|| International Arrival ||

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

Jack had always been a city girl. She was born and raised in Dublin then moved to New York. She didn’t think much about Dublin these days, but when she’d first moved, her home was all she thought about. Now, though, she knew her family was home, not the city, though she would always miss Dublin. When she’d agreed to do the shoot, she hadn’t asked any specifics since a file would be delivered to the studio for her with everything in it. She had thought it would be there in the City. And then she got the file and her dark eyes fell on the location. She was excited to be going home, spending time with her grandparents, but she was also nervous. She hadn’t been back to Dublin since just before she’d gotten her job. Nearly four years didn’t seem so long but it was like a lifetime for little Miss Jay.

But the trip had gone well. She’d had her grandparents visit the set. They had enjoyed seeing what their granddaughter did, much to the dismay of their daughter, who wanted all the attention on her child. Jack didn’t care about the attention and her family only stayed for an hour before promising to meet with her for dinner afterward. She’d been gone fourteen days. That also didn’t appear to be all that long, but for Jack it really was a lifetime away from everything and everyone she cared about. She wished she would have been able to bring Avie with her, and Leander. But he’d had to work, was school and animals weren’t allowed at her hotel. But they spoke constantly, while she’d been away and now she was finally on her way back.

Jay wasn’t a huge fan of flying by herself, she enjoyed travelling with people. And had been nervous flying, but while she’d been in the air the first time, she’d kept her mind occupied with planning out the shoot, and on the way back, she’d started out occupying her mind with working. But the man she’d been seated next to had seen her working and started up a conversation that lasted hours, and kept Jay’s busy mind from thinking about being alone. They talked about photography, his job, his wife and kids, her family, Av and Leander. By the time the pilot’s voice cracked over the intercom system, Jack was completely at ease and laughing about some trivial celebrity gossip. She waited until the flight attendants said they could get up before asking for help. She’d worn flats to be more comfortable; unfortunately, it meant that she didn’t have the extra height she usually had with heels to reach high things by herself. And that meant she couldn’t grab her bags herself. Laughing she’d asked her conversation partner if he’d be willing to grab her things from the compartment.

She laughed again and thanked him as they walked out into the airport. She dug around in her bag for her card. “If you need any photos done, give me a call,” she said, holding the card out. After he accepted, she waved goodbye to fetch her bags from the luggage carousal, hoping that for once her mother wasn’t late picking her up. It had been too long to be away and another twenty minute wait while her mother drove through traffic to get to JFK wasn’t something Jack wanted to add to her time away. There would be plenty of time to be late when they were on their way to dinner with everyone.

Two weeks was much too long to be away from her favourite people. She walked through the doors, rolling behind her the bags she’d taken with her, a couple more than a single person travelling ever should have needed. Jack had tried many times to tell her mother that she didn’t need to be picked up, there were fancy black sedans with tinted windows and drivers who wore dark suits. But she insisted, and Jack couldn’t argue with her. So, she stopped a little ways from the door, searching out her mother in the sea of people, holding the cheesy sign she’d carried every time Jay returned from a work trip and she came to pick her up.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 710
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Let the games begin! xD <3 <3 <3

[Leander Vincent Haynes]

Since the moment he'd said good bye to her, Leander had been missing his little Blue Jay. He could tell something was wrong with her before she even left and he wished she would've opened up about it; he didn't want to let her go like that. Part of him was ready to hop on that plane with her; to drop everything and just go to make sure she'd be okay. He'd stopped himself, however, kissing her one last time before he let her board the plane for another country. Maybe the time apart would be enough to let her realize he could be trusted with whatever burden she was dealing with, and that he'd be more than willing to share it with her.

The phonecalls and emails were enough to keep his biggest worries at bay, but Leander couldn't keep himself from being concerned about her. She didn't drop big hints or anything; that wasn't her style. He could tell it was still there, however, weighing her down and taking away the smile he longed to make reappear. Finally, he'd given in to his only idea on how to solve all this. He had gone to her mother. It was stupid and weak, which he knew, but he couldn't think of any other way. Jay and her mother were close, and her mother like him; both things he knew to be true. Leander had been over for family dinners countless times with no awkwardness or tension between him and her parents, and it was now time to put that bond to use. Hopefully, someone would be able to clue him in on what the hell had happened to hurt Jay so dramatically.

So, he phoned her mother and went down to pop in at her shop. Leander smiled and played the sweet boyfriend, but he did get down to his questions eventually, and she had seemed hesitant to answer them. Whatever had happened, it'd really messed up not only Jay, but her mother, too. With little coaxing, he had the basics of the story from her, his brow furrowing as he wondered what on earth could've been said to make his usually happy girlfriend so wrecked on the inside. Before leaving or pressing harder in that subtle, journalist-interviewer way of his, he had asked very politely if he could pick Jay up from the airport upon her return. He knew that it was a mother-daughter thing, but, this one time, he needed to. Again, with little coaxing, he was allowed the right and gave Mrs. Greyson a peck on the cheek in thanks and a promise to stop by for dinner the night Jay came home.

Leander pulled into the airport's parking lot an hour early, a sign propped up in the passenger's seat of his car. His sister had made it the night before, giggling as she wrote "Miss Blue Jay" in big blue letters across the white paper and decorated it with little hearts, but to Leander's discomfort. He was already going to look like a lovestruck kid the moment he saw Jay; the sign was going to destroy any sense of manliness he had left. He shook his head at it now, a smile on his lips as he parked the car and made his way into the airport to locate where he'd be picking Jay up. He found it eventually, planting himself in line with the other people holding up signs already and not minding at all that he looked ridiculous next to them.

As people started pouring out of the doors, Leander quickly found the beautiful girl he was so in love with. Not waiting for her to notice him, he moved closer to her, sign still held out and a huge grin on his face as he came up to her. "Welcome home, doll," he smiled gently, dropping the sign a bit as he tilted her chin up so he could kiss her. For a moment, everything and everyone but his Blue Jay disappeared. Finally, she was back home.

• • •

WORDS: 700!
TAG: Jay! <3 :)
LOCATION: Waiting, The Airport
OUTFIT: Coming Soon!
LYRICS: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

Jack had to travel her fair share for work, but this was the first time she left upset. She was usually excited and happy that she was going somewhere to work; which she was but there was still that underlying anger and sadness. And just as she was letting go of everything, that stupid woman had to go and wreck it all by showing up on set. Jack had done something she only did at clubs with stupidly drunk guys; iced them out. Moira had tried acting as though nothing was wrong and though her mother had taught her to be the bigger person; she didn’t have it in her for Moira. The scene hadn’t gone unnoticed and when she’d gone to dinner with her grandparents had to tell them everything.

By that point, she’d had to tell someone, or she was going to explode with the emotions she rarely felt. She couldn’t tell Leander. She knew he wouldn’t get mad, but she just couldn’t be the reason someone hated him so much. And that was the real reason behind Moira’s dislike. Moira didn’t like Jack because her biological mother and therefore anyone who was something as simple as friends with Jack was bad news. Unfortunately, because of Jack’s obvious feelings for Leander, it meant he was basically an invisible target, because there was no way Moira would sit down with him and get to know the amazing man Jack was head over heels for.

No, telling Leander wasn’t an option. Not in Jack’s eyes at any rate; not yet. She had tried keeping it from him before she’d left, but he knew her too well, and even she knew she wasn’t keeping it buried deep enough; though now that she had talked to someone about it, it was like a weight had been lifted. Her grandfather hadn’t been too impressed with his eldest daughter’s actions, but that wasn’t Jack problem, it was Moira’s. But now she was back on American soil and was going to be seeing that wonderful man soon enough. She didn’t want to wait until she got back to her parent’s house and the dinner her mother always had keeping warm in the oven.

Jack was stilling looking for her mother when turned a noticed a familiar face walking towards her in the crowd. The grin that spread across her face could have lit up all of New York State for an entire year at least! Her eyes fell on the cheesy sign that was so obviously not made by him and burst into giggles. She was unable to even utter his name! The thought that it wouldn’t be her mother picking her up hadn’t even crossed her mind. It was like a tradition now; her mother picked her up while her father checked the food cooking and took it out when the timer went off. Jack didn’t realize how much she really, honestly missed Leander until she saw him carrying that sign, walking towards her. Everything around them went away when Leander kissed her. She really missed being wrapped up in his arms. It took Jack less than a second to let go of the handles and wrap her arms around her boyfriend. God, she’d missed this.

Everything disappeared for those few moments; the crowd, the noise, the anger and frustration she had traces of still. It was so good to be home. Finally, Jay pulled away, tears glittering in her eyes, happy tears that she was home, and that Leander was the one surprising her with pick up duty. “Leander!” She exclaimed, happily pressing her lips to his again for a quick kiss. She fell back onto flat feet, and wanted to laugh at the height difference. It wasn’t usually so obvious, since she wore heels more often than not, but when she was travelling it was just easier to wear slip on flats. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think I’d see you until dinner,” she said, her accent so thick even from the short visit.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 674
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Let the games begin! xD <3 <3 <3

[Leander Vincent Haynes]

The grin on Jay's face right now made it all go away for awhile. Oh, he had things to ask her, to comfort her about, to discuss with her; but they were on the backburner right now. All that mattered was that she was back in his arms, where she belonged, and that their lips were locked into a sweet kiss that more than likely had folk staring at them with amused smiles. He didn't care though, at least not right now, because his Blue-Jay was the only thing on his mind.

Leander held her close to his chest, one arm wrapped firmly around her tiny waist to keep her against his chest. The other gently brushed her hair off her shoulders, cupping her cheek after the tendrils had been tucked behind her ear. Pressing his lips to hers again in a quick peck, he grinned and whispered, "I missed you, Jay." He rested his forehead against hers, catching his breath before diving back in for another kiss. Holding her again, feeling her lips against his; it was as magical as the first time. He wasn't one to be clingy or needy, but he'd missed his girlfriend. Life in New York had been dull without her around to spice his afternoons and evenings up, and the apartment felt empty without her smile there to brighten it up.

Keeping one arm around her, Leander grabbed the handle to her suitcase and tucked the sign under his other arm. He kissed her forehead again and grinned, happy her mother hadn't spilled the news to her that he'd be the one to pick her up. It was the least he could do seeing as her parents were serving him dinner tonight. Plus, he really wanted a few moments alone with Jay before they had to "behave" in front of her mother and father. "I talked to your mom earlier. She said she'd be happy to let me get you so she could cook," he laughed, tucking her close to his side and taking off towards the direction of his car. The sooner they were outside the public's hearing, there would be hundreds of questions asked, both about her trip and some about more serious things. However, it could wait for a few more minutes. Once they were settled in, the hard topics could be brought up but, for now, he was just happy to have his wonderful, darling girlfriend back in his arms.

• • •

WORDS: 429!
TAG: Blue-Jay! <3 :)
LOCATION: Waiting, The Airport
OUTFIT: Coming Soon!
LYRICS: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

Hours spent stuck on a plane and as soon as she stepped off the plane, she was rewarded with the biggest surprise she could have gotten right then. Jack was actually stunned speechless for a moment when she saw Leander walking towards her. Being stunned like that didn’t happen often to Jay. It was a fantastic surprise that had Jack’s cheeks flushing with excitement. He held her so close and she didn’t want to be far from his side either. She’d been so busy in Dublin that when she did find herself with time, she thought about what sights she wanted to show Leander, which of her favourite cafes and bistro she wanted to share. It was near torture to wake up in the middle of the night and not have his arms wrapped around her, calming her down from the stupidly weird dreams she had. Jay’s smile beamed, happy he had missed her just as much. “I missed you more,” she whispered back.

Her troubles flew out the window, wrapped in Leander’s arms. She knew it would all come crashing down on her again, but for the moment she was going to pretend that there was nothing looming overhead, and they weren’t going to hash out everything she didn’t want out in the open as soon as he got the chance to ask. Mentally, Jack shook herself; she had literally just stepped off the plane from working and visiting her old friends, family and city and already she was thinking about the troubles that would start as soon as this happy moment was over. She wanted a few blissful moments alone with Leander before they had to race over to her parent’s house.

Laughing, Jack grabbed the handle of her other bag she had. She’d been so excited about her trip, she’d even gone out and purchased new luggage for this trip, knowing she would need more bags and space and chose a set that was cute and she could drag along herself. Her last set of luggage couldn’t connect like these ones, turning two bags to one with the bigger ones. As ridiculous as it sounded, she thought it was a great idea; just one of her many slightly childish quirks. “She was afraid Da would turn the noodles to mush like he did last time!” she joked walking quickly through the airport towards the parking lot; stuck like glue to Leander’s side.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 405
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Let the games begin! xD <3 <3 <3

[Leander Vincent Haynes]

The smile on his face was going to be short-lived, and he knew that. But, while it was here, he'd enjoy it; he had to. Leander hadn't been able to con her mother into spilling the entire story, though he knew the basics of it. He wanted Jay to tell him everything though, no matter how horrible or mean it was. Villains and cruel words he could deal with; a depressed Jay he couldn't. Even if it'd hurt for the time being, eventually, it would be good for the both of them. Weren't situations like this supposed to make them stronger, anyways? It wouldn't kill them, that was for sure, because Leander would fight until the Jay could say without any tears that she didn't want him anymore. Until then, he would stay.

He found his way back out of the airport easily enough, Jay tucked under his arm as he smiled at the height difference between them. His affectionate use of "doll" was suited her very well today, at least when she was cuddled up to him. Rolling the cases through the parking lot, he headed towards his car, glad he'd been able to get a half-decent parking space today. "I think she was glad not to have to drag your luggage all over. What did you pack? Bricks?" he teased, kissing the top of her head as they came to a stop in front of his car. He stood her suitcase next to the trunk, digging out his keys and clicking the button to unlock the doors, then the one to pop the trunk. Leander easily lifted her cases inside, closing the lid with a slam and turning back to her again. "Well, ready for dinner? Your mom sounded pretty excited about whatever the heck she's making. Said it was a surprise when I talked to her the other day," he said, grabbing Jay's hand and leading her around to the passenger side. He opened her door for her, giving her his charming grin as he waited for her to get safely inside.

• • •

WORDS: 408!
TAG: Jay! <3 :)
LOCATION: Waiting, The Airport
OUTFIT: Coming Soon!
LYRICS: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

The day was bound to go downhill eventually, but Jack was hoping it wouldn’t be until much later, like the next day! She just wanted this one day completely blissful and void of anything shattering or painful. She was just having a crisis of self, really, because by telling Leander everything Moira had said, she’d need to explain why the old bat wasn’t giving him even a millisecond to prove himself. It wasn’t something she was ashamed of, or even cared about, but she didn’t want to see any pity. It was a completely irrational fear, Leander wouldn’t pity her or judge her; it was an irrational fear for a reason.

Jack stuck her tongue out at him as she playfully hit his arm. “They are not bricks, they’re stones. Cobblestones to be exact,” she said, trying to tone down the accent. It really hadn’t been that thick in nearly four years. It was a wonder Leander could even understand her; though her parents had spent a small fortune on her schooling. She was happy to be home, even if there were going to be hours in conversation she didn’t want. Jack shook her head. “Mum’s always excited about whatever she’s making, haven’t you noticed? She’s about as giddy as a school girl with a crush,” she said, walking around to the side of the car she’d been in so many times before.

“Wait! You were chatting with mum?” she asked, eyes wide. “I knew it! You were using me to get to her all this time!” She shook her head, teasing him and the relationship he shared with her mother. Jack loved that he got along so well with her parents. She and her parents were close and she knew it would have played a serious factor in any relationship she had if the man she was involved with had an issue with either one of them. “Trying to steal her right out from under my nose, not to mention Da’s! My heart is shattered!” She pressed her free hand to her heart before giving in, grabbing her boyfriend’s shirt front and pulling herself up for a quick kiss. "I've really missed you," she said against his lips before chuckling and slipping into the passenger seat of Leander's car, shutting the door herself.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 384
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Let the games begin! xD <3 <3 <3

[Leander Vincent Haynes]

Leander didn't want to make a habit of having to phone Jay's parents for information about her. It made him feel like he was going behind her back, and he absolutely hated it. He couldn't get it out of her, though, and she hadn't given him big signs that meant to ask. Besides, he'd wanted to part on good terms with her, not right after a fight that might possibly arise if things got out of hand. The couple rarely, if ever, fought, but there were still times when it happened. Leander hadn't wanted one to be his goodbye to her.

He looked at her quizically for a moment, asking, "What're you planning to do? Build a path in your imaginary garden?" He smirked down at her, tickling her side and locking the trunk back up again. Knowing Jay, there was probably a hundred pounds worth of shoes inside one of these cases. Not that he was complaining about her love of heels and whatever else she owned; he just couldn't understand it. "With how good her food is, I don't blame her. Even my mom can't cook that well," he chuckled warmly, shaking his head. Every time he'd been over to eat with her and her parents, he had left with a very full stomach and a bowl of something for lunch tomorrow while he was at school or work.

At her question, he shrugged casually, laughing at her words. "I needed a recipe for something," he said. Shaking his had again, he pulled her close to himself, kissing her softly with a smirk still on his lips. "No offsense to her, but photographers are a lot more to my taste," he whispered against her lips, pecking them again before letting her go. He smiled warmly, "I've missed you, too, Blue-Jay."

After her door shut, he went around to his own and got in, buckling his seat belt and starting the car. Leander pulled out of the parking garage and headed in the direction of her parents' house, having it memorized now that he'd been there so many times. "So how was it? Did you spend the whole time in your hotel room wishing I was there?" he teased, eyes flickering to her as he smirked again.

• • •

WORDS: 422!
TAG: Jay! <3 :)
LOCATION: Waiting, The Airport
OUTFIT: Coming Soon!
LYRICS: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

She wanted him to ask her about everything. But she thought she was hiding it all well, and she was clueless about him knowing anything in the first place. But she wished he would ask her. She felt like if he asked her what’s been bothering her and she spilt it all, she could somehow blame Moira all over again, and it wouldn’t be either of their faults. But if she breached the topic first, it would be all her fault for ruining the mood. And she really didn’t want Leander to be mad at her for keeping something from him. She really did hate herself for keeping him in the dark, but she didn’t want Moira to taint anything else in the young brunette’s life. And she honestly felt like if she told him what Moira said, the stupid woman would somehow win. It was silly, because their relationship could only get stronger with the truth, but it was how she felt. Where the hell did these spastic thoughts come from anyway?!

“Well, I was thinking about the small little section of lilies in mum’s garden, but that would work, too,” She said, sarcastically, laughing and swatting his hand away from her side. The bag he’d been talking about she didn’t even know what was in it! When she’d been packing up to leave Dublin, she’d tossed all her things in her bags, not sure what was where. She did manage to pack all her equipment into the one bag though, so at least she knew where that was. Her mother practically lived in the kitchen when she wasn’t living in the garden or the flower shop.

It was a rare family dinner when Jack didn’t bring enough food home with her to last her at least a couple days. “I promise I won’t tell her that the next time I see her, scout’s honour,” she said, holding her hand up in the sign for the girl scouts; a club she’d never been a member of. “Ooh, was it the coffee cake cupcakes?” She asked intrigued as she pressed her lips to his. They were her absolute favourite cupcakes. Jack wrapped her arms around Leander in a quick embrace. “I just so happen to know a photographer who fancies reporters. We should introduce them, sometime,” she said teasing.

In her seat, Jack clicked her seat belt into place and turned so she was facing Leander a bit. The scenery was something she’d seen time and again, it didn’t interest her. But seeing Leander sitting next to her, driving her home, that sight was something she’d never get bored of. She rolled her eyes, smiling wickedly. “When I wasn’t running the streets of Dublin like I was a kid again, and when I wasn’t hanging out with the models, you were all I thought about,” she said honestly. She’d been a very busy girl in her hometown. A couple of the models had never been so she ended up showing them the sights she’d wanted to show Leander so badly. But when she was curled up in her room, working on prints and on Skype with everyone, she was thinking about Leander and wishing he’d just show up at her hotel room door, surprising her. “Well, you and Avie. How is he?” she asked, unable to keep from asking about her favourite little fur ball.

The drive seemed to fly by with Jack telling Leander everything that happened while she’d been gone. She told him about the surprise of her grandparent’s showing up on set to see what she did. She told him about the shopping trips with few models she was actually friends with outside the business. She told him all about taking the models sightseeing, and promised to show him all the pictures she took, both for the job and for herself; though she really didn’t need to promise him when he saw all her pictures anyway. But with all the stories she told him, she couldn’t get Moira out of her mind. She had to tell him.

As Leander pulled up outside her parent’s house and cut the engine, Jack put her hand on his bicep. “Wait,” she said, as he was taking his seatbelt of. She didn’t want to tell him outside her parent’s house. She wanted to tell him afterward, because she didn’t want to walk through the front door with tears in her eyes. But it needed to be done now. She’d carried it too long and she couldn’t keep anything from Leander for long. Hell, she was even surprised it had taken her hours to tell him about the trip in the first place! She could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and she tried blinking them away; she couldn’t get through what she had to say with tears streaming down her face.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 813
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Jay went a little crazy! xD <3 <3 <3

[Leander Vincent Haynes]

Leander wouldn't ask because he wanted Jay to tell him. He believed they had the kind of relationship where no one could keep secrets; if she wanted him to know, she'd explain it all. But, it had gone on for too long, leaving him to resort to another source for information before he'd directly ask his girlfriend. Besides, it seemed kind of rude to just blurt it out when he really had no business with it. According to her mother though, he had a right to know what had been said. Now he was waiting for Jay to tell him.

He honestly wanted to hear all of her stories, so kept prompting her along with questions as she talked. It was usually her who went on rambles or tangents, anyways, though he did have his moments, too. Leander liked listening to her talk, and this conversation seemed to be going well enough. But he could feel the tension underneath it all. At some point tonight, one of them was going to have to say something.

He pulled up outside her parents' house, parking his car and turning the keys so the engine's hum died. Already, his stomach was growling in anticipation for the meal that was sure to be wonderful. Leander stopped at the feeling of Jay's hand on him, his eyes instantly moving to her face at the sound of her tear-filled voice. "Hey now, don't cry," he said, reaching over to kiss her forehead lovingly. Grabbing both her hands in his, he twined his long fingers with hers, a tiny smile on his lips as he asked lightly, "Are you finally going to tell me what's been bugging you? Or are these tears over the fact that your mom didn't pick you up today?"

• • •

WORDS: 405!
TAG: Jay! <3 :)
LOCATION: Driving, The Car
OUTFIT: Coming Soon!
LYRICS: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

Jack closed her eyes, begging them to stop the waterworks. It didn’t help with Leander pressing a kiss to her forehead. She tightened her grip on his fingers wishing, this was easy to say. She didn’t want to see him upset even if the reason behind it all was on the other side of the planet once again. “I’m trying not to,” she said, sniffling. She didn’t think it would be so hard to tell him. Opening her eyes, Jay leaned back to look into Leander’s eyes. She tried for a smile, but it was watery and weak. She nodded, figuring he’d understand which she was answering. Letting go of Leander, Jack wiped her eyes, hoping for no more tears until after she said what she needed to. She unbuckled her seat belt, determined to crawl across the seat and be wrapped in Leander’s comforting arms. She was tiny and knew she could fit easily in his lap.

When she was sitting in his lap, uncaring that they were sitting outside her parent’s house, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let her head fall to the crook of his neck. She didn’t want to keep secrets from him, but she also didn’t want to be the one to tell him about the not so nice side of her family. She took a minute to breathe in the scent she associated with Leander, hoping what Moira said wouldn’t tear them apart. But she thought they had a better relationship than that. Finally though, she sighed, leaned back and looked Leander in the eye. Now that she’d made up her mind on the matter, she wasn’t going to be a coward about it, she was going to look him in the eye and tell him what he wanted to know.

“My mum’s sister came to visit the week before I left. She says she has business, but we all know the truth behind her random visits. The company she works for is based in Dublin and it doesn’t have any business in the states, whatsoever. She was here because of me,” Jay started, biting her lip. She looked up at the roof of the car, taking a deep breathe. She hadn’t been planning on telling anyone she’d been adopted. It had never mattered to her that she wasn’t technically speaking Emilie and Declan’s biological child. They adopted her from Declan’s big sister, she was still family. Besides all that, Jack had always said when the three were alone that she had always been their child; it had always been meant to be. She just had to come from someone else, to find them. Emilie couldn’t have children of her own, so adoption had been the couple’s only option anyway, and when Declan’s drug addicted sister found she was pregnant, they immediately said they’d take the child; no questions asked. The woman managed to stay off the drugs and alcohol during the pregnancy, but none of that mattered to Moira.

Jack wasn’t Emilie’s biological; she was born an addict’s daughter. Those two words had the young photographer never even getting a chance with Moira. When she looked back at Leander, those tears had stopped because she was at the part where she was angrier about it all than she was saddened by it. “Moira hates me, always has, even when I was a baby. I’ve never been good enough. To her I’m some good for nothing bum because half my job is sitting in front of a computer for hours, working on prints. And anyone associated with me in any capacity is somehow an even worse person than I am. Or I’ve corrupted them so badly, there’s no return for them either way,” she said, not even really breaking the surface of the entire thing. If she went further, she would have to tell him why she thought that, and she knew it was coming. There was no way he wouldn’t have questions and Jack wasn’t the type of person to hide anything from anyone she cared about. And Leander was all wrapped up in her heart.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 686
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Jay went a little crazy! xD <3 <3 <3

[Leander Vincent Haynes]

Leander had been waiting for this. It'd been so obvious she was upset; well, obvious to him. He was surprised it had taken her this long to spill about it all, but he wouldn't get angry about it or blame her. Talking could be hard, and he knew that. He just didn't want to push her, so chose to let her open up to him and not be forced to. That wasn't how he handled situations like this. Those methods resulted in more arguments and exploding feelings; he just wanted things to get better. It didn't matter when, or how long it took. The important part was, she was talking to him. And he was fully prepared to listen.

He pulled her close in his lap, cuddling her to his chest and resting his chin on the top of her head. His arms wrapped around her, gentle hands caressing her back and playing with her hair. Leander kissed her hair again and held her tight, waiting for her to speak. If all she needed were his arms around her, he'd provide it; he only wanted her to finally tell him what had happened.

Leander stroked her hair, kissing her forehead, her nose, her cheek, as she told her story. He nodded encouragingly when she paused, giving her a small smile until the end. Then, his lips twitched, trying to bring some humor and lightness back to this. "You told her about me? She must think I'm the laziest person on the planet. Most of my job is sitting in front of a computer for days," he laughed warmly, shaking his head and pecking her lips gently. As a journalist, a lot more than typing went into his pieces, but, like Jay, a lot of his time was spent in front of a screen. Though, what they both were doing tended to vary quite a bit from the other. "And here I was thinking I'd corrupted you, not the other way around," he teased, whispering in her ear and pressing his warm lips to it afterwards. "Keep going, Blue-Jay. I'm listening."

• • •

WORDS: 408!
TAG: Jay! <3 :)
LOCATION: Cuddling, His Car
OUTFIT: Coming Soon!
LYRICS: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

Jack sniffled, shaking her head. “That’s just it. I didn’t tell her anything. No one did. Do you remember that silly picture we took the first time I asked you to meet my parents? Mum has it in the living room, framed up on the shelf.” It had been one of Jack’s favourite pictures sitting up on that shelf. Her mother had come out of nowhere with one of Jack’s cameras and just took the picture as if it wasn’t at all unusual for her to do so. Jack shook her head, hoping she wouldn’t just blurt out the real reason behind Moira’s hatred. “Anyway, she saw that and just assumed. Weaving tales she made up all on her own. Mum put a stop to it and told her she wasn’t allowed back in her home ever again, but not before she’d said some really terrible things.” Jay swallowed back another bout of tears. She’d gotten this far without letting too many fall. She could get through the rest of the story without them, too. “What she says about me goes in one ear and out the other. We’ve heard them all before so it’s just white noise now. We can all let that go, aside from da who ends up beating a punching bag to the ground every once in a while. But she’s never met you, and I never plan on introducing you in case you were wondering.” Jack stopped, sniffled and took a minute to gather her thoughts.

She closed her eyes for a minute, just breathing. “When she started in on you was the first time I’ve ever seen my mum turn on that good old Irish anger,” she said, opening her eyes and choking out a laugh. Her mother was the calmest person Jack knew! And that was saying something with how she could grumble and rant at the flowers she worked with daily. “Besides, if any of us would have mentioned you, what she’d said would probably be worse. As it was, I don’t even want to repeat what she’d said. It was far too harsh and completely unnecessary as far as any of us are concerned,” she said, wiping her eyes again. Jay couldn’t get behind the teasing tone, or the sweet kisses as much as she loved them. Because she knew that the next words she’d say, if she opened her mouth again, were going to throw this entire moment in one of two directions. And as much as she was hoping it would go one way, there was a small part of her that said he was going to surprise her and run the other without looking back and she’d be sitting in her old bedroom, hugging Av while tears fell down her face like silent twin waterfalls.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 467
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Jay went a little crazy! xD <3 <3 <3

[Leander Vincent Haynes]

Since he started dating her, his apartment had slowly started to sprout pictures of them. Some framed on a shelf in the living room, one on his nightstand, a couple on the fridge that they'd jokingly pinned up with magnets. With how many Jay took, it was no wonder, but he loved them all. Each one "spoke a thousand words" and, as words were his specialty, he loved to write about all the stories behind them. His writer's journal had filled quite quickly with snippets of memories, or little bits of dialogue that accompanied the photos. But, that was what the couple did; one photographed and the other recorded.

Leander hugged her closer to himself, smoothing her hair gently. His face tightened at the mention of this Moira saying cruel things about his Jay, but he let it pass with only a frown and kissed her forehead again. "I'm with your dad on that one," he muttered, shaking his head to try and get the anger out. Right now, the conversation wasn't about what he'd say to this Aunt if he ever did meet her. All that he needed to worry about was Jay.

His strong hands rubbed circles onto her back as she closed her eyes, but he stayed silent, not wanting to disturb her. She needed to get this all out and he had to sit and listen, though he wished with all his heart that she'd told him when it'd happened. It could've saved a scene like this and, maybe, he would've gone off on that trip with her as a celebration of her opening it up and them moving on. But, when she was sad like this, he didn't know what to do; he didn't know how much space to give her, or how much he should press. "I'll have to thank her, huh?" he smiled softly, happy she was laughing, even if it was only a choked one. "I'm not asking you to tell me that part, Jay. Just... just whatever's been bothering you so much. I want to help you feel better and, if I know what the damage is, that makes my job a lot easier," he whispered, gently touching his lips to hers and cuddling her closer for a moment. Once she was back to normal, life would be a lot better for the both of them. Until then, they had to endure this storm together and hope for the best; that was at least Leander's thinking.

• • •

WORDS: 445!
TAG: Jay! <3 :)
LOCATION: Waiting, The Airport
OUTFIT: Coming Soon!
LYRICS: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Jack Makenzie Greyson]

Jack closed her eyes, just taking a moment to pretend they were sitting on the couch in one of their flats with a movie on, ignoring it to just be wrapped up in each other. “There’s one in the basement,” she said, absently. She couldn’t even count how many times she’d found her father in there laying his fist to the side of the heavy training bag. She hated seeing him like that, because it had stopped getting to her a while back, but he still needed some time to let it go. Jay smirked, through watery eyes, “I suppose you’ll have to. Maybe get her a trophy or something,” she said trying to teasing.

“It’s funny really, what’s bothering me. It used to bother me a lot and then I got over it because she’s jealous, I know this. I’m doing something I love and she’s stuck at some she really hates. I’ve got a career and my own flat and her daughter’s still at home, unemployed and barely passing her classes. But now, it’s different, the drug addict’s daughter is hopelessly in love with the good guy. Because that’s all Moira sees! I’ll always be that drug addict’s kid, and no matter how far from that I am, that’s all she sees! And because I love you, she thinks you’re either just as bad as me, or even worse off! Because only addicts can love addicts! And that’s what’s bothering me,” She blurted unable to hold it in any longer. Tears fell down her overheated cheeks. Her confession wasn’t shocking, they’d dropped the scary ‘L’ word before this moment, but it was still a look she needed to see in his eyes. To see if he still felt the same as before she’d spilt her secret. And she’d been told her affection was obvious, by her mother no less! But she also didn’t want to look at Leander and see anything in his dreamy eyes that told her she was right, she also couldn’t look away until she knew how he felt about this news; Jay wanted to see his reaction to that, despite how much it would kill her to see a good-bye.

Now when everything seemed to be going so right, she went and messed it all up with her family issues. Having been technically adopted hadn’t mattered to Jack at all; ever. She was Declan’s and Emilie’s baby girl. She’d never planned on telling anyone otherwise, but now that she’d blurted it all out in a rant against the old evil witch, she couldn’t take it back and she felt like it was the right thing to tell him. Not that way, she wished she could take it back and tell him another way, any other way but it was out now, there was no taking it back. Jay could only wait for a reaction and hope for the one she wanted. "I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to do or say.

Tag||Leander <3
Words|| 499
Location|| JFK
Clothes|| Surprise!
Music|| Now I can be the Real Me by Adam DiMarco
Notes|| Jay went a little crazy! xD <3 <3 <3