the love club; wilbur soot

nine

"hello?" wilbur replied as he wiped his eyes. he hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep while watching tv on his couch.

"wilbur? i'm sorry i didn't mean to wake you, but i- um," beatrice's panicked tone came through his phone, instantly causing him to shoot up and begin putting on his shoes.

"what's wrong?" he encouraged as he could hear journey whining in the background.

"um, can you please come over to my house? my- i mean, journey's father is here and he won't leave."

"i'm on my way."

beatrice hung up and looked back in her rearview mirror at her daughter who was asking who the man was outside. beatrice tried her best not to make eye contact, but it was hard not to keep an eye on her clearly drunk ex who was waiting on her front steps, refusing to let her pass.

she sat and pleaded with him to leave but in his slurred words he let her know he had no plans of leaving until he could see journey. she didn't know what his drunken state was capable of and did not want to risk trying to get journey past him.

"mummy, i want to go to sleep." journey said wiping her eyes.

"wilbur is gonna come over and help us get in and then you can sleep, baby." beatrice said, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"who is that man?" she turned around to see journey pointing a finger at the man who was her father sitting on the steps.

"i don't know, baby." beatrice whispered.

appearing like a guardian angel, beatrice watched wilbur's car pull up and without a second thought he was walking over to her car. christopher stood to pay attention.

wilbur first went and opened the door to find journey in her carseat.

"hi, j. i'm gonna take you inside, okay?" his calm demeanor washed relief over beatrice.

"thank you, wiwbur." journey said sleepily as wilbur draped his jacket over her body so she wasn't seen.

"come on, i've got you both." wilbur opened beatrice's door and began leading them to the flat.

he held journey close and as far from christopher as possible.

"who's this guy? why is he holding my daughter, beatrice?" christopher raised his voice and began approaching them.

"take another step and you're dead." wilbur boldly stated.

christopher was taken aback at the vast difference from beatrice's reserved attitude.

beatrice quickly unlocked the door and before it shut behind the wilbur said, "leave now or i'm calling the police."

wilbur went into autopilot as he double checked the door was locked behind him and instantly took journey to her room where she was so tired that she did not hesitate to curl up in bed and instantly fall asleep.

as he left her room he looked out the window to ensure that christopher had left before finding beatrice sitting on the couch, staring at the wall.

he very slowly approached and took a seat next to her. he found it difficult to gauge what she was thinking so he carefully placed an arm around her shoulders, instantly giving her the comfort she needed to break.

he could tell she needed to feel safety so desperately in that moment, so as she began to let her tears run down her face wilbur pulled her into his arms. he could feel his shirt being bunched up in her fists.

"you're okay. you're safe." wilbur quietly assured as he held her close and brushed her hair out of her face with his fingers.

the two sat embracing each other. wilbur hummed quietly in her ear as she slowly began to calm herself down.

"does," wilbur started. "does journey know him?"

"no and she never will. he's never met her." bestrice said shaking her head into his chest.

"even when she was born?"

"he tried, well. kind of. i hid my pregnancy for like four months because i knew he would leave. i thought i could delay the inevitable. he left as soon as he found my sonogram picture from an ultrasound. i moved back in with my mom and george and then he somehow found out when i went into labor and he tried showing up to the hospital. thankfully george was in the hallway and immediately had security remove him before he almost beat the life out of him. he's tried reaching out a few times but this is the first time he's actually shown up." beatrice sniffled.

wilbur delicately held her hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. his heart felt physical pain now knowing a fraction on what she had dealt with.

"i promise that as long as you keep me around," he lifted the back of her hand to his lips to place a kiss. "neither of you are ever going to worry about him. i promise, beatrice."

she didn't say anything, but didn't need to. she adjusted herself and wilbur pulled her to sit in his lap, allowing her to get comfortable.

"would you sing?" beatrice whispered.

"mhm," wilbur hummed before he quietly began singing the song 'acolyte' as he felt her body relax into sleep.