Helen let out a dramatic groan as she and Javier dropped a wooden joist. "Why is a lady doing the work of a man?" she whined, grabbing a hammer and nail.
"If I recall, you said yourself you weren't a lady," John teased, hammering in another beam. Charles and Javier chuckled at Helen's glare, which earned a grin from John.
Helen then smirked, wiping sweat from her forehead as she looked between the three shirtless men. "Well, y'all almost got me blushin' like a lady with the view I'm gettin'," she teased.
"What about me, darlin'?" Uncle called. He was sitting at the campfire with a bottle in hand, and he flashed her a smile. The three men laughed at Helen's disgusted expression, and she shook her head. "Right, Uncle."
He just let out a grunt and continued to drink, making everyone exchange a glance and roll their eyes. This is going to be a long build.
~~~~
"How in the hell did you manage to hammer your thumb?" Helen teased. The four of them had been working for a day and a half straight with Uncle "supervising".
Helen had been resting for a small while when she was woken up by a yelp, followed by a thread of Spanish curse words. Now, she was sat next to Javier, tending to his bleeding thumb while John and Charles worked. "I'm a little distracted, I guess," he replied honestly.
"By what?" Helen asked, furrowing her brows. Javier sighed, glancing out at the house-in-progress with worry in his eyes. "Well, John trusts you, and Charles and Uncle...but once this is finished, what about me?" he asked quietly.
Helen sighed, looking back at him with pity once she finished wrapping his thumb. I never realized how much of an overthinker he was. "He still needs time, Javi, just like you and I. They'll come around, I'm sure," she reassured, patting his knee.
She was oblivious to the look of longing in Javier's eyes, as well as the angered look from Charles.
~~~~
"I swear to god, if I have to sit here with John next, I'm charging y'all for my medical services." Charles chuckled sheepishly, wincing as she washed his cut.
"I guess I'm just clumsy," he mumbled with a shrug. Helen gave him a pointed look, dabbing his hand with a dry towel. "Yah, and I'm the richest lady in the United States - so now that we both lied," she shot back, narrowing her eyes challengingly.
Charles couldn't hold her gaze, and he turned away almost shamefully. "Okay...maybe...I was jealous," he confessed. Helen almost smacked him if not for the genuine look of shame.
She leaned forward and kissed Charles gently, then kissed his cheek. "You have nothing to worry about, Charlie. I didn't wait eight years for you for nothin'," she said quietly.
He smiled at her shyly, nuzzling her. "I love you, Helen. I just wish we could have found each other sooner," he whispered. "I love you, too, Charlie. We're here now, and I ain't leavin' you for anyone."
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Family in Shambles
FanfictionShe had been going it alone for three years, since her mother had passed away. She had been learning to survive and doing what she NEEDED to do to survive, no matter the consequences. She knew how to lie low and hide from the law, and she became a v...
