Hayley and Nathan were lazing on the couch half heartedly watching TV, enjoying a night in. Their hands were on Haley's rapidly growing stomach as if they were willing the baby inside to move, so that they could felt he gentle flutter of its movement once more.

"I've missed having you home" Haley whispered looking up at Nathan.

"Me too" Nathan replied. "But at least work is not too far away – I mean you get to see most of the games, and I get to come home a fair bit... much more than when I was playing for the Cobra's."

"That's true. But life would be so much easier if you didn't have to go away at all! Jaime and I miss you when you are gone! You should hear him talk about your 'last game' and how good your 'next game' will be during the days you aren't here!" Haley laughs.

As if prompted by the sound of his name, Jaime rushes into the living room and is confronted by his parents sharing this moment together. He half closes his eyes, as if contemplating a thought while still standing in the doorway.

"Well there really must be more to in a name than we thought" Haley comments as she looks up and spots her son. "You look so much like your Uncle Lucas standing there… all pensive and broody. Come over here you and join in the fun!"

Jaime enters the room and sits at the foot of the sofa. "So, is this how it's going to be from now on?!" he says in a mocking voice.

"Secret hide-a-ways from their one and only son, to spend more time with the newcomer?? No thought to how the poor lad will feel, now that his parents have been cruelly taken away from him, by this life-form that is taking over the entire world that he has always known…"

The seriousness in which Jaime says all of this with such a straight face, causes both Haley and Nathan to burst out laughing.

"One thing's for sure Hales! Our son certainly will have a career in the drama department!"

Jaime smiles and joins in the laughter, evidently pleased with the reaction he's caused between his parents. Hearing the laughter, Deb also enters the room, curious at what is going on in the room. "What's all this about?!" Deb asks coming into the room smiling.

Jaime runs to the door "Oh no! Not you too! Please, don't listen to the sound of that music! Don't come and pay your respects to the baby! Think of me! Your only grandson. Don't forget about me! Please Nanny Deb! Please!"

By now all of them are in peals of laughter. "Whoever knew that I would have a grandson with a flare for the dramatics!" Deb says while picking him up and manoeuvring him out of the way so she can join in the party.

Worried that there might be some seriousness in all of Jaime's playful banter, Haley ponders whether she should ask him if he is even a little concerned about the impending arrival.

"Jaime – you don't really mean that do you?!" Haley asked in all seriousness. "You know that nothing will change once the baby comes in regards to you don't you?!"

Jaime ponders for a moment. "Of course I know that." He replies smiling, coming closer to his mother. "I mean things will change, of course, but I know that you guys won't forget about me". At this point he locks his gaze with his parents again, as if to confirm the point, even just for the security of having it confirmed by his parents.

Haley laughs. "Jaime, we couldn't even try to forget about you even if we wanted to! But you have to let us know if something ever *is* bothering you…."

"Hey so long as the baby won't steal my basketball thunder and my 1:1 matches with dad, I'm cool with it!"

"Good to hear! On that note, I think it's time that you got ready for bed Mister" Haley replies, slowly getting herself up from the couch. "I'll see you up in a minute".

"So P. Scott.. I have a favour to ask you?!" Brooke says as she and Peyton sit and catch up over coffee at Brooke's house.

"Oh my!" Peyton exclaims with fake shock. "My best friend and world-renowned fashion designer B. Davis has a favour to ask me! Shall I accept?!"

"Shut up!" Brooke says acting offended.

"Aw, c'mon! What is it you want to ask me?!"

Brooke lights up, takes a breath as if to start, then pauses before starting again.

"Ok so you know how a few years ago I started Baby Brooke, a new line in the Clothes over Bro's label?"

Peyton laughs. "Uh… yeah... I kinda do remember that! I also remember that it was a huge hit and is almost doing better than the adult version of Clothes over Bro's." Peyton adds.

Brooke smiles before continuing. "Yes. Well… recently I've been working on another line since Baby Brooke has been so popular, and we are deciding to launch clothes over bros for kids."

"Oh my god! That's awesome Brooke!" Peyton interjected.

"Haha – yes, well they all love the idea. They love the samples I've sent and the designs I've forwarded through. What they want now is to have a model who could perhaps present some of the clothes. There will be a whole bunch of kids doing this and it's just for a photo shoot, but I would really love it if Sawyer could participate."

Peyton pauses for a minute. Half laughing Peyton asks "You want my daughter to model your new line for you?! Don't you need experienced kids or something for that? Ones that can smile on cue and all that? I mean…. She's so…. little!"

Brooke laughs "Nah, they don't need any experience and the photographers make the kids smile. It's all very natural! Plus, who wouldn't want to look at my gorgeous name-sake… well sort of name-sake. With her mothers blonde curls, good looks from both her parents and natural charm, what's not to love?!"

"Well I'll have to speak to Lucas, but sure, we'll do it. But no turning her into a star! Just the photo shoot and that's it!" Peyton laughs.

"Just the photo shoot" Brooke confirms.

"Ok so now that we've got all that business stuff out of the way, onto the more important things" Peyton jokes. "How are things with Julian?!"

"Hard to believe that our daughter is going to be a supermodel" Lucas says while he and Peyton check in on their sleeping daughter before heading to bed for the night.

Peyton leans over and gently kisses Sawyer on the forehead before tucking her surrounding sheets a little bit tighter. She turns to Lucas as she exits the room.

"I hardly think she's going to be a supermodel!" Peyton exclaims! "It's a favour! Merely a favour for my best friend!"

"Yeah – a best friend who is also a world renowned fashion designer" Lucas teases.

As they climb into bed, Peyton wraps her arms around Lucas' waist.

"Is it everything you dreamed of Lucas?!" Peyton asks with seriousness and sincerity etched on her face.

"What do you mean?!" Lucas' asks. "Being married to you, raising a family with you, or coming back home?! The whole marriage and family thing, yeah I guess that's ok, coming home, yeah, I guess we could get used to that too" Lucas jokes.

Peyton hits him. "I'm being serious Lucas! I want to know!"

Lucas looks at her in all seriousness. "It's more than I imagined. Wouldn't trade it for the world. And I love being home again." Lucas responds honestly.

Satisfied, Peyton kisses him, and rolls over ready to go to sleep. After a few minutes of lying there, thinking of everything she could dream of, Peyton asks Lucas in a voice barely above a whisper; "Do you ever wish for more?" She isn't even sure that Lucas heard her.

It takes a while for Lucas to respond. "More?! As in what? I honestly couldn't wish for more Peyton. Aren't you happy?"

Dissatisfied with his response, Peyton rolls back over to look at Lucas. "I know that. I mean, I couldn't be happier than when I am with you. But do you ever wish for more? As in more kids, more to life with me? With us?!"

Now uncomfortable with where the conversation is headed, Lucas pauses before replying, trying to think of how to word what was going through his mind.

"Peyton….. we talked about this…"

"No we didn't… not really talked about it. Mentioned, yes. But not talked."

Almost to himself, Lucas makes a barely audible reply "I can't go through that again".

Peyton looks up and is amazed to see a haunted look in his eyes. It wasn't until then that she realised how badly Sawyer's birth and her pregnancy had affected him. It was so clear in his eyes how much he loved her… loved them both. Moved with emotion she touched his cheek gently.

"But what's to say it will happen again? I mean we haven't even talked to a doctor about it?"

Lucas flips away from Peyton, unable to look at her. He stares at the ceiling. He knew this conversation had to come soon. He knew that Peyton wanted more kids, but he also knew that she would kill herself when it came to her family. And he couldn't go through life without her. The thought was unimaginable.

It takes some time before Lucas replies again.

"I always wanted a big family with you Peyton. You know that. We always talked about how many kids we would have and how we would fill a house with our children. I love Sawyer. I love you. More than anything. I can't imagine life without either of you. The thought alone is almost unbearable. You don't understand what it was like for me. Throughout the whole pregnancy, thinking at any moment that I might loose you. That I might have to go through life without you. Lose the baby. Maybe even lose the both of you. Then one our wedding night coming inside to find blood all over the floor, not knowing if I got to you in time. Watching helplessly for days as you lay in the hospital bed unconscious. I was living my worst nightmare Peyton."

Taking a breath he looks at his wife, and once again, she sees that tortured look in his eyes.

"We can only cheat fate so many times Peyton. Think of all the close shaves I've already had with you. So much has happened in the short time we have known each other. What I wouldn't give for more children with you. But I just can't do it. I can't put us through that risk again. I cherish our life here and now too much to play with fate again… I know it's not the answer you want to hear… but I just can't do it."

By now Lucas is looking at Peyton, pleading with her to understand. And in some ways she does. She sees that if she was in his shoes, if the tables were turned and they were talking about Lucas' cardiomyopathy, she would do everything in her power to prevent him from harming himself. Because life without him would be impossible. Still she can't help but feel that they are jumping the gun too soon.

"But Lucas' we haven't even talked to anyone about this yet? No doctors, nothing. It's like you say – we can only cheat fate so many times. Maybe this time fate will be on our side? Maybe there's a zero chance that this will happen again?" Peyton says, hopeful.

"That could be, but I just can't do it Peyton. I can't get your hopes up and then have the doctor tell us definitely that we can't have any more children. I can't have the doctor tell us that we can, and then be in the percentage, whatever that may be that it will happen again too. Don't you see? I just can't."

Peyton has never seen Lucas like this before. Looking at her, imploring her to see his side. Despite her intense desire to have a larger family, she realises now that it's too much for Lucas to even consider. And without him, wanting a family as much as she does, she has to accept what it means. As gut-wrenching as this is, it isn't nearly as gut-wrenching as seeing Lucas look at her like this.

Tenderly, she pulls him closer. With tears in her eyes, from the love that Lucas has shown her, but also from the knowledge now that it will be unlikely that they will have more children of their own "I love you so much, do you know that?"

"I love you too" Lucas says. He can see that Peyton at last understands. He just wishes it wasn't so painful for her. He wishes it wasn't so painful for him. No matter what decision was made, it was never going to be one that filled them with joy, but rather one that filled them with either gut-wrenching disappointment, or harrowing fear of what might be.