4 Weeks Later

Billy closed his computer and stood up, reaching behind him for the suit jacket he'd draped over his office chair. "I think I'm gonna take off."

Victoria looked up, glancing over at the clock on the wall. "Oh, did you have a meeting or something?"

"No. I'm heading home. I've handled everything pressing. Everything else I can do from home." Billy looked at her, anticipating the onslaught of accusations.

She looked back down at her screen. "Ok, sure," she said quietly.

Billy stood still for a moment. "Vic, you feeling okay?" He smiled a bit as she turned around, her eyes glaring at him. "No, I mean seriously…where's the snarky comments?"

"You know what—I'm fresh out. Maybe when I figure out what the hell I'm doing with my own life, I'll feel more qualified to condemn other people or give them advice, but right now…with my mess…" She looked up at him. "You look happy," she said softly, a hint of surprise in her voice. "I can't believe it's with Phyllis, but I guess if she makes you happy…"

"I am, Vic and she does. You know, you'll find that one day..you will. Look at me—I wasn't even looking for it. I didn't really even find it. It kind of found me. I really hope you get that."

It was the first honest moment they'd had together in a long time. A moment that wasn't fraught with agendas. There were no hidden meanings, no games, no undercurrents of emotions. He looked at her and saw a woman he'd loved once, a woman that had given him a child, a woman he'd shared a life with, but he didn't see the love there anymore—he saw pain, emptiness, a longing for what once was. What he felt for her now was different—a compassion, a concern, a love of a different kind.

"I really should go, Vic. You gonna be ok?"

"Yes. Yes of course." Victoria sat up straight, turning back towards the screen. "I have tons to do to keep me busy. I won't even have time to think about what a sad state of affairs my life is in."

Billy nodded and walked out of the office. He had far more important matters to attend to at home.

He turned his key in the door, surprised she didn't meet him there. Phyllis wasn't one to sit around and it drove her crazy that she wasn't working at the moment. They'd argued over whether or not she should be at Jabot. She told him it would keep her mind busy, alleviate some of her anxiety. He argued that it would cause her more stress and keep her on her feet all day. In the end, they'd compromised. She could help him with some ad work for Brash and Sassy and she could do it from home. Distraction and comfort all wrapped up into one.

Billy stepped into the living room, noticing the packages on the living room sofa. He smiled as he walked closer. These were from a boutique he recognized. The pale blue sleeper was something he'd seen in the window weeks ago and he'd mentioned it to her as they'd passed. Though she'd been better about worrying as much, she still refused to talk about names and had been adamant they not buy things for the baby until they were sure everything would be okay.

There were several bags, the others filled with similar things—blankets, burp cloths, other baby basics. Billy sighed contentedly, happy to know she at least had spent the day doing something she enjoyed, even if he could be here with her. He placed the items back in the bag, and walked towards the staircase. Perhaps all the shopping had taken its toll on her and she'd gone upstairs to take a nap.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he could see the light was on in their bedroom and the door was slightly open. He was quiet, assuming she was sleeping. Stepping slowly into the room, he walked over to the side of the bed.

She shuddered. "Billy!" She sat up quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I didn't hear you come in. How long have you been there?"

"I just got here. I came home from work a little early. What's the matter?" He gently touched her arm, trying to comfort her. "I saw the bags and the baby things. I thought you had a good day." His mind made the inevitable, horrific leap. "Did something happen? Are you ok? Is the baby ok?"

Phyllis shook her head, closing her eyes and placing her hands on his. In some strange way it helped knowing that she wasn't the only one who worried, whose mind automatically went to the dark spaces. "No," she said softly. "The baby's okay. It's just me….I'm the one that's falling apart."

"What do you mean?" He scooted beside her, backing up against the headboard to allow her to snuggle against his chest. This always calmed her and, in truth, the feel of her in his arms always had a way of making him feel better too.

"This," she said, reaching over across the bed and handing him a book.

Billy looked at it. "What's this?"

"A baby book," she said softly. "I thought it would be nice. I never really did one with Summer and with Daniel…well….things were different, so I thought this time since things were a little different, maybe I could do one."

"Sure." He kissed her forehead lightly as he opened the front cover. "I think that sounds like a great idea, but I still don't understand why you're crying?"

"Turn the page," she whispered.

He turned to reveal the family tree. There were spaces for grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. There were also spaces for godparents. He sighed, immediately understanding. His arms wrapped tighter around her.

"How do we explain this," she whispered, her voice breaking, as she looked up at him. "It's one thing for them to cut us out. We're adults. We can handle it, but how do you explain to a child why he doesn't have a family. How do we christen our son without godparents, Billy?"

Billy shook his head. "We'll figure it out. I don't want you to worry about this. It's completely out of your hands. There's nothing you can do about this. It's not something you even need to think about. Whatever my family decides to accept or not accept does not have anything to do with how we feel about our child. It won't change how much we love him or how we raise him."

"I know, but.."

"Hey," He touched her face, gently turning her eyes to look into his. "But nothing…I love you." His own eyes were now wet with tears as he stared into her tear-filled emerald orbs. The fact that his family had done this to her, to them made him sick inside. They had made mistakes. They had hurt people, but to condemn them both—to cut them out…it was cruel. It was heartless and it was hurting the woman he loved. That alone made it unforgivable.