the survivor.

The sound of the door opening was music to her ears. "Oh, Noah," she gasped his name, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled herself closer to him. "I'm - I'm fine." The words barely above a murmur as she spoke into him. It was after those words that she lifted her head. "Ines, oh, God, Ines," Giovanna cried the young girl's name, knowing that she had been forgotten. "Noah, I'm so sorry. I -" she shook her head, careful not to knock him with her own. "I forgot the door gets stuck and I thought I heard something," she was trying to explain why she went into the basement in the first place. "Is she okay?" No longer was the brunette concerned with herself. @noahsinclaxr

Giovanna's smile remained warm against her lips as the other mentioned being up for anything. "Well, that's what I like to hear." As a professor, the students that wanted to learn were often her favorite ones. They navigated the world differently than the rest of the students. "Do you have a favorite vegetable or flower?" Giovanna questioned, "We could start a plot with one of those, if you have one." She didn't want to assume that everyone had thought of something like that. @wrxnxashby

"Trying is all some of us can do on any given day." And Giovanna had long learned that there was nothing wrong that. Even if it had taken her an astronomically long time to come to that realization and a lot of therapy sessions. She watched as the ball soared over Knox, knowing the question must have caught him off guard. When he returned and sent it back over, Giovanna lobbed it back with ease. "Well," she said, a smile tugging on the corner of her lips, "I would say that's progress." Because it was, even if it didn't necessarily seem like much progress. "I hope things are going to keep being on the mend." Giovanna spoke with a glimmer of hope wrapped around her words. @knoxwallace

"I get what you mean." Josiah nodded. "Though, you guys can do whatever you want. If you both wanted big and fancy I'm certainly not going to judge you." he shrugged. Not that he would judge regardless; he himself didn't exactly care if his own future wedding were large or small and intimate. In the end it would be whatever his future wife - Calliope - wanted. Even if he'd yet to even ask her, officially anyways. He knew she were the one. The only one. "I think sometimes people allow the idea of what everyone else wants cloud their own judgement of what they want, so, at the end of it all be sure that you're doing that. Making it about you and Noah. The rest of us will survive just fine." he added, though he knew he didn't need to. He didn't have the satisfaction of knowing Calliope's family as well as he'd hoped, and while he understood why there was tension, he knew that Giovanna wasn't the type to settle for less than what she actually wanted. "Oh you're right." he laughed. "It is summer break. I bet you are ready; I always look forward for some time off." @giovannaxwallace

"Yeah, of course." Giovanna knew that it was their wedding and they could do whatever they wanted. Yet, she didn't think that was on their radar. "I'm not really someone to let other's opinions sway me, especially about a wedding." The brunette admitted with a quiet huff of laughter passing over her lips. She never understood how people got married and let other's dictate their plans. "I never understand how people can let other's get so involved like that, but to each their own, I guess." Her shoulders lifted into a shrug over the idea. "Time off is much needed. Even five years later, it's still a strange concept, honestly, having a full summer off, but I'm growing more used to it." Giovanna just wasn't the type that sat still well, but she always found something to keep her busy. "Any future time off planned for you?" She asked curiously. @josiahhuddington

📍kismet harbor w/ @giovannaxwallace

Giovanna nodded her head, giving him a smile as he said he would be back in five minutes. She scrolled mindlessly through her phone, responding to a few student emails that had come through thanking her for an entertaining semester. When the other returned, she placed her phone into her back pocket and greeted him with a smile. "that's okay." She assured him, "Everyone has to start somewhere. I find that sometimes, just tending to the garden by weeding or watering can bring me a certain level of peace. But I can show you how to set up a new plot, too, if you'd like." @wrxnxashby

It was always a comforting feeling, coming home, seeing the lights from behind the curtains and knowing that as soon as he'd come through those doors that dazzling smile would be waiting for him, one who would graciously wait for him to kiss his daughter good night before returning to her, talking about their days, gossip about the neighbours, complain about co-workers. The white picket fence dream he had always wanted and had finally gotten.

Not this time.

He came home to an empty living room and crying from upstairs.

Strange.

Dropping his bags at the door, Noah made his way upstairs, large strides skipping one or even two steps so he could make it to his daughter, hysterical, red from crying, reaching for her father as soon as he stepped inside. "Heeey babygirl, I'm here. It's okay." Noah whispered to her, gentle shushes pushed between his teeth as he bounced slightly in an attempt to calm down his daughter. "Did you have a bad dream, bubba?" He asked her, the young girl's hysterical crying not helping him in the slightest. So he started walking through the hallway, seeing if perhaps Giovanna was in the bedroom. "Gi?"

Nothing.

Rather than frustration and anger, it was concern he felt. Fear. Giovanna wouldn't have left Ines alone, wouldn't have left her crying the way she had. Ines didn't cry easily, so the intensity of it was a clear indication that this hadn't been a few minutes. "It's okay honey, how about we go and get a drink, huh?" His lips touched his daughter's forehead, her arms clinging around his neck. He walked downstairs, heavier this time than when he went upstairs, the steps creaking beneath him and he started checking rooms. "Gio?" He asked, calmly, despite the dreading sense that dropped all the way down to his legs. "Giovanna?!" He called out, louder now. @giovannaxwallace

Time had passed slowly, the minutes ticking by on the imaginary clock inside her head. She didn't know how long she sat on the stairs by the door. Her eyes kept coming to a close, fighting the exhaustion as fear had pushed adrenaline through her body at an alarmingly high rate. The amount of time that had passed was unknown to her. It was only when she heard heavy steps and her name being called that she came to once more, fully.

"No-" she tried call out, her voice cutting off with a raspy cough. Clearing her throat, she tried once more. "Noah!" Her hand lifted, weakly hitting the door once. She slid it up the door, finding the handle to pull herself up. "Noah!" Giovanna yelled out once more, her forehead resting against the door as she jiggled the handle. @noahsinclaxr

"I'm a sucker for really anything lemonade flavor." she admitted. Lemon water was something she often found herself sipping on most of the year, so, lemonade flavored ice cream in the summertime was something she'd never deny herself the opportunity to enjoy. "I agree with both having pros and cons." Emma nodded. "Ice cream cones are easier because you can just eat it all without having to find a trashcan to dispose the cup when you're finished." she admitted. "But, I have a tendency to be miserable after that that most of the time I'd rather walk around with trash in my hand for hours than to spend the rest of my day miserable." she added, volunteering more information than the other asked for. "Cup it is." she nodded. "And really, it's no problem." she smiled. "I'm happy to pass forward a kind gesture today." @giovannaxwallace

"It's a perfect flavor for the summer." Giovanna thought back to the lemonade stand she used to have as a kid. There had definitely been days that she had drank more than she sold. "Yeah, I've definitely had my share of treks around Kismet just holding onto trash." Giovanna admitted with a shake of her head. "It's nice to know that kindness hasn't been lost in the world." Something that could feel more difficult for her to remember at times. "It's hard to remember there is good at times when it feels like all the media we take in is rather negative online." @emmajlin

Giovanna hadn't taken long to get into the rhythm of lobbing the ball back to Knox and talking. It almost seemed that it made Knox more comfortable, which she was happy about. "You're doing good, Knox." She assured, even if his actions had resulted in a broken nose earlier in the year. She didn't fault him. After everything all the Wallace's had been through, she really just wanted them to be happy. "Have you talked with Cal at all?" @knoxwallace

As Giovanna admitted that things with her were good, he let his smile widen. "That's good." he stated, listening as the other than continued to mention wedding planning and enjoying the blissfulness of it all. "Is the idea stressful?" he questioned, eyes focusing on the brunette. "You know, I kind of want a warning if so for whenever we're the ones in the thick of it." he admitted. He was sure by this point that Calliope was the one he'd be spending his life with, regardless of anything else, and even if he hadn't officially proposed yet, the warning he was sure he'd appreciate later. "Also, you know if there's anything Cal or I can help do, feel free to reach out. I'm sure I can speak for both of us when I say that we're more than happy to help out." he admitted with another nod of his head. "Of course, enjoy the blissfulness of just being together first, and the summer break. You guys deserve it." @giovannaxwallace

"I don't think the idea is as stressful as the actual planning will be. Though, I know I want to keep it as stress free as possible. Noah and I have both already been married, we don't need to do go all out with the bells and whistles." Not that she had the first time, having gotten married on a cruise ship, but that was besides the point. "I appreciate that, Josiah, thank you." Though things with her sister hadn't been the best since she moved to town, they had been on the mend. And she more than appreciated that Cal had Josiah in her life. "The summer break," she smiled at the words, "I love teaching, I have really enjoyed engaging with the students on such an intellectual level but I am ready for some down time." @josiahhuddington

"That's the same flavor I was looking at too." Emma smile, nodding her head enthusiastically. She was known to have a palette that was a little more mature in the sense of yogurts, ice creams, and treats, but she wasn't opposed to having something like basic chocolate when the mood struck. But today wasn't that day and with the warmer with she was indulging in the first fruity flavor of the season, lemon blueberry. "I don't know what it is about it but I'm a sucker for lemon as is. Toss in some blueberries and I am guaranteed to enjoy it multiple times a week while it's in stock." she laughed. "You a cone girl or a cup girl? No wrong answer I just need to know how to order." @giovannaxwallace

"Honestly, it's the perfect summer flavor." Giovanna agreed with a slight nod of her head. "I swear it can make a gloomy day better, too. Tasting like summer and all." The brunette let out a soft laugh from her lips, only thinning at the question. "Honestly, I could go either way." She told the woman with a shake of her head. "Both have their pros, but," Giovanna trailed off once more. "Okay, let's go cup today." She finally answered after another beat. Whether or not it was the right choice, she figured she would find out. "Thank you, though, really. The gesture is so kind." And while Kismet Harbor was full of kindness, she still wanted to acknowledge it. @emmajlin

Giovanna watched the other as they answered. She hadn't expected someone to spill their life story, though she would have listened if they had. Sometimes the words needed to make their way out out into the open, acknowledging what was going on. Nodding her head, she gave him a small smile as he finished speaking. "Life does have a habit of happening, doesn't it?" Even Giovanna had been through her fair share. Though, at the end of the day, none of it could ever compare to the shit she went through as a kid. But, the basement door locking her in had come pretty damn close as it dragged up old nightmares. "Keeping busy can be helpful at times." She responded with a slight nod of her head, not wanting to necessarily agree that her day was seemingly going better than is. "If you're almost off, I'd be happy to continue help keeping you busy. I'm headed to the community garden to tend to some plots." @wrxnxashby

Josiah nodded as the other stated that she'd always be there for the two of them, and he appreciated it. Not that he needed her to confess it, but it was nice to hear regardless. "I know that it meant a lot to her, even if she's never said it." Josiah wouldn't speak for his girlfriend, wouldn't assume she hadn't. Her relationship with her siblings wasn't something he dabbled in unless she were ranting, in most cases. But he wouldn't deny that he hoped that something about that day had shifted the two of them closer. "How are things for you though?" he questioned, wanting to take some of the pressure of the conversation off of himself and see how she were doing. @giovannaxwallace

Giovanna smiled at Josiah's words, as even though they were coming from him, they still meant something to her. "Thank you." She gave a slight nod of her head to him to acknowledge the statement. "Things are good." Giovanna almost hated to say it, if she were being honest with herself. "Noah and I haven't started wedding planning, not much anyway. We've been enjoying the blissful state of it all. Finally finding the right person." Giovanna admitted to Josiah, her smile warming at the thought. "I'm looking forward to enjoying the summer too, with classes being over." @josiahhuddington

Though the effort he'd made to get out from under Maddox's thumb had been shady at best, the fact that it was done had brought a wave of relief to Knox's life. It finally felt like for the first time since he'd come to down that he had a real shot at building a genuine connection back with his family. With summer coming up quickly and volleyball leagues starting back up soon, Knox had hit Gio up to spend a few hours at the beach practicing and catching back up. Serving the ball over, Knox got into an easy groove where they could talk and play at the same time. "Positive news on the creepy fuckers trying to murder us front. I took care of it, so it should be...you know. Safe or whatever."

Life had been a mix of ups and downs. She'd started off earlier in the year with a broken nose due to whatever Knox was involved with. She held onto her sister while her life fell apart. She got engaged. She was trying to get pregnant. The invitation to the beach, however, she hoped would provide some much needed distractions from life as a whole. Giovanna lobbed the ball back over the net as Knox spoke, almost having her trip over her own two feet. "What does that mean?" Giovanna had to ask, "That you took care of it?" @knoxwallace

Giovanna listened as Donovan spoke, "Right," she smiled warmly in his direction. "A beach party?" Her brow raised, "An interesting event to bring to an indoor establishment when we literally have miles of beaches." She let out laughter, almost in disbelief of his story. "That's something," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. She supposed that someone would always ask for something ridiculous. "I'm sure speed dating will be fun, at least to watch as a fly on the wall." @donnymorgan