Valeriana

20

Dap, you're finally getting your comically large carnival lollipops /pos

The beginning of this chapter is flashbacks to Jimmy's and Lizzie's childhoods with Daniel and their mom.

CWs/TWs: sick/dying character, character death, grief/grieving, PTSD, referenced/mentioned sh

(I promise there's fluff at the end)

.•°*°•.

"Dad, Dad!" nine-year-old Jimmy said, tugging on his father's arm. He had cotton candy in his other hand and all over his mouth and cheek. He wiped at it, rubbing off a bit of his lion facepaint. "We gotta go to Ferris wheel!" He pointed toward the attraction, hopping up and down.

Daniel chuckled as thirteen-year-old Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Sure, why not?" he said.

Lizzie sighed as they started to walk toward the Ferris wheel, then gasped a bit when she spotted a stall that sold really, really big lollipops.

"What?" Daniel asked, startling her.

"Nothing," she mumbled, glancing back at the stall.

Daniel looked around her to see what she was looking at, then laughed a bit. "You want a lollipop, don't you?" he asked teasingly, nudging her shoulder as Jimmy whined about his fingers being stuck together from the cotton candy.

She blushed and turned her chin up. "No, I'm not a child," she huffed, to which Daniel snorted.

"You're only thirteen."

"Wha- Still!"

"Come on," Daniel said, nudging her and her brother toward the stall. "We can get those and have them while we go on the Ferris wheel." He smiled at how Lizzie's face lit up. "See, you are a child."

"Dad!"

.•°*°•.

Daniel paused a moment, staring Lizzie down, before slamming down a skip, another skip, a reverse, and finally, a plus four card, throwing his hands in the air as he celebrated his victory. "In! Your! Face!" He pointed at his daughter and laughed lightheartedly as she rolled her eyes.

"You only won because I let you," she huffed, mixing her cards with the rest of the deck to shuffle them.

They'd been playing Uno for the last forty minutes, and it was the most intense game Jimmy had ever played. Joel, Grian, and Scar had come over as well as fWhip, Gem, and Sausage. Jimmy was the first one out, much to everyone's surprise, and they were all shocked when Daniel wasn't out earlier on. The man was a champion at Uno.

"Yeah, yeah, say what you want," he teased, Lizzie swatting at him.

"Macarons, anyone?"

The group turned to see Jimmy and Lizzie's mother standing in the doorway with a tray of macarons. She looked sickly, all pale and tired, and she was shaking a bit.

Daniel gasped and rushed over to take the tray from her. "Josie!" he huffed, handing the tray to Lizzie, who sat it on the table. "You need to go lay down-"

"I feel fine," Josephine said with a soft smile. "I want to be with you and the kids."

"Honey, you're sick," Daniel said seriously, and Josephine's smile dropped. "You need rest."

She sighed. "I know, I just..." She glanced at her kids. "I want you guys to know I love you. I wish I could be with you more."

.•°*°•.