So I just saw that Henry Ian Cusick isn't coming back for the second season of Scandal and I'm about to cry. Um, so, yeah. That sucks. But it did inspire me to write about Stephen, along with some of the family history I made up for him, since we won't learn any of it next season. Enjoy! Reviews appreciated. Expect trouble in paradise soon.
"I look disgusting."
"You don't look disgusting, you look beautiful Abby." Stephen responded, kissing her on the cheek.
Abby was still scrutinizing herself in the full length mirror, twisting and turning to find every flaw with her four and one half months pregnant body.
"Maybe we shouldn't go." She continued as though she hadn't heard him speak.
Stephen and Abby were having dinner with Stephen's family, who were in town to visit him, and Olivia. He could tell Abby was nervous. He was a little nervous too. He wanted his family to see everything he loved about Abby. He decided to invite Olivia along, since there was no one his parents and brothers loved more than Liv.
"We're going. You're carrying our child. What could make you more gorgeous?"
He saw Abby about to answer, although she was still scrutinizing herself in the mirror, so he continued.
"Abby, turn around."
She complied and he kissed her lips lightly.
"Get away from the mirror. You're always stunning and always will be." he finished sweetly.
He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when the shift from squabbling disasters to their almost-relationship occurred. Just a month earlier, they had been at each others' throats about everyone from baby names to his history of sexual indiscretions. But now, all he wanted was Abby. They didn't officially acknowledge any form of a relationship, and Stephen knew that he was free to stray if he desired. But for once, he didn't want to. Well, he mostly didn't. But all thoughts of prostitutes and trashy, barely-legal girls aside, he could only stare at Abby getting ready and ponder how this twist of fate could have made him so happy.
As it turned out, Stephen's family got along quite well with Abby. He could see his oldest brother Michael in particular kept giving him the "she's too good for you" look. Although he could feel his mother's disapproval at the idea of having a child out of wedlock, she seemed to adore Abby more than anyone else in his family. Even his younger brother Sean's frequent attempts to flirt with Liv didn't dampen his spirits. (Sometimes the fact that both Sean and Samuel were exactly like him bothered him immensely.) Overall, the dinner had been a success. Abby didn't really talk to her family, and they didn't even know that she was pregnant. That, he decided, would be his first goal after the baby was born: to find Abby's family. Right now, he was too concentrated on their baby kicking for the first time. It was almost too good to be true.