To Quell the Wrath

Chapter Five - A Clean Break

Author's Note: TRIGGER WARNING. There is a little mention of (potential) suicide a little way down the page. Towards the end, there are also minor mentions of abuse.

Dina finishes raking up the leaves and wipes sweat from her brow.

"You done?" Ellie calls from the open kitchen window.

"Yes." Dina replies.

"Oh, c'mon buddy, let's go jump in the leaves Mama just piled up. Yes, that's right..." Ellie says to JJ, picking him up and zipping up his little coat. She grabs a little hat and places it on his head, gently tapping the earflaps on his ears. "Ooh, you look so snuggly." She throws on her green winter jacket and zips that up, before also grabbing a hat.

"It's cold out..." Dina yells, making her way to the house.

"Pfft, we're all prepared."

"Hmm, well, alright..." Dina says, walking through the front door. Ellie carries JJ towards the door and stops to kiss Dina.

"Come join us."

"I will in a minute, I gotta do the dishes."

"Aw, man, they can wait."

"Ellie, you didn't do them from yesterday." Dina scolds. Ellie shrugs. "You're so annoying sometimes."

"Hey, I was on bath duty."

"You could've done the dishes before running the bath."

"Nope, bath time is bath time. Dishes aren't more important than playing with the rubber ducky and the toy boat!" Ellie replies, poking out her tongue.

"Did you just poke your tongue out at me?"

"Nope."

"Mmm-hmm..."

Ellie grins at Dina and gives her another kiss, before heading towards the leaf pile so she and JJ can play in it.

"Look, JJ, look at all the pretty colours." She picks up a leaf from the floor. "Look, this one is red. Can you say red? Reeed... No? Okay, we'll try again. Hey, you said 'mama' though, twice. That'll do us nicely. Only twice though... it's okay, we'll get there." Ellie clutches JJ and carefully falls into the pile of leaves which billow up around her and float down. One lands on JJ's forehead, and he squeals with delight. "Oh, hey, buddy, you got a leaf on you." Ellie chuckles and removes it. "Hey, I got a joke for you... What's green, has leaves and a trunk?... A plant going on holiday... Ohh... one day, you'll get these, you'll have a deep appreciation for these jokes. Ooh, hello. Hey, mama." Ellie says, adding the 'hey mama' in a squeaky voice and pretending to be JJ.

"Hey yourself. Whatcha doing?"

"Telling JJ a joke..."

"Oh, really? Let's hear it."

"Okay... What's green, has leaves and a trunk?"

"I dunno." Dina replies, sceptically.

"A plant going on holiday." Ellie replies, grinning. Dina groans. "Ooh, oh, I got another... This is one Joel told me... Hang on... What is the downside to eating a clock?" Dina pulls an 'I don't know' face. "It's time consuming." Ellie finishes.

"Ohh, man, dad jokes. Oh, he got you good. That is so corny. Now I know where you got the dad jokes from. It's all Joel's fault."

"Heeeey! They were some good jokes, man."

"Pfft, yeah right. They're cheesy."

"Yeah, but you like cheese."

"Oh, do I?"