Life in Fae Valley

Chapter 5: Part 3

Natalie was quiet for a moment, thinking over the name she just heard Ziggy say... She knew it sounded familiar, but she couldn't exactly place who it belonged to.

"Well, what matters is that you're safe now. We have a spare room so your welcome to stay by us" She said to him with a friendly smile, Ziggy nodding some and blushing a little as he glanced away.

JD simply rolled his eyes with a chuckle, though blinked some in surprise as he looked up to see Dante sprinting his way up the path, nearly stumbling with every step he took. JD glanced around for a moment before letting out a yell of surprise as he was tackled over in a hug he never expected, laying now in the dirt for a moment as Dante buried his face in his neck.

"Don't... Don't ever fucking scare me like that again... No one knew where you went... Just disappearing with the Leroy's girl like that... You could have gotten hurt!" He whispered to the detective, JD's gaze softening a bit as he sat up, hugging Dante back and rubbing his back a bit.

"I'm fine D... See? No scratches, no bumps. A bit dirty but otherwise fine."

Natalie couldn't help but smile as she saw how these two interacted, chuckling softly. Both so incredibly in love with the other and they both didn't even know it. She glanced over at Ziggy as she felt him gently tap her shoulder, raising an eyebrow as she gazed up at him. "What's the matter Ziggy?" She asked softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"That man, with the hat... Dante... I know him! We were childhood friends... Do you think he'll recognise me?" He whispered, causing Natalie to blink a bit in surprise. Other than Ford and Lucy, she never really pictured Dante to be the type to have friends. Slowly looking over at Dante and JD on the ground, she sighed softly and gave Ziggy's hand another gentle squeeze, starting to lead him further down the path.

"For now, let's get you checked up on Zigs. Who knows how long you've been down there? Just tell me the things you can remember, okay?" Natalie said to him, her gaze softening a bit as she saw him nod. If he had been friends with Dante, that made him around 32, 3 years older than her... Yet here he was, walking alongside her, hunched up like a scared child.

To each recollection he had, she listened attentively in hopes it'd give him some comfort. Something to show him that despite how the cruel the world had treated him, good hearted people still did exist. "I-I have an older brother, I-I think... Elliot... I remember... He always had a girl around him... Maybe his partner?... She used to call me Zigzag..." Ziggy said softly, pausing for a moment to gaze over the horizon.

Standing on this downward slope on the hill, you could see nearly everything in the immediate surroundings. Fae Valley, the farmlands around it, wide rolling hills of endless green... The snowcap mountains nestled behind the woods that cushioned the Leroy farm. Of course, from where they stood it'd be easy for someone else to see them as well... Probably how Dante found them so quickly.

"Zigs?... You okay?"

"Yeah, just uhm... I haven't... Seen the outside world in awhile... I forgot how good the sun feels."

"Then lets sit here for a moment, alright? Sit here and take a deep breath... There are things that can wait. If you want to feel the sun and the breeze for a moment, no one will rush you."

Together, they sat down and simply gazed at the world... Taking in its beauty. Something neither had done for awhile... In a busy world, its often forgotten to take a moment to appreciate your surroundings and simply study the nature around you... From here, it was easy to watch the towns people going about their daily lives.

Chuck, distinct for his ginger hair, could be seen helping Lucy unpack a new shipment of flowers. Music could be softly heard on the wind, Eddie and Missy dancing to it in the street while their children danced around them. Brandy and Nikkie were helping each other to move some benches in place, decorating the street in beautiful lights... Amongst it all was a woman on roller skates, zipping in and out between people while holding boxes, helping here and there while a man followed behind her, pickup up whatever she dropped.