Previously: "Well, they might have gotten themselves into this situation, but I'm not going to enable it. As of this moment, you are cut off, young man. You need to make a choice, either that slut and the baby go or you can all go!" She glared at her son, hoping to scare him into either dumping Carly or forcing her to do something terrible. "Either way you are not having a baby with that girl."

"What are you saying, Mom?" He glared back, preparing to call her bluff.

Chapter 11

"I'll bet she gave you some kind of disease, too didn't she? If you want to continue to live under my roof, you'll get rid of that - that mistake growing in her belly. Either they go or you do. I'm not helping with any more college expenses or paying your way as long as you're messing around with her!"

"You want me to get rid of a mistake?." He couldn't believe what he thought his mother was implying. She had been ultra conservative, die hard religious for years and to hear her imply such a thing was so far off her usual attitude he could hardly believe his ears.

"Abortion or adoption, preferably the latter, but either one if fine with me. I don't honestly care either way, but you are not bringing children into the world until you are settled down and married to a decent girl. Not someone like her. You need to dump this little hussy, she has got to go. Or - or you can just start rowing your own boat, mister. As long as you involved with that little tramp, you are not my son."

"Mother, how can you say that? First off, I'm not leaving Carly just because she is pregnant with MY kid, what kind of man would I be if I did that? You want me to be a deadbeat dad or some shit? And what would your friends from church say if anyone heard you even say the word abortion? I thought that and being gay were the two most unforgivable sins there could ever be."

"Psh! She can't be more than a few weeks along. It's just a clump of cells the size of a jelly bean. Hell, at this point in development it could be a human, an ape or a dolphin to look at it. A fifteen minute procedure and it's gone like a tonsillectomy. I've seen dozens of them, it's not hardly any more of an operation than pulling a bad tooth. There's even pills for it now, they sell them everywhere. What does it matter to you anyway, it's not your body but it is your future you're effing up!"

Spencer now piped in. "Mrs. Benson, that's horrible to say something like that. I mean, I'm about as liberal as it gets, but unless there was something threatening her life, I would never ask any woman to do that, especially my baby sister. It's her choice, an-and Freddie's if they're a couple; not yours, mine or anyone else's."

"Oh, grow up, Spencer. That whole deal doesn't apply when it's your family screwing up their lives. How would you feel if you had some girl knocked up? I'll bet you'd be driving her to the abortion clinic yourself. I certainly hope you haven't told people about this, Fredward. No one else needs to find out about this mess or your reputation will be dead."

"MY reputation? What about yours for the way you're acting?"

Marissa ignored her son's back talk and kept going. "And Spencer, my recommendation is while she's in there having it done, they'd better tie her tubes. Freddie will wake up and leave her for this, so it won't be his future in jeopardy, but she'll get knocked up to some other random guy before long, just you wait and see. And the next guy might not be a catch like my boy. That's the kind of girl she is. I could tell it from the time she was thirteen, she's nothing but a little slut, just like that hideous Puckett girl."

Spencer was speechless and Freddie was not just angry, he was livid. "Mother!" He thought she and Carly had become friends, now all of a sudden she was attacking the girl he loved like she was the devil incarnate.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she planned this just to hook you in, Freddie. She's obviously trying anything to get you to stay with her out of desperation. You can do so much better and she's such a tramp she couldn't get a man any other way. Honestly, I'm shocked that blonde delinquent never pulled this trick on you. I wouldn't be surprised if she gave her the idea, though. I'm sure she's done it by now, herself. Maybe a couple of times."

"Alright, Marissa. I think it's time for you to go." Spencer stood to escort her from his apartment. "Freddie, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. No one should have to put up with living in an environment like the one across the hall."

"I think I'll take you up on that, Spencer." He kept giving his mother the worst look. "I'll come and get my things tomorrow, Mother. When you're not home. Right now, I need to go check on Carly."

"When you come to your senses, let me know, Fredward." Marissa stormed out the door. "I'll be waiting for you to make your decision."

"Freddie, I'm sorry anyone ever has to hear something like that." Spencer just shook his head. "I knew your mom was nutty, but that was just plain ol' bat shit crazy."

"Thanks, Spencer. I really appreciate your letting me stay here."

"Well, you've here more nights than you're not anyway lately." The artist shrugged.

"I think I need to go be with Carly, now." He headed off toward the stairs to find his girlfriend.

When he finally reached her room, he found Carly collapsed on the floor, crying and sobbing beside her bed. She had heard much of the shouting from the first floor and took every word to heart. He immediately went to her side and picked her up into his arms.

"I am so sorry about her, baby." He held her tight, sitting on the bed. "She's so mean and hateful, I can't believe how that woman acts sometimes. I'm ashamed to be her son."

Carly continued to bawl into his chest for what seemed like forever, until finally she spoke. "I'm going to do it, Freddie. As much of a bitch as she is, you mom's right. We can't go through with this. We're college students, we can't be raising a baby. God, we've only been dating a few months, what will people say?"

"I don't care what people say." He argued. "The only people we need to worry about are each other and the baby."

"Freddie, we can't do this. I don't know how I'm going to live with myself but I need to get rid of it. First thing in the morning, I'm calling to schedule an abortion."

"Oh, Carly. No." He held her tighter. "There's another way. There has to be. We have people to support whatever we decide. This might be a challenge, but we have each other and family who love and care about us. Before you make a decision you're going to regret, let's talk to my dad."

"Your dad?" She questioned. "I didn't know you ever had any contact with him."

"We've been in touch ever since my birthday last year. Sure, I haven't seen a whole lot out of him this summer, but he's been busy, closing down the Portland office and I've been with you a lot. We do talk once a week or so. Sometimes we just email. But I've told him about you. We need to get together, he's actually dying to meet you."

"Shit!" She suddenly exclaimed. "My dad! We still haven't told him. Oh, God, he's gonna kill us both."

"He'll just have to understand. Tomorrow, let's call him and tell him about it."

Carly just nodded in agreement and again buried her head into his chest as she tried to stop crying.


A few days later in Venice, Cat and Sam were discussing their future together.

"Not that I'm not happy for you guys, but are you sure about all this. Cat, you've only been out of high school for a year. Robbie's still in college." Sam worried for her friends' decision. "Not to mention he's a dweeb." She whispered to Cat.

"We're sure, Sam. But thanks for the concern." Cat said with a mile wide smile. "We just want to make it official. It's not like we're getting married until I'm done with college or anything."

"I understand you guys wanting to live together, but it's a big step. Don't you think it's a little soon for moving in together?" Sam asked.

Cat just shrugged.

This actually came as no shock to Sam. Since their engagement, Cat had repeatedly said she was anxious to move in with Robbie. This situation would give Sam the excuse she needed to move back to Seattle. This is the opportunity she and Freddie had been waiting for over the last several years. Unfortunately, there was the way he was acting all infatuated with Carly again but he was surely over her by now.

In actuality, she hadn't talked to Freddie in weeks, or was it over a month? The last time she did, at least he acted normal. Not like when Carly first moved home earlier in the year and had herself glued to him. Then there was that awkward phone call where he almost acted like he was thinking of giving it a shot with her. By now, they should have had sufficient time to drive each other crazy and have decided to just be friends.

What Sam didn't realize, and what neither of her friends had worked up the courage to tell her, was that they were together and that 'other things' had happened. She certainly wasn't privy to the information they had learned within the last week.

It seemed like almost every time she talked with one of them all summer, which wasn't often, the other wasn't too far away and then there were the video sessions, where they were always together. At least, Carly had turned down the flirting or so it seemed anyway. Maybe she finally took the hint or maybe he said something to her. Freddie never was comfortable with PDA and Sam figured he probably said something.


The following weekend, Freddie had arranged to get together with his dad for brunch on Saturday. He had spent the week at Carly's, only returning to his mother's apartment to move his things out when he knew she wasn't home. While he wasn't altogether comfortable actually living with his girlfriend of only a few months, in her brother's apartment, he certainly wasn't in any mood to spend any amount of time with his mom or under her roof.

Carly and Freddie were in the diner, just off U-Dub campus where they were in their usual booth talking to his favorite waitress when he spotted his father walk through the door. The man looked around, in search of his son and Freddie stood to get his attention. The waitress left to attend to other customers and Karl Benson approached their table. Freddie took a step forward to greet him with an extended hand.

"What kind of greeting is that for your old man?" He asked. "Bring it in, son." The man hugged Freddie tightly. "Sorry I've been so swamped with work, we haven't had a chance to get together lately. I hope we can change that now that the company has opened the new office over in Tacoma and I'm officially back in Seattle."

"I understand, Dad." Freddie said. "I'd really like that. So you've officially moved back, now?"

"Yep. As of Wednesday. Most of my stuff's in a storage place over on the east side, and I'm staying at the Sheraton until I can find a place.

Carly stood to greet the middle-aged man. "Dad, I'd like you to meet Carly." Freddie put his arm around her gently.