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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Mar 16, 2018 2:42:20 GMT
291 Words
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So maybe I still notice you in traces
Since the holidays, James had been paying close attention to his writing. It was like a sudden burst of muse coming through him, most of which had also stemmed from his friendship with Maya. He'd considered writing children's books, but there was something terrifying about them that he'd strayed away from. The work he was beginning had a lot to do with family though, an extension of how he'd felt when Will was born and later after the twins were born. James knew the incredible feeling a child could bring to a situation, but he also knew that unexpected pregnancies were a little sickening.
After visiting with his mother, James had gone back to this bachelor pad to continue working on his novel. He'd been stuck for days, going between to concepts and discussing with his agent what the publishers were looking for from him. After countless hours on the phone, James was very nearly sick of talking at all. He hadn't gotten any further with his work and he was still stuck in the same rut that he'd been in the whole week. There was just something blocking him from continuing.
When his phone buzzed, he considered tossing it across the room. His eyes barely caught the name was he picked it up, but when he registered that it was a familial call rather than a work-related call, he eased into his natural smile. "Well, well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing from the lovely Cassidy Paige? Don't tell me William has gone and proposed without consulting with his dear uncle first!"
Chasing ghosts in my head
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962 posts
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Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Post by Nu on Mar 16, 2018 3:05:59 GMT
353 Words
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With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar
After her date with Miles, Cassidy went to the pharmacy to pick up a kit just to be sure that she was being absurd. The relief she felt that she was was insurmountable. After five minutes of celebrating, Cassidy immediately felt a pang of disappointment that she hadn't anticipated. She went out again to get another kit, disposing the last one in the dumpster behind Will's apartment.
Five positive kits later, it dawned on her that she was pregnant. Amidst the hyperventilating, the idea of it being Will's brought her a tinge of relief. She cried for a really long time, thankful that Will was at school. And then the mixture of happiness, relief and anxiety manifested down the toilet.
As she obsessively cleaned the toilet and then herself, her thought process was a jumble. She wanted to tell Will immediately but something held her back. She didn't know how Will would take it. Although he had never shown any aggression towards her, Cassidy knew the beast lurked just around the corner. Who knew what kind of reaction it would trigger him if he found out something this big?
She decided to go to the one person Will trusted more than anyone else in the world. At the back of her mind, she realised that going to someone else first with this news was unfair to Will but she just couldn't risk it.
It took her a week before she actually picked up her phone to dial the unfamiliar number as she paced the floor in her room. She couldn't risk having this conversation in Will's apartment. She took a deep breath and put the phone to her ear and waited for James to answer.
His greeting had her forcing out a chuckling and forcing down a vomit before she cleared her throat to speak. "No...it's not as festive..." She admitted before sliding on to the edge of her bed and sighing. "I'm sorry to be bothering you about this, I honestly didn't know who else to call." She took a while to settle her breathing before blurting it out. "I'm pregnant."
but still all we do is fear
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Mar 16, 2018 3:18:33 GMT
371 Words
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So maybe I still notice you in traces
Leaning back in his desk chair, James rolled back and forth as he waited for her to respond to his question. She sounded nervous, perhaps a little uncertain about where to begin. His initial reaction was to worry, but it didn't sound like some kind of traumatic emergency that he'd have to drop everything to fly to the States for. He hadn't known Cassidy for very long, a week was hardly anything and it really had only boiled down to a day of getting to know her. That wasn't to say he didn't like her, the very fact that she loved his nephew and that his nephew loved her made him like her exponentially more than most women. She was sweet and genuinely kind, all of the kids that mattered to him happened to adore her, so he didn't quite know what would make her so nervous to talk about.
Until she said it.
Had it been Miles' girlfriend calling to say so, James' reaction would have been vastly different. The youngest Spencer man had an ability that triggered panic attacks, it was manageable. The eldest son did not have a very manageable ability, add children to that, and well James figured he had every right to worry. And now he understood why he was receiving the news from her rather than hearing it from his nephew directly. He rubbed his face, remaining quiet for a moment so that he could gather his thoughts. He didn't bother asking her if Will knew and he knew that he didn't need to worry about who the father was (unlike Maya's child).
With a long, deep breath, James nodded, "Please don't mistake my pause as an unpleasant reaction to the news. I'm quite ecstatic for you two even if it makes me feel much older than I like to think I am." He chuckled lightly before his tone turned serious, "You obviously understand Will well enough to know the worries that come with this news and how to go about telling him. So what do you need from me, love?"
Chasing ghosts in my head
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962 posts
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Post by Nu on Mar 16, 2018 3:34:40 GMT
227 Words
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With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar
Listening to James talk made Cassidy picture Will so clearly. The same inflections, the same drawl, if she didn't know them better, she would have thought she was speaking to Will then. She didn't actually think James' silence said anything more than surprise. Pleasant or not, Cassidy wasn't there to seek his approval. When he asked what she needed from him, she released a breath she had been holding with a shudder.
"How to go about telling him." She answered before a sheepish chuckle escaped her lips.
"I know about the...implications of telling him this news but I'm...honestly scared of how he will react." She admitted as she rubbed her face. "I know that makes me sound like a horrible person because Will has never been violent with me but I also know he has no actual control over what's inside him." She paused and picked at her skirt. "We're too young to have this kid. And we've only just started easing out of our honeymoon period but the moment I was absolutely sure about it...there was no doubt in mind that I wanted it. What I don't know is if he..." she took a deep breath and fell back on her bed. "I just want to know if there was any way at all that I can tell him without...bringing it out."
but still all we do is fear
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Mar 16, 2018 3:51:09 GMT
429 Words
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So maybe I still notice you in traces
He supposed he wasn't surprised that she was asking for a way to tell Will about the baby. James knew Will better than he knew anyone else. He'd practically raised him, and while he often wondered if he had ruined his nephew, there wasn't anything that he didn't love about Will. The boy was doing the best that he could with what he was dealt. James wanted to believe that Will would be happy to have a child with Cassidy, young or not. But he also knew the fear that Will held that he would do what his parents did to him.
He nodded at her words, aware that she couldn't actually see him. At least he believed that the child would be loved by one parent, inexplicably. He just couldn't be sure what Will would do upon finding out because he'd never thought he would live long enough to have children. Or that he would find anyone he wanted to have children with. Will had been such a great older brother in the early years, if there was any part of him that held onto that, he'd be an incredible father.
"William...he's very hard on himself, as you know. He's not going to know what to do with the information at first and, well, if I'm to be honest, Cassidy, he'll probably panic. With that said, the beast only ever makes an appearance when his blood pressure rises, when he gets really worked up, not necessarily in a panic, but more when he feels trapped or cornered." The situation could have been viewed that way, but Cassidy didn't seem to be the trapping type and Will should know as much. "I hate to put it this way, but...drinking runs in the family as a way of dulling our reactions. I wouldn't put it past him to go for a drink, he'll need space, a little time, but he'll come back. And frankly, because it's you, I believe that he'll ease into the idea of being a father."
James tapped his fingers on the desk and let out a breath, the more he thought on it, the more he wondered if it was such a good idea for Cassidy to be the one that takes the brunt of his reaction. "Come to think of it, I would call Gabriel. Make sure he's nearby. Will's going to need him if I can't be there."
Chasing ghosts in my head
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962 posts
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Post by Nu on Mar 16, 2018 4:05:43 GMT
208 Words
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With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar
Cassidy closed her eyes, placing an arm over them as she nodded at James' remark. She still didn't understand why Will made sure everyone hated him when all he has to do is look into himself and find the stupidest thing to hate himself for it. Then again, Cassidy also understood that that is exactly the reason why he didn't think he was deserving of anyone's appreciation.
James was saying exactly what Cassidy had already feared. When he mentioned the drinking and needing space, Cassidy felt a huge lump in her throat and she tried not to let her emotions cloud her decision. She knew it wouldn't be fair to keep him in the dark and she knew, at least for her, it wasn't an option to get rid of it. Her anxieties were going to have to take a backseat if what James was saying was true.
At the mention of Will's best friend, Cassidy briefly frowned and wondered why. "What would that do?" She asked, even though she had already set her mind on doing it anyway. Gabriel wasn't that far away and his job allowed him the ease to travel so it wouldn't be much of a stretch for him to come over, would it?
but still all we do is fear
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Mar 16, 2018 4:23:52 GMT
206 Words
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So maybe I still notice you in traces
As far as James knew, Cassidy had met Gabriel once at the very least. Given that James had known Gabriel since the two men became friends, he supposed he would understand the friendship a little better than she did. The recruiter was all Will had in the States and he'd saved Will countless times from his own reckless mind. Of course she likely had no idea about the times that Will had needed saved, but it made him wonder what she did know about Gabe.
"Gabe is Will's sedative, so to speak. The beast recoils, and Will knows that he can unleash on Gabriel without it ruining anything for them. I know Will is angry with Gabe at this moment, but they are best friends and have been for a long time. This is something he needs his best friend for, someone that has seen him through his struggles," James was worried he wasn't explaining it correctly. They were such an unlikely pair, but he couldn't imagine any better friend for his nephew.
He took a deep breath, "It's just a precaution."
Chasing ghosts in my head
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962 posts
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Post by Nu on Mar 16, 2018 4:36:45 GMT
185 Words
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With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar
As James spoke about Will's best friend, Cassidy felt affection and, dare she say it, jealousy, over the relationship Will had with Gabriel. She hadn't know Miles or Adrian that long, she didn't have such a relationship with them even though she knew she could count on them for anything. For Will to have someone like that who wasn't her made her feel both warm and a bit envious.
Cassidy sat up and sighed softly. "Alright. I'll call him." She waited a beat before giving a small chuckle. "I can't imagine a lot of people go through other people to tell their partner they're pregnant." She looked down at her still flat stomach, placing a hand over it as if to find the little nugget already there.
"Speaking of which...how's Maya? Her due date is any time now yeah?" Cassidy asked with a small smile. She didn't know the actual nature of James and Maya's relationship but she knew they were close enough to be each other's dates to the Christmas party. And she remembered seeing how Maya looked at James throughout the party.
but still all we do is fear
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Mar 16, 2018 4:48:49 GMT
320 Words
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So maybe I still notice you in traces
"Not many people have a partner quite like yours, love," He breathed into the phone with a low chuckle himself. Will was a whole different breed of intense and loving him could take a lot out of a person, especially given the circumstances of his ability. Unfortunately for James, he knew he was the only one aside from Will who had the burden of knowing the extensive complications that came with his beast. As far as James was concerned, Will wouldn't even be around long enough for his child to know him. And he was certain that that fact was going to be what killed Will the most about Cassidy's news.
When she turned the topic to the woman that he'd had as his date to the Christmas party, James' nose scrunched up and he suddenly felt very strange about the fact that her child was due in a matter of weeks. Granted, James had no ties to the child, as far as he knew, so he didn't have any reason to feel panicked, but he was. He'd offered up a hand to squeeze for Maya if she needed it and it wasn't as though he hadn't been around for the birth of his niece and nephews. Although, the second bout of labor, he'd been in charge of wrangling Will to keep him from wandering too far into the hospital.
"Good, uh, due date. Yes. That, well, uh, a few weeks I do believe. I'm, uh...I'm not so good at keeping track of that stuff," He scrambled and realized that his brain had turned to complete mush just from hearing Maya's name. Over the phone with Cassidy no less. He was expecting a ball busting from this nephew over that later on down the road.
Chasing ghosts in my head
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Post by Nu on Mar 16, 2018 5:00:22 GMT
202 Words
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With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar
A soft smile curved Cassidy's lips as her mind went straight to Will. She was head over heels for the boy and she still had to pinch herself to make sure her life with Will wasn't just a delusion. It turned bittersweet when she thought of the possibility that it could end with her announcement.
She snapped out of her own thoughts when James stumbled over his words. The smooth-talking Englishman suddenly disappeared and Cassidy couldn't help the smile from growing widely. "I see. Okay." She pursed her lips before changing the subject, not wanting to subject James to any sort of embarrassment when he had helped her with his nephew and the love of her life.
"I hope I get to be there to see the little guy but anyway, James...thank you so much. I'm going to talk to Gabriel before I let Will know. Send my love to Eva and Maya, yeah?" She smiled. Although her anxieties were still there, the thought of having a plan calmed her down enough to stop from tearing up. She was expecting a lot of those throughout her pregnancy but right now, she can't keep crying just because she was scared or whatever.
but still all we do is fear
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Mar 16, 2018 5:07:44 GMT
166 Words
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So maybe I still notice you in traces
James was none too thrilled about his own reaction to her question, but he was thankful that she didn't press on for anything else. Will likely would have poked and prodded until James snapped. It was a nice change of pace having someone in the family that didn't seek out a chance to embarrass him.
"Anytime, love. If that nephew of mine gives you a hard time at all, you let me know. I'll be sure to smack some sense into him if Gabe doesn't. Congratulations, dear, you're going to make a fine addition to our family. You and your little one," He grinned. There was no doubt in his mind that he would love whatever great niece or nephew that he received from her. Anything that left behind a part of Will was something to hold onto. "Best of luck to you."
Chasing ghosts in my head
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