The Chess Piece Ch. 10

Thanks for being patient. I had to revise this chapter some then submit for re editing. MaaddMaaxx thanks again for editing and pointing out places that need a little more attention. You are the best! I hope that everyone enjoys! CinderLaw

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It had been a busy month for Laysea. After finding out she was pregnant, she had her encounter with Maxie, then she went back to the bakery to tell her friends that she was expecting. They all shared a toast with orange juice and sprite and ate one of the freshly baked cupcakes. She was happy. She had something of Jason's that no one could take away.

She wished that she had kept the news from Maxie but when they met and she asked how Laysea was, she got so angry. They all turned their backs on her like it was her fault that Jason was gunned down. What the hell did the bodyguards that were suppose to be keeping him safe do? They were standing right there. It does not matter now, she thought to herself, he may be dead and gone but a part of him is still here.

That day she had made a doctors appointment. The appointment was the next week and when she went she felt like she was a pin cushion. If anyone took anymore fluids she was pretty sure that she would be empty. She had never had so much blood drawn nor had to pee in so many cups. Then she was poke and prodded to make sure that she and the baby were healthy. In the end she found out that she was about 15 weeks pregnant, so she had figured right. She conceived the day that Jason died.

She did not think that anything could make her happier than she was at that moment, until the doctor said that they could listen to the baby's heartbeat. She broke down crying happy tears when the fast paced little heartbeat come through the little speaker. She set her next appointment for a month later. However, as happy as she was that was that day, she began to feel like someone was always watching her. She was sure she knew who they were.

Every evening one of Jason's body guards made an appearance in the bakery and just sat in the corner drinking a drink and munching on cookies while reading the newspaper. The first one sent in was Mac -- Maxie's brother. He was considered the 'computer geek' so she guessed they were testing the waters, thinking she probably would not be mean to him. As much as Laysea wanted to be a bitch she could not. He had never done anything mean to her. So she was nice to him, unfortunately that started the rotation watch.

It was not until Ty showed up that she unleashed a little fury. When he took the normal table she stomped over to the table and sat down. "What the hell do you want?"

"Heard there is good cookies here." He replied without looking at her.

"Then take them to go."

"Can't. May want more."

"Then buy 10 dozens and go stuff yourself."

"There is good coffee here also." He said looking directly at her for the first time.

"Ty -- I know that Maxie told you. I don't want anything from the family so tell them to get off my ass."

"I can't -- the baby is still Jason's."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "I have nothing left of him, Aaron made sure of that. Have some compassion Ty. If you all take my baby from me. . . I have nothing left to live for." She choked out.

A look came over Ty that resembled regret or empathy at least, he leaned over and put his hand on her hand, "We are not here to take the baby from you -- we just don't want anything to happen to either one of you."

"Why would you care? None of you worried about it before so why now?"

"It was safer for you if we did not show that we were helping you. Maybe you should ask Mrs. Tebbs about the money that is added to the business accounts. That is from us, to help you out. Why do you think that she was suddenly able to offer you a huge raise? How do you think that the top floor apartment is being renovated? That money came from a trust Jason had set up in your name. We just needed you under the radar for a bit."

Just then Maxie and Jared walked up and sat down at the table.

"I did not get to go to his funeral, was that part of the plan?"

"I am sorry but Aaron deemed that a family affair. If it is any consolation Jared and myself argued that you were his wife."

"No I was not -- remember he never got around signing the license because I was a just a steady fuck."

Ty pulled a piece of folded paper out of his jacket pocket, "We were just trying to protect you. It is what Jason wanted." He passed the paper to her across the table.

She held it for a moment then slowly unfolded the paper see across the top in old English writing "Certificate of Marriage". She looked at the bottom of the paper and sure enough there was Jason's elegant signature across the bottom. She released a loud sob as tears rolled freely from her eyes. Laysea gently ran a finger over his signature accepting what she had always known in her heart -- she was not a fling for him, he had loved her and she still loved him. She slowly folded the paper back up and reluctantly handed it back to Ty. "I don't need a paper to tell me how we felt about each other or what we were."

With that she got up and walked to the back of the bakery and straight up the stairs to the quiet apartment. As she lay on the little tiny bed she cried herself to sleep.

After that night she never talked to any of them again. She did not need them now, when she had needed someone no one had been there. She went through every day living for the baby that was growing bigger in her stomach.

She had considered dating, just to break up her days. After she had started thinking about it she knew that it could never be more then a friendship. However, she still was getting guys hitting on her and hoping for some encouragement. It was a little fun until one guy decided that she did not know what she wanted. When she turned away from him he grabbed her and pulled her to him. She was shocked and he was trying to apparently shower her with his slobber. Then he was gone.

Jared had walked in right before he grabbed her. He decided to teach the man some respect. He hit him in the face. The guy went flying backwards and Jared grabbed Laysea to get her stable. After she was on her feet and he did not have to worry about her falling he grabbed the guy by his shirt and dragged him outside. She had tried to follow him but one of Jared's friends stopped her. A few minutes later Jared walked back in looking no worse for the wear. He sat down with his friends and did not say anything about the guy or what had happened.

Another night became interesting when Aaron and his 5 guards showed up. He walked up to the table that Jared and Ty were sitting at, and in not a very quiet voice demanded that they get back to doing their real jobs before he had to punish them.

Ty stood up and said a menacing voice said "We are doing our job. So unless you want us to kick all of your asses, get the fuck out of here. Remember we trained with Jason so we are the best." Then he said something in a really low voice that caused Aaron to go completely white and turn and walk quickly out of the bakery.

Every day was the same routine. Peppered only with her doctor visits which were the only highlight to her months. She realized that her heart was starting to heal when she began to find it easier to smile at her protectors and their antics as they continued to try and make her smile.

One day she got back from her bi weekly doctor appointment and was just grinning ear to ear. She felt like she may burst, when Ty asked about her happy mood. She pulled out the black and white paper photo that she had tucked safely in her purse. He looked at it with a confused look on his face,

"What is this?" Jared peered at it over his shoulder both looked like confused puppies tilting their heads from side to side.

"That's the baby, it's a sonogram." She told them.

"So there is only one right?" Jared asked her.

"Yes just one. One little, perfect. . .boy" she beamed at them.

They both looked up at her so fast she thought they might experience whiplash. Jared was the first to speak, "Are you sure the baby is a boy?"

"Yes" she flipped through the sonograms and pointed to one that looked more like a turtle then anything, "See there is his little wee wee."

Ty sat back in his seat a look of shock came over his face as he stared at Jared. She felt like they were having a conversation that was not for her ears. It did not matter. She was on cloud nine. She walked over to the counter to show Mrs. Tebbs and Sally. What she did not see was the two men leaning in towards the table or the rest of the guys going over to the table. After a few minutes Jared and Ty got up and left the bakery without a word to her.

Later that night just as the bakery was closing, they showed back up. Laysea was in the process of trying to get the others to leave so they could lock up. She heard the bell that hung over the door ring again and turned to see Jared, Ty and Maxie coming in.

"Oh goodie. I'm trying to get people out yet you all just keep coming in! WE ARE CLOSING!!! Go home or where ever it is that you go." She said. Then she headed back to the counter to start counting up the register.

Maxie walked over to her, "How are you feeling honey? No problems? Look I know that you are mad with all of us but we had to do what was necessary. We really never meant for you to get hurt by anything but it was better to be emotionally hurt then physically."

"Maxie -- you know that you are not really making sense right? Maybe if you guys went home and had a good nights sleep then tomorrow you could come back and try it again!" Laysea suggested in a chipper voice.

"We need you to come with us." Ty ordered in the no nonsense voice he use to use when he was giving an order that came from Jason.

She smiled sweetly at him, "Why is that Ty? What has changed in the last few hours that now requires me to need to go with you all?"

"Jason's baby is now known to be a boy."

"I am fine. Look, I am tired. Just go home and I will see you all tomorrow."

Jared stepped up, "Get out to that truck now or I will carry you out there."

"Fine -- but I am sleeping all the way! It has been a long day and I have to work tomorrow!"

Maxie walked back to the back of the bakery. When she came back out Sally was following her. Sally took over closing the front end up for the night.

"Sorry Sal, they want me to go. I have my keys so don't worry about staying up." She told Sally.

Sally gave her a smile, "Don't worry about it."

As they climbed into the truck she got the feeling of déjà vu. She sat between Ty and Jared in the backseat. Ty sat where Jason had always sat and Jared where Ty had always sat.

"How long will it take us to get there?" She asked.

Jerry turned around in the driver seat giving her a smile, "About 30 minutes."

"Jerry, just worry about doing what you are supposed to do." Said Jared.

She gave Jerry a sweet smile and said, "Thank you." Then she turned to Jared and said, "I see you are still a jackass."

Jared never replied but Ty was smirking when she looked his way. Oh well, she thought, I really wanted a nap anyways. With that she scooted down in the seat a bit and drifted off.

"Laysea, we're here."

Laysea opened her eyes and saw Maxie sitting where Jared had been. "Where is here?"

"Another country estate. This is the one that we all came to after the accident. So Aaron could take power without fearing that we would hinder him. Kinda like the passing of the torch -- while he shines we stay back."

Laysea sat up stretching in the seat then slide over to follow Maxie out of the truck. She looked up at the estate that they had all been living in. "God this really is a place that Jason would have picked out. You all have lived here? The whole time?"

"Well we've all been here on and off."

"Whatever. It doesn't matter Maxie. Now what do you all want to show me so bad?"

"This way, it's in the house." Maxie pointed to the house and began to walk with Laysea up the walk way. Maxie asked her how she like being pregnant and Laysea shared her excitement. She looked up and saw Trista walking towards them.

When she reached them she gave Laysea a big hug, "Oh my gosh, I have missed you so much! Look at how big you are! Oh my gosh, are you sure there is only one in there?"

Laysea laughed, as mad as she had been with them she still had missed them both horrible. "Yeah, I'm positive that there's only one in there." They began walking again up towards the house.

When they finally got up to the door, Jerry pulled it open, "Damn about time you all got up here. Thought we were gonna have to turn the sprinklers on to get you to hurry up."

"If you did we would have hurt you!" Maxie said while shaking her fist at him.

They all walked into the entry way. They all walked into a huge room and began milling around a few minutes talking with her as she looked around and got a good look at the place. When she had finished her inspection of what she figured was called a great room,

"So enough small talk, what is it that you all needed to show me?" She asked looking from Maxie to Ty to Jared. Jared then just pointed at her. "What about me? I could have seen myself at the bakery."

"Behind you." He said.

As she turned around she was staring at a chest, slowly she looked up into the eyes that had haunted her dreams . . . Jason! She stood there staring at him with her mouth open.

"You know I did not plan on getting you pregnant that day." He told her with that grin of his that made her heart jump a beat. His smell wavered through the air to her. She closed her eyes breathing in deeply. She expected to open her eyes and he would not be there, but there he was still grinning down at her. Her eyes began to well up again as she looked at the man that she had thought was dead for the last 6 months.

"How? Why?" she asked him in a whisper.

"It was a farce, you had the most important role. If you appeared not to be upset no one would have bought it. Had you disappeared no one would have bought it. You had to mourn for me in public and hard. My death was the only way that I could keep you safe."

SLAP!!!!

She smacked him in the face so hard that her hand print instantly became visible on his face. His head had turned to the side from the force of her slap, he began to slowly turn it back towards her and she could tell he was no longer happy with her. Good!

"If anyone else tells me one more time that they did this for my safety, I will personally break something over their head! You lied to me! You made me think that you were dead then made me face the uncertainty of where the hell to go. You almost completely broke me down to the point where I did not want to live! Everyone one kept calling me names and telling me how much I did not belong. Now everyone has started telling me that they did this for my own good?!? Fuck you all! While you were living in the lap of luxury I was struggling with day to day life. I had to rebuild my entire life and you want to know the fucked up thing Jason? I found out that I could not move on! I was so in love with you that I forgot how to be just me. You made me give my whole life up when you came into my life then you voluntarily left it, leaving me worse off than when I met you!"

She began to walk out of the house. Fuck them all, she was not going to play what ever game they were playing.

"Laysea wait. . "

"Fuck you Jason! I am outta here, you want to talk? Talk to my ass!" She turned back around and again started walking to the door. The next thing she felt was him picking her up in his arms and carrying her upstairs. The whole way she screamed at him to let her go and put her down while swinging at his head. He ignored her scream while he ducked her blows. He did not stop until he got her into his bedroom, after he set her down he turned back to the door shut it and locked it then removed the key walked to the window, whistled for someone below then threw it down to them.

"Well at least if I have to talk to your ass it will not be able to go too far from me. By the way, the bathroom is through that door." He nodded toward the far end of the room.

Unfortunately for him, she was standing on the side of the room with more ammunition. As he started to walk away from the window she threw a thick book at him. It bounced off of his back then flew out of the window. Next she threw a hair brush forcing Jason to duck down to prevent from getting hit in the head.

"Well I guess if I have to be here with you then I am going to make you feel some of the pain I did!" she sneered at him, as she slung a can of air freshener at him.

Next went the vase of fresh flowers which showered him in flowers, water and glass. As she turned to grab another object he ran up to her, grabbing her from behind prohibiting her from moving her arms to grab more ammunition. He dragged her to the bed where he laid them down on their sides until her breathing slowed a bit.

"Are you done now?" he asked

"Yes." She replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Let me fuckin up Jason!"

He sat them back upright then slowly released her arms. They sat there for a few minutes then she slowly stood up in front of him. He never saw her fist come around until it was too late. She landed a solid blow to his nose and cheek.

He did not have time to think since she began physically beating him with her fist. Finally he was able to grab both fists to prevent any more damage, "ENOUGH! Damn it Laysea knock it off before you or the baby gets hurt!"

She heaved for a bit while she looked into his eyes.

"Are you done now?" he asked her.

"Yes"

"You said that before."

"This time I mean it." She replied.

"I don't believe you." He replied.

She stomped on his foot, "Let me go! See I can hurt you without my hands."

Jason released her hands and she backed away from him. She walked over to the window that he had thrown the key out of and looked around.

"If you even think about crawling out that window and trying to shimmy down the house being pregnant with my baby I will turn you over my lap and paddle your ass so that you will not be able to sit down for the rest of the pregnancy."

"I wouldn't do that! I have lived for this baby!"

"I know."

"Then don't start assuming that I would do something now to hurt him."

"He? You're sure?"

"If I'm not do you die again?" she asked him in a smart ass tone.

"Laysea, damn it, I am not going anywhere. I knew Toby would be there to kill me so I wore a vest and had a blood pack on. When he fired, I fired back at him. He is dead and I'm not. I lay there on the ground like I was. The guys were supposed to carry me in then proceed but apparently you were standing in the window and saw everything. You were not suppose to even be there. Jared was suppose to get you out of there so that you would not be a witness. I almost got up when I heard you scream. Then you fainted. If you hadn't fainted then I probably would have been shot by one of Mitch's goons because I would have jumped up to get to you. And if they did not shoot me then they would have shot you in front of me. My being dead solved the problem and got you out of danger.

I had planned on getting you out of the city as soon as possible to come and join me but then you told Maxie you were pregnant. So I had the guys watch over you. Your positive pregnancy alerted Mitch and Aaron that I suddenly had a descendent and that put the baby be in danger.

"From that moment on you had to be watched closely, we had to let you continue to go to the doctors. Then you found out that the baby was a boy and that meant that you both were in more danger. We had already decided back on the day that I was 'shot' that if you were in danger again because of me -- all bets were off."