Peyton's first trimester was finally over, and though she still tired pretty quickly, her morning sickness was gone. However, in its place came the mood swings. She'd been trying to control them, and Lucas had been incredibly understanding and sweet, indulging in whatever requests she made, and biting his tongue when she'd yell at him for little things that they both knew she had no business yelling at him for.

It was a Wednesday morning, and he knew it was going to be a rough one when she'd come from the shower and sat down to her breakfast, immediately complaining that she couldn't have a coffee, and all she wanted was just one coffee. He'd suggested that he could make her a cup of decaf, and she sent him a look that terrified him, then refilled her glass with calcium rich orange juice and headed back into their bedroom to get dressed.

After 10 minutes, he heard the closet door slam and her frustrated voice mutter a few choice obscenities, something she rarely did.

"I hate this shirt!" she shouted angrily. He walked into the bedroom to see her standing there in just jeans and a black bra, tossing a black button down shirt onto the bed in frustration.

She had only one pair of jeans she could wear, and they were from her time in L.A. She explained that they were a pair she'd had to buy after their breakup, because her bingeing on ice cream after every miserable day at work had left her pants too tight-fitting. It had made him feel bad, but the jeans themselves, he found incredibly sexy. They were worn in all the right places, and he didn't waste any time telling her that the first time she'd put them on.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He already knew the answer, but he knew damn well that if he mentioned her changing body to her when she was in that particular mood, he'd regret it. And he didn't exactly have a death wish, or a desire to get the silent treatment from her all day.

"I can't button that stupid top because my boobs, of course, are too big," she ranted, throwing up her hands in frustration.

"Baby, you say that like it's a bad thing," he said, smirking as he walked towards her, thinking that his gorgeous, pregnant, just-starting-to-show wife would like the compliment.

"So not the time, Luke," she said as she rolled her eyes. But then his hands were on her hips and his thumb ran over the side of her stomach, and her anger began to dissipate beneath that simple touch.

"You look amazing," he insisted quietly.

"You're just saying that because I don't have a shirt on," she said seriously. "I somehow don't think that going to the office this way would be very professional."

"So work from home today," he suggested, leaning in to kiss her collar bone as he pulled her just a little closer.

"Why do I have a feeling that 'work from home' would involve a lot more of this, and very little actual work?" she asked, feathering her fingers through his hair and tilting her head to the side as he kissed her neck.

"Because you know that's the truth?" he suggested, smirking against her cheek as he placed a kiss there. He walked her back towards their bed, laying her down gently before pulling his own shirt over his head. He saw her smile up at him and her eyes moved over his bare chest.

He dipped down to kiss her again, and she did nothing to stop him. His new favourite thing to do was rest his hand on her stomach as he pressed his lips to hers, and she couldn't say she didn't like it. It was a silent acknowledgment of how appreciative he was that she was carrying his child. When his hand moved to unbutton her jeans, she remembered that she was running late as it was, and she actually had a lot to do at the office. This wasn't helping her at all. Well, not helping her to get anything accomplished.

"Lucas," she said, trying to stop his ministrations. The shaky breathlessness in her voice did nothing to get her point across.

"Hmm?" he mumbled against her collarbone.

"Luke!" she cried. "I really need to get ready."

"Come on," he said with a grin. "I'm sure your boss will understand."

"My boss knows that sex is no reason to be late for work," she scolded, pushing him off her and reaching for a shirt that she hoped to God would fit.

"It's a good reason if you ask me," he said with a shrug, watching as she pulled on a simple grey tee shirt that hung adorably over her stomach. He was starting to get the feeling that he'd just have to get used to her being this damn sexy through every stage of this pregnancy.

"I didn't ask you," she bit out curtly.

He was about to mumble something about her mood swings, but the way she was glaring at him made him change his mind.

"You sure you're going to be warm enough in that today?" he asked, pointing to her outfit as she wrapped a scarf around her neck. When he heard her sigh, he knew that apparently, she had mistaken his concern for criticism.

"I will be fine," she huffed. "Where is my coat!?"

He stood, resisted the urge to laugh, and picked up her jacket from the arm of his desk chair, holding it out to help her with it, but she grabbed it from him and shot him an angry look.

"I'm not helpless, Luke," she seethed, stuffing her arms into the sleeves and grabbing her bag. "I'll see you tonight."

"OK," he said simply. He knew she wasn't really angry, so he didn't say anything to try to placate her. He knew that if he did, she'd think he was patronizing her, and it just wouldn't help matters in the least. "I love you."

She waved as she walked away from him, but didn't say those words back, and it would have hurt him if he didn't understand exactly what was going on with her. She was tired and cranky, and frustrated that she had to buy new clothes, and had no time to do that with since she was so busy with her work and so tired when she was home.

A half hour later, he was sitting at his desk and writing away, working on an idea that he wasn't quite certain would be the basis for his next novel, but had to get out of his head anyway, and the phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi," came Peyton's delicate voice, followed by a sniffle, and he knew she was crying. Those little sniffles would never stop breaking his heart each and every time he heard them.

"What's wrong? Are you OK?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. He wanted to laugh because she was so damn cute. This wasn't the first time she'd called him from the office, or sought him out to apologize shortly after being so cranky with him. "You didn't do anything and I was a bitch to you this morning. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's OK," he said quietly. "I know you're just frustrated."

"But you've been really great and sweet and understanding," she rambled, sniffling away. He could picture her wiping her cheeks as she sat at her desk.

"It's alright," he promised, shaking his head though he knew she couldn't see him.

"And you looked really, really sexy this morning and I walked out on you," she said in a low and quiet voice that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. How was it that even over the phone, she had this insane effect on him?

"Well," he drawled out, "if you wanted to come home and finish what you started..."

"Lucas!" she hissed, cutting him off. "Wait! What I started?"

"Peyton, you can't expect to strut around in only your bra and those jeans I love and not make me want you," he explained, smiling as he spoke. He reclined in his chair and looked at the wedding photograph he had sitting on his desk. It was them at the River Court, her in her white dress with the ball in her hands, and him in his suit, knees bent and blocking her.

"This conversation's going to get us into trouble," she laughed.

"With who?" he asked. The question came out at a pitch higher than intended and made her laugh harder. That laugh was music to his ears.

"Good point," she conceded. "But I do have to go. I'm sorry. I'll see you tonight. And I do love you."

"OK, good. I thought you might have forgotten or something," he teased, knowing she'd hear his smile over the line.

"Never could, baby," she promised. "Bye."

He laughed after she'd hung up, because even her mood swings were adorable, and she had absolutely no clue.

----

Peyton felt better after talking to Lucas and apologizing for how she had acted, but her day was still making her crazy, and she was starting to wonder how she was ever going to do it all. Not only all the work she had, but also how she was going to juggle her job and a baby at the same time. Of course, it had been one of the things she'd considered before they even got pregnant, but now it felt like it was just going to be impossible to do both. She wondered if maybe it was time to hire someone - someone young and energetic who she wouldn't have to pay a huge salary - just to help her out with the day to day things.

She was finally into a groove, getting things accomplished, and diminishing the pile of paperwork on her desk, when a perfectly dressed Brooke Davis strutted into her office. She didn't want to resent her friend for being so well put together, but there she was, sitting in jeans that could only barely button and a tee shirt, and she couldn't help but feel just a little bit jealous.

"Hey," Brooke chirped, setting a paper bag on Peyton's desk before taking a seat in the chair across it. "Thought you could use lunch. Greek salad. No olives."

Through her entire morning sickness phase, she hadn't been able to eat olives or, as later discovered, anything small and round. It was a strange neuroses, but she just couldn't do it, and all her friends learned that the hard way. They would have made fun of her for it if she hadn't been pregnant, but they all understood.

"Oh, that sounds perfect. Thank you," Peyton said sincerely, offering a smile.

"I was also thinking...I mean, Haley's asked me to design a couple things for her, and if you wanted, I could put some stuff together for you, too," Brooke offered, pulling out her portfolio to show some sketches.

"Did Lucas call you?" Peyton asked with her eyes narrowed and a smirk on her face.

"No. Why?" Brooke asked, furrowing her brow.

"Nothing. I just...this is kind of perfect timing," Peyton said vaguely, then noting from Brooke's expression that she had to explain. "I kind of got mad this morning because I've outgrown pretty much all my clothes."

"Peyton, you look great," Brooke insisted with a smile that they both knew was genuine. There were no lies being thrown around. "But take a look at these."

Peyton took the book from her friend and began flipping through the tasteful, classy, and totally stylish maternity wear, her eyes going wider with every turn of the page.

"These are amazing!" she gushed. "You could totally start a maternity line."

"Well, you two preggos get first dibs. I'll go from there," Brooke said, making them both laugh.

The two sat and chatted about colours and textures while Peyton ate her salad, with Brooke going on about her needing to eat more, and Peyton just rolling her eyes, but nodding knowingly. She'd been eating everything Lucas set in front of her with no complaints, because, well, she'd been hungry, but the nausea had left her not gaining any weight. Now that that part was over, she knew Brooke was right.

Brooke left her alone in her office around 1:30 and went out to buy fabric to start on the things both Peyton and Haley had asked for. Peyton worked for another solid hour before getting tired and restless, somehow both at the same time. She decided that she'd actually gotten more done than she'd expected she would, and that it wouldn't hurt to head home early, since she knew that there was no way she'd be getting anything else done anyway.

She walked through the door into their bedroom, and noticed Lucas laying on the bed, a pregnancy book closed next to him with the page marked with a Post-it. He was still in his clothes from that morning, and she took a moment just to look at him; the beautiful man she'd been lucky enough to marry. She wondered if he did this every day - took a nap in the afternoon. He'd never said anything about it, but she wouldn't be surprised. The boy loved his sleep. She thought briefly of laying down with him for a nap, but she was suddenly really not tired, and suddenly really in the mood to do something else.

She sat next to him on the bed, running her fingers through his hair as he slept. When his eyes fluttered open, the sight before him woke him immediately and he put on a sleepy smile.

"What are you doing home?" he managed, his voice thick with sleep.

"Finishing what you started this morning," she said with a smirk, laying down next to him and leaning in for a kiss.

"Mmm," he moaned when her lips hit his. "I thought we established that you started it."

"Does it really matter?" she asked coyly, running her left hand along his stomach beneath his shirt.

"Yeah, not really," he sighed, pulling her into his arms and kissing her like he'd wanted to kiss her all day.

----

Brooke sat at her sewing table in the office of her house, and she heard the front door open and close. Only Peyton, Haley, and now Skills had keys, so she called out her location and continued working away as she waited for the visitor to come to her.

"Hey baby," Skills said with a smile.

She looked up from her work and gave him that dimpled grin that just about stopped his heart every time he saw it. She, however, could tell that there was something 'off' about him, just by the way he was playing with his hands and shuffling his feet.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern in her tone.

"I gotta tell you something," he said seriously. "And it's crazy and...scaring me, but I don't care 'cause I just want you to know."

"Antwon..."

"I love you," he said, cutting her off. He watched her face go from worried, to shocked, and back to that dimpled grin. "I do, Brooke. I love you."

She stood from her place and walked towards him, kinking her brow in that way that only she could really do, and ran her hands down his arms to take his hands in hers.

"I love you, too," she admitted quietly. She'd barely gotten the words out and his lips were on hers.

"Thank God," he sighed after pulling away. "I didn't think you'd say it back."

"I've just been waiting for you to say it first," she said seriously, wrapping her arms around him and chuckling when he called her mean and pulled her against his chest.

And when Brooke thought back on all the other I love you's she'd heard in her life, she thought that his was definitely the one that felt the most real. They didn't have secrets. They treated each other with respect and care and honesty, and she felt like he was the kind of man she'd been looking for all along. And she'd just needed to hear those words as confirmation.

----

The next day, after a perfectly pleasant evening including a nice dinner and a walk through the neighbourhood, Lucas woke Peyton by pressing a kiss to her temple, as he did nearly every morning. It was her favourite way to wake up, and on the occasional days when she'd wake up before he came in to perform the task, she'd pretend to be asleep so she wouldn't miss that part of her morning.

"Morning," she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes and then taking in his appearance. He was in just his pajama pants and a tee shirt, and had a cup of coffee in his hands. "Are you trying to torture me?"

"It's for you. I checked all the books, and it's OK for you to have a coffee every now and then," he said with a smile. "It's perfectly safe."

"Oh my God, you're my favourite husband ever," she said quickly, sitting up to take the mug from his hands. She took a sip and closed her eyes, savouring the taste she'd missed so much since finding out she was pregnant.

"Good to know," he said with a laugh. "You should get up though, if you want to be on time for work."

"I'm not going," she insisted, taking another sip that tasted every bit as good as the first.

"What? How come?" he asked, though he couldn't say he didn't love the idea of having her home with him all day.

"Because yesterday I wore the last clean shirt I own that fits me, and I don't have anything else appropriate for work," she informed him. "So I'm going to stay here and wear pajama pants and one of my old tee shirts, and work in the living room."

"I'm OK with that, as long as you are," he said with a smile.

"Hmm...let me check with my boss," she said dramatically, looking skyward as she placed her hand beneath her chin. "Yup, she's fine with it."

"I love you," he said with a smile.

She wasn't sure what prompted him to say it, but she wasn't about to complain. She'd never get tired of hearing those words from him.

And so he went to the kitchen and got himself a cup of coffee, and brought her breakfast in bed, sitting and chatting with her while she ate.

She showered and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail - the kind she'd only wear around him - and slipped the worn cotton of her old, faded Ravens tee shirt over her head. It barely covered her now noticeable bump, and she brought her hand to rest on the fabric as she smiled. She wondered how she could have two totally different reactions to ill-fitting clothing, before she remembered that she was in mood-swing hell.

He was writing at his desk and watching her adoringly. Before she went to set up her laptop in the living room, he stood up and stopped her, leaning down to kiss her and tell her she looked sexy in his team colours.

She was starting to think she could get used to working from home.

She settled down on the floor with a large pillow beneath her and her back resting against the couch, and a blanket around her shoulders. She began crunching numbers and evaluating her day-to-day workflow, trying to decide if she could actually afford to hire someone to help her. She came to the conclusion that she definitely had enough room in her budget to bring someone in three or four days a week, but she wanted another opinion.

"Luke!" she called. "Lucas!"

"Hey!" he said, running in from the bedroom before noticing her there, perfectly fine and chewing her pen cap. "OK, can you not to that?"

It had always bothered him when she'd shout his name so urgently like that. He always thought the worst and it sent his heart racing, which probably wasn't good for his HCM. He'd never put it into words for fear of worrying her, but he'd tried to get her to stop. Apparently his requests had fallen on deaf ears.

"What?" she asked, innocently looking up at him from her place on the floor.

"Scream like that. I swear you take 10 years off my life every time," he said, sitting on the couch behind her with his legs on either side of her shoulders.

"Sorry, baby," she said, tilting her head back and looking up at him. He let his left hand fall to her shoulder and he gave it a squeeze.

"So what's going on?" he asked, trying to peer at her screen from his place.

"I want your advice," she said. "I am thinking of hiring someone to help me out. Just a few days a week. I think if I have someone to do the administrative stuff, that'll clear a lot of my schedule and it'll be better for me. Less stress, you know? And after the baby comes, it'll help, obviously. After that, it'll free up time for me to scout more artists and do more of the creative stuff."

He just chuckled at her explanation. She'd clearly thought this out enough. But he knew the way her mind worked, and she liked to talk things out with him. He assumed it made her more confident in her choices to hear her own voice selling her ideas.

"So what do you need my advice on?" he asked with a smile. "I think that's a great idea if it's going to help."

"It'll just give me more time with you and the baby. I can work when you're watching him and you can work when I am. I mean, if you're alright with that," she said quickly.

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He'd thought about that topic a lot. He was perfectly OK with staying home with the baby whenever necessary. He and Nathan had a conversation about it, how they'd both essentially be stay at home dads, and they both decided that it would be great. They could hang out together with the kids while Haley and Peyton were working.

And he didn't fail to notice that she, once again, was referring to the baby as 'he', but he was still sure they were having a girl. Any time she spoke about the baby, she called it 'he' and any time he spoke about the baby, he called it 'she'. It was one of those things that they each did that the other secretly found adorable.

"I am totally fine with that," he assured her.

"OK," she said confidently. "Now I just have to write up a job-description and find someone perfect to fill the role."

She leaned forward and began typing out a list of responsibilities, and he massaged her shoulders while she worked, neither of them saying a word for a while.

"Working from home is the best thing ever," she said dreamily, clearly loving the attention she was getting.

"Part and parcel with being here when I am," he said, leaning down to kiss her temple. "You want lunch?"

"I love you!" she said happily, turning to face him. He laughed as he got up and made his way to the kitchen with her calling after him. "You really are my favourite husband, you know that?"

"I better be!" he shouted back.

----

Lucas, Nathan and Skills had to run an after-school practice, and right before he'd left the house, Peyton told Lucas that Brooke was going to be coming over to keep her company while he was out. When Lucas saw Haley walking down the hall, looking completely exhausted, he pulled her into a friendly hug and told her to go to his place and hang out with the girls, and that there was leftover chocolate cake from the night before. She explained that Jamie was with Deb and that she could use girl time - and the cake - and asked him to tell Nathan where she was going.

She walked into the house and saw Peyton there, in a royal blue tee shirt with the white cursive of the team's logo on it, and she had to smile to herself.

"Hey Haley," Peyton said with a smile, moving over to let her friend sit on the couch.

Haley promptly laid down and rested her feet on Peyton's lap, sighing deeply.

"Honestly? Worst day ever," she explained. "Some kid mouthed off at me in my first class."

"Oh, bad move," Peyton laughed as she shook her head.

"Yeah. He didn't appreciate when I asked him to stop texting while I was trying to explain The Grapes of Wrath. So he started talking back. I picked up his backpack and tossed it into the hall when he wouldn't leave," she explained.

"Haley!" Peyton shouted while she laughed.

"I asked nicely first!" Haley said in defense of her actions. "Principal Turner, however, didn't find it as hilarious as you. He told me to just call him next time something like that happens."

"That's not nearly as fun as throwing things around, though," Peyton said, still laughing.

"Right?" Haley said with a smile. "I so wish I could have stayed home in my sweats like you, you slacker."

"Hey, after yesterday's meltdown over two little buttons that wouldn't stay shut, I think I earned the day of working in sweats," Peyton said. "The Ravens tiny tee shirt from senior year works at home, but not at the office."

"Yeah, well at least you don't have to dress like this," Haley said, pointing to her own clothes - black pants and a burgundy button down blouse. "I can't wait to get home and change."

"So don't," Peyton said with a shrug. She stood from her place and disappeared into her bedroom, emerging moments later with a Beatles tee shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. "Here. Put these on."

"I love you!" Haley squealed, grabbing the items from Peyton and heading for the bathroom to change. "And I was promised chocolate cake, too!"

"Oooo! Good idea!" Peyton said excitedly. She made her way to the kitchen to dole out two big slices of cake, with two glasses of milk.

"Where's Brooke?" Haley asked when they were seated in the living room again, listening to the sounds of Patty Griffin as they dug into their cake.

"I dunno. She said she'd be here by now," Peyton said with a shrug.

As if on cue, Brooke burst through the door and made her way to sit in the vacant chair across the room.

"OK, good thing I'm making you two clothes, because these looks? I can't live with for the next 6 months," Brooke said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you aren't sewing fast enough," Haley muttered.

"What happened to your stuff from when you were pregnant with Jamie?" Brooke asked.

"I was 18! My style has changed...drastically," Haley said, making them all laugh.

"So really, how are the clothes coming? Because I really can't stay cooped up in here forever, and I have nothing to wear," Peyton said, after taking a drink of her milk.

Brooke looked at the sight before her, her two best friends, pregnant, hormonal, dressed in sweats, and still the two happiest people she knew. She smiled at the thought of the two babies she'd get to spoil in mere months, and how much happier everyone would be then.

"Well, I'd have something done, but I kind of got distracted when Skills told me he loves me," she explained, barely able to contain her smile.

Haley just about choked on her cake, and Peyton's eyes went so wide that Brooke was almost worried.

"That's amazing!" Peyton shouted. "Brooke!"

Haley was tearing up, wiping her eyes carefully with her index finger and waving off Brooke's concern. "Hormones."

"You two are insane, you know that? What the hell were Lucas and Nathan thinking, getting you both pregnant at the same time?" Brooke said with a laugh, making Peyton and Haley look at each other and shrug.

"Actually, I'm three weeks behind blondie here," Haley pointed out with a mouthful of chocolate. "But don't change the subject! Tell us all about it!"

Brooke replayed the entire scene to her best friends, and the three of them ate cake, listened to music, and talked about whatever came up for the next hour and a half, until Lucas, Nathan, and Skills walked in. Each of them gravitated towards their women and said their hellos.

"Nice outfit," Nathan said to Haley with a smile, knowing how much his wife was complaining that morning about having to wear dress pants. "And Ryan said you kicked him out of class today."

"That punk had it coming," Peyton informed him.

"How do you know? You were here in your pajamas all day," Lucas said with a laugh.

"It's true!" Haley said indignantly. "Wait, how do you know Ryan?"

"He's on the JV team," Nathan informed her.

"Right. Well next time he wants to mouth off to his teacher and then talk about it at practice, maybe he should remember who I'm married to," Haley said angrily.

"He knows," Nathan said as he smiled. "That's why he told me to pass along his apologies for acting like that."

"Oh," Haley muttered, making everyone laugh.

They all chatted about their respective days for about a half hour, before Nathan and Haley left to go home to their son, and Haley promised to return Peyton's clothes at a later date. Brooke and Skills left shortly after, with Brooke telling Peyton she'd drop off a few tops the next day.

Lucas tidied the living room, clearing the girls' dishes and putting away Peyton's laptop and paperwork, while she started making their dinner.

"Hey, we have our first ultrasound tomorrow afternoon," Lucas said with a smile, wrapping his arms around Peyton's waist as she stood at the stove.

"We do," she said.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing something was bothering her.

"Nothing! I'm just...you know me," she said, brushing off his question.

"You're worried something's going to go wrong," he filled in, and watched as she nodded. "Peyton, we've read every pregnancy book ever published, and we're on track with everything, OK? The only thing they might tell you is that you haven't gained enough weight, and that is easily remedied."

"Is that why you bought the cake?" she asked with a smile, pointing to the now empty plastic box sitting on the counter.

"You begged me for chocolate cake last night," he said, laughing.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "But you didn't have to get it."

"Right, because I've ever been able to say no to you," he scoffed, making her roll her eyes. "Everything's going to be fine. But if I cry when I hear her heartbeat for the first time, don't make fun of me."

"If you cry, it'll only make me cry," she said seriously. "So man up, OK?"

He just laughed, but he had a feeling that their appointment the next day would make him completely break down as a result of his happiness. He knew they'd wind up being that totally cheesy couple that held hands and teared up at the first sight of those black wavy lines on the monitor.

And he couldn't wait.