Lea sat at the kitchen table in her apartment. Her legs, unable to touch the floor, dangled from the semi-comfortable wooden chair she was in. A small cluster of papers were spread around her laptop, most printed off of various websites she'd visited. Atop the stacks was a single envelope, addressed to Dianna but given to Lea. It lay unopened in front of her, taunting Lea as her gaze flickered to it once more. Lea reminded herself that Dianna had trusted her of all people with this task, and she was going to do it right.

At a little over five months and still hiding, Dianna felt as though her ability to remain secretive would soon have to come to an end. Throughout her first few months, she was consumed only with thoughts of time; How much time until the next appointment? How long will this scene last? How long can I hide? Now, as she pulled on a loose t-shirt and a pair of stretch jeans, she realized that clock was ticking down fast. She'd made it this far because of the cast mates who knew and the ever-working Carlie, who did their best to conceal her every day.

It was Saturday, the day before they had gone to Dianna's five-month appointment. Chord remembered to plan it for a weekend, thankful they were open and able to take them so he wouldn't have to make any more excuses to take time off. They weren't nervous like the first time, only anxious. Soon enough, they'd find out the sex of

their baby.

There had been a subtle change between the two since Dianna found out she was pregnant. Chord, madly in love and true to his word, had become so much more than her sweet, goofy boyfriend. He'd gone from wanting to spend their free time to hang out with the others to savoring every minute alone with her. He read baby books at night and discreetly scrolled through lists of names during his breaks. She joined him, and as they spent the night leafing through pamphlets she truly noticed just how different they'd become. It was a good change, though, and she relished it. They didn't have to say anything to know what the other was thinking. They could sit in silence comfortably, not having to talk or try to impress, just be. Dianna knew that Chord had a peculiar dislike for peppers, but loved them when they were in her stir-fry. He knew that Dianna sang Adele in the shower and kept a spare apartment key in a drawer of her trailer. She loved the way he would let her have strange pets if she wanted and the way he was so close to his family, while he was amazed at how well she meshed with them. Instead of being Chord and Dianna, they had become a single entity, and she happily melted into her new existence.

The five-month appointment went almost the same as their two-month, only this time they were asked if they'd like the know the gender of their baby. They told the doctor their plan and walked out of her office with a sealed envelope, smiling wide with their newfound anticipation.

That envelope was now in Lea's purse, the very thought of it toying with her levels of self-control as she walked down West Sunset Boulevard. She was on a mission given to her by Dianna herself, although she had sort of begged to be the one to do it.

"I can do it for you." Lea sat in her marked chair in-between takes as Dianna explained the idea to her.

"Are you sure? Larks is sort of out of the way, and I'll already be there picking up food and decorations."

"No, I want to. You can give me a list and I'll pick up the other things too." Dianna was hesitant, not wanting to make her friend do everything. Noticing this, a very willing and eager Lea realized she'd probably have to push a bit more to convince her. "It could be an early shower gift to you…Besides, won't you guys be busy setting up back home?"

"All week?"

"Well, not all week. But there's still plenty of other things you can do the rest of the time…"

Her persuasion skills first brought her to the phone ordering what she would need for Friday of that week. Friday was spent shopping, ending with a little bakery on the corner of the street. She slipped the envelope over the counter to the cashier, saying her name and what she'd ordered. The cashier, the first person to open the envelope since the doctor had sealed it, smiled and brought it to the back room, returning with Lea's order.

The cake itself was simple, round with white fondant covering its circumference. On its top, in curly lettering, it read "It's A…" The lettering was surrounded by two green pea-pods made out of modeling chocolate, and fondant polka dots to match. When the cake was cut, they'd know what the gender was. On one of her insomnia-filled nights, Lea had come across the idea while watching Food Network. Pink cake meant they'd be having a girl, and blue a boy. Nobody knew what kind of cake it was but the chefs, Lea having ordered one of each and telling the woman to bring her only the one of the gender that was on the card. It was a strange order, but she figured it'd be nice to give back to one of the few all-vegan bakeries in Los Angeles. Now all Lea had to do was deliver it and wait until it was cut.

The second part of Lea's assignment had been more difficult than the first. She'd started Monday, and it had taken her all the way into Thursday night to finish. Initially it'd seemed incredibly easy; contact the cast members and invite them over to Chord and Dianna's on Friday. Lea learned that they were all a little more nosy than she'd expected, and those that weren't had a million new stories to tell her. Mark was second on the list, and she assumed he was being difficult just to mess with her.

"Whose house?"

"Chord's. Well, Chord and Dianna's. Is Friday good?"

"Wait, they live together now?"

"Where have you been?"

"Under a rock? I don't know. How long has this been going on? Why didn't he tell me?" Lea sighed and tapped her foot as Mark continued to ramble on the other line, asking her question after question. She still had a list full of people to call, and she was losing her patience already.

"Oh my god can you just come?" She heard him snicker on the other line and put her face in her hand, rolling her eyes.

"Answer my question first."

"Does it really matter?"

"Sort of, yeah. Chord's my bro and he didn't tell me any of this." Casting her eyes in the list again, she picked up a pen and scribbled a question mark next to his name.

"Text me your answer when you're done crying about your bromance 'cheating' on you, Mark."

It was a long week, but her work had paid off. When she got to Chord and Dianna's apartment, everyone they'd wanted to come was there. She set the cake on the counter and soon after felt a pair of arms hug her from the side.

"I can't thank you enough. Seriously, this is amazing." Dianna was gushing as Lea's gaze swept across the apartment. Their tight-knit cast-family milled around the apartment happily, chatting in groups and eating as they wondered why they had been called to the party. They got their answer when dinner was over, Dianna beginning to explain their situation as Chord brought out the cake.

Initially, the group had the same reaction, nobody really knowing what to say. Amber broke their silence and stillness, hugging both of them in excitement. She caused a chain reaction, an infectious group hug forming around a very proud Chord and an emotional Dianna. The let her go to cut the cake, and as the first slice was cut the room filled with eager silence. A blue piece of cake made its way onto a plate and the group smiled, firing names back and forth as they ate. In four months, Chord and Dianna would be having a little boy.