He's Gone • •

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

MORE THAN A HALF HOUR LATER

Zoe was seriously wishing that these doctors would hurry up. She may have been the one to demand that Romeo go to the hospital, but she hadn't factored in how horrible the waiting room would be. Her and Ellie had gone down to the cafeteria for awhile, walked past the nursery, and they'd had the encounter with the blonde who Zoe called her best friend. To say the least, they'd had an eventful hour or three, but they'd been stranded in the waiting room for the forever since returning from the cafeteria. The nurse had said to be back by a certain time, claiming that Romeo would no doubt be out shortly after that and he'd be ready to take home, yet there was no sight of the messy bronze locks or battered face. How much longer was it going to be?

She sighed, tapping her fingers on her thigh as her eyes drifted once again towards the clock above the check-in desk. At this rate, she and Ellie could've gone back to the Jervis place and cleaned up, then returned to pick up Romeo and bring him home to a spotless apartment. They would've been doing something, at least, instead of sitting on uncomfortable chairs, watching the clock tick by slower and slower.They already gone through every game on both of their phones, had played tick-tac-toe on napkins from the cafe, had discussed every small-talk topic known to man, and they'd even went over how Tessie was doing. Anything to avoid the white elephant in the room; anything to keep their minds off of the man both of them loved more than they'd probably ever declare out loud.

Zoe glanced at the clock once again, giving Ellie a tiny smile as she gave the girl her purse to rummage through. At least the teenager might get a kick out of the photos from home or the couple small books she had for her classes. None of them worked to keep Zoe from fidgeting, especially not when she saw Romeo's eyes every time she looked at his sister. The guilt ate away at her as she sat there, worry and concern coursing through her. She hoped he was alright; she hoped he wouldn't be much longer. She hoped he'd forgive her one day.

• • •

WORDS: 408!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: Zoe decided to shut up halfway through this >.< <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo didn’t understand why he couldn’t just go in, get cleaned up and leave again. The doctor had taken one suspicious look at him and demanded pretty much everything be done to him. The x-ray made sense considering the pain in his chest and the unsightly appearance of his ribs once the doctor had helped him out of his shirt. However, the toxicology and scans had seemed a little more than excessive to the northern Englishman. The hours spent stuck in a bed whilst nurses stitched up the worse cut over his left eye and fussed about the rest of his injuries and the dressings. They didn’t understand that Romeo had things to be doing and a mess to tidy up; his day could not be wasted taking up space in a hospital bed and that could’ve been used by someone who was actually sick.

Time was either going really slowly or he had been sitting there for hours when the doctor finally reappeared. He suggested Romeo stay in overnight for the pain medication and the rest that a hospital seemingly provided but he declined, adamantly saying that he had a sister to take care of. The police would probably be ready to talk to him too, since he had instructed his mam to call them right before they had even left the apartment. He wanted all of this to be sorted, to be over, so that Ellie could get back to living the normal life he and his mam had fought to give her, banishing every reminder and memento of the man who was biologically their father. Finally, the doctor gave in and signed the paperwork to let Romeo leave, scribbling out a prescription for some pain medication and reminding him to call his own doctor and get checked over in a week or so, after he had taken it easy and stayed on bed rest for a few more days.

A few busted ribs and knuckles, a soft cast and six stitches…the doctor seemed to be making a bad situation out of nothing and Romeo was starting to sound like a broken record with the amount of times he had reassured the doctor that he could take care of himself. Finally, he was back in his own clothes and slowly moving back up the corridors to the waiting room, the pain subsided thanks to the medication, though he didn’t physically look any better thanks to the bandages, stitches and the annoyingly itchy cast. Still, he pushed the door open and stepped through, his eyes quickly finding Zoe and Ellie before he walked over to them. “Let’s get the hell out’a ‘ere before that doctor tries t’ drain me of me blood or somethin’.”

[/color] He said, with a frustrated sigh at being kept in for so long.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 501
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe was used to taking care of people. Usually, she didn't demand that they go to the hospital or force them to sit in the backseat on the way there, but she knew how to help out when someone was sick or injured; heck, she'd been doing it her entire life. Assisting neighbors, helping out with kids while a parent was away, looking after livestock while a family went away for a weekend, tending wounds on both pets and peple; she had had her fair share of situations. She'd even had to deal with her own injury lately and, while it was healed now, it didn't stop the occasional soreness when she twisted her hand wrong. Romeo was going to be a new patient as soon as he stepped back through that door, even if the vet-to-be wasn't training to become a doctor for humans. She may have been mad at him, but she couldn't just walk off on him while he was hurt. It'd been so tempting to earlier; she could pretend none of it had happened and wait for him to maybe call her. Now, she was in deep and, having driven him and his sister to the hospital, Zoe wasn't going to let herself be thrown out. He hadn't deserted her when she'd insisted she was "fine," so now it was her turn to do the same for him. It may lead to a new fight, maybe even the resolution of an old one, but, one way or another, she was going to be there for him tonight, no matter how hard he pushed her away.

As soon as he appeared in the doorway, Zoe was on her feet and pulling Ellie up with her. She wanted to get out of there as much as he did, especially since the waiting room chairs were anything but comfortable. "Did ya get cleared or run off on yer own?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow, already heading towards the exit. The sooner they got home, the sooner she could really make things up with him and be sure that he was alright. Once they were in her car, driving off, this would all almost be over; what a relief that would be.

Stepping through the sliding doors, she made her way towards the car still parker in the lot, hitting the button on her keys to unlock the door. "I'll scramble up some food for ya when we get home. I'm sure ya could use a bit'a lunch after bein' cooped up fer so long," she said, climbing into the driver's seat and letting the siblings decide on their own seating arrangements this time. Zoe wasn't sure if Romeo wanted to sit near her, though there was definitely more room up front that crammed into the back.

• • •

WORDS: 495!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo was lucky in the sense that hospitals meant nothing to him. They didn’t bring back bad memories or fill him with dread in any way; they just made him want to be somewhere else, doing something much more useful with his time. Like, for instance, right now he ought to be cleaning his apartment, making sure Ellie was okay and dealing with the rest of this mess this morning brought with it. Still, the hospital had told him nothing he couldn’t work out for himself; his ribs were cracked, he was bruised and he had cut himself. Even the busted knuckles wasn’t really a surprise to him, though he could’ve done without the itchy brown soft cast that now encased his wrist unnecessarily.

All he wanted to do now was start putting his life and Ellie’s back together again. He knew that Zoe would probably be asking more questions than he wanted to answer, but he probably had to give her something too to explain the state he was currently in. He looked down at Zoe as his arm came to rest gently over his sister’s smaller shoulders, trying to reassure her that he was going to be fine, despite the state he appeared to be in right then. “The doc cleared us with a bit o’ persuasion.”

[/color] There really hadn’t been a reason to keep Romeo in overnight and other than advising him to stay, the doctor hadn’t done anything else to encourage otherwise. A check up in a few weeks and a prescription for some pain medication was all he had needed and now he was on his way again.

Romeo watched as Ellie turned to the back door of Zoe’s small car. Knowing his sister, she probably wanted to try and nap on the ride home. Their apartment might not be that far away, but New York traffic often made it feel much farther. Still, he couldn’t blame her since she hadn’t slept properly for days now. “I’m ‘onestly not that ‘ungry, love.”[/color] He said, sliding carefully in the front seat so as not to hurt himself any further. Once he was in and in a somewhat comfortable position, Romeo glanced down at the soft cast and picked innocently at the edge of it where it scratched at his arm. “I jus’ wanna get our El’ t’ bed.”[/color] He said quietly, knowing that it would be a night of tidying, talking and coercing Ellie into the medication both siblings had spent their teenage years with. It would help her rest and hopefully knock her out enough to avoid nightmares.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 468
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

AFTER THE AWKWARD DRIVE...

Zoe wasn't going to ask any questions. The state of the apartment, who the random guy was, why Ellie was so freaked; she'd leave it all alone. She didn't need to know the answers, anyway, if Romeo hadn't told them to her in the first place. If they'd been important, surely he would've confessed to her during one of their middle of the night conversations, right? With how tensed and worried the siblings looked though, this had to be something big. She hated not knowing because, without an explanation, she had no way to fathom where to start helping. She wasn't cruel enough to press Ellie for answers, and she wouldn't badger them out of Romeo, but she did want to comfort them both any way she could. If he didn't trust her enough, fine; she'd get over it. She just wanted to make sure he was okay before she walked away.

The country mouse's knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel of her car and pulled into a parking space, cutting the engine. She pulled her keys free and climbed out of her tiny car, letting Romeo and Ellie get out before she clicked the button to lock the doors. Zoe walked up onto the sidewalk, tucking her keys away and looking up at Ellie and giving the girl a smile. "Maybe I'll run and grab Tessie for ya later. I'm sure ya could both use a little cuddlin'," she said warmly, knowing how comforting the innocent cat could be. It just felt good to have something warm and furry snuggled up next to you when you felt like the world was crashing down; at least, that was how she'd been feeling the past couple days. "We could whip up some'a those cookies, too, that yer brother likes so much so that he'll quit his belly-achin' 'bout the hospital," she added with a grin. Zoe would pull out all the stops to cheer Ellie up; baking, cats, maybe even some presents if it came down to it. The teenager reminded her so much of her own sisters back home, and she'd never want that terrified look in their eyes. Besids, Romeo needed to rest, and she could keep her eye on his sister while the pain meds took over his system.

• • •

WORDS: 421!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: Zoe didn't know what to say... xD <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo wasn’t in the mood to talk about anything just yet. He had never mentioned it earlier in their relationship because he never imagined that something like this would happen again and both of the siblings had successfully put all of that behind them in the last few recent years. To Romeo, it wasn’t important and if it was never supposed to be a problem again then it shouldn’t have to be mentioned. He hadn’t kept it from Zoe deliberately, but it had also never crossed his mind to talk to her about it either and it wasn’t something that he could casually drop into conversation anyway. It would only upset her and Romeo didn’t want to get her all worked up over something that she would’ve been able to do absolutely nothing to change.

Still, at least there had been someone to take care of Ellie. The anger inside of Romeo was still simmering and the cuts and bruises that now adorned his body were probably not going to be enough to soothe her after this last week and the horror, anguish and everything else that had haunted the poor young teenager. She wouldn’t be better after a night with Tessie and a baking session with Zoe, but it would at least keep her mind off of everything whilst Romeo did what he always did and took care of everything. Still, the more normalcies that they could give back to Ellie then the better everything would be, even if it was just for a very short stint of time. Forcing a small smile, he draped his good arm over his sister. “What ‘belly-achin’’?”

[/color] He said, feigning offence as best as he could through the pain. At least the medication would help him be able to clean up whilst the girls got busy baking in the kitchen. Moving to the elevators and ignoring the few looks from the people who resided in the building with him and his sister, Romeo quickly helped get them back to the floor where his small apartment was. Unlocking the door, he took another look at the state of his home and sighed as he dropped his keys to the table like he always did. “I think there’s still bakin’ stuff in the kitchen from last time.”[/color] He said with a forced smile. At least the kitchen only had the unwashed plates from last night messing it up. He raked his fingers through his hair and started straightening up the apartment, picking up the fallen books and photo frames slowly, returning them to the shelves where they belonged. Normally, it would take him no time at all, but with the pain it would take him a little longer. Still, he hoped to have it done by the time the girls were done baking and then maybe they could have a relatively normal evening and he’d have the chance to talk to Zoe once Ellie finally fell asleep.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 493
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe would do whatever she could for Ellie. No matter how much tension there was between her and Romeo, she didn't want to hurt the teenager. Walking off and turning a cold shoulder to her, as well, would've been cruel, and she knew it. She already felt guilty for putting the girl through the a second fight early today. There may not have been fists thrown during that one, but it hadn't exactly been a friendly conversation, either. Romeo still didn't know about that... if she was lucky, maybe Ellie wouldn't even tell him. Neither of them had ever met Ember, anyways, and the teenager didn't know about all of the drama that had led into more drama involving her brother. Zoe honestly didn't feel like explaining it all again; she didn't feel like talking in general. Hopefully, Ellie wouldn't tell him.

She walked into the building with the siblings, trying not to stare back at the people who looked their way. "Give it an hour or two," she replied, trying her best to be playful and teasing in the usual way. Zoe walkd into the apartment behind Ellie, forcing herself not to look around at the disheveled state of things. "I'll be right there, hun. Go pull out the flour'n such, and two pans. I'm thinkin' we'll need a double batch tonight," she smiled, letting Ellie go off to the kitchen. She really was getting better at cooking, and Zoe really only had to sit on the counter and watch now when it came to baking cookies or cakes. Plus, Zoe had had her practically memorize this recipe, knowing how much Romeo liked the type of cookie.

Silently, Zoe went after him, biting the inside of her lip as she picked up a frame or two. She'd been there enough to know where most of the stuff went, but that wasn't the main reason for her coming over. As she went to put the picture back in its rightful place, she gently stopped Romeo's hand in an attempt to get him to look at her. Whispering so Ellie couldn't hear, she said, "I'm sorry." She left it at that, placing the frame where it belonged before turning and rushing off towards his sister.

• • •

WORDS: 407!!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo didn’t like this tension between him and Zoe, but obviously there was little he could do about it right now, given the circumstances and the situation they had found themselves in. He seriously doubted that his country mouse would even give him five minutes to talk about them until she had done the mothering thing she seemed a natural at. He didn’t think she’d sit down herself until she was completely certain that everyone was okay and since she was adamant on cheering Ellie up right now, he didn’t think he could get her alone for long enough to talk to her about their own fight. He also didn’t want Ellie to be left on her own just yet, even if it was only in the next room. He was still coming down from the adrenaline rush of the morning and he had a feeling it would remain with him until the apartment was back to normal and he had made a call to his mam to make sure that everything was alright her end of the city.

He kept up the pretence that everything was fine again. Hopefully it would be soon and hopefully the usual banter he shared with Zoe would be back again too. “In an hour or two I’m prob’ly gonna be conked out with a stomach full o’ junk food.”

[/color] He said, rubbing his aching ribs soothingly as he moved with the two most important girls in his life. “An’ where exactly do y’ two plan on puttin’ away any real food? Like the pizza I’m gonna order.”[/color] He teased with another awkwardly forced smile. He hated faking happiness like this, but he needed it to happen in order to calm Ellie down some more, especially with the state of the apartment they were about to return to.

Romeo thought that both girls were in the kitchen when he started cleaning up; he didn’t even hear Zoe moving around behind him until she touched his hand. He sighed softly and then stepped as fast as he could to pull her back from the kitchen and closer to him. “I’m sorry too, love.”[/color] He brushed the hair from her face and pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. “Things ‘ave been ‘ectic ‘ere.”[/color] He said, quiet enough so that Ellie didn’t hear him. He couldn’t say too much with her still around; he didn’t want her to relive the nightmares when she was just starting to take the first step to getting over it now.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 424
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Eventually, Zoe knew she was going to have to talk to Romeo. They had so much to get out in the open; so much to discuss. She was dreading it, that was for sure, knowing that she'd have to open up about her own fears and insecurities, something Zoe didn't do very well. She'd let other people open up to her in a heart beat, but that fear of being broken always kept her from giving them the same trust. Before the fight, she'd believed she'd been able to tell Romeo everything, and that he felt the same way with her. Now, as secrets and fears were popping up, she was beginning to wonder how much they really didn't know about each other. She would deal with him later, though. Right now, all that mattered to her was Ellie. Romeo could go clean and put his apartment back into order; the girls would enjoy some fun, distracting baking in the kitchen. The sugar-filled treats would also be great treats after the day they'd all had; fresh-baked cookies always seemed to make any situation just a tiny bit better.

Zoe tensed at the feeling of Romeo's hand pulling her back, but she didn't fight it off or pull away like she had earlier. Actually, she let him press his warm lips to her skin, finally realizing just how much she'd longer for his innocent kisses and caresses. Her blue eyes looked up into his for a long moment before she stood up on her toes and placed a sweet peck to his lips. "I miss you," she whispered again, praying that Ellie was too busy banging around for a pot and bowl to hear the exchange only a few yards away. "Now, go lay down for awhile. We can clean up later," she said, hoping he'd catch on that "clean" meant "talk about the loud of crap that's happened in the last week."

She gave his hand a light squeeze, gently pulling herself from him again and going over to his sister. A huge grin was on her face as she looked at and talked with Ellie, but Zoe wished that the smile was real. She could fake it a little longer for the teenager; she had to. But, as they'd already discovered, she was no actress; she could only pull this off for so long. She kept her mind off of the pretending, helping Ellie measure out ingredients and mix the dough. The girl really was a sweetheart, reminding the country mouse so much of her own sisters back home, especially during their little kitchen sessions. Zoe saw that the sheets were filled and slid into the oven, giving Ellie the bowl to lick as she pleased, and then going off to finish straightening frames or sweeping floors; anything to keep her mind off of the white elephant lingering in the room.

• • •

WORDS: 507!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo had been honest with Zoe about everything else, but this family history wasn’t something he was proud of or something that he had wanted to share. It had been his burden for years and he didn’t want Zoe to know about the darker side of the life he loved so much. He didn’t want his country mouse to worry or fret about him and his sister like she knew that she would. Still, catching him mid brawl with his father didn’t do anything to ease that either, but he hadn’t expected Zoe to see any of that or spend the day driving him to the hospital and back. They had so much to talk about now, and not just about what had happened today or why he had been ignoring her messages. The time for that was later, once everything was back in its place and Ellie was asleep.

He had to pull Zoe back again, this time to return her kiss as best as he could with all injuries considered. It was short and sweet, but he needed it. After this last hellish week and everything that came with it, Romeo was starting to wonder if he could feel good about anything ever again. He hoped that all of the emotional mess could be sorted out and that his relationship with Zoe could be repaired after their fight had broken out over worries she had never shown before. He didn’t even feel the anger from back then now, but the hurt probably still lingered for them both and that had to be resolved, along with all the secrets she probably thought he had been keeping from her after today’s display must have suggested. “I’ll tell y’ ev’rythin’ la’er.”

[/color] He promised quietly, though he made no move to lie down. “I’ll rest once the drugs kick in a li’l more.”[/color] He said, knowing that if he sat down now he would probably be fighting to get comfortable with the pain that hadn’t quite eased up yet.

Once Zoe was back in the kitchen, Romeo made quick work of cleaning up the apartment. There were a few broken glass frames, but that was easily remedied with the aid of the brush and pan and then the vacuum a little while after. By the time he heard the over door closing, everything was back in its place or in the bin, depending on the damage to it. The few photos now without frames were on the coffee table and he was just putting the last DVD back in its place when Zoe came back through. His home looked like it should now and he smiled softly at her before moving to the fire escape in his usual fashion when he needed a smoke. He knew it might hurt his bruised and cracked ribs, but he would just take it a little gentler than normal once he lit up.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 521
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Baking was Zoe's usual way of de-stressing herself. Some people played an instrument, some people jogged; she baked. Cookies, cakes, brownies; she'd basically started a sweet shoppe in the last week thanks to all the treats she'd been whipping out. A lot of them went out to the other residents on her floor or in the building, or even out to random people on campus when she ran out of space in her tiny kitchen. Usually, when she went on sprees like this, she'd send boxes of them to Ember or the Jervis siblings but, as she hadn't been speaking to either party, everything had just sort of grown in her apartment. With all of the drama that had happened lately, it was no surprise Zoe'd begun her own bakery. It put her to good use, however, at delivering the goodies always brought a smile to her face. Giving to people made her feel a little better, even if the guilt and loneliness still ate away at her heart.

Zoe returned his kiss as gently as she could, doing her best not to hurt him or further the injuries already decorating his face. She'd missed this; missed his kisses, his arms, his silly jokes. Even if things were awkward and tense, it felt right to be here with him, helping and assisting in any way she could. Now, if only she'd stop running away so much when she got nervous. "I've got some things to tell you, too," she said back quietly, shaking her head at him when he said he'd rest later. Zoe seriously doubted he'd rest at all tonight with everything that had happened; he'd spend the night watching over Ellie to make sure she was safe instead of taking care of himself.

Once she finished up with the cookies, Zoe went over to the box that was still sitting in the living room. She knew perfectly well what was inside; picture frames, a sweatshirt Romeo had left at her place, random little things that held memories they shared. She'd brought it over, planning on leaving it and walking off. Look how well that had turned out. Zoe opened the box, carefully pulling out one of the frames from her apartment that had gradually filled with pictures of them. She removed the back of the frame, freeing the picture and tucking it back beneath the cardboard. Hesitantly taking one of the photos from the top of the coffee table, she placed it into the frame, securing it and setting it back down. "I've got too many at my place as it is," she shrugged, her eyes looking back to the box and lingering.

Zoe went back to fussing over Ellie as a way to keep her from giving Romeo one of the usual smoking-related lectures. They had enough to talk about as it was; lecturing wasn't really needed. Instead, she laughed with Ellie, helping check on the cookies and stealing a bit of the remnants from the big bowl. She promised to go get Tessie later, along with some of the chocolate brownies that were still on the country mouse's counter. Anything to keep her distracted, right?

• • •

WORDS: 557!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo’s stress management was less than healthy, but it hadn’t been appropriate this week since he was refusing to leave Ellie alone for even a moment up until today. Still, the fight had de-stressed him quite a bit thanks to the adrenaline rush that kicked in. His injuries might have been bad, but they were worth it to make all of this better, to keep Ellie safe. At least now he knew that they had a viable case for when this would return to the courts, which it inevitably would after today, but Ellie needn’t worry about that; Romeo’s guardianship had no reason to come under scrutiny and he had plenty of proof if his dad did try to say he was doing a terrible job of caring for his little sister.

He could take care of all of this really without Zoe’s help, but he wasn’t going to stop her from taking care of Ellie while he dealt with the rest. He wanted her back in his life as his girlfriend, but he didn’t want to have to force it to happen. If their fight and today would linger over their relationship then he knew it wouldn’t last and he didn’t want to invest in something that would be forever marred and judged by what had happened this week. At least talking about it all later might give them another chance to get over everything and to make their relationship stronger; Romeo really didn’t want to have to call a day on everything they shared together.

He watched as she switched the photos in one of the frames that resided in that box of stuff she had brought over. Smiling he nodded in appreciation and then cocked his thumb in the direction of his bedroom. “I’ve got some more in the bottom o’ me wardrobe too, love. I’ll fix the rest la’er.”

[/color] He smiled softly. The few in there weren’t the greatest things ever, but they had come as part of a bulk set and Romeo and Ellie didn’t need the three that were leftover at the time, so Romeo kept them safely away in one the bottom compartment in his bedroom, knowing that one day they’d need them. He just thought it would be to add to the collection, not replace ones from a brawl with his father.

Romeo sat staring out onto the city streets as he carefully smoked his cigarette, making sure not to strain his chest or ribs too much. It took him a little longer than normal to stub it out, but he felt much better now that the habit was done. He closed the window down and then crossed the clean apartment to sit on the couch, his body aching as he lowered himself to the cushions. He really wanted a shower, but the doctors had told him that it was best to leave it a while since the stitches were so fresh and his wounds were still bruising over and swollen. He let out a rough sigh and closed his eyes, finally feeling as though he could relax for a moment. He dug out his cell phone and called his mam, making sure that she was okay and to find out what had happened when she called the police for him earlier. Apparently they’d be around tomorrow to speak to Romeo, but he wasn’t worried about that or anything that might come from it. He knew he was safe and had done nothing wrong.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 615
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe didn't know what place Romeo expected her to take in this situation. Was she supposed to dote on Ellie and distract the teenager? Should she be cleaning the apartment and letting him look after his sister? Did he want her hear at all? She wanted to help, and felt like she was by joking with Ellie and helping throw together some cookies. But, even if she was happy to help her, Zoe wanted to help Romeo. She wanted to fuss over him, force him to lie down, cook dinner for him and make sure he took more pain meds later; she wanted to play the "good" girlfriend and obey his every command. Was that what he wanted though?

She wasn't one to judge people, and never had been. There were family issues back on the farm, though they mainly involved an older brother never spoken of instead of a father. Zoe knew what it was like though, and she wouldn't be thinking less of the siblings for everything that had happened today. What freaked her out was that she still had no idea what, exactly, had happened, and she'd been there all day. True, there hadn't really been time to talk alone with Romeo and let him explain all of this to her, but she still wished she would've had some sort of warning. Maybe if the fight hadn't happened, she'd have been involved then; that fight really was popping up everywhere.

Zoe buzzed about the kitchen in the house-wifely way she'd inherited from her mother, checking the cookies and cleaning up any mess that had been left behind. She washed the dirty dishes in the sink, letting Ellie dry and stack them wherever they belonged. It didn't take long after that for the timer to beep, signalling that the cookies should be ready. Zoe let Ellie carefully pull the sheets out and set them on the stove, giving the treats a cursory glance-over to make sure they were done. She smiled proudly at Ellie, scooping a couple onto a plate and nodding for her to go run them over to Romeo, hoping they'd help cheer him up a little.

• • •

WORDS: 403!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

A Few Hours Later…

It had been a long day. One of the longest in Romeo’s memory, in fact, but now it was drawing to an end and he couldn’t do anything but give thanks for that. Once it was out of the way they could start to heal and get back to the life they were used to living; something Romeo wanted more than anything for his sister. They had put some movies on, ordered in pizza and made short work of those freshly baked cookies that had kept Ellie busy for some of the afternoon. Her mind was seemingly off the events of the past week, but Romeo could still see the hint of fear behind her green eyes and he wished that he could make that go away as quickly as he had done their father.

Still, it wasn’t long before the young brunette was asleep against Romeo’s good side, the movie they were watching had the credits rolling and the sun had long set over the rooftops of the city. The pain medication had left him a little drowsy, but they had successfully killed most of the pain, even if it was only a temporary relief. It worked in his favour though, since he had to move his sister from the couch before she woke up with a terrible crick in her neck. Moving carefully, so as not to wake her, Romeo gathered her frame up in his arms, wincing with the movement that strained his own injuries and then made his way around the apartment to the overly pink bedroom that belonged to the sixteen year old. He tucked her into bed, remembering how many times he had done this back when she was a little girl. He was still mad. There was still that anger bubbling inside of him about everything that had happened today and all those years ago.

Once she was settled, Romeo rubbed his aching ribs and moved back to the living room of the apartment, sitting back on the couch and trying to get comfortable again. He turned to look across at Zoe, reaching out to take her delicate hand in one of his busted up ones. Romeo managed a small smile as his eyes met hers. “Thanks, for ev’rythin’ today, love.”

[/color] He said sincerely, squeezing her hand. He knew that he owed her answers, but the truth was that he didn’t even know where to begin. It wasn’t like this was something he ever talked about with anyone. In fact, no one outside of the Jervis family knew about what had happened in the past and Romeo had worked hard to keep in that way, for Ellie more so than him. After what she had seen though and how he felt about it, it wasn’t like he could keep hiding this sort of thing from Zoe. She had a right to know by now.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 519
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Part of Zoe really wanted to go home. She'd spent the day fussing over Ellie, trying not to fuss over Romeo, and pretending that everything in the world was fine; she was flat-out exhausted from it. It may not have been her dealing with family issues, but it hurt her to see both the siblings so worked up and, in Ellie's case, frightened. She'd tried her best to do what she could to help, though it still felt like she wasn't doing enough, and the bustling around had taken its toll on her.

The country mouse let the siblings sit on the couch, pulling out her essay work and taking a place on the floor in the kitchen so she wouldn't disturb them with the light. She had papers due for school soon, which was what she'd originally planned on doing after dropping the box off. Her laptop, a textbook, and her notes were all shoved into her bag, so she curled up in the kitchen and got busy. The day had kind of gone a different way than she'd had in mind, obviously, leaving her with no time to finish up the work she needed to get done. Plus, it gave her some time to think and not worry about everyone else.

Zoe only looked up when she heard Romeo shuffling around, a small smile on her lips as she watched him carry Ellie off to her room. The smile disappeared soon as she realized that, with the teenager in bed, the talking was going to begin. Sighing softly, she quickly put away her school work, getting up and dropping the bag near the door for when she'd eventually get to retreat back to her apartment. She went and sat down on the couch, curling her knees up to her chest like she'd done so many times before. Zoe looked up as he came back in, a weak smile on her lips as he sat down. "I wouldn't have left ya alone after all that, and ya know it," she answered quietly, squeezing his hand back.

• • •

WORDS: 403!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: She started squirming and wouldn't write more >.< <3