Author's Note: Thanks for the awesome response to the last chapter! I know I'm publishing this a couple days later than I promised and I apologize for that, but hopefully the fact that this chapter is a bit longer than previous chapters makes up for the small delay. As always, please let me know what you think!

Emily feels like a teenager again, anxiously bouncing her leg under the table as her fingers itch to reach for the cell phone in her pocket. She glances up at the clock hanging on the far wall of the faculty lounge and blows out a breath of frustration at the time, 5:14 pm, earning herself a sideways glance from Paige. Emily smiles sheepishly and ducks her head, pretending to read the printed packet Paige had passed out at the start of the meeting. Emily doesn't mean to be rude but this meeting has been dragging on for over an hour already with nothing of substance being discussed and Alison's appointment should be over by now. She's desperate for word from the blonde or an update from Spencer about how it went, but she doesn't want to seem like an unprofessional millennial in the eyes of her older peers by checking her cell phone every five minutes, so she's forced herself to resist the urge thus far.

"Okay, I think that's it for today," Paige says to the small group of coaches assembled around three tables in the faculty room. "I'll need everyone's final roster counts by the end of the week. Thank you."

There's a clatter of chairs scraping against the floor and books being slammed shut as the other coaches prepare to leave.

Emily wastes no time getting to her feet and pulling her phone from her pocket, frowning when she sees she has no text messages or missed calls.

"Expecting a call?"

Emily turns to see Paige watching her carefully.

"Ali had her sonogram today," Emily explains, feeling somewhat guilty for getting caught by Paige checking for Ali's call.

Paige nods, her lips pressed together and an unreadable expression on her face.

It occurs to Emily that she still hasn't told Paige the truth about the baby and she swallows guiltily at the thought because she knows she really should have filled Paige in by now. But she hadn't known what Alison was going to do till a couple of days ago and she had wanted to protect the blonde's privacy for as long as possible—to give Alison at least a little bit of control in this confusing mess. But Emily has no excuse for keeping Paige in the dark now. The decision has been made and she'll need to tell Paige that Alison is having her baby if they're going to continue to date. And while she knows what she needs to do, something is holding her back from actually doing it—as if putting it off a little while longer will keep her from having to face the doubt and uncertainties that have been swimming around in her mind recently—not about the baby because she's never been so sure of anything in her life—but about Paige. Because despite what she had convinced herself of that night they raced bikes in the street like carefree school children, she's no longer sure she wants what she thought she wanted. She's no longer sure she wants to settle for safe and stable. She's spent a lot of time this past week envisioning her future and she can't help but feel like a fraud for imagining a future with someone else while she's still dating Paige.

Emily turns away from Paige's scrutinizing gaze to see that the room has emptied, and she could technically tell her the truth right now. She could sit Paige down right here and try to explain everything to her—but she knows that's going to be a long, difficult conversation to have and she really wants to avoid answering any hard questions and just go and see Alison right now. She wonders if Alison got ultrasound pictures and her lips curve into a slight smile at the thought of seeing her baby for the first time.

"So how'd I do?" Paige asks.

"Hm?" Emily shakes herself out of her thoughts, her eyes snapping up to look at Paige.

"That's the first meeting I've ever held. Guess we're officially grown ups now," Paige says with a laugh.

Emily forces out a smile, "Yeah, I guess we are." Emily hasn't felt like a kid in a long time, not since she had to deal with some very adult things as a high schooler, but nothing has ever felt as big or as daunting as becoming a mother. And although she's nervous and a little frightened, she's never wanted anything more and she's actually starting to feel pretty excited about the whole thing.

"So, now that that's out of the way," Paige says, gesturing to the packet of papers in Emily's hand that had been passed out during the meeting, "Maybe we can get out of here and grab an early dinner? All that adulting has made me hungry."

"I can't," Emily blurts out, cringing at how quick she is to shoot down Paige's invitation.

Paige's face falls in disappointment. "Busy night planned?" she asks.

Emily shoves her hands in her pockets and looks down at the floor. "I—I was going to go by Alison's. Make sure everything went okay at the doctor's this afternoon."

"Right, of course," Paige says nodding, her eyes rolling towards the ceiling. "You know, Alison's a big girl, Emily. She can handle a doctor's appointment by herself."

Emily frowns. "She needs—I need to see her." And she does, she doesn't just want to see Alison, she feels like she needs to see the blonde with her own two eyes and she won't feel at peace till she does.

"No, you don't," Paige insists, a pleading look in her eyes.

Emily takes a deep breath, wanting to keep the peace with Paige and avoid having yet another fight about Alison. "How about I come by after I visit Ali? I shouldn't be long. We'll make pasta," Emily says, offering Paige a small smile in hopes of appeasing the other woman and getting to Alison as soon as possible.

Paige doesn't look happy with Emily's compromise but she nods her agreement anyway and Emily leans in to give her a quick kiss before rushing off to Alison's house.

"What are you doing here?" Emily asks, surprised to see Spencer open Alison's door instead of Alison herself.

"I didn't want to leave Ali alone," Spencer answers vaguely.

Emily's eyes narrow and her head tilts to one side as Spencer turns her back to her and walks into Alison's living room. Emily follows and watches as Spencer settles onto Alison's couch, picking up an almost empty glass of wine from the coffee table and taking a long drink. There's a National Geographic documentary playing on the television and it's obvious Spencer has been sitting here for a while, but Alison appears to be nowhere in sight.

"Where is Ali? How'd the ultrasound go?" Emily questions, looking around for any signs of the blonde.

Spencer just shakes her head languidly and continues to sip her wine, her eyes remaining glued to the screen in front of her. "It didn't."

"What do you mean? Did something happen? Is Ali okay?" Emily asks, starting to grow nervous.

Spencer finally turns her eyes towards Emily to reveal a disconcerted expression. "She had a little trouble at the doctor's office."

Emily's stomach drops at Spencer's words and the uneasy look in her friend's eyes. She walks closer to where Spencer sits, standing over the other woman with a hand on her hip and hard demanding eyes. "Trouble? What kind of trouble? Is Ali okay? Is there something wrong with the baby? What did the doctor say? Spencer! What kind of trouble?" Emily demands, her voice growing increasingly frantic with each question.

"The baby is fine, Em. And Ali's fine too…physically, at least," Spencer says with a heavy sigh as she stands and walks her now empty glass into the kitchen.

Emily follows Spencer to the sink. "What do you mean she's fine physically? Is she not fine in some other way? Did Ali say something?" When Spencer doesn't respond immediately, Emily steps forward impatiently and spins the other woman around by her arm so that they're facing each other. "Spencer, how isn't Ali fine? Tell me!" Emily demands, her mind racing.

Spencer takes a deep breath and leans back against the counter, one arm reaching back to place the glass she had been rinsing on the countertop. "I don't think Alison realized what kind of ultrasound it was. She panicked."

Emily frowns, Spencer's answer having done little to clear up her confusion or quell her rising panic. "What kind of ultrasound was it?"

"A vaginal one," Spencer says with a slight grimace. "I guess the probe the doctor was using triggered Alison's memory of the procedure A.D. performed on her at Welby and she had a panic attack on the table. She got really upset and the doctor had to stop."

Emily's eyes fall closed and a sick uneasy feeling settles in the pit of her stomach as she pictures Alison scared and panicked on a cold exam table. "Dammit!" she growls, turning her back to Spencer and spreading her palms flat against the cool counter top for support. She takes a few deep breaths and shakes her head, once again feeling like she's let Alison down. "I should have been there with her."

"Ali knows you would have been there if you could," Spencer tries to comfort her, but Emily can detect something in the other woman's voice that suggests otherwise.

"How is she now?" Emily asks desperately, turning around to face her friend. Emily notes Spencer's weary expression and tired eyes and wonders just how bad things must have been for Spencer to look this worn down by the ordeal.

"She finally took a break from crying and throwing up to sleep," Spencer answers. "She's in her room."

"Oh God," Emily mutters to herself, pushing her fingers through her hair and letting her nails scrape across her scalp. She knew what she was asking of Alison was a lot, a lot more than she had the right to ask for, but she wanted to believe that it would be okay, that they would be okay. But clearly, that's not the case. Alison was not okay and she wasn't even there to comfort her.

When she finally returns her eyes to her friend, Emily finds Spencer staring back at her, eyes narrowed and arms crossed as she chews on her bottom lip like she's considering whether or not to say what's on her mind. But its Spencer so, of course, she says it. "Em, why did you ask Ali to have this baby?"

"Because I want a chance to raise him or her," Emily answers truthfully. Because it is technically the truth, even if it's only the simplest form of the truth and not the whole of it, but she's not ready to admit that she wants more than a chance to raise the baby. She wants a chance to raise the baby with Alison, as a family, and she wants Alison to want that too, to want her.

Her gaze wavers when Spencer's eyes rise in challenge of her answer because surely someone as smart as Spencer can see right through her—can see what a horribly selfish person she is for putting Alison through this. She feels the guilt creeping up from within, suffocating and all-consuming, because she asked Alison to do this. She asked Alison to put herself through unimaginable physical and emotional hell—all because she's still too afraid to admit she wants more from the blonde and she's tired of Alison running from her.

"What about Ali?" Spencer asks. And that's the question that has always loomed over her: what about Ali? Every decision, every relationship, every step Emily takes—what about Ali?

"She wants that too."

"Ali wants to raise a baby with you? She said that?" Spencer challenges.

"Yeah. I mean, I think so," Emily says weakly.

Emily falters under Spencer's unrelenting glare and turns her eyes away from the other woman, finding a framed photo of Alison as an adorable 4-year-old with curly blonde hair and a mischievous smile sitting on the shelf to her left. She knows the baby won't share any of Alison's DNA but she hopes some of Alison's strength will rub off on the child because if their child is half as resilient as Alison is, he or she will be able to survive anything the universe decides to throw at him or her.

"You think so?" Spencer echoes, her eyebrow arching. "Em, if you're not sure and you're just projecting—"

Emily cuts Spencer off hastily, "I am sure." She's not, of course, but she feels like Spencer is accusing her of something and she's not in the mood for a lecture right now.

"I don't know that Ali's ready for this," Spencer confesses with a shake of her head.

"You don't know Ali as well as you think you do," Emily snaps, because what the hell does Spencer know about what Ali is and isn't ready for.

Spencer sighs, seemingly unfazed by Emily's snippy attitude. "I know you two are close, but you didn't see her in that doctor's office today, Em. She was terrified. She was literally shaking on the exam table. It was scary to see her like that," Spencer says, and Emily feels a lump form in her throat as her heart cracks just a little bit more.

"Because I wasn't there! She's scared but she'll be fine as long as I'm there for her! I won't miss anything else. I'll be there for everything from here on out—every appointment, every kick, every craving—I'll be there!" Emily tries to convince a skeptical Spencer— and herself—because she can't stand the haunted look on Spencer's face or the pity in the other woman's voice as she recounts Alison's experience at the doctor's office. God, how bad had it been? What the hell had Alison gone through while she wasn't there? Would it have even mattered if she had been there? Would she have been able to protect Alison from her own memories? The questions in her mind taunt her and she forces herself to look away from Spencer once again as angry tears begin to form in her eyes.

Spencer uncrosses her arms and takes several steps till she's standing at Emily's side and laying a comforting hand on her forearm. "It's great that you want to be there for her, Em, but you can't erase the trauma of what she went through—what you both went through. And that trauma is only going to get more real and become more present as Ali progresses with this pregnancy."

"Ali wouldn't be doing this if she didn't think she could handle it," Emily protests because she has to believe that it's true.

"I don't know about that," Spencer says with a regretful shake of her head.

"What do you mean?"

Spencer presses her lips together and steps back from Emily with a thoughtful expression. "Ali is clearly doing this for you, Em. I don't understand why exactly—maybe she's trying to prove something to you, maybe she's just desperate for a family—but if you let her go through with this, be prepared to pick up the pieces when this fantasy the both of you seem to be living in shatters and everything falls apart."

With nothing left to say, Emily sends Spencer home—telling the other woman that she'll take over looking after Alison for the night. She allows herself a couple of minutes to collect herself before trudging slowly up the stairs to Alison's room. Spencer's parting words continue to ring in her ears and she needs to see for herself that Alison is okay.

Emily comes to a stop just outside Alison's bedroom door, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open. She's not sure what she expected to find but the sight she does see—a sleeping Alison curled up under a thick blanket looking smaller than ever—breaks her heart.

She doesn't know how long she stays in the doorway watching Alison sleep but Emily finds a small bit of peace in the steady rise and fall of Alison's chest. She aches to rush forward and slide into Alison's bed, to pull the blonde into her arms and promise to keep her and their baby safe for as long as she lives, but she swallows down the urge and instead leans back against the doorframe as she continues to watch Alison sleep.

But the peace doesn't last for long as the shrill sound of her phone ringing abruptly jolts her out of her daze. Emily hastily pulls the noisy device out of her pocket, only glancing at it long enough to read Paige's name flash on the screen, before quickly setting it to vibrate and shooting her eyes to Alison's bed.

"Em?" Alison asks sleepily, squinting up at the brunette from her elbows as if she's imaging her. She had fallen asleep wishing Emily was here and now here she is standing in her bedroom and Alison can only hope she isn't dreaming.

"Hey," Emily greets the blonde with an apologetic smile, soft brown eyes gazing into deep pools of blue. Emily shoves her phone back into her pocket, only allowing herself to feel guilty for a moment before her feet shuffle her forward and she finds herself sitting on the edge of Alison's bed, tenderly brushing the hair back from Alison's face. Alison lowers her eyes shyly as Emily's fingers linger in her long blonde tresses. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Emily softly apologizes.

Alison sits up a bit and tries to clear the sleep from her voice. "What are you doing here? What time is it?" She feels disoriented and weak, her throat is dry and her eyes swollen from the seemingly endless retching that had turned into uncontrollable sobbing upon her return home from the doctor's, but Emily's fingers are still combing through her hair and she just wants to lean into Emily's hand and forget everything as she lets her mermaid's touch lull her back to sleep.

"I needed to see you," Emily says, her hand falling away from Alison's hair as she glances down guiltily.

Alison rolls her head from side to side, letting her head fall back against the headboard of the bad as the day's events come crashing back to her. She feels Emily's eyes on the side of her head, boring into her with quiet intensity, and when she turns to study the brunette, she notes Emily's worried expression and anxious body language.

"I'm guessing Spencer told you," Alison mumbles, trying to mask her shame with annoyance. It's bad enough Spencer saw her fall apart in Dr. Palmer's office, she doesn't need Emily knowing how weak and unstable she is too—especially not if she wants Emily to continue to trust her with carrying her baby.

"Ali, what happened today? Are you okay?" Emily asks, her voice full of worry as her eyes scan Alison's body as if looking for some physical sign of Alison's emotional anguish.

"I'm fine," Alison sighs, pushing her comforter aside in her attempt to get out of bed and away from Emily's overwhelming concern.

"Ali, wait," Emily pleads, grabbing Alison's wrist to stop her. "Please, talk to me. Tell me what's going on with you."

Alison takes a deep breath and settles back against the pillows, too tired to run or lie for once in her life. She turns to look in Emily's direction and finds the brunette still staring at her with that heart-wrenching look of compassion on her face. Emily looks so worried, in fact, that Alison feels the urge to reach out and comfort her—because she hates seeing Emily look anything other than happy and at peace.

"I started to remember. When the doctor tried to put that thing inside me—I started to remember what A.D. did to me—what it felt like," Alison admits, her voice low but steady as she struggles to keep her tears at bay. She squeezes her eyes shut as her mind drifts back to that day. "I couldn't move. I couldn't stop it. I could feel everything but I couldn't do anything to make them stop. I felt so helpless, Em."

Alison surprises herself with how honest she's being, but Emily's gaze is intense yet comforting, and the brunette's hand grasps her own with such genuine affection that Alison feels safe confessing her darkest secrets to her. She hates thinking about how this baby was made and ever since that day in the Darling Duck when her memory had first been triggered, she's been actively trying not to think about it. But the memory is getting clearer and harder to avoid and she finds even littlest things related to this pregnancy, like taking her prenatal vitamin each morning or seeing a pair of baby shoes in a store window, can sometimes be difficult when all she wants to do is forget about the how and just focus on the end result.

"God, Ali, I'm so sorry," Emily breathes out, her heart breaking at Alison's gut-wrenching confession. She can't imagine how awful it must have felt for Alison to be reminded of A.D.'s horrible act of violation against her body, and she hates the nameless, faceless monster who did this to Alison. But more than anything, she feels terrible and besieged with guilt that she's the reason Alison has to confront those memories now when all she wants to do is wrap Alison up in her arms and erase those painful memories from the blonde's mind.

"I'm sorry, Em. What if I can't do this?" Alison asks, her voice finally cracking as she brushes away a few stray tears from her cheeks.

"You don't have to do this, Ali," Emily says sincerely, squeezing Alison's hand tightly. Because yes, she wants this baby, but she could never live with herself if she causes Alison to hurt in any way.

"You don't want me to have this baby?" Alison asks, her voice low as her heart sinks at the thought of Emily retracting her faith in her.

"No! I do! Of course, I do!" Emily cries, shifting closer to Alison on the bed with a sense of urgency. "But not if doing so is going to cause you pain. I hate the thought of you hurting and I'm sorry if I made you feel like you had to do this for me. I shouldn't have put that kind of pressure on you."

"I want to do this, Em," Alison assures her.

Emily's eyes perk up hopefully. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I won't say that today wasn't difficult, and I'm not naive enough to think I don't have more difficult days ahead of me, but I want to do this. I want to do this with you, Em," Alison confesses and she can only hope that Emily wants the same.

Alison doesn't realize she's holding her breath till the need to exhale becomes too strong to ignore and she forces out a shaky breath and glances at Emily sideways. The brunette stares back at her, eyes blinking wide and mouth slightly ajar.

Alison ducks her head, suddenly feeling shy and exposed under Emily's expectant stare. "I just need you to be patient with me. As bad as it felt to remember, it feels worse to think I'm letting you down," she adds quietly.

Emily shakes her head vigorously. "That couldn't be farther from the truth. You could never let me down. I'm so amazed by you, Ali. Your strength, your courage, your kindness. You have no idea how in awe I am of you. I honestly can't believe you're doing this for me."

"I'm doing it for me too. I want this as much as you do," Alison admits. "I'm glad we're doing this together."

"Me too," Emily smiles tearfully. "And I mean that. We're going to do it together. I'm going to be there with you every step of the way from now on—from your most ridiculous late-night food craving to this kid's college graduation—we're in this together," Emily promises, covering Alison's hand with her own and squeezing gently. As the words leave her lips, Emily starts to picture doing all these mundane every-day things with Alison and she can't help but smile at the thought of a life with Alison and their baby. She knows now what she really wants, what she's always wanted, and what she has to do if she's serious about getting it—even if the thought of going for it terrifies her. But Alison seems to want it too and maybe this time, it'll be right for them.

Alison nods, too overwhelmed to speak, a matching smile on her face. Emily doesn't just want her to have the baby, she wants to raise the baby with her, and for the first time all day, Alison feels like she can breathe.

Alison's smile fades as she watches Emily stand and take a couple of steps back from the bed. "Are you leaving?" she asks, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"No. I'm just taking off my shoes so I can get in bed with you," Emily answers with a small chuckle, toeing off her sneakers and climbing into Alison's bed. "Move over."

Alison blushes as she scoots over to accommodate Emily, the brunette easily sliding in beside her, their bodies touching ever so slightly. Alison lets out a sigh of relief as she feels Emily settle against her, and despite the disastrous day she's had, at the moment she feels completely content.

Alison doesn't have a television in her bedroom but her laptop happens to be charging on her nightstand so Emily helps herself, grabbing the computer and powering it on. With her eyes focused on the screen, Emily quickly brings up Netflix in the browser and absently taps a couple of keys.

"So what are we watching?" Emily asks, settling down under the covers and pulling Alison into the crook of her arm like it's the most natural thing in the world. She props one knee up and rests the laptop low on her stomach so the screen lays against her bended knee. She doesn't think about how the girl in her arms is not the girl she's dating, or how she's laying in bed with Alison when she's supposed to be having dinner with Paige. She doesn't think about any of that because she knows this is exactly where she's meant to be.

"Whatever you want," Alison murmurs against Emily's side.

"Let's see if we can find something interesting," Emily says as she starts typing into the search bar. She knows a night of cuddling and watching Netflix isn't going to magically heal Alison's trauma or resolve any of the open questions currently hanging over them, but she decides it's what they need right now. They can deal with the heavier stuff tomorrow.

Alison lets Emily pick the movie and she can't help but laugh to herself when she sees the brunette has selected a movie starring a large fluffy dog.

"You're so corny," Alison teases, gently poking Emily in the ribs as she snuggles further into her.

Emily grabs Alison's offending finger and tugs, placing Alison's hand on her stomach just above where the laptop rests and covering it with her own. "Everybody loves dogs. Dogs make people happy."

Alison's feels her heartbeat quicken as the tips of her fingers brush against the underside of Emily's breast.

"Mmm. That looks so good," Emily moans.

Alison's throat goes dry at the sound as she cranes her neck to sneak a look at Emily before turning her eyes back to the laptop to see an actor take a big bite of a juicy burger.

"Are you hungry? I can run down and make us something to eat," Alison suggests.

Emily tightens her hold on Alison and snuggles deeper into the blonde. "No. Don't move. I need you here to keep me warm since you keep your house as cold as a meat locker," Emily says.

Alison rolls her eyes, "It's not that bad."

"I can see my breath. And my fingers are so cold I can hardly feel them," Emily jokes in dramatic fashion.

Alison bites her lip to keep herself from telling Emily she knows exactly what she can do with her fingers to warm them up, because her hormones are in overdrive and everything Emily says has Alison picturing the two of them in a compromising position and it's not at all appropriate. "Shut up," she groans instead, forcing herself to focus on the slobbering dog on screen.

"Are you hungry?" Emily asks.

"Not really."

"Are you still feeling sick? Do you want me to get you some tea or ginger ale?" Emily offers, tipping her head down to get a better look at Alison.

"No. Stay," Alison says. "I'm comfortable like this."

"Me too," Emily agrees with a smile. "You know what we need? A pizza place that delivers straight to your bed."

"Sounds messy," Alison remarks casually. "Or like the plot of a really cheesy porno," she adds with a smirk.

Emily snorts at Alison's joke. "Did you just make a pizza-porn pun?"

"Well, I am an English teacher. I do have a way with words," Alison grins.

"You certainly do, Miss DiLaurentis," Emily laughs, feeling perfectly content holding Alison against her body as they tease each other and watch some silly movie.

The movie plays on and Emily has to admit Alison was right, it is pretty corny, but she doesn't mind. Her goal had been to find something mindless and light to distract Alison for a couple of hours and she feels she succeeded in that.

"Do you need to get that?" Alison asks suddenly.

Emily hums in response, momentarily caught up in the dog's on screen shenanigans.

"Your phone," Alison explains. "I can hear it vibrating on the nightstand."

Emily turns to grab her cell phone from where she placed it on Alison's nightstand. She cringes slightly when she sees that she has three missed calls and four unread text messages from Paige. She had been so wrapped up in Alison that she had forgotten all about her plans with Paige, but clearly, Paige remembered.

Alison feels Emily tense and shift slightly to hide her phone from Alison's view. "Is everything okay?"

Emily presses her lips together and nods, giving Alison a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah. Everything's fine. Sorry. I just need to answer this text real quick."

She types out a quick response to Paige saying something came up and that she won't be able to make it tonight but not offering any explanation beyond that. She knows it's not going to go over well and she feels guilty for bailing on Paige without so much as a call, but Alison needs her tonight. And more importantly, she needs Alison.

"Em?"

"Yeah," Emily answers absently as she places the phone back on the nightstand before Paige can respond.

"I lied before," Alison says once she has Emily's attention.

Emily stiffens and her brows furrow at Alison's guilty expression. She's terrified Alison is going to reveal she's really not willing to have this baby after all.

"I am hungry," Alison admits, pulling her lip between her teeth and grinning up at the brunette shyly.

Emily laughs loudly before reluctantly untangling herself from Alison and rolling out of the bed. Once she's on her feet, she stretches before extending a hand for Alison to take and pulling the blonde up so that they're standing face to face.

Their mouths are only inches apart and if Emily wanted to she could learn forward and capture Alison's soft inviting lips with her own. It would be so easy and it would feel so good. But she shouldn't be thinking about pushing her tongue past Alison's slightly parted pink lips and tasting the blonde once again. She shouldn't be staring unabashedly at Alison's mouth as the blonde licks her lips and flicks her eyes downward in that soft, seductive way of hers—she shouldn't be doing any of that because she's still technically involved with someone else.

Emily clears her throat and forces herself to take a step back from the intoxicating blonde, instantly feeling the loss of heat between their bodies. "Well, let's see what we could do about that."