Thank you once again for the lovely reviews! Congrats to the couple of you that have actually guessed this bit!
Pausing at the foot of the stairs for a moment to collect himself, Jeff couldn't help but sigh. If the nightmares had started already, they were in for a very rough night. Gaining a tight control over his emotions, Jeff sent himself sprinting up the stairs, skidding along the corridor towards Virgil's room. Just before he got there, however, something brought him sharply to a stop. Someone else had beaten him there. Framed in the doorway, Jeff could just about make out Scott's silhouette, the teenager hesitating uncertainly, clearly wanting to go and comfort his little brother, but the doubts from earlier still playing on his mind.
Go on, Scotty, Jeff found himself thinking furiously, taking a couple of silent steps backwards so he melted into the end of the corridor. He would go to Virgil in a moment if Scott didn't move - his son's cries were breaking his father's heart - but Jeff wanted to see what would happen. If Scott could pluck up the courage to step through the door properly, facing his own fears whilst relieving Virgil of his, it would do them both good. The younger would hopefully stop feeling like his brother had disappeared and would be more willing to open up again. And with any luck, Scott would also see that it wasn't so bad to have his younger siblings know that he was frightened as well.
As Scott continued to just stand there, Jeff sighed, making to step forward. As much as he wanted the boys to go back to the relationship they had once had, it wasn't fair to leave Virgil trapped in the nightmare in order to make it happen. Whether he made a slight noise as he stepped forward, Jeff was not sure, but something seemed to suddenly startle Scott out of whatever dark thoughts had been plaguing the teenager. To Jeff's delight, he stepped through the door.
He didn't get very far though. As soon as he stepped through, Scott was given a clear view of his little brother, and, unable to believe he had shut himself off from his brothers in order to protect them, Scott felt his breath catch in his throat. His father had been right; whatever was haunting Virgil now could be no worse than what Scott was so reluctant to share. Twisted in his sheets, Virgil's hands were clenched in the material tightly, his knuckles turning white with the force behind his actions. Frightened cries were punctuated by the restless muttering coming from the boy as he twisted in his sleep, his head tossing frantically to and fro as he tried to escape from whatever it was he was dreaming about.
Taking a deep breath, almost to steady his nerves, Scott stepped forward. Feeling himself hesitate again, the teenager forced himself forward, practically throwing himself onto the bed in order to stop himself backing out. He wasn't even sure what it was he was so scared of, yet couldn't help but feel that he had let his brother down. Maybe if he had been more honest, more open towards Virgil, the younger boy would not be so terrified now.
Reaching out a hand shakily, Scott paused again, his hand hovering over his brother.
Pull yourself together, he needs you. Thinking furiously, Scott swallowed hard, determined that he was not going to back out of this.
Very slowly, the hand lowered, until Scott finally had it rested on top of Virgil's head. The simple touch changed something in the older brother, almost as if he had forgotten what it was to be the one they all needed and went to but was now being reminded. Any doubts he may have had instantly vanished as he hitched himself further onto the bed, stroking Virgil's hair back from his sweaty forehead.
"Virg? Virgil, come on, bro, wake up."
"No! Don't...don't leave me!" As Virgil's breathing became even more frantic, Scott slipped an arm behind his brother's shoulders, holding him close.
"Come back to me, Virg," he whispered quietly in Virgil's ear, one hand being used to prop his brother into a more upright position as the other continued to comb itself through the chestnut hair. Feeling Virgil swallow hard, Scott leant forward slightly so he could get a better look at Virgil's face. Seeing that his eyes were open, Scott smiled gently at him.
"I gotcha, kiddo."
"You're not going to leave me?" Virgil whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. Glancing at him in concern, Scott could tell that his brother was not yet properly awake, parts of the dream obviously spilling over into his waking moments as well.
"No, buddy, I'm right here. I'm... I'm not going anywhere." And just like that, Scott felt as if a great weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't going anywhere, none of them were. What he was going to do, however, was come back to them. His father had been right: hiding himself away certainly hadn't done him any favours, instead just making him feel that if he got too close to the others, they would disappear. It was only now, over a month later and with a terrified brother seeking out a vice-like grip on his hand that Scott realised what an idiot he had been.
Pulling one leg around Virgil, Scott wriggled himself backwards until he was leaning against the wall, his legs spread out on the bed with his brother sitting between them, his head resting back on Scott's shoulder. A silence fell once more over the brothers, but unlike the uneasy ones that had been present over the last few weeks, this one was filled with warmth and love. There was a silence not because they didn't know what to say to one another, but because nothing needed to be said, the comfort they each received from the other's presence was enough.
"Scotty?"
"Yeah?"
"I thought I'd lost you." From the way Virgil shuddered slightly, Scott realised that his brother didn't just mean when he had disappeared. Cursing himself for being so blind to the pain he had been putting his brothers through, Scott swallowed hard.
"You'll never lose me, Virg. I'm always going to be here for you, forever. No matter what happens."
"Promise?"
"I promise. Come on, kiddo, try and get some more sleep."
"Don't want to," Virgil muttered, holding on tighter to Scott's hand. He didn't want to admit that if he agreed to get some more sleep, Scott might try to leave the room. Almost as if he could sense what his younger sibling was thinking, Scott rested his chin on the top of Virgil's head.
"I just said I wasn't going anywhere. Please, Virg?"
"Fine. As long as you don't go anywhere!"
A small smile making its way onto his face at how stubborn the eleven year-old sounded considering how terrified he had been not ten minutes ago, Scott couldn't help but feel relieved as Virgil wriggled down the bed a little more, shuffling until he was in a more comfortable position, his head now resting on Scott's chest. After a few moments, the methodical movement of Scott's hand combing through his hair provided Virgil with the sense of security that he had been craving and his breathing slowly evened back out as he fell asleep again.
Staring with unseeing eyes across the room, Scott couldn't quite believe how much the one nightmare had affected him. It was as if he had been oblivious to what the rest of the family had been going through, too caught up in his own terror to realise how it was affecting his brothers, and even to some extent, his father. Now, however, he knew that was about to change. Having Virgil asleep in his arms was somehow managing to provide him with the sense of security he had been missing for a long time. Even in the hospital, despite knowing that his family were safe and beside him, Scott had been so overwhelmed by everything that had happened, it was like he didn't really noticed the comfort and support they were offering, living almost in a dream-like state for a few days whilst his body began to heal. His mind, however, hadn't done that quite so quickly.
"I'm sorry, Virg. I've been a rubbish big brother. I'll make it up to you, promise." Feeling exhausted, Scott wondered whether tonight was the night he would actually be able to get some sleep. If he was honest, he was amazed that he was still going - it had been ridiculous how little sleep he had managed to obtain over the last few weeks. It was almost as if his body had just been piloting on automatic, getting him through each day without Scott being aware of what was really going on.
Leaning his head back on the wall with a sigh, Scott swallowed hard, before allowing his eyes to drift shut. Only a few moments later, however, he furiously wrenched them open again, desperately trying to calm his erratic breathing and racing heart so that he didn't wake up Virgil. It was no good. Despite the breakthrough he felt he had made in the last few hours alone, Scott could still see his face. Knowing that no matter how tired he was feeling he was not going to be getting to sleep now, Scott leant back again, trying to find a comfortable position against the cold, hard wall without disturbing his brother now Virgil had managed to find some sort of peace. Shifting again, Scott glanced up quickly when he heard someone enter the room, only to see his father walk in, a smile on his face despite the tears glistening in his eyes.
"You were right, Dad," Scott whispered, sparing the sleeping Virgil a fond glance as he spoke. "I shouldn't have shut them off."
"You'll all get there, Scotty. Here, lean forward a sec."
As his son did as he was told, Jeff slipped Scott's own pillow behind him, cushioning the wall as Scott leant back again with a grateful smile.
"You comfy, kiddo?"
"No," Scott admitted, the first real smile Jeff had seen him wear for a considerable length of time making its way onto his face. "But Virgil is, so I'm not budging."
Opening his mouth to say something back to his eldest child, Jeff paused, tilting his head towards the door. One glance at Scott's face showed he too had heard the noise.
"No!"
"Johnny," Jeff muttered, running his hand distractedly through his hair.
"Go to him, Dad. I've got Virg."
Leaning over, Jeff dropped a light kiss on the top of Scott's head, ruffling his son's hair as he stood back up again.
"Love you, Scotty." Turning around, he had just reached the door when a small voice called him back.
"Love you too, Dad."
Smiling fondly at his son, Jeff left Virgil's room, turning on his heel and heading down the hallway once more, following the cries for the second time that night. He had seen the whole interaction between his eldest and middle sons, hidden in the shadows of the doorway so they didn't realise that he was there. He had seen the way Scott's entire posture had changed; something had been altered in the boy. Jeff couldn't help but wonder if they had made more progress in this one evening than they had managed for over a month. Virgil's earlier upset happening within Scott's hearing might have helped more than Jeff's words did, he knew that Scott hadn't truly realised how his brothers were feeling. Not that Jeff could blame him though; Scott did have a point when he said the others didn't know what it felt like. Jeff shuddered to imagine what his son had witnessed in those few days he was away from his family, not to mention what he had gone through himself. It was going to take far longer than a month for Scott to be able to get over it and allow things to go back to the way they had been, but with any luck, tonight had been a turning point for the whole family.
"Scott!" Picking up his pace as John's cry once more startled him out of his thoughts; Jeff practically sprinted down the hallway, throwing himself through John's door in a way that was far from graceful. The blond was practically mirroring his little brother's earlier position, although instead of his hands being scrunched in the sheets, they were both positioned in such a way as to try to protect his arm. Even in his sleep, John was conscious of his injury. Technically, the doctors had cleared him for not needing the sling anymore, as long as he restricted the movement of his arm, something that John took to heart whenever he was at home. At school, however, both he and his father had decided that it was best to leave it on, at least that way, people would be conscious of the fact he was hurt. The hustle and bustle of a school corridor was just an accident waiting to happen otherwise.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, making sure he was far enough on that he wouldn't simply fall off should John lash out in his sleep (something that had happened more than once, Jeff was embarrassed to admit), the father leant forward, calling his son softly as he gently uncurled John's hands from one another, holding them tightly in his own. Just as with Virgil, it took a few attempts to get through to John, but eventually his eyes flickered open, confusion and pain more than evident within.
"It's okay, Johnny," Jeff murmured softly, moving further up the bed now that his son was awake and looping his arm around his shoulders, mindful of the bandage wrapped securely around one of them. "Everything's okay."
Swallowing hard, John leant over and flicked his light on, pulling himself into a more upright position as he quickly drew his arm across his eyes, not wanting his father to see how close to tears he was. Feeling a hand tug him back again, John smiled tiredly, but obeyed, leaning back on his father and letting Jeff take his weight.
"What happened this time, son?" Jeff asked quietly. Whilst Virgil always sought out the physical contact of someone as reassurance, Jeff knew that it took more than that to calm John. The quietest of his boys, John's imagination was proving to be his own worst enemy.
"You were too late," John muttered, leaning back even further, feeling exhausted. He was sick of seeing his father return to the hospital with the news that they hadn't made it to Scott in time. It was happening night after night, and as much as John knew that his brother was safe, he couldn't stop himself from seeing it.
"They killed him. They killed my big brother." His breath hitching in his throat, John glanced away as the tears spilled over. Moving to angrily to wipe them away, he was more than surprised when his father beat him to it, gently using his thumb to brush the tears away.
"We weren't too late, Johnny," Jeff said soothingly, gently laying his son back down and running a hand through his hair calmingly. "We'll never be too late, no matter what. We have him back, Scott's safe."
Quite proud of how successfully he managed to keep the tremor out of his voice, Jeff felt a rush of relief wash over him as John nodded, letting his eyes drift shut again. Little did the boy know quite how close to losing his big brother he had been. Jeff hadn't told them what had happened at the house. Not in full, anyway. They were suffering enough; they certainly didn't need the image that Jeff couldn't shake from his mind. Turner standing over a semi-conscious Scott, the gun positioned in a way that could only kill. If they had been just a few seconds later...
Shaking his head suddenly, Jeff refused to let himself go down that route, instead replaying the words he had just told his son in his head, reminding himself that his eldest child was just down the hallway. As John's breathing evened out once more, Jeff made to stand up again, but before he could do so, the pattering of small feet could be heard coming down the hallway. Trying not to groan out loud, Jeff turned just in time to see his fourth son materialise in the doorway. Maybe he should take his mother up on her offer to come for the day tomorrow, the boys were all going to be exhausted come morning.
"What are you doing here, Gordon?" Jeff asked wearily, making sure to keep his voice quiet as he stood up again, crossing the room before crouching down in front of the next son.
"Johnny's upset," Gordon said simply, looking past his father to the sleeping figure sprawled out on the bed. "I told him I'd pro'ect him."
Feeling a sudden rush of love for the small figure in front of him, Jeff bent down, scooping the seven year-old into his arms and carrying him out again, Gordon automatically wrapping his arms around his father's neck and leaning against his shoulder.
"Johnny's just fine now, son. And you need to be asleep."
"But Allie's snoring," Gordon moaned pathetically, making his father chuckle. It couldn't be denied, his youngest son was certainly the heaviest breather compared to how his brothers had been at that age. With the tensions running high in the household that evening, it came as no surprise to the father of five that it only took something as small as that to wake Gordon. It had never affected him before, but over the last few weeks he had been stirring a lot more. Jeff couldn't help but wonder whether it was time to convert what had been originally used as a study and give Gordon his own room. He had been toying with the idea even before everything that had happened, but had refused to mention it, wondering whether the prospect of being on his own at night at the moment would destroy any progress Gordon had been making. His father certainly didn't want to take that chance.
Entering the joint room of his two youngest sons, Jeff winced slightly. Alan certainly was being restless tonight, and with Gordon already awake, Jeff had a horrible feeling that it was going to take more than just being put back to bed to make his little troublemaker drift back off to sleep. Feeling suddenly exhausted, Jeff came to a decision.
"Do you want to sleep with Daddy tonight?"
As Gordon's eyes lit up with excitement, Jeff tried not to groan, wondering what he had let himself in for. To his amazement, however, everything went smoothly. It showed just how exhausted his son was, for by the time that Jeff had rounded the bed after depositing him in it, Gordon was fast asleep, hugging the pillow tightly.
Laying down himself, Jeff sighed deeply. If he was extremely lucky, that would be it for the night, the boys having been reassured enough to be able to sleep the rest of the night out. Feeling Gordon kick him slightly as the boy shifted in his sleep, Jeff couldn't help but let a tired grin cross his face. The same would not necessarily be said for their father.
TBTB
"Shh, you'll wake him up!"
"He has to wake up, how is he supposed to eat otherwise?"
"Don't wake him up like that! Virgil, Virgil, get your butt back here."
Feeling himself return to consciousness, Jeff lay perfectly still, keeping his eyes shut and desperately trying to keep the smile off his face. So far he had heard his eldest three sons' voices, and had to admit that he was curious about what they were up to.
"Hun'ry, Scotty!" So Alan was there as well, and judging by the toddler's protest, the boys had yet to have breakfast. It was only the light playing across the pillow when Jeff had let his eyes open a crack that made the father even aware that it was morning. He had slept deeply that night, thankfully too exhausted to be plagued by his normal nightmares, and judging by the fact that this was the first time he had heard the boys since last night's dramas, they had escaped as well.
"I know, Allie. Won't be long, I promise. Then we'll get you some breakfast, Sprout."
"Hurry up," Alan moaned, and Jeff knew without having to see that his youngest son would be pouting.
"We will don't wor – Gordon, don't you dare!"
"What?" Gordon sounded suspiciously innocent, and if Jeff hadn't been sure that Scott and John were in the room, he would have moved there and then. It wasn't that he didn't trust his fourth-born son, he just knew that the boy could be very inventive when he wanted.
"Put it down."
"It's how they wake people up in the movies!"
"You are not pouring water over him! John, a hand here?"
"Why? You're handling it fine yourself," John responded with a laugh, making Jeff's heart feel lighter than it had for weeks. Something had really changed in Scott, he was certainly acting like the big brother he had always been, and judging by how relaxed the rest of them were, his brothers had noticed.
"Thanks, bro. Gordon, no! DAD!" Reacting to Scott's yell, Jeff immediately rolled across the bed, opening his eyes as he did so to see a very put-out Gordon standing over where he had been lying, the glass of water in his hand tilted worryingly. Raising his eyebrows, Jeff didn't say anything, watching with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as Gordon sheepishly put the glass back down again. As soon as it was out of harm's way, Jeff sprang across the bed, grabbing his son around the middle and tickling the seven year-old mercilessly, causing high-pitched giggles to erupt from the child as he yelled for John to save him.
Eventually, Jeff paused, knowing that if he continued, Gordon was going to end up with the hiccups. Pulling his son into him, Jeff instead crossed his arms around the boy's midriff, effectively locking Gordon's arms into his side. If it had been anyone else, Jeff wouldn't have dared, knowing that the older three wouldn't have been able to cope with that level of physical contact. Ignoring the feeble protests, Jeff glanced around the rest of his boys, a smile on his face.
Scott was leaning against the doorframe, Alan in his arms. He looked exhausted and the usual haunted look was still present in his eyes, but Jeff was almost certain that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him when he thought that Scott's overall posture seemed more relaxed. He knew that even once Scott accepted help, it was going to take time, but the fact that he was willing to put on the performance of being fine for the sake of his brothers was definitely a step in the right direction.
John was standing next to him, leaning against the wall. He looked like he had half-heartedly tried to move after Gordon, but clearly couldn't be bothered to give up his leaning post and so had stayed by the wall. The fifth son was standing at the edge of the bed, and for a moment Jeff blinked in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting there to be a tray balanced in his son's hands.
"Go on then, Virg," Scott said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, tilting his head towards the bed. A wide grin splitting the eleven year-old's face, Virgil moved carefully around the bed, causing Jeff to let go of Gordon and giving him a little nudge to make him move out of the way of his brother. Despite carrying the tray ever so carefully, Virgil still managed to practically drop it onto Jeff's lap as he tried to put it down again, only being saved by his father's quick reactions.
"Wow." Jeff said simply, stunned by the breakfast that was waiting on it. It was only simple, but it had still clearly taken the boys time to sort out.
"I made it!" Virgil declared proudly, making Jeff smile up at him. As John cleared his throat meaningfully, Virgil seemed to deflate slightly. "John helped."
"John more than helped," said brother responded with a slightly indignant look, finally moving away from the wall and sitting down on the chair that rested in the corner of Jeff's room, almost absentmindedly pulling Gordon onto his lap with one hand as the redhead moved past him.
"Thank you, boys. It's really –"
"Hun'ry!" Alan demanded loudly, wriggling in Scott's arms. Seeing the resigned look on his eldest son's face, Jeff smiled.
"Are you going to help me eat mine, Alan?"
"But Dad, we made it for you!" Virgil protested, glancing between his father and youngest brother.
"I'll explode if I eat all of that," Jeff responded with a laugh, gesturing to the bowl of cereal, the few pieces of toast and the stack of pancakes resting on his lap. "Here, give this to your brother."
Handing Virgil some of the toast, Jeff watched as Scott immediately moved into the room, sitting down on the end of the bed and taking the toast from Virgil. As he began breaking off smaller bits to give to Alan, Jeff suddenly realised just how good with his youngest brother Scott was. Swallowing past the lump that had suddenly emerged in his throat, Jeff glanced away. He knew precisely why that was. And it was his fault.
"Hey, Dad?" Looking up again at Virgil's call, Jeff tried to force the smile back on his face, but he was almost certain that his sons wouldn't be fooled. "How come you moved so quickly?"
"He was already awake, Virg," John supplied, causing his father to gape at him in surprise. He didn't think he had given the boys any reason to suspect that he was awake, despite the noise they had been making.
"How do you know that?" Virgil demanded haughtily, turning to face his older blond brother. It wasn't John, however, that answered.
"Didn't you seem him flinch when we tried to stop Gords?" Sharing a grin with his immediate younger sibling, Scott and John traded amused looks as Gordon pouted somewhat pathetically. Glancing guiltily at the boys, Jeff grimaced. And he had tried so hard not to react.
Noting Alan had finished his breakfast, Scott stood back up again.
"Come on, Sprout, let's find you some clothes." Carrying the toddler out of the room, silence fell as Scott left. Eventually though, John spoke, although any of the light-heartedness from the banter before had vanished, a serious note appearing in the teenager's voice again.
"Is he alright?"
"He will be, boys. He will be."
