"What do you want Rick?" his grandmother asks the boy as she pours a glass of milk for him.

"I need a brother" he demands.

"I made you pancakes" his grandmother smiles as she walks away.

"I said I want a brother" he demands once again loudly as he stares at his mother who quietly eats her food.

"Mom" he shouts.

"What?" she shouts back childishly.

"I said I want a brother"

"I heard"

"Then give me one" he states standing on the chair while his mother glares his way.

"Go ask your father for one" she snaps annoyed at his behavior as it has been few days he has been demanding a brother to play with.

"He gave it to Lena, I want one from you" he pouts as he jumps from the chair and runs out of the room throwing a tantrum and all color is lost from Alana's face.

With shaky legs Alana slowly gets up from the chair, she does not hear her mother calls as she follows her son. She finds the boy on the living room surrounded by his toys while their dog is tearing the carpet.

"What did you say?" she whisper asks and Rick just ignores her turning his back to his mother as if he did not hear.

"Rick" she calls once again and the boy starts to talk with his dog instead.

"Is Lena back home with daddy?" she asks kneeling in front of her son.

"She says she has my brother inside of her, mommy but why can you not give me a brother" he pouts as he puts his toys away.

"When?" she demands.

"Dad said she is staying at home for a while. Is that why you cannot go back home mom?" he asks as he goes to sit on his mother's lap.

"Is she at home with dad, now?"

"She is always there, we play together while dad is locked in with work" the boy states and Alana pick up her son raising up from the ground.

"Then, we should go see your father and how your new brother is doing" she fumes.

******

Richie holds onto Lena's hair as she throws up on the sink, before taking the water he hands her, he moves away before he holds his cup of coffee.

"Can you not drink that shit for few days? It makes me sick" she complains and he just stares sipping on his cup.

"What did you except? Women get morning sickness all the time" he shrugs his shoulder.

"It's such a pain" she mumbles taking a seat as she stares at the untouched food.

"Should have thought it before going for it all" he shrugs his shoulders.

"It's all your fault" she snaps at him in anger.

"No, it's all yours. You could have easily aborted the child if you did not want it but you are here, so enjoy your morning sickness and throws up" he states as he takes his paper and starts to walk away.

"I am the mother of your child to be show some respect" she shouts at him and he stops turning around to answer her but the screech of tires stops him.

Moving towards the door he goes to check who it is but before he could the bang of the door and his son's scream stops him.

"Mommy has gone mad" Rick's voice brings a chill down Richie's spine and he braces himself for the impact of that madness.

*******

Alana without a word makes her way inside of the house, she knows she has driven recklessly without even thinking about her son's safety but they are breathing and alive and that is all that matters.

"Excuse me, before I come back to haunt you down" she mutters to Richie as she makes her way towards Lena.

She stares at the girl from head to toe before staring directly in her eyes.

"Get up" she orders and Lena tilts her head on one side.

"If you insist" Lena sighs as she gets up and once again Alana's eyes lands on her belly.

Stepping closer to the girl she yanks up the t-shirt and stares wordlessly at her belly which had a small tell-tale sign of a bump.

"That's obviously not by food" she breathes before pulling Lena's clothes down.

"Is it his?" she asks Lena who slowly nods her head a bit scared, thinking Alana will strike her.

"I told mommy, mama is going to give me a brother because she will not" Rick words makes Alana's already frozen heart cold.

"Mama?" she speaks turning to stare at her son who jumps to hide behind his father as he was well aware of the look she was giving him.

"Lena says I should call me her mama seeing how she is giving me a brother" he states.

"Alana" Richie starts only to be stopped.

"Office" she demands turning and walking towards it herself.

*******

Richie takes a deep breath before he knocks on the door to his own office and steps in, knowing well this is the end of his relation with his wife and if there was hope before, it all vanished now.

What he did not imagined was his arms around Alana holding her as she sobbed for what he did in his own arms. The couple stands on the doorway glued together, while Alana cries for all the unfairness and he did.

"I am sorry" Richie whispers in her ears but all of his apologizes goes in vain.

Alana steps away from his arms wiping her eyes before she straightens her shoulder and stares right back into his eyes with a fierceness and for all she is worth she slaps the fuck out of him.

"How dare you let our son to call some other woman his mother?" she questions.

"This is the first time I heard him call her that" he whispers as he stares at his foot in shame for what he brought into their lives.

"I am not surprised that she is bearing your child but just shocked at my own emotions which has running all over me...

When my brother died, I promised I will never get attached to any man or love him in anyways, when my father did not do anything to avenge his death I vowed I will never put my trust on another man ever...

But then you had to enter my life, with all your charms and silent promises. You made me broke my vows, my promises. I started to put my beliefs and trust on you, I started to love someone because of you...

I should not have asked for Ricardo to you, but as they say people share their deepest secrets and desires when drunk and in one of those moments I did with you...

Now, again I am on the same place with a broken trust on the man and a love for the child I have with him and once again I have no clue what I should do about it all...

Don't ever ask me to be back with you, don't ever tell me that you love me because I am not so strong enough to take you back or generous enough to love you back" she states as she picks up her purse and makes her way towards the door.

*******

Richie pulls his coat off as he touches the side of his cheek which throbs, even if his wife says she is not strong she is, he smiles as he loses his ties and pulls it off.

Turning towards the door, he curses and makes his way out, he catches up to his wife and gets hold of her.

"Don't touch me" she snaps as he holds onto her arms.

"We need to talk"

"I think I have said and seen enough"

"Just..."

"All the talking will be done through our lawyers"

"Just listen okay" he pleads but she pushes him away.

"No, stay away"

"I am not" he snaps and her anger rises as she keeps on pushing him away while stepping towards him.

"You are not, what is there left now? Huh, you are having a baby with someone else, you are staying with a woman that is clearly not me under this roof...

I just lost the right to be called my son's only mother and you want to talk? Well, what is it? Are you confused on what to name your son is that it?

Well I will be sure to Google a perfect name for him as right now my mind is screaming only one name which is a cheater...

Why do you even want me to stay with you? So, you can show me how happy you are without my nagging self around you?" she keeps questioning pushing on his chest before his back hits the wall.

"That's enough" Richie grabs her wrists as she raises it to hit him.

"You are such a bastard, talking sweet, making me think you understand, making me believe there is something good in this good for nothing life...

And, now everything is mess, everything is out of my hands. I cannot even have my dignity of being Ricardo's only mother...

You took everything away from me" she screams at him as she scratches him and having had enough of her anger Richie grabs her wrists forcefully, in one go he traps her on to the wall.

"Let go of me" she tries to shake him off her body and while doing so she scratches him.

"Shut up, woman and listen. You want to fight with me, you can once I am done talking"

"Yes, I fucked up, I fucked up extremely badly and I do not know how to fix this up. For the first time in my life I feel trapped and I have been trying to search to find a way out of it but it's not there...

And I know, you will live perfectly fine without me but I cannot. I just cannot stay away from both of you. I married you for all the wrong reasons Alana...

But I want to be with you now for all the right ones. I cannot imagine my life without you and Rick in it. I don't want that child with her, I don't want any children that is not gifted by you but that is mine...

In whichever cruel way it happened, it did and the child growing in her is mine. I know I am being an asshole even asking you to come back home but I don't care...

Just please don't leave, I need you and Rick in my life more than you two need me. I promised you your freedom because it scared me, I was scared because I know there are men who are better than me, powerful than me...

Who can sweep you off, every night you went out it took every bit of control I have to not follow you but I wish I did that night...

Please, she is nothing but a kid, having no clue on what to do? I don't know what to do with her, I never saw her anything more than just a kid and its eating me from inside of the outcome of the things that happened...

I am ashamed of my behavior" he pleads as he holds her still.

*******

"Well should have thought so when you took her to your bed and got her pregnant. Well, we had to try a lot before I got pregnant but with her it was just one try...

You must have wanted to fuck her for a long time or maybe you have been fucking her for a long time while I was away" she accuses as he grabs her jaw hardly in anger.

"I know I am not exactly in a perfect place to defend my actions as I do not have enough evidence and everything is right now proving I am guilty but if you ever accuse me of sleeping with her more than once..."

"So, you admit you did cheat on me"

"She is too young to have a kid, too young to take care of her body and too fucking stupid to get into all of this...

So, stay and help her through this because I know she will lose it because of her carelessness...

You are a mother yourself Alana, just...please" he breathes.

"You got some nerve to ask me do that, you are a father yourself just imagine if the man who made me pregnant asked you to look after me while he was away could you do it?" she questions before smiling sadly as he does not answer.

"See, so don't for a second think I will get into this fucked up situation you created and I am not sending Rick here not while she is around feeding my son things she has no right to" she states as she pushes him away and this time he lets her go.

******

"Come on we are going home" Alana calls for her son who was watching T.V. with Lena.

"Are we not staying?" the boy asks and one glare from her he jumps off the couch rushing to her side.

"Hey, he wants to stay"

"And you stay away from my son, fake mama" Alana childishly spats.

"I just thought that if I am..."

"Lena, don't think because if I started to let my thoughts out it will be bad" Alana warns.

"Okay, well listen if you are going can I ask you for something?" Lena requests.

"I never heard you asking to sleep with my husband" she retorts and Lena sighs.

"Can I use your maternity clothes, the clothes I have are a tight fit and..."

"You have free access to my house, my room, my bed and my man so yeah feel free to use my things as it seems you love my used-up leftovers" she replies shutting Lena.

"It was just a request, did not have to be so mean" Lena grumbles.

"Honey, you are sleeping with my husband, carrying his bastard so don't imagine me being anything but mean to you"

"You are going to be his step-mother as well, so" Lena smiles sweetly as she rubs her belly to taunt Alana.

"Gloat, rub it all over my face as the ball if right now on your court, but just as karma I am a bitch too who will get back" Alana warns the girl as she pulls Rick out of the house.

"Did you eat?" Richie asks as he walks to find his wife gone.

"Don't tell me you two had like rough sex" Lena gags pointing at his scratched face and neck.

"Would have loved that" he mutters under his breath as he walks away.

*******

Richie washes his hands and pulls the towel to dry, he turns to find a drowsy Lena trying hard to not to fall asleep on the table, he sighs as he starts to puts the plates on the cabinet.

"Your wife is mean" she starts making him smile.

"Well, I am having your son so is it not obvious that makes me Ricardo's mom? So, what's so big deal, I will not mind if this kid in my belly starts calling her mother" she continues and Richie softly closes the door of the cabinet and turns to face her.

"You keep saying it's a boy that's presumptuous of you don't you think?" he asks and she shrugs her shoulder.

"I can feel it's a boy"

"What's wrong if it's a girl?" he counters as he cuts a piece of cake for her.

"This place is not good for girls"

"What place?" he questions.

"I don't want a girl"

"What if it is a girl, will you abort it?" he asks and she frowns.

"We can always know the child's sex" she defends and he smiles as he passes the plate to her.

"Have it and go to bed" he ruffles her hair as he starts to walk away.

"You, are you not mad?" she questions.

"Why?"

"I mean, any man would be if he was in your place. I ruined you perfect family life and now. You did not even react the way I thought you would when I announced I am pregnant...

You just let me in" she states.

"Well, in that case I am not like every other man then" he replies with a smile.

"You are weird" she grumbles turning to eat her cake as he walks away.

"Dangerously weird" she breathes as she scoops a spoonful of cake.

*******

Richie softly closes the door of Lena after checking on her, he pulls out his phone and starts to make his way out of the house for some privacy.

"You called" he speaks as soon as the call is received.

"It's all over" Nicholas breathes in relief and Richie turns around to stare at the door of the house.

"You sure?" he asks.

"Yes, we talked with Mason, even if we did want to kill that bastard for all the pain he caused we just could not...

It would only bring more blood and I think for once all of us are done with taking revenge" he explains.

"That's good but make sure they do not say one thing and do another"

"If he knows what's good he will not, anyways I called to thank you for warning us about Spencer, that fucker was playing all of us all along"

"Good thing we knew in time, when I heard his name I had a feeling I have heard about him somewhere before I realized he was Grace's friend...

One of the guards I had around to look after Grace before your marriage had once notified me about him, but I did not think much about it...

I should have been careful then" he sighs.

"Still, if you had not warned us"

"Hey, what are friends for"

"How's things with you?"

"It's a mess. Alana found out about Lena's pregnancy"

"Oh fuck"

"Yeah that and I stupidly asked her to stay and take care of Lena"

"You are digging a bigger grave for yourself" Nicholas chuckles.

"I know I am being an selfish bastard but I cannot let the kid do some mistake and loose the baby"

"I still cannot believe you slept with her, you talk about her like she is your own kid" Nicholas remarks.

"She is barely an adult, Spencer must have known I was into him so as distraction he must have sent Lena towards him...

I thought I was being careful but just got wrapped into my own shit"

"No shit, so what are you going to do?"

"No idea, if she is bearing my child I will have to take care of her but things are being disastrous, I cannot be around to watch out for the girl and I cannot even let her slip in case she knows something...

It's not a co-incidence she came back just because she is pregnant, the baby may not be mine, someone set her up in my life for a reason" he sighs as he rubs his face tiredly.

"Don't check the depth of water with both feet in Russo"

"Too late, this is bigger and deeper than I expected" he confesses.

"If you need back up"

"No. I cannot lose you as my ally if I involve you, Pop left the Purgatory with a deal that no one will trace him back to any one of you...

And if you get involved the truce will be over"

"Still, this is too dangerous and they are attacking us from other ways"

"Yes, but we don't have any proof that they are"

"Fine, get out if things are out of hand"

"You be careful" Russo warns.

"You too" Nicholas replies before the line goes dead.

*******

Richie takes a huge breathe in as he stares at the dark skies and stands still, with thoughts jumbled in his head. The ring on his phone stops his thoughts, he stares at the name of the caller and frowns. Picking up the phone he does not even get to say hello before the caller starts to talk.

"Russo, it's me Lia. I need your help" his frown deepens at his words.

"Lia, what..."

"It's all fucked up, I cannot get my hands on the deal and Salvatore has shut me off. He is not helping me"

"What happened?" he asks.

"A miscalculation on my part, right now I am in jail and all of my misdeeds are being used against me, there is no way out...

All of the people I trusted are showing their back to me, I have no one to turn to" she states.

"What do you mean by you are in jail?" he asks surprised as it was rare to hear any members getting in jail but finding it hard to get out.

"Gabriel Price, he is married to my twin and in some fucked up way I tried to fool him and now he has his leg stuck in my business...

Right now I am in a cell, his cousin has me held up and this is the only call left so please" she pleads.

"You know we are not allowed to get involved with Price" he reminds her.

"I know and now I am paying the Price, all of the links that traces back to other are hidden and everything is pointed at me...

But, it's not me I care about"

"Then?"

"It's my baby, I am pregnant and if they throw me in, I know I will...please I don't care what happens to me but please save my baby...

Help me out, just in anyway until my child is born" she cries making him close his eyes and think on about it.

"Okay, just give me few hours to..."

"I don't have time"

"Just, let me think and see what I can do okay?" he requests.

"Help me on this and I will help you on what to do" she states in a hurry.

*******

Taking a seat on the bench of his garden Richie debates on what to do, before he dials Damien's number.

"You are under arrest for calling me when I am off duty" Damien jokes making Russo smile.

"May be because I want to talk with Damien not the cop" he retorts making Damien chuckle.

"What can I do?"

"A little favor"

"You owe us one for helping us through man, ask away, anything" his reply makes Richie sigh and rub his face.

"You have a girl named Lia Storm under your custody, I need you to bail her out"

"Fuck no" Damien replies straight away.

"You said anything"

"And she is not anything, she fucked up my brother's head, put him through a time I never want to remember...

I don't care how much you owe us, nothing comes before family"

"I understand but I need you to put a hold onto whatever plan you have for her"

"Why?"

"She is pregnant and even if she does not deserve any sympathy the child in her womb is innocent, we cannot punish the baby"

"What if she is not pregnant?"

"Then do whatever you want to but if she is, please until the child is born" he pleads.

"Your weakness is your kindness, Russo. You think too much on everything" Damien warns the man.

"I just promised her I will try to save her child"

"And a Russo never goes back on his promises, of course" Damien smiles before he agrees to see what he can do.

*******

Damien waits outside of the hospital room where the check up on Lia is ongoing to see if the baby in her womb is harmed in anyway or not. He gets up from the chair as he finds Richie walking his way.

"How is it?" he asks nodding towards the closed door.

"It's on going, as far as I know they both are fine but we won't be if Gabe finds out. He was inconsolable when Lia tricked him being Amelia and once he found how Amelia was treated by her own family...

He has lost his shit, so this, if this gets out to him my relation with my own brother is at stake"

"I understand but we cannot just harm someone who does not even know about this all"

"Yeah, get it man. I have a son remember, if anything is to happen to Damon I would die and also Kat and I, we are trying for our first child"

"That's great" he smiles.

"Yeah, I am nervous though"

"Why?" Richie asks as they stroll around.

"Kat is worried Damon will feel less loved and all, I really fucked up big time thinking she was the one who set me up, and helped in killing my twin if only I had dug deeper"

"What happened in the past does not matter, but what will happen now does, so relax" Richie pats on Damien's shoulder.

"Yeah that, anyways how did you know about Lia?" Damien questions.

"Long story short, I met her in one of the parties held by Lucero's"

"Oh, Nick did pointed out something along the lines to not bother you and pretend things being unseen in your parts"

"Yeah that" he chuckles.

"What will happen when the kid is born?" Damien asks Richie who shrugs his shoulders.

"I have not thought that far" he sighs.

*******

"Thank you" Lia smiles as Richie walks inside of her room.

"It's okay, so the baby is"

"It's good" she smiles sadly.

"Father?" he questions.

"He...um...they killed him"

"What?"

"He went asking for help, Salvatore do not like people messing up. So, as warning to me he killed my"

"Oh. So, what now. Damien will not just let you out, we have compromised on few things"

"I know, once the baby is out..."

"Exactly, once the baby is out, who will look after the baby?"

"Amelia is..."

"Not an option" he interrupts her.

"Maybe someone in my family will"

"Are you sure?" he asks and she sighs shaking her head.

"No, but no one can know about my child" she stares straight into his eyes.

"What do you mean?" he frowns as a nagging feeling sets into him.

"Getting under surveillance of Price also means I will be away and protected from Salvatore, now that he has cut all of the ties with me...

He do not have any excess to the things I have"

"What are you not telling me?"

"My name, my business and everything may have been exposed but that does not mean it's gone"

"And you plan to continue on doing it?" he asks.

"No, but just as the title and everything a family has is passed down to the heir of the family, all of my things will automatically will be passed down onto my child"

"And that is why you don't want Salvatore's hand on your child, so he never has an excess to your business"

"Yes" she nods her head.

"Wow" Russo chuckles stunned before he takes a seat.

*******

"You know Purgatory means purifying or cleansing the sins of a sinner but how can anyone's sins be purified if the cleansing is done by nothing but blood?" she asks before she continues.

"You all may think that these Price they stand for justice in our world, but they are the one who started it all, they are the one who gave us the taste of the sins...

Now that the old man is dying and too old to handle things, he may have gotten out of it but his hands are filled with nothing but blood...

All of these trafficking, you think we are the ones who started it? No, it was way before we even knew. But now that we are involved and they are out they pretend to be shocked about the on goings on this world...

The roots are deeper than it looks, you shut one of us out and hundreds of us are there to replace us"

"Why are you telling me all of this?" he asks.

"Because we know you are not a sinner, Russo. Salvatore did not became who he is just like that, he knows what and who you are...

You will never be able to gain his trust"

"And why?"

"Because he trusts no one, he wants Lucero to handle the business but for some reason the man is not up for it...

Also, Salvatore is involved with Lucero's sister" she confesses.

"How can I trust your words?" he asks showing no emotions even if he was shocked.

"Because now I have something to lose, you promise to never let Salvatore hands get on my daughter. The day my child turns eighteen all of my things will be gone to her, all of my secrets as well" she states handing him the papers.

"I cannot always protect your child"

"Just hand her to someone who can then" she smiles and Russo nods his head.

"And Lucero does not know about Salvatore and his sister?" Richie questions as he puts the paper inside of his pocket.

"No, but he will soon. She is pregnant with his child" Lia informs.