Author's Note: I do not own any of the "Team Fortress 2" characters or locations. This is merely for entertainment purposes, and I am not looking to profit off of this piece of fiction. All characters/locations belong to Valve. Chloe belongs to me.
I would now like to present, "Crying out". This features my Sniper, John (the BLU Sniper) and his nine year old daughter, Chloe. I hope you all enjoy it, and please…If anybody has tips on how to properly speak in an Australian accent, do not hesitate to share with me. I'm very inexperienced with accents.
Also, I apologize if this story is updated very slowly; my Dad recently was diagnosed with lung cancer in his left lung, so I'll be taking care of him during a lot of my free time. I apologize in advance, and I hope you all understand!
John yawned and stretched his arms as the plane he was riding in came in for a landing at Sydney Airport. Outside, he could see the sun shining brightly in the vast Australian sky, and wondered if they were going to be a hot one today; he could see the waves of heat wiggling around in the sky.
It was currently April 11th, and usually, the weather was beginning to get a little cooler this time of year; while he was in America, the weather had been insane, ranging from extremely wet and rainy to just dry and somewhat chilly.
Giving his stubbled chin a small scratch, John ignored the pilot's comments about how nice the weather was and what time it was; John had already changed the time on his watch during the transition from America to Australia. And being a resident of Australia, he already knew how the weather would be.
John wondered if his Mother, Father, and daughter were watching out of the big windows, looking for him. He couldn't wait to get off of this plane; he wanted to see them all; his daughter especially. He'd had enough of being on planes; two of them in 24 hours!
Just as he thought that they would never allow them to stand up, the pilot gave them permission to retrieve their belongings from the overhead bins. Without waiting another moment (his rear end was beginning to fall asleep again), John stood up and opened the overhead bin, pulling out his carry-on luggage; a duffel bag with a few clothes and a gift for Chloe, his nine year old daughter. He was sure that she would love it.
"John! Ooh, there's my baby boy!" Grace cried out, wrapping her arms around John's tall, lanky body. John gave a small smile and hugged the tiny woman that was his Mother. She smelled of soap and baby powder; scents familiar and comforting to John.
"It's good t' see ya, Mum. How're ya" John asked as he pulled away, noticing Grace dabbing a handkerchief to her eyes. She always shed a tear or two whenever he came home, so he didn't feel bad.
"Oh, bonzer, dearest! Your Dad is waiting with the car, and…Chloe! Oi, Chloe! Come on over here and greet your Father!" Grace called out to the young girl sitting in a chair in the terminal. In the instant that he saw her, John could tell that Chloe was in one of her bad moods again. And it was usually the mood she was in for a day or two after he came home.
With hair the color of deeply rusted metal and deep brown eyes, the girl crossed her arms and begrudgingly waltzed over to him. She didn't look at him, even when he wrapped his long arms around her tiny body.
"Hi, Chloe! Daddy missed ya!" John whispered into her ear, instantly regretting his choice of words; at his words, Chloe looked mad as a cut snake. She always did whenever he told her that he had missed her. She never believed him…At least not right away.
"Chloe, don't be rude! Say hello!" Grace scorned, giving Chloe a look that clearly told her that she would catch it if she didn't watch out.
"…Hullo, Daddy." Chloe mumbled, wrapping her arms around his waist. John was grateful for the action; she almost never hugged him upon his arrival back into Sydney. She wouldn't hug him until he had been back for at least a day; maybe she was finally starting to let go of her angry feelings.
That or it was because she had just been scolded by her Grandmother. He didn't care at the moment. She was hugging him, and that was all that mattered.
"Come along, John; we'll go and fetch your things. Best to hurry to avoid the mob." Grace said, leading both her son and granddaughter away from the terminal.
John, upon instinct, held his hand out to Chloe as his Mother began to walk towards the baggage claim. At first, it seemed like she was going to flat out reject him, but at the last moment, she wrapped her tiny, delicate hand in his large, rough one.
He gave it a reassuring squeeze as they followed Grace. For once, Sniper felt that his daughter was happy to see him.
"Oi, it's the crazed gunman." Louis said as soon as John climbed into the old family car. Chloe silently climbed into the backseat next to John, settling herself into her seat as Grace settled herself in the front seat next to Louis, her husband.
"Dad, for the last time, I'm not a crazed gunman; I'm an assassin. I don't know how many times I have to say it." John said, suppressing the urge to grit his teeth. Grace looked back at him, a sad look in her eyes; John knew she tried to tell his Father that he was a doctor, but to no avail. It wasn't her fault at all.
"Grandpa, do you think that it might be nice enough to go to the beach tomorrow morning?" Chloe asked, her voice much softer towards her Grandfather. Louis looked back at her as he pulled away from the curb, placing a hand on her knee in a reassuring manner.
"I don't see why not, Princess. It's not loike that old No-hoper sitting next to you will get up early and go with ya." Louis said, shooting a dark look at John. John sighed and sat back in the seat.
His Dad was always belittling him in front of Chloe, and it was already bad enough that Chloe didn't approve of his job as a Sniper with Team Fortress Incorporated.
She hadn't always been bitter towards him, though; she had been the sweetest girl before…
"Oh, Mum…Have ya heard anything about…You-Know-Who?" John whispered, hoping that Chloe hadn't heard him. She must not have, for she was just staring out of the window, watching the buildings pass by. Grace looked at him and gently shook her head.
"Should've known…Sarah hasn't been seen or heard from in two years. Why would anybody have news about her now?" John thought as he too looked out the window, watching cars pass by them.
"We're having a nice dinner on the Barbie tonight; mutton, shrimp, steak, you name it!" Grace said, trying to break the tense atmosphere. John's mouth watered at the thought of his Mother's cooking.
"Well, Mum, I'm feelin' a bit stuffed, so is it alright if I grab a nap before dinner?" John asked, yawning. He was tired; he just wanted to sleep for a little bit before eating.
"Of course, John. You've had a long trip. I'll send Chloe to wake you up when supper is ready." Grace said as Louis pulled up in front of the house that John had spent his entire life growing up in. The red house on the left on Adelaide Street.