Author's note: Before I say anything else, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story. I had lost my muse for a long time, given some real life events, but I am glad that I returned to writing. In regards to the guest who asked for clarification regarding just who Casey's other attacker was, and who the father of her baby is, this chapter should answer those questions. If anyone else has any questions, feel free to ask me in a review and I'll answer you in the context of the story. Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think.
Casey had read the name on the paper a hundred times before it finally sank in. She resisted the urge to jump up and cry with excitement, because it was clear that her baby wasn't fathered by either of her attackers. But something else was nagging her, and Olivia had already asked her what was wrong four times in the last twenty minutes. Olivia had just asked again a few seconds ago. This time, Casey took a deep breath, contemplating her answer.
"You know, I should have recognized him," she murmured. "I mean, we did used to sleep together."
Olivia held her closely, stroking her hair to comfort her. "It has been a long time, honey. No one would expect you to recognize him over a decade after you last saw him. Who knows how many people we see every day that we once knew intimately?"
Just the thought of that was too creepy to think about, Casey thought. But she shook her head. "Yeah, but he was different." She knew Olivia didn't know the whole story, so she held her breath, then exhaled slowly, and launched into an explanation. "I met him in my sophomore year of law school. He was studying to go into private practice, just like his father and grandfather before him. He was handsome and charming, and he could make you laugh even when you wanted to crawl into a hole. We went out on a few dates before we slept together. But after awhile, he started getting very possessive. He never hurt me or put me down; he was just very desperate. I broke up with him and told him I needed to focus on getting my career together, and that I wasn't ready for anything serious."
"So what happened then?" Olivia asked. "Was he mad when you left him?"
"He was as mad as one would expect, but it wasn't any worse than any other break up," Casey murmured. She sighed deeply. "Well, I meant what I said. At least, I thought I did. But by now, we were seniors, and as much as I wanted to focus on getting my career together, I couldn't keep my eye off of the handsome man in the corner. He was funny and brilliant, and when we were partnered together as co-prosecutors on a mock trial, I fell in love with him." The redhead fell silent for a few moments, then continued. "It had only been a month since I had broken up with Andrew, but I had already fallen madly in love with Charlie."
"Did they know each other?" Olivia asked.
Casey nodded. "Yeah. They were room mates, so the first time Andrew saw Charlie getting ready for a date, he was furious when Charlie told him who it was. Andrew left school after that, claiming he had transferred out west, but regardless, I never saw him again." She shrugged. "Little did I know that Charlie wouldn't be much better." After another long pause, she continued. "So, from what I'm understanding, Andrew thought I left him for Charlie. I find it odd that he harbored such resentment for all these years, but I guess when Matthews approached him, Andrew must have been thrilled when he found out that I was the target. Matthews would get revenge for his brother and Andrew would get revenge for me leaving him so long ago."
Olivia didn't answer for a long time. Finally, the brunette sighed, holding Casey more tightly, though shifting her arm so it didn't fall asleep. "See? It's okay that you didn't recognize him right away. It doesn't matter that you slept with him a few times. People's appearances can change within a few months. Forget a decade and a half."
"I know," Casey murmured. She knew Olivia was right, but it was a bit more difficult to convince herself. "Truthfully, he does look different now," she murmured. "Back then, he was swarthy and handsome, with the sexiest haircut I've ever seen on a man. He was thin and athletic. Now he's...well, he doesn't even have the same hair color, and he has a mustache now."
"And he's gained about fifty pounds of muscle, I would think," Olivia answered.
Casey cracked a smile. "Yeah, that too." She shifted in Olivia's arms. "I just can't believe it was him, you know? Of all of the people to want to hurt someone and get revenge, someone I slept with so long ago didn't even cross my mind. It just seems too bizarre that he even ran into Matthews, who, coincidentally, not only knew me, but also wanted revenge. And that Matthews approached him, of all people, to help him."
Olivia sighed deeply. "Stranger things have happened," she replied. "But what matters most is the fact that they were both in prison, where they belong." She reached over to the night stand and retrieved the paternity test results. "And then there's this tidbit of good news."
Casey re-read it without thinking, then looked up at Olivia curiously. Olivia had been oddly supportive of who the father was. A few nights before Casey and Olivia had first slept together, before any of this had happened, Casey had met a man in the bar, and had slept with him. She didn't know why she hadn't bothered to use any protection. She had meant to stop at the drug store the following morning on her way to work, but she had been so busy, and by the time she even thought about it, it was too late.
After everything that had happened, she hadn't forgotten about it, exactly, but her hook up definitely wasn't at the forefront of her concerns. She had just assumed her baby had to belong to one of her attackers. She was ashamed of herself for forgetting about her hook up, and for being so irresponsible in the first place. That would teach her to hang out in bars after stressful cases. "The baby has a chance now," she murmured out loud, holding the test results like a gold medal. "We won't have to worry about her looking like either of those monsters." Olivia didn't say anything. Casey rolled over to look at her. "What's wrong?"
Olivia sighed. "Casey, you need to think about this," she answered. "You didn't have access to his toothbrush or his hairbrush. I know you're just happy that she isn't one of theirs, but this has me concerned, too. Think about it. How else would they have access to his DNA?"
The answer hit Casey like a ton of bricks. Of course. How had she, a brilliant attorney, been so wrapped up in her excitement that she lost perspective on the issue? "He has a record," she spelled out. She sat up abruptly, wincing as the air rushed through her head.
"Yes," Olivia affirmed.
Casey looked away. "Oh my god, what if he has a violent record?" she panicked. "What if he raped or killed someone, or robbed a bank, or kidnapped someone? Olivia, this can't be happening. I can't possibly be such a magnet for trouble. Please. You have to deal with this. Please. Please find out what he did!"
Olivia kissed her on the forehead. "I will," she promised. "I will call Fin and have him look into it. In the meantime, you need to lie down. All this stress is not good for you or the baby." She grabbed her cell phone. "I'll be back in a bit," she murmured.
Casey slid under the covers, resting her head on her pillows. She had almost all of the pillows on the bed on her side, but they both liked it that way. Olivia preferred to sleep as flatly as possible, while Casey wasn't comfortable unless she was propped up, even in her sleep. She closed her eyes, allowing the reality of everything they had found out to crash over her. Andrew, her Andrew, her lover before Charlie, had spent years hating her, thinking she left him specifically for Charlie. He had teamed up with Matthews, the brother of someone she had prosecuted, who wanted revenge just as much. But neither of them was the father. That title belonged to another man she had slept with, mere days before her first night with Olivia. God. When had her life been written as a trashy beach novel?
Olivia returned to the bedroom, shutting her phone off and sitting on the edge of the bed. Casey jumped, startled out of her thoughts. "Fin looked into his records," she stated flatly.
Casey sat up. "And?" she asked, holding her breath. Any moment now, she would be forced to realize that she had slept with yet another freak.
Olivia smiled gently. "He wasn't arrested for anything violent. His DNA is in the system because he ran a red light and swore at the arresting officer, then tried to bribe him."
It took a moment for the words to sink in. Then, before she could stop herself, Casey started laughing, feeling the tears sting her eyes. "Oh my god," she replied, when she was finally calm enough to breathe out a coherent sentence. "What an idiot."
Olivia chuckled. "I'm glad you find this so funny. It's good to see you laugh," she answered, pulling the covers more snugly over Casey, who, admittedly, was beginning to get some goosebumps on her porcelain skin. Olivia kissed her softly. "So our baby doesn't belong to anyone bad, we know who hurt you, and everyone who needs to be is in jail. And all of that happened in the last four months."
Casey shook her head. "What a crazy four months," she agreed. She gently brought Olivia's hand to her stomach, smiling. She had felt the baby kick earlier, so she knew she was active tonight. Olivia seemed to feel it too, because she smiled and kissed Casey again. "So, what now?" she questioned.
"Now," Olivia said, reaching into her pocket. "We answer another question together." Casey's face must have betrayed her curiosity, because Olivia just smirked and took the attorney's free hand. "Casey, I know when we first slept together, I told you that you were truly different, and that I wasn't just going to use you for a night and be done with it. I know that I betrayed that trust when I stood you up for a planned date, and that I broke your heart when I said that sex was sex and that I didn't want anything more." The older woman met Casey's emerald gaze with her own beautiful chocolate brown one. "But I could never hide my true feelings, no matter how hard I tried to distract myself," she went on. "When those bastards hurt you, they took a piece of me. I blamed myself for not being there to protect you, and I knew it was my mission to make sure that they suffered. And when I found out that you were pregnant, I was both thrilled and pissed, knowing who it belonged to. I'm relieved that she belongs to someone you hooked up with, but I have to say, I'm also a little jealous that he got to have you before me. Because I love you, Casey. I always have, and I always will, and as much as my head has always yelled at me, I know it's time to let my heart have a voice."
She reached into her pocket again and retrieved a small velvet box. She opened it to reveal a glistening diamond ring in the shape of a heart. "Casey, I love you. Would you do the honor of being my wife?"