Chapter 8

"Cassidy?" Garrett called up the stairs. He'd practically locked her on the second floor until everything was ready. It had to be perfect.

The kids were gone. And Cassidy had agreed to have one last baby. Baby Garrett was a great surprise, but as Garrett knew...it was always better to have more than one son.

"Am I allowed to come downstairs now?" Cassidy called back.

"Yes."

"Well... about time." She bit back a smile. "What on earth is going on?"

Garrett handed her a rose. "The house is ours. The kids are at my brother's for the night...and you and I are going to have a nice quiet evening...just the two of us."

Cassidy smiled. For a moment she considered telling him the news... no, best to wait a bit. Tell him tomorrow morning... wouldn't that be a nice way to wake him up? Tell him now and she'd ruin all his plans.

"Now...come on, we're going all out tonight...dinner...everything."

"Dinner?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"Yes dinner, did you think I was going to make you starve?"

"Well I doubted that..." She kissed him softly.

"Come on, if we start with that, we'll never get to the food part. Not that I'd be one to complain."

Cassidy laughed.

Garrett smiled and kissed her softly.

"None of that or we'll never get to the food part," Cassidy said with a slightly mocking tone.

"Food can be reheated." He pointed out.

"Now you say this," Cassidy teased. "But your baby's hungry." She halted suddenly; she'd just let slip that which she had decided not to tell him now. Oh, well done.

"My...my baby?"

She simply nodded.

"Are you...?"

She nodded again.

"Really? When?"

"I found out today. Remember a few weeks ago when I said I thought I might be? I was."

"Really? Wow." Garrett smiled and kissed her. "Well, let's get that baby fed."

She smiled. "So a sort of celebration, instead of an attempt?"

Garrett nodded.

She kissed him.

Garrett picked her up and carried her into the kitchen.

Cassidy wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Better?" He asked. "We still have the house to ourselves..."

"Good."

"And we can do whatever we want."

Cassidy grinned. "Excellent."

"So Mrs. Spencer..." Garrett set her down. "Have anything in mind?"

"Oh, I have to say I do. After dinner."

"I have to wait?"

"Yes."

Garrett kissed her neck. "Sure I can't convince you otherwise?"

"Hmm... well maybe, if you're going to fight like that..."

Garrett smirked. "Can't resist me, can you?"

"That's it, *now* you're waiting." Cass folded her arms.

"Cassidy...come on." He pouted, "It'll be fun."

"You're gonna have to wait for your fun now, young man."

"I'm a very impatient man."

"I know."

"So if you're going to make me wait, I'm going to make it a very difficult one for you."

"Well then so be it."

Garrett began kissing her neck and shoulders. "I'll make it difficult for you to get to the food..."

"Oh will you?"

"You know I will."

"I know..."

"We could always take the food into our room..."

"We could... but that could get messy."

"Ham and cheese sandwiches are kind of hard to get messy."

She laughed. "Agreed. There are strawberries, you know."

"There is also shrimp and ice cream left over from something."

I knew about the shrimp but I have no idea what the ice cream is from."

"Maybe one of us bought it for the kids..."

"Maybe."

"And there's whipped cream in there too."

"I know about that." She grinned widely.

"And chocolate syrup too..."

"Mm-hmm."

Garrett kissed her. "All...very messy things..."

"But fun."

"Very fun."

"So..."

"So...wanna watch a movie?"

"Like we're gonna watch it."

Garrett raised an eyebrow. "I don't know...I heard there was a very interesting documentary about taxidermy on."

Cass snorted. "Yeah, maybe you should go get stuffed," she joked.

Garrett kissed her. "What kind of ice cream?"

"I bet there's several kinds."

"I think so."

"Go pick a kind."

Garrett grabbed a tub of ice cream out of the freezer, not bothering to look at the label.

She smiled at him.

"Let's go."

She followed.

Garrett kissed her. "Think the baby wants some ice cream?"

"I think maybe he does."

"You think it's a boy?"

"I think it's a boy."

"Maybe we should think it's a girl until it's born."

"Maybe."

"Then we will have a boy."

Cassidy laughed a bit at that.

Garrett kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you more."

"Nah."

She smiled.

~*~*~*~

"Umm... Mom? You want to help me pick my dress? I've got it down to three and then I decided it'd be fun for you to pick," Cassidy said as Holly passed by in the hallway.

"Alright, dear. Let's see what you've gotten." Holly said, entering Cassidy's room. "Try them on."

Cassidy did so, first opting for the black sparkly one Grace had pointed out, then another strapless gown, and then a third which sparkled as well.

"Well, I'd say the last one. It's respectable, but not too conservative. You're the wife of a highly respected man now. And we wouldn't want you traipsing around like a two-bit tramp."

Cassidy nodded. "That's why I asked. You're more used to this than I am." And that was true... it worried Cassidy a little bit, the entire concept of keeping a perfect public image. She was supposed to be Garrett's beautiful intelligent wife and the perfect little mother and she didn't particularly feel up to the challenge of either.

Holly nodded. "It seems scarier than it really is, dear. You get used to being the topic of conversation. Yes, this dress will look lovely."

"I just... I feel like I don't know what I'm doing," Cass admitted.

"I know the feeling. I remember the first party like this I attended, I was so nervous, I almost set Nathan's father's jacket on fire because I dropped a candle."

"But... you always seem like you know just what you're doing, and all I know about kids is you're not supposed to beat them up."

"You adjust and ease into the role. Just give it a little time. And I'll be here to give you whatever help or advice you might need."

"Thank you," Cassidy said, honestly meaning it.

Holly gave Cassidy a quick hug. "You should finish getting ready. The first guests should be arriving in about an hour."

Cassidy nodded and did just that, slipping back into the dress once more.

"Cass? Almost ready?" Garrett called, entering the bedroom. "I've been sent up to make sure the kids are asleep and you're ready to mingle."

"They're sleeping as if they've been drugged, and I am completely ready to be shown off on my amazingly handsome husband's arm."

"You look....amazing." He pulled her in for a lasting kiss.

She kissed back eagerly, but eventually they had to break it. "Thank you."

"We'd better get down, before I change my mind about going to this party."

"I think that would be bad." She smiled.

"It would be frowned upon, but I assure you, you and I would have fun."

"Oh I know we would... and I don't object to a little private celebration later."

"Hmmm...sounds like a very good idea you have there."

"Come on, before we don't make it down there," Cass teased. "Lead your wife downstairs. Show me off and make 'em all jealous as hell."

Garrett led Cassidy downstairs, keeping her close to him.

She smiled, quite content for once to be guided around. Normally she'd have put up a fuss over it... but with the nervousness, she decided it was best for the image and for her to stick close to him.

"Relax. Have some wine." Grace handed her sister a glass. "You look like you're about to get up there and flash everyone or something."

"I don't think me drinking would be a good idea right now."

"You need to loosen up." Grace said. "Wouldn't do good for the image if you appeared anxious, like you're hiding something, would it?"

"It'd do worse if I drink. Once I down one I'll be a regular barfly, and we *do not* want that."

"Then at least get something to eat."

She sighed. "I suppose."

"We wouldn't want you passing out in the middle of the party either."

"I'm honestly not hungry."

"Have you eaten anything today?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, I was just asking."

"I know. And I appreciate it."

"Just...look like you're having fun."

"I'm trying. I feel safe at least around Garrett."

"Yeah...but you look so nervous." Grace frowned slightly.

"I feel nervous. This is important for him."

"I know. It's very important for him. And if everyone sees you this nervous, they're gonna think something's going on."

"I already talked to Holly, thank you."

"Then take a deep breath and smile."

"Shush. Don't give me orders."

Grace shook her head and smiled. "Have some fun tonight." She told her sister before walking off in search of Gavin.

Gavin seemed to have appeared from nowhere. He probably should have stopped drinking, he thought to himself with a sigh. But one more person giving him that pitying look and he was going to go crazy...

"Gavin?" Grace said questioningly, as her husband stumbled a bit.

"Yup?"

"Having fun mingling?" Garrett asked from behind Cassidy, wrapping an arm loosely around her waist.

"Can I have that glass please?"

"Mm-hmm. Was visited by my sister, too."

"Sure, I can grab another..."

"No...the whole idea was you'd give this to me and not have any more to drink tonight..." Grace said gently, not wanting to cause a scene.

Gavin sighed. "I'm sick of being stared at. And I know I sure as hell can't leave."

"Yeah? No one hitting on you I hope." Garrett replied.

"Of course not, everyone's afraid of my husband. Even though they stare."

"I know, baby...do you want to find someplace to sit for a little while?" Grace asked.

"Well as long as they're afraid of me, that means I'm going to do my job well."

"I guess."

"You're going to do your job wonderfully, Garrett." She kissed his cheek.

Grace nodded. "We can go sit out in the front if you'd like."

"Yeah... air might be good."

"Well with a beautiful woman on my arm, how could I not?"

"Okay, let's go get some air." Grace led him outside to a lounge chair. "Better?"

She smiled. "Better look out, I might get jealous of this woman you're parading around."

"Not much but there's less people."

"Nah...no one can even hold a candle to you."

"Good." She was still smiling.

"You shouldn't let them get to you like that." Grace said quietly.

"I know... but they do."

"Why?"

Garrett kissed her. "Come on, you should meet a few people."

"Because... I feel like something's wrong with me because I *didn't* want the organization."

Cassidy nodded and let him guide her to a group.

"But there is nothing wrong with you. You're....you're just not into running the organization. You wanted something else...to do something else."

"I know."

"Don't you?"

"Don't I what, want to do something else? Absolutely... but it's hard."

"Yeah...but if it's something you really want...then you should have to work hard for it...otherwise, is it really worth having?"

"You don't get what I mean. I'm sure I could get out there and have a little business or whatever tomorrow... the hard part is not getting kicked out of my family because of it. I know too much to be going respectable."

"It's not like your father or brother would have you killed if you decided you didn't want to do it anymore."

"Not my brother, maybe. And probably not my father...."

"Well...what *do* you want to do?"

"I... don't know. I'm mostly concerned with out, first, before I worry about in to something else."

"You're serious about getting out, aren't you? Like really serious."

"I'm dead serious. I don't want anything to do with it. I don't want madmen trying to kill our kids. Honest to God, I want a nine to five job and a paycheck once a week."

Grace couldn't help but smile at that. "Then you'll do it. And you won't be alone, either."

"I get you and the kids, right?"

"You have us. I think I like the idea of not having to worry about whether you're going to come home for dinner or coming back in a body bag."

"Ah, I imagine they'd find something a bit more elegant to put me in."

"Either way. I wouldn't want you coming back like that."

"I know."

Grace took his hand in hers. "It's going to be weird in the beginning."

"Very weird."

"No more secret missions....hopefully no more ambushes anyplace we go...we might have to move too."

"Probably be smart."

"We'll get the hang of it, though..."

"It's funny that we have to work at being normal."

"Well...this life has been normal for us."

"I know..."

"And we want to change everything, it'll be different, exciting maybe."

"Nine to five job... exciting..." Gavin laughed.

Grace smiled a bit. "Better than dodging bullets."

"Agreed."

"Besides...there are probably some very interesting nine to five jobs out there."

"I could sell cars," Gavin laughed.

Grace scrunched up her nose. "Can't see you doing that...you could...become like a lawyer or something."

"That I could do. I actually *did* study for it, you know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I wanted to go to law school. Mommy and Daddy Dearest squelched that idea pretty quick..."

"You should."

"I could, I've got the undergrad requirements."

“Then…go. I’m certainly not going to stop you.”

“You know something, beautiful? I think I just might.”

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