A/N: Early on in the chapter, this is going to sound confusing, but this chapter has Lucy at 6 weeks along. In parentheses, its stated that she's nine weeks along by medical standards. That's because for some cockamamie reason in the US, doctors set how far along you are by when your last cycle started. I'm going from when she got knocked up.

Onward!

Chapter 3

Somewhere Perfection Lies

Lucy let out a long breath as she settled into her directors chair. She and Ian had all but run from the clinic to set after they were finished with her appointment. Ian had been pulled away to shoot a scene with Chad, while Lucy wasn't needed just yet.

The doctor had confirmed what they already knew. She was just about six weeks along (although in medical standards, technically she was nine weeks), and definitely pregnant with Ian's baby. Still, what had blown her mind was when the sonogram had taken place. As Annie had promised, she'd had Victoria call Lucy, and she'd managed to calm her nerves a little bit when it came to the sonogram, but not much. The idea of a transvaginal sonogram had always grossed her out and scared her, and when it had actually happened, she had been nervous as all hell. It had helped to have Ian there, but at the same time, they'd only ever had sex once.

Having so many thoughts swirling through her head as she laid on the table in a hospital gown had surprisingly helped her to feel a bit better as she watched the monitor. There had been a swelling feeling in her chest the minute she heard the heartbeat on the monitor, and tears had followed quickly. For over a week, she'd known of the tiny being growing inside of her, but a heartbeat made it real. A heartbeat meant more than just the idea of what could be. And then seeing the picture come up on the screen. Even though there was almost nothing to be seen, it had meant more than she could put into words.

She stared down at the small glossy printout in her hand, and she couldn't help but feel tears burning in her eyes again. For as scared as she had felt the last few days, everything seemed to be washed away when she had been in that appointment.

"Hey, Goose!" Lucy looked up from the sonogram photo and smiled as Holly walked over. She stepped off of her chair, and welcomed the hug from Holly before it was even given. There such a mother/daughter relationship between she and Holly, and she adored it.

"How are you?" Lucy asked cheerfully as they parted. Holly settled on Ian's chair next to Lucy's as Lucy sat back down in hers.

"Great of course," Holly said just as cheerfully. "The kids are crazy. Finley broke a vase the other day, but what can you expect?"

Lucy laughed. She looked down at the sonogram in her hand again. Somehow just felt so attached to it. Holly peered over Lucy's shoulder at it.

"What's this?"

Lucy passed it to Holly. "First sonogram," she said nervously. I'm having trouble believing that that tiny little spot is going to grow into an, at least five pound baby." Holly laughed and hugged Lucy again. "Oh sweetie, you're going to do just fine!"

Lucy chuckled. "You really think so? Because I feel like a nervous wreck, and I don't want to scare Ian away-" "Sweetie, you couldn't scare that boy away if you told him you had a terminal contagious illness," Holly said with a laugh.

"So then why does it always seem like you two are always ready to go at each other," Lucy asked curiously. She'd never actually seen Ian and Holly have a serious conversation that hadn't ended in them bickering assertively.

Holly chuckled. "That's just how things are with us, sweetheart. The love is there, its just under a lot of sarcasm."

Lucy looked back down at the sonogram again. "I can't stop looking at it," she admitted. "It just feels so much more real now."

The day progressed as any typical day on set would. By the time the cast was breaking up to eat dinner, Lucy was exhausted. She laid curled up on the couch in Ian's room, weary from the day. She had been lucky so far. Her body wasn't going through any type of morning sickness, but the lack of caffeine intake was kicking her down fast. She was down to two cups in the morning, and her energy level was definitely showing the detriment of it.

Ian walked into the room and sat down next to her on the edge of the couch. He bushed her hair out of her face. "Hey. You okay?"Lucy nodded, looking up at him. "Just tired." "Well we're gonna go into turnaround in about an hour. Can you manage a scene before we do?''

Lucy pushed up on the couch and looked up at him. She nodded slowly. "I miss caffeine."

Ian kissed her forehead and then stood and offered his hands to her. Lucy took them and let him pull her up off the couch.

"In a few days, your body will settle into being without it. You'll get through it."

They walked out into the hallway and headed back towards the set they were currently filming on. It was comforting for Lucy to find herself settled once again in Ezra's apartment.

They moved swiftly through their scene and within the hour, Marlene was calling out turnaround and everyone was eagerly packing their things to head out of the building. Lucy was in less of a rush, too exhausted to rush with the same spunk that everyone else had to get out of the building. Ian waited for her, and headed out with her towards his car.

Once settled inside, Lucy pulled her shoulder belt on and then turned her head towards the window. It was pitch black outside, and with any luck, she could nap on the drive back to whosever apartment they'd be sleeping in for the night.

"Your place or mine," Ian asked as he reached for her hand. Lucy wearily slipped her fingers around his.

"Jack is at my apartment," she said wearily.

"Do you want me to go get him?" Ian asked. "I can run up and get him from Annie and then bring him back down to the car." "If you want to," Lucy muttered wearily.

Ian chuckled. He reached his hand up and caressed her cheek before taking her hand in his again. He left her to sleep while he drove one-handed, leaving the stereo to play whatever CD had last been in that morning.

The drive to Lucy's apartment was almost half an hour, but she slept the entire time. The silence was comforting, but it make him just as tired as she probably was. He was grateful when he finally pulled up outside of it, and gently pulled his fingers from Lucy's. She groaned and opened her eyes for a brief moment as she turned her head t look at him.

"What's going on?" She slurred wearily.

Ian shook his head, unclipping his seatbelt. "I'm just running up to get Jack. I'll be back down in five minutes."

"Kay," Lucy murmured. She pulled Ian's jacket, which was resting in her lap, up around her arms and nuzzled her head as she shifted a bit on the seat.

Ian get out of the car and headed inside, taking the elevator right up to Lucy's floor. He made his way down to the apartment that she shared with Annie and knocked lightly on the door. A few moments later, Annie opened the door and smiled up at him.

"Hey, Ian. What's up?" "Luce is passed out in the car. I'm just grabbing Jack, if that's alright. Could you get a bag for her with a few things?"

Annie nodded. "Jack's food and other things are in the kitchen. His crate is in Lucy's room. I'll get that for you." "Thanks," Ian said as Annie headed towards the hallway. He walked over to the kitchen and gathered Jack's food and his bowls before grabbing an empty grocery bag from the storage cupboard in the kitchen and placing the things into it. Annie walked back into the kitchen with the crate and a small duffel bag a few moments later. She handed over both.

"Thanks again," Ian said as he picked up a sleeping Jack from the floor. He placed him into the crate and then picked up the bags and headed for the door.

"Have you and Lucy figured out the whole living together thing yet," Annie asked.

Ian turned back to look at her as he reached the door. "Not just yet. Why?" Annie chuckled. "Because she spends more time sleeping at your place now than she does in her own bed. I'm kind of jealous of you, Ian. You've stolen my best friend from me." Ian chuckled softly. He knew Annie meant it in the best way possible. "She's my best friend too."

"She better be," Annie teased as she walked over to the door and opened it for Ian.

He chuckled as he walked out of the apartment with Jack and the things that he and Annie had packed. He walked to the elevator and took it back down to the main floor, and then walked out to the street. He walked to his car and opened the back passenger door and settled Jack inside in the middle and then tossed the bags up onto the seat next to him before walking around the car.

Lucy opened her eyes and looked up at him as he closed the door and looked over at her.

"Hmm?" "Just grabbed Jack," he told her. "Off to my apartment we go."

Lucy nodded and then closed her eyes again, though she stayed awake. It was another ten minutes to Ian's place. Even though it was almost eleven thirty, LA traffic was still lively. They pulled up to his place eventually though, and as Ian pulled into his parking spot inside the underground structure, Lucy reached to release her seat belt. They were both quiet as they grabbed their things, and Lucy grabbed Jack from the back seat. Ian grabbed the duffel bag Annie had made up for Lucy along with the dog food and the things he had taken with him to work before he followed her to the elevator.

It opened a few moments later, and Lucy stepped inside and settled Jack's crate on the floor. He was yapping softly, clearly as tired as they were. Eventually though, the doors opened again, and they stepped out onto Ian's floor. It was a short walk from the elevator to his door, and he fumbled with his keys as he came up in front of it. Lucy leaned against the wall as she waited for him to unlock the door.

It opened after a minute of Ian looking for the right key, and he pushed the door open farther for her to step in. He followed her inside and then walked over to the kitchen. Before he did anything else, he set out bowls for Jack and settled them on the floor. Lucy freed Jack from his crate, and he made his way to the bowls, munching on a few bites of kibble and lapping up some water before he followed Lucy on her heels towards Ian's bedroom.

Ian cleared out his things from his own bags and then headed into the bathroom and got into the shower. Even as exhausted as he was, he wanted to wash the day away and be enveloped by the heated water.

And so he stood there for a good ten minutes before washing up, and then he got out and wrapped a towel around himself before walking out of the bathroom and over to his bedroom. Lucy had turned on a nightstand table, though she was curled up on the bed with jack, dressed in a pair of silk pink striped pajama shorts and a t-shirt adorned in pink skulls.

Ian walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers. He slipped them on and then walked out to the sitting room and made sure the front door was locked before walking back into the bedroom. He grabbed a t-shirt from his dresser and pulled it on before shutting the light off and walking around the bed. He laid down next to Lucy, slipping his arm between her arm and waist. She interlaced their fingers.

"So tired," he murmured as he nuzzled his face in the back of her neck.

"Mmm," She replied softly. "Long day. I could sleep for a week." Ian chuckled. "Isn't it funny how easily we get used to sleeping during regular hours, and then go back to work and it's all out of whack again?" "Mmm," she said again. "They're trying to drive us to early graves."

Ian sighed and placed a kiss on her collarbone. "I'm ready for vacation again already. I hope June comes fast."

Lucy giggled. "When June comes, I'll be huge."

"You won't be huge," Ian replied. "I think you'll be gorgeous when your baby bump comes along. Put some meat on those tiny little bones."

Lucy laughed, though they both laid there with their eyes closed. Jack curled up in the cove of her stomach. She moved her hand off of Ian's long enough to scratch Jack's head.

"You want a little brother, right Jack?" Ian murmured. Jack yapped at him and snuggled closer to Lucy, nuzzling his nose in her stomach.

"I think he has that sixth sense," she said with a chuckle as Jack's wet nose tickled her abdomen.

Ian scratched behind Jack's ear, and was quickly met with thankful licks.

"We're all just gonna be a cute little family," Lucy joked softly. "You, me, Jack, and baby Harding."

Ian smiled, but he said nothing else. There was a comfort in knowing that they were on good terms with this. Things could have gone so much worse, especially with Chris. Granted, he was still saying things here and there on twitter, but they were leaving it to the fans to chew the man out about what he was saying. As long as Ian never had to look the man in the eyes, there wouldn't be a problem.

That wasn't to say that he was a man of violence; he was actually a pacifist, through and through. He firmly believed in talking things out, but there was something about Chris' possessiveness that had scared Ian in his bones the day Lucy had told him she was dating him. It wasn't anything she had said or that anyone had for that matter. There was just something about the older man that scared Ian when he thought about his Lucy being alone with Chris.

Even so, the things he'd said since finding out Lucy was pregnant made him sick. He had seen vengeful exes before, but he didn't understand how someone could say they loved a person, and then call them such cold and cruel names so soon after a break up, regardless of the situation. Ian knew for a fact that Chris had said himself that there seemed like something more than just friendship was going on between Lucy and Ian.

Resigned to not letting his anger at Chris get the best of him, he brushed the thoughts from his mind and wrapped his arms tighter around Lucy. A few minutes later, he was sleep

-
Frozen like a star
Don't wake me when it's over
-

Morning came and it slapped them in the face when it did. Ian rolled over to find a fluffy face and wet tongue on his lips, which was the last thing he expected as he opened his eyes. He wiped his face off with a frustrated groan. Jack hopped down from the bed just in time to miss Ian's swat at him, and then Ian became confused. Where exactly was Lucy.

He moved from the bed and walked out of the room, and the sounds of vomiting gave him an answer. He rubbed his weary eyes and checked the time. They had to be on set in two hours.

Ian pushed the bathroom door open and frowned at the sight. Lucy was knelt in front of the toilet. One hand draped across her abdomen as she wiped at the corners of her mouth with a tissue. She looked up at Ian and frowned.

"Morning sicnkess is upon us," she muttered, less than enthusiastically.

Ian frowned. "You sure it's not the flu or some other bug?"Lucy laughed. "No fever. I went to make some coffee and the smell of the grains…" She shuddered.

Ian walked into the kitchen and filled a glass of water for her before walking back to the bathroom. He helped her to her feet and handed it to her. Lucy rinsed her mouth out and then took a sip from the glass. "Thanks."Ian nodded. He looked out into the kitchen at the time on the clock. "I'll get dressed and then run down to starbucks. You want anything specific for breakfast?"Lucy shrugged. "You got bagels and cream cheese?"Ian nodded. "In the fridge. Strawberry in there, just for you."Lucy smiled at him. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek and then walked back to his bedroom. Ian followed her and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a t-shirt and slipped it over his head and then walked over to the closet and grabbed a running pants and slipped them on as well. He pulled down a sweatshirt and slipped it over his head and then grabbed his wallet, cell phone, and keys from the dresser and walked out of the room.

He headed out of the building and then made his way down the block. Coffee houses in LA were like churches in a small town. There was one on almost every corner.

Ten minutes later, he was standing behind a line of people, and entirely grateful that he had on a pair of sunglasses and a hoodie. There were plenty of girls headed in and out on their way to school, among other actors and people simply coming in for their morning fill of java.

Soon enough he was up at the counter, and he put in an order for a mocha latte for Lucy, and a frappaccino for himself. He was about to pull his wallet out when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and then looked up at the barista. "Can I get a dozen cake pops too? Assorted?"

The barista nodded and then punched in the rest of the order before Ian passed over a twenty dollar bill. He pulled out his phone and let it entertain him while he waited on the coffee.

He opened his twitter feed and perused over his mentions. They had gone back to the typical questions and shows of affection, although here and there, people were still finding out that he and Lucy were dating. It amazed him, when, in the recent days, twitter and the rest of the internet was covered in photos of them. The most recent photo of them had been in the midst of shooting a scene the day before. The director had called cut, and Holly had snapped a photo of them. Lucy had her face nuzzled against Ian's chin while he had his lips pressed to her temple.

His own curiosity got to him, and he went into his own feed. He didn't follow Chris, but he followed some of Lucy's friends, and he knew that they were all still watching what he was saying.

He laughed as he read Chris's most recent post.

ChrisZylka

Lovely how the internet has turned
that relationship into gold. Makes me
want to vomit.

ChrisZylka

lucyyhale teaching ur fans great things.
Adultery=perfect relationship.

He couldn't help himself. He clicked on his own page and went back to his main feed, opening a new post. He began to type. A few moments later, he almost laughed as he heard several chimes and his name muttered throughout the coffeehouse.

ianmharding

I just love seeing people older than me
act like children. GRADUATE ALREADY!

He tucked his phone into his pocket and then picked up his purchases from the counter. He carried a cup of coffee in each hand and tucked the box of cake pops into the pouch of his hoodie. He walked out of the coffeehouse and made his way back to his apartment, grateful that none of the people in the coffee house had noticed who he was.

He arrived back at the apartment building a few minutes later and made his way back up to his apartment.

When he walked inside, he couldn't help but chuckled at the sight. Lucy was settled on the floor, dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, playing with Jack.

She looked up at him cheerfully. "Yay!"

Ian chuckled. He walked over to the counter that cut off the kitchen from the sitting room, and settled the cups of coffee on top of it. He had already taken several sips from his own. He pulled the cake pops from the pouch in his sweater and settled them on the table and then turned to Lucy.

"I'm gonna get dressed and then I'll make eggs. Are you still hungry?"Lucy giggled. "Yeah. I could go for an omelet."Ian smiled at her. "Then I'll get dressed and make us some breakfast."