I had a dream about what I'm going to do continue this story! So be prepared for multiple updates and a time jump once again! There will be more Emerson and Steve moments along with Liam and Maggie. Let me know what you think or what you may want to see!

Chapter 18-

Liam closed his locker and jumped a little when he found Maggie standing on the other side of the locker door. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Hi honey, nice to see you too." Maggie laughed as she wrapped her arms around his torso. "I do have spy genes, you know."

"I need you to announce yourself from now on." Liam decided as they made their way to the first class of the day. Wrapping his arm around Maggie's shoulder, pulling her in close to him. "I love you but sometimes you scare the crap out of me."

Swinging her head towards her boyfriend, she could feel her eyes beginning to water up. She never thought anyone would tell her that they love her. But here is this amazing man that she met on her first day of school telling her that he was in love with her. "You love me?"

"Yes, I do." Stopping them in the hall, Liam took both of her hand in his. "Yes, I do. I'm in love with you Margaret. Are you okay with that?"

"I am more than okay with that." Maggie replied softly thru the tears as she pulled Liam into a hug. "I am in with love you too."

Kissing her temple softly, Liam held her close. This year had been stressful for him but luckily he had Maggie in his life. He may have messed it up in the beginning but he made sure he got her back. She was the rock he had to lean against when he was stressed about Josh. "Thank god."

"Worried I wouldn't say it back?" She asked pulling slightly away to be able to see his bright green eyes. "Because if so you are a bigger idiot than I thought."

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot."

"You are something, that's for sure." Maggie said kissing him softly on the lips before the bell rang. "Come on now, let's get to class."

Liam stood outside of Maggie's photography class holding a letter that would and could change his life forever. The letter was from the head coach of the baseball team at University of California, Los Angeles. The two had met at the last game of the season before playoffs started. It was one of the top schools Liam wanted to go too. Even if he hadn't told anyone in his family. The only person who knew was Maggie. He knew that if he told her first, it would help when he would tell his parents. Especially his mom. Liam had been hiding this letter for three days along with the acceptance letter. Intercepting the mail every day before either one of his parents would come home.

"Hi love." Maggie said walking up to her boyfriend. Pulling him into a quick kiss she could sense something was wrong. "You seem tense."

Instead of saying anything, Liam handed Maggie the letter he was holding. He was her brown eyes read over the words on the white piece of paper. Liam couldn't tell if she was happy or sad about what the letter was about. "So what do you think?" He asked when she handed the letters back over to him.

"I think it's amazing that you got in." She replied softly, wrapping her arms around his torso. "And I think it's even more amazing that we can go to the same school in the fall."

"You got in too?" Green eyes were wide and showing excitement. "I didn't know you applied."

Shaking her head with a small smile on her lips. "You really think that I wouldn't at least try to get into the school my boyfriend was planning on going too? You are really having an idiot day."

"But you have been talking about going to Oxford or Yale or Stanford." Liam said pushing her slightly out of his arms so he could keep eye contact with her. "They are top schools."

"UCLA isn't a dumpy school, Liam." Maggie said with a roll of her eyes. "They have the classes I want and the professors are excellent. My parents think it's a brilliant idea. Seeing the rest of the country. It's just an added bonus that you will be on the same campus."

"Well then good. I want to be at the same campus as my beautiful girlfriend." Kissing the top of her head, Liam let out a big sigh. "Will you be there when I tell my parents?"

"Of course I will."

The drive from Washington High school to the Roger's Residence made Liam feel anxious. He had never felt this way when he was about to tell his parents news. Especially good news. Going to a college that was in the top 30 best schools in America. Being able to have an opportunity to be a starter as a freshman was almost unheard of. And receive a full ride. Liam knew it was the perfect fit for him, he just hoped his parents, mainly Emerson saw that as well.

"Everything is going to be fine, Liam." Maggie said reaching over from the passenger seat to take one of Liam's hands off the steering wheel. The two had been sitting in the driveway for almost 10 minutes. Neither of them talking. Maggie knew that this was going to be hard on Liam, it's been a rough year for him and his mom. But she also knew that Emerson was going to be so happy for her eldest son. If there was an emotion that expressed the way Emerson felt about her son, was proud. Everything Liam had ever gone thru made him stronger, even if it took him awhile to work the situation out. "Come on, let's go inside."

Nodding his head, Liam turned his head to face Maggie. Seeing the comforting and supportive look in her golden brown eyes made him feel a little less anxious. "I love you."

"I love you too." Pulling him into a deep passionate quick kiss, giving him all the luck and strength she could muster in. "I'll be there every step of the way. Whatever you need, I will give it to you. Rather this goes good or bad."

"Thank you." Taking another deep breath and stealing another kiss from Maggie's slightly bruised lips, Liam got out of the car. Staring at the house he had lived in since he was 13 years old, he thought 'I can do this.' Heading inside he heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Taking in the sight of his parents and siblings making cookies, they all looked happy. Which hopefully stayed that way when he told them the news. Feeling Maggie's hand slip into his own, he knew it was time to say something. "Mom, dad I got some news."

"What is it, honey?" Emerson asked turning off the Kitchen-Aid mixer. "Have you heard back from NYU? Did you get in?"

Taking out the envelope from his backpack, he handed it over to Emerson. "Not NYU, but UCLA."

"California?" Steve asked taking the envelope from Liam, knowing Emerson wouldn't take it. "I didn't know you applied."

Answering Steve, but only watching his mom. Her green eyes were staring at him, making every in his body become even more anxious than on the drive home, "It was a last minute thing. Um, the baseball coach wants me to try out to be the starting pitcher. Their pitcher just graduated and they need a replacement. And they heard about me all the way from L.A. If I choose to go, I get to do some training with the L.A Dodgers."

"That's amazing Liam." Steve honestly replied after reading both of the letters. "Do they have the classes you want?"

"Yeah, they do." Nodding his head, his own green eyes still not leaving Emerson's. "Mom will you just say something! This staring thing you are doing is unnerving and it was already hard enough to get to courage to tell you."

Sighing softly, Emerson broke eye contact with her oldest son and looked down at the ground. "Why didn't you tell me before you applied?"

"Because I thought you would discourage me from applying. You want me to go to school in the city. Live at home, so we can keep being a happy family." Liam explained softly holding out the letter to NYU. "I got in there too. But I won't be able to get a chance to start or even play baseball until my sophomore year. If I'm lucky. Most don't start until they are Juniors. I want to play baseball and UCLA is giving me that chance. And maybe I will be able to get drafted to play for the MLB. You know that's my dream, and I would have gone into the minors this year but I agreed with you and dad to go to college instead."

"I want you to be happy, Liam." Emerson said softly, looking up from her spot on the floor. "Would I like it if you stayed in New York? Yes, I would. But if going to UCLA will make you happy then that is what you will do. It's only a five hour plane ride, right?"

"Yeah, it is." The teenager replied when Emerson pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for not being mad."

Kissing her only dark haired child's head. "Oh, I could never be mad at you for picking the college that's the best fit for you. I can't do that to you."

"Good." Liam said pulling away from the hug and taking a step back next to Maggie. "And Mags has some news as well."

"Your not pregnant are you?" Emerson asked with wide eyes. "I am too young to be a grandma and you are way too young to be a mom."

Shaking her head with a small smile on her face, Maggie told the Rogers her news. "No not pregnant. I am going to UCLA as well!."

"Oh my goodness, that's great Maggie!" The older woman said giving her son's girlfriend a hug. "I hope Liam didn't influence your decision though."

"No, he didn't. I knew I was in before Liam told me that he was accepted." Maggie explained as she felt Liam wrap her body between his muscular arms. She always felt safe when Liam would pull her into his arms. Knowing that he was there to hold and protect her, just being there. "They gave me a full ride and with the schooling, I did back in England there is a possibility of my being able to graduate early."

"You can't turn that down." Steve replied smiling softly at the young lady. "Your parents okay with you moving across the country?"

"Oh yeah, they are completely okay with it. They want me to go and see the rest of the world. And moving to California is definitely in the right direction."

When Steve found Emerson later that night, she was sitting on the bathroom tub holding something in her hand. Trying I plan to have a baby was something Emerson had never done before. Her pregnancies were unplanned. It was like catching a cold, came naturally. Now with being not her twenties anymore, she had to try and be patient. Something that Emerson was definitely not.

"What do you have there?"

Holding out the once again negative pregnancy test, Emerson couldn't handle looking up at the Steve Roger understanding face. "Not pregnant. I really thought I was this time. Steve, I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Okay." Throwing the stick into the wastebasket, he knelt down in front of his wife of years. "We don't need to try anymore. If it happens it happens. We already have three amazing kids, I don't want you to feel pressured into making our family an even number. This family is perfect just the way it is."

Nodding her head, she wiped the few tears that escaped from her green eyes. "You don't think I'm horrible because there is a small part of me that is ecstatic that I'm not pregnant."

"Is that what you upset about? Being happy you're not pregnant?" Watching Emerson nod her head with a small laugh and a few more tears escaping, Steve let out his own chuckle himself. Kneeling down in front of Emerson, he took her hands in his own. "You are not a horrible person. We would be starting all over again. Dakota just started middle school classes way earlier than we ever imagined. Eli is the goalkeeper for the summer soccer league and Liam is going off to college to play baseball. We got our hands full. I don't think we need a newborn mixed in."

"I wouldn't hate it if it happened." Pecking his lips softly, she whispered softly. "You really are the perfect man."

"You'd think after 12 years you'd realize that by now."

"Well I am a blonde, it takes some time for things to register." Emerson said before squealing loudly as Steve threw her over his shoulder. "What are you doing?! Steve!"

Throwing her onto their bed, Steve hovered over her. "How about we give it one more shot? If we don't end up pregnant. We never have to talk or think about it ever again."

"Put a baby inside me, Rogers."

University of California, Los Angeles was everything Liam and Maggie thought it would be. The second they stepped on campus they felt the warmth of the sun and could feel their bodies begin to charge. Almost like they needed solar panels to receive the energy they have now. When they found out they were in the same dorm, different floors it eased them both. Knowing that they weren't across campus, and the only thing separating them was an elevator ride.

"Alright Liam, I think you are all unpacked." Emerson said destroying the final empty box of Liam's things. "Are you sure you don't want to pack everything back home and come home?"

"Mom, we've talked about this." Liam warned pointing a finger over at the older woman. "I will be home for Christmas. It will be here before you know it."

Nodding her head, she pulled her oldest son into a hug. Steve had gone to help Maggie and her roommate move the beds and desks around. Part of it was to help Maggie, the other was to let Emerson and Liam get their goodbye. "I need to tell you something. Steve doesn't even know yet."

"You're pregnant." He said leaning against the desk, with a knowing look on his face.

"How did?"

Smiling softly. "I'm always the first one to know your big news. And you may be able to convince dad that you haven't been having morning sickness, but not me."

"You're not mad?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want you to feel like I'm replacing you."

"Of course I'm not mad!" Liam exclaimed pulling his mom into a tight hug. "I'm getting a new brother or sister! And you wanna know the best thing about me being at college during you going thru your fourth pregnancy is I don't have to be the errand boy when you get a craving for something that is only found in the city."