Willow Tait

Survivor. Former Teacher. Ready for the next chapter. 1x1 account. Sideblog to The Metro Court

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

Willow breaks into giggles.  They are nervous and excited ones and she thinks that anything will set her off right now.  This is not how she pictured the night ending up but she finds that she is more and more glad that they are here now.  Yes, there are some very real questions to be answered but they will get through it.  Together.  Like they are meant to be.  “We probably should refrain on calling him or her that in public,” she cautions with a pointed look.  “People might think we are strange.”  Although she doubts they are the first to name their child something like that.  

He is so good to her.  So easily able to see where her fear is going and able to derail it before it pulls her down with it.  She wonders if he likes being her knight — because he truly is.  It’s a bit of a silly comparison but it feels apt.  She had avoided moments like this, men like him after Shiloh but Chase had proven to her that she is worth it.  She nods her head.  “You’re right.  People do it.  We figured it out early enough.  I can watch what I put in my body from here on out.”  And she would.  She wouldn’t be able to stop herself from doing so.  She needs to make sure that this baby is healthy. 

Willow echos his grin and knows just what she is going to wear (she is going to take advantage of the last vestiges of heat and the lack of a visible baby bump).  “Let’s go celebrate,” she tells him before disappearing into their room. 

The sound of Willow’s giggles make Chase’s heart melt. He is putty in her hands; always has been, always will be. The smile on his face might as well say it all. “Ahh, who cares what they think! We’re in love, soon to be parents, and this is our little Lima bean in here.” He rests a hand over her stomach to drive the point home. “If our happiness is strange to people, that’s their problem.” He says so with a lively enthusiasm, every second making this reality feel all the more real. This is their life now, and he couldn’t be happier.

He knows just how staggeringly things are about to change, but that’s what life is all about, isn’t it? He gives himself about three days maximum before he impulsively stops at the book store after work and picks up a backpack full of parenting books. “Man… is it weird that I’m excited just to make an appointment with you at General Hospital? I’m even excited to buy prenatal vitamins for you.” Chase laughs at himself, and shakes his head. He’s lucky enough to be having a baby with the love of his life. Even if it’s a little ahead of schedule, Chase knows that not everyone is so lucky.

Just look at poor Michael. Not only did he have to cope with the mother of his child being Nelle Hayes of all people, but he never even got to be a father to Jonah. He’ll have to think of the best way he can break the news of Willow’s pregnancy to Michael — the last thing he wants to do is tear open his friend’s old wounds.

But he’ll figure that out later. Tonight is going to be just about him, Willow, and their little Lima bean. Once they are changed and ready to go, Chase takes her hand in his. “To our first night out as a family of three.”

Thread Complete

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

Chase smiles, a big goofy one across his face. “Our little Lima bean.” He can freak about what they are going to need to do before their baby’s arrival later. Right now he just wants to be happy with Willow, and focus on starting their little family of three. Just saying that makes his stomach flutter with nerves, but right now they are all good ones.

His necessary level-headed nature as a cop helps out there, as well as when Willow mentions having wine in the past month. He’s a little nervous at first too, but then shakes his head. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s fine. You’re definitely not the first woman who’s had a little wine before they knew they were pregnant.” Some women have done a lot worse for a lot longer, and a lot of them still have relatively healthy infants. “Besides, this baby is definitely a little fighter like their mom.” That thought has him strolling down the lane of wondering whether their child is a boy or girl, but he’s sure they’ll get to find that out soon enough.

And to tell the truth, he has no idea what one he’d prefer. He’ll probably go back and forth until the doctor is able to tell them for certain. For tonight, he instead decides to focus on their spontaneous night out to celebrate. “I like that idea, too.” He proves it with a cheeky smile. Willow looks gorgeous even in jail-garb, but he can never get enough of her when she dresses up. “How about the restaurant at the Metro Court? Fancy, but familiar?”

Willow breaks into giggles.  They are nervous and excited ones and she thinks that anything will set her off right now.  This is not how she pictured the night ending up but she finds that she is more and more glad that they are here now.  Yes, there are some very real questions to be answered but they will get through it.  Together.  Like they are meant to be.  “We probably should refrain on calling him or her that in public,” she cautions with a pointed look.  “People might think we are strange.”  Although she doubts they are the first to name their child something like that.  

He is so good to her.  So easily able to see where her fear is going and able to derail it before it pulls her down with it.  She wonders if he likes being her knight --- because he truly is.  It’s a bit of a silly comparison but it feels apt.  She had avoided moments like this, men like him after Shiloh but Chase had proven to her that she is worth it.  She nods her head.  “You’re right.  People do it.  We figured it out early enough.  I can watch what I put in my body from here on out.”  And she would.  She wouldn’t be able to stop herself from doing so.  She needs to make sure that this baby is healthy. 

Willow echos his grin and knows just what she is going to wear (she is going to take advantage of the last vestiges of heat and the lack of a visible baby bump).  “Let’s go celebrate,” she tells him before disappearing into their room. 

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

The most important thing to him right now is making sure that Willow feels safe, comfortable, and secure during this pregnancy. He can’t imagine how scared she much have been when she was pregnant with Wiley two years ago, just twenty-two years old, all alone, and carrying her rapist’s baby. The thought makes him furious, but he quickly casts those feelings away (the best he can, anyway). This is a time to celebrate and be happy. They just got life changing news.

The good kind, time time. There’s a big smile on his face the more he thinks about it and the new future they are going to have. Chase rests his hands on Willow’s hips after he gets back up on his feet, fully soaking in this moment. “Yeah! Lima bean, maybe even a peanut. How far along do you think you are? You have to be a few weeks, at least.” Since moving in together they’ve spent even more time together in bed than usual, so it’s not like they’ll be able to easily narrow it down. Chase always uses condoms as well; one of them must have broken without him realizing it. It only takes once, clearly.

“I don’t know — but I figure we should do something, right? Popping open a bottle of wine is officially out for the next couple of months.” He chuckles a little at that. He’ll have to tell their wine guy that they won’t be customers for a while. “How’s your stomach doing? Are you still feeling sick? If you’re feeling better, maybe we can go out somewhere fancy to eat. It’ll give you an excuse to wear one of your pretty dresses before, y’know… you start showing.” He grins at the thought.

“Funny enough, I think I like Lima Bean better.  It just seems...cute somehow,” she admits, her face scrunching up before she just can’t help but laugh.  She tries to picture what that looks like and ends up with an absurd vision of a Lima bean floating around her tummy.  Not even close to what it really is but somehow it seems comforting.  

Maybe because it has been Chase who coined it.  Her baby’s father.  The man she loves. 

This just feels right. 

“I am not sure how far...” She furrows her brows and thinks back to the last time she actually had a period.  With her job and life changing swiftly over the last few months, she hasn’t exactly been consistent but then she has a distinct enough memory to help them.  “About a month I think.  Wow, I’ve had wine...” Her eyes go wide.  “Do you think that is okay?” She is not a heavy drinker but she definitely has had a glass or two in the past few weeks.

She tells her self she shouldn’t panic.  For now, she should concentrate on the immediate good news.  “We should do something,” Willow agrees.  That is a good idea.  To start this out right and make it nothing but good memories.  “I think I could eat.  Nothing too crazy of course but I do like the idea of putting on one of my pretty little dresses for you.”  She reaches up to brush a hand over his cheek. 

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

As much as this still feels like a dream, the idea is slowly starting to sink in. Ready or not, they will be parents in a few months. It’s not the perfect time for them, but there’s nothing they can do about it now. This baby is coming, and they’ll have to make themselves ready in the next eight or so months. If he had any doubts before, seeing the smile on Willow’s face as she she says those five big words out loud is all the reassurance he needs.

“We’re gonna be parents!” He exclaims, still a little in disbelief, but the positive pregnancy test is right there in Willow’s hands. As the truth continues to settle, Chase’s heart starts racing out of the most bizarre combination of excitement and fear he’s ever felt. But it’s a good kind of fear; a new chapter of their lives just started. As Willow sets down the test and looks to him for reassurance, Chase nods and gives a gentle squeeze to her hand. “We can. We can, and we will. I know we have a lot of challenges ahead of us, but I have no doubt that if we take them on together, we’ll make it through just fine.”

Despite being mostly a realist, Chase wants to focus on all of the good right now over everything they are bound to worry about in the future. He doesn’t want to go down that lane right now. All he wants to do is celebrate their little baby. With a smile on his face, Chase looks down to Willow’s abdomen and kneels down to talk to it. He knows it’s corny, but he can’t resist. “Hey little baby. I know you’re probably about the size of a lima bean right now and haven’t even developed ears yet… but I can’t wait to meet you.” He looks up to Willow with a big grin. “We should celebrate, right? We’re having a baby!”

The excitement is starting to work its way into the room.

It is tentative at first, and she figures they are both trying to work out what this means in the long run.  She wants to laugh because she is pretty sure there is still a box or two of her things that she hasn’t gotten around to unpacking yet. But she is happy.  Truly.

She nods her head at his insistence that they can make this work.  She knows that there are real logistics to consider.  She is a waitress right now, hardly the most high paying job and he works long hours with the PCPD.  This apartment --- well, it might fit a tiny baby but someday that baby is going to need room to grow.  It might not be the best fit.  But she is getting ahead of herself right now.  They can take it all one step at a time.  Together, just like he says. 

When Chase kneels to talk to their baby, she melts.  She can’t help it.  There are tears in the back of her eyes, happy ones of course.  She cards her fingers through his hair and laughs a little.  “Lima bean?  This is the one time I will admit to liking them,” she tells him.  “And your daddy is right, we both can’t wait to meet you properly.” She smiles down at him.  “Celebrate?  What did you have in mind?”

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

Even though they’ve said these words to each other hundreds of times at this point, Willow telling him “I love you” is just as special to him now as it was when she first said it to him. He didn’t know it was possible to love someone as much as he loves Willow, but that love grows for her by the day. “I love you back. Forever.” It might be a pretty weighty statement to make before they even hit their two year anniversary, but Chase means it.

He doesn’t want a future that doesn’t include her in it. When he thinks about himself in five, twenty, or forty years from now, Willow is by his side. So are their children; Chase thinks he wants two or three. Whether or not their first one is going to be here in the next couple of months, they are about to find out. His heart lurches in his chest as Willow picks up the pregnancy test, and it feels like time screeches to a halt while she reads what it says. Just by the look on her face, he knows the answer before she says it.

She’s pregnant. She’s pregnant with his baby — their baby.

“We’re having a baby.” His tone isn’t exactly overwhelming excitement, but he is happy. He finds himself committing this moment to memory, because it’s the moment everything changed. “Wow. We’re gonna be parents!” There’s a little bit of laughter under his breath, mostly because he wants to focus on all the good right now over the massive amount of responsibilities they will soon need to sort out.

Willow stands there, letting the news wash over her.  She looks down at the test once more, reading the words once more.  She needs this.  She needs the quiet moment that has settled over them so she can decide just how she feels.  She knows that she shouldn’t overthink anything or compare it to Wiley. She had been terrified and in a bad place with Wiley.

Right now she is standing across from the man she loves.

She looks to him, noting the way his face changes.  She knows he is happy and just that, as if she has taken her cue from him, she is happy too.  Her face splits into a wide grin and she nods her head to his statement.  “We are having a baby,” she echos.  

Wow.

They haven’t planned this.  In fact they haven’t really discussed it.  She figures it would have come up at some point.  They had already taken that big first step and moved into together.  Plus she loves him. Kids seem like one of those steps they are meant to take.  They just have stumbled down a few to land on this one.  

She chews on her lip, setting the test back down and then reaching out to take his hands in hers.  “I know...this is not exactly what we had in mind, at least not right now,” she says, deciding to voice the truth.  They can’t avoid it anyway.  “But we can make this work right?  We can do this?”

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

The drive to the pharmacy is both the longest ten minute drive he’s ever taken, and a short blur he can hardly remember. There’s so much to consider regardless of what the pregnancy test will tell them that Chase doesn’t even know where to begin. All he knows is that he doesn’t even want to start down that train of thought without Willow right beside him. Whatever decisions they make, whatever thoughts they have, he wants them to share every minute of it with each other. That will be the best thing they can do right now.

He’s back home before long, test in hand. His heart is thumping out of his chest, but Chase can’t honestly say what result he’s hoping for most right now. Not pregnant, because it’s too soon and too sudden, or pregnant, because that means he’ll get to start a family with the woman of his dreams. “No matter the result, we’re gonna be okay,” he reminds her one last time, handing off the test to let her go take it.

Chase paces around their apartment in the meantime, right up until Willow comes back out while the test is working. He extends his hands toward her, wrapping her in a warm embrace. “This is going to be the longest few minutes of my life,” he jokes, though his voice is soft and sincere. Chase has no idea where to begin when it comes to their future, but this one little test will dictate where they might have to start. A few minutes pass, probably more than enough for the test to have an answer, and he takes a quiet breath. “Let’s do this,” he says, taking her free hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

She takes her comfort in him, holding on tightly as if she can absorb his quiet strength.  She feels that she is definitely the more nervous one in their relationship (hell, she even freaked out over the idea of them moving into together) and she often needs him for moments like this.  Thankfully, he is good at what he does and he does not seem to mind helping her.  

She closes her eyes and listen to his heartbeat for a moment longer than she needs to.  A slow smile crosses her face.  “I love you,” she tells him quietly.  She wants him to know that because she can’t predict what is about to happen or what her mind will do with that information.  She realizes she didn’t get this with Wiley.  She didn’t get a chance to hold her breath and center herself.  One moment she had not been pregnant and the next she was --- all with the spectator of Shiloh breathing down his neck. 

Finally, she looks up at him giving him a small smile as he takes her hand.  Together they make their way to the bathroom.  It is her that reaches out to lift the test.  She knows how this goes.  Now a days these tests are foolproof.  No symbols to read.  Just the words pregnant or not pregnant.  She takes a deep breath and looks down.  

Pregnant.

She lets out the breath she has been holding and then looks to Chase with wide eyes.  “I’m pregnant,” she tells him, her voice tentative.  Her mind is trying to wrap itself around this.

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

Just thinking about the fear Willow must have felt when learning she was pregnant with Shiloh’s child makes Chase angry. It’s not an obvious kind of angry; it’s the quiet boiling in his chest kind. It’s insidious and nothing he’s ever felt before, which makes him happy that Shiloh is rotting away in prison for his crimes. Willow will never have to be afraid of him or for Wiley ever again. Or for their child, whether they come now, or in a few years from now.

“It’s definitely terrifying,” he says, adding a quiet laugh under his breath for levity. “But you’ll be safe. And if you are pregnant, the baby will be safe, too. And loved.” He doesn’t want Willow to doubt any of those things, not even for a second. Every time he looks at Willow with Wiley, Chase knows how much she wants to be a mother. Her maternal kindness and strength is just one of the many reasons he fell in love with her so hard and fast.

It also means he feels an ache all over when Willow looks this scared. She quickly turns it around into forward thinking, and he agrees with a resolute nod of his head. He gives her a quick kiss on the cheek after she presses her forehead against his, and stands with all the courage he can muster. “I’ll go get it, okay? Just wait here. I’ll be back in a minute.” Chase gives one more kiss to the top of her head out of an auto-piloted instinct before he grabs his keys and heads out to buy something he’s never bought before: a pregnancy test. He gets the most expensive one, thinking it will be the most accurate, and is back in a half hour. Bag in hand, he takes a deep breath. “Are you ready?”

“I know,” she says and for the first time, there is confidence in her voice.  The initial shock to her system is subsiding and she is able to look at things more logically.  None of this is like before.  She is in love, she is safe and if she is pregnant, her baby will also have those things.  She hadn’t been able to give them to Wiley personally but she knows he has it Lucas and Brad.  She will be forever grateful to them for that.  Just like she will be forever grateful to Chase for whatever happens next.  

So when he agrees to get the test, she takes another calming breath.  She stands as he readies to leave.  “I am not going anywhere,” she tells him and wraps her arms around herself.  She has no idea what to do with herself while he is gone.  In the end, she simply sits on the couch, reliving all those key moments with Wiley: when she realized she was pregnant, the first time he moved, the birth... 

Is she really about to do that again?

She is about to find out.  She stands as Chase returns, immediately reaching out for the test. “I am overly ready,” she admits. She gives him a small smile.  Disappearing into the bathroom, she does the necessary thing to take the test.  Carefully she sets it on the edge of the sink, washes her hand and returns to the living room.  “We have a few minutes...” She says and then takes his hand.  “And then we know whether or not if things are going to turn on their head.”  She moves forward resting against him and closing his eyes, gathering strength from him.  After a moment or two (which feels like forever), she tips her head back to look up at him.  “Are you ready to see?” There is no way they are doing this any way but together.

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

He doesn’t want to get to far ahead of himself, not when he needs to be the voice of reason right now, but he can’t help it. If Willow really is pregnant… their lives are going to change. Their apartment isn’t really built for a baby, but they’ll have to make it work. Money will be tight, but they’ll have to make it work. Chase is already thinking about what he can do or sell in the next eight or nine months to prepare for the arrival and expenses of a baby.

Second thought has him telling himself to take about a thousand steps back. Her period is late, and she’s been a little nauseated. That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s pregnant. He needs to take this one step at a time. “Hey, hey… there’s nothing to be sorry for, okay? Not even a little bit.” He shifts enough so that he can still look her in the eyes as she pulls her knees up. Chase can’t even imagine the conflicting emotions she’s going through right now. Her first pregnancy had been under constant threat of Shiloh — of course those feelings are going to come rushing back.

“It’s a lot. It’s definitely a lot. We haven’t even really talked about kids, or what we want.” Not thoroughly, at least. There’s a lot that can be read between the lines, but so much more has been left unsaid. “We can take this however you want. Did you want to… talk first? We can talk, maybe figure some things out… and then I can go get the test. Whatever you want, okay?” He doesn’t want to rush anything, but it’s not like they have all the time in the world if she is pregnant. Chase reaches out to run his hands down the sides of her arms. “I’m here for you.”

Willow takes a deep breath, focusing her energy on not jumping to all the wrong conclusions.  There is still a lot that they don’t know, still so many what ifs for her to take the entirely wrong route and overreact.  She knows that it is human nature for the mind to overreact but she wants to limit the damage before she totally does or says something ridiculous.

“Right, right, this is not what I think is.  It am making it out to be something terrifying --- which, I mean, it is.  But just not in the way my brain has made it,” she says and then wonders if he can make any sense of it at all.  He probably can.  He’s so good at reading her.  She loves him so much.  So if this is the path they are about to be set on and they are about to become parents, she has the best person by her side.

That realization helps her calm down enough to think more rationally.

“There is no sense in talking about the what ifs when we don’t know which way we are going.”  Willow’s voice is more firm now. “We should know first if I am pregnant.  Then...we can figure the rest out.  If it is just a scare than maybe we should be talking about what that means down the road.  If...” She gives him a look.  “Well, then we have other things to figure out.”  She leans forward a little to rest her forehead against his.  “But we’ll do it together.”

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

He can see the panic set in Willow, and Chase does his best to be her rock and the calm voice of reason. All the while his heartbeat starts to pick up within his chest, but he doesn’t want to do anything until they have all the facts. The detective in him is the reason for that, but Chase is careful to walk the fine line between concerned boyfriend and cop mode. 

He takes her hand in his once she sits up, and Chase can only watch as he sees all the gears turning in Willow’s head. Some of those same gears are turning in his head as he goes back and forth between wondering how good it would be to have a child with Willow, to how potentially bad it could be. They haven’t quite hit their two year anniversary yet. They’ve only just moved in together. And most of all, he’s worried how it might make Willow feel in terms of Wiley. Chase knows she wants more children down the line, and so does he, but that’s exactly it.

Down the line. 

“Hey, hey… it’s gonna be okay, alright? No matter what happens, it’s going to be okay.” Chase leans down to catch eye contact with her while he says that, wanting to ensure that Willow believes him. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay? We don’t know anything for sure yet.” But there is a way to find out. Chase wets his lips, his nerves already acting up. “Do you want me to go down to the pharmacy and get you a test?” 

Thank God she has realized this with him sitting right beside her.

If it had happened a few hours before she would have been a ball on the floor by the time he came home.  Instead Chase is right beside her, his touch grounding her and ensuring that she doesn’t go too far off the deep end.  She shifts her gaze so that she is looking directly at him.  “It’s going to be okay,” she forces herself to repeat. “No matter what.”  She shakes her head as if she is convincing herself of this.  

“I should...” She can’t expect him to do this.  She should be the one to get the test.  But she finds that she is too far caught in the memory of when she realized she was pregnant with Wiley.  The fear, the uncertainty --- her circumstances are completely different now but she can’t help but let those emotions tinge her view.  So she nods.  “Okay, okay.”  

She settles back on the couch, pulling her knees up so she can rest her chin on them.  “I am sorry, Chase.  You’re right.  We don’t know anything and if it turns out that I am, this is not like it was with Shiloh.  I’m safe.  If there is a baby, he or she will be safe too.”  She takes a deep breath.  “I am sorry that I am freaking out.  It’s just...a lot to take in.”

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase​:

under the weather

“That’s the plan,” he says with a grin. If it weren’t for Willow stopping him, he’d spoil her plenty more than this. Some days he even has to stop himself from going overboard, though the longer they are together, the lower the threshold he has on what he thinks is too much. He didn’t want to scare her away back then, but now that they have been together for going on two years now, he doesn’t even think twice about picking something up that he thinks she’ll like, or surprising her with dinner or dessert. 

They just fit so well together. He can already see the next fifty years of their lives together, and he doesn’t want anything else. “Hey, I’m not that bad! I’m tough. I can take it.” Chase grins at her, but that turns into more of a smile when Willow reassures him that she’s feeling better now than she was this morning. “Good, I’m glad. Just let me know if I can do anything for you, okay? I mean it.”

He can’t help but worry, especially when Willow suddenly looks like she’s just seen a ghost. Chase furrows his brow, parting his lips to speak, but she beats him to it. It takes a second for her words to actually sink in; for him to actually hear them. The thought processes backwards, if it processes at all. “Pregnant…?” 

He hates how stupid he sounds, like he doesn’t even know what the word means, so he quickly stumbles over his next thought. “Do you… do you think you could be? Are you late?” For now he sticks with the basics before getting all worked up over something that’s just a possibility. 

Now that the idea had bubbled up through her subconscious and she had said it aloud, Willow couldn’t stop thinking about it. Pregnant.  She could be pregnant.  She remained as she was, frozen in place as she played out the thought process.

She couldn’t help but compare it to Wiley.  She couldn’t help but think of how she had felt in those first few days before she had been sure.  Of course, those feelings had been mixed up with her fear of Shiloh and what he would do once he found out.  She had to separate them, to concentrate on the physical.  She remembered the tiredness.  The difference in her overall state from one moment to the next.  

Finally, she looked at him, sitting up fully so that she was straight and rigid on the couch.  She nodded her head at his question. “I never really thought about it until now,” she confessed.  She had been trying to adjust to how her life changed in the past little while.  She had lost her teaching job.  She had begun to work at the Bistro Cafe.  She had moved in with him.  It had been a lot at once and she had spent some time wrapping her head around it.  She hadn’t been paying attention.  Her hand came to cover her mouth.  “Oh...”

She was trying her best not to panic but it was coming anyway.  Just like the urge to throw up, she could feeling it moving through her.  Her hand slipped to her chest.  “We never talked about this.  We never thought about a moment like this....” She began, looking at him with impossibly wide eyes.  “What are we going to do?”

[misswillowtait]

under the weather

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase‌:

“Oooh. Well then let me tell you that your every wish is my command. How does a massage sound?” Never in a million years would Chase think that he would be so in love with someone. He didn’t know love like this existed, let alone that he would actually feel it one day. He wants to spend every waking moment with Willow. He’s never felt that with anyone else before.

He wants to make her happy. He wants her to feel safe, and comfortable, and relaxed. He wants to make her laugh, and see her smile. He’ll do anything to make all of that happen, from planning an entire weekend getaway just for them, to picking up some flowers for her on his way home from work. “Good thing I love cuddling with you, then,” he tells her with a big smile.

Chase can’t resist leaning over to give her a gentle kiss. Whether she’s sick or not, it doesn’t matter to him. “If I get sick, I get sick. Maybe we’ll both take a couple of sick days and spend them all on the couch. That doesn’t sound so bad.” Though he’d much rather they were “sick” days, and that neither of them were actually sick. He could use a good week with just the two of them.

He’d love to forget about the outside world and live in their own for a couple days. How could he not, with the way she grips into his shirt, and tells him that he’s all she needs. Funny how just those few little words can make his heart swell. “Well, lucky for you, I’m not going anywhere.” He says so with a smile, and presses a kiss to her cheek this time. “This weekend will be about just you and me.”

“You’re going to spoil me.”  Although a massage sounded appealing to tired muscles.  She wondered if the repetitive moments were getting to her or if she was just out of shape (it was hard to resist the sweets that Eden pumped out of her kitchen).  Either way, she was tired and achy and just a little bit worried that she was going to give him something. 

Even though he seemed perfectly okay with having it.  

Willow snorted a laugh at his declaration.  “Oh no no, I know what it is like when a man gets sick.  The dreaded man cold is real.  I love you but I love you even more when you are healthy,” she teased, giving him a poke in solid ab muscle.  She then sighed.  “I feel better now...it was mostly this morning...”

Suddenly it was like something in her brain clicked, perhaps as if pieces that had been jumbling around for the past few days finally fell into place.  She froze against him, her eyes going big and her fingers curling in his shirt.  She told herself that it wasn’t possible, that she was just overreacting. 

But what if she wasn’t?

Willow sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed for a second.  Then she was pulling away from him to sit up properly.  She looked at him, worried that she was going to change the trajectory of a lot of things by what she had to say next.  But she couldn’t very well ignore it.  “Chase...” she began quietly.  “...what if I am pregnant?”

[misswillowtait]

under the weather

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase‌:

Chase doesn’t know how she does it. That sweet innocent tone with those mischievous eyes. If she weren’t feeling tired right now, he’d follow that up with a bunch of kisses that would almost certainly lead to the bedroom. He grins instead, brows raised with interest. “Oh yeah? How many more points do I need?”

He couldn’t even begin to describe how much he loves the way things are between them. He loves their apartment, he loves their messy routine, he loves sharing a bed with her. He loves her. That love grows by the second, squeezing his heart when she talks to him like she is now. He rests his hands gently over her wrists and smiles.

He assists her shift in position, leaning back as she rests her head against his chest. The smile never leaves his face as he pushes more comfortably into the sofa, happy to sit like this for the rest of the night, if it’s what she wants. “I was thinking about you, too. Just wanting to come home to you all day, and get started on this weekend.” His breathing slows as he relaxes, and all of his issues as work melt away with Willow in his arms.

But he is a little worried when she mentions feeling nauseous. “Really? Are you feeling any better now?” He can’t help how his face scrunches in concern. “I can get you something, if you want. Ginger ale?”

Willow rested her chin on his chest so she could get a good look at him with that mischievous grin on his face.  She was such a sucker for him.  She couldn’t wrap her head around it properly.  When she fell for him, she fell hard.  She grinned back.  “Let’s just say that you’re getting close to the next reward level,” she teased. 

Then she was back to being comfortably sprawled out over him, grateful that he seems content to be her pillow for now.  She told herself that she would not fall asleep, that even though she was currently tired she could fight it long enough to make sure they got a moment like this.  They deserved one every day.  A chance to wind down, a chance to just be comfortable and in love with one another.

Despite all the changes in their life, she would do her best to make it happen.

“I hope that your weekend plans involve a lot of the same,” she told him.  “Because right now, there is not a lot that could move me from this place.  A fire alarm maybe.  But that is it.  You just signed up for a lot of cuddling.” She thought about how she felt earlier in the day.  “Although, I don’t...well, I hope whatever it was that got me this morning is going to leave me be.  The last thing I want is to get you sick.”

She curled her fingers into his shirt to ensure that he stayed put.  “I don’t need anything else right now.  Just you.”

[misswillowtait]

under the weather

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase‌:

He grins, remembering the last conversation they had about handcuffs. How could he ever forget something like that? Instead of cuffing her when she extends her hands out, he takes one in his hands and gently presses a kiss against her wrist. “You’re never anything less than beautiful to me. Plus, I love your bedhead.” He gets a smile out of it some mornings, when it sticks up in cute ways. Besides, Chase isn’t one of those dumb guys who gets grossed out if his girl doesn’t shave for a week, or is lounging in stained pajamas.

If anything, it just makes him happy that they have grown so close since they first started dating. Three more months and they will hit their one year anniversary. He really needs to get something planned for that. “It was a busy day at the station, but luckily for me, I didn’t take anymore accidental punches. I just had to deal with couple of attorneys in over their heads trying to get in my face.” He shakes his head, but shrugs it off. Chase likes to leave work at work and focus on them when they’re at home.

“We all deserve a lazy day. Plus, it’s Friday. You’ve been working all week. You’re allowed to be a little tired.” He reaches over to tuck some hair behind her ear. It’s impossible not to take in her beauty every time he looks at her. “But don’t you worry. I’ve got no plans to take you off this couch anytime soon. We can be lazy together.” That sounds nice after a day like today.

Willow couldn’t help but melt when he pressed a kiss to her skin.  He was so good to her.  So kind and loving.  She felt lucky to have him in her life, especially since her taste men before him had been...well, she wasn’t going to dwell on that.  She was going to take all the love Chase gave her and send it right back to him.  “You get points for saying that,” she told him.  “And add enough of those up and I’ll...” She shrugged her shoulders, trying to act innocent but there was a twinkle in her eye that told him what she was thinking was anything but.

She couldn’t do what he did.  He faced so many different challenges in the run of the day.  Not to mention he had probably seen things that would give her nightmares. “I’m so proud of you,” she told him truthfully, reaching out to touch the side of his face.   

With him declaring that they were going to continue being lazy, she decided a change in position was needed.  She swung her legs around so that they were on the other side.  Then she moved to rest her head on his chest.  “This is what I needed.  Seriously.  All day, I was thinking about just this moment.  Which was very helpful because I don’t know what Eden put in the soup today it nearly turned my stomach.  Nothing against her cooking because it sold out but...” She stuck her tongue out.  

[misswillowtait]

under the weather

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase‌:

As much as Chase loves his job, he can’t deny that it can be wearing some days. He went in early today in the hopes of getting off early, mostly because he wants as long of a weekend with Willow as possible. Unfortunately for him, the morning turned out to be pure chaos down at the station. Suspects were pulled in and out for questioning, a handful were kept in the cells for holding, and he’s been irritated by half-rate attorneys all day.

It’s a godsend when three o’clock rolls around, and he can finally head home. He checks in with commissioner one last time, but then he’s out the door, excited to get home and see Willow. It’s the only thing that could put a smile on his face after a day like today, and that smile grows about three times wider when he steps into their apartment and finds her snuggled up under some blankets on the couch.

“Miss Tait? I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to put you under arrest.” He closes the door behind him, tosses his keys on the table, and shrugs out of his jacket. “On the grounds of being just too damn beautiful.” It’s a cheesy line, sure, but he’s never denied being cheesy. He joins her on the couch, getting close and letting Willow stretch out her legs over his lap.

“Long day, yeah. But it’s looking pretty good now.” He leans over to give her a quick kiss on the lips. “How was your day? You feeling okay?”

“Arrest me.  I won’t put up much of a fight.”  She threw her hands out in case he wanted to cuff her and then giggled as she flopped back on the couch.  “Although I am not sure you know what you are talking about with those charges --- my hair is a mess and I am pretty sure I still have some of today’s soup on the hem of my shirt.”  She felt embarrassed that she hadn’t bothered to even change before he got home.  She guessed that was one of the by products of living together. You just get comfortable with one another.  Thankfully he seemed cool with that.

Willow stretched her legs over his lap and propped herself on her elbows to give him a kiss.  She hummed in appreciation, glad that they were now home together.  “Hopefully you didn’t run yourself ragged.  Or accidentally get punched in the face again.”  He had carried a shiner previously but hey, it was a good look for him.  

“I am just tired that’s all.  I really have no right to be.  I mean, I was on my feet this morning a lot but working at the Bistro is not intensive labor.”  She thought back to the night before and made a face.  “I slept good last night too.  Maybe I am just being lazy today.  Either way, I hope you don’t expect me to get off this couch any time soon.”

[misswillowtait]

under the weather

Willow was far too tired at the moment.  She lay on the couch, practically snuggled under a blanket even thought it was mid afternoon.  She wondered if she had been working too much lately.  When the Bistro started, it was usually just she and Eden but now that the place was getting traction, she felt like she was getting run off her feat.  Thankfully, Eden was searching for more staff.  Hopefully, things would level out.  

(but this felt more than just a long shift) 

She shifted slightly so that her face was pressed into the pillow.  She could hear the sound of keys in the door and knew that it was Chase.  There was a smile on her face when the door opened.  “Detective Chase,” she began.  “I swear I had nothing to do with it.”  Then she laughed.  

She moved again, pulling her legs up in case he wanted to join her in her bout of laziness.  “Long day?” She asked, understanding the feeling all too well (although their cases couldn’t be more different).  “Despite that, you’ll looking damn good.”

[misswillowtait]

moving day

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase‌:

Not only is Willow’s interest with handcuffs in the bedroom intriguing on many levels, but it means something more to Chase outside of the obvious. He is well aware of what Willow went through with Shiloh. She was practically handed over to him on a silver platter, just a girl who had barely passed the threshold of adult. She was manipulated, used, and taken advantage of. Chase wouldn’t blame her if she never trusted any man again when it came to the intimacy of the bedroom, but knowing that Willow trusts him even with something like handcuffs is… incredible. It must mean he’s doing something right.

All Chase ever wants Willow to feel is safe, comfortable, and loved. And all those other good things that come with being in a serious relationship like theirs. “Really,” he nods, grinning unabashedly. “In fact… I think I know exactly where they are.” He tries to keep his attention on finishing his dinner, but Willow isn’t making it easy. Chase reminds himself that not only does he not want to be overly full, but if they spend the next few hours unpacking… or tangled in sheets… they will have likely worked up their appetite again.

So he eats just enough to feel satisfied, with plenty of leftovers for later tonight or even tomorrow. He finishes off his second glass of wine as well, but his attention is stuck on Willow when she agrees with his notion of a work out. She doesn’t have to do a damn thing to make him look at her like she’s hung all the stars in the sky. Chase is pretty certain that he’s always looking at her like that. “I guess my brother didn’t get all the brains, huh?” He doesn’t stay seated for long, getting up and moving over to her spot across the table. Chase scoops her up in his arms, grinning all the while as he brings her toward the bedroom. “I think those boxes can wait. Don’t you?”

What was that saying?

In for a penny, in for a pound...

At first she thought it was strange how easily she had wandered down this path.  It was so far from what she considered her comfort zone that she wondered what even possessed her.  But then she realized it: trust possessed her, love possessed her.  She could be with Chase and feel comfortable and safe.  She could let go of those parts of her past that might scare her off from an intimate relationship.  

He had done that for her. 

Willow loved him even more than she did moments before.  He might not realize it yet but she would make sure he understood as the days, weeks, months and years went by.  Her life had been such a mess in so many ways but now she could see the path in front of her clearly.  She might not be teaching at the moment but that would come.  For now, she would wait tables and make this place a home for the both of them. 

With the food and wine all but forgotten, she found herself focused solely on him.  A grin spreads across her face as he points out that Finn is not the only smart one in the family.  “Lucky me,” she began, her words tumbling into laughter when he scooped her up.  She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, content to pick right up where they left off not that long ago.  She didn’t even think of the boxes.  She could only focus on him.  It wasn’t long before her mouth was seeking his. 

She was sure that they could face this new chapter of their life together.

Thread Complete.

[misswillowtait]

moving day

[misswillowtait]

thrillcfthechase‌:

“I’m counting on it.” Chase isn’t in any rush to do anything now that Willow is officially moved in. They have all the time in the world to put her things away, just like they have all the time in the world to fall into bed together and forget about the rest of their responsibilities. He can’t put into words how good it feels to have made this step in their relationship.

There will be adjustments to make and he’s sure that he’ll be learning more and more about Willow everyday, but that isn’t daunting, it’s exciting. He wants to know what chores she hates doing so he can pick up the slack, and learn what her home habits are. He wants to know everything, and lucky for him, he’s learning new things about her already. His brows raise in surprise and intrigue at her implication. “Miss Tait! Handcuffs?” He’s all too happy to tease her. “You know… I might have a pair around here somewhere.” The way her cheeks flush make him grin and fall in love with her even more.

The way she brushes up against his leg makes him want to disregard their dinner entirely and get back to finishing what they started, but he keeps holding out. For now. She’s definitely making it a challenge, that’s for sure. “Oh, yeah. I insist. After all this pasta and wine, we’re going to need a work out.” Even though he’s dying to pick her up and toss her down on the bed, Chase reminds himself that the night is still young. “We got the whole night ahead of us.”

She couldn’t help but picture many more days just like this.  The two of them at the table, a meal spread out before them ---- just enjoying one another’s company.  His line of work was not easy.  He saw things on a regular basis that had to eat away at him.  She knew she would do her best to make their home a place where he could get away from all that.  It would probably still be there at the back of his mind (just like she used to carry some of her days at school) but within the walls of this apartment, she hoped that he felt he could just relax.  

Or...do other things. 

Willow was well aware of the mood that was circling the two of them.  She hadn’t helped matters along (not that she wanted to) with her handcuff comment.  She watched him closely as her words hit him, a smile playing on her lips despite her embarrassment.  “--- really?” She asked, sounding more intrigued than in control.  She might have to dig around one of these days and see if she could find them.  It was so strange --- how easily she could trust him with her body when a few years ago she was ready to be so closed off.  Chase had pulled her out of that and given her more than enough reason to trust him --- which she did, with every part of her: body, mind and heart. 

Now that her hunger had been sated, she realized she was entirely focused on him.  Not the many boxes that surrounded them.  Like he said, they had all night.  Who said they had to unpack everything all at once?  If they were good navigating a path from their bed to the door for a day or two longer than originally planned, then there was no reason that whatever they had started before the food had started couldn’t be finished (and maybe restarted a time or two more).  She grinned.  “You’re right.  We have to make sure we stay in good shape.  A work out it is.”  She downed some more of her wine, grinning over the glass at him. “You’re so smart, Detective Chase.”