Family Is Everything *Under Revision*

Patching Bullet Wounds

I chose to sit next to Chris, in hopes that he would start talking on his own. Chris didn't even move, just looked up at the trees and sighed. After about five minutes, he looked over at me and stared, almost like he was trying to map out what my face looked like. I looked into his eyes, trying to peel back the layers of pain and fear in an attempt to really see the man in front of me. As much as I would hate to admit it, I hadn't seen Chris in years, and he grew up a lot in those years and as much as I would like to say that I still knew him, I didn't. He was a new person, and it would take time before I could say that I actually knew the person sitting in front of me. The eyes that I was looking into were familiar and foreign at the same time. He sat against the tree, staring up into the sky, trying to sort out his feelings. He sighed, then turned his body to face mine. "Do you remember when I was little and I would sleep with you so you could chase the monsters away?" Chris's eyes were no longer focused on me, or anyone else.  

I remembered that memory. Chris used to say that monsters hid underneath his bed and the only way for him to be safe was to sleep in my room. He said that it was because Wade and I, who shared a room at the time, we're big kids and we would be able to scare the monsters away. 

Chris's eyes focus back on me and he said," Last night was the first time that the monsters didn't hurt me. Where were you? Why didn't you protect me? YOU PROMISED!!!" By now, Chris was standing over me, eyes ice blue, and canines fully extended. Gabe was holding himself back from attacking Chris to protect me. Amber was screaming at me, trying to take over to put this Beta back in his place, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it because, despite everything else that was going on, I could see the tears streaming down his face. He was hurt, all of these years, and all he wanted was for me, his sister to keep her promise and protect him from his own monsters, ones that he feared but couldn't see. I'd failed, that much I knew, but I never stopped and thought about how much Chris lost in that time. I felt horrible for him, and I couldn't do anything to erase that pain. 

Chris wasn't standing over me anymore, in fact, he wasn't standing at all. He fell to his knees, letting his tears freely water the grass underneath him. As I went to hug him, he started whining. At first, I couldn't understand why. I hadn't touched him, and Gabe wasn't growling at him anymore. Just as I turned to Gabe to ask if he knew what was going on, Wade came shooting out of the woods on the far side of the clearing. Just as he broke the trees, Lindsey came shooting out of the trees about three yards from us. As soon as they could, their eyes were trained on Chris and they didn't leave. Lindsey rushed past me and into Chris's open arms. Wade scanned the field, almost like he expected to have to fight to get to Chris. When he was satisfied that no one was in the clearing that wasn't supposed to be, he rushed over and gathered Chris and Lindsey into his arms. Chris stuck his head into Wade's neck before Wade stopped moving, and Lindsey buried herself into the space where Wade's shoulder met Chris's own. Wade's own head tucked over Chris's and he wrapped his arms around them both. Chris was still whining, but it was quieter now. Wade started growling softly, and Chris stopped whining entirely. Lindsey had started talking quietly, so quietly that I couldn't hear, but it made Chris smile through his tears, and it made Wade chuckle. Within two minutes, Chris's breathing slowed and started to match Wade's and Lindsey's. Within ten, Wade stood up and walked out of the clearing, still carrying both Chris and Lindsey in his arms. Lindsey was humming something, a lullaby maybe. Chris's eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. Right before their bodies morphed into the tree line, I saw Wade's face. He looked content, he looked happy.

****

After the rest of the pack got back to the clearing, Gabe and I sent the rest of the pack back to the house, while we decided to go on a run of our own. After we both shredded our clothes, Gabe yipped and took off into the trees. I shot off after him, laughing in my head. Gabe was fast, I'll give him that, but I was faster. I caught up to him and tackled him, but he knew me. He let me tackle him, then nipped my heel and bucked me off. I landed on the ground and looked up at him. Don't get me wrong, I was a strong Alpha, but so was Gabe, and he was intimidating when he wanted to be. As he stood over me and watched me, his eyes bleeding red, I couldn't help but think to myself, this is going to be fun. He growled not loudly, but it came from low in his chest. I whined and rolled onto my back, my stomach exposed, throat bared, and my tongue hanging out of my mouth in a wolfy grin. I could almost see Gabe's grin, as devious as it would be if he was human, and he nudged his nose into my neck. He sniffed around it, then when he was satisfied, nudged my side. I rolled over onto my stomach, not standing up yet. He nosed the back of my neck as if asking for something. I turned so that I could see him, and in his eyes, I saw what question he wanted to ask. His eyes flickered to my neck, then back to my own. As I stared into his red orbs, I only saw sincerity and love. I focused back onto his face, and after a moment, I licked his cheek, a silent yes. I turned forward once more and laid my head down in my paws. Gabe began to nose my neck once more, this time on a mission. When he got to a particular spot, he stopped and huffed through his nose, parting the hairs for only a second, but it was enough. He nosed my cheek once, then started nipping around the spot he chose. Finally, he lifted his head enough to take a deep breath through his nose, then he leaned down and took that spot of skin in his mouth. I could feel his canines extend, even more, then I felt them pierce the skin. There was no immediate burst of pleasure, in fact, nothing was instant. Quite the opposite, it was like a slow fire, filling me with warmth, starting from my tail, to my nose. Then I started to hear voices. I whipped my head around the forest, thinking someone snuck upon us, but there was only Gabe, sitting back, watching me. After a couple of moments, the thoughts and voices started to sort themselves out. Then, everything was quiet for a couple of seconds, then, Hello, darling. It was Gabe, but not. His voice was deeper, rougher, but it still carried the warmth of Gabe's own. Though I had never known the name of Gabe's wolf, somehow I knew that it was him. The voice continued, "That's me, sweetheart. The names Ryder and you have no idea how long I have been waiting to talk to you sweet thing." While I lay there, listening to Ryder's voice, Gabe walked off to grab clothes for the both of us. We kept clothes stashed all over the woods, for situations just like this. While Gabe changed, Ryder talked about how happy he was that we could hear him, and how lucky he was that we were his. By the time Gabe was done getting dressed, it felt like I had known Ryder forever. Gabe strolled over to me in jeans and a plaid shirt, chuckling to himself. When he got to me, he ran a hand through my fur and across my face. He looked into my eyes while he leaned forward. Soon enough, our foreheads were touching, though we never broke eye contact. His hand landed on my cheek and hung there for a minute. He looked me in the eyes and said, "As much as I love seeing you like this, I would love to have a physical conversation with my mate." I nodded at him and walked behind the tree to change. There was already a hoodie and jogging pants waiting for me.

After I changed, I joined Gabe in the clearing and we decided to walk back to the house so that we could enjoy the sights and sounds of the woods around us. When we got back to the house, everything was strangely quiet. We got inside and found everyone in the living room watching a movie. As we got closer, I watched as Merida shot her last arrow into the target, hitting dead center. Ah, Brave was the movie of choice for the night. Wade looked up at me when we walked in. Chris was huddled into his left side, Lindsey in his lap. Sophia sat on Wade's lap, her back flush with his chest and her head tucked under his chin. Asher was on his right side, Hannah laid out across Asher. Kira and Sean were on the floor, tucked into Wade's legs, with Kyle and Ashlynn in their laps respectively. All of the kids looked half asleep and even Wade looked like he was dozing off. Gabe and I looked at each other and began to laugh. In my mind, I heard, I'll take the ones on the left, you take the ones on the right, okay? I silently nodded, and we both went to work. We scooped up Kyle and Ashlynn first. As I whisked the kids upstairs, I heard Kira and Sean wake up, just a little. "Daddy, where are we going? And where is Mom?" I heard Kira's voice ask Gabe as he gathered her and her brother. "Momma has Kyle and Ashlynn honey. She is going to the same place you are." He whispered to her as he carried her up the stairs. After I tucked Kyle and Ashlynn into their beds, I walked across the room to Sean and Kira's bed. They insisted on sharing, and we had no problem with it. Technically, there were more than enough beds, so if they decided to sleep in separate beds one day, they could, but they chose to sleep together. I leaned down to kiss them both on the head, and Kira grabbed my face with her hand. "Goodnight Momma, I love you," She whispered half asleep. I smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to her hand as I tucked it back underneath her blanket. By the time I got back downstairs, Gabe was already on his way up with Asher in his arms and Hannah clinging to his arm. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Wade looked at me and said," These two have been attached since we got back from the clearing. Now I can ask what happened in the morning, but I recommend not disconnecting their hands." I nodded at him, thanking him for the tip and for tabling the conversation till the morning. He eased Chris out of his side and into my arms, then he placed Lindsey on top of Chris's chest, effectively keeping their hands together. I debated where to put them when I got upstairs, but Wade oddly motioned to his room. "The kid has nightmares, but Lindsey helps. Who knows, maybe if both of us are there, they won't come tonight?" I smiled to myself. Wade didn't want to admit it, but he needed those kids to sleep too. They made him feel safe, safe enough that he didn't have nightmares. I nodded without another question and placed both kids gently on his bed. After I bid Wade goodnight and went into Gabe and I's shared room, I found both of our beds pushed together. Gabe looked at me and spoke. "This is just temporary, at least until I can move a new bed in here." I nodded in thanks and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Gabe walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He started to kiss and nip and the back of my neck tiredly. After I finished with my teeth, I walked over to the bed and laid down. I opened my arms and Gabe all but dove into them. His nose buried into my neck, and my fingers found a place in his hair, rubbing in circles. I fell asleep to the sound of his heart and his warmth.