no patience for glory // danger days: book 3

don't break character, you've got allot of heart

"Party!!" Umbrella giggles, holding onto her husband's waist.

Defying and Bandit are playing with their uncles, laughing and babbling. They've only been home a week.

Home.

It's an interesting concept. She had a home, before the desert. Then a home in the desert. Now one here. She's found, it isn't the structure and the location, as it's the people. The people really make it into a home. A home that she'll have to leave in less then one year. On the twins first birthday, she's destined to die.

Maybe it's better off this way.

It seemed she was always ment to go "before her time.". First she was a bomb. Now this. But, when She looks over at Ghoul grinning wildly at Defying, it makes it all worth it again. She just has to keep it a secret. None of them know. They can't. They'll try to stop it and she won't allow it.

¬¬¬¬

Party kisses the top of Umbrella's head and looks at their little family of four. Blissfully unaware, it will soon become three.

Bandit laughs loudly, grabbing at Jet's curly hair. Defying seems to have taken an interest in Ghoul's tattoos. Kobra sits back, using his wheel chair, as walking still tires him out easily, with a small smile on his face. He can feel it. Something inside him is starting to give and it's not good.

"How's my favorite baby brother." Party asks, tousling Kobra's fading blond hair.

"Tired." Kobra mutters, fixing the damage Party did.

"Yea." Party sits next to him, "These two may seem like angels, but you know nothing until you're standing at 2am trying to get one, or usually both of them, back to sleep."

The two brothers sit in silence, watching. Thinking about how things have changed.

Umbrella is sitting in front of Ghoul, grinning up at Defying. And for a second, Party gets a glimpse of what could've been. The little family of three that could've exsisted in another time. Without the strings tied to it, that are tied to his.

But he doesn't know about that. Not yet.

¬¬¬¬

Umbrella lays curled up in the middle of the bed, tears coming in steadfast streams. She told Party that She was going to take nap. Instead the salty taste of tears run down her lips.

Party comes in to check on her, and immediately rushes to her side.

"Umbrella? Hey, what's wrong, Sunshine?"

"I don't wanna die."

It's hit her, a week later, that she'll never see Defying walk. Or Bandit say her first words. Or Party grow into being a dad.

"We all die someday." he says, rubbing her back, "But when you go, I'll go with you."

"No." Umbrella shakes her head, sitting up, "When I die, you promise me, you'll live out how ever many year's you have left."

"I promise. But by then, do you really think it'll be years? We'll be so old."

"I wish, Party." she mumbles, quietly.

First chapter amid many.