I'm sorry if I have been keeping you waiting ! Here is chapter 17, I haven't worked on it a lot though, so he might not be great. And you might wonder why I wrote this chapter but I don't know myself, I just wanted to write a scene between Julia and Derek because they've never explored this relationship in the show I guess. But I'll let you read. Don't forget to review at the end ! (I also wanted to say that the story is coming to its end since the characters are almost in the place where I want them to be.)

They made it to the rehearsal space a little late that morning. With everything that had happened it wasn't surprising but, since nobody knew, they got yelled at by a really angry Derek. They didn't even bother answering, knowing there was no use, and both went their separate ways. Derek was becoming more and more harsh as the opening was approaching, but Julia knew that it was because he really cared for the show and wanted it to be amazing, and not because he was angry at all of them. She would just have wished for him to take a step back and realize that the show was already amazing and that he could just relax.

A few hours later he suddenly snapped at her while she was lost in her thoughts.
"Julia ! Can you please wake up ? I need you to change the transition between these two songs, I think it's too short."
She wasn't even sure of what he was talking about. But what she was sure of was that the transitions had all been rehearsed and were all long enough to allow every changes of decor or dresses. So she just answered with a calm voice, trying to make him relax.
"Derek, you need to calm down. The transitions are perfect the way they are, I don't see why I should change them."
"Because I'm asking you too ! Because the show is in one week and we're not ready ! Because I don't want a technical problem to make us look like fools ! God dammit, Julia, can't you just make the damn transition longer ?"

Everyone was looking at them now. They were used to Derek yelling at them but it was rare for him to direct his anger at Tom or Julia. The both of them were usually sitting quietly at their table, making a few changes when they thought it would sound better. But Tom wasn't currently here to defend Julia, which he probably would have done, even if she didn't want him too. She was all alone facing the fury of Derek and usually she would have yelled back at him but right now she was just feeling sick. She tried to repress the urge of throwing up but her body wouldn't let her. She rose, aiming for the bathroom, but Derek misinterpreted.

"Don't you dare walk out on me without a word ! Just make yourself useful and add three more lines, how difficult is that ?"
Michael was starting to see red. Of course Derek couldn't know that right now Julia needed anything but stress. But it was no reason to treat her that way.
"Can you please try not to stress her !"
Derek turned to Michael, surprised of the interruption. "Can I know why ?"
"Because-"
"Michael !" Julia looked really upset. She had made him promise that morning that he wouldn't tell anybody and now he was about to make a public announcement in front of all the cast and crew ?

He looked at his feet, realizing what he had just been about to do. Personally he would have loved to tell everybody that he was going to be a dad again but he remembered his promise. She didn't want everyone to be informed until she was sure this one would stick. And he knew he couldn't understand how bad she had been hurting when she had lost her previous babies. The only thing he could do was to help her have it her way this time. "Sorry."

But Julia stormed off, as the urge of throwing up had become more and more urgent. Everyone misinterpreted her actions once again and the room fell silent. Seeing that he wouldn't get the cast to focus right away Derek went to follow her. Michael made one step to follow him but Derek suddenly stopped.
"I can deal with this myself, thank you." He snapped at Michael who understood that it would be better for him to stay where he was. Anyway Julia could speak for herself and he knew it.

After Derek had left, Michael looked around him. All eyes were on him and he could hear whispers around him. It was Ivy who broke the silence.
"Don't you have better things to do while we're on break ? Knowing Derek we might not get another one soon." She took Michael's arm and they went to sit in a corner of the room. Everybody had stopped looking at him and they were all enjoying their break.
"Thanks, Ivy."
"You're welcome." And she didn't say anything more. Somehow along the way they had become friends. They had like a mutual understanding which didn't require much words. They could rely on each other when their problems just became too heavy to carry. And with the lives they had, it was happening quite a lot.

Julia was bent over the toilet when she heard someone opening the door of the restrooms. She assumed it was Michael, since it was the more obvious possibility.
"I'm fine, just throwing up." Her good mood had come back. "Because of you, I might had." She laughed at that and rose. She was feeling much better. But when she came out of the stall she was surprised to see Derek waiting for her with a puzzled look on his face. She decided to ignore him and went to the sink.
"Julia, what's going on ?"
"I'm pregnant." She probably shouldn't have told him but, with everything he had heard and seen, he would probably have figured it out quickly anyway. And somehow she wanted to tell him, she wanted to talk about it with someone who wouldn't judge. With someone who wasn't really involved in the whole thing.
"You're what ?" He seemed thunderstruck.
She turned to face him and looked right into his eyes. "I'm pregnant, Derek."

He remained quiet for a few minutes but she didn't move.
"I'm sorry that I yelled at you earlier. I'm a mess right now."
"I know, I didn't take it personally. But you really need to relax, the show is really great. You've done an awesome job. Only a great director like you could have been to able to turn the fact that there are two persons, -who don't look alike, let's face it- playing Marilyn into something we can all believe. And the show is even better than it was in Boston. It's going to be a smash, Derek !"
"Thank you. You've done a great job too."
It sounded just like if they were in an alternate universe. Neither one of them was really sure it was real but somehow it felt right.

"The baby, it's Michael's, isn't it ?"
She nodded.
"How far along are you ?"
"Not much. Four weeks maximum."
He smirked. "Four weeks as in the time I found your dress in here ? Well, I guess I should say congratulations."
"Thanks." She sighed. "Everything is a mess. How did life get so complicated ?"
"If you find out, you tell me, darling."
"How are things going with Ivy ?" She couldn't believe she just asked Derek that question. They had never been close but at the time she was feeling as if she could say anything. They were in a place where they just needed to let everything out and they didn't care for the other to see what was under the mask.

He hesitated a few seconds before answering but he was feeling like he could say anything too. He hadn't opened up for a long time and oddly it felt like it was the time to open up right now, even if he wasn't close to Julia (but who was he close to anyway ?). He laughed inwardly, Americans was starting to rub off on him.
"Well, we're not going anywhere. We never have, we never will. We both know it, but neither one of us is leaving."
"I heard some rumors about you and Karen too."
"I hate the gossip mill... In fact I don't think I'm attracted to her, at least not in a sentimental way. I thought I was for a while but it's probably just professional. It's like she's Marilyn in my head. It's really weird."
"I think I know what's your problem."
"Really ? You wouldn't be the first to tell me that..."
"These girls are too young, they are just starting their career. They are struggling to make it, whereas you, you are already at the top. You're just not at the same stage in your life. You need to start dating women your own age."
"And what if I don't want to get involved with someone ?"
"I know you do, you would have left Ivy a long time ago if you didn't."

He looked at his watch.
"We should probably get back to work."
"Yeah, probably."
Before opening the door he turned to her one last time. "It was... nice talking to you." He looked confused.
"It was nice talking to you too."
"But this never happened, ok ? You can't tell anyone about it."
She laughed. "Are you scared for your image of 'terrible human being' ?"
He laughed too. "Very scared."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't have talked about it anyway."

And they returned to work as if nothing had happened, but Julia knew that she had made a friend in that bathroom. And suddenly she was happy. Whatever her life would turn out to be, she was surrounded by great men who cared for her. Tom, Leo, Michael, Derek... even Frank still cared for her, she could sense it when he was coming over to see his son, and deep down she still cared for him too. Actually she cared for all of them.