Forgive or die trying

Comfort

The move in went pretty smooth, Polly came by to help out however she could and was quite surprised at the living conditions, even moreso when she found out none of these kids attended school anymore. She knew exactly what the Hooligans were like, she'd seen them harm people with her own two eyes, but she was seeing a different side to them now.

The way they joked with each other, the laughing and smiles, the comfort they provided each other, they were a family.

And they'd welcomed Basil into that family.

Sure, she was worried how Basil would react to what the group truly did, but she was content knowing for now at least he was safe and loved by someone other than herself.

It had been years since anyone cared to stop by to check on Basil anyways.

Aubrey was the only one who actually tried to come by, she gave up after 2 years of constantly trying, but Polly knew Basil still kept every little trinket Aubrey would bring him during that time.

Kel did try to stop by a few times, but she noticed Sunny seemed to pull his attention away overtime.

She can't really blame him, the poor kid lost his sister and was probably just desperate for someone to love him.

Desperate like Basil was.

Desperate like Aubrey mustve been.

A thought rushed through her mind suddenly

Who cared for Aubrey over those first 2 years?

She grimaced at the thought, Basil had previously told her stories of how awful Aubrey's home life was. And seeing as the teens were living alone, she doesn't think her parents were around anymore. She didn't know how long Aubrey had been alone for, but she knew that it took at least 2 years for the hooligans to welcome her in.

She shook that from her head and sighed before smiling again.

That all changed today.

These kids deserved the happiness and care of an adult and she was determined to provide that. A small voice cut her off mid thought,

"Excuse me miss.. c-could you help me quickly?" The tallest of the group, a girl with long dark brown hair and a purple sweater, stood behind her shyly. Instantly, Polly nodded and asked what she needed help with as the girl held up a carrier with a pure white rabbit inside. The rabbit seemed to be curled up peacefully as she smiled more.

"Who's this little cutie?", asked Polly as she gently pet the fluffy ball through the crate door.

"T-this is Aubrey's bunny, she named him BunBun. Where can I put him miss?", the girl's voice was barely above a whisper, an underlying stutter making her speech a bit slow. Polly led her to a corner of the much more spacious living room where there was enough area to set up an enclosure for the small animal. Before opening the crate door, she set up small black fencing her and Basil used in the garden (well, she did the gardening but Basil had built it before the incident) to keep the wild rabbits out of the flowers.

"There, now the little guy can stretch out however much he'd like! Also, you don't have to call me miss sweetheart! You and the others can feel free to call me Polly! What's your name hun?", Polly tilted her head curiously at the tall girl and smiled softly to hopefully not seem intimidating. The girl offered a shy smile in return,

"My name is Charlie. Is there anything I can do to help you miss Polly?" She smiled more and nodded, thinking that Charlie must like to be able to help out, and led her to the kitchen as the others continued to get everything set up in the house. Once the teens had been fully moved in, Polly whispered something to Basil who nodded and then ran upstairs while his caretaker and Charlie finished up in the kitchen. The other teens sat by the couch, realizing that apart from Aubrey and Charlie, Polly didn't know any of their names. As the two came out with the cookies, and Basil brought down many blankets, Polly smiled warmly.

"You kids feel free to stay up tonight ok? I know starting to live in a brand new house can be scary, so don't hesitate to come get me if you need! Ah! Before I go, may I ask your names?", her voice was soothing and warm, the usually rambunctious teens feeling at ease and relaxed as they all gave their names. Polly noticed when Kim went to speak, Aubrey gave her hand a small squeeze and a smile formed on Kim's face. She brushed that aside for now and gave the kids the treats, making sure to compliment Charlie for all her help (which the young girl both appreciated and was a bit embarrassed by).

Hours past as the teens watched a bunch of old movies that Basil had collected over the years, a surprising amount being horror movies. All of them were huddled under blankets together. Vance motioned to Basil to take a photo (he had shown them the old photo album he had of when he and Aubrey were children) as Kim and Aubrey had fallen asleep holding hands, Kim's head leaned on Aubrey's shoulder and Aubrey's head leaned on top of Kim's. The others took notice as well, Angel going to speak but being quietly hushed by The Maverick to not risk waking the two.

Aubrey awoke once again in headspace, although it had shifted. Mari still stood waiting by the door, but not nearly as overwhelming as before. She had a soft smile on her face, her hand reaching out and caressing Aubrey's cheek lovingly.

"You came back for him. You forgave Basil. I'm so proud of you Aubrey."