𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐊 | 𝐉. 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐍

one |welcome home, baby bird

" THIS ISN'T HOME, for the last time big bird, I told you, Kentucky's home, not here in California..." Briseis mumbled, sighing as she tossed her shoulder bag into the backseat of her brother's truck, finally joining him up front in the passenger seat, buckling herself in.

"Aw come on now baby bird, I know Kentucky's home but just maybe you'll end up liking it here in Cali... I mean you liked it last time!" Bradley chuckled, as he put on his pair of aviators as he started to drive back to base.

"Well I did like it! Up until a certain point..." The youngest Bradshaw replied, putting her hair up in a messy bun in the car mirror. Bradley could tell how nervous his sister was. He'd distract her instead, he remembered what had happened the last time she was here and it wasn't so pretty.

"So what's new? how's your classes, anyone I need to know about?" Bradley coaxed with a playful smile as he continued to drive down the street.

Briseis rolled her eyes playfully, shutting the mirror closed with a click. "Nooooo, there's no one you need to know about!"

Bradley elbowed her.
"You're lying, come on Brie you can tell me!"

"I'm serious, Big Bird there's nobody on my mind!"

"You promise?"

"Yeah, yeah I promise, Big Bird."

"Good, that's my girl. Now come on, some people have been waiting for ya..." Bradley parked the truck just outside of his apartment on base, Bradley nodded his head towards the front door as soon as he helped Briseis out of the truck, with her carry-on and suitcase in his hands.

Briseis looked back at her older brother, for some reason she was nervous, probably because she wasn't sure who would be waiting for her inside her brother's apartment. But  she knew that Bradley wouldn't put her in danger, ever. He promised.

Bradley nodded, giving his youngest sister a small smile. "Go on, Duckie, the door should be open I'm right behind ya."

Briseis took a deep breath and walked inside, holding the door open ajar for her brother. As soon as Bradley stepped into the apartment,
Briseis noticed that all the lights had been turned off.

How strange.

Suddenly the lights in Bradley's apartment went on again and her older sisters Andrea, Brandy and Faye popped out from behind Bradley's couch and screamed. "Welcome Home Baby Sister!"

Tears had begun to form in the youngest Bradshaw's eyes as she wiped them away quickly with the back of her thumb. Her sister Brandy began wiping at Briseis's eyes as Faye enveloped her into a tight hug. She hadn't seen her sisters in months because they were no longer living in the same state.

"How'd you know I was coming?" Briseis mumbled as Andrea came back into the living room with a small cake and of course as per family tradition Briseis's celebration cakes came with a plastic rubber duck, its colour? This time it was yellow.

Andrea shook her head, laughing, jerking her thumb towards their oldest brother who was down the hall. He didn't want us to tell you but Mister Bird Brain over here flew us in to surprise you, sweetheart."

Bradley who had just finished setting up Briseis's things in his bedroom since he decided to take the couch since his sister was the guest of honour, came strolling back into his living room, a smile plastered on his face.

"Thank you, Big Bird!"
Briseis wrapped her arms around Bradley's waist as he kissed the top of his sister's head.
"You're welcome, Baby Bird!"

"Alright! Everyone sit down, its time to eat! Brandy announced as she came to towards the  table with some fried chicken, corn bread and some friend green tomatoes. Brandy was the cooking expert out of her siblings and had always been baking or cooking something for everyone growing up. Brandy and Carole had also taught Briseis how to when she was young.

As the Bradshaw siblings took their seats around the table, Briseis looked around, sitting between Bradley and Faye spearing a fried green tomato with her fork. It was so glaringly obvious who was missing and it made Briseis's heart ache. There was a seat in between Bradley and Andrea that remained unfilled and would remain unfilled for a long time.

That's when Briseis swallowed her tomato and cleared her throat.
"So Christopher Robin couldn't even bother coming, huh?"

"Bri...." Faye sighed, grabbing onto her sister's hand.
"Well... you know with his situation right now...
it's probably for the best that he didn't come, sorry baby bird..." Bradley responded, running a hand through his hair.

Andrea hung her head. We tried... but he didn't return any of my calls or texts, love..."

"He'll come around soon... just maybe not now..." Brandy suggested getting up from her seat to give a hug to her youngest sister.

Briseis and her brother Christopher (Christopher Robin as she liked to call him) had been inseparable for years until he made a stupid decision. A decision Briseis would never forgive him for.

Briseis had only been back on base for not even a day and already her visit seemed cursed. But she just shook her head, hugging Brandy.

"Its fine... I mean, its Chris so it was stupid of me to even think he'd be here..."

"It's not fine... Chris is just being an ass, as usual..." Bradley remarked in disgust.

Needless to say their brother Christopher had also been estranged from the rest of the family too for some time, especially Bradley. The strength of their twin bond apparently didn't last too long either.

"Bradley..." Andrea mumbled.

"What? He's my twin and I do love the guy but he can't even show up for Bri? It's selfish, Andie..."

"Can we stop talking about Chris now and finish dinner?" Faye asked, who had been quietly eating for some time. She was usually full of sarcastic and funny jokes at the dinner table, but apparently with all this talk about their brother it made her nervous. She had been close to Chris too. While Briseis had Bradley, Faye had Chris. He understood her far better than Bradley some days and for that she was grateful. There had been moments when life hadn't been kind to her and Chris knew it because she was almost going down the same path he did. But he wouldn't let her. That's what made him a good brother.

Briseis nodded. "Okay, deal. But after dinner can we go to the Hard Deck for Karaoke night?"

It wasn't a family reunion until the Bradshaw clan went to the Hard Deck to break out the tunes.

Andrea nodded, grinning at Bradley, who in turn looked at Brandy and Faye, who nodded back, helping their little duckling to her feet.

"Anything for you, Baby bird. Welcome Home."

LEIA SAYS!
goodness gracious great balls of fire!
- you can expect me to end each author's note with a goose quote or two 🤍