Covet (Andre/Anika, Lucious/Cookie/Malcolm)

Chapter Three: Don't Leave Me This Way

Lucious ignored Anika's declaration. "You know," he said, leaning back in his chair with no intentions of leaving any time soon. "Seeing you two lying there together reminds me of when me and Cookie used to sleep like that."

"Oh, God," Anika muttered, watching that small, smeary smile creeping across Lucious's face like it always did when he talked about pre-prison Cookie. Anika always thought that was odd when they were together, considering what a terrible person Lucious regularly told Anika that Cookie was. Now Anika knew better. "We lost our virginity to each other." Lucious nodded to Andre. "A few weeks later, Cookie got pregnant, we were married, and you came along, Andre. Happiest day of my life."

"Is that right?" Anika asked coolly. This was a far cry from Lucious's constant claims that his ex-wife was a tramp and Andre might not be his son.

Again, Lucious ignored Anika. "Your mama was so beautiful when she was pregnant, Andre. She kind of waddled around like one of those little Weeble Wobble toys because she was such a tiny little thing. But you know what the funny thing was, Dre?"

"What?" Andre said coldly. The sooner Lucious finished this walk down memory lane, the better.

Lucious sat up, his eyes glinting. "Even though Cookie wasn't feeling good, she was still down for whatever, whenever. Anywhere. Yeaaaah," Lucious said, raking his eyes up and down Anika's barely-dressed body, "ain't no kind of pussy like pregnant pussy. Not yours, though, Anika," Lucious added with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Yours is trash. But maybe you do it better with Dre."

"Cut it out," Andre said sharply. The last thing he wanted to hear were graphic details about sex between his father and his mother - or his child's mother, for that matter.

"Oh, but me and Anika are man and wife now, Dre. I know it's all just a paper chase, but I still expect Anika to do her wifely duties. At least until Cookie comes to her senses." Lucious shrugged. "Then she can fuck all your brothers at the same time, for all I care. Mimi tells me she's into that kind of thing."

"I said cut it out, Lucious," Andre said, though he didn't sound all that assertive. Anika kept her head up, though it was hard to with shots like that.

Lucious laughed. "Speaking of wives, where's yours, Andre? The one your baby mama pushed down the stairs?"

"That's not going to work, Lucious," Anika said firmly. "I can prove where I was that night. Andre's seen all the evidence." She waited for Andre to back her up, but was forced to push on when he didn't. "Rhonda fell. That's all there is it to it. I don't want to hear about it anymore."

"My mama really got your head gassed up, didn't she?" Lucious asked, a little irritated that Anika hadn't wilted under his words. "Got you thinking that you're a lady." He smiled when Anika didn't answer. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Dre."

Lucious stood up. "By the way, Rhonda's looking for you. She didn't seem too happy when I told her that you were with Anika. But I'm sure she understands that you two need to be together to discuss this baby that might be yours. If I were you, I would worry more about your own wife..." Lucious smiled down at Anika, still dressed in nothing but her slip. "...and let me worry about mine."

Lucious winked at Anika, and her stomach plunged. "You can't make me do anything," she said, growing queasy at Lucious's not-quite-a-smile. Andre didn't even look at Anika as he rose from the bed. He said nothing as he dutifully put on his shoes and kept his eyes down as he put on his dress shirt. "Andre?" Anika said, disbelieving. What happened to the man who assured her that they were ready to break the cycle, no matter what Lucious wanted? Tears came to her eyes as Andre finished getting dressed. "Andre..."