Generation 2: Chapter 7

 

🛑 This chapter is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 🛑

The whole kitchen smelled of spaghetti sauce and different ingredients, some of the windows becoming dewy from the heat inside the house clashing with the chilly air that came off of the water from the lake behind Jason's home. He was busy, frantically running from cabinet to cabinet, making sure he had the right spices and noodles for the dinner he was preparing, which was his mother's Spaghetti with her own homemade sauce. Jason's mind was racing as he scrambled to try and finish the dinner on time for the company he was about to have in less than ten minutes; he had only ever cooked for Lucy before, but now he was cooking for a date. Ever since Faline had told him she was pregnant, which was about a week ago, they both had agreed to start dating and trying to see if they could get to know one another more since they were having a child together in roughly eight months. He was surprised with himself even, he had had his fair share of flings and one nights stands, but for years he had never dated anyone, let alone label them his girlfriend.  But, Jason was all smiles ever since he had found out the news, beyond excited for the new baby, and he had even finished furnishing the entire house the same weekend that he moved in, wanting everything to be perfect and ready for the baby, even if it wasn't coming any time soon.

The ten minutes he had left was up when he heard the doorbell ring; he had given Faline the code for the gate so she could get in easily, though Jason felt as if she had every right to just walk right in the front door, he had even offered to give her an extra key already. It was her house now, too, even if she doesn't really want to show it, Jason thought to himself as he let out a chuckle, guessing that Faline still wasn't really comfortable living with him yet. But, she had every right to turn down his offer; she didn't really know who he was yet, let alone what to expect when being invited to live with a college frat boy that conquered the campus through means of only sexual encounters, and her being one of them..

Jason looked around the kitchen quickly after he had made up both of their plates, putting flowers in the middle and even being able to go through with lighting candles for their only light source, despite what horrible memories the candles forced him to brood about. "Looks good enough, I guess," Jason told himself before exiting the kitchen and quickly going to the front door, knowing she wasn't going to let herself in.

Jason rushed to the living room and kept his smile when he saw her through the glass door, letting her in and instantly his body grew tense and a little nervous, his eyes wandering all over her and he took his time to make sure he took in every detail of how good she looked in her red dress as he shut the door behind her. There weren't many women who could make his heart stop, but Faline managed to do it rather effortlessly, "Wow, you look stunning, Miss Hubbard," he began with his signature sly grin and he watched as her cheeks blushed slightly.

"You clean up nice, too, Mr. Dubois," she replied, Jason unable to wipe the pleased grin off his lips at her comment. Jason wrapped his arm around her instinctively, but Faline kept him from planting his lips onto hers when he had leaned in to do so. "Jason, it's our first date," she answered with a giggle to his wandering hands, Jason sighing, and although it took him a few short moments to get the hint, he eventually removed his hands and motioned her towards the kitchen.

"Well, dinner's waiting, shall we?" He replied with a smirk and lead the way, unable to get her dress off of his mind.

The sound of Faline's heels clicking on the hardwood flooring and the smell of her perfume hindered Jason from hearing Faline's question, daydreaming about her as he lead her to the kitchen. "Jason?" Faline repeated, knocking him out of his trance.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Jason asked, looking over his shoulder briefly at her with a smirk.

"I asked how Lucy was doing?" She repeated, chuckling lightly towards him.

"Oh, she's good. I saw her for a little bit today, we went to the park and stuff, but she's with her mother now until the weekend is over," Jason replied, continuing towards the kitchen with her.

Jason reached the kitchen and looked back to Faline, watching as her eyes lit up at the sight she had before her on the table; the candles, the flowers, and the ready to be eaten meal on the table waiting for them. Faline stepped more into the kitchen and smiled, "Jason, everything's perfect, it smells wonderful. I didn't know you could cook," she said with a slightly impressed tone, looking back at him and he smirked, shrugging towards her.

"I learned from watching my mother when I was a boy," he replied, losing his smirk gradually.

"Well, thank you for this, I love it," she continued and Jason smiled once more, nodding in thanks and Faline looked back towards the table. Jason was overjoyed that she liked what he had done, yet, now he had his mother on his mind as he smelled the food in the air, reminding him of memories with her. But, as he looked to Faline's long, wavy red hair, he didn't want to dwell on such things when he had other matters to attend to; he just hoped now that his mother wouldn't become a topic of conversation.

Jason pulled Faline's chair out for her and she accepted it, sitting down before him and Jason took the seat next to hers. Faline looked to Jason and gave a soft, yet awkward smirk, "Do you, um, say grace or anything?" She wondered, Jason smirking and shaking his head lightly.

"No. I'm not that religious, I guess.. Do you?" He asked in return.

Faline shook her head as well, "No, not usually.. I mean, only when I go over to my parents place, my mom is super religious. But, uhh, I don't usually do it either for myself," she replied and Jason nodded in understanding.

"Well, let's eat then," he said with a smile and a shrug, Faline smiling as well and nodding.

Jason and Faline ate dinner together and he was happy to find out that she loved the meal, liking that she loved his mother's recipe and glad that he had made it for her. One thing that surprised Jason was that throughout the entire dinner, they kept each conversation going and enjoyed one another's company, something that Jason didn't think he could ever do with a girl. He would never give the time of day to his past flings and hookup's, but Faline made him laugh, made him smile when he thought he couldn't, and even made him rethink about what he wanted to do with his life. Jason wanted to complete school now more than ever since he had a baby on the way, realizing he had to provide for more than just Lana and Lucy now, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave her; he didn't want to go to school and not see her for months at a time like he had been doing to Lana.

After they had eaten dinner and after talking at the table for another half an hour, Jason suggested they play pool as he cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen a little. Faline agreed, waiting for him to finish straightening things up as Jason only thought about her more. What would Lana say if she found out he had gotten another girl pregnant? What if it was a bad idea to slip up to Lucy about telling her about tonight with Faline? How would Lana handle him being with another woman and providing for her as well as Lana? His mind was racing, asking himself so many questions and bringing up concerns that he wasn't ready to deal with yet. All he really wanted was to take Lucy, have Faline and their baby, and ditch Lana completely, but he hated how it just wasn't that easy.

After cleaning everything up, Jason made his way over to Faline with a seductive grin on his lips, Faline's cheeks blushing gently and her lips smirking, "What?" She asked.

"Oh, nothin'.. I'm just a lucky guy to be dating someone so beautiful," Jason replied, Faline averting her eyes away from his briefly at his compliment, Jason then taking her hand within his own and leaning in to kiss her cheek for a few long seconds.

Faline smiled and looked to him, continuing to hold his hand, "Come on, I still have to beat you in pool," she replied with a cocky chuckle and Jason laughed.

"You're going to beat me, huh? What if you don't? Do I get a prize if I win?" He wondered, pulling her a little closer as he kept his sly grin.

"No, because you won't win," she answered with another chuckle and Jason only smiled more.

"You should know that that only makes me want to try harder," he replied, escorting her out of the kitchen and upstairs to the pool table.

Jason and Faline started their game and continued their date, though Jason couldn't help but wonder if she was enjoying herself. "So, is this alright? I mean, I could've taken you out, we could still go out, if you want to.. I just thought it would be easier and more private if we stayed in," he suggested, looking to Faline after taking his shot and she smiled.

"No, this is fine.. I'm having fun," she replied and Jason smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. "I don't blame you for wanting to stay in, anyways. This whole city seems to know who you are. When I came looking for you that one day, it seemed like everyone had something to say about you," Faline continued, Jason growing slightly worried.

"I hope they were nice and not too informative," Jason said with a slightly worried tone, looking at Faline with hopeful eyes.

Faline laughed and shook her head, "No, nothing too bad, I guess.. How did you become this popular, anyways?" She asked next, Jason swallowing hard and not really wanting to answer her, but, he eventually did anyways.

"My, uh.. My mom, Sadie Dubois, maybe you've heard of the name," Jason wondered and he watched as Faline thought to herself.

"Hmm.. I'm not from around here, but I want to say that I've heard that name before. What did she do?" She asked, Faline taking her shot next on the pool table as Jason collected his thoughts.

"Well, um.. She was a painter, a very good one. I have a lot of her paintings in the garage that I didn't put up yet. She sold a lot of her paintings at first, but when she had gotten into horse breeding, that's when she started just donating the paintings because she was making enough money off of her pure breads. But that was before I was born, she was already widely known before she met my dad, too, so yeah.. She was very popular. My sisters and I have been in the media here and there throughout our lives, but now that we're older and on our own, and after both my parents died, we've been in the media more and more. It's a little agitating," Jason replied, not really wanting to talk about his parents anymore, especially his mother.

"But, um.. What about you? What do your parents do?" Jason asked, watching as her ball went into its pocket and she smiled happily.

"Well, my mom is just a housewife, she was a stay-at-home-mom when she had my twin brother, Rocco, and I. My dad is a lawyer, but he's not like, a really well known one or anything, so before you go thinking that he makes bank, he doesn't," she said with a laugh.

Jason smiled, soon shrugging and losing his smile slightly, "Well, at least you still have yours," he added with a slightly mournful tone and Faline lost her smile along with him.

"I'm sorry, Jason.. Do you mind me asking what happened?" Faline asked and Jason's heart sank as he looked over to her. He hesitated for a moment, thinking back to when he was at the cemetery a few weeks ago visiting his parents graves, remembering that he had even wondered himself if he was going to ever be able to tell Lucy or a future wife what he believed really happened. But, as he looked to Faline, knowing full well that if he could tell anyone, it would only be her, but he still wasn't ready yet.

"Yeah.. I do, actually.. I'm sorry, I don't want to sound like a dick, but, uh.. Maybe another time," Jason finally replied with a sorrowful smirk, noticing Faline smile and nod appreciatively, not prying into it anymore for his own sake.

Jason and Faline continued their game, Faline winning the first game and Jason winning the next; Faline wanted to play two out of three though, to see who was the overall winner. There were many times where Jason would set up shots for her without her knowing, Faline then taking them and Jason taking every opportunity he had given himself to eye her body that her dress hid from him, especially when she took the more difficult shots that required her to lean over the table. Unbeknownst to Jason, Faline had looked over her shoulder towards him, "Are you starring at my ass?" She asked.

Jason was shaken from his thoughts and looked to her, giving a guilty grin, "Uh, maybe?" He guessed sarcastically, shrugging and snickering under his breath.

"I'm going to win, and you're not going to get any prize because you're too distracted," Faline teased and his grin only grew wider.

"Well, sorry, but I have to win now," Jason joked back, Faline giving him a look as if she wasn't going to let him be the victor.

As the game got closer to finishing, Jason looked over his shoulder towards Faline as he lined up the shot for the black eight ball, "You know if this goes in, I win, right?" He asked with an eager smirk and she gave a sarcastic smile, realizing now that she was going to lose and would need to uphold to her end of the deal.

"What's my prize if I win?" Faline asked in return.

Jason kept his smirk, "Anything you want," he offered, "But.." He continued, looking back to the ball and knocking it into the middle pocket and winning, "I can ask you that question now," he finished with a sly victorious grin.

Faline sighed, Jason putting their pool sticks away and walking back up to her, "So, have you decided what I win? Or can I pick?" He wondered, Faline pondering the question for a moment.

"You could've been a gentleman and let a lady win," she said with a chuckle.

"Call me competitive," Jason replied and grinned, cocking his eyebrows flirtatiously and wrapping his hands around her back, pulling her in despite if she contested and claiming her lips as his prize. Ever since she had walked in through the door, Jason had been wanting and waiting to kiss her, touch her, anything, and finally he had came up with a way to make sure it would happen. But, their kiss was soon interrupted by the buzzer going off that was located next to the front door, signaling the inside of the house that the front gate or garage had been opened. Jason reluctantly pulled his lips from Faline and looked towards the front door, sighing heavily to himself, "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to drop by tonight," Jason said softly with a grumpy tone, hating whoever it was that was intruding on their date.

"It's alright, I'll wait.. What if it's one of your sisters?" Faline replied with an understanding tone, Jason smirking towards her and nodding.

Jason reluctantly left Faline's side and began walking towards the stairs, seeing through the glass door that it was his worst fear coming to disrupt his date; Lana. The moment she got to the door and before be even began his decent down the stairs, her knocking, yelling, and doorbell ringing was obnoxious to the point where he would've known it was her even if he couldn't see her through the glass. Jason rolled his eyes, hearing his name being called angrily from the other side of the door, "It's Lucy's mother. Just, uh.. Stay up here, I guess.. I'm really sorry about this," Jason told Faline and she shook her head gently with a slightly worried expression.

"No, it's fine, really," Faline replied, Jason then walking down the stairs quickly and going to the door so he could stop Lana from ringing the door bell twenty more times.

Jason swung the door open, giving Lana an impatient frown and Lana barged in as if she lived there and he had locked her out, "Finally you answer the door, asshole, I swear you need to change that stupid code, it takes forever to get in through the gate," Lana began, her eyes looking around the living area as if judging how he had decorated it. Jason was already not in the mood to deal with whatever attitude Lana was bringing with her, but he looked to Lucy whom she had brought with before getting ahead of himself and letting himself swear in front of her.

"Hey, Luce.." He began hesitantly, "Lana, what are you doing here? Why didn't you just call?" Jason asked, his tone turning harsh but trying not to make himself too mad in front of Lucy.

"I haven't been here yet, jeez, the least you can do is give me a tour instead of being a complete asshole. Am I interrupting something?" She asked with a cocky tone, as if she already knew what she was doing. The more Lana talked, the more apparent the reason was for her sudden barge-in and Jason's blood began to boil slowly.

Jason couldn't believe what he was smelling, Lana reeked of alcohol; her breath, her hair, and even her clothes smelled like rum and whiskey. It took a moment for Jason to notice it fully, but once she was in the house and shut the door, the smell lingered and it didn't take long at all for him to notice it on her breath. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes gave a menacing glare, "What the hell are you doing?" Jason more so demanded than asked.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing' ? God, why are you never happy to see her? Or me?" Lana asked in anger, Jason hating that Lana always made him look bad in front of Lucy, especially when he was happy to see her, but Lana was too oblivious to realize that it was her that he hated seeing.

"Don't even start with that.. Have you been drinking? How the hell did you get here?" Jason asked, his voice beginning to rise and filling with more anger that he couldn't hide any longer. Jason watched as Lana simply rolled her eyes and didn't answer him, Jason's eyes widening when he realized her lack of response meant he was right, she had drove to his place drunk. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Lana!?" Jason finally raised his voice, unable to calm down even when he noticed Lucy flinch at him yelling.

"Jesus, Jason! I had like, two drinks, calm down! It's not even that big of a deal," Lana pressured and Jason grew more angered than he could even comprehend.

"Well it doesn't smell like just two," Jason pointed out angrily, "Give her to me. Now," Jason demanded, starring down Lana and waiting for her to give up Lucy. Lana was stubborn and Jason hated how she acted despite if she was with Lucy or not. Granted, he was hardly ever with Lana when she had Lucy, so he never truly knew what she did while she had her, but tonight was a good example of what she could've been doing the entire time. Jason was beyond disappointed, worried, and scared for Lucy, he wanted to keep her more than anything, and he wanted this to be the last straw. The longer Lana hesitated, the more Jason got mad.

"No, she's with me! I have her until Monday. Besides, I just came to meet this incredible woman that Lucy just seems to love so much, so where is she?" Lana's tone was full of sarcasm and Jason could tell now that she only came here to fight and ruin his night.

Jason ignored Lana's request to point out Faline, still continuing to focus on getting Lucy out of Lana's grip, "Lucy's not going anywhere else with you," Jason said intimidatingly, stepping up closer to Lana and she looked to his hate filled eyes. Lana had seen the extent of Jason's anger before; this most certainly wasn't the worst or angriest she had seen him, but it was getting close, causing her to glare back at him with a hateful expression and she rolled her eyes once more. After Lana decided not to respond, Jason looked to Lucy and his expression instantly changed, smirking towards her, though Lucy was still a little rattled from them fighting and she couldn't muster up a smirk back; she hated when they fought, and they did it a lot.

"Come on, Princess, it's alright," Jason cooed sweetly to Lucy, taking her out of Lana's grip and giving Lana a threatening stare, "Wait here, I want a word with you," Jason hissed, then walking towards the stairs and going up to Faline. This is the last thing that Jason wanted to put Lucy through, more fighting. She had been around it all of her short life so far and Jason hated that he couldn't even be in the same room with Lana for more than a minute without starting a heated argument, whether it's about something random or something serious. He had confidence in Lana when she was pregnant with Lucy, she was glowing and excited, happy to be having a baby, his baby, but once Lucy was born, everything had changed and it was as if she had turned into a completely different person. As Jason walked up the stairs, he felt Lucy cowering slightly into the crook of his neck and her grip was tight on his shirt, Jason shaking his head gently for what Lana was forcing Lucy to go through when it was completely unnecessary, not to mention she had put her in danger from driving there drunk.

"Jason, is everything alright?" Faline wondered, though she was able to hear every word the two parents had exchanged. She gave Jason a worried expression, hating that he had to deal with this right now and also hating what Lucy was being put through as well.

"Yeah, she's just, um.." Jason sighed, shutting his eyes briefly as he thought of what to do. "Will you please take her upstairs to her room? She hasn't seen it yet, it'll get her mind off of all this, too," Jason asked Faline and she nodded without hesitation.

"Of course I will.. Let me know if, uh, you need anything, I guess," Faline replied wearily, trying to make herself seem helpful, though there was nothing she could really do to 'help' with Lana besides getting her away from Lucy. "Hey, Luce," Faline said with a gentle smile and Lucy looked to her with the same blank expression she had been giving both Lana and Jason, though she was still happy to see her.

"Thank you.. I'll be back," Jason answered, looking to Lucy and kissing her forehead for a few long seconds before handing her off to Faline. The moment Faline took Lucy into her arms, Lana started up again and attacked the one thing that Jason was worried about so much and wanting to not get involved; Faline.

"I don't want some random whore touching my daughter!" Lana began and Faline's eyes widened in shock and anger, but Jason sighed heavily and shook his head, Lana continuing on with her harsh words as Jason tried to distract Faline from it.

"Please don't listen to her, just go upstairs.. Please," Jason asked quickly to Faline and she gave a displeased expression, but ignored Lana anyways and went upstairs to Lucy's room on the third floor. Jason jerked his attention back to Lana and his feet were loud and threatening on the staircase.

"Get her away from Lucy! I don't know her! I don't want her holding my daughter," Lana continued to demand.

"Shut the fuck up! What the hell is wrong with you?" Jason snapped, finally able to let out his anger and he gripped Lana's wrist tightly, pulling her away from the door and into the living room with the view that he loved so much.

After Jason had forced her into the other room, he turned her around and looked at her with a threatening glare, "What's your problem? Huh? What the fuck are you thinking driving here when you're drunk? And don't even tell me you're not, I know you too well, Lana," Jason began.

"My problem? This new bitch is my problem! She's all the Lucy talks about, she's trying to take Lucy away from me! Lucy hates me now, and it's all because of that new whore of yours!" Lana replied angrily, pushing Jason's hands off from her and Jason sighed with aggravation.

"First of all, she has a name, and second, Lucy doesn't hate you! You're her mother, Lana, she could never hate you," Jason answered, trying to reason with her and calm her worried and furious thoughts, but he found it difficult not to insult her, especially with how she had came over intoxicated. "But.. Maybe if you acted more like a mother instead of a party animal, this wouldn't be an issue! Look at you, you drove here drunk, with your daughter, how the fuck can you just put her into danger that easily?" Jason continued, "And look at how you act in front of her! Swearing, drinking, belittling me every chance you get.. She's going to grow up just like you if this continues, and I'm going to say right now that that's not a good thing," Jason finished and Lana grew even more angered.

"Fuck you! I've been taking care of that girl for the past three years without so much as you lifting a goddamn finger until you get back from your slut-vacation at college! All you care about is going there to see how many more girls you can sleep with before the year is over and you're forced to come back to reality with me and Lucy! We're just a huge inconvenience for you!" Lana replied, Jason's balling his fists angrily, unable to be sure how much more of this abuse he could take.

"I've told you this before! I go to college so I can get a good job whenever I graduate so I can continue to help you two out! So what if I have a little fun at college? It's not like we're together, we never were! We just happened to have Lucy together, that's the only thing keeping me from completely getting rid of you from my life!" Jason replied furiously.

"So, what? We've been hooking up since we were 15 and just because we have Lucy now, you wanna get rid of me? Keep Lucy all for yourself? You'd really give up seeing me, the mother of your child!?" Lana yelled back angrily.

"That's debatable, too!" Jason replied, though the moment those words came out of his mouth, he wished he could take it back; that was the one thing he promised himself he would never bring up to Lana in the fear of losing Lucy.

C r a c k !  Lana slapped Jason as hard as she could, Jason's face being forced hard to the right and he felt his cheek begin to burn and throb, "How dare you," Lana added, Jason continuing to look right and he couldn't look Lana in the eyes just yet, keeping quiet for a moment like a scolded puppy and simply listening to Lana continue, "What the fuck have you been giving us money for then, huh? Why have you been coming back? Why do you even bother with her if you feel like she's not yours? If you feel that way then maybe you just aren't willing enough to continue being her father, since you're doubting me and your own fucking daughter," Lana threatened and Jason looked to her finally, giving her a pained glare.

Jason sighed before speaking up, "Look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm just, really angry.. I don't know why I said it," Jason lied, but covered it up well to hopefully get  back on Lana's good side that he seemed to never be able to remain on stably.

"Just, please let me keep Lucy here. I'm sorry I got angry with you, but I'm not letting you drive her home when you're like this, okay? I'll call you a cab and you can come get her tomorrow.." Jason continued, his tone defeated and hating how he always felt like such a coward in front of her, and also hating that he always had to make it seem like she had 'won' the argument just to make her happy.

"Damn right, you're sorry. What an idiotic thing to doubt, I expected better from you, Jason, this is ridiculous," Lana answered and Jason began to escort her out of the living room and back towards the front door.

"Jesus, alright.. I'm sorry, just go home and get some rest, and call me tomorrow before you come over this time," Jason pressured, calling her a cab and he waited awkwardly with her outside until it arrived as she continued to nag at him. The moment Jason watched the cab drive off, he let out a huge sigh of relief, soon making his way back inside as he rubbed the side of his head in irritation; How could this night get any worse? Jason asked himself.

Jason made his way back through the home and up to the third floor, making his way towards Lucy's room and when he got there, he opened the door to see Faline holding Lucy and they were talking with one another. Lucy was giggling from something that Faline had said and Jason couldn't help but smile, his mood lightened almost instantly as he looked to the woman he adored holding his favorite girl of all. What made him happy the most was that Lucy loved Faline, and he liked that if Faline stuck around, she would be a much better mother figure for Lucy to grow up with.

Jason shut Lucy's door and her eyes lit up when she noticed Jason standing there, "Daddy, daddy!" She called out and Jason smiled wide; Lucy was the only thing in Jason's life that could completely turn around his mood, no matter what he was going through. Her laugh, her smile, the way she looked at him, he loved it all, and he couldn't wait to experience it more as he looked to Faline next, beyond happy that they were expecting.

Faline set down Lucy and she ran to Jason's arms, him scooping her up and planting a kiss on her cheek. Jason looked to her face and she seemed bothered, her eyes beginning to tear and he grew worried, "What's wrong, Angel?" He wondered, wanting to find out what was wrong and wanting to change her sad mannerism.

"I'm sorry I told Mommy about Faline! I didn't want her to get mad, I didn't mean to make you mad!" She began and Jason's heart sank, hating that she was blaming herself for Lana's outburst and intrusion.

"Oh, Lucy.. I'm not mad at you at all! It's alright, really. Please don't be sad about that, none of this was your fault, okay? No one is angry with you at all," Jason replied, hugging her against him.

"Now lose that frown, missy," Jason continued, beginning to tickle Lucy's sides and she tried to get away from his hand as she soon smiled and began laughing. Faline chuckled and Jason looked to her briefly, loving that she was still there and didn't leave because of Lana; she was there when he needed her and that was to get Lucy away from Lana, he wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise. Jason had a whole new perspective of Faline, he felt as if things were going to go good for them, and maybe they'd even end up together seriously.

After Lucy had a smile on her face, Jason and Faline watched Lucy yawn in his arms and Jason smiled, "Are you tired after all of this commotion? Wanna go to bed?" He asked and Lucy nodded her head.

"Yeah. Can I sleep in here tonight?" Lucy asked excitedly and Jason pouted his bottom lip slightly.

"Aw, you don't wanna sleep in daddy's room? When did you turn in to such a brave little girl, huh?" Jason asked, tickling her again and she giggled, "Are you sure you'll be alright?" He asked, not sure if he was ready to let her sleep on her own yet; Lucy had always slept with someone in the same room as her, whether it was at Jason's old house or over at Lana's.

"Yup! I'll be okay," she answered confidently and Jason smirked again.

"Well, alright.. If you say so," Jason finally agreed, looking to Faline then, "Why don't you go wait for me downstairs while I get her ready for bed?" He suggested, Faline smiled and nodded in agreement. "Say goodnight to Faline, Luce," Jason added.

Lucy looked to Faline and smiled, holding out her arms for a hug and Faline went to her instantly, leaning in to peck Lucy's cheek as she hugged her, "Night, Faline."

"Goodnight, I hope you have sweet dreams, Lucy," Faline said with a wider smile, looking to Jason with an adoring expression before walking passed the two and out of Lucy's room.

After Faline had left Lucy's room, Jason changed Lucy into a set of pajamas and brought her over to her new crib, playing with her a little before putting her down to sleep. "How do you like your room, Princess? I was going to show you when I picked you up in a few days, but Mommy dropped you off a little earlier, huh?" Jason began.

"Oh, I love it, thank you, thank you! Everything is so pretty!" Lucy replied with a wide smile and a giggle.

"Good, I'm so happy you like it, though it's not as pretty as you! Are you sure you'll be okay up here all alone? I still have the baby monitor I used when you were younger, I'll set those up so that if you need anything, you can just call for me, alright?" Jason continued, still a little worried and beginning to feel detached from his little girl already, still weary of letting her sleep alone.

"Okay, Daddy, I will," Lucy confirmed and Jason felt a little better, but he still couldn't get over the feeling of not having her sleeping in the same room as him.

"I'm sorry about Mommy today, and I'm sorry if I scared you at all.. I was just a little angry with Mommy. You know that no one is angry with you, right?" Jason asked one more time, making sure that she was still okay from what had happened earlier with Lana.

"Yeah, I know.. Mommy gets angry a lot, I don't like it," Lucy said with sleepy eyes and Jason sighed gently.

"No one likes being mad or scared, but you know that I'll always be here to cheer you up if you ever get scared or angry, right?" Jason asked, watching as Lucy smiled and nodded, Jason then leaning in to peck her cheek before letting her go to bed.

Jason finally was able to let her go and put her into her crib, holding onto her hand for a moment longer before fully leaving, "Daddy loves you so much, baby girl, you always remember that, okay?"

"I know! I love you more, Daddy," Lucy replied with a sleepy yet loving expression.

"Nope, not possible," Jason answered with a chuckle, "Goodnight, beautiful," he added, watching peacefully as she laid down in the crib and eventually shut her eyes. Jason walked away from the crib and found the baby monitor in one of the boxes on her bookshelf, setting one of them up on her dresser near the crib and looking to Lucy once more after he had shut the light off and about to walk out of her room, seeing her sound asleep. He loved that it seemed like Lucy was relaxed and happy where she was to the point where she slept so easily and sound, it made him wonder and even worry a little that she wasn't getting good sleep while at Lana's place. But, Jason sighed with relief anyways, happy that Lucy was here now and away from her troublesome mother, leaving the door open just a crack and he made his way downstairs.

Jason made his way back downstairs after putting Lucy to bed in her new room, walking in to his room and seeing Faline standing, waiting for him and he smirked. He looked her up and down before she turned around to face him, noticing her blank expression and Jason knew that she was most likely upset a little from Lana barging in. "Hey," Jason began, the side of his mouth twitching a slight smirk.

"Hey.. Are you alright after all of that?" Faline wondered and Jason nodded eventually.

"Yeah, I'm fine.. I'm just kind of worried about Lana and how she carries herself in front of Lucy, she's a bad influence," Jason replied, hanging his head a little and wondering what he could do about it. If he ever wanted to get custody of Lucy, he could probably win her easily, but the fact that he couldn't erase from his mind was the possibility of her not being his; if that was the case, Lana would most likely win her no matter what he would say, simply because he isn't her biological father.

Jason set the other baby monitor on his computer desk and made his way towards Faline slowly, taking her hand within his, "I'm sorry for how she acted, and what she said to you.. Don't take anything she says to heart," Jason tried to comfort, hating that she had gotten brought into Lana unloading her anger with the help of alcohol. Faline smirked, shaking her head lightly.

"No, don't be sorry, all she did was embarrass herself, I don't really care anymore about what she said. I was mostly just worried about you and Lucy," she replied and Jason's smirk turned into a smile. "Have you ever thought about getting full custody? I mean, her driving here drunk with your guys' daughter wouldn't go over well for her, you'd probably get Lucy easily," Faline wondered, suggesting the alternative and Jason let out a gentle sigh.

"Yeah, I've thought about it, a lot of times.. It's just that, uh," Jason hesitated, "I'm just not really sure.. If she's mine. I mean, even if she isn't, I could never abandon her, but then I probably can't get full custody since I'm not her real dad, or well.. May not be," Jason replied, shrugging and losing his smile.

Faline's expression went concerned, "Jason, I'm sure she's yours.. She has the ability to put on the same charm as you do," Faline teased and giggled, Jason chuckling in return.

"She does, doesn't she? I don't know.. Maybe I will fight for her. I really don't want her to be around Lana at all if she's going to act like that and put her in danger," Jason replied, thinking about everything that had transpired with Lana and getting slightly angered again.

Faline brought her hands up to either side of his head in a comforting manner, hoping to cheer him up, "You're a great father, and you've surprised me so much.. I'm actually pretty happy and lucky to have someone like you to be the father of this baby," she replied, trying to bring his spirits up, and it worked. Jason was touched by her words, seeing the genuine look in her eyes and he couldn't remember a time when a woman has ever made him feel like this. His heart was soaring, he had never once thought he'd actually find someone he wanted to hold on to, but ever since their first night together in college, it's been set in stone for him that he was head of heels for Faline. Jason loved hearing that he was a good father, making him feel as if he was doing something right in his life, and although he didn't hear it from his mother, hearing it from Faline was almost just as satisfying.

"So much for 'just a kiss' on the first date," Faline said softly through her quickened breaths, giggling as well. Jason chuckled at her words, kissing her cheek and down her neck with a smile on his lips as she continued to let out light giggles from each peck he gave her. Faline's eyes wandered down to his arms, over his chest and eventually down his torso and legs, observing his rather colorful body and Jason soon noticed.

"The tattoos?" He guessed, watching as her eyes met his and she let out a nervous giggle, nodding to his words and Jason smirked, "Do they bother you?" He wondered.

"No, not really, I think they're interesting and kind of beautiful.." She replied as she trailed her fingers down his arm and Jason smiled more at her comment; a few girls have complained about his tattoos, but it still didn't keep them from messing around with him. Though, he liked that Faline enjoyed them. "What made you get them? Didn't it hurt putting them all over?" She asked in return and Jason chuckled again.

"Well, sure it hurt. I did it all when I was around 18 or 19, before I went to college and before Lucy. I was going through a rough time.. I sometimes do things on impulse, things to make me feel alive I guess, and one day doing all of this to myself seemed like the right idea," he answered with a shrug.

"Did it help you get over whatever you needed to?" She asked, Jason thinking for a moment. In all actuality, it didn't, Jason had a rough time growing up without his parents, his mother, nothing seemed to help him calm his mind or make him want to straighten up his life until Lucy was born.

"Yeah, a little," he lied, though only so she wouldn't ask any more questions about what he went through. "Are you going back to your parents tonight? You're more than welcome to stay here if you want," Jason suggested, his hand venturing down her side and resting it gently on her bare hip; Faline went back home every summer break while in college, and she had been staying there since she had gotten out.

"I'd love to stay, if you want me to," she replied, looking to Jason and he smiled, nodding excitedly.

"Of course I do," he replied, reaching up and turning her chin more towards him to kiss her passionately.

Jason was always happy in Faline's presence, she calmed him and made him think of better things. One thing he was thankful for in a way was how she helped him not think of his mother as much; there hasn't been a single day that has passed where he hasn't thought of her at least once. But tonight, instead of falling asleep to thoughts that pained him, he thought of what his mother would say now that he thought he had found someone he actually liked. He wondered, no, knew that his mother would be excited for the news of him having another child, and he was sure that she would love Faline as much as he was beginning to.

____________________

Original chapter written and posted on June 10, 2013