The summer doesn't turn out to be as bad as Alessia sought it out to be.

Like he promised, Papa took Etienne fishing for the first time and requested Alessia come too. Was this his attempt to further patch up their rocky relationship, she didn't know? Either way, neither she nor Etienne had been fishing before, there was an underlying excitement coming from both of them.

The sky was dark and cloudy but the water lay still, on the day they went fishing. It was one of those summer days you would usually spend inside watching TV all day, however the children and their father were out on the lake, hoping to catch some fish.

It didn't take them long to realise that Papa wasn't as skillful as he had implied to be. He had difficulty throwing out the line into the water, his children would laugh when he would curse into the air, the line would fumbled or got attached to a piece of his clothing forcing one of them to help him detach the hook. They never caught any fish, but the day became memorable on its own.

Some days, although fighting it, Alessia would wonder If her mother sat loney on the days Etienne would stay over at Papa's. Since they were no longer on speaking terms she couldn't give her a call to ask her how she was doing, nor could she call and tell her news about the baby, to her understanding her mother didn't care.

"As you can see the baby is bigger and that's it's heart, beating at a regular tempo."

"And what's that?" Valentino asks, pointing to the screen. It's his first time accompanying Alessia to the clinic.

The gynecologist, Alicia's aunt, sighs heavily, "That's its feet."

"Oh." Valentino points to the screen again, "And what's that?"

Alicia's aunt looks to Alessia, wondering if the boy is serious or just messing with her patience. With a raised eyebrow Alessia confirms that Valentino was in fact serious, wishing her to go on.

Alicia's aunt rolls her eyes, "That's its arms."

When Valentino raises his arm once more, Alessia is quick to lower it. "So that is all, everything is alright?" She asks.

"Seems like it." Alicia's aunt rises from her chair, with a smacking noise, she peels off her rubber gloves. "I'll go get you something to wipe off the gel." She disappears out of the room leaving the couple to their imagination.

"That's its arms Lessy." Valentino repeats, as If she wasn't in the room to hear it when Alicia's aunt said it, still, she allows it. No one is as excited about the baby as Valentino. He strokes her head as she lay on the patients table, curious he looks to her lubricated stomach. Alessia knows what his juvenile look means and before she can stop him Valentino drags his finger across her belly, gathering a layer of gel on his index finger.

"Vale." she sighs, although it amuses her slightly.

Alicia's aunt returns with paper towels to help remove the gel.

They are set to leave when Valentino suddenly turns around to ask:

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

Alessia, who is caught off guard by his question, expects the surprise to immediately shatter right in front of her eyes, luckily Alicia's aunt is professional enough to look to her for confirmation.

"I would rather it be a surprise." She smiles politely, avoiding Valentino's withering expression.

It isn't until later that night, when they lay in bed, that he brings the question back up again.

"Why don't you wanna know if it's a boy or a girl, it will make it easier for us to decide a name."

Alessia smiles, "I'm sure you would wanna name it after yourself, either way."

Valentino chuckles and nudges her under the covers. "I'm serious, what would you wanna name the baby?"

Alessia turns to look at the sealing, her mind goes through a selection of names that have any significant meaning to her.

"Valencia. It could go for either a boy or a girl, and you get your name in there. It would make everyone happy."

"Valencia?" He frowns. "Like the spanish football team, why?"

"I dunno Vale, you pick the name for all I care."

"Hey, what's wrong?" The harshness in her voice makes him worry.

Alessia's body disappears under the cover as she tries to shy away, however Valentino is stubborn enough to pull it back down, revealing her again. When she turns to look at him, her fearful gaze sends a shiver through his spine.

"Talk to me."

He lets his finger slowly caress her cherry plum lips.

This is why Alessia has been feeling desperate wanting to reach out to her mother lately, these are the type of concerns she has been wanting to unleash upon someone who hopefully wouldn't look at her any different nor doubt her strength. However, Alicia is away and her mother is emotionally detached, she has to start relying on Valentino more, it is what she always should have done.

"It might not be good if we were to decide names before the baby is even born." She mumbles, almost failing to hear her own voice.

"Why?" Valentino's tone is careful.

The words she wants to utter, she knows what it means when they are to leave her mouth.

"If something were to happen...."

Part of her is relieved that it is all she has to utter for Valentino to understand, it felt like slowly swallowing razor blades.

"Are you afraid that..."

"I'm not afraid." Alessia is quick to interrupt.

Valentino knows her mouth to say one thing but her eyes to tell him another, still, he doesn't protest nor make her feel anymore questioned.

"You're probably right." He says, sounding more cheerful.

"I am?" She frowns.

"Yeah, besides I wanna be present when she first hears it being said to her."

Alessia's sudden smile warms his heart. "You have to stop assuming it's a girl all the time, what if you were to be disappointed if it comes out a boy."

Valentino bares a smug smirk as he stretches out to lay his hands behind his neck "I won't be, because it will be a girl."

Alessia shakes her head in disbelief, she's clumsy when she crawls on top of him to plant a kiss on his smiling lips. "You are an idiot."

His hands go to caress her thighs, "And you are in love with one."