"Plans"

"Hi, I'm feeding you." Alice walked in to Tracy's ELQ office. Tracy waved and continued her conversation on the phone. Alice placed the food on the desk and removes a wrapped box. Tracy eyed the box, intrigued.

"Carl, I need to call you back. A very important client came in for a lunch meeting. Yes. I'll run those numbers. Bye." Tracy fingered the box. "You bought me a gift."

"Mmm-mmm." A smile played around Alice's face.

"You almost never buy me things." Tracy observed. "I can count on one hand the number of gifts you've given me."

"Ah, but this is a step to a bigger and better gift, my love."

"Really?"

"You could just open it." Alice said impatiently.

Tracy opened the gift.

"An ovalative kit. Just what I wanted." Tracy was confused. Alice held her breath, waiting for the penny to drop. "An ovalative kit?! Alice? Does this mean…you are?"

"I'm in perfect health and we can continue with our plans, if you want to, Tiger." Alice bit her lip.

Tracy grinned wickedly. "I definitely want to continue." She leaned into a kiss. Alice let herself get pull into the kiss and then laughed.

"You do realize we have to have a very uncomfortable talk with Monica and your brother."

"Um, about what?" Tracy played with buttons on Alice's shirt. Alice pulled Tracy onto her lap.

"As much as I love you doing that and what that leads to, it won't get me pregnant, dear." Alice paused, thinking. "Well, not alone at least."

Tracy's eyes widen. "Oh! Right!"

Alice smiled and kissed Tracy's forehead. "Invite them to dinner. We'll talk about it afterwards." She buttoned her shirt back up.

"Why did you do that for?" Tracy pouted.

"We need to eat lunch and if we start something, I won't get to eat. I'll be in a bad mood and that's not the mood you want me in." She winked.

Tracy chuckled. "You should eat before going back to work. We need you healthy, Mrs. Quartermaine." She quietly laced her fingers through Alice's. Alice smiled sadly.

"I know. I've been thinking about her too. I think Lila was the first person who knew about my interest in you."

"Really?" Tracy looked interest.

"Mmm…I saw an old picture of you in a bikini" Alice grinned. "Quite the looker."

"Hush. Then why did you try to shoot me?" Tracy asked between bites.

"Hey! I met you in a bar, you disappeared for two months, and then showed up at work. Without ringing the bell, using a pick and wrong access code. How did I know you weren't a mass murderer?" Alice asked plainly.

"Monica told you to shoot me on sight didn't she?" Tracy narrowed her eyes.
"I was told you were deranged lunatic." Alice protested.

"You slept with me! Do you usually sleep with deranged lunatics?" Tracy asked half-amused.

"Nah, just work for them."

Tracy snorted.

"Look, I wasn't expecting you to show up. When Dillon said you left for an undetermined amount of time, I didn't think you would show up two months later. You threw me." Alice said in low voice. " You still do. You returned and snuck into my bed. I just didn't know what to expect. I tried to keep my personal life out of my job."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject." The room fell silent. "Alice, is this what you want? I know I'm asking a lot from you." Tracy sighed.

"I want a family, whether it's you, me, Brook, Dillon and baby Q, or just the four of us, or just us and Brook or just the daring duo of us." Alice said, taking a sip of iced tea. Her warm brown eyes danced mischievously. "It's going to shock the hell out of Edward. Look, you might give him a heart attack without meaning to."

"Alice!" Tracy cringed. "I don't want to think about that. It will be bad enough hearing him going on about a new heir."

"Um, about that…I'm okay with using Alan but I don't want anyone to know." Alice bit her lip. "I want this to be our baby."

Tracy played with her salad. "I understand. I have the same thought with the whole pregnancy actually. Need to know basis. "

"Okay, tiger." Alice finished her sandwich. "I need to get back to work. I just wanted to give you the good news."

"It is good news." Tracy smiled.
"Brooks wanted Chinese tonight. Pick something up on your way home, honey?" Alice asked as she put her coat on.

"Of course. Why don't you ask Monica if she and Alan want to come over?" Tracy asked, throwing away the food containers.

Alice raised an eyebrow. Tracy smiled innocently.

"Brook Lyn might need help with biology."

"Tracy might want to ask her big brother for a favor." Alice said. Tracy kissed her once more.

"Thanks for lunch, sweetheart, and the gift." Tracy handed the box back. "We'll talk more about it tonight."

"Of course. Try not to take-over to many small businesses."
Alice lingered. "This is good, right?"

"This is good, you're good, we're good."

"Why can't we get pizza like normal families?" Brook Lyn asked.

"Normal is overrate." Alan said between bites of beef and broccoli.

Monica smirked. "You would know, dear. Brook, pizza oddly enough, is for special occasions."

"Like Thanksgiving?"

"Like Thanksgiving." Monica agreed. Tracy rolled her eyes. "We had pizza when you were born, when I have had clean cancer reports back, when A.J. divorced Carly, when Tracy divorced Luke…"

"Hey!"

"I really did enjoy that one." Alice said. "It was most delicious thing, with the perfect crust…"

"Alice…" Tracy warned.

"Ah, so the Thanksgiving thing?" Brook Lyn asked.

Monica shot a guilty look to Alice. "I have a unnatural fear of turkeys. Alice and Cook have been destroying them on my orders."

Alan choked on his water and Tracy dropped her chopsticks. Alice suddenly got very interested in her food.

"Sweetheart, when did you developed this fear?" Alan asked.

Monica blushed. "I had a dream where we were, um, talking…."

"Ah."

The table fell silent. Brook Lyn spoke up,

"So I'm guessing this just staying in the room."

"Definitely."

Alice pushed her food around. Alan noticed this and smiled. "Brook, do you have homework?"

"Some." Brook Lyn noticed the awkwardness. "You want me to leave the room, don't you?"

Tracy smiled. "Of course not, dear. We're just going to be talking about ELQ business and you know how boring you find it. "

"Right." Brook Lyn knew she would find out sooner or later. "I'll just happen to leave the room."

"Thanks, sweetheart." Alice kissed Brook's cheek.

"How do you like having Brook around, Trace?" Monica asked.

"I love having my granddaughter. In fact, that's what bought this up." Tracy cleared the dishes and pour coffee.

"Are you sure you want to raise another from scratch?" asked Alan.

"I think this time will be much better." Tracy sipped her coffee. "I'm in a better relationship, Brook is doing great, and I'm in a better mindset." Alice kissed Tracy lightly.

Monica exchanged looks with Alan.

"Well, do you know how you want to proceed?" Monica asked.

"Does this means you are?" Tracy locked eyes with her brother. Alan smiled gently.

"I'm happy to help my little sister anyway I can. I just want to know your thoughts on our involvement."

Alice bit her lip. "I was thinking as a doting uncle and aunt and also beloved godparents."

Monica let a breathe out. " Perfect. That's what we were thinking."

Alan looked at Tracy. "Are you telling other people?"

"If you mean Daddy, no. " Tracy said. "I think this is going to be need-to-know basis. I don't want him to consider this another pawn."

"Well, the fact you two are out of my house helps." Monica poke through the remains of pork and broccoli. Alice snickered.

"This is why both our names are on the house, isn't?" She asked Tracy.

"No. It just happened to worked out that way." Tracy took a sip of coffee. "Besides it's easier this way."

"Right."

Alan laughed. "I do regret giving Monica the house. If I knew how many times I would hear about it…"

"Yes, dear?" Monica arched an eyebrow.

"I would still give you the house, dear." Alan finished quickly.

Alice just laughed. Tracy tapped her fingers nervously.

"So how will this work?" She asked.

Alice held her hand. "Well, dear, I know Monica and Alan have gone through this before. So why don't we let them explain it?"

Monica explained the procedure, in some instances, guessing at adaptations. Tracy was speechless and red.

"Honey, would you feel better if we didn't use Alan?" Alice asked.

"No. I just need a moment." Tracy took a deep breath. "I just never had a vested interest in Alan's…"

Monica laughed gently. "I think with the right equipment, you could probably do the procedure at home."

"Besides, don't you want a chance at another 'real' Quartermaine?" Alan asked.

"Oh, I think Skye has proven the nature versus nurture debate." Tracy smiled. "It is uncanny how much the girl acts like a Quartermaine." The wheels began to turn in her head.

"Tracy?" Alice asked.

"Hmmm?"
"You just kind of went off into a different world. " Alice said. "They need to get home. Nica has an early shift tomorrow."

"Oh!" Tracy snapped back to reality. "Do you want any leftovers?"

Monica and Alan quickly said their good-byes and left.

"Hey, do you want to tell me why you were in a strange mood tonight?" Alice asked as they climbed into bed that night.

Tracy paused. "Skye is bothering me."

"Skye usually bothers you."

"The girl is such a Quartermaine. So much more so than like Dillon or Brook. Which makes me wonder…" Tracy thought out loud. "If Alan isn't her father, who is?"

Alice placed her arms around Tracy. "Tiger…could we not talk about this right now?"

"Oh, sorry. What do you want to talk about?"

Alice pulled Tracy closer. "Well, if I had my first choice, no words would be necessary."

Tracy licked her lips. "That could be arrange."

Alice silenced Tracy with kisses for the rest of the night.