#~this is shamelessly for myself but if anyone wants to know where the HECKABOOZLE my brain is with these three...

[damnedcrybaby]

CHEAT SHEET: THE BACKGROUND STORY

Quick info: MULTI-VERSE / MULTI-SHIP / OC / FANDOMLESS / RP Default Verse: WESTERN / COUNTRYSIDE AND JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE Link for: CAROLINE // DANIEL // ELIJAH // & the RULES!

Caroline & Daniel have the same mother (Lilly) and father (Levi). Elijah has a different mother (Melanie), but the same father (Levi) as the other two.

Fun bit is-- none of them knew that until recently...

Levi Jackson, the father of all three- lovingly referred to as PAPA by Caroline & Daniel- had Elijah with an old girlfriend (Melanie), back when they were quite young. Melanie wasn’t comfortable with Levi’s racketeering schemes, but his only other option for honest work was to go back to caring for his father’s homestead, as a farmer: which, she assumed correctly, wouldn’t pay the bills. This led to the dissolution of their relationship, but after Elijah was born, his mother decided to send Levi a photograph of him, which rekindled their conversations at least... They tried to co-parent, but that wore off after a few years when Melanie decided she’d have better opportunities in the city.

Levi begged for an address to write to, and promised to send money. Knowing she’d need financial assistance to raise Elijah-- Melanie agreed.

And so, over the course of Elijah’s lifetime, Levi would write to Melanie at least once a week, and would send money in most of them. Of course: Melanie knew the amount of money he’d sent was plenty out of means of a simple farmer... but she needed the cash and Elijah wanted to be a lawyer.. so she accepted the funds and turned a blind eye. 

Well, as blind of one as she could. Unfortunately, she saw Levi most every time she had to look Elijah in the face: and though she loved her son more than anything... it pained her to see him: so she bleached his hair when he was young, and made him wear thick-rimmed glasses... a sorry attempt to disguise his father’s features.

Meanwhile, with Melanie and Elijah out in The Big City-- Levi met Caroline & Daniel’s mother, Lilly, and fell in love. She’d always loved the simple lifestyle: grew up on a farm herself, so she fit in just perfect with Levi’s ‘honest living’, and was very content with the budget such employment would leave them with. They were absolutely, undeniably in love, and supported each other damn near blindly: Lilly knew there had to be a reason Levi would go visit all the shopkeepers in town while wearing his suits, she knew the men who’d come around asking for him couldn’t possibly be his family in the typical sense, and she knew there had to be deals going on under tables in order for the Preacher Men to shiver when they shook Levi’s hand at church...

It was when she fell pregnant with Daniel that ignorance stopped being bliss, and she asked to know only the necessities: Levi told her he had business with other men in town, and he revealed the existence of Elijah and Melanie. Lilly insisted he continue to do whatever would be needed for his son, but he made it clear Melanie did not want the families to intertwine. Despite her disapproval, Lilly never argued, and only asked that he make sure their own family is financially stable enough.

He never backed down on the promise-- though their budget was meager in most aspects, it was plenty for the two of them, and Lilly never wanted the big house or fancy cars.

They had Daniel, and years later, darling Caroline came along.

Caroline was sickly most of her young life-- doctors couldn’t quite place the WHY or WHAT; but she survived, despite the illness stunting her growth. Papa (Levi) poured money into taking her to different doctors, and donating as tithes in hopes God could help them where Man failed... He’s not quite sure who deserves the credit for his just-past-five-foot bundle of joy, but she survived and remained the light of his life. He’d bring her along to meetings with his FRIENDS, and she’d sit up sweet and pretty with a smile, but they’d give her quarters for getting candy sticks before business was ever discussed.

Daniel was never one for school-- but the boy was built like a brick house. He grew up trailing behind Papa and learning different trades, mostly construction and the general necessities for keeping up the farm. He’d met them gentlemen too, but mostly preferred to stay behind and take care of the crops or animals: he felt lesser than them, with his dirty cheeks and fingernails while they wore ties and nice shoes... wasn’t really comfortable being around them, felt like they were UP to something...

Levi had intended on leaving the homestead and his side business in Daniel’s care when he retired: but knew the boy would need to finish schooling first. Unfortunately for the lot of them... they never quite got that far.

Papa fell ill, fast. Stomach problems, mostly. Ceased to be able to keep on weight or keep much food down- doctors couldn’t place the cause... Mama took on as much as she could, believing they needed more money in order to properly maintain their homestead.  Daniel dropped out of school, gladly, to take on the responsibility of the only moneymaker he knew-- the barn, the crops, the animals, and general handiwork for extra cash. Caroline stayed in school only because her father insisted; but during those formative social years of school dances and teenagers fumbling with each other in fast cars... she’d come straight home to take care of Papa, and to take over the domestic duties so Mama and Daniel wouldn’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning. The gentlemen stopped coming around... conveniently...

Levi’s death devastated all three of them. A few years later, Lilly was buried up on the hill right alongside him. Mama and Papa; together, forever.

Daniel and Caroline were left with broken hearts, and bruised hopes. All he wanted was to fulfill his father’s legacy-- despite not knowing what that was, exactly. All she wanted was to escape-- despite knowing she’d have to chop herself at the roots in order to get away from the place.

Years down the line, after the Jackson siblings pretty much accepted their lot in life: Elijah’s mother fell ill and she gave him Levi’s letters on her death bed, along with all the extra money she hadn’t yet given him. He used only what was necessary, and had also received a hefty inheritance upon her leaving the world, to finish his schooling. With some connections through Professors, he even landed a great job at a prestigious law firm.

But it felt cheap, despite the sky-rise or the floor-to-ceiling windows. He needed more, than the good job and abundance of funds, and decided to leave it all behind in order to go look for the man who’d penned all those letters to his mother...

Unfortunately, he was too late. Papa was already long gone, and when he knocked on the door of that dilapidated homestead: it was little bitty Caroline who answered the door and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of him.

He looked exactly like Levi, to the most minute details, and she knew before he even cleared up the confusion-- he had to be a GHOST or BLOOD... but he was more than willing to dismiss the terror on her face when he felt how she actually looked at him for what felt like the first time in his life...

Which is where we are now...

With Daniel, loathing the thought of an elder brother, who wears his fancy clothes in his nice corner office, while he works by the sweat of his brow just to take care of himself and his sister.

WHERE DID ALL THE MONEY COME FROM!? WHERE DID IT GO!? WHY WAS IT MAILED TO ELIJAH INSTEAD OF SAVED FOR A NEST EGG THEY COULD HAVE DESPERATELY USED!?

With Caroline, both excited over the prospect of learning all about this city-slicker’s life, and delighted over having a piece of her father back that she didn’t know existed.

WHAT WAS UNIVERSITY LIKE!? WHAT WAS THE CITY LIKE, AND THE PEOPLE THERE?! WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR THEIR PATHS TO ALL PROPERLY CROSS!?

With Elijah, heartbroken over discovering he’s truly an orphan, but desperate to keep a hold on the only shreds of family he’s found actually exist.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP WITH SIBLINGS INSTEAD OF ALONE!? WHAT WAS LEVI, PAPA! LIKE!? WHAT WAS HAVING A FATHER LIKE!? HOW DID LEVI MANAGE TO SEND HIM SO MUCH MONEY WHILE THE REST OF THE FAMILY SUFFERED!?

... and, most notably, who were those gentlemen Elijah had met in town who wanted to steal peeks at the letters he’d hardly mentioned when asking for directions to the return address...?