2.26 Confessions.

It was an average day in the Gray household. It was the weekend and everyone was off from work, except for Noah who had to perform a few routine checkups later that day. Work was pretty slow because of the case. Few had still trusted him with their lives. Caleb wasn’t making any money because he hadn’t been making any appearances. His manager wasn’t too happy about that. Caleb had seemed all to happy to give up his fame. Daisy had taken off to be a full time mother. Only Noah and Cyrus were pulling in an income, and Cyrus had his own family now to worry about. It was safe to say, soon the Grays wouldn’t be living so comfortably.

“Caleb, I need to ask you for a huge favor,” Noah said suddenly.

“Uh-oh, I’m kind of afraid…” Caleb remarked playfully.

“This is serious man.. Please take care of my wife and child.”

“What?”

“If anything happens, please take care of my family.”

“Where is this coming from?”

“Just a thought.”

“Listen, nothing is going to happen to you man.”

“Just promise!” Noah snapped, not wanting to explain his situation to his older brother.

Caleb shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Noah asked angrily.

“I just can’t, alright!?” Caleb snapped back before getting up to leave the room.

“You’re so damn immature!” Noah shouted at his back. “Take some responsibility for once! It isn’t like I’m letting you mooch off of me!” He added sarcastically.

Overhearing the conversation, Daisy stepped in.

“Damn it Noah, what’s your problem?” She shouted.

“My problem? This isn’t any of your business. I was asking my older brother to do me a favor.”

“Why are you asking Caleb to take care of Leia and Apollo?” She asked suspiciously.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter! Who was there for you every day while you were in boarding school? Who was the one looking for you when you lost your memory? ME. So don’t try to hide this from me. This is about the case isn’t it?”

“Daisy please…” Noah pleaded.

“What happened Noah!” She snapped. “Tell me, or I can’t help you!”

“The house that was burned down was Corrine’s husband. He’s using my past with Corrine as evidence against me. Frankly, things aren’t looking so good. So in case anything happens, I want to make sure my family is secure.”

“Noah, everything will be fine!”

“I know it will be, because I’m handling it. I need to make sure my family is secure.” He repeated. “But Caleb won’t even do me a favor…”

“He can’t Noah,” Daisy said suddenly. As she told Leia the other day, she had full trust that Noah would never put his family in danger and what he decided to do would be the right choice. Her brothers were both in a state of peril and she had to shed some light on the situation.

“You too? Come on now.”

“Noah, things are complicated…Caleb…well, I don’t know how to say this, but things happened when you lost your memory. He lost someone very important to him. There was this girl he was crazy about, he was ready to propose to her, but she got into a car accident. We didn’t want to tell you Noah because you had just started to get your life together.”

“So he doesn’t think he can protect them…” Noah said to himself. He held his hand to his heart. “I don’t really even know what to do right now. I…I had no idea.”

“That’s why you can’t place such a burden on him. Let him cool off for a bit before you talk to him.”

“Daisy, I…I really didn’t know…” Noah stared at the empty spot where his brother had been sitting. It was because of these people he cared about the most that he had to do what he had planned. Caleb would be out of the loop with his family for awhile…but as long as it kept them safe, he’d sacrifice anything. Noah knew that Caleb, despite his fears, would keep an eye on everyone.

Leia was beginning to grow a little bump. If anyone asked she figured she’d chuck it off to stress eating. Her family had been going through a lot at the time. She had so desperately wanted to go in the water, but decided to just lounge poolside instead. She didn’t want anyone in the house to know she was pregnant before Noah and he didn’t seem like he wanted to talk right now so she figured she’d wait until tonight.

“Mind if I join you?” A voice asked.

“Oh, hey Caleb. Sure!” The two sat silently for awhile until Leia raised a question. “Are you and Noah fighting again?”

“How did you know?”

“Both you and Noah seemed a little off today, so I just figured…” 

“Yeah, well. I’m a little ticked off at him for something that he said to me earlier, but I’m not really mad. I’m just a little sensitive to certain things and not everyone knows about them. Noah just hit a nerve today, and I have to apologize to him for being a bit overdramatic, later when he wakes up.”

“Haha…he’s asleep? He has work in a few hours!” Leia grinned.

“Yeah, you’ve got to see this.” He rummaged through his shorts pocket and pulled out his smartphone. “It’s priceless.”

“Oh my gosh, Caleb! You have to send that to me. That’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen! My two men, asleep on the couch.” Leia gushed. She couldn’t believe she was married to the sweetest guy in the universe.

“Sure.” He tapped a few buttons and in a matter of seconds the picture was sent. “Uploading it to your blog?”

“Pssh, right. I gave that up years ago. I have more important things that I can be doing with my time.”

“Like lounging poolside?”

“Exactly!” She smiled. “This stressed out mom needs a break.”

“Don’t we all?” He leaned back and shut his eyes. For a second he thought about questioning Leia about Noah’s odd request from earlier but he figured she wouldn’t know anything about it. Noah was planning something dangerous and Caleb didn’t feel so great about it. he had hoped that his gut was just paranoid. He let his mind wander to other things, and he couldn’t help but think of how lucky his brother was to have someone like Leia in his life. Everytime he talked to Leia, Caleb felt like he was seeing her all over again. His heart hurt just thinking about it, but she wasn’t the kind of person you just moved on from. Especially after such a horrific experience….Why did it have to be her that died…and not him?

Noah stretched out his arms carefully as not to wake up Apollo. He would really miss this. It had never occurred to him that protecting meant losing ultimately. He shook his head. Not losing. Protecting. He’d be back with his family in no time. He carefully picked up Apollo and brought him to his crib. As he was about to leave the room he heard a loud cry.

It was baby Tasha. “Uh…what does that crying mean?” He inspected the crib. He had never understood how a mother could tell what their baby wanted. All of their cries sounded the same to him. He picked her up and held her in his arms. She was so precious. It made him realize how much he missed having a baby in the house and how he’d love for Apollo to have a younger sibling. Leia and Noah both wanted a lot of kids. He loved having somebody always there for him in the house and Leia wanted the big family she was never able to have. He hoped one day to give that to her.  To them. 

“Is that the bell?” Leia asked, turning to Caleb. 

“I believe so. I’ve got it.”

“Don’t worry about it. You look like you’re enjoying the sun. If I stay out here any longer, I’ll just get really lazy and not want to do anything.”She got up and began to walk inside. 

“I’ve got it!” Daisy called out.

“Don’t worry, I’m already by the door!” Leia called back, unlatching the lock. 

“Hi…can I help you?” Leia asked sweetly in the face of her biggest fear. 

“Please step outside Ma’am,” The officer said sternly.

“What is this all about?” Leia asked, but did as she was told.

“Name and Relationship to Noah Gray.”

“Leia Relevart…I’m his wife! What is this all about?” She asked again.

“I’m here to arrest your husband,” She stated simply.

“Excuse me? You can’t! What ground are you standing on that gives you the right to do that?” Leia asked angrily.

“Your husband confessed to arson in the first count. He’s facing ten years in prison.”

“Ten years!?” Leia cried out. “That’s impossible…Noah didn’t do anything!”

“Ma’am…here is his signature. He confirmed that this is indeed his confession.” She held up a packet of papers. “Just be happy it’s only ten years. Others in his situation have gotten as little as 20 years.”

She looked at the signature, it was his signature. When did he do this and more importantly why? What about Apollo? What about their unborn child? “No…that’s our son’s whole childhood! Our child is just getting old enough to appreciate his father!”

“Ma’am…I don’t have time to play games right now. I have an order to take in your husband and it isn’t up for debate.”

“Babe, please!” Noah pleaded from behind her. 

She instantly collapsed into his arms, sobbing. “Noah! Why!?”

The officer looked at them and said, “You’ve got a minute and nothing more.” She took a few steps back to give them privacy, but still kept a keen eye on them.

“Leia please, this is the right thing to do. Don’t cry. Baby, everything will be alright.”

“You’re going to jail for ten years! Why!?” She cried angrily, pounding her fist against his chest before collapsing to her knees. “Why?” She sobbed harder.

“Leia please!” He begged, grabbing hold of her arms. He had expected her to be upset, but not nearly this much. “I couldn’t leave you and Apollo stranded. We barely have any income as it is, if I went to court you would have nothing to survive on. Corrine’s husband stepped forward with evidence and the only way that I could stop him would be to put Lorie’s personal life on the line.”

“What!? Lorie would have done anything for you Noah. She cares so much about this family!“

She had been to blustered to even ask about what kind of evidence Curtis Lutz had against him. She was sure he did nothing wrong.

“I can’t do that to her. It’d ruin her reputation. She’s spent her entire life protecting the one person who means so much to mean. You.This is my thank you. I’ll be protecting my family this time. I won’t be the one who needs rescuing.”

“What about Cyrus?”

“He’s got a baby girl to worry about. I refuse to take him away from her and Daisy.”

“But you don’t care about me and Apollo!?” She yelled angrily. “Apollo needs a dad just as much as Tasha!”

He began to wipe the tears from her face with his thumb. “I’m doing all of this for you and Apollo. Leia, you’re such a strong woman and you’re already raising our son to be a fantastic person. Ten years will be over in a flash. I’ll still write to you guys, and you can come visit…”

“You don’t get it do you!?” Leia cut him off angrily. “I’m pregnant Noah!” This wasn’t how she pictured this moment being. 

His face fell instantly and he pulled her into his chest. “Leia…you’re not just saying that…are you?” He had wanted another child so badly, but this timing was terrible. His child would grow up without his father. Apollo would be a teenager when he got back and his unborn child would be ten years old. It was painful, but it was the only way to ensure his family’s safety. 

“No…” She held onto his shirt tightly. “How…how can you do this to us? It’s so reckless! Why do you have to be the hero all the time?” She had worked so hard to get this family and here it was being ripped from her fingertips. Life was cruel and she had been the bud of all of it’s jokes.

“Leia Relevart.” He let her take her anger out on him. “I love you more than anything in the entire world. I’d go to jail for my entire life to protect you and our child…children. Please, don’t be too hard on Caleb and Daisy while I’m gone. They’ll be taking it just as hard as you are. One last thing Leia…”

“What?” She sniffled, knowing she wasn’t going to win this fight. Noah was going to jail whether she liked it or not. 

He pressed his lips to hers gently, as if not to break her. “You’re amazing.”

He looked up towards the officer and nodded. He was ready.

“Noah!” She stretched out her arms as if to stop him, but they fell short and she felt her world crashing down around her. Every piece of the puzzle she had tried so desperately to glue together were flying apart. 

“Take care of the Gray family while I’m gone!” He called out.

“What the hell is going on?” Caleb asked, coming to the door.

“Caleb don’t..” Daisy warned, having heard the entire conversation. 

“Thank you.” Noah mouthed to his little sister before getting into the car.

“No…thank you…” She held her heart tightly and began to cry. 

“Come on let’s go inside,” Caleb choked, barely able to contain his emotions. He was losing his brother yet again and they didn’t even leave off on a good note this time. It would be the third time this had happened.

“Yeah, come on Sweetie…” Daisy grabbed her arm and led her to the door. Leia made it up the stairs before collapsing to her knees again and sobbing uncontrollably. “Honey…don’t do this to yourself.” Daisy was unable to hide her own tears.

“You said he’d never steer me wrong!” She said angrily, hitting the ground.

“I…I didn’t think he’d do something like this…”

“The next time he was supposed to leave this door was to go to work! I…Oh gosh, what about Apollo?” She wasn’t even able to function. Caleb and Daisy had to drag her inside of the house.

They sat her on the couch and tried to talk to her. They weren’t happy with it either. They had both agreed to think of a way to get Noah out of jail as soon as possible. She wasn’t hearing any of it. She pulled her legs up to her chest and cried until she fell into a dreamless sleep. 

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I’m leaving it there. Dun dun dun. Noah is going to jail! Did you see that coming? Noah was always the glue of the family. He stuck up for his brother and Corrine back in highschool, and now he’s doing it again. Will Caleb be able to cope without his little brother? What will happen to Leia and Apollo? What is Cyrus going to do? Keep reading to find out! Thanks for reading and commenting!