Kate looked surprised when she opened the door to see Lewis standing there. Lewis smiled, straightening up from his position against the doorframe.

"Hey Kate," he said, slightly anxious. "I hope you don't mind I stopped by. I haven't seen you since you got released from the hospital and I wanted to see how you and Leslie are doing."

"Oh, yeah, it's fine," Kate said, seemingly getting over her shock. "Come in." She stepped back, allowing him to step past her into the living room. "How'd you get here? Bus again?"

"Nah, Oswald dropped me off on his way to Doc Carter's," Lewis said. His eyes panned over the room, picking up the subtle signs that this was now the home of an infant. He sank gratefully into the couch, taking the weight off of his ankle.

"Oh, that's right, today's the big first date," Kate said, grinning. "He nervous?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Lewis laughed. "He probably changed his shirt nine times before I stopped him. I haven't seen him this worked up over a girl in a long time. I think he's still having a hard time believing that a lady like Doc is really interested in him. And of course he's scared that her kid won't like him, too."

"Yeah, that would be hard," Kate agreed. She came over and sank down on the couch next to Lewis. "I don't think he needs to worry too much though."

"Probably not, but he'll worry anyway," Lewis said with a shrug. "How are you handling the mom thing?"

"It's okay right now," Kate said. "I don't get as much sleep, because as soon as I fall asleep she wakes up. It's not too bad, yet, but when I go back to work it may be a problem."

"You know, I was thinking," Lewis said. "Leslie Marie. I don't remember ever hearing that on your list of possible names."

"It wasn't."

"Didn't think so. So, what, you 'just knew' it was the right name?"

"Sort of," Kate said. "It actually does have some significance to it." She was trying to act casual but Lewis could tell she was a little agitated.

"Going to say what this significance is?" he asked curiously.

"Probably not," Kate answered and gave him a teasing smile. "It's really only significant to me and I like it better that way." Lewis raised an eyebrow but Kate changed the subject. "How's your ankle?"

"Better," Lewis said, flexing it inside the walking brace. "Swelling went away and it's starting to get to the point where I can walk for longer. Doc says I'll be lucky if I don't always limp a little though."

Kate grimaced apologetically. She'd felt guilty when she heard that Lewis had hurt his ankle by staying with her. Lewis had continually tried to convince her that it wasn't her fault, but it had done little good.

"Good news though," Lewis suddenly said with a big grin. "One week later and I've finally gotten the feeling back in my fingers." He flexed his right hand as if to prove this point, but his smile was mischievous. Kate rolled her eyes and pushed him. "Careful," Lewis said, moving his right arm to shield his left. "I only just got this new cast. I'd hate to hurt my arm and have to get that damn plaster thing back."

A few days prior Lewis had gotten his plaster cast cut off and they had replaced it with a sturdy brace made of flat metal plates and cloth. It was used mostly to give him some protection from light impact until the bone had had more time to strengthen, as well as to keep his hand mostly immobilized so he didn't overwork the repairing tissues. He was still adjusting to the fact that his arm suddenly weighed a few pounds less, but he was being very careful not to reinjure himself.

"How long do you have that cast on for?" Kate asked interestedly.

"So long as everything keeps healing right, one month," Lewis said with a sigh of exasperation. "I can tell you, I'll be glad to get back to working normally. I was supposed to start working again next week, but Doc decided she wanted me to wait a bit longer to give my ankle a bit more to heal." He glanced at Kate and caught the guilty look on her face. "Not your fault, so quit thinking it. Doc just likes to torture me. If it were anything else, I'd think it was sexy, but this is just cruel." Kate stared at Lewis for a moment and then shook her head, making a disgusted noise, although she was smiling faintly.

"Kate," Lewis said and the sudden loss of mischievousness in his voice made her look up interestedly. "When we were talking at the hospital, just before everything happened, you said that you weren't sure whether to put what had happened between us in the past or not. Where were you going with that?"

Kate bit down on her lip, trying to find a way to say what she wanted to. "I don't really know where I was headed with it," she admitted. "I was just making a comment really. Or more, confessing how confused I was. You're good at doing that, confusing me." Lewis grinned almost proudly at this, making Kate laugh. "I just don't know what to make of that kiss. It was so different than I would have expected."

"It was a lot better than that time we kissed in grade six," Lewis put in with a quiet laugh.

"Oh yeah, when I had mono," Kate said, smiling as she remembered. They were both quiet for a moment, lost in their thoughts.

"Look, Kate, I have to know," Lewis said. "Do you really like me? It seems like you do, and like you want to be with me, but then you keep pushing me away. I'm getting mixed signals here."

"I don't know, Lewis," Kate said. She gave a heavy sigh and sunk back into the cushions, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. "It's just such a risk. What if – what if it doesn't work?"

"Then you'll have to date Eugene 'cause he's the only of your friends you haven't dated yet," Lewis said, trying to keep his face serious but there were creases forming at the corners of his eyes from the smile he was fighting.

"Lewis," Kate said in exasperation. "I'm being serious."

"Alright, alright," Lewis surrendered. "Look Kate, it may work and it may not. But if we don't ever try then in the future we'll always be wondering if it might have worked out and wishing we'd tried. I really like you and I want to at least give us a shot." He shifted, scooting closer to her and reaching over to let his right hand rest lightly on her arm. "What do you say?"

Kate looked up at Lewis, her brown eyes glossed with unshed tears. There was a hurricane of emotions cascading across her features and Lewis felt his heart catch in his chest. He slipped his left arm cautiously, trying not to jostle it, around her shoulders and she willingly moved closer to him. Her head leaned against his shoulder for a moment and Lewis could hear her trembling breaths. Finally she met his eyes again. "I – I just –" she trailed off and then took a deep breath, as if fortifying herself. "I want to try."

The smile that broke out on Lewis' face was so bright and genuine that Kate laughed. Lewis was ecstatic. He kissed her forehead quickly and was surprised when a moment later Kate had captured his lips with her own. Senses reeling, Lewis pulled her closer and sank into her kiss. It had taken about twenty-five years to finally get her, but he felt that it was worth it. Kate also seemed to be enjoying herself, allowing herself to relax against him and dropping her barriers.

A high-pitched wail made Lewis and Kate suddenly separate. It took him a second before Lewis realized what it was and he let out a noise torn between amusement and annoyance. Kate laughed at the expression on his face and slid out of his embrace. "Welcome to the joys of dating a single mother," she said. She stood up and disappeared into the next room, and moments later the sound of the crying child died away.

Kate came back into the room, cradling the blanketed infant in her arms. Her movements were suddenly so much more careful and balanced as she walked to the couch and sat down carefully beside Lewis. "She likes attention too much," Kate said with a laugh. "She cannot stand to be in a room by herself."

"Oh, she's got to be the center of attention just like you," Lewis said with a cheeky grin. Kate glanced up and glared at him, but said nothing. Out of curiosity, Lewis scooted closer and peered down over Kate's shoulder at Leslie. The wispy traces of hair on her head were so dark that they appeared black, and her brilliantly green eyes fixed on Lewis' face. A gurgling noise akin to laughter escaped her and her cherub cheeks bunched as she smiled.

"You want to hold her?" Kate asked, looking up at Lewis' face hovering over her shoulder.

"No," Lewis said quickly. "No, I don't think I should. My arms still braced, I wouldn't be able to hold her very well." Lewis was relieved when Kate nodded. Honestly, he was afraid of to hold Leslie at all. She was so small and fragile that he was scared she would break. "God, she's beautiful," he whispered, mostly to himself.

Kate gave him a smile. "You know, Drew was right," she spoke up suddenly. "Her eyes really are just like yours."

"I think hers are bigger than mine," Lewis said, looking down at Leslie's face. "And definitely brighter."

"No, I think yours are just as bright," Kate countered, turning to look at his eyes. "Your eyes are just so squinted that the color is – shadowed."

"Shadowed, huh?" Lewis asked thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll just have to keep them open so everyone can see." He opened his eyes as wide as he could and Kate burst out laughing at the sight. Lewis promptly blinked several times, trying to return moisture to his eyes. "Ow, never mind. That dries my eyes out really fast."

"That's good because it looked ridiculous," Kate said, still laughing. Lewis grinned at her.

"That bad?"

"Yes, that bad," Kate agreed. "Having small eyes just suits you."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I suppose," Lewis said with a grin. Kate laughed and they both lapsed into silence for a moment. As he gazed down at Leslie, a sudden thought struck Lewis. "How do you think the guys will take it? I mean, us being together."

Kate bit down on her lower lip, not looking up at him. "Well I know Eugene will just say 'I told you so,'" she said with a half-hearted laugh. "But Drew and Oswald… I think they will be okay with it. It may take time to adjust I guess, but I don't think they would really cause trouble about it. Especially now that they are both settled into other relationships." She paused and this time glanced up at Lewis. "You know, this will only make them think that you're Leslie's father again though."

"It's not again, it's still," Lewis said. "They say that they believe that I'm not, but they always still wonder if I might be. They don't say anything about it but I can tell. Especially Oswald."

"I'm sorry," Kate said and it was clear that she meant it.

"Don't worry about it," Lewis said with a shrug. He tucked a strand of loose hair behind Kate's ear. "There's nothing that could be gained by letting them know the truth. Even if we told them, they would probably still think it was me. It's just the way things go. I don't mind, really." He glanced down at Leslie, who was drifting off again in Kate's arms. "I wish she were mine so you wouldn't have to deal with all of this."

Kate met his eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Lewis." She kissed him lightly, being careful not to jostle Leslie.

Lewis kissed her in return. "Thanks for giving this moron a chance," he replied.