AN! Here's a little bit of a fluffy one with Gracie and Jay! Everybody seemed to love the chapter I did entitled 'Reading' so I decided to do something similar with Jay. When I write these stories I always intended for Jay to be the stricter brother out of the two of them but I realised that I rarely write him being softer with Gracie, which in my mind happens way more than the negative/discipline one shots! So here we are!
Gracies POV (5 Years Old)
"It's really dark Will. What if the monsters get us?" I asked nervously as Will and I walked down the street towards Molly's,
"There's no such thing as monsters kiddo" Will assured,
"There is!" I exclaimed "there was one under the bed the other night at bedtime and Jay had to get rid of it!" I told him,
"That was a spider Gracie" he replied,
"It was as big as a monster!" I stated "a spider monster" I told him making him shake his head.
"I promise you Gracie, there are no monsters" he assured once again,
"Is Jay coming?" I asked as we rounded the corner to our destination,
"He's gonna come to pick you up when he finishes work" he explained as we walked up the front steps and in to the building.
"Ayyyy, If it isn't the Halstead's" Maggie smiled "how're you Gracie?" She asked with a wide smile.
"Will made me walk here and he didn't even care that we could've been eaten by monsters" I stated,
"Monsters?" She asked and I nodded seriously "well I'm glad you made it here alive" she sympathised.
"Hey sweetie pie" April smiled and I turned around to give her a big hug,
"Will said that you're gonna get married" I told her and her smile grew,
"I am" she said as she showed me her hand with her engagement ring on her ring finger,
"That's so pretty" I told her,
"Not as pretty as you're gonna look in your flower girl dress" she told me matter of factly making my eyes widen,
"Really?" I asked and she nodded,
"I'm not getting married without my favourite little girl by my side" she assured,
"Will" I squealed as I ran over to where he was stood at the bar getting served by Herrmann "April said I'm gonna be her flower girl" I told him making him smile,
"That's amazing" he exclaimed "I hope you said thank you" he added and I instantly turned back to April,
"Thank you April" I said,
"You are more than welcome" she replied as I bounced around excitedly.
"Can I have Coke?" I asked once I turned back towards Will,
"Sorry kiddo it's too late at night to have Coke" he replied,
"Aww" I complained "please" I pleaded,
"You're not having Coke" he repeated "why don't you choose something else?" He suggested as he picked me up and held me on his hip. I shook my head with a frown as I hid my face in the crook of his neck,
"Hey squirt" Herrmann spoke from behind the bar "how about I make you your own special drink" he suggested "I promise you'll like it" he assured and I nodded in agreement "is she ok to have some juice?" He asked my brother who nodded,
"Yeah" he confirmed allowing Herrmann to get to work. A minute later he returned with an orange coloured drink with a straw,
"Here you go" he said as he handed it to me "one Gracie special." I took a sip of the drink and smiled "does it pass the test?" He asked and I instantly nodded,
"Uh huh" I confirmed,
"What do you say?" Will prompted,
"Thank you Herrmann" I said and he smiled in appreciation,
"Anytime kiddo" he replied before going to take someone else's order.
One hour, and two Gracie specials, later I spotted Jay walk through the door,
"Jay" I exclaimed as I ran over to him and he picked me up and gave me a kiss on the cheek,
"April is gonna be a bride and she said that I'm gonna be a flower girl" I told him excitedly,
"Wow, that's great sweetheart" he smiled "aren't you tired?" He asked curiously and I shook my head,
"No" I told him and he nodded with a closed lipped sigh,
"Fantastic" he commented as he put me back on the floor and I pulled him over to the tale where I had been sat with Will, Natalie, Maggie, Sarah and Nina. "What're you drinking?" He asked as I emptied my glass,
"Herrmann made it for me" I said "It's a Gracie special" I added,
"It's just orange juice with soda water" Will assured and Jay gave an approving nod,
"I'm just gonna go say hi to April then we're gonna get going" Jay said before disappearing to find April.
He soon returned and I put my coat on before walking back over to Will,
"Bye" I hugged him and he leant down to kiss the top of my head,
"I'll see you in the morning kiddo" he replied before I took Jays hand and walked to the door. I stopped in my tracks.
"What's the matter?" Jay asked in confusion,
"Are we walking home?" I asked nervously,
"No, why?" He frowned,
"Can you carry me?" I asked as I held my arms up. He picked me up and carried me outside where I hid my face in the crook of his neck.
"What's going on kiddo?" He asked once we where both in the car,
"I don't want the monsters to get us" I told him worriedly.
"There's no monsters monsters kiddo" Jay said, repeating Wills earlier statement.
"You don't know that" I stated with a frown,
"Of course I do" Jay replied assuredly "and even if there where- which there aren't" he interjected "do you really think they'd mess with you?" He asked,
"They might" I shrugged,
"I promise you Gracie, no monsters are gonna hurt you" he said "ok?" He asked and I nodded half heartedly.
Once we arrived back home Jay insisted that I get changed and ready for bed. However I was only tucked up on bed for all of ten minutes before I was out of my room in search of my brother.
"Jay Jay?" I asked tearfully as I stood in the living room,
"What're you doing out of bed? What's the matter?" He asked with a frown as he ushered me over to him and I clung to his neck.
"I heard a monster under my bed" I told him as he rubbed soothing circles on my back,
"Baby girl" he sighed "there are no monsters in your room" he assured,
"There IS Jay I heard it!" I insisted, slightly angry by the fact that my problem wasn't being taken seriously.
"Ok ok" he soothed "do you want me to go and check?" He asked. I gave a nervous nod and he took my hand in his and we walked back over to my bedroom.
"I don't wanna go in there" I said as I stopped at the doorway. Jay let out a loud sigh before walking in to my room and crouching down to look underneath my bed.
"There's nothing under here Gracie" Jay assured making me frown,
"What if it moved?" I asked seriously "it might be in my wardrobe or behind the curtain" I added. I watched sceptically as Jay did a thorough search of my bedroom before turning back towards me.
"There's no monsters in here sweetheart" he promised. I took a couple of nervous steps in to my room and looked around suspiciously,
"Ok" I nodded. Jay smiled softly as he ushered me over to my bed and tucked me in "will you stay with me?" I asked nervously as I held my stuffed bunny close to my chest.
"If you want me to" he agreed "but you're completely safe in here. Nothing's gonna happen to you" he assured "now close your eyes and go to sleep" he encouraged.
A door closing caught my attention and I woke up with a start in my bed.
"Jay" I asked with a frown as I held my bunny close to me for protection. Loud footsteps grew closer to my bedroom door "I don't like it" I cowered back in my bed and pulled my cover up to bellow my eyes. My bedroom door flew open and in the doorway stood a huge green hairy monster "JAY" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I sat up bolt right in my bed as I continued to scream hysterically,
"Gracie?" An alarmed Jay said as he threw my door open and turned my light on,
"There was a monster and he was right there and I was calling for you and you didn't come" I sobbed. A look of realisation flashed across his face and he was by my side in an instant, pulling me on to his lap and rocking me back and forth slightly.
"Shhhhh" he soothed "it was just a dream" he assured "it was just a dream. No monsters are here, it's just me and you" he murmured as he continued to rock me comfortingly "you're ok" he comforted as he continued to whisper sweet nothings in to my hair.
"It was scary Jay Jay" I sobbed in to his chest,
"It's over now" he reminded "look, no monsters" he said as he gestured around the room.
"I never want to go to sleep ever ever again" I stated as I rubbed some tears away from my eyes.
"Come on" he said as he wiped away some more tears "why don't me and you go in to the living room and I'll make you some warm milk" he suggested. I sniffled as I nodded sadly. Jay picked me up and carried me in to the living room "you sit here and I'll be back in a minute" he said before walking over to the kitchen to do my warm milk.
A few minutes later Jay walked back over to the sofa and handed me a small mug of warm milk,
"Don't spill it" he said before sitting down next to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him "are you gonna try and go back to bed for me when you've finished?" He asked gently making me shake my head decidedly.
"Na ah" I replied "never ever again" I added.
"It was just a bad dream baby girl it was only pretend" he reminded,
"Please don't make me Jay" I sobbed,
"Shhhh" he soothed as he rubbed my arm comfortingly "ok ok. How about you choose something to watch and you can stay in here a little while" he suggested.
"Can we watch Tangled?" I asked,
"Sure we can" he agreed. So Jay opened up Disney+ and found the film before pressing play and I snuggled down further in to his side.
Throughout the movie I could feel my eyes beginning to grow heavy but I fought to stay awake! Not willing to let those scary monsters come back in my dreams again! But when Jay noticed this he began to stroke my hair softly and I could no longer fight to keep my eyes open.
The next morning I opened my eyes and found myself back in my own bed. NO! Why would jay put me back in here when he knows this is where the monsters are?! I angrily threw my covers back and climbed out of bed before storming over to Jays bedroom and bursting through the door to find him lied down on his phone.
"Why did you do that?" I asked furiously with a scowl,
"Do what?" Jay asked confused as put his phone down next to him,
"Put me in my bed!" I exclaimed obviously.
"Is that not where you sleep?" He asked with a matching frown,
"I told you there where monsters in there Jay Jay and you put me in there anyway!" I accused,
"Sweetheart" Jay sighed "there are no monsters in your room" he said,
"Well I know there aren't any now, it's the day time" I shook my head "they only come in at night" I added. My brother rubbed his eyes tiredly before sitting up and resting on the edge of his bed.
"Really?" Jay asked "that sounds scary" he agreed and I nodded,
"It is!" I exclaimed "and you left me in my room with them all on my own" I explained.
"I'm sorry Gracie I didn't mean to upset you" Jay said "but look, you made it through the night and nothing bad happened to you" he said. Huh. He's right. "Maybe the monsters you saw where good monsters" he suggested.
"I don't care I still don't want them in my room any more" I told him adamantly,
"How about we have some breakfast and get ready then we can think of a way to get rid of the monsters" Jay suggested,
"Really?" I asked hopefully,
"Absolutely" Jay nodded "we can't have them hanging around here any longer can we" he said making me smile slightly,
"And you need to send them to jail" I told him making him smile fondly,
"Good idea" he agreed "now let's go get some breakfast" he suggested.
"Is Will still sleeping?" I asked as I sat down at the breakfast table picking away at my cereal "he said he's see me in the morning" I added,
"He'll be back soon" Jay replied, eager to change the subject.
"But where is he?" I asked with a frown,
"He...didn't wanna scare you by coming home really late last night so he slept at someone else's house" he explained,
"Like a sleepover?" I asked,
"Err...yeah like a sleepover" he replied.
"Was it Nina?" I asked making Jay almost spit his coffee out,
"What makes you think it was Nina?" He asked as he recovered from his near choking incident,
"I think Will wants to be her boyfriend" I said matter of factly "when they look at each other they have those weird eyes like you see in the cartoons" I explained "It's gross" I added making Jay smirk.
"Why don't you stop talking and get on with eating your cereal before it gets soggy" Jay suggested with an amused shake of his head.
Once breakfast had been eaten we both got dressed and Jay did some research on the best way to get rid of monsters. We found a recipe for Monster repellent and Jay said we could go to the store and buy all of the ingredients! We got our shoes on and went to Target with our list of ingredients!
A spray bottle
Flowers for the petals
Squeezey soap
Lavender oil
Glitter
Fresh bottled water
Once we had finished we returned home and played out all of our ingredients on the kitchen counter.
"Do you need help?" Jay asked once I had dragged a chair over from the dining table and climbed up on it.
"Uh huh" I nodded "we need a bowl to mix all the things in" I said and Jay opened a cupboard and handed me a plastic mixing bowl "and a spoon" I added before he handed me a wooden spoon.
"I think you should put the water in first" Jay suggested as he grabbed the large bottle and twisted the lid open,
"I wanna do it" I told him as I tried to pick the bottle up off the counter,
"It's really heavy Gracie" Jay warned "how about we do it together" he suggested. I let out a little frustrated sigh before nodding in agreement.
We poured the water in until it was about a quarter way up the bowl. We then added ten drops of the lavender oil (which smelt amazing) before I took a couple of the flowers and began to put the petals in to the mixture.
"Morning" Will greeted as he walked in to the kitchen,
"That's what you had on yesterday" I commented as I continued to put the petals in the bowl. I heard Jay snigger before Will replied,
"I'm aware of that" he assured "what're you making?" He asked as he leant over the counter to peer in to the bowl.
"Monster repellent potion spray" I said casually "Jay said you had a sleepover at Ninas house" I told him. I watched as Will sent a glare towards Jay before looking back at me,
"Well...I didn't wanna scare you by coming home really late" he defended as I put the last petal in the bowl.
"Are you gonna ask Nina to be your girlfriend?" I asked making Jay laugh,
"None of your business missy" Will replied,
"When Benjamin asked me to be his girlfriend he gave me a booger" I explained "It was gross" I added,
"Benjamin?" Jay asked "I hope you didn't say yes" he added,
"I didn't wanna be his girlfriend" I shook my head "he didn't even give me any flowers!" I exclaimed making both of my brothers laugh.
"Well then he clearly doesn't deserve you" Will said "now why are you making monster potion spray?" He asked curiously,
"Monster repellent potion spray" I corrected,
"Right, sorry" he apologised.
"Well, Gracie didn't have a very good night last night because the monsters in her room where scaring her and keeping her awake" Jay explained "she was on the sofa at ten pm watching Tangled" he continued "so this morning we did some research on how to get rid of the monsters and we found a recipe for monster repellent potion spray" he finished.
"Oh right" Will said as he processed the information "and what's exactly in it?" He asked,
"Water, soap, lavender oil, flower petals and the glitter goes in last" I told him,
"Glitter?" He asked in dread "that'll be everywhere for months then" he mumbled,
"But worth it to keep the monsters away" Jay reminded making Will nod,
"Definitely worth it to keep the monster away" he agreed.
Will went to go have a shower and I added three pumps of the strawberry scented soap and half a tube of glitter before mixing it all together with the wooden spoon.
"It's ready" I announced as I tapped the spoon on the side of the bowl before resting it on the kitchen counter.
"Ok" Jay said as he opened one of the kitchen cupboards to look for something and soon turning around with a funnel in his hand "I'm gonna do this bit okay" he said as he placed the funnel in the top of the bottle and carefully poured the mixture from the bowl. "There we go" he said as he removed the funnel and screwed the lid on to the spray bottle "all done" he added before handing it to me,
"I'm gonna go and put it next to y bed ready for bedtime" I announced as I took it from him and jumped down from the chair.
That night
"Right trouble. Bedtime." Jay said as 'The Emperor's New Grove' came to an end "go brush your teeth" he instructed. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth before walking to my bedroom where Jay had already turned my nightlight on and pulled my duvet down for me to climb in to.
"Can you do a monster check?" I asked making Jay smile,
"C'mere, we'll look together" he encouraged. I walked over to him and grabbed hold of his hand before we both crouched down to check under the bed "see, no monsters under here" he said,
"And the wardrobe" I reminded as I pulled him over and watched nervously as he opens the doors and peeked inside "seems like you're safe" he commented,
"Now we do the monster repellent potion spray?" I asked my brother who nodded,
"Uh huh, you just spray some around your room and it keeps then far away" he confirmed. So I grabbed hold of the spray bottle and spritzed the nice smelling mixture around my room before climbing in to bed.
"What if it doesn't work?" I asked dubiously as Jay tucked me in,
"Of course it'll work" Jay replied "do you think monsters like nice smelling things?" He asked,
"No, I think they like nasty smelling things" I commented.
"Exactly" Jay said "as soon as they smell the spray you made they'll get scared and run away" he explained,
"And never come back?" I asked curiously,
"And never come back" he confirmed before bending down and giving me a kiss on the forehead "now have a good sleep and I'll see you in the morning" he said as he brushed some of my hair away from my face,
"Ok, love you" I said as I snuggled up with my bunny,
"I love you too" he replied before standing up and leaving my room, making sure to keep the door open slightly.
The next day
"Jay!" I squealed excitedly as I ran in to his room and jumped on to his bed "Jay!" I exclaimed again as Jay grunted slightly from under the covers,
"What?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes tiredly,
"It worked, the monsters didn't come!" I told him and he gave me a tired smile,
"That's great Gracie" he replied as I finally stopped jumping and sat down next to him, making my self comfy under the duvet "see, I told you they wouldn't like that potion" he added and I nodded in agreement. From that day on, the monsters never came back again!