Losing All But The Fight. (complete) updated.

Chapter 27

Chapter 27.

I felt my arm being shaken awake by a firm grip. Looking around I saw my father standing beside the couch where I was sprawled out and he beckoned me to be silent and pointed at Josh and Ally on the floor both sound asleep, lit by the mid-morning light filtering through the dens window.

A smile broke across my face as I took in the state of their sleep. Josh had his arms wrapped around Ally, her face tucked into his neck and his tilted her way. Her leg was hooked around Josh's hip and she held his left hand lightly. They both looked completely content and Ally seemed to be in a more peaceful sleep.

Hearing shuffling outside the door and mom's humming trail off to the kitchen my dad signaled for me to follow him. Scrubbing the sleep from my face I turned and quietly went over the backside of the sofa, avoiding the possibility of tripping over blankets and waking them.

My father shut the door softly after one last check and turned to give a raised brow at my sleepy smile. I checked the time on my watch. "She's gotten five hours, give or take a few minutes." I might have been the first to drift off but I had gotten up several times throughout the night.

My father smiled and then gave me a curious look before walking to the kitchen. I followed knowing he would expect me and we both followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen.

"How is she?" My mother asked setting a mug in front of my father and I at the counter.

"She's tough, ma." I took a sip. "She's gotten a good amount of sleep this time around. Might be the longest she's slept in the past year."

"Good." My mother pursed her lips in concern, furrowing her brows and pushing her stray hair from her face. "I'm proud of you, Vance." She squeezed my hand and my expression became confused. She sighed when she realized I wanted her to explain. "You don't even know what you've done. I guess we did something right."

My mother absently walked off and I stared after her trying to figure her out. Always like my mother to leave two thirds of what she was actually thinking out of a conversation. I am her son though which means most of the time I can figure it out. Dad doesn't even have to try anymore, he knows how she thinks. When he doesn't though, it drives him mad. Moms my fathers great challenge and he loves it.

"I'll have to wake her before the team starts arriving." He informed me. "How long have you known her?" His expression turned puzzled and I knew he only wanted me to confirm because he was thinking over something else.

I sat back on the stool and studied my Father. The stubble on his chin had been freshly shaved and displayed the tight angle of his jaw line that both my brother and I inherited. "A year." He shook his head.

"The whole time you didn't ask and she didn't tell you who she was?"

"No." My tone was firm. "Not once have I pushed her to tell me anything she doesn't want to. Sure, I hint or try to lead her and she knows when I'm doing it, but if she drops it I don't push. You don't know what state she was in when we first met, dad." I paused taking a drink of my coffee thinking about how closed off she used to be to me. "Her face was bruised, she had strangulation marks on her neck, and a fresh set of stitches down her arm. That's what I could see."

My father grew silent for a moment. After drinking the last of his coffee my mother kissed his cheek and poured him another cup. "You haven't been romantically involved or anything have you?" My mother asked making both of our eyes widen. "What your father is trying to understand and he won't ask." She walked away and I shook my head with a smile at my mothers usually unconventional intervention.

You might not know it by her quiet nature sometimes but my mother was apart of every conversation in this house and if she chose to participate it was usually a bold yet sweet remark here and there. Couldn't get mad at her for the way she applied herself though. She only intervened when she felt it was important or relevant. She might seem flighty and outgoing but my mother was sharp. It's most likely what attracted my father to her.

"No. I had to bargain with her to stay and that included boundaries. She tried paying me to stay and I would refuse and give her jobs around the building to help me with instead. Took a few months to get her to warm up to me." I smirked and my mother looked between my father and I.

"What?" She asked.

"So what about your brother? He's only been back about a month." Dad asked.

I narrowed my eyes trying to figure out what my father was getting at. "You know she doesn't understand what it's like to have a family, to depend on somebody else. She doesn't get it. She tries to find a motive. All I wanted to do was help her. I didn't take anything in return and I left no other conclusion for her to come to. Romantic involvement would have been a stupid move and I didn't try." I paused. "I'm glad though. I see her like a sister and she's my closest friend now. I could have screwed that up."

"Wasn't your brother their when she told you the truth though? She wouldn't have known him very long? She wouldn't have trusted him just because he's your brother." His brows knitted together as he was trying to understand.

A large smile broke on my face and my dad gave me a funny look. "That's why I'm glad I never tried. She only put up with Josh because he was important to me." I paused. "She's different around him though, Tom sees it and Josh already loves her as much as I do. He doesn't know how different she is with him because he didn't know her before. I bet you a hundred bucks she's only sleeping because of him. He calms her."

My father smiled. "Does she know he's a SWAT Agent?"

I patted his back. "Found out before she got here yesterday, I guess. Josh told her."

Coming down from getting dressed I peaked in on Ally seeing her still asleep on her side against my brother and clothes the door. I followed a new voice into my fathers office and both heads turned at my approach.

"Ahhhhhh, Gregory this is my youngest son, Vance. Gregory McCain."

I shook McCain's hand and they both invited me to sit down. I declined. It would feel to much like going behind her back sitting in even if it weren't business yet. "Does she know he's here?" I asked my father.

"I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her in person yet." McCain spoke and I let my eyes closely scrutinize him for a moment.

"Don't walk around the house to much or you'll wake her up." The guy narrowed his eyes at me and then looked to my father.

"I want to give her another hour to sleep." He told him. "He's probably right."