Carrying the Flame Ch. 01

"You're in a lot of trouble Coop, Lucas is on his way over." Suzie's voice came over the line.

"Mom, what's going on?" Cooper asked, but he already knew the answer; Lucas had found out about Callia being pregnant and was going to kill him.

"Callie came in to have an abortion while I was helping Derek with a rape victim that Luke brought in. Luke's heading to the apartment to kick your ass," Suzie's anger was unmistakable.

"I ... is Callie still there?"

"Yes and she couldn't go through with the abortion so she's still pregnant," Suzie answered. A knock at the door caught Cooper's attention.

"Shit, I think Luke's here," he sounded panicked.

"He won't go away Coop, but your father is on his way and I'll be heading there with Callie as soon as she changes back into her clothes. Hang in there," Suzie told him before hanging up. Cooper put his cell phone down on the table before he walked into the hall and opened the door to the apartment.

"You little shit!" Lucas snarled, grabbing hold of the collar of Cooper's shirt and pushed him into the apartment.

"Lucas, I can explain," Cooper began.

"You got my daughter pregnant and all you can say is you can explain!" Lucas shouted.

"Let him go Luke," Blythe said from the doorway of the apartment. Despite his anger at his son, he wouldn't allow his friend to hurt Cooper.

"He got Callie pregnant Blythe. Shit Bly, she's only eighteen," Lucas retorted, glancing at his friend. He let Cooper go, his eyes were filled with anger and rage.

"That's right, she's eighteen. She made a choice, so you can't just be mad at Coop," Blythe agreed. Cooper opened his mouth to say something, but knew he couldn't defend himself without letting on to Lucas that Callia had been raped and he had promised that he wouldn't do that.

"I'm not, but Cooper is older. He should have used a fucking condom, or better yet, HE SHOULD NOT HAVE TOUCHED MY DAUGHTER!" Lucas shouted.

"Daddy stop!" Callia exclaimed from behind him. "This isn't Coop's fault!" she added, glancing at Cooper, an unreadable expression on her face.

"He's twenty-two years old Callia, he knows better than to have unprotected sex and so should you," Lucas growled, giving his daughter a look that let her know he was not just angry with Cooper.

"It isn't what you think," Callia whispered.

"Then what is it?" Lucas wanted to know, oblivious to the look of fear on his daughter's face.

"Cal, you okay?" Cooper asked her.

"I ... " Cooper pushed past Lucas, took Callia's hand and led her out of the living room and into her bedroom and helped her to sit on the bed.

"Callie, breathe," Cooper instructed.

"I couldn't do it Coop, I'm sorry. And if I had known my dad was going to be there, I never would have gone in today," Callia whispered.

"It's okay Cal. Are you alright?" Cooper asked.

"No," she whimpered. "I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do," Callia pleaded.

"I can't tell you what to do, it's your decision to make," Cooper told her.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"It's going to be okay," Cooper said, even though he didn't know if it would or wouldn't be.

"You had better get back out there Coop before Luke comes and drags you out," Blythe warned from the bedroom doorway. Cooper glanced at Callia and followed his father back out to the dining room.

"Luke, I'm sorry that you found out this way. I didn't know what Callie was going to do this morning, she didn't talk to me about it before I left for class today," Cooper began.

"I hope you didn't like being single because your days of being single are over," Lucas said.

"What do you mean?" Cooper wanted to know, a bad feeling in his gut.

"You're going to be married by this time next week," Lucas told him.

"What?" Cooper asked.

"You'll be marrying Callia by this time next week or you'll regret it," Lucas answered.

"The days of shot gun weddings are over," Cooper reminded Lucas.

"I told you not to touch my daughter," Lucas retorted.

"It's up to Callie," Cooper said finally. "I won't force her to do anything she doesn't want to," he added. Lucas' eyes narrowed at Cooper's choice of words and he wondered what Cooper meant by them.

"I want to talk to my daughter," Lucas told Cooper.

"Second door on the left," Cooper said, stepping aside. When Lucas was gone, Blythe and Suzie corned Cooper and practically dragged him into the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on? Did you really get Callie pregnant?" Suzie hissed. Cooper hesitated and Blythe swore under his breath.

"What were you thinking? Are you crazy?" Blythe asked his son.

"Maybe," Cooper admitted.

"Why haven't you even offered to marry her yet?" Blythe wanted to know.

"Because we hadn't figured out what to do," Cooper answered.

"Apparently Callie thought you had," Suzie said.

"We haven't even talked about it yet. Callie's been in shock over it," Cooper said.

"What, she didn't think that she could get pregnant?" Suzie asked sarcastically. Cooper shrugged; he knew that he was lying and he hated it, but he made a promise and he would keep it.

"What are you going to do?" Blythe asked. Cooper couldn't answer because he didn't know.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Callie, we need to talk." Lucas kept his voice as calm as he can even though he was angry both at his daughter and at Cooper.

"I don't want to marry Cooper," Callia said, not looking at her father.

"You should have thought about that before you had sex with him without protection," Lucas shot back. Callia wanted to tell her father that Cooper had never touched her, but she was afraid of what he would do to Doug and she didn't want Lucas to lose his job or land in jail.

"Daddy, please don't force Cooper into marrying me. He doesn't have to," Callia pleaded.

"He got you pregnant Callia and the baby will need a father," Lucas said firmly. Callia sighed, recognizing her father's no nonsense mood.

"He's right Cal, the baby will need a father," Cooper said from the doorway. Callia stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Coop, you don't have to do this," Callia whispered.

"I know. I won't force you to do this Callie, if you don't want to, it's your choice," Cooper kept his voice gentle, even though he wanted to shout from the roof top that he had not gotten Callia pregnant. He looked at the scared girl in front of him and his heart ached. He'd spent his whole life looking out for her and he wasn't about to stop now.

"If you're sure," Callia's voice was shaky and just loud enough to be heard.

"Good, it's settled then." Lucas turned towards Cooper and resisted the urge to growl. "I need to go talk to Livvy about all of this, call us when you've secured the marriage license," Lucas said before he stormed out of the apartment. Cooper left Callia curled up in a ball on the bed and returned to the living room where his parents waited.

Cooper decided to give Callia some time and began making dinner, figuring that a simple roasted chicken and rice would be mild enough to keep Callia's stomach calm.

"Coop?" she called out a few minutes later while he was seasoning up the chicken.

"Are you alright?" Cooper asked, turning towards her.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess," Callia whispered.

"This isn't your fault. How are you feeling?"

"I'm seriously overwhelmed by all of this," Callia admitted.

"Callie, I can't pretend to know what you're going through and how you're feeling, but I will do whatever I can to help you," Cooper told her.

"Can you reverse time and make it so I never went out with Doug?" Callia asked bitterly.

"No, I can't do that, but I can be here for you," Cooper answered. He reached into the back of the pantry where he kept his small safe and opened it.

"What are you doing?" Callia asked suspiciously. Cooper sighed as he turned back towards her and placed a small box on the table.

"I'm leaving it up to you Callie, but if you want to keep the truth from your dad about the rape and exactly how you got pregnant, you'll need to marry me because your dad will kill me otherwise," Cooper said.

"You'll tell him?" Callia asked.

"No, you will," Cooper answered. Callia opened the box while Cooper went back to his cooking.

"Coop, this was your mother's ring," Callia breathed.

"Yes, I know. If you don't want it, I can get you a different one," Cooper offered.

"You don't love me, why would you do this?" Callia asked.

"I didn't say I didn't love you. I'm not in love with you Cal, but I do love you. And I promised to help you with this for however long you need," Cooper said. Callia began to cry and Cooper swore under his breath. "Callie, please, don't cry. It's going to be okay," he promised.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure about this? Wouldn't you rather tell your parents the truth?" Cooper asked as he tied his tie.

"Cooper, if you don't want to marry me, then don't, I'm not forcing you to do this," Callia reminded him.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with this," Cooper said. In truth, Callia hated the idea of Cooper being forced into marriage because she was too chicken to tell her parents that she'd been raped, but she was too afraid of being alone that she said nothing, she just nodded. Cooper could see the truth in her eyes and hugged her gently. "It's okay Callie. You won't be alone, I promise," Cooper told her. Despite his nervousness about marrying and being a father to another man's child, something deep within him made him want to protect her and it was overriding his nerves. He looked up at her and smiled at her. "You look beautiful." And she did. Callia gave a nervous smile and smoothed a non-existent wrinkle in her pale blue dress. "Ready?" Cooper asked, holding out his hand. She nodded, took his hand and followed him out of the apartment to the car and they drove in silence to the synagogue where their families and the Rabbi waited.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm sorry mom," Callia whispered when she saw Olivia standing with her father and brother.

"Dick wad," Jonah hissed as Cooper came to a stop next to Callia.

"That's enough Jonah," Olivia scolded. She turned back to her daughter, her eyes full of sadness, lined with anger. She wanted to shake her daughter and Cooper too, to shout and scream, but she knew that would only make it worse; she knew what Lucas wanted to do and she sighed. "Is this what you want?" Olivia asked finally, after studying her daughter closely.

"Does it matter?" Callia asked softly.

"Yes," Olivia said firmly. Callia glanced at her father, the look on his face told her that if she didn't marry Cooper, he'd be unmanned.

"It's what I want," Callia lied as convincingly as she could.

"The Rabbi is ready," Kelsey said gently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Callie?" Cooper asked, walking onto the balcony of the apartment later that night.

"I'm sorry Coop. If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have moved in," she whispered.

"I know. It's okay, none of this is your fault," Cooper told her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want this baby but I couldn't bring myself to have an abortion either," Callia whispered.

"Listen to me Callie." The firmness of Cooper's voice had her looking up at him. "What ever happens, we're still friends and I'm still here for you," he promised, pulling her in for a hug.

"Hey guys, we're all leaving so you can get back to the sex now," Jonah said with an evil grin from the doorway.

"Jonah!" Olivia and Lucas shouted from behind him; Callia blushed, unable to look at Cooper who found himself wondering what having sex with her would be like.

"Good night brat," Callia told her brother, ruffling his hair.

"I'm almost seventeen Cal, so stop that!" Jonah protested. He turned to his new brother. "Don't hurt her," he warned before walking away.

Cooper walked everyone to the door and when he turned around, Callia was behind him crying. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"My parents are meddling pain in the asses! Yours too!" she shouted.

"What happened?" Cooper wanted to know.

"They turned your second bedroom into a nursery for the baby," Callia answered. Cooper couldn't help it, he laughed. "It isn't funny! Where am I supposed to sleep now?" she asked.

"In the other bedroom with me," Cooper suggested, regretted it instantly when he saw the look of fear on her face. "Callie, I won't touch you if you don't want me to," he promised.

"I'm scared Coop. What if I'm not good at it? I'm not even pretty. I don't even know what Doug saw in me," Callia whispered.

"Callie, you're an idiot," Cooper said with a laugh. She looked up at him sharply. "You're right, you aren't pretty. You're beautiful. And it doesn't matter what Doug saw in you, I know you; you're a sweet, caring and intelligent woman," Cooper told her.

"But what if I'm not good at it?" she wanted to know.

"There's only one way to find out," Cooper pointed out.

"I'm scared. It hurt so badly with Doug. I thought he was ripping me apart," Callia whimpered. Cooper's eyes flashed angrily. "He's an idiot Callie. Women deserve to be treated like queens in bed, not like a fuck toy," Cooper grumbled. He sighed when he saw the doubt and fear on her face. "Go get ready for bed Cal. I promise that I won't touch you unless you ask," Cooper told her. Callia walked into her new bedroom, the one she would share with Cooper and swallowed hard when she saw the white box on the bed. She lifted the note off the top of the box and sighed.

Callie,

Suzy picked out the gift, it's from all of us. Well, not your father, he'd lose his mind if he saw that this was your present. I wish you were getting married under different circumstances, but I hope things work out with you and Coop.

I love you always.

Mom

Callia opened the box and blushed when she saw the sheer night gown, glanced back towards the living room and wondered what would happen if Cooper saw her in the night gown. She was curious to know what it would be like with someone who at least cared about her and wouldn't force her. Would it hurt or would it feel good? Suddenly, Callia was determined to find out and quickly changed out of her clothes and into the almost see through negligee. She took a deep breath and returned to the living room where Cooper was sitting, his head in his hands, contemplating on how his life had turned so crazy. "Are you okay?" Callia's voice was soft, her touch light as she put her hand on his shoulder. Cooper straightened quickly and swallowed hard when he saw what she was wearing.

"Where'd you get that?" Cooper asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Your mom and mine decided it was time I have something sexy," Callia said with a shrug. "What?" she asked looking at him.

"If you want me to be able to honor my promise to not touch you, you might want to change," Cooper warned. Callia swallowed.

"Would it hurt?" she asked.

"Would what hurt?" Cooper asked.

"Sex with you," Callia murmured.

"No," Cooper promised, his thoughts racing. When had he stopped thinking of her to be the bratty sister he'd always considered her to be.

"Show me," Callia whispered. He groaned, she had no idea what she was doing to him. "Coop, please. Show me it doesn't have to hurt." Her eyes widened when he stood up and she could see the bulge in the front of his pants.

"Are you sure?" Cooper asked.

"I think so," Callia admitted. Cooper swore under his breath then kissed her gently. "Show me," she murmured. Cooper swore again and led her into his room. Callia sat down on the bed and waited, watched as Cooper pulled his shirt over his head. This was nothing new, she'd seen him without a shirt before. She gave him a nervous look when he joined her on the bed.

"You need to relax Cal," Cooper instructed, he kissed her again, his lips soft against hers.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

"Don't be." His voice was hoarse and thick, like a man who hadn't had a drink in a year. "I'll tell you what I'm doing as I'm doing it until you relax," he added, kissed her again, brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Callie, relax. I'm just going to touch you," Cooper promised. He locked his gaze to hers as he ran his hands down her arms, stopping when his hands held hers. He kissed each hand gently before he slid his own hands back up her torso; traced the outline of her breasts with his thumbs causing her to shiver. "Is that okay?" Cooper asked.

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. "I'm going to kiss you again," he told her. Callia gasped and stiffened against him as his lips touched the material covering her left nipple. Cooper's head came back up and met her gaze head on. "Relax Callie," he murmured, stroking her body again. This time when Cooper's lips encircled the material over her breast, Callia gasped in surprise as pleasure shot through her. Cooper chuckled at her response and used his fingers to gently tweak the nipple his mouth wasn't devouring.

"Coop," she whispered, unsure of what she was feeling.

"It's okay," he promised. Callie whimpered as his hands drifted lower. Cooper groaned when he realized she didn't have anything on under the gown. Callia tensed when his fingers brushed her clit. It's alright," Cooper promised. "I'm just touching," he added. Callia took a deep breath and gasped when his lips pressed against her belly button. "Tell me if you aren't okay with something," Cooper murmured. He continued to press his lips lower, eliciting another startled gasp when his lips brushed by where his finger had touched just seconds before; his eyes never left her face as he began licking and sucking on her clit. Callia whimpered and lifted her hips off of the bed.

"What are you doing to me?" she wondered, her voice breathless.

"Just relax and enjoy it," Cooper instructed, chuckling. The vibrations from his laughter made her shiver as he slid a finger inside her; she tensed instantly. "Callie, breathe for me, it's okay," Cooper said, pulling his finger out of her and sitting up next to her.

"I'm sorry," Callia whispered.

"No, I'm sorry. I took it too far," Cooper told her.

"It felt good," she admitted.

"We can stop if you want," Cooper said, hoping she was okay to continue; he was rock hard in his boxers.

"I don't want to stop, not yet," Callia told him. Cooper groaned and his head disappeared under her night gown and slid his finger deep within her again; in and out, in and out until she was writhing against his hand and moaning. "I think I'm ready for more," she whimpered.

"Not yet," Cooper told her with a groan as he began licking again as he added a second then a third finger.

"What are you waiting for?" Callia wanted to know. Cooper didn't answer, he just kept up with the foreplay until she cried out loudly, her hips bucked against his face. Cooper chuckled and pulled away from her.

"I was waiting for that," he told her, frowned at the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" Cooper wanted to know.

"Thank you," Callia whispered.

Cooper smiled. "You're welcome," he told her, kissing her cheek.

"Coop?" Callia asked.

"Yeah?" Cooper shifted so that he was lounging next to her.

"Is there more?" she wanted to know. Cooper groaned. "Is there?"

"Yes, there's more. Are you sure you're ready?"

"I want to try," Callia whispered.

"Callie, I might not be able to stop," Cooper warned.

"That's okay," Callia murmured. Cooper groaned and pushed out of his jeans and boxers.

Her eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Cooper asked.

"You're bigger than Doug," Callia whispered. Cooper laughed and kissed her.

"I think I love you," he said seriously, his eyes twinkling. "That's the best thing any guy can hear," he added, sliding his hand down to her pussy, groaned when he discovered she was still wet. "Tell me if you need me to stop. I make no promises, but I'll try," Cooper told her as he positioned himself over her, thrust inside her slowly. "Are you alright?" he wanted to know, his eyes closed.