like real people do.

“I’m not sure what planet you’ve been on for the last eleven years Jackson but I’ve been defending you since the moment we met. Through every god damn woman, through every wedding, I have defended you even when you’ve given me every reason to not to. Even when you walked away from me, time and time again I defended you even if only to the own voice in my head, you don’t get to decide when I am mad at you, that is my choice and mine alone and you’re going to have to deal with that or so help me god.” It was infuriating, he was so god damn infuriating, there was always this need for him to sacrifice himself for the good of her. To be the martyr in their story - I was keeping my distance. Mallory could strangle him, the only reason he was keeping his distance was because he was scared and whilst that might have been for good reasons that only thing that she was mad at for that was all the time they had wasted. “There was nothing you could have done to stop what happened and I don’t want you in jail for something out of your control. You’re going to have to let yourself off of the hook you put yourself on because I can’t take you off of it.” As she was backed against the counter the blondes breath hitched in her throat for a second. The words pouring from him were ones that up until recently she had been too scared herself to admit that she wanted to hear in the first place, that she needed them from him. Even when Mallory had come to the conclusion that she did in fact want him, she’d never dreamed that she could have him, not with how he had held her at arms length for so long. But now he was here and he was claiming her. “It’s about goddamn time.” Her whisper lingered between them, eyes meeting his own as she took all of him in for a second, not daring to move the two of them. “You’re mine to Jackson and I swear to god, if you even try to think about backing out now I’m going to be the one in jail because I might actually kill you. For real…now will you please, for the love of god kiss me.”

“Mhumm.” The judgement was laced in her tone and she would keep it there. Felicity had always been closed off, a product of the family that was supposed to have loved her but at least with each other they had been honest. Lent on each other but ever since last year when everything had happened it felt like Felicity was a different person. Like everything warm about her was gone and she was just putting on a front for everyone else to see. She didn’t like it and she didn’t know how to fix it. “No, you wouldn’t tell me because you wouldn’t want me to worry and if you’re not making a face - you might want to tell your face that.” It was obvious what the other thought, even at the hospital she had caught the way that she was looking at her and it was pretty hypocritical of her given who had also been at her bedside whilst they waited for Jackson to return. “Did you feel safe, as Ford held your hands for hours whilst you waited for me?”

“i have a fucking dishwasher which you’ve used a million and one times so try again.” he could get testy with her all he wanted but mallory had been going toe to toe with this man since she was eighteen. where other people backed down against the former NFL star mallory had never once been scared of him. had never once doubted that she was anything other than implicitly safe when she was around him. it was a feeling that she had cared around with her for all these years, he was her safe haven, one of the only ones she had ever known given the way she’d been brought up and she wouldn’t let him destroy himself over the misplaced guilt that she could see etched in his features now that she was finally looking. her own guilt would keep her up later, that she’d let him carry it even this long but apparently jackson had mastered the art of keeping things from her so she was just going to have to get used to reading her ever stubborn best friend. “of course i do, whether or not you’re going to take it is up to you but i’m going to thank you for saving one of the biggest parts of my world time and time again jackson.” her defiance wasn’t obvious often, she was quiet and well mannered, she smiled when she was needed, laughed at all the wrong jokes. but she was also driven and stubborn and when she set her mind to things it was easy to see her as the girl that carried her daughter through protests and stood by her best friends side when the world had tried to turn on felicity. failed. the worst broke her and without even realising it the blondes breathe hitched in her throat. “jackson look at me.” despite him stepping away mallory stepped back into his space, reaching for one of the hands, knuckles peeling the gripped white digits he had wrapped on the side so that she could place his hands on her chest, feel the steadiness of her heart. “you did, everything i knew you ever would, you protected her, when the world tried to hurt her, you protected us both.” there were going to have always been times that jackson was away from them, he couldn’t be with them all of the time, he had to know that. whether or not they were fighting, made no difference to the fact that it was just her and hadley at times. “you got her back jackson, you got our girl back and she is safe and she is warm and happy and sleeping just upstrairs in her bed because of you. you’d never let me blame myself and i was the one right there, i was the only they took her from, you did nothing wrong and i won’t let you blame yourself either, please.” a tear spilled over her cheek as she looked at him, her fingers linked with his as she held them to her heart still. “look at me jax, i’m ok.” 

“are you sure? are you eating, you look like you’ve lost weight.” she knew that felicity hated it when she tried to mother her. the woman already had donna on her ass without mallory starting too but sometimes she couldn’t help it. she was a mother and that instinct didn’t start and end with hadley, it poured over into the people she cared about whether they liked to admit that fact or not. “and telling me not to worry only high lights that there is probably something that i should in fact be worrying about you know.” or maybe she just knew her best friend too well, either way she would let it be for now or she would send her straight into lock down and then she would never get her to open up. “he’s in the guest room, had cries every time she thinks he’s left and god i feel safer when he’s around but that’s it. control your damn face.” 

it had been so easy to forget with everything that they had been through, so easy to push to the back of her mind and ignore given how insignificant everything had seemed once she’d had hadley back in her arms but this? this was a stark reminder of why it had taken felicity calling him for the male to even make it to the hospital himself. “you’re doing it again.” the sentence was all but a whine as she stepped into the kitchen they had essentially shared for weeks now, arms crossed over her chest as she pulled the dressing gown she had thrown on tighter. letting herself into his space without much permission mallory only stopped trying to get any closer when it was his arm stopping her chest. “jackson.” her sigh was loud as she looked up at him, the tell tale signs of his lack of sleep visable. mallory should have been watching him closer but she hadn’t been able to pull her eyes from her daughter to actually process much of anything other than the fact she was okay - that jackson had brought her home. “i will never, never ever be able to thank you for what you did for me, what you’ve done for us this past month.” her voice felt like a whisper between them as she spoke. “but i won’t let you do this again, you said you would do anything for me, anything for us, so i need you to stop fucking lying to me because you’re trying to protect me from whatever big bad things you think you are, or from the world, i can take it jax.” fingers reached out to grab at the bicep she was leaning on, forehead resting on his shoulder for just a second before she found his gaze again. “you nearly lost her too jackson, share it with me, let me take it, let me help it’s not all on you - just stop lying to me please i can take it.” 

Today had been perfect, well as perfect as a day could get when you spent it worrying about every little thing. Hadley had been tucked up safe in her house for the past few weeks and it had been Jackson to point out the young Wells likely had cabin fever and they couldn’t keep her locked up forever. Mallory wasn’t sure she agreed but she had let him talk her into the beach day nonetheless and the could still hear the little squeals of joy form Hadley as Jackson had played in the water with her. He was right, it was what she had needed, he always seemed to know what they needed. For weeks now he’d been in the guest room and catered to their every need, only nipping out here and there, always on call when she needed him. How she was ever going to repay him she didn’t know, she didn’t even know how to tell him how much he meant to her. What did you say to someone who had saved your entire world and then rebuilt it with you even when the two of you hadn’t been talking? There weren’t words, and any semblance of awkwardness between the two of them was long gone. Padding into the kitchen with freshly washed hair and a now sleeping Hadley tucked away safe in her bed, Mallory paused at the sight that greeted her. “Jack…you okay?” It was likely an odd question given the way he was standing at the sink, still like he was trying to figure the world out.

“So update me in the world of you.” Mallory announced as the waiter finally left the two of them alone with their bottle of wine and platter of food in front of them. A catch up had been needed between the two of them for far to long and whilst they could have nattered at home, Mallory needed some sense of normalcy, a day where she was comfortable and settled and still able to breathe the fresh air. A brunch with her best friend? There was no better way of clinging some of that power for herself back, so here she was in a fancy little cafe, her favorite jeans on and she was going to get wine drunk. “I feel awful I’ve barely left the house and had time to check on you.”

Ahhh, ex wife number two. Mallory was well acquainted with each of Jackson’s ex-wives. None more so than the last two that had been and gone whilst she was around but even the ones before she had been in his life. If you were compared to someone enough you learnt a thing or two about them. Anastasia was Jackson’s first ever other woman, the two were likely more alike than they knew but they never really spoke. A choice on the blonde's part, being seen with her would likely stir things she had no interest in and it was wise to stay away. Not a choice she was going to have today though it seemed as she was sat next to the actress, events were fun till you were forced to mingle. “Hi..” A soft peace offering sent the others way.

“Pretty sad isn’t it really?” The blonde hummed as she looked back at Stella with a crease in her brow. “That we’re all just waiting for the next person's downfall so ours isn’t front page news anymore.” Not that what happened to her was a downfall but it would be nice to not be reminded of her re-emergence to society every time she clicked on line or passed a magazine. “We all want to be famous till being famous sucks.”

The simple act of kindness from the other at offering her an escape route from the line of questioning was enough to make Mallory want to well up these days. God she hadn’t been so hormonal since she had been pregnant, she really needed to get herself together or she would be a mess every time she left the house. “Yes please, coffee sounds great, I have the best coffee machine at home but it still doesn’t beat when someone else gets it for you.”

“yea it’s been hard.” it had been twenty-eight days of pure hell. the only time mallory had left her house in that time was for the damn oscars and she had spent that entire time clung to jacksons side. unfornately, hiding forever was not an option for the actress and she had finally stepped out into the world. her piece had been said and no one would get away with making her feel that scared ever again. felling a gaze on her the actress turned her head, offering a soft smile. “i’m okay, it’s over now, she’s safe.” currently tucked up home with jackson still. “i can’t hide away forever i gotta get back to work.” 

she wasn’t even sure how long she had been sat in the hospital now. it was hours but each hour felt like a whole day on it’s own. it felt like she had been left in suspension as she tried to figure out piece of information from what people weren’t telling her. doctors came and went, keeping her on enough medication to keep the numbing in her head at bay but it didn’t matter what he pumped her with they didn’t manage to numb the ache in her chest. police came and went but they didn’t tell her anything, nothing about jackson, about her daughter, about where the hell the scum that had knocked her up and run away had taken her life and stashed it away. ford and felicity had done their best, the male had been in and out but felicity had been by her side, talking to her about anything and everything, actually throwing questions at the people that came and went to fish answers from them but she remained rooted to her spot watching the door despite what everyone around her way saying. the sound of his voice hit her first, before she even saw him she knew he was on his way back and her breathe was held as she waited for him to make it back to her. the sight of him wasn’t one she was ready for, as she watched her entire world walk back through the doors, the two halves of her heart holding onto each other. “oh.” a sob wracked through her chest as she reached for the two of them. scrambling to the edge of her bed as she looked at them, he’s found her, she was ok, she was as far as her eyes could figure out as scanned every inch of her daughter. “baby, come here.” tears she normally hid from her daughter were rolling down her cheeks as the two of them were in her reached and she reached for the pair of them pulling them onto the bed with her. if she couldn’t stop crying before there was no chance now, he’d found her. he was here and he had found her.