The Next Chapter

[Bradley Young]

Every silent moment no matter how brief brought on the onslaught of uncertainty and doubt. After so many months of dealing with it Brad figured it would either begin to subside or he'd get used to it but neither scenario seemed on the horizon. Little did he know Beth contended with the same thoughts and emotions. He'd hoped to take the burden on himself and leave her free of the strain. "And there's a problem with that?" He asked, his voice cutting through the silence and driving away the errant thoughts and emotions that threatened to well up.

Again a brow perked up in almost comic fashion as Brad, having disposed of the defective light bulbs, poked his head back into the living room. He moved forward, slipping around the boxes that were haphazardly scattered throughout the living room and instantly went to take his wife into a firm, yet gentle embrace. His arms went around Beth, pulling her to him in an overly dramatic fashion. There were benefits to being much larger and stronger than your partner. His hand found hers and he shifted to dip the young woman dramatically. "You had me at 'blanket fort'." He said, his tone soft and utterly romantic sounding if not for the ludicrous words that had escaped his lips.

[Beth Young]

"None whatsoever," she grinned. In fact, she was quite about the fact that she didn't have one of those husbands who complained about her having too much of this or that. In a way, it made it a lot more comfortable, but also meant that she had no excuse not to buy more scarfs and blankets. At least it could all be put to good use.

Beth chuckled softly when she felt her husbands arms around her. The smile didn't falter even as he dipped her and spoke. Her free hand came up to snake around his neck - just in case. "You're such a child," she said, though there was proud adoration gleaming from her eyes. She didn't mind his childlike personality one bit. In fact, she found it incredibly endearing, and it was oh so easy to get pulled away and play along with it.

And such came the idea of making a blanket fort.

[Bradley Young]

And such, the idea of the blanket fort became a reality.

Beth had always been the more 'adult' of the two. Even though Brad was, until recently, a member of the NYPD who took his duty seriously, Beth was the one who had to say when it was time to stop playing games and actually get work done. If not, then Brad would probably be content to sit on the couch playing video games and eating Cocoa Puffs all day. There's was a beautifully simplistic, symbiotic relationship. Brad pushed for time to play while Beth pushed for time to work. He kept her from becoming too tightly wound and she kept him focused and on track. And Brad loved her for it.

"You know..." Brad peered at his wife through in pale light that filtered into the complicated shelter they had crafted using couch cushions, boxes, blankets, and anything else they could get their hands on. "You're lucky you're an exception to the rule of 'no girls allowed'." They'd even went so far as to dig out their camping gear and had sleeping bags laid out, along with a battery operated lantern resting in the center of their impressive dwelling. "Because only the most beautiful of maidens are allowed entry into Fort Young."

[Beth Young]

With her chin rested upon the top of her knees, Beth's eyebrows quirked in amusement at the words her husband uttered. "You know..." she countered. "You're lucky I don't haul your ass out of here and siege the fort all to myself." She offered him something of a smirk then. Of course, that simple statement was hilarious all on its own, because of the simple difference in their size. Beth was just as weak as she was short. And that also came with a horrible sense of direction and balance.

Her eyes wandered over the small make-shift fort they'd made. They were so going to regret this later when they had to pack it up, along with actually unpacking the entire apartment. It was probably a good thing they both worked so close to home - it made their time a little better spent. Then again, it wasn't as if there was any rush to get anything done. As long as they managed to get the essentials packed out, everything else could wait.

[Bradley Young]

There was a false sense of fear and concern that flashed on Brad's face as his wife spoke. "No." He croaked, swallowing hard in an overly dramatic gesture. "Where will I go? I beg of you, Queen Beth. Have mercy on your humble subject." It seemed from the moment they met Beth was able to counter him at every turn. She always had the perfect response to everything he said. They had battled with wits many times before and, as adept as Brad considered himself to be, Beth had emerged the victor nearly every single time. She was smarter and sharper than he was. He'd never admit it, but he knew. He also knew she knew he knew. That she'd never held that over his head, however, was just another in a long list of the things that had him still helplessly in love with her.

The playful demeanor faded as Brad gave a sigh. He shifted, moving to get her to extend her legs out so he could rest his head on her lap. He was unsettled. It was plain as day for his wife to see. He was worried and concerned. "Can we really do this?" He asked, his dark eyes lifting up to her. "Can I do this? Do you really see me being... a teacher?"

[Beth Young]

Tapping her lower lip, a thoughtful expression swept over the brunette's features. "Hm," she said, nodding slowly. "I don't know..." She tossed him a quick glance, as if she was actually considering tossing him out. She wasn't. Not really. "I mean, I could punish you for being so disobedient." Her green eyes moved over the small fort. "Alright. Ten days of doing the dishes and you're off the hook." She tossed him a playful wink then.

Extending her feet when she was asked to, Beth looked down at Brad as he settled down upon her lap. Her fingers moved to play with his hair. She offered him a reassuring smile as he spoke. "I do," she replied honestly. "I think you're going to be very good at it. The kids are going to love you and give you cute gifts on valentine's day. And then they will stand in the doorway, gazing longingly towards you, and every time you look at them, they'll bat their pretty little eyelashes and fantasize about being conquered." She grinned down at him before dipping her head down to place a chaste kiss on his forehead. "You'll do wonderfully, and you know it."

[Bradley Young]

It had always warmed Brad's heart on the rare occasion he could get his wife to go along with his crazy antics. He imagined it was probably the same feeling she got when she'd spurred him to dedicate himself to his schooling his senior year of college and pushed him through to graduating at near the top of his class at the police academy just a year later. Her words were a playful reminder of everything she was to him. And everything he'd failed to be to her. "Deal." He said, knowing damn well he already was the one who did the dishes anyway.

"I'll try." He replied, his eyes closing as she pressed her lips to his forehead. This was why he was so in love with her. She embodied everything he didn't know he needed in his life. She was his guiding light and his rock to lean on. "For you." The faint traces of a sincere smile touched the corner of his lips as his eyes opened and gazed longingly up to his wife. "For us."

[Beth Young]

Her hands moved from his hair to cup his face, her thumbs brushing lovingly against the soft skin right above the line of where his beard started. "That's my man," she said, chuckling softly as she placed another kiss on his forehead before she straightened herself up. "We really should have built this in the bedroom," she said as she looked around the small fort. "That way we wouldn't have to take it down." But they did have to. At least, as long as it was located in the middle of the living room.

Not that Beth was too worried. She sincerely doubted they'd get a whole lot of visitors, what with everyone working at the academy and what not. It was sort of nice, having a place to hide in. Away from everyone and everything. It was almost as if nothing could touch them in here. As if whatever was going on with the rest of the world suddenly didn't matter anymore. It did make her think though; Lilly would have loved this.

[Bradley Young]

His eyes closed again as her lips found their way to his forehead a second time. In spite of everything it felt as though Beth could say no wrong. Every word that came from her lips in that soft, gentle tone of hers was exactly what he needed to hear. Their lives had been turned upside down and crushed by the accident. It had been nearly a year and here he was, still unable to let it go. Beth had been there every step of the way, putting her husband's feelings before her own, as she always did. He was going to be alright, they were going to be alright. And Brad knew she was the reason why.

Peering up to his wife with a sort of 'aw mom, do we have to' look in his eyes, Brad chuckled. It had been a while since the two of them had shared a moment like this. It seemed the last few months had been a blur of change. Between selling their old house, his continued recovery, planning the move, packing, it was all just too much to take. He almost felt like the two of them had fallen through the cracks under the pressure of everything. "But rebuilding it was half the fun."

It was at that moment he saw it. The look in Beth's eyes told him exactly what had just gone through her mind. In an instant he felt the subtle joy and contentment that had settled over the couple wash away. He nodded a little and shifted his gaze around the little dwelling they'd thrown together. It brought back a flood of memories too painful to allow. "You remember the day you came home from work...?" He trailed off, not needing to finish the thought.

[Beth Young]

Sighing, Beth looked off into the distance. She nodded slowly in response, before lowering her gaze. "Yeah." The memory was as clear as day. Back, while they'd still been living in New York. Maybe a few years go, Beth had come home from work only to find Brad and Lilly had turned the living room into one giant blanket fort. The memory was a nice one, as opposed to some of the more recent ones. "That was a good day." She smiled a little at that. In a way, it still hurt to think about it, but it also made her feel happy.

It was a complicated matter to be sure, but in a way, being sad and depressed about it almost felt as if they didn't do Lilly the proper justice she deserved. She deserved to be remembered for all that she was, and not for the way she'd...

Sighing, Beth's head shook. "She would have loved this," she said, her eyes still on her husband's. She wondered if maybe, just maybe, they started to grow near the time where they could talk about these things without pulling away. They needed to - they both knew that, but up until now, it had been one of those things they simply avoided, which clearly wasn't healthy for either of them.

[Bradley Young]

In an instant everything came flooding back. It wasn't just the details of the horrific accident that had changed their lives forever that rushed into his mind. Every memory he had of the little girl he'd loved and cherished so much from the first time he heard her heartbeat in the doctor's office crashed into his consciousness. The happy memories were clouded by the fact that they were just that: Merely memories. The last, fading vestiges of something so good and pure knowing there would be no more of them was crushing.

Dropping his gaze, Brad swallowed hard. She would have adored this. He'd always been the playful one while Beth had been the loving voice of reason. Few memories had been more heartwarming then the ones where he and Lilly had convinced Beth to partake in their silly little games. They had given Brad such a sense of unity and togetherness that was nearly overwhelming. And all that had gone away in the blink of an eye.

"We should get as much unpacked as we can before it gets to late." He said abruptly as he jerked and went to move out of the makeshift fort. He had no intention on dwelling on the accident or what they had both lost in the aftermath. He couldn't handle it. Even now. "Come on." There was an instant coldness that touched his voice as he pushed open the blanket they had draped over the entranced and stepped out into the cluttered living room. "Play time is over."

[Beth Young]

Sighing, Beth fell quiet; Yeah, that was right. That was why they never talked about it. Her head shook faintly as she let the subject die. Instead, the tiny brunette scrambled herself up to her feet; there was little point in causing unnecessarily pain. It was obvious this wasn't at all the time to discuss such matters and Beth was rarely one to push when it came to emotional trauma. And this subject was too close to heart. She wasn't sure it was a battle she wanted, nor was ready to fight.

Moving out of the blanket fort, the brunette started the process of removing the blankets and folding them nicely. No point in keeping it up like this; it'd only cause them to tip toe around each other more than they would already, and that wasn't something Beth wanted to deal with. Not right now, anyways. They were good at this; being evasive and pretending as if nothing had happened, and it was tearing them apart, bit by bit.