The new found familial suburban bliss that Brody had found himself in a little over a week ago seemed to be running smoothly so far, it was a stark contrast to what he was used to.
Though things between he and Alice still remained rocky as she didn't trust him one bit, he had managed to patch things up with Betty and even Polly, giving him hope that this was a new start and he had all his girls back.
Upon the smell of a proper home cooked breakfast on the stove, the first he'd had since getting released, hitting his enlarged nostrils, he sprung out of bed. Never did he think he'd be excited for Alice's cooking.
He hears Betty and Alice in what is no doubt frivolous discussion as he makes his way downstairs before the doorbell gains his attention.
"I got it!" He calls out to inform them before making his way to the door, not bothering to check the peephole, but soon wishing he'd had.
A 6ft tall and heavy set bearded man with leathery ivory skin, large set coal coloured eyes and a tear shaped tattoo and c shaped scar around the right one glared right back at him in a domineering form, a mean scowl donning his roughly square shaped face.
Brody's eyes widened in mild fear, the shock upon seeing this familiar face suddenly hitting him there and then.
"What the fuck are you doing here Scar?" He hissed before turning back to make sure Alice and Betty couldn't hear their conversation.
"That any way to greet an old pal?" Scar asks smugly, sticking his heavy boot through the door so Brody couldn't close it on him. He takes a quick peek into the home, sizing it up and pursing his lips in admiration. "Nice place you got here. Could be worth a lot."
"Just stop, alright?" Brody hissed in a pleasing way. "What the fuck do you want?"
"S'not what I want." Scar snickers, slowly shaking his head. "It's what Johnny wants. His money, or his drugs, by Monday. Or you, and that little family in there."
"You'll get your damn money, alright?" Brody hissed furiously before stepping towards Scar menacingly. "Just keep them out of it, they've got nothing to do with this."
Scar scoffed with a hint of laughter, before slowly backing away, menacingly narrowing his eyes towards Brody before he walked off.
Brody anxiously closed the door, pulling the latch onto it immediately before walking back over to the kitchen island, still listening to Alice and Betty's conversation.
"Who was at the door?" Alice questions as she stirs her coffee.
"Nobody." Brody lies, shifting his hands through his pockets as he stretches out his back, trying to appear as calm and casual as possible. "Just Jehovah's, they would not get the hint." He adds with a chuckle.
Alice scoffs, rolling her eyes upwards in annoyance. "No, they really don't."
"What are two gossiping about?" Brody questions as he sits down, referring to their prior conversation.
"Just something about new laptops at school." Alice recalls, not entirely sure that was what Betty was talking about. She wasn't really listening.
Brody's eyebrows raise in curiosity, leaning forward to listen attentively. "New laptops huh?"
Betty nods as she sips on her orange juice. "A complete upgrade from the cheap crap we had at our old school."
"Speaking of school-" Alice slowly interrupts. "It's parents night tonight and she wants us both to go, as a family." She explained.
She watched as Brody's eyes rolled and tutted disapprovingly.
"Now I know you hate these things-" She defended as she held her arms out. "And I do too, all they do subtly judge me as a parent and insult the girls but it would be good for the both of us to turn up for once, so it's not only me getting the attacks, and you did say you're trying to change and you wanna make things work. This would be a good start." She advised before taking a slice of toast from the plate in front of her and taking a bite, glaring at him and awaiting his answer as she chewed.
He gave a deep sigh, tapping his fingers along the kitchen island before reluctantly agreeing. "Fine, I'll go to the damn thing."
Alice's lips curled into a pleased smile, still chewing on the breakfast meal. "Good."
"Wow, you two agreeing on something?" Betty speaks ironically, feigning shock as she rests her hand on her chest. "Almost like we're a normal family." She adds before adding a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.
"Why would you wanna be normal baby? Normal's so boring." Alice jokes as she lightly rubs Betty's chin.
•••
"I've probably been to five parents evenings in 17 years." Alice reveals as she climbs the ladder in the stock room, preparing to reach for a crate. "It's not that I don't care, it's just that they're all the same." She adds as she reaches the top.
It may have been a very little amount for somebody with two kids in their teens, but every parents evening Alice had attended had been subtle insult sessions on her daughters and her parenting.
"Polly needs to apply herself, Betty is a trouble maker, is everything okay at home, blah blah blah." She mimicked in a groaning voice, trying to replicate the many teachers of the past who would take any chance to criticise Betty and Polly to her.
FP chuckled at well done impression of an older woman and a middle aged man, gazing up at her as he held the ladder steady. "That was pretty good."
"Years of lying over the phone taught me some very valuable skills."
Too caught up in the excitement and laughter, Alice was too hyper to properly focus on the ladders steps, and instantly lost her footing.
Her screams caught FP's attention, causing him to drop his clipboard and bring his arms out to catch her just in time.
She gasped in worry, still shaking and bringing her arms tightly around his neck as he held onto her waist.
"It's okay, it's okay." He nervously assured her as panic crossed her face and she panted, trying her hardest to regulate her breathing.
"I've got you." He spoke once more, gazing into her glistening blue eyes that rendered him weak upon initial sight.
She kept her longing gaze on him too, staring deep into his soft chestnut eyes as she removed her legs from the final steps.
All she could think about was how strong he was, and grateful she was that he was there. She also couldn't stop thinking about how drawn she felt to him in that moment, and how seeing his face just made everything easier, made her feel safe, made her feel at peace.
"Are you okay?" He asked her softly, his voice laced with concern.
She gulps, shifting her head to the side as she stands up properly, her arms still around his neck and then moving down this his chest.
"Yeah." She whispers with a slight nod, still gazing into his brown orbs. "I think I will be."
He hadn't even registered that his hands still remained on her waist as the twos breaths were being felt by each other and chest practically touched. She however did, but for some odd reason, she didn't feel the need to remove them, or remove herself from his grasp. She actually felt this was natural.
"FP? The card machines playing again!" Hog Eye calls out from the bar, interrupting their mini trance.
They instantly let go of each other, blinking up and down to bring themselves back to reality and adjust their eyes.
"I Ugh-" He stammers. "Sounds like I'm needed." He says, slowly moving back out into the bar, leaving Alice gleefully confused and flustered.
•••
The family of five strolled into the high school for parents evening later that day, for once feeling somewhat like a normal family. It was a strange but happy feeling at the same time, even with Brody still remaining shifty over his threats and impending doom hanging over him. He needed to come up with a way to make that money fast.
"Okay so where to first?" Alice questions Betty and Polly. "I've never been to one of these things in a high school. And don't you all have like ten teachers each? Damn it." Alice complains as the sudden realisation that she'd have to speak to multiple teachers tonight hit her like a tonne of bricks.
"Well we can skip my PE teacher." Polly groaned. "She's just gonna tell you how much I hate to run and hide under the bleachers."
"Wow." Alice laughed with a hint a pride. "No one will ever doubt that you are my daughter." She says, reminiscing on the very same lazy attitude she had back in high school.
"My English teachers down the hall." Betty informed them as she gestured to the classroom and adjusted a restless Tyler on her hip.
"Okay, snobby English teacher it is then." Alice groaned as she walked ahead with Polly short on her tail, leaving Brody and Betty far behind.
"Wait, I think Tyler needs a diaper change." Betty called out. "Dad, can you help me get the bag from the car?"
"It's fine baby, I'll just go and grab it. Just tell me where the bathroom is."
"Just around the corner from my English class, past the computer room." She answers, watching as her father made his way around the corner before making her way to the bathroom.
"I thought that was you." Hermione chirps upon seeing Alice ahead of her.
"Hey!" She greets, adjusting her purse over her shoulder. "Archie and Veronica not with you?"
Hermione shakes her head. "Well not now anyway, but they're around here somewhere. I was just catching up with an old college friend. Her kid just started here last week. Coincidence right?"
"Yeah I guess." Alice responds nonchalantly.
"So, you came here with Brody huh?" She questions suggestively. "What's going on with you two?" She adds with a smirk, wanting to know the details.
Alice raised her eyebrows in shock before donning a smile. "You can wipe that look off your face." She laughs
"Well between you and me, if I wasn't with Fred I would totally take him off your hands." Hermione jested with a giggle.
Alice lightly smacks her arm as she widened her eyes in shock and gasps at her friends crude nature. "Nothing is going on between me and Brody, trust me!" She insists. "I've been down that dirt road already. We're just, trying to give the girls some normalcy. It's the least they deserve."
Hermione cockily raised her right brow, flicking the corner of her lip into a questioning smirk before folding her arms. "Yet you're keeping him around? He's that good in the sack huh?"
"Well, I never had any complaints." Alice suggestively whispers. "But that's besides the point, I might have my eye on someone else anyway." She answers softly as FP runs through her mind. She hadn't stopped thinking about him all day.
"Oh yeah?" Hermione asks excitedly.
Alice calmly nods. "Speaking of Brody, where is he anyway?"
"He went outside to get the diaper bag." Betty spoke from behind, finally finding her mother. "But we didn't need it, just a false alarm. Guess he got lost."
Suddenly, the blaring noises of the school fire alarm rang through the halls. It clearly wasn't a drill as it was outside of school time, but regular rules still applied, and everybody had to vacate the building in an orderly fashion onto the schools grass, that was soaking wet due to the inconvenient falling rain.
"What if Dad's still inside?!" Betty panicked as they found a spot under Alice's umbrella.
"It's not even a real fire Betty, calm down." Polly told her younger sister.
"But seriously, where the hell is he?!" Alice wondered before pulling out her phone to call him. She dialled his number, awaiting a response before hearing his ringtone from behind.
"Al?" He called out as he approached her, watching all three women turn around.
"There you are. What the hell took you so long?" Alice scolded.
"Relax." He chuckled. "I just got lost that's all."
Alice wasn't buying a word of it. "Really? You got lost?"
"What's the matter you don't trust me or something?" Brody argued.
Alice narrowed her eyes towards him, watching his shifty and untrustworthy eyes as she gripped her umbrella tightly. Something about his disappearance and the convenient fire drill just wasn't adding up to her.