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Coming Home

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1Coming Home Empty Coming Home 9th October 2013, 20:38

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Coming Home

Written by
MissAusten and Ariel Buttercup


OVER 18 WARNING

This is not part of the RPG Spy Game even though some of the characters from the game will appear and take place at some points in the story but they are just interpretation of MissAusten and me, we do apologize if anyone is offended and think we misinterpreted their character. In that case we just borrowed the idea of the character and never meant to copy the characters.
This is a nice little -okay not so little any more check out part one, two and three- plave for MissAusten and me (Ariel Buttercup) to show our books to well mostly us, but we will be happy about every reader the story attracts.

This started as a small fanfiction of a post by post roleplay and it ended up as this huge story of three book. I hope you enjoy the story, we certainly do.




It is a long time since the geeks met, and it certainly was a time full of events no one had expected. By the end of the third book Jo and Liam have achieved a lot more anyone their age has. They are happily married, have two beautiful daughters, run a school and are generally very happy and settled. A real happy ending as it is in books…

The unsorted soundtrack of the Geeks



Last edited by Ariel Buttercup on 13th January 2015, 11:49; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : New more fitting title)

2Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 10th October 2013, 00:09

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Jo was sitting in the dark library, the girls were spending the weekend with Lorelai and Liam was in his lab building something. It was summer all students were still at home, it were nearly another three weeks of summer holidays. Jo was alone with several books around her, Human Anatomy; Reproduction; Biology of Humans; and similar books. Jo was close to tears she just didn’t understand any of this. “God dammit this can’t be that difficult. Okay when a man and a woman…”

The sudden opening of the door made her jump and stuff all the books under the couch. “Hey Jo, how about some late afternoon lunch? I know we both skipped lunch because you were reading and I was building.” Liam looked at Jo who was sitting awkwardly in front of the couch.

“Jo what are you hiding?” Liam walked closer to her, and Jo actually tried to push the books further away.

“Nothing.” Jo blushed but she didn’t really fight Liam when he pushed her aside and pulled out the books.

“Jo why are you reading books about the human reproduction?” Liam looked at Jo and suddenly he was scared. “Jo are you…?” He tried really hard not to react the same way he had a little over two years ago but he had a hard time not jumping up and running off.

“What?” Jo looked confused at Liam and then she got it. “Oh God no! I’m not pregnant, but a couple of animals are pregnant and the girls asked where those babies are coming from. And they not just meant the animals but also where they came from. So I… um I need to … I need to know where babies come from. So I tried to read those books but they are really complicated.”

Liam laughed. “Okay so you are not with another midget? Just to clarify that.”

“No midget, here give me your hand.” Jo placed it under her shirt on her stomach. “No baby.”

“Okay. Good. I mean we both decided the twins are enough children right?” Liam looked at Jo her hair had been grown, she had cut it after the summer when the girls were born so two year ago.

“Yes two children are enough children, we have an entire school full of children and we just added another six boarding students and four day students.” Jo smiled honest at Liam his hand was still on her stomach. “So um Liam? Can you help me with this? I don’t want to scare the girls. I know they are young but Lorelai said she talks with the boys about sex and where babies come from since the girls’ age. I want them to be well informed and not scared as I… am.”

“Wait a second you are scared of sex?” Liam looked worried at Jo.

“What? No! Um… yes. Okay don’t be angry and try to understand me. I am not scared of sleeping with you, but the thought of how sex works that does scare me. I… I just can’t get those awful drawings out of my head. You know the ones mother showed me when I was little.”

“Oh those caricature of humans. Okay let’s see. You are really up to this? A special class of sex ed. with Professor Liam?” He grinned and kissed his wife. “And we don’t need books. I have two perfect study subjects right here.” Liam pulled off Jo’s shirt and kisses her boobs. Jo giggled nervous. “Will his end in sex in the library?”

“What gave my plan away?” Liam pulled down a pillow from the couch and then got up to get the mirror from the wall.

“Liam why the mirror?” Jo looked with big eyes at Liam.

“Well I need to show you the parts I’m talking about. Okay let’s see. Men and women are attracted to each other, when a man sees a woman he is attracted to well you see this happen, his penis gets erected.” Jo blushed when she looked at Liam who clearly was attracted by Jo. Liam grinned and took off their clothes. “But not just men get erected. Women get too, when you get aroused you get moist… But that is not the important point. The girls should not know about sex and sex is actually not something you really learn you just follow your instincts of what you like. I mean I didn’t tell you what to do in bed, you showed me how to touch you. You know how to have sex you just don’t know how a baby gets made in the human body.”

Liam took the permanent marker and drew on Jo’s stomach, her oviduct and uterus. “See in here every month a small egg matures to be fertilized. The lining of your uterus increases and when the egg does not get fertilized-"

“What means fertilized?” Jo was very red in the face, she was embarrassed to have to ask a question.

“Um… fertilized means… the egg of you along cannot make a baby it needs the sperm of a me to make a baby when the sperm fuses with the egg, the egg is fertilized. Does this make sense?”

“Yes I think so.”

“Okay so since you are taking the pill the egg cannot be fertilized, so the lining gets dissolved and that is the bloody looking flow you have every month.” Liam had this conversation with himself for a while now every time he was alone in his lab. Not that he really liked I but he liked being with Jo so even this conversation was okay. “But when you and I had like none stop sex in the USA the egg got fertilized and settle in the lining it is full of nutrition and that helps the egg to turn from one cell into two and so on, and in the end there is a midget growing in your uterus.”

“How did it become twins?”

“Um it splits as I said, and sometimes the little ball of several cells separates into two balls of cells.” Liam looked at Jo to see how she was doing. She looked confused but she seemed to understand for the first time where babies came from. “Jo are you okay?”

“Yes. I think so. Um why do you like my… boobies?” Jo didn’t dare to look at her husband, they were both naked and had just talked about the human reproduction. Her bare breasts were pretty but in Jo’s eyes nothing special just two things of her bodies. “I mean... I like it when you touch me but I don’t see what makes it so special for you, wouldn’t you more be interested in my…” Jo took a deep breath, and then a second. “Vagina?” She said as fast as she could expecting the world rip open and swallow her right away.

3Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 12th October 2013, 13:45

MissAusten

MissAusten

Liam couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t because he made fun of her, it was because Jo was just absolutely adorable. She was such a smart girl, but right now she was more naïve than any 3-year old. However, he understood where her cluelessness came from. When someone had Elizabeth Williams as mother, it was really no surprise that Jo had not the slightest idea about this subject. The only thing that surprised Liam, though, was that Jo had been nine months pregnant and gave birth to two babies, and still didn’t know how those babies got into her belly and what had happened during all those months she carried the little midgets under her heart. Liam knew that any other pregnant woman normally got a lot of books to learn about what was happening to their bodies, but Jo just let it happen without even looking up anything about pregnancy. This really was a little naïve, but luckily it had gone well in the end and Liam certainly didn’t plan on getting her pregnant ever again.

“You can say vagina, it’s the correct biological term”, he grinned.

“Isn’t it a bit…vulgar?”

“No, not at all. Like I said, it’s the biological term, just like penis. You don’t mind saying penis, do you?”

“Well…” Jo lowered her eyes. “I prefer package.”

Liam chuckled. “You’re so funny.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? For being funny?”

“No, for being so…so…stupid.”

“Stupid? Jo, you’re not stupid! I totally understand where you’re coming from. Your mother scared the hell out of you with her sick drawings of inaccurate anatomy, so I get why you never really dared to look into those biology books. It’s really okay, you’re learning it now. Better late than never, right?”

Jo still looked a bit awkward.

“And coming back to why guys are so into boobs, it’s just…it turns us really on, I don’t know. I mean, yeah, I obviously like your vagina but I really, really love your boobs. They are not the biggest, but they are perfect for your body and have a really nice form and it makes me happy touching them.”

Jo blushed a deeper shade of red, but also smiled, though it was a bit awkwardly.

“I don’t really know what it is about female breasts and why guys are so into it, it’s just…that’s the way it is. There are many guys who are more interested in how the butt of a girl looks like, and yes, I like to look at yours too, especially when you’re wearing tight jeans, but your boobs are still…well…very special to me. I love that you got a little curvier with pregnancy and your boobs also grew, but I also would never want you to change a thing about it, like some women have surgeries to make them bigger. So even though you know that I really like them, you don’t have to do anything to please me, they are already perfect to me.”

Jo smiled shyly. “I really can’t understand why men are so crazy about boobies.”

“Yeah, girls don’t always get it.”

“Well, girls and Ricky.”

Liam laughed. “Oh yes. It really is a mystery to me how he can’t even be in the slightest interested in boobs, I just…I don’t get it. But well, tastes are different, I guess.” Liam shrugged his shoulders, then he moved closer to Jo and gently planted a kiss on her shoulder. “So, you’re not too freaked out about all that biology stuff?”

“Well, it’s all still a bit odd to me, but when you explain it to me it somehow doesn’t scare me anymore.”

“Good. I just want to make sure you’re not left in the dark and clueless about how our darling girls came into existence.”

Jo chuckled as his nose grazed her cheek. “It doesn’t matter how it happened, I’m just absolutely happy that it did. I just feel that we’re complete now.”

Liam smiled. “So do I.”

4Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 13th October 2013, 22:57

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Dan had been outside with his brother but they decided to go riding and even though after living with the Von Gruensee’s for a year he is not a big rider. His little brother went with Opa while he went back inside. He planned to do some reading for Missis Jo she had given them some books to read over summer. But something was odd, he wasn’t sure why but he went to Mutti’s and dad’s bedroom. Normally during the summer all doors were open during the day for air circulation but their bedroom door was shut. Dan thought about knocking for a second but he didn’t think of it being really necessary so he opened the door and…

“Oh John, YES… YES.” Lorelai moaned loudly when she suddenly turned around and saw Dan. “Oh god Dan shut the door! Shut the door!” Lorelai was not really embarrassed but she also knew that it was not appropriated for anyone to see someone else have sex. “Shit! He wasn’t supposed to see us, he was outside with the boys.”

“Lory, calm down. I’m sure it is not that bad. I mean yes he shouldn’t have seen us but…”

“John what the hell?” Lorelai jumped out of bed , put on her rope and went out of the bedroom.

“Dan?”

“I didn’t… Mutti I didn’t see, I’m sorry, I didn’t think…” Dan was sitting in his room. He had finally decorated his room, some swimmer in nothing but their bathing pants. And he had a large family picture in his room, and also several drawings from his brothers. Lorelai didn’t walk in the room she respected his privacy and that he needed his space.

“Dan listen what you saw…”

“Did he hurt you?” Dan mumbled.

“What? Why would you think that?” Lorelai looked at him confused.

“Because… it looked like dad is hurting you, I mean he… he it looked like he was holding you really tight.” Dan mumbled very embarrassed.

“Um, no he didn’t hurt me.” Lorelai whispered back.

“I think I don’t like it, it looked barbaric when he… was and…you…”

“Dan? Can I come in?”

Dan nodded and made some space on his bed.

“What John and I did was perfectly fine. I assure you that John did not hurt me in any way, that it felt really good.” Lorelai looked encouraging at Dan, but he didn’t really look as if he believed her.

“Mutti I need to talk.”

“Okay?”

“Mutti during the past months I… um there is this boy. I’ve been writing with him during our holidays and before he and I talked. He taught me a little about horses not that I am really into them. Anyway um… sorry I feel better if I not tell you his name but you know him and you trust him. But yeah me and him, I really like him…”

“I know about him, and I’m happy for you. Anything you want to ask me? You still have the condoms I gave you?”

“Yes I still got them and no, I don’t have any questions. I think I’m okay, I mean you explained me what he and I could do and… that I think is enough.” Dan was so shy. “You really liked what dad did?”

Lorelai laughed. “Yes I did.”

“I think I’m really not into girls at all.”

“Oh Dan, that is so okay!” Lorelai hugged her son tightly, when a knock at the door interrupted them.

“Hey, everything okay here?” John looked at Dan.

“Yes everything is okay. I’m sorry I walked in on you. I just thought the door fell shut from wind.” Dan mumbled.

“That is okay. No harm done, I guess next time Lory and I lock the door if we do it during the day.” John grinned.

“Yes please.” Dan smiled uncomfortable.


A little bit later that day Dan went into the stable when he knew his Opa and little brothers weren’t there anymore. Dan had taken some of that sandwiches that were prepared for lunch and planned to share them. He climbed up to the hay storage. “Hey are you hungry?”

“Hey, what are you doing here? Is the Ma’am not looking for you?”

“No well yes sort of I told her about us.” Dan climbed into the made up seating area, some blankets over some of the hay bales.

“What? Why I thought we don’t tell anyone, you know have a secret.” Dan’s friend looked a little annoyed at the younger boy.

“Because I tell her everything and it felt wrong not to tell her.” Dan sat down as well.

“Dan really stop being so naïve.”

“I’m not naïve, Filipe.” Dan mumbled.

5Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 16th October 2013, 15:06

MissAusten

MissAusten

Dan stared at the floor, wondering if it had been a bad idea to come here. He really wanted to get closer to Filipe, but he also wanted to be honest to his mother and Filipe didn’t seem to be happy about that. Lorelai had not only done so much to help Dan, she had literally saved his life, and he felt like honesty was one thing he definitely owed her. He couldn’t give her that much back, but lying and sneaking around was certainly something he refused to do, not even for a boy he really liked.

Dan sighed quietly. “I’m sorry to upset you. I should probably go.” He got up and dusted off some of the hay, but then he felt Filipe’s strong hand grabbing his wrist.

“Don’t go.”

Dan hesitated for a moment, but when he looked at the older boy he got so weak and felt a thousand butterflies, which made it impossible for him to go.
“Okay…” He sat back down and stared at his knees. He thought of grabbing one of the sandwiches so that he would look busy, but in that moment Filipe got closer to him and Dan wasn’t hungry anymore anyway.

“Little Daniel…” Filipe smirked as he looked at the younger boy. He was so handsome that Dan’s heart just kept racing like crazy every time he looked at him. And that accent! That was definitely the cherry on top. “Can I ask you something?”

“Ehm…sure…” Dan tried hard not to look insecure, but that was close to impossible.

“Have you ever been kissed?”

Dan could feel his cheeks flushing. “No.”

“Have you ever kissed someone?”

“Eh…kind of. Not intentionally, though, and not in a romantic way. I was just…very confused.” He had to think of Ricky. He really didn’t want his first kiss to be out of desperation and confusion, but it happened, and well, Ricky had really nice, soft lips, but that wasn’t the point. It had been a very awkward situation for Dan and he was glad Ricky wasn’t mad at him for that rather surprising kiss.

“Do you want to be kissed?”

Dan just stared at the older boy for a moment, unable to say anything, but then he slowly nodded. “I…eh…I think…ehm…that would be nice…”
That would be nice? Geez, get a grip!, he thought to himself. He was about to clear his throat and say something more mature when Filipe already leaned over him and kissed him. Dan’s heart stopped, this felt one hundred percent better than anything he ever imagined. He wanted this kiss to last forever, but the same moment he felt Filipe’s tongue slip into his mouth and Dan almost froze, but then relaxed a little more and let the older boy do the lead. While Filipe continued kissing him rather passionately, he unbuttoned his shirt and Dan’s eyes widened as he stared at that stunning body in front of him. Geez, that guy had a six pack! Filipe’s arms were quiet muscular too and Dan really liked strong looking men. Filipe grinned as he slowly pulled Dan’s shirt over his head, then he pulled down his own trousers and Dan tried really hard not to blush when he saw the tight underpants and his very visible package. That was the moment Dan hesitated, thinking he was not ready, but Filipe’s hand was already opening the zipper of Dan’s trousers.
“Wait…” Dan looked a little uncomfortable.

“What is it?”

“Ehm…I…eh…is it…is it going to hurt?” The younger boy bit his lip, mad at himself for being such a wuss, but he remembered how Lorelai told him that he should definitely make sure to be ready for it and not to rush into anything he didn’t feel comfortable with.

Filipe let out a dry laugh. “No, little Daniel, I will not hurt you. It feels very nice, you will see.”

“I don’t know what to do, though. I’m completely useless.”

“No worry, I know exactly what to do”, Filipe replied.

“I guess you have been with many guys before”, Dan mumbled, but Filipe didn’t seem to hear him because he bent down and continued kissing him.

“You will like it a lot”, he said while he took off Dan’s trousers.

Dan blushed because he remembered that he was wearing the boxer shorts Henry had picked out for him, the ones with horses on it. Usually, Dan had mostly simple ones, but Henry saw those boxer shorts with the horses and wanted him to have it, and Dan liked them too, but if he had known that a handsome Portuguese boy would see him in underwear today, he would have worn something a little less immature.
“Nice undies”, Filipe said with a grin, then his hand wandered into his boxer shorts. “But this is nicer.”

Dan knew that his cheeks must be red, but there was no way back now, and besides, the way Filipe touched him felt really nice. Filipe kissed him again, and this time the last piece of fabric was removed from Dan and he felt completely exposed, but Filipe kept touching him in a way he was never touched before, and he never thought he could feel that way. Filipe moved back a bit and took off his underpants. Dan didn’t want to stare, but it was a little like in an accident situation, you couldn’t help but staring.

“You like what you see, little Daniel?”, Filipe asked a bit sassy.

Dan didn’t know what to say, he just stared, and then Filipe was on top of him again and kissed and touched him quite determined.

“Ehm…do you…eh…do you have condoms?”, Dan asked shyly.

Filipe backed away a bit and looked at him a little confused. “I’m not going to make a baby with you.”

“I know, I just…ehm…Mutti said it’s important I’m always protected, and so does the person I’m with…”

For a brief moment Filipe seemed a little annoyed, but then he nodded. He got up and walked over to his clothes, then returned with the condoms, shooting Dan a playful grin again.
“Happy?”

Dan nodded. “Have you…ehm…did you actually plan this? I mean, you and me…and…eh…”

“Oh, I waited for this a long time”, Filipe replied while he ripped off the wrapping, then he bent down again. “I’ll do this for you.”

Dan was tomato red by now. “Eh…okay…” He had to think of Lorelai’s dildos again, and of cucumbers and bananas while Filipe was putting the condom on him, and then on himself.

“No worry, it won’t hurt, little Daniel”, Filipe said with a smile, then his lips were on Dan’s again while his hand wandered further down.

6Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 16th October 2013, 21:26

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Jo and Jane were sitting in the shade by the pool while Liam was with Jill in the pool. Jill was just wearing her water wings while Liam showed her how to move her little arms and legs to swim through the water.

“Mommy I don’t want to swim.” Jane was wearing over her bathing suit a terry toweling dress. Jo looked up from her book.

“Munchkin we never make you go swimming. At some point I would like you to learn swimming but I will not force you until you are ready. Maybe you and me can go in the shallow water?” Jo suggested.

“No thank you. Can I have some more juice please?” Jane was shivering and Jo worried that she might be cold, but it quickly stopped and her dress was quite a thick fabric.

“Sure.”

“Hey.” Liam came all wet over and gave Jo a kiss.

“Ew you are cold.” Jo kissed him back.

“You want to join us in the pool it is really nice?” Liam brushed some loose hair out of Jo’s face. Her hair was getting long again.

“I’m not sure Jane just said she doesn’t want to go in the water and I don’t want to leave her alone.” Jo looked at Liam she didn’t like choosing between him and their daughters.

“Okay, maybe later.” Liam kissed her again, ran back to Jill and jumped in the pool that his youngest daughter started giggling.

“I think you should join your husband while Jane and I have some juice and I get some strawberries.” Lorelai grinned.

“Lor what are you doing here?” Jo jumped up and hugged her cousin tightly.

“Well John is away and Edward is with Graham in London so Henry and I were bored.”

“Where is Dan?” Jo looked curious at Lorelai.

“Dan is with his boyfriend but we are not supposed to know about him and they are doing stuff in the barn, I think. So Mutti and I came to visit you. Auntie Josey can Jane and I play?” Henry looked at Jo so innocent at cute it was impossible to say no to this boy.

“Sure just make sure Jane doesn’t get upset okay?”

“Okay.” Henry took Jane’s hand and together they went off.

“So now you go and play with Jill and Liam while I make sure Henry does not cover our little miss clean with dirt.” Lorelai laughed pushed Jo to the pool and lay down in the sun having a close eye on her son. Jo sat down at the side of the pool.

“Mummy!” Jill squeaked and sort of swam to her.

“You are getting really good.” Jo smiled proud at her little daughter. It took Liam just a few strong stroke to be at her side.

“Hey Beautiful.” Very gentle and slowly he lifted Jo down into the water, making sure she didn’t get any splashes in her face and that he held her close to make her feel safe. “Jill do you remember what I told you when mummy is swimming with us?”
Jill looked very serious when she nodded. “No splashing mummy doesn’t like that.”

Jo smiled and first kissed Liam and then Jill. “So what are we doing now that we are in the pool?”

“We are swimming lanes.” Jill said in her two year old matter-of-factly voice and off the little girl went down the lane. Liam chuckled and looked at his wife. “You okay with that?”

“Sure I will slowly follow you to, while I stay close to the side.” Jo smiled a little nervous, as she always was when she planned to swim.

“You will do fine.” Liam kissed her again. “I’m here and not let anything happen to you.”

Jo nodded and slowly followed Jill, while Liam was swimming back and forth between his daughter and wife. “Where are Edward, Dan and John?”

A couple of times Jo tried to answer but every time she opened her mouth water got into it and she started coughing.

“Daddy!” Jill squeaked sounding worried.

“I’ve got it Cupcake.” Liam quickly was at Jo’s side and helped her to stay above water. “Try breathing calmly.” Liam said very calm while he easily held Jo above water even with Jill hanging on his shoulder. It took Jo just a few breaths until Jo was breathing again. “I’m okay.”

“I know you are.” Liam easily swam to the edge of the pool while Jill and Jo were hanging on to him.

“Hey Fuechschen what are you doing to my Josey?” Lorelai said playfully accusing to him.

“We were just swimming and she got a little scare. Hey Jill your lips are getting blue I think it is time that we get out and warm up a little bit.”

“Do I have to daddy?”

“Yep, you do.” Liam lifted Jill out of the pool and the little girl went to Lorelai to get wrapped in a towel and given strawberries.
Liam and Jo were still in the water. “Are you cold?”

“No I’m okay.” Jo smiled. “Lor said John is working, Edward is with your dad in London and Dan is with his boyfriend.”

Liam looked at Jo while he was safely holding Jo at the side of the pool.

“What?”

“I’m just noticing again how beautiful you are.” Liam looked very much in love at Jo and kissed her.

“Liam the girls are here.” Jo giggled nervous when she felt Liam’s excitement in his swim trunks. He wasn’t wearing his tight swimming pants but his fun boxer shorts he was wearing when he was playing in the pool. Liam laughed kissed her one more time and then lifted her out of the pool.

“You know what Fuechschen you look a lot stronger than you did a few years ago.” Lorelai handed Jane some strawberries while she looked at Liam and checked him out of course noticing what was going on in his pants. “Still not having that under control, just because you see your pretty wife in her bathing suit. Really?”

7Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 18th October 2013, 16:14

MissAusten

MissAusten

Liam pretended he had no idea what Lorelai was talking about. “I don’t what you mean. I have everything in control.” Of course he added a little sarcasm to his reply.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. “You’re still a horny teenager, that’s what you are, Füchschen”, she said teasingly.

Liam was about to say something cynical as well when his younger daughter walked to him and looked curiously from Lorelai to her daddy.
“What’s horny, Daddy?”

“Nothing, honey!”, Jo quickly answered before Liam would try to find an explanation. “Oh look, there’s a little birdy!” She pointed to the bird to distract her daughter, which worked out well since Jill got easily distracted from little things.
The entire afternoon went by nicely, the girls and Henry had a lot of fun while the parents enjoyed watching them.

For dinner, Lorelai and Henry headed back home because dinner was already important in the von Gruensee house and everyone was expected to be there. Graham brought back Edward safely and on time, only John couldn’t come tonight because he was gone until the next day. While Henry and Edward were setting the table, their big brother finally came in, looking all flushed.

“Look who decided to grace us with his presence”, Lorelai said as she walked into the dinner room.

Dan just smiled a bit awkwardly but avoided looking at her. He knew that she would know immediately if he looked at her now, so instead he took the plates from Henry to look busy. He hadn’t even fixed his shirt and didn’t notice how messy his hair was.

“Did you have a nice day?”, Lorelai asked when they all sat down. She decided not to run after him but she rather expected him to go to her and talk to her, but she couldn’t resist asking.

Dan stared at his plate. “Yes…”

“You’re got hay in your hair.” Henry stretched his arm and picked the hay out of his brother’s hair.

“Oh. Didn’t notice…” Dan didn’t want to blush, but he did it anyway. He still didn’t dare to look at Lorelai, he didn’t even look at Henry because Henry would only ask him questions how that hay got into his hair and why his hair was so messy and why he was blushing like crazy, so he turned to the one person at the table that didn’t make him uncomfortable right now.

“How was London, Edward? Did you have fun with Graham?”

The young boy nodded, politely ignoring Dan’s messy hair. “I did. We played for hours, and he let me use the violin and I was even allowed to practice a bit with the cello.”

“Seems like everyone here had quite a fun day today…”, Lorelai said, still a certain undertone in her voice, but she decided to let Dan off the hook tonight and wait until he would come to her, although she was dying of curiosity.

It took indeed three days until Dan finally came forward. She was sitting in her office, going over some paperwork when he knocked on the door and entered a bit hesitatingly.
“Ehm…are you busy?”

She looked up from the papers. “I just have to look over a few things, but I can take a break.”

“I don’t want to interrupt you.”

“No, no, you’re not interrupting me.” She smiled encouragingly at him and he sat down across from her, his hands on his knees, sitting a bit awkwardly in the big chair. She was waiting for him to say anything, but he just let his eyes wander through the office until she cleared her throat.
“Did you just want to join me with the paperwork or is there anything else?”, she asked with raised eyebrows.

“Oh…ehm…sorry.” Dan took a deep breath and looked at his mother now. “Eh…you know there is this boy, right? The one I like…”

“I believe so.”

“I…ehm…we got…eh…kind of close the other day. Like, really close.”

Lorelai looked gently at him, without any hint of judgement. She was just glad that Dan finally came out of his shell and became a normal teenager.

“Well, it kind of happened. It’s not like I planned it or anything. I really, really like him and I’ve never been so close with someone and it was…it was really nice to be so close to someone, I’ve never felt like this.”

A gentle smile crossed Lorelai’s lips. “I’m glad you feel that way and I’m glad to see you grow. Don’t take it personally when I ask, but did you remember what I said and use protection?”

Her son nodded. “Yes, I did. We both did.”

“Good. I’m glad you listened to me and took it seriously, because it is a serious matter.” She paused for a moment. “Dan?”

“Hm?”

“Did he hurt you in any way? I’m sorry I’m asking this, but you’re my son, and I want to make sure that you’re okay and nobody is using you and-“

“Oh no.” Dan shook his head. “He wasn’t using me, and he didn’t force anything. I…I wanted this too…” He felt a bit embarrassed to admit it, he had to think of his violent father who would have beaten him up so hard if he knew about this. He would have probably killed him, and now Dan was admitting that he wanted to be with a boy like that and nobody judged him. “And he didn’t hurt me. It was a bit weird at first because I was…well, I’m new to all of…this…but he didn’t hurt me, no.”

Lorelai nodded quietly. “Good. It shouldn’t hurt, it should be something that brings you and your friend very close and something you can enjoy, so as soon as you think he hurts you it is wrong. And never do something you feel forced to just because you think he might like you more, do you hear me?”

Dan nodded. “Yes, Mutti.”

Lorelai leaned back in her seat. “I can’t believe how fast you developed and grew in this past year… My little boy all grown up...”

He smiled shyly. “Well, I’m still now grown when it comes to height.”

She let out a laugh. “That’s alright. Sometimes the biggest surprises come in small packages, and you, young man, are truly a surprise. And I thank you very much for your honesty, I appreciate that.”

“You already knew, didn’t you?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Honey, I know everything that’s going on here. I’m the boss, and the boss knows it all.”

Dan laughed quietly. “I guess.”

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry that you get knocked up.” She winked playfully at him.

8Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 19th October 2013, 21:40

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Ricky was so nervous. He had told Alfie to be home on time for dinner and of course he wasn't here yet. Their guest would be here in an hour.

"Hello? Is Alfie still there?" Ricky knew that Alfie did not like when he called his office but right now he was desperate.

"I'm sorry Sir Mr Jackson has left a while ago. He said he has dinner plans. Would you like to leave a message, Sir?" The older sounding receptionist said friendly.

"No never mind, but thanks anyway." Ricky mumbled and hung up. "Where are you?"

Ricky was in the kitchen checking his roast again, it still had some time to cook about an hour and a half so perfect for the dinner party if Alfie would just come. Ricky polished the silver again and checked that all plates where in place. After some more waiting and pacing he suddenly heard Alfie's key in the door.

"Whoa I wasn't gone that long. I mean it is awesome that you miss me but you might want to greet me with out trousers you know so that we can do it right away in the corridor." Alfie grinned and kissed Ricky who had jumped him happy.

"What? No. You do remember the dinner plans I had for tonight, right?" Ricky stepped a little back to look at his boyfriend.

"Dinner? You always have plans for dinner. But yes I remember that you mentioned something about a guest you can't tell me who it is. So I assume it is someone I do not want to see. So you can have your dinner while I'm in the living room watching porn."

"No I need you. I made a beef roast, with grilled potatoes and vegetables. Come on your favourite." Ricky looked with those big eyes at his boyfriend.

"Seriously? This look?" Alfie looked annoyed and poured himself a glass of whiskey, but couldn't hide that he really liked what he smelled.

"Okay how about when our guest is gone you stick you package anywhere." Ricky looked cheekey at his boyfriend who suddenly looked interested. "And... We can us... Um the one special ring you like so much." Ricky felt always uncomfortable when thinking about the toys Alfie had in the bedroom for them.

"My really?" Alfie grinned widely and not surprisingly something went up in his trousers. "Maybe I can get a little taster before our mysterious guest comes?"

"Alfie we are still in the corridor." Ricky blushed deeply.

"I know that makes it even better." Alfie unbuckled Ricky's belt and looked happy at his boyfriend. This weird hidden smiled played around his lips. "Oh dear, I guess I have to help your little guy a little." Alfie mumbled and crouched down his own trouser now open and showing himself fully up. As always he was very gentle when he put his hands on his boy. It didn't take long until Ricky's knees turned into jell-o and he had to sit down on the small bench in the corridor.

"Alfie, please. I mean we are in the corridor. Oh dear this... you... oh Alfie this feels good." Ricky blushed shy when he realized that he has told his boyfriend that he liked what he did.

"Oh you like that?" Alfie of course knew how to touch Ricky that the young boy would like it. And because Ricky enjoyed what he did things for Alfie went well as well. Just when the door bell rang and the porter told then via phone that their guest was here Alfie was satisfied enough and left Ricky pull up his trousers and open the door.

"Hello Mr Scotty Sir. I'm glad you could make it. Did you find the house okay?" Ricky said while he guided their guest in and took the light coat Scotty was wearing. Alfie stared at Ricky and then at Scotty and back at Ricky.

What the fuck? Why would he invite this man to dinner? You don't know him like I do.

"Alfie did you hear what I said? We can do and sit down and  start dinner, salad is ready and for later I have the roast, it is nearly ready."

"Hello Alfie." Scotty said politely, a small smile played around his lips. He had missed saying this name. He did have a good reason why he came tonight. It might be the only time he would eat with Arthur's grandson and his companion. But he had to see, he had promised Arthur a very long time ago.

9Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 22nd October 2013, 10:29

MissAusten

MissAusten

This was certainly a surprise and Alfie wasn’t sure if it was a positive one. It wasn’t that he had anything particular against Scotty, he didn’t really know him that well, but the fact that the older man had been a good friend of his grandfather and had spent some time with Alfie when he was a little boy were all things that bothered Alfie. All those years he never had to face anyone who reminded him of his grandfather and if people tried to tell him stories of what they remembered of Arthur, he always went out of their way or tried to avoid them. But all those people have never been around Arthur as much as Scotty had, and Alfie knew that whatever Scotty did or said, he would remind him of his grandfather and bring back memories, which Alfie tried so hard to suppress in the farthest corner of his mind. Why the hell did Ricky have to become friends with someone who knew his grandfather so well? Alfie didn’t like that at all. He just didn’t want to face anyone who had so many memories of Arthur and of Alfie’s childhood. He didn’t want to remember, but seeing Scotty already brought back memories, which really annoyed Alfie.

“Hello”, Alfie replied a little cold. It wasn’t just that they had a guest over who happened to be his grandfather’s friend, no, Alfie generally didn’t like having guests over except Liam and James, and that was it. He didn’t want strangers snooping around in the only place where he felt safe, and where he knew his boy was safe, too. Besides, what did Scotty think about them living together? For the outside world, he was nothing more but a mentor to Ricky, but what kind of mentor lived together with his protégé? No doubt their living situation would raise questions in his grandfather’s friend… Alfie was a little annoyed at Ricky for being so careless and inviting a stranger into their home. What if Scotty told other people about them? As much as Alfie loved Ricky’s innocence, right now Ricky’s naivety really annoyed him. That was a careless behaviour of Ricky, inviting a stranger…

“Thank you very much for inviting me, I really appreciate it”, Scotty said, turning to Ricky now. He obviously sensed that Arthur’s grandson wasn’t quite as happy to see him here, but he tried not to look uncomfortable. After all, Ricky seemed really excited and Scotty didn’t want him to feel bad. He wasn’t quite sure how to interpret Ricky’s friendship with Alfie yet, he had to watch them first before he could make any judgment. The funny thing was, they seemed so unlike to be friends at all. Ricky was so different than the older boy, came from a completely different background and wasn’t moving in the same social circles as his friend, and yet those two seemed to have a close friendship. Obviously Scotty was polite and didn’t ask any weird questions yet, but as they sat down at the dinner table and Ricky served the salads, the old man wondered what it was exactly that those two connected.
Scotty smiled friendly at Ricky. “I have to say, I never met a young man who really likes to cook.”

“My mother taught me, and I always preferred being with her in the kitchen than getting my hands dirty outside”, Ricky admitted.

“And now you’re teaching at Oxford, right?”

Ricky nodded. “So the only time I get my hands dirty nowadays is with ink.”

“That does sound nice, especially when you do something you really like and you go to work every day and look forward to it. To this day I don’t regret that I went against my father and went to university.”

“I think you really would have missed out if you hadn’t gone to university. Imagine how much you would have missed if you had worked in your father’s blacksmith shop instead.”

“I know.” Scotty nodded in agreement.

“That’s the thing about family businesses”, Alfie said cynically after just staring at his plate for the past minutes. “You can’t get out, you’re stuck there for the rest of your life.”

“Well, I did get out eventually”, Scotty said, trying to choose his words carefully.

“That’s the difference between the classes. If you’re in a family business of a, let’s say, higher position, you can’t just eventually get out of it”, Alfie replied without the slightest emotion on his face.

Ricky raised an eyebrow at him, signalling him not to be so impolite, but Alfie stared at his plate again, not saying anything further. There was an awkward silence for a moment, then Ricky turned to Scotty, ignoring his boyfriend’s grumpy face.
“Alfie works for the Penguin House in the publishing department.”

Scotty looked surprised, but clearly in the positive sense. “Really?”

“Yes, and he-“

“I don’t think your guest wants to know this”, Alfie interrupted him without looking up.

Ricky bit his lip, not understanding why Alfie was acting so rude, but Scotty looked almost gentle at Alfie.
“Quite the contrary. It’s really nice to hear that you’re doing this. I do recall you loved to read, you were always buried behind books.”

Alfie didn’t say anything, and he still didn’t look up either.

Scotty looked quietly at him for a moment, searching for any signs of the little bookworm with the rosy cheeks he once knew, Arthur’s special one… but there was so much harshness in Alfie’s face that Scotty thought to himself it was best to just give up searching for something that didn’t exist anymore.
“Arthur would have loved to see this, to see that you went for something you care about despite that family business you’re referring to…”

For the first time in what felt like ages, Alfie finally looked up and his eyes met Scotty’s. The same eyes that reminded Scotty so much of Arthur. And in that moment, that very brief moment when he looked up, that harshness was gone and Scotty believed to see something there, something that told him not to give up on Arthur’s little boy yet, but the coldness in Alfie’s eyes returned very soon afterwards.

“I doubt that”, Alfie said, his voice sounding harsh again. “I doubt he would have wanted to see any of this.”
Though he didn’t really say what he meant by ‘this’, Scotty knew that he was referring to himself. Alfie was glad that his grandfather didn’t have to see what he had become.
Scotty lowered his glance now and Ricky could tell that he looked sad somehow, which made Ricky feel bad because he didn’t want any guest of his feel sad, so he decided he quickly had to come up with a different topic.

“Ehm…Scotty…you’re still teaching some students a Waterfall Downs lacrosse, right? I just thought…eh…that’s really great. I mean, that you keep yourself fit and still do sports at that age. Not that you’re old, that’s not what I meant, I just…ehm…think it’s very impressive.” Ricky smiled politely at the older man, trying hard not to show how upset he was that Alfie was making this so difficult. All Ricky did was invite a really nice and caring man who didn’t have any family, and he wanted to do something nice for him, but his boyfriend made it really difficult for him.



10Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 25th October 2013, 20:41

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Alfie wanted this man to leave, he didn’t want to go down memory lane.

“I hope the salad was okay, I’ve got some soup. I’ll be right back.” Ricky mumbled. He sounded very upset and Alfie knew that.

“It is a shame that your grandfather died, I miss him you know.” Scotty mumbled he wasn’t surprised that Alfie got up and walked out of the room angry.

“This bloody idiot! What the hell do you think to bring him here!” Alfie said harshly as he stormed into the kitchen. But Ricky’s hurt face made him take a deep breath and swallow his hate for the older man in the living room, well no not hate but he really didn’t like how much he reminded him of his grandfather. “Look, just don’t invite old men like him.” Alfie tried not to sound harsh.

“I just thought it would be nice for Scotty, he is all alone and…” Ricky mumbled while he poured the soup in the three bowls.

Alfie sighed deeply. “Come here.” His voice was gentle when he took the ladle out of Ricky’s hand and pulled him into a hug. “I just don’t like him here. I don’t want to talk about my grandfather and you know that. And you don’t push me but this… this man does. I understand that you wanted to give the old man a nice evening. I’m just saying next time just take him for lunch and leave me out of this. I don’t want to upset you and you know that, but you kept it a secret who your guest was because you knew I would not have come home. I don’t want to hurt you but, I will not join you for the rest of the meal. I can’t.” Alfie kissed Ricky gentle on top of his head. “But you have a wonderful time with this man, just don’t do anything I would do.”

“Alfie I can ask him to leave.” Ricky suggested quietly.

“No that would be something I do and I don’t want you to act like me. Have your dinner and safe some for me. I’ll eat it later okay?” Alfie looked at his boyfriend and was glad that he seemed still a little upset but less hysterical. “You are a good person Ricky, a really good one and I don’t want you to stop being good.” Alfie kissed him once more and then went upstairs into their bedroom, he would watch some boring TV and wait for Ricky. Neither of them had noticed that Scotty had followed Alfie out of the living room down the corridor to the kitchen and was about to walk in to tell them that he can just leave if he is unwelcome, but something stopped him and it was not just the reflection on the fridge of Alfie holding Ricky close -very close not at all like a mentor would hold his student-.

11Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 28th October 2013, 19:14

MissAusten

MissAusten

Scotty froze when he saw the reflection of the two young men. The way Alfie kissed Ricky gently on the forehead, and the way he talked to him… this wasn’t the Alfred Jackson everyone knew. He was a completely different person, right there, with this younger boy. All the harshness and coldness that had become part of him since his grandfather died, they were completely gone and replaced by kindness and gentleness, and he suddenly looked so much like Arthur. Before, Scotty had only seen Arthur’s eyes in Alfie’s face, but his harshness was always hiding all the other similarities he had in common with his grandfather. Apart from the fact that he liked men, obviously. This was not a platonic mentor-student relationship, this was so much deeper. Scotty already guessed that Ricky was interested in men, it wasn’t that hard to assume. But Alfie… Scotty would have never thought that, not in a million years. Since the age of nine, when he lost his grandfather and was stuck with his horrible, loveless family, Scotty assumed that Alfie would become just like them, even though he had a really hard time giving up on the young boy, especially since Arthur asked him to watch out for Alfie in case Arthur wouldn’t be there anymore to do that. Though Scotty could never get a hold of Alfie since his grandfather died, he saw how the little boy he once knew, this insanely smart, bright, attentive boy, became cold-hearted, distant, sarcastic, and awfully similar to the rest of the Jacksons. Despite the promise he gave Arthur, Scotty had given up on Alfie because he knew that Arthur’s ‘special one’ was long gone and would never return. He had given up on him…until now. Until he saw the way he was with Ricky. Until, for the very first time in years, Scotty saw a gentleness in Alfie that reminded him so much of Arthur.
Scotty almost forgot about everything around him when he realised that Alfie was about to come out of the kitchen, so he quickly went back to the living room. A brief moment later, Ricky came back with the soup.

“I’m sorry”, he said, trying to force a smile. “Alfie had…he had something coming up, so I guess it’s only going to be the two of us.”

Scotty was standing and didn’t join Ricky at the table. “I think I should be going”, he said quietly.

“What? No…no, please sit down. Alfie is busy, but we can still-“

A gentle smile crossed Scotty’s freckled face. “I may be old, but my senses are still very intact, and I can sense that I’m not welcome. I know it’s not you, but I think it would be best if I just leave. I never meant to invade anyone’s privacy here-“

“No, you’re not doing that at all. Really.”

Scotty still smiled at him. “You and I both know that someone really isn’t happy about me being here, and I promise you, I’m not taking it personally. I really appreciate all that effort you put into this evening, but I think it will be a lot easier for everyone if I just leave.”

Ricky looked disappointed, he couldn’t hide that, but he could also see that Scotty felt uncomfortable since Alfie had acted quite rude towards him and made him very clear that he didn’t want to see him, so Ricky could understand why Scotty didn’t want to stay here any longer.
Ricky sighed quietly and got up to walk Scotty to the door. He handed the older man his coat, who thanked him politely, then they stepped into the hallway, where Ricky closed the door behind them.

“I’m so, so sorry”, Ricky said.

“Don’t be. It was really nice of you to invite me, you’re a very nice young man, one from the special kind, I can tell.”

Ricky blushed. “There’s nothing special about me, really.”

The older man scrutinised him gently. “Oh, there is. You know, if I would have been your age right now, I would have loved to spend time with you.”

Ricky chuckled. “Thanks.”

“I don’t mean anything weird by that, just…I think everyone who has you as friend can be really, really grateful.”

Ricky was still blushing but he didn’t look uncomfortable anymore. “So, maybe we can repeat this. I mean, we could have lunch some time, just…well…”

“Without Alfie.”

Ricky nodded. “I’m afraid yes. I’m sorry he was so rude toward you, he just-“

“Didn’t want to be reminded of his grandfather”, Scotty finished calmly. “I get that, believe me. I know how he feels, and I don’t blame him a bit. After all those years I still have moments now and then when I don’t want to be reminded of him either, not because I want to forget, just because…because it is really hard, losing your best friend, you know? You feel like…you feel…” He paused for a moment, trying to control his voice to stay calm, but it was a bit trembling. “You feel like a part of you died.”

Ricky looked sad at Scotty. “I’m so sorry”, he said quietly.

Scotty shook his head and managed to smile. “That’s okay. I just want to make sure you know that I appreciated your effort tonight and I don’t take Alfie’s reaction personally. And after today I’m so much more relieved, you know?”

“Why is that?”

“Because I found out that Alfie does something he loves. He’s not in politics and he didn’t become his father after all. I remember that one time when he was about six years old… I asked him what he wanted to be when he would be grown, and he simply said ‘not my father.’ That’s all he said. And after tonight I know that he really did become what he wanted to.”

Ricky still looked insanely sad, he had that super sad baby penguin face, he was just so emotional. “You really care about him…” It was less a question and more a statement.

Scotty didn’t answer immediately, then he looked at the young man. “How could I not?”

Now Ricky felt especially bad for how Alfie had behaved this evening.

“Anyway, I’ll be out of your way now. Enjoy the rest of the evening.” Scotty looked friendly at him.

“You too.” Ricky tried to smile, he didn’t want to look sad in front of his guest. “So we’ll meet for lunch another time, right?”

“I’d love that.”

“Me too.”

Scotty was about to turn around when he stopped. “Can I ask you one more thing, Ricky? Maybe you don’t know it, but I thought you might.”

“Yes, sure, what do you want to know?”

“Does he still read The Great Gatsby now and then? Alfie, I mean. He…it was Arthur’s favourite, and Alfie loved it when his grandfather read it to him. But you probably don’t know if he’s still read-“

“All the time”, Ricky said with a gentle smile. “In fact, he read it when we first met. And probably a dozen times after that.”

“Good.” Scotty nodded with a smile, though for a tiny second it looked like he had tears in his eyes. “So there really is still hope…”

Ricky was about to ask what he meant, but the older man already turned around and walked down the stairs.

12Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 29th October 2013, 14:46

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Alfie went upstairs into their bedroom. He took off his clothes and went in their Jacuzzi, he planned to watch some porn but the thought that his boyfriend was downstairs eating with another man was actually such a down tuner.

“Fuck!” Alfie leaned back and tried to relax in the hot water not that it actually worked. He kept picturing Ricky undressing the older man he was eating with.
To Alfie’s surprise barely ten minutes after he had left Ricky, his boyfriend popped his head into the bathroom door. “Hey you are taking a bath? Are you feeling okay?”

Alfie looked at his boyfriend for several seconds before he answered. “I’m fine, what are you doing here don’t you have a guest?”

“Scotty left.” Ricky whispered while he closed the bathroom door and sat down on the step next to the Jacuzzi. “Alfie what are you doing here? You never take baths.”

Alfie looked at Ricky. “I don’t like it when you have dinner with other men. I know you have a thing for older men.”

“I do not.” Ricky looked appalled at Alfie, Alfie grinned and pulled him close enough to kiss him.

“Oh you do.”

“Alfie you make my suit wet.” Ricky giggled nervous.

“I know I hope that way you take it off.” Alfie started opening the buttons of Ricky’s shirt.

“Alfie… the bathtub?” Ricky was now breathing nervously as he always was when Alfie seduced him anywhere but the bedroom.

“Oh yes the bathtub, the warm water will make it fun and more intense.”

“Well I’m not sure I can handle more intense. I mean it was pretty intense in the hallway.”

“That was nothing boy.” Alfie grinned widely and pulled the still half dressed Ricky into the bathtub. A very shy Ricky though, something that turned on Alfie insanely much. He loved it when Ricky was all shy and didn’t know where to put his hands.

“Alfie you are spilling the water.” Ricky mumbled while Alfie fought to get off his trousers.

“Oh I will spill more than just some water.” Alfie was crazily aroused by the shyness and insecurity of Ricky.

While Alfie was sleeping with Ricky on the other side of Oxford Jo was in the in school kitchen with her two girls very excited. “Okay so we’ve got the cupcakes, and macaroons and you will make some small sandwiches tomorrow.”

“That is right Missis Jo. And I will also make the tea.” The cook smiled at the little girls, they were regular visitors in the kitchen just like the other children living at Waterfall Downs. It was policy that every child was welcome at any time in the kitchen if they are hungry and need a snack, healthy snacks. Jo has decided that all pupils and staff members are allowed to eat as much fruit and vegetable as they like. And many pupils came at least once a day to get a small snack and the twins often twice. They really like their fruit and vegetable. “I think it will all go well.”

“I know, it is the girls I worry they are so excited for their first tea party.” Jo looked at the little girls they were munching the fruit pieces the cook had given them. She knew how to arrange the fruit for Jane so that the little girl was happy and at the same time Missis Jo requested small amount of chaos in the pieces such as irregular seizes.

“Mommy please has rapberry?” Jill asked looked at her mother with a fruit dirty face.

“Munchkin you have raspberry.” Jo answered the last word slowly so her daughter could hear all letters in it.

“No-o to-orrow.” Jill said determined.

“Oh I see. Tomorrow, yes you may get some raspberries. Do you want cream too?” Jo looked at her daughter.

“Tha is fit, wery vell.” Jill nodded agreeable at her mother; Jo bit her lip to not start laughing.

“It does fit, very well.” Jo always repeated what her daughters said to make sure they hear how to say it properly. She never worried that Jane started to develop an Irish accent -well and sometimes when she spend the day with James who often had spends days with them during the summer- an Scottish accent.

“O-ay. C-eam is it.” Jill often forgot some letters in words even though she was the one speaking more than Jane. Jane only spoke when it was important and often spoke through her sister. Jill spoke like a little waterfall.

“Jo, the ground’s taker said he put up the parasol for the girls garden party.” Ellen came in followed by Gracie. The little girl ran quickly to the twins. In the beginning Jo had worried how the twins would take Gracie’s differences but the twins never cared. They just accepted her and to Jo’s surprise Jane liked the asymmetry of Gracie’s face. But all in all it was hard not to like Gracie.

“Thank you Ellen. I think that means everything is prepared.” Jo looked at the list and it looked like it. Jo knew that Liam was laughing about the thoroughness Jo was planning the first garden tea party of their two year old daughters, but Jo remember her tea parties especially the ones she had real guests often Lorelai or later Graham but mostly she had tea parties by herself or with some stuffed animals. For Jo it was important that the girls’ would have a pleasant time so she would take a little silliness about the preparation.

“Missis Jo may I ask you a question?” The cook looked at Jo.

“Of course you can ask any question.” Jo smiled warmly at the older woman. The cook was at Waterfall downs since Jo could remember, to be precise Lord Colin hired her because she had the reputation to be a wonderful cook for children and Colin wanted a cook that was cooking for his precious daughter. Lady Elizabeth never noticed that Jo even one dinner’s they all ate together got a separate prepared meal, something suitable and tasteful for a child. And Jo was glad that the cook that always knew what she liked would stay and cook for the pupils at Waterfall Downs Academy.

“Did you prepare dinner? The wee misses seem hungry.” The women had a lovely Yorkshire accent, Jo knew that it was just a matter of times that Jane would start trying out this accent. But back to the cooks question, Jo went pale all the sudden.

“Oh dear I prepared it all and meant to put on the oven two hours ago so that the chicken is roasted but I forgot.” Jo looked so shocked at the cook and Ellen that both older women started laughing.

“There is plenty, you all will eat here. I not let you have a cold dinner. The teachers are in need of the twins. They are getting way to serious during dinner.” The cook said still laughing. “It is just lamb stew and bread I hope that is all right with you ma’am.”

“It certainly is, Liam likes stews it reminds him of home. He doesn’t admit that but he likes simple food that remind him of Ireland.”

“I did not know that. I will look into the Irish kitchen. Lassies it is time to finish the last bits of your fruit and then go play it is dinner soon.” The cook ushered the little girls out into the garden so they would get some more fresh air and exercise.

“I’m such a bad wife I forgot to make dinner.” Jo moaned and sat down. Ellen still laughed and hugged her.

“You are just too cute.” Ellen kissed Jo motherly on the top of her head.

“I better go and tell Liam that we do not eat upstairs but with you.”

“Liam will not mind.” Ellen said smiling.

Jo got up and went to find Liam, as expect he was in his lab. The red light indicating that he was doing something slightly unsafe. Jo knocked and waited for Liam to open the door. Now that the twins were walking and running around in the house often not with an adult but one of the pupils as babysitter and they not always remember what the red light outside the lab door so it was now also locked at least from the outside.

“Oh Jo I thought you are talking to the cook about tomorrow’s event. I do hope that Dick really comes.” Liam said as he opened the door and kissed his wife.

“It is all ready. Liam I’m so sorry I forgot about dinner, so we have to eat downstairs with the teachers. It’s lamb stew with fresh bread. I hope you don’t mind?” Jo took Liam’s hand and looked at him. She loves it when he came out of his lab, he smelled of chemicals and mechanical oil and he looked like the smarty-pants-scientist he was.

13Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 31st October 2013, 11:14

MissAusten

MissAusten

Liam took off his lab coat and smiled at his wife. “No, that’s fine. As you know, I’m not a picky eater and I like stew anyway.”

“I figured. But I still feel like a bad housewife.”

“First of all, you’re not a housewife. A mother, yes, but not a housewife. Do I need to remind you that you run an entire school?”

Jo smiled shyly. “I know, but-“

“And secondly”, Liam continued while putting an arm around her as they walked to the dining room. “I grew up with a mother who was absolutely hopeless when it came to cooking, so I’m really used to the worst case scenario, including inedible food and very often huge clouds of smoke coming from the kitchen. So you can try as hard as you want, you will never get me to say that you’re a bad housewife.” He winked at her playfully. “Got it?”

“Got it. But I still-“

Liam sighed and shook his head. “No but.”

“But-“

“No.”

“Liam-“

“No.”

Now Jo sighed. “Okay.”

Liam chuckled. “You have a really hard time accepting compliments.”

“Well-“

“Jo”, he interrupted her calmly.

“I know. I shouldn’t always try to find something negative about me.”

“That’s my girl.” He kissed her on the top of her head, then they entered the dining room, which was already full with teachers and students. They saw Jill sitting between Ellen and Gracie, while Jane sat next to James, who was at the same table as the other three ladies.
While the two adults were talking, Jill and Gracie were playing with their napkins, and Jane was just staring at James quietly the entire time. Ellen noticed how the little girl was staring at James and couldn’t hold back a grin.

“I think you are the most fascinating person in the world”, Ellen said.

James looked a bit confused for a moment. “Ehm…sorry?”

Ellen nodded towards Jane, and then James looked down and noticed that the little girl was staring at him.
“Oh, I see”, he laughed. “She does that all the time, staring at things. She’s quite a good observer, this little lassie.”

Jane realised that they were talking about her and stared at her lap. James gently put his arm around the little girl and pulled her a bit closer.
“That’s a good thing, you know?”

Jane looked up again.

“I mean, that you look at the world so closely. You see so much that other people don’t see.”

She still didn’t say anything.

James chuckled and turned his head to Ellen. “My God, I just love her. I mean, look at her.” He turned his head to Jane. “She is definitely the most fascinating little girl.”

Jane shook her head.

“No? You don’t think you’re fascinating?”

She shook her head again.

“You know what, Jane? You are so cute, you are actually killing me.”

Jane’s blue eyes widened. “No! Not killing!”

“Oh no, that’s not what I meant”, James said quickly. “I meant that you are really, really cute.”

Jane was obviously too embarrassed to say anything, so her confident sister answered in her place. Well, she more or less shouted across the table. “Janey likes you too!”
Everyone laughed except Jane, who wanted to throw something at her sister, but was too polite to do that. At that moment her parents showed up next to their table and sat down on the available seats next to them.

“What’s so funny?”, Jo asked.

“Jill’s big blabbermouth”, Ellen said while tousling Jill’s hair.

Jill just grinned cheekily at everyone, being the centre of attention again, like so many times. Well, Jane was glad that Jill got the attention, Jane didn’t like when everyone was staring at her or talking about her. So while Jill was talking to the others, having always so much to tell, Jane moved closer to James, her head almost leaning against him. She was happy and felt safe next to him, though he was not Daddy of course, and nobody would make her feel as safe as Daddy did, but still, she really liked being close to her favourite Scotsman.

14Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 2nd November 2013, 12:59

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

At the moment only a few pupils were back the new term yet. There were another two and a half weeks until the official returning weekend, so nearly three weeks until the big Welcome-back-to-school-dinner.  So for now this lunch was just smaller but still very nice. The cook has given Jane a separate plate all her food was separated from each other and she still had the same stew as everyone else. Her dad was sitting on her other side so she was sitting between her two favourite men on the whole wide world and mommy was there too.

“Mommy?”

“Yes Jane?” Jo moved a little forward to see her daughter better, Ellen who had been talking to her understood that she turned her attention to Jane.

“Look. Carrot.” Jane spoke always very slowly and carefully to make sure she pronounced the words right.

“That’s right see we all have carrots in our stews. Jane I would like you to have some gravy.” Jo looked at her little daughter, it took several moments until she very slowly nodded. “Good girl, only a little bit and you can pick where it goes.”

It took another long while until she pointed at her carrots. Liam kissed his little girl on the top of her head and poured just a small ladle of gravy from the stew pots on her carrots. Jo and Ellen watched Jane go pale and her breathing increased. Liam saw it too, he looked at Jo and for a moment he saw the same panic in his wives eyes as in daughters, he kissed Jo encouraging on the cheek. “I know, she needs her little bit of chaos it is just hard to see her like this.” Jo whispered.

Jane poked the small cut carrots on her Minnie Mouse fork and very slowly ate the carrots that had a few drops of gravy on them. Liam kissed her girl again and whispered. “Mo Banphrionsa beag daor, tá tú den sórt sin a cailín maith. ” Jane smiled shy.

James didn’t intervene during this summer and the many meals he was invited upstairs to the O’Dohertys he has learned that in those moments it was not him who should say something. As much as Jane adored him, it was at the moment not many people that could bring planned small bits of chaos into her life and for the moment he was not one of them.

“So Jill is everything ready for your tea?” James looked at the little girl next to Gracie. Jill looked up and nodded grinned widely.

“Oh yes, we got cupcakes. Little wee ones. Cupcakes like me, but they have icing.” Jill looked at her empty bowl. “Mommy? I was running. Me more stew?”

“Of course Munchkin.” Jo answered quickly.


Later that evening after both girls had their baths and where now in their beds. Liam was with Jill, reading her a story while Jo was in Jane’s room, she had just finished sing to her.

“Mommy I like black birdy song.” Jane said sleepy.

“I’m glad you like it. One day you will understand what an important message it carries. Shall we pray?” Jo brushed the hair out of Jane’s face. Since the day well unfortunately she could never be sure if she did before but she sung it since the day she had broken her postpartum depression. As she had promised Liam she was not overdoing her teachings of Christianity for the girls and a prayer at night.

“Yes please. The little one?” Jane whispered.

“Certainly. Are you ready?”

Jane nodded eager and together with her mother while holding hands they prayed. “I am little, my heart is pure, that no one is living in it, then Christ alone. Amen. Sleep well my dear little Munchkin, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I love you mommy.” Jane lifted her head and kissed Jo.

“I love you too, so much!”

On the way out in the corridor Jo ran into Liam they shared a quick kiss and went into the other twins’ bedroom.

“Hello Munchkin, how was the story daddy read to you?” Jo whispered when she sat down on her daughter’s bed. The girls had gotten this summer their bit girl beds. No bars anymore. Jane was the first few nights very scared to fall out of the bed but she got over this and Jill loved the freedom she developed the habit that she went to toilet around eleven at night she managed to do it on her own because she used the potty and knew mommy or daddy would clean it afterwards.

“Oh yes! About a nasty fairy.” Jill grinned.

“That is good.”

“Mommy sing the birdy song?”

“Sure.” Jill listened closely while her mom sung the song that that meant so much to her, when she was finished she looked at her little girl. “Did you have a good day?”

“Uh-huh. Mommy, mommy, mommy.”

“Yes Munchkin.”

“Mommy are Grumpy Uncle coming? Yesterday?”

“Yes Uncle Dick is coming, tomorrow.” Jo emphasised the little mistakes Jill made.

“Good, he has cupcakes to eat.” Jill giggled by the thought of the cupcakes and the whole party tomorrow.

“Good. But now you need to try to sleep okay. Or you fall asleep during your tea. Do you want to pray?”

“Yes. The big one. Ready?” Jill was very eager. Jo smiled kissed her younger daughter and then started to say the prayer with her along. “I am tired, now I rest, close my little eyes; Lord, let your eyes be on my bed! If I have done wrong today, see it not, beloved God! Your mercy and Jesus’ blood forgive all sins. Amen.

“… and God please watch Grumpy Uncle. I love him. Amen.” Jill finished the prayer. Jo looked at her little daughter.

“My little Munchkin, you are a really wonderful person. Never change!”

“I promise, mommy. I love you.” Jill hugged her mother tightly and Jo hugged her daughter back.

“I love you so much too, Munchkin. Are you all set for bed?”

“Yup, can I go to toilet later again?”

“Of course. Did you go just now?” Jo tugged her daughter in and got up.

“Yup. Did you go to toilet?” Jill asked looking serious at her mother. Jo laughed.

“Yes I did. Sleep well my little Munchkin.” Jo blew a kiss and then closed the door.

Liam was in the living room. “Is Jill sleeping?”

“Well you know her of course not but she looks like she is falling asleep. What about Jane?”

“Sound asleep.” Liam pulled Jo down on the couch. “Dick knows he has to come tomorrow.”

“Good. Jill is really looking forward to have him here.” Jo snuggled against Liam’s shoulder. “What are you watching?”

“It’s a documentary about volcanoes it is quite interesting but we can change the channel if you wanted to watch anything else.”

“No it’s fine. Just make sure you explain stuff I don’t understand.”

“I always do.” Liam kissed his wife. “Hey Jo I was thinking what if we make it a thing that during the week we eat lunch downstairs? I mean you and I are always down there and so are the girls and it would mean you can have different times of classes and not need to stress to have lunch on the table.”

Jo lifted her head and looked at Liam. “You don’t mind if we do?”

“No I don’t mind and I do not say that because I think you are a crappy housewife I just see that on some days you struggle and I don’t like that you get stressed out over a lunch. I spoke to the cook and she said she doesn’t mind having something separate for Jane to meet her needs and maybe it helps Jane to eat in such a large group to come on a more normal term with chaos.”

“Yes that sounds good. That would help me a lot. And when I can teach the hour before lunch I can have my last class earlier and easily make dinner with the girls. Oh and I spoke to the paediatrician he said he is very satisfied about Jane’s development. Even though he thinks in time of stress she will have a stronger outbreak of her OCD but at the moment she can leave things messy when she is relaxed and busy which is our goal. And He also mentioned that Jill does not seem to suffer under Jane’s OCD. He called back in the afternoon.”

“That is good. And I wanted to talk to you about one of my planned projects. I was thinking not too close to the house that it disturbs us but still close enough to build a windmill.”
“Um why?”

“We can use it to create electricity.”

“Really I thought windmills are to you know turn grains into flour.”

“Yes in the old days but you can attach the windmill to a generator and the wind power gets turned into energy. And I have to do some more calculating but I think we can save some money on our electricity bills. The only thing is the project is not cheap. I’m still working on an estimate but it is rather pricey.”

“But is saves us money on the long run?”

“Yes I think so.”

“Okay, do we as in the school have the money?”

“Oh shit. I forgot to tell you when I came back from the accountant today I meant to tell you the good news. We are making profit! The school is making profit and we can start doing fancy stuff, invite guest lecturer and pay them, proper have a drama club, and even better take one more pupil with a full scholarship. And we still have some money to put aside. We are running on full budget.”

“Oh thank the Lord, I mean… that is amazing. Yes build your windmill maybe we can make sure the art class can make it look pretty. This are clearly wonderful news.” Jo smiled at Liam. “Thank you?”

“For what?”

“For being my partner. It means the world to me that we can talk about money and school business and make decisions and that you explain me stuff that I understand it.”

“Oh sure thing, that is why we have two headmasters at Waterfall Downs Academy. To make good and thoughtful decisions.”

“I know.” They turned their attention back to the documentary.
Jill went as most night to the potty around eleven and without a word she went back to bed. Jo and Liam were watching from the living room door smiling about their little sleepy girl. “She is such a big girl.”

“Are you sad that she is growing up?” Liam was holding Jo tightly.

“No not a second, I love her as baby, and now as a toddler and I’m looking forward to the day when she starts school. I love to see what they learn every day. I want them to grow up.” Jo whispered as Jill closed her bedroom door.

As expected both girls were very exited the next morning. It looked a little cloudy so Jo decided that the girls will have their tea in the winter garden they could open all the windows and French doors and let in the air and light but still have a safe roof over their heads.
Jill was like a little bouncing ball until Dick finally arrived at two o’clock.

“Grumpy Uncle!” Jill squeaked, ran to him and grabbed his leg as tightly as her little arms could.

“Let go Red.” Dick mumbled sounding gruff. As always it made Jill giggle while Jane was holding Liam’s hand tightly. She liked Uncle Dick but at the same time he really scared her.

“Kid take it off me.” He grumbled.

“Oh Grumpy Uncle you so funny.” Jill giggled and snuggled closer into his leg. Jo was watching the scene from the distance. She loved Dick but she also shared Jane’s fear. Dick was a little scary but she would never forget how much he helped her after the kidnapping and when Liam had to go away.

“Hello Dick, it is good to see you. I’m sorry you missed the last summer festival.” Jo went closer and hugged Dick nearly as tightly as her daughter. “The girls did everything to make this afternoon tea special for you.” Jo smiled and Dick. Jane just waved to the older man.

“Get off Red!” Dick bent down and grabbed the back of her shirt and trousers and lifted her up. Jo watched closely to make sure the little one was fine. As expected Jill was giggling. “You funny Grumpy Uncle.”

15Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 9th November 2013, 13:56

MissAusten

MissAusten

As expected, Dick obviously didn’t share the excitement with the twins, but the important part was that he came. Jill liked playing with Grumpy Uncle, though he was not her beloved Fi, but still, she always loved having Dick here and hang on to his leg. Jane was a little more shy, she was glad to see him but she didn’t clasp onto his leg like her sister did.

“What is wrong with that child?”, Dick asked as he spotted Liam.

Liam grinned. “She just really likes you. You’re her godfather, after all.”

Dick mumbled something that nobody understood and then little Jane finally approached him and took his hand carefully. “Winter garden, Grumpy Uncle.”

Dick didn’t seem to mind that they called him Grumpy Uncle, or he just didn’t care. Well, it was probably the latter. He really couldn’t care less about that.

“Yes, winter garden!”, Jill squeaked excitedly while she pulled Dick’s hand. Her hand was obviously tiny compared to his, so she used both her hands to pull him with her. Dick didn’t seem particularly excited about whatever these girls had in mind for him, but he just followed them, especially since Jo and Liam were still watching. Liam wasn’t worried that Dick might scare the girls, he knew that his daughters loved him and he also knew that Dick would never do anything to hurt them. He was just…well…not that gifted in showing emotions, but Jill seemed to think that it was hilarious. The twins led him into the large winter garden to a not so large table. In fact, the table was actually a children’s table, it was long but quite low so that the girls could easily sit next to it and reach out for their food. The seats were definitely designed for children’s bottoms as well, but before Dick could protest, Jill pulled him to one of those tiny chairs and made him sit down. Although she was so little, she sure knew how to get what she wanted, she was quite a determined young lady.
“Sit!”, Jill said when she noticed that Dick was about to get up again. “You have tea!”

The older man just stared at her without any emotion on his face. Liam had a really hard time not to crack up when he saw Dick on that tiny chair next to that little table, looking so completely out of place that this whole picture should have been a postcard.

Meanwhile Jane sat down on her seat, put her napkin on her lap and looked up to Dick. “Uncle”, she said. “You want tea?” Unlike her sister she politely asked rather than shouting at him.

“No”, Dick replied dryly, but he got a weird side-glance from Liam and then he rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

“Grumpy Uncle, look!” Jill took her napkin and hid her face behind it. “Where am I?”

Dick just stared at her.

“Can you see?”

Still no answer. What the hell did this girl want from him? Didn’t she realise that she was just hiding behind a napkin and he knew that she was there?
Apparently Dick had not the slightest idea how the mind of a little child worked.

“You see me, Grumpy Uncle?”

“Yes”, he said dryly without looking at her.

“Where?”

“Where what?”

“Where am I?”

Dick rolled his eyes, refusing to play along, but he realised that if he wouldn’t give her an answer soon, she would keep asking him where she was hiding.
“In the trunk of my car with a sock in your mouth”, he said, and Jill started giggling again.

“No!”, she laughed and put her napkin down. “Here!”

Dick raised an eyebrow. “No kidding.”

She still thought he was the funniest person in the word.

“Uncle.” Jane pointed at his napkin.

“What?”

She pointed at her napkin now, which was on her lap. “You have to stay clean.”

Once again, he just stared at her. He didn’t know which one of those redheads was weirder.

“Can I interest you in some tea?”, Jo asked while she appeared next to Dick and her daughters.

Dick looked one last time at Liam, knowing what was expected of him, and mumbled a barely audible ‘thanks’, although he was very tempted to ask for something stronger so that he could get through this day.

16Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 10th November 2013, 19:17

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

“Mommy got special tea. It do not stop my sleep.” Jane said shy to Dick as she took the little milk jug and poured some milk into her tea and then added sugar.

“You need to spread your pinkie Grumpy Uncle. Like this.” Jill got up and pulled Dick’s little finger away from his cup. Dick looked angry at her, he didn’t want this bossy little creature to pull and push him all the time.

“Red! Piss off!” He growled sounding very much like an angry old dog before he bites, but again to his surprise Jill giggled and hoped back on her seat.

“Eat!” Jill ordered Dick and took one of the heart shaped cheese sandwiches. The cook -a women that really preferred to be called just Cook- knew what little girls liked and sandwiches in shapes also helped them to recognise shapes, just like colourful food.

“Grumpy Uncle? What this?” Jill was always very curious and wanted to know everything around her and wasn’t scared to ask Dick.

“Food. Shut up and eat.” He mumbled low.

“You funny.” Jane said with a surprisingly strong Irish accent.
Dick shifted his shoulders and knowing that his gun -possibly several- were under his old leather jacket calmed him down.

Jo and Liam were sitting on the other side of the winter garden with a small group of pupils. Both Liam and Jo preferred staying close by, just because Dick didn’t know how to take care of anyone especially children. So just make sure Dick didn’t accidently hurt the girls. So Liam and Jo had set up an informal book study group about 20000 Leagues Under The Sea.

“Look circle.” Jill gave Dick a sandwich on his tiny plate.

“Good cucumber.” Jane looked happy at the squared sandwich she took from the three layer tier. Jane liked her sandwiches clean but then suddenly she went pale. “No-o.”

Jill looked at her sister right away, she knew this reaction very well and knew that something troubled Jane. “Janey?” Jill got up and went to her sister. Jo looked at the little girls worried. Liam took her hand. “Just see how they deal. And remember how Dick was with you? When you were scared in the flat in London?”

“Hey Red!” Dick said loudly at Jane, and put his hand in his pocket and got out some pieces of a not assembled gun. “Sort this!” He ordered and put the springs, small screws and other small bits. Jane looked for several moments from the sandwich that had not just cucumber slices on it but also some herbs and then to the pile of small bits of metal. To Jo and Liam’s surprise Jane bit in her sandwich, the sandwich that freaked her out immensely just a few moments ago and started sorting the little bits of metal.

“Nice weather right?” Jane had seen people have tea and they often talked about the weather so while she sorted the bits.

Jill looked at Dick amazed. “Thanks.”

“It is summer what else do you expect? This is not Scotland so the weather is nice. Why the fuck are those sandwiches so small how many am I supposed to eat?” The small triangle sandwich fitted easily in his mouth.

“You have three sandwiches and then a scone and then a carrot cake and then a macaroon and then some apples. It all has an order.” Jill sipped some more tea from her tiny tea cup poking out her little finger on both hands.

“Missis Jo are you okay?” One of the students asked. They all knew of course Dick and that he was a little… different but still part of the family.

“Yes, I’m just a little nervous. The girls having their first tea party of many. I just enjoy watching them grow up.” Jo looked up and saw Liam take so many pictures of the scene. The young mother smiled. “Okay so what is the book about?”

All pupils answered in a politely manner while all of them kept an eye on the twins.

“Grumpy Uncle what do you want to be when you grow up?” Jane asked politely she had managed to sort the metal pieces and gave them back to Dick.

“But Grumpy Uncle is already old?” Jill said very serious.

17Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 12th November 2013, 16:22

MissAusten

MissAusten

Jane looked briefly at her sister, then back at Dick. “You are old, but what do you want to do?”

Dick stared at the little girl. “Except blowing some brains off?”

The two little girls didn’t quite understand what he meant, they just looked at him with their big blue eyes.

“I want to be a freaking ballerina”, Dick mumbled while he grabbed another sandwich, which was so ridiculously small that he could eat it in one piece.

Jill giggled. “That is silly, Grumpy Uncle! You can’t be a ballerina!”

“Why not?”

“You don’t look like one, and you can’t wear pink dresses.”

“Damn, there goes my future”, Dick mumbled sarcastically.

Jill still giggled while her sister got up from the table. “Wait here”, she said as if she was afraid that Dick would run off any second. “I have something.” She walked away from the table to a corner in the winter garden, where a smaller table was standing. On that table she had put a few floral wreaths that some of the older students had made. Jane was still too little to get the hang of it, so she had asked Sarah to make three. She returned with the floral wreaths, putting one on herself, then giving her sister one and lastly she walked over to Dick.

“What is this?” Dick eyed the weird flower stuff in Jane’s hands suspiciously.

“For you.”

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

Before Jane explained anything, she tiptoed and stretched out her arms as widely as possible so that she was able to put the floral wreath on his head. It was big enough for Jane and Jill to wear them as necklaces, but for Dick it was too small, so he head to wear it on his head, which made him look like he was wearing a flower crown.
“Pretty!” Jane took a step back and smiled happily.

Dick was very tempted to take this bloody thing off his head, he felt ridiculous, but little Jane was looking so happy and smiled all over her face, he just couldn’t do it.
“You look nice, Uncle”, Jane said while he returned to her seat.

Dick had a hard time holding back a sarcastic comment, but even if he would say anything sarcastic, those girls wouldn’t get it, everything he said was funny to them.

“Grumpy Uncle!”, Jill shouted over the table. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Dick looked slightly annoyed. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Do you want to marry?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Dick rolled his eyes while he grabbed a scone. He didn’t put cream and jam on it, he just ate it dry.

“You don’t want to marry?”, Jane asked. “Do you want a girlfriend?”

What was it with those brats constantly asking private questions?
“No”, he grumbled, hoping they would stop asking him about this.

“But why not? You’re not lonely?”

“No.”

“We can find you a girlfriend”, Jane offered.

“No.”

“Or a boyfriend!”, Jill squeaked, and immediately got a dirty look from Dick. The little girl obviously had no idea…

“Listen up, Red. I’m fine and I don’t need any girlfriends and…others. So stop asking.”

“But-“

“No.”

Jill took a deep breath. “I’m going to marry Fi.”

Jane turned her head to her sister. “You can’t marry him, he’s with Uncle Ricky.”

“So? I was first.”

“I think Uncle Ricky was first, he’s older.”

Jill shook her head. “I’m going to marry Fi. He’s hot.”

Jane looked confused. “Why? Did he burn himself?”

“No, that’s what all the older girls say when they like a boy.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I don’t get it either”, Jill said. “But anyway, he’s hot and I’m going to marry him. And we’re going to have lots of babies, all boys, just like Fi.”

“Okay.” Jane just nodded and took a sip of her tea.

Jill turned back to Dick. “Do you want babies?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Dick rolled his eyes again. “Because they are loud and obnoxious and annoying and a pain in the ass.”

Jill giggled. “You said a bad word, Grumpy Uncle! You’re so funny.”

18Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 14th November 2013, 23:18

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Dick sighed this was so stupid.

“Look Grumpy Uncle there are ducklings on the cupcakes.” Jane said with such a strong Irish accent, she sounded just like Liam. “You can eat them.”

“No kidding. Red stop it with the damn tea.” Dick said harshly.

“But this is a tea party.” Jill giggled as always when Dick sad something.

Not much longer Dick got up and just walked out of the winter garden. “Liam what is he doing?” Jo said looking at the little girls which were just as confused.

“I think he is done. You talk to the girls I see what Dick says.” Liam kissed his wife and hurried after Dick. “Ey man what are you doing? Did you at least say bye to the girls?”

“I said I’m done. Seriously Kid I endured an hour that must be enough. I was wearing a bloody plant shit on my head!” Dick was shaking the floral wreath in front of Liam’s face until it fell apart.

“Okay man. I got it. Thanks for coming. Just next time say a proper bye. The girls will be upset if you just leave.” Liam nodded, picked up the flowers from the floor to put them in the bin.

Meanwhile Jo went over to the other table. “How was your tea party?”

“It was quite sophisticated we had some good conversations. But Grumpy Uncle had to leave very sudden.” Jane said and sipped at her tea again.

“I think he just had to go to work.” Jo tried to explain Dick to her daughters.

“Mommy? Why does Grumpy Uncle not has a girlfriend? Is he like Auntie Ricky and likes boys? Maybe he can have tea with Auntie Ricky and Fi.” Jill said her little face was covered with icing just as her hands.

“I think Dick doesn’t want a girlfriend. He likes being alone.” Jo didn’t want that her daughters got to much into their heads that Dick was gay even though when she knew he was. But Dick was still denying his homosexuality not only to others but also himself.

“I think he needs to go into a dark room with someone. He’d like that.” Jill said liking her fingers.

“Excuse me?” Jo looked shocked at her daughter.

“I heard old people go in a dark room and come out happy. Like vampires.”

Jane started giggling. “Old people are not vampires.”

“No but they like dark rooms.”

“That is weird.”

“I know. Old people!”

Jo starred at her daughters in amazement; it was hard not to start laughing out loud. “You are right adults are a little weird.”



Nana

“I just don’t know what to do Jo. Alfie will never let me go alone to Cornwell but at the same time he will not want to come along. But I’m putting Nana off for years now.” Ricky sipped at his tea. The girls were sitting across the table on the large soft couch while Jo and Ricky were sitting next to each other. It was a few days after the girls’ tea party with Dick. Ricky had received another invitation to Cornwall to visit his Nana and he needed someone to talk about this. He really wanted to visit his Nana again but at the same time Alfie would never let him go especially not after the train accident. So he had called Jo and even though Jo had said she had no one to watch the girls and had to bring them along which was totally fine with him.

Jo looked at the girls they had a plate of fruit between them; they really had discovered they love for fruit this summer. “I think you should go. You talk so much about your Nana, well okay not really about her but I see it when you speak with her or see pictures. You love her and it has been so long that you last seen her.”

“Mommy more juice please?” Jill looked with a strawberry smeared face at Jo and Ricky.

“Of course Munchkin.” Jo grinned while Ricky chuckled.

“Who is Nana, Auntie Ricky?” Jane asked very politely while eating some more mango pieces.

“Nana is my grandmother.” Ricky answered.

“Oh she is a scary woman?” Jill said loudly.

Ricky chuckled. “No my Nana is the nicest woman you ever met.”

“My mommy is the nicest girl.” Jill said.

“That is true.” Ricky smiled.

“Do you like your Nana-grandmother woman?” Jill stuffed more raspberries into her little mouth.

“Yes I do and I was a little boy when I last saw her.”

“That is sad. Go to her!” Jill looked serious at Ricky. It was so hard to keep a straight face when this little girl with two ginger pigtails and a berry red stains around her mouth.

“I see what you mean.” Ricky nodded trying so hard to look serious back at Jill.

“There you have it even Jill knows you need to visit your Nana. Just talk to Alfie. I mean he loves you he should support you visiting your family.” Jo checked the time. “Oh Ricky I’m so sorry but Liam should arrive any minute at the station and we promised to pick him up.”

“That sounds lovely, he will like that to see his girls waiting for him. Give him a hug from me.”
Ricky left just moments after Jo.

“Alfie are you home? I need to talk to you about something rather important.”

“Bar.” Alfie called.

“Listen. My Nana invited us to visit her. She is quite confused and often misunderstands that I am not ten anymore and I think she sometimes thought I’m a girl. Anyway I would really like to visit her. She lives in Fowey, Cornwall.”

19Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 17th November 2013, 14:41

MissAusten

MissAusten

Alfie didn’t respond, so Ricky walked to the bar to check what he was doing. Alfie was holding a bottle of whiskey in his hand, about to pour him a glass.
“So, you’re okay with that?”, Ricky asked.

“I did not get a word you just said.”

“What did you not get?”

“First of all, what is Nana? Secondly, whatever Nana is, why does it think you are a girl and ten years old? And thirdly, what the hell is Fowey?”

Ricky looked a bit irritated at his boyfriend, not sure if he was just messing with him or actually serious.
“Nana is just a different word for grandmother.”

“It is?”

“Yes, especially among children. Many children call their grandmas Nana. Many call them just Grandma, or Granny, but I always called mine Nana.”

“That’s weird.” Alfie took a sip of his drink. “How do you get Nana from Grandmother?”

“Grandmother is a very difficult word for children to pronounce.”

“I never had difficulties with it.”

Ricky rolled his eyes. “Because you were freakishly intelligent for your age. Anyway, Nana is basically a nickname for Grandmother, and that’s what I always called her. And she’s not the youngest anymore, so she is slightly confused and since it’s been years when she last saw me, she still believes I’m no older than eleven.”

“I don’t blame her, you do look like eleven”, Alfie smirked, taking another sip. “And I sure like my eleven-year old milkmaid…”

Ricky tried not to blush, but he blushed anyway. “Well, in her eyes I just never grew, so when I talk to her on the phone she thinks I’m still attending primary school. On the other hand she keeps asking me about babies and when I will start a family, so that’s a bit weird.”

“That is weird, why would you ask a primary school kid something that?”

“Like I said, she’s confused. And she lives in Fowey, that is a small village in Cornwall.”

Alfie rolled his eyes. “Cornwall. As in ‘the place where old farts go to retire?’”

“No, Cornwall, as in a lovely place, next to the ocean, where you can take great holidays and have more sunshine than in other places of the country”, Ricky replied cynically. “It really is a beautiful area, and Fowey is quite charming.”

Alfie looked at him quietly for a moment. “So you want to go there?”

“To Fowey?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Nana invited me and I haven’t seen her in ages and I really owe her a visit. I do want to see her again, I always loved my Nana.”

Alfie made a face.

“I know, I know, not everyone has a close relationship to their grandmother…”

“That is an understatement”, Alfie said dryly.

“But you have to meet Nana, Alfie, she’s completely different to your grandmother. She’s like every little child imagines their grandmother to be like…”

“Dead?”

“No! Warm, and caring and loving and she likes to bake and knit and tell stories…”

“Whatever you’re saying, that does not sound like a grandmother.”

“It is! That’s what normal grandmothers are supposed to be, and I would love you to meet her and see that not all grandmothers are…well…”

“Evil Bitches? Satanic creatures?”

“Yeah…”

Alfie put down his drink and crossed his arms. “So you want me to come with you?”

Ricky nodded. “Yes, I’m sure you would like her.”

“I don’t know, Ricky… I don’t like the whole ‘meeting the family’, it’s always so stressful.”

“But it will be very different than meeting my parents. I know that my dad was hard on you, but Nana is so gentle and adorable, and she doesn’t judge. It would make her so happy to meet you.”

“Is she your dad’s mother?”

“No, my mum’s.”

“Good.”

“I was named after her, actually. Her name is Riccarda, and my mum thought I would be a girl and planned to name me after her mother, but well, when she realised I was a boy she didn’t want to disappoint Nana, so she still called me after her, just the male version. She’s a lot like my mum, just older and…well…a lot more confused. But you do like my mum, don’t you?”

Alfie didn’t like to admit when he liked people, so he just shrugged his shoulders, which basically meant that he did like Ricky’s mum, and Ricky knew that.

“See, and you would like Nana too, and she would love you!”

“Whoa, I’m not into threesomes with old ladies, okay?”

“Dude, that’s not what I meant!”

“Speaking of, how do you explain your grandmother that you don’t have a girlfriend, but you bring me along instead? What is she going to think?”

“I think she won’t really get it. Like I said, she still thinks I’m ten, and sometimes she thinks I’m a girl, so I doubt she will be wondering why I’m bringing you along. That is, if you really come with me…” Ricky looked at Alfie with that very special kind of look, that look he always got when he really, really wanted something, and it drove Alfie insane because his penguin was so freaking adorable when he gave him that certain look. Alfie could never say no to that.

He sighed. “Fine.”

“Really?”

“I guess.”

“Thank you!” Ricky hugged him tightly and smiled happily.

Alfie looked down and he really liked seeing Ricky so happy- not that he would admit that. “And I better get a reward for agreeing to this”, he mumbled while his hand wandered down Ricky's chest.

20Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 18th November 2013, 19:16

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Alfie pulled at Ricky’s sleeveless jumper as he kissed his boyfriend’s neck.  Ricky laughed nervous. “Alfie we are in the living room.”

“So?”

“It’s the living room not the bedroom.”

“It’s the living room of your flat. What do you think will happen if I do this?” Alfie grinned as he pulled the sleeveless jumper over Ricky’s head. Ricky gasped in surprise, he looked shy on the floor when he noticed Alfie’s arousal.

“Oh.” Ricky whispered.

Alfie laughed. “Oh? That is all you say? How about when I do this?” Alfie grinned and unbuttoned Ricky’s shirt.

It was crazy how much it turned Ricky on when Alfie unbuttoned his shirt. The younger man’s breath started to quicken. Alfie laughed and pulled Ricky to the couch and very gentle got his boyfriend naked and even gentler had sex with him.

“So what time do you want the driver to come?” Alfie was holding Ricky, who was covered with the soft warm blanket. Alfie was playing with Ricky’s hair.

“Alfie we don’t need a driver. I will drive. It looks silly if we show up in your big black car.” Ricky pulled the blanket a little more in place to make sure that he was well covered and so was Alfie which didn’t change the fact that by just holding his naked boyfriend after they had just sex Ricky felt very obvious Alfie’s arousal again.

“Whoa you want to drive? Why?” Alfie started gently pushing the blanket down, just to place kisses on Ricky’s chest and stomach.

“Because I like driving and I don’t like sitting useless in the back of your limousine.”

“But we can have sex.”

“Oh God!” Ricky moaned as Alfie let his lips run over Ricky’s package. “I’m serious Alfie, I’ll drive and not in the… ooooh… limousine.”

“Hello there.” Alfie said to Ricky’s erected penis.

 
So there they were Ricky and Alfie getting into Ricky’s Mini a few days later. “I hate this! Why do you now want to have full sized car? I feel like this is a sardine can. What the bloody hell am I supposed to do the next five hours?”

“Read the map.” Ricky joked as he turned on the engine. Luckily he was quite good in remembering ways and he knows the way to Fowey or at least the way the bus takes.

“You better be kidding.” Alfie said coldly and leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. Ricky drove and for a while they both were quiet. Until halfway down Alfie got bored and seriously horny. He leaned over and pushed his hand in Ricky’s trousers.

“Whoa what do you think you are doing?” Ricky lurched a little before he grabbed the steering wheel tighter and tried to pull Alfie’s hand away from his penis. “Alfred Jackson do you want us to crash?”


“At least you'd die happy.” Alfie smirked ignoring that Ricky had called him by his full name. Ricky just managed to get Alfie’s hand out. “So any middle names of yours you haven’t told me yet?” Ricky tried to distract Alfie.

21Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 22nd November 2013, 18:25

MissAusten

MissAusten

Alfie didn’t answer immediately. „Why would you want to know that?“

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Oh, Alfie…” Ricky chuckled.

“What?”

“It’s just…you don’t know anything about relationships.”

“What do my middle names have to do with relationships?”

“Not your names specifically, but to know your partner is something that is part of a relationship. To know things like favourite colour, food, hobbies, names… That’s just the way it is. Do you know my middle name?”

Of course Alfie knew Ricky’s middle name. Duh. Alfie even knew how tall Ricky was when he was born, he knew more about Ricky than Ricky himself, but he did never admit that.

“It’s Evan”, Ricky said.

“Is it?”, Alfie asked indifferently. Of course he knew that.

“Yes.” Ricky looked briefly at him before his eyes wandered back to the road. “So, what are your middle names? I know one of them is Broderick, because it’s mentioned on most letters that are addressed to you.”

“What makes you think that I have more than one?”

“People like you always have tones of names.”

“People like me?”

“Spoilt upper class kids, especially the Prince of Oxford.”

“I don’t like that title.”

“Well, then get a son so he can take that title away from you”, Ricky said, more jokingly, obviously. They were quiet for a moment until Ricky cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. “So?”

“What?”

“I’m still waiting.”

“You’re waiting for nothing. There are no other names.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh yes, you are, and you know why I know that? When I was in the library at university a few days ago I came across old newspaper articles, and among them was one where your birth was announced.”

“Sorry, what?”

“It’s from November 12th, 1945, one day after you were born. It was on the front page, announcing your birth, and there was a very, very, very long name, and it didn’t stop at Broderick, so I know that you have more, I just want you to tell me personally.”

“Bloody bastards”, Alfie grumbled. “Putting that shit on the front page.”

“That wasn’t shit, it was your birth.”

“Yeah, precisely.”

Ricky looked briefly at Alfie, who looked out of the window. “You know, some people are very happy that you were born…”

“Yeah, my parents and my Grandmother, so they finally had their ‘project’ that they could screw up.”

“I wasn’t talking about them.” Ricky looked back at the road. He didn’t tell his boyfriend, but he had photocopied that newspaper article and was carrying it in his wallet now. Even if Alfie didn’t realise it and would probably never realise, but Ricky was incredibly grateful for the day that Lord Alfred Broderick Grayson Gamaliel Arthur Vortigern Oxford Cyril Whitfield Ernest Algernon Jackson of Oxfordshire was born. And yes, that name did sound made up, but Ricky loved it.

As they approached Fowey, Alfie thought Ricky was joking. This village was ridiculous! It was tiny, and filled with old people and shops that looked like they were stuck in the 18th century.
“You’re not serious, right?”

“That’s Fowey, yes. What did you expect? That my Nana lives in a huge city with skyscrapers?”

“No, but this is…this is…”

“A lovely place”, Ricky smiled. “So idyllic!”

“Yeah…”, Alfie mumbled as his eyes wandered to a cow who just took a shit on the field next to them. “Indeed.”
After a little more driving, Ricky stopped in front of a little cottage that looked very idyllic and rustic.

“That’s it?” Alfie raised his eyebrows. “Someone actually lives here?”

“Be nice, Alfie. My parents’ house isn’t any bigger.”

“I know, but this is…eh…looks…”

“Cute. It’s very cute, and so is my Nana.” Ricky opened the car door and they got out.

“Oh God, finally! I can’t feel my legs, this bloody car is so tiny.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Alfie grinned and was about to pull Ricky closer so that he could kiss him when and old lady appeared on the door steps.
“Ricky, darling!”, she shouted excitedly and walked to the gate.

“Hey, Nana.” Ricky hugged her tightly. “It’s so great to see you again. You look really good.”

Nana took a step back to observe her grandson closer. “Oh, you grew so much!” She let her fingers run through his hair. “And you’re so skinny, we need to feed you!”

“Don’t worry, Nana, I’m eating enough and very healthy too.”

Nana looked happy at her grandson and touched his face. “So grown, and so handsome. You’re going to make pretty babies, I know it!” She squeezed his cheeks. “And you still have those rosy cheeks. Are the other children nice to you, darling?”

“What other children?”

“Your classmates.”

“Oh, ehm, Nana, I’m actually not in school anym-“

“Ooohhh…” Nana’s eyes wandered over Ricky’s head to Alfie. “And that must be the young gentleman you were talking about. I have to say, I never thought I would see a Jackson in my house…” She giggled as she let go off Ricky and walked to Alfie now.

“Yes, that’s Alfie”, Ricky said.

Alfie was about to say something when Nana’s hand wandered to his arm. “You must be working out, Mr Jackson.”

“Ehm…Alfie is fine.” Alfie was so irritated by that woman, she was so different than his grandmother.

Nana had that admiring look while she scrutinised the young man in front of her. “I do have to say, I might move to Oxford, if all young men look like that…”

Ricky giggled in the background while Alfie still seemed confused. Nana looked at him with a smile.
“Handsome like your grandfather.”

“You knew my grandfather?”

“Not personally, no. He was a lot younger than me, but you know, he was often in the paper. Pretty lad. Very, very pretty. In fact, prettiest lad I’ve ever seen. If he wouldn’t have been so much younger than me, I would have married him myself!” She giggled like a little school girl while Ricky smiled apologetically at his boyfriend.
“Alfie!”, she almost shouted at him.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go inside and get you something to eat.” She took his hand, which was adorable.

Alfie didn’t feel like eating, when did he ever? But he knew that it would look rude if he declined, and besides, Nana seemed very determined and eager. Ricky had to laugh as he watched Nana leaning herself so close against Alfie, she sure seemed to flirt with him.
“Yes”, she said as her hand wandered over his arm again. “So firm. You must be getting your protein.” She looked at her grandson. “Ricky, darling, you have to eat more protein. Don’t you want to be as strong as young Mr Jackson here?”

Ricky chuckled. “Oh Nana, even if I would eat three times as much protein as I already do, I would never be as strong as him. Nobody is that strong, trust me.”

Nana grinned, almost a little creepy. “Oh, I believe that.”

22Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 25th November 2013, 12:15

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

After they had lunch and Alfie had to eat four sandwiches Nana went to get changed and let settle the two boys downstairs.

“What the hell? Your Nana is… weird.” Alfie starred at Ricky with wide eyes.

“She is just old. Alfie please be nice to her.” Ricky mumbled as he unpacked their things in the small pop up closet in the corner.

“Where are we sleeping?” Alfie snarled.

“Here, you can pull out the couch and then it is a double bed.” Ricky said as he put the suitcase aside.  Ricky turned around and looked at Alfie.

“You are kidding, right?” Alfie was actually speechless. The thought of sleeping on some crappy flat farted piece of mattress was so… so. Who would do that?

“No I am not, Alfie this is a few days. You wouldn’t let me go on my own so I expect you to be polite let Nana flirt with you.”

“How are we supposed to-“ For a moment Alfie was tempted to say fuck. “-how am I supposed to sleep with you.” Alfie ran his hand through Ricky’s hair. Ricky closed his eyes and leaned into Alfie’s hand.

“Maybe for a few nights we just cuddle.” Ricky didn’t need to open his eyes to see the shock in Alfie’s face, he was normally better in hiding his feelings but when it came to Ricky and the intimacy with him he was getting very bad in doing so. “Or we have to be more careful and… more well boring in your eyes some very intense naked cuddling.”

“I think I can do that.” Alfie whispered.

“Are you ready boys?” Nana slowly climbed down the stairs.

“Nana you should walk those stairs anymore. I will ask my friend Liam to build you something like a lift.” Ricky said quickly tiptoed and kissed Alfie on the cheek and then quickly hurried to the stairs to help his Nana.

“Oh no love, I’m very good climbing those stair I climbed them all my live. Alfie, love I raised my children here, but in the end the lord let just my Emma grow up. We had to remodel the house a long time ago, there was this big fire damage and most of the house had to be demolished and I was left with this little house, the heart. Come here help an old lady, we go for a walk. I’ll have to show you and Ricky to my ladies.” Nana was holding her walking stick and still hung on Alfie’s arm.

“They better be pretty.” Alfie mumbled.

“How is school Ricky? Is there still this bully that hurts you?” Nana didn’t realise it but Alfie just went stiff and got suddenly very angry, but to the surprise of Alfie Ricky took his hand -they were on the street in a tiny town in Cornwall by daylight-.

“No Nana, Alfie took care of this for me.” Ricky looked with big eyes at Alfie.

“That is good. I will give him a cookie when we get home.” Nana patted his arm. Ricky giggled a little when he saw the face of Alfie.

“Yes he will like that. And I like this.” They were walking, very slowly, down the street and Ricky could hold Alfie’s hand and even more when neighbours passed Ricky did not let go.

“What are you doing? You are going to get us arrested.” Alfie mumbled not loud enough that Nana could hear him but Ricky could.

“Look around you, no one notices it. They just see two young men on a stroll with an old lady most likely their grandmother. This Alfie, this place you so didn’t want to come is our little piece of paradise, our safe haven. The place I can love you and no one sees it.” Ricky smiled shy at Alfie, this shy smile that drove Alfie’s pants crazy. How the fuck am I supposed not to touch him for five nights?

“Oh Beatrix, Beatrix hey old hag!” Nana yelled very unladylike. “She is deaf.” Nana explained to her two men. “Look at this. He is my little Ricky and this is his friend Alfie!”

The other old woman walking with to walking sticks even slower than Nana, but the other woman, Beatrix, didn’t hear Nana. “Bitch.” Nana chuckled as they continued walking.



Meanwhile back in Oxford
Liam was bathing his girls, normally they got bathed in the evening after dinner they had played football all together outside and his little girls got all dirty.


“Jill sit still you will fall.” Liam said to his younger daughter, she tried to show him in the bath how she shot the ball. Jill was sitting next to Liam on the floor wrapped in her bathrobe, Liam had sponge bathed her first and now the little girl was sitting with still wet hair next to her mum. Jill was so wild in the bath that Jo got a little nervous, it wasn’t that she didn’t trusted Liam just that she…


“Oh God!” Jo gasped suddenly. Seeing Liam try to hold on to Jill and make sure she wouldn’t fall brought back a nightmare but she wasn’t suddenly so sure anymore if it was just a nightmare. “I’m sorry, I got to go. I’ll be right back.”


“Mummy?” Jane looked at her mother and so did Liam, but he was the one seeing that something was up.


“It’s okay Munchkin, I’m back in a minute.” Jo whispered, she couldn’t speak up louder just a small whisper, she didn’t trust her own voice. “Just a minute.” She whispered again and quickly went into her bedroom, her hands started to shake a little. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” She went to the small locked medicine cabinet in hers and Liam’s bathroom. Normally she preferred not to take her sedatives while the girls were up but right now she wasn’t sure she could go another few hours without it.


“Jo? Are you okay?” Liam came in the bathroom, he looked concerned.


“The girls?” Jo mumbled trying to force herself to breath calmly.


“They are fine, watching TV. What happened? You didn’t get so scared in a long time. Not like this.” Liam sat down next to her and pulled her in his arm, partly to have her close and party to see how much of her sedative she took.


“I’m not sure. I think I just remembered a nightmare but it feels so real.” Jo mumbled. Liam sighed and kissed her on top of her head.


“Want to tell me what it was about?”


“I think my mother… I was just little, a little older than our girls. Mother shook me yelling at me, telling me that I’m not her daughter, I’m just the devil’s offspring, she shook me so hard and then… and then she… she there was the bathtub with ice cold water, and then it was all around me, I couldn’t breathe and then it went all black.”


“Shit are you telling me your mother tried to drown you?” Liam started to get angry, really angry.


“I’m sorry.” Jo started crying.


“It’s okay, not your fault.” For a while Liam just held her. “Jo don’t get angry but I was thinking there are a lot of things you haven’t worked through especially with your mother. And I was thinking, I think you should go back and started seeing your therapist again.”


Liam expected Jo not to be happy, and she wasn’t. “I’m fine Liam.”


“I’m not saying you aren’t. I just think you need some help. And I don’t know how to help you.” Liam whispered. “I just don’t want you to have to drown yourself in those.” Liam took the sedative out of Jo’s hand. “I want to help you.”
For a while Jo didn’t say anything, her head was just leaning her head against Liam’s chest, listening to his heartbeat.


“Mummy? TV is finish.” Jill called from the living room. Jo didn’t move though and Liam thought Jo had fallen asleep when he heard her whisper. “Okay. I go and talk to the therapist.”


“Thank you.” Liam kissed Jo this time not just on the top of her head but on her so soft lips and helped her up. “Do you want to lie down a little bit or play with me and the girls?”


“I want to be with you.” Jo said sounding a little bit better.


“Mummy can we make cookies?” Jill showed up in the door.


“Sure what kind of cookies would you like to make?”


“Everything cookies.” Jill grinned, she was just dressed in her little green bathing robe.


“Maybe we get you dressed first?” Jo smiled and picked up her little girl, she heard Liam lock the medicine cabinet behind her.


“Okay. But I need an apron.” Jill kissed her mum on the cheek. “I love you mummy.”


“I love you too Munchkin.” Jo kissed her daughter back, Liam appeared next to his girls. “Where is Jane?”


“Sleeping on the couch.” Jill grinned so widely and turned Jo’s head back to her. “Mummy the cookies. They don’t make themselves.”
Liam laughed kissed Jo and whispered. “I’ll call and make an appointment for you, if you want I can come along for the first one. I just wait in the waiting room.” Jo nodded and went to get her daughter dressed. She didn’t like that she needed help, and the thought of her getting drugged like her mother terrified her even more but she knew that Liam would be on her side, well and her therapist knew that she would talk but not take medication. “See you in a minute in the kitchen Liam?”


“You bet.”


“Daddy, daddy isn’t mummy lovely when the sun hits her?” Jill always saw things like that. She had an eye for art as she had a tongue for speech.

“She is the loveliest.” Liam grinned cheeky.

23Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 27th November 2013, 13:05

MissAusten

MissAusten

While Jane was still sound asleep on the couch in the living room, the rest of the O’Doherty clan gathered in the kitchen to bake. Well, Liam didn’t actually bake because he was really bad with the oven, he and the oven never saw eye to eye, there was always a very strong tension between them, so he just avoided the oven as much as possible. He still joined his ladies in the kitchen for support and tried to be at least a little useful. Although Jill was so little, one could already see that she developed a passion for baking, which was crazy since she was only two years old, but she was more excited about baking than about anything else. Well, she did get majorly excited about her ‘boyfriend’ Fi, and she got excited about bathing and water as well but baking seemed to be her greatest passion yet. Obviously Jo did most of the baking since Jill was only two, after all, but as long as Jill was in the kitchen and helped Mummy with the baking, she was happy.
A little later, when the cookies were in the oven and they had to wait, they went back to the living room where Jane finally opened her eyes and looked sleepy at her family.

“Daddy.” She stretched her arms out, which she always did when she wanted her dad to hold her.

“Hey, Princess.” Liam sat down on the couch and pulled Jane on his lap. She was such a daddy’s girl. “Did you sleep well?”

She nodded, still sleepy. “Mummy, what’s that smell?”

“We baked cookies!”, Jill shouted excitedly. “Lots and lots of cookies!”

“They are in the oven right now, so that’s what you’re smelling”, Jo said while she sat down next to Liam and Jane, helping Jill on the couch. They had a cartoon running in the background, and while their daughters were occupied with the TV right now, Liam took Jo’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“You know I’m really proud of you, right?” His voice was low because he didn’t want the girls to be part of this conversation. “That you agreed to see a therapist and work things out only proves how strong you are.”

Jo looked a bit shy. “I’m not strong, Liam. I’m just doing what I have to do.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “You always underestimate your abilities so much. You are strong and I’m proud of what you’re doing. And I will never, ever think of you as crazy just because you see a therapist. I can’t repeat it enough; you are not your mother. Not a bit.”

Jo smiled, although there were still doubts in the back of her mind, wondering if one day she would become her mother. Maybe not now, but in many years… She was afraid of that.

“The cookies!”, Jill shouted when the alarm went off. “They are ready!” She jumped up and stormed into the kitchen. Her parents just laughed.

“Hold your horses, Cupcake”, Liam said, but everyone knew that little Miss Jill was just a bundle of energy.

Meanwhile in Fowey

After they had dinner in the small kitchen Nana said it was bedtime and everyone had to turn off their lights soon to get some rest. It was 8 o’clock. Freaking 8 o’clock! Alfie couldn’t remember the last time he was sent to bed that early. He couldn’t even remember a time when he was ever sent to bed. When he was little, his mother just let the nanny in charge and didn’t bother when her son went to bed, which was a bad idea, because Alfie ruled over every nanny, no matter how strict they were, the little Prince drove all of them insane to a point where they just gave up, so they never dared to send him to bed. Most nannies were actually quite scared of the young Lord Jackson, even when he still had all his baby teeth and rosy cheeks. So, Alfie was not used to anyone telling him when to go to bed.

“Okay.” Ricky nodded, ignoring Alfie’s shocked face.

Nana smiled widely. “You need to sleep a lot so you can stay healthy and grow.”

“I don’t need to grow anymore”, Alfie mumbled sarcastically, and at the same moment he felt Ricky kicking his foot under the table.

“Do you need anything before you go to bed?”, Nana asked.

“Actually, could I take a shower?”, Alfie asked. He felt dirty from the travelling and the rustic house and all the old ladies they met during their walk, who constantly touched him.

“Of course, love, the bathroom is upstairs.”

“You need to shower too, Ricky, don’t you?”, Alfie asked, obviously telling him to join him, and Ricky was very tempted to throw something at him, but then he cleared his throat.

“No, I will shower tomorrow.”

“But it was a very long day, Ricky…”

“I know that, Alfie, but I’m still not going to share the shower with you”, he replied through gritted teeth. “And besides, the shower is awfully small, you’ll see.”

“Fine.” Alfie got up, trying to look like he didn’t care. It wasn’t easy for him to adjust to all of this and not getting what he wanted. He had to accept that for the next days he couldn’t do all those things he normally did at home. While he was thinking of all the things that he couldn’t do- worst of all, not sleeping with Ricky-he entered the bathroom, where he actually had to duck in order to fit through the door and then he came across another surprise. The shower!
That was a joke, right? How the fuck would he fit into this thing? It wasn’t even a shower, it was a super old fashioned bathtub that probably already existed four hundred years ago. There was no way he would fit into this thing.
“Great”, Alfie mumbled while he tried to work out how to turn on this thing. “Let the games begin.”

24Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 3rd December 2013, 01:55

Ariel Buttercup

Ariel Buttercup
Admin

Meanwhile in Waterfall Downs it was bedtime for two little girls

“Daddy you like cookies?” Jill was washing the little toy ducks with the sponges while Liam was washing her hair, very carefully that the shampoo would not run in her eyes.

“They were very good. Thanks for making them.” Liam smiled.

“Daddy I need dolly wash hair.” Jill said sounding very serious. Liam handed her the small doll so that Jill could do the same as Liam did. “Daddy is mummy okay?”

Liam looked for a while at his little daughter trying to figure out how to explain to his two year old daughter what was going on. And suddenly it hit him, he never did this before he never thought about how things he said sounded to someone else but since he was a dad he did.

“Do you remember how Grandmother was not nice to you?” Liam asked carefully.

“I not like that, mummy was upset.” Jill said just before she closed her eyes and let Liam pour water over her head to rinse the shampoo out of her hair.

“Mummy was upset and she still is, she has troubles understanding why her mum cannot love her so much as your mummy loves you and Jane.”

“I see. Maybe Grandmother needs a hug? Has Grandmother blockage?” Jill asked as she took the sponge and rubbed it over her face. Liam laughed.

“Maybe she has. Next time you see her you can offer her some orange juice maybe it helps her.”

“I do that. Daddy me dive?”

“Sure you want to have the goggles?”

“Yes!” Jill grinned at her dad. Liam helped her to put on the goggles and let her dive through the bathtub. He watched her closely making sure she came up to breath but all in all he let her dive and didn’t worry that she flooded the bathroom. “Look daddy me fish!”

“You are a little fish. Shall we get you out?”


“But daddy! One more minute.” Jill looked with big blue eyes at Liam.

“Okay one more minute but you are going to help me start tidy up.” Liam and Jo both agreed that the girls had to learn after playing to tidy up so here he was helping his daughter to tidy as much as she could while he just helped.

“One dive daddy? Pretty please.”

Obviously Liam could not resist his younger daughter’s look even though she had no doe eyes she had her mum’s doe look perfectly mastered.

“Will mummy get better?”

“Yes she will be. You know mummy really loves hugs.”

“Me do that and many kisses.”

Liam carried his little girl wrapped in her warm towel, while he would bring Jane to bed Jo would apply body lotion to Jill to keep her so soft skin soft. Jo was sitting with Jane in the little girls room playing on the small yellow piano. “Mummy I dive. Me fish.”

“Psst!” Jane said and finished the melody she was playing, Liam knew the melody and he loved the melody. He looked at his three beautiful girls Jo applying body lotion on a wriggling Jill that started telling her about everything she did in the bathtub while Jane played on the piano. Liam sat down next to Jane and for a little bit the four O’Dohertys just enjoyed the moment.
 

In Fowey a little bit later

“This was insane, this bathroom no this entire house is tiny, I feel like this is a fucking doll house and what is it with this books your Nana gave me. I had a look through them I mean shit she reads porn. Seriously the way this Cassandra rubs Heathcliff’s cock can we try it?” Alfie climbed into the small double bed that was the couch a little while ago.

“Alfie! Nana is just upstairs and… I know Nana sort of accepts us but maybe just because she can’t grabs what you and I are.” Ricky mumbled shy, the thought of his Nana reading pornographic books made him uncomfortable.

“Oh come on just a little bit, see you want it to.” Alfie kissed Ricky and pushed his hand into his boyfriend’s pyjama trousers and of course it affected Ricky.

“Alfie please.” It was of course what Ricky said but also how he said it that made Alfie stop right away.
Alfie kissed him so gentle that it was as if he said that he was sorry.

“I’m sorry I just feel very weird and… I’m too loud.” Ricky blushed and hid his face under the blanket. Alfie grinned as he pulled the blanket away.

“How about you do me?” Alfie whispered very gentle.

“I’ll… um… I… maybe.” Ricky did do some things which gave his boyfriend great pleasure. The younger man was asleep in Alfie’s arms who was still awake, just watching him. When suddenly Alfie heard the cracking of the stairs and Nana’s old lady breathing coming down.

“One step more, just a little further. I knew it was right to keep it.” Nana didn’t notice that Alfie was asleep and actually watching her while she crawled down the stairs holding something in her arm. Her voice was odd, sort of like you would expect a witch to sound. Alfie turned is head to watch her better.  She was coming in the living room and Alfie had to fight the urge to jump out of the bed and punch her. But he resisted and just watched her, as she walked very slowly because she didn’t have her stick to the foot end of their bed where she started spreading this… thing of a blanket. “A little more here, there now we are getting somewhere. They will make some very pretty babies. I always wanted to do this.” Nana whispered still in this creepy witchy voice. “This will do. The babymaker will do the rest.” And off she went. 
Alfie sat up and saw a patchwork quilt at the end of their bed, it was not a store bought but clearly a handmade one out of left over fabric pieces.

“What the fuck is this!?” Alfie pushed Ricky gently on the pillow so that he could sit up and examine this blanket/cloth/thing. “This is disgusting.”

“Alfie what are you doing? With whom are you talking?” Ricky mumbled still half asleep.

“It’s not my fault your grandmother is just weird, she brought us this weird cloth.” Alfie mumbled as he lied back down.

“It’s the babymaker, a blanket my parents well I was made under it. I guess Nana hopes we make her a great-grandchild under it.” Ricky snuggled back close to Alfie.

“How the bloody fuck am I supposed to knock you up?” Alfie said, he kissed Ricky on the top of his head. “Go back to sleep.


"No baby making tonight." Ricky whispered already falling asleep.

25Coming Home Empty Re: Coming Home 5th December 2013, 17:32

MissAusten

MissAusten

Alfie didn’t sleep much that night, but when did he ever? They were covered under the babymaker and now and then Alfie had to grin because his Lover Boy was conceived under it, but most of the time he was just watching Ricky asleep. He couldn’t do much else anyway, and besides, he loved watching his boyfriend, even though he didn’t admit it. Holding Ricky and watching him while he was sleeping meant more to Alfie than anything else. He eventually fell asleep some time during the early morning hours but he couldn’t sleep for long because at seven sharp, Nana woke up. She tried to be quiet, but Alfie was a very light sleeper who even woke up if a tiny pin dropped somewhere far in the corner, so he woke up the moment Nana came creeping down the squeaky stairs. He wasn’t holding Ricky anymore because he still thought it was weird that Nana saw them so close together. Alfie usually didn’t care what others were thinking about him, but when it came to Ricky he was exceptionally careful because he wanted his boy to be safe, and even thought it wasn’t the 19th century anymore, their relationship was still not seen as something proper.
Alfie saw how Nana walked into the kitchen, quietly talking to herself. Normally he would think she was crazy, but he someone liked that old woman, even though she was kind of…confused. Alfie could tell that she was the mother of Ricky’s mum, and Alfie had always liked Emily- not that he said it in those particular words, but yeah, he liked her, and Nana was a lot like her daughter, warm and friendly, just like Ricky. Ricky’s mum and grandmother were so different to what Alfie knew about mothers and grandmothers and there were brief moments when he actually started to wonder how he would have turned out if he had a mother or a grandmother like that…or simply being raised by his grandfather. Alfie knew he would have never been as good as Ricky (nobody was as good and pure and genuine as that boy!), but maybe…maybe he would have been a generally good person.
Alfie sat up, he felt a little restless and it felt also weird that Nana was walking around in the kitchen while they were lying on the couch together. He quickly pulled over a shirt, trousers and a pair of socks, looked one last time at his sleeping boyfriend whose hair was adorably messy, and then walked into the kitchen, where Nana was making herself some tea.

“Oh, dearie, did I wake you up?”, Nana asked, still dressed in her nightgown and her robe so she wouldn’t be cold.

“No, I’m generally not a good sleeper”, Alfie said.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was it the couch? I know it’s not the most luxurious, but-“

“Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t the couch.”

“Can I fix you a tea, love?”

“Ehm…sure.” Alfie wasn’t really the kind of guy who constantly sat down to a cup of tea, despite being incredibly British, but he was just not a tea kind of person. However, he didn’t want to come off rude, well, at least not in front of Nana.

“Sit down, sit down! I’ll fix you a cup of tea!” Nana almost pushed him to the chair in the kitchen while laughing her weird old lady laugh, which sounded slightly creepy, but somehow Alfie was quite amused by her.
“Is Ricky still asleep?”, she asked as she got out the milk from the fridge.

“Yes, he is.”

Nana smiled. “Good. He needs sleep, he still has to grow.”

Alfie was tempted to remind her that Ricky wouldn’t grow anymore since he was, well, not a child anymore, and besides, Alfie liked him the height he was, he didn’t want him taller, but he just nodded and took the cup that she handed him. The rare occasions when Alfie drank tea, he drank it without sugar and maybe a very tiny amount of milk, but Nana had put lots of sugar and milk in it- the way Ricky liked it. It was so disgustingly sweet that Alfie had a hard time keeping it down, but as Nana sat down with her own cup of tea and watched him, she asked him if he liked his tea, and Alfie just nodded. He was never so polite to anyone, the only time he had ever been polite was around Ricky’s family. He seriously cared about making a proper impression, which almost disgusted him, but he just cared too much about his boy.
Nana’s eyes wandered to Alfie’s arms and she got a good view since he was just wearing a t-shirt. Alfie could tell that she was checking him out and it was weird, because that woman was ancient, but once again he didn’t say anything to offend her. Well, and he felt slightly flattered. After all, he did have a killer body.

“I’m glad you’re taking care of him”, she said.

“Ehm…”

“He needs someone who takes care of him, he’s so little and too nice. The other children were always mean to him, thought he was different, but he wasn’t different. He was just special.”

Alfie looked quietly at Nana for a moment. Although this old woman was confused and sometimes all over the place, she didn’t seem that crazy after all.
“He is”, Alfie said.

“People don’t see that. All they see is someone who is different than they are, but they don’t see how truly special that someone is. I don’t want people to hurt him just because they can never be as special as he is.”

Alfie was really surprised how conceptive Nana was. “Nobody is hurting him anymore”, Alfie assured her.

Nana smiled. “I’m glad he has you. You’re a good man.”

Alfie didn’t say anything, those were words he wasn’t used to and they sounded strange. Good man… He’s never been good. All he did was making sure that nobody would harm Ricky, but that didn’t make him a good man. At least that’s what he thought.

“So, love, any baby plans for the future?”, Nana asked with a cheerful voice, almost making Alfie spit in his tea cup.

Meanwhile in Waterfall Downs

Jo was just preparing dinner while Liam sat with his daughters on the couch in the living room, telling them some funny stories about Irish people- or at least those weirdoes he used to know while he grew up. All his neighbours and acquaintances of his grandparents were odd, but at least there were tones of funny stories and the girls seemed to enjoy it.

“Daddy, are there any princesses in Ireland?”, Jane asked after a while.

“There used to be Celtic princesses a very long time ago, but not anymore.”

Jane looked a bit disappointed, she liked princesses a lot. Jill, who was chewing on a piece of fruit, raised her little eyebrows.
“Can we be princesses, Daddy? Janey and I?”

“Oh, yes, Daddy! How can we be princesses?”, Jane asked excitedly.

Liam laughed while the twins looked at him with big eyes.
“Don’t you know it?”, he asked, pulling them closer and kissing each one on their soft, ginger hair. “You already are princesses.”

“We are?”, they asked.

“Yes, you are princesses. All girls are.”

His daughters were smiling happily. They were happy about the fact that, according to Daddy, they were princesses, and that was all that mattered to them.

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