"It's here!" Jake exclaimed excitedly as he entered his and Cassandra's apartment carrying their mail. He set the bills and Cassandra's latest copy of Cat Fancy Magazine down on the kitchen counter before entering the living room with a thin, medium sized box in hand.

"What's here?" Cassandra asked from the couch. She had entered her second trimester and her hormones and morning sickness had seemed to settle, at least for the time being. The two of them had also started to tell people outside of the Library about the pregnancy.

"Our baby's first gift," Jake smiled and handed Cassandra the box. "Mama insisted on sending it as soon as I told her the news. Go on, open it."

Cassandra flashed Jake an excited smile before she began to carefully open the box. Inside was a dark red onesie On the front was a giant, white, overlapping 'O' and 'U' and on the back read the word 'Sooners' as well as the number '07.' A little confused, Cassandra looked up at Jake for an explanation.

"It's very cute, Jake." she started. "But, um, what is it, exactly?"

"It's a Sooners onesie!" he answered with a little too much enthusiasm. "It's the football team for the University of Oklahoma. And seven was my number when I played football in high school."

Cassandra couldn't help but lean in to give Jake a quick kiss. He looked about as excited as a little boy on Christmas. This gift obviously meant a lot to him.

"I love it, Jake," Cassandra said softly after pulling away.

"Mama was so excited when I told her I was gonna be a daddy. She's going to send over a small jersey later on, too," Jake continued. Then he slowed down, wanting to ask something that he knew was a touchy subject with Cassandra. "Speaking of which, have you told your parents you're pregnant yet?"

"Um, not yet," Cassandra hesitated.

"Why not, darlin'?" Jake asked, taking Cassandra's hand in his and squeezing it comfortingly. "You're back on speaking terms with them, aren't you? I thought you started talking to them after you were cured."

"I am, it's just...complicated," Cassandra tried to explain. "My relationship with my parents has always been tense."

"They're going to be grandparents, Cassie," Jake said. "Don't you think they deserve to know that?"

Cassandra took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to put her feelings into words. "It's just...It's not like I don't want to tell them, it's... don't know, it's hard to explain."

"Could you try, darlin'?" Jake asked gently. "I don't want to force you into doing anything you don't want to do, but I want this baby to have as much family as it can get. And since my daddy went off to heaven a couple years ago, the only grandpa our baby gets is from your side."

"Don't tell Jenkins that," Cassandra said, trying to lighten the mood. Jake smirked. "I always feel guilty when I try to explain my parents. They aren't bad people, Jake. They put a roof over my head and food on the table. They're good people."

"They can be good people, but still hurt you, Cass. No one is perfect. Don't feel guilty about your emotions," Jake encouraged.

"Their hearts were in the right place," Cassandra continued. "But they just pushed so hard. Life wasn't always easy for them. They didn't want me to have to go through the same struggles they did, but I think they lost sight of what was important."

Jake nodded, so far understanding everything that he was being told. He could understand how that sort of environment would be difficult to grow up in. He rubbed the hand that he was holding, patiently waiting for Cassandra to continue.

"The first time my tumor started to act up, before we knew what was really going on, I was in my seventh grade math class. And well, you've seen how it used to affect me, imagine that happening to a 12 year old girl who's never experienced it before," Cassandra's eyes teared up at the memory and Jake's heart clenched. "Of course, no one believed me when I tried to explain it to them. I got sent to the principal's office for causing a disturbance. I think that scared me more than the hallucination did. I mean, only bad kids got sent to the principal's office." She let out nervous giggle.

"Oh Cass," Jake said softly. He didn't know what else to say.

"They called my parents in, and I tried to explain to them what happened. They're my parents, they knew the kind of kid I was. I had never been in trouble a day in my life. But they grounded me for a week, and figured the reason I was 'acting out' was because they weren't pushing me hard enough.

"Then when things finally came out in the open, I came home from school one day to find they had taken all my trophies down," a tear finally fell down Cassandra's cheek and Jake reached out to wipe it away. "They meant well. They thought having the trophies on display would remind me of who I used to be. They were just trying to help. But if they had just opened their eyes they would have realized that all I wanted was for them to hug me, to tell me that we would get through it together."

With those last words Jake's heart just shattered. He wished he had been there, that he had known the fragile little girl who wanted nothing more than a hug from her parents. He always knew it hadn't been easy for her growing up, especially after she got diagnosed, but he hadn't realized just how alone Cassandra had felt back then.

Jake's brain was desperately trying to play catch up as he processed the information Cassandra had given him. He was truly at a loss of words and couldn't think of anything that would take back the pain she had experienced. So instead, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight, comforting hug, something her parents should have done a long time ago.

"I always assumed my parents loved me," Cassandra added when Jake had finally let her go. "I mean, parents are supposed to love their children, so it seemed like a safe assumption to make. But it wasn't until I found the Library, until I met all you guys," she reached out and placed a hand on Jake's cheek. "until I met you, that I realized just how unloved I had felt."

Jake's lip quivered as the weight of those words sunk in. He took a deep breath, composing himself, before he started to speak.

"Oh darlin', I can't imagine how that must have felt," he once again picked up her hand, bringing it up to his lips to place a kiss on the back of it. "I'll admit, it's a hard concept for me to wrap my head around. Lord knows I've had my share of family problems, but I've always known what it feels like to be loved. And I may not be able to take back every crappy thing that's ever happened to you, as much as I would love to, but I can make you a promise," he narrowed his eyes the way he always did when he was about to say something serious. "This baby of ours is gonna know nothin' but love."

The tears continued to fall down Cassandra's face, but they had turned into tears of happiness. She couldn't believe how incredibly lucky she was to have stumbled into this life, to have found the family she had made for herself, and to have someone as amazing as Jacob to share it all with. Now it was her turn to be at a loss for words, instead opting to lean in for a long, lingering kiss that told Jake everything she was feeling.

"You don't have to talk to your parents if you don't want to," Jake said when they finally parted. His arm was wrapped around Cassandra's shoulder and her head rested on his. "But I'd still like you to think about it. You said so yourself, Cass. They tried. They did their best with what they knew. They may have screwed up big time, but maybe they realize that. Don't you think they deserve a chance to correct their mistakes?"

Cassandra was silent for a moment, thinking hard about was Jake was telling her. "Maybe," she said with some thought.

"Letting them know doesn't have to mean a commitment from them," Jake pointed out. "It's just opening that door, giving them a chance to make things right. Don't forget, we're the parents this time around. Anything they do that we don't agree with, we can go right ahead and close that door."

Cassandra nodded against his shoulder, realizing that he was making a good point. "I'll think about it, Jake."

"That's all I ask," he smiled and placed a kiss on the top of her head.