The year is 1926 and Brendon Urie is struggling to live up to the demands of his wife. To escape the stress, he sings at a jazz club downtown with his band, Panic! At the Disco and they gain popularity extremely fast.
Brendon then finds it challeng...
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Once upon before We were brilliant and bored
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June hadn't left bed since she went to sleep the previous night. The pain and nausea was destroying her, making it a feat to even turn over. Brendon stayed with her all day since he didn't have to work; after all, his real job started after dark.
"Are you gonna be okay by yourself tonight?" he asked, climbing into bed with her. "I won't go out if you need me here."
"No, go run your speakeasy. We'll need money to take care of this baby."
"Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?" Brendon asked, fantasizing about having a miniature version of him and June running around. "It changes everyday for me."
"I want it to be out of me, Brendon."
"Understandable."
"We also need to go baby shopping. I want this nursery to be absolutely perfect."
"It will be," Brendon assured her, kissing her forehead. "I'm so excited."
In Brendon's mind, this baby would be able to fix all the problems in his marriage and restore the peace that went missing once he and June tied the knot. People said having kids would change your life; Brendon hoped that wasn't just an empty aphorism.
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask if I can buy something with your gang money. There's this beautiful dress that would fit me perfectly. Well, after I have this baby."
"Buy whatever you want. This is the life you wanted, right? My money is your money."
June grinned and pulled Brendon in for a kiss. "You're the most amazing husband in the world."
Brendon wished he could return the compliment.
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Moretti had a meeting scheduled for an update on the club at 4 pm. Brendon wanted to ask if the LaPialga's were still something to worry about. He was tired of feeling like he was under constant surveillance.
He spotted Tilly waiting under the lamppost once he reached her block. Her smile was just as radiant from far away as she skipped toward him, throwing her arms around his shoulders once they were in close enough reach.
"Hey, sunshine," he laughed, lifting her off the ground and spinning in a circle. "How are you?"
"Amazing! I haven't stopped smiling since I heard the news. It's almost too good to be true," Tilly said, hugging Brendon again.
"What news?"
"Henry's gonna tell you that he's going away for a day or two to Chicago. You know, gang stuff with some confidants, the usual."
"Sounds great. You get the house to yourself."
"Unfortunately, Henry doesn't want me in this big house all alone. I'm just a poor, defenseless little lady, I can't tuck myself into bed at night," she sighed with a sarcastic grin. "Luckily, he trusts you enough to check up on me and make sure I wake up in the morning and make it home at night after going to the club. We can have breakfast and afternoon tea and share a smoke under the stars, what do you think?"
"Are you serious?"
"I told you it was too good to be true!" Tilly cried. "You have to say yes."
"Of course I'll say yes. Who's gonna protect you from the monsters under your bed?"
"My hero," she smirked, tenderly kissing his lips. "Now, go and try not to act all happy-go-lucky when he tells you, okay? You don't have to act like this is a chore but also don't act like this is dream come true—even though it is."
"Of course, doll. I can't wait." He kissed her deeply before walking the rest of the distance to meet Moretti and hear the good news for a second time.
"I don't trust anyone else but you, Mr. Urie and I know Matilda feels the same way," Moretti said, lighting a cigarette for Brendon and himself. "I don't mean to treat her like a child but things can get pretty dangerous and I know you know how to handle things. Hell, you've killed three people, surely you can kill a few more if you must."
"Sure, whatever you need."
Moretti nodded and held his hand out for a shake. "Thank you so much. And expect another shipment of liquor to come in soon. I changed the recipe a bit. I think you'll like it."
Brendon exhaled a mouthful of smoke and smiled. "Can't wait to taste it."
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I wanted to double update since the transition to the next chapter is kinda seamless but it's been hard to find time to write anything and when I do find time, writers' block is a pain in the ass so I decided to give you a little something since I haven't updated in 10 years.
