Broken & Rising... Hopefully

2004

Parties had never been your scene, mostly because you so rarely got invited to them. Not because you weren't considered pretty or popular but you were used to moving all over the place. Your father had been relocated to the local marine base and Marines are scary as hell. Not only did his job essentially eliminate your dating pool, but also potential friends. You understand how pretty much no person would risk being friends with the perfect narc, always assuming you would run to him the second you got a whiff of any weed. So it was seemingly by a miracle that you found yourself sitting along the edge of a pool at a party that nearly all of your graduating class was attending. "Hey stranger" you heard as the familiar body of Deran Cody sat down next to you with two beers in hand. He gave you this look that seemed like he was trying to invite chaos into your life and you liked it. Slowly taking the beer out of his hand, you took a quick swig, your fact distorting into disgust before you could get over the taste. You had not noticed when it happened but his arm was draped over your shoulder, his fingertips slowly caressing your exposed skin.

To anyone else at the party it looked like Deran Cody was hitting on you, but you both knew that was far from the truth. Deran and you had been lab partners for only a few months though but he had felt this connection with you that he hadn't experienced before: one of a true best friend. You had really bonded during a one off chemistry session, of course you had developed a little crush on him. Deran had been sporting a scruff that some grown men would envy and this short hair cut with little tuffs of sun-kissed blonde, that somehow made his eyes more prominent. This was not your first hang out and you had been working up the courage to tell him how you felt. At some point during the study session you both decided to blurt out your well kept secrets "I have a crush on you!" "I'm gay!" both of you bursting with laughter after exposing each others secret.

Neither one of you had expected that from the other, finally processing the information after you both had started breathing again. "So you're gay?" Derans face had become the deepest shade of red you ever saw as he began to process what just happened. "Uh yeah…I am, but I've never told anyone before. Not even Craig" "Oh wow, um thank you for telling me. How do you feel now you said it out loud?" "I'm not really sure. I think the stereotypical answer is free. I think I just feel scared right now if I am being totally honest. " he responded as he slowly wiped the small tears he had hoped you never spotted, but it had been too late. You quickly threw your arms around his shoulder, enveloping him in a loving embrace. "Thank you for trusting me. I won't tell anyone. Promise" You extended your pinky to him and he happily obliged.

After that the two of you really became inseparable, so much that people assumed you were a couple. You were worried about how Deran would feel if his secret got out so you subtly played along but never told anyone you were a couple. It was tough enough being the new kid and all, though with the new connection established it wasn't getting better. Especially with some of your female classmates. I mean who could blame them? Deran was objectively very handsome and surprisingly kind given his older brothers repitations. One that started not too long after Pope had beat up a teacher.

"You having a good time?" He said as he nudged your shoulder with his. "Yeah, I actually am. Craig and I were hanging out a little before and Cath seems nice." "Why not try to interact with people our own age? We are 2 months out from graduation and I can't have you leave high school as a loner" You chuckled at the thought of you having the most friends on campus, a feat you knew you would never accomplish. "Everyone is either too afraid of my dad or thinks I stole you from them" you said as your head swilved around the pool perimiter, there were plenty of eyes on you. Most of them were not pleasant stares though, and one really caught your eye. All the way in one of the back corners you made eye contact with the dark haired man with amber eyes. The kind of eyes that you could feel boring straight into your soul. You wanted to pull away and break eye contact but you couldn't bear to. "Hello? Any one in there?" the sound of Deran pulling you back down to Earth. "Sorry Deran. What were you saying?" A deep sigh emitted from his mouth as he realized what you had been staring at "Sorry about him. That's my older brother Pope. He's uh something. Actually why don't I get Julia? She's Popes twin but I think you would really hit it off." You nodded absent mindedly, you still felt like you were under the effects of those eyes. The effects wore off quite quickly when everything crashed around you as your body hit the cold pool water.

You found yourself trashing and gasping for air as your brain raced to understand what the hell was going on. While your dad was a great protector sometimes he protected you from too much, including water. Your father had refused to get you swimming lessons, pretty ironic for a marines daughter. "Serves you right for stealing my man bitch." If you hadn't already been drowning you surely would have felt the venom that dripped from Kristy's mouth. As your brain finally came around to understanding you couldn't scream and any attempt to scream for Derans help resulted in utter failure. At some point you had accepted that this could be the end but the strong arms wrapped around your waist made sure it was not. With your brain still running on fight or flight mode it had assigned the person attached to those arms as someone to fight, unknowingly you had elbowed this person right in the nose. "Cut it out! I'm trying to save you, not kill you!" the words registered in your head as your heart rate slowed down. "Oh my god! What happened?" a familiar voice emerged from the crowd but at the time you could not place it even if it was attached to your best friend. "One of your little secret admirers decided it was time for this one to take a dip." That was definitely a voice you had never heard before. Deran hoisted you out of the pool quickly wrapping what ever dry towel he could find closest to him, not caring who it belonged to. "Alright everybody! Parties over! Get out!" Pope was slowly escorting you directly into Derans bedroom, sitting you on the edge of the bed. As you were being led away you could hear Kristy's' grating voice as she grabbed onto Derans bicep "But baby,," "I told you I am not your baby" Deran responded as he tried to shrug off her touch. Kristy let out the stereotypical huff as she stormed off back to her friends. She knew exactly what she was doing and now she had a new target: you.

pope cody was not difficult to please during sex. whatever you liked, he liked too. it was rare for him to ever discover any kinks on his own. but right now, you're splayed out in bed with him. back pressed to his chest as he sat up against the headboard, your feet placed on his knees as he's knuckle-deep in your aching cunt. his chin rests on your shoulder as you two are watching porn on your laptop together, which is conveniently sitting right between your legs. it wasn't one of those stupidly overdone professionally-filmed videos either, it looked like it had been recorded on someone's phone. you were almost in a trance between how hot the video was and the way pope's fingers stretched you out deliciously. soft moans were pouring from your swollen lips, plump and red from making out with your boyfriend every five seconds. this time as you turn your head to kiss him again, your eyes meet his. "i need more, daddy." you mumble against his lips. after hearing it so much in the video, you couldn't help but want to say it to him and see how he'd react.

he pauses for a moment, pulling back just enough to see the need in your gaze. you're confused as to why he pulled away, the frown forming rather quickly on your face. that's when you feel something warm against your back. you'd felt his erection against you since before the video had even started, but this… this could only mean one thing. you pull back now, taking in the grimace on his face as a startled groan escapes his lips. "did you just-" you face forward to pause the video, shutting the laptop and sliding it off the bed. it landed on the floor with a soft thump, something you could worry about later. pope feels himself starting to panic, thinking that you were upset with him for coming too early again. instead, he's met with your curious gaze as you turn around to face him completely. you sit back on your heels between his legs, eyes traveling to the large wet spot in his gray boxers. 

"did i do this to you?" your tone was teasing, running a fingertip over the wet spot. his hips jerk upward in response. "you made a mess, daddy." you lean closer, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. he practically whines when you don't give him anything else. "stop…" he croaks, grabbing your waist, fingertips digging into your skin. "you don't like it?" your pout made him shake his head furiously. "n-no… i like it." he pleads, pulling you closer. you relent, straddling his lap. you intentionally plop yourself down on his bulge. you grind against him, watching as his jaw hangs open. "i'll put it in for you." he pants, warm breath ghosting over your lips. "you're so good to me." you hum, lifting your hips up as he shoves his boxers down far enough for his cock to spring free.

"you gonna- take daddy's cock?" the words don't come out as smoothly as he'd hoped, but that only made it more attractive to you. "yes, please." you smile, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. he lines himself up with your entrance, easing you down on his messy cock while simultaneously licking into your mouth. "you're so big, daddy." you moan in his ear, burying your face in his shoulder as you start to bounce on him like your life depended on it. he's grabbing handfuls of your ass, forcing you to take him deeper with every thrust. the overstimulation had him whimpering endlessly, but he wasn't going to stop until you came. his lips start attacking your neck, the vibrations of his moans traveling right down to the heat in your core. you grab him by the jaw, tongue invading his mouth as you felt yourself getting closer to the edge.

"come on daddy's cock… please, fuck-" he mutters against your mouth, tongue tracing over any inch of skin that was close by. "oh god, 'm so close, daddy." you cry out, forehead resting against his. it was impossible to kiss him at this point as you were just too fucked out. that didn't stop him from kissing at the corners of your mouth, holding you close as he feels himself ready to come for the second time. "y-you'll fill me up, right?" you pleaded, fingernails digging into his shoulders. "yeah… gonna stuff you full, princess." he grunts in response, staring into your eyes as you fall apart around him. he slides his hand down between the two of you, rubbing your clit firmly. he can feel your walls flutter around him as your orgasm comes crashing over you. "'m coming, daddy!" your cries fill the room as you crumble in his arms.

"look so pretty, baby." he murmurs into your hair, rubbing his hand up and down your back as you come down from the high. although, he stiffens a bit at the sound of your chuckle, looking at you with confusion when he sees the giddy smile on your face. "what's so funny?" he faltered. "didn't realize you liked being called daddy so much." you cup his face in your hands, taking in the adorably flustered look on his face. "i like anything you say." he tries to play it off, but you knew that this one in particular affected him more than usual. "mhm, i bet you do." you kiss his cheek, running a hand through his unruly auburn curls.

alex's thoughts 𓈒∘☁︎: yum yum yum yummmmm :D

But it smells and sounds all wrong to you. But that’s because he’s not here.

He is the reason why the forest sounds too loud.

He is the reason why the crunch of leaves doesn’t sound the same under your paws.

He is the reason why the world seems to be lacking, even though this is a place that seems to have come straight from your dreams. Except in your dreams, he is always there; his dark eyes watching, protecting you from danger, looking upon you lovingly. His smell enveloping every inch of you as he buried himself deep inside…

You shake your head, trying to get the images of him out. You can’t think about him like that anymore. Or your family… his family as your own anymore. Not since you left him and escaped from that life of blood and violence. The images of bloodied hands as they lovingly caressed your face spring to your mind, a voice so deep and rich as he soothes your worries away. The feel of his rough hands sliding underneath your shirt, making your breath hitch, as you dig your fingers into those soft auburn curls.

You shake your head again violently; demanding the images to go away as you run faster; trying to focus on the much – needed run. Pushing yourself harder and feeling your heart beat wildly as you tried to run away from the thoughts of him. Relief and guilt a constant whirlpool inside of you as you thought about what his face looked like when he found you gone that morning; the howls he made as he searched for you.

The fact that you dreaded the most though was that you left him with her.

You sprinted harder as another image formed in your mind, one that was familiar to you. Of Andrew on his knees defeated, and a shadow looming over him; a soft hand caressing his shoulder ready to pull him back and even deeper into the darkness, only too eager to set his violence loose upon on the world.

The image blinded you so much that you didn’t notice the end of the ridge coming up fast and tried to break but it was too late, you tumbled down the cliff side, hitting your side on a rock on the way down; hearing a whimper of an animal; until you crashed into the soft sand at the bottom of the cliff.

You laid there for a minute at the bottom of the cliff side, the sand soft under your body, the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore and the soft sounds of the critters in the forest the only thing you could hear. You got up slowly, shaking off the sand from your fur and slowly looked at your side to assess the damage. It would definitely hurt when you changed back and leave a nasty bruise there.

When you righted yourself again you looked up at the full moon, shining over the ocean. The only thing that felt the same and the only thing that still tethered you to him.

It's funny. How many times you’ve looked up to that same moon, admiring her beauty not knowing that only she knew of the future and how much your life would come to revolve around her and her rotations.

All because of a bite.

Smurf slaps him, "We're not killing a girl you had on your fuckin' payroll. The people at Lena's school know her because you can't raise your own fuckin' kid. So you're gonna listen to me about your daughter."

Baz snarls and walks to the other side of the kitchen.

"This is such bullshit. Just cos Pope is all heart eyes for her? Not like you, Smurf, to get sentimental," he says.

Smurf bares her teeth like a wild animal.

"We don't kill women because we lose our temper. Get the fuck out of my house," she hisses.

Smurf finds you later, after you've brought Lena for ice cream. She pouts at the cuts on your face.

"Lena, why don't you go to the pool?" Smurf suggests as the little one runs off.

"Now, sweetheart, I can't let you go back to Baz's house. Not after what he did to you. But Lena needs someone to take care of her. I was thinking you could move in here to help me with her," she said, fixing your hair.

You frown. You don't trust Smurf. You've known so many women like her. But you also know not to get on your bad side. Thankfully Pope comes to your rescue, stepping into the kitchen. He puts an arm around your waist.

"She's moving in with me, Smurf," he says in a tone that doesn't leave room for argument.

"And what about Lena?" Smurf asks. "Baz clearly can't take care of his own daughter."

You shake your head, "No. I'll still nanny for her. I just won't be a live in nanny. I...maybe I could take her instead of Baz's? If that's not overstepping. She just loves being with you Smurf. She is always talking about you and the pool!"

Smurf smiles at you, her eyes narrowing for a moment. She's not an idiot. But she'll allow it. You're making Andrew happy.

"Of course, sweetheart," she says softly. "You can sleep here with Lena when Baz isn't around. I think that's for the best."

You smile and nod your head, "Of course, I think that would be perfect. She needs a strong woman in her life now that her mother is...gone."

Later as you sit in Pope's truck, you look at him, "Are you sure you want me to move in with you?"

He sniffs, "Where else are you gonna go? Not back to Baz."

You roll your eyes, "Ain't you romantic?"

But you like living with Pope. He always makes you breakfast in the morning, telling you that you need to start your day with food rather than running on coffee for hours. He likes having you here as well. Pope can't sleep. But with the weight of you on his chest, he sleeps like a baby. Although on the nights he can't, he can wake you up with rough hands and soft kisses.

You adore that as well. Pope could spend hours eating you out, just drowning in your pussy. He makes you cum over and over and over. Until you have to pull him up and away from you. And he'll look at you with his eyes almost black. If he's not between your legs, he's at your tits, kissing and palming at them for hours on end. You don't even think it's sexual anymore, it's like a comfort for him. A soother... And if that's what Andrew needs you give it to him.

But you adore when he's inside you. Hard and deep, slamming his hips against yours. He manhandles you, having you in breeding press, kissing you desperately. Or he'll flip you onto your stomach, you love how he fucks you prone bone. Sometimes he'll hook his thick bicep around your neck, making your eyes roll back on your head. You love riding him on the couch after a long day.

When you stay at Smurf's you tell him sex is off the table. You know she's listening. But Pope can't keep his hands off of you. And Smurf isn't an idiot, she sees how Pope hangs on your every word. So after a few months of you living between her home and Pope's, she does some digging into your background.

You're folding laundry in the kitchen when Smurf approaches you.

"Hey baby," she coos, calling you the name she reserves for her sons and grandson. "Where did you say you grew up?"

You look up at her and smile.

"I didn't, Smurf. But I grew up the other side of San Diego. But I haven't been back since I was eighteen. I started applying for au pair jobs in my senior year of high school," you explain. "So I left a few days after graduation."

Smurf hums, "And no one cared about your time in juvenile detention?"

You freeze and look up at her.

"My records were sealed after I turned eighteen," you tell her. "So no one needs to know."

"I have my people...and my people found that you did 18 months for robbery and breaking and entering," she says with a hum. "Must have been tough for your foster family."

You twist your mouth in annoyance. You hate talking about your past.

"Yes, Smurf. I grew up in foster care. CPS took me away when I was eight. I was still cute then, got a nice foster family," you say with a shrug. "But then they got pregnant. Triplets! And I was thirteen and starting to act out. So I went back to foster care. Bounced around families for a while. You know how many foster dads are creeps?"

You scrub your hand over your face.

"So I learned how to pickpocket. I just wanted enough money so I could get an apartment. I made friends with a few of the rich kids in the area. And I'd case their places when they weren't around. One of their parents found me. I thought they were on a trip...Her dad was a lawyer so I was screwed."

You look at Smurf, "Is that a problem?"

Smurf smiles at you and pulls you in for a hug.

"Oh baby, you're perfect."

You're not stupid. You are very aware how to Cody family get their money. You're not there for the meetings or the jobs, of course. And you like to play dumb for Smurf, although you're sure she can see through you. But both of you play this game, pretending you don't know what the other one knows. And she likes you like this. Still pliant to her.

You know when the boys are doing a job because Smurf will give you the day off. She'll keep Lena in the house. And you will wait patiently for Pope to come home. It is always a variant on the same theme when he finally walks in the door of your now shared home. Sometimes he will take you desperately, needing to be buried inside you. He'll push you onto hands and knees or press you into the couch and just bury his weeping cock in you with rough, angry thrusts. Other times, you can see the tears threatening to fall from his eyes and he'll kiss you desperately. He'll slowly rock his hips against yours, hiding his face in your neck as you can feel soft sobs rack his body. Sometimes, rarely, he's happy. It's gone well, and sex is soft and smooth and gentle.

One day you're fixing Lena's hair and you overhear Baz talking to Smurf.

"People who have nannies have money," he tells her. "You said she used to do this shit. Why can't she scope out a few places for us? Even just fuckin' job interviews. I don't know. Babysitting gigs so it's not too permenant."

You can hear Smurf take a sharp intake of breath, "We only do jobs with people in the family."

You can practically hear Baz's eyeroll at that.

"She's not doing the job she's just-"

Pope cuts him off, "We're not involving her in this. She doesn't need to be a part of this shit."

"What Pope?" Baz suddenly snaps causing Lena to flinch next to you. "You think you can just run off with her into the sunset? You're sick in the head, man. And soon she'll fuckin' see that. She's gonna drain your wallet and then leave you."

On the drive home, you can tell that Pope is withdrawn. You can see the gears in his head working overtime. You hate that Baz can get to him like that. You reach out and run your fingers through his curls but he flinches away from you. You try not to let it affect you. You know it's Baz and his family who have worked their way under his skin. But still, Pope has never been upset with something you've done.

You make him dinner in silence. Pope likes the quiet but when he finally looks up at you, he sees the hurt etched across your face.

"I'm sorry," he gruffs out. "I just...Baz always says shit like that. Says how I'm weird and I'm not weird."

"No baby, you're not weird," you soothe, stroking his knuckle with your thumb.

"I just...You know...With my family, it's hard. I don't know Smurf was never a proper mother to us. First time I saw someone die I was six. She used have sex with these men in front of me and Julia. And we just thought all o' that was normal. And she likes...She likes when I'm angry. I know she wants to keep me angry. But I don't want to be angry. I want a normal life."

He take a deep breath, "But I don't know how to be normal. I wanna be normal for you. I really do. I don't wanna be Smurf's muscle or Baz's fuckin' punchline."

You look at him, watching the tears roll down his freckled cheeks. You brush each away with soft kisses to his flushed skin. You just want to take him away from this, from his family, from Oceanside.

"Baz thinks no one would wanna be with me. That you'll leave. He thinks no one will settle down and have a baby with me," he sobs.

This makes you pause.

"I wanna have a baby with you, Andrew," you tell him ever so gently.

His eyes flick up to yours as if assessing the situation. Were you being serious? A baby...with him?

"You wanna have a baby with me?" he echoes.

You nod your head, pulling him in for a desperate and messy kiss. You moan against his lips which is enough to have Andrew Cody gripping your hips and lifting you onto his lap. Your hips work on their own rolling against his thick thigh, your skirt bunching up around your waist as as your grind on him. Your clit bumps over the rough fabric of his jeans under the cotton of your panties. But Pope never breaks this kiss.

"Put a baby in me, Andrew, please," you beg desperately.

"You needa cum first," he responds.

It's like you can do it on command because after a handful more rocks of your hips you're soaking his thigh. He grunts out in appreciation and then grips the meat of your ass to lift you onto the table.

He falls to his knees, pulling your panties down your legs. His eyes zero in on your sopping wet cunt that is clenching around the air desperate for him. He doesn't give you a second before he starts eating you out. Pope loves giving you head, could (and has) spent hours between your legs. But today he is on a mission. He zeros in on your clit, sucking and slurping desperately. He knows exactly how to pull you apart and he does in record time. You come undone over his tongue to his satisification. He moans out into your cunt. He could cum from this as well, but he can't. Not when you've asked him so sweetly to put a baby in you.

Finally he stands, unbuckling his belt so he can push his jeans and boxers his thick cock finally free. It rests heavy against his black t-shirt that he still hasn't taken off. But he's desperate for you. And getting you pregnant is his number one priority. He presses inside you in one fluid motion. He doesn't let you adjust. He just splits you open. He's worked you over so well, he slips in without an issue. And then he's off to the races.

He hooks your knees over his forearms, spreading you wide and he slams into you. His heavy balls slam against your ass as he fucks you.

"Gonna put a baby in ya. Gonna see you so fuckin' full. And I ain't ever gonna let you leave," he grunts in your ear.

His words go straight to your cunt and you honestly don't know how many times you cum over his cock until he stutters to a stop. Thick walls of cum coat your walls. But he doesn't pull out. He just presses his weight on you for a few minutes. Your chests heaving in time with one another.

When he eventually moves, he presses two thick fingers inside you.

"Can't waste it. Not when I gotta get you pregnant."

And Pope takes his job very seriously. Every morning and every night he's inside you. If you're free in the afternoon, he pounces. If the two of you are alone he's fucking you. And you love it.

"Is Pope tryna eat you?" Deran asks as you sit by the pool in a bikini that showcases all the hickies Pope has left on your body. There are bruises in the shape of his fingers as well around your hips, ass and even the hint of them on your neck.

You roll your eyes at him.

"Don't be jealous cos you're hard up," you say before jumping in the pool and splashing him.

Out of all of Pope's family, you like Deran the best. If Pope's not around, you usually cling to him. He also has a short fuse for Baz's bullshit. Which is ongoing in the kitchen right now.

"Are we still paying her?" he snaps at Smurf who is counting out cash.

Smurf's eyes flick up, "You hired her because you couldn't take care of your daughter. So yes. We are."

"Well she's not doing a good job is she."

Pope grabs a beer from the fridge, "Lena's at school. You'd know if you spent any time with your kid."

He storms out to the backyard with Baz hot on his heels.

"You think you're a big man now cos you're getting your dick wet?" Baz snarls.

Pope doesn't respond as he watches you in the water.

"I mean, it looks like she'll spread her legs for any of us. Number three is right there," Baz says, nodding to where you and Deran are in the pool.

This catches Pope's attention. He turns and looks at Baz then.

"What's that supposed to mean?" his growls, his whole face darkening.

"You think she was living in my house, with me and not givin' it up? Come on. I'm a hot blooded man! You were always obsessed with my sloppy seconds. Ri-"

But Baz doesn't get to finish his sentence before Pope lunges. Pope is on top of him, landing punch after punch. But Baz is sly and digs him in the ribs. Smurf hears the commotion and comes to watch by the door. You're jumping out of the pool immediately.

Smurf sees you and sighs, "That's enough boys."

Usually her word is law but they're too caught up in the fight to hear anything.

"Andrew, that's enough," you bark.

Pope slams Baz onto the concrete once more before hauling himself off him. He reaches for your hand and drags you back to his car. You can get your stuff later, he grumbles. Smurf's eyes narrow as she watches you. It looks like you have your claws in her eldest boy deeper than she thought.

Of course, Smurf doesn't do anything right away. But she'll have to get Andrew away from you. She thought you simply calmed him down. But if he listens to you over her that's not good.

You can sense that something has shifted with Smurf. But you're not dumb enough to delve into that. No you play dumb. Act like nothing has happened.

"When's you're birthday, Smurf?" you ask her one evening as you help her with dinner. "I doubt your boys ever spoil you. And you do so much for them. They should bring you out for dinner."

Smurf smiles, "That's sweet but I like cooking for them."

You sigh as you watch J, Deran and Craig outside.

"I hope I'm half the mother you are. I mean, Pope talks about you all the time. How you worked so hard for him and Julia as a single mother. And in the seventies, that can't have been easy," you coo.

Smurf freezes for a millisecond, too quick to even notice. Unless you're watching...and you are.

"Does Pope talk about his sister?" she asks tightly.

You nod your head as you throw cherry tomatoes in the salad.

"Oh yes, all the time. Such a beautiful name. Maybe if I'm ever blessed with a girl I'll call her Julia. Maybe Julia Janine...JJ! So sweet," you say before carrying the salad out to the table.

Smurf stabs her knife into the cutting board. Oh she fucking hates you.

In the months that follow, you can feel the tension rising in the house. Not just between you and Smurf. But something has happened between her and Baz. You're not sure what and you're not stupid enough to ask.

One evening you're sitting by the pool on Pope's lap. You're nursing a Coke after dinner wondering when you can go home.

"Baby, do you want a real drink?" Smurf asks you as she sips on her vodka cranberry. It's rare she doesn't have one in her hand.

You flush at the question ducking your head before shaking it quickly. Pope is grinning ear from ear.

"Smurf, I can't," you say as Pope presses a thick hand over your stomach.

A few weeks ago, you had woken up feeling...well...like shit. You pulled up your calendar and realised that you were late. Your period was due almost a fortnight ago. But yours was nowhere to be seen. You immediately ran (literally) to the store. You shoulda bought pregnancy tests but you didn't wanna jinx it.

When Pope found you almost an hour later crying tears of joy as you looked at the two little lines on the stick, he couldn't stop himself from crying. You both had your own worries and didn't want to share until you were over the first trimester. But now, at almost fourteen weeks pregnant you decided to share with the rest of the Cody family.

You could see Smurf's face immediately brighten. Yea, she didn't like how you had gotten your claws into her baby boy. But a baby? Well, Smurf loved babies. So she rushed over to kiss both you and Pope.

"You should move back in here, baby," she cooed at Pope.

He shook his head, "Not with the parties, Smurf. A baby needs sleep and not to get into Craig's coke stash."

Craig frowned, but he couldn't argue.

The only person who wasn't happy was Baz. Which you expected. He was rarely at the house these days. And when he was it usually ended in a fight between him and Smurf. J had become a little lap dog for Baz. And you hated that. But it wasn't your place to get involved.

Since announcing your pregnancy, things between you and Smurf thawed. She brought you shopping for baby stuff. Even though you didn't want to be in her debt. But sometimes you liked to be mothered...it had been so long. So you let her brush your hair when you were too tired and make you herbal tea and even slept over when Pope was away on jobs.

You sit, cradling your now swollen stomach, as Smurf tells you about Julia. How she couldn't take care of her when she was pregnant with J. Everyone who talks about Julia tells you a different story. Pope talks about her like she hung the moon, J speaks about a sad, ghost of a woman outcast from her family and Smurf? Well, Smurf talks about a problem child. A bad apple intent on spoiling the bunch.

You're not sure if it's not just the tree that is poison.

But you let Smurf dote on you because you're not stupid. You want to keep her on side. Not like Baz...Baz has seemingly been outcast from the family. Lena is always with Smurf and her father is spending less and less time here.

Pope tells you one night in bed as he strokes your growing belly that he has a mistress in Mexico. That he plans on taking Lena and going to start a new life down there.

"With whose money?" you ask, your eyes flicking up to Pope.

Has Baz been stealing from Smurf? You don't doubt that he has enough money of his own. But you always know that Smurf has a majority of the funds.

They have enough to live very comfortably on. But nothing too crazy. But you don't argue about that.

One night, Pope is out with Craig and Deran. It's not like him, but you tell him to spend more time with his brothers. It's okay. You know he doesn't like parties or loud spaces. But sometimes they just drink in the back of Deran's bar. And you want him to have that connection again. Especially after losing Baz.

Even though you don't know good of a friend and brother Baz was to him. Pope tells you about Baz and Julia's relationship. How he could be J's father. How he fell for Cath when they were teenagers but Baz took her too. How he didn't want to lose anything else to Baz.

"You won't lose me or the baby to him. I promise," you whisper.

So when you hear the door to the house open you presume it's Pope. You hum, shifting in your bed to give him room to join you. But Pope's footsteps are almost silent and these? Well, these are not. You try not to move, hoping whoever it is will just steal some shit and go. They won't try the bedrooms.

But you recognise those footsteps as they come closer and closer. You know it's Baz. And he's not here for petty theft. You lean across the bed to Pope's side and pull open the drawer of his bedside locker. You're trying not to make noise as you fumble in the dark for what you're looking for.

But it doesn't matter because Barry Blackwell has been in Pope's shitty little beachfront condo before. He knows where the bedroom is and he knows where he'll find Pope's girl. He's known that Pope killed Cath. Even though he knows that Smurf put him up to it, it was Pope who did it. And now he can do the same to Pope.

An eye for an eye.

The baby is just the cherry on top of the cake. Baz should care that by killing you, he'll also be ending the life of his brother's unborn child. But he doesn't really care. He slams the door open making you jump.

"Pope isn't here," you tell him, feigning ignorance.

You blink, pretending that you've just woken up.

"That's okay. He doesn't need to be," Baz says as he stands in the door frame. "You know, Lena loves you. She loves when you take her to the beach and that you've taught her how to swim. Craig's got her her own surfboard now."

You smile and nod, sitting up in the bed. You stroke your baby bump, showing it off to Baz as if to remind him that you're just a woman. A pregnant woman. A soon-to-be mother.

"So it's really going to hurt her feelings when she finds out her uncle murdered you," he tuts.

You freeze at this. He's going to frame Pope?

Of course, he is. Pope already has a violent record. The police won't even question it when Baz calls it in. Because he will. He's an upstanding citizen. And when Lena's nanny who got involved with his mentally unwell brother doesn't show up for work, he'll get worried. He'll call the cops. He might even cry.

Smurf'll be pissed but hell, he might kill her too while he's at it. Pope went on a spree. How fun!

"Don't do this," you beg through tears.

Baz shrugs as he takes a step forward. You try to stay brave, strong. But fuck you're scared. But you look at the man who has only ever made your life worse since he came into it in the eyes as you pull Pope's gun from under the covers. You point it straight at his face.

He gives you that shit eating grin. That pretty boy bullshit smile. He thinks he can get away with this. But he can't. He won't.

And you pull the trigger.

You don't expect it to be so loud. Your neighbours definitely heard. You don't expect the blood spray either. It's messy. But you had no choice. You couldn't fight him hand to hand.

You get out of bed, wiping down the gun with your nightie and immediately getting in the shower. You wash off all evidence of Baz from you and change into Pope's t-shirt and a pair of shorts. You drive to the bar you know the Cody brothers are at. You smile at the patrons and pat your stomach.

But when Pope sees you, he knows something is wrong. He soothes you, tells you that you did everything right. Deran and Craig stand behind him as they look at their older brother's now dead body. You know they all loved him. But he was a monster.

"I took Lena's father away," you whisper. "But he was gonna kill me. He was gonna kill us."

Pope presses a hand to your stomach.

"Take her somewhere," he tells Deran. "We need to clean this up."

Deran brings you to his place, to his boyfriend (although you have to pretend he's just a friend), Adrian. He tells him that someone tried to break in and you're freaked out.

"Why not bring her to Smurf?" Adrian asks as you sit looking at the blank wall.

Deran just shakes his head before leaving.

You don't know when Pope comes to get you. But you go home with him. He gets you into the bath, soothing out your muscles.

"I've never done that before," you finally confess.

"And you won't have to do it again, baby," he promises as he massages your neck.

"We're gonna go. We're gonna leave Oceanside. Craig went to Baz's place and found where he's stashed Smurf's money. We're gonna take our share and go. With Lena," he promises.

"She won't let us," you respond.

Pope presses kisses into your hair.

"She doesn't have a choice," he responds gently.

Smurf believes Pope when he tells her that Baz has run off to Mexico.

"And left Lena?" she tuts and shakes her head. "Typical."

She knew it was his plan so why would she look into it any further? What she doesn't expect however, is less than a month later is to wake up and find Lena's bedroom empty.

She rushes to call you. But the phoneline is disconnected. Pope's is too. She calls Deran and Craig who shrug. They don't know where you've gone.

And while they know that you were leaving. Helped you get everything in order, you never told them where you were going.

"Where are we going, Uncle Pope?" Lena asks from the backseat of a car you jacked.

"Somewhere safe," is all he responds, as he rests his hand on your blossoming stomach.

a/n: thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! any and all feedback appreciated. requests open

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