Howdy everyone! I'll keep this short and sweet. I have begun to write the FINAL 4 chapters! We're nearing the end and I want to know what your thoughts are. It's not too late to suggest things. I take my readers opinions very seriously and I would love to hear what you guys want that hasn't been done yet. So SOUND OFF!

Happy reading! :)

3 Days Later

Fiddling with his thumbs, he sighed, "I don't know why -"

Ken sat upright, shaking his head, "I think you do. You do know why, and your anger at Clementine doesn't just have to do with her staying in your home, and destroying your sons toy." He rose a brow, "There's something deeper there... Like guilt." Folding his hands together, "You feel guilty about cheating on her again, and I think you're mad at yourself for doing it. So to absolve the guilt you're feeling, you're pushing that anger off onto Clementine, and finding fault in her, to justify yourself."

He scoffed at the accusation, but lowered his eyes, knowing Dr. Fields was right but refusing to admit it, "I doubt that's the reason... I wasn't planning on cheating again-"

He shook his head again putting a finger up to interrupt, "But you did. Intentional or not - cheating is cheating. You know this... Do you regret sleeping with Amy?" He stayed silent, pursing his lips at the question - his answer without words. He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, "Did you tell Clementine this?"

With a panted breath, she nodded and kissed him, "Mhmm" Taking steps back until her back hit the counter of the sink, and without hesitation hopped up on it, wrapping her arms around his neck, letting his hands roam her bare thighs as she worked his neck and whispered into his ear, "And last I checked, you liked that crazy girl... a lot..." biting the lobe and grasping the top of his wet curls as she brought his mouth level with hers and closed the space between them.

Nodding, he kissed her with need and used his left hand to spread her thighs apart, knowing she was dripping in anticipation for him like she always was. And he loved it. Feeling himself twitch, he moved his lips down her neck, sucking hard on one spot just below her ear as his thumb rubbed slow circles over her clit; her hardened nipples brushing against his bare chest as her breath sped up.

"We have to hurry," She whined but lacked conviction as her head dropped back against the mirror and her legs spread even further apart, needing more as her nails scrapped against his abs and a moan fell from her lips. Feeling himself twitch again at the sounds she was making, he angled his thumb higher and adjusted himself to slide his tip into her, sharing her moan. "Uhn!" She grunted, scooting further to let him fill her. But when he stopped and his hands stilled on her thighs, she lifted her eyes, "Why did you stop?"

Giving her right thigh a squeeze, he pursed his lips, "I'm out of condoms."

Shifting her hips, she giggled through a pant, "Just pull out then." Gripping his length with her hand, she guided it further into her, biting her lip in bliss, "Do not come inside me - got it?" Nodding quickly, he helped the process, flexing his hips to get deeper into her, and then dragging them back only to fill her up again, feeling her stretch to accommodate him at this new angle. "Oohh! Yes!" She chanted, grasping the counter with one hand, and clawing at his back with the other, "Uhn - Rick - mor -" her legs spread as far as they could go as he found his rhythm, continued to rub her bud, and flicked her nipples with his tongue, sending her over the edge.

He felt the build creeping up, and his hips kept going, driving faster; the sound of her thighs smacking against him and the counter was enough to make him blow. And seeing her breasts bounce feriously with each thrust made his breath go ragged. "I c-cant -" Trying to slip out, he gasped, "I need-" but she was clamping and spasming around him so tightly, he feared if he just removed himself completely, it might hurt him.

Holding in a breath, he stilled his hips and waited for her orgasm to complete before he removed himself, not prepared for her to reach out, grip him, and finish the job. "You're going to be the death of me" He rasped, biting his lip hard as her small hands pumped over him until he dropped his head back and released into her hands.

"Why?" His brow furrowed coming back to reality with a frown, "Why hurt her again by telling her that I slept with my ex?" Blowing a breath from his cheeks, Ricky craned his head up towards the ceiling, "It's over - I'm back here, and Amy is in San Diego still... There's no reason to -"

"Two steps back..." Ken clicked his tongue, raising a brow, "Ricky - have you not told Clementine because you believe that there's nothing to worry about if Amy doesn't come back?"

His head snapped down, eyes narrowing as his voice got a slight edge to it, "She's coming back! She pinky swore to John - I'm holding her to that!"

He nodded slowly, "Okay... so when she comes back - what then? What happens when these two women come face to face again? Are you just going to keep cheating because Amy is back?"

"Honestly?" He sighed again, biting his bottom lip, "I don't know." Shrugging, "I don't want to be that guy again - but... this is Amy we're talking about. There's so much... I don't know. It's complicated!"

"I don't think it is." Pursing his lips, Dr. Fields folded his hands again, fingertips touching each other while he furrowed his brow, "I think you continue to sleep with her to feel connected; like it somehow erases everything else except the good times you shared with her. You were told something truly devastating, right?" Ricky's eyes cut away quickly, swallowing and giving a nod. "And when you were told - you were angry with her, right? You held some resentment for it?" He stayed silent, keeping focus on the throw pillow next to him on the couch in Dr. Fields office. "But after she explained it to you, and you had to see her crack from the guilt she was feeling... your anger and resentment started to morph into pain... and we both know what happens when you're in pain." Ken sighed, "So you took that pain on, but you needed to disburse it, and bury it, so you wouldn't have to feel it - hence why you slept with Amy. Both of you needed that intimate connection in order to feel loved and grieve the loss of your child, together..." Silence still, a tear making its way down Ricky's jaw. "Am I wrong?"

Swallowing roughly, Ricky drew his bottom lip in, "... No..."

"If Amy had never told you about the baby - would you have slept with her?" Silence. "Did you want to sleep with her?" Still not speaking, his lip couldn't help but twitch into a small smirk at the question. Of course he wanted to have sex with Amy. He would never not want that, and Dr. Fields knew this which is why he rolled his eyes at his own question, "Stupid question. How about this - If Amy had called you the night it happened, would you have reacted the same way?"

Taking a beat to collect his thoughts, Ricky sniffled, "If she would have called me, I would have a found a way to be there for her. Even if it meant I had to go to New York to do it." Another sniffle, "If I would have been told, nothing else would have mattered to me. Just her. Her and our baby." A tear slid down his cheek, "... I never even got a chance to say goodbye..." Voice beginning to crack, "Not even a glimpse of a picture... I've been having these dreams... about the baby - what they would have looked like and all that-" Pausing, he swallowed again, flexing his hands into closed fists on his lap, "If I don't get my mind off of it... I - I feel like I'm drowning. Like no matter how hard I try not to think about it, I can't stop. The pain sits there until I can't take it anymore... I can't come up for air without being pushed back under -" His breathing quickened, trying to combat the fire inching through his veins. Anger and heartache was all he seemed to feel anymore. Even when he was happy, that ache still lingered, threatening to swallow him up and leave him in a heap on the floor. He rolled his eyes at himself and the emotions starting to bubble through him at how was ridiculous it was to feel this way, "Which is absurd, right? I have two healthy and alive children -" drawing in a deep inhale, "So why am I focusing so much on someone I've never even met?"

"Grief is... tricky. There's no one way, or right way, to grieve the loss of someone." Ken tapped his knee with his knuckles, making sure to lean far enough forward to meet his eyes as he spoke, "You lost a child, Ricky. And whether or not you knew about it, doesn't make it any less painful to feel. You have a right to be angry, or resentful, or hurt - a piece of you was taken. Feel it. Grieve it."

Shaking his head, Ricky swiped at his cheeks, more tears brimming in his eyes and bluring his vision, "How did she do it all that time? I feel like my heart got yanked out and stomped on and she's-"

"Grieving too..." Dr. Fields finished, shoving the tissue box across the table, "Amy had to go through it, and I guarantee it affected her way more than she ever let it show. Which is why, I believe, she hid it from you for so long. She felt the need to shield you from having to endure the hell that she was feeling inside; If you never knew, you wouldn't have to live with the heartache. And although flawed, I understand her thinking that. But it was wrong - you should have been told. You should have had an opportunity to grieve and to heal... So it's okay to be angry at her, or whoever you need to be angry at. Just feel it. Don't stuff it down because you want to appease everyone, or not show your pain to your children. They suffered in this too - they lost a sibling -"

"How am I supposed to tell them that, huh?" His eyes were glassy, his jaw starting to twitch, "How am I supposed to tell my 3 year old, he was gonna have another brother or sister, but it died inside his mom?" Another sniffle, "I can't. It'll devastate him, and I can't do that to him."

"Then don't. You don't have to tell them until they're older, or at all if you don't want to. John is at an age where he'll pickup on people's emotions and feelings, but not enough to know the context behind them, and Emma won't remember any of this anyway. You and Amy can tell them when they're old enough to understand, or not at all. Nobody is making you do that. But you do need to grieve for them, as well as for yourself and maybe even Amy."

"I can't, okay!" He boomed with a hoarseness in his voice, "If I allow myself to -" swallowing the lump in his throat that felt like broken glass, "It'll make it all the more real... My baby is dead... and I don't want to feel it. I want to be numb. Numb is comfortable..."

Nodding slowly, Ken bowed his head down, "Allowing yourself to be numb; to shut it out and pretend it didn't happen... is only going to make it worse." Sliding the tissue box again, he kept his eyes locked on his, "If you don't feel this - it'll swallow you up. And the pain you're feeling and can't get rid of, will linger and get worse the longer you hold back on allowing yourself to feel it. You'll never begin to heal, Ricky, and you know it."

"You knew?" Her tone was sharp, eyes wide, "And you haven't said anything?" This was truly unbelievable, all the days she sat in that office, pouring herself out while also harboring her secret - or so she thought - and here she was, listening and consoling knowing the truth the entire time. It was almost like a slap in the face. Like all those times she could have been sharing her feelings instead of crumbling silently, alone.

Liv clasped her palms atop her lap, making sure to meet her eyes as she explained herself, "What was there to say, Amy? This was a very sensitive issue - and I wanted you to feel comfortable enough, in your own time, to be able to divulge this information. I read your files, but it's my job as your therapist to guide you, and to make you feel safe enough to share these things." She tapped a nail against her thigh, "So now my question to you is - how does if feel to share it? To utter it aloud?"

Sucking in a breath, Amy sniffled, "... Freeing..." Before starting to cry again, "That sounds horrible!"

Liv shook her head, "No it doesn't. It's a step in healing. You feeling free of this burden that you've carried, is progress. Don't stuff it down. Feel it."

"I - I didn't know h-how he-he'd react but I -" She grabbed a tissue, "I knew I had to tell him... that I'd hidden it from him long enough, and I -" dabbing her eyes, "I've hated myself for so long - for not seeing the signs, and for not listening more to my body..." Blowing her nose, Amy let the tears slide down her cheeks, "He - he made me realize that I shouldn't h-hate myself... and that it wasn't my fault -" Swallowing the baseball sized lump in her throat, her lip started to wobble, the tears dripping off her jaw as she sobbed, "How could he say that to me? How could he be so loving to me after I ruined his life and withheld something so painful from him?"

"Because it wasn't you fault. It was nobody's fault, and he knows that." Leaning forward, "And because, as much as you don't want to talk about it, you already know the answer to your question. You know Ricky. You love Ricky." Putting her hand on her knee, her voice softened, "And now that you know this about him - that he's accepted what happened and isn't blaming you - how do you feel about it?"

"Angry." She stated, sniffling hard and bringing another tissue into her hand, "I'm so, so angry. And I don't even have someone I'm angry at... I'm just angry. And hurt. And in pain -" balling the tissue into a ball in her fist, she shook her head repeatedly, her jaw tightening, "I just feel like if I allow myself to give in to the ache, I'm hurting him again..." She inhaled shakily, "Telling Ricky our son -" and swallowed roughly, the action feeling like broken glass scraping her throat at the realization of what she had just uttered aloud. Nobody knew, not even him. They didn't document it. She swallowed again, closing her eyes and craning her head up to the ceiling as the broken words left her chapped lips, "O-our s-son..."

Liv's eyes lowered, "It was a boy?"

Amy nodded slowly, "I - I uh, I never told anyone that..." keeping her eyes closed, "I didn't - I didn't know until - until that sweet nurse who sat with me, told me..." Another sharp breath, "12 weeks... I was 12 weeks pregnant with another boy. We would have had another son..." She lowered her head, collapsing it into her hands, as a squeaky sob erupted, "Why did it happen? Why was our innocent baby punished because of m-meee?" Sniffling, she swiped the back of her hand across her nose, "I knew - I knew having unprotected sex even once could result in this, but I - we - and now -" Another sob came, "N-now I have to live with - with the pain and the knowledge that our stupid decision... cost an innocent child their life." Shaking her head repeatedly again, it was getting hard to breath; like every inhale she took was slowly causing her lungs to collapse into themselves - another panic attack. "Our son's life..."

Seeing that she was on the verge of an attack, Liv leaned forward again, and grabbed her hand from across the table, "Amy... nothing could have prevented this. The pregnancy - your son - wasn't viable, dear. It wasn't. He was an ectopic pregnancy and no matter what you did, or how you did it... He was never meant to be here." She had to keep her tone sharp, like a teacher trying to teach a tough lesson, because if she didn't, she knew this young woman well enough to know that she would spend another hour beating herself up until she felt absolutely nothing. And as her therapist, it was her job to prevent that from happening, and if it did happen, it was also her job to combat it from destroying the young woman in front of her. She took a breath, "Was it fair? No, it never is... and it never will be, but don't forget about what you do have. You have John, and you have Emma. You have two healthy, thriving, happy children... and as mothers that's all we ever want for our kids, right?" She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "Grieve, Amy." Amy glanced up slowly, her eyes rimmed by red, and puffy. "Grieve for yourself, and grieve for your children who are too young to understand the pain you're going through. Grieve for Ricky too, and the weight being lifted from your shoulders in telling him." Closing her eyes, Liv pursed her lips, taking one large breath through her nose, "Take a deep breath and then let everything out. All the anger, and the resentment, and the hurt, and the pain - all of it - let it out. Grieve loudly. Break something, or yell at the sky if you need to - because losing a child is an unimaginable pain, and you as a mother shouldn't have to stifle yourself and be numb to it. Okay? It's okay to feel things, dear. You can't push anymore pain down. You gotta let it out.

And she did. In a shaky, loud, and wailing fashion. For 2 hours, Amy wept. And screamed. And beat a pillow until her body was drained of all tears she had left, her throat was swollen, her eyes stung, and her hair was a disheveled wreck from being pulled on and ranked through as she ran through all the gory details of her trauma. Until she was nothing but a heap on the floor, being consoled by this woman who was more of a caring figure to her than anyone she ever had.

Well, besides one person.

The one with brooding eyes, and dark hair that turned lighter in the sunlight... back in California.

6 Days Later

"Why do you think it was a good idea to tell her about it?" Dr. Fields asked, tapping his pen against the armrest of the chair.

He shrugged, "She deserved to know... It was her grandson..." Grabbing a pillow off the couch and hugging it to his chest, "Amy - Amy told me it - it was a boy..." The grip getting tighter with each breath he took, "Another boy... I'd have another son..." Letting it go, Ricky fell apart, pushing his fingers into his eyes as he began to cry again, "... I don't want to be angry... but everytime I -" sucking in a breath to combat the burning his lungs, "Everytime I think about him... I just want to punch something, or someone!" Accepting the tissue box shoved his way, he took it and crumpled it in his palm, biting his bottom lip inward, his voice breaking "...Will this pain ever go away?" Letting more tears cascade down his chisled cheeks, "Amy... she seems to be handling this better than me these days. At least that's what I gather from how she talks about it to her therapist, so I guess that's good."

Ken nodded, pointing to him, "It is good. You should be proud of her for it. And you should be proud of yourself for encouraging it. And encouraging yourself." Ricky kept his eyes down, not wanting to acknowledge the last part of Dr. Field's statement. What was there to be proud of? Was he supposed to be proud of himself for not letting his son see him break? Or about keeping the apartment in one piece as the pain threatened to rip him apart some nights, that all he wanted to do was burn the world down? Was he even helping Amy through this? Because last he checked, they both did nothing but cry whenever they talked about it. And it was hard consoling her, and telling her everything was gonna be okay, when he, himself didn't even believe it. It wasn't going to be okay. It never would. But he was the one who had to tell everyone it would be. Meanwhile, he wanted to die because the heartache felt like someone was twisting a knife straight through his chest. He shook his head, trying to rid the images from his mind before they too, dragged him into despair. Ken crossed his arms, "Has she given any hint to when she plans on coming back?"

Snapping his attention back to him, Ricky took a deep breath, "Not an exact timeframe, just a lot of 'soons'." Swallowing he swiped at his cheeks, "I don't know how much longer I can take not seeing my daughter every day, anymore. Especially after..." Another swallow, this one hurting as he raised his head and met his eyes, "Especially after... after losing my son..." Ken nodded slowly, spinning his wedding ring with his fingers as he watched him start to fall apart.

"And did it help - telling your family?" Liv raised a brow, jotting down a sentence on the notepad perched on her knee.

She sat across from her, hugging a pillow, "I uh - I told Ashley, and uh - surprisingly she's being very supportive. We even cried together." Lifting her eyes, she sighed, "Ricky... Ricky was a little harder..." her lip staring to wobble, "I - I told him it - it was a b-boy -" before starting to cry again, hugging the pillow tighter, "He cried for while, having to relive the moment I first told him, again... But... we got through it. And he - he told his mom-"

Jotting down another few details, she adjusted her glasses, "Are you okay with that though, about Ricky telling his mother?" Amy nodded through a sniffle. "So you're close with his mother?"

Fiddling with the trim of the pillow, she focused on one lose thread, "His mom's have been more mothers to me the last few years than my own mother has... especially Margaret."

She nodded, "How did your mother take the news?"

Tugging on the thread, Amy's voice got harder, "... She didn't answer... not even for Ashley." Pulling the thread completely out, her breathing began to quicken and thick tears brimmed in her eyes, "She doesn't care about me. She's made that clear when she practically disowned me after I left New York."

Crossing her left leg over her right, Liv pursed her lips, "She'll come around eventually, and when she does... do not feel like you have to just let her back into your life if you're not ready for it. You need to feel completely comfortable with her being around you, and your children, without feeling like it's not a safe space for you if she comes around. You owe her nothing, and you have no obligation to her, regardless if she is your mother or not - understand? Amy swallowed and nodded, keeping her focus on that unraveling thread in her fingers. "Your healing is for you - your health, your life, and your trauma - not your mother. Do not let your mother, and her anger, take away from your progress. Use your anger, and hurt at her, as fuel for whenever she does rear back into your life."

Her lip started to wobble again, a burn flooding her cheeks at having to think about her kids growing up without her mother in their lives, "But what if she never does? What if she chooses to hate me forever and misses her grandchildren growing up?"

Liv nodded again, "And that could very well be the case, but even if it is - Then that is on her own conscious, Amy. You can't fix her. You can't make her care. You can only take care of you, and your children in this matter. If Anne chooses to keep up her toxic tendencies towards you, then leave her be. She made her choice." Uncrossing her legs, she put her hand to her knee, patting it gently as she continued, "Toxicity breeds misery, Amy. Don't allow your mother to keep bringing you down and making you feel like you did something wrong. Don't let her take anymore from you. Take it back - you deserve that." Lifting her eyes to meet hers, Amy nodded slowly and let the tears roll down her cheeks.

4 Days Later

"Six more pork steaks!" He yelled from the counter loudly, but was met with silence. "Seriously?" Huffing through clentched teeth, wanting to punch his hand through something to combat the frustration rising. It was almost noon, and the rush was overwhelming; customer after customer for over an hour straight, all ordering something different it seemed. Smiley was in the back trying to cut the meat as fast as possible, and Bunny was supposed to be working the counter with him, but went MIA over a half hour ago.

As another customer got to the front, asking for a large order, he sighed under his breath and looked around the shop. Nope, still no angry Redhead. "Where did Bunny go?" He whispered to himself, taking the reins and quickly putting together the woman's basket before shoving the money into the register. Smiley came out of the freezer with a uneasy look on his face causing him to blow a breath from his cheeks and lower his head. An elderly gentleman stepped up to the counter, pointing to the glass that held half of their normal inventory behind it. He cocked a brow, motioning to the counter. Smiley frowned and shook his head. Blowing another breath, he took a step to the left and put a finger up at the gentleman, "Sorry - just one second -" before bounding away towards the freezer.

"Da!" Came a squeal from the middle of the line. The small child's eyes wandering around the shop with wonder.

Getting a couple of stares from the other line members, a young woman patted the infants leg and pressed a finger to her lips, "Shh, shh."

He stepped back over to the counter, flexing the fingers on his left hand quickly under it - out of sight from the customers, "Next!"

One by one, the people in front of them started to disperse. The baby getting more excited with each new step forward, that her babbling got louder, "Hi! Hi!" Past her pacified plugged lips as her little arm started to stretch forward, fingers curling, mimicking the way his just did. Another customer stepped away, leaving just two more. The pacifier fell from her lips, getting squirmy in the young mothers hold, "Da-da!"

An elderly gentleman turned around with a smile at her, just as he shouted, "Next!" The gentleman stepping forward with a quick order.

One more.

"Thanks - see you next week" He smiled at the last customer ahead of them. Handing the woman, who wasn't much older than Margaret, her large basket and a handful of change. Must have been one of his regulars because he used to say they saved the baskets for them since they came in and bought the most.

The woman stepped aside, raising her basket up to her hip and walking towards the door, just as 6 more people walked through. Great.

Not paying attention, she hadn't noticed the over-eager baby outstretching her hand to the counter and hitting the little bell that sat there; it's chiming uneven because she stole it from its place and was shaking it.

"Just a sec-" He huffed from under the glass, stocking more inventory as it was handed to him. Smiley could plainly see them, but just nodded silently, trying to hide the smile on his face. She smiled back, putting her thumb up at him. He shook his head, giving her a thumbs down and pointing down at Ricky, before putting his finger to his temple and spinning it - indicating he was going crazy. That she couldn't help but giggle at, while the bell was still nestled tightly in the infants grasp.

Finally lifting his head enough to see into the crowd, she put her hand on the counter, "Hey Underwood!" Amy giggled hoisting the baby high on her hip.

Ricky's eyes widened and a huge smile crossed his face, surprised and caught off guard by them standing there in his line. "Hey!" He cheered, reaching over the counter to touch his daughter's arm, "What are you doing here? Hi, baby girl!"

"Dada!" Emma squealed back, shaking the bell even harder with a loud scream of excitement.

Swiping the hair from her eyes, Amy laughed and stilled the bell from hitting her in the jaw, "Someone missed you!"

Without prompting, Smiley stepped up to the counter, allowing him to slip by. Gesturing to the corner where they usually packaged the meat, Ricky stood by the wall, a look of happiness and unease crossing his face, "You okay? I didn't expect you back so soon -" Emma dropped the bell with a clatter, reaching for him with a whine. He tipped his lip up, removing one the gloves from his hands to grab her tiny little hand in his, keeping his gaze on her, "Did you leave too early? You sure you're good?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" Amy nodded, adjusting the restless baby more against her side, and sighing when her whines got louder, "It was time..." Removing the other glove, he accepted the baby eager to catapult into his hands, with a wide grin. The corner of her mouth lifted, "Besides, my therapist gave me her blessing and her number, along with one last session of me sobbing all over her carpet..." He wasn't looking at her anymore, too busy trying to comfort their whining child with soft whispers against her cheek and tapping of her nose. Which in turn she started to giggle at and mimic before adding two very slobber filled kisses to his nose. Amy's eyes softened at them, marveling at the way he was able to make her heart flutter just by smiling at their daughter, "I couldn't keep you two apart any longer... it was time for us to come back, Ricky." Shifting his gaze back, his eyes sparkled with genuine gratitude. She smiled at him, scratching the hair by Emma's ear with her nail and sneaking a kiss to her cheek, "Right? It was time for us to see daddy again, huh?" Emma squealed through a laugh, grabbing a chunk of her hair in her fist.

The back door opened quickly, stomping foot steps getting closer as the shouting started, "What is going on -" She paused, seeing them in the corner, her eyes going wide, "Oh, hi Amy!"

Turning on her heel, Amy smiled at the redhead, "Hey, Bunny!"

As she got closer, her smile only widened, touching the tip of her finger to her arm, "And hello, Porkchop!"

They exchanged a quizical look at each other, both unknowing where that bizarre nickname had come from. Ricky rose a brow at his boss, "Where were you? You said 5 minutes and it's been almost an hour!" Bunny shrugged his annoyance off, giving her attention to the drooling baby using the collar of his shirt as a teething towel. The door beside them chiming in alert that more customers were entering the shop. Ricky sighed at the influx, taking his shirt out of her mouth, "Listen, Ames, I'm so happy you're back and I hate to leave, but we're slammed and -"

Getting the hint, "It's okay, really, I forgot how busy lunch rush can be." She quickly took the fussy baby back into her grasp, "We're just gonna go back to my dad and Kathleen's and wait for Joh-" A loud, ear piercing siren cry cut her off, the combative infant now rubbing her eyes and thrashing to get down. "She's tired. Long car ride." Amy could feel the eyes of the customers on her as she kissed her daughter's temple and tried to calm her back into a fussy whimper.

He stroked Emma's cheek with his thumb, "Then why don't you both go upstairs. You can put her down, take a shower, make you something to eat, and I'll bring John up as soon as I get off?"

Emma screamed again, throwing her head back. Quickly Amy nodded and tilted the child's head back up with her hand, "Okay, thank you." Taking her hand and trying to wave it to no avail as she kept pulling it away and reaching for him for rescue, "Tell dada bye - we'll see him later!" She gave him a look and a sigh before booking it to the side door and heading upstairs.

"Next!" Bunny shouted loudly, ushering in two more customers with the wave of her hand. He sprinted back up to the counter, taking his spot on her left. Her eyes shifted quickly from the elderly gentleman in line to him several times.

"What?" Ricky finally asked wrapping up a bundle of porksteaks after the next customer was waved forward.

She shrugged nonchalantly, but had a smirk on her face, "You're blushing"

Taking hold of a mound of raw hamburger, he scoffed, and handed it to her inside the white paper, "I am not."

She took it, folding the corners and putting a sticker in the middle as she stamped it, "Were you expecting to see her?"

Shaking his head, he turned to grab a a thick pile of shaved deli meat from the slicer, "Nope... I just hope she didn't make a mistake..."

Putting several dollar bills into the register, she rose a brow, "How do you mean?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy she's back -" He stated quickly, flattening his palms on the cool metal

Her brow rose higher, "But?"

Blowing out a breath, he started toying with his naked ring finger, "But... Amy leaving the program early wasn't discussed... I just hope she didn't leave before she was truly ready to. Not on my behalf at least..."

"We're home!" She cheered excitedly, but then swallowed roughly and let out a sad sigh a moment later at the realization of her words, "I mean you - you're home..." The apartment looked the same, but it felt different; no longer housing the warm feelings of home, but the constriction of loneliness. Emma was home. Emma was in the place she knew love and laughter, and affection. But Amy... she felt like an outsider; no longer allowed to be sheltered within the four walls she had tried to escape from of her own doing. It was his place, and his home now. She was just a visitor, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness over it.

Putting the baby on the floor as she bucked and squirmed in protest to get down, she took a deep breath and slowly started to walk towards the table, replaying the last time she was standing in this kitchen.

They were doing dishes in silence, both choosing to remain pursed lipped so they wouldn't somehow start a another argument. But unable to take the tension, she finally relented with a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry what for I said before..."

Ricky's eyes were still down, focused on fiddling with the torn placemat that needed to be replaced, "It's fine."

Stilling his hand with hers, and making him lift his gaze, she shook her head, "No, no it's not. I shouldn't take my anger about myself, out on you. You don't deserve it. You've changed a lot, and I shouldn't have drug up the past, I'm sorry, Ricky. I really am."

His lip turned up a tiny bit, his eyes softening as he spoke, "Thanks, I appreciate it." Giving him a slow nod, she watched his jaw twitch, an anxious fear in his eyes, "... Amy... what does this mean... for us?" His voice was low, barely above a whisper, "How are we supposed to parent another child when we don't even have our own relationship sorted out?" She stayed silent, her back to him. He swallowed, hesitantly, picking up the white and blue box from the coffee table, "Do you want me to be there when you -"

Turning on her heel, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and took the box from his hand, shaking her head sadly, "No, I uh, I need to do this on my own."

Nodding slowly, his hands fell to his sides, "OK. I'll be right here if you need me."

A shrill squeal broke her thoughts, turning on her heel and eyes going wide at her daughter chewing on their sons slew of action figures in a pile on the floor, "Those are John's toys, baby." She scolded gently, taking the Iron Man figure from her slobber covered hands as she fought against her. Reaching into the bag on the floor, she pulled out a pink monkey and shook it, "Here - here's one of yours -" Recoiling against the toy, Emma started to cry, reaching for the plastic figure she couldn't have, "Mine!" Setting the figure on the coffee table, Amy picked her up, and cupped the back of her head with her hand, "You're tired..." Emma cried more, pressing her face into her mother's shoulder before pushing against her and bringing her fingers to her mouth. Moving her hand off her head, Amy rifled through the bag again, taking hold of the brown tufted ear and bringing him out for her to see. Immediately, she reached for it, softening her cries and laying her head on it. Keeping one hand on the bear, she kissed her head, whispering softly into her ear, "Benny wants to go back on John's bed, huh? Let's go put him back on his bed."

Doing just that, they padded into the bedroom, the infant's soft cries now turning into whispered babbles seeing the familiarity of it all. Amy couldn't help but giggle at her daughter's gibberish as she pointed to her brother's bed and sneezed, "Yeh, that's John's bed! She sneezed again, loosening her grasp on the stuffed animal just enough for her to grab ahold of it, "Benny needs a nap, he's tired." Placing the ragedy bear crookedly on his pillow, before turning around and plopping the restless baby inside the crib, "You need a nap too, baby girl. You didn't sleep much last night." Her statement was met with a puckered lip before a very loud wail for her attention, outstretching her arms for rescue. With a sigh, Amy swiped the hair away from Emma's green eyes, "It's nap time, you can play later when daddy comes back, okay?"

She wasn't budging, refusing to lay down and increasing the pitch of her siren cries, while flexing her fingers towards the other side of the room, "Jaaaajaaaa!"

Quickly looking between the empty bed, and her, Amy sighed again and lifted her out, stepping over a crumpled shirt on the floor and plopping her in the middle of the mattress, surprised when her loud crying almost immediately softened to whiny hiccups. "Is that what you wanted?" Taking a spot beside her, "You wanted John's bed?"

Emma's eyes lifted, "Jaa!" Grabbing the top of his comforter and putting it her mouth as she laid her head on his pillow.

Amazed, Amy smiled and laid down too, petting the tip of her baby girls nose with her finger, "You missed John alot, huh..." trading the comforter in her mouth for the pacifier clipped to her onsie as her breathing evened out, her phone began to ring. Fishing it out of her pocket, her smile widened at the name on the screen, before answering, "Hey!"

"Hey!" The redhead cheered back, shuffling the phone around, "Do me a favor - press the green button on the screen, I want to video chat." Doing just that, it took about ten seconds before she could see her forehead and then her face. "So much easier this way -" She shuffled again, bending over to pick something up, "Someone wants to say hi to their girlfriend, too"

Her eyes widened when she saw the little tufts of red hair at the bottom of the screen, "Emma - look!" His little face filled the screen a second later, blue eyes squinting with delight, "Who is that?" Emma rose into a sitting position, a tiny grin and an excited growl, making its way past her pacified lips, "Is that Jamie?"

Mickey giggled at the infant's reaction, putting his tiny palm to his lips like he was trying to blow kisses to the curly headed baby through the phone, "Jamie needed to see Emma before he would nap."

Amy nodded, "Yeah, she wouldn't nap when we got back either." Running her hand over her daughter's curls, she adjusted the phone, "I never realized just how much she would miss her brother until now." She sniffled, "I mean, I knew they would miss each other - John is all she knows - but I never saw how much being apart affected them... until now..."

"Hey -" Mickey tried to comfort, "That's not your fault, you said yourself that it took John quite a long time to come to terms with her being around, and that they didn't exactly get along that much before you left." Putting the infant back on the floor, she swiped the hair away from her eyes, "But besides that - how is it being back?"

"And why do you think this is the proper time? I want to hear you say it aloud." Liv asked bluntly, crossing her arms across her chest tightly.

She shrugged, "I feel better." Sighing, she spun a butterfly ring around where her wedding band used to reside, "I want to be better... and I think-" Shaking her head, "I know - I know this is the right decision." Nodding to herself, "It feels right." She swiped her cheeks, "I was finally able to make amends with almost everyone on my list. Even wife num -" catching herself, she pursed her lips briefly, "I mean... Kathleen... my dad's wife... my stepmother..." her eyes widened slightly, lips parting in disbelief of the words leaving them, "Oh wow... those words are going to take some getting used to."

"How did you make amends? Did you call her?" Amy nodded slowly. "Was it therapeutic to bury this hatchet that you have harbored for this woman for so long? Or did it make you feel validated in some way - like you had won your challenge? I'm curious to know this step you took."

"It wasn't much honestly - I called her." She continued to spin the ring, "I called her to thank her for what she did for Ricky - keeping Emma and John when they got booted from daycare..." glancing down at her hands, a tear brimmed in the corner of her eye, "I realized during that conversation that I've been absolutely awful to this woman. And all she has done to me, was be there for my dad and help out Ricky and our kids. While asking for nothing in return." Shs sniffled, brushing the tear away, "I feel awful for the things I said to her before the wedding... but I'm hoping that when I get back, we'll be able to have a conversation over coffee or something."

"And do you want this for yourself as a reward, or to prove something?" Liv raised a brow, leaning forward, "For instance... to rub it in your moms face that your fathers new wife has more stake in you and your children's lives than she does?"

Taking in the question, Amy sat in silence for a few seconds, mulling the answer over, before sighing, "All I know is that I mistreated Kathleen Bowman for years. And I feel awful for it." Swallowing the lump in her throat, her voice became slightly hoarse, "This woman took on my kids when she didn't have to. And that to me, especially now, is bringing me peace that she's with my dad again." Another sniffle, "If my mom comes around, great. If not... I'll trudge on." She swiped another tear away, not wanting to waste anymore emotion talking about someone who didn't want her, "I'll have my son, and my daughter, and people who actually love me, by my side. I don't need her anymore."

Blink

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" She asked weakly, pausing from packing the large duffle bag on the bed.

Kissing his granddaughters head sweetly, he looked at her with honest eyes, "It doesn't matter what I think - it matters what you believe. If you think you're ready to tackle life outside of these four walls again, I'm right behind you." George touched her shoulder, "But if you want to stay, and work more towards fighting your demons, that's fine too." Wrapping her onto a side embrace, he kissed her temple, "I just want you to be okay, and happy, and at peace with yourself, Ames."

Blink

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" She squeaked through a cry, watching her new best friend start to sob into her hands.

"No... no it's fine..." She lied, wiping the tears away from her eyes, "I understand... you've got to do what is best for you." A rough sniffle as she lifted the infant into her lap, "It's just gonna suck not having you down the hall from us anymore." He was curious, reaching his tiny palm up to her cheek to touch the tears sliding down them. She kissed his hand, tipping her lip up just a hare, "... You're the first friend I've felt connected to since Gray -"

Without hesitation, Amy grabbed her and hugged her, sniffling, "Dont cry! Because if you start to cry, then I'm going to start to cry..." but it failed as she too started to sob in the embrace. She felt this was the right decision, but it sucked having to leave these people who she had a real, and deep connection with. Especially Mickey, who had already lost so much, and Jamie, who Emma just adored. But if she didn't leave now, she feared she'd regress slowly and have to start all over again. Without Ricky, because she'd already taken so much from him in such a short amount of time. A loud sniffle drew her out of her thoughts, loosening her embrace and swiping her cheeks, "You have my number, please call me. I don't have many friends I can call on anymore..." Mickey nodded, jostling the grinning infant. Amy managed a smile, touching Jamie's tuft of red hair that was starting to curl at the top, "And it would be a crime to break these two up..." Emma squealed from the floor, gnawing on a pink block aggressively.

Both woman giggled, "You better answer my calls!"

"I will!"

"And my random, weird, texts!"

"Of course."

Wiping her nose with the back of her shirt sleeve, "And I want all the sexy details of your reunion with your smoking hot baby daddy" Mickey cocked a brow, winking. Amy's mouth fell slightly agape. "I'm kidding!" Noting her cheeks starting to turn a light red, "Kinda - leave out the sex details, but please do give me the scoop on relationship status. You two are like watching my favorite soap opera-"

"Amy? Hello?" Her voice cut through loudly, snapping her back to the conversation at hand.

Blinking, she shook her head quickly, forgetting where she was for a brief second, "Sorry - what?"

"Daydreaming are we?" Mickey chuckled, tapping her chin with a knowing look, "Let me guess... tall, dark hair, piercing eyes? Hmm?" Amy bit her lip, not knowing how to respond. "So what's your plan with him exactly?"

She cocked a brow, running her hand absentmindedly through Emma's curls, "What do you mean?"

"Like, are you going to tell him why you decided to come back early whenever you see him?"

"I don't know... I saw him earlier, but it was brief..." Amy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Do I even want to though? I mean -" Another sigh, "I can't just blurt out my feelings like that - and besides... he's probably still with the witch..."

Mickey raised a brow, toying with something that had her eyes focused down, "Does she know about the two of you - and that sexy weekend in San Deigo?"

"Probably not." She answered honestly with a shrug, biting the inside of her cheek as the memories of his lips trailing down her inner thighs started to creep into her mind. "Is it bad that I really want to be the one to tell her?" There was a sharpness in her tone, "To see the look on her face..."

She chuckled, "Not too late - you got her number?" But upon her friends pointed look, Mickey knew that wasn't an option, so she just shrugged and pursed her lips, "Okay fine. Hey, maybe you got lucky and he dumped her before you got back?"

Rolling her eyes, Amy scoffed, "Doubt it. She's probably plotting her next move in that stupid coffee shop as we speak."

"Well, hopefully not." A loud thud sounded from somewhere in the apartment, followed by a whimper. Mickey sighed, hanging her head, "I guess that's our cue, huh? Aren't babies just so much fun?" The whimper got louder, prompting her to grab the roots of her hair, "I'll let you go - but I want details, k? I mean I want all of them - no matter how saucy they are."

"You're ridiculous, you know that?" Amy giggled, leaning up to get a better look at the chaos when she started walking towards it. "Bye, Jamie!" Looking over at her own sleep-deprived infant rubbing her fists into her eyes with a soft whine, she brought the phone in front of her, "Emma - hey, Jamie is going bye-bye." Through a whine, the tired baby flexed her fingers slowly as they kept fisting her tired eyes.

The whimpers stopped, the camera now focuisng on a tiled floor, as she spoke loudly, "I can't wait for their wedding!"

She couldn't help but scoff, scooping her daughter up with one arm and bringing her to her chest, "Yeah, like Ricky would ever allow that. She's not ever getting married as long as he's breathing, that I can assure you."

"Meh, he'll change his mind once you guys have more down the line." Amy swallowed quickly, a rush of panic coming forward that Mickey had made such a comment so nonchalantly. Until she remembered a few seconds later that Mickey, nor anyone else from the group knew about her miscarriage; she chose not to tell them after she disclosed the truth to her family.

There was another thud before a loud sigh, and a quick ushering of words, "Op - gotta go - byeeee!" Before the screen went blank and her reflection stared back at her.

Not realizing she had been crying until she felt the tear drip onto her neck, Amy kissed the crown of Emma's head situating them better against the tiny mattress. The baby poked her chin with a sigh, burrowing her face into her boobs with an aggressive pinch. Wincing slightly, she moved her hand away from her nipple and stroked it with her thumb, patting her bottom gently with her other hand, "You wanna lay with mama?" Emma whimpered, grabbing her pacifier and shoving it into her mouth, glacing up at her. Amy smiled sweetly, continuing the gentle pats as she peppered quick little kisses on her nose, "I love you my sweet girl."

Stirring the noodles slowly inside the pan, she could feel the low clomps of his boots coming up the stairs. Beside her, stood the wobbly baby, grasping the cushions of the kitchen chairs as she aggressively babbled and tried to grip the fake leather tight enough to climb atop it.

"You gotta close your eyes cause it's a surprise." His voiced floated through the wall, footsteps pausing at the top of the stairwell.

Her small eyes widened, having heard the familiar person on the otherside of the wall. Amy giggled with a mock surprise in her voice, "Is that daddy?"

Emma's green eyes squinted, showing a three-toothed grin as she squealed and shook her hand vigorous against the air, "Dadadada!"

Putting her finger to her lips, she pointed to the door, "Shhh - they're coming in" She squealed again, loosing grip on the seat just as they walked through the door and landing on her bottom.

"Okay, buddy - you can open them now." Ricky said through a smile, putting their son's feet on the floor and lifting his hand off his face.

With a tiny gasp, John squeaked out, "Mommy!" Running into her open arms with a galloping jump, giggling, and pointing to her cheek, "I kn-owded it was jus you, mommyyy!"

Cocking a brow playfully, she opened her mouth at him, "You did? How? Did you peek?"

Throwing his head back with a cackle, he poked her cheek harder, "Nooooo, I jus diddd!"

"Uh-huh, I think you peeked and you don't want to admit it." She clicked her tongue, moving her hand in a frenzy of tickles across his small frame, making him squeal and squirm in her arms.

Ricky couldn't help the wide grin spanning his face watching them together. He loved seeing John so happy, and his heart skipped a beat when her eyes glistened sneaking a peek at him. He felt a small tug at the bottom of his pant leg, the watery green eyes staring back at him, melting his heart into a puddle in his chest as his little girl's lip puckered and her arms shot up to be picked up. Doing just that, he lifted her into his arms and squeezed her tight, peppering kisses on her plump pink cheeks. Trying to put her finger into his nose with a growl, Emma flailed her legs and pinched his jaw. His eyes widened, glancing over her curls to see the bubbles spewing out of the lid from the pot on the stove, pointing to get her attention ad he shouted, "You're stuff is bubbling -"

With an audible gasp, "Oh shoot!" Amy quickly placed the tot on his feet and turned on her heels, grabbing the pot with the pot holders by the sink and bringing it over.

Turning around quickly, John's eyes squinted with a scrunched up face, galloping with his arms stretched out, "Em-maaaa!"

Swaping the baby to sit in the bend of his arm, Ricky's lip tipped up at his son. She held onto his arm with a confused look before outstretching her arms towards him with a whine.

Draining the water from the pan in the sink, and bringing it back to the stovetop, Amy flipped some hair away from her eyes with a shot of her head, noting, "She might be a little cranky, buddy. Her nap wasn't very long."

Taking her into his grasp carefully, John held tight to his sisters small frame, and kissed her nose, "I jus mwiss you..." Reciprocating her bothers affection, she leaned her head against his, gripping onto his shirt collar while sucking vigorously on the pacifier in her mouth.

As they went to the sofa, cuddling into each other sweetly while he kissed her head and made funny faces at her, their mother stilled and put her hand to her mouth, crying into her palm.

Walking up to her, Ricky squeezed her shoulder, "You okay?"

Amy sniffled loudly, "Yeah, I um-" and dabbed her eyes with her knuckles, "They're changing so much... I just -"

Putting his other hand on her other shoulder, he squeezed them both, "I know. Believe me, that boy never ceases to amaze me." Placing a small kiss on the back of her head, "But I'm happy... I'm happy they're like this now -"

Twisting the pot holder with her fingers, she sniffled again, "It's what I've wanted since she was born..."

With a small nod, he stepped to the side, gesturing to the pot she had started to stir again, "Food smells good."

She shrugged at the compliment, "Nothing fancy, just spaghetti and meatsauce."

His brow quirked, "Really?"

Rolling her eyes, she nudged her shoulder into his chest, "Don't get cocky. It was the easiest thing to make and I knew you'd all eat it so -"

He chcukled, before his lips formed a small frown, "So... you're eating too, right?"

Amy's gaze fell to the stove, picking up a noddle from the edge of the pot, her voice low, "You should really get some time alone with them, I don't want to impo-"

"You're not." Ricky quickly interrupted, sliding his hands over her arms, "I meant what I said. Relationship or not, you're welcome here. Anytime. To eat. To talk. To cry. Whatever you need, I'm here for. Okay?" She sniffed but didn't speak, prompting him to take her hand and bring it to his chest, his voice soft, "Okay?"

After another sniffle, she nodded through a swallow, glancing up to meet his eyes, "Thank you."

His lip tipped up, leaning in to peck her cheek, "Welcome home, Ames." Before dropping his arms and taking a step back, "I'm gonna go change." Swiping her cheeks with her palm, she searched her pockets for her phone and brought it out, zooming in on their quiet moment across the room and trying to keep composure.

"I'm not having this argument with you right now, alright?" He shouted, slamming the refrigerator door in frustration

Dumping the contents of the breast pump into a bottle, she furrowed her brow, voice rising, "Who's trying to argue? You're the one thinking I'm doing such a terrible job! Clearly the argument is one sided!"

He rolled his eyes at her dramatics, trying to rein in his temper as their infant shrieked for their attention from the swing by the coat rack, "You're talking about letting our almost 2 month old baby just cry - so yeah, Amy, I'd say this is grounds for an argument!"

She too rolled her eyes, screwing the clunky lid on the bottle and shaking it, "Babies have to learn how to self sooth, Ricky! I can't figure out what she wants after I've exhausted all the possibilities - she's been fed twice, changed three times, rocked for hours, held constantly, and she's still unhappy!" She sighed through a exhausted crack in her voice hearing her daughters wails, "It's not going to hurt her to just be left alone for a few minutes and cry!" He shook his head, clasping the back of his neck with his hands and beginning to pace around the kitchen. Waiting until he moved out of her way, she opened the fridge and put the bottle inside, catching a glimpse of the toddler sneaking around the corner and over to his sister.

Without acknowledging his parents John grabbed one of the pacifiers from the bookshelf and gave it to his baby sister, frowning when she kept rejecting it and her cries got more intense. Amy raised a brow at her son, "John... what are you doing?" He ignored her, pushing over a medium sized cardboard box with his left foot. Her brow got higher, taking a step forward and pointing to him, "Why do you have that?" Continuing to keep quiet, he reached forward and tried to pick Emma up. "Hey -" Amy raced over, tapping his shoulder, "Hey buddy - what are you -" But was cut off by the baby's ear piercing scream that caused him to jolt and drop her back into the swing, thankfully not hurting her since she was barely lifted out.

"Em-ma go bwack!" John began to sob, pointing through hiccups, "S-he - S-he jus go bwack to da rwoom to hwer mommy!"

"Come here!" Ricky boomed over the coupled shrieking, trying even harder to keep his anger at bay. Lightly grabbing his arm, he turned him around to face him, his voice stern, "We already had this conversation, John. Emma doesn't have a different mommy. She's your sister, and she belongs to your mommy and daddy." The toddler shook his head vigorously, choking on his own salivia and trying to push his dad away, which made his voice louder, "If I catch you trying to put her into another box, or you hurt her - you're going to be in big, big trouble! Understand?"

The last part of his statement came out harsh, causing the tot to jump in freight and run for the comfort of his mother. Running her hand over his head, Amy gave her husband a disapproving look, "He's not even 3 yet, Ricky! He doesn't understand all of this. He doesn't understand what he's doing!"

Ricky shook his head, his eyes angry, "I don't care! He's old enough to know what 'no' means! Even if he rarely hears it from you, Amy! He still knows what it means and needs to listen!" Taking the baby from the swing, he bounced her gently in his arms, keeping his voice stern but level, "He can't get away with trying to hurt Emma just because he's upset with her - and you know it!" She sniffled and looked at the floor, toying with their sons left hand dug into her thigh as he continued to cry. Taking a few deep inhales, he sighed and patted the back of John's head, "Hey - I'm sorry buddy. I didn't mean to scare you." Bending slightly to meet his eyes, and repositioning the infant to his shoulder, "I just need you to know that your actions have consequences, okay? You will get in trouble if you hurt your sister. She's just a tiny, fragile baby, John. She can't play rough with you, and you can't be mean with her - or else she'll get hurt, and you don't want her to get hurt, do you?"

Recoiling against his touch, John pushed him and his sister away with a scream, "Myyyy mommmyyyyy!" Their eyes met, a sad hint of guilt in hers as she swallowed and scrunched his hair between her fingers, sighing sadly.

Rising back up, he stroked their daughters tiny head with his thumb, giving the same sad sigh, "Fine, go ahead and have some time with mommy. I'll take Emma in the bedroom."

Waiting until she heard the door close, Amy removed his small hands from her thighs and crouched to his level, brushing the hair away from his tear filled eyes, "Are you okay, baby?" He coughed up air, continuing his string of sobs. She took his hands into hers, kissing them, "Aww, what's wrong?"

John's tiny chest struggled to get enough air as it rose and fell quickly, combating the sniffly hiccups mixed with the shrill sound of his cries, "I-I-I do-nt do-nt w-wa-nt da bay-baybeee sistwer ne-moreeee!"

"Mommy..." He spoke softly, not raising his voice on account of his sisters ears next to his mouth. Amy's head snapped up, setting her attention on them. His brown eyes shifted down, a twinge of sadness in his voice, "Why you sad, mommy?"

Feeling the cool tears drip from her cheeks, she sniffled and swiped them away, not knowing she was standing there, silently crying to herself, "I'm not baby, these are happy tears..." Taking a seat next to them, she pecked his head with her lips, "I'm just so happy to see you again..." and touched the infant's hand with her finger, "Are you happy to have Emma back home?"

Pursing his lips for a brief second, John nodded slowly and leaned his head against his sisters, "... I mwiss her"

Nodding, "She misses you too, buddy." She swiped some more tears from her cheeks, stroking his arm, "Did you know that Emma slept with a picture of you and daddy taped to her crib?"

His eyes squinted in excitement, "Rweally?"

Emma squealed too, grabbing at his ear, making their mother giggle, "Uh-huh, and every night before she went to sleep, she would touch it and tried to kiss it." She scrunched her nose at them playfully, "And when you accidentally left Benny at mommys, Emma slept with him every night. She missed you so much..." Leaning forward, she tickled her tummy, elicting another squeal, "You missed your John - huh, baby?"

Looking between their mother, and him, she squinted and snorted, into his shirt, "Jaja!"

He giggled, tickling her side playfully, "Th-at me!"

Amy nodded through a smile, "Mhmm, and when she gets a little bit older she'll be able to say your whole name... along with some other things..." cocking a brow at her mischievously, "Huh, peanut?" Emma tried to mimick, lifting her left eyebrow just as he walked back into the room and smiled at her while taking the pot off the stove. "I'm starving - you hungry?" She asked, taking the baby into her arms. John nodded, and stretched his arms above his head. "Then we should probably go eat, huh?"

Lunging forward, he galloped into the kitchen, eager to take his seat next to his dad, "Daddy! Daddy! Em-ma jus sleep-ed wit o-ur pwitcher at mommys!"

Ricky's eyes lifted, mouth going slightly agape to amuse him, "Wow, really?"

"Uh-huh! And - And she jus mwiss me t-oo!" Waiting until his mom had situated his sister in the highchair beside him, he nodded and jumped up to give her a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek, "I lov youuu!"

He heard her gasp lowly before she sat down, shielding her hair to cover her eyes that he knew had tears in them. Tousling his shaggy locks, Ricky put the plates on the table, "Okay, buddy let's eat before we make mommy cry again."

When he put the plate down in front of her, Amy swatted at his arm playfully, sniffling, "Don't hate on my proud mommy moment!"

"I would never" He chuckled back, raising his hands in surrender before pecking the crown of her head, "Have your moment, you deserve it." Taking his seat, he twirled the fork into the mound of pasta on the plate, keeping his eyes down as he spoke, "So John has a school project he has to do-"

"It wit my fwam-ly!" The boy cut in, swaying his head as his mom cut up his dinner into easier to eat portions

Nodding at him, he continued, "It's for this 'all about me' thing the class is doing for some family fun day in November. Along with some field trip he's going on-"

Taking hold of the sippy cup in front of him, he shook it, noting it was empty, "We - we jus go-in to the pwum-kin pw-atch, mommy!"

Rising, Ricky went to the fridge to grab the pitcher of red Kool-Aid in the door and filled the cup, "That's a whole other thing to discuss, buddy." Gesturing to the liquid, she shook her head, so he sat back down and shoveled a forkful into his mouth, using his hand to shield his lips, "Anyway, I was thinking it doesn't have to be anything fancy - couple blurbs about him and his interests, maybe sprinkle some pictures around it, and call it a day."

Swallowing, Amy gathered another forkful into her mouth, "Is that it? You don't want to include other things?"

"Not really." He stated, taking a sip of his beverage while watching his children play with their food. His brow quirked slightly at the way the baby plowed her face into the plate and the toddler giggled doing the same, which only made her snort and make a mess. Shaking his head at them, he let it go and handed their son a napkin, "They're being hung up outside the classroom for the parents mainly - I doubt the kids even care that much."

Swiping the napkin over his lips once, before gathering a noodle into his fingers and slurping it into his mouth, "I - I want it to be rwed cus - cus th-at my fwav-orite c-olor!"

Taking another bite, she nodded slowly, "Okay, and what about this field trip?" Ricky shrugged nonchalantly, pinching off a few bits of bread and handing them to Emma. "Are you go -" A hard knock cut her off, looking between the door and him before questioning with skepticism, "Expecting someone?" He shook his head, waving his hand in dismissle of the interruption as it started up again.

John jumped down from the chair, sprinting to the door before they could tell him to stop, taking hold of the once childprooofed doorknob that he had managed to figure out how to bypass, and opened the door. His face immediately fell into a frown, a sharp and loud, "NO!" Pushing on the aged wood to keep whoever was there, out.

Getting their attention right as their unwanted visitor propped the door open with their foot, and shoved their way inside, Ricky hung his head and audibly cursed under his breath, which he rarely ever did, "Damnit!"

John was getting angry now, stomping his foot into the carpet with a stern point of his finger, "No, go a-way!"

Shrugging his frustration off, she sauntered over to the kitchen, leaning against the wall with a scowl on her face. Emma whined, reaching for the remaining pieces of bread he held in his hand as he hung his head with a growl, "What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see you, silly." She responded playfully, arms crossed against her chest, keeping her daggers on her as she sat there, shoveling pasta into her mouth. "You haven't responded to any of my texts or calls so I figured why not just show up in person." He kept his eyes down, refusing to look at her while he handed her a piece of bread, and shot his ex a look that made her purse her lips inward and stifle a laugh. She narrowed her eyes, clicking her tongue against her teeth, "Something funny?"

Raising her brow, she shook her head and took a drink, "Nope. Not really."

Rolling her eyes, Clementine stepped forward, putting her hands on his shoulders, "Can we talk, privately?" The action made her blood boil, wanting to rip her hands off of him, and snap them in half.

Not wanting to be stuck in the awkward and tensionous setting, Ricky blew out a breath of relief at his phone louding blaring in his pocket. "I need to take this." He stated quickly, scooting his chair back and making a beeline for the bookshelf, "Hey - yeah no, you're fine I'm not busy -" gesturing to his son who was still by the door, with a scowl on his face, to return to the table to finish his dinner before grabbing hold of the knob and disappearing on the other side.

Waiting until he was out of sight, she turned her attention to the green eyed infant shoving her dinner into her mouth with her fingers, and smiled, "Hiii, Emma!" Emma glanced up at the voice, but kept her attention on the food gripped tightly in her palms as the carmel blonde ran her fingers through her dark curls, and picked up the discarded clunky plastic spoon from the tray, "Look at you, big girl!" Dipping it into the bowl and bringing it up to her lips.

Amy leaned forward, scratching the back of her head with her finger, unsure on how to best approach correcting the situation at hand. "Um - could you not do that, please?"

Blatantly ignoring her, Clementine rose her brow at the baby, swirling more bits of pasta inside the bowl, "I'm sorry, did you hear something?"

Raising her brow at this woman's disrespect, Amy spoke louder, "I said, could you not do that - I'm trying to teach her to feed herself."

Rolling her eyes, "She's a baby - she shouldn't have to do that." She waved her off, pressing the spoon directly into the child's open mouth, "Right, Emma - you don't have -"

Now standing, Amy grabbed her elbow, a stern warning in her voice, "Its not up to her. It's up to me. And I'm not asking - I'm telling. Stop feeding my child." Letting go of her elbow, she kept her daggers locked, coyly smiling when her son took his own action, and swiped the tray away forcibly.

Her brow furrowed at the action, "What are you -"

But John was quicker, yanking it away before she had a chance to reach for it, "Mommy said NO!"

Throwing the spoon down onto the floor, she spun on her heel, angry, "What is your problem?"

Amy's eyes widened, pointing to her chest, "Me? You're the one coming in here, feeding MY kid-"

"Oh so now you acknowledge her as your child?" Clementine scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Took you long enough! I'm the one who has been here the past 4 months helping Ricky take care of her because you were off galivanting around New York!"

That stung. Hearing that this woman whom she couldnt stand, was in their apartment, with their children, made her want to vomit - and rip her hair out. But instead, she took a few deep breaths, remembering what Liv had said about toxicity and how it breeds misery, and spoke in a calm manner, "I don't owe you an explanation - not for New York, and not for anything else that I do in my life." Taking a step back, she picked up the spoon from the floor, "You are with my ex, and what you do with him is between you and Ricky." Putting it back on the table, she made sure her eyes were set on hers, as she stated, "But make no mistake, Clementine, I do, and will have a say in everything that pertains to my children. You don't have to like me. Heck, I don't care if you do because I don't like you either, but you will respect the boundaries that I set for my kids - understand?" Her voice was rougher now, an edge cutting through as she took a step closer and felt Emma's little hand on her elbow, "I am their mother. They are mine. And that's never going to change."

Her hand was on her hip, "That is... until you decide to go 'find yourself' again..." clicking her tongue as she bent forward over the highchair, "And then John and Emma will be calling me, mommy." Her tone shifted, now filled with a taunting lilt that had the woman in front of her seeing red as she stroked the infant's left cheek and grabbed her hand, kissing it while staring directly at her, "Right, pretty girl - I'll be your new mama, hu-"

Gripping her arm, Amy's eyes became angry slits, "Touch her again and I will slap you. Kids watching or not." Her teeth clenched, "Back. Off."

Sensing something bad was about to happen and the shouting was about to start, John stepped over and put his hand on his mom's arm gently, "Mommy..." Almost like he had broken the trance of rage she was trapped in, her grip loosened and her face fell into a sad frown.

Thinking she had won, Clementine smirked, and shoved her slightly, enough to bump into him, "I'll back off when you stop fucking my boyfriend!" Emma started to whine, outstretching her arms towards her brother who quickly shifted to comfort her and wrapped her up as best he could with her still inside the highchair. Rolling her eyes again, she made sure to get right in her face, a coy smile spanning her lips, "Because... after all the dirty things we did when he got back..." Before she pursed them out and rose her brow, mockingly, "Well... I doubt he'll ever touch you again."

Amy had to stifle the laugh threatening to spill out of her mouth. Oh if the clueless irritant only knew the half of what she just said. It was funny that she was so versed in the art of lying, that she actually started to believe her own false confessions. But Amy knew better, because Ricky didn't hide anything from her, which only made what she was about to say that much more sweeter to her, "Oh I know all about you two..." Now it was her who held a coy smirk, "... But... you see, Clementine... it wasn't your name Ricky was chanting when I had him in my mouth..." finally sticking it to her haughty nemesis, with a amused scoff, "Or when he was deep inside m-" Not expecting the loud, hard, twack across her face.

Clementine's hand stung, shaking it roughly as the tears rolled down her cheeks and she shouted back, "You stupid bitch!"

That wasn't acceptable and the small boy let her know it by ramming his body directly into hers, shoving her and hitting with all his tiny might, screaming, "St-opp hwurting mommy!"

Turning her anger on him, she angrily grabbed his arm, "Listen here you little brat -"

But a loud, thunderous, bang sounded throughout the space, causing them all to freeze in place, his voice booming so loud it echoed in the hallway, "ENOUGH!"

Almost immediately, the two children started to cry, scared and confused by all the shouting and yelling.

Her eyes were wild, flying at him with venom in her voice and anger pulsing in her veins, "How could you cheat on me again with her, you stupid asshole!"

"I said stop!" Ricky shouted again, "Just... STOP!" Pounding a closed fist hard against the bookshelf, before taking a breath like a bull about to charge, shaking his head, "I am not doing this." A few more deep breaths before he ran his hands through his hair trying to rein himself in. When he did, his eyes lifted to Amy's before cutting back to the hysterical woman in front of him with a stern point, "You need to go downstairs and wait. We have to talk." Swallowing, Clementine nodded and walked over to the open door, waiting for him to walk her down. He rolled his eyes and bent down to gather a stray toy from the floor, holding it out to the scared tot pressing his palms against his ears, a gentleness in his voice now as John went to retrieve the toy for his still whimpering sister. "John... please finish your dinner and help mommy with Emma. I'll be back."

The door closed with a rough slam, causing the boy to jolt at the startle. He sniffled, grabbing onto her left leg, "I no wike Temin-tine, mommy!"

Running her hand over his back, Amy patted it gently, "I know baby," watching the closed door closely before massaging his ear with her fingers the way she often did to comfort him, her voice barely above a whisper, "I don't like her either..."

The door swung shut with a loud squeak, drowning out his harsh breaths before he exploded at her, "What. The hell. Is WRONG WITH YOU?" The cutting edge on his voice caused her to jump from the startle, lowering her eyes to her shoes and feigning hurt that he had spoken to her in such a manner. But he saw right through it, knowing she knew exactly what she was doing. "Don't. Okay. Drop the act. You came here to start trouble and provoke Amy - and you know it!"

She shrugged nonchalantly, slowly lifting her head to meet his eyes, "Maybe I did? How would you know - you never bother to respond to my calls or texts... but you have all the time in the world to fuck her! Again!" Her eyes were angry, welling with hot tears as she put her hands out and pushed against his chest, "How could you do this to me, again? I trusted you!" Shove. "And all you ever care about is her!" Shove. "How she feels! What she wants!" Shove. "And then... then you don't even have the common decency to to tell me you cheated with her?" Her hands stilled, before rising and giving him one more, harder shove and a firm slap across the face, her teeth clentched, "Fuck you, Ricky!" Touching his face, his eyes averted hers, not knowing how to combat her rage without physically hurting her. Which he would never do. Not now, not ever. He didn't like to be hit though, and the anger boiling in his blood was making it all the more difficult to keep composure. But he did. Jaw twitching, he took the hit and stayed silent. Her eyes turned to slits, face contorting as she shouted, and shoved him again, "Are you going to say ANYTHING?"

What was there to say? Because the things bouncing around in his head were much too harsh to tell her. Did she really want to hear his thoughts? Did she really want to know what he really thought about her, and their situation? No, no she didn't. She didn't want to know how clingy he thought she was, or how she drove him insane. She didn't want to know that the only reason he even pursued her was because he was lonely, and that sex with her would never be on the table as long as Amy was around.

But instead of saying these things, Ricky closed his eyes and shook his head, "This -" gesturing between them with a sigh, "Isn't working." Taking a step back, he put his hands up to keep her from coming any closer, "I need space. I told you this, and obviously you don't care because you keep showing up when it's clear I don't want to talk to you!" Biting his bottom lip, he drew in a breath, "I'm done, Clementine." His voice was controlled, watching as her face fell, "I thought I could make this work. After Amy left... after I got my heart broken... I really thought I could move on and see if we had something but -" He shook his head again, averting his eyes to the corner of the shop, "But clearly it's not working. We're not working. We fight all the time and it's not good for anyone - especially my kid-"

"We wouldn't be fighting all the time if you would just stop screwing your ex every chance you get!" Clementine rebutted, grabbing his hand and bringing it to her chest, "I'm trying here, Ricky. I'm really trying to hold on to what we have... but you keep pushing me away and -"

"Then shouldn't that tell you something!"

"You do this everytime she comes back! You're a different person whenever it comes to her, and I'm trying - I'm trying to keep from drowning, but you -" her voice was breaking, "You're not even helping me back up anymore. It's like I don't matter to you-"

Quirking a brow, he pointed, "That - that right there is another reason why this will never work between us. You said it yourself, Clementine - I can't stop cheating on you." Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he sighed again, "And what grounds is that to build a relationship on if you can't trust me when Amy is around?"

"We can work on it! We can -"

"No, no we can't-"

"Yes we can! If Amy wasn't such a manipulative bit-"

Eyes enlarging at her, "Dont!" He boomed, with an angry glare, "Don't you dare talk that way about the mother of my children, got it? You don't know the half of what we've been through, and-"

She scoffed at him, "What you've been through? What about all the nights in the coffee shop when you would come in and vent to me because she was driving you crazy?" Clicking her tongue, "Or all the lunches we would take so you could get something off your chest because you needed to rein in your anger at her?" Taking a step towards him, a smirk on her face, "I know enough to know that you're chasing a woman who doesn't give a damn about you, Ricky. You keep falling into her trap over and over again." Taking another step, Clementine scowled, "You can't accept that your perfect precious little Amy Juergens isn't so perfect - and you're taking it out on me by continuing to cheat on me with her!" Taking his hand, "I'm here, Ricky..." there was a plea in her voice as it softened and she touched his jaw with her hand, "I'm here to love you, and accept you for who you are. Even with all the baggage that comes with. I'm here... Is she?"

"No, you don't." Ricky scowled, "You don't love me." Removing her hand from his face, "I can't be what you what, Clementine. Okay, I can't! And we both know it. I can't love you -"

"Yes you can, you just need to -"

"No. No I can't!" His shout caused her to lower her gaze in hurt, and him to sigh in guilt. There was a tightening in his chest, and he couldn't distinguish if it was because he felt guilty for hurting her, or guilty for her own words against him. She was right, he did divulge everything to her about Amy, and their failing relationship almost daily. He did pour his heart out to this woman whom he thought of as a friend - but all the while also knowing she would be on his side. He wanted validation, and to know that he was right in his aggravation at his wife and their life. And Clementine provided him that. She provided a listening ear, and attentions he wasn't getting at home with the woman he claimed to love. All of it, the coffee shop meetings, the lunches off campus, the late night library study sessions... it was the catalyst to their downfall; from the day he saw her again, it was the beginning of the end. He was just too blind and arrogant to see the signs.

But not anymore. Now, he was determined to speak the truth - no matter who it hurt. And the truth was, he wished he never would have went to the coffee shop that day. If he hadn't, maybe he would have been a better husband and father. Maybe, just maybe, he and Amy would have made it, and they wouldn't have had to be put through the wringer to find their way back to being happy.

Clementine was staring at him now, her eyes filled with tears; a silent pleading in them to tell her he made a mistake - he didn't mean to say those things to her, and that he really did love her, but was just too scared of getting hurt to admit it. But she was wrong. He wasn't scared to tell her the truth anymore, because she had shown her true colors whenever she got physical with him. He couldn't love that. He couldn't love her, no matter how much she wanted him to. It wasn't possible, and the sooner she learned that, the sooner she could go her own way and he could breathe again.

Lifting his head, Ricky swallowed, and let the truth roll off his tongue, "... I've only ever loved one woman. Truly loved her. Amy... That's just the truth." A tear slid down his cheek, "And the other truth is that I'll always love her. Babies or not. Relationship or not... I love Amy Juergens." Sniffling, his lip twitched up just a hare, "... And admitting that to myself... is why it'll never work between us. You and me... You deserve to have someone who appreciates you, and doesn't have baggage. Who doesn't cheat on you, and who can give you a life." She was about to speak, but he put a hand up to stop her from interrupting as he continued, "So let's end this... before either one us get any deeper and I cause you anymore pain..." He sighed, running his hand over his face, "You said it yourself - you're always going to play second string in my life when it comes to Amy. That's just the truth, because Amy is back for good, and I can't tell you how that will affect me, honestly." Taking a step forward, he touched her arm, "So I'm giving you an out. Go on and forget about me. Live your life. Be happy."

Her lip wobbled, trying to keep herself composed enough to hide the slow breaking, "... Why are you wanting to push me away?" She sniffled, "I've already told you I accept you. Flaws and all... and I stick around unlike Amy who packs up and leaves every chance she gets!" Shaking her head, Clementine closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks, grasping at the roots of her hair, "How can you toss me aside like I mean nothing to you, when I know you. I know the real you, Ricky! And I've known, and loved, you since we were kids!"

"Listen to yourself, will you? You don't know me, Clementine." He shook his head at her, dropping his arms and blowing a weighted breath from his cheeks, "That boy that you knew back then, isn't the same man standing here today, okay? Amy changed me... changed me for the better by giving me John, and allowing me to grow into someone people could be proud of - that my kids could be proud of." Pausing for a second to swipe his cheek with his index finger, his voice cracked, "And I owe it to myself, and to her, to help her the same way... because that's what you do for someone you love..."

It became silent for a beat, both of them just staring off into the distance, searching for the right things to say in a no-win situation. She was trying to hold on, while he was cutting the rope between them.

After another minute of silence, he finally parted his lips and exhaled loudly, "I'm never going to be able to commit to you, Clementine. Not as long as Amy is in my life. I'm sorry... But you deserve to be with someone who will. Who can give you a life - a life that isn't filled with baggage like mine, and without all the drama-"

"I don't care about that! I want the life I signed up for! The one with you-" She cried, reaching for him to no avail as her hands caught air.

"It's never going to work, don't you see that?" He stated bluntly, raising a brow at her, "What happenes in a year or two, huh? Are you still going to be so accepting of me if I keep cheating? No. No, you won't be." Turning on his heel, he clasped his hands to the back of his neck, lowering, and then raising his head in frustration a few times before he blew a tired breath out, "I have two unplanned teenage pregnancies and a failed marriage under my belt - What happens when you want a commitment and I can't give it to you? What happens then?" He turned slowly, making sure his eyes were level with hers, his voice stern but calm, "You picture us all living happily ever after behind a white picket fence, and a couple more kids - and I don't. I don't want that. I'm sorry, but I don't."

She sniffled, raising and then lowering her hands with a smack to her legs, defeat written into her face, "So that's just it then, huh? Pretend the last 4 months never happened, and we go our separate ways?"

Ricky nodded slowly, "We have to... it's what is best for both of us. I can't give you what you want... because I'm still in love with Amy... and I owe it to my family to see if there's still something there... to see if we can fix what is broken and put out little family back together again - the right way." His lip tipped up a sliver, stuffing his hand into his pocket, "John and Emma deserve for me to at least try, regardless if it works out or not... they'll know I tried. I tried to give them the family Amy and I never had." Taking another step towards her, he lowered his eyes, "I'm sorry - I can't see you anymore. Not here. Not at school. This is it... you need to go."

It felt like she had been daggered and left to bleed out on the dirty floor. He was choosing Amy over her. The woman who left him like nothing, while she stayed and accepted him - even after all the hurt he put her through. But he didn't care. He didn't care that she spent some nights on her couch, crying until her eyes burned, at his betrayal. He only saw her as a nuisance; a distraction and a roadblock to his true goal - winning her back. All the times they had almost slept together... were they just because he couldn't bring himself to accept that Amy wouldn't be with him again? It made the most sense because he never told her he loved her, and got angry when she admitted her feelings for him. She wanted him to give her something of substance; just an inkling of something to hold onto hope for them. But the way his eyes held no emotion in their darkened state of brown, and his jaw twitched while he stayed still, told her the hope was useless. It was over.

Clementine sniffled, wiping her eyes with the tips of her ring fingers: the fingers that would never know the feel of a ring from him on them, "Fine... I'll go!" Was her response, the ice in her voice cutting as she reached for the door, "But when Amy leaves you again - because we both know she will - your sorry ass will know where to find me." And with that, she left. The door slammed behind her, the chime of the bell ringing loudly as she did.

It felt as if a gaint weight had been lifted. She was gone, they were done, and now he didn't have to hold back his feelings anymore. No more pretending to be something he wasn't. No more guilt threatening to pull him under because he was hurting someone while trying to rebuild something else.

He was free.

The descent up the stairs felt like an eternity. Mulling over how he was going to make his frustration with her about her fight in front of the children, known without picking a fight with her himself. Angry or not, defending herself or not, she took part in the idiotic trap Clementine had set, and did in front of Emma and John. There had to be some sort of consequence for it - didn't there?

Getting to the last step, he heard the laughter float through the walls; high pitched cackling mixed in with her soft chuckles serenading his ears and causing him to smile.

Giving a slow nod, she stilled his hand that was fighting with the zipper of their sons backpack, with hers, "I meant what I said, Ricky - about choosing." Closing her eyes, she swallowed, "Don't make a choice based on this -" Moving her hand in the air, gesturing to the space around them.

Putting the bag on the floor, he took her hand and met her eyes, "And I meant what I said - it's not a choice for me, Amy." A smile twitching on his lips, "This -" gesturing between them, "Isn't a choice. It's you, and these kids - Our family. Everytime."

Without realizing it, he had opened the door, and was standing there, watching them. She had Emma on her legs, her hands clapping for her to mimic as John performed some trick that involved putting a blanket up to his body and letting it drop to the ground while he tried to hide. It was obvious he didn't understand the gyst of the trick - because he was supposed to dissapear completely - but his laughter at himself as she erupted in deep chuckles, made it all the more amusing.

"Boo!" He squealed, popping up from the floor like a frog, while his voice got higher, "Booooo!" She sat there in her swing, essentially unamused at her brother making all the weird sounds. His brow furrowed, crossing his arms over his bare chest with a defeated look on his face, "Wat wong wit Em-ma, daddy?

Going over to them, Ricky shook his head, touching her outstretched palm with the tip of his index finger, "Nothings wrong with her buddy. She's just picky about what she laughs at."

John's tiny frown got bigger, pouting through a whine, "I wa-nt hwer tooo!"

Knowing it was a losing battle with him, he knelt beside him, "Here -" demonstrating to him what he could do to get her to laugh, "She usually laughs if you blow on her tummy. Try it." Doing so, the boy's attempts failed as the baby smiled and pumped her legs, but didn't utter so much as a giggle. With a sigh, he raised his head, but was tugged down at her tiny hands clamping tightly into his blonde locks and not letting go. He yelped at the action, jerking his head up to free himself and hitting it on the mobile of the swing. "Ow!" John said lowly, rubbing the back of his hair with his hand as a very small little giggle sounded. His eyes widened quickly, ramming his already bumped head back into the mobile, muttering a louder, "Oww!" That did it - the small giggle morphing into a deeper laugh, before he did it again and got a full, belly cackle.

Ricky's brow rose at them just as his wife entered the room, a twing of curiosity in her tone, "Whoa, what's going on here?"

Pursing his lips, he gave her an odd look, "Should we be concerned that our baby is amused with our son's pain?"

Unfazed by his fathers concerns, John continued his frenzy - now slapping himself in the forehead with his palm, as he kept repeating the same phrase, and got the same results. Turning around, his fists were clentched, elbows raised so his hands were level with his head as he shouted with glee, "I d-id it! I d-id it!"

Chuckling, his dad gave him a thumbs up, "Good job, buddy."

Shaking her head, Amy gave her husband a puzzled look, "I've been trying to get to laugh for weeks-"

He shrugged, "So has John - maybe he found her strong suit?"

"Uh-huh, we'll see how much he wants to continue when he gets a bruise on his head." Walking over to them, she scrunched the top of his hair with her fingers, "Having fun?"

John nodded vigorously swiping the hair away from his eyes, "Em-ma jus tink I fun-nyy!"

Giving him a small chuckle with admiration of his enthusiasm, she gently pulled his hand away from his face, and spoke softly, "Maybe we can think of a way to make her laugh without you hurting yourself, baby."

Quirking his brow at her, he pursed his lips in thought, "I no hav a owie, mommy. See -" Slapping the back of his palm over his forehead, he giggled at himself making his sister laugh, "I jus pwe-ten it hwurt," he leaned in and tried to whisper in his mother's ear without letting Emma hear him, "Shh, do-nt t-ell h-er dough..." Amy put her fingers to her lips, pretending to zip them. He giggled again, pointing at her, "Y-ou twy!"

Moving some hair away from Emma's eyes, Amy leaned over the swing and put her hands over her face. "I see you!" She cooed, tickling her stomach with her fingers while shielding her eyes with her hand and taking it away, "Boo! I see you!" Emma batted her arms, grunting and squirming.

He cocked his head, scratching at his stomach, "S-he no wike dat, mommy..."

Grabbing her hand when she lowered it to her side, he forcibly hit it agaist her leg, making her yelp, "Ow!" Emma's arms batted again, a giggle following as she cooed up at them. Shaking her head, Amy scoffed at him, "Are you kidding me?"

With an amused chuckle, Ricky shrugged, "You gotta go with what works, I guess."

Mocking him with her face, "Ha-ha. How come you don't have to do this?"

"I'm magic, remember?" He smirked, tossing a stuffed animal into the playpen like a basketball.

"Good..." She smirked back, scooping the tired baby out of the swing, "Then you can use your powers to change her, give her a bath, and put her to bed in the crib tonight. I have homework."

Rising off the sofa, "Happy to," he put his hands out, "C'mere, pretty girl." Turning on his heels to start down the hallway, he paused by the door. "Hey, Ames?" He called out, getting her attention. Amy turned towards them, her brow raising at him holding Emma above his head and blowing on her tummy as she cackled and grabbed at his curls with her fingers. His wife stuck her tongue out at him, scowling playfully.

He must have been standing there staring too long because before he could speak, her eyes were locked on him with a timid shift in her body language. The kids weren't laughing anymore, they were staring at him too.

She cleared her throat, rising out of the kitchen chair, "Um - John... you should finish your dinner, buddy..." Putting the baby back in the highchair, she touched the back of her head nervously, avoiding his gaze as she mumbled, "I uh - I put your plate in the microwave. Didn't know how long you'd be, and I didn't want it to get cold, so..."

Nodding, "Thanks." He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"I should go-" She was anxious, he could tell by the way her foot kept popping in and out of the flats she was wearing.

John raced over to her, grabbing her hand in protest, "No, mommy c-ant go!"

Ricky took a step towards her, keeping his voice low, "You don't have to leave on my behalf. Stay and finish your dinner." When his eyes lifted, he could see the fear in hers and he swallowed, "We've got some... things to discuss later..."

With a slow nod, Amy bit her lip, and glanced down the hall, "I'm not really that hungry... I'll just be in John's room - come in when you want to talk." He nodded again, pursing his lips and gesturing to his son to follow him back to the table.

"Daddy... um, is - is mommy s-ad a-gin?" John asked, a lilt of sadness in his voice as he stabbed the noodles that were probably ice cold by now.

Grabbing the plate out of the microwave, amazed that it was still hot, Ricky took a seat next to him and sighed, "... Mommy is still working on all that, buddy. Let's give her some space."

"I just feel like..." She paused, clutching the tissue tightly in her palm, "Like I'm f-failing t-them!" Sniffling, she glanced down, "I mean - they've been a-apart for so long... Emma clearly misses her brother, and ever since Ricky took John back, he's been experiencing big emotions too... and it's all my fault!"

"That's your mom guilt talking, honey. It's normal to feel this way - especially given the circumstances." Liv exclaimed, jotting down something on her notepad, "You have Emma with you everyday, while Ricky has John, and you think it's your fault. You feel responsible for their separation issues and wish you could change them -"

"I can though!" Amy cut in, swiping her cheeks with her hand, "I could easily give Emma back to Rick-"

"Could you though? Do you truly think you could call him up and just hand Emma back?" Liv raised a brow, uncrossing her legs. Amy nodded slowly, keeping her focus on her hands. "Then why don't you? What's stopping you from picking up your phone right now and doing so?" She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it with a small but audible squeak. "Because you're not ready, Amy. You think you are... but you're not. That's why we've been working hard on trying to cease getting into the crib with her - because you said you can't use her as a crutch for comfort all the time. And that's okay."

Finally looking up, her eyes were red and puffy, face contorting as she cried, "I have to eventually though! It's not like Ricky is just going to let me have her here forever, or take her back to my dads with me while he keeps John with him!"

"What makes you say that? Have you asked him this?"

"What's the point? I already know the answer..." Amy whispered, defeated, "Emma and John have been with Ricky since I left." Sniffling, she swallowed and took a breath, "Until I came back for my dad's wedding - Ricky had never spent a night without Emma since the day we brought her home from the hospital." Biting her lip, she lowered her eyes to her shoes, "I'm not even going to propose the idea of split days, or anything else that puts separation between Emma and John, or Emma and Ricky... because I've already taken so much... and..." She started to cry again, her back shaking, "A-and I don't want to start an argument with him. Not when things are going so wel-"

Liv's brow rose higher, putting up a hand to stop her from speaking, "Hold up - repeat that last part - you're afraid of starting an argument by asking for equal time with your children?" Amy nodded slowly, closing her eyes in shame. "Amy... honey... you can't keep dimming yourself to cater to everyone else." Leaning forward, her eyes became soft, "Becoming a mother leaves no woman as it found her, dear. It unravels and rebuilds; cracks you open, and takes you the edge - a beautiful and brutal combination of creating something wonderful... But you are not just that. You're also a woman. A strong woman who deserves to have her voice heard." Clasping her hands together on her knees,"Don't be afraid to do that. Ask the tough questions, even if the outcome is unpleasant. Don't just brush it off and sink into yourself at the prospect of someone else's reaction." She took the cup from the side table and paused to take a drink before getting back to the conversation, "Being a mom, is hard. Trying to maintain a relationship, is hard. You don't have to have everything figured out all the time though, Amy. There are moments when the best thing you can do is take a deep breath, have faith, release your hold on trying to control everything about everyone else, and just observe how things unfold around you without having to sacrifice yourself." Amy's eyes lifted again, her hair sweeping over her face as she sniffled. "Embrace the uncertainty of life! Understand that sometimes the most beautiful and rewarding experiences come from spontaneity and trust the journey instead of having everything planned out. Live, Amy. Live for the moment." Pushing back against the cushion of the chair, she crossed her legs and swung her foot, putting two fingers against her lips and drumming them with thought, "There's a quote that my grandfather told me that I absolutely love. He always use to tell me, 'Olivia, ships don't sink because of the water around them. Ships sink because of the water that gets IN them. So don't let what's happening around you, get inside you and weigh you and make you sink.'" Amy nodded, dabbing her eyes with the tissue. Liv nodded too, shifting the pad of paper and the black pen to the end table, a sterness in her tone, "So talk to him. Talk to Ricky about what you want. He's your partner in this, dear. Even if a romantic relationship with him never pans out again - he's still someone who is there for you, and has made a choice to remain rooted in both co-parenting, and your healing journey. Lean on that. Even if he says no, use your voice and speak up."

Blink

"You didn't have to wait" He sighed, coming back to the couch in front of the screen. She shrugged nonchalantly. Blowing a breath from his cheeks, and rubbing his temples, "I didn't know he would take that long - he's been having trouble sleeping again since we got back."

Her eyes lowered, sadly confessing, "Emma too." He swallowed sensing the shift in the conversation. Expelling a deep exhale, she ran her hand through her hair, eager to change the subject, "How are you? How's therapy with Dr. Fields going?"

He pursed his lips outward, drumming his fingers nervously against his jaw, "It's going... I told him about the baby... and about the nightmares..."

The gentle silence was shortly penetrated by a sob, "I'm sorry -"

Ricky shook his head quickly, his voice gentle but sharp, "No! No, Amy don't. No more apologies. You have nothing to apologize for because none of it was your fault." A tear slid down his jaw, dripping onto his clasped hands atop his knee. He closed his eyes and took a sharp breath, "I just need to grieve. Which is difficult for me because I don't really know how. But this -" gesturing between them with a tiny tip of his lip, "Talking to you, and Dr. Fields... is the best way for me to."

Amy's lip wobbled as she weakly squeaked through her tears, "... Do you think the pain will ever go away?"

There was a hesitation in his momenents, his adam's apple moving with the rough swallow he did: like the lump of pain was lodged so deep it was physically hurting him to breathe. He took a few deep inhales before his lips parted, "... In time, I think so..." more tears slid down his cheeks, feeling the deep, burning, wound start to fester in his chest. Her eyes matched his, both red around the lids and puffy underneath; their soft shades of brown being shrouded by darkness. He swallowed again, swiping his cheek quickly, his voice slightly hoarse as he put his fingers to the screen and allowed a small smile to make its way to his face, "But until that time comes, you have me to share it with you."

"Mommy..." Came a squeaky voice from the other side of the room, his footing careful and slow as to not startle her. She looked up slowly, the tears streaking her red cheeks. He paused a few inches from the bed, twisting his sock covered foot into the floor, apprehensivly, "Mommy... awre you jus s-ad a-agin?"

Her eyes met his, seeing the worry inching its way into their pool of soft brown, guilt washing over her for putting it there. "No, I was just thinking of some things..." She shook her head, wiping her face with her sleeves and running her palms across the legs of her jeans quickly. He kept his gaze locked on her, but his body started to relax prompting her to pat the spot next to her with a small smile, "C'mere. Come sit next to me!" Doing so, he climbed the mattress and took a spot right into her left side, hugging onto her torso tightly. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing his head repeatedly, "I missed you, John!" Kiss. "So -" Kiss. "So, so, so much!"

His fingers locked against her ribs laying his ear against her heart as he sadly mumbled against her shirt, "... Awre you jus we-ving a-gin?"

"No." Amy closed her eyes, letting the tears run down her cheeks as she held him tighter, "No baby, I'm not going anywhere for a long time." Sniffling, she loosened her hold on him, "But... I am going to be staying with grandpa and Kathleen for awhile." She felt his grip start to loosen, and heard his breathing quicken, and sighed, "Daddy and I have alot of things to work on, buddy... but I'll come visit every morning for breakfast, and every night to put you and Emma to bed... I'll just be sleeping at Grandpa's for the time being."

"Why?" John's hands dropped to his lap with a pout, "Why you n-ot jus sleep wit me? You c-an sleep in my bed, mommy..."

Running her hand through his shaggy locks, she sighed again, "As much as I would love that... Daddy and I aren't in a place for me to live here again yet. Maybe one day, but not right now." His face fell with disappointment, making her chest hurt with the belief that she had once again failed him. Spinning the butterfly ring around her finger, she touched his leg, "Do you remember when you were a baby? Daddy would come over to grandpa and grandma's house and visit you every night?" He shook his head, fisting his left eye. "Well he did. You were a baby and me and Daddy weren't together yet, and I was pretty mean to your dad at that time... but daddy came by almost every night to feed you your bottle and put you in your crib." She took a breath, "And that's what I'm going to do now while you and Emma live with daddy." He still wasn't looking at her, keeping his head down, but she could see the tears on his cheeks glisten against the light. Reaching up, she brushed them away with her thumb, and pushed the hair out of his eyes, her voice gentle, "I'm not leaving again, though, John... just having an extended sleepover at Grandpa's house."

He sniffled loudly, grabbing ahold of the ragedy bear resting on his pillow and bringing it to his chest with a hiccup. His sadness was like a dull blade slicing through her heart, but she knew it was what was best for everyone. And in time, hopefully he would understand why she had to do it. This wasn't her home anymore. It was his. His and theirs. Her place now was to find what she could do to sustain herself and be present for them. That was all that mattered.

"C'mere" Amy whispered, picking him up and bringing him into her lap, "I know things around here are crazy right now - with Emma being back and me staying at Grandpa's, but I want you to know something -" Lifting his chin up to level with hers, she let the tears brim in her eyes as she spoke, "I'm always going to be your mommy, John. No matter where I go, or where I stay - you'll always be my baby, okay? I love you. I always have and I always will. No matter what. Okay?"

John blinked a few times before nodding slowly and touching her cheek gently, whispering with the teddy bear against his other cheek, "I lov you, mommy..."

His bootsteps were heavy against the floor as they made their way into the room. He had her tucked under his arm by the waist, her legs dangling as she whined against the restraint. "Whoa - what happened here?" She giggled, raising a brow at them and the 75% of her small body painted in spots of red.

Ricky sighed tiredly, demonstrating with his free hand, "Emma decided her dinner was more enjoyable being pushed through her face before just dumping it over her head and into her mouth."

"Oh, no! What did you do, peanut? Did you make a big mess?" Amy's voice pitched with enthusiasm, sliding off the mattress to get a better look.

John did the same, pointing with a giggle at the one lone noddle just a hare under her eyes, "Em-ma jus h-as psketie on her nose!"

Emma screeched loudly at his teasing, flailing her feet as their dad looked down and stated to his son, "And that's why she's getting a bath, huh?"

"Ahhh! Ahhh!" She screeched again, thinking it was a game as her mother's eyes grew wide before she started clapping her hands and babbling, "Baaabaaabaa!"

Ricky shook his head, chuckling at their youngest antics as he turned to leave, "We'll be in the bathroom - you okay here?"

Taking a seat back on the mattress, Amy nodded and crossed her legs, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just catching up on all the latest preschool gossip."

His brow rose, "Oh, yeah? Just wait until you hear about this kid named Asher, and the animal cracker drama. Very riveting stuff."

"Sounds like it." She giggled, picking up Benny from the pillow and toying with his fur

He chuckled again, hoisting Emma higher against his hip as she started to buck wanting down. "Yeah, real page turner cause... the animal crackers had icing... You might have to sit down for it because there is such real edge-of-your-seat stuff happening to these three year olds." At the sound of an audible grunt followed by a loud fart, Ricky hung his head, realizing that now he had a diaper blowout to contend with, and sighed, "Back in 20!"

Watching them leave the room, she set the bear back on the bed, tilting her head at their son with a raised brow, "Now I'm curious - what happened with the animal crackers?"

Rushing to her side, he took the plate from her hands, "It's late, you didn't have to do this."

Picking up a few pieces of silverware, she ran them under the hot water, "You put them to bed, and dealt with a tantrum. Dishes are nothing." Handing them to him to dry, she sighed, "I'm sorry... about before..." lowering her head and twisting the dish rag in the sudsy water, "I shouldn't have played her game - not in front of the kids, anyway."

Nodding, he put the cutlery on the drying towel, and clasped the edge of the sink with his fingers, "No, you shouldn't have. But I get it, Amy. You were defending yourself against something you shouldn't have had to do." His head lowered too, keeping his gaze on the vacancy of his wedding band as he whispered, "... which is why... it's over... I broke up with her..."

Her head snapped back, eyes wide with a surprising squeak in her voice, "Wait - you broke up with Clementine?" He nodded, rocking back on his heels. She swallowed, feeling the tightening of guilt in her stomach, "... Was it because of me?"

"Not entirely. We had alot of issues... it wasn't going to work. We fought too much, and she just became a headache." Picking up a cup out of the suds, he started to chuckle to himself, "... A gaint, clingy... overbearing headache."

She chuckled too, pursing her lips inward to hide the smirk coming to her face, "Well congratulations - I never liked her anyway, you know."

"I do know. Seems our kids shared in your distaste as well." Ricky swiped the towel over the cup and set it on the counter, blowing a breath from his cheeks, "And I'm sorry... about all the hell I put you through because of her..." Silence fell over them for a brief moment, his head down continuing the mundane task at hand before his lips parted and he mumbled, "...That was Reuban on the phone earlier... He called to ask about the court date he set up at the end of next month regarding the custody papers..." At the mention of it, she dropped the sippy cup into the water, swallowing back a painful lump of hurt in her throat, and trying to speak through a trapped sob, but all that came out was a weak squeak as her hands stilled in the soapy water. He grabbed her hand inside the sink, squeezing it reassuringly as he stated, "I told him to cancel it, Amy..."

"Are you sure?" Amy squeaked, sniffling against her shoulder to try to get the hair away from her eyes without touching her face with her sudsy hand.

Reaching up, he tucked the hair behind her ear, meeting her eyes with a placid expression, "I am. I've seen the progress you're making, and how hard you're trying -" Taking a step closer, he grabbed her other hand and brought it out, "And... I also believe that you won't just take off again-"

She sniffled again, shaking her head, "I won't. I swear." Her voice turning to a whisper, "I'm done running away..."

"Do you still love, Amy, Ricky?" Liv asked him, focusing her sights on the way he swallowed and looked over at her.

"Of course I love her. I'll always love her, she's the mother of my children -" He responded, a little annoyed by the question. They were sitting now, him holding her hand tightly as she continued to try to compose herself from her earlier breakdown. At first, he wanted to leave and take Amy somewhere to speak privately, but after he witnessed the way Liv was able to get her to sit with him and continue working through this, he relented.

She narrowed her eyes, "You know what I mean..." and uncrossed her arms from her chest, "Okay, so you love her - what do you love about her? Other than the fact that she's John and Emma's mother?"

"Do we have to talk about this?" Amy piped harshly, sensing the uncomfortable shift in his demeanor of being put on the spot like he was.

Pursing her lips, Liv continued, "If the two of you are ever to pursue a relationship again - yes. Yes, we do. These conversations need to be had."

He sighed, taking his hand out of hers to run it over his face, "How are we even supposed to discuss something like that when we don't even know what we are anymore?"

Flexing her hand at the vacancy of his, Amy sniffled roughly and turned to meet his eyes, weakly proclaiming, "... I don't know what we are... But I -" swallowing with another hard sniffle, "I miss what we used to be..."

A tear fell from Ricky's jaw, immediately reaching for her hand again and clasping it tightly, a nervousness in his voice, "Is it really worth the risk again?"

Liv nodded slowly, "It is a risk - but being in a relationship is always a risk. A risk to your heart, a risk to your state of peace, a risk to the safety net you've build around yourself... the risk of being vulnerable is always scary - you're showing the other person what you're truly afraid of, and opening yourself up to being hurt all over again. But the upside is, you get to find someone who is worth taking that big risk for. Someone who promises to catch you when you wanna jump off the big building, someone who doesn't just promise you with words, but holds your hand and holds you close through the most difficult times." Adjusting her glasses, she continued, "It's a risk, yes. But the reward is someone who makes taking it, worth every minute of it." Sliding the tissue box closer across the table, her hand lingered on the box, her voice stern as she asked him, "Is Amy worth that to you, Ricky?"

His eyes turned to angry slits, brow furrowing as his tone became harsh, "Of course she is. I'd walk through hell for this woman and she knows it."

"I believe you." Liv nodded again, leaning back against the chair, "You two have had a deep connection to each other since bandcamp - and I'm not just talking about the fact that you created a child there either - I'm saying that there were sparks between the two of you in that window of time." She sighed, "Sure, you were young and slightly irresponsible for not using protection - but you were just kids, just like everyone else once was." Spinning the pen in her fingers on one hand, she drummed her knee with the other, "Not everything went according to plan - you got pregnant, Amy, and Ricky you were a jerk whom she never wanted to see again, and then you were both thrust into a situation that required cohesion. Everything around you started to fall apart. Terribly. But then..." Her eyes widened, dropping the pen in her lap with a smile, "Then something spectacular happened... you both allowed those feelings, that brought you to that moment, to start blossoming again, and the pieces started bridging together." Using her hands, she demonstrated what she was saying by bringing them together and then shoving them apart. "Unfortunately, life happened and things fell apart again even worse than before with more to lose in the mix - But that's okay, because those pieces didn't scatter... they're still here, waiting to be picked back up and pieced together - the way you want them to be. Not the way they were. You don't have to fall back into your old patterns - make new ones!"

"How?" Amy sobbed, lowering her head to shield her puffy eyes with her hair, "We broke up! And he's -" her voice became low, slowly starting to inch her hand out of his as her lip wobbled, "... he's with someone else..." He looked at her, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth to keep his emotions in check. He hated to see her like this.

Sweeping the hair away from her eyes, Liv adjusted the glasses on her head, "Sometimes, people part ways only to reunite later when the timing is right. You two had something great, but the timing wasn't right, so it stalled. Often a second chance at a relationship feels more right; people are more open, patient, and vulnerable the second time around. You both were so young to just jump into a settled life with a marriage and a family - too inexperienced and unprepared for the world around you that it crumbled you; swept away your solid ground and took it into the sea like a hurricane." Amy sniffled, crossing her feet and keeping her focus on them while Ricky slid his hand on her knee. "But the progress from then to now, shows the growth you two have experienced. And if you're ready - both truly ready - embrace this opportunity for a second chance. Make your time together special and wonderful. You fell in love despite your vast differences, and in doing that, created something rare and beautiful - a deep bond that not even a breakup could undo." They looked up at each other, a small smile forming on his lips as he tucked her hair behind her ear and swiped her cheek with his thumb. She smiled at the sight, leaning forward with her hands clasped atop her lap, "Oftentimes, people refer to someone as their 'soulmate' by proclaiming that they finally found 'the one' for them, but what they don't understand is that while that person might be 'the one", not everything is going to be smooth sailing from there on out. And that's where alot of the strife starts to bleed into their relationship. It doesn't work that way - communication is key, as is facing past demons and setting healthy boundaries together; building and sustaining trust is hard, but you need it to weather the storms that are waiting at the front door to come and rip it all apart." Taking a breath, she pursed her lips and tapped a manicured nail against her knee, focusing on him again, "So I'll ask again - what do you love about this woman, Ricky?"

It was silent between them again, both focusing on the task in front of them to prevent from saying something they weren't ready to say, or admit they were sneaking tiny glances at each other during the silence.

His eyes lowered to his hands as the memory faded from his mind and he was left with the question burning the tip of his tongue, "Can I ask you something?"

Picking up two chunky plastic child-sized forks, she shrugged, "Sure, go ahead."

"Do you..." He paused, sucking in a breath, "Do you think maybe we could ever try again?"

The forks fell from her hands and back into the water. Amy's mouth getting dry as she contemplated the question, before answering with a slight crack in her voice, "Ricky... you just broke up with someone, maybe you're not ready-"

"Just answer me, please." Ricky cut her off, palms pressed against the countertop, a silent plea in his eyes

Her lips parted, tears threatening to brim in her eyes as she swallowed, "Honestly... I don't know." Taking her hands out of the water, she grabbed the rag and wiped them dry, "I don't know if we can just go back to how we were. Is it even a good idea to jump back to an engagement? Or a marriage - pretending nothing happend?"

"What if we didn't?" He answered quickly, turning to face her and putting his hands on her arms, moving them along her skin, "What if we started over. Completely over. Clean slate."

There was hesitation in her eyes, "Is that even possible? Don't we already have too much baggage-"

"Forget all that. No commitment. No engagement. No marriage. Just you, and me, and the kids, all being together." His voice lowered, taking a step closer, "I don't want to push you into anything..." dropping his hands to find hers, "But we both know, that whatever this is-" gesturing between them, "- that we can't fight it forever. We have real feelings for each other, we always did-" He leaned over slightly, capturing her earlobe between his teeth and whispering huskily, "And the sex is great too..."

Craning her head back, her mouth went slightly agape at his words, but the light kisses that his lips were placing on her neck, quickly replaced her embarrassment with a rush of desire. "So what does that mean?"

He stopped at her jaw, feeling her body start to relax, and tipped his lip up, "It means... let's stop fighting it. We wipe the slate clean like Liv said, and see where things go. Put the past in the past, and start moving forward - together." He pecked her cheek before taking her hand again, "Let's go to dinners, and movies - and even that horrible circus again!"

"You hated that place!" Amy countered, poking his chest playfully

"I know." Ricky nodded with a giddy lilt

Her voice pitched higher, "You threatened to throw popcorn at the clown!"

As did his, "I know!" Chuckling, "But I'll do it all again, if you want me to." His eyes searched hers for a brief moment, softening as he whispered, "I just want us to be together as a family. Here. Or wherever." Her eyes lowered to the floor, her hands loosening from his. He sighed heavily, fearing he had spoken too honestly and scared her. "... I put you on the spot, huh?" She swallowed quickly before doing the unexpected.

Grabbing his curls, she got his attention, molding her mouth against his instantly and grinding into him; both pawing at each other as their tongues fought for dominance in their lengthy and passionate way. He took the hem of her shirt, backing them up until her back hit the sink and lifted her onto the ledge - completely forgetting it was wet from the sudsy water turning cold. Her hands aided in unbuttoning her jeans but her thigh slid slightly and her hip landed into the water, drenching her left side.

He couldn't help but break their kiss to chuckle and ask, "So... is that a yes, then?"

Pulling him back to her, she shyly smirked against his mouth, "It's a... I'll think about it..." She wanted him as every fiber in her body burned with intense heat for him; needing him - all of him - to fill her up and take her to the emotional depths only he could find. But, it wasn't the right time. She had just came back, and while she wanted nothing more than to revel in his soft moans against her neck as he pounded into her, she also knew that he was asking for a redo. To start over and see if they could find the spark that originally brought them together. Not just the physical ones, but the ones who made her heart flutter whenever he touched her hand, or made her smile when he cuddled against her on their sofa. The intimacy without sex. Although, his body was primed for that too. Feeling his southern hemisphere start to brush against her thigh, he broke their kiss and coughed under his breath. She giggled under hers and wrapped her arms around his waist, not wanting to embarrass him as she saw his cheeks start to blush, and the no doubt dirty thoughts his mind was playing like a film reel inside that head of his.

"Uh, Ames... you're getting me wet." Ricky mumbled into her hair, feeling the dampness from her shirt start to seep into his skin.

Clicking her tongue, Amy smirked and squeezed him tighter, "Huh, didn't seem to bother you last time..."

"No... it didn't..." He pursed his lips inward, putting his hands on her hips, while his brows waggled, "The kids are asleep -"

Moving her hands down his arms, she scoffed, "I was actually referring to the water fight in the bathroom. Get your mind out of the gutter, Underwood!" Giving him a playful shove with a raised brow at his chuckle, "Thought you wanted to take things slow?" He leaned in and kissed her again, slipping his tongue past her lips just as she giggled against his mouth and broke it, "Who kisses, and then sleeps with someone they just met?"

"Um, us." Shifting his hands further, he cupped her backside, his voice getting lower with a hint of seduction laced in, "And if you need further evidence of that - he's sleeping under a blanket covered in trains. Probably snoring like you."

Stifling the moan in her throat when his hands squeezed her butt, she licked her lips and nodded slowly, "Oh right... well, that's why I'm going to go back to my dads-" Removing his hands, "and you're gonna sleep in your bed... alone." She turned on her heel and stepped past him with a wink, "For now anyways..."

Following her movements with his eyes, he bit his bottom lip, grabbed the sprayer that was hanging into the sink, and waited for the right moment to strike. When she bent down to gather one of their daughters toys from under the highchair, he released the black botton and sent a spray of water across the floor and onto her back.

With a small, but audible gasp, Amy shrieked, "You got me all wet!"

Doing it again, Ricky scoffed, "Funny... I didn't hear you complaining last time... " Lifting his brow and clicking his tongue, "And I'm not talking about the bathtub, Juergens..."

Putting the toy down on the table, she shook her head with a mischievous smirk, "You're so -" but the pellets of water splattering across her torso in bursts of cold stings, "Ok - ok -" left her raising her hands to try to shield herself, yelping in hysterical distress of the assault before he let up and clutched his sides, amused by the sight of her soaking wet shirt plastered to her body. With her mouth agape at the audacity of his tricks, she knew she had to beat him at his own game, so she grabbed both sides of her wet shirt and quickly threw it over her head, tossing it to the floor, "You just wanted to get a rise out of me!"

He lowered his hands, and eyes, at her accusation with feigned hurt, "I would never!" Trying not to make it completely obvious his gaze was locked on the hardened nipples peeking though the pink bra she had on that was also damp from the spray of the water.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Mhmm, sure." Sauntering over slowly and taking the hem of his shirt, she brushed her fingers along the contours of his jaw, her voice low, "You know... I can make something else rise... if you know what I mean..."

His brows rose, biting his bottom lip as he dipped his finger into the middle of her bra, "Thought you wanted to sleep alone tonight?"

With a small, unconvincing, shrug, she tugged at his shirt again, prompting him to remove her hand so he could whip it off and over his head with a low growl as he gathered her right boob in his hand, and foddled it, growing harder and more eager when she arched her back with a small moan.

Letting her right hand rest on his torso, she traced the lines of his muscles down to the trail of hair that disappeared under the waist of his boxers. When his other hand cupped her other breast, she saw an opportunity, and with a slightly wicked grin, used her left hand to find the nozzle; taking the initiative to slide her right hand down his abdomen and slip her hand past his belt and into his pants, palming him, and causing his breath to hitch before giving in and pressing his lips to hers; capturing her lower lip between his teeth when she squeezed and sped up the pacing in his pants as he was now fully erect.

With his thoughts distracted because she knew he was focusing on keeping his cool while he was about to explode on her hand, she grabbed the nozzle and quickly slid it in, letting him twitch before she released the button and sent a slam of pressurized water against his pelvic region.

Ricky's eyes grew wide, breaking their kiss and stumbling backward with rapid breaths and fast blinks, "What the -" Not yet understanding what was happening until the water dripped down his legs and she nearly fell over from laughing so hard. Seeing the nozzle inside his pants, he ripped it out and clicked his tongue at her, "You're just asking for it, aren't you?"

Unable to stop herself from giving into the hysterics, Amy gave him a coy smirk, and grabbed his crumpled shirt from the floor, slipping it over her head and walking slowly to the door, "You should really get a towel or something, you're dripping everywhere." Giggling, she raised her brow and purred, "Goodnightttt!" Before closing the door and leaving him standing in the kitchen.

Waiting for her to poke back in, he blew a breath from his cheeks and started to chuckle to himself, looking down at his soaked jeans and the stiffness within them, with a playful scoff, "Well played, Jeurgens. Well played."

ALL. THE. FLUFF! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, that last scene was one of my favoites to write!

We have 6 more chapters to go and as a treat I will tell you the names of the remianing ones.

"Lose My Mind" - James Arthur feat Josh Franceschi

"Avalanche" - James Arthur

"Trying" - Jordan Davis

"Family Tree" - Matthew West

"Never Grow Up" - Taylor Swift

"Just Us" - James Arthur (Can you tell I really like his music? ;P