"She was my grandma," Thomas said in a hoarse tone, "She ran away to Ireland with her husband Clay when my mom was still pregnant with me."
"Wait so the woman who is so bent on ruining your dad's life is his mother?"
"Welcome to my family," Thomas rolled his eyes, "Where everybody is nine types of crazy."
"Okay, so what about this Clay guy?"
"Dead," He confirmed, "Clay tried to have my mom killed, which was basically Gemma's fault, they left for Ireland so my dad wouldn't kill Clay. He had already excommunicated Gemma from the family. It was made pretty clear that if Gemma set foot in California, someone would gun her down."
"So what did Gemma do?"
"What didn't Gemma do?" Thomas scoffed, "Dad finally kicked her to the curb when she crashed her car into a tree while I was in the car while she was high."
"Charming," Cassidy said dryly, "My mom once ran a deer down while she drove me home from school drunk."
"Do they have deer in Connecticut?"
"There are deer everywhere, idiot. And I was in California at the time."
"No way," Thomas laughed, "You're from California, Nikki?"
Cassidy nodded, "San Luis Obispo, we moved to Connecticut when my dad left my mom. She hates the cold, she figured it would be the last place he looked for us."
"What I want to know is how Gemma and your dad teamed up."
"Bad people have a way of banding together," She sighed laying down, no longer bothered by the concrete she had been sleeping on for the past two weeks, since Thomas had been there.
He had argued it, he had picked her up and even dumped her on the bed, using the fact that she was pregnant against her, but she had made a deal with herself that she wasn't going to let Thomas give up the bed that was barely big enough to fit one, till every single bruise on him, had disappeared.
"And good people?"
"Have a way of being corrupted."
"You are the most cynical person I have ever met. I don't know where Abel is getting this innocent bullshit from."
Cassidy frowned slightly, "There's a lot about me Abel doesn't know."
"Like your old man coming into your room at night for a sleepover?"
"I'm pretty sure as far as he knows, all my dad did was beat me up."
"Are you going to tell him?" Thomas asked, "You know when all this is over?"
"Maybe," Cassidy mused, "I haven't decided what I want yet."
"What does that have to do with what you want?"
Cassidy hesitated for a long moment, in the past two weeks, Thomas had easily become her best friend, which was almost sad to say, and a testament to the fact that she didn't have friends, but she also had to keep in mind that he was Abel's brother.
The fact still remained that he was the most irritating and infuriating person she had ever met, with his nonchalance, and calm disposition, but she had learned to appreciate that.
"I don't know if being with Abel is the best thing." She said finally.
"You realize your pregnant right, Nikki?"
She realized it, in fact most of the time it was all she thought about. The tiny human being that she was growing inside of her, the one – from the bump in her stomach – that she could actually tell she was having now, it consumed her every thought, and that was what had led her to the conclusion that being with Abel may not be a good decision anymore.
"I took a pregnancy test, when I first realized I was pregnant. Gemma had one given to me," Cassidy explained, "And the second I saw that plus sign, everything I wanted, everything I needed stopped mattering, and that includes Abel."
"Are you saying you're going to take the baby away from Abel?"
"No," She said quickly, "Yes, maybe, I don't know, Thomas! I just, I need to keep my baby safe, and Abel, he isn't safe, not anymore."
"And you are?" Thomas asked quietly, "You have a FBI agent who would love nothing more than to put a bullet in your head, except maybe shove his dick down your throat."
Cassidy winced, "My father isn't going to be a problem anymore."
"Oh yeah, and how do you figure that?"
"I figure that by the fact that when I get out of here, Thomas, I'm going to find him, and I'm going to empty another fifteen bullets into him, except this time, they'll all go in his head."
"You talk so dirty, Nikki," Thomas smirked, "That's hot."
"What if I told you I wanted to put the baby up for adoption?" Cassidy asked nervously.
Thomas snorted, "You probably shouldn't tell my mom you're pregnant then."
"That would be seriously hypocritical if she had a problem when she gave up Abel."
"She really didn't have much choice in the matter," Thomas shrugged, "Dad came back from Ireland and was like, guess what the baby's gone. Let's make another."
"You are all class."
"Look Nikki," He sighed, "It's your decision, but as Abel's brother, I feel obligated to say that you should at least include him in the decision. He's the dad, he should get a say too."
"Thomas, I haven't talked to him in three and a half months, and even if I were to talk to him what am I supposed to say, 'Hey babe, thanks for going through hell trying to get me back, while you were busying doing that I was growing our child, who I intend to give up'?" She asked sarcastically.
"I mean it's a bit callus, but yes, something of that degree."
"You're so annoying."
"Have you looked in a mirror?"
"No," Cassidy retorted, "But I really don't think I want to."
Thomas shrugged, "You could look worse."
"Thanks," She said dryly.
They fell into a relative silence as Cassidy yawned, these days she was constantly tired. She blamed it slightly on the pregnancy, but more than that she blamed it on having absolutely nothing else to do besides sleep, it was a little better now that Thomas was here, but contrary to popular belief, doing nothing was actually exhausting.
She placed a hand gently on her stomach as she leaned back against the wall. What am I going to do with you? She had spent so long focused on getting out of here, so long focused on Abel, and her father, and everything else, that the whole baby thing had taken a backseat, but now it was on the forefront of her mind.
What the hell was she going to do with a baby? What did Cassidy really know how to do? She didn't know how to do anything.
She had a high school diploma – well not that actual diploma because there was the unfortunate turn of events where she was Nikkinapped by a bunch of Irish men before graduation – and she was excellent at making hangover remedies and cleaning vomit off the floor, and that was as far as her qualifications for anything went.
So how the hell was she supposed to raise a baby? Let alone raise a baby that wasn't screwed up.
She had shot her own dad fifteen times at the age of eight, and Abel – well he had gone ahead and got himself sold on some baby black market by a corrupt priest, so by unanimous vote neither of them were cut out to be parents. Not in any world.
"He loves you, you know," Thomas said quietly.
"Love isn't the problem here," Cassidy sighed running a hand through her hair.
"Yeah the baby is."
"No," She corrected, "The baby isn't a problem either, the problem is Abel and me, neither of us are capable of raising a baby."
"Just take some parenting classes, buy some diapers, feed it, change it, parenting is easy."
"Yeah?" Cassidy raised her eyebrows, "You want a baby?"
"You offering?"
"Sure," Cassidy laughed, "You can be my baby daddy."
"Hell yeah," Thomas fist pumped, "Does that mean I can name the baby after me?"
"No," Cassidy laughed again, "How many Thomas' do we need? You, your uncle, wasn't Abel's original middle name Thomas?"
"I'm telling you Thomas is a sexy name, Nikki."
"Oh yeah, Tommy?"
"Hell yeah Nikki."
"Why do you keep calling me Nikki?" She groaned, "I think I preferred it when you call me, kid."
"Nikki's your name isn't it?"
"I hate you." Cassidy grumbled.
"Come on, the name suits you, Nikki," Thomas teased, "You're blonde and if you wanted you could work at a strip club."
"First of all, I'm sure there's many respectable people named Nikki that are not blonde, nor are strippers," Cassidy remarked, "And second of all if you want to be technical my name is Nikolina."
"That's a mouthful and it's Russian, and you're too white."
"Thanks," Cassidy said dryly.
"Wait what if the baby's a girl?"
Cassidy burst into uncontrollable laughter, "Oh my god, can you see Abel with a little girl?"
As the image entered Thomas' mind he began laughing as well, "He'd be like 'what the hell do I do with this'?"
It wasn't as funny as they were both making it out to be, but in their tiny little world made up of a six by eight cell, they found humor in the things they could do, and Abel was the only thing that the pair had in common.
"His whole world is soccer," Cassidy said when they finally calmed down, and she had laid down on the floor, with her knees bent, and her hands on her stomach, "Did you know that he tore his ACL, and tore it in three other places, and he's still playing? That's supposed to be impossible. What is he going to do with a baby? This wasn't in our plan."
"Yeah well I don't think being Nikkinapped was in your plan either," Thomas said sarcastically.
"What about you?" She asked, "I'm sure this wasn't in your plans."
"It's cool," Thomas shrugged, "Senior year doesn't start for another three months, so I've got time to spare."
Cassidy gaped at him, "Would it kill you to be serious for longer than two minutes?"
"What do you want me to say, Nik? I don't have plans," He sat up on the bed, bending his knees, and resting his elbows on them, leaving his arms to hang forward loosely, "I just go with it. If Alena wants to say have sex in the back of her car, that's cool. If she wants to drink a beer and eat old pizza on her bed that's cool too. If some Irish guy wants to kidnap me, whatever. If my long lost brother who was sold to his parents wants to show up at my front door, fine."
"You're a sociopath." She said bluntly after a moment.
Thomas smiled, "I feel things Nikki, I'm not saying the situation doesn't suck, but honestly I'd rather be here than where I was before."
"Oh yeah, why is that?"
"Because you're here."
"You didn't even know me!"
"No I didn't," Thomas shook his head, "But now that I do know you, I wouldn't want you in a place like this alone."
Cassidy fell silent, she wasn't sure how to take that. She had never, never had anyone to fight for her, Cassidy Somers took care of herself, she fought for herself, she didn't need anyone, or anything, and suddenly she had a whole family ready to give up everything for her.
"I don't get you people," She said finally.
"No," Thomas said giving her a sad smile, "You just don't get family."
"This baby needs better than what I had," Cassidy said finally, "And I don't know how to give him that. How do I look my son in the eye one day and tell him about all these terrible things that are happening? How do I tell him about how great-grandma was intent on making everyone's life hell? How do I tell him that grandpa isn't around because he used to sneak into Mommy's room and do terrible things? How do I tell him that Daddy has two sets of parents because he was sold? How do I look into my son's eyes and promise him that everything will be okay, when everything just isn't?"
"Then give him up," Thomas said simply, "If that's what you think is best. Give him up, or her up, and give the baby a better life than what you had. If you really believe that that baby is better off without you and Abel."
"You don't think the baby is better off without us." Cassidy said as a statement, it wasn't an inference, or an observation, or an educated guess, it was a statement.
"No I don't," He shook his head, "I don't know about a lot, and I won't lie to you if Alena got pregnant, I would tell her to get an abortion, hell she would get one without even talking to me first. Alena and I? We are the type of people who aren't ready for a baby. But you and Abel you can do this."
"Look at where we are!" Cassidy cried, "We are on the opposite end of the country as Abel locked in a cell, while he is busying selling cocaine! What could possibly make you think that Abel and I are ready for a baby?"
"You aren't," Thomas contradicted, "Not at this very second, I'm talking about when all this is over, when you are back with Abel, and the danger's passed, and you've put those fifteen bullets in your dad's head, and someone finally pulls the trigger of Gemma, after that you'll be ready. You guys have been together for two years, you're going to live together, you have an apartment, Abel's going to college, and you we're going to get a job. If that isn't domesticity, then I don't know what is."
"Oh god," Cassidy's eyes widened, "Money! Baby's cost money! They need diapers, and toys, and car seats, and formula, and god knows what else. I don't have the money to raise a baby."
"Nikki," Thomas interrupted.
"What?"
"Your boyfriend is set to inherit a company that literally owns like three quarters of the world. I'm pretty sure money is not your issue. His trust fund alone could probably feed every starving kid in Africa for the rest of their lives, and pay for their health care."
"You know who he is?" Cassidy's asked, she had been under the impression that no one had really realized that Abel Petrie, was well Abel Petrie.
"I always knew," He shrugged, "I know a lot of things, I just don't feel the need to go sharing it with people."
"Abel can't pay for everything though. I can't be that girl who-"
"Nik," He interrupted her again, "I'm going to be really blunt here for a second, your relationship? It's not a relationship between you and yourself, it's a relationship between you and Abel."
"I know that." She said defensively.
"Do you?" Thomas raised his eyebrows, "Because you're acting like Abel can't do anything, like this is all on you."
"What if he doesn't want me?" Cassidy asked in a tiny voice, "What if he doesn't want me after he learns everything that he does? What if he doesn't want me or this baby? What if he leaves me all alone to do this?"
"Cassidy Somers," Thomas groaned getting up and sitting down next to her on the floor, and throwing her arm over her shoulder, "You are the stupidest human being I've ever met. What about any of this makes you think Abel would leave you alone? Ever?"
She sighed and rested her head on her shoulder, "I guess I just have abandonment issues."
"Deep, deep abandonment issues," Thomas teased putting his head on her own, "You're wrong you know? About Abel's whole world being soccer? His whole world is you, Nikki, you are the sun and the whole axis of his world revolves around you."
"But what are we going to do with a baby?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're going to love him."
I know that this chapter was more of a filler than anything, but it was also really important. So far I've kind of put the fact that Cassidy is pregnant on the back burner, but it was really important for me to address the fact she is in fact pregnant, and she is aware of it, and she's very conscious of the fact that she is going to be responsible for a living human being.