"What are you doing up so early?"

Lewis jumped at the voice and banged his head against the inside of the refrigerator. Grumbling and clutching his head, Lewis backed out of the fridge and straightened up to find Oswald watching him with surprise. "You seem surprised," he commented, still rubbing his head.

"I am," Oswald replied, grinning faintly. "You haven't been up this early since they switched you to the night shift." Oswald himself was half-dressed for work with traces of sleep still in his eyes.

"Yeah, I know," Lewis said. "I didn't sleep much last night. Just thought I'd find some breakfast."

"It was a pretty crazy night last night, wasn't it?" Oswald said, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. There was an almost fake smile on his face and he seemed to be fighting against a scowl.

"No kidding," Lewis agreed awkwardly, returning to rummaging through the fridge to escape Oswald's glare. "I'm making eggs, you want some?"

"Sure." Lewis heard Oswald walk back into his bedroom, presumably to finish getting ready for work. Lewis pulled out the egg carton and set to work. Ten minutes later he set two plates of eggs on the table at the booth, one sunny-side down and the other scrambled. "Oz, breakfast," Lewis said as he sat down before eagerly digging into the fried eggs.

Oswald emerged from his room, now fully dressed, and sat down across from Lewis. "Mm, just like I like 'em," he said with a smile as he pulled the plate of scrambled eggs towards him. There was a lull as they both ate their breakfasts in silence, until after a while Oswald's hand faltered and he glanced over at Lewis. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Lewis looked up in confusion. Hastily swallowing his mouthful of egg, he asked, "What?"

"About you and Kate," Oswald said, his tone slightly hurt. "Why didn't you tell us that it was your baby? All this time Kate's been saying she didn't know who the father was, and you didn't say anything either. In fact, you kept changing the topic every time it came up. Why did you keep it a secret?"

Lewis hesitated to answer, not exactly sure of what to say. He knew Kate didn't want the word to get out that Robert was the father, but he didn't like the way that Oswald was looking at him with obvious hurt. Torn between which friend to protect, Lewis twirled his fork between his fingers nervously.

Oswald made a small noise of annoyance and set down his fork. "When did it happen? Or has it been happening a long time?" he asked. "It was that night that Kate broke up with Robert, wasn't it? You've been acting strange since then. I didn't think about it much, but this is why you've been weird, isn't it? You've been dating Kate behind my back." Lewis opened his mouth immediately to argue this but Oswald charged on without letting him speak. "You didn't have to sneak around about it. Why didn't you just tell me? Yeah, I still love Kate, but I wouldn't have been against it if you had said something. Why don't you ever trust me to act right? You're my best friend."

This was the breaking point for Lewis. He wanted to protect Kate and help her, but he couldn't lose his best friend over it. Oswald was the one constant thing in his life and he was not going to risk that for anything. Kate would just have to understand that.

"Oswald, the baby isn't mine," Lewis said in a loud voice so Oswald couldn't talk over him. Oswald froze in mid-statement, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Lewis. Lewis sighed and dropped his fork onto his plate. "It was a lie; I just said it to help Kate."

"How did it help Kate any?" Oswald asked suspiciously.

"The way Robert was interrogating her was upsetting her," Lewis said. "I told him the baby was mine so he would lay off of her. It was nothing more than that."

Oswald was quiet for a minute, staring down at his plate thoughtfully. "So why did she come to you first when she found out she was pregnant? That day she came in and wanted to speak to you alone before she came and told us. Was it about her being pregnant?"

Lewis nodded. "But it was only because she wanted to ask for my advice on how to tell you both," he said, spilling out the lie he had been concocting in case they ever asked him this question. "You know, she's nearly married both of you and she knows you both still care about her. She couldn't figure out how to tell you guys that she was pregnant with some unknown man's baby. So she asked me, since I'm sort of the impartial one. She was afraid if she told you the wrong way that you'd both be angry with her."

"Oh," Oswald said quietly, clearly mollified by the answer. There was a slightly awkward tension and Oswald used his fork to prod the remnants of his eggs around his plate. "You two really have been friendlier lately," he added, still speaking timidly. "Normally you're at each other's throats all of the time, but now you seem to get along better."

"It's amazing what happens when you help somebody out a bit," Lewis said with a laugh. "I quit being an ass for a few minutes to help her out and suddenly she doesn't hate me."

Oswald chuckled nervously. "Funny how that happens," he murmured and continued to push his eggs around the plate. "You like her though, don't you?"

The question caught Lewis off guard and he stared at Oswald in surprise for a moment. "Well sure, I've always liked her," he said with a shrug. "I have to like her on some level to be able to be around her so much."

"You know what I meant," Oswald said, torn between exasperation and amusement as he glanced up at his best friend. Lewis sighed heavily, leaning back into the seat and folding his arms over his chest.

"I don't know," was his answer. "I think Kate is one of those people that you can't stand most of the time but there are those rare moments when you can't get enough of her, and that's why people stick around. For those times when she's the greatest person in the world."

"Yeah," Oswald agreed. There was a slightly dazed expression on his face as he bobbed his head slowly. "Yeah, that really is how she is, now that I think about it." There was another moment of silence and Oswald returning to toying with his breakfast. Finally he looked up at Lewis and said, "Hey, I'm sorry I got so mad. It was really stupid."

"Don't worry about it," Lewis said, shrugging again. "I should have told you straight off. I really didn't expect you and Drew to believe it."

"I suppose it is kind of funny," Oswald said, chuckling. "The thought of you and Kate together."

"Yeah," Lewis agreed, trying to keep the tone of his voice steady. "Real funny."

Oswald laughed again, not noticing the strain in his friend's voice. He glanced at his watch and flinched. "Damn, I'm going to be late if I don't hurry," he murmured. "See you later. You still going to come around Drew's office for lunch."

"Of course," Lewis replied as Oswald grabbed his keys and headed out of the door. Once the door had closed, Lewis sighed and relaxed into the booth seat. His breakfast lay forgotten on the table as he stared vacantly at the far wall. The confrontation with Oswald had set his brain into motion again and he tried to make sense of the thoughts whirring through his mind.

What was it about the idea of him and Kate together that amused everyone so much? Lewis could not figure this out and it bothered him. Sure, he'd given up on the possibility of ever being with Kate, but he wanted to at least have an excuse for it.

It's because you're an in-between, his mind said to him. They all want what's best for Kate; they don't want to see her stuck with a dead end like you. You could never give someone a forever, which is what Kate wants. She deserves more than you could ever give her.

Sobered by this thought, Lewis stood up and gathered the morning dishes. He moved the clock out of the sink and washed up all of the dishes simply to have something to preoccupy himself. Even after he had finished, he just stood at the sink for a few minutes, too caught up in his thoughts to worry about moving.

Finally his hip began to ache from where it was leaning against the counter, bringing him back to reality. He glanced at the clock, which was now resting on top of the toaster, and was shocked to see that he had been standing there for more than half an hour. Determined to distract himself, Lewis grabbed a beer from the fridge and retreated to his bedroom.

He perched himself on the edge of the bed and leaned down, sliding a cardboard box from beneath it. The inside of the box was full of books, with one particular book resting on top of them all. Lewis picked this book up and pushed the box back under the bed with his foot before scooting back to recline himself against the wall. He stretched his legs out in front of him and opened the book, setting aside the aging Cleveland Indians' ticket that he used as a bookmark. He found his spot on the page and within seconds he was completely lost in the story.

Time passed without his knowledge as his eyes flew back and forth across the lines of print. Lewis moved very little, only to turn the pages and occasionally take a swallow of beer. He was so caught up in the tale that the sounds of the empty apartment were lost on him. A slightly dazed smile crinkled the corners of his mouth as he allowed himself to be submerged in the story.

"Lewis?"

The voice startled him and he instinctively snapped the book shut but then let out a yelp and dropped it, having crushed his thumb between the pages. Trying to act casual, he shifted his legs so they were over the book and then looked up innocently. Kate was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, looking at him with an expression torn between confusion and amazement.

"Oh, hey Kate," Lewis said, trying to keep his smile steady. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you," Kate replied, still looking suspicious. "The door was unlocked so I just came in. Were you – were you reading?"

Lewis shifted uncomfortably. "That's kind, just walk into someone's house," he remarked sarcastically.

"Well you didn't answer when I knocked," Kate shot back. She came in and sat down on the edge of the bed, and her curious hand reached around his legs to grab the book. "You were reading," she said in shock, examining the cover. "I didn't think you liked to read." Lewis simply shrugged. Kate glanced up at him and laughed. "Why are you acting so ashamed?"

"It's nothing," Lewis said, extending his hand for the book but Kate didn't give it to him.

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," she read off the binding before she handed the book back to Lewis. He scanned through it until he found his page and then stuck the Indians' ticket into it. "You know, you've always reminded me a bit of Tom Sawyer."

Lewis glanced at her, one eyebrow cocked and an amused smile on his face. "Oh really," he said, and it was clear by the tone of his voice that he was trying not to laugh. "So what did you want to talk about, or was that just a cover and you're actually here to find out all my secret hobbies?"

"Do you crochet, too?" Kate asked in mock interest. Lewis rolled his eyes and nudged her with his knee.

"If you must know, I actually read a lot," he said, a faint tint coloring his cheeks. "I love sitting around and getting drunk as much as anyone, but sometimes I need something better to entertain myself."

"Ah, that IQ of yours needs more than just chicks and booze," Kate commented with a sly smile. "But why do you hide it? There's really no reason to be so secretive."

"I knew you guys wouldn't let it drop if you found out I was into reading," Lewis said with a shrug. "Besides, I didn't want to make Oswald feel weird. You know he can't read very well. He's perfectly content with both of us being morons together."

Kate looked at Lewis with a sort of revering surprise. "Wow, Lewis Kiniski showing consideration," she said in an almost awe-struck voice. "Now this is a moment to treasure. You don't see that very often." Lewis pulled a face and pushed her with his knee again.

"So are you going to tell me why you came over?" Lewis asked, pretending to be impatient.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did last night," she admitted, moving herself farther onto the bed and shifting so she was more comfortable. "For standing up to Robert like that. I didn't really get to thank you last night, with everything that was going on."

"It was nothing," he said, shrugging again. "I never liked the guy anyway." He glanced at Kate awkwardly and then said, "I had to tell Oswald the truth."

"You what?" Kate asked in a blend of surprise and anger.

"Not everything," Lewis said hastily, lifting his hands to defend himself just in case she lashed out. "Just that it's not really my kid. I had to, he was furious with me. He's my best friend and he thought I was going behind his back with his ex-fiancée. What was I supposed to do?"

Kate stared at him for a moment in shock and then laughed. Lewis blinked, surprised by the strange reaction. "You mean he believed it?" she asked finally. "He actually thought that the baby was yours?"

"Apparently," Lewis replied. "Why were you so upset at first?"

"Oh, I thought you meant that you had told him that Robert was the father," she said.

"No, I didn't tell him that," Lewis quickly corrected. "I told him you really didn't know who the father was, and that I had just stepped in to get him to leave you alone. I didn't really think he'd have believed it but apparently I'm a better actor than I thought."

"Don't flatter yourself too much," Kate said with a smile. "Oswald is pretty gullible."

"Yeah, well let's just hope Drew wasn't gullible enough to fall for it, too," Lewis said, ignoring the insult. "He'll be a lot harder to convince than Oswald."

"That's true," Kate said, slightly sobered by the idea. "He did seem a little distant last night. I hope he didn't believe it."

"Well, Oswald pointed out to me that we do make a pretty convincing case against ourselves," he said. "The timeframe matches up almost perfectly with the night that you broke up with Robert, and we were left alone together that night. The day you found out you were pregnant you wanted to talk to me first, of course because you thought I was the father, but that's not the point. We've also been behaving more civilly towards each other since you found out you were pregnant. He noticed that I changed the topic whenever the baby's father came up, too. I guess my announcement that I was the father just sort of sealed the deal."

"Wow, I never realized," Kate commented thoughtfully. "Oswald's a lot more perceptive than we give him credit for, isn't he?"

"Yeah, surprised me, too," Lewis laughed. "He seems to do that sometimes though. He's good at noticing the things that most people wouldn't. Part of his uniqueness, I guess."

"That's true," Kate agreed and they slipped into silence for a moment, both of them pondering different things. Suddenly Kate spoke up again, "You know, sometimes I wish the baby was yours."

Lewis gaped at her, completely stunned by this proclamation. What could she possibly be hinting at with this statement? He found it nearly impossible to string together a reply and the only thing that escaped him was a confused, "What?"

"This would be easier if you were the father," she said. "At least then I wouldn't have to worry about the real father finding out and fighting for custody. I don't want him to have her; I don't think he would treat her right. And it's just one more thing that keeps me tied to him. If the baby was yours I would be free of him."

"In that case, I wish she was mine, too," Lewis said sympathetically. "Although, I don't know if I can have kids, to be honest. Most people who've worked at DrugCo as long as I have can't have kids."

"Yes, well I'm sure standing in front of a radiation vent to think does nothing to help that," Kate said, laughing and shaking her head. Lewis tilted his head in confusion, making Kate laugh harder. "Never mind."

"I feel like I've become the butt of the jokes now," Lewis remarked, that sly, lopsided smile on his face again as he surveyed Kate curiously.

"That's because you have," Kate said, patting his leg teasingly. Lewis felt his stomach leap but tried to hide it. "Well it's nearly two now," she said, slipping her cell phone from her pocket and glancing at the LCD screen. "What do you say we go over to meet the others for lunch?"

"Sounds good," Lewis said. He stood up and helped Kate to her feet before hunting down his shoes and slipping into them. Something on top of the dresser caught his attention as he turned, and he grabbed it and tossed it to Kate, saying, "I think this is yours."

Kate caught it and glanced down at what she was holding. "My sock," she exclaimed. "I was wondering where it was." They exchanged glances and both began laughing.