This is my first Fic. hope it reads well.
Disclaimer: I don't own Life Unexpected or the characters in it. Just borrowing them for a time
*** Cate ***
Cate looked down at the bathroom sink then back up to the mirror. This could not be happening. At her age she was mature, responsible, this was not supposed to occur.
She was on birth control and took it religiously. To make matters worse, she couldn't even say which man was the father. Lux had only been back in her life for two weeks and she's already managed to screw up, what sort of example was she.
Walking back into the bedroom she looked at Ryan's sleeping form, he would be ecstatic if he was a father. He was doing so well with Lux and the surprise of her in their lives. But Cate could not tell him about the pregnancy unless she knew it was his.
Dressing quietly, she figured she would go make breakfast for him and Lux. Leaving the room she shut the door and tried to put the disturbing thoughts about the pregnancy out of her mind. Yeah, for all of the ten seconds it took for her to reach the living room. Lux and Baze were sleeping upright on the couch with a laptop open on the table before them.
All the thoughts she was suppressing flooded back. What if the baby was Baze's, it would complicate her life to no end. How would Lux feel about her biological parents having another child together? Regardless, it would be her sibling either way, but if it was Baze's too how would she react?
Moving on to the kitchen she started to pull out the bacon and the pancake mix. The pots clanged as she pulled them out, wincing as it happened, not wanting to wake anyone, to face anyone. Hoping beyond hope that the baby would most defiantly not be Baze's. Because, sadly, she had decided that he was the one she would have to ask first.
Shortly there after, the door to the kitchen swung open, her heart sank, it was him. Baze smiled a sleepy smile at her as he sat down at the table.
"Sorry for falling asleep on your couch, Lux and I were watching some YouTube videos," he shrugged as he rubbed his neck, now stiff from the uncomfortable way he'd slept.
Looking furtively at the door Cate moved closer to Baze and half-whispered, "I have a problem."
With sleepy confusion in his eyes, "Yeess," he drew the response out.
Gulping and lowering her voice even further Cate stammered, "I, I'm pregnant."
"Hmm-kay, why are you telling me?"
Flabbergasted she straightened and walked away from him, memories from over sixteen years ago inundating her mind. Shaking her head she reminded herself that she wasn't a scared teenager now.
What kind of idiot was this man? Obviously not much brighter than he was the first time she told him she was pregnant. One would think he might remember that they'd had sex two weeks ago!
Turning back, she pinned him with a stare, "Because, you moron, it might be yours." Looking back down Cate added, "Or Ryan's."
"Oh. Oh shit," was all Baze could say all vestiges of sleep gone from his face. Cate saw that the situation's gravity had finally hit him. Then his mouth curved into a wry smile.
"So what is your plan this time? Are you going to tell Ryan?"
"No," she hissed at him, "I want to get a paternity test first to find out who the father is."
"You have to wait for the kid to be out first, or did you forget," he spat back.
"No, they can do it before now," Cate informed him, "I want you to go with me to get tested, so if it's not yours, I'll know it is Ryan's"
Looking both irritated and angry she could see that Baze had connected the dots.
"So if it is Ryan's, you don't plan on telling him there was a question about who the father is." Cate hoped that Baze remembered that it was his idea not to tell Ryan about the night in his loft.
"Why hurt him if I don't need to?"
"What about Lux, how do you think she'll feel?"
"How will I feel about what?" The teen breezed into the room looking at Baze, then Cate.
"Pancakes or Waffles," Cate recovered as she shot warning looks at Baze with her eyes. She hoped he would attempt to be mature about this, but she wouldn't hold her breath.
"Pancakes. Definitely Pancakes… You stayin' for breakfast Baze?"
"No, I've got stuff to do this morning at the bar. And I don't have a death wish," he snarked while catching Cate's eye and nodding. "Call if you need anything from me this week."
Baze walked out the door after waving to Lux. Cate breathed a sigh and took his answer to mean he would go along with her for the testing. Dear God, she prayed that the baby wasn't his; it would be devastating if it was.
*** Baze ***
Jamming his hands into his pants pockets Baze headed to his truck. Getting in the driver's seat he looked up to the rear-view mirror. Seeing his reflection he snorted and shook his head.
Why was it this only ever happened when Cate was in his life? That first time in his mom's mini-van, then again in his loft. Hell, he thought, not even with the many other women he'd slept with had there been a pregnancy scare.
After finding out about of Lux's existence he had realized that he really did want to be a father. In the short time since her appearance in his life he had changed. She made him wanted to be a better human being. He was now very glad that Cate hadn't "taken care of it" like he told her to.
He started his vehicle and began to drive back to the bar. His mind wandered to the fact that Cate had told him about this baby first, not Ryan. Part of him was angry because he knew she was just trying to perform damage control with her relationship with Ryan. That is, if the baby was Ryan's, she truly didn't want to have to tell him about Baze and the loft.
He wasn't much different from Cate; he had told her not to tell Ryan they'd had sex. Hell, sixteen years ago he had been way worse than now. He'd denied that they'd had sex together, insulted her, and then told her to get rid of the pregnancy. He never gave it another thought of what she'd done about the baby. Huffing a sigh of disgust at himself, he parked the truck in front of the bar and then headed in.
Damn, he thought as he passed the bar stools, what if the baby was his. He is no more prepared for a baby now than he was the first time but at least now he was an adult, even if Cate claimed he wasn't. He would not be 'that guy' this time; he wanted to be the dad even if she thought he was still just a screw-up.
Pulling a beer out of the frig Baze cracked it open. Looking at the clock it was still early, ah well bottoms up! As the beer hit the back of his throat sobering ideas come into his head, what if the baby belonged to Ryan?
Baze had difficulty forming a coherent thought of how that made him feel. There really was the distinct possibility that the child wasn't his. Ryan has been in Cate's life longer than he'd been. Baze was certain they slept together frequently before and after the time in the loft.
Baze selfishly believed that having a kid together was his and Cate's thing, he never thought of her having one with Ryan. He knew in his head that he would always have Lux with her: but the idea of her having a child with someone else made him slightly ill.
Taking another swig of beer, it seemed to sour in his stomach. If the baby wasn't his he would just have to deal, looking down he shrugged. But if it was his, he would be there this time, whether Cate liked it or not. Perking at that last mental picture he downed the rest of the beer.