Scott H said his piece. In his mind it was the last roll of his dice. Gia meant more to him than he ever knew. If this had been any other woman...anyone...he'd have just let her go. But even now, even as she stood there hating him, he knew that he would do anything to fight for her. He got why she was mad, technically he should have told her....of course, any woman would react like this. But the honest truth was that he hadn't told her because...that was it! He had to tell her that! He opened his mouth but was interrupted by Gia,

"You're gonna have a child. You're going to be a father. You let some other chick have a part of you and now she basically is connected to you, always! You don't have a choice but to have something to do with her!" She said it all without even looking at him, her beautiful face was obscured from view by her messy hair as she bowed her head. She was right...he was always going to have some stupid connection to this fucking woman! He cursed himself and put his hands up in front of his face. Why had he allowed Raven to talk him into this stupid surrogate thing in the first place? It was all too fast. His hands fell behind his head and he shook his head. This was all so crazy....why couldn't he and Gia just be happy. He just wanted to make her happy, like she made him. She made him smile even when she wasn't around. Why could he not give her that same thing back. And then she gave him the opening to speak.

"It's not even that. No, it's the fact that you lied and thought it would be okay." He heard her say those words, and knew that was his chance.

"I'll tell you this Gia, and this, if it is not true, may god make strike me down right here and now. The reason I didn't tell you is because I didn't even remember most of the time. You must see what you do to me Gia. You've driven me crazy for weeks now. Every time I saw you my mind went blank...nothing else around mattered. When I saw you last night and we spoke....when you said you'd be my girlfriend...it was as if nothing else even existed. It was just you and me Gia. She wasn't even a thought, because I only wanted it...I only want it to be you and me." He felt, for some reason, a bit of confidence at this point, as if he could win her back. "Even if I have to send her the cash or whatever for it....so what? It doesn't mean I ever have to talk to her."

He looked Gia in her eyes as she looked up. "It's always going to be about you. No one else. You're not the unfortunate girlfriend who has to deal with it...you're the girlfriend who I love, and who always comes first, and always will."

A sort of time delay kicked in in his head at that point...oh fuck! Had he said the "L" word there? Shit! He totally had. He meant it...but he never intended to tell her that...it was too soon, or so people would have him believe to feel something like that. But he felt it...he knew he did. But fuck! Why did he say it out loud?

By the time he was finished, Gia was crying. he didn't know if she had even heard a word he had said. His tears were flowing now too, and he was beyond fighting it. He walked to her and put his arms round her. He expected to feel the dull pain of a punch to his abdomen any second...but he didn't care.

"Please..." he couldn't say anything which portrayed his feelings any clearer.

As Scott hugged Gia he could feel her sob into his chest. He felt the tears soak through his shirt, but it was ok. She wasn't pushing him away, and she wasn't hitting him He cried too, and he even kissed her on top of the head. The very thought that this girl would leave him filled him with sadness. No, he told himself..it's not sadness, it's dread. Even the the thought that Gia wouldn't be a part of his life sickened him to the core. He knew then that it really was love. If she left, he felt like...he'd be lost, but he could feel her slipping away. The "if" just felt like "when" now. She was going to leave him...he was sure of it. As he cried harder he hugged her tighter. He felt like begging her to stay. Pleading again and again. It would be no use though...he told himself. And then something strange happened.

He felt Gia's arms on his back...she wasn't fighting, and she wasn't scratching, kicking....anything. She was just hugging him back. He rested his head on top of hers as they stood in a tearful embrace. He couldn't let her go, and then she broke it,

"I can't Scott..." she said, as she backed away. He looked her in the eyes, and he felt his stomach lurch. She looked as if she wanted to say something. "I-" He couldn't take it.

"You....what? What is it Gia?"

She didn't know? What? What didn't she know? He wanted so much to ask her what she didn't know, but he couldn't risk setting her off in a rage again. He nervously played with his mohawk as Gia stood in front of him, and he watched her intently. He didn't know what to say now. He had said everything he had left, and he hoped it was enough. But to him, this wasn't Gia...she just stared into open space, as if she really, genuinely did not know what she was supposed to do. He reached up, and started to pull the wet material of his shirt, still soaked in Gia's tears away from his skin, until she said something which made his hand drop involuntarily.

"Damn it I love you too Scott." He stood open mouthed, a jolt hit him on the stomach and his hands were shaking. Did she really say that? Did she really mean it? He had tried to stifle his own love for her...a deep love which he had realised when he went back home after their meeting at the Dirty Bastard, because he thought it had been too soon to love someone. But it was real, he knew it. And now here she was saying it back to him. He wanted to ask if she was serious. But not only did he decide it was a bad idea to question her...his jaw also refused to cooperate. She spoke again,

"I-I love you and I don't know what to do about it..." He knew he had to speak.

"Gia...just..just don't go." He looked deep into her eyes. He felt a warmth inside him as he looked at her like that, "Just stay please. If we love each other, then this can be okay. It's always going to be about you. I've loved you for..." He cut his own thought short...he didn't want to freak her out. He just put one hand gently on each side of her face, and leaned in. He hoped he'd be allowed to kiss her.

He felt nervous. It was like everything was bared to the world now. He was completely open to being hurt, rejected, dumped, forgotten...all he wanted was Gia, and for everything to work out well. And then something happened. Gia leaned in and kissed Scott. His hands slid automatically from her cheeks, first to her shoulders, and then to her waist, where he wrapped his arms around her and shared a kiss full of passion and...yes...love. It was the most special feeling he had ever shared with any girl, and he was so glad it was with Gia.

But would she stay? He hoped so. He just needed to spend a night with her. Nothing needed to happen, he just wanted to hold her, tell her everything would be fine, and lie next to her all night. If she left now..he'd worry. He'd be scared that she'd not come back. That she'd wake up tomorrow and decide she was mad at him after all. He looked into her eyes. He saw a feeling which...he must have been mistaken, was that fear? He smiled at her,

"Gia...are you scared...of something?"

He heard her speak to him as she squeezed tighter against him, "Don't piss me off again like this." Normally he'd have chuckled at a "threat" like this. But not only was Gia being serious, Scott really didn't intend to piss her off again.

"I swear I won't. I'll make everything work out. It'll be just perfect," he said, as he wrapped his arms around her. After about half a minute of embracing her like this, he let go and stepped back towards the bus door.

"I know you said you asked Layla to come get you...but I don't want you to go," he said with a real sincerity in his voice as he looked at her. "It's been a long day...and I didn't sleep much last night. Well, at all actually. I just need to go to bed. It's your choice, you can go if this isn't what you want...but I just want to say I love you, and I'd love if you'd stay tonight and cuddle up to me in bed."

It was true, it was all he wanted. He just wanted to feel her close to him, and he just wanted the chance to hold her. He opened the bus door and stepped onto the bottom stair. Turning back, he stretched out his hand towards her and smiled gently, waiting for her to make the choice.

OOC: Ta-da! That was great fun to collaborate on. Thanks :), and I think it made for a good story too :D

Ooc: good job to the pair of you.i'm sorta glad it's done,i hated having to wait to see what was next. Did scott have a dead body in a trunk somewhere? Was it really label business? Was gia going to kill scott and dispose of his body in several paint cans? Loved every word of it.

From behind the door, Scott shouts in a strange comedy English accent.

Scott H: Hellooooo, who is iiiit?

Scott opens the door. He stands there wearing a party hat, his shirt half unbuttoned, and only one shoe on.

Scott: Gia! Oh wow it's great to see you babee! Hey, do you want a beer? Come in!

Scott looks at Gia through glazed eyes.

Scott: You don't like my shirt. Hey there was this koala tonight right! He got lost though. Hey....welcome to my humble....apartment! I'll get us a beer.

He walks to her.

Scott: don't I get a kiss?