Everyone was stunned to silence. Justin had walked outside to find Laura just as Nikki had called out to Jerry as 'Da da'. Rachel had even stopped midway up the parking lot holding a bag of Wendy's in her hand that she was bringing JC for lunch. She could see Laura through the corner of her eye. It felt like her eyes were searing right through Rachel's entire being.

Jerry's first reaction was to scoop the child up in his arms and hug him with all his might. Shaking his head he lightly pushed the little boy towards JC, "Take him...Take him."

Laura walked over and grabbed Lacey from JC's arms so he could get Nikki. "Just take him...Please!" Jerry stood off to the side and watched them.

JC tried to get a firm hold on Nikolas, but he was pushing against JC's chest to break free to get to Jerry. Jerry couldn't watch anymore. He rushed past Justin back into the building wiping tears from his eyes.

Nikolas began to move his body around violently in hopes of gaining back his freedom. When that too failed he began to cry.  Seeing there was nothing she could do, Laura took Lacey and left JC and his fiance alone in the parking lot with their son. Justin opened the door for her and then went in the opposite direction down the hall after Jerry. He found him in one of the back office.

"You alright, man?"

"Yeah. I'm cool." Jerry wiped his eyes once more and took a deep breath.

"Must be hard."

"It is. But I'll get through it okay. I just hope Nikolas will."

"He must be really confused. Not knowing who he should call daddy and have that be the truth." Justin commented finding a seat behind the desk.

"With time he'll know."

"Your friend said the same thing."

Jerry got off the desk and turned around to look at Justin, "What friend?"

Justin whipped out a business card and handed it to Jerry. "Thomas Whitfield. Private Investigator."

Jerry looked down at the card and wondered how Justin found out about Mr. Whitfield. Justin got up from the chair and made his way around the desk, pacing the room like Matlock in a courtroom, "Yeah. I caught him following me home the other night."

"He wasn't suppose to be following you. He was suppose to be following-"

"Cassandra?" Justin whipped his head around to see the reaction in Jerry's face.

Jerry looked down trying to think of a story to feed him, but Justin knew how he operated. It was too late. "Look, Jer, you don't have bullshit me. If you have this guy following her for what I think, then I need to know everything you know...Before it's too late."

"What do you know?" Jerry questioned.

"What do you know?"

"I asked you first..."

"I believe that a certain 'friend' of ours and Rachel has been playing God in the lab with test results...Not just once either...I think Rachel is trying to pass off Nikky as JC's kid when he might be someone else's flesh and blood."

"Yeah, well, she's done a hell of a job covering her tracks, cause we can't get shit on her. And I have no rights to Nikky anymore so I can't request another paternity test, nor do I have proof to dispute the results JC has."

"What can we do to change that?"

"JC has to make that move. And that's like begging your ex-girlfriend to put on some underwear...It'll never happen."

Justin couldn’t help but laugh.  "Can't hurt unless we try, Jerry."

"Yeah, but what if we are wrong? I don't want to put Nikolas through anymore of this, Justin. I just can't." Jerry crossed his arms and thought about that beautiful little boy he had to push away just moments ago. "It was the hardest thing he ever had to do."

Justin thought back on his childhood and how he slightly resented his father for not being there for him when he was younger. "And if we're right? You'd want him to go through the rest of his life without knowing you? Especially if you are his true father?"

"I love him more than life itself and rather than see him being flung from family to family, I am just going to have to walk away knowing that JC will love him just as much as I do."

He was beginning to take what Jerry was saying personally. All these things he had heard his father say to him just years ago when they started their relationship anew. "Well I can't do that Jerry. And if you really loved that kid, you wouldn't be able to either. You'd fight to the death to be with him.  You'd fight till you couldn't fight anymore...Just for him." Justin stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him, leaving Jerry alone to think long and hard about what he had said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JC returned back into the studio...Alone. Rachel had decided to take the baby with her to a friends house while she read over a script. He looked around to ask Justin if he could hitch a ride home but learned from Laura that Justin had left early with Hallie. He claimed a migraine was keeping him from concentrating and that they would start up again fresh the next morning. The only person left was Laura. She had her rental car and agreed to drop him off. This also gave him a chance to spend a little more time with his daughter. He called his mom from the car on his way home. Mrs. Chasez jumped at the opportunity to see her newborn grandchild and rushed over to the house to greet them once they arrived back at JC's.

"Oh my God! She looks just like you did when you were born!" Karen said smiling at JC.

"Are you trying to say I looked like I girl?" he joked. "I think she looks more like Laura, Ma." 

The three of them sat around and talked as she doted over the baby. With every blink it was like a new experience for Karen. She was reluctant to leave when 6 o'clock rolled around, but she had been there three hours and the baby was fast asleep. JC was lying the baby down on his bed while Laura walked Karen out to her car. She kissed Laura on the cheek, "I feel honored that you thought of me enough to give the baby my name."

"Well I had told you a long time ago that you were like a mother to me. That's never changed. No matter how you may feel about me now." Laura was still hurting over her broken relationship with JC's mother.

"Laura. I-"

"It's ok, Mrs. Chasez. I understand." Laura kissed her ex mother-in-law and made sure she got out okay before starting back towards the house until she heard a faint moan coming from over by the fence. She followed the sound and found Buddy sticking his head out from underneath the gate.

"Buddy? What the heck are you doing down there baby? You stuck?" Laura went to rescue the dog. His mane had gotten caught between parts of the gate.

"JC!" Laura called out to him. He met her in the foyer. The dog was feverishly clawing his way up her body to lick her face. "Buddy was caught in the gate. Why is he so dirty?"

"He's outside most of the day. He doesn't really like Rachel, so instead of having to deal with him when she is home alone, she let's him out back to terrorize the place." JC started to go through the mail as Laura chased after the dog into the living room. She sat on the floor and wrestled with him briefly. JC sat back and watched the two of them together.

Buddy was excited to have her back in the house. He kept sniffing and licking her, as if to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "He sleeps under Nikki's crib. And every time Rachel walks in the room, he's got this low protective growl that he does to piss her off. It's too funny."

Laura laughed and praised the dog. JC leaned forward with elbows resting on his knees and said, "He seems to have missed you a lot though."

Laura fell back as Buddy jumped onto her chest, "God I know. I missed him too. Didn't I, baby! You've gotten to be such a big boy, while I was away, huh?" she ruffled up his hair and scratched the back of his ear lovingly.

JC starred at her and accidentally blurted out, "He's not the only one that misses you, Laura."

Laura was taken aback by his frankness. He too was caught off guard. He'd meant to keep that bit of information to himself, but now that it was out there, he decided to go with it and see where it led.

"JC, please." Laura looked down at the dog, cradling his little face in her hands and pushing back his enormous amount of hair.

"Please what?"

"Please don't start. I can't take all these compliments that you are throwing my way." Laura crawled over to other side of the couch and started to clean up. She couldn't sit still and talk to JC. She had to keep busy or she would likely let something happen.

"A friend can't tell you that he misses you?"

"No." Laura let her hand fall and slap against the side of her thigh in frustration. "Because I tend to want to twist it around to suite my needs and my heart can't take it.

"And what is it you need, Laura?"

"You already know what I need. And I'm not going to stand here and tell you, just so that you feel satisfied in hearing it come from my lips." Laura grabbed her shoes and sat on the couch to put them on.

"What if it's something that could be."

"It can never be, JC...Not anymore." She looked up at him from tying her laces. "Don't you understand that?"

"What if I'm saying that I miss you more than just a friend. Do you understand that?"

They were just inches away from each other on the couch, but it felt like thousands of miles to Laura. She slapped her knees as she stood up ad grabbed the baby's diaper bag. "Then I would tell you to save that for your fiance when she comes home to you. You can't keep doing this." Tears were beginning to fill her eyes. "You've made up your mind. Now you have to live with your decision, Josh. This back and forth bullshit is ridiculous. And I am sure as hell not going to be the other woman."

"I don't want you to do be." JC went to grab her hand but Laura moved back away from him. "Well, I am sure as hell not going to be second choice...Especially to Rachel. A year down the road you may realize that she might not be the person you thought she was. Something may happen that will change your relationship forever. It may even cause you two to separate forever. But I am not going to be there waiting on you with open arms when and if that day finally comes."

"And what if I am feeling that way right now? It's not too late...Is it?"

Laura walked over and grabbed the baby's burping blanket that was resting on his shoulder.  She smoothed out his collar. "This is just pre-wedding jitters talking. You'll feel very differently soon."

JC took her chin in his hand and lifted her face towards his, "And if I don't."

Laura smiled at him as tears rolled down her cheek. She cradled his face in her hands, just as she did Buddy's moments earlier. Looking deep into his solemn, crystal blue eyes she said, "I know you love me. And I'm more than positive you know that I would die for you, but as I stand here in front of you, looking around this house and at how everything in here and-" She paused bringing her hands down in between their chests and clasping them together, trying to choke back the emotional that was screaming to get out. She took one hand and balled it up near her own chest and placed her free hand flat upon his chest, "...And in here have changed. I feel it's too late for us. Because you may love me." She began to sob lowly, "But you didn't love me enough." she took his hand and brought it to her chest, placing it over her heart. "And that's why this is so empty right now. Because you're no longer there...It may not ever be as complete as it once was, and I'll have to live with that."

They both were surprised by the sound of keys in the front door. Laura sniffled and wiped away her tears. She moved away from JC and looked around to make sure she had gathered up everything. Rachel entered the house and Nikki ran over to Laura holding out his arms for her to hold him. JC picked him up and Laura let him hold onto her finger as she said hello. The baby leaned towards her face and let his mouth fall onto her cheek in his own attempt to kiss her.

"Just wait until you really learn how to give kisses, Nik Nik. You'll have the girls all over you, baby." Laura gave him a quick kiss on his chubby little cheek before walking back into the bedroom and grabbed the baby.

Rachel didn't know what to make of it all. Laura looked as though she'd been crying and JC seemed to be stunned about something. She decided to try and be the understanding fiance today and just give JC his moment of privacy with his daughter. She grabbed up Nikolas and took him into the kitchen to feed him his supper.

JC walked Laura to the car and kissed his daughter goodnight as he buckled in her car seat.

JC walked over to the passenger side of the car where Laura was standing. With one hand in his back pocket and the other hand going through his hair he took a deep breath and asked, "Can we please talk about this more tomorrow?"

"No. The whole 'Let's be friends' thing isn't going to work. For her sake, I know we can still be friendly towards one another without actually being friends. I've moved on, JC. You should too." she gently patted him on the chest before getting into the car.

"You've moved on? With who?  Your ex, Rick?" he spat back

Laura never responded and JC didn't understand why.  But as she was pulling out of the driveway things seemed to become more evident with each passing second. Right up until that very moment, he hadn't noticed the diamond encrusted ring that was planted solidly around her ring finger. The realization hit him like a freight train.