Here's the next installment. Happy reading!

Chapter 15: Breaking The News

Olivia was true to her word. She had tracked Brian down the very next day and asked him to come over. Although she had really wanted Alex with her, she felt that breaking the news to him would probably go more smoothly if the blonde wasn't there. Olivia also knew this entire situation was hard on Alex and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt her even more. Alex had reluctantly agreed to her wishes and went out to run a few errands in order for the new parent's-to-be to talk.

An hour after Alex had left; the doorman had called and announced Cassidy's arrival. Olivia nervously opened the door and saw him leaning casually in the doorway.

"Hey Brian." She said opening the door wider in invitation.

Brian raised a brow when Olivia turned away as he leaned in to kiss her. "What? No hello kiss?"

Olivia took a step back and closed the door. "I told you this wasn't that kind of visit, Brian. I thought I made it clear that our relationship has changed."

He shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, I thought the call out of the blue was you reconsidering."

Olivia shook her head. "Things haven't changed, Brian. You and I are and will remain strictly friends."

He gave her a confused look. "Okay, so why the need to see me then? Forgive me, but you and I have never been the kind of friends that just hang out and watch movies and chat."

Olivia moved into the living room and gestured him to follow. "Can I get you something to drink? I'm sure there is pretty much anything you could want here."

When he shook his head, she took a seat on the sofa. Brian looked around the room and noticed a few framed photos on the mantle above the fireplace. He noticed a photo of Olivia with a familiar blonde.

"This Cabot's place?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. I got a little banged up chasing a suspect a few days ago. Alex is looking after me."

Brian gave her an odd look. "Since when do you let anybody look after you?"

"Since I found a girlfriend willing to put up with me."

"No shit, you and Cabot?" Brian's eyes widened and a lascivious grin grew on his face. "So, you digging chicks now, huh?"

She rolled her eyes at him. Whenever the man opened his mouth, it always made her wonder what actually attracted her to him. It was obvious that their connection had only been the sex. That never required much talking.

"Sit down Brian. We need to talk."

"If this is about a three-some, count me in. I always thought Cabot was hot too." Brian said with a laugh.

Olivia had to remind herself that punching Brian in the mouth probably wouldn't be a good idea considering the news she was about to drop on him.

"Alex and I are perfectly happy with just each other, but thanks for the offer."

He shook his head with amusement knowing that he'd pushed her far enough. "I'm just yanking your chain, Liv. I'm just surprised ya know? You always said you weren't the monogamous type. That's why we worked so well."

"I know what I said, Bri but that wasn't really the truth."

He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. He eyed her closely. "You've always had a thing for Cabot haven't you?"

"Yeah."

"How long?"

Olivia swallowed. "A long time."

"So… when I told you that I wanted more… than just sex and you fed me that line about not wanting to be tied down, you were lying." It was more of a statement than a question.

Again she nodded. They were both silent for a long period.

"I guess that really isn't a crime. It's not like I didn't have a good time. Being with you was always fun. There are no hard feelings here, Liv. You didn't need to call me over here to tell me about you two. You didn't really owe me that."

"I appreciate you saying that, Brian, but that's really not what I needed to talk to you about."

"Okay. If that's not it, what is it?"

"Brian… I'm pregnant."

Brian froze. "I think I'll take that drink now."

A few blocks away, Alex was sitting on her best friend's sofa nursing a strong drink of her own. Serena came over and refreshed her glass with another shot of aged bourbon. She watched her best friend with concern. Alex had shown up at her door nearly in tears. It only took a few minutes to coax an explanation out of her.

"So… Olivia's pregnant? Wow."

Alex nodded and gulped her drink. She winced as it went down.

"And the father is Brian Cassidy?"

Another nod came from Alex. Serena bit her lip and took a sip of her own drink. She wasn't much of a drinker and she hated bourbon. Bourbon was her girlfriend's favorite drink. She suddenly wished Abbie was in town. Abbie was always better with this sort of thing.

"Okay… umm… how do you feel about that?"

Alex turned and gave Serena a look that probably could have melted the polar caps. Serena cringed. "Right. Right. That was a really stupid question."

Alex waved her off as she lay back against the sofa. "It's okay Rena. There really isn't a right thing to say in this situation. The woman who I love more than anything in the world is in love with me, and we are finally together but…" She took a large swallow of her drink and winced. "…she is pregnant with a baby that she conceived with someone else."

"Does Cassidy know?"

"She's telling him now. That's why I'm here. Olivia thought it would be better if she broke the news to him alone."

Serena sighed. She was at a loss of what to say. She took Alex's hand and squeezed it. "Are you okay? How are you handling all of this?"

Alex let out a humorless laugh. "I'm on your sofa drinking bourbon." She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I have no idea what I'm doing right now, Rena. Everything was going so great for us then out of the blue we get hit with this news. My girlfriend is having a baby and I had nothing to do with it!"

"You know, this doesn't have to be your problem, Alex."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is… no one would blame you if this was too much for you to take on."

"Why does everyone keep expecting me to walk away?" Alex's blue eyes flashed dangerously.

"Alex, you know I'm not trying to upset you. I'm just saying that this situation would be a lot for anyone to accept. If Abbie walked through that door and told me that she was pregnant, I'd probably need to be committed into a crazy house."

Alex couldn't help but smile a little. "If Abbie Carmichael walked through that door pregnant, I'd commit myself."

They both laughed. They both knew that if anyone was getting pregnant between Abbie and Serena, it would have to be Serena. Abbie had stated on many occasions that no child would ever be taking up residence in her womb.

"What about Olivia? What does all of this mean for you two?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "I know Olivia loves me and she wants to be with me. She's also afraid that I'm going to flake out and leave. Considering my track record, I can understand her feeling that way."

Serena waited a few minutes before continuing. "What do you want to do, Alex?"

"It's not really up to me."

"Let's just say that it was. What would you want?"

Alex smiled softly. "I'd want to raise this baby with Olivia. God help me, Serena, I want a family with her, but we both know it's not that simple. As much as I hate to even think about it, Brian Cassidy is this baby's father and he may have a completely different idea of what this family will look like."

"Have you told Olivia how you feel?"

Alex shook her head. "She's under enough stress without adding my insecurities into the mix."

Serena raised a brow. "You matter too, Alex. You can't just ignore your own feelings in all of this."

"I know. I'm just so afraid of losing her." She gave Serena a wounded look. "Let's face it. Brian Cassidy could make this whole thing difficult for her because of her relationship with me. If it came down to me or this baby, there would be no choice to make."

After gulping down three consecutive shots of tequila, Brian Cassidy seemed to finally regain the ability to string a few words together to form a coherent sentence.

"Pregnant… as in there is a… baby in there… and it's mine?" He said pointing towards Olivia's flat stomach.

Olivia nodded.

"How is that possible? We haven't been together in like… like…"

"Nearly ten weeks." She provided. "I'm almost ten weeks along."

"But… But we were always careful. We used protection didn't we?"

Olivia shook her head. "Evidently we weren't careful enough. We were pretty intoxicated that last time and I'm almost positive that we skipped that part."

He raised a brow. "Almost?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's yours Brian! You were the only man I was having sex with."

"There's no way it could be anyone else's?"

She clenched her teeth and tried to stay calm. "Well it sure as hell isn't Alex's but we can always have a paternity test if you'd like."

He shook his head. He knew Olivia would never lie about anything like this. "I'm sorry, Liv. I didn't mean that. I… I'm just surprised."

"You're telling me." She mumbled.

A few minutes passed as they sat in an uncomfortable silence. Brian rubbed his hands together nervously.

"You said you were nearly ten weeks. So what do you want to do?"

She knew what he was asking. He didn't have to say the words. "I'm going to have this baby, Brian."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. At least one decision had been made. "Okay. Okay. So… uh…"

"I'm not asking you to do anything, Brian. I'm telling you because you have the right to know."

He snorted. Olivia always had a way cutting a man to the quick. She was essentially telling him that she didn't really need him at all.

"What does your new girlfriend say about all this? Does she know you're having my kid?"

Olivia nodded. "Alex was with me at the hospital when I found out. It was certainly unexpected, but she's taking it as well as anyone in her position could."

Brian looked surprised. "Really? We're still talking about Alex Cabot right? She doesn't strike me as the type to be excited about baby food and dirty diapers."

"You don't know Alex like I do, Brian. She's a good woman. She loves me and that means she'll love my child."

"Your child?" He stood and began to pace. "So where does that leave me exactly?"

"You're this child's father. That doesn't change because Alex is in my life, but I meant what I said. I don't expect you to do anything. I can take care of this baby on my own if I you can't do this."

He stopped and looked at her before shaking his head. "I may be many things, but a dead beat isn't one of them, Liv. I take care of my responsibilities. I would help you support this kid."

"Paying child support and being an involved father are two very different things, Brian."

Brian scratched his stubble nervously. "I know that. God, I just found out that you're pregnant, Liv. You gotta give me a second to catch up."

Olivia just nodded and they sat in silence for a while.

"I want to be honest with you about everything, Brian. So I think you should know that my relationship with Alex isn't going to change which means that she will be a part of this child's life too."

Brian gave her a bashful grin. "You ever thought about… you and me making a go of it and doing this thing together, give this kid what neither of us had?"

She gave him a soft smile, suddenly remembering what had drawn her to him in the first place. Behind all the one liners and teasing was a good heart. She was glad she remembered.

"Let's not go fooling ourselves, Bri. You and I both know we would never work. We don't love each other and you're not the type to settle down with just one woman."

"Maybe I was just looking for the right woman." He raised a hopeful brow.

"Maybe I was too. The difference is… I've found her." Olivia said looking him in the eyes.

He nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, this thing with Cabot, it's really that serious?"

Olivia nodded. "I love her, Brian. With everything in me, I love her. She's it for me."

"I guess you can't get more serious than that." He blew out a long breath and gave her a weak smile. "Well alright. I guess we'll just have to figure this thing out as we go along then."

Olivia stood and gave him a hug. Brian pulled her close and buried his face into her neck taking in the familiar scent of her. Olivia had said that they didn't love each other, but he knew she was partly wrong. Brian did love Olivia and even if she never knew, there was a part of him that would always be in love with her.

The sound of the front door opening caused them to pull apart. They turned to see Alex as she stepped into view. The silence between them was pronounced and incredibly awkward.

"You're back." Olivia said shifting nervously.

Alex simply nodded as she flicked her eyes in Brian's direction.

"Brian, you remember Alex don't you?"

He raised his chin as she gave him a curt nod in return. Olivia felt like she was in the middle of a Mexican standoff. Alex wanted to be petty, but years of proper manners wouldn't allow her.

"Cassidy. It's nice to see you again."

"You too, Cabot. This is really weird isn't it?" Brian said breaking the tension.

Alex snorted. "That would be the understatement of the year."

Brian nodded. "Well…Olivia just gave me the news."

Alex gave him a weak smile. "Congratulations. You must be thrilled."

He scratched the back of his neck. "Uh… I guess you could say that. Thanks."

Olivia was watching Alex closely trying to figure out what she was thinking. Alex seemed to be doing the same thing. Suddenly feeling like the proverbial third wheel, Brian decided it was time to leave. He reached out and took Olivia's hand. Out of habit, he was about to pull her close when piercing blue eyes flashed. He coughed and let go.

"Well, um… I should probably get going and let you get some rest. You can give me a call and let me know… what you need or..." He trailed off unsure what would be expected of him. 'This was such a cluster fuck!' he thought.

Olivia nodded. "I'll be in touch. Thanks for coming by, Brian."

"No problem." He said with a friendly smile.

Alex watched Olivia walk him to the door. She heard a few soft words exchanged between them before the door closed. When Olivia returned to the living room, she found Alex sitting on the sofa with her head lying back staring at the ceiling. She carefully sat down next to her and took her hand.

"You okay?"

Alex kept staring at the ceiling. "I'm scared out of my mind, Liv."

Olivia had a good idea, but asked anyway. "What are you afraid of, sweetheart?"

Alex let out a bitter laugh. "What aren't I afraid of is a better question."

Olivia ran her thumb over the delicate hand in her own. "Talk to me."

Alex turned her head and looked at Olivia with tearful eyes. The sight nearly broke Olivia's heart in two.

"I'm afraid to want this."

"This meaning… me or…"

"All of it. I'm afraid of all of it." She allowed her tears to fall freely. She closed her eyes as Olivia gently wiped them away and cupped her cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into the touch.

"I'm between a rock and a hard place, Liv. I'm in love with you and I'm already falling in love with the thought of this child… your child."

Olivia swallowed hard wondering if this was the moment Alex would finally decide she didn't want this. "And that's a… bad thing?"

"It is if I lose you." She took Olivia's hand and kissed the palm. "If I lose you, I think it just might kill me."

Olivia pulled her into her arms and held her. She ignored the burning in her side and held her tight. She pulled back and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She tried to put as much love and emotion into the kiss as possible. She needed Alex to feel just how much she loved her. She finally pulled back and rested their foreheads together.

"You, Alexandra Cabot, are the love of my life. As long as you want me, you have me."

"It's not that simple anymore, Olivia."

"It is to me."

"Olivia, now there is Brian Cassidy who…"

"Who knows exactly how I feel about you. I told him that you were the one. I also told him that you would be a big part of my life and this baby's life."

Alex snorted. "That must have gone over really well."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Actually, it did. No matter what people might think, Brian has always been a stand-up guy with me."

Alex sighed heavily still looking worried. Olivia cupped her face between her hands and looked her in the eyes. "I know this hasn't been easy for you and I'm asking you to deal with so much more than you should have to. You can't know how sorry I am for putting us… all of us… in this situation."

Alex shook her head and started to speak only to have Olivia's fingers cover her mouth. "Just let me say this. I know this isn't how we pictured things working out for us, but you told me that you loved me. You said you were all in and I believed you. We have waited far too long and fought too hard to get to this place. I may be selfish, but I'm not willing to give you up, Alex. I just can't."

Alex let out a long deep breath. She was quiet for a long moment before her lips quirked slightly upward. "I guess being a little selfish couldn't hurt anyone."

Olivia smiled softly. "We will figure this mess out together. I promise. Okay?"

"Okay."

They sat and stared out the large windows at the evening skyline. It was beautiful.

"Hey, Alex?"

"Yeah."

"The baby and I are hungry."

A moment passed and Alex laughed out loud. Olivia joined in.

"So it begins."

TBC...

A/N: Thanks to all of you who decided to keep reading my little story. I appreciate the encouraging words and insightful reviews.