AN: Enjoy the newest chapter in the story! Go ahead and read about our favorite couple, I'll be waiting at the bottom for you. Also, I'd like to warn any new readers that this story contains incest and, as of now, one swear word. Enjoy!
Much More Than Maternal
Chapter 7
The Third Child
Nicole stirred from her slumber, a smile spread across her face as she remembered the previous night's events. She kept her eyes shut, reliving every little detail that had happened between her and Gumball. It had been heaven, their first date was a success and she couldn't wait to kiss him again. Nicole smiled wider, their conversation before sleep returned to her and she was glad Gumball had chosen to confide in her. There was movement on the bed beside her and Nicole's eyes flew open like window-shades, her heart fluttering wildly at the sight before her. Gumball threw his mother a sly grin as he took her hand in his and gave it an affectionate kiss.
"You look so cute when you're sleeping," he flirted, his smile was absolutely intoxicating.
Nicole's blushed brightly, shyly avoiding his gaze until he shuffled closer. Gumball lifted her face to his and kissed her, sending ripples of pleasure coursing through Nicole's body. She shivered as they came apart, her desire for Gumball growing deeper. Gumball snuggled up close to her and placed his arms around her midriff with a content sigh. She reciprocated, pulling him into a tight embrace and kissing him. Their kiss lasted for quite a long time, neither mother nor son wanting to part. A knock at the door startled them, forcing them to break away from each other. The door opened and Darwin stuck his head in, he smiled at the nervous pair.
"Hey, just letting you guys know that Anais and Mr. Dad are getting up," he said, he walked away without waiting for an answer.
"Mom, I don't want to go. I like spending time with you," he said, hugging his mother again.
"It's okay, honey. We can find some time for each other later. Go on, have some breakfast, I'll follow you out soon," she gave Gumball a small kiss as she got out of bed.
Hesitantly, Gumball left his mother and went upstairs, looking for his clothes so he could have a shower. Nicole dressed quickly and exited her bedroom, she waved a greeting to Anais, who was sitting at the dinner table. Nicole went to her daughter and gave her a hug.
"Good morning, sweetie. Sleep well?"
"It could've been worse, what with Dad's snoring," Anais replied, yawning.
Nicole looked around for Richard, when she didn't locate her missing husband, Nicole turned to Anais.
"By the way, where is your father?," Nicole asked, unsure of why she was even asking about him.
"In the shed, I think."
"Okay, did he make you breakfast before he went in there?," Nicole asked, her anger bubbled when Anais shook her head.
"No, I was waiting for you to wake up."
Nicole shook her head disapprovingly. "What would you like, sweetie? Cereal?"
Anais nodded, smiling at her mother happily and Nicole went to fetch her daughter her breakfast. As she was making her daughter's breakfast, her mind, once again, wandered back to the previous night. Nicole found herself yearning for a repeat of last night, it had been so beautiful. Gumball had clearly enjoyed their date and Nicole already had more ideas on how to surprise the young cat. Some of her thoughts even involved lingerie and those particular thoughts made her moan quietly under her breath. In all her years of dating, Nicole had never wanted to be with someone as badly as her own son. It was like a dream, that the one person she shouldn't be having feelings for, turned out to be the love of her life.
But she knew that this was no dream, this was reality. His feelings for her were real, they weren't a manifestation of her sub-conscious and knowing this, it made the time she spent with Gumball all the more sweeter. Gumball loved her, he wanted to spend time with her, whereas her husband couldn't care less about her, one way or the other. He wanted her, just thinking those three words would send Nicole into a love-struck state of mind.
"Thank you, Richard," she said aloud, she jumped when her husband spoke up from behind her.
"What're you thanking me for?," Richard questioned, he raised a curious eyebrow at his wife who nervously turned to face him.
"For giving me Gumball," she confessed, he had startled an honest answer out of her.
"Yeah, he's a good boy," he chuckled as he went out the back again,Nicole watched him enter the shed, the door swinging shut behind him.
Yes, he was a good boy, despite the shenanigans he and Darwin would get up to. But Richard had given her more than just a son, he had given her someone who loved her unconditionally. Someone who would never put their own feelings above her own. Nicole shook her head and brought out Anais' breakfast. Anais thanked her mother, immediately shoving a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Gumball came down and joined his mother and sister at the table, he gave Nicole a knowing smile.
"Want some breakfast, honey?," Nicole asked, returning his smile with one of her own.
He shook his head. "Nah, I had my fill last night, thanks."
"What? If I remember correctly, you only had two slices of pizza last night," Anais said, she dropped her spoon into her cereal with a clink.
"Yeah, that's because the pizza was really filling."
Anais furrowed her brow, she looked back and forth between Gumball and Nicole, trying to read their faces. Something felt off to the bunny and she wanted to know what was really going on.
"You're hiding something. Both of you," she suddenly said, her words sent an icy wave of fear through Nicole.
"We're not hiding anything, Anais," Gumball insisted, he gave his mother a pleading look.
Nicole nodded, smiling nervously at her daughter. "We have nothing to hide from you, honey."
Their protests were silenced when Anais held her hand up with her palm facing them, the bunny's expression was blank.
"If you have nothing to hide," she began as she turned her eyes to Gumball. "Where did you disappear to last night?"
"To the bathroom," her brother quickly said.
"But you didn't come back."
Gumball paused, struggling to think of an excuse to explain his absence. He couldn't tell her what he had been truly doing, it was too dangerous. Hidden under the table, Nicole took his hand in hers and gave his fingers a comforting squeeze. He avoided looking at her, trying to keep his feelings for his mother hidden from Anais.
"Well, since Dad was on my bed last night, I chose to sleep on the couch," he nodded, he felt proud of his expertly crafted lie.
"Oh really?"
"Yep, it's the truth," he said, smiling a little at his sister.
"Okay, you say you slept on the couch. So then, why did you come out of Mom's room this morning?"
Nicole could swear her heart had stopped and she squeezed her son's hand hard, he returned her frightened squeeze with one of his own. Nicole didn't know how to end this, it was getting too dangerous to continue the conversation. Anais' questions were prodding too deeply, their secret was in danger of being discovered.
"Anais, go to your room," Nicole demanded, pointing over her shoulder at the stairs.
Anais looked upset for a second but cleverly hid it under a surprised expression.
"What for?"
"Because I said so, now move."
With a disgruntled huff, Anais left the table and went to her room. When she was gone, Gumball breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his mother. Gumball could feel Nicole's hand was shaking and he hugged her, he hated seeing how badly frightened she was.
"Mom, that was way too close," he said, casting a glance at the empty staircase.
"We need to be more careful, Gumball," Nicole said, she breathed deeply, trying to slow her racing heart.
"I agree, Mom. But why don't we just tell her? Dad is going to be outside all day," he patted her arm soothingly.
"I don't know if now is the best time for that, sweetie," she said, biting at her lip nervously.
"Mom, Anais needs to know. She's getting suspicious, it'll be better if we tell her now."
"Gumball, you need to think about this. Darwin took the news relatively well, which I'm thankful for, but there's no way to know how Anais will take it," Nicole insisted, biting her lip nervously.
Gumball frowned at his mother, he knew they could trust Anais with the knowledge of their love. His sister was an open-minded girl, Gumball wouldn't be surprised if she even congratulated them on finding the courage to be together. Nicole was wary of telling her, Gumball understood her fears but her suspicions were troubling him. Anais would watch them from now on, waiting for them to slip up and catch them in the act. It would be better for both parties if they came out and revealed their relationship to Anais. Nicole, however, still wouldn't budge on her stance to keep silent.
"Gumball, please, I'm not ready to tell Anais. Darwin caught us and that's why I had to tell him. Anais could overreact to the news," Nicole pleaded.
"Why are you so scared, Mom? Anais is your daughter, she's open-minded too. She might accept us," Gumball said, he wasn't about to let this go.
"I'm scared Anais will reject us and tell someone. Gummypuss, if we're caught, they will take me away from you," Nicole said, the familiar knot of fear had returned, it twisted menacingly in her chest and she realized she was wavering on the verge of tears. She brought her face to his but did not kiss her son.
"I don't want to lose you," she whispered, as she stared into his eyes.
"Mom, I didn't know what we have is so wrong."
"Honey, the majority of people out there will see our love as an abomination. We are very lucky that Darwin is not like everyone else," a tear ran down Nicole's cheek as she spoke.
Gumball wiped her tear away and hugged his mother, his own eyes were brimming with tears.
"I don't want you to be taken away from me," Gumball whispered, guilt sunk its claws into him and he burst into tears.
He scrabbled at his mother's shirt for purchase, trying to hook his fingers into the fabric. He didn't want her to be taken away, he wouldn't know what he'd do if that happened. Nicole held the crying boy against her chest as she tried to push back her tears. She tried to soothe him with words and when that didn't work, she settled for just simply being there for him. When his sobbing had quieted down a tad bit, she raised his watery eyes to hers.
"I won't be going anywhere, honey. I'm still here and I don't plan on leaving," she whispered, giving her son a kiss on his wet cheek.
Gumball buried is face into her chest, his voice was muffled as he spoke. "If it's that dangerous, then I don't want to tell Anais."
"Let's wait until she's calmed down a little, then if you're up to it, we can tell her today. Does that sound good to you?"
He nodded in agreement and wiped his nose on his sleeve before letting his mother go from his death grip.
"Okay, I guess that sounds okay," he said shakily.
"I'm glad you agree. Now, do you want to watch some TV with me?," Nicole asked, gesturing to the waiting television.
Gumball wiped his wet eyes with his sleeve, giving his mother a rather shy grin. "Can we cuddle?"
Nicole sat on the couch and held her arms out to him, beckoning him to her with her hands. "My answer will always be yes, Gummypuss."
Gumball went to her as fast as he could and practically leaped into his mother's waiting arms, he curled up against her as she wound her arm around him. Delivering a kiss to his forehead, Nicole switched the TV on with one hand while she continued to hold him with the other. Despite turning the television on, the two cats had no desire to watch it, they were too busy fawning over each other to care. Nicole threw the remote to the floor, where it clattered loudly, in her haste to get another arm around her son. She wanted him badly and she didn't wish to be interrupted. He reciprocated her desires, raising his face so she could easily kiss him. Nicole ran a hand over his cheek as she succumbed to the raging lust inside her and thrust her tongue into Gumball's mouth. His lips parted to grant her entry, his tongue met hers and they danced over each other in unison. Nicole pulled back briefly to catch her breath, she was becoming aroused and she didn't want to overstep the boundaries she'd placed, no matter how much her body yearned for his touch.
Hastily, Nicole scanned their surroundings, her eyes searching every nook and cranny for any possible witnesses. She deemed that it was safe and returned her attention to her waiting son, who nudged her playfully with his nose. She kissed him again, keeping an ear out for any footsteps coming their way. Gumball bit her tongue playfully and she moaned softly, her lust reaching new heights. She had a hand on the underside of his sweater and was about to pull the clothing from his body when she hesitated, she didn't want to do something she would regret. She came to her senses with a jolt, shamefully realizing they weren't exactly in what you'd call a private room. With difficulty, Nicole removed her hand, her claws had embedded themselves into the fabric of Gumball's sweater, as if they were protesting her change of heart. He sensed her hesitation and broke their kiss, he looked his breathless mother up and down with a puzzled face.
"Mom, are you okay?," he asked her, tentatively placing a hand on her cheek.
She looked away, ashamed of herself. "It's nothing, honey. I just got a little too excited."
"I'm that good of a kisser, huh?," Gumball said, he gave his blushing mother a devilish wink.
Nicole couldn't help but giggle at him, her insecurities fading into the background slightly as she smoothed out the tussled fur around his mouth.
"You're not bad. Still, there's always room for improvement," she booped him on the nose with a finger as she spoke.
He smiled, trying to be serious with her but failing. "Oh, and what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're a good kisser but it couldn't hurt to practice a bit," she whispered seductively.
"Well, I can practice on you, can't I?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she replied, leaning into kiss him again.
As she leant toward her eager son, Nicole saw movement from her peripheral vision and panicked, turning what was to be a seductive kiss into an awkward hug. She pressed her face tightly against the side of Gumball's head, whispering a quick warning to him.
"Someone is at the stairs," she whispered to her son, who gave her a squeeze around the middle to show he understood.
Gumball slid from her lap to the cushion beside his mother, going along with her hug. Nicole released her son and turned her gaze to the stairs, the relief that flooded her was indescribable when she saw who was watching them.
"Am I interrupting something?," Darwin questioned, his voice was uneasy.
"Not at all, honey," Nicole said, grateful it hadn't been Anais who had caught them.
She motioned to the fish to join her on the couch and he reluctantly obeyed her. Darwin sat between his brother and Nicole, his face burning with embarassment. He'd seen how she had leaned toward Gumball, she had planned to kiss him. Admittedly, she'd covered up the kiss pretty well.
"I'm sorry if I'm in the way," he said, looking down at his fins.
Gumball spoke up next to him. "It's okay, dude. It's better you bust us instead of Anais or Dad."
"Yeah, about Anais, why is she in such a bad mood? She kept ignoring me when I tried to talk to her," the fish said.
"I told her to go to her room," Nicole replied, she leaned back into the couch with a tired sigh.
"What did she do?"
"She nearly had us, man," Gumball informed. "She knows Mom and I are hiding something."
"Has she figured out what is going on between you two?," Darwin asked, he looked back and forth between the cats, searching for a positive answer.
"No, she hasn't. But it's only a matter of time before she finds out. We need to tell Anais," Gumball said, he gave his lover a look and she sighed.
"I suppose so. It'll be better if she finds out about us directly from the source instead of finding out the way Darwin did," Nicole agreed, her fear returning slowly with every word.
"When do you want to do this, Mom?," Gumball asked, he was watching Nicole intently, he could only guess at how his mother was coping with this decision.
"We do it now before I lose my nerve," Nicole replied, her voice wavered at the last word.
"I'll be beside you through it all, Mom," Gumball said, smiling comfortingly.
"I'll be right behind you guys too," Darwin chimed in.
"Then, let's do this now," Nicole said, she stood reluctantly, jumping a little when Gumball grabbed her hand.
"I'm right here whenever you need me."
At his words, Nicole felt her chest swell with renewed courage and she slowly ascended the staircase. Gumball was right behind her, he hadn't let go of her hand. Darwin brought up the rear, he was worried about how this would go down but he chose to keep his worries concealed. They reached the kid's bedroom and Nicole hesitated, her hand on the doorknob. Gumball could sense her mental anguish and gave his mother a friendly nudge with his hand, smiling brightly when she looked at him.
"Mom, you can do this. I'll be right here with you and so will Darwin. You won't be doing this alone."
"I won't lie, Gumball. I'm scared," Nicole confessed, Gumball could see her whole body was shaking.
"I'm right here beside you, Mom. I won't leave your side, we will do this. Together."
Nicole tightened her grip on the doorknob, her son stood beside with her hand in his. He nuzzled against her arm with his cheek, sending tingles rippling through his mother. With a deep breath, Nicole opened the door and went in, the boys followed her wordlessly. Gumball gestured at Darwin who nodded and shut the door without a word. Anais was seated in front of the computer, watching videos on the internet. She ignored the three members of her family, she didn't even afford them a cursory glance to show them she knew they were there. Gumball cleared his throat noisily, his sister ignored him flawlessly, the computer's whining was Gumball's only answer.
"Anais, we need to talk," Gumball spoke, he stepped forward in his sister's direction.
Again, the fuming rabbit ignored him, she scrolled down the page she was viewing without a sound. Nicole let Gumball's hand go, startling the young cat in the process.
"Damn it, Anais! Do not ignore us!," Nicole shouted, her fear was overshadowed by anger.
Anais finally gave them an angry look from the corner of her eyes and when she finally did speak, her tone was dead calm.
"What do you want?," Anais didn't turn around, instead she opened a new browser and continued surfing the web.
"We want to talk to you so can you turn the fucking computer off?," Nicole demanded, her fear was gone, it had ended up as fuel for her rage.
This time, Anais did turn around, a shocked expression on her face. In fact, everyone in the room wore a shocked expression, save for Nicole, whose face was creased with anger. The children had never heard their mother curse so openly before and Anais relented a bit upon seeing her mother's face. If her mother had to resort to swearing to get her attention, then whatever she wanted to talk about had to be extremely important. Anais pressed the power button on the computer and spun her chair, she regarded her mother warily, unsure on how to proceed. Thankfully, Darwin spoke up for them.
"Mrs. Mom, please, calm down. I don't think getting angry is the best choice for this situation."
Nicole's outburst had been accidental, her emotions were running through her without pause and she wished she was anywhere else but here. Gumball moved a seat to her and she sat down, trying to still her shaking hands. Gumball sat beside his mother and put his arm around her waist, he was trying to comfort her without words. It didn't work, but Nicole was grateful for the attempt. Darwin sat in between the pair of cats and his sister, looking back and forth at them like he was viewing a tennis match. Anais crossed her arms over her chest, the shock of hearing her mother blatantly curse still present on her face.
"What do you want to talk to me about?," she asked, her eyes never left the two cats.
"Before we even begin to tell you, I want you to promise that what we say will never leave this room," Gumball said, for the first time ever since Anais had known her brother, he was dead serious.
Anais blinked at her brother, if he was so serious about this talk, then it must be much more important than she had originally thought. Anais nodded, her surprise was tinged with a dash of curiosity.
"Okay, if it's that important to you, then I promise that whatever you have to say will never leave this room."
"Believe me, sis, you have no idea how important this is to us," Gumball spoke, at the word 'us', he exchanged a glance with Nicole.
"Anais, it's imperative that this doesn't leave this room. We can't stress this enough," Nicole added.
"I understand, what do you want to tell me?"
"This will come as a big shock, honey. Prepare yourself," Nicole said, she was trying to find the courage to tell her daughter everything.
It was too hard for Nicole, part of her wanted to tell Anais of her union with Gumball but the majority of her outright refused to budge. Even with Gumball and Darwin supporting her, Nicole couldn't find the strength to speak. Gumball tightened his grip on her waist and spoke for her.
"Mom, it's okay. I'll do it," he gave his sister a dead serious stare. "Mom and I...are in a relationship."
Anais stared blankly at Gumball, blinking every few seconds as his words made their way through her brain.
"Is this some kind of joke?," she finally asked, utter disbelief in her voice.
"We would never joke about something as big as this. It is true, I love Gumball more than a son," Nicole insisted, she put her arm around her son, as if to convince Anais.
The bunny shook her head. "No, it can't be true. This is all a big joke, right Darwin?"
The fish shook his head at Anais' frantic question, his face remaining blank and the bunny gasped as she turned her attention back to Nicole and Gumball.
"This isn't a joke? You two are really...in love?"
The couple nodded nervously, Nicole was shaking again and Gumball did his best to comfort her. He wanted nothing more than to hold his mother and kiss her so he could ease her fears, but he knew that if he did kiss Nicole in front of Anais, it wouldn't go over well. Meanwhile, Anais was still shaking her head in disbelief at the news of their union. This couldn't be true, could it? Thinking back, Anais realized that it somehow made sense. Nicole's strange behavior, her apparent happiness whenever she was around Gumball and now, she remembered watching Gumball leave his parent's bedroom this morning.
"Oh my gosh, it is true!," she exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the two cats.
"Mom, this...relationship, it's not right," Anais said, her words were like an ice-cold dagger to Nicole, who shivered despite the warmth that circulated around the room.
"Honey, I understand where you're coming from. What Gumball and I have is very strange to you. Darwin was very much the same when we told him," Nicole explained, gesturing at Darwin when she spoke of him.
"You knew about this?," Anais said, turning her eyes to Darwin.
"I tried to tell you, remember?"
She did remember and she also recalled how hard Gumball had fought to keep Darwin silent. Anais slapped her forehead at her stupidity, how could she have missed that clue? It had been obvious but she'd missed it because she had been too fixated on wanting to watch her show.
"Have you told Dad?," Anais asked, her question upset Nicole who clenched her fists.
"No, we haven't told him, but we will. We wanted to let you know before we got around to telling him," Gumball answered, he saw how upset Nicole was and he gave her hand a warm squeeze.
Nicole squeezed back, nearly breaking Gumball's fingers with how hard she clenched her hand shut. Anais frowned, she couldn't think straight, this was all too much for her.
"Mom, you can't do this. It's not right and you could get into big trouble," Anais spoke, she felt sick when she noticed Nicole and Gumball were holding hands.
"I know the consequences of my actions and I don't care. I love Gumball and I can't change who my heart wants," Nicole said, her chest heaved and she suppressed the urge to burst into tears.
"Your heart is supposed to want the person you married. Where did your love for Dad go?," Anais asked, her voice had become bitter.
"I've asked myself that question so many times, the words have lost all meaning," Nicole replied softly, shaking her head sadly.
"What happened between you and Dad?"
"Anais, your father constantly pushed me away. I tried, please believe me. I tried so hard to stay true to my vows," Nicole persisted, tears began to form in her eyes.
Gumball frowned disapprovingly at Anais as he patted Nicole's back softly.
"Let it out, Mom. You'll feel better," Gumball soothed, he felt sad himself.
"I did love Richard, I really did. But when you're pushed away enough times, you begin to question if that love is really worth holding onto. Your father would ignore me, he'd coldly rebuff my attempts at intimacy," Nicole added as tears ran freely down her cheeks.
Gumball hated seeing his mother like this, it was torture to see her in so much pain and knowing he couldn't make it go away. Nicole continued, her voice wavering slightly.
"But Gumball, he was there for me when your father was not. He showed me he cared about me and I can't help it if I developed feelings for my own son."
Anais frowned, this wasn't right and she resolved to make her mother see reason.
"Mom, listen to me. This is not natural. You need help," Anais frowned as Nicole burst into tears and Gumball glared angrily at his sister.
"Really, Anais? Mrs. Mom pours her heart out to you and you tell her she needs help? That's low," Darwin said, shaking his head.
"But it's the truth!," Anais insisted, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Look, coming to you was a mistake and I really regret pressuring Mom into this," Gumball said, he was livid at his sister.
He continued to speak, his voice dripping with venom. "I don't care if you refuse to accept Mom and I, but don't expect me to sit here while you insult her."
Gumball helped his sobbing mother to her feet and led her to the door, opening it for her when they reached it. Gumball looked Anais in the eyes and she winced, she'd never seen her brother glare at her so harshly before.
"You best keep your promise," he said shortly, slamming the door behind him hard enough to make the computer desk rattle.
Darwin looked at his fins, well aware of how awkward the atmosphere had become. The tension was so thick, Darwin was convinced he'd be able to cut it with a knife. After five awkward minutes had passed, Darwin got to his feet to leave but stopped when Anais asked him a question.
"Darwin, do you accept their relationship?"
"Not completely," he answered, he spoke truthfully. "But I really don't see any harm in them being together. You haven't seen the way they look at each other. They really do love each other."
Anais sighed, her heart was heavy with grief. "Darwin, I thought you of all people would agree with me about their love being unnatural."
"Yeah? Well, you thought wrong."
He exited the bedroom, leaving his sister alone with her thoughts. In her bedroom downstairs, Nicole was lying on her side with her face buried in Gumball's chest. Her sobbing had not weakened one bit, they'd only grown in strength since leaving the kid's bedroom. Gumball chose not to speak, instead he held his inconsolable mother, wishing he could take her pain away. Going to Anais had been a mistake, he knew that now and he was torturing himself with the guilt. It was he that had made the suggestion to speak to Anais and now, his mother was crying her eyes out into his chest. He was dangerously close to bawling himself and he pushed the tears away, his mental anguish escaping in a choked sob. The door opened and Gumball raised his eyes, the hateful glare he'd given Anais reappearing on his face. Darwin poked his head in, he recoiled when he saw Gumball's expression.
"Dude, it's me, it's me!"
The glare vanished as quickly as it had appeared, it was replaced by relief and sadness. Gumball tightened his hold on his mother, her crying stabbed at his heart like slivers of glass as he gazed down at her.
"Is Mrs. Mom gonna be okay?"
Gumball did not look up. "I don't know."
"Gumball, I'm sorry for what happened in there," Darwin apologized, he truly did feel bad.
"Don't blame yourself, I was the one that made Mom talk to Anais. It was my fault."
"Gumball, don't beat yourself up over it. She'll come around eventually."
Gumball raised his eyes to the fish. "And what if she doesn't?"
"You don't need her to validate your love for Mrs. Mom. What matters is you both love each other," Darwin said, he offered Gumball a smile.
"Thanks, man. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with Mom."
"Sure, I understand."
Darwin backed out slowly, the door closing softly after him with a click. Gumball looked down at his mother, who continued to cry, her face pressed hard against his chest. Her whole body shook with the power of her sobs and Gumball said nothing, he couldn't come up with anything that could comfort his mother. He held her, refusing to let go even when he started to cry himself.
AN: Kinda sad, I know. But I was aiming for a sad chapter. Anyway, with the way work has been playing, I've been able to write everyday and night. I've started to aim for weekly chapter releases. I've just been having an enormous rush of inspiration! I've already got Chapters 8 and 9 planned out. It's been one hell of a week. Sorry if I've missed any mistakes, I'm the only one that proofreads so there's bound to be one or two mistakes. See you next time!
