Title: Hero

Author: SneetchesToo

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Ethan/Leanne

Summary: After the day that he had just had, Ethan needed his family, until he realized that they needed him so much more.

Author's Note: So 3x09 has officially broken me and I desperately needed to see some love between our favorite family. So here it is! This will be one super long chapter, broken down into 2-3 parts and posted separately. That way I don't have to leave you guys hanging while I finish it out. Spoilers for 3x09.

Part 1

Ethan couldn't believe the day he was having. Things had gone from bad to worse to horrible, all in a matter of hours, and he was so emotionally and mentally drained that he could no longer function. He had been absolutely devastated after spending the day at Brooks' funeral. And then after his chat with Damien, he had felt ever fiber of his being simply give up. He just couldn't understand how things had gone so horribly wrong. So bad that his brother, and two of his closest friends, had taken their own lives because of it.

After Damien had tried to kill himself and he had jumped to try and stop the shot, all he could think about was how badly his head hurt. And how badly he wished he had been five minutes earlier with his own brother. Finding Jack's body hanging like that, his pulse completely gone and his body lifeless, had been the single scariest thing he had ever lived through. He had been a shell of a person after that, his heart and mind having been so emotionally drained that he could no longer take it. He had almost taken his own life back then, especially in the first few months after Jack's funeral.

But then he came to Angels and he met Leanne and he had pulled himself together because for the first time in a long time he had a reason to get up each morning. She had given him a purpose in life, something to be happy about, even long before they had started dating. And then Ariel had come along and he felt so at peace and so at home with the teen around that he didn't understand how he had lived without her.

Closing his eyes shut tight he leaned back against the couch cushions, a fresh round of tears forming behind his closed lids. He really just wanted this day to be over. But more than that, he wanted to be with his girls. His fight with Rox, his fight with his father, it had been enough to make him question a lot about his existence, and he knew the only way to fix that was to be with the two people he loved the most. Letting out a frustrated sigh he grabbed his phone from it's space on the end table and dialed the all to familiar number. The phone rang and rang and rang and he felt his heart stop in his chest when it went straight to voicemail. He knew that Leanne would be home by now, it was a school night after all, she was bound to have Ariel in bed by now.

Sighing again, he dialed her number a few more times, growling a little each time when it continued to go straight to messages. He didn't understand what was going on, Leanne wasn't one to ignore him, not like this. Letting out a huff he dialed her one last time, this time though, he waited for the beep of the voicemail option, and left her a message, praying that she would hear it and get back to him quickly.

"Hey Lea, it's me. Look, I know you just worked a horribly long shift and I'm sure you're exhausted, but um… I really need you right now." He wanted to add that that was an understatement. He needed her more than he ever thought possible. Especially in that given moment, especially when he could feel his heart racing in his chest and his eyes starting to water once more as he realized just how much he relied on her to get him through the tough times. "Today was bad, real bad. I can't sleep and something doesn't feel right and I just… I need you." He knew that if she were there with him, if she were curled up in his bed right now, if Ariel was asleep down the hall, he would feel so much better about everything. "You and Ariel. I need to be with you." He wanted her to know that he needed the teen almost as much as he needed her. He needed the girl's hugs and her sweet smile and her understanding soul. "I don't know if you'll get this message, hell, you're probably already asleep by now… I just…" He hated that he was rambling and he was sure that she would probably think he was drunk. However, his one beer had done little to comfort his fraying nerves. "God I must sound like a rambling idiot. Please, just, call me back. Or text me. Something, anything. I just really need to hear your voice." At this point he would settle for simply talking to her, texting her, anything. He just wanted her. "I… I love you."

He hung up quickly after realizing what he had just admitted out loud. Sure, he had been thinking it for months, and it had probably been lurking somewhere under the surface for even longer, but he had never told her that. Hell, he had never even told Ariel that he loved her mother. Though he suspected that she probably knew that just as well as he did.

He just hoped his confession wouldn't scare her away. They had never even talked about their relationship more than just the fact that they were together. He didn't know if she was ready to take that step, if she was ready for something more. He knew he sure was, more than he was probably willing to admit to himself. He loved her, that much he knew, and he would give anything to be able to take that next step. Especially after his dad had brought up marrying her. Ever since then, his mind had been reeling at the idea.

Letting out another frustrated sigh he tossed his phone across the couch, his head falling back against the couch cushions as he fought off more tears. He hated this. So fucking much. He just wanted to be with his family right now, more than anything else in the world, and he didn't understand why this had to be so difficult.

—

Ethan had given up on getting any peace and he had resorted to crawling into bed, still dressed in his clothes from earlier. He figured that Leanne must have truly already fallen asleep, because it was totally not like her to not respond at all. Letting out a groan he dropped his head back against the pillow, his eyes focusing on some far off spot on the wall. He heard his phone beep from it's space next to his arm and he quickly grabbed the item, sighing softly when he saw Leanne's name flash across the screen.

Now's not a good time Ethan. Stared back up at him and he felt his heart clench in his chest.

Yeah I'm not doing so hot either. He let his eyes fall shut as he tried not to panic. He didn't want to fight with her, not today, not after everything he had already had to deal with.

Please Ethan. He could practically hear the pleading tone in her voice and he felt like he was letting her down. He didn't really know why, but he just didn't feel like he was doing the right thing by asking for her help right now. Clearly, she felt the same way.

Can I come over? He really hoped that she would say 'yes'. That she would invite him over and that he could crawl into bed with her and hold her tight while he cried out every tear he had been holding in all day. He just wanted to be with her. To be near her. That was the only thing that was going to get him through this night.

He waited an hour for an answer but he never got one. He tried to let his body relax, to fall asleep and finally rest after this hellish day, but unfortunately, his body never gave in. Instead, he spent two more hours tossing and turning, his eyes scanning his phone screen every few minutes for any sign of communication from the woman. But it never came.

—

Leanne couldn't remember a time when she had ever been so physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. After everything that had happened today, after dealing with Ariel not wanting to see Max. And then Ariel telling the boy she loved him, only minutes before he was swept away to surgery. And then she had had to watch as the teen took his last breath, his body finally giving in to the pressure it had been under for the past few years. She had felt her heart break in her chest, not only for the loss of such a young soul, but for his father who was now widowed and childless. She knew all to well what that feeling was like.

She had prayed that Ethan would come swooping in at any minute, pulling her into his arms and taking some of the burden off of her shoulders, just like he always did. She hoped beyond hope that he would be there to hold her hand while she told Ariel that the boy that she loved had just died. She knew the girl would need him, that she would likely seek out his comfort before she would seek out hers. They were just so incredibly close that way. But Ethan had never shown, and when she had called him once, right after walking away from the OR, his phone had gone straight to voicemail without even ringing. She figured he must be out on a call, otherwise he wouldn't have his phone off like that.

She had reluctantly gone to find the teen on her own, her body shaking at the simple prospect of having to tell her the bad news. And when she had told Ariel about what had happened she had felt her heart seize up in her chest, her whole body going numb as she watched her daughter lose control. She could practically feel the girl's heart breaking. And while she wanted to be angry when the teen screamed at her that this was her fault, she couldn't be, because she understood all too well what she was saying. She had screamed those same words at people who cared about her after her family was taken away. She knew that feeling better than anyone.

Ariel had stormed out on her, leaving her alone to cry for her, for all the loss that she had suffered, for all the pain that she had been through in her short life. She certainly didn't deserve the suffering she had had to endure. After finally finding the teen wandering the halls a little while later she had wrapped her arm around her tight, guiding her to the car without a single word. They had ridden home in silence, the teen practically running to her room once the front door was open, the sound of the shower echoing through the otherwise quiet house only seconds later.

Leanne had showered quickly, pulling on her underwear and the closest shirt she could find, something of Ethan's she was sure, and she had collapsed into bed without a second thought. She knew deep down that she should check on the girl, but she didn't want to push her, not after their conversation earlier. Not after all the hurt she had seen in the girl's eyes when she had shoved past her in her office. She had just started to doze off when she felt the bed dip, her eyes opening to reveal the teen, now clad in her pajamas, her eyes red and full of tears. She had pulled the covers back without hesitation, allowing the girl to snuggle as close to her as she damn well pleased.

They had fallen asleep that way, Leanne only flinching when she heard her phone ring about an hour later. She had ignored it, despite the caller's multiple attempts, and when she finally pulled it to her, Ethan's named stared back at her, 7 missed calls and 1 voicemail. She felt horrible for ignoring him, albeit, not intentionally, but after listening to his voicemail she had felt her heart start to race and her head start to pound and she just couldn't bare the thought of talking to him in that given moment.

When she awoke a few hours later she texted him back, letting him know that now wasn't the time. She could practically hear his anxiety in his texts, the way he needed her, the way he was trying to reach out to her. They had made a promise to each other, a promise to Ariel, that they were going to try and make this work. That they were going to be open and honest with each other from here on out. It made her almost sick thinking about how she had been shutting him out the past few hours. Especially when she and Ariel had needed him so badly. She had gotten ready to respond to his plea to come over when Ariel had let out a sob in her sleep, and suddenly all of her attention was on the girl, her phone tossed to the wayside as she tried to comfort her.

They must have both dozed off again because the next thing Leanne knew she heard the front door open slowly, and then shut just as quietly. She could tell by the boots on the floorboards that it was Ethan, there was no mistaking his footsteps, the way he moved through the house was something she had memorized early on, something she never wanted to forget. When she didn't hear the bedroom door open though, she wondered for a second if maybe she was just dreaming. It wasn't like him to not head straight for her room, to crawl into bed with her without a care in the world.

She waited a few minutes, her arms loosening around the still sleeping teen as she pushed herself up slightly. Finally, her bedroom door open and in he stepped, looking more exhausted than she had ever remembered seeing him. She felt her heart break at the sight of him, his face clearly tear stained and his eyes bloodshot and swollen.

"Ethan?" She whispered his name softly, careful not to wake the girl in her arms.

"Shh," His reply was just as soft and she watched as he toed off his boots as he spoke, "it's just me."

"What are you doing here?" She knew damn well what he was doing here. He needed them, just like his message said, just like she had known for several hours and yet she had ignored him.

"I couldn't sleep." He made his way toward the other side of the bed, his jacket being tossed to the chair by the window as he grabbed his sweats from the top of the dresser. He dropped his pants to the floor and stepped out of them, straight into the old ragged sweats, in one swift motion.

"So you broke into my house?" She knew that he technically didn't break into the house, she had given him a key after all. But after today, her brain was a little fuzzy and she wasn't quite remembering details the way she probably should have.

"I used my key." He whispered, moving to lay behind her in the big bed. He spooned behind her, his legs tangling with hers instantly, his arm going around her waist after pulling the covers over their bodies. If he was phased by their daughter's presence in the bed, he didn't show it.

"Oh okay." She dropped her head back down next to Ariel's, her ears straining to hear the girl's breath sounds. She had been checking constantly to make sure the girl was alright, her own fears taking over after having watched Max suffer that day.

"Everything okay?" He had to have known that things weren't, in fact, okay. But she knew that he would never assume such a thing, especially not given the line of work they were in.

"No." She felt her heart start to race as another round of tears formed behind her closed eye lids and she snuggled back against him as best she could without separating herself from the teen too much.

"What happened?" He nuzzled his face against her neck, his lips pressing a kiss to the exposed skin as he squeezed her waist tightly. She would never get tired of having him so close, of having his arms around her, his lips against her skin. After everything they had been through she knew that this was the closest thing to perfect she would probably ever have.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now." And that was true. She was exhausted, beyond exhausted, and the last thing she wanted to do right now was talk. She just wanted to sleep, snuggled between the two most important people in her life, and she couldn't fathom having to ruin that with the words she would have to say to him.

"Okay." He dropped another kiss to her neck as he peeked over her shoulder. She could tell that he was eyeing the girl, that his curiosity was getting the best of him. "She okay?"

"No." She snapped, and she instantly regretted it because she felt his body stiffen, and then pull away from her slightly, his head falling back to the pillow. She had forgotten that he was struggling too, that he was hurting in some way, and she felt horrible for treating him like that. "I'm sorry. I just… I don't wanna talk right now. Just… go to sleep Ethan."

"Okay." He whispered, his body staying put in it's spot, not quite pressed against her like it had been a minute ago. She hated that they did this to each other. "Hey… I meant it you know? What I said earlier? It was all true."

"Ethan please," She knew without a doubt that he meant it. She knew, although she didn't really want to know, that he loved her with his whole heart, "not now."

"Okay." The fact that he was being so laid back about this all scared her, but she was helpless to fight him off right now. She just wanted to sleep. So instead of arguing with him, or getting on his case, she just closed her eyes shut tight, her grip around Ariel tightening as she tried to relax herself. "Get some sleep babe." He whispered, his lips gentle against her shoulder as he pressed one last kiss there. And then she felt herself slowly starting to doze off, her body no longer able to handle the stress of the day.

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