Realistic or Modern Empire City: The Irish Mob - Bonus Scenes (Closed)

[BasDorcha]

Bruce King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 12th September 1969 ~
Jeremy Gray​

As his hand pulled back and was caught in Spencer’s grasp, he spun, ready to swing on his friend instead. Once he saw Spencer’s face he stopped, slowly coming back down to reality. He stood up, brushing off his clothes and wiping the blood from his hands onto his dark pants. He stepped back, behind Spencer while his friend spoke to the chav’s before them.


As soon as he was done speaking, he spit on the ground next to the kid, and spun, headed for Bruce’s house. Angrily, he paced the porch trying to calm himself down while he waited for Spencer to make it back to the porch. He lit a smoke and tapped his foot impatiently, his temper very slowly coming down. Across the street Spencer was trying to sort out his mess. He sighed, knowing his friend was right. His temper was going to end up being something that got him in a lot of trouble. Chewing his thumb as the cigarette burned away uselessly, he spoke up as soon as Spencer was within ear shot.

“I’m sorry, mate. He was talking bad about Harper, and you know I couldn’t let an arse like him get away with it. Harp has never done a thing wrong to no soul. She don’t deserve to be talked about like that.” He watched as the kids across the street picked up their friend and carried him away. No one said a word or looked at them. He would have done the same for any one of the kings, but especially the little sister of the bunch. Billy and Alex were old enough to handle themselves most days, and Spencer was definitely past the defending age, not that it mattered.

He sat anxiously, awaiting the verdict. If Bruce knew about this, and Jeremy was willing to bet that Spencer would have to tell him, he might throw him out of the business. His friend was right, he needed to learn to get his shit together. Jeremy had never been accused of being an emotionless man. If anything, he was considered hot-headed, overly romantic, and to vibrantly felt emotions in every color of the spectrum. Still, he was thinking now it was going to end up being better to figure out a way to cease and change that. It was time to grow up.

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 12th September 1969 ~

Spencer King​

Once he was confident the kids were going to keep their mouths shut and get out of his sight, Spencer walked to his uncle's porch to join Jeremy. As his best friend set about apologising for his behaviour, Spencer lit up a cigarette of his own, partly to keep himself from speaking until Jeremy had said all he needed to say. He took in a long drag as Jeremy explained the kid was speaking badly about Harper. He then pulled the cigarette away, nodding his head as he blew out the smoke. "You're right, she don't deserve to be spoke about like that. But smacking kids about for saying shit that shit won't make it any better. It will draw more attention to her and likely the kids will only do it more, because they know it gets a rise out of us."

Spencer fell silent for a moment as he thought about his own time as a schoolkid. "I know what it's like having 'em saying all that stuff. Only, they were doing it whilst Mum was still around. Telling me she was a druggy and making up lies about her being a prossy. Then after that prick, Trevor, walked out, I started arguing back with the other schoolkids. And by the time Mum had died, I ended up kicking the shit out of anybody who opened their mouth about me and my family." Spencer took another drag of his cigarette before looking Jeremy in the eyes. "But you know what happened? They didn't stop doing it and I just put more stress onto my uncle's plate. He'd been good enough to take me, my brothers and Harper into his home, that I didn't like bringing more aggro onto his doorstep."

Spencer briefly paced the spot before eventually sitting on the doorstep alongside Jeremy. "Do you see where I'm going with this?" he asked. "You're practically one of the family and Bruce doesn't need you bringing this drama to his doorstep. There's always going to be obnoxious little bastards running their mouths off, but we can't stop that. What we can do is help Harper learn to deal with it and not to let it get to her." Spencer gazed off in the direction the kids Jeremy had attacked were walking off in. He was sure there would be some consequence to the matter, even if it was just some disgruntled parent knocking on Bruce's door for answers. "We'll have to tell Bruce about this, y'know. Best he knows now rather than when some wanker turns up at the house demanding to know why the Kings have been kicking off at his ugly little shitbag kid."

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 12th September 1969 ~

Bruce King​

With four kids of varying ages to look after, there was never really a perfect time to go out and do business, but as long as Bruce had more power than whoever it was he was meeting with, he chose to get most of it done in the daytime while Harper, Billy and Alex were at school. It looked less suspicious that way, he figured, and he found that people tended to be more willing to stay civil and professional during the daylight hours. However, his current affairs didn’t call for much conflict, having come into an amicable trade deal with a whisky distributor, so his day had passed by smoothly, giving the young ones nothing to ask about.

Once his meetings and paperwork were done for the day, Bruce started on making dinner for the family. He had just put the casserole into the oven when he heard a raised voice outside his front door. “I’m sorry, mate. He was talking bad about Harper…”

Frowning, Bruce glanced to the stairs to make sure Harper wasn’t within earshot, then he set a timer for the oven and turned his attention to the commotion outside his house. When he opened his front door, he was surprised to see Jeremy there with his nephew. “I do have a doorbell, you know,” he said. “Or d’ya just like hangin’ out on my front step?”

It wasn’t long before he spotted the blood on Jeremy’s fist and his trouser legs. “God’s sake, Jeremy,” he sighed. “You bringin’ trouble to my door?” He stepped aside, holding the door open. “Put your f*gs out and get inside, you can clean up and tell me what you done. Kids are upstairs doin’ their homework, so don’t make a fuss…”

 

[BasDorcha]

Bruce King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 12th September 1969 ~
Jeremy Gray​

Jeremy watched Spencer with the eyes of one who took everything too seriously, and one who admired who he was listening too. Spencer was like his older brother and he respected everything he said, and he listened to him with all the intent of listening. Spencer knew he had an emotional habit of following his whims, it had gotten them in trouble a few times but only in minor ways. This was the worst so far. As he spoke, Jeremy nodded, truly understanding even if it was hard to agree that locking down those emotions would be the best bet. “It’s not right though Spence, they need to shut it. It ain’t right.” Jeremy grumbled begrudgingly in acceptance.


When the door behind them suddenly opened, Jeremy looked up with a sort of kicked puppy look, knowing he was busted. He snuffed out his cigarette, stomping it under his foot as he stood and wrung his hands, his chin to his chest as he nodded, standing, and stepping past Bruce into the kitchen. Jeremy stepped to the sink and began washing his hands, the cuts more minor than they appeared at first. He grabbed a towel and pressed it to his cuts to stem the bleeding. After a few minutes be wiped away the remaining spots of blood from where he could and dropped a kettle on.

Spencer and Bruce joined him after a moment, Jeremy met Bruce’s eyes and gave him a grim look, knowing he was in trouble. Swallowing hard, he sat down at the kitchen table and scratched the back of his head, before his thumb – already having a sensitive chewed spot on it now becoming worse, ended up back in his mouth for more anxious nibbling. “Sorry, Bruce. I didn’t mean to bring more to your plate. I just couldn’t see letting some snot-nosed kid get away with bashin’ on Harper. She’s the best you know?” Harper may have been the youngest King, and to young to run around as an equal with them, but that didn’t mean he saw her any less as one of his adopted family.

Many family dinners were spent with all three boys, Bruce, and Harper, with Jeremy invited, especially when all the boys were in school. Jeremy and Spence had been friends since shortly after Harper was brought home from the hospital. He also remembered all the trouble that Spencer had with other kids about his mom. It had been one of the things that brought the two together. Jeremy was always given trouble about not having his parents, about how he was weird and didn’t fit in, and that his parents were lucky they weren’t around to see it.

Jeremy fought back by fighting, a lot. It wasn’t long before he had started taking classes on self defense and learning to fight back. One such fight, when Spencer was kicking the shit out of one of the guys at school, he had happened to walk up just as two of the guy’s friends were coming up about to jump in from behind. Jeremy, not a fan of an unfair fight on anyone, had jumped up and ended up back-to-back with Spencer fighting the other two school yard boys with him. They had been friends since. Now though, he had really messed up, he could have killed that kid and he was going to have to answer for it.

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 12th September 1969 ~

Spencer King​

Hearing the house door being opened, Spencer turned to see his uncle standing there. He couldn't help but smirk at the man when he made his remark about having a doorbell. "There ain't any fit birds inside the house, Bruce. Out here though..." he trailed off. Despite his joke he had a good idea the atmosphere was going to remain serious for the time-being, especially with his uncle noticing the blood on Jeremy. He took a long drag of his freshly lit second cigarette, not wanting to waste too much of it. All the while, he listened on as Bruce addressed Jeremy about bringing trouble to his door.

When Bruce told them to put their cigarettes out, Spencer let Jeremy enter the house before him, if only to get a few more final drags out of his. He then stamped out the cigarette before entering the house and closing the door behind the three of them.

"Them brats from down the street were talkin' shit about Harp and my mum again," Spencer quietly informed Bruce as they followed Jeremy into the kitchen. "Jeremy gave 'em what for."

Spencer poured himself a glass of water straight from the tap before pulling out a chair and sitting at the dining table. He took a long drink of water as he listened to his friend apologise to Bruce. He placed his glass down on the table before clearing his throat. "Kids were being little arseholes, to be fair," he assured Bruce, hoping he wouldn't be too harsh on Jeremy. "Though I guess their deadbeat parents won't see it that way."

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 12th September 1969 ~

Bruce King​

Bruce’s eyes followed Jeremy as the man sheepishly stood and made his way inside, where he went to wash his hands in the kitchen. Leaving the front door open for Spencer, he followed Jeremy in by a few steps, just to double check none of the kids were present. Whatever the circumstances of the fight Jeremy had got himself into, Bruce didn’t believe the younger ones needed to know about it.

Once Spencer had joined him inside, he started to explain to Bruce what had happened outside on their way into the kitchen. Bruce couldn’t help but let out a sigh, not happy to hear that the other kids on the street were giving Harper a hard time. Of course, the subject matter itself would have pained him had it come from the mouth of someone other than a child. The kids Spencer was referring to were ones that Bruce knew from around the neighbourhood, and he couldn’t take them seriously enough to get wound up by the fact they were badmouthing his beloved sister. However, he knew such words could be deeply hurtful to his niece and nephews.

Leaning against the backrest of a chair while Spencer and Jeremy sat at the kitchen table, Bruce sighed again. Jeremy gave him his apology, but it fell on deaf ears. “I don’t really know what to do with that, Jeremy,” he muttered. “I would respect your need to stand up in defence of my niece, but let’s be honest - you don’t have the best track record of usin’ your brain before your fists. Tell me this wasn’t reactive, eh? ‘Cause if you’re gonna keep actin’ on impulse, you can start takin’ the consequences to someone else. I've dealt with enough of that attitude from Spencer ‘ere.”

“Jeremy!”

Bruce turned around and saw Billy swinging on the doorframe, prompting yet another sigh. “Don’t you have homework to do?”

“Done it,” Billy said with a smug grin.

“All of it?”

“I only had to finish my historical figures presentation, do some trig from out the book and get to chapter 4 of Animal Farm,” he explained, taking a seat at the table. He was about to ask about dinner, but instead he noticed Jeremy’s hands. “Woah, cool, did you get in a fight?! What happened?”

“Why don’t you go read chapter 5?” Bruce wearily suggested, moving to stand between the two boys.

“Bruce, I’ve already read the whole book twice,” he said, his attention still on Jeremy’s hands. “You got some good punches in then? What did they do?”

“Billy,” Bruce interrupted, taking his young nephew gently by the arm and guiding him out of the chair. Of course the boy had finished all the week’s homework before dinner time on a Friday - he always had been ahead. It was hard sometimes to keep him occupied. So, Bruce opted to be blunt instead. “I need you out of this room for a bit, okay?”

Billy’s smile fell and he looked at Jeremy. “But I want to hang out with Jeremy before he goes home.”

“You can soon,” he assured him. “Just not right now, alright? I gotta talk to him ‘bout some boring adult stuff. Go back upstairs, see where your sister’s up to, yeah?”

Begrudgingly, Billy left them to it, and Bruce listened patiently as the boy dragged his feet up the stairs purposefully slowly. Rolling his eyes, Bruce waited until he was completely out of earshot and then took Billy’s seat. “This is why you gotta think before you act, Jeremy,” Bruce warned him, with a stern glare. “The less those kids see, the better. Billy idolises you - the both of ya’. But he’s a good kid, and I don’t want him gettin’ into fights tryna’ impress you or nothin’ like that, you got that?”

Leaning back in his seat, Bruce nodded to Spencer. “Get the kettle, would ya’? No sugar for me this time,” he muttered in a softer tone, before turning back to Jeremy. “Now I know them kids are trouble, but for God’s sake, you’re eighteen years old, a grown man! You just can’t be goin’ round beatin’ up school kids. What kinda man would that make you, Jeremy? Eh?”

He gave another weary sigh and leaned forward, linking his hands together. “Look,” he uttered in a quieter voice. “I’ve paid one of their fathers a visit before, bein’ nice. If that ain’t worked, I’ll drop in on him again with a stronger message. I don’t like no one hurtin’ my little girl, but I also don't like the way you tend to react and I ain't gonna encourage it. So, let those fists heal and leave this with me.” He reached out and gave Jeremy a pat on the shoulder. “And you can stay for dinner tonight, if you’d like. I know Billy’s keen to see ya’.”

 

[BasDorcha]

Bruce King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 12th September 1969 ~
Jeremy Gray​

Jeremy looked up at Spencer, silently thanking him for his support. He knew his friend was mad at him for bringing trouble around, but understanding at the same time, and for that he was appreciative. He let out a small grunt of agreement when Spencer commented on how the punks deadbeat parents probably wouldn’t agree with what had happened as them being deserving.


When Bruce started to speak, Jeremy could hear the scolding disappointment in it, causing him to look even more like a puppy with its tail between his legs. He looked up to Bruce so when he was let down, Jeremy felt it. He didn’t dare argue with the man, instead taking his punishment and Bruce’s reprimand with silence. He hadn’t even looked up until he heard Billy’s voice lighten up the room. He looked up, smiling a small smile as Billy pulled some of the attention away from him, perfect timing as always. When he slid into the table, Jeremy reached across and ruffled his hair playfully, only to drop his hands beneath the furniture immediately.

“Fightin’ aint good fer ya, Billy.” Leaning forward a little, he whispered, “Unless you’re defending someone.” He winked, before looking up at Bruce who gave him a scathing look and addressed Billy again. When the young boy mentioned wanting to hang out with Jeremy, he smiled. He liked having what felt like a little brother around, having no siblings himself. Sure, they all had each other, but Jeremy figured they had him too, and vice versa.

“I’ll make sure I see you before I leave li’l King, just do as your uncle ask now.” He tried to mimic Bruce’s serious face, but it came across miserably. When he finally disappeared, Jeremy went back to looking properly chastised and listening, nodding to let the man know he understood. “I’ll be better Bruce. This is the last time, I swear it.” In his mind, Jeremy felt like something changed as he made this promise, knowing if he broke it, he’d likely loose whatever he did have with them. Looking up at Spence, he saw his friend giving an acquiescing look as if he backed his uncle.

The comment that hurt the most, that likely made the most impact, was Bruce pointing out what kind of man that made him. He was barely eighteen, a few years older than those boys, but he figured it was fact, a few years made all the difference at this age. He’d hit puberty with long strides, growing tall, strong, and fit with little effort. He felt ashamed of himself now, even if he still believed the boys deserved it. When Bruce patted him on the shoulder, he reached up and patted the mans hand in return, nodding. “You got it Bruce. Spence, what say you to us sitting back on that step looking at them fine birds.” He grinned, bouncing back but calmer now.

“We’ll get Billy too, let him sit with us. He’ll like that, yeah?

End​

 

[Misty Gray]

Trevor Stewart's Flat
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Laura King and Trevor Stewart​

The bright afternoon's winter sunshine managed to break through the closed curtains enough to illuminate the living room inside. Trevor sat up on the sofa with his newly titled fiancee, Laura, laid across the furniture whilst her head used his lap as a cushion. Though Laura was asleep, Trevor was happily smoking a cigarette whilst filling in some betting slips for the following day's horses. Feeling Laura turn her head to look up at him, he looked down in time to see her groggily open her eyes. He flashed her a boyish smile whilst he idly stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray on the small table to his left. "Afternoon, Lollie. It's 2pm," he told her, letting out a playful chuckle as he set the betting slips down on the chair arm. Despite his comment, he'd only woken up thirty minutes ago himself. "We should get dressed if we're going to go see your brother."

"We're already dressed," Laura said, tiredly smirking back at him. Despite her words holding truth, they were still in the clothes they'd worn out to the pub the night before. After their late night out, they arrived home in too much of a intoxicated state to make it to the bedroom, let alone get undressed.

"Alright..." he began, deciding on a better way of wording it. "We need to put some fresh clothes on - ones that don't smell of booze and cigs. You need to do your hair and make-up, too. Otherwise, your brother will make some comment about you looking tired or some shit," he suggested to her, seeing she was looking a little pale. "You always look beautiful to me, but he loves to pick fault. We already need to keep him in a good mood if you're going to tell him our news."

"Don't be like that. He'd only be concerned if he thinks I look sick, which I probably do when I have morning sickness. Nothing to do with me not being beautiful." Looking at the pretty, yet cheap, gold engagement ring on her finger, she weakly smiled. "Do you think it's too much, too soon? Together for seven months and already getting married and having a kid?" she thought aloud. "We could delay the wedding."

Trevor grinned at Laura before letting out a playful laugh. "If anything, we're late, Lollie," he said, gently placing his hand on her stomach as he referred to her pregnancy. "We're basically living in sin," he teased her.

"Do you think I care what others think? So what if we're not married," she complained.

"I don't give a shit what they think either, but I don't think you'd like what they'd say and I don't want anyone speaking badly about you," he pointed out. "Besides, which. I love you and I want us to be a real family. Not to mention, you'll want to get married whilst you've still got that stunning figure. It won't bother me if you've got a big baby bump, you're beautiful no matter what, but I know you always want to look good, don't ya? So the sooner we have the wedding, the happier you'll feel in your dress."

"You're right. I'll only get married once, so I want to show off this figure in a wedding dress while I still can," she agreed, now smiling brightly back at Trevor. Her gaze lingered as she thought things over, her expression dropping to one of apprehension. "Bruce isn't going to be happy about this."

Trevor looked away and slowly shook his head. "Isn't it time he stopped butting in and you started making your own decisions? You can't let him keep dictating your life to you." He looked back down to Laura as he gently combed his fingertips through her hair. "Besides, I'm the one who's going to cop it. I'm the one he don't like, so you'll be fine, darling. He thinks I'm leading you astray, like you can't even think for yourself."

"Now you're just talking crazy, Trev. He cares about me... But I'll stick up for you and make sure he knows you're all good and I'm a big girl. I want him to like you, because I really love you," she assured him with a sweet smile.

As Laura reached out to the table to retrieve the small bag of white powder, Trevor grabbed it before she could. "None of this now. In fact, you should stop all of the drugs and booze. It can't be good for the baby. You might get pissed up and fall over or something!"

Laura rolled her eyes before taking her head off of his lap and sitting up on the sofa. "Well, I think you should stop too. Solidarity and all that," she suggested.

"That's fair. I'll stop too. Starting right now. You go get ready and I'll flush all of this crap down the shitter," he firmly told her. He placed a kiss on her forehead before standing up and walking to the bathroom. Once inside, he set about hiding the drugs in his usual spot, rather than flushing it away at all.

*****

Bruce King's Apartment​

Later that afternoon, Trevor and Laura walked to Bruce's house, both having made an effort to spruce themselves up. Underneath his long coat, Trevor had put on a white shirt and some black trousers, whilst Laura had put on a dress as well as styling her hair down and applying some make-up. In his gloved hands, Trevor had been carrying a red biscuit tin with him, which Laura relieved him of as soon as they reached the front door. Trevor proceeded to knock on the door, but Laura pushed it open and stepped inside, not believing in having to knock to pay her dear brother a visit. "Brucie! Guess who made cookies!" she excitedly called out from the hallway. Ever since she was a kid, she'd enjoyed baking and cookies were always her speciality. Once her brother came into view, Laura leaned in to kiss his cheek before handing him the tin.

"Afternoon, Bruce," Trevor greeted the man with a simple nod of his head. Rather than making any attempt to shake the man's hand, which he doubted either of them wanted, he stood behind Laura and placed his hands on her shoulders, flashing Bruce a crooked smile. He then cleared his throat and let go of Laura as she unbuttoned her coat and removed it. "Let me take that for you, love," he kindly offered her and she handed him her coat.

Whilst Trevor turned away to hang both his and Laura's coats on the coat hooks, Laura looked to Bruce, briefly massaging her forehead as a wave of nausea overcame her. Catching herself, she pointed into the kitchen. "Come on! How about you make your favourite sister, and Trev, some lovely hot tea and you can tell me all about how you're doing," she brightly enthused. Once they got in the kitchen area of the main room, Laura didn't waste any time before sitting down at the table and letting out a long yawn.

"Hey, come on, Bruce's place ain't that boring," Trevor joked as he followed them in, pulling out a chair to sit next to Laura. "You can't go getting tired on us before you tell him our big news," he added, putting his arm around her shoulder. He then looked up to Bruce. "No sugar for me," he requested.

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce's Apartment
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

The beginning of December wasn’t the best time to encounter a malfunction in central heating. Bruce had figured out that the problem lay in the coal-fired burner - in fact, he knew exactly what the problem was because it had happened before. He had wanted to be able to fix it by the time Laura and Trevor got to his flat but he didn’t want to be halfway through a job, so he thought he would be better to wait until after they had left. Coming up to the time they had agreed to come over, Bruce had sat himself on the rug beside the fire, occasionally shoveling in extra coal while he read the paper and thought warm thoughts.

Whatever article he was reading was instantly put to the back of his mind as soon as he heard a knock on the front door followed by it clicking open and his sister calling out to him. Scrambling to his feet, Bruce tossed the paper aside and swung into the narrow hallway. “Someone say cookies?” A bright smile spread across his face at the sight of his sister and he moved in to kiss her on the cheek before being handed a red tin. “Hi, Trevor,” he responded to the man’s greeting. He wanted to like the man his sister had chosen, would try to be friendly for Laura’s sake, but he knew deep down he never would. The man sent him a new red flag every time he saw him and the fact Laura seemed to have fallen head over heels for him so quickly was just one of them. “You look lovely, sis’,” he told her, watching Trevor hang up her coat. “You might regret takin’ that off, though, it’s bloody cold in ‘ere. Need to unblock the burner again, so I’ve got the fire goin’ instead…hopefully it warms up soon but I’m sorry if it’s a bit uncomfortable.”

His first move, especially on a cold day, would be to put the kettle on, but before he could move away into the kitchen he caught Laura’s face briefly fall serious as she lifted a hand to massage her forehead. He didn’t manage to ask her if something was the matter, as her smile quickly returned and she encouraged everyone to move into the kitchen for cups of tea. “‘Course,” he agreed, willing to push aside any concern for the time being. “Follow me, I’ll get this tin open and stick the kettle on. You’ll need somethin’ hot to wrap your hands around, sittin’ in this ice box.”

Almost as soon as he picked up the kettle, Laura sat down at the table and yawned. “You alright? Have a late one last night?” he asked, lightly nudging her chin upwards on his way to the sink to get a better look at her eyes. She did look a little pale. Trevor spoke up to tease her about finding Bruce’s company boring, which prompted him to continue towards the sink, turning his back on the man. Trevor then mentioned having some big news to tell, which piqued Bruce’s curiosity. If he was being honest, his initial feeling contained some dread.

Doing his best not to react prematurely, Bruce left the kettle to boil while he prepared the teapot and got out some mugs and a plate for the cookies Laura had baked. Only once he was done did he lean back against the counter opposite where his two guests sat. “Well?” he prompted the pair. “What’s this big news then, eh?”

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's Apartment
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Laura King and Trevor Stewart​

Bruce caught on to Laura's yawn and asked if she'd had a late one the night before. Laura looked him in the eyes as he lightly lifted her chin to check on how she was looking. She then nodded her head in confirmation. "A really late one! Oh, but it was so much fun... At least the parts I remember," she added, letting out a playful laugh. "Luckily this one here can handle his alcohol enough to look after me," she added, turning to smile at Trevor. Of course, it hadn't just been alcohol, but she decided Bruce didn't need or want to know the rest. "What is it they say, though? 'Never again'," she joked.

Although they had made their visit to Bruce's specifically to tell him their news, Laura had hoped to ease him into at, at least waiting until they'd enjoyed some cookies and warmed up with tea. She figured Trevor was just trying to stop her from backing out on their announcement, so she supposed she couldn't fault him for giving her the push by bringing it up already. She looked on as Bruce busied himself with getting the mugs and everything else ready for their snacks. She turned to Trevor with a small smile, which broadened as he sent her a reassuring nod in return. It had only been a few weeks ago that Laura had been considering ending her relationship with Trevor. Whilst she loved him and enjoyed spending time with him, he was her first serious boyfriend. She'd turned 18 back in August and he was the first man she'd gotten so close to. All of her past relationships hadn't gone beyond a few wholesome dates and a quick peck on the lips. Despite how much she wanted to be with Trevor, Bruce's warnings and apparent dislike for him had caused Laura to have second thoughts. She wanted her brother to like whoever she chose to spend her life with. Before she could act on her doubts, she had discovered she was pregnant. Whilst she believed it didn't mean she had to stay with Trevor, she'd decided to make her decision based on how he reacted to the news. It turned out that Trevor had been happy with the news and he even seemed excited at the prospect of becoming a father, which practically melted her heart on the spot. That was soon followed with him proposing to her and Laura knew then that she wanted to spend her life with Trevor and their child. She was going to have her own little family.

A silence had filled the room as Laura got her thoughts together, snapping out of her daydream when Bruce prompted her and Trevor for the big news they'd teased. "You're right, its freezing here," she told her brother, dodging the subject at hand.

Trevor got out of his seat and looked to Bruce. "Let's all sit in front of the fire," he suggested. Helping Laura out of her seat, he kept hold of her hand and rubbed it to try warming her skin. "Go pick the warmest spot, love," he softly told her before letting go so she could go sit on the sofa directly facing the fireplace. Trevor then approached the counter near Bruce to place the cookies on the plate and carry them with him to place on the small coffee table. Trevor then sat himself next to Laura and slotted his arm behind her, resting his hand on the side of her hip. "It's why we're here, Lollie," he whispered to encourage her.

Once Bruce joined them around the fire, Laura waited until he was sat comfortable before looking directly to him. "Okay, so we have big news, Brucie!" she said, smiling brightly. If she could convey her own excitement, she hoped it would help Bruce feel good about it all too. Holding her hand out, she made sure her brother could see the engagement ring on her finger. "Me and Trevor. We're getting married," she announced. Feeling Trevor gently squeeze her hip, she knew she had to tell him the rest too. "And... you're going to be an uncle! I'm pregnant," she added, her voice slightly faltering as her nerves kicked in.

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce's Apartment
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

It was obvious that Laura was nervous about giving Bruce the news the couple had come to tell him by the way she stalled answering his question. He left the kettle to boil on the stove while they got settled in front of the fire. Bruce settled into a seat opposite his sister and once Trevor had set the plate of cookies down on the coffee table and sat himself at Laura’s side, Bruce gave the couple an expectant look.

Despite her visible nerves, the smile on Laura’s face suggested that the news was supposed to be good. Bruce had an inkling that it wasn’t, however, so he made sure to prepare himself to not react badly. “Okay, Laura,” he answered. “What is it?”

As soon as she showed him her hand, his heart dropped. It took more effort than expected to make himself smile for her. “Oh,” he said, eyes glued to the shining rock on her finger. “Wow, that’s…soon.”

Before he could think of something more to say, Laura went on to announce that she was pregnant. Bruce’s eyes jumped to look at her, his smile fading. “You? You’re…you’re pregnant?” His little sister, the brightest star in his whole world, growing up too fast…and with the wrong man. With a faint smile, he let his eyes linger on her, unsure what to say. The kettle began to whistle and, without so much as a glance in Trevor’s direction, Bruce got out of his seat and made his way towards the kitchen area to fill the teapot and arrange the teacups and saucers on the tray. “Well, that explains why you’re gettin’ married, I guess,” he thought aloud, before carrying the tray back over to the table.

He stayed quiet as he poured out the tea, and once he was finally done he took his cup and saucer and sat back in his seat. “Sorry…I knew this’d happen someday. I just didn’t think it’d be with this guy.” Though he tried to keep his tone polite, he couldn’t fully clear his expression of disdain when he finally looked at his sister’s boyfriend. “No offence, Trevor, but you ain’t exactly the domestic, fatherly type. You know you’ll have to give up the drugs and the parties when the little one comes along, right? You prepared to do that for your kid?”

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's Apartment
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Laura King and Trevor Stewart​

Laura hadn't been blind to how Bruce didn't seem excited by her news, even with the smile he managed to show for her. Her brother pointed out that the engagement was quick, which in a way, she understood. She was sure she wouldn't have said yes to Trevor if she hadn't been pregnant, but then, she was certain he wouldn't have asked her so soon. Regardless of that, being pregnant changed things and now she was dreaming of how her perfect little family was going to look.

Whatever smile Bruce had managed to summon for the engagement news started fading when he learned she and Trevor were expecting a baby. He was clearly shocked, apparently asking for confirmation of what he'd heard. Laura made sure to keep a bright smile on her face as she nodded with enthusiasm. Perhaps if she tried hard enough, the positive energy might transfer to her brother. The whistling kettle came at the perfect time to allow Bruce a moment to step away from the situation. Laura turned to Trevor when Bruce's back was turned. She nervously chewed her lip as she looked to her fiancé for some reassurance.

"You've got this," Trevor gently reassured her. As Bruce returned with the drinks tray, Trevor turned to look to him as he commented that the pregnancy explained the couple getting married. "Maybe it seems too soon, but I love Laura and I already couldn't imagine myself with anyone else. The pregnancy just made me propose sooner," he assured Bruce.

Laura quickly nodded along and bashfully smiled at Trevor's sweet words. She then looked to Bruce when he mentioned he hadn't thought the man she'd marry and have children with was Trevor. "I don't have other men queuing up at the door, Brucie," she scoffed, letting out a nervous laugh. Realising she wasn't doing much to keep to her promise about sticking up for Trevor, she reached down to squeeze his hand.

When Bruce addressed Trevor and finally looked at him, he pointed out that he wasn't the domestic or fatherly type, causing Trevor to roll his eyes at him whilst Laura wasn't looking to catch it. "Of course I'm prepared to give up on all of the drugs and parties," he said, gently stroking the back of Laura's hand before looking to her. "Ain't that right, Lollie? What did we just agree before we came to see your brother?" As he prompted Laura to talk, he leaned forward and poured himself a cup of tea. If only it was a little cooler, he could take a long sip to buy even more time for himself to not have to speak.

Laura looked to Bruce whilst quickly nodding. "We're stopping all of that from today. I don't want to do anything that will harm the baby, before and after they're born. Trev is giving it all up too, so it's not just me making sacrifices. He even poured all of the drugs down the toilet," she proudly reassured Bruce.

Letting go of Laura's hand, Trevor reached into his trouser pocket to retrieve the half-empty box of cigarettes and lighter. "Still allowed these, though," he announced. He got up from the sofa and used his thumb to point to the door. "I'll back in a few," he informed them, before making his way outside. With a bit of luck, Laura will have softened the blow by the time he returned inside.

Laura watched as Trevor made his way outside. Clearly, he was uncomfortable with Bruce's reaction and she hoped her brother would come around. "It was his idea for us to stop the parties and everything. The drinking too," she said as she looked back to Bruce. "We're going to have a perfect little family. And you'll get to be their Uncle Brucie. It'll be a dream come true," she assured him. However, as she spoke, her eyes were clearly filling with tears. Dream or not, it was all sudden and overwhelming for her. The pregnancy in itself was scary enough, but she wasn't sure how easy it would be to suddenly change everything about her lifestyle. "And we can all have a sensible party for my wedding reception. I want to get married real soon, then people won't judge me and I'll still look good in a pretty dress."

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce's Apartment
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

Trevor would have to have been blind not to have picked up on Bruce’s dislike of him since he had started dating his sister, so the only reason Bruce was trying to hold back the urge to be blunt and rude to him was for Laura’s sake. Still, it was obvious enough by the way he narrowed his eyes at Trevor’s declaration of love that he didn’t trust a word of it. Even if he was in love with Laura, that wasn’t enough to convince Bruce that he was ready to commit to her for life. Given the man’s hedonistic approach to life, it seemed more likely that his feelings for her were driven by passion and lust rather than something more mature and long-lasting.

What saddened him, however, was hearing Laura defend her decision to marry Trevor by pointing out there she had no one else. “Laura, any man would be lucky to have you,” he softly told her, as if Trevor wasn’t in the room. Given the pregnancy, however, he didn’t feel quite able to try and change her mind about being with him. With her good looks and sweet personality he had no doubt that would be able to find love with someone better for her, but having a child out of wedlock was bound to make that harder for her.

Catching the way she squeezed Trevor’s hand, Bruce’s heart sank. He could see how willing she was to try and make it work with Trevor for the sake of the baby, and knew he had to allow her more autonomy now that she was becoming a woman. It was just going to be hard letting her go to a man he didn’t trust. He wished he could just protect her forever, but perhaps this was a decision he had to let her make for herself.

Trevor spoke up again to assure Bruce that he was ready to give up the drugs and parties in favour of a more stable, family-oriented lifestyle. He then prompted Laura to tell Bruce what they had agreed, and Bruce couldn’t help but feel like the way he spoke to his sister was somewhat controlling or patronising. He didn’t have time to read into it very far before Laura went on to explain that the pair of them had both decided to give up the drugs for the baby’s sake and that Trevor had even flushed the rest down the toilet. She seemed confident in him, but Bruce eyed the man up once again, and he just couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

He kept a watchful eye on him as he got up to go outside for a smoke, until finally he was alone with his sister. There was so much he wanted to say to her but he wasn’t sure it would make it any better for her. It’s not like he could do anything about the baby - unless she miscarried, she was going to have it, and it seemed her only options were to stay with Trevor, leave Trevor and raise the baby with only Bruce for help, or give the baby to a couple in want of a child. He couldn’t ask her to make such an awful decision. None of those situations were going to be easy on her, he knew that much - all he did know was that he was going to be there for her no matter what.

With Trevor out of the room, Laura turned to Bruce and immediately started defending the decision, as if trying to get ahead of anything negative Bruce could say. He still didn’t believe that Trevor would stick to being sober but he could see how much Laura was trying to make it work and if he discouraged it then he would only drive his sister away from him and closer to Trevor. He had to keep her close so that she would know she could turn to him when Trevor eventually did let her down. Besides, he did like the sound of becoming an uncle. Uncle Bruce. A faint, slightly sad smile settled on his face as he watched her struggle to keep up the positive energy. He watched her happy façade begin to crack until the tears showed in her eyes and he felt his heart sink again. She insisted that she wanted to get married as soon as possible to avoid the judgement of those around her and so that she could look slim in a wedding dress before the baby bump started to show. But she looked so worn out and stressed that Bruce felt the urge to stop her.

“Laura,” he softly interrupted, leaning forward to take her hands in his. He looked into her tearful eyes for a moment before getting up altogether and moving to sit in Trevor’s place. He drew her into a secure embrace, stroking her hair, and hoped that Trevor would take his time outside. “It’s okay.”

After a couple of seconds, he parted from her enough to look into her eyes and reached up to gently brush her tears away. “No matter what you choose to do, it’ll be okay,” he assured her. “I ain’t gonna let nothin’ bad happen to you, alright?” A small sigh escaped him as he tried to work out how to arrange his words delicately. “I can’t promise I’m ever gonna like the guy. And I won’t lie to ya’ and say that I trust him, ‘specially all these promises he’s makin’ to go clean. But that’s besides the point. The point is, Laura, I’m always gonna be ‘ere. For you and for the baby.” Cupping her face in his hand, he made himself smile for her. “Just please promise me you’ll think about what you want, rather than what Trevor wants. Don’t you ever do somethin’ just ‘cause he wants ya’ to. Never say yes when you don’t mean it, you got that? You got nothin’ to be afraid of, not as long as I’m around. And I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” Keeping a firm hand on her cheek, Bruce leaned in to kiss her forehead before looking into her eyes with a fixed gaze, trying to will her to really understand and take in what he was saying.

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's Apartment
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Laura King and Trevor Stewart​

Despite all of her fears and concerns, Laura managed to take comfort from the faint smile her brother displayed when she told him he was going to be an uncle. Though she knew it wasn't the most convincing of smiles, she still took it as a good sign. Being someone who always looked for the best in others or held onto the positives in situations as much as she could, she was going to keep Bruce's smile, no matter how uncertain it was, close to her heart.

Regardless, it wasn't enough to keep away her worries about the future and Bruce had picked up on how much it was all weighing her down. So when he gently interrupted her, she choked back a sob and fell silent, quickly nodding her head. When he came to sit next to her, she sent him a sad smile of her own. Then when her brother embraced her, the tears finally escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Through no conscious intention, it felt like she and Bruce hadn't been as close recently, so it meant a lot to be close to him again now.

When Bruce broke from their hug and told her it was going to be okay, she quickly nodded her head. Regardless of the fact Bruce and Trevor didn't get along, she still trusted her brother and knew he wouldn't let any harm come to her. He continued on to point out he didn't trust or like Trevor, which by now was no surprise to Laura, as much as she wished for the two men in her life to be friends. Then he said he would always be there for her and the baby, which made her return his smile. "You're the best brother," she softly told him.

Bruce told her to promise she would do what she wanted to do, not what she thought Trevor wanted. Whilst she could recall some occasions when she'd had doubts about going along with Trevor's ideas, she believed when she had agreed to them it had been her own decision. The parties, the drugs, and everything else, she'd enjoyed it all. Despite her own reasoning and belief that Trevor hadn't made her do anything she didn't want to, she still understood what Bruce was trying to say to her. Now she was pregnant and needed to act more responsibly, she knew she had to learn not to give in to any temptations so easily. "Of course, I'll only do what I want, and what this baby needs me to do," she assured him, placing her hand to her stomach. After he kissed her forehead, she met his gaze with one of her own, firmly nodding her head to back up her words. "I'm glad you're here, Brucie. I know I do dumb things - I've been doing them since we were kids - but I appreciate that you have my back. I already know you're going to be a wonderful uncle and I know I ask a lot of you, but..." Laura paused, acknowledging that things were going to be tough from now on and she was already worried about failing those she cared about. "Can you promise me something Bruce? Promise me if..." She faltered before picking herself up again with a bright smile. "Promise me you'll be the best uncle? Like you're the most amazing brother!"

As if somehow aware that Laura was now smiling and taking it as his cue it was safe to return, Trevor entered the house again. Seeing Laura and Bruce sat together, he flashed a curious smile. "Ain't this nice?" he asked them both as he sat down in the chair Bruce had originally been occupying. "Are you both alright? I told Lollie she had nothing to worry about," he said, grinning at his fiancé. "Any brother who loves his sis would be made up to hear she's getting married and having a kid."

"Of course, but it's still a big deal, Trev," Laura reminded him. She was fully aware of how much of a shock it was to Bruce, so she wasn't going to dismiss his apprehension. "Bruce is going to be an amazing uncle, even if it is a big surprise."

Trevor smiled and nodded his head. "I'm sure he will be, but let's not pile the pressure on, eh? The two of us can handle our own baby, love." As much as he wanted Bruce on board for Laura's sake, Trevor didn't want the man sticking his nose into their business too much.

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce's Apartment
~ Saturday 7th December 1947 ~
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King
​

Bruce smiled at Laura's assurance that she would only do what she wanted and what the baby needed her to do. But the smile was half-hearted; the sad thing was that he knew that she meant it, but he didn't believe it would actually turn out that way as long as Trevor was around. He made a silent promise to himself that he would check in with her more regularly. He didn't know much about marriage, with their parents having died at such a young age and his lack of experience with mature relationships, but he did understand that Laura and Trevor's marriage was supposed to be between them alone, and so wouldn't be designed to include him. Yet, given the circumstances, he felt inclined to not completely respect that rule. He simply didn't trust Trevor to look after her.

Still, Laura seemed grateful to have him be there for her, and be an uncle to her child. She began to ask something of him but faltered, a flicker of uncertainty showing on her face. "What is it?" he prompted, placing a gentle hand over hers. She tried a second time, asking him to promise something, and when she once again failed to get to the end of her sentence, Bruce's mind finished it for her. His expression grew more serious as he realised what she was really asking him. It was probably quite normal, he thought, for a couple to appoint a guardian for their child in their will, but the fact that she seemed to be thinking about it so soon after getting pregnant worried him. He couldn't help but take it as a sign that she was more afraid of entering this new life stage with Trevor than she was letting on. He wished there was a way he could rescue her from it, but considering she was now pregnant, he knew that she was just trying to cope by staying positive and optimistic, rather than realistic.

Restarting her sentence, she instead asked him to be as good an uncle as he was a brother and he let out a sort of melancholy chuckle. "'Course I will, Laura," he said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll always look after you and the kid no matter what."

Just then, Trevor returned and remarked on the two of them sitting close together. The man took Bruce's previous seat and then brought up how Laura had no reason to worry about Bruce not being happy for them, and that if he truly loved her he would be happy to see her get married and have a child. Bruce tossed a fake smile at him. Trevor was giving enough subtle hints that he didn't want Bruce being too present in their baby's life, despite what Laura wanted, and maintained that he and Laura would be perfectly capable of raising the kid without Bruce's help. "Well, I look forward to seein' that, Trevor," Bruce said, locking eyes with him. "And I'm with ya' on that - I'm as happy to see my sister get married and have a kid as the next man. It's every guy's dream to see their loved ones settle down with someone who'll love 'em and treat 'em right. Also every guy's intention to hold 'em to that." Still addressing Trevor, Bruce looked into Laura's eyes and gave her hand another squeeze. "After all, what's the use in havin' a brother who don't protect ya', eh?"

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's House
Laura & Spencer King
Sunday 30th April 1961
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

It had been exactly four months since Laura had last seen Trevor. They'd spent Christmas together with the kids and that was the last time she felt whole. Despite the arguments, the addiction, and even knowing her husband had played away, she'd still loved him. He'd always come back to her and he still managed to make her happy when he was there. She was happy at Christmas. Their children were happy too. Yet, a few days later, Laura fell asleep next to Trevor one night only to wake hours later to find he was gone. For the first few days, she was sure he'd just gone on another of his extended benders and once the excitement of the New Year's Eve celebrations had passed, he would return home. When he didn't return, she tried to convince herself something bad had happened to him, that he'd been involved in an accident. Of course, the fact he'd taken a suitcase of clothing, his passport and cash couldn't be ignored by her forever and Laura eventually accepted he'd intentionally walked out on her and the children. At the time of Trevor abandoning her, Laura was already seven months pregnant and she became even more afraid of how she was going to manage with a fourth child than ever before. If it wasn't for Bruce, Laura wasn't sure how she would have gotten through Trevor leaving her and then bringing Harper into the world without a father. Having lost Olga and their children back in 1959, Bruce hadn't hesitated to let Laura and the kids move into his house. Even four months later, Laura still held some hope in the back of her mind that Trevor would return and so she couldn't bring herself to sell her own house, not yet.

The bright afternoon sunshine was visible around the edges of the thick curtains of the bedroom Laura was occupying. Bruce had been looking after the children whilst she got some rest. Harper was now two months old and that was how long Laura had managed to stay clean until she relapsed again four weeks ago. Once again, Laura found herself struggling to shake off the temptation. And now two weeks since she last used, she was feeling dreadful. Even though she'd gone through the worst of the withdrawals days ago, she was still suffering from nausea and exhaustion. The sound of the children playing downstairs was enough to coax the woman out of bed and into the shower. Once she was dressed and had applied some make-up to try to mask how tired she looked, she made her way downstairs. As though it were an innate response, the moment she stepped into the lounge, a smile had taken over her face in time to be greeted by four-year old Billy and eight-year old Alex. "Hey, handsome boys," she greeted them, crouching down to give each of them a kiss on the cheek. "I hope you've both been behaving for your Uncle Brucie," she lightly told them.

Laura then turned to see Bruce and Spencer sat together on the sofa, with her eldest son holding sleeping baby Harper in his arms. She stood up and placed a hand to her chest at the sight before managing another smile for the two other guys in her life. "Thank you," she quietly told Bruce and Spencer, grateful they'd managed to get Harper to sleep. She carefully reached out to take her baby from Spencer and held her close for a time, placing a series of soft kisses on her daughter's head before carrying her into the bedroom and placing her into the cot. When she returned to the lounge, Laura beckoned for Spencer to stand up and she kissed his cheek, always making sure to give all of her children her affection. "Okay, boys. It's a beautiful day outside, so why don't the three of you go play in the garden? I'll come sit outside soon, once I've had a grown-up talk with Bruce," she told them.

Once the three boys were outside, Laura went to get herself a glass of water from the kitchen before returning to the lounge. Waiting until she was sat down, she had a long drink, her hand visibly trembling as she placed the glass down on the coffee table in front of her. She turned to Bruce and shook her head. "I love those children so much," she told him. "But when I smile for them, it doesn't reach my heart. There's just a hole there and I can't fill it. I feel tired and sick all of the time, and I know putting on some make-up can't hide that." Laura quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, not wanting any tears to escape her eyes and smudge the make-up she'd put on to mask how ill she looked. "Alex and Billy have been asking for their dad. I had to stop Spencer from just telling them he was dead. I don't know what to tell them anymore. I try to convince myself that Trevor is never coming back and I should break that to the boys, but then a part of me thinks he will come home. Sometimes when I hear someone at the front door, a part of me wonders if it's him, here to ask you where we all are."

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce's House
Sunday 30th April 1961
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

Having kept an especially close eye on his sister since Trevor left, Bruce was well aware of her lingering drug addiction and had a front row seat to her constant suffering. So, when she told the boys she needed to talk to him alone and cleared all the children out of the room, Bruce got that familiar sinking feeling in his chest. He had had to get used to seeing his sister so ill, but he didn’t think he would ever get over it. Even if she eventually managed to free herself from heroin’s trap and live a long and sober life, Bruce’s hatred for Trevor would always remain.

When Laura returned to sit with him, Bruce watched her take a drink of water, noticing how her hand trembled. He listened as she began to explain how her children, no matter how much she loved them, could not fill the hole in her heart that Trevor’s absence had created. It saddened him to hear that part of her was still expecting him to come back.

“But would ya’ take him back, if he did?” Bruce quietly asked her. “Laura, imagine walkin’ out on those four kids of yours. Those four amazing kids.” He gestured to the door they had all left through. “You couldn’t do it, could ya’? But Trevor…” Bruce chewed his lip for a second, not wanting to sound like he was blaming her for not expecting her husband to be the selfish kind. “I know it’s an hard adjustment, Laura, not havin’ him in your life. But if he’s the sort of man to walk out on his wife and children, he ain’t the sort you deserve.” Bruce gently raised her chin so she was looking him in the eye. “He broke your heart, and your trust. And the kids’, as well. He don’t get to just waltz in and out of this family when it suits ‘im, like he ain’t causin’ damage. If he ever does come back to this door, Laura, promise me you won’t pretend he ain’t hurt those kids. Whether he comes back or not, there’s gonna be permanent damage there.”

Bruce leaned back and sighed, hoping he wasn’t saying too many things she didn’t want to hear. Laura had always been an idealist, a dreamer, a romantic, choosing to see things in a better light than they were. Bruce believed it stemmed from the death of their parents when he and his sister were just children, perhaps as some sort of coping mechanism to help her deal with the painful reality they had been thrown into. He just wished she hadn’t come to accept suffering as the norm - maybe then, she would have understood from the start that she deserved better than Trevor, and she wouldn’t be left lost and broken hearted now.

“It’s a hard thing for a kid to understand,” he mused. “You don’t wanna tell ‘em their dad is a bad guy, in case it turns ‘em against ya’. I mean, he and Spencer have never had a good relationship, but take Billy and Alex - they’re still attached to him, clearly. So if you tell ‘em he’s a bad guy who did a bad thing they’re gonna feel confused and conflicted. Likewise, you don’t want ‘em to feel like they’re not lovable enough, or that it’s their fault Daddy left.” Bruce raised a hand to Laura’s head, gently sweeping her unkempt hair out of her eyes. “I think all you can do is show ‘em twice the love - so even if they figure out someday that Trevor didn’t want them, they can at least know that you do. They can know that they’re worthy of love - and know that Trevor is the one who’s missin’ out.”

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's House
Laura & Spencer King
Sunday 30th April 1961
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

Laura had heard her brother’s question as to whether she would take Trevor back if he did return, but she remained quiet as the contradiction between her heart and logic silenced her. When Bruce pointed out how she could never walk out on her children the way Trevor had, a lump formed in her throat as she knew he was right. No matter how many sacrifices she’d made or how much she’d struggled as a mother, no part of her could ever abandon her four kids. Laura anxiously rubbed her wrist as Bruce pointed out that Trevor didn’t deserve her - the same thing she’d been hearing since her brother had first met her husband. Only, by now even Laura was out of excuses and defenses for Trevor. There was no way to justify him having abandoned his family for months already. She’d been scraping the barrel to justify his selfish behaviour and detachment to their children when he had still been around.

Laura looked Bruce in the eyes as he raised her chin and reminded her that Trevor had broken both hers and the children’s hearts. When he asked her to promise she wouldn’t pretend Trevor hadn’t hurt the kids if he did return, she subtly nodded her head. “I know you’re right,” she said, sniffling back her tears. She wiped her tearful eyes with her sleeve before nodding her head more firmly. “I love him and I know he loved me. I know he wasn’t always loyal to me and we had so many arguments about it, but we always made up and like how I struggle to stop with my addiction, I think he couldn’t help himself when he was with other women.” Laura quickly shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough, but I can’t let him back into my heart after this, can I? If he still loved me he wouldn’t have been gone for four months. Maybe a desperate addict just doesn’t do it for him anymore.”

As Bruce pointed out the conflict surrounding telling the kids their father is a bad guy , she quickly nodded her head, glad he understood how difficult it was. “I can’t tell Alex and Billy their dad is a bad person. If he did come back, I don’t know if I would have the heart to stop them from seeing him and him from seeing them,” she sadly admitted. Laura wished she could write Trevor off completely, but there was still a part of her that expected him to come back any day now. Even when her head was telling her to listen to Bruce and take into account all of the times Trevor had betrayed her, her heart was stopping her from letting go completely.

Looking to her brother as he pushed her hair from in front of her eyes she sent him an uncertain smile, one which held a vulnerability to it. When he suggested the best way to show her children they were worthy of love was by showing them double, her smile broadened and changed into a fond laugh. “Oh, I can definitely do that,” she said, her sudden enthusiasm fueled by the deep love she had for her four children. “I don’t care if Spencer thinks he’s too grown up for it, I’m going to smother him with even more kisses, just as many as my other three angels get.”

Laura shuffled closer to Bruce and rested her head on his shoulder as she decided to have a moment of peace before checking on the boys. “Thank you for always being here, Brucie. The world has been cruel to you, and a man as good, as selfless, as you deserves better.”

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's House
Laura & Spencer King
Saturday 26th August 1961
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

The bank holiday weekend had been going well. The hot weather on Friday had led to the children becoming restless from hanging around the house all day, so Laura had encouraged Bruce to take the kids to the park on Saturday morning. None of them knew that Friday evening would be the last time they would see Laura alive. She'd been on and off the drugs for months, but that evening she'd seemed happy, watching as the boys offloaded all of their energy having water fights in the garden. Even Laura had joined in at one point, having enough in herself to chase Alex around the garden with the hose pipe. Once it had been time to retreat indoors, Laura had helped the boys dry off in front of the fire before it was time for them to go to bed. Afterwards, Laura and Bruce spent some time talking about the day they'd had until she headed off to bed.

Despite having a good day, by the time Laura was alone in her room, the sadness and hollowness had caught up with her. She needed to escape her thoughts for a while, to find that world where she was free of her physical and emotional pain. And after that one injection into her arm, she once again found herself able to completely relax.

*****​

With Spencer at football practice and Bruce with Alex, Billy and Harper at the park, the house had been in silence all of Saturday morning. The first sound came when Spencer unlocked the front door and let himself into the house at around noon. After dumping his shoes and backpack on the floor in the doorway, he rushed into the lounge to greet Laura, but he soon realised she wasn't downstairs. "Muuuum!" he called out from the bottom of the staircase. Not hearing a response, he rushed up the stairs to find his mother. It wasn't the first time she'd stayed in bed late and he was aware enough of her addiction, knowing she had a lot of days where she was too tired to get up. He opened Laura's bedroom door and quietly stepped inside, not wanting to wake her if she was still asleep. Seeing Laura's eyes were open, Spencer took a few more steps into the room and figured it was fine to talk if she was awake. "Mum, do you want me to make some tea and--" As he reached the side of the bed, he could see something wasn't right. His mother looked paler than ever and she wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing. "Mum?!" he worriedly asked. As soon as he placed his hand on her face he could feel her cold, clammy skin. For a time, Spencer forgot to breathe. Hearing the front door close and voices downstairs managed to knock him back into the moment. Quickly pulling his hand away from her face, he gasped for air and let out a choked, struggled breath. "Mum?" he quietly repeated, his bottom lip trembling as his emotions caught up with him. "BRUUUUCE!" Spencer cried out from the bedroom, loud enough for his uncle to hear the desperation in his voice.

 

[Pyroclast]

On the way home from Victoria Park
Sunday 26th August 1961
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce, Alex, Billy & Harper King​

“D’ya want to know something?” Billy asked as he walked hand in hand with his uncle. It had been a perfect morning, with the three younger ones taken out into the local park for some fresh air and exercise. Bruce carried Harper in a sling around his front, who now lay fast asleep against his chest, a little floral sun hat perched at an angle on her head.

“What’s that then, Billy boy?” he asked.

“It’s my birthday next week!”

Bruce grinned. “Oh, is it really? And how old will you be?”

“You’ve said that a hundred times already, Billy,” Alex pointed out. The boy was meandering along the path a short distance ahead, trying to kick the same pebble for as long as he could keep his eye on it.

“Four,” Billy said proudly, ignoring Alex’s comment.

“You’re already four!” Alex corrected him.

“Then I’ll be five, then,” Billy decided. “Can I have a party with all my friends from school?”

Bruce instinctively said, “‘Course ya’ can - birthday boy’s gotta have a party, don’t he?” But deep down, he was thinking of Laura and how practical a kids party would really be. Maybe he would have to just hold it somewhere outside of the house - rent out a kids club and hire an entertainer of some kind, perhaps. She had been in her best kind of state the previous day, able to get up and play with the boys in the garden. But the truth was that, despite her efforts, she was struggling to get off the drugs completely, and some days she was too tired to move much, let alone have several small boisterous children running about in her home.

“And maybe Daddy will come,” Billy thought aloud. And this time, Bruce didn’t have a response. The boy’s hope was heartbreaking, because Bruce knew without a doubt that Trevor never intended to return. He was gone - done being a husband, done being a father. But Laura wasn’t ready to be without him, and neither were the kids. Bruce looked over to Alex anxiously, knowing how upset the boy could get when his father was mentioned. But he had skipped ahead, chasing the small stone he had kicked further away.

“Look, it’s a necklace,” Billy said when they got to the doorstep, opening the palm of his hand to show Alex his treasure while Bruce unlocked the front door. He had found a pebble with a small hole in the centre while they were at the park, and had managed to thread a blade of grass through it, carrying it carefully in his hand all the way home. Alex tried to knock it out of his hand, tired of being repeatedly shown the same thing since leaving the park, but Billy squealed and snatched it away before he could. “Don’t! It’s a special present…”

While the boys argued between themselves, Bruce opened the door and let them all race inside. Once the door was locked behind him, he unfastened the baby sling that carried Harper and picked her up, planting a kiss on her chubby cheek before carrying her over to the fridge to get a bottle for her. Just as he was entering the kitchen, however, he heard Spencer howl his name from upstairs. Alex and Billy’s nattering stopped and they both turned to look at Bruce when he walked back into the room with Harper, the two boys picking up that something was wrong with Spencer. Bruce placed the baby down in the playpen and said to Alex, “Watch your sister.”

His heart was already racing, a sick feeling spreading through him as he feared the worst. “Coming, Spencer!” He called up, as he leapt up the staircase three steps at a time. When he finally burst into the room, the first thing he saw was his nephew, trembling and visibly upset. Then, his heart in his throat, he turned to see what he feared the most. There was his sister, lying lifeless on the bed.

Bruce didn’t know how to react. Half of him was begging to break down and cry while the other half was urging him to stay strong for the children. Caught in the middle of the emotional tug of war, he just stood frozen to the spot, speechless, his heart pounding and his stomach twisting in knots.

Eventually his feet moved and he found himself kneeling at his sister’s side. It was harrowing that her eyes didn’t naturally follow him as he moved, despite being open. He placed a trembling hand on her face and when he felt how cold she was, his eyes flooded with tears. Quickly, he closed her eyelids and made his way back to Spencer, not forgetting that the boy had called for help.

Without hesitating, Bruce swept him up in a smothering embrace, squeezing him tight and holding his head against his shoulder so that he wouldn’t be looking at his dead mother anymore. He held him for a while, fighting back his own sobs as he gently rocked his nephew and rubbed his back.

Then, once he felt able to speak, Bruce drew back and held Spencer’s head in his hands. “Spence,” he said. “I need you to go to your brothers and Harper and keep everyone in the sittin’ room, alright? Don’t let ‘em see -”

“Mummyyyy!”

Bruce’s head whipped around to the doorway, only to see that Billy had already run up to Laura’s bed, his face lit up with happiness.

“Mummy, look what I’ve got for you,” he announced, opening up his hand to reveal the pebble with the blade of grass. “Mummy, look.”

When she didn’t move, Billy prodded her face and then leaned right in. “Mummy, look!”

Wiping tears from his cheeks, Bruce jumped up and ran over to the bed, promptly picking Billy up and causing him to drop the pebble on the floor. The boy’s smile vanished as soon as he saw Bruce and Spencer crying.

“Mummy’s not very well,” Bruce said, every word shaking as it fell from his lips. “She needs some space right now.” But he wasn’t fooling Billy, who had never seen his uncle cry before and was therefore afraid of it, and he burst into tears, his cries quickly evolving into piercing screams despite not understanding what was going on. Seeing him cry made Bruce start to cry, too.

Picking up on all the commotion upstairs, Alex then burst into the room, having abandoned his sister out of curiosity. With shock setting in, Bruce lost his grip on the squirming four-year-old and Billy dropped out of his arms and ran over to Spencer. He collapsed into his brother’s lap and tried to bury himself under Spencer’s arm, scared of his mum being unresponsive and not understanding why everyone was crying.

Meanwhile, Bruce was trying to usher Alex back out of the room, but the boy was too driven and managed to duck under his arm and race over to Laura’s bedside. “Mum?” he asked, but Bruce had reached his limit by that point and dragged the boy away by the arm. “Alex, take Billy and go back into the living room with Harper. Put the TV on as loud as you want, help yourself to the cookie jar, and don’t leave that room ‘til I come find ya’, alright?”

Alex looked at him, bewildered. “What’s wrong with Mummy?” he asked innocently, as Bruce took Billy’s hand and dragged him over to Alex. The man then cupped Alex’s face in one hand and Billy’s in the other, stroking the youngest’s tears away with his thumb. “She - she needs me,” he answered vaguely. Even after having to tell the boys about their Auntie Olga and their cousins, Jacob and Ania, he still had no idea how to explain what was going on. “Go on, go downstairs.”

Bruce could still hear Billy wailing through the floorboards after his two youngest nephews had reached the living room below, and it made the scene all the more upsetting. Fighting to swallow the burning lump in his throat, Bruce knelt down beside Spencer. “I’m so sorry you had to find her this way,” he whispered. “I’m so, so sorry, Spencer."

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's House
Laura & Spencer King
Saturday 26th August 1961
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

Spencer hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away from his mother’s face as she laid lifeless on the bed. Despite having seen her look sick quite often, it was a shock to see her dead after she’d been so full of life the day before. Even though he was aware of Bruce’s presence beside him, it wasn’t until the man pulled him into a tight embrace that he was able to look away from Laura. Spencer tightly closed his eyes before he broke out into a devastated sob, the tears streaming down his face. “Mum…” When Bruce released him and held his head in his hands to face him, Spencer took a deep breath and sniffeld, trying to focus on what his uncle was saying to him. He frantically nodded along when he was told to keep his siblings away from seeing their mother, understanding that it was up to him to help Bruce protect them. He hadn’t been able to respond to the instruction before Billy had found his way into the bedroom, followed shortly after by Alex.

Spencer had stood in stunned silence as Bruce fought to keep Alex and Billy away from seeing Laura, and away from learning the truth in such a direct way. When his uncle finally managed to get his two younger nephews to return to the living room, the man then knelt down next to Spencer. Bruce apologised to the boy for having to find his mother dead. “She was okay yesterday. She was –” Spencer sniffled, cutting himself short from remembering how happy she had been as he caught another glimpse of her lifeless body. “It should have been Trevor,” he muttered under his breath, having stopped calling the man his dad months before he’d even abandoned them.

Turning away from Bruce, Spencer turned back to Laura again. Her left arm was stretched across the double bed towards him. It hadn’t properly registered with him that her right arm had a needle still there next to it. He reached down to grip her left hand in his. Her usually warm skin felt so cold - he hoped she didn’t feel cold. She looked more peaceful since Bruce had closed her eyelids, almost as if she were sleeping, and he could take at least some comfort from that. “I’ll look after them, Mum,” he assured her, hoping that somehow she could hear him. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on her cheek, as she had so often done with him and his siblings. Reluctantly, he forced himself to let go of Laura’s hand and take a step back, kicking the pebble on the floor with his foot as he did. Picking it up, he hesitated for a moment before placing it in his mother’s open hand. “It’s from Billy,” he said, his voice cracking.

Spencer turned back to Bruce and suddenly wrapped his arms around the man to give him another tight hug. Although his own heart was broken, he could see his uncle was in pain too. As much as he wanted to stay with his mother, he knew his brothers were also upset and needed someone to be there for them. “I’m so sorry too,” he quietly told his uncle. When he let go, Spencer used the sleeves of his shirt to dry his eyes and face, then took a deep breath to control himself, having adopted the technique in the past to stop him from getting angry or upset. “Alex and Billy. I need to…” he trailed off as he forced himself to leave the room.

It had taken Spencer some time to reach the bottom of the stairs, having had to pause halfway to stop himself from crying again and to wipe away more tears. He knew he had to be strong for his brothers. When he finally did step into the living room, he retrieved a soft toy from the floor and gave it to Harper who was sitting up in her playpen. Spencer then slumped down in the middle of the sofa, beckoning Alex and Billy to sit at either side of him. Putting an arm around each of their shoulders, he looked straight ahead to Harper as he struggled to find the right words. “Mum… Mummy’s not coming back,” he began, glancing at each of his younger brothers to check they were listening. “She went to sleep and now she’s gone to Heaven. Auntie Olga, Jacob, Ania… they’ll be there with her. Mummy needed to rest and now she can, okay?” he attempted to reassure them. “And I’m going to look out for you, like I told her I would.”

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce King's House
Sunday 26th August 1961
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce, Alex, Billy & Harper King​

When Spencer mused about how well Laura had been doing the previous day, Bruce had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from losing what little composure he had left. He was right, she seemed so full of life, so happy to have enough energy to play with her children. Perhaps in the end, all the activity had worn her out…

But he couldn't start thinking about what happened just yet - he had the kids to comfort first. Spencer hatefully suggested that it should have been Trevor who died, and even though Bruce felt like he should discourage such thoughts, he couldn't deny that he wished it had been Trevor, too. "It shouldn't have happened at all," Bruce compromised. He let Spencer wander back over to his mother, realising that, unlike his brothers, he was mature enough to handle saying goodbye.

So he stood and watched as his nephew spoke to her, raising a hand to his mouth at the sight. The boy promised Laura that he would look after his younger siblings and kissed her on the cheek. He then picked up the pebble Billy had carried home to give to Laura and placed it in her hand. Tears suddenly spilled down Bruce’s face and he had to quickly wipe them away as Spencer turned back to him and gave him a tight hug. Fighting to control his emotions in front of his grieving nephew, Bruce took a deep breath and held it as he ran a comforting hand through Spencer’s hair.

They stood there for a moment, silently consoling each other, and then Spencer drew away. He dried his eyes as best he could and moved off to go and find Alex and Billy. Bruce nodded, concerned about how Alex was processing it with only Billy to talk to, who likely didn’t understand what was going on. “You go to them,” Bruce said, clearing his throat. “I’ll make some calls and then I’ll come get you…”

Once Spencer was out of the room, Bruce walked over to his sister. The needle lay next to her arm and he carefully picked it up and placed it on the bedside table. As soon as he sat down beside her he felt his heart shatter and he broke down, leaning over her and cradling her body in his arms. Part of him felt guilty for crying alone with her when the kids were downstairs, but he also knew this was the only release he would be allowed until they were all asleep. So, he let himself cry.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered to her, brushing the hair out of her pale face. His mind was swarming with regrets and guilt, sorrow and hatred, so much that he couldn’t put it into words. “You’ve been a wonderful mum to those kids. They’re so brave. They’ll be just fine, Laura - I’m gonna take care of ‘em from now on, so don’t you worry ‘bout us. You just rest now, love.”

Bruce wasn’t sure how much time had passed by the time he was done saying goodbye, but eventually he managed to pull himself together. He made the necessary phone calls to report the death and once someone was on their way over to collect her body, Bruce moved into the bathroom to clean himself up. He didn’t want to leave Laura alone and would make sure to be there with her when she was taken away, but for now he had to think of the kids.

When he came down into the living room, Spencer and Alex were sitting together on the sofa, both looking pale and anxious. He looked at Spencer for confirmation that he had let the others know what had happened, but from the expression on Alex’s face he seemed to understand that their mother was dead and not coming back. Billy had calmed down from his earlier fit and was now sitting in the corner with his building blocks and a biscuit in his mouth, not having grasped the gravity of the situation. Harper was in her playpen focused on watching Billy play. The sight of the four now motherless children broke Bruce’s heart all over again, knowing that the two youngest would be left with little to no memory of Laura and the two eldest would likely be traumatised by the event of her death. With a steady breath, he came to sit between Alex and Spencer, letting his arms drape around their shoulders. He kissed each of them on the head and squeezed them tight.

“Things are gonna be different from now on, boys,” he said, his voice left hollow from all the crying. “I’m gonna look after you, now. We’ll get through this together, alright?”

Alex responded by turning around in his seat and burying his face in Bruce’s shoulder, suddenly erupting into tears. Bruce tilted his head to rest on his nephew’s and rubbed his back.

“Uncle Bruce, when can I go to Heaven?” Billy asked, thinking about what Spencer had told him.

“Not yet, Billy boy,” he replied, suddenly thinking of his own children who had been taken from him too soon. Billy seemed satisfied with the answer for the moment - or perhaps he was just focused on not knocking over the precarious tower he was building.

“Does Mummy like the necklace I found?”

Bruce smiled at him, tears still pricking at his eyes. “Very much.”

~ END ~​

 

[BasDorcha]

Jeremy Gray
-October 15th, 1970-
~Cellar~
​

The dark alley stretched out before him like a maze he had memorized. The man who he was tracking was noting but a low level, bottom of the barrel, street thug that Bruce had sent him to deal with. The man who smelt of piss and beer must have thought he had succeeded in ripping off one of the King family’s dealers, stealing their money, their product and left the young man hospitalized. When word had come that John was not going to be released any time soon due to head trauma, a price had been placed on the stranger’s head. Christian had tracked the man through word on the street, and in no time, Jeremy had taken up the gauntlet of dealing with him.

Now the man stumbled around before him, clearly unaware of the danger he was in. Instead, he had gone out, spent the night on the town, all with Jeremy across a room, down the street, an alley away watching for the perfect moment. This was the first solo mission he had been given, and he intended to do it right. When the man came to a stop in the darkest of the alley, Jeremy was on him within moments, a hand over this mouth as the butt of a gun came down on his head, knocking the fool unconscious with a resounding whump.

Jeremy pulled an arm over his shoulder, quickly walking the man to a prepped building nearby – empty, only one entrance or exit, a very soundproof basement thanks to a thick layer of earth and floor. He drug the man in, sitting him in a chair, and began tying his arms behind his back, then to the chair his ankles until the man was trussed up like a turkey dinner. He waited patiently for the man to come back around – right up until the face full of water did it for him.

“Wha-Where am I? Who are you?” The man sputtered out a demand, trying to see in the darkness of the basement. A single lightbulb hung above, swaying from a thin cord. Immediately, the man began to struggle, pulling on the ropes and only making them tighter. Jeremy sat behind him, his feet spread out before him, letting the man panic while he considered what to do. When the moment passed, he lifted a foot, kicking the chair and watching it wobble as a new wave of fear washed over the mans face as he realized he was not alone.

“WHO’S THERE? Who are you? What do you want?” Jeremy slowly came around the front of the chair, standing in front of the man. Whilst he had been sleeping, he had dug through the man’s pockets, finding his wallet, no trace of the drugs except for a very small amount that would not equal what had been stolen could be found. Grabbing the small amount he had found, he threw it at the mans face. It was not enough to hurt him but it did surprise him. “If you want the drugs, take them, I have plenty more where that came from.” A resounding smack filled the room as Jeremy hit before he could stop himself. The man had just confessed as far as he was concerned.

“Yeah, that’s the problem mate. You have a whole lot that don’t belong to you, and I want it back.” Jeremy stepped back, flexing his hand as the man’s blood coated his knuckles. The man looked at him confused, before dawning etched across his face, realizing just how deep in he was. Gulping, he looked up at Jeremy, steeling his eyes against his attacker.

“Well, looks like you’re out of luck, ‘causes I ain’t telling you nothing.” Another thick sound filled the room, this time Jeremy’s foot landed on the man’s knee, cracking it loudly with a shout that soon followed. “FUCK!”

Leaning over the scumbag in front of him, Jeremy put his hand on the back of the chair, getting inches from his face. “Oh, you’re going to tell me, and you’re going to give it all back, then we’ll talk about interest.” The man spit at Jeremy, landing directly on his face.

A deep growl like a man possessed filled the following silence. Jeremy stood up, turning his back on the man as he picked up a pair of pliers and snapped them threateningly. He sat them down, then picked up his knife, choosing this weapon instead. When he turned back round, the man laughed at him, “If you kill me, you’ll never get it back.”

“Oh, I don’t intend to kill you. There are plenty of parts I can cut off before then to incentivize you to tell.” With that, Jeremy walked closer, pressing his knife down against his middle finger and slicing into it. The howl of pain that followed was inhuman. When Jeremy looked back at the man, a deadpan expression was all that could be seen. Jeremy was neither angry, or mad, or seeming to feel anything. Mentally, this was just another job, another day, the only thing he cared about was getting it done right.

It took two more fingers before the man started talking, finally confessing that everything – all of It – was gone. Bruce was going to be livid. Jeremy stood back, watching as the blood flowed freely onto the floor, and the tears from the mans eyes on his cheeks matched. Making a decision, Jeremy made quick work of four more fingers. Before he was done, the man had only a pinky and a thumb on each hand. Cutting the ropes, he forced the man up, and threw him out at the hospital before returning to Bruce. He left a message for the man that should he disappear, they would find him, and the next time, it wouldn’t be just his fingers missing.

The man had a debt to pay, and he was sure Bruce would have a solution. After all, you didn’t need all your fingers to do basic work, and the King Family had plenty of dredge work to complete.

~Fin~​

 

[BasDorcha]

Jeremy's House
London
Jeremy Gray

*****
Wednesday 24th July 1985
A Friends Confession
*****​

Jeremy sat in the comfortably decorated living room of his overly large inherited house waiting for Spencer to show up with take out. He had been on bed rest for a few days now, having to relinquish the protection of Harper to another guard. The first day or two, he'd slept, the headache from the concussion so bad he barely opened his eye - one eye, singular. The other eye was so swollen it wouldn't open on its own, and the fracture had turned a blackish blue. Sitting on the couch, he read a book with the remaining eye. Spence had called that morning, and Jeremy asked him if he minded him dropping him off some take out later as an excuse to get Spencer alone. He had been trying to wait for a decent time to talk to his friend about his feelings for his sister, but after the attack at the restaurant he had decided it was time to do it before there was no time.


When his friend knocked, he shouted to come in, in no hurry to pry himself off the couch. He had just lit a cig, along with having a pot of tea and cups on the table. "Spence, thanks, I had a craving like no other and since I can't drive..." He grinned, nodding to the seat across from him. "I also had more then one reason to ask you over, so now that your here, let's talk while we eat." Suddenly Jeremy felt very awkward. He had been thinking Spencer, like Billy, would be fairly accepting, but it suddenly felt much more nerve wracking.

"I uh, I got something I gotta say. Figure you should know and all, being as it's your sister." Jeremy stumbled to a stop, ashing his cigarette in a tray near him. It would stretch the silence a moment, as Jeremy's trouble concentrating was not where it should be thanks to the injuries he had sustained. When he looked back up, his brain triggered his speech response, realizing he may have left his friend hanging on a questionable end. "Uh, no nothing with Trevor, before you think that. She's also okay, as far as I know. This is more of a me thing..."

 

[Misty Gray]

Jeremy's House
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Wednesday 24th July 1985 ~

Spencer King​

Spencer's patience was wearing extremely thin to the point he was counting down the hours until the following evening when he could go away to Bournemouth for a break with Shona and Eddie. His guilt for leaving London for a few days during the problems the family was facing was outweighed by his acknowledgement that he was on the verge of losing his shit, not to mention he needed to give his wife and son some attention too. Thankfully, Bruce had been fully on board with his nephew taking a few days away to recharge.

Spencer had made sure to check in on Billy every day since he'd been shot and he'd also made a mental note to check in on Jeremy before he went on his beach break. When he called his friend that morning, Jeremy asked him to bring a takeaway over later that day. When he got to the house, Spencer knocked on the door before entering on Jeremy's command. "Alright, ya lazy bastard. You're milkin' this, aren't ya?" he teased his friend as he sat on the chair opposite the couch Jeremy was slumped on. "If it's any consolation, you weren't that good looking before all that," he joked, referring to the man's battered and bruised face. "Glad you're alright though," he sincerely added whilst unpacking the takeout and handing Jeremy his tray of food.

As Jeremy explained he had another reason for inviting him over, Spencer took a bite out of his chip butty, all the while acknowledging his friend was acting awkwardly. "What's she done now?" Spencer mumbled on the subject of Harper, before swallowing his mouthful of food. The silence naturally led Spencer to thinking it would somehow involve Trevor, but Jeremy confirmed it wasn't that. "Good, 'cos we're stuck with that slimy bastard for the time-being," he admitted, but figured that was a story for later. "What's up? Too much pressure for you looking after Harper? I can speak with Bruce about taking you off babysitting duty, but there aren't many other guys we trust enough."