Pleased to meet you... again

Forty-Three

Xander appeared at dinner as usual on the Friday night. Things were a little tense. It wasn't until Dawn went to bed that the pair spoke about the letter that arrived the day prior.

"Case, come sit down." The brunette beckoned to the blonde who was busing themselves in the kitchen not doing anything.

Casey nodded and moved over to sit next to their partner.

"I spoke to Kirsteen, my lawyer," the soccer player began.

"I spoke to him. Harrison."

Xander looked on.

"He wants money." She rolled her eyes and made a face. "I don't have and..."

"Kirsteen said the same that when she spoke to his lawyer they'd be happy with a settlement agreement."

Casey looked at the brunette, "you better not have given him money. You can't buy us you know."

Xander screwed their face up. "I know. You saying something like that makes me realise I'm right about her other suggestions."

"I didn't mean it the way it came out."

"No it's okay. That's what you think, that I'm trying to buy you." Xander stood up.

"Xan, please. I'm stressed, I have no idea what to do. I didn't mean to suggest... Please just sit back down."

Xander looked at the sadness in the blonde's eyes. They sat back down next to her. "I'd hope that you see that..."

"I know. It was a stupid thing to say. What was your lawyer's, Kirsteen is it, other suggestion?"

The soccer player humphed, "that we get married. But given we can't even talk without pissing each other off, that's not on the cards."

Casey looked at the floor, "well true anyway we've only been together a month."

They both looked at each other.

"It's not the right reason to." Xander offered first.

"Yeah." Casey agreed. "But how did she come up with that?"

"It would let the courts know we were serious."

"So we'd still have to drag Dawn into a custody battle?"

"Yeah but we'd strengthen our chances of winning and she said it might be enough to deter him if it was going to cost him money as he'd be even more likely to lose."

"It might. But I don't want to marry you."

The matter of fact way in which Casey made the comment hurt the brunette. They wondered if they weren't good enough. "Ever?"

"No. At the moment, for this reason. There must be other ways."

"Yeah."

"Xan, I can't afford to fight it, I can't afford to nor am I going to pay him off. We're running out of options."

"So we're back where we were last night? It's me, I have to go."

"No. I don't want you to go. He's not going to control me not this time. You stay. But we both know marriage right now is not right for us. I mean we don't even really live together."

——

The following Tuesday Xander headed out for dinner with her sister. They'd sorted things in their head and sure they'd come up with the ideal solution and gotten their lawyer to arrange everything.

Ally smiled across the table while she looked her sister up and down. "Do you really think that's the way to go?"

Xander nodded, "that's what Kirsteen recommended. She's always kept me right."