolled her eyes though she couldn't help but smile and blush, ''You're too smooth, Julian.'' She had to admit that he did look pretty adorable standing there, a brown paper bag filled to the brim with groceries under each arm, his black hair somewhat messy, a goofy somewhat crooked grin as he walked towards her. ''What's up?'' She asked as she unlocked her apartment.

''Scored two tickets to a boxing match, Eckhart vs Davis, tomorrow night at the Boxhaven,'' he said, feeling more and more insecure the longer she stared at him, ''Wanna go?''

Lu couldn't help but smile at his shyness, ''You always take girls to a boxing match for a second date?'' She asked, ''You sure know how to make a girl feel special.'' It was something completely different from what she was used to with Jonas and Andy, but she didn't hate the idea.

Julian shrugged, ''I figured you seem like the kinda girl that likes a good fight, and you know… if the boxing glove fits…'' he bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to risk saying the wrong thing and blowing the whole thing before it properly got started, although he felt his anxiety wane a bit when she smiled wider.

''I'd love to go.''