;

“Not exactly.. I mean, I’m keeping it, so I’m going to turn the guest room into the nursery. I’m just going to wing it and hope to god that those motherly instincts people talk about actually kick in, and that I don’t fuck it up.”

“I don’t think it takes a genius to know that I’ve done a lot of fucked up things. The worst was probably what I did to end up in prison. The drugs, and beating the shit out of that woman just for bumping into me. There’s nothing quite like being dragged out of a bar covered in another person’s blood, only to then be searched, get your drugs taken away, and slammed into the back of a cop car. But for shits and giggles I’ll give an honorable mention to the time I drove someone’s car through their neighbours back gate and into their swimming pool.”

Felix stood in the doorway and sighed. “Can you let me in. Because if people see this and don’t know who I am then they are gonna think I’m the baby daddy.” He pulled a face and stepped in and placed the basket on the table. “ You know thanks is usually what people say when they get gifts. And it wouldn’t kill you to call Jo and tell her you are ok yourself.” He sighed.

“I moved to town as its a good place to run the business from.” The short response was true but he was also there to keep an eye on her. “I have been looking for a quiet location to get away from the press. Wilmington seems to be good.” He shrugged. “So… How’s life? I mean apart from being…” He pointed to her stomach and gave a small frown. “Is it weird?”

“Fuck off, nobody is going to think you’re the baby daddy. Ew,” she said, shaking her head. She let him step past her, and closed the door behind him as she followed him inside. “Thanks,” she said, hoping that would please him. “It wouldn’t kill her to call me either, but look where we are.” It was hard to be at odds with their adoptive mother for so long. She was the one who gave her a chance at turning her life around as a teenage, but she also resented her greatly for not being there for her in her darkest times as an adult.

“Right,” she replied. “Mm, so you’re following in my footsteps, hiding from the press and mass publicity here. Good choice, it generally works. Just be careful about social media, they’ll still take your shit from there and make headlines about it,” she said dryly. It had definitely been a shock when she went into a drugstore and flipped through a magazine to see an article about how she was pregnant. Being in the spotlight for so long definitely had some disadvantages. She licked her lips slowly. “It’s weird. I’m not that far along, but there’s.. the tiny bump, and it’s weird knowing that I’m going to have to care for another human. But it’s keeping me sober, so... y’know.”

Looking away from the five year old as he dug in the sand, Caleb let out a laugh. “Don’t worry. He’s heard worse. By me, by Log, by almost everyone. I’ll be lucky if his teacher this year doesn’t come back to me and ask why he’s got such a colorful vocabulary. We’ve been lucky so far.” He looked back at the boy and shook his head, pointing at the sand castle. “You’ve got to finish that before the tide comes in, we need to take a picture of your masterpiece, Mase.” Leaning back in his chair, he looked over at his brother’s girlfriend again. “The secret is a lot of coffee, mountain dew, and a lot of help.”

“Does he ever parrot the things you say? When I was kid, I knew how to say fuck before I could say my own name because of how often I heard it,” she told him. It might have sounded funny, but it was completely true. Her parents hadn’t had a care in the world about using foul language at any given moment, both around her and to her. “It’s looking better than anything I could make, good job,” she called out to Mason. “Mm, good to know. The only time I use to have a lot of energy was on stage, when I was hopped up on drugs, drunk, or all of the above. Hopefully I can find a decent brand of coffee to keep me going.”

CLOSED STARTER: @sirenarhall​  LOCATION: The Oceanic 

To say she needed to really familiarize herself with Wilmington would’ve been an understatement. In the short time she had been here, Nia hadn’t been too keen on exploring that much. While she still went out and made friends, it was a bit of an issue of whether or not she wanted to stick around, and if she didn’t, she didn’t want to keep people around if she was just going to leave them later on. However, she had been here a decent amount of time now that not going out, just seemed stupid. So here she was, trying to make the best of the day. Though, in true Nia fashion, it wasn’t a good day without something going wrong. And as she moved through the small eatery on the pier, Nia clearly wasn’t paying attention when she ended up colliding into the side of one of the waiters, causing the drinks to fly up into the air and spill directly onto someone’s table. Embarrassed and guilty, Nia was quick to try and remedy what had happened, while the waiter had let out a frustrated groan and ran off to grab more towels. “Crap, I’m so, so sorry. I promise I will totally, like, pay for dry cleaning or something. Or buy you another drink, or two or something. I’m so sorry. I clearly need to pay better attention to where I’m headed.” 

Sitting there as she waited for her food to come to the table, Sirena almost felt like a loser for being the only person she could see around her who wasn’t sitting with someone. It was boring, and a little lonely, but at least she could people watch and enjoy her food in peace. Or at least, that’s what she thought, until suddenly she heard some commotion. Almost as quickly as it began, it ended, with her table and her clothing being doused in liquid. The scents of white wine and cola filled the air surrounding her, and she crinkled her nose. That was not quite what she was hoping for. “It’s fine,” she said through clenched teeth. She looked down at herself and shook her head. “I’m going to need my meal boxed up when it’s made, if you don’t mind,” she said to one of the other waiters nearby. She needed to get changed. It was mainly on the table, but a fair bit had made it onto her shirt, with a few drops on her pants. “Yeah, you do.”

Location: Sirena’s home. 

Interacting with: @sirenarhall​.

Finding where his sister lived was like trying to find the holy grail. He had  managed to find out that she lived in Wilmington, but it was hardly a small village. Felix had no idea what part of town she lived in or if she even wanted to see him. Eventually he bumped into someone who gave him the exact address and he jumped in his car and headed to the house. 

Felix parked across the street and bit his lip. Would she even want to see him. He looked at the baby gift basket wrapped in the back seat and knew that Josephine would be heartbroken if he didn’t try. So, he grabbed the basket and then smoothed down his tie and climbed out the car and walked to her place. The thought of ever being a parent made Felix want to heave. He would be a terrible father, part of him wondered if he was one already, but he shook the thought out of his mind and knocked on the door. 

“Hey stranger, Mom told me to bring you this.” Were the first words he uttered. “ I have been carrying around a fucking baby basket all day. “ He stopped and gave a her a sad smile. “ Long time no see. You alright?”

The minute she heard a kick on her door, Sirena groaned. She had two options: continue sitting where she was finally comfortable, or go answer it before whoever it was knocked again. She didn’t really care who it was. She didn’t feel in the mood to see anyone. But still, she stood up, trudging over to the front door.

To say it was a surprise to see Felix would be a massive understatement. Their relationship hadn’t been that bad, but it didn’t change the fact that Sirena hadn’t seen him or heard from him in years. “What the hell?” were the first words out of her mouth. When he spoke, she shook her head. “So, Josephine is using you as her little messenger boy, I see. She could just grow up and come see me herself, huh?” This probably wasn’t the greeting he was expecting, but it was true in nature to how Sirena was.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “I’m sober, I’m healthy, all that good shit,” she said. She paused for a moment to look him up and down. “Did you honestly come all the way here to bring me this basket? Because I mean, I appreciate it, even though I’m not due until February, but it’s uh.. Not exactly around the corner from where you were living your life, is it?”

        “I don’t want it to be like this either, trust me,” Being with Sirena and feeling emotionally and mentally unstable about her pregnancy was the last thing Logan wanted to be feeling. If he could flip his emotions and turn his emotional and mental state around, he would in a hot second. Unfortunately, he couldn’t, so all he could do was be patient and let time do its thing. “But, it’s going to have to be like this for a while since I won’t be okay with it after just one day.” He had to point out, even if it stung in his heart a little bit. Moving his hand on her hip toward the midsection of her lower back, he pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead. He didn’t know what to say to her recent statement, so he replied with actions instead. “I’m sure, babe. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Sirena logically knew that expecting him to suddenly accept it and be okay with it wasn’t reasonable or realistic. The emotional part of her though was mad that it wasn’t that easy. The moment he said it was going to have to be this way for a while, she could feel herself tensing up. His lips touched her forehead, but she was quick to pull away from him. It was hard for her to find the words to say. She didn’t want it to be like this for a while. She wanted a feeling of normalcy, and at the very least she wanted him to be able to be around her without the extreme tension living in the air. “Do.. Do you need a break? from me? From us?” she asked. “I don’t want that, but I.. It’s not good for me to be around if things are going to be uncomfortable like this. I lo— like you a lot, Logan. But I need to do what’s best for my baby and my sobriety and feeling stressed out like this every time we’re together isn’t healthy for either of us.” She gnawed on her thumbnail nervously. “You say I’m not getting rid of you that easily, but what’s the point if it’s going to be this tense for a long time?”

She smiled at the words, another nod finding her head before she fell into a comfortable sort of silence. Marianne had never been afraid of not being able to speak, in fact she had spent most of her life not knowing what to say. Tripping over a tongue that betrayed her. Her hands found her pockets then, that calm she had hoped that run would give her finding its way into her features as she stood there studying the other. A gentle gaze devoid of judgement.

“That’s where I know you from,” she would say then, tone quiet though filled with a relief, “I’m sorry I couldn’t place you and it was driving me mad,” she added quickly, voice failing to raise beyond its demur and inconsequential sound for she didn’t feel the need to broadcast where they knew each other from. It was supposed to be anonymous. “I’m Marianne, I go sometimes if someone wants me too—that’s um, that’s why don’t usually share…” she added quickly, trying to explain. Not wanting the blonde to feel that she was imposing on the meetings—the sanctity so many had found in them. Of course, Marianne had her own stories to tell—her own experiences with addiction but those were saved for her therapist—for the meetings of family and friends. 

Sirena nodded. “Well.. now you have,” she said with a small shrug. She licked her lips slowly when she introduced herself to her. “Sirena,” she replied. “I go because I need it. But I don’t share much either. Those are my people, and they get it, but just being there feels good,” she explained. Taking a moment to pause, she soon continued. “It’s good of you to be there so support your people. Having a solid support system is such an important part of recovery, and if you being there is what helps someone go, by all means. Do what it takes, y’know?”

@calebrds​

“That would depend entirely on the person. I have a long list of people I’d love to fuck over though, so being able to possess them would be fabulous.”

“13 weeks. I feel good. The morning sickness is way, way less present, and I’m starting to feel less exhaust. The baby is the size of a lemon.”

“Caleb is hot, no doubt. But I keep my dirty thoughts for Logan and always have.”

@calebrds @loganmreed

“Use condoms, stay away from the drugs, and keep doing what you love because you will be successful.”