Plan B(aby)

1.

              BRIELLA CARTER 

I rolled out of bed this morning into an automatic frenzy. My bed was empty and my home was eerily quiet.

I caught my breath before standing, dashing into the bathroom and quickly doing my business. I looked around my room, noticing something missing. 

"Nik! Did you turn off my monitor again?" I cry out, not hearing the usual static that I would hear at this time in the morning. Instead, it was silent. 

I didn't like this type of silent. 

"Nikolas!" I yell, pushing open the next bedroom door. Nik's room looks how it usually looks. The room was completely straight asides from his tangled bed sheets. My monitor sat on his nightstand, turned on and the bottle was in his bed along with a blanket.

"I'm going to kill him." I say, checking to see if his car keys were on his door. The lanyard that held his keys were hanging from the knob so he was in the house; just ignoring me. 

I enter the next room, which was a mess. The rocking chair that sat in the corner was moved slightly forward. The bed was empty but you could tell that someone was in it last night. One of the other monitors sat on the shelf on the wall. The blanket was thrown over the side. 

This was not how I left the room at all last night. 

Where were they?

"Nikolas, I'm going to kill you." I mumble, stumbling down the stairs of our home. 

The TV was on and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was playing. There were assorted toys on the ground, along with the tummy time blanket. 

I sigh in relief when I hear soft murmuring. 

Nik is within my eyesight as I enter the kitchen. 

"Look who's finally awake," he whispers to my child while pushing two bagels into the toaster. In one hand is my child and the other was being used to cook. 

"Why was my monitor in your room?" I automatically question, feeling my heart begin to slow down now that I knew they were safe. 

"Calm down. I took it because I was going to be up all night anyways so there was no reason for you to have to wake up when I could have. Besides, I didn't even need it. We stayed up all night. I gotta say, this kid right here is the best person to stay up with. Didn't even cry at all and just danced around with me." Nikolas said, turning around and walking towards the fridge. He pulls out cream cheese before going back to work. 

"Oh. I guess that makes me feel better." I sigh, grabbing a apple juice container. 

"It should. Now, regular cream cheese or strawberry." Nik asks while my baby gurgles in his hands. 

"You know I only like regular." I smile, pulling out a bowl and two plates for our food. "I thought oh would broaden your taste by now." He replies before flashing me one of those famous Nikolas smiles.

This was my best friend, Nikolas Amir Ellison.

We met our second year of middle school and had been best friends ever since. Actually, we met way before then but he had already developed his reputation. He was a trouble student and the only thing that made it worst was that he was a beautiful genius. 

We both were in a special program for 'gifted' students. Imagine my face when I'm paired up with the infamous Nikolas Ellison. Of course, he just flipped his black hair and slid into the seat next to me. 

The two of us would bicker every single class until we got moved away — that was only when we realized just how much we liked each other. Of course, it was a petty feeling and we were both aware of the others feelings. We just became best friends and did everything together. 

We would hang out all the time, eventually have joint birthday parties, sign up for all the same classes, and I even became a basketball and track manager just to support him. 

That was until he left on his — our — 18th birthday. Nikolas went to travel the world with his mother. They had only just came back a few days before our 22nd birthday. 

The night we were supposed to reunite — the night Sebastian was made — he ended up meeting at one of the many other clubs that shared that name. He had tried to text me, multiple times actually, but I was too preoccupied to answer. 

If you know what I mean. 

Anyways, Nikolas and I met up the next day, where he surprised me at my apartment before dragging me out of bed to where we both live together now. 

We were always there for each other.

He stayed with me throughout my whole pregnancy, where he thought I used a sperm donor. I felt — feel bad for lying to him. I really do. Whenever we talk about me being pregnant, I automatically feel guilty. He was there when I found out that I was, indeed, pregnant. He was there when I found out I was having a boy. He was there that night I couldn't sleep and we stayed up all night deciding on baby names. He was there when I woke up and thought I peed the bed - when I really had just went into labor. He carried my huge elephant ass down the stairs and into his car before grabbing the baby bag we packed. He drove me to the hospital, called my Mom and held my hand while I pushed Sebastian Michael Carter out. 

He was born on October 30th. He was 6 pounds and 4 ounces which is crazy small compared to the chubby little boy that is in my hands today. 

Sometimes Nikolas even jokes that Sebastian is his son, referring to when he got wild at a sperm donor bank one time. He actually had all of his sperm pulled though. He didn't want any kids out there that he did not know about. 

To this day, nobody knows about what happened that night between that stranger and I. I couldn't be more happier. He kept his promise, giving me a baby and mind blowing s*x.

I couldn't be anymore grateful for what happened that night.

"Oh, I made smoothies." Nikolas says, pointing at the blender. I eye the apple juice that I took out and already had began sipping. He couldn't tell me that before?

"I slept through that?" I question. 

"You were exhausted after all that exercise last night," he winks, picking Benjamin up off the floor and putting him in the high chair. 

"Shut up and pass me a bagel." I say. 

"Take your son." He says, passing him to me. He has a blue pacifier in his mouth while he reached for Benjamin. Nikolas turns, quickly chucking the teddy bear our way. 

"What if that hit him?" 

"It's a teddy bear, Mama Bear. Calm down." He says, placing my cup in front of me. 

"Say Mama," I coax, bringing the straw near his mouth. He looks at me with a smile, three teeth in his mouth as he looks at me. I repeat my words and he just laughs openly. 

"Sebastian, you don't have to say anything you don't want to say. Now, say Nik." He coaxs, leaving Sebastian to just laugh at the both of us. He reaches forward for the straw of my drink, wanting to drink some of the cold smoothie. 

I grant him his wish, rolling my eyes at my greedy boy. He sips with a smile before pulling away. 

Nikolas stood tall at a whopping six - foot - three, which was shorter than both his male siblings. His father is very tall. Actually, I think his mother is tall as well. She's about five - foot - ten while his father is six - foot - eight. 

Yeah, I know. 

You don't even have to say it. 

He had jet black curly hair, taking after his very beautiful mother in almost every way. His deep brown eyes just screamed trouble and mischief. He was the Loki of humans. His strong jawline and daring smile had almost any girls panties wet in seconds. He was the personified version of panty dropper. 

He was absolutely beautiful. He knew it. I knew it. Hell, Sebastian knew it. I always tell him he should be a model, but he wants to go to school to be a lawyer. 

He doesn't actually want to be a lawyer. He just wants to be able to say he went to law school. Again, he was a f*****g genius. It was unreal sometimes. 

Usually you would imagine the bad boys to be the ones needing tutoring but no, Nikolas Ellison was the tutor. 

"Ava wants to come over sometime this week and bring Melody." He announces, grabbing something out of the cabinet .

"Will Chris be here?" I ask, 

"What do you think? He only has work like.. always." He jokes on his brother-in-law. 

"He has to bring home the bacon somehow. Not everybody can just have money coming out of their ears." I mock him and his wealth status, causing him to flip me off. Both of his parents were like big shot lawyers or neurosurgeons. 

Can you say bag secured?

"Sebastian is ten months today. How are we going to celebrate? Perhaps a trip to the couch and catch up on some Originals? I wonder who is trying to defeat Klaus Mikaelson — and fail — once again. Oh, maybe we should go to the toy store and get my nephew new toys. My paycheck just came in. No, better yet, we should go to the club!" He boasts, sliding a cup in front of Sebastian. 

"How about you start making the guest list for his first birthday?" I suggest, looking at my son's unruly hair. His black curls were long and made him look like a girl unless they were braided. He peaked through his long eyelashes to eye the cup Nik sat in front of him. 

"I don't understand that. He absolutely will not remember his first birthday so what exactly is the point of celebrating it?" 

"So I can take pictures of my son eating a cake." I say. Wasn't that obvious? 

"We do that every Friday. Together. As a family. So why don't we just do it like usual?" he groans. 

Nik wasn't really a party person. After his father ruined our 16th birthday party, he wasn't interested. Now, he'll go to a club but an organized birthday party? He couldn't. 

"Because we always do that. I just want a birthday party. Then, he won't even have to have another until he's five years old." I attempt to compromise. Nik was the closest thing to a father figure Sebastian would get, so I liked him to have a input on decisions surrounding him.

"He could have a birthday bash. Get it? Because his nickname is Bash and — okay, yeah, I'll shut up." He says, flicking his brown eyes at me. 

Sebastian laughs, making me flash my eyes toward him. 

He was the most precious baby you could ever ask for. He didn't cry often and if he did cry, you could automatically tell why. It was either his pamper, he was hungry, or he wanted attention. 

Usually it was the last one. 

My little baby loved cuddling or just being around someone. He was really picky with who he was around though. He didn't like going to anyone except his mommy, his uncle Nik, or his uncle Marlon (my brother). On a good day, and I mean a really good day, he'd go to my mother or Ava. He adored hanging out with Melody, Ava's daughter and Nik's niece. 

His attitude varied on whether or not I was in the room. If I was in the room and a stranger grabbed him, he would cry as bad. If I wasn't and somebody he wasn't used to pick him up, you'd probably call the cops for a suspected homicide.

This boy had a set of lungs.

"I need to bring my wingman with me to the mall today. What do you say, Bash? Do you want to help Uncle Nik out?" He sings to Sebastian, playing with his chubby hands. He reaches over, biting into the bagel. 

"You don't even need help. You're a bad boy. They'll eat you up." I say, finishing my smoothie. The glint in his eyes appeared as he winked at me.

"I'm not a bad boy. I'm a good boy with devilish tendencies." He smirks, the mischief in his eyes obvious. 

Nikolas and I both knew that he was a bad boy. Whether he meant to be or not, he was. He'd been breaking girls heart since the sixth grade and going on to the next one without any regard. The only females I'd ever seen him truly care about was his mother, sister and I. 

He truly didn't ever mean to discard his flings the way he did, which is why he began keeping them down to a minimum. Now, he's finding a girl every first of a month just to see how long he can chase her until she tells him to f**k off or until she gives in. 

Usually, it's two weeks for a 'f**k off' or two days for a 'f**k me'.

I couldn't blame them. 

Nik and I are both comfortable enough in our relationship and sexuality that I can say this about him; Nikolas Amir Ellison was sexy. 

He knew it. He damn well knew it. He never had a 'ugly' phase. From the moment his mother pushed him out, he was beautiful. From the pictures, it continued that way until right now. He was obsessed on his look, always had been. He was on a strict exercise and diet regime. 

At least four bottles of water a hour, a smoothie every morning or night, one hour of exercise in the morning with another hour and a half during the night. He brushed his teeth and flossed every time he ate. 

He literally scrubbed his teeth. If you watched him brushing his teeth, you would have thought he was a rapid animal foaming at the mouth. Right before bed, he uses this homemade face mask. He made it, including all the ingredients that helped his skin. The main ingredient was the liquid from a Advil capsule. It worked like heavens on acne. 

"You think you have girls lining up to kiss your feet because you're a good boy? You just scream bad boy. The chick dig it. Did you not see how the ladies were looking at me when we were in the grocery store yesterday? They absolutely wanted to kill me." I say, standing with Sebastian in my arms and quickly transporting him to his high chair. I clipped him in, seeing him smile at me while I pour a couple of Gerber strawberry banana puffs onto his tray. 

"That's because you're f*****g beautiful. I'm beautiful. We're a power couple. They're just jealous." He remarks as if it was obvious before taking a long sip of his smoothie. I began doing the dishes while he wiped down the table and counters again.

This was a habit. 

We both hated doing dishes so we came to an agreement that we both help wash them, but try to us as minimal dishes in the first place. There was only three of us so it was quite easy. 

"They're definitely jealous of whatever girl you'll bring home tonight." I roll my eyes, telling him the obvious. He take the hair tie from around his wrist before tying his hair up. 

"I don't sleep with all of them. I've been celibate for—," he checks his imaginary watch— "for six months and a half."

"Who is—," I say, sitting back at the table. Sebastian warily lifts another puff to his mouth before allowing his saliva to make it dissolve. He's paying absolutely no mind to Nik and I's conversation. 

"Anyways! The girls think I'm Sebastian's dad and I don't know what it is about guys and babies to girls but they love it so I love it." Nikolas says, sitting down at the table that we both were previously sitting at. 

"Well, if you do find somebody you want to break your celibacy with, make sure my son comes home first." I say, stealing his smoothie from him and taking a quick sip from the rim. 

"Yeah, I know. He's in good hands. I've been doing this for ten months. Hey! Don't forget you have to go to Target today! Remember, you wanted those swimming trunks for Bash? They should be back in stock today." My best friend reminds me, snatching the smoothie back from me before looking back at Sebastian. 

He was picking up his last puff and smiling at it, as if it triggered a distance memory. 

"You gonna take him with you? I can watch him." 

"Nah, he needs the vitamin D. I'll take him with me." 

"So, you want to hit the pool later? Or do you think Ava and Melody should come to the pool with us later on in the week?"

"We can go later. I'm going to go to Target now thought before I forget." I say, picking Sebastian up. 

"Call me if you need me!"

•   •   •

I found exactly what I needed to get from Target in about ten minutes. Now, I was looking around for unnecessary stuff while Sebastian sat in the cart in front of me. He happily sucked on the pacifier while looking around at different things.

"Do you want a sun hat? Mommy is going to get you one anyways." I say to the baby who wasn't even paying any attention to me. I throw the blue hat into the cart since it matched his floats and trunks. 

"You can match Mommy and Uncle Nik." I say again, bending as I push the cart forward. Sebastian pulls his pacifier out of his mouth before offering it to me. I shake my head, sticking my tongue out. "No, thank you, baby." 

He results to throwing it onto the ground, making me quickly bend down to get it. When I look back at Bash, he's smiling and waving. 

Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.

I look over my shoulder, holding the cart steady while searching who he was waving at. "Who is it?" I question, even bough I know he can't talk. He bursts out in giggles before putting his hands up. Whoever he was looking at, he wanted them to pick him up. 

I look back again, seeing nobody that was looking our way. There was a young woman shopping with her — what I assume is — boyfriend, a teen and his mom, a guy that looks like he's a father of four four year olds, and us. 

Maybe it was a imaginary friend. I tell myself. 

He's too young for an imaginary friend. I remind myself. 

Imaginary friends usually appeared around age six or seven. Also common, they could start as early as two years old. 

Sebastian wasn't even one yet.

Who was waving at my child?

I steer the cart away, warily looking back over my shoulder as I drove straight to the register. Sebastian begins to cry, obviously not knowing why I took him from his little friend. 

"You want some?" I ask, instantly making him calm down to see what exactly he wanted some off. I give him a cookie out of the container I kept in his diaper bag for him. He accepted my offer, bringing it to his mouth. 

We make it to the car in one piece, Sebastian still chewing on a cookie while I pushed the cart. 

No more of his friends appeared in the seven minutes it took to for me to get done with checkout to here. 

I was paranoid. I don't know why. I just tended to be protective over Sebastian. Maybe a little too protective. Reality is, I didn't want anything to happen to my baby. If I could prevent him from feeling a ounce of sadness, I would. 

"Up!" I exclaimed, making my happy little baby put his hands up to be removed from the cart. He instantly hugs to my hip while I grab the bags to put in the car. After securing him into his car seat and throwing the bags into the passenger seat, I sit in my designated seat. 

From the rear view mirror, I can see the mirror that reflects Sebastian's face. He had his hand in his mouth while he attempted to swat at the hanging toys. 

"Ready?" I ask, even though I know he won't reply. 

Before I know it, I'm moving towards the exit. I stop momentarily when a white car begins to back out of their space. They let me go. 

When I was five years old, my mother took me to a target store. Surely it was not the first time I had been to one, but it was the first time I could ever recall seeing a pregnant woman. 

I remember as if it was yesterday. She walked past me, a girl that couldn't have been any older than I was holding her hand. 

Now, I had seen heavier people before but she wasn't just heavy. She was round. It was the perfect size round that had me asking questions. Innocent five year old me asked my mother what was wrong with the lady. All she responded was, "She's pregnant. One day, if all goes well, you'll be too. Or, you can adopt kids. That's okay too." 

I remember asking her what exactly being pregnant means, she replied: "It means you have a baby, or babies, growing inside of you. Just like I was pregnant with you and how I was pregnant with Marlon. After a couple of months, the baby will come out of you." 

I was the youngest child and my older brother, Marlon, was three years older than me. I was never there for anybody's pregnancy. I didn't know what it was like to be pregnant and I didn't know how people got pregnant until I was about seven years old. 

Marlon was in fifth grade and where I live, that's when you start taking s*x Ed. Of course, it's nothing graphic. When you're in fifth grade, they just inform you of your body and the opposite s*x body. They explain what a p***s is and what a v****a is and... yeah, you get it. 

I also assume that this is when Marlon got into pornographic videos. 

He just couldn't wait to get on the bus and tell me everything he learned that day. Marlon started by talking about how boys ejaculate and eject sperm. He told me about girls and their periods. But then he said something that peaked my mind. 

"When a boy and a girl have s*x, then she gets pregnant!" 

Instantly, I looked over at him while he rambled. At the time, I had no idea what s*x was. I just thought one you hit a certain age, if you wanted to be pregnant then bam! You were pregnant. 

"s*x?"

"Yeah, it's like when a guy takes his peen and puts it into the girl. They said it feels really good. Once he ejaculates into her, she has a baby in a couple months."  

As soon as I got home, I marched straight to my mom's room and demanded she told me all about it. 

And, she did. She told me about how you should only have s*x with people you trust, consent, and to never feel obligated to have it. This only peaked my interest until I got to high school and figured that my trust only ran so deep. I might never find anybody I trusted enough to give my body. 

I always wanted to have a baby. Now, I have one. 

He was in the backseat, gurgling as drool escaped from around his hand. 

When I had went into labor I didn't think I'd ever be so happy. In the matter of a few minutes, hours, I would be meeting the absolute love of my life. The person that I had worked so hard for these last few years. 

I had originally thought I peed the bed, so I went to go take a shower. It was about three am. Nikolas was knocking at my bathroom door, asking if anything was wrong when the first contraction hit. I let out some type of noise that made Nik kick my door down — it's fixed now. I was about to just sit down in the tub and have a home birth. 

Nikolas was not feeling that. He turned the shower off, pulling me into his arms while I pushed my shakily breaths out. I knew what was happening. Nik whispered nice things to me while he wrapped me in my bath robe. Moments later, I was sitting on my bed while he grabbed his small duffel bag, filling it with clothes for myself. He sling the baby bag we had prepared of his shoulders before slinging me up and carrying me down to the car. He stayed with me in the hospital room, holding my hand while my family made their way  towards me. 

Nik had the honors of cutting the umbilical cord. Nik took me home and from that day forward, he has helped me raise Sebastian. 

He got up in the middle of the night, mostly because he was already up, fed Sebastian (even went as far as to change him) before putting him back to sleep. 

I would forever be in Nikolas' debt. I love him so much for all that he's ever done for me. Regardless of if we fall out, he will always take up a good portion of my heart as my best friend. 

Period.

I check my rear view mirror, shifting into the next lane. There's a white car that looks almost identical to the one that let me go earlier in the parking lot.  

"Hey Siri, call Amir." I say. Instantly, the dial tone is heard throughout the car. I'm calm. I'm probably just being paranoid. There's no reason I would be being followed. 

"What it do, baby?" Nikolas laughs into his phone while I check my rear view mirror. The car is still in the previous lane. 

"I think I'm being followed." I rush out, turning the corner without putting my blinker on. 

"What? Why do you think that?" 

"This car that I saw at Target... it's still behind me. I'm almost home now. Should I come home? No." I ramble, answering my own question in the process. 

"Of course don't come home. I don't want them to kill me." 

"Amir, it's not funny I'm actually afraid." 

"Okay, sorry babe. Take four right turns. If they're still behind you by that time, then call the cops." 

"Nik..."

"Do you want me to meet you? I'm going to take an Uber to the liquor shop. Meet me over there and then I'll drive us." 

"Okay. How long?" 

"Maybe ten minutes. Just keep making turns. Go in a full circle if you have to." He suggests while I check my rear view mirror. Sebastian is slightly falling asleep, his eyes getting droopy. His hand is still in his mouth but he doesn't detect the panic that is beginning to set into my voice. 

"Can you stay on the line?" I ask as soon as I notice the car behind me once again. The windows are tinted so I can't see who is driving at all. 

"Of course. I think I'll just walk because that'll be faster. I need the exercise anyways. I'm literally slipping into my shoes right now. Okay, turning the alarm on and I am out the door. You still making those turns?"

"Yes. I'm by the grocery store now." I say, turning again. I check my rear view mirror. The car is trailing behind me slowly, allowing cars to get between us. 

Maybe I am paranoid. 

What exactly would I be getting followed for? 

I don't do anything. I'm not by any means famous. I don't talk to anybody enough to make enemies. 

I'm not getting followed. I'm just paranoid. 

"Calm down." Nik's voice floats through the air. 

"What?" I say, my movie sounding rather sharp. 

"You're breathing hard. Don't worry, I'm almost there. Do you hear that? You're making the fat boy breath hard." He jokes, even though his breath is perfectly normal. Mine is the one that's erratic. 

"Where are you exactly?"

"I am... at the Family Dollar. Make your way to the liquor store now." He says while I turn into the parking lot. I weave through the parking lot, seeing Nik in a pair of gym shorts and no shirt. His tattooed chest is on showcase while a pair of dark shades hide his eyes. 

I pull into the parking lot.

"Okay, when you get out, I'm going to kiss you and then I'm going to go to the front seat while you go to the passenger seat. Got it?" I nod although he can't see me. I open my door and close it, automatically looking it before running up to Nik. He wraps his arms around my waist before pressing a soft kiss to my lips and taking the keys from my hand before leading me to the passenger side. He unlocks my door, allowing me to slip in before he shuts it and jogs to the other side. 

He drives us around for the next three minutes. 

The white car is gone.