"FIERY CONNECTIONS"

I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO THE CW NETWORK. THIS IS A WORK OF FANFICTION BY OMEGA WHITE.

THREE MONTHS LATER

"Good afternoon. I'm Professor Keller. Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. Today we will cover Torts. Starting with what's a tort? What are the types of torts? Why do we have torts? My goal is to effortlessly teach you every aspect of torts.

Catherine finished her first day of classes as a law professor at Mississippi College School of Law. As she walked to her car, she noticed a young lady crying on a bench. She immediately walked over ti access the situation.

"Are you okay?" Catherine asked.

Shaking her head no. Her eyes full of tears, the young lady put her hands over her face.

"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I can help you. How about we start with your name? I'm Professor Keller."

A pregnant pause followed as Catherine took a seat on the bench beside her.

Looking at Catherine. "My name is Emily and I'm pregnant. My parents have disowned me. I'm a third year law student on a scholarship. I can't have a baby right now."

"Have you told the father?"

"He wants nothing to do with me. He won't even take my calls."

Taking her hand. "What do you want to do?" Catherine asked.

"I want to put the baby up for adoption. I'm not ready to raise a child."

Catherine sat still for a moment. A million thoughts and ideas invaded her mind. She knew her next words could change her life forever.

"What are your living arrangements right now?"

"I'm practically homeless, since my parents kicked me out. My father is a pastor and my unplanned pregnancy isn't exactly his idea of an acceptable situation."

"That's okay. I have a proposition for you, but I will need to speak with my husband first. However, I do have an empty guesthouse, so we can collect your belongings and get you settled in there."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"I insist. We have space and you need to rest. You need to remain stress free, so lets get you a hot meal and a nice warm bed. You must be tired. We can talk more tomorrow."

"Thank you so much, Professor Keller. I really appreciate you helping me."

Catherine sat in the living room waiting on Vincent to get home. With every passing minute, her heart beat faster. Finally she heard him outside. Gathering her thoughts, she prepared to present the most important case of her life. Vincent had agreed to them adopting in the future, but with the current opportunity she hoped he would be open and understanding at the possibility of becoming parents sooner rather than later. The key turned in the lock and her hands started trembling. She had argued many cases and was considered a cutthroat attorney by some, but facing her husband had her on edge. An unprecedented event that was no easy feat.

The door opened and her time was up. She prayed he was in a good mood, because until today she didn't realize how much she wanted a baby.

"Hi, honey, are you okay?" Vincent asked as he walked through the door.

"Yes. I'll let you get comfortable and then I need to discuss an important matter with you."

"Okay, give me fifteen minutes then I'm all yours," Vincent said as he kissed Catherine.

Catherine sat quietly, trying to calm her nerves. She knew Vincent was pretty open-minded but this was something she wanted desperately and didn't know if no was an option for her. Perhaps that was what had her so unsettled. They were practically newlyweds and she couldn't imagine life without Vincent. Could she stay married if Vincent was against adopting a baby right now? In fifteen minutes, her life would change one way or the other.

Footfall on the stairs alerted her of Vincent approaching. Bracing herself, she stood up. She figured since her cases were won by her standing most of the time it probably wouldn't hurt right now.

"I'm all yours," Vincent stated as he took a seat on the sofa.

"I'll start at the beginning," Catherine said.

After giving Vincent all the details of the situation including the location of the expecting mother, Catherine waited for her reaction. His face was unreadable which didn't help to ease her nervousness. He didn't say anything for a long time and Catherine didn't dare rush him. It had to be his decision without any pressure. Finally he stood and raked his fingers through his hair.

Looking at Catherine. "This really means a lot to you doesn't it?"

Catherine nodded because she didn't trust her voice or her reaction. Her body was only seconds away from betraying her as tears threatened to cloud her vision.

"Are you willing to give up teaching and stay at home with the baby?"

Again she nodded, but by then her tears came forth, revealing her inner turmoil. At that moment, Vincent fell to his knees in front of her.

"Baby please don't cry. I cant stand to see you sad. You know I would move heaven and hell for you. I just want to make sure we are doing the right thing for the right reasons."

Vincent came to his feet and sat on the sofa. He pulled Catherine into his lap and hugged her tight. The sight of tears on her face nearly broke his heart. He knew she assumed he didn't want to adopt right now but that was far from the truth. He wanted a baby but with more planning. He thought about when he first me Catherine and how fate had brought them together. He preferred well thought out plans but in retrospect nothing had been planned since meeting Catherine. His decision was clear, but he would have to meet with the mother first. He prided himself on being a good judge of character and he trusted Catherine but at the moment she was too emotional to be objective.

"Baby introduce me to the mother and I'll will give you my decision afterwards. Just please don't cry. I'm not against adopting but we have to be sure because a baby is a big responsibility. I also want to make sure the mother is absolutely certain she wants to put the baby up for adoption because your hopes are high right now and I don't want to see you hurt in the end. Your pain is my pain so my instincts are always to protect you by any means necessary. I love you and I will do everything in my power to make you happy but sometimes I may have to be the bad guy if that means saving you from mental or physical damage.

Slowly Catherine stood up and grabbed his hand. Her movements were calculated but he knew she was struggling. By the time they reached the guesthouse she had almost composed herself fully. Catherine knocked on the door and a few minutes later a tall brunette answered the door.

"Emily, this is my husband Vincent, Vincent this is Emily." Both exchanged greetings.

"May we come in."

"Of course."

"Emily, I told you earlier I had a proposition for you but I wanted to speak with my husband first. We have discussed it and now I have some questions for you."

"Okay. Sure."

"Are you certain you want to put the baby up for adoption?"

"I am positive. No doubts."

"Do you want an open or closed adoption?"

"I prefer closed with the option of the child being given my name after he or she reaches the age of twenty-five. That is if the adoptive parents consent."

Vincent squeezed Catherine's hand givimg his okay.

"How would you feel if we adopted your baby?" Catherine asked.

"I know I don't know you that well but I get a good vibe from the two of you. My gut tells me you are good people. I would be honored for you to raise my baby. It seems like I've been crying since I found out I was pregnant but these are the first happy tears. Today started out horrible and now it seems everything has worked out. I'm five months so you won't have to wait too long."

Of course Catherine was too emotional to speak further so Vincent intervened.

"We will discuss the details and go over everything later. We will take care of everything you need so rest and we will see you tomorrow."

Vincent took his wife's hand and led her to their home. In four months they would be parents. He schooled his expression but he was overjoyed. After meeting Emily he now understood why Catherine was so emotional. He just hoped everything would work out because mothers sometimes changed their mind at the last minute and he knew without a doubt, Catherine would be heartbroken, if that happened. With all their hopes and wishes in the hands of one person, Vincent pulled his wife closer. Today they were on cloud nine. Tomorrow could bring dark clouds and heavy rain but for now his wife was happy and so was he.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm so glad to be back sharing my stories with you. Leave a review and let me know your thoughts. I will be updating Forbidden next.