Author's Note: For those of you wondering when this story is going to stop being so clichéd (I know there are some parallels to the other pregnancy story, Rainbows, but it's going to be different, I swear), this is where it begins…

Chapter Three

Casey pulled into the parking lot and got out of her car, taking her keys out of the ignition and stuffing them in her pocket. She grabbed a sweater from her bag and put it on, as it was getting late and the temperature was dropping quickly. She began walking, entering through a small iron gate that led into the park.

Her destination was simple:

The pond in the middle of the park.

It had been a spot that she had discovered at the beginning of her freshman year, right after she and Cappie had gotten together for the first time. It was her own "special place," to steal a line from Cappie. Not even Cappie knew about it. It was a place she went to think, to feed the ducks, and to just relax.

This was one of those times where she desperately needed to be alone. She needed to relax, she needed to think, she needed to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

Casey sat down on one of the benches surrounding the pond, putting her legs up on the seat and wrapping her arms around them. Her head went on her knees as she stared out at the pond, the water sparkling in the evening sun.

One of her hands crept across her stomach, still flat from an hour in the gym every day. Soon spending the day at the gym wouldn't stop her gaining weight. Then she would start showing and she'd have to tell everyone.

If she kept the baby.

Could she keep the baby?

She couldn't see giving it away. Although she was sure that there was a family out there that would be able to care for her baby as much as she could herself, she couldn't see herself giving away a child borne in love—as it had been. And she had always thought she would never get an abortion, but then again, she had never thought she would get pregnant in college. She could keep it, but then what about her career?

She felt like she was standing on the edge of a precipice, looking down, and there were two options. Jump and hope for the best, or take a step back and retreat, pretending that it had never happened.

She sighed and refocused her eyes on the pond. A little girl, no more than about three years old, ran to the edge of the water, a slice of bread in one of her small hands. Her mother, Casey saw as she looked around, was on the bench right beside her own, and they smiled at each other as their eyes met. The father had wrapped his arms around the mother's shoulders, and she had put her head on his shoulder.

It reminded her of Cappie.

Casey turned back to the little girl, who was throwing pieces of bread in the pond as though she expected ducks to come even though it was the middle of winter. Casey found herself laughing at the girl as she ran back to her mother and complained that "the ducks weren't coming, Mommy, make the ducks come!"

"They're not gonna come, sweetie," the mother said, picking up the little girl and putting her in her lap. "It's winter and ducks don't come out too often in the winter."

"When're they gonna be back?" the girl demanded.

"Soon," the mother said. She looked up, meeting Casey's gaze again. She noticed Casey's hands closed around her stomach, and she smiled at her. The girl slid off the bench. "Go on, play. But we have to go soon."

Casey smiled back at the mother, then stared down at her knees.

Could she be like that? Could she raise a child just out of college? And what about Cappie, the father of her baby?

He wasn't responsible. Sure, he was about some things, and even his most irresponsible actions recently didn't even come close to his "responsible" actions in freshman year, but he wasn't ready to raise a baby. He was a big kid himself, for God's sake! How could she expect him—how could she want him—to step up and take care of the child, even if he was the father?

Just as soon as the thought came into her mind, she automatically rejected it. Cappie might not be the most responsible person in the world, but there was no way that he would ever turn his back on his child. Not to mention, he would never turn his back on Casey, even though she did get pregnant.

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted, and Casey looked up to see the mother in front of her, looking hesitant.

"Hey," Casey said, managing to smile a little.

"Hello. My name is Lily Gardiner," she introduced.

"I'm Casey. Casey Cartwright," Casey responded.

"Well, Casey, I couldn't help but notice you sitting all by yourself," Lily said, "and I just wanted to come over and see if you were doing okay. You seem to be struggling a little; do you need a ride home?"

"No, I'm fine, I have a car," Casey said. "I just got some news today, that's all."

"You're pregnant, huh?"

"How did you know?" Casey asked.

"Darling, no one holds their stomach that way unless they are pregnant or going through a severe case of indigestion," Lily said as if that explained everything. Casey couldn't help laughing. The woman sat down beside her and continued. "Listen, what about the father? You don't seem like the married type."

"No, I'm not married," Casey said softly. "I'm still in college, actually. I'm a senior."

"That must be hard, getting news like this as a senior," Lily said sympathetically. "How are you holding up?"

"Well, I just found out today," Casey said. "I haven't told the father yet."

"Tell him, honey," Lily advised, "and then figure out if you love him."

Casey didn't know why she was suddenly so willing to bare her heart in front of a complete stranger, but she found that the words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. And when they did come out for the first time to someone other than Ashleigh, she found that she could breathe easier.

"I do love him," she whispered, "and that will never change. It never has changed."

"Then you know what you can't do," Lily said softly.

"What's that?"

Lily smiled. "You can't abort a baby that you love." Suddenly, she hugged Casey tightly for a couple seconds, then let go and stood up. "I know this seems weird, a complete stranger coming up to you and saying things like this to you. But I've been in your place before. I know what's going on in your mind right now, and trust me, the decision is right in front of you—but you can't see it until you tell the lucky father."

Casey opened her mouth to say something else, but all that came out of her mouth was a strangled "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lily said.

When she went back to the father, Casey paid more attention. She noticed the way he stood up to greet her, and the deep kiss they shared. They seemed to glow from inside and out when they were with each other, and it reminded Casey of her and Cappie.

"I've been in your place before," she had said.

Casey believed her.

She smiled softly. Although she had not expected anything like this when she had come to her spot—all she had expected was a secluded place to wallow and cry like she had been aching to do ever since she got the news—she found it was exactly what she wanted. And now she did not feel like crying.

Lily was right. She could not abort the baby, no matter what. That left either keeping the baby or adoption, but she couldn't decide until she told Cappie.

Casey stood up and began walking back to her car.

She might be more relaxed about the news itself, but telling Cappie in the morning still caused her stomach to tie in knots and constrict painfully. And carrying a baby to term still made her want to crawl in a hole and never get out.

"Man up, Case," she said to herself as she slid into her car.

On her way back to the ZBZ house, that was just what she tried to do.

Ashleigh knew she was not the right person to entrust with a secret as huge as Casey's pregnancy, so when she found herself admitting to Rebecca that she was pregnant, the biggest part of her was not surprised in the least.

For a moment, all Rebecca could do was stare.

"What do you mean, she's pregnant?" Rebecca asked.

"Exactly that," Ashleigh said, then groaned. "God, why can't I keep a secret?"

Rebecca glanced around at the sisters in the house, who were looking around curiously at the sight of their president looking so very miserable. "Come on, Ashleigh," Rebecca said. "We can't talk about this in the house. Let's go… for a walk. Or something."

Ashleigh nodded and smiled at Rebecca. "Thanks," she said as they grabbed their coats and headed outside into the cold January evening. "I don't want to think about what Casey will say when she hears that I told someone else. She hasn't even told Cappie yet."

"Cappie is the father?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah," Ashleigh said. "There's no doubt about that."

"And she hasn't told him yet?"

"Because she only found out today," Ashleigh responded. "She's at the doctor's right now, making sure the pregnancy tests we took are accurate. I know they are, and she does too, but she just wants to make sure, I guess."

"Is she going to tell Cappie?" Rebecca asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Ashleigh said.

Rebecca glanced at Ashleigh. "How do you know that?"

Ashleigh managed to grin. "I looked at her phone while she was getting ready to go to the doctor's appointment," she revealed. "They're going to meet at nine in front of the coffee cart, and she's going to tell him then."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Rebecca asked.

"I really don't know, Bex," Ashleigh said. "I don't think she's going to get an abortion, but other than that, she could keep it or give it away. It all depends on what Cappie agrees to."

"But it is her decision," Rebecca said logically. "Cappie can't force her to keep the baby or anything."

"Of course not," Ashleigh agreed, "but they love each other, and Casey would never do anything that Cappie wouldn't agree to. And Cappie would never want to make Casey unhappy. They're going to decide what to do together, as soon as she tells him."

Rebecca nodded. They walked in silence for a moment, past the TriPi house. It was when they were walking toward the Omega Chi house that they started talking again.

"So, what about you and Evan?" Ashleigh asked. "I know you guys had something going on over Christmas break."

"We decided to break up," Rebecca said. "Although it was more of a booty call than anything. He doesn't want to admit it, but he's still pretty hung up on Casey. And I'm not willing to be with a guy like that again."

This was news to Ashleigh.

"He's still hung up on Casey?" Ashleigh inquired. "I didn't know that."

Rebecca shrugged. "Yeah, me either, until he told me the real reason he came over to the ZBZ house that night," she said. "He told me it was because of Cappie, and it doesn't take too many brains to figure out it's mostly because of Casey too."

Ashleigh slung an arm around Rebecca, who glanced at her curiously. "Don't give me that look," Ashleigh said. "I'm totally over the events of the End of the World party. We're friends."

"Fisher was a jerk, wasn't he," Rebecca said.

Ashleigh laughed, although her heart did twinge uncomfortably at the memory of Fisher. "Yeah, he was," Ashleigh said.

Rebecca wrapped her arm around Ashleigh's waist. "So. What do you think the reaction's going to be when the ZBZ sisters find out Case is pregnant?" Rebecca asked, thankfully changing the subject from the two-time cheater that was Fisher.

"Casey is pregnant?"

The two sorority sisters stopped in their tracks and turned to face the direction of the voice. Evan was standing at the base of the steps leading up to the Omega Chi house, expression contorted into one of shock and disgust.

"Evan," Ashleigh said, laughing nervously. "Um—"

"Is she?" Evan asked.

"Well," Rebecca began.

"Tell me the truth," Evan demanded.

Ashleigh wilted as she found herself needing to tell yet another person that Casey was pregnant. All she could say was one word.

"Yes."

"Is it Cappie's?"

This time, Rebecca answered.

"Yes."

"Fuck," Evan swore.

Without another word in their direction, he stormed off, leaving Rebecca and Ashleigh standing on the sidewalk. After Evan disappeared around the bend, they turned to each other.

"I have a feeling this will not end well," Rebecca said calmly.

Ashleigh nodded. "That's the understatement of the century, Bex."

Author's Note: Well, there we are. Ashleigh couldn't keep her mouth shut about the pregnancy (just like she couldn't about Calvin and Casey getting back together with Cappie) and, as a result, both Rebecca and Evan find out before Cappie. And now Evan is storming off… we can all see where this is going. But who knows, I might surprise you.

Things will start being very different from here on out. I know there are similarities to Rainbows, but there are only certain ways to start a pregnancy fic, you know? The basic plot might be the same, but the direction I go in the story will be completely different. So if you feel like you're reading the story for the second time, that will change… Anyway. Enough rambling. Please review and tell me what you think?