#*when john finds them 2 days later he cries

[pinknatural]

mary’s pearl earrings

november 1, 1983. after an exhausting MOPs meeting that made mary feel itchy and like her skin was too small to contain her, john drives her home. the neighbor is watching dean sleep, and little sammy is curled up in his carseat, the gentle rumble of the impala soothing him to sleep. MOPs meetings were easier without a baby, she thinks. she hates the other MOPs with a passion, but when she was a kid she always wished her mom was in the PTA and this is kind of like the first step. her earrings feel too heavy for her head and she thinks they might help with the headache, so she takes them off, resting them gentle on her skirt. when the impala parks in their driveway, sammy awakes with a cry. john is already half-out of the car to go relieve the neighbor. mary doesn’t have anywhere to put her pearl earrings, so she tucks them into the glove compartment. she’ll get them later. 

[platonic-soulmates-gencest]

okay so hear me out on this one. samndean get into a real shitty situation, right. and they're both pretty young. and john's out, and sam's bleeding a bit. and dean, with his limited knowledge of first aid, is like 'oh shit he needs a transplant, how do I do that though?' and he fucking. slices himself open and has little sammy suck blood out of him, and he kinda looks like he's nursing like a newborn would, and maybe dean gets a little feral over that, and maybe years later sam feeds from ruby and thinks of his dead brother. or like whatever idc

Thank you for the ask! This brought me many thoughts. And I think I went a bit overboard with this (it turned into a short ficlet) but hope you enjoy it.

Dean can go from eerily calm to panic mode in the short time of 2 milliseconds. And there's nothing that makes the transition faster than Sammy being hurt. It's like the alarm system in Dean's mind gets triggered and won't stop ringing if Sammy isn't okay again. Eight years of this and Dean knows it will never stop ringing for his little brother's pain.

It was an accident. Dad had been gone a week now and Sam wouldn't stop pestering Dean about how bored he was. That triggered an alarm in Dean's mind too. He had different alarms for each of Sammy's sad moods. But the one ringing for Sammy's pain was always louder.

He had agreed to take Sam to the park, despite the danger of anyone seeing them out alone. Dean had learnt the hard way that a twelve year old wasn't considered old enough to take care of an eight year old. And he couldn't let anyone take Sammy away from him. But it would just be half an hour. No harm done.

Then Sammy fell off the swing. No, fell was an understatement, he flew off the swing. Dean went from "anxious about someone taking Sammy away" to "ALARM, SAMMY IS HURT" in a moment.

Blood run down Sam's knees and palms. Dean gave a silent prayer that his head was safe and carried him on his back all the way to the motel, at a running pace.

Sam must have noticed how uneven Dean's breathing was and whispered reassurances. It's just bruises, Dean. I'm fine, Dean. It doesn't hurt that much. All lies of course. Sam cried all the way to the motel.

Dean had Sam sit on the bed and run to the first aid kit. His hands trembled but he knew he had to stay calm for Sammy.

Stop the bleeding. Disinfect. Bandage.

Dean repeated the motions both in his head and in reality, fighting to regain his calm.

When the bleeding had stopped and Dean had bandaged all of Sam's wounds, Dean finally breathed a little easier. At least until he looked up at Sam's face and saw how pale his baby brother was.

No. No. No. He lost too much blood. Dean had to do something. He couldn't go to a hospital. Not without their dad. He should call dad. But dad hadn't picked up the phone in the last two days.

Dean cradled little Sammy in his arms, his mind racing to find a solution. Sam lost blood. Sam needs blood. Sam and Dean have the same blood, because they are family. Dean could give Sam his blood. Dean needed to give Sam his blood. How could he give Sam his blood?

"Dean?" Sam said, big wide eyes on display.

"It's okay, Sammy. I've got you." Dean smiled for Sam's benefit but he still didn't know how to help his baby brother.

"I'm okay, Dean."

"No, you aren't. You need blood." Then Dean remembered that Sam was the smart one. "Say, Sammy, how can I get my blood in your body?"

"Huh?" Sam frowned but considered the question solemnly. "I could drink it...?"

Dean's eyes widened. Why hadn't he thought of that? He leaned down and gave a big sloppy kiss to Sam's forehead.

"You are a genius, Sammy."

Dean didn't hesitate at all as he sliced open his palm and made Sam lick it.

Dean loved the sensation. Sammy's mouth firmly attached to Dean's palm and suckling. Dean refused to accept how much it reminded him of those first restless nights after the fire when Sam didn't have a pacifier and was hungry and Dean had tried to breastfeed him. Sam had suckled on Dean's nipple for hours even if nothing had come out.

Milk he couldn't make, but blood he had so much. He would give it all to Sammy in a heartbeat.

***

Dean only learned that blood transplants didn't work like that years later.

Sam never voiced how much he loved suckling Dean's hand or how he didn't mind the taste of blood.

Dad never found out. No matter how many times the boys did it. It became more of a comfort thing for them than a practicality.

They never did it again after Stanford.

Sam had almost forgotten about it until Dean went to hell and Sam wanted to lean back to the comfort his brother provided.

He hadn't meant to start on the demon blood. But the motion helped soothe him. He would suck on Ruby's forearm and remember Dean. He would suck straight from her throat and he would remember Dean. He missed him. He missed his brother. And the suckling helped. The blood helped. He could pretend it was Dean, even if Ruby's blood never brought the comfort Dean's did.

But he could pretend.

The Dean came back and Sam had to fight tooth and nail to stop himself from slicing open Dean's skin and sucking him dry.

He wanted, he wanted, he wanted. But he didn't. The demon blood raced inside him. He couldn't let Dean find out.

Then Dean found out.

Sam ached for it but he couldn't drink. He couldn't let Dean down again. So he sliced his own arms and sucked on them. It helped ease the urge.

Then Dean saw him. Then Dean broke.

Then Sam got Dean's sliced wrists and fingers thrust in his mouth. To help with the rehabilitation.

Sam never told Dean how this would become an even bigger obsession. Because Sam might have been an addict of demon blood but he had never craved it like he craved the comfort Dean's blood provided.

Sam got over the demon blood. He never got over suckling Dean's sliced open palm.

And Dean never stopped him.

(That's it! Hope I fueled your headcanon a little bit!)

//and I'm always open for headcanon asks anytime for all of you who want to see more of mommy Dean//

[themultifandomgal]

Arthur Shelby- Charlottes Favourite Uncle

This was requested I think over on Wattpad. I can’t actually find the actual request. Hope you enjoy.

Trigger warning- Miscarriage

Before Arthur YN was in a bad relationship. Her ex was cruel to her, but when YN found out she was pregnant she left in fear of her unborn child.

YN knew the Shelby's since being Polly's neighbour for many years so when they found out about her situation Arthur chose to help her.

They married before YN started to show and now 2 and half years later everyone now believes that YN's daughter, Charlotte, is Arthur's. Although the Shelby's know different and now YN and Arthur just found out she's pregnant.

"Carful Lots" YN says as the little girl is running round her uncles and aunt

"Ok Arthur what are we doing here?" John asks placing Esme on his lap holding a drink in his hand

"YN and I have some news. YN is pregnant. We're having a baby"

"No!" Charlotte shouts "no baby"

"Sorry she's struggling with the idea of a baby brother or sister" YN tells everyone

"No mamma no baby"

"Lots mummy has the baby in her tummy now your going to be a big sister" Arthur tried to explain "like I was a big brother"

"Noooo!" she cry's running over to her favourite uncle, Tommy which everyone has been shocked over, from a little age Charlotte took to Tommy, the most unaffectionate person they all know "tell them no baby" she says taking Tommys face in her tiny hands

"I'm sorry little one I can't do that" this causes the little girl to start crying more. Tommy holds her close trying to comfort her, letting tears and snot stain his blazer. Still shocked that Tommy is comforting Charlotte, YN looks at her husband who has the same facial expression as her.

Charlotte falls asleep in Tommys arms, so Arthur takes this opportunity to pick her up and carry her home with YN by his side.

The following day YN, Arthur and Charlotte are at Polly's house when YN starts to get cramps in her stomach

"Everything ok YN?" Polly asks looking at her nephews wife

"Erm I don't know. Something doesn't feel right"

"What do you mean?" Arthur panics

"My stomach hurt Arthur"

"I'll take you to the hospital. He's gonna be no help" Tommy suggests

"You ok looking after Charlotte for us?"

"Yes of course love. Go"

Unfortunately YN and Arthur found out that YN lost the baby. So returning to Polly's they were both feeling rather sad. Neither Arthur or YN had to verbally tell anyone that they lost the baby, it's like they all knew and when Polly did finally say

"The baby?" Arthur just gave a head shake, this being all that was needed for everyone to understand what's happened. Charlotte starts running around the house but when YN asks her to slow down, Charlotte sticks her tongue out and carry's on

"I'll be back in a minute" YN says sadly walking towards her daughter "Lots I need you to stop running, you might break something"

"I don't care" she huffs

"Sweetheart please. This isn't our house this is Polly's"

"Mamma you don't tell me what to do"

"Charlotte I'm your mother"

"I don't care!" Charlotte shouts

"Charlotte do not shout" YN makes her voice a little more stern

"I hate you and Arthur I hate you both"

"Charlotte Shelby! Do not speak to your mother like that!" Arthur shouts and the little girl runs off crying

"Arthur" YN sighs.

Charlotte runs off and finds Tommy sat quietly with a drink in his hand

"Uncle Tommy" she cries running over to him. Tommy immediately picks the little girl up

"What's got you so sad?" he asks

"Mamma and Arthur tell me off"

"Well what happened?"

"I was running and mamma said I'll break something"

"Well she's right you could run and break something or hurt yourself, but what else is wrong"

"Mamma and Arthur don't love me anymore so I said I don't love them"

"Now that's not very nice Charlotte, but why wouldn't they?"

"Because of baby"

"Ahhh" Tommy now realises what's going on "well, mamma and Arthur need you to be a very good girl because something has happened that's upset them"

"Me?"

"No, but when your not listening it might make them more sad"

"What happened to mamma? Why she sad?"

"They will tell you soon, but you need to be a good girl and help them. Do you think you can do that?"

"Maybe I could listen"

"Good girl. Now what do you say we go and find them for you to say sorry"

"Ok" Charlotte sighs. Tommy puts the little girl down and takes her hand and guides her to the kitchen where YN and Arthur are sat with a cup of tea

"I think someone has something to say" Tommy says

"Im sorry. I don't hate you. I love you both"

"We love you Charlotte, but you need to start listening"

"I know. Im sorry"

"Come 'ere" YN says opening her arms. She scoops her daughter up in her arms and places a kiss on her head. Arthur stands up and hold both his girls in his arms also places a kiss on Charlottes head then one on YN's.

[heauxplesslydevoted]

Hello!

There have been a few versions of fics where a happily married Ethan/MC learn that Ethan has a long-lost child that he was unaware of. To make matters worse, before they were wed, he told MC he didn't want children, so she agreed to this (begrudgingly).

Let's flip...

What would happen if your Ethan learned that your MC had a child which was put up for adoption before they met, and she never told him? Given his own abandonment issues, how would this impact his feelings toward MC and their relationship going forward?

(Don't blame me; someone hoisted this on me last night, and now I need to know other writers' answers! lol Oh, and if I sent this twice, forgive me, it's 2:28 AM and my dumb ass should be in bed.) :)

Oh my god, how could you dump something so angsty on me. I literally just woke up, bestie 😩

Okayyyyyy let’s go. I might turn this into a fic, with better grammar later on.

Naomi gets pregnant at 17. Despite always using protection, she and her boyfriend, Steven are still that 1% of people who get pregnant while taking all precautions.

Financially, Naomi knows she’d be fine. But emotionally/mentally/physically? She knows without a doubt that she would be a horrible mother at 17 years old. She doesn’t want to subject a kid to her selfishness and unwillingness to sacrifice her goals.

Naomi’s already committed to Johns Hopkins, and her boyfriend is leaving the east coast and going to California for college. Neither one of them wants to put any of their plans on hold, so they know early on that Naomi isn’t keeping the baby. Thankfully their parents support the decision 1000000% and do not try to talk them out of it.

They’re quickly connected to a couple, Sheila and Franklin Foster. They live in Arlington, Sheila is a 5th teacher, Franklin works for The Pentagon. They’ve been trying to conceive a baby for 6 years with no luck, and instantly, Naomi knows she’s meant to help them.

After she gives birth to a healthy baby boy, Naomi insists that he’s immediately handed to Sheila so she can experience mommy and son bonding. For a split second, the urge to hold him and never let him go crossed her mind, but she knew that wouldn’t work for anyone.

After two days in the hospital, Naomi is discharged.

She cries. She cries a lot. She takes 3 weeks off from school. Her mom finds a support group for her to join, and that’s that. She graduated high school at the top of her class and went on to college, and the rest is history.

Ethan finds out when they get engaged and on a fluke. One night, he stumbles across a box of momentos in Naomi’s closet, tipped over, the contents spilled out. Out comes an ultrasound and the first thing he notices is the date. It’s dated for 12 years ago. When confronted, Naomi confesses that she was pregnant as a teen and gave the baby up.

Ethan is shocked to hear this, but he listens to her nonetheless. How could she keep something like this from him? Something so huge.

“It’s not like I have a kid out there that I’m not raising or abandoned at my parents house,” Naomi says, and it kills whatever rebuttal Ethan was going to throw at her regarding his own parentage. “I didn’t let them grow attached to me and then leave them. I was a kid myself, I knew I wasn’t in the right space to bring a baby into this world and properly care for them. I’m not a mom. Sheila is his mom. I’m just someone who had the opportunity to help a very deserving couple.”

“I get a picture and a birthday card every year from his parents,” Naomi says, absentmindedly pointing to their bedroom closet. Ethan surmises that’s where she keeps them. “His name is Isaac, he’s 11 years old. The family live in Virginia, and Isaac is great at science and loves football. He wants to be an astronaut football player, and he has a 5 year old sister named Maya who wants to be a princess.” She laughs. “And knowing that, knowing that he’s loved and cared for, and his hobbies and interests are being nurtured, and he’s surrounded by such a great family is more than enough for me. I know Steven and I made the right choice, and I don’t have a single regret.”

“Does he know he’s adopted?”

“Yes. He’s sent me a few pictures before. He said I’m a cool lady who helped him find his mommy and daddy.”

“Would you ever want to meet him?” Ethan asks gently. “If he reached out, what would you say?”

“I would love meet him,” Naomi replies. “After he’s 18 and an adult, of course, I don’t want to overstep.”

“I’m sorry I never told you,” Naomi continues, sniffling. She doesn’t know why she’s crying right now. She’s not even sad. “It’s not something I’m ashamed of at all, so I shouldn’t have kept it a secret.”

“I’m sorry for jumping down your throat,” Ethan tells her, all of his righteous indignation completely gone from his body. “That wasn’t fair, especially since I didn’t have all the facts.”

“I know you said you wanted to be selfish and continue living your life, but I think you are one of the strongest and most selfless people I know. Selfish would’ve been keeping him despite knowing you weren’t in any position to do so. You decided to give Isaac a life that he deserved and putting someone else’s life and well-being above your own is the the most loving thing you could do.” Ethan sighs and wipes away one of Naomi’s tears. He hates seeing her cry. “I got caught up in my head and wanted to compare you to my mother, and I know you’re nothing like her, not at all. I’m sorry for even attempting the comparison.

“Apology accepted.”

The two of them settle onto Naomi’s bed, neither of them wanting to pack anymore, exhausted by the turn of events.

“Hey, Naomi?”

“Yes.”

“For what it’s worth, I know for a fact you’ll make an excellent mom one day.”

[forgetmenot-mymoon]

The Legend of The North

Part 2

The night fell on the earth

The mountains chirped with new life

Trish finished her cup, “You know don’t you have something more scary about the lady then that?”

“My uncle did tell me a story of his cousins death, supposdly she killed him. But also he was weird plus he did a lot of *things* so I’m unsure if he’s trustworthy”

“Just tell us! Earlier was boring, it’s only just us and Kyle now, tell us”

“Yeah no one can gossip here but Trish”

“Oh shut up dude!”

They were like siblings, all of them.

“So my cousin, Henry went up to Hunter, he caught a deer but it was small. He wanted more so he decided to go higher, hopefully for bigger deer. His younger brother, John followed suit, but a bit farther behind.

John then heard a crunch a deer body infront of him missing his head, beheaded cries lied all around.

They would never fly again, never sing, never sob.

Help heard Henry scream for his time was up.

When he got there, he hid at the sight of her.

Henry’s neck was snapped, her boot on his neck, her boot had a blade on the front, she tipped it to snap off his head completely-“

“That’s not possible”

“Kyle” Trish glared, she handed him the cup, go get everyone more hot coco you nerd.”

Help stared back, “I’ll put cyanide in yours”

“Oh I dare you”

“Anyway, John watched, her hair was as white as the snow, her skin was as well. Except for her hands, they were black with dots like stars. Her mask covered all her face-“

“Like Jason-“

Trish preceded to physically push him to the kitchen. They were in ear shot so Hailey continue as she stared at the blazing heat. It was a nice warmth. Would she feel it again?

“Her face mask was all white except black for the eyes, tears dripped from it, onto the snowy ground. He thinks he heard her mutter, “Life is a sea, one drop loss is nothing” as she lifted her spear made of ice out of the snow. her hand did not melt it on the slightest. John couldn’t move, he waited till the dead of night. He ran in the darkness, the stars barely shown under the trees. Eventually days later he was found.”

“Dead?”

“Dead, he had slipped and died while trying to find the way back to his cabin. The story was found in the journal he kept with him, and Henry was never found so a majority of the family and friends believed it. I’ve never seen anything but mountains feel different. Humans don’t rule here, I feel like anything is possible here. Both good and bad”

With that, they all called it a night, full of warmth from the fire and sugar from the chocolate.

This is not the story you think it is.

[weepingguitar1968]

The Who x You #2 - Ghosts, I guess?

It was just a day with The Who. What's weirder that could happen?

You were watching a movie. It was supposed to be sad, but it was funny. After all, Keith was choosing.

You passed each other a bowl of popcorn, and you can't hide it. It was quite a mess.

At some point, Pete and Roger started fighting over the popcorn. You immediately shouted at them that they would clean it up.

Roger sat next to Keith on the sofa, and you, John, and Pete sat on the floor. Because there was no place left on the sofa.

After Pete and Roger finished fighting over the popcorn, you watched closely because there was a funny scene.

The scene where the boy put the letter in the mailbox and someone hidden in the mailbox tried to take his ring needed for the ritual.

(to Beatles fans: guess).

Suddenly, Moonie and Roger felt the wind blowing from the back of their heads.

"what the fuck-" Roger said, surprised because the windows were closed.

"what?" you asked, also surprised, but by the fact that Roger cursed, which he doesn't usually do.

"All windows are closed. The wind was blowing from the back of our heads..." Moonie replied for Roger.

"Are you sure?" you said, standing up and looking for the open windows.

The house you rented was quite large. But not so big that you could get lost...

"when I closed them all" Pete said, a little offended that you didn't believe him.

"I confirm. I did it together with Pete" John said, continuing to watch the movie.

You weren't scared at all, so you moved towards the darkness.

"What if something happens to her?" Moonie said a little concerned. He was afraid of the dark and he thought you were too.

But you weren't afraid of anything. You knew that no ghosts existed.

Moonie hasn't learned that yet... Everyone has something left from their childhood.

Moonie was left with a fear of the dark. Or something like that...

Roger followed you silently.

Keith sticked to John. In your place on the floor.

Roger walked so as not to scare you. You walked with a flashlight, unfazed by the fact that someone could have opened the window after all.

Someone you don't know.

You weren't afraid of anything. You were a tough person. Sometimes even tougher than John.

As you shined your flashlight around, you noticed someone following you.

It was Roger.

"Hey. I told you I'd do it myself," you said, artificially nervous at Roger.

"I know, but Keith is afraid of the dark, so he asked me to follow you.

''Lovely boys'' you thought, then moved on.

But Keith wasn't the only one who was afraid. You held Roger's hand the whole time. You felt he was scared because he squeezed your hand every now and then.

Facts, the house can be scary at night...

"Don't be afraid. We won't die. We'll just find where the air is coming from" you said, trying to somehow cheer him up. So that he won't be afraid.

“I'm not afraid,” Roger said, weakly convincing you.

"Don't lie. I feel you're scared. You're shaking, that explains everything."

After your words, he didn't speak at all.

Downstairs, Keith was telling John and Pete that it was all a scam. That he used someone to do this.

You finally found a source of air... but it wasn't a window.

It was a windmill.

There was a note on the windowsill that read, "Look at the board."

Roger took another note off the cork board, "now on chest of drawers."

You picked up a note from the chest of drawers with the words "I see you" written on it.

You decided to mock it "do I look good then?"

Roger chuckled lightly at you.

A moment later, you stood there so confused... And suddenly something moving touched Roger's bare foot.

Roger started screaming, jumping around like he was burned, and ran out of the room with you while Keith, John, and Pete tried to cover their laughter by pressing their faces against the pillows.

All three of them practically she cried with laughter.

Roger was panicking, he almost had a heart attack, and those bastards were laughing.

Roger pulled you into the bathroom.

"Roger, there's nothing to be afraid of here. It's just me, you, John, Pete, Ke- FUCKING MOTHERFUCKER."

You said, hugging him lightly so he wouldn't be scared.

"I'm sorry. I panicked. How were we supposed to know there was some shit under the bed?" he laughed a little, and then you knew it was all good.

"but wait - if Keith, John and Pete are downstairs... who grabbed my foot?" He said, analyzing the incident.

"Well, what do you think? There is only one possibility. He invited someone to prank us," you said, and then, pissed, you went downstairs to see what the boys were doing.

"KEITH YOU FUCKING BITCH." you shouted, looking at Keith crying with laughter.

Roger decided to hit him over the head with the book.

"BUT THAT SCREAM OF YOURS WAS AMAZING" He continued laughing.

John and Pete composed themselves in time and continued watching the movie.

You took a thicker book and hit him over the head twice as hard as Roger.

And suddenly he came down...

A person who definitely shouldn't be here.

And it was Mick Jagger...

He was laughing too, even more than Moonie.

At that moment you shouted to Roger, "ROGER, OPEN YOUR CELL AT THE STAIRS."

Roger quickly took out the key and opened it.

You shoved Moonie and Mick in there and locked it up.

Even though they were shouting, there was still peace because there was a jammer.

You, Roger, John and Pete finished the movie in peace, and in the cupboard under the stairs...

interesting things happened...

[mimikon2ll-blog]

One year with Jesus

Today I realised it’s been one year since the day I first went to C3 in Oxford falls.

It was november, 2021. I remember that I cried from the moment I sat there with Shelly until the end. I did not understand why I was crying, I understood what the message was but it did not make much sense to my mind, but somehow it was make so much sense to another part of myself that I did not know yet, my spirit.

On the same day, when the pastor asked who wanted to accept Jesus in their life, again I could not understand the meaning of that, but I could not help myself, I raised my hand. That was the begining of my journey with Jesus.

Cathy with so much love welcomed us that day, celebrated my hand raised, prayed for us, and never left us. Shelly took me to meet Jesus, and Cathy has been the one that helped me keep coming.

I was thristy and I wanted to learn more and more. I started to attend to the service at 8:30 and stayed there for the 10am service. I wanted to listen to the word and really understand it. In one of these days, I met Dean and Rebecca, the most loving couple ever. Dean found me. He saw me cleaning my tears when I was leaving the glass house, with a big smile he asked me something to start a greeting conversation. However I did not engage much, I just wanted to leave and be by myself. I sat on the low wall next and then He came again with his beautiful wife Rebecca. They taught me so much that day, that would sustain my days ahead. Dean said “Keep looking at Jesus, no matter what”. And Rebecca told me “Jesus loves the children”. I did not understand what really that meant, but Jesus would show the various ways and circunstances I could choose to keep looking at Jesus, no matter what. And Dean also suggested me to start reading the Bible with the book of John, which a had already started. That made me go really for it. 

Then we met the wall of Brazilian one day at Church: Rafa, Pompeu, Ju, Manu, Abner e Vinny. The messages exchanged with Ju was a refresh and strengh to me.

Then the water baptism was coming, and Cathy was really excited for me to go for it. Everyone was really cheering for me to say yes. I could feel that that step would be a big deal, I would be commiting my life to Jesus in definitely, and I still had no much understanding of who was this Jesus that everyone there were so passionate and grateful for. Of course, I know deep inside that there was something really special about Him, otherwise the world woult not have this birth/death as a universal reference to count the years. And those people serving Jesus for decades, for their whole life. Seeing them at C3, the family and the lives they built, there was no way to say that following Jesus was a terrible idea.

So I decided to find out who this Jesus was, and it needed to be sooner than later, because the water baptsm was only weeks ahead. So I looked for the app “The Chosen” that Cathy has told me about. And I watched the 2 seasons in 2 weeks. I watched the videos explaining the backstage of that show, the purpose behind it, how the producers made sure to involve diferent religious and bible specialists’ perspectives, to be a show about Jesus and not any speciafic strand. And It was clear, that Jesus was a good guy, and following Him would not make any harm to me or to others. On the contrary, the least I would me a better person. But there was still a fear trying to convince me or putting that off, but a more strong part of me saying that that would be my next step to keep getting close to God, and knowing Jesus. I wanted to keep that momentum, I did not want to lose it. Shelly’s mom was here, and one week before the bapstim day, she encouraged me and I asked her to do it with me. We both commited!! And everyone celebrated so much!

It was May, 2022. Our Baptism was blessed by a beautiful day, and the presence of our beloved Dean and Bec, Cathy and Emily (our baptizers), Shelly’s Mom and Lucas. And an amazing chat with Abner telling me that the Heaven was in great celebration for our lives! And Michelle praying for me, and she told me that God would heal my tiredness.

After that, Abner invited me to go to Lagoinha. Tha was the time God talked to me so much about so many things. It was mother’s day, but He really talked to me about my father. And then the message was all about “worship”, a topic I had questioned Him during the week. It was more than a explanation to my mind (which really did the job), I felt it with my soul!

Then I started the course Start at Lagoinha and also GC Elas, both weekly. That was between June and August.

[dailychapel]

John 20:1-31 NLT - 1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed-- 9 for until then they still hadn't understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home. 11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 "Dear woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. 15 "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought he was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him." 16 "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, "Rabboni!" (which is Hebrew for "Teacher"). 17 "Don't cling to me," Jesus said, "for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, "I have seen the Lord!" Then she gave them his message. 19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! "Peace be with you," he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." 22 Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he replied, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side." 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. "Peace be with you," he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" 28 "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." 30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

[cloudberry-sims]

A Decade Through Time: The Alderberg Legacy: Year 1581

A birth , a wedding and deaths -  almost the complete stairs of life! 

From the Beginning I Currently

News spread fast in Outland , even faster when the news of Anne , widow of John Wardeby the blacksmith, were accepting the proposal of Mark Kellogg , the local butcher. 

It happened like this - with John’s death 3 years ago, Anne has been struggling to find a purpose outside of her daughters, so after talking with her brother-in-law she started a small laundry business. 

One of her primary customers was a fellow widower by the name of Mark Kellogg , who moved to Outland 2 years back with his pregnant wife to start raising pigs to be butched. His wife sadly past away 1 year into little Esther’s life. 

One day , Mark came with both Esther and the laundry, sheepishly asked if Anne could watch Esther while he did some errands around town.

Anne agreed as Catherine and Sybil could entertain her while she did the laundry. It would later become a regular thing and one day Mark asked if it could be a permanent thing.

“We are both widowers with small children, my Essie needs a mother to teach her things she will need to know and company that’s not only of piglets, while your girls will need a father to protect them when their uncles can’t. “

“*nervous laugh* and we both could need the company of someone who knows the pain of losing a spouse...”

It made Anne a bit speechless and flustered, she haven't been thinking much about marriage since John died.

Anne told him to let her think about it . Later she spoke with Eleanor and Arthur about it.

Arthur: You should accept it - He has good prospect and you both would benefit from it. 

Eleanor: His little girl will have a mother and your girls will have a father again. And let’s be honest, he is quite handsome for a butcher.

So, she did. Anne and Mark married 2 months later. Surrender the family of Anne. The father of Anne’s youngest sister was not attending , claiming to be ill. 

No matter if its true or not didn’t bother Anne , she was just glad to that the sims she loved were present as she spoke her vows a second time. 

The Wardeby girls were happy for their mother and Esther was ecstatic to have Anne, Catherine and Sybil staying with them from now on. 

So was Eleanor and Arthur , hoping by marrying Mark she would finally let go of her guilt and be truly happy again.

The Alderbergs were a little less joyous , William fearing that perhaps Eleanor or Arthur made Anne go through with the marriage like Geoffrey did almost 10 years ago , but no matter what he thought  he kept it for himself ...  

Unlike her first marriage , Anne didn’t wait to consummate her new marriage with Mark. 

Perhaps it was that Anne now knew what was going to happen , maybe it was because she missed the intimacy of the act.   

Though Anne's life would hopefully be more joyful , the life of her youngest sibling turned dark and cold. 

It had not been a lie that Geoffrey was ill , like most men of his age were. He was tired and had a fever , his heart pounding like a wild hound’s and plasma in his urine. 

He stayed in bed most days , and that’s how the now 15 year old Audrey found him to bring him some soup.

Her weeping alarmed William , whom rushed to her side like a lightning strike and held her close as she cried...

Her brother hushed her and promised that everything was going to be okay while rocking her back and forward. 

Geoffrey was quickly buried before the frost hardened the ground of Outland, only the Alderbergs and Horthalls attending. 

William had begged Anne to bring her family , not for Geoffry's sake but Audrey's , but she said no. 

Anne had recently discovered she was pregnant and did not wish to mourn a man she never view as her father.

 William called her selfish for not supporting their little sister but said no more. He was more concerned about Audrey at this moment to care about the hurt look on Anne’s face. 

Audrey was once more somber , her bright smile nowhere to be seen and if frightened her older brother. 

Her only comfort was Tristram the cat , whom she would sit outside cuddling until dark til Rebecca or William called for her. 

Rebecca suggested that Audrey would live with Eleanor for a while until she was back to her normal cheerful self. 

But William said no - Audrey would be staying as he thought sending away the girl would only cause her grief to worsen. 

He still remembered his promise to Geoffrey all those years ago when he made William his heir - to look after his little sisters and he would do that.

At Anne’s new home , the joy she once had has withered. Anne had given birth to , what she and her husband thought a healthy baby boy named Owen , only to find him lifeless in his basket a few days later.

Anne had many tragedies befall her - losing her father , mother , her first husband and now truly losing a child. Maybe this was the watcher’s dices punishing her for her prolonged hatred of Geoffrey , or just nature taking it’s course. Nobody will know for sure... 

I kept changing Anne’s new last name and her husbands occupation multiple of times until I finally had enough and named him Mark Kellogg and made him a butcher+ swineherd. At the beginning I wanted him to be a shepherd but I haven’t had the time to get the sheep mod.

Anne is probably my favorite out of the Alderberg kids , ever since she was a toddler. She has always intrigued me with how rough the dice were to her and her family. 

Anne is a good sim , but her brave trait makes her stubborn and she will probably not forgive Geoffrey ever even when she ended up loving John, but the problem is not forgiving Geoffrey but neglecting Audrey needs for support. 

I talked earlier that if Geoffrey lived to be 60 I would start rolling end of life rolls every year , but since he died I didn’t have to. Audrey , like her older siblings are now a orphan. Her story is a bit sadder since she is the only Dawne left.

It is interesting that we have few different bloodlines to follow- The “ Eleanor” line , the “Anne” line , the “William” line and the “Audrey” line. Calling them by their last names will be tricky since family names changes and dies. 

[dylansslutt]

#9. Why didn’t you say anything? J.J Maybank

You got off later than you were supposed to, it being 7:45. You were meant to be home by 5, but the wreck, got busy. You worked with your best friend Kie but she bailed tonight resulting in you being stuck on the floor by yourself.

Many kooks came out tonight, which led to you running back for more everything. Your feet ached and now you gotta walk back to your home, since John b ( your brother) decided he needed to keep the van tonight.

You’ve been walking for a few minutes, before a engine came from behind you. “Hey princess.” You turn your head locking eyes with Rafe. Who looks extremely fucked up, swerving down the road.

You kept walking, a fucked up rafe is not a good think. He was like king kook, straight prick. “Hey pogue, I’m talking to you.” His car door shuts.

You sigh, “what do you want rafe?” It’s been a shit day.

“What you doing walking alone?” He walks up to you making you step backwards. He reeked of alcohol.

“Are you serious? You stop me to ask why I’m walking alone?” You turn around to walk off but rafe grabs your arm, harsh.

“You don’t turn around when I ask you something. You show me fucking respect.” His grip tightens.

You try pulling away, “rafe, that hurts. You are fucked up right now, just let me go.”

He laughs, his other hand gripping your shoulder. “You don’t tel- tell me what I am. The fuck? Do you know who I am?”

You jerk away, “obviously since I just said your name. God damn rafe.” You dig your nails into his arm. “Let me go!”

Rafe stared into your eyes with a dark look. It was a battle as you try pushing and pulling away. You managed to loose his grasp but your feet stumbled, making you lose balance. Rafe now towering over you.

You scooted back, turning and jumping up on your feet. Rafe pulls your hair before you can get far. “You are a fucking dirty slut, y/n.” He held you in his embrace. Grip tight on your hair as he whispered in your ear.

At this point you were fucking terrified. Rafe only ever caught the boys, never you. Beside his comments when he could catch you alone for 5 minutes. This was dangerous. Rafes mad at something else and found a pogue to take it out on.

He laughs, body chuckling. “I heard the stories on you. The way you like to get dirty.” At this point the tears have already came down your face. You threw your head back into his nose. Him yelling out In pain, allowing you to escape and head straight to your home.

Once you reached it the lights were off and you let out a sigh of relief. Your wrist was going to be bruised and you cried on your way here. You prayed no one was up to talk to you.

The gods answered as you see everyone passed out in the living room. You made way to your room, not even bothering undressing just ready to go to sleep.

—

The next day you were not in the mood. Everything that happened kept flooding your mind. Your wrist was purple, and your skull ached at the tugs rafe gave it.

Everyone kept laughing and joking, you just sitting in your own bubble. You felt a kick at your leg, your boyfriend JJ staring at you with a confused look. You shrug him off with a “I’m fine.”

You sat there for 10 more minutes not saying a word before you head off into the house. Footsteps following behind you.

“What’s up with you?” JJ asked and you ignored him.

“Hello?! Y/n, what’s wrong?” He pestered again making you turn around and snap.

“Nothing! Just leave me alone Jay.” You turn around and sigh, tears welling up in your eyes.

“You were later yesterday. Like 5 hours late. And you’ve been distant and moody all fucking day.” He rants and you can’t keep quiet anymore.

JJ arms immediately holding you. “He was there. Ra-he-he was fucked, an-angry. I didn’t know what to do. He kept sa-saying things.” You tried getting out in-between sobs.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He rubs your arm making you wince. You go to speak but jj already pulled out sleeve up. . “Who the fuck did this y/n?” His voice deepening.

You went quiet, scared what he might do. “Who. The fuck. Did this?” He questioned once more. “Rafe.” JJ jumped up heading straight out the house.

“Yo dude, where you going ?” You heard form outside making you race to follow.

“JJ stop! Please.” You hell but he doesn’t hear you, or does and ignored you and drove off.

You let out another sob. Someone grabs your arm making you jerk away. You see your brother looking down on you scared.

“Rafe attacked me last night, after work.” You finally confess to them. John b face hardens, anger radiating off him.

“JJ went to go find him.” You cry out, kie pulling you into a hug.

I WOULD SO DO A PART 2 IF ANYONE WOULD WANF ONE !! I really enjoyed ts , I see so many where jj wouldn’t storm off to fight em and I think jj would go beat ts outta him .

[tllgrrl]

April Showers Bring Foolery and Shenanigans:

The Vacation Edition - Epilogue

Relationship: Bucky Barnes/Sarah Wilson

Photographs of Sebastian Stan by Greg Swales for L’Officiel Magazine - March 2022. Photograph of Adepero Oduye - Selfie

**********

A while later…

After a shower and a hearty breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browned potatoes, bacon, and hot coffee, Sarah and Bucky ambled back upstairs, remade the luxurious bed with some fresh linens, and got comfy, settling back into Vacation Mode.

The only plan they had for now was for Bucky to get some sleep, and later they’d be attending the Dodgers/Giants night game.

Sam was putting in work finding ways to make up for interrupting their vacation time. As a result, Sarah and Bucky would be having dinner and viewing the game in a semi-private seating area at Dodger Stadium.

And a driver would be picking them up so they could relax in the back of a comfy SUV, letting someone who knew the area deal with Saturday night Los Angeles traffic.

“James…” Sarah reached back and ruffled his hair.

“Mmm…” He snuggled his chin on her shoulder, then kissed the bite he rubbed healing balm onto, and fought the temptation to pull his silk robe off her shoulder so he can feel her skin against his again.

“This morning, when you were posing in the bedroom doorway…scaring the hell out of me, by the way…”

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to sca—posing!? I wasn’t…posing. I don’t pose. Your brother, on the other hand—“

“Your co-worker—”

“—graduated from the Steve Rogers School of Posing Stoically, swear ta God! Have you seen him lately?” he said with a smirk.

“Ha! Whenever you two have a press conference, he absolutely poses.”

”Yeah, he does!”

”You…smolder.”

“Yeah, I—wait. What??! I don’t…smolder.”

“Have you seen you?!” she giggled while he groaned theatrically then rubbed his stubbly chin on her shoulder, making her squirm.

“OK…when you were smoldering in the doorway, you said something…in isiXhosa. Utata is Father?”

“It is. I said Utata Usekhaya"

“House…home. You said ‘Daddy’s home’?”

“I did. Would ya look at you!”

“Thank you! Daddy used to say that when he got back home at the end of the day. Sam and I’d come runnin’. Momma’d get this little smile on her face…”

”Mmmm…”

She feels his grin on the side of her neck.

“I talked to the boys the other night. They said to tell you that they miss you…Daaad.”

“Is that right?"

"Yeah, it is. Hmm…”

“What. That Hmm. It had a tone."

“I just.. James…where’s your cellphone?”

He buried his nose in her hair, inhaled, and began to get lost in the fragrance of the marula oil which was on both of their skins and in their hair.

“Downstairs…kitchen…”

His hand glided down the silk robe covering her body as he kissed each word into the nape of her neck.

“…living room…somewhere not up here. Gave Jarvis…access to answer it. We’ll know…immediately if it’s…the kids or grandparents.”

She scooted herself onto her back, letting one side of the robe fall open.

“Good. So…before I ask you to teach me how to say I forgive you in a couple of different languages….what’s still on your mind? Ndi-xelele, Mthandi."

“Ah! You’ve been working on your clicks.” He says, playing with the side of the robe still covering her. “I’ll have to think of some more tongue exercises for you…to…”

He looked over at her face. He recognized that look. He’d seen it on Ayo. The last time he saw it, she was about 10 seconds away from making John Walker wish he’d never met, let alone put his hand on, her.

“Why do you think something’s on my mind, Intanda?”

“I’m a lone woman in a house full of men. 2 of them, pre-teens. The other two…let’s just say the jury is still out—”

“Excuse me??” he cries in mock hurt.

“James. Do you think I can’t tell when each of you has something on your mind? Really? Especially you.

You may have super secret stealth skills out in the world, hiding in plain sight, all the techniques and whatnot… but I know you.

And I know the same goes for you with me.

So…” She reached up and gently massaged the worry line between his eyes. “What’s all this about?”

“Can I hold you, please, Sarah?’

“Hold me, and tell me, Mthandi.”

He laid himself down on his side and pulled her back into his chest, tucking his left arm under her pillow, almost curling himself around her.

They can feel, as well as hear, each other speak.

”Comfy?”

“Mmm-hmmm. You?”

”Mmm…Holding you? Always. Ndiyakuthanda, Sarah.”

”I love you too, James.”

They lay in bed, letting the sound of their voices dissipate, leaving nothing except what was heard coming through the open doors to the balcony: the birdsong from high in the surrounding hills, the waves on the beach down the hill…

“I…wasn’t sure you were gonna want me. When I got back this time.”

“That…I wasn’t gonna want you? What nonsense are you—?”

“I could tell. Before I left, Sarah. You were hurt. It hurt you. I hurt you…this…thing. This…job.”

“I was disappointed, not hurt. Maybe angry. OK, I was livid. But there’s no way I’m not gonna want you when you come back.

And don’t ever think you can’t come back. If there’s a problem, whatever it is, we’ll talk about it. We trust each other to be honest with each other. It’s what we do. Yeah?”

She feels his arm hug her, and he softly nods.

“Yeah…”

“And, your…job isn’t being a superhero. That’s something you do with Captain America…with Sam.

You are, for all intents and purposes, a Wilson, and your job is with Wilson Seafood & Charter.

I’m gonna to be disappointed the times you have to leave and go into the field, and I’m gonna worry about you when you—and my brother—are out there saving the world. I’ll worry until you’re back home and safe.

Like I told you before you left, I wasn’t happy that you were leaving. Fortunately, having this big bed all to myself was an upside.”

“Oh?” He kisses her shoulder, wondering how he should feel about that.

“Yes. That…and the chocolate chip cookies I baked.”

“Cookies? Where—?”

‘Yeah, calm down, Sarge. You were gone for 3 days. Those cookies, like you, are Ancient History. I’ll bake more. Might even share with you…if you’re good.”

“Oh, I’m very good. Amazing, according to you,” he softly growled, rubbing his face on her neck as they both giggled.

She rolled onto her side to face him, and he pulled her closer.

She smoothed his hair back from his forehead and cupped his cheek, making sure he was looking into her eyes.

“Listen to me. The minute what you do hurts either of us, I’ll let you know about it. You and Sam. I was disappointed, and I was mad. But I wasn’t so mad that I wasn’t going to want you when you came back to me, James Buchanan Barnes.”

She kissed the worry line between his eyes.

She could tell he was trying to decide if he was worthy of staying. That he was sometimes still not quite believing somebody actually wanted him.

“Are you hearing me, James?”

“Yeah. I was just…I thought that I’d really messed up this time, and that you were finally…done with all this—with me.

It’s a lot to deal with, I know, and I wouldn’t blame you if you—“

”*tsk* Boy.”

”Sarah! Did you suck your teeth just now?”

She kissed him softly.

“James…”

“Yes.”

She kissed him again, less softly, and heard a small moan from the back of his throat.

“Mthandi…”

“Intan—?”

This time, she kissed him, and when they finally came up for air, they were both breathless and smiling…he was on his back and he’d gently maneuvered her, effortlessly pulling/lifting her onto him, his robe halfway off her, his hands caressing her back.

“b a b y…”

“Mmm...?”

“Hush…”

*********

Ch1 / Ch2 / Ch3.1 / Ch3.2 / Ch3.3 / Epilogue

**********

The entire series is also cross posted on AO3:

April Showers Bring Foolery and Shenanigans: The Vacation Edition.

Thanks for reading, feel free to chat in the comments, photos all have been credited to the photographer and publications, including Adepero Oduye which I believe to be a Selfie. Please let me know if it’s not.

[high-functioning-lokipath]

SH - Sherlock x Depressed!Reader - With a Little Help from My Friends - Words: 2,793

IMPORTANT A/N - PLEASE READ: As stated in the title, this story contains discussions of depression. There is mention of suicidal thought and self-harm. I personally don't think it's too intense in it's descriptions HOWEVER!!! If this will trigger you, for your own health and safety please do not read. My messages are always open if you'd like to talk. I wrote this partially based on my own feelings so I can understand to at least a degree. You're amazing and I love you all. As far as this story goes, just remember: it has a happy, very fluffy ending but it doesn't start that way. I hope you enjoy it, feel free to leave a comment!

Brief Backstory: Reader is friends with John and Sherlock. She is a nurse who works with John. The three met shortly after Sherlock came back. Sherlock and Reader have crushes on each other but won't admit to it. I think the story explains everything else.

"Y/N, I'm going to be honest," John said, putting his hand on your shoulder comfortingly. "I may have PTSD but I cannot fully put myself in your shoes. My depression is different than yours." You had called your best friend, John Watson, in a mild panic. You had been feeling depressed for some time, as he knew, but that day had been especially bad. There was no particular reason but your depression had gotten so intense that you knew you needed help to get past this particular wave. John invited you over to 221B, assuring you that his flatmate would be out for the next couple of hours. "As a doctor, I am going to prescribe you some medication. Lowest dose possible and only because I want to help you get some immediate relief but I know you do not want them to become permanent. Let's work on finding another solution for you, ok?"

"I don't know, John," you replied. You'd asked John to be your Doctor since you didn't go to one regularly and he didn't mind your irregular checkups. "I've tried just about everything. The only outlet that seems to help is writing and even then," you trailed off, trying not to cry again. "This feeling just won't go away and I don't even know why it's there in the first place. I just want it to stop."

"I think you should talk to Sherlock."

"What?" You squeaked. "Why in the world would I talk to Sherlock?"

"I can't tell you why, Y/N. As both your Doctor and Sherlock's, I have to respect certain amounts of patient confidentiality. However, as your friend, I think you should talk to him."

"I don't know."

"Trust me," He replied. Smirking slightly, he added, "Doctor's orders."

"Ok, John," you chuckled. He smiled and hugged you. "Thanks."

"Now how about we go and fill this prescription and then maybe get some ice cream?"

"Well, honestly," you sighed. "The ice cream sounds great but I didn't sleep well last night. I was actually wondering if I could just take a nap here for a bit. I sleep better here sometimes." You blushed but John nodded understandingly.

"Of course," He replied. "I'll run down to the drugstore and fill this for you. Meanwhile you get some rest. I'll let Sherlock know you're here just in case he ends up getting back before I do. Will you be ok by yourself?"

"Yeah," You smiled. "This is a safe space for me. I'll go grab a blanket. Thanks again."

"Don't mention it. Just remember, talk to him."

"I'll try."

About 15 minutes later, Sherlock arrived back at the flat. He'd gotten John's texts.

John: If you get home in the next 45 minutes, be quiet. Y/N is over and she's taking a nap. I have to run out for something.

Sherlock: Is everything ok? - SH

John: She said she had a bad night.

Sherlock: She must have had a reason to come over in the first place though. - SH

John: She's going to need to tell you that herself. Don't ask. Do you understand me? Let her tell you. Be nice, ok?

Sherlock: When am I not nice to Y/N? - SH

John: Ok, that is true. You like her too much to be rude to her. If you could just hold back your deductions for one second I will say this: you two have more in common than you think.

He hurried home, not to wake you up of course, but because he wanted to see you. If there was something seriously wrong, he wanted to try and brace himself for it first. He couldn't help the smile playing at the corner of his lips when he thought of you. You two were good friends, that much was obvious to everyone. But Sherlock could see the potential for something more. He liked you a lot. You were just as smart, sassy, and sarcastic as he was. But you also could be extremely kind and caring to others and especially to him. He still didn't quite understand why you cared for him so but he was grateful. Before he could dwell on that too much longer, he arrived at 221B.

He quietly slipped inside and smiled at what he saw. You were curled up on the couch, sleeping like a baby. Apparently, though, you'd kicked off the blanket you had grabbed. Instead of picking up the blanket, he decided to take off his long coat and carefully lay that over you. You quickly cuddled into the warm fabric, unconsciously taking a deep breath, inhaling his unique signature left behind on the coat. Satisfied with what he'd done, he took off his suit jacket and went to the kitchen to prepare some tea for when you woke up. He knew you had a favorite tea and, unless John moved it or drank it all, there still would be some in the cupboard.

You woke to the smell of your favorite tea and a hushed exclamation from the kitchen. Opening your eyes slowly you saw Sherlock in at the counter trying to set up a tray with the teapot and cups. Recognizing your surroundings a bit more, you realized what was on top of you. Sherlock was just about to bring out the tray but you decided to pretend you were still asleep. The chances of fooling the Detective were low, but you wanted to try.

"There," He whispered to himself, setting the tray on the coffee table. You could hear him settling down on his chair, likely getting into his 'palace pose' as you called it. For a moment you were happy. You had actually gotten some quality sleep, you were currently cuddled up in Sherlock's famous coat and Sherlock had even made you tea. But that feeling quickly faded. Tears threatened to spill out of your still closed eyes as self-deprecating thoughts filled your mind.

'John probably told him to make me tea. He probably covered me with his coat so I wasn't as much of a distraction. He doesn't want me here. He never does. Why does he even tolerate my presence? He probably wishes we'd never met,' You thought. Your mind was going a million miles an hour and gaining. Without your notice, the tears began rolling down your cheeks and quiet sobs escaped your lips.

"Y/N?" Sherlock whispered. You're eyes shot open. You hadn't heard him get up. Now he was kneeling right next to you, one hand hovering over your arm. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, Sherlock!" You cried. "I-I wish I knew."

"C'mere," he said, motioning for you to sit up. Once you did so, he pulled you into a tight hug.

"What's this for?"

"You always give me and John a hug when you see us. You haven't done so for the past 5 days. I-" he paused briefly before lowering his voice and continuing. "I missed it."

"Oh." You weren't quite sure how to reply to that. You leaned into his embrace, letting yourself get lost in the moment.

"Y/N? Is there something I can do to help?"

"How much did John tell you?" You asked. You wouldn't have been mad exactly if John had told Sherlock to talk to you, but you wanted to think Sherlock was reaching out on his own.

"He told me you had a bad night."

"That's all?" You asked, surprised. You pulled away slightly and stared into his eyes. Sherlock nodded, frowning slightly as he tried to deduce you.

"Why are you afraid to talk to me?" You turned away, embarrassed and unsure what to say. "Be honest."

"I don't want you to make fun of me. I have-" You took a deep breath, steeling your nerves and preparing to just jump right in. "I have been extremely depressed lately and I didn't want to hear another speech about how all I need to do is exercise and eat right and stop thinking about sad things. Well you know what? I can't stop it! I can't help it if I feel like a useless pile of trash that should be thrown in the bin and burned." By the time you finished your little tirade, you'd gotten up and started pacing the floor. Then you turned and faced Sherlock. His expression was neutral but there was an obvious sadness in his eyes, one you didn't expect to see. It wasn't of pity. If you had seen that you also would have given up on the conversation. No, it was almost an understanding, an empathy. His eyes were actually glistening with tears.

"Have you ever felt like," he paused, voice unsteady. "Like giving up?" He whispered, unable to hold eye contact. You nodded silently. He got up slowly and walked towards you. At first, you thought he would hug you again but then he started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Uh, Sherlock?"

"Just wait a moment. I want to show you something." He carefully shrugged off the purple shirt that you, admittedly, loved so much and tossed it on the chair. "Only one person knows about this. You will be the second. You remember I told you about Moriarty's network?"

"Yes, the day we met. I asked you about your work, a simple question. And I got an answer that lasted 3 hours." Sherlock chuckled dryly.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Oh, no. Please don't apologise. I-" You sighed, rubbing your forehead. "I tend to make jokes when I'm nervous."

"I know." He smiled at you with, yet again, a completely unreadable expression. "You remember though." You nodded, opting to stay silent as he explained. "Well, those 2 years dismantling his network weren't easy. Not physically and certainly not emotionally. As a result of the different missions, I received many wounds on my body in various locations. I was," He paused, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "I was depressed, guilt-stricken and suicidal. I figured I had hurt my friends enough. If they thought I was dead maybe I should just go on with it."

"What changed your mind?"

"I didn't want to do it on a mission. I wanted to see home again one more time. So to temporarily relieve the pain I," He sighed. Well, I wouldn't let my wounds heal. I'd pick at them. Mycroft finally convinced me to come back officially because he needed my help. I never told him about this. I think he knows but we don't discuss it." He looked down, obviously embarrassed and feeling more emotionally naked than physically. "You can look," he said. It was as if he'd read your mind. You were trying to be respectful and not stare but you realized that's what he wanted to show you. You had, on occasion, seen him shirtless before but you had never realized how bad some of the scars were.

"Sherlock, I-I don't know what to say. I-" You were completely shocked. Not offended. But actually comforted that he understood you. "Thank you," You finally said.

"Actually I wanted to thank you. I didn't just show you this to prove that I understand your feelings." You looked at him confused. "The day we met. You were leaving work, correct?" You nodded.

"It had been my first day there. John had been happy with my work and requested that I stay assigned to his office permanently. John had already finished up and headed home but there was some paperwork I had to finish so I was leaving about an hour late. Come to think of it, John said he had plans with you that evening. Why were you there?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you. I met you less than a month after I came back. I had still been quite depressed so I was still picking at my injuries. That day had been a bad day for me. So I cancelled my plans with John and I decided to go back to where I started this whole mess and finish it."

"Wait, are you telling me that-"

"You saved my life." Sherlock took one of your hands in his own and held it tightly. "I had memorized the work schedules of most everyone there and knew how to slip in unnoticed."

"But you didn't factor in me."

"Correct. When I ran into you, quite literally in fact, as I was entering the building, I was surprised. Not just by your presence but by what I deduced about you. You intrigued me. I had to find out more about you so I invited you to have a cup of coffee with me."

"Which turned into dinner." Sherlock nodded. "And since you were so intrigued by me, you forgot all about that."

"In a manner of speaking. You weren't a cure-all, mind you. You helped, though, by giving me a new mystery to investigate: you. That night, when I got home, I told John everything. He helped me too and when I mentioned you he couldn't stop singing your praises. He is very proud of you and your work you know."

"Yeah, I guess so," You replied, a little embarrassed. "Thank you, Sherlock. I'm sorry that you went through all that, but, I'm glad I have someone who understands. And I'm glad you're here to help me."

"Me too, Y/N. Me too," He replied.

"Can I, um, can I have another hug?" You asked, blushing and smiling. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"If you must," He sighed, holding his arms out. Any other day, you would have thought he genuinely didn't want personal contact. But today you realized he was simply teasing. You wrapped your arms around his waist and leaned your head on his chest. You felt him relax as he leaned forward a little to cocoon you in his arms. "I care about you, Y/N. I don't care about many people but you mean so much to me. I-" You looked up at him and pressed a finger to his lips to quiet him.

"You don't have to say it, Sherlock. I know." He smiled and looked somewhat relieved. You knew he wasn't good with feelings and that was fine with you. "I love you too."

"I wanted to be the first one to say that," He pouted. You chuckled softly and booped his nose.

"You already have." He smiled and kissed your forehead lightly.

"I know this won't fix everything right away. I know you'll still have bad days. But I wanted you to know you could come to me too."

"I know. Thank you again, Sherlock." At that moment, John walked in with a bag from the store.

"Oh, hello!" He chirped, happy to see you hadn't gotten into a yelling match. Then he noticed Sherlock's shirt, or rather, lack thereof. "So, uh," He stuttered, unsure of what to say. "What should I do with this?"

"First of all, thank you, John, for giving me the guts to talk to him about this. And second, I think I'll give it a try. You know, to try and prevent a really bad day when you guys aren't available or if talking still isn't enough. But for today I think I'll be alright," You said, turning to John with a smile.

"Well, I'm glad. So did you just talk about that or did he finally tell you that he's had the biggest schoolboy crush on you from the moment he met you?"

"John!" Sherlock yelled. You laughed loudly.

"Not in those words exactly, John," You replied. "Don't worry," You added, turning to Sherlock and ruffling his curls. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Good. Now if you don't mind, I need your input on this case."

"Me?" You asked, quite surprised.

"Yes," He said as if it was obvious. "You're a woman after all!"

"And that is important because?"

"The killer was a woman obviously but I can't understand why she would do it!" The two of you went off into your own little world, completely ignoring John as he cooked dinner.

John: Ok, mates, get your tuxs out. Won't be long now.

Greg: He finally proposed? 😀

John: Not yet, give it a week.

Mycroft: John, you forget I monitor his spending habits.

John: And?

Mycroft: He's had a ring purchased for some time now.

Greg: 3 days tops.💍

Mycroft: I would estimate about 3 days as well, Detective Inspector.

Greg: We're in a Group Text. Talking about our friend like a bunch of teenage girls at a slumber party. I think you can call me Greg.

Mycroft: If I must.

John: So, girls, will you help me make the plans?

Mycroft: Of course. He is blood after all.

Greg: Count me in! Wouldn't miss it! 🕵️👰

Sherlock BBC Taglist

@lucywrites02

@delightfulheartdream

@bartv21

@another-crazy-fangirl

@ladylulu143

@gaitwae

@for-hearthand-home

[fandom-hoarder]

When Sam is 4 and Dean is 8, John drags them to a hunters house. Apparently Pastor Jim is officiating a hunter wedding and John is in the area and thinks why not. They don't get to be around other people very often and it gives him an excuse to let the boys run around safely.

The wedding is quick and the beer and food are passed around. Sammy asks Dean why the grown ups kissed.

"they got married Sammy. It means they'll be together forever." Dean explains as he fixes him and Sammy a plate of whatever is being served.

"can we get married De? I want to be with you forever." Sammy asks with those wide eyes that Dean can never say no to.

"brothers can't get married Sammy." He hates how Sammy cries the rest of the night.

They are 15 and 19. Sam is doing research for John and Dean on a cursed object and finds a silver ring with warding symbols etched on it. He checks with Bobby to make sure it's safe to keep and once Bobby gives him the ok he takes it.

"here" Sam tosses the ring at Dean.

"the hell is this?" Dean looks at the ring, annoyed mostly because Sam just chunked it at him.

"I can change my last name and we can get married." Sam and Dean had been doing whatever"this" was for about 2 years. Sam is madly in love with Dean and Dean is madly in love with Sam but keeps the tough guy no chick flick moments act up.

"whatever Sam." He tosses the ring on the bed, he doesn't miss how Sam's face breaks and how quickly Sam runs out of the house. He wishes he wasn't such an asshole.

It's years later when Dean brings it up. Sam's soul is put back and the wall is secured in his mind when Dean asks Sam to marry him. At first Sam thinks Dean is being a jerk bringing up something from their childhood. It's not until he drops on one knee and presents Sam with a ring that Sam finally believes it.

Anon 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I love when they talk about marriage as innocent weechesters, but then one of them doesn't let it go.

Idk if you meant it this way, but I imagined that first ring Sam found to be the one Dean wore in early seasons. Sam kept it hidden away in his stuff when Dean rejected it, but left it behind when he went to Stanford. Dean found it and wore it every day since. When Dean gets him from Stanford, at first Sam doesn't think it's the same ring, but it doesn't take long to realize.

But everything between them then feels too fragile--too volatile--to bring it up. And so much happens and keeps happening, and Dean hasn't said anything even though they're TOGETHER-together again, and Sam hasn't brought it up because he feels guilty; undeserving; unclean. He has too many secrets.

And then Sam is throwing rings again--four of them, magically fused. Dives into the pit and gets swallowed up.

And then he's waking up, and Dean is there, and Bobby is there.

And it's literally just days later that Dean proposes, and Sam pinches himself (and Dean) to check if he's dreaming. Maybe he actually died from his Fall and went to Heaven.

But it is real. And Sam knows Dean is going to mock him for his happy tears, but he doesn't care. Dean's gonna have to deal with saltwater kisses for a bit.

[blackspoon99]

The Empty Hearse Pt. 3

Sherlock x Female! Reader

TW: Mentions of Death and Blood 

Part 1 

Part 2

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Monday - 12:26 pm

Meanwhile, you were meeting up with Mary for lunch to congratulate her on the engagement. A simple lunch with a friend seemed mundane compared to what had just happened. It was a welcome change from the ludicrousness of having an old friend literally come back from the dead. Mary truly had been a breath of fresh air since Sherlock had died left. She was one of the people who had helped lift you out of that dark place. You were selfishly thrilled that the engagement meant she had a more permanent future in your life as well as John’s.

You walked into the café to find her already waiting for you at a table near the window.

“Oh Mary, congratulations!” you cried as she pulled you into a hug. “You and John are just made for each other. I can’t imagine anyone better, truly, I can’t”

The lunch began with you and Mary discussing the early plans for the wedding, whether she should get married in May or June, possible venues, and other pleasantries. Mary really had wanted to know one thing from you since you arrived, and she was getting tired of waiting. Finally, she let out a groan and interrupted you just as you were giving your two cents about wedding flowers.

“I’m sorry Y/n, but enough stalling. I have to ask. How are you? You know, after Sherlock?”

“Mary, I love you, but can’t we just enjoy lunch without talking about him? He’s not my whole life you know… well not anymore.” You mumbled the last part.

“I know, it’s just that John used to talk about how happy you were back in those days. I’ve never brought it up before because I was respecting your boundaries but now that you have the chance to get even some of that happiness back…” She gently reached across the table and placed her hand on yours. “I just can’t keep my mouth shut anymore.”

“I don’t know Mary. How is anyone supposed to be okay after something like this? I don’t really know what to feel.” You looked up at your friend and your face softened. You knew Mary meant well. “Maybe you’re right Mary. I can’t deny I was happy during that time with John and Sherlock. But my life back then was…ugh I’m trying to find a better phrase than ‘downright mad’!”

Mary let out a light laugh. “I’ve only ever heard about it from John, but it seems like it. Why don’t you tell me a little about it? Please? John’s not one for details.”

It had always been hard to talk about the happy memories because of the nature of Sherlock’s death. Although you were the most confused about your emotions around Sherlock than you had ever been, it couldn’t hurt. “I suppose I could indulge you in a few stories”

You sat in the café and recounted some of your favorite memories with Sherlock. A particular favorite of yours was the first time John invited you over for tea after you’d met him through a mutual friend. Sherlock had burst through the door covered head to toe in blood carrying a harpoon. Later, you’d learn the blood wasn’t human, but it was still quite an eventful first meeting.

Mary watched as you spoke with more light in your eyes than she’d seen as long as she’d known you. This was a new person altogether. Mary decided then and there that she would do whatever she could to bring the happiness back to you. She tried to conceal a knowing smile as she realized she’d witnessed two people coming back to life in a single week.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday 4:24 pm

Later that afternoon, you returned to work. Even though it didn’t pay too well, you loved working in a bookshop. The perks were many: the quiet, your favorite café being just across the street, and all the books you could want at a generous employee discount. Today, a new shipment of bestsellers had arrived, so you spent most of the day sorting, organizing, and reading the first chapters of some of the books while the owner wasn’t looking.

You were struggling with a full box of books when you heard the bell at the door ring. “Welcome! Let me know if I can help you find anything!” you yelled over your shoulder in the general direction of the customer. As you turned around, a corner of the enormous box clipped a bookshelf, and the box went tumbling sideways. Before the books could come clattering to the floor, someone caught the other side.

“Need some help?”

You looked up to see none other than Sherlock Holmes, large as life, dramatic wool coat and all.

“This isn’t space, Sherlock,” you said coolly, yanking the box back and moving around him.

Sherlock caught up to you and reached his arm out and leaned against the wall in front of you, blocking your path. “Have dinner with me”

“What?”

“Come on, have dinner with me, y/n.” He flashed you the smile that always made you melt

You sighed and placed the box on a nearby table. Your heart felt heavy all of the sudden. You knew you part of you still wanted to. You knew an even bigger part of you felt the same way for Sherlock as you always had. But whenever you looked at him, all the good memories of him were mixed in with the pain you’d felt when he left. You wanted to separate them, to forget everything and give in, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to.

“I can’t Sherlock, I’m sorry”

“Why not?”

“I told you I needed space. I need more time, Sherlock. You didn’t listen to me.”

“I don’t understand. I thought we were alright.”

Sherlock looked like a kicked puppy. Although his face was still calm, you had learned to see through his exterior years ago. You knew he didn’t fully understand why you were rejecting him. Suddenly you felt guilty.

“I know, and we are, it’s just-” You turned your head away as it had suddenly become difficult to meet his gaze. “You jumped off a building, Sherlock. Then you let me believe you were dead for 2 years. You don’t understand what that does to a person.”

Sherlock stood in silence. His features were slightly contorted. You could feel your face beginning to heat up. Why did this hurt so much?

“I still care about you, Sherlock. But as much as I want them to, things can’t just go back to the way they were. At least not yet.” You tried to give him a sympathetic smile. “I can’t forgive you right now, but I promise I will try.”

“Well, if not dinner, how about chips? I know a place.”

You laughed in spite of yourself “You never did know when to give up, did you?”

“Come on, I’ve got a terror threat on. No better time for chips, the world is ending.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about”

“Want to find out?”

He got you. “Fine. After my shift, I’ll come and meet you at Baker Street. Let’s give it a try.”

“Looking forward to it.” Sherlock turned to leave.

A warm feeling spread through your chest. Little by little, the good was coming back. It was more hope than you’d had in a while. You decided that you were looking forward to it too.

A/N: I indulged my own escapism fantasies and made y/n work in a bookstore. In another life…

The rest of this fic will probably be a mix of actual scenes from season 3 with some made-up ones like these

Taglist: @the-chaotic-cow @amoeebaa

(I also apparently didn’t know how to properly tag people on Tumblr. Sorry taglist friends it should work now)

[maddiwrites]

Secret Lives (Part 3)

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Summary: You and JJ never got along so your friends trap the two of you on a boat in the middle of the marsh to work it out. Only it doesn’t go as planned. 

Note: Hey guys! Remember this little series I wrote? A lot of people asked for a part three and I truly had no plans to write one, but I came up with one for you if you if guys are even still interested, who knows. I don’t know how I feel about it. Kinda seems dramatic of me, but oh well. Its been in my drafts for forever so I’m finally posting it. Let me know!! If I tagged you, its because you were tagged in part 2 or asked to be tagged in part 3! 

Word count: 6k

Warnings: mentions of abuse, drugs, violence, and death

 Part 1   Part 2    Masterlist

The relationship you and JJ had transpired into something no one saw coming. Your friends thought your friendship was unsalvageable after what happened when they trapped you in the middle of the marsh with one another. You had reached your breaking point and they didn’t think you’d ever come back to them. But you did. Not only did you come back to them, but you came back to JJ. 

The two of you, once closed off around each other, were now inseparable. You spent almost every day together. You followed him around his work schedule and he snuck through your window any chance he got because he didn’t want to spend one night without you. Your family was surprisingly very accepting of JJ. Your mother was first worried, knowing how men on the Cut can grow into something/someone no parent would want for their daughter. And Andrew knew of Luke Maybank from word of mouth and was afraid JJ might be just like him. But the first night you invited him to dinner at your house, your parents welcomed him into your family. He was polite, mature, and personable throughout the whole meal. You remembered that night well. The morning of, he  called you panicking because he didn’t know what to wear. You told him to wear whatever he wanted, but he was afraid the Kildare County T shirt and cargo shorts wouldn’t send the right message. So you took him shopping on the mainland. Together you took the ferry and made him play dress up in stores you knew he couldn’t afford. He felt bad that you were paying for his new wardrobe, but you promised it was something you wanted to do because you would do anything to make him feel better about this night. That night he came to your door with a bouquet of flowers for your mother and a bottle of Scotch he told Andrew his dad bought for him for that night. Your little sister absolutely adored him, barely giving him enough time to kiss you hello or goodbye. 

You and JJ were more alike than either of you could even imagine. Your temper wasn’t as short as JJ’s, but you weren’t afraid of a fight when it presented itself to you. Your mother always said that’s what happens when you grow up on the Cut. You learn to fight for what you want and need. Most of the time JJ liked that about you. Seeing you standing up for yourself was a huge turn on to him and he felt prideful when onlookers would watch impressed because they didn’t expect a girl from Figure Eight to fight like that. He never let it get physical though even though he always thought it would be hot to see you in a cat fight with some rich bitch from your school. He cared too much about you to let you get hurt. 

You and JJ have another similarity no one outside of the Pogues know about. Although you hate it more than anything, you and JJ live through the trauma of having an abusive father. As if dealing with your father alone wasn’t stressful enough, he created a few fights between you and your boyfriend. JJ was constantly on your case when you were hiding a new bruise or silently frustrated from a previous conversation with your father. You tried not to find it overbearing because JJ was just concerned. You promised you’d stop seeing your father. It was easier for you than for JJ because you had another family to fall back on. A loving mother, a generous step father, and a boisterous little sister. The perfect family. Which is why you felt so guilty that they didn’t seem like enough. ‘Cause it didn’t matter how much money Andrew had, or if he said he loved you like his own, or that he promised you he would never hurt your mother on the day he proposed. He wasn’t your real dad. Your real dad was out there, living in filth and drugs. Without a second income, he couldn’t pay his bills or own a car to drive himself to work every day. He blamed that on you and your mother and you fell for his pity party every single time. 

JJ knew when you were lying. You’d wearing more clothes on the days you were hiding your skin and quieter on the days when you were thinking back to the hateful things your father yelled at you the day before. He hated that there was someone out there laying their hands on you and there was nothing he could do about it. JJ knew the kind of damage that could happen if he tried to physically intervene and it didn’t work. Every time he brought it up, it would only start a heated argument. You would bring up his own father and how JJ wouldn’t let you say anything to Luke, even on the days you two were face to face at Barry’s home with your own father. You hated that JJ thought he could come between you and your father, but you couldn’t do the same. It was hard to believe you two were using your own father’s against each other to prove a point.

Today was no different. It was sunny, cloudless day in the middle of the summer. Which meant the perfect boat day for you and your Pogues. John B was excited to fish, JJ and Pope were excited to swim, Kie to tan. And you? Well you weren’t excited all at. Because last night was a particularly bad night between you and your dad. 

He had taken you out to Barry’s again, forcing you to come inside so he could show you off like his own personal wallet. He drained you of another four hundred dollars after Barry threatened to shoot your father in the head if he didn’t get his money. And you hesitated. Not because you wanted your father to die, but because you had never had a gun pointed at another person in your vicinity. Ever. But that’s not how your dad took it. When you dropped him off, he had you come inside so he could give you his unpaid utility bills. When you least expected it, your dad shoved you hard into the countertop, the corner of it jabbing into your side. Even when you fell to the floor, your father didn’t stop kicking you in your stomach. He called you ungrateful and disloyal. He told you he wished you had never been born - how you ruin everything. You cried into the tiled floors until your dad tired himself out, grabbed a beer, and went to bed.

Your torso was covered in blue and purple bruises when you woke up. Even the warm water from you shower this morning felt like a million little needles pricking your skin.  You contemplated texting the Pogues, telling them you felt sick and that you couldn’t go today. But when you looked out the window and saw the perfect day, you didn’t want to miss out on the sun or a day out with your friends. Your father’s taken a lot from you, but you wouldn’t let him take this.

You wore a one piece bathing suit you had no intention of showing anyone today. JJ greeted you first when the Pogue pulled up to your dock. His arm wrapped around your waist, his hand lightly squeezing your side. You inevitably flinched but forced out a giggle to make it look like JJ had only tickled you. Not hurt you. No one thought anything of it. No one but JJ. He watched you with a narrowed gaze as you said your hellos to the others and popped a squat next to Kie and Sarah.

When John B docked the boat, everyone immediately undressed to get into the cool water.

“C’mon, babe. You’re my partner for Chicken,” JJ walked up to you, the two of you the only ones on the boat.

You looked up and admired his shirtless, toned body. His tan skin glowed against the North Carolina sun and you couldn’t understand how you got so lucky to call him yours.

Then you remembered your predicament and looked out towards your friends to avoid his stare. “I’m not feeling that great today, J.”

“What’s wrong?” JJ asked but he didn’t need to. He already knew what was wrong. He just wanted to see if you would lie about it again.

“Just nauseous,” you said, “I think I ate some bad eggs this morning or something.”

“Some bad eggs, huh?” JJ scoffed.

“JJ...” you sighed. You knew he didn’t buy your lame excuse. You wouldn’t either if it was the other way around.

“You went to see him again, didn’t you?” It wasn’t a question it was a statement.

“Can we not do this here? Please.” You practically begged. You knew this argument could get heated. It usually always did. Neither of you meant to get mad at one another. In the end, it was your dad who was in the wrong. But you guys didn’t like seeing the other one hurt. It was both frustrating and exhausting.

JJ rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He dove into the water head first and swam out towards his friends.

You dropped your head on the boat’s steering wheel, your forehead thumping against it. You wished cutting ties with your dad was as it easy as it sounds. But now you know that Barry would kill your dad if you didn’t show up for him with the money he owed. And you couldn’t let that happen. It would feel like murdering your own father.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A week later, you found yourself at another boneyard party with your friends. You tried your best to enjoy the night despite your boyfriend giving you the cold shoulder. He was still mad about the incident on the boat. The two of you fought about it when you got back to the Chateau. He knew you were holding something back from him. And you were. You never mentioned Barry or the drugs or the gun to him. As far as JJ knew, you paid your dad’s bills and took him out to lunch every once in a while. And you wanted to keep it this way - afraid of what he might think knowing you were spending time with not only a notorious drug dealer, but his own father.

“I’m gonna get another drink,” you tell Kie as the two of you watched JJ and John B play beer pong against two Tourons.

She nodded and kept her eyes trained on the winning Pogues.

Before you reached the keg, a hand wrapped around your wrist and pulled you away from the crowd, towards the water. When you looked up at who it was, you ripped your hand away and glared at the blonde Kook.

“Y/N -“

“What the hell do you want, Rafe?” You could tell he was high. His eyes wouldn’t stop flickering back between yours, his balance was off, and his pupils were dilated.

“I - I screwed up. I don’t have the money - I didn’t make enough money for Barry’s blow. He’s gonna kill me.”

“Hey, hey. Calm down,” you looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

“You need to help me. You need to sell this -“ he tried shoving small baggies into your hands but you pulled yourself away like he was offering your a lit flame.

“Are you out of your mind. Put that away!”

“I wasn’t - wasn’t keeping track of how many people were using my shit. And then there was this girl -“

“Rafe, I can’t do this.”

“JJ can help. Yeah? His dad -“

“JJ stays out of this,” you took another step towards him so you were face to face with the Kook and he could see how serious you were, even through his high state of mind. “You hear me? JJ’s nothing like his dad and I swear to god I’ll kill you first if you say anything to him.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Rafe raised his voice, frustrated that he couldn’t come up with any other ideas of how he was supposed to get his money back.

“Hey!” You froze when another voice broke you and Rafe apart. JJ walked up from behind you and pointed his finger at the Kook. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get away from her.”

You let JJ pull you behind him but kept your eyes on Rafe, trying to warn him from saying anything to your already fired up boyfriend.

Rafe sniffled and took a step back. “Nothing, dude. Relax. Okay?”

“Didn’t look like nothing.”

“Rafe was just leaving,” you said and kept your eyes on Rafe.

“Y/N, you don’t understand. Barry -“

“Rafe!”

JJ’s head snapped in your direction and his brows furrowed in confusion. He knew that name. His dad’s mentioned that name before. It’s usually followed by coke prices.

Rafe just glared at you. “If I die, it’s on you.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat and looked down at the sand as Rafe walked away. JJ slowly turned to look at you as his brain scrambled to put the pieces together.

“Y/N...”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You said quickly.

“How do you know Barry?” JJ pushed. He didn’t care if you didn’t want to talk about it. He was tired of letting you push him away.

“He’s my dad’s dealer, J. We’ve been over this.” You tried walking away from him but he grabbed your wrist to make you look at him.

“You been to his house?” JJ asked. When you didn’t answer, he took a step back and looked at you incredulously. “You work for him now?”

You glared at him. “Of course not!”

“Then -“

“My dad makes me pay for his shit, okay? And I can’t stop or else Barry will kill him.” You snapped. Tears pricked at your waterline and threatened to fall.

“Barry won’t kill -“

“He pointed a gun at his head the other day! I was there! I had to scoff up hundreds of dollars to save his life.” You shook your head. “And that still wasn’t enough to save myself from a stupid beating. So please stop telling me how much easier it is for me to escape him. Stop telling me how lucky I am to have such a great family to rely on. Because I don’t! If I don’t help my dad out, I might as well sign his death warrant myself.”

JJ’s heart physically cracked in his chest at the sight of you. You were falling apart. Here at a boneyard party, where you should be having fun and forgetting about your problems. But instead he pushed you too far, and although he was relieved to finally hear the truth from you, he wished it had been in the privacy of your home or the Chateau. When he looked over your shoulder, he saw the worried looks of the Pogues looking at them. He didn’t know if he heard them, but he hoped they hadn’t. He still needed time to process this without the pestering questions from his friends. Even if they meant well.

“Okay,” JJ said softly. “Okay. I won’t say anything. I’m sorry. Can we just - “ he sighed. “Can we just go back to the Chateau? I just wanna hold you.”

You sniffled and meekly nodded your head. You were angry and frustrated. But not at him. At Rafe. At your own father. At the world. And you just wanted your boyfriend too.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That night, you fell asleep pretty fast. From your sore body, to the sleepless nights thinking about Barry and his threats, and the warmth of JJ’s body held against you, your exhausted state quickly took over you. You felt like you could sleep for hours.

JJ, however, did not. He stared up at the blank ceiling with his forearm tucked under his head as his other arm stayed wrapped around you. He couldn’t stop picturing you at Barry’s home with a bunch of old low lifes, scared and innocent. He wondered if his dad was ever there - if he ever said anything to you.

He hated that there wasn’t anything he could do for you unless your dad was gone.

Gone.

And idea popped into his head like someone flicked a light switch on in his brain. He turned his head, back and forth, looking for your phone. When he found it charging on his night stand, he stretched his arm out for it, careful not to wake up your sleeping figure.

He secretly knew your passcode after subtly watching you type it in a couple weeks ago.

His fingers tapped against your screen until he found the app he was looking for. Glancing down at you one last time, he shared your location with his phone.

When you squirmed in his embrace, JJ quickly put the phone back where he found it and pretended to be asleep in case you peeked an eye open at him. He hoped you didn’t feel his heart racing against his rib cage or his uneven breaths. He knew if you found out what he was doing, you’d be pissed. But before he fell asleep, he promised he was going to do anything necessary to keep you safe.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the day JJ knew you were going to be busy all day babysitting your neighbor’s kids, he rode his bike to Kildare County’s police station. He stared at the entrance for a long couple of seconds, hating every second of being in near proximity to this place. Basically going against every natural instinct he had to stay away and not trust the police.

But he was doing this for you.

He walked in, ignoring the couple of looks from officers he’s encountered over the years. They were mostly surprised he wasn’t being forced through the doors with his hands cuffed behind his back.

“I need to see Sheriff Peterkin, please.” JJ says politely.

The older woman looked JJ up and down. “Do you have an appointment?”

“It’s the fucking police station. Since when do you have to make appointments? You assume people are just gonna know when an emergency is going to happen?”

“Look kid -“

“JJ.” JJ turned and relief washed over him when he saw Sheriff Peterkin in the hallway looking at him confused but also concerned.

“I need your help.” JJ admitted. He hated cops. Probably always will. But he trusted Sheriff Peterkin. She’s always tried to help John B through his DCS struggles. She actually cared about what he wanted and never took the easy way out just to make her work load lighter. She remembered why she took the oath every day.

Peterkin never really liked the Maybank kid in particular, but she was able to see something in him pretty much every cop couldn’t. She saw the loyalty and the determination his friends saw. She could tell he didn’t want to grow up to be like his father.

She led him into her office and shut the door behind them for privacy. She gestured towards the seat in front of her desk and asked him to explain what was going on.

JJ’s mouth moved a hundred miles per minute. He told her how your mother didn’t know you would sneak out to see your dad despite the custody agreement. He mentioned the bills he made you pay and the bruises he would leave you despite your efforts to help him. He teared up when he mentioned his own dad - and how his father and your father had the same dealer. How your dad would make you go inside Barry’s home and use you like a a community bank account. He even told her about the gun Barry threatened to use on your dad right in front of you.

“Why are you tell me all of this?” Peterkin says slowly. She studied the boy in front of her who was slowly falling apart and felt sympathetic for the young blonde. It didn’t take a genius to know why JJ was telling her this.

“Because...y/n... she has a heart of gold,” JJ sniffled. “She won’t leave her dad behind to be homeless or killed because that man is her blood. It doesn’t matter if he beats her black and blue. She always goes back because she thinks she owes him.” He sighs. “I want him gone. I don’t care what you do to him. Arrest him, kill him. I don’t really care. Although the second choice sounds more strategic -“

“JJ -“

“And I don’t want her getting in any sort of legal trouble because it’s not her fault. She doesn’t do drugs or deal them or anything like that. She just stands there and watches her dad blow his money on coke and who knows what else. And her mom? Her mom has no clue what’s going on but it’s not her fault. Y/n is really good at hiding her pain. She forces a smile every day and -“ JJ’s breath hitched in his throat when he thought about how you faked your happiness every single day and how a girl like you should never feel as worthless as you do. “Her mom’s a good mom. And I don’t want people blaming her or taking Y/n away from her because they think she can’t control her -“

“Hey, look at me,” Peterkin says softly. She wanted to reach over the desk and squeeze his hand to comfort him. “I understand.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I remember having to visit their home when Mrs. Y/L/N was still married to him. Y/N mother’s a good woman. I wouldn’t let anyone come between them.”

“What about her dad? I tried convincing her to never see him again but she won’t do it. She’s afraid Barry will kill him.”

“I can’t bust into Barry’s home without probable cause -“

JJ stood up. “That’s bullshit! You know -“

“Without probable cause or evidence that proves Barry is holding drugs or being violent, I can’t barge into that home.”

“That’s -“

“Here,” Peterkin writes her number down on a post it note and hands it to JJ. “Without probable cause, I can’t arrest Barry and the men who work or buy from him.” She stared at JJ, hoping the boy will understand her hidden message. She points at the post it in JJ’s hands. “Now. If you need anything from me. Call that number and I will find you.”

JJ looked down at the number and slowly nodded his head, understanding what he would have to do.

“And JJ -“ the blonde turned. “Be aware of where your father is when you call me. I dont want you ending up in the same situation as your friend John B if that’s not where you want to be.”

JJ nodded. “Thank you Sheriff Peterkin.”

Peterkin nodded and walked him out of the station.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Three days later, JJ met his friends at the Wreck for lunch. He slowed his pace when he noticed the seat next to Pope wasn’t occupied and neither was the one next to Kie. 

“Where’s Y/N?” He asked them.

Kie looked at the others with furrowed brows. They all got the same text. The one where Y/N apologetically told them that something came up and wouldn’t be able to hang out today. They thought JJ would have known that. 

“She said she couldn’t make it,” Kie says. “We thought you knew.”

“Did she say why?” 

Pope shrugged. “Just that something came up.”

JJ ripped his phone out of his back pocket and scrolled through his messages with you. You didn’t text him - you didn’t even answer his good morning text. He knew what this meant. You didn’t like to lie, so you’re way of dodging questions you didn’t want to answer honestly is to make sure no one can ask you them. By avoiding them all together. JJ knew that. It made sense to him. 

“JJ, what’s going on?” John B asked his friends, recognizing the look on his best friend’s face. He was furious but also anxious. His leg hasn’t stopped bouncing up and down since he asked where you were. 

JJ clicked on the app that showed your location and saw you were deep into the south side of the Cut. He recognized the area of his father’s drug dealer. 

“We gotta go,” JJ stood up and motioned for his friends to follow. “Now. JB, you bring the Twinkie?”

“Yeah, but...” John B stuttered as he grabbed his stuff off the table. “What’s going on?”

“We're saving my girl from that douche bag she calls a father,” JJ says. “For good.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

John B pulled the Twinkie to the curb outside of Barry’s house, making sure to use the trees to hide his vehicle. The Pogues immediately recognized your car parked in Barry’s driveway. Confusion bubbled through their heads, but rage ignited in JJ’s.

“Why is she here?” Kie asked. 

JJ didn’t answer. He picked up his phone and clicked on Peterkin’s name. “It’s JJ.” The Pogues paused as they listened to JJ to talk to the Sheriff. “I -” He stopped when the sound of a gun shot being fired silenced all of them into panic. 

“JJ -” Peterkin called for him but JJ didn’t answer. He dropped the phone so fast and sprinted out of the van, towards the house. He didn’t care what kind of danger he was running into. He just knew he had to get you out of it. 

JJ ignored the calls from his best friends behind him as he ripped open the screen door. He stopped, looking left, right, up, down - anywhere for you.

He heard the commotion coming from Barry’s living room along with shouting and glass smashing. The first person he saw was Barry holding a gun up to the ceiling, pointed at the hole he left above him only seconds ago. He was glaring in the direction of you and your father, barely taking notice of the new kid in his home. Luke Maybank was the first to notice his son and narrowed his eyes in his direction. JJ gulped nervously - he didn’t know if it was because he was afraid of the guy with the gun or his dad. But what he feared the most was you not being okay.

Your eyes grew wide with fear when you saw the new face. You looked between JJ and Barry nervously, not knowing how Barry would react to the new member in his house. He was already pissed as it is, threatening to shoot you in front of your dad because neither of you could fork over the money your dad owed Barry. He was getting tired of the same old bullshit, and Rafe didn’t help. He stood silently in the corner with his fingers racked through his hair.

“Who the fuck are you?” Barry pointed the gun at JJ when he finally noticed him. 

“Hey, hey, hey, he’s good!” Luke came closer to Barry and said, “That’s my son.”

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Barry asked him. 

Luke looked past Barry at JJ for an answer he couldn’t give him. JJ glanced from Barry, to his dad, to you and gulped again as he tried to come up with answer. That’s when you understood what was going on. He was following you. 

You didn’t know if you should be mad or not. All you could focus on was the gun in Barry’s hand that’s still pointed in JJ’s direction. 

“Look, kid,” Your dad said to Barry, gaining his attention all over again. “I’ll make it up to you.” He put his hand on your shoulder and shoved you slightly forward. “You want to have her for the night? She’s all yours.”

Your head snapped in your father’s direction with your mouth open agape. Did your dad seriously just try to pimp you out? You felt betrayed, vile, used, and worthless. This isn’t something you do when you love your kid.

JJ seethed and clenched his hands in fists, ready to rock the shit out of your dad. “You son of a bitch -”

Luke, however, caught him in time, holding him by the arm and pulling him away from your dad. JJ tried fighting him off to get to your dad or you - to get you out of this entire home. He saw the scared look on your face and it made him want to set the entire house on fire. He’d do anything to protect you - to keep you safe. And right now, he thought he was failing. 

Then, red and blue lights flashed through the open windows, followed by loud sirens. Barry crossed the room to stand next to you and your father and looked out the window. When he saw the cops, he immediately swiveled around to point his gun at your boyfriend. 

“You called the fucking cops?” Barry sneered. 

“Stop!” You yelled to try and get Barry’s attention and away from JJ. 

You dad tried to use Barry’s distraction to his advantage and snuck up behind him to try and reach for the gun. Barry spun around and tried pulling his wrist away from your dad’s grip. As they fought for the gun and an upper hand, you ran across the room for JJ who immediately wrapped his arms around your waist. He kissed the top of your head and motioned for the front door, mumbling about leaving.

You nodded and grasped his hand in yours. When he turned to lead you out of there, another shot rang out and you flinched closer to JJ as he ducked and pulled your head down with his arms and shields your body with his. 

You heard a thump and the floor vibrated under your feet. 

“Shit -”

“Fuck -”

“What did you do that for -”

“Jerry? Hey! Jerry!”

Everything kind of moved in slow motion after that. You turned around to see what had happened and that’s when you saw your dad laying on the floor with a puddle of blood growing around his body. Your feet moved faster than your brain did to get to your dad. 

JJ tried reaching for you but you swiveled out of his grip and dropped to your knees in front of your dad’s body. His eyes were closed and his mouth open. You placed your hands on top of the wound in his stomach to get it to stop bleeding. You cried. You didn’t know why you were crying but you did. Hard and heavy, barely able to get your own breaths in. You didn’t pay attention to Rafe fleeing from the backyard, or Barry being stopped by the cops who stormed into the house with guns raised. You barely felt JJ place his hands on your shoulders to try and coax you up. All you saw and could feel was your dad’s dead body and his blood on your hands. 

“Honey,” You felt another set of hands touch your back as they knelt down next to you. You didn’t look at her but recognized the familiar voice. “He’s gone. It’s over.”

“No -” You voice was barely above a whisper. 

“I’m sorry. Let’s get you cleaned up. Okay?” 

Sheriff Peterkin nodded at JJ to help you up and lead you out of the house. He was  finally able to pull you up from your knees and placed a comforting hand on your lower back. 

Your friends watched from the barricade the police set up around the house. When they saw you, all of them either started to panic or cry. They thought your were hurt until JJ nodded at them to tell them you were okay. But they could see in your face you were anything but okay.

Another cop lead you to the back of an ambulance. You don’t even look at Luke being handcuffed next to Barry or Rafe disappearing in the trees. All you can think about is your dad. 

The EMT did a quick check up on you after realizing the blood on your hands was in fact not yours. Then they took a quick look at JJ and asked if there was someone they could call for you.

“My mom -” You whispered. 

The EMT nodded. “Do you have a number?”

You told the EMT her number and waited patiently as she walked away to call her. When the two of you were alone, JJ turned to look at you and reached out for your hands and held them in his lap. He rubbed his thumb up and down over the back of your hand and waited for you to say something. He didn’t know if any words could make this right. He didn’t know how to comfort you after you just witnessed your dad died. It didn’t matter if you hated him or not. You literally watched him take his last breath. Your own flesh and blood. That shit’s traumatizing. 

“I’m sorry,” JJ said when he realized you were not going to say anything. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just - I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“This is my fault.”

“No,” JJ shook his head. “No. It’s not your fault. It’s Barry’s. He was the one with the gun -”

“I should’ve walked away. From my dad. From all of this.” A single tear rolled down your cheek. “I enabled him. I allowed it to get this far.”

“You were doing what you thought was best for your dad.”

“I got him killed -”

“He did this to himself, Y/N. You were more than the perfect daughter. You literally couldn't be more perfect if you tried.” JJ wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer into his side and kissed the top of your head. “He didn’t deserve you. There’s nothing you could have done to prevent this.”

You cried into his shoulder, letting the sobs wrack through your body and your heart tear into millions of pieces. JJ held you tightly against him and whispered comforting words in your ears. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

JJ stood by you through your grieving process - through the good and the bad. He’s took your harsh words with a grain a salt when he noticed you were just trying to pick a fight, he held you when you cried into your pillow in the middle of the night, he was by your side for a hand to hold when you told your mother what happened and why you were at Barrys for the millionth time, and he was there to tell you he will always be there for you when you think he’s just going to up and leave like your dad did.

After your dad’s funeral, you stood in front of his tombstone with a solemn expression. Your dad was a piece of shit and didn’t deserve your love, money, and attention. You wished you could go back and time and never give it to him. At least that way you wouldn’t feel all these complicated emotions that made no sense. Love, hate, grief, relief. You didn’t know how to feel. 

Coming up behind you was JJ. He weaved his fingers with yours and kissed your temple. You couldn’t believe there was ever a day where JJ Maybank was your enemy. You didn’t think you’d be able to get through this without him.

“JJ,” You said and looked up at him. “Thank you.”

JJ nodded. “I love you.” He would never admit this, but he was glad you dad was dead. Because now he knew you were safe. 

“I love you more.”

JJ shook his head. “Impossible.”

Tag List: @allycat449-blog​ @zarahsloves​ @redknight9​

[cg29fics]

Pick and Mix Collection

A selection of Little Tracy fics for @gordonthegreatesttracy and @psychoseal

All can be found with other short stories in my Pick & Mix Collection on AO3 & FFNet: CreativeGirl29

School Reports. Aged 8.

Scott Tracy:

Scott is a bright young boy, who is extremely popular with all his classmates. He is always first to put himself forward for team challenges and is a natural team leader. However, Scott tends to be impulsive and rush into an activity or challenge, which on occasions as cost him a higher mark. Scott excels in English, Geography and Physical Education but tends to struggle in maths.

John Tracy:

John is a quiet, introspective and intelligent young man, who excels in Science, Maths, English and Information Technology. John as the potential to go far in life and could be moved up a grade if he was to apply himself to what he once referred to as the ‘boring subjects’ and stop correcting myself and my other colleagues when we are trying to teach.

Virgil Tracy:

Virgil is a lovely, thoughtful boy, who always listens in class, speaks when he is spoken to, and on occasions has gone out of his way to support other classmates when they are struggling. Virgil has a gift for art, music and history. He also recently earned top marks when we taught first-aid in his class. However, I would like to bring to your attention Virgil’s tendency to day dream when he is not taking part in one of his favourite subjects.

Gordon Tracy:

Gordon is a conundrum and seems to have two sides to him. On the one side, you have the sweet boy who will always be there for his friends, excels in physical education, especially swimming and did surprisingly well when we did our big baking day. However, the other side of Gordon has a habit of constantly chatting in class, despite being asked to be quiet and as unfortunately become known as the school clown. If Gordon were to apply himself in all his work instead of drawing pictures of himself as a fish, he could gain good marks in all his classes.

Alan Tracy:

Alan is a smart boy who as always got a smile on his face. When he is interested in a subject, or as been caught by an idea he is an absolute pleasure to teach. However, like his brother before him, he tends to chat in class, and on many occasions, has had his portable computer console confiscated when he has been found playing on it, instead of learning. Alan struggles in History but excels in science and maths. I would also like to bring to your attention Alan’s report on ‘Our Heroes.’ All the children in his class decided to write about a celebrity, sports personality or historical figure. Instead, Alan wrote a fantastic and touching report where he named his older brother John as his hero and who he would most like to be like when he grows up.

5 more fics beneath the cut

**

STAR BOY:

"John you've been told not to run in the house." His father complained, catching his 4-year-old son in his arms.

"I'm not John." John answered with a serious face.

"Oh, you're not?" Jeff remarked, observing the cape John had attempted to make out of his comfort blanket. "Well, I must say, you certainly look like my John!"

"Shush! Daddy." John whispered. No one can know my secret ident…" John paused, thinking about the word he was struggling to say. "Ident…"

Jeff smiled. "Identity."

John grinned. "Yeah, my secret identity."

"So, who are you then?" Jeff inquired curiously.

"I'm Star Boy." John shouted, as he managed to struggle free and started running around in circles.

Jeff let out a chuckle at his son's exuberance. "So, Star Boy. What powers do you have?"

"Fly in space." John cried with joy.

"And what's your current mission Jo… I mean Star Boy?"

John ground himself to a sudden halt. "Find baby Virgie!" He stated with a thoughtful look.

"Virgil." Jeff corrected. "And he's not missing, he's nice and safe in your mummy's tummy."

John stared at his dad in confusion. "But I heard you and mummy say that he was late, and then mummy said if he didn't turn up soon she would…"

"Okay, John." Jeff said cutting John off. He would have to have a word to Lucille about what John had overheard. He knew she would be mortified but John seemed to have exceptional hearing and they both knew that their boy was very bright for his age. Jeff held his arms out for his current youngest son. John happily ran into them, and let himself be pulled up onto his father's lap. "Now, Virgil is still safe in your mummy's tummy, the reason he's late is because your mum has made it so comfortable in there that he doesn't want to leave yet."

"But I want to find him, cause then I'll get to be big brother like Scotty." John frowned.

Jeff pulled John into a warm hug. "And you will be a brilliant big brother just like Scott." He assured him.

As Jeff held John tightly in his arms, a shout from his mother came from in the kitchen, followed by his oldest son running into the room.

"Daddy, Grandma said to tell you mummy's waters broken!" Scott panted.

Jeff pulled himself to his feet, keeping John firmly in one arm, and taking Scott's hand with the other. "Well, my Star Boy." Jeff said, looking at John with pride. "It looks like your mission was successful!"

"It was?" John asked with a puzzled expression.

Jeff beamed as he stood John next to Scott, who automatically took his little brother's hand in his. "Yes, you did!" He added, with a concerned look towards the kitchen as he heard his mother and Lucille call for him once more. "Looks like baby Virgil is on his way!"

Several hours later:

John grinned with joy, as with his mother's help, he held his new baby brother in his arms. "Hey, Virgie." He said softly. "I'm John, your big brother… And my secret is I'm also Star Boy." He whispered. "I helped find you today!" John looked at Virgil who gazed at him with his big eyes. "And my next mission is to be your big brother." He said with a contented sigh.

**

4 little brothers.

12 year old Scott Tracy stretched out in his bed, enjoying the warmth from is duvet on a cold winters night. Yes, this was his time. His time to relax after a full on day spent with 4 hyper younger brothers. His time to bask in the peace and quiet his room provided…

… THUNDERCLAP … the pouring rain began hammering at his window …

Scott sighed, threw back his blanket and began counting "5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

… THUNDERCLAP … 4 scared little brothers rushed into his room …

"Come on then, jump in."

… THUNDERCLAP… 4 scared little brothers scurried noisily into the bed.

Pulling the blanket over them all Scott smiled when he felt each of them snuggle up to him. 'Forget the peace and quiet,' he thought to himself. He would prefer to have his 4 brothers any day!

**

First Day.

“Don’t want too…” Alan whined, clinging desperately onto his father’s trousers.

“But you have to,” Jeff returned, trying to loosen his son’s grip.

“Why?”

“Because…” Jeff paused, then exhaled, he had no answer for his baby. Honestly, he was out of his depth, normally this was Lucille’s job, but she wasn’t here like she had been for his other boys… He glanced at his four sons standing close by, none of them had wanted to miss this moment, none of them wanted Alan to feel like he was missing out on something, even though they knew that he was. After all, it shouldn’t be them doing this, it should be their mother. They’d all had her here for their first day, but Alan wouldn’t… And even though he hadn’t said anything they could see it in his eyes that he knew he was different from all of the other kids who were being dropped off by their moms.

“Because,” Scott said, stepping forwards, “you will get to make some cool new friends.”

“I will?”

“Yes,” John replied, “and you can play with some neat toys.”

“And when I was here,” Gordon added, “they had some awesome toy dolphins, and a submarine…”

Alan scrunched up his tiny nose.

Gordon grinned. “They also had some cars and toy rockets!”

“Wow!” Alan exclaimed.

“You can also draw and paint,” Virgil informed him.

“Without getting told off for using your paints?”

“As long as you share with your classmates,” Virgil said with a big smile, “then you can use whatever you want… And maybe you could bring me a picture back of your favourite toy?”

Alan nodded enthusiastically, then looked up to his dad. “I’m ready to go now daddy!”

Jeff knelt down so his eyes were level with Alan’s. “Have a brilliant day son.”

Alan beamed, loosened his grip, then immediately ran towards his teacher.

Standing, Jeff reached out and brought his four other boys into a warm hold. Knowing that whenever he was out of his depth then his amazing sons would always have his back.

**

The Beast

It was dark. Only a few rays of sunlight managing to penetrate the lair he had entered. He had been warned on numerous occasions about the beast that inhabited this area and was known to attack when woken, but he had not believed. Yes, he had seen it on many occasions, but all of those times it had been funny, friendly and caring. Surely, just because it was woken early it wouldn't attack. Especially since it was him.

He creeped closer. Currently it was lying on its stomach, eyes were tightly shut, and bizarre noises were emitting from it. Finally, reaching his destination he leant towards it, his hand reaching out, but then a sudden snort from the thing in front of him was released causing him to jump back. Maybe it wasn't best to disturb it? Maybe Gordon was right, and the beast did attack if provoked this early? Although his brother was known to make things up. This probably was just one of his jokes and the usual encounter would be received. He had to be brave and find out the truth. Straightening himself up, he stepped forwards, and placed his hand confidently on the shoulder in front of him…

"Virg…"

No movement, no signs of him waking, so he tried again…

"Virgie?"

This time a groan emitted from his brother, then once again he grew quiet…

"Virgie," he pushed harder on his shoulder, "please wake up."

A yawn, and a pair of bleary eyes opened, grumpy and nothing like the kind-hearted peaceful ones he was used to… He moved backwards… Maybe this was a mistake… But then there eyes met, and a soft gentle smile illuminated the features of his brother.

"Hey Alligator, what's up?"

"Nothing," Alan replied with a little snigger at the nickname.

Virgil regarded the three-year-old in front of him. "Nothing, really?"

"Well, Gordy said you were a beast in the morning, but I didn't believe him, so he said I should come and see for myself."

"Did he indeed?"

Alan nodded his head.

"Well, I'm not a beast."

"Knew it!" Alan cheered happily.

"But," Virgil looked at his clock, "when I am woken this early, I am known to turn into a bear."

Alan gasped in shock.

"And you know what bears do, right?"

Alan scrunched up his little nose and shuck his head…

"Well, they are known to attack."

"Really?"

"Yes, with…" Virgil paused for dramatic effect… "tickles!"

A fit of giggles erupted from Alan when Virgil pounced, flung him over his shoulder, then onto the bed where he began tickling him madly.

**

Baby Talk

"Hi, I'm Scott, I'm four years old, I love aeroplanes and jumping off the couch. Although mummy and daddy tell me off for that one. My best friend became a big brother to a little sister last year, he's really good at it, and I want to be the same. So, I will always cuddle you, care for you, and when you get bigger I will help you to learn all of the things I found hard. I promise that I will be the best big brother you could ask for…" He leaned in and kissed his mother's tummy, feeling a kick back in response… "Love you too!"