A/N: Hey everyone. So as we all know, there's always some sort of flash forward cliffhanger in every season premiere of How to Get Away with Murder. This is what I envision the cliffhanger for Season 4 being like. I'm currently keeping this as a one-shot unless I get inspiration to continue it otherwise. There will be some spoilers in this from the Season 3 finale, so don't read this if you haven't seen that episode. Hope you all enjoy.
"Hey Wes," Laurel greets standing in front of his grave. His birth name of Christoph written on the tombstone. "I know I said I'd visit you more, but then I promised myself that I wouldn't return unless it was to tell you that you finally have closure. But here I stand, no closer to finding out who got away with murder today than I was the day after the fire." Laurel places a hand on her stomach. "I just thought you'd want to know that I decided to keep our baby. Maybe I can give him the childhood that the Mahoneys took from you." Laurel pauses and wipes away a couple of tears running down her face. "You were the one upstanding man in my life, Wes. I'll always love you for that."
She continues to talk while Asher and Michalea watch her from their car. Asher has a somber look on his face and he rubs his eyes.
"Asher, are you crying?" Michaela asks.
"Yes," he answers truthfully. "I know we didn't know Wes all that well, but we could've and now we'll never get that chance. It's cruel twists of fate like this that make you take a long, hard look at your own life, you know."
"Yeah," Michaela replies placing one of her hands over Asher's.
"So, after today, what are we going to do about Laurel?" Asher asks.
"For now, we continue to keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't do anything like trying to shoot Charles Mahoney again."
"Can you honestly blame her? Grief makes people do stupid things."
"No. Beating someone up because he said something idiotic is what I call stupid. But this road that Laurel's on; she reaches the end, she'll never be the same. We need to keep her mind off of this case in any way we can."
"Easier said than done when she's carrying Wes' child," Asher reminds her. "But really, take it from someone that never knew if his dad committed suicide or was murdered. You can bury those feelings as deep as you want, but they'll never go away completely. I say we help her find out who did this. She deserves that much. Wes deserves that much."
Michaela sighs and takes a few moments to ponder over Asher's words. She opens her mouth to reply when her cell phone starts buzzing. "Hold that thought."
She pulls her phone out of her purse to answer it when time slows down and freezes on the date. Time then accelerates and the day shifts to night while a new date appears on the phone.
9 months later
Michaela dials a number on her phone. In the time that has passed, her hair has been cut significantly shorter. Asher sits beside her sporting a minor scar on the right side of his face; their car parked across from where Wes used to live. The complex now closed down and abandoned. Michaela finishes dialing Connor's number, but after a moment of contemplation, she sets her phone aside.
"You're not gonna call him?" Asher asks.
"No."
"Laurel's due date isn't too far off. She could probably use a few extra familiar faces to remind her she's not alone in this."
"Connor's got enough on his mind already with his wedding coming up in a few weeks. Besides, Laurel probably just came here to grieve for a little bit. Nothing we haven't had to deal with in the past." Suddenly a gun shot rings out from the building followed by several more.
"Oh God," Michaela whispers. She starts to dial 911, but Asher has already dashed out of the car and sprints for the building.
"Asher!" Michaela calls out, but he doesn't stop.
He rushes through the front door and goes for the stairs when another shot rings out. Someone stumbles out the door to Wes' old apartment, falling over the railing and crashing to the floor below. Asher runs over the body and discovers its Laurel's friend Dominic, with a bullet hole right between his eyes.
"Laurel!" Asher calls out
"Help!" He hears Laurel scream. "I need some help in here!" Asher runs up the stairs to the sound of Laurel's panicked voice. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to do this!" Laurel yells. Hands clamped over a gunshot wound in Frank's chest.
"Laurel…," Frank whispers; eyes half shut.
"No! You…you stay-you stay awake. You don't get to do this," Laurel pants.
"Laurel, what did you do?" Asher asks. Too shocked to do much else.
"Dominic did this. He did it. He needed to pay," Laurel answers.
"Now…is not the time to be a deer caught in the headlights douche face," Frank groans.
"Oh my God!" Michaela screams from downstairs. Asher runs out the room and sees Michaela standing over Dominic's corpse.
"We need an ambulance!" He shouts.
"I-I already called for one. What happened?" Asher glances to the right of Michaela and spots someone holding a molotov cocktail just outside the window.
"Michaela, look out!" He warns, but is too late. The mysterious figure throws the cocktail through the window and its fire quickly begins spreading. Asher runs to Michaela's aid as a second cocktail is thrown through the other window increasing the size of the blaze. Asher grabs Michaela's hand and they run up the stairs to Wes' apartment.
"We gotta get the Hell out of here now!" Asher yells, but Laurel is no longer keeping pressure on Frank's wound. She's pressed up against the wall breathing heavily.
"Oh no," Asher whispers.
"Guys. My baby. My baby's coming," Laurel pants.
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER