𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 - jj maybank

- 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

𝗞𝗮𝗰𝗶 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 jumped at the ding of her familyʼs private elevator, sitting at the kitchen table with an ice pack held to her eye. Nobody was supposed to be home until dark; Jordan was at a friendʼs house and their parents were spending the day at the beach club.

Despite the few blows to her face, which she took time to cover with the precious art of concealer, Kaci was feeling strangely optimistic in the moment. She never really got excited by much — most things bored her — but today, she called in for her very first clinic checkup. It was pretty late, considering she only had two months left, but better late than never, right? She ordered a bunch of cute baby outfits, checked out a few cribs online, and learned how to change a diaper on youtube. Kaci was going to be a mom — a real mom —, and she was excited to be one. Ready to be one.

"Yo, Princess — you home?"

The second she heard his voice, Kaciʼs heart dropped. It was him; it was JJ. This was it. This was the moment she had been dreading for almost eight months. But he needed to know the truth, and she needed to face reality. As much as she didn't want it to be true, regardless of how much she didn't want to think of him, JJ Maybank would be in her life forever. They would be raising a child together.

"I'll come to you!" she called back, sliding from the kitchen seat, slamming her laptop shut and meeting him in the hallway.

"You already did." Without even looking at his face, Kaci could already see the smirk that always played on his lips. She'd have to face that smirk forever. His teasing jokes, his annoying nicknames, his disappointing flirtations — they'd always be a part of her life now. And she wasn't sure what she thought of that.

She wanted it to annoy her, to make her want to groan and roll her eyes — but the thought of him being in her life always made her stomach knot a little. Kaci Flores would never admit it out loud, but every moment and every word JJ said to her stuck. Every look he gave her would put a sheepish smile on her face for the rest of the day. And she couldn't admit it to herself. Maybe the time she spent at the Château wasn't a mistake — maybe it was always supposed to happen.

"You're dadʼs card, your highness," he said in a British accent, bowing down to hand her the keycard as though she was royal. He seemed happy today, a little more high than usual — his spirits were up, and Kaci felt instantly guilty. Maybe now wasn't the right time; she didn't want to ruin his good day.

"Thanks." She took it out of his hand quickly, avoiding any eye contact he could possibly give her. But she knew he was still smirking, she knew he was still staring at her.

As she took the card, the sudden thoughts hit Kaci, attacked her like angry birds. Luis — his note. She'd been so focused on the baby that she hadn't thought about it in a while. Her head snapped upwards to meet the pougeʼs crystal, blue eyes — they were already trained straight onto hers. "You didn't find anything, did you?" she asked, a little worry in her voice.

JJ shook his head. "You mean Mikelʼs porn collection — yeah, it's great, into some kinky shit, you dad is," he joked, finding it hard not to laugh at himself.

Kaci rolled her eyes. "No, I mean anything serious."

There was something in her voice, something desperate, something panicked, and it made JJʼs mind switch. He remembered the time they spent at the Château — of course he remembered that — but he rarely ever thought about what she said about her family, about them having something to do with her brotherʼs sudden disappearance. Back then, he shook it off as paranoia caused from the drug they were taking. But with all the talk from John B the last few days, the hunt for the gold, JJ was honestly beginning to wonder if she was right.

He shook his head again, this time with sympathetic eyes. "We didn't find anything," he told her truthfully, smirk fading away. "Just used the computer for the Internet."

JJ watched Kaci relax a little, her posture falling back into a comfortable position, and his eyes darted down to her stomach, which she was absent-mindedly rubbing with her right hand. "Something cooking in there?" he teased, trying to take away the awkward question.

It didn't work.

Kaci froze and followed his eyes.

Did he know already? Did Rafe tell him, too? How angry was he? What if he didn't want to be a dad?

At her shocked face, JJ chuckled. "I'm joking," he assured her. But her face didn't change. "Wait." His grin dropped. "You're not actually pregnant, are you?"

As if the huge bump wasn't a giveaway. He was going to kill her.

She looked at the wall, then back at him. "JJ —"

"Holy fuck." The boy ran a hand through his messy hair.

Kaci waited for him to go on. As every second passed, the anxiety in her body spread more. It was like a disease. Like if he didn't speak soon, it was going to kill her.

Then he started to laugh, his grin making a comeback. "Of course!" he exclaimed, a little happier than she was expecting. "That's why you're still with him! Good fucking luck with that, Princess, I'll tell ya."

Kaci sighed. "JJ —"

"And to think that I thought you didn't want me again?" he continued laughing, finding the whole situation hysterical.

"What — J, no —"

"I was, like, obsessed with you for months because of it!" he went on, doubling over on his knees. "I'm so sorry — I feel for you, Kaci, I do — but I can't believe —" He laughed even more. "You're having a child. With him."

"JJ —"

"This is the best thing I've ever heard, seriously, congradu-fucking-lations, Ms Cameron —"

"JJ, the baby is yours!"

The boy went silent.

He had to blink a couple of times to process what she said. "What?"

Kaci sighed, sitting down on the carpeted floor of the hotel hallway. "It's yours," she repeated. "Me and you — I'm carrying our baby."

The secret was out. After almost eight months, it was finally out in the open. Totally. There was no going back now.

Once again, she was waiting for him to speak. Seconds passed. They dragged on into a minute. It was the longest minute of Kaciʼs life. She needed him to say something. Anything. He could say absolutely anything and she wouldn't care. She just needed to hear his voice. To know what he was thinking.

JJ finally looked back at her, seeing the way her eyes were slowly filling up with tears, and slid down the wall to sit beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. A small smile eventually grew on his face. "I'm gonna be a dad," he said confidently.

And that was all Kaci Flores needed to hear in that moment.

Authorʼs Note
FINALLY!!!!!! omfg im screaming. how are y'all feeling about this?! did i do it a little too early or was this the right time?! im so excited for the future of jaci though, likeeeee omg. dying. this was so chaotic lmao.
love, tay </3