Sweet Dreams - Ace Merrill

Good luck dad.

Vivian and Ace ended up falling asleep soon after John had.

The three lay sleeping as John kept a firm grip on their fingers, their pinkies remained locked till the next morning.

Ace woke first as he gently managed to pry Vivian's fingers from John, just as he began to stir.

Scooping him up he quietly left the room. John of course began to whimper and cry as he got downstairs.

Ace walked into his living room as he tried to gently rock the child. His mouth dropped slightly as he looked around and saw a collection of boxes. A single piece of paper on top.

"Please be quiet." Ace found himself grumbling as he walked over and picked the paper up.

Good luck dad.

He sighed as he looked down at John.

"Your fucking uncles are arseholes." He grumbled as he tried to bounce the squirming baby.

"Don't think swearing in front of him is gonna do him any good."

Ace turned and saw Vivian standing there. She instantly came over and took John from him as she eyed up the boxes curiously, her eyes falling on the paper in his hand.

"What's that?"

Ace shook his head and scrunched the paper up. "Nothing." He mumbled as Vivian eyed him up curiously.

He quickly nodded down at the boxes.

"Your brother and Eyeball brought over the kids stuff. And yours I believe." He mumbled.

Vivian sighed. "Ace you can't be serious still?"

"About what?" He asked as he began trying to find something to feed the kid, who continued to squirm in his mum's arms.

"About actually keeping him and trying to raise him."

Ace stopped as he turned to her. "I thought we discussed this last night?"

Vivian raised her eyebrow at him. "Ace, it's not fair on him."

"He's your fucking child, surely that means something?" He felt his temper beginning to rise.

"And as his mum I want what's best for him." She pleaded with Ace, not wanting to start another argument.

"So being here with you is what's best for him." Ace snapped back.

Vivian shook her head slowly. "I'm not ready for this Ace..." she pleaded again. "I never was."

"And I'm not either!" He snapped back, not realising what he was saying.

"I'm not asking you to!" She finally snapped back as John continued to cry.

"You don't have to fucking ask!" He snapped again. "I'm fucking doing it to keep a family together!"

"You don't get it!" She bit back as she could feel her emotions rising. "I don't even fucking feel like his mum! I've never bonded with him! He was always being taken from me! From day one I've always felt protective but never truly connected!"

Ace stopped arguing as he turned and found a small pot of some kind of unknown baby food. Pulling it out he stared at her.

"Are you going to feed your fucking child or not?" He snapped out harshly as she stared at him.

Vivian was silent as she watched Ace take him from her and walk through to the kitchen.

She looked down and saw the scrunched up piece of paper he'd been holding. She gently unfolded it as the three words hit her hard to the core.

Good luck dad.

A tear rolled down her cheek. How was it that when she felt somewhat ready, Ace wasn't yet now he seemed to feel ready, she felt so distanced.

Running her fingers through her hair she rummaged through another of the boxes as she grabbed a handful of fresh clothes and a rucksack.

She raced back upstairs and into the bathroom. Shutting the door she had a quick shower before changing into shorts and a plain top.

She shoved the rest in her backpack as she walked back into her room, slinging it over her shoulder.

Tears fell from her cheek as she tried brushing them away. Unclipping her necklace she opened it up again. The picture of John as a baby staring straight up at her.

She shut it back down again as she placed Alex and Eyeball's note on the bed before neatly draping the necklace over it.

Quietly heading back downstairs she listened as she heard Ace attempt to get John to eat.

Wanting so much to run into there and be with him and the baby, she found herself taking a small step back.

Her hand reached behind her as it gently touched the door handle.

Taking a deep breath she opened it up, slipped out and shut it behind her. Running as fast as she could, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Ace looked up, he could have sworn he heard the front door go.

"Viv?" He shouted out.

Nothing.

Looking confused he stood up, holding John to his chest. Walking in the living room he saw nothing.

Gently holding John, who returned to his usual activity of trying to eat Ace's shirt, he went upstairs.

His room was empty.

The bathroom was empty.

He walked into Vivian's room as his eyes fell instantly on the bed.

Walking over he shook his head over and over as he saw the note Alex and Eyeball had left. Vivian's necklace draped over the top.

Gently placing John on the bed he couldn't stop himself.

Shouting out he turned and took a few steps before his fist collided with the wall.

John instantly started crying as Ace snapped his head back down at the crying child.

"The fuck you crying for?! She's left me too you know!" He snapped harshly as he felt his chest constrict.

John only screamed and cried louder as Ace sighed. He walked back over to the baby as he scooped him up and tried bouncing him to get him to quieten down.

"Oh mother!"

"Oh father!"

He sighed as he heard two familiar shouts coming from downstairs. Footsteps were soon heard as Alex and Eyeball came charging in, ready to begin todays teasing.

Yet they stopped dead in their tracks as they saw Ace's face, John crying, the new hole in the wall and the note with the necklace on the bed.

"Oh shit." Eyeball mumbled.

"Oh shit." Alex repeated.

"Yeah, oh fucking shit." Ace snapped again as he tried to mask the pain with anger.