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“Umm… Hope?” Scott slowly closes the refrigerator. A pair of brown eyes lounge against his as she asks for something, the language is too hushed for his ears to pick up on the sentence, just nodding as he waits for his friend to jump in.
“Hi?” He whispers. “You can’t have any of this, sorry.” His ring finger, the same one that’s been scarce for years catches the light. He doesn’t know what it’s like to be in a relationship anymore, let alone one that produces a child.
“Hope!” His throat runs dry as the girl freezes, she’s just trying to get a snack, he thinks. Or to–how did she get in the house? Aren’t the locks fingerprinted? He couldn't even get into the fridge the first time, some revolutionary tech protected him from the fucking cheese.
“Loud.” Cassie shakes her head and covers her ears, a set of tears starts to fall down her set of pajamas, she has already been tucked away in bed. Hope claimed she had to take a long shower, he had some reservations when her hair wasn’t even damp by the time she returned.
“What?” She strolls down the stairs, trying to check her email in peace while Scott grabs another beer, two of them rest on top of the counter, getting washed away by the trail of tears Cassie’s producing. “Oh.”
“It’s so loud, Momma.” Her legs rush into Hope’s chest as she cradles her body into her legs, Scott doesn’t listen to the conversation, he’s too busy having his eyes almost fall out of place.
“It’s okay, bug.” She rubs circles on Cassie’s back as she moves the toddler onto her hips. “How did you get down here? I told you to only stay upstairs—“ She’s turning into Hank—the yelling for going away from her room during house calls, how Cassie’s crying gets harder against her shoulders as she cuts the venom off.
She won’t become him.
“Sorry. You okay? Nightmare?”
Her sobs signal that the answer is yes, another nightmare, the second one in a week. It’s always the same from the vague understanding Hope has. Cassie gets too choked up to go into full detail, her mother cuts her off before the monsters come back during the day.
“Mhmm…” She whispers. “And I couldn’t find you, Mommy! I look in your room and you weren’t up so I walked down the stairs. I was quiet. I held the railing, so I don’t fall. But I hear you down here so I came! It wasn’t you, Momma…”
“Right.” Hope grits her teeth. “This is Scott. Remember when I was telling you about my new friend?”
“The one you like?” The girl giggles as Scott’s eyes go down, he stares at the ground as the girl exchanges a laugh. He wants to chime in, already loving the little girl in Hope’s arms… her daughter, the one she’s yet to mention. By the looks of it, she doesn’t want him to know.
“No, silly.” She cuts her off. “The one—“ like.
“The one that—Scott.”
“Hi, Scott!” Cassie barely can pronounce his name correctly, it sounds more like sott when it wraps around her lips. “I’m!” The girl paused, whispering something to Hope. “Is it okay if I talk to him, Momma? I don’t know who he is.”
Stranger Danger. The topic Hope has instilled in her daughter since she was a baby, nobody touched her as an infant, she was too paranoid they wouldn’t return the girl when they went in for a hug. (And, she didn’t have anyone to hug her. It was just Hope. Hope and Cassie, against the world, against all odds.)
Hope has to laugh, and so does Scott out of the corner of her eyes, he’s grinning like an idiot as he waits to learn about the girl. His ears start to pick up on the topic, focusing on Cassie over Hope. “Yes, Cassie. It’s okay. I know Scott. You can talk to him.”
“I didn’t know. Just—“
“Making sure.” She gets an extra kiss on her hair as Hope finishes the sentence for her, “Thank you, baby. A very good job.”
“I’m Cassie!” She starts back up, turning her now rosy cheeks towards Scott as she moves around Hope’s arms, she doesn’t want to be let down, just needs to be closer to see her target. “I’m five!” Her fingers go up in time, only putting up four. Hope singles her pinky up as it adds up to the correct number. “My birthday was last week!”
Last week, the same week Hope mysteriously disappeared for a weekend and most of the weekdays. I have something to do, Scott. Sorry. We can train when I get back. It’s an empty threat, one that doesn’t even seem to bother him, he nods and agrees with ease. She has a life outside of this, he gets it.
“So, Mommy got me this cool new Barbie, and I gots to play with it all the time. And next month, I start Kindergarten. And I don’t get to see Momma as much.” Her face suddenly falls as Scott frowns at her. “Which makes me so sad. Cause I love my mommy.” Cassie puts her head back on Hope’s shoulder as she cries.
“Kindergarten.” Scott lights up like a fucking Christmas tree, stepping closer to Cassie. “That’s so cool. That means you’re really smart, Cassie.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. And you want to know something else?” He whispers, leaning in closer to the girl. He keeps his distance, just in case she doesn’t want it.
“Mhm. What, Mr. Scott? What??”
“Your Mommy is very smart.” He shifts his eyes onto Hope, never expecting the woman who barely could smile to have a kid, one that’s so full of life. Hope’s been holding back on Scott, leaving her walls up. Only a select few know about her existence, it means a lot once you know.
“I knew that, silly!” Cassie reaches her palms out against Scott’s shoulders, slightly grazing him in the chest.
“Baby.” Hope whispers. “No touching, okay? Scott might not like that. I’m sorry.” She turns to the man, he shakes his head as Cassie frowns.
“I wanna hug him, Momma. He’s so nice! You should date him.” There’s that famous smile behind her eyes as she talks. Cassie knows exactly what she’s doing.
Scott nearly chokes as he takes the worst moment to take a sip of his beer. He’s been giving her heart eyes for weeks, getting nothing but a scowl back.
“Cassie—“
She laughs, going in for a kiss towards Hope’s hair as she shouts her next regard. “He could be my Daddy.”
“No.” Hope shakes her head as Scott remains still, he doesn’t seem to mind the girl or her sudden affection towards him. He loves kids, especially when they are so full of life like Cassie. Everything is exciting to them, they don’t speak evil to anyone, the world is their best friend.
“You want to be my daddy, Scott?”
“Cassie, stop it. Scott—I don’t even know, Scott. You can’t just ask people things like that. He isn’t gonna be your dad.” Her tone comes off as hostile, she’s been trying to work on that, on not spewing her decades of guilt onto her baby.
“But, I’ve never met him!”
“You don’t want to, baby. Trust me.” Hope has a certain set of horror behind her cheeks as she shakes, trying to forget how his hands wrapped around her body, how Cassie was a complete accident, one that she tried to get rid of.
“I’m sorry.” Hope turns towards Scott as he smiles. “Someone needs to go back to bed. How about I check under the bed for monsters, okay?”
“I don’t like that bed, Momma. I want my princess one.”
“That’s at home, Cassie. I have to stay here for work, okay? Remember the deal?”
“I don’t wanna.”
“Cassie—“
“Mommy—“ Scott smiles as they argue, or don't. He doesn't think that it should be classified as that. It's amusing how Cassie is Hope's twin, having the same attitude as her mother. (And Hank, but he still gets some odd vibe from him, one that makes more sense when he realizes what he did to Hope as a kid.)
“Okay.” She sighs, giving up. “I will sleep in there tonight, but only if you go to bed now, okay? You’ll have Mr. Teddy, and penguin, and even your special blanky.”
“And Mommy.” Cassie murmurs.
“And me.”
“Not what I said.” Cassie sings.
“Cassie and Mommy.” Hope restates, getting a grin from the peanut gallery. “Better?”
“All better! Actually.” She taps her fingers against Hope’s mouth as she stares at Scott. Her little eyes should be harmless, but he’s practically sweating bullets as the girl stares at him. “He check for monsters, Momma.”
“Cass.” She cuts her off again. “Scott isn’t going to help. You don’t know him.”
“You said he was your friend.” She sobs. “Monsters are too scary for you, Mommy. He can get 'em.”
“I think the monsters are too scary for me, Cass. Mommy would be. Your mommy—“ He corrects, getting an intense eye roll from the woman he’s starting to love. “She’d be better at getting them, but I can look. We both can?”
“Good!” Cassie claps her fists together.
“Cassie.” Her head tilts towards her daughter. “What do we say to Scott?”
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, Cassie. I think I already like you more than Hope.”
“Who’s Hope?” Her brown hair turns towards Scott as he waits behind her on the stairs, leaving one step in between the pair.
“Me, Cassie. It’s my name.”
“Silly.” She says with full confidence. “That’s not your name, Momma. It’s Mommy!”
“See, Scott? Even my kid thinks you’re—“ full of shit.
“Amazing!” Cassie says.
“She is the opposite of you, Van Dyne.” He mocks as the door to the guest bedroom is opened, it’s the only room he’s not allowed in, and he knows why now. It’s across the hall from the room he’s staying in, he’s heard some odd noises in the night, not thinking much of it.
Barbie’s are sprawled across the floor as Hope’s high heels nearly smash one of them. Cassie yelps in her arms as Scott laughs behind her. “Don’t hurt em!” The girl declares.
Scott leans down to pick them up before Hope can kill the doll, he sets them on the table to his right, getting another bright smile from the girl.
“You alright, bug?” Hope sets the small frame into the twin bed, the same one that she secretly hates. It’s so bland in comparison to the one at her apartment—she got too caught up in her assignment for today, not having time to go home in between. Cassie doesn’t mind, all she wants is to be around Mommy, only when she’s happy.
The size of it is her main concern, Hope Van Dyne has slept on a twin-size mattress more times in the year than any period of her life, even when she was in college, having sex every weekend. She’s grown accustomed to the back pain that follows her in the morning, she’ll do anything to make Cassie happy.
Cassie yawns as she nods. Hope slips her hand around the covers as the girl stops her, shaking her head as she points towards the bed. “Monsters. You gotta get them, Momma.”
“I bet the monsters are scared of me, Cassie. They’ve already gone home to their Mommy’s to cry about how scary I am.” Her eyes move away from the darling girl as she gets on her knees, lying flat on the cold wooden tile as she looks under the bed.
Scott wraps an arm around her waist as he looks, moving closer. He waits for her to pull away, but it never comes. “You see any?” He asks.
“No.” Her eyes move onto his as she smiles. “I think you scared all of them away.”
“I did?”
“Yeah…”
“Well. I’m glad I didn’t scare you away.” He inches closer, smiling as he presses a chaste kiss against her lips, her eyes closed as she pulls him in, using her tongue to show her affection. He tastes like the shitty beer Hank buys, she doesn’t seem to mind.
“Mommy!” Cassie cuts them off, she pulls away as her fingers push Scott out of the way. He gets up first, smiling at the girl as she waits. “Oh, no. Did the Monsters get my Mommy, Scott?”
Hope pops back up as she squeals, hugging her teddy bear tighter as she moves onto the small bed, she wraps a small arm around her daughter as she grabs the book from the bedside table. “Scott saved me from all the monsters, Cassie. All good.”
She opens the book and slowly reads the words off the page, Scott waves Cassie one more time, whispering a delicate good night in the direction of the girl, she tries to say something back, but the sleep has already gotten her little body as Hope speaks.
The door is silent as he steps out, smiling until he sits back down on the uncomfortable couch, he flips through the channels as he waits for her.
“Night, baby.” Hope presses a kiss to her hair as she turns the lamp off, she’s quick with the door, closing it as she takes the stairs two at a time.
“I’m sorry,” Hope says, making direct eye contact with Scott, she feels like a kid again, standing at the bottom of the stairs with all the guilt in the palm of her hand. It’s different this time, Hank’s not towering over her as he says foul things, there’s just a man on the couch, looking at her with the most love in the world.
“For what?” He gestures for her to sit as she moves, Hope’s slow with her steps, not wanting to let him in. The kiss changes things. Him knowing about Cassie? That changes everything.
“For Cassie. For having a kid. I don’t mean to put any of this on you.” Her temples fall as the walls stay steady, she won’t let him in. She can’t. “Especially for her saying that you should be her Dad. She sees a father in everyone, I wish I could have given her that, but he doesn’t want her. I didn’t want her.”
“She’s great, Hope. You’re great. I don’t mind.” His hand slowly rubs against her palm as she smiles, her eyes divert from the wall, turning fully onto him. She’s so in love. He’s the best thing to ever happen to her.
“Cassie’s amazing. She’s so adorable, Hope. And kind. You did a good job with her.”
“I try. Most days I think it’s a lost cause, that I’ve already fucked her up. I’m too much, she just—I didn’t want you to know. People look at you differently when you have a kid, I wasn’t even that young. I’m just single, it amazes people that I have enough strength to raise her.”
“Well…” He smiles. “You're the strongest person I’ve ever met. And she’s amazing. I love her.”
“No, you don’t.” She laughs. “This is ridiculous, Scott. You don’t know me. It hasn’t even been a month. You don’t even know how to–”
“So tell me.”
“What?”
“About yourself. About Cassie. All of it. I want to know you, Hope.”
“You don’t.”
“I do.”
“Scott-”
“Hope, please.” He looks at her like that . The same look she’s been avoiding since the beginning. The world becomes silent when he smirks at her. She’s the best thing in the entire world, he adopted the smile on day two. All he needed was to know her name to know that something would be different between them. He’s been waiting for her to realize it.
“Fine.” She sighs, she inches closer to the couch as her lips do the talking. Scott smiles after they pull away, it feels like hours have gone by–if they don’t stop now, they’ll get in trouble for kissing in Hank’s house. They’re teenagers again, lovesick all over the couch.
Hope breaks down her life, piece by piece as he listens. She nods off halfway through, Scott slowly wakes her back up, getting an eye roll from his friend.
“Hmm?” She asks, half awake. He can’t help but stare, she looks so beautiful.
“I hate to wake you. But, you promised Cassie you’d sleep in her room tonight, and I don’t want to make her sad.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah?” He curled an eyebrow. “This is still my first impression, Hope. I don’t want to—“
“I can sneak in.” She kisses him, and he happily grabs her back.
Scott shakes his head, pulling away as she rolls her eyes. “What? Am I a bad kisser?”
“No. The best, ever, I think. I mean it. You promised.”
“Jesus, Lang.” She sneaks another kiss as she laughs, walking up the stairs. “8 am, tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there. Can I make breakfast?”
“If you want. Cassie doesn’t like eggs.”
“Neither do I. It means we’re meant to be.”
“Goodnight, Scott.” She waves at him as she disappears into the upper level of her childhood home. He follows after her later, smiling when they pass in the hall. She’s deprived of her makeup and sporting a tank top and flannel pajama pants. It’s the best anyone has ever looked.
“Are you following me?” Hope whispers, holding onto the door of Cassie’s room, her body language is calm as she sneaks a peak at her baby, she’s passed out as the adults talk, gripping onto her bear as she dreams.
“I could say the same thing. I was going to—“
“Shh.” Hope takes a step closer, leaving the smallest imprint of a kiss against his chest. “She’s sleeping. No talking.”
“You—“
Her eyes cut him off, and they both give a silent laugh as they wave goodbye, for what feels like the fifth time that night. She’s fucked, oh, god. She’s so fucked.
He loves her, and her daughter. She’s dreaming. She’ll wake up the next morning and her body will ache as Cassie’s fingers press against her eyes, making sure she’s the first person to get her to smile that day. He’s still there when they get up, making breakfast in the kitchen of her childhood home.