As Calleigh woke up the next morning, she felt as if she had slept for days not hours. It had been the best sleep in a few months. Opening her eyes, she realized that it was not her bed and definitely not her bedroom. Then it all came back to her. James, fight, Oliver and… and Ryan. She smiled as she remembered the way he held her and pulled close the night before.

Getting up, she could not see Oliver anywhere. But she did hear baby giggles from outside so she decided to go and have a look.

Ryan was in the living room, holding Oliver in his arms and making funny faces. Calleigh couldn't hold back her laughter at the faces he was making so they took notice of her.

"Hey, look who's there, isn't it mommy?" Ryan said in a very soft manner and Oliver giggled, seeing her.

Calleigh stepped closer and took him in her arms. This was the idyllic family, she thought to herself. The thing she should have with James. Sighing, she cradled her baby, not wanting the ruin her mood with thoughts of last night.

"Cal, is everything alright?" Ryan apparently had taken notice of her mood swing.

She smiled at his concern. "Just thinking… it's nothing important. Hey, shouldn't you be at work?"

Now it was his time to smile. "I told H you weren't feeling well and that I'd stay with you. He didn't ask anything."

"Knowing him, I think he knows. Or at least guesses."

There was silence between them until he continued. "Do you want to talk about… it?"

She knew he just wanted to take care of her but she didn't really feel like talking. "No, no… I'm okay."

He saw right through her but decided not to pry; she wouldn't have liked that.

"Since I have the day off, we could do something."

"Like what?"

"Go to the beach, take a walk, go for a picnic. You know, the usual things."

Calleigh was about to answer as her cell rang. She took the phone and flinched a bit, noticing it was James. Ryan saw her unease.

"You don't have to pick it up."

"He has called me ten times. I should at least talk to him. I'll go to the kitchen." She stood up, leaving Oliver with him and walked away, trying to seem confident. But Ryan was no fool; he could see the hidden distress and worry in her eyes, in her walk.

Calleigh stared at the display for some time before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Cal, thank God you're alright! I was so worried wh-" he started but she cut him off.

"Why are you calling me?"

He was baffled for a moment but then replied, "I'm worried about you. Tell me where you are so I can take you home."

"No."

"No? Cal, it's not good for you to be alone right now."

"Not good for me?" Her voice rose but she didn't realize that Ryan could hear every word she was saying. "Who are you to tell me what is good and what isn't good for me? I think you lost that right last night."

He sighed. "I just was a little angry, that's all. Look, I didn't mean to lash out at you."

"Well, you did. What people say when they're angry is what they really mean."

"It was not what I really meant. Please, can we forget about this?"

"Forget this? I am not going to forget about you calling me names and most of all, how can you honestly think I can forget you saying that you don't want Oliver?"

There was silence at the other end. James had run out of words although he knew that what she was saying was right.

"Could we at least talk about this?"

"There is nothing for us to talk about any more. We're over!" She ended the call and stared at the phone. This was really it. She had ended it and there was not a single emotion in her that made her think twice about it.

Calleigh walked back to the living room and knew instantly that Ryan had heard everything she had said. He would have the decency not to mention it, of course, but she felt like she needed to explain.

"It's over."

"Does he understand?"

"If not yet then he will in the course of time. I am not going back to him."

He didn't say anything but secretly he was glad.

"How about we now try the usual things?" He could tell by her voice that she tried her best to be excited about this.

"Sure." If she would never be his, he would at least try to make her happy.

1 year later

"Do you see that?" Calleigh asked Ryan excitedly as they both watched Oliver making his first steps.

"I do see this. Come, Oliver, walk to mommy!"

The baby in question was smiling as he carefully toddled across the room right into the open arms of Calleigh.

"Oh, aren't you a good baby!" She smiled, hugging him tight and Ryan couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of him.

It had been a year since Calleigh had left James. He had tried to change things a few times but she had made it clear to him that she wanted nothing to do with him. Finally he let her go and she moved on.

Now she was living alone, in her own two-bedroom apartment. Despite his more than friendly feelings towards Calleigh, Ryan had known it better not to push her and they had become good friends. And he was content with that, especially being a fatherly figure to Oliver as James had moved to Chicago.

Calleigh who seemed to be happier than ever, still had her demons to fight with. She had finally decided for a DNA-test but she couldn't have asked Ryan in person if he would volunteer. He didn't even know there was anything wrong with the paternity of Oliver.

So she had secretly taken a hair from him and with a sample of blood from Oliver, sent them to testing at a foreign lab. She couldn't and wouldn't have dared to use the crime lab because it was not meant for personal testing; H had done it once but she didn't want to be public about it.

The answer was due to arrive any day now and she could feel her anxiety grow. If Ryan was the father, she had to tell him. If James was the father… well, she hadn't asked for child support so far and wasn't going to. She just had to know.

"Thanks so much for spending the day with us. I know you're busy at the lab and…" she started but Ryan quieted her quickly.

"Cal, I am not doing this against my will. I love Oliver and I love spending time with him and you know that. Same goes for you."

He didn't mean to let that one slip out. He had just confessed to loving her but hoped she wouldn't take notice.

Did he just say what I think he did? she asked herself, contemplating on his words. But she cast those thoughts away; they had promised to be friends. And no matter how excruciating it was she decided to stick by her promise.

At home Calleigh found the envelope she had long been waiting for. She stared at it for a moment. That envelope determined all her future actions.

She didn't open it at once but fed Oliver, put him to bed and finally, alone in the silence of her apartment, dared to take it in her hands.

With a deep breath she tore open the envelope and, after closing her eyes for a minute, looked at the results.

Sample 37516 is a 99.95 match to sample 34289… she couldn't read further. But she read the first line over and over again until it reached her understanding. Ryan is the father. This simple white sheet of paper had just changed her life for good.

A/N: I made you all very happy now, didn't I? Still left a cliffhanger. How is she going to tell him? If you push that button down there, I will promise to update soon. Before the end of this week is a possibility..