Ally was pacing restlessly up and down the small corridor, glancing at her watch now and then. Waiting.

She had never been precise, so when the previous month she hadn't had her period, she hadn't wasted any time in thinking that there could have been something wrong.

'Just go ahead and push it aside'. This was her philosophy. Fool. She had been a damned fool to ignore the fact that if you push them aside the problems will find you again.

It was time. Time to know if she was pregnant.

And she almost fainted upon seeing the result.

Sean's child. She was bearing his child from at least two months.

Clutching at the little card, Ally's eyes unfocused, while her mind was figuring out how on Earth was she going to tell him he was to be a father.

'Hi Beanie! Do you want to know something funny? In some months we'll be three!'

She was sure it wasn't going to be easy. Of all things, Sean had never hoped for another child, being completely taken from his three daughters.

They had not even told each other the magic words as Jen always called them.

Three simple words which can be of major importance when it comes to accept your responsibilities.

But he had never uttered them.

"Ally?" Sean's voice called from the corridor, the door opening a mere moment later. He stopped on the threshold for some moments, staring at her back, his head tilted to the side. He hadn't missed the way she had flinched when he'd entered the room. Yet she was unmoving.

What was the matter?

"Ally?" he called again as he walked to near her, much softer this time, laying a hand on her shoulder once close enough. "You alright, love?"

"Can…can you leave me alone, Sean?" she asked, without turning back, her face wet for the tears she had been shedding for the whole time, her voice husky and low.

The little card, irrefutable proof of her condition, was still in her hands, she was clutching it, holding it tight against her chest, trying to conceal it from his gaze.

She had forgot the little test case. It had been carelessly abandoned on the sink some time before, and from the silence in the room she understood he had seen it.

For quite some moments Sean merely stared at the small box, without daring to pick it up. He wasn't new to such things, and feared to know why Ally was refusing to turn around and face him. To say the truth, he was pretty sure to know what was going on.

And he wasn't exactly happy about the news.

Not since he and Ally had only been together for a few months. Not since he already had three daughters to take care of. And not since he wasn't ready to deal with that, he wasn't ready to take such a responsibility again. Not so soon.

He took a deep breath, and braced himself before to circle Ally, stopping right in front of her.

"So?"

Without daring to look in his eyes, Ally just handed him the little card, her hands now trembling for she was quietly sobbing again. It was glaring. He didn't want it. He wasn't happy about the news, she could tell it from the tone of his voice, for the worried expression on his face and the fact that he hadn't touched her since he had seen the response.

Of all things, she couldn't deal with a scared man. Not since she was already scared and feeling shattered from the news. And she sure wasn’t going to be able to listen to some raving speech in which he would have probably advised her to abort for he wasn't ready. As if he was the only one who could decide about the matter.

No. She wasn't willing to remain there.

"I'm going away" she just told him, quickly turning away and climbing down, leaving him there wordless.

"Tomorrow I'll come and pick up some of my things, for tonight I'll be fine".

When Sean exited the bathroom to follow Ally and walked to the stairs, he was still holding the ominous card in his hands. He stared at her as she hurried downstairs, sighing. And there was no trace of emotion in his voice when he spoke.

"I shall go. It will not be a problem to find a place to stay." was all he brought himself to say. Then he turned around, and made his way to what used to be their bedroom in order to collect at least some clothes and belongings.

Before he could actually come back, Ally grasped her purse and jacket, storming outside and slamming the door at her back, running away from that man who was behaving even worse of what she had expected.

He had told her she could trust him.

Without faltering the littlest, the woman knocked at the unknown door where she knew

Jen was staying.

"Uhm...hi"

"Ally?" was Jen's reply, clearly puzzled to see her there. But it was glaring that there was something wrong, and she just sighed deeply. Her friend looked shattered as when she had been dumped from Orlando. Something had happened.

"Do you want to come inside, love?"

"N-no..." was the other's reply, still too shaken to even try and dissimulate the way she was actually feeling. "Listen...since you're sleeping with Orli...could you give me the key for your apartment? I-I can't stay with Sean anymore. He... Can you give me the key?"

"Sure I can. But why don't you come inside? You look as if you're going to faint at any moment..." Jen worriedly said, turning to glance at Orlando who had been watching the entire scene.

He nodded at once, giving his lover a concerned glance before looking at the older woman again, and gesturing for her to come in. Only then he neared the two, stopping at Jen's side. Something was indeed not right.

"She's right, Ally..." he muttered, "You really should sit down for a moment and try to… well, to relax...you're shaking."

Walking as a woman in a dream, Ally entered the house sitting down on the couch, looking at her shoes just to avoid meeting their gaze.

Jen sat next to her and enveloped her friend in the warmest of embraces, softly cradling her when she heard her sob, sighing in despair and exchanging a quick glance with Orlando, who had sat down in front of them, probably hoping he could help her somehow.

"What's happening?" the younger one asked Ally when she had finally calmed, still holding her tight and noticing that she was still trembling.

"I'm pregnant" she just said, her voice so low and husky that for a moment Jen thought she had just imagined it. Yet the shocked expression on Orli's face was an evident proof that she wasn't wrong. Ally was really pregnant. "And...Sean doesn't want this child. He doesn't want me anymore". With that said the tears ran free upon her cheeks again, and she mentally thanked her friend who was trying to calm her in any way. But how could she be calm when her life was such a mess? And it was even worse of her previous relationship. She was the best in searching for the wrong man. The best.

"Sean? He--he doesn't want the child? But...it's his child! How could he be that insensitive?" Jen exclaimed, now totally vexed and having decided to tan Bean's arse as soon as she would have met him.

"He's probably just scared" Orlando offered, although a moment later he had to cringe in his armchair, since Jen had flashed him a less then reassuring and very grim glance. And he hurried to continue, leaning slightly towards them. "Well, I--I am not trying to justify him with that.. I was only meaning that, umm... that maybe he was taken aback, I know I would be as well, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't want the child. Right?"

Oh, God. He wasn't good at that sort of things, and he was feeling suddenly very uneasy as he leaned back again, sighing. The urge to just slap himself and learn to shut that damned mouth was almost unbearable.

"Oh, but I know that I don't want him anymore" was Ally's reply, while blowing her nose in a hankie and staring straight at him, while Jen nodded solemnly.

"No, you don't need him, love. You have me. I'll do my best and you know you can lean on me whenever you feel downhearted. I'll always be at your side".

"Thank you..." the older woman smiled, shifting her attention to her friend. Jen. Always so determined and sometimes naive.

"It's just that...I don't know if I'll actually...I don't know if I'll keep the child. He deserves to have a father. A normal family. And I'm not able to offer him a rosy future."

"But we'll be here" Orlando said gently, leaning to place a hand reassuringly over Ally's, and giving her a small smile. "Whatever you'll decide, you can count on me and Jen for anything, always. And I could have a word with Sean, anyway.. if you reckon it's even worth a try.."

"No" she said, decidedly shaking her head. "He's not worth it. I want to decide by myself, even if it's his child. It's glaring that he doesn't want us and so he will not decide my life anymore. It's up to me."

At such heated words, Jen sighed deeply, looking at Orlando. The old times when they were an happy couple, when Sean truly seemed in love with Ally were over. She couldn't believe he had actually pushed her away for it was too uncharacteristic of him. Yet he was the father, it was no use in denying it for Ally would have never betrayed him. She had fallen for Sean, and everyone could see it. Except him, of course.

On his part, Orlando stared back at Jen for some moments and then stood up, forcing himself to smile despite the sadness he was feeling inside. It was over, then? He had always thought about Sean and Ally as the perfect couple, right from the start, even envying them a little whenever he'd had troubles or some fight with Jen. And he had never, not once, thought that they could have split, they seemed just too happy together. Too perfect. But he'd been wrong.

"You're right, Ally." he said, nodding lightly. "And I want you to stay here with us, I'll sleep on the sofa or in the other apartment, you'll stay with Jen. Now lay back and relax as she cuddles you, I'll get you a hot tea in no time at all."

"N-no" she immediately said, standing up as well just to face him. Of all things she surely didn't want to meddle between them, for they were together again from just a few weeks and probably her presence in the house would have spoiled their happiness. She didn't want to be a burden to anyone, especially to her friends who were so good to her. It was not right.

"You don't have to go. I'll go to the other apartment. I don't want to take advantage of your friendship. I'll manage somehow..."

"Please." he replied as another smile, way brighter than the previous, made its way to his lips. "Spending some time with Jen would only do you good, and you know that. So don't protest and just stay, as long as you can bear to have me around the house everyday" he chuckled, before to glance at his Jen. "hard task sometimes, eh love?"

"You can well say that!" she said, winking at him and standing up to hug Ally from behind. "You can go anywhere, love. I'll be your shadow, and don't forget you're a pregnant woman! You have to rest, eat, and be cherished, nothing more..."

"I'm not ill!" Ally playfully complained, turning to look at her and then smiling softly.

"OK, OK. I'll stay. And...thank you...for everything..."

"Nonsense... I would have been deadly offended if you wouldn't have come straight there..."

Still smiling, Orlando was already walking to the kitchen in order to make some tea. He stopped halfway, though, and when he turned around to look at the other two, the smile had disappeared from his face.

"You know what? I've changed my mind." he said somewhat solemnly, raising an eyebrow. And then his smile was back. "How 'bout hot chocolate?"

"Great!" Jen exclaimed, tightening the embrace and grinning helplessly. The boy knew exactly how to made her happy, for in fact she was pretty chocoholic.

"Right, go ahead!" was Ally's amused reply, knowing all too well how much Jen liked every kind of cakes and chocolate.

Orlando chuckled as well, and then bowed in a quite theatrical way before the two ladies. "Very well" he said as politely as he could, "Give me just five minutes then, and I'll be back with your chocolate. And with cuddles for both, if you'll allow me."

"Sure we’ll allow you!" Jen chuckled helplessly. "Ally here needs cuddles for two now, and I don't know if I'll actually be able to cherish her properly alone..."

Five days. Five darned days and Sean had never called, not even asking Orlando whether she was fine or not.

Jen was growing impatient, for she just couldn't conceive the fact that he was refusing Ally just because she was pregnant. With his child, moreover. She was trying to help her forget alongside with Orli, but it was not an easy task, even if she had already changed her turn at work, just to be sure not to meet him.

Yet Jen saw him every morning, acting as if she actually didn't know him.

But not today. She had spent the whole night in hugging Ally who was having nausea and was even more scared and decided to see a gynecologist to ask for an abort. For the wrong reasons, as Jen often told her.

"Are you feeling fine with your conscience, Mr. Bean?" she asked him in a mocking tone, while settling his wig in place. It would take a long while and he hadn't any possibilities to escape. At least.

"I'm sure you're boasting around about how male you have been to use her and then dump her without even turning back, yeah? Really mature for an old bore like you. Really".

At first Sean merely met her eyes through the wide mirror, saying nothing. Mostly because in that right moment he would have probably been able to utter no more than a disappointed growl through clenched teeth, or to just shout out all his frustration.

He had to calm down. Not an easy task those days, since in that last week he'd been barely sleeping at all, and was keeping himself awake only thanks to huge amounts of coffee and willpower. Furthermore, his conscience certainly wasn't helping.

He didn't know how many times he'd dialed Ally's number on his cellular phone, without finding the courage to push the little green button and actually call her. And that wasn't helping, either. It wasn't helping, because as a matter of fact he was actually playing the part of the selfish male who doesn't give a dam of anyone but himself, let alone the woman who was bearing his child.

"Mind what you say, Jen." he eventually muttered, as calmly as he could. "You don't know me. And I wouldn't expect you to understand my reasons."

"You're right, Mr. Bean" she hissed, now in an utterly disgusted fashion, too angry to meet his eyes. "I don't know you and I'm not even interested in knowing a brainless and selfish bloke as you are. I just know that you've had fun with my best friend, you gained her trust with witty phrases, telling her that you weren't going to hurt her. And now here you are, composed and cold as if nothing at all had happened, while she's feeling like crap. Scared and sick. You should be really happy to know that she's almost decided. She doesn't want to keep the child. Next week she'll probably see the doctor. Proud of yourself now? Yeah. You are, I can see it..."

Oh sure, he thought, absolutely proud of that grand craft of his. And suddenly lost for words.

Guilt, now gnawing ever more insistently at him, wasn’t a good counselor. Neither was the fear of being rejected. What was he supposed to do now?

Go for dialogue, something inside him suggested, you don't have so much to lose. Go for dialogue, even if she won't believe you anyway. You big git.

"Honestly, Jen. Even if I said that I care, would you believe me?" he asked, shirking from her touch and turning onto the chair in order to look at her. "I think not. And I don't think a good deed would be enough to make up for the way I've been acting in the last week, either. I know I only have to blame myself for this."

"That's for sure. You're the only one to blame" she said, backing up and sitting on the counter, crossing her arms on her chest, staring menacingly at him.

"I find it absolutely disgusting to push aside a woman who is pregnant. And you know it's your child. You know that. It's not only her fault but also yours. But now she's been left alone to face it. Alone and scared. She thinks that you're not even worthy of her attention, and she probably wants to...abort because she believe that she will easily forget everything, even your face within months. I don't think so. It will be even worse. So don't ask me to pity you because I can't. You've called out from all this a week ago..."

"I don't want you to pity me" Sean retorted, frowning. "And if you really care to know I and Ally have never talked about this, not even when we've first found out. A minute later she was already on the way to your apartment. She's been the one to cut me off first."

"Oh, sure" she said mockingly, shaking her head.

She couldn't believe in what she was hearing.

"That's why you've never called her. That's why you were going to change apartments, saying that you were able to find another accommodations. It's clear that you really care for her. And especially for your child. You know what? She's right. She's right when she says that this child would have never a real family and a father. Never..."

Sean shook his head, sighing, and ran a hand across his face. That wasn't leading anywhere.

"Why should I have called her? To say what? She won't talk to me anyway, and you know that. Should I knock at your door? Would you even let me in? Would you, Jen?"

"Then what?" she snapped, now getting on her feet and walking to the door.

She would have asked Annie to take her place for it was impossible for her to take anymore of that man.

"Just let go then. Let her go without moving a single finger, that's so good. And let her go and see that doctor to abort your child if you don't give a fuck! Go, Bean. I just can't see how could I believe you actually cared for her..."

"I do care!" Sean answered back, his voice not so low and controlled anymore. "We weren't planning to have any child at all, I wasn't and I am not ready for that. But it doesn't mean that I don't care about Ally, damn it! If I'm behaving like an asshole it doesn't mean that I'm not in love with her!"

There, he thought as he slumped on his chair again, damage done. Could it ever get any worse than that?

"You are not in love with her" she said then, opening the door and turning to look at him for the last time, surprised by such vehemence but not convinced at all about the matter.

"Or else you would have tried and take her back. Brawl. Shout. Fight. A whole week is passed, Bean. A week. What are you waiting for?"

Smiling bitterly, she didn’t give him the possibility to answer, for she was already stalking away.

Only a couple of hours later, Sean had already decided that this was possibly being the worst day he'd ever had since they'd started to film. He kept on forgetting his quotes, and a take was never enough to get him actually acting properly, as he usually did. A mess. It was a mess.

So much so, that the director evidently got the hint and granted him permission to go home even before lunch. And home he went, cursing himself all the time and decided to have a good shower and to slump in bed for the rest of the day. Once there, though, he did nothing, but merely settled himself in front of the TV, browsing idly through the channels and staring at the screen without actually seeing it. Jen's words were still haunting him. And, despite her roughness, he knew that she was right.

He was losing Ally, if he hadn't lost her already. He wasn't too sure that he actually wanted the child, it was no use in trying to convince himself that he was ready and such bullshit. He wasn't ready, those were the facts. But maybe, maybe if he'd still have Ally by his side he could have tried to get used to the idea, and thus get ready to start again. With her, and he knew that he would love that child all the same, because it was their child.

But Ally didn't want him anymore. And he couldn't blame her for that.

He was somehow shaken from his apathy, later that afternoon, when the phone rang.

"Can you open the door?" Ally called from the kitchen, while wiping her hands.

Jen had already gone out to buy something to eat, having decided that Ally shouldn't over tire.

It was almost seven o'clock when the door bell rang, just as she was cleaning up the mess she had done with Orlando onto the kitchen counter.

Chocolate. They were tying to do some chocolate cake, but the clumsy experiment had ended up with chocolate spattered here and there, more so that Orlando had some even in his hair.

"Are you still under the shower, Orli?" she then asked again, without getting any response from the man in question.

"Yeah, still under the shower..." the woman muttered to herself, while hurrying to open the door.

It had to be Jen who had forgotten her keys.

The bucket fell down onto the floor when she saw the man on the threshold, her hands numb all of a sudden, her eyes wide in surprise.

Sean.

When their eyes had met, he'd involuntary held his breath. It came out in a soft sigh but some moments later, when he managed to regain the tiniest bit of control over himself, and even to hint a small, nervous smile.

God, she was even more beautiful than he could remember.

"Hey.." he eventually muttered, clearing his throat a little awkwardly before to continue. He realized only then that his hands were trembling. "I--I need to speak with you, Ally."

"N-no" was all she managed to mutter.

This couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

Was he going to force her through the awful rigmarole of thinking about her future, about her life, asking her not to keep the child for he wasn't willing to recognize him as his?

And further more, what the hell did he want after a week?

She had almost fried her cell phone by checking if it worked properly because she couldn't conceive the fact that he had never tried to talk to her about the matter. Not even once had he called her.

"I've nothing to say to you...nothing..."

"Ally.." Sean sighed, taking a hesitant step forward, and laying a hand on her shoulder

just as uncertainly. He felt her stiffen at once, just from that tiny contact, but to his relief she didn't try to shrink back from his touch. Not yet, at least.

"Please, I--" he managed to mutter, "This is important, it really is.. or you can just kick me out of here and I won't complain, for I know I don't even deserve your attention.. but please, listen to me.. it won't take long, I promise."

Sighing deeply, the woman seemed to ponder about the matter for a while, still shaken and utterly upset by his presence there.

Yet a part of her being was eager to know what was he trying to tell, and if it was some good news, so she just stepped aside to let him enter, without looking in his eyes.

"All right. I'll listen to you".

The smile on Sean's lips was much brighter now, even if in fact he was still very nervous and his hands were still shaking helplessly, his heart hammering so wildly that for a split second he feared it could leap out from his very chest.

"Thank you.." he said softly, paying attention not to get too close, although he was dying to hug her. But he didn't want to embarrass her, and he knew all too well that it wouldn't have made it any easier, for the both of them.

"Ally, I.." he began, faltering just a little, and staring deeply into her eyes. "I know that I've been horrible towards you in this last week, and I won't blame you if you'll decide to just shut me out of your life for that.. I don't know how many times I've dialed your number, without actually finding the courage to call you.."

He smiled bitterly then, shaking his head, and sighed. "I know it sounds just like a lame excuse, but it's true. I was afraid that you could have rejected me after the way I've reacted that day, but--but I was scared. I still am, and yet I don't want to lose you.. I can't lose you.."

"What do you want from me, Sean?" she asked softly, afraid she could have misunderstood his words. Of all things, she surely wasn't waiting for him to be that submissive and admit his mistakes. Men were all the same, after all. They would die but they would never admit they were wrong.

But it was what he had just done. Unbelievable.

"We made a mistake, and now...the child is here, in my womb. Don't think it's easy for me. I am not so sure I'll be able to give him a good life, and I don't know if I'll actually be a good mother. I just don't know. That day I clearly read in your eyes that you were rejecting me, and I couldn't bear to watch your back as you walked away. So I've decided to be the first one to go, because I had nothing more left, aside from a couple of good friends..."

"You have me" Sean whispered, his voice so low it could be hardly heard. "If you still want me.."

Unable to restrain himself further, the next moment he had already gathered Ally within his arms, and was burying his face in her hair. Smiling helplessly as her familiar scent surrounded him, that same scent that had enthralled him, filling his head with sheer delight, the very first time they'd ever hugged each other. And it was always the same, every time he felt that same way. That scent meant Ally, it meant home, somehow, and it was just then, when he'd seriously risked to lose her, that he realized that it meant the whole world to him.

"I love you" he found himself breathe out, but he didn't even try to stop it. "God, I love you Ally"

Now unable to hold back the tears, Ally finaly hugged him in return, burying her face between his neck and shoulder. She had dreamed those words for who knows how long, and the most beautiful thing was that they seemed real.

Yet she was still full of doubts and fears, and she drew back in order to look at him, her eyes shining and her cheeks wet.

"You know that it's not enough, Sean..." she whispered sadly. "It's a child...and I cannot lean on you if you aren't completely sure to be able and stay at my side. I couldn't bear to lose you again, and I....I don't think you're ready to...deal with it. What will you do then? Ask me to...find other solutions for you don't want to recognize him as your son?

What?"

"No, I want you to keep it" Sean replied, taking her face in his hands and wiping away the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, tenderly. He hinted a small smile then, even if his eyes were stinging and watery just as well.

"I want us to have this child, I only have to get accustomed to the idea of being a father again, I think. But I'm not planning to ever leave you, never again.."

Looking intensely in his eyes, Ally seemed to try and read his very soul, hoping to understand if he was telling the truth.

And indeed he was.

A thousand of emotions were shaking him, and it was clear to her as his usually bright eyes were stormy.

Love. Longing. Even despair.

"I love you, too..." she finally murmured, hinting a tiny smile.

Not a moment later Sean was already crushing her within his arms again, overcome with both love and relief.

"You should see a doctor anyway" he muttered, chuckling helplessly when she stiffened in his arms. He drew back to meet her eyes, grinning. "To see that everything’s going the right way, I mean. We want that baby to have all the attentions in the world, don't we?"

"Do you really want this child, Sean?" she then asked, kissing the tip of his nose at once, her hands now gently caressing his shoulders and the nape of his neck.

"I want you to be completely sure about that... "

"I am" he nodded at once, smiling, before catching her lips in a tender kiss. At last.

He turned his head when a light cough told them that they weren't alone. Orlando, propped against the door frame and holding a blue towel in his hands, smiled brightly at the couple.

"Already smooching, you two?"

Turning her head to look at him, Ally grinned, taking Sean's hand into hers as if she wasn't willing to break the contact with him. She hardly had him back and she was still trying to register the fact that he loved her. And he wanted that child. He wanted a family with her.

"You knew that, didn't you?"

"Let's say that we've been keeping in touch" Orlando replied, grinning back. "I'm glad to see that all my strenuous efforts to knock some sense into that sluggish brain of his were not in vain."

Sean chuckled quietly at the remark, exchanging an amused glance with Ally. "It's absolutely true, my dear, I owe you a great deal. In return, I shall be your best man when you'll marry Jen."

To Sean's utter delight, Orlando panicked instantly. "Marriage?" he blurted out, his eyes wide. "Who's ever talked about marriage?"

The older man smirked. "Nobody. But that cheeky grin of yours was indeed very annoying."

In that precise moment Jen returned home, carrying two bags full of food.

The door was open and she found herself grimacing when she recognized Sean's back on the threshold.

Walking past him, she stopped in the middle of the room, her gaze wandering from Orlando to the couple, the frown still in place.

"What's going on?"

"Sean and Ally just had a chat" Orlando smirked while nearing her, and then wound his arm around her shoulders. "A mannerly one. And they were even smooching each other when I've happened to enter the room."

Sean smiled, although he was still fearing that Jen wouldn't be happy about the news. "Indeed." he said, taking Ally's hand into his.

Said girl merely raised an eyebrow at such explanation, her gaze never leaving the couple.

Yes. It was better that way, for they were meant together, it was glaringly clear. Yet she still was worried about the whole matter.

Would he be able to understand his responsibilities and love both Ally and the child?

"Will you behave, Sean?"

"You have my word for it" he replied promptly, glancing at Ally at his side before shifting his gaze back to Jen. "And above all, she has my word for it."

"Good!" Orlando grinned, and leaned to kiss Jen's cheek. "I'm sure our oldster will keep his word, on the pain of death. Now, about more urgent matters... what's for dinner?"

"I could..." Jen began, but was cut off by Ally who exchanged a worried glance with Orlando.

In those days at home with her she had learned that her friend believed to be a good cook, but her cooking was less than edible. In fact often she and Orlando had found themselves suffering of dreadful stomach aches after her meals.

"Restaurant?"

Orlando nodded emphatically at once, worry making way to sheer relief. Not a moment later he was already hurrying out of the room.

"Hold on, I’ll get my jacket!" he shouted.

Sean raised an eyebrow, casting Ally a questioning glance. When she shook her head almost imperceptibly, he thought it wise not to inquire further. He didn't really want to face Jen's wrath again. No sir, not at all.

"It's just fine by me" he said then, flashing Jen a gracious smile.

"All right..." said girl sighed with a pout on her face, walking to the door.