Late nights? { Cass

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji nodded and said, "i will be there. The only time i may not be around as much as i would like... is if the guys decide to go for a world wide tour. but even then, i will find my way back to you and the baby. If not every day, then most days. That i promise you. I really want to be in the baby's life. " It still felt odd to be talking about the baby. But that was only because it seemed impossible to him only hours earlier.

Benji let out a small laugh and said, "Me... focus? i guess i can try. But then that would mean Jay would have to cut some practice time to let me fully catch up on all the work that i have been missing. Which i am sure he would since he is always talking about how we all must get all E's or O's and not to settle for A's. " He thought it was funny in a way that if they actually got those grades, they could be doing anything in the world but yet they choose to be Entertainers as their main job.

Benji placed his head on her shoulder lightly as he listened to her. He could feel her rubbing gently on his arm and that calmed him down even more. "i think there is a high chance that he does indeed know how much you mean to me. which is why i am shocked he hasn't used you against me yet. " He said in a soft tone. "hopefully you are right. If we're not alright... i will make sure we are."

[CASSIOPEIA _____]

Cass knew that such a tour as he spoke of was inevitable. They were good and someone was going to sign them, and they'd be amazing. Still that would mean a good deal of seperation. She was almost tempted to say that she and the baby would come with him but that might add more stress to him which she didn't want to do. "Well you are it's father. If it's a boy you are the one who gets to be responsible for giving him the talk that might prevent this from happening to him." She laughed lightly after that.

"Well Jamie knows about the baby but the rest of them do not. This is some heavy news, I do know that." She could not help but feel that if she still had parents that they would have killed her, then again they had already tried that. Well that was her father after all, her mother had been dead for a long time now.

She leaned her head against his and then moved a little. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She was worried about what that hunter might do, what threat he poised to their unborn child. She turned her head and kissed him tenderly on the forehead. "You are so good to me."

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji laughed and teased "on second thought... if such a tour should happen... you and the baby should come..." Well he meant that. Because he would feel better with them with him, than alone. "or i should say, i would love it if you and our baby come if the tour happens" He ended that with a bright grin of his.

He smirked and said, "not a problem. I will tell the baby, that they always should use protection... unless they want to have a kid. Mind you it would have to wait until the baby is old enough to understand me... and hopefully he or she won't think we are being major hypocrites in saying that" Even though in a way they were. but it was one of those things that parents should tell their kids. He was sure that his parents would of told him the same thing... if they weren't murdered before time had come to be given the 'talk'

Benji nodded in understanding. "so that what you guys were talking about before i came down?" he asked curiously. Then he said, "oh boy... i can only imagine the guys and the girls all lining up to spoil the baby when it's born" He laughed lightly. He knew oh too well how the guys were with kids. He had seen it in action with Benny and Jay with Madee.

He hugged her gently and muttered softly, "well i try to be good to you"It was amazing in his opinion, how much he had changed recently.How much of an effect she had on him. He made a blanket drape over them, in case she got cold.

[CASSIOPEIA _____]

Cass had considered this herself but now she furrowed her brow in concern. "Oh I don't know, that would be really hard to have a baby on tour. I'm worried that it'll cry all night and keep all of you up and you can't very wel play if you are exhausted. That would not be good for anyone." That was true, she didn't want to irritate the guys. Also she was not sure how much they should takl about the baby because she felt weird calling the baby It.

Cass rolled her eyes but smiled. "I don't mean now, I mean later. That is your job later if.." She paused for a moment. "If you are still around, whether or not we are still together it's still our child, 50/50." She nodded after she said that. This was going to be hard, harder than anything else they had faced yet. She had faith they'd do well but she was being realistic.

Cass nodded. She had spoked to to Jamie first because she had been so frightened. He was a good friend after all. "Do you think they'll spoil the baby?" She liked the idea of that, it made her feel much better. She eased herself into his lap and wrapped her arms around him in return. "I'm alive because of you Benji." She kissed him on the cheek.

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji chuckled and said, "ah don't worry about it... I could give the guys ear plugs... although they don't sleep much at night anyways.... they prefer to sleep in the mornings... poor guys... " He laughed as he thought about the guys. "if you guys came, we , as in you and i could take turns checking up on the baby..." He would definitely do his fair share of watching the baby.

He laughed and said, "i knew what you meant. and the only way i won't still be around is if i am dead and gone. I will always find a way. " He stuck out his tongue. He nodded and said, "agreed. although it would be easier if we were still together, and i would be a hell of alot happier. since i am most always happier with you."

Benji nodded and said in a dramatic way, "i wonder who would spoil the kid more... us or the others? I mean just look at Benny and Jay with Madee..." He laughed lightly. Then he blushed lightly at the fact that she was alive thanks to him. "i guess love does conquer all... " was all he could say about that subject.

[CASSIOPEIA _____]

Cass nodded at him. "Well still babies have odd hours. And plut you should not have to deal with that while you are on the road. If we come with you then I'll look after it. After all you'll be performing and I won't be doing anything. Still you can have as much time with it as you want, but I'll get up in the middle of the night. Oh wait, no I can't go. I'll probably have work, I just can't pick up and go, we'll need money." That was true enough.

"I know this is hard to say and think about, but it might be too stressful on us. We're both really young still, it might be too much for us." It was true, things like this did rip couples apart especially when they were unprepared. She was counting on the fact that this was another struggle they could overcome. "I mean, honestly, I don't know if we're ready to be parents, I don't know if we are capable." After all what did they know about good parents. His parents were dead, her mother was dead and her father had let the rest of the family almost kill her.

Cass thought for a moment. "Well, if we keep it I would say that we would definitely cuddle it more, bt the others might spoil it more. Who knows it might even loosen up Jerad." Cass rested her head on his shoulder.

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji sighed lightly, she had a very good point. But it still didn't stop him from pouting slightly when she said that she couldn't go because because of work. That was slightly disappointing. oh well. He could get over that, couldn't he?He could still find a way to be around, he was sure of it.

"it might be... true, but we never know unless we try? I think we can overcome this. I mean if we could overcome your death, i think we can handle just about anything. but that is just my honest opinion."said Benji quietly. "you just got to have faith. I have faith in you... i think you will be a brilliant mother. more so than some around this school." He wasn't just saying that. He could feel it inside that she would be great.

"yeah i think we probably will cuddle it more. and yeah the others probably spoil the babe even if we tell them not to. And Jerad is just in his own little world... He is trying to fight the arranged marriage, but he ends up falling for her... and he is upset that she isn't around more at the shows and practices... yeah... i have to hear him moaning about it " He rolled his eyes playfully. He didn't not catch her phrase that she said earlier. about 'if they were to keep it' but he didn't mention it.

[CASSIOPEIA _____]

Cass saw the look on his face and sighed herself. "Someone is going to need to make money. I'd love to come with you but babe, I don't think we'll have the money for that." If there had been no future baby in a picture she would have happily gone with him and lived out of trash cans. Still that would be impossible, probably. There was still one point left unaddressed.

Cass nodded for a moment. She was not sure what to say. Her death was actually easy for her once she let go. She Had not had to face loosing someone, she was unconcious for most of it as well by the end. Still he pain had been completely agonizing, but pain was pain, it passed. "I still just don't know. I know you'd make a good father, the best, but still..." She was not sure, that was clear enough.

Then she smiled thinking about it, thinking about that baby and them as a family. It seemed too good to be true, it was too good to be true. She shook her head then. "Well we have to be realistic. We can't talk like this, I mean I don't even know if It can be done. I don't know if we should keep this baby."

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji sighed and said, "you do make a good point... but then again, we do have enough to go wandering around on tour... if we use some of the money my parents left me. i do have quite a sizable amount, but i rarely use it. The only thing i have used it on is instruments and to help pay for the place that me and the guys share. " His family was rich but they only were rich due to the many years of saving money. "i mean we could always use that" He shrugged.

He tilted his head in a confused way. "if we shouldn't talk like there is a chance for us to actually have a happy family... how should we talk? i mean i would love it if we were a family sometime. I mean sure i am scared... about it all. I mean sure, i never expected this, how could we have expected it? but... there is just something about it... i can't really describe it. " He couldn't find the right words to say how he felt about it. But there was a feeling there that everything will work out in the end. Sure there may be troubles ahead, but he faced much worse.

"sure realistically speaking, it will be tough, and i quote you on this.. 'if we keep it' , but perhaps... in the end... it would some how be worth it? I don't know. " He said musingly.

[CASSIOPEIA _____]

Cass shrugged a little. "That's your money, you should probably save it. I mean just in case. Who knows how big the band will be by then? Who knows what job I'll have. It is goign to be a struggle to find something that lets me bring the baby. Oh gosh, I'm going to have a baby, it just keeps hitting me over and ovr again. I can't comprehend it, it still does not seem real to me.

Then her voice raised in a bit of hysteria. "Benji, what do we know about happy families? Nothing! We dont' know anything! Your parents are dead, my mother is dead and my father set up my murder. I know the band is like family but that isn't what I mean. I mean family as in we are going to have to take care of this baby, and raise it, and teach it, and we will have to be parents. I'm not scared, I'm terrified. I don't want what happened to us to happen to it. I want so much more for it and I don't know if I have that to give." Her eyes were teary but she was refusing to cry.

"I just... should we keep it or not?"

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji sighed and said, "i can live by meager means. And besides i have enough for to last me a lifetime, even if the band goes no where, which i highly doubt... because i heard people, who i know for a fact wasn't in the audience raving about the band, i do mean Muggles... i honestly don't know how they found out, but i was wandering about in a muggle town and i almost got mobbed. " He sighed gently. Someone must have found a way to show the muggles it, but how. It scared him slightly that they were known outside of the wizarding world.

"but you do make a good point.. what are you going to do for a job." He asked after shaking that memory away. "too surreal isn't it? "He asked with a half smile about the baby. some would say it is a nightmare and some would say it was a dream... he just would say that it is life.

He flinched when she asked what did they know about happy families. well to be fair he knew happy family, but his parents died. He didn't like to be reminded of that fact. "perhaps we don't know anything about happy families. but who says that just because we had a terrible childhood, that we can't overcome that and give the kid a good home with us? " then he glanced at her and said, "but they are like family, like a real family, since Jay and Benny took me into their extended family when my parents died. "

He knew what she meant It would not be a cake walk by any means. It would be difficult, especially with them young themselves. He held her hands inside of his as he tried to say what he thought. "i know what you mean and yes it is terrifying and it probably be the hardest thing we ever do... but i feel like we can do this. We can make sure our kid can learn. We can take care of it.We can be better parents than our parents ever were. If we try. I am willing to try. Are you?" That was his way of saying he thought that they should keep it. He just simply nodded and said, "yeah. we should ... keep it." He actually wanted to keep it. Which was surprising.

[CASSIOPEIA _____]

Cass moved a hand and squeezed his. "You should not have to do that though. You should not have to scrape to get by and that is why I am leaving school, so I can get a job and no one will have to. However that is great about you guys gaining a new fan base, I think that could really do you well. I mean fans are fans, wizard or not."

"I am not sure where I am going to work yet but I'll find something, even if its a muggle job. I'm sure someone will be hirn in Hogsmeade, I mean it won't be a high level job. In fact it might even be a collection of odd jobs as I dont expect anyone to hire me on for much as I'll be pretty out of commission in eight months or so." She noted the flinch when she spoke and immediately she responded with aoforting touch of his cheek. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I should not have brought that up. You know I didn't mean it like that."

Then she felt silent given the information at hand. She did not have that attackment. She had been friendly enough with them but she had never had that experience. Her family, while they had been present, had been cold. She had never experienced that sor a familial love except maybe a little when it came to scorp. It as a strange to her when they were so warm.

She was silent once again, looking at cold fireplace. "I want to keep our baby."

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji smirked and said, "i just meant that i naturally don't spend much on stuff. I think the only thing i really splurged on was helping the guys decorate the place to make it really seem like the lost boys den in Peter Pan. and of course the instruments. " He laughed lightly at that. then he said, "of course a fan base is a fan base, no matter their abilities... but i am trying to figure out how a vid stream of the battle was leaked to the muggles.not that it is bad that it happened..."

He listened to her quietly. Even though he would rather her come with him during any sort of out of area tour... he respected her idea of finding a job. "i ought to wish you good luck on that search. I mean Krispin is always looking for new people to help out. " He shrugged after giving her that nugget of information.He smiled gently and said "i knew that. " He then smiled even more at her last statement.

[CASSIOPEIA _____]

Cass was already brainstorming ways to cut costs as much as she could. Naturally she would not be drinking, so she would not be buying alcohol. There were other things that she didn't need. She could do with sparing that stuff. She could just work for a while first. That way she could hopefully afford all that the baby needed and also she could afford the medical bills. Then again she could always have the baby outside of the hospital. She would have to see how things went.

She nodded slowly. Did she really want to work? No, she'd rather finish her education but sacrifices would have to be made. Maybe Krispin would hire her but he'd probably do it as a favor, and she didn't want that. She had pride still, that she could not shake. She put a hand on her stomach again and tried to give him a smile. "Just warning you though, I'm going to get fat, sort of."

[BENJAMIN MONROE JENNINGS]

Benji had stifled a yawn. He was slightly tired but he tried to hide it. He gave her a kiss on her cheek and said, "no matter how... fat you think you are going to get, you will always be beautiful to me, honestly." He meant it because he always thought she was beautiful.

All other deep thinking was out of the question before a long nights sleep. He was not in the right mind to think of anymore major decisions. Especially because the shock of her pregnancy was still over him. He never thought it was possible, to have a happy family... but it seemed like he was going to have that thought proven wrong or was he... he didn't know.