A/N: Just because I felt like it, here's how they got a new addition to the family! This is definitely the last thing I write for this book. Enjoy!
Y/N's POV
It was Christmas time again, and everyone was on their way back to the house for the holiday. I had been hard at work trying to make the house look as presentable as possible. Simon kept telling me to stop cleaning because there wasn't anything left to clean. Maybe he was right, but it's still better to be safe than sorry. Johnny had gone shopping for something about 2 hours earlier and had texted us he was driving back; apparently he was also bringing a surprise. Simon just pointed out that it was probably some cheesy Christmas decoration or some cool new food he wanted to try. I eventually gave into Simon's protests after another lap around the house and found myself laying on the couch and in his lap. The whole environment was calm and relaxing, with the air smelling like pine and gingerbread. Johnny had made a batch of cookies earlier but had yet to decorate them properly.
"What do you think he's got?" I asked.
"No idea; probably something neither of us would ever guess." Simon answered, running his hand through my hair.
"Fifty bucks says it's something messy or that smells."
"I'll take that bet." Simon chuckled.
"I wonder how the others are doing; traveling this time of year is always a shitshow."
"Gaz is landing today, and Kate and her wife are picking him up; they are driving together here." Simon replied switching the channel on the TV.
"I swear if Gaz tries to cook his weird pasta dish again, last time it was still partially frozen." I laughed, remembering Thanksgiving earlier.
"Better than my cooking."
Simon was not a good cook at all; he once left a spoon in our microwave by accident. I wasn't too impressed since we had to replace the damn thing. He knew how to make tea, and that was about it, aside from maybe some outdoor cooking in a rusty old pan. Johnny, on the other hand, was a great chef; he always had something new for us to try. I had given him an international cook book a few weeks ago, and since then we have been eating a new dish every night for dinner. I was impressed since I wasn't great in the kitchen; I mostly just sat on the counter watching while Johnny sped around opening all the drawers and cabinets.
"You know we still haven't gotten the gifts out; they are down in the basement."
"It can wait; you are warm, and I don't feel like getting up." Simon responded.
"I guess Alejandro, Rudy, Alex, and Farah won't be here until the day after tomorrow. Long flights and what not, glad they all could make it." I smiled at the thought of the house being alive and filled with family again.
"It will be nice; I'm just happy to see you smiling again."
The past few months had been difficult after the deaths of Price and the others. I had improved, but I still had the occasional nightmare or shut down. Johnny and Simon were always there and had learned how to help me get past the moments of stress. I was grateful to have them both, and I knew they wanted nothing more than for me to be happy. The sound of one of our trucks pulling in caught our attention as the door shut and a strange noise outside could be heard. I got a text from Johnny asking for me to open the door. I gave Simon a confused look, and he just gave me a look that suggested he already knew what the mystery surprise was, but I was still completely clueless. I got up and walked over to the door, but as I got closer, I could hear scratching outside.
"That fucking raccoon must be back, probably scaring Johnny back in the truck." I groaned, ready to scare off the raccoon.
I carefully opened the door, feeling a wave of cold air hit me along with something else. It turns out it wasn't a raccoon but instead a dog, and a big one too. It jumped on me, knocking me over as it began to lick my face like crazy. Johnny walked in soon after with a faint grin on his face.
"You owe me fifty bucks." Simon called out not taking his eyes off the TV.
"Johnny, what the fuck?" I asked as the dog kept covering my face in slobber.
"Surprise!" He yelled as he helped get the German Shepherd off me.
"Where did you even get that thing?" I asked, getting back to my feet, as Johnny closed the door and walked into the kitchen.
"Oh, this has been planned for awhile; we just didn't want to say anything about it." He smiled, setting the grocery bag on the counter, and taking off his boots and jacket.
"We?" I asked, glaring at Simon, who just shrugged.
"Not my idea." He replied putting his hands up.
"Did you name it?" I asked while watching the dog run around the house and eventually setting down next to Simon on the couch.
"Yeah, I did! He is named Riley!" Soap exclaimed, handing me a wet, soapy towel to wash my face off.
I couldn't hold back the snort as Ghost shot a glare at Soap, who just smiled. He clearly hadn't told Ghost about the name, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Simon even seemed to enjoy the company of the canine; it would probably be a lot of work, but honestly, I wasn't complaining. I never had a pet growing up, aside from this crow that came to base nearly every day because I kept feeding it, but that didn't really count. I washed my face and followed Soap into the living room, where Riley and Riley were.
"So what made you two want a dog?" I asked, sitting in one of the chairs while Soap began to give Riley belly rubs.
"Johnny thought it might help you, and I only agreed if it was trained before hand." Simon answered while getting smacked in the face by Riley's tail.
"I just like dogs, but yeah, also to help you!"
"You both know that Rudy isn't the biggest fan of dogs, right?"
"It will be okay, Riley is a good boy! Aren't you?" Soap asked the slobbery animal.
"Not sure? Are you a good boy, Simon?" I smirked at the other man.
He just gave me a glare, and I couldn't help but laugh. Soap eventually took Riley around the house so that he could get used to everything; eventually, he got a large dog bed out of one of the downstairs closets and put it in our room. The sounds of barking and more of Soap talking to the dog like it was a child could be heard from the other room.
"Johnny, get it off my bed!" I yelled from the living room.
"But he looks so comfortable!"
"No! We sleep there, and I don't want dog fur on my blankets!" I called back.
"Fine, but can he at least stay in our room?"
"Fine!" I yelled back.
"We probably should have asked you about this first." Simon stated, patting the spot on the couch next to him.
"It's okay; I've always wanted a pet, and plus, it will be nice to have another addition to the family."
"I'll make sure Riley doesn't scare Rudy when he and Ale come." Johnny said walking back into the room and moving me so he could place me on top of him.
"Where's the dog?" I asked.
"He's in the other room, settled down."
The three of us stayed there the rest of the night, just watching various shows and whatever for the rest of the night. We had started to grow extremely tired, realizing how late it had gotten; we needed sleep since Kate, Gaz, and Kate's wife would be arriving tomorrow by lunch. They had decided to stay in the city for the rest of the day and drive up tomorrow. I walked into our bedroom, where Riley was sound asleep in the corner.
"Dogs don't snore, do they?" I asked while Simon and Johnny got ready for bed.
"Honestly, I have no idea. It can't be worse than Simon's snoring." Johnny laughed.
"Fuck off Mactavish." Simon growled.
"Which one?" We both asked.
Simon just rolled his eyes before pulling off his shirt and climbing into bed. Johnny and I just grinned, knowing full well Simon got all flustered when he remembered we all shared the same last name now. I walked into our bathroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face again. I stopped and looked in the mirror; the scars were still very visible, especially the one that now slipped my cheek. I still remembered the mission in the mountains; it was never a pleasant thing to remember. I gently ran a finger over the scar; it ran from the end of my eye to just before my nose.
"It's really not that bad." Johnny whispered from behind; I hadn't noticed him in the mirror.
"It's not that; it's just how I got it, I guess."
"It's okay to remember it; just don't force yourself to, and don't think about it for too long." Johnny replied, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my head.
"I know...I just wish that day had gone differently."
"We all do, but we can't change what happened; he wouldn't want you to dwell on it." Simon said from his spot in bed.
He was right. Price wouldn't want me to get trapped in my own grief. I had done a fairly good job of not letting my mind wonder around that night too much. The few times it got bad, I would wake up in a panic, unfortunately startling both my partners. They immediately did what they could to calm me down, and to their credit, it worked every time. Johnny placed a kiss on my head and gently pulled me back into the bedroom after turning off the bathroom light. I slid into the bed comfortably squished between them, since I was a lot smaller than both of them and could easily fit wherever I wanted without being uncomfortable. Turns out there were plenty of benefits to being small both on and off the battlefield. Johnny and Simon have never complained since. As they described:
"It makes you easier to hold."
I never complained since I loved getting held; it was comforting and made me feel safe. That night I slept better than I could ever remember; my entire world felt perfect. It turns out dogs don't snore, but even Riley got woken up once Simon had fallen asleep. Johnny and I had gotten used to it since we often fell asleep before Simon, but Riley would definitely have to get used to it. The next day, Gaz, Kate, and her wife arrived, surprised or greeted by the dog but not opposed to the presence of Riley. Gaz fell in love immediately and completely spoiled the dog for the rest of the day with attention and the occasional piece of food.
"So how did this happen?" Kate asked, sipping on her tea while we watched Soap and Gaz race around the house with Riley.
"Honestly, mom, I'm not sure. Apparently my husbands thought it was a good idea; not that I'm complaining, but I just met him yesterday." I replied, taking a sip from my own cup.
Simon was doing his best to help Kate's wife in the kitchen; she was also an incredible chef. Simon just watched and sampled the occasional meal from time to time, also reaching the tops of the shelves for her.
"So the rest arrive tomorrow?" Kate asked.
"Yeah, they shou-Gaz stop feeding Riley mini sausages!" I yelled as Gaz tried to teach Riley tricks.
"But he's hungry!" Gaz whined as he gave another mini sausage to the waiting pet.
"He ate like 2 hours ago; he's going to have to go outside to shit at this rate." I called back.
"I'll take him! Come on, Soap, let's see if he can fetch!"
The two quickly got dressed and went charging out the front door into the yard, followed by the dog. I could get used to this; I always enjoyed having the house full. Gaz had decided to move to the US since the rest of us were here and he could be closer. We could hear Soap and Gaz yelling outside as Riley kept bringing sticks back to them.
"I don't know how those two have so much energy; I am tired from the drive here." Kate sighed as she set down her mug and turned on the TV.
"Me either; Johnny is exhausting when he gets going but still as adorable as ever." I laughed.
We spent the rest of the day setting up gifts under the tree and snacking on little things. Gaz and Soap came back inside after another 20 minutes out in the cold, and Riley immediately headed for his dog bed while Kate's wife handed them both hot drinks. Gaz sat in one of the chairs while Johnny took my spot next to Kate and then pulled me onto his lap.
"Fucking shit you are cold!" I complied, trying to get out of his grip.
"Well, you are warm, and I'm not letting go." He smiled, setting his mug down and pulling me closer.
"At least let me get a blanket." I said while throwing in on us.
That night was once again ended by another amazing night of rest for me. Alejandro and the others arrived the next day, and they each complained about the stupidity of air travel and how tiring it was. Poor Rudy nearly freaked out when he first met Riley, but by the end of the day, he too had grown to love the newest addition to the family. There were a few more surprises that night. Alex and Farah, after much smiling and whispering, stood up in front of the family to announce they were expecting a baby. Soap and Gaz were the ones to start bawling their eyes out, while the rest of us just gathered them. The next big surprise came on Christmas Eve, when Alejandro and Rudy were under the mistletoe. Instead of a kiss, Alejandro got down on one knee and proposed to Rudy, who immediately began to cry and nodded. Everyone was happy for the two of them and immediately began to share ideas of what their perfect wedding would be like. This would be a Christmas to remember, and I would look forward to many more to come.
YOU ARE READING
Capture Or Kill
FanfictionY/n is a American special forces operator that has been working off the grid for over three years. When a new threat resurfaces he must return to Price and Laswell and join the fight to stop the ultranationalists threatening the world. Since he left...
