"I'm so sorry." It hurts to witness Liam's crestfallen demeanor. "I took you for granted. Even after you've told me several times that it was over, I still believed it was temporary. I thought I had time to figure this all out."

"Truth is, I'm lost without you. I could always focus on the present because I knew you had the future handled. Now my whole life is in disarray. I'm screwing up everything in school and at the games. We won the playoffs, barely because I keep screwing up. Coach even threatened to pull me from the championship game, if I didn't get my head back in the game."

"You were always a part of my life. We grew up together, but I never took the time to recognize all that you do and have done for me. You were my foundation and when you walked out..." Liam half laughs, "I crumbled, Cat."

I am about to jump in and offer my help, but then he comes out with, "Of course, the last thing I expected is that you'd replace me so quickly." Liam glances over at Alex. "If you're settling for him, I must have been really bad."

I press my lips together. Leave it to Liam. "You know you had me feeling sorry for you until that last comment."

"Come on, Cat!" Liam jumps up, pointing at Alex. "A stripper is going to be my baby's daddy? REALLY!? This..." He waves his hand to encompass Alex's entire form. "is what you want me to accept!"

"WE belong together," he says, gesturing to the two of us, "I can be better. I know I can. Let me fix this! Isn't that what you really want? For you and me and the baby... to be a family?"

His words hit me like a gut punch. "That's exactly what I wanted." I see Alex's eyes close, wanting to block out Liam's look of triumph. "I just don't want it with you anymore."

Alex's eyes spring back open and in a sudden rush, he exhales the breath he's holding.

"You do this," Liam declares, now pointing to Alex and me, "and it gets serious, all bets are off."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demand, standing up, fully ready for a fight.

"I mean if you two get serious, like REAL serious, marriage serious, then I'm fighting you for custody."

In the blink of an eye, I'm in his personal space. The look on my face alone makes Liam take a physical step back from me. He should be afraid.

I take my pointy finger and jab it into his chest. "This is exactly what I mean when I say you don't love me! All you care about is that YOU lost. You don't care about my happiness, our child's happiness, or me. You think you can rob me of my child just so you can flex your muscles to force your influence over whom I date?"

"Well, you listen to me, and you listen good! That man standing there has put me back together after you tore me apart. He held me when I went all to pieces. When your drama landed me in the hospital... it was Alex who was there to catch me when I fell. And despite his own feelings for me, he's never once pushed himself or his own agenda on me. He has let me figure it out on my own. He gave me time to decide, and I have decided." With each word, I jab of my finger into Liam's chest as I slowly enunciate, "I... LOVE... ALEX!... NOT... YOU!"

"You go right ahead. Just try to take this baby. I can't believe you actually think you have a leg to stand on. Yeah, I'm sure a custody judge would love to hear that this child you suddenly can't live without, you paid upfront to abort."

"Yeah! And I'm just as sure he'd love to see the pictures of Alex sliding down a pole, too. It's pretty obvious he ain't no firefighter," Liam replies sarcastically, waving his phone at me.

Damn those pictures.

Knowing exactly what Liam truly wants, I quickly change gears. "You're unbelievable! And to think I was going to help you?"

Alex looks horrified by our argument, but William is trying hard to hide his grin. He resorts to folding his arms and placing a hand over his mouth in a valiant attempt to appear contemplative. William knows what I'm up to.

"You were what?" Liam stops ranting and puts his phone back in his pocket.

I don't turn around. "I was going to help you. I could have easily gotten you back on track with school and other stuff. Get you all caught up so you can get your head back in the game, but now..." I shrug.

Liam grabs hold of my shoulders, spinning me around. "You'd do that for me? Seriously?"

"I would have, but not now! Not when you're planning to blackmail me into not dating Alex, by threatening to take my child away from me!"

"Cat, I need you! Can't you understand that?! I'm desperate! I can't do this without you."

"This isn't the way to go about it. Don't you get that?" I ask him.

He flops back down. "I'm just at my wit's end here, Cat. I love you! I want you back! You love him! My life is falling apart and I don't know how to put it back together. You have always taken care of everything. For the first time in my life, I'm on my own, alone."

I sit back down across from him. "You don't have to be alone," I state simply.

"So, you've finally come to your senses and are coming back to me?" he asks. His look of hope would have been comical if it wasn't so pathetic.

"No, Liam. Not only has that ship sailed, its blown up in a fiery blaze and sent to its watery grave at the bottom of the ocean."

Liam frowns at me. "You could have just stopped at that ship has sailed."

"I know," I say, "but I want to make sure you have a clear visual."

"Message received."

"Good. It's never been my plan to boot you out of my life, Liam. I've told you this before. Our families are connected, our past connects us, and this baby..." I say, putting my hand on my stomach "connects our futures. You're not alone."

"Then why does it feel that way?"

"Because you forget to whom you are talking," I respond, lifting his chin. "I'm not the enemy and neither is Alex. Yes, things have changed, in BIG and SCARY ways, but together we can get through anything, right?"

"I used to believe that."

"It's still true. If you need my help, you just need to ask."

"But why Cat? After everything that you told me, why would you help me?"

"I care about you and I still want to see you achieve your dream, and because, despite all the hurtful things said and done, I know you. I know you're a good guy who's just a little confused right now, and I am too. We're treading in all unfamiliar territory and some of it seems terrifying but ... together we can get through this, I know we can."

Liam is pensive, remaining quiet for a few minutes. "I know I don't deserve it, but can you help me, Cat?" He runs his fingers through his hair. "I really am lost without you."

"Yes."

Liam's eyes light up.

"On three conditions," I say.

"Name them."

"One - no more threats about custody. Two - No more blackmailing me to control who I date."

"Done and done, what's three?"

"Say please." I grin at him and he immediately grins back.

"Please! PLEASE, help me, Cat!"

"Done," I assure him, "But I need your help too."

"You do?" Liam asks in surprise.

"Yes, I need your help to squash this rumor if it's gone beyond you and our little group here."

Liam looks like I just asked him to stick his private parts in a vise. "You want me to stick up for HIM?"

"No, I expect you to stand up for the truth, which also helps Alex ... and me. It's really important for the baby too, that I keep the stress to a minimum, and you can do a lot to dispel this."

"For you. Not for him," Liam imparts.

"I'll take it," I reply, grinning.

"This sucks," Liam says.

"It gets better," I tell him.

"How do you know?"

"Because I've been there already and I promise you, something and perhaps someone better is waiting for you on the other side."

"Better than you?" Liam asks with obvious skepticism.

"Maybe? Not likely... but maybe," I tease.

Liam stands up, walking over to Alex with his hand outstretched. Alex looks hesitant to take it. "Come on, Man. Don't make this more awkward than it already is."

Alex takes his hand and shakes it.

"I'll help, but," Liam pulls Alex towards him. "You hurt her, and I'll finish what I started when I came through that door."

Liam's suddenly wincing in pain, and I realize Alex is crushing Liam's hand. "You hurt her or the baby and you'll discover you never had a chance of finishing what you started when you came in that door."

It took Liam by surprise, as Alex is deceptively strong. He's obviously not as broad as Liam, but the man is not only capable of supporting his own weight with his just his hands on a pole, but he can also hold his body straight out like a flag waving in the wind.

"Yay!" I cheer sarcastically, clapping my hands. "Since that's all settled, you can both let go now. Please don't make me have to file for a restraining order."

They break apart as William puts an arm around me observing, "This might actually work."

"You think so?" I ask hopefully.

He shakes his head no, adding, "It would take a miracle." I push him away from me.

"What? I'm just being honest." William remarks, laughing.

"Not helpful," I scold.

_ _ _ _

Well miracle of miracles, it actually works out. The rumor had spread beyond our little group. I still think Jenny is to blame, but with Liam, Alex, William, Olivia and the other Chi Omega girls there to deny any allegations that surface, it dies out in about 3 weeks.

I, in the meantime, keep my promise to straighten a few things out for Liam, since Liam has kept his promises to me, albeit reluctantly. Turns out, he really wasn't kidding when he said he was a mess without me. First, I set him up for automatic bill-pay online so he doesn't have to worry about missing any further payments, as his bills have fallen behind.

Second, I help him open a checking account and show him how to use it, as he has never had to write a check before. He's only made purchases with his credit or debit card. Then we fill out his grant paperwork together, so he has money to pay for his last semester of books.

Finally, I add the contacts for his doctors to his phone and make appointments for his yearly physical and dental visits, all the while showing him how he can set up reminders, and get alerts from his phone or computer for when he needs to be somewhere important.

I have to laugh when he asks me what socks I usually bought him. Apparently, his have worn out and no matter what kind he buys, they don't last or feel as comfortable as the ones I used to get him. So, I show him the brand online.

"I don't think I ever realized just how much you took care of Cat. No wonder school had you so stressed out that you needed sleeping pills. You were taking care of school and everything for the both of us, this whole time," Liam reflects in awe while placing an order for those socks.

"I actually didn't mind. I had it down to such a system that I didn't really have to think about it much."

"Jenny's offered to cook meals for me and I can honestly say she's not half bad, but I miss your lasagna," he adds. "She's been doing the laundry too, but ever since she took it over, I am getting this rash," he says, lifting his shirt to show me.

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. "It's not funny, Cat! It really itches. I nearly fumbled the ball during the last practice we had because I got a sudden itch attack."

"Switch to a "no dye, inks or perfume" brand, all the big-name detergents have one. You've had eczema since you were a kid. It's one thing your mom warned me about when we moved in together. Once you have the right detergent, I suggest you rewash everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes, towels, linens, your uniforms, your clothes, everything. It'll cost you a pretty penny at the laundromat to do it, but I promise you the itching will go away. In the meantime, call your mom and see if she has any suggestions on how to handle that rash. She may know a cream or moisturizer that will help."

"See, its stuff like this. I wouldn't have even thought of that." He puts down his laptop and asks in all sincerity, "How am I going to survive without you once we graduate?"

"You'll figure it out. Besides, you'll need a lot less help, since you won't need my assistance to bring up your grades anymore." I tease, but Liam looks so serious.

I turn his face towards me. "Hey, you got this. You're going to be okay."

Liam sighs. "I know you're right, but I just don't want graduation to come. You know?"

I shake my head, not understanding what he means at all.

He brushes my cheek that thankfully is all healed now and smiles sadly, "Once we graduate, I lose you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll have no reason to spend time with me, Cat. Not like you are now. This has been the best 3 weeks of my life since you broke up with me. Almost feels like old times."

As I have no desire to travel down this road again, I resort to smacking his chest lightly as I stand up. "Who are you kidding? You're going to be picked up by some pro-team. Traveling all the time, different girl in every state, in every city even. You'll forget all about me."

He stands up too, but peers down at me in all earnestness. "I highly doubt that. There is no replacing you," Liam asserts, playing with the end of my hair like he has a million times before.

"I gotta go... " I interject, pointing towards my coat and purse by the door. I spin to go get them, but not before Liam stops me by grabbing my wrist.

"Don't go. Stay," he pleads. Before I have the chance to stop him, he pulls me in close and kisses me.

"Look who I found in the hallway," Jenny quips, coming in with a basket of laundry in her arms. I push Liam away, only to find Alex standing behind her.

I scrub at my lips and glared at Liam.

"We aren't... interrupting anything, are we?" Jenny says with her feline grin.

"Retract the claws, Jenny. I'm not in the mood," I retort, grabbing my coat and putting it on.

"I thought I was picking you up at campus?" I ask Alex. I can clearly see his wheels spinning about what he just witnessed, but what comes out is...

"Just thought I'd save you some time. Didn't want you to be late for your OB appointment."

"Thank you!" I say curtly. "Let's go. I'm done here." I yank my purse strap over my shoulder as I move past Alex to the open door.

"Cat?" I hear Liam's voice, but I don't stop. Instead, I yell back up the stairs, which I'm traveling down at a rather rapid pace, "Alex, you coming?"

I stop at the landing and close my eyes, breathing in and out while chanting... "Please no more drama, please no more drama..." then I hear, "Yeah, Cat. I'm right behind you."

We get into the car, and I realize Alex is right. We are getting really close to the time I need to be at my doctor's office for our next appointment. As I'm driving, I can feel Alex's questioning stare.

"What?!" I ask, feeling wound up tighter than a spring.

"Are we going to address this or ignore it?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to talk about it," Alex affirms.

"Liam misses me. He kissed me. It was not voluntary, wanted or enjoyed and ended when you saw it end, mere moments after it began," I add, keeping my eyes on the road.

"But it should have been expected," Alex informs me.

"What?" I say, stunned into looking at him for a brief second, before returning my eyes to the road.