"I just realized that all of you are morons," Liza said to the full group of Pogues. "I can't believe you of all people didn't notice this, Pope," Liza ranted.
"Liza, why are we idiots?" John B asked.
"The good is worth way more than four hundred mil," she replied. "That's how much is was worth back then," Liza pointed out. They started arguing over who would get the gold and how much.
"Shit, I never thought about how old the article was," Pope replied.
"So it's worth more?" Sarah asked.
"A shit ton more," Liza nodded.
"So I don't have to share mine with Liza?" JJ joked, blowing smoke out of his Juul and then throwing his arm around Liza.
"You both have to share," she pointed between JJ and Sarah.
"What?" Sarah was almost offended. "She's your girlfriend," Sarah argued to JJ.
"She's your cousin!" JJ argued back. As the two bickered, Liza moved to the stairs of the porch connected to the Cheateau.
"Hey," John B. sat beside her.
"Hey," Liza replied she wasn't that close to John B. she didn't know him to well yet, but she did like him for her cousin, he was a nice guy.
"I never properly thanked you," John B. looked at the chicken coop.
"For what?" Liza squinted as she looked over at him.
"For clearing my name, for not giving up on us, for making JJ settle down a little," John B. said the last part with an amused look.
"I don't think anything can slow that crackhead down," Liza laughed. "No problem, I'm just glad you two are here and safe."
"Thanks for staying too, I know JJ won't admit it because well, he's JJ, but he really is better when you're around."
"I'll always be here for him," Liza said in a cryptic sort of way. "And you guys too, I got really close with The Pogues while you and Sarah were on vacation," Liza nodded.
"I'd hardly call it that," John B. laughed with Liza.
"I know, just giving you a hard time."
"Yo, kegger tonight at the Boneyard, we have to celebrate your return to the Island of Misfit Toys," JJ ran out, clapping John B. on his shoulder.
"Ready for your first Boneyard party?" Kie asked.
"What the hell is that?" Liza stood up.
"The best time you'll have, baby," JJ flirtatiously replied.
"Call me baby again and I'll stab you in the eye," Liza shot back.
"They are so cute," Kie gushed to Sarah.
"Alright guys, that was a good one," Jonas yelled.
"Can I talk to you two for a minute?" Rudy asked JD and Chase as he pulled them away from everyone.
"We are not stealing a camera to make a home movie, Ive told you this a million times," Chase reprimanded Rudy.
"It's not that, but I will get you onboard with it," Rudy pointed to Chase.
"What's up, man?" JD asked.
"You know how I planned on taking Nova on vacation for her birthday?" Rudy asked.
"Oh shit, her birthday is coming up, with everything that's happened all summer I nearly forgot," Chase felt so bad, Nova was one of his greatest friends.
"It's not for another couple weeks, you're fine," JD informed Chase. "Back to what you were saying."
Rudy nervously ran his hand though his hair, both of his friends noticing the nervous tick. "I know we have only been dating a few months, but Nova has changed my whole life and I know people will think I'm insane, but I think I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"Oh shit!" Chase and JD celebrated.
"Is that a bad idea? We just started dating in June and it's only going to be October when I ask, but the time just feels right."
"Dude, we only have this one life and you two are seriously the greatest couple I have ever seen, if you feel right, do it, but you're going to need a ring," JD replied.
"Oh I do," Rudy said quickly. "I had one when we went back to a Chicago in August."
"That's so amazing," Chase could not wipe the Joker smile off of his face.
"So it's a go?" Rudy asked.
"You'll have to ask Shawn first, but I know he will say yes," JD nodded.
"I have to ask what the ring looks like," Chase's smile was radiant, he was over the moon excited for his friend.
"Here, she pointed it out saying it was her dream, she wasn't telling me, she was telling Willow and Sarah," Rudy showed them the photo of the pear shaped ring.
"Dude that's god damn beautiful," JD was impressed.
"The band I changed and had her birthstones, her mom's, and Shawn's going around it," Rudy described.
"You wanna be my boyfriend, god damn," Chase replied.
Rudy glanced at the production office, Shawn was in there with Jonas. "I think I'm going to go ask Shawn, make sure Novs stays away from that office," Rudy instructed as he ran towards the brick building.
"Good luck, man!" JD cheered.
"Might need it," Rudy yelled back with a hint of amusement.
Rudy opened the door to the office slowly, did that door get heavier? Everything was in his head from the nervousness he was feeling.
"Hey Shawn, can I talk to you?" Rudy asked as Jonas walked into another room, he was on the phone.
"Oh god, what's wrong?" Shawn asked.
"No, nothing," Rudy shook his head. "Maybe. So I want to surprise Nova and I planned on taking her to Greece for her birthday."
"Oh wow, she would love that," Shawn nodded.
"Right?" Rudy nodded. "See the thing is, I wanted to propose to her, but I wasn't going to unless you were okay with it," Rudy finally had the guts to just spit it out.
"Holy shit," Shawn's face contorted into a look of shock. "If it's too soon, I get it, but it just feels right," Rudy explained.
"Dude, I wouldn't say yes to anyone else, you've been the best to Nova," Shawn smiled, they exchanged a hug, like an actual hug.
"That was kind of nerve wracking," Rudy let go, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.
"What's the ring look like?" Shawn asked.
"It's from that place in Chicago that she said your mom always wanted a ring from," Rudy showed him the ring as well.
"Dude, you're like perfect," Shawn laughed.
"The band has your birthstones repeating around it," Rudy commented.
"She's going to love that, is it done?" Shawn asked.
Rudy nodded, "It just got done a week ago, it came in today."
"That's great man," Shawn nodded. "When do
You guys leave? When are you doing it?"
"Next Friday and then a week from then on the last day that we are there," Rudy answered. "See, I want you guys to be there, like maybe make it a surprise?"
"We can take candid photos of it happening," Shawn thought out loud.
"Unless she cries and says no," Rudy joked.
"She won't, I know it," Shawn replied. "I'll get the flights sorted out with everyone else and plan that part so it's less stressful for you. I wonder if she's going to go off of her wedding dream book?" Shawn wondered.
"Her what?"
"She made this wedding dream book like, five years ago, you got a ring she had on there though so that's going well," Shawn thought.
"I'm one for one," Rudy gave Shawn knucks.
"I'm gonna talk to Ana and Sarah, they can help me plan it out," Shawn thought, grabbing his equipment.
"I'm gonna hang out with my future wife," Rudy grinned, running off to find Nova.
She was sitting with Bailey and Cline on the hammock, talking about something that made the other two girls laugh.
"Hey guys," Rudy smiled, his mood was at an all time high.
"Sup loser?" Nova held her arms out for Rudy.
"You want to call me a loser and then ask for a hug?" Rudy scoffed, hugged her and sitting with them on the hammock anyway.
"Nova was telling us about this one time where Shawn and her got locked out of the house because they snuck out and their mom knew so she threw a tent at them and said they can sleep outside," Bailey explained.
Rudy laughed, "Sounds accurate."
"She wound up coming in with us and telling us stories about how her and her sister would sneak out all of the time," Nova laughed.
"Your mom seriously sounds so cool, I would have loved to meet her," Cline commented as Chase walked up to the hammock as well.
"She would have loved you guys, without a doubt," Nova smiled.
The time that Nova had spent with her friends, she realized that she can talk about her mom much easier now, she didn't cry about it, the tears were now replaced with smiles and happy memories. It was something she was thankful for.
"Oh man, I love the stories about your mom," Chase nodded.
"So what's the plan for tonight?" Cline asked, bumping Nova's leg with her foot.
"Why do I have to make the plans?" Nova laughed.
"Because you come up with the best ideas," Rudy replied.
"Wanna go to that pizza place where you make your own pizza and see who makes the best one?" Nova suggested.
"You know I'm in," Chase rolled off of the hammock.
"Alright, I'll tell everyone else," Bailey ran off.
Rudy and Nova ran to his car so they could get a head start, leaving Cline and Chase. "So guess what," Chase said, looking around.
"Oh, it looks like you have tea," Cline wiggled her eyebrows.
"Rudy is proposing to Nova in Greece for her birthday," Chase said. "Tell nobody."
"Oh my god!" Cline squealed. "Are you serious?"
"He is serious and Rudy wants all of us there," Shawn approaches them with Sarah. "The entire group practically knows, and we need to know. However, I don't want to fly out for a few days," Shawn pointed out.
"Me either, I've never been, I want to see Greece too," Sarah pointed out.
"What if we go, we just don't go to the places they do?" Chase suggested.
"We have to look at fights tonight, but I'm down with that," Shawn nodded.
"Shit, I can't believe this, it's so exciting," Sarah bounced on the heels of her feet.
"We better be in this wedding," Chase thought aloud.
"We will be," Cline nodded.
"We should get going, everyone else is already there," Shawn said, running to his truck.
Rudy wound up making the best pizza with Drew in a close second. "I knew being an almost culinary school kid would pay off," Rudy joked.
"Quit bragging," Nova shoves him playfully as they got back home.
"Hey Nova, I have to give you something," Rudy said, grabbing the plane tickets.
"What is it?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side.
He held the tickets out to her and her eyes grew, "Greece?"
"It's for your birthday, we finally have vacation time and I wanted to make this year special," Rudy said sheepishly.
"Oh my god! Yes this is amazing!" She cried, she had always wanted to go.
"Good because we leave next week, and I know how you are with packing," Rudy smiled.
"Athens? Oh my god," she read some of the itinerary.
"They have these tours that talk about the Greek Gods and mythology I thought we could do."
"Yes, seriously please, we can do whatever, I'll just be happy to be there with you," Novs smiled up at him. "That kind of makes me want to read this book my mom used to read my brother and me when we were little, it's like kid versions of Greek mythology, I think it's on this shelf," she stood up and reached for the old, tattered book.
As she opened the book, it went right to a page with an envelope, it was written to Shawn, right in the Taurus myth, in her mother's handwriting. Nova furrowed her eyebrows, flipping to the Libra myth, an envelope for her as well.
"Shawn!" Nova yelled almost frantic.
"What?" He raced in there.
Nova held up the letters. "These were in the book mom used to read to us about Greek mythology, on our constellation stories." Nova replied quietly.
"Are you sure they're from mom?" Shawn approaches, taking half of the book in his hand, looking at the envelopes. Rudy slipped out of the room to give them some space.
"Of course I'm sure," Nova rolled her eyes.
"They're still sealed," Nova pointed out.
Shawn looked from the envelopes and back to Nova, "Do we read them together? Separate?"
"Read yours and then we can read them together?" Nova suggested.
"Okay," Shawn said quietly, ripping open the envelope while Nova gently opened hers.
After the siblings read their letters, they looked at each other, Shawn started because Nova was silently crying.
"Shawn, my stubborn, stoic, determined little earth baby, I love you so much. I know that you already know that, I wrote these notes when Nova started high school, I always had this strange feeling that something would happen to me early in your life. I put these letters in here because I know a book that your mom read to you when you were growing up would be 'so lame' to look in. I might be laughing in the future when I embarrassingly take the letters back out of the book. Anyway, there is no real point to these, I just wanted to ask you to keep your sister and yourself safe. You two will have to rely on each other for everything. (Although right now you're fighting over the Wii bowling tournament you're having.) Your sister will need you in ways she'd never realize, she's very sensitive and holds grudges a little too long and you'll have to sometimes pull her head out of the clouds. With yourself, I'm going to need to to stop being so bull-headed (you Taurus' never know when to not be, however.) Don't take everything so serious, don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything, your determination will take you to the stars, my love.
Love you to the moon and through the galaxy, Momma."
Nova let out a breath, "You are boneheaded," she nodded with a giggle.
"Yeah okay, sensitive ass," Shawn laughed. "Read yours," he urged.
"Nova, my clever, indecisive, air girl, I love you dearly. I wrote this when you started high schoolI always had this strange feeling that something would happen to me early in your life. I put these letters in here because I know a book that your mom read to you when you were growing up would be 'so lame' to look in. I might be laughing in the future when I embarrassingly take the letters back out of the book. I want you to understand that I would do anything for your brother and you, but I won't always be here and I'm going to ask you to take care of one another. Your brother will need you as much as you need him, someone is going to have to calm him down and give him hell like he will give the world. Your kindness will help him and your emotional side will help him grow into being the same way, a sensitive guy is better than someone who doesn't know how to deal with emotions. Don't let anyone make decisions for you, I know you can't make a decision of your favorite color (it's currently yellow) or any dinner ideas. Big decisions though, let your mind and your heart guide you, your balance is one of the strongest things about you, darling. Keep your spirit high and always know that you are so much bigger than you think. Never forgot to love yourself and know that you're a beautiful, kind soul and never let anyone change that about you.
Love you to the moon and through the galaxy, Momma."
They spent the next few minutes together, not talking or saying anything and then they eventually showed their friends, which earned them a round of hugs and thoughtful words. It was truly a magical thing for them to find, which is why Bailey and Morgan ran out, getting the letters professionally framed at the local craft store, gifting them back to the siblings.
Author's Note: I am currently writing the Liza/JJ story because I can and why not? I've already hit 1K views and that's awesome.