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Chapter 2

Carolyn knew it was irrational to feel as she did, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't sure exactly when it happened, but at some point, he stopped being annoying. He became her friend then someone she kissed in the heat of the moment until at some point, he became the man she loved. Carolyn knew she loved Barnabus and yet, whether he loved her too was the question. Barnabus was so hard to read with all his puzzles and his old timey speak that she just didn't know. As much as he proclaimed her his love, his one true love, Carolyn had stopped believing him. The shine had come out of what they had, and she couldn't explain why or how, but every time she looked at him now, she wasn't sure about him. He didn't consider what she wanted, always talking about how he wished to die, and the way he still kissed Victoria goodbye after every dinner. He did that without a thought to how it made her feel and Carolyn couldn't overlook it anymore. He called her his one true love, but over time Carolyn couldn't believe in him anymore. He had called Victoria his one true love too. He had called his wife Josette that as well. He kept using those words without really thinking about them. He said each of them was his one true love and yet, Carolyn knew they couldn't all be that. A person only had one true love and Barnabus seemed not to know who his was. Carolyn even wondered if he knew what love truly was. That maybe he had a romanticized version of what love was. Carolyn knew though that is wasn't what he thought, she wanted to show him what it truly meant, but she wasn't sure he'd listen.

The thought made her distant, something Barnabus noticed as she seemed to stay in her room, her music jamming somewhat louder then usual. Her mother screamed, David spied while Barnabus remained silent, but nothing brought any answers. It wasn't until late into the night when he caught her sitting on the couch watching TV alone that any answers came.

"My love?" whispered Barnabus his hands smoothing along her shoulders.

"Don't call me that" snapped Carolyn in response shrugging out from under his touch to lean forward her head heavy as it rested in her hands.

Carolyn wouldn't look at him, she couldn't for fear of him breaking her. She heard and felt as he sat by her, but still she didn't move. Not until she felt his fingers in her hair, doing it simply because he knew she liked it. Carolyn still didn't want to look at him, to let him see what he did to her. Her eyes finally dared turn in his direction then and meeting his she tried to hide everything roiling inside her. Barnabus wasn't fooled though. He saw a vulnerability in her eyes he didn't recognize and pain. It shook him to the very core even as he felt pride in her strength as he quickly saw her trying to hide those things from him.

"My love…what troubles you?" whispered Barnabus watching as his words made her eyes narrow.

"Don't call me that" whispered Carolyn with a snarl flying away from him in one movement.

"You are my love, I will continue to call you so" said Barnabus in response not listening to her as he followed her not getting ahold of her until they were alone in a hallway where grabbing her arm, he pushed her against a wall with a huff of breath repeating the words to her. Her eyes still held that pain, that vulnerability; it tortured his soul as he let his touch on her arms soften. He hated to see her in such a state and holding her softly, he just wanted her to open up to him. He would do anything for her if she would only let him. It made him cup her face in his hands his touch as tender as it could be.

"Carolyn…my love…my dearest. Please don't shut me away from you" whispered Barnabus letting his eyes dig into her own. Carolyn watched him then as a heavy almost exhausted breath left her lips. She felt so tired, so scared of everything especially when she considered all the thoughts going through her mind. Most of them concerning the man before her. Finally looking away from him, Carolyn concentrated on breathing finding that for the moment that was what she needed most before anything else.

"Carolyn?" whispered Barnabus still feeling shook when she simply stood before him concentrating on breathing before suddenly it became heavy with tears; tears from a girl he never thought he'd see break this way.

"I don't know what to do…Barnabus…I, we didn't plan this. I…I'm going to. I'm pregnant" said Carolyn her voice nearly a jumble of nonsense almost making him drop his hands away from her any words he had prepared for her dying.

"I'm pregnant, Barnabus…it's yours" exclaimed Carolyn looking at him now as his hands fell away from her before grabbing those same hands, she brought them to her stomach forcing him to feel the difference in the roundness of it. He felt it immediately, a difference in her that he couldn't quite place, and then his eyes met hers a split second before she shoved him aside.

"Carolyn!" called Barnabus finally finding his voice as he watched her go choosing not to follow, but instead remaining in the hall to process what he knew now.