A/N: Hello! Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed! This is the 12th chapter :)

Sarah x

Serena closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain in her side; it was worse there than anywhere else, probably because it was the part of her body that hit the ground, before she could put her hands out to break her fall. She was worried for the safety of her son more than anything else. She could not think of this baby as a girl, and she had the distinct impression that the boy in all those photographs was her son.

Her manners unfailing, she said to Derek, "I can give you money for petrol."

"Aye, if you want to blow up the injectors," he grinned. She gave him a confused glance and he briefly turned to grin at her as she pulled out her purse. "This thing's a turbo diesel. If ye compress petrol like ye dae wi' diesel, it'll wreck the engine. And it's fine, darlin'. It's no mine and the infirmary's just up the way here."

She did not reply, distracted from his thick Scots voice by a small photograph in her purse. She found herself staring at her son and a young redheaded woman sitting on the bonnet of a BMW not unlike this one, but modernised and deep metallic blue in colour. He looked about twenty or twenty-one, his arms around the redhead's waist, the glint of a diamond engagement ring on her slim finger. She looked at him like Serena knew she sometimes looked at Hanssen, and she realised this woman was to end up her daughter-in-law, if Serena's unborn son was still alive.

She turned the photo over and read:

Callum and Emma

June 19th 2035

Callum's 21st birthday

This was the second time this girl, Emma, had appeared. Who was she?

The car came to a stop in a car park, and Serena watched Jonny park Hanssen's car next to them, opening the door to get herself out. To her frustration, it was Jonny and Derek who came to her aid when she lost her footing in the snow shutting the door; as much as she liked Jonny and appreciated Derek's efforts, it was Hanssen she wanted. She wanted him to show some care, some emotion that didn't tell her he hated her for carrying his child.

It wasn't long before Jac caught up with them, and Serena could see the woman glaring daggers at Hanssen. She had tried to keep herself out of it all day, but now it was clear Jac held very little understanding for Hanssen's approach, despite how alike they were in many respects. Even though they both struggled with the idea of attachment and love, Jac had managed to steady herself slightly, but Hanssen didn't appear to even be trying to do the same. And that, Serena knew, was what was riling Jac.

It wasn't long before Serena was lying on a bed, waiting on someone to come with an ultrasound. Derek had ensured she was comfortable and then left them to it, and Jac and Jonny sat with her, but Hanssen had refused to stay, instead sitting in the waiting reception. Serena couldn't understand his detachment and complete lack of care. Even Edward loved his child, and he had more flaws than he had redeeming qualities, and his stupidity often hurt Eleanor, even though it was rarely truly intentional.

"I don't get what his problem is," she confessed quietly.

Jonny replied, "He's being a moron."

"Not helpful, Jonny," Jac sighed. "Look, he's obviously not able to process all this. He should be able to," she added when Serena opened her mouth to point out he was a grown man and not a teenage boy. "But he's got the mentality of a young, immature man because he's never taken on any personal responsibility."

Serena sighed and rested her hand on her painful side; it wasn't half as sore as before now that she had been given painkillers. When examined, she discovered some rather deep bruising where she had hit the floor.

She wanted Hanssen. Maybe it was because he didn't want to be around her that she wanted him even more, but she felt he should be involved. This was his future too. Even he could not live pretending this had never happened...could he?

A woman from obs and gynae approached with a warm smile. "I'm Caitlin Scott," she introduced herself. "You must be Serena," she added, rubbing alcohol gel into her hands. "So. What's happened here?" she asked as she started the ultrasound machine.

"I slipped on the ice and fell onto the concrete floor of a garage," she explained. The realisation that she wasn't the only woman that had fallen in a garage today hit her quite suddenly; Iona Murray had fallen from halfway up a ramp and her baby was absolutely fine.

"I see," Caitlin replied. "This'll be cold," she warned. Despite the warning, she still shivered as the cold gel hit her skin. "That's a nasty bruise," Caitlin noted. "Can't have been much fun trying to get up after that."

"We had to help her up," Jonny supplied. "Me and two mechanics." Serena smiled slightly at him and realised she hadn't actually thanked any of them for their efforts. To ease her own mind, she reassured herself that they knew she was grateful.

"Well, your baby seems to be OK," Caitlin smiled. "I mean, you took a bad fall, so it's gonna hurt like hell but your baby seems fine." Serena breathed out deeply, relieved to hear she had not hurt her baby in trying to hurt its father. "You've been lucky."

Serena smiled softly, and she noticed the looks of relief upon Jac and Jonny's faces. "Very lucky. I'm going to have to be more careful." Caitlin smiled at her. "Can I see him?" asked Serena, surprised by her own timidity as she asked to see her son, even if not for the first time.

Caitlin turned the monitor and Serena stared at the grainy image. "How do you know it's a he?" Jonny asked.

Serena shrugged. "Just a feeling," she lied.

"Well, he is about ten weeks," Caitlin said.

"Can I have a copy, please? And one for his dad?" Serena asked, not taking her eyes from the screen.

"Of course," replied Caitlin, handing her a paper towel to wipe the gel off her skin. "I'll just go and get that, and I'll get the consultant to sign you out." She walked away and Serena was left to consider what she was to do. Was there any point in trying to convince Hanssen that fatherhood could be good for him? Did he have it in him to listen to her? To actually try? All he was trying at the moment was her patience, and that had worn a bit thin.

"Do you want Hanssen?" Jac guessed. Was it that obvious? "I can go and get him."

Serena closed her eyes and leaned back. "There's no point, is there? He doesn't want anything to do with us." It was the first time she had thought of and described herself and her son as a single unit, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Hanssen didn't want to be a part of that unit.

"He will do," Jonny said confidently. "Once he gets his arse in gear." Unfortunately, Serena didn't share his confidence. Jac was uncharacteristically quiet, however, especially after her concise and plausible summation of Hanssen's problem. She was not sympathetic. She was not harsh. She just spoke what she believed to be the truth.

Her eyes still closed, she heard one of them get up and walk away, presumably to tell Hanssen she was OK. "You don't need him, Serena," Jac reminded her; it must have been Jonny who had got up. "You said so yourself."

Serena opened her eyes and stared at Jac for a moment. She looked like she wanted to help but she was also resigned to the fact there wasn't a whole lot she could do. "Maybe not, but it would be nice to have him around," she admitted quietly. "Well, it would be nice if he could be the man I know he can be," she amended.

"You've got a lot of faith in him," Jac said.

"No," Serena contradicted quietly. "No, I have a lot of faith in who he can be. The man he is just now doesn't have my trust or my faith." She did not like to confess that, actually, Hanssen's behaviour had alienated her just a little, because even through this dispute and its consequences, she couldn't help but feel something for him. He had grown on her, even though he was doing nothing to earn her trust or her affection. "And I hope he knows that."

"I'm sure he does," Jac assured her. "And if he doesn't, I'm sure Jonny's given him something to think about."

Serena sighed and fumbled in her coat pocket for her phone. She hadn't told Eleanor anything, and she considered for a moment hiding the fact that there had been an accident. If there was no real damage done, apart from the need for painkillers, was there any point in worrying her? After all, Eleanor was a worrier. She had been even as a child. Was it worth upsetting her?

Jonny returned, and Serena was almost disappointed to see that Hanssen had not followed, though she expecting as much. She saw the irritation in Jonny's face and decided he must have disagreed with Hanssen again, and Serena, again, had expected it. It was becoming a cycle – something happened, Jac sat with Serena and Jonny went to go and disagree with Hanssen. She was becoming slightly tired of it but nothing she said or did broke that cycle, no matter what she tried.

"What's he saying?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know or not.

"That it's good you're not too badly hurt, and he wouldn't wish a miscarriage on you," he replied.

"That's big of him," she snorted. Did he really think that showing the very bare minimum common decency was enough to absolve him of the things she accused him of before she fell? "I'm telling you, Jonny," she warned him solemnly, "if you ever treat Jac or your daughter like that, I will personally make sure you don't get the chance to have a second child."

Jonny smiled and Jac took his hand; it never stopped surprising when Jac initiated a display of affection, however small, with Jonny. She knew it was significant to the cold redhead where it was not so much for others. "There's no danger of that," Jonny grinned. "My wee princesses."

Jac didn't look impressed with the description but when she looked at the floor, hidden from Jonny by her curtain of ginger hair, her little smile gave it away just how much it meant that Jonny treated her so well.

Caitlin was upon them soon enough with a form to sign, some painkillers and an envelope containing two scan pictures, and they were suddenly in the reception, with Hanssen, before Serena could prepare herself. It was all she could do to halt him before he reached the exit and hand him the scan of his son. He said nothing, in fact he barely even looked properly, and walked away to the car, unlocking it as he strode through the snow.

Jonny linked his arm with Serena's in case she fell again, until she was safely in the passenger seat of the car. The atmosphere as Hanssen started the car was strained and tense, and Jac and Jonny spoke to each other only so there was no awkward silence. Serena listened to them make a list of things they still needed to get for their daughter...it seemed Jonny wanted her to have one of those princess veil canopies over her cot, preferably lilac, and Jac wanted to buy some more clothes, reasoning that baby's were not careful creatures when it came to being sick.

"What do you want to call her?" Jonny asked.

"I don't know," Jac admitted. "Maybe we should wait and see what she's like."

Serena smiled, "I agree with Jac. What if you call her Jenny and she looks more like a Jessie?" She heard quiet laughter from the back, glad that Jac and Jonny were happier than she and Hanssen were. While they looked forward to having a daughter, though Serena was more than aware that the prospect frightened Jac to death at times, Serena found herself wondering what kind of life any child with Hanssen as a father would have, if this was how he was going to be over the whole thing.

Through the dark she saw the light in living room of the cottage was on...perhaps they had just forgotten to put it out. Nobody else seemed concerned when they approached the locked door, Jonny once more holding on to Serena in an almost paranoid fashion. They stepped in and went to the living room, and she was relieved to find there was not a hair out of place.

She noted that Hanssen had drained white once more, rubbing his temples, obviously in the grips of a killer headache once more. She didn't offer him any aid because she knew that he would not take it, and instead followed Jac and Jonny to the kitchen to start making dinner.

Hope this is OK!
Please feel free to leave me a review and tell me your thoughts!
Sarah x