#Forrest Bondurant AU

[inkwolvesandcoffee]

Fun & Games (Forrest Bondurant x Reader, Modern AU)

(Credits for the images in the moodboard go to their respective owners)

Genre: Romance, Humour, Modern AU

Pairing: Business Analyst!Forrest Bondurant x IT Trainee Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3K

Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, a sprinkle of awkward romance (well, it’s rather just Forrest being a mess), very little swearing, Forrest being a gentleman, unrequited crush/love/lust (or is it?), responsible drinking, Jack being on the short end of things

Summary: Everyone has a hidden side to them. But on a Friday afternoon at the office, Forrest Bondurant, the normally stoic and feared business analyst reveals a side to him no one had expected. 

Least of all a certain trainee.

And everything is fun and games, even if eventually feelings get involved.

Tag list: @buttercup32sstuff @liliac-dreamer @vir-tual​ @potter-solomons @ilovemanypeople @zablife​ @hecatemoon87​​ @alikaheroes

Monster Masterlist / TH Masterlist

Friday afternoons at the office are for sharing drinks and playing games. Then again, what else can you expect when you’re surrounded by geeks?

All tables in the cafeteria are occupied, more and more colleagues either leaving their office or coming in through the front door. The small room is filled with chatter, pieces of conversations about various topics blending into each other to the degree you occasionally can make out a single word.

Unsurprisingly, the Nintendo Switch is swiftly turned on and taken into use to organise an informal Mario Kart tournament. In less than a minute, the first two contenders have already stepped up and taken their places at the start line of Toad Harbor. Sipping on a can of beer or soft drink, we watch them, and afterwards each other, going head to head like we’re in a stadium watching the Olympic Games. 

After a disastrous loss on the Royal Raceway playing Lemmy, Gary holds out the controller to me. “Fancy a round, Y/N?”

“Sure, why not?” I shrug, hop off my seat and walk around the table to take the controller from his hand.

Now, everyone gets to pick their own opponent but no one goes twice in a row. The latter doesn’t matter, but the first certainly does since there’s one person in the office who’s sparked my interest ever since we met.

The grumpy business analyst who’s working even now, tucked away in the corner of the sofa. 

It’s Friday, basically the weekend! Even you deserve and need a break.

Mentally crossing my fingers, I pick up Charlie’s controller as well and hold it out to the bear-like man still busily typing away on his laptop. “Play Mario Kart with me, Forrest?”

He peers over the edge of the screen at me, the blue flames of annoyance calming the moment we lock eyes. Features softened, he shakes his head. “I ain’t gamin’.”

“Aw, come on. Don’t be a spoilsport and do the lady a favour,” Howard, our low-code trainer and his brother, cuts in. “Or I will.”

“I’ll play,” Jack intercepts, stepping away from the people he’s talking to and drinking beer with. “If you’d like, of course.”

I hold out one of the controllers, glad the data analist wants to compete. Truth be told, he’s my second choice of company I’ll happily settle for. “Sure, bring it on.”

Behind me, muttered words end in a grunt.

“What was that?” Howard asks. “What’s wrong, grumpy?”

“I’ll play the next round,” Forrest grumbles. He shuts his laptop, puts it in the leather bag at his feet, crosses his arms, and sits a little bit more upright.

“I promise I’ll go easy on you.” I smile at him, a warm feeling spreading throughout when he averts his gaze. Though his scruffy stubble hides most of it, his cheeks are rosy.

“What about me?” my opponent asks, feigning indignance. 

I turn back to him, feeling uncharacteristically brash. “You’ve been here longer than me. I’d expect you to have become an expert by now, Jack. After all, you’re a data analyst. Surely the data has told you how to win.”

A bright smile tugs at the corners of his lips the moment I mention his name. “Bold of you to assume.”

“What? Am I wrong? Aren’t you a gamer?”

“Tell her about the Bloodborn tattoo you got recently. Or how about the new Pokémon you caught and nearly yelled me out of my bed for last night,” Howard chimes in.

Jack hunches his shoulders and throws his brother a poisonous look. “Shut up.”

‘‘Which one did you catch?’’ Though I’ve only recently gotten back into games and especially Pokémon, I’m still as eager to talk about them as I used to be.

‘‘Zamazenta.’’

“You caught Zamazenta?’ Okay, yeah, no,” I shake my head, “I’m definitely not gonna go easy on you. Success comes with hard work, that much I’ve learned so far. I’ll show you how serious I am.”

I cringe.

That sounds like one of those cheap lines those trainers and Gym Leaders say.

Nonetheless, no one seems to have noticed it because various of my colleagues break out in an amused ooooooooh. Slowly but surely, the first murmurs about bets arise.

Jack and I plop on the couch. Forrest scoots to the side to free up space for me. I half-expected him to immediately stand up to sit or stand somewhere else, but he stays put. Not that I mind since the heat radiating from his body is pleasant like his cologne. Leather, sandalwood, tobacco, and warm spices are the most prominent notes. However, there is something I can’t quite place, an element reminiscent of the woods.

Something wild.

Uncontained.

Grumpy wolf.

I snort at the thought. Fortunately, I manage to conceal my amusement behind an awkward cough. I can’t lose face yet around here.

“Ready?” Jack asks.

“When you are.”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Fiery. I like it.”

And so the battle begins.

Supported by and with the blessing of our co-workers, we decide to partake in a 150 CC Grand Prix. Normally, the rule is everyone gets to play one race, but apparently they allow full tournaments whenever a trainee wants to challenge a senior. 

In the corner of my eye, I notice Forrest leans forwards and throws a look in my direction. However, when I glance to the side to read his expression, he averts his gaze to the floor. If only he knew how bad he is at faking interest in his shoes. The way he fumbles with his fingers is endearing, however, because it shows a fragility beneath the rough exterior.

Throughout the races, and again failing to be inconspicuous, he brushes my shoulder in encouragement while intently watching us go at it. Almost as if he’s trying to learn through observation. 

In spite of the slow start, I end up second with Yoshi while Jack ends in fourth place playing Princess Peach. 

The business analist holds out his hand as soon as the on-screen ceremony is over. “My turn.”

Startled by the abrupt gesture, I lean back to avoid being hit in the face. Forrest blinks, probably realising what almost happened. He beckons his brother to hand over the controller quickly and rapidly retreats into the corner of the sofa. “Sorry ‘bout that. Should’ve… should’ve done that differently.”

“No worries.” Our gazes meet. The brightness in his eyes has dimmed, the seas in them darkened with sincere regret. “Don’t apologise.”

You’re just a little clumsy, but that’s okay. A clumsy grumpy wolf. Keep it in. Don’t grin. Calm and collected.

He opens and closes his mouth, unsure what to say. Finding no words to answer with, he simply nods and lets out a low groan. 

“Um…” As if he’s holding a rock for reasons unknown, Forrest stares at the controller in his hand. Howard barely manages to stifle a snigger. Jack has his lips pressed firmly together in a straight line, also on the verge of breaking out into a fit of laughter.

“We can activate Smart Steer,” I propose. 

“What’s that?”

“It prevents you from falling off the map. It’s especially handy on Rainbow Road.” I might as well have spoken in tongues because he gives me a foggy look. “It’s one of the most difficult tracks. Notorious, even.”

“Ah,” he mumbles, brows still knit together.

I almost feel sorry for putting him on the spot, but, then again, it’s also quite funny to see one of the great giants in the office struggle.

“Now, with the L button, on top of the controller on the left,” I indicate where it is, “you use that to launch the items you gather during the race. However, you can only have one at a time.”

“One at a time… right.”

“You use the left joystick to steer and press A to accelerate.”

“Right.”

“Those are the basics. Still wanna play?”

Please don’t say no. Please don’t.

He nods. A smile spreads on my lips and I bounce in place like an excited puppy. “Yay. I’ll activate Smart Steer, though, just in case.”

“Aw, look at that. Forrest has safety wheels again,” Howard coos.

“Shut your damn mouth,” Forrest grumbles. 

I chuckle, shake my head, and set everything up including the safety wheels. Can’t throw the senior business analyst into the deep and have him crash, after all. 

We pick our characters. Well, it’s perhaps better to say I pick our characters since Forrest mucks about with the controller and already doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. 

A few seconds later, the timer for the first round of the first course in the Flower Cup appears on screen. Everyone turns towards the screen in anticipation, except for Jack and Howard, who prefer watching Forrest as a form of entertainment.

Three.

Two.

Engines are starting to roar. 

One.

Start!

“It ain’t startin’.”

“You have to press A.”

“I am.” Forrest briefly taps the button. “The cart don’t move.”

“You have to press and hold it down. A regular car also doesn’t drive itself, does it?”

“Not yet,” Jack mumbles next to me.

I look at him, make a face, and turn back to the man on my right. “In Mario Kart they don’t. Now try it.”

Forrest holds down the button and lo and behold, the cart comes into motion.

Only to leave me at the start.

“Oi, you-’’ I exclaim and put the pedal to the metal.

We’re not even halfway through the first lap when the next car crash is bound to happen. 

“Ehm, where are you going?” I ask, squinting while trying to figure out a reason for what he’s doing. Then again, I suppose there is no rhyme nor reason, no analysis to be made, when it comes to video games. At least not with this particular business analyst.

On the screen, Forrest is trying to race up the waterfall. “Followin’ the track.”

“No, you’re not. We’re supposed to go down. Watch the map.”

“What map?”

“In the corner of the screen. That map!”

“Since when that’s there?”

The remark triggers both chuckles and eye rolls. Nonetheless, it doesn’t decrease the fun and joy of having gotten Forrest out of his comfort zone. 

And ending third in the Flower Cup because, despite the rocky start, I still managed to climb up the ranks. My poor colleague, however, ends in sixth place, having taken too many detours while wasting items.

“You tried.” I nudge his shoulder with mine as he hands me his controller so they can be passed on to the next pair of speed devils, “Thanks for playing. That was fun, wasn’t it?”

His jaw clenches and he avoids my gaze. Then, surprisingly, he grunts in acknowledgment. However, it seems there is still no time for a break because he reaches down to his bag, fingers automatically outstretched to the laptop inside.

Feeling emboldened by having gotten him to relax, to a certain degree, I dart forward and grab his wrist. Well, that was the idea, but my fingers are too short to fully wrap around it. All the same, it does the trick in getting his attention. 

His breath hitches and he stiffens. Yet, whereas I had braced myself against the first traces of wariness or even pure animosity, his demeanour is anything but violent. Forrest doesn’t attempt to escape my grip. Instead, he looks at me, eyebrows raised while he gazes at me with sharp focus.

I’ll have to choose my words carefully. Perhaps he’ll turn on me the second I say the wrong thing.

I bite my lip and gently squeeze his wrist, trying hard not to get lost in the warmth of his skin. “Put the laptop away? Surely work can wait until Monday.”

“I’m working on a big project.’’ He grimaces and scratches his cheek with his free hand. At least his fingers are off of the laptop. ‘‘One I need weekends for.”

“Working so much isn’t healthy. Everyone needs time to recharge.”

“He’s a notorious workaholic, Y/N,” Howard comments, sipping from his beer. “He’ll need someone to keep him away from the damn laptop for him to rest.”

He puts his bottle down, a wolfish yet well-meaning grin on his face. Evidently up to no good, he swaggers over and crouches down in front of us. His attention focused more on Forrest and me rather than Jack, he leans in and lowers his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “Just give the girl your number. She seems awfully worried about you so why don’t you give her the means to assure her you’re doing fine. Or we can arrange a meeting point this weekend and you two enjoy the city, take some time off together.”

A prickling travels along the back of my neck when the implications of the comment dawn on me. A funny tingle rises in my chest, which has grown tight. Nevertheless, hoping it doesn’t show too much, I turn to the business analyst. “Maybe exchanging numbers goes a bit far, but I have nothing planned tomorrow.”

“C’mon, Forrest. This is the point where you ask the lady whether she’d like to spend time together. Ask her out for a cup of Joe. Show her what we mean by Southern comfort.” The Mendix trainer wiggles his eyebrows, but flinches and grimaces when Jack kicks him as kindly as possible. Or, rather, as politely as you can be when the situation calls for subdued violence.

“Fuck off, Howard.” Forrest clenches and unclenches his fists. If neither Jack or I intercept soon, we might very well have a fight on our hands.

“Alright, that’s enough out of you. You heard him, go on. Off you go.” I playfully push Howard’s shoulder, gently telling him what Forrest has already harshly put into words.

“She’s a keeper,” he mouthes before sauntering back to the table by the window.

“Sorry ‘bout my brother,” Forrest mumbles into his fist, gaze averted. “I’ll talk to him ‘bout crossin’ lines.”

“He means well,’’ I chuckle and tilt my head, secretly glad he can’t see the way I fumble with my necklace. ‘‘And, to be honest, it sounds like he agrees with me. It’s okay to take a break. So, I know we don’t know each other well, but would you humour me with a trip to Starbucks or another café? We’ll both take a break.”

Slowly he turns to me and nods. “How about one o’clock, hm?”

I let my necklace fall back against my skin, feeling light as a feather carried by a storm of butterflies. “Sounds good to me.”

“Might need my number. To… let you know,” he squirms a bit, “where I am. And vice versa.”

I fish my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans, create a new contact, and hand it to him. “Here. You fill out your info while I go grab something. Keep my place warm.”

“Want my number too?” Jack cuts in. The suggestion sounds frantic, but is also strangely reminiscent of the way a wolf whines. “In case he don’t answer.”

I giggle, in part to hide the embarrassment of only having just remembered he’s here too. “Sure. When he’s done, feel free to give me your number as well.”

A smile passes over Forrest’s lips as he looks at the case. Strangely, there is something endearing about the slightly crooked teeth peeking through. He briefly glances at me, but forces himself to maintain eye contact. “Suits you. Bunnies.”

“Do they?”

He nods.

Do you think I resemble one?

I stiffen at the thought and blink as if slapped across the cheek. “I’ll, uh, yeah, be right back.”

He sees me as a bunny. He does, doesn’t he? Hang on, is that good or bad? I mean, they’re cute. Does… Does that mean he likes cute girls? Also, they’re easy prey, weak. Sure, I might be out of my comfort zone here, but I don’t make easy prey, do I? Right? Yeah. Besides, men like girls that are a little fragile, in need of help. Smaller than them too. Why am I so worried about this? It’s ridiculous. Let it go! Let. It. Go. For. Fucking. Get it.

Like a woman possessed, I scour my bag and retrieve my Nintendo Switch Lite from it. I inhale and exhale deeply, roll back my shoulders, straighten my composure, and head back to the cafeteria. 

Casually, I plop down on the couch between Forrest and Jack, who returns my phone to me. “Thanks.”

“Give me a call whenever you want. Don’t have to be business,” Jack says, a careful smile playing on his lips.

“Same,” Forrest mumbles. “Call whenever.”

“Well, I’m gonna grab another beer. Y/N, want one?” Jack slaps his hands on his thighs and rises to his feet.

“Nah, I’m good. I’m a lightweight so I’m at my limit.”

Besides me, Forrest mumbles something. The only clear words I can make out are “never” and “drunk”, laced with what sounds like a promise. Or I might be imagining things, the booze having gotten more to my head than I thought.

“Anything else then? Water? Soda? Tea?” I shake my head. “Forrest?”

He grunts as a substitute for ‘no’, focused on the e-reader in his hands. He must’ve picked it up while I was gone.

“Alright,” Jack murmurs and turns his back on us.

I plug my headphones in and start up my favourite game at the moment. 

Silence is an important language to understand, but also incredibly hard. Only few are well-spoken in it, know how to use it to communicate with one another.

But even a master sometimes needs words. 

“If you want you can…” In the corner of my eye, I see Forrest awkwardly shift in his seat.

“Hm?” I look up from my screen, wondering what it is he wants. “Sorry, what is it you said?”

“Lean. On me.” He clears his throat, voice toned down. “If- If you want.”

I shuffle over and rest my head on his shoulder. “Oh, yeah, this is really comfy.” 

I snuggle up to him further, basking in the hearth-like heat his body emits. Perhaps it’s his cologne, but the woody notes in it conjure a pleasant image of being curled up by the fire in a cabin in the woods. Sheltered and safe from harm since there is a fierce protector nearby, hiding beneath the skin. “You’re really warm.”

He stiffens for a moment, but then lets out a pleased hum and rests his head on top of mine. 

After another moment of comfortable silence in which he reads and I game, Forrest asks perhaps the most ironic question this evening. “Whatcha playing?”

“Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.”

“That’s what Jack plays, right? That game in which creatures fight each other.”

“You also have to train them. And they’re not ‘creatures’, they’re Pokémon.’’ I sit up, my tone harsher than intended. Then again, who does not get carried away when talking about what they love? ‘‘Also, there’s an overarching story line, an adventure to go on.”

His features soften, surprise melting into tenderness, and he hums.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m a nerd.” I roll my eyes and lean against him as before.

He hums again, but whether he agrees or means something else is up in the air.

We retreat into the same bubble we created at the quarterly meeting last week. Strangely, he let me in despite the walls he’s surrounded himself with, prolonging the conversation as much as possible. Afterwards, he walked me to the station.

I’m still unsure whether his cheeks were rosy because of the cold or he was blushing.

“When are you leaving?” Forrest mumbles after a while, the words hardly intelligible. It’s almost as if he’s reluctant to ask the question, let alone keen to hear the answer to it. 

“In a little bit.” I check my watch. “Half an hour, I wager.”

“It’s dark out.”

“Wanna walk me to the station again?”

He slowly nods after a moment of hesitation.

“I’d like that.’’ A genuine smile, full of anticipation and the vivid memory of last time, spreads on my lips. ‘‘Thank you, Forrest.”

This time, he really is blushing.

[rose-like-the-phoenix]

💕if you get this answer with three random facts about yourself and send this to the last seven blogs in your notifs. Anon or not doesn’t matter, get to know the person behind the blog ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Hi friend!! 😁

Hmm... let's see three random facts 🤔

My Hogwarts house is slytherin 🐍

I'm currently reading the ACOTAR series (on the second book), and I'm dyslexic so take this for what you will, but I read Rhysand like Ray-sand and his nickname as Rays (or at least that's what the spelling looked like to me)

Two of my favorite drafts/original characters that I have right now are a Forrest Bondurant Au where he has a daughter named Felicity Cedar and Howard and Jack think of her as a smaller version of her dad. Then, the first couple unfinished chapters of a mafia-like secret society novel called Stuck on Autopilot

I'm going to add that anyone who sees this is welcome to share three random facts about themselves if they wish to 😊

[cinebration]

Opening Requests!

Hi, everyone! I am opening requests again! Please read the rules carefully before submitting your request(s).

Rules

Send to my ask box! Please keep in mind that these requests are meant to be one-shot drabbles.

No smut. No pregnancy fics or A/B/O fics. No crossover fics. No actor x reader. All reader characters must be 18 or older. Other AUs acceptable.

I’m asking this time that requests do not ask me to continue fics I have written, regardless of whether they are multi-chapter or one-shots.

Identify the gender of the reader if you want something other than female.

Because I try to remain as true to character as possible, I reserve the right to reject or tweak requests to keep the characters in character.

Below are character lists divided by actors.

Oscar Isaac

The Moon Knight Boys, Poe Dameron

Pedro Pascal

Javi Gutierrez, Din Djarin, Ezra, Maxwell Lord

Diego Luna

Cassian Andor

Christian Bale

Gorr the God Butcher, Alfred Borden, John Preston, Patrick Bateman, Russell Baze

Henry Cavill

Napoleon Solo, August Walker, Captain Syverson, Geralt of Rivia, Sherlock Holmes, Walter Marshall

Tom Hardy

Eames, Eddie Brock, Alfie Solomons, James Keziah Delaney, Bob (The Drop), Forrest Bondurant, Tuck, Tommy Conlon

Sebastian Stan

Bucky Barnes, Charles Blackwood

Chris Evans

Ransom Drysdale, Jake Jensen, Colin Shea

Ewan McGregor

Roman Sionis, Dan Torrance, Obi-Wan Kenobi

I’m also open to other characters and fandoms if you want me to try my hand at something!

[el-rigby]

“Lawless” (2012) modern AU:

Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) is a criminal and Maggie Beauford (Jessica Chastain) is undercover FBI agent willing to see him behind bars.

[clairecrive]

Favorite fics

As the lovely @br0ck-eddie did, I thought I’d also share with you my favorite fics and I hope you’ll add yours too. There’s never enough fanfiction to read!

Let’s start with Bane:

- “The scientist” which is part of the “Constellation” series on ao3 by Ilovehighhats. It’s canon at the beginning but the she’s so lovely that has written a lot of one shots and short stories that follows the relationship between Hannah and Bane after the end of the first fic. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

-”Billie the Crocodile’s and Little Bear Christmas Adventures” by the same author. It’s an AU so it’s canon divergent. A young writer is in need of house soundproofing and guess who’s going to be the one to take care of it? Yep.

Now Alfie:

-Either “Blue eyes”, “Burned” and “Dawn in your eyes” by @ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes are top choises. Her stories are really original and really good for different reasons. Especially “Dawn in your eyes” is really unique and different from everything you’ve read up until now, I assure you. You can find them on her profile where she has amazing summaries so I won’t even try lol.

- “Another time” on ao3 by sceawere. This story it’s...it’s just amazing. It starts before the war so we see a young Alfie and how he becomes the man he is. The story is truly heart warming but also angsty in some parts. Oh, did I forget to mention that it’s also a slow burn? Yep, told you it was amazing.

- “Big god” by @fabulaprima which is another time travel AU but has a little twist to it. 100% recommend.

- “Heart full of love and murder” by Ashling,herequeerandreadytofight on ao3. It’s funny,it’s cute,it’s fluffy, lot of domestic Alfie.

-”New Day” by the lovely @evelynshelby. Ava’s a long friend of Ollie and it takes Alfie one look at her to fall for her. Ava’s has her granny to take care of though and not everyone wants them to be happy. Also, you should really check out her profile bc she writes amazing pieces and also has a Tommy fic.

- “The wandering jew and the dancing girl” by @inkinterrupted is also a great one! I really like the way her oc and Alfie met and her oc in general. Also her other great stories on her profile.

-”Mr Solomons” by @idesiretomhardy is a modern alfie AU which I’m a sucker for and even though it’s discontinued the chapters that she’s written are really good.

-”Returning Home” by @themenof--birmingham. Basically a Shelby sister pairing but the oc is really peculiar and so is her relationship with Alfie. 

-”George” by @twistedrunes. Alfie is more a guest star in this fic but I thought it was superb. The writing, the plot, the oc, everything. Definitely should read.

-”The ties that bind” by @justanothershelby. Arranged marriage AU basically but then again, I wouldn’t do it justice with my words just go on her profile to check it out.

I haven’t read a lot of Forrest Bondurant fic, only one actually and I thought it was amazing. Well written and natural development of the relationship. I’m talking about “Who we were and who we are now” by the super talented @boogiewrites.

Same goes for Tommy but there are great ones on @tommyconlonfanfic and of course, “Like You” by the wonderful @of-love-and-of-the-sea. 

Also, I’d like to tag some amazing writers on this site that write short stories or little imagines that are simply magnificent: @sopxhiea, @br0ck-eddie, @hardyimagines, @iamkatehardy, @acciostilinski, @onl-you, @orionwhispers, @justanothershelby. I’m sure I’m forgetting someone or something but I’ll add to this list as soon as I remember or read something new. I’m curious to know yours now!

[freyjalion]

Forrest Bondurant de Des hommes sans loi

Je vais vous présenter mon personnage préféré du film Des Hommes sans loi: Forrest Bondurant.

Forrest Bondurant est le second fils de la famille Bondurant mais est pourtant celui qui fait figure de chef. Plus jeune, il a survécu à la grippe espagnole qui a décimé une partie de sa famille. Il tient un lieu qui fait office de bar et de station service et également un trafiquant d'alcool. Au début du film, il embauche Maggie, une femme venant de la ville, en tant que serveuse. Des policiers veulent faire main mise sur le trafic et obliger les trafiquants à payer une somme pour continuer leurs affaires. Forrest est le seul à refuser ce marché. Un soir, il est attaqué par des hommes venus lui acheter de l'alcool. Il s'en débarrasse mais les deux hommes attendent que le bar se vide et que Forrest soit seul pour l'attaquer de nouveau. Ils lui tranchent la gorge. Malgré tout, Forrest s'en sort et passe quelques temps à l'hôpital. A son retour, son petit frère Jack a repris les affaires en mains et a décidé de voir plus grand en fournissant un grand trafiquant de la ville: Floyd Banner. Forrest se venge des deux hommes qui l'ont attaqué, de façon très violente, aidé par son frère aîné Howard. Il entame une liaison avec Maggie. Après la mort de Cricket, Jack veut se venger de Charlie Rakes et attaque pour cela un barrage de police. Sans hésitation, Forrest et Howard vont aider leur frère. Forrest est blessé par balles plusieurs fois par Charlie Rakes. Mais de nouveau, il survit et se marie avec Maggie. Il mourra des années plus tard d'une pneumonie.

Pourquoi j'aime Forrest? Je crois que Forrest est en fait tout à fait le type de personnage que j'aime. Forrest est quelqu'un qui parle très peu et pas du tout de ses sentiments. Il use sans hésitation de violence, mais uniquement pour se défendre ou protéger sa famille et les personnes qu'il aime. Malgré son côté très bourru, il ne fait aucun doute que Forrest est un type bien. C'est quelqu'un de très droit, qui bien qu'il soit un trafiquant d'alcool, ne peut être corrompu. Il n'exprime pas du tout ses sentiments envers ses proches et n'a pas de geste de tendresse envers eux, mais ses actes prouvent à quel point il les aime. J'aime beaucoup sa relation avec son petit frère Jack: il peut être sévère avec ce jeune frère qui veut faire ses preuves mais on voit bien à quel point il le protège et il le soutient malgré tout. Bref, j'adore Forrest et Tom Hardy a fait un travail incroyable sur l'interprétation de ce personnage.

Et vous, aimez-vous le personnage de Forrest?

[until-theend-oftheline]

Kari’s Tom Hardy Writing Challenge

Since I am not hosting a quickie challenge this month I decided to try and do something different. This challenge is dedicated to the awesomeness that’s Tom Hardy. I picked a few of my favorite characters of his you can choose to write for - or you can do a rpf. If that sounds like something you might find fun - keep reading :D

Due Date: April 2nd (don’t worry about timezone. As long as it’s the 2nd somewhere it counts.)

Word min: 500 words

Word Max: 5k words

Style: It can be a drabble, one shot or beginning of a series. Do not put in in the middle of an ongoing series since I plan on reading them and don’t want to read 10 parts of something to understand the entry. If you create a series only part one has to be posted before the due date.

Fandom: Tom Hardy

Will you read and reblog my fic?

You betcha :D I am behind on reading for previous challenges so patience is a virtue here

When Do I Post?

Right now. Sign Ups start now and ends when there are no more prompts or when the due date rolls around

Genre: Anything you want. You have to be over 18 if you write smut and you always have to warn accordingly! Fluff, angst, AUs and crack are all welcome. I prefer none AUs - so fics that take place in the cinematic universe the character you choose is from. I don’t wanna limit you here though so if AU is what floats your boat, make it AU.

Limits on what you can write: No Mommy/daddy kinks, no non/dub con, no A/B/O, no merpeople. No underage. No incest or selfcest. No half animal anything please. No glorification on cheating(it’s okay as a plot device but use it with thought), no wife, s/o (even exes) or actor hate in rpfs! No monster or tentacle porn in Eddie Brock and/or Venom fics - if you got any questions at any time feel free to send me an ask,

Format: State in your A/N that it is for my (until-theend-oftheline) Kari’s Tom Hardy Challenge. And use the # Kari’s Tom Hardy Challenge in the first 5 tags.

Pairing and word count also have to be easy to spot in your header!

Submit: After you posted on tumblr you have to add yourself and your fic to this doc.  If you don’t do this you will not be added to the masterlist I create when the challenge is over. If you got questions - just ask :D

Doc link it case tumblr is an ass: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y_FzXxeqyJZI7bPvv4KLzJlok_jq47DZHeLyUVr_AcQ/edit?usp=sharing

How do I join?

You pick a quote (all are something either Tom or one of his characters said) and a pairing off the list. Send me the prompt number along with a backup just in case and your pairing of choice. ASKS ONLY!! REPLIES, REBLOGS AND IMS WILL BE IGNORED!

There are no limits on the pairings but I only allow 1 person per prompt so think before you sign up. If you don’t think you will be doing it then don’t take the spot from someone else. For now 1 person can sign up 2 times (one prompt per story).

All pairings must be x reader or OC or general fics:

Tom Hardy (rpf)

Reggie Kray

Alfie Solomons

James Delaney

Eddie Brock (you can use venom but no monster porn!)

Max

Forrest Bondurant

Eames

Prompts:

1 “That’s simple really. I just left him in a hole. The rest is history.” @erak-w (Alfie Solomons) 

2 “What on earth are you on about?” @thatfanficstuff (Alfie Solomons)

3 “I’m singing right now on the inside. I’m dancing as well a little bit.” @marvelgirl7 (Eddie Brock)

4 “I like dogs more than people. Apart from the select few who I see as dogs.”

5 “Yes I was. Actually yes I was. Yes. Yeah. I can’t say anything about that.”

6 “I had no idea what we were doing. But I know it was awesome.”

7 “Put that in the swag pile”

8 “It’s quite hard to be Taboo when you got your hands tied. But it shouldn’t be. Paradoxically.”

9 “I’m gonna drink from a very small cup���

10 “We know it’s a drama cause I got my arse out”

11 “He’ll wake up. Granted he won’t have any teeth but he’ll be a wiser man for it” @queen-of-the-avengers (Tom Hardy)

12 “Who fights by the sword fucking dies by it”

13 “You can leave if you need to go to the little boys room or something” @seeingthestarsmakesmedream (Eddie Brock)

14 “Intelligence is a very valuable thing innit my friend? Usually it comes far too late.”

15 “There we must go we who wander this Wasteland, in search of our better selves.”

16 Hope is a mistake. If you can’t fix what’s broken you go insane”

17 “I tell myself they can’t touch me. They are long dead” @docharleythegeekqueen  (Eddie Brock)

18 “It’s not the violence that sets men apart. It’s the distance he is willing to go”

19 “We are survivors. We control our fear. Without fear we are as good as dead”

20 “We lay down for nobody”

21 “Patience doesn’t get you what you want”

22 “I’m not being funny here but the thought of you mom answering that door is a bit shocking so...”

23 “You want me to deliver it? I ain't going for that door”

25 “Nonono let him in. He’s only little”

26 “You musn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling”

27 “You’re still working with that stick in the mud”

28 “Your condescension is as always much appreciated. Thank you.”

29 “Arrgh! Who said that?”

30 “Again? You’re gonna get me killed”

31 “No! We do not eat policemen”

32 “Don’t go around the back of the telly without you mom and dad watching you or touch any wires or look for a door”

33 “Making the effort to be good is really really important. But being yourself is more important.” @sillesworldofwriting (Eddie Brock)

34 “Leave me or take me. I’m a bag of twiglets. What’s up?!”

35 “She seems like the princess. In a nice way”

36 “Love all things unless it’s coming at you mate. In which case despatch it with the love.”

37 “I’m not really good with heights” @queen-of-the-avengers (Eddie Brock)

38 “I have a parasite”

39 “This is dead. Dead!” @becs-bunker (Eddie Brock)

40 “It’s a term of endearment” @until-theend-oftheline (Eddie Brock)

Challenge tags

@ifyougetkilled-walk-it-off @captain-rogers-beard @dolphinpink310 @grace-for-sale @docharleythegeekqueen @rebelslicious @thorne93 @hillywooddestiel @peterman-parker @queen-of-deans-booty @acreativelydifferentlove @emilyevanston @blacktithe7 @becs-bunker @roxyspearing @blacktithe7 @cassiefanfic @readitandweepfics @kayla-of-shield @fangirlextraordinaire @thatfanficstuff @danijimenezv @hopes-archer @marvelentertainment_madam08 @averyrogers83 @thelookingglassalice @slowlywithfreedom

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 19

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 6500+

Summary: The last full chapter. (Shorter epilogue to follow next week.) Forrest spoils Tawny to make up for lost time. They consummate their marriage. Tawny gets emotional about the future.

Warnings/Tags: FLUFF. Romance. Sexual Explicit Content. Dominant Forrest. 

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

Click on my screenname then go to Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

You'd woken up next to a lightly snoring Forrest, which was always a pleasant way to start the day. He'd pulled you particularly close, the close of summer coming in, the slightest chill in the air at night had you buried in his chest, legs between his as he surrounded you completely. He had healed magnificently, the doctors as always, couldn't believe it. He's told you it was your doing with a kiss to the head multiple times now. He was back to doing chores, his broad shoulders were once again broad, the strength coming back under his skin, the summer sun filling him back with color. The scars were dark but you'd kissed them time and time again until he no longer noticed them when looking in the mirror. He was almost back to his old self, save one thing.

You're changing, your hair in rag rollers and only in your slip when he comes back into the bedroom.

"Mornin'." he says with a lazy smile.

"Mornin' sweetheart." you coo back, tilting your head to receive a kiss on the cheek. He moves his arms around your waist and does just that.

"I got somethin' for ya." he says as he gives you a squeeze and steps back to the bed.

"You got me a present?" you chirp, snapping in your earrings. "You are spoiling your wife rotten lately, Mr. Bondurant." you chuckle, taking the box from his hands. "First that new sleeping gown and now... whatever this is." you almost blush as you think of the lace and silk he'd bought. It'd seemed so forward of him to buy something so suggestive. He'd bought you gowns before, but they were long, some made from warmer, thicker material as well as the smooth and glossy ones. But this one had been shorter and had a deep lacy neckline that made you blush. He said it was because he was going to have you wear it for him one day soon. A reminder and a promise that he still wanted you. But in his typical fashion, he wasn't going to sleep with you again until he knew he could do it right and at full capacity. Forrest never half-assed anything and he sure wasn't about to give you a performance that was lacking that would mark your official joining as husband and wife. He'd taken his role as a husband so close to heart it hurt yours sometimes to see him unhappy about no consummating yet. You'd told him you'd waited a lifetime before and a few months wasn't anything you weren't perfectly capable of handling.

Under his caring gaze, you reveal a lovely dark green dress in the same decorated box they always came in. He knew you liked having pretty possessions. He'd never cared much about such things, choosing to focus on bare necessities and not the small flourishes that you loved so much about life. But even though he didn't understand your happiness for being dressed up and in lovely fabrics, he knew they made you happy, so he bought them for you when something grabbed his eye. Sometimes it was something that caught his attention, that tightening in his jaw at the thought of what you'd look like in such a thing, something he'd recognize a certain silhouette you wore often. He'd learned so many things about fashion and clothing beyond patching and sewing and keeping warm since being with you. He supposed that the expanding of his knowledge, even if it wasn't with something he found useful often wasn't something to turn his nose up at.

"It's beautiful, Forrest." you coo, wrinkling your nose at him as you held the soft green patterned fabric up against you in the mirror. It nipped at the waist and flowed everywhere else, just as you liked. It had long sleeves and a hem below the knee for the incoming cold.

"Color reminded me of your eyes." he says quietly, watching you sway back and forth, looking thoughtfully at your reflection. You sigh heavily and let the dress weigh in your hands as you turn back to him."You also hadn't bought any winter dresses so..." he nods and clears his throats and shrugs.

"Very thoughtful from you on all counts, handsome." you pat his chest as you praise him. He gives you the signature nod and grunt in response.

-----

The chill of the night is settling in as you stand on the back porch, listening to the trees brush against each other in the wind. The sun had gone down long ago. Forrest had just come back in from finishing the laborious chores and locking up. He stands and watches you for a moment, half-lit in the moonlight, lower half of the dress he'd bought you blowing in the wind. You'd rolled up the sleeves as soon as your feet hit the station floor that morning, preparing yourself for work for that day. A sure sign of a hard working woman he thought, hiding the tiny pearl button clasps on the cuffs to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty. He sees the curls you'd set that morning starting to fall, and he preferred your hair like this at the end of the day when you were alone with him. It reminded him of when you were younger. You looked softer, happier, maybe that wild and free sense of self from your youth being awoken as you let your hair down and bounce around your summer tanned skin. You always wore it more strictly styled or tied or pinned back for work. Getting to see you with your apron off, a few buttons were undone on your chest with your hair down and unfurled, your lipstick worn off and not reapplied, was something he cherished getting to see.

He assumes that perhaps it's much the same with you for him as you've tried to explain. You'd told him that the secrecy wasn't really a problem for you, that sure, you wanted everyone to know you were his and he yours, but it wasn't something you couldn't live without. The only thing you couldn't live without was him. You got to have the soft side of all to yourself, and it seemed that he also got the soft side of you all to himself whether you realized it or not.

"What you up to out here Miss Tawny?" his deep voice sneaks up on you from behind as his heavy boots hit the wooden porch.

You smile at the low tone he has in the evenings. "Wanted to wind down a bit, but then I saw this little feller and I figured I'd wait for him to scoot closer so I could see what winter we were in for." you say, your fingers laid out in front of a solid black wooly worm inching his way across the banister.

"Solid black and it ain't even fall yet." his voice shows his lack of enthusiasm.

"Yeah, reckon it'll be a tough one. It's barely September and it's already getting cold enough to bring out the extra blankets at night." you elaborate, running your finger gently over the soft and prickly surface of the soothsayer worm.

"I ain't too worried 'bout it." his lips pout as he stands behind you, surveying the empty space before putting his arms around you to keep you warm.

"You ain't? Winters can be tough 'round here. You know that as well as anyone."

"Yeah but you put in the work on that garden this summer if I do recall," he says proudly. "We've got enough canned already to make it through just fine. You got those potatoes, beans and onions comin' in."

"And pumpkins and squash soon out the far field." you add with a proud smile.

"You've been workin' that cute little tail off Miss Tawny." you hear the rare and coveted deep chuckle from him.

"Don't worry, with all the pumpkin pie I'll be makin' it'll be back soon." you laugh, your hands rubbing over his as he hums happily and kisses the top of your head.

"Lookin' forward to that." he adds earnestly.

"The pie or the tail?" you manage to get out without giggling, but it follows soon after.

"My goodness," he says with faux exasperation. "The mouth on you." he jokes, you feel him laugh against your back.

You both stand that like for a while, listening to the leaves, hearing the owls in the trees. You were both full from dinner and warm from each other and your favorite part of the day was underway, your alone time with Forrest.

"How are you feelin' tonight, hun?" you ask, turning in his arms to ask the same question you ask him at the end of every day. You fuss with the wrinkles in his shirt, expecting the same answer, as usual, a grunt, a shrug, a vague, alright on a  good day but you don't receive that tonight.

"I'm feelin' real good tonight." he says, lowering his eyes to yours, watching your smile grow quickly at the out of place positive answer.

"I couldn't be happier to hear it." you practically swoon at him, your hands making their way around him under his cardigan. You'd been waiting for him to feel himself again. You hated seeing the unhappy frown you know was from a place of discontent with himself. You didn't see it in his eyes tonight as you gazed up at his handsome face with his brow set low and heavy.

He sees you beaming up at him and lets out a deep breath, contemplating how the rest of the evening might go as he looked over your soft, lovely face. He did feel good again. He felt whole again and in control of himself like he used to be. As he considers the strides he's had to make to get to such a point he knows he's better now than he ever had been when it came to his emotional well being. He knew staying in control, being logical and reasonable and giving a fair but tough approach to things was important. But then you'd come back and it sent him into a fit emotionally. So much had happened so quickly with the family and you and now you were family too. You'd taught him the importance of seeking out your happiness, of finding things that give it to you and nurturing them. He'd spent so long having to worry about taking care of things. He raised Jack, took care of the farm and the station with his parents gone and Howard at war. He'd had to take care of his older brother after he came back, so no solace was found in his return for him. He'd been worrying about everyone and everything for so long it was hard to remember how to not worry and enjoy himself. Even though he did, he knew he'd never have to really worry about you. You'd always taken care of yourself, even though he'd interjected a handful of times. He knew you would never be a source of constant worry and he was eternally grateful to you for that. He felt whole in a new way with you. He'd found the necessity in the softness and the love that you brought into his life, the peace you'd brought them all with your sacrifice and he wanted to finally bring the piece that was missing from your life back to you both tonight to make you whole together again.

He moves his hand to your cheek, a move that surprises you as you see a new tone shift over his face. The sweet gesture catches you off guard as you pout your lips and nuzzle into his hand. "I can make ya happier to hear it." he offers, his voice a deep velvety smoothness you hadn't heard in months. That electricity he made you feel shoots around inside you, making you recall the first night he'd kissed you.

"What on earth could you do to make me happier, my doting husband?" you wrinkle your nose playfully at him, shaking your head up at him. "You've absolutely spoiled me rotten today with gifts and flowers and candy. Ain't even my birthday or nothin'." you give him a little happy giggle that makes the corner of his mouth pull back into a smile.

"There's been a reason for that." he nods, his voice staying calm and deep and soothing.

"And what's that?" you smile up at him, an innocent and lovely batting of your lashes with your sweet tone.

"There's one thing I've been meanin' to do." his brow furrows slightly, but it doesn't read as upset, only thoughtful. You fingers gently stroke the fabric of his shirt, eyes large and inquisitive. "C'mon baby doll..." he says with a nod of his head, turning towards the door. "I got a surprise for ya upstairs." he says with a mischevious glance and you purse your lips at him with a face that shows him you know he's up to something.

"Since you asked so nice." you give him a sultry smile before making your way inside. "What have you done now? I don't know nothin' else you could give me on top of the rest of it today, Forrest." you continue to murmur your speculation as he follows you up the stairs, a smug smile on his face you can't see.

You walk into the bedroom you share together. You see nothing out of place, nothing added. The room is dark and you stand at the foot of the bed with a confused frown. You hear the door shut behind you, so you turn to face him to ask what you're missing. He's standing much closer than you expected, your eyes blinking fast as they meet with his chest, looking up to him as he takes his hat off and hangs it on one of the posts on the bed before sucking his teeth and looking down at you. This look in his eyes is new and you'd thought you'd seen everything Forrest had to offer.

"I don't say this with the intention to upset you, darlin', but every time you've called me your husband I can't say that I've felt like I deserve the title." his brow sits low as always, his eyes not wavering from your own. "To me, a man must encompass all aspects of being a husband. And I ain't. I've not been able to give you everything you need." his lips pursed in thought. "I planned to make amends for it with you, tonight." He sees your chest rise and fall noticeably, he knows you're catching on to what he's referring to now. He moves slowly but surely, big hands wrapped around you to your back, holding you against him as he speaks low and slow to you. "I'm a patient man but these past few months have pushed me. I never intended to make you wait so long for me. But as you know I ain't gonna do a job unless I can do it right." he nods down at you and you feel the flush coming to your cheeks. "I know you've told me that it ain't bothering you to be without me while I've been down." He pushes the hair away from your face and lets out a sigh. "But I know that ain't been entirely true." his tilts his head at you, one eyebrow raising slightly as if to challenge you.

You lower your brows to respond, mouth open and ready to disagree, to let him know you understood but with a thumb to your lips, his hand along your face he shushes you.

"I know you meant it, baby." he whispers and you exhale a shaky breath against his thumb, still stroking back and forth against your pouted lips. "But I've had to watch you in your sleep these past months and you can't hide needin' somethin' all the time." he shakes his head slowly, stares shifting between your lips and eyes that from any other person would've been intimidating. "I've heard you in your sleep, Tawny." his voice drops somehow lower, you feel the heat back in your cheeks, knowing of the dreams you'd had of Forrest. "I've had to lay there and hear you moanin' out my name."

The sound of him saying things of a sexual nature to you made your heart race. He'd never talked about things like this, but there was a boldness to him as he stood so close, feeling hard and healthy against you.

"I've had to watch your body writhe, those pretty little silk dresses ridin' up your hips as you beg things of me." His voice is breathy and his eyes flutter shut for a moment as he thinks back to those painful nights that he ached to touch you. "I know what you need now, Tawny. I've already heard you ask me for it." his head shakes back and forth slightly.

You feel shame, but in a new and invigorating way you never experienced.

"So I had to wait, so I could give you the choice of how to consummate this marriage." He hand slides to the side of your neck, his shoulder shifting as does his brow, his hand now holding your hip in a firm grip. "I'd had intentions of takin' my time. And I reckon I still do. But my plans of making love to you, being as slow about it as I could for ya changed over the course of these past months." his tone shifts, you'd never heard him speak to you like this before and you could feel the sweat forming on your skin from it. "The things you were askin' for in those dreams Tawny..." his voice sends that shiver of shame down your spine again where it settled right between your thighs. Similar to the sensation of getting scolded or getting caught when you were younger, but this was a different animal entirely. "The words I heard come out of those soft lips of yours." he shakes his head and you feel take a deep breath. "They told me what I had intended to do wouldn't be what you need." he takes a moment to pause, tilting his head and studying the almost fearful look in your eyes. "Is that true?" he asks with pouted lips.

"All I really need is you." you rasp out.

"Now baby..." that deep tone makes your visible shudder as he feels you shaking in his arms and it sends a new sort of thrill through him. "You wouldn't be lyin' to me now would ya?"

"Never." you breathe out, your voice weak.

"Then I need you to tell me if that's what you really want." he brushes his nose against yours. "You know you only have to ask and I'll give you whatever it is you need, sweetheart. And know that I'm more than capable of it now." a single chaste kiss had never felt so dirty in your whole life. "So do you want me soft tonight baby? Or do you need me hard?" Your knee's literally go weak and he let's out a soft, dark laugh as he hoists you up against him.

"I don't rightly recall what I asked for, truth be told. It's just...it's been so long, Forrest." your voice is desperate, breathy and whiney and you can't manage to make it come out sounding any other way. You put your hands to his face, your chest heaving and he'd barely touched you.

"I can tell you if you really can't recall." he whispers, moving to kiss one of your hands on his face.

You nod just slightly, a small murmured "MmmHmm."

He leans in closer, nose skimming your jaw, kisses planted to your cheeks and he whispered into your ears. "You were askin' for it faster. You'd plead for me to go harder." You see his nose twitch before he speaks the next words that make you fall to pieces. Spoken with his plush lips right against your ear, "You'd shift those soft hips against me and beg me to fuck you, baby. You made me so damn hard it hurt." he moans into your ear and you turn your head fast and kiss him hard. You moan the moment you feel his lips press back against yours, his hand moving to the back of your head to hold you fast to him as your fingers already worked to unbutton his shirt.

"Fuck, Forrest." you moan and whine shamelessly. He groans deep as it rumbles in his chest, you can feel it under your hands as you take a moment to feel the sturdy expanse of his chest as rose and fell fast just like yours. You reach down, moving fast and undo his trousers, being held up with suspenders still, you take him out of the confines of them.  "God, I need you, I need you so bad." you cry out in desperation, taking your panties and heels off and forgetting them just as quickly before wrapping your arms tightly around his neck. "I do want it hard, Forrest." you nod against his lips and he rumbles out another groan at your confirmation of his dirty words from earlier. "Fuck me, baby, please, there'll be time for sweet later, just give me back the big strong man I've missed." you declare into the dark room, his lips moving down to your neck and he bends and picks you up, wrapping your legs around him. To your surprise you find your back knocked against the door instead of the bed, but you'd never been wetter or needed someone so badly before. You'd never wanted someone to come at you so hard it hurt, you felt like a caged animal finally getting free, and you realize maybe you were denying how badly you'd needed him this whole time. In no graceful way, not that it mattered, he readjusts and pushes into you and you let out a shameless moan that sounded like you were being paid to do it. It stung, the hardness of him so suddenly after being empty for so long but you welcomed it. The pain was very temporary as he started to move, grunts with every thrust as your fingers buried in his hair. To your surprise and delight, letting you know he needed you just as badly as you did him, he frees one hand, popping the buttons on the pretty dress of yours before you realize what he's doing. You move to help him, letting his hands move back to your hips to hold you up. You take your breasts out and his mouth is on them in a second before you even get both out. "Fuck me, Forrest, yes." you let your wanton cries out, head knocking against the door, him panting against your flushed skin. Sucking hard with a few moments of growling nibbles to your hard nipples catch you off guard. "Ugh, you were right, fuck me harder, baby." you moan, arms around his neck, keeping him close. You feel his grip tighten on you, lifting you before shifting his hands, leaning you away from the door and using your own weight to pound into you, bouncing you off of him. You get lost in the singular fact that he's strong enough to do such a thing again, feeling much like a light-headed debutante, declaring how she fancies a suitor. You throw your head back in a high pitched squeal of a laugh, bringing it back down to rest your foreheads together as he grunts and groans and you praise him breathlessly. "You're so good. So fucking good." you coo and tense before he lets you land against the door again. The position on the door works better for you it seems, causing the angle to shift and him to rub against you. "Yes, like that baby, please." you call out, his mouth finding your nipple again. "Shit!" you squeak out, feeling it build fast inside you. You hold his hair, pulling his head and pushing your lips to his forehead. You let the words come as you knew he deserves to hear them, and there's no shame to be found between the two of you now. "You're makin' your wife feel so fuckin' good, Mr. Bondurant." you growl out and he returns the sound. "You know how to give your baby what she needs don't you? Fuck me, Forrest, please, baby don't stop." you moan as you feel the trembling start. You hear a growl from him, forehead pushed into your chest as he hits into you with force and your head is thrown back against the door again as you both feel yourself let go around him. The filthy words he'd only partially heard from you before drive him over the edge. He might know how to give you want you need, but you did the same to him. He wanted to prove himself capable and you let him know he was. You covered his pride for his manhood and his role as a husband and he lets himself go inside you with a long guttural groan the tensing every muscle in his body. It'd been a long time coming and you'd both neede it more than either could express, but you both had certainly tried.

With only a hint of the flush in both of your faces being from the realization of what you'd just said to each other in your moments on uncontrollable lust, you stand, panting for only a few moments before you join back together in a kiss that moves you both back towards the bed. You whisper thank you's and I love you's as you lay naked together in bed, wrapped up in one another. You both fall asleep quickly and sleep hard. Neither of you notices the other dream anything through the night. As the light begins to start fading away the night, Forrest wakes. He watches you, soft and content, little helpless sounding mewls escaping your sleeping form, he thinks you look like a soft little kitten in his arms, purring away. He decides to give you what you both needed now, as he softly kisses you awake. As the sun starts to rise, so do you, and by the time the roosters start crowing, he's made love to you the way he'd originally intended. It was lazy and loving and connected the two of you in a way you'd desperately needed. Confessions of love and adoration and praise as he moved slowly inside you. You felt as one and that's how you both knew it should've been. You were Tawny and Forrest, but you're also husband and wife, and more importantly, the one thing that unified you both now and for all the lazy lovemaking sessions and beyond afterward, was that you were both Bondurants. ------- A few months later in December, you get the word that Prohibition was over. As Howard came into the station that morning with the paper in his hands, announcing it to the room in heavy breaths from running to tell you. A funny feeling washes over you, something like relief. After you both stand in your usual places and stare at Howard for long enough to process, you behind the counter and Forrest in the doorway of his office you turn and look directly at each other. Something in the air shifted that day and at the time you weren’t sure exactly what.

He shifts his eyes away from yours, traveling across the room in a hazy way that told you he was thinking. He nods at Howard and grunts, so Howard turns to face you now as he walks towards the bar.

“Can I get you a drink Howard?” You say with a chuckle and he smiles and nods, slapping the top of the counter.

“By God, you sure as hell can Miss Tawny!” The older men in the back raise their hands to indicate they too want in on the festivities.

You hadn’t sold liquor there since the showdown with Rakes, Forrest slowing down to ensure you were kept safe and that there were no further legal issues coming their way. He had a family and a wife to think about, he wasn’t going to jeopardize that for a little extra pocket money.  You’d seen a few men come in, acting like locals but asking for shine and you had assumed they were narcs. Forrest has taught you fast how to spot a rat before they even sat down and asked you anything.

You pour glasses for the men and give Howard a jar who goes to join them. You start preemptively making a batch of Hocakes as you know they’re gonna want them after drinking. The smell and the familiarity bring back plenty of memories from when you first got to the station. It felt good to get back to how things should’ve been the entire time. What a waste of time, of money, of life that whole ordeal was. All over the contents of something from those glass jars that sprang from your mountains as natural and nearly as long as springs after a downpour.

That night you asked Forrest what it all meant. He said he reckoned it meant things would be back to how they used to be. Howard would probably get a still going again nearby, something to keep up with the demand in the station, nothing more. He’d had enough money squirreled away to not have to worry about pushing shine again. He recognized he had too much to lose now and knew his injuries would catch up with as he got older. He might’ve felt invincible with you with him, but he was smart enough, or perhaps sentimental enough not to risk leaving you a widow.

Christmas came a few days later, everyone gathered at the station under the tree you’d decorated, adding more baubles to celebrate the good news. Suitable gifts are exchanged in the public eye, books, tools, and a new leather-bound ledger. But I’m private, Forrest have you the best gift he had to date.

He pulled you close in the low light is the tree before you headed up to bed, giving you a sweet kiss with a hum of happiness behind it.

“One more thing before we go to bed.” He says quietly. You wait patiently with big eyes glowing in the light of the tree. He reaches into the collar of your dress, big fingers managing to unclasp the delicate chain your wedding ring hung on. You watch him slide the ring into his palm and retrieve his thick gold band from his cardigan pocket.

“I wanted to wait until I thought you’d be safe. And as I always am I’m sorry you had to wait so long, Tawny.” he says as he slips his ring on, then puts yours on your finger himself. “If it’s alright with you... Mrs. Bondurant.” He gives you a sweet subtle smile. “I’d like for you to wear this now.” He nods and holds your ring hand between both of his, his resting on top of yours and glowing in the dim light. “We ain’t gotta go peacockin’ about or nothin’.” He smirks, looking up from the rings to your face. “But I'd like for you to wear this ring like this now. If that'd be alright with you.”

You bring your other hand to your chest first, taking a quiet inhale to brace yourself for the tears you knew you come. “You... really Forrest?” You whisper out.

A soft smile that reaches all the way up to his crinkling eyes makes you melt entirely, rearing your chest against his, lacing your fingers into his hand so your rings touch.

“Yeah. What with the law endin’ and all... I don’t believe us to be in any real danger no more. Nothin that would take us away from each other anyway.” He adds with his brow sinking low again as the thought passes his mind.

“Oh, my big sweet man.” you coo. Raising your hand to his face and leaning up to kiss him. “Thank you.” You whisper against his lips. “It isn’t my intention to upset you Forrest, but Everytime someone’s called me Barett I didn’t feel right agreeing to it.” You smile, a mischievous look on his face for you copying his words from him. “But now I don’t have to lie about being a Bondurant anymore. Didn’t have to lie to myself after you married me and now I ain’t gotta lie to no one else.”

“Merry Christmas Tawny Bondurant.” He grins and leans in to kiss you properly.

“Merry Christmas Mr. Bondurant.” You giggle against his soft lips. “Now take me to bed and give me another present.” You snicker, wrinkling your nose and moving one hand down to squeeze his butt.

He lets out an audible laugh and smooches your cheek noisily. “Whatever you want, baby doll.” He grins with that masculine confidence he’s had ever since you’d consummated your marriage in that one, long feverish night. He picks you up threshold style as you laugh in his arms all the way to bed.

———————

As the month's pass, you’re settling into a normal, peaceful existence. Howard got his still, keeping to himself again. He seemed happier for it for a bit. With the noticing of your ring, it seemed it made the younger boys girls get a little antsy, as Jack married Bertha and your Junior followed suit early that spring. With a backup supply of shine and a still up and running, Howard got lonely out there you’re guessing. So many of his friends and family had died in the months of fighting Rakes, the boys he used to shine with were all gone. With Forrest and Jack married he felt the odd man out and surprised everyone by moving to Martinsville to work in the factories. He soon after found himself a wife and started a family, although not in that order.

With the still unmanned, the supply dwindles and with Jack taking over the farm, deciding to work in cattle and tobacco he didn’t have time to run it with a wife and trying to start a family. So the day came when you were down to just a few cases of shine in the storage shed. Forrest finds you standing in the doorway with your hands on your hips.

“Somethin’ wrong?” He asks, padding up begind you.

“We only got a few cases left, seems a shame to sell it all. Ain’t no more after this is gone.”

“You goin’ and gettin’ sentimental about the shine sweetheart?” He says with a smile you can’t see.

“I can’t help it.” You pout. “I don’t wanna think there’d be an anniversary where we couldn’t drink it together, ya know? It’s such a big part of what brought us together in the first place.” You explain with a voice that’s whinier than you intend it to be.

“Look at you, gettin' all sentimental on me.” He teases in an affectionate tone. “Let’s keep 'em if it means so much to ya.” He rests his hand on your shoulder. “We'll get some shine for the station from some of them young bucks that’s been makin' it. Won’t have to worry 'bout it being on us after that.”

“You really gonna sell something besides Bondurant shine in the station for me?” You turn to him with a thankful pout on your face, eyes welling up despite yourself.

“I think it was you that told me change ain’t gotta be a bad thing. It’s still Franklin shine." he says with a dismissive shake of his head. I reckon we’ve got more important things to worry about now don’t we?" He nods his chin down at you, hand reaching down to your stomach.

“Yeah. Reckon we do.” You coo up at him. ——————-

With the boys in for Thanksgiving, you’re amongst the new wives in the kitchen. Bertha is newly pregnant and you’re well into your second trimester, hiding under a loose dress and a cardigan of Forrests. You're feeling the tiredness as you work away in the heat of the kitchen. You decide to take a break from the kitchen as you’re feeling light-headed, taking your apron off and laying it over a chair on the back porch, lifting your hair up to let the cool air hit your neck, fluffing your dress to air it out as you lean back against the side of the station.

Howard comes out to smoke, a jar of the new shine in his hand and it’s almost like old times. He lights a cigarette and offers you one and you swat it away.

“No thank you Howard. Just came out to get some air.” You say with a tired sigh.

He studies you and tries to be sneaky about it, but he never is. “I know you ain’t supposed to say this to a woman, and I hope you take no offense but are you... pregnant Tawny?” He asks his eyes narrowed, noticing the signs from his own wife’s experience.

“None taken. And I look that way because I am.” You let out a chuckle and reach down to pull the flowy bottom of you dress tighter and rubbing your stomach to show the growing bump.

A slow but huge grin spread across his face, standing straight up and heading over to you quickly to squeeze you in a big hug. “I had no clue!” He says loudly. “You and Forrest never tell no nobody nothin’!” He laughs loudly, resting your feet back on the ground. “Christ... you havin' a baby!" he says in disbelief.

"Yeah, a baby, Howard." you chuckle and straighten your dress back down.

Having watched you come outside and hearing Howard's raised voice Forrest come out in protector mode, which he stayed in ever since you'd found out you were pregnant. He looks over at Howard from under a low brow.

Howard removes his hat and smacks it onto his leg. "You bastard, you didn't tell me!" he hisses, smacking his brothers arm with his hat.

Forrest turns his head to you, standing and looking sweet with your hand on your stomach with an annoyed but amused look on his face.

"He asked anyway... I didn't tell him." you say defensively, walking up to Forrest's side as he looks down at your stomach. "We knew they'd find out eventually." you say obviously with a shake of your head.

"I 'spose you're right about that too." he says a smile that's so subtle only you can read it.

Howard watches, his heart swelling with pride for his baby brother and his childhood friend as you kiss Forrest sweetly on the cheek and his eyes soften. It seemed that now everyone had settled down, shacked up and was ready to ride out another long winter. By springtime, there'd be a few more Bondurants in the world, waiting to raise whatever hell the next generation found it suited for them to get into. Same as it ever was, same as it'll always be.

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 @divadinag @emerald-bijou @emiliesnowflake @lightwoodt @spotted-possibilities @thinkingsofamadwoman  @raceylacy

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 14

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 8800+

Summary: Life is good for the first time in a long, long time for Tawny and the Bondurants. She and Forrest finally find the time alone to show and tell each other how they really feel. 

Warnings/Tags: FLUFF. Explicit Sexual Content.

A/N: Memories are in italics! The song I listened to while writing this was a cover of Wild Horses by Old & In The Way. Would recommend it!

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist.

The weeks that passed after Jack had acted out and Forrest found his revenge on the men who had wronged you both were the happiest you'd ever had. The money was pouring in after they started shipping past the county line. You felt fulfilled with the work you were doing and with your good attitude and the name of your employers behind you no one messed with you again. Sure Rakes was still coming for the boys, taking out their cousins and all the small batch makers around the county, but your Bondurants still remained untouched.

It wasn't without its long nights though, when Forrest would go on runs with Jack and Howard, leaving you to pace the floors and drink to dull your nerves. But when he said he would come back to you, you did your best to believe him. And every night, or early morning he'd come back home to you. If you were awake he'd wait until his brothers were in their rooms, you'd see each other in the cracks of your open bedroom doors, and he'd push his door open just a little more while his tired eyes looked into yours and you'd move to him as quick as your feet would carry you.

He'd been particularly timid the first night you'd come to his room after everyone else went to bed. You'd knocked gently, your face parting the door from the frame, his fingers already working on the buttons on his shirt. He stuttered in greeting you, but you couldn't wait.

You shut the door quietly behind you and rushed to him, wrapping your arms around him as tightly as you could. He stood shocked at first, not sure what to do with the unforeseen show of affection.

"I know you tell me not to worry and I do anyway." you rub your face into the thin fabric of his shirt. "But I just can't help myself." you sigh out. "I'm just so relieved every time you come back to me." you'd pull back and wrap your arms around his neck, kissing his cheek and burying your face in his shoulder.

Your admission makes his heart thump against his chest and you take notice of it as you feel his pulse against your cheek. He lets himself feel it, enjoy it, and reciprocate. His hands slowly move to embrace you back, one hand moving to the back of your head, strong fingers catching in your curls as he stroked them.

"You know I'll come back to ya every time Tawny. Ain't nothin' gonna keep me away from you is there?" he whispers, pressing his mouth into your hair and smelling the sweet floral scent that you carried everywhere with you.

These tiny sweet moments alone sustained your heart, filled it to the brim with a love you'd never felt before. Although he didn't say it, you felt that he was going through much the same for you. Every time he'd come back from a run, you'd wait impatiently in your room, waiting for the wordless signal, sneaking in and holding each other tight for a few beautiful moments before heading back to bed. You were an absolute fool for the man and you didn't care in the slightest.

The best nights were the ones where he didn't go with Jack on runs, letting him and or Howard or him and Cricket and Junior handle the most established and less risky trips. Those nights you two were left alone, the whole station to yourselves.

You'd cook dinner just for the two of you, special things that took all day, pies and sweets to match. If he wasn't sure about liking something he'd get that funny look on his face, that exaggerated frown and he'd grunt and shake his head. You'd have to scoot closer to him, baby talking him as he narrowed his eyes, holding the fork out with insistence as he'd always give in and you'd feed it to him with a snort as he glared at you with no real ill feeling behind it.

"Eh..." he'd chew and shrug, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Good right? C'mon don't lie just to save face now." you'd laugh and he'd break when he'd see that big smile of yours that you only gave him beaming his way and he couldn't help but let his lips curl into one as well. "That's a good boy, now." you'd chuckle, kissing his head and taking the empty plates to the sink. By the time you'd come back the plate with the dessert on it would always be empty. He loved the smug smile you'd give him every time, bumping his shoulder with your hip as you shook your head at him.

Your favorite was the nights spent together on the back porch. You'd sit and wait for him in your rocking chair. He'd come out with a heavy blanket, wrapping it around your shoulders, a hand resting on your hair affectionately before he walked around to sit in the chair the matched yours. He's put his hand palm up on the arm of his chair, and you'd lace your fingers together and sit together all night hand in hand. The sides of the arms of the rocking chairs had the paint worn away from where they stayed side by side, rubbing up against each other with your hands rested interlocked. You lulled yourself with the rhythmic back and forth by the creak of the floorboards underneath you against the sound of the falling snow. Sometimes he'd lift your hand up to kiss it, and you'd gather his big arm in both of yours and rest your head on his shoulder. In the particularly cold nights, he'd reach for both of your hands, rubbing them between his, holding his mouth up to his cupped hands and breathing, warming them up when he deemed them too cold. You'd do the same for him and he'd grunt, an amused sound as you had to do his hands one by one, both of yours barely doing any warming from the size difference. You mostly did it to make him laugh at this point, a rare sound but one you could hear if the mood struck him when you were alone.

If the boys were still gone by the time you'd start yawning, he'd walk you up to bed, hand on your lower back and another around your upper arm to move you up the stairs. He'd turn his back as you changed, which only started after you'd told him you knew he wouldn't look and you didn't mind if he was in the room as it took all of a few minutes to get back into bed. He'd turn and rub his eyes, tucking you in, pushing your hair back from your face and kiss you anywhere but on the lips. Some nights he'd get close, a little low on your cheek and your heart would race, leaving you awake again after he left. You'd reach out a hand after him as his weight would leave the bed, he'd look at it and smile, grabbing one of your fingers and shaking it before his eyes turned back to you, a grunt and a nod before you tell each other goodnight in the sweetest, softest voices either of you had ever heard.

He never tried to go any further, and neither did you. Your heart was full with knowing it was only you that he let his lips and hands touch at all. He'd filled you with more love with a simple glance than you'd ever remembered feeling before and it was enough. You weren't about to offend him by trying for more, you knew he was the man of the house and because of this, you let him make the decisions as to when and where...and if he would take things any further between the two of you. ----------- Jack had been working on a super sweet apple brandy. It being your favorite to begin with, you'd wholly supported him testing out new flavors and you and Forrest were reaping the benefits of it currently. You'd mixed some into the apple pie you'd made for the to of you, perhaps you'd gone a bit heavy handed on it in the recipe, but neither of you complained about it. You were both buzzy and happy, having a jar each to drink from throughout the night, not having to share with anyone else since Jack was out with Junior someplace and Howard was up tending the stills for a few days.

At this point, it was safe to say you were both a bit drunk. Forrest, always the patriarch, is out doing rounds while you cleaned up inside. He takes his time, enjoying how the cold night air feels on his flushed face from the alcohol, sobering him up just enough. He hears music from inside, looking up to see you in your window. He catches glimpses of you in the flickering candlelight of the room, your feminine, soft robe hanging off your shoulders, moving it in your small hands as you spun and moved your body to the music. He makes his way back inside, everything locked and cleared to his liking as he heads up to your room.

You're feeling wonderful, drunk enough to feel euphoric as you spin too fast to the music and plop onto the bed with a giggle and a flush of your face before standing and going back to dancing. You'd gotten ready for bed, putting on a new matching sleep set of a green velvet gown and robe. The gown had thin straps, lace hem on the bottom and across the chest, hitting you above the knee. The robe hit almost to your ankles and lay untied and open across your body as closing it would've made you start to sweat with the heat leaving your skin from the booze. You hear his heavy footsteps move slowly up the stairs, your door still open and you hear them stop in the doorway.

"C'mon in Forrest." you give him permission to join you. He wouldn't come into your room without expressed permission from you even still and you found his manners to be something that mama Bondurant would've been proud of.

"I don't mind this one so much." he says, gesturing to the record player. The slow twang and deep voice of country song float about the room as he shuts the door behind him out of habit, encapsulating you both in a bubble of sound.

"The mandolin always gets me." you say with a lazy smile, shoulder moving back and forth to the beat. He finds himself staring, watching your milky white skin glowing in the moonlight that poured in through the crack in the curtains. It lit you like a dream, and with your eyes shut, face soft and content with the blissful, warm feeling the Bondurant shine gave you, he let his eyes wander further down your body in his still buzzy mental state. He recalls the way seeing your body move much like the way it was now would affect him as a younger man. The shared glances at barn dances, the quickening of your pulses and the many questions the stolen glances raised. But you'd never danced together. ------ He sat on a hay bale among the noise, a jar in his hand. He sat in a half circle of the boys he went to school with, all slick and washed up for possible courtin' purposes. He'd done the same but never expected anything to actually come of it.

It seemed tonight you were in rare form. Your little feet were kicking high, and not gracefully, almost like you're angry but the jar of Bondurant shine you held in your hand was making the motions softer as you still kept the beat to what the elders were playing. You didn't always dance, but he was always thankful for the sight when you did. The bounces and jiggles of your newly fleshed out curves going unnoticed to most everyone but him it seemed.

None of the other boys ever spoke of you like they did the other girls, and he never understood that. But you weren't like the other girls, especially not in his eyes. You weren't busying yourself with what they fussed over with boys and wanting marriage and babies. You were busy working and when you weren't working you were reading. You acted a lot older than you were, you acted a lot like him. You were quieter, more private. You kept your head down and worked hard and he always thought that was a noble pursuit. Even if the other boys thought you were weird, taking your daydreaming aloofness as a lack of intelligence. Although thinking a girl was dumb sure hadn't stopped them from pursuing any of the other ones that would've actually fit that description. He'd never had a cross thought about you in that way, he knew better. He didn't understand why no one was whispering about how pretty you were at the get-togethers. He thought you were most appealing out of all of them. It was like you were a secret he got to keep to himself.

He's deep in thought about you, as he usually found himself when he'd get drunk. The flames glint off the glass jar in your hand, catching his attention. He thought about how it was his folk's shine, and thus his that was making you dance like this. And so in some small and technical way, that he, as a Bondurant was what was making you behave in such a way. This thought amuses him to the point of laughter. The other boys all turn to look at him, confused looks on their faces. Who could blame them though, Forrest never laughed like that. He clears his throat to cover the sound and harden his expression. He tries to focus on the casual rambling and gossip of the other young men, trying to shift his focus off of you before he did something stupid. ------- You take his hand and his brow furrows in question as he looks at it lace into his own.

"Would you think it silly of me to ask you for a dance Forrest?" you ask with batting lashes.

"Have you ever seen me dance?" he asks, a rhetorical sort of question with a smirk on his face. You were thankful to find it so easy going, hoping the drink had loosened him up as much as it had you.

"No but I thought it was worth a shot." you shrug and smile up at him.

"Why you wanna dance with me?" his voice teasing, a nod and narrowing of his eyes down at you.

"Well I never got to when we was kids, did I?" you state obviously, hips still moving subtly to the beat.

"No ma'am" he shakes his head.

"Thought I might make up for lost time." you let out a giggle, moving closer to him, face full of mischief.

"Mmm is that what you're doin' now?" voice low and playfully warning you as his lips turn up into a smile, eyebrows raising at your expense.

"Mmm Hmm. Can't blame me for wantin' to get close to you now can you?" you shamelessly flirt with a grin that he finds he's powerless against.

"My goodness Miss Tawny." he shakes his head, a closed mouth smile appearing. "What am I gonna do with you, hmm?" he closes the space between you, blocking all the light from the window behind him and you bat your lashes up at him.

"You're gonna dance with me." you say slowly, sweetly.

"Ah hell, sweetheart." he groans, holding a hand out slowly. You stare at it a bit too long. "Ya change your mind?" he asks smugly.

"Of course not. I just wasn't sure what you were doin'." you say with a giggle. "Never know with you, do I?" you lilt and you both gaze adoringly as you step closer to him.

"In your defense...I never know with me neither." his brow furrows as he leans in close. He lets out a sigh at the smile you beam at him. The smile that you only give him, that one only he gets to see and cherish.

You look away, taking his hand tightly, "Well lucky for you even if you don't know what you're doing you can slow dance." you put his hand around to your back, pressing your body against his. You feel him stiffen, but still less rigid than any other time he was sober and in public.

"Slow dancin' I can manage." he muses.

"Lucky me." your voice soft, almost a whisper, putting your arm around him to his back. The music is slow and languid, you move in time, your cheek on his barrel chest, the feel on the cotton shirt against your skin, the heat of the skin under it. You hum contently.

"Don't go passin' out on me." he teases, his hand strong and certain against your back.

"And miss this?" your happy little smile resting under closed eyes makes his heart thump faster and he knows you must hear it. And you do, eliciting another content hum as he floods with relief at your acceptance of his behavior. You stay like that for a bit, just drinking in the closeness to each other. You don't know if you've ever felt as good as you did right now.

"Sweetheart?" he asks, you move to look up at him, your eyes half-lidded, lips pouted just slightly. "If...If I were to ask you somethin'....somethin' I might not have the courage to ask sober... you wouldn't think less of me would you?" his voice is shaky, something you'd never heard before.

"I can't think of anything you'd do to make me think less of ya." you assure him. The nod and grunt combination reappears. He clears his throat. "I just wanna tell you how special you are to me." your lips pout but not from sadness, just the opposite. "I don't...I'm not good at...uh...expressin' feelings like the ones I have for you. I hope that don't make you think they aren't there." he pauses, finding it in himself to meet your eyes. "Cause they are." his eyes blink faster, moving about the room in his nervousness. "And I wanted to know..." he shakes his head, trying to find the words. You don't rush him, you'd never rush something like this. You'd waited most of your life for these words, you could wait for a few more breaths. ----- You wring your hands and wait for Mrs. Bondurant to appear in the doorway. She gets a confused look on her face, seeing a suitcase sat by your feet.

"What is it Tonya? Everything alright?" she asks, a gentle hand resting on your shoulder.

"Well..." you let out a heavy sigh, finding it hard to meet her eyes. "I wanted to thank y'all for all you've done for me while I've been workin' for ya." She can tell there's more to come so she gives you a supportive nod, retracting her hands back to her apron.

"I'm leavin'."

"Leavin'?" her voice higher pitched in her surprise.

"Yeah. I'm headin' to the city. Got my ticket and everything." you say patting the train ticket in your pocket.

"The city? You got family up there?" she didn't know of anyone you had besides your stepfather.

"No." you shake your head. "I've just got to get out of here. I'm sorry for not givin' you further notice. This ain't last minute or nothin' but it's been hard to make myself tell y'all I's leavin'."

"Honey, you can't go to the city by yourself," she says, her eyes worried. "I know you're a smart and strong girl Tonya but the city ain't like here child." she shakes her head.

"I know." you nod and she sees the determination in your eyes. "That's precisely why I'm goin'." you bend to pick up your suitcase.

"Are you needin' a place to stay? You don't have to run off, you're more than welcome here with us baby. You ain't in any trouble are ya?"

You give her a sad but sweet smile. "Thank you for bein' so good to me Mrs. Bondurant, but this is just somethin' I gotta do. Tell the boys and Mr. Bondurant the same. Y'all are the only things I'll miss about here." you keep the same sad expression.

"If there ain't no stoppin' ya then...well I guess this is goodbye then? They boys'll be mighty sad to know you're leavin'. You want to say goodbye before you head off?" she reaches out to hug you, giving you a supportive pat to the back.

"No, I can't. Let 'em know I'm sorry. Let Forrest know I'm sorry." she sees the tears start in your eyes. You wouldn't have been able to leave if you have to see him. It was a cowardly move but you felt you had to get out and couldn't risk being talked into staying.

"Of course honey. You be safe. Write or somethin' you know we'll be worried about ya."

"Thanks again Mrs.Bondurant. I'll try." you take a deep breath and take in the house one more time before you turn and head down the stairs, starting your long trek to the train station.

Forrest had seen you coming to the station. Knowing you weren't scheduled to work he was hoping you were making a social call. But as he hides at the top of the stairs, overhearing your conversation with his mother his heart sinks. His eyes lose the spark they once held, he feels a new feeling sitting in his throat like a hard unmoveable lump. He moves quickly after you tell her goodbye, standing in his bedroom window and watching you walk down the road. He felt too many things right now to process. His eyelashes fluttered, he felt like he couldn't breathe. You hadn't even said goodbye to him. There's no way he could've been wrong about how you felt about him. You were never good at hiding your emotions and when he looked into your eyes he'd known you cared about him the same way he'd cared about you. So why were you leaving now?

"Strangest thing just happened. little Tonya just told me she's leaving. Wished us well and just...well you probably saw her walkin' with her suitcase." her mother says, walking into his room and standing by the window next to him. "There she goes. I tried to stop her but, she's just about as stubborn as you are dear." she muses. "What was it that you'd wanted to talk to me about that you were actin' like it wasn't makin' you all nervous?" she asks, hand brushing his hair out of his face.

He stares out the window, eyes dull and watery. Inside, knowing asking her about his intentions with you was pointless now. "Weren't nothin'." he shakes his head, an audible gulp, a grunt with a clearing of his throat. He hears Jack start to cry and turns his head to the sound. "I'll get him, Ma." he says, his voice flat as he walks past her and out of the room.

His mother looks out the window with a heavy sigh. You were the only girl she knew of that he'd ever liked in such a way. She knew she couldn't change your mind with the look you had in your eye, she knew Cliff was awful to you and she couldn't blame you, not really. She only wished she could save her son the heartbreak. The first is always the worst. But she was still rooting for both of you, and she hoped you come back. --------

"You...you feel the same way about me...don't you?" his eyes narrow, chin pushing into his chest as he looks back into your eyes. You couldn't believe there was any uncertainty in them.

"Very much so." your smile isn't as silly as it had been. It was like he was confessing how he felt to you and you were 16 again, like he'd hoped to do before you'd left. Your smile reminiscent of that same one he remembered was directed at him, and here you were, a grown woman in his grown man arms. Right where he'd thought you'd always fit so perfectly. And you did.

"No one's ever made me feel the way you do, Tawny. When you pulled back in that day I...I don't rightly know what the hell I thought ." his arm on your back moves more around you, pulling you closer. "I still don't believe it sometimes...you being so good for me. We were so close right there before you left." he whispers.

"We were?" your smile fades, batting lashes under raised brows in surprise.

"I was." he confesses, voice dropping low and quiet.

"I had no idea." he sees the apology in your eyes. "But we're close now aren't we?" you say with a small half smile to soothe him.

"I like to think after this we will be." you tilt your head up at him.

Your wide eyes ask him his meaning. "After what Forrest?" you look so beautiful it seems almost a shame to take the look off your face, but he knew he couldn't stop himself any longer. You see his eyes move to your lips, you feel your heart skip a beat. He leans in slowly, patiently just like he did with everything. He presses his lips to yours. You completely still against him. this leads him to pull back, but he does it so slowly as he doesn't want it to end, just in case there's rejection on the other side of this kiss. there had never been a worry so needless.

He'd set your bones on fire with the press of his soft lips against yours, you couldn't breathe, you couldn't do anything but feel the heat of him against you. You take in a noisy inhale as his lips finally part from yours. You'd never had a kiss feel like that before. He searches your face for rejection, for anything but you just looked...peaceful. He wondered as your eyes looked at his lips, the shining emeralds move to meet his and he sees his worries had been unfounded.

He let's go of your hand, his eyes watching it as he slowly moved across your soft skin, up your arm and taking the side of your face. You could feel his fingers lose their shakiness as they lay soft and gentle across your cheek. His thumb brushes across your lips just once, and not only the soft sigh you admit, but the tiniest of moans behind it, so small and sweet it made his stomach ache. You pucker your lips against his thumb and his posture slumps.

"Kiss me, Forrest." you whisper before he presses against you once more. This time he doesn't stop. A single press turns to another, deep inhales and exhales through noses, bodies as closely pressed together as possible. It was as if your soul left your body in a useless flaming heap. Your ears rang, electricity buzzed through you as you felt his brow furrow, head tilting farther to the side. You'd always loved the way the word sensual made you feel when you read it in dirty books, but you'd never experienced it. Not until tonight. The air in the room was thick and heavy, sweat started to form on your skin from the way he made your body hum like a machine.

You were like a coke bottle in his hands in the middle of summer. All sweet with the perfect shaped curves for his hands to hold you. Sweat running down your skin like perspiration off the bottle, and he wanted to drink in every last drop of you.

You're overtaken by your need for a moment, forgetting to act in moderation as you move your hands up to around his neck, pulling him closer, he bends to you easily, hand leaving your face, his big strong arms now wrapped around you, splayed hands across your back, roaming ever so slightly. As your hands move into his hair you both make needful sounds. He squeezes you so tightly your toes only touch the floor, forcing a suppressed moan out and across his lips.

"Forrest." you whisper in a blissful sigh when his lips reach your neck. You let your head fall to the side, giving him anything he wanted from you.

"Tawny." he groans out as he pulls away, both your chests heaving against the other. "What're we doin'?" he asks, face clearly not wanting to stop, you figured he was trying not to offend you with his actions, recognizing in himself that longer this went on the harder it would be to stop.

"I don't know about you but I'm doin' what I always to." he hums, eyes dark and half-lidded. "Forrest?" you ask, his eyes leaving your lips, meeting yours again.

"Mmph?" he grunts, kissing your cheek, you shut your eyes and smile with the sweet gesture.

"I have somethin' that I wanna tell you too..." he kisses you softly.

"What you wanna say, sweetheart." his deep, lustful voice made you feel dizzy.

"Seein' as we're...here. Doin'...this." you whisper. "I hope you won't think less of me for wantin' to be with you like this and us not married. I just...I wanna be yours." he hears your self-doubt in your voice, he kisses you gently, one hand to your cheek. "I love you, Forrest." you whisper against his lips.

"Tawny..." he purrs out your name in a breathy exhale.

"I love you. I think...maybe I always did." you had so many things you wanted to say, a seal is broken on your true feelings for him. But before you can you feel his chest heave as he pushes his mouth against yours, lips grasping at your own. You could feel it down into your toes, he loved you too.

"I don't recall a time that I knew you and didn't love you, Tawny." he confesses, nose grazing against yours, eyes soft and vulnerable as they gazed into your own.

"You love me?" you smile, your voice a weak rasp in your affected state.

"I do. I love you." his voice quiet and soft as his lips graze over your own, light and reserved with their tender touch.

"Would you make me yours tonight Forrest?" you whisper against him as his hand runs through your hair.

"Are you sure, darlin'?"

"You're the only thing I've ever felt sure about." he hums and holds your face in his big rough hands before pressing his lips against yours in a passionate collision as you whine and hold onto him tightly.

You barely have to move at all as he practically carries you to the edge of the bed.

You part from his lips and whisper, "Sit on the bed." spinning around as he sits on your command with dazed eyes. The look in his eyes in hungry but hesitant, you feel wanted but you have to make sure he knows you want him even more. You turn off the record player and return to him. You didn't want to miss a single breath from him tonight. You wanted to touch, taste, smell and hear everything that he was composed of.

You push your robe off your shoulders, moving between his legs. His eyes watch you kneel before him, absolutely spellbound by the fearlessness in your eyes as he sees the soft curves of your breasts and shoulders, delicate fingers highlighted by both candle and moonlight as they take off his boots. Such a subservient and loving gesture he thought as you took his socks off after, the feeling of your hands on his touch starved skin making his whole body bloom with goosebumps.

You stand and lean into him, your fingers moving through his hair and pushing his chin up towards you. He shuts his eyes at the feeling of your nails gently raking over his scalp and a deep grunt follows. The tips of your fingers run down the shell of his ear to his neck onto the collar of his shirt, hands moving slowly and unbuttoning it for him. You're so gentle with him, even though you doubt you need to be. You savor every scar and hair your senses take in as you revel the broad expanse of his chest. You can't help but lick your lips as your breathing picks up, hands slow and trembling as your run them up his chest to his shoulders, pushing the shirt downs his arms.

You can hear the deep rumbling of breathing in his chest after he settles from pulling his arms out of their sleeves. He's intoxicated by the way you look at him, wet lips parted just slightly as your hands move across the scarred skin with nothing but love in your eyes. You lean down to place single kisses on his shoulders, hand moving up and down his strong arms, squeezing, feeling the strength that underneath his skin. You plant a kiss to his chest as you try to soothe the grunt of nervousness that comes with your undoing his belt. You unfasten his pants, and leave it at that for now, not wanting to push too far just yet.

You take a deep breath, his eyes searing into you, watching every movement as your fingers slip under the thin straps of your gown. You see his hands clench and unclench, his nostrils flare as you let the gown fall slowly. Left only in your panties in the cold room, your skin chills, he watches your nipples harden and rise as the bumps travel across your skin. His hands move slowly as they always do before they reach your hips and land softly to rest on your bones. His lashes flutter, thumbs stroking lazily over the swell of your hips as you move closer, resting your hands on his shoulders. Your fingers touch him much the same way his do you, soft caresses at the base of his head. His eyes move over your body, his chest now rising and falling faster as he takes in the sight before him.

"Forrest..." you whisper, he's met with doe eyes and a sweet smile as he raises his head to you. He's done nothing but stare and you want him to do more, so you coax him. You take his hand from your hip, raising it to your lips, kissing his fingertips with closed eyes and he lets out a ragged sigh. You place his hand in the center of your chest. "Touch me," you ask softly. "I want you to." you say with a nod of your chin towards him.

You can't feel cold underneath his touch. The heat from his palms damp against your gently pulsing chest as your heart beats with need. He can feel it racing and it eases his worry.

"I want you, Forrest." you say against his lips as his hand moves to cup one of your breasts. "Show me you want me just as badly." you ask of him, a fluttering of lashes and his grip tightens on your body, your hand on the side of his face, beckoning him to kiss you. And he responds in full. A masculine grunt expelled and he presses his lips against yours with intent. The hand on your hip pulling you up against him, moving to your lower back, hand splayed and roaming the bare skin he finds there. He palms your chest, gentle squeezes followed by the broad swiping of his thumb across your sensitive nipples. Your whimpers of pleasure seem to fuel him, his hands grasping tighter, the pressure with which he kissed you increasing.

You move your knee to push against his growing hardness. A slight up and down to encourage him, let him know you wanted more, that he didn't have to wait. A deep groan makes it's way into your mouth from his chest as he kisses you. You slide a hand between your bodies, your hand slipping into his pants and palming him over the thin fabric of his underwear. His mouth pants open and the breathy exhale lights your skin on fire. You grasp and tug gently, moaning at the feel of him in your hand, the nights you'd spent wondering how he would feel now coming to an end.

He pinches the hard peak of your breast between two calloused fingers, eliciting a moan from your lips that catch you both off guard. A needy sound that travels straight to his center where your soft hands are pawing away at him. He listens and learns, repeating the twisting motion, another soft breathy exhale as your lips stall against his and your eyes roll behind their lids. He takes the pause to break from your lips, both big hands now pushing your chest together and his mouth encloses so deliciously around the points he'd been twisting. You can feel his hot breath travel across your skin. You let your head fall back, a moan traveling freely up and into the darkness of the room. Your fingers clutch at his head almost desperately, he didn't need any help pushing his face into the soft mounds of your chest but you pull him closer anyway, fingers tugging at the hair at the crown of his head, soft now from your fingers running through the pomade slicked style he always wore it in.

The taste of your skin, the salt of it and the smell of your perfume and lust overtake his senses. He groans as he moves to your other breast, losing himself momentarily as he's surrounded by you. The gasps and moans that are the effect of his cause drive him forward, knowing his hesitancy won't serve him any longer. He keeps suckling away at you, both hands tight against your body and moving down your ribs to your hips as they continue down your thighs, taking your panties with them as his calloused fingertips rake against your skin, pulling down the soft fabric. They fall at your feet, immediately forgotten to both of you as he moves back to pull you closer with both hands on your back. His kisses travel to your sternum, down the dip of your upper stomach, down across the fleshy roundness and to your hips. With one hand on your lower back, the other grasping at one of your cheeks, he breathes you in deep, the floral and musk smell of your arousal making him hum with desire. He plants a kiss to the soft thatch of hair at the meeting of your thighs, finding it to be the same tawny brown he remembered your hair as when you were younger.

He surprises you as he stands, hands held fast to you still, moving up your body again, learning every curve of it in its nakedness. Your hands move to free him of the rest of his layers, your clothes now pooled at your feet by the bed, he holds your face and kisses you harshly, showing you that he truly wanted you as you'd asked. He slows and stops, whispering against your cheek in a deep raspy tone you hadn't heard before. "Get the light, baby." he says, letting you go and leaving your body to chill as he pulls the covers down on your bed. The delicate and breathily cooed pet name makes your knees weak. You do as you're asked, snuffing out the candle, now only the rays of moonlight peaking in through slits in the curtains. He lays in the bed, an arm extending out and pulling you next to him, being sure to cover you both, but in them you can't feel the chill settling in in absence of the heat of the flame.

To his surprise you move on top of him in one smooth motion, not breaking the kiss that connected you. His hands stay hovering above you as you pull the covers back over both of you. Now you're both veiled in the blanket of your hair that falls down, you pull apart from his lips for a moment to touch his face, his warm hands move to your back. Even though you were alone in the station, alone the room, the seclusion that fell with your hair made everything feel heightened. All you can hear is your breathing, the soft smacks of your lips as you go back to kissing him, not being able to stand being parted for long as the feeling of him kissing your fingertips as you ran them over his soft lips was too much.

You dive back in with a small needy moan, your back arching and finding him hard. His hands move slowly, as you had always fantasized they would, down your back, hugging the curve of your waist and grasping at the swell of your hips as you rocked them back and forth against him. He pulls you flat against his chest suddenly, a soft oof against his lips as he lets his armor fall and gives in to how perfect you feel against him. A low groan rumbles out of his chest and falls to your ears as his kisses travel across your cheek and his lips find your ear. You hear every breath, each choked back moan as you feel him moving against your wetness. You feel his strong thighs rest against the backs of yours, the press of the head of his cock against you.

You let the desperate whine flow freely, telling him wordlessly that you wanted him, needed him. He pushes your hair to the side, hand on your face as he slows to study you for a moment, the kisses pausing but not stopping.

You can see him asking permission in his eyes as they glinted in the moonlight. Those gorgeous pools of blue under an always heavy brow.

"Make love to me, Forrest." you whisper against his lips and he groans, a hand finding the back of your head and pulling you into a feverish kiss. You should've known he wouldn't need words in a situation like this. His fingertips trail the back of your thigh, as you feel him grip himself, resting his head against your tensing entrance.

He notches inside you, warm and thick and even more satisfying of a feeling than you could've hoped for as you rise, your hands pressing against his strong broad chest as you slide down onto him completely. Your head falls back, mouth open letting the sighs and whimpers go wordlessly into the darkness of the room. His eyes are focused, big rough hands on your breasts and thighs holding them tightly as you start to ride him.

"Oh, Forrest." you sigh out, your hands so small wrapped around his forearms as you rise and fall, your lashes fluttering and eyes rolling back into your head. He gives a deep grunt in response, his eyes wanting to shut from the feeling of you so heavenly around him, but he keeps them open not wanting to miss a second of you moving on top of him like this. He slides one hand to your hip, holding it tightly as he pushes back into you with his hips as you meet and you feel the full push of him. It makes your face fall to a surprised expression, a tiny gasp and squeak as your mouth falls open as he feels your body shudder.

When he stops, you focus back on his eyes asking you if he'd hurt you. You give him a soft smile, leaning back down to meet your lips to his, hips grinding and swiveling around him. You push your forehead to his, your higher pitched moans met with his impossibly deep grunts everytime he pushed into you.

You rise again, craving more of him, wanting to push yourself farther to the edge, you reach between your legs and rub your clit, your other hand on his chest for leverage as the pace quickens. The sound of each other's breathing in sync with your movements, he feels another shudder of your body as you call out his name again in a needy, intoxicating way that makes him melt inside. "Forrest." you moan out, eyes meeting his, half-lidded and full of adoration. "You feel so good baby." you whisper, shaking your head in disbelief. He catches you off guard as he rises, pushing his chest to yours, head dipping to seek out your hardened nipples as he moans into the soft flesh. His fingers dig into your back, his skin searing against yours as your arms slip around his neck, your moans against his ear and you hear a more aggressive groan, almost a growl escape him. He moves you so easily, one hand landing on the surface of the bed as he flips you onto your back, your hair moving in a whip motion and falling around you against the pillow as he moans and dives into your neck with hard sucking kisses. You felt no hesitancy in him any longer, only the force of strength that he was known for.

You've never felt so overwhelmed, the weight of him pressed against you, one arm still wrapped around you, the other above your head, holding him up as his hips go to work against yours. "Yes, yes." you pant out as his hips pick up speed. You let yoru legs part and knees fall back, taking as much of him as he would give you, and he was giving you his all. Your arms clutch against the lean moving muscles of his back as he pumps moan after moan out of you. You kiss his shoulder as it holds steady near your face, as you turn your head to try to get bigger breaths as he kept rubbing up against you exactly like you needed him to, you felt the tingling building and he can feel your body starting to tremble beneath his, he moves to his elbows, crashing his lips against yours as you start to writhe. Your sounds are some of the most beautiful he's ever heard, most of all how you say his name so helplessly, cried out into his ears and mouth. Your hand moves to his chest, feeling his heart racing as fast as yours, the other to the side of his face as it shakes with a weakness for what he's doing to you. You'd never experienced passion in this way before, never been made love to like this. Nothing had ever felt real in comparison to Forrest.

When you throw your head back, your fingers clutching to the back of his neck and shoulder in desperation he's enraptured by you completely. You let out a high pitched moan that he feels expelled by a spasm in your stomach, your mouth open and panting. He sees your eyes roll back and disappear under your thick fluttering lashes with lips trembling against his as you cry out for him again, he moans deep and aggressively against your cheek, kissing his way back to your neck as you can no longer kiss him back and he wants to hear every orgasmic breath you take as close to his ears as possible. He's feeling and tasting, hearing and smelling you as your thighs start to shake. He'd never felt this way with a woman, and a woman had never felt this way with him, it was new and it was addictive and he wanted to drink in every second he spent inside you. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop." you beg, heavy breaths directly in his ear, making him feel more powerful than he ever had before. He gives you all he has, hips moving in fluid movements, punctuating each meeting of your sexes with a slap of skin that sends you over the edge. Your back arches despite his weight on you and a low guttural moan escapes your kiss-swollen lips. He feels your body shake and writhe against his and he pulls you closer, goes deeper and harder and gives himself over to you. The years he'd waited to feel you like this, falling to pieces so willingly in his arms he can't contain the emotion within in any longer.

He feels you pulse so strongly around him, milking his orgasm out of him as he grits his teeth, you feel his nails sink into your side as he holds you so tightly. You're gasping still, eyes shooting open as you emerge on the other side. You already knew, but he cemented it as he moaned loudly only once and into your ear as you close your eyes at the masculine and still emotional sound, fingers buried in his hair again as you feel him give you the last few hard pounds into you, his chest heaving against yours.

You shiver with aftershocks, he still twitches inside you, his movments still making tiny gasps escape you as you're still sensitive when he rubs against you. He keeps his face in your neck for a few deep breaths, he hears you gulp and wet your lips. He feels your grip on him loosen, and he raises up to look at your face, pulling the arm underneath you up and to your face, pushing back the hair that'd fallen onto your face that glowed with a thin veil on sweat that he was happy to be the cause of. You look at each other for a few breaths time, eyes moving across each others features in the dim light, he runs his thumb across your lips again and you give him the sweetest smile he's ever seen. You kiss his thumb, then hold his hand in yours, kissing his palm and nuzzling it against your face.

He lets out a noisy exhale, "God you're...you are so...beautiful Tawny." his words make another charming smile spread across your lips and up to your eyes, crinkling the corners as you lift your head to kiss him, your thumb trailing lazily over his cheek.

"You're amazing." you say, nuzzling his nose with yours. "You know that?" you give him a playful grin and a sexy lazy smile moves across his features slowly, making you swoon at him. He groans and moves to lay next to you, wasting no time in throwing a bulky arm across you and pulling you to his chest. He rests his arm under your head as he pulls the cover back up over you both. He brushes back your hair with a light touch and you hum happily against him. "You're more than I ever could've wished for Forrest." you whisper before leaning in to kiss him. A strong splayed hand finds it's way to between your shoulders. "It feels so good to finally show you how I feel." you grin, kissing the end of his nose, then his cheek, his temple, and his forehead. You've never seen his face relaxed and content in such a way.

"Mmm. " he grunts softly, a smile forming in the corner of his lips. "Feels even better than I'd thought." he says as he presses his forehead against yours, triggering a long and slow kiss that has no end goal, just a new way for him to tell you how much you meant to each other without words. His fingers trace up and down your spine, you feel the prickle of his stubble on his chin as your fingertips rest against his strong jawline.

"Would you stay in here with me tonight?" you ask in a small voice, almost shy in its delivery.

"You want me to?" he asks, watching you snuggle down into the sheets and against him.

"'Course I do." you state, a small peck to his bare chest before you rub your face into his chest hair, breathing every bit of him in, feeling the wiry and soft hair underneath your hands.

"Then I will." A kiss planted to your forehead before he rests in the soft nest of your hair against the pillow.

"Thank you." you say softly into the hollow of his throat.

"Mmph." he grunts and nods. "Not needed baby." he sighs out with eyes shut and you bask in the charm of him, audibly swooning at the pet name before you wrap an arm around his barrel chest, soaking in the warmth of him before you both fall asleep. No longer having to wait to fall asleep thinking of words unspoken.

CHAPTER 15

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 @divadinag @emerald-bijou @emiliesnowflake

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 17

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 4500+

Summary: Forrest comes back home and immediately rights the wrong he feels he’s done to Tawny. She tells him of the evil she’s done and it only makes him want her more. They make their love official in the same place it all began.

Warnings/Tags: FLUFF. Romance. Wedding. Lovey lovey love love.

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist.

With Howard's help, you managed to get some sleep after the life-changing night you'd had. With everything your anxious mind could think of checked off your mental to-do list, you lie down and try to gather yourself for the homecoming of Forrest. You don't get any deep restful sleep, but come morning you were running strong off of a pleasant mixture of anxiety and happiness at the arrival of Forrest.

You'd gotten up and fixed yourself up, nothing too noticeable, curling your hair and putting a little color back into your face after the intense night you'd had. You put on a dress you knew Forrest liked, seeing as he'd gotten it for you for no reason you were aware of, you thought he might like to see you in it after going through the trouble of buying it for you. You stand inside the station biting your lip in anticipation, your hands clasped in front of you and wringing in excitement as you got to see Forrest’s form darken the doorway once again. There aren't any customers yet as it's still early, the smell of coffee wafts around the station, your usual signal to your senses that the day was beginning. The air is crisp from the screen door that creaks open, seeing your boys walking in together. It was a sight just a month ago you weren't sure if you'd ever get to see again and now in the golden light of morning, you had the distinct pleasure of seeing all the Bondurant boys come into the station, waddling behind Forrest like little ducks in a row.

Howard and Jack walk in behind him, acting like they were expecting him to stumble at any moment. He didn't look particularly frail, but he was moving very slowly. His face was hard, you assume from hiding pain. His strong squared face was thinner, the color paler than you recall it being the last time you saw him in the hospital. His jaw is clenched, tiny beads of sweat from exertion roll down his stubbled cheeks as he takes no help from anyone.   You don't reach for him or touch him, not wanting to give away your worry for his condition. He was a proud man and you didn't want to insult him. You step forward with a big but closed mouth smile on your face, making sure he knew you'd be happy to receive him no matter what condition he came home to you in He takes his eyes off the floor once he stops and takes a long look at you before your eyes meet. He sees your hands wringing together, itching to touch him, your weight shifted forward on your toes in anticipation. He gives you a subtle half smile, his eyes going soft for you and you try to hide the heavy sigh you want to release at the sentiment behind the stare.

"I'd like a word with Miss Tawny." he says, taking his hat off and setting in on a table, letting his hand rest on it for a moment to hold himself up.

You look to Howard with an inquiring expression. Did he know about Rakes? What was going on? Howard's appearance says he knows as little as you do and shrugs slightly. Both of his brothers nod and bow out of the room to the porch.

His footsteps are heavy and slow and you stand and wait for him patiently. As he approaches, he reaches out and takes your hand. It's a bit weak and clammy, but you don't believe it to be from any indecision, only a by-product of his condition.

"Come with me sweetheart." he says softly, a kind smile that reached his eyes presented to you as you nod happily walk as slow as he needs behind him.

He leads you into his office, letting your hand go and shutting and locking the door behind him. You watch him with intense interest and curiosity. He shuts the curtains on the windows and turns on a lamp on his desk. You stay quiet, you don't offer to help because if he thought he needed it he'd ask. He was as fast as molasses in the wintertime but he was managing just fine.

He noticed you being patient with him, that same sweet and caring expression sent his way anytime he looked in your direction. He knew by you behaving this way, letting him do these things himself, that he was making the right decision. He kneels down, opening up a secret panel in the wall by removing one of the pieces of wood. You're interested but ask no questions as he removes a metal box, his broad form hiding what he was doing and it would seem it might be on purpose. You look down to the floor at your feet, waiting for him. He puts the box back in the wall after a few unidentified shuffling noises, the piece clicks back into place.

He grunts as he stands, using one hand on the wall to steady himself. He turns to face you, hands in his pockets as he starts to speak with his eyes on the floor.

"This ain't how I wanted this to go but...if you wait for things to be perfect you'll be waiting forever." his brow his furrowed, your face is open and waiting in earnest for his words. He shuffles towards you, towering as usual and you were thankful he was able to be upright at all. "I've almost died a few times. But I don't know that I've had to fight so hard to stay alive before. While I was fightin' it this time, all I could think about was you." your face goes soft, your lashes blink slowly at the vulnerable man in front of you. "I don't know that if I didn't have you to get back to, that I would've made it this time." his brow shifts, his voice low and slow, telling you of how strongly he meant what he was saying. "And seein' as I'm on borrowed time already by your hand," his head shifts towards you, he reaches out an takes the hands he referred to into his own. "I realized when I had time to think about it in the hospital... it's been you this whole time ain't it?" he raises his face, his eyes now met with yours and your brow knits as you tilt your head up at him, wanting to understand what he was trying to express. "I beat that flu, thinkin' about what if's. I survived a slit throat because you cared about me. Now I get shot and knowing you'd be here, waitin' on me when I got home...  it kept me alive." Your eyes shine with tears and your breath hitches. What had you done to deserve to hear such words from such a force of nature like Forrest Bondurant? "You're my reason for livin' Tawny. I can see that now." he nods, his hand moving to his pocket. "I apologize for not tellin' you sooner, sweetheart and I hope you know I mean that from the bottom of my heart." he meets your eyes and gives you a series of slow nods. "But I aim to spend the rest of my life making it up to you." he says quietly as he, grunts through the pain, damned and determined to get down to one knee to see this through properly for your sake.

You can't breathe, your throat is sealed shut and your eyes don't recall what blinking is anymore as you try to hide your surging emotions from him.

"I love you more than I can express. And I'd like to spend my whole life apologizin' for that too if you'd let me. Tonya Barrett, "he clears his throat, eyes meeting yours again. "Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

You'd never seen fear in the man's eyes before. And there it was. Soul bared to you, leaving his heart in your hands willingly. Your mouth opens and trembles, you gulp noisily and nod. You nod and nod it doesn't stop even as you speak.

"Forrest Bondurant I would love nothing more than to be your wife." you choke as he slides the simple, slender ring onto your finger. You don't let him rise, you couldn't wait any longer. You drop to your knees, showing you are at each other's mercy and you hold his face. "I love you so much," you whisper, one single kiss to his lips. You aren't harsh like you wish to be. You want to meld into one being with him, but both on your knees now, one of his hands in your hair, the other around your waist as your rest your hands on his shoulders and kiss gently instead. Your noses nuzzles against each other, he can tase the salt from your tears as he gives you all he can endure in the state he's in. "I missed you so much," you whisper between soft, slow rounds of kisses. "I was so scared, Forrest."

"So was I." he confesses, foreheads pressed together.

"I love you too much for you to leave me." you murmur, your hands on either side of his face as you press your lips to his cheeks.

"I ain't leavin' ya, Tawny. Without you, I'm just a man, but with you, I'm invincible." through the tears that fall, you feel the things neither of you could say in the shaky breaths you share. With your hearts pressed as closely together as possible, they tell each other what words couldn't express. ------ You'd closed the station early and with Forrest being home and alive you had a perfectly reasonable excuse to have had such a smile on your face the entire day. He stayed in bed and Howard stayed around to help you run the station allowing you to go up and check on him a few times. You'd fluffed his pillows as he insisted you didn't, you fed him his lunch even though he said he was perfectly capable of doing it himself and every time he objected to you taking care of him, you got to lean in and whisper that you were going to be his wife now and that meant you took care of him and he had to listen to you. With a kiss to his cheek, you'd ran your hand down the side of his handsome face, sighing heavily as a small amused smile surfaced at your words. Every time you'd lean down to kiss him he'd see the ring hanging from the chain around your neck, worn as such to keep your privacy. The thrill of metal warmed by your skin, the weight of the band against your chest was a constant reminder of how far the two of you had come.

As you settle in to sleep, you make your way to his room. You change his bandages, wash him up and get his medicine down him before slipping into bed next to him. You couldn't exactly snuggle up to him like you were used to, but you made do. On the side of his body that only had one shot to his lower abdomen, you rest your head gently on his shoulder, laying on your side with your hand on his chest and only after he insisted you weren't hurting him by doing so. As your fingertips run through the chest hair, his shirt off from your insistence when you changed his bandages and told him he needed to let them breathe, you take in his profile as he rests with his eyes closed. You know you only have a certain amount of time before his medicine kicks in and you know you need to tell him about Rakes knowing the longer you waited, the harder it would be.

You were nervous, you weren't sure how he'd take it. Howard had reassured you many times, offering to tell him for you since it seemed to make you so anxious, but you refused.

"Forrest?" you say softly into the shadowy room.

"Hmmm?" he hums with a twinge of his brow.

"I have something I need to tell you?" he could hear the uncertainty in your voice and he's surprised by it.

"Hmmm? What is it sweetheart?" he asks softly, turning his head to face you.

"I'm guessin' Howard told you about Rakes gettin' away, right?" your nose twitches as you feel your pulse start to quicken.

"Mmmm." a lower annoyed sound from him.

"Well.. um..." you let out a heavy sigh through your nose.

"Don't you worry about him, Tawny." he says softly, the arm you rested on bending and stroking your hair. "We've got men out looking for him, eyes on the station, he won't hurt you." he says comfortingly and you bite your lip.

"I'm not worried about him, baby." you let out a huff of air that's almost like a laugh and it confuses him. "And you shouldn't be either."

He tilts his head slightly, brow softer and more inquisitive. "Why's that?" he asks casually.

"Because he's dead." you state flatly.

"Dead?" he asks.

"Yeah." your voice stays the same.

"And how would you know that?" his voice drops lower.

"Because I..." you try to force it out.

"Tawny?" he asks more assertively.

"He came to the station last night, and I's alone. Well...I guess the most important part to share is that I killed him." the words come out gritty as you push them, your nose wrinkles, bolstered for a severe reaction.

He's still for a moment, just watching you and you find the nerve to meet his eyes. "You killed him?" his voice is still even, no sign of being offended yet.

"Yeah. I stabbed him and...used your knuckles and then...I shot him in the head." you whisper.

"You? You killed Rakes." he affirms.

"Yes." you almost whimper out, still apprehensive.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to elaborate, darlin'." he says with a huff of air.

"I was alone, cleanin' up and he came in. He was spewin' all sorts of threats to me about you, sayin' things that don't deserve repeatin' about what he was gonna do to me... then what he's gonna do to you. I had your knuckles on me of course, I've kept 'em in my apron since you've been gone. I caught him off guard and stabbed him, then I hit him with everything I had. He tried to pull his gun but I took it. I kinda blacked out. I remember screamin' about you and the boys and... so much blood. I stabbed him in the chest and then I shot him in the head." you pause after the words come out rushed, your mind still comprehending that what you were telling had really happened. "He's dead, Forrest." your voice sounded exhausted as you retold the story.

"Where is he now?"

"I gave Howard the idea to chop him and feed him to the pigs. He burned everything else and I cleaned up the station."

"Howard helped you?"

"He showed up about halfway through the whole...fight. I didn't even notice he was there."

"And he didn't help you?" the first sound of anger is in his voice.

"I didn't..." you huff out an uneasy laugh. "I didn't really need it at that point?" your purse your lips. "I made him not tell you, I wanted to tell you myself. Thought that was the best approach."

He's quiet, eyes looking past you, brain whirring with thoughts.

"If you're mad I understand." you mutter, your hand placed flat on his chest as your eyes go wide and beg for forgiveness as he turns his face to meet yours.

"Mad? At you?" his face might've been as dramatic as you've ever seen it, it was a shame it was so dark in the room.

"Yeah... 'cause... I figured you wanted to be the one to do it and I didn't know if you'd want a woman who'd do and say the kinda things I did last night." your voice is small as you shake your head, lowering your eyes.

He grunts, moving slowly to his side to face you, his hand moving to your face to make you look at him. "Tawny. Why would I be mad at you for doing exactly what you should've done?" he whispers, eyes not leaving yours as you slump with relief. "The only thing that makes me mad about it is that it goes to show I should've made you a Bondurant sooner." he says with a purpose in his voice that makes your stomach butterflies excite. "You..." he lets out a sigh, kissing your forehead and pulling you close, injuries be damned. "My little Tawny killed Rakes," he says in disbelief as your head rests against his chest. "But of course you did." he clutches you against him. "It's fittin' the matriarch of the Bondurant's would be the one take out their biggest enemy wouldn't it?" he whispers into your ear, a kiss to your temple follows. "You took care of us."  he moves you away to gaze at your face again. "You took care of this entire family." his heart swelled and pumped at the admiration and pride he felt.

Anytime he'd spent in the hospital that wasn't thinking about you, he was thinking about how he was going to kill Rakes. He'd think about how he would manage to protect you and everyone from Rake. And while he wasn't able to you'd stepped up, just like you told him you would. You had it handled. Even though he had no doubts before, the fact that you stood up for him, his family and yourself against someone that had sworn to destroy all of you.

"I had to do it for us, Forrest. For me and you and the boys. I wasn't going to let him hurt you again. And I made him suffer. I'm still a little shaky about it truth be told, but I hurt him as much as I could before he died. For you. For everything he's done." your voice is so small and thinks you should have more pride for what you've done.

"Tawny...baby..." he smiles at you. "Don't you ever feel ashamed for doing what you have to to survive. Don't even think I'll hold it against you for doin' somethin' like this, alright?" he says, thumb caressing your cheek.

"Yes, Forrest." you nod.

"I'm so proud of you." he leans forward despite it being difficult to and kisses you. "My perfect little wife." he hums against your lips.

"Forrest." you huff out, blushing with embarrassment from the praise.

"I'm not waiting another day to marry you. I'm callin' the preacher tomorrow. We'll get the paperwork and we'll go somewhere secret, just me 'n you." he gives you a soft peck to the lips. "Don't worry 'bout workin' tomorrow, you go get you a nice dress, flowers, whatever it is you want." another kiss.

"I know where I wanna do it." you say with a smile, he's so thankful to see your eyes bright again.

"Where's that?" he settles back into the bed, not wanting to push himself. Especially with a big day coming.

"The one place that's always been just for me 'n you." you smile happily, returning to the crook of his arm, your fingertips brush across his chest again.

He lets out a small huff of breath. "Mmm Hmm." he nods. "That'll be perfect, sweetheart." he sighs. --------------- The morning is a blur. You get up before the sun and do exactly as he said, you buy a charming vase of flowers, tying them yourself to form a bouquet and buy a modest white dress. Nothing about it was anything you'd ever thought of when you'd entertained the fantasy of getting married, but it was difficult to imagine it going any other way with the life you were combining yours with. It was slightly chaotic and full of nervous energy, but ask any other bride and they'd say their intricately designed day felt much the same to your spontaneous one. Amidst the sneaking and the hurried errands, nothing ever felt as if it shouldn't be happening the way it was, you were going to be a Bondurant and despite every bit of anxiety, it felt like everything was as it should be.

You gather your dress in paper, hiding it in the bottom of a basket with your flowers. You go to the woods under the guise of picking mushrooms and plants and no one seems to bat a lash at the excuse. Forrest had left before you, knowing it would take him longer to get to your rendezvous point and trying to make the meeting less obvious. You make your way through the springtimes woods, being sure to take in the air, fingers grazing over the tree's you'd ran past hundreds of times in the dark as kids. You follow the beaten, unmarked trail down to the pond and make yourself emotional thinking about all the times you'd been down this path before. You'd only ever been down this way a handful of other times in daylight, and you found it poetic that all the times before you'd been running full speed, recklessly in the dark to be alone before. But today everything was clear and bright and alive and you knew without a doubt what you were headed for. Growing up you'd wanted the rock for isolation, to hide and lament your life where no one else could see. Forrest always seemed to ignore that and despite your wordless attempts to get him to leave you alone he never would. It was as if he knew long before you did that you didn't come here to be alone at all, you came here to be with him. So it was befitted you were headed to the place that would signify the end of you being alone and the beginning of something to share with vulnerability, a life to revel in together.  

You change behind a bush in the woods into your dress, a nontraditional approach to say the least. But as you see him standing in his proper suit jacket, proud as could be, watching you walk down the embankment to the pond you couldn't imagine reaching this milestone in your life any other way. He'd paid a hefty amount for the preacher to keep his mouth shut about it and that was fine with you. Would it have been a Bondurant wedding if bribery wasn't involved somehow, anyway?

Your steps are light as you stand beside the moss-covered boulder that always stood as a marker of your affections for one another. WIth no one else to witness, you take your bouquet and lay it on the stone before reaching out to join hands together for the last time as a Barrett. Your eyes were bright, delighted and full of the best sort of nervousness you'd ever known. As is typical of your Forrest, his brow was low over those stormy blue eyes that kept tight to yours. As your hands shook he grasped them tighter, an appropriate indication to join the metaphor of the ceremony. It went by the book and it was all either of you needed. It was simply a formality but for plenty of reasons, the most important to him being that you deserved to be made his wife and a Bondurant at an official capacity. Your vows are those that had been said by countless others before you, the charming simplicity in them now hitting you as you connected your life to his with words that weren't your own. But words had never really been how you two expressed your feelings and you didn't need them starting now.

After a repeated vow and an "I do." from both, the man was even shy to kiss you with only the preacher there and you couldn't help but let out a giggle through the building veil of tears. Forrest as he always was around anyone else was reserved and stoic and you were entirely the opposite. You'd become a young girl again, bubbling over and splitting at the seams with visible joy as if you'd never known heartbreak in its many forms intimately as you had.

You found his anticipated behavior to only be endearing, as you knew the real Forrest and that's all that mattered to you. You heard the loving things he whispered into your ear at night, you knew how he held you, cherished you when you were alone and that would always be more than enough. And your love was exactly that, yours. No one else's. No one else needed to know how lucky the two of you were. Whether it was for safety or him not wanting anyone knowing his business, it was his decision as your husband now and you couldn't bring yourself to mind in the least. You got to keep him like a secret, and he you. It seemed that was how it'd always been with the two of you, and you found it apt that should be how it was now.

With it still being under three weeks of him being shot, his health still wasn't great. Your wedding night was spent together in each other's arms with more kisses and sweet words than either of you had ever spoken and that was the beginning and end of it. And despite his apologies for not being able to make it "proper" as he'd put it, you couldn't have cared less. There would be time for that later, there were more important things than that to focus on. Like how the light hit the stone of your rings that you got to wear on your hands and not around your necks as you lay in bed, the fingers bearing the jewelry laced together. It felt better than you'd ever hoped, being someone else's. It was something you had thought might've not been for you, and if you'd stayed in the city it wouldn't have been. You felt an ease come over you that you hadn't anticipated. It was as if you were finally letting go of all the darkness that brought you to this place in your life. If it hadn't been for all the wicked things, you wouldn't have ended up here in with him. The love you felt that far exceeded any expectations you'd ever had made it feel worth it in hindsight. You'd made it through the storm and now you were left in the calm wake of it with Forrest, the darkness now behind you both. You were starting something new together, something chaste, wholesome and true. It felt like it'd been lifetimes since either of you had been able to recall such a sentiment.

Chapter 18 (NSFW)

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 @divadinag @emerald-bijou @emiliesnowflake @lightwoodt @spotted-possibilities @thinkingsofamadwoman  

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 12

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 5800+

Summary: Tawny takes care of the mess left behind from the attack on Forrest. They both finally admit a few things to each other...in so many words.

Warnings/Tags: FLUFF. Blood/gore. Mentions of violence. Injury.

A/N: Memories are in italics!

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist.

Your fear and worry catch up to you when you're back at the station. You're scrubbing the floors clean of blood in the dark, sobbing and snotting everywhere. You cried while you cleaned the inside of the building, you cried while you cleaned out his truck, even the ground where he'd been laying you disrupt so it's not obvious there was a full grown man bleeding out there just hours ago. You can't stop crying, but you keep your body moving. But no one was there to judge, and no one with a heart would've judged your reaction for what you'd just been through.

Your injured hand is numb to you from shock and adrenaline. Your mind is only focused on cleaning this up. Making it look like nothing ever happened. You took the fingers from the man and put them into the hog's slop and they take care of the rest for you. You burn your dress, no saving it now and you needed to destroy any proof of a fight.

In the middle of a clean and normal looking station, you finally sit in a clean dress, completely new clothes, hair washed and body scrubbed pink and raw in your neurosis as you try to let your mind calm down. But as you do manage to stop crying, to breath normally, you realize your hand is fucked. Now every beat of your heart makes it throb and burn and with your adrenaline gone, the immediate needs are taken care of, the proof destroyed, you're left alone to take care of yourself.

The sun was coming up now, and you knew you couldn't open so you put on your coat, taking Forrest's gun and keys in your pocket and after checking the locks on the doors an insane amount of times, you take yourself to the hospital.

You drive with one hand, windows down with the biting cold keeping you awake and alert. The drive isn't as stressful this time around, but at least you'd had practice driving with one hand earlier already.

The sun is up by the time you arrive at the hospital. By this point, all your bruises are blooming and when you catch sight of yourself in a mirror after being checked in and lying about falling down stairs while carrying glasses, you wince at the sight. You know it could've been much worse, but you knew Forrest wouldn't overlook the red and purple haze that crossed your skin. The nurses gave you something for the pain, getting you comfortable before they start the long, tedious and painful process of removing the glass from your hand.

Forrest's eyes blink open, but just barely. He'd been dreaming about you. If that's what you wanted to call it. Was it still a dream when you blacked out from blood loss? Or did that make it a vision? The former seemed more appropriate to call it. Everything including his thoughts is more than a bit foggy, but he swears he can hear you. He wants to move and he can't. He can't move much of anything, barely even his eyelids. The exertion makes him pass out again.

You hear a familiar pairing of footsteps coming down the hallway, they pass right by the room you're in in their rush, and you see the two Bondurant brothers you'd been wondering about. At this point you look like you've been dragged behind a horse for a few miles, trying to avoid looking in the mirror any more than you had to because your face, entire torso and parts of your legs were smattered in bruises and scrapes that weren't going to fade anytime soon. Your hand is now in bandages, the painful experience of having it dug through with medical instruments over and now just the tiny splotches of blood that showed through the white gauze are left to remind you of how that hand helped save your life last night. You try not to use it, and at least it isn't your dominant hand, but it throbs with every twitch of muscle, the bruises around your wrist making a slight appearance at the base of the bandages that circle your wrist.

You'd heard the commotion about Forrest all morning, the whispers and the nurses coming out of the room whose door you could see from the bed you sat on. You'd done a lot of staring at that door, and an equal amount of shutting your eyes tightly to try to stop the tears from falling. As the brothers leave the room, you exit yours and by the look on their faces, you can tell they'd forgotten about you in the rush of finding out someone had attacked Forrest.

Howard starts to apologize but you hold up your hand.

"How is he?" your voice is as tired as your eyes look. You can tell he wants to ask you what happened but you don't seem much in the mood to discuss it.

"He's alive. Somehow." his eyes narrow, taking in the cool-toned watercolor portrait of colors across your face, putting your appearance and his brothers together to form an idea as to what might've happened.

"Always is. Docs said he walked all the way here himself. Can you believe it?" says Jack with a tear-jerking innocence. "Tawny? What happened to you?" he asks quietly, eyes darting around the hallway. You dismiss his question with a wave of your hand.

"Is he able to talk?" you ask quietly.

"Yeah the doctors told him not to but...you know how he is." Howard's voice sounds almost as tired as yours.

"I'd like a moment with him please." you say flatly, as Jack bows his head to move down the hallway.

The shoulder of your dress comes down as you remove your coat. Howard sees you wince. He sees how far down the bruises go. He opens his mouth, still curious but exhausted enough to leave the questions for later.

"Go on Howard." you say, looking away and moving into the room. You shut it with a quiet click behind you. A shakey deep breath as you take in the shadow of Forrest that now rested in the hospital bed. Thick bandages around his neck, splotched much the same as the ones around your hand. He's a ghost, a shell of the man you cared so much for compared to the calm strength and life that usually resided inside of him. He was as pale as the snow you drove him through to keep him alive last night. You wipe your tears away as they silently fall. You want to sob at the sight of him, but you know you're stronger than that.

"Forrest." is all you manage to rasp out. He blinks open his eyes, mouth shifting as he focuses on you. "I didn't mean to wake you, hun, I'll go, I just had to see you alive for myself." your brows knit and you're prepared to bow out of the room graciously.

"C'mere." he holds his hand palm up beside him on the bed and you move quickly to his side. You rest slowly and gently onto the bed next to him with a quiet creak of springs, facing him. You take the hand at first to move it, then you place it in your lap, interlacing your fingers into his.

"You don't gotta talk, sweetheart." you whisper, your hand moving over his forehead, giving away the state your nerves were in with how it trembled. You see his face soften at the gesture, slow lazy blinks take in the warmth from your skin. You brush his hair back with your hand slowly, taking in a shaky inhale.

"They said I walked." he whispers, narrowing his eyes. His sight might've been blurry but he could see something had happened to you. He sees the tight bandaged wrapped around your hand. If he could have felt rage he would have.

"That's what Jack told me." he keeps his eyes on yours even though you don't meet his, fingers still lightly smoothing his hair.

"Tawny." he croaks. You shut your eyes, wiping away tears before you meet his.

"Couldn't let them know you weren't invincible, could I?" you rasp out, a tear falling down your cheek again.

His brow furrows at you in question.

"I brought you. I was there. I found you in the parking lot... bleeding out...I couldn't stop it " you choke, the tears come faster, his brow stays furrowed and his eyes look concerned.

"Tawny," he says again, making you meet his eyes, wanting to search them for answers.

"I can't believe I'm gonna say this but stop talking Forrest. The doctor says you're not supposed to." you sigh, your hand moves from his hair to his cheek, your thumb rubbing back and forth across the strong bones, the handsome planes across his face.

"What happened?" he croaks out.

You let out a huff of a laugh that makes his chin try to push back against the bandages around his neck. "I just told you to stop talkin'." you give him a real but sad smile. "You ain't gonna get better if you do. I'll be holding down the station for ya until they let you out. Lord knows Howard and Jack ain't gonna be no help." you're making light of something horrible.

"What'd they do to you, sweetheart." he whispers, his hand reaching up and cupping your cheek, you rest his elbow on your knee so he doesn't have to work to keep it there. You knew he had to be as weak as a child with how much blood he lost. His thumb reaches out and caresses your sensitive skin just like you'd done to him just moments before. You shut your eyes because your chest hurts so much at his touch. You'd been so close to never knowing what him touching your face like this would've felt like.

"Nothin' Forrest just..." you clear your throat. "This ain't the time to talk about it. You get better for me now, you hear?" you meet his eyes, his fingers move to wipe away the silent tears.

"I asked you a question." he whispers.

"You get better." you say. "You get better. When I get you back home and can take care of you, I'll tell you. I'll answer anything you ever wanted to know alright?" you put your hand over his on your cheek. "I'll get you back and get you some proper food in ya. I know they ain't feedin' you right here." you give him a weak smile. You move your face, kissing the palm of his hand, feeling your breath reflected back onto your face as you try to control it. If he'd had enough blood he would've flushed at the intimate gesture. "You just..." your brow furrows as your eyes shut and the shakey inhale hurts his ears, feeling the tears fall onto his skin, your mouth still against his fingers. You let out a long sigh. "You get better so I can stop crying, okay?" you whimper. "I can't stand the thought of losing you and until you're back home where you belong it ain't gonna stop." you kiss it again. One long press of your lips to his palm before you take his hand in both of yours and kiss across the pads of his fingers. He didn't even know what to say to such a heartfelt display of affection towards him. But he tries.

"I ain't ever leavin' you." his voice almost normal, just quiet.

"You better not." you actually smile, a small laugh escaping your lips against his hand. You lower it finally, clasping it in both of yours in your lap again.

"You ain't leavin'? Even after..." he drags off, his face as unsure as you'd ever seen it.

"I'm never leavin' you, Forrest. Not ever again. I made the mistake once and I ain't gonna make it again." your head shakes back and forth slowly, looking into his eyes, small hands shaking around his one large paw that was starting to feel warm again, soaking up the heat of your body.

"And here I was...thinkin' you was smart." you laugh again, the corner of his mouth pulls back in a weak smile.

"Well you make me act like a right fool, Forrest Bondurant." you whisper, leaning in to kiss his cheek. You sniffle and smile down at him, leaning over him as your hand brushes over his pale, but still stoic handsome face gently. "I'm gonna get back and let you rest. I got everything handled at the station. You sleep, do what the doctor says." your eyes are tired but how filled with love they are as they take in the sight of him doesn't go unnoticed by him.

"Get better." he nods.

"You're the smart one, ain't ya?" you smile with your lips press against his forehead. You could smother him in kisses and it would never be enough to explain how he made you feel. You hoped there would be time for that later.

"Nah." he groans as you raise and adjust his covers.

"I'll be back to visit you soon, alright?" you say, walking back towards the door, not wanting to leave him at all.

"You keep a gun-" he starts.

"I have your pistol in my hand in this coat pocket as we speak and that's where it's gonna stay. I might be a fool for you but I'm not fucking stupid." you grin. He returns the smile, a nod, and a grunt in response as per usual. ------ The days without Forrest there feel like they last forever. Every time you fake a smile underneath your heavy makeup to hide the state that you were in, you think about how you'd rather be by his side giving him a real one. Every time you look up and don't see him sitting at that table, his squared fingertips tapping against the aging paper of his book, that same look he gets when he's thinking on his face, your stomach churns. You missed him so damn much.

You had trouble eating, though you made yourself. You drank to put yourself to sleep because all you could think about was him covered in blood, the men coming back to finish the job. You knew Howard was there, you had a gun by your bed and a lock on your door but your mind was so over capacity with emotions that it didn't listen to reason right now. You knew it wouldn't hush it's nonsense until you had Forrest back with you where he belonged.

The day you wake up and realize he's coming home you're in tears. Sobbing into your hands in your bed as soon as the sunlight hits your blotchy face. They're happy tears, tears or relief and a sign that things would be getting back to normal soon.

You man the station as the brothers retrieve him. Luckily for everyone, they bring him in early and the people who are there know better than to say anything. He walks on his own into the station, hat on, his cardigan hanging just like it always did and it takes everything in you to not cry and run to him, kiss his face that has color in it again, touch him with your still beaten hands to make sure he's real. But you settle for the hole that had sat in your chest in his absence being filled as he moves slowly and carefully up the stairs to his room. Howard comes back down, leaning over the bar to beckon you towards him.

"He'll need his cut seen to. You being the most gentle and motherly around here I figured you'd wanna do it." he whispers, looking over his shoulder to see that no one was within earshot.

"Of course." you say, tossing the hand towel to the side.

"I know you'll want to but don't baby him too much or it'll piss him off. We tried to help hold him up on the way out of the hospital and he smacked both of us." a grin appears on his face. "I don't reckon he'll do that to you but...just so ya know." you nod in response, eager to get to him. "I'll watch the bar, you take your time. I know how much you missed him." he says with a knowing smile.

"Thank you Howard." you coo at him, patting his hand. "But I don't think you have any clue how much I missed him." you give him the first real smile he'd seen on your face since his brother had been gone. It warms him to see it and to know that you were finally coming around to how you felt after having to see you two make eyes at each other since you were kids. For once, he felt relieved. ---- You had already put the med kit in his room in anticipation, you'd made a thin and nutrient dense soup also in your anticipation to take care of him. You hold it in your hands as you knock on his door.

You hear a grunt of acknowledgment and you've never been happier to hear it.

You move slowly into the room, verbally announcing your appearance as he has trouble turning his head to see you from the side of his bed where he sat.

"Forrest, I brought you some soup, hun." you say gently, sitting it on the table by the wall.

"You do this?" his eyes narrow in question, hand motioning to the bed frame that hadn't been there when he left.

"Yeah," you say hesitantly. "I thought it might make it easier on ya, ya know? To get up and down and what not if you were still weak when you got home." he nods and grunts, eyes looks at the frame under him. "I can take it apart if you'd like, I just wanted to help, I-"

"That was very thoughtful of you Tawny." his voice deeper and more gritty than you recall.

You give him a small smile of relief and a fast series of nods. "I wanted to make you coming back as easy as possible on ya."

"And what about you?" he asks, face moving back up to yours as you approach him with the kit in your hands.

"What about me?" you say quietly, face down to avoid his intense gaze, getting out pieces to clean his wound.

It hurts him to hear you say such a thing. "What'd you do to make it easier on you?" he asks as you rise to stand in front of him.

"Well I..." you pause and you get the thoughtful look on your face that he loves to watch from a distance. Thankful to see it so close now. "I just wanted you home," you whisper, eyes finally rolling up to meet his that never left your face. The bruises were faded, but still there and it hurt him to see it, but he'd missed watching your sweet little face look at him like that with your big doe eyes. "I gotta get this on your throat, Forrest." you avert your eyes, focusing on the task at hand.

He knows you have to, and he'd rather you do it than anyone else so he doesn't fight you much on it. Your fingers move so lightly across the inflamed skin, sew together with x's across the base of his neck, you unbutton a few buttons on his shirt, suddenly realizing the intimacy of the touch. You'd never touched him like this before, there was something almost taboo about it that made the blood rush to your face. You also notice the uncertainty in his eyes as they look anywhere but you, caught off guard by the intimacy of the situation.

He gulps as your fingers hook beneath his shirt, feeling your soft fingertips against his neck and shoulders as you pulled the neckline away.

"It honestly doesn't look nearly as bad as I thought it would." you offer up to help ease any worry about how it might look if he concerned himself with such a thing. He's grateful you're so thoughtful, he's lucky, he knows this. Your words ease the thoughts that he might repulse you now, as he sees no signs of hesitancy in your eyes and doesn't feel it in your fingers as they dab gently away at the raw skin.

He winces, a nose twitch and a drawing of his lips.

"I know, sweetheart, I'm bein' as easy as I can," you whisper, a half smile on your face as you stay focused. "I ordered some of the medicine with the numbing stuff in it so it'll help you out once it soaks in." you say optimistically as you rise again, finished with his doctoring for now. He doesn't know how he'd made it all these years without you. How could he have made it through all the trials he had without having you to come home to after? "Let it breathe for a bit. Don't fuss with your shirt just yet." you politely request. He feels that ache in his chest again as you bring him the soup you'd made. "I found a recipe in one of my old school books for this. Supposed to be real good for when you're sick. I know you ain't' exactly sick but I figured it'd be nice and easy on your throat and it certainly couldn't hurt." you say with a shrug as he takes the bowl from you.

"Thank you Tawny." is all he can manage to put together without blabbing like a fool. You sit next to him on the bed, head down towards your wringing hands in your lap.

"I took care of the books while you were gone. I hope that's okay," you say meekly. "I asked Howard if he thought it'd be okay and he said yes. I didn't know what everything meant, but I made note of the ones I didn't know about and left it in the book for you."

"You didn't have to do that, sweetheart." he says, sipping away at your cooking.

"I know," you say, your toe dragging across the floor sheepishly. "I didn't know you'd be in such good shape when you got back so I tried to keep everything running as smoothly as I could if you couldn't see to things for awhile." you defend your choices even though it isn't needed.

"I'm just about back to normal." he admits with a small nod.

"And I'm happy to hear it." you say, finally turning your face towards his.

"Howard's told me about how you've been working too hard with me gone."

You let out a huff of a laugh. "The work helped distract me."

"From what?"

"From worryin' about you." you admit.

"Ain't gotta worry about me, Tawny."

"Yeah. Actually, I do." you give him a real smile that makes his heart pump a little faster. "I don't know how much you remember about what we said to each other while you were in the hospital..." you pause to see any hint of recognition in his face.

"I remember." he says quietly.

"Well, I meant every word."

"And so did I."

"Then you should know I'm going to take care of you. And this station and whatever else comes our way."

"Our?"

"I don't mean to be so forward, Forrest but I do think of you and me as a team of sorts. I suppose I can't help it, I felt the same way back years ago. Everywhere I'd go you'd find me, and I always happened to be around where you were. Wasn't even intentional on my behalf." you shrug. "I took having you around for granted back then." your voice sounds a bit sad and his lips frown slightly. "I'm certainly not taking having you around for granted now. And how could I after that night." your eyes go wide as you explain yourself.

"It was always intentional back then," he admits, your heart thumps in your chest at the admission. "Just like it's intentional now." his voice sounds stronger as he moves and takes your hand into his. "Now...I ain't never had no problems talking about things before." he shakes his head, his brow furrowed in thought. "But when I'm around you...I find it hard to find the right words."

"Lucky for you I'm fluent in Bondurant ." you give him a sweet, supportive smile, nudging him gently with your arm. Seeing as it's just you two alone behind a closed door he lets himself smile. "We've never had to say much to understand what the other meant. We've always spoken the same language, same then as now. Both outcasts in our own ways. Both having life throw things at 'em that we were too young to have gone through. But I think all that's lead to a deeper understanding as to where the other's coming from. Don't You?" you voice inquires, leaning in closer to him.

He clears his throat, a noisy gulp before turning his body to face you, and you do that same. "Right as usual Tawny." he nods, with a subtle smile on his lips. "I've been so used to talking to my brothers...to mostly men, and I don't wanna talk to you the same way. You're a good woman and... beyond that you... well you mean a lot to me." he forces out the words and you try to hold in the swoon as your wide eyes look over his handsome face.

"You mean a lot to me too." you say softly, his breath catches in his chest at the implications of the words you're saying to each other.

"I know I can be harsh sometimes. And I don't mean to be with you." his head shakes just slightly, a wince as he does so.

"That just comes from having to be so strong, sweetheart, you don't have to apologize for that. You also don't have to always be strong around me. Nobody's perfect Forrest, you don't have to pretend to be for my sake. I'm perfectly happy with you just the way you are. In fact, I prefer it." you reach out and stroke his cheek as you speak, his eyes grow less harsh at the gentle touch.

"You say nobody's perfect but how does that explain you?" his voice is deep and dark, calm as a winter night and so honest it cracked open your ribs and held your heart so tightly it skipped at the honesty.

You can't hide how flustered the words make you. Your lips stutter and you look down at your lap, blush moving across your cheeks as you suck your bottom lip into your mouth sheepishly, quiet little huffs of nervous laughter coming from you. "I'm not..." you shake your head, gathering yourself to meet his eyes again."I'm not perfect Forrest." you manage to whisper out.

"How do you explain how you handled that night then? Hmmm?" he looks to you from under his heavy brow. "And the nights after?" he squeezes your hand. "Howard and Jack don't even know what happened you took care of everything so well."

"I just used common sense Forrest, I-"

"Stop selling yourself short, darlin'." the pet name makes your teeth chatter against each other. "Seein' as I've kept my end of the deal...and I got better as per your orders." a smirk travels across his lips at you and you bite your lip to contain your smile. "Can you keep your end and tell me what happened that night?" he moves his other hand, taking both of yours into your lap and holding them. "Please?"

"Of course. Only fair." you shake your head, batting your lashes at him subconsciously. "I went out to the barn as you know." you begin, your voice becoming more somber. "I came back in to tell you I thought we might have raccoons." your lips pout in your explanation. "I went and ordered traps for 'em already I hope that's okay."

His shoulders shake slightly in laughter at your aloofness, still worrying about taking care of things in the midst of all this traumatic violence. "'Course it is." he says with a charming smile full of amusement at you at you have to focus again, getting lost in it.

"Uh... I came back in and I suppose they'd already attacked you." you swallow hard and continue. "Then they attacked me." you whisper, hesitant to tell the story as you didn't want to upset him.

"Go on, Tawny, I wanna know."

"I gave 'em hell, Forrest. I really did." you nod and your wide eyes earnest.

"I'd expect nothin' less." he gives you another support squeeze of his big hands still enveloping yours.

"One grabbed me, the one that'd touched me before. His hands got a bit farther this time but I kicked them, then I headbutted him and got away. Grabbed a knife...they came for me again, and I smashed a salt shaker into the other ones face. Which is how I got like this." you hold your hand, still in bandages.

"Mmmm." he nods.

"Got glass all in it, but it hurt him real bad and the other one came at me, I shoved my fingers into his eyes and slashed his face a bit. I grabbed his wrist and broke his hand I think? But I... I ended up using the knife to stab his hand." your eyes seem uncertain in the delivery of the words but he couldn't have been more proud of you. "I thought it proper to hurt him as bad as I could manage, seeing as he touched me and all an... well I cut off his fingers." your chin pushes back into your chest in embarrassment.

"What's what face for?" he reaches out, raising your chin back up to face him.

"I suppose I'm just a bit embarrassed about it all. Not very ladylike behavior." you give a little huff of laugh at yourself.

"No, but it's a very Bondurant behavior." he grins, you could see he was more than supportive of your actions and it made you feel lightheaded at the suggestion.

"Been around you boys too long." you let yourself laugh for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping you. "I got his pinky and ring finger, ended up feedin' 'em to the hogs. After that they ran cause I guess he didn't wanna lose no more fingers." you wrinkle your nose and the childlike expression going with you talking about cutting off a mans fingers makes him smile. He knew he hadn't spoken too soon with calling you perfect.

"And they left? They didn't... hurt you too bad or...?"

You know he wanted to make sure they hadn't touched you. Which you appreciated. "I mean I got hit and kicked and shoved around a lot, lots of bruises and scrapes but nothin' serious, no." you give a tiny shake of your head. "But then I found you..." you voice falters as the memory hits you, he sees your face fall and it kills him to have you look that way because of him.

He puts a hand on your arm to steady you, letting you know he was there now.

"You know what shape you were in." your brows knit together. "I got you in the truck, took you to the hospital and hide my face, hid in the shadows after they took you in, the man who helped carry you seemed like he wasn't even sure if anyone else had been there at all. But that's how I wanted it." you find it within yourself to look him in the eyes. "I knew that if you died I wanted it to seem like it was on your terms. Like you got there yourself. I've heard you talking to Jack and Howard, I know what kind of reputation you have to keep up."

"In the middle of all that you..."

"I knew I couldn't help you no more at that point. I knew someone had to go back and clear the evidence at the station before someone saw."

If he hadn't been injured he would've kissed you right then and there. You were everything he'd needed in a companion, weren't you? He's never felt truly lucky before, never really believed it despite livin' through what hell life had given him. But at this moment he felt really lucky. A look flickers in his eyes you hadn't seen before, and despite yourself, you swear he was looking at you like you were the only thing in the world.

"So I got back and cleaned and scrubbed and burned my clothes and cleared the truck and the parking lot. Got myself cleaned up and by then all that shock and nerves had worn off and my hand was just fuckin' throbbin' in pain. Nothin's hurt that bad since..." your face falls for a moment. "Since I got hurt when mama died," you say quietly. "So I went to the hospital, knew you weren't dead as soon as I walked in because everyone was talkin' about ya. Got my hand seen to, told 'em I fell down the stairs holding glasses." you shrug. "They didn't ask too many questions."

"They knew better than to mess with someone who works for the Bondurants comin' in lookin' like you did." his chin nods at you almost playfully.

"And then your brothers showed up. And... then I went and saw ya. That's it."

"I'll never forget seein' you after wakin' up," he speaks quietly, lips pursed together. "Thought I had died, you standing there callin' my name all sweet like that." his eyes move back to yours. You both sigh and your lashes flutter to contain the emotion pouring out of them at the other. "Come 'ere." he says softly, pulling you towards him with one hand, the other arm up and around your shoulders, pressing you into his chest.

"That's the first thing you said to me then too." you smile into the wool sweater he wore, you breathe deeply, wanting to remember what he smelled like. Musky and masculine, faint hint of tobacco, pine, and worn leather.

"I wanted you close to me same then as I do now." you let your arms wrap around him, being careful not to touch his throat. You feel him kiss the top of your head. "You couldn't have handled things any better than you did. I'm... I couldn't be more proud of ya." he murmurs into your hair.

You let yourself squeeze him just a little. "I missed you so much." you admit, swallowing to hold back tears.

"I missed you too, sweetheart." You could listen to him call you that forever. "I take it I've still not made you want to run away?"

"I meant it when I said I'm never leavin'. Especially now." you sigh into his chest.

He kisses your head again, adjusting his grip and pulling you even closer, harder than you thought he might be capable of at this point. But wasn't that just like Forrest, to keep surprising you time and time again?

CH. 13

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 @divadinag @emerald-bijou @emiliesnowflake

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 13

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 3500+

Summary: Forrest deals with the good and bad Jack brings his way after the incident. He gets some answers and seeks revenge. But his favorite part of the night now is coming home to Tawny.They both realize a line for them to decide to cross or not is growing bigger on the horizon. 

Warnings/Tags: FLUFF. Blood/gore. Mentions of violence. 

A/N: Memories are in italics!

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist.

You're yawning and stretching, letting the smell of coffee wake you up on the early winter morning. The darkness still holding on due to the time of year. Pulling your thick sweater around you tighter, rubbing your hands together, to warm them, you huddle near the stove you've just turned on to get warm.

The back door slams and you turn quickly, hearing Forrest stomp with purpose into the room. "The fucking liquor's gone." he hisses to no one in particular. "HOWARD!" he booms, signaling his brother to wake up.

"Gone?" your voice high pitched in confusion, arms crossed over your chest with wide batting eyes.

"'Bout 200 gallons of it from the storehouse." he spits out, shoulders shifting in a display of anger, his head moving and swiveling like a snake, not meeting your eyes and you're thankful he doesn't. You'd never seen him so mad before. You wanted to rush to him, ask him to calm down because you didn't want him to very literally bust a seam as his neck was still healing.

Howard comes running down the stairs, hat in his hand, buttoning his half-tucked shirt as he bounded forward. "What the hell's going on?" he asks, eyes bloodshot but wild with concern.

"The liquors gone." he says again, voice deep and full of grit.

"Gone?" he mindlessly responds, his usual expression of a heavy brow and pouted lips to show his confusion.

"You heard what I said, Howard." he answers flatly. "That little fuckin' snake in the grass." he growls as he paces the creaking floor, now trying to calm himself down. "My key's missin'. His truck's gone. He's fuckin' took it. I know it. I could see trouble on him last night. I knew he was up to something. Just didn't expect it to be this." his shakes his head in disappointment that can only come from someone you love.

"What do you wanna do now?" Howard asks, his mouth slack and brows high.

"Don't have much of a choice but to wait on his sorry ass. Don't know where the hell he went." his voice lowers in volume but not intensity. You could see the endless scenarios playing behind his eyes are they surveyed the room before him.

You hoped Jack didn't end up getting hurt. This was a bit out of character for him. A much more directly defiant action than the usual teenage rebellion. He'd seemed like he was straightening up but you'd been fooled by a boy before. Your first priority here was Forrest. You couldn't fix the situation but you could try to redirect his anger that currently had no outlet.

"Forrest?" you say as meekly and sweetly as you can manage. He turns to look at you approach him as if he'd forgotten you were there at all.

"Hell, Tawny..." he groans, shaking his head and lowering his eyes. "I didn't mean to act like this in front of ya."

"It's fine. I'd be mad as hell too. But if you can't do nothin' right now maybe it's best if you sit down for a minute?" your voice inflects upwards, not wanting to make him feel inferior in some way with your tone. You just didn't want him to pop open again at the rate his heart must've been pumping.

He huffs air out of his nostrils nosily in response, his jaw tight.

"I'm not tryin' to baby ya or nothin' but it ain't good to get so riled up so soon." you kindly suggest, looking him in the eyes as you approach, hoping it'll disarm him. Luckily you were right. "Sit down and I'll make you breakfast. You can gather your thoughts and it'd ease my mind tremendously if you would." You try to work him in your favor by making it about him helping you out. Something he always said he'd do.

"Yeah." is all he says, face still angry as he moves to the bar and sits down, hunched over like a pouting bear. -------------- You'd gotten Forrest from boiling to simmering, giving him some hot tea and sitting him out on the porch to literally cool off after putting a big breakfast in him.

You see Jack's vehicle pull up and you hear Forrest grumble at Howard. You step out onto the porch, pulling the thick outer later across you tightly.

"I know! Just hear me out first!" you hear him plead. Jack's already standing at the foot of the stairs. He's pouring out a bag of money as you shut the door behind you, your eyes grow wide. "I heard about some men from outta town that wanted to buy a whole hell of a lotta shine. I knew you couldn't do it, and no offense to ya..." he takes his hat off and lowers his head to his older brother. "But with you being out of commission for a bit I thought I'd take a chance and try things my way."

"And just hope it fuckin' worked out?" Forrest's head shakes back and forth as he speaks in a condescending tone.

"It's called a leap of faith Forrest. And this one paid off big time. $2000 worth of big time." he says motioning with his hands to the pile of money on the porch.

"And just who did you sell to?" his tone still doesn't show that he's impressed in the least.

"I...Floyd Banner." he says in a much quieter tone.

"Floyd Banner!" he says loudly, rolling his eyes and sighing. "You goin' 'around thinkin' you're some damn gangster and you're just a kid, Jack."

"Well this kid got twice what you get and moved twice as much in one go as you do in a month 'round here." he says defensively.

Forrest grunts and you and Howard share a worried look. Even hurt Forrest could easily injure the soft boy, if it came to that.

"I also got something else." he says, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and holding it out to Forrest.

"What's that now?" his eyes narrow.

"Address of those bastards that tried to kill you." he says with dark enthusiasm.

You can tell Forrest's affected, his posture straightens and his chin pushes back into his chest.

"And how'd you get that?"

"Banner himself."

"Oh well, if Banner says it it must be gospel." he shakes his head.

"He told me it was Rakes that sent those men here that night."

And with that, yours and Forrest's hair prickles up the back of your neck, and it wasn't from the cold.

Jacks eyes move to you too, having put together that they'd also come after you.

"He told me Rakes had been trying to get men together from 'round here to gang up on ya. He's behind Junior disappearin' too." he says looking you in the eyes and you can't hide the worry in your face. "He's been trying to draw ya out. Banner turned 'em down. He don't want no trouble with us, just our business. The men that came after ya used to work for him. Couple 'a defectors. And when those boys up burnt chimney didn't do the job he sent those two in after ya. So don't be blamin' Banner...blame that sonofabitch Rakes." he walks up the stairs and holds the paper out to Forrest. He doesn't move to take it. "Just fuckin' take it, Forrest. Despite all this I've gone and done I guess I got chores to do?" his tone is full of sass and your eyes go wide, just picturing Forrest's big hand around Jack's slender neck in rage.

Jack sits the paper on Forrest's chest and grumbles and walks past you into the station. You glance at Howard, he's as wide-eyed as you. You both look to Forrest, trying not to be obvious about it. Looking a bull in the eyes was never a wise idea.

He clears his throat, looking at the paper before putting it in his pocket. "Get that money into the office Howard." he commands in a flat tone. You could tell he was feeling something, maybe not anger like he was, maybe embarrassment, and you didn't want to make it worse so you follow Howard back into the station after he puts the money back in the burlap sack. --------- So it's dusk and being winter the station isn't pulling too much business, so you close up early. Forrest's walking down the stairs with his same usual powerful saunter, a lit cigar in his mouth as he approaches you.

"Howard you go on out to the car I gotta talk to Tawny." his brother ducks out of the station and does as he's told.

You meet him with wide eyes. You knew what he was about to go do. You didn't hold it against him, part of you wishes you could be there to dole out some punishment yourself.

"I reckon you know what I'm about to go do." he says quietly.

"Yeah." you nod, your voice soft.

"MmmHmm," he grunts, a frown on his face, expecting you to try to give him grief but it never came. He looks around before moving in closer, taking your hands into his. "I'm gonna kill them for what they did to you Tawny. And for what they did to me." his eyes connect to yours, still searching for fear or disgust or something but it still wasn't there. Just big grass green doe eyes blinking slowly up at him. "I couldn't kill Cliff for ya... but... I can kill them." his voice is deep and certain. You give him a nod of understanding, touched at the gesture of wanting to exact revenge on your behalf. "I'll make 'em pay, sweetheart, I swear it." his voice almost falters, as a sweet and supportive look comes over your face. One he didn't feel he deserved for what he was planning on doing.

"I know you will Forrest," you say quietly, patting his rough knuckles with your painted nails.  "And I'll be right here waitin' for ya when you're done." your chin lifts up to him, no judgment, only understanding on your face.

"Hell Tawny..." he can't help but gruff out at the feelings he's struck with for you as you do nothing but accept him and what he did in the name of survival. "You're really stayin' for me?"

"Always." you give him a certain nod. He leans down and kisses your forehead, lips lingering as he squeezes your hands. If he hadn't been in such a vengeful mindset he would've taken the time to tell you how proud of you he was, maybe it showed through his eyes just a little bit regardless. You understood what he had to do and why he had to do it. That was more than he ever could've asked for in another person. "As long as you promise to keep comin' back...you don't have to worry about me not bein' here when ya come home. No matter what it is you get up to out there." you smile up at him as he pulls away.

"I'm gonna finish off what you started with them."

"Give those bastards hell, hun. Leave 'em in such a state no one'll think about comin' for the Bondurants again." your lip snarls just slightly and he feels his heart thump in his chest. Dear lord, you were perfect, weren't ya? ------ Forrest and Howard come back around midnight. Forrest had taken his time with those two men, cutting them from tail to trotters, leaving them in pieces on the floor of the ramshackle house they'd been hiding in.

When Forrest stopped to look at the time as they pulled back into the station, he knew you'd be there but he thought you might've fallen asleep by now. He wasn't sure how you'd take to seeing him in such a state. He and Howard both were covered in blood. It wet their hair and stuck between the cracks in the soles of their shoes. He sees a light behind the station, his eyes narrow in question as he enters the dark and quiet building.

You enter from the back door, where he sees a barrel burning high. You place a book you'd been reading on a table as you pass it, your eyes travel over the two men, intimidating bone dry but soaked in blood you now understood where the myth's about the Bondurant's came from.

They don't meet your eyes, not even Howard, as if they were ashamed, or just worried about what your reaction may be to the state they were in.

"I've got a barrel burnin' out back," you say calmly, your eyes wide open but no fear behind them. "You boys get out of those clothes and I'll burn 'em. Ain't no savin' 'em now." you shake your head. "Bathrooms got everything you boys'll need to get washed up. Throw those clothes in the burlap sacks I got in there so I don't have to scrub blood out of the floorboards tonight too, ya hear?" you say in a polite but authoritative tone.

"Yes, Miss Tawny." in almost unison from both of them, Howard takes the downstairs bathroom and Forrest stops short of the stairs a few feet away from you. He turns his face to you, finding you were already watching him.

"You hurt?" you ask, walking slowly towards him, placing a hand on the banister by his.

"No." he grunts out.

"Good." you give him a smile and it confuses him as he's aware of how he looks. "Go get washed up, hun. I'm sure you're tired." your eyes look him over and you take a step back. "Bring your clothes out to me when you're done and you can tell me what happened." you give him a nod and disappear down the hall. You had seen violence. Your words caught him off guard with their kindness and thoughtfulness but he realizes he should be getting used to that. He wouldn't have wished this kind've life, this violence on you if he'd had a choice. But for the first time, he's thankful you'd had a hard life because it made you fit into his so perfectly. ----- You're by the barrel, arms crossed and keeping warm by the fire. The night is silent around you, everything still and cold, blanketed in winter.

Howard brings his clothes out. "Thank ya for this, Tawny. You didn't have to go thinkin' 'bout doin' this for us."

"Nonsense Howard. You're my boys, as long as I'm here I'm gonna be lookin' out for ya. Get used to it." you give him a smile that it seemed like he sorely needed.

"Bless your heart, lil Tawny." he shakes his head, a grin appearing on his face. "We're mighty lucky you came back... ya know that?" he says with a dip of his head.

"I don't know that luck's got anything to do with it."

"All us Bondurant's got is luck." he laughs, turning to head back into the station.

"Yeah but I ain't a Bondurant Howard." you say with a wrinkle of your nose to accompany the huff of a laugh as you prod the bag deep into the flames.

"You sure about that?" he laughs, quirking an eyebrow at you before heading to his room. -- Forests heavy footsteps in their unique gate make their way towards you. He clears his throat and you turn to face him as he holds out the bag to you. You take it and bury it in embers with Howards, using a shovel to push it down and destroy it.

He moves closer, his hair still damp and skin scrubbed pink. He smells of soap and that old leathery brandy smell that stays in your mind long after he's gone.

"Tawny?" his deep voice moving over you, warming you like the flames. He stands by your side, his arm pressed against yours and the touch doesn't go unnoticed by you.

"Hmmm?" you hum, looking up to his face, lit by the flickering light of the flames that played over his handsome features. He looked even more enchanting in this light, but you bet he'd look handsome even in the pitch black of a new moon night.

"I wanted to thank you." he gruffs out with a nod as he looks into the fire.

"What for, hun?" your sincere tone makes his eyes return to your face, finding your eyes wide and wanting.

"This." he takes a hand from his pocket, motioning to the burning barrel. You see his hands are scratched and bruised. "For savin' me. For lettin' people think I's the one who brought myself to the hospital." he admits, you see his Adam's apple bob under his thick neck.

"You don't gotta thank me for that." you whisper, shaking your head.

"I am, now. You need to know." he says more assertively.

"Alright Forrest."  you nod and reach out to touch his arm, your instincts tell you it might calm him. It does.

"And for you handling yourself so well that night." you nod, your eyes tell him the same thing. He didn't even have to thank you.

"I'm tougher than I look." you give him a small smile, your hand falling from his arm. But before it reaches your side he takes it in his and your breath catches. You swing your head towards him swiftly.

"I know you cleaned this place and handled the cops asking questions about what happened," he says quietly. "Now I'm man enough to admit that without you I'd be dead."

Your lip trembles at the thought of losing him. He sees the sadness pass over your face.

"Now that's just a fact tawny, I ain't trying to start nothin' with ya." a smile he doesn't expect blooms across your face.

"I didn't take it as such." you whisper, nose twitching as you stop the sniffling. You turn to him, your hands wrapping around his large, rough one. "We gotta survive. I know this. I get how it works. And I ain't goin' nowhere so... I knew I might as well just start actin' like ya'll do. So I paid attention, and with that and a good bit of common sense I managed to do be of some use this time." you give him a small shrug.

"That implies you aren't useful other times." his chin lowers, trying to gently correct your thinking.

You blink slowly at him. "Well.." he moves his other hand to yours now, leaning in to speak purposely but softly.

"Since you got back I can't think of a single time you've not been useful to us." he clears his throat. "I don't like you talkin' 'bout yourself like that Tawny now..." he shakes his head. "You gotta know how important you are to us." you nod and he sees you understand.

"I'm not used to hearing it is all." your whisper is more rasp. Perhaps you thought yourself useless because it seems no one else had seen your worth. Their loss was his gain.

"I'll try to make it a point to tell ya then," he says with a nod. Your eyes bat and he sees a veil of tears over them. "Miss Tawny..." he whispers, holding you to his chest. He'd never felt compelled to hold someone as close to him as possible before. You're taken by surprise at the gesture but it was exactly what you needed. You close your eyes and wrap your arms around him, under his cardigan, your cheek to his chest.

"I just.."  you sigh. "I've never had anyone tell me I'm important. Useful. I don't know how to take it." he hears your voice crack with emotion.

"S'all right," he says, quieting you, cutting you off before you worked yourself up again. "I never say nothin' I don't mean."

"I know. I love that about you." his heart races for a moment at your choice in words. "Ain't no one ever been able to calm my racin' thoughts like you 'cause I know you wouldn't ever hurt me."

"I'd never." he whispers you feel his grip tighten just slightly.

You stand there for a while like that. You listen to his heart and it lulls you. You yawn and with the fire dying he suggests you go to bed. You agree and rub your eyes. He walks you upstairs, following behind you like a guard dog, stopping at your doorway.

"Thank you, Forrest." you whisper, tiptoeing, you hold his cheek and kiss the other. He takes in the warm and sleepy look on your face.

"No...thank you Tawny." he returns the kiss, but to your forehead. Your hand still on his face, he lingers again, your eyes shut blissfully at the warm intimate contact. And with that, you part for the night, both having racing hearts you now knew the cause of. The long embrace and the lingering lips weren't an end to anything, they were just the beginning.

CH. 14 (NSFW)

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 @divadinag @emerald-bijou @emiliesnowflake

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 10

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 4000+

Summary: Forrest finds Tawny still has the same affect on him she did years ago. He’s compelled to give her a gift and a compliment. They both get drunk and reminiscence. 

Warnings/Tags: Fluff. Mentions of nudity.

A/N: Memories are in italics!

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist.

He'd heard you up before him this morning, the patter of your small feet against the wooden floors of your bedroom. You had your window opened, curtain still covering it as you slipped off your gown and into only your dressing robe. You welcome the cool chill that autumn is bringing as the wind whips across your bare skin, shivering you awake and bringing a flush to your face. You hear Forrest moving around a bit before his heavy feet descend the stairs. Seeing as no one else was up yet, and it being too early for customers you put your record player on. You pin up your hair, giving yourself a long look in the mirror at your naked form as you toss the robe onto the bed. You move over to the basin on the vanity that you now have in your room, the quiet splashing of water as you sink and wring the soft washcloth. You start with your face, working down to cover all the bits that required freshening up. You hum to yourself, letting your body air dry, moving about your room in a carefree way, dabbing perfume on your wrists then behind your ears.  

The music has clearly distracted you, your thoughts on autumn as you sigh and see the tree's starting to change in the mountains. You hadn't noticed how the blustery nature of the morning had caused the loose door to ajar slightly as you got yourself ready for the day. Lucky for you, no one but Forrest was in the station, and unlucky for him, you hadn't heard him walking back up the stairs. As soon as he turns at the top of the stairs, directly in front of your door with a box in his hands he freezes. He sees half of your body, bare and bathed in the morning sun, the breath stops in his throat and he averts his eyes to the ground, nostrils flared and eyes wide. He concentrates on the box in his hands. Wrapped in brown paper, a bow of burlap around it as he tries not to crush it in his big hands at the way his body reacts to seeing you. He makes the mistake of looking up again before turning to head down the stairs, he sees the front half of you this time, one soft and milky, fleshy hip curving up from strong thighs, the nip of your waist just under the swell of one teardrop shaped breast, bouncing slightly as you dab perfume behind your ears before turning and disappearing again. He groans and steps backward, his lack of breathing catching up to him before he tries to quietly make his way back down the stairs, trying to keep the body pumping in his entire body and not just to his face and between his legs. He stares blankly after setting the box in the office, looking out into the station with twitching eyes to compose himself. It wasn't like he'd never seen a naked woman before, but the shock of seeing you in such a way made his mind wander involuntarily.  He'd wanted to surprise you with a gift but, seems you were the one doing that for him this morning.

-----

He was sitting in the church pew next to his mama like she always insisted he did, and as usual, he had his eyes on the doorway. He knew you'd been in a car accident and had a stay in the hospital. He'd taken flowers to you from the family at one point, but they'd had you on some heavy medicine and it seemed you hadn't known he was even there. You hadn't been to school, or to work at the farm or even church since the accident. Not like he blamed you. He kept hoping every week he'd seen you walk in, and this week he must've been lucky.

He see's the now widower Cliff, tugging Junior behind him, both in all black, new suits, new shiny shoes. He holds his breath in anticipation until you emerge from the double doors of the church entryway, light framing you like an angel. It hurt him to see you in the same dress and shoes as before, thinking the least you deserved was something pretty while you healed. In the almost 3 months you'd been out of his sight, going from age 13 to 14, he couldn't help but notice changes in your body that weren't there before as his eyes wandered down involuntarily. You wore the same dress, but you wore a different body underneath it. Your calves now showed from the height you'd sprouted, delicate ankles in your rugged shoes. The dress buttoned up the front, the fabric straining around your filled out hips and chest. A button or two refusing to meet it's matching hole like it had the last time you'd worn it. Your face looks different, not only from the scar still healing that crept up into your hairline, but it looked more...well somehow more beautiful to him. Rosy lips under big green eyes and dark lashes framing them. Your hair down and in curls that weighed heavily about the middle of your back, having grown and not been seen to since your mama passed. You fingers fidget with the fit of the dress, he can tell you're uncomfortable in it, you hunch your shoulders, one arm over your chest as you walk into the room of people.

You sit in the pew two rows behind him, he turns to see you as you sit down and your wide eyes wander around the room, seeming to not be looking for anything in particular. You lean forward to retrieve the bible from its holder, and in his own puberty soaked brain, his eyes go right to your cleavage as it's pressed together and visible in the neck of the dress. He hears what he thinks is a swear from you as a button pops on the front of your dress from the strain. He sees that cute little aggravated face you always got when you were annoyed and he can't help but smile. But as you sit back up, before adjusting the camisole underneath your dress he sees more than he intended to  and gulps, his smile faltering as he turns quickly to grab the bible in front of him, using it to sit on his lap hurridly, hiding what the sight had done to him before anyone noticed. He sat the rest of the service embarrassed and guilty for getting hard in church.

------

You dab a drop of perfume between your breasts and thighs before putting on your undergarments, sliding your stockings up your legs and pulling the soft satin dress over your body. You'd found a few beautiful things in a catalog that had come to the station and decided to be nice to yourself and buy a few pieces of clothing, a new pair of heels that looked nice and were comfortable and a new tube of lipstick. You felt like a new woman, now polished and put together, lips no longer a stark red but a nice sweet peachy pink, hair set from rollers now bouncing around your shoulders and collarbones.

You switch off your music, smoothing your dress one last time before turning lightly on your toes to your door. Your eyes blink fast, seeing that it's cracked open, you hurry towards it, opening it to see if Forrest had been there, but you see and hear nothing. You give a hmmph and a shrug and shut it and lock it behind you, placing the key in your bra as you trot down the stairs.

"Goodmorning Forrest!" you call out, not seeing him in the station, you move to behind the counter, starting the coffee and moving to grab a cloth to wipe down the chalkboard and hear if there was anything new that had come in early to add to the menu for the day.

Forrest appears  as you're tying your apron around your waist, the same one that you both used when working behind the counter, being mended so many times it was more patch work than original now, stains still sunken into the light colored fabric that no amount of bleach or scrubbing would get out, lord knows you'd tried.

He thought you an angel when seeing the glimpse of your bare body earlier in the dim light of morning, and now with the sun crested over the mountains, your face looking less harsh and your hair bouncing around your soft face he finds you just as striking fully clothed. And much more approachable.

"Mornin' Miss Tawny." you hear his deep, husky morning voice announce his appearance from behind you. He sets a decorated box on the table in front of the sign. You stop and put the chalk down, looking at it with a tilted head. "You've been workin' here for months now." he looks to the box before tapping it with a finger. "I thought it proper to reward ya for your hard work a bit."

"Forrest." you lilt at him, a sweet smile spreads across your face and hits him square in the chest as your eyes meet. "You sweet thing, you don't have to get lil 'ol me nothin'." your eyes sparkle as they meet his.

"Mmmm. I reckon you deserve it. Well, you've helped out more than you should have to 'round here Tawny." he defends the gesture. "Just open it before you go gettin' all sentimental on me now." he pushes back a smile that manages to still tug at the corner of his mouth as you pull the bow loose with your delicate fingers.  He feels the odd tingle of nervousness in his fingertips, watching your face light up with anticipation.

You managed to get through the paper and in rests something white, trimmed with delicate lace. You look at him for a second with a hint of confusion before he nods his head for you to keep going. You swing your eyes back, fingers lifting up the fabric out of the box, and you see it's a new apron. You let out a happy giggle as you smile widely, inspecting it closely. It covers your chest, not just tied around the waist like the current one you're wearing. It also has deep pockets, and lace all around the edges of the fabric and across the pockets. It's adorable and feminine and awfully thoughtful of him.

"Can I go ahead and use it today?" you ask with wide eyes that make the smile show on his face fully.

"'Course you can, why'd you think I gave it to ya this mornin' hmm?" his lips purse with the delivery of the certain words.

In your excitement and gratitude, you reach out and put your hand on his arm, tiptoeing to kiss his cheek with a noisy smooch. "Thank you Forrest." you coo at him, quickly removing the apron you'd had on and replacing it.

"Well that's not very professional." he says with a teasing grin he tries to hide with a clearing of his throat, a thumb to the nose.

"I'm sorry. I got all excited. I'm not used to getting gifts." you sheepishly answer, your cheeks flushing slightly.

"Eh." he shrugs. "I reckon I can let it slide." a closed lip smile underneath his steel blue eyes that gazed into yours without the usual hesitation behind it makes your lashes flutter as the blush doesn't fade.

You fluff your hair out from the tie in the back and smooth it out across your chest. You stand with your hands out as if presenting yourself to him.

"What do ya think? Suit me?" your head tilts innocently at the question as you see his eyes look over you for the first time without sneaking to do it.

"Suits you perfect, don't it?" he says almost proudly, a smug expression ghosts over his face. His words make you avert your eyes and look to the ground. The reaction doesn't go unnoticed by him, seeing you affected by his praise made his heart pump a little faster. Hell, maybe Howard was right for once. "Come on out and join me when that's coffee's ready, now."

You give him another smile, nodding enthusiastically, feeling much like a girl being given a flower by a boy for the first time.

"Gotta make sure I get a good look at ya in the sunlight so I can remember how pretty you look in that before it goes and gets ruined." he says, smirk clear on his face as you follow it as he walks out the front door.

Your mouth is open, you can't help the reaction. After the door shuts behind him you put your hand over your mouth and let out a girlish laugh, it can't be subdued. Your hand moves to your chest, you blush and turn to the coffee pot, seeing your face burn scarlet in the mirror behind the bar. My goodness...a compliment from Forrest. You hoped it wouldn't be the last. And it would turn out to be the first of many.

-------

You see him as you lift your eyes from your swirling skirt, dancing in the group of women in the middle of the barn. He walks in front of his brothers, carrying a crate of brandy with them. They part to set up shop in the corner and you finished your dance with some of the girls that were now being more friendly to you since it was clear you were staying and working and raising your half-brother. You figure it's out of respect, you hope it's not out of pity but as you all laugh and spin, clap and shout it's a far worry from your mind. Tonight you were just out to have a good time.

He puffs on his cigar, eyes narrowed as his wide shoulders part pairs of people to stand near the wide opening of the barn, posted up against some bales of straw. He always came to the harvest celebration, but always to sell and never for pleasure. But this year he had a new reason for going, and he saw that reason twirling and flitting about a group of girls like a little hummingbird. Your dress hit at your knees, as your hands grasp at it to hold it as you kicked your feet he could get glimpses of the buttermilk-colored softness of your thighs, making his jaw tense. The neckline of the dress hit lower than anything you'd worn to work and was grateful you'd kept so proper at the station and grateful for showing off a bit tonight since he was there to see it. He sees you notice him, a bright smile from your beautiful face answered with a nod of his head across the barn.

The band stops playing, a break in the songs, switching players so everyone got a chance to drink and you weave through the crowd, trying not to seem like you'd been anxiously waiting for his arrival to the festivities. Which you had.

"Hi Forrest." your greet him like you did this morning, sitting on a bale next to him, you pat it as you look up at him. "Wanna sit next to me?" you ask politely, giving him the change to decline if he thought it too much to be seen together in such a way outside of work. A grunt and a nod finally emerge after he scans the crowd again, checking on his brothers to be doing their job. He settles next to you, you don't sit too close, you don't want to seem too eager. You were just happy to be around him truth be told, and just tickled he'd be seen so close to you at a function like this. "I might've been watchin' that doorway all night for your shadow to come and darken it." your lips are smiling, but your face is turned out to the crowd as you speak. "Mighty glad you decided to come." you turn your chin to your shoulder, giving him a quirky little smile.

His eyes keep moving about as his fingers reach for the cigar, holding it between his big fingers and lowering it to his knee. He finally turns his head to you after he's certain no one's giving him any eyes and gives you a smile in response that you return tenfold. He wanted to tell you how pretty you looked tonight but, a nod is the response he gives, the grunt delayed from the words stuck in his throat.

"Spare any for an old friend?" you ask with batting lashes and a tease in your voice as you point to his cardigan pocket, weighed down with your favorite Bondurant apple brandy.

He purses his lips, an amused hum coming from deep in his chest, that same charming hint of a smile in his eyes directed at you. "Anything for you Tawny, Hmm?" the smile stays in place as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the jar, holding it out for you.

Your heart skips a beat at the words, a giddy rush making you bite your lip as your fingers linger over his on the jar. "Well don't you know just want a girl wants to hear." you give the same tease and take the jar from him, unscrewing the top and taking a big swig from it.

"Best ya slow down or you'll end up sittin' by the pond again all night." the scold in his voice is nothing but playful.

"It wasn't ever so bad when you was there." you admit, catching a spare drop of the liquid on your chin. A corner mouth smile accompanies the nod and grunt this time. "Besides, would it be so bad to end up there tonight? Much worse things could come from a bit of the Bondurant shine in me." you say with a shaking of your head, taking another drink, with a giggle following that he's never heard from you before as he continues hiding his smirk to the rest of the people in the barn.

-----

After you both have a few drinks, you take him by the hand under the cover of night and drag him out to the pond. Sure it was a bit harder for you both to fit on the rock together now, but that just meant you got to sit close to him and without any prying eyes on you, you both got to relax, together for the first time since you'd been back. You cross your legs towards him, leaning your whole body against his, feeling small as you wrap your arms around his one. The nostalgia and brandy make an amazing mixture that makes your heart and brain over communicate, the overflow coming out of your mouth without its usual filter.

"I sure did miss you Forrest." you say with a sigh, breaking the silence that had grown as you both looked out over the water, moon reflecting in its surface. The crickets were singing, the frogs croaking and leaves would fall from time to time as the wind carried the sweet smells of the feast from the barn down through the trees.

"You did?" he asks, eyebrow quirking, looking down at you as your head lay on his shoulder. He was glad he was a bit drunk, it let him enjoy having you touch him instead of getting tongue-tied and unsure of himself. You think about telling him about all the letter's you'd written to him while you were gone. But you'd decided against it, throwing them into the fire as you thought he wouldn't want to hear from you since you left without saying goodbye.

"I didn't even know how much I did until I came back and saw ya. All that nostalgia just washin' over me." your voice is breathy but enthusiastic, your eyes shut as smiled into the sleeve of his sweater. "You know...you were about that only one that was nice to me growin' up." your eyes open again, blinking slowly as they looked into the tree line. "One of the few that ever has been." you pout slightly and his eyes study your affected face. "Thank you." you say softly, meeting his eyes unexpectedly, his chin pushing back slightly, being caught off guard.

"You know you ain't never been no trouble to me Tawny." he insists.

"You ain't never been no trouble for me neither." you give a little chuckle that makes him smile. "I thought comin' out here might make me sad. But I feel just about anything but."

"Well you've had a fair amount of that there jar there, Miss." you can feel the teasing in his voice.

"That just means I'm being more open and honest then." you retort, shaking your head at him.

Your eyes meet and hold, your cheek smooshed against his strong arms his chin turned down towards you. You don't speak for a moment, and it's not awkward, it just feels easy and right. Like it used to.

"It feels good to be here. On this rock. Under the same moon. With the same Forrest." you beam up at him.

"Ain't the same Forrest." he shakes his head and corrects you, his voice nothing but kind. "Ain't the same Tawny neither."

"I'm being sentimental, hun. I ain't dumb. I know we're not the same as we were back then." your purse your lips and give him a look letting him know he could lighten up. "I think that's a good thing though." you offer, your voice a bit higher pitched in your explanation.

"Why's that?" he gruffs out, brows raising slightly.

"Change is the only constant we got in life. Life is change. If we hadn't changed that'd mean something in us was dead. And we ain't dead yet." you say supportively.

"Not for other's lack of tryin'." his head bows slightly, brows raising up as if he's delivering a punchline and the expression, animated for him makes you laugh.

"Oh you always were funny." you grin, hand patting his forearm.

"Yeah. Funny lookin'." he kids, a smirk on his face as he looks back out to the woods and away from you.

"You ain't never been funny lookin' Forrest." you correct with a shake of your head, raising it to look at his face with more intent.

"Mmm." he responds with a subtle nod.

"Always thought you were kinda cute, to be honest." you wrinkle your nose and grin up at him.

"Oh, that so?" he asks, voice dipping deeper and making your heart thump.

"It is so. You were always so thoughtful and sweet."

"And I ain't never been since." you snort and laugh and feel him move with his own laughter.

"That aint' true at alllll." you say in an exaggerated way, giving him a smile that shows teeth, your bright eyes shining from the moon. "You're as sweet as candy, Forrest." you say matter of factly. "Ya got your big hard shell..." your fingers walk up his chest across his sweater. "And you're all soft in the middle, ain't ya?" you give him another adorable scrunch of your nose and a giggle that was meant for only him. Your tiny fingertip bops the end of his nose to punctuate your statement. Your tongue sticks out just slightly between your teeth as your shoulders shake with an almost silent laugh.

"I don't know 'bout all that, now." his voice goes low, chin shaking a little to back up his words.

"I don't know about you." you say sassily.

"Hmm?" he turns his face back towards you.

"I tell ya you're sweet and handsome and you can't take a nice word said about ya, can ya?" you blink slowly at him.

"I ain't never had to before. Not many of 'em said my way."

"Maybe you should start learnin' now that I'm around."

"Hmmm," he grunts out. "You might be onto somethin' there Miss Tawny."

"I usually am." you say in the same sassy tone, snuggling your face back into the sleeve of his sweater.

CH. 11

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle@negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 @divadinag @emerald-bijou @emiliesnowflake

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 11

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 4100+

Summary: Forrest defends Tawny in a fight. Tawny defends herself and helps Forrest with the biggest fight yet, the one for his life.

Warnings/Tags: Fluff. Canon-typical violence. Graphic violence/gore. Language. Fighting. Drinking. Unwanted sexual advances. 

A/N: Memories are in italics!

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist.

The sun's setting and you're busy handing out drinks and food. As usual, on Friday nights Forrest sits in his office counting money and scribbling away in his ledger to get away from the noise.

For good behavior Jack is out with Junior, they'd found some girls they'd gotten sweet on and taken off. You hoped the girls would keep them straight and out of too much trouble. You'd rather him be sleeping around than gambling anyway. Whatever mistakes he made were his at this point, you'd done your part of warning and informing him.

As the sun sets the station is busy. It's the usual in and out, the dinging of the pumps that Cricket helps man, seeing to cars and answering your calls for assistance yelled out of the screen door. He had a car that he was trying to doctor up for Jack he'd given as his reason for staying in tonight, that boy was so good-natured you were thankful he could be an influence on Junior as well.

But your current problem and the opposite of being good-natured were the two men that had sat together directly in the middle of the bar all night. You'd ignored their dirty looks and suggestive glances, their rotten teeth spewing their sexually aggressive words at you.

You weren't a stranger to this, working at the bar in the city, you just hadn't run across it much here. But by their accents and suits, you could tell these guys weren't exactly from around here. Maybe not from the city but...not local at least. You whisper to Cricket if he knows the men, he says no, so you begin to become suspicious of their motives. They'd been looking over their shoulders all night, not moving from their spots and keeping you busy with requests.

As the crowd thins, those there for the food now full and gone, the ones there for the drink drunk and making their way back to their homes, these men stay. The old group of men that always play cards, now larger than usual due to it being the weekend, are still in the back walled off part of the open space, lamp hanging directly over their heads, keeping their eyes hidden with the brims of their hats as they pretend to have poker faces this many jars in as they play.

To say you're growing impatient with these men would be an understatement. One reaches over the bar as you turn to move the cast iron skillet from the stove to cool off for the night, pinching you on the butt. You swing around quickly, slamming your hand on the bar top.

"Fuckin' excuse you?" you ask, chin down, eyes burning into his.

"Aw, toots, c'mon. You've been taking care of us all night how's about we take care of you a lil bit?"

"I'll only say this politely because my mama raised me right, unlike you sons of bitches, but if you touch me again you're gonna regret it."

"Calm down there, baby doll." the other interjects, waving his hand in the air to falsely diffuse the situation.

"I ain't your fuckin' baby doll." you spit at him. "You can change your damn tone or pay up and get out."

"Why don't you get us another jar there sugar?" the original culprit says, pushing a strand of hair off your face as you snarl at him.

"You've had enough." you say, leaning forward, fearless and staring him down.

"Now you turn that sweet ass around and get me another jar and I won't cause you any trouble tonight ya little hellcat."

You inhale slowly, trying to keep your cool. "How about you turn your mangy ass around and get the hell out of here."

He reaches out and grabs your wrist tightly, slamming it down on the bar top, pulling you across it partially and the stink of him hits you hard, making you gag slightly. "That ain't no way for a little lady like yourself to be talking to a man like me baby doll. You turn me down again and I'll bring all kinds of trouble down on that pretty little head of yours Tawny." you don't know how he knew your name, but sends up a red flag. Something wasn't right, them being there wasn't right.

"And you can let me go or I'm going to yell for my boss and he'll break your fuckin' necks. That's your choice."

You see him reach for his pocket and you've been in this situation before. You grab the empty jar on top of the bar top as he pulls out a knife to threaten you. You slam the jar into the side of his face, forcing him to let you go. You hurt yourself a bit in the process, some cuts on your fingers, but this was much preferred to the alternative. He drops the knife, you grab it and step back, holding it out at the other man as his hands on a gun in his waistband, you can see the hesitancy to pull it on you in his eyes.

"Alright, you get the hell out of here!" you hear Forrest's deep, aggressive voice boom across the room.

You hadn't noticed in your scuffle, but Cricket had gone and told Forrest there were men hassling you. Forrest stands with him just a foot behind, whispering what had gone down as Forrest rose from his chair and made his way out of the office.

"They've been hasslin' her all night. She tried to cut him off, he's been getting real mouthy and tried to get handsy with her. He grabbed her, she hit him, pulled a knife on her I reckon 'cause that ain't one of yours." he says quietly.

Forrest sees the broken pieces on the bar top, the bleeding on the man's temple, your bloody hand shaking around a knife in defense and his jaw clenches. A fire roaring up within him at the thought that someone dared to even think about harming you, and in the place he owned.

"You pull a knife out on her?" You see a fire in his eyes you haven't before.

The man approaches him, hand on the side of his still bleeding face. "I'm trying to give you business and she won't sell to me."

"Well you ain't getting a god damned thing, get out." his voice so low it almost comes out as a growl.

"Ain't no fuckin' hillbilly gonna talk to me like that." he barks, draws his arm back to hit Forrest, the other man rising from his seat.

You know the other man has a gun, and lucky for you he's using the hand closest to you pull it out, letting it hang at his side, his hesitancy being his undoing. You grab the gun from him, seizing your opportunity to take firepower out of the situation and making it a level playing field. Well, as level as it could be against Forrest and his brass knuckles.

As soon as there's a punch thrown, the men in the back bolt for the door. Certainly, not the first time something like this had gone down here, they knew to get the hell out of Forrest's way. If they weren't there, they could see anything. And that's how they wanted it.

Hitting the man with the glass in his face, now split open from the brass pushing it in even deeper, he falls back over a table, smashing a chair as his limp body thuds against the floor, a poof of dust escaping as he comes to rest.

The other man moves towards Forrest, fists up and ready to fight before Forrest's eyes have left the man on the floor, he gets one solid hit on your protector, a sick crack to his brow bone, but he doesn't slow in his retaliation, the pain fueling him, he grabs the man by the shirt and shoves him up against a thick load-bearing beam, knocking off his hat and punching him over and over and over until blood poured from his face. One more good solid thwack to the temple to send him to the floor just like the other man in a hurry.

Forrest's bloody hands shake slightly as he moves his eyes to yours. It'd all happened so fast you're still stood in the same place behind the bar. You blink slowly, your eyes wide but not fearful, he nods, a noisy exhale from his lips  as he moves quickly to pull the bodies out of the station and into the dark of the parking lot  like they weighed nothing, being sure to not be easy on them as he swings them out into the cold night.

His eyes dart around the now empty station and seeing as no one was around to witness, you see his chest heave one final time before he recognizes he can stop being in defense mode.

He walks over to you, face looking much like a scolded puppy, eyes apologetic and posture slumped. His marked up hands reach out across the bar, gently taking the gun from your own bloody hands.

When you feel the warmth of his fingers around yours, you let out a sigh, letting go of the tension you held in your body that you hadn't even realized was there with a heavy sigh.

"You ain't hurt are ya?" he says quietly, a furrowed brow studying you.

"No, I...I don't think so." you shake your head, looking at the hand that had delivered the opening blow to the man now unconscious in the road. "Not too bad anyway." your lips frown as you hold your wrist of the injured hand. Seemed to just be a few cuts, nothing that wasn't superficial.

His eyes grow sadder, the anger fading as he takes your delicate bright red fingers into both his own big paws. He sees the bruises already forming around your wrist, the little gashes in your perfect porcelain skin. He grunts, lips pursing as the guilt started to hit him.

"I'm sorry 'bout this." he says softly, hands still holding yours.

"I've seen worse," you say softly, trying to be comforting amongst the chaos. His eyes shoot to yours with question. "I worked in a bar in the city for years, Forrest. I was there when it transitioned to a speakeasy." your head tilts as you nod slightly to sell your point. "I'm not a stranger to being witness to violence."

The words break his heart. A good girl like you shouldn't have to deal with things like this. What was wrong with people? ---- With Cricket sent home with a hug and a thank you from yourself. A grunt, nod and appreciative pat on the back from Forrest, you find yourselves alone.

He'd help you wash your hands in the sink first, demanding you be seen to before him, the rough pads of his fingers drawing little hisses from your lips as they worked to free the one piece of glass stuck in your skin. You return the favor, washing the knuckles of brass and then the ones on his hand.

"I'm sorry, Tawny." he says quietly, forcing it out like the words had been sitting in his throat for too long.

"You've said that three times now, hun, you ain't gotta keep sayin' it," you say sweetly, a small shake of your head as you wipe away to the dried blood from his face. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. You helped if nothing else." you say, patting his chest as you move to the table where the medical kit sat. You sit down and watch him walk over to you, shoulders still low as he speaks and eventually sits in the chair a bit too hard in his solemn mood, making it squeak across the floor.

"You came back here to get away from all this. A good woman like you deserves better."  the words make your bottom lip pout out at how heavy they sound coming from him.

You've never been called a good woman before. You'd never had anyone tell you deserved anything except 'what was comin' to you' and that means nothing but nastiness. You finish with the turpentine on his brow, sitting and holding your hand on his cheek.

"There ain't so escape from life while you're livin' it, Forrest." you're sure to make sure he looks into your eyes as you speak. You hated seeing this guilt on his face. "This is life here." you shrug. "Life ain't easy no matter where you go." you say, just a touch of assertiveness to your voice.

He grunts in response, a thoughtful look coming across his face.

"I've been to where the grass is supposed to be greener Forrest. It ain't. It's just different grass." you huff out a laugh, dropping your hand from his face. "I tried it elsewhere. Here's home. I'd rather have violence here than violence anywhere else and I don't wanna be nowhere but right here. You understand?" you reach out and put your hand over his, driving your point home.

He nods and grunts. You rise, you run your hand across his shoulders, a slow back and forth as he looks up at you, eyes wide and resembling a puppy's for a moment with you framed in his line of vision.

"I'm gonna take the boxes to the barn alright? That'll finish us up here. We both need to rest." you bend down and press a kiss to the top of his head, hoping it expressed your sentiments better than your words did.

His eyes shut as you lean close, he smells the floral scent that haunts him as he walks up the stairs at night, that lingers after you're gone. You take the kit and set it back in his office before you head out.

"I'm gonna have a smoke before bed, Tawny. You go on up after you're done, ya hear?"

"I hear you, hun." you say with sweet tone, knowing he means well. He needs to be alone to think and to be honest, so do you. ---- You're chewing on your lip as you make your way back thru the back door of the station. You'd made a few rounds in the barn, looking for the culprit of some knocked over barrels and vegetables that were scattered about. You figured it was raccoons that were the culprit, as their little thumbs allowed them to be much more mischievous than a common opossum. You kind of hoped it wasn't raccoons though, you thought they were rather humorous and didn't want to kill them, you hadn't missed that part of country life in the city. You weren't reminded of the food chain so often there like you were here.

You let the door bang behind you, turning to lock it as you call out, "Forrest? You still up hun?" You hang your coat up by the door in the hallway, walking towards his office as you saw the light was on. It flicks off as you approach, heavy footsteps headed your way. "I think we go raccoons or somethin' out in the barn. You want I should get a catalog and order some traps tomorrow? We don't have any big enough..." your voice trails off as your eyes grow wider as you realize the silhouette of a large man approaching you was not Forrest.

"I'm afraid your hun ain't here to save you this time." a deep voice slithers through the dark room and sends chills down your spine. You feel a man slip his hands around your waist and chest and you seize up at the touch.

Unfortunately for them, this wouldn't be the first time you'd fought greasy ill-intentioned hands off of you in a life or death situation. You'd made the mistake of being helpless before, and by God, you'd taken the precautions to make sure it never happened again. They didn't count on you being one of those tough country girls. You were about as far from the fainting over an insult, limp-wristed breed as they came.

As the taller man, the one whose gun you'd taken away saunters towards you, the grip around your body grows tighter from the other man. Okay, Tawny...keep your head level...you can do this. You can't be a Bondurant and let someone get the best of you, and you weren't about to take that chance.

You start to struggle against the man behind you, testing his strength as he lifts your feet off the floor to try to control you. You use this to your advantage, kicking your feet up and off his legs to kick the other man in the chest and face as he tries to close in on you. A good solid hit from your heels lands on his face, taking the pointed spike to the eye. He moves to protect himself, hunching over as you bend yourself in half, then rearing back hard and fast and head-butting the man holding you in the forehead. It hurts like hell, and by the nasty crack of a noise, it made you knew it was worth the pain. You scramble away, hitting the floor first, and hard before barreling yourself into a chair forcefully in your hurried attempts to create space between you and the men.

You move to get the knife off the counter, running back around to the tables on the other side of the room so you'd at least have the big wooden slabs for protection. The man you'd kicked, having enough time to recover lunges across the table for you. You grab a salt shaker off the table and smash it into his hand as it slams down on the table top, barely missing you. This hurts you both in the process, but again, worth the pain and creates a distraction. The other comes to your side as the man with the freshly bleeding hand shouts and squeeze his wrist. You shove your glass shard filled hand into his face as he approaches, adding more shards to the collection you were working on embedding in his face tonight.

You see the tiny rivers of fresh bright blood run down his face as your fingers dig into his eye socket and hook into his lip. You grab his wrist with the same hand quickly, wanting to make sure he understood the punishment for having touched you with this hand, you slam it against the edge of the table with another sickening smash and crack of delicate bones being misplaced as his teeth grit and he screams and spits at you, slapping at you with his other hand, hitting you in the face, trying to choke you with wild clawing and scratching but you remain vigilant. You bring his hand down again, another shout, but this time you bring the knife down with it.

The bloody scream so close to your own ears makes them ring even after the fight is over. You stab it into his hand again, but this time horizontally, taking his two smallest fingers off. This is finally enough to make him retreat, the other man looking on in shock with one good eye in horror as his partner cries and holds his wrist, shoving you into the floor to get out the building. You can't understand what he's spewing at you, but there are swears and cross words said you did understand, but they hold no weight to hurt you further.

"Fuckin' come on! We got who we came for, leave this crazy bitch, she took my fucking fingers!" he screeches, the other man quickly following suit. You sit in the floor among the displaced chairs you were shoved into. You hear their car leave, the lights bouncing down the drive and you gasp for breath. The exertion and adrenaline hit you move quickly to stand, your hands are shaking terribly, you were beat up, you could feel it, but more importantly you were alive.

As soon as your brain registers that you have all your limbs, can move them and aren't bleeding from the head from that headbutt, your mind screams. Forrest.

In your fear, a delayed reaction to the bloodshed you'd just seen, you stumble clumsily out of the station, bending over at the waist over the railing and throwing up. You gasp and with wild eyes, you take in the scene around you. It's silent. The night dark, snow lightly falling in what would at any other time be a serene scene makes your stomach churn again.

The only thing you see is Forrest's truck and no sign of him anywhere. "FORREST?!" you scream out like a banshee into the echoing darkness. Your hand that isn't full of glass slams against the truck hood to stabilize yourself, but no amount of bracing could've helped for what you saw lying on the ground before you as you rounded the font of the vehicle. "FORREST?!" you scream out again, the most desperate and gut-wrenching sound that had ever come out of your body. Your knees buckle on sight, falling to the ground, your bloody hands covering your mouth as you try to scream but it's choked out by a building sob.

You crawl towards him, whispering his name over and over as if it could help somehow. You want to throw up again but fight the urge as you kneel over him, hands vibrating with emotion as they delicately touch him, trying to process what had happened and what you needed to do next. His hands are tight around his throat, and his eyes open, bleeding like a stuck pig into the freshly fallen snow.

They'd cut his throat and left him for dead. If he died, you would hunt down those sorry excuses for humans and kill them in the same fashion. The rage from the thought of someone hurting him clears your head in a funny way. Forrest Bondurant can't die, you thought to yourself. He can't and you won't fucking let him.

"Forrest baby are you still with me?" you choke out, sniffling and finding his eyes, feeling for a pulse in his wrist and by some miracle, it's there. "Oh fuck. Oh thank fucking God." your chest heaves as you try to remember to breathe. "I'm taking you to the hospital," you say, as if it mattered, you didn't know if he could hear you. You'd read about miraculous things... mothers lifting cars off of children to save them, and now you should be added to those stories as you pick the big man up from under his arms and somehow manage to get him into the truck. "You can't die Forrest." you say to no one but yourself, propped him up in the seat next to you, you figured the blood wouldn't leak out as badly that way. "You can't fucking die on me, I need you." you sob, one hand on his knee as you drive that beat up old vehicle better than Jack could've ever dreamed of handling the newest, fastest car. You talk to him as you drive, mostly incoherent streams of thought, but sometimes it made sense. You kept squeezing and patting him, in case he was aware that you were there. "I'm here Forrest. I'm here sweetheart. We'll be there soon I swear. I can fix this. We can do this. Just please stay with me Forrest." you rasp out.

You park the truck just out of the light of the porch of the hospital. It occurs to you that you can't go about this in a normal manner. "You Bondurant's and your fuckin' legends." you groan, putting on a hat you found in the truck and pulling it low over your face, using a spare sweater to mask your small frame, you pull Forrest onto your shoulder, thankful for your working woman thighs to carry him with strained steps to the door. Lucky for you, a man is smoking just inside the door and they panic, dropping the cigarette and moving to pick him up. He yells for help, and you slip away back into the darkness. You see the man come out a few minutes later, looking around for whoever brought him, scratching his head in confusion and ultimately going back inside.

If he lived, he'd die as a man who walked 20 miles from Blackwater station himself with a slit throat. Seems like the least you could do was let him keep his story for himself if he did turn out to be mortal. But for once, you sure as hell hoped the rumors about the Bondurant's were true.

Ch. 12

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 @divadinag @emerald-bijou @emiliesnowflake

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 2

Chapter 2

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 3700+

Summary: Tonya Barrett, or Miss Tawny as Forrest likes to call her, moves back home at the news of her stepfather becoming ill. She left Franklin County almost a decade ago, it feels like everything within her has changed and nothing has changed back home. Will the actions following her stepfathers passing lead the Bondurants to once again take her in? And this time, no longer being on the verge of adulthood but fully grown…what will she and Forrest decide to do about the lethal combination of history and chemistry they have together?

Warnings/Tags: Language. Mentions of abuse and illness.

A/N: Memories are in italics!

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

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You leave him with a smile and a wave before slamming the door to your truck shut. He nods and gives you a small wave in return, arm barely raising as his eyes shift to see if anyone was around to see. He watches the dust kicked up by your tires as he moves to sit back down in his usual chair on the front porch. With the silence that follows after the dust has settled, he finds himself distracted and getting lost in memories of you.

---- He sat in the church pew, angled a bit towards the door watching people come in for the Sunday service. The twang of instruments playing gospels in the background. He keeps his eyes to the peeling and pocked doorway, covered in one too many coats of paint over the years.

He see's Cliff walk in first in his Sunday best, Junior right in tow, walking behind his daddy in a clean little suit and shiny shoes. Cliff picks him up and sets him in the pew with a pat on the head, adjusting his jacket as he sat.

He see's your mama, her floral dress swinging as she holds your upper arm, licking her thumb and rubbing at your smudged face. Her dress doesn't match to the nice suits of her second husbands, your stepfathers, and your half-brothers. She has her arm around your back, pushing you into the room, your face was solemn as he usually found it when you weren't daydreaming, which is how he preferred to see you.

He sees your only pair of shoes, besides the boots you wore to work on the farm. They were beaten and too small under the too high hem of your dress, having grown out of it as well. The tattered hem, the dull colors of the flowers that used to be bright like the high summer grass color of your eyes. Your hair a mousey red-brown, pulled into two tight braids that you fussed with as you walked, pulling them over your shoulders. Your eyes are on the floor, no smile to be seen on your sweet face like the other girls in their fluffy bonnets and shiny shoes.

At a glance, anyone else would look over you in the crowd of people, choosing to look at the other bubbly and highly decorated girls that giggled and got shushed by their mothers. But the only girl he ever found himself looking at was you. -------

You take a deep breath before knocking on the door of your childhood home. You hear a nasty cough, thinking that must be Cliff. A pounding of feet up to the door before it opens with a creak. The smell of smoke hits you as the form of a young man appears, he'd be about 15 now, wouldn't he?

"Tawny?" he asks, his eyes wide and you nod with a forced smile. "Oh you came!" he practically shouts, moving to hug you. You're taken back by the gesture, but you're thankful he seems like a sweet boy. "Come on, come in, come in," he excited says, tugging you by the wrist into the house. You shut the door behind you. "Daddy's in there," he says in a quieter voice. "You got the letter I'm guessin'?" he asks.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here." you say softly with a nod, setting your suitcase down on the dirty, uneven wooden floors.

"Thank God you're here, I don't know what I's gonna do if I had to deal with this all myself. I don't know nothin' 'bout buryin' nobody." he says, face falling.

"Well I do." you give him a nod, hand rubbing his shoulder. "I'm here to help you Junior. You're my brother hun, I ain't gonna leave ya hangin'." you say, compelled to pull the boy in for a hug. He happily obliges, wrapping his arms back around you. "We'll do this together alright?" you say, pushing him back by his shoulders.

He gives a sad nod and you pat his cheek.

"You look good, Tawny Bell." Cliff voice, rough as the whitewater streams, abused by drink and smokin' and screamin' his whole life is even nastier than you remember it being. He's leaning on the door frame, cane in his other hand. He looked like a corpse already.

"You take my bag to my old room, hun?" you ask Junior sweetly, he smiles and looks happy to be of use. He heads down the hall.

"Can't say the same for you." you say with a stone face, meeting his eyes but not stepping closer.

"I told him not to write you."

"Good to know he ain't listenin' to you." you retort, face giving him nothing.

"I see your bad attitude ain't changed."

"Only gotten worse when it comes to you."

"Now if you're gonna talk like that in my house I ain't gonna let ya stay here." he gruffs out.

You take hard but not rushed steps up to him, leaving maybe a foot between the two of you, you point your finger aggressively in his face. "This ain't never been your fuckin' house you god damned vulture." you bite out.

His eyes widen, you'd never stood up to him before. Just a "bad attitude" he'd called your cold and distant behavior. Your rebelliousness and tendency to run and hide constantly. It was all just your way to deal with the abuse and hell he put you and your mama through. You'd never had a bad attitude, just a bad home life.

"My daddy built this house. You ain't never done nothin' to earn or deserve gettin' to live in somethin' built with love. Somethin' you've never known a thing about you bastard." you spit at the ground at his feet. His face is still shocked. "I'm here to help Junior put you in the ground. I'm just here waiting for you to die old man, you don't get to have a say over anything I do anymore. You lost that privilege the moment you laid hands on mama you yellow-bellied coward." you back away, hearing Juniors footsteps come back down the hall.

"I've had a very long drive down. I'm going to go get settled in my room now." you turn to smile at Junior. "If you need me just knock, hun." he gives you a youthful smile and an enthusiastic nod. --- Your room is practically untouched and it stirs a lot of things up that you thought you'd forgotten. You try to sleep that night, laying there hearing Cliff coughing and sputtering all night. Every moan and groan you hear fills you with a sick sense of satisfaction. You hoped he'd be meetin' his maker soon enough and he could finally face what he's been brewing his whole life. You saw nothing but fire for the rest of eternity for him. When everyone's asleep and it's past dark, you leave your room. You find barely any food in the kitchen, no soap in the bathroom, the basic things you think you need in a home for it to function as such. You sigh and shove a piece of bread into your mouth, moving back to your room.

You sit on the edge of the bed, looking out your open window, dusty curtains you'd tried to beat out a bit moving in the breeze. You can actually hear the life outside the house as you sit with your eyes shut. You couldn't hear crickets or cicadas or the croak of the fat frogs that live by the creek in the city, only in your memories. You sigh and feel lighter for a moment as you hear a dog bark in the distance.

You stand and move to the window, you hit the toe of your boot into the floorboard, and a big grin moves across your face. You kneel, fingers picking the old board loose and sure enough, right where you'd left it was a jar of shine you'd hidden. You put the board back, unscrewing the jar and taking a whiff and you sneeze, the old smell brings backs memories. You take a sip and cough, leading to another laugh.

The familiarity of it all draws you outside where you sit in a rickety old swing that you weren't sure would hold you anymore, but it does. You rest your head against the fraying rope and look out into the mountains as you sip the nerve easing alcohol.  Little stacks of smoke rising are the only thing that can make you pick out which burning spots are stars and which are stills in the mountains. You smile, thinking about the memories you'd had with the very moonshine you drank. Some of the only good ones actually. And all of them involving Forrest. ---- You've got your finger in his belt loop, following him through a part of the woods you weren't familiar with.

"Slow down Forrest, I ain't as fast as you."

"If you hadn't drank so much you'd be faster."

"Shut up." you grumble. You don't see it but he smiles.

"Ain't much further no how." he says, holding your wrist while he helps you over a fallen tree and down an embankment.

"Well you could've waited until the day to bring me out here ya know. Or when I ain't had so much shine." you whine.

"Well I can't rightly show you this in the day because it don't happen during the day and it's gotta be tonight cause without the full moon ya ain't gonna see it."

"Will I like it?" you ask, your sweet tone, sounding so innocent and earnest make him smile again, only seen by the darkness that surrounds you.

"If I didn't think so I wouldn't be dealing with you and bringin' ya out here would I?" he says obviously.

You pout because he's right. As you make your way up an embankment in an entirely ungraceful way you see the moonlighting his face as he laughs at you before he extends his hand down to you to pull you up. As he pulls you next to him, he places his fingers to his lips to show you to be quiet. He looks over the ridge, overlooking a valley.

You hear wings. Lots of wings as your eyes dart around and focus. You hear a familiar flapping and clicking of bats. The moon was just up and full and bright, illuminating the valley. He takes your hand and sits you down on a log next to him.

"I hear bats, Forrest." you whisper, leaning in close to him.

"I know ya do Tawny. Just give 'em a minute, they gotta wake up." he grins.

And as if on cue a smoke-like cloud of bats erupts from a cave in the mountains. You jump at the sight, your eyes wide, you clutch onto his arm as it startles you, having never seen anything like it in your life.

"I saw you reading that book on 'em the other day, and I thought about this place." he says, watching your face as it sits in awe. "Thought you might get a kick out of it." he shrugs.

"It's amazing, Forrest." you whisper, your eyes moving with the shifting cloud of bats leaving to feast for the night. "I read that they don't even have to see to hunt."

"Seein' as they do it at night I'm guessin' that's helpful."

"It's called nocturnal." you say, finally breaking your gaze and lookin' at him.

"Nocturnal." he nods. "They means they sleep during the day right?" his nose wrinkles in questions.

You give him a surprised and delighted smile. "You're the smartest boy I know, Forrest." you praise, smile still on your face as you look back to the bats.

"And they eat bugs and hang upside down to sleep. Some of 'em can get real big. Big as a fox they say..." he muses, still watching you. "None of 'em like that 'round here though."

"What'd I read the book for when I got my own encyclopedia right here." you giggle, patting his arm.

"I don't know as much as no encyclopedia, don't be silly." he shakes his head. "And you read because you like to I reckon."

He's now looking out at bats, you move your eyes to him, his strong brow and full lips being lit by the moon in a way that made you dizzier than the moonshine did.

"I do like it." you whisper. He's so smart, you think to yourself. Noticing things no one else does. You're touched that he takes the time to notice things about you. No one else did. ---- You fall asleep on top of the blankets of your bed. Your open window leads you to wake early, hearing the sound of the rooster letting you know the sun was about to arrive. You yawn and stretch, changing into something more suitable for a day out. You don't do your makeup, but set and brush your hair so it looks nice and neat. You put on a dress you'd bought in the city a while back. It reminded you of home and you'd never worn it out as your roommate had told you it was the homeliest looking dress she'd ever seen. But she was a dancer and anything that wasn't silk and marabou she thought was less than. The dress fits your womanly shape well. Breasts pushed together, just showing through the overlapping fabric, as it connected with small pearl-like buttons down to the waist. You rolled the long sleeves up to your elbows, grinning while you did so, as it reminded you of working on the farm as the cotton yielded to your hands. The hem hits at your ankles, a swinging skirt of green and white with a white lace trim along the bottom that framed your boots, much nicer and feminine than the ones you'd worn to literal pieces from farm work from wearing them every day, except Sundays, the last time you were home. You pick some greens from the overgrown and neglected garden, still having a few useful things, you pick some dandelions and make up a makeshift breakfast for Junior before you head out to town.

He's not had a reason to hide a smile, not havin' much cause to smile at all as of late. But down the road you came, giving him a reason to again. He clears his throat and finishes his coffee as you pull into a space in front of where he sat on the porch.

You hop out of the truck, revealing the lovely form you'd taken today. He averts his eyes and pushes his chin into his chest. You were prettier than he remembered you being. And he knows for certain he thought you beautiful even back then.

You scale the stairs, he sees your dainty little boots, now clean and shiny, a change he was certainly happy to see. As you lean against the wooden beam that tops the banister, he speaks before he takes in the sight of you too long.

"Miss Tawny" he gruffs out with a nod of his head as you approach him.

"Mister Forrest." you say with a small smile, he narrows his eyes at you, you think it was meant playfully. "I need to pick up a lot of things in town today. Cliff ain't got nothin' in that house and I won't have no brother of mine livin' like that." you sigh and shake your head. "Since it seems you're the man who knows everything 'round here now, I thought you might be able to tell me where's best to go in town? Seein' as I ain't made it down that way yet." you shrug and stand with your hands on your hips, looking at him for an answer, he ponders how you got a dress to match the color of your eyes, and if you knew how well it went with your darker and more red hair than he remembered it being, straying away from the source of your nickname as you got older.

"Well.." he begins,  a gruff noise as he sits forward. "Just so happens I got errands to run in town today." he says as he stands, picking up his coffee mug. "You uhh..." he pauses, looking at his cup before returning his eyes to yours, an unsure expression on his face. "You can come with me if you'd like." another pause, you give him another smile. "I can show ya better 'n I can tell ya 'bout where everything is now." he elaborates.

"That sounds lovely Forrest." you say with a shake of your head, watching him lower his face and grunt, turning to walk towards the door.

"I gotta...put this up, hold on." he mumbles, gone just a moment before returning with keys in his hands. -- With the windows down the drive to town was enjoyable. The company didn't hurt either. "I reckon you and I got some catchin' up to do, don't we?" you grin as you turn to face him in the seat, his cigar, puffing away, the smoke floating out the window. He grunts and nods.

"May I ask about your parents? They were so good to me back then." you say sweetly.

"Spanish flu came through shortly after you left. It got 'em."

"Oh." you say sadly, looking back out the window. "I'm sorry to hear that. Your mama was just about the loveliest lady I've ever known."

"A nod and a grunt in repsponse. "It 'bout got me too." he adds, voice far deeper than you recall, but it has the same effect on you just the same.

"Well thank God it didn't." you say, letting out a heavy sigh. His eyes only move to see you, you're turned back towards him in the seat, his statement making you pick at your nails in your lap. "I admit, I had worried about such a thing on the drive back here. Gave me a lot of time to think." you nod. "But there you were when I pulled in." a smile spreads across your face. "Not the same Forrest I left but.." you shrug and grin, he sees your face look back up at him.

"Not the same Tawny that left neither." he says, glancing over at you for a moment before returning his eyes to the road."

You huff out a laugh. "Oh yeah. Life'll do that to ya." you say with a small chuckle. "What about your brothers?"

"Uh...Howard was in the war." he nods. "Came back but...you probably know men that came back. Lot of 'em...ain't wired right no more."

"Yeah, lots of boys that came into the bar were much the same."

"Bar?" he gruffs out, inflection in his tone.

"Yeah I's workin' in a bar for years. That's where I was when I left." you explain.

"Hmmph." he responds with a thoughtful tone and nod.

"That means you raised Jack all by yourself for a long time, didn't you?" you say with that sad lilt to your words. "Probably after Howard got back too..." you elaborate. He's thankful you're so smart and intuitive. He barely had to say a thing when he spoke with you. He was glad to see that hadn't changed.

He only nods, watching the road.

"You're a good man, Forrest." you say with a sincerity that hurts in his chest.

He scoffs, cigar shifting between his lips.

"You don't think so?"

"Know so."

"You ain't never been bad to me." you say.

"Well ya left, didn't ya?"

The words sting and you look back down to your lap. He hadn't meant to hurt your feelings. He wasn't used to talking to women. He'd have to learn to curb his curtness with you.

"What'd you do up there in the city anyway?" he asks. He sees your face rise to look at him.

"A lot of workin'." you mumble, looking back out the window. "While I's going to school I was a nanny, and I worked in a kitchen for awhile too." your voice is soft as you speak.

"School?"

"Yeah I wanted to better myself, ya know. Learnin's important to grow." you say earnestly. He nods in agreement. A dirty little rascal you left, and although well read by Franklin County standards, you'd returned a formally educated woman, pretty and pressed with starch and perfume.

"I thought maybe I'd get a husband if I got educated ya know." you shrug.

"Thought if I worked hard, both in body and mind that someone'd come along who did the same." you sigh. "Never did though." you frown, his shifting eyes catch it and it brings the pain back to his chest.

"Ain't nobody in the city smart." he says with a shake of his head. You let out a laugh that surprises him.

"After livin' there I'm inclined to agree." you let your laugh fade into a happier sigh. " With so many men I thought my chances might be better but...no one wanted a woman like me."

His face screws up, he turns it to look at you. "Well, that don't make a lick of sense."

You give him another laugh that crinkles the corner of your eyes. And while they're closed he lets himself smile for a moment.

You reach over and put your hand to his arm, "Bless your heart." you move the hand away to wipe under your eyes. "I wish they'd been more like you hun." you sigh and shake your head. "Couldn't find one with manners to save my life." you frown but it's less sad and just slightly annoyed. "Now I don't know why no one would make fun of someone for learnin'. They told me no one wanted a wife that thought and acted on her own, said I kept my head in books too much." you purse your lips. "But I mean, you know that ain't the first time I've heard that." you let out a little chuckle.

"Ain't no one from the city ever had no manners neither." he shakes his head. "Shameful of 'em for sayin' such things. Even more so when we was kids. Boys 'round here should know better." he practically spits out.

You can't help but smile at him. At least he was still a big sweetheart.

Ch. 3

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413 

[boogiewrites]

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 20: Epilogue.

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 800+

Summary: The last update. The closing to the romance of Tawny of Forrest. How their story ends. 

Warnings/Tags: Happily Ever After. Tragic Romance, sorta. Fluffy and and angsty. Together until the end. Can’t live without the other. Death of main characters. (Under the best possible circumstances.)

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Forrest Junior had heard all sorts of stories about his daddy growing up from his mother and his uncles. It was hard to believe the quiet and calm man he knew was once an outlaw.

 He recalled him and his baby brother getting slipped thimbles of liquor by Uncle Howard, telling them about the time they all took down an entire county of cops after them. All he knew was that his mother was sweet and his father was quiet and that they loved each other and them. Both the boys looked like their daddy, stocky and strong, dark hair with their mama's green eyes. Forrest Jr. recalls the day his brother was born, the only time he'd seen his father tear up, but his mama told him he'd only ever cried one other time, and that's when he was born.

Tawny and Forrest stayed in Franklin County together. Even with Howard and his family away, and even after their children moved away. They sold the station and had a little house on the edge of the woods, a little pond Forrest liked to pass his retirement by with fishing and a garden Tawny liked to pass her time in. It was a simple and quiet life and they were happy all the way to the end.

Forrest and Tawny had over thirty years together being married. Raising two boys and running the station all the while. The hard-living Forrest did in his younger years eventually caught up to him, as he knew it would. He caught pneumonia and passed away in their bed, Tawny never leaving his side.

The boys knew their mama was heartbroken. They made it a point to try to get her to move in with them, let them take care of her now that she was all alone out there on the homestead. But of course, she refused. She passed her days alone and it just as quiet as it was with Forrest there. She had lovely portraits of them together she liked to talk to, sometimes she'd hear his heavy footsteps around the house, swearing she could still smell those cigars as she'd walk past his favorite chair.

Tawny held on for five months after Forrest passed. She waited until the birth of the next grandchild, a boy that they'd named Forrest after him. Her sons and even her daughters in law knew she didn't want to live without her Forrest. The sons weren't so accepting of it, but the daughters understood the sentiment and even after she was gone they thought the whole thing was tragically romantic. She passed away in the chair they'd left her in that night, rocking with her hand on the bassinet with the newest Forrest Bondurant in it after whispering to him and kissing his head, telling him how much she loved him, how much Forrest would've loved him. She told him stories about him until he fell asleep in her arms. She thought he looked just like her sons, and just like Forrest did.

It was really to no one's surprise when they found she'd passed away in their father's favorite chair, wrapped in one of his sweaters that next morning. She was only sticking around to see the baby and she'd told him what she needed to to be able to leave.

She and Forrest are buried side by side as she'd written, in a small graveyard in the woods of Franklin. It was a fenced off site in the far corner away from everyone else. She'd fought with getting to choose where they were buried, the owners insisting they go by the book, going in a numbered order like the rest of the folks. But she reminded them they weren't like normal folks and threatened to haunt them if they didn't follow through on her wishes. Bold and fearless until the end, she was.

She'd said she wanted Forrest to have privacy in death, just as he'd preferred in life. And deep down she'd known she wouldn't last long without him. He'd told her she was his reason for living all those years ago, and he'd quickly become hers thereafter. She wasn't unhealthy, she wasn't sick with something doctors didn't catch, she'd just lived her life, raised her babies and their babies and without Forrest, she didn't feel any need to be there any longer.

So it came to pass that she and Forrest were buried side by side, a single large tombstone for them both with the name of Bondurant across it. Nothing else on it. Just two bodies, two lovers and parents and grandparents with the simple carved last name that stood for so much more than a means of identification. She wrote in the letter's to her sons that it was fitting that unless you knew Forrest in life, that you didn't know him in death either. She thought he'd appreciate being remembered simply as a Bondurant. A matriarch and a patriarch of Bondurant and nothing more, nothing less, and the same as Tawny. In the end they were both known by the name that meant the most to them. All they wanted anyone to know about them that hadn't been in their life, was what was on that tombstone, BONDURANT. First, foremost and forever.

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