Not Weak, Just Stronger

Chapter 32: The Rightful Mother Is...?

A/N: Infinity by Niykee Heaton will be played later in the chapter. There are many versions but the version I added to the media in this chapter is the one that's supposed to be played to match the mood. Hope you catch it.

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Kacie Strahovski wasn't always Kacie Strahovski. Once upon a time, she was Cassie Buckley who lived in Austin, Texas with her conservative parents in a super conservative town. Her father was Steve and her mother was Daisy Buckley; they originally came from Sydney, Australia but wanted to live in the U.S. to have different opportunities and environment. Kacie didn't want to go but she had no other choice, so they flew away when she was 14, found a home in the suburbs, and lived there for many years. Her life consisted of school work, no having friends over if they weren't from church, no partying or committing any kind of sin whatsoever, bible study, very early curfew, and playing the role of a good Christian daughter who followed all rules no matter how strict they were.

Kacie hated rules. So she did what almost every teenager with strict parents did: break them behind their backs and act out with her friends. It was all fun and games until, one night at a party she snuck off to, she decided to pretend she was experienced and as slutty as everyone thought "good Christian girls" were behind closed doors. Kacie also hated being teased and being told exactly who she was; she had no clue who she was, but she knew who she didn't want to be and that was the kind of girl they all made fun of. Her friends constantly called her a prude and thought it was laughable that the only man she'd ever get on her knees for wasn't even physically there.

So she got drunk and found a random guy who was mildly attractive, and spent exactly twenty seconds hooking up with him in a closet. She felt pretty proud of herself for proving everyone wrong but felt worse when she realised she just lost the sacred thing her parents always told her to save for marriage. Oh well, fuck marriage. Kacie thought it was stupid and a scam anyway, but she still wished she lost it to someone special. That was the year of 2010 she didn't like to talk in depth about because it wasn't pretty. She did get pregnant, yes, her parents beat her ass and locked her inside the house for nine months, didn't let anybody see her, and they didn't believe in abortion so she had no choice but to have the baby. When the time came to give birth to Cruz, she already signed papers to give up parental rights and do a closed adoption. It wasn't like she had a choice with that either, but Kacie wanted nothing to do with him and didn't want to know him...at least that's what she told herself to make giving him up easier.

When you give birth to a baby who has developed inside you for nine months, you're gonna have some kind of emotional bond with them. Kacie had that connection but forced it down and did her best to leave it alone. She couldn't be the mother he deserved anyway and she didn't see herself raising a kid as a single teenage mom. Still, she wondered about him and hoped he was happy and healthy with his adoptive parents in California. When Kacie got the chance to move out at 19, she went to Miami and cut all ties with her parents. She didn't want to be found by anyone either, therefore she changed her name from Cassie Buckley to Kacie Strahovski and moved on with her life.

Now here she was, sitting on her bed in her new apartment in Edgewater, with Lauren standing across from her in her work uniform. Her piercing green eyes held her under a scrutinising gaze while she folded her arms over her chest and waited patiently for Kacie to talk again.

"What are the chances, right?" she breathed out a chuckle but quickly fell silent and serious again. She bit her lip to stop from quivering and stared at Lauren strapped high heels.

"I know that there are a lot of Cruz's out there, but when Camila said the last name Buckley I knew it had to be your kid."

"Did you meet him? Is he happy?" she locked eyes with her now, desperate to hear the answer she was looking for.