Flashback time, be prepared.

First part is Wittebane situation infodump, second part is wholesome Noceda stuff.

Content warning: descriptions of blood and murder.

Darius had never liked Phillip Wittebane.

Phillip was the younger brother of Caleb, Darius's best friend, and if he'd been anybody else Darius would've treated him like a brother, too. However, the problem was that Phillip was a narcissist who believed the entire world should bow before him regardless of what reality said. He perceived Caleb as who should be his most loyal and devoted follower, something that Caleb didn't agree with and the brothers fought about it constantly.

Things only got worse when Emily Clawthorne entered the picture. She'd been a stubborn spitfire who hadn't fit into Phillip's vision of the world because she'd turned down dating him once in high school. Darius had watched her remain cordial with him for the first couple years of her and Caleb's relationship, but as soon as the wedding bands went on Phillip went off. He would insult Emily and anyone who tried to defend her and that rift between him and Caleb continued to grow. Especially once Caleb and Emily's son was born.

Phillip showed up at the hospital (how he'd found out, nobody knew), took one look at Hunter, and declared there was no possible way that he was Caleb's son. That Emily had cheated on Caleb because she was a whore. It had led to security forcibly removing him from the room while Darius walked up with a gift for the new baby. All the while Phillip had been protesting, saying that he was in the right with his accusations and that Emily was fooling his brother in order to trap him in an unwanted marriage.

He'd continued to harass the young family, to the point where Caleb and Emily were considering leaving Bonesborough and cut ties with the town. But before any of that could happen, they were both brutally murdered. Darius had found the bodies himself—Caleb in the living room, Emily in front of Hunter's bed as if she'd been trying to shield her son from whoever had attacked them. Hunter, mercifully, was unharmed physically. He'd been hiding in a closet when Darius found him.

From there, everything was a blur.

There was so little evidence at the scene, and Hunter was still so young and so clearly terrified and traumatized by what had happened, and the police investigation ended up going nowhere. Darius suspected Phillip but there was no evidence; the man had an alibi for when his brother and his sister-in-law had died.

While the investigation was going on, Darius had insisted to the social worker who'd taken on Hunter's case that his home was the safest possible place for a scared little boy who'd just lost both his parents. And the social worker had agreed to allow it for the time being. Hunter being with someone he considered familiar and safe was best. It had been an adjustment for Darius, who was for all accounts still a bachelor and childless, but the toddler was so precious that it was hard to not want him around.

He was starting to get used to the idea of maybe being a father, maybe raising Hunter. Maybe it was the fourth or fifth time that Hunter wiggled into his bed after a nightmare, or maybe it was the way he couldn't pronounce the 'r' in Darius's name properly yet. Something made Darius just want to hold onto this child and make sure nothing else bad happened to him in his life.

But of course life had to get in the way.

Phillip came forward, using his status as an 'upstanding member of the community' and Hunter's only living paternal blood relative to lay a claim on Hunter. And in a place like Bonesborough, money and power like Phillip had tended to get you things you wanted. Not to mention his little shark of a lawyer Kikimora, who sued Darius for custody and tried to get a restraining order put against him somehow. Hunter had clung to Darius with all the grip strength a two-year-old could muster, wailing to stay with him and throwing a tantrum as the little woman pried him out of Darius's arms.

And now?

Now Darius was angry.

Hunter was sitting in front of him, sniffling with a bandage on his jaw where the nurse at the hospital had bandaged it. CPS had called him because he'd asked to be put in charge of Hunter's care should anything happen. And something had. Phillip had laid hands on Hunter and not only that but he'd thrown him against furniture in a rage. Hunter was lucky that he only had a wound on his jaw. He could've wound up with a cracked skull. Or worse.

Bonesborough wasn't safe for Hunter anymore. Not while Phillip Wittebane held power here. And that meant Hunter needed to go somewhere Phillip couldn't find him, somewhere nobody knew the story.

As much as it broke his heart, it was what was best for the boy.

He watched Hunter go for the second time, put into a car to go off somewhere where Darius would likely never see him again. He had to keep going. Pretend he didn't fail to hold onto the last piece of his best friend that was still alive. And find whatever way he could to bring down the bastard who'd ripped his world apart. Because Darius knew who'd killed Caleb and Emily.

He just needed to prove it.

Being a mother of two was definitely an adjustment for Camila Noceda.

Luz had the boundless energy that seemed to come with being a toddler, right down to the sudden crashes when she needed to go down for a nap. Hunter was a bit more quiet, a bit more cautious when it came to them. He'd clearly been through quite a bit before coming to join their family and it broke her heart to see him whenever he flinched away from her touch.

Luis had been doing his best with Hunter from the first day the boy had arrived with the social worker. They'd let Hunter pick out all the decorations for his new room, a few toys (he was so overwhelmed by all the choices that he almost didn't get any), and Luis had begun teaching Hunter how to skate. He was unsteady, as all children would be at that age, but Luis was there to hold onto his hand as he got his balance to hold. There was still the issue of the flinching, and Camila worried about Luz being discouraged from bonding with Hunter.

But thankfully, Luz was attached. She was very much attached to her new big brother and she followed him around like a little duckling. It was adorable to watch and Hunter seemed to be warming up to the affection Luz gave him unconditionally. He held her hand when they walked around together so she wouldn't get lost, especially since she liked to wander.

One of her fondest memories was the time they'd been quiet for a little too long and she and Luis had run upstairs to make sure nothing was wrong…

…only to find that Hunter and Luz had built a fort out of pillows and blankets and Hunter's bed and bookshelf and they were currently curled up together asleep. Hunter's arms were wrapped protectively around Luz while she kicked him a little in her sleep. Camila instantly motioned for Luis to get the camera, which he gladly did and snapped a picture of their two kids.

Their two oldest.

Their family of four had recently grown again with the addition of Vee, and Camila was looking forward to the memories she could make with her, too.

"She's so little, Mama," Luz said, looking down at the sleeping Vee in her cradle.

"Yes, mija, she is."

"She's all weird-looking," Hunter added.

"Vee's still a new baby. Give her a little time and she'll grow into herself."

Hunter stared down at the baby.

"Was I ever that little?"

"You were. I wasn't there, but you were."

"What about Luz?"

"Yes, she was. All babies start out little, and they need grown-ups to take care of them. And if they have brothers or sisters, the brothers and sisters have big jobs, too."

"What kind of job, Mama?" Luz inquired.

"Well, Vee's going to need someone to play with her. She's going to need someone to teach her things that grown-ups can't and someone to protect her if we're not around. She can't do all that by herself."

Hunter reached out and brushed Vee's tiny baby hand with his finger. She closed her fist around his finger and he smiled. It was a big beautiful smile, one that had become more common as of late, and Camila wished she had a camera. Luckily Luis came through and took a picture of their oldest and youngest.

"I'm gonna help take care of her, Mama. I promise."

"Me too! I'll do better than Hunter!" Luz insisted.

"Nuh-uh!" Hunter retorted.

"Yuh-huh!" Luz stuck out her tongue at him.

Camila let out a laugh. She was glad they were getting along so well.

And she had no doubt they'd keep their promises.

Hunter couldn't sleep.

Images of Vee in that cage at the historical society were burned into his eyelids, appearing every time he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. His baby sister, still so little and needing his protection, and he'd failed her. He hadn't kept an eye on her like he was supposed to. It was his job to take care of his sisters and he'd failed.

"Hunter?"

He sat up to see Vee shuffling towards him, Luz right behind her.

"Hey. Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"No." Without a word, she clambered onto his bed and snuggled up beside him. "I'm scared."

"I always thought monsters only existed in books," Luz commented, settling in on the other side of Vee so she was sandwiched between them.

"The scariest monsters aren't the ones with big teeth or horns," Hunter sighed. "It's the ones that hide behind being nice."

"Mr. Hopkins was really nice to me," Vee whimpered. Hunter hugged her. "I-I just… I wanted a friend, and he…"

"Shhh…" Hunter stroked her hair and Luz joined in their hug. Vee started crying, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed. He didn't stop her. She didn't need to be stopped. She had every right to cry and scream and be upset.

"It's going to be okay," Luz assured her. "We're here. We won't let anyone hurt you again."

Vee hiccupped.

Quietly, Hunter began to sing in Spanish. It was a song Camila had sung him when he was little, back when he'd first come to live with them and he'd had nightmares about something he couldn't quite recall anymore. Vee sniffed and her sobbing subsided at the sound of his voice. Eventually her breathing calmed and she fell asleep beside him.

"You have a nice voice," Luz told him.

"Thanks." He glanced at Vee. "She really needs us."

"People are gonna talk."

"They are. It's small-town stuff."

Small-town stuff. Nothing was secret in Gravesfield. Despite the police promising that Vee's name would be kept out of the case, there was no doubt in Hunter's mind that rumors were already flying around about what had happened. About what a monster Jacob Hopkins was and how much pain he'd caused the Nocedas.

Monsters existed.

Hunter had one in his nightmares, a faceless one who screamed at him from beyond a void he couldn't cross over. It was a very human monster. It didn't have horns or big scary teeth or anything like that. But it was terrifying all the same and he hated seeing it, some symbol of a past he could no longer remember clearly in the slightest.

Vee had her own monster now, a monster with brown hair and glasses and a penchant for rambling about conspiracy theories. One who'd threatened to cut her open and dissect her to expose her to the world as a shape-shifter. He'd only failed because they'd gotten there in time.

He was their brother.

It was his job to protect her and Luz from the monsters, the real ones that didn't look like monsters.

He wasn't going to fail again.

A bit shorter than I would've liked but longer than my initial idea.

So long and thanks for all the fish!