KillShot [John 'SOAP' Mactavish] *SEQUEL TO BEAUTIFUL LIE*

Fourteen [ Alyssa & Aggie]

Alyssa had tried.

She had tried to be fine, to have some remnants of normality for her boys. She was their mother, and it was Christmas.

She had forced the smiles and excitement as they hung decorations, forced the laughter as they decorated the tree. But John could see the sadness within her gaze, despite the warm lights that surrounded their home, she kept finding herself back there.

In the darkness beneath the hood.

She had suffered horrifically with nightmares, waking most nights, gripping the sheets, coated in sweat, screaming out in terror. John had been there for her, soothing her as she cried. She had tried to keep the things that haunted her away from the boys, thought they had be unaware.

Ernie had noticed, she had always joked about how observant he was, even as a small boy he was observant to the ones around him. his mothers screams had awoken him most nights, only fuelling his own fear of the night. He had taken the initiative one night, after a particularly bad string of nightmares throughout the week.

He had waited until both his parents were asleep before carefully climbing out of his bed and padding silently across to their room, he had slipped through the closed door silently, neither of his parents had woken and he had silently slipped back into his own room before falling into a dreamless sleep.

John had heard him, heard the tiny creak from the door, his eyes half opened when he saw his eldest boy tip toeing through their room, this was normal if he had a bad nightmare, he would crawl into bed between his two parents and snuggle into their warmth. But when John didn't feel his son at the foot of the bed or slip through the sheets he turned, maintaining his cover of being asleep but listened as the boy rustled slightly before a soothing voice quietly filled the air. Ernie slipped silently back to his own room, leaving his tapes and tape player in his parents room reading his mothers favourite story to her within her sleep.

Alyssa had awoken in the morning at cried and the sight of the tape player, the realisation that her son had come into her room silently to help her, she had buried herself under the warm sheets, gripping them tightly as the tears flowed freely. She had felt Johns arms wrap around the mound of covers, trying to coax her out.

She stayed under the covers for three days.

Only leaving the bed to go to the toilet. John had brought her trays of food, meals three times a day but he always brought them back full the first two days and a few bites taken on the third. His wife had lost even more weight, now more closely resembling a skeleton. She was skin and bone and almost unrecognisable.

She barely left the house, a shell of the woman she once was, John often found her in the bathroom, staring at the large scar running the length of her torso with tears in her eyes, he never knew what to say, how to word what he felt. All he knew was he had to be strong for her, that she had looked after him in Russia and now it was his turn to repay her.

Their kitchen was alight with life.

Everyone had descended on their home for the Christmas celebration, Johns family had travelled down from Scotland, his mother, father, sister, brother-in-law and his two nieces and nephew. Their own two children, Alyssa's family, Mother, Father, Brother and sister-in-law, Sister and brother-in-law and all their children. Sian and Simon had arrived after spending the morning with Sian's family. Gary had even made an appearance to bring his nephews gifts over.

The kitchen was too loud, to many voices. All talking, children shouting and squealing with excitement as they ran round fuelled on chocolate and presents.

Alyssa sat silently at the table, a still full glass of wine untouched in front of her, her gaunt frame hunched over on herself slightly. She stared unblinking at the wood of the table; she just wanted some quiet. Just a moment of silence. It had taken all her energy to plaster the smile across her face as she watched the boys open their presents, the tears had flowed once again as she released how much energy it took to look happy for her children.