"Can you please pass the salt?"Cameron asked to the table at large. Since the salt was not near her, Elena didn't heed his words and returned to her meal. The atmosphere was awkward enough as it was. She didn't want to make any unnecessary movements. "Sharon, can you pass me the salt?"

"I don't know. Can I?"Sharon returned, calmly eating her meal while conveniently ignoring the salt right in front of her. Elena couldn't help but tense up. The two of them were at it again. It had happened the moment they'd set eyes on each other in the restaurant. Sniping endlessly at each other, even when they were ordering. It had created a strained air that greatly affected April, Elena and Jason. Apparently, Harry was indifferent, his face unchanging with every insult and jibe. She would know, she was seated right across him.

Scowling at him, she almost jumped out of her seat when Cameron shot to his feet so fast that his chair toppled. The expression on his face was so fierce that Elena found herself leaning into Jason. Luckily he didn't take offense. Instead his hand came up to pat her head slightly while April really cuddled into his side. For once in her life, she felt comforted, like a big brother taking care of his younger sister. A smile lifting her lips despite the situation playing out in front of her, she allowed herself to bask in the moment. Movement from her peripheral broke out of her momentary stab of envy but her eyes saw nothing when she tried to identify it. Just Harry's expressionless face.

He wasn't even looking at her, his eyes resolute on his food. Her envy turning into hurt, Elena's attention returned to the squabbling couple at their table. The center of attention in the entire restaurant. Cringing even further from the weight of the stares, Elena fixed her focus on Sharon and Cameron. Cameron was still glaring down on his seated wife, who was still eating.

"Why are you doing this?"Cameron demanded, taking no notice to the phones taking their picture. Elena had a feeling that the pictures were not going to be good news but it was taking all of her to not panic. There was no more energy to do anything about the intermittent flashes.

"I'm not doing anything. I'm just here, eating dinner. You're the one making a fool of yourself." Elena flinched. Sharon's words were like iron shards digging under her fingernails. And, if she, a bystander, felt all that, she was sure the one the words were thrown at would feel any times worse. From the way Cameron's face reddened, her hunch hit the mark.

"Well, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I would be having a quiet dinner with my children, in the comforts of my own home,"he growled, leaning over the table to loom over Sharon. And was she intimidated? Noooooo. Instead, she snorted and rolled her eyes.

"With the children around? In what world would you have a quiet dinner? You'd have a better time getting out without any stains on a pristine white shirt." Her defiant eyes challenged him to refute her, the air between them becoming denser, pulling down the mood of everyone around.

"Why are you vilifying our kids?"

"Vilifying?"Sharon shouted, getting to her feet. "I am just stating the truth. They're kids, children. Our youngest is just barely into her fifth month. Have you ever seen a five-month old baby eat in a clean manner? Because I haven't."

"That's a ridiculous analogy. And not the point. The point is- the point is-"

"What is the point, Mr On-his-high-horse?"

Elena was sure that Sharon didn't mean to push him too far but from the sidelines, it looked as if something had snapped in him. She feared what he was going to say next.

"The point is that you don't love the kids as much-"

"Cameron, that's enough,"Jason shouted. Gently disengaging the two of them, he made his way to the married couple. "I know that your emotions are running high now but slinging mud at each other is not going to help. Neither is airing your dirty laundry in such a public area." From the way Cameron and Sharon were looking around, it was clear that they had just realised where they were.

But they had two very different reactions. While Sharon reddened and appeared to shrink into herself, Cameron's face hardened and his chest seemed to have puffed up twice its size, looking around as if to challenge everyone. And through it all, Harry was calmly eating his food. Elena didn't know whether to be impressed, annoyed or worried.

"I'm going to head back,"Sharon said softly, picking up her clutch and moving towards the door.

"Wait up,"April said, rising to her feet. Luckily Jason noticed and helped her up.

"Me, too,"Elena said, gratefully grabbing hold of the hand Jason extended and putting more than half her weight onto his shoulder. "I'm getting kinda tired so I want to have a rest."

Twining her arm through Sharon's, Elena leaned into her friend. With her body, she wanted her to know that she'd be there for her. That they'd be there for her.

--------@@@@@-------

His eyes on the slowly ticking clock, Harry couldn't believe the amount of anxiety running through his veins. It had been five hours since the disastrous dinner and Elena was still not back. And he had been an ever increasing ball of mess ever since.

The men hadn't stayed long after the women left. One would be the way everyone, staff and diners, walked on eggshells around them. The way they were looking nervously at them rubbed him the wrong way. And if he was annoyed, Cameron was even more affected. His scowl had gotten darker and his entire body was a mine just waiting for the wrong word. It didn't help that Jason had been berating him all the way. That would sour anyone's appetite.

They had then moved to a sports bar, somewhere Cameron could calm down. Somewhere familiar no matter which city they went to. Somewhere they could enjoy a more casual air and just drink. Where the restaurant they had been at was more posh and constricting. And it proved to be a good choice.

The more beer he had chugged down, the looser his shoulders appeared and the near primal air around his generally diminished. However, that had come at a cost. The more he had drank, the more he had been able to express his emotions. And he had a lot.

He missed his children. He missed his girls. He missed the noise and ruckus the boys made, the crying babies. He missed Sharon. He missed touching her. He missed hugging her. He missed kissing her. He missed sex. He really wanted sex. Sex, sex, sex. Apparently, Sharon had been uncomfortable having sex within her first trimester of being pregnant with Dawn, their five-month-old daughter. So it had been a long, long time since he'd had any.

And then, he had dissolved into an incoherent mess, crying into his pint. That left Jason and Harry to decide what they should do with the information he'd presented to them. For one thing, this was never to be revealed to their women. Harry could just picture Elena's face if he told her the source of Sharon and Cameron's marital argument was Cameron's sexual frustration.

Jason and Harry had had a long laugh about it before returning to their own drinks and thoughts. Talking about their emotions had never been something they did together. What happened then had been an anomaly. Being alone with Jason, not counting the sobbing Cameron, reminded Harry of what had happened earlier, in the restaurant. When Elena had looked up at his younger cousin with bright eyes. Eyes she had never bestowed on him. A surge of anger and uneasiness had embittered him to Jason.

And their night had ended with the both of them lugging their former-quarterback cousin back to his room. His empty room since Sharon was in Jason's room. Including Elena. The heavily pregnant woman who had said she wanted to rest. Apparently, resting at her own room was too much to ask for. Further antagonising him. For some reason, he felt a strange competitiveness with his cousin. With Elena deciding to go to his room made it seem like Jason had scored a point against him. That brought his hackles up. But fearing what he would say, Harry made himself return to his own room.

Suddenly, the lights on the hall lit up, indicating Elena was back. Sitting up, as if a dog recognising the return of its master, Harry eagerly awaited her to walk through the living room. And maybe it was all the beer but he could barely hold himself back when he saw her waddling in.

His eyes ran all over her body and face, as if engraving her into his mind. She was so beautiful that he wondered why he ever pushed her away. Of course, she was pushy and stubborn and argumentative but she saw him as a man. As Harry. Not as the CEO, not as a Reynolds. SHe hadn't even left him when he lost the company. She had been so indignant on his behalf but he had pushed her away then too. His mellowed heart wondered why he had done such a thing.

Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself behind her and his arms coming up to wrap around her. If he had been less drunk and in better grasp of his faculties, this would never have happened. But, in his amiable state of mind, he enjoyed holding her in his arms again.

"Harry? What's going on?"Elena asked. Luckily, her tone was more curious than offended. From the way she was leaning into him, it was clear she didn't mind this. He would even go so far as to say that she enjoyed it as much as he was.

He didn't care. It had been so long, it felt like his arms had been missing something, like extensions of themselves. She was softer than before, like marshmallows. And, digging his arms under her breasts, bigger too. He knew they got bigger but now with the tactile information, it was more real. With the movements and kicks from below his arm, the reality of his boys was hitting him in another way.

"I can't wait for them to come out,"he whispered into her hair, burying his nose in her hair. "When is the due date again?"

"Harry, I think we'd better have names ready before they come out,"Elena said with a chuckle. "And what's gotten into you tonight? This is unlike you."

"We went out for a drink."

"That explains it."

With that short exchange, they descended into silence again. Their kind of silence, comfortable and no talking needed.

"Harry, are you having someone else follow me?"

"No. We just got you guys that bodyguards. I hope no one is bothering you. I know you are shopping for baby stuff. I hope they're cute stuff."

"The cutest. Sharon is so good at finding the clothes. I have a hard time not buying out the shop. I mean, I've got clothes that are for six months old. They're pretty much covered for most of their first year. And the tiny socks and shoes, I love them." She was pretty much swaying in his arms, recounting their successful shopping sessions. Harry wished he could have come along but someone needed to dig deeper into Xavier. Suddenly, her words penetrated his mind.

"Wait, is there someone else following you guys?"he asked, his back tensing ever so slightly.

"I don't know. Sometimes I have a strong feeling of eyes on me but I can't tell from where. Sometimes I get the impression that someone is following me but when I look again, they're just going in the same directions as me. It's so weird."

He felt chills running down his spine. This wasn't something small, something to be overlooked. Even if there was just suspicions, it needed to be looked into. For one thing, she, the ever practical Elena, would never bring it up if this wasn't true. And, also, bodyguards were just there to ensure their immediate safety. Someone, anyone was perfectly able to watch them from afar.

"Did you ask the bodyguards about it?"

"Of course not. It's just my mind playing tricks on me. Like I'm putting much more importance on myself. As if anyone would ever follow me. Right?" She looked up at him as if to share the joke but he wasn't feeling any amusement. The only thing on his mind was worry, the slight buzz of the beer fading away with this new information. "Harry, it's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Hold up,"he said, disengaging from her, his hands coming back to grasp her shoulder. He had not seen this coming. Even though he knew Xavier would be suspicious of their presence there, he'd expected the attention would be on him, his brother. Not on the woman he got pregnant. So now, he had to figure out whether the surveillance was from Xavier or another party. And if another party, who?

"If you're going to take a long time to think, can I sit first?" It was only then that he felt her shifting her weight on different feet. Suddenly reminded of the many discomforts that assailed pregnant women, he quickly helped her to the sofa, fluffing pillows to support her back and lifting her feet to his laps. Her squeal at his unexpected courtesy made him smile. "Harry, I didn't mean to do this. Give me back my legs."

"When did you begin getting these feelings?"he questioned, ignoring her indignant demand. When she realised he wasn't going to let her go, her indignance resulted in a sullen pout. Enjoying her show of childishness, his hands began to lightly massage her calves and ankles, her maternity dress allowing him easy access. Her cheeks flushed a bright red but she was composed enough to answer his question. The one question became one more and then one more.

The more she answered, the more alarmed he felt. To think that she had been enduring this kind of discomfort on her own, in her condition, it was a wonder she hadn't fallen sick. He knew how exhausting it was to feel eyes, especially if they didn't know whether it was benevolent or malicious. The shadows under her eyes had darkened considerably since they had arrived. It had only been two days. It was no surprise that she was falling asleep right in the middle of answering a question.

"Let's continue tomorrow,"he said softly. She was so out of it that he wasn't sure she even heard it. Smiling, he was about to lift her into his arm when she suddenly startled awake, jolting up before settling back down once her half-masted eyes settled on him.

"Wait, before I forget, I got the invitation,"she slurred, sounding very triumphant, which was very adorable. But he couldn't really understand her.

"What invitation?"he asked without expecting an answer. Successfully getting her into his arms, he slowly lifted her and headed to the room. Her head rolled into his chest and he heard her murmur, his ears barely catching her words. But when he did, he had to stop.

"To the party. The one Xavier is going to."

AN: Hey guys, thanks for reading. Hope you like the chapter and the new format-ish. I like it cause I feel like there's purpose to every chapter. Why didn't I think about this earlier?

Also, if you haven't heard, AB is getting published!!!! YAY!!! Let me stop wheezing from all this jumping. So yeah, it's getting out there by the end of the year. Once there is more updates, I will let you know.

And, in less exciting news, I'm going to try making some burnt cheesecake this weekend. Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it turns out.

Anyway, please VOTE and COMMENT if you liked it. Follow me on Wattpad or Twitter for whenever I post there. Also I have ko-fi account, saiyidah, so support if possible. No pressure.

THANKS