Hello all readers and fellow writers! I'm starting up a new story that is, of course, Asylum, because I just can't get enough of this season! And due to popularity on my other story, Family Ties of Blood, Kit+Jude are a couple that have become so real for me I had to give them a completely separate story on it's own. Deeply inspired by a couple on my soap opera (General Hospital), this story has stemmed from that love and events of those characters. This is not pure romance and once you read, you will find yourself very invested in how things turn out. Due to fitting timelines and appropriate ages, Jude is 42 and Kit is 36, all the rest of the significant dates in this season are mostly unchanged in this story. If you have questions, feel free to ask or PM me! Without further ado, happy reading! All feedback is appreciated!

Chapter 1: Safe and sound

March 27th, 1970

Cold shaky hands, matted, and unbrushed blonde hair, a patched quilt wrapped around her frail skeleton.

Strong hands gripping the steering wheel, and warm, brown pools focused on the road ahead of him.

It wasn't long till they reached their destination ahead, and soon Kit Walker pulled into his driveway turning off the truck's ignition looking to his right at the catatonic women beside him. She continued to look forward with a blank expression on her face. He pushed the driver's side door open, then slamming it shut, walking over to the passenger's side and opening the door, assisting the weak woman out of the brick red pickup. He could see his children peering out the window, along with his home's caretaker who opened the front door for him and the woman.

Kit whispered to his children with a smile on his face, "It's ok." Both kids followed their father as he led this strange women to their unused bedroom, peering in the doorframe, watching him set her to lay down on the bed, remove her worn shoes and drape her with the bed cover.

"Is she dead?" Young Julia was very curious to know who this women was, why she didn't greet them with a "Hello," and why she needed help walking through the door.

"Go on." Kit shooed his kids away from the woman. He'd explain everything to them once she was asleep. The kids obeyed their father and ran off. "Listen here." Kit placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. "We're going to help ya get better. Don't be scared, I don't wanna hurt ya. Get some rest, Sistah, yar safe and sound now." Kit left the bedroom smiling, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Hey, guys, come here." Kit waved his children over to him, stooping to the ground when they approached him. "You ok?" Both children nodded their heads at their father.

"Who is she daddy?" Thomas asked his father the begging question.

"She's an old friend of mine who needs our help. She's been sick for a long time now, and she might take some time to get better, but with our help she will." Kit lovingly petted his son's head, smoothing his hair at every touch. "You guys promise to help me, help her?"

"Yes dad. I hope she's ok." Julia looked at her dad with worry.

"She's not doing so great now, but don't worry sweetheart, we'll help her get there. All in good time, ok?" Kit embraced his daughter. If nothing else, his kids were what kept him going everyday. Each child embodied the best qualities of their mothers, too many years gone by without them. Julia and Thomas, nearly six years old now, lost both their mothers 3 years prior to tragedy. A motherly presence was missing from all three of their lives. Kit had come to accept that both of the women he loved had passed, but that didn't help fill the void that they ripped in his house. Kit was grateful for his caretaker, she truly was a blessing, but she wasn't them. "Now you two don't warry ya minds about all this today. Go and play." A pat on the back and the kids were back to doing things kids do.

"Mr. Walker, do you need any help with your new houseguest?" The young, Hispanic woman inquired, eager to help her employer.

"Do we have any soup left from the other night?"

"Yes, the pot is in the refrigerator."

"That's fine then. I can manage from here, you can head home now, Maria. I'll give you a call if I need anything, but we should be fine."

"I'll be on call, Mr. Walker. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing, have a good day." Kit gave a smile, and waved off to his housekeeper as she left the house. Kit let out a deep sigh plopping himself down on the couch, rubbing his temples. It had been a long day.

Kit decided to take on responsibility for Jude not only because she didn't belong there, but because he needed to forgive her and leave everything that was Briarcliff behind. He figured helping her get better wouldn't be an easy task, but he didn't care. No one was coming for her, and to Kit, he felt that if he left her there guilt would eat away at whatever humanity he had left in him. Single, with two kids, now he had to be taking care of four bodies, himself included. He didn't know how, but somehow he would make it all work.

...

Kit laid awake in bed waiting for the noises to stop. The noises Jude was making were horrific, they almost made Kit want to run into the room to make sure everything was ok with her, but Kit knew this state of being, he went through the same thing when he was detoxing from the medication given to him day in, day out, at the asylum. He knew what she was going through was way more intense than what he endured years back. This was just a burden she had to bear alone. It didn't make the sounds any less gut wrenching though. Those noises brought up bad memories. The only thing Kit was hoping for was that his children weren't hearing the same things he was.

It was a long day, and long days mean long nights.

Well, what did you all think?! It's definitely something we've all seen, but the internal monologue is all that is missing from those scenes on television. I'm very excited to write for this story! Please give me all and any feedback, it's beyond appreciated. Thank you for reading! The next chapter should be up within a week, I will be updating my other ahs stories, so if you're interested, check out my profile, I have another asylum story, as well as one coven and one freakshow, as well as a freakshow/asylum crossover story. Thank you!