Warning: Has not been beta'd or edited.

After moving back to Changmin’s place, Victoria thinks over her decision various times over.

Perhaps it was because, deep down, she missed him too much—too intensely—so, when he asked, with a tone that was more final than it was inquiring, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.

Or maybe it was because she believed in his words when he said he was happy to see her pregnant, with a baby that possessed his blood, and that he wanted to raise the child with her.

A woman is weak to a man’s words, more often than not.

However, she refuses to sleep in the master bedroom with him.

“I’ll take the guest room,” she insisted when she saw Changmin opening the door to the master bedroom with her luggage in his arms.

With thinned lips, he glances back at her and seems to want to say something until she interrupts him.

“I’m used to sleeping alone now.”

Changmin feels a pang to his chest and bites down on his lip for the briefest moment before opening the door and continuing inside. Moments later, he emerges from the room with a set of pillows, comforter, and a change of clothes.

The moment when their eyes meet Changmin smiles gently at her.

“I’ll sleep in the guest room,” he says, “all of your items are still in place so it’s more convenient if you take the bedroom.”

Victoria is surprised, to say the least, when she walks into the bedroom and nothing has changed. The bed is still made the same, her skin care products and make up sets are still sitting right where she left them on the vanity dresser on her side of the room.

It’s almost as if she never left.

“Why don’t you take a shower and then have some rest?” Changmin suggests. “You must be tired.”

Victoria barely manages to hold back a laugh. “I didn’t even have to do anything; you handled all of the moving.”

“You’re nurturing and moving our baby with us all over the place,” Changmin disagrees. “That’s more than I could ever do for our family.”

“Our family,” are two words Victoria repeats to herself every night in bed after she moves in with Changmin again.

It’s almost as though he’s trying to charm her with those words and she can’t help but slowly begin to believe them. Changmin wants to build a family with her and that makes her so, so happy, yet, somehow she can’t help but worry.

Could she and Changmin really build a family together and be happy?

Luna is dropping off some maternity clothes for Victoria when she asks,

“Do you know why you can face everything so bravely on your own?”

Drinking from the soup that Changmin had prepared for her, Victoria stares at Luna with a blank expression, awaiting an answer.

Chuckling, Luna continues, “It’s because you love him.”

Victoria plays the fool and continues drinking her soup.

“Do you know why you’re such a coward, too?” Luna inquires.

Victoria plays along, shaking her head. “Why?”

“It’s because you love him.”

“I’ve never doubted whether or not I love him, Luna,” Victoria replies.

And Luna smiles, leaning forward on the table and pointing at Victoria’s bowl of soup. “You know, your situation is a lot like that bowl of soup; many ingredients are put into it, a lot of time is invested into it, but without the right heating temperature, the soup would have all gone to waste. You have worries, you have doubts, you have your insecurities and all of that is normal; you’ve spent days, weeks, months and years in this relationship and that’s what you’re supposed to do, but without the proper mindset, everything you and Changmin have done for each other will be pointless.”

“What do you want me to do?” Victoria asks.

“You told me that Changmin leaves for the supermarket at four in the morning to buy the most fresh vegetables and ingredients to make you breakfast every day. He never liked cooking—you told me that, too—but from the day you moved in, he’s been handling all of your meals. Does he do that for the other woman?” Luna asks.

Victoria doesn’t reply.

Luna smiles, “Just from the look on your face I can tell that the soup doesn’t taste the greatest, which means Changmin hasn’t become very good at cooking yet. He’s doing this because it’s for you, Vic.”

“I know,” Victoria finally surrenders, “I can see how much he’s doing for me.”

“Then why don’t you try not thinking so much,” Luna advises. “Let your mind take a break and just do what you want to do; be yourself, the one that wants to love Changmin freely, and not this bottled up Goddess of Misery that I’ve had to watch for the last eternity of my life.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Victoria retorts.

Luna nods. “A little, but you know what I’m trying to say.”

“I’ll try,” the pregnant and troubled lady answers. “That’s the best I can promise.”

“That’s all I ask,” Luna sighs in relief. “That’s good enough.”

Sometimes Changmin feels like he can’t breathe.

He’s constantly receiving messages from Wendy; updates about her pregnancy, questions about how to care for herself and how they should handle the situation with her parents. Her stomach isn’t getting any smaller and Changmin honestly doesn’t want to push her over the top with his cold attitude, either.

Yet, how exactly does he go about dealing with Wendy without affecting Victoria in the process?

“It’s really cold tonight. Ever since I’ve been pregnant, the cold keeps me awake. Do you mind staying with me until it’s warmer?”

Changmin stops in the midst of gathering his change of clothes for the next day and turns to look at Victoria. She’s standing beside the bed, arms hugging herself loosely, while staring straight into his eyes.

An inexplicable wave of happiness rushes over him and he nods, setting his clothes aside and helping Victoria into the bed.

“Are you still feeling nauseous?” He asks while pulling the blankets over the bump of her stomach.

She shakes her and motions for him to join her on the open space on the other side. “Your soup makes me feel a lot better.”

“Really?” He asks proudly, very naturally gathering Victoria into his arms and hugging her against his chest before he can realize what he’s doing.

Victoria doesn’t resist. Instead, she eases herself into his hold and nods.

“Your hands are really cold,” Changmin comments.

“Yeah,” she agrees, “it’s really cold tonight.”

Changmin smiles weakly. “It’s cold every night,” he says, “at least, that’s how I feel ever since the day you left.”

“Changmin,” Victoria suddenly says, “if the baby is a boy, let’s have him take your surname. If it’s a girl, then she’ll have mine.”

He furrows his eyebrows. Had he gotten too hopeful? “Qian…”

“So tired…” she sighs as she starts closing her eyes and drawing deeper into the blankets.

Changmin nods. “Sleep well, Qian.”

Under a muffled breath, she hums some sort of a response and gradually falls asleep in his arms. There was no room for argument, no space left for questions, only silence—Changmin and Victoria’s silent breathing.

Maybe this is enough, Changmin thinks. Having Victoria here, in his arms, with no resisting and no fighting back, is enough to let him breathe again.

As long as she’s here, Changmin can breathe again.

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A/N: Did you all have a Happy Thanksgiving? ^__^ I sort of lost my direction with this story for a brief period but I think I'm back! Haha =/ ♥Xue