CH.3 Together at Last

‘I am not going to complain, nope, I won’t do it!’ Leo was extremely frustrated as he got up from another break. The last two hours had been an grueling fight to pick up, carry, and even drag Blake home. This was a true test for his twelve points of strength.

Taking the time to muscle Blake up like a back pack Leo walked walked the last block deep in thought.

‘How many ways can people pretend to be a victim before recognizing the monster they’ve become?’ He couldn’t believe how many people were taking out the people they liked the least, robbing banks, or even banding together for the darker things in society had to offer. Every step Leo took left him with a darker thought then the last.

By the time he got to his front door he had almost worked himself into a rage, and without thinking he kicked the door, but it didn’t budge.

“Shit!” His foot was now throbbing in pain. Even as he berated himself Leo could hear movement from the other side of the door.

“… sounded like dad!” His son, Mica, sounded from the other side, “who’s there!”

“I have uncle Blake on my back Mica, open the door!”

“It is dad mom!” The clicking of locks and a couple of other odd noises sounded before the door slid inward, “Is uncle…”

Mica froze with his grassy green gaze transfixed on the brown mop of hair draped over his fathers shoulder.

“You need to move now, bud.” Leo was struggling to hold himself and Blake up at this point. All Leo wanted to do was put Blake down, but if he did then they were not getting back up again.

“Oh s-sorry,” Mica stepped aside as Leo forced himself forward. Each step felt like death encroaching before he finally made it to the living room where he unintentionally let Blake drop.

With a sigh of releif he joined the Barbarian on the floor while his wife began to scurry about in a panic. His arms felt like lead as he pointed at Blake. Even though he couldn’t quite focus on what was being said or even what was actually going on he managed to say, “use cure wounds on Blake.”

As if on que his fatigue caught up to him and he passed out. When he woke he found himself questioning the time of day. With his apparent ability to see in the dark it was like day at all times.

His head had stopped hurting but he found himself incredibly hungry. To his surprise he realizes his wife must have moved him to the bedroom because his comfy pillow was tucked in the way he normally slept and the comforter had been draped over him. His shoes and socks had been removed based on the breeze that graced his toes but that seemed to be the end of what had been done for him.

With a smile he threw his legs off the side of the bed but instead of standing he fall to one knee. Forcing himself to stand left his legs shaking,a testament to how hard he pushed to get himself and Blake home. Despite this he forced himself to take one Whaley step after another until he found himself standing in the dinning room where his family sat, eating, in silence.

Annabelle, his wife, spared him a glance that said it all. Leo could see the anger, the worry, and the relief rolling through her in a storm that said he probably shouldn’t say anything.

Gathering a plate of mashed potatoes, baked chicken, and mixed vegetables he took his seat across from her and next to Mica.

“Hey dad,” Mica kept his head down,like he had done something wrong, as he ate but a smirk and excited glance said otherwise as the boy spoke up, “uncle Blake is sleeping, mom patched him up-”

Before Mica could say more Annabelle managed a small, “I asked you to be safe.”

“Do you know what’s happening out there?” Leo tried to reassure her with a smile but she was focused on her own plate, “we were as safe as we could be.”

“BLAKE WAS SHOT!” She slammed her fork down as tears started to form, “not very safe Leo.”

“Other people were murdered, kidnapped, ran over, and more. Alive and somewhat wounded is as safe as it gets.” The remark seemed to wound her a little as Annabelle leaned into the comfort of her chair.

Mica was starting to look uncomfortable with the line of conversation and for good reason. After considering current events he took a second to look his wife and son over.

Annabelle stood at five foot and nine inches with curly dirty blond locks and pail blue eyes. She had a strong shapely frame and an a demanding presence despite her short stature.

Mica was a very clear mix of mom and dad both. His hair was silver, curly, and long. At ten years old he stood almost as tall as him mom and had what one might call a small hero’s frame; muscular but skinny.

Up till now Mica was an avid soccer player and often spent too much time with uncle Blake and his girlfriend Mira.

Annabelle often spent her time planning the next days activities, managing the bills, and setting the family schedual so Leo knew better then to let this go on too long. The only thing he could do to let her know that he wasn’t out there acting foolish was to sincerely say, “I’m sorry.”

“You better be! Now that I’m a Claric I’ll knock some sense into you if you don’t!”

Mica laughed, almost falling out of his seat. It drew a smile to his moms thin lips. After a spell of jokes and feel good talk Leo found himself relaxing enough to ask the last few important questions that needed asking, “what skills do you have Momma-Bear, Little-Bear?

Mica was the first to pipe up as he proudly declared, “I’m skilled dad! That’s the feat that took!”

“I chose stealth, survival, and perception for my skills! Then the system told me my background was athlete, so I have athletics and acrobatics as well! Then with my chosen skill I picked persuasion! And with skilled I took arcane, medicine, and Nature!”

Proud of his son’s well though out skill build as a rouge they bumped fists. Before the boy made to go check on his uncle.

After he left the room Annabelle let out an exausted sigh as she bodily plopped onto the couch gesturing for him to join her. Instead he walked up behind to rub her shoulders with a kiss to the top of her head.

“I’m sorry I worried you, was it difficult to heal Blake?” She stopped him with a hand over his and a tired eyes.

“Today is the worst day of my life. Not only had my life become a game but my husband and his best friend, our family friend, almost died.” She took a sharp deep breath letting him now just how upset she actually was.

“I like to call him my brother.”

“Your brother almost died today.” He tried hard to take those words seriously but with her class and even with the game system now in place he found himself thinking like a player rather then someone with only one life and no back up character.

Taking the time to think it through he walked around and sat next to her. As she let her shoulder fall into his he made one final attempt to let her relax by saying, “We shall be more careful, Love.”

At that moment a knock at the door derailed any further comments on the subject. Annabelle rose slowly from her seat with a winded, “that should be Mira, she was supposed to be here hours ago.”

Hearing the door open and then close Leo watched the red head walk in behind his wife. She looked like a mess as she hit her knees sobbing. Blood and ash covered her close in versions places. Her hair was disheveled, a deep looking gash across her above and off set from her right eye, and burns on her arms.

Leo was off the couch in a heartbeat, “What…!”

Before he could take another step Annabelle waved him off and took her into her arms, “go make sure Mica doesn’t come out here. I will get her cleaned up and fed.”

Leo stared for a moment but just as Annabelle looked like she was going to get on him Leo made for the bebrooms.

Opening the door to a his sons room he assumed the light was off because his boy was out cold on his full sized bed. Cartoon covered blankets pulled up to his chin and half kicked off his feet.

‘So much for checking on your Uncle,’ Leo smiled soft and sad. Moving across the room silently he sat at the foot of his sons bed as he thought things over again.

How were they to move forward from here? Where everyone they knew was potentially an enemy. What about there home, the place they had all fought tooth and nail for the to build lives they could be proud of?

As he thought it all over he could hear the shower start and Annabelle moving about as she spoke to Mira. Just thinking about the condition she was in drew his mind to his own actions.

His breath grew ragged again just thinking of those people before, thought of the future and what he might do flooded his mind. Looking at his son He couldn’t help feeling weak for the decisions he had already made.

“For this little family of ours… Do I need you to be proud of me or can I do what ever it takes to keep you all safe?”

He rested his head into his hands with a sigh, “I haven’t changed at all…”

“What’s that babe?”

Looking up from his hands his wife was standing In the door way, “Are you ok?”

Standing up he met her at the door and closed it slowly from the outside, “I’m ok. Mica’s asleep so I’m going to check on Blake next.”

Stepping passed Annabelle he opened the door to Blake’s room where his oldest friend and brother lay sleeping soundly. There were no bandages, only scars left behind where bullets had ripped through him.

Seeing as he seemed fine Leo took the time to set extra pillows and blankets out for Mira. The noise caused Blake to shift in his sleep as Annabelle came in long enough to grab some of Mira’s spare cloths and a towel. just as she closed the door Blake shot up with a gasp for air before rapidly looking around.

“Welcome back idiot. I thought you might of taken the easy way out.” Leo’s teasing tone drew his gaze long enough for recognition to settle in.

“You saved my *** man.” Blake let himself fall back onto his pillow, “I really thought I could take those guys till the guns came out.”

“How did you end up in that situation?” Leo may have looked worried but he was more relieved to see his brother, more or less, undamaged by the events of the day.

“We we’re on our way to Mira’s when we found a kid being abused. We stepped in and took the kid with but they followed.”

“You stopped to fight so Mira and the kid had time to get away.” It wasn’t a question. Leo had known Blake since they were in diapers and had always known about his hero complex.

Blake remained silent knowing full well that Leo was connecting the dots.

“You should know that Mira arrived here instead with no kid. She looked pretty bad.”

Seeing his brother frustrate and ultimately agonize over the information was hard even as the living tank climbed out of bed.

“Is she ok now?”

“She really hasn’t said much. Maybe Annabelle knows more.” Leo stepped out of the room, “ I’ll let you change, come out to the living room when you are done.”

Closing the door behind him he walked out and took a seat with his wife. Taking her hand into his the reality began to sink in even as she voiced his thought, “this isn’t the same game you guys are used to playing.”

“I know.”

“We need a plan of action Leo.” She was speaking softly as if you say that she knew where his head was at.

‘If only you knew sweet.’

“When Blake and Mira come out we can discuss it further. That ok?” He really only just recognized the nod from the corner of his eye.

Blake’s door clicked closed from down the hall, then a moment later the bathroom door clicked open. It was as if she had just arrived all over again. From the living room it sounded worse.

Mira sobbed, Blake took her into his arms and guided her into the living room. It was easy to see that the red head was working out what she had been through in her mind.

“They ran him over.” Mira sobbed with her head buried in Blake’s chest. The room was quite as Leo and Annabelle watched on.

“THEY KILLED ZACK!” Mira scream angrily as she slammed her fists into Blake’s chest with a resounding thud. “Mom… Dad…”

Blake struggled to find words, instead he chose to hold her tighter until she said, “They burned the house down… with mom and dad still- still in it!”

By now the fight had left her body and all she could do was slump against Blake. He also looked weak in the knees and pale in the face.

“Oh god!” Annabelle was in tears at the thought of such behavior and it was clear she was imagining what that would have been like if it was her home.

Leo guided the pair to their seats as every conceivable thought passed through his mind. It was in that moment that his wife, looking to him for support, noticed the anger behind his eyes.

“Blake…”

His brother looked to him still pale from the revilations of this evening, “where do I find these people?”

That single sentence changed the atmosphere in the room. Blake gulped, Annabelle drained of color, and Mira almost immediately stopped crying.

drying her eyes the best she could she spoke up, “I know where.”

‘She looks ready for payback,’ Leo struggled as he weighed offering her the chance to come with him.

“I’m going with you.” It was a statment rather the. A question as the physically strongest woman Leo know stood up and collected herself.

“You two are kidding right?” Annabelle and Blake both looked very concerned.

“Revenge can wait till morning. We should at least try and rest first.” Blake Tried to sound confident but it died in his throat as he took in the clear resolve in both his brother and his girlfriend.

Annabelle cussed as she stood up and threw her index finger in Leo’s face, if they come bake any type of hurt I’m taking it out of you!”

She was furious with the reckless decision making they were presenting her with. Before she could walk away Leo took her by the hand and asked the most impactful que St ion he could.

“And if it had been Mica?” He watched her squirm for a moment before kissing her and saying, “heal Mira one more time before we go.”

With a sigh she stepped forward and placed her hands on Mira’s shoulders. A soft glow surrounded the pair and the burns vanished with a hiss, and the cut by her eye hissed to a scar.

Annabelle turned to walk away but paused long enough to face Leo and plant a hard kiss on his lips, “Don’t take unnecessary Risks. Kick there asses and get home.”

“Will do.”

He loved his wife, supported him in everything even when he didn’t think he deserved it. This was one of those moments he knew he didn’t deserve it.

“Let’s go.”

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