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waking up laying in john shelby's bed is not how celia fitz expected her morning to go. when the sun began to peak through the single window in the bedroom, celia rolled around for a moment before quickly sitting up. everything that john shelby said to her last night came quickly rushing back.
sliding out of the bed, celia quickly fixed the sheets and repositioned the pillows. she walked over to the dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror. leaning closer, the girl noticed a photo tucked into the edges of the mirror. it was a beautiful woman who celia assumed was martha, the mother of johns children. at the very bottom of the mirror was another photo. celia picked it up and pulled it closer. it was a photo of john and celia together - happy smiles on their faces, right before the two broke up. with shaky hands, the girl quickly put it back in its original place before leaving the bedroom.
celia walked toward her bag that was hanging in the coat rack and pulled out a wrap, which she quickly brought around her shoulders to get some extra warmth. with quiet steps, she checked on john who was still passed out on the couch.
after tossing a blanked over johns sleeping form, she made her way into the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for the kids. when breakfast was made, she got the attention of the children who were already awake and playing quietly in their bedrooms.
by the time the children were dressed and fed it was already 11. after a small list of rules given, the kids were ushered out the door to go play. by 11:30 celia decided to try and wake up john.
in the sitting room, john laid fast asleep. "john, you need to get up." celia urged gently only to receive nothing in response. "john!" she yelled out. the shelby boy groaned loudly and rolled over.
"get up, john. it's already 11:30." celia stayed, pulling her wrap closer around her. john grunted in response but sat up. celia stared at him for a moment. each word he said was running circles around her head. she figured the best thing to do was to to chalk it up to him just being drunk and try to move on.
john rubbed his eyes harshly and stood up, taking a moment to stretch. "did you sleep here last night?" he asked, his eyes wandering over her slightly disheveled appearance.
celia nodded. "yes. you came home dead drunk and i figure i should make sure you didn't die."
john let out a small laugh at her response. "thanks," he said. "reminds me of old times," he said with a soft smile, his eyes meeting hers. celia nodded, "like old times."
john stood in place, holding his arm above his head to continue stretching. from the waistband of his pants the butt of a handgun stuck out. celia rolled her eyes, "good god, john. you fell asleep with a handgun in your pants, i'm surprised you didn't shoot your dick off." she mumbled. john burst out into a laugh, a sound that she surely missed.
"where are the little devils?" john inquired, his voice rough and deep from just waking up. moving toward the kitchen, he pulled a glass from the cupboard and began to reach for the whiskey. celia snatched the golden liquid from him, replacing it with a bottle of cold milk.
"i sent them out to play." she replied smoothly. john set the milk down on the wooden kitchen table and stared at the girl next to him.
"you don't have to dote on me like i'm one of the fucking children." he said. celia raised an eyebrow towards him.
"just drink the fucking milk, john. it's good for your bones." she said, patting his cheek as she walked past him to the sink. as she began to clean the dishes she used earlier, celia heard the sound of the milk cap dropping to the table. the girl smirked to herself but stayed stationary.
"i can feel your fucking smirk from here, lia." he said plainly, followed by the sound of him gulping. "i'm doing no such thing," she muttered, holding in a laugh. john knew her too well. suddenly, john's hand was grabbing ahold of celia's upper arm, spinning her around so he could see her face.
celias smirk was still planted on her face, her eyes landing on the sight of johns neck. he gently squeezed her arm, the feeling sending her eyes upwards to meet his own. "told you," he whispered. celia placed her hand on the sink behind her to steady herself and as they kept eye contact, the smirk slowly slid off of her face.
"john." the girl whispered, moving her hand from the sink to his chest, pushing him back slightly. she saw his jaw clench, his muscles ticking. he released her arm and backed up another step.
"i'm going to shower," he said plainly before disappearing up the steps. once he was gone, celia took a deep breath. her hand found its way to her neck, fingering with her necklace.
after finishing cleaning up the kitchen, celia decided to take her leave. she could still hear the sound of the water running through the pipes and knew john was still hiding away in the shower. when her things were together she took a quick glance at the shelby home before heading out into the street.
