Hello my dearies! New chapter, hopefully you won't keep having to wait so long. :3

Thank you for your patience! :)

"Are you going to rehearsal today?" Derek asks, Ivy's answer is muted from the bathroom.

"No, I'm going to visit my dad." Derek nods, forgetting she can't see him.

"Henry Davis. How is it I've never heard of him before?" He asks, Ivy walks into the bedroom as he's putting on his shoes.

"He's not in show business, he's a dermatologist."

"That explains your family's amazing skin." Derek smiles at his own joke, Ivy ignores it.

"So why is he treated like a secret?"

"He's not, he and mom just prefer the anonymity."

They stop talking, getting ready together in silence. Ivy unravels her hair from her creamy bath towel, her figure still covered by a thick robe.

"When are we going to tell people about the baby?" Derek says, his arms reaching out from behind her, cradling the small bump. She sighs.

"I don't know. It never feels like the right time."

"I don't think there's ever a right time for anything, we just have to do it." He says, she pulls out of his embrace, her arms crossing defensively.

"That's the way you do things, but not me."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing, it's just- when it comes to personal things, you tend to say exactly what's on your mind, never thinking about the aftermath of your words."

"Would you rather I not say anything at all? We'd never communicate."

"That's not communicating! That's you saying whatever you want, and me constantly second guessing it because your mind changes as easily as your emotions do." Derek walks across the room, putting distance between them, Ivy shuts her eyes, cursing herself for the words she means but never wanted to say.

"So that's why you don't want to tell people? Because you think I'll change my mind about wanting it?" Derek asks ever so calmly, even as the thought tears at him.

"Look, I'm just stressed, this isn't the right time to talk about this."

"Well if you have your way, we'll never talk about it. That's what you want, isn't it? Just wait until I change my mind, and you'll be proved right."

"Of course that's not what I want." Ivy says quietly, Derek sighs. He walks closer to her, holding her hands and bringing them to his lips in apology. They're soft and cold, so small compared to his.

"I'm not going to change my mind, Ivy. Believe me."

"I'm trying."

He kisses her forehead, hugging her still form against his. Then he lets go and is gone.

She's left to her jumbled thoughts, an apology dying on her lips.

Leigh's dozing in an uncomfortable chair when Ivy walks into the hospital room. She wakes with a start as Ivy closes the door.

"Sorry." Ivy says sheepishly. Leigh just nods, tiredness etched under her eyes.

"How much sleep have you gotten?" Ivy asks, Leigh checks her wristwatch with a yawn.

"I don't know. Maybe three hours?"

"That's not enough." Ivy scolds.

"It's hard to sleep when nurses come in every hour on the hour to check if your father's still breathing." She says, her hand waving in direction of the shut door.

"And is he?"

"Of course he is. I would have called if he wasn't." Leigh snaps, rubbing her bloodshot eyes.

"Just checking." Ivy says, an edge in her tone.

Leigh sighs.

"I know."

"Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I can stay with dad." Ivy offers.

"Thank you, but what about rehearsal?"

"They can survive one day without me."

"Be careful Ivy, you know everyone in this business is replaceable." Leigh warns, even as she stands from her chair to leave. Ivy grabs her coat and purse, walking her out the door.

"It'll be fine, just get some rest. Do you need me to call you a cab?"

"I've got it." Leigh says absentmindedly, checking for her phone in her pockets. Ivy pulls the phone from Leigh's purse and hands it to her with a concerned look.

"When should I come back?" Leigh asks, suppressing a yawn.

"I'll call you, now go home." Ivy kisses her cheek, watching her mother make her way through the hall. Then she pulls up the chair Leigh had been snoozing in and sits on it gingerly, waiting for any sign of movement from her dad.

She tries to get comfortable, this could take a while.

Tom is close to panicking.

The first show he's ever directed from the beginning, and it's not finished, one of the main stars isn't at rehearsal, and the musical is still nameless.

It's enough to make anyone even the tiniest bit crazy.

"Julia, I swear this musical will be the death of me." Tom moans, the palms of his hands rubbing his temples, his burgeoning headache making it hard to focus.

"You say that for every musical." Julia says dryly, glasses perched precariously on her nose as she writes in her notebook.

"Well I mean it this time." She hums at that, biting the end of her pencil. She stares at the scene in front of her, Derek's being positively brutal to the poor dancers. Karen looks ticked.

"Maybe you should have them take five." She says. "Derek looks like he could use it."

"He's just grumpy Ivy isn't here." Tom says with a smirk.

"Why isn't Ivy here?" Julia asks, Tom shrugs.

"Are you two not talking? Did something happen?"

Tom crosses his arms as he leans back in his chair.

"Nothing happened. We're fine. Well, I thought we were. I don't know, she's been rather distant lately. I just chalked it up to her being busy with Bombshell and Derek."

"You think something's up with them?"

"I don't know. But I do know that if there were, Ivy would tell me."

"Hey dad." Ivy says, staring at the still form in the hospital bed in front of her.

Her dad looks peaceful, the blue eyes just a shade deeper than Ivy's are closed, his chest rising slowly with each steady breath.

"We haven't really talked in a while and I know you're sleeping but there're a couple things I need to tell you that I can't tell anyone else. I'm pregnant. With Derek's child. And I'm scared. I'm in a new musical that's moving twice as fast as Bombshell with half the time. It's not even finished yet but we're supposed to be on Broadway by next season. It's exhausting. I'm not sure I can keep it up, I don't think it's good for the baby. God, I have a baby. And I can't tell people."

"Why not?" His deep voice asks, crackly from disuse.

Ivy nearly jumps out of her chair.

"You're awake?!" She screeches, her hand flying to her rapidly beating heart.

"Just because a man's eyes are closed, doesn't mean he's asleep." He says, amusement breaking through the dryness of his throat.

Ivy hurries to hand him a glass of water even as she scowls.

"How long have you been awake?" She asks, her cheeks blushing and her tone clearly demanding an answer.

"I was woken by the angelic voice of my daughter saying hey." He says, the skin around his eyes wrinkling as he grins.

Ivy smiles back in reaction, never able to resist the infectious happiness of her father's smile.

"So you heard all of that?" She asks, his grin turns mischievous.

"Yes. Apparently I'm going to be a grandfather?" Ivy nods.

"Ooh, your mother's going to be a grandmother. I'm not sure how she'll take that."

"She'll probably hate that someone else in our family will get more attention than her." Ivy grumbles.

Henry takes a sip of his water, coughing hard as he chokes on it, Ivy hovers near him in a panic.

"Are you ok?" She asks, her thumb on the nurse's call button.

He waves her away, chuckling ruefully as he carefully sets the water by his bedside table.

"Why are you scared of having a baby, Princess?" Ivy's furrowed brow smoothes at the familiar nickname. It tightens again when she remembers why she'd said she was scared.

"So many reasons. What if something happens? What if the child grows up feeling neglected? And there's the whole part of growing up in the social media's eye." Ivy's voice lowers to a whisper as the deeper worries slip past her lips. "What if it turns out Derek doesn't want this family after all? What if I'm not a good mother?"

"So many 'what ifs.'" Henry says, a firm hand reaching out to grasp Ivy's.

"There's always going to be 'what ifs' Princess. It's a part of life."

"It just feels like everything's careening out of control." Ivy admits.

Henry nods compassionately.

"Let me tell you a secret, Sweetie. It's always going to feel that way."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Ivy asks, breathing out a confused laugh.

"A little bit, yeah. Because everyone feels that way. There's a good portion of life we can't control, but there's also a good portion that we can. You just have to choose what you let slip through your fingers, and what you hold on to."

Ivy muses on that, letting the words sink in. Her thoughts are interrupted as the door opens.

She expects a doctor or a nurse, but she and Henry are greeted by a shock of red curls in heels.

"Hi, beautiful." Henry sighs happily as Leigh walks over to his bed.

"You wrinkly flirt." She says, kissing his forehead affectionately.

"Mom, you're supposed to be sleeping." Ivy chides gently.

"You're supposed to be at rehearsal. We'll be fine, but Tom needs his star." Leigh says.

Ivy's resolve weakens at that.

"You sure you won't need me?" She asks, Henry nods with a reassuring smile.

"You don't have to be around these old fogies anymore." He says with a wink.

Leigh smacks him lightly on the shoulder.

"Watch who you call old."

Ivy chuckles as she watches her parents, seeing the comfortable love they have for one another.

It's always been that way, ever since she was little.

She wants something like that.

She's struck with an epiphany, and suddenly she loses all reluctance to leave.

"All right, I'm going. But I'm only call away, so call." She says as she walks out of the room, blowing a kiss to her parents before closing the door behind her.

"So you couldn't sleep?" Henry asks, his attention now solely focused on his wife.

Leigh sighs, wet affection misting her eyes as she smiles tiredly.

"The bed was too big."

"C'mere." Henry says softly, tugging her ever closer.

With her free hand, Leigh takes off her shoes. She loses inches, and some of her regal presence.

To Henry, she's as achingly beautiful as the day he first met her.

The memories might be a bit dulled, but the awe is not.

Leigh climbs up next to him on the hospital bed, curling into his good side. His arm wraps around her and their bodies settle into each other as easily as a sigh.

"You missed me." He teases, she just releases a deep breath.

He understands.

He presses a kiss into her curls, the fresh scent of her shampoo tickling his nose.

"I missed you too."

Karen is not happy.

Derek must be having a bad day, because it's certainly showing.

A dancer messed up several times and Derek nearly made the poor girl cry.

He's yelled at Karen twice and snapped at her constantly.

Once he even called her an incompetent mess of legs.

So yeah, she's not happy.

She doesn't get it, Derek's been in a pretty great mood lately.

Apparently those don't last.

The ensemble has been muttering their speculations on the reason for his mood swing, most had guessed it was relationship problems with Ivy.

Karen had disagreed, but secretly, a tiny, subconscious part of her hoped so.

She ignored it.

They're in the middle of learning Ivy's dance number- without her- when suddenly the doors fly open.

Ivy strides in.

Her head is thrown back in confidence, the gleam in her eyes is mischievous and happy, the curve of her teeth gleam as she smiles like a rising sun.

She marches straight over to Derek, her smile growing impossibly brilliant.

She kisses him. Full on the mouth.

The entire rooms gapes on in bewilderment as the couple enjoy a very enthusiastic lip lock.

Karen looks away.

"Ivy," Derek murmurs, his mood already a thousand times lighter. "You alright?"

"Perfect. And I want you to tell them."

"Really?" Derek's tone is surprised, Karen would even dare to say joyous.

"Really."

"But what about-" Ivy kisses him again.

Karen is so confused. The couple are sharing this psychic conversation with their eyes, but it makes no sense to anyone else.

Tom is Karen's hero when he finally clears his throat.

"What in blazes is going on?" He asks, too bemused to be fully irritated.

"Tell them." Ivy says, bouncing a little, even as her arms are wrapped tightly around Derek's neck.

"You don't want to?" He asks, she shakes her head.

"You deserve it." He kisses her again.

"Okay. Hi everyone, Ivy and I have some news." He takes a deep breath, his ecstatic smile nearly splitting his face in two.

"Ivy's pregnant."