Unidentified
Chapter One
Of All The Secrets We Keep
Nothing is ever perfect and even if it somewhat seems that way, life will make sure you think otherwise. Perfection is one of the many things life does not allow you to have. The exact reasoning is unknown but Cat believed it was because no one would be truly happy with everything perfect. Things would be dull and lifeless like black and white. The few people might like it that way, but Cat and her family did not. While the redhead always looked on the bright side of things, never once did she believe that things were set out to be perfect. Imperfectness showed people's true colours.
When people looked at Cat and her family she didn't really care what they thought of her. She could imagine all the thoughts racing through her mind but she didn't let it bother her. Those people were the same as her, too. They had their problems and flaws just like she had. Either way, Cat brushed it off her shoulder and would smile brightly at them whenever she passed by. People wondered how she did it.
If Cat were to answer that question, she'd simply say that she lived her life. What was in the past was in the past and she didn't have time to dwell on it. She wanted to live in the moment with her sons while they were still young and she wanted to continue to be madly in love with her husband until their old age. Right now, at that moment was what mattered most to her.
It was a rainy Friday morning in the middle of April. Cat was packing her boy's lunches for the school day and daydreaming as she looked out the window. Remembering that it was the end of a work week a grin spread across her face. Not just because her husband of ten years, Robbie Shapiro, would get off of work an hour early but because at six o'clock they would meet up with their friends and their families for dinner.
It was the first Friday in four months that the Shapiro's were meeting up with their friends and their families. It had been a painful couple of months for the family and their friends had decided it was best to give them their space. They had tried to cheer them up countless times by coming over and trying to console them, but nothing had worked. Cat's brother, Beck, was the one who suggested that giving them their time would help them heal. In that time Cat and Robbie had gone to see a grief councillor and their eldest son, Collin had got his grades back on track while they were also teaching their youngest son, Alex why he was no longer getting a younger sibling. It had been a lot for them all, but they overcame it together. And right now, everything was okay, which was all that mattered.
Now they were hosting their first get together in months. Cat had called up her sister-in-law, Jade, last week and asked to be the one hosting since she had wanted to make up for lost time. Jade had been the one to inform her husband and the other couple, Tori and Andre, who the four had also been friends with since high school.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice Robbie sneaking up behind her. He snaked his hands around her waist making her squeal in surprise before planting a kiss on her cheek. With a giggle, Cat turned around and pecked her husband on the lips. The nerdy man grinned and pushed up his glasses on his nose with his index finger.
"Good morning, beautiful." Robbie chirped. "Happy Friday to you, my dear."
Cat was positive she had one of the cheesiest husbands out there, but she didn't mind at all. She loved Robbie and his geeky self. She loved how his big, nerd glasses always slid down his nose at the most inopportune times, how awkward he was whenever he said something that wasn't intentionally funny and how he'd blush whenever she'd kiss him.
"Morning sweetie," she grinned at him.
Robbie stared at her for a moment before tucking a stray piece of bright red hair behind her ear. He looked at her softly, studying her features. Cat sighed and looked away already figuring out what he was trying to do. When Robbie kissed her shoulder gingerly she looked back at him with her head tilted to the side in frustration.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Robbie confirmed. Cat didn't say anything as he ran his fingers through his dark curls. "I wouldn't want you going through with this tonight if you weren't."
Cat smiled weakly at him. Sometimes there were parts of her that felt as if she wasn't okay. Some days were better than others. In a split second she could feel like wanting to curl up in a corner and just sobbing. The only difference between now and four months ago was that she learned how to manage it all. She learned how to not break down. The whole experience had made her so much stronger than Cat could ever imagine.
"I'm okay, Robbie." Cat confirmed with a nod of her head. "I'm really good. I can't wait to see Beck, Jade, Tori, Andre and all our little nieces and nephews. I really missed them."
Cat wasn't biologically related to Tori and Andre, but they had always felt like family. As for Beck and Jade, Cat was Beck's half sister, with the same father but different mothers. It was a long story the two rather had not get into hence the fact that it was always a bit painful for Beck to talk about.
The six of them had gone through a lot together since they attended Sherwood High School when they were all fourteen. They had come a long way and Cat was extremely proud of the group they had become. They never turned their backs on each other and were always there for support. They understood one another. It's what made their bond so unbreakable.
"I missed those little buggers too." Robbie grinned from ear to ear. Cat giggled at Robbie's choice of words. He was the only person who could get away with saying the most unusual words such as 'bugger' and still look incredibly cute.
Robbie leaned in for another kiss before he heard the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs. Startling Robbie, he jumped away from his wife with a blush forming on his cheeks. Collin appeared in the doorway of the kitchen all dressed for school with his little brother trailing not far behind him.
Collin was Cat and Robbie's eight year old son. He was the exact replica of Robbie with his curly dark locks and big nerd glasses the hung on his nose. He had always been one of the smartest kids in his class, never once getting a mark lower than an A. The thing that made him so great, though, other than his intelligence, was that he wasn't a know-it-all. He didn't make a big deal out of the fact that he was smart. He didn't compare his marks to others or gloat about the grade he got. He was too sensitive to do that.
Not only was Collin book smart, but he also had a fascination with video cameras. Robbie had bought him one for his seventh birthday after he had used almost all the film in his. Collin would bring all his friends together and assign them certain roles while he videotaped the whole thing. Cat always called him her little director.
Alex was the opposite of his older brother. He was four years old and very absentminded. He got distracted quite easily. One minute he was colouring a picture of a rainbow and the next he would have all his concentration on a bird flying outside the window. The teachers at school always had a difficult time getting him to focus on his schoolwork.
Not noticing the blush on his father's face, Alex leaped into his father's arms. Robbie grinned and spun his youngest child around in circles before placing him down on the floor. Next Collin came up for a little side hug as Cat handed both of her boys their lunch boxes.
"Now, you two better get to school." Robbie informed them once checking his watch. They had eaten breakfast before they had went back upstairs to get dressed and packed for the day. "Wait for your mother in the car, okay?"
The two boys nodded before scurrying off with their backpacks and lunchboxes. Robbie watched them leave before promptly checking his watch for a second time to see if he was going to be late. He had a good hour and a half to get to the campus just before his first class started. Being a professor at California University, Robbie had just enough time to get from his house to the campus in a nick of time.
"You should get going, too." Cat smoothened out Robbie's blue button up shirt. She pecked his lips quickly before grabbing her car keys and leading him out the door. Once they were on the front door step she turned to him once more and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a more longing kiss.
Robbie smiled in between kisses trying to ignore the guilty pang in his stomach. Whenever his wife kissed him like that, so passionately, so full of emotion, it was easy for Robbie to think about what happened back three months ago when Cat was still lying emotionless in bed and he was out. Pushing his guilty feeling aside he wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and kissed her back with the same level of emotion.
He heard a chorus of "ew"'s from the boys inside the car but waved them off. When Cat pulled away she pecked his nose and grinned at him. The guilty feelings subsided because nothing made Robbie happier than when Cat smiled like that at him. The smile that you could see all her teeth and her dimples were clear in view.
"I love you, honey." she told him before making her way off to the car. Over her shoulder she called, "Have a good day! And remember to pick up the garlic bread for tonight!"
Robbie watched Cat drive way with the boys for school before he got in his own car. He checked that he had everything he needed for a successful work day before backing out of the driveway. As he drove to the campus he reviewed over his schedule for the day.
He taught only four classes that day. One at eight thirty, the other at ten fifteen, then another one at one o'clock before his final class at three forty five. After that he could get what he needed to meet up with his friends and head home to help his wife prepare for dinner. The day should go by normally.
That is if he didn't run into any problems. And by problems, he didn't mean daily hassles, but in fact a person. A person he should have distanced himself with a long time ago.
Jade Oliver angrily glared at her bulging stomach as she had been met with a sharp kick to the side. She scowled as she gripped the remote in hand tightly. She was six months pregnant with a professional soccer player, she was sure of it.
"Listen buddy, you've given me insomnia all night, can't you cut me some slack?" Jade snarled. Apparently, her unborn child was much like his mother in the sense of how stubborn he was as he kicked her once more in the exact same place making Jade growl again.
She heard a laugh coming from behind her and looked to see her husband, Beck leaning against the doorway with a smirk. He was dressed in his uniform for work looking all ready to go for the day. Jade couldn't help but smirk back because she was never able to help herself when Beck was in his uniform. Sadly, she had to ignore her desire for sexual contact as their children were getting ready for school upstairs and her baby bump didn't give her much enthusiasm.
Beck walked over and sat beside her on the couch. He swung his arms around her and kissed her temple before placing a soft kiss on her lips. Not satisfied with the light peck her husband had given her she brought him in for a more passionate kiss which leads Beck to believe he should start kissing down her neck. Just as swiftly as he had been, she lightly pushed him off before glaring.
"Okay, that's not fair." Beck frowned. "You kiss me like you're ready to pounce on me, but as soon as I make a move, I'm the bad guy and you push me off?"
"Violet and Derek are upstairs getting ready for school," Jade pointed out directing her gaze to the stairs. "What if they walk downstairs and see us? They'd throw up their breakfast and we'd need to send them to therapy classes."
"That's never stopped us before." Beck smirked as he leant forward to try nibbling on her ear. He failed as Jade quickly pushed him off and glared at him again. "Come on, you just don't want to do it because you think I'm bothered by your belly."
"I know you're not, but I am." Jade informed him, "Either way it's not my fault you're as horny as a fifteen year old boy."
"It kind of is, because I think you make being pregnant so ridiculously hot on purpose just to torture me." Beck replied in a dramatic tone. Jade rolled her eyes playfully making her husband smile. He kissed her cheek leaving a silence in between the two of them for seconds.
Jade looked like she was in deep thought about something. Beck studied her carefully, not even a little bit curious as to what she was thinking about. She was looking down at her pregnant stomach and rubbing it, self consciously with a slight frown on her face. He sighed and brushed a loose strand of dark brown hair behind her ear.
"Are you thinking about my sister?" Beck asked her. "She's not going to burst into tears the minute she sees your stomach, baby."
"It's Cat, Beck, you know she just might." Jade said sincerely as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "She could barley look at me when I met up with her last week."
"She's just really emotional, that's all." Beck told her. "But she's better now. She never would have called you if she wasn't better."
"I know," Jade let out a sigh. "I just miss her."
"I miss her, too."
When Cat had her miscarriage four months ago everyone was in a complete state of shock. It was like they couldn't believe in a million years that this would ever happen to one of them. When it had finally sunk in no one was able to get through to Cat or Robbie. They were a mess. Jade had only been two months pregnant at the time but whenever Cat saw her she'd burst into tears, not look at her, and not speak to her or all of the above. Jade was hurt but understood where she was coming from.
Just then the two heard their children running down the stairs to greet them. Violet was the first to appear with Derek right beside her. Beck and Jade both got up to greet them, kissing the top of their heads.
Derek was Collin's age, just a couple of months older. Though they had the same blood coursing through their veins they were the total opposites. Derek wasn't doing very well in school. His average was at a C level and although that had improved since Beck and Jade hired a tutor it was still distracting for their son to learn sometimes since he was attracted to his female teenage tutor. Although their son's strong suit wasn't school, he had a musical gift. He was a genius on guitar and could sing pretty well for his age.
Derek also was a mix of Beck and Jade. Beck's genes were quite strong as he had gotten his father's dark eyes, skin tone and thick hair but he had most of the rest of Jade's features. Not to mention the infamous smirk that ran in the family on both sides. Derek's smirk was a hundred percent Jade's and Beck had a hard time deciding if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Violet was three years old and (as Beck and Jade liked to call her) too smart. For her young age she was quite crafty. The little girl was infamous for the pranks she pulled on her family and friends such as pretending to cut off half of her hair. To that day, no one figured out how she made it look like she had half a head of hair. In looks, Violet was the girl version of her father. She had all his facial features along with his thick hair. Being his exact replica and being the only girl got her away with certain things that she wouldn't have otherwise.
"Are we going to see Aunt Cat and Uncle Robbie today?" Violet asked eagerly as Beck handed her the bright purple backpack. Her eyes were wide with excitement, the same way they were every single week she asked since the pair had stopped showing up. Beck was glad that this time he could say an answer she'd be happy with.
"Yes we are." Beck smiled. "You're going to see your cousins again, too."
"Collin's going to be there, too?" Derek asked excitedly as he slipped his blue backpack onto his shoulders. Jade nodded, reminding him that Alex would be there also, but he just brushed that part off. "Good! Now I won't be stuck with Violet and John."
Jade had to stifle a laugh. John was Tori and Andre's son who was Violet's age. She thought back to one of the times that Cat and Robbie hadn't came to their weekly get togethers. John, although he was an insanely cute child was incredibly nosey and it was amusing watching him and her daughter always peer over Derek's shoulder asking what he was doing.
"Hey!" Violet narrowed her eyes, clearly offended. Before she could get any ideas, Beck scooped her up in his arms and started carrying her out the front door with Derek right on his heels.
Jade followed the three of them outside to watch them drive off. Since on Fridays Beck usually went to work a little later, he would drive the kids to school. Now that Derek had been taking the bus and Andre had been driving John and Violet to preschool (Beck's orders for Jade) Beck liked to give them a break every now and then.
Beck put Violet down and watched her and her brother walk to his car. He turned to Jade, giving her a long kiss on the lips before pulling away. "Please don't stress yourself out today. Stop writing once you know you've had enough."
The doctor had specifically told Jade that her stress levels were a bit too high for the baby and had warned Beck and Jade about it. Jade was an author and had deadlines she had to make for her newest suspense novel. It got her really worked up and stressed out which made Beck concerned.
"I'll be fine." Jade insisted with the roll of her eyes. "Can you pick up some red velvet cupcakes on your way home? I want to bring them to your sister's house tonight."
"You got it," Beck nodded. He put hand on his wife's stomach just in time to feel a kick making Jade wince. He couldn't help but smile. "Don't hurt mommy too much today, okay buddy?"
Jade sighed and rubbed her belly, looking down at it. "Yup, just four and a half more months."
"You mean four."
"Nope, I mean four and a half. Derek and Violet were both late, so will this one."
Beck rolled his eyes at his wife's dramatic sense but before he could get glared at for it, he quickly pecked his wife's lips and walked off to his car. "Love you!"
Jade pursed her lips but couldn't resist calling, "Love you, too!"
After driving Derek to elementary school and Violet to preschool, Beck made his way to work. He was a police officer and worked at the local station so he could stay closer to Jade and the kids. And while Beck told Jade everything that went on at the station he had left out the part about him getting a new partner at work. Since his old partner Dale had been promoted to detective, Beck was due for a new partner.
He would have told his wife, if she wasn't so easily jealous. Beck's boss had told him that his new partner would be a female and Jade wouldn't like the sound of that even though she claimed that all female cops were muscular and irritable (and Beck wouldn't dare to disagree with her on that). He'd tell her tonight though after his partner was assigned and Jade could have no say in it.
Beck went into the Chief's office as soon as he arrived. There that sat in the chair across from him was an unfamiliar looking female. She had wavy black hair and a bright smile with dark brown eyes. As soon as she saw Beck enter the room she jumped up from her chair and extended her hand. Beck shook her hand and smiled at her.
"I'm guessing you're my new partner," Beck smiled politely. "I'm Beck Oliver."
"Hi, I'm Meredith Silver," she introduced herself, "I'm excited to start working with you."
"Didn't I tell you, Meredith?" Chief Sikowitz piped up. "Beck's a real charmer."
Beck laughed. Sikowitz was always a fun person to have as your boss. While he could be strict and serious when needed he was always one to have a laugh. Beck put his hands up in mock defence, "All I did was introduce myself."
"Yes, but you said it so charmingly!" Sikowitz pointed out making Beck and Meredith laugh this time. "Anyways, Beck, I expect that you know the routine. Meredith is obviously new to the crew, so would you please do the honours of showing her the ropes?"
"Of course I would, Chief." Beck saluted. Sikowitz nodded before walking out of his office leaving Beck and Meredith alone. Once he had left, Beck directed out the door for Meredith motioning for her to lead the way. "Let's start our tour, shall we?"
Later on, Meredith and Beck had been walking the halls for a little over half an hour. Beck showed her other officer's office, the staff room and the interrogation room. He also introduced her to some of their other colleagues along with sharing tips on how to wear down a criminal.
"Thanks for the tour and advice," Meredith told him once Beck had gone through everything. They had ended up back in his office as it was time for them to properly get to work.
"Oh, it was no problem." Beck said not looking at her as he was searching through some files.
Meredith wondered over to his desk glancing at the pictures on it. She grew confused as she saw multiple pictures of the same woman and children in various poses. Her heart sank as she looked at Beck's left hand and saw a wedding ring. When Beck looked up she put an innocent smile on her face and delicately picked up the rectangle, gold frame.
"You have a beautiful family," she told him. In the back of her mind she wished he'd tell her that those weren't his children and he wasn't married and that was just his sister and his niece and nephew or other relatives.
"Thank you," Beck smiled. "My wife's name is Jade, my son is Derek and my daughter is Violet."
Meredith studied the photo. His children were cute. She could see a lot of him in them. She formed a small, real smile at the corner of her lips. "They look like you."
"Yeah, my genes are quite strong." Beck joked. "Hopefully this other one is going to look like me, too."
"Oh, is your wife pregnant again?"
"She's six months along, actually."
"Congratulations."
Meredith set down the frame and took a seat in one of the chairs across from Beck's desk. She should have suspected that someone as wonderful and handsome as Beck was already taken. She tried not to let her disappointment show though as she continued to ask him subtle questions to make it look like she was just making conversation.
"Your wife is gorgeous." she told him. "How long have you two been together?"
"We started dating when we were fourteen." Beck told her. Meredith's eyes widened in shock making Beck laugh. "Yeah, we were 'high school sweethearts' as you may call it. We've also been married since we were twenty four, so that's coming up on our eleventh anniversary."
"And how old are your kids?" Meredith asked trying to keep her voice even. She didn't mean to start her first day already crushing on someone, but it wasn't going to get serious anyways. It was one of those silly things that would go away within days. Now, Meredith was just curious.
"Derek's eight and Violet's three." Beck told her. "What about you? Are you married?"
Meredith held up her left hand to reveal no ring. "No, there's no one special."
"That's cool, being single is great." Beck shrugged. He was so nonchalant and calm. Meredith wondered how he stayed so level headed.
"How would you know? You haven't been single in over twenty years." Meredith joked with a grin, trying to get him to crack a smile at her.
"That's true," Beck smirked. "But the married life isn't for everybody."
She would have begun asking more questions when the door opened. A colleague that Meredith was introduced to earlier peeked his head in the doorway. "Hey, Boss wants you to start patrolling."
"Great, thanks Gary." Beck nodded, getting up from his seat. He made his way to the door before turning to Meredith. "Get ready for your first day on the job, partner."
Robbie was packing up all he needed to go home. The day had gone quite smoothly for him. There was the odd disruption every now and then, but he couldn't have asked for anything better. His students handed in their assignments, listened to his lessen and participated when they needed to. He got all he needed out of the day.
He was just about to walk out of his empty classroom when the door opened and a familiar former student of his walked in. Robbie gulped. Just his luck, he had jinxed himself. He backed up and ended up going behind his desk which made Gabriella Irondale just roll her eyes at his coward self ot even hesitating she walked right up to him and a small stack of papers on his desk before looking at him dead in the eye.
"I want back in."
The man's worst nightmares were coming true. He tried desperately to look for any sign that she was kidding and this was just a cruel joke but Robbie could tell that she was dead serious. He refused to meet her eyes as he pretended to be interested in his pencil holder.
"No, you can't come back in my class." Robbie mumbled. He heard Gabriella scowl as she sharply grabbed his chin and yanked it upwards so that she was looking at him directly in the eye. He yelped out of fear, not that it hurt because Gabriella wasn't that strong.
"Why not?" Gabriella demanded to know.
"You know why!" Robbie cried as he wiggled out of Gabriella's hold and straightened out his shirt. "It's far too dangerous. I'm not risking my marriage just because you dislike your other Mathematics teacher."
"I don't just dislike her, I hate her!" Gabriella shrieked. "She doesn't teach anything! And she hates me too, that's why she's giving me such low marks on all my assignments!"
"Look, I'm sorry that you aren't getting along withProfessor Maxine, but I refuse to let you back into my class." Robbie shook his head firmly. He had to stay strong. He couldn't risk losing Cat because some selfish brat wanted to get her way again.
"You act like I forced you into your affair with me." Gabriella rolled her eyes. Robbie winced when she said the word 'affair'. He hadn't been proud of what he'd done in his time of grief, but their little fling was a mistake and swore to have never been spoken of again.
The college student had been begging to come back in his class for weeks. Once Robbie had come to his senses and broke off things with Gabriella, she agreed to transfer classes. Just a couple of weeks later she had been begging him to take her back in his class. She had claimed that was all she wanted, to be taught properly instead of failing but Robbie had refused. Whenever he looked at her, he was only reminded of his shame. He couldn't believe he had done such a horrible thing to his family.
"We both made mistakes," Robbie agreed. "But letting you back in my class would be inappropriate."
Gabriella fumed. She didn't want anything except to be back in his class away from that other useless use of a professor. Her father would pull her out of school if her Mathematics grade wasn't up and he'd get her to work at their family restaurant. She had to think quickly. And then suddenly she thought of the perfect thing to weasel her way back into his class.
"Listen, Shapiro, if you don't let me back in your class, I will tell your wife and the Dean, everything." she threatened with her eyes narrowed.
Robbie was taken back. For a minute, he believed her. She had a determined look in her eye and she was famous around campus for getting what she wanted no matter who she had to hurt. Then he took a deep breath and relaxed himself.
"No, you won't." Robbie shook his head. "You wouldn't dare because you'd be pulled out of school."
"Maybe so," Gabriella shrugged. "But at least I'd ruin your life, just like how you'd ruin mine."
Robbie gulped now finding himself believing her. When Gabriella saw the fear in his eyes, she smirked and straightened her posture. "I'll give you until Monday to think about it." Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest looking satisfied. "Choose wisely."
And with that she turned on her heel and strode out the door.
Robbie felt like breaking down crying right there. He knew he had made a mistake, but he had been trying extra hard to make up for it. He was taking on even more responsibility with the kids, taking Cat on all these romantic dates and going to church whenever he had free time. Things couldn't come crashing down right now, not when everything was finally fixed.
The man took a deep breath trying to contain himself. He had a whole three days to think about what he was going to do. Robbie knew that the time would only come when he would have to make a big decision.
He just prayed that he would make the right one.
Author's Note: Hi, everyone! I've been wanting to get this story out for a while, but I didn't really know how to start it. I can't wait for you all to see how this progresses because I'm super excited to start writing this. It's going to be very different and much more dramatic then all my other fanfictions, but I think you guys will like it. As for "Piece of Her Game" that will be updated soon. Anyways, leave your thoughts in the reviews! What do you guys think?