A/N: Two or three chapters are left, I think. Unless I decide to split another one in two. Apologies for taking so long to update. I just wasn't feeling my usual urge to update this, ya know? :/ I wasn't in the mood for writing fluff for a while and since I wasn't in the right mindset for fluff, it would never have come out right. Still not really feeling the fluffy mood right now (I'm stuck in raunch and angst lol), but it's almost been a month, and I know this needs to be updated.

Very grateful for all of you guys. Thank you for always being so sweet. It honestly means the world to me, and I appreciate all the support you've given me! :D

Disclaimer: It's a good thing I don't own GMW because these poor characters would be put through the ringer...

Lucas checked his watch as he shut their apartment door, groaning to himself when he realized it was nearly three in the morning.

Maya owed him. Big time.

He had to get up for work in about three hours and unfortunately, he'd barely even gotten any sleep in the first place. Maya had been uncomfortable and was suffering from a slight cold she'd caught from one of her students. Half the time during the night, she had complained it was too hot and would kick Lucas away from her and off the side of the bed and toss the covers across the room. The other half, she would poke at Lucas, telling him she was freezing, and he'd have to get the blanket and snuggle up to her once again.

Rinse, lather repeat.

It got old fast.

But he knew she couldn't help it. Maya was fairly hormonal at the moment, and he didn't want to upset her, especially since she was pretty dangerous, and she'd taken to using her elbows as weapons since she wasn't as mobile as she had been.

But she was killing him.

It wasn't even her third trimester yet, and she was already terrifying him with her confused pregnancy brain and stormy moods when she was furious over something. She'd left the stove on with a pan on it once after she'd left for work, but thankfully, Lucas had caught it when he'd accidentally forgotten the keys to his car and had to head back inside. And he didn't even want to get started on how many times she'd gotten raging mad at him for suggesting she should relax or asking her if she wanted to take a nap. Sometimes, he felt like he was walking on eggshells with her.

And Maya was demanding.

That night, after pushing him off the bed for the umpteenth time, she had whined that she couldn't sleep because their baby girl kept moving and that they were both hungry and wanted a tuna melt from Nighthawk Diner, or they wouldn't be able to sleep. That had become her recent argument for everything whenever she wanted Lucas to do something for her. And if he didn't do it, she would claim he was upsetting the baby.

Honestly, he couldn't refuse her request even if he wanted to. Maya was so unbelievably cute, and he was so deeply in love with her he just couldn't deny her wishes. Not to mention, he knew how taxing this pregnancy was on her body. She acted tough most of the time, but her pregnancy wasn't as gentle and relaxing as she would have hoped. He would catch her wincing from her soreness on occasion and she never quite got over her morning sickness, throwing up at random times in the week. Other days, she would be bedridden with headaches or just too plain exhausted to even think about going on with her day.

Lucas knew he looked like roadkill at the moment and those bags under his eyes were only becoming more pronounced with each day that passed, but he knew that was nothing on what Maya was dealing with. And because of that, he could tolerate the difficulties.

"The things I do for love…" he muttered, heading towards the bedroom to bring her the tuna melt.

And then he did a double take when he passed by the kitchen and found Maya sitting in front of the closed fridge, a jar of dill pickle slices resting between her legs as she munched on one absentmindedly.

"Maya? Brought your tuna melt."

She looked up at him, giving him a tired smile, sniffling a bit. "Sorry. I'm not really craving it anymore."

Lucas sighed, setting the bag on the counter and walking around over to her. This wasn't the first time that had happened. Later on, she would usually get the craving back and finish up the food.

"Can't sleep?"

She nodded, setting the half eaten slice back into the jar and sighing as she closed the lid.

"Nothing's working. Meditation, deep breathing exercises, reading a little bit, eating. Nothing. And Katia is absolutely fighting me with everything she has."

Lucas felt bad. Maya really did look exhausted. And with her cold, he couldn't even imagine how much harder it was hitting her.

He stooped in front of her, taking her hands when she reached up for him, and gently pulled her up to her feet. Maya leaned against him, resting her head against his chest as he rubbed her back.

"No one told me pregnancy would be hard." She mumbled, her voice a bit muffled. "Television lies…"

"Here." Lucas chuckled. "Let's go to bed and see if we can figure it out."

They walked back to their bedroom, and Lucas sat on their bed, leaning back against the headboard before tugging on Maya's arm for her to join him. Maya groaned in slight pain as she climbed up on the bed and settled between his legs, laying back against his chest slowly and trying to get in a comfortable position.

"I fail to see how this will help me sleep, Huckleberry." Maya said.

"Loosen up a bit."

Maya frowned, but did so. When he felt her muscles unstiffen, he slipped his hands under her nightdress to the swell of her belly. She hadn't been kidding. Katia was really hitting hard. Lucas gently rubbed Maya's abdomen in slow, soothing circles, smiling to himself when she near melted in his arms, sighing in bliss as their baby finally stopped kicking.

"How do you do that?" Maya asked, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

"Do what?"

"Always manage to help her relax."

"It's a gift."

"I've been talking to her all night and feeding her whatever she wants, and she's violent and stubborn." Maya groaned, her eyes drooping shut as he continued his gentle ministrations. "You come in, and she's quiet. Why is she a daddy's girl already?"

"I don't know." Lucas laughed. "But she sounds an awful lot like a certain Shortstack I know."

"Hmmm…" Maya hummed, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the little massage.

They remained silent for a little while, Lucas continuing the slow, easy circles to relax both of his girls. Maya's breathing was a little deeper than before, but she didn't seem like she was on the verge of sleeping yet.

"Do you feel sleep coming on?"

"Kind of yes, kind of no." Maya said, though she didn't open her eyes, "To be honest, I'm not sure my body wants me to sleep right now."

"Maybe you're thinking too actively about trying to sleep and that's why it's not happening."

"Maybe… Distract me?"

"Alright." Lucas said, "I want to know, Maya. When did you decide you wanted a future with me?"

"When? The day we had sex for the first time after we started dating in college."

Lucas smirked. "I was that good that you never wanted anyone else?"

"Don't get a big head, Huckleberry. Not after we had sex. Before we got back to your dorm." Maya turned her head slightly and gave him an amused look. "We were volunteering to read books at the children's hospital. There was a little boy who fell and started crying and you swooped in and helped him and lifted him up and did this airplane thing with him. He had the biggest smile on his face thanks to you. That's how I just knew. I wanted to have children with you."

"You've wanted to have my children for ten years then?" Lucas asked, surprised by her admittance.

He had been right when he had guessed about half a year ago that Maya had been thinking about having his kids for a particularly long time.

"It was just a whim back then. But after we graduated, as we found jobs and became adults, it became much more intense. I kept having daydreams of us being a family. Raising a family. It didn't matter what the scenario was or how many kids we had. It was always you. I had to have your children no matter what. I was even willing to fight other people for your babies if I had to. But then we fell apart. And I thought I had lost that chance. And you know how the rest goes. That's why I'm so happy that you decided to let me have your baby. That you've decided to stay with me too. Thank you, Lucas. You made my dream come true."

He smiled, feeling nothing but sheer happiness that he was with Maya, and that they could finally have that family they'd both dreamed about having with each other. He really was so unbelievably lucky.

"You made my dream come true too, Maya."

She turned her head towards him, and he pressed his lips to hers softly. Maya leaned into him, deepening the kiss with a little hum of pleasure.

"…Lucas, I don't think this is going to help me sleep." She murmured against his lips.

"I know."

He kissed her again, slow and unhurried as her hand slid up around the back of his neck and she tangled her fingers into his hair. Lucas wasn't particularly paying attention to where his hand was or how far down it had drifted until he felt the waistband of Maya's panties. He absentmindedly stroked the skin, and she shivered a bit, inhaling sharply before letting out a soft moan against his lips.

He pulled away slightly, his brows lifting as they stared at each other, seemingly coming to the same realization.

Lucas' lips curved up into a slightly devious grin.

"I think I figured out a better way to help you get to sleep."