ATM: The Bonehead and the Brain – The Boy is Mine

Now that Seth knows the whole Truth about Sasha and Roman, the Shield have a very difficult decision to make. With the New Year just around the corner, DX do everything they can to stop things from getting out of control.

Chapter Seventeen – Blueberry Christmas

Christmas Day, The Rock's mansion, Los Angeles, CA

The Rock let Sasha have his mansion for Christmas and the Boss decided to go back to LA with Seth for an intimate Christmas dinner. The original plan was to invite their parents over but under the circumstances, Sasha did feel like answering a barrage of questions about her soon coming child. The Legit Boss was feeling very Illegit these days and Seth was all the company she needed.

"What did you tell them?" Sasha asked Seth as he came over to the dinner table.

"I told them you weren't up to a big family dinner and they said they'll video message us instead," Seth said putting his phone on the table.

"Well, at least we don't have to wear those ugly Christmas sweaters this year. I don't even feel like changing out of my pyjamas," Sasha said sinking into her knees while Seth set the table.

Seth raised his eyebrow at his wife's dishevelled and disinterested demeanour; it was not like Sasha to not get dressed up first thing in the morning, the Boss always looked her best but not this Christmas. The weight of having a Shield baby was obviously getting to her.

"All I want to do is wrap my arms around myself and cry," Sasha said and she reached out to Seth and stroked his arm, "I'm sorry I can't be in a more festive mood baby I've just got so much on my mind right now,"

"Well get it off your mind Boss, or you'll worry yourself into a migraine," Seth said and he kissed Sasha on the head when the doorbell rang. "I wonder who that is?"

Seth went to see who was at the People's House. It was Roman and he had a cake in his hand.

"Who is it?" Sasha asked.

"It's Roman," Seth said surprised and he opened the door and saw his best friend smiling at him sweetly. "Merry Christmas Big Dog,"

"Merry Christmas lil' brother," Roman said. "I brought you and Sasha this blueberry Christmas cake. My wife has already got more than enough of my cooking so I thought I'd bring this one over for you two,"

Seth beamed, "Oh man that's so nice, Sasha's gonna devour this thing. I'm not really a cake guy,"

"No you're not a cake guy, you're just the nicest guy in the world Seth and your friendship means so much to me. Thanks for not taking it away," Roman said and Seth kissed Roman and gave him a hug.

"Just have a great Christmas with your wife and family and I'll have a great Christmas with mine," Seth said and Roman gave Seth an awkward look.

"Our families are one now Seth, we need to talk about this at some point but not today. Our lives are never going to be the same and I hope that's not a bad thing for you, it sure isn't for me. I don't think we've ever been closer," Roman said and Seth tried to keep his mouth shut. He had so much to say to Roman but today was not the day to say it, so he just grinned politely and waited for the Big Dog to finish talking so he could go and have Christmas dinner with his wife.

"I think your wife would like you go home now Roman," Seth said eventually.

"It was real nice of LC and Cameron to let us stay with them in Agoura Hills. I think Dean and Renee are really starting to like Faith Star, might be time for another Shield baby if you know what I mean. Faith Star is a very special child, I mean all babies are but, we'll have plenty of time to talk about that, right Seth?"

"Right," Seth said restraining himself and Roman gave him a great big hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you Seth, see you later," Roman said and he got into his car and headed back to Agoura Hills, leaving Seth feeling frosty as he turned to go back into the house.

He walked over to Sasha with the cake from Roman like an icicle had just dropped down his back. Frosty the Snowman had nothing on Seth right now; he'd never felt as cold towards Roman as he did since he found out the baby wasn't his.

Sasha totted over to him and sat on his lap noticing the cake he put on the table. "What did Roman want?" she asked him stroking his face affectionately.

"He brought us a cake, I'm sure it's delicious. The Big Dog sure knows his way around the kitchen," Seth said and Sasha waited for the sarcastic rejoinder which was bound to follow up but it didn't come. Sasha was sure Seth was about to make a rude comment about Roman but when he didn't, she hugged him and kissed him.

"What a nice thing for him to do, I'm eating at least half of this," Sasha said admiring the blueberry Christmas cake. "Why do you think Roman made a blueberry Christmas cake?"

"To match your hair," Seth said and Sasha smiled.

"Oh that was so thoughtful," Sasha said. "Would you be okay if I called him and thanked him?"

"Sure," Seth said amazed that Sasha didn't pick up on his sarcasm about the blueberry cake. He was sure that she would but she was clearly more interested in being nice to Roman. The BIg Dog's cake was starting to leave a really bad taste in Seth's mouth.

"Dean and Renee are over at LC and Cameron's with Roman and Galina," Seth said and Sasha looked around at the empty mansion that she and Seth were sitting in. She wanted to ask Seth how he felt about going over and eating at LC and Cameron's too but she knew that would be way too much to ask. Making peace with Roman and Galina was one thing but having Christmas dinner with Roman and Galina was one step too far, even Sasha knew that. Though the idea of a Shield Christmas sure was comforting, they were all one family now so it seemed dumb not to celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ together in one place with Shawn and Hunter's firstborn children.

"You know when Jesus was born, he became part of Joseph and Mary's family. It would be another 33 and a half years before he went back home to his real Father in Heaven. How long do you think it will be before we tell our son who his real father is?" Sasha asked Seth.

"That's an awkward question, do I have to answer it right now?" Seth asked his wife and Sasha leaned on the table glancing at Roman's cake.

"I just think it would be easier if we make it obvious from day one that Roman is part of our son's life. I don't want him to find out years later that he has a big Samoan dad but if that's too weird for you, Seth I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do," Sasha said.

"Sasha its not just me, Roman already has a family, a family that has children in it. Galina might be able to accept the baby but to ask his children to do that, come on Boss, its way too early for that. They need more time, not everyone can be as forgiving as that," Seth said, he was certainly struggling with forgiveness himself.

"I think you need to accept the fact that Roman's kids are going to have to know the Truth about the baby Seth, whether they like it or not, it is a reality that they are going to have to accept. I don't really think there can be any forgiveness until we all accept the Truth and quit pretending that none of this is actually happening," Sasha said and she touched Seth's hand gently, "We might be having Christmas in two separate homes now but come next year, things are going to be totally different and you have to tell me right now just how comfortable you are with Roman being a part of the baby's life,"

Seth sighed and he looked at the cake; he wanted to throw it across the room. It symbolised how disrupted his life now was; all his plans with Sasha and the baby were turned upside down because of Roman and there was nothing he could do to change it.

"I don't know how to feel about that right now Sasha. Can we just have dinner and talk about something else?" Seth replied and Sasha said nothing. "Do you wanna go over to LC and Cameron's?"

"Yes Seth I do but I don't want to go with you feeling this way. I've already gotten way more grace than I deserve, if you want to stay here with me alone in this big house and pretend that everything is just fine, I'll pretend right along with you. Just know that you're going to have to deal with this at some point Seth. You can only put things off for so long before they become too big for you to handle and I'm getting bigger and bigger by the day. Don't let it wait until April next year Seth, the sooner we deal with this, the easier next year will be for all of us," Sasha said and Seth nodded.

"There's nothing easy about any of this Boss, but you're right we are going to have to deal with this as a family. Today, I want you to be the wife and mother you were supposed to be, without Roman and his family being involved. Is that okay?" Seth said and Sasha nodded.

Seth got up to serve the food and Sasha twirled a lock of her blue hair looking at Roman's blueberry Christmas cake.

"Merry Christmas Roman," she said to herself and she texted him a message saying the same thing and she thanked him for the cake. While Sasha was trying to make room in her life for the changes they had been faced with, Seth was trying his best to hold onto the dream family he planned to have before Roman decided to have his blueberry cake and eat it too.