Author's Notes:
Setting: Season Three
-Tiffany is not pregnant but involved with Jake
**** I am not sure what blood type Eli was on the show so that part is strictly fictional and created by me. ******
Thanks for reading and please review!
*Chapter One*
Ever have those moments when you step outside yourself and are able to see a situation for what it really is. It's the strangest thing but also the most free I've felt in my life. It's happened to me twice and I'm sure it won't be the last of it.
She caught my eye from the moment she walked into the party. Her made up face and lack of clothing certainly had something to do with it. I can't sit here and lie about it. My over the top buzz from my seventh…no eight…no seventh beer..well I think you get my drift. All the pot I'd smoked earlier that night factored into my free state of mind. The events of the night came flashing back to my when I saw her face again
*Flashback to December of Eli's Senior Year*
I strutted across the crowded room through a group of people with my beer in hand. I went over to introduce myself to her. To others I appear confident and sure of myself but it's an act. It always is….isn't it?
Her body leaned up against the wall as she brought her cup to her lips. I surveyed her completely once I stopped next to her. She was fully aware of my actions but didn't seem to mind. I instantly racked my brain for something smooth to open our conversation with.
"Hey." was the best I could come up with. I never was all that good under pressure. Except for those last few seconds of that final basketball fame but even then I managed to screw it up by messing up my ankle. It still gave me problems but not that night. I wasn't feeling anything.
She smiled at me seductively and said "Hey yourself."
I could tell from the look in her eyes this party wasn't the first stop of the night. I didn't really care all that much. This was my fifth party I'd attended since my Christmas break started. I knew I wouldn't be able to hide my morning after from my dad this time but then again he wasn't an complete idiot.
"Can I get you another drink?" I asked as I leaned slightly towards her intentionally closing the gap between us.
She looked in her cup and with the blink of an eye she chugged the remaining liquid.
"Sure, that'd be great." She replied and then latched on to my arm.
The time in between was hard to account for. I remember the band starting up again, something having to do with pizza and of course a set of stairs.
I lead her down the stairs to the basement mainly because it's the first place I could remember how to get to. We stumbled down the stairs and somehow managed to find the couch before we collapsed on to one another. I felt her hands circle around my neck and pull my closer to her with urgency. I responded by kissing her harder as I repositioned myself on top of her. I moved to her neck as she ran her hands down my back and stopped the hem of my t-shirt. She grabbed hold and quickly pulled it off. Almost too quickly. I managed even in my drunken state to unbutton her blouse without taking my lips off hers. Then I reached in my back pocket to retrieve the condom I kept in my wallet.
*End Flashback*
*Present Time Beginning of Season Three*
It took me a moment to even recognize her face when she showed up at Coop's house out of the blue almost a year later. I saw her from the other room and instantly wanted to become invisible. The holes from our one night together made me want to forget even more. I peered around the corner and down the hall toward the front door where Coop stood.
"Hey, umm are you Coop?" She asked.
"Yeah, who's asking?" He asked back.
I leaned forward a bit more trying to hear their conversation without being seen.
"Sammler, what are yo.."
I spun around and quickly silenced him.
"Shut it." I scolded Ted and then motioned him to come over to me.
He stood behind me and peered over my shoulder to look at Coop.
"What are we doing?" Ted whispered to me.
I glanced back at him and then to the door.
"We're laying low that's what we're doing." I answered.
Ted nodded and then said "I've seen her before but I can't remember where."
"Cliff's winter bash." I replied knowing exactly where Ted had seen her.
"Umm you don't know me but I'm Robin. I was actually looking for Eli Sammler. I was told I could find him here." She explained.
"Of course you're looking for Eli." Coop replied a bit irritated.
"She isn't the one night.." Ted started to asked but I finished him before he concluded.
"Yup and I rather leave my horrendous messed up night in the past where it belongs. It was a mistake anyhow. I'm outta here. Cover for me Ted." I pleaded but didn't stick around for him to answer. I bolted right out the back door and headed to my car.
"See I just need to talk to him. If he isn't here can you tell me where to find him?" She asked again.
"Sure come on in." Coop answered and then step aside to let Robin in.
"Actually Eli had to jet. Sorry you missed him." Ted interrupted almost out of breath. Coop looked at him a bit confused but Ted just smiled.
"He left?" She asked looking at the both of them.
"Umm yeah I guess." was all Coop could say.
"Sorry."
Robin wrinkled her forehead in annoyance and replied "OK, thanks anyway."
"Bye." Ted said as she walked down the steps.
"What gives? Eli left?" Coop asked once she was out of hearing range.
"Of course, E bails." Ted answered.
Robin walked to her car and unlocked the door. I unfortunately saw her in my rearview mirror as I drove off. I'm sure she saw me too.
'Damn' I cursed to myself as I sped off.
I drove around for a while and I'm not really sure why. Maybe I was trying to clear my head or something. After about an hour, I finally decided to head home. I pulled into the driveway and parked the car. I jogged up the steps and headed inside hoping for a clear path to the kitchen. Sadly, my family was pretending their best to be the Brady Bunch at dinner but I quickly avoided it. I peeled my sweatshirt off once I got into my room and carelessly threw it on the floor. I flipped my stereo on and waited for the music to ease my nerves. I fell back on my bed and closed my eyes tightly.
I faintly thought I heard a knock on my door over the music but ignored it. Shortly, the door opened and Grace peeked her head in.
"Eli?" She called out trying her best to be heard over my loud music.
"Yeah." I answered without lifting my head off the bed.
"Phone." She declared as she approached my bed. She tossed the phone on the bed next to me and turned to leave.
"Thanks." I called to her as I picked it up.
I waited for Grace to leave before I brought the receiver to my ear.
"Hello?"
"You make it home in one piece?" Coop asked.
"Yeah sorry I bailed so quick. I just wasn't in the mood to deal with that." I tried to explain.
"Deal with what? She's just a girl. An incredibly hot one might I add."
"That's it. She was just a girl when it was just one night and now she shows up again after all that time." I said with a sigh.
"Maybe she's back for seconds?" Coop joked as he laughed.
"What the hell is wrong with me? I can't even have a one night stand without screwing it up. Do your girls ever call you again? Umm I'm thinking no. I'm surprised she even remembered my name let alone my face." I admitted to Coop.
"Either way, she tracked you down for a reason. Ted and I are betting our money that she wants some more Eli action." He said with a chuckle.
I chuckled a little to myself as Coop continued his point of view.
"She probably tried to move on but no one compares to drunken love from Eli Sammler."
"Sure, I bet that's it completely. I don't want a needy girl anyhow." I stated sternly.
"Whatever E, you bail next time and we're kicking you out. You hear?" He threatened.
"Ha, I'd love to hear that band. Talk to you later." I said.
"Bye."
I sat up and headed to my door to return the phone to the house. Grace or Jessie was bound to get at least another call before the night was over. Heaven for bid they miss out on the latest high school drama. I pulled the door open and froze in place.
"Hey." was all I could muster up to say in my surprised state.
"Hey yourself." She replied just like the first time we'd met.
We stood there in my doorway starting at one another incomplete silence for who knows how long. Maybe I should have pulled out a stop watch or something.
"Your mom said I could just come on out here." She said in a rambling rhythm.
"Step-mom." I corrected her.
A hurt look appeared on her face from my bluntness and she apologized.
"It's ok…so….uhh…..what are you doing here?" I asked finally trying to get to the bottom of her sudden presence in my life.
She shifted her weight and wrapped her arms around her stomach nervously.
"Oh well, I've debated for a while about coming to talk to you again for quite some time and finally decided to come." Robin answered.
I frowned a bit and said "Ok."
More silence between us occurred but she broke it abruptly.
"Do you think we could talk or something?" She asked motioning towards my room.
I thought for a moment and thought back to what Coop had just said. Was this a part two of our night together? Should I avoid my room entirely?
"Ahhh sure come on in." I said and then moved aside for to come in. I figured talking in the house would be worse than my room and I wasn't under the influence of any substance now.
I turned towards her back and saw her walk into the middle of my pig sty of a room and look it over.
"I need to bring the phone back. I'll be right back." I declared before I left the stranger in my room.
I quickly set the phone on the kitchen counter and slipped out the door again trying my best to avoid my dad's stare again. I took a deep breath before I entered my room again. I started to close the door but hesitated for a second. I decided to close it knowing my rather large family tended to overhear conversations in which they shouldn't.
Robin was seated on my couch next to my guitar looking at my music collection when I came back in.
"Soooo" I said as I sat down on my bed.
I quickly glanced at her and noticed how different she looked from the last time I saw her. She didn't appear to be drunk this time and had suddenly found the yards of material that was missing from our last encounter.
"You're a completely different person sober." She stated out of the blue breaking our silence.
I looked in her eyes and nodded slightly.
"So are you." I added.
She let out a sigh and said "God, I was so messed up that night. My memory full of holes would be a perfect indicator."
I cracked a slight smile and said "I hear ya."
I had no idea where this conversation was going at all. The truth was I didn't even know her well enough to know how she carried on a normal conversation. Maybe this was the extend of her communication skills.
"I'm sure you tried to forget what you did remember from that night huh?" She asked with a weird look on her face.
"Kind of. So why did you track me down anyhow?" I asked out of nowhere.
She looked at my carpet which mainly consisted of clothes some clean and some dirty. I watched the top of her head while I waited for her to look up again.
"I had a baby." She declared finally.
I made an o shape with my lips and asked "How long ago?"
"Two months ago." She answered without blinking an eye. She looked up at me and held my gaze.
She looked damn good for just giving birth two months ago but that wasn't the point.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked in frustration. What the hell was she getting at?
Robin's eyes darkened and she said "Are you serious? Where were you 11 months ago?"
That was the point where I was hit over the head with a shovel. A very thick shovel.
"What?? Uhhh no it can't be mine." I refuted in shock. What kind of person just shows up out of nowhere and pulls this crap? All of the walls of my small room were suddenly closing in on me.
"It is."
"How do you.....we used protection!" I stated loudly to make a point. Mentally I began to recall the condom portion of our evening but was having difficulties. She watched my eyes as I played over everything in my mind.
"We did use a condom didn't we?" I asked as I brought my head down and rested it in my hands.
"It doesn't appear like it but I guess the old it broke excuse could work here too." She answered.
I looked away from her and focused on my guitar next to her. Anything to try and keep myself from screaming at the top of my lungs in anger. Slowly I brought my harsh stare back to her.
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner? It's almost been a whole year!" I stated.
She didn't answer but only looked away to avoid me.
"Robin?"
She sighed and replied in a soft tone "I didn't know if it was yours."
My jaw dropped slightly in shock.
'God, this can't be happening to me.' I thought to myself.
"Robin, what the hell is going on? I'm sick of all these questions. Just give it to me straight." I demanded.
She shifted herself on my couch and then looked back at me.
"My boyfriend and I had been fighting about a week or so before the party. All of which contributed to my drunken state and sleeping with you. Alex, my now ex-boyfriend and I worked things out a week later. When I found out I was pregnant I didn't even want to consider it was yours. Eli, I didn't even know your name at that point. How pathetic is that?" She said but paused to regain her trail of thought.
"Alex found out the baby wasn't his after we discovered the blood type." She concluded.
"Are you sure it's mine? You slept with me while you were with what's his name. How do I know you didn't hook up with someone else too?" I shot back at her.
She glared at my and said "She's yours Eli!"
"She?" I asked in shock. All of the sudden the baby was now a she. I had a daughter! Wait, I had a daughter?
Everything was happening all too fast. This wasn't me and this wasn't my life. It couldn't be. Granted there were a few times when I'd made some poor judgment calls but nothing like what was before me now. I vaguely remember standing up to begin my pacing. I really wanted to run right out my door and never look back but something held me back.
I'm pretty sure a track was worn down on my carpet but that was the least of my worries. Robin sat on my couch but didn't say a thing. One would think since she sought be out, she'd be your regular chatty Kathy but that wasn't the case. I was now officially beginning to panic. I glanced over at her as I wiped another drip of sweat off my forehead. She held my gaze and then finally spoke to me.
"So aren't you gonna say anything? Or are you going to continue wearing holes in the floor?" She asked as she pointed down at the floor.
I felt my anger rise and quickly reminded myself to take a deep breath.
"Robin, what the hell do you want me to say? You're the one who came to me remember. What do you want from me?" I asked with a sneer.
Her eyes darted around the room but somehow or another seemed to miss mine. What was her deal anyhow? I stopped in place and continued to look at her.
"Robin!" I called to her after a few moments of silence.
She looked over at me finally and then shook her head.
"What makes you think I want something?" She asked back.
My jaw dropped a little in shock before I answered her "Well, what else am I supposed to think? I still don't even know if it's really mine or not." My voice had suddenly rose from a hushed tone to an out right yelling level. At first I was worried someone in the house would hear me but now I couldn't even think logically anymore.
"I had a feeling you'd do this." Robin stated sounding extremely displeased.
I glared at her comment and shot back "Well excuse me but we're talking about my life here."
"Yeah, what about mine? You want proof Eli. Fine!" She shouted back to me as she dug through her purse. A few moments later she produced a folded piece of paper and held it out to me.
I looked from the paper in her hand back to her eyes. My dreaded fear of the inevitable kept me from reaching out to take the paper.
"Take it and you'll get your damn proof." She spat at me.
I slowly managed to walk over and take the paper from her grasp. I'm not sure if it was real or just my eyes making it up but my hands appeared to be trembling as I unfolded the paper slowly.
'Come on E..buck up and be a man. A strong man.' I coached myself.
"Just a shot in the dark here but I'm guessing your blood type is A positive.......just like hers." Robin stated.
I quickly opened the paper hoping it wasn't true. But all hope was lost when the blood type on the paper matched mine. I continued to read on and saw at the very bottom of the page the final blow to it all. There was no way her ex-boyfriend could be the father according to the test results.
Mother's Blood Type: OA Positive
Father's Blood Type: B Negative
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I spoke again.
"Robin?" I asked in a whisper as I opened my eyes again to find her looking at me.
"Yeah?"
"What's her name?" I asked finally realizing everything I thought I knew and planned was now out the window.
