The Russel home

[Esme Russel]

Esme was really trying to hold it together. She was scared because she was obviously still pregnant and soon, she'd be showing and she wouldn't be able to provide for their family by stripping and she couldn't even vent to her best friend about this because they hadn't spoke in a month.. A month! She needed him more than she had ever thought that she did.. Jonathan was there for her, of course, but it was different. He could be the best husband in the world and she would still miss having her best friend around. She wasn't going to show how much that she missed him though because he needed to realize that she hated him.. Or she wanted to. She wanted to hate him more than anything for putting her through a year and four months of emotional torture and then telling her that it was all for nothing.

He didn't love her.

Which didn't matter now really but a part of her screamed that it would always matter.. He had used her and she couldn't get over that. She'd just spent over an hour making the perfect pizza for dinner and now she was ruining it by crying over it. She left the food on the counter and raced into the bedroom where Jon was laying on their bed. They'd been watching a movie and she had told him to stay while she got the food which he wasn't going to get now.. Poor guy. She laid down with her head buried in his abdomen and just cried with no explanation for why she was suddenly so hysterical but she was crying so hard that she was literally shaking.

Her sobbing got so intense that she could barely breath. She finally calmed down after about five minutes and she could speak, "Jon.... I.... I need to talk to you... Will you beat Dallas up?"

[Esme Russel]

Esme was giving everyone around little, or big, surprises to show everyone how she felt about them. She didn't want anyone around her to be forgotten and she didn't want anyone excluded so she had gotten the money from her father and decided on things that she knew would be appreciated but she was nervous now that she was so close to showing Mark what his present was. She knew that it would be wise to show Jonathan first since this was technically his man cave but she knew that he was going to be best saved for last when she had the basement absolutely perfect and his vending machine stocked with sodas and beers.

It wasn't technically the same as giving him a real bedroom here since he would not be living here but it would be a place to call home if he needed it.. A place where he could go if he needed somewhere soft to land.. It was going to be a second home so she had gone out and bought him everything he would need - clothes in the closet and dressers, shoes.. A toothbrush and toothpaste along with other shower things were in the bathroom ready for use if needed. She didn't want this to be seen as something tiny.. She loved him and she hadn't been the best friend in the world lately.

She was currently pacing nervously by the front door and bouncing Cici on her hips while she waited for Mark's arrival. What if he hated this? What if he thought that she was weird or obsessed with him? Or just.. didn't like it?

[Mark Daniels]

Esme's call had surprised Mark. It astonished him even more when she had said she had a surprise for him. Mark didn't put too much thought into why things were they were they were. Although, he was excited to see what it was. He hoped it was food or something edible because he was hungry. Not that he was counting on Esme to feed him, he wasn't some lazy bum who couldn't pass by McDonalds to grab something to eat.

When he got to Esme's house, he rang the doorbell and knocked on the door. He was dressed in a collegiate sweatshirt, soccer pants and sneakers. Mark was feeling comfortable today. He'd just gotten out of the gym because he really had nothing to do. Samuel was at a competition, Leonardo was with Ingrid, Aubrey was on a double date - as in a date with three girls. And Riley was in D.C hanging with the president (she had been boasting about it during a whole week). So he was basically a loner.

[Esme Russel]

The kitten that Esme had bought for Dallas was currently running around with Unicorn so it took Esme a second to get them to settle and stop attacking each other in front of the door so she could let Mark in. She actually felt guilty for making him wait the forty-five seconds that it took! "Mark! Hi! I made some lunch for us, too and that's ready in the kitchen but I don't want to eat that just yet because it's obviously not the surprise." Lunch was dinosaur chicken nuggets and smiley face fries so she knew that he would more than likely at least enjoy that even if he hated the bedroom. She grabbed a silk scarf and used it as a blindfold before leading him down to the basement and into the little bedroom that he could now call his own.

"Okay... I know that this probably seems like a really big weird thing to do but I wanted you to know how special that you are to me and to my family so I set this up for you... I really hope you like it." She wasn't mentioning that it was technically the guest bedroom which he was likely the only guest who would ever stay with them. "Okay, take your blindfold off.." She was nervous about his reaction so she decided to just stand by the bed with a bright grin on her face.

[Mark Daniels]

A big smile formed on Mark's face when Esme mentioned food. He had been baby talking to Cici and gently touching her tiny head before he had been mentioned the delicious treats. He widened his eyes when Esme moved to blindfold him, "You know I'm not into this type of stuff!" he joked with a giddy tone, "And what would Jon say?!" he chuckled, once again just goofing around with her.

Mark had a little dilemma while walking blindfolded but he trusted Esme took keep him from walking into a wall or tripping. When they finally stopped and she removed the blindfold, he looked around the gorgeous room. "This is beautiful. Wait is this the surprise?" he asked while curiously looking around the bedroom. He walked to the closer then looked to her, "Is this clothes for me?!" he asked her. Well, Mark wasn't rich and he was poorer than the kids around. He was definitely thankful for this kind gesture.

"Oh, but it's too much! I couldn't acce-" he looked around then found more clothes and items. "Thank you so so so much, Esme!" he gushed before running up to hug her tightly, probably almost picking her up since he was standing but he knelt down so he wouldn't.

[Esme Russel]

"There's a bathroom, too and it's ready for you if you need to shower or use the restroom or anything!" Esme sounded overly chipper when she said that and she knew that it likely wasn't nearly as big of a deal as she had just made it out to be but this was a nice moment for her! She had just given her best friend a surprise that he actually seemed to genuinely like! This wasn't something that happened often so it filled her heart with joy to know that he was happy about this. "I am really glad that you like it... This use to be the scary part of the basement that I wouldn't go near and that bathroom use to just be a random toilet." It was amazing how differently that this all looked from before when she refused to even go down there.

She adjusted Cici on her hip and opened the door to the bathroom which was also decorated beautifully with a mirrored lingerie chest and minty green walls. "Do you like it? I know that both are a little feminine but I needed to have something that a guest could potentially use." She knew that the chances of someone staying over was slim to none but she didn't want to ever end up in an awkward situation where she couldn't let someone in if they needed it.

"I know... I know that this isn't going to make up for me being not always there but I want it to be a reminder that I love you and that you're family.. Always. You were the first member of my little not biological family and you're always going to be a part of that... I love you and nobody could ever replace you because you aren't my best friend.. you're my brother."

[Mark Daniels]

Mark was speechless. He was always had so much gratitude for the littlest gestures. One can only imagine how thankful he was for a gesture so grand. He nodded understandingly when Esme showed him the restroom he then stood and listened to her apologize to him of her absence in his life.

Of course, he completely understood that she was busy taking care of baby Pumpkin Patch and her husband. If he had a family he wouldn't necessarily ignore his friends but he would dedicate more time to their wants and needs. But he at the moment was a single guy with his only priority being school and sometimes his job. "It's okay, I know that baby Pumpkin Patch and Jon need your attention and other kind of attention." He winked playfully before smiling brightly. "I know, you're like the sister I never had." he said hugging her once again. His hugs to those he cared for showed warmth and care, his love was genuine and it radiated that way.

Mark made sure Cici wasn't squished and made into a baby sandwich between them.

[Esme Russel]

Esme welcomed his second hug just as happily as she had done his first - there was something really special about Mark's hugs like a unicorn in a rainbow of smiles and happiness. "I mean.. I know it's not an excuse and it's definitely not even a good reason but I'm almost eleven weeks pregnant and I spent most of my day sleeping anyway so... I just don't have the time or the energy that I use to and I should be better about that." She was absolutely exhausted ninety percent of the time but she smiled through it and acted like everything was dandy and did these kind of surprises for the people around here. She wouldn't remember the exhaustion when she was eighty and in a nursing home but she would remember the friends that she made incredibly happy.

She would forget the extreme tiredness when she was watching her children graduate and start families of their own and it wouldn't be such a big deal even if she did remember because she'll look back and say that it was all worth it to make such wonderful successful people even if they ended up just like she had and had a baby in high school. She would be proud of them no matter what they did be it pregnancy, rape, murder... anything.

"Are you hungry? I made dinosaur chicken nuggets and smiley face fries."

[Esme Russel]

Esme's own relationship with her mother was strained at best and it honestly bothered her that Jonathan and his mother hadn't spoken in years especially since he had children and a wife now. What mother wouldn't even want the chance to meet their granddaughter? Or possible second granddaughter? Or first grandson? Why was she distracting herself with these thoughts when Jon's mother was sitting on the couch possibly judging every piece of furniture in their home, every speck of dust... She had cleaned every inch of this apartment the other day but she still found herself disappointed with it. She was hiding her wedding and engagement rings in the pocket of her jeans and Cassidy was in her nursery napping which was convenient since she didn't know how to tell his mother that they had a nine month old and that she was twelve weeks pregnant.

What if she reacted poorly? She knew that she wouldn't be able to handle it if she freaked out and Jonathan wasn't there to defend her so she was just quietly cooking dinner (taco bar since she knew Jonathan's love of tacos) and watching the clock on the wall.. fifteen minutes until he got off of work. Fifteen minutes until things would be lovely and bonding would begin.... She rolled up the sleeves of her, well technically Jon's, sweater and got to work grating the cheese. She'd had to borrow his shirt because her clothes made her look either pregnant or fat depending on the fit and she couldn't have any of that tonight.

Surprising Jonathan with his mother had seemed like a good idea at the time but now she wasn't so sure if he was really going to like it hence her variety of tacos - ground beef, steak strips, and chicken. She swallowed hard and glanced up at the clock then back to the bowl full of grated cheese and the itty bitty piece of cheese left which wasn't really any bigger than a shred. Well... Maybe she had grated too much cheese. It was at least a pound and only three people would be eating .. oops.

"Jon should be home any minute now.. he isn't usually late ..." Unless he was getting her some of those goddamn candy apples from the food court that she was constantly craving. She had him bring her one home every single day which was probably horrible for her teeth. But would it be obvious that she was pregnant if she pigged out on candy apple?

[Jonathan Russel]

"That's fine," Elizabeth smiled slightly, hands clasped in her lap, fiddling slightly with the wedding ring on her finger. She hadn't seen or heard from her own son since she practically signed him off to be someone else's son... in fact, she'd been distant ever since Jeremiah passed, ten years ago. Jon could only have bared it for so long. Of course she felt guilty for blaming her own son for something her late husband did, she never really believed that, Jon was her son, her first child -- she could never hate her own child, as much as she may have tried to.

No one was really around or aware of the struggle Elizabeth had been going through, even when Jeremiah was alive. Jon wasn't a planned child, and they'd only been married for so long, it felt too soon to be having a baby, but they did. It put a strain on their relationship, but they tried to make it work, grinning and bearing it for the sake of keeping the family together. Things were clearly difficult for Jeremiah, seeing as when Jon was nearing age one, Elizabeth found out about an affair he'd been having with another woman, which had resulted in a pregnancy. She was devastated, began to attain these horrible headaches, which she later had to obtain medication for, and when Jeremiah passed... well, things only spiraled downward. She'd constantly leave Jon with a relative, and once he was older, she'd started kicking him out. His face reminded her too much of the man that hurt her, that left her. She didn't want to see his face.

It had taken her a few years of therapy and rehabilitation, but, the woman was better now... she was ready. She was ready to be a mom to the son she pushed away. She'd tried countless times to try and get a hold of the boy, contact him any such way, but when she'd found out that he'd moved across the country, she felt it was too late. That phone call she'd received from Esme re-established her hope.

--

Jon unbuttoned the first button of his referee shirt -- he'd made quite a lot of sales that day, did some running around, played ball with Gabe during their lunch break, even stopped by that sweets store that Morgan had recommended to him to pick up some candy apples for Esme. Needless to say, he'd had a pretty productive day, and he wanted to share his contentedness with his family. Sliding his key into the door, he twisted it to unlock it, walking in, "Es, I'm home!" he called out, with a smile to his face, turning to shut it, walking further into the house until his mother came into sight. The smile dropped from his face, and he stared at the woman, stunned, in shock.

"Wha... what..." He blinked, trying to get the image of her out of his sight, thinking this was a dream, a hallucination, something, but she wouldn't go away. Jon turned to Esme, "What's going on here?"