Carrying the Flame Ch. 02-03

"None of your business," Callia said with a laugh.

"You don't have to answer, your skin looks all glowy and you look happy," Laura said. Callia blushed and looked away. "Don't be embarrassed Callie, I think it's great! And Cooper is a zillion times better than Doug any day," Laura told her friend.

"Yes, he really is," Callia agreed.

"C'mon, you should go buy something new and special," Laura said, pulling her friend towards the Victoria Secret store. "So what are you going to do if Coop doesn't get into law school?" Laura wanted to know.

"We haven't thought that far ahead," Callia answered, pulling her friend into Williams and Sonoma.

"Just living in the moment?" Laura asked.

"Something like that." Callia studied a platter and placed it back on the shelf with a sigh.

"What are we looking for?" Laura wanted to know.

"I need some new kitchen stuff, Coop doesn't have a lot. The kitchen still looks like a bachelor pad," Callia answered.

"How can you afford to shop here?" Laura asked.

"Dad gave me his credit card and said to buy whatever would make me happy," Callia said brightly.

"Lucky girl," Laura said with a grin. Callia nodded, and grabbed the attention of an associate.

"I have a lot of shopping to do. Do you have carts or how does it work?" Callia asked, smiled when the clerk said she would follow the girls around and take the tags of the items Callia wanted to get them from the back of the store.

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

"Callie, what the hell?" Cooper asked when he walked into the kitchen.

"Dad told me I could furnish the kitchen with pots, pans and other required items," Callia answered, turning to look at him. "Are you angry?" she asked.

"You're tearing up my kitchen Cal," Cooper pointed out, glanced at the mix and match pots on the kitchen table.

"Most of the Teflon coating on these has pretty much worn away and the ones that don't have Teflon are all scratched to hell. I didn't think you would mind Coop, I'm sorry if I overstepped," Callia's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'll take them all back," she added. Cooper swore under his breath and took her hands in his.

"Stop Callie, I'm sorry. I was just surprised. And I'm on edge." Cooper held up a letter from Harvard and Callia swallowed hard.

"Did you open it?" Callia asked carefully.

"No, not yet. I wanted to be with you when I did," Cooper answered. Callia placed her hands on the back of a chair and waited while he opened the letter; grinned when he let out a loud whoop. "I got in!" he exclaimed excitedly, pulled her to him and hugged her tight.

"We're going to Boston then?" Callia asked, her voice soft. Cooper looked at her carefully.

"We don't have to go. I also was accepted to U of M law," he reminded her.

"Where do you really want to go?" Callia asked.

"Harvard would be preferable," Cooper admitted.

"Then we're going to Boston," Callia said.

"Are you sure Cal? You still have your undergrad to finish. I can start law school here and transfer when you graduate," Cooper offered.

"What, is Michigan the only state with undergrad programs?" Callia asked sarcastically.

"Callie, I want you to think about this. This isn't just my life we're talking about, it's yours too," Cooper pointed out.

"Cooper, you went out on a limb for me, you married me when you could have told my dad about the rape and were prepared to be a father to his baby. I owe you Coop," Callia said. "I'll transfer to a school in Boston, it isn't a big deal," she added. Cooper smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you Callie. Thank you for this," he murmured.

"There's nothing to thank me for," Callia said, repeating his earlier words to her.

-Two months later-

"Thank you for helping us," Callia told her mother as she and Olivia packed up the newly purchased cooking equipment and plates.

"You're my daughter Callie, it's my job to help you when I can. Are you sure you want to move? You don't have to," Olivia said.

"I'm sure mom," Callia assured her mother.

"Okay," Olivia sighed as she tapped up a box.

Cooper walked into the kitchen. "Are you ready to go Cal?" he asked. Callia looked at her mom and at her father who walked in behind Cooper with Blythe and Suzie and nodded.

"Why are you guys making a big deal out of this?" Jonah asked, rolling his eyes, not looking up from his Nintendo DS.

"Because your sister is making a very large decision and moving quite a long distance from home," Lucas snapped.

"Daddy, Boston isn't on the other side of the world and I'll come back for winter break, we both will," Callia said, giving her father a hug.

"I know, but you're so young to be moving so far," Lucas sighed.

"I'm almost nineteen daddy, I'm not that young," Callia pointed out.

"Callie, we have a thirteen hour drive," Cooper said gently.

"And we're following with the furniture and kitchen stuff," Blythe reminded Lucas.

"Good God I forgot about that," Lucas joked.

"We'll see you when we stop for dinner," Cooper told Lucas. Lucas nodded and watched the younger man lead Callia to the old Volvo that Lucas drove, at Suzie's insistence.

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

"Callie, we're stopping for dinner in ten minutes," Cooper said, shaking her awake.

"Can we stop for the night?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"We're just under half way there," Cooper told her. They drove in silence and Callia sighed in relief when he pulled into a TGI Fridays.

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

"It looks good in here," Cooper said, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. Callia looked up and smiled.

"Thanks. The paint is finally dry and I can start moving things in. I can make dinner tonight," she told him.

"Sounds great," Cooper said, raked his gaze over her. "Do you want to know what sounds better?" he asked.

"And what's that?" Callia asked as she finished drying the plate in her hands and put it in the cupboard.

"Starting with dessert," Cooper answered. Callia squealed as Cooper lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. She shivered as he quickly unzipped and pulled her dress down her body before placing her gently in the center of the bed.

"You're insane," she said with a laugh.

"I've been meeting with advisers for two straight days and our parents just left," Cooper pointed out.

"Good point," Callia conceded, moaned when he kissed her hard as he undid his pants.

"No more talking," Cooper growled as he completely removed his clothing. In one swift move, Callia was on her back under him and he was moving deep within her. She moaned at the delicious sensations welling up inside her and wrapped her hips around his waist to pull him closer to her. Cooper shifted position and Callia gasped as he thrust deeper, it was almost as if he were in her womb. Her hips lifted off of the bed to meet his and he slid his hands under her ass, caressed the plump flesh lovingly, slid his fingers to where they were joined and became playing with her clit while the thick head of his cock assaulted her g-spot.

"Coop," she moaned, bucking against him.

"Cum for me Callie, right now," Cooper's voice was ragged and husky as he plunged in and out of her. He was trying to hold back and it was difficult; she was hot and tight around him and he groaned when the walls of her pussy spasmed around his cock. She let out a loud satisfied wail as she came hard and fast. "You're beautiful when you come," he panted, nibbling on her ear, his cum burst into her body like a swollen river bursts through a dam making them both cry out loudly.

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

"Callie, what's going on?" Cooper asked, watching her dig through her over-sized makeup case. Foundation and blush landed on the bed next to her curling iron and hairspray. "It's only seven in the morning," he added.

"Have you seen my medication Coop?" she asked in turn.

"What medication?" Cooper wanted to know.

"The only medication I'm on," Callia answered, digging through the bag more.

"Your birth control?" Cooper asked, dread filling his stomach. Callia nodded. "How can you not know where it is?" he wanted to know.

"We got here at three in the morning thanks to our stop for dinner and last night you waylaid me and we stayed in bed all night," Callia reminded him.

"How much longer do you have before you're done with that packet?" Cooper wanted to know.

"I just started the packet." She growled, picked up the bag and dumped it on the bed, sighed when she saw it wasn't there. "Damn it," she whispered, dropping to her knees on the floor. Cooper sighed and pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a tee-shirt. "I'll go check the car, your bag came open in the drive over here," he told her. When he came back in a few minutes later, Callia was putting things back in the bag, tears down her face. "Callie, what's wrong?" Cooper asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"What if I left them in Michigan? I could be pregnant or get pregnant, I don't have the condoms either," she whispered. Nervousness burned in his gut at the prospect of Callia pregnant and he sighed.

"I packed the condoms Callie, so we can relax about that. And I don't think you'll get pregnant just on the first time without them," Cooper told her.

"I did get pregnant my first time having sex, which wasn't an enjoyable experience and the more pleasurable the sex is, the more likely pregnancy is," Callia reminded him. Cooper kissed her gently.

"Callie, you won't get pregnant," Cooper said.

"What, are you infertile or something?" Callia asked, raising her eye brow.

"Would you like to test that?" Cooper growled. She sighed and began tossing the rest of her stuff in the bag. "Callie, stop," Cooper instructed. Callia turned back to him. "You won't get pregnant Callie until you want to. I found this in the trunk of the car under the box of books that we haven't brought in yet," Cooper told her, handing her the pink packet. "And even if you'd left these in Ann Arbor, it would still be okay," Cooper added.

"Even if there was a baby?" Callia asked, sniffling.

"Callie, I told you once I'm not going anywhere, now stop crying, take your pill and relax," Cooper said firmly.