#and using everything in his considerable power to help save his Little Badger

[tsukihimeyfan]

Just finished watching Wendigoon's video about Hisashi Ouchi and had a terrible, awful, no-good DP prompt idea come into my head. Come suffer with me.

So the Fentons constantly threaten to tear ghosts apart "molecule by molecule" right? What if they managed to make an anti-ghost weapon that made good on that threat? One that tore apart ghostly DNA or ectoplasm, and just straight-up turned any ghost hit by it into green goop, melted within seconds like Danny's clones?

So I imagine that at some point after destroying a couple of ghosts with this new weapon, Jack and Maddie finally manage to corner Phantom somehow. Terrified, Danny is left with no choice but to try to explain who and what he is, hoping to all the Ancients that it will be enough to stop them from hurting him.

Unfortunately for him, the Fentons don't really listen at first and shoot him point blank.

Danny puts his arms up to protect himself and closes his eyes, trembling in abject fear, imagining himself melting away into a pile of goop right in front of his parents. He desperately hopes it's quick and painless. He waits for the end.

...and waits

... and waits

The Fentons and Danny both feel shocked, but Danny eventually laughs (a bit hysterically) and continues explaining his accident, intensely relieved that his half-human nature had protected him from this weapon.

Once he explains everything, the Fentons apologize with tears in their eyes for how they had treated him. They accept him for who he is, and promise to do their best to learn more about ghosts' true natures. They decide to use their inventions in an actually scientific, ethical way, to learn more about this culture and people. Danny and Jazz are both ecstatic. Everything seems perfect. Sure, Danny might have thrown up and passed out the minute they got home from that little talk, and sure, his skin turned a bit red and painful where he got hit, but that was the extent of it, right? His human half purged the effects of the weapon from his body, no harm no foul.

But they all forget that while Danny's DNA is half human, it is also half ghostly in nature, and the weapon just tore through those parts of him like bullets through paper.

A week later, Danny's skin starts to feel like it's burning

[eusjess]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆:

          ⟨ SAMANTHA LOGAN. CIS FEMALE. SHE / HER. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀 ‘𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐒’ 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐎 is actually a descendent of 𝐊𝐇𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐄. it’s still a question of whether or not the 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 year old 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐌 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 from 𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐈𝐒, 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈, 𝐔𝐒𝐀 has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 & 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐇.

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:

         little sister, little spitefire always trying to fill her older brother’s shoes ( even when he’s off in the nhl ) ; a fiercely INDEPENDENT woman trying to cut her way through a sport with little future for her but she pays that no mind ; an agile winger with an insanely accurate shot, and a loyal teammate perhaps a little prone to anger ; extremely proficient in her aerokinesis and levitation, often using it to have a little fun with aerial acrobatics ; creator of snow but struggles with ice ; in tune with all aspects of herself, from her athleticism to her beauty to her sexuality ; she’ll leap before she looks and deal with the consequences herself, reluctant to ask for help even when she desperately needs it.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘:

— jess was born on a surprisingly mild winter’s day in st. louis three hours after her brother, jonathan, but not in the same place and definitely not to the same mother. let’s just say that arrival home from the hospital was a surprise and leave it at that, but khione has always gotten what she wanted and it was quickly that the samaroo’s were enamored with the little girl slumbering peacefully in the goddess’ arms. that would be the last time jess saw her birth mother for thirteen years but she did not lack a mother.

— raised as both samaroo’s own, she would proceed to pretend those three hours that separated her from her brother simply did not exist. anywhere her brother went, jess did too. anything her brother did, she wanted to do too. this went from endearing to annoying to concerning at some points, specifically when her brother picked up a hockey stick at seven and she sat in the stands at six. from the minute she walked into the arena she knew that this was a place where she belonged, for the chill in the air and the action on the ice ; it was something innate and much like her godly mother, jess often got what she wanted.

— she begged her parents to let her on the ice, and eventually they caved : but only to the world of sparkly dresses and pristine white figure skates. and for a while, that was alright. jess learned to skate ( exceedingly well ), surpassing her peers by leaps and bounds — sometimes, a bit literally.

— jess’ content nature lasted a little over a year, until her seventh birthday, when the badgering of her parents to allow her to join a HOCKEY team began to pick up full steam once again. this was much less jess’ love for the ice and very simply the desire to do everything her brother did. even at that young age she wasn’t a quitter, not one to SETTLE. they eventually caved, and come fall, the local team ( still co-ed ) had a new face.

— it was clear only after a short amount of time that jess’ talent on the ice was not confined to spins and jumps, picking up the sport shockingly quickly ; though she had definitely already gotten familiar with the game from all the times she’d watched from the stands and badgered her brother.

— her childhood in a suburb of st. louis was rather MUNDANE, not quite filled with opulence but comfortable and full of love. her summers were full of street hockey with her brother and his friends, skinned knees and roughing around no issue to her though his friends always seemed to pull their efforts a little bit. she always told them not to, for all the good that did.

— and it was that way for years. there were things she would see out of the corner of her eye sometimes : the way the ice clinked in her water when she was angry, how snow seemed to always fall softly on her as if REVERENT, and how she was so sure she saw her first grade teacher eat a soda can once. but these were all things she chalked up to her imagination until that fateful day of her thirteenth birthday.

— if not for the rule put into place about claiming, jess may not have been claimed at all given her affinity for blending into the moral world, but claimed she must be and so claimed she was. it was their birthday and they were out skating on a frozen pond. jonny and their friends had gone in already, the cold getting to them but it never seemed to get to jess for reasons she was about to learn.

— it’s a patch of rough ice that sends jess sprawling, twisting her ankle and springing tears to her eyes at the sudden burst of pain. there’s a soft whisper of wind and then she’s at the feet of a beautiful woman — beautiful but cold like the ice she’s seen form on tree branches. the truth is pressed like a cold stake between her eyes, blossoming beneath the cold, pale fingers of her godly mother along with the words, “don’t cry.” it is not an endearment but an order. to jess, unlike some of her siblings, this is her khione — their godly mother has never been anything but the epitome of winter : tough love, only the strong survive, the only thing tears are good for in winter is freezing.

— life doesn’t change much for jess in the wake of that, save for the truth seems to awaken something within her. the small things she saw out of the corner of her eye turns into TRUTH : wind streaming from her fingertips, snow falling into her palms in the middle of winter, the things that lurk around the corner. eventually her parents take notice, and more of the truth is aired out between daughter and parents — her brother busy at hockey practice. jess had to skip. of anything, that’s what she’s most upset about.

— jess goes to a camp for two summers : learns a bit more about the side of her life she didn’t know. fighting skills are fun to learn, but she feels listless within the boundaries of the camp, not allowed to go on quests. the only daughter of khione she feels a bit of an outcast, the whispers and looks likely not helped either by the SIDE her godly mother takes in the giant war. and so she doesn’t go back after that, returning instead to the one place she always did feel like she belonged : on the rink and with her hockey team. her training continues on an individual basis, stolen hours on the rink and in the cover of darkness. learning to spot monsters that lurk in the halls and dispatching them. 

— and so, her life returns to a version of normal. she goes to school, she plays hockey, she practices her powers and swordplay in secret, she gets plenty of colleges that want her to commit to them come the end of her junior year. this is the life she’s chosen and she can definitely live with that.

— her brother jonny was a hockey player in his own right, an elite defenseman but in a more visible way than jess in the way that all male players are. he was drafted in the first round of the nhl draft and jess was there proudly ( and a BIT sorrowfully, because she knew her future in the sport wasn’t possible like it was for her brother ). but she swallowed those fears and did not allow it to sour her relationship with her brother.

— ultimately, she follows him to the same college where they BOTH lead their teams with a ferocity unmatched. they were the unstoppable samaroo siblings, always having each other’s backs and and the lynchpin in their respective teams. she grows in those years, as a person, as a player, and in her own power.

— two shared years of college was all they got before jonny went into the nhl, leaving jess behind as she knew he always had to. and so she returned to school, continued to dedicate herself to the game, her team, and her studies and was a PROUD little sister. and maybe, her own skill would lift her up someday, more than just a footnote in her brother’s pressers about childhood, about how she just might’ve been the reason he got so good at defending against unpredictable players.

— jess led her team to a national championship her junior year, falling just short her final year at clarkson making the end all very bittersweet. it was after that she was faced with a choice. given her talents ( and her BROTHER, though she loathes to admit anything she does is because of him ), she was offered a contract with the buffalo beauts in the nwhl, but ultimately declined it in favor of continuing her education.

— eonia had been on her radar for a little while, a new consideration as she realized there was a whole other side and community she hadn’t yet truly made contact with. and with a little more time and a little more maturity under her belt, jess felt like she was willing to give the demigod community a change again. so in spite of the very mild and sadly fair-weather location, she made the decision to apply and enroll. and well, their hockey team was pretty good too.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂:

— jess... really didn’t attend a camp long term. being a daughter of khione has its benefits sometimes. given her godly mother’s lesser standing ( sometimes, she’s not even considered a goddess, but don’t tell khione that ), it makes her scent less noticeable to monsters meaning jess was able to live a rather normal life with the occasional need to dispatch a monster, y’k. there are probably other factors too : mainly, how hockey locker rooms and equipment tend to smell, and two, the fact in st louis they lived over her father’s caribbean cuisine restaurant.

— jess has one older brother, jonathan ( completely mortal ), only a few hours older than her and they share a birthday, so it’s no surprise that many think he’s her “fraternal twin.” to most, that’s what they easily believe. the TRUTH is something jess tries not to dwell on but it’s as simple as : her parents were celebrating their anniversary at a mountain chateau and — never the most conventional when it came to the bedroom— they decided that the beautiful brunette they met at the lodge’s spa would make for a fun addition that night. being the fallout of your parents' threesome with a goddess isn't how jess saw her life starting but sometimes you don't pick these things... they just happen. regardless, she loves her parents lmao. practice safe sex lads... not this.

—  jess effortlessly combines the worlds of being a beautiful woman along with the rougher sport of hockey, not quite splitting the image of a female jock when she’s off the ice though that hardly means she doesn’t fit in. she’s simply in touch with both aspects of herself extremely well.

— her dad is from trinidad and now runs a very successful caribbean cuisine restaurant in st. louis !! despite the fact her dad is a chef, jess cannot cook save for the most basic things...

— extremely bi with a strong preference for women, though she tries not to fall into the cliché of gay female jock. this was something she explored only after her entrance to college and came to the conclusion about rather quickly. always so self-confident, this wasn’t an aspect of herself she struggled to come to terms with — simply an accepted fact. she’s definitely in the LGBTQ+ Alliance though she probably doesn’t attend a lot of meetings between hockey conflicts and just.... other things. she’s at their events tho and... around enough :)

— she isn’t the neatest by any terms, though not unhygienic by any means. her dorm has a very lived-in feel, clothes not always put away and the tendency at times to look like a storm hit it. regardless, she always seems to find what she needs when she needs it, so why change.

— she is a WINGER : a strong and agile skater with an ability to slip past defenders and a quick and startlingly accurate SHOT that has been touted the best on her team and one of the best in the east back at her first college. her nature off the ice translates well onto it, often with high risk, high reward situations. some have compared her to a loose canon, others have compared her to a ghost with her ability to drift between players and always be in the spot she needs to be to SCORE. she leads her team in goals, and sets up on the right circle in the powerplay. her defensive game is a little lacking, but she’s working on it. generally too irresponsible and unpredictable to have an A or gods forbid.. the C. so none of that for her. she does on occasion rile up the girls ( in a good way ) pretty good though.

— played for the national women’s team the spring of her final year at clarkson :) it was during these games in europe that she visited eonia and it confirmed to her that she wanted to attend !!

— love pilates so much... like so much. also come to her for ab workouts bc she’s the queen of them.

— pursuing her masters in JOURNALISM with a focus on sports journalism. if she’s not playing hockey, she’s probably at some other game covering it. with the slim chances of her being able to make a life playing professional hockey, she wants to at least be able to COVER it professionally. her undergrad degree is communications from clarkson university in upstate new york.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘:

— she’s been called a LITTLE SPITEFIRE ever since she was a little girl, when she was nearly always in contrast with her quieter and calmer brother ( and even in spite of her godly heritage ; it's a little IRONIC really ). though she’s not the smallest anymore, her height landing her a hair above average, the spitefire comment remains true. fiercely independent, jess goes after what she wants with a ceaseless ( but not always the most logical ) attitude. it has given her a little temper too, though her rage is often intense and brief and passing. she’s not one to hold a grudge, especially against those she considers friends.

— there’s an undeniable underlying confidence that jess carries herself with, on and off the ice. it’s intimidated some and endeared her to others. but with this fierce independence comes some drawbacks : mainly in her reluctance to ask others for help and sometimes inability to admit she is wrong.  there are a few that she’ll begrudgingly listen to : her close friends, her brother, her teammates, but she can’t promise that she always HEEDS what they say or that their opinions go into making the more informed decision. she has a brash and an ‘i can do anything’ attitude which has on occasion gotten her into a few binds though she’d never admit it, constantly ignoring people if they tell her she can’t do something. she’ll leap before she looks and then splint her own ankle after the fall if she has to.

— she has a big heart, resulting in no shortage of friends but carefully guarded when it comes to romance. incredibly passionate about what she does, her few adventures into romance have been fleeting : either the other turned off by her fierce independence or her growing bored rather quickly. her spitefire name holds up, her relationships intense, bright, and fleeting. she isn’t afraid of break ups, and historically has been the one to do so. her own unwillingness to stick to a partner for very long could speak to commitment issues, though she’s decided to put that examination on the back burner. her hookups are not an extensive list, but it isn’t skimpy either — she goes after what she wants, after all.

— she puts on the air that she doesn’t care what other people think, but the truth is that she does. taking critique was hard for her at first, but she’s forced herself to learn over the years to not take that to heart. she does want to improve, after all, and that is part of that process.

𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒:

AEROKINESIS ( + LEVITATION ) —

         by far jess’ most honed godly power would be her aerokinesis. it was the first one that presented itself and the one she feels the most comfortable with. because it is the power most integrated with herself, it’s also the one jess is most prone to lose control over — and the more unhinged she is, the colder the air ; she’s definitely caused frostbite before. it’s not uncommon to see a few snow flurries in the gusts of wind she creates, though if those are because she’s summoned them or just the scientific result of humid air rapidly freezing... well that remains to be seen. jess never has been the most science-minded. given how well-versed she is in aerokinesis, it’s also not uncommon for her to walk around like her own personal air conditioner, especially given the heat sensitivity of her and her siblings. she really hates heat — why did she go to school in greece again ??

         she also often combines her control of cold winds in tandem with her levitation powers to achieve something that’s like not quite flying but it’s similar ( being supported by the air, more like, yadda yadda, y’know ?? ). levitation took her a while to get a hang of ; it’s actually quite different from her use of the winds and requires much more focus and a sense of CALMNENSS that wasn’t easy for jess to find. because of her tendency to defer to the more “brute force” approach of using the winds, it’s been a struggle, but it’s something she’s been working on since she came to eonia and something she’s been steadily adding to her godly powers toolbox. she’s never had a fear of heights which allows her to push herself further, and she loves to do aerial acrobatics ( the lower temperatures at high elevations don’t BOTHER her either. whooo bonus ). though powers are banned in eonia hockey against mortals, she sometimes can’t help but reflexively use her aerokinesis or levitation to keep herself from getting injured — she has enough practice with using it subtly it that it’s pretty much not noticeable when she does ; and it’s NOT cheating shhh.

CRYOKINESIS —

         one would think with an unpredictable temperament like jess’ that she would be rather prone to freezing things on accident, but this couldn’t be less true. the TRUTH is she lacks the discipline to truly freeze things, not having enough focus to still molecules and all that jazz. she finds the exercises to hone this part of her ability rather dull — a surprise considering she loves hockey so much. but she considers between her siblings and poseidon kids she doesn’t need to bother honing something that doesn’t interest her when she could just make someone else do it instead. instead you’ll find she’s much more prone to creating icy gusts of wind or frost when she’s angry or emotional. besides you’ll find flying stinging snow that’s almost sleet is a pretty effective offensive weapon. otherwise her prowess with “freezing” things is limited to her lowering her drinks ( and the air around her ) to the perfect temperature.

         however, she does have some levels of mastery over other parts of cryokinesis, specifically when it comes to summoning and manipulating snow. she finds the more unpredictable and scattered nature of snow something she can more readily relate to and perhaps why she has found much more mastery over it. you won’t find her freezing lakes or making ice patches but if you need a little bit of snow for the Aesthetic she’s definitely your gal. given her prowess with aerokinesis, this means she can whip up a pretty mean snowstorm, but not for a sustained amount of time unless one of her siblings or a demigod with complementary powers helps her. one of these days she’s going to team up with one of the zeus kids to make thundersnow on the grounds that she thinks it would be “really really fun.”

FEARSPEAK —

         jess didn’t even realize she had fearspeak until she came to eonia, but that doesn’t mean she hadn’t used it before then unlike her levitation. “soft, snow-like whispers” aren’t really her natural vibe — more prone to being loud and rather visible with her emotions and feelings, but there have been times on the ice where her anger had dissolved into something crueler. it’s an odd thing to sense people’s fears, and an even odder mindset to want to confirm them, but there are... situations. it’s something she’s only used a handful of times, mostly in certain high pressure and high level games, the fallout of her friends’ bad breakups ( no harm in putting a little unease into their exes right ?? ), and not something she intended to do.

          jess truly isn’t able to sense people’s fears, even when she uses the power — it’s more just a gut feeling of knowing just what to say and knowing it will be believed. she hasn’t tested this power much outside the handful of times she’s accidentally used it and doesn’t like when she does. the mindset she’s in when she uses fearspeak... that’s not someone she wants to be — but deep down her own fear is that it’s inevitable that’s who she’ll become.

FIGHTING SKILLS  —

          jess’ skill in battle is... probably a little above the average demigod. a lot of this is due in part to her natural athleticism and agility training than any true taught skill. she picked up fighting rather late in the game. her weapons are simple : a short sword and dagger, both good for offense and the dagger lending to more unpredictableness. much like her approach to hockey, she tends to be unpredictable and can be quite emotional in her approach. sometimes this is an advantage, other times the risks she takes do not pay off. her strategy is often to employ offense rather than defense which again... works sometimes and other times not so much. she does enjoy sparring and especially sparring with powers involved. it’s a good challenge and often times she comes out on top though her recklessness is most likely one day going to get her hurt. her aim is quite good and she has the potential to be quite skilled at archery, but she finds the practice to get to the more exciting applications of the weapon rather dull and lacks the patience to see it through.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄:

— 5′6″, very athletic build, strong legs from skating and impressive arms. brown eyes and brown hair often kept in her natural curls a little past shoulder length. she will straighten it on occasion for events, but does so rarely because the effort isn’t worth it.

— she’s incredibly handy with a make up brush, an expert on her own face and drawing out her features in a simply but beautiful manner.

— to say the least, jess never looks bad. she believes attitude and mental health all start with appearance and therefore always goes through the effort of making herself look good even if she feels the opposite inside. the times when she doesn’t look that great truly speak volumes of just how down she must be.

— jewelry : loves a bit of sparkle, owns plenty of jewelry she cycles through regularly from necklaces to earrings to bracelets. these are often gold or bronze, warm-toned. when she plays though, the only piece that remains is a very simple short gold necklace with a small sapphire from her brother.

— style : she has an eye for BEAUTIFUL things, simple clothing that’s comfortable but also makes her look great. with no shortage of fabletics leggings, tasteful cropped shirts, and colorful sports bras often worn as crop tops, she strikes a fit figure on campus, though she also mixes in a healthy mix of skinny pants in a rainbow of colors. it’s a toss up if you’ll get her more athletic style or her snappy casual day-to-day look, honestly even she doesn’t know how she picks. she’s fond of denim jackets and nike sneakers ( honestly… a fan of nike and adidas, she may as well be a walking advertisement for them ). while she owns a fair number of skirts and dresses, she tends not to wear them until the occasion calls for it or when it’s quite warm out, just due to her eccentric and very active nature ( and nike pros under them when she does ofc ).

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:

in general... lemme get back to you on this lol... but a quick note :

jess just started at eonia this past fall ( fall 2020 ), but that definitely doesn’t mean she hasn’t already integrated herself into campus lol. given her personality, she’s definitely already found friends and hookups and all that fun stuff, they just all will have formed relatively recently !! 

i’m also open to past connections in the states ; however, these might be a little limited and hard to fit given the specificity of her background... i would love for her to have had a demigod friend back at clarkson ( it’s a small-ish school in upstate new york... it’s surrounded by a lot of pretty woods and definitely the opposite of urban )... i have ideas but also i know that’s a specific ask skskalsdkjf

𝐎𝐎𝐂:

hey it’s ollie again ✌️ . bringing u jess who’s cool, fun, and funky. unlike a certain man ( jason ).

[wolfpawn]

Life is a Game of Risks, Chapter 30

Chapter Summary - Due to black mould, Alexianna and Lily are being forced to move, resulting in Tom helping her find a place. When they get to the school to collect Lily, she answers a question that Tom and Alexianna were not ready for.

TRIGGERS - Past domestic abuse, Past emotional abuse, Past sexual abuse.

Previous Chapter

Tags: @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @theoneanna

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Alexianna looked around the room and bit her lips together. It was as though someone asked her if she could design her dream apartment, and gave it to her, but the landlord wanted a month’s rent and another’s for a deposit and that was up on three thousand pounds, it would eat considerably into what money she had.

Tom and Daniel badgered her time and again about getting a better place, the other one had begun to get black mould and when Lily started coughing and could not shift it, Tom put his foot down.

‘It’s perfect, I’ll tell Lionel we’ll take it.’ Tom declared with a smile. Alexianna stared at him in disbelief. ‘Lexi, it is a small direct bus journey distance from the school, clean, two bedroomed, spacious, what more could you want?’

‘It is fifteen hundred pounds a month.’

‘A bargain for this part of the city.’ Tom commented.

‘Why though?’

‘Because Lionel is my cousin, he is moving to the States for two years for work and he just wants it looked after while he is gone, that fee pays for the charges of the property mostly.’

‘I cannot afford that, Tom. Even with Daniel’s contribution, it is leaving me a little tight.’

‘You will be earning more soon, you are on the ladder now. This is usually a two and a half grand place, the council tax is included, and the licence fee, you are saving huge there.’ She said nothing in response, knowing it was true. ‘It is so much nicer for you and Lily, think of it, Lexi, her own room, and he said you can decorate it for her, posters, paint….we could get someone to paint the paw patrol on the walls for her, she would love that.’ He beamed. ‘And I can stay here from time to time then, and not have you rushing off at seven am to get Lily to school and you to work on time. It’s gated, so it is safe. If Jonathon or that goon of a brother of his try to get in, they are on camera and everything.’

Alexianna paused for a moment. It was true, she was safer there, Lily was safer there. ‘I just….’

‘It is best for you, Lexi, please take it. Lily isn’t going to need an inhaler here.’

Alexianna swallowed, she still felt terrible that Lily was forced to use steroids, a nebuliser and inhaler as a result of the damp and mould. Her daughter needed a clean home, they had been all but living at Tom’s because the apartment had suffered from the wetter than usual winter. She nodded slightly. ‘Okay.’

Tom beamed. ‘This is going to be wonderful Lexi, we will get the notice to your other landlord and we will get you here by the end of the week.’ he insisted.

‘I won’t be anywhere near ready.’

‘We’ll start today, I am not working this week, so why don’t I start things by getting the place here ready, it needs a few things, nothing mad, just getting Lily’s room started. Daniel told you to let him know what you need, those will take a few days to be delivered. Think about it, Lexi, Lily is going to love it.’ Tom was excited to think of Lily’s reaction to the new place. It was technically an apartment spread over two floors, so the bedrooms and bathroom were upstairs and the living room and kitchen were downstairs, leaving an incredible amount of space for them. The living room alone was the size of the last apartment and its layout meant that Alexianna could store everything without clutter.

‘You are more excited than me about this.’ She laughed.

‘I cannot help it.’ Tom beamed. ‘By the way, I need to ask permission for something.’

‘Tom, you are a fully grown man, you don’t need to ask permission for anything.’

‘I want to get Lily a Baloo bear from the Disney store as her “welcome gift”.’

‘Are you trying to indoctrinate her? You know Stitch is her favourite.’

‘No, Stitch is YOUR favourite and you are trying to indoctrinate her.’ Tom argued. Alexianna looked at him with a guilty smile. ‘So, may I?’

‘I can hardly say no, and thank you for asking.’ She smiled.

‘I don’t want to overstep.’

‘She is going to get so much from this.’ Alexianna sighed. ‘And on top of Christmas.’

‘She deserves it, you both do. You will start the New Year afresh, divorced, happy and loved.’

‘Thank you, Tom. I feel like you do too much.’

‘I am not doing anything near it, I am helping as best I can, same as you do.’

‘It feels unbalanced.’

‘Interestingly, I never assist you with financial issues, do I?’ she shook her head. ‘Yet you actually have worked for an hourly rate as a cleaner, so there is a monetary value to the work you do and yet you clean my home when you are there.’

‘It’s us making the mess.’

‘You washed the backroom floor, you don’t even go in there.’

‘I was cleaning anyway.’

‘I know you did the skirting boards too.’ She looked at him guiltily. ‘Just….don’t feel like you are obliged to do these things, you’re not.’ he looked around. ‘This is perfect. And the bathroom divides the bedrooms, and they are quite soundproof, so we can…’ his grin told her what he was thinking.

‘Please behave. I have to pick up Lily in…..shit, half an hour.’

‘Plenty of time, you are only fifteen minutes walk, and we are driving.’

‘You don’t have to….’

‘Nonsense Lexi, we have to get a few things sorted at your place anyway. It’s the fastest way.’

‘You spend as much time in traffic.’

‘We need to start, the best way to do so is to start now. You’re off for the rest of the afternoon from work, so get two hours of sorting done, then study this evening when Lily is in bed.’

‘And what about dinner?’

‘I would bet money that you have meals that can be thawed.’ Tom ventured.

‘Yeah,’ she conceded, ‘I am just dawdling because the idea of starting on everything is scary.’

‘Talk to me.’

‘I have been there for four years, it was the place I moved after everything….It….’

‘For as small and cramped as it is, it has been a sanctuary and a haven after everything.’

‘I knew there was mould, I just didn’t realise it was that bad.’ Alexianna stated.

‘It is done its job, but you and Lil need somewhere that suits you better now.’

‘Yes.’ She nodded.

‘Come on, let’s go get her.’ Tom put his arm around her and they left, Tom sending a text to his cousin to thank him for the offer, and that they accepted.

*

At the school gate, Alexianna felt somewhat awkward, there were people staring at Tom and her, though no one said anything, she felt like a museum piece. When Lily came to the door, her teacher checking who was waiting for her, she saw Tom first, due to him being taller and rushed forward once the teacher was certain she had someone collecting her. Alexianna was more than ready for the fact that Lily would rush into Tom’s arms, since he had promised with a while to come with Alexianna to collect her one of the days, but they could not coordinate it, so for the first time, he was able to do it, it was a momentous occasion for the child.

‘Hello, Demi.’ Alexianna smiled, seeing the little Welsh girl her daughter had befriended on her first day come over and stare at both Tom and Lily, who seemed to be clinging onto him with the power of a limpet.

‘Hello. Lily.’ The little girl looked up at Lily, who was in Tom’s arms. ‘Is that your daddy?’

Alexianna swallowed and Tom was slightly taken back at the question, but before either could say anything, Lily beamed and nodded. ‘Yep.’ Before turning to Tom and her mother. 'When can I have a brother?'