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Tangled
Sept 18, 2013 20:07:27 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 18, 2013 20:07:27 GMT -5
Jacob woke with a jolt, his chest heaving and leg throbbing. For a moment, he was confused, not remembering where he was. There had been so many nights that he woke in a strange room, or in his car, thinking for just a moment that he was back home, lying next to Astoria. Now that he finally was though, it seemed strange to him. Well, he was back home, but rather than sleeping next to Astoria... Jake was on the couch. He understood completely why she wouldn't want to sleep in the same bed just yet. He had, after all, left her in some sense. Besides, the couch was easiest for him, what with his broken leg and crutches. He'd been discharged the previous morning and, all through the night, he couldn't help but feel he was being watched. He knew it was just what Steven wanted. The fact that he couldn't get into the apartment without an invitation though was of great comfort to the werewolf.
Not having told Tori about Steven's next intended target, Jacob had insisted that Michael, Victor, or some other pack member accompany her just about everywhere. He didn't care what lame excuse they made, so long as she didn't know that she and Caleb were in danger. The thought of Caleb made him lay there for a moment, staring up at the darkened ceiling. It had to be late, though how late, he wasn't quite sure. Since his first meeting with the three year old, Jake had been treated with daily hospital visits and, upon his return, a day of watching cartoons, while being confined to the couch. It was still rather surreal for the young man.
Rubbing his face with his hands, Jacob tried to shake the nightmare that had woken him. Though he hadn't told anyone but Michael, Steven had paid him a visit in the hospital one night, when nobody was there. He was toying with him and Jake knew it, playing the same twisted game he had been playing for years. Now, though, the stakes were higher.
As Jake laid there, trying to figure out just how he was going to keep the monster from his son and Tori, he lifted his head for a moment, listening. His heart sank when he swore he heard the sound of something scraping against a window. The problem? The windows were too high and there was nothing outside that was close, or tall, enough to scratch the window. No pigeon could make that noise and no human could get up there. No human.
Throwing back the blankets, Jake sat up faster than his still sore ribs could handle, fumbling for his crutches. Caleb was calling out. Entering his son's room, Jake looked around before looking to the window? "What's wrong?" he asked, turning on the light. Caleb covered his tired eyes. "Someone was scratching my window," he said tiredly.
Crossing the room with his crutches, Jake opened the blinds and peered out into the darkness. Nothing. "It was probably just a pigeon," Jake lied, figuring the kid would believe the fib. "Go back to sleep." Jake sure as hell probably wouldn't be going back to sleep. Caleb only ignored the order. "Man-eating pigeons?" he asked, eyes wide as he sat up on his little toddler bed. Jake merely looked at him. "What???" he asked, brows knitting together tightly. "What are you talking about?" Jake shut the blinds once more, but not without peering out one last time.
"Pigeons who eat people," Caleb responded, as if Jake was supposed to know what he was talking about. "There's no such thing. Who told you there were man-eating pigeons?" Caleb only shrugged, chewing on the sleeve of his superman pajamas. "Can I sleep with you?" Jake considered this for a moment, unsure if he was supposed to let him sleep anywhere but his bed. "No, lay back down and go to sleep." "Please?" "No." "PLEASE?" "FINE."
Obviously feeling successful in defeating the man that was apparently his father, Caleb jumped from his bed, bringing with him a stuffed dog and a blanket. Jake could only roll his eyes and hold open the door for the kid. Using the end of a crutch to do so, Jacob turned off the bedroom light and followed Caleb into the living room. "Can we watch TV?" the three year old whispered, knowing that his mother was asleep. "No."
Ten minutes later, the TV was glowing and father and son were immersed in Tangled, a movie that Jacob had not yet seen. The two sat side beside, Jake's cast and leg propped up on a pillow on top of the coffee table as the two of them shoved popcorn into their mouths. Normally, Jake would have been wearing only boxers, but had opted to wear a gray tee shirt as well to spare his son the sight of his bruised torso. "Who are you again?" Caleb asked through a mouthful as Flynn Ryder was being chased by a horse. "I'm your dad," Jake said, for probably the twentieth time. "What's a dad?"
Jake paused for a moment, having no idea how to answer this question. "It's uhh... like a mom." Both of their brows knitted together in a strikingly similar expression. "Only a man..." Caleb merely looked back to the TV. "Oh..." Hearing a something, Jake covered Caleb's mouth before the kid could say anything else. Muting the TV, he narrowed his eyes. They'd been caught...915 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 18, 2013 22:02:13 GMT -5
Post by Astoria J. Reese on Sept 18, 2013 22:02:13 GMT -5
Astoria awoke from a rather nice dream to the sounds of the TV and hushed voices and the smell of buttery popcorn. Rolling over to face her night stand she groaned quietly. The alarm clock glared brightly at her declaring that it was only three am in the morning. Rubbing her eyes sleepily she crawled out of bed and fumbled around for her fuzzy robe and house shoes. It took her a minute or two but she finally managed to locate them. She shrugged into the robe but decided against the slippers, opting to go barefoot instead.
Tiredly she padded her way into the hallway where she could see the flickering of the television screen lighting up the walls. As she passed Caleb’s room she glanced in confirming her suspicions. Shaking her head she made it the rest of the way to the living room. Tori had no qualms against the whole father son bonding thing, but seriously? It was three in the morning and although she had taken off work for a few days to help Jake get settled in, she still needed her sleep.
Leaning against the doorway she crossed her arms and looked at Jake. “Do you have any idea how early in the morning it is?” she asked, slightly cranky. She really hadn't ever been one to be nice just after waking up so it wasn't surprising she was cranky now. But she looked at her son and her face softened a bit. He seemed to genuinely be enjoying this time with Jacob... After a moment she sighed and said “Mind if I join y’all?” 269 WORDS FOR JACOB H. ROSWELL | CITY OF ANGELS LYRICS BY 30 SECONDS TO MARS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 18, 2013 23:06:01 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 18, 2013 23:06:01 GMT -5
When she finally came into view, both sets of eyes were on the hallway and Jake's hand slipped from the kid's mouth. "You're in trouble," Caleb whispered to Jake who just looked down at him and shook his head. Wasn't he supposed tobe the father? How was Caleb always one step ahead of him?
When Tori asked if she could join them, Caleb and Jacob simply looked at each other. Though no words passed between them, they silently came to an agreement and nodded to Astoria. "Sure," Jake said while Caleb scooted a little closer to his father, to allow room on the couch on his other side. He came dangerously close to crushing Jake's goods, causing him to cringe. "Ahh, watch out," Jake said, panicked for a moment. "Oh, sorry," Caleb said with a laugh. The kid was definitely out to get him.
It was just a little while later, about half way through the movie, when Jake looked over to see that Caleb was sound asleep, his head resting against Jake, whose arm was stretched out over the back of the couch. Nudging Tori, he inclined his head toward their sleeping son. 194 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 18, 2013 23:22:05 GMT -5
Post by Astoria J. Reese on Sept 18, 2013 23:22:05 GMT -5
Tori sat down next to her son, getting as comfortable as she could in the room that was provided. She ruffled Caleb’s hair, something that he hated her to do, then grabbed the remote to turn it off mute and smiled a little at the choice of movie. Tangled was one movie she had seen on her own one night after she had put Caleb to bed, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The fact that Jake was watching it was a little bit cute.
It wasn't too long after that that Astoria felt a nudge on her arm. She looked over at Jake then at her son and smiled. Whispering she said “I’ll take him to his bed.” Gently she scooped Caleb up and placed him quietly in his bed. Making sure he was covered in his blankets she shut the door, keeping it cracked just a sliver before walking back to the living room and climbing back onto the couch. “So Tangled huh? Was it on the TV Guide or did you happen to find it in my stash of movies?” She asked grinning at Jake. 186 WORDS FOR JACOB H. ROSWELL | CITY OF ANGELS LYRICS BY 30 SECONDS TO MARS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 19, 2013 2:06:41 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 19, 2013 2:06:41 GMT -5
Jake watched as Tori gently lifted Caleb off of him and the couch before whisking him away into his bedroom. Had his leg not been broken, he would have done it himself in a heartbeat, after having missed carrying the kid to bed for the first three years of his life. It killed him to know that he had missed so much of his son's life. He'd sacrificed so much. Swallowing hard, his expression was rather gloomy, until Tori walked back in, that is.
A smile once again crossed his face as she spoke and he watched her sit back down. He was almost relieved that she was willing to stay up with him, no matter how long she planned on doing so. Still, he would have liked to be in closer proximity of her, though he couldn't argue with the space she wanted between them after what he had done. He knew full well, from the moment that he left, that he would have to win her back. He just wished she could see that his feelings for her had never changed. "Hey," he said, raising his hands in defeat. "The kid wanted to watch it and fetched it from your movies himself. I played no part in it." Looking back at the screen, Jake didn't want to admit just how amazing the movie was. "Still, it's not half bad."
"This Flynn Ryder though... he reminds me of someone... devilishly handsome, witty... charming... I just can't put my finger on it," Jake said, rubbing his beard. "Oh yeah! He reminds me of me." 264 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 19, 2013 13:32:40 GMT -5
Post by Astoria J. Reese on Sept 19, 2013 13:32:40 GMT -5
Astoria could help but laugh a little. At least his cockiness hadn't changed; it had been one of the things that attracted her to him, even though they had known each other for practically forever. “Who ever said you were devilishly handsome, charming and witty? Did you give yourself those labels?” she asked teasingly. She had missed him being around, he had always been her best friend and it just felt right again having him there. Part of her wished she could just forgive him right then and there and get right back to how things used to be.
But things were different now than they were then. For one, they had a three year old son and even though Tori loved Jake with all her heart she wanted to make sure he was back for good. She hated to think how Caleb would take it if he got extremely close to his father only to lose him all because of his obsession with that vampire.
Thinking about the vampire that had killed both Jake's brother and his father made her get a little more serious. Looking at Jacob she asked “So what’s going to happen once your leg heals? Is that vampire still in the city?” Tori frowned after that question and then added “Is Caleb in danger?” She knew that if anything ever tried to hurt her son, she’d give everything she had to protect him and she hoped Jake felt the same way.
246 WORDS FOR JACOB H. ROSWELL | CITY OF ANGELS LYRICS BY 30 SECONDS TO MARS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 19, 2013 15:04:03 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 19, 2013 15:04:03 GMT -5
Jacob gave a half smile, his eyes still on the screen. "My mother told me I was, so it must be true," he said briefly thinking about the woman. According to Michael, she was even worse than when he left, her boyfriend in jail and her constantly drunk or high... or both. As much as he hated to say it, he hope dearly that Caleb hadn't had much contact with the woman. That was the last thing he wanted his son to be around.
Tori's next question pulled his attention away from the television all together, his brows furrowed. He honestly hadn't thought about it because there really was nothing to think about. He had a son and his only option was to stay home, where he was needed. It wasn't that he wouldn't have stayed just for Tori, he would have, but now... now there was no choice. He wanted to be with Tori and Caleb. Her last question though, that was what got his gut twisted into knots.
"Steven won't lay a hand on Caleb," Jake said, his tone serious. It wasn't entirely a lie. Sure, Caleb was in danger; they all were, but there was no way in hell the psychotic vampire was going to lay his hands on them. Not to mention, they would be protected by the pack. Though he had the opportunity to tell her then and there that Steven was seeking her out, specifically, and would likely target their son as well, he just couldn't. He wanted her, above all else, to feel safe. He, and a few others, would keep Steven at bay until they could get their hands on the bastard and kill him.
"I was thinking about that, actually... what I would do once my leg is healed." He looked down at his cast which had become a new coloring book for Caleb, scribbles and pictures drawn all over it. "I still own my dad's old diner... I was going to make a few calls tomorrow, see about fixing it up and reopening it." Jake still had the money, after all. When his mother had spiraled downhill and started drinking after the death of one of her son's, Jake's father left his money to Jake and Michael, knowing they would care for their mother =. On her worst days, the woman accused the boys of stealing her money and insisted that she needed it for her medicine. With it locked away, safely, in Jake's bank account, she hadn't been able to touch it. There was still plenty to get the diner going again, and then some.
Jake's eyes shifted back to her face, wondering how she would take this. He would be back for good, as long as she wanted him. 460 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 19, 2013 16:27:34 GMT -5
Post by Astoria J. Reese on Sept 19, 2013 16:27:34 GMT -5
Astoria frowned a little at his response. It wasn't a definite yes or no and while his tone made her believe him, that he wouldn't let anything happen to Caleb but it didn't do a whole lot to assure her that they were really safe. In this day and age anything could happen and at any time. But she decided to put off any further discussion on the topic for a later date. It wasn't like she could really do much more than what she was already doing, short of moving in with her father, to keep Caleb safe.
Tori thought a moment about his idea about fixing up the diner. It sounded like a pretty good idea, the place had been a favorite place for her and her family to eat when she was younger, and she had spent a lot of time there with Jacob while growing up. Giving Jake a slight smile she said “I like that idea, it would be great to see it up and running again. It will bring back a little bit of the old days.” It made her a bit happier to know that he planned on sticking around.
She shifted a little on the couch, moving a little closer to Jacob mostly because she hated the distance between them. Astoria had always felt more comfortable being close to him that the few years that he was gone were pretty hard. She had tried to find someone to fill the void that Jake had left but none of them could compare to the way he had always made her feel. “You know, I can help out with fixing it up too. Could be something we could do together and use it to reconnect…” she said after a long moment.
297 WORDS FOR JACOB H. ROSWELL | CITY OF ANGELS LYRICS BY 30 SECONDS TO MARS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 19, 2013 23:32:58 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 19, 2013 23:32:58 GMT -5
Jake couldn't help but raise a brow and look at Astoria sideways as she moved closer. His eyes may have even flicked downward at her as she spoke. "Reconnect?" he gave her a rather handsome smirk. "Are you coming on to me?" He was joking of course... well, sort of. He wanted, more than anything, to be able to go back to the way things were before he left, though he knew it make her some time to warm up to him again. For him though, all she had to do was say the word and he was hers.
"We can go scope out the place tomorrow then," he said, a little more seriously. Still, his eyes didn't leave her, the expression in them rather suggestive. "See what needs to be done." He raised his brows, stretching his arms around the back of the couch once more, mostly so that she could get closer, if she wanted. He was a little limited in regards to what he could do. Considering her for a moment, he narrowed his eyes. "You're really up for this? After everything I've put you through, you're still willing to put up with me?" 460 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 20, 2013 9:58:57 GMT -5
Post by Astoria J. Reese on Sept 20, 2013 9:58:57 GMT -5
Tori couldn't help but giggle a little at his words and swatted his arm. “Noooo, of course not. Why ever would I be coming onto you?” she replied with a playful wink. This was easy, being with him again after so long apart. It was almost scary how easy it was, but at the same time it gave her some hope. If it was easy now, after only one night of him being ‘home’ then how much easier will the days that follow be?
She nodded at him “Sounds good to me, I loved that place, so I think we should try to keep it how it used to look. With a few modern updates of course.” Tori said with a smile. She had loved eating in the diner when she was younger, the food had been great and that was one of the things she hoped they could bring back… Hopefully Jake still had his hands on some of the old recipes for the place.
His next question made her think for a moment but she really did love him, and not having him in her life had hurt. Astoria looked at him and moved closer “Yes I’m up for this. I don’t like the idea of not being able to come home to you. It was terrible enough to do it for three years. I don’t want to do it anymore.” She left out those three important words though, not entirely ready to say them out loud again even though she said them in her head. Tori would like to think that even though she didn't say them, they were written on her face.
276 WORDS FOR JACOB H. ROSWELL | CITY OF ANGELS LYRICS BY 30 SECONDS TO MARS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 20, 2013 13:59:36 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 20, 2013 13:59:36 GMT -5
Guilt washed over him at her words but, at the same time, he couldn't help but feel relieved. She was giving him a chance that not many men would get. Still, he couldn't help but feel that she was being too easy on him. He didn't deserve her... of course, that didn't mean he wasn't going to take her on.
"You know, I think I like the sound of that." It had been so long since he'd been in one place for more than a week. Being home was almost strange to him, but comforting. If they could pick up where they left off... But, he was getting ahead of himself. Before he could get comfortable, there was once thing that he still had to do: rip Steven's heart out.
The closer she got, the closer he wanted to get to her. He found himself leaning in toward her a little, until a sharp pain ripped through his torso, causing his face to contort in pain. "Shit," he hissed, pulling back to avoid anymore pain, gripping his tee shirt to help him resist the urge to rub his side. That would surely only make it worse. It took a moment for it to pass, but when it did, he looked back at her. All he'd wanted to do was kiss her... well, okay, he wanted to do more than that. He always wanted to do more than that, but he wasn't going to push her. 245 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 20, 2013 17:09:17 GMT -5
Post by Astoria J. Reese on Sept 20, 2013 17:09:17 GMT -5
Astoria knew that she might be moving a little fast with the whole forgiving him issue but it just felt wrong to stay mad at the one person she considered as her best friend, even though he had been gone for so long. What would it hurt to give him the benefit of the doubt, besides her heart? She genuinely believed he wouldn't ever leave their son. He’d always have his real father, so long as Jacob managed to not get killed by the psychotic vampire.
Tori winced as she saw Jake's face scrunch up in pain and heard him curse. “Hey, you gotta be careful I know we heal fast but you aren't completely healed yet you idiot.” She reprimanded him but she said it with a small smile. “Come on let me see how bad those bruises are so I know if they need more ice or not.” Astoria added moving closer to lift his shirt up if he’d allow her to. She knew his ribs should be healing up about now but ice always helped a little with the pain. 183 WORDS FOR JACOB H. ROSWELL | CITY OF ANGELS LYRICS BY 30 SECONDS TO MARS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 20, 2013 17:35:07 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 20, 2013 17:35:07 GMT -5
Jake rolled his eyes at her. "I'm fine," he said, but allowed her to lift his shirt anyway. "You're just trying to get my clothes off." Beneath his shirt, his torso was still badly bruised, but healing. His abs and chest though were still just as muscular as they had been a few years back, if not then even more so.
As she lifted his shirt. Jake couldn't take his eyes off of her face. It had been so long since he'd been so close to her. Still, for a moment, he felt as thought the past four years had never happened... as if he had never left and nothing had ever changed between them. He tried not to wince as he shifted to let her get his shirt up farther. "How's it looking, doc?" he asked, arching a brow. He could practically feel the heat from her body and it took everything he had not to pull her closer. 245 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 20, 2013 18:06:06 GMT -5
Post by Astoria J. Reese on Sept 20, 2013 18:06:06 GMT -5
As she looked him over she gently touched his bruised spots, trying not hurt him too much. She was definitely no doctor but growing up in a pack of werewolves you tend to learn some things. With a frown she sighed. She knew that he probably wouldn't her ice it, there was something with guys and trying to look tough that she never understood. We all feel pain. While she had his shirt practically off of him, she took a moment to appreciate his well-muscled torso. At least that hadn't changed.
“Well, it looks horrible I mean all this skin might just slough off and ruin that six pack you have going.” Tori replied with a wink and a laugh. She noticed him looking intently at her face and wittily she said to him “Do you see something you like?” Tori grinned at him.
144 WORDS FOR JACOB H. ROSWELL | CITY OF ANGELS LYRICS BY 30 SECONDS TO MARS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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Tangled
Sept 20, 2013 18:54:04 GMT -5
Post by Jacob H. Roswell on Sept 20, 2013 18:54:04 GMT -5
He just couldn't take it anymore. Arching a brow at her, he took hold of her hand, the one she had been touching his abs with. "I see plenty that I like," he said his other hand travelling to the back of her head as he pulled her in. His kiss was an intense one and understandably so, given how long it had been since he last kissed her. Still, he did his best not to move to much, to avoid any pain. His leg still being propped up on the coffee table kept him pretty much rooted in place anyway.
Letting go of her hand, he let one hand slide to the back of her neck, the other to the side of her face where he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. He knew there was a chance that he was overstepping his boundaries, but by god he would take that chance if it meant just a few moments of normalcy with the one woman that he had loved since they were children. The television continued to run, the movie completely forgotten for the time being. 245 WORDS FOR ASTORIA J. REESE | RADIOACTIVE LYRICS BY IMAGINE DRAGONS | TEMPLATE BY MERCY
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