Infinity || Dan Smith

Fifty-Two.

   Dan knocks on his parents door, only for his sister of all people to answer. "Fran?" He says looking confused for a second. He hasn't seen his sister in literal months, it's safe to say that she's never met Charlie or his daughter. Although, she knows about them.

   "Oh my god!" Fran laughs in shock while she throws both of her arms around her little brother.

   "What the fuck are you doing here? Is everyone okay?" Dan's a bit taken a back, he was expecting his mum to quickly answer the door and take Lacey's car seat from him, as well as Charlie's blanket. But never would he have fussed his sister.

   "Everyone's okay, yeah. Mum told me that you was bringing Lacey around...and it turned out that I have a free night of no kids. So I thought I'd come and see my little brother...who is now a dad. Like an actual father. It only took thirty two years." Fran torments Dan while he tilts his head backwards in frustration.

   Because of everything that has happened, Dan sometimes forgets that he's a dad. Which is understandable He's just too busy wrapped up with Charlie, to do 'dad things'.

   "This is her right?" Fran crouches down so she's at the same level as Lacey's car seat.

   "Of course." Dan smiles looking down at his daughter.

    "It's weird how she has our blue eyes, Charlie's eyes are definitely brown..." Dan then looks at his sister confused. He knows that she has never met his girlfriend before. So how can she possibly know what Charlie's eye colour is.

   "Well...I mean they looked brown in the Empire magazine promo pictures." Dan then nods his head. He's forgotten all about Illusion.

"You looked pretty cool in those new promo pictures too. What was you doing in the one in Iceland while Charlie behind you?" Dan then shrugs his shoulders back. Not because he is scared of telling Fran incase Marvel finds out...but because he's completely forgotten.

"Bad...guys..." Dan presumes while Fran notices his unenthusiastic look.

"Well me and the boys are still waiting for our tickets to the premiere. So is all the family back in South Africa." Dan rolls his eyes at the last part. His family in South Africa use him for tickets to events all the time, which is very unfair but he can't deny...they're family after all.

   "The film is going to get delayed. Charlie's...not responding to her treatment..." Fran then holds her heart while she stands up.

   "I'm so sorry...I can't believe I forgot. Of course it's getting delayed. How is she?" Dan shrugs his shoulders back.

   "She says she's fine...but she isn't." Every single time Charlie says that she's okay...Dan see's through her lie.

   "First mum...now Charlie..." Dan shakes his head.

   "First Holly, then mum, and now Charlie." Even though Dan hates her, his ex still lost her life. Death isn't fair on anyone in his mind...which Charlie can disagree upon. But that's just Charlie.

Another one who disagrees with Dan's peace statement is Fran. As she believes that Holly got what she deserved. "Holly...Ellie...whatever her real name was...deserved it. She lied about everything. She was a little girl who prayed on older guys, you wasn't her first victim." Dan shrugs the past off of his shoulders.

"Why are you even bringing her up? Please don't say you still sleep in her hoodie or whatever, I swore mum chucked that away." Dan's eyes then widens in disbelief.

After Holly died, he went through a phase of sleeping in her baggy hoodie that she loved...well the hoodie that her 'Ellie' persona wore. Her family sold all her 'real' clothes online. Ellie adored darker clothes. She'd never dream of wearing anything tight or light coloured. But in real life...she loved wearing tight outfits. Nearly her whole entire wardrobe was baby pink.

"She fucking did what?!" He shouts a little too loud, however, the nosey neighbour across the road who's taking a quick cigarette snorts at the conversation.

"Oh shit..." Fran mumbles under her breath while she looks away.

"She went through my things! Threw the only piece of Holly that I had away? Why the fuck..." Dan's voice trails off while his mother appears in the background.

"Dan, get your arse in here. You're letting in a draft!" She says before then instantly smiling at her granddaughter, who is fast asleep in the car seat. However, Dan shakes his head. There's no way he isn't going to let this slip into nothingness.

"Why did you do it?" Isla looks confused while Dan lingers in the doorway.

"Why did I do what?" She nervously laughs.

"Why did you go through my personal belongings and throw away the hoodie?!" Isla then stands with her arms folded. She looks unimpressed that the past has been brought up yet again.

   "I threw it away because Charlie is crazy over you. And I don't think you realise that..." Dan instantly shakes his head at his mothers lousy excuse.

   "I fucking know she does. That doesn't give you the right to throw away the only thing I had left...."

   "She was a underage girl! She lied to you. If she was alive today she would've made your life a misery. What if you got caught? Huh. Or what if she blackmailed you? What if she was the one who got pregnant and not Charlie? You'd look like a disgusting man...when really she was the one taking advantage of you!" Dan then shakes his head.

"That's the exact reason why I can't stop thinking about her! She was a little fucking girl who died!" — Dan finally admits, although it isn't as disturbing as he sounds — "She was evil, and yeah...I hate her. She lied about her mentality. She lied about her family...her age...even her job." Dan then cuts himself off short.

"But I know for a fact that she would've never told a soul about me and her...because she was pregnant for your information. My son wasn't a lie." Isla's eyes widen while Dan shakes his head.

   He knows that he need to explain.

"The reason why I held onto the jumper is because it was her fucking maternity one. Not only did my supposed lover die...but so did my son. I brought her it when she started showing, a month later I first felt him kick while she was wearing it..." Dan has never told a single soul about him...including Charlie.

   "The only reason why I wore it is because it's the only good thing I had left of him."

"I never wore it for the psychotic little girl. I wasn't 'pining' for her like you all thought I was. It was because I was grieving him. I felt guilty that she died, since I could've been the cause for both of their deaths. She's a fucking bitch, what more do you want me to say? You still had no right." Isla then looks away while Dan just angrily stares at her.

"Oh god..." Fran's voice awkwardly trails off while she feels sorry for Dan.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Isla whispers feeing completely mortified that her son was forced to go through shit situations, even though none of them was remotely his fault. He thought his girlfriend was around the same age as him...Dan's sweet but extremely gullible.

"Because my son...died...and it was painful and traumatic." Isla hold's her head.

"I'm so sorry I got rid of the hoodie..." Dan shrugs.

"Whatever. I'm going back to the hospital. Charlie needs me...and truthfully, I need her." Dan then holds his daughters car seat out in front of him. He wants to say bye to her but he also doesn't want to act 'soft' or 'gooey' in front of his family at the moment.

He needs them to know that he's hurt.

"Dan!" Isla calls out feeling guilty...but Dan turns away and walks back to the car.

   This is the most awkwardest that he's ever felt.