TNN ONESHOTS

The past - AFK & AMR & RK

It was a casual Tuesday evening when Autumn, Reece and Roger were having dinner.  It had been a long day for the siblings and they wanted nothing more then to have an evening without any arguments but of course that wasn't going to happen with Roger as a father.

After a while, Roger broke the silence only to tell Autumn to go upstairs because in his eyes, she had eaten enough. But Reece still had to sit downstairs even though they had both eaten the exact same amount. Time passed sowly. A few hours later Autumn finally snuck out of her room to get a drink. As she goes downstairs the sound of soft sniffles fills her ears. She makes her way to the kitchen quietly only to find Reece sobbing while sat at the table with his head in his hands.

Seeing her big brother so upset broke her heart. She felt it get ripped into pieces. The young girl ran upstairs and called Mia  panicked. “Mimi I know it’s late but you have to come over quick.” she gets out  basically in one breath, the moment the red head answers. “Aut, take a deep breath. Now tell me what’s going on. Talk to me sweetheart?” Autumn listens to Mia before explaining how Roger told her to go upstairs after dinner but Reece got left with a second plate and now he’s still sitting at the table sobbing. "Mimi, he’s done this everyday this week. He’s so drained" Autumn told her sadly as she was so worried about her brother. "I'm on my way. It's all okay Aut."

Mia didn't take long to get to the Knight family's house. As always, she walked straight in as she practically lived there. Mia goes straight to Reece's side, not thinking about anything but her friend. "I've got you." She hushed while carrying him upstairs and into his bedroom. "You're okay babe. I'm here now." Mia whispered as she curled up next to him on the bed till he finally fell asleep, never letting go till she heard he’s breathing even out.

Once Mia was absolutely certain that he was asleep, she got up and went downstairs to Roger’s office. She knew he’d been drinking, he always did after dinner, so for tgat reason alone, it had to be her who spoke to him. As Mia entered his office, he looks up her.

Mia took a breath to steady herself before yelling about the fact that he treats Reece so much worse and even though Adeline favoured him. "Just because shes gone, it doesn’t mean you can treat Reece like that. Roger, he is still your son! How can you do this to your own child!"

The pair go back and forth about it for a while till Mia finally walks out. "I'm done with this conversation!" Once she was completely out of Rogers sight, she let the tears that she had been holding back finally fall.

As Mia turnt to walk back upstairs, she noticed Autumn running back upstairs. "She was listening again" mia muttered to herself sadly. The young girl always thought that Mia didn't know about the fact she would always sit on the stairs whenever something happened, just incase she needed to step in.

Mia walked slowly up the stairs to give Autumn time to hide because Mia wasn't about to ruin that for her. It was her comfort. Once they were both at the top, Autumn couldnt help herself. She wrapped her arms around Mia, hugging her while gripping her shirt tightly. "Thank you." She mumbled before sniffling slightly. "Aut, listen to me. It's okay. He will never,  and i mean never, hurt you while I'm here. Do you understand that?" Mia told her with a serious tone. Autumn looked up with tears in her eyes, nodding slightly. "Good, now let's find Reecey and get us all wrapped up in blankets." She hushed while taking hold of her hands, guiding Autumn towards Reece's bedroom.

As they entered, they found Reece sat on his bed. "Only us." Mia whispered before moving towards where he was sat. Reece moved slightly, making room for his little sister and girlfriend. "Thank you, for you know, standing up for us and keeping her safe." Reece whispered while wrapping a blanket around his sisters shoulders as she sat quietly. "We are all okay. Yeah, he yelled, but no one got hurt. We are together and safe." Mia explained calmly, she could tell that this was effecting him more that he will ever let on.

"Shhh its okay" Mia hushed to them both as stood up slowly, moving to sit next to Reece before wrapping her arms around him. "Its not your fault. You kept her safe. We are all okay." Mia whispered calmly, while gently running her nails through his hair till she felt him physically relax against her. "Thats it." She hushed while moving one hand towards Autumn for her to hold which of course she did. "That's it." 

Because of Roger, Mia and Reece were dating, but in reality, they had become more like best friends. They worked together to keep Autumn away from her father and shield her from as much as possible but she was a smart kid, she always knew exactly what was going on. "How about cuddles and a story?" Mia questioned quietly, moving  away from Reece to look at his sister. The young girl nodded slightly while keeping a tight hold of Mia's hand.

Mia moved again. Sitting in the middle of Reeces bed, with her back against the headboard. "Come on then." She hushed with a gentle smile. Autumn moved first, getting her usual spot on the bed. They always made sure Autumn was far away from the door so that she was protected from anything if Roger ever came in.

Once the three were settled Mia recited the same story that she had always told. It was about a young girl living in a cottage next to the beach with her two friends. They lived alone, just the three of them. Autumn sighed before snuggling into Mia's side and grabbing Reeces hand. "That could be us if we ran away." She whispered sadly.

Mia swallowed the lump in her throat before even thinking about what to say. "Aut we have no money." Reece jumped in quickly. "Sweetheart,  maybe one day things will change and it really could be us but right now we have to ride it all out together." She hushed while placing a gentle kiss to her hair.

Autumn sighed before nodding slightly and closing her eyes. "You rest sweetheart." Mia hushed as she watched how the young girls whole body slowly started to relax. "Reecey im so sorry that I wasn't as quick as normal to step in, i thought it was just him having a moment and making it a one off. It wasn't till i got here and saw you were upset that i realised how deep this was. " She whispered before moving slowly to put her head in his shoulder.

He moved slowly, making sure he didnt wake Autumn before wrapping his arms around Mia. "Babe, you are my girlfriend. You aren't here to protect us." He explained calmly while combing her hair gently.

Mia stayed cuddled into Reece, as he wiped her tears before trying to fall asleep.

Sometime had passed, all three had fallen asleep hours ago while being cuddled by one another. Suddenly Mia felt the bed move next to her, causing her to stir. “I’m sorry.” Autumn whispered sadly to the half asleep redhead. Mia rolled over, careful not to wake Reece. “Oh sweetheart, it’s not your fault, it’s none of our faults. I’ve got you try get some sleep.” Mia hushed while tucking Autumn into bed with her.